Little evil monsters

“THE difference between rebels and nonconformists is that nonconformists don’t take action, [they just get] pissed off when things don’t go their way.”—Lady Gaga, May 22, 2012

I AM writing this piece still quite high from watching the concert of Lady Gaga.

Yes, I am a sinner. And my soul will probably burn in hell.

I am a follower of Beelzebub and will now commit murder, fornication, and all sorts of diabolic mayhem in his name.

But “I don’t give a f%#k!” to quote Gaga. See, that’s another thing I learned from her; I now cuss like a fishmonger’s wife. Such a bad, bad influence, this Gaga.

I am now an evil little monster. (Or considering my weight, an evil big monster!)

Lady Gaga arrives at a Makati hotel



Seriously, I have always been enthralled with Gaga’s music.

Sure, I am not exactly her ideal demographic, but I’ve always loved dance music. So from Gaga’s earliest tunes released in 2008 in her debut album The Fame, and watching her music videos, I became a certified fan. And I knew she was a great talent everyone should watch out for. (Her succeeding albums -The Fame Monster and Born this Way – have become smash hits as well.)

Yes, she reminds people in my age group of Madonna. And Gaga herself has acknowledged the earlier pop diva’s influence on her and her music. Although I must underscore that Madonna’s voice, when she was just starting out, wasn’t as powerful until she was further along in her career, after she had cut a few more albums. In contrast, Gaga’s vocal skills already set her apart from many young singers/musicians her age; she can hit those high notes without even breaking a sweat. And, man, can she dance in those friggin’ high heels! Ach!

(I just hope though that Gaga doesn't turn into an old bitter b**ch by the time she's Madonna's age right now, and a younger, more talented, and popular singer has "copied" her. I used to adore Madonna and still have her on my iTunes playlist, but seriously, what songs do we really love except those she put out in the '80s, at the height of her career?)

Now how could I and thousands of other Filipinos not like Gaga? We identify with her immediately: the daughter of middle-class, two-income parents who raised her Catholic, she studied in a private Catholic school. She has a lot of fabulous gay friends and rebels against perhaps all established norms that constrain our individuality.

Many Filipinos try to be true to themselves, despite the still-restrictive cultural traditions we have. So I think this is why Gaga appeals to us. Her outlandish costumes, semicontroversial lyrics and total, “I don’t give a sh%@” demeanor are what many of us hope for ourselves but our fear of being ostracized by the people we love and respect keeps us from reaching. So we lead loud and outcast lives through her music.

In fact, during the concert on Tuesday (May 22), this was exactly what happened. Even as Gaga performed quite brilliantly onstage, many people in the audience were still stuck to their seats, or merely stood in the mosh pit, capturing Gaga on video via their smartphones or tablet PCs.

I stood up and shimmied as soon as Gaga sang and played her second number, yet the people around me were seated, just singing, or screaming. But, but, but...no dancing?! Gaaak! This made me a tad heartbroken.

But that’s us, Pinoys. We are very reserved even in the face of so much fun and hilarity. We still like cloaking ourselves with some amount of respect or dignity, for fear of being laughed at by the people around us. And yet we shed all inhibitions once we start ridiculing or poking fun at the foibles of others. Reading my Twitter timeline for the afternoon of Chief Justice Renato Corona’s so-called pang-Famas performance on national TV more or less confirmed as much. Tsk, tsk, tsk.

(From WhenInManila.com. For more photos of Gaga's May 21 concert, click here.

Going back to Gaga and the controversy she engendered in Pasay City (where is that cool cat Peewee Trinidad when you need him?), I’m glad her concerts were allowed to push through.

Music can’t all be about lollipops and roses (here’s a nod to Jack Jones), or the Divine (hello, Fatima Soriano). Sometimes it is about flying in the face of accepted ways of life, traditions, and belief systems.

Perhaps, Pasay City Mayor Antonio Calixto and the ex-Manila Mayor Lito Atienza (whose floral shirts I find even more offensive than Gaga’s tight butt) should remember how Elvis Presley’s gyrations onstage in the late ’50s and ’60s were once condemned as “obscene.” Also too, Jerry Lee Lewis could very well be regarded as a pedophile considering that his wife Myla was only 13 at the the time he shacked up with her.

And what about the jazz and bebop stylings of many African-American musicians in the ’40s and ’50s? This kind of music was considered evil as well by a lot of American Bible-thumping believers and noisy prejudiced politicians?

Think about it: rock ‘n’ roll and jazz would never have developed and thrived had many of these so-called controversial musicians and artists been banned, or not given any airplay or stage time. (Jerry Lee Lewis did get blacklisted, but his music career was revived in the mid-’60s by the Europeans who loved him.)

Gaga’s music may not appeal to all, and her lyrics may be misunderstood, but that is no reason to ban her. (Or, as some idiot-plagiarizing-foreign-composers disguised as an “OPM artist” suggested, to change her lyrics.)

As what I argued in the case of the Kulo exhibit at the Cultural Center of the Philippines last year (see “Life and Art”, Something Like Life, August 19, 2011), artists have the right to freely express their thoughts, hopes, wishes, and dreams. No one puts a gun to your head to go see their artwork or, in the case of Gaga, listen to her music or watch her concert.

(Elvis Presley's wild pelvis gyrations were once considered obscene by Bible-thumpers. Photo from www.crazy-frankenstein.com)

I must admit there were some portions of her concert which may be considered, ahem, "adult", so parents really should accompany their kids if they're between the ages of 13 and 17, if the latter are watching her concerts. (This should be strictly enforced not only in concerts of this nature, but also in movie theaters showing PG-rated films as well.)

But what is clear is we can’t be stuck in the old notions of what “music” is. I love Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Barbra Streisand and all these “traditional” singers whose songs are such classics, but continue to be popular today. But Lady Gaga is Lady Gaga. She creates music. And she is as much an artist as those older singers. (Btw, one of Gaga's most ardent fans is Liza "with an Z" Minelli! And Tony Bennett even sings with her on his latest album, "Duets II". )

Music is dynamic and ever-changing with the tastes of people and the times. It is there to entertain and perhaps even inspire. For those reasons alone, we should accept it in all of its forms—Rebecca Black bad, or Gaga good.

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AN announcement: Foodies masquerading as business executives should be pleased to know that the mucho-exclusive Tower Club is offering a one-month trial on dining memberships for the months of June and July. To know more, call the Concierge Services at 885-7085 local 2021, or visit www.towerclub.com.ph.

(My column, Something Like Life, is published every Friday in the Life section of the BusinessMirror. This piece is an extended version of what was originally published on May 25, 2012.)

Saigon sojourn

MY friends and I jetted off to Saigon during the recent four-day holiday, and one of the things we did was to watch the hugely entertaining Water Puppet show. Even the adults enjoyed it. Major aliw factor.

What I'm posting is just one of the acts-it's actually a 50-minute show w/ live music and singing, and amazing puppetry skills. I believe only Vietnam has this water puppet show, and I'm told Hanoi also has its own version.



We also traveled to the Tay Ninh province, northwest of Saigon, and marveled at the ornately designed Cao Dai cathedral. Cao Dai is a religion unique this province and blends the belief systems of Christianity, Taoism and Buddhism. We stayed for a while to observe their noonday service.



More about my Saigon vacation in future posts.

Joseph, Mary, and baby Jesus in the digital age

LOVE this!!!



Winner di ba? ;p

Change yourself, change the world

So what about Madonna? Isn’t the Kabbalah supposed to teach us about ourselves and how to better handle our relationships with other people? I ask Yehuda why he thinks her marriage with film director Guy Richie fell apart.

“First of all, not everyone’s supposed to be with everyone. Sometimes there’s more positivity in being separate than in being together. Just like there are people looking to find the right one, there’s a bunch of people with the wrong one that are afraid to be alone. I’m not here to judge who should be together or who shouldn’t be together. But there’s no question she’s a better person today than she was 10 to 12 years ago. Twelve years ago, she was doing [the book] Sex. Now she has a charity helping children in Malawi and all this stuff. In her personal life, if you ask her, I’m sure she’ll tell you that her personal life’s great right now.” (Of course, I quipped, maybe even better for Guy; he did score a hit recently with Sherlock Holmes.)
(Click Something Like Life for the rest.)

God didn't have anything to do w/ the Ondoy tragedy

THE flooding from Typhoon Ondoy happened, because of poor urban planning and our polluted esteros. There were many victims from the flood, because the gov't was inept, and didn't mount any rescue efforts until it was too late. The typhoon happened, because typhoons are a natural occurence in this part of the world. It's intensity is blamed on Climate Change, again, not God's doing but ours. Our burning of fossil fuels contributes to global pollution and greenhouse gases.

No. The Ondoy tragedy happened not bec. God got mad as there are so many sinners in the Philippines. Our God is no longer of the Old Testament - an angry God - who sends great floods to cleanse the earth of bad people. Or turns sinners into pillars of salt.The God of the New Testament is a loving God. It is His continuing devotion to us - despite our trespasses - that has inspired many of us to help our brothers and sisters who've lost their family, friends, and homes bec. of Ondoy.

It is God who encourages us to be better Christians by loving our fellow men. This tragedy is an opportunity for us all to show Him why we are so deserving of his continuing affection.

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Here's an insightful piece about urban planning from PDI's Lifestyle section:

"If there is anything or anyone to be blamed for the flooding in Metro Manila, these are the inhabitants. Domestic garbage has obviously taken over the drainage system. We must learn to dispose of our garbage properly." (Click Don't blame God for the rest.)

This is very strange

Four days after the fatwa went out, students continued to fill the classrooms of Jakarta's Jakartadoyoga Studio. On Jan. 28, the influential Indonesian Ulemas Council issued a religious edict forbidding all Indonesian Muslims to practice yoga that incorporates pre-Hindu religious rituals such as meditation and chanting. And while students at the yoga studio admitted they had heard about the proclamation, which allows yoga only for the purpose of exercise or sport, they say it won't deter them from attending classes in the popular Indian practice. "Issuing a fatwa is not the way to settle a controversy — if there really is one," says Sita Resmi, a yoga student and observant Muslim. "If something endangers the public, then I understand, but this doesn't, so it doesn't make much sense to me." (Read Indonesia's Fatwa Against Yoga in TIME magazine.)

A few years back, I attended a yoga retreat at Mandala Spa in Boracay. One of my classmates asked our instructor, Mo-ching Yip, if she could sit out the chanting class because she's a born-again Christian, and thus, recognized only one Supreme Being or God. Many of the chants used in yoga practice do mention several gods or goddesses. So what Mo-ching did was to teach us chants w/c were non-denominational, and spoke of one Earth, the divine light in us and in everyone, and peace.

Personally, I have never felt less Catholic when I was still chanting and meditating. I found chanting very comforting and uplifting. I think I'll take it up again.

OM Shanti.

Conflicted

Something Like Life
Aug. 8, 2008

“And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.” (Matthew 10:14)

IT’S not difficult to comprehend why Fr. Mauricio Ulep’s parents hesitated to let him study to be a priest. He is intelligent, very articulate, with a good sense of humor and, most of all, he is cute. (As if all the priests should be old, fat, boring and ugly.)

In fact at one of the Masses for my father’s wake last year, which Father Mau, then 30, had officiated, my 21-year-old niece couldn’t help but whisper to me: “Ang guapo naman ng priest na ’yan!” Her elder sister looked to me, as well, with a slight raising of the eyebrows and a knowing smile that meant that her thoughts were not focused on the day’s Gospel anymore. (The rain was pouring in torrents outside, causing a massive flood along the avenue where the funeraria was located, but we were warm and comforted by the fact that our priest was young and handsome, and delivered a good short sermon. Amen! We all certainly felt blessed that stormy night.)

Father Mau looks just like any young college student dressed in jeans, sneakers and a T-shirt. He is given to impish grins especially when he is on the verge of telling another humorous anecdote about his life. He is one of the five or so priests who say Mass regularly at our neighborhood chapel at the Claret Seminary in Quezon City. His Masses are always packed because, for one, his voice rings clear and loud and, second, his sermons are interesting on no small account due to the personal experiences he shares to illustrate or underscore the message of the Sunday Gospel.

He had just arrived from Basilan two weeks ago and was on his way to visit his father in Ilocos Norte. He is scheduled to return again to the war-torn area and is supposed to take over the parish of Tumahubong, his first posting as a parish priest just two years after being ordained. The parish is three hours away from the city, made accessible by a road famous for ambushes by Muslim extremists, never mind that the stretch is dotted by army outposts. The Claretian order, which has been in Basilan since 1950, is just one of two religious orders that have remained in the province. The other is the Franciscan Order, whose parishes are closer to the capital of Isabela.

(A HARD LIFE. Fr. Mauricio Ulep, a Claretian missionary whose ministry brings him face to face not only with difficult realities like social poverty but also with life-threatening danger.)

It is a dangerous life for Claretians in Basilan, a land mostly populated by Muslims, some of whom feel it is their right to take back their province and kick out the Christians. One of the priests still saying Mass in Claret is an old Spaniard, Fr. Bernardo Blanco, who had already been kidnapped twice by the Abu Sayyaf Group, the first time in 1993 from his parish in Maluso. Kidnappings and killings of catechists are the norm and just in 2000, another Claretian priest, Fr. Rhoel Gallardo, was kidnapped, tortured by Muslim extremists and thereafter killed in a crossfire when the military attempted a rescue operation. (Cick here for the rest.)

(My column, Something Like Life, is published every Friday at the Life section of the BusinessMirror.)

Why nuns have clear complexions

Something Like Life
June 13, 2008

(Sr. Mary Veritas – aka Rose Maipid – receives visitors, former journalism and PR colleagues on her birthday, at the Pink Sisters convent in Tagaytay.)

LAST Sunday, I tagged along with a couple of friends to Tagaytay to visit an old journalist colleague, Rose Maipid, who had entered the religious life by joining the Holy Spirit Adoration Sisters, commonly known as the Pink Sisters. Now called Sister Mary Veritas, Rose (I couldn’t help but still call her that) was flustered and excited to see a lot of her peers, friends and family who had come to celebrate her 39th birthday. This is only one of the few times in a year that a Pink Sister can chat and be with “outsiders,” although, technically, they cannot freely mingle with us. There was a steel slotted gate, which had a heavy padlock, that acted as a barrier between us and Rose. She, like the other nuns, can only receive visitors three times a year.

Before our visit, there was some discussion about what to bring her. Someone said she brought potato chips, nachos and some junk food for Rose once before. Another said she would bring coffee and tea. I didn’t know what to bring for Rose except my request for prayers. I wasn’t so sure that giving her chips and dips would make her happy because, I thought, since she had given up this materialistic world of ours, she would have no use for them.

Well, I was wrong. During her birthday feast, I saw Rose’s sister shove half a lechon through a small door in a wall, which Rose promptly took and brought to her fellow nuns. Hmmm… so the Pink Sisters are allowed to enjoy some nice treats, and I made a mental note to bring her various goodies next time. I guess, like many of us, the nuns, too, need a break from their life’s vocation, and are allowed to enjoy some pleasures of the outside world, however limited. I suppose praying for all of us lost souls and those in dire need of help from the Lord can also be mentally and physically exhausting.

So there we were with Rose, chatting with her, dishing the latest news and goings-on among her peers, as well as officials that she often interviewed when she was a reporter. But we were actually amazed that she knew much of the gossip that was going around our industry, and, like a good reporter, was asking us for confirmation. This made us wonder who was keeping her up-to-date with news of the outside world. Either that or she had a divine connection to the outside world through the Lord Jesus or Mama Mary. She knew exactly what kalokohan we were all up to.

(Sr. Mary Veritas fields birthday greetings/calls through a borrowed cellphone.)

Rose didn’t sound or look any different from how I remembered her. One of our friends who spoke to her via cell phone even wondered why she didn’t sound “motherly” (or should that be “sisterly”?). We all laughed at that because we all quickly realized that becoming a nun doesn’t mean changing one’s personality. Everything remains the same except for the inner self, which becomes more spiritual and Christ-like.

I knew Rose as a very competent business journalist, who then became an effective public-relations officer of a bank and an accomplished scuba diver. I remember the last time I saw her, she was shepherding our gaggly media group to yet another eating binge at Dampa that was just newly opened then. She was always the cheerful sort and very grounded, no airs at all, which was why I took to her. That and because she had also come from the same newspaper where I had started my journalism career.

But I never had any inkling that she was contemplating a life of solitude and prayer. According to our common friends, Rose always knew she was destined for some other life outside of the communications/journalism business. She had heard her calling even when she was a reporter. Perhaps she decided to remain in the outside world to gain the necessary experiences for her to serve the Holy Spirit better.

Rose’s becoming a scuba diver actually cemented the way for her eventual decision to enter the religious life some eight years ago. She told us she would often pray the Rosary as she reached the underwater grotto of the Virgin Mary during her dives in Anilao, Batangas. I imagine that seeing God’s creatures and that glorious palette of colors He had painted underwater must’ve left her in awe of His power, majesty and artistry. (I've felt the same way too whenever I went snorkeling, the last being in Palau where the coral reefs are just magnificent, bursting with marine life and the wildest colors.)

She went to many far-off places just to dive and was trying to earn her spurs as a dive master. But during one dive in Anilao, she and her group got lost. Rose took it as a sign from Him that becoming a dive master was not the life He wanted for her.

As a Pink Sister, Rose has given up her worldly possessions and ties to the outside world for a life “in perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Thus we offer intercessory prayer for the needs of all,” according to the congregation’s web site. The nuns who have already made their Perpetual Vows all wear a silver ring with a rose insignia to signify their dedication to the Holy Spirit.

“The rose color of our habits, which we wear in honor of the Holy Spirit, symbolizes our dedication to the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity. Evangelization and the sanctification of priests are particularly remembered in our life of prayer, which includes the singing of the Liturgy of the Hours [Divine Office] in choir,” the web site adds. Thus, at about 11:30 am in their Tagaytay chapel, one will see the sisters file out and kneel in their own pews, segregated from the public, and sing their prayers. It can be a very moving experience just listening to their heavenly voices.

(The Pink Sisters singing their noontime prayers at their Tagaytay chapel.)

Despite their cloistered life, the Pink Sisters are quite aware of what is going on in the real world. I was surprised to find out from the Mother Superior, for example, that the convent does have Internet access, although its use is normally reserved only for her and one other nun. She said they have to make regular contact with the other branches in other provinces (there are six in all in the Philippines) and other parts of the world, thus the need for the Internet access and e-mail facilities. I wanted to ask the Mother Superior if she watched videos on YouTube or chatted with the other Mother Superiors via instant messaging as well, but I was afraid she would whup me in the ass or use a stick to rap me on my knuckles, guilty Catholic schoolgirl that I am. But like I said, the congregation does have a web site where they also receive prayer requests, so these sisters are Internet-savvy.

And there was something about the Mother Superior that instantly endeared her to me. Aside from her very clear complexion, she just positively glowed. I couldn’t explain it, but apparently it was visible to all as my friends noticed it, too. There was a certain peace and serenity in her, although I could see some flashes of wit in her very kind and wise old face. Perhaps this is what a life of service to the Holy Spirit has made her. She is able to channel the Spirit to touch people just by her presence and her smile.

Next year, Rose is scheduled to say her Perpetual Vows. Although she has been a Pink Sister for eight years already, she says she can still leave the congregation if she wants to. In fact, she told us that when she received one of our friend’s rather longish letter, she was at a retreat. Then she woke up at midnight and realized how much she missed diving. I imagine that seeing all of her family and friends last Sunday was a poignant moment for Rose, as it reminded her of the people and the things she would miss should she decide to make that final commitment to the Holy Spirit.

So, as we said our good-byes, she asked for our prayers that she would be able to make it to her Perpetual Vows. Once she takes that final step, there would be no turning back for Rose. I made a silent prayer and wished her well before walking out the door.

***To know more about the Holy Spirit Adoration Sisters, or make prayer requests, you can visit the Adoration Sisters web site.

(My column, Something Like Life, is published every Friday in the Life section of the BusinessMirror.)

The Pope's red shoes

A few days ago, the crackly hosts of The View (Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sherri Shepherd, Elizabeth Hasselbeck, and Barbara Walters) all wore red shoes in tribute to Pope Benedict XVI who was visiting New York. Apparently they thought the Pope was being fashion forward by daring to wear red shoes which just really stand out against his white cassock.


Far from being fashion savvy (although he wore red Prada loafers a few times before), the Pope is actually just carrying on the tradition from his predecessors who all wore red shoes (except for Pope John Paul II who started wearing a red pair then later switched to brown shoes to symbolize his coming from humble beginnings).

Pope Benedict XVI just wants to show continuity in religious symbols, most especially in the manner of dress and speech for his papacy. (As Cardinal Josef Ratzinger, he often defended traditional Christian doctrine and values. Under his papacy, Pope Benedict XVI has allowed the return of the Tridentine Mass where the priest's back faces worshippers and the entire ceremony is cconducted in Latin. And just two days ago, he spoke French at the beginning of his address at the United Nations assembly. French used to be the "official" language spoken at the UN.)

There are many opinions on how the tradition of wearing red shoes started, with some saying it may be traced to Roman emperors having worn red leather sandals. Or that Pope Benedict XVI wears the color because he was a Cardinal before, and the color stands for a Cardinal's red cassocks.

In a children's book entitled, "Why does the Pope wear red shoes?", the Pope's private secretary said red is the color of martyrdom and "the color of burning love, the color of the fire of the spirit." Of course, that still doesn't thoroughly explain when the tradition started and why it was adopted in the first place.

Whatever the source of this tradition, I think the Pope does look awfully cute in those red leather shoes. And if the girls from The View thought that was being edgy, just wait 'til he pulls out his uber-cool Serengeti shades again.

Preparing for Holy Week

(Holy Week 2007: A caroza bearing the arrested Christ, as St. Peter denies him. To his right is the Virgin Mary. I took this photo during the Good Friday procession in San Pablo, Laguna last year. More of my Holy Week 2007 photos at Flickr)

FR. VIC, our priest for the 6 pm Mass at the chapel in the village where I live, made some interesting points during his sermon tonight, which I wanted to share with you. I hope I can deliver his thoughts as well as he said them.

WHY is the week called Mahal na Araw? In English it's called Holy Week so shouldn't it be "Banal na Linggo" in Filipino? He said the week is all about Christ's love (in Filipino, pagmamahal) for us, which made it possible for Him to suffer and die for our sins. Thus, Mahal na Araw.

The origin of the Visita Iglesia which is done every Maundy Thursday, he noted, was perhaps a way to keep churchgoers from filling up the Church to the brim as they keep vigil for an hour before the Blessed Sacrament, which represents the body and blood of Christ. As you know, it is only on Maundy Thursday that the Blessed Sacrament is exposed to the public. So the Visita Iglesia helps break down the hour into 10-minute portions so believers go to about seven (7) Churches to see the Blessed Sacrament, this way preventing an overflow of churgoers.

He also said that because the Blessed Sacrament is exposed just one day in a year, we should venerate it. It isn't the time to do the Way of the Cross, which should be done, instead, on Good Friday, because this is the day when the Christ Lord died on the cross.

Because the Visita Iglesia has become somewhat like a tourist attraction already ("Panay pa-picture sa harap ng simbahan kasi maganda", says Fr. Vic), it was better, he said, to just spend an hour in one Church praying and keeping vigil, meditating on the Blessed Sacrament.

The most important holiday, he said, should really be Easter Sunday, instead of Christmas, which is "the beginning" of Christ's life. Easter Sunday, however, is the day when Christ resurrected from the dead. This is the "culmination", he noted, of Christ's life and works here on earth. So actually, we should place more importance on it than on Christmas.

What do you think, guys?

A most blessed Holy Week to all!