Bisaya Bloggers

It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation.

Yes we can.

It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail toward freedom.

Yes we can.

It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness.

Yes we can.

It was the call of workers who organized; women who reached for the ballots; a President who chose the moon as our new frontier; and a King who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the Promised Land.

Yes we can to justice and equality.

Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity.

Yes we can heal this nation.

Yes we can repair this world.

Yes we can.

We know the battle ahead will be long, but always remember that no matter what obstacles stand in our way, nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change.

We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics…they will only grow louder and more dissonant ……….. We’ve been asked to pause for a reality check. We’ve been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope.

But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.

Now the hopes of the little girl who goes to a crumbling school in Dillon are the same as the dreams of the boy who learns on the streets of LA; we will remember that there is something happening in America; that we are not as divided as our politics suggests; that we are one people; we are one nation; and together, we will begin the next great chapter in the American story with three words that will ring from coast to coast; from sea to shining sea –

Yes. We. Can.

If you want to see the music video inspired by Obama’s speech, click here.

Rihanna is one of the most gorgeous women I’ve ever seen in Hollywood. She’s not actually very beautiful, but she’s extremely appealing. The way she carries herself makes her really sensual and truly sexy.

Here’s Rihanna performing in the 50th Grammy Awards. She sang Umbrella and Don’t Stop the Music.  She was nominated for Album of the Year, but eventually lost to Amy Winehouse.

(It’s Britney bitch)
(I see you...)
(And I just want to dance with you) 

[Laugh] 

Every time they turn the lights down
Just want to go that extra mile for you
You public display of affection
Feels like no one else in the room (but you) 

We can get down like there’s no one around
We'll keep on rockin' (We'll keep on rockin')
We'll keep on rockin' (Keep on rockin')
Cameras are flashin' while we're dirty dancin'
They keep watching (They keep watching)
Keep watching 

Feels like the crowd is saying 

Gimme, Gimme more
Gimme, More
Gimme, Gimme, More
Gimme, Gimme more
Gimme, More
Gimme, Gimme, More
Gimme, Gimme more
Gimme, More
Gimme, Gimme, More
Gimme, Gimme more
Gimme, More
Gimme, Gimme, More 

A center of attention (Can you feel that?)
Even when we’re up against the wall
You’ve got me in a crazy position (yeah)
If you're on a mission (uh-uh)
You got my permission (oh) 

We can get down like there’s no one around
We'll keep on rockin' (Keep on rockin')
We'll keep on rockin', rockin' (Oh ah ha)
Cameras are flashin' while we're dirty dancin'
They keep watching (They keep watching)
Keep watching 

Feel's like the crowd is saying: 

Gimme, Gimme more
Gimme, More
Gimme, Gimme, More
Gimme, Gimme more
Gimme, More
Gimme, Gimme, More
Gimme, Gimme more
Gimme, More
Gimme, Gimme, More
Gimme, Gimme more
Gimme, More
Gimme, Gimme, More 

(I just can’t control myself)
(Woah!)
(Do you want more?)
(Well I’m good for more) 

(Ow) 

Gimme, Gimme more
Gimme, More
Gimme, Gimme, More
Gimme, Gimme more
Gimme, More
Gimme, Gimme, More
Gimme, Gimme more
Gimme, More
Gimme, Gimme, More
Gimme, Gimme more
Gimme, More
Gimme, Gimme, More 

Give me more, give me more
Give me more, give me more babe (Danja Danja, Danj)
I just want more! 

Gimme, Gimme
Gimme
Gimme, Gimme
Gimme, Gimme
Gimme
Gimme, Gimme
Gimme, Gimme
Gimme
Gimme, Gimme
Gimme, Gimme
Gimme,
Gimme, Gimme 

[Danja]:
Bet you didn’t see this one comin
The incredible ligo
The legendary Ms. Britney Spears
And the unstoppable Danja
You're gonna have to remove me
Cause I ain't goin nowhere

My head is spinning–literally!

I guess everybody knows the custody battle between Kevin and Britney. In a not-so-sudden turn of events, Kevin has just been granted 100 percent custody of the kids Sean Preston and Jayden James:

Respondent’s oral motion pursuant to section 214FC is granted and the matter proceeds as a closed hearing.  The court and all parties present confer on the record that the court makes its order as fully reflected in the notes of the official court reporter. The court’s  prior order including the orders made on September 28, 2007 remain in full force and effect with the following modification: Respondent is to retain physical custody of the minor children on Wednesday October  3rd, 2007 at 12 PM until further order of the Court. Repondent’s ex- parte application is noticed for October 3, 2007 at 1:30 PM in  Department 88.

It was reported a couple of days ago that Britney was traveling down LA streets without any California license. In fact she never had any license at all! Well, she almost had one, if she had just completed the entire process.

I just hope she will start to realize that everything is definitely not a joke. She doesn’t have an awesome a career, a married life, and now her kids.

Paris Hilton just got grilled by David Letterman, and it was her saddest day.

Okay, here’s my two cents’ worth: if it’s really over, then it could have never affected her one bit, right? And I’d say given the reputation of David Letterman, she could have at least expected it. Moreover, it would certainly be more self-redeeming if she just matched Letterman’s candidness with her “wit.”

In this world where even your littlest mistake is rubbed into your face, it pays to be real tough and gracious.

Indeed, there’s no one like Alicia Keys, especially in her powerful and soulful rendition of No One.

Lyrics:

I just want you close
Where you can stay forever
You can be sure
That it will only get better
You and me together
Through the days and nights
I don’t worry ‘coz
Everythings gonna be alright
People keep talking
They can say what they like
But all I know is everything’s gonna be alright

No one no one no one
Can get in the way of what I’m feeling
No one no one no one
Can get in the way of what I feel for you
You you
Can get in the way of what I feel for you

When the rain is pouring down
And my heart is hurting
You will always be around
This I know for certain

You and me together
Through the days and nights
I don’t worry cause
Everythings gonna be alright
People keep talking
They can say what they like
But all I know is everything’s gonna be alright

No one no one no one
Can get in the way of what I’m feeling
No one no one no one
Can get in the way of what I feel for you
You you
Can get in the way of what I feel for you

I know some people search the world
To find something like what we have
I know people will try
Try to divide
Something so real
So till the end of time
I’m telling you that

No one no one no one
Can get in the way of what I’m feeling
No one no one no one
Can get in the way of what I feel for you
oh oh oh …

This is totally weird! Just a warning, though. This can be extremely gross–literally. And I mean no kidding. This is Eva Nazemson, a Swedish game show host who suddenly threw up in a middle of a phone call and then back on camera as if nothing happened. Reason? She just had her period. She still looks fantastic, though, don’t you think?

Indeed, after winning the Britain’s Got Talent, his big opera voice dared conquer the world. If you are eager to know what happens to him after, you can start checking out his fan site at http://www.paulpottsofficial.com/

I’m definitely one of the chosen you who will be waiting for his album, though I’m not fond of opera. Okay, I’m just merely touched by his story. Another good thing about him is that he hasn’t changed. He still has that potbellied stomach, crooked set of teeth, and a voice that can make Simon Cowell smile and, who knows, gush.

Britney, Britney, Britney. Well, I thought before that you simply need attention. You’re just a little girl who never actually had the time to grow up properly considering that you married early and, if I may add, to the wrong guy. Or maybe you’re just any confused and hurt wife and mother who basically doesn’t know how to pick up the pieces of a broken marriage and raise two small children.

But you’re running 26. Shouldn’t you start making a good deal about yourself? Shouldn’t you be facing responsibilities better now? Shouldn’t you be spending more time with your family and less on parties? Or better yet, aren’t you tired of how people picture you? Is that the kind of environment you want your children to grow up in, that their mom is one hell of pain in the —?

I’d say take charge of your career and take charge of your own life. Start wearing proper undergarments, record your songs, and release your own album. Stop feeding us with poor performances, and give us great pictures this time.

Most of all, don’t give Kevin the time of his life.

Technorati Tags:celebrities, entertainment, Britney Spears, Kevin Federline

There will be no more Paris in Us Weekly. The legendary Barbara Walters isn’t going to do her an interview. Luckily, someone IS still interested with Paris Hilton: Larry King. Just a few days after she has gone out of jail, Paris Hilton appeared sweet and demure as she talked about her prison life, the way it has changed her, and her dream of becoming a role model to teens, especially to girls. Sounds off, right? Anyway, let’s just hope that prison did something really vital in her. Check the full transcript of the interview here.

Technorati Tags:entertainment, news, Paris Hilton, Paris, US Weekly, Barbara Walters, Larry King, Larry King Live

No doubt, the stubby guy is going to make it. Now we only have to wait about what comes of his performance in front of the Queen.

Congratulations, Paul Potts!

Technorati Tags:entertainment, television, Britain’s Got Talent, Britain’s Got Talent winner, Paul Potts, music, celebrities

Speaking of Angelina, what’s up with her nowadays?

It’s no doubt that she’s one of the most beautiful faces in Hollywood (well, for me, at least) and I have high regards with all her humanitarian efforts for UN, but suppressing freedom of speech? I’m not so sure if I can possibly believe it.

Well, almost overnight, after almost everyone, especially in the media, reacted to her “restrictions,” she finally said that she’s simply misunderstood, as quoted:

There was a memo that went out to ask people if they would sign it that said, “Don’t get into personal questions, focus on the movie,” and things like that. It was from my representative trying to be more protective of me, but it was excessive, and I wouldn’t have put it out there.

Okay, it seems like I’m going to be contradicting here, but I believe her. Why, for the past few weeks, she doesn’t seem to stop talking about her growing family and her bath time with Brad. Get it from People. And she doesn’t hide her smiles every time she’s with her man. Oh, and then this. Well, let’s just hope that everything is just a misunderstanding and a misconception. I don’t think there’s something else that needs to be concealed to all who are prying in her and her family’s lives.

Nevertheless, if there’s one thing that I want her to do, it’s to see her not so frail thin. Anyway, watch her recent appearance in Jon Stewart’s show:

Technorati Tags:entertainment, celebrities, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, People, Fox News, Youtube, You Tube, Jon Stewart, news

It seems like any information we have about Paul Potts is very limited to his very brief performance in Britain’s Got Talent, which ultimately made him an overnight star.

But who is Paul Potts?

Paul Potts lives in South Wales and is a car phone salesman. He is 36 years old and is an Ian Comboy’s student.

Britain’s Got Talent is not the only show where has showcased his talents. In 1999, he appreared in My Kind of Music by Michael Barrymore. He also got the opportunity to tour Italy as he trained in notable opera schools under the tutelage of opera masters such as Svetlana Sidrova, Vilma Vernocchi, and even Luciano Pavarotti. Why, he’s even sung alongside the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Potts also did some stints at the Bath Opera where he played many key roles such as Don Basilio in Marriage of Figaro, Don Carlos, Don Ottavio, and Turandot. He’s also meant to play Chevalier des Grieux in London’s Soutgate Opera.

He’s married to Julie, someone he met over the Internet.

After he moved 2,000 people with his rendition of Nessun Dorma, he continued to move on to the next round, until he progressed into the finals after he got the highest share of votes after his performance of Time to Say Goodbye on June 14.

Click below to watch it.

Technorati Tags:celebrities, entertainment, Paul Potts, Britains Got Talent, You Tube, Youtube

These two will just prove to you that talent knows no age, no profession, and even character.

And I feel so stupid to be crying in front of a PC at 7:31 in the morning.

Cheers to one year of blogging!

Thanks to all those who took time to read my thoughts and rants here (like those who read in Multiply) and who gave both unwarranted (joke!) and interesting comments. Here’s to hoping another 12 months of blogging.

Here’s my first post.

My Life As It Is Now. Sad. But True.

What’s happening with young Hollywood? Well, you could probably ask that again after you read Lee Weaver’s tell-all. Lee is Lindsay’s bodyguard for two years.

Inasmuchas I want to give you snippets of his interview with The News of the World, I’ll let you read it first hand.

Honestly, I feel bad for Lindsay. It seems like her rehab stint now is her last chance to straighten herself up, and she seems to be not even serious of it. Are we seeing the next Marilyn Monroe? I believe she’d love the comparison, yet Marilyn died before she was 40.

Technorati Tags:news, celebrities, entertainment, TNOTW, The News of the World, Lindsay Lohan, Lee Weaver

After she has gone into prison and then back home and then supposed to be back to prison, what more can we expect from this Paris Hilton jail days? Indeed, the whole thing is made up of melodrama. Will she spend 18 days or 45 days? Who loves her more: Sheriff Lee Baca or Judge Michael T. Sauer?

Well, for now, we can only confirm that Paris has decided to not file for appeal anymore, as released by this official statement:

Today I told my attorneys not to appeal the judge’s decision. While I greatly appreciate the Sheriff’s concern for my health and welfare, after meeting with doctors I intend to serve my time as ordered by the judge.

This is by far the hardest thing I have ever done. During the past several days, I have had a lot of time to reflect and have already learned a bitter, but important lesson from this experience.

As I have said before, I hope others will learn from my mistake. I have also had time to read the mail from my fans. I very much appreciate all of their good wishes and hope they will keep their letters coming.

I must also say that I was shocked to see all of the attention devoted to the amount of time I would spend in jail for what I had done by the media, public and city officials. I would hope going forward that the public and the media will focus on more important things, like the men and women serving our country in Iraq, Afghanistan and other places around the world.

After this, we just have to wait and see.

Technorati Tags:news, celebrities, Paris Hilton, Sheriff Lee Baca, Michael Sauer

What do you exactly do when two guys, who claim never knew English and thus run to you for help, beat you you up in, well, English games? I’d say I’m eating my pride. haha!

I don’t know where JJ gets his smartness when it comes to Online scrabble. I still actually have to wait for my turn to win, because out of all the matches we had, I never had any. He can score as high as 130 in just a word, so you can basically imagine how enriched his vocabulary is.

Mark, on the other hand, champions in Yahoo’s Word Racer. And I’m eating dust, figuratively, of course. He normally gets to concoct more words that I can in a matter of minutes.

Beat me, beat me, I’d say! Gawd, how much English words do I need to digest to match their wits?

By the way, this is the most charming photo I’ve seen of Marilyn Manson.

I am learning my lesson. It’s hard when you are overconfident and you don’t practically save for the rainy day. The good thing is I will be making amends.

Yes, I’m quite hard-up these days. There are lots of bills to pay, starting with my credit card. I never really thought I could spend that much in a month! However, as they say, there’s no point in crying over spilled milk, right? I’d better look at this as part of growing up.

My mom’s voice is echoing in my head. Sometimes I do make costly decisions. I am usually governed by my impulse, which definitely proves to be disadvantageous for me.

Yet I’m learning. I’d rather not think of today but on the days to come. I’d rather not think of how much I lose but how much I will gain.

Which then reminds me again of Bo Sanchez. (I’ve been telling this story to quite a number of people now). There was a time when he decided to quit his lucrative job because he wants God to be his utmost provider. For three years, he did struggle with his own budget, considering he has a family to raise. However, it’s these amazing three years that he was able to accomplish a lot of things, which he could never have done if had not left his previous employment. He was able to travel to a lot of places all over the world for free to preach the Word of God.

I am scared. But I’ve learned. I know with great faith and prayer, God will provide for me and my family. If I learn to be happy with nothing, then I can also learn to appreciate when I have something. I’ve learned. And I can’t wait for the next time God will give me manna to share.

Lost Sight

Read with caution

By Juan Mercado
Cebu Daily News
Last updated 03:12pm (Mla time) 05/31/2007

CEBU, Philippines—These stories are not to be read with a full stomach,” painter-turned-author Joselito Velasco warns. He meant accounts of his talks with 12 street kids whom he painted into a Manila slum “last supper” canvas that still provokes.

“I first saw a replica of ‘Hapag ng Pagasa’ (Table of Hope) painting on a billboard along Edsa,” Magsaysay Awardee Tony Meloto writes. “This painting disturbed and excited me…. Is it because I forgot where I came from and the many left behind?”

A Don Bosco graduate, 40-year-old Velasco painted Hapag in 2005. The canvas depicts the Master breaking bread at a slum-home table of broken wooden slats. At the table are 12 Quezon City urchins in street rags, painted from photos Velasco snapped. They vanished into cesspool anonymity thereafter.

But Hapag exploded into art discussions, columns, homilies. The picture took a life of its own. “It was haunting,” Velasco recalls. He dug up crumpled oil-stained photos of the 12.

“Searching for (the kids)… was like spiraling into Dante’s Inferno,” he writes. “I went as far as North Cemetery, La Dakila, Litex, Yuen, Lilac and Fairlane under the bridge…. (I) was assaulted by the unbelievable stench and filth that filled the labyrinthine streets. Tattooed men stared at me suspiciously…”.

Persistence tracked down all 12: Tinay, who clings to her doll and was abused by her drug father addict; stuttering Onse, mocked because his mother is a nightclub strip dancer; seven-year-old Buknoy, with the weary face of a 40-year-old. All are ill-fed. “Does this mean free noodles again?” they asked.

“By crossing a line, from mere bystander to a friend, I began to know gradually who (they) were,”
Velasco recalls. They’re the “tip of a hovering mountain of muck…. Greed of the privileged few, glorified by society and media as competition, (condemns) them to being treated like mosquitoes or stray cats. (This) calcified into all facets of society.”

The post-painting interviews flowed not from strength but from “weakness as fellow-journeyer… of children drifting in the dark,” Velasco says. “(Their) tiny dreams are shattered before they take form… whose voices are often unheard.”

Here are voices of three: Nene of cemetery niches; Emong, a “kalkal boy;” Michael, garbage cuisine chef.

Nene is 11. Her insane mother disappeared, leaving her a La Loma “apartment” dweller: tenders of cemetery niches. Some questions and answers:

Q. “What did you do on your birthday?”

A. “We ate Jollibee. We lumped those thrown into the garbage can.”

Q. “Where do you live?”

A. “Here in the cemetery. Sometimes in the pushcart.”

Q. “Are you not afraid?”

A. “I’m used to it. I grew up there.”

Q. “What work do you do?”

A. “I baby sit my brother. I scavenge.”

She climbs moving jeepneys and shines shoes of passengers. At the fastfood shop, Nene stopped eating to pack the food as “take-home meal for her grandmother.”

Q. “If you’re able to study, what would you like to be?”

A. “A doctor, so I can have my mother treated.”

Q. “Where is she now?”

A. (Weeping) “Wandering aimlessly.”

In the painting, 10-year-old Emong drinks juice, next to the Christ. In life, he’s a “kalkal boy” – who hops from junk shop to another, selling what his group scrounged: plastic bottles, empty cans, cartons, etc.

Q. “Do your parents take care of you?”

A. “Early morning, my mother and friends already play tong-its.”

Q. Do you have other work?

A. “We sell pan de sal. At 2 a.m. we line up in the bakery, get the bread. By 7 a.m., the bread runs out.”

They breakfast on a peso worth of rice. “Basketball follows, cara y cruz afterwards. Then kalkal.”

Kalkal boys bypass the clock. “I overslept as I waited for my brother to wake up, so I could use the bed,” says one. “There was no food left for me,” explains another. “I sold additional pan del sal so my younger brother would have food.”

“Pers time we had cake,” Emong says on tasting hopia. Afternoons, they eat from the garbage can. Usually, it’s rotten cabbage and sayote.” And his interpretation of the Hapag painting is striking: the kids invited the Master, and not vice versa.

“The Filipino from all walks of life is hospitable,” Velasco reflects. “This last supper is a banquet of the poor kids for… a special Guest. “Kumain ka na ba?” is a Filipino traditional greeting. And so is “Kain tayo” (Come, let’s eat).

In the painting, 13-year-old Michael holds a paper plate. As Payatas scavenger, he’s an expert on papag: a mix of scraps from the dump. “You boil it, then fry. Or cook with vinegar and soy sauce. It’s sour because it’s spoiled. But papag fills the stomach. And it doesn’t last until evening.”

Some 400 trucks dump refuse daily. “We know where the trucks come from, just by the smell. I’m here everyday. I don’t care about the smell. I can eat waste. What’s important is milk for my younger brother…”

Home is two kilometers from the dump where a jobless grandfather and siblings wait. Invited to a fastfood restaurant, Michael just stares. To him, “everything and everyone is garbage.”

Velasco sat at a coffee shop beside a lady whose remote lacked a few buttons. “She spoke to Edgar Allan Poe and Leo Tolstoy. She squinted at Hapag and said: ‘This strikes me as a poor kids’ Last Supper. But they’re not actually poor… because they have Jesus.”

And that’s where the title of this 237-page Kenosis Publication book came from: “They Have Jesus: Stories of the Children of Hapag.” Ask your favorite bookstore. It’s a good read, but not on a full stomach.