Homophobia rears up its ugly head in Panama: Lesbian couple jailed for kissing, consul forced to resign over leaked photos
A couple of notably homophobic incidents this week in the Central American country of Panama:
Panamanian consul to the Canary Islands resigns over photos distributed on Twitter: I have a feeling that when 22 year old Ítalo Giovanni Afú Quiel was appointed as the Panamanian consul to the Canary Islands in Spain he might have felt as if he'd won the lottery.
Known as a tourist destination for its beaches and relatively mild year-long climate and situated in the southern tip of Spain just across the northern coast of mainland Africa, the archipelago seems like a dream destination for just about anyone, particularly a young politically connected guy like Afú.
His appointment had already drawn some controversy in May of last year when it was revealed that he was one of ten individuals who found cushy government positions after his former boss, Juan Carlos Varela, became the country's Vice President.
That report also reproduced an e-mail message in which Afú boasted that one of Spain's leading store chains had agreed to carry a rum brand produced by Hermanos Varela, the company owned by the VP's family for which he and the VP had previously worked.
Nepotism, using a consular office to promote a sitting Vice President's economic interests? No big deal. Showing up to an annual carnival celebration dressed up like a woman and being caught on camera? An almost immediate resignation.
Three photos, apparently taken on March 12th on the final night of the annual carnival celebrations in Las Palmas, show Afú dressed in a pink dress and carrying a fuchsia-colored purse as a plastic yellow banana sticks out of his chest. Apparently, the images only started making the Twitter rounds early last week quickly exploding on the national scene with the major Panamanian dailies running daily articles about the "scandal".
On Friday, the leading Panamanian newspaper, La Estrella, breathlessly reported on the images. It quoted academic leaders as saying that the images were "yet another insult to the dignity of the community" while Vice President Varela defended him.
"He could have dressed up as a pirate, he could have dressed up as sea robber, or he could have dressed as - I don't know - Donald Duck?", the Vice Predident said, "We have to call it what it was: Carnival, a costume party".
The damage was done, tough, the director of the conservative and homophobic paper Hora Cero called him part of a "flowery" cadre of diplomats known for their homosexuality ("The diplomacy of 'el florón'"), conservative journalist and former political candidate Carlos Zavala called him a "faggot" ("Carlos Zavala confronts consul Afú") and, to top it all off, a Miami television station made homophobic fodder of the whole deal by showing a jaw-droppingly bad video of skimpily clad girls dancing to an all-female group singing lines such as "a confused consul went to a party wearing a woman's dress instead of pants" to the tune of "Guantanamera".
You might laugh but, apparently, though, Panamanians are incredibly concerned about how their country is viewed by a tiny Miami cable station ("U.S. television station makes fun of Panamanian consul - Newspapers of the world feature the case" La Estrella screams out).
What to do? Well, Afú resigned as a consul yesterday, effective April 30th. In an interview published before his resignation, Afú revealed that Vice President Varela had called him after the scandal broke and warned him that he'd be fired if he ever showed up dressed like a woman to work or to any diplomatic event. Afú told Crítica he'd never dress up like a woman ever again. Sigh.
Lesbian couple held behind bars for hours after kissing in public: Surprised that a consul might lose his job over dressing up for carnival instead of charges of political nepotism? Wait until you read this...
On Sunday, 32 year old Valentina Hernandez (right) and her 24 year old girlfriend were enjoying a romantic walk down the streets of the historic Casco Antigüo colonial district of Panama City when she stopped to give her girlfriend a kiss.
Hernandez, a psychologist by profession, reached out to Panamanian newspaper Prensa and shared details of what followed ("Police abuse reported").
Hernandez says that a member of Panama's presidential guard who had seen them kiss approached them and accused them of improper behavior. When Hernandez asked him to explain clearly which law they had violated, the guard grew exasperated and called for reinforcement. She says that ten other members of the Institutional Protective Service (S.P.I.) quickly showed up and took her ID and cell phone as they whisked the couple to the local police precinct.
Hernandez says that, once they reached the precinct, she was given an intrusive body check by a policewoman.
"I felt they touched me everywhere," she said, "They rubbed their hands on my genitals, it was disgusting, my girlfriend was asked to take her pants off."
Hernandez says that they were both held behind bars for hours until the authorities asked her to sign a three-page document which they did not allow her to read completely but in which she was told she would free the authorities of any responsibility for their detention. "I signed," she said, "because I did not want to spend a night in a jail cell."
Late that night, Hernandez said, they were taken to a court where the judge granted them freedom not before warning them that they might be penalized if they were caught doing the same thing again.
Prensa says that the S.P.I. office released a statement saying that the women had been arrested for "drinking alcohol in public" but counters that assertion by pulling out a police report by one of the officers, Alfonso Rodriguez, who reported the arrest was made on the basis of "interfering with police activity and engaging in immoral activities in public".
Speaking to La Estrella, Hernandez says that the couple has hired a lawyer and is exploring the best way to fight back against those who violated their rights.
Interviewed by TVN-2, catholic priest Rafael Siu said that the women should have respected a public environment and said that it was not the way to express love towards others.
To date, as far as I know, neither the Panamanian President nor the Vice President have spoken out about this flagrant human rights violation in the same way that VP Varela came to the defense of the now former Panamanian consul of the Canary Islands.
Panamanian consul to the Canary Islands resigns over photos distributed on Twitter: I have a feeling that when 22 year old Ítalo Giovanni Afú Quiel was appointed as the Panamanian consul to the Canary Islands in Spain he might have felt as if he'd won the lottery.Known as a tourist destination for its beaches and relatively mild year-long climate and situated in the southern tip of Spain just across the northern coast of mainland Africa, the archipelago seems like a dream destination for just about anyone, particularly a young politically connected guy like Afú.
His appointment had already drawn some controversy in May of last year when it was revealed that he was one of ten individuals who found cushy government positions after his former boss, Juan Carlos Varela, became the country's Vice President.
That report also reproduced an e-mail message in which Afú boasted that one of Spain's leading store chains had agreed to carry a rum brand produced by Hermanos Varela, the company owned by the VP's family for which he and the VP had previously worked.
Nepotism, using a consular office to promote a sitting Vice President's economic interests? No big deal. Showing up to an annual carnival celebration dressed up like a woman and being caught on camera? An almost immediate resignation.
Three photos, apparently taken on March 12th on the final night of the annual carnival celebrations in Las Palmas, show Afú dressed in a pink dress and carrying a fuchsia-colored purse as a plastic yellow banana sticks out of his chest. Apparently, the images only started making the Twitter rounds early last week quickly exploding on the national scene with the major Panamanian dailies running daily articles about the "scandal".
On Friday, the leading Panamanian newspaper, La Estrella, breathlessly reported on the images. It quoted academic leaders as saying that the images were "yet another insult to the dignity of the community" while Vice President Varela defended him.
"He could have dressed up as a pirate, he could have dressed up as sea robber, or he could have dressed as - I don't know - Donald Duck?", the Vice Predident said, "We have to call it what it was: Carnival, a costume party".
The damage was done, tough, the director of the conservative and homophobic paper Hora Cero called him part of a "flowery" cadre of diplomats known for their homosexuality ("The diplomacy of 'el florón'"), conservative journalist and former political candidate Carlos Zavala called him a "faggot" ("Carlos Zavala confronts consul Afú") and, to top it all off, a Miami television station made homophobic fodder of the whole deal by showing a jaw-droppingly bad video of skimpily clad girls dancing to an all-female group singing lines such as "a confused consul went to a party wearing a woman's dress instead of pants" to the tune of "Guantanamera".
You might laugh but, apparently, though, Panamanians are incredibly concerned about how their country is viewed by a tiny Miami cable station ("U.S. television station makes fun of Panamanian consul - Newspapers of the world feature the case" La Estrella screams out).
What to do? Well, Afú resigned as a consul yesterday, effective April 30th. In an interview published before his resignation, Afú revealed that Vice President Varela had called him after the scandal broke and warned him that he'd be fired if he ever showed up dressed like a woman to work or to any diplomatic event. Afú told Crítica he'd never dress up like a woman ever again. Sigh.
Lesbian couple held behind bars for hours after kissing in public: Surprised that a consul might lose his job over dressing up for carnival instead of charges of political nepotism? Wait until you read this...On Sunday, 32 year old Valentina Hernandez (right) and her 24 year old girlfriend were enjoying a romantic walk down the streets of the historic Casco Antigüo colonial district of Panama City when she stopped to give her girlfriend a kiss.
Hernandez, a psychologist by profession, reached out to Panamanian newspaper Prensa and shared details of what followed ("Police abuse reported").
Hernandez says that a member of Panama's presidential guard who had seen them kiss approached them and accused them of improper behavior. When Hernandez asked him to explain clearly which law they had violated, the guard grew exasperated and called for reinforcement. She says that ten other members of the Institutional Protective Service (S.P.I.) quickly showed up and took her ID and cell phone as they whisked the couple to the local police precinct.
Hernandez says that, once they reached the precinct, she was given an intrusive body check by a policewoman.
"I felt they touched me everywhere," she said, "They rubbed their hands on my genitals, it was disgusting, my girlfriend was asked to take her pants off."
Hernandez says that they were both held behind bars for hours until the authorities asked her to sign a three-page document which they did not allow her to read completely but in which she was told she would free the authorities of any responsibility for their detention. "I signed," she said, "because I did not want to spend a night in a jail cell."
Late that night, Hernandez said, they were taken to a court where the judge granted them freedom not before warning them that they might be penalized if they were caught doing the same thing again.
Prensa says that the S.P.I. office released a statement saying that the women had been arrested for "drinking alcohol in public" but counters that assertion by pulling out a police report by one of the officers, Alfonso Rodriguez, who reported the arrest was made on the basis of "interfering with police activity and engaging in immoral activities in public".
Speaking to La Estrella, Hernandez says that the couple has hired a lawyer and is exploring the best way to fight back against those who violated their rights.
Interviewed by TVN-2, catholic priest Rafael Siu said that the women should have respected a public environment and said that it was not the way to express love towards others.
To date, as far as I know, neither the Panamanian President nor the Vice President have spoken out about this flagrant human rights violation in the same way that VP Varela came to the defense of the now former Panamanian consul of the Canary Islands.
You have to salute the Japanese people...
After what happened in Japan, I immediately thought of my friends who lived in Kobe. Thankfully they were safe! I was told that it really is such a big tragedy. Kobe was fine but Sendai was really really bad. I don't want to write about the negative things that happened in Japan but I want to point out certain things we can learn from them...
Were there any clips on the news that showed people suffering? People having a hard time? I can't think of any at the moment because I didn't see any. Media controlled what not to put. I thought that it was just proper not to show those things. Unlike here, they show everything! If there are people in media reading this, I think we can learn from them.
More importantly, there were no looting or stealing! Imagine how disciplined they are. The Japanese people are just so awesome for rising up after all the tragedy. You have people falling in line in orderly fashion when getting water. Here? People fight in line, they grab while some even steal. What was sad during Ondoy was during the relief operations, people who weren't affected were getting mad that they didn't get any free stuff. I just feel really bad on the level of discipline we have here. :( We can learn from our neighbors above us. The Japanese people are just so disciplined. We should be more like them. I even heard that among all the nationalities that travel abroad, the Japanese are still the most disciplined. I think it's just awesome how they do it. Ang galing nila! They know how to get back up on their feet.
What we can do now is to continue praying for them. We may not see it on TV but there are a lot of people having a difficult time in Japan. Pray for them if you can...
As for us, we also need to pray for one another. I believe that we have the capacity of getting back up on our feet also. We just need to be more patient and disciplined. Let's forget about the crab mentality. We need to support one another! I believe in the Filipino. You do too right? :)
50 Movies in 2011
Some people have different goals during the start of the year. Whether it be losing weight, reading more books, writing more. Etc.
I have to maintain work-life balance and what I set is 50 movies in 2011. HBO movies don't count unless it's a TV movie . So far I've seen 9 movies... I'm on track. Kaya pa naman. The summer movies are coming so I should be fine. Some people set it to 100. I can't do that. 2 movies a week is hard.
Anyhoo... This is what I've seen so far. Green Hornet is the movie of 2011 so far...
The Tourist
Little Fockers
Gullivers Travels
Green Hornet
Tangled
Just go with it
I am number four
The Adjustment Bureau
Catch me... I'm in love
Sucker Punch
I have to maintain work-life balance and what I set is 50 movies in 2011. HBO movies don't count unless it's a TV movie . So far I've seen 9 movies... I'm on track. Kaya pa naman. The summer movies are coming so I should be fine. Some people set it to 100. I can't do that. 2 movies a week is hard.
Anyhoo... This is what I've seen so far. Green Hornet is the movie of 2011 so far...
The Tourist
Little Fockers
Gullivers Travels
Green Hornet
Tangled
Just go with it
I am number four
The Adjustment Bureau
Catch me... I'm in love
Sucker Punch
My Lenten Sacrifice... I have to vent!
No softdrinks for Lent...
I haven't been talking about this but I need to vent out. You see my sacrifice for lent is giving up carbonated drinks... I still have a month to go and it's getting harder and harder...
The other day, there wasn't any iced tea in KFC and I happened to order a Zinger meal... I had already bought it and no iced tea!!! Boo!!! Seriously, water won't cut it. Now that's a sacrifice!!!
But I guess Lent is a time for reflection and sacrifice. I feel it's a way of cleansing one's soul... Only a number of Pinoys follow the Friday Abstinence... Kanya-kanya talaga I guess. But for me, I felt that I had to give up something. Giving up soda in the presence of chips and Chinese food is difficult! Believe me...
Anyway, thanks for letting me vent out. Now I feel better :)
I haven't been talking about this but I need to vent out. You see my sacrifice for lent is giving up carbonated drinks... I still have a month to go and it's getting harder and harder...
The other day, there wasn't any iced tea in KFC and I happened to order a Zinger meal... I had already bought it and no iced tea!!! Boo!!! Seriously, water won't cut it. Now that's a sacrifice!!!
But I guess Lent is a time for reflection and sacrifice. I feel it's a way of cleansing one's soul... Only a number of Pinoys follow the Friday Abstinence... Kanya-kanya talaga I guess. But for me, I felt that I had to give up something. Giving up soda in the presence of chips and Chinese food is difficult! Believe me...
Anyway, thanks for letting me vent out. Now I feel better :)
Reading: Stay old school or Digital?
I wrote an entry for Yahoo on comic book reading. I said that sticking old school was my preferred choice.
But for books, I see people who travel have the Amazon Kindle! It seems that the trend really is going to go digital. You see, I've been cleaning my room and my shelves aren't getting any bigger. My graphic novel library is getting bigger but at the same time, I have books too. I took those out already to give way to the new graphic novels.
I'm thinking of getting a Kindle for the books. But then again, I have to feel it first. I need to hold a Kindle and experience reading through that. I'm gonna miss the smell of the paper and flipping the pages. Plus what about the colored pictures? :/ How now brown cow?
There are the pros and cons. But what I can think of now is that I'll miss holding an actual book and flipping through the pages. Plus I like going to bookstores!
The only pro I can think of now is that it will save you space...
What do you think? You think you can help me decide? Oh, I forgot to mention, I won't use any digital device in reading comics. I'm not even going to use the iPad unless of course it's exclusively digital and not print.
But for the books... Hmmm... I don't know really...
But for books, I see people who travel have the Amazon Kindle! It seems that the trend really is going to go digital. You see, I've been cleaning my room and my shelves aren't getting any bigger. My graphic novel library is getting bigger but at the same time, I have books too. I took those out already to give way to the new graphic novels.
I'm thinking of getting a Kindle for the books. But then again, I have to feel it first. I need to hold a Kindle and experience reading through that. I'm gonna miss the smell of the paper and flipping the pages. Plus what about the colored pictures? :/ How now brown cow?
The only pro I can think of now is that it will save you space...
What do you think? You think you can help me decide? Oh, I forgot to mention, I won't use any digital device in reading comics. I'm not even going to use the iPad unless of course it's exclusively digital and not print.
But for the books... Hmmm... I don't know really...
Summer Komikon + Beerkada
My first KOMIKON was a Summer Komikon and it was still held at Bahay ng Alumni in UP Diliman. I can never forget that it was the first time I got to meet Pol Medina Jr. who does Pugad Baboy. From that time, I haven't missed a Komikon.
Last November in Starmall, I got to meet Lyndon Gregorio who does Beerkada. :) It was a funny encounter because I was falling in line to have my Dekada copy signed when another fanboy in line knew my name. Mr. Gregorio then asked if he was supposed to know me. His friend Ariel then explained who I was related to and then it was a funny encounter from then on. I was then featured in Beerkada on the Philippine Star. My friends thought it was hilarious!
I thanked Mr. Gregorio afterwards but said that I was just a regular fanboy! I'm not supposed to be known anyway!
I got an email with the subject "PSST!" and found that I appeared on Beerkada again!
So I'm posting this to remind everyone of the Summer Komikon on April 16 at the Bayanihan Center in Pasig City :)
It'll be fun! I'll be seeing Mr. Gregorio then and will see if I can appear on his comic strip again! :)
And I don't use moisturizer... I should though...
Last November in Starmall, I got to meet Lyndon Gregorio who does Beerkada. :) It was a funny encounter because I was falling in line to have my Dekada copy signed when another fanboy in line knew my name. Mr. Gregorio then asked if he was supposed to know me. His friend Ariel then explained who I was related to and then it was a funny encounter from then on. I was then featured in Beerkada on the Philippine Star. My friends thought it was hilarious!
I thanked Mr. Gregorio afterwards but said that I was just a regular fanboy! I'm not supposed to be known anyway!
I got an email with the subject "PSST!" and found that I appeared on Beerkada again!
So I'm posting this to remind everyone of the Summer Komikon on April 16 at the Bayanihan Center in Pasig City :)
It'll be fun! I'll be seeing Mr. Gregorio then and will see if I can appear on his comic strip again! :)
And I don't use moisturizer... I should though...
Stranger than Fiction
Sometimes I wonder if there are actually fictional characters that exist. For example, The Men In Black... They have those stick thingies that erase your memory. Right? What if we bumped into them already? What if our memories got erased? Maybe they do exist...
What about The Adjustment Bureau? We all have "the plan" according to the story.
What about the Wizarding World? Maybe we really are Muggles!
Do toys really come to life when we're not looking? Are there "Woody" toys that care about us?
Is there really a Book of Secrets that belongs to the President?
Is Time Travel possible? Maybe people have traveled back in time and we just don't know about it.
I have a wild and crazy imagination. The kid in me thinks that these fictional characters do exist. I know it's crazy but having a wild and crazy imagination makes me sane. :)
You can't be too serious sometimes.
What about The Adjustment Bureau? We all have "the plan" according to the story.
What about the Wizarding World? Maybe we really are Muggles!
Do toys really come to life when we're not looking? Are there "Woody" toys that care about us?
Is there really a Book of Secrets that belongs to the President?
Is Time Travel possible? Maybe people have traveled back in time and we just don't know about it.
I have a wild and crazy imagination. The kid in me thinks that these fictional characters do exist. I know it's crazy but having a wild and crazy imagination makes me sane. :)
You can't be too serious sometimes.
Big Brother Argentina: Trans man Alejandro has been voted out of the house
After surviving for three months inside the video-monitored "Big Brother" house, luck ran out Sunday for transgender man Alejandro Iglesias as viewers voted to expel him from the Argentinean version of the reality show.
Alejandro, who was only identified as a "mystery guest" before the show was aired, shocked viewers when it was revealed he was a female-to-male transgender man seeking a chance to win the U$10,000 dollar reward which could help him cover the costs of gender reassignment-surgery ("Alejandro Iglesias shocks the viewers of 'Big Brother 2011'").
Of course, this sort of stunt casting is nothing new when it comes to reality shows. They always seem to drop a gay here, a lesbian there, and sometimes someone who is bisexual or transgender. I assume they expect drama will ensue once their sexual identity is revealed.
What was amazing, in this case, was that - at least initially - Alejandro quickly became the viewers' favorite to win the game since he came off as sincere and down-to-earth compared to the other 18 players: A mix of showboat male assholes and big-boobed vedettes looking to make it in showbiz.
It didn't take long for Alejandro to 'come out' to the other housemates and the reaction was surprisingly great ("Alejandro tells his 'Big Brother' housemates he is a trans man"). Alejandro also bonded with a fierce ally, Luz, who also came out as a lesbian. She later would sacrifice her stay in the house by giving immunity to Alejandro.
Turns out the one person who reacted the worst about the revelation was... a gay guy.
Emiliano Boscatto (the curly-locks guy in the image above) received some media attention in 2008 when he was elected "Mr. Gay Cordoba". And yet, in the house he tried to keep his sexual identity hidden for as long as he could. Whether he used it as a strategy to rattle Alejandro out of the house or whether he was letting his transphobia fly, Boscatto initially insisted Alejandro was a lesbian and told him he simply was incapable of believing he was a transgender man - ultimately flipping around and questioning whether Alejandro was actually born a man and using the transgender story to move ahead in the game.
Two weeks later, Boscatto was the one who got the boot from the house.
But this is Argentina's "Gran Hermano" where contestants who get booted out apparently can be voted back in (what's the point in that?) And so, Aleandro, who outlasted Boscatto and the person considered to be the best player in the house, Cristian U., saw both of them come back. And, on Sunday, viewers voted him out instead of voting Boscatto out for a second time (you can watch the moment he gets booted out in this clip - the image above is a photo capture of the clip).
A day after getting booted out, Alejandro sat down with a talk show host to talk about his experience in the house. He is shown clips of the confrontations between Boscatto and him for the first time and is asked for a reaction. I have translated the clip as follows (turn 'annotations' on).
But, this being a reality show and all, I was struck by the guts it took for this 26 year old guy to go on Argentina's top rated reality show and open up like that to millions of viewers. He might have gone in saying he needed the money for his upcoming surgery, but - as this clip shows - he was also very aware of the potential positive impact his participation would have on others going through the same things he has gone through.
"Truthfully," he tells the talk show host, "I didn't care much about what was happening inside the house. It was all about the repercussions it might have outside... That's the only thing that mattered to me. [My participation] wasn't in vain... even if it's a single person who gives me thanks..."
Asked about what he would like to see in the future, Alejandro says "To have the [gender identity] law pass, that it won't be as hard to get to where I am, that it won't take as much time. Because persons like me might be fighting the same battle and when they see there's so much left do do, they become depressed, they shut down, they don't want to know anything else...".
Alejandro says that he received authorization for a gender-reassignment surgery last year after four years of dealing with tests and paperwork. He expects the surgery to take place as planned.
As for Argentina, there IS a gender identity bill that has been making its way to the legislature which would guarantee the right to a legal name and gender change on official documents.
What Trilogy?
I've been thinking the past couple of days since Back to the Future was being shown on TV. It made me wonder what the best trilogy is. Ok, for those curious, my definition of a trilogy is a set of 3 movies.
I have to say that the best would be the 1st Star Wars Trilogy. I'm not talking about Episodes I-III. I'm talking about A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi.
But you also have to look at the other trilogies that were awesome. For example, Lord of The Rings. Right?
My list of awesome Trilogies would be...
1. Star Wars (Eps IV, V, and VI)
2. LOTR
3. Back to the Future (Yes, I have come to appreciate part 3 since it ties everything up)
4. Toy Story
5. The Jersey Trilogy (Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy :) )
Special Mention: THE MIGHTY DUCKS!
What could've been EXCELLENT TRILOGIES...
1. Spider-Man (3!!! Why did you suck??? :( )
2. X-MEN (RATNER!!! YOU RUINED IT!!!)
3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (The whole travel in time thing didn't work for me)
4. Austin Powers (Goldmember!? Really!?)
5. The Mummy (Why didn't you retain Rachel Weisz!?!?)
What should have stayed as a single movie...
1. The Matrix (You know what I mean)
What should be completed as a Trilogy
1. Ghostbusters
2. Bill and Ted
3. Harold and Kumar
4. Hellboy
What about you? What are your thoughts? :)
I have to say that the best would be the 1st Star Wars Trilogy. I'm not talking about Episodes I-III. I'm talking about A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi.
But you also have to look at the other trilogies that were awesome. For example, Lord of The Rings. Right?
My list of awesome Trilogies would be...
1. Star Wars (Eps IV, V, and VI)
2. LOTR
3. Back to the Future (Yes, I have come to appreciate part 3 since it ties everything up)
4. Toy Story
5. The Jersey Trilogy (Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy :) )
Special Mention: THE MIGHTY DUCKS!
What could've been EXCELLENT TRILOGIES...
1. Spider-Man (3!!! Why did you suck??? :( )
2. X-MEN (RATNER!!! YOU RUINED IT!!!)
3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (The whole travel in time thing didn't work for me)
4. Austin Powers (Goldmember!? Really!?)
5. The Mummy (Why didn't you retain Rachel Weisz!?!?)
What should have stayed as a single movie...
1. The Matrix (You know what I mean)
What should be completed as a Trilogy
1. Ghostbusters
2. Bill and Ted
3. Harold and Kumar
4. Hellboy
What about you? What are your thoughts? :)
How old are you?
~ Ok, i know you all bored with my Korea trip post, now take a break from the holidays post ~
Yesterday while i was watching my tv, my two boys were beside me. They saw a scene, where by a guy was crying, because the father passed away. Then the converstion between Cruz and me start as below ...............
Cruz : Why the uncle cry? Because the daddy die?
Me: ya
Cruz : why the daddy die? Because he is old?
Me : Ya. (to try avoid he asked futher and ask some question which i don't know how to answer)
Suddenly Cruz turn to me and ask
Cruz: mummy, how old are you?
Me: (try not to laugh) I am 40 years old (Ahem, actually still got one more year to reach my 40 ok!!!)
Cruz: Uwwwaaaaaaa!!! (he start to cry )
Me : ( i looked at him, actually knowing what he think, he must be thinking he is only 5 and his mummy already 40, what a big different, 40 is a big number to him!) Why? Mummy very old already ar?
Cruz: Yes, i don't want mummy die. Uwwwaaaaaaaaa!
Me: (cannot stop laughing) hahahhahahah
Cruz: (he got mad, because i laugh at him and he start to beat me)
Me: nah, if you still beat me and make mummy angry, I will grow old faster!! So now you and kor kor have to behave good and don't always make me angry, so i won't grow old fast.
This is my boys!! Sometime they can be sweet, sometime they make me angry, sometime they will put a big smile on my face like this.
Yesterday while i was watching my tv, my two boys were beside me. They saw a scene, where by a guy was crying, because the father passed away. Then the converstion between Cruz and me start as below ...............
Cruz : Why the uncle cry? Because the daddy die?
Me: ya
Cruz : why the daddy die? Because he is old?
Me : Ya. (to try avoid he asked futher and ask some question which i don't know how to answer)
Suddenly Cruz turn to me and ask
Cruz: mummy, how old are you?
Me: (try not to laugh) I am 40 years old (Ahem, actually still got one more year to reach my 40 ok!!!)
Cruz: Uwwwaaaaaaa!!! (he start to cry )
Me : ( i looked at him, actually knowing what he think, he must be thinking he is only 5 and his mummy already 40, what a big different, 40 is a big number to him!) Why? Mummy very old already ar?
Cruz: Yes, i don't want mummy die. Uwwwaaaaaaaaa!
Me: (cannot stop laughing) hahahhahahah
Cruz: (he got mad, because i laugh at him and he start to beat me)
Me: nah, if you still beat me and make mummy angry, I will grow old faster!! So now you and kor kor have to behave good and don't always make me angry, so i won't grow old fast.
This is my boys!! Sometime they can be sweet, sometime they make me angry, sometime they will put a big smile on my face like this.
Bombay Beach (2011)
Bombay Beach (Alma Har'el, 2011)
Salton Sea, a salt-water lake in the middle of the deserts of California, used to be the place to be several decades ago. Nowadays, it stands as a testament as to how time diffuses luster. The once pristine beaches that catered to the wealthiest of Americans are now graves to thousands of fish that perish because of the increasing salinity and toxicity of the lake. As it is, the area surrounding Salton Sea is that post-apocalyptic paradise existing in this pre-apocalyptic world. It remains to be this place of very elusive beauty, where glistening during sunsets are masked by abject sights of poverty.
Alma Har'el's Bombay Beach, without glossing over the pertinent issues that surround the subject surroundings, focuses on the lives of several individuals who seem to approximate the veiled charms of the place they call home. The film is loosely structured in a way that it does not follow any narrative arc but instead rides on an atmosphere of feel-good but never doubtful sentimentality. As a collage of portraits of various lives struggling in a presumably inhospitable landscape, Bombay Beach is joyously uplifting, which is somewhat pleasantly strange in this current cinematic landscape of popular doom and despair.
Music is an important element of Bombay Beach. The dances, mostly choreographed but performed by Har’el’s subjects with hardly any expectations of perfection, however, are essential. Volumes are communicated when a hard-boiled old-timer delivers a graceful gesture of unlikely romance in his awkward waltz, or when budding lovers interpret their newly formed affair with an evocative number. Benny, youngest son of the Parrish couple, whose story of being imprisoned for blowing up bombs in the desert as a pastime is an extraordinary subject for another documentary, takes part in this lovely group dance with other kids which summarize the endearing awkwardness of his fateful existence in the community. In a wondrously edited, lovingly executed and carefully directed sequence, the film transported its audience, although temporarily, to a place where innocence in the midst of immense adversity is not some lunatic’s fantasy.
That Har-el was able to draw inspiration from individuals who would commonly be regarded as the dregs of society, as pinnacles of human hopelessness, and jokes of cruel destiny, and was able to visually manifest beauty from a place where it has long faded is evidence of her ability to mix heart with directorial mettle. It is that unrestrained but sincere optimistic depiction of the human spirit that makes Har’el’s modestly produced but magnanimously crafted documentary such an indelible experience.
Alma Har'el's Bombay Beach, without glossing over the pertinent issues that surround the subject surroundings, focuses on the lives of several individuals who seem to approximate the veiled charms of the place they call home. The film is loosely structured in a way that it does not follow any narrative arc but instead rides on an atmosphere of feel-good but never doubtful sentimentality. As a collage of portraits of various lives struggling in a presumably inhospitable landscape, Bombay Beach is joyously uplifting, which is somewhat pleasantly strange in this current cinematic landscape of popular doom and despair.
Music is an important element of Bombay Beach. The dances, mostly choreographed but performed by Har’el’s subjects with hardly any expectations of perfection, however, are essential. Volumes are communicated when a hard-boiled old-timer delivers a graceful gesture of unlikely romance in his awkward waltz, or when budding lovers interpret their newly formed affair with an evocative number. Benny, youngest son of the Parrish couple, whose story of being imprisoned for blowing up bombs in the desert as a pastime is an extraordinary subject for another documentary, takes part in this lovely group dance with other kids which summarize the endearing awkwardness of his fateful existence in the community. In a wondrously edited, lovingly executed and carefully directed sequence, the film transported its audience, although temporarily, to a place where innocence in the midst of immense adversity is not some lunatic’s fantasy.
That Har-el was able to draw inspiration from individuals who would commonly be regarded as the dregs of society, as pinnacles of human hopelessness, and jokes of cruel destiny, and was able to visually manifest beauty from a place where it has long faded is evidence of her ability to mix heart with directorial mettle. It is that unrestrained but sincere optimistic depiction of the human spirit that makes Har’el’s modestly produced but magnanimously crafted documentary such an indelible experience.
Jennifer Lopez: It's OK to be out in the Latino music industry (EXCLUSIVE)
I don't do many interviews on this blog. I'm not sure why. Perhaps it's because I get pitched so many promotional interview opportunities that have little if anything to do with this blog. Perhaps it's because I haven't mastered the art of interviewing. But when the chance came my way to interview the amazing Jennifer Lopez how could I say no? Her handlers said she wanted to reach out directly to her Latino LGBT fans through this blog and I was thrilled.
Unexpectedly, I got all nervous and stuff. I'd heard La Lopez was a tough interview to do, that she was furiously protective of her privacy and short on answers. So I prepared a long laundry list of 'Yes' or 'No' questions and hoped they'd would be enough for the 10 minute interview.
Turns out I signed up for a whole different interview than I expected and didn't get to ask all the questions I had prepared. Jennifer was gracious, open and sweet. What follows is the transcript of our conversation.
BLABBEANDO – Hi Jennifer! This is Andrés Duque from a blog called Blabbeando.
JENNIFER LOPEZ – Hi, how are you…
BLABBEANDO – I’m good. I wanted to introduce myself: I write a blog about the Latino lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community – and I’m a huge fan so I really wanted to thank you for taking this call.
JENNIFER LOPEZ – Absolutely! Thank you for having me.
BLABBEANDO – First of all, as a huge fan, I’m hating you right now because you put the 'Lambada' back in my brain after all these years [JL laughs]. And also, over the weekend, I couldn’t stop saying 'Let me introduce you... to my party people' [JL laughs again]. And I wanted to ask you how do you feel about the impact the song is having this week and how you came along to release it as a single [Currently "On the Floor" is the #1 song and #1 video on I-Tunes].
JENNIFER LOPEZ – What it means? First of all, it’s amazing. I feel totally overwhelmed. It’s not the type of thing like asking people who have been in the business for a while and they’re like “Oh-kay, my record’s out.”
It never gets old when it hits, it’s like ‘YES!’ People like it! I love it! I love it! You know, because you have to believe in your music so when other people get it it’s just awesome. It’s just amazing.
BLABBEANDO – And you’re really busy right now, with "American Idol", so it must be difficult to stop and sit back and enjoy the moment. But, are you enjoying the moment?
JENNIFER LOPEZ – I am. I am. That’s probably what’s different about this album and this time in my life than it was for this album - and my first few albums, I should say. You know, it’s that I’m actually more in the moment now. I’m more mature now and smart enough to not miss it [laughs]. You know what I mean? This is amazing, this is great and I want to really, really want to be present for this whole thing. I’m just… really, I’m enjoying it.
I’m enjoying doing “Idol”. We are having a great time. We are having a lot of fun. I’ve enjoyed that process. I find it a very creative process. Back and forth between the contestants and us. And what we can share with them from what we know being in the business for a long time. And I love that.
And the record being out right now at the same time, and that all working, that wasn’t planned per se? I knew I was gonna put out and album this year but I didn’t know when. It worked out. It worked out great and it’s all just working together and it just feels really great. I feel really fortunate, really lucky right now, Andrés.
BLABBEANDO – Now, I know that there was a change when it comes to record companies. Was there a point where the album almost didn’t see the light of day? Because that must have been frustrating, working on an album and having it almost not come out on the market.
JENNIFER LOPEZ – Yeah. That wasn’t the case. The case was that I had come to the end of my contract and I had to decide whether or not to stay with SONY or not stay with SONY and I felt… and I went to SONY and asked them if I could move on.
And they - at that point in time - with the transitions going on within the old company, understood. And I had a good enough relationship with them from having some much success – I had done seven albums over there – that they understood me wanting to do that and, like I said, there were transitions going on. They weren’t prepared to do what they needed to do for me and that album at that time. It was really a mutual ‘Yeah, maybe this is the best thing,’ and we decided to part ways.
And I know people want to make more of it than that. That I was dropped or SONY was messing up. They want to make this really big thing about it. But it really was a conversation between me and one person at the company going ‘I think it’s just time, we’ve run our course and let’s find a new home’ and that’s what happened.
I knew that there were places that I could go and who wanted to work with me, and new fresh blood where I could go to and it happened smoothly and quickly.
BLABBEANDO – Now, the ‘fresh blood’, you’re singing with Pitbull and you have new collaborators and you seem always keep up with the latest [music] styles. And it really sounds fresh. I loved – I can’t even pronounce it but – “Loubutins” and I love “On the Floor” and you’re gearing these songs to a dance music [crowd] and, to some degree to the gay community, because we love dance music. And I think you’ve been really smart in the past to use some of the best dance producers and remixers. Talk to me about how you came to work with Pitbull and what other people you are collaborating vocally in the new album.
JENNIFER LOPEZ – For me, when I go to do my music, there’s always gonna be a mix of all the things that I am. I’m a Puerto Rican girl from the Bronx. You know what I mean? And here’s always gonna be a mix of dance and urban in my stuff – and pop music - so once you throw all that stuff into the bag then it’s all about me just being myself.
So whenever I work with different producers – I worked with RedOne on a lot of the tracks in the album – and with him it was like ‘Let’s do some great dance tracks’. When I worked with Tricky and Dream, I went to them and I said ‘Let’s do my kind of more urbany-feel pop-record’ and I go to different producers for different things – but it all has to be very ‘me’.
It doesn’t work with every single producer you go in there with, you know what I mean? [laughs]. You go in there and nothing happens. But sometimes, like with RedOne or Tricky and Dream you go in there and in a week you make five, six, seven records. And with the records that actually worked, that are in the album – a lot of Tricky and Dream, a lot of RedOne – those are the ones that you have a lot of chemistry with.
BLABBEANDO - I also wanted to ask you, because in the past you’ve been a professional friend and a personal friend… Last year there was actually a number of people in the Latino music industry that came out as being gay or lesbian, and they include, of course, Ricky Martin but also Angelo Garcia, who was also a former Menudo, Lisa M who did salsa way back in Puerto Rico and now is doing reggateon, and Rita Indiana who is a tremendous up-and-coming talent from the Dominican Republic. So you have all these performers – mostly from the Caribbean – Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic – coming out. I wanted to know how you felt about Ricky’s tremendous step to come out as well as what the moment means in terms of… is the Latino music industry changing and making it safe for people to say who they are?
JENNIFER LOPEZ – Right. Are you asking me if I think it’s safer now?
BLABBEANDO – Yes.
JENNIFER LOPEZ – I just think it’s a reflection of the real world we live in. And it’s OK to be out. I do think it is. I do think it’s acceptable for people to be who they are. I am a huge advocate of that. In that sense, that’s the only way we can truly love ourselves, it’s by accepting who we are and letting everybody know who we are.
So, I’m very proud – you know – I’m friends with Ricky and I’m very proud of him and support him in everything he does. And all these people who have been... who want to step forward and tell the world who they are… I think that’s awesome.
BLABBEANDO – I also know you’ve been a longtime ally. You’ve always kept the gay community in mind in terms of the music you release and I know you know we are some of your biggest fans so…
JENNIFER LOPEZ – Absolutely…
BLABBEANDO - …I personally wanted to thank you for that as well.
JENNIFER LOPEZ – Absolutely. I mean, I had an aunt who was gay. I grew up with it. It’s just to me, being around dancers my whole life, you know? There’s a lot of dancers as well who are gay and it’s just not… For me it was never even anything as an issue. I had uncles… It was just seeing people were people. And it wasn’t one way or the other for me.
BLABBEANDO – That’s right. I think sometimes we – in the Latino community – we are your brothers, your sisters, etcetera, etcetera, we are part of the family. It’s more open than I think people give it credit for, at least in the Latino community.
JENNIFER LOPEZ – Right.
BLABBEANDO - Now, going back to the album: What’s the next single? Have you decided on that? Will there be different singles released to the Latino market and the American market?
JENNIFER LOPEZ – Well, we have a lot of plans for the album as things go along. We have three different choices that we can do as a second single and it’s really hard for us to choose. We think we know what we are doing and then at the last minute we might change it [laughs]. But we are shooting a video very soon with Li’l Wayne on one song called “I’m Into You” but there’s another song called “Papi” and there’s another song called “Run the World”. So there are a few songs that we are thinking about as a second single. And we might release some simultaneously: Some are more urban, some are more dance. And, also, we are releasing very soon – or if it’s not released already, I don’t even know if it happened in the past day or two – the Spanish version of “On the Floor”…
BLABBEANDO – That’s great…
JENNIFER LOPEZ – Pitbull did a new version of his rap in Spanish and I re-sang the whole thing in Spanish as well. We are gonna do a Spanglish version where we mix in the Spanish. And then we are probably gonna do a whole Spanish version of the album. So – We have a lot of plans for it.
BLABBEANDO – Well, I know my ten minutes are up but I really wanted to thank you for taking my call.
JENNIFER LOPEZ – Thank you, Andrés, I really appreciate it so much.
Related:
- Jennifer Lopez gets real (The Advocate)
- "Love?" - General Discussion (Yuku/Beyond Beautiful)
Korea Family Trip - Day 1
~ cont' from previous post ~
After we had enough rest, we went out in the late afternoon around 4.30pm . Instead of taking hotel's shuttle, we take the subway. Our first experience with Korea subway, hub read the map and three of us just follow. Lucky, there is English wording on the station, so it's easier for us.
After we had enough rest, we went out in the late afternoon around 4.30pm . Instead of taking hotel's shuttle, we take the subway. Our first experience with Korea subway, hub read the map and three of us just follow. Lucky, there is English wording on the station, so it's easier for us.
First place we want to go is Myeong Dong, a place for me to shop for cosmetic and skin care products.
going to take our subway, need to walk the stairs down. There was a lot stairs to walk up and down to the subway. A really good exercise for us, no wonder, all korean ladies are so slim!
inside the subway, lucky it is not so pack, we still manage to find a seat.
on the screen, it got Chinese, English and Korea word when it reached / before at the station and also with three language announcement.
when we see the escalator, we feel relief, knowing we don't need to walk the long stairs. LOL!
this is the underground shopping centre at Myeongdong. Looks there are just too much to see and to buy! But since it is winter, so i didn't get any clothes or shoes.
this is some of the small eateries at the road side.
Myeong Dong, the later the night, the more happening and crowd with people.
we get something to eat first before going for our late dinner.
almost every where we go, we can see this kind of stall selling sausage.
look at the street, it is full of people!!!
this is the place i do my shopping!!
After "street" shopping and walk around, we took a rest at the road side and camwhoring.
me and my boys.
After enough resting, we walk down to the underground and took another subway to the place we want to go for dinner.
We are at Sinsa, the place where we had our first night dinner.
Bon Ga in Korea. They got one branch at Solaris Mont Kiara. Since my hub know the boss from Bon Ga KL, he told my hub to go to his brother restaurant in Korea, give us the restaurant add. After checking with the hotel staff, he told us the add is not complete. We call the owner's daughter in Korea and ask her for the actual location.
Once we reached Sinsa, she was there and bring us to the restaurant, it's not too far from the Subway to the restaurant, about 7 mins walk.
the restaurant...
We didn't know that we get a "VIP treatment", Min, the owner's daughter brought us to a private room and told us, they have prepare the food for us. Since the menu all in Korean word, no picture and no English, she explain to us, what is the food she is going to serve. We told her, just give us something simple, don't need too much food, only two of us adults and two kids.
pretty lady, speak good English and explain to me what is on the menu.
Now, let's see what she order for us........
appetizer, salad and some pancakes?
another appetizer, white radish with kimchi sauce?
cold glass noodles appetizer...
ginseng, another appetizer..
seaweed soup, my favourite.
when she ask me, do i like fresh oyster, i told her, ya, can give me about 4, since hub don't really like it. End up a big plate on the table and we can't finish it!!
Oysters are fresh, i just eat like that without squeezing any lemon juice on it. Yum!!
Egg dish, my boys favourite.
Egg dish, my boys favourite.
hub want to have some local beer...
fish...
and another type of fish, very kind of the waitress, she even de-bone the fish for us!
Fresh Abalone!!
We don't know what is this, the waitress who can speak very good mandarin and explain to us, dish by dish, what is she serving, after her explanation only we know that is fresh abalone.
another green dish...
this is special for my boys. They know most food are seafood, and worry my boys can't take, so they prepare this big meat patties just for my boys!
there are more side dishes!!!!!!
Kimchi....a must side dish for Korean food.
another side dish - fried seaweed with little salt and sugar, very crispy and yummy!
anchovies, this is another nice side dish.
look at the whole table and full with food!! These are way too much food for two adults and two kids. Bad bad bad, we didn't finish the food.
After the fruitful dinner, they offer some sweet dessert and mini oranges and even ask do we want any coffee, we are too full, although i wish to get a cuppa after dinner, there isn't any more space in my tummy. When we asked for the bill, the boss don't allow us to paid, insists all on the house.
Bid good bye to the restaurant owner and took some pictures with him, and actually we promise to go back another day for the meal, but but, end up we don't have time to go back there.
We took a slow walk back to take subway back to the hotel. Lucky, there are still some walking to digest the food we ate. Drop by nearby convenient store to get some ice cream and coffee for myself.
side note: this is the T-card that we use for the subway during our stay in Korea. It can use for the bus and also taxi. Look really high tech, it looks like a thumb drive to me.
Starbucks coffee - my daily coffee. Can get this from any convenient store.
It's winter, but my two boys still can't resists to enjoy the ice cream in the room.
This is our first day in Korea.......
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