theurbanhistorian:

From Facebook

Lola Cevera’s frail body having difficulty pushing her cart

“Lola Cevera Abuan” is a 100 year old woman who was pushing her cart along Greenmeadows Avenue at half past 12 noon today. I passed by her already and could see how frail her body was from my rear view mirror that I just had to go back and give her my lunch. So, I made a U-turn, parked my car and went down to talk to her. I asked her what she was doing there and where she was headed. She responded in a little tagalog saying “namamalimos po ako”(asking for alms) but she started speaking in Ilocano so it was difficult for me to understand her and aside from this, she has a hearing problem. I just handed her my food, gave a little amount to hold on to and made a gesture for her to eat. Then she asked if it was 12:00 noon already so I just nodded and told her to eat. I was both sad and happy to talk to her. Sad because this woman should be cared for at this age(She reminded me of my mom who was Ilocana whom I called right after I got home and told her about Lola Cevera. I was telling my mom should move more and continue her therapy so she would reach 100 years old..hehe) …And I was also happy, because I saw her face light up the moment I gave her something, she kept on thanking me. I am just worried for Lola Cevera cos I found out she crosses C5 everyday. I don’t want her to be sideswiped or be a hit and run victim. Family and friends, I still would like to help Lola Cevera so I would like to ask a bit of favor from you. I hope this will reach “Ms. Vicky Morales of Wish Ko lang” and grant Lola Cevera something to help her get by, without having to walk several kilometers to ask for alms. I would be so grateful to all of you who will do Lola Cevera the favor of posting/sharing this on your wall. Thank you so much for your compassion and God bless us all. P.S. To Ms. Vicky Morales, I hope you can help Lola Cevera. I was able to pick up from her that she stays in San Roque St. in Bagumbayan along Industria. Thank you so much and more power to your show.

thecyberniche:

Miss Philippines, Gwendolyn Ruais, placed second in the recently concluded Miss World 2011 held at London, United Kingdom. Gwendolyn Ruais attains the best Miss World finish for the Philippines since Evangeline Pascual who also won first runner-up in Miss World 1973. Miss Venezuela, Ivian Sarcos, bagged the crown this year.

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SO CUTE. ♥

theurbanhistorian:

If you find utility posts with their wires tangled like ponytails branching everywhere like vines cute, then I think you need a check in the mental hospital right now.

Tangled utility posts, either for telecommunications or for electricity, are tangled like this. Not only an eyesore, but also…

pelikula:

Tropical Gothic
by Don Jaucian

Aswang (2011)
D: Jerrold Tarog
C: Lovi Poe, Paulo Avelino, Albie Casino, Jillian Ward, Marc Abaya, Nina Jose, Bembol Roco, Precious Lara Quigaman, Ana Vicente, Joem Bascon

True to his work as a musical composer, Jerrold Tarog’s Aswang moves in rhythms. Moments occur in the steady stream of strings and beats, escalating in the right moments. Tarog’s score for Aswang recalls the darker tones of Howard Shore’s score for The Fellowship of the Ring. In Aswang, a re-imagining of the Peque Gallaga and Lore Reyes film of the same name, a sleepy town in Pampanga becomes the Mines of Moria, with ab-waks, a frightening combination of aswang and the great lizards that we call bayawaks, standing in for Orcs or maybe the Balrog. But Lovi Poe’s Hasmin has more of the beguiling charm of Lady Galadriel, with her mysterious air as she walks through the woods. There is a lady that walks through the woods and she lures men into their deaths. A forest nymph who dines on flesh. But she may be not that evil after all. 

After witnessing the murder of their parents and escaping their own eventual death from the murderers (Nina Jose, Paulo Avelino, and a scene-stealing, Johny Depp-ing Marc Abaya), two kids, Ahnia and Gabriel (Jilian Ward and newcomer Albie Casino), flee to Pampanga, hoping to hide in their uncle’s home. Things don’t go as planned. Landing in the middle of an ab-wak attack, they meet Hasmin, who entrusts them to her guardian, Guada (Gigi Escalante), who tells them the unfortunate story about the fate of her town and its long-time struggle with the ab-waks.

Far from the stereotyped incarnation of the aswang, ab-waks look more like humans cursed to crave manflesh and live under an increasingly precarious existence. They burrow underground to stalk their prey or they transform into crows, cawing like heralds of death. The opening scene, beautifully shot by Mackie Galvez, establishes the might of these creatures. They are relentless, feared by the townspeople once the ground shakes, with their hulking forms starting to take shape under their feet. But time withers away their power. Progress comes in the guise of paved roads, barring the ability of ab-waks to stalk more prey more discreetly. As the mayor threatens to pour concrete in all of the town roads (hinting at a greater collision between the government and the ab-waks), the ab-wak leader grows more desperate to regain power and wreak terror once more.

There is a push and pull of forces in Aswang. There is the direction that the director wants to take and another the producers prefer. Despite the hammy acting of the newcomers (Casino, Ward, and Avelino), an awkward sex scene, and lags in pace, Tarog ultimately takes Aswang to an even darker point. The third act of the film seethes with a thick atmosphere of terror, punctuated by the evil presence that infests the cavernous ranch that serves as the home to the ab-waks. Bodies are hacked to bits, entrails are pulled out and blood comes flooding in, making Aswang one of the goriest Pinoy horror movies (which can also be said of Tarog’s closing Shake, Rattle and Roll segment, Punerarya, from last year). 

Among all of this, a young ab-wak, Isabel (a creepy Ana Vicente), builds up an even more terrifying courage to take up what is left of her kind. Shadows play in her face, giving her a gentle but gaunt appearance. Her story is a glimpse of what will probably be a greater and more horrifying chapter of a sequel, if Aswang becomes successful enough to warrant one. Vicente’s minor role has prevented her from eclipsing the film’s leads. 

As a film that depicts communal disconnect and a blurring of heritage, Aswang is a shot of adrenaline to Pinoy horror. Its brilliant use of a tropical gothic atmosphere recalls the stories of Joe Hill and Tom Piccirilli. Aswang drips with the blood of a new breed of creatures, beasts that will make their way into the new stories of a generation, stories that will haunt you in nightmares.