Saturday, April 14, 2012

April 14-20






Angelo Castro Jr.
The Azkals
Pine Trees of Baguio
The Bloomfields
The Hansons

Remembering Angelo Castro Jr. 

I always tell people I'm happy to be a teenager in the 90s. I loved watching those intelligent, English-language public affairs shows on ABS-CBN then: The Inside Story with Loren Legarda on Tuesdays; Assignment with Teddyboy Locsin on Thursdays; Dong Puno Live with Dong Puno on Wednesdays; and of course, the late night news The World Tonight, anchored by Loren and Angelo Castro Jr.

I felt sad when I heard he died last week; he was such a part of my teen years. It was the passing of an era.

I remember a TV Patrol news clip years back: Angelo celebrating his birthday, with Carly Simon's Nobody Does It Better playing in the background. No song could be more appropriate. For delivering the news with intelligence and credibility, nobody does it better than Angelo Castro Jr.




Why The Azkals Are Being Kicked

When The Azkals was first formed, a lot of Filipinos was riding on their Pinoy lineage. Now that two members, Lexton Moy and Angel Guirado, are accused of sexual harassment, The Azkals is being demonized. Even their European ancestry is being used against them.

It's one thing to express an opinion, it's another to make self-righteous personal attacks. Some people in this country doesn't seem to know the difference. That's the dark side of the Filipino character.



What If I Become A Billionaire Who's So Freaking Bad?

The pine tree is the soul of Baguio. It gives that unmistakable sense of place, that character that makes Baguio really special. Now they're being cut down to make a carpark for SM Baguio.SM is fast becoming the symbol of environmental and social irresponsibility.

I'm thinking: What if I'm a billionaire owner of mall chains around the country? Will I become greedy enough to make the world an uglier place? Will I even care about the non-income-generating environment? How much will satisfy my greed? Why will I listen to the treehugging "little people" if I can buy government permits?




Featured Artists





19 comments:

Jonathan Aquino said...

I have no regrets in life. Nope, nada, zilch! But if were to live my life all over again, I would eat more vegetables. I would also join The Maneuvers! Dance, dance, dance!

Chubby Singson said...

I just don't like SM's decision of cutting trees for the sake of expansion. They're already an established business, aren't they satisfied???

Love the Hansons!

: )

Jonathan Aquino said...

I love the Hansons too, and while corporate greed can be slammed by public opinion, I don't think HUMAN greed knows any bounds

Jonathan Aquino said...

Here's one of my FB posts yesterday:

Abraham Lincoln inspires me a lot. Me and President Obama and countless others throughout the generations.

Abe was one of the best leaders in the history of civilization and one of the greatest men the world has ever known.

But the road was rocky. Rocky road!

He lost the elections for vice president, senator, congressman. His first wife died. His son died. He suffered a nervous breakdown. His critics attacked him viciously.

But he never gave up. He never surrendered. He overcame his self-doubts. He refused to think of himself as a failure

Jonathan Aquino said...

Heres one of my additional FB comments:

I'm a student of human nature. Sad to say, when you're down, some people will treat you as if your situation is permanent

Jonathan Aquino said...

It reminds me of a line from the song One Friend by Dan Seals: "Sometimes the world on our side, sometimes it wasn't fair; sometimes it gave a helping hand, sometimes it didn't care.."

Jonathan Aquino said...

It's only when I watched the tribute documentary to Angelo Castro Jr., featured in 2Rivers, that I learned that he was also an award-winning actor before he became a legend in broadcast journalism

Jonathan Aquino said...

Angelo's wife is June Keithley, who will forever be known as one of the heroes of the 1986 People Power Revolution. The entire world was riveted by her broadcasts of that historic moment, in fearless defiance of the strongman Ferdinand Marcos

Jonathan Aquino said...

Angelo's son is Diego Castro, part of the original Star Circle Batch 1, with the late matinee idol Rico Yan

Jonathan Aquino said...

I see a connection between the Azkals, Pinoy culture and Jessica Sanchez of American Idol. A lot of Filipinos are now claiming her as their own because she is getting famous. Knock on wood, but if she gets embroiled in a scandal, those same people will pounce on her, mercilessly, like what's happening to the Azkals now

Jonathan Aquino said...

Jessica is half-Filipino and half-Mexican. During the Pacquiao vs Marquez fight, I wonder who was she rooting for?

Jonathan Aquino said...

Here's one of my FB posts last April 11:

I was in Antipolo when I was kid. I've lived in various places since then.

I remember I almost almost fell off a cliff in Siniloan, Laguna and was chased by a giant goose in Cabiao, Nueva Ecija

Just recently, I got my free Coke in Lubao, Pampanga during the Coca-Cola blowout. Thank you Mr. President For Happiness!

But Manila is always special.

Manila is where I first fell in love, where my heart was broken into a thousand pieces, the kind of pain when living seemed pointless.

But Manila is also where I crawled back, got up, recovered and was able to move on again with my life

Jonathan Aquino said...

Here's my FB posts for April 8:

People judge me by my setbacks. I judge myself by how I survive and emerge a better person [Via SMART SMS]

Jonathan Aquino said...

Here's one of my additional comments:

It never fails to amaze me how eager some people are to judge others. I believe bad times serve a purpose. In the end, something good will come out, because after all is said and done, everything turns out for the best

Jonathan Aquino said...

Here's another:

I can honestly say I'm a better man because of my life experiences, from my encounters with the infinite shades of humanity. I have learned to love and respect myself, and I would rather be me than somebody else. Beware those who, deep inside, hate themselves

Jonathan Aquino said...

Truth be told, the average time I spend on Facebook (when I go online) is 5 to 10 minutes. Max

Jonathan Aquino said...

I get FB txts on my mobile phone, you see, so I know when friends send me messages or post comments

Jonathan Aquino said...

I would then type on my phone what I want to post, then I would send them to my e-mail via MMS ~So when I go to an Internet shop, I'll just open my e-mail, then Copy-Paste

Jonathan Aquino said...

"A child who does not play is not a child, but the man who doesn't play has lost forever the child who lived in him and who he will miss terribly."

~Pablo Neruda