Unaccompanied Minors

     My wife and I had a great time watching the movie “Unaccompanied Minors” over on Warner TV.  It’s about five kids named Spencer, Grace, Charlie, Donna, and Beef who met at a place in the airport where unaccompanied minors are held while waiting to board their respective planes. The fun begins after the five kids decide to escape the bedlam of the area for unaccompanied minors and begin having fun on their own in different places of the airport. A chase ensues after the airport manager named Mr. Porter and his  security force begin rounding up the kids. But the fun does not stop after the five kids are cornered and returned to the holding area for unaccompanied minors. They give the guy Zach who was responsible for taking care of these kids the slip when Spencer feels the need to reach his sister Katherine who was moved to the hotel airport along with the other unaccompanied minors. If he fails to see his sister by midnight, she would stop believing in Santa Claus. Another chase ensues as the five kids try to get out of the airport to go the airport hotel. Thinking that he has the kids cornered at the area in the airport where they keep unclaimed luggage, the airport manager tries to grab hold of the five kids who gives him the slip again.

Zach then pleaded with Mr. Porter  to just leave the kids alone. Mr. Porter however ignores the plea and goes after the kids who ride a canoe down the snowy hill to reach the hotel. He  finally catches up with the five kids but not until Spencer was able give his sister the doll he got from the area in the airport where they keep unclaimed luggage. Mr. Porter then  keeps each of the kids in a separate room each equipped with a close circuit camera.  He then posts a guard outside each room and monitors each the kids from his office. After talking with his newfound friends using the walkie- talkie he got from the area in the airport where they keep unclaimed luggage to make Mr. Porter think that they were still in their respective rooms, Spencer and his friends manage to escape from each of their rooms via the air vent.

Charlie accidentally falls into the room where Mr. Porter keeps the Christmas decorations that were supposed to be used to spruce up the airport during the holidays. Upon reaching the departure area where the passengers were sleeping while waiting to board their respective planes, the kids suddenly come up with an idea to make the passengers feel the Christmas spirit. Using the decorations they found in a big room at the airport, Spencer and his friends begin putting up the decorations. Mr Porter catches up with Spencer and congratulates the boy for escaping detention. He also learns from Spencer why they still manage to stay happy in spite of what he had done to them. Spence also learns why Mr. Porter does not like Christmas so much.

The movie ends with Mr. Porter dressed up as Santa Claus as he gives gifts to each of the passengers. Everybody is elated when he announces that each of the kids will be able to leave the airport on the first flight out.

The chase scenes are what made the movie enjoyable to watch. But what viewers might dislike is the message that the movie wishes to impart to families with divorced parents. That is, most kids of divorced families seem to become resourceful and stronger instead of becoming weak and depressed.

But in spite of this, I’d love to see the movie again.

Leaving the Philippines

     Ask any Filipino, especially the young ones, what his or her plans are for the next ten years and he or she would say, "I plant to work abroad." And mind you, their intention is not just to work on a temporary basis but to settle down permanently in countries like the United States, Canada, and Saudi Arabia.  What does this say about the attitude of many Filipinos toward their homeland? They see the Philippines as a hopeless case and that no bright future awaits them in this country.

     Whenever I look at the pictures of my former office mates who mostly are now living in Canada, the United States, and Saudi Arabia, I get the feeling that I did something wrong in my life here. They look as if they are always having a good life while I struggle to make ends meet, pay bills, and pay off debts. I'm sure others like me get the same feeling whenever they see pictures of their relatives posted on social networking sites like Facebook. Those who are left behind in the Philippines may feel despondent and forsaken whenever they think of their relatives who are living abroad and having a wonderful time.      

      If many Filipinos continue to think about leaving their country, then I would say that all hope for progress has been lost. This is one reason I envy other people like the Japanese. When they work or study abroad, their purpose is to find something that will help their country on the road to progress. Most Japanese consider Japan as their true home and that is why they always return home to their country.  It is this attitude that allowed Japan to surpass other countries in Asia in terms of economic and technological development.     

      I wish our countrymen would have the same attitude as that of the Japanese. But then, the truth of the matter is, Filipinos are more concerned about surviving each day than achieving national economic development and progress. They tend to think more about their personal comfort and you can see this among passengers inside jeepneys. If you hear them voicing out their concerns like rising prices of oil and goods, unemployment, ad corruption, you can be rest assured that they are thinking more about themselves than the good of the country. 

Johnny Tango Jokes

Johnny Tango Jokes

     One of the radio programs I listened to during the mid-80's was Rick Radam's Johnny Tango which was heard over DZRH. The show featured jokes sent in by listeners and the radio program was broadcast during Sundays. Here are some of the jokes I remembered.

Joke 1:

 Johhny was then a little boy when he joined an excursion to one of the resorts in Laguna. While frolicking in the pool along with his male and female cousins, Johnny suddenly suddenly pointed to a female cousin's covered genitals and asked, "What is that?" The female cousin blushed and said "Ah, that is the city of Madrid!". He then walked over to a male cousin, pointed to his genitals and asked, "What is that?" The cousin answered, "This is the king of Spain". One night, Johhny accidentaly walked into his parents' bedroom and switched on the lights. Johnny was momentarily shocked when he saw his father on top of his mother. After recovering from his surprise, Johnny suddenly blurted out, " I SALUTE THE KING OF SPAIN ENTERING THE CITY OF MADRID!"

Joke 2:
     One evening, Johnny's grandmother decided to teach his grandson how to pray. The grandma said to Johnny, "I'm going to teach you how to pray. Ama namin.." "Ama namin..", Johnny repeated. This went on  until they reach that part which says "Bigyan mo kami ng tinapay sa araw-araw." At this point, Johnny paused and asked his grandma, "Dapat ba araw-araw Lola? Syang po baka mapanis ang tinapay."

    

My Favorite Anime

     I prefer watching anime over American cartoons because anime characters look so real and the physique of the characters is so sexy. One of the anime shows that I followed on AXN was Cooking Master Boy. It's about a boy who has a gift for cooking exotic dishes and this ability of his takes him from one cooking competition to another. One often wonders whether it is really possible to cook the dishes featured in each episode. Each contest that our hero finds himself in has a theme. One theme could be "The swan sings to rose."

     Boys Be is another anime I enjoyed watching. It tackles the ups and downs of falling in love. The girls in this show are so pretty and sexy. Though I'm way past my teenage years, I can't help but be tickled by the romantic scenes in each episode. Wish I was back in college again.

     Sakura Wars is also exiciting to watch. Three girls each with special gifts are selected to pilot huge robots which are used to fight off threats to the empire. The girls are disguised as stage actresses. My favorite among the girls is of course Sakura herself.

     But before we had cable, I was already following Macross on channel 9. The plot of the show is interesting, It's about a hugh spacecraft called the SDF or the super defense fortress which was left by aliens on Earth and now being used by the humans. Now the aliens want the spacecraft back and each episode features battles between the aliens known as the Zentraedi and human beings. The story is too realistic though since some of the characters die in battle and there are of course romantic moments.

 
  Slamdunk was a favorite among anime fans young and old alike. The anime follows the journey of a guy named Sakuragi as he gradually turned from zero to hero on the basketball court. One funny thing about this guy is that he beleives that he is a basketball god. Most of the time, he tangles with his teammate Rukawa who is a no nonsense hardcourt hero.

     If you enjoy the sight of sexy and pretty anime characters, you'd love You're Under Arrest. The show dwells on the lives of a group of female police officers, as well as on their adventures and misadventures. I enjoyed watching You're Under Arrest the Movie which had the chracters created in a realistic manner.

Memorable Quotes from the Movies

Sometimes, doing the right thing is not doin the right thing.
                                     -Hondo(Samuel L. Jackson) from     SWAT.

We are paratroopers! We are supposed to be surrounded!
                -Captain Winters(Damien Lewis) from Band of Brothers

What is important is we tried and nobody can take that away from us.
                -Col. Chappy Sinclair(Louis Gosset Jr.) from Iron Eagle 1

Mr McGee, don't make me angry. You wouldn't want me when I'm angry.
                 -David Banner( Bill Bixby) from The Hulk the TV series

Iceman: You! You are still dangerous but you can be my wingman anytime.
Maverick: Bullshit! You could be mine!
                                              -from Top Gun

My Favorite TV Shows

     I feel that the TV shows of yesteryears are far more better than today's soap operas that keep a lot of Filipinos glued to their TV sets especially during prime time. One of these is 12 'o Clock High which is about the exploits of US bomber crews during World War 2. I distinctly remember one of the main stars of this TV show, Paul Burke. It's a pity however that I didn't get to watch much of the show since it was shown at around 9:00 in the evening. Being an elementary student during that time, I was only only to watch TV until 8:00 pm.

      Another favorite TV show of mine when I was still in high school was James at 15. Being a teenager then, I found it easily to relate to the adventures of a young boy who was experiencing the pains of growing up. The TV show starred then upcoming young actor Lance Kerwin.

     I seldom watch 21 Jump Street when it was popular during the 1980s. It was a police story which featured young detectives led by Johnny Depp.

     I never got tired of watching The Working Girls which was a spin off of the the movie with same title. The TV show starred Sandra Bullock who really looked hot. One of the famous lines that I remember from this TV show was, "So what am I? Chopped liver?"

      I'm sure everybody remembers the funny alien ALF whose spaceship landed in the backyard of a family. The members of the family were Willie who was the father, Kate who was the mother, and the children named Bryan and a girl whose name I can't remember. Some of my favorite lines of ALF were " I kill me!" and " Que pasa?".

     Among the Japanese action shows that I watched during the 1990s was Shaider which was dubbed in Filipino. I really found the guy cool! More importantly, I enjoyed watching Shaider's or Alexis's sidekick Annie in action. Annie was an orphan or the probably the lone survivor of her planet whcih was destroyed by the evil Fuma Leyar.

     Another favorite detective TV show that our family enjoyed watching was Baretta which had Robert Blake in the starring role. Barertta was a kick ass private investigator who had a talking parrot for a companion. I remember one of our high school teachers in English who looked just like the guy.

Forgotten song from the Manila Sound Era.

Here is a favorite song of mine that I enjoyed listening to during the time the Manila Sound was its peak.

Sa aking paglalakad

Ako ay mayroon nakita

Isang beauting pagkaputi

Alam mo ba na siya'y babong pa

Siya'y aking nilapitan

Upang siya's makilala

Ang sagot niya sa akin

"Ayaw ko! Ang pangit mo!"

Masakit man tanggapin

Na ako ay pangit.

Wala akong magagawa

Kundi sunudin ang gusto mo

Ano ba naman ito

Ang pinasukan ng puso ko?

Mabuti pang sabihin ko

Na siya ay iibigin ko