Goodbyes and New Beginnings

This will be the last article that I will be posting At Corners. As many of you now know, I recently got married. There is a part of me that says that I shouldn't base my entire existense on my marriage, but fact is, it really becomes a big part of you.

I can no longer be thinking by myself At Corners. The truth is my now husband has always been a major part of things big and small, normal, unusual, eventful, irrelevant or important in my life. The difference now is that it is official. Because  of that I have decided to leave the comforts of 

my corners and look at new perspectives with him as his wife. Most especially that his line of work will greatly change a part of my life in a more international way. So I hope that I will have more interesting things to write about. 

Thus a new beginning. In respect to blogspot who has been great in hosting At Corners, just watch out for my announcement in Friendster or in some other way about the "move". As for everyone, aside from my Mom who has avidly reading my blog, thanks for the time and the comments. For now this will be the last entry posted At Corners.

On Personalities & Degrees

A friend of mine mentioned Cris Vilionco (sic) a few days ago. So I remembered I saw her on TV months ago as a guest on a talk show about personalities who studied abroad. That was where I found out that she went to the other side of the earth, to waste thousands of money, to study stage performance. I told my friend it really disappoints me when people who have money waste it to get a degree on things they don’t need to. Okay I understand that we should go where our happiness is, I just don’t get those who choose to learn to perfect skills that either doesn’t work for them, nor do they need.

In fairness to Ms. Vilionco, my problem with her pursuing theatre arts abroad is that I really think she’s a smart (not just talented) individual. She mentioned in the show, that (although she is the granddaughter of Armida Seguin Reyna), she also came from a family of lawyers. So why not tackle law? Which I believe is more challenging. As for theatre arts, I'm not saying it's not a cerebral craft, I just think it wasn’t necessary for her to waste tuition on something she could learn and practice here. Not to mention the easy exposures she could get given her background and connections.

Another example is KC Concepcion. When news of her moving to Paris broke, I was impressed because I thought she was going to study at Cordon Bleu, fine arts, or maybe cultural diversity…but no… With all the hype on her these days, I was forced to watch a profile on her the other day (given that next to Manny Pacqiao, she is everywhere). The show went on and on about how versatile she is, how natural her talents are, and how genes contribute to her skills. So what was the use of studying in Paris to learn Performing Arts, when apparently she’s so naturally blessed? Again, these are things she could’ve learned here; or yes, maybe in Paris, but getting a degree on it wasn’t necessary.

And then there’s Angel Locsin. I saw an interview of her where she was asked about money matters. According to her, she spent all her savings studying “fashion design” in London. Her newly acquired skills were even incorporated in her teleserye with Piolo Pascual where she worked her way up in a Fashion enterprise of some sort, fulfilling her life-long dreams of being a designer. Did I mention that as all this happens, her character turns into a dog once in a while in the show? First of all, if you’re going to study fashion, wouldn’t you go to Paris or Milan? When did London become a fashion capital? Ms. Locsin’s fashion sense isn’t that unique either, if anything she usually wears what all the other “artistas” wear. If Jolina Magdangal were reported to study design, I wouldn’t be surprised because she has always been a trend setter in the Philippines, at times a bold and eccentric one too. But Angel Locsin? And after wasting all the money she made from GMA, her fashion sense never really changed anyway. Jolina Magdangal already has her own clothing line (w/o going anywhere); Angel Locsin doesn’t even endorse any brands. Except for Lee, popular for its jeans, trendy huh?But at least she gave the writer's at Lobo inspiration to go on.

Call me bitter, I admit. It is their money after all. Judy Ann Santos learned to cook, which I understand. She probably wants to have a skill she can use long after her fame has faded. Joyce Jimenez used her sexy image to start her lingerie business, but she didn't learn fashion design, she studied business. A field of study not everyone can't just learn or be talented at. So why not think that way?

As I write, I think about my friends who studied Literature, Dance, and History; my friends who chose to study a degree on happiness or passion over more in demand courses such as Medicine or Law. I must admit that if you ask me, if I were as smart as these friends of mine, I'd think of what a great doctor or lawyer I could be and leave poems and dancing shoes as a hobby, However, they are not as rich as the people as I have mentioned, and some of them only have one chance, eventually they have to find a job to support themselves. And if they choose to pursue a career on what they studied they will have to fight their way through, not as easy as being born to it. So I understand the chance they take (to some of them it wasn't even taking a chance, but a firm decision).

I just can't help but get frustrated at how they take for granted the opportunities given to them; when all around them are people who work, sweat and blood, just so they can get a degree. And to study something that is already so easy for them to attain, something apparently already natural to them, or worst something they don't need. Or in Angel's case, they are not even good at.

Least Favorite Team in the Amazing Race Asia 3

I was supposed to be writing about how much I don’t like team Philippines in the Amazing Race Asia 3. Geoff and Tisha   are the kind of people I will not make friends with; their both conyo (sic), Geoff has the sense of humor of an eight-year-old brat, and Tisha

is absolutely vain (and I mean retouch, every chance she gets). In the previous legs it was just snide remarks here and there, mostly it was just to them, but despite their attempts to keep their true selves private, it still surfaces. This is why the “very boyish” Singaporean team and Malaysian siblings absolutely despise them.  But in the most recent episode their meanness really showed. I must admit, that it was smart of them to ask passengers to switch ferry rides tickets with which leaves five minutes earlier than all the other teams. But as they were getting on the ferry, they both chant “see ya, wouldn’t wanna be ya”.  I mean what is that? I thought it was so pompous of them to have to say things like that.

The clincher in that episode was when they yielded Bernie and Henrie, which as expected did not take so well. My question is why did they opt to yield those Malaysians anyway? The Hong Kong boys didn’t do it, simply because they already had a strong lead.  According to the couple, it is a competition and it’s all part of it, but like the Hong Kong boys, they also had minutes ahead of the Henri and Bernie, so why be ruthless?

Okay, I did say I was supposed to…   See Jojo says that it is a game after all, that they didn’t do anything wrong or break any rules. Also that I should support them, since they are the Philippine team and that you should love your own. It was also so generous of them for leaving money for the other Malaysian team (who had to give up all their pocket money for being in last place). So that is why I shouldn’t be writing about why I don’t like them. And that’s about all the reason why.

And like what I said to him, I don’t think Marc and Rovilson were this mean in season two, in fact they were really nice, smart, gentlemen, which made me feel good that they were Filipinos. As for Tisha and Geoff, I’d rather be unpatriotic and considered to have betrayed my kind, than be associated with pompous, ruthless, and unfriendly people. I hope they get eliminated soon.    

 

 

Money Talks

My mom and I love to talk to each other. There are times when we stay up as late as three in the morning just talking about things; family, situations, sometimes things that we have or are going through in life.

These days it’s mostly about money and the lack of it and the future. But we agree that unlike to some people, the former is not a big deal. I remember there was a time in the past when I would wake her up and ask her why she didn’t wake us up for school. She would apologize and say that we don’t have enough money for fare and lunch money so my brother and I are going to have to miss our classes that day. And even after she got a stable job, we always had to tighten our belts because we only had enough for tuition and the basics. This is also why I got into th

e call center industry so I can help out with my tuition. And as my mother would tell you, I was getting good pay working so our lifestyle went up a notch. I gained 30 lbs. because for the first time in my life, I could eat whatever I wanted, when I want it. This is why I say that our money problems now are not that bad. We’ve been through worst. Now that my brother and I can work and help her out; according to my mom, she’s just trying to fix some lose end.

Anyway, another thing my mom and I agree on is that compared to other people we’re doing just fine. Although it may sound like sour grapping, at least I’m healthy (cancer –free, it’s scar

y how people from all walks of life are diagnosed with cancer these days), or that I learned not to be materialistic, and most importantly I know how to value hard-work. And to me, it’s really just money.

A friend of mine jokingly said a few days ago that I was probably destined to be poor the rest of my life. And seriously thinking, I really don’t mind. Okay maybe not street rat poor, just not filthy rich. I’m the kind of person who would get scared if I won the lottery, simply because I would think that would be God telling me, He doesn’t care about me so I can just spend the rest of my life being easy. Because it’s true what they

 say that you cannot appreciate a good thing without having a glimpse of the bad. And if I don’t have to worry about anything, and everything would be at my grasp, then life would be boring and pass me by. It’s not that I want problems all the time, but I now know that shit happens, and it happens often (in my life it is constant), but I don’t want to forget to appreciate the small things just because everything else is easier.

I have a new job, and as you might guess it doesn’t pay that well compared to what I made during my sting as a call center agent. But I can’t help but have a feeling of pride that now

 I can finally start something I have always wanted to do. It’s not big shot writer, but it involves writing, and I understand the value of my work, also that it requires me to use my brain even just a little. Besides when I had lots of money, all I did was gluttonously eat, and sleep. And in the three months that I was unemployed, made me realize that it is not important how much you make; it’s really what you do, or the thought that you are doing something that makes you happy, that’s important. 

Solicitude/Empathy/Consideration

One of the biggest things that tick me off in life are people who have no concern of their surroundings. Especially here in our country, I think that many Filipinos have the talent to be completely unaware of other people when in public. I find it irritating because in Metro Manila alone, there are almost a million people already. Our population I believe is the cause of a number of problems like poverty, hunger, and health issues. But there are also the ones the we go through in a daily basis: traffic, long lines, cramped train rides during rush hour, processes that take forever, and did you know that I once was refused entrance to a bank because as the guard explained there were already enough people in the room, enough for the tellers to tend to until they close at 3 pm (and this happened at around 11 am). My point is, where we are there are always people, so it baffles me how some people tend to act as if they are the only person existing, when there are so many others around them everywhere.

I've been wanting to write about this for a long time now, but I guess it irritates me just remembering them that I always just think about something else. Plus I wanted to take pictures of some them, so I can show that these unemphatic humans can be found everywhere I go. (I don't have much to show right now, but I promise to collect more in the future).
Anyway, I made a list of the top things I hate people do in public. Some of the items in the list may not be irritating to some people, but I will try to justify myself as best as I can for putting it on my list.
10. People who come to close when you're using the ATM, or doing business over the counter.
- You know those people who can practically peep at your pin code because they are standing to close behind you? Some of them actually do, which is seriously rude, except if you're a robber. Another example happened yesterday while I was paying our electric bill. There was a big red line about a step away from the counter, while I was waiting for my turn I waited behind that line to give the woman in front of me some space while she pays her bills. When it was my turn, the woman behind me also stepped across the line standing so close her nose could actually touch my back. And as expected, she kept peeking over my shoulder as I was paying, I turned to give her a "do you mind?" look, and she just gave me this impatient smile.
9. People who take so long ordering in a fast food restaurant, when there's a long line behind them.
- Most fast food chains use the combo system, in which one would usually just have to pick a number or say, "Cheeseburger Meal please". And if you were in that same long line one would think that you've had ample time to consider what you're having minutes ago, or most probably on the way to the store. I encounter this all the time, but what I hate are the office yuppies who take their time during 12nn; as if they are the only ones taking their lunch break. This also goes to hotshots who also find time to hold a meeting during lunch rush in the canteen or in fast food chain, other people really deserve to get a chance to eat too. I suggest they go get reservations in a fancier restaurant.
8. People who eat so loudly
- I once rode a jeepney with a grown woman who was eating a candy like a five-year-old. She was making this "tsmp, tsmp, tsmp, ..."sound as she was sucking on the candy. And evertime she does, she would widely open her mouth for everyone to see the candy coloring the insides of her mouth red.
7. People who actually cut lines.
- This usually happens to me as I come off the train, you know when you go through the slots that take your pass. Also when entering a mall and having your bags checked for inspections. Kids I can understand, but adults who seem to think that there's a price if you get in the mall first. Usually these are the same persons who also don't open their bags before entering, so not only do they cut the line, they also disrupts its flow in the process.
6. People or groups of people who like to block the way.
- I must say that this is something that I see a lot, that everytime I go to the mall, I find them. There are places where you can find a minute of more to chat, or if you can't find one, step aside and don't do it in the middle of the way. Just yesterday, on way out of Trinoma, from far away I could see the flow of the crowd parting as the get to a certain a point; and sure enough you will find a group of ladies, happily chatting along. So I took their picture, I knew one of them saw what I did, but I really don't care.
5. Couples who walk so slowly in a busy narrow pathway.
- I know how it is to be in love, but that still doesn't give you an excuse to bother other people. Sometimes it is okay to be walking loungingly with arms across each other, while hip to hip; but to do it in a narrow alley in quiapo...on a Friday? I have template that I say when I am behind such lovers that I learned fro my brother, I say, "Sana bilisan natin para sumaya tayong lahat."
4. People who can't follow simple instructions.
- I really don't think that it doesn't take a genius to understand," exact change only on this counter", or common signs like "NO SMOKING", or "Loading/Unloading". And did you know that in Queazon City there is a city ordinance that prohibits using cellphones inside a bank or in a close radius of a gas station? I was in a line in a bank and on the counter in front of us was a big sign that suggested refraining from using ones cellphone and a framed copy of the city ordinance I just mentioned. The woman in front of me was chatting to her friend and all the while she was looking directly at the ordinance. After about 30 seconds she pulls out her phone started to text away, she was complaining that their other friend was going to be late as she read on the message, and suggesting to her other friend that they ditch him or her while replying back something else, I'm not sure. So I tapped her shoulders and pointed at the copy of the ordinance. She raised her eyebrows at me, but she slowly put her phone back in her pocket.
3. Impossible people in a public form of transport.
- These include: a) people who sit an a jeepney or an fx like they would in their living room. b)people who sleep in a jeep or fx like they would in their bedroom.c)people who lean on the rails in the train during rush hour. d)people who insist on standing by the door, can't wait to get in a train as people who are alighting. e)people who loudly complain that it's hot and cramped inside a train, jeep, or bus. Etc... And I'm sure you'd agree to the time honored advise we should give to people who choose to act this way in a public form of transport, and that is that they take a cab.
2. Inconsiderate people in a public form of transport.
- This especially goes out to individuals who choose not to give-up their seats to people who needs it more than they would like the elderly, children, someone disabled, or pregnant women. One time an old lady and a little girl got into a jeepney I was in. Either the driver was really greedy or he thought there were still available seats, anyway he started to drive on even while the two still haven't had found anywhere to sit. Some women were already asking the driver to stop, but by that time that he did, I couldn't believe why the men in the jeep wouldn't just give their seats up. So I got off and as I was coming out, I said, "Lola upo na po kayo, baba na lang ako, nakakahiya naman sa mga lalaki dito eh." It wasn't that I wanted to help the lady, I just couldn't stand being in the same jeep as those lazy, disrespectful men. (This may sound a bit double standard, but in that case, I'm sure those men could just hang from the jeepney, right?Kung pwede lang ako yung sumabit.)
There are also unique cases like when my mom encountered this girl who she said just suddenly leaned on her shoulders as they were standing in the MRT. She said the girl looked like she was in shock or something, so she asked for anyone who could lend the girl their seat. Luckily a guy stood up and I think the girl snapped out of it eventually.
1. Women who make you eat their hair.
- This is personal, one might say that I'm just over-reacting when it comes to this, but I really think there should be a law against girls who let their hair fly inside a jeepney. I, as a citizen should be able to complain if the girl sitting beside me doesn't even have the sense to at least hold on to their hair, which makes it brush all over my face. Who wants to eat someone else's hair? I also sometimes encounter girls who talk like their in a shampoo commercial all the time. The ones who keep flipping their hair after every sentence they say. This one girl I was in the FX with was just like that, I was trying to hold my temper when her habit made her hair brush on top of a Snickers bar I was eating. That was the final straw so I abruptly turned away from her and accidentally shoved her with my elbow. I guess it really hurt so she confronted me, asked me what my problem was, so I explained and tried to mimic how she talked, with exageration of course. Everyone in the fx laughed at my portrayal of her;embarassed, she asked and driver to pull over and got off with her friend.
The word solicitude means an attitude expressing excessive attentiveness; care or concern, as for the well-being of another; it can also mean anxiety, but it also means concern. If we all can be a even a little bit considerate of the people around us when outside, I believe we can contribute a small amount of comfort from all the daily set-backs we encounter everyday. Or atleast lessen the stress it brings. Think of how fast things would be if people line up properly, how it wouldn't be so much trouble to hold on to a train's safety hand rail without having your hand squished by someone's sweaty back, how organized everything would be if all learned to follow simple regulations.
My mom calls it manners, my friend says it requires education, I think it just needs a little understanding. Understanding that we are co-existing with "other people"; in your house you can do it whatever you feel like doing but when outside, no matter how in a hurry you are, or how shinny your hair is, it doesn't exempt you from being too self-absorbed. All you have to do is be considerate of other people around you. It's not that hard to do.

The Book Thief

I just finished reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, and it is a really good book. I didn’t have the budget to purchase it when I first came across it, so I decided to just come back for it when I do.

And that took about almost a year.You know how you sometimes can’t find something you want when you can buy it; and when you don’t have the money, you see it everywhere? That’s how it was for me and The Book Thief. So when I was finally able to get a copy, I was afraid that I might not like it, and find myself saying “all that wait for nothing”. But the wait was definitely worth it because as I said, it is a really good book.

The Book Thief is about an orphan girl who lived at the peak of Hitler’s reign in Germany. When she is adopted by an old couple who lives in a poor neighborhood on Himmel Street, she comes of age amidst the war, and in the process discovers her love for reading and how it changes her life and her perspective of it. I liked the book because it is as a whole well-written. It isn’t just the story, or the characters, or that I have always been interested with tales related to the Holocaust, the book was written in a very unique way, different from the usual novels.

My most favorite thing about the book is that it is narrated by Death. And as mentioned in the book, Death in the story is not the usual skeletor in a hooded robe carrying his scythe. In the book, Death has been jaded by the dark cloud that comes with his occupation. Especially because of the war.

“To me, the war is like the new boss who expects the impossible. He stands over your shoulder repeating one thing incessantly: ‘Get it done, get it done.’ So you work harder. You get the job done. The boss however, does not thank you. He asks for more.”

 As I understood it, because of the heaviness due to the magnitude of people dying, Death’s attention was caught by Liesel, a left-over human, a survivor, as he would 

call her; her fascination with words gave him the distraction he needed from the heaviness  of the workload that the war brought.

“They're the ones I can't stand to look at, although on many occasions I still fail. I deliberately seek out the colors to keep my mind off them, but now and then, I witness the ones who are left behind, crumbling among the jigsaw puzzle of realization, despair, and surprise. They have punctured hearts. They have beaten lungs.

Which in turn brings me to the subject I am telling you about tonight, or today, or whatever the hour and color. It's the story of one of those perpetual survivors--an expert at being left behind.”

Another clever technique the author used in the book, were his constant use of blatant foreshadowing.  Parts wherein Death would say that one character would’ve wanted to do things differently in the future, but he or she wouldn’t have the chance in the future because he was going to come for that character by then. Normally you’d lose interest since you already know what’s going to happen, but the foreshadowing’s made me want to read even further, so I can get to the part he mentioned and know exactly how that happened. He even gave away the climax and even explained why.

“Again, I offer you a glimpse of the end. Perhaps it is to soften the blow for later, or to better prepare myself for the telling.”

Zusak also used breakers written like flash reports. It was sometimes used to introduce and describe characters, define words, state facts, and also as another form of foreshadowing.

 

“***A SMALL ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT RUDY STEINER****

He didn’t deserve to die the way he did”

 

I have always thought about how it was for Germans during World War II, whether or not they all supported Hitler and his cause. The Book Thief wasn’t just a story of a girl who found meaning, understanding, and wisdom in books she had to steal; the story showed another side of the Holocaust aside from the sufferings of the Jews, 

it is a story of how something as dreadful as war affects everyone. The book is also about words and how powerful it can be when used like in the story within the story – “The Word Shaker”. 

It is also about everything else that we learn and find in hard times; family (be it by blood relation or not), friendship, sacrifices, endurance (literary and figuratively), love, and death. The idea that the story is told by the true expert on death, makes it the strongest part about the book. That even he, who has seen dying in all forms of manner, who stated matter-of-factly in the beginning of the book that “You are going to die”, through the book thief, was baffled by the human will to live and survive, even in the worst of times.

 

Monday Night Wars

If I have one complaint about GMA's news and current affairs, it is that they always start late. As I was waiting for I-witness to air last night, I was forced to see ABS-CBN's newest Monday night show Kalye "Mga Kwentong Lansangan".

According ABS-CBN's website, "Kalye is a current affairs magazine show that features three stories that the reporters find on the streets every week. The show intends to dissect what is happening in the streets, put them into context and show what our society has become, and compel viewers to action."
The first part was one of the most irritating documentaries I have seen. I thought that it was about Sol Arragones' take on the MMDA's clearing operations. At first it was mostly events we now often see live on major sidewalks; a lot of running, screaming, vendors and MMDA's on a tug-of-war with the goods, bleeped words, and often violent brawls. Perhaps for a more in-depth report she then interviews one of the vendors after they take her stall, who with all confidence argued that they were poor ordinary people who do not want to depend on the our president, not bothering anyone, who deserve at least the right to sell wherever they think they can earn for a living. Ms. Arragones then says, "Kung tutuusin, me katwiran naman sila...", I say(with all sarcasm), sure they do. After a few scenes of our reporter showing off her reporting skills running around Metro Manila chasing the MMDA, she returns to look for the woman she interviewed earlier in the show. When she found her, the woman took her to her small house where she lives with her bed-ridden mother and her nine children, plus cousins. She continued by stating statistics everybody probably already knows, as to how many people are hungry in Metro Manila, most of whom are from the province. She ends her segment with aquestion, "Ano ang mas importante. Maayos at malinis na bangketa, o ang kumakalam na sikmura?". As I watched, only one thing came to mind - appeal to sympathy. She didn't really added anything that compeled me to any action, except to change the channel.
I-witness still wasn't on so I watched on. Good thing the second and the third segment wasn't so bad. I have always liked Anthony Taberna, and I really think he's good especially when I get to listen to his editorials (in FXs of taxi's) in his AM band show Dos Por Dos. His part on Kalye was on the rampant snatchers in Cubao, and what he did was he met with Cubao's former Estribo Queen, a retired veteran snatcher, and asked her to show him the ropes on how they go about stealing people's valuables. I was surprised at how quick and easy snatchers do it, which made Taberna's segment a little interesting and even educational for me. I liked the part when he asked the former Estribo Queen tips on how to avoid snatchers, and she casually advised that we should have the mentality that everyone we pass by is a possible snatcher.
Atom Araullo basically tackled domestic violence and used a husband who killed his wife over ulam as an example. And since it wasn't at all that good and thought provoking, my mind went to wander to other questions like, "Wasn't he the boy in the Ovaltine commercials?".
Of course everyone knows that I'm big fan of I-witness; but at the risk of sounding biased, channel 2 hasn't really produced anything to match what GMA calls "Philippines televisions finest hour." The Correspondents wasn't really that good, although they did have promising journalists like Abner Mercado, Bernadette Sembrano, Karen Davila (which we all know where the last two got their training from), and of course Ces Drilon (who found herself kidnapped by rebels after not following media protocol). After moving The Correspondents to Tuesdays, it was replaced by Tapatan a debate show, headed by Korina Sanchez and Ted Failon; which obviuosly didn't last long. I personally think it was a sad excuse for a talk-show because they tried making fun of serious issues, especially when they insert slap-stick sound effects at some of their guests comments.
And now we have Kalye. In fairness, I really found it entertaining, same way that I find it entertaining when I watch my drunk neighbors get into a brawl, or when their wives decide to go on a trash-talk contest because of a gossip they started about each other. As always it caters to the mass, banking on Tabloid journalism.
Finally, I-Witness was on, this Monday was a treat because it was my a documentary by Kara David, my favorite amongst the four documentarists in the show. Last night was about a more interesting way to look at "hunger issues"entitled "Byaheng Sikmura". She followed around a group of people who survive by going to every feeding center in Manila. It was funny as it was interesting because believe it or not, homeless people can actually eat three times a day, sometimes even six times (including a Mediterranean midnight snack), especially on Sundays. All they had to do was to make the quota, listen to boring evangelical sermons, sing-along and dance, and wallah... free food. Along the way, she met a lot of interesting people; A group of gay guys one of which was a DOST scholar who unfortunately wound up in the streets but claims to find the family he never had. Tagpi, who seemed to have a very hectic life-style keeping up with all the feeding center's schedule, so he can make sure he gets to be first in line. She even met an English speaking woman who says she goes to feeding center to save money, since free food is free food after all. The documentary showed how they get free bath, free medical treatments, and even free massage and acupuncture services. Ms. David, then adds that she doesn't believe in giving alms, she says she believes that rather than giving them fish, it is better to teach them to fish instead; she said that it takes more than feeding centers to solve the problem on hunger, education and jobs are needed but as some are still waiting for a more permanent means to survive, some are just finding means to get by. She ended the documentary with an old lady singing something she learned from one of the born-again lead feeding centers, with a message that simply said that God will always provide. Much better than Kalye.

-you can watch Byahen Sikmura episode at www.youtube.com/watch?v=8v_RLTVv-qE; I was looking for a link to Kalye's first episode but couldn't find any, guess no one was moved enough to pass it on. You can just read their press release on the show, at www.abs-cbnnews.com/tv-current-affairs/09/22/08/abs-cbn-launches-kalye-mga-kuwento-ng-lansangan.I couldn't even copy-paste a picture of the show's logo, try it a pop-up will come out saying that it's copyright by ABS-CBN.