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Oblivion in 100 Days to Heaven

StarMars — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 14:47:43 +0000

In the final episode of 100 Days to Heaven, the graphics of the gate to Hell was taken directly from TES IV: Oblivion.

100 Days to Heaven is an inspirational TV program on ABS-CBN starring Coney Reyes and Xyriel Manabat, both as Anna Manalastas.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is a game by Bethesda released in 2006. It is often regarded as one of the best RPG games of all time.

I am not really a loyal viewer of 100 Days to Heaven. I just happen to see it from time to time because my brothers watch it during dinner. Over time though, I have grown to love it. It has an interesting and inspiring story and I love Xyriel’s portrayal of Anna Manalastas, acting like she’s all grown-up and mature.

The last episode was aired on Nov 18, 2011, a 1-hour special finale. In one scene, Anna was standing before the gates of Hell. And what a familiar sight it is. Behold, it the Oblivion gate from the game Oblivion!

Anna Manalastas standing before the gate of ~~Hell~~ Oblivion

The title Oblivion is the namesake of the world of the Daedra in the Elder Scrolls series. You could say that the Daedra are the demons and Oblivion is Hell, but in truth the concept is different. Let’s just leave it at that.

I don’t know how popular the game is to Filipinos but players of good RPGs should have recognized it. I can’t blame the director for using it; it is the perfect image of a gate to the Burning Hells. Here are some screenshots of the first Oblivion gate in the game(yes, there are many of them in the game):

Now I’m just wondering if 100 Days to Heaven paid some royalties to the folks at Bethesda for using such images.

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Anti-Planking Law

StarMars — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 01:00:48 +0000

Philippines’ anti-planking law aptly named Anti-Planking Act of 2011.

NZ Prime Minister John Key's son Max planking in front of his father, dubbed as the National plank of NZ

As stupid as it may sound, it is real. A lawmaker wants planking banned, of all things. But as far as I know, it has not been passed into law yet.

Planking (or the lying down game as Wikipedia used to call it) is an activity where one lies face down in an unusual location, with straight body, the feet together and the hands touching the sides of the body. The goal is to have the act photographed and seen by as many people as possible on the internet.

People do it for the sake of fun and giggles and of course bragging rights. But it gets problematic when people try to plank in dangerous places or when the activity breaks the law. Apparently, a congressman feels the need to write a law disallowing the particular act.

The Anti-Planking Act of 2011 is authored by Quezon City Representative Winston “Winnie” Castelo:

AN ACT PRESCRIBING A UNIVERSAL CODE OF STUDENT CONDUCT WHEREBY PLANKING BY A STUDENT OR GROUP OF STUDENTS DURING STREET RALLIES OR SIMILAR PROTEST ACTIONS AS A FORM OF REDRESS OF GRIEVANCE BE STRICTLY PROHIBITED AND APPLYING APPROPRIATE SANCTIONS THEREOF

September 20th, 2011

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. This Act shall be known as the “Anti-Planking Act of 2011”.

SEC. 2. A universal Code of Student Conduct is hereby prescribed where planking as a form of redress of grievance be strictly prohibited and appropriate sanctions be applied for violations thereof.

SEC. 3. Under this Act, planking is when a student or group of students lies face down in unusual locations especially in streets or other public places, keeping the hands along the body and the feet outstretched and especially where such act is meant as a form of redress of grievance against government.

SEC. 4 Every bonafide student from any school, college or university shall conduct himself with high degree of discipline and propriety.

SEC. 5. The Department of Education in the case of elementary and high school students and the Commission on Higher Education in the case of college students shall draft a universal Code of Student Conduct to carry out the provisions of this Act.

Further, DepEd and CHED, respectively shall issue appropriate rules and regulations to effectively carry out intent and purpose of this Act.

SEC. 6. This Act shall take effect ninety (90) days after its publication in the Official Gazette and in at least three (3) newspapers of general circulation.

This anti-planking law was not born out of thin air. It is the result of an incident on September 19 where students “planked” on streets in support of PISTON’s transport strike opposing the increasing oil prices, causing heavy traffic.

Sounds reasonable to me but maybe, they could have just arrested those students for causing public disorder or doing an activity that is against public interest (for lack of a better legal term). I’m pretty sure the existing laws are enough to get those planking rallyists off the streets.

I am not an expert of law but here are what I can surmise:

The bill prohibits planking done as a form of redress or grievance only, not those made for fun. This comes from author Castelo himself in an interview. That means planking in dangerous or prohibited places wouldn’t be considered illegal, as long as it was made for fun. Now, if those same students planked again on busy streets purely for fun, then this law still wouldn’t apply to them.
This anti-planking law bans planking for students only. It is explicitly written on the text of the bill, even mentioning Dept. of Education, Commission on Higher Education and Code of Student Conduct. This is unfair for students because they are being singled out. If the plankers aren’t students, then this bill wouldn’t apply to them.
Section 3 of the bill clearly defines planking. Now, if a planker changes his style a bit so that it no longer fits the description defined on this anti-planking law, would it still apply?
What’s next, anti-owling law?

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Mga Lihim ng Pamilya ni Rizal

StarMars — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 17:43:39 +0000

Mga Lihim ng Pamilya ni Rizal (The Secrets of Rizal’s Family) is a documentary that tries to explain the controversies surrounding a mansion in Biñan, Laguna which belonged to the family of Teodora Alonzo, the mother of Jose Rizal. The house is being demolished under questionable circumstances and with more “secrets” between two branches of the Alonzo family in a dispute, more questions are left unanswered. A documentary by Howie Severino, it was shown on January 31, 2010 in the program iWitness (GMA TV) at 11:30.

“Rizal’s family” pertains entirely to his mother’s side. Nothing is mentioned of his family on his father’s side. The documentary focuses on two main topics: the house being demolished and that Teodora Alonzo is an illegitimate child (bastard).

About the house:

*The house mentioned is that of the Alonzo Family in Biñan, not the home of Jose Rizal which is in Calamba. When Rizal was sent to Biñan to study, he stayed in an aunt’s house instead of the big mansion. This gives us a clue that there was already a dispute in the Alonzo family at that time.

*currently owned by Gerardo Alberto. The house is being demolished slowly and brick by brick. The house is to be moved somewhere in Bataan and a Starbucks shop will be built on its current place.

*the current mayor of Biñan tried bringing up the issue (of the house being demolished) to National Historical Institute, which has a higher jurisdiction over the matter but was turned down because according to them the house (200+ years old) was “not registered” as a historical landmark. This is a clear violation of the law which states that all buildings 50 years old and above are automatically considered a historical landmark.

About Teodora Alonzo:

at the beginning of the documentary: In the year that he died, 1896, Jose Rizal made his family tree. Interestingly, he left out the branches leading to his mother Teodora Alonzo. Was he hiding something?

at the end: No he wasn’t. A document written by Rizal himself resting at the Rizal Library in Ateneo de Manila University clearly shows that Jose Maria Alonzo de Alberto and Teodora Alonzo are of the same parents.

Start of the Dispute?

Jose Maria Alonzo , after coming back from his travels in Europe learned that his wife Teodora Formoso was having an affair with another man and so the couple had a quarrel. Teodora Alonzo sided with Jose Maria, being her favorite brother, against the advice of her husband Franciso Mercado. Enraged, Jose Maria locked his wife in a room in the mansion and asked Teodora Alonzo to watch over her. One day, Teodora Formoso gave the food served by Teodora Alonzo to her dog and the dog died. She approached the guardia civil claiming that Doña Teodora was trying to poison her. The guardia civil believed her story and Teodora Alonso was imprisoned for two years. (more details on this in Gregorio and Sonia Zaide’s book “Jose Rizal”, 2nd edition, p. 25)

As to why Teodora Alonzo is considered an illegitimate child:

*Lorenzo Alonzo de Alberto, then 24 married a 12-year old girl from Vigan, Paula Florentino but it was a fixed marriage (legitimate wife) so they never had a child. In 1824, ten years after the marriage, Lorenzo was found living with another woman, Brijida Quintos — a relationship not honored by law making their children illegitimate (Teodora Alonzo and all her siblings including Jose Maria Alberto). Lorenzo Alberto, having helped the Dominicans in their missions in Indo-China was conferred the title “Knight of the Order of Queen Isabella the Catholic“, a title transferrable to one of his children after his death. (researcher Dr. Bimbo Sta. Maria’s theory from here onwards) When Lorenzo died, his children — illegitimate in papers — devised a plan to keep the title and their strong ties with the Spanish government. Jose Maria Alonzo de Alberto disowned his real mother, Brijida Quintos, and declared himself (with the approval of his siblings) the legitimate son of Lorenzo Alberto and Paula Florentino. And thus the half-brother issue began.

*the document at the Rizal Library showing that Jose Alberto and Teodora Alonzo have the same parents supports the theory above

The Last Secret:

*Barbara Gonzalez, a descendant of Rizal said that Jose Maria Alonzo de Alberto allegedly had an affair with his niece Saturnina (daughter of Teodora Alonzo) and that Soledad was the fruit of this love affair. To hide this shameful act, Saturnina went out in a vacation accompanied by Teodora only to come back later with a newborn child. Teodora claimed that the child was hers. Soledad was the most beautiful among the Rizal sisters, having a mestizo father

*If this story is true, this could have been the real reason why Teodora Formoso hated Teodora Alonzo

I’d like to end this post with a quote from Barbara:

What’s wrong? Just tell the truth. The truth is the best thing. It will show Filipinos that anybody can be a hero.

Notes:

Mga Lihim ng Pamilya ni Rizal at GMANews.tv
Jose Maria Alonzo de Alberto – full name of the brother of Teodora Alonzo. “Jose Alonzo” and “Jose Alberto” refer to the same person.
The Story of Jose Rizal, a biography of Rizal by Austin Craig published in 1909
Barbara Cruz-Gonzalez is the granddaughter of the sister of Rizal, Maria

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10.10.10 Fun Run for Pasig River marathon

StarMars — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 08:58:28 +0000

Today is October 10, 2010 or 10-10-10. The Run for Pasig River marathon was held early this morning. Though I was too late to register for the event as a runner, I had fun being a spectator.

I really wanted to attend the 10-10-10 Pasig Fun Run but the registration closed as early as Tuesday — 5 days ago — so I wasn’t able to register. I have not participated in any marathon before so I thought it would be cool to have my first run in the biggest event. Luckily, my father who has been running for a long time was a participant in the 10 km event. So off to Ayala we went.

It was 4 am in the morning when we left but the streets were already buzzing with activity. When we got there, I was surprised at the big number of people gathered at the starting line. I stepped up on a pedestal to try to see the end of the long line of runners but I can’t.

Then a small group of runners arrived with a good number of photographers surrounding and trailing them. It was the celebrity group led by Manny Pacquiao and they were to be the hosts for the opening ceremony. I followed them to the stage near the starting line.

The opening ceremony was hosted by Dyan Castillejo with co-hosts Manny Pacquiao and Piolo Pascual. Zaijan Zaranilla, Piolo’s co-star and son in Noah was also there. I was there in front of the stage taking pictures and videos with the other media men. Backstage, I saw Jinky Pacquiao and PBB housemate Paul Jake.

At 5:30, the marathon kicked off. A few runners on the front line started off running very fast. Perhaps they were vying for the top finishes. The runners were deployed in batches to make sure that there’s enough space for everyone. Manny Pacquiao was in the first batch. There were some groups in color-coded t-shirts.

I could have joined the marathon even without a number but I was carrying a bag and wearing jeans. So I took a bus to the Mall of Asia where the finish line for all the events was located.

Mall of Asia was swarming with people. I had not seen as many people gathered in one place before. Out of the crowd, I was lucky to see my father so I took a picture of him. I took the bus and my father ran and we reached MOA at the same time. hehe From where I got off the bus, it was still a long way to the finish line so I felt like I also participated in the marathon (I was carrying a few pounds of load).

I didn’t see the finish line. It was probably located near the big stage where hordes of runners were resting. I didn’t bother going near it. So i set off for home.

The goal of the 10.10.10 Run for Pasig River was to gather funds for the restoration of Pasig River. From the 250-peso (100 pesos for students) registration fee, the fund collected was around 12 million pesos. The organizers were also hoping to beat the Guinness Book’s current record for the biggest marathon at 110,000 runners. The initial target number was 120,000 runners. 160,000 registered but the final tally was 116,000 runners in attendance. The 10-10-10 Pasig Fun Run was a success and it was fun to witness history in the making.

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the last episode of Wowowee

StarMars — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 03:21:05 +0000

The last episode of Wowowee was shown yesterday, July 30 2010.

The noontime show started normally but at the end, a short tribute to Willie Revillame was shown. A teary-eyed Mariel Rodriguez thanked everyone who made Wowowee possible including her co-hosts, the director, the whole staff and of course Kuya Willie. A short presentation of happy pictures of Willie hosting the show was played on the big screen at the back of the hosts, to the tune of Willie’s own song “Ikaw na nga”.

Wowowee had been running for more than five years since its first airing on February 25, 2005. For the last few months of its airtime, the show had been without a face lacking the main host Willie Revillame. It started when main host Willie left the show after expressing his dismay over a writer from the same channel. Wowowee had since struggled to find a new host to replace Willie, looking for suitable guest hosts. We saw its end coming, probably to detach the noontime slot from the the Wowowee-Willie tandem and the controversy following it.

Wowowee will be replaced by a new variety game show called “Pilipinas, Win na Win.” The new noontime show will be hosted by Kris Aquino and Robin Padilla, with returning co-hosts Mariel Rodriguez, Pokwang and Valerie Concepcion.

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Pinoy Big Brother: Teen Clash of 2010 Big Winner

StarMars — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 17:35:01 +0000

Pinoy Big Brother PBB: Teen Clash of 2010 Big Winner and the Big Six

BIG WINNER: JAMES Reid
Dashing Dude of Australia

2nd Place: RYAN Bang
Simpatikong Lider ng South Korea

18.7% | 169,797 votes
Prize: P500,000 | Sony Vaio laptop

3rd Place: FRETZIE Bercede
Charming Angel ng Cebu

15.99% | 145,176 votes
Prize: P300,000 | SonyVaio laptop

4th Place: DEVON Seron
Bubbly Promdi ng Cebu

15.74% | 142,876 votes
Prize: P200,000 | Sony Vaio laptop

5th Place: IVAN Dorschner
Striking Stud ng Rizal

15.14% | 137,402 votes
Prize: P100,000 | Sony Vaio laptop

6th Place: BRET Jackson II
Indie Singer of the US

14.68% | 133,239 votes
Prize: P100,000 | Sony Vaio laptop

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We are the World 25 for Haiti

StarMars — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 00:37:23 +0000

We are the World 25 for Haiti is a remake of the song We are the World by Michael Jackson, which was recorded by USA for Africa to benefit famine relief in Africa.

We are the World 25 for Haiti was first shown on February 12, 2010 in the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.

The 25th Anniversary recording features over 80 artists and performers. The recording of We Are The World 25 For Haiti embodied the same enthusiasm, sense of purpose and generosity as the original recording 25 years ago. Every one of the artists who participated, regardless of genre or generation, walked into the room with their hearts and souls completely open to coming together to help the people of Haiti.

We Are The World 25 For Haiti was produced by Quincy Jones and Lionel Ritchie in collaboration with executive producers Wyclef Jean, Randy Phillips and Peter Tortorici; producers Humberto Gattica and RedOne; and co-producers Rickey Minor, Mervyn Warren and Patti Austin. Paul Haggis filmed the private recording session to create the accompanying video and behind-the-scenes production, and serves as Film Director.

We are the World 25 for Haiti was recorded on February 1, 2010 in the same studio as the original (Jim Henson Recording Studios, formerly A&M Recording Studios).

The complete list of We are the World 25 for Haiti artists:

Patti Austin
Phillip Bailey
Tony Bennett
Farnsworth Bentley
Justin Bieber
Mary J Blige
Ethan Bortnick
Toni Braxton
Jeff Bridges
Snoop Dogg
Zac Brown
Kristian Bush
Erica Campbell
Tina Campbell
Lil Wayne
Natalie Cole
Harry Connick, Jr.
Nikka Coasta
Miley Cyrus
Celine Dion
Faith Evans
Fergie
T-Pain
Melonie Fiona
Jamie Foxx
Sean Garrett
Tyrese Gibson
Josh Groban
Anthony Hamilton
Keith Harris
Mya
Keri Hilson
Julianne Hough
Jennifer Hudson
II Trio
Enrique Iglesias
Janet Jackson
Michael Jackson
Randy Jackson
Taj Jackson
Taryll Jackson
TJ Jackson
Al Jardine
Wyclef Jean
Jimmy Jean-Louis
Ralph Johnson
Joe Jonas
Kevin Jonas
Nick Jonas
Quincy Jones
Rashida Jones
Musiq Soulchild
Gladys Knight
Adam Levine
Benji Madden
Joel Madden
Katherine McPhee
Kid Cudi
Rickey Minor
Jason Mraz
Pink
Jennifer Nettles
Brandy
Orianthi
Freda Payne
Plain Pat
AR Rahman
RedOne
Buta Rhymes
Lionel Richie
Nicole Richie
Raphael Saadiq
Carlos Santana
Nicole Scherzinger
India.Arie
Isaac Slade
Trey Songz
Jordan Sparks
Barbara Streisand
Robin Thicke
Rob Thomas
Usher
Vince Vaughn
Kanye West
Verdize White
Will.I.Am
Ann Wilson
Brian Wilson
Nancy Wilson
Bebe Winans

The artists are listed here in the order that they appeared at the ending credits of the We are the World 25 for Haiti video. Michael Jackson (now deceased), who was the major artist in the original We are the World was included in the list.

Akon, LL and Cool J were also seen in the We are the World 25 for Haiti video but were not included in the creditsRead More:

10 Romantic Valentine’s Day ideas

StarMars — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 18:05:02 +0000

You can never be too cheesy on Valentine’s Day.

Show your lover your mushy side, your hunger for passion, your weakness to your partner’s affection, your desire for love. After all, it’s Valentine’s Day.

This coming Valentine’s Day, show your partner how much you love him/her with these romantic Valentine’s Day ideas.

Order a pizza and ask to have it cut into a heart shape before it is delivered to your home.
When your partner is sitting at a table or desk, come up behind him/her and give her a back, shoulder and head massage. Finish with a gentle kiss on the cheek.
If you are not with your partner on Valentine’s Day, photograph your hand and send it to your partner through e-mail or celphone with the message: “I miss you. Let’s hold hands.”
Prepare the bathtub before your partner takes a bath. Scatter rose petals across the water and let them float. As your partner enjoys the water, serve champagne and chocolates before joining her.
If it rains on Valentine’s Day, go out in the streets with your partner and walk together. Have fun, jump in puddles and get totally saturated. Kiss her and taste the water on her face while you hold her close. When you get back home, have a hot shower then share a warm drink.
On the midnight of Valentine’s Day, arrange your backyard and organize a picnic. Spread a picnic blanket on the ground and get some snacks, chocolates and champagne. Lie down on the blanket with your partner and gaze up at the stars together.
If your partner has to leave the house on Valentine’s Day, pack a small gift into the corner of her bag.
If your partner has long hair, take the time to brush it using long slow strokes. This is particularly effective after she has had a shower or when she is getting ready for bed.
On the night of Valentine’s Day, go inside your bedroom alone. Lock the door and make sure that your partner is not inside. Leave the key on something easily noticeable with a strip of paper wrapped around it saying: “The Key To My Heart.”
Send your partner a Valentine’s Day card with your personalized message. In large fonts, write “I thought of you today, and it made me smile.”

Remember: it doesn’t have to be Valentine’s Day to be extra-romantic to your lover.

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Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day 2010

StarMars — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 17:16:01 +0000

Today is Bubble Wrap’s 50th birthday! The Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day is celebrated annually on the Last Monday of January as stated in Sealed Air’s website, the company that made the joy-inducing plastic wraps.

“Spirit 95″ Radio, a local radio station in Bloomington, Indiana, officially started Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day in 2001 with a number of events to celebrate the anniversary.

Bubble Wrap® (brand name of the Sealed Air product) or air bubble packaging is a pliable transparent plastic material with regularly spaced, protruding air-filled hemispheres (bubbles) that provide cushioning for precious or breakable items. It was created by two engineers, Alfred Fielding and Marc Chavannes, in 1957. They founded the company Sealed Air Corporation three years later, marking the birth of Bubble Wrap.

Before you go on a Bubble Wrap popping spree below, watch this entertaining video by Happy Slip:

Pop Some Bubble Wrap Game

More Bubble Wrap goodies:

Bubble Wrap Fun – made by Sealed Air
Popping Bubble Wrap Facebook fan page with 500,000+ fans

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on the Crunchies 2009

StarMars — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 20:25:18 +0000

Techcrunch has recently awarded the winners of the annual Crunchies. Techcrunch is among the top technology blogs and competitions like these not only show the current trends on the web but also give the newcomers much needed publicity.

The winners were determined by online voting – one vote per IP address per day. I don’t know about this but I think there should be a team of professionals whose votes had more weight making the online voting only a percentage of the final tally.

Facebook won in the Best Overall Startup category. No surprises because it is still the leading social network. Twitter came in at second with its many improvements and explosive growth in 2009.

The Best New Product of 2009 is Bing, the search engine of Microsoft. Its launch (or relaunch) last year was big news, being a Microsoft product and all. And the name Bing? It got me wondering why they changed the name from the already recognized Live brand.

Other categories saw popular nominees taking the win.The people awards were executives from other nominees. The most interesting category, at least for me was the Best Time Sink application.

Google and Microsoft products were abundant as well as Facebook-related ones. Farmville won the Best Social App award and Zynga was a finalist in the Best Overall Startup. Mobile applications also dominated some of the categories.

I haven’t heard/seen/read about some of the nominees so I’m glad these new applications were given the spotlight.Read More: