Australia probes possible organ trafficking involving a Filipina

It's a good thing the Filipina asserted her right. Or maybe she just needed that free ticket to fly to Australia and possibly TNT there. Oh well, you have to do what you have to do. I'm just surprised that Australia has the lowest organ donation rate among wealthy countries. I would've thought the US would rank lower than them.

Australia probes possible organ trafficking involving a Filipina

A Billion Pesos Spent On Coffee

I didn't actually watch the SONA but since the daily news people dissect it, I have been able to get snippets of it from the media - and one of the interesting snippets from it is the 1 billion pesos spent by PAGCOR on coffee, for the past nine years or so!  Imagine that!  And there were memos imposing monthly quotas on how much to spend on the coffee per month per year.  Whew!  Is that where our tax money goes?

My Daily Take on Why I Love This Country - July 24

I found this really nice article today by writer Alfred Yuson entitled "25 Reasons Why I Love This Country" so, since I have a blog on the Philippines, I decided to come out with my own essay but this time, I will do it everyday.  Not an easy task but let's see if it's worthwhile doing.



Well, Sundays are usually reserved for my weekly planning and this coming week, I'm planning to watch Ballet Manila's show on Friday, the one where they are going to perform some works by the great George Balanchine.  This time, Ballet Manila is going to perform with the Singapore Dance Theatre.  I'm excited to see it since I rarely see contemporary dance here in Manila.

Anyhow, going back to why I love this country.  Well, we have people like Lisa Macuja who champions the arts, especially ballet, which is not really an art which the masses go to.  Because of people like her, she inspires many young Filipinos to take up ballet and have a venue to show their talents - outside of the usual government agencies which normally have these corps - like the CCP. 

Leaders Like Khadaffi and Castro and Chavez Can't Live Forever

With the Internet right at fingertips of many young people, it is not surprising that many young people all over the world, from Libya to Syria to Yemen and Venezuela and Cuba would want the same things that the rest of the young people of the world are experiencing.  Leaders like Khadaffia and Castro and Chavez will not live forever and in the next decade or so, these countries will surely experience upheavels in their political landscape.  I just hope it's an upheaval that points to the positive and not something that will further push these countries into chaos.

Philippine Ballet Theatre's Breathtaking 'Romeo and Juliet'

It's really a pity that the Philippine Ballet Theatre only had four playdates for Romeo and Juliet.  It could've played to a bigger audience if there was more marketing push for it, considering that it's a classic ballet and it would've been a chance for many young people to finally watch this art form.

The two leads were played by Americans though, but the rest of the cast were Filipinos and many of them were young - and very talented!  It was such a joy to watch them especially in their ensemble dances! 

I arrived late in the venue since my friend came late but luckily, with no traffic, we reached the CCP in time to miss just about ten minutes of dance.  The leads were pretty strong and were forceful in their performance.  But I guess the most joyous performances came from the strong Filipino support cast who looked very nice in their colorful Florentine costumes!  I really had a great time that night and the only glitch was that I wasn't able to have pictures with the cast since I forgot my camera!

Advices of a Mother to a Child

            Dear child, one more year to go and you will be out of your tween and into an exciting phase of youth, that of being a teenager. We have journeyed a lot through joys and tears, and we have battled some little wars together when some incidents seem to be too big for you to handle. I hope I have guided you well enough to live life fully later on in your life.

            How many times I have advised you to be independent, I cannot anymore count. The ability of a person to stand alone and independently is stressed and valued in our family. Be a free-thinker. Do not just accept what you hear; logically analyze it. If you think it is correct, accept it. Being independent is not being rigid in your ideas and beliefs. If you think it is not or you do not understand why, do not be afraid to ask. No intelligent person will mind it if you ask questions. On the contrary, asking questions mean that you are listening to him and valuing his thoughts and ideas.  You are intelligent and smart. Maximize your talent that is in you.  

            Only eight more years to go and you are an adult. That is the time you can truly begin to practice living independently. I hope that the value of self-reliance is inculcated deeply in your psyche.

            To be truly independent, you must have self-confidence. Remember when you were still a little child and we were constantly asking you to ask somebody for some things?  When in a restaurant, we will ask you to ask the attendants  for napkins, or spoon, or a glass of water. How we were surprised and proud when the attendant was not quick to get what you want  and as a result, you stood up and asked another attendant where the manager of the restaurant is. When the manager came, you were able to talk to him intelligently and adult-like.

            We let you attend several summer classes. There was the dance class, twice there were voice lessons, art class, and McDonald student crew for young children. We continuously indulge your love for theatre even though being in a play in an exclusive girls’ school is really quite expensive.

            All these were done to ensure that you will gain self-confidence. As what can be seen today, I am proud to say that we have not failed.    

            Being practical in life does not mean that you deny yourself. You can of course buy things you want but we expect it to be fully used and taken care of. Always think first if you really need the item before buying it. If you need it, where will you use it? If the item is to be used only once or twice such as costumes in a play, it is advisable to buy the cheaper ones. However, if the items will be used for a long time, buy the item that is more durable even though expensive. Being expensive,  is in the sense that, the price of the item is still within the allotted budget.

            Remember that what is saved today can be used tomorrow. 

Do not forget to enjoy life, to be happy. Do you still remember my advice to you that happiness is not dependent on a thing or even a person? This is because only you can make yourself really happy. It is how you perceive yourself and your surroundings, and how you interpret it, that will make you happy.

No physical possessions can make you happy; neither can dining in fine restaurants or studying in premiere exclusive girls school nor going to vacation trips and shopping till you drop can bring you happiness.  Most of the times, simple things bring the most joy in life. Being in your family and knowing that you are loved and accepted brings the most happiness in life.

Being happy and bringing joy to others is what life is all about.

Above all, do not forget to trust in God. There will be times in your life that no matter what you do, what you think, or how you act, you still cannot get what you want. That is the time that you just need to let go and leave everything to Him.

Wonder of wonders, that will be the time you receive what you want or receive much more than what you want. Take it from me, I know.

Distinctively Pinoy Fashion Rocks the World

There is no doubt that the Philippines has already been put on a pedestal many times where fashion is concerned.  For indeed, there are several Filipino designers who are so full of   talent creating a distinct Filipino style in fashion.

One of them and perhaps the one that put fashion enthusiasts all over in Asia and perhaps all over the world in awe is Filipino designer Jose “Pitoy” Moreno in whose formal Filipiniana dresses have already make it to the fashion public worldwide. 

Heads of states, Philippine and American first ladies, influential American women, international socialites, actresses, beauty queens, famous ballerinas and European and Asian royalties alike all make a special trip to the Philippines just to avail a piece of clothing from him that would surely become a part of history.  These women who travelled from Paris to London, from China to Japan to literally all parts of the globe came here, not for any other special purpose but to avail of a special Filipiniana piece of his creation.

There is no other haute couture Filipino designer that is absolutely world class than Moreno.  The most outstanding contribution that he did was to promote local Philippine clothing materials and Philippine fashion internationally. He made the local fabrics such as the pina and the jusi part of women's clothing. Nationalistic as he is, he transformed Philippine costumes into wearable high fashion ball gowns and formal dresses. His creativity and resourcefulness for using local Philippine materials is truly admirable.

 Designer Pitoy Moreno has successfully modernized our national costume and introduced it to the international fashion scene.  He had made a mark by pioneering the modernization of the Maria Clara and continuously doing so to our national costume.

The Filipiniana gown that made wonders to the fashion scene is a stately ternos (which in Spanish means “to match”) with upright butterfly sleeves, nipped waists and straight or flared hems, 19th century-inspired Maria Claras with softly flowing lines and shoulders draped by the pañuelo (a popular look for weddings), and structured formal evening wear. 

This modern Maria Clara gown was used to be a dress with several pieces like the baro, saya, tapis or sobrefalda, panuelo, inagua and a matching paineta, tamborin and zapatilla were combined into one gown. The sleeves were shortened into an iconic design element, the butterfly sleeves, making it wearable, modern, and distinctly Filipino

What made each pieces overwhelmingly Filipino are the fabrics used by which sourced only from indigenous and traditional materials from the Philippines itself the likes of jusi and, pina.  The use of this native stuff introduces our culture as it recognizes and makes a clear statement that indeed our culture can be interesting after all. 

Yes, where fashion is concerned, the Philippines do not lag behind.  Thanks to the man who made it happen.  His contribution dates back to the 1950s give us a glimpse of his distinctly Philippine fashion aesthetic—and how he has single-handedly made the look iconic by dressing the most elegant women here and abroad.

One internationally well-known Filipino designer based abroad, Lesley Mobo, have credited Moreno for making fabric such as pina competitive. The Harrods-prized designer has advocated “a return to local expertise and authentic sensations” to balance globalization.  Thus, it was no wonder that a terno-like silhouette showed up in the clean-lined pieces during one of his fashion event for a famous international line of clothing.

Other internationally acclaimed foreign designers can only regard Moreno’s fashion sense with awe.  What they thought and expected to see as merely native costumes turned out to be high fashion instead.

This has answered the question whether there is actually a distinct Filipino style in fashion.  Yes, certainly there is.

In this context, we could only thank Pitoy Moreno for paving the way.  Indeed, his National Artist award for Fashion Design draws inspiration from his design to reference his identity while looking to the world.  He was arguably the Philippines most internationally renowned designer and though not officially, he has been considered an ambassador of Philippine fashion.

A master of formal Filipiniana, there is no doubt that once a consumer sees his creation, an expected remark would soon follow, “Oh, that’s Filipino fashion.”

It takes a visionary creativity to explore what is Filipino with childlike wonder and focus.  It is in fact harder than what one actually thinks.   But Philippines actually made it.  Thanks to Pitoy Moreno for paving the way.

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