"Thank you, thank you! Ambabait ninyo, thank you!"
Theses words are very familiar to us Filipinos. Whenever we hear these words, one thing comes to mind: it's Christmas time!
You can really feel the presence of Christmas here in the Philippines. Christmas lanterns hanging in our homes, people caroling and singing Christmas songs, bright lights in the streets, men eating and drinking booze, people going to church to celebrate the Misa de Gallo (a.k.a. Simbang Gabi), lots of shoppers buying last-minute gifts, yup, you can smell the spirit of Christmas in the air.
Christmas is one of the most peaceful times in the country, aside from when Manny Pacquiao steps into the ring. It's the time when our families get closer, when the community sets aside its problems and enjoy the joyous season, when almost all homes, whether small or large, glow because of al the Christmas lights covering them. It's the time when people forget their differences and get together to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.
One of the most well-kept Christmas traditions in the Philippines is the Noche Buena. It's a feast that's typically held when the clock strikes 12 AM, December 25. Typical food items here include ham, spaghetti, hotdogs, the typical party fare. However, it's not only eating that we do. There's also games and the famous gift-giving. All members of the family, from the toddlers to the grandparents, have fun and pleasure during this time of the year.
Christmas here in the Philippines certainly is different from that of other countries. Here, Christmas is a nationwide festive season, one that starts even before December. Yup, you heard right. In fact, some homes already have Christmas lights surrounding them in the latter weeks of November. Christmas in the Philippines is surely a unique tradition, one I hope will never change.
Want Some Rick Rolls?
Imagine yourself surfing the Internet. You're just sitting there in front of the monitor looking at your favorite sites when you see an interesting link that looks innocent and seems to lead to a legit site. You click it, and...what the heck? You were actually lead to aYouTube video of an 80's music video of Rick Astley singing Never Gonna Give You Up. You, my friend, have just been rickrolled.
 |
| Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down... |
What is rickrolling, anyway? Well, according to Urban Dictionary, rickrolling is "the act of posting a misleading link with a subject that promises to be exciting or interesting, e.g. "World of Starcraft in-game footage!" or "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 in development!" but actually turns out to be the video for Rick Astley's debut single, "Never Gonna Give You Up".
Rickrolling began in May 2007, when a 4chan user posted a link to Rick Astley's video disguised as a link to a trailer of Grand Theft Auto 4. It evolved from duckrolling, showing a picture of a duck on wheels instead of the desired page. It got so widespread that the video itself in YouTube got over 26 million views, mostly because of rickrolling. Also, it started appearing in the real world, such as in protests, subway stations and even in a baseball game. Heck, even Rick Astley himself performed a real-life rickroll during a 2008 Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. (information courtesy of http://www.onlineschools.org/blog/rickrolling/)
So, there you have it. Another example of the many nonsensical things the Internet has to offer. So next time, be careful when clicking links. You might just get rickrolled.
Rickrolling began in May 2007, when a 4chan user posted a link to Rick Astley's video disguised as a link to a trailer of Grand Theft Auto 4. It evolved from duckrolling, showing a picture of a duck on wheels instead of the desired page. It got so widespread that the video itself in YouTube got over 26 million views, mostly because of rickrolling. Also, it started appearing in the real world, such as in protests, subway stations and even in a baseball game. Heck, even Rick Astley himself performed a real-life rickroll during a 2008 Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. (information courtesy of http://www.onlineschools.org/blog/rickrolling/)
So, there you have it. Another example of the many nonsensical things the Internet has to offer. So next time, be careful when clicking links. You might just get rickrolled.
The Godfather Theme
The Godfather is a novel written by Mario Puzo and was given a film adaptation, which was directed by Francis Ford Coppola. It became a very famous and successful movie, receiving Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay. It was praised by critics for its excellent story and good actors.
Below is a cover of the theme, performed by YouTube user gewerh44 .
(Video is originally from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUYzQMlgSEM)
Not only that, it also had a memorable soundtrack, with its main theme certainly bringing back memories of this film to those who hear it. Slash, the former lead guitarist of the rock band Guns n' Roses, adapted the theme and gave his own rocking version of it.
(Video is originally from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUYzQMlgSEM)
Want Some Cyanide and Happiness?
Imagine you're an ordinary teenager lying sick in bed doing nothing except stare at the ceiling for an indefinite amount of time. Kris Wilson was in this same situation, except he wasn't staring blankly at the ceiling. Instead, he was making simple comics to pass the time. Later, he started posting these comics on the net for people to see, first on his website Comicazi, and then on the forum Sticksuicide.com, ran by Matt Melvin, Rob DenBleyker and Dave McElfatrick. Matt, Rob and Dave saw potential in Kris' comics, and invited him to work with them in their new website Explosm.net. Thus began the start of an awesome comic series.
Explosm.net is home to the well-known webcomic Cyanide and Happiness. It contains comics (obviously) featuring almost-stickmen usually fooling around, making jokes or making total fools of themselves. However, the topics are...let's say not really for kids, topics more suited for older teens. Well, what would you expect from guys who are about 6-10 years older than me?
Below are samples of comics from Explosm.net.
(Sorry if the text is too small, I had to shrink the images so they could fit in my blog. If you find it hard to read them, just zoom in the webpage. You can do that, right?)
Explosm.net is home to the well-known webcomic Cyanide and Happiness. It contains comics (obviously) featuring almost-stickmen usually fooling around, making jokes or making total fools of themselves. However, the topics are...let's say not really for kids, topics more suited for older teens. Well, what would you expect from guys who are about 6-10 years older than me?
Below are samples of comics from Explosm.net.
(Sorry if the text is too small, I had to shrink the images so they could fit in my blog. If you find it hard to read them, just zoom in the webpage. You can do that, right?)
Jabberwocky, by Lewis Carroll
Lewis Carroll (real name Charles Lutwidge Dodgson) is a well-known author, famous for writing classic stories such as Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (a.k.a. Alice in Wonderland) and The Hunting of the Snark. Another of his famous writings is Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There. It's the sequel to Alice in Wonderland and contains the famous poem Jabberwocky. Shown below is the poem itself (taken from this website).
JABBERWOCKY
by Lewis Carroll
(from Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, 1872)
`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"
He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought --
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.
And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.
"And, has thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
He chortled in his joy.
`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
Nice, right? As you can see, it's somewhat nonsensical, with words like frabjous, outgrabe or galumphing, which I don't think exist in the dictionary. However, its nonsensical, weird style is what makes it famous. It shows Carroll's creativity and way with words. I like this poem and it's one of my favorites. How 'bout you? What is your favorite poem?
