A Touch of Racism?

Bella Padilla, a Philippine actress with a background of black young women in black bikinis.

Do you find this having a touch of racism?

2012 Oscars Red Carpet

Here's more CLICK HERE

Half of Filipinos want hero's burial for Marcos

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE FROM YAHOO

Massive Quake Triggers Tsunami in Japan

Chill crept through my spine upon watching what happened in Japan.

Let’s pray for the people in Japan.

Laoag City Gymnastics Group Grand Champion - Showtime season 2 finals

Top 5 ways to prevent online ID theft

Financially Fit Top 5

Top 5 ways to prevent online ID theft

:

Overall Internet fraud – including ID theft - costs victims an average $575 per case. With a few preventative steps you may not only save money, but time and stress. Farnoosh Torabi reports.

 

FROM: http://financiallyfit.yahoo.com/finance/index

Gymnastic Group of Laoag City - Showtime Season 2

A performance that gained the first-time standing ovation in Showtime.




I waited for a very long time that Ilocos Norte will have a representative in the Philippine popular talent show "Showtime", and now it paid of.

I keep on watching this video and everytime that I do that, it gives me goosebumps! It's a world-class performance in a local show. Vhong Navarro, one of the hosts, even said that the group should be catapulted to the grand finals. Nikki, host, also said it seems to be the grand finals.

Kuya Kim, host, said that it was a first time in Showtime to have the viewers in standing ovation at the midst of the performance.

These bunch of kids from Shamrock Elementary School and Ilocos Norte College of Arts and Trades have a great chance to win Showtime Season Two grand finals. Surely, their trainers are so proud of them.

I'm simply proud to be Pinoy!

Showtime is such a great show for bringing out the best of Pinoy talents!

Jay Shafer's Tumbleweed and the World's Smallest Car

by Mark Pillos

Jay Shafer, 46, co-founder of the Small House Society, has just made people not just in California, but around the world know how to ease tremendous burdens financially, having 8 feet by 12 feet house that he named “Tumbleweed” is a solution.  

He said that people might think that he is crazy for living in this small house, but this helped him re-invent his life.

He also said that he wanted to focus more on things that he wanted to do.

Some of the advantages that he pointed out are: (1) not having a mortgage; and (2)not paying much utilities.

He never thought of becoming an entrepreneur but it is his passion to design small houses. I think that is an enough reason to survive- simple dreams leading to a great success.

Realization set forth to me when he said that he made the house with zero experience in construction. This line has something to do with me. I learned how to paint by just merely watching my older sister. I learned how to sew by just merely experimenting on what to do. I learned how to make patterns by just reading books. Skills are acquired when you have the passion to learn it.

Living in this tiny house without depriving the amenities of a large house is such a perfect way to enjoy life.

He said that people live a lot of excess, a lot of waste. Thus, he proposes the opposite. Sensible points, don’t you think?

To read more about Jay Shafer and his house "Tumbleweed",  CLICK HERE 

Here's a quick tour to Shafer's Tumbleweed:

AND IF YOU DECIDE TO GET A TINY HOUSE LIKE THE 'TUMBLEWEED', THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE THE  WORLD'S SMALLEST CAR

  

The GUINNESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS' Smallest Car with license to drive on public streets was created by PERRY WATKINS. 

 Read more about the mini car CLICK HERE

For more pictures CLICK HERE

3 Movies To Hit the Box Office

"It takes a legend to make a star."



Official Site: http://Burlesque-Movie.com/
Facebook: http://www.Facebook.com/Burlesque
Twitter: http://Twitter.com/BurlesqueMovie

Burlesque is an upcoming 2010 American contemporary musical film directed and written by Steve Antin and starring Cher and Christina Aguilera.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT THE MOVIE "BURLESQUE".

Green Lantern Trailer



Info courtesy of TheMovieReel

Genre: Action and Adventure
Official Site: http://www.greenlantern.com
Director: Martin Campbell
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong, Jay O. Sanders, Temuera Morrison, Taika Waititi, Jon Tenney, Angela Bassett, Tim Robbins
In theaters: June 17th, 2011
Synopsis:
In a universe as vast as it is mysterious, a small but powerful force has existed for centuries. Protectors of peace and justice, they are called the Green Lantern Corps. A brotherhood of warriors sworn to keep intergalactic order, each Green Lantern wears a ring that grants him superpowers. But when a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the balance of power in the Universe, their fate and the fate of Earth lie in the hands of their newest recruit, the first human ever selected: Hal Jordan. Hal is a gifted and cocky test pilot, but the Green Lanterns have little respect for humans, who have never harnessed the infinite powers of the ring before. But Hal is clearly the missing piece to the puzzle, and along with his determination and willpower, he has one thing no member of the Corps has ever had: humanity. With the encouragement of fellow pilot and childhood sweetheart Carol Ferris (Blake Lively), if Hal can quickly master his new powers and find the courage to overcome his fears, he may prove to be not only the key to defeating Parallax...he will become the greatest Green Lantern of all.


Red Riding Hood Movie Trailer Official



(Info courtesy of clevverTV )

Red Riding Hood opens in theaters March 11th, 2011.

Cast: Amanda Seyfried, Shiloh Fernandez, Max Irons, Julie Christie, Gary Oldman, Lukas Haas, Virginia Madsen

In "Red Riding Hood," Seyfried plays Valerie, a beautiful young woman torn between two men. She is in love with a brooding outsider, Peter (Shiloh Fernandez), but her parents have arranged for her to marry the wealthy Henry (Max Irons). Unwilling to lose each other, Valerie and Peter are planning to run away together when they learn that Valerie's older sister has been killed by the werewolf that prowls the dark forest surrounding their village. For years, the people have maintained an uneasy truce with the beast, offering the creature a monthly animal sacrifice. But under a blood red moon, the wolf has upped the stakes by taking a human life. Hungry for revenge, the people call on famed werewolf hunter, Father Solomon (Gary Oldman), to help them kill the wolf. But Solomon's arrival brings unintended consequences as he warns that the wolf, who takes human form by day, could be any one of them. As the death toll rises with each moon, Valerie begins to suspect that the werewolf could be someone she loves. As panic grips the town, Valerie discovers that she has a unique connection to the beast-one that inexorably draws them together, making her both suspect... and bait.

Red Riding Hood trailer courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures.

Love The Way You Lie- Sarah Geronimo

Openly Gay Student Defends Teacher at School Board Meeting

14-year-old Graeme Taylor defends Howell High School teacher Jay McDowell from suspension for disciplining an anti-gay student.

READ AN ARTICLE ABOUT THE ISSUE:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20101115/us_yblog_thelookout/gay-michigan-student-defends-suspended-teacher

Lee Da Hae's apology enraged Filipinos; Lee marked as liar

by MARK PILLOS





Korean actress Lee Da Hae’s claimed ‘misunderstanding’ about her obvious demeaning of Filipinos speaking in English has enraged Filipinos over her action. The said actress who appeared in “East of Eden”, “Hello, Miss”, “Slave Hunter” and “My Girl” said to have apologized for her Filipino fans (if there are still) blaming the now inoperative Korean TV program "Sweet Night"’s debacle.

I’m an English language teacher in the Philippines and I don’t speak that way. As far as I know, even the most illiterate Filipino that you could meet doesn’t speak the way she mimicked Filipino accent on national TV.

Apologizing and denying that she didn’t specify “PHILIPPINES” is another crime which she just did. This is not just to degrade Filipinos’ understanding, but to underestimate their capacities in apprehending which was shown obvious. Shin Dong Yup, one of the hosts said ‘Philippines’ in his own ‘accent’. This negated Lee's claim.

Here is the entire apology letter of Lee Da Hae posted November 3 on Twitter:

“First, I’d like to give you my sincere apologies for what seems to be a misunderstanding.

“It has come to my attention that many of you from the Philippines have posted comments protesting that i was being derisive by mimicking Filipinos when they speak English.

“Therefore, in light of this matter I’d like to take this opportunity to clear the air.

“In spite of what many people believe, I myself did NOT mention anything about the Philippines or Filipino accent whilst on the TV Show.

“On the other hand, I recall bringing up Southeast Asia and not the Philippines, and the subtitles were inserted when the show was being edited, of which I was not aware of until it was aired.

“The TV Show where this footage was taken from was designed to amuse its audience and my sole purpose was to entertain the viewers by coming up with lighthearted stories.

“Since the producer knows that i speak English he asked me if I could share any episodes that touch upon the English language.

“As we all know every country has a typical accent when its people speak English (including myself) so after giving it some thought, I came up with a few lines where I simply tried to compare different English accents: the somewhat rigid British accent and beginners in Southeast Asia whose English tends to be a little hard-edged. No pun or ridicule was intended.

“As an individual who used to take English classes over the phone with a Filipino instructor, I give you my word that even the mere thought of mocking Filipinos would never cross my mind.

“I cannot tell you how much Filipino fans mean to me and as much as I love them, I would in no way hurt or upset them.

“I hope I have clarified any misunderstandings and once again I am truly sorry if I inadvertently hurt anyone’s feelings.

“I really love you, my Filipino fans.”

If she really intended to bemocked Filipino teachers, she had nerve. There are a lot of Korean students who enroll in the Philippines just to learn English because they don't even know how to distinguish /r/ and /l/ sounds. I am pitiful for my kind Korean students for this Lee has done, because she has painted a bad image for Korean people.

This is a lesson for foreign actors and actresses not to insult any Filipino. 

They should really know who Filipinos really are.  

Cebu Pacific Air Dancing Flight Attendants Rehearsal

Branding Cebu Pacific flight attendants’ dance as “sexist and gender-insensitive" is UNDERESTIMATING the public’s intelligence

By Mark Pillos

When I first saw the video of these flight attendants dancing to Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance” and Katy Perry’s “California Girls" demonstrating safety procedures for passengers, I appreciate how Cebu Pacific thought of a gimmick to remove passengers perturbation when problem occur.

Gaining a worldwide exposure, and featured on online pages such as  CNN, Time Magazine, The New York Times, The Daily Mail, Perezhilton.com, among others.

However, there are some sectors that showed irritation to the video. Some even said that this is a violation to the Labor Code. That these FA’s in the video didn’t know that they’re gonna dance before the eyes of passengers; that they are professionals, and should not do this ‘demeaning’ act, and blah blah blah!!!

Here is my point:

When in these centuries so far branded dancing as dirty and demeaning? It is a way to entertain people (whatever your profession is), this is a form of art, and this is a way to show that Filipinos are happy, talented person making them flexible, opening opportunities worldwide.

It is even nonsense to say that there are other ways on how to promote travel and tourism in the country. Well, Cebu Pacific is just trying to help the tourism sector of the country. In fact, they did that in a very catchy way, gaining 7 millions views now.

In what way can we promote tourism? Sincere and BORING?!!

Never mind!

Branding Cebu Pacific flight attendants’ dance as “sexist and gender-insensitive" is UNDERESTIMATING the public’s intelligence. That is more demeaning than dancing.

Releasing statement like ‘sexist and gender-insensitive’ for that matter proves that there is still the spirit of CRAB MENTALITY in this country.

Instead of WOW PHILIPPINES,

Thus I say,

WAKE UP PHILIPPINES!!!!! =)

Glee season 2 "telephone" complete scene

Glee Season 2 Episode 1 Part 2

Glee Season 2 Episode 1 Part 3

Old Lady Gaga

This gave me goosebumps!

I wanna laugh but fear crept through my spine.

Andrew Philip on Venus Raj

 by Mark Pillos

 

I really love this guy who has a big heart for Filipinos. When I asked him if he has Pinoy blood, he answered, “(I have) no Pinoy blood but I have a 100% Pinoy heart.
I live with a Pinoy family and they have taught me what I know and continue to learn.
I am very proud of Venus for her accomplishments, she may not have won the crown but she won everyone’s hearts, and that is better than a crown. She will be famous in her own right, you will see.”

Philippines will always love you Andrew.

FILIPINA MADE IT TO THE MISS UNIVERSE 2010

by Mark Pillos      

Photo courtesy of www.missuniverse.com

Another Filipina beauty has made her country proud!

I’m almost late at work because of an anticipation who will win this year’s Miss Universe crown. I was so happy that Maria Venus Raj had a chance to land at the top five among 83 other contestants of the said pageant.

There are a lot of opinions of Filipino people that if she could have answered better, then she might have a chance to have the title. It could have been a historical answer if she would have connected her answer to the hostage taking that happened yesterday (August 23). It’s just like trying to give a sensible gist of what she has said. Gone was the day when Miss Universe 1969 Gloria Diaz (who was born in Ilocos. It’s where I’m from) outsmarted other candidates on the question on how to welcome the first men that had just landed on the moon.

Raj, 22, is the only Asian who made it to the top 15.

Fonthip Watcharatrakul , Miss Thailand also grabbed Best in National Costume and Most Photogenic.

In the final question and answer portion judge William Baldwin asked her, “What is one big mistake that you've made in your life and what did you do to make it right?"

"You know what, Sir in my 22 years of existence I can say that there is nothing major major, I mean, problem that I have done in my life, because I am very confident with my family, with the love that they are giving to me. So, thank you so much that I am here, thank you thank you so much," she answered.

Raj may not have answered the question well just like what other people may have expected her to, I’m still proud of her. After all, competing with extraordinarily beautiful women around the world is not that easy.

CONGRATULATIONS MARIA VENUS RAJ!!!! =)

On the other hand, Miss Mexico Jimena Navarrete was crowned Miss Universe 2010 by Miss Universe 2009 Stefania Fernandez.

Miss Universe fourth runner - up Miss Philippines Venus Raj (left), first runner - up Miss Jamaica Yendi Phillips, Miss Universe 2010 Miss Mexico Jimena Navarrete, third runner - up Miss Ukraine Anna Poslavska and finalist Miss Puerto Rico Mariana Paola Vicente. Not in the picture is second runner-up Miss Australia Jesinta Campbell

Miss Australia Jesinta Campbell (photo courtesy of www.missuniverse.com)

Miss Thailand Fonthip Watcharatrakul (photo courtesy of www.missuniverse.com)

Miss Universe 2010 was hosted by Bret Michaels and Natalie Morales. CLICK HERE TO SEE MS.U 2010's JUDGES

 CLICK HERE TO SEE THE MISS UNIVERSE 2010 CONTESTANTS