Entries from January 2007 ↓

I used to have a Smart SIM card but I have since changed it to Globe. Smart has a very weak signal where I live and I had a hard time sending/receiving text messages and making/answering phone calls. I also didn’t like the fact that Smart kept sending me text advertisements promoting just about anything under the sun. The crazy thing is that the company seems to have a knack for sending text ads at times when I am waiting for crucial messages. So my cellphone beeps, I open it for a much anticipated message, but all I get is this text ad encouraging me to download this ring tune or to join some raffle where I can win a cellphone. Aargh! So I eventually came to dislike Smart.

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Dear Pagano,
It is good that you brought up how alternative singers like Grace Nono used our indigenous music. I had mixed feelings the first time I heard her song which included a Salidummay chorus. On the one hand, I felt flattered that an artist drew inspiration from our musical tradition and was able to popularize Salidummay way beyond the Cordilleras. On the other hand, the way she sang the Salidummay part was different from how we traditionally do it. It didn’t sound right to my ears and therefore I felt it was wrong. Maybe I am one of the “conservatives” you mentioned who do not approve of such adaptations.

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Here’s an interesting story on how Santa Marcela, Apayao got its name. This story is taken from the town’s website (stamarcela.gov.ph). Sta. Marcela is reportedly the youngest and the smallest municipality of Apayao Province.

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This video, courtesy of Pinoy Rickey, shows a Starstruck episode aired two weeks ago where Paulo Avelino was asked about his seeming lack of pride in his Igorot roots — in Lorna Tolentino’s words, “hindi niya ipinagmamalaki na siya ay half-Igorot.” Whether this is true or not is something we do not know but he must have given that impression otherwise the issue would not have been raised in the TV program itself. Paulo’s answer wasn’t very straightforward. But in fairness to him, Lorna’s question was also confusing. The Lorna-Paulo exchange is in the middle of the video. This was also an episode where Paulo was nearly eliminated, as you will see towards the end of the video.

I am not really into e-bay but I ocassionally visit the site for the Cordillera-related items being sold online. It’s a good site if you are into memorabilia and if you have the money to spare for old postcards, Igorot weapons, Ifugao bulols, and all that kind of stuff.

I have mixed feelings about our culture becoming objects of commerce (or, to put it more bluntly, people making money out of it) but its not as if this is happening without our tacit participation. In other words, those Igorot antiques won’t end up on e-bay being sold by some guy from Iowa if we didn’t give it to the guy in the first place.

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Here’s part two of our attempt to find the celebrity look-alikes of our honorable members of Congress. Yup, From the Boondocks abides by the presumption that members of Congress are honorable. Unless you send us competent evidence that they are not, we will be sticking to this presumption to save our ass. Hirap na, baka ma-libel

KALINGA Congressman Lawrence Wacnang

LOOK-ALIKES: Saddam Hussein, 57%; Thomas Edison, 53%; Ferdinand de Lesseps, 52%; Takashi Sorimachi, 50%. COMMENT: Baka magalit si Congressman Wacnang dahil number one look-alike daw niya si Saddam, pero 57% lang naman. He doesn’t really look like Saddam but they do seem to have the same teasing smile/laughter. But it must be the way their cheeks curve that make them seem to look alike.

BENGUET Congressman Samuel Dangwa

LOOK-ALIKES: Kim Dae Jung, 63%; Kenzo Tange, 63%; Leon Lai, 61%; Michael Rosenbaum, 57%. COMMENT: Congressman Dangwa does look a bit like Kenzo Tange and he must also have looked like Leon Lai in his younger days. Parehong bilog na bilog ang kanilang mata eh

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Since the May elections is fast approaching, I think it is apt if we give some space to people who will be running after you to beg for your votes. Let us start with Cordillera Congressmen, since we already featured them earlier (here) and we have readily available pictures of them to run through myheritage.com, a website which allows you to look for your celebrity look-alike. That is, if you are so inclined.

I know, I know, Igorots are not into celebrities but this is kinda fun and From the Boondocks, as you all know, is also about the fun stuff.

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Since we can’t give medals like the ones pictured above (courtesy of the North American Indigenous Games) to our fellow Igorots who topped professional board exams, the next best thing is to include them in our List of Achievers. Those listed here are taken from the website of the University of the Cordilleras/Baguio Colleges Foundation (UC-BCF) and from news reports released by the Professional Regulations Commission for board exams conducted in 2006. Unless the school is indicated, the topnotcher is from UC-BCF.

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