Ring out the old, Ring in the new
A midnight wish to share with you.
Your lips are warm, my head is light
Were we alive before tonight?
I don't need a crowded ballroom,
Everything I want is here.
If you're with me, next year will be the perfect year.
~ Norma Desmond (Sunset Boulevard, Andrew Lloyd Webber)
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!
It's New Year's Eve and hopes are high
Dance one year in, kiss one goodbye
Another chance, another start
So many dreams to tease the heart...
Have a Merry, Pink Christmas everyone!!!
*Me, Herbert, Boom, Patrick, and the huge Pink Christmas Tree in Singapore
Are you throwing or attending a holiday party this year? Any ideas/tips to share?
I normally host a lot of parties because I have a relatively big house - which is now much smaller since we had it renovated, but I'm not throwing any parties this year. My brother's just had his birthday, and he had a great party - strictly for straight people: even the food was for straight people!!! I made him my fabulous spaghetti, and mom ordered isaw (barbequed chicken intestines). I know, for a party (his 21st birthday!!!), isaw is so inappropriate. But hey, I happen to like that stuff, so I'm not complaining. ^_^
For a real party, however, make sure that the food go well together - you don't want to give your guests indigestion (and have them lining up for the potty). You can either cook the food yourself, which is quite a lot of food if you're cooking for 20something people. I once had a party where I served steak and 2 types of pasta - which I helped cook. Another time, I threw a party for my friend who was leaving for the States, and I just ordered from a caterer. Also, make sure that everyone has enough to drink - I don't normally serve liquor, because I don't really drink, but I make sure it's there just in case someone asks. That, or at least I have one of my friends bring some. I normally stock up on sodas and water, but no matter how much I buy, my friends always seem to finish everything up...
Themed parties are fun, but a lot of people don't follow. I threw a Pashmina Party for my last birthday, and not everyone wore a Pashmina. That's fine, though. It was hot and pashminas didn't help. For my birthday next year, I'm planning on throwing a casual masquerade. ^_^
*Pat, Me (on the phone with someone), and Boom
Sit back! This is going to take a while...
Some of the Weekenders (Patrick, Boom, Herbert, and I) along with Boom's sister Anika went to Singapore over the weekend.
Pat, Boom, Anika, and I caught a Tigerairways flight to Singapore via Clark (Diosdado Macapagal International Airport) last Friday. We were kinda worried because of the storm warnings and everything, but the flight took off with little incident - if you can call enormous travel taxes and terminal fees little incidents. We left at around 11:30 am, got to Singapore a little after 3 pm - same timezone. Boom and Anika met their relative (although, they apparently weren't sure if they really were relatives, or just family friends), Patrick and I took a cab to a Hotel 81. We wanted to get the branch in Chinatown, but the cabbie brought us to the Hotel 81 on Lavender road - completely devoid of culture and civilization! Just a bunch of hardware shops, and extremely few young people. We were supposed to go to Zouk that night, but our plans fell through (because Pat ran out of load and Boom and Anika couldn't contact us). So Pat and I went around Chinatown. ^_^ Fabulous!!!
Pat and I woke up early the next day but, apparently, Singapore doesn't wake up until around 9. We took the MRT to City Hall and explored some hotels, malls, and even the War Memorial. At around 2, we (Pat and I, with Boom and Anika) met Herbert at his hotel (Grand Central along Orchard Road) - in which all of us stayed for the rest of our trip. After checking in, we lunched at the Hawker Center across the street. A Hawker is a food court - sort of. After that, we helped Boom look for his testing site - he was supposed to take his LSATs, then we went to Esplanade, and its baguettini-ridden underpasses. We took tons of pics, and then we went to the Fountain of Wealth in Suntec City. Again, tons of pics. We then went to Mustafa - the 24-hour mall in Little India. When our feet had lost all feeling except for throbbing pain, we decided to call it a night.
The next morning, as Boom took his LSATs, Herbie, Pat, and I went to mass at the Church of the Good Shepard, right across the street from Chijmes. Herbie then left Pat and I to explore Orchard Road on our own, as he had to go to his
conference thingy. We went HMV and got some Opera DVDs (two Callas docus, and Verdi's La Traviata with Angela
Gheorgui) and then we went to Kinokuniya - this huge bookstore where I got a CD/book of Verdi's Aida with Birgit Nilsson and Franco Corelli and Grace Bumbry in the leads. We met Boom and Anika later, then we grabbed a train to Boon Lay (the western-most station) to meet Herbie. After exploring the nearest mall, we went on our way back to the hotel and Anika went shopping while we went to the Towel Club - the bathhouse I mentioned in the previous post.
It was my first time to enter a bathhouse, so I didn't really know what to expect. Part of me wanted to go shopping instead, another part wanted to get in just to see what's inside. So I went in. It was so weird! Herbert literally deposited me in the bar, and I was left to sit on a table facing the hot tub. I was traumatized when I saw someone get in, and that someone turned out to be Boom. I felt so out of place! Occasionally, Boom would come over and re-affirm my existence, because suddenly, I had become invisible. Well, not really. It was more like I was an out-of-place piece of decoration - a Monet surrounded by Picassos; a Wagnerian among pop stars. I can now say, without doubt, I am a woman. Bathhouses are not for me. My idea of picking someone up would be bumping into someone during the intermissions of an opera - while we reach for the same wine glass. Not that I regret getting in or anything, but going into it was a weird experience - strangers are weird enough, but naked strangers??? I let the time pass by going online and blankly staring at the walls.
When my friends had dressed and gone back, we met Herbie boylet, Sunny. He took us to a club - Attica Too. It was fabulous! If you like huge crowds gyrating to music I won't even consider music. I was tired and cranky, and I had no qualms about showing it. People kept shoving and pushing and stepping on my feet, I was prone to hissy fits all night! How much of a girl am I?
Anyway, the next day was much more fun. It was going to be our last day (except for Herbie) - so we had breakfast at Mcdonalds (with free wi-fi!) and headed to the Singapore Art Museum - disappointing, no Filipino artists. Or as the Singaporeans would spell it, artistes. We then went to Orchard to have lunch - Chilly Crabs!!! YUM!!! Herbert doesn't eat anything that swims or is grown on the ground (except for potatoes), so he had to content himself with watching Anika and me devour the chilly crab sauce! It was so good! After that, we went to Chinatown to buy some stuff to take back home. Then we went back to the hotel to prepare for Sentosa.
We got to Sentosa via cable cars. When we got there, we saw the Musical Fountains, and then headed to Underwater World. Unfortunately, it was too late and we weren't able to get in. Instead we took like a couple of dozen pics in front of The Images of Singapore and the Merlion - now fondly called Merly. We grabbed a late dinner (supper for Singaporeans) at this Prata place near NUS. It was fabulous! I loved the food!!! I would stay in Singapore just for the prata and the briyani! Hihihi! Alas, we had to leave the next day. We went to Changi airport via Mercedes taxis - fabulous.
Now, I'm home. It's rather disappointing. I'd really love to live in Singapore. I miss Primey!!! Singapore is fabulous partly because of him - the Prime Minister! Rules and Laws are harsh, and even the signs and safety ads are bleak. This is probably why everyone is so disciplined. And even though you don't see very many police officers, you know you're very safe. I miss Singapore... I hope to comeback someday. ^_^
Blogging live from a REAL, Singapore bathhouse - This is Mikee... Fully clothed, in strappy sandals, with matching fire-red Pashmina.
Herbert, Patrick, Boom, Anika (Boom's sis), and I are currently in Singapore. All of us (except for Anika) are in a private club for men - my three gay friends have abandoned me to sit at the bar/i-net kiosk to wait for them to finish their things. I'm completely bored and surrounded by weird, nearly-naked men... I am sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo out of place... more details when I get back...
*note: I should have gone shopping instead.
If you came with a warning label, what would it say?
Submitted by chris.
Fragile - Handle with Care. *wink wink
Hope for the Flowers (An article for the UP Manila Collegian)
Mikee Nuñez-Inton
A few months ago, Justice Isagani Cruz wrote a rather hateful article entitled “Don we now our gay apparel,” published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer. In our modern News world where things happen fast and headlines are forgotten just as easily as last week’s crossword, the article can be (and is actually) considered old news. But allow me to open the healed wounds caused by this atrocity, because I believe that these are not meant to be healed or forgotten.
Justice Cruz referred to homosexuals – gay men in particular – as pansies, fairies, and every other word short of calling us fags. By using vile words that portrayed our kind as unnatural beings, he warned the country of our so-called invasion. He says that if Filipinos are not careful, gays will overrun the country, painting everything pink and turning everything floral. I’m paraphrasing, or course. And while I do not deny that pink has become one of the symbols for gays and that many of us are quite fond of flowers (they do call many of us Flower Children, modern-day versions of hippies), I resent that Cruz thinks this ‘invasion’ a bad thing, and feels morally obligated to warn his countrymen so that they can wipe us out with one fell swoop.
The article has been answered by many – through blogs, text messages, e-mails, etc. – the most poignant being Manuel Quezon III’s own reply, which was also printed in the Inquirer. Even one of my blog posts was used by the Inquirer when it decided to print an anti-homophobia spread in its Saturday Super section. Still, though, homophobia and gay bashing is alive and well. Allow me to tell you some stories of my own experiences with discrimination.
I am what the Flower Children refer to as a Transgendered woman. Translation: while my body remains physiologically male, my heart, mind, and soul are female. Many transgenders are on their way to fixing the dissonance between matter and spirit, I’m a pretty long way from that. Although many people mistake me for a real girl (perhaps because of my tiny stature, and signature curly hair *wink, wink), I’m not quire ready to be a real girl – at least not yet.
Unlike many gay men who can tell you the exact time, date, and place where they discovered their difference from other people, I can’t. I really, honestly can’t. My earliest memories involve me asking my Kindergarten teacher, Miss Cinco, to transfer me to a seat next to a boy I found cute whose name was Jeremy, if I remember correctly. This is also one reason why I hate being asked “when did you know you were gay?” I don’t know; when did you know you were straight? It was the simplest, most natural thing for me. Although many people don’t see being asked their preferences a form of discrimination, I do. At least, it’s one of the more tolerable forms. Some people are just genuinely curious.
Discrimination, though, comes in many different types, ranging from unintentional stares, to hateful words, to violence. For example, as I was walking out of the building where I live, I noticed this Muslim man gawking at me. I thought I had something on my face, but then I realized that I was just wearing a woman’s blouse, strappy sandals, and fabulous shades. I looked like a movie star who had no boobs. I found the stare coming from a Muslim man weird because, I’m sure by the way he was dressed, people look at him the same way – with confusion in their eyes and their mouths half-open, disgust in between their brows (or at least, people who think Muslims are terrorists; I personally don’t. I would convert to Islam if only for the pashminas, but that’s how nonchalant I am with all religions). I see the same look on Security Guards who have no idea whether to let me in the Male entry way or the Female. To solve their problem, I go into the Female entrance; I don’t like being frisked by men. It also happens in bathrooms. I still use the male bathroom – but only because I have to. When I can, I take my friends inside, so I don’t have to go alone. I learned that trick in high school – none of us (gays) ever went to the bathroom alone.
My high school was pretty special though. We ruled, as Bette Midler would say, with an iron fist in a velvet glove. It’s an exclusive school for boys and although it does have the reputation of producing a lot of gays, in high school, we were tolerated, even venerated. We were the brightest, most talented, and vocal of the cliques in school. My batch was the biggest batch ever because the 6th and 7th graders were merged. Through this merge I have discovered my true friends, whom I love with all sincerity. We’ve been through a lot together – from our first loves to our more recent ones. Still, we were not sheltered from discrimination.
During our 4th year retreat, all the gays (around 15 of us) were sequestered from the straight boys. We really didn’t think it was discrimination because we stayed in air-conditioned rooms and had private showers while the boys were left to roast slowly in the heat of their rooms and icky communal showers. But then, why did we have to be kept separate? Did the teachers and priests actually think we would indiscriminately sleep with the entire class? As if. And then, when some of us applied for college in that same school, they were asked to sign what we called the Pink Form – a contract that said you can’t cross-dress in campus, put make-up, wear earrings, carry a fan, or even act effeminately. In short, you can’t come to this school – your high school Alma Mater – if you continue to become gay. One of my friends’ moms actually went to the counselor who gave him (my friend) the form to complain about it. The only answer she got was that it was a new school policy – in frustration, she stormed out of the room, but not before snapping at the counselor “Mas-maganda pa nga ang anak ko sa ‘yo e!” And it was true – my friend was so much prettier than Ms. _________.
There are, of course, harsher forms of discrimination. All over the world, gay boys are verbally abused, beaten up, and hated. Some are denied access to schools, some are refused to be taken into a company, some are thrown out of restaurants, and others are banished by their own families. But, my dear Flower Children, there is hope. In the , we now have our first possible Party List candidate – Ang Ladlad. Under the wings of Professor Danton Remoto as its newly elected president, the group is a Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) rights advocate. Currently, the party is hoping to run for a position in Congress – and aims to speed up the adoption of the first Anti-Discriminatory Bill that would seek to protect LGBT Filipinos from, well, being discriminated upon – in offices, schools, restaurants, and perhaps even from their abusive families. The group stands as a beacon of hope and inspiration to many, like myself, who are tired of hearing stories about hate-filled acts against people who are different. It will take a lot of serious effort to get into Congress and enforce a bill, but at least we are making baby steps to get to our goal of abolishing discrimination and hate altogether. I know it sounds a little too ideal, but perhaps the future will be kinder to our cause. Who knows? Perhaps in the future, comments like Isagani Cruz’ will disappear, and be replaced by kinder, gentler words for a race that is so rampant but is so very much misunderstood.
For more information about Ang Ladlad, you might consider joining their Yahoo! group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/angladlad/
Stuff that's been going on:
Attended a Concert with Patrick last Friday - In Paradisum, by The UP Manila Choral. It was good, kinda boring though - it was basically Faure's Requiem, plus some other Religious songs. Just check Patrick's post. I only really went because a former student asked me to come, and I couldn't say no to him - he's adorable! But then, he has a boyfriend - or so I hear... Moving on.
I absolutely ABHOR Manny Pacquiao. He's icky, and... he's icky. That's basically it. I was secretly rooting for Morales to beat him during their fight last Sunday, alas Manny won. Ewww... Now, people say he's running for Mayor. AS IF! Can Filipinos be any dumber? I might as well run the country myself - anyone opposed to me will die. *sorry, I'm just in a bitchy mood.
I've been in a bitchy mood ever since this morning - my second Speech class. This girl kept yapping and yapping, criticizing the other Comm Model that I'd asked my students to create. That would have been fine, if her comments had not already been addressed - and they had been addressed, several times! Finally, I had to speak up, "No! You don't understand! blah, blah, blah." I don't usually snap at students, this is the first time, I think. I just had had enough of her ranting. Hihi!
Bitchy Mood didn't go away though - I got home, I realized I had forgotten my keys so I had to go to our cleaning lady's house so I could get a spare key. When I got in, my brother had locked my room - with my house keys inside. I scoured the house for my room's spare keys, couldn't find them until around after 30 minutes of looking...
Anyway, to alleviate bitchy mood, I'm meeting Patrick in an hour so we could go to CCP and catch Bakeretta, Ghost Operetta. Then, we'll meet JV and Herbie for coffee after. ^_^ *bitchy mood, slightly going away now.
The new semester has just started - both at the Ateneo (where I take grad classes) and at UP Manila (where I teach undergrads). I'm handling three Speech classes (Comm III) and two Research classes (Comm II) this semester - I met one Speech class and my two Research classes on Monday, and then the other two Comm IIIs yesterday. The kids seem fun. I'm pretty excited about handling the Comm IIIs because I've always had fun with this subject and I get to know the kids much better through discussions about the self and Inter-personal Communication/Relationships; Research is just blah...
To add to the blah-ness, one of my Comm IIs is an entire OrCom block - I graduated from this course almost two years ago, and I'm very fond of it. Meeting a new batch of OrCom (OC) Majors is always fun and exciting, but I'm a little apprehensive about teaching them Research. I'm not quite as fabulous teaching research as I am at actually doing it. I'll have to rethink a lot of my strategies - these OC majors will take whatever they learn from me to their higher subjects, especially their thesis! God help me...
I also have quite a lot of OrCom Majors scattered all over my Comm IIIs. But I'm not worried. This is the 4th time I'll be handling this course, so I've pretty much mastered it. This sem though, I've incorporated more Comm Theories into the discussion. Theories like Cognitive Dissonance/Balance Theory and The Spiral of Silence. Plus, I've improved my discussions on the human voice - see the previous post about vocal Fachs.
My Ateneo classes: I've enrolled in two subjects for this semester - Media Studies, and Gender and the Media. I met my Gender and the Media - He's FABULOUS!!! He's gay and he speaks so softly, almost as if in a falsetto, and he seems really nice and fun. I've heard a lot of great things about him. And to illustrate just how fabulous he is, for our first meeting he made the class watch Brokeback Mountain. Not really my kind of film, but pretty good and quite moving, if I do say so myself. ^_^ He asked the class to be aware of Gender Issues around everyday experiences and current news, also if we have movies or books that we'd like to share. I plan on presenting to him some books about gay life, and a novel (Dream Boy by Jim Grimmsley, which I had my Comm II kids read and critique); plus some movies - Beautiful Thing, for example. ^_^
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Queer Vox Updated: 1 hour ago
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Gay Vox Updated: 1 hour ago
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The Orchestra Pit Updated: Dec 23, 2009
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