My women's tennis album 7 - Tennis goddess Anna Kournikova

Tennis goddess deserves a spread all her own. After all she renewed a lot of interest in women's tennis.

See Also: Album 1, Album 2, Album 3, Album 4, Album 5, Album 6

Bayan muna bago sarili

I would have voted for Mar Roxas.

I believe he is the only candidate that puts the nation's interests above his own. Not many can say that with Villar, Erap, and the others. I also think that despite his sputtering start, he is beginning to pick up momentum to figure prominently in succeeding surveys. He leads all other presidential contenders in an online poll at abs-cbnnews.com.

He has long been groomed by elder Liberal party leaders as the standard bearer, although others within the party demand a caucus. In a supreme display of statesmanship and in a class act worthy of emulation by all other oppposition candidates, Mar stepped aside to give way to the popular clamor for Noynoy to run. This move further marginalizes Liberal Party noisemakers led by GMA lapdog Lito Atienza. This morning on radio Atienza still insists on party consultations. I'm sure he will soon realize the small band of Liberals he leads shares the same thoughts of many Filipinos about Noynoy's candidacy.

With this great step, sacrificing his own ambition, I hope other opposition candidates likewise step aside to make a truly formidable opposition in the 2010 elections.

See also my new criteria for choosing the next president.

Pahabol sa buwan ng mga bayani

Dito sa Pilipinas, maraming ipinagdiriwang na piesta opisyal tuwing buwan ng Agosto. Ngayong taong ito, nadagdagan pa ang walang pasok noong ilibing (Agosto 5) ang Pangulong Cory Aquino. Tumingin ako sa Wikipedia at nalaman ko na marami mga bansa ang nagdiriwang naman ng araw ng kanilang kalayaan tuwing Agosto. Kasama sa mga ito ang Switzerland, Bolivia, Ecuador, Pakistan, Korea, India, Indonesia, Uruguay at Malaysia.

Agosto 1, 2009 nang pumanaw si Pang. Aquino. Agosto 1, 1944 naman ng mamatay si Pang. Manuel Quezon na isinilang din sa buwan ng Agosto (19), na ipinagdiriwang naman na araw ng Quezon. Isa pang dating pangulo, si Pang. Magsaysay, ay isinilang din sa buwan ng Agosto (31).

Tuwing ika-30 naman ng Agosto ipinagdiriwang natin ang Ang Araw ng mga Bayani bagama't inililipat ang pagdiriwang sa pinakamalapit na Lunes. Sa petsang ito, inaalala natin ang Sigaw ng Pugad Lawin ng mga rebolusyonaryong Katipunero sa pamumuno ni Ka Andres Bonifacio.

Sa Agosto ipinagdiriwang ang buwan ng wika bilang paggunita sa kaarawan ni Pang. Quezon, ang kinikilalang “Ama ng Wikang Pambansa”.  Sa mga malls sa ganitong panahon maraming mga paninda ang may kaugnayan sa ating kultura. Maraming mga t-shirts, souvenirs, at ibang memorabilia ukol sa Pilipinas ang mabibili. Mayroon ding mga maikling concerts, katuland ng isang napanood ko noong ika-29 sa SM Centerpoint, kung saan umawit si Bayang Barrios. Malayo na ang narating ni Bayang mula noong una siyang nakilala bilang kasama ni Joey Ayala at ang Bagong Lumad. Hindi na siya si Bayang na tila isang inosenteng katutubo. Naroon pa rin ang tanging kagandahan at angking talino sa pag-awit. Ngayon ay may dagdag na sopistikasyon sa kanyang imahe, kasama na rin na ang dagdag na timbang. Naroon pa rin ang katutubong tunog na napalawak naman ng idagdag sa areglo ang jazz beat.

Sa harap ng maraming suliranin sa ekonomiya, mahalagang patuloy nating bigyan pansin ang mga sariling atin. Ipagpatuloy sana natin ang pagtangkilik sa mga produktong gawa sa ating bayan. Makakatulong itong pabalikin ang sigla ng industriya at manggagawang Pilipino. Sana ay hindi magwakas ang pagbibigay pansin sa gawang Pilipino sa pagtatapos ng buwan ng pagdiriwang dito. Lalo na at papasok naman ang tinatawag na buwan ng -ber o -bre, at sa lalong madaling panahon ay kaPaskuhan naman, mamimili na naman ang sambayanan, kaya sana "Buy Philippine made products".

My women's tennis album 6 - 80s to 90s

On this spread: Steffi Graf, Amanda Coetzer, Jennifer Capriati, Martina Hingis, and Patty Schnyder.

See Also: Album 1, Album 2, Album 3, Album 4, Album 5

White hair chronicles VI

My son Vito turned 13 yesterday, formally making him a teenager, and thus further making me a tatang-ager. That is double jeopardy, being a tatang and an ager, suddenly I feel doubly old. When I was 13 myself, my father was a boyish 35. He was what some would call today "papa-ble". Whatever that means, it doesn't describe me now - grandfatherish on the wrong side of 40s. In fact many think I am Vito's grandfather.

The saving grace is I don't 'feel' old at all. Sure an elbow aches, DeQuervain's syndrome acts up on my right wrist - 12 years after my left wrist was operated on for the same reason, isolated white hairs grow on places where no hair grew before, and of course, 95% of the hair is white. But I definitely feel young. I can relate to what Vito likes and he can relate to what I enjoy. It helps that retro (emo?) fashion is in. It helps that he also appreciates the music I enjoy.

But retro fashion or not, only external appearances seem old. I still have the same idealism I had in my teens. The teenage angst back then is eerily the same as Generations Jones' anxieties today. But of course! The teenagers of old comprise the Generation Jones. Furthermore we had Marcos then, we have Gloria now. Same difference really. Even if some have moved to the other side of the fence, like administration apologist Alex Magno and GMA spokesman Gary Olivar.

So, has Philippine life gone full circle?
Or, have we moved at all?