Leopaul's Heaven and Hell: Remembering the war that changed Iraq

It was mid-March 2003, our final exams were done, we are getting ready for the commencement exercises and our summer vacation begins before getting ready for the next school year. However, all of our excitement for the summer vacation got easily overshadowed by the biggest news the world witnessed.

Leopaul's Heaven and Hell: The trouble with Brexit

Great Britain is due to leave the European Union at the end of October and now, the House of Commons are gathered to vote on Prime Minister Boris Johnson's new and improved Brexit deal, which is expected to be a razor-thin chance of make it or break it.


Ever since most of Britain voted in favor of leaving the EU three years ago, British politics are all gone to hell when it comes to crafting a deal that will secure the relations between Britain and the European Union. Theresa May had the chance but after her deal failed three times, Mrs May thrown the towel for good and in her humiliating defeat, the former London mayor and former defense secretary of the defunct May administration, Boris Johnson, rose into power as Britain's new Prime Minister.

Although he is optimistic about getting the deal done, the latest UK Prime Minister's gone "macho" with his Trump-esque approach, saying that he's not afraid of a no-deal Brexit, which most feared that in the case of the latter, it could be the end of United Kingdom as they know it. Very macho, indeed.

With BoJo's rise to power, almost everyone in the Conservative Party believed that he will solve the Brexit problem better than May but the entire opposition, especially the Jeremy Corbyn-led Labour Party, lambasted the macho PM, saying he's even worse than Theresa May by comparison.

I don't take sides in the Brexit dilemma even though there's little time left before the Brits go bye-bye to the EU bandwagon but if my brain rings a loud air raid siren, there's something about the Brexit event and what exactly happens in the event the United Kingdom has left the European Union as scheduled.

Everybody's familiar with what happens when no-deal Brexit is happened, which is very likely according to most sources, but there's more into this big, dystopic, picture than that. Yes, we know that traveling, trade, and immigration  will be extremely hampered by the no-deal Brexit but you know what really happens in case this happened?

Me being a fool to current events, no-deal Brexit could really means everything we love about the United Kingdom will be gone for good; Doctor Who, Peppa Pig, Top Gear, every singe British pop culture the world love will be evaporated for good. Even sporting and motorsport events held in the UK will be shattered into pieces due to no-deal Brexit and that really hurts for sports fans in Europe.

What's worse, states that became part of United Kingdom such as Wales and Scotland may declare independence and the Union Jack flag will be as useless in the world stage for good. Sure, Wales voted in favor of LEAVE but in such case, they might be joining Scotland in declaring independence from the UK.

Oh and did I mention that Northern Ireland, which was part of UK several decades ago, may be reunited with Ireland because the NI people aren't very comfortable with the Brexit scenario. The backstop issue is now gone from BoJo's Brexit deal but most from Northern Ireland, especially the DUP, aren't very happy about it and if no-deal Brexit happens, these people want to get of UK hands and bring Northern Ireland back to Ireland for good and since Ireland is part of the European Union, they had benefits that the former EU member never had because it abandoned them.

Everybody knows that Great Britain is the fifth largest economy in the world but in the event of no-deal Brexit, it will no longer be the fifth largest and it will be overtaken by those behind them. I'm no economist but if Great Britain has fallen from the largest economies in the world, expect to be dropped to a double-digit position. Don't know where but it will be in a yellow alert and as years pass by, it will hit the danger zone.

As most experts predict the doom and gloom in the British economy in the event of a no-deal Brexit, a few expressed some upsides in the no-deal Brexit. When German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that aside from the United States and China, the European Union might be worrying about an ultra-competitive Great Britain, that's for sure, but how?

Because Great Britain is free from the grips of Brussels bureaucrats, they are free to adopt whatever economy policies they can pull on their sleeves. There are even news of a possible UK-US free trade deal in the event the Brits have left the EU as scheduled. Only concern is that because Mr. Tariff Man imposed tariffs on EU goods due to the airplane subsidy fiasco between the two sides, it's hard to predict the outcome once Britain has left the EU, leaving plenty of questions to solve before the two sides forged a newly-found alliance across the Atlantic.

Apart from that, the Brits can implement their own rules and promising to be even greater than EU-imposed laws. Some will benefit but some will cause a lot of headaches but it's too early to tell what will the UK-based laws will be once they've left the bloc.

Like I said, I don't take sides on the Brexit issue but whatever the outcome will be in the event of a no-deal Brexit, the politicians that got involved in this mess will have their last say to this ever-falling House of Cards. Deal or no deal, expect plenty of drama on politics not just on Britain but the rest of The Old Continent, metaphorically speaking, and whatever happens in Great Britain will be the best topic students will pick for their research project in class and consigned to the pages of history books now and forever. The more you know.

God Save The Queen.

LEOPAUL'S HEAVEN AND HELL: The Chiong Story, what is it?

Today, the controversial biopic of the infamous Chiong Sisters Murder Case of 1997 has now been shown in theaters but long before it hits theaters, it got stormed by negative comments about this film, saying that this so-called true crime story is based off from a false testimony of a convicted felon and bears no truth whatsoever, given the reports state that one of the men behind the rape-slay case 21 years ago is a 19-year-old male with Spanish and Cebuano blood.

So, as most Filipinos expressed anger over the biopic because of the strained pseudo-historical re-enactment of one of the most infamous cases in Philippine history, how did this murder case came to this and how it reflects today? As you may know, the views expressed in this segment do not reflect those who are involved in this mess, therefore, everyone is open to their own opinions.

It was mid-July 1997. I was six years old at that time and I was at school, although I don't like the concept of schooling at first, but I never forget what I saw in the news that time. The Chiong sisters, Marijoy and Jacqueline, were kidnapped after dark, then they got raped at an undisclosed location, and then Marijoy got thrown to the ravine. Authorities found the remains of Marijoy Chiong but as for Jacqueline, well as of now, she remains missing in action following the rape-slay case.

Two months later, following the rape-slay case that rattled Cebu, one of the seven suspects behind this rape-slay case is Paco Larrañaga, a male with a Spanish and Cebuano blood whose family had ties with the Osmeñas was surrounded by armed informants, according to his relatives. Paco was in Metro Manila attending culinary classes at that time so the main question is, what's Paco doing in Manila at the time of the crime occurred in Cebu? There's so many conspiracy theories circulating about what's going on at the scene of the crime, not to mention the fact that the daughters' father, Dionisio Chiong, manages a trucking company whose individual is known to be one of the biggest drug lords in the Philippines and the girls' disappearance came amid his testimony against the drug lord in question. In fact, no one really understands what's going on around there.

Fast forward to the years of the Erap administration, a man named Davidson Rusia steps in, confessing to the authorities about how the Chiong murder case unfolds. Despite Rusia cleans his name to tell the truth, the suspects are not familiar about Rusia himself. What's even more bizarre is that because of the convicted felon Rusia told everything they need to know about the Chiong murder case, a certain TV show spawn an re-enactment of the said case during the trial before the defense presented their case. However, as we saw on reports, because Rusia felt exhausted while apologizing the Chiongs, the case got adjourned. When he was taken to the detention cell, Rusia got mauled and tortured, and with many weeks have passed, forensics managed to slice a part of the skin to find evidence that the fingerprint of the dead body matches Marijoy's voter ID fingerprint.

Two weeks after the hearings, enter Judge Martin Ocampo, whose controversial verdict forever changed the case as the November 17, 1998 hearing sees witnesses, mostly friends of Paco Larrañaga, gathered at the trial, saying that they were with Paco at the time of the murder. Ocampo stressed that Paco's case needs solid evidence that he wasn't involved in the rape-slay case in Cebu. When the trial is over, Judge Ocampo spent three months to write the verdict as well as freeing Davidson Rusia.

Come early 1999, the verdict has reached and after two hours, Paco Larrañaga and the others were found guilty for kidnapping and serious illegal detention and sentenced to two life imprisonment. However, this verdict enraged the Chiongs because she wanted death penalty against Paco Larrañaga and the others. Following the trial of the decade's end, some people involved in the trial got promoted while Judge Ocampo, well, he committed suicide at a hotel room.

At the time Joseph Estrada was ousted and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo became the president of the Philippines in 2001, the Chiongs finally got what they have coming as Paco Larrañaga is facing death sentence, as ordered by the Supreme Court. That news saddened most of Paco's loved ones but because Paco's father is Spanish, making him a man with dual citizenship, he seeks help to the Spanish government, and with time running out, he drawn out his trump card; seeking help to the United Nations Human Rights Committee and they released a ruling to the Philippines. Spanish Defense Minister Jose Bono arrived in Manila in November 2005 to meet up with President Arroyo to discuss relations between Spain and the Philippines as well as Paco himself.

Because of that, on June 24, 2006, President Arroyo abolished the death penalty. Moments later, because Paco is classified as a "3rd grade prisoner" because of how much time he served during his imprisonment, he is allowed to serve his sentence outside prison on parole. At the twilight of the Arroyo administration, Paco Larrañaga finally switched prisons from Bilibid to Spain's Centro Penitencario.

And that is how the Chiong murder case unfolds and if most of you watched a certain documentary titled "Give Up Tomorrow", you'll know what it really means to you about this case and the man of the hour. Boy, what a drama this case really is. Two sisters got kidnapped and raped, one killed and one remained unaccounted for, a Spanish-Cebuano male got accused for the crime he didn't commit, judge committed suicide after the verdict, death penalty, Filipino-Spanish relations, and switch of prisons. 

That really is one of the most controversial cases ever to hit the history of the Philippines as the Chiong murder case demonstrates the tarnished legal system the Philippines possess and even in today's times, the legal system remains as what this case told us, making it harder to trust.

Paco Larrañaga forever changed the history of the Philippines but the true fate of the Chiongs remains to be disclosed with conspiracy theories about Jacqueline Chiong circulating around like the wind, but no matter which side you're on, this case shows that it is difficult to trust the Philippines' legal system in so many angles and that is the story of the day. 

If you have any questions about this case, it would be better to speak to it yourself, now that you're already familiar with the infamous case as portrayed in the Give Up Tomorrow documentary and the now showing Jacqueline Comes Home film. Until then, see you again.

Leopaul's Heaven and Hell: Can't afford to put fizzy drinks in our glasses anymore...

In case you really missed it, the Philippine government has implemented the first phase of the controversial tax reform, which is different that the other controversial one in America that was favored by the fat man who controls the human race, and while the sharp rise of consumer prices are something to worry about, what's even worrying to me is that one clause in this tax reform is the taxation of sugar sweetened beverages. In other words, your fizzy drinks that you commonly bought from your neighborhood sari-sari store is not safe from that menace. So, why does this part grinds my gears?

Coke Emoticon Bottles

Ever since everybody in the world warned us not to drink too much beer because of the devastating events apart from turning every husband into a maniac who's going to kill his family without knowing, we find a better alternative way to stave off from a bottle of beer because of the crazy effects our body and mind are getting and that's where the softdrink come from. Sure, they can be as fizzy as a beer but unlike alcohol, it doesn't leave our mouths smell like beer and won't end up like family beaters but on the downside, all that sugary content will end up going wild until at the end of the day, we all end up with slight hangovers.

Like you and I, we love having a bottle of softdrinks in our refrigerator because the drinks section can be so bland without it. Softdrinks change the world according to us. They are our quenchers in lunchtime and tea (dinner), our means of entertaining our friends, our relaxation, whatever our reason, we all bound by our decision to stock ourselves with softdrinks at home because they're much safer to drink than alcoholic beer.

At the dawn of the new year, looks like the softdrink days are now numbered because of the dreaded tax against sugar sweetened beverages. According to the Department of Finance's Comprehensive Tax Reform Program, they will tax six pesos per liter of drinks containing caloric or non-caloric sweetener and 12 pesos per liter on drinks containing high fructose corn syrup. Sweetened juice drinks like Zest-O or Hi-C, sweetened tea like Nestea, flavored water, energy drinks, sports drinks, non-milk powdered drinks, cereal and grain beverages, and other non-alcoholic beverages that contain added sugar. 3-in-1 coffee, milk, and 100% natural juice are exempted from the rule.

As you may wondering, do diet and zero sugar softdrinks do count on this beverage tax? The answer is a major yes because those so-called diet and zero sugar softdrinks like the ones we drink sometimes have been sweetened by non-caloric sweeteners, thus making them victims of this rule. Looks like no one's safe on this rule, unless you want to drink yourself a glass of water, which is bland but obvious.

It's not just the Philippines that falls victim to the tax against sugary beverages, in fact, some parts of the world did. From where I'm standing, they've imposed a sweetened beverage tax which most of the sugary drinks are subject to a tax of $1.75 per ounce. Which means, a 12-pack of canned soda like the ones they sold at your nearest Safeway will now cost $2.52 while a box of 10 juice-drink pouches will cost $1.75, 6-pack of sport drink $2.10, a 16oz fountain drink 28 cents, and 23oz can of sweetened tea 40 cents. Thank you Seattle for such dreaded tax on our favorite beverages.

Taxing sugary drinks is nothing new in this world. In fact, the main reason why they want to slap some tax on such drinks because of health and safety reasons and while some oppose because it's anti-poor, some health-conscious people lauded it because such drinks are linked not just obesity but also type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and dental decay. Come on, we only drink them moderately like beer, you know, and still drive our car back home without getting caught by authorities and doing the breathalyzer thing.

Now that softdrinks are getting more costly than it were back in the good old days, seems like we can't afford to put fizzy drinks in our glasses anymore. What happens next? Put sofdrinks in the sin tax bill? That's crazy and if that to happen, we couldn't afford to drink them anymore and that makes us dull.

Softdrinks are a way to chill ourselves on a hot day, to entertain our guests, and relax, but by making them more expensive, our wallets are running dry and thanks to such tax reforms that favor only the rich people, I can't say what's what but it really made us grind our gears and ending up with alternatives such as 100% natural juice, which is rare to find in today's markets, plain milk, and a glass of water. Can't believe we start the year with a much blander lifestyle because of high consumer prices thanks to tax reforms that are deemed regressive and unless we get ourselves a job, there's no way we can live in such times like these. Here's hoping that we can all learn something from such a purpose.

See you next time and if you got some cash, better stock up on some drinks while you can.

Leopaul's Heaven and Hell: The noodles from hell

Yesterday, I took a bite out of one of the sensations of 2017, Samyang's 2X SPICY HOT Chicken Flavor Ramen, and despite cheating it with some means necessary, the hellish spiciness burnt my mouth like crazy. I even resort myself drinking lots of milk to cool it off but that spiciness lingers on my mouth for an hour. So, what's up with these noodles from hell anyway?

Made as a limited edition variant of Samyang's long line of Chicken Flavor Ramen range, this 2X SPICY variant became all the rage not just in South Korea but the rest of the world. In fact, many people attempt to show the world that they're brave enough to eat the beast of the noodle and sacrifice their mouths just to show themselves off.

Admittedly, people have to be as crazy as Kim Jong Un to nab a pack of these but if you're itching to get one now, you can't because Samyang stopped making these variants so you'll have to make do with the mild and tangy Chicken Flavor Ramen flavors. Don't worry, there are spicy variants offered but not as intimidating as the 2X SPICY variant. Still, that leaves me wondering, how come everyone wanted to buy a noodle that could burn their mouths to oblivion, in the pursuit of showing off?

Whoever the idea of getting a pack of Samyang's 2X Spicy HOT Chicken Flavor Ramen had a death wish or two. To be honest, I just don't know why but probably they want to be humbled the world over, knowing that they have titanium bodies sturdy enough to take on the harshest elements. I understand that and it really rings a bell like the old Salty Spitoon gag from SpongeBob. "How tough are you?" You can either eat one of these and be part of the club or surrender and label yourself a weenie. It's everyone's choice when they picked up a pack of the world's most intimidating noodles at an Asian market.

Having that first bite out of the most hellish noodles ever to come out in South Korea, I always thought that it tastes like a normal Pancit Canton to me but when the spiciness has gone into. let's just say, inferno overdrive, it just keeps burning my mouth even if I douse it with any form of liquid. It's personal experience but I'm sure you guys had your mouth burnt to hell after a platter of Samyang's 2X Spicy HOT Chicken Flavor Ramen and survive the endless torture this noodle brought upon.

Of course, Samyang may have stopped making this nightmarish noodles for good, even though this was a limited edition variant, but they made the world engulfed in the flames of the extra hot noodles and with everyone who took a pack of it engulfed their taste buds to the line of fire, only a handful managed to survive the torturing aftertaste this noodle possess. It may be gone a while but what's next for Samyang, the makers of spicy noodles that became a hit among noodle aficionados? Only time will tell before they let loose with another next big thing but in the meantime, let's think about what we done ever since we gone crazy over the pack of the one I called it the "noodles from hell". 

Leopaul's Heaven and Hell: The End of the World (Wide Web)

Since the twilight of the Cold War years, America invented the internet, which has evolved from a military-purposed information service to a part of our everyday life you see now, but now, America killed the internet for good and I find that very sad that today, in this Heaven and Hell op-ed, time for me to mourn the loss of the internet.

The internet has been the basis of our daily lives because thanks to the invention of the internet, many people began pursue their dreams, find their jobs, learn something new, making their voices heard, and every other stuff that made possible because of that. However, all that's about to change because recently, in the heart of Washington D.C., the capital city of the United States, a certain federal agency voted in favor of the heinous plot that will kill the internet once and for all. I'm talking about the dreaded RESTORE INTERNET ORDER PLAN.

Much to the irony of what it seems, this plan was made to the sole purpose of cannibalize the very classification that this agency said that it hinders the progress of every ISPs in America but for some liberals, this classification is important because it won't let ISPs block, throttle, or slow their favorite content down and then charge themselves more to get what they want. I wasn't aware of that until a handful of liberals yanking me down over this trending topic that hangs the fate of the internet ever since a certain agency's chairperson wanted to cannibalize this classification in favor of the so-called light-touch regulatory from the Clinton-era America of the 90's that some say, it flourished the internet until 2015, when that classification in question was imposed.

I never heard of the light-touch regulatory because I wasn't in America back then and even if I came in America since my childhood years with my Dad and siblings, I definitely never heard of it, even when our Seattle home was a bit fancy back then before now. However, what the historians did know that light-touch regulatory, which is part of the 1996 Telecommunications Act that both sides agree, promises that the internet should not be interfered by the Feds. In broad context, the government should keep their hands off the net.

Keeping the government hands off the net? That sounds nice but it can be troublesome for some who believes that the having government regulations on the net is the only means of consumer protection. Consumer protection aside, depending on which nation you're at, government regulatory on the internet can be good or bad, depending on the leadership, but the worst part of it is when the government takes some extreme measures to ruin your internet experience. Take a look at China. China is the worst offender of the internet because not only they prevent you access to popular sites like Facebook, YouTube, or Twitter (in favor of their equivalents I don't know about) but also filtering search queries, especially the one about the Tiananmen Square or democracy, redirecting to the ruling Communist Party.

China aside, there are some countries that are worst offenders in the internet but I don't want to mention some of it or I could be in big trouble in some nations, mostly the ones from the Middle East. If I was there, they will going to behead me anyway.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand, remember what I said about ISPs blocking, throttling and slowing down your internet experience now that the classification in question was stripped out by the agency in favor of light-touch approach? About that slowing part, it's starting to make sense now because the Philippines has that kind of experience. On my stay at the Philippines, I borrowed a Globe Tattoo portable wi-fi from my uncle and let me just say, that thing works fine at the start but later, it went from fine to worst because when that portable wi-fi reached its limit, it throttled and slowed my internet experience down, not blocking it, because Globe says it tries to limit our speeds for the sake of other users. That's the life of living in a country with the worst internet connection, which is the same of bearing the worst traffic condition, pause, in the world. I said the pause part, am I? Still, you get the point.

In today's world, it's hard to live between truth and ideals. While some say that stripping this very classification that keeps the internet afloat will ruin the lives of Americans, others believe that it makes the internet free and open for many generations to come, and between you and me, it's hard to trust someone who has the bigger heads and such suspicions gave us sleepless nights. The people who believe the stripping it will kill the internet for good and those who believe that it will make the internet, pause, great again, they're all just here to rattle our average minds into thinking which side are you on but let me tell you this; it's better to trust no one until truth and justice are real.

Without the internet, there will be no esports, no car shows, no E3, no autonomous cars, nothing. Nothing because of the agency voted in favor of repealing such classification and all hell breaks loose for ISPs to do whatever they want to make their customers kneel before them.

Sigh, I almost had it. I almost going to have a job training with someone I can trust until this very announcement regarding the demise of the internet rocked me like a hurricane. Now, how am I going to get the job I want now that the internet as we know it is officially dead? Let's not bog down on who's responsible for this because right now, it's time to clean up this mess and live with the new reality where internet in America as we know it is dead. Sure, America invented the internet but sadly, America killed it. That recent meeting I just witnessed shocked the hearts of many Americans and without it, there will be nothing left on their time and I find sympathy to these folks. The internet is officially dead but one day, there will be someone who will stand against this and bring the internet back to life for many people to come. Until then, this is the end of the world wide web as we know it.

Goodbye...

Leopaul's Heaven and Hell: What's like living during the Marcos era?

The year 2017 marks the 45th anniversary of the late strongman Ferdinand E. Marcos declared Martial Law to the rest of the nation, which is known to be one of the darkest times in the history of the Philippines, where free speech has been heavily suppressed by the strong arm of the Marcos dictatorship. I know, I wasn't born at that time but my mom and dad witnessed the carnage brought by the martial rule not just across Metro Manila but the rest of the nation. I maybe history-conscious but imagine if me and my siblings portrayed either mom's and dad's during the martial rule in the 70's, I wonder what is like to live during the Marcos era. Like a family hiding in a basement during an event of a Category 5 hurricane struck the neighborhood, telling stories to each other, this is a homespun opportunity to look what is like living in the Philippines under the martial rule in my perspective.

Ferdinand E. Marcos

My dad is about 16 years old while my mom is about 14 years old when President Marcos declared the whole Philippines under Martial Rule. I believe that my parents were high school students back then so to think like them, I need to choose who I should be at that time. I could be either my dad or my Tito Endo, who is a brother of my mom's. Like my time, it's a "one boy, three girls, wouldn't trade it for the world" scenario , although it is unclear what are they doing in their teen years in an event of a martial rule in the Philippines. Portraying either my dad or my Tito Endo, getting to know life in a Martial Law era would be easy as pie as I'm trying to personalize how are things doing for them at that time with the way me and my siblings are doing in today's time. It all sounds timey-wimey for me but this should be a good way to learn the past.

They're both high school students but they went through separate ways because my dad use to live at a quiet village somewhere in Nueva Ecija whereas my mom and her family live somewhere in the Metro Manila because I am not sure where did they live very long time ago but you get the point. There were no shopping malls like SM at that time, no foreign films (kinda), no foreign shows airing on Philippine TV, no cable, communication's limited to sending a letter at the post office, everything about the 70's is all there. So, what am I doing during the martial rule era in the Philippines? Well, since I'm a high school student at that time, I tend to get picky with my classmates even during classes where a selection of subjects include English, Filipino, Sibika, GMRC, HELE or THE, Science, MAPEH, and Math, although unsure what subjects did offer at that time being apart from Science, Math, English, and Filipino. During recess and lunch hours, I tend to eat my mom's home cooking somewhere in the cafeteria, and when dismissal time, well, it's hard to guess how did I go home during the 70's but let's just say, I fetch a ride with a jeepney using my allowance my mother gave me. When I got home, all did is finishing my homework, listening to the transistor, watching TV, and then go to bed. Typical day, eh?

A transistor is what everyone called a radio in today's times but what am I listening on the transistor during the 70's? Well, there weren't any shouty DJs at that time being, it's just well-civilized radio presenters presenting some smooth music, including disco because the 70's is the age of the disco. Apart from listening to those smooth music, I tend to listen to some news, knowing what will Marcos' next move during the martial rule as well as the world affairs. If listening to news and music with the transistor isn't enough, what shows do I watch on TV during that time? Well, since this is the 70's, the only channels they had during the Martial Law era were GMA, BBC2, KBS News, iBC 13, you name the rest. There were no foreign shows aired at that time until the 80's and the only shows I can only watch are some sitcoms, some news, some variety shows, you get the point. If we exist in that era, the coolest shows aired on Philippine TV during the martial rule were Seeing Stars with Joe Quirino, Big Ike's Happening, Odyssey 2, and Penthouse Seven, among many others.

Many people who lived in the Martial Law era know the name Joe Quirino because he was the Boy Abunda of that time and his talk variety show is showcasing the country's brightest celebrities every night and that show has been the pinnacle of every Filipino talk shows from the past and the present. As for shows like Odyssey 2 on the Banahaw Broadcasting Corporation, which was the ABS-CBN of that time, and GMA's Penthouse Seven, these two disco shows are a way to pass the nights with some dances from the best celebrities of the decade. There are many shows aired in the Martial Law era that can be described as good in every tangible way but as any 70's kids can tell, it's hard to describe how did they manage to survive such a harsh decade.

Movies. What movies shown in theaters during the Martial Law era in the Philippines? In most countries, they're showing even the most successful foreign films such as Star Wars, Jaws, Halloween, The French Connection, all of the Bond films during the Roger Moore years, the list goes on and on, but in Philippine cinemas, theoretically, they only show local films at that time like for instance an action flick by Joseph Estrada where he was being chased by the Japanese yakuzas, and there was a bold movie that I can't believe they exist in that era. Still, because Filipinos are not familiar with foreign films during the Martial Law era, those who are brave enough to weave from heavily guarded areas and angry protesters managed to go watch a movie and because home video wasn't invented yet, those who want to watch the film again need to spend their money again to watch it again.

What about cars? Although the 70's is all about the change of cars due to the world energy crisis, there has been some cool cars in the decade, which the Philippines never had because apart from the jeepneys, the roads are constantly littered with trucks, Mitsubishis, Toyotas, Ford Escorts, trucks, even AUVs that has been the workhorses of every Filipinos.

Is there anything in the Martial Law era that made us interesting? Well, sadly, I don't have time for that but still, living in the Philippines during the Martial Law era of the Marcos regime is very scary indeed because with all that brutal killings, jailings, violent protests, everything that made it the darkest turn in Philippine history and history did repeat itself as today's Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared Martial Law last May in the Mindanao region due to the ongoing clash against the Maute Group, which are sympathizers of the Islamic State militants.

Whatever happened 45 years ago is something Filipinos will never forget, even those who survived the carnage from the Marcos regime. And whatever my parents are doing to survive the decade of violence remains a mystery for now because I never existed at that time as well as my siblings but I had fun imagining what is like to be in their shoes. Learning from the past makes us prepare for the future. With history and current affairs, we truly understand why we all live in a world gone mad and it's important that we are the ones who can entrust the future to the next generation, whatever it may be.

Leopaul's Heaven and Hell: The whole ADDA thingy...

As you may have know right now, the Anti-Distracted Driving Act is now in full swing on Philippine roads. What does that mean to you? For starters, you might say that this implementation stops you from using your gadgets while driving but there's more to it to that because the Department of Transportation told us where or where not to place mounts and electronic devices as well as the corresponding fines and penalties for violators, which is very dismal to your wallet.

Some people are pleased about the implementation of the Anti-Distracted Driving Act but for drivers across the Philippines, there are some questions that needs to be answered by the LTO regarding this implementation, especially when they talked about the so-called driver's line of sight.

What is the "line of sight" in this implementation anyway? As mentioned from Section 5 of the RA No. 10913? According to them, the "line of sight" includes the whole windshield and on top of the driver's dashboard, except for the area behind the rear-view mirror, where they can place their dashcam, as they don't need to look at it while driving. Phone mounts?  They can be placed either behind but not on the steering wheel on the instrumental panel, or at the center of the dashboard. As the law states "Gadgets with [navigation] applications may be installed in areas that will not obstruct the driver's view."

As drivers know, the Anti-Distracted Driving Act means that drivers can't take their hands off the wheel to operate their gadgets while driving such as making or receiving calls (except for emergencies), writing, sending, or reading text messages, playing games, watching movies, internet, anything you are doing with your smartphone right now.. That means you, speedo boys. You can't record your speedo while driving on public highways, especially SLEX or NLEX. That's too bad and so sad because that's the rules. Hands-free or bust. Speaking of hands-free, use of earphones is acceptable as long as you're not interfere with the line of sight but there's a major fine print to it; you can use earphones only for calls, not for listening music. Again, so sorry but that's the rules. If you want to change the music, do so before setting off or have someone do your thing while driving. Pays to have someone sitting next to you while driving. What about use of navigational apps such as Waze? Again, you have to set the destination before setting off but if you are planning a detour, you have to pull over to do so.

Life of being a driver of a car sounds even more exhausting than you were on the passenger seat, am I right? Being in a passenger seat, you have so much things to do such as toying with your gadget as long as you like, reading a book, listening to music wherever, watching movies, everything. But as a driver, the only thing you do behind the wheel when the car moves is steering, braking, accelerating, those kind of things. Many have dreamed of ever having a car but the harsh reality of owning the car is how to drive one because you need to stay focus on the road and as a driver, the only thing comes to your mind is you, your car, and the road. Nothing more, nothing less. Perhaps it's no wonder those who owned a car but can't accept the harsh reality of driving a car can always hire someone to drive one for them for a fraction of their allowance but harsh realities aside, driving a car does have some good sides because you get to know your car better, you get to travel places you can't normally do with your foot, and without some interference, you can really see the road better while driving a car, but all that upsides does come with the price and that includes great power and great responsibility over your car because there's the price of gas, the price of parts, the price of insurance, everything that makes it feel like it's too much work for the life of a driver.

With the Philippines experiencing a nightmarish rise of fuel as well as car prices due to its excise tax courtesy of the Tax Reform approved by the House Committee on Ways and Means, probably this is just Dutertenomics or the effect that the Philippines signed up to the Paris treaty to reduce carbon footprint but either way, that's just a big excuse to give Filipinos a major wallet-ache but there's a saying that a fool and his money will soon be parted and we are all fools to this kind of stuff. How can we became a slave to trends when we have so much things to do in our lives such as getting a job and helping our families while doing the most good out of others but when desires come into play, we acted like complete fools this is why fate is a cruel mistress to us because we never know what might hit unto us. Know this, if you ever thinking of getting your dream ride just because you recently got your driver's license, don't ever when you consider the harsh realities of owning a ride. Instead, do something that is more accommodating than owning a car. There are so much things to do in this world rather than getting your hands full on this full-time job of being a driver. Make the most out of your lives while you're still young and have a good life.

Thank you and good-bye.

Leopaul's Heaven and Hell: The Longest Night in American History

It's already September and do you know what that means? Yes, you might think that Christmas is coming but no. American elections are REALLY coming and this ain't your ordinary election year in the United States of America but this is by no means the harshest election year in American history because it's going to be a battle between two influential presidentiables; one who is a former First Lady of the former American President who promises a greater change and make history as the most powerful woman in the world and the other is a wealthy businessman who will stop at nothing to turn the tables on American politics.

Yes, I said the harshest because these two have spent the rest of the year trading punches at each other while trying to win some support to the American citizens to the race to become the next POTUS who will replace Barack Obama, whose term ends this January. So, I don't need further explanations about how these two made it to their road to presidency but what furthers is what lies beneath the truth and ideals between those two. In the eyes of supporters of each camp, how does it feel to be one of them who is supporting their favorite presidential candidate?

In the eyes of a Republican supporter: Having an outsider like D_____ T____ in Washington is a great honor to have him challenging against the might of politicians in the Oval Office. Although he is well known for his real estate monopoly and as a famed celebrity in his own right, his powerful words is what made him the ideal person to become the most powerful man in the world. Whereas today's American government system is continue to erode over the years of the Obama administration, D______ T_____ can turn things around all in the name of his "Make America Great Again" campaign slogan. 

As the United States is losing its authority and global security thanks to NATO, the United Nations, and other organizations who see them as a big failure, T____ will reassure that he will keep the United States of America the top of the hierarchical pyramid, just like what all good Republicans do. Republican supporters are growing tired from the growing pains set by his rival H_______ C______ but they should remember, she has a lot of growing pains on her fate such as her e-mails, her health, her involvement in the foundation, everything that makes her one of the worst presidential candidates since past Democrats and she's been busy stealing so many Republicans that it feels like the whole government's been rigged, as stated by T____ himself. 

A handful of Republicans like him won't let a female Democrat like her to get to the top seat of the White House and if he wins, T____ will have all of the time in the world to unleash his master plan which involves the mass deportation of illegal immigrants, a complete shutdown of all Muslims, a quick destruction on ISIS, and everything else that will "make America great again", no matter the costs. As many politicians despise him of his rhetorics, a handful of his supporters will make sure that he will conquer what remains after the fall and reign as the most powerful leader of the world.

In the eyes of a Democratic supporter: Despite all of her wrongdoings in the past, supporters of H_____ C_____ will make sure that she will stay defiant, become the most powerful woman in the world, and cooperate with the world in order to stand the chance of ending the daily messes in their lives. Most of the ordinary citizens in America have feared that if D_____ T____ was elected president, it could mean the end of the world unless they take action to make sure that won't happen by cooperating with her fight to win the election. 

Because of T_____'s fearful rhetorics about banning Muslims, encourage nuclear weapons, cut taxes on the rich, building a wall against Mexican immigrants, and anything what he said today, some politicians, even Republicans, made a terrible mistake about nominating him as the Republican presidentiable and with that, they're having second thoughts about running him for president. That is not right. And what kind of a strongman who believes that "he alone can fix it" or "he knows about ISIS more than the other generals" in the first place? This is just plain wrong and why would he encourage countries like Japan and South Korea to have nuclear weapons? Don't they know that they have terrible risks waiting amongst them if they had one? 

Think about this; in an event of a very powerful quake like the one five years ago, Japan's stockpile of nukes may fall down and cause a nightmarish chain reaction that would spell the end of Japan as they know it. Then, if South Korea gets their own nukes, it WOULD mean an easy target for the North Koreans to wipe out the entire South Korea and become a subject to Kim Jong-un's terms. This terrible fate should not happen and Democrats shouldn't let T____ become the next US President because if he does, mankind will soon fall because of his selfish desires of ruling the world. 

They've all seen senseless nightmares through the moments and they cannot allow T_____ to win the elections. That's why they have H_______'s back when they need it because not only she is a key role model, she's a great example to families, jobs, foreign policy, national security, and the world. 

Considering her resume of all the good work she have done as a lawyer, a first lady, a New York politician, and secretary of state, her track record might just be key of winning the election but it's not going to be an easy task as her Republican enemy throws everything at his disposal to hinder her progress but because of her "Stronger Together" slogan, C______'s not alone because she's got plenty of people to back her up to overcome the challenges and the obstacles in order to win the election and become the first American female president in history. If she wins, she will shape the very foundation of this world to the future that everyone can believe in. A future of families reunited, jobs for all, education for all, healthcare for all, everything to continue Obama's legacy for a brighter future that they've been worked very hard on and they can't let their hard work go to waste, all because of her selfish enemy whose motivation is only hatred and fear.

My thoughts: It's going to be a rough fight for the two of them because as these two are reaching the last two months of their campaigning, not to mention the three debates happening for the two of them, it's hard to say which of these two will prevail but I will say this...this will be the most challenging election year yet because with all the crisis going on, it's difficult to determine the winner but because of all the feat and hatred that T_____ delivers to all Americans and all the problems C_____ had faced, it would be best to have these two kicked out in the race and make room for the unsung heroes (the third party candidates) to take the center stage with their clean records. However, if those two still really matters to the ordinary American citizens, it's their call. Like that certain Republican said in Ohio, you must vote with your conscience. No wonder he got booed for that one but given to this state of play, it feels like T_____'s conscience is dead and he's going haywire unless C_____ can stop his rhetoric madness and provocations he's throwing to the American public.

Oh yeah, I'll give you a little trick because there are some have that little spark of the old Top Gear fandom and to make things easier on the choice to become the next leader...

Not sure?

That explains it...

Leopaul's Heaven and Hell: The Trouble with Europe

Come 23rd of June, every single Brit in the UK will take part in the historical EU referendum and decide whether the UK should stay or leave the European Union once and fol all. With the world eyes on the fate of Great Britain, that begs me one thing, what's with the trouble with Europe anyway?

Europe has been the hallmark of culture, ideals, and ambitions that inspired many from across the globe. In the aftermath of two World Wars, the European Union was founded to restore order among the European countries that bear scars from the wars and unite as one not just economically but politically as well.

I'm not into this but if you want to know how does the European Union works, here's a clip that will sum everything up...

So, now that you understand how the European Union works, let's talk about the trouble with Europe right now and why UK's referendum, due Thursday, matters. Ever since the relentless wars in the Middle East and Africa, Europe had faced a massive string of migrants, which is the largest since the Second World War, and how European nations deal with them is everyone's guess. Some nations like Germany opening up asylum for refugees while some like Hungary trying to restrict them access due to security reasons. To the eyes of EU bureaucrats, dealing with the endless migration of refugees from unstable countries is an endless nightmare that some may think this is the end of it, in fact, this is ONLY the beginning for them. And now, following the attacks on Paris, France, and Brussels, Belgium, looks like the EU is partly to blame the migrants and refugees because some of the terrorists, mostly from the armed terrorist organization ISIS, got mixed up with them, therefore attacks in Europe are extremely likely thanks to them.

Another major problem is the economy and who can remember the infamous "Grexit" from last year? Experts like to blame the Euro currency for everything. Since the late 90's, the establishment of the Euro currency meant to keep the EU member states (well, except for the Danes, Swedes, and Brits for some reason) economically stable as possible but since the aftermath of the world financial crisis in late 2008 (the Lehman shock, of course), economy in EU is becoming stagnant and one of the countries that hit hard is Greece. About last year, Alexis Tsipras, the Greek prime minister who was elected on an anti-austerity platform, urged his citizens to vote against a renegotiated bailout agreement, raising awareness of the nation's possible exit from the eurozone, but a month later, Greece accepted the negotiations from the top European officials on the 86 billion Euro bailout package that will save the nation from impending bankruptcy. The Greeks are safe for now but how long till it last before the Greeks face another financial problem shortly after the imminent Brexit vote?

Europe's rich in culture because of the valuable history it provided in terms of arts and music. With the rise of the Creative Europe programme, the sectors of culture, media, cross-sector, and other forms were covered for those that give life to European culture. One of the biggest contributions to European culture is the European Union Youth Orchestra, which will celebrate its 40th anniversary this year, noteworthy of its talented youth preserving their love of classical music created by Europe's finest in history. Sadly, their 40th anniversary celebration is a nightmare because they're on the verge of disbandment due to financial reasons, resulting to cancellation of their upcoming 40th anniversary events as well. Culture-loving individuals felt saddened to the sudden announcement of EUYO's closure until early this month, European Commision President Jean-Claude Juncker announced the proposals to enable the EU to return to core funding the EUYO. So, is the EUYO saved? In a nutshell, yes, for now, but how long this the longest-running youth orchestra in Europe will last?

Now, onto the Brexit vote and how did the UK triggered such a referendum that decides the fate of the great nation? Some say, the UK had fed up with the EU regulations in terms of economy, politics, national security, and many others, while some believed that the EU leadership has gone over the line and if no other actions were taken, it would be catastrophic for the bloc. Well, this is only a hunch but this is why the UK triggered the referendum. For some who campaigned on the "Remain" side, people including the PM David Cameron feared that the UK will face disastrous results in jobs and livelihood of the Brits. Not only that, it may trigger another referendum on the Scottish independence and if Scotland leaves UK, it may find its way to EU membership. For the "Brexit" side, people like Nigel Farage and former London mayor Boris Johnson, having the UK left the EU means they are free to do whatever they want in terms of economy, healthcare, national security, jobs, livelihood, and others.

Those Brexit spearheaders, looks like they want to do things in Trump's favor because the highly criticized presumptive Republican presidentiable believes that the UK will be more successful when it leaves the EU. Yeah, right. If that case of Brexit triggers, how would Trump and Hillary Clinton comment about this on their US presidential debate on the road to November's presidential elections? We'll never know until the Trump's unleashed his so-called trump card to woo the people to make him the new world leader in the same way how Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte lures the crowd to make him rule the Philippines with an iron fist. Sorry, if I had to say that but if Duterte's going to comment about Brexit, it would mean an added expletive dialogue condemning UK's decision to leave the EU.

The road to the imminent EU referendum became so life-threatening, in fact, there's one that claimed its life and that was none other than the MP named Jo Cox, who was brutally murdered by an assailant for no reason. Cox was one of the key people who campaigned the "Remain" side and following her death, campaigning for both sides have been temporarily halt to pay respects for her. I had high respects for her because despite her short-lived political career, Jo Cox became one of the most influential MPs in Great Britain and I hope everyone who are deciding the fate of UK will be a dying wish for her, no matter the odds.

Since the beginning, there has been no single European country that left the Union, well, Greenland that is due to weakened links to Denmark. As historians asked, Greenland people voted to leave the EU in 1982 and they ceded in 1985, when Greenland gained their official flag. How the UK face the fate just like what happened in Greenland remains unclear and just like what happened, it will take less than three years to have this nation ceded from the union, I believe. However, that's not the end of the story because ahead of the Brexit vote, Switzerland withdraws its 24-year-old application to join the European Union.  That's the first time a candidate nation withdrawn its application from the EU. You should know that despite Switzerland refused to be part of the European Economic Area, of which non-EU members Iceland, Norway, and Lichtenstein, giving them access to the EU single market, it was connected by the Schengen Area, which encompasses most EU states, except for Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Ireland, Romania, and the UK.

Ah, the Brexit. Don't they have any idea how much paperwork the world will file into when the UK left the European Union for good? I mean, there are European subsidiaries of major companies that includes UK on it as well as UK's participation in European sports such as the Euro soccer league as well as the annual Six Nations rugby. Would you imagine the outcome what would it be like if UK is out of the EU? Sure, the UK and the EU had differences but it remains one of the most vital part of the EU not just for whatever the heck I mentioned up above but because with the UK, English is part of the EU language apart from German, French, Spanish, Nederlands, Italian, whatever language every European country knows. If UK leaves EU, then you won't be hearing English in EU meetings in Brussels, leaving just a union with nothing else to understand what they're talking about and pretty soon, UK feels as isolated from the world as North Korea. How pitiful for the fate of the once great nation.

For those Brits who are reading this, I know that this is a tough road for the UK if you are deciding whether the English-speaking country should leave or remain in the EU. If you are deciding the fate of the UK in the European Union, I'll leave it up to you all but just promise me that the United Kingdom can survive no matter what. The world depends on it. Whether if you're on the Remain side or Leave, please help save the Great Britain.

God Save Our Queen.

Rule Britannia.

Leopaul's Heaven and Hell: Thank you, μ's

μ's, the popular school idol unit from the Love Live! School Idol Project has came to a bittersweet but happy end after the highly successful Final Love Live concert and I have to make one final love letter to the school idol unit that became as popular as...ahem, those two Dubsmashing lovers I saw on TV.

I guess it's time for me to explain how it all started when I got sucked into μ's popularity. You see, even when the Love Live anime aired at the beginning of 2013, I never even heard of it while other people are starting to respect this show more than K-On! a few years ago. Running from two seasons and a full-length movie, the affair of μ's is becoming the trendsetter of every anime otaku worldwide and because μ's is gaining so much attention global, the whole global fanbase is starting to take action. One such example is the app game I played before; the School Idol Festival game. That's how I got into the μ's mess as well as my little sister. I got greeted by every member of the school idol group the world's talking about; Honoka Kousaka (Emi Nitta), Kotori Minami (Aya Uchida) Umi Sonoda (Suzuko Mimori), Rin Hoshizora (Riho Iida), Hanayo Koizumi (Yurika Kubo), Maki Nishikino (Pile), Eli Ayase (Yoshino Nanjo), Nozomi Tojo (Aina Kusuda), and Nico Yazawa (Sora Tokui). Even though I didn't saw the anime, their hit songs really grabbed the best of me like a grappling hook on a tall building. Daring, isn't it?

Thanks to  μ's, the whole world's gone Love Live crazy and it opened up new and exciting opportunities to bring its presence to the world stage. I was very impressed that these idols have became the talk of the town from otakus everywhere. They keep chatting about who's their favorite μ's idol, talk about stuff they saw in the anime, have their say on the women behind the voices of  μ's, everything. I even read pieces of intel about whatever  μ's-related folks, even women, put on in their nifty little diaries and post it anywhere, even instagram. I know, so much intelligence gathering is happening on right now about what's for dinner right now, what show did they watch, what game did they play, or whatever the heck is going on.

I love the idea is that  μ's really reminds me of AlDub but with nine times more manageable because with such success, the commercial endorsements rolled in to the world's number one fictional school idol group especially partnerships with numerous establishments across Japan. You compare these two popular things and you got yourself half-sum worth of accessible fandom the world has ever faced.

Humor me, has my love for  μ's pushed my long love affair with THE IDOLM@STER franchise to second place? Sounds cheesy but even though the Love Live franchise is a half a decade younger than the legendary IDOLM@STER franchise, its popularity made these two idol titans trading punches with each other and to my dismay, most people who used to be in IM@S territory were migrating to the  μ's side because, well, you get the idea.

I know that Haruka Amami is my love affair to the IM@S franchise but when  μ's leader Honoka Kousaka kicks in, I'm starting to fell myself into the conflict between my two favorite anime idols, even though these two managed to become at the top of the CUTE WALL against any other cute characters I mentioned. Yes, they really are the cutest of the anime idol girls but if I had to choose one, it's a tough decision. Either way, they're like a part of me I wouldn't let go.

Watching both of the series gave me a quick reminder about why I got dragged into this idol mess while my little sister wouldn't mind. Getting dragged into this "idol hell" means all of my allowance has been long gone thanks to them and with those anime idol girls begin to haunt me for the rest of my life, I can't escape from their charming grasps even if I have to do by any means necessary to get out alive but no. No matter how many times I escape, they're still onto me no matter what.

Anyway, no time for further explanations about the conflict between the two idol giants because let's talk about the Final Love Live concert happened at the Tokyo Dome last night and don't worry because even you and I never make it to the final concert with  μ's, the playlist of the best of  μ's (including their final song MOMENT RING) as well the whole collection of  μ's figures (Nendoroids and SH Figuarts became a necessity because the figma lineup wasn't complete yet) and some endless imagination like from the AlDub concert last October is sure enough to bring the Final Love Live into the comfort of our homes. Judging what  μ's been through after its summer 2010 debut with their song "Bokurano Live Kimitono Life", the world's number one school idol unit unleashed the coup de grace just to kick the fans' butts to greater heights, delivering the moment they will never forget when they got out from the Tokyo Dome after their final live show. Yeah, this concert became the best sendoff  μ's has ever done.

The girls behind the  μ's gave everything they got to bring this Final Love Live one of the most successful events in anime history but for me, I have big respect for the woman who voiced Eli Ayase, Yoshino Nanjo. Ever since the girl behind my dear Elichika couldn't make it in one of  μ's performances such as the live television performance at Music Japan as well as the annual Kahotan new year's eve concert, I'm starting to grow disrespect from her but with Nanjorno appeared at the Final Love Live, I knew this lady gave her colleagues plenty of reasons to worry but she held out on her own out there because...she's an effing  μ's! (laughing heartly)

So, with the Final Love Live's finally finished, looks like the women behind  μ's will be back to their regular selves again. Mimorin's done being Umi Sonoda and returns to being Sherlock Shellingford from Milky Holmes. Nanjorno, meanwhile, will revert from being the vocalist of fripside as we know it. Everything's back to normal but the echoes of  μ's final concert will never be forgotten. This is the end of  μ's as we knew it but it's a prologue to the new generation of Love Live, mainly Aqours of Love Live! Sunshine!! While waiting for Aqours' next single coming this year as well as their upcoming anime show, guess this is a start of something new and I'm just warming up to prepare for Aqours because...there's now someone from the second generation who will wet my pants in bedtime. Particularly the swimmer from Aqours, You Watanabe. (laughing)

Love Live Forever!!!!!!!!!

Leopaul's Heaven and Hell: Remembering the Master Showman

Kuya Germs

I know, I did missed the news that the Filipino showbiz legend German "Kuya Germs" Moreno died because of cardiac arrest last Friday at the age of 82. I didn't know that despite his old age, he was as energetic as ever not just as a legendary presenter on Philippine TV but as a kind-hearted producer giving birth to the freshest talents.

Before I was born, my parents remembered Kuya Germs for his eclectic performances not just as a legendary presenter but as an actor who appeared in numerous TV shows and movies. When I was existed, I'm starting to grew fondly on how Kuya Germs managed to see his energetic self in action. 

Behind the scenes, while he was not doing his acting career, he shifted himself as a talent producer, discovering good talents to raise with since That's Entertainment. Of course, I am not familiar with the show That's Entertainment because I haven't been born yet, but in my reading of Philippine showbiz mentality, that show has spawned numerous legendary celebs, most of which we know today.

Since his death, numerous celebrities across the Philippines had paid numerous tributes to the legend known as the Master Showman, the presenter who will be admired for his "Walang Tulugan" concept and be remembered for his lifetime achievements he done in the world of Philippine showbizness.

From being a janitor in a theater in Manila to the legendary presenter, actor, and talent manager, Kuya Germs will be longly remembered by us, Filipinos, for many generations to come and as for me, I have to give a heartfelt thanks to the legend that shaped the Filipino showbizness forever.

Thank You, Kuya Germs. (1933-2016)

Leopaul's Heaven and Hell: Why I love AlDub

Come tomorrow, the world is all one because of the biggest AlDub event of a lifetime and everyone's fighting to get their seats taken for the biggest and grandest moment they will surely never forget. Although some people couldn't make it had a chance to see it live on television, which is very nice because that big Filipino network known as GMA are very nice to the AlDub Nation so much, they decided to show the big AlDub event to the world and smash records like how many AlDub-related tweets recorded enough to ruin the entire internet.

Before I'm taking part to this biggest celebration every AlDub Nation's dying to see it, let me take the time to ask one thing that...why I'm in love with the AlDub love story,

In the beginning, well, the 16th of July to be exact, when Lola Nidora is busy with the whole Problem Solving segment in Eat Bulaga, and when Alden Richards became one of the Eat Bulaga presenters for the whole "That's My BAE" contest, this is where the love story between Alden and Yaya Dub begins and as weeks have pass, nothing is more tastier and more sweeter than seeing these two DubSmash each other until Lola Nidora plots some conniving ways to separate them. That signalled the birth of the term "Kalyeserye", where Juan can witness every moment after moment regardless of which barangay the presenters are on and so is Yaya Dub.

Through the weeks, we've been introduced by some of the wackiest characters in the Kalyeserye gig. From Lola Nidora's henchmen mostly called Rogelio, Frankie Amoy Arinolli, Duhrizz, Tidora and her Bernardos, Tinidora and her zombie friends called Quando, the mayor doma named Rihanna, Isadora, and many many others, those hilarious characters are spicing up the AlDub love story and no matter what stuff Lola Nidora throws at these two, there's no stopping them, not even the plywood that can separate them.

At first, I thought it was a stupid idea, seeing these two untalkative lovers use some sound bites, mainly from other shows, movies, and songs, to communicate each other. I might think that Yaya Dub could be a robot because robots tend to have recorded messages on their hard drive and play it randomly and that's some conspiracy worthy of Ford Pines himself. Oh, and if you don't know who in the world is Ford Pines, you guys didn't watch Gravity Falls because he's the long lost twin of Grunkle Stan and the six-fingered man behind the mystery journals Dipper's desperate to find out. Anyway, no time to inject Gravity Falls stuff on this article, well in case Mabel's going to spill it anyway for fun, back to my newfound love for AlDub because like I said, I thought this is a very stupid idea for a TV network to pull such a gig but as weeks pass by, their kalyeserye idea DID WORK...BRILLIANTLY.

Because Kalyeserye became a very brilliant gig full stop, they decided to be part of the show before it ends and now, it became a Filipino tradition to have their TVs set to Eat Bulaga and then wait before the Kalyeserye portion airs. It starts with a honk honk, well, a normal car honk honk, and then the drama unfolds until the big truck horn honks, signalling the end of another Kalyeserye day and pick it up on the next day. Simple as that.

It's not just the love story I like the most about the AlDub shindig, it's the sound bites they pulled off. From the Chinese (vietnamese, I presume?) sound bite I don't really know what that is to the fabled Pabebe Girls (wonder how will the original Pabebe Girls react upon using their infamous dialog for AlDub antics) sound bite, nothing is more so than their favorite songs playing in on their mouths.

Because of that, most songs like Ed Sheeran's Thinking Out Loud (Lola Nidora calls it Darling I), Twerk It, Bryan White's God Gave Me You, BIGBANG's Fantastic Baby, and many others including the ladder-laden Mambo No. 5, are now stuck in every AlDub Nation's heads right now, even me. They even manage to create fanmade AlDub playlists just for the heck of it. But hey, not only most foreign songs made the cut to the AlDub gig, there are some almost-forgotten OPM hits came alive because of AlDub. 

One thing I'm particularly keen about is the song that goes "Naniniwala na ako sa forever, pag mula nang makilala kita" and that song is question is sung by none other than the love team known as JaDine (James Reid and Nadine Lustre). Odd because why would AlDub DubSmashed a song done by the Kapamilya love team famous for their on-screen antics at their TV drama On The Wings Of Love?

Maybe AlDub wanted a piece of it until JaDine gets furious enough to meet them face to face in the same way why Bryan White's going to the Philippines and wants a piece of it to AlDub. Looks like I am as suspicious as that guy from Ancient Aliens.

Another thing why there are some wanted a piece of it is the blind date segment from It's Showtime called "Nasaan Ka, Mr. Pastillas?" where a handful of males trying their shot to date the internet sensation they called her Pastillas Girl. We thought it was a clever way to win back fans succumbed from the AlDub menace but guess what? You lose, boy. Your Twitterserye plans don't work because more and more will always plugged their heads to AlDub as long as they like. Too bad I find the whole Pastillas stuff boring and it was only outclassed by the TV show starring Nadine and James.

A rivalry between JaDine and AlDub is like...um...a choice between IDOLM@STER and Love Live. If you pick something that has more appealing, more fan base, and more firepower than any other, you are going to be on that side but your allegiances might change like a drop of a hat. Does that make you feel like you're a double crosser or being double crossed for all the wrong barrels? Hard to believe I am one of the few idiots who can double cross a certain fan base but hey, that's life. You can't fast-talk your way out until someone knows your dirty secret much like my younger sister who found out that an IM@S fan like me had a piece of Love Live in my room. Yep, I'm a double crosser bu that's all in the name of intelligence and reconnaissance. Something what a 00 Agent from MI6 would do going undercover as a talent producer for a certain talent agency.

In the end, I have a choice. Should I go for the burger steak or a chicken fillet ala king? JaDine or AlDub? I'm pretty sure, I already know my choice is so don't etching me because if you're going to ask which side I am on, it would be nobody because there are some who turned out to be double crossers but since I'm not a big JaDine fan because I got bored with OTWOL, I'd better stick with the AlDub because all of their shenanigans are well and truly payed off to become the national couple of the Philippines and soon the world.

Anyway, that's enough for it. I need to go now. I have to be fully prepared for the big AlDub day tomorrow. Yo, Buddy? You still awake? Thanks for reading and see you soon.

Leopaul's Heaven and Hell: Some video games don't understand the past

A few days ago, I bought myself a compilation of old video games for my XBOX One console called Rare Replay, and I am utterly enjoyed by the British-based video game developer's history lesson in the form of thirty greatest hits. For me, the games I have enjoyed playing the most on their greatest hits are the Perfect Dark series because they made my pants wet everytime when I go to bed, remembering what am I doing during hours of gameplay with these first-person shooters.

Thanks to Rare Replay, some people involved in the world of video games do very well when it comes to recalling their past achievements and show it to the new generation of gamers much like those classic Fisher-Price toys sold in most stores where parents remembered playing one in their toddler years and then show it to their kids. That begs me the question, do some video games understand their past feats...or not at all for numerous reasons?!

Ever since the XBOX One and PS4 were launched to the world two years ago, the words "Backwards Compatibility" is no longer in their vocabulary and that shocked most video game aficionados like you and I. In the past, we were able to play our old games in modern-day consoles not only for nostalgic reasons but to pass the time of our own. Yes, our PS3 consoles (depending on the model) can play your old PSX and PS2 games, our XBOX 360 consoles can play old XBOX games, the list goes on and on, but with consoles like the PS4 and the XBOX One, that argument holds no value anymore.

However, this year, the tables have been turned because back in E3, Microsoft announced that their next update to their XBOX One console will have backwards capability with almost all XBOX 360 games. Yes. You can play most of your old XBOX 360 games like your XBOX 360 versions of your favorite IDOLM@STER games, Ridge Racer 6, Beautiful Katamari, or any other XBOX 360 games you have on your XBOX One and record most of your favorite moments either snapshot or Game DVR. That is a wonderful feature but what about the PS4 per se? Well, sadly, the blokes from Sony rejected the idea because, well, they're not interested with their past games playing on their modern equivalents, but they did offer a feature where users can play PS3 games in PS4 via Playstation Now subscription but the games offered are very limited and they're just a bit pointless. There's almost none of your favorite PS3 games where you can share your favorite moments by pressing the Share button from your PS4 controller.

This is much like a similar problem that I faced with my PS Vita a few years back because when I played a certain PSX game or a PSP game in my PSVita and engage the special feature that can create a snapshot, it displayed a message saying I cannot create a screenshot on this game. What was that? Something needs to resolve this issue.

That's the problem with today's video games right now because for some, the past is no longer bearing with them and it will be best to have them wither away like the sands from the beach and decided to push forward to the future. Does forgetting the past makes them more interesting or less interesting?

Okay, enough with the console chitchat and into every video game franchises because with most franchises advanced and ready for the next generation, there are, of course, some are completely forgotten from the history books or not ready to adapt themselves to the new generation of gamers for numerous reasons we don't understand. Take this Katamari Damacy series, for instance, it has spawned six installments; two for PS2, one for PSP, one for XBOX 360, one for PS3, and one for PS Vita, among many others. We all enjoy playing as the Prince and his cousins rolling stuff big and small but sadly, we have no word from the Cosmos on when will they return. Looks like their little adventures had come to an premature end. Man, if only the folks from Bandai Namco could return the Katamari games, just for the PS4 if I'm hopeful.

There are some other video game franchises that couldn't adapt to the next generation of gamers for numerous reasons such as Crash Bandicoot, Syphon Filter (if the folks from Sony plan to reboot it), Suikoden, Castlevania, Project Gotham Racing, Monster Rancher, Dino Crisis, Tokimeki Memorial, the Shutokou Battle series, the .hack// games, name any video game franchise that stopped after making numerous installments. Couple of reasons why can be jotted down to lack of audience, lack of funds, lack of manpower, and many other reasons some installments from the past stopped after making numerous installments, and I think that's quite odd that even for big-time video game makers, they just let their glorious past works rot like they have no residual value at all.

There are some who are wished to have their past favorites be spawned in either an HD remaster or Definitive Edition. I once had HD remastered versions of my games like Metal Gear Solid, Zone of the Enders, and Tales of Symphonia and with games like these, they sure know how to remember the past and that's a good thing. This whole HD remastering business is like remastering a very old movie and make it watchable to the new generation of viewers, it sounds like a brilliant idea but what's not so brilliant is the market size needed to pay for the development fee to create an HD remaster. One such example that I have encountered before is the Xenosaga trilogy. The sci-fi JRPG trilogy was released on the PS2 from 2002 to 2006 and with some gamers truly remember the trilogy for its graphics and the incredible storyline, they really wish that this trilogy would be remastered so they can play it with their newer consoles but sadly, the producers couldn't make it because it was expensive and it needed lots of manpower to make it possible. Pity, we just wanted to see some remastered versions for newer generations to see, and EA, if you're reading this, we just wanted to see a definitive edition of the Mass Effect trilogy complete with all the extras.

Reboots aren't a bad idea and such example is in the case of the Pokemon games, which the latest versions, the Omega Ruby and the Alpha Sapphire games on the 3DS, can trace back through their original GBA counterparts, the Advanced Generation years. The idea about a rebooted game is looking back in the past and resurrect it with some peppered features that its original counterpart couldn't had. One of my favorite examples of a rebooted game is the 007 GoldenEye game. I once played the old N64 version as well as my siblings because it was very enjoyable and because it was very enjoyable, it became a template of all shooter games thanks to its multiplayer. When the rebooted version of GoldenEye came out on Wii back in 2010 as well as its Reloaded versions in XBOX 360 and PS3 a year later, I had no words to describe it but it feels more tougher and more realistic than the original N64 version I used to have.

As gamers, looking back at the past is just one of the main reasons why we love playing video games and with the rise of next-gen gaming thanks to the PS4, XBOX One, and Wii U, it's hard to see one of our favorite franchises rising up to the challenge or give up. We are expecting Metal Gear Solid V The Phantom Pain to arrive in our next-gen consoles this September, we are looking forward for an IDOLM@STER game in the PS4 in the near future, we are really hoping for a Gran Turismo PS4 (if they have the guts to make one), yes, some franchises really stepping up to the future, but if I had a lot of wishes for video game makers to adapt in the fast-changing world, my wishes include Sony to reboot the Syphon Filter franchise from the very start, revive forgotten franchises like the Suikoden RPG or the Dino Crisis survival horror games, bring back long-running favorites such as Katamari Damacy, Ridge Racer, Castlevania, or other games I know, and in the name of anticipation of the upcoming Bond movie, Spectre, give us a brand new James Bond game fit for next-gen consoles so we can drive that brand-spanking new Aston Martin DB10 by ourselves and I wanna see how our new M, Ralph Fiennes, looks (or sounds) like in a video game!

Anyway, this ends here, but what I will say before I go is that video game makers are never too late to recover their pasts because if its like deleted them from their recycle bin, they're gone for good and never come back for the new kinds of people who are willing to get their hands on.

Here's for the past, present, and future of video games.

Leopaul's Heaven and Hell: Fighter's Honor

In the world of boxing, there are different kinds of fighters we faced. There are fighters who lived by pride, those who strategize very well, those who uphold honor, those who fall, those who bring death, those who lived to battle, those with experience, those with their undying faith to God, those who witnessed it, those who guard, and those who started a revolution. These are the kinds of fighters we saw in the ring and no matter how big-shot these famed boxers are, they're still bound to their fighter's honor. Some maintained theirs, others corrupted it by any means.

For a guy like Manny Pacquiao, having his honor maintained a fighter is what made him special and no matter how high-profile or low-profile the foes he faced, be it Juan Manuel Marquez, Erik Morales, Shane Mosley, Tim Bradley, Brandon Rios, Chris Algieri, or any known boxer he faced, be it a win or a loss, his fighter's honor tested him and such courage snagged him multiple titles in his belt.

Now, his fighter's honor is resting on his shoulders because he's going to face the undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr. in the world's greatest boxing match in human history this May and what we have here, ladies and gents, is a match between two of the world's biggest fighters.

I can really see why it's happening and why is everyone salivated for it but behind the scenes, looks like both of the fighters are having their honors degrading, well for Mayweather because he had dealt with too much media maulings, looks like this fighter who lives by pride had his pride haunted through him.

I know that pride is considered one of the seven deadly sins by some but for some boxers, they don't know what is the true meaning of pride, perhaps those who knew that pride is measured by their success never realized that they're starting to become more hysterical than what their former selves be. Looks like his ego drove him like a wolf that can chew through any leash.

For Manny, although he's a high-profile fighter, he doesn't live by his pride. He upholds his honor not just at the ring but also outside the ring, from his celebrity status, his politician status, and his faith to God. He's a man of many roles and he can take on any things he wants, even for his own family. Although he's a man who upholds honor, his beginnings wasn't that humble because...well, if you guys watched that Kid Kulafu movie, you'd probably know who he is...but, still, you get the idea.

Like Mayweather, Pacquiao is somewhat more of a dog that was leashed by money but soon, he'll become more of a wolf. A wolf that can chew through any leash and yes, I said that earlier, because money isn't what made Pacquiao a famed fighter in his own right, its his dark past that made him a stronger fighter, but sooner or later, his old "Kid Kulafu" past will haunt him right through his soul and therefore lost the will to fight even outside the ring. 

That sounds so sad but having learned through experience, Pacman's no quitter. He has the strength, and the willpower to get himself up and finish where he started and for the upcoming fight with Mayweather, he will give everything he got to finish the job, no matter the result.

For Mayweather, challenging Pacquiao is a big way to think that his pride is always on his side because he remains his outstanding record for winning matches and the fact of being an undefeated champ as of now. For Pacquiao, challenging Mayweather is all about having his honor tested. Let's remember that it was the Pacman's fist that caused Bradley (on his second encounter) and Algieri taste their first defeat and for this ultimate match, this will be very one-sided. It's about a battle between pride and honor and which side should they'll be on? Mayweather lives by pride and Pacquiao upholds his honor as a fighter, no matter which side you're on, it's all in the name of fighter's honor.

Pacman, your biggest fight for your life is almost here and this is the chance you've been waiting for! Remember, GET OUT AND GIVE HIM HELL! We're all praying for your success!!!

GO MANNY!!!