Masiu Mayor Allegedly Involved in Golf Course Altercation

I was shocked to see this on the news last night.

Regardless of whether this is true or not, I was glad that the media did not play the ethnicity/religion card this time. Could the media have matured already?

Maranaos, and other Filipino muslims in general, have worked long and hard for mainstream acceptance. Veiled women can now wear their headresses in public without fear of people giving them the stink-eye. Even recent advertisements on TV now try hard to include muslim minorities when the ads feature people of the Philippines.

It's good that there was no emphasis on the Pangandamans being muslims or Maranaos. I remember cringing and waiting for the mention of either 'M' words, and I was relieved that it did not happen. It was just a case of an arrogant mayor and his bodyguards allegedly beating up a father-son pair.

Here is the link: http://vicissitude-decidido.blogspot.com/2008/12/world-is-fucked-up.html

And read the comments here: http://www.ellentordesillas.com/?p=3700

And here: http://www.quezon.ph/2104/impunity-2/#comment-1006063

Here: http://pedestrianobserver.blogspot.com/2008/12/bully-foolitician-nasser-pangandaman-jr.html

Check out sultanoflanao.com!

Hey guys! Please check out the site I'm making for my uncle: http://www.sultanoflanao.com. It's a basic, static HTML site, but I'm planning to make it more dynamic as soon as traffic picks up

Team Philippines Chuck Taylor

Here are the Chucks that I made as a tribute to the Philippine Olympic Team for the Beijing Olympics. I made the shoes two weeks before the start of the Olympics, but I was so lazy to post this because the Philippine team kinda sucks right now. Maybe seeing this will give them inspiration or something. Philippine Olympic Team on Yahoo!

I used Kurecolor markers, since Copic markers are hard to find here in the Philippines. I sprayed it with a waterproof fixative for fabrics. I didn't use textile paint or acrylic paint because I didn't want to lose the texture of the canvas, plus it will look thicker. I recently acquired iron-on Pastel Dye Sticks for fabrics from Pentel, and I must say they hold up very well to frequent washing, so I might try it on my next shoe.

UPDATE: Fully Booked in Bonifacio High Street sells Copic markers for P175!

I can make you a pair for P1000 using Greenhills knockoffs or P2500 using genuine Chuck Taylors. Cost does not include shipping/delivery. I accept COD for Metro Manila buyers, and PayPal for international buyers.

Size	4241403938373635

Dags' Christmas Presentation

Here's Rashid's first program at Sacred Heart School Merville. We were very excited because the school puts together nice programs. Rashid first danced at Create, which is a very, very, very good school, but their programs are sh*tty.

Racism In The Philippines

Here's something I wrote which got published in Inquirer's Youngblood column. I wrote this about five years ago. It's been such a long time since I last posted here 'coz I don't have time to write new stuff, so I thought I'd start the year with a retrospect.

Racism in the Philippines
By Amiruddin Dianalan

YES, it's true. Most Filipinos hate Muslims, even if they don't know they do. Ever since I was a kid, I have seen and experienced the prejudice against Muslims. I guess I'm just lucky that I'm spared most of the discrimination that other Muslims are subjected to. I guess I'm lucky that I grew up in Manila, so I don't have that funny accent. I guess I'm lucky that I'm tall, light-skinned and that I have a face that's easy on the eyes. In the words of others, I don't look like a Muslim. That remark offends me. Just what is a Muslim supposed to look like? I always ask them. I never felt myself to be lucky because I "don't look like a Muslim." In fact, I feel what the other Muslims are going through. What if I looked like them? How would I feel? I have always felt that the racism here is analogous to what's going on in the US, where Muslims are the black people and the rest of the Filipinos are the white people.

Sometimes when I go out and I wear my tutub (Muslim skullcap), I feel that racism. Nobody could look me in the eye, and I could feel their eyes looking at me behind my back. I could feel them squirming in their seats, tension so thick in the air, as if I were a terrorist with a bomb. Most people are afraid to sit beside me. In the MRT, guards double-check my bag, and nobody wants to sit beside me. But minus the tutub and beard, the same guards just wave me through, and people make an opening in the seats so I could squeeze in. It's so sad.
I noticed the racism even when I was young. I was five years old, in first grade, and already I could feel the bigotry of my classmates. At that age, I couldn't help but feel bothered. Good thing it didn't have a traumatic effect on me, but it helped me understand why most Filipino Muslims suffer from an inferiority complex. Many a times, I would hear my classmates say to their friends, "Uy, 'wag ka makipaglaro d'yan, Muslim 'yan! Pupugutan ka n'yan!" (Hey, don't play with him, he's a Muslim. He'll cut your head off!)

When my sister was in third grade in her exclusive all-girl private Catholic school, her pencil rolled off her desk and she couldn't reach it. None of her classmates wanted to get it, or even touch her other things, for that matter. Why? Because she was Muslim. How would nine-year-old girls know how to hate Muslims if no one taught them? I guess education in racism starts early.

How about those taxi drivers who refuse to ferry women with headdresses? They don't even stop if those women flag them.

I think the media is largely at fault here. Why do the headlines always read "Muslim kills, steals, etc." when a Muslim commits a crime? But when people of other religions or sects commit a crime, it is never indicated. Have you ever seen a headline that said "Christian robs bank" or "Iglesia ni Cristo member kills wife" or "Born-again arrested for estafa"?

Filipinos brag to the world about their diverse culture, but are actually ashamed of it. Many will find it hard to admit, but deep down, they know. Like I've always said: The only time that the Philippines will have a Muslim president is the time that America will have a black president.

Glorietta 2 Bombing

Here's a video that I took while on the way out of Glorietta 4. Please be patient while it loads. There's not much to see, but hearing the screams still brings chills to my spine.

I was walking near Jollibee Glorietta 4 when it happened. My back was turned to Glorietta 2, when I saw the window glass of Jollibee ripple and felt a shockwave pass through my chest. I thought one of the streamers in the Activity Center fell down or something, so I turned around. It was so surreal. I surveyed the Activity Center and everything was okay. People were walking around as if nothing happened... and then panic ensued. It was like I was in a movie set and the director suddenly yelled 'Action!'. A cloud of smoke seeped from Glorietta 2. People running away from the scene. Screaming. I knew something bad happened but my survival instinct wouldn't kick in. I knew I had to go out of the mall, but curiosity got the better of me. I was even actually contemplating about moving towards Glorietta 2 for a closer look. Better judgement kicked in, so I walked back towards the Glorietta 4 exit.

I couldn't resist not knowing what happened, so I walked outside Glorietta 4 towards Glorietta 2. They already cordoned off the road between Glorietta and Landmark, and I saw that EMT guys were trying to revive a man in a tattered gray shirt. I had to go around Landmark to get to Glorietta 2, and when I got there I knew that a bomb exploded. They were saying it was an LPG explosion, but it was too strong. Plus, the blast happened in the lobby of Glorietta 2 and there were no restaurants nearby.

The scary part is that I was at the blast site 10 minutes before the explosion. I came from Netopia in Park Square 1 where I printed something from my email.

Wooden Heart

Hehe, I just found this on IMEEM! Brings back good memories... I'm going to forward this to Adrian Loo to show him the testimonials in the song. I'm not sure he totally believed me when I said that this song was a really big hit in the Philippines back in 1995

The Lizards' Convention

Wahaha! I can't believe it! At 25, I wrote my first fan mail!

http://seastars2007.wordpress.com/the-musicians/#comment-92

Check it out!

Does anyone else remember The Lizards' Convention? Remember that Elvis Presley cover, "Wooden Heart"? I'm sure you remember the song, if not the band. It was all over the airwaves towards the end of 1995, if I remember correctly. I was in my "metal" phase back then (note: Filipino pronunciation please! As in "hip-hop versus metal" or "Punks Not Dead"), so my cassette of The Lizards' Convention's album was a guilty pleasure.

Anyway, I'm not in a mood to write, so pardon the composition.

Back to the story: Even after more than 10 years, I still have not forgotten how much I enjoyed the album. I always sing and play on the guitar the first verse of II-I, my favorite song on that album. (I just pluck the 1st three strings of the D chord and then move it up two frets).

I've always wondered what happened to them, since in they were a one-hit wonder. With the power of the Internet, I was able to find that they were supposed to release a follow up album but due to difficulties, it was never released. I'm also sad to report that the band is no longer together, but here's hoping that they get back for a reunion album!

I was desperate to complete the song, but the chords weren't available on any website, so I emailed Adrian Loo...

Here's a link to their Geocities website:

http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Backstage/2337/

I hope I get a reply!

Nike Free 7.0 v2 MiRU Edition

Check it out! It's the Nike Free 7.0 v2 MiRU Edition!

Exactly one year after the highly successful release of the first shoe, the Nike Free 5.0 MiRU Edition, comes this much anticipated release.

Decked in the traditional MiRU livery of University Blue and Safety Orange, the 7.0 is the evolution of the original 5.0.

I Love Team Manila!

Just visited the Team Manila website... haaaaay... I've wanted one since beginning of last year.


Too bad I didn't have money when they had a moving out sale last year. They're currently located at Jupiter Ave. My sister knows someone from Team Manila and she was bugging me to go to their Ecoville Office 'coz the prices were so low it was almost like they were giving it away.




It's too bad that the shirts are so expensive... 500 bucks a pop. Happy Days shirts sell for half that!

Visit the Team Manila website, here are my favorites:

1. Urban Rail System
2. Manila Style
3. Ate Ging Shirt
4. Soul Manila
5. Familia Numero Uno
6. Pier Electronica
7. Jack & Poy Olympics
8. Turo Turo Araw Araw
9. Rocking The Third World
10. Tandang Sora
11. Soma
12. Dirty Ice Cream

http://teammanilalifestyle.com/