10 Questions I (Really) Want Answered

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I’ve always wondered about a lot of things and why or how they happen. Especially when I’m alone, the mood to become an over thinker consumes me with so much energy that often I become too paranoid and crazy. It helps that my family are a bunch of conspiracy theorists and pseudo omnipotent political analysts-slash-talent scouts who never stop yapping about the world, their views and how to drown those worries away by watching Iron Chef.

10. Why do Pinoys think sex when they hear the sax opening on (Wham) George Michael’s Careless Whisper? Admit it, a steamy bed scene ensues in your head whenever you hear this song. Nevermind that this song isn’t really about sex but almost everyone I know would either blush or say “It’s sexy time!” almost instantly. Because the sax opens the song, people tend to forget about the lyrics and concentrate more on it’s perceived sensuality.

9. Why do we love cooking shows? I love Iron Chef to bits, especially the Japanese version because their chairman is much more energetic and anime-ish. Food is no doubt a basic necessity so it’s no wonder we even bother to watch or buy cooking stuff. But my fascination with cooking shows is beyond their entertainment and ‘necessity’ value: I love it primarily because it’s about food (duh) and it allows me to see myself as a chef. Not that I’ve always wanted to be one but it’s more of a woman thing; that perception of being a good wife entails being good in the kitchen. The perception is a bit out dated but as I come from a traditional Pinoy family, this holds true for me. I know how to cook but only the basic stuff (frying, adobo, chopsuey and nilagang whatever) and I would love to enroll in short baking and cooking courses in the future…if my schedule permits.

8. Why does GMA-7 keep giving projects to Richard Guttierez and Sunshine Dizon? Doesn’t it seem strange that these two people always get something from GMA? Richard Guttierez is a looker but that’s it. Darn it, he doesn’t even have the knack for acting. He’s only good for hauling in tons of female viewers for his soaps and primetime dramas. Sunshine Dizon, on the other hand, knows how to cry and be mean. And that’s it. I don’t think she’s got what it takes to be a lead because, let’s face it, leads in our entertainment industry must be eye candies. Never mind that they can’t act, but they should be good-looking, have porcelain skin and be sexy. Richard Guttierez is always cast as a lead because of these reasons but Sunshine Dizon is always given projects because of her acting skills. I get irritated seeing these two people constantly on t.v. in supposed ‘different roles’ but (eow) not really. Dennis Trillo is a hottie, plus he’s got an award for his Aishitemasu performance years back, but he’s got a bad taste in choosing his roles. I mean, Majika, Super Twins and Zaido?!

7. How come only 4 universities in the country make it yearly in the top universities list? It’s sad but of all the top 500 universities in the world, only 4 Philippine universities constantly make it every year. This year, the University of the Philippines (UP) barely made it in the top 400 and Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), De La Salle University (DLSU) and the University of Santo Tomas (UST) trailed behind. Never mind the ranking or which Philippine university outranked the other three, the issue here isn’t about school rivalries but of the country’s decreasing quality of education. If you look at the list, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China and even Malaysia outnumbered us. UP, ADMU, DLSU and UST shouldn’t fight amongst themselves, instead they should seek to be competitive with other international universities to prove that we value education as much as they do.

I don’t mean to brag but of the 4 universities included in the list, UP is the only state university whereas the other three are private institutions. Being a state university entitles UP to have a budget cut every year causing a shortage on faculty, quality infrastrustures and educational materials like laboratory instruments, books or manuals. The lack of monetary funds cripples the university so much that now, UP has resorted to increasing the tuition fee. How can a student cope up with his academics if he lacks the materials and supplements he needs? Our scholars cannot forever rely on brains alone because we need the support from the government to fully utilize the sleeping potentials of UP. We cannot learn the theories and forget the application part; these two must go hand in hand. We have excellent and dedicated teachers and smart students but we lack the avenue for good facilities. I feel that a lot of potential is lost, not to mention, the opportunity to become even better members of the academe. I believe that if UP and other state universities are given more budget, the quality of education would tremendously be improved.

On a different note, these 4 universities shouldn’t be the only ones to try and be included in the top 500 list. Every university, college, heck, every educational institution in this country should dream and do whatever it takes to become better and be internationally competitive, to produce honest, hard-working and intelligent students and to be centers of excellence and moral aptitude. Let us not rely on UP, ADMU, DLSU and UST to be the sole frontrunners of Philippine education because they cannot carry the responsibility alone. Let us all do our part.

6. Why do we use chalk to prevent ants from invading our things? My roommate outlines her stuff with blackboard chalk to ‘prevent ants from attacking them’. At first, we thought that she must be joking but after some time, ants didn’t even come near her table anymore!

Our common blackboard chalk is composed of gypsum (calcium sulfate) which is used as a soil conditioner/fertilizer because it can soften the soil structure and repair it. Unfortunately, I haven’t come across any pesticide that uses gypsum as a main chemical. However, as ants love humidity, gypsum can relatively control and lessen humidity.

Might be true or not, try it then you decided.

5. Who is/are behind those witty forwarded text jokes? Have you ever wondered who originally sends out those forwarded messages about Erap, the English-speaking maid Inday, Ederlyn, those university quotes and all those pinoy jokes about Juan and Pedro? It’s as if these people spend a lot of time, effort and humor just to make us laugh. And I must say, I commend them for it.

Paano kung nagkrus and landas nyo ng taong nakatakda para sayo?
Paano kung nilapitan ka niya, tinitigan ka, sabay sabing…
‘jjamppong’?
***

3 guys nagkasala sa tribu:
Lider: dala kayo ng tig-sampung uri ng prutas!
Unang nakabalik si Juan, dala ang 10 santol…
Lider: ipasok sa puwet mo isa-isa ang santol, at ang tumawa o mangibit ay papatayin!
Unang santol pa lang, napangibit na si Juan kaya pinatay siya.
Sunod si Pedro na may dalang 10 ubas. Nasa ikasampung ubas na siya pero bigla siyang natawa! Pinatay siya.
Nagkita sa langit si Juan at si Pedro…
Juan: Buhay ka pa sana kung hindi tumawa sa huling ubas. Bakit ka pa kasi tumawa?
Pedro: Nakita ko kasi si Berto, may dalang 10 langka!
***

Erap: (nagtetext) Loi, last piso ko na ito. Papasa naman ng dalawang piso. May kailangan lang akong itext.
Loi: (sends two pesos)
Erap: Thanks! Got it!
Loi: Wag ka na magreply. Sayang!
Erap: Okay…

4. Why do we still believe in old traditions, aswangs and other Philippine mythical creatures? Religion is the opium of the people…to some degree I have to agree to that because it controls as it creates order and balance in our lives. Without it, we would be living without any purpose, without any direction. It explains what science cannot and in a way, it takes the burden of trying to explain things that we are unable to. Ghosts, engkantos, aswangs and other paranormal events exist with Religion, just like light and darkness and good and evil.

If you want a primer on being Pinoy, I recommend Neni Sta. Romana-Cruz’s You Know you’re Filipino if… and Don’t Take a Bath on a Friday. These books aim to tell what our traditions are, beliefs and how our Pinoy psyche works even in modern times.

3. How come we don’t have bus/jeep stops? And you ask why we get stuck in traffic almost everyday!? I notice some bus and jeep stops but most Pinoys ignore these places and get a ride wherever they want. They not only increase traffic but they add the risk of getting hit themselves.

The MMDA should just stop with their Metro Gwapo Project because they’re only making the streets of this country look more ridiculous than they already are. Those hideous plaster ‘works of art’ should be scrapped. The funding for the Metro Gwapo Project should be alloted to somewhere or something else, like getting more MMDA cops on the road, having more road signs or traffic lights, proper pedestrian lanes or just anything other than to continue those tasteless street graphic ’sculptures’.

2. How come Oyo Boy Sotto have such pretty girlfriends? He isn’t someone you’d call gwapo but why do beautiful women flock to him?! From Anne Curtis, Alessandra de Rossi, Angel Locsin and now even Kristine Hermosa?! Even older women have been linked to him like Bing Loyzaga and Amy Perez! He may not be good looking pero baka mabait siya. (HEHE)

1. Who is Ramon Bautista?

You’ve seen him on t.v. lots of times, especially if your an MTV buff. He hosts the Ramon Bautista Show on MTV and is already on his 2nd season. He interviews and goofs around Pinoy musicians but you can see his intent in spreading the ‘love’ for anything Pinoy and original. I love his brand of humor and sarcasm. In fact, he’s one of the few people who can make you laugh and think at the same time. He’s got excellent punchlines and chooses the coolest topics for him to play around with.

In case you guys don’t know, Ramon Bautista is a faculty member of the UP Film Institute, teaching courses like post-production, language & grammar of film, film sound, and animation. He is an award-winning independent filmmaker and animator, an actor, and a TV host & producer.

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Filed under Dennis Trillo, Erap, MMDA Gwapo Project, Ramon Bautista, University of the Philippines, balitang pang-aliw, childhood experiences, mumblings, philippine education, pinoy band, pinoy stuff, pinoy t.v. shows, politica et.al, religion, text jokes, women's issues