SUPER TYPHOON REMING TO HIT METRO MANILA

Mga Kapwa Mapangurirat, another Super Typhoon is predicted to hit Metro Manila this Friday. Catanduanes Province will be hit first tomorrow morning and Signal no. 4 has already been raised over the entire island.

We've already learned our lesson from “Milenyo”, thank God. Billboard owners have already volunteered to take down existing billboards so as not to cause undue injuries to motorists and pedestrians. Meralco is already prepared for power interruptions, fallen posts and the like.

Have you prepared for the super typhoon? Prepare for the worst. Store two days worth of food, preferably canned, ready your flashlights, batteries, a portable radio, extra cellphone batteries (if possible), bottled drinking water, and candles. Let us not be caught unaware.

PAGASA will be issuing advisories and you can monitor the big TV and Radio networks for these updates.

Ok. Handa na tayo! Ingat and God Bless us All!

Blogger Beta

To the viewers of Mapangurirat, a few minutes ago i switched from the original Blogger format to the new Blogger Beta. As part of the new Blogger Beta, i have a new e-mail address. You can now get in touch with me through rodel.banares@gmail.com. However, You can still reach me through my theprman_ph@yahoo.com account. Thanks and keep on supporting mapangurirat.

Miguel is OUT!

Finally, tonight's Idol on ABC 5 fulfilled the dreams of many Philippine Idol viewers. Miguel Mendoza was finally booted out of the Philippine Idol after a prolonged stay. Many viewers were on the edge of their seats as Mau and Jan were left standing on center stage, giving the impression that either of them will be eliminated. But that didn't happen, thank God! Finally, 3 deserving Idol hopefuls will make it to the Araneta Colliseum on the December 9 for the Finals. I heard tickets to that event are selling like hotcakes. By the way, Philippine Idol digressed a bit from the usual 2 finalists showdown. Philippine Idol will have three candidates who will vie for the coveted title of Philippine Idol. These are Jan, Gian and Mau who have proven themselves worthy to be in the finals. Let's face it. Miguel is still young and has a lot of years to hone his talents. He may even be a Philippine Idol in the not-so-distant future, but not this time. So far, the first Philippine Idol search has proven to be interesting. Sure, Pinoy Dream Academy may be putting up a very good fight in terms of sponsorship and viewership, but like it or not, winning PDA is not as exciting as being called THE FIRST PHILIPPINE IDOL. More power, Freemantle and ABC 5!

Philippine Idol's Mau is my bet as 1st Philippine Idol

If you've been following the progress of ABC 5 and Freemantle's Philippine Idol as I have, you'd be as surprised as I was when Pow was voted off last week. Pow was one of my bets for the title of Philippine Idol. I am sorry to say that I am not at all pleased that Miguel is still in the running after showing poor performance for the past few weeks. Now that Pow is out of the running, my bet would be Mau. Mau's performance tonight was excellent! Her rendition of My Funny Valentine was very, very impressive, and so was her version of Waray Waray although for me, Ertha Kitt's version remains to be the best. That being said, Mau has consistently showed us week after week of great singing prowess. She definitely has a future as the Anita Baker of the Philippines. Definitely, tonight's performance was her best. I also like her performance of Ako ang Nagwagi was also very good. I wish that Filipino viewers go for talent and not just popularity or looks. I mean, Ryan Cayabyab has said it before. If the votes weere cast according to talent, Ken and Miguel would have been out of Philippine Idol a long, long time ago. Sadly, my crush Apple was also eliminated. Oh well, that's life, and nobody said life was fair. It's down to the final four and if you're a regular voter of Philippine Idol, do vote for Mau. She deserves the title.

Party!!!! Party!!! Yehey!!!

Yesterday we celebrated the birthday of my sister Rose at our residence in Marikina. Earlier in the day, my sister Ruth and Brother-in-law Vic arrived to bring some cake, wasabe nuts, an indian version of "belekoy", some licorice candy and wine for my sister. My brother Ruben arrived later with some groceries and lechon manok followed by friends Noel and Aubrey who brought hotdogs and french fries. Poppo and Jhackie, Nigel, Pooh, and Ferdz arrived soon thereafter. They braved the hellish traffic of yesterday to be with my sister on this occassion. Thanks, guys. Poppo and Jhackie brought chicken wings, cheesecake and and lamb chops while Noel and Ferdz bought 3 cases of San Mig Light, while I prepared some pulutan favorites such as tokwa't baboy, menudo ala banares, my version of cream of corn soup and ate rose's special pesto pasta. It was a reunion of sorts which ended up in reminiscing about the good ol' college days. They Everyone had a grand old time. Here are some of the pics last night.

Ate Rose preparing her famous Pesto Pasta

Noel, Aubz, Poppo, Ferdz, Pooh, Jack and Nigel (Ate Rose hidden behind Ferdz)

Inuurirat si Mapangurirat. Pants-pulling is still a hit among drunken masters
Raise Da Roof! Ferdz and my niece Karla Alexis
Mga walang pakialam sa camera: Isang laughing trip, isang napaluha,
isang tsibog ng tsibog, at yung dalawa parang nasa luneta

Angelicum College schoolmates

The celebrant with Ferdz "Razorback" Lim

MANONG MAX, PAALAM

Philippine Star Publisher and columnist Maximo "Max" Soliven passed away today, November 24, 2006 after suffering a massive stroke at the Narita International Airport in Japan as he was preparing to fly back to his beloved motherland. I best remember Manong Max for his hard-hitting, no nonsense style of writing. He was neither pro-government nor anti-government. He calls a spade a spade and his witty articles and narratives truly capture the essence of his chosen topics. His trademark sanamagan will sorely be missed by his daily readers. I myself prefer to read Manong Max because of the way he sends and manages to get his messages across. As a fellow Filipino, it makes me very proud to know that someone as patently Filipino as Manong Max is well respected by his international peers.

I will always remember him best as a cellmate of the late great Benigno Aquino Jr. in Fort Bonifacio during the dark days of martial law. Max Soliven was imprisoned because he spoke the truth, and that the truth, media men know as gospel truth, is the most dangerous thing one can possess during the dark days of martial law.

After the fall of the dictatorship, he continued on with his mission of truth through information: first with the Inquirer, and then through The Philippine Star. Like it or not, he is well respected by his fellow publishers and columnists, no matter how much his opinions may differ from theirs.

As they say, and as I like to quote every now and then, if one has done something worthy of remembrance, that deed will be his monument. If not, no monument can ever preserve his memeory. I wish now to paraphrase and dedicate the last line of Manong Max's biographical essay Goodbye, Superboy (a Fond Farewell to the Last Romantic) to his memory: Goodbye, Manong Max. I am proud to have known you. And happy to have known you well.


Manong Max
By Rodel C. Banares

Armas Mong Hawak Ay Pluma
Katotohanan ang iyong tinta
Na isinulat sa pahina ng Kasaysayan
At nakauikit sa aming kamalayan.

Sa iyong pagkawala
Hindi matutuyo ang pluma!
Ipagpapatuloy ng bawat Pilipino
Ang sinimulan mong kabanata.

Katotohanan ang pinuhunan
Katotohanan siyang patuloy na ipaglalaban
Sapagkat ang aral ng iyong paglisan
Ang katotohanan ang siyang nakapagpapalaya!

Santa Collection

I recently opened my box of Santa Claus figurines. I collect Santa Claus items as a hobby. It started when i found a unique bottle-top in the form of a smiling, half-bodied santa. I found it a novel way to cover bottles and double as a christmas decor. So one October afternoon a few years back, while on my home from work, i passed by Dapitan street in Quezon City. I decided to stop by and see if they have any santa figurines i can buy. It was on one of the sidewalk vendors' stands that i saw my second santa. It was a hooded santa (much like little red riding hood) carrying a bag of toys with both hands. It was a bargain for 15 pesos! I bought my other santas in different locations. It's funny that when I was a kid, i thought that there was only one kind of santa -- a white, fat guy in a red suit with white beard. But my collection shattered that image. I have a black, thin santa wearing a tattered red coat, a santa dressed in a london beef-eater costume carrying a small pine tree, a santa dressed like a catholic bishop with a star-of-david miter, a pirate santa carrying a doll and a basket of toys. A cute little santa sitting on top of an old nintendo family computer and playing a santa video game, a carpenter santa making toys (courtesy of Lizzie), A thin, white santa, a fat, fat santa with toys, a santa paper-weight desinged like a carousel, a santa hiker, a ceramic santa bell, a thin bald santa with a dog, a sailor santa and a sleeping santa.

Oh, i also have three santa candle-holders and an egg-shaped santa, a doctor santa, a santa carrying a kid with a star and a xmas tree an a candle santa as well. Grabe na itoh! Imagine seeing them all again after a long, trial-filled year! Whatever feeling i may have had about the christmas season this year vanished as i brought out each santa, enjoying the whimsical designs and styles of their makers. Santa may not be a local christmas figure, but santa will forever be a part of MY christmas.

P.S. I'll be posting pictures of my sanats soon.

Take care and God Bless!

Happy Birthday, Ate Rose!

It's my sister Rose's birthday today, November 22. She's turning 29 this year (naks!) and I wish her all the best. She is the fourth child of our late parents, Oning & Edith Banares. Happy Birthday!

Pictures of Ma & Pa

I recently came across some old pictures of mama and papa when i was hunting for my old christams decorations at our new home in Marikina. It was fun to take a trip down memory lane. I discovered that breaks like this don't come often, and that we are often too busy with our own daily undertakings to just really take the time off and reminisce. So join me for a trip down memory lane.

Mama Edith & Papa Oning at our house in Project 4

At our "garden" in project 4 with mama, ate ruth and ate ruby

At a wedding reception with an unidentified companion

At the children's playground in Luneta (quite obvious, di ba?)

L-R: Nunik, Papa with Miel, Kats, Mama Edith, and yes, that's me, far right

ANGELICUM ILOILO SHINES AT CHRISTMAS

Angelicum School in Jaro, Iloilo is not just an educational institution but an historical monument as well. The school occupies 16,200 square meters along MacArthur Drive, Tabuc Suba, Jaro, Iloilo. The school's main building is an old mansion which is considered one of the most bueatiful structure sin Iloilo, noted for its mixed Spanish-y Don American architecture. It was built in 1937 by Don Emiliano Lizares who married Conchita Gamboa.

During World Ward II, the mansion was occupied by the Japanese forces and became the HQ of the japanese kempetai. In 1950, Don Emiliano died and his wife left for Manila. The mansion was leased to a Jaro businessman who convereted it into a casino. The City government later closed down the Casino. In 1962 it was sold by the family of Don Emiliano Lizares to the Dominicans and later became Angelicum School in 1978.

Come Christmas season, the mansion is bedecked with colored light that outline the mansions' popular structure. Residents of JAro look forward to the opening of the lights.

CONGRATULATIONS, MANNY PACQUIAO!

Manny Pacquiao made the Philippines proud when he knocked out worthy opponent (and good friend) Eric "El Terible" Morales in the thrid round of the Grand Finale Showdown at Las Vegas, Nevada yesterday, November 19. The greater manila area was traffic free and crime free for the better part of the morning as people eagerly awaited to see who will finish the thrid installment of the Pacquaio-Morales bout. It is surprising that many if not all sporting analysts predicted the bout to end by the tenth round, and some even speculating that Morales will win by points. Pacquaio proved these naysayeers wrong, however. Filipinos all over the world celebrated this victory of the Pacman. Manny, Congratulations!