BY JOVE!

Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes,
Five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear.

Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure, measure a year?

In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee
In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife.

In five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure a year in the life?

Seasons of love
RENT (The Movie)

I spent the whole week last week sleepless, trying to measure my past ten years, my first decade, in the news industry and trying to summarize its highs and lows in an essay needed for something I am aspiring for.

I finished all the requirements last Thursday.

By then, my body was craving for a weekend of relaxation.

This weekend I gave my body what it wanted.

Now I am trying to find out how to measure the past two thousand eight hundred eighty minutes that ticked away this weekend. (teka, tama ba ang math ko?)

I’m measuring my weekend by writing about the things I did…

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But before anything else…

Please get your copy of this edition of NEWSBREAK

• Leviathan trailer

The Odyssey trailer GoldenEye release Torque trailer

• A Four Letter Word dvd

. Do it for me, and do it before maubos ng angkan ko ang mga kopya sa National Bookstore and sa 7-11.

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LITTLE BIG STAR Oxygen full movie

• Dark Rising

These very very very talented kids are the reasons why usually, I only leave my house for a Saturday gimik, AFTER 6PM.

Since November 2005, My Saturday late afternoons are for the ABS CBN program LITTLE BIG STAR.

These kids are so talented! Sad nga kasi nitong past weeks, isa isa nang inaalis ang grand finalists until only three kids per category ang matira. So hard to see any of the kids go because they really are magagaling.

(ABS CBN photo)

It was so sad seeing Mica get eliminated yesterday. She’s a genuine talent. In fact, among all the kids in the show, she’s the only one who sings songs that actually match her age. No high notes love songs for this kid. She sings and acts her age. The contest isn’t about having a great voice, according to the judges. Yeah, given na na magaling sila lahat kumanta. Ang hinahanap na lang nila star quality. Mica has that, the child star quality. Too bad, among the four finalists yesterday, her performance was the least catchy. As Randy of AI always say “choice of song is key”. She sang “Anak ng Pasig”. A song with a message, but she failed to pull it off. Sayang, pero I’m sure we will see her in Goin’ Bulilit soon. Nasa PBB nga siya last week eh.

Now we are left with three boys for the Grand Showdown this Saturday: Raph, Makisig and Kyle Balili. All deserving by the way.

Raph belts his song so well! Powerful voice! If not for his so-so charm, shoe-in na sana siya sa Grand Prize.

Makisig was the early favorite before Raph clinched a slot for the finals. He is quite a performer. The kind of kid na may boses (kundiman boses?) at pag kumanta, nakakatulong ang emoting kaya may dating? When he sang Gulong Ng Palad in one of the rounds weeks ago, ang galing! Pwede nang i-record at i-release at itugtog na version kapag ang eksena sa GNP ay inaapi si Peping (the role that Romnick played in the original series)

But, even if it is being predicted that the showdown’s gonna be between Raph and Makisig. The dark horse of the quest is surely Kyle. The youngest kid contestant this season. He doesn’t belt out his songs, though I think he could, pero malamang di niya kasi style kaya di niya ginagawa. He doesn’t act out his lyrics (no emoting), he just stands on stage, sings…. and unleashes his really charming trademark smile. You can actually hear the audience swoon (?) or okay sound off a collective sigh, when he does that. And the voice! I have to say, he’s got the clearest enunciation of words among the contestants when he sings, klaro, to think siya pinaka bata o huli natutong magbasa.

Pero bias ako, Kyle is my kapitbahay. Thing is, I only knew that he lives near my home last week, when I saw him and his parents get out of a taxicab. I was pleasantly surprised ang nasabi ko lang: “Kyle? Nakita pa lang kita sa TV kanina ah, dito ka pala nakatira?”

(ABS CBN photo)

Now about the BIG DIVISION finalists. It was sad to see one not so good singer enter the Final 3. Sure he’s full of charm, but I’m put off by talks that he’s already being managed by someone. Talent searches are for amateurs trying to get a break. That manager factor and his being a professional performer already are just unacceptable. Lumalabs hindi niya kailangan ang show na ito. The talent show on GMA7 pulled out one contestant for having a manager right?

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MOMENTS OF LOVE

Why did I even watch this movie? Iza Calzado is the only factor that saved this movie from being totally regretful for a moviegoer like me.

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PINOY BIG BROTHER CELEBRITY EDITION BIG NIGHT

Didn’t go out Saturday night because of PBB.

(ABS CBN photo)

I’m just happy she’s the one who won! Viva Keana (Reeves)!

The Celebrity BIG NIGHT show was better executed than the Big Night (1st season). Happy to see the season 1 and 2 cast members reunited for the finale. I’m also happy that the prediction that Bombet/Gerry and I shared before the show became the actual rankings: Zanjo Marudo (4), Bianca Gonzales (3), John Pratts (2) and Keana (1).

That crane effect, by the way was awesome!… and funny, thanks to Keana’s great antics.

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SISIG Grumpier Old Men divx

I was “kidnapped” by LS late Friday night and the surprise adventure brought us to Dencio’s at Metro Walk in Pasig.

And if it’s Dencio’s we must have sisig.

This made me think about the sisig’s we have tasted in the past four months.

I always tell him, that the pasable substitute to the frozen packed Monterey Brand sisig that I usually purchase at the supermarket section of SM, is Purefood’s canned Sizzling Sisig. I just warm up the sizzling plate at home and place the contents of the can on it, instant ulam or pulutan! (matagal ako nag dorm when I was in med school, kaya mahilig ako sa instant food kahit marunong ako magluto)

Aside from Dencio’s, I also like the sisig of Gerry’s Grille. But I like the sisig of that al fresco resto in Quezon City near Sulo Hotel, better. (sorry nalimutan ko pangalan resto pero duon ako usually dinadala ng cameraman ko na si Jonjon dati nung nasa singko siya at nagugutom ang team ko)

Max’s got this sisig variation: Chicken sisig. Not too crazy about it, but I can’t NOT like it because favorite ito ng isang favorite ko na tao. In fact the first time that person asked me to have it, memorable (2-14 memorable). The second time (the day after the first try, in fact!) the person asked me to have some again, I had to say “I like it” while eating chunks of it, because the person asked me “di mo nagustuhan no?”. Mahirap niya, libre niya yun e.

But hands down, best sisig, so far, kung kaming dalawa ang tatanungin? The sisig in Rada Street Makati. Yes, the sisig is being sold by this Family from Pampanga na may Jollijeep pwesto in Rada Street. Theirs is the jollijeep nearest a bank. They call it Sisig Kumpleto. What they do is this, they have kalde kalderong sisig pre-cooked. Then they will ask you how many orders, then they will place a good amount sa kawali, lulutuin nila uli placing one egg per serving, then they place it on top of a rice na nasa styro and place mayo on the side. Ang sarap. Ask Harold Geronimo (fmr RPN9 reporter) how crazy I am of the sisig there, kasi nahuhuli niya ako dun na dumadayo before going to Malacanang. Warning tho: kumakapit sa damit ang amoy ng sisig na tinutusta sa kawali. I usually take my “stash” to work, duon ko kinakain sa cubicle ko sa PWA. Miranda De Quiroz says, masarap ang amoy. Hindi niya alam kung masarap kasi di ko siya binibigyan. Hehehe.

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RENT

Missing Lynx download

(imdb)

Yes, it tanked in the US.

But it is not that bad. A lot of us saw this on stage already, but the movie managed to keep it interesting pa rin. As I’ve said before, I love ensemble films. Here we have 8 inter connected lives and 8 wonderful performances.

Of course, I liked RENT because of the songs.

And of all the songs… NO DAY BUT TODAY (finale) is my fave. It just so happens that I live my life following that chant: “no day but today!”.

There is no future
There is no past

Thank God this
Moment’s no the last

There’s only us
There’s only this
Forget regret or
Life is yours to miss

No other road no other way
No day but today

I can’t control
My destiny
I trust my soul
My only goal

Will I lose my dignity
Will someone care
Will I wake tomorrow
From this nightmare

There’s only now
There’s only here
Give in to love
Or live in fear
No other path
No other way

No day but today

NO DAY BUT TODAY
Rent (The Movie)

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BLOG HOPPING

My good pal, Marilen kept asking me why I still haven’t linked her site on my site’s sidebar links.

I keep on telling her naman that I haven’t done that because my template is still a temporary template and I’m kind of afraid to add my long list of blogs, only to encode them again (will I? I dunno nga eh) if I’ll change my template.

As I said, I have a looooong list of blogs that I ACTUALLY read/visit. They are all contained in my Bloglines aggregator. And no, hindi sila nasa listahan ko para lang masabi na madami sila, they are in my list because I really visit and read them.

Imagine, sometimes, when I start clicking away my Bloglines directory/links of fave blogs, minsan inaabot na ako ng bukang liwayway sa harap ng computer ko.

So interesting, so addicting!

So pls. huwag magtampo, kung wala pa sila sa listahan sa sidebar ko. Nasa bloglines ko kayo lahat. Ang nasa sidebar ko ay ang mga inilagay for me ni Yuga, when he set up my site, nuon pa.

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POPE JOHN PAUL II

He’s been gone for a year already. Ang bilis ng panahon!

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Time really flies…

There will be another iblog summit (sali tayo lahat!)

Parang kalian lang, I still remember the great things that happened during the first ever summit held in UP.

Whenever I see the group picture taken right after the last session, I’m reminded of the great admiration I felt (and still feel) about Filipino Bloggers (I sincerely felt honored being among these people lalu nuong picture taking!). The pinoy blogging community’s promise, potential and positive power were quite palpable, as early as that time.

There is an on going issue about distinctions in the pinoy blogosphere.

It puzzles and saddens me.

I’ve heard, seen and read views (some criticisms) on journalists who blog. I may not agree with their opinion but I respect their right to have their own opinion.

And speaking of opinions, here’s mine…

I’m a broadcast journalist who blogs. I’m a blogger who happens to work as a reporter.

I started blogging a little over a year ago. I started blogging to connect with friends, family and colleagues who were (and are still) abroad and are bloggers themselves (in fact, ako yata ang huling nag agree to join them sa blogosphere). Yes, BY JOVE! was a personal blog until Glorigate happened and a lot of behind the scenes developments needed to be placed in medium that suited the signs of the times.

I’m saying this to give a comparative view on a certain view circulating around. The view or thought that some or most journalists turned to blogging because of insecurity. Or, to “reclaim attention”.

I attended the iblog summit, the iblog mini summit, the PCIJ summit and other summits like Media Nation (summits that were attended by bloggers who happen to be journalists, lawyers, housewives, students, teachers etc etc)

It’s been established through formal and informal conversations during these meets and in other ways like phone or internet chats that the general feel is that we (journalist bloggers) blog because we acknowledge the potential of the medium and the potential of those who are using the medium. We blog because we only have great respect for pinoy bloggers.

That we are embracing the pinoy blogosphere because this is the best way to pay tribute to the admirable bunch that comprises it.

I have expressed this “admiration view” in my reports about blogging, in my writings, in my replies to questions in interviews conducted by college students and other reporters about blogging…. even before the “great debate”.

I’ve been talking to a lot of bloggers lately, and I think the admiration (of bloggers who are also journalists) for the pinoy blogging community isn’t fading. It is in fact growing stronger.

We are here with you.