“Trabaho” the movie

From:  "Drew P. Kerrigan" <acadrew@yahoo.com>
                    To:  cinemanila@yahoogroups.com
                    Subject:  [CINEMANILA] COMMENTS AND CRITIQUE: 'Trabaho' is
                    soo real!
                    Date:  Fri, 14 Oct 2005 02:11:58 -0000
                    >To Whom This May Concern:
                    >
                    >'Trabaho' is the first film I watched since the opening of
                    CineManila
                    >7 last 12 October 2005. I find the film very real and
                    insightful. In
                    >fact, I can very much relate to what the characters went
                    through
                    >during their days as 'bums' (I was unemployed too for quite
                    awhile).
                    >Also, most of them are UP people so I personally know the
                    feeling. Oh
                    >well, this is what we get for being too idealistic -
                    reality bites
                    >and it sucks bigtime!
                    >
                    >Anyway, the digital film was done very good. There were
                    some scenes
                    >were the dialogue was muffed by an instantaneous background
                    noise
                    >(i.e.: hammering in a construction site) and the soundtrack
                    was a bit
                    >weird (I don't know if those were Chinese or what?) but
                    overall, the
                    >movie did ok. As for the actors, I particularly liked the
                    girls
                    >because they are so transparent with their characters. The
                    boys also
                    >look good onscreen. Nice casting work.
                    >
                    >The whole Muslim-angle to the story was quite new for me. I
                    agree
                    >that such kind of prejudice does exist in this country but
                    I didn't
                    >know that it would extend up to that scale where such
                    information
                    >could lead detrimental to the job applicant. At least I
                    know that in
                    >the government agency I work for, it doesn't matter what
                    sect
                    >or "cult" you belong to.

Congratulations Stonefree

A best performance by a new group/artist nomination from Awit Awards for Stonefree-Miro,Rely,Gi and Benson- and their song "Sayang" is inspiring news. But we were so proud watching them last night at the awards ceremony performance, we who have watched the boys since the very beginning. Glad that to this day, they enjoy doing this, last night was a big-time gig and they were in their element. Sure, Pupil won this time, but really, a nomination is a win in itself amidst the mushrooming of so many new bands. If you think about it, Ely Buendia (frontman of pupil) isn't so new news but that doesn't mean Pupil is undeserving anyway. Just so happens one among the nominees has to come out "it" and the upside for Stonefree and the rest of the nominees like Dicta License is it will keep them doing their personal best. Next time around, they can be tagged "it". Sitting through the awit awards last night was like sitting down to a sampler of the broad OPM music spectrum. We fidgeted that many of the OPM sang were, rehashes, couldn't help the thought that more and more artists are getting lazy at actually originating their own lyrics and melodies. That some winners won for these rehashed songs and never even bothered to mention the original artists and composers of their work. Bato bato sa langit tamaan ang magalit… well, you ought to know what to do. The upside to the whole Awit? Gee, music flowed freely I guess, we get it whenever we can.

A Cycle of Love and Compassion

 

You don’t know how I feel

is oft-repeated

to shut the world up

to shun the rest

to shut our eyes close

as we curl up into a ball

Here’s one we haven’t heard in a while:

When we open our mouth, heartspeak.

We, perfect imperfect

lead lives perforated by dejection

the wear and tear

turns our ins and outs

into warped fabric

Neath the fabricated happiness

are our pains, our hurts

We’re cut from one and the same

garment of feebleness

until we learn to speak up

To say to one kindred and then another:

Use your heart.

We are a collective soul in pain

No need to be alone

Seeing same pains and hurts

creates a pattern that locks us all in.

If we forget, let us remind ourselves:

Connect the dots

of our innate compassion

to continue the spiraling of

our common destiny in which

not one of us is alone and in pain.

 

Onnah ‘06