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Sat, 23 Mar 2013 14:30:46 +0800

"A Normal Day in Pokemon Land"

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 07:26:55 +0800

A normal day in pokemon land (source: arinyan, 9gag.com)

PETA, an organization that advocates against animal abuse, created a parody of a popular game franchise called Pokémon. Just to give you a little background, Pokémon is a role playing game where you are able to control a trainer who battles with pokemons (read more about Pokémon here). They are different in many ways but let me show you the similarities first. It is still a role playing game. You still battle with other characters in the game. However, the game has a different objective now: to let the world know that pokemons have feelings too. For every achievement, you get to open a treasure chest. One of the chests contains a video where it animal violence of different forms were shown. It was a painful and difficult watch that I wasn’t able to watch it through. But I’m pretty sure that I got the message right, that PETA sees pokemons as a virtual representation of the animals in the real world. Instead of playing with trainers, you get to play and control the pokemons themselves. They are now free from the control of their trainers or pokemon masters. The fight options are also different. Some fight moves are familiar but some fight moves are funny such as hug, petition, and protest. You don’t get to choose which path to go; Pikachu has its own way. And the only control that you have is on how the pokemons are going to fight the enemies in the game.

If you haven’t heard about Pokémon, then you must have been living in a cave for the past decade. This is a game designed and directed to children in their pre- and early teens[1]. The marketing strategy that Nintendo used is dedicated to them. Even the primary hero of the game, Ash Ketchum, is a young boy. However, this game is still appealing to the older age groups perhaps because it has been a part of their childhood or if they are parents and they have been influenced by their children. It originally came and developed from Japan, and luckily penetrated the American market. In the parody game, the trainers were designed like crazy people who are obsessed in experimenting or abusing their pokemons for their own entertainment. While the pokemons were designed as abused beings with some or their body parts covered in bandage or blood. This is implicitly sending a message about animals being abused and the abusers are crazy for doing it. It is “crazy” because for PETA, this manifestation of abuse in a game designed for kids is scandalous and unusual in their own rationality. In the end of the parody game, when Ash Ketchum was defeated, Pikachu told him stop using pokemons for his own benefit and should use humans instead. This took me by surprise. It was funny to read that for the first time. But it was funnier when I think about it now. It was encouraging Ash Ketchum to use his fellow humans instead of using pokemons or encouraging the people in real life to use other people instead of animals. It was absurd thought to me but perhaps this is a way PETA relay its message that animals and humans should be equal. Still, it was uncomfortable to see how they relayed their message. This would then have implications on instead of abusing animals, we abuse our own friends, family or even other fellow humans.

a screenshot from the game

PETA’s stand on this was shocking to me. Pokémon has been on the market for years. It is all new to me hearing such criticism on a well-loved game of our generation. But perhaps that is the point of PETA. That we have been habituated and desensitized to think that indeed, Pokémon could promote violence among children. There have been psychological studies saying that video games could actually affect a child’s behaviour. These children tend to be more to be more aggressive, more prone to confrontation with their teachers, notorious in engaging fights with their peers and less achieving in school.[2] This is because the players are encouraged to identify themselves with their characters in role playing games. The kind of game that Pokémon is became normal to us. It is normal that we don’t come to question it anymore. We don’t come to question what it implicitly says about our society nowadays. PETA’s parody game was created to counter that. It was created so that we might rethink of what we think is normal. It was created to counter a dominating ideology.

[1] http://w3.salemstate.edu/~poehlkers/Emerson/Pokemon.html

[2] http://www.pamf.org/preteen/parents/videogames.html

Captain Marvel #9

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 14:15:33 +0800

Captain Marvel #9

Free Comic Book Gay: IFlyWithCarol digital code giveaway starts Tomorrow!

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 08:18:46 +0800

Free Comic Book Gay: IFlyWithCarol digital code giveaway starts Tomorrow!:

ytrjd:

…though a couple of you have jumped the gun, and that’s cool…but you don’t get to pick a code until tomorrow.

So, again…it’s all me, and when the codes run out…well, I’ve got nothing.

But it’s real simple: Buy CAPTAIN MARVEL #9 sometime starting (preferably tomorrow, but if you posted a pic of…

Democratic Participation and the Social News Media

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 06:49:50 +0800

The internet has ended the era of passive media. It has created access for everyone to inform and be informed through a single click. Everyone can be connected through emails, social networking sites and blogs. Anyone could, if they wanted, post their thoughts and ideas online for everyone to see and read. In exchange, everyone could also comment and respond to these posts and create a discussion between the reader and the writer.

Although the internet has a generous amount of information, most of the Filipinos still rely on the television to be updated on the current news. Television is a passive media and the people who produce its shows have a control over the things that can be seen. Although some news stations have innovated and created some programs that could increase participation among the audience. One example is the Bayan Mo, I-Patrol Mo of ABS-CBN where citizens can submit their complaints about their own barangays and be heard on TV. This is a video of their campaign http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmVXawdzHxw.

However, two years ago, a tropical storm hit Mindanao, particularly the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan, which devastated thousands of families. Help was intensely needed. However, the affected people felt they were unheard. Thus created a feeling of resentment among these people saying that the news were “metro-centric”. They felt that the media was just concerned about the things that happen in Manila, or any major city. From Howie Severeno’s article (http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/245054/lifestyle/people/how-s-the-weather-ask-k), he interviewed Karen Cardenas. She said that the people in the business were partying the night that Sendong hit the cities. That is why they were unable to update the news.

That Friday night, metro-centric news stations were partying. (At one party), one of the heads even thanked the people for being at the concert despite the factna bumabagyo at maulan. It seems no one was manning breaking news as the storm was running the course through Mindanao.

With this feeling of neglect, the people just turned to the internet and updated their statuses in different social networking sites about the situation.This just goes to show that the internet is much more accessible and reliable.

Luckily, with the emergence of social news media in the internet, it has created an avenue for everyone to be heard. It has inspired and motivated citizen and collaborative journalism among everyone. It also encouraged democratic participation. Anyone can send their articles to these sites and be heard. Unlike in the television setting, it was hard to be heard because the airtime of shows was expensive and requires too much effort for the editing and other technical aspects. One popular example of a social news site is Reddit (http://www.reddit.com). One particular aspect about this site is not only that the audience can share thoughts by posting an article or picture, the audience were given a choice to vote on posts which they think were relevant or important. But I’d like to focus on a social news site that gives importance to news about the society, especially about the ones who are unheard of and usually neglected.

Rappler.com is an example of this kind of social news site. It is a Philippine-based news information site. It has created an avenue for everyone to become journalists in their own right. It was created to collect news from everyone. From these news, it can enable one to realize the changes they want to see in our society. This site is accessible to everyone from different ethnicity, gender or socio-economic status with internet. But that is the problem. It is only accessible to the one who can afford to have an internet connection. Nevermind the internet connection, how about those part of the marginalized who cannot even read and write?

Don't Judge Me By My Facebook Profile

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 07:51:52 +0800

I have always been cautious about posting information about myself online. I am aware that there are things you post in cyberspace that are somewhat permanent. With these things, it might bring stories from your past and it might take a lot of time and effort to them. Nevertheless, I have been an active online user of various networking sites to get in touch with my friends, especially those I haven’t seen since childhood. However, the data that they see on my public profile page seem to misinform them of who I really them. For example, the albums that I have made public are those which people might think that I am a comic fan. http://www.facebook.com/shakoy.yu/photos_albums?viewas=100000686899395 But in truth, I am not. I just chaperoned my brother to a comic convention and took his photos with his favourite comic artist. He wanted to his friends to these photos so I had to make it public. But there are times when it does convey my identity well like my 9gag profile page (http://9gag.com/yuchinama). It shows what kind of jokes that I find funny and what kind of sense of humor I have.

With the emergence of these profile pages, it gives you the convenience of implicitly showing to the public of who you are. Though with this convenience, it compromises other more important information about yourself, especially those things you prefer not to disclose online. Those information which you think really describe you but it’s too private to be shared.

Mr. Yunioshi and Racism

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 08:47:00 +0800

There was this character in Breakfast at Tiffany’s that received a lot of criticisms, it was the portrayal of Mr. Yunioshi. Mr. Yunioshi is the discontented neighbor of Holly Golightly. He would always be seen as someone continuously reprimanding her for her noises, strange and unnerving behaviors. He was supposed to be a comical relief, however the Asian-American viewers think otherwise. The actor of the character wasn’t even Asian and wore a costume that flaunted and overemphasized facial features of a Japanese to give off a caricature effect. It makes one think how the Asians in the 60’s cope up with the stereotypes and prejudices.

Nowadays, there are celebrities like Justin Beiber, Charice Pempengco, Bon Iver and Darren Criss who started as internet celebrities. These celebrities became insanely popular in a video-sharing website called Youtube where they would flaunt their talents and eventually be scouted to be a “real” celebrity. They will be exposed to show businesses and slowly be established as singers or actors. Although they came from different cultural backgrounds, they are still able to rise up the ladder and become popular in their own right.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8fR2jroUxE

One of the later videos that made Charice Pempengco popular

However, there are cases when things are different. I am really fond of KevJumba and Nigahiga, who are both Asian Youtube celebrities. It started around 8 years ago when I thought they were really funny and talented. When I came across the comments section, it was no surprise that they would be praised by a lot of viewers but at the same time, be mercilessly criticized for their race. Supposedly, the cyberspace should have shielded them from these racist treatments.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbZ9zJ22WfQ&list=UUXdYATEcQDVlMdUs7THtzXA&index=97

KevJumba on stereotypes

We don’t really our preferences, our opinions on the different subcultures in our society. We bring them over the internet, to our profile pages in Facebook, to our comments on different kinds of digital media. Although we are given the chance to reconstruct our identity in a new space/environment, we still bring a part of us that can be subject to scrutiny. In the case of these Youtube celebrities, though they might show a different aspect of their personalities, an aspect that they think might be desirable to their audience, it cannot change the fact the face or body that they show is of an Asian.Blogging can give the author and the audience a sense of anonymity and thus gives them more freedom in expressing their thoughts and ideas about the entry. However, the idea of disembodiment is not applicable in the case of video blogging or vlogging as they are now popularly called.

You Can Pick Your Nose While Reading This

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 06:55:00 +0800

In the Filipino context, a middleman is always needed in a lot of situations. Whether if it’s for awkward social situations or even in a business setting, there would always be that trusty and reliable middleman or third-party agent. Years back, there were stories about my older friends getting love letters and gifts from their admirers through middlemen, or wing men as how they are now popularly called.

But with the emergence of the digital media and as the internet is becoming more accessible to the people, the middle man is slowly being eradicated from the picture. Or perhaps it has taken a different form, from your best friend to a virtual being. The computer screen has mediated our culture in a sense that we have to go through it to experience and relate with other people. Instead of actually of putting effort to know someone through his or her friends, all we have to do now is go to someone’s Facebook or search their name of Google to see a glimpse of who they are.

Social interaction has become less intimate and less personal. I am not really in favor with this kind of culture because the computer screen has become some sort of a shield for our raw emotions. We are not embarrassed to show any emotions when we are in front of a computer. When we find something funny, we laugh. When we find something disagreeable, we would not be embarrassed to argue. When we are bored with the content, we would just pick out nose because no one would see it anyway. But sometimes, we unconsciously bring these behaviors when we interact with others. We forget about the sense of hiya, amor propio or delicadeza, some traits that we call Filipino (http://tl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kultura_ng_Pilipinas). Sometimes, it leads to misunderstandings, quarrels or a formation of a new culture among Filipinos. But it would also lead us to ponder that although media has directly affected our culture, there are times when we are actually the ones forming it. For example, some people using Facebook as an avenue for dating and meeting new friends instead of actually using it for finding old friends and reconnecting with them.

We prayed before meals now we take pictures.

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 07:21:00 +0800

When my family had dinner at a restaurant, my brother put out his camera and took a picture of every food that the waiter brought in to our table. We cannot eat unless he has taken a good shot out of it. My dad then joked, “Before we do not eat unless we prayed, now we cannot eat unless Kuya has taken a picture of our food.” This is in reference to the growing popularity of Instagram where people would take pictures of food they are about to eat, or how messy their rooms are, or how gorgeous they look in the morning, or any little moment of their lives.

In my everyday life, it is impossible for me to go through a day without interacting with this kind of technology. From the moment I wake up in the morning up to the moment before I go to sleep, I always check on my cellphone. It has become a need for me to know whether someone has sent me a message, or if I missed a call or simply knowing the time. After taking a bath, I would turn my laptop on and log in to my email and Facebook. I would then update my status about a mundane event in my day that probably no one cares about. It has become not only part of a routine, but a crucial thing when it comes to communicating with friends and family. You have to have Facebook so that people could know you and tag you. You have to have Twitter so that your friends know how you are. You have to have an email so that you are easily reached.

Not long ago, people were divided on the idea whether this kind of technology was need or want. Now there would only be a few who would say that it is not important and thus they can still live through life normally. Not long ago, everyone was arguing on the importance of cellphones. Now, almost everyone has it. Now, everyone is arguing on the importance of Facebook and whether if it really helps one on his endeavor or if it just distracts him. Whatever conclusion they would come up with, it is unarguable that almost everyone has it. Everyone needs it because it has become part of a culture where people don’t have to wait to tell his friends how his day went, where people don’t have to ask because he has already posted about it, where people don’t have mind other people because he is pretending to be busy with his phone or his laptop or his tablet. Our world has become a world of convenience. Everything is effortless.

We all need these kinds of technology. That is what everyone thinks. That is what Apple, Microsoft, Globe, Smart and other technology bigwigs up there think and impose on everyone. However, not everyone thinks the same way. They have a different need in their lives and in responding to those needs, they wouldn’t have the time to update their status, or check their emails, or even have their own digital accounts. We all have that one friend we often forget about because he or she doesn’t have his or her own digital existence floating around the internet. That one friend who has two toddlers to single-handedly chase around the house, at the same time, one baby who she needs to put into sleep, and a household she needs to feed. She wouldn’t have the luxury of time to check the internet, thus she would miss on her friends’ gatherings, or even wouldn’t know about any upcoming event of their lives. That one friend is set aside and taken for granted. Although digital media has provided means to effortlessly connect us with one another, but it seems it has ripped those people without it out of their existence.

I miss the era when people have to put effort when one wants to share something. I miss the era when every message that one receives means so much because he or she know that the sender has spent a handful of time composing that message, because the messenger has to go through a lot before giving it to him or her. I miss the era when you always have a story to tell that no one has heard of yet. I miss that rush of excitement when you have to be with someone. I miss appreciating those visits from friends because they want to talk to you. I miss the moments when we actually pray before meals.

Long Weekend Custard Cake

Tue, 21 Aug 2012 11:30:01 +0800

grab a slice!

Maybe In Another Universe, I Deserve You

Wed, 16 May 2012 18:16:42 +0800

What if, in another universe, I deserve you?

Hear me out. There’s this philosopher from the 1890s named William James, and he coined this theory about “the multiverse” which suggests that a hypothetical set of multiple universes comprises everything that can possibly exist simultaneously.

Are you following? The entirety of space, time, matter and energy is all happening at once in different timelines: It’s the idea of parallel universes. Right? So okay, let’s presume the multiverse is real.

Well then, maybe somewhere in those infinite universes is one, or several, where I deserve you.

Maybe there’s a universe out there — happening now — where we end up together and when I close my eyes at night, I’m not dreaming the way a normal person would. Instead I’m seeing flashes of our lives in the multiverse. They’re not simple dreams because I miss you, right? They’re scientific, anachronistic visions.

For instance:

In this universe, I don’t want a family, but maybe in another, I’m more of the type to settle down. Maybe there’s a universe where you hold my hand while I give birth to our daughter in a white hospital room with pink flowers and fuzzy teddy bears on the window sill. Where we take family vacations and pose for dorky pictures in our neon bathing suits on the sands of a Florida beach. Where we curl up to watch a cheesy movie at the end of a long day in our big, green, suburban house once the kids have fallen asleep.

Maybe there’s a universe where we are middle-aged and taking our child to college and bickering over where to put her dresser or what posters she should hang up. Where you kiss her on the forehead ‘goodbye’ and we drive home in contented, proud silence, your fingers grazing my knuckles, our wedding rings glistening. Where we both have gray hair and we laugh and smile and hug and drink lemonade on the porch.

Maybe there’s a universe where that’s the life I want. Where I don’t second guess everything and I’m not afraid of commitment and of the future and of love. Maybe there’s a universe without all the noise in my head and the pride that makes me so fiercely independent and the coldness in my heart that I can turn on and off like a security fence.

Maybe there’s a universe where I’m the right person for you. Where I adore every nice thing you did for me without starting to resent you. A universe where you actually end up with someone who appreciates you. Where no one becomes a doormat. Where both of us can shed our baggage and curiosity and issues. A universe where we’re happy — without wondering if that happiness is some messed-up Jenga game ready to topple at the slightest quiver. A universe where we’re comfortable and sure, and we have cats.

Maybe there’s a universe where we fall asleep next to each other every night like spoons, like two innocent bunnies — my face buried in your neck, hugging your warmth — and we both don’t want anything or anybody else. Where we don’t want more, we just want each other.

Maybe there’s a universe where I don’t covet so much all the time and where I’m content and where I don’t wonder about picking up and moving to Japan without saying anything to anyone and where at this very juncture, I can just know I’ll always want to come home and cook dinner with you.

If you think of it all this way, then it’s like neither of us did anything wrong.

You just found me in the wrong universe. That’s all. This is, as they say, the darkest timeline. Everywhere else, nay, “everywhen” else — us in the Civil War, us in Ancient Egypt, us in the swinging ’60s — we are happy.

If this theory holds, well, by the law of averages, there had to be oneuniverse — just this one — where we don’t end up together. Here and now just happens to be it. If you think of it this way, nothing is our fault.

So see, that explains everything. We’re not together anymore because of the multiverse.

Well, isn’t that comforting?

If you’re sad, do like I do and just think of the other ‘verses. The ones where I believe in love and where I don’t hate myself and where I never feel the need to kamikaze relationships. A universe where we can have nice things. It’s helpful, right?

Chocolate Cake

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 23:07:54 +0800

The reason why I feel so groggy today was because I stayed up all night just to bake this cake. I did plan to bake it today but I just played safe and baked it last night after doing my school works. I didnt want to cram and I didnt feel confident that I would be able to bake and decorate the cake in less than 3 hours. :)) Then today, I made the icing right after I arrived at home from school (imagine the stress and the rush!). I only had 3 hours left to decorate the cake and bake some cream puffs (which I forgot to serve anyway T_T).

My icing didnt turn out to be as smooth as i expected it to be. I was such in a hurry and I didnt have time to drain those ugly stuff that makes it look “un-smooth”.

Just some almonds on top of the cake. I was in a panic on how to decorate the cake until I saw the bottle of almonds that my mom bought 2 weeks ago. I didnt have any plans on how to decorate the cake and I was just being spontaneous on decorating it. :))

Hello there Mocha Filling :)) This is how it looks inside.

Daddy's Birthday Dinner Buffet

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 22:46:59 +0800

What supposed to be a dinner for six turned out to be a dinner fit for a whole barangay! I must honestly say that we cooked to much food. But we just can’t help it since this household loves to cook! It’s some sort of a vice that my mom and I have whenever we invite people over for some meal.

Pancit! Eating pancit or any kind of noodles for long life has always been a protocol during birthdays in this family.

Fried Chicken Breast Fillet.

Steamed Cream Dory.

Mom’s Special Cassava Cake is made out from our garden’s organic cassava.

Fresh Lumpia. One of Dad’s all time favorite food.

Paella. We didn’t cook this one. But it was too tasty to be left out!

Beef and Broccoli. I dont know why but Mom just love to cook this during special occasions :))

Never ever forget to provide someone a cake on their birthday! I will post another entry about this cake soon!

Banana Yeast Bread

Sat, 03 Mar 2012 17:07:00 +0800

Banana Yeast Bread is simply bread with a hint of banana. It is not a sweet treat and it is really filling.

HUGE BREAD. Dad calls it “monster bread” :))

This post is not as interesting as others. I mean, it’s just bread!.. with banana.. haha! My family is getting tired with the sweet treats too. Too much sweet can lead to diabetes. Oh well, but I’m satisfied on how this bread turned up to be… a huge monstrous shiny bread.

choux à la crème

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 15:37:00 +0800

Also known as cream puffs or profiteroles. These little things are made up of choux pastry balls filled with cream. This is good to serve for snacks. (although it’s a bit fattening HAHA)

Someday, I’ll assemble them to make a croquembouche but i was too lazy to do that today :)).

Mommy's Mangoes and Cream Birthday Cake

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 21:07:00 +0800

Went off from school early just to bake Mom’s bday cake.

Mangoes and Cream Cake is a simple chiffon cake covered and filled with cream frosting.

Ube Cake for My Brother's Birthday!

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 21:24:52 +0800

the exterior of the cake is made out of ube cake crumbs, ube cream icing and grated ube.

It has two layers

Piece of Cake

Bro and his birthday cake

Birthday Cake

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 15:34:00 +0800

Today I baked a safari-themed fondant cake for my favorite nephew. :) This is how it looks.

the interior of the cake is made out of butter pound cake. No buttercream was used to attach the fondant, just corn syrup (low on budget. hehe) I’ll have this delivered to Manila tomorrow.

Chinese New Year

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 15:04:09 +0800

I donned my blue cheong-sam because I thought it would be appropriate wearing blue on welcoming the Water Dragon Year. I felt a bit ridiculous though. :))

One of my favorite presets.

Feeling dramatic. HAHA!

Squash Bisque The only thing that I cooked for Chinese New Year....

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:47:00 +0800

Squash Bisque

The only thing that I cooked for Chinese New Year. Mom was in-charge of the menu. :))