Speak Sense

Public Speaking is an eye opener. Our Pubspe1 and Pubspe2 subjects taught me so many things that I think can help my speeches have improvement and on how to deliver it. It is important to SOM students like me since it's our English term which will help us to be a great public speaker. Being a good public speaker takes more practice, courage and perseverance.

Speak sense is a program for an inter-high school public speaking competition which was held last November 27, 2015 at the APC Auditorium and made it possible by the ERC Faculty and APC Speaks.

I noticed that the speakers were very nervous when they did their speech, but others really did their best shot. The winner of the competition deserved her spot because she has a good physical appearance, best content, and able to show her emotions well. She also able to get the audience attention. The winners have common to one another which is each of them related the theme into their real life stories and experiences.

Zombading

Enough of the gay indie movie bashing. I know that we have been flooded with a good number of thrashy softporn productions of two years’ late. But worry not. one movie with a flamboyantly gay theme is about to redeem the mediocre excesses bannered by titles like “Chub Chaser”, “Ang Pinakamahabang One-Night Stand Part 2“, “Freshboys Asia”, “Locker Boys”, “Junior”, “Senior” et al. Get past the attention-grabbing title of “Zombadings 1: Patayin sa ashokot si remington“ and join the long lines of moviegoers who enjoyed the movie during the weekend. Rumor has it that it outgrossed the first 5-day nationwide release of Star Cinema’s “Wedding Tayo, Wedding Hindi” and I can’t help but let out a wide grin.

I’m so glad that I found the time to watch and ride on the wave of #Zombadings twitter trending and all. To say that this Jade Castro-directed film is hilarious would be a great understatement. It sizzles beyond the big laughs and goes for the jugular with a story (and script) that will never insult your intelligence. Sure, it’s a good zombie film for some but it’s also a trend-setting gay movie that can overthrow your misconceptions of the same.

“Zombadings“ is all about Remington (Martin Escudero), a boy who always ridicules all-out cross-dressing gays in a town in Lucban, Quezon. He eventually met his comeuppance inside a cemetery after encountering a mysterious gay man (Roderick Paulate) who casted a curse that will turn him gay once he grows up. True enough, he started exhibiting outward indications of the transformation many years later. Meanwhile, a serial killer is on the loose and is targetting gay men who start turning up dead after being hit with a laser gun that zaps the life out of them in an instant. The already-effeminate Remington fears that he might end up being the next target. With the help of his best friend Jigs (Kerbie Zamora) and girl-next-door-love-interest Hannah (Lauren Young), they search for the individual who can remove the curse. And time is running out. I won’t go any further so as not to spoil the rest of the movie. But take my word for it. It’s one hell of a comic ride that introduces moviegoers to oft-confusing (but mercifully subtitled) gay lingo, while depicting deliciously quirky characters amidst one of the more novel gay-friendly love triangles in Philippine cinema.

“Zombadings 1: Patayin sa ashokot si remington“ is a big acting vehicle for Martin Escudero. He carries the film with a breakthrough performance that can definitely reward him with acting nominations and hopefully at least an award or two in next year’s derbies. His mastery of speaking gay lingo is already an achievement, not to mention the gaudy nuances of his gay conversion. Major support comes from all members of the cast, who each contributed cracking turns. Special mentions go to the eternally ambrosial Roderick Paulate (as the curse-caster), Mailes Kanapi (as the fumbling scene-stealing police assistant) and John Regala (as Remington’s father). I also must add the excellent efforts of the cinematographer for his textured and competitive lensing of the film from start to finish.

“Zombadings 1: Patayin sa ashokot si remington“ is directed by Jade Castro from a script he collaborated with Raymond Lee and Michiko Yamamoto. It stars Martin Escudero, Kerbie Zamora, Lauren Young, Eugene Domingo, Roderick Paulate, Janice de Belen, John Regala, Mailes Kanapi, Odette Khan, Daniel Fernando, and Leandro Baldemor with Bayani Agbayani and Marian Rivera in special cameo roles.

DEAD STAR

I am Alfredo Salazar, the son of Don Julian, a more than 30 years old man and a bachelor. I am engaged for 4 years to a woman named, Esperanza but I still have time to flirt with this girl named, Julia Salas. 

I know you are all thinking that why do I flirt with this another girl IF I AM ENGAGED already. Well guess what.. one factor to consider is that the contrast of my attitude and Julia's personalities. I am the type of guy who is calm and steady while Julia is lively and full of energy. The difference between our personalities must have hinder me to think that I am engaged because I saw in her the things I lacked.

Confusions, heartbreak, and love. These are the things that encapsulates the story of the Dead Stars. It is a beautiful and a typical love story which highlights the confusions on the relationship between the three characters namely Alfredo, Esperanza, and Julia. The story is a collection of complex situation that every man has to go through in life.

The main character, Alfredo Salazar, was torn between making two important decisions – to marry or not to marry. But just like other dilemmas, the crossroad in which he found himself in was not to be solved without harming anyone. He was engaged to Esperanza, his fiancée for four years. Theirs was undoubtedly a love that was true. But for some reasons, apparently on Alfredo’s part, a change of heart has taken place. He has fallen for Julia Salas. After spending several afternoons and conversations, he found himself slowly getting attached to her that he started losing concern for Esperanza.

A choice between whether to follow through a commitment or to follow one’s heart, a decision not easy to make. Choosing to follow through commitment might appease more people, but when it comes to picking a life time partner we should not let other people’s opinion affect our decision. The decision of Alfredo to pick Esperanza might have come from the fear of disappointing their community.

We should not choose, just because of pressures around us. When we choose, we should choose the thing that we feel would be right for us, not the thing that would make the people around us happy.

PLAGIARISM

WHAT IS PLAGIARISM?

Many people think of plagiarism as copying another's work or borrowing someone else's original ideas. But terms like "copying" and "borrowing" can disguise the seriousness of the offense

"PLAGIARIZE" MEANS

• to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own
• to use (another's production) without crediting the source
• to commit literary theft
• to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source

All of the following are considered plagiarism:

• turning in someone else's work as your own
• copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit
• failing to put a quotation in quotation marks
• giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation
• changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit
• copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up the majority of your work, whether you give credit or not

Most cases of plagiarism can be avoided, however, by citing sources. Simply acknowledging that certain material has been borrowed and providing your audience with the information necessary to find that source is usually enough to prevent plagiarism.

Source:

http://www.plagiarism.org/plagiarism-101/what-is-plagiarism/

Mikael De lara Co

Mikael was born on the second day of April in the year 1983, in Makati City. He loves basketball and is currently hooked in the Fantasy League. He graduated grade school in Lourdes College, high school in Philippine Science High School, and college at the Ateneo de Manila University with a degree in BS Environmental Science. 

Mikael has been writing primarily in Filipino since his college days. He has received recognition for his poetry, including print space in the Philippines Free Press, Sunday Inquirer Magazine, Aklat Likhaan, Dapitan, Tomas, Matanglawin, Pilosopo Tasyo, and Heights. He has also published fiction and non-fiction in Heights, Matanglawin and Manila Bulletin .

Kael has served as editor and staffer of Heights , and has experience in editing, teaching and translating. He plays lead guitar for the new wave/punk/blues band Los Chupacabras, and is lead vocalist for Gapos, a progressive rock/jazz/blues band with a social realist bent.

Hands For A Fistful Of Sand is one of Mikael Co’s greatest works and it would be safe to say that it is one of his contributions to society. This form of art gives rise to the new age of writing. The well thought of images and underlying messages written in this collection are helpful in influencing and synthesizing a new breed of writing and genre in our culture. Mikael Co and Hands For A Fistful Of Sand and his other works are definitely something us Filipinos should be proud of.

BEST PIZZA

This was the picture that made me realize how badly I needed a haircut

            Pizza is my own personal Kryptonite. When I get even a small dose of it, I'm out of commission within minutes. Sadly, that's how my body works. I'm hyper-acidic, so it's something I've had to deal with for quite some time now. The Pizza that hits me the hardest is Yellow Cab, which unfortunately for me, is my favorite pizza chain in the Philippines. 

         Despite my troubles with Italy's gift to mankind, I was psyched when I found out Papa John's Pizza was opening in the Philippines earlier this year. Whenever Rina and I would talk about going there, she would just say something like, "I don't want you getting sick. Let's go somewhere else for now". Months passed and Rina and I never got around to visiting their restaurant in Galleria. 


        And then, a month or so ago, my dear friend Rain tells me that they opened a branch just down the street from my office. So all bets were off. One Friday evening, a few of my workmates and I got done with our work early and decided to make take that jeepney ride down the road to the newly opened Papa John's. Rina said it was fine, because she was busy with our baby Rain, and my dear friend Rain had her Digicam.. so we were set!  


       But knowing that it could spell doom for my fragile stomach, I realized this what Frodo must have felt when he brought the ring into Mordor.  

            Perhaps the only drawback about going to the smaller Arnaiz branch of Papa John's, is that I won't be able to see what the interiors of the original Galleria Branch looks like. The branch in Makati was a small corridor that had enough space for our group. But as long as my group got a table, I guess I had nothing to complain about, because by 7:30 or so, the place was packed.


      The place is the "Express version" of Papa John's, cuz it's so cramped but I didn't care because I was going there for The Pickiest Eater In The World Blog.. not "Real Living".   

                 

STARTERS

          Whenever my dear friend Rain is in a restaurant, and there are Mozzarella Sticks (P129) on the menu, expect it to be ordered. Papa John's version was alright.. nothing spectacular, and in fact a bit on the dryer side. Flavor-wise, it could have had a bit more oomph to it (but maybe that's why it came with a side of Pizza Sauce). 




 



          More than the Mozzarella sticks, I enjoyed the Cheese Sticks (P99) more, which was ordered by my friend and fellow blogger, Osh. This is actually closer to a plain cheese pizza than it is Mozzarella sticks. The dough was wonderfully soft, and topped with a light garlic sauce and covered in baked cheese. I loved how the "Cheese Sticks" had burnt cheese hanging from the edges. You had a choice between the garlic dip or the pizza dip, and for me, the garlic dip is the wiser choice. (more on that later)

        The trend i'm getting here is that the dough of Papa John's is their secret weapon, because everything I had that was connected to their dough, was a knockout. The Bacon and Mushroom Rolls (P129), which I'm sure will come to no surprise to anyone, was my side order, and I'm glad I was right on the money. 


     The pizza dough was sliced and rolled up with a mixture of bacon, cheese and mushrooms, and baked into golden brown perfection. Biting into it lets out a little crunch, but the softness of the cheese and savory taste of the bacon just melts into your mouth. 


     They also have a Pepperoni roll version (P129), but come on, you know you want the one with Bacon. ;)

 


            My friend Bianca ordered the Beef and Bacon Rice meal (P160). I don't know if this is exclusively for the Philippines, but I thought it was a good idea. Any Rice meal that involves Bacon is a good idea. This tasted pretty much like a pizza already, with the flavors of tomato sauce and cheese being the strongest components of the dish. It was actually quite good, but If i'm going to be ordering a pizza already, I wouldn't be interested in ordering this, especially for the price. 

             Ok, the people at Papa John's need to know that we Pinoys take our Chicken Wings very seriously. We have homegrown places here like Sunrise Buckets andWingman that specializes in Chicken Wing Awesomeness, so these sad pieces of wings they served us just wasn't gonna cut it. Flavor wise, Papa John's Chicken Wings (P169) were a little bland, and considering the price you pay for four measly wings, I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. 

      PIZZAS 

            Before we go any further, let me point out to you that this little bowl with liquid golden goodness is going to be your best friend throughout your stay at Papa John's. I would advise you to keep it close to you, and if possible, do NOT share it with anyone. It's a simple concoction of butter and garlic, but it just blends perfectly with your pizza, you're never going to want to eat pizza ever again without it.

             Being the sweet talking carnivore that I am, I persuaded everyone to order a 14' inch "All The Meats" (P580 for 14 inch). The crust, as expected, was baked just beautifully, and the they weren't stingy with the medley of meats thrown into it. The flavors of Pepperoni, Italian Sausage, Beef, Ham and Bacon just exploded in your mouth. And the cheese was an amazing coating to the entire pizza.  

       I think I would have enjoyed the Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza more (P555 for 14 inch) had I not ordered the "All The Meats", because they ended up tasting a little bit similar, except the Bacon Cheese Burger had less meat and instead, more bits of Tomato. It was also a delicious pizza, but kinda redundant with my initial order (which wasn't the fault of Papa John's by the way). 

            Concerned for my health, my dear friend Rain suggested we get the Grilled Chicken Deluxe Pizza (P580 for 14 inch), which uses carbonara sauce instead of the usual tomato. Genius. The sauce was amazingly creamy, and was complimented by the large pieces of Bacon, Ham, Shredded Chicken and Mushrooms. 


        This was my absolute favorite and I'm so happy that it's white sauce!


   It's awesome knowing that there's a Papa John's just down the road from us, and that their reputation is well deserved. I'm going to try the Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza next!