Muy Classo Condo

We were tickled pink when we were offered to try out a G & W condo unit for two weekends. Delle gets it for one weekend, and I get it for the next. Of course our barkada will probably invade both weekends anyway. It was fully stocked for the entire stay, complete with everything essential we need for both weekends. Wow, it looked great! It even has internet, so I can do my net stuff. I can’t really post much because we’re all too busy watching “Beauty and the Geek” and eating pizza and chips, and drinking iced tea and rum coke, and talking and laughing. Since it’s useless to even try to attempt to write under such busy and distracting conditions, I’ll just give you a sneak peek to the unit and give you the detailed post later, when I’m back in the privacy of my room. It’s just crazy here! But I’m loving it!

Nice digs, huh?

In The Zone

We at Monster Radio RX 93.1 have been planning a Timezone event for like, forever. It never got off the ground because it was either this glitch or that. So when it finally pushed through, we were stoked and raring to go. We’ve never done anything like this ever before. It was so much fun just looking for our team mates. We had no idea who they were, or how good they were, we just screened our possible team mates over the phone and took their word for it and chose based on a looot of guesswork. For all we knew, they sucked at the game they claimed they were great at. Each show, other than finding a team, also had the task of coming up with our respective team names, and finding a celebrity guest each.

So finally, the day arrived and we (The Morning Rush) decided on a team name:

And we also found our team, and our lovely celebrity guest, Gaby dela Merced:

The other teams and their celebrity guest started coming in as well:

So we were ready to rumble and the games commenced!

There were seven games – Wangan, Percussion Master, Guitar Freaks, Dance Dance Revo, Air Hockey, Super Trivia, and Slam and Jam. Can we just say that after all is said and done, we love our team! Of course we ended up tied for last, with the All Access team. The After Hours team won the grand prize.

But I must say, the highlight of the day was the Air Hockey fight between Juddha Paolo and Brent Javier. It was like WWE, but on steroids! They were hamming it up for the crowd, and the crowd lapped it up! It added much needed levity since the competition was getting pretty heated up.

It was like the Ali-Frazier Thrilla in Manila!

In the end, Brent emerged as the Air Hockey champ!

But of course, the main point of the event was spending time together, having fun with the RX staff and our incredibly game listeners. We hope this becomes an annual event because although we were on our feet for about 5-6 hours straight, we didn’t feel just how painful our legs and feet were until we actually sat down at the end of the event.

Some group pics:

(Karen, Brent, Juddha and Rico Robles)

(Cheska Ortega and Gino Quillamor)

(Hazel, Danielle and Karen)

(Celebrity Guest Piolo Pascual with RX jocks Jude Rocha, Igi Guerrero and Gino)

And some pairings: some perfect fits, some outright odd…

(L: Karen and Brent, R: Gino and Delle)

(L: Igi and Gelli Victor, R: Gaby and Juddha)

(L: Juddha and Rico, R: Jude and Delle)

(L: Igi and Delle, R: Christie and Jude)

(Jude and Tom Alvarez)

(Tom and DJ McCoy)

So again, a big juicy thanks to everyone who joined us: the celebrity guests (especially ours, the gracious and beautiful and fun and super cool Gaby dela Merced) and of course the listeners who more than brought their game face. We started out as competitors, but many walked away with new friends. Let me leave you with the classic adage…

The Thrill of Victory…

The Agony of Defeat…

And the Timezone Cuddly Bunny….

The Best And The Rest 36

It was another one of those topics that touched nerve and induced the creative juices to flow. It’s an old game, where you get a song title, then replace one word in the title with the word, “itlog”. I swear, so many entries came in, some not fit for broadcast. But here they are, in all their uncensored glory!

March 27, 2008 → The Top Ten “Itlog” Songs

1. Aeolith/Mikimoto – “Kahit Maputi Na Ang Itlog Ko” by Sharon Cuneta
   
2. Aeolith – “Pasko Na Itlog Ko” by Gary Valenciano
   
3. Belski/Camylo/Bugoy/Pollyanna/Ynaki – “Put Your Itlog On My Shoulder” by Paul Anka
4. Rigor/Hydz/Carl/Kikhai/Rigor/McMaki/Windsurfer/Gorgeous Bitch/Bombai – “Sana Dalawa Ang Itlog Ko” by Bodgie’s Law Of Gravity
5. No name – “There’s No Easy Way To Break Somebody’s Itlog” by James Ingram
6. Jose De Vengenge/Stundsilence/Dosche – “Itlog In My Pocket” by Alanis Morissette
7. Jeffreak/TwistedSaint/Mak/Ponchie/Marie/Dong & Lai – “Quit Playing Games With My Itlog” by Backstreet Boys
8. Scuzzy/Tipipay/Fionagirl/Nikai – “Till They Take My Itlog Away” by Claire Marlow
9. Fairy/Pinkish/Blairbitch – “Sinaktan Mo Ang Itlog Ko” by Michael V.
10. Council – “Horse With No Itlog” by America, “Kiss On My Itlog” by Hall and Oates
11. No name – “I Just Called To Say I Love Itlog” by Stevie Wonder
12. Maomao/Prima Donya – “Tattooed On My Itlog” by D Sound
13. Howe – “I Lay My Itlog On You” by Westlife
14. TwistedSaint – “First Time Ever I Saw Your Itlog” by Roberta Flack
15. Salonpas Girl/Jose De Vengenge/Zac Apron/Gorgeous Bitch – “Bleeding Itlog” by Leona Lewis
16. I.T. Guy – “Sana’y Wala Nang Itlog” by Sharon Cuneta
17. Jose De Vengenge – “Big Yellow Itlog” by Joni Mitchell, Counting Crows
18. Wilhelm – “Mahirap Magmahal Ng Itlog Ng Iba” by The Apo Hiking Society
19. Shining/Jun13 – “Can You Feel The Itlog Tonight” by Elton John
20. No name – “I Got You Under My Itlog” by Frank Sinatra
21. Ulysses – “Please Be Careful With My Itlog” by Jose Mari Chan
22. Jareth/Ynaki – “I Wanna Hold Your Itlog” by The Beatles
23. batangKAWAYAN – “Suntok Sa Itlog” by Session Road
24. batangKAWAYAN – “Muntik Nang Maabot Ang Itlog” by True Faith
25. Pao-pao – “Don’t It Make My Brown Itlog Blue” by Crystal Gayle
26. Joeshred – “Let Me See His Western Itlog” from Miss Saigon
27. Ynaki – “Another One Bites The Itlog” by Queen
28. Joyce – “Kapag Tumibok Ang Itlog” by Donna Cruz
29. JP/Dude – “Itlog Of An Angel” by Hinder
30. Bugoy – “I Left My Itlog In San Francisco” by Tony Bennett
31. Loi Pogi – “Itlog Runs Dry” by Boyz II Men
32. Gorgeous Bitch -”Tell It To My Itlog” by Taylor Dayne
33. Miyaka – “Teardrops On My Itlog” by Taylor Swift
34. Teejay – “Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Itlog” by Neil Sedaka
35. Ether – “Hawak Itlog” by Yeng Constantino
36. Michikoy – “Kung Mahawi Man Ang Itlog” by Sharon Cuneta
37. Loi Pogi – “Bilog Nanaman Ang Itlog” by Tropical Depression
38. Jules – “Smells Like Teen Itlog” by Nirvana

Net-Net Mo! 1

Starting today, I’ll start a new series of posts about stuff I dredge up on the net. Every now and then, if I find a couple of items that I find interesting, I’ll try to get them to you via this series.

CHOCOLATE-COVERED BACON

(Photo courtesy of slog.thestranger.com)

I mentioned this on the show sometime last week, but you gotta see it to believe it! I looove chocolate, and I looove bacon, but I don’t know if I like this combo. There’s chocolate-covered popcorn by Poppycock, which is delicious, and the chocolate-covered potato chips by Royce, which is devilishly good, but bacon? Hmmm. According to “Marini’s, the California restaurant that serves it, it’s a man’s chocolate, and it’s quite a big hit with their customers. Sugar and fat in one package. Yum!

WILLY EATS FLIPPER!

(Photo courtesy of The Herald Online)

This amazing photo was taken by Swiss diver Pascal Fazio in the waters of Algoa Bay in South Africa. Five orcas were photographed and even filmed underwater for the first time, hunting and eventually killing a dolphin. The orcas separated the dolphin calf from its family, and bumped him out of the water many times, knocking it unconscious, before killing it. It was a sardine run, but apparently, the killer whales wanted mammal meat instead. I don’t know if I would call it courage or folly, but the divers went into the waters as the hunt was ongoing. At one point, the calf’s mother brought the beleaguered calf near the divers as if to ask for help. The ultimate predators, orcas kill and eat dolphins, whales, and sharks.

STEVEN CURTIS CHAPMAN TRAGEDY

(Photo courtesy of stevencurtischapman.com)

At around 5pm last Wednesday, May 21, 5-year-old Marie Sue Chapman, adopted daughter of Christian singer Steven Curtis Chapman, was run over in the family’s driveway by an SUV driven by her teenage brother. The freak accident was witnessed by family members because they were celebrating the engagement of the eldest daughter Emily. She was flown to a hospital but did not survive her injuries. In the picture above, Maria is the little girl sitting on her father’s lap. Around 5 years ago, Chapman and his wife MaryBeth founded The Shaohannah’s Hope Ministry after bringing home the first of 3 girls they adopted from China. Chapman is most well known in the Philippines for his 1990 song, “I Will Be Here”. So sad.

The Best And The Rest 35

Summer’s almost over, the rains are practically here, so it’s bittersweet to post this summer Top Ten, 2 months after we did this on-air. We romanticize summer; as if something enchanted will unfold – some quickie romance, a life-changing adventure, a story that is worth passing on to your kids way after you’ve turned old and grey. Now, holidays for me just means a time to unwind. Hehehe…the older I get, the more stressed out I am. Come to think of it, this year was bitin, I need another vacation soon….

March 25, 2008 → The Top Ten Most Memorable Summers

1. Pammy – When my best friend and I went to Boracay, it was because my friend was going through a terrible break-up. We drew comfort from the fact that Manila was so far away. Who should be the first person we see the first time we stepped out of the resort? The girl who caused the break-up of my friend’s relationship. Talk about small world, I didn’t know Bora could be suffocatingly small.
2. Nina – When our parents left for Baguio for a week, it was the first time that we were all by ourselves, so they just left us money for food and stuff. And on the first day, my brother got his left eye glued by Mighty Bond so we had to rush him to a hospital, kaya naubos budget namin for a week. Buti na lang we have stock ng corned beef na galing sa tito ko from Canda. Napurga kami sa corned beef for one week.
3. Skinny Dipper – When I was 11, I joined my family in the Maldives. My 3-month adventure started with me & my sister flying to the capital, Male, as unaccompanied minors, and riding a dhoni (a very big fisherman’s boat) to Magoodhoo Atoll, our home for the following 3 months. The island was BEAUTIFUL! White sand as fine as you can imagine, clear waters, warm & simple people, idyllic place. I think I am what I am today, a lover of the sun, sand, and sea, because of that experience. But the reason it was the best summer was because our family got reunited since my parents & 2 younger brothers had been in the Maldives for a couple of years since my dad works for the U.N.
4. Patientncalm – When we went to Mindoro, my father’s hometown, we tried to do again what my brother and sister used to do when we were still kids. Bahay-bahayan built for us by our lolo, swimming at the river, climbing the indian mango trees, riding the kalesa and kalabaw, and playing at the ricefields. The only difference is that this time, it’s already our kids who are enjoying these unforgettable experiences of our childhood.
5. Shakes – I had this vacation once in Nueva Ecija when I was a little boy. I saw a long line of kids going to somewhere. Out of curiosity, and without knowing where it lead, I stood in line. It was too late when I realized that the man sitting at the end of the line was offering his services for free tuli.
6. Maynman - My friends were at a resort in Quezon when something floated towards one of them. Thinking it was a toy, he picked it up. It turned out to be a dead little girl.
7. Untamed Swan – This summer is the worst because my youngest sister who is 16 years old will give birth to a child of a rapist. And the rapist is not behind bars because he is a gang member who can harm my nieces who are just 5, 4 and 3 years old.
8. Andy Romano – The time I climbed Mt. Pulag and realized God exists.
9. Deusxmaquina – Just last week I went to Nueva Ecija with my Korean brothers & sisters for a bible seminar for 6 days. It turns out that my mission is more than spreading God’s word because I fell in love with one brother.
10. Ghastly – When I decided to look for my biological dad, the search led me to Dubai, Catalan in Spain, and a desert town in Arizona. Many times I felt like I was in a Quentin Tarentino movie.
11. Bineth Log – One summer I was stung by jellyfish. My crush volunteered to pee on my thigh. I snuck a peek…
12. No name – This happend a couple of summers ago: my dad died on April 1, it was my maternal grandma’s birthday on April 2, and I graduated from elementary on April 3.
13. YñaKì – It was the summer of ‘77 when we had our CAT Bivouac at Tanay, Rizal and it was the most memorable, because I lost my virginity to my Corps Commandant’s girlfriend inside her command tent that night!
14. Jedi Mstr – Back in 2003, we went to Puerto Galera and we crawled into a very small cave. I had bruises so 3 of us decided to swim around the rock. When we got to the edge the current was either pulling me away from the shore or slamming me against the sharp rocks. I later found out that 22 divers died years ago in that same spot, and legend says each year, 22 victims are taken.
15. Rhada – 15 years ago, I met a French boy, a son of missionaries tagging along with his parents during a mission. 2 years ago, I went back to Guimaras to visit relatives, and who should I see, now a strapping 25 year old hunk? I saw him walking along the same stretch of beach where I met him 15 years ago.

Ugh, Archie Gets Cooked

(photo courtesy of Huffington Post)

Ugh. Whatever. So I guessed wrong. Again. I just feel weird though because I’m not all out for Archuleta, and I’m not all out against Cook. I concede that although Archie is the superior vocalist, Cook is the better performer. If they were fruits, Cook would be the one who’s ripe for the picking. Even my main beef about him, which is his arrogance (whether real or perceived) is actually par for course for a newly birthed star. In any competition, I always flinch at the first sign of arrogance, no matter how good they are. That’s why in tennis, I don’t like Martina Hingis and Rafael Nadal. In Survivor, I don’t like Rob Mariano. In FM broadcasting…hehehe…let’s not go “THERE”. Anywaaay…back to Idol, I agree that Cook winning is actually good for the franchise, since he adds much needed edge, an ingredient that is steadily on the ebb, with such “uncool” dinosaurs like Lulu and Neil Diamond invading our screens. Don’t get me wrong, I actually have a Neil Diamond CD, I just don’t think it’s doing the show any favors when it comes to cool points. So David Cook gives that refreshing subversive feel to the oftentimes trite proceedings, as opposed to Archuleta’s rehearsed Bagong Kampeon vibe, which, matched with cheesy weekly song numbers with mind-numbing choreography, could prove an artistic fatal blow. You can almost predict Archie crooning out songs with words like “Moment” or “Destiny” or “Believe” in the titles. But all things said, Archie is simply my pick. He reminds me of my new puppy, with his hangdog eyes and toothy grin. He’s the gawky kid with a golden voice, like the role Josh Groban played when he first came out on Ally McBeal. Archie is the true David of the two, as opposed to Cook’s Goliath. Archie is the matronly pick, while Cook is the cool pick. But you can’t argue with 12 million votes. That’s what the show is about, a show of fan phone force. So I’ll pretend that I actually have a life and really couldn’t care less that my favorite lost. I’ll pretend it doesn’t matter because there are greater things to worry about like rising gas prices or rice crises or impending earthquakes. I’ll pretend that I’m not worried that his rumored psycho dad will beat him up for not bringing home the bacon. I’ll pretend that I’m actually cool, and not a loser waiting with bated breath for January next year when auditions start again….

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!

Meet…Cairo

Meet…our new baby Yorkie…Cairo:

It didn’t even take 24 hours for the deal to be sealed. I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t sleep…okay, okay…I could always eat. But the point is, I couldn’t get this little, cuddly, furry, ploofy bundle of energy out of my mind. The very next day, I was back in Tiendesitas, withdrawing moolah that I should be saving instead, and bringing home the latest member of our ever-growing family. So now the dogs are a little ahead, 4 dogs to 3 cats.

Surprisingly, our Chihuahua Nairobi was pretty cool with her new baby brother. She’s usually neurotic and possessive, but she was pretty fascinated by Cairo. She didn’t give him a hard time, but she did try to hump him a couple of times (I swear, I really think she’s on the lesbionic side of the fence…). But all in all, they pretty much got along well quick.

I’ve always wanted a Yorkshire Terrier, but I always read that they’re yappy and hyper little dogs. But then I never thought I’d ever get a Chihuahua either, so I guess it’s a challenge. On day one, I already see potential headaches. I don’t think this dog has ever been groomed. He hated the idea of being brushed. For an extremely hairy dog like a Yorkie, not liking grooming is out of the question. It’s like finding a drag queen who didn’t like lip gloss. Besides, he was getting hurt whenever I tried to comb out his matted hair. But it was a battle of wills I was determined to win. With a lot of patience and constancy, I wore him down a little and every now and then he’d give it up and stay still long enough for me to brush him.

I swear, there’s nothing like a cute puppy to keep me grinning silly-ly (silly-ly?!?) the whooole day. Such a cuddly little ball of fluff. Some say he looks like an Ewok while others say he looks like Chewbacca. He could look like a matted ball of pubes for all I care, I just love carrying that little rascal around. His fur could either end up blue or black as an adult. I hope it ends up jet black like it is now.

I’m sorry if I’m rambling like a proud new parent with a newborn baby. I’m resisting posting hundreds of pics of Cairo because he’s such a handsome fella. I truly pray that we have a looong life together, living and loving, a man and his best friend….

The Best And The Rest 34

If I’m not mistaken, this was the first boardwork we had since Holy Week, I was fresh from Malapascua, and Delle just transferred to her new apartment, hence the Top Ten topic. It’s always tough choosing a place to live in; you never know what went on there before you came along. If only the walls could talk, what tales it would tell….

March 24, 2008 → The Top Ten Signs That Something’s Wrong With Your New House

1. LOipogi – Kapag yung mga next door neighbor mo, hindi kumakain ng garlic, wala silang philtrum (yung indentation sa taas ng upper lip just below the nostrils), tapos yung image mo sa kanilang mga mata, inverted.
2. Maynman - When in a span of 4 months, 2 people have committed suicide in your building. There’s this building in taft where this happened last year.
3. Pancake – Kapag may tumatawag in the middle of the night para makisuyo sa kapitbahay mo.
4. Hanazawa Rui – When you wake up one evening seeing the villagers gathering around your house and dressed up in black cloaks.
5. No name – I didn’t believe in my cousin’s account of ghost sightings in our apartment until I found out that the place was just renovated and used to be a funeral parlor.
6. McMaki – If neighbors welcome you with dishes of dinuguan, bopis, inihaw na bituka at papaitan.
7. Hanazawa Rui/Joeshred/Shining – When you see stains in the ceiling or wall that cannot be removed and resembles a human figure.
8. Ruelski – If on your first night to sleep there, you here someone whispering in your ear, “Get out!”
9. Shining – This happened to my Korean student. When she finally found the perfect apartment, a week later, she started receiving Post-its on her door. The 1st one said, “Hi, you look so pretty. My name’s Andrew”. Two days after, another note said, “You look so pretty in your white skirt”. It went on for weeks.
10. YñaKì – If a common sight in your neighborhood are those long, yellow tapes that say, “Police line. Do not cross.”
11. KiD BuKid – If all day and night, you hear mixing of mahjong tiles sa kapitbahay niyo, at hindi na nawalan ng patay na pinaglalamayan!
12. Kunying – If you find a hidden room in your house full of horrifying things in it — like walls full of pornographic pics, books on how to create bombs, a corner with chains, whips and…blood!
13. Eylek – Kapag laging New Year sa kapitbahay niyo. As in laging amoy putok.
14. Jigs – Kapag lagi kang binibigyan ng sponge bath at pinapalitan ng shorts ng roomate mo everytime nalalasing ka. At lagi ka niyang nilalasing!
15. Duvessa – If you start seeing “housemates” in your house.
16. Twinka - When I was in college, we just moved into this apartment. A few weeks after came Valentine’s Day. My landlord, an old creepy guy, secretly gave my roommate a bouquet of roses, and the card read: “From: BATMAN”. We just had to move out.
17. Gorgeous Bitch – If you live alone, but you hear stuff like, “Nandito lang ako sa likod mo…”
18. Jigs – Laging baha kahit hindi umuulan.
19. Lara – Kung puro kamalasan ang nangyayari sa inyo after moving in, just like what happened to my sister. After moving into their new house, hirap na hirap sila sa money, they both got sick, even my parents who didn’t live in the house. Lumipat na lang sila ng bahay, and after a month, everything went okay na. Freaky!
20. öta – We got robbed on the first day we moved in, then I lost my side mirror twice, and my car’s window got smashed, all within a month in our new neighborhood.
21. SPY Shadow – If your “neighbors” love to enter through your “back door” instead of the front.
22. Rhyme – I moved into my boyfriend’s house a year ago and I didn’t have good vibes in it when I 1st entered the door step. I found out the reason on my 1st night. When I went to the bathroom, I thought I saw the whole floor was moving. When I switched on the lights there were cockroaches swarming all over the floor! The next day we had a major house cleaning.
23. Aeon- If you always catch the village lesbian, who lives next door, checking out your gorgeous wife.
24. Joeshred – Kapag dugo ang lumalabas sa gripo.
25. Dru – If you’re in the bathroom brushing your teeth, then you look in the mirror, and your reflection is just staring at you with bloodshot eyes, smiling.
26. Joeshred – Kapag may nakita kang mga hidden camera sa ilalim ng mesa, sa may kama, at sa toilet.
27. Cyber – If the ghost in your old house missed you so much, that it decided to move into your new home.

Dogma (Dog Dilemma)

Sigh. I’m really stressed because I fell in love again. With a dog. The last time this happened, I ended up buying a dog from one of my least favorite breeds: the chihuahua. That’s how I am, I never get dogs based on breeds. I don’t tell myself, “okay, I’m getting a poodle”, then go out and look for the best poodle I could find based on my budget. I’d usually hold off buying any more pets. If I could get rescued animals, I would. One of my cats, Aras, we rescued from an island in Batangas. But my problem is, once I fall in love with a specific dog, regardless of the breed, I’m hooked. Just like how it was with my chihuahua, Nairobi.

I was NEVER a fan of chihuahuas. I always thought they looked a little creepy (they always reminded me of those “Chucky” dolls), I don’t like their general temperament, and I don’t like small dogs, period. The smallest dog I’ve ever gotten was a beagle. But when I saw her in a pet shop (that’s another thing, I usually don’t buy dogs from pet shops, I get my dogs from breeders), it was love at first sight. Every bone in my body, everything I’ve learned from decades of caring for animals, told me NOT to buy a dog on the basis of impulse. But I couldn’t walk away. The idea that she’ll go to some bratty kid (chihuahuas aren’t good with small children) who’ll pull her tail and make her miserable was driving me to an early grave. I gave myself one day to decide. I told myself if she was still there after a day, I’d get her. She was, so I did.

Back to the new dog. Same thing happened earlier, as we were walking in Tiendesitas just as we always did a million times before, seeing the cutest dogs on the planet, but I never had the same impulse as I did with Nairobi almost 3 years ago…until now. The moment I laid eyes on him, I knew I was in trouble. I tried to look away, I tried to walk away, but the next thing I knew, I was cradling that little rascal in my arms and he was nibbling on my shirt sleeve. I swear I heard him whimper, “Daddy…!” Again, I’m giving myself until tomorrow to decide. You’ll find out soon enough if I went for it or not. Either I’d be perkily posting post-purchase puppy pics, or I’d be lugubriously laboring over a long letter lamenting a lapdog loss. I really don’t know what to do. I hope I make the right decision….

The Best And The Rest 33

Don’t even get me started. If you get people talking about religion, it will inevitably end up in an argument. Religion, faith, and the concept of God, are topics so subjective, that it’s ironically ripe for discord and dissension. You can’t really prove that you’re right and someone is wrong, right? So before we get into any disagreement, here’s the Top Ten for today.

March 18, 2008 → The Top Ten Religion Moments

1. Dongster/Joy – I can’t forget my 1st encounter with Pope John Paul II in grade school. When I saw him from a distance, my knees suddenly trembled and I started crying without knowing why.
2. Sapphire – My 87-yr-old lola, who happens to be a devout Catholic, never gets tired of saying the rosary 3 times a day. The problem is, whenever she’s about to finish, she always falls asleep, so she has start all over again.
3. Dark Fader – I once worked for an all-girl Catholic school run by nuns. Remember their vow of poverty? When I was there, I overheard a bunch of nuns discussing which of the latest cellphone models to buy.
4. LOipogi – In a UP dorm where I stayed, we had this Muslim dorm mate. There were times when we couldn’t enter the room because he would lock it. It turned out that he was doing pre-dawn or pre-sunset prayers.
5. Gabriel Knight – There’s this one priest during Holy Week service who said, while pointing to the crucifix, “Look at what God can do for man. And look at what man can do to God.”
6. Clauoie of Rizal – During my elementary days, the late archbishop Cardinal Sin visited our school. Our teachers told us to address him as, “Your Eminence”. When one of my classmates saw him, he shouted, “Good morning, your enemies!” The teachers and the good Cardinal were shocked.
7. Andrew – I have a friend who’s not allowed to go out on Saturdays. He’s a seventh-day adventist. After classes on Fridays, he would rush home before sundown. And during Saturday gimmicks, he would catch up with us after sundown. He’s not supposed to do work, even study, during Saturdays.
8. Raymond – My dad went to Siquijor & watched a doll being animated by a mangkukulam. When a friend murmured the Lord’s Prayer, the doll stopped dancing & stared at him.
9. Frank – My mom’s a Rizalista and we had to be baptized twice: Catholic and Rizalista.
10. Bernadette – We have this church mate who, at one time during testimonials, stood up and shouted, “NAG-RAPTURE NA!!!” She has a mental condition pala and didn’t take her medicine that day.
11. Kooky – At our province during Holy Week, we went to a Stations of the Cross where real people posed as the biblical characters. At the scene of the crucifixion, everyone was distracted because “Jesus” was wearing maong shorts.
12. Jen – I met my boyfriend during a training and fell in love. We’re about to celebrate our 1st anniversary together. He wants us to marry but we can’t: I’m Catholic, he’s Muslim. Neither wants to convert.
13. TReiz – During Holy Week, we fast from lunch good Friday up until breakfast on Easter Sunday. And I’m an acolyte for the vigil which takes place 12mn to 6am.
14. Nina Del Papa – My then boyfriend was teaching his kid brother to pray. They were praying Ama Namin, and when they got to the part, “Bigyan niyo po kami ng aming kakanin sa araw-araw”, his kid brother blurted out, “Kuya, ulam din…”
15. Skye – My husband’s cousin is a “mystika”. During his cousin’s wedding, the officiating minister was a woman wearing white clothes, with a crown, and everyone had to stand all throughout the 2-hour ceremony.
16. Rookrose – My religion moment happened when our neighbors came over to pray the rosary. Everything went smoothly until we reached the part when the lead enumerates holy items and the group will reply, “Ipanalangin niyo po kami.” The lead went: “Torre ni David…” Reply: “Ipanalangin niyo po kami.” Lead: “Tala sa umaga…” Reply: “Ipanalangin niyo po kami.” Lead: “Anak ni Valiente…” Everyone stopped and started laughing.
17. Skye – During one of our church summer camps, the prayer leader was sooo hungry, that when she lead the prayer before lunch, she ended it with, “Sa ngalan ng isda…amen.”
18. momiGEL- My friend went to a crucifixion in Pampanga, and there was an old lady who was being taken down from the cross. The host interviewing the old lady asked, “Any last words of faith?” And the old lady said, “Ang masasabi ko lang ay…masakit ang pagtanggal ng pakoooooh! Waaaaah!” And she started screaming and crying.
19. Rafa – We were talking about religions in my class and one guy asked who is the “god” of Scientology? A girl from the back answered, “Tom Cruise?”
20. Hoiram – During a cenakulo, some of the cast played a trick on the lady playing the role of the Virgin Mary. In the crucifixion scene, the guy playing the role of Jesus, wearing only a loincloth, did not wear any underwear. The “Virgin Mary”, who was kneeling down at the foot of the cross, was supposed to look up and was so surprised by the view above that she almost cursed before she delivered her lines.
21. No name – Every Holy Week may mga nagpe-penitensya, walking the streets hitting their backs till they bleed. My cousin and I filled our water guns with alcohol and sprayed the penitents’ backs. They chased us shouting, ‘”Pag inabutan ko kayo, kayo ang hahahampasin ko!”
22. Tipsy – My boyfriend’s lola is a charismatic, her house filled with statues of saints. This is how my boyfriend is greeted by his lola each time he calls the province: “Hay nako, p*tang-inang apo ko, praise the lord at tumawag ka! T*ng-ina, praise the lord!”
23. Draco’s Biatch – My sister and I were sent to Israel for a youth assembly. Imagine, youngsters ages 15-25 singing a song in different languages, playing our guitars, bongos & tambourines, as we entered the walls of Jerusalem. Gave me goosebumps!
24. Skinny Dipper – My boss is a Chinoy and has 2 god icons in their altar: a Santo Niño & a golden Buddha. My boss’ son, who was then in grade school, told some of my officemates that when it’s exam week, he prays to the Santo Niño. Because apparently, when he prays to the Buddha, he flunks his exams