Thursday, January 3, 2008

   A DAY OF ANXIETY
Since this is my first post for 2008, let me just greet you HAPPY NEW YEAR! How was the celebration? (If you're curious, ours was marred by a slight loss of electricity or "low voltage")

Anyway, I guess you all know that today is the 3rd of January, year 2008. In the US, and in the whole world in general, it means one thing: THE BEGINNING OF THE PRIMARIES.

Right now, I feel very anxious about how the first primaries, the Iowa primaries, will turn out, especially in the Republican side. You all know that I'm currently backing Ron Paul, and that's where the anxiety I'm feeling right now begins. In the latest polls, he is at fifth place with only 7%. Sure, he did higher than Rudy Giuliani, but it's small compared to Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney.

But then again, opinion polls don't always predict accurately the winner of an elections. In 1996, Pat Buchanan shocked the world when he won the New Hampshire primaries, even though the opinion polls said that he had little chance of winning. So, it's still possible for Ron Paul to win.

So now, my anxiety is increasing. I know very well that the Iowa primaries is a very important event that can change a candidate's popularity. That is why until the results are shown, I will continue to hope and pray that Ron Paul wins the primaries.

I hope that when I wake up tomorrow from a sleep that will probably be still filled with anxiety, I will be greeted with the wonderful news that Ron Paul won the Iowa primaries (or at least land on 3rd place). If not, well we still have Wyoming, New Hampshire, and the rest of the states. I will continue to pray that a miracle will happen.

So, if you're a Republican voter in Iowa, vote for RON PAUL. If you're a Democrat, then go for BARACK OBAMA. (Yes, I have just withdrawn my support for Hillary Clinton.) Your vote not only will change the future of the USA, but also the future of the whole world, including my country, the Philippines.

That's all I can say. HAVE A NICE DAY.
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Monday, December 31, 2007

   MY TEN FINAL WORDS IN 2007
Hey there guys! Do you smell what The Mask is cookin'?

1. Time-check first. At the time that I'm posting this, it's already 4:25 PM, which I believe is around 5:00 AM in myOtaku (or US) time. Less than 8 hours from now, it's going to be 2008. This post is gonna be quite long, so I hope you'll have the patience to read everything up.

2. 2007 was a year full of surprises and shocks. Around the world, we had wildfires, landslides, mainstream media bias, writers' strike, and a state of emergency. As for my place, we had a mall explosion, bombing in Congress, scams in gameshows and TV ratings, midterm election bullcrap, hostage-taking in a school bus, overpriced lampposts and, of course, the stupid coup attempt that led to a tank being rammed inside a five-star hotel. (And I guess you people saw that unusual sight in the news, right?)

3. In 2007, we also bid goodbye to several people from different walks of life. In the world of pro-wrestling, we lost "Sensational" Sherri Martel, Fabulous Moolah, and the Benoit family (wrestler Chris, former wrestler Nancy, and son Daniel). In entertainment, we lost model Anna Nicole Smith and cartoon icon Iwao Takamoto, as well as Filipino novelty singer Yoyoy Villame. In the world of books, we lost novelist Sidney Sheldon. And in politics, we lost Boris Yeltsin of Russia and, most recently, Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan. May their souls and the souls of all the other people who passed away this year rest in peace.

4. Of all the deaths that happened this year, the most tragic would be the deaths of the Benoit family and of Benazir Bhutto. First, the Benoit family. I remembered the first time I heard about it; it was on the main page of the Yahoo! website. It was heartbreaking enough to see a wrestling legend die like that, but to see that his wife and son died with him was even more heartbreaking (especially the death of his son; he was still so young). When news came that Chris was the suspect in what appeared to be a case of double murder-suicide, I was shocked. I couldn't believe this was happening. Then came the sensationalism that the media did on this event, with journalists making judgments before thinking and interviewing former wrestlers that are making this tragedy even worse. It would later be learned that it was a brain injury that could have trigerred Chris to do it, and not that thing which everyone wants to blame at. I hope that their souls will be laid to rest.

5. Benazir Bhutto's death came out as a shocker to me. The first time I knew about her was last October on BBC, when she arrived in Pakistan from exile. Then, there was the assasination attempt caught on camera, which was so shocking since it was one of the first suicide bombings/assasination attempts I saw. Later, there was the state of emergency, the house arrest, and her bid to become prime minister of Pakistan. I may have spent more time updating myself on Ron Paul, but I certainly spent some time learning about what's happening in Pakistan. I even wondered a bit on how Pakistan might be different and changed for the better if she became PM. And then, I learned on BBC that she was killed. Just as the year was about to end, she was killed. It shocked me. It made me wonder how Pakistan is gonna be like already now that the one person whom many Pakistanis saw as their hope is no longer alive. On this year, I was introduced to Mrs. Bhutto; who would've thought that this was also the year that she would pass away. I'm not gonna say she was a great leader, since I don't know that much about her. Nevertheless, I hope her soul will rest in peace, and I hope Pakistan can move on for a brighter future after this tragedy.

6. This year, I saw how extremely crappy mainstream media has become. I first heard about it on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, wherein they explained how figures like Geraldo Rivera and Nancy Grace didn't seem to act like real journalists. At that time, I laughed, because the show did a good job in explaining it. But I didn't really see the bias myself. Later on, during the Benoit tragedy, I saw for myself how biased they have become. They keep on talking about steroids, they tell people that "pro-wrestling is evil", they even twist the facts up! That was just bullcrap. I know pro-wrestling is not exactly good, but they shouldn't make it look like something it isn't just for the sake of ratings. Then, the Ron Paul coverage. Minimal, biased, not so much on facts. There was even one article where Paul did well in a straw poll, but instead it focused more on how Mitt Romney was beaten by Ron Paul. Since when did losers become the top of the story? Good thing things improved a bit these days. And then, the John Cena incident, where CNN (of all networks) omitted some of his words to make him look like he takes steroids. This was just frustrating. Even in the Philippines, we had bias when the media networks make themselves look like the heroes for interfering in police matters, and making such an issue on a racial slur on Desperate Housewives but not on an ethnic slur in a local movie.Because of this, I sometimes feel that not taking up Journalism was a good choice, since I would've ended up working for these kinds of people.

7. What did 2007 give me that will never be forgotten? Well, for starters, 2007 was the year that I became Mr. COMELEC, after I became the secretary for the Commission of Elections in the Supreme Student Council of my university. Exciting? Well, if I applied for the job, why wouldn't it be exciting for me? For the first time, I saw how elections work in the university, and it was a hands-on experience. Tiring? Hell yeah. Helping manage the whole election season, having to worry about the rallies and the sizes of the election materials, and the berating from some individuals . . . all of these gave me enough reason to say "Thank goodness!" when it was all over. Despite all the crap that happened, I could proudly say that I never cheated for anyone during this period. This period in my life would eventually lead to my interest in playing political games like President 2000, Senate Seeker, NationStates, and Particracy, as well as this next event.

8. One very important event that happened to me in 2007 was when I was introduced me to Texas congressman Ron Paul. Ever since his interview on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, I've kept track of what he is doing on his campaign for US president, despite being "on the other side of the world", as SomeGuy said. I've become witness to two major "money bombs", the first during Guy Fawkes day (which brought more than $4 million) and the second during the Boston Tea Party anniversary (which brought more than $6 million). I've seen him start to get the attention of the media, appearing in popular shows like The View, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and Meet the Press. From being a nobody, he is now starting to become a phenomenon in the 2008 elections. With a good record and a good platform, plus his integrity and issue familiarity, it wasn't long before I threw my support for this guy.

9. What are my hopes for 2008? First, I hope that Ron Paul wins the Republican primaries, then the presidential elections. Next, I hope I can finally buy myself a Sherlock Holmes novel. I also hope that I can finally continue catching up with what's happening in Detective Conan. Also, I hope that I can have a clearer view of my ambitions in the future.

10. To end this post, here is the world-famous video of prison inmates in my province, Cebu, dancing to Michael Jackson's "Thriller". Enjoy!



That's all for 2007! HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!
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Sunday, December 23, 2007

   SEASON'S GREETINGS
Hey there guys! Can you feel the holiday spirit?

First things first. Remember the Tea Party '07 which was intended to be a "money bomb" for Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul? Well, the fundraiser was able to get over $6 million, breaking the record for the biggest one-day fundraiser for a presidential candidate. (The previous record was by John Kerry in 2004.) And most, if not all, of these actually came from middle-class America! So the revolution really is strong!

And if you visited TIME.com, he was named as one of the People That Mattered in 2007! Wow!

On another note, I'm quite happy right now 'coz I won the Presidency! Yup, I did... in Particracy! My character, Jerome Resso, became President of the Democratic Republic of Aloria. (Yippee!) However, my party (PLAN) is still the minority in the Parliament (Darn!).

Anyway, since it is the holiday season, I thought I'd share this video I found from YouTube. The song used is "Christmas in Our Hearts", a song by a Filipino singer/composer named Jose Mari Chan. (Don't worry, it's in English!) What I like about this vid is that it used some little animation. Anyway, here's the vid and please check it out.



Anyway, that's all I can say. HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!
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Saturday, December 15, 2007

   TEA PARTY!
I would like to take this time to encourage all of the American people to participate in an online fundraising campaign for US Presidential candidate Ron Paul. It's called the Tea Party '07 and it will be held tomorrow, December 16, 2007. I'm not American and I'm still not an adult, so I can't donate to this cause. But I know a lot of you are, and I hope you will help them in making Ron Paul the next US President.

I believe Ron Paul is the only candidate who truly knows the issues and has the integrity to really stand up for what he believes in. He has a great amount of experience as a gynecologist and congressman. He is the one who truly understands and fights for the Constitution. Through this fundraiser, let us help make this man the next President of the United States.

Click the link below for more info:

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Friday, November 23, 2007

   UPDATE IN A FLASH
- Still supporting Ron Paul. My classmate supports Barack Obama. Now, we call each other "Obama" and "Paul".

- All NH voters here in myO! VOTE FOR RON PAUL.

- Other stuff: Watched "An Inconvenient Truth". Laughed at the Simpsons scene and the "frog in a heating water" scene. Shocked and terrified at how much water levels can increase soon and parts of major cities will soon be part of the sea instead. Hope I can do something to help make the world better again.

That's all I can say. HAVE A NICE DAY!
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Saturday, November 17, 2007

   IT'S NOT A GHOST, IT'S THE MASK!
Hey there guys! Can you smell what The Mask is cookin'?

THE MASK SUPPORTS RON PAUL. It's been a while since I've made a post in this site. The last time I posted was last July, with the whole Ron Paul thing. And as you can see around my site, you now know that I've officially decided to support Ron Paul for the Presidency. If things go well, I shall support Paul to the end. If he doesn't get the nomination, I guess I'll have to go with the Democrats (specifically, Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama) since they seem to be the lesser evil if Paul wasn't around.

THE MASK FORMS A MOCK POLITICAL PARTY. Recently, I've created the Progressive League for Advanced Nation (PLAN) as my mock political party for the mock nation of the Democratic Republic of Aloria in the online political simulation game Particracy. Recently, my party won 29 out of the 700 legislative seats in the Parliament, which is good for a newbie like me. I do hope that I can get to be Head of State or Head of Government and my party will become the majority in the Parliament.

THE MASK STILL A PSYCHO. Yup, I'm still a Psychology student. 2nd year Psychology student to be exact. I hope I can still remain a Psych major despite trials and the growing number of people and friends shifting from Psychology to other courses due to the cut-off.

THE MASK EXCITED ABOUT NEWEST DETECTIVE CONAN LIVE-ACTION. There's a reason why I'm excited at the upcoming sequel to the live-action series of Detective Conan. It's the fact that a kid will play the role of Conan. It's something I never thought would really happen. I mean, c'mon, A KID PLAYING THE ROLE OF CONAN?! How cool is that. Wonder how the kid would look like.

That's all for today. Wanted to tell more stuff but I really have to go. HAVE A NICE DAY!
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Tuesday, July 31, 2007

   JUST SOMETHING SHORT
Just a quick post that I've wanted to do. Even though I'm no American, I still got interested in the 2008 US Presidential polls. And if I were to vote today as an American, these would be my 3 choices:

Hillary Clinton (Democrat)
Barack Obama (Democrat)
Ron Paul (Republican)

Now, out of these three, Paul is the only Republican (and the only one not doing well in national surveys). So I take this opportunity to just inform you people who Ron Paul (through the Daily Show interview he had before).

I may not be an American, but somehow I believe Ron Paul will make a great US President or, at the very least, a great Vice-President, if given a chance.

Here's the clip from The Daily Show:



What do you think? Do you think I made the right choice in choosing Ron Paul?
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Wednesday, June 27, 2007

ON THE DEATH OF CHRIS BENOIT AND HIS FAMILY
Authorities have now confirmed that Chris Benoit did kill his wife and son before hanging himself to death.

(Click here for the story. From GMANews.tv. Story originally from AP.

The fact that the police said that he was the killer of 3 people (including himself) adds the shock and the disbelief that I am feeling right now.

Today I wore my black WWE t-shirt because: 1) Black means mourning, and 2) The tragedy was connected to the WWE. And even though evidence has come out about what happened, I will still continue to mourn the passing of the Benoit family.

I still hope their souls are now in a better place. Even though Benoit was pointed by police as the killer, I will still continue to pray for his soul (along with the soul of his wife and son). I believe those who did wrong needs more of our prayers.

Truly, this is the worst WWE death that I have seen in my 17 years here on earth. I'm still shocked, but we must move on with our lives.

That is all I have to say, and thank you for your time.
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Tuesday, June 26, 2007

WWE'S CHRIS BENOIT AND FAMILY FOUND DEAD
I am saddened to know that WWE wrestler Chris Benoit, along with his wife Nancy and son Daniel, were found dead last Monday afternoon at their residence in Atlanta, Georgia. No clear details are available, but authorities have said that this may be a case of murder-suicide.

Benoit was an amazing wrestler. He was a tough guy who believes in respect. Many have said that he was a great technical wrestler, and indeed he was. He does a lot of moves that amazes the pro-wrestling fan.

He was known for his signature move, "The Crippler Crossface". In 2004, he won the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XX (WWE's counterpart to the SuperBowl).

My prayers and thoughts go to Chris, his wife Nancy, and their son Daniel. It is a tragedy to learn about the demise of one whole family, especially in a manner so brutal. My condolences go to the extended family of Chris Benoit.

I really want to cry right now, but I had to hold it since I am in an Internet cafe.

Goodbye Chris, and thank you for the memories you gave us. May your soul, as well as the souls of your wife Nancy and your son Daniel, rest in peace.

----------
TODAY'S SPECIAL
I haven't done this for quite a while, but in cases like this, I believe I should revive this even for just one time.

This is a video from yesterday's "Monday Night RAW". This is a tribute to the man who was known as the Rabid Wolverine, Chris Benoit.

Vince Speaks About Benoit Death On Raw
Uploaded by KazDaGr81

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Sunday, June 10, 2007

   WANNA KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THE SURVEY?
NOTE: I'm supposed to send this message to all the respondents in the survey, but since I forgot to copy the list of their names from my PC (because I'm in a Net cafe), I decided to post it here. Don't worry, I'll send the message soon.

Hey there! First of all, I would like to thank you for taking THE ANIME SURVEY a few months ago. Your answers were really a big help.

Now, I guess you're wondering what happened to the results of the survey. Well, right now it's currently being used for a new anime game in OtakuBoards called "The Anime Feud". This game is basically about guessing the top answers of the survey you answered back then.

If you want to join the game (or just take a look at it), go to the link below.

http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=57159

Once again, thank you very much. Oh, and HAVE A NICE DAY!
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