Owenskie's Blog

There has been a lot of news about Miley Cyrus aka Hannah Montana - with her purportedly billion-dollar worth of franchise and now her transition from tween-queen to the ranks of Mickey Mouse graduates like the Olsen twins and La Loha. This time around, it’s about the flesh-baring photo shoot with world-renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz.

Not too many people make the right choices, but I think Miley Cyrus did. How can you go wrong working with Annie Leibovitz? Her substantial work and profile of business clients says it all.  If you want to break away from the bopping-kid crowd as your target market, how else would you have it? A summer-thriller film?

Annie Leibovitz is an icon herself. The legendary shutterbug who captured John Lennon and Yoko Ono for an album cover before he was killed hours later has also captured the smiles of Angelina Jolie, the controversial and then pregnant Demi Moore, Queen Elizabeth and of course, Susan Sontag. If I could instantly whip up a portfolio of her works right here, right now either online or custom brochure printing , you’d know just who Annie Leibovitz is.  

And now, publicity statements are flying off from all across directions. It’s quite insulting to Annie Leibovitz if you ask me, with all these negative feedbacks that they spun off from the picture and the shoot just to make it all the more bigger, controversial, and talked about. It’s just the hypocrisy which I can’t stand. Now, everybody is speculating online or on print, from tabloids to blogs and more.

Miley Cyrus is saying sorry to her fans. Her parents are now saying “shame on you”. I say what gives?! Wasn’t this all set-up like an initiation that Miley Cyrus has indeed made it? No one else would have captured a much better picture, a picture that will be remembered years from now - all with the great eye and aesthetic taste of an Annie Leibovitz.

Interpret the photograph anyway you want it. In the end, you’ll see what it truly reveals – like the saying truth is beauty, beauty is truth - that is all ye need to know.

So I say brava! While the mouseketeer graduates are crashing their cars, guzzling their booze, and checking in rehabs, yours is a road way safer than the others and more tasteful.

Michael Moore’s documentary film Sicko is another bold and brave commentary that explores and pokes through the health care system of the United States. He confronts the many unfortunate circumstances Americans face when their health insurance doesn’t cover their medical bills and costs enough, when Americans are forced to declare bankruptcy, and when American find themselves debilitated not only by their disease but by the same system that is supposed to take care of them.

Oprah Winfrey declared in her show that she has been one of the many millions of Americans who thinks “We’re okay.” Michael Moore and Oprah cannot address this issue at any other time but today when we think about our future president.  

What does that say about us? We’re no. 37 on the world’s list of best health-care systems in the world while France and Canada, who only spend between 11 % and 10% respectively, are in the top ten list. We pay a significantly bigger 15% but how does our health care system truly compare?

I may not know enough about insurance, health plans coverage, or even health-care policies, but it is enough to worry me how a respectable and well-paid man, a former hospital administrator, could be denied of certain medical assistance. This certainly begs the question, if it can happen to him, what more of the underprivileged others?  

There is a problem. A problem that goes beyond the aid of bandage dressings. It is a disease in itself which needs to be dealt with.

So raise your voices high America.

Raise your voices not because you pity the uninsured few, not because you are angry, and not because you despair. Raise your voices because you know we can change it. Raise your voices because there is hope. Raise your voices because it is the right thing to do.

So wave all kinds of banner high and adhere to a motion of change. Put up your vinyl signs and rally up for a cause.  

Make America better. Make the change today. Make the future now.  

If you still remember the pilot episode of I Dream of Jeannie, then you would remember that picture of a small, uninhabited island with its perfect white beaches and blue skies. While the sitcoms character considers the place as a trap, for many of us today, finding one such beautiful island is finding a real vacation spot.

And so, I have often dreamt of finding such beaches and isles. Those picture perfect landscapes of sea, sand and sky sparkling in the distance.

And so, as famous beach moments fill through my head from Blue Lagoon to the Pirates of the Caribbean, I prepare a list of places to go where sun worshippers and water babies like me would just have to go.

Dig up some travel custom size brochure and thumb your way through maps to reach these destinations. These fantasy islands of mine are truly pockets of paradise. These are well-kept and preserved islands that act as a haven for ones soul. The pure and unspoiled beaches are just as serene and poetic. But at the same time, these islands provide you with an incredible underwater adventure, spoiling you with colorful schools of fish and reefs of corals.

Maldives

Maldives is a destination where you can truly taste a life of luxury. Rustic yet homey cabanas rest atop the beaches, behind a backdrop of pure blue and endless skies. The crystal clear waters are all filled with colorful marine life that invites you to dive in anytime. The seclusion itself is the charm of Maldives. Its wide open spaces, clean air and virgin islands are a completely new and different world in itself.

Philippines

Philippines is an archipelago of hundreds and thousands of islands. Each town or region boasting their local culture and distinct scenic, hot spots. Heres but a brief summary of the island hopping you need to do.

San Salvador, Zambales

This uninhabited island is a marine sanctuary where you can encounter manta rays 10 ft. in diameter. This is one of the giants of the seas freely breeding and living in this protected habitat. More than this, you can get up close and personal with giants clams in a protected clam farm.

Palawan

Palawan is one of the greenest cities in the Philippines with handfuls of islands with clean, white beaches. You can go snorkeling, diving, and even spelunking as waters run through mountainous caves full of stalactites and stalagmites.

Boracay

If youre looking for a place to mingle with all kinds of beach lovers, where the white sands are as pure and fine, youd find that this is the place to be. Boracay island offers a long stretch of white sand beaches surrounded with music and palm trees.

This list could just go on and on. And so, itll have to do for this time as the list goes longer and longer on the next post. Ciao!

Summer has always meant a get away for most people. It is the time to unwind, stretch those long legs out unto a comfortable lounge chair and take a well deserved rest with a cocktail in hand. Yes, summer is definitely here. But with the gas price hiking up, who can really afford to drive all the way to their yearly destinations and retreats? Ive been wondering about this for a time. If I only have the weekend to spare and a little bit of money to spend, how exactly can I go to a vacation? I keep picturing other people who go through all their ceremonies before launching themselves off to a good vacation. Women go to parlors and have their nails done, their foot pampered, and their highlights re done. They go to shopping malls and buy new swimsuits for the beach or winter jacket if theyre going up the alps. The men go on oiling and polishing their gears, cleaning out their tackle boxes, and maybe polishing their own car. While all the travel and custom size brochures are all enticing, I need a vacation that is well within my means – without driving off to far destinations, without flying out to another coast, and without renting hotel rooms or a private cabin. As some people suggested, vacation is not about going to truly foreign or exotic places. It is about discovery. And so, while people go off to Hawaii or Paris for a vacation, I venture into my own local town and create my own pocket vacations. Heres how I did it, all in a day. 1. Eat at an exotic restaurant Vacation is about renewing the senses, so I found myself and my stomach to a place offering foreign cuisine. Its best if you come to a place frequented by a lot of people, and it does not matter if it is Korean, Indian, Haitian etcetera. The trick is to order the most popular food or what else everybody is eating. And if you want to be a daredevil of some sorts, try something on the menu that scares you the most. 2. Take a camera with you Keep moving and shoot from all angles. I constantly took pictures of the places Ive been to, no matter how familiar. Consider it as a form of documentary on how I spent my day. While I may not have pictures of exotic places, at least I can preserve a memory of my one day vacation within my own town which in 5 or 10 years time may never look the same again. 3. Go to the market Not too many people enjoy shopping or doing the grocery, but an outdoor or Sunday market is truly something different. I went to an outdoor market and sampled new things and even bought things that simply intrigued me. This is one way of indulging myself and my curiosity. I tried a new cheese, looked for hot and fresh baked bread, and bought a pound of ground beef (I thought itd be great to make my own hamburgers tonight). Youll never know what will surprise you this way. 4. Cook for yourself Not too many people would recommend that you cook for yourself for it is a lonely thought. But then again, it is a reward that I can treat myself to and so I did. I cooked burgers outside that night and while I wait, I simply enjoyed a sweet, cold bottle of beer while listening to the Beach Boys, blasting out from my stereo.

I confess. I am a bibliophile. I scourge book shops and thrift stores for books that I can afford. I hoard books even when I cannot read them all at once. I devour books and rarely update my shelf to chuck out books I have gone tired of reading or those that may have been better off to someone elses hands. There are all sorts of bibliophiles. Just are there are different types of readers and writers. I, for one, love the presence of books, and read them when I can. Once I open a book and go beyond 20 pages, I am hooked. Currently, I hold a rough estimate of 300 books. Since I do not catalogue them one by one, I have really no idea whether my collection is nearing 400 though it definitely feels like it. For years, I have rarely met anyone who religiously went to book sales and thrift shops in search for new titles or old treasures. What I thought wasnt possible, is possible. The gates have been opened and I am now initiated to the site www.shelfari.com and www.bookmooch.com It has only been days when I joined in these communities. Shelfari is your online bookshelf where you get to catalogue your books, create a wishlist, and of course, meet people with similar passion for books. Simply search the author or the title of the book you currently hold and you can click options such as Own, Read, Planning to Read, Wish, and Favorite to mark where you want these books to appear in your online book shelf. You can make multiple selections for each book and enter as much as you want. Now, I cant wait to get my itchy fingers to type on the keyboard to look for books and put them on my wishlist. I also want to catalogue my books and organize them on the excel file so I can finally keep track of them. Shelfari is the trophy case of bibliophiles. It is also the room where readers can gather and discuss a similar passion for stories. So while you can stack up your collection of books at Shelfari, you can acquire more books at Bookmooch from booklovers all over the world who arent afraid to share, exchange, and swap books. Through a network of people, you can tap into lists of books that they are willing to give away and have it mailed to you. However, you cant get something in return without giving. Bookmooch relies on a point-system basis where you can only start mooching for books once you have points. In order to garner points, you have to have a stack of book people would want to mooch from you. In this manner, there is a fair exchange going on and people can have exactly what they want. I am just giddy with excitement to start screening and organizing my bookshelf so I can start mooching already. Just imagine being able to get great books in return for the stuff you no longer want! These sites are just too good to be true that sometimes, blogs seem to be insufficient to spread the word around. Postcard printing mailings may just do the thing, but I have to figure out who would really want to belong in these communities. And whether you are a childrens books lover, an avid comic collector, or a classic fiction reader, you will surely belong to both of these sites without difficulty, as once again, they open themselves freely to all kinds of book lovers.

ElDorado, Texas has become a worldwide controversy with the religious sects practice of polygamy, and sexual/physical abuse on women and minors. I just cant believe that such has been going on for years that I cannot quite fathom how or why these practices are observed, even practiced by so called followers of Christ. The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints looks as though it came right of the movies. It was all too incredible to believe. My mind still cant quite grasp what sort of teachings and understanding of these teachings led all these men to treat women in such manner, without utter regards for their rights or even their welfare. Maybe its culture. Maybe again, its not. A lot of questions are swarming in on my head and I cant answer each and everyone one of them. The questions have become a hay stack of needles, with every new information and opinion probing about for an answer. • Isnt it quite odd how long it took to finally say that something was wrong? With what, after hundreds of children and dozens of wives? • Isnt it quite odd too how the news in our country focus on the protestors rallying against the Olympic Torch with vinyl signs on free Tibet and such when something entirely disturbing is happening in our own backyard? • Where does the line of civil rights and human rights blur? • Why have the officials waited for four years before breaking down or raiding the temple? • Why are the news covering about the beds found on the upper floor of the temple when other details and other matters on the case need to be discussed? • I cant help but think that the women were treated like cattle that the men left in the barn when they had something else to do. Were they cattle for the men who go out of town and work and use cellular phones? • How could someone at 16 be ready for marriage in this day and age? • Why dont people recognize the paradigm shift? That some things only hold true or applicable at a certain time frame or era? • What and how were those teachings taught in the temple? • And of course, how could one man make all of this possible? Dozens and dozens of questions need to be answered, if not for the children and women who suffered, but for the sake of justice as well.

The little frame that held such a big voice – Ramiele Malubay has been sadly eliminated from the competition American Idol. The Dolly Parton song, Do I Ever Cross Your Mind, failed to win her a safe spot that would have brought closer to her dream of becoming the first Asian-American Idol. More specifically, the first Filipina-American Idol in history. Contests, I must say, are a gamble one must take. It does not matter that you have a singing voice in American Idol, what matters is that you are still left standing no matter what they throw at you. Its a battery of tests, a roller coaster ride with many twists and turns, and a lottery game all in one. It is just unfortunate to see how compassion can only be brought out in television through someone elses loss. And she stood there, crying and sobbing, and there was really nothing Ryan Seacrest could say to sincerely offer her any consolation. All he could really do was soften the blow by giving her a squeeze in the shoulder as he tries to wrap up the show for an encore, saying they wouldnt let Ramiele leave crying like that or to that effect. The poor guy had no idea what to do and that just left him cold. If someone had cued him what were the right things to say, he could have ended up saying more sincere words. But as for Rachelle Malubay – your voice has a distinct character. Youve shown the world youve got it, so flaunt it. My heart just goes out to her and frankly, it is a bit surprising to see her leave. I think it is just one of those times where Simon Cowells words had rung far and wide and had brought heavy influence of viewers votes. Its even quite ironic how she chose to sang that song and it still fails to reverberate throughout the American audience in a way that would and should have been positive for her. Do I Ever Cross Your Mind? has become as song that has been begging a question which has been ultimately answered. America answered Ramiele and while it may not be the most pleasant response, the most important feedbacks are those from the ones who truly love you. And I personally think, while the calls here were not enough, while mails and postcard printing mailing of this news are sent out, and while this spreads online like wildfire all across the Pacific to the Philippines, I know we would still be seeing you around, for all its worth.

The Internet has become so powerful that you cannot just avail of online brochure printing services in it but do things that shouldnt really be an online thing. People seem to like the idea of confessing their sins and sharing even their most intimate secrets through personal blogs. And it doesnt stop on blogs. Search the Web and you will be amazed at so many sites that people have been coming up with. There are sites wherein you can confess your sins. There are those that you can fill out a form to be able to email God. And Im sure that it wont stop at that. The Catholic Church says that this will never be a replacement for the real thing. If we really want to be true to our religions, we must go to church personally and consult the priests for spiritual renewal. But if you will find time to look at those confessions, some will really intrigue you and break your hearts. As human beings, were sometimes more comfortable writing our thoughts out than talking to a real person, like the priests in this instance. I also like writing to God but thats too personal that I will never post it online for everybody to read. Although people wont really know who the real person behind the letter, I cant afford to share such intimate thoughts to others who are just browsing through. There may be different reasons why people are posting such ideas online. They may want other to learn from their mistakes. And in this busy world, some really just doesnt have enough time to go personally to church. With the popularity of sites that cater to such thoughts, we shouldnt be surprised at what could people come up with next. But once in a while, we must remind ourselves that no matter how busy we are, life doesnt end on the cyberspace. We must also have a life offline. The world is not only about the Internet. These days when everything can be done online, we must also take a rest from our technology-filled lives. Life should not end when the PC has been turned off. There’s a bigger world outside the worldwide Web.

The latest TV rating that has been released by Nielsen Media Research proves one thing, America loves singing and dancing. But singing is still in the lead with American Idol dominating the game. It is closely followed by Dancing with the Stars. Im sure that when such concepts for TV shows first reach you, you were also doubtful that those would click. I was. Nobody knew then that sharp-British-tongued Simon Cowell would capture Americas hearts. I never thought Paula Abduls career will be revived by such genius. And when the stars started dancing, Im sure that you also promised that you will not watch such program. I did. Why would I care about such stars, some of whom Ive never heard of until the advent of the TV program? But America has spoken. They love the Idols and also like dancing with the stars. These shows have proven that dreams can be achieved by coming out talented and tough. Yes, you must be tough to stand through the harsh words of the judges. This seems to be the trend. People like it when they see other people being humiliated in front of millions. Real gems emerge from such talent shows. Such shows aim to inspire young people to dream. And the phenomenon isnt just in America. Even the Idol didnt originate in the U.S. The craze is evident worldwide. Talent shows and reality TV aiming to discover talents from ordinary people and rediscover some from those who thought have already shunned from the light of the showbiz world are popular everywhere. From being a nobody to being the subject of large format printing services, these shows that dominate the ratings game also dominate the hearts of couch potatoes like us. They are able to come up with big names and fulfill peoples dreams. Now I no longer scrutinize before I watch a new TV program. I will not complain even if reality shows are being conceptualized for every profession. Name it, from models, to chefs, and even designers. Im not saying that I am watching all those. Just like most of you, Im sticking with the Idols and the stars who can dance.

Hours, minutes and seconds before Earth Hour, I remember the documentary film An Inconvenient Truth where former US President candidate Al Gore talks about global warming and its impact to every aspect of human life as we know it. I remember him using the lift in order to indicate the high rising of carbon dioxide emissions, the heat level in the atmosphere, talking about the weather changes and how, through a pattern of time, we have managed to accelerate it. I remember too National Geographics documentary titled 6 Degrees Could Change the World and how people from different countries, who had little to do with global warming, who had barely consumed energy or produced carbon dioxide emissions, are the one who are experiencing the brisk changes; and how they are placed on the very forefront of global warmings ugly effects. And so, while I remember all these things, while I recall Lisa Simpson on the lift (in Simpsons the Movie) in imitation of Al Gore, while pictures of melting ice and glaciers flood my mind, I began to think of other worse nightmares that might come to life just because we didnt care about the diminishing polar ice caps or the polar bears that are being endangered of drowning. Quite ironic, isnt it? And while it is still unsure whether this phenomena (if we dare call it that) is reversible, the best we can do right now is to educate ourselves little by little. And with that understanding, we can resort to lessening our carbon footprints, reducing our energy consumption, and conserving our environment in the very little ways we know how. Earth Hour is just that – a small hour that can spell a difference. It is a small hour that we could have used up surfing through various channels on the television instead of just talking to another person and having a real conversation. It is just another hour that we could have spent on playing video games when we could have had the chance to read a really good book and used our own imagination. So whats in an hour really? It is the hour we dont spend in order save ourselves. And so, the age-old adage proves itself – You save what you dont spend. And it goes to apply itself even further in the things we buy but do not need. We can go on about saving electricity by turning lights off, but what the products we buy that required electricity to produce? Maybe it is also about time we think of switching to certain things, changing old ways and habits, and think better about how we do our shopping. Why not fluorescent lights? Why not range free chicken? Why not organic food? Why not digital printing? Why not recycled paper? Why not? Why not!