Decided to make new stuff from the old stuff that I had lying around the house. I'm trying to encourage the kids to find new purpose in their old toys or things so that they can also express their creativity and do their part in recycling or upcycling. It's never too early to teach the kids the importance of saving the planet.

 I had this little Disney Princess case that I picked up from Uniwide a long time ago for about 20 pesos or something. The only problem was that I can't get rid of the green sticker and it was very unsightly. So, my Princess and I decided to give it a new look instead.

 

 First, we taped over the metal clasp. We don't want to paint it or cover it with anything so we had to protect it. You can do this with any hard case purse or bag. I like the ones from Papemelroti but they're pretty enough on their own that I don't bother changing it.

 Next, we gathered old magazines and started snipping pictures or words that we fancied. This will be the new "cover" of our purse. Since I am in the entertainment industry, I thought it was apt (and also very tongue in cheek) to use photos of classic movies and photos of actors I look up.

After snipping the photos, just put them in one corner and make your PVA or Decoupage glue. To make this, use one part water with two parts glue. I use the normal Elmer's white glue. Brush the surface you're putting your photos on and stick the picutre and give the surface another brush or two. Repeat until all photos are used and the surface is covered. If you want, you can also paint the little spaces that can't be covered. I'd suggest using different colors and use nail polish too! It's shiny and it dries fairly quickly and it's waterproof. See, another use for nail polish!

This is the front of my new hard case purse. I have Maricel Soriano there (super love her), a still photo of Insiang with Hilda Koronel, the Burlesk Queen and Himala poster (I thought it was apt since ate Guy is making a comeback), Agot Isidro (so classy!) and Venus Raj.

Here's what I have at the back - Lady Gaga, Rio Locsin, Angel Aquino (love her to death!), the promo photo of A very Special Love and You changed my life. The quote is from that chick who plays Blair Waldorf in Gossip Girl (dunno her name but I thought the quote was cool)

This is something very easy (although it's a bit messy) to do. My little Princess and I loved doing it and she now has a new case for her toys too! Now, she wants to make journals out of recycled materials. :D

Here's the truth - not every Filipino can sing. It's a myth. I mean, sure there's that vast majority who can carry a tune and rock the stage every now and then but most of us? We sound like drowning cats.

I used to be able to sing. However, years of smoking and fatigue has taken a toll on my voice. That's why I don't sing anymore. I'd rather be shot in the head with a 12 gauge than to sing publicly again. At least I have some semblance of shame and desire to protect whatever is left of my broken dignity. That's not what I can say about other people though.

For the love of Elvis, please don't soothe yourself with the illusion and delusion that you can actually sing. Trust me buddy, I've heard better sounding whales. In fact, to compare you to a whale would be insulting to the whale. You sound like a cat being dragged by its nuts through a street filled with broken glass and then thrown into a pool of lemon juice and salt. And that's me being polite and nice. Some of us would like to slumber in the silence of our thoughts (and our thoughts are loud enough already)

I have one word for you: shower. Sing in the shower. If you have the need to belt out some Mariah Carey (you're a guy, FFS!) do it in the privacy of your sound proof shower.

Parenthood is not a joke. If it were, then why aren't a lot of parents laughing? It provides for moments of humor and mirth but trust me, most of the time, it's scary and nerve wracking and it's enough to drive you to the edge of insanity.

If you've been thinking about being a parent because you think your genes, mixed with your boyfriend's/girlfriend's would produce majorly good looking kids, I suggest you face a mirror and slap yourself 100 times or until your lip bleeds. Parenthood is not an erotic arts and crafts hobby, doofus! If you wanted to see how your kids would look like, there are software applications for that now! Sheesh!

Interestingly enough, there are a few people out there who do understand the trappings of being a parent. Then, there are a lot of unenlightened ones who still think that bringing home the bacon is enough to be called a parent. Your kids need to know that you are there for them, that you see to their emotional and psychological needs as well. Money can only take you so far. It's important, I know but it isn't everything.

The best part of being a parent is the love and smiles and kisses you get everyday, every moment you're with your children. There is no better word in this world than "Mommy". To my kids, I can do everything and anything - from kissing the ouchies away, to curing sick fishes, to kicking alien/monster/ghost butt. To my kids, I'm the funniest woman in the world. For my kids, I'm the best. Who wouldn't want that?

If you think being a parent is like having a job, sorry to have to tell you this but this is a job wherein you don't get paid and you're constantly on call and you can't quit. Just because your kids are 45 years old doesn't mean you stop being a parent. It's permanent, sweetie.

Now trust me when I tell you that you need that prophylactic. Just put it on...

Allow me to be totally geeky and nerdy at the moment. See, with all this talk about loving the environment and the psychological scares that we'll soon have no earth to speak of and the polar caps melting and such, seems rather quite ineffective with the vast majority of idiots people who are just taking up space existing in this planet.

To be totally frank about it, we are all just parasites. We infect, feed, ravage and destroy pretty much anything we manage to get our hands on. Spare me the defensive "That's not true! I help the environment by bringing my own shopping bag to the market" speech. We ARE parasites. Deal with it.

Now, knowing that we are parasites and accepting it, makes it easier for us now to understand what our true role is. According to parasite biology, for a parasite to be successful, it must not only refrain from killing off its host but also ensure that the host thrives. After all, parasites can only exist if the host does. Being a greedy little bitch won't do us any good. Once a parasite is taken off its host, it cannot survive. Once the host dies, the parasite will soon follow.

So, what does this mean?

It means, stop consuming more than you need, stop cutting down trees, stop polluting the rivers and maybe, we have a rat's chance in hell to make it through this lifetime.

I had this conversation with an old friend the other night. We haven't seen each other for a long time now and so usual questions pop up, like how old are your kids, what exactly do you do, remember the time when and my personal favorite: What's your religion?

Just to clarify, I'm technically a Catholic but I refer to myself as Agnostic. I believe in the existence of a stronger force out there but I don't refer to them as God. They could be a god, a goddess, a multitude of gods and goddesses, who knows? I have nothing against the stronger forces that be. It's religion that I have a problem with.

My friend was aghast, states that religion and faith go hand in hand.

"That's where I disagree. You can have all the religion you want until it bleeds out of your ears but it can not be compared to faith. I have no religion but I have faith."

"But you can't have religion without faith!"

"Look, what does every religion teach? Love and all its forms and glory, right? To love your fellow man, to love your brother as your god would love you. The basic foundation of every religious principle is to obey the commands of its god, and these commands are all borne out of love. If you truly live the teachings of your god, and say that you do love your fellow men, then why does the Catholic church, among other religions think that homosexuality is a sin? Who are you to say that it's the wrong kind of love?"

"It's written in the bible!"

"It's written on the old testament, before god gave up his son and realized what love truly is. Is that your idea of your god? Cruel, vengeful and petty? Remember that the old testament was written by men."

"But God didn't say that loving another person, regardless of gender is wrong! You can't say God isn't allowing that. God didn't say that."

"Then who are these men to say it in behalf of god? Who gave them the authority to put words into god's mouth and declare animosity amongst homosexuals?"

"...you have a point..."

***

I'm a self confessed activist for GLBT rights. I hate it when people judge them just because they have a different preference for partners than what is allegedly normal. People who think they're all righteous and mighty because of their twisted beliefs should be shot in the groin.

Aruba bar and restaurant was at it again when they refused BB Gandanghari entry. She was to watch Rannie Raymundo's show there and she was turned away because their fucking sign clearly says "No Crossdressing".

Why do people still go to this place? We need to boycott it and close it for good! It's a horrible bigoted place! Did people not learn anything from the Inday Garutay incident? Why is this establishment still up and not razed to the ground? We should do it the way the 15th century dudes did it, storm it at night with pitchforks and spears and torches!

You know, just for kicks, I'd like to see a very high profile, highly respected politician or foreign male leader come in that bar in a dress. Let's see if they still turn him away.

We have to do something about this.

I used to like Facebook. I liked the way it's spread out, the applications and the fact that it is a social network that connects you to other people you haven't seen for such a long time.

Now, it's fucking annoying me. It has become trite, shallow and as annoying as a valley girl talking about Leonardo DiCaprio.

Let me level the expectations here: If, after reading this post, you feel that you have to defend yourself and that you're slightly offended by what I've written, it only means that you're part of the annoying crowd I'm writing about. You only have three choices - Suck it up, Admit to it or Bring it on. However, if you laugh and agree, then there's hope for you yet - you still have a fucking life.

That said, let's begin.

***

First off, how many quizzes do you need to understand yourself? Do you seriously need to take 4 million quizzes just to know what kind of Filipino you are? Dude, that's just...pathetic. You don't need a virtual quiz to judge and label you into a category on your race. You should know what kind you are! Then there's the "What kind of bag are you?", "How good are you in bed?", "Are you a true LaSallian/Scholastican/Atenean/Matutean?" and the "What kind of (insert noun here) are you?" It's sad. So sad. You do realize what this means, right? It means you have no life whatsoever and you need to be validated by an virtual quiz. IT'S A VIRTUAL QUIZ! IT SHOULD NOT DEFINE YOU! Posting the results is the cherry on top of the pathetic sundae.

Okay, okay. I hear you saying "But Ian, it's fun! How dare you judge my choice of amusement and entertainment!" Yes, it's fun. Solitaire and Minesweeper is fun too. Watching movies with friends is fun. Watching grass grow can be defined as fun for some people. Understanding that there's life outside of facebook is essential. I'm not judging your choice (albeit poor) for amusement and entertainment. All I'm saying is, if you're Easter Egg hunting on Facebook and not in real life, we gotta talk about an intervention.

The games I get and even encourage. The vampires, YoVille rew and even the farm is pretty cute. Plus, it gives you the option of choosing whether you'd like to be part of it or not. I like that - options.

It's a social networking website, people. It means you SOCIALIZE. You CONNECT and RECONNECT. You don't barrage people with idiotic quiz results of how long your orgasm lasts. Too much freaking information.

With that said, I have now chosen to delete you from my news feed. Trust me, it's for our own good. I need a break from your insanity and you need a break from my sarcasm and cynicism.

This video made me cry because of two things: 1.) How can Ken Starr think that Gay marriages isn't right? Love is love, no matter which way you look at it. Nobody has the right to say what kind of love should be made legal or not. It's unfair that gay people can't have the same rights as straight people. 2.) I cried because I was so touched with the love these people have for each other. Their families and friends easily fought with them. It gives me hope that there are still some people out there who believe in love - in any which way, shape or form.


"Fidelity": Don't Divorce... from Courage Campaign on Vimeo.

Filipinos have been accepting of our GBLT friends. We have to go over and beyond that. We should allow gay people to get married legally here in the Philippines. Do we have people working on this? Please, let me know because I would love to be part of it.

I used to hate the color green. It made me gag and hurl to see even a slightest hue of green. However, now that I'm older and partially obsessed with Draco Malfoy from the Slytherin house, I appreciate the color green.


Another reason why we should appreciate green is because of the symbolism it carries. We need to think about the environment. If you haven't watched An Inconvenient Truth, you don't understand the true effect of global warming.


Let me put it this way: Think about the polar caps melting, when ice melts, what do you get? Water, and lots of it. The Philippines is an archipelago, surrounded by what? Water, and lots of it. If the polar caps melt, where will all the water go? That's right, we're going to drown to death.



One solution to decrease greenhouse gases from destroying the atmosphere is to go green on your roof. I think it's lovely and a wonderful way to save the planet.

My hubby and I are planning to turn the roofdeck into a roof garden. We're putting in the bahay kubo as well. We're planning to plant herbs and vegetables. I know, it's straight out of a Filipino folk song.

Do your part in saving the world. Plant trees and plants. Turn your roof into a garden. If can't recycle, at least be a weekend gardener