iPostcards from Ecuador & Peru

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We're back!
Had a fabulous time!
It was an eye-opening trip of a lifetime!
Please click on the following destinations to be directed to the specific posting:
Will share ipostcards/travelogue/pictures soon.
Ecuador
Peru

Out on my vaca-SEAN/SABA-tical NOV08

I will be out of town on my

vaca-SEAN/SABA-tical
in Ecuador and Peru
from 15NOV08-29NOV08.
In case of emergency,

please contact my manager/agent/publicist.

Prop 8 - The Musical

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

Marriage is a Question of Love

Bittersweet. It is the only way to describe how those who voted "No on Prop" and at the same time voted for Barack Obama felt, after the results were all in during last week’s historic U.S. election. We cried with tears of joy & hope with Obama's winning and cried with tears of sadness & disbelief with the passing of Proposition 8 (52% to 48%). Ironically, at a time where we voted for the first African American President, the exit polls reflected that Black voters came out in favor of the proposition, more than any other voting group, by a 70/30 margin. As many as 90% of Black voters supported Obama and the Democrats. A large majority of them also voted "Yes on Prop 8". Once again, organized religion was the key influencer that drove many of them to vote the way they did.
I remain dumbfounded and speechless to this day. I was very touched as I watched Keith Olbermann voice out his opinion on this matter on the Special Comment portion of his program, Countdown with Keith Olbermann. Allow me to let this straight intelligent beautiful human being speak more eloquently for me, my partner, and my friends. Please view the video below...you might learn a thing or two and perhaps be enlightened.

Frank - R.I.P. - Left Behind

Frank, the wonderful husband of my Mom's youngest sister, had a heart attack last month. We were allowed access to see his unconscious body in the ICU at the hospital 2-hours away. He was able to hang in there until he passed away on All Soul's day. We went to the wake yesterday. I helped my Aunt fix his tie. It's been a long time since I've touched the cold skin of a loved-one who had gone before us. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend the funeral services today. After my sister shared what my aunt was feeling inside, this sad song which seemed to convey her exact sentiments played in my head:

Rest in Peace, Uncle Frank.

Diary of a 39-year-old first-time voter

I am a bit embarrassed and yet at the same time very proud to admit that this is my first time to vote in my life. From the time I was eligible to vote at age 18 and left my beautiful homeland, the Philippines, at age 25, I failed to vote on only one Presidential Election. My memory as to why I did not vote during that election where Fidel V. Ramos won the Philippine presidency has completely abandoned the inner recesses of my brain. The succeeding 11 years marked my journey of being a citizen living away from his motherland and my struggle of trying to belong to the land I now called home. Exactly two years ago, I finally became a U.S. citizen, and since then I have been looking forward to this day when I finally get to exercise my right to vote.
I set my alarm to go off unusually very early today and was planning to be there when the polls opened at 7AM. Bill convinced me to wait after 9AM, when most likely most of those who have to drive to work would have already voted and left. I was very anxious to go and worried that there might be a very long line and would have to eventually call in late for work, but I gave in to trusting his experience. He was right. Damn! I was in and out of there in 10 minutes. Woohoo! I am very excited to be part of this historic U.S. elections.

"really" putting country first and
hoping for the change we can believe in

no question about it

Voting "NO" on Prop 8

voting for equality and against discrimination

casting my ballot

I am optimistic that we will be celebrating tonight!

This could be the future, had I not voted:

One day more! - Les MisBarack

One Day More!


Do You Hear the People Sing?

Spring Awakening in the Fall

Each time I was in New York City within the past 2 years, I would always try to get tickets to the Broadway musical, "Spring Awakening", but it was always sold out. So I got excited when I found out they were coming to the Ahmanson Theater in Los Angeles. The Sunday before the most historical U.S. elections, we went and finally saw "Spring Awakening", the 2007 Tony winner for Best Musical. It is the "Rent" and "Hair" of today's generation.
We really enjoyed the show and immediately recommended it to all our "cultured" friends (lol). (In fact, we went to see it again before the tour ended.)
The edgy themes of coming of age, sexuality, and suicide surely brought me back to the days when I was undergoing puberty, living away from home, in an all exclusive boys school, studying Latin in preparation for the priesthood, under the strict guidance of my religious superiors... :)