Iloilo-An Award Winning Film from Singapore

My Personal Review

The film Iloilo is an award winning Singaporean movie named after the province where the nanny Terry in the movie came from in the Philippines Teresa or Aunie Terry is played by Filipina actress Angeli Bayani from Manila. This.nanny who was hired by the Singaporean family (The Lims) the protagonist in the film happened to be from Iloilo. She is one of the more than 500 thousands Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) working for a better life abroad.

This movie has a special place in my heart since I was born and raised in the province of Iloilo. Iloilo is located in the Western Visayas Region in the Island of Panay. It has lots of tourist attractions,such as old churches as well as white beaches. Residents of Iloilo are called Illongos.

The movie reminds me of the pains and trials of all OFW in adjusting to their new working conditions and environment abroad. In the case of Teresa or Aunt Terry, at the beginning of the movie she was very patient and submissive as expected. However, later on, I was so glad that she exercised her authority over the 10 year-old brat,Jiale (played by.Koh Jia Ler).

I like her when Teresa said to Jiale," Although I am just your maid, I did not come here just to be bullied". After this incident the two bonded to the point that in the eyes of Jiale,.Teresa is more of a mother to him that his real mother, Hwee Leng ( played by Yeo Yann Yann). This of course created jealousy, exemplified by the statement of Jaile's mom to Teresa, that she is still the mother of Jiale and she maintains the authority and discipline over her son.

The movie has some funny scenes as well as scenes brimming with love and affection and at the end heart break..The story was set during the late 1990's when the Asian financial crises had affected the financial status and lives of thousands of middle income families in Singapore as well as in other Asian countries.

The father, Keng Teck Lim ( played by Chen Tian Wen) has lost his sales executive job, but hasn’t had the courage to tell anyone even his wife,.Hwee Leng. Hwee Leng is pregnant, but still works so hard as a secretarial clerk in a private company. Their son, Jiale wants attention and has problems with other kids at school, The Lims decided to hire a domestic help. Luckily Teresita or Terry was there to help them .. Teresita hails from the Philippine province of Iloilo (the title of this movie), Her duty was not only be a housekeeper but also to be Jiale caretaker..

Personal Recommendation

I recommend this film to all who loves good movies. Special recommendation to all overseas Filipino workers, their friends and families. In addition I recommend this to all Illongos all over the world.

The film was written and directed by Anthony Chen. The director of photography was Benoit Soler and edited by Hoping Chen and Joanne Cheong. The sound design is by Zhe Wu and the art direction is by Michael Wee, The film was produced by Ang Hwee Sim, Wahyuni A. Hadi and Mr. Chen. The film was released by Film Movement, In Mandarin, Tagalog and English, with English subtitles. The Running time is 1 hour 39 minutes. The film is not rated.

Other Reviews-From Variety.com

The movie is brimming with love, humor and heartbreak. “Ilo Ilo” centers on the inseparable bond between a 10-year-old Singaporean boy and his Filipina nanny while the boy’s parents struggle to weather the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Anthony Chen is remarkably astute in his depiction of the class and racial tensions within such a household, his accessible style enabling the characters’ underlying decency and warmth to emerge unforced. This small but immensely likable gem should find a cozy spot at fests as well as niche European distribution, following its Camera d’Or win at Cannes.


Teresita Sajonia and her ward-Anthony Chen video

Some of My Favorite Quotes on Poetry

Photo source from searchquotes.com

There are several hundreds of quotations on poetry in the Web. However, the following are my favorites

1.The smell of ink is intoxicating to me — others may have wine, but I have poetry. ~Terri Guillemets

2. Poetry is a mirror which makes beautiful that which is distorted. ~Percy Shelley, A Defence of Poetry, 1821

3. He who draws noble delights from sentiments of poetry is a true poet, though he has never written a line in all his life. ~George Sand, 1851

4. Poetry is the language in which man explores his own amazement. ~Christopher Fry

5. Perhaps no person can be a poet, or can even enjoy poetry, without a certain unsoundness of mind. ~Thomas Babington Macaulay

6. To have great poets there must be great audiences too. ~Walt Whitman

7. You can't write poetry on the computer. ~Quentin Tarantino

8. God is the perfect poet. ~Robert Browning

9.Science is for those who learn; poetry, for those who know. ~Joseph Roux, Meditations of a Parish Priest

10.Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words. ~Robert Frost

11.Genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood. ~T.S. Eliot, Dante, 1920

12. A poet looks at the world the way a man looks at a woman. ~Wallace Stevens, Opus Posthumous, 1957

13.Poetry is ordinary language raised to the nth power. Poetry is boned with ideas, nerved and blooded with emotions, all held together by the delicate, tough skin of words. ~Paul Engle, New York Times, 17 February 1957

Personal Note: I heard the following phrases in TV today. Photographic memory versus phonographic memory versus pornographic memory. Which one is your favorite phrase and can identify with?

Harrison Ford, Indiana Jones and Me

The above photo was taken in Las Vegas about 25 years ago. Do you recognized the face of Indiana Jones from the movie Temple of Doom? I looked good and young then! Photo Memories down memory lane indeed!

A movie on the Assissination of Benigno Aquino

Just in case you have not seen this..

A Dangerous Life is a 1988 English-language Australian film about the final years of the Philippines under Ferdinand Marcos' rule, from the assassination of Benigno Aquino, Jr. in 1983 to the People Power EDSA Revolution in 1986 that ousted Marcos. The film focuses on American TV journalist Tony O'Neil (Gary Busey), who finds himself in the middle of key events that lead to the downfall of the Marcos regime. Originally airing on television as a mini-series that ran for a total of six hours, the film was edited to 162 minutes for the home video release.

Joke of the Week-Politically Correct

It is time to have some politically correct jokes for this week in this site. The following is from Sandee's Comedy Plus blog..Enjoy

Due to the climate of political correctness now pervading America , all Kentuckians, Tennesseans, and West Virginians will no longer be referred to as "HILLBILLIES." You must now refer to them as "APPALACHIAN-AMERICANS".

And furthermore, HOW TO SPEAK ABOUT WOMEN AND BE POLITICALLY CORRECT:

1. She is not a "BABE" or a "CHICK" - She is a "BREASTED AMERICAN."
2. She is not "EASY" - She is "HORIZONTALLY ACCESSIBLE."
3. She is not a "DUMB BLONDE" - She is a "LIGHT-HAIRED DETOUR OFF THE INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY."
4. She has not "BEEN AROUND" - She is a "PREVIOUSLY-ENJOYED COMPANION."
5. She does not "NAG" you - She becomes "VERBALLY REPETITIVE."
6. She is not a "TWO-BIT HOOKER" - She is a "LOW COST PROVIDER."

And, not to discriminate.... HOW TO SPEAK ABOUT MEN AND BE POLITICALLY
CORRECT:

1. He does not have a "BEER GUT" - He has developed a "LIQUID STORAGE FACILITY."
2. He is not a " BAD DANCER" - He is "OVERLY CAUCASIAN."
3. He does not "GET LOST ALL THE TIME" - He "INVESTIGATES ALTERNATIVE DESTINATIONS."
4. He is not "BALDING" - He has "FOLLICLE IMPAIRMENT."
5. He does not act like a "TOTAL ASS" - He develops a case of RECTAL-CRANIAL INVERSION."
6. It's not his "CRACK" you see hanging out of his pants - It's "REAR CLEAVAGE."

Stolen from: Jonas of With a Smile

Are you over 79 and is still Blogging?

If you are, I would like to be friends with you. We have something in common. And at our age, to be able to blog and be active also in social media sites, it is a reason to celebrate. Everyone, young or old bloggers had a reason for blogging. I have already stated my own reasons in several of my blogs. But in case this is your first time to read my blogs, the main reason why I blog is because I love to write and second to advertise my small beach resort in Boac, Marinduque, Philippines.

The latest information I have read on demographics of personal bloggers showed that gender wise, the percent between male and female is about the same with slightly higher female percentage(50.9% vs 49.1%). Majority of personal bloggers are from the US, followed by UK and Japan.

According to data published by sysomos.com, the most active bloggers are younger people who have grown up during the blogging "revolution", which started about nine years ago. Bloggers in the 21-to-35 year-old demographic group account for 53.3% of the total blogging population. This group is followed by the generation just behind them - people 20-years-old or under are 20.2% of the blogging landscape. This group is closely followed by 36-to-50 year -olds (19.4%), while bloggers who are 51-years-old and older only account for 7.1%. There is no specific data on bloggers over 79 years or older. I would guess less than 1% is a probable number.

Thus if you are over 79 and still blogging you are a rare breed. I would like to be friends with you. You can reached me via my personal blog and autobiography at http://davidbkatague.blogspot.com or via my Facebook Account under David B Katague.
I am looking forward to hear from you! Happy Blogging! Note: this invitation is also open to all readers of my blog.

I Survived HubPages Boot Camp Training Period

I Survived HubPages Boot Camp but Still has Inferiority Complex Writing for HP was published on September 3, 2014 in HP.

With my 5th hub being featured today, I passed HP boot camp or training period as a new Hubber. When I wrote and published my first article, I notice a warning alert about being still in Boot Camp. I really did not know what it meant and did not pay much attention to it. All I know is that I will have to write four more hubs and have it featured before I pass the Boot camp period. I learn that after my 5th hub, I will receive an accolade that may motivate me to write more hubs of good quality. However, I still feel inadequate of my ability to write good quality hubs. I also learn that l will earn my first Accolade as soon I have the five Hub featured. Will this accolade really motivate me?

Feeling of Inadequacy as a Writer

The last couple of weeks even after passing boot camp, I started to feel again an inferiority complex about my writing abilities. This feeling of inadequacy was heightened when I learned of the numerous professionals, experienced and excellent writers here in HP. .

I believe I know the answer, but I will not put it in writing until the end of this article. Please read on..

Let me start by saying that writing has never been my goal in life. But after my retirement from FDA in 2002, I realized I need some kind of activity that will sharpen my old brain besides playing bridge and computer games. So in 2009, I started blogging as suggested by a friend who is a professional blogger and writer.

The topic I chose was about my life experiences here in the US and comparing it with my life in the Philippines. It was two years ago, when I realized that I have numerous readers, about 300 daily based on Google statistics, and comments on my blogs.

Several of my readers gave positive comments about my articles and indicated they like my writing style. There were two comments that were so negative it still hurts my ego even today. Luckily there were only two negative comments out of the more than 500 that I have received in my 8 blogs, as of today. I even thought for a while to quit blogging, but a friend advised me to ignore the two negative comments

In 2013, my writing activity soared to great heights when three of my articles were published in Huliq News. Another three articles were published in a widely read Internet magazine about Life in the Philippines. I also started writing my autobiography and created a website for Chateau Du Mer, my beach resort in Boac, Marinduque, Philippines.

Another friend suggested, I signed for the Google AdSense program and started earning about $10 per month. I joined Facebook and Twitter to advertise the Beach Resort and Conference Center. The readership of my eight blogs went up to about 300 readers daily and I was a very happy and a contented blogger.

ViewsHound, Squidoo and other Writing Sites

In August of 2011, I discovered ViewsHound.-a writing site based in UK I published 46 articles in that writing site until it went out of business around December, 2011. In 2012, I started writing foe Publish.us and Squidoo.com. I have 23 featured lenses in Squidoo and more than 300 articles in Publish.us. Both writing sites are now defunct.Publish.us went out of business last year. Squidoo will not be in existence by October 1 and key content acquired by HP as all of you probably know. I have an account in Triond and Open Saloon, but it has been inactive since 2012.

Today, I still feel inadequate about my writing activities. I am envious of the writing styles of other writers.. I know there is no reason why I should feel this way. Based on comments from my blogs, I know I am a fairly good writer and a lot of my readers like my style of writing.

Reason for Inferiority Complex

I believe the reason why I have still have an inferiority complex about my writing is deep rooted in my memory of my earlier years. It probably started during my elementary school days, when I received the lowest grade of 75% in my English and grammar classes. All my other grades in math, science, history and others were in the 90 to 95% range. Because of my low grade in English, instead of graduating valedictorian of the class, I only received a Second Honor award.

In my high school year, I was surprised when I was chosen editor of our high school newspaper. I wrote several poems, articles about the advantages and disadvantages of being the oldest child, and other topics about high school life that were of interest to my age group. My English grade improved. There was a point in my high school years that I wanted to get a degree in journalism. When I informed my parents of my plan to study journalism in college, they discouraged me. They said there is no money in journalism. I will starve and will never be able to support a family if I depend my livelihood as a writer. They insisted I take medicine, law or just become a Catholic priest.

In college, I took the Pre-Med course as suggested by my parents. At the end of my second year, I know medicine was not for me, since the sight of blood nauseated me. I shifted to chemistry and the rest is history. During my undergraduate and graduate school years, almost all of my courses were in science and mathematics. There was no need to be a writer ( except technical reports and homework) until five years ago, when I started blogging.

Are good writers born or made? Am I a Born or Made Writer?

I am not quite sure what the correct answer is, but I feel I am both. My early childhood has never been devoted to writing or art activities. It was science and mathematics that was emphasized in my early education. Later in my high school years, for some twist of luck, I was chosen by my English instructor to be editor of our high school newspaper. I was forced to write articles as fillers for the newspaper and was taught the basics of news writing and editing.

My years as an undergraduate and graduate student emphasized science, mathematics and engineering. It was only after my retirement that I started blogging and learned that I enjoy writing. This is true also for my oldest son. He wrote a novel (Cloyne Court) after finishing law school and now is on his second novel. He told me he writes as a hobby and is a relaxation therapy for him. Writing to him is a good diversion from his hectic life as a prosecuting attorney here in Northern California.

There is a common saying that if you can talk, you can write. But great writing is a born talent and I believe can not be taught. The passion to write is born. People have different reasons why they write. A few writes for the sake of writing and can not survive without it. Others write to earn a living and work hard to be a successful writer, reporter or novelist.

So why do I want to write for HubPages and my blogs. First, I enjoy writing. Second, to advertise my beach resort in the Philippines and last but not least is to get affirmation from readers and other writers that they enjoy reading my articles. Reading positive comments from others is an ego boast and makes me feel alive and useful during this stage of my life (retirement and old age.

Getting a monetary award ( from Ads) and accolades are another ego boosts, but I have learned these are no longer my primary incentives why I am writing. Today, I have realized not to compare myself with the other writers. I have my own style of writing and if I write from the heart, nothing can go wrong.

Most writers that I know write because they love writing. To them writing is just like breathing. These born writers do not work hard to create an excellent article, because their writing comes from the heart and their soul. Others write with a lot of work, training and pain. Good writers run in the family as exemplified by the family of Stephen King. Most writers however are made and only become good writers through hard work and constant practice. The most common traits of good writers are patience and persistence, whether their writing talent is inborn or just developed.

Allow me to quote from an article of a friend in FaceBook, The Writing Bug. "Writing for me right now, is like love. It isn't something I do, it happens to me. It takes me completely by surprise when I least expect it and then it absolutely refuses to let go until it wants to. It's intoxicating and irrational".

This is how a born writer feels everyday of his/her life. Writing to inborn writers must feel like addiction or a compulsion that must be satiated.

How about you? Are you a born writer or a made writer? Do you agree with the statement that good writers can be made but great writers are born? !

After passing my boot camp, I feel extremely happy and hopefully writing more good quality articles for HubPages and in my blogs.