Besides, having perused some of the so-called Self-Help tomes, is it just me or aren’t some of these invaluable lessons for life, tips and hints on unlocking success kind of obvious? Are they really earth-shaking revelations, or just common knowledge and folksy wisdom given fancy-dress New Age wordings? 10 Steps to Success? Maybe it’s just us you’re stepping on.
And yet there’s a whole thriving global industry based on this concept! It amazes me sometimes what can pass as fodder for the masses. The original saying pegged it as opium, and made the analogy with Communism. Now it’s Self Help. As with most anything, there’s a spectrum out there that’s classified as Self Help, from the great and truly helpful to the banal and pedestrian. We have to discern between what is anecdotal and approximate the fables of old, those that truly inspire and on the other end, those that merely throw up clichés and mundane observations.
Recently, I espied the fiasco of these girls singing to promote their film and they didn’t even know their cues or which was their voice coming over the sound system. They’d look at each other, realize it was their voice and come in on the second line, if at all. The camera man was just as confused, panning all the girls and the male lead star, none of whom were opening their mouths. Great! Maybe the film should have been turned into a sci-fi flick with disembodied voices coming from the planet Uranus. Really, felt it was one big joke and I was the butt. Give us, the audience, a little more respect, please.
The sad part about it was these people were talented celebrities with impressive film credits and/or enviable hosting jobs here and abroad. In the US, you’d have the stars doing the rounds of talk shows. And if they appear in variety shows, they talk about the film or just chat about themselves to gain precious airtime and exposure. Worse part of it, this was not some Christine Jacob "let’s make them sing cause it’s awful but funny" situation. These jokers obviously thought they were pretty good–hah! So good they couldn’t even recognize which "cat in heat" voice was their own.
Leave the singing to the singers. We have enough of them and so many are underexposed, not given the opportunity to showcase their true talent. Dance if you must–and can. And I do realize that sometimes these film stars have no choice on the matter, as it’s their studios that insist. But still, something must be done. Some foreigners looked at me in confusion. I had just bragged about how great Filipinos were in music, the 21st century troubadours, traveling all over Asia and beyond. And here on noontime TV was a sad display of what I had been trying to impress upon them. Each off note, with matching strained-throat nodules, was a chip off my credibility. I actually thought of saying, "You see why these jokers were forced to stay!"
My classic case of boorishness is still the one when one a user got a call and proceeded to tell the caller what time she’d get home and what the caller should cook for dinner. Straining the patience of everyone around her, she was then obviously asked what she was up to because right there and then, she began to recount the whole film. She’d giggle retelling the funny bits and put in her own commentary on what the film was lacking or why the caller should not fail to catch it. Finally someone tried to shush her and she acted really peeved about having her sails blown from under her. Hey lady, if we all had our way, it would have been a dynamite stick that would blow up from under you.
And even if on silent mode, I can never understand why one would want to text every five minutes. I can understand texting once or twice because of some urgent matter. But that damn cellphone light is a bother and if you wanted to text so often, why did you bother entering the movie house anyway? You’re evidently not there to follow the film. So do the right thing and just leave!
And while it’s inevitable, isn’t there something grossly wrong about getting to the bank and being told you can’t withdraw a single centavo because they’re off-line? Come on! It isn’t my fault, and I did entrust you with my money, why can’t I get it on demand during banking hours?
People generally say the boys (aged 11, eight and three) are well-behaved and they’re amazed by the boys’ table manners and choice of food. We have never asked for a kiddie menu when dining out. From day one of their eating out with us, and even when at home, we make it a point that they eat the same stuff we do and acquire a taste for viands not traditionally regarded as kid fare.
Why? Well, it just seemed obvious that what one could consider exotic or fancy may be another’s notion of the ordinary, so why distinguish at all? Besides, it makes it easier when eating out to have a variety of dishes we know will be palatable to the kids. We don’t think it’s ever too early to get them enjoying "good food."
Luca, my three-year-old, loves Japanese (kani sashimi, tempura and agedashi tofu). He enjoyed escargot the time we made him try it. At the restaurant "12," I gambled on the curried lamb shank with saffron rice and he devoured it. Teo, who’s eight, is partial to lamb chops and seafood. He eats fishheads, koebi karaage, steamed lapu-lapu and scallops. Quintin the eldest, is the "gourmet." He loves salads, pastas, and even tried cooking a couple of years ago. He peruses menus like they’re comic books, suggesting where to eat. He has a yen for raclette and fondue.
This is not to say we prohibit junk food which they know how to eat and enjoy. The point is this–by showing them the diversity that exists and can be enjoyed, life becomes easier all around. We just head for where there’s good food without having to make the kids a special consideration. We have the waiter halve the order if servings are large. Or, we just send all the extras to their mother’s plate, the ever-ready one-woman food disposal unit.
I laugh when people ask me about Trish about what diet she’s on. If she’s "on" a diet, it’s a diet of lechON, chicharON, prichON, kare-kare with bagoONg and polvorON. You name it, if it’s rich in cholesterol and fatty tissue, she has it ON her diet. When she has rib-eye she even has the chef cut off the fat; not to throw it away, but to deep fry it and make it "salitsit." What is that? Metabolism, genetic stuff or just plain luck? I don’t know but she certainly eats away without gaining pounds! And some wonder if she eats like a bird. Given her carnivorous propensities, I want to blurt out, "Yes, a vulture."