Zip-lock me away

Two news items I espied last week should bring all hypochondriacs to heights of ecstasy; giving them new impetus to "bubble" or cocoon themselves, and watch the world pass by from a zip-locked, germ-free environment. As if SARS last year, avian flu earlier this year and a host of other viruses, diseases, "dangerous" food, and ailments aren’t enough, it seems modernity and technological convenience will always come with a price to pay… to the hypochondriac’s twisted "delight," causing one more worry-wart to pop up.

Remember how as children we were always warned by our parents about the dreaded "toilet seat"? How in a public place we were absolutely forbidden to make any contact with it, being a hotbed of germs, disease, leftover whatever from previous users? I know of people, who, when forced to use one, lift the seat up with the tip of their shoe, dying a little at the sight of droplets or residue. Some even travel with a can of Lysol as they don’t trust the traditional strip of paper that’s placed across any hotel’s toilet seat as one enters the room for the first time.

Well, according to this report, the toilet seat is the least of our worries. Health and sanitation researchers in the United States found that compared to toilet seats, there are 400 times as many more germs on computer keyboards, computer mice and telephone dials. These three are highly-infested with microbes, their surfaces acting as extremely potent germ transfer points for people with cold or flu virus – which can last for up to 72 hours after transfer! Makes one realize just how easy it is for some virus to "travel" within something like an office environment, right? Or why the anal office worker who’s constantly wiping his keyboard or celphone isn’t so silly after all. Watch the hypochondriac now disallow any friend from using his laptop, PC or celphone.

The second news item had to do with a preliminary report from the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) in the US. They’re studying the chemicals released into the air when a bag of microwave popcorn is popped or opened. Seems the exposure to vapors is being linked to a rare lung disease contracted by a statistically significant number of popcorn factory workers in the Midwest. The chemical diacetyl is suspected to be the main culprit, but while nothing conclusive has been found, nothing is being discounted. Strangely enough, the report backslides and assures home consumers that there’s no danger in the bags they bring home. Fifty brands, from the super buttery to the sugar sweet, are being studied.

Us being such suckers for the cyber age and American-branded junk food, I felt the two news items drove home just how much of a "minefield" the modern workplace and supermarket has now become.

Musical Chairs

Was with my 12-year-old boy the other day when the music video of Pito-Pito flashed on the screen. "Pops, isn’t that just like Ocho-Ocho? Same kind of music and lyrics. Can’t they think of anything better?" Now, I don’t begrudge the record producers or Willie for coming up with this song; and if it does become a hit (apparently already sold as a campaign jingle), who’s to say who is the wiser? But here’s a 12-year-old who has hit the nail on the head on characterizing what one aspect of our current local music industry is all about. And that is scary!

Bandwagon and copycat mean anything? Seems that novelty songs are what producers are churning out with boring repetition. Everyone is looking for that next "birit queen," and from looking across the great pond and seeing the success of Beyoncé and Nelly, the next local R & B Princess or Prince. It is as predictable as day and night, and who can blame them, given the producer’s nightmare of piracy and dwindling sales figures. The moment some record does defy and hits the big-time, you can be sure a slew of "carbons" are on their way.

Look what happened last year, when the acoustic wave hit the live music scene. All of a sudden, each and every plugged-in artist was paring down his format to offer an unplugged or acoustic version of his live act. Now that the fad element is on the wane, we thankfully have left the bunch of acoustic artists who really have something different to offer, started it all, or rose above the "maddening crowd" who jumped onto the scene.

Paolo Santos is one such artist, and his relative success augurs well for the mainstream. Unfortunately, to my eye, it also points out how while "many are called, few are chosen." His "Playlist" and "Wave Sessions" album are constantly on the charts and he even made it as MTV "Artist of the Month" recently. Think about it, in the US, that’d like making a James Taylor or John Mayer type-performer your MTV Artist of the Month. Not a mean feat in these days of Britney, Robbie, boy bands and Beyoncé.

A more contemplative, listening kind of music does have its place in the music spectrum. As to how well it crosses over and in full CD format makes it mark is another matter. Jimmy Bondoc has a new CD, and hopefully, it will hit the charts. While he created a stir with a single last year, it still remains to be seen if a full album worth of material can carry him across the threshold. Nyoy Volante’s Tribute to the Beatles concert series is worth catching. Along with Mannos, he remains a potent original act, rearranging and "playing" with songs to the discerning audience’s delight.

As for my son, he’s predicting Siyam-Siyam or Onse-Onse to hit the airwaves anytime now. After "Spaghetti," "Mr. Suave," and "Bulaklak," can we look forward to "Macaroni," "Mr. Deadma" or "Mr. Engot," and "Halaman"? My capacity for disbelief has long been thrown out the window.