I’m back!

As you may have known, I have been out for a while. I have spent some time soul-searching. It’s hard living in a foreign country. It’s easy to say that one enjoys the luxuries of living away from home. As a matter of fact, I don’t. During the time I was away, I was thinking. I still don’t know what to do with my life. I now know that I should be a bedroom musician! Check out some of the guitars I have gathered since I was here in Canada last May 2008.

2006 Gibson Les Paul Standard – Desertburst

2005 Epiphone Les Paul Custom Limited Edition Lacquer Series, Made in Japan – Ebony

2003 Epiphone Elite Les Paul Standard, Made in Japan – Washed Cherry

The Collection

Migration (Part 3)…

I’m sorry for the delay. I’m still collecting pictures to be used in my post. Stay tuned!

– Crisp Friedrieyk

Migration (Part 2)…

At long last… I’ve arrived in Canada. I’ll post the details later along with some pictures… Stay tuned! 😀

Miley Cyrus’ (Hannah Montana) Vanity Fair Photoshoot, Art or Nudity? Cool or not cool?

Miley Cyrus, the actress who plays Hannah Montana-a really popular kids show, is just 15-years old. Who would think that at such a young age she was almost ready to bare it all for Vanity Fair?

Many were shocked when the news came out. Behold mom and dad! Child pornography at its best!

Or not? A lot of debates have erupted since the news broke out. Some say it’s art, others say it’s nudity.

Let us first tackle the bigger issue: Is it cool for your kids or not? The answer is a big NO. In reality, kids make idols out of television stars. They imitate who they see on TV. If the actor/actress wears a periwinkle-colored lip gloss, they’d have it too. If their idol learns how to play the piano, they should learn it too. But what if their idol explores or somewhat shows to explore her sexuality at such a young age? Is it right to follow their footsteps?

You decide.

Now, others say that its main purpose is to promote the magazine, the show, the kid… Come on, isn’t it obvious?

Going back to the topic. There is no clear-cut line between art and nudity. Only the viewer can decide for himself whether it is art or downright nudity. Values and morals, my dear ladies and gents…

Personally, I don’t think that it’s nudity. Not that I’m a pervert. From my point of view, it’s really beautiful and artistic to look at.

Migration (Part 1)…

Well, I’ll be missing my country. It’s a sad fact of life: Change is the only thing constant in this world.

I’ve been thinking. How will I be able to cope with my new life? Financial, social, emotional, studies, etc. A lot of problems may arise. A lot of things will change. Will I, as a person, as a naturally-born Filipino, change?

I am proud of what I am now. I am proud of everything and everyone around me. I am proud that I grew up in the land where majority of the people are either minimum wage earners or earn nothing at all.

The only thing I am not proud of is when I hear the muffled cries of the so-called “small people”. What was once a democratic country where even the song of an infant is heard by the people in the position, has turned into a country of thieves, gangsters, and leader-wannabes.

I hope my post is not becoming too political. I just want people to know what I think and feel…

(to be continued…)

iPod Classic 80GB, A Review

I’ve just bought an iPod Classic 80GB.

The thing is, I’m not totally pleased with it. Here is my pro-con list:

Pros:

1. 80GB memory. Yes, it’s more than what your average hard-drive can handle. You can also purchase one with a 160GB memory. You can dump your stuff here without worrying about disk space.

2. Stylish. Every iPod is.

3. Excellent sound quality. The iPod Classic, when matched with the stock iPod earphones, delivers rich, high tones and deep bass tones. You can now bring with you anywhere the experience of having a surround sound system.

4. Music + Pictures + Videos. Before, you won’t leave home without your wallet and mobile phone. Now, you can add this to the list.

5. Long battery life. Hours and hours of listening and viewing pleasure. You’ll never get caught watching forbidden stuff ever again. Consider that DVD player of yours a thing of the past.

6. Split-screen. Never made sense. You just have your screen showing you two different things while browsing. On the left is your menu and on the right are pictures, album covers, videos, etc.

7. It’s rechargeable. Triple and Double A’s? Those are for my TV’s remote, not for my music player!

Cons:

1. Price. At Php 11,500, it’s a rip-off.

2. Hangs a lot. Here it is: The ultimate hang-machine. Most of the time, the flip-wheel does not respond.

3. High maintenance and repair cost. When you break this one, you’ll have sleepless nights thinking about those days when you had to eat less to save up for this baby.

4. The wall charger is sold separately. YES. THE WALL CHARGER IS SOLD SEPARATELY. I always have to charge it using my laptop’s USB port. Argh. Does this make sense?

Over-all, I would still recommend buying this baby.

A Better Understanding of the Philippines

Okay, okay. I’ve been really busy these days. My family and I are migrating. Yeah, it takes up most of my time. I have to take care of a lot of papers. Argh. Don’t have much time to enjoy my country.

I’ve been thinking lately. Do we really need to leave? I think so. There are a lot of things that we could not cope with anymore. One of them is politics. Politics here in the Philippines is becoming more like a soap opera that is best watched on an old, beat-up television. It has become a social circus. Politicking has become a profession or better yet a hobby for most Filipinos who are influential and are in dire need of money and attention.

Do they really know what they are doing to their countrymen?

The ordinary Mang Dodong is never satisfied with the way the political circus is being ran. Mang Andoy and Mang Berting who are on the other street are arguing whether or not they should participate in the upcoming mass protest against the current dictatorship. Aling Nene’s only job, gathering old cans and plastic bottles, does not pay enough for her to satisfy the daily needs of her 12 children.

My goodness, what has happened to our beloved country? The country that Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio and a lot of other heroes including Manny Pacquiao fought for. Many claim to know what the root of the problem is. Blah, blah, blah.

The truth is, it is a cycle. You see: People Who Choose Their Leaders Based On Good Looks Instead Of Personality and Good Track Record = Less Knowledgeable People In Position = Less Accountability = Greed = Corruption = Less Money For The People = Less Money For Education = Poverty = Overpopulation. Then it goes back…

There is no period. The only way to solve it is to break the cycle.

For me, the weakest link is the part where people get less money for education. People need to be educated. Education should be given to where it is really needed. Private organizations should award more scholarships to people who really deserve it.

Next, we should change the system. Better system of government = greater accountability = less greed = less corruption = more money for the people = more money for education = less people below the poverty line = wiser voters = wiser people in position.

Third, control the population. The budget alloted for the people, no matter how big it may seem, is small when divided to a lot of people. Simple Mathematics. Numerator / Denominator. Budget / Population. Budget / Greater Population = Smaller Amount for a Single Filipino. Budget / Smaller Population = Greater Amount for a Single Filipino.

These, I think, will lead to the betterment of the entire nation. We need to put a stop to the exodus of a lot of Filipinos who are in search of greener pastures in other people’s lands. The Filipino belongs to the Philippines and the Philippines belongs to the Filipino.