FLIPSIDE
Not Meant To Be
Sept 24, 2010
So singer-songwriter Katy Perry’s day of fun and frolic with Elmo on Sesame Street got the boot before it hit the boob tube (don’t you love them puns?). I heard it was because she was showing a lot of boobies and God forbid the little tykes get a peek at them through their bottles during naptime. Can’t have that!
Curiosity got the better of me so I went on YouTube and checked out the raucous. The video is short, just under three minutes and there are plenty of versions to choose from. It’s very typical Katy Perry. She’s dressed provocatively and yes, Maria, her boobies are partially covered… Continue reading
How Empty is an Empty Nest?
Sept 18, 2010
The label “empty nester” takes on a more personal meaning now that it has hit close to home, our home. Our last child flies the proverbial coop Friday and it’s official — my husband and I are empty nesters!
Where did time go? After just over 20 years, we found ourselves dropping our last child off at O’Hare en route to join her older sister in Los Angeles. It feels like it was just yesterday when I took a picture of my two girls posing with an umbrella in each of their hand. Even at a young age, my girls pretty much gave themselves away. The expressions on their faces have withstood the test of time. Continue reading
Not Funny!
Sept 12, 2010
For the past eight years, the anniversary of 9/11 came and went without any distraction…until now. This year, a clown disguised as a pastor has become quite the pesky distraction that has marred the ninth anniversary of 9/11. . . Continue reading
Raising Mavericks
Sept 3, 2010
I heard about her from my two girls who mention her name in the same breath as guru, teacher, mentor and swami if she were a he.
She’s an author, a no-nonsense fashion publicist, always wears black sans make-up, and has a following among empowered young women who’ve decided to not follow the yellow brick road…. Continue reading
It’s Nothing Major, Major…Already Then!
Aug 27, 2010
Reactions were swift. Com ments spread like wildfire. Tongues wagged. Some snickered, a few thought it was a dumb answer, some were sympathetic, a lot of people thought she blew her chance, and then there were those who thought it was the end of the world. …
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On Being Different
Aug 6, 2010
I had the rare privilege to hear Dr. Connie Mariano deliver her much-anticipated keynote speech last Saturday to a jam-packed room full of people who eagerly waited for her to get to the podium and listen to what she had to say. See, Dr. Mariano is not just another doctor. This Filipino American doctor has a stellar… Continue reading
Lay Off the Gum!
July 23, 2010
How young is too young?
The world is not safe for young girls anymore. Every day is a test in selfrestraint; thwarting off the temptation to succumb to the latest lure becomes harder and harder. It is a constant battle to simply say no when it comes to living up to people’s expectations.
Girls as young as junior high don’t think twice about asking for a boob job and it’s not unheard of for high school girls to want same fake boobies as their graduation gift.Nose job, face-lift, tummy tuck, cheek enhancement, lip augmentation, butt implants…the list keeps getting… Continue reading
There’s No Crying in Basketball!
July 6, 2010
Boy, that Cleveland Cavaliers’ majority owner sure sounds like a sore loser, huh? Well if you can call LeBron’s spectacular media-hyped move to Miami losing, Dan Gilbert certainly did not waste any time in letting his feelings known.
Just a few minutes after LeBron made his decision public, Gilbert called his move narcissistic and cowardly in his open letter to the Cavaliers fans. Gilbert wrote of his utter disappointment and referred to LeBron’s announcement as “unlike anything ever “witnessed” in the history of sports and probably the history of entertainment.” I don’t blame the guy. The whole LeBron thing did turn into a media spectacle.
This basketball team, the town and the fans turned LeBron into LeBron,the high school kid who went straight to pro basketball. Never mind that he didn’t win any championships, he is (now was) The King!
It was just seven years ago when the media made a big stink when he first started or he might still even be in high school, and got a Hummer as a gift. I guess it didn’t matter back then. It was a welcome-to-Clevelandwhere-you-would-be-king gift. But like the Hummer, the welcome didn’t last long.
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My Piece of Utopia
July 2, 2010 It just didn’t happen overnight It even took longer for the purpose to evolve. Sometimes a unique perch becomes the breathing ground for the interplay of pros and cons. Sifting through them and deciding what matters the most becomes crucial. Around this time every year, the need to write about the Fourth of July celebration is a nobrainer. My feelings about it are very strong, the compulsion is overpowering. I just have to do it. For somebody who has wholeheartedly embraced everything that this country has offered, and who continues to reap its many blessings, it’s my way of paying homage. It’s paramount that I allow my feelings to come to life via the printed word. Continue reading
Token Minority
June 25, 2010 By Nelia Dingcong Bernabe
The phrase, “Token Minority,” fascinates me. I don’t really know why but it simply does. Maybe because it has a nice ring to it, I don’t know. But for some odd reason, it just does.
Being Filipino American in any social situation does not bother me. Unless blatantly singled out as a non-White person, I live my life every day not even thinking about the color of my skin. That takes too much work if you ask me.
For now, curiosity got the better of me so I did some research on the phrase and came up with the word, tokenism. The noun means the practice of making only a perfunctory or symbolic effort to do a particular thing, especially by recruiting a small number of people from underrepresented groups in order to give the appearance of sexual or racial equality within a workforce. Continue reading