Guilty Pleasures
While having a side conversation with this highly-respected columnist in a major daily during a serious weekend planning session, we stumbled upon a common secret: guilty pleasures. Yup, certain activities that one does under cover because of some hypocritical norm out there that says certain activities do not fit a certain level of stature (ehem). Well, I say out with them! The heck with conventions.
So here are five of my guilty pleasures.
1. I am not beyond buying and reading YES magazines. I used to justify it by saying that the editor in chief of that rag happens to be someone I truly admire as a features writer (Jo Ann Maglipon). And if her name is not enough justification, there's another literary god I can drop: Pete Lacaba (who is the rag's executive editor). But I must admit that what I like about the magazine is the way they feature lifestyles - from homes, to fashion, to scandals - in a very unapologetic and nondiscriminatory way. I guess I am a celebrity fan at heart.
2. I own a DVD copy of the whole first season of Desperate Housewives and yes, Winter Sonata (retitled Endless Love 2 in the Philippines). Winter Sonata was something I watched on and off when it was playing at prime time on GMA7. One day in Quaipo (there's another guilty pleasure - buying pirated DVDs- sorry Chairman Edu, but unless you showbiz people take cuts in your talent fees to reduce the cost of original dvds, I can not empathize with your call to save the entertainment industry. You want salvation - save yourselves first!), I came across this store that sells complete sets of TV shows for a bargain and there they were - whole seasons of Carnivale, Desperate Housewives, Winter Sonata, Queer as Folk, etc. What I didn’t expect though was the number of people out there who also covet (secretly it seems too) these DVDs, so I have no idea where these DVDs are now - last I looked, they were being passed around like the four proverbial fruit cakes that supposedly gets passed around at Christmastime.
3. I am going to wear my heart on my sleeve on this one although I probably won't be able to live this down all my life. I am a sucker for underdogs - and thus, I am secretly rooting for Hero Angeles. There I said it. There is something about that guy that tugs at the heartstrings of my life. I caught that SCQ episode on TV (one of the three times I actually caught the show on TV) where he babbled about the saddest Christmas episode in his life (having only champorado for Christmas eve). That really got me - that was one real story that touched me deeply because all my life Christmas dinners have always been occasions for getting stuffed silly. Anyway, I kind of feel that he and his brother have been victimized many times over by the most annoying personalities on TV (who can be more annoying that Cristy Fermin and Alfie Lorenzo? - I know, Kuya Germs and Korina Sanchez, but that's another story). So go Hero and let Cristy and Alfie eat their own words!
4. I actually listen to AM radio on my car. And while I still have to develop a taste for the hysterics and pontifications of Ted and Korina (who died and made those two experts?) I must admit that when I find myself in my car between 10:30 and lunch, I actually find myself enjoying Todo Todo, Walang Preno - the radio show of Ariel Ureta and Winning Cordero. There is something about the wit and sobriety of Ariel and the childlike giggling and housewife wisdom of Winnie that appeal to me. Of course, I have always liked Ariel as an emcee - he with that booming voice and perfect diction.
5. I actually like Willy Cruz songs. I have an old album (a worn out tape) of Sharon Cuneta that I play every now and then in my car (although I guess the last time was like a year ago). I do think that some of Willy's songs are gems - too bad they generally fall under the category of bakya, but well, there is no accounting for taste. The other musical guilty pleasure I have is Cindy Lauper. There's a singer I truly love. I don't think anyone has been able to sing True Colors with as much emotion as she does. Not even Lea Salonga.
There. You can pelt me with tomatoes now.
So here are five of my guilty pleasures.
1. I am not beyond buying and reading YES magazines. I used to justify it by saying that the editor in chief of that rag happens to be someone I truly admire as a features writer (Jo Ann Maglipon). And if her name is not enough justification, there's another literary god I can drop: Pete Lacaba (who is the rag's executive editor). But I must admit that what I like about the magazine is the way they feature lifestyles - from homes, to fashion, to scandals - in a very unapologetic and nondiscriminatory way. I guess I am a celebrity fan at heart.
2. I own a DVD copy of the whole first season of Desperate Housewives and yes, Winter Sonata (retitled Endless Love 2 in the Philippines). Winter Sonata was something I watched on and off when it was playing at prime time on GMA7. One day in Quaipo (there's another guilty pleasure - buying pirated DVDs- sorry Chairman Edu, but unless you showbiz people take cuts in your talent fees to reduce the cost of original dvds, I can not empathize with your call to save the entertainment industry. You want salvation - save yourselves first!), I came across this store that sells complete sets of TV shows for a bargain and there they were - whole seasons of Carnivale, Desperate Housewives, Winter Sonata, Queer as Folk, etc. What I didn’t expect though was the number of people out there who also covet (secretly it seems too) these DVDs, so I have no idea where these DVDs are now - last I looked, they were being passed around like the four proverbial fruit cakes that supposedly gets passed around at Christmastime.
3. I am going to wear my heart on my sleeve on this one although I probably won't be able to live this down all my life. I am a sucker for underdogs - and thus, I am secretly rooting for Hero Angeles. There I said it. There is something about that guy that tugs at the heartstrings of my life. I caught that SCQ episode on TV (one of the three times I actually caught the show on TV) where he babbled about the saddest Christmas episode in his life (having only champorado for Christmas eve). That really got me - that was one real story that touched me deeply because all my life Christmas dinners have always been occasions for getting stuffed silly. Anyway, I kind of feel that he and his brother have been victimized many times over by the most annoying personalities on TV (who can be more annoying that Cristy Fermin and Alfie Lorenzo? - I know, Kuya Germs and Korina Sanchez, but that's another story). So go Hero and let Cristy and Alfie eat their own words!
4. I actually listen to AM radio on my car. And while I still have to develop a taste for the hysterics and pontifications of Ted and Korina (who died and made those two experts?) I must admit that when I find myself in my car between 10:30 and lunch, I actually find myself enjoying Todo Todo, Walang Preno - the radio show of Ariel Ureta and Winning Cordero. There is something about the wit and sobriety of Ariel and the childlike giggling and housewife wisdom of Winnie that appeal to me. Of course, I have always liked Ariel as an emcee - he with that booming voice and perfect diction.
5. I actually like Willy Cruz songs. I have an old album (a worn out tape) of Sharon Cuneta that I play every now and then in my car (although I guess the last time was like a year ago). I do think that some of Willy's songs are gems - too bad they generally fall under the category of bakya, but well, there is no accounting for taste. The other musical guilty pleasure I have is Cindy Lauper. There's a singer I truly love. I don't think anyone has been able to sing True Colors with as much emotion as she does. Not even Lea Salonga.
There. You can pelt me with tomatoes now.
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