All posts by jimparedes

Jim Paredes--artist, photographer, writer, teacher, scuba enthusiast, environmentalist, husband, father, grandfather, migrant, Filipino

Katips

I just watched Katips at UP Town Center on its first day. Except for very few empty seats, it was practically a full crowd. And 97 % were millennials.
I won’t tell the story but let me just say it is quite riveting and powerful. As a young man in the 70s, I could poignantly relate to the characters and the situations in the movie.
The First Quarter Storm was when the seeds of dissent, activism, and protest were planted and took root among young people who fought the dictatorship. Many paid with their lives. I remember old schoolmates who were killed or had disappeared. I could relate to the torture scenes since I actually met victims who had undergone such inhumane treatment
There were parts of the movie that brought the entire audience to sobbing and crying. There were comic moments that gave you relief from the seriousness of the topic and the dire scenes that played out. The music was natural and unobtrusive. There was no awkwardness in the way the singing interplayed with the characters, events and situations as they unfolded..
I remembered the faces of classmates, friends, relatives who suffered under the dictatorship. Some of them were killed and buried in unknown graves after undergoing unspeakable torture. The movie documented the pain my generation went through. I actually became quite emotional while watching it.
After the movie, I talked to some millennials and they expressed how little they knew about Martial law and recent history. They cried in many parts of the movie, too. As I was talking to them my eyes kept tearing and my voice was shaking. I told then that I actually knew people who went through the horrible tortures that were depicted there. In short, I wanted them to know that what they just watched was real. I thanked them for being there.
Dear readers, make sure you watch this. Bring a young person with you so that they will know what our generation went through to pay for their freedoms. This is our story as a people. It is time we all remember, and for those who had never heard of these type of stories of Martial Law before, it is time to expose the truth that trolls, and ‘influencers’ on youtube, Tiktok and other social media have been trying to hide and deny.
Martial law was real. The dictatorship was real. And yes, it was EVIL!
Let’s spread the word.

One of the best music videos in this campaign

Amusing, joyful, inspiring and certainly brings a smile. Artists have gone all out to support the Leni Kiko campaign. And all are very creative and lovingly put together.

Music & Lyrics by Vincent A. DeJesus
Vocals by Celeste Legaspi, Mitch Valdes and Ricci Chan
Mixed and Mastered by Jan Levi Sanchez at Studio Z
Copyright protected. All rights reserved by House of Tunes 2022

Director & Editor: Chuck Gutierrez
Assistant Director: Baby Ruth Villarama
Cinematography: Saxby Dizon
Production Assistant: Tom Dizon
Colorist: Marga Dela Cruz
Sound Design: Andrea Idioma

Special thanks to:
Voyage Studios
Wildsound Studios
Teatrino in Promenade, Greenhills, San Juan
Rally footage from the Office of the Vice President

Tagumpay

So many artists have contributed songs for the Leni-Kiko campaign. Here is my full song contribution. I wrote this to strengthen the resolve to commit to change. If you like it, pls send me a note and share away. We want people to watch this.

See credits at the end of the song

Thoughts about my diminishing future

sunset

A new year is viewed differently by the old and young. For the young, it is another 365 days of passing time in unlimited ways. One can live it aimlessly, carelessly, and in a care-free manner. And if the year does not turn out to be great, well, there are many more years to come.

To the older generation, a new year means less and less of the future remaining. There is a greater urgency to seize the moment. And while the road may not be an endless one, the path is definitely clearer and gets more so every year. It ids a call to engagement.

In many ways, one may say life becomes simpler. My human body, though it still can do much of what I want it to do must already rule out many things such as climbing Everest, playing football, doing 20 chin ups, staying out late as often as I used to when I was in my 30s to 50s, etc.. My dexterity in defying gravity has severely lessened. I must be more careful. I also must watch out and now regulate my intake of sugar, salt, caffeine, and other foods. It is 2022. Omicron is again severely limiting our movements and activities, our choices and opportunities to socialise with friends and relatives. Traveling, continues to be iffy. I feel again like I am left with so few choices. But it does not mean I put an end to pursuits and stop living.

But even when possibilities may seem limited, there are things I can bank on. Thank God, I can still do music, exercise at home, take solitary walks, write, sing, and be with members of my family who are in Sydney even if I can’t go to Paris, France to visit my daughter and grandchild whom I have not seen for almost 3 years now.

But like I mentioned earlier, I can write music. And I know I am talented enough to write good music. I CAN and I will.

There is also my penchant for causes. It is also election time in 5 months. I have been trying to reach outside of my echo chamber to engage people I do not know and try to convince them to vote for LENI and Kiko and their chosen senators. The future of the nation depends on the outcome of this election. It is time to seize the moment and put an end to the leaders and dynasties that have been stealing our nation blind. I find doing such things meaningful.

When there is not much time left, one can focus deeply and direct energies to what needs to be done. It is easier to do when you know the clock is ticking. No more dilly-dallying, creating useless drama, waiting for the ‘right’ time. In many ways, the new mantra has become ‘NOW OR NEVER”.

I used to like the Dylan Thomas quote which goes, ‘Do not go quietly into the night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.’ But this ageing man now just wants to keep doing the things he likes, and pursuing causes he believes in. Instead of regretting and being angry while living the rest of what’s left of a diminishing future, I would instead like to leave everyone with a life lived fully that will be remembered not because it ended but because it built up into a fantastic sunset.

Crystal ball gazing: Predictions for 2022

It used to be a yearly tradition during my stint as a columnist with Philippine Star that I ended the year or started a new one with my predictions for the coming 12 months. I have not been doing this the past 3 or 4 years. Why? Only the heavens know the answer. The third eye does close once in awhile for its own reasons.

But as sure as the sun rose today, I felt my inner (COSA) NOSTRAdamus awaken and read the tea leaves of what 2022 shall bring. So dear readers, sit quietly, and absorb all you read with neither fear nor trepidation. You will discover that, as a sage once said, “The future ain’t what it used to be.’

1. A new Covid -19 variant will come from Germany. It will be called the Bavarian variant. All vaccines will prove useless against this unless it goes with a diet of Schweinebraten (roast pork), Schweinshaxe (pork knuckle), Weisswurst sausages and, of course, dumplings, dumplings and more dumplings. To top it off you need a litre of beer for a booster.

2. Scientists will be surprised to discover that like Covid-19, inanimate objects have been mutating too. More than ever, new variants of soaps, deodorants, toothpastes, gargles, vitamins, etc. will be seen in shelves.

3. NASA will finally reveal that UFOs are real and that aliens have been around disguised as humans for years now. The Republican party will finally admit that Trump, Greene, QANON, etc. are extra-terrestrials which will explain their ‘out-of-this-world’ behaviour.

4. Atty Estelito Mendoza, as a last ditch effort to quash the appeals for Marcos’ disqualification as candidate for President, will argue that there is no thief in world history who has ever admitted to thievery much less pay taxes on what he/she stole. So why discriminate against his client? This brilliant argument will absolve Marcos of all charges and allow him to run in the 2022 elections.

5. Adventurous billionaires, after conquering the North pole, flying to space, etc. will continue to look for new experiences and thrills. Some of them may even decide to go to a church, hug a tree, or go
to the taxation office.

6. A musical group from the Himalayas will record an album that will contain songs that are completely silent. It will become a world trend. Many artists will do similar albums which will result in plagiarism lawsuits.

7. NASA will discover a black hole near the earth devouring many stars and planets. They will send a mission to observe it closely. To their big surprise, they will see VP Leni Robredo already there bringing relief to the remaining planets.

8. The Vatican will launch a social media app called ‘Church’. Soon everyone will be meeting in Church and stay for hours.

9. China will be the leader in further miniaturising technology. Big data computers will be reduced to the size of cellphones. Miniaturisation will dominate everything, but will be a big failure in the sex toys market.

10. People will avoid going to English restaurants due to fear of Covid. That’s because many customers feel they have lost their sense of smell and taste while eating English cuisine.

11. The predicted ‘polar switch’ where North becomes South finally will happen in 2022. No one will feel it. But everyone will begin reading their maps upside down.

12. Lastly, history will again and again repeat itself. Just like in the past few years, NO ONE will believe these predictions.

But as a humble self-proclaimed psychic out to save the world, I must speak of the visions I see. Revealing this takes a lot out of me. Thanks for your time. I will read your comments later in the day. But now, I must take my medications.