I guess it's the season to update blogs once again.

Given the time frame in which prized-based game shows have emerged and evolved, it's just now that I've found something that's kickass. From the proverbial team-against-team (from families against families, now players assigned to color ranges) to the common elimination bouts (much like Eat Bulaga's Laban o Bawi or Game ka na ba's approach to ending up with a winner, or in some cases, a sore looser). Although Weakest Link provided a little twist by being able to strategize your way to victory, as well as making sure you end up with loads of money (not to mention that the questions there, well some, are quite difficult), Weakest Link started to sink when they introduced celebrity contestants.

Though it's fun to see your everyday celebrities throw whipped cream filled pies at each other after an unusual sing-along, it gets boring to see this everyday (although the crowd doesn't mind waiting in line to view this over and over). Again, this trivial plot of knowing that someone might end up a millionaire or that your favorite celebrity might come up to the stands and kiss you in the cheek or just the thought of being on national television has its upsets. One of them might be a contestant going home with 100 pesos instead of the 80k offer which boss Vic offered. Another would be the tragedy that happened to Wowowee. No one's laughing when dozens of people who wanted to be part of the noontime show became a full week's news report. Oh yes, people are still laughing, the show didn't get canceled.

Anyway, since I sleep the whole afternoon and wake up around 10pm, I'm lucky to miss everything the local channels dishes out. However, one game show did catch my eye back in April. The name of the game was Distraction, and the initial commercial shows that whenever a contestant answers, he must press the buzzer. However, if the contestant does press the buzzer, he or she will get electrocuted.

Intrigued, I waited for May to see how things turn out. I really didn't know when it was showing or what day it airs. I was in Makati from Monday to Friday (and Saturday morning) working, and we didn't have cable in Manila. And when I go home to Pampanga, I usually sleep all afternoon and am up all night till morning. So I forgot about Distraction for a short time. That is until I saw my first Distraction episode 4AM last Sunday morning.

Distraction, hosted by Jimmy Carr, wasn't all buzzers and electrocution. So far I have seen two episodes. The only thing they had in common was consequences done on the final round of the game. Anyhow, here are the mechanics I've seen so far. Take note that there are four starting contestants and the prize is a new car. (it also amuses me that the host is the rudest host I've ever seen)

Last Week's round 1: Instead of buzzers, you must set off a mousetrap using your hands, raise it up (yes, your fingers have to be snapped) before you can answer. The person who has the least points leaves.

This Week's round 1: Contestants were forced to drink a lot of water and not allowed to pee. For the first round, contestants are required to pee first in order to answer. The game did provide cubicles for the contestants, however, the fact is, they still have to pee in front of a live audience. The person who has the least points leaves.

Last Week's round 2: For every correct question the contestant answers, he or she must put a live maggot in his/her mouth. Swollowing the maggot reduces points. The person who has the least maggots in their mouths at the end of the round leaves.

This Week's round 2: Contestants are provided with safety headgear (like the ones used in boxing during sparring matches). Each contestant is given 60 seconds to answer as many questions as he or she can while being wrestled by two (local) professional wrestlers. (and these wrestlers were big fat spandex wearing brits). The contestant who answered the least questions leaves.

Last Week's round 3: Both contestants are required to wear protective headgear. The contestants will be asked a series of questions, every correct answer, the contestant will be gunned down with a paint-ball gun (looks fun but the thing really hurts). Contestant who gets the least correct answers leaves, whoever gets the most correct answers gets a brand new car!

(the producers really think that pain is the best distraction)

This Week's round 3: Contestants must answer only four questions to win. However, for each correct answer, part of your body will be pierced (this weeks winner got pierced twice in his right ear, one on the left (the host suggested this so that the contestant won't be able to sleep either way) and the last one was on his nipple). Whoever gets four points wins a brand new car!

Then here comes the twist. Although the winner gets a new car, he must answer 5 questions first. For every wrong answer, the brand new car is going to get smashed. Here's a denomination of the penalty:

1^st question : the car' seats get slashed

2^nd question: the car' side-mirror get smashed

3^rd question: the car' headlights get smashed

4^th question: the car's body will be spray painted

5^th question: the car's windshield get smashed

Contestants do have a choice between to categories. However, given the choice of Pirates or Cookery (last week's option), you really can't expect the contestants to drive away with a showroom shine car. Although  they give away a new car every week, the people who smash the car change too. Last week, it was the runner up who got to wreck the car (a cool consolation prize) and this week, two juveniles were the ones who wrecked the car.

Even though the questions are either easy or horrendously tough, it's fun to see contestants get insulted by the host, to see people compete for a new car and have that new car smashed in front of them just because they don't know much about cookery, pirates or prison.

(also included in the list of distractions found on Comedy Central's website are stopping a rotating fan using your face, ice shots, cinderblock smashing, applying rubber bands on your face, human ping pong paddles, chunking down hot sauce, butt slapping, leap frogs, nudist number snatching, bar fights, putting snake in your pants and butt buzzers)

Playing in the Fields

Whatever kept us

Playing in the fields

Can never be

Measured by the number

Of gashes we had

Or the length of our cuts.

All the clouds we’ve shaped

in our heads

have all dispersed,

now taking the shape of scars

floating on top of our skin.

Whatever it was

Can never be taken away

By concrete floors

Or passing cars.

We fall down

Just the same.

(di ako sure kung ito yung revised version... naiwan ko sa office eh =)

The Moon Divides

I.

The rain stopped

And the clouds slowly moved

Away. The world is still

Suffering a blackout. We should have left

When we had the chance

But you insisted on staying

Dry in the confines of a bar

Glowing with candles.

While I watched your face glow before the darkness

You watched the rain grow stronger,

Weaker, and eventually die.

After I studied everything there was to see

In your face—the deep of your eyes,

Your firm cheeks, a trace of spaghetti sauce

On the trail of your lips—you looked at me

As if it was my first time to witness rain.

Of course I’ve seen this phenomenon

Since I was little, sometimes waiting

For the sun to come out so I could

See how fresh the garden is after a drizzle,

Sometimes the rain singing a lullaby

of raindrops on my roof at night.

We didn’t carry an umbrella that night.

I knew you enough not to wait for the weather report

But to simply look at the sky. We both did

And somehow we refused the rain

That took place and eventually we welcomed the storm

That would keep us together with open arms,

Like the bar that kept us dry.

We heard each drop speak words.

We heard them clearly:

Stay      stay            stay

II.

We parted with the bar and set for the street.

The moon peaked from the clouds,

It was full. We saw it, reflecting

On the many puddles we passed.

And occasionally, we would step on

These puddles, stepping on the moon

As man did for the first time decades ago.

It was simpler than what I expected

And with each step, we divided the moon

With our shoes, leaving it all a blur.

Water will heal, and so will the moon.

We knew this well enough. We’ve seen the moon

Since we were kids, we’ve seen the sky

Grow angry and light up, we’ve seen the city

In total darkness, for how many times, we’ve lost count.

Yes, we’ve seen this before

And it never fails to end:

Nighttime, rainfall, lunar shape shifts.

For when we reached the end of the street

I knew we would have to part

The same with tomorrow, and the day after that

For seeing you off is like waiting for the next

Rain to keep us closer

To the moon and other things that are

always             

distant.

nasimulan ko nanaman ang pasusulat. may point nga si marc gabba, kung tatanggalin ang line cuts sa tula. pero bahala na lang. nakakatuwa ang experimento tungkol sa topic na "distances"

ang unang linya ng first part parang ganito.

"It's amazing how a mile fits perfectly inside this room..."

may line pa na mejo nakakatuwa near its end

"imagine how turtle feels when crossing a mile. And I can be slower than any turtle...

curious lng ako, wala naman tayong physics subject (though baka sapakin ako ni tet sa pinagsasasabi ko), screw space! hehehe

(sana'y di na tayo mabasa...)

(and you'd think this streak of good old fashion setting things straight would work after the first step... well, thing don't always work out the way we want them too. there's always next year)

Since my flashdisk couldn't carry all the junk I downloaded, I decided to by blank CDs, and the only place to get those here is in the major malls, SM or Robinsons Starmills. I went for the big R. Two jeep rides was all there was to it.

Basic instincts pulled me to the Booksale store to check out the magazines, to look for the Uno mag with Nancy as cover as well as some other things. While my last trip to the same booksale store was fruitful, my second running wasn't short of goodies. My new claims are: Amerika (100p) and The Trial (70p) by Franz Kafka (Amerika had hilighted portions in the introduction), For Keepsies (10p) stories by Gary Fincke (donated by Barnes & Noble), Camouflage (110p) stories by Murray Bail, and The Country Between US (70p!!!) by Carolyn Forche. All of 'em are in good condition and would be waiting in the very back of my "books to read" list.

Good work dumbass I thought. wish me luck on my reading strike