A Very Natural Thing

UP Oblation Run, 2016

This year's Oblation Run is to protest the burial of the late Dictator Ferdinand Marcos to the Libingan ng Mag Bayani-Cemetery for the Heros. This was held last November 25. The following videos I found in You Tube.




Members of the Alpha Phi Omega fraternity stripped naked in the annual Oblation Run held on November 25, 2016 at the Diliman campus of the University of the Philippines. With the theme "Not just peace. Justice," the event was held in protest against the burial of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

Robert Mapplethorpe: Looking at the Picture

Life is Beautiful

Life Is Beautiful Full Movie HD Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi - YouTube

Metro Manila

Land of Storms

http://123movies.is/film/land-of-storms-9187/watching.
One of the best movies I have viewed lately:
LAND OF STORMS is based on a true story and this flawed me. It is one of the most beautiful films I have seen all year, slightly "BROKEBACKISH" and one of the most evocative films of love and pure tenderness. It is sensual, powerful, filled with love and heart and it is also a Shakespearean-styled tragedy of the heart that embraces martyrdom. Shakespeare would have have given this film a standing ovation. Szabolcs (András Sütö) is an exceptional football player, he is in running to play for Germany, but he does not know what he wants from life, he plays football purely for his father and has little passion in it. He barely knows himself, being in the football team there is a lot of bonding and near nakedness from teammates, his roommate is pretty much in love with him and possibly vice versa. Szabolcs sabotages his position on the team and basically runs away back to his bequeathed home in Hungary.

The place is falling down and it leaks like a sieve but he likes it. One night Szabolcs wakes to see some guys trying to ride away on his bike, he tackles one of them to the ground who hits his head and becomes unconscious. He does the right thing and nurses Bernard (Sebastian Urzendowsky) back to the sunlight. Bernard feels guilty and helps Szabolcs fix his house up and start patching the roof. They bond, they form a friendship, they get drunk and have a lot of fun and one thing leads to another and a sexual encounter occurs, an encounter that is all about Szabolcs pleasing Bernard, Bernard keeps himself removed but enjoying the sensation. At this stage that Szabolcs falls in love and sees his moment to get away from it all, he doesn't give a XXXX about his football life, he wants the picket fence and he could possibly have it here with Bernard. And this becomes a difficult love affair in a town that has never had a gay.

Bernard is confused and also spends his life looking after his sick mother, he confesses in his confusion that his new employer Szabolcs felt him up but he didn't stop him. It gets to the town, poor Szabolcs gets beaten and outcast, but he really doesn't give a XXXX. In the meantime Bernard is struggling with his newfound sexuality that for the first time in his life involves tenderness and love and it goes beyond his dick, it reaches to his heart. And so begins an on again off again relationship set in a strange Hungarian country town that are naive to the ways of homosexuals and preferred they didn't taint the town with their dick on dick action :). To throw a spanner in the works, once Szabolcs is head over heals his old roommate Áron (Ádám Varga) turns up to see Szabolcs in the hope their love will start. And here we have a tense life choice, love or love, country bee-keeping with a new life, or possible love while playing for Germany in football. The direction, acting and cinematography of this film are superb. The film felt subdued and slightly sepia but this gave it a poetic and emotive hue.

Hungarian director Adam Csaczi's assured debut feature delivers in every way, it never becomes melodramatic, it maintains heavy drama and sensual romance but still has moments of high comedy and moments that will make you cry and then his finale, a moment that will punch you in the stomach, with a car. I never saw it come, but it did and I questioned it the entire way home and then reminded myself it was based on a true story, this never helped. The thing that got me about this film was the heartfelt tenderness and chemistry, these aren't incredible sex scenes with a set of 50 people and Angelina rubbing ice down her boobies, these are two guys, scruffy, and I have never seen something so loving and tender, I would kill for that chemistry and tenderness, and the scene with the door, a glass door, it is really short, but honestly one of the most cutest and romantic scenes I have ever seen, these guys are incredible as an on screen couple. The film is also strong in its thoughts and values on homophobia, there are some brutal scenes that had an audience of Sydney gays gasping. It is basic in its approach, people can be cruel, narrow minded bigoted people who would rather beat something than learn about it. It never lingers and it never lectures but nearly every gay man would have experienced something like this in their life, it covers so much of the spectrum of homophobia.

Finally the cinematography, it is subtle and it is stunning, it is painted canvas with vastness in colours and camera angles that light up the screen, the high angled shots of the farm house and using the centred shot as opposed to off-centred shot works well. The shot towards the start of Szabolcs walking through the field towards the dilapidated house is beautiful, it was these scenes and the use of sunlight and beautiful night lit scenes that made the film stand out. I clap the film cinematography from Marcell Rev. This is the closest movie to BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN since BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, it is stunning, it is sensual and it is tragic but at the same time beautiful, romantic and filled with comedic and also deeply emotional moments. I LOVE THIS MOVIE, DEFINITELY ONE OF MY FAVOURITES FOR THE YEAR.

All you want to know about Asexuality but were Afraid to Ask

The other day, I posted an article about the initials LGBTQ. In that article I learned there are three other initials often used to described an individual sexual orientation. In that article it mentioned the so called alphabet soup, listing 3 letters( two A's and and one I). One of the A letter meant Asexuality. I was curious, so I did some Web search and here's some information about asexuality that I did not know. So, today I learned something and I am sharing it with you.

Asexuality is a sexual orientation characterized by a persistent lack of sexual attraction toward any gender. At least 1% of people are believed to be asexual. An asexual person (“ace”, for short) is simply someone who does not experience sexual attraction. That’s all there is to it. Aces can be any sex or gender or age or ethnic background or body type, can be rich or poor, can wear any clothing style, and can be any religion or political affiliation.

There is no asexual "type". Many people hear the word “asexual” and make assumptions about what it means. They think of single-celled organisms in a petri dish. They think of a celibate monk on far off mountaintop. They think of a genderless robot from outer space. Asexuality isn’t any of those things.

In particular:

Asexuality is not an abstinence pledge. (Although there may be abstinent aces.)
Asexuality is not a synonym for celibacy. (There are celibate aces and promiscuous aces and aces everywhere in between.)
Asexuality is not a gender identity. (Although there may be trans, non-binary, or genderqueer aces.)
Asexuality is not a disorder. (Although there may be aces with physical or mental conditions.)
Asexuality is not a choice. (Although not every ace is "born that way".)
Asexuality is not a hormone imbalance. (Although there may be aces with hormone issues.)
Asexuality is not a fear of sex or relationships. (Although there may be aces who are afraid of or otherwise dislike sex or relationships.)

Source: www.asexuality.com

Side Note( From Washington Post): Based on the 2013 NHIS data [collected in 2013 from 34,557 adults aged 18 and over], 96.6% of adults identified as straight, 1.6% identified as gay or lesbian, and 0.7% identified as bisexual. The remaining 1.1% of adults identified as “something else" [0.2%,] stated “I don’t know the answer" [0.4%] or refused to provide an answer [0.6%].

More specifically, 1.8 percent of men self-identify as gay and 0.4 percent as bisexual, and 1.5 percent of women self-identify as lesbian and 0.9 percent as bisexual. This is much less than the 10% previously posted in the Web in the previous years!

More Information: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/magnetic-partners/201406/asexuality
https://www.facebook.com/AVENOfficial/Asexuality, Visibility, Education Network

Note: Have you met or know of an asexual person? I believe I met an ace female in graduate school in the early 1960's in Chicago based on the article above. She was very pretty and intelligent but not friendly.

Perfect Obedience

Syrtaki Dance

Crazy!

Free Fall Movie ( Marc and Kay)

The Thief-A Russian Movie with English Subtitle

Time for the Joke of the Month-My Deepest Condolences

Are you getting depressed reading and watching the political news about the Philippines and the Clinton and Trump Fiasco? If you are one of the many that NEEDS A RESPITE from all these shenanigans, please read the following joke. Smile!

I found this joke from the timeline status of a Facebook friend titled "In Mourning". I am retitling it as My Deepest Condolences. My friend said there is no copyright and I am free to share to all my blog readers.

"Anna had lost her husband almost four years ago. Her daughter was constantly calling her and urging her to get back into the dating world. Finally, Anna said she'd go out, but didn't know anyone. Her daughter immediately replied, Mom I have someone for you to meet."

Well, it was an immediate hit. They took to one another and after dating for six weeks, he asked her to join him for a weekend in Spain. Their first night there, she undressed as he did. There she stood nude, except for a pair of black lacy panties. He in his birthday suit.

Looking her over, he asked, "Why the black panties?" she replied: "My breasts you can fondle, my body is yours to explore, But down there I am still mourning."

He knew he was not getting lucky that night. The following night was the same. She stood there wearing the black lacy panties, And he was in his birthday suit, but now he was wearing a black condom.

She looked at him and asked: "What's with the black condom?" He replied,"I want to offer my deepest condolences."

I hope this will brighten your day.

Chose a Bag Please!

8 de junio libran las modelos, 8th june the female models are free, Madrid 2005 from Alicia Framis on Vimeo.

Forbidden

Collection of UP Oblation Run Videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiN9OEbTZIs&list=PLMeKYkiuSjy0Ikt96Rj2j0ooJPxhfBaU1&index=5

Six Feet Under-TV Drama Series, 2001-2005

Six Feet Under is the second TV drama series that I had enjoyed a decade and 5 years ago. It is one of the greatest and enjoyable TV drama series written during the last decade. I started watching this Series again just recently. Like, Queer as Folk, it made me cry, laugh, angry, disturbed and illicit dozens other emotions because the drama is well acted and written and discussed controversial but true to life story lines and topics. May I have the pleasure of introducing it you my dear readers in case you have not watched this very entertaining and award-winning TV series. Enjoy!

Six Feet Under is an American drama television series created and produced by Alan Ball. It premiered on the premium cable network HBO in the United States on June 3, 2001 and ended on August 21, 2005, spanning five seasons and 63 episodes. The show was produced by Actual Size Films and The Greenblatt/Janollari Studio, and was shot on location in Los Angeles and in Hollywood studios. The show depicts members of the Fisher family, who run their funeral home in Los Angeles, and their friends and lovers. The series traces these characters' lives over the course of five years. The ensemble drama stars Peter Krause, Michael C. Hall, Frances Conroy, Lauren Ambrose, Freddy Rodriguez, Mathew St. Patrick, and Rachel Griffiths as the show's seven central characters.

Six Feet Under received widespread critical acclaim, particularly for its writing and acting, and consistently drew high ratings for the HBO network. Regarded by many as one of the greatest TV dramas of all time, it has since been included on TIME magazine's "All-TIME 100 TV Shows", as well as Empire magazine's "50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time" list. It has also been described as having one of the finest series finales in the history of television. It won numerous awards, including nine Emmy Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and a Peabody Award.

The show stars Peter Krause as Nathaniel Samuel "Nate" Fisher, Jr., whose funeral director father (Richard Jenkins) dies and bequeaths to him and his brother, David (Michael C. Hall), co-ownership of the family funeral business. The Fisher clan also includes widow, Ruth (Frances Conroy), and daughter, Claire (Lauren Ambrose). Other regulars include mortician and family friend, Federico Diaz (Freddy Rodriguez), Nate's on-again/off-again girlfriend, Brenda Chenowith (Rachel Griffiths), and David's long-term boyfriend, Keith Charles (Mathew St. Patrick).

On one level, the show is a conventional family drama, dealing with such issues as interpersonal relationships, infidelity, and religion. At the same time, the show is distinguished by its unblinking focus on the topic of death, which it explores on multiple levels (personal, religious, and philosophical). Each episode begins with a death – the cause of which ranges from heart attack or murder to sudden infant death syndrome – and that death usually sets the thematic tone for each episode, allowing the characters to reflect on their current fortunes and misfortunes in a way that is illuminated by the death and its aftermath. The show also utilizes dark humor and surrealism running throughout.

A recurring plot device consists of a character having an imaginary conversation with the deceased; for example, Nate, David, and Federico sometimes "converse" with the decedent at the beginning of the episode, while the corpse is being embalmed, or during funeral planning or the funeral itself. Sometimes, the characters converse with other, recurring deceased characters, most notably Nathaniel Fisher, Sr. The show's creator, Alan Ball, avers that this represents the living characters' internal dialogues expressed in the form of external conversations.

http://xfinitytv.comcast.net/watch/Six-Feet-Under/8153365854895881112/full-episodes#episode=6636654083398196112

Queer as Folk-TV Drama Series, 2000-2005

The recent news on gun violence on a gay night club in Florida reminds me that homophobia still exists today. This also reminded me of a TV series that I had enjoyed 16 years ago. Just recently, I started watching the series in my PC and again, I must say it is one TV series that made me cry, laugh, angry, disturbed, concerned and most of all entertained because the variety of the subjects it has portrayed. Queers as Folk had received 34 nominations and 8 awards. However, if you are homophobic this TV drama is not for you!

Controversial story lines which have been explored in Queer as Folk have included the following: coming out, same-sex marriage, ex-gay ministries, recreational drug use and abuse (cocaine, methamphetamine, ecstasy, GHB, ketamine, cannabis); gay adoption, artificial insemination, vigilantism, Autoerotic asphyxiation, gay-bashing, safe sex, HIV/AIDS, casual sex, cruising, "the baths," sero-discordancy in relationships, underage prostitution, actively gay Catholic priests, discrimination in the workplace based on sexual orientation, the internet pornography industry, and bug chasers (HIV-negative individuals who actively seek to become HIV-positive).

Other topics and story lines in this series are political corruption ( local level), platonic love between two homosexual men, brotherly and sisterly love, comics, making movies in Hollywood, fund raising scams, bisexuality, closeted gay men in sports, acceptance and non-acceptance of sons and daughters sexual orientation by their parents, testicular cancer, Proposition 14, bombing of a gay night club, and cosmetic surgery. There are several episodes with classical music (violin concertos) and art exhibits.

Queer as Folk is an American–Canadian co-production. The series ran between December 2000 and August 2005 and was produced for Showtime and Showcase by Cowlip Productions, Tony Jonas Productions, Temple Street Productions and Showtime Networks in association with Crowe Entertainment. It was developed and written by Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman, who were the showrunners, and also the executive producers along with Tony Jonas, former President of Warner Bros. Television.

It was based on the British series created by Russell T Davies. Queer as Folk was the first hour-long drama on American television to portray the lives of gay men and women. Although it was set in Pittsburgh, PA, much of the series was actually shot in Toronto and employed various Canadian directors known for their independent film work (including Bruce McDonald, David Wellington, Kelly Makin, John Greyson, Jeremy Podeswa and Michael DeCarlo) as well as Australian director Russell Mulcahy, who directed the pilot episode.

http://xfinitytv.comcast.net/watch/Queer-as-Folk/7415223650357422112/full-episodes#episode=7323481961721158112

The Pianist- A Highly Acclaimed Movie

I was just browsing for old but highly acclaimed movies and I happened to watch The Pianist. It was worth my time since I love classical piano pieces by Chopin. I highly recommend it if you do not mind watching the Germans maltreating the Jews (Holocaust)during World War II in Poland. It is one of the top ten movies I had watched in the last decades.

The Pianist is a 2002 historical drama film co-produced and directed by Roman Polanski, scripted by Ronald Harwood, and starring Adrien Brody. It is based on the autobiographical book The Pianist, a World War II memoir by the Polish-Jewish pianist and composer Władysław Szpilman. The film was a co-production between France, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Poland.

The Pianist met with significant critical praise and received multiple awards and nominations. It was awarded the Palme d'Or at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. At the 75th Academy Awards, The Pianist won Oscars for Best Director (Polanski), Best Adapted Screenplay (Ronald Harwood), and Best Actor (Brody), and was also nominated for four other awards, including the Academy Award for Best Picture. It also won the BAFTA Award for Best Film and BAFTA Award for Best Direction in 2003 and seven French Césars including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor for Brody.

Old Movies Worth Watching-The Pianist

I was just browsing for old but highly acclaimed movies and I happened to watch The Pianist. It was worth my time since I love classical piano pieces by Chopin. I highly recommend it if you do not mind the Germans maltreating the Jews during World War II in Poland.

The Pianist is a 2002 historical drama film co-produced and directed by Roman Polanski, scripted by Ronald Harwood, and starring Adrien Brody. It is based on the autobiographical book The Pianist, a World War II memoir by the Polish-Jewish pianist and composer Władysław Szpilman. The film was a co-production between France, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Poland.

The Pianist met with significant critical praise and received multiple awards and nominations. It was awarded the Palme d'Or at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. At the 75th Academy Awards, The Pianist won Oscars for Best Director (Polanski), Best Adapted Screenplay (Ronald Harwood), and Best Actor (Brody), and was also nominated for four other awards, including the Academy Award for Best Picture. It also won the BAFTA Award for Best Film and BAFTA Award for Best Direction in 2003 and seven French Césars including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor for Brody.

Enjoying Season 4 of the Spy Drama-The Americans

Just recently, I found another TV drama besides Game of Thrones and Outlander that I enjoyed very much. It is Season 4 of the The Americans at the FX networks every WED at 10PM.

The Americans is an American television period drama series created and produced by former CIA officer Joe Weisberg. The series premiered in the United States on January 30, 2013 on the cable network FX.

Set in the early 1980s during the Cold War, The Americans is the story of Elizabeth (Keri Russell) and Philip Jennings (Matthew Rhys), two Soviet KGB officers posing as an American married couple living in the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. with their unsuspecting children (Holly Taylor and Keidrich Sellati) and their neighbor, Stan Beeman (Noah Emmerich), an FBI agent working in counterintelligence.

The series' fourth season premiered on March 16, 2016. On May 25, 2016, FX set an end date for the series by renewing it for a fifth and sixth season. The 13-episode fifth season will air in 2017, followed by a 10-episode sixth and final season in 2018. For a review of Season 3 read the following:

http://www.rollingstone.com/tv/features/is-the-americans-tvs-best-drama-20150311

Better Late than Never-Game of Thrones

Last week, I posted my addiction for the TV drama, Outlander which is in its 2nd season currently. Last week, I started watching Game of Thrones which premiered in 2011 and now in its 6th season. For the last couple of years I have read and heard that Games of Thrones is one of the most entertaining, widely acclaimed and awarded TV drama series that had been created, but sadly I never had the time to watch it.

Last week I started watching Season 1 and for the last 7 days I had been watching the series. Today, I am now in Season 5. I am now hooked to the series and I am not disappointed. I would agree with the critics acclaims of this HBO TV drama regarding the story scope, acting, complex characters, production and entertaining values. If you have not heard or read about Games of Thrones, here's a summary from Wikipedia.

"Game of Thrones is an American fantasy drama television series created by show runners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. It is an adaptation of A Song of Ice and Fire, George R. R. Martin's series of fantasy novels, the first of which is titled A Game of Thrones. It is filmed in a Belfast studio and on location elsewhere in Croatia, Iceland, Malta, Morocco, Northern Ireland, Spain, Scotland, and the United States, and premiered on HBO in the United States on April 17, 2011. The sixth season of the series premiered on April 24, 2016, and the series has also been renewed for a seventh season to air in 2017.

The series is set on the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos and interweaves several plot lines with a large ensemble cast. The first narrative arc follows a civil war among several noble houses for the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms; the second covers the attempts to reclaim the throne by the exiled last scion of the realm's deposed ruling dynasty; the third chronicles the rising threat of the impending winter and the legendary creatures and fierce peoples of the North.

Game of Thrones has attracted record numbers of viewers on HBO and attained an exceptionally broad and active international fan base. It has received widespread acclaim by critics, particularly for its acting, complex characters, story, scope, and production values, although its frequent use of nudity, violence, and sexual violence has attracted criticism. The series has won 26 Prime time Emmy Awards, including the Prime time Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series in 2015—when it set a record for most wins for a series in a single year—and numerous other awards and nominations, including three Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, a Peabody Award, and three Golden Globe Award nominations. From among the ensemble cast, Peter Dinklage won two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series and a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film for his performance as Tyrion Lannister.

Are You Over 80 Years Old but still Blogging?

If you are, I would like to be friends with you. We have something in common. And at our age, to be able to blog and be active also in social media sites, it is a reason to celebrate. Everyone, young or old bloggers had a reason for blogging. I have already stated my own reasons in several of my blogs. But in case this is your first time to read my blogs, the main reason why I blog is because I love to write and second to advertise my small beach resort in Boac, Marinduque, Philippines.

The last summary of demographics (Age) of personal bloggers showed that gender wise, the percent between male and female is about the same with slightly higher female percentage(50.9% vs 49.1%). Majority of personal bloggers are from the US, followed by UK and Japan.

According to data published by sysomos.com, the most active bloggers are younger people who have grown up during the blogging "revolution", which started about nine years ago. Bloggers in the 21-to-35 year-old demographic group account for 53.3% of the total blogging population. This group is followed by the generation just behind them - people 20-years-old or under are 20.2% of the blogging landscape. This group is closely followed by 36-to-50 year -olds (19.4%), while bloggers who are 51-years-old and older only account for 7.1%. There is no specific data on bloggers over 75 years or older. I would guess less than 1% is a probable number.

Thus if you are over 75 and still blogging you are a rare breed. I would like to be friends with you. You can reached me via my personal blog and autobiography at http://davidbkatague.blogspot.com or via my Facebook Account under David B Katague. I am looking forward to hear from you! Happy Blogging! Note: this invitation is also open to all readers of my blog.

Aiden and Frank

Paulo and Miquel

Saturday Night

Pavel and Geoffry

https://youtu.be/jreIhwi5xC0