Now that it’s clear that he has lost this year’s  presidential race to Noynoy Aquino, Joseph “Erap” Estrada now needs to find a new LEGAL way to make a lot of money.  Hmmm?  Maybe he can work for tips at the airport restrooms.  Or be a dancer in Japan. Or… may I suggest working for Manny Pacquiao?  I think Pacman has more money than the national GDP. 

For everything else, there is the Mayweather megafight.
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While Estrada awaits for another People’s Power, the electoral victories for Aquino and the Marcoses promise CHANGES in the Philippines. (huh?).  The only question now is whether Manny Pacman submit to a Malacanang-styled drug-testing.
God bless the Philippines and I hope that Manny beats Mayweather.  Hurray!

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And so the star-studded, color-coded, money-driven, gun-totting, trash-talking, steroids-free, dirty presidential politics will soon come to an end.  This is your last chance to write about your favorite comic book characters…

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Cable T.V., the internet, and iPhones have made Hollywood accessible with just a click of a button. And, unfortunately, these type of entertainment is also readily available to our children and could very well replace the roles of parents. Many are misled by the glamorous and dysfunctional lives of celebrities and “gangsters,” tagged as “real”, that it has become difficult for our youth to recognize their value in society and behave as citizens of the world. And with both mom and dad working in this present-day family, children are left behind and are very vulnerable to negative influences. (Many boys believe that real men should walk and talk like gangsters. And many girls think that “real men” have the right to treat them badly). And, working with the youth with psychiatric and behavioral challenges, it has become apparent to me that children that have received poor, or none, parenting are more susceptible to behavioral, emotional, cognitive, and social problems.

Last week, I had the opportunity to be a positive role model at my children’s elementary school through an initiative called WatchDOGS(Dads Of Great Students), a volunteer program that encourages fathers to bring positive male influences and security back in the school environment…

Sports, hollywood, and political celebrities have joined hands in helping the victims of this recent tragedy to the already suffering nation, and help us all realize what life is truly about. Unfortunately, fanatical comments, like such made by Pat Robertson and Rush Limbaugh, have made more headlines than the good-doers. The media is also filled with images of the distruction, the dead, and the dying living us with nothing to the imagination and the victims no sense of respect or privacy.

But amidst all of this catastrophe, there many acts of humanity that were left unnoticed by the press. Everywere in the country, Haitians and other volunteers have come together to help fellow victims and pick up whatever there is left. Many of those who perished were volunteers who had done heroic acts of kindness for the impoverished country.

A break from politics and natural disasters.
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On January 8, 1974, hoping for a fresh start, the King of Rock and Roll finalized his divorce papers with Pricilla Presley on his 39th birthday.  At the same moment (but in a different time-zone) on the other side of the planet, tens (or maybe hundreds) of thousands of Filipinos gathered to commemorate another type of King, the Christ.  And as the crowd marched around the streets of Quiapo in praise of the town’s patron saint, Jesus of Nazareth, a new hope was born.  A humble and loving mother from Tondo gave …

Simbang Gabi 2009
One of my favorite festivities growing up in the Philippines is the Simbang Gabi (Misa de Gallo or Advent Pre-Dawn Mass), a nine-day day novena leading up to the Christmas Eve Mass representing Mary’s wait for the birth of Jesus. I remember being awaken by musical bands, carolers, church bells, fireworks, and bright Christmas lights and parols. After mass, we would stop at food stalls in the churchyard for Christmas treats such as hot ginger tea and a variety of rice and coconut cakes like the puto bungbong …

After stuffing ourselves with all the Thanksgiving turkey, my family and I decided to burn some calories by going to the Christmas tree farm. This was the first time we cut our own tree, and it was so much fun.

On September 11, 2001, in the comfort of my home in Iowa, I remember watching the graphic images in New York in horror and disbelief. As it became clearer that foreign nationals were responsible, I felt the imminent threat closer to home. It was not the fear of terrorists possibly coming to the heartland of America, but the idea of the U.S. government tearing my family apart. I knew then that we would be going to war and my wife, a soldier, would have to go, too.

And so eight years later, almost a trillion dollars spent, hundreds of thousands killed or injured , many more families broken, and a new president, the war continues. And now, President Obama calls for 30,000 more soldiers to deploy to Afghanistan in hopes to finally finish the job.

Words cannot describe the tragedy in Maguindanao. We all know that politics in the Philippines is dirty and violent, but this is beyond every Pinoy’s imagination. Many have been mum in disbelief that humans were capable of this horror, let alone a generally good-natured Filipino.

The news and the images circulating around the press and the internet not only presents our country to more embarassment and prejudice, but also neglects the need for privacy and comfort of the families of those who perished. Furthermore, it can further traumatize the already bruised and beaten sense of safety and innocence.

Every fourth Thursday of November, Americans celebrate Thanksgiving Day tocommemorate the first big feast between the European settlers, called the Pilgrims, and the Native American tribe that helped and taught them how to farm, hunt, and survive the winter.   This is a special time for gatherings and giving thanks for all our blessings, our families, and friends.   Some also chose this day to volunteer or help feed the unfortunate. 
A traditional dinner consists of potatoes, corn, corn bread, casseroles, stuffing, pumpkin pie, and the giant TURKEY!  The bird is so huge that it is …

“I just think I’m an ordinary fighter,” Pacquiao said. “When I fight a good fighter, sometimes I can beat him. “  And as many fighters like to proclaim themselves as the best, Manny continues to give props to the business, his opponents, his trainers, his family, his country, God, and his fans.  
He is hailed as the pound-for-pound king  of our generation and is argued to be better than the all-time greats like Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray, and Marvin Hagler.  “It is not for me to say where I am in the history …

Seems as though every livestock we eat can get us sick. First the bird flu. Then madcow. And now, swine flu! What’s next? Rover Fever?

Mino Saves Little Miss Nonsense
I’m not a saint.  I don’t have a soul.  I’m not dead—yet.  [Lightning flashes]
Halloween was a pagan tradition that originated from the Celts 2,000 years ago.  November 1st was considered the end harvest season and the beginning of the winter chill and darkness, the time of the year that was most associated with death and destruction.  This was the time when the dead and living meet.  BOO! 
As a Filipino, I have a certain sense of discomfort celebrating this pagan tradition, even in a more commercialized fashion.  One way to …

Ano ba talaga ang ibig sabihin ng social climbing?
@}– @}– @}– @}– @}–
 
“Social climbing” is more than a wish your heart makes.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

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The geese are flying south.  The leaves are turning yellow, orange, and red.  The cold wind is picking up.  The rain is starting to pour.  And my arthritis is acting up.  Fall is here.  So off we go to the pumpkin patches to pick just the right pumpkin for our family.  Pumpkin hunting is one of our favorite family traditions.  The farms offer all kinds of family activities, entertainment, educational opportunities, and fresh FOOD at fair prices!  So unless you don’t have any means of transportation, I’m not sure why …

With the 2010 Malacañang Got Talent (sa Pagnanakaw) Show coming, I thought that it might be appropriate to republish my cartoon about the current champion’s visit at the White House 3 months ago.

Hold the tomatoes, please!

I hate baseball!

But after getting free tickets for the Seattle Mariners game from work, I didn’t hesistate to take the opportunity to bring my whole family to our first professional sports event. Free tickets, free hotdogs, free soda, fun with family and friends, and watching my half-brother, Ichiro…almost perfect! Only thing missing was a bowl of spare ribs teriyaki.

I’m a party pooper! I had a talent for ruining surprises. I would go as far as looking all over the house, checking the bank account, checking my wife’s purse for receipts, coming home early unannouced, and bribing my children to tell me any information that they have about a gift or a plan that my wife have made. Blowin’ up the surprise is more fun than the surprise itself. But through the years, she has learned to hide things better. And I also realized that it’s not fun for her everytime I screw it up. So, as a loving and dedicated husband, one must just go with the flow.

Mr. Nonsense can often be seen in the Tacoma-Seattle area carrying a camcorder, accompanied by his two sons and his personal chauffeur, his wife. He uses his Tondo upbringing to nurture his children and to survive in a mental institution—>where he currently works.
He enjoys basketball, cooking, singing, cartooning, producing short movies, and making his own furniture out of junked wood… because he’s so cheap. He is a self-proclaimed “Man of the House,”…when his wife is not home.

Backstage info:  So far highly educated rumors has it that the main front runners for the next presidential election are political royalties Noynoy Aquino with Mar Roxas, billionaire Manny Villar, Macapagal protege Gibo Teodoro, and ex-con ex-President Erap Estrada with his sidekick Jojo Binay.  I’m not sure what these guys’ plans are, but they better start helping the typhoon-ravaged country NOW!

Now it’s your turn to make up your own cartoon scenario.

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…in a very long time since my children were born.
My wife and I decided one Monday that it is time to leave the kids and go on a date again. So we left the boys with the babysitter and planned to go to the the casino. But the casino wasn’t the romantic place we were looking for. It was dirty and there was just too much smoking going on. We left just five minutes after arriving smelling like cigarettes.
We then decided to eat lunch downtown in Tacoma. The search for …

War is not like a hollywood blockbuster. A soldier is not an action hero. Outside the statistics and the news-worthy portrayals, there are deeply personal issues that most of us don’t see.

Last year my wife and I, along with a few other staff, were asked to participate in a poetry reading with the children at the psychiatric facility that we both work at. This annual poetry group encourages children to open-up and express their feelings in a more positive way. An so my wife read her poems from the deployment years while I…had to make one up the last minute. But, not only was I able to make one on time, I also had enough time to draw illustrations. (Actually, this is …

This was the funnest and most adventure-filled summer my family and I have ever had.  It was also the most documented and most expensive.  We visited and enjoyed some of the best places that both Iowa and Western Washington have to offer.  From Adventureland, to the Amanas.  From Mt.Rainier, to Lake Quinault.  From Ichiro, to Lea Salonga.  And to finish it off, we went to our annual religous obligation—the Puyallup Fair.
The state fair is a 20-day summer affair in Washington and one of the biggest in the U.S.  It features  the biggest, the fattest, the …