"Saturday" by Karen Bordador (2011)

Karen Bordador posing for FHM calendar (image from www.clubsnap.com)

(Note: Too bad Karen Bordador's "Saturday" is nowhere to be found on YouTube, so here's just a sexy picture of her.)

Karen Bordador: The beauty and the memory

I really don't like to pry into other people's private lives. And I assure you that by writing this posting, I am not making bad light out of people who are going through an ordeal. I do not intend to mock them. On the contrary, I feel sorry for them. The subject of this post is a certain celebrity by the name of Karen Bordador, who is a radio DJ and one of the former vixens of a popular condom brand.

Memory is a ghost that returns to remind me about a few things. With Miss Karen, memories from the year Rebecca Black was slaying the Internet with her viral hit “Friday”. Memories come from the year I started exposing myself to Jpop, particularly AKB48 and fripSide. Memories from a battlefield – a culture war, the exact term.

It has yet to establish whether Bordador is into drugs. Hope she was into a different kind of drugs - coffee. (image from www.imgrum.net)

I would also like to admit that because she was an ace of a condom brand, I used to Google her pictures on the Internet. She was bootylicious, that’s all. I don’t know if she is still bootylicious until the time of her arrest. I admit that I looked at her pictures again after I learned of her arrest. I want to know if she has recent pictures of her beauty, but I cannot seem to find any. The only recent picture I can find is her mug shot - and she did not look good in it.

Bordador with her fellow vixens (image from http://intimatemanila.com/)

Miss Karen was one of the original vixens of the condom brand, but she was not the queen. She was slimmer that the queen, but the queen was fairer and more bootylicious. I don’t know what happen to them after their run as condom vixens, but one of them figured in a sex scandal with a basketball executive and in a number of memes that resulted from it.

I think I should start praying for the former condom vixens, Miss Karen included.

What's that song?

I did YouTube her ‘Saturday” song. It was torture. It was one of the worst songs I have ever heard. The accompanying music video was one of the worst too. No point going back over that. It was a lame attempt to ride on with the popularity of the original. Conan O’Brien did better with his “Thursday”.

Should you listen to "Saturday"?

No. Because the song is already non-existent. Believe me, I tried my best to find the music video to the song, but it has already been lost. Don't know if her radio station still keep a audio of the song but it is not worth my time asking them. But if you are curious, let me check.

Right now please pray that you favorite celebrity keeps away from drugs or any other illegal activities.

“They Don't Care About Us” by Michael Jackson (1996)

The Legend with the Brazilian percussionists (image from mygoodplanet.com)

Brazil and Michael Jackson: 10 years ago and now

Brazil is currently in the spotlight for its hosting of the Games of the XXXI Olympiad, commonly known as the 2016 Summer Olympics or Rio Olympics, in the city of Rio de Janeiro. South America's largest country also hosts a number of political and economic issues too but the Olympics should help locals forget their problems for a while. It is an opportunity for the Brazilians to extend their hand of friendship and hospitality to visitors from all over the world.

20 years ago Brazil was also host to music icon Michael Jackson for the shooting of the music video for his hip hop inspired single "They Don't Care About Us".

Too young to remember Michael Jackson

When Michael Jackson was at the height of his popularity, I was still to young to comprehend about his popularity and why he mattered to his fans. All I knew then was that he was very popular. All I can remember from that time was my classmate who got a sticker from Pepsi and my mother who warned me and my siblings against idolizing the superstar because according to her, he was a bad influence to the youth.

Past 2000, I knew a lot more about Michael Jackson, thanks to the Guinness Book of World Records, entertainment/music magazines, MTV, music videos, etc. He was married to the daughter of Elvis Presley, the King of Rock and Roll. He is African-American, but a skin condition made him “look” like white. He was said to be “less black and more white”. He was said to have undergone a sex-change operation. (I don't know if that is true or not.) He was friends with Macaulay Culkin, a former famous child superstar. His album “Thriller” was one of the best selling albums of all times, and his “HIStory” one of the most expensive albums. He was member of the family pop group the Jackson 5 whose hit “ABC” was one of the songs in the Eddie Murphy flick “Daddy Day Care”.

Single cover (image from Wikipedia)

The worst thing I have ever read about Michael Jackson? Those allegations of child abuse. And that he was an abused child himself. 

I am not a fan of the King of Pop but I do like some of his songs: “Beat It”, “Billy Jean”, “Thriller”, “Black or White” (the first song of his I have ever heard), and “They Don't Care About Us”. I look up to Michael Jackson as an icon, a legend worthy of veneration from music fans. His musicianship is unparalleled.

What I think of the song

The song “They Don't Care About Us” is perhaps the soundtrack of our times. This song pops into my mind when I watch the news about the wars in Syria and Iraq, the barbarity of the Islamic State and their minions worldwide, the migrant crisis and the negligence of the rich Arab nations, police brutality in the United States and the hypocrisy of the Black Lives Matter movement, the callousness of politicians in the Philippines, human traffickers, manufacturers and importers of dangerous goods, etc.

The title of the song could have cropped into Michael Jackson's consciousness whenever he thinks of the people around him – his friends, his peers in the industry, and fans – who are unable to relate to his feelings and console him in his times of great agony and depression. Was he feeling helpless, hopeless, alone when he wrote “They Don't Care About Us”? Could there be some sort of an untold story, original idea, or suppressed emotions behind the creation of this song? Had he deviated from the original idea and created a different thing instead? Was he trying to hide his pain?

Forgive me for this mind of mine! I cannot help but look at different angles of different things and relate them in the most unrelated ways possible. One thing is for sure, though. I think of the King of Pop whenever this song comes into mind, and vice versa.

The Song "China Wine" and Troublesome Christian Clergy

Image from limpehft.blogspot.com

Song evokes misdeeds of Christian clergy into mind

This song by Sun Ho, Wyclef Jean, Elephant Man, and Tony Matterhorn is from 2007, but it reminds me of an old topic matter, which I first learned about two years before the start of the new millennium (2000). I was still an elementary school kid then.



One Saturday evening a news documentary program ran a feature on one woman who claimed she was raped by her uncle, a priest in one of the poorest provinces in the Philippines. The woman and her friends spend a night at the priest's convent. (I think they went around places, and they decided to stay for the night at the convent.) A demon could have possessed the priest right that moment. About the time that evening, the priest kind of uttered some bad words (if I remember correctly), and when it was already night, he raped his niece, who later bore his child. It was my first exposure to a fact: Priests and members of the clergy are vulnerable to sin.

Can't recall if it was in 1998 or 1999 when I heard about a priest who got killed in a motorcycle accident. This priest was from another village. I heard people say that he was addicted to the bottle. Years later I learned from my language teacher, who lived in the same village as of that priest, that he was forced into the priesthood by his parents. Depression probably favors no one, especially priests.

I don't know if priests are magnet for trouble, but one time lawmakers in the Philippines clamored the late Pope John Paul II to remove the late Archbishop of Manila Jaime Cardinal Sin from his post. Sin was critical of former president Joseph “Erap” Estrada, whose downfall Sin helped ushered in in 2001.

GIF from matrixbob.wordpress.com

In 2003 news were rife about the clergy sex abuse scandal in America. It was a shock for the faithful to know that there are priests who would molest young children. That time one bishop Teodoro Bacani was accused of being touchy with his secretary. While the local media reported on the Bacani scandal, they would brought up another clergy scandal, that of one archbishop Yalung who impregnated a woman. During that time, I remember my late father saying we must pray for the priests.

Two years later, a priest who was rumored to have fathered a love child was assigned to my town's parish. This priest got a habit of tardiness.

At college, one Social Science instructor shared to us about a priest and a married woman who were romancing each other in the latter's own house when caught by two thieves. The thieves later spread the news around.

Other than priests, there are also troublesome and erring ministers or pastors.

There was this pastor who occupied one of my late relative's plots of land to build his church but did not obtain the latter's permission. The pastor was allowed to operate his church on my late relatives's land, provided he remit some income. Years later, the church fully owned the plot.

One local celebrity's brother, a pastor of his own church, was arrested for multiple cases of rape. The celebrity learned of her brother's misdeeds only after being informed by their late father in a dream.

One crime detection/expose program on TV have multiple times busted ministers or pastors who solemnize marriages without the necessary permit to do so. One minister/pastor was caught solemnizing a marriage – in a fastfood restaurant.

What about ministers/pastors in illicit relationships and prostitution scandals? One married minister and a married women went to a motel for a tryst, the trip later leading to their arrest. In America, one popular evangelist was busted for hooking up with prostitutes. Somewhere in Africa, a number of pastors were involved in sex scandals, aside from foolishness.

Image from familiesagain.blogspot.com

If allegations of sex abuse can bring a priest down, financial corruption does with a minister/pastor. In Singapore, a very popular megachurch pastor and other leaders were convicted of fraud. The pastor and his aides were alleged to have used church funds in an attempt to turn the pastor's wife into an international pop star in hopes of attracting more followers. The wife is the woman in the video you have just watched. The wife was the direct beneficiary of the corruption. She too is involved in the controversy of love gifts, money deposited by church members in a multi-purpose account set up by husband and wife.

Image from godlessliberals.com

Financial scandals are rife among pastors in America, Africa, South Korea, and the Philippines. We have read about pastors who have lived opulent lifestyles and used church funds for their own personal needs. One American megachurch pastor refused to discuss finances because of Jesus. Some pastors get flak for preaching a lot about prosperity gospel or wealth, and there are also pastors who persuade their followers to join in networking scams. Pastors and ministers are no stranger to bankruptcy, even asking their followers for help in their own financial problems.

I do not write this post to defame the clergy of Christianity, but to narrate what I can remember from “China Wine”, one of the worst songs I have ever heard – a song I can say is birthed by Satan himself.

"Marijuana" by Brujeria

"Marijuana" from a workmate and songs past

As an avid enthusiast of things past, it is always a great experience to meet like-minded folks. There is this new guy at work, and like me, he listens to music - old songs - and he plays them at work. He did not save MP3 files in his laptop at work but he plays them from YouTube playlists. (I don't know why he doesn't use Spotify.)

Him playing old songs of different artists and diverse genres, from Incubus to Spice Girls, from alternative rock to teen pop, really brings back the memories of school. And there is this one particular song that he shared to me, after knowing I would also listen to Marilyn Manson and System of a Down.

"Marijuana" by Brujeria (image from http://www.metal-archives.com)

"Marijuana" by the Mexican-American extreme metal band Brujeria (Spanish for "witchcraft") is a gem I place alongside "Nymphetamine by Cradle of Filth and "This Is The New Shit" by Marilyn Manson. Although the band reeks of  anti-Christianity, Satanism, and sex, I am not offended, and I would even prefer them over current artists (too many to mention). (But I will have to choose the songs I would listen to and play on my MP3 player).

Old classmates evoke memories over marijuana

What memories does the song "Marijuana" brings? Memories of high school classmates who, after listening to Bob Marley, gravitated towards reggae music and adopted the word "marijuana" as their motto or catchphrase of their small gang. The people in that gang used to be rock players, including the ones who introduced me to alternative rock and nu metal and the seniors who played "You're a God" by Vertical Horizon.

My classmates, together with their circle of friends, were fine folks, by the way. They were among the finest people that I have ever met. Although I did not share their love for reggae, they respect my choice of music, and I respect them. I admit I found myself humming to one of Bob Marley's songs, "Buffalo Soldier" at times, and it is the only song I knew so far.

The Rastafari and his holy weed (image from Pinterest)

Them listening to reggae is one thing, but marijuana is another. My teachers thought my classmates started smoking weed, an accusation they vehemently denied (and I believe them). However, there was this one time one of them told me that the reggae legend belonged to a religion called Rastafarianism, which followers smoke marijuana is part of their rituals. A religion that involves pot? I found that strange.

One time they designed a class poster, which had a drawing of a marijuana leaf at the bottom. It was days before my teachers recognized the drawing. I knew what the drawing was, but I did not squeal to the teachers because I believed the drawing was harmless. The teachers ordered the poster down, fearing school division officials.

My class held our Christmas party on a rainy day. I received a marijuana necklace as a gift from a classmate who is now a devout Evangelical Christian. I never wear it because it is not cool to wear a marijuana necklace that lack a blade.

Many years passed, and debates over marijuana get intense. I support medical marijuana and I believe the plant has other potential uses, like paper. Marijuana is an organic product and it's better than shabu, cocaine, and other drugs manufactured in laboratories.

How I wish could introduce "Marijuana" to my classmates!

"Sotsugyoushiki no Wasuremono" by SKE48 (2011)

SKE48 song evokes memories of graduation

Love a song in a language that is foreign to yours? Then it pays to read and understand its lyrics in your language. As in the case of this coupling song from AKB48's sister group, I browsed through its English translation in the Stage48 website – and one word makes certain things “coming back to me now”.

CD+DVD Type-A (Regular Edition) cover of Banzai Venus by SKE48 

Graduation Ceremony's Forgotten Things. That's the English title of SKE48's “Sotsugyoushiki no Wasuremono”, a coupling song from their 2011 maxi single “Banzai Venus”. This was released a few years after my graduation, and the keyword “graduation” in the title struck a chord in my memory.

SKE48 ace Jurina Matsui attempts to place a note in someone's shoe locker. Sweet!

Recalling college graduation

Graduation. I forgot to enjoy the days leading to my graduation because I was preoccupied with “helping” my classmates graduate. I was done with my research paper during the previous semester, and I should be relaxing on my last months at school, but no.

Matsui tearfully looks to heaven

I got dragged into my classmates' problem regarding their overdue research paper. Well, mine was overdue too, but I worked on it and completed it weeks before graduation semester. While I spent my summer vacation interpreting and encoding data, my classmates were enjoying theirs, going to places and hanging out with friends. Unfair!

Matsui and company dance to the music

I got dragged because the research instructor told me to help them because if they don't graduate, I don't graduate too. More salt into my wounds as some classmates even “blackmailed” me. I was at a disadvantage, but I don't want trouble. They should be thankful that The Purge movies were not in theaters that time. I could have brought them to meet their Creator.

Friends share a smile

Graduation. Other than that research paper matter, I was preoccupied with wooing a classmate, who didn't graduate that semester. I even helped her research paper group just to get close to her, but to no avail. Five semesters of spurned love, and I can't move forward post-graduation with an emotional baggage, so I decided to stop pursuing. Decision hour was just less than two weeks before graduation day.

Rushing to play tennis

Graduation. I failed to have a graduation portrait taken. I don't have the money.

The pain of recalling due to just one word in a title of a pop song. "Sotsugyoushiki no Wasuremono" is my current LSS. I listen to it with the hope that my counterpart in an alternate reality is enjoying or had enjoyed his/her last days at college. I listen to the hope that I can pierce my classmates' shins with a pitch fork even just in my dreams.

I listen to this song with the hope that I can date SKE48's ace Jurina Matsui one day.

Meeting of friends after school