Maxville Idol minute-by-minute

Tonight on 103.5 Max FM, it’s Maxville Idol! It started as a joke on last week’s conference – I started it, I’m guilty – but now it’s a serious singing competition, with a lot of prizes, and Kitchie Nadal as a guest, even! It’s been almost a half-hour now, and we’re still waiting for the entries to get played. They’ve been uploaded early already, though… or, if you can’t listen, we’re going to listen and update this for you.

21.30 (27 May): If not for Sam singing at the town fiesta last Saturday, this wouldn’t have happened. Come Monday night, the biters were asking her to sing… and when Kelly was asked to sing, I said, “ano ito, Maxville Idol?” Things happened from there.

21.34: “I haven’t talked to her in a long, long time,” Kelly introduced Kitchie Nadal. The usual discussion about her album and what she’s been up to in between her last interview with Kelly. She’s been all around the world, it seems.

Common sense

Finally, some common sense.

After negotiations with United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon, the military government of Burma, headed by Than Shwe, recently decided to finally allow aid workers in, regardless of nationality, after years of nonsense reasoning brought about to avoid any form of foreign influence which could threat the junta’s rule which took place way back in 1962.

On the second and third days of May this year, roughly a week before the junta was set to hold a constitutional referendum criticized as a move to strengthen its grip on power, the rather isolated and secretive country of Burma was torn apart by the cyclone called Nargis. To date, the tragedy left nearly 134,000 people either dead or missing. Many more were left homeless and sick. To make things worse, the Irrawaddy Delta, recognized as “Burma’s rice bowl,” was destroyed by a vast surge of water estimated to be about 3.5 meters high. Along with it were tdeltahe corpses and destroyed homes of its farmers.

What about solidarity?

One of the most powerful images I’ve seen in the past few days came from the aftermath of the strong earthquake that hit China last week. It didn’t lie in the rubble where almost 40,000 lie dead as of last estimates. It didn’t lie in the rescue efforts. It was in the tribute.

China started three days of mourning for the earthquake’s casualties with a literal pause in activities. Government officials stood in front of their offices in silence. Soldiers in salute. Passers-by in the middle of sidewalks. Even cars in the middle of the road, with drivers honking their horns. The emotions may be more intense in area where the quake struck the worst – at this point, successful rescues are getting fewer, and the efforts are moving towards recovery and caring for the survivors. But, for one minute, they were in a standstill; apparently the first time the country did so.

In an instant, my mind fluttered towards our case. We were in a middle of our own problems, although more man-made than most. Rising prices get people blaming each other – everybody, from alleged rice hoarders to the Lopez family which owns Meralco, are getting hot heat. The government’s efforts are getting the same treatment, too; mistrust meets these moves. We’ve been at it for a while – it needs no reminding.