ANYBODY HERE WATCHING "COLD CASE"?

Well,obviously i do,he he.I don't normally patronise or even follow foreign shows & programs until i set foot here in Australia.Since we're not that keen in subscribing to either Foxtel (not that much choice for channels plus it can hurt the family budget) or TFC (no thanks, am not a big fan of ABS-CBN),i was stuck with whatever programs that free TV can offer here in Queensland.

It took sometime before i got used to it but then i discovered that it's worth it.For one,at least there's still the option of choosing programs that appeal to my taste and the ones that the whole family can enjoy without being bombarded by more than 10 minutes of TV ads plus there's more to TV here at least than the usual teleseries,gossip shows & dramas you'll normally find in Philippine TV programs.Plus,if you're someone who likes documentaries like me,they have & show documentaries here in Australia at an earlier time,no need to wait till 11:30-12 mn before you can watch even a single one in a day.

And now for some of the shows that had fascinated me,most of all the one im about to talk about.

I may not be as keen as watching TV every night & even during weekends as Bob does but i do follow some programs here like Swift & Shift Couriers(an Aussie comedy about a courier service company who had the most dysfunctional staff you can ever find),4 Corners(an ABC documentary that features & focuses on a certain issue every week),reruns of the late 80's & early 90s British hit comedy series Red Dwarf,Top Gear the British version(boy how i like the way Jeremy Clarkson bitches about cars he didnt find fascinating,he he),NCIS,CSI New York and the top 2 which i must admit i do try to follow every Wednesday,House MD at 8;30 pm on Channel 10 and of course,Cold Case on Channel 9 at 9:30(it's actually a CC double episode every week).

The fascination about Cold Case started as soon as im able to watch a few episodes whenever i took control of the remote as soon as Bob falls asleep on the couch about 3-4 months ago i believe(told ya,between the 2 of us he's the TV freak,he he).I love not only the way they solve each cases that had been dormant for years & even decades ago but the way they look at each & every angle of the story as told by all the people involved,even the agents themselves.I also love the way it touches the story behind the crime,the human side so to speak,from both sides,particularly the loved ones who were left behind by the deceased.One episode that hit me was the one where 4 out of 5 sons of a single mom from a black neighborhood were killed in seperate years by one heartless Latino thug over a scooter which they treasure coz as the youngest & only survivor among them said,"it's not just a scooter"It was given at his school as a reward of sort from an essay contest that he won.What made me feel this particular episode was when the senior case officer who handled the case of the 1st 2 murdered brothers told the then newly recruit Lily Rush that it was another case of NHI(no human involved) simply because the victims were black kids in a rather violent neighborhood.My thoughts went,"so,is that reason enough not to be that keen about solving their murder?Because they were blacks that's why they're considred as NHI?WTF".

Another unforgettable episode(for me at least) was the one where a female news reporter from the 80s was killed in cold blood by being choked with her own scarf.Turns out as the story unfolds that she was actually killed by her own mentor/friend after she discovered a case of asbestos poisoning that had been going on for years & the company owners tried to cover up thru red tape & a host of other anomalous dealings,news blackout included.The discovery could have spelled as a big break in her then blooming career but she's more eager to let the truth come out.That costed her her life but when it was discovered nearly 30 years after her demise,the web of deception came crashing down as well.It sort of touched me in a way coz here in Australia,one person died fighting the company he used to work with when he got sick from all the asbestos that got into his body after all the years that he had worked there.Medical tests had proved his claims but he died long before the verdict was handed down in his favor.This particular episode also made good use of the Tears for Fears hit song "Shout" coz some of the lines speaks so much of how the story unfolded.

I can tell of other good Cold Case episodes that ive seen so far but all in all,though they claim in the opening credits that their stories are fictional, we all know by now that most storylines made for TV & the movies were based on real events.And this TV show does a great job at weaving their stories together to come up with something that really hit hard & make us think outside the square.As of now they never fail to deliver the goods so to speak every week.Even if i miss some episodes i sure can never get enough of Cold Case no matter what.

YM MESSAGE WARNING:HAVE YOU RECEIVED THIS FROM A YM CONTACT LATELY?

If so,& if you ever see this or similar message(s) from one of your contacts at Yahoo Messenger DON'T,ill say DON'T ever assume that it came from them,neither try to click on the link that goes with it.It is either a virus or a bot or anything sinister from the Internet , most probably for identity theft purposes.

In case you are unable to read the message from the screen shot i posted here,it goes like this:

"Howdy.I just spoke to Becca and Brice and they told me to check out some pills they found on Oprah.They said they lost about 23 pounds in about amonth with them.Anyway you can find it here for only $5 http://muchrule.com"

(that's how the message appeared;i copied them verbatim).

I don't know how they managed to use my YM ID to send this message to my friend Helen,but im thankful that not only is she aware that such kind of messages will never come directly from me but she took the time to send the message via screen shot to me this morning that's why im able to show it to y'all.

I've already had similar experiences before with the perpetrator(s) using the YMs of 2 of my relatives(in the last incident the perpetrator(s) even had the nerve to buzz me as the message had been sent!).And now that it's my YM that they're trying to use to do the same thing to my own contacts,i had to post this blog so everyone will find out about this kind of scheme.

Now that you know people,be very aware.

MARTIN LUTHER KING'S SPECIAL AT OPRAH

About a day or two i think after Barack Obama had been sworn in at the White House,i tuned in to Oprah one afternoon & saw that they featured a tribute of sort for Rev.Martin Luther King,the famous black preacher who made the "I Have A Dream" speech,aptly titled "The Dream Lives:A Martin Luther King Day Special."

Of course,its not all about him.The program also featured the history of American Blacks & their journey to freedom & their fight against discrimination & racism.And it helped me realise why the word "Negro" & "Niggah/Nigger" do bring in a lot of bad blood among the brothers & sisters.

To be hanged just for being accused of doing something(it even happened among American servicemen right here on Australian shores during World War 2) or shot in cold blood in the streets simply because you're black & your white killers getting away with murder not just because of their pale skin color but because the ones in power were racist & they think the crime done is fair enough?Very wrong,but it was that way the black people were seen & treated for more than a hundred years before Dr.Luther made his famous speech.

Inter-racial marriages as illegal,unaccepted & the couples who dared go on with it anyway will be dragged out of bed,jailed & later on banished in their state??Thats what happened to the Loving couple sometime in the 60s(the woman happened to be black) but they fought back & finally the ban against inter-racial marriages was lifted off,thanks to them.

Poor kids from an isolated Afro American neighborhood almost not given the chance for a better education & most had decided that their violence,poverty-stricken place will be the way of life for them for the rest of their lives?Uh oh,not even the poorest of the poor outside America will dream of it for their children.Yet whilst some poeple think that the black people were always involved in criminal & violent acts,you may wonder who put them in such position in the 1st place.

How about taking a ferry off at Gee's Bend in Alabama simply because the blacks joined the cvil rights movement in the 60s,cutting them off from the other side of the river for 40 years?

"As Dr. King's message of freedom and equality spread throughout the country, citizens in a small Alabama town wondered if his vision would ever reach them.

For nearly 200 years, the Alabama River has separated the black citizens of Gee's Bend—a small peninsula surrounded by water on three sides—from their white neighbors in Camden. With no grocery stores, hospitals or job opportunities in Gee's Bend, residents travel by ferry to Camden for almost all their basic necessities.

In the 1960s, water was just one of many things that divided these two communities. Gee's Bend citizens joined the civil rights movement and began protesting segregation in Camden.

When they crossed the river, they were met with intimidation and intolerance. "When you leave home that morning to go march, you didn't know if you were going to make it back home or not," says Nettie, a 90-year-old Gee's Bend resident.

Hollis Curl, a former Camden judge, says no matter how hard the racists tried, they couldn't stop the growing tide of change. "Marching and demonstrating in the street and holding voting rallies…some of the movers and shakers in the county at that time wanted that stopped," he says. After one such demonstration, Judge Curl says he put 410 protestors behind bars.

Nettie says she was imprisoned for almost a week. "I went because we were marching, and they told us don't," she says. "But we did it anyway because we wanted our rights."

When Camden leaders realized they couldn't stop the protests, they stopped the ferry instead."(to read more about this & other stories featured in the program click on the link: http://www.oprah.com/slideshow/oprahshow/slideshow1_ss_politics/1)

So much oppression,too many basic & civil rights forbidden to them,thier human rights violated to the core by people who were supposed to be human rights advocates & protectors,all because they had been slaves & descendants of slaves,had darker skin & looked upon as less than human.Now i saw more than what i thought i know about the history of the Afro Americans.I even think they had been thru more than the rest of their other brethren elsewhere.

It was about time then for the brethren & for the rest of the "colored people" around the world as well to see an Afro American took the presidential office in the world's most powerful,influential country amidst all of the financial crisis & international chaos.At least Mr.Obama not just breathed life to Rev.King's dream but he also lighted up the dim hopes of many a people who never thought that their time will come & their voices be finally heard.

ONE SWEET MOMENT BETWEEN DAD & DAUGHTER

Ah,if only there's a photo contest on Father's Day i think this pic will qualify as an entry.

It was last Saturday.We were all getting ready for our usual weekend shopping (groceries & stuff of course) but before that,we gave the kids a little more TV & play time as Bob finished his 2nd cup of tea.

Then as if out of nowhere,our little princess Leiah suddenly became twice as playful & started to climb on Daddy's lap.The next thing we knew she already had her hands all over her Daddy's face!Nah,not to hurt him or leave a nasty scratch on his face but just to have a peek on Daddy's facial skin & eyelids as they stretched under her grasp,ha ha ha!!

Cheeky,naughty girl!

But this playful,sweet moment did made a good picture,even if i only used my mobile phone.

OH WELL....WHAT CAN I SAY?

Right now im lost for words as this is my first time here in Blogspot.I do intend though to make this a spot where i can freely say what's on my mind about life within my family circle & even beyond.

Pardon me though if at times you'll find my words either too shallow or a bit hard to understand as im still in the progress of improving my vocabulary skills.But i'll try my very best to come up with things worth reading or sharing at least,he he.

At the moment i spend a lot of time at home with my family(husband Bob,our 3 kids & a soon-to-be-born child) so i may be limited to things that happens around us.Yet from time to time a thing or two may catch my interest & the next thing i know,my writings will evolve around that particular thing on a given day.

There,i have said my piece.Hope i can share more with you folks in the coming days.