The Land Where I Was Born 004
Random photos and thoughts about the Philippines
Our environment, our experiences, and the people we choose to surround us shapes us into who we are. In this series I search the web for thought-provoking images about the Philippines, the country I was born in and which I am now just discovering.
Devout Floggers. Seeking Salvation.
Many Filipino devotees perform religious penance during the week leading up to Easter Sunday as a form of worship and supplication, a practice discouraged by Catholic bishops, but widely believed by devotees to cleanse sins, cure illness and even grant wishes. – Huffington Post, April 5, 2012
Killer Karaoke (a.k.a. Minus-One) Singers.
The authorities do not know exactly how many people have been killed warbling “My Way” in karaoke bars over the years in the Philippines, or how many fatal fights it has fueled. But the news media have recorded at least half a dozen victims in the past decade and includes them in a subcategory of crime dubbed the “My Way Killings.” – The New York Times, February 6, 2010
The Pac-Man-Actor-Politician. Against Same-Sex Marriage?
“I’m not against gay people. I have a relative who is also gay,” the boxer insists. “We can’t help it if they were born that way. What I’m critical of are actions that violate the word of God. I only gave out my opinion that same-sex marriage is against the law of God.” – Los Angeles Times, May 16, 2012
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Wonder what Frank Sinatra would say about that. ..
Guess, he would have never thought his song would be a catalyst for violence halfway around the world.
Initially when i saw a documentary of the self flogging i thought it was real blood oozing out of the bodies…:)
Real blood is shed during holy week in the Philippines. What documentary did you watch?
A documentary about Holy week in Philipines and how many pilgrims use paint that looks like blood
Oh, I didn’t know they do that too. There is real flogging as well. This past April 2012 the Philippines Department of Health issued a warning to penitents to be cautious because of possibilities of getting infection and tetanus from a dirty environment and instruments used in the rituals.
Wow, glad you are reconnected to your place of birth and digging into the info about the Philippines is some work to do and I love the featured story especially the “My Way” killings
It is very true, since most of us, Filipinos, love to sing, when in karaoke /videoke bars, My Way is one of the songs that are most sang, to a point where those who sang it before, sings it again, then another person sings it again and then another and then the same person, then another until such time that it becomes unpleasant to the ears to those people who already sang it, thus causing trouble… Isn’t it pointless? I think it’s crazy! Sad but this is happening.
No worries for me though, I always sing songs that are not commonly played. lol
AS AN UNSOLICITED ADVICE to your followers here: Never sing My Way, just to be safe, and I mean it seriously.
Stay blessed and enjoy your stay here!
It’s funny – all my brothers and sister love to sing and hog the karaoke but I’m way too shy for that. lol
lol… when you’re used to it, you know why… lol