Best and worst of 2013

It's been a year of ups and downs and while I don't believe the numbers have anything to do with it, 2013 brought death, a super typhoon and a traffic accident but it also brought hope, new friendships and my comic strip going mainstream.
But enough of that, let's do a throwback to 2013's Best and Worst of the Year! This is, of course, a personal list with input from my friends so don't feel bad if you don't agree with me

Film

Best: Sana Dati

There were lots of contenders foreign and local like On the Job and Gravity , and Frozen (which I loved) but the one that hit me like an an arrow through the heart was Jerrold Tarog's Sana Dati. I was unprepared for it because the story was really not that original and it didn't tackle any big socio-political malaise but it resonated with me in a way a good movie should. One moment I was laughing at the wedding host's booboos, the next moment I didn't realize I had tears streaming down my face. Jerrold Tarog is fantastic when left to make the movies he wants to make like his first movie "Confessional."(Watch it!!!) 

While his mainstream works like that "Punerarya" episode of "Shake, Rattle and Roll 12" showed flashes of brilliance, it's really in his own movies that you see him shine.

Worst: My Little Bossings

I didn't see it , but then, I also don't have to smell garbage to know that it stinks. Lourd de Veyra saw it and what he said should suffice. It's just so sad that this movie also showed the rise and fall of Marlon Rivera (Ang babae sa septic tank) churning out  the kind of movie his first film made fun of.

TV

Best: The Mindy Project

I had never seen the US version of The Office so I didn't like Mindy Kalling at first but thanks to free TV, I saw one episode of The Mindy Project and I was won over by this very confident , atypical lead star who got into such hilarious misadventures that I wish she could be the writer of my comic strip! Other notable shows are still BBC's Sherlock, Celebrity Bluff, Game of Thrones, My Husband's Lover and the long running Please be careful with my heart, which brings "kilig" to my OFW relatives.

Worst: Genesis

While I applaud them for being ambitious, GMA should not have made an end-of-the-world soap before checking out if their budget could handle it. the special effects were pathetic and my papa was so exasperated at how they weren't even willing to spend on getting more "extras" or bit players for their crowd scenes. 

Other dishonorable mentions :Maria Mercedes, A Beautiful Affair (Bea Alonzo and John Llloyd deserve better) and  Kahit Nasaan ka man. (Poor Julie Anne San Jose...C'mon GMA, a love story between 2 young people should not be this heavy, check out Got to Believe)

Song

Best: Wika by Tres Marias

I have to pull out my blog writer's card on this one. It may not be a popular song but its message is the wrecking ball that smashed every other song away. I believe this song will be a classic one day because if you're a Filipino living in the Philippines, it is imperative that you make your kids learn to speak the language.

Notable are "Ikot-ikot  " by Sarah Geronimo, "Help me get over you" by Jonalyn Viray, "Royal" by Lorde, "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke  and Pink's "Just give me a reason"

Worst: Bound 2

I really had just 2 on this list : "Accidental Racist" by Brad Paisley and LL Cool J and "Nasayo na ang lahat" by Daniel Padilla but my friends on facebook brought this little clunker to my attention. And yes, it is awful.

Book

Best: Ako ay isang mabuting Pilipino by Noel Cabangon and Jomike Tejido

It's the best storybook for Filipinos young and old, with illustrations on banig (woven mats) that I first saw in February and vowed to give away to my nephews and nieces  for Christmas. This was originally a song written and performed by Noel Cabangon which was so good that Lampara turned it into a book.

Others of note are: Manila Noir, Crime-Fighting Call center Agents (a must-read comic book)  Waking the Dead by Yvette Tan and A bottle of storm clouds by Eliza Victoria.

Worst: Diary ng Panget

This came to my attention because Sunday Inquirer Magazine wrote about this online work that was so popular, a Pinoy publisher actually asked to make it into a book, which will also be developed into a movie. It's a good thing I didn't buy it. I just tried out a sample and I wanted to scratch my eyes out. It's full of grammatical errors and the author wrote some parts in English to approximate how rich people speak and I am so ashamed for her. Shame on the publisher for not even getting a decent editor to fix the spelling and the poorly-worded sentences. 

Gadgets

Best/Worst: wifi 

While it has made connecting with friends and relatives on facebook and skype so much easier and freer, I was disturbed to see my younger relatives at our New Year's day reunion all huddled together but they weren't talking to each other. Each one now had a tablet and they were more focused on their virtual world than on the real world! I hope they don't grow up into antisocial adults who can't live without their gadgets.

Another great gadget that isn't even hi-tech is my umbrella with a flashlight. It's just a brilliant invention especially for people like me who go to work even during a storm. This trusty little thing helped me get home when all the lights went out one stormy night. It's just too bad I lost it some weeks ago. I bought another one but the new ones's flashlight don't twist around annymore.

Trends

Best: Volunteerism

Despite the numerous calamities that seem to befall our country, I am amazed at how we don't have donors' fatigue! When we finally saw how much damage super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) had done to our fellow Filipinos, our countrymen rose to the challenge by the thousands from Villamor to Tacloban and Samar!  And for those who couldn't go to the relief centers, there were also fundraisers and auctions and garage sales that really made me proud to be Pinoy.

Worst: Overpriced food

P400 for a jar of cookie butter and P100+ for Cronuts? Do I look crazy? The worst I read about is a macaron for P250 because it was flown in  from France. So we're expected to pay more for an old pastry? Please.

Congratulations to all our winners and thanks to all my friends for helping me fill up this list!