The winners of Face of Beauty International 2024 from left to right: Waruchana Radomlek -Thailand - Fourth Runner Up, Stephanie Fernandez -Colombia - Second Runner Up, Jeanne Isabelle Belisano -Philippines- Face of Beauty International 2024 - Winner, Anita Wang - Taiwan - First Runner Up, and Sabne Lata Mailei -Tonga - Third Runner Up. The pageant was held in Taiwan last September 19, 2024.
Let's start using idioms or idiomatic expressions when we write. When idioms are used, it add color and texture to language by creating images that convey meanings beyond those of the individual words that make them up. An idiom can be very colorful and make a 'picture' in our minds. It also shows the writer's familiarity with English. When you want to make your writing sound more conversational, including idioms can give your writing a more relaxed tone.
Idioms allow us to say a lot with few words. Idioms amplify your messages in a way that draws your readers in and helps awaken their senses. It adds dynamism and character to otherwise stale writing. They make your writing less monotonous and your readers will think that you are smart and knowledgeable. All the while ... you only clothe your writing with elaborate idioms to create an impact... saying too much with less.
To perfect your English, you really need to become confident in using idioms and knowing the difference between breaking a leg and pulling someone's leg. So the idiom of the day is:
One of my friends asked: "Are there idiom equivalents also in the Tagalog language?" Of course, there are. Katulad ng idioms sa English, ginagamit ito para tumingkad ang paglalarawan ng mga bagaybagay at para mapaigting at matalinhaga ang takbo ng usapin o pagsusulat.
And just like in English ... ang kahulugan ng mga "sawikain or idioms" ay magkaiba sa literal meaning ng mga salita. Sa madaling salita ang mga sawikain don't mean exactly what the individual words in it say. Tandaan natin ... ang figurative meaning ng mga sawikain ... is different from its literal meaning.
Itaga mo sa bato means urging another person to believe what he said or promised. In English, he merely says: "Mark my word" ... or simply put "Tandaan mo ito."Pwede ring gamitin ang English derivative nitong: "Read my lips."
Itaga mo sa bato ... makakatapos ako ng studies ko. Mark my word ... makakatapos ako. Tandaan mo ito ... makakatapos ako. Read my lips ... I promise I will finish my studies.
Peks man ... mamatay man ako.
Fast food was coined in 1950's. From the word fast food, you will get some cues as to why they were called as such. Hindi sila mabilis tumakbo dummy ... o mabilis itakbo ... tinawag silang ganoon dahil mabilis silang i-prepare.
They are mass-produced food intended for commercial resale. Ang mga pagkaing ito is designed to speed up the service. They are usually frozen, pwedeng i-preheat na lang at pwede ring naglalaman ng mga half-cooked na ingredients and can be served in handy cardboard boxes for take out.
In the fast food business ... meron silang seating areas but they typically have to-go options which is why SPEED is important.
What is bubbling deep down the sea are monsters Godzilla and King Kong - aka GodSara and KingBBM to some. They were not so close friends at this time, but they were once members of the Uniteam. Sara has been in a fighting mood for the last three weeks ... but BBM was a low-key and a placid gladiator.
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The same can't be said with their supporters. Social media has never been this fun and entertaining ... thanks to the true-blue amazons of each camp ... they are up in arms ready for any gory verbal fisticuffs ahead.
They are combat-ready... and they are in the fighting mood. Some are in battle mode - belligerent, contentious, and pugnacious. They are ready to fight and argue ... and they are fiercely determined to put forward any debates and issues ... come hell or high water.
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This is the battle between the Red and the Green. And this early ... the way I see it the Reds are on the upper hand. They have all the money, the machinery, and the means to win the game.
As we see in Congress ... both in the House of Representatives and the Senate ... there is a concerted effort to weaponize all legislative bodies to dismantle the opponent's gadgetry... one could surmise top echelon officials are securing the leash around Duterte's allies' necks ... weakening and incapacitating them. Tightening the rope is like strangling them ... as they gasp for air.
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In the game of chess ... for the Reds to win ... they have to tear down and demolish the squadron of chess pieces - the knights, the rooks, the bishop, and the pawns of the Green team.
Their game plan is to know where they are placed, how they move, and how they are valued. Haven't you noticed how the Reds run against the soldiers and the generals of the former president (Bato de la Rosa, Bong Go, Robin Padilla, Rodante Marcoleta?)
Rendering their admirals and field marshalls helpless and powerless is the only way to trap the Queen ... and to finally checkmate the King.
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The Green team had their back against the wall - they were in a situation that limited their ways to take action to circumvent the situation. Political pundits are claiming that their strategy now is targeting the "madlang people" hearts na sila ay kinakawawa especially in the budget hearing... that everybody is ganging up on Inday Sara at si VP ay pinag-tulungan. Binu-bully. At pinag-kaisahan.
But is that narrative working especially when the optics have been shown repeatedly .... that she was not lily white the way her supporters proclaim her to be. A lot of commenters say the VP is the bully herself -combative, evasive, and disrespectful?
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Will victim mentality ... pity play ... and pity parties succeed as strategies to the Green Team?
Filipinos by culture love a good melodrama - anything that squeezes the lachrymal glands into tears ... is a good come-on. They have an underdog mentality so they always side with the victim, the little fellow, the fall guy, the weaker party, the dark horses, and the challenger. Gusto nila ang bida ay aping-api at nagpapa-buntal muna ... before waking up ... to seek justice and vengeance.
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Did Inday's supporters succeed in the way they painted her in the canvas? Was the narrative believable having seen Inday's temperament "in flagrante delicto" on TV and YouTube? Di ba balitang balita noon how Mayor Sara punched a sheriff in the face in Davao?
And did the ex-president's colorful bullying past help Inday's cause ... or did the illusion and the allusion of being bullied and "kinakawawa" fade and evaporate (into thin air) even before they started their defense?
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Majority does not believe na kinakawawa si Inday. That was never her brand ... let alone the ex-president.
Pwede bang kawawain ang isang bratinella who fights back and speaks her mind? Pwede bang kawawain ang isang ex-president who has the bad boy image - somebody who was an unorthodox non-conformist, an outsider who was voted by the people by virtue of his statement: "sasakay ako ng jet ski, dala-dala ko yung flag ng Pilipino, at pupunta ako dun sa airport nila, tapos itanim ko."
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Sumatotal it doesn't look like them to play the api-apihan roles. The fact of the matter is ang pagpaawa is antithecal to who they really are... the way their critics saw it.
Sabi nga ng kanilang mga detractors ang kanilang history contradict the strategy they are employing now (umpisa kay Sen. de Lima, and the ABS CBN franchise saga to name a few). Maghanap sila ng bagong grand design where onlookers can relate to ... at yong kapanipaniwala.
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The "he said ... she said scenario" is really entertaining to watch.
At ang mga miron ... kasama na kami doon is just waiting in the sideline ... nag-aabang kung ano pang mga developments ang mangyayari in the future. Namili na ako ng maraming popcorn ... while the events are unfolding ... may masarap na tsubug that goes with it.
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It could have been a quiet birthday celebration, but when Marcos's closest friends gifted and treated him by hijacking the English pop-rock band Duran Duran ... it was a surprise all right.
When we checked the netizen's reactions it was a VIEW TO A KILL. The pro-Duterte factions made sure this was a golden opportunity for them to make a comeback and make their presence felt ... after three lackluster weeks when the ex-President and the VP's name were dragged in the mud.
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What was supposed to be a PRIVATE 67th birthday bash last Friday, September 13, 2024, has become a free-for-all and is open to everyone who can react on any social media platform.
It became PUBLIC when news started to circulate that the the New Wave icons of the '80s were commandeered to the tune of 50 million pesos for the epic party at Newport complex owned by billionaire Kevin Tan.
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Rocking and swinging with Duran Duran is a bit pricey. If you ask me ... it is exorbitant. It will cost you an arm or a leg. It is a daytime robbery!
According to some Las Vegas insiders booking them for business celebrations, business gatherings, business fundraisers and corporate events ... you will be in knee-deep debt ... before you even say hello ... or rub elbows with them.
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It doesn't take a rocket scientist to assume that Duran Duran is maybe one of the favorite bands of the President ... it would be foolish for his friends to smuggle them here if they are not his preferential pick and his all-time favorites.
They were the toast of the 80s and are known for their irresistible synthpop songs that differentiate Gen X or Generation X and the MTV Generation - a time were popular music, visual style, and culture were influenced and dictated by MTV channel.
The most popular Duran Duran anthems were Wild Boys, A View To A Kill (of James Bond), Hungry Like A Wolf, Girls On Film, and Ordinary World.
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Tawang tawa ako sa isang Marcos supporter in youtube at ito ang sinabi niya: Yong concert ni Taylor Swift ... pwede. Pero ang Duran Duran hindi pwede?
The plot thickens.
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Well ... there's a big difference between the two presidential stories. In the case of VP.... we are not really sure about the veracity of her way going to Germany to watch Taylor Swift ... at a time when a powerful typhoon was lashing its nationwide fury. Everything was just hearsay.
In the president's case ... Duran Duran's surprise performance was a gift from the President's friends ... and he has nothing to do with it ... so the President need not worry about explaining himself that no government money was used to avail the band's services.
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In the case of the VP, if the story is true ... critics can question which comes first: Service to Filipinos ... or serving herself?
In the case of the president ... especially when we use ethical standards ... (even though he doesn't know about the band's surprise visit) ... there are always strings attached to gifts ... especially the ones that cost millions. The donors can always come back later and hold the president hostage ... just because they have given him something.
To put it bluntly ... "hawak nila si BBM sa leeg" one way or another dahil sa isang mamahaling regalo ... or dahil sa isang utang na loob?
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Nayanig talaga ang ating socio-political landscape dahil sa biglaang pagnakaw ng eksena ng Duran Duran. Pansamantala naitsa-puera ang mga bit player at ekstrang Quiboloy, Alice Guo at Harry Roque.
Iniintriga nga ng mga DDS na mga fake at huwad daw ang dumating na banyagang mga bisita at masyadong feelingero at assumero lang ang BBM to believe na the "real thing" nga sila.
Dagdag pa nila taga Davao lang naman ang mga ito ... at ang pangalan ng banda nila ay Durian Durian.
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For as long as anyone can remember, society has operated on a deeply flawed, highly convenient principle: The good guys are required to take...
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