Definitely Not Stupid

by: Monica Dawn T. Palad

A 2-hour comedy/drama made produced in Singapore by Jack Neo in 2002, I Not Stupid is a simple and clever story covering topics discussing social problems of modern day Singapore ranging from Educational system to suicide while subtly we aving those social issues into its character’s dialogues.

The movie stars Terry, Boon Hock, and Kok Pin who are classmates in EM3 (A grade level for students who are not academically inclined with their peers in the normal level). The 3 kids came from different classes and each has a family dilemma of their own. Terry is a spoiled rich kid who has been raised by her mother to “Mind business of his own” and hasn’t been pressured by his parents to do well in his studies. Boon Hock, on the other hand, came from a very poor family and was having a hard time in helping to look after his parent’s small canteen and his studies. Lastly, Kok Pin, an inborn artist but overlooked by his parents because they want him to focus more on his Math and Science.
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The King of the Hermit Kingdom

by: Dharel Placido

They say he is the most bizarre fascist leader the world has ever seen. With his peculiar hair, predictable get-up and eccentric features, he is always the butt of the joke of many satirical comedy programs especially in the United States. Who really is Kim Jong-Il? How did a person like him, with unpredictable attitude, managed to control the world’s closest nation, North Korea?

Kim Jong-Il is potentially the world’s most dangerous man in power today, with evidences of nuclear machineries caught by the US intelligence in his territory. If his regime is threatened by any means, its neighbour South Korea can become a sea of fire in just a fraction of an hour.

Most of Kim Jong-Il’s people of about 22 million are starving yet his army is one of the largest in the world with almost half of the country’s money allotted for it. So how can Kim Jong-Il neglect his people and still get the highest respect and reverence from them? For one to understand North Korea’s cult-like culture, an understanding of its past and the ways Kim Jong-Il and his late father, Kim Il-Sung to pacify potential uprisings from its people are needed.
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Hopia like it

 by: Lian Nami Buan

If a jeepney ride could take you around the streets of Quiapo, a tour by foot in the seemingly eccentric home of the Black Nazarene can offer more than just sight-seeing. A turn from the optical street of quiapo, Paterno St., could lead you to the Chinatown Rotunda in front of the Sta. Cruz Church. And even amidst the scorching heat, the Chinese Pastry shops are just too tempting to pass up.

Many Chinese delicacies has become a big hit to the Filipino market, even tikoys are sold to genuine Filipinos during the Chinese New Year. And because we have always been negatively represented as Juan Tamad, the biggest sell-out foods among us are those that doesn’t require cooking, baking or re-heating. What better to give us that none-hassle merienda than the ready-to-eat hopias?

It was during the American Civil Occupation when the Chinese introduced the Fujian original cake, which will later be known as Hopia, to the Philippines. And ever since then, hopia has undergone a lot of recipe innovations to make it more fitting to the Filipino tongue. The pastry went through a lot of reshaping, reflavoring, and repackaging over the years, but as they say, nothing beats the original.

If one would take hopia back to basics, it could only go down to two words: Ongpin St. and Mongo.

Hopiang Mungo is the most popular kind of hopia, a flaky dough cake filled with sweet split mung bean paste while Ongpin St. houses four of the best, most popular shops that bakes Hopia Mungos.

Eng Bee Tin

Ongpin St., Binondo Manila

Welcoming customers upon the entry of the intersection between Ongpin St. and Gonzalo Puyat St. is Eng Bee Tin, a small stall cluttered among the shops it shares the building with. Perhaps the 1970 version of the store wasn’t quite as sharp-looking as it is now. They pack their hopias with tin foil wraps and stack them into cushioned baskets in a shelf to make it look as modern as it can get, adopting the look of American bakeshops.

A pack of 4 medium-sized Hopia Mungos are sold for 32 pesos. The molo wrap is unusually thin, so as to not add too much flaky taste to its filling. The mung bean paste has an authentic real mongo taste to it to balance the sweetness. And indeed, it wasn’t hailed one of the most delicious hopia brands for nothing.
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Beijing Olympics Hits and Misses

by Dharel Placido

In any Olympics, spectators never fail to see athletes stealing the limelight either by doping or smashing a record. The Beijing Olympics is definitely not an exemption. We have seen some of the most remarkable feats done by the athletes. We have also seen some who cried like a baby when he only got a piece of candy when he was aiming for a bagful. Here are the Top 5 hits and misses of the Beijing Olympics.

Hits

• “Here we come” - China

Coming up with the most expensive Olympic Games opening that resoundingly say, “Here we come,” China is definitely the biggest winner of this Olympics. China’s already thriving culture and economy have been boosted by the recently concluded Olympics which total cost amounts to an estimated 1.8 trillion pesos, more than the country’s budget for this year.

The Chinese people perhaps benefited the most from this event, when their morale and love for their country got a shot in the arm.

• 8 in 08-08-08

Without a doubt, USA’s Michael Phelps is this Olympics’ most successful athlete when he bagged a total of 8 gold medals.

The Baltimore native broke Mark Spitz’s record of winning 7 gold medals in a single Olympics which made him the “greatest Olympian.”

With an imminent stream of endorsements and a gained superstardom, the water wizard takes our second spot.

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