THE FIRST DVD I EVER BOUGHT . . .

and that was a few months before I even purchased

my very first DVD player. I was just too excited to see

one of my favorite movies ever, the film I consider as

the "Casablanca" of children's films. And a large part
of that was due to Gene Wilder's role as Willy Wonka:

snarky and subversive, subtly lonely, a joyous genius, 

dangerous even; above all, a man of pure imagination.

My childhood would not have been complete without 

Willy Wonka. It was my Golden Ticket, and the reason

why I'll forever be transported by the magic of cinema.

Thank you, Mr. Wilder. It's been an unforgettable tour!

THEY NEED NOT BE MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE.

I really believe that Rody Duterte can be a good president,

in the same way that Noynoy Aquino was a good president.

I don't see why so many people have to belittle one to make

the other seem better. Why can't they both be great leaders?

Sure, they're absolutely different, and certainly both have their

blind spots, their obvious imperfections, their weaknesses. But

both have their strengths, and both certainly are the Presidents

the country needed, and wanted, at the times they were elected;

change has come, and change will continue, but not because 

of an Aquino or a Duterte. It's all up to us. We're fast becoming

a mature democracy, a country on the rise, and this momentum

can only be sustained by our commitment to personal discipline.

Pitting one President against another is a sign of immaturity and

an inability to move on; a selfish and self-serving refusal to grow

up and leave personal biases behind. It's high time for everyone

to be constructive, and not destructive; be critics but never cynics.

R A W R : ASIA GOMEZ