BastardBorn

Rogue, The September Issue.

2009-09-05T01:49:00.002+08:00

Only got to read Rogue back when I was interning for Timmy At D&T. Ooops, and I think I still have this mag. Good and stylish man LA Consing-Lopez gave Timmy some back issues of the mag when we went to Rogue to hand over some D&T clothes for photo shoots. Then after a day or two, he let me borrow it. So there. The September Style Issue last 2008 was a real good read. I hope the 2009 issue is even better.

Rogue, September 2008. Hindy Webber-Tantoco on the cover

Rogue, September 2009, Solenn Heusaff on the cover.

Rachel Zoe spoof. Tay?

2009-09-01T23:20:00.000+08:00

Takashi Murakami x Louis Vuitton

2009-08-28T00:34:00.004+08:00

Animation! Yay.

Fabled cover arts.

2009-08-27T19:41:00.005+08:00

I've only read just the third book of Bill Willingham's Eisner award-winning graphic novels, "Fables." Unlike Neil Gaiman's "Sandman library", "Fables" uses one art style from cover to the pages itself. The romantic and captivating covers are supported by realistically penned illustrations in the inside pages, running throughout the series, giving out a sense of consistency.

If you are in love with the covers by James Jean, there's a book with collected covers (see below) which I found at FullyBooked, Trinoma. How much? I forgot. Check fullybookedonline.com for price inquiries.

My two most favorite cover arts are the 1001 Nights of Snowfall and War and Pieces. The former because of it's dark, ominous feel, the latter because of the contrasting elements on the art--the smooth, flowing fabric constrasting with the stern and the sword. I also like The Mean Seasons because of the floating babies.

Here's an almost Pieta-ish cover of the latest installment of Fables (it's still running, James Jean and Bill Willingham are still at it.) I like this cover because of the grotesque and grace and the warm colors. James Jean also draws body parts in a sophisticated way that even one such event as a woman tugging a bandage across a man's (Prince Ambrose) chest looks so serene instead of disturbing. See how their hands are drawn? And how their faces are both relaxed?

I would want to collect them but i have this attitude of wanting everything from the series, from the collection so until i have enough moolah, i won't buy anything just yet.

Buy them at Amazon, here.

Playing right now. LSS.

2009-08-26T18:51:00.004+08:00

K-Pop, I know, me too. T.O.P! :)

Here is DBSK's "Mirotic" and Big Bang's "Lollipop," "Goodbye Baby," and "With U."

The employer who literally ripped my resume into two. lol

2009-08-25T00:21:00.004+08:00

Mmmkay. I was expecting lola today, actually tonight, and everyone was busy cleaning up the house for lola. My evil cousin was watching all the channels, don't ask. My aunt was tidying up the last few clothes, and I was on my feet already at around 11am. Lolo woke me up because the mailman from Social Security Services arrived, bearing my much-awaited SSS id. Yay! So there, I am super officially a member of SSS= I already have a valid ID for company lobbies. haha!

Anyway. A little before 12p.m. someone called me on my mobile. It was a girl. I had just gotten off the phone from this advertising agency following up on my application, (and I do hope my e-mailw asn't lost in their e-mail inbox) and I thought that the girl who was calling was from that agency but no, it was from another company. I talked with the girl and she told me that I had an interview. Wow. Great, an interview. Haven't had that in a long time. What company? Let's call it Company F. So this girl from Company F tells me i have an interview by 1 or 2pm. When I asked for which company, she told me "Company F" "Oh okay," was my response. After she hung up, I texted her and asked if their company had a website, she replied with a universal resource locator which i check and their site is very, very nice. As in nice talaga. So what the heck, the site was nice, it's in Ortigas, Ortigas=Near=MRT=Safe. So I decided to go.

Ooops, before I continue, let's get one thing straight, I have not applied at Company F, ever at Jobstreet, at any of my online hangs. Never ever.

So it rained in the afternoon and I was late for the interview because the text told me that the office building was at Julia Vargas, when i asked for new directions and a landmark from the girl, the building was not at Julia Vargas, rather, it was in front of the Tektite towers and very much not a julia vargas street but on another street near Exchange Road. Don't kid me with directions. I know my way around places and heck I'd never get lost (heck, I got lost in Marikina once but I was able to find my way to the place where I'm supposed to go to.) but this one was prolly an exception because the girl gave me the wrong directions. Very nice. In any case, thanks to my sleuthing ways, I was able to find the building after the "lost in Ortigas center" phase. (And who the hell gets lost in Ortigas? It's such a small place to get lost at. Lol. obviously me. haha) So when i checked my phone, the wrong-directions-girl called and texted something about where the building was. No use. I found it.

Anyway, I was sweating like an thin albino pig when i got to the building so after inquiring about the company at the front desk, I quickly changed into my coral gray G2000 shirt. I love that shirt. I went three floors up and knocked at Company F's door which no one, not even a blind man, would miss. Don't ask. I was seated and I told the girl who answered the door that I was an applicant and then the wrong-directions-girl knew who i was and went off to the boss to tell him that i was there. After a lil while, I was asked to see the big boss himself. Fun follows.

So we talk about what he wants, what things I do. He looks at my portfolio, and asks some other questions. We talk, talk, talk and then we get to the juicy parts. He asked me how much i wanted, I respond. He told me that he had no problem with the rate i wanted but I should first work for a week with a rate he wanted and he will look at my outputs and decide if he agrees to the rate i want. Fair, i thought. Of course I wanted to prove myself and show off a bit. Heck.

And then he asks when will I start. I ask him if I can start Monday next week and cited that I need to fix my BIR papers first. Actually, I also need to go to my dentist to have my teeth fixed. Pasta chipped-off while I was flossing. And I thought flossing was good for one's teeth! lol He told me straight-up that he doesn't care about my BIR papers, as if he were telling me that he doesn't care about my coral gray shirt. "I don't care about your BIR papers!" Ganyan. lol So I was mummed. He told me I can start tomorrow. weee! Fun! I already have a job. Not.

In my mind: (1) He asked me when I can start. I give my answer. He doesn't like it. He tells me I start tomorrow as in tomorrow na talaga. (2) He doesn't fucking care about my BIR ID/papers, dude, BIR will hound your ass and your employee's asses.

So he tells me that a lot of applicants applying for the graphic artist post had done the same thing. They fucking stall and the next day they either they don't show up or they just dont text. Nada. No nothing. (I re-iterate: I have not applied at Company F at Jobstreet.) And Company F has no graphics artist. Nada. Nil.

In my mind: (1)Force hiring. hahaha! (2)No surprise no one's showin' up.

So while he talked some more about this and that, I listened intently. He told me i can get comissions from doing my job, i can work in laptops and big LCD screens and challenged: "What company does that here in the Philippines" This employer was, as my title suggests, a foreign dude. He asked me the question again. Ooops.

I am very adamant about the taking-my-time-and-thinking-things-over part of me so I told him, can I have until 6 p.m. to think about it. And he tells me something like: "You know what, how bout I make it easier for you, I'm not going to hire you anymore, you're too wishy-washy.. you can leave now." He then ripped my resume into parts right in front of my face. Snap, snap! I was a bit surprised but I wanted to laugh but since he's a big guy I just smiled. I got up, took my bag and went for the door. Closing the door, he said "Shit," and sir, I heard that.

So why was I adamant about not saying yes just yet? Because I wanted a company that I would be happy at as in forever na. I didn't want to change companies again and again. I am really crossing my fingers to get the spot at that advertising company I mentioned earlier becasue I am applying for something which is in-line with my major. I know kinda contrary to my previous posts right? But hey.

Jobstreet and other HR experts say applicants ask for that thinking time before getting the job. I believe it is because, getting a job is not a one-way process, it's not just about the company, it's also about YOU---ME. It's also about you. Will you grow with the company? Are you comfortable with the company? Do you have avenues where you can exemplify your expertise in your chosen field? Are you good with the salary? Things like these. Obviously, and i know I am not the best person to say this so I'm just going to say this just the same, the employer did not know the applicant, me, have some other things to consider to. He kept shoving me with money lures and opportunities that are great but I do have a goal set in my mind as well. We all do. I kinda think he's a bit traumatic about the people who don't go back after the first interview. That's employee-hunting for you.
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This is my point-of-view of what transpired last Monday. You fncking tell me you hate this or go post a blog yourself. No name was mentioned. I'm a journalism major and it would be nice having the company boss's side here as is the protocol for all hard news articles---get the other side---but I don't think that's possible right now.

Letharrrgy or the inverse of it.

2009-08-24T00:17:00.005+08:00

Today was a pretty boring day. We needed to prepare the house for my grandmother's arrival, Monday night. All the clutter and trash must go. My cousin's girl must go. All of mom's old uniforms must go while the old must be kept somewhere. I myself had to do some chores like cleaning up all of my clothes so that the room would look something that would resemble a habitat made for a human being. My Aunt did most of the job. Such a workaholic. But I know she's getting tired. And she's not even getting enough sleep for her poor ol' self.

I am very proud about cleaning my clothes. Usually, after my aunt had laundried and folded my clothes, I'll just stack them up somewhere and pick a shirt or a pair of pants when needed. Today, or tonight, I actually folded everything up. My bed would house most of these miscellaneous things which include: (and this is apart from my five pillows, Tickles, and my well-loved comforter) books, notebooks, art supplies, shirts, pants, food, yes food, and other little things which I cannot remember. I wanted to have a little change and maybe lola's arrival tomorrow night signalled that. I took all the clothes, rolled them into eat bundles, color coded them and then put then on a cabinet which formerly housed most of mom's clothes. I put the button-downs on the top square, the bright, acid colored shirts on the second, and the neutrals are on the third cabinet. doing so ill minimize my 'looking for a shirt hich actually fits' time for me.

I've also been able to clean-up the other cabinets and drawers with heaps full of shirts and jackets and undies and towels and pants. This is blog-worthy for me since I really don't clean as much as before. I mean, I think i evolved into a slobbish kinda guy. Tita always did the work so there, must've gotten used to having her around. But I don't want to get used to having her around. Pretty soon, when I get a new job, I'd prefer to live alone. I just don't like a lot of people in the house no. Two of my cousins are annoying as hell, except for the middle child of tita, he's a responsible one. My eldest cousin has an innate annoying self which I, most of the time, try to deflect with my apathy. My youngest cousin, and my friends know i tag him as my 'evil cousin' has screwed-up philosophies, disrespectful, and mostof all, hypocritically unclean--a phrase here which means he picks his boogers anywhere around the house but hates it when someone else does it. Get the idea? That kind of annoying.

Gee. I just really wanna let this all out. I mean. I'm not enjoying my bumming days right no especially mom's not here. I miss her very badly. If I had Hayden Christensen's power at the movie "Jumper" that would be pretty nice. I can go to her in a blink of an eye. no Visas and plane tickets needed.

I still want to build an empire. Someday.

Over the weekend.

2009-08-18T21:30:00.006+08:00

Hanged out. Talked. Watched a not-so-scary scary movie. Slept. Ate. Cooked. Quite civil. Well-mannered. Very relaxed. Very down to earth. In-love. Sincere. Mature. Broad-minded. Generous. Sweet. A good host. All in all, quite nice.

Guilt is hounding my heels.

Manila Design Week 2009

2009-08-16T23:54:00.005+08:00

Labo-labo. The three days that I spent at Manila Design Week.

The collab works.

Visuals With Vision exhibit at GB3 lobby.
Lucky winners. Woohoo! Liked the animal advocacy more.

Find it! Find it!
My work: Starfish :)
My other work: Tortoise
My design at the student exhibit for Jansport.
The ones I liked at the student exhibit. No UST-CFAD. Booo. :P

Very nice 3d illustration. I fancy!

Also went to Cubao Expo for the uhm.. Cubao Expo leg but wasn't able to take photos.

Got the greens.

2009-08-16T23:13:00.003+08:00

My former co-worker, Gail and I got this for a shoot for Sense. But carrying it by hand over to the office, some branches broke so we were forced to buy it. lol. I decided I'd have the plant. Gail said she doesn't have the green thumb and i was thinking maybe i do. Or if i don't, there's always tita to take care of it. She has the powerful green thumb. So we got this last November 2008 and up til now, it's still alive. It's a little askew because we used the company vans to bring it home. Unfortunately, the van ceiling ain't cooperating so it rendered the eucaria awful spine-ache---for ever.

Whenever I cook something at home, I make sure I put the veggie refuse at the pot and I told tita to do the same as well. And what happened? The eucaria is now tall and has more branches which are vibrant green. Parang nag-Growee lang.

That's one of the compound cats guarding us. That one there's Beethoven, my nine-year-old dog.

See vibrant green? :)

Slip-Ups at 21st PAC TVCs.

2009-08-12T20:18:00.004+08:00

When I first saw the TVCs for the 21st Philippine Advertising Congress, it was awesome so I downloaded the videos. Playing it over and over my PC, I noticed some slip-ups. Here they are:

When the woman entered the box she was guided by the magician and she did not look at the magician while she entered the box at 01:00 of "The Magician." This was not the case on "The Assistant" point of view at 00:43 and 00:44 The woman actually entered the box looking at the magician, let's say meaningfully, and turning her back on the box's opening.

Furthermore, the magician guided the volunteer all the way to the box, a case also not seen on "The Magician" point of view. I should also point out that 01:00 of "The Magician" proves that the magician was a couple of feet away from the box. If he had been any nearer, he'd have seen the box door so close, and there would have been a close-up of the volunteer while he was looking at her. If anything, 00:51 of "The Stagehand" supports the 01:00 of "The Magician" with the left shoe going in first.

Seeing the other perspectives, I noticed that the volunteer's body had moved after she fell on the floor. On 01:45 at "The Assistant," the volunteer's left arm was slightly bent downwards. Think the 7:00 o'clock on an analog clock. Meanwhile, the right hand was pressed onto the floor and covered mostly by her skirt. The legs were pointing towards the right.

This scene is contrary to the one on "The Date" at 00:30 where the volunteer's left arm was slightly bent going to the right, think 5:05 on the face of an analog clock. The right arm was moving towards a 115 degree (estimate) position, and obviously not covered by her skirt. However, 01:52 on "The Magician" supports this scene from "The Date."

The position of the face was also amiss. At 00:33 on "The Date" the face seemed to have been facing the left with a portion of the volunteer's cheek seen. But if we see 01:14 of "The Stagehand" the face is certainly facing down or we could have not seen the eyes that stared blankly into the hole on the stage floor, plus one can see a little of the nose there.

Also, why are we seeing the arm of the volunteer faced-up when she obviously fell face-down at 00:37 on "The Date?"

The assistant changed two swords at 01:08 of "The Magician" an act she did not do on 00:52 and 00:53 of "The Assistant," instead, she appeared to have picked the second sword and then changed her mind and picked the first sword. No switching of blades there.

When the first sword was thrust into the first slit, the assistant on 01:09 of "The Assistant" was looking at the tip of the blade as it went from the opening on the side of the magician all the way to the other side of the box. However, on 01:25 of "The Magician" the magician's hand can be seen thrusting the first sword towards the first slit and the assistant was not at the other end to see the tip slide through. Instead, she went on to pick another sword for the magician to use.

Lacking on the magician's point of view was the part where he demonstrated the swords to be real by thrusting it against the wood panels of the stage seen at 01:01 on "The Assistant." At 01:19 he merely glanced at the blade and widened his eyes.

On 01:38 at "The Assistant," the assistant was facing the box with a wrinkled forehead which started at 01:35, seemingly aware that something bad had happened. But on 01:48 of "The Magician" the case was opposite as she was smiling a knowing smile. Still on "The Magician" at 01:51, the assistant can be seen looking at the fallen body and raising her hand, smile now wiped out from her face. This scene is amiss if we go back at 01:38 of "The Assistant."

Lastly, at 01:12 on "The Stagehand," the volunteer fell. By this time the date should have been on his way out of the theater and then turning back as was evident 00:25 of "The Date." But we can see that on 01:22 of "The Stagehand," the date is just on his way out.

I do not wish to launch into a litany of errors from the TVCs/teasers so I'll stop here. lol (I still have three-four points to raise for inconsistencies, but hey, I don't want this to look like an overkill. lol) I liked it too much (The set, the costumes, and the overall (50s? 60s?) feel. Reminded of "The Prestige," seen that one?) that, unconsciously, I accidentally found these errors. However, since these TVCs are "perspectives" of the characters, one may argue that the differing details are due to the point of view of the characters. They may have seen the situation differently. To each his own.

This collaboration sees the industry's top directors come together to produce a mysterious magic act for the 21st Philippine Ad Congress, Perspectives. "The Magician" was directed by Henry Frejas, "The Assistant" was directed by Sid Maderazo, "The Stagehand" was directed by Carlo Directo, and "The Date" was directed by AF Benaza.

So who killed the volunteer? Or did she really die at all? Who is the shadow lurking behind the stagehand?

Ano sa tingin mo? :)

Watch the videos here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC_zYqH9b8c&feature=channel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0z0_pWHkr2E&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yat3oPmOmxI&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xg4iAkUx-oo&feature=related

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Suggested viewing for points of view consistencies, however boring it may seem: "Elephant" (2003) by Gus Van Sant.

Working with the Saturdays

2009-08-09T21:45:00.003+08:00

Hot and awesome, any day of the week, the British girl group, The Saturdays.

Below is there new single, "Work."

I missed their performance at Megamall yesterday. Awwwh. :'( But I got to watch the Tigers beat those Maroon asses live at the Dome anyway, so I guess it's okay. Still, I really wanna see Frankie in the flesh. :( Here's another one, "Just Can't Get Enough"

Awesome strings. lol

2009-08-02T01:26:00.002+08:00

Found this awesome rendition of Keri Hilson ft. Kanye West and Ne-Yo's "Knock You Down" on violin. I feel like picking up my own violin and playing, darn it.

Project Runway Part Deux

2009-08-02T00:24:00.004+08:00

Project Runway Philippines premieres on August 12, 10pm. I'm excited. I just hope the designs of this new batch would be anything but booooring and overrrrrrated.

The judges stay. Teresa Herrera does US' Heidi Klum, Jojie mimics Tim Gunn's role, and Rajo Laurel and Apples Aberin will speak their minds as US' Michael Kors and Nina Garcia.

Last season's winner, Aries Lagat was certainly deserving. The transformer dress really nailed it, in my opinion, of course. Now who's going to follow him down the runway this season?

I also hope no one would try a Christian Siriano atta-tude impersonation. We all know some of the designers did a little bit of this in the early episodes of season one.

What are we to expect this second season? Here are some of them:

These are my Superficial Bets. Lol.

Get to know more of the new set of designers here

Last minute.

2009-08-01T00:59:00.004+08:00

Camille said I should stop being late at things. But, old habits die hard. Ack. This is my last minute entry for this design competition. It was supposed to be in color but I found the colored version very cheap. Besides, the photo resolution ain't that good. Took the photo via my 2MP phone camera only and then adjusted the resolution at Adobe Photoshop to a thousand or so.

The image is supposed to advocate child literacy. Well, how does it look like? And I put a copy too, you know, just to steer it to the right direction.

Brain Food - Table More here.

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Meanwhile, Micah gave me Murray Sugar Free Chocolate Chip cookies. And I can't resist cookies--and sugar-free ones at that! And how did they taste? Amazingly sweet and delicious, every bite is sinful if I were watching my sugar intake--which I am. So there. Yum! Thanks Micah!

Happy birthday Garage!

2009-07-28T00:32:00.002+08:00

Guess who's on Garage Magazine's first anniversary issue cover?

I'm behind three issues now. Ack.

The Color of 2009: Mimosa.

2009-07-25T19:47:00.004+08:00

Why is this the color of 2009? Read it here.

I think I might use more of this color from now on. :)

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Meanwhile, winners are in and TBWA SMP Philippines won Bronze for their "Hibiscus" Boysen Ad Campaign. As for McCann Philippines, Leo Burnett-Black Pencil Advertising Philippines, Ogilvy and Mathers Philippines, Harrison Communications Philippines, BBDO-Guerrero Philippines, DDB Philippines, I have no idea if they have any entries which came in even as shortlist. Too tired to sift through the list. Just saw this at Vincent Sarabia Ong's column at Philippine Star's Supreme this morning. Congratulations TBWA-SMP!

The Sartorialist in print.

2009-07-25T17:55:00.004+08:00

Scott Schuman's street style fashion blog, The Sartorialist is now in paper back. I think the good thing about this is one doesn't need to search the blog itself for style inspirations. That bad thing about it is that maybe some of the styles printed on the book/s will become passe in the future. Anyway, I've been following this blog and hell I've been living off of style inspirations from it too. So go ahead and buy one for all you fashionable people out there. Buy it at Amazon here.

Down, down, down the rabbit hole.

2009-07-25T17:34:00.008+08:00

News Flash. SM North a.k.a. My Second Home, has now an IMAX theatre. Ain't that neat? No need to journey all the way to Mall of Asia. What to watch there, you ask? This one.

I've read and liked Lewis Caroll's Alice in Wonderland books before. And I am so delighted that this book gets to breathe a new full length life thanks to the talents of Tim Burton. Let's see how this one fares.

Johnny Depp, to the amusement of everybody, plays the eccentric Mad Hatter or The Hatter. Anne Hathaway plays the White Queen and forever opposite of Depp, Helena Bonham Carter plays the ill-tempered Red Queen.

In the movie, Alice Kingsley (Liddell in the books) is to be proposed in front of a group of high society people but flees and follows the March Hare down the rabbit hole. It later turns out that the White Queen, Wonderland's monarch has been over-turned by her sister, the Red Queen. To me, this plot kinda sounds familiar. I've read a book by Frank Beddor, a spin-off of Lewis Caroll's original Alice in Wonderland book, titled Looking Glass Wars. In Beddor's novel, Alice is the only daughter of the revered and then most powerful White Queen. However, her younger sister, Redd, resolved to over-turn her rule and have the whole of Wonderland for herself. To save Alice, originally Princess Alyss Heart, she and Hatter M journeyed to the Pool of Tears and transported themselves into Victorian London. However, problems arise when Hatter M gets separated with the Princess Alyss Heart. A search ensues and so on. To me Beddor's account is a fully-imagined and widely interesting version of the book. I would not be surprised if later,Burton would admit to have read and taken inspiration out from Looking Glass Wars and the second book, Seeing Redd, also by Beddor. But, this is Tim Burton right? A cinematic visionary in the truest sense. So, maybe he won't.

Read more about the film here and here and most especially, here. In 2010, Let's go down the rabbit hole ladies and gents!

The Japanese Dream.

2009-07-25T16:57:00.007+08:00

Engk. It ain't a version of the "American Dream" everybody here in the Philippines wants a slice of. This one is the Japanese version of Neil Gaiman's protagonist from his multi-awarded work, The Sandman Library. This one is about the Japanese version of Dream, Lord-shaper to some, Morpheus to others. Finished it last week but was too broke to blog about it, anyway.

What's it about? The story starts with a wager between a fox and a he-badger. Conditions are, whoever succeeds at driving the monk away from his temple in the mountain, gets the temple as his or her den. But what happens when the fox suddenly falls in love with the monk? Also, what happens when the fox gets news of the monk's imminent demise? And there we have a conflict.

It was a rather fast but hugely nice read no less than from the master story teller, Neil Gaiman, as it is coupled with fantastic illustration from Yoshitaka Amano. Some pages were so detailed Ijust got lost in the drawing. You'll have to glance at the pictures a coupla times since the text will most likely tend to be, well, text heavy. So it's a good thing that in every other page, there's an illustration to get lost into.

Here are some of the awesome pages. The monk, lost in his dreams.

The Japanese Dream's grand entrance!

In control: King of all the Dreaming negotiating with the fox. (Oopsie. Spoiler.hehe)

Buyacopy of the book, online at Amazon(click me) or at Ebay(click me).

Jill and Kevin came dancing down the aisle.

2009-07-25T16:52:00.001+08:00

How's that for a wedding entrance?

Word is.

2009-07-21T21:49:00.003+08:00

I open up Yahoo! and found out that a Saudi man reportedly married a Filipina and then listed his wife as a voluntary kidney donor. That would be very, very wise since kidneys don't come off cheap. Heck. I'm waging a war with kidney complications myself and I know I don't have enough moolah to acquire one, any decade now. I found it really scheming that the middle-eastern man went to as much as marrying someone if only to have a kidney donor. I feel for him. But I also feel for the woman. She seemed kinda tricked into donating one of her kidneys. Arab dude spoke no English of Filipino, while Flip girl spoke no Arabic, obviously there was an underlying motive as to why the two got married and so recently at that. Philippine embassy at the UAE should take a look at this matter. Is this incident a first? Will many more follow? Is someone operating some kind of an organ donor trap gang? Oh well, these days you just never know what's going on. Read the article here.
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And the local weather bureau says the eclipse is tomorrow. I'll watch that one! I've read something in my Philippine myth book about eclipse. Something about the Bakunawa and the Minokawa. But Jelvin has my book so I'm really sure what's their deal. I'll watch the eclipse tomorrow, that's for sure! :) Read superstitions and predictions here.

EDITED: Well I overslept because I slept around 5am. So blame me for not being able to watch the solar eclipse. lol. Updates over the net here.
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I talked to mom earlier, 3am and then 6am. I wish she hadn't immigrated. She'd probably be on top if she continued her job here.

On The Top.

2009-07-21T01:49:00.004+08:00

Forbes hails the most succesful male models. Who's on top? Him. Find more of Sean Opry's works at Facebook.

More of the list here.

Head Among The Clouds.

2009-07-21T01:38:00.002+08:00

More of my works here.

My artwork for the GM09 book. I've already sent one before but I wanted to send another one in hopes of possibly making it to the book. My fingers are crossed.

Vector done in Macromedia Flash (I'm big on this. lol), Macromedia Fireworks (nangangapa padin though), and Adobe Photoshop.

So you wanna be a model now?

2009-07-18T23:29:00.003+08:00

I remember Andrew forwarding me a text from this fashion blogger about the modelling industry being degraded what with all the influx of Multiply models. I totally agree to this quote/idea, not that I'd like to see young model dreams crash, burn, and die. It's just that, everybody wants to be seen and everybody wants a lion's share of the limelight. Hey, I do wanna get famous too, but on the design arena that is. And of course, the influx of Multiply models also equate to an influx of Multiply photographers. I have both kinds of people on my Multiply account, actually. Quite hypocritical of me, huh? There was this one time, this model and photog guy posted an ultimatum that whoever views this certain post should comment or he gets deleted. It was utterly stupid. Who forces people to comment on their photo anyway? That's like too full of them to do that. Well I got deleted so go figure. Okay, enough. I might ignite one too many bonfires.
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Chanced upon this at Cecile Van Straten's blog.

Why is it that not too muscular guys, actually very average and just a little lean guys become models in the US, Japan, and Europe but not here? Here, the moremeat you have, the higher your chance is at being casted. Enlighten me.

High rise, rise high.

2009-07-18T00:09:00.007+08:00

About the title. High rise, building. Rise high, career. It's like BF and FB. Gooooo figure.
- - -

Makati City Map

I've been wanting to get a job at any decent Media, PR or advertising agency at Makati City (sige na nga, Ortigas na din). So far, Lady Luck hasn't been siding me. I called back some companies which have no response to my application. Well, I wanted to make sure that they think I'm deathly serious about being with their company so yeah, I hope the additional effort counts. I hope. The ones that I've called either has a freeze hiring policy or has vacant positions that an AB-Journalism major does not quite qualify at. Great. Now it all boils down to course again. Now I'm gonna rant again about the lost chance to shift at UST College of Fine Arts and Design's Advertising Arts course. But then again, I might as well try and try and try until I get a good enough company which will help me grow. *Channeling positive energy* Yeah, I can't afford to be on a gloom and doom mood right now. I'll do rounds on the advertising agencies around Makati on monday. I hope there'll be no storm by then. It's not nice when the operator retorts, "Well, we cancelled today's office. Thank you." lol. Sabi ko nga eh.
- - -
I was sitting in front of my PC (And you think everyone is already in MAC and laptops, right? lol) last night, hearing the rain bang the roof and the wind sneak a little howl. An idea suddenly came to mind. Well, I wanted to write this for the Philippine Specualtive Fiction V which Nikki Alfar and Vin Simbulan (Whom I've interviewed once about Siglo: Freedom, etc, thank you Vin.) so I think I will. I think. It goes like, what if the weather wasn't controlled by Bathala? What if it were controlled by the powerful women of the old times who were said to have a direct connection to Inang Kalikasan and Bathala himself? What if these women descended directly from Ina and their line were controlled and blessed by Bathala? What if these women lived among us, in the city, in key spots around the Philippines to make sure no tribe of the engkantos will ruin the natural order of things? What if these women were protectors and persecutors? And then, I'd give it a title like "Babaylan" or "Bailan" prolly. So these questions ran through my head not since last night, actually the day before pa. So there. I don't really know how to start it but I guess I have to do something fast. August is fast approaching. I don't wanna be caught up by the deadly deadlines again. On the left, the fourth installment of the folio.
- - -
I'm stacking up on my Haruki Murakamis. Since my After Dark got lost. I got another one. Lol. That's how much I like Murakami and After Dark. I also got Dance, Dance, Dance and the Wind-up Bird Chronicle. I really find his writings interesting. My kind of writing. He presents things in a different view. It's like he'll give you a painting but he'll ask you to lie down on the floor, look-up, and understand the painting that way. Genius. So anyway, I like reading his stuff especially when it's raining. I read After Dark before when there was a storm and boy was I feeling the story. Chilly and quite the mysterious arc. Maybe come Christmas or birthday I'll ask my friends to give me Haruki Murakamis. hehe JK.

Trese and counting.

2009-07-14T22:38:00.004+08:00

ONE ALEXANDRA TRESE. So everybody else has their version of Alexandra Trese, Budgette Tan and Ka-Jo Baldisimo's protagonist in the talked-about occult-themed comic book published by VisPrint, now I have mine. :) It's a projection of Alexandra when she's 20 and very, very, voluptuous. Seen here, too.
- - -
TWO BICYLCE WHEELS I was browsing through posts by Scott Schumann, The Sartorialist, and I chanced upon this picture of a guy riding a bike. Awesome bike huh?
I suddenly missed having a bike. Therefore, I shall devote my next, next, paycheck into buying a bike bike bike! A very, very, nice one. And then I'll have to fund my "Operation Super-Size Me" a.k.a. "fatten up yo skinny size one model type ass" lol. :)
- - -
THREE AD AGENCIES I have been hunting down ad agencies left and right, in vain, might I add? Well, the hunt would be so fruitful if it hadn't for some agency's freeze hiring policies. Well that's life, eh? Makati and Ortigas ad agencies, hear my call (and take time to read my supercalifragilisticexpialidocious resume. lol)
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FOUR FAIRIES ARE MISSED. I miss Encantadia. Now that the actors from the original cast have been dispersed into another station, needless to say, GMA 7 will have a hard time cooking up a new one. Gosh, I hope they don't make a movie.

The Towers of Babel

2009-07-12T13:36:00.002+08:00

"It's not what you see, it's what you do not see."

I particularly like the white variation better, view it here.

I've asked my friends to tell me what this image looks to them, so far, none has ever said the right answer. What does this look like to you?

Jelvin's Aslan.

2009-07-08T23:41:00.001+08:00

Ang cute ng aso ni Jelvin. Super. Aslan yung name. :)

Design killed my world.

2009-07-08T22:58:00.001+08:00

A part of the Manila Design Week. Shet. I really should have transferred to CFAD. ARGH!!!

Frustration, frustration.

About condo unit 803A and the boy who lives in it.

2009-07-07T15:28:00.005+08:00

Finally able to watch the Coraline movie by Henry Selick at Zeno's place. The movie wasn't much but Zeno's place was. Decorated with his obra maestra's that kill. I loved the neatness and the aircon. The minimal furniture, and the spacious floor area.. well, kinda.

The view outside his window wasn't much but the view by the window near the elevator was this. Something from the Animatrix's Final Flight of The Osiris came back to me.

Something very Pag-asa Bliss Condominiums.

Something very creepy, eerie, and chilling. Something very "Sigaw."

Something very propehtic and poetic.

I call this shot "The Tower of Babel."

I'd love to live here too if it weren't so detached from Makati. You'd hafta ride a cab to get here. I don't know about the jeepneys coz I'm not taking those if ever I come back.

20/20V: I Am Running.

2009-06-25T15:47:00.001+08:00

2020v.multiply.com
Do you share my vision?

All railways lead to.

2009-06-24T23:27:00.003+08:00

The MRT line 3 is being hurried up. I wonder why? 2010 election? lol

And ends up at:

Where there is too much of:

I hope lives are easier and safer after the construction.

Au contraire!

2009-06-13T00:02:00.002+08:00

Okay. I'm having this intership at this local men's clothing brand. Why? I want a side-career in fashion, that's why. Why this particular brand? Because I used to see that this brand goes up to par with other international and forward brands--at least before it diverted its image into a more relaxed line--replicating a more Ralph Lauren image, as the brand manager put it. Anyway. My dilemma is this. I want to be in some place where I can use my forward thinking. We already have centuries and centuries of the usual button-downs and t-shirts. It's risky, but we should have something apt with the times--at least in the cutthroat world of fashion. I'm just sad that the image of the brand I'm interning in is in contrast to my style philosophy. Just sad. I'll have to think of something to do before this dilemma digs in deep into my eject-self-from-internship veins.

DIY #1: Folding Clutch Bag

2009-05-31T14:25:00.004+08:00

Created a folding clutch bag from our old sofa seat cover. Bow.

Step 1: Cut material in equal lengths and find a zipper big enough to accomodate your material. Step 2: Double the thread on your needle (to make it stronger) and start doing close running stitches for the zipper. Do minimized running stitches. Make them so close to each other so that the stitch would be so tight. Go back along the stitch to make the stitches look like machine stitch. This might be tiresome but it would tighten the stitches altogether ensuring a really durable bag. Do the same on the sides of the material to properly close it.
Step 3: After you're done with all the sides and stitches, turn the material inside out and flatten every side. Since I used synthetic material here, I turned the bag inside out and flattened it by slipping it under a thick (and I mean thICK) pile of newspapers which I later sat on for a more flattened-out result.

Voila! A folding clutch bag. This one's perfect for my phone notebook and my planner. Actually, those were all what I intend to put here. haha And I made this just for those two. haha

The "Before"

The "After"

How it looks unzipped.

Folded crosswise.

Folded lengthwise.

[Probably] Goes well with outfits like:
1. Baggy outfits, tailored and sleek outfits, and draped outfits.
2. Cobalt blue tops, Black tops, Brown, beige, and cream tops, White tops, Yellow tops, Carnation tops, Grey tops.
3. Smart casuals and formal outfits.

Chopsuey #4

2009-05-31T14:15:00.003+08:00

Risked life and limb to take a picture of the University avenue in UP. This is one of my dream shots to take. lol

A stunning Datuin. nuff said. Perfect for a minimalist-themed home. Think sassy Matrix.

Perfect coffee table centerpiece for a home that has a gold-black, mod maverick theme. A taller one would be better.

TriNoma shoppers get serenaded with a violin and acoustic guitar duo ath the Ground floor lobby of TriNoma every Fridays to Sundays.

And on the third floor, there's an organ and flute duo taking care of the ambiance. TriNoma aptly tagged this gimmick as "Ambient Sounds." So nice, if you ask me.

Simple.

2009-05-30T01:46:00.002+08:00

Redeemed cover. Nuff said. Heart Evangelista on June's issue of Sen se& Sty le. However, the cover blurbs are not cooperating with the ferocious cover photo. They could have made the L in "The EssenList" in bold typeface but they had to extend it. Right. More here.

Disconnect The Dots

2009-05-27T22:18:00.001+08:00

SLab’s smaller gallery 20Square proudly presents new work by artist Bea Camacho in Disconnect The Dots from June 2-June 20,2009. The mixed media pieces explore spaces of separation through unorthodox maps. The main piece of the show, An analysis of relative distance (Family map, 1983-2009), charts the artist’s family location through the years via a series of boxes which are colored using a color-numbering system. The colors correspond to the international dial codes of countries—Singapore, Hong Kong, Philippines, USA, UK, and so on—where they have lived as a family unit, or as individuals. Rather than attempting to create connections, these works deliberately engage in a process of taking apart and aim to show the “in-between”. As a construct of the disconnection, Camacho will be mounting the other half of the show at Finale Gallery.

Disconnect The Dots will have its opening reception from 4-7pm on June 2, Tuesday at 20Square Gallery. It will run from June 2 to June 20, 2009. Bea Camacho will be giving an artist talk on June 9.

Disconnect The Dots will be shown along with Inner Spaces by Briccio Santos at Silverlens and Balana by Charlie Co at SLab (Silverlens Lab).Visit 20Square at 2/F YMC Bldg.II, 2320 Pasong Tamo Extension, Makati City. Gallery hours are from 10am - 7pm Monday to Friday, and 1 - 6pm on Saturday. For more information, call 8160044 / 09052650873, email manage@silverlensphoto.com or visit slab.silverlensphoto.com

Stupidity comes in threes.

2009-05-25T20:56:00.003+08:00

I accidentally dropped my phone three times today. Once while I was sewing somethin and had to check my phone, and then two more, consecutively, while I was trying to get ready to go out. I fear I might have it changed. I hope it'll still be functional. I can't afford another phone right now. Tsk. :(
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Meanwhile, things might just be looking up. :)

The Real Life-Size Gundam.

2009-05-25T15:12:00.003+08:00

For it's 30th anniversary, Gundam will be building a real-life size Gundam. I doubt it will be walking though. For more information, click here.

The Masterminds.

Achilles heel.

Gams of Gundam Glory.

Chest and obliques. Oooh.

Pwet, "Before."

Greener On The Other Side.

2009-05-20T17:02:00.002+08:00

It was not until today that I noticed I liked reading stuff off S&S. Okay. Mabe just the Blossoming Issue. Working behind the scenes made me feel like the magazine was something like an arts and crafts project, or a magazine project we had during college. It was like, "Oh good, the magazine's out. :) Finally. :I" In short, it's nothing of a big deal.

This morning while on my way home I decided to get that complimentary beverage Erna gave me. I nervously sashayed into the Starbucks at SM North, inquired about the complimentary drink, bought a doughnut, and looking around, caught sight of the S&S April Issue. Intrigued by the fact that they had S&S on their racks, I took it out and read it. My drink was done and by the time I decided to finally go home--after browsing a much and commenting to myself how some layouts (on that certain issue) was stunning--my drink had already succumbed to the warm coffee shop temperature and I was forced to sip, sip, sip green tea frap.

I found it amusing trying to figure out which stories were PRs and which ones were photoshopped, which ones seemed a little to fanatic, and which ones were--and sir would be dismally dissappointed yet again, I know--errors! Hahaha I kind of miss the magazine, though. There I said it. One thing for sure, I will get my ass back on to Starbucks to read some more.

Chopsuey #3

2009-05-15T22:33:00.007+08:00

Best Sellers at The Annex, SM North EDSA, is up. I believe it is also run by the hands running National Bookstore. The staff's uniforms says it all. It's like Powerbooks and FullyBooked. Target: More shalang tao. Neat and well-lit interiors with a few sofas and Verner Panton chairs (see second photo) add up for a modern and home-y feel. I like the fact that some books are open and there are sofas which would make me think that they allow customers to read some books but the hovering staff in neutral hued polo barong and shirts made me think otherwise. Thinking of it now, the atmosphere there is rather stiff, what with all the men hovering to check for shoplifters (duh) and the dead air. Not even jazz music to liven up the store.

I used to think JanSport was cool because I see them on all the cool girls and guys. Then I saw people wearing fakes and thats that. I used to say I would buy one but I guess the fact that they are not water proof (unlike synthetic leather or patent or distressed leather bags which I have) made me retract my money. I was walking around and saw their window display for the kid's line: a 3D cartolina and felt-paper constructed visual display, I bet through blood, sweat, and tears. I like the fact that its precise, clean, well-constructed, and fun to look at. Suddenly I miss the times when my high school teachers required us to build some zany things out of thin air to pass for project or as final exams and wonder what could they possibly get from making us do those arts & crafts projects.

Attention PhotoshopDisasters.com. I found this hanging at SM North EDSA's Supermarket section, near the check-out lines. It got my attention because of the hideously huge head. I didn't like the fact that the girl's head was too big, freakishly big for the body at that. Her hair appeared to be thinning and very much inconsistent: thick on one side, thin on the other. not even a "before" photo for hair thinning would appear like that. We go now to the fully-made-up and ridiculously computerized uniform. Yes. That's a vector uniform fashioned out with help of burn, dodge, and shading to look like a uniform. Any photoshop user would know because the stiff and shadowed collars gave it away. And I don't need even need to mention the neck cropping but I just had to. There. Wait, there are no visible arms. Why? There should be because at the angle the girl's supposed body is positioned, the arm should be very visible. Unless of coure the girl mastered contortionism. Plus, don't tell me the arm vanished because of the red backpack strap. Tag-lish copy. Why? Last I know, SM Supermarkets don't do Taglish. Bubble thought balloon instead of one with a sharp and slender end. Why? It made the publication look passive rather than assertive. Little girl on the picture, wherever your body is, I hope you get it back fast. Props for the backpack, lunchbox, snack, and notebook page on the background. We can all let that font and color pass for now. SM Creatives, lotsa love. xoxo

I like seeing animals on the window at Bio Research before. BEFORE. Dogs would be ecstatic, sometimes lazily cute, but entertaining nonetheless. When I went there for out on a whim, I saw sorrow. The animals were just damn lonely, sad, and stressed, I bet more then ever. A dog was biting its leg, another lay motionless with an open mouth and with fluids which looked like puke and feces beneath its cage. I wish the caretakers would care/tend to the animals better. Sayang naman. Dun na lang ata sila mamamatay. Tsk Tsk. Attention PAWS!!!

Hugely satisfied with Lisa Lutz' The Spellman Files, I tried looking for more of the Spellman books. I found this in National Bookstore TriNoma. It's about 700 bucks. Good if I had the oney and the job. Bad if I don't, like right now. Amp. So I gotta get a new job. ASAP.

The orange marker on my sketch glows against the blue background of the TV screen. Statics are a thing of the past and now, there is only bluuuuuuuuuuue.

Forgot which European designer designed this but I'de love to have one, or have one made. So slick. It's perfect for Aeon Flux, I bet.

Likeness.

2009-05-12T00:53:00.004+08:00

Mom and I were watching Miss Earth Philippines last night and I laughed and were mildly interested with Ms. Negross Occidental, Sandra Seifert, whn mom quipped, "Mas maganda pa yung sagot ni Angelina." She was referring to Angelina Jolie of course. See photos. (Top photo is from here.)

She's the one at the center. I rooted for Ms. Quezon City, though, taga QC ako eh. Though, ayos din sagot ni Seifert.

A refined nose and a more pouty lips would've made her look more like the goddess...

Angelina Jolie.

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I will miss mom. :'(

KOMIKON 2009 SUMMER Fiesta

2009-05-12T00:15:00.002+08:00

The Hottest Komiks Event This Summer!
KOMIKON SUMMER FIESTA 2009
UP Bahay ng Alumni, UP DilimanMay 16, 2009, 10am-8pm, SaturdayEntrance Fee: Php 50.00
The VISPRINT booth will be at the right side exit of the venue.Meet and greet and have your books signed by Visprint creators:
Carlo Vergara of "Ang Kagila-gilalas Na Pakikipagsapalaran Ni Zsazsa Zaturnnah"
David Hontiveros of the Penumbra novellas: "Takod", "Parman" and "Craving"
Manix Abrera of the "Kikomachine Komix" seriesFreely Abrigo of "Kulas"; and
Budjette Tan & Kajo Baldisimo of the "Trese" series

A limited number of For Official Use Only and Kikomachine t-shirts will be available too! See you all there :D

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How To Get There. Bow.

Visit visprint.multiply.com to know more about the KOMIKON.

Maude Marie + Inner Spaces

2009-05-11T23:55:00.004+08:00

WHAT: Pepper Roxas' Maude Marie and Other Curiosities

WHEN: April 30 to May 23, 2009

WHERE: 20Square Gallery, 8160044 / 09178170198, patch@silverlensphoto.com

Isabel "Pepper" Roxas revisits creepy vignettes in Maude Marie and Other Curiosities at
20Square Gallery from April 30 to May 23, 2009. Stemming from her love of taxidermy, natural history museums, and the classical veneer of Edwardian English style, Pepper transports us to a narrative about strange occurences, and the artifacts that they leave behind.
Maude Marie and Other Curiosities will have its opening reception at 4pm on April 30, Thursday at 20Square Gallery. It will run from April 30 to May 23, 2009.
Visit 20Square at 2/F YMC Bldg.II, 2320 Pasong Tamo Extension, Makati City. Gallery hours are from 10am - 7pm Monday to Friday, and 1 - 6pm on Saturday. For more information, call
8160044 / 09052650873, email manage@silverlensphoto.com or visit slab.silverlensphoto.com.

WHAT: Briccio Santos' Inner Spaces

WHEN: May 20 – June 20, 2009

WHERE: Silverlens Gallery, 8160044 / (63905) 2650873, patch@silverlensphoto.com
Silverlens Gallery presents Inner Spaces, Briccio Santos' one-man show of recent
photographs, from May 20 to June 20, 2009.
A photographer, painter, and film-maker, Briccio Santos will be exhibiting around 50 black and white photographs taken during his forays round Makati City, a place that has served as habitat and home, setting and subject. Santos approaches photography as sculpture and abstraction, emphasizing the perception and construction of form, texture, and structure. Deliberately ambiguous, his images defamiliarize the urban landscape and strive to capture the essential beneath.

Inner Spaces by Briccio Santos opens at 6 pm on May 20, 2009 and runs until the 20th of June 2009. Santos will be giving a talk on June 6 from 3-5 pm, “Inner Space: Isolating Spatial Contexts”.
Inner Spaces will be shown alongside The American Sweet by Hanna Pettyjohn at Slab (Silverlens Lab) and Maude Marie and Other Curiosities at 20Square Gallery.
For inquiries, contact Silverlens Gallery at 2/F YMC Bldg. II, 2320 Pasong Tamo Ext., Makati, 816-0044, 0905-2650873, or manage@silverlensphoto.com. Gallery hours are Monday to Friday 10am–7pm and Saturdays 1–6pm. http://www.silverlensphoto.com/.

Little Ashes.

2009-05-08T21:23:00.003+08:00

I'm not really a fan of Robert Pattinson's but I like biopics like these. Little Ashes (2009) star Javier Beltran as Spanish poet, dramatist, and theatre director Federico Garcia Lorca (author of "The Butterfly's Evil Spell"), Robert Pattinson star as Spanish Catalan surrealist painter Salvador Dali (of whom we all know for his The Persistence of Memory), Matthew McNulty as filmmaker Luis Buñuel, and Marina Gatell as Margarita, Buñuel's sister. Dali said to have rejected Lorca's "erotic advances." The film is said to detail the relationships of the three.

Shaved mustache.

Unshaved mustache.

Much a likeness of Dali, then?

"The Persistence of Memory"

Lorca's evil spell. :P

Fast Food Fashion.

2009-05-04T20:11:00.005+08:00

KFC's Colonel(or old man with glasses in a white suit, whatever), Jolibee, and Ronald McDonald in an alternate universe.

Today, while doing nothing (or waiting for snow to fall in Quezon City), I decided to take a break from the stiff menswear designs that I have been concocting and draw something more playful and fun and curvy. Inspired by a McDonald's TVC I recently saw in Youtube, I sketched a fashion caricature of KFC's Colonel, McDonald's Ronald McDonald, and the Philippines' very own Jollibee of Jollibee Foods Corp. I turned the mascots into belles and made them wear what they would on an alternate fashionable side of the universe--RTW and couture numbers. lol. I'd love to draw portraits but that's tiring na. Takes the fun away from drawing and exercising your imagination. hahaha

The 100.

2009-05-03T23:10:00.008+08:00

Manny Pacquiao gets in on Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People along with fashion designer Stella McCartney, Zac Efron (with short bio written by Claire Danes), Michelle Obama (with short bio written by Ophra Winfrey who is on the list herself), comedienne Tina Fey (with short bio written by Alec Baldwin), Hillary Clinton, Kate Winslet (with short bio written by Peter Jackson), Barack Obama (with short bio written by Gordon Brown), the Twitter Guys Biz Stone and Evan Williams (with short bio written by Ashton Kutcher), Brad Pitt, M.I.A., Penelope Cruz (with short bio written by Sir Ben Kingsley), Joh Legend (with short bio written by Quincy Jones), George Clooney (with short bio written by Bono), Tiger Woods (with short bio written by Roger Federer), Rafael nadal (with short bio written by
Serena Williams), and activist Somaly Mam (with short bio written by Angelina Jolie). I like the fact that the list is a diverse one--full of people we know so well and barely heard. I like the fact that other well known people wrote bios for other well known and not-so well known people. It gives the list a little more spice to it. Honestly, this is the first time that I have read the list and I have now idea who others are included in previous lists.
How is this lit going to help the human race, by the way? I think by inspiring other people by means of showing others that some people are doing some things to help bring out the mini-blogs in the internet, the advocacies heard, or art and fashion to be seen. Tongue-in-cheek.
I like it that Hillary Clinton is part of the list and that Stella McCartney is there too.
Check the whole list on Time's May 11, 2009 issue. Read more about it here.
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The Hate Blog
I hate that people text (SMS to others) "Aftie" instead of the complete word "afternoon" when they greet "good afternoon!" Such a hideous word to text people. Makes my hair stand on end. If people want to shorten their texting then they shouldn't text at all. Such a hideous word.

I hate the fact that my own mom doesn't even tell me necesary dates that she should and muist.

Around.

2009-05-02T00:09:00.012+08:00

To commemorate its 150th issue, Preview magazine has released Preview Art, a photo and art book curated and guest edited by Preview's regular collaborator and contributor, Norman Crisologo.

I have seen the book at Fully Booked. I will not buy it ('cause I have seen the contents) at its regular price but if on sale, I'd go for it. It's priced for about PhP1000. I like the unusual take on the art direction, it's definitely something new to my eyes--raw, unapologetic, but elegant in its own way. On photo which I love the most was the woman sitting on the floor with another woman back-to-back with her, the other woman extended her arms and gave the illusion of a spider woman. It's brilliant. If I could, I'd put a portrait of it on my room.

Spoiler ahead (or not). A model was clad in a sheer cover-up with nothing else on but her birthday suit, everything seen. The art direction for this certain photo was nice as I found myself admiring the beauty of the photo-the rawness in it. That is certainly art. Preview has taken art to the extreme.

However tasteful the photos are, I did find the raw saturated sepia treatment a bit too repetitive and it sadly took away the ooomph from all the others like it. Read more about it here.
- - -
Shaina Magdayao's shoot at the EDSA Shangri-La started out wrong. The shoot was supposed to be at the garden but the heavens did not agree with the crew. So we made use of what was there and decided to shoot anyway. The young actor emanated a sunny disposition when she entered the hotel room (given to us by the hotel's marketing department) and that made the gloomy work day, quite less a hassle. She was slated to be Sen se& Sty le's May's cover girl, incidentally, two other magazines wanted her to be their cover, too: Candy and Metro. I don't have the Metro cover here. Can't find a copy. But if you drop by a bookstore, please do look for it.

Okay. Now... Time to pick on covers! lol I'd give Metro's cover (Not here. Urgh) first place. Candy snags the second place, while (and I assure you, no such bitterness intwined with this decision) Sen se& Sty le has the last place. Metro's cover definitely shows us a lady (as Metro is not for teens), Candy's shows a bubbly persona (definitely Candy, however I wouldn't have my money on that halter top), while a half-lidded image of the actor fails to capture "State of Emergence," and where is the "Floral Frenzy" and bloom in "Bloom of Youth" as said in the cover blurbs? [OR is this (yet) another try at channelling Wallpaper???] See the mags for yourself. Go down your fave bookstore right now. Sen se& Sty le definitely has this penchant for dark covers. Don't get me wrong, I don't have anything against the actor. I think her almost immaculate beauty matches her personality. She was super nice during the Sense shoot despite the fact that her gowns were practically four times her weight (I know, I carried them!). Don't let the cover get you down. The article about Shaina is nice and other nice things like a fashion ed shot at Bohol and a beauty ed shot right in our office studio. End. Edit: See Metro cover here.

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I'm currently, endlessly, listening to Love, Sex, Magic from Ciara and Justin Timberlake. Sizzles.

- - -
While I think Facebook is real fun, here I am again, thinking of deleting my account--just like with Multiply. I get bored easily these days. Ho-hum.

Life, or Something Like It.

2009-04-29T21:28:00.003+08:00

Life, in general, is unexpected. It sneaks upon you from behind and stays indefinitely like the odor of ukay-ukay clothes. Ehem.

You will find yourself anticipating a movie adaptation...
...of one of your favorite books by one of your favorite authors.

You find yourself making something not knowing that you've made it at all...

Life is also kind and gives you something to smile upon...

And life shows you that things are possible, that dreams can come true, that only the best and exceptional visions become.

Music Know How.

2009-04-24T23:38:00.002+08:00

It seemed that I wasn't that much of a music fan after all. But hey, why the heck should I know the first full names of the emo-rock bands that I so immensely hate? Urgh. Die emo rock bands, Die. If I flunk the exam, I swear, I shall curse all walking emo rock bands into eternal album flop-ness.

Amber Afternoons #3.

2009-04-19T20:38:00.005+08:00

Before nighttime fell and right after afternoon ended, the skies settled into an eerie, almost ominous calm. Thick amber clouds hung low overhead as a thin but nonetheless cool breeze sliced through the compound. Tasked to buy a rather hefty number of tilapia at the Muñoz wet market, I left the house thinking if the decision of not bringing an umbrella was a good one. After a good twenty minutes, accomplishing all what I need to do, I walked towards the exits of the wet market only to discover that it was already drizzling. I wanted to outrun the impending rain, trying to get to the foot bridge and onto the other side of the highway but the drops became bigger and heavier and before I knew it, it was rain that meant business.

I wanted to buy newspaper, see what's on the classifieds and the usual lifestyle pages I "read" so I went to this little corner where I usually buy newspapers--of the broadsheet kind. I wanted to check first if what I will be buying is beneficial so I dutifully flipped and skimmed and peeked on the pages hoping to spot On The Radar, Chuvaness, and Jessica Zafra's column, among others. The person guarding the papers asked me what I was looking for. I politely replied, "I'm looking for something at the Lifestyle Pages." (Siyempre in Filipino.)

"Ano ba hinahanap mo diyan (I just answered this question, duh.) mamaya lumipad yang mga yan eh," grump butch lady responded.

"Sa Lifestyle nga po," I patiently said. Then another butch lady joined our little chat.

"Akin na nga yan, wag ka na tumingin diyan," grumpy butch lady 2 said, not realizing that a potential buyer was in front of her. "Bibilangin ko pa yan eh." And indeed, she counted the left-over papers. Left-over. Wala nang bumili. Latak. Tambak. Hindi kasama sa benta.

Needing some new reading materials in the house, I grabbed an MB and a PDI.

"Ano to, bibilhin mo ba yan?!" she exclaimed.

A one-hundred peso bill was all my answer.

I hated this scenario right here because (1) she was definitely not mindful of potential customers and wore a holier-than-thou attitude like that, (2) I helped feed her distasteful butch mouth with my money, and (3) she didn't even say thank you. I don't have anything with butch females but some just have bad ass attitudes that they don't the hell care/realize that they are pulling themselves down. Tsk. I didn't retaliate or anything else. It was raining and the tilapias' freshness was my utmost concern.

- - -

Can you spell contortionist? Mimi licking his wounds, literally.

You had me at Prologue: The Spellman Files

2009-04-18T20:42:00.007+08:00

Meet the Spellmans. Albert Spellman, a father with a dietary problem; Olivia Spellman, a homemaker with an immense dislike towards dentists; Ray Spellman, irrational alcoholic and gambler; David Spellman, the upright brother; Isabel Spellman, the bad ass daughter; and Rae Spellman, the teenager addicted to anything with sugar. Occupation: Private Investigators. All of them.

Found Lisa Lutz' The Spellman Files at National Bookstore, Shangri-La Plaza. The copy interested me as well as the review quote from The Devil Wears Prada author, Lauren Weisberger. I wanted to look for more finds (i.e. Neil Gaimans, Haruki Murakamis, Daniel Handlers) but seeing that there weren't any of them--after an hour or so of digging among the pile of books on sale and arranging them back neatly, consciously of course--I made the choice and bought the book. I went to Medical City to visit Erna (and do some sightings on the side, found "Blud Thesting") and while waiting for her one hour break, I read the Prologue and I must say that I was not dissappointed with my new acquisition. It took me three days to finish the book but that doesn't mean that its boring. Au contraire. I felt like I was reading a Gaiman with feminine sensibilities, minus the fantasy factor but teeming with espionage and mystery. The sassy wit and fast-paced story made reading the book virtually a breeze. To effectively grasp the concept that is the Spellman family, Lutz presented a detailed, chronological background for each family member. While unfolding the family's history, Lutz also gives the reader a another direction to look at. Enter the case of the missing Rae Spellman. Hence, while following a series of events which includes the heroine, Izzy Spellman's rollercoaster and uproarious love affairs; Uncle Ray's Lost Weekend series; David's benefactor responsibilities and hilarious tattoo parlor ordeals; Albert and Olivia's fatherly and motherly acts (which includes crazy car chases around town, overnight surveillance on their own daughter, and tongue-in-cheek sarcastic one liners); the reader can also follow up on the missing Rae case. The immediate past catches up with the elusive present and all goes well. Or maybe not?

The Spellman Files is one of the funniest book I've read since the Kiko Machine Komix compilations and Gaiman's Anansi Boys. Well, I haven't been reading a lot of funny things you see. (I've finished Haruki Murakami's After Dark, by the way, and I think I want more of the book. Or maybe of Murakami's writings. Wind-Up Bird Chronicle would be the object of my next hunt.)

And since I'm reading about a family of private investigators who "puts fun in dysFUNctional," I was able to pick some little things up that can be very useful. Example, you can know a lot of things about a person just by a fullname and a birthday. Another, you can effectively follow a person if you smash their left tail light. More? Read the book. I'm going to try to look for more Spellman books since it seems that all NBS stores are doing another everything-must-go sale. Let's see. To know more about the books and order one online, visit: http://lisalutz.com/spellman-files.

Below are some of the book's covers from around the globe.

Slow days ahead.

2009-04-16T00:07:00.002+08:00

It has been a slow day today. Well, what does a jobless person do? Okay. Yeah. Look for work. But I'm ehem taking my time ehem. I felt the time crawl when I was left a home (with my new book which I will review later). Jobless. Right. Not fun. It was slowly dawning upon me that the reason that everybody left the house was because all of them had something to do. Even my pesky evil cousin (who's not studying anymore) had somewhere to be, apparently. And I was there, alone, with my book, finishing the last of the salmon dish mom cooked up for lunch, enduring the hot summer day, gazing at the golden glaring glow of the afternoon sun. I suddenly felt like I should and must be somewhere and should and must do something. SHOULD and MUST. I gotta get a job soon. I'm nejoying this "vacation phase" but I should not be.

There was actually a lot of things to be done. Mom left me to do the dishes, clean the house, and fold away the dry clothes. (And then cook dinner, as mom texted, as the night approached.) I tried to finish everything, and tried as much as possible, to have a method. First, the sweeping and the pagbubunot. Next, the cooking. I've finished the clothes a lot earlier in the afternoon. After all these chores, the floor came off shiny it is brick red finish while I looked like a bucket of water had just been splashed at me. The porkchop had been cooked well, the carrot strips I made are done. Wet with sweat and feeling all sticky, I took off my sando, wiped it across my body, arms, and head, grabbed my towel, and headed for the shower. In the shower, water seemed so heavy and, ironically, painful. It must have been the heat of the day which stayed on my body, revolting at the cool advances of the water. I was splashing and splashing water on my body and head but the heat just wouldn't go. Not all of them, at least, and that was annoying. I went out of the shower not feeling fully refreshed, and adding insult to injury, outside the shower was hot too. So by the time I got upstairs, there was no more need to towel dry my dripping body as the water had succumb to the afternoon heat.

My grandmother already left. I wanted to give her a letter but I guess the anti-sappy gene kicked in inside of me. Oh well. All's right with the world.

The Pussycat Dolls does Bollywood.

2009-04-13T23:52:00.006+08:00

Nicole looks so like an Indian woman here. I've forgotten how rich the Indian culture is, especially their literature. I've grown up knowing Mahabharata and Ramayana, and knowing some little things about the country. We took up India in our Asian history in high school. It was nice, definitely interesting. Listen. The Pussycat Dolls ft. A.R Rahman in "Jai Ho - You Are My Destiny" which came from the soundtrack of Academy Awards winner Slumdog Millionaire.

Found this today, and today, coincidentally, Karel sent me an MP3 of this track. So nice. Now, it's already saved on my phone.

Sun, Sofa, and Shoes.

2009-04-13T23:32:00.004+08:00

I think it's half a good thing that the heat this and the following months are notches up. For one, the laundry are all dry by now. Two, there's an excuse to wear light fabric and bright colored clothes (it's called getting with the summer brights). Three, there's an excuse to use fans! Pwahaha. I like fans. Especially Japanese paper fans. They're nice.
- - -
SOFA Manila has this scholarship. I want, want, want to try this one out. But I'm also thinking, if I get in, would it be beneficial to my career? Anyway, I really don't have a career to speak of right now but hey, just thinking in advance. I hope I get a scholarship. It would be nice. Mum's going away soon, I need more education, more experience, more money, and a cool place to live in. It will be just me now. Me and my salary. Okay. Future salary.
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Wasn't able to buy me my loafers. Tsk! Maybe tomorrow.

Holy (Hospital) Week(end).

2009-04-13T14:43:00.008+08:00

Mum got hospitalized at St. Luke's Medical Center (SLMC). She's okay now, thank God. I guarded her for two days (Maundy Thursday and Good Friday and then she was discharged on Black Saturday), returning at home only to shower, change, and poop. Well there's a shower at her room but I want to shower at home. I didn't have much sleep during these days. The nurses were barging in on the door every now and then and I was frequently jolted up into the waking world because of this. This is a totally late post.

There is something missing in these stickers. Yuck, feeling grammar freak. lol.

A painting at the ultrasound rooms.

Nurses at SLMC introduce themselves ("Hi ma'am, I'm Beth, ako po ang nurse niyo today."), I think that's fun. I really admire nurses because they work for long hours tending to sick patients they don't even know and pay is low here in the Philippines (Edit: Came across this at Yahoo! re: nurses' salaries. Read on.). They might acquire the patient's disease or something so that makes their work a lot riskier than, say, a model's or a fashion writer's or a web designer's or an account executive's and yet they stay. A nurse's job is fairly hard, too. They practically hold the patients' lives since they are the one who looks after the patient when the physician isn't around or are doing rounds. Mum's last nurse was Warren. He looks kinda like Devon, a little bit skinny but just as tall. He didn't clean the adhesive marks on mum's skin. She complained about it when we got home. But it's okay.

The Informers is now a major motion picture. But I really don't know what this is. I just liked the cover. Lips crafted as if from Angelina's. Cool, I thought.

Isabelle's spell.

2009-04-06T22:54:00.005+08:00

For April, Preview's cover girl is, much to my delight, Isabelle Daza. I like her. A lot. Here's the cover. I don't know why but I just like her. She's like the ocean, serene but powerful. That's how she is, at least to me. Okaaaay, cheesy na. Anyway, I liked Preview's cover. It shows Isabelle in all her fierce glamour--bondage swimsuit, feline-esque stare, and all. Engrossing.

Seven months earlier, she came out in Sen se&St yle's beauty issue, shot by Kai Hu ang. With an unflattering knit sleeved dress and a lipstick-looking hat that came from Louis Vuitton's fall/winter 2008 collection, I failed to see the beauty in the beauty issue cover. I almost did not realize that it was her had it not been for the cover lines. I'll chalk this one up to styling. Yeahhh.

So there. However excessively superficial and shallow this may sound, I'm thinking if I should buy Preview mainly because of Isabelle, or Garage, mainly because I collect Garage. I was at National Bookstore earlier, after doing my snack shopping--yet again, staring at the cover, contemplating and contemplating. And then I got hungry so marched right into the Supermarket to buy cookies and ice cream and toiletries. I wanna buy it.

The Winner Stands Alone.

2009-04-06T15:55:00.006+08:00

I don't really read Paulo Coelho. But I chanced upon this book, The Winner Stands Alone, while I was walking around FullyBooked last week. I read the synopsis. Sounds like my kind of story. I'll be waiting for the little paperbacks, though. Can't afford a book right now. Haha

Find a part of the novel here: http://paulocoelhoblog.com/the-winner-stands-alone/

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If you know of an international or local art + design competition, whatever design they need, can you please inform me? Yeah, it's competition season again. haha

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Mataray, rude, straight-up. Is there a difference among these three here?

Returning pullouts at GreenBelt4

2009-04-04T00:29:00.002+08:00

Ayala Avenue. I loosened the seat belt and slipped into my jacket. I say, it doesn't matter, the aircon on the APV is cold. Upon smoothing out my shirt inside my jacket, Kuya Joel lowers the AC notches down. Great. Greenbelt driveway. I took all the bags out from the APV while the Koreans gazed at me. It was a Shopaholic scene right there. LV first. Everything's good. Kresta or some girl whose got a name near that, a former co-worker of Alan's, checked out the pullouts. It was all good. Save for that little LV logo she had to ask her supervisor of its condition.

Next. Tod's. Take note the I was lugging about seven or so big, big, paper bags. Gave them the pullouts and the guys was nice enough to inform me that I should go to the other shops to return the other pullouts.

Stupidly walked into Salvatorre Ferragamo. Thought the Bottega Venetta bag was Salvatorre. Stupid. Anyway. Found Salvatorre Ferragamo after bringing the Gucci pullouts to Gucci. A bag pullout from Salvatorre Ferragamo has marks. I guess those who handled the bag didn't really care about how much it cost. A car? About 10 percent of a condo unit's cost? So the marks were there and they told me they'd inform the bosses of what to do and then call the magazine. Walked next to Prada. Everything was a-okay. It was my first and last pullout return. Tomorrow. Or shall I say later, I will get my last pay.

Everything was slowing down. Too slow that I found myself to be the one going so fast. So I'll take time to breathe. The following weeks will tell me if all these are right decisions.

Golden Yellow Garage

2009-04-01T23:45:00.002+08:00

Hideo Muraoka graces the pages of Garage Magazine--yet again. No one's complaining.

NIGHT: Dining at McDonald's Visayas Ave.

2009-03-30T23:48:00.003+08:00

I took a seat at the back of the fast food chain. I ate in silence with Neil Gaiman and his Anansi Boys. The man on the other table was making a joke and laughing at it with gusto while his companion replied a forced plastered smile and a good measure of silence. The man was talking as if he was unveiling a secret of the universe in all its secret splendor. There were only replies of silence and forced snickering. Some people are overly dramatic at telling stories while some people are good at faking affirmation. This is being polite.

Quickie.

2009-03-29T22:39:00.002+08:00

My spectator shoe-style sneakers. I bought these as a gift to my 22nd birthday. John Laurence Sullivan by Venus, size 44, from The Ramp at Crossings, around P1,900. I've been using these a lot and pairing them with slacks and dark denim.
I missed Mimi. Eversince the folks returned from the US he hasn't been around the house that often. They don't want him around.

Bus Boy.

2009-03-23T23:40:00.004+08:00

I was confident I would be able to take the MRT from Taft Avenue to North Avenue when I boarded the southbound train from LRT Central Station to EDSA station. Too confident. When I got to the MRT Taft Avenue station, I dashed to the guard and asked "Kuya, umalis na po ba yung last train?" He answered, "Wala na. Nakaalis na." It was shit. I wanted to go back to the LRT but I retracted my steps. I instead walked on towards the MMDA footbridge. I was doing the unthinkable all because it was inevitable. I was on my way to ride a bus. *Chilling sound effects here*

I guess the bus ride wasn't all that bad. I was seated right behind the driver, next to a lady with a most-probably-fake Gucci handbag, and on the aisle. I knew the ride would be smooth, seeing it was already past 10:40 p.m. There riding with us was a police officer, frequently checking his phone for messages and beside him was a good lad, who gazed at me while I was paying the conductor for my ticket. Behind the officer and parallel to me on the other side of the aisle was lady who was very much anxious, of what I do not know. A lot of night passengers boarded the bus when it stopped near the MRT Taft station. Lots more came when it stopped near Dusit at Ayala, a lot more when it came to Boni. I was reading my After Dark while all these night sights happened around me. It kinda set the mood for the reading. It was nice.

When the nice lad went down at Boni, I changed seats and sat beside the officer. It was purely for relief. I mean, a police officer beside you, on a late-night bus ride, how assured of safety can one be? It was a good thing, of course. So there, when I got down at SM, I walked all the way to our house, no rush at all. I knew what was waiting for me at home. Reality. So just took my time. Anyway, I really won't be able to sleep until 3:30 a.m. so who's rushing? Besides, when I'm a home, I'd most probably just be there, taking in the terrible heat of the summer night, the electric fan unable to relieve my tired body from the day's two-article work. Hehe

- - -

Today, the editor sent an article about Valentino's docu-film titled, Valentino: The Last Emperor. I have previously blogged about this. See below. I think I'm happy that he did include the film for the May issue. I e-mailed him last Saturday, thinking it would be nice to include the film in our magazine. I'm glad he thought about it and wrote a short article about it.

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ATTENTION PhotoshopDisasters.com, here we see a specimen worthy for your galleries. While I may not be the most adept person in Adobe Photoshop, I know how a head normally measures in a well-toned, gym-bunny, bulge-and-all body of a guy. The example below doesn't really scream proportion. It's definitely what the title of the show says it is. At first glance, its sexy minus the head, but if you look at it a little more and stay on the neck and shoulder area, you will find that there indeed is something wrong with the billboard. The "Wronger" in their tag line is taken to heart.

Location: LRT Purple Line, Araneta Center Cubao, northbound platform.

Sunday Shopping.

2009-03-22T23:00:00.006+08:00

Today, I shopped the good shop. After sleeping from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m, I dragged my ass to do enough effort to get food on the table. How dramatic. I cleaned up the rice (paling ng bigas. bow) and cooked dinner (chicken fillet and porkchop with carrot chips. bow.) and washed the dishes, pots, glasses, cutlery, etc., took a bath and dresed up and then marched on to TriNoma to buy snacks. First things first, buy this sweet pastry treat at Frostings. Second, march on to Landmark Supermarket to do some serious snack shopping.

Well, I wasn't really going to buy too much but I guess this is what happens when you go to the supermarket on an empty stomach. (I haven't eaten the dinner I've cooked, by the way.) So off I go in and out of the aisles at the Landmark picking food I would love to eat at the wee hours of my daily office shift. I picked monay, and cookies, and cookies, and more monay, and asado buns, and salty chips and spicy chips and C2 apple and C2 orange, fresh wet wipes, chocochip rolls, a and liter of distilled water. I don't remember much anymore but I think I bought more than the aforementioned. Anyway, I was not surprised to know that the total amount of my snacks hiked up to PhP260. I'm really bad at this budgeting thing but what can I do? I just love eating. Although it doesn'ty really show. Rake thin doesn't really translate gluttony. Some friends envy me because I eat and eat butdon't get fat. But I hate it, actually. (SHOPPING FOR LIFE. On the right, iSh Magazine's 9.5 Cover.)

I checked out if Landmark Supermarket still has that L-Men Gain Mass drink. Wala na. Tsk. I hope they'd order more of that stuff. It seems to work. If they don't have stocks of that maybe I'd just get the more expensive option, Appeton Gain Weight for Adults which is priced around PhP820++. I'm really determined to gain weight. Really. Not just for me but also for my clothes. Pwahaha. I think they would look better on a leaner body. Tsk.

- - -

It must be through some unknown cosmic force that National Bookstore (NBS) gets iSh on their racks. I don't know how or why but they just do and that is just fine. Several Saturdays before, after spending yet another chilling night at the century-old office, I was able to spot this issue of iSh at SM Manila's NBS. The fashion editorial which had the seven deadly sins slash last supper theme was extremely gorgeous. The total design concept was nice, from goblets to food props, from bangles and baubles to frocks and improvised shirts. There was just a white table and a white background but the effect was just awesome. See cover.

Locally, it is only Preview and Metro HiM who I know can getaway with minimalist photoshoots. I know. I've bought their magazines since last century. Anyway, there are a lot of things to consider, the styling, the props, the clothes, and most especially the photographer. I think good photographers first imagine the frame as they would like it to come out, not just shoot and shoot and shoot until, out of a hundred frames, they get a good shot. Suddenly, I miss taking pictures.

SUPPORT EARTH HOUR.

2009-03-22T01:05:00.003+08:00

PHILIPPINES:

At exactly 8:30-9:30 P.M. on

Saturday, March 28, 2008, wherever you are on the planet,

lights go out.

Support Earth Hour.

Click here to know more.

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SO OBAMA. Image created by Shepard Fairey for Earth Hour 2009.

Saturday Night Book Fix.

2009-03-21T23:29:00.007+08:00

Since I got a fairly high salary this week, I thought of buying a book or uhm... books. Well, I already had Haruki Murakami's After Dark reserved at PowerBooks TriNoma but when I went there tonight to buy the book, I saw that they already have Manix Abrera's KikoMachine Komix Blg. 5. What power do I have to deny KikoMachine Komix? None! So without thinking twice, I took it to the customer service counter, claimed the Murakami book and then went straight to the cashier. It was buying on impulse but a KikoMachine Komix book is just worth the read. I have caught myself stupidly laughing along, enjoying the adventures of KikoMachine Komix' amazingly unnamed characters for quite a while. The compilations never fail to draw a smile or snicker or laugh from me.

Now why did I buy Haruki Murakami's After Dark? Out on a whim. I really wanted to read a Murakami even before. When I read the dark flavored plot of the book at the back cover, I easily became drawn to eat. Dark things. Yeah. My thing. I hope it doesn't dissappoint. I don't read a novel if it weren't a.) for kids, b.) a graphic novel, c.) fantasy or d.) From Neil Gaiman. I guess I'm really comfortable with Neil Gaiman's witty inventons and dark humor. (I'm currently reading The Graveyard Book. Whew. Tas bumili pa 'ko. hahaha) If it's a Gaiman, I will read it. If it's not, ehhhh, I'll get back at 'ya. (However, I must say that Gaiman and Michael Reeves' Interworld is still left unifinished on my bed. I don't know why but the story is just dragging. Urgh. Imma try to finish it because it somehow already got my attention. Tsk, I just really end up dozing off reading Interworld. And I was so excited to read it at first pa!) Back to Murakami. If this novel is a good one, I'll buy other works by him.

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I'm eyeing Conchitina Cruz' Dark Hours. I. Will. Have. You. lol :P

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I'm thinking twice about the shift. I know its practically too early to let go right now. I haven't even done anything of significance. I'll be contemplating while riding the LRT Purple line train. In the meantime, I should be concocting dark visions, just in case the jump seems nearer than expected.

A disgrace to the Thomasian community.

2009-03-20T22:47:00.011+08:00

First read about this at Chuvaness. Was surprised and even got shivers upon reading that the guy here on the red spotlight is a Thomasian. What would people think of Thomasians now? This one is a purely isolated case, I tell you. Thomasians are all but this kind of person. Read on about how this Filipino designer, Boyet Fajardo, humiliated a Duty Free clerk.

While his temper might be high that time and/or he was having a bad day, it was clearly not right to have a mall employee down on his knees just for forgiveness. Oh boy, Boyet Fajardo, I hope you are not on this season's Philippine Fashion Week. If fashionistas, writers, celebs, fashion luminaries, and industry big wigs knew about this, they will be trooping to SMX with tomatoes in hand, ready to bless your collection with produce.

I think, the people who are at fault here are three: the manager, the employee disgraced, and supremely, Fajardo. The manager should have over-seed this event. Irate clients should be handled by the managers. I know. My mom is one. Managers do the talking, they slug it out against the customer until a they get down to a compromise. The employee should have explained well, did not yield, and called his manager. And Fajardo, one big X. The designer carries his name, his alma mater (Poor Thomasian community!), and his career. Better clear things up or else people won't be having their couture made from you.

Read about the incident below.

TEXT FROM: http://boyetfajardo.blogspot.com/2009/03/who-is-boyet-fajardo.html#comments

Saturday, March 14, 2009Who is BOYET FAJARDO??? On Sept. 1, 1980, he opened his first shop on Banaue street in Quezon City as a bid to join the big names in the made-to-order industry at 17 and a college sophomore (at UST, where he was majoring in Fine Arts). Boyet Fajardo believed that he had what it takes to make it in fashion alongside the more established names like Ben Farrales.

Today, Boyet is one of the biggest names in RTW. His Boyet Fajardo line is carried in all Robinsons stores—there are about 20 of them all over Metro Manila and in the provinces—and the Landmark. Since making the big shift from couture clothes to RTW
Boyet Fajardo can truly be called a success. He has become both an artistic and financial success. In fact, he recently had his new office-cum-residence located in Valle Verde, officially blessed. The house, which has a large garden, is doted with Boyet’a favorite antiques and paintings. He also recently bought a house in nearby Acropolis, which was blessed on Nov. 28, a blessing that was attended by many of Boyet’s longtime clients and friends.
He has truly come a long way…..

Well that is how he was, till we came across and saw how far his success has made him.

Last March 13, 2009, a Friday the 13th, (specially for the store people of Duty Free Phils), We and our Tatay Rey, who just arrived from ABU DHABI (as OFW) a day before. went to Duty Free Phils Fiestamall in Paranaque ( just beside NAIA 1) to shop and point. Or we point and he’ll buy…hehehe:)

While waiting in line at the cashiers to pay our goodies…we saw a customer at the top of his voice berating the cashiers and managers of duty free for, by his accounts, messing around with him. From what my sister told me, it was about a credit card purchase that the cashier (who we heard was just a casual employee) was kindly asking for the irate customer's other ID’s to vouch the legit owner of the credit card which is also “unsigned”, a normal operating procedure when shopping there to avoid misuse of those with con minds.

He might have thought a celebrated person like he is. With all his accolades and fame has gone unrecognized by this cashier person. A new worker who is carefully doing his job. A job he is trained to do. Tsk tsk tsk…

While Store Managers and officers were sought to appease the matter, explaining to him that it is all included as a standard operating procedure in credit card payment for the safety, not only for the company but also his own. Ignoring all this, he pulled out his phone and threatened to call on high positioned people whom he allegedly knew, to seem to us like do a power-play and make these people realize how important he is.. he went on using words like “LECHE KAYO, DI NYO KO KILALA? AKO SI BOYET FAJARDO! AT ITONG P..I.. NA BABAENG ITO, (pointing to a lady officer) AT ANG BAKLANG ITO (pointing to the cashier) AY WALANG KWENTANG MGA TAO! I WANT THEM FIRED!!!"

His yelling and berating went on and on, he cannot calm down and as he appeared to have bloodshot eyes, like that of a drunk person and or under an influence. He goes on to say, that only if the cashier kneel down before him and/or allow him to freely slap the persons face, may he get satisfied!!!

AND, you know what happened next….the ill-fated cashier, with all the onlookers including us watching, stand down and just simply gave in to probably he thought would end the matter, so crying in shame he slowly knelt down and apologize (for actually doing his job) before this self proclaimed GOD…. No slapping was made to the cashier’s face but the incident landed a harsher and reverberating sound to the faces of the lesser people of this society.

Go on let us patronize Mr Boyet Fajardo's products and services and let us give him more money,to make him more powerful, affluent and comfortable to do such awful discrimination and victimize the underprivileged over and over and over again.

I have nothing against Mr BOYET FAJARDO….but now I think I do.

DISCLAIMER: Text unedited from original post.

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A Filipino doing this to a fellow Filipino. Depressing. I did not post this to injure anyone's reputation. In anycase, there is already primafacie evidence (see video). I just felt someone made a mistake and people should know what to do in times when a fashion designer throws tantrums.

Let's all be polite the next time we come across mall employees. They are required ton be polite to us, customers the least thing we could do is to return that. If they make a mistake, point that out, but not to the extent of humiliating them. Let us be firm on the wrong made, and let the employees correct the mistake. If we are not satisfied, inform them promptly. If we are, then a Thank You will not hurt.

YSL, Valentino, & A to Z.

2009-03-12T00:34:00.006+08:00

For the longest time, I have been trying to draw stiff sketches like YSL's. Yeah, yeah, I know he's a genius at these things-sketches and design--but I think I can somehow copy this stiff line sketches with a fine marker. Lemme see, lemme see.
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Is anyone at all excited to see Valentino: The Last Emperor? I think I am. Sorry. And this Matt Tyrnauer compilation of videos (some say passed off as a "movie") has already a detracter at IMDB. Jeez. Talk about killjoys. I've always been fascinated at how designers started, I've read some bios of Mme. Coco Chanel and Paul Poiret. I'm eager to know more. I hope this Valentino documentary reaches the Philippin shores. Please reach Manila.
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A to Z, Right Now.

A is for age:- 22, the Kneeling Nuns. Turned 22, 23rd of last month. Nothing has changed, just my age. I'm still out to prove that a tiny speck of human mass such as I have some relevance to the world.

B is for beer of choice:- None. I abhor beer. I've programmed my mind not to take in any beer (or any alcoholic beverages) when I saw my dad growing a rather swollen belly. It's a good thing his belly is not that swollen as compared to other beer drinkers. Have you seen topless men parading the streets with their rather stiff swollen tummies? I'm thinking that if you prick the melon shaped mass, popping it in effect, stiff gooey beer-y substance will ooze out, guts and all---or maybe not. But, spiked cupcakes and brownies and those little round treats, yes please.

C is for current career:- Writer and rewriter. Starting from the bottom, that is how people say it should be. So be it. But I do not wish to get stuck with just writing. There are a lot of other things I must try or become. The mercurial tendencies of my personality does not wish to be contained in a glass case.

D is for your dog's name:- Beethoven. Have you seen that movie with that huge St. Bernard whose name was Beethoven? I named my dog Beethoven after seeing that movie since he kinda looks like that dog. Askal siya, though. People in the compound call him Thoven. Perhaps the first syllable was too much to utter. Countless legs, hips, arms, and feet have succumb to his ivory fangs and canines and that is the reason why, since sixth grade to now, we still keep him. He's a good anti-burglar device, that dog.

E is for essential item you use everyday:- Mobile phone and isopropy alcohol. People just can not be not connected to the world, right? That includes me. When I was mugged almost a year ago, the feeling of being dettached to the world wasn't a pleasant one. I just had to text, text, text!
Isopropyl alcohol is a good necessity. Have you ever entertained the fact that the door knob you are or will be touching or turning in a while has been touched by a man who had come from the restroom, touched his dick, and then left without even washing his hand? How gross. You might not know it, but you might have technically touched a dozen dicks in a day, no thanks to men mentioned above. Alcohol anyone?

F is for favorite TV show:- They have let the velvet curtains down and never came out for an encore but I know I will prepetually miss and watch the fast-paced witty conversations and simple yet engrossing lives of the Gilmore Girls.

G is for game:- Solitaire. No one is responsible for leading the cards into a dead end or good game but I.

H is for hometown:- Quezon City. I grew up in the city from since I was a toddler until now. I've seen some towering buildings reduced to rubble, cavity ridden roads turn into smooth cemented pavements, edifices replaced with larger ones than before, and houses springing from lowly wood-paneled ones to becoming boastful cemented abodes. Remembering the past and rogressing to the present is like watching a video with the fast-forward button on hold.

I is for instruments you play:- Violin. Engrossed with BT'X's Captain Fau, I told my mom I wanted to play the violin one fine day--or night, I think. On New Year's eve after my first year in high school, she handed me a big box wrapped in silvery Christmas wrapping papers. Opening it excitedly, I found a black case that was shaped like an over-sized ukelele. Releasing the latches and unlocking the dysfunctional lock, I found a smooth, full-size violin, gleaming in all its mahogany color finish glory. I took lessons, but not that extensive. I can play "Guess The Tune," though. *Winks.*

J is for juice:- Apple juice. I am not that fond of eating the fruit itself but I'm readily open to drinking powdered essences or liquified extracts of it, thank you. I drank apple juice after having been hospitalized for dengue. I drink apple juice whenever I feel poopy. I drink apple juice whenever I'm stressed. I drink apple juice to cool down and flush the summer heat. (Plus, its my substitute in the BRAT diet.) Yesss, timely.

K is for whose butt you'd like to kick:- Hold uppers. While I know that these lowly souls are comprised mostly of the unlucky citizens of the country whose life has been limped by the greedy politicians ransacking the country's money chambers filled with greens (Read: Tax) originally for the poor (and people like me earning a living), still I shall not pity or give mercy. One can choose to be good or bad and when they chose to be bad, they became as dark and useless as the grit and mud that abound the city streets. Everybody is working hard to earn a living and taking something with a butterfly knife or revolver pointed on another person's side is clearly not right. On account of a crime, they should be persecuted in public so that none shall follow their evil footsteps. If I were a vigilante, first off my list are these criminals. Yesss, charged with emotions.

L is for last place you ate:- In front of my computer. Although cluttered and looking like a horde of Wowowee fanatics have come and rampaged my computer desktop, I still have a clean spot big enough for my rounded-square bowl to occupy. I eat here whenever I don't feel like eating with the others at home. I eat here whenever I'm rushing to have something done. I eat here because its convenient.

M is for marriage:- Should never be discriminating. -- I Agree. And should be done out of love. "Two folks wanna fall in love with no one hurt, what's wrong with that?" from Bare: The Rock Musical. Find someone you want to spend rest of your life with. Find someone who you'd never mind seeing waking up early in the morning, creased hair and all. Find someone whose attitudes you can handle. Find someone whom you are open to meet halfway with. Find someone whom you'd always want to make happy. Find someone whose got a stable job! Find someone who'd inspire you to always do your best, and make you go the extra mile. Find someone you really, really, really, love and marry him or her.

N is for your full name:- RSM. A name taken from a book with listings of baby names which meant in Hebrew, "God Hath Healed," but my mum insists it means "angel." Go figure. A middle name taken from a clan in Pangasinan. A surname that brings questions more than answers.

O is for overnight hospital stays:- Shockwave operation to the calcium stone raking the walls of my urethra. Imagine the pain. Imagine the blood. Imagine the anaesthesia. Imagine entertaining the thought of having a tube inside my penis just to get the calcium stone. Shivers down my spine and up again. Thank you St. Luke's Medical Center for having a wonderful machine such as a calcium stone-obliterating shockwave machine, thank you. The only thing I liked in this out-patient ordeal was the groggy feeling after having that strong anaesthesia injected into my body. Parang naka-drugs lang.

P is for people you were with today:- Vicente and that cute sales clerk. Oooh. With the merciless heat of the sunday sun getting through my veins, I fantasized eating a cold and satisfying DQ ice cream delight. Ding! Vicente's DQ promise as a birthday gift for me. So I met up with him and sashayed our way to SM North Edsa's newly-built, cove-lighted, mysteriously dark, Annex where DQ was located. I don't know what I ate since I told Vicente to choose for me, but it was good. After which, I vowed to never eat, see, and smell chocolates until the end of the day. Thank you, Vicente Monterola. Cute sales clerk, you are forever in that spot, I thank the good Heavens.

Q is for quote:- "If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater or lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans." - Max Ehrmann, Desiderata. I should always be in constant pursuit of the things that will heighten or extend my career. I should always be mindful of the things I have recevied and be thankful for it. I should constantly be mindful that I have my own path, and I must walk it with determination and hope. Stop, and help in case somebody needs it. Rest, and ask for help in case the journey becomes tiresome. Pursuing your goals must not become selfish. Help others but remember not to lose focus.

R is for regret:- I regret to have chosen the wrong, distant things, instead of choosing the ones that are already in front of me.

S for status:- I am sane, dreamy, escapist, imaginative, horny, and hell-bent on realizing my dreams.

T is for time you woke up today:- For a guy who "normally" sleeps around 3:00 a.m, waking up around 2:00 p.m. today shouldn't be that big of a deal.

U is for useful fact:- Don't use "the" to start your paragraph. In my world, this is a fact, thank you. It's not wrong but, as my editor says, you should greet the reader with a word less stiff than the word "the." Try it. You can be more creative when you don't use "the" at the start of your paragraph. Works for me.

V is for vegetable:- Carrots, mushrooms, potatos, and baby corn (or is this a fruit too?). My favorite non-fiber-y vegetables that never fail to make me feel good. Mushroom, potato wedges, and baby corn in hot cheese, and carrot chips with breading? Yum. Carrots are good for the eyes, who doesn't love potatoes? mushrooms are squeeshy little things that one can eat when tensed, and baby corn is always good when paired with a dip or sauce.

W is for worst habit:- Being late. It. Is. And. Will. Be. The. Death. Of. Me. Ever reliable and reasonable Camille told me in the letter behind her graduation photo, "You're amazingly talented and it is being wasted because you are always late. Please change that attitude. Thank You." My editor asked me on my interview with him, "Do you get tardy?" I answered, "Yes, sir." "Why?" he shot back. "It's because of health reasons, sir." He retorted, "And what are you going to do with this?" "Hindi na lang po ako kakain," I quipped while clutching my tummy.

X is for x-rays you've had:- KUB x-ray. Do I look like the total hospital rat now? I need to flush down all the things I've eaten for almost two days just to have this kind of x-ray to check whether I still have the stones or not. That castor oil got me pooping one too many, many, many times. Urgh.

Y is for yummy food you ate today:- See letter P.

Z is for zodiac sign:- Pisces. Born on the 23rd of February, my sign is the twelfth house of the Zodiac. But since I was born on the cusp, from the dates February 19 to February 23, I have the makings of an Aquarius, too. Hence, I am Pisces with Aquarius rising.

Written, March 8, 2009. Taken from: Rej, http://mcweggie.multiply.com/journal/item/22/WEEKENDER

Alternates.

2009-03-01T22:16:00.004+08:00

Got this

Instead of this.

Garage Feb-March, kahit late na, are on your favorite bookstores already.

Aftermath.

2009-03-01T22:09:00.001+08:00

While I was busy looking up at the balloon...

I've realized that there was an ice cream melting on my hand.

BARE The Musical

2009-03-01T21:59:00.003+08:00

Ateneo de Manila University’s Blue Repertory lets us in on the clandestine relationship between altar boy Peter and A-list student Jason, and the romance and struggles that trails with having a relationship not fully accepted by the society in their staging of Jon Hartmere and Damon Intrabartolo’s Bare.

Jason and his roommate, Peter has been keeping a relationship in the four walls of their dorm unbeknownst to the other students of St. Cecilia’s boarding school. When Peter finally decides to go public with their relationship, Jason declines, wanting to protect his image in the eyes of the school and his family. Meanwhile, popular girl Ivy has been eyeing Jason for so long, completely neglecting Matt who has always been at her back, asking for a little affection.

Revolving around a coming-of-age story, same sex relationship, dignity, self-esteem, knowing oneself, drugs, and even (spoiler here), Bare tells in truth what some young adults of today experience. This is one of those musicals where our parents can pick something up and understand better what we’re going through. Sure, they’ve “been there, done that” but as we know, the times have changed and so people do, too. I liked how the musical’s main conflict didn’t traipse around the sub-conflicts of the story, giving audience something to look forward to in other characters.

On the run which I’ve watched (supposedly the last run of the musical), Peter who was played by Alfredo G. Reyes II, did an exceptional performance. I was really eager to know how he would perform his character’s songs, of which I am a fan of, and was impressed at how he did the pieces flawlessly—acting and all. And, it might not have done me good to listen to the songs prior to watching the musical because I was left comparing Joseph Amos Francia’s rendition of the songs as lead Jason, to the MP3 clips that I’ve downloaded over the net. Expecting a complete replication of the original pieces would be harsh for the actors as it is up to them and their creative theatrical knack on how to deliver the pieces. But, I just can’t help it to be dismayed that some of the styling that he did for some songs didn’t quite sound appropriate, especially on “Ever After,” the third to the last song of Act I. Did I just hear an off-key gradually made into shouting?

A real surprise that night was Nadia, Jason’s twin sister in the story, who was played by Ma. Cassandra Lourdes Celerina Manalastas and Ivy who I am not sure if were played by Maria Carolina A. del Rosario or her alternate, Sarah Delphine C. Buencamino. Either Nadia’s songs were that good or Manalastas’ renditions were just plain brilliant. Her over-all performance was strong and memorable especially on her numbers, “Plain Jane Fat Ass,” “A Quiet Night at Home,” and “Spring.” Her timing wasn’t bad, too. Meanwhile, Ivy’s (Let’s refer to her as Ivy as I do not know which actress I am adulating.) performance was equally as great as Reyes’. She did a great bad girl that, I am pretty sure, the audience felt and fell for. After her performances of “Portrait of a Girl,” “Touch My Soul,” with Francia, and “All Grown Up,” the audience replied a thundering applause, me including. Her singing sank in and managed to tug a heartstring.

There to provide the light atmosphere was the no-nonsense drama teacher, Sister Chantelle who was played in perfect timing and atta-tude by Paul Michael Lorenz "Orange" B. Sanchez. Surprised? Well, as Sister Chantelle said in the musical, in Shakespeare’s time, all the roles were played by guys. He entertained the crowd as Sister Chantelle, clad in a gray and rather figure-flattering nun’s dress, with witty lines and the right gestures to elicit a laugh or two from the crowd. Sanchez’ Surpemes-flavored “911! Emergency” (Complete with back-up singers of angels in golden halter tops and pekpek shorts and Sanchez himself in a fully silver sequined halter dress.) and the heartfelt number “God Don’t Make No Trash” with Reyes made me love both the character and the actor’s performance.

Francia’s shimmering moment was probably the close of Act II, where, at the performance of “Bare” he redeemed himself from the blunder on Act I, in my opinion, of course. Francia and Reyes’ rendition of “Bare” was one of the numbers that I was waiting for and I was not disappointed. The brilliance of his performance here on was heightened by the disorientation and ultimate closure of his character.

Replete with the most engrossing songs, reaching conflicts, impressing acting, and actors like a glove to the their roles, Blue Repertory’s Bare is one spectacle everyone should not miss.

9/10

"Ang ganda!" is a very vague and Mother Ricky-ish response to something so I felt like writing something slightly better. Bare is extended from March 3 to 7 and performances are at 8 p.m. only. Tickets are priced at PhP 200, contact Alexa Yupangco at 0917 722 0805. Enjoy!

Left In The Middle.

2009-02-15T15:20:00.002+08:00

And then there was I. My officemate who got accepted in the magazine the same day as I has been gone for a week. She quit. She hasn't texted nor called, nor said hi or anything. I still have her Fashion Design book, though.

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Last Feb 11 and 12 a PR firm and their client sponsored my trip going to Clark, Pampanga to cover the annual hot air balloon fest there. It was more work for me than a leisure trip, and that was how it was supposed to be.

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I'm not sure what I'm going to do now but I know that I'm not happy with the work now. Jeez. Talk about being fickled minded. I'm trying to think about what I'm going to do once I'm jobless, yet again. It was not a good vision. Hopefully (read: with full of hope), I may able to infiltrate the design dome and get my ass started. I have this idea in my mind. The concept, in all modesty, is nice. The execution, I'm not so sure. I haven't even started on anything except maybe for some quotes that I will input together with the whole artwork.

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Wala pala akong sweldo today. Kamusta naman. Some shit problem with my time in and time out. Jeez. And about my Overtime in Clark. Argh. Next next week, it will be my birthday. I better get enough moolah to buy me a pair of shoes and a TV set or else! lol.

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"Will the things I've done today bring me closer to where I want to be tomorrow?"

The Case of the Multi-Hyphenate Ambition.

2009-01-18T19:56:00.008+08:00

Call me ambitious, really, but I see no wrong in becoming multi-faceted. How's journalist-artist-poet-fictionist-designer-musician sound like? I say it sounds awesome. The following week was a case of laziness and ultra-whatever-ness. Which is to say, I was a complete blur in the office. I came to work late, I left early, I didn't went to work (okay, I have an excuse for this one), and I knew in myself that I was ready to abandon the job I had now.

PICTURE CAPTION: SEARCHING FOR THE WORLD.

Today I was thinking. Do I really want to pursue a career in design? Yes. because I have always loved designing. I have always liked the idea of putting all your concepts on paper (or on the Adobe Photoshop stage, thank you.) and showing it to the public. If they admire it, good. If not, well, there's always room for improvements (I didn't study design, by the way. lol). Do I really want to pursue a career in writing? Yes. Since I worked at the magazines, I have liked the idea of seeing my name on the printed pages of the magazines. I know I'm writing little things as compared to most of my fellows at Journ but it's something I've done. So I'm proud of it. I got rusty after months of journalistic writing hiatus and might I just say that it was a rather stupid thing.. or circumstance. When I started writing for the magazine, my head echoed the clank of two coins slamming against tin walls. I was like a blank slate, all over again. Thanks to my editor and some things I've managed to pick up on the way, I can somehow write with more efficiency now.

Tomorrow, I shall inform the HR of the aesthetics company that I will not be going on board with them. My heart will break (because of the 12k Net income salary and the graphic design career path) but I need to stay at the magazine. Like what mom said over the phone, one time when she checked if I already left the house, "A rolling stone gathers no moss." True.

So let's gather moss in the magazine and start that multi-hyphenate dream!

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When I saw the Garage cover last year, I had a feeling that the look was inspired by James Dean at Rebel Without A Cause, or Danny Zucko at Grease. I forgot the caption on the BTS page but I think it was inspired by Marlon Brando. Or something. haha Aaaanyway. I already have all three issues of the magazine title. Thanks to my job! I found the articles from Garage very informative, and saying informative was actually an understatement. I didn't know that a guy can have multiple orgasms, did you? Thank you Garage. I didn't know Joey Samson had nice men's wear too. Kaya isa na siya sa mga fave kong designers. Go structured clothes! (Oh and I liked that fashion spread at Hong Kong because the model was Fabio Ide. Team Fabio! lol.) Did you? Thank you Garage.

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I didn't know that the grand morning view from your bedroom window was as grand as the feeling waking up at the sight of you. Now I do. Did you? Thank you God. :)

Multiple Choice.

2009-01-11T00:11:00.002+08:00

Confusion. I have some nice options, really. And the one I am in right now is a good one too. But I don't know. I don't think I have my priorities traight really. What do I wanna do? Designing would be good. Writing would be nice too. Illustrating would be okay. Justgot a lot of options. Jeez.

Nine tips on managing your money in 2009

2009-01-02T15:06:00.003+08:00

This post is also at: Supreme.ph. Bow. :)
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We all know that the financial woes of 2008 has somewhat subsided but has never really ended. The path to economic stability is blurry and is an enigma. Hence, we must keep our guard up and manage our money well.

Stay on budget. If you can’t ride the high-end wave then opt for the economical tide. Reasonably-priced items are still eye-catching for the discerning shopper. The local market has significantly broadened, may it be in clothing, grooming, services, utilities, or food. There are way too many options now—so much so that you can’t go wrong. Designer clothing can now be bought at retail price. Cosmetics companies now deliver a wide array of beauty products. Aesthetics companies made their services more affordable. Keeping up with the times and staying on budget won’t be a huge problem thanks to today’s inexpensive options.

Get the classics. Passing fads may catch your eye and tempt you to bare your bucks in a heartbeat. Slap yourself back to your senses before you actually do. After a month or two, there will be a new craze and people will follow them. Crocs anyone? I thought so. Restrain yourself from treading along the fad path and instead buy pieces that can work whatever season it may be, how many fads may come and go. Pick the neutrals, pick the staples, pick the one you think you will use more often. It’s not really deadly to buy a piece from a trend in a certain season, just don’t splurge. It will also be wise to get a piece that you can match with most of your clothes, and of course, something that looks good on you whatever season it may be.

Scour mall sales. Because of the great buys and bargains, the very mention of “mall sale” triggers the shopaholic instinct in most people. Don’t pass up the power of a mall sale, most malls and department stores just want to get rid of their stocks to give way for new ones that they sometimes offer unbelievable buy-one-take-twos or even more. However, be sure that you will use and consume whatever it is that you will buy. Any excess and you can chalk that up to money wasted.

Get the basics first. You won’t be cast out from society even if you’re the last one to have the Apple iPhone 3g, or the Sony Ericsson Xperia, or the Samsung Omnia, or the Nokia 5800. Even if you had any or all of the following phones, there wouldn’t be any difference. There would, of course, be an evident chunk of loss in your bank account from purchase of any or all of the said phones. After that, what’s next? If you don’t need something, best advice is to not buy it at all. Get your priorities straight and your necessities first. You don’t want your mom scolding you for not buying rice, or your sister for not buying shampoo, or your father for not buying toothpaste, or your brother for not buying his deodorant, do you? Buy the things normal human beings actually need to live and you’ll do your wallet a favor too.

Get wise and improvise. Remember when you were a child and you would incessantly pester your mom about buying a pizza at 3p.m. in the afternoon on a cold rainy October day while she earnestly tries to clean the house despite your unwavering ranting? Then your mom would say, “You just wait. We’ll make one!” out of necessity to make you stop. And then after a while the leftover baguette you had for breakfast now glistens in melted cheese and heated ketchup, topped with freshly cut but slightly burnt green bell peppers, onion strips, bits of ham, and thinly sliced hotdog. Pizza is served! A good way to manage money is to not spend it all. If you can make do with what you have inside the house, then by all means let your creative juices flow and make like a Dr. Frankenstein.

Quality, not quantity. If you think tiangges are heaven for the shopaholic-on-a-budget, think again. Clothes, appliances, and everyday items sold at the tiangge are cheaply priced not because their on sale, but because materials used in their production are substandard. These are the kind of things that tend to show signs of wear or even break right on first use. Save yourself (and a lot of money) from buying a horde of such items by purchasing high-quality items instead. Trooping to the malls for quality goods won’t assure you that you’re buying something of your money’s worth. Look for the “QC” sticker which indicates that the product passed quality control. For clothes, shoddy craftsmanship should be very evident. Keep a keen eye while you’re doing your shopping rounds and make for yourself standards on buying, like no loose threads, no discoloration, no loose buttons, and so on.

Look for the multi-functional items. Think Swiss Army knife, that little metal contraption which packs amazingly sharp and readily useful little surprises like knives, scissors, drills, positive and negative screws, and even a mini double-toothed saw. It’s a great addition to your toolbox, plus it can be your weapon of choice against muggers! If you’re going to buy something, get something that can do its purpose and a lot more. Thanks to foreign and local ingenuity, there now exists hair-dryers that turn into flat irons, flat irons with steamers, mp4 players with TV signals (I kid you not.), phones which can pack two SIM cards instead of one, and so on. Pick the products with the most usage. It’s all about value for your money.

Invest. Buy something and know its worth… at about ten years from date of purchase. May it be jewelry, painting, sculpture, antique, a vintage car, house and lot, or even a condo unit; its worth will appreciate in time. Paintings can be priced five times after its painter dies (assuming the piece is authentic and the painter is a really illustrious one). Price of condo units and house and lots can hike to twice its original price after five years or so (given there is enough commercial development around the said condo or house). A vintage car is a no-brainer, the older it gets, the more expensive it becomes. Get something special which you think will appreciate in time and can be profitable when you decide to finally let it go. (If your wallets are healthy prior to the financial crisis, you can resort to investing, if not, try other methods of managing your money.) Efficient planning and refined aesthetics is your key to pocketing greens more than your pocket can hold.

Look after yourself. To say that times are hard is an understatement. If the tail of financial woes from last year won’t get you, the stress surely will. You know how it pains you to shed heaps of money to pay for the doctor’s bills so guard your health. Cliché as it may sound, “prevention is better than cure.” Buy vitamins, they’re readily available at drug stores. Take advantage of the neighborhood gyms, they’re affordable and you can still get the workout you want. Maintaining your tiptop health isn’t that expensive, however, getting back to the pink of health after a sickness is.

And get more money by…

Purge your unused things. If you have clothes, shoes, bags, books, or anything else which have not been used for the past two years, in good salable condition, does not and will not in any form or manner transfer any kind of deadly disease which are just lying, hanging, stacked, or shoved inside your cabinet, then get them out, write a “For Sale” sign, and flash your not-so-new wares outside your house. Do your own ukay-ukay! It does take some balls (ladies, its figurative) to set-up a mini tiangge outside your house so if you don’t feel the live-action buyer-vendor drama, test your marketing skills over the net. Put pictures, read: actual shots of your things, on your Blogger, Friendster, Multiply, Myspace, Tumblr, Flicker, or what have you and wait for second-hand worshippers to flock, and moolah to flow. Make sure you’re honest about what you’re selling people over the net. Don’t tell them that your LV monogram deauville is 9/10 in condition when in fact its handle has discolored, the padlock has scratches, and there’s a stain on the fourth point of a monogram symbol on the upper right side just below the handle. People will give you their hard-earned money for your stuff so the least you could do is give them their money’s worth.

Adver-blog: Wade Holiday 2008 Men's Collection

2008-12-31T01:20:00.005+08:00

Walk With Statement, Walk With Wade

The bag that I bought from Wade a couple of weeks ago, as modeled by Sandro Takeo.
Photo from Mike de Guzman and Geo Palmiano. (http://mgpstyle.multiply.com)

Post Christmas Post.

2008-12-26T22:54:00.004+08:00

The holidays was celebrated with utmost spending of the rich and poor. There's also the more than adequate amount of irate wives, frantic kids, and monetarily disturbed dads before and after the holidays. Christmas was so-so in our household. We had food. We ate them, but not together. As I grow up, the magic of Christmas just seem to fade away each year. I hate being a grown-up. You need to be mindful of the time, the money, and all the other things you do. It's a good thing having money and all, but it just reminds me that I'm living in the real world now. And this real world is so very biting the life out of me. Dayum. Photo: Christmas tree at The Landmark Supermarket.

Was browsing a magazine at the office. I saw this D & G ad. The pants were just awesome. I want one like it. And maybe that kind of body too. hahaha

Fashion doesn't come with the brand or the price. Fashion comes with how you can carry a look and sashay it like you slid out from your mother's womb in it. I saw this guy at the LRT who was wearing a Her Bench jacket, striking violet shirt, slim fit jeans, a pair of sneakers, and a giraffe themed bag. He didn't look like he'd trigger the fashion police any time in the next decade. The look was just hip and how he walked was enough to earn him a ticket down the catwalk. Easily, the hippest head-turner inside the train.

Drop blog.

2008-12-23T00:32:00.002+08:00

Drew this at the office while waiting for the s......l......o.......w pc to do its job. I miss drawing for fun, illustrating, and doodling out of whim. When will it be me? INSPIRATION: Jessica Zafra's hair during Ms. Cecile Van Straten's birthday party. Then mixed it up with oriental details after I drew the chinky eyes.

I was weirded out of my wits (and yes, even resorted to a cringe) when mom texted me "Punta tayo Trinoma. Ilibre moko hehe!" Now you see, mum doesn't do "hehe"s. If she did, it was one of those twilight zone moments. You know what I mean. lol. So anyway, I wanted to treat her at Cibo, or maybe that Krokodile or Ruby Tuesday, but she crossed the bridge going to The Block so we ended up eating at the Block. I wanted to treat her at Banana Leaf or Burgoo's but she declined at the face of the impossibly high-price ridden menus. We both have a thing for being kuripot, yes we do. We decided on Flavors of China or something near that name. What did we have?

Boneless Lemon Chicken (a fave from Superbowl), and Sharksfin dumplings (a fave from MannHann). Lemon Chicken tasted like Growee, as usual--and I love it at that. The dumplings were nice too. A little too nice that if it were the only thing that you'd order, you'll end up full in no time at all.
And Fish Tofu with Taosi sauce or something. Now this one was the surprise of the night. hahaha When I forked a tofu cubed and readily bit on it, sauce and all, it tasted like... janjanan! PIZZA. Yes. Pizza-sauce-tasting-fish-tofu-rice. Awesome ne? hehe
I was attracted by the faggotting of fleur-de-lis shapes onto the fabric of this man bag.
This was the bag that I was eyeing for so long. I had it reserved at Wade's Robinson's Place Ermita because the branches near home didn't have stocks. Good thing people at Wade RP were so kind. They saved the good stock for me. So cool. Kudos to them. I like it sooo.

False Alarm? and The Week That Was.

2008-12-08T21:29:00.005+08:00

I was not able to go to work today. Bummer. And Wednesday's the deadline for SW. Urgh. Gotta get my tummy working normal tomorrow or else. I wanted to go to the hospital tonight but my tummy's okay so maybe I'll just reserved the coming Sunday for that.

I texted the EIC that I won't make it to work and he advised me to head for the hospital and have my stomach checked asap. To which I agreed. But, my tummy's working better now than this morning, and noon, and afternoon so maybe I'll pre-empt the check-up.

I actually thought I was going to die. Geez. Thoughts like that creep into my head when there are deaths in the boob. First, yesterday's news of Mark Cielo's death, second, the United Parañaque's shoot-out with innocent bystanders included among the casualties, and, well it's not really on the boob but yeah, Tuti (Potchi) dying because of a chicken bone suck in his stomach, or esophagus, or something.

So there, I thought I was going to die and rash thoughts dashed in my heads like frantic cockroaches at the smell of Raid. What if I die kaagad? Di ko man lang masasabi na gusto ko si... ? What if I die kagad? Di pa kaya ako nananalo ng major design award. What if I die kagad? Di ko pa kaya nagagawa yung 13-piece fashion illustration ko. So, no. Please, Death. Let me be like Gob Hadling, play dice with me and let me cheat.

I just got my pay last Saturday. I really, really, wanna buy something for myself--as this has been my habit ever since I started receiving pay. Half of my salary goes to savings, the other half, goes to wants. For this salary, I want another bag. Yeah. I can never get enough of bags can I? I'm eyeing this new bag that I saw on Wade. I saw some guy at LRT2 carrying the same bag but of different color, last week, I think. I dare say, I can parade the bag better than he could at any given day. haha

So there, I'm just waiting up for the next salary before I can buy the bag para di super waldas ng pera.

- - -

MY WEEK IN PHOTOS. LAST WEEK

Got these new plaid shoes at Recto. The design works for me and I didn't have to burn a hole in my pocket.
We were asked to look for plants for a jewelry photo shoot for the mag. I got some plants here at Lugar Huerta in Manila Seedling Bank compound at EDSA corner Quezon Avenue (you can't miss it, find the Metro Body Ish - Piolo billboard). There are lots of nice flowers. Imma buy some new ones pag may pera na ako. Maybe a bonsai.

I initially borrowed a eucaria at Lugar Huerta but some branches broke so I and my office mate, Gail, paid for this plant. I took the plant home and mum was delighted to see it. I gave it a decent amount of watering when I got it back home the night following the photo shoot.
Lo and behold, eucarias also abound the well-lighted floors of Gateway mall.
Tuti (Potchi) died. I was used to calling him Tuti cause I thought it was cuter than a lame name such as "Potchi". He would have celebrated his one year at our house this Christmas but the chicken bone done his throat got the better of him. Tuti was always, always, energetic and excited to see us whenever we came home. Such a jovial dog. In this photo, he looked like he was taking flight. Kulang na lang pakpak.
Red Eyes. The company driver drove me and my eucaria to my house. APV Press vans are a delight to see and use. :p

This is the company.. uhm.. Christmas decoration pagoda? hehe It's creative, alright but it creaks creepily whenever I pass by it. It's amazing and entertaining but it really just gives me the creeps. Shudders.

- - -

“I've been making a list of the things they don't teach you at school. They don't teach you how to love somebody. They don't teach you how to be famous. They don't teach you how to be rich or how to be poor. They don't teach you how to walk away from someone you don't love any longer. They don't teach you how to know what's going on in someone else's mind. They don't teach you what to say to someone who's dying. They don't teach you anything worth knowing.”

- Neil Gaiman

Project Delta: Can I Have A Wish Please?

2008-12-06T01:35:00.004+08:00

I'm done. Where's my wish?

Okay. It's been more or less two weeks since I started my job. Am I happy? Yeauhh, so-so. Am I enjoying the pay? Let's see later. Am I liking the office? The CRs are nice and the air conditioning rocks. Am I liking the people? Yeauhh, so-so. The corridor eye-candies are okay too.

Don't get me wrong. I am so very thankful for getting a job, finally! And one that I stayed in this long. lol. I knew this kind of thing would happen. Of course, the boss said it so. But I did not think he would be that hard to please.

I have let two Top Draw Animation invites pass while doing work. That just means the company is really, really interested on well... giving me an exam? haha

I like my work now, and yes, I am learning. But inside me, I am also wondering, how am I gonna fulfill my second-persona (design dude mode) if I'm going to be stuck here? Oookay. Here I am again. Blabbering about quitting and all that so last year things. But hey, if good opportunities arise, why shouldn't I take them?

I'm just like... I dunno.. not thrilled.. this one is the dirrrty kind that you get your hands dirrrty and when you want to wash them, you can. But, after a few seconds they become dirrrty again. What am I talking about? lol. Anyway, I should sleep now. This latter part is so whacked. Tata!

The waves are coming, stand firm on the shore.

MY WEEK IN PHOTOS

2008-12-01T00:06:00.006+08:00

My Starbucks Planner 2009, care of Erna. Got this on the same day I saw Aries Lagat pass-by Starbucks at the Mega Strip.

Hideously cooked real hard potato chips at Potato Time. My money was not worth it. Urgh. I should have opted for the smaller size.

There's a HUGE LCD screen on that part up there. Kinda like UST's LCD screen. I was able to watch it being tested by the technicians. Coolness.

The Amphitheatre is almost finished and I believe the remaining half will be covered with glass panels as was intended on the projection plan.

The futuristic Sky Garden of SM North Edsa will again put the said established on the top of the list of the largest malls in the country. Man, for a third world country like us, we sure looove going to malls, that's for sure. The mall's a stone's throw away from our house by the way, so I can't wait how it all would turn out.

Got in on one of the local fashion magazine. I kid you not. Let's see how I fare on this one. I think I'll have to get a dorm near UST 'cause I just can't take the tiring travel on a daily basis.

Following the new work, I have not been able to cover up my bed with.. well.. bed covers. hahaha There's some surot in my bed ata 'cause I have these insect bites on my arms. That or there's a mosquito colony in our house and they're planning to avenge their fallen brothers--those of whom I've managed to kill.

I passed my entry for the competition today. First I went to Mall 01 cause my contact said they accept entries but when I got there, the personnel said she had just sent her alipores to submit the entries tomorrow morning at the main office. So I asked if there's a nearby store that would accept my entry for delivery. She called Mall 02 and, luckily, they have some personnel who can go to the main office to delver my entry. Off I ran to Mall 02, which was by the way, two more malls away. Fun. (On the way there my eyes met with someone's eyes but I was on a mission to get my entry on the store so I didn't have some leisure time on my hands, not until I bring my entry to the store, that is.) When I got to Mall 02, I easily found the store and gave it. Let's pray all goes well with the competition.

Christmas is in the mall air. This huuuge tree is at Landmark's Supermarket lobby.

Installed at Gateway, 3-floors high, mind you.

And Trinoma wanted to sprinkle trees all around the mall so they opted for smaller ones.

- - -

"That's all." - Miranda Priestly, The Devil Wears Prada

Live Forever.

2008-11-12T18:43:00.006+08:00

“If you can live forever, what do you live for?” Familiar? It’s the promotional tagline for the Twilight series’ movie adaptation. Sounds simple, right? And with the idea of a vampire falling for a mortal (as is the story of Twilight), it’s a no brainer that the answer is “I live for the person I love”. But I was thinking, what do I live for?

There are billions and billions of people in the world and when one dies, that one would be given the usual rituals: a funeral service, a eulogy, a space in the public or maybe private cemetery, and if that one is lucky enough, maybe a firing salute. But after that, what’s next? That one will rot 6-feet under and, consequently, will be forgotten. I don’t want to be like that one. I want to live forever.

How do I live forever? I’ve been thinking and the answer is pretty simple: Do things that people will remember you for. That way, even if you’ve passed away, your memory and name will live on like an echo resounding across the decades or even centuries.

So what can I do? Write 2 novels about the cruelties of colonizers, putting a spice of rebellion? Rule the country and impose Martial Law? Write eternal novels and short stories that generations and generations will come back to? Create towering monumental sculptures that will be put across the nation? Design the most groundbreaking clothes that will be remembered in the fashion history? Or maybe, die for another? There could be a million options of how to live forever but what would I take? What would be fitting for me?

This is one of my fears: not being remembered by anybody after I die. Sure, you will be remembered by your friends and family, but I guess I want more. Is it fame I’m after? Maybe a little, I guess. I just want to make a difference. Leave on something that my sons and daughters and grandsons and granddaughters will remember me for. It kind of sounds nice hearing somebody say, “This is your grandfather Paeng, he helped a lot of people when he was my age then.” (But of course, I wouldn’t really hear people say that as I am already snuffed out).

I admit. I have not accomplished anything of any significance to my country and to my fellowmen, to my family and to my friends. Most of the things I have are just way superficial like winning a contest or pageant—how I hope to win the national lottery. (Well, winning the lottery is not that world-changing until you use the money to help the needy, you know how it goes.) Maybe I should write novels? Try to win an Eisner or a Pulitzer—try to be the next Gaiman? Maybe I should pursue designing and the arts and try to be the new Karim Rashid or Luna or Legno?

There are just a hundred and one things I would like to do but I can’t decide on them. I want to teach children. I want to design things. I want to write novels and short stories. I want to invent things. I want to draw my own comics. I want to study again. I want to be somebody people will remember.

These are just plans until acted upon. Yeah, I know. I guess, right now, I just really don’t have much direction right now. I really, really want to design, that much I can say. To be one of the best in that field, I guess. Like everybody I need to start at the ranks.

There‘s one proverb I remember reading, "The last shirt doesn't have any pockets". Nobody's taking anything with them when they die, and all they can leave are memories.
My dreams are waiting. I do not want to disappoint myself.

How do you want to live forever?

Skin and Saturdays.

2008-11-10T18:40:00.007+08:00

I have this skin condition at my lower back and I am not sure if it is (1) radioactive pimples, (2) little pockets containing my super-human, magic-weilding spawns (3) my Steatocystoma Multiplex kicking again and materializing more apparent than before, (4) a former lover/fling’s way of revenge (which I pray not), or lastly but most importantly (5) I’m growing wings, like angel wings kind of wings.

Kidding aside, having this skin condition is not at all good. I am forced to take longer baths than before (and I normally take looong baths!) because I need to lather twice: once with a sulfur soap, and another with my usual soap. The sulfur soap is for my skin condition while my usual soap is to avoid the smell that the sulfur soap might leave. Mom said it defeats the purpose of using the sulfur soap but I countered that by saying that I let the sulfur soap on for quite a while, thereby allowing its effects. Aside from that, the part of the skin condition itches and itches and itches and when I scratched it, it just aches and stings. I hate it. Good thing it’s on the lower back, I can still sit and sleep fine.

I don’t get this at all. I am not doing anything of significance to my family and to the world but I still get these kind of conditions (because I do not want to use disease. It’s not a disease.)

- - -

Last night, I was reading the Philippine Star and just found myself looking for the comics section, to the Calvin and Hobbes part. I really like the Calvin and Hobbes series because of the surreal and dreamscape flights of Calvin and his ‘pet’ tiger Hobbes. Reading it feels like experiencing some fragments of my own childhood.

- - -

I was just looking for videos by the Sugababes last night when I chanced upon this British girl group, The Saturdays. I listened to some of their songs and I liked it. They somewhat fuse electro-pop and ballad, just like what the Sugababes do. Their “If This Is Love” and “Set Me Off” from their Chasing Lights album sounds like techno dance tracks begging to be played all night at the club.

I also discovered that one of the girls, Vanessa White, is of Filipino descent. Meanwhile, I
think S Club Juniors alumnus Frankie Sanford is hott.

I’ll try to download more of their music. I Hope somebody uploads right away. It’s a shame these UK acts don’t get too much publicity here in the Philippines. But anyway, that’s okay since I won’t like them anymore if everybody likes them too.

- - -

I was supposed to go somewhere today but the person I was talking to did not confirm, I was practicing this morning pa naman. Tsk.

Snow in the Philippines.

2008-11-09T18:19:00.002+08:00

How very impossible--snow in the Philippines, I mean. But it's never wrong to dream, right?

Discoveries.

2008-11-08T21:17:00.004+08:00

I discovered something nice today. I had previously installed a video converter which is called 'MyVideoConverter' on my PC months ago. (This reminded me of Charts' dorm: Ladies Dormitory. Where all occupants were ladies. How very creative with names. ^_^) I tinkered with it a bit because Andrew told me that he had downloaded a video converter which can convert videos from Youtube to mp3 format. I thought my video converter can do something like that and, boom! it can.

I had 17 of my Lady GaGa mp4s converted to mp3s in a matter of minutes. Plus I was able to convert my new fave song by the Sugababes, "Beware" from their Catfight and Spotlights album. I was also able to convert mp4s to 3gp and consequently uploaded them onto my phone. So cool. :)

I ahve even teste the other converting thingies opn the application but I'll have fun,that's for sure!

- - -

I'm trying beef up my confidence and speech "decency" level. I'm not really that confident even though I have had my share of stage performances, and other somethings that required me to go on stage. I asked some points from my friends about this. They were helpful enough. Nhet told me my voice tends to shake, Camille told me my voice is deep but I tend to be in a hurry while speaking and Ivan told me that my speech needs improvement.

Good enough. Imma start on my self-improvement thing tomorrow. Tonight, I wanna eat a chocolate doughnut.

How to work it with a box and other stories.

2008-11-07T23:44:00.007+08:00

November 05, 2008 – Wednesday

I tried to finish my piece but frequent trips to my very, very cozy bed to “rest” held me back from doing so. I was getting the hang of it pa naman. Anyway, I’ll just develop my fiction and then scout for other competitions. It was already 6:46 when I started to abandon the story. Although I know I can very well finish it while under pressure, I’m not sure about the quality of the work so I just saved it up and then went on to shower.

That night Jelvin and I went to the Fort so he can submit his entry. I had to wait for him at the Ayala MRT. I was getting restless because of fatigue? So I looked for a somewhere to sit while waiting. I found an empty table at the KFC at the station and sat there until Jelvin arrived a little around past 10:30 pm. We didn’t have much trouble finding the building we were looking for since it was very noticeable even from afar.

It took us quite some time before we found a means of transportation going to Ayala, or the MRT. Jelvin caught a bus with the words “Bonifacio” sprawled its side pass by. We ran to the intersection to catch it and the bus driver was good enough to stop and wait for us till we got in.

After arriving at Ayala, Jelvin said he’d wanna eat something since he hasn’t had any decent meal since the morning. We went straight to McDonald’s at Greenbelt 1. (Just imagine how long we walked over to GB1 since Glorietta and Landmark were already closed.) We passed by a restau in GB 3 and I saw that guy most of my Journ-mates disliked. I thought he would be small but he turned out to be taller than I expected (I think taller than me even). He was clad in a plaid top and was donning those geeky glasses (which resembled Rayban’s Wayfarer frames) he sometimes used at that magazine show he hosted.

At McDonald’s Jelvin bought Dinner Showcase with Sundaes galore and bought me a Cheeseburger meal. We ate and after about an hour or so we took off. We got a cab and the cab passed by the intersection of Ayala and Paseo de Roxas where a car and a van got involved in an accident. The drivers were still talking to the traffic enforcers. The driver of the cab said that the traffic lights at Ayala automatically turns off by past 12 and resumes around 5am. He said that that might be the reason for the crash—misguided motorists.

I did some little things before I decided to sleep.

My aunt arrived around 2 a.m. and she and her son (my evil cousin) had a row. Now, it is perfectly a good thing to “try” and put my cousin in his place but she should have picked a better time. Not that morning, especially that morning. I have a job exam in Manila, at around 8:30 in the morning and two shouting individuals isn’t really a good substitute for a bedtime story.

Needless to say, I was not able to sleep. I woke up around six am but since its way too early and I really did not sleep well, I decided to close my eyes again. When I woke up it’s already 7am. Everyone’s already up and my mom had already arrived from her Cagayan trip.

November 06, 2008 – Thursday

Today was the job exam I was scheduled to have. I woke up early but with a headache, the reason is due to lack of sleep. I rushed from getting a shower to fixing my things to getting on the LRT. I only put on my polo while striding to the company—that is to say, while running in the middle of the street.

I got to the testing room just in time for the proctor to hand the exams. She asked us to fill-up an information sheet which seemed pretty endless. After finishing off the IS, I proceeded to the first set of exams which is the character exam. The character exam consisted of 300 redundant questions which seemed to go on forever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever (echo goes on and fades gradually). By this time most of the examinees (who are finished with the exam) in the testing room were already chit-chatting about what they do, where they came from and what they’re applying for. I kept quiet. Then came the proctor with the second batch of exams. I was surprised to know that the second test which was obviously the test proper consisted of just three essay questions. I finished the exam with as much wit and knowledge I can squeeze from my head.

The LRT passed by the Pasig river. I wondered whether the river could be cleaned still. Tsk. It's such a waste.

It was already around 2pm when I started on my way home. I had to do something so I needed to get back. RL had some luxury goods shipped from Zamboanga to Manila. He asked if I could bring the stuff to Bagaholic, a store in Streetside Renaissance Hotel where you can sell or pawn your Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Prada, etc bags. I originally read an article about it in Inquirer so I suggested it to RL.

I almost did not make it to the shop because I was stuck right in the middle of Ayala Avenue and traffic was, as expected, not moving. The traffic enforcer on the intersection of Ayala and Makati Avenue even made a personal decision by allowing the motorists on the other side to go even though the traffic lights clearly flashed a striking red circle. Aaaaanyway, I got to the shop at a little past 6p.m. and was lucky enough to find Gigi Asok-Bambroffe, the shop’s proprietor, still there. I called beforehand and she said she’ll leave the shop around 6p.m. so it’s a good thing she was still there.

Unfortunately the bags were all priced lower than what RL and I expected so he opted to not sell anymore. Unfortunately again, I have no remaining cab money so I had to lug the bulky box right from Renaissance Hotel to Greenbelt 4 to Landmark to Glorietta then to the MRT and all the way home. How very exciting.

I got tired walking at some point. It isn’t really enjoyable nor fashionable to carry a big, bulky brown box around, you know. People were looking at me while I was walking. It was totally X. Then I playfully thought what if runway models walked the ramp with a big bulky box? Can they be as fashionable as they usually are and work the ramp while they lug the big box?

I sat on one of the circular benches at Glorietta 3 and remembered that Jericho was working near there so I texted him. He told me he was still at the gym and said that he can meet me after he washes up and all. After a while he got to the spot where I was and we went over to G4 to eat. He got us some spicy seafood bowls and a sweet canton dish. I did not know what they were called but they were awesome. I got us some drinks. Hehe

After the meal, I walked with him to the shuttle terminal and watched him wave goodbye. I went on my way as well. I took the MRT roundtrip train so I can have a seat. I cannot bear standing up with that baggage on my hands, for another 30 minutes, no sir. The trip was fast and I actually semi-dozed off. Haha.

It was a busy day and I was just glad to be home.

TODAY.

Nothing significant happened. I just stayed home. Had hot chocolates and played Luxor.

Opportunity cost?

2008-11-04T17:42:00.007+08:00

I finally have a copy of Budgette Tan and Ka-JO Baldisimo’s second installment of TRESE. (But that is not the picture on the right. Look down.) I must admit, I wasn’t that excited to buy it than when I bought the first book. The reason is because I have already read cases 5, 6 and 7 on their Blogger account, plus a few pages of the 8th case.

Originally, I was supposed to grab a copy of Garage Magazine with Jake Cuenca on the cover. I saw on Rey Ilagan’s blog that the second issue is already out, with Brapanese Akihiro Sato on the cover. So that kinda told me that I might miss the maiden issue if I don’t buy it na.

When I got to Fully Booked last night, I saw the Jake Cuenca Garage ish but noticed that the plastic had a little tear on it. I did not want buy something like that. I always went for the good ones, the choosy bastard that I am. By instinct, I dashed to the Philippine graphic novels section of the store and when I saw that the second book of TRESE, I grabbed it and brought it rightaway to the cashier.

I wanted to buy bananas and Gatorade last night (for obvious reasons, clue na yun) so I headed on to the Hypermarket, and then I had an instinct thing to check out the magazine shelves near the package counter. I was sorry that I did ‘cause when I got to the shelves, there was another issue of Garage mag, with a perfect plastic cover. I should have gone down first! But, I considered that a good thing because this just means that I can still buy the mag and I won’t run out of options to look for it. With Trinoma and SM North as your neighbors, how could you go wrong with shopping?
- - -

I’ve read somewhere that readers of TRESE will discover more of her and her father’s story on case eight but, upon finishing the book I wasn’t able to know as much as Tan had said he’d reveal. Some facts (re-)stated on book two were (1) Trese’s dad was very respectful of the magical world’s denizens, (2) Trese’s dad had good connections (and this was perfectly established on book 1 already), and (3) Trese’s meaning of “city” extends from the almost anywhere in the metro.

It was also noticeable how Ka-JO’s art has progressed. Book one saw double lined drawings (those drawings that take thick lines until the artist has finally created the character, place, etc.) and even the unavoidable sketch marks. But in this installment, Ka-JO had wonderfully made a cripier, clearer, more refined graphics, especially in cases 7 and 8. I hope he sticks to it, it’s definitely better.
- - -
Everybody’s already got a job. Dayum.

The Week in Photos.

2008-11-02T12:00:00.011+08:00

My week in photos.

I think it was Wednesday or Thursday when I saw this magnificent cloud formation when I looked out our house. Layers of layers of the vehemoth textured fluffy clouds complimenting the blue skies. I have always liked magnificence of cloud formations. I think they're one of God's little gifts to us. The sunny day and wonderful clouds just made me feel good.

- - -

Mum and I were in Trinoma last Friday to do grocery. After her shopping, and our pizza eating thing at the Landmark Foodcourt, we passed by this flower shop. Mum instantly closed-in on this wonderful long stem Stargazer. She bought it at bargain price, I think. 150 PhP. Fair enough. A long stem of Stargazer costs 275 PhP at a flower shop in Megamall, she later found out. It smelled nice. I did not think Stargazer would smell nice but it did. Aside from Black, White and Red Callalily's, Stargazers are now one of my favorite flowers.

- - -

Whenever its November 1 and 2, it would rain. That was how it was during the past years. At least in the place where I live in. Yesterday showed no signs of downpour or even rainshower. But the day before, there was rain due to ITCZ. I think the rain went earlier than scheduled.

During these dates, our family would always light candles and put them on our doors. I asked my Aunt why she did this. She replied that this was always how they did things--how elderly told them to do things. But she never really gave a solid reason. It's family tradition so it must be done, that was how I perceived it.

Personally, I think the elderlies believe the souls journey back to the Underworld and to help them not lose their way, candles were lighted on our doors. This way, the souls would not be lost and would not go to our houses. I think. That is Halloween here.

I think Eastern countries celebrate Halloween with depth more than Western countries.

That is Beethoven on the picture, with his glowing eyes (My phone is cool. :p), standing small outside our house.

- - -

I was looking for pictures for Ivan's Halloween card. I typed the word "ooze" in the MSN search field and poof! This smoldering hot billboard for Calvin Klein Jeans made it's way to the results. Now that's hot. lol

- - -

I stayed up for this. Did this in approximately 04:41 hours. I liked the design so much because it was cohesive and scary enough. I got scared doing the cover, mind you! It was 3 in the morning and I was having chills! And I was already wearing my hoodie jacket then. Or maybe someone was just watching over me while I work? First to last image: The Front Art Cover, One of the Pages in the Card, and a replica of the 7 Misfortunes Chain Letter.

Musings about Fa-syown.

2008-10-31T21:01:00.009+08:00

When I got wind (thanks to Ivan) that photos of the pieces by the top three finalists of Project Runway Philippines were uploaded in ClicktheCity.com, I made it a point to check the site right away. Veejay Floresca, Philipp Tampus and Aries Lagat’s 13-piece collections were indeed posted there. They were presented during the week long Philippine Fashion Week, Spring Summer 2008. (Lowly mortals like myself who do not have passes for the week-long affair got contented with online pictures of the pieces. Bow.)

Floresca decided on a “subdued elegance” with his Her Life After Tomorrow collection, while Tampus went with a romantic lace and crochet collection that further showed his technical mastery of dress making and lastly, Lagat showed his masterful tailoring and delivered his precise More Than A Woman collection.

Photos by Henry Anima II for BusinessMirror.com.ph. Sole intellectual property rights belong to Henry Anima II.

C. Mendez Legaspi's article for the final runway show also disclosed some juicy (?) info. I quote the author's article titled "The Romantic, The Technician and The Modernist" published on October 28, 2008 at the Business Mirror website:

"Though I may not agree with the oft-times not-so-judicious choice of guest judges, the put-on cattiness of certain contestants, and the lame attempts at colegiala accents, the show is a certified hit that a second season is already in the works."

Is that enough to conclude that, somehow, the Philippine's first season of Project Runway was a runaway success?

- - -

I was also able to view some of the pieces in other collections since ClicktheCity.com had them posted there. Some pieces were nice and these are the following looks which I particularly like .

Photos by Ian Ong for CicktheCity.com. Sole intellectual property rights belong to Ian Ong.

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UPDATE: Aries Lagat is Project Runway Philippines' first winner. Congratulations to him. ^_^

Making gamit of oras.

2008-10-29T19:41:00.008+08:00

Now that I'm out of work, yet again, I feel more useless. Its fnck. Yeah. Right now, I just want to do a lot of things. Get a job. Finish off a new portfolio for a certain company. Finish off my lil project. Draw a portrait for a friend. Write a story. Sew my clothes. lol. And, did I say get a job?

I forgot to say why I quit work. I quit work 'cause I don't like the facilities there, and the excessive over-abused usage (super-superlativeness) of the word "fresh". Try saying the word "fresh" as much as you can within two minutes. It'll drive you nuts. Try having it said by another person and listen to it. It'll drive you double, double nuts. lol.

Francis said that I should just wait it out. Well, I'm waiting it out alright. This is what I get for being a picky-choosy bastard. :p

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New stuff from Arnold Arre, Martial Law Babies. It's set to be released early November 2008. Here are the teasers the graphic-novelist sent over the e-mail.

Here's an E-mail from the graphic-novelist:

Hi there!
Here's the 2nd teaser for my upcoming book Martial Law Babies.
The book's retail price is Php 500 but interested readers can avail of the special pre-order offer: Receive a signed copy of the book at P50-off and have it delivered straight to your address a week before its official release. :)
For more info, you may check out the website: http://www.martiallawbabies.comor send an email to preorders@martiallawbabies.com
Please feel free to spread the word, thank you so much.

Best regards, Arnold

Now that's marketing. :p Go, go, go! Order na! I'm excited to get a hold of the new book. I wish I'd get a job soon to up my purchasing power.

The Cheat Codes.

2008-10-26T15:18:00.006+08:00

While surfing the net, I came across an article titled “Dating 101: Eight New Love Truths You Must Know” by Leslie Heilbrunn for Cosmopolitan. Under number 3 was “If a man has a history if cheating on his girlfriends, he’ll probably cheat on you too.” And the reasons why are: (1) a guy cheats on his partner because there is an emotional or physical void [guilty here], (2) guys two time because they love the thrill of the chase [guilty here, again] (3) they have a hard time turning down a woman when the opportunity presents itself [guilty, yet again]. I got a three-pointer after reading that part. Concluded: that is why I sometimes cheat.

It’s not really instinctive on my part. If I feel that what I am getting from my partner is lacking then I tend to give my attention to other things. Unfortunately, (and very timely) those "other things" turn out to be very accessible (the first reason and third). Now, have I been cheated on? Of course! While I would not blame my ex for my cheating, I would like to just say that I got the bad habit from my ex. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t cheat often—like I said, just when I feel my partner is lacking the usual physical and emotional investments partners do.

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CLICK FOR A LARGER VIEW

Last night, I went back to the Wash Art Separately Exhibit at Trinoma after meeting up Camille and mudra Nhet in UST. I took the time to read the other artists’ reason for their design. I thought it would be nice to see more than just the design but the philosophy behind it. Of all the things I’ve read, entry No. 1370 titled “Sisidlan ng Alaala” caught my attention the most. The shirt design showed a cabinet full of miscellaneous things, obviously from childhood years to grown up years. The philosophy behind the design is about treasuring little things or memorabilia which we have amassed over the years. These little things have somehow helped in creating the person we are now today. Kind nostalgic and meaningful on my part. I wished they mass produced that instead.

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I want this hairstyle. It’s part of an ad spread for Dior.
Grow hair, grow, grow, grow!

My take on Lady GaGa's The Fame.

2008-10-26T00:13:00.005+08:00

A producer so described Interscope Records-signed American singer-songwriter Stefania Gabriella Germanotta as being so “Radio GaGa, so Freddie Mercury, so dramatic”. The latter claimed to have “felt like a different artist” after that remark and so she started using her now popular stage name, “Lady GaGa”.

Lady GaGa’s thirteen-track debut album The Fame borders on dance-pop, pop-rock and electronica—a mixed bag in terms of melody and beat but with a unified engrossing flavor. In an interview with Gakcity.com, Lady GaGa confirmed that the 8th track would differ, depending on location—Europe gets “Vanity” while the US gets “Starstruck” (and gets “Paper Gangsta” for its 10th track instead of “Boys, Boys, Boys” which everybody gets), everybody else gets “Money Honey” (I got “Money Honey”). The album is rock in nature but the electronica and techno-pop add-ins make it distinctly its own.

The album starts off with the first single released from the album, “Just Dance” telling you to just dance on with your intoxication. “Love Games” invite you to play the deceiving game of love, be the hopeful secret admirer that you are with “Paparazzi”, and party on with drum-beat thumping “Beautiful, Dirty, Rich”. “Eh Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)” sounds like a teeny bopper 90’s song sprinkled with techno beats. The third track off from her album “Poker Face” gives off that engaging feel with its recurring loud techno beats. Title track “The Fame” tells you a thing or two about fame, and getting and living famous. The lyrics of “Money Honey” remind me of J.Lo’s “Love Don’t Cost A Thing”. The loud techno-pop beats take a break with slow rock and ballad song “Again, Again” then instantly picks up again with sassy and striking “Boys, Boys, Boys”. Lady GaGa takes the beat down again with emotion-filled rock-ballad “Brown Eyes” and follows up with a fun song seemingly structured for easy listening, “Summerboy”. The last track tells you how Lady GaGa likes it with the techno-pop song “I Like It Rough”.

Lady GaGa’s arsenal still has a few nice songs which were not included in The Fame. These are rock-ballad song “Wonderful,” techno-disco sounding “Dirty Ice Cream,” the ‘mirror ball-and-party-people-ready’ track “Disco Heaven” (which I think should have been included in the album), amusing “Shake Your Kitty” (Go figure!) and striking “Rock Show”.

I like almost all of the tracks, including the singles which were not included in the album, that if I were to pick good ones, I’d turn out picking almost all of them. The album may come off different for other listeners, as we all have varying tastes, but since I like fast and beat thumping songs the album is a hit with me.

5/5, 9/10

How do you sleep?

2008-10-19T21:12:00.004+08:00

Experts claim that when we sleep without hugging pillows or anything around us,
we don't worry 80% of the time.

When we sleep with pillows or any stuff around us in bed,
we actually want to be happy and be an active part of a crowd.

When we sleep while hugging one pillow,
we actually wish is to be that person we miss and love.

How do you sleep?

Hold and go.

2008-10-15T22:09:00.003+08:00

Well, it's the type of job I wanted, but not the job descriptions I was hoping for. Aside from the overly excessive use of the term "fresh" to denote a certain style of layouting there's also an uberly pambahay and non-chica comfort room--the only one in the entire office. I kid you not.

I'm gonna stay a little longer, maybe finish the next catalogue. See what's waiting for me here. If there's nothing to make me stay, I'll look for a new job.

Am I really that idealistic? Maybe choosy. That's just me.

Yahooo! Top 100!!!

2008-10-13T16:01:00.007+08:00

AT LAST! The exhibit for Artwork Shirt Design Competition is up at Trinoma. After weeks of waiting, it’s finally there. And, what’s good is that my shirt entry titled "Husband and Wife and the World of Tomorrow" got in as one of the top 100. I told myself It’d be great just getting in as one of the top 100. I just really wanna be on the exhibit.

Pre-submission. I packed it like this para kunyari shirt na binebenta talaga.

And I made a tag (upper left) para kunyari shirt na binebenta talaga.

When I saw it today I was totally ecstatic. My heart was just so full of excitement and happiness and I was soooo itching to tell it to my friends. Just being on the exhibit (which by the way has three legs, first is at Trinoma, next is at Glorietta and the last one will be at Cebu Ayala Center—according to the poster that I’ve read.) is like already winning. I am soooo happy right now. My heart is just full of joy.

I noticed that the Artwork people un-tied my own tag and replaced it with their own fabric tag, tied on the hole where I originally tied mine. *winks*

And here it is on the exhibit! ^_^

I can’t help but smile walking home from Trinoma to SM North to the tricycle terminal cause I was soooo happy!!!

And I did some thought balloon thing. Mine's the second one from the left. :)

THE LOVE OF SIAM. My take on the movie.

2008-10-11T22:47:00.009+08:00

The critically acclaimed, multi-awarded Thai romantic-drama film The Love of Siam presents another view of love with subtlety and depth that it manages to create a lasting, impressing connection from the film to the viewer.

The movie centers on two childhood best friends Mew (Witwisit Hiranyawongkul) and Tong (Mario Maurer) who got separated when Tong’s family decided to move to a new house following the disappearance of his elder sister Tang (Chermarn Boonyasak) in Chiangmai. They meet again in senior high school and right away sparks fly on Mew’s part while Tong, who has a girlfriend at that time, is given the chance to revisit his friendship with Mew.

Both boys have a handful of things up on their lives. Mew has a band called the August Band, a secret admirer in the form of his neighbor, Ying (Kanya Rattanapetch), a small misunderstanding with a co-August band member and on top of that, the task of composing new songs for August. Tong on the other hand is dealing with an alcoholic father named Korn (Songsit Rungnopakunsri), an over-caring mother named Sunee (Sinjai Plengpanich), a girlfriend, named Donut (Aticha Pongsilpipat), who is adamantly yearning for affection from Tong, and the memory of his lost sister as reminded by August’s band manager June who uncannily looks like Tang (still Chermarn Boonyasak).

Despite all this, Mew and Tong know what they feel for each other and cannot deny it. However, things turn for the worst when Tong’s mother, Sunee, finds out their unusual love affair. Reprimanded by Tong’s mother, Mew decides to distance from Tong for the better. But, succeeding events prove that what Mew and Tong have is something unmovable and lasting.

My friend Jansi gave me a copy of the movie and said that it is a very, nice film. Indeed it is. I can’t stop expressing how I can’t get over the movie because of the amusement from watching it.

THE MAIN CAST

THE OTHER CASTS, INCLUDING THE AUGUST BAND BOYS

The movie ran for 2 hours, 50 minutes and 56 seconds—close to the director’s cut of about 3 hours or so. The lengthy duration of the movie was very apt because writer and director Chookiat Sakveerakul delivered fully developed characters at the end of the film. Characters like Mew, Tong, Sunee, and June changed for the better and were given new roles.

I like the subtle yet imparting acting. The naiveness, innocence and playfulness of children were perfectly captured by the young Mew and Tong. This kind of acting is carried on by the grown-up versions of the two as played by Hiranyawongkul and Maurer. At one point though I felt that the grown up versions of Mew and Tong did not quite match the look of younger version. For example, young Tong was dark skinned but the grown-up tong had a white complexion (Maurer is of Chinese-German descent).

Sinjai Plengpanich as Sunee, Tong’s mother, was also one of the very fine actresses that brought the movie into a more recognizable field—reality. This role actually gave Plengpanich four Best Actress awards. I liked the scene where she gave Tong the freedom to choose what he thinks is best for him by allowing him to choose which from a male or female Christmas décor he should put on the Christmas tree. The movie was able to make poignant scenes that disguise themselves as cheerful and sometimes, depressing events which quite appealed to my senses.

The consistent appearance of tangible and non-tangible things from childhood phase to grown-up phase was also a joy to see. This just proves that the movie is a well thought-out film and that the director was careful not to leave anything unfinished or in the dark. The completion of Tong’s toy gift for Mew, which was one of the details that occurred frequently in the movie (and a very central image), was one of them. Cinematography and scoring were also excellent as they gave the perfect mood and feel for each scene. Often I would remark how the scene look very picturesque, and again, well thought-of.

What I was proud about the film was the different way of seeing love between people of the same gender. When you say “homo romance” there is always a following “hot, passionate, and sexual” connotation. But in the movie, none but a few seconds of kiss (and it was even a decent one) can only be seen as an expression of love. Yes, the movie has a gay theme but it was decently unveiled throughout. The director showed that homo-romances may not be just sexual-based (like physically), but can also be just a strong understanding between lovers.

And, I can’t get over the fact that the characters understood love and were very responsible of it, as seen when Mew distanced from Tong and when Tong did the same thing (Spoiler.). They both loved each other, but they knew they cannot be together and yet they still loved each other. The characters used their hearts and heads simultaneously, something most people nowadays fail to do dismally. Furthermore, the love as exhibited by Mew and Tong was a kind of restrained love. They gave it to each other but knew when to hold back. Obviously, from Mew-Tong, Mew-Ying, and Tong-Donut love pair, love was a bittersweet one.

The movie does not only focus on the romances of the young leads, it also tackles different family issues. The sub-plots of Tong’s family problems gave the movie more depth, it balanced the movie in terms of conflicts and was a good explanation on where Tong was coming from as a boy and a lover.

The movie was quite satisfying on its own but, nevertheless, I am hoping for a part 2. The film, characters and actors kinda grow on me. I can't stop raving about it. haha This movie alone bagged 26 awards all in all from five different award giving bodies in Thailand, plus nominations from Asian film festivals. Need I say more?

TONG (Mario Maurer): “I cannot be your boyfriend but that doesn’t mean I don’t love you.”
5/5, 10/10

Carried over and carrying on.

2008-10-06T16:28:00.006+08:00

Today I met up with RL who just got back from Thailand. He’s been going back and forth from Manila to Zamboanga (and to Cebu, Hongkong, Thailand and Singapore) but it’s just today that I was able to meet up with him. We spent a good deal of time together and I was glad we met again after about two years. For me the night went well, sans his spending. I should treat him back when he goes back to Manila and I’ve already bagged a job. Soon.
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Meanwhile, Jaz Cerezo, one of my bets for Project Runway Philippines’ top three just got the boot. I hated to see Jaz go especially because she was one of the very consistent designers in the competition. She’s a designer who constantly aimed to try and please the judges with her creations. There was one episode where resident judge Apples Aberin-Sadhwani asked for her range and on the following episode, produced a dress which comprised all the tricks she can do. If that isn’t striving to get the gold (or bring home the bacon) then I don’t know what is. I hope she does well in the fashion industry. The exposre is already a big, big push for her career and the outifts she's produced during her stay in the competition was a great sneak-peak on what she can offer the fashion industry.

Watch:

Click the video link and see how much a chunk of PRP viewers like me wanted Jaz to stay.

Open Letter to Entities Who Are Unlikely To Read This

2008-10-05T15:23:00.005+08:00

I wanted to call you last night, ask how you were, how you are going about things. See, before you blocked me off, I was already a few steps ahead of you. Memories were already disintegrating. That was how I was, knowing you. But, I really expected more from you. We both know we have a few things to share about, here and there, but you really just did not stand up. You were the dawn, returning a few seconds before sun’s ascent. Talking to you now might not be a good time, but I just had the feeling that it might somehow lessen the load. After all, we did share a few laughs, however shallow they were.

The last message I got from you is, strangely, still here. Of course I kept your number, silly. After reading those messages you proved me wrong. I just thought there was more to you than meets the eye. I know you are this and that and have things going about for you, but I guess I just expected a little more than I should have. Thinking of you is like thinking about “What does Sunday taste like?” or “Which does the feet go?”. Precisely. You just wanted much, much more than you should have and it got to you. You know it did.

After a thousand years of broken chain curses, I know I am better at this game. I will go back to the time where I have met you and tell you how today tastes nothing like yesterday.

This day was a compromise.

2008-10-02T22:39:00.001+08:00

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This day was a compromise. As I was walking down our road during midday I saw the sun hidden behind thick clouds. There was a different light that shone on the heavens. A tempered sun lighted the heavens while forceful clouds made sure it still had its place—no doubt, traces of yesterday’s war and tomorrow’s promise, it was. Like I said, this day was a compromise.

It was good while it lasted. I like rain. Rain has always been a favorable weather for me. It is not because my star sign is of a water sign. It is not because I make a living out of rain. (Gosh I should make a living ASAP.) It is not because I turn into a God-like Paeng when it rains. Rather, rain has always been relaxing for me, appeasing, calming. Yes, I have experienced walking on knee-high flood waters due to incessant down pour, and yes I have had a chance to get soaked down for not bothering to bring appropriate rain gear but both accounts seemingly did not bother me greatly. I just like the rain.

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I was in Trinoma earlier. I had just gone from PowerBooks and was going to the fourth level when somebody called me. I didn’t hear it at first but then when I looked back it was jaraaaan! It was Micah, three weeks fresh off from Japan with her friend, Anna a fellow Artlet. I had to go up the escalator and then down on the other side to go back to floor where Micah and her friend was. We chatted a little.

She told me that she was surprised to know that I still don’t have a job. She told me that it was odd that I had a job while I was studying and I didn’t have a job now that I have graduated. I punctuated slash labeled this remark with the word “Stupid” to which she readily agreed upon. We parted after a few minutes, they were off to Coffee Bean and I was off to McDonald’s at the upper floor.

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I was searching Trinoma’s first level to check whether the Artwork T-shirt Design Competition exhibit is up. It was not. I saw Sir Al in Trinoma, yet again. He is my last adviser and our cool PR professor. I was walking along the façade of Tickles and then onto Aldo Accessories when I saw him. I waved and he waved back and then I motioned that I’ll be going. He had a girl’s handbag with him so he must have waiting for his date.

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I do not know why or how or what forces of nature had conspired to do such a good deed but Phil Graphic/Fiction is extended! Uye. Now I can conjure up a prose fiction. :)

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My Globe sim is not fucktioning. Agh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!