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Showing posts from June, 2003
Midnight Nation J. Michael Straczynski, Gary Frank, Jason Gorder, Avalon Studios, Dreamer Design Joe’s Comics/ Top Cow Productions/ Image Comics David Grey is an LAPD cop who’s so dedicated to his job that he basically sacrifices his personal life, though not fully aware of the ramifications. His life is placed on the line after an encounter with hideous ghostly beings, and he discovers later that he’s been thrust into the ‘metaphor,’ a place that is essentially the real world inhabited by those like him, people who have become ghost-like because the real world refuses to ‘see’ them anymore. Not dead, just non-existent. In the metaphor, David meets Laurel, a woman who tells him that they must literally walk to New York to reclaim David’s soul (and not Paul Michael-Glaser… bad joke). During their journey, David finds out more about his new state of existence, ponders on the purpose of his existence, and becomes faced with one of those life-altering choices, a staple of most i
That Singing Sensation If memory serves me well, I began my ‘karaoke career’ in 1998 at Nikolai , a dark but cozy place in Remedios Circle. Now, I’m a semi-regular of Music 21, where I’d sometimes go alone or with various groups of friends just to unwind and have fun. Or practice. But as a kid, I’d sing at home. Mom and Dad got my big sister a Trebel SAS (Sing-Along System) when she graduated sixth grade, and for the next few years I contributed to a growing number of minus-one and multiplex tapes. My voice back then was this uncertain little creature seeking its place in the world. My short stint in theater afforded me free voice training and more confidence in singing. At New Voice Company , we had Jai Sabas-Aracama of the UP Madrigal. There was also fellow member Patrice Pacis who at the time was taking her graduate degree in voice at the UST. It was at New Voice where I discovered I was a bass-baritone with an iffy vocal range. This range prevented me from dishing out the
Learning To Write I’m a frustrated writer. It irks me, the fact that I can’t get a good narrative going despite the bazillion ideas that flood my head. I can’t even get myself to finish my Hinirang short story. I sit in front of the computer, open the file, read through it till the point where I left off, and I’m stumped. Dean gave me good advice, that I should stop bleeding over it for a while. He said that maybe the story wasn’t meant to be finished, or that it needs to sit on the shelf till such time that I could go back to it. But knowing me, it would be more of the former, because that story is as good as gone the moment I shelve it. One of the tips given to aspiring writers is encapsulated in two words. Read. Write. Read and write furiously. Get the hang of stringing words together and hopefully some panoply of narrative takes shape. Read as much as possible to get the feel of rhythm, flow and structure. To determine for oneself what works and what doesn’t work. The
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Pencil Work Vin got me some real expensive snazzy paper recently. A pack of pre-lined comics boards from Blue Line Pro. We decided to try them out for his Twilight Empires Book, and above is an incomplete page of my pencilwork using the boards. I'd normally use the uncoated side of 3-ply bristol boards, and I like the way they hold my pencils. The matted texture of the Blue Line Pro pages is something to get used to as the semi-gloss surface seems to require a heavier kind of lead (the B pencils). I should ask Vinnie to hold off from ordering more of the expensive kind. I think it's best for me to use more of what I'm used to.
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What is it with me and Leader types? Got this quiz from jackmcph's blog . First it was Professor X, then Dream, then... You are Morpheus, from "The Matrix." You have strong faith in yourself and those around you. A true leader, you are relentless in your persuit. What Matrix Persona Are You? brought to you by Quizilla I guess it's my predisposition to brooding.
Hmmm...
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With a Superstar Sitting beside Gerry Alanguilan at the recent Toys and Collectibles Convention was really a humbling experience, especially seeing the number of people who pick up his stuff and ask for autographs. If you've read Wasted and haven't met him, you'll be surprised to find how unassuming he really is. And for those who don't already know, his upcoming work is with fellow superstar Leinil Francis Yu, Superman: Birthright . Over recent years, my respect for inkers has grown. Inking is a difficult and precise art that many don't appreciate, and inkers don't get a lot of praise. But apart from being one of the best inkers around, Gerry has top-notch illustration work, too. So he's not just a great 'tracer.' He'll be coming out with his portfolio book soon. Hiccups I won't be able to blog as regularly from now on. Pipeline is closing and Kestrel IMC is born, setting up shop just a floor below. Internet access will be
Country Waffle Conversations I love hanging out by my lonesome in cafes, passing time over some hot brew, thinking about stuff and more. I'd have my notebook or sketchpad open, doodling or scribbling as my mood dictated. While working for Pipe, Country Waffles Annapolis was the place to go. A few nights ago, the table beside mine was the refuge of a group of gay people who I had assumed to be working for the fashion industry. Their voices were so loud that it was near impossible to hear what they were talking about. One of them started to talk about Zsazsa Zaturnnah, sharing his delight with his companions. After a few laughs, they moved to another topic. It was flattering to hear him go on and on about it, enumerating those parts of the book he enjoyed. But I felt like a voyeur, not just an eavesdropper, as if I was behind a one-way mirror. I don't know if any of you ever experienced this before, but let me tell you that it felt... rather odd. But I like the fact
Drama Queen My four year-old niece Andee loves television soaps. Her interest started with Pangako Sa 'Yo when she was three, wherein she'd identify all the actors by their characters' names. Ditto for Kung Mawawala Ka . She'd even sing the theme songs. Sometimes we wonder what kind of effect these shows have on our kids, but we slowly discovered the answer with Andee as our unintended guniea pig. Andee had dengue fever coming about recently. Her temperature shot up to 40 degrees Celsius one night, so her mom and dad promptly rushed her to the hospital. A suppository was administered and her fever went down. When they got home, my niece could only complain, "Sinaksak ako sa puwet." (They stabbed me in the butt.) Let not your imagination run wild please. Anyway, she didn't want to take her medicine one morning for some reason or other. My mom was miffed. They weren't speaking to each other. After some silence, Andee asked her grandmother, &quo
Wow, the new BLOGGER interface looks real spiffy. Nice.
Do dreams come true? I'll find out in the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned. (Hint: it has something to do about love.) heheheheheh
Proliferating Grafiction Ateneo de Manila stude Elbert Or recently coined the term grafiction (gra - FIK - shun), or fiction stories in comics form. I like the word grafiction. It's a serious word, and carries none of the stigma that the word 'comics' has. Grafiction has that quality, as a word, that conveys a level of artistic integrity where focus on craft, style, and depth are emphasized regardless of genre. The only limitation to the word is that it may only apply to fiction comics. The word gra-non-fiction doesn't seem to work. But then again, the word comics by its etymology is comical, or humorous. But now, it is widely used to refer to all sequential art. I'd like to proliferate the use of the new word, and credit Sir Elbert in the process. Let's face it, being called a 'grafictionist' has a nice artsy-fartsy ring to it. Thanks, El!
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Smarty Pants The brainteaser test at eMode has this to say about me. Congratulations! Your score is in the 91st percentile. This means that if one hundred people took the test with you, your score would rank higher than 90 of them on average. When we analyzed your test, we also discovered that when it comes to visual-spatial ability, you measure in the 91st percentile. This score indicates you have unusually strong abilities when it comes to spotting patterns in the world around you. You're easily able to envision things spatially in different positions, and this allows you to determine what spatial patterns are present. Compared with you, most others lack the creative ability and/or skill to imagine the movement of objects or patterns in time and space. Gimme Gimme Gimme acquisition WHAT IS YOUR STATE OF LIFE? brought to you by Quizilla
Boosting the Philippine Book Publishing Industry Philippine book publishers should seriously consider producing graphic novels. A lot of good ones. Over the past couple of days, I've been working on a proposal paper which I intend to submit to our book publishers for their consideration. In producing and marketing high-quality graphic novels, the Philippine book publishing industry can experience greater revenues. In time, benefits will trickle down not only to the comics creators, but also to our writers of literary prose. It's about making the book publishing industry and the comics industry exciting again. When I'm done with the paper, I'll be showing it to some members of the gang for their intelligent feedback.
2003 Toys and Collectibles Convention SM Megamall Conference Hall I was invited by Hobbyzone guy Azrael (yup, his real name) to join them at their booth last Saturday, alongside Gerry Alanguilan (Wasted, Superman: Birthright), Lyndon Gregorio (Beerkada, Stricken), and the young indie comics folks. Because the Conference Hall was packed to the rafters, I didn't bother going around to check out the merchandise. But I finally got to meet MTV Ink's Bernie Sim and the lovely lass who wrote that flattering Zaturnnah review on KuboriKikiam.com. (I'm sorry, but I'm terrible with names. Was it Abby?) Jac Lim was also there doing her caricatures and earning her keep. There were other superstars like Wilson Tortosa (Battle of the Planets) and the folks of Culture Crash. I thanked James and Taga-Ilog for including a good review of Zaturnnah in Culture Crash #11. (Gerry, was that John Toledo? The guy in the white shirt? If it was the John Toledo, I will melt from shame.
Someone's celebrating his birthday over the weekend. Happy birthday. A greeting from the isolated depths of blogdom, to the vast, sempiternal void. You are loved.
Market Watch I've been looking through the online statistics published by the National Statistics Office and the National Statistics Coordination Office and here's some bits to chew on: The population of the National Capital Region (NCR) is close to 10 million. As of the year 2000, there were 2.13 million families in the NCR. As of the year 2000, less than 10% of these families were considered living below the poverty line. Roughtly 31% of the population is between 20 and 35 years old. After picking at my molars over these bits, I'm led to believe that a potential comics market in the National Capital Region alone could be no lower than one million people. Gawd, imagine a mere 5% of them buying your book... that's still 50,000 copies.
Zsazsa on TV Again If reports about Zaturnnah's appearance/mention on certain ABS-CBN shows are true, then add one more to the list. This time its the morning show Sis with Janice and Gelli de Belen. My cousin Angela called me up this morning saying that the hosts and guests were leafing through copies of Zaturnnah with some homosexual guests. They didn't really talk about the comic, though. Angela had to switch channels when the momentuous question was raised to the guests, paraphrased thus: "Anong power ang gusto mo para makakuha ka ng papa?" (What power would you want in order for you to bag a guy?) Oh well...
Working Alone I don't know if it's just the time of the day, or the fact that I'm alone at the office -- I work better. For most of today, I did a few routinary things. Cleaned up some images. Set a few type blocks on a lay-out. Downloaded pertinent images for another project. Checked and rechecked email. During this period, I played with a few concepts for another project pitch happening on Friday. The moment everyone left the office at 6:00 pm, my brain kicked into high gear, and I'm almost done with my part of the pitch. I got so used to working in a quiet environment, hearing myself think and all. That's been the mode for the past three or so years. It's a condition I have to undo somewhat, as push-to-shove situations do not choose time. Oopsie. I have to stop for now. The aircon unit is off and all the windows are closed. But there's this bit of cold air brushing against my left side. Gotta go.
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Dream Dream Dream Which Member of the Endless Are You ? If you're a Sandman fan, you'll love the questions.
Odd Hero Through Dreamscapes gal Camille, the gang will be converging tonight at SM Megamall for the premiere of Ang Lee's The Hulk starring Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly and Nick Nolte. Gawd, the movie Hulk is huge! Check out the photo stills in the movie site to see how much of a behemoth the movie version is. I've been preconditioned to Lou Ferrigno, really. Too bad Bill Bixby isn't around anymore. The trailers didn't impress me much, especially after trying to suspend my disbelief towards the CGI Hulk which looked more like a plush toy, weightless and artificial, than the hot-headed green goliath. But I trust Ang Lee to add substance to this film. The Marvel comic adapatation revealed that the official bad guy in the movie is The Absorbing Man, another interesting CGI subject. In an interview, Nick Nolte (who plays Bruce Banner's father in the film) said that he never wanted to do a superhero film, but agreed eventually when Lee gave the "Greek trage
Odd Villains After Marco treated us to a sumptuous dinner at Don Henrico's Tomas Morato (thanks Marco!), we settled at Starbucks Ortigas Avenue for another round of off-the-wall discussions. The topic in focus was about being a supervillain, kicked off with the question, "What would make you want to become a supervillain?" Me, in my melodramatic mode, answered, "When I realize I don't have a purpose." But our choice superpowers proved a more interesting avenue for discussion. Abilities ranged from stopping time to invisibility to mental domination. I, on the other hand, opted for the power to induce incapacitating horniness onto victims. Dean suggested that I instead opt for inducing orgasms 1000 times better than the best a victim ever had, masturbations included. This power is, of course, useless against those who have never experienced an orgasm. In addition to my power, I'd be lugging with me a hammer, to conk out my victims into unconsciousn
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Where Did The Time Go? In Uncanny X-men #188, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Rogue, Forge and Storm finish off a group of Dire Wraiths at Forge’s hi-tech Dallas-based skyscraper Eagle Plaza, with the help of Ilyanna Rasputin (Colossus’ sister) and Amanda Sefton (then Nightcrawler’s girlfriend). Later, at the X-mansion, Rachel Summers (Cyclops’ and Jean Grey’s daughter from an alternate reality) goes berserk after overhearing the fact that Jean Grey had died. (Grey, as history would have it, was later resurrected in an issue of The Fantastic Four, which in my book was one of the lamest ‘resurrection’ stories in all of superhero comicdom.) I remember getting excited about this issue’s cover, where Rachel unleashes powerful psi-bolts at the X-Men. And last night as I read through its yellowed dust-grainy pages, I’m reminded of that special aspect of the X-Men that got me hooked to the series – the intense soap opera that happens beyond the superheroics as only Chris Claremont could writ
I reported for work at 3:00 pm today despite my feeling waaay off register. I think it had something to do with the ghastly amount of exhaust fumes I inhaled last night while commuting home. I hadn't commuted home through Cubao for quite a while, and it didn't help that I couldn't see the bursts of black fumes at night which should have normally given me the visual cue to cover my nose. I woke up this morning with a slight pain in my chest, a sore throat, and aching joints, prompting me to pop an anti-bacterial. Brain activity has been deteriorating of late. There are times when I couldn't think straight. And the squeezing in my skull has been coming and going quite more often lately. The long weekend will hopefully help get me back on track. I needed to report for work today to get as much as I could done on a brochure project. Now this oversized document is something I've never really done before, so I've been really gung-ho about it. But then, I can
Parang biglang pumangit ang blog ko... kelangan ng redesign...
Concerts I haven't gone to a lot of concerts, because concerts in general don't interest me. If there's nothing much beyond the singing, the I'll just listen to the CD or watch the tape, thank you. Live concerts, to me, should be more than just seeing my favorite musical act in person. I need theatrics. I need physical energy. I need something spectacular that a mere audio can't give. That's why I was disappointed when I saw Martin and Pops Together Again at the Araneta last February. My disappointment was exacerbated by the poor sound system and the lackluster choreography. It's main selling point, obviously, was seeing Martin and Pops perform onstage together again after their historical married life. But since I wasn't a die-hard fan and only went because friends paid for my ticket as a post-birthday present, I had hoped that I'd see something that would sustain my interest. It wasn't all bad, just generally unsatisfying. Even my compan
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The Incredibles Even though Disney/Pixar's Finding Nemo has yet to reach Philippine shores, I'm getting uber-excited about their next animated wonder, The Incredibles , about a dysfunctional superhero family. Click on the above link to view the trailer. It's scheduled for release in November 2004.
Between Owls and Larks There's a feature in the BBC website about genetics, particularly the genetics behind our sleep patterns . It also has a nice quiz to tell you what kind of an Owl or Lark you are. Here's my result: You are a Moderate Owl Like Extreme Owls, Moderate Owls love staying up late and sleeping late into the morning. Their body clocks tend to be more flexible than a Lark's, making it easier for them to adapt when their sleep pattern is disrupted. Like most people, Moderate Owls body clocks are set within the standard range - they're likely to be most alert in the morning and early evening and have a period of low alertness in the afternoon. Tips for owls: Sleep with blinds or curtains open. Let daylight wake you naturally. Its much nicer than an alarm clock, but set the alarm anyway! Walk outside as soon as possible after waking up. Exposure to daylight in the morning can make you more alert earlier in the day. Get up at the same time e
Wouldn't It Be Nice... ...if we had one of these ? I believe they began only last year, making last February's event the second of its kind for the University of Florida. Not sure, though, if other colleges and universities have the same thing. WELCOME The Second Annual University of Florida Conference on Comics and Graphic Novels will take place on February 7th and 8th in Gainesville, Florida. Participants for the Conference are artists Kim Deitch, Bill Griffith, Diane Noomin, Art Spiegelman and Robert Williams, along with comic scholars from three countries. Programming for the Conference will occur at the Sheraton Hotel on Friday, and at Keane Faculty Center on Saturday. All programming is FREE and OPEN to the public. PROGRAMME Friday, February 7th Sheraton Hotel, SW 13th St 9:00 am : Turim: "I Don't Want to Die an Idiot': Desire, Sex, Revolution, and Male Self-examination in Wolinski's Mai 68 Comic Commentaries Nygren: Impossible Sex
Ang Tanging Ina Star Cinema Cast: Ai-Ai Delas Alas, Edu Manzano, Jestoni Alarcon, Tonton Gutierrez, Shaina Magdayao, Marvin Agustin, Alwyn Uytingco, Serena Dalrymple, Jiro Manio, Yuki Kadooka, Marc Acueza, Carlo Aquino, Heart Evangelista, Nikki Valdez, Eugene Domingo, Dennis Padilla, John Pratts, etc. etc. Director: Wenn Deramas Funny. Moving. Unapologetic. Three words I’d use to describe this Filipino cinematic gem. As always with such films, I went into the theater with no expectations and allowed the film to take me where it willed. And, man, was I thrown hither and thither. The plot is simple. Delas Alas takes the cudgels of taking care of her 12 children from three husbands who all died by absurd means. In doing so, she’s highly misunderstood by her children who each have problems of their own (save, perhaps, for the two infants). Ang Tanging Ina doesn’t pretend to be anything more than a comedy film with a heart, laden with references to recent Pinoy celluloid m
What's Next? With Dean's announcement in his blog that Pipeline Media will be folding, I'm faced once again with the question of what I'm supposed to do next to earn my keep. Options abound, yes, but starting again has always been a difficult process. Freelancing in graphic design and illustration tops the options list. I've been getting more accustomed to going solo with an afternoon to past-midnight work day. The challenge here is expanding my reach, perhaps setting up a sole proprietorship to make things legit. Then coming up with a website with substantial content. But to start off, I should come up with some sort of plan and make sure I stick to it. Trying out again for the US comics companies is still part of the grand scheme, but I can't rush that. Vin promised me a 15-page script for me to work on as a Twilight Empires sample, so that might be good submission material. In the meantime, have to check the Lotto results.
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Twilight Empires Character Studies To think that I'm supposed to be a comic book artist and yet I never had a single piece of my art in here. Me bad... These are some character design studies for Vin's sci-fi/fantasy epic Twilight Empires .The story, you ask? Ummm... Duh... It's a... surprise! I'm praying real hard that Vin's plans for this book go off without much of a hitch. This motherload of a project is going to eat up a sizeable amount of my time. I'm looking at six months for this, but I dunno... The biggest challenge here is to be able to handle this project while working at the same time. Bills to pay. A life to live.
hmmm...
Wala lang. Nagkukwento lang. My brother Earl needed the computer for most of last night to work on a sideline project. I told him that it was okay for him to transfer the computer to his room in the interim since I needed to get sleep. He suggested that me move the equipment out into the corridor instead. The computer table was a bulky wooden thing, very mid-eighties type, and we couldn't get it through the door because the corner of my bed was in the way. The solution would have been to take all the computer stuff off the table, then lift the table high enough to go over the bed and out the door. But brother and I, lazy as we were, decided to keep the equipment on the table try and move the bed out of the way instead. In doing so, we had to move the study table out of the way, too. Now my bed's the type without legs. Not even stumps. It's not the kind the bogeyman would want to hide under because he simply couldn't unless he was paper-thin. And it's been
Yes, it's a free country... The following is an excerpt from a piece found here : Christian Moviegoers Beware! The Two Towers is Homo Slang For Erect Hobbit Penises Important Notice For Christian Parents Pastor Deacon Fred went on to note that although the violence in The Two Towers film is some of the best he's ever seen outside of the Holy Bible, that the hidden sexual agenda in the movie makes it unwatchable to anyone other than a qualified minister of God. Pastors who were allowed to see the first film, The Fellowship of the Ring, remember that toward the end, one of the male hobbits (which is slang for "homo boy with a little bitty [insert unchristian word here] hanging between his legs") fell so much in love with the main character, Frodo (another male hobbit), that he committed the ultimate homosexual sacrifice by ruining his hairdo and nearly drowning himself to prove his loyalty. Although sodomy is now suggested in nearly every scene where
Rapture in the Philippines Chanced upon this website of a Christian film. Set in the present time, “ Gone ” chronicles three American lawyers journey to Manila, Philippines to defend a multi-national accused of spilling hazardous waste into the Pasig River. The trio pulls off a masterful settlement, but, while there, encounter a strange beggar who speaks of the last days of the Earth. The beggar says there will be great calamities in the last days such as the ocean turning to blood, hail the size of bowling balls, and stars falling from the sky. One by one, the events seemingly come true as the shocked trio encounters cataclysmic events as they head for the last remaining chopper back to the States; however, a surprise awaits them all in the end. It stars Dirk Been, Joel Klug, Bianca Lapus, Chris Daluz, Max Oleov, Ronnie Bo, and Kenny Krall. Anyone curious enough to see it? The DVD's available online.
What Lies Beneath? An article in the Japan Times Online starts so... Seven riddles suggest a secret city beneath Tokyo By ANGELA JEFFS During the Gulf War in 1991, Shun Akiba was one of only two foreign journalists reporting from Baghdad, along with Peter Arnett of CNN. With such experience and expertise, it would be reasonable to imagine him in great demand right now. Wrong. Shun Akiba, a former high-level foreign reporter, has identified hundreds of kilometers of Tokyo tunnels whose purpose is unknown and whose very existence is denied. Shun is on some kind of invisible blacklist. His book "Teito Tokyo Kakusareta Chikamono Himitsu" ("Imperial City Tokyo: Secret of a Hidden Underground Network"), published by Yosensha in late 2002, is already in its fifth edition. Yet Shun has found it impossible to get the media to take serious note, write reviews or offer interviews. This is very strange because he has a great story -- evidence of a networ
Another Zsazsa Entry Strike while the iron is hot. This was the conclusion of a nice talk I had with Marco while cabbing home. It seems that the best way to go right now is to continue with Zsazsa in Manila as my next book. For real. This may delight some of you out there. I had posed the question before to Dean, David, and Reby: Would you want to be identified to a great extent by one work, or to a lesser extent by your whole body of work? Their answers were mixed, and I won’t detail them here. Ultimately, it should be my turn to make a decision. Zsazsa Zaturnnah was meant to have three adventures. (It’s novelty can only be short-lived, really.) Any other adventure would just happen irregularly after the third. The remaining two adventures ought to be released in annual succession beginning later next year until 2005. With the unusually high interest in Zsazsa by some sectors (who I haven’t heard anything from directly), I’m suddenly pressed to take action to ‘protect the
Magic Moment and Game Girl Stopped by Comic Quest last night to pick up Vinnie 's eight-page comics masterpiece on dinosaurs for our Magic Moment mini-comics project. Magic Moment is a collection of pieces from Vinnie, myself, Dean , Marco , and Elbert which has...well... "magic moment" as its theme. For the first time, Vinnie and Dean get to draw their own work after a bit of coercing. They've always taken loving stabs at us writer-illustrator types, and so it was only fit and proper to hurl the challenge at them, to have them draw their own work. If they feel proud about their work, I feel much more proud. Anyways, Marco showed me the first installment of his Game Girl story for Psi-Com's Hainaku manga publication, illustrated by Palanca award-winner Honoel Ibardolaza . I was blown away by Honoel's work. Clean lay-outs and lines. He's got a firm hold on black-and-white rendering. There are only a few manga artists I really admire, and he's u
Maudlin Entry: Embrace After an hour of internet last night at Robinson’s Metro East, I trudged to Mercury Drug at Q Plaza to get my mom her medication – Vitamin E with Selenium, Eltroxyin 50mcg, and 20 tablets of Cecon (they didn’t have the generics). Cost me over Php800, but it was all for mom, and I didn’t bat an eyelash. Headed to Tropical Hut for dinner. Meal Number 1 and Number 8. Nice fast food, a far cry from Salsa Rosa, or Chili’s, or Country Waffles, or Piadina Central. It was a simple middle-income luxury, spending Php101.00 on fast food, but it was nourishment and that suited me just fine. It was around 9:30 pm when I arrived at Figaro at Sta. Lucia for my caffeine fix. “Sixteen ounce brewed, please,” I said customarily and, mechanically, found my seat at the corner of the smoking section, took out my paraphernalia (smokes, pad paper, pencil and pen), and began to draw, or doodle, or write as I fancied. Stayed until near midnight before beginning the walk home, a
Zsazsa Zaturnnah: The Movie? Over the past few days, there has been speculated interest in the making of the Zsazsa Zaturnnah movie adaptation. Mention of Zsazsa has allegedly been made on People’s Tonight and Private Conversations with Boy Abunda . While I personally feel it’s too early to have a Zsazsa movie, I have thought about how the piece would translate onscreen and what I’d like to see, given the opportunity. Following are my six ‘requests.’ 1. Please do not play for laughs. A majority, if not all, Filipino comedies bank on physical puns to elicit laughter – slapstick, extreme face contortions on punchlines, the ‘hwehwehweeeh’ track. I do not recall a Pinoy movie that relied on the wit of dialogue, save perhaps for Barbie with Joey de Leon, or the late Ading Fernando’s fantastic sitcom Duplex. I tried my best not to overkill the physical puns in Zsazsa, and allow characterization and dialogue to supply a good dose of humor. I must repeat here that comedy is really not t