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Showing posts from November, 2005
It's that time of year... ...when I temporarily cease my blogging activity, really for lack of anything more to say, which is most often the case. So here's to y'all for taking some time from your busiest of schedules to read my random thoughts and sentiments. Time is money, and I feel like you all have given me a million bucks with interest. Thank you. I don't have much plans for next year, save putting together a new book, more regular gym sessions (tummy getting large again), and a few odd things to keep my creativity running. I was invited to take an overseas trip next month, so I'm thinking that maybe traveling would be an enriching thing to do on a semi-regular basis--expand the mind, that sort of thing. (Oh, I promised my grandma that I'd visit her in Palawan again. It's been almost a decade since the last trip.) So much to be thankful for, really. When I think about all those times when I've received a light of a miracle during a dark day, I'
I don't if the MMDA has ever apprehended anyone over the theft of those metal tubes that make up the flyover balustrades, but the culprits apparently have inspired others into more daring exploits, as seen in this New York Times article, which could just as easily be part of some tabloidish conspiracy involving aliens. Or the intro of a retro superhero comic book... Light Poles Are Vanishing, and Baltimore's Police Are Baffled By GARY GATELY BALTIMORE, Nov. 24 - Given that they stand some 30 feet tall, their disappearance is attracting a good deal of attention here - even as their final destination remains a mystery. Thieves are sawing down aluminum light poles. Some 130 have vanished from Baltimore's streets in the last several weeks, the authorities say, presumably sold for scrap metal. But so far the case of the pilfered poles has stumped the police, and left many local residents wondering just how someone manages to make off with what would seem to be a conspicuous stre
The Original Soundtrack of my Life Got tagged by Mida for this one. Here we go... Not so much the song I'd play, but the song that suddenly creeps into my brain when I'm. . . 1. Lonely Or Down Tori Amos' 10,000 Oceans Kathy Troccoli's Stubborn Love 2. In Love Leigh Nash's I Need To Be Next To You Jason and DeMarco's All I Long For 3. Fighting With Your Significant Other Linkin Park's In The End Alanis Morissette's You Oughta Know 4. Having Sex Debbie Gibson's Losing Myself (Yeah, yeah, it's that Debbie Gibson!) Janet Jackson's If and That's the Way Love Goes 5. Nursing A Broken Heart Allure's Last Chance Regine Velasquez' Dadalhin Julia Fordham's Towerblock 6. In Need of Cheering Up Stacie Orrico's Strong Enough Christina Aguilera's Soar Whitnet Houston and Mariah Carey's When You Believe 7. About To Embark On A Road Trip Eraserhead's Alapaap WHAM!'s Wake Me Up Before You Go-go 8. Sunbathing On A Tropical
Lundag Hay, dyaske! Ang dami-dami ko pang gagawin! Pagod na pagod na ako, letse! Pero masaya naman. Sa paulit-ulit kong pagsasangguni sa mga tarot card, malimit sabihin ng mga ito na kailangan kong palayain ang aking sarili--na "lumundag sa bangin"-- kung nais kong umusad. Noong una'y hindi ko naintindihan nang lubos ang kahulugan nitong pagpapalaya. Anong ang bangin na tinutukoy ng mga ito? Habang tinatapos ko ang mga pahina para sa Graphic Classics, isinabay ko ang pagsasaliksik, pagdadasal, at pagninilay-nilay. Inungkat ko ang kailalim-laliman ng aking nakaraan upang makahanap ng mga dahilan at kasagutan. At, awa ng Diyos, nahawi ang misteryo. Lumitaw ang bangin sa aking harapan na pinapaligiran ng langit-bughaw, at sa aking pagdungaw ay nakita ko ang puting liwanag. Siyempre, kabado. Kasi ngayon lang ako lumundag sa bangin. Sa diving board pa lang ako nakasubok ng paglundag mula sa mataas, noong bata pa ako't nagpapakagilas, at sumalpak ako sa tubig na parang sumi
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To everyone who joined NaNoWriMo , hats off to y'all! I've only completed one piece of prose fiction in my life, called Lu Parlore d'Anjelia (The Parlor of Angels) which is one piece of melodramatic cow dung I'm really proud of. I completed it before I continued work on Zsazsa Zaturnnah in 2002. It's a story told in first person, about a woman who was abandoned by her guy, and was inspired by Jostein Gaarder's novella Vita Brevis (That Same Flower). A lot of my friends write prose. Me, well you could say that that part of me experienced an unnecessary miscarriage, so it'll be a while before I get back to stringing paragraphs together (save for blogging, of course). My boss has been urging me to contribute to Story Philippines , and I've even received two invites from the publication. But all things come in good time. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I'm apprehensive. I don't know if I should get Madonna's Confe
Auditions Ever! (from the Tanghalang Pilipino mailing list) TANGHALANG PILIPINO'S ZSAZSA ZATURNNAH (ZE MUZIKAL) AUDITIONS - EVER! When : November 29, 2005 2PM-8PM and December 6, 2005 2PM-8PM Where : Bulwagang Amado Hernandez (Conference Room) Ground Floor, CCP MAIN BLDG. REQUIREMENTS: 1. MUST BE AT LEAST 18 YRS. OLD 2. PREFERABLY WITH THEATER EXPERIENCE 3. CAN SING VERY WELL 4. RESUME WITH 2X2 HEADSHOT (or bigger) Auditionees must BELT OUT A COMIC RENDITION OF A SERIOUS SONG (a capella or accompanied by minus-one/music piece), complete with DANCE STEPS OR MOVEMENT NOTE: Wearing of costume is strongly encouraged. Please register by phone beginning November 22, 2005. For more details, call the TP office at 832-3661 or 832-1125 locals 1620/1621.
"Lying here with you, Listening to the rain, Smiling just to see, The smile upon your face, These are the moments, I thank God that I'm alive, These are the moments, I'll remember all my life, I found all I've waited for, And I could not ask for more." from "I Could Not Ask for More" by Edwin McCain ------------------------------------------ I don't usually post lyrics on my blog. So don't mind me. I'm reminiscing. Someone once said that he thought the song to be "one of the greatest love songs." I agree, 'cause I can't seem to prevent myself from smiling everytime I hear it. An interesting thing I read recently from a neuroscience article: on a neuro-chemical level, raging lust is not as powerful as passionate love. I wouldn't know since I haven't experienced any of the two in a while. :-P I was with our staff writer and photographer during the "real makeover" photo shoot this afternoon, and our topic shif
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Boats and Horses Graphic Classics is an anthology series I would describe as "high-end Illustrated Classics," with each volume featuring either an author or a genre. Talented folks like Arnold Arre and Gerry Alanguilan have contributed to Graphic Classics in the past, and I was fortunate enough to land an art assignment for its next volume, Graphic Classics: Rafael Sabatini . At first, I thought I would be given something short and simple since it's my first time to work with the publication and they'd want to test me out. But lo and behold, a script for a 40-page pirate story "Captain Blood" appeared in my inbox (the average Graphic Classics story runs between 10 to 20 pages). Suffice to say, I've never drawn so many galleons and horses in my life. Apart from the numerous references generously sent by editor Tom Pomplun (including the classic film starring Errol Flynn), I scoured the internet for additional references, particularly the galleons. What&#
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It has been a family tradition to camp at the cemetery--Loyola Marikina--during All Saints' Day since dad passed away in 1989. My grandfather died years later, so it's the two of them we visit now. (My great-grandfather was also buried in Loyola, but his remains had recently been exhumed.) We bought a large tent and one of those collapsible plastic table-bench thingies--an ingenious invention--and held vigil with thousands of others throughout all those nights. There were the jitters during the first year, since staying overnight at the cemetery was inconceivable, but we got used to it. And how could one possibly get jittery with all those people?! In the earlier years since we started the camping tradition, the night's silence had been broken by a small amusement park beside the cemetery, karaoke warbling, guitar strumming, the clacing of mah-jongg tiles, and wandering vendors selling everything from taho to rosaries, while the area outside the cemetery transforms into a
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ICON magazine releases its fifth issue, which is also its first anniversary issue. It's common knowledge that LGBT magazines have to fight tooth and nail to stay alive in this country, yet ICON seems to be growing more and more with each issue. Congratulations to the ICON team! Rafael Rosell continues the high-profile cover model culture of ICON--following Brent Javier and Borgy Manotoc in the last two issues--which is sure to please his fans and admirers, as well as rice queens from all over. (His Bench Body billboards are hazardous, to say the least.) ICON has been receiving fan mail from as far as Europe and the US, so overseas distribution is not a far-fetched idea. The fifth issue features, among other subjects, Filipino LGBT celebrities who have made a mark in the international scene. The mag's Invasion theme is very appropo. ICON is sizzling on the newsstands, so go get some.