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Showing posts from October, 2007

Real Living: The Designer Issue

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In the November issue of Real Living , you'll learn: dozens of professional designer tips you can use to improve your living space how interior designers operate and how you can work with them the difference between designer furniture classics and their cheaper copycats Plus, we have a family room makeover, a garden furniture primer, and over 100 holiday and budget finds to guide your Christmas shopping adventure. Now available. Get na, now na!!

Afraid!!

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Happy Halloween!!

Book Signing

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Thanks to Tanghalang Pilipino , National Bookstore , and Visual Print Enterprises , I will be signing books at the SM Cebu branch of National Bookstore on the 18th of November (Sunday) from 12:00 noon to 2:30pm. Sana may pumunta. Heheheh. Here's the sample of the tag-team promo material that should find its way into Cebu-based National Bookstore branches. The Cebu run of the Zaturnnah musical is co-produced by Elite Internationa l .

Two Tragedies and a Comedy

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The King and the Clown (Wang-ui namja) . This Korean film set in the early 1500s has numerous accomplishments. It's Korea's official entry to the Oscars, but has already won numerous awards from the local industry and a few international festivals. Even more intriguing is that apart from being the second highest grossing film in Korea (topped recently by The Host ), its story has a strong homosexual undertone. Two male clowns, played by the ruggedly handsome Gam Wu-seong and the ethereally beautiful Lee Jun Ki, win the favor of a tyrannical king (Jeong Jin-yeong). A strange triangle takes place when the king takes a liking to the effeminate Lee. Though it's been called Korea's Brokeback Mountain , there's hardly a similarity, and apart from one brief kiss between the king and the clown the homosexuality doesn't slap you in the face. While one "deleted clip" that made it to YouTube reinforces the intimate relationship between Gam and Lee, the actual fi

Thirteen Things About Writing...

I've posted a few drawings recently, so here's a little something about the writing part... Writing is like growing a friendship. In building your deep friendship with Writing, here's what to expect: 1) If you want to be good friends with Writing, you have to spend time with her. Mag-hang out kayo on a regular basis. Kayong dalawa lang. Mag-usap kayo. 2) You'll discover that Writing has her moods. Madalas na totopakin siya't hindi ka niya papakinggan. Gusto mo mang magsulat, but Writing will tell you she has a headache. Be patient with her. 3) Sometimes she'll try to get your attention. Tatawagin ka at 3:00 a.m. at gusto niyang magtelebabad. Worse, she might compete for your time, and your friends won't understand why you'd want to hang out with her. 4) Hindi sasabihin ni Writing ang lahat ng kanyang sikreto. It's your job to find out her secrets from other sources--books, other writers, websites, etc. She'll say, "Find out first, then we

Lampungan Blues

I haven't bought a tabloid in a very long time. But I got the strange urge on the night of October 15 to buy a few of them, one of which sparked a spit match between two heartthrobs, a talent manager, and so many others in between. In her column entitled, "Piolo at Sam, huling-huling naglalampungan," Lolit Solis claims that she saw Piolo Pascual and Sam Milby at the Sofitel (former Philippine Plaza) coffee shop. Quote: "Dalawang mhin ang napansin ko dahil kakaiba ang kanilang ikinikilos as in sweet sila habang nagbubulungan. Halos magkadikit na nga ang mga pisngi nila noh!" She then says that the two men bolted when a waiter called out her name. It was then that she claims to have recognized the two idols. "Kung dinedma nila ako, hindi ko sila mapapansin. Hindi ko malalaman na nasa iisang lugar pala kami." Continuing, she writes that she wouldn't make much of a fuzz if the two men hadn't done the same. "Kung lumapit at bumati sa akin sina

Nice In A Way

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This graphic is part of a screen capture from the official Gawad Urian website . So from under my nose, I've been co-nominated with Dinno Erece for screenplay. So does this mean I can actually put "Gawad Urian nominee" in my credits, even if the movie solely credits Dinno? I haven't been formally informed of this nomination and I didn't even get an invite to the Urian awards night. I'm not complaining about not getting invited, really. It just makes things a tad... ambiguous.

I've never read the Potter books...

... so for those who've read the whole thing, did you ever suspect that Dumbledore was gay ? Pretty wild, if you ask me.

Niabot na Gyud Zsa! - Zaturnnah in Cebu

Here's the special promotional video for "Za Tour Nah!" in Cebu. ZSAZSA ZATURNNAH (ZE MUZIKAL) happens at the SM Cebu Cinema 1 on November 16, 17 and 18 3PM/8PM. Tickets available at: SM Cebu cinema lobby, East West Café Ayala, or call VICTO HAUS 032-255-3776 (look for Merlin)

My Desktop: Tagged by Oliver

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Oh-kaaaayyy... Oliver tagged me into revealing my desktop image. *sigh* It's some pro fitness model whose name escapes me. One one end, his is a physique I'd like to somehow achieve one day (however approximately, it's a long way off) . Otherwise, he's simply a nice breather at the end of a work day. Rules for this! (tagging Ed , Gerry , El , Marco , and Jonas for this one) 1.Upon receiving this tag, immediately perform a screen capture of your desktop. It is best that no icons be deleted before the screen capture so as to add to the element of fun. 2.Post the picture in your blog. You can also give a short explanation on the look of your desktop just below it if you want. You can explain why you preferred such look or why is it full of Icons, things like that. 3.Tag five of your friends and ask them to give you a Free View of their desktop as well.

Interesting So Far: From Super Funny Komix #3

Blanco Negro: Carlo J. Caparas, Dell Barras Two kids, one naughty and one nice. Two unusually talented gamecocks (that’s chickens for you), one black and one white. An interesting setup. While it’s easy to assume that the fowls would meet face-to-face during one of those “derbies of the century,” I’d like to think that there’s a twist somewhere. Dell Barras’ art is easy on the eyes--the angular lines and Western-style detailing are a pleasant surprise. Tintona: Andy Beltran, Ding Abubot The curious Tintona discovers that her two overbearing aunts possess a secret, involving a covered well, sealed shut by a lock, and a mysterious ring. This story installment shows further unraveling of the plot, which is intruiguing so far. There’s an appealing quirkiness in Ding Abubot’s art style, and I love how renders trees and plants. The Babe and the Beasts: Gilda Olvidado and Joey D. Celerio An orphaned but silver-spooned Andrew finds protection from five dogs and his beautiful nanny Mar

"So Stupid, It's Compelling"

I've always wondered what a foreign critic might think of the Zaturnnah film, and that prayer has been answered somehow when MetroWeekly editor Sean Bugg delivers a short review of the film. MetroWeekly is a Washington, DC-based LGBT magazine. He begins by saying, "I'm not sure what gay filmmakers in the Philippines have been smoking lately, and I'm not sure I'd want some." But he gives the Padilla/Padilla starrer the honor of "critic's pick!" It's like that unconfirmed rumor where European (or was it Japanese) cineastes loved Gagamboy . There's really something in our films that they see that we apparently can't, and that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Drawing: Dodong in Faux Ad

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This one's for the ladies and men-loving gents...

Half-cooked?

The newspaper stand at the Shaw-Pioneer corner was selling what's left of their batch of Sterling comics. Despite the worn dust-crusted covers, these comics made me whip out P40, and I eagerly carried them home. (Only four of the five titles were available.) This is my first contact with the Caparas babies since their release last month. I went up to my room, sat on my bed, and excitedly leafed through each one. I smiled. It was like the eighties again. There's the good, and the not so good. Overall, however, it still felt like the eighties. And, sadly, that's not good. I expected much from the printing, given that Sterling has been successful with their greeting cards and stationery, churned out by their up-to-date printing facilities. (When I worked with the company in 1990, their quality was already comparable with the sosyal Hallmark cards.) I've seen better color-printing-on-newsprint from smaller presses. So if the production people say that they're still &qu

Down the Drain

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I lost P300 two Fridays ago. It shouldn't have happened. I did the necessary steps--dialled 1510 plus the PIN stamped on the card. However, the voice prompt said, "The amount has been loaded," instead of "You have successfully loaded P300." So I tried again, and got the same message. I checked the credit balance. Nada. I checked ten minutes later. Nada still. My heart then started to race from frustration. I called a friend who worked at the telco and asked for a remedy. Friend said to call *888. I did, and was met by another prompt, "All lines are busy now." I attempted to get through *888 almost everyday, during business and off hours, and the insensitive voice prompt was working overtime. Either the telco didn't have enough customer service reps, or getting complaints 24/7 was all in every day's work. Paranoia got the best of me, and I resorted to a couple of e-loads before mustering enough bravery to buy a new cellcard. Thankfully, the new

Drawing: Queen Femina in Faux Ad

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Click on the image to enlarge. This is, of course, not meant to imply any kind of endorsement for undergarments.

Is My Type Your Type?

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Long Day

Got four hours of sleep yesterday morning. I didn't want to miss my appointment at the CCP in the early afternoon, plus the matinee staging of Mario O'Hara's Insiang . Call it paranoia, but I find it difficult to sleep knowing that I have to be somewhere at a certain time, particularly if that certain somewhere requires lengthy travel. I got to the CCP early to meet Tuxqs for a quick lunch before meeting Tanghalang Pilipino's artistic director Dennis Marasigan for updates on the Cebu show. Also got to talk with director Chris Millado about future prospects of the musical. They possibilities sounded very promising. If plans push through, it looks like it'll be a while before the show takes a final bow for real. Got to see Insiang (based on the Hilda Koronel starrer), then traded opinions with Tuxqs about the show. After viewing the play with a more-than-open mind (you have to given generous servings of colorful language, among other sounds and sights), I can say tha

Interviews

On average, I get solicited for 1 or 2 interviews a month. It's really flattering, knowing that there are a few folks out there who feel I have something important to say. I think, however, I ought to create a separate blog/website for the most common questions-- particularly concerning background information. Something like an online "press kit." I don't know if it's a proper thing to do since it kills spontaneity, but I think having background information readily available can save interview time, allowing the proceedings to jump immediately to the more cerebral concerns. The last interview I had was with a student who was doing a semiotic reading of the Zaturnnah book. Towards the end of the session, he asked, "What was the weirdest question you ever gotd?" I don't recall a particular question, but I do remember a particular incident. Without naming names or circumstances here, Interviewer asked me, "What's the book about?" I said, &

Perfect Strangers

I was a television junkie in my youth. I had no choice--television provided the "best" free entertainment there was. About the only show back then that endured is Eat Bulaga , and it's still consistently strong in the ratings game. When I look at the current ratings lists, I see shows I've never heard of-- 1 vs. 100 , Tok! Tok! Tok! , XXX , Impostora , among others. And when I pick up a recent issue of a showbiz magazine, I can't figure out the new, mostly youngish, faces. Everything I know to date is largely because of the news, or the stuff I read on a rare forum visit. Still, they're pretty much perfect strangers. I managed to see a bit of Lastikman during a coffee break from work. The cafe had a television, and Vhong Navarro was strutting his elastic stuff as I sipped my cup of brewed. I watched attentively as he did his acrobatic darndest in a fight scene with this alien scum who had tornado powers... pretty okay. Then after he gets zapped, the show segu

Drawing: Scarlet Witch

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click on the image to enlarge

Offline

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Internet service at home has been out of order for a few days now, which is why I haven't been blogging lately. To pass the time, I cleaned up my computer files, did a bit of writing, and drew and colored a pin-up of Wanda Maximoff (a.k.a. The Scarlet Witch). I'll post that as soon as I can. I've actually begun to slow down in the writing department, with my brain shifting to drawing mode. During the time I've spent putting words to paper, my sketches would more often be really rough. I couldn't get myself to draw cleanly. After the shift, my writing has become less focused, and my drawing has been more precise. It's a seesaw effect I hadn't really paid much attention to. So now I'm doing rough layouts of the first part of the Zaturnnah script. Even though the script for the second act isn't complete, I know its time will come. - - - - - - - - - - - - Saturday was my niece's birthday. I found myself for the very first time at the Mall of Asia, an