The Carver's House

After what seemed like forever, the Film Academy of the Philippines released its official list of nominations for the 25th Luna Awards. The Luna Awards is the Philippine equivalent to the Oscars, wherein industry practitioners call the shots. For this year's race, Star Cinema's Kasal, Kasali, Kasalo earned top nods with eight nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress. In close second is Unitel Pictures' Inang Yaya with six noms, including Best Picture, though director duo Veronica Velasco and Pablo Biglang-Awa weren't cited. The three other Best Picture contenders are Centerstage Productions' Kaleldo , Star Cinema's Sukob , and MLR Films' Kubrador . These three films earned four nominations each. A total of 26 films bagged nominations, with both commercial and indie films represented. To me, the oddity of the lot is Sukob . Apart from Picture and Director nods, the horror hit's other two nominations are for Supporting Actor a...

If you haven't seen this yet, be prepared for a good chuckle. Animation shorts from MTV Japan featuring two rabbits in prison. There are 20 installments, I believe, across a number of videos up until the rabbits escape. It's a nice respite.

The opportunity to play "fashion model" at work sometimes lands on our lap. Yesterday was special because it was our annual "class picture," where the Real Living staff glams up a few notches, and does crazy stuff in front of the camera, complete with lights and backdrop. It's primarily for documentation, really, but who says we can't jazz it up a bit? Ika nga nila, pang-professional. Parang pina-salon . The results are great for Friendster. Thing was, I found myself investing in a formal outfit. Steep price, but pretty much worth it considering it looked good on me. Plus, having another option apart from the usual Barong Tagalog was much welcome. In this photo taken by Ocs Alvarez, I asked editorial assistant Kathleen Valle to tug at my tie, just for fun. And Kath, who's quickly getting used to the magazine life, took the challenge like a pro. The picture came out pretty good, I believe.

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I don't have any pictures. Har har! Touched down at the Mactan International Airport yesterday at around 3:15 in the afternoon and went straight to SM to check the National Bookstore branch there. After that I went to Osmeña Circle to look for a hotel. The Century Plaza Hotel wouldn't have been my choice if I wasn't in a hurry--it was already 5:30pm. It was okay, since I'm not very picky, but it wasn't worth the price. This morning I called up the front desk and asked about the breakfast that came with the package. The receptionist said that the restaurant was still closed--at10:00 am--and that they were willing to get breakfast from Jollibee. Now I didn't mind that the bathtub drain wasn't working, but hotel breakfast courtesy of Jollibee??? Anyway, I'm back at SM for my book signing. If just one person gets his or her book signed, I'll be happy. If no one shows up, then it's still okay. I got to Cebu on my own, and went around on my own without...

The are social networking sites, and then there are specialized social networking sites. One of those is Comicspace , where many a comics fan or creator are already a member of. Another site that's piqued my interest of late is Sketchfu , a site where you get to exercise your artistic skills via a digital canvass. Unlike that interactive monstrosity that is Facebook , Sketchfu only requires you to draw, or browse through other's masterpieces and leave a comment or cheer. The control panel for the canvass doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles. The brush sizes are very limited, and so's the color palette. And, if you're using a mouse, be prepared to develop carpal tunnel syndrome if you're thinking of creating something ambitious. (Gets me one step closer to procuring a tablet. Hmmm...) Learn how to draw cartoons, comics, and anime at Sketchfu! The image shown is one of the few drawings I've done on Sketchfu. As I've said in other posts, I'm not too...

Amazon recently released its e-book reader, christened Kindle, a portable device that can store up to 200 books, magazines, and other publications which a user can download through Amazon. Downloading is done through the mobile phone network, not WiFi. Its plus-features include a non-glare screen, thanks to e-paper technology. The unit's weight is comparable to ordinary books, and it has a built-in dictionary in case you want to look up a word. More research can be done through a link to Wikipedia. You can also annotate pages and change the type size. There are no monthly charges--you only pay for the unit and the books you buy or the newspapers and magazines you subscribe to--since Amazon pays for the access. And what you order supposedly makes it to your Kindle in a minute or less. Sounds like a dream come true for many reading aficionados--imagine bringing a whole library of books on a long trip. But Amazon wants you to dole out $399.00 for the convenience, and because its funct...