Hoposexual

According to the List Blog, a hoposexual "is someone who isn’t gay but really wishes they were. There are varying degrees of hoposexual (kind of a hoposexual Kinsey scale), if you will."

For his uncalled for reaction on homosexuals involved in the Santa Cruzan, I'm giving the good Bishop (pretty in pink, i see) an optimistic 5. How'd he fare on your chart?

meaning taken from http://thelistblog.com/2008/05/13/5-safe-for-work-hilarious-urban-dictionary-entries/
image taken from http://www.hipgallery.com/photopost2/data/500/Picture_13.png

Spaced Out Blues

Feeling a little under the weather lately. The only thing that helped me get through this week was Halina and discovering that Danny Arao linked this lil' thingie right in to his blog.

I don't feel like citing.
Sue me.

I Like Her Because...

of her bluesy (sexy!) rendition of Oh Darling!

I also heart T.V. Carpio's breezy I Want To Hold Your Hand. It's something you'd want to listen to on a Sunday afternoon when you (,like most people,) have nothing to do. Made me sleepy. Not that I'm not sleepy most of the time.

Pity the movie was to literal. The Mr. Kite sequence was a visual feast, though (as it should be, lest you want Lennon to haunt you).

image taken from http://breakthruradio.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/across-the-universe-luther-fuchs.JPG

B. Russell on Progress

"Change is one thing, progress is another. Change is scientific, progress is ethical. Change is indubitable, whereas progress is a matter of controversy."
~Bertrand Russell

Had to search for the meaning of indubitable for this post.

One thing's for sure. It wasn't the suit that helped the monkey with the equation.

image taken from http://www.ideamonkey.biz/monkey_blackboard.gif

found it...

Come to think of it, isn't this an integral part of the circle of life?

this post is brought to you by the word 'fokfokation'

Clearly, there's a significant difference between independent and alternative. The former just means you don't have much moolah (then why is Cinema One's Romeo and Juliet considered indie?), the latter is an entirely different thing. Lumbera succeeds in differentiating the two. Try Revaluation.
Familiar with Red Saga? It's a work in progress.
i currently have 200 pesos (give or take) ... could i make one?
For wanna-be-film-makers, Rodriguez' Rebel could probably do wonders for your work. El Mariachi is proof.

I blame my "training" in film (and Romeo and Juliet) production for my indie film trauma. sigh.

Side dish: According to Nash (another Cimatu frequenter), Serbis was reviewed as one of the worst films in this year's Cannes. Sad. To quote Nash, you can't always have fokfokation films as 'art.' And apparently, not all Pareno movies are great. Again, this time sadder.

image taken from http://www.ebooknetworking.com/books/045/227/big0452271878.jpg

The Subjective and The Objective

This table was taken from Arthur Koestler's The Act of Creation. Upheld as one of the most influential art theorist, Koestler was one of the assigned readings in our Humanidades 2. The graph demonstrates the spectrum of position taken by different human endeavors. Being highly subjective, are you still convinced that art (,or writing for that matter,) is non-political?

Pity I didn't give this much thought back then.

Must be the nostalgic-i-miss-schooling-days setting in.

I miss learning. (sigh)

image taken from http://www.doctorhugo.org/objective-subjective/objective-subjective.html

Another Brick on the Wall

In light of the coming school year, a not-so-friendly message from Pink Floyd:

(cut to)

"We don't need no education. We don't need no thought control. No dark sarcasm in the classroom."

(fade under)

Aside from demanding for greater state subsidy, how about calling for a reorientation? (Read: Stop churning out robots. )


(Easier said than done.)

(fade in)

"All in all it's just another brick in the wall. All in all you're just another brick in the wall."

* The "singularity" and "trippy pink floyd shit" scenario got me to re-post this image (click to enlarge) from Boing-Boing.

image taken from http://www.boingboing.net/2008/05/27/mashed-frontier-airl.html

The Mahatma* Matching Type Post

Forget the "Seven New Wonders of the World." Here's the Gandhi version.

(And to make it more fun, here's a game. Match the image with the appropriate blunder. Click image to enlarge)

Behold!

The Seven Blunders of the World

Wealth without work
Pleasure without conscience
Knowledge without character
Commerce without morality
Science without humanity
Worship without sacrifice
Politics without principle




* Mahatma means Great Soul, thus, Mahatma Gandhi. Real name is Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

Side note: The way I see it, this seven wonder thingie could hasten the degradation of the said "wonder." Yeah, we could argue about protection and maintenance. But wasn't the same thing promised for the Banawe Rice Terraces ? And do we really need to make this "official?" That's just ego-tripping.

images taken from
http://www.ellentordesillas.com/wp-content/gloria02.JPG
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y299/bobo_ass12/pgma.jpg&imgrefurl=http://tl.wordpress.com/tag/armando-ducat/feed/&h=256&w=192&sz=25&hl=en&start=6&sig2=b8f1mu8Qacxo7CrjQ4YU3Q&um=1&tbnid=m4ogQ0YIaDeU9M:&tbnh=111&tbnw=83&ei=KeE8SJfFIYfw6QPwprW8Dg&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dpgma%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DG
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d175/martin_nuke/others/assumption.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.asiafinest.com/forum/lofiversion/index.php/t55248.html&h=360&w=258&sz=34&hl=en&start=3&sig2=jaMRj-5-gHSeHzx01DY7-Q&um=1&tbnid=eBxFavjO0XUVzM:&tbnh=121&tbnw=87&ei=uuE8SNvRAo366QOQspyhDg&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dpgma%2Bassumption%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DG
http://filamrealtor.net/media/pgma_336.gif&imgrefurl=http://filamrealtor.net/business_chambers_of_commerce_news_20070001.htm&h=251&w=336&sz=62&hl=en&start=35&sig2=Q73cOAoeZTY169QQx_KzwA&um=1&tbnid=sJq8uC4QlxS0JM:&tbnh=89&tbnw=119&ei=GeI8SMjwI4vAiAHOwvHSCA&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dpgma%2B%26start%3D20%26ndsp%3D20%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN
http://sikwati.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/gloria.jpg&imgrefurl=http://sikwati.wordpress.com/category/politics/&h=267&w=243&sz=17&hl=en&start=39&sig2=ThyBdXwaRGGAX01CSGt7IQ&um=1&tbnid=68J9rKU2W_hpoM:&tbnh=113&tbnw=103&ei=pOI8SIO3KpO-iwG-5cjBCA&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dgloria%2Barroyo%26start%3D20%26ndsp%3D20%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN
http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/00jkcK60jJ7jy/340x.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.daylife.com/photo/00jkcK60jJ7jy&h=462&w=340&sz=38&hl=en&start=2&sig2=4gEhrtwcKQRKg7o0IcoN_Q&um=1&tbnid=ko3FKu0C4Vta7M:&tbnh=128&tbnw=94&ei=--I8SOn3IZKUigGu5LHbCA&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dgloria%2Barroyo%2Bpraying%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DG
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvSHI3Z82KgLHude8fW0oNMBO2dc3h1cmyXeURJ7-8NoAuznZqmnKB1GVr6edJaQFRU2GN77J5MSQVOdz2lpEWXLZ2NspjiPWE8bDSNPL2xezMxwuFAaLF0U1iWN7lThvL9pEm/s400/PGMA-200-pesos.jpg&imgrefurl=http://paulding.blogspot.com/2007_11_01_archive.html&h=400&w=400&sz=78&hl=en&start=56&sig2=L3bh8ZX_8lqBaDfJy1mSLg&um=1&tbnid=5cVTdqC2vsypyM:&tbnh=124&tbnw=124&ei=veM8SIv5B5GQ6gOklIifDg&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dpgma%26start%3D40%26ndsp%3D20%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN

waiting for my turn

In the future everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes.
~ Andy Warhol

Ever wondered what a R. Tolentino, Andy Warhol and Michael Jackson meet-up would look like?


And Kiko Machine - the self proclaimed "Andy Warhol" of Philippine Music.

"Wala pa ring tatalo kay Val Sotto. "

image taken from http://www.princeofpop.com/SELFLARGE.jpg

Of Art and Alcohol

A Filipina recently made news for her paintings done with coffee.

This may disappoint her, but the idea of using beverages as medium isn't something new. Here's my latest find (click image to enlarge).
The style reminds me of Acosta's terracotta - Mexican/Aztec (?) inspired magnum opuses. I especially liked the gentleness of this mermaid's eyes (much like the eyes of most of Acosta's work).

image taken from http://www.designer-daily.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/mermaid.jpg

What Else Should I Be?

Recently learned about hotlinking. I'm truly sorry to those whose bandwidth I unknowingly stole. Looking back, I shouldn't have replaced the picture. Should have served as a reminder.

oh well, dambel.

On another note, I recently came across two very nice (did I hear somebody say wit-teyh?) images. Here they are:

The image on the left would probably appeal to Halina. She's been into gender and women's liberation stuff since I could remember. I heart the rizal-headphone-police-sunglasses image. A friend told me that she saw the same image at Saguijo in Makati. Never been to the place.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take note of their sources. All apologies.

Holy Dog, Saintly Horse

Yano: AFP ‘on track’ to crush communists in 2010 (inquirer.net headline)

Yano: Kamusta na? Ayus pa ba? Ang buhay natin, kaya pa ba?



One's a bad motherfucker, the other's simply a motherfucker.

image taken from http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20080523-138336/Yano-AFP-on-track-to-crush-communists-in-2010 and http://www.freewebtown.com/presmarcus/dong1.jpg

Fierce!

[or the "Martin Masadao* + Used Clothing (+ etc) + Semiotics = The Ukay Ukay Handbook!" post]

Again, I was scavenging through Cimatu's blog** (partly out of habit, partly because I have nothing better to do) when I found this relevant article on one of Baguio's novelties. Much like Fiske's "Jeaning," the essay acknowledges (albeit, subtly) the dualistic character of the phenomena.

Here's Cimatu's:

The Semiotics of Ukay Ukay

A French anthropologist while doing the ukay-ukay at Bayanihan in 1998, told me she remembered reading a book about the dumping of used-clothes in Nigeria. She said the clothes came from French and my mind swam over a sea of Christian Dior and Coco Chanel haute couture in some Nigerian version of Bayanihan. It is worth digging up on how ukay-ukay eventually became wagwag and why Baguio became the center of it all. Ukay-ukay, which means "dig up - dig up" in Visaya, was the term for these garments, accessories, toys and other thingamajigs packed in huge cartons and unloaded in piers. "Ukay-ukay" first cropped in the port areas like Zamboanga, Cagayan de Oro, San Fernando and Manila. They had been around since the Second World War but hardly anyone noticed them.Even in Baguio, used clothings shipped from the US were already being sold in the Baguio Market in the 1950s***. European countries got the Marshall Plan and what we got were the jeep and the ukay-ukay. These were the Big Brother's hand-me-downs.And since Baguio was established as the Summer Capital exactly a hundred years ago by the Americans, it was inevitable that ukay-ukay also find its way up there. But PX was all the rage then and ukay-ukay were thrift shop fodder.The epiphany came when ukay-ukay (which suggest digging into the piles of unsorted clothes) became wagwag. There are many theories about wagwag. One suggested that the ukay-ukay originated behind the rice section of the Baguio Market, hence the borrowing of wagwag variety of rice. The most probable one is the act of shaking the clothes ("wagwag"in Filipino and Ilocano) from the pile. So the evolution is from digging them up (ukay-ukay), you eventually shake off the dust in the hope of sizing them and wearing them.The period that ukay-ukay became wagwag in Baguio was in the 1980s when the source of garments shifted from US to Hongkong and Japan. The Philippine Japanese Association, which is very strong in Baguio, started the weekly sale of used clothes from Tokyo until the floodwaters broke. Used garments from Hongkong also started pouring in.If in the past the ukay-ukay (shortened into U2 by the sellers after a popular brand of clothing not the rock band) were unloaded in piers, now the wagwag traders or viajeros fly every other week to HK and accompany the boxes with them. Many of these viajeros were former HK domestics who knew their way around the former Crown Colony. Opening the boxes (done mostly on Saturdays) is like Pandora opening that damned box. You wouldn't know what you get. A box of used bedsheets and blankets is a losing cause while a box of children's clothes is a jackpot. At first, the shops lay out whatever they got. But as the shops proliferate (almost a thousand now compared to only 200 in 1997), in-trading has become the norm. Some shops now sell only toys, others only baseball caps and jackets. When a wagwag shop exclusively for left-handed (Remember Simpsons?) would be created, you know that the end is near.When the 1990 earthquake hit Baguio, the thing that drove the tourists back were the U2 and the ww.com (gayspeak for wagwag). Now it is the main crowd drawer. This will find its significance when we realize that Bayanihan (the Ground Zero for wagwag) was one of the first hotels in Baguio. From rest-and-recreation, the thrust of Baguio shifted to shop-till-you-drop.Why Baguio? Because if you have a U2 shop, for example, in hot CdeO and the box you got were all fur coats, what would you do? Wear them and sweat like a hog or deconstruct them into seat covers? At least in Baguio you can wear them and if you find them tacky, ship them to Lepanto where Fashion TV has yet to be shown in cable. U2 is the new drug and the network is as extensive. I bought a used scarf in Banaue. Does this forebode the over-commercialization of our tourism industry? Don't be silly. It's still the fight against the rich vs. poor, the North vs. the South. If Hongkong kept all its clothes like my mother does, it would sink on its sheer weight. They would only be glad to dump these on us. That is why there are still so many of us who fear the wagwag, seeing these are harbingers of AIDS and other imagined diseases.The garment trade is a social and ecological nightmare, just ask Kathie Lee and her sweatshop scandal. At least when you wear recycled clothes, you are assuaging the guilt of those who owned it first. You also help Planet Earth. Globalization is not always a sell-out. American books and magazines destined for landfills are sold here cheaply and the best thing you can do is to read them and learn. The key is to wear not-so-innocent wagwag yet keep your virtues pure. I remember treading along the foggy Baguio-Bontoc Road when out from the mist in Atok loomed an old woman wearing a long white coat with fur collars. She was carrying a bouquet of cala lily. The gown can only be wagwag. My friend, a photographer who forgot his camera, cried at such a surreal sight. I can only mutter, The White Lady of Cordillera also wears wagwag.


*Martin Masadao (et al) won the best production design for the 2007 Cinemalaya entry, Pisay.
** Am apologizing for the shameless stealing, Mr. Cimatu. May the Force be with You (and me as well).
*** Hilltop, back of Baguio Market, is the best place for a true-blue-(h)ukay-(h)ukay experience. If itchiness persist, consult your doctor.

P.S. Corrected - from Masadao's to Cimatu's. Again, apologies to Mr. Cimatu.

image taken from http://witerary.com/2006/signoff/signof44.jpg

Suddenly,

remembered Bethune. Sadly, I forgot the other 4.

Need (re-)orientation?

Definitely.


image taken from http://laspoliticas.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/confused.jpg

The Talented Ms. Pareno

Two Can(ne)s and A GinaThere's a Can Festival and a Cannes Festival (shorts available on YouTube)

Haven't seen Kubrador (yet) and am hoping to catch (?) Pareno's next international flick, Serbis.
Where to? Carriedo?

"Piracy is counter-culture."

(Nga naman.)
And so are grafittis.

photo taken from http://www.varsitarian.com/images/7803/7803340004.jpg and http://www.thehumorarchives.com/joke/Piracy

Richer by 11M

And that's according to her.

She's now worth 99.616M, ladies and gentlemen. Must be her economic skills at work. Then again...

pa-cheese burger ka naman.

burger!-burger!

(repeat if necessary)

picture taken from http://www.manilamaildc.net/wp-content/gallery/vol-xvii-no-10/arroyo.jpg

Fahrenheit 4999

[click to enlarge]

Now where am I supposed to get $49.99? The idea of online publishing (or new media for that matter) is the decentralization of content production.

Sigh

Got to develop mental telepathy. Quick.

For additional info on this potential threat, click.

image taken from http://www.thehumorarchives.com/joke/Net_Neutrality_is_Important

A Sunburn

is a friendly reminder from Mother Nature to "Stop fucking around, mother| father| brother| sister| relative fucker!"






Noted.

image taken from www.cs.cmu.edu

Sad That Sartre Didn't Have a Chance to Meet Ka Bel

Remember, Che? Then again, his face coopted by the the system may be one of the last things Ka Bel would want.

Ka Bel

"...in order to be a true revolutionary, you must understand love. Love, sacrifice, and death"
~ Sonia Sanchez, US poet and author of Black Women

Crispin "Ka Bel" Beltran
(January 7, 1933 - May 20, 2008)

photo taken from tonyocruz.com

Citius, Altius, Fortius

[if the image isn't moving, click it]

How?
Found this in the Reporters Without Borders campaign site. Sadly true.
Boycott MSG!

image taken from http://www.rsf.org/IMG/gif/250-250-gb-4.gif

Nostradamus Never Predicted This

image taken from http://www.mcnblogs.com/mcindie/archives/images/Idiocracy_2-34.jpg

Sipon

Nito lang, naalala ko ang paliligo sa ulan.

Yung sisilong ka lang sa alululod na magmimistulang shower (walang shower sa probinsya). Kahit malamig (at naninigas na ang aming mga utong), sige pa rin, takbo lang ng takbo sa kalsada.

At kung tumila nga kaagad (at bitin pa), guguhit lang kami ng araw sa lupa at iihian namin ito. Sa pag-asang uulan muli.

Kung kailan pa ako lumaki saka pa ako sinisipon tuwing nauulanan.

* Salamat kay NS, sa pagpapahiram ng larawan.

Kapag Puno Na ang Salop

I came across these lines while browsing for the famous "para kang karinderyang bukas sa lahat ng gustong kumain" line by Vilma Santos. This exchange is the clear winner (at least for me). Wonder who the scriptwriter is.

Eddie Garcia: Marami ka pang bigas na kakainin.

FPJ: Hindi ako kumakain ng bigas, Major. Sinasaing ko muna para maging kanin, bago ko kakainin. Ikaw Major, palay pa lang, kinakain mo na.

Eddie Garcia: Shit!

FPJ: Shit ka rin!

For more winner lines, click.
image taken from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/tl/thumb/2/27/Fernando_poe_jr.jpg/250px-Fernando_poe_jr.jpg and http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/tl/thumb/2/2e/Garcia_eddie.jpg/300px-Garcia_eddie.jpg

Etong sa'yo!!!

molotov cocktail!

molotov cocktail!

molotov cocktail!

Cheating

Came across this list in Cimatu's blog, thought I'd give it a try. Should have thought twice. Made me feel that I've left out on a lot of things. Anyway, I'll just have to find a way to prevent myself from dying. For the complete list, click.

Here's how I fared.

155. Jazz – Toni Morrison: have one, haven't read it yet
190. Remains of the Day – Kazuo Ishiguro: started it, didn't finish
195. Like Water for Chocolate – Laura Esquivel: at last, something familiar
200. Foucault’s Pendulum – Umberto Eco: was 3/4 through when I gave up. Why? I ask the same question
223. Beloved – Toni Morrison: have one, haven't read it though
230. An Artist of the Floating World – Kazuo Ishiguro: have one, haven't read it
236. Love in the Time of Cholera – Gabriel García Márquez: read it, loved every bit of it
293. The Name of the Rose – Umberto Eco: have one, haven't read it though
303. The World According to Garp – John Irving: have one, haven't read it
314. Petals of Blood – Ngugi Wa Thiong’o: have one, lent it, haven't got it back yet, bought from the SFW in Diliman, it was translated by the late great Monico Atienza (I think)
315. Song of Solomon – Toni Morrison: have one, haven't read it
320. Interview With the Vampire – Anne Rice: read it
324. Autumn of the Patriarch – Gabriel García Márquez: read it
379. The Godfather – Mario Puzo: loved the movie (does this count?)
399. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel García Márquez: read it, loved every Rosario
402. The Joke – Milan Kundera: have one, haven't read it
423. Arrow of God – Chinua Achebe: have one, haven't read it
437. A Clockwork Orange – Anthony Burgess: saw the movie, disturbingly beautiful, will bite own tongue before reading actual book
456. To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee: read it
461. Naked Lunch – William Burroughs: borrowed one, can't find it anymore, hard read
472. Things Fall Apart – Chinua Achebe: read it, liked it
508. Lord of the Flies – William Golding: saw the film, haven't read the book
521. The Old Man and the Sea – Ernest Hemingway: have a translated version from SWF
547. Nineteen Eighty-Four – George Orwell: read it, bothered by it. Shhh, Big Brother is watching
564. Animal Farm – George Orwell: read it, bothered by it, two feet good, four feet bad.
574. The Little Prince – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: read it, still can't get it
620. Keep the Aspidistra Flying – George Orwell: have one, haven't read it though
631. Burmese Days – George Orwell: currently reading it, hearting it
698. Mrs. Dalloway – Virginia Woolf: saw the film, haven't read the book
736. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man – James Joyce: have one, haven't read it
738. Rashomon – Akutagawa Ryunosuke: saw the Kurosawa (hoping that its screenplay was based on the book)
767. The Jungle – Upton Sinclair: have one, haven't read it
790. The War of the Worlds – H.G. Wells: have one, haven't read it, watched the film instead (sticks and stones...)
837. The Brothers Karamazov – Fyodor Dostoevsky: read it, haven't finished it yet
840. Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy: looking for one, partly because of Murakami
861. The Idiot – Fyodor Dostoevsky: have one, haven't read it
867. Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoevsky: read it, bothered still
871. Notes from the Underground – Fyodor Dostoevsky: read it, not finished with it
916. The Fall of the House of Usher – Edgar Allan Poe: read it
953. The 120 Days of Sodom – Marquis de Sade: eyeing to buy one
983. Gulliver’s Travels – Jonathan Swift: read it
992. Don Quixote – Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra: looking forward to own one
995. Gargantua and Pantagruel – Françoise Rabelais: looking forward to own one, due of Bhaktin

I have read/have/want 43 out of 1001. (does wanting it count?)

Could someone do a list of must-read (or must-not-read, right Mr. Cimatu?) filipiniana?

What Have We Learned So Far?: Power

(cue: Heroes music)
Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

This post was titled, "Taste the cheerleader, taste the world." Must be her new powers acting up on her.

image taken from http://www.thehumorarchives.com/joke/Taste_the_cheerleader_taste_the_world

On Beauty and The Status Quo

Anyone who knows anything of history knows that great social changes are impossible without feminine upheaval. Social progress can be measured exactly by the social position of the fair sex, the ugly ones included.
~ Karl Marx

image taken from http://www.vedrashko.com/uploaded_images/communist_mutants-740168.

Sic(k)

Cruz calls PAGCOR women GROs; 104 year old Japanese weaver accurately reproduces important Japanese artifact; Have you seen Jun Urbano's (aka Mr. Shooli) new commercial?

Am missing the convenience of breathing through the nose.

And the moral of the story is...
Beg Bother is watching.
And he's telling.

(interestingly pointless)

Fishing: The Blushing Teenager Post

I have been a regular visitor of Cimatu's blog for 3 months now. I have to admit that the "flash entries" (a la Atalia) I have been posting was primarily influenced by his witty (most of the time profoundly confusing) shorts. (Truly, brevity is the mother of wit)

Just this day I left a comment on his Sci-Fi post. and I got this reply (on the same day):

Solaris? Ikaw naman. Yung kay Kubrick, iba kasi ang genre noon. Kay Arthur Clarke yung Space Odyssey. Hands on siya kaya maganda nangyari. Yung Contact, maganda rin. Naiyak nga ako doon. Maganda yung blog niyo. Basahin mo blogs ni Luis Kaigbak at Bobby Anonuevo. Meron tungkol sa Sci-Fi dun

From this statement I have two desire:
(a) that it was really Cimatu who responded to my comment, and
(b) that this line (:"Maganda yung blog niyo.") refers to this site.

Again, two justification(can't handle three) came to mind:
(a) I have done/been doing something right/acceptable with this thing, or
(b) someone's playing with me.
Everybody needs an ego massage.

Sometimes.

Some more than others.

image taken from http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/mfl/lowres/mfln554l.jpg

Parte-eh-ing since 1848

It's much easier to wear a Chairman Mao button and shake your fists in the air and all that, than to actually read the Communist manifesto and things like that and actually become involved in politics.

~ Lester Bangs

[click to enlarge]

True to the song, the revolution isn't a picnic. Or in this case, a parte-eh.

[Though you got to admit, they make for nice shirts.]

image taken from http://www.porpoiserecords.com/blog/imagenes/communist_party_t-shirt.gif

What Have We Learned So Far?: Relativity...

For Dummies

Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute, and it seems like an hour. Sit with a pretty girl for an hour, and it seems like a minute. That's relativity.
~ Albert Einstein

*****

There must be a miscalculation.
For these guys, it seemed liked seconds - and they weren't even sitting beside her.

image taken from http://z.about.com/d/worldfilm/1/0/Q/V/malena.jpg

Tale of Two Mothers (Post Mother's Day Post)

Whistler's mom got in Time's 10 Best Moms Ever. Why? Time attributes it to her appearance. I'll give it to her for being patient enough to sit through the entire session.

*****

And there's the original M.I.L.F.

image taken from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Whistler-mother.lg.jpg/690px-Whistler-mother.lg.jpg
and http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/050610/050610_hampson_graduate_hmed_9a.hmedium.jpg

Of Shit and Shite

I was browsing through powerbooks last saturday when i came across a familiar name. Eros Atalia, it said. But this time the cover art was different.

My first encounter with Atalia was with Taguan Pung/Manwal ng mga Napapagal (/sa PAgpapatiwakal; great cover art). A writer-friend recommended the read, saying it was the first collection of flash fiction in the Philippines.

Taguan Pung revolves on acculturation within and without the family and how these phenomena/reality/normalcy subjects the individual. From a kid's first time to hold his shit, to honesty and its drawbacks, to a manual on suicide, Atalia managed to grasp abnormality in what we consider normal. The amoral in the moral. To compare Atalia to Bob Ong is to misread/treat his stories lightly. His works are as carnivalesque as Willie Nep.

And all this in under a few hundred words (maybe 250 max per story).

Now you could understand my excitement over seeing the same name on a different book cover. Atalia has released his second collection of shorts/essays under the title Peksman (mamatay ka man) Nagsisinungaling Ako.

Am truly excited.

Wasn't able to buy the book though.

Shite.

For a sampling of Atalia's lies, click.

* Eros Atalia teaches Filipino in the University of Santo Tomas. When asked how much he's earning, he'll divert the topic and treat you to mami ("the works," innards and all; yung putok batok). Atalia was (unofficially) declared (as early as his first book) as the heir to Jun Cruz Reyes' short stories throne.

photo taken from http://www.geocities.com/phil_literatura/eros.jpg

Fanny Slumbook

Hindi madaling maging ina. Lalo pa siguro ang hirap kung iba ang pangangailangan ng anak.

Sa Erick Slumbook (2004) ay binagtas ni Garcia ang pag-unlad ni Erick (at ng sarili na rin) sa larangang familyal at sikososyal. Matiyaga si Garcia, kita/ramdam ito (pag-akda o pangangalaga man ang usapin). Mula sa pagkadiskubre na awtistik nga si Erick, hanggang sa pagkatuto ng ating bida tumipa sa computer, andun sya. Beaming proudly (minsan), ika nga niya. Frustrated (madalas).

Sa kabila nito, hindi kailangan ng awa o hinayang. Dahil wala namang kailangang kaawaan o panghinayangan. Alam ito ni Prof. Garcia. Nalaman ko ito sa kanya.

Ang buhay ni Erick (at ni Fanny na rin; tali ang isa sa isa, sa maraming punto't dahilan) ay naging libro. Mula rito, ang libro ay nabuhay, naging organikong behikulo tungo sa pag-unawa sa awtismo at sa sinasabi ni Virginia Woolf na "angel in the house."

Marahil, para kay Garcia, ang slumbook ay paalala ng kanilang narating, at dapat pang puntahan. At sapagkat ang special child ay bahagi rin ng mundo.

Pero ngayo’y alam na alam na alam ko nang autistic ka, anak. At mula nang malaman ko, ang buhay ko ay waring isang roller coaster ride ng mga emosyon…Gayunman, sasabihin ko pa rin sa iyo nang buong katapatan, paulit-ulit at ilang beses man, sakaling muli akong bigyan ng Lumikha ng pagkakataong tahakin pabalik ang landas ng buhay at pagkatapos ay muli akong magsimula at ngayo’y may opsiyon na akong pumili ng gusto kong gawin at hindi gustong gawin, walang pero-perong hahanapin at tatahakin ko pa rin ang landas patungo sa iyo, anak, susunduin kita at magkahawak-kamay at magkaagapay pa rin tayong maglalakbay.”

(Now I know so very well that you are autistic, my son. And since that day I knew, my life has been one emotional roller-coaster ride… But I tell you with all honesty, and I repeat this over and over, if the Creator would give me the chance to trace back my life and start again, if I were made to choose what to do or not do, I would have no ifs and buts in seeking and taking the same path toward you, my son, I will take you, and hand in hand we will make the journey together.)
~Fanny Garcia

* Si Prof. Fanny Garcia ay manunulat, mananaliksik, higit sa lahat, ina ni Erick. Kasalukuyan siyang tagapangulo sa Departamento ng Filipino sa De La Salle. Ilan sa mga naisulat ang Sandaang Damit (1994) at Apartment 3-A Mariposa St. (1994). Si Erick ay 18 taong gulang na ngayun (ata).

** Sa aking nanay, (na bagama't di ako awtistik ay nahirapan din) xoxo. Ang anghel sa aming bahay.

image taken from http://www.anvilpublishing.com/books.php?cat=010200

What Have We Learned So Far?: I'm bound for Hell

The Dante's Inferno Test has banished me to the Eigth Level of Hell - the Malebolge!
Here is how I matched up against all the levels:

Level	Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)	Very Low
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)	Very Low
Level 2 (Lustful)	High
Level 3 (Gluttonous)	High
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)	Moderate
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)	High
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)	High
Level 7 (Violent)	High
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)	Very High
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)	High

At least I'm not in the same level as Gloria.
Take the Dante's Inferno Hell Test, Cardinal Rosales.

Here's a virtual tour of Hell (according to Dante).

Forgive me...

but is that light orange I'm seeing?

[click image to enlarge]

We are 128th for 2007 in world press freedom ranking given out by Reporter's Without Borders (which, by the way, has a very cool .gif logo).

Either our human rights record really improved, or other countries' worsened.

What do you think?

image taken from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Reporters_Without_Borders_2007_Press_Freedom_Rankings_Map.PNG

Is Waiting a Verb?

Le Train de Nulle Part (french for The Train From Nowhere) by Michel Thaler is a 233-page French novel without any verb.

Here's a sample courtesy of Wikipedia.

Quelle aubaine ! Une place de libre, ou presque, dans ce compartiment. Une escale provisoire, pourquoi pas ! Donc, ma nouvelle adresse dans ce train de nulle part : voiture 12, 3ème compartiment dans le sens de la marche. Encore une fois, pourquoi pas ?

Fool’s luck! A vacant seat, almost, in that train. A provisional stop, why not? So, my new address in this nowhere train: car 12, 3rd compartment, forward. Once again, why not?

For Thaler: "The verb is like a weed in a field of flowers. You have to get rid of it to allow the flowers to grow and flourish. Take away the verbs and the language speaks for itself."

Indeed, why not?

No subject-verb agreement, no worries.

image taken from http://www.freewebs.com/esperanzafrancais/tap3_alamo.gif

According to Krishnamurti*

It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.

******

Monsod heads and endorses the Ahon Pamilyang Pilipino campaign that would give monetary assistance that could reach up to Php 1400 monthly.

Manang (sorry, I forgot her name) sees the effort as superficial and unsustainable. The same Manang even said that she opts for an increase in available jobs rather than the monthly limos.

That's sustainability for you, Winnie.

Manang: 1
Monsod: 0

How's that for a non-MA holder?
* Jiddu Krishnamurti is an Indian writer and philosopher. He asserts that our thinking affects/disaffects the world.

Krishnamurti is also the name of Dyolyos' ref.

image taken from http://www.terebess.hu/keletkultinfo/lexikon/krishnamurti1.jpg
and http://www.weburbanist.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/i-want-change.jpg

True. True. False.

“To those of you who received honours, awards and distinctions, I say well done. And to the C students, I say you, too, can be president of the United States.”

[click to enlarge]

"There is no doubt in my mind when history was written, the final page will say: Victory was achieved by the United States of America for the good of the world."
~ George W. Bush, addressing U.S. troops at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait, Jan. 12, 2008

image taken from http://lh6.google.ca/abramsv/R4bST0KUlDI/AAAAAAAAC-w/6WoQoYah-zw/s1600-h/ads012.jpg

God said “Let there be light!”

Chuck Norris said “Say please!”

Here are some more noteworthy facts about Chuck Norris:

A man once asked Chuck Norris if his real name is "Charles". Chuck Norris did not respond, he simply stared at him until he exploded.

Chuck Norris once shot a German plane down with his finger, by yelling, "Bang!"

Chuck Norris appeared in the "Street Fighter II" video game, but was removed by Beta Testers because every button caused him to do a roundhouse kick. When asked bout this "glitch," Norris replied, "That's no glitch."

Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits.

Chuck Norris can impregnate women with only a glance. He can also do this to men.

Chuck Norris does not use spell check. His spelling checks itself.

Chuck Norris' tears cure cancer. Too bad he has never cried.

Chuck Norris has already been to Mars; that's why there are no signs of life there.

President Bush DID have a sure fire plan to end the war in Iraq, However Chuck Norris was busy that day.

So whatever you do,



Truly, The Greatest Human Alive.

image taken from http://tn3-1.deviantart.com/fs8/300W/i/2005/361/3/8/Don__t_Fuck_With_Chuck_by_KidThink.jpg

What Have We Learned So Far?: Smoking

Kills.
Thou shall not murder (this includes thyself), says the third commandment.

Here's another interesting commandment. The sixth says, "You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name." Right, Cardinal Rosales?

*Advanced Happy Mothers Day greetings to Nanay Shiela and Tita Pilar. For the constant reminder that smoking kills. We'll note that.
photo taken from http://photos1.blogger.com/photoInclude/blogger/5639/2020/1600/burial-ceiling.jpg

Freudian Slip

Witty.

Halina would surely heart to have one.

Find your fit here.

image taken from http://www.philosophersguild.com/pics/0112.jpg