Hello 2006.

Videoke marathon 2 days ago + kiddie cologne + fireworks + turn of the year screaming = sore throat and asthma. Ang gandang buena mano ngayong bagong taon. Heh heh. :-Þ

2005, the year that was.

• lots of first times
• Nico-homecoming
• Graham-fest
• on and off depression
• Korean movie/tv serial marathons
• Mango JAM
• muscle fatigue and massages galore
• St. Scho Glee Club alumnae reunion performances
• Celebrate Life practice almost every day
• on and off LBM
• Gin Kings back-to-back championship
• summer workshops galore
• dealing with 'artists' who think they are God
• one-time go-cart racing
• driver's license renewal
• hobbit meals (second, third, fourth breakfast/lunch/dinner...)
• Manila FAME
• bank duties
• tour of Manila: Intramuros, Divisoria, and accidentally, Binondo
• turkish delight
• Pei Pa Koa
• Emm Gryner
• cd exchanges & mixed cds
• geekfest
• Silly People's Improv Theater
• Stanley's pustiso
• NCCA Cultural Summit, performance poets & dirty old men
• Illustration Friday
• Punta Fuego! <3
• concert DVDs
• geek bowling & billiards
• Big Mac binges (c/o Supersize Me!)
• Nuno Bettencourt!
• Aklatang Pambata
• Fête de la Musique and my rockstar niece
• Gaiman-ia
• treadmill
• Timezone the money blackhole
• Last Full Show and strong ice beer
• Blue Wave Marquinton
• Once on This Island take 3!
• Animalaya exhibit
• Golden-crowned flying fox
• asthma
• Nick Hornby
• our growing audio animal farm
• Creative Industry Forum
• rubber foam animal hats
• schmoozing with the rich and the powerful
• perennial multi-tasking
• alternative career in cake decorating
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• my autographed copy of Anansi Boys
• We <3 Katamari
• Itchyworms' Noon Time Show
• radio guestings
• trick or treating
• insta-dates
• Forgetting Luna
• flowers for Nico
• DTI watercolor workshop
• Subic field trip
• Slytherin!
• two years of love
• Wacom Graphire 3
• poker-parties
• Binondo/Divisoria shopping
• Jewel in the Palace
• pila day at EK
• post-Christmas parties
• working over the holidays
• discovering a good tambay haunt for the 80s fan
• New Year's eve party games
• finally completing my 1994 edition Chronicles of Narnia set
• gift-giving
• raket schedule snowballing.
  

WHEW. Not a bad year, I think. (n_n)

I wonder what's in store for me this year? I don't care for "more" or "less". I just want "better". (n_n)

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE! Ü

Puyatan blues.

Trabaho sa umaga at hapon, party sa gabi. Three days in a row.

In a nutshell:

• 28th - the PHP End of Term Feast. Officially my first geekfest. (Unless I include the Gaimania last July. SWP events don't count though, it's usually Narda- or Nico-related. Hehe.)
• 29th - CFA98 get-together-cum-poker-night. Nico and I lost a game each, but it was fun. Spent most of the time at the loser's lounge (also known as the videoke room) with the non-players and co-evictees.
• 30th (that's later) - My long-time barkada get-together. Friends abroad are in town, but some usual QC fellows aren't. Heh heh.

Yes, ang saya.

No means no.

So there.

(Taken from KK who got it from someone else. Heh heh.)

A lot has been said about how to prevent rape.

Women should learn self-defense. Women should lock themselves in their houses after dark. Women shouldn't have long hair and women shouldn't wear short skirts. Women shouldn't leave drinks unattended. Fuck, they shouldn't dare to get drunk at all.

Instead of that bullshit, how about:

If a woman is drunk, don't rape her.
If a woman is walking alone at night, don't rape her.
If a women is drugged and unconscious, don't rape her.
If a woman is wearing a short skirt, don't rape her.
If a woman is jogging in a park at 5 am, don't rape her.
If a woman looks like your ex-girlfriend you're still hung up on, don't rape her.
If a woman is asleep in her bed, don't rape her.
If a woman is asleep in your bed, don't rape her.
If a woman is doing her laundry, don't rape her.
If a woman is in a coma, don't rape her.
If a woman changes her mind in the middle of or about a particular activity, don't rape her.
If a woman has repeatedly refused a certain activity, don't rape her.

If a woman is not yet a woman, but a child, don't rape her.
If your girlfriend or wife is not in the mood, don't rape her.
If your step-daughter is watching tv, don't rape her.
If you break into a house and find a woman there, don't rape her.
If your friend thinks it's okay to rape someone, tell him it's not, and that he's not your friend.

If your "friend" tells you he raped someone, report him to the police.
If your frat-brother or another guy at the party tells you there's an unconscious woman upstairs and It's your turn, don't rape her, call the police and tell the guy he's a rapist.

Tell your sons, god-sons, nephews, grandsons, sons of friends it's not okay to rape someone.

Don't tell your women friends how to be safe and avoid rape.
Don't imply that she could have avoided it if she'd only done/not done x.
Don't imply that it's in any way her fault.
Don't let silence imply agreement when someone tells you he "got some" with the drunk girl.
Don't perpetuate a culture that tells you that you have no control over or responsibility for your actions. You can, too, help yourself.

If you agree, repost it. Email it to your friends and family. It's that important.

Away.

I've been away from the pc for some Christmas spirit. Oh what fun. (n_n)

*****

Christmas is fattening season.

On Christmas eve Nico and I went to his tito's house where his mother's side of the family got together for Christmas. Kain mode. Come 11 p.m. it was gift-giving at the Africa household. (Oooh I got lovely gifts from Nico, his parents and his sister. Thank you!) Then it was Nico's turn to spend Christmas with my family. I didn't get to see my brother who had already left before we arrived.

The next day, Nico and I traded wma files before heading for his father's side party at his house. We mostly ate and bummed around sleepily while waiting for the clock to hit 7 p.m. We went to the Africa clan Christmas party at Acropolis clad in glitter and shimmery clothes (the theme for the night). I gave away a bunch of glow sticks for more party vibe.

Tama na ang lamon. :-Þ

December 26 is pila day.

With barely a few hours of sleep I forced myself to get up very early to prepare for our day trip to EK.

I've been itching to go since I bought our day passes a few months ago, and finally, with the whole posse (that's myself, Nico, birthday boy AJ & Pen, Zarah, Kathy, Arnold and Honee) on official holiday, we were able to make the trip.

Upon arrival we were met with long, disorganized queues, but thanks to our pre-purchased tickets, we went in the park sooner than the others. Kathy and Zarah's first stop was the Flying Fiesta, which I hate (and skipped).

Then I found I had the patience and energy for the following:

• Rollerskater - But only after our hotdog break Ü
• Anchors Away - Ang saya! Hindi nanginig 'yung legs namin ni Kathy! Haha. Kebs ang mahahabang pila.
• Jungle Log Jam - no embarassing EK pic though, they were about to go on maintenance check then. We failed to keep ourselves dry. (Buti pa 'yung babaeng naka-faux fur hooded jacket, hindi nabasa at all. Hehe.)
• the long line at the barbecue stand - We took a snack and yosi break afterwards, pero pila pa rin!!! Meanwhile a showband sang a lot of songs with annoying diction and well-rehearsed choreography.
• Rio Grande Rapids - We saw a really loooong line outside, but Zarah, Nico and I took the single rider express and found ourselves soaking in no time.
• the arcades - A sidetrip before the annoying line at the bumpcars. Nico and I didn't win a prize. Bummer.
• Dodge 'Em - Honee and I caught up with Kathy and Zarah at the bumpcars. Nico and Arnold decided to skip the ride. (We wanted to ride the go-carts but we didn't want to wait for at least two hours for our turn.)
• Wall climbing - We still had an hour to kill before the 4d scheduled showing, and Honee, Arnold, Nico and I were up to the challege. It was slippery (with my wet sneakers and all), but otherwise easy. The hand and footholds weren't too difficult to manage.
• 4d cinema - The best so far. The technology left me in awe, although the graphics and the animation were really not up to par with my expectations. We wished they could do Ringu in 4d. Mas scary pa siguro 'yun!
• Koreanovela moments - Because we are all camwhores. Heh heh.

Not bad at all, for an extremely jampacked day, don't you think? Ü

Six of us (minus Arnold and Honee who went home ahead of us) went to Tagaytay and had dinner at Summer Breeze (where Dencio's used to be). YUMMY! Nakalimutan ko ang lahat ng pagod sa paghihintay, paglalakad at kapipila. Pero super lamig, pucha.

Low batt na ako pag-uwi. Nawalan na ako ng malay.

I wish I can post pics (*hint hint*), but kwento will do for now.

Thank you.

A bunch of thank-yous for the holiday greetings, messages, gifts:

Nico. The Guingona clan. The Africa clan. Mother. The De Ocampo monsters. Tito Toto. Lola Che.

Troy. Bhel. Mida Benj & Sofie. Ayoy. Nickee. Chinebebe. JB. Wilmer. Liza. Pepper. Abi. Bwayan. Jill. Ige. Leo. Herb. Kitty. Lette. Bernie&Marcus. Ang InK. Kathy. Zarah. AJ&Pen. Honee&Arnold. Wincy&Marie. Chinito. Justin B. Mel. Stanley. Ace. Mia. Karen Kunawicz. Karen Kristie. Zach & Aila. Paolo M.

[Edit: more thanks to...] Carl&Barbie. Gogoy&Christie. Jan&Anj. Paolo G. Warren. Fen&Venna. Allen&Lina.

(If you didn't get a reply, that's because wala akong load huhuhu. If you sent an SMS on the evening of December 24, and you didn't see your name here, the network ate it. Half-messages never found their other halves, and my full inbox, though recently updated, didn't admit all messages in queue. So much for quality service, eh?)

I'm still open to receiving gifts ha. Padala lang ninyo ha. Hehe. (n_n)

Again, thank you.

Happy holidays!

I wish all my blog readers (yes, you) a very happy and prosperous holiday. (n_n)

If you don't get a gift or even an SMS from me, uhm well, that's because I'm poor. Kaya't huwag nang magtampo. Naaalala ko kayong lahat. Promise.

(I can only afford stuff for my large family, the significant other and his family, and children, mostly inaanaks. Shame shame. Sowee. Bakit ba kasi walang holiday bonuses ang freelancers??? Gah.)

Don't forget your less fortunate friends this Christmas! Give to the needy!

Hee. ;-)

Protection.

So I was able to figure out how to rip my copy protected cds to my WMP. HAH! Copy protection my foot! :-Þ

Woooh... more work music for me!

*****

I find wrapping gifts to be very therapeutic. And they're all nice to look at underneath the tree in their lavender-and-silver color-coordinated glory.

(If you ask nicely, I will wrap your gifts for you. Hehe.)

I have survived.

The commute. The danger. The crowds. The search. The haggling. Yes, I have survived Christmas shopping.

Ang sakit ng katawan ko, I swear. :-P

How King Kong came to New York.

"Oh, it wasn't the airplanes."

I had a long and (literally) sleepless day today which I spent at the mall with Nico and his parents.

We watched King Kong after we had late lunch. The theater was full of entire families who acted like they were watching the movie on video at home, chattering away at kids who kept switching seats with their siblings (and kicking the back of my seat in the process). How. Annoying.

(And what are kids doing in the movie house anyway??? Was it rated GP? IMHO some scenes are not suitable for children.)

[If you haven't seen the film or its two other previous incarnations, and would like to remain spoiler-free, uhm, read at your own risk.]

I felt a lot of the scenes were unnecessarily long, and from time to time I was getting a Jack Black School of Rock vibe, and there were too many "look at Naomi she is so pretty" poster shots (but hey, she is pretty, and I can't argue with that). But still I think Peter Jackson did a very good job with this tired old storyline. Besides, I had fun watching it (even if I missed the part where they first landed at Skull Island because I dozed off hehe), and I loved the ending. (Nico didn't like the movie much though.)

In the car Nico and I discussed some missing scenes and possible scenarios which was a gag. And we both agreed that the Venture crew would have made more money if they had brought back a dinosaur instead. :-Þ

Ten things.

Zarah tagged me. Ü

10 things that bring me joy (in no particular order, I think)

[01] Nicobebe
[02] snail mail
[03] Ruffles Cheddar and Sour Cream
[04] movie marathons
[05] Timezone din! hehe
[06] Graham Coxon
[07] Snoopy
[08] soundtripping and tambay
[09] road trips
[10] true love

And I tag everyone on my links list!!! Wheee. (n_n)

Bakit kasi ang layo ng England!!! Grrr.

GRAHAM COXON RELEASES NEW SINGLE AND ALBUM AND TOURS THE UK IN MARCH/APRIL 2006 - PLUS WIN GRAHAM GIG TICKETS!

Graham Coxon releases his brand new album “Love Travels At Illegal Speeds” on Parlophone on March 13. The album, easily his most focussed and cohesive work to date, is preceded by the single “Standing On My Own Again” on Feb 27.

Graham will be touring the UK in March/April to coincide with the album release, and will also support the Kaiser Chiefs on their April UK tour.

“Love Travels At Illegal Speeds” was recorded in London and was produced by Stephen Street. All songs were written and performed by Graham.

The single “Standing On My Own Again” sets the tone of the album, a tour de force of inescapable hooks tied to the most powerful tunes Graham has ever come up with. Love, in all its states, gives the album a rough theme - as Graham says, “This album is like a trip down the fine line between love and hate”.


Win Tickets To See Graham Coxon Live at Islington Academy Alongside Hard-Fi and The Magic Numbers...

To celebrate the forthcoming release of Graham's brand new single Standing On My Own Again on the 27 of February 2006, we are giving away 40 pairs of tickets to see Graham at an exclusive live extravaganza with Graham, Hard-Fi and the Magic Numbers playing on one bill, for one night only at the Carling Academy Islington 12th January 2006. Click here to enter!

Competition closes Friday 6th January

www.grahamcoxon.co.uk

AAAUGHHH!!! Somebody, anybody, take me to London in March!!! WAAAH!!! (T_T)

*****

Oh, I've tracked down most of the spammed comments. Nasty little buggers were hiding in several archived entries as old as December 2004. (Akala ninyo matatakasan ninyo ako ha? HAH!)

Delete forever kayo ngayon. Um! BWAHAHAHAH...!

Hurt.

After a long day of bank errands and meetings, I treated Nico and myself to a full-body massage. Ahhh ang sarap.

The masseuse found new places that hurt, places I didn't expect. Tiniis ko ang lahat. I even had to suppress the urge to fart while she was giving my lower back a good rub (eh sa conducive eh! :-P ). Ang hirap pala nun. Hee.

I'm going back to the spa middle of next week to relieve my computer shoulders. It's really that baaad.

*****

I finally have my copy of 100 Questions Filipino Kids Ask (by Adarna House and Oishi)! It's a fun fun fun book. (And you don't necessarily have to read it from start to finish. Random page flipping is kewl. Hehe.) And it's beautifully illustrated, too! Buy buy buy! (n_n)

*****

I used to enjoy the walk from the Ayala MRT to Greenbelt. Not yesterday. Not when I'm in a hurry (like I was). Not anymore. Or at least not until the Christmas rush is over. Nakaka-stress! >:-Þ

(Yeah, yeah, bitter lang ako kasi wala akong pang-shopping. Hmf.)

Comfort zone.

What I thought was an uneventful, boring and lonely night (because I missed most of the lantern parade and friends have gone almost AWOL) turned out to be a short but happy moment with unexpected company.

I have seen
I have been to places far and deep in my mind
only to find comfort in your strangeness.

- Cynthia Alexander

Spammed.

I've been getting several Blogger comment e-mail notifications almost everyday on swimming pool junk and poker and a bunch of other stuff (probably because I've mentioned them once or twice in my blog/wishlist and spambots feel like it's an invitation to annoy me), but I don't see these comments when I do check the blogspot out.

No, I didn't turn the word verification on, because I specially love putting a little check on the tick box that says Remove forever? (It can't be undone.) when I delete those comments myself. The act just feels so final and absolute. And it slightly feels like killing vermin. Heh heh.

But I digress. Where are the comments??? Is Blogger depriving me of this little pleasure? (ó_O)

This is a test.

Which Tim Burton character are you? Catwoman MAWR!

Click Here to Take This Quiz Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests.

And here's another one:

You Are Not Scary

Everyone loves you. Isn't that sweet?

How Scary Are You?

As if you'd really like to believe that. :-Þ

I am fearless!!!

Hah. See what blogging can do? I get to watch The Exorcism of Emily Rose at Gateway Mall with Kathy, my willing companion for the movie (read: kaladkarin hehe). :-)

The movie was okay, and I didn't find it scary on the whole, but I can see why some people (or at least one certain person *wink*) would find it so. Ayoko lang talaga ng mga nakakagulat na eksena. Haggard. Heh heh.

*****

I think I upped my scare meter with the Asian horror flicks I've seen. Scariest horror flick scene would be the mumu under the blanket segment from Ju-on. I don't consider Ju-on to be my scariest movie ever though (and it's not the best movie of the genre either). Those horror flicks my tita and I used to watch which gave me recurring nightmares in my childhood might make the top of the list, I think.

Nico doesn't scare easy with Asian horror films. The Exorcist-type of movie will scare his socks off though. Hmmm. I wonder why...

*****

After the movie, Timezone. I almost won a Donald Duck stuffed toy but I didn't because I suck at timing. Kathy won me 20 tickets at the Stacker which I traded for bingo chess. Wheee! Yay for instant gratification! Heh heh. :-)

Sourpuss.

Heh heh heh.

Scary movies.

A few minutes ago, over MSN:

starshuffler says: baka manood kami ni kathy ng emily rose sa megamall mamaya
Nico says: gudlak, bebeh i think i'll pass
Nico says: (0_0)
starshuffler says: heh heh
starshuffler says: bokbokbokbok...
Nico) says: cheh. tingnan natin kung sinong bokbokbok
Nico says: napanood mo yung exorcist, tama ba?
starshuffler says: at least i'm brave enough to watch it.
starshuffler says: yeah. di naman nakakatakot eh. mas nakakatakot yung Ringu when i first saw it.
Nico says: bokbokbok. di naman nakakatakot yung ringu, eh. yung ring 0, pinanood ko pa mag-isa sa sinehan.
starshuffler says: huuuu you think you're brave huh?
starshuffler says: at least i don't sleep in my mom's room after watching the scary movies.
Nico says: hmf.
starshuffler says: hehehehe
Nico says: hmf.
starshuffler says: i love you, chickenbebe.
starshuffler says: <3
Nico says: i love you too, ratkillerbebeh.

Hihihihihihi... (n_n)

Punta Fuego revisited.

Oh pictures, at last! And a little bit of kwento from our Punta Fuego trip a few weeks back. These pics are from the cheapo instamatic that I borrowed from my nephew. (Sorry, they're a bit microscopic, but I can't be bothered to fix 'em heh heh...)

The man of the house, Paolo. I almost fell down the stairs taking this picture. Excited eh, because we just arrived. (Rachell and Jan are somewhere in the pic, but the details are too dark to register on the scanner, and I'm too lazy to use my transparency scanner which I haven't used in an awful long time.)

Sleepy from the trip. And hungry, too.

FOOD! Early birds for late lunch.

Paolo and Gogoy had the brilliant idea of bringing a cook and a helper with us. Hassle-free vacation! (And I don't have to wash the dishes anymore! Hehe.)

My inaanak Josh wandering around the poker table.

Yeah, we played poker during most of our stay. That's a little during the afternoon, most of the evening and well into the wee hours of the morning. I lost a little over a hundred bucks. Heheh.

Because we were bored (and some of the guys went on siesta), Josh and I decided to have a little fun with the garden hose in the overlooking backyard. ("Tara, laro tayo sa may bangin!")

I showed Josh how it's done.

Grasshopper is a fast learner.

Josh attack his ninangs-gone-AWOL. And after 3 years, Josh finally got his revenge.

Rachell and I patiently waited for the manong caretaker to prep the jacuzzi while he patiently waited for us to finish playing with the garden hose so he can actually get around to cleaning the thing. Heh heh.

"I am victorious!!!"

We put off going to the beach for the next morning. Taking advantage of the boys being distracted by Nico's PS2, Rachell and I got first dibs in the jacuzzi. Then we proceeded to get drunk with vodka at 4:00 in the afternoon. Heh heh.

"Anong tinitingin-tingin mo?" Nico looked like he's hung-over the morning after. (Actually he passed out on the couch during the first half of our evening poker game.)

"Gising na. Breakfast is ready, and we're going to the beach." I don't have beach pics, sorry, but Carl and Rachell do. Tsk.

The token group shot. L to R: Josh & Daddy Carl (sitting), Gogoy & Christie, Rachell, moi & Nico, Jan and Paolo.

Pao says his dad is selling the house and might be building a new one in the same area. I am going to miss this really nice house when they do sell it. It's got a really good vibe, and the jacuzzi rawks. Heh heh.

On the way home. This is my only shot of the sea. Heh heh.

Rachell promised to burn me a copy of the pics off her cam so I'll be posting more as soon as I get that disc. :-)

Conflict.

It's been a week of conflict and misunderstanding. Just what I need, a couple of loud arguments to spice up my so-called life and interpersonal relationships. On top of that, a hectic working schedule. :-P

*****

I finally saw Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros on the big screen last night. At napabilib ako ulit kay Aureus Solito. (And I remember college days when we used to watch all the plays he directed. Ang Maikling Buhay ng Apoy was the last I saw.)

I liked the simplicity, the awkwardness, the mixed emotions. Less words, more images.

Nakakadistract lang 'yung pagtetext ng katabi ko na girlfriend ng isang sikat na dating child star (na kasama rin niya). :-P

*****

I haven't had my second helping of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire! Argh. And I want to watch The Exorcism of Emily Rose, only I don't have anyone to watch it with me. (Nico is too chicken for it. Bokbokbok!) :-P

I've been to see Chicken Little last Friday, but the theatre experience wasn't too enjoyable for me with all those noisy and seat-kicking kids all around me (and Nico was snoring from time to time).

*****

The trouble with buying books for other people is that I end up buying books for myself. :-P

*****

Last night I picked up my copy of Siglo: Passion. (Thank you, Luis!!!) I can't wait to read it. That reminds me, I need to buy a new lightbulb for my lampshade. :-P

Missing.

Stuff I'm missing right now:

• The Adarna House/Oishi 100 Questions Filipino Kids Ask launch at Powerbooks Live Greenhills
• The Siglo launch at Fully Booked Greenhills
• Into the Wardrobe - the Narnia event at the Powerplant
• you know who.

Sux to be stuck at home working, really.

Weirdness.

Know the feeling of waking up from a series of really weird dreams but not remembering a single thing?

Yeah, that's how it is.

*****

Yesterday early afternoon I was at DLSU, sitting in a video production class, grading a student video project about Ang I.n.K. It was pretty neat work, except the video's objectives (orientational) did not really complement its original intention (motivational). So the panel was kind of harsh on the kids. But creativity-wise, they were in the clear. Sayang. Still, our org can use the vid for next month's Orientation Seminar. Kewl.

I got a box of Cello Doughnuts and Dips from the students for my trouble, which really isn't any trouble at all except for the travel from Malaysia Marikina.

*****

I met up with Indi right after my grading stint. (Namiss kita, lola!)

And then I went on an unintentional side trip to Binondo and Divisoria. Unintentional, because the jeep I boarded turned around way before its terminal stop because roads leading to Divi have been rendered unpassable by street vendors and the Helms' Deep Christmas shopping crowd. I wouldn't have minded the trip to Divi if I knew where I was exactly. Heh heh. I walked my way through the almost-impossible crowd, trying my best not to look lost or desparate. But it was fun anyway, and I was able to buy a pair of dirt cheap Chinese-made Turkish sandals (ano raw? hehe) at 168.

*****

I finally submitted the first half of the illustrations I was doing for a St. Scho Mass Comm thesis group. What. A. Relief. But I still have 8 pages to go. No rest for the wicked.

Happiness in a box.

This evening I went to Makati to meet up with Nico. We both have early mornings the next day so we just thought we keep our itinerary for the evening short and sweet.

We decided to have dinner at a place we both haven't tried yet, and ended up at Pasha, Greenbelt 3. We had salad, then I had very yummy and spicy prawn curry. Nico had very very very yummy moussaka. It's the best moussaka that we've tried so far. ;-) (Tajma's moussaka comes second.) We didn't have room for dessert anymore so we got ourselves our current favorite drink instead-- strawberry shake with double yoghurt at The Big Chill. Yum!

Nico took me home and handed me a big wrapped box before he left. I opened it before going down from the car, and HOMAYGAZ!!! I got this --->

WOW WOW WOW ang saya saya. Mas masaya pa sa masaya. (Thank you, Nico!!! Homaygaz. Lab-lab.)

Ayan, dine-demo na ang tablet! Hahahah lagot.

Two.

Two people, two years together.

Happy birthday to love! May you have many more birthdays to come. (May you grow older than any of us, for that matter.)

It's been a week already?

Damn. Punta Fuego moments are short lived, and now, a week after, I long for the beach once again. I will need to have the roll of film we took developed ASAP, and I hope I'll be able to post pictures soon. (I'm also waiting for the pics off Rachell's and Carl's cameras, but I'm not sure if they will remember to e-mail me.)

*****

Yesterday was a hectic day, but it was a really good hectic day because I got to spend it with the birthday boy.

We spent time with Nico's (extended) family, InKies, and friends we haven't seen in a long time (mine and his). We ate and ate and ate and ate some more-- non-stop lamon from birthday lunch to the Ink Christmas party to birthday dinner up until Marie's grad-birthday-Dexter premier party which bled until after midnight. There goes the diet. :-P

*****

Sunday is a work day for me, which kind of sux, but I don't mind. I'm looking forward to Monday, for a change. (n_n)

Birthday boy.

happy birthday
NiCO!

I wish you all the happiness in the whole wild [sic] world!

I also wish I had given more thought on what to give you this year, but I hope you liked the gifts anyway. (~,~) lab-lab

*****

Today's the first time Nico and I spent his birthday together since we've known each other. (He spent his 2003 birthday at home with his family--hindi pa kami nun hehe-- and last year he was away for work.) Wala lang. I just felt like mentioning it. Heh heh. :-P

Photo taken by Carol at SaGuijo

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Hmmm...

Thanks to a friend for this article. I'm not sure why he sent me this, though.

Hmmm...

Dear God,

Please don't let this be the worst December in Jovan-history. Please? I really tried to be a good girl this year.

:-(

I want to kick myself in the head.

A lump in the head is so much better than a lot of things I can think of right now.

Sux.

Join The Elias Dakila Story Writing Contest

CANVAS, in partnership with Ilustrador ng Kabataan (Ang I.n.K.) is pleased to launch the Elias Dakila Competition for Children's Storywriting on Environment and Culture.

In 1953, French author Jean Giono was commissioned to write a short story about his most unforgettable character. What resulted was the classic eco-fable The Man Who Planted Trees, which told of the inspiring story of a man who through sheer persistence and diligence, brings hope to a once desolate and devastated province.

That story later moved CANVAS to publish the story of Elias & His Trees, a Filipinized adaptation of Giono's inspiring tale, and now, to work with Ilustrador ng Kabataan (INK) in launching the Elias Dakila Competition for Children's Storywriting on Environment and Culture.

This year, the contest seeks to inspire writers to come up with original short stories for children (ages 6-8) that celebrate the environment and/or Philippine culture, and which are suitable as big, read-aloud books ideal for sharing or reading to groups of children.

The winner will receive a P25,000 cash prize. Deadline for entries is 5pm, Manila time, January 31, 2006.

For more details, and to download the rules, please visit
http://www.canvas.ph/upcoming_events.htm.

Thank you and kindly pass this announcement to people you think might be interested.

Best regards,
-- CANVAS & Ang I.N.K.

*****

Wow, Ilustrador ng Kabataan won at the Philippine Web Awards 2005. Yay! Congratulations to my beloved org and to Lance, our webmaster. (n_n)

Happiness on a page.

WOOT! :-D

(Thank you, Nickee!!! Aylabyu!)

I can't wait to finish my tons of work so I can start reading this already.

Too many thoughts running in different directions right now. I'll save that for another entry, perhaps tomorrow, when I've slept better.

F Sharp.

Listen to Forgetting Luna's track F Sharp here. Leave a review, too, if you like. (n_n)

Of all the things to forget--

-- I actually forgot that I didn't sleep at all yesterday. Seriously.

I stayed up all Tuesday night on the puter, and did not notice that the sun was already up. I went offline to make a fast food delivery phone call, then resumed with whatever I was doing on the puter.

Because I was having a hard time focusing on work and other stuff, I took a break, with the intention of sleeping. But I ended up watching Before Sunset instead.

I only remembered last night, when my nephew pointed out to me that I've been up the whole time. What the-- (o_O)?

I must have forgotten because I wasn't sleepy at the time. And when I went to bed, I wasn't sleepy at all.

My insomnia spells are getting weirder every time. :-P

Gusto mo bang sumali sa Ang I.n.K.?

If you're interested to join Ang I.n.K. (Ang Ilustrador ng Kabataan, that is), follow this link.

Good luck! (n_n)

*****

I'm useless today, being under the weather and all. And because I can't cook, I'm also currently dependent on fast food delivery. My life sux.

I just watched Before Sunset for the first time (I've had the DVD for the longest time, but I never got around to seeing it until now, so sue me), and it's sad sad sad. Beautiful and sad.

*sniff*

(Dang, I should've watched a comedy instead.)

Cheap thrill.

LOOKEE! I made it to the high scores! Hah!

Stacking ubercute pigs is so fun! Pachelbel's Canon plays in the background, too! Hehe...

I am getting the hang of using just one hand for the keyboard and mouse. That's what I get for being in a rut with bad wrists. :-P

*****

(And as if bad wrists weren't enough, I'm now down with a bad cold and "Inay, huwag mo akong iiwan!!!" cough. Bleah.)

Aw fuck.

Today I spent one and a half hours lining up at the bank. Sux.

And what sux more is that on the way home I had to pass by the drugstore to get my left wrist some elastic bandage (I have two or three, but as with things that I need, I can't find them). The pain on left wrist has become unbearable. And my right wrist is starting to act up na rin. :-(

Paano ko kaya matatapos ang 16 pages na illustrations with this thing???

GAAAH.

Rush.

*whew*

I just finished compiling Mango JAM issue 6, and I am exhausted. Pooped. :-P

I still have stuff to finish before the month ends, I hope I will be able to deliver. <:-/

*****

I'm newly enrolled at Hogwarts (shame shame hehe), and I've recently been sorted into Slytherin. Yeah. \m/o My backpack fits perfectly with my House. Heh heh.

(Dang I want robes...)

*****

Every time I finish a project my brain goes into automatic shut down. The computer shall follow suit in a bit.

In the spirit of blogging--

-- I will post links today.

• The Dilbert Blog. Jump to the Blogging Under the Influence post. It's hilarious.
  
• Raul Midon's tv performance debut. Fingerstyle acoustic guitar and faux trumpet. Aw this dude kicks ass. (Thanks Joon for the link.)
  
• It's a big ad. Career choreography going on here.
  
• Superman Returns teaser trailer (which I haven't seen yet, due to a sucky internet connection)
  

Happy sappy magic plastic super duper bonggang bongga ihaw-ihaw all-time noon time show!

After a stressful working day I left the house for the Itchyworms' album launch at 6Underground.

Ang daming tao! :-) Although Nico and I missed out on all the guest performances, we still had so much fun! They did a really good set (with really good songs to boot). Sumakit panga ko sa katatawa sa Production Number. Panalo talaga! ;-D

*****

I think I've done enough work for the day. For the first time this week, I'm shutting down my puter.

*blip*

*emote*

I've just been to see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Cryola!!! I won't post spoilers here, I promise. But I have to say that this was the funniest and yet, darkest of the HP movies. They cut out a lot of subplots, though. I guess the movie was long enough already. At ang dami-dami-daming eye candy. Heh heh.

*****

In the car, a few minutes ago:

me: Nico, can I ask you a question? Well, aside from the one I asked just now.
Nico: Yeah. What?
(pregnant pause)
me: Nico, ano ako sa 'yo?
Nico: You're my baby.
me: 'Yun lang?
Nico: You're my baby. You're my cosmic miracle.
(hug)
me: Tapos na? 'Yun lang sasabihin mo?
Nico (sings): You're my everything...
(laughter and a few moments of reflection)
me: I'm not really your everything, am I?
Nico: Uhm, maybe not everything. But close.

Good enough. (n_n)

Bleah.

NGARAG!!! There's so much to do and so little time. :-Þ My puter has been running continuously for six days straight, and my wrists hurt like hell.

That kind of explains why I haven't been updating this thing for a while. All my posts for the past two weeks have been sitting in draft mode, because I'm too busy to spell check. Heh heh...

*****

Shame shame. I only recently discovered Bettie Serveert with the track Dreamaniacs. Talk about delayed reaction. I like, but I don't know how much yet. Kinda sounds like Garbage (the band, not the refuse), Liz Phair and a little bit of Nina Persson. Heh heh...

*****

I just got back from Purple Haze. Wow. Haze. Heh heh... Labo.

Labo talaga. Hmf. Some people.

Weekend nights.

Jon (FL drummer and Chillitees guitarist) broke his hand on his birthday by hitting a wall repeatedly with his fist. He didn't know it was broken at the Starkiller gig, but he played a good round anyway. A day or two after, he decided to get an x-ray. Now he has to wear that plaster thing for a month, and go through therapy after.

Moral of the story: if you want to break your hand, let someone else do it for you. Heh heh.

*****

So, drummerless, Forgetting Luna played an acoustic set at Mayrics. They did okay. :-) We stayed for Imago's and Sandwich's sets and we didn't regret it. :-)

And it was perfect timing, too. Imago's set was good. I think I appreciate them more live. They played Spoliarium, too, which will be part of an E-heads tribute album. Then Sandwich played a bunch of new songs, never-been-played just-finished stuff, and the old hits as well. Raims even sang Magasin, and Chicosci's Paris. It was a fun, fun set.

The gig finished early-- 12:30 a.m. So we headed on to Big Sky to check out Karen's Club Dredd photo exhibit. (You gotta see those big bad hair days! Back then Hank had nicer hair than most women I know, myself included. Partida na 'yun, di pa uso pa-rebond nun ha! Hehehe...) SVC was there performing, and poking fun at Jon's broken hand. Heh heh...

We didn't stay long, though. Nico had too much beer, and we were both pooped already.

*****

I started Saturday with work, and ended (again) with a gig. I accompanied Nico to their pre-gig rehearsal with Jovi who was subbing for Jon at the Revolver gig.

Ang galing-galing ni Jovi! She learned four songs in less than two hours practice. And she really did well during the gig. FL did a good set, but Pedicab was a tough act to follow.

We didn't stay for Bitter Pill's set because we were all tired and we had to take Jovi home.

*****

Sunday was more work for me. I took a break at 5:30 p.m. when Nico picked me up. We took my mom to her event, then we got lost on our way out of the Calumpang area and ended up in the middle of Marcos Highway traffic (where a taxi fell into the ravine and there were several policemen, cranes and ambulances in the area). Hungry, we finally arrived at Marquinton for dinner (I didn't want to stray too far away from home. Work beckons.)

We had a very satisfying meal at Fat Choi (yummy!!!). Then we played a few games at Timezone (Nico just got addicted to the Stacker game) right before watching Flightplan. It was an okay movie.

*****

Did I say 'work beckons'? Yeah. Damn.

I learn new things everyday.

Nico and I, together with a bunch of InKies left the metro early yesterday for Subic. (Nico filed a VL for the trip, the sweetie.)

First stop was Cacho Publishing. Mon from Cacho gave us a very educational tour around the printing press and some insider tips on their current publishing technology.

Then we had lunch at Expresso. We ordered very very yummy shrimp carbonara (highly recommended), and extreme Big Ben pizza. They weren't kidding when they refer to the pizza size as extreme. It was HUGE! (22" in diameter, if I remember correctly.) Seven of us shared the whole thing. Grabe. Sulit. Will probably eat there again when we get the chance to go back to the Freeport.

Next stop was the GuBat Learning Center where Haribon biodiversity experts gave us a tour with interesting (and depressing) facts about our ecosystem.

After the tour we went to view (from afar) the roosting sites of bats. Andami nila. But not as many as before, when I first saw them back in high school (they dwindled to the 5-digit mark, they used to be in the 6-digit population). They were located at a different site then, too.

*****

We left Subic right after the bat sighting. We didn't see any monkeys, much to Jill and Herb's disappointment. We didn't get to go shopping or go-carting either. Oh well.

We got back sometime around 7 p.m. Tita Tess picked us up, and we had dinner at Nico's house. I played Katamari for a bit before Nico took me home.

*****

Moments ago I learned that there's an actual word for fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth: arachibutyrophobia.

*****

I've had a good day, but now I feel like crap. Don't ask me why.

W is for Wednesday.

Yeah that's today. I have a bit more time to relax, but I still have deadlines looming over me. *sigh*

Tuesday was more interesting though.

W is for Woozy.

I was up all Monday night trying to finish my Powerpoint presentation for my watercolor workshop. I wasn't able to get any real sleep 'cause I was too scared to oversleep and miss the Tuesday session (and besides, Thor and Margie will kill me if I do).

I was up by 5 a.m., and out of the house by 6:20. When I got to the Ortigas-Ayala shuttle terminal, the Ayala line was four or five rows thick, and there weren't any vans around. I didn't want my leaving the house early to go to waste, so I left my place in line to search for a cab. As I walked past the terminal I ran into a guy and he asked me if I was going to Makati and if I'd be willing to share a cab with him. I thought, why not? I'm sure these cab drivers are gonna charge us an arm and a leg, and since we were going down at the same stop, I figured that wasn't a bad idea.

So I shared a cab with a stranger.

W is for Waiting

After much waiting and running around we hailed a cab with a slightly disagreeble driver-- well, he was until we told him we'd be paying him P200 for a P140 trip. The guy took the front passenger seat, thankfully, 'cause I don't have to talk to him during the entire trip or look at him when I do. I just want to be left alone to think about my workshop (while secretly wishing that I get there before 8). One more good thing was that the guy was nice enough to make small talk and shut up at the appropriate moments. I had thinking room.

We arrived at Makati at 8:15. Stupid stupid C5 traffic, I swear. The guy was late. I was still in the clear (I texted Margie earlier just to make sure). (There were only 5 workshoppers present out of the 28 total when I arrived.)

Afterthought: It didn't occur to me to ask the stranger's name. I dunno why. (Well, it didn't occur to him either.) But we parted with thank yous and a see you next time. The experience was awkward, but not in a bad way.

W is for Workshop

Workshop went well, I think. Or at least I felt fulfilled. The class left the room happy, and that made me happy.

Kathy was there to assist me, so it wasn't as stressful as I imagined. And the DTI people were forgiving of mistakes and they were fun to teach (although they were awfully quiet during the first hour-- that kind of bothered me heh heh).

I should mention the caterers (The Goblet or something or other) were really really nice to us. Super maasikaso sila. And the omelet was really really yummy. :-)

W is for work.

After the workshop, Kathy and I went to Glorietta. She got herself a pair of what Nico calls jovan-shoes (a.k.a. cute maryjanes hehe) and took off to Timezone while I met up with St. Scho thesis students for some manuscript and work schedule issues. It turned out I'm supposed to do more than twice the number of pages (book illustrations) that I initially agreed to do. Harrgh. Good luck sa akin.

W is for Wonderful.

Nico came to pick me up. We went to SaGuijo a bit earlier than usual for lack of anything else to do before the Starkiller gig.

Carpenters Night! I enjoyed Best Before's set and their cover of Yesterday Once More. (I can just skip the other bands 'cause I don't have anything to say about them. Heh heh...) I loved loved loved FL's version of Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft. I wanted to see Mighty perform, but they were performing last + Nico and I were just tired from a very long day, and we had people hitching with us on our way out.

W is for Wasted.

You think? (o_O)

Memory jog.

Yesterday seeped through the first 5 hours of Sunday. I'm tired, and my mind is all fluff right now. :-P

*****

It was a long Saturday. I woke up early despite the lack of sleep from working all night.

It was a special day. I remembered Nico joking about wanting to receive flowers recently, so I decided to buy a bouquet for him before I head over to the InK officers' meeting at Chocolate Kiss.

I've never bought a guy flowers before, and therefore I was clueless as to what Nico would like. (I never asked him what his favorite flower was either.) I stood at the florist's idiotically for a good fifteen minutes, while I struggled with option paralysis.

*****

I was horribly late for the InK officers' meeting. (I didn't think buying flowers would take me that long, and besides, I had lunch at home.) We went over the General meeting's agenda and discussed content of the upcoming I.n.K. book.

I got three new books for free!!! Actually I won them, together with cute glass fridge magnets. Hehe... (InK Comelec gave special prizes to early voters.)

Towards the end of the meeting, InK Comelec announced Ang I.n.K.'s new set of officers for 2006. I got re-elected. I'm still not sure if it's a good thing or not. Heheh...

*****

Nico picked me up at FA right after my meeting.

05 November 2005 Highlight Of The Day: seeing Nico's face as I gave him the arm bouquet of roses and liliums I bought for him in the morning. It's enough to assure me that all 23 months we spent together have been worth it. *melt*

Before heading off to Thor's post-birthday Korean video-fest, we went to Bench Fix Katipunan for Nico's haircut, then picked up Marnie along the way.

*****

Food fest at the party! I think I ate too much I felt sick afterwards. Tsk tsk. Wilmer just decorated his house with an almost all white theme. Ganda! :-) We watched My Brother (I watched 85% of it), then a few episodes of Full House. Oh, I watched my first episode of Pinoy Big Brother. They just kicked out cute boy Sam. I'm pretty sure he can earn more than the million-peso grand prize with his commercial endorsements. Heheh... I'm not sure if I'm going to get into the PBB phase. Besides, watching it will interfere with workhours. Voyeurism anyone? Hehehe... ;-)

*****

In front of my house, still in the car, Nico and I had a very long talk about, uhm, stuff. I'm still not sure if it had a point but I think the universe intended that we stay out late so we can miss out on the bad things that happen elsewhere.

(No, I don't feel like explaining.)

It's Friday I'm in love.

Woke up early yesterday because I tagged along to Nico's band rehearsal again. We picked up their session keyboardist at Galleria, then headed on to Pipeline.

I've observed that Forgetting Luna's studio rehearsals are more fun and less tense than other bands I've seen rehearse before. I don't seem to mind waiting for them to finish their three-hour sessions. I used to sit in during a couple of bands' practice sessions and I thought an hour was an uncomfortable wait (hey, it's not like I hate their music, I actually am a fan). Maybe the FL has more relaxed dynamics among members? I dunno.

*****

We dropped by Glorietta to check out and buy our Harry Potter movie tickets for November 16. WOOHOO! (Thank you, Nico!) I'm so excited (and I just can't hide it hehe)!

On an impulse buying spree I got myself an Emily the Strange pair of dangling black cat earrings and matching charm bracelet. (n_n)

*****

We hung out at Nico's house afterwards to play We <3 Katamari (na na na na na na na...) until it was time for me to go home. Nakaka-adik!

*****

I guess ignoring work for a day was worth it. (Hey, I needed the break!) Now, back to my regularly scheduled programming. :-P

Craving for calamari.

Spent the first two days of November at home, working. *sigh* Such is life.

*****

Nico disappeared from chat early this evening without saying goodbye, so I called him up to ask if he's still at work. He greeted me with a "Hi!" and told me that he'll be picking me up shortly for dinner at The Old Spaghetti House. (He's been telling me about their yummy calamari all week, and finally I get to try them myself!)

Insta-date! Hehe... (n_n)

*****

(Thank you!!! I still owe you a one-hour session at the Garden Spa.)

Treat or treat.

We spent Halloween at the Ayala Heights Trick or Treat thing with the spawn (Kiwi & Kyla). We had Kyla use the octopus I made for Honee's pre-school students' musical presentation which I borrowed at short notice. Kiwi borrowed Nico's Darth Vader mask (a cheap imitation I found somewhere and bought for Nico hehe). We didn't make it in time for the costume registration cut-off, but the kids were able to get their freebies anyway.

Photo by Zach Yonzon

A bunch of InKies and familiar faces (from UP FA) were there at the covered courts to judge the costume contest. We wished we had a camera with us! Ang ku-kyut ng mga bata! We saw this happy-looking little girl dressed as a huge gift. One other girl even had prosthetics on her face (Kiwi said that kid was dressed as a kampanerang kuba). We didn't stay long enough for the awarding of the winners, 'cause it was really hot at the covered court and we wanted to start trick or treating right away.

*****

We were all first timers at this kind of thing (except Nico, of course) and I kept bugging Nico on how to go about it. (I have never participated in the action, I usually just see the kids roaming around with loot bags on Halloween.)

Nico says we only have to approach those who give away treats (with tables and all outside their houses/fences), and that we need not bother knocking on other houses anymore. I think this Halloween setup is better than Christmas! At least all those who participate willingly give stuff away. (Several households take part in this activity, too!) And it sure beats singing Christmas carols outside houses pretending to be empty.

(And the neighborhood is rather dull on the Christmas holidays. Parang kanya-kanyang gimmick silang lahat.)

*****

We started our rounds a little before 5 p.m., alternating between walking and riding the car. After an hour or so, Kiwi & Kyla's loot bags were full. We emptied them in big plastic bags in the car and resumed trick or treating. Some households accommodate even the grown ups with on-the-spot consumables: (mostly) ice cream, marshmallows with chocolate fountains, cotton candy, fish balls, taho, etc. (Nabusog kami sa ice cream!)

We were all pooped out by 7 p.m. (and we already filled up all the loot bags again) so we went to Nico's house to freshen up and have dinner (and more ice cream).

*****

After dinner Nico took us to NU for our radio guesting, and he was super nice about looking after the kids while the interview was going on. (Pogi points na naman!!!) The interview went well, despite the fact that I stuttered like an idiot and lost my train of thought in several instances.

Karen asked us to drop by her house after the guesting to give more loot to the kids. She gave us three nice lavender bags with Vince's artwork printed on 'em (one each for the kids, and one for me! Hehe) with lots of goodies inside. (Thanks, chief!)

*****

All in all, a very tiring day (poor Nico was zoning out from exhaustion and now my legs are hurting like hell). Sulit naman ang pagod namin. No tricks for today. It's all fun. (n_n)

Strike!

It's nice to move around the city during the holidays. There's hardly any traffic, and it's not hard to park anywhere! Heheheh...

That's how it was today when we went to Eastwood to attend this SWP event:

Nico and I started off the afternoon with a few games of 9 ball. Then Nico competed for one of the special SWP games, and he won neat prizes for sinking balls totalling 66 points with only two mistakes (you can't go over or under 66, and you're only allowed 3 missed shots). He took home an R2-C3PO walkie talkie, a deck of Star Wars playing cards, a Yoda tee and chocolates. How cool is that?

We joined two rounds of the Attack of the Clones bowling tournament. We lost the first tourney, but we ranked second place on the second round. (Ang galing ko chumamba! Hehehe...) Sadly, it's a winners-take-all kind of thing so we didn't get a prize. I also tried the blindfold bowling thing and hit 9 pins in one go. Someone beat me with a strike tho. Then I Nico and I played more 9-ball rounds. Nico won mostly, but at least I won twice, fair and square heheh. Feeling competent ako haha.

I didn't royally suck at bowling today (mainly because they had gutter guards hahaha). Maybe we could do it again. Fun fun fun! (n_n)

Special thanks to Aids and Paul for being so accommodating! Hehe...

Only in dreams.

Last night I dreamt I bought front row tickets to the Aimee Mann concert at Araneta Coliseum. Nico made me forget the concert (I'm not sure if it was intentional) while we hung out at Gateway Mall. It was already 11 pm when I remembered, and I was in tears and hysterical about it.

*****

I told Nico about my dream over at MSN and he was apologetic about it. Labo, hahahaha! :-)

*****

Sana totoo ngang may Aimee Mann concert dito... (Hah. Wishful thinking.)

Guilt-free.

After a couple of aching wrists and a few sore fingers, I was finally able to e-mail a sample illustration spread to my clients (read: Catholic college students working on their thesis).

YES! I can go out tonight, guilt-free. Yay! Yay! Yay! (n_n)v

Sali na!

I've just been to the press launch of the new Itchyworms album Noon Time Show (currently on heavy rotation on my WMP) and it was so much fun!

The event's first performance was a dance number. A boy-group danced almost too literally to "One Ball" and it was funny! It's sooo campy, it's good! Noon time show talaga 'yung dating. Hehehe...

The Itchyworms played three songs then opened the floor to questions from the members of the press. They had a roleta thing going-- they spin to find out who is going to answer the questions. Ang kulit! Then they wrapped up the presscon with one last song.

Sumakit ang panga ko sa katatawa kanina. Grabe.

*****

I wanted to write here how the Behrouz Metrowalk restaurant service sucks, but I won't. :-Þ

Flag ceremony.

Lungsod ng Marikina

National Children's Month
Bright Child: Yaman ng Magulang, Lakas ng Bayan!

CERTIFICATE OF APPRECIATION

The City Government of Marikina is grateful and appreciative
of the efforts of Ang I.N.K. (Ilustrador ng Kabataan) for their
relentless pursuit in nurturing the CREATIVITY and
IMAGINATION of children and the young at heart.

Given this 24th day of October, 2005.
Marikina City's National Children's Month
Freedom Park, City Hall

(signed)
Lea Astrud T. Santiago
Head, Marikina Cultural, Tourism and Trade Investment
Promotions Office

and

Naide Sarte
Chairman
Council for Children in Conflict with the Law

I had an early day today. Woke up super early to attend the Marikina City Hall flag ceremony as one of the representatives of Ang I.n.K..

Liza arrived late for the ceremony, so I had to receive our certificate in front of a crowd of one or two hundred on her behalf. I had to flash my showbiz/PR smile and struggled not to look silly. :-Þ

*****

I am so not a morning person. Off to get more sleep.

Kaladkarin.

Umiral na naman ang pagiging kaladkarin ko.

(Word of the week: kaladkarin)

I was working sporadically on sketches, layouts and art direction yesterday when Marnie asked me to meet up with her at Marquinton. I wasn't meeting up with Nico and I was starting to get bored with working over the weekend so I said okay.

Marnie went shoe-happy while I followed her around in a skirt (which I haven't worn since early college days) and four-inch wedge heels. After shopping we hung out at Gerry's Grill for conversation over a few bottles of Strong Ice beer. After Gerry's closed, we had coffee (or rather, Marnie had coffee, and I just imagined my caffeine high) at the last remaining open coffee shop until its closing time.

(Eto na ba 'yung version namin ng girls' night out? Tsk.)

*****

Tita Tess, Bianca & Nico picked me up early today. We heard mass at Valle Verde, then had lunch at Misato, Metrowalk (green chicken is YUMMY!). I got Marnie a copy of Il Mare, along with a couple other Jeon Ji-Hyun starrers for myself.

After take-out dessert, Nico and I left for his band practice in Taft. I did some study sketches for work while they jammed, but I was distracted (in a good way) by their music and the, uhm, dancing. Heh heh...

*****

Btw, Forgetting Luna is having a session keyboardist for the next StarKiller gig (Carpenters Night), and one thing I have to say is you have to be there at SaGuijo on November 8! I'm really looking forward to this one. KA-EXCITE! (I wonder what Best Before and Mighty are gonna do that night. Hmmm...)

*****

We went to Gateway after practice and watched Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. Hilarious! Nico agreed that the movie was funny even if he slept through half of it hehe...

We bought Arce Dairy Almond and Chips right before meeting up with Mida at Coffee Bean, and we demolished it way before Marnie arrived. (And I suffered for it as soon as I got home.) :-P

We left earlier than usual (which was, in retrospect, a wise decision -- lactose intolerance works fast) because we had to bring stuff to Nickee's house in San Mateo that night and we both need to get up early tomorrow. Hayyy... I hope there's more time to catch up with friends in the days to come.

Stress - destress.

Yesterday was IDisenyo's turnover of the community library to the Aklatang Pambata staff. I woke up late, took some time to reply to e-mails. I left in a huff, got stuck in traffic, missed the speeches and Kontra-Gapi's performance.

The library looked good, despite all the setbacks and stressful moments. Then I checked out the storytelling area. I spoke too soon.

(What's the sound of blood boiling?)

There were names painted over some of the elements of the mural. Names of people who helped renovate the library but did no contribution whatsoever to the painting mural itself. It looked like they did the whole thing. And it was ugly.

I was on the verge of going ballistic. (Restraint is a virtue, I think.) I told my friend never EVER paint over someone else's work (unless you did it with permission, of course). None of us InKies ever bothered putting our names there for credit. (What the hell for, anyway?)

I informed the project head that I will be needing the excess paints because I will cover up the ugly grafitti before the library opening, even if it means I have to do it all myself. Nakakairita lang kasi, walang respeto sa pinaghirapan namin ng dalawang araw. GRRR...

(10, 9, 8, 7...)

Nico picked me up soon afterwards, and we had dinner at A Veneto. Nico seemed like he badly wanted a massage so we called Garden Spa for an appointment.

I didn't want a session in a common room and I was relieved to find that they have curtain partitions for the ladies' massage room. (They have privacy in their common rooms! What can I say?) After taking a shower I was subjected to Swedish massage.

I had no idea how much pain my body was in until last night. My muscles were all in knots, and the masseuse kept telling me to put hot compress on my left shoulder (eeh nakakatamad hehe).

Masarap na masakit. Tanggal ang init ng ulo. Sulit na sulit. (At libre pa. Hehe... Thank you, beh!)

*****

Mainit ba ulo mo? Magpamasahe ka. Now na. Heh heh heh.

Thursday in a nutshell.

• telephone memo cum release form for two artworks worth P5000 each
  
• check signing and the secret wish that the checking account was mine hehe
  
• four book covers submitted in cd format
  
• discounted Enchanted Kingdom tickets
  
• comic book pagination meeting
  
• impromptu Megamall meet with Kathy
  
• cds for Nickee
  
• Hap Chang dinner
  
• Jovancouver on auto-complete SMS
  
• Last Full Show @ SaGuijo
  
• conversations on backstories, breasts, books and cockroaches (ick)
  
• Kathy calling Donna ingrata (hahahaha)
  
• Love Team by Itchyworms
  
• Strong Ice & San Mig Light tandem
  
• Boom Desire while walking towards Pasong Tamo
  
• after-midnight sidewalk tiangge at Guadalupe
  
• express commute home
  

(n_n)

Lagare.

Forgetting Luna just had their first lagare gig. (Ibang level na 'to! Hehehe...) It was fun, and funny, too. (n_n)

Kolumn Bar was almost langaw night if not for two tables full of babies and adults requesting for a Scorpions song. Gweilos Eastwood was a room full of smoke and dancing tipsy people and soundtripping to Best Before and Mighty.

Mental Note: There is no escaping Bon Jovi. :-Þ

Paradise found, indeed!

Today's purchase (taken with crap webcam):

Wheeeee!

*****

Nico left my house just minutes ago, nakiparty sa birthday ni spawn Kyla. (I decorated the cake again, but no pics, sorry.) Happy boy because he finally got his new pair of ears-- a Grado SR125. Ü

*****

Ah... the joys of shopping. Heh heh heh... (n_n)

February 2004 was hell month.

Karen tagged me.

Here are the rules to the tag.
1. Delve into your blog archive.
2. Find your 23rd post (or closest to).
3. Find the fifth sentence (or closest to).
4. Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions. Ponder it for meaning, subtext or hidden agendas.
5. Tag five people to do the same.

And here it is:

MaTiLDa
+++++++
FEBRUARY

12 - Popparazzi Experience @ Mayrics, 9PM
Matilda, Popfilter, Milk n Money, Iliad, Hybris and more (may sakit si Jovi)

Nyak, ang corny. A cancelled gig sked. I wish it wasn't the 23rd post. I think I was mostly blogging band stuff in 2004. Now if it were my first solo blog which I never told anyone about, the result would probably have been more interesting. But that's deleted and forgotten now, just like the rest of my hand-written journals during early adolescence.

So just let me tag other people who probably have written more interesting stuff: Luis, Thor, Anj, Lette and Mida. Heh heh, sorry guys... (n_n)

Breathless.

Day 2: InKies Liza Jandy Oro Yasmin Bleps Jodi me Liz Luwi Loki (Photo by Liza Flores)

We finally finished painting the Aklatang Pambata storytelling area. It was fun, but exhausting. See Liza's pictures here.

Ang sakit sakit sakit ng katawan ko, pero sulit naman ang effort. :-)

*****

Nico picked me up at the community library after his band rehearsal late in the afternoon. We met up with his dad and sister and heard mass at the UP Chapel. After mass, Nico ran a short errand and then we headed for Eastwood for family dinner and a movie.

After an enjoyable (and fattening) time at Alba's (Tito Duds sang with the in house serenaders hehe), we headed towards the mall to see Lord of War. It was raining so Nico and I volunteered to go ahead and get the umbrella in the car for his dad and sister (because we both had jackets). While walking towards the mall, I suddenly found myself in tears, unable to breathe, and reeling in pain. Nico kept asking me what was wrong but the only words that were coming out of my mouth was "Ang sakit... Ang sakit..."

I was hit hard in the chest by the guy who was walking in front of us. I realized that I couldn't breathe and I started to panic. Then I forced myself to cough. (And as a result I am now nursing a sore throat as well.)

In between apologies, the guy explained that he was just taking off his polo for his kid to put over his head, and that he didn't hit me on purpose. He even gave us his calling card in case something happens to me. We told them that we understood that it was an accident. I urged Nico to give the card back. I didn't want to know his name.

(I'd like to thank the outdoor staff of Something Fishy for the concern. Thank you, too, for not making me feel any more embarassed than I already was.)

*****

As we approached the mall I asked Nico why stuff like that keeps happening to me.

I have a stinking feeling that I'm just plain unlucky.

*****

I liked Lord of War. I wished I wasn't too tired and in pain, I could've laughed at the funny/witty parts. There were moments where I felt like someone was sitting on my chest, and I was too scared to fall asleep.

*****

Go away, pain.

*sigh*

Pogi points.

Took this pic with Nico's phone.

My boyfriend is an artist. Hee. ;-)

Ang I.n.K. decorated the Aklatang Pambata community library with wall murals, and Nico helped us out.

*kilig*

Yesterday was Day 1. *whew* The challenge now is getting up early for Day 2 later. Good luck sa akin! :-Þ

Sleep-deprived.

The insomnia is back. Four non-continuous hours of sleep a day means I am lucky I got some. Sucks big time. :-Þ

I've a very busy weekend coming up, not the kind of weekend I always look forward to, but I'm hoping it turns out to be fun anyway.

I'm waiting for a client to give me feedback on some book covers that I did. I hope they respond soon. I'm already itching to throw that yellow Post-It reminder away.

Proud to be an I.n.K.ie

Disclaimer: Ang I.n.K. is Ang Ilustrador ng Kabataan, and NOT-- as many people believe-- a religious organization. I have nothing against the latter, but I would just like to clarify this for fear of misrepresentation. Okay? So please, no more soul-searching messages over chat and e-mail! Heh heh...

(Photo courtesy of Liza Flores)

That's Guia, myself, Pepper, Abi and Liza (<--PWA semi-finalist!) at the Creative Industry Forum, CCP.

The mock-shirts in the pic are currently on view at the Marikina City Hall this entire month of October in commmemoration of National Children's Month. Accompanying this set-up are illustrations by children and juvenile offenders through the initiative of the person responsible for Chikiting Patrol.

I know I posted about this sampayan exhibit of Ang I.n.K. somewhere in my blog but I'm too lazy to look for it. Heh heh heh... But if you want to see pics of the original Manila FAME exhibit early this year (with thanks to the British Council), you may visit Liza's Flickr photoset. You'll find pics of other Ang I.n.K. (<--also a PWA semi-finalist! Yay!) activities there, too. (And there's a pic of myself in a manok hat somewhere hehe.)

The year is almost over (and so is my term as an officer), but the fun hasn't ended yet. (And there is so much work to do! Hehehe...)

(n_n)v

Edit.

I have half a mind to change my answers to my OST, but I won't.

A few minutes ago Kathy said over YM:

Kathy G: Singing, Dancing And Drunk Off Your Ass: 2 beses ko ng nagawa. close to. hahaha! thanks to the moon's gravitational pull by sandwich - and it's all coming together. am having a great day no matter what they say!!!!
Kathy G: remember rock radio?
Kathy G: hahahah
starshuffler: OO NGA ANO!!!
starshuffler: hahahaha

Yeah, I even posted a pic a long time ago, kita mga tiyan namin ni Kath. Hehehe...

Ang kaso lang, hindi pa ata ako lasing niyan. Masaya lang talaga kasi. Hehehe...

I'm commemorating Monday with poetry.

Hah. Yeah, right. :-P

Pathetic Random Poetry Generator by PurpleAnkh
Title	Hello
Line 1	Never take it for granted,
Line 2	Juliet had the right idea,
Line 3	Never in this life,
Big Finish	Because you're pathetic & sad
Your Name Here
Quiz created with MemeGen!

*****

The weekend was a rollercoaster ride of sorts.

Friday started wrong, redeemed itself for a bit with dinner with the Africa family and Tim Burton's The Corpse Bride which I really really liked, and ended horribly (details of which I will leave out for your benefit and mine).

Saturday was melancholy. And very rainy. The weather fit the mood perfectly. I wasn't feeling too well, too, so I missed Ninja's first birthday party. Highlight of the day was late Yellow Cab dinner with Nico.

Sunday switched from lazy to busy and back to lazy. I woke up late and therefore arrived 45 minutes late for exhibit ingress. We spent the morning and early afternoon mostly waiting for scaffolding for the I.n.K.-designed mock-shirts. The Africa family picked me up just as we were finishing the set-up. Tito Duds, Nico and I went to Feet For Us, while Bianca and Tita Tess went to the beauty salon. We hung out at Nico's afterwards, and watched movies on Star. I never found out the title of that Anthony Hopkins / Cuba Gooding movie with gorillas. Nico and I kept predicting pencil stabbing moments throughout the film (which we found funny), but it was interesting. Then we watched Ever After. I've seen it countless times, but I haven't grown tired of it yet. I still find it funny, and touching.

*****

I feel like dancing to the Beastie Boys today, but the cramps prevent me from doing so. :-Þ

Hay, ulan.

Tama, sabayan mo itong makulimlim na pakiramdam.

Waiting for true love to happen.

*sigh*

Foolproof.

You are Jane.
Artsy and funny, doesn't take anyone's BS


What Daria Character are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

I took this quiz and then I suddenly remembered that wrycell once wrote that my "bullshit detector never fails".

Uhm... well, okay fine. Maybe it only works 97% of the time. Heh heh heh...

*****

I've been too busy (and lazy) to update this blog. Kwento next time. My wrists are hurting from editing and coloring hand-drawn sketches in Photoshop with a mouse. I should save up for a tablet. Damn.

The soundtrack of my life.

Starshuffler - OST. For now, anyway.

I was tagged again. :-) A lot of my answers are somehow related to my recent seven post. Ang hirap pala nito hehehe... Now, everyone on my friends list, it's YOUR turn.

If you were to create the sountrack of your life, this would be the song playing when you are...

Lonely Or Down:
The World Has Turned And Left Me Here (Weezer)-- In your place an empty space... and Bitter Tears (Graham Coxon)-- 7:00 A.M. and wasting away Bitter tears Why no knock on my door? Bitter tears What did I come here for? Bitter tears. I think I listen to too many sad songs... :-Þ

In Love:
Diesel Smoke (Eggstone). I only wanna be your superbullet number one... Is it true? Is it you? And Honestly (Zwan) should be playing, too.

Fighting With Your Significant Other:
Communication (The Cardigans)-- If this is communication, I disconnect. Sorry or Please (Kings of Convenience)-- Right now you make no sense to me. The Wretched (Nine Inch Nails)-- Now you know this is what it feels like.

Having Sex:
Having sex? Naku, di ko na alam... Uh, choices, choices-- IF and when I were to have sex, Inertia Creeps (Massive Attack) or anything by the Chillitees. :-P

Nursing A Broken Heart:
River (Joni Mitchell)-- I wish I had a river to skate away on... Teach my feet to fly. Cry (The Sundays). You're with me so much, you're never with me any more. And it makes me cry. Be Strong Now (James Iha)-- If I could change a thing tonight we won't be lonely. Again, I wallow in too many sad (and beautiful) songs.

In Need of Cheering Up:
Do You Realize? (The Flaming Lips)-- Do you realize that you have the most wonderful face? Elevator Song (Dubstar)-- If you need somebody around you well then I'll be the one who's there.

About To Embark On A Road Trip:
Drive (Eraserheads). Hahaha... Please please lang turuan ninyo akong magdrive.

Sunbathing On A Tropical Beach:
Twenty Questions (Beastie Boys). Bossanova is best on beaches (specially with existential questions for lyrics), plus Miho Hatori's voice really fits the mood.

Feeling Groggy And Need To Wake Up:
Katamari on the Rocks (Katamari Damacy Theme). This is a fun fun fun song even if I don't understand the lyrics. Hehehe... Na na na na na na na na na na na na...

Feeling Suicidal:
Although I very much agree with Thor's answer here (hahaha sorry), I'd have to go with Sarah McLachlan's very creepy version of Gloomy Sunday.

Angry, Very Angry:
Almost every NIN or RATM song sounds angry-- very tempting but I won't... Hahaha... Who the fuck are you looking at? (Graham Coxon)-- Is there really a thing like feeling too much? Can you really escape + numb the real?

Singing At The Videoke Bar:
Eleanor Rigby (The Beatles) -- All the lonely people, where do they all come from? From the videoke bars, of course! Hehe...

Dancing By Yourself In Your Room:
I'm feeling kind of retro and steady. Let's Dance (David Bowie)-- Sway through the crowd to an empty space.

Singing, Dancing And Drunk Off Your Ass:
Ah, this is best with a live track hehe... Anyway-- Cannonball (The Breeders), Violently Happy (Björk) and/or Ray Of Light (Madonna). But then again when I'm drunk off my ass, whatever's playing doesn't really matter, does it? Hehehe...

Playing Air Guitar:
I'd do the air bass guitar for Boys and Girls (Blur). Hehe...

Chilling On A Rainy Afternoon:
A cover by the Manic Street Preachers-- Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head. Heh heh... Ang literal ba? Hehehe...

Reminiscing About High School:
You On My Mind (Swing Out Sister)-- because everyone was singing it.

Reminiscing About College:
Oh, I can make up a double disc soundtrack for this entry alone! And it will be a musical extravaganza! There'll be folk, rock, glam, grunge, techno, mushy love songs, musicals and everything else in between. Watershed (Indigo Girls) would be at the top of my list. And some Once on this Island highlights.

Getting Married:
I Believe When I Fall In Love With You It Will Be Forever (Stevie Wonder). Title pa lang, self-explanatory na. Hahaha... ;-)

We <3 Katamari!

Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na... Katamari Damacy... Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na....

Yes, it's finally available at your friendly neighborhood dibidihan. Nico bought a copy at Metrowalk yesterday, and we spent more or less five hours playing the thing. (Yeah, and I got video game-induced motion sickness after hahaha...)

The graphics are just sooo cute, and the soundtrack is great! I wonder if it's the same with the first Katamari Damacy game. Nakaka-adik. (Chatting with Nico now. He's now talking like the King of the Universe. Tsk tsk.)

*****

Yesterday was a good day. On our way to Metrowalk from Nico's band rehearsal I got an SMS from Nickee:

Lowlah napasign ko na ung book.

WHEEEEE!!! Nico had to cover his ears to protect them from the high-pitched screaming. Heh heh heh... Happinesssss! (Neil Gaiman, I <3 you!)

Superthank you to Nickee. Super-sulit 'yung 6 hours na pila, promise! (Nico and I endured more than 12 hours and I got more than I expected out of it hehe...)

(Akala ko highlight of the day ko na 'yung nakakainis na traffic sa tapat ng DLSU-- college entrance test kasi kahapon. Buti na lang hindi! Hehehe...)

*****

A couple of days ago was InK officers' and general meeting day-- the usual, lunch-time to late afternoon, first Saturday of the month drill. Nico picked me up afterwards and we did time on the treadmill again.

I wanted to go to the paperworks exhibit opening by US-based artists at the Marikina Shoe Expo, but Nico and I wanted needed a massage badly after our workout. We wanted to try the Garden Spa near my place, but they were full when I called for a reservation. We went to our usual haunt at Katipunan Extension (Feet For Us) and we weren't disappointed. First time na nakatulog ako sa massage. (Usually I just close my eyes and rest.) And the masseuse kept at the knotted areas of my back repeatedly (usually they just go through the motions like clockwork). We took note of the names of our masahistas so next time we know who to look for. :-)

Hayyy sarap. (n_n) Parang gusto ko ulit...

Aaaaahhh!!!

Lately I've been pining over the fact that I badly want to get my own limited edition copy of Anansi Boys at Fully Booked AND my funds are next to non-existent. I think about it everyday since it first became available, and I'm currently unable to concentrate because Nickee, my kabarkada from Fine Arts who is now based in L.A., sent me YM a few minutes ago.

Nickee: wawa ka naman [reacting to my status message: Tired and useless.]
starshuffler: yeah
Nickee: nabili ko na anansi boys mo, ang tanong na lang kung mapapasign ko :))
Nickee: hehehe
Nickee: anyway, kundiman, papadala ko pa rin sayo
Nickee: hardbound yun ha
starshuffler: OOHWOW!
starshuffler: anong hardbound?
Nickee: hardbound
starshuffler: ang alin?
Nickee: yung anansi boys?
Nickee: anuva
starshuffler: AHHHH
Nickee: nubayun
starshuffler: sorry. slow ako. hahaha... sabi ko sa iyo eh, useless ako ngayon
starshuffler: :))
Nickee: mukha nga eh
starshuffler: omaygas!!! tenkyu lowlah!!!
starshuffler: (tamo, delayed reaction pa)
starshuffler: hahaha
starshuffler: :-*
Nickee: isip ko pa nga kung bibilhin ko, kaso kakadyahe namang magpasign ng paperback lang hehe

AAAAAH!!! Ang saya-saya!!! I'm hoping she gets it signed on Sunday, but I'm already thankful that I now own a copy. (Thank you! Thank you, lowlah!) :-D

Nickee's sending it to me via her sister who will be visiting her at the end of October. The challenge now is how to wait patiently for November, when her sister comes back.

AAAAAH!!! Tama ba ito? Hindi na ako makatulog!!! ;-D

Looking back.

Shortly after I attended the Creative Industry Forum early this month, I e-mailed Dennis Marasigan of CCP to request for a transcription of Ambeth Ocampo's speech. I got Mr. Marasigan's e-mail today (uhm, actually yesterday) containing the requested manuscript which was published in two issues of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Read on my friends. :-)

LOOKING BACK:
Culture's impact on industry / Culture education
By Ambeth Ocampo
Inquirer News Service
Published on Page A15 of the September 14 and 16, 2005 issues of the Philippine Daily Inquirer


Culture’s impact on industry

WHEN the First Philippine Creative Industry Forum opened at the Cultural Center of the Philippines last week, I planned to attend as an observer. I wanted to hear and learn from the participants, but instead I found myself at the podium delivering remarks that I hoped were useful.

Culture (with a capital "C") is often misunderstood and there is a common misconception that it is something reserved for the rich or the elite, when it should be for everyone. This may explain why culture is often at the very bottom of the government's list of priorities (sometimes I think it's not on the list at all). Since the former Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS) was split up, we have yet to have a separate department for culture, sports, higher and technical education. Culture is now under the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, which is slowly learning from the experience of other countries (some smaller and not as developed as the Philippines) where culture does not have a very low priority because they speak the language everyone understands: money.

When artists create music, paintings, sculpture, literature, or film, these are considered under the realm of culture, but when they go into the market and translate their work into money, the culture component seems to disappear and the end product ends up in a different category. The same can be said of handicrafts, interior design, food and fashion, which are acknowledged as economic goods worthy of the Department of Trade and Industry's attention, and being trade goods, they are not considered products of culture or cultural industries anymore.

Why is culture dropped from cultural industries when it turns into money or economic indicators? Perhaps when the government sees and recognizes the economic benefits or impact of culture, it will sit up and pay attention. In the thick Philippine Medium-Term Development Plan, culture is mentioned in one sentence because we have not mapped out the terrain to see how it affects the GDP and GNP. One would wish the situation were different, but there it is.

To see how culture can effect changes in industry, we have to look into the issue of resources-natural, talent and manpower. We all know that the Philippines has a huge pool of talent, that as a people we have the capacity for greatness, but our resources are often underutilized because it is unrecognized or, worse, underdeveloped.

Let me give you some examples. On a visit to Romblon province last year, I was shocked to find a beautiful place by the sea and yet the best restaurant in town served me a welcome lunch of Norwegian salmon rather than the fresh catch of the day. I expected fresh fruit for dessert and got fruit fresh out of a can of imported fruit preserves. How can such a situation be possible? Now, that is an element of culture.

After lunch, I went to the market, as is my custom in any place I visit for the first time. One can learn many things from a market in terms of language, products, prices and the distinct ways that merchants display everything, from rubber slippers to dried fish. Walking through the tourist part of Romblon market, it was fairly obvious that everyone sold the same thing: Romblon marble. It may not be Carrara marble, but taken on its own merits, it was worth acquiring.

What did the people in this sleepy town do with their marble? They made them into tombstones, mortar and pestle. As a tourist, I asked myself: How many "lapida" [tomb markers] and "dikdikan" [mortars] do I want? How many lapida and dikdikan do I need? Come to think of it, how many lapida and dikdikan do they sell in a year? Here is a region that has skilled manpower and an almost inexhaustible natural resource, but their products are unimaginative. If culture comes in to introduce new designs and new uses of Romblon marble, that would go a long way in developing the industry and the province.

The same can be said of Baguio City. On my way there recently, I noticed what people take back with them from a trip to the summer capital: brooms, fresh vegetables, jars of strawberry jam/jelly, peanut brittle and "jaleyang ube." Fortunately, the market for those asthma-causing dust gatherers known as "everlasting" dried flowers has dwindled.

In the Baguio public market or in a tourist trap like Mines View Park, the bestsellers are: filigree silver objects, Cordillera woven blankets (which ignorant lowlanders use as accent pieces, not knowing that the most popular designs happen to be death blankets; what was woven to wrap a mummy or a corpse are now used as bedspreads). The giant narra spoon and fork that decorate many Filipino homes are concrete proof that our ancestors in the Cordilleras were giants. Last but not least, there is the "man in the barrel" and those erect wooden penis with scrotums that double as an ashtray. Those interested in the fairer sex can buy a wooden naked lady made into a backscratcher or, better still, a model with moving legs that double as "nut crackers."

Here we have another example of skilled manpower and wood supply, but look at the end products. That again is an issue for culture and cultural industries. The impact of culture on trade and industry has not yet been measured.

Culture education

ONE REASON culture is covered with too many misconceptions is that it is not fully integrated into our basic education curriculum. For obvious reasons, our present curriculum is focused on mastery of English, Science and Math. When you speak of culture, it is lumped into a strange creature called Hekasi, which is Heograpiya [Geography], Kasaysayan [History] and Sibika [Civics] all rolled into one. Culture is often associated with the arts, which in practical terms means drawing, music or dancing, rather than teaching children that culture is that which defines who we are and who we want to be. Perhaps we should teach children that culture shows us the nation and people we fail to be.

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts has been working on a Philippine Cultural Education Plan (PCEP) for the past five years, and when I took this as an area of concern, I was shown a cultural index in three volumes, one of them as thick as a phone directory. While I browsed through the bibliography and marveled at its content and structure as an academic, I asked myself if this would be useful to a mat weaver in Tawi-Tawi province or a "bulul" [wooden statue of native deity] carver in the Cordilleras. With some popularization, perhaps the PCEP could be implemented by the Department of Education.

The task is simple. In the six years that children are in grade school, what 10 pieces of art should they know by sight? What 10 books should they read aside from Jose Rizal's "Noli Me Tangere" and "El Filibusterismo"? What 10 tunes should they be able to sing aside from the National Anthem and "Ama Namin"? What dance movements should they learn aside from "ocho-ocho"? These seem to be basic inputs that will impart something common to all students throughout the archipelago and form a body of knowledge that will make them know and appreciate what it is to be Filipino.

I wouldn't be surprised if pre-school children today can recognize Ronald McDonald, the Jollibee mascot and Wendy's freckled mascot on sight but not know Fernando Amorsolo or Atang de la Rama were. Perhaps they know more about Mother Goose and Harry Potter than Lam-ang or Mariang Makiling. Drawing up a list of cultural icons is potentially contentious, but we have to start somewhere.

When we first presented the PCEP to a receptive group at the education department's Teachers Education Council, we insisted that culture should not be isolated in Hekasi. Culture should be taught across disciplines. When we teach students grammar, why do we allow the teachers to make clumsy examples of elementary sentences when we have a gold mine from the prose and poetry of Nick Joaquin, Amado Hernandez, Virgilio Almario and our other National Artists for Literature? When we teach children color, we can get examples from the works of Amorsolo and Jose Joya. When we teach geometric shapes, we can ask students to seek these out in the abstract works of Hernando Ocampo and Arturo Luz. Only when culture is taught across disciplines will people see culture in their everyday lives.

Culture can provide Filipinos with a context in which to see themselves. Culture will give us roots, to balance an education that presently gives us wings to soar and enables us to work abroad. We recently heard that Ballet Philippines lost their senior dancers to a headhunting expedition from Hong Kong Disneyland. While we understand that we cannot match the salaries being offered in Hong Kong, one should ask what happens to the talent honed over years of hard work and training. Trained for classical ballet, our dancers will not even be recognized as Filipinos because they will be inside a Mickey Mouse or Daisy Duck costume, like a fast-food mascot.

A generation before ours, Filipinos who went abroad to seek greener pastures aimed to make their bundle and come home to enjoy the fruits of their labor and sacrifice. What I find distressing these days is that people who plan to work overseas have little or no intention of returning. Now that is real brain drain.

It is also distressing that Nick Joaquin 50 years ago was quoted as saying, "There is so much stupidity in this country we should export it." When you look at the country today, you realize that we are exporting our best and brightest. Now that is something to worry about. When our best ballet dancers leave a vocation and the chance to perform "Swan Lake" in the Cultural Center of the Philippines to become a dancing teacup in Hong Kong Disneyland, that is terrible indeed.

The good news is that a younger generation of dancers has moved up in Ballet Philippines to wear the shoes of the senior dancers who we hope will be in Disneyland only temporarily. When the headhunters from Hong Kong made another raiding expedition, the younger ones did not bite. Their reason: "We want to dance." This is the difference when people have roots rather than wings. Maybe these young people have both wings and roots.

Furthermore, culture provides an appreciation for heritage and the environment. We leave heritage to Bambi Harper and Toti Villalon and take an example of culture and environment. Weep when you visit those imposing solid narra statues outside Barrio Fiesta Baguio. A sign proudly says, "This statue was made from a 200-year-old tree." Culture should teach us to care for the environment and see the irony of the concrete pine tree atop Session Road in Baguio City. The day that we have a live tree there in place of the concrete symbol of the City of Pines is the day when culture has taught us to see the difference between what is real and what is not.