"When the going gets tough, the tough writes screenplays."

At least yan ang sabi ni Richard Price sa interview niya sa identitytheory. It's from the Butch Dalisay school of rationale. Honga naman, if gusto mong kumita ng pure writing lang, kailangan mong magsulat ng something relatively commercial to be able to live. But at what compromise? Buti sana kung sa lahat ng pagkakataon, ang nasusulat ay hindi pure crap. Pero minsan hindi mo maiiwasan na mag-pander sa lowest common denominator na siyang hinihingi sa iyo pag ang medium ay pelikula at telebisyon. We can't all be Pete Lacaba.*

Lalong-lalo nang mahalaga kung ikaw ay isang struggling writer trying to make a decent living. At mahirap gawin yan sa pagsusulat lang. Lalo na kung kailangan mong magbayad ng VAT. Nagkaroon ako ng cramps dahil sa VAT na iyan. Kokonti na nga lang ang kinita mo, nakiki-share pa ang gobyerno. Tapos kahit wala ka na ngang kinita, papupuntahin ka pa sa BIR just to tell them na wala ka ngang kinita. Anong crap ba yun?

*By that, I mean we can't all write Sister Stella L and Segurista all the time. Someone has to come up with Bedtime Stories and Sagad sa Init. I'm not saying it's bad. Pero sabi nga nila, we all have to make a living. And okay, quota na tayo sa ating Pete Lacaba namedrop of the week

Ewan ko kung nagpost na si Jol sa kanyang CLF site pero pangako nya kasi magsusulat sya duon tungkol sa mga pangyayari sa kanyang makulay na buhay ngayong mga nakaraang araw. Alam ko na ang mga pinagsususulat (o isusulat pa lamang) duon kaya ngayon kayo ang kukumustahin ko.

Sabi ko na nga ba ipapa-ban ng mga taga-Simbahan ang pelikula ni papa Gael. Here's part of the laundry list why the Church finds this film offensive, with my comments included:

1. A woman feeding a Sacred Host to her cat. The woman was sort of like the village idiot, the town's id who says out loud what everyone is turning a blind eye to. What's actually spookier is this woman's lair-- she collects dismembered dolls and figurines. She mixes and matches them in an attempt to have her own stable of saints' statues. It's like a menagerie of holy Frankensteins.

2. A priest who, while making love to a woman, puts on her the veil of the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary and tells her, "You are more beautiful than the Virgin Mary." Hey, to each her own kink. It was rather weird and disorienting how people's desires work. In this case, Father Amaro was bribed by a very nice veil intended for the Mater Dolorosa. But since he was on his way to a tryst, and the veil was there, and he was dallying with a virgin..Hm. Later, this veil makes an appearance again, when Amelita has gotten herself pregnant and was helplessly praying to the saints for help. Nice juxtaposition of the suffering (non)virgin.

3. The blasphemous confession of a señorita who says that she has sensual thoughts while taking a shower and "thinking of the Lord." As I said, to each her own kink. Father Amaro explained these "thoughts" as not really sinful. Sensuality is not a sin. Although I must admit that it was pretty disconcerting, but there are other things that we should go all hoopla and noisy about.

Monsignor Nico Bautista finds the film "offensive to the Catholic sensibilities." I think the film rendered rather solidly that men of the cloak do sin, and it's only human to do so. It presented the struggles and guilts of these guys as they try to do their jobs. Some fall by the wayside. Two priests, one senior, the other a newbie. Both eventually fell into the same boat--their mistresses are mother and daughter. They are one and the same. The older guy saw nothing wrong with his dalliance with the housekeeper. The younger guy, tired of covering up dirt other guys did before him, chose to do what everyone else was doing. In the end, when he refused to go public with his affair, and one that ended in death, the older guy indicted him by wheeling himself out in the middle of a funeral mass. Father Amaro did not get away scott free. His conscience rages at him, or maybe not.

I don't pretend to know much about Church policy or whatnot. But why is it that when somebody asks a valid question directed to the Church or the clergy, it's always a bad thing? Why can't we pose questions? Why the avoidance of criticism? Or in the very least, what's with the tight arse? It's not a laughing matter, but we are still human. At least have a sense of humor. The metatron will scream at you, and you will not be pleased to hear that.

Ako raw yung drawing ng boa constrictor.

How to speak and write postmodern. Itanong na lang natin kay Queaño Reeves.

And David Foster Wallace shows us how to write a postmodern breakup letter, 67 pages with footnotes, and subheadings about "Why We Could Never Grow Old Together," "Ways It—Us, The World, And Everything—Has All Changed," and "Things I've Never Told You (That Will Certainly Change Your Mind About Me)." His girlfriend stopped reading at page 20 and put the whole bunch in her bureau drawer.

Mine would have sections on "Things I thought about while tailing you through Aisles 14-17," "How You Ruined All My Favorite Movies with Renee Zellwegger in it," "Hate is Penelope Cruz," and "How you're really such a bitch and you would never ever admit it until you die." And oh, "Banished From the Catwalk: Music from the Post Relationship Denial Soundtrack." The footnotes will come in a separate volume.

vestige from the good old days


Saint Exupery's 'The Little Prince' Quiz.
brought to you by Quizilla

Ah yes. It's been a while since we've been visited by the one from Asteroid
B-162.

Tantric teddies

Because we all run on instinct. I found this one while searching for "The Rules of Attraction" website. Arlyn and I have been wanting to watch this movie, curious as we were as to how a Bret Easton Ellis novel can translate onscreen. Warning though, not for the faint hearted. Actually this is a mechajol sort of post but I really found it very funny. And my aura was good too. Try nyo rin. Hehehe.

And oh, Bono of U2 got nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. I'm playing "All I Want is You" to commorate this.

I can be your bobcat pretzel

Deprived ako: I missed out on watching Jet Li in Hero. I ended up seeing Two Weeks Notice, which isn't really on my to-watch list. But it had to do, since the company I had didn't seem too eager to watch Magnifico. And I myself wasn't in the mood to watch said movie.

I've never been a huge fan of romantic comedies. I'm not a huge Meg Ryan fan. All the Meg Ryan I can handle is "When Harry Met Sally" when the crinkling nose can pass as acting schtick isn't as annoying. Between Meg Ryan and Sandra Bullock I'll choose the latter, although I haven't seen all her movies either. Ms Ryan and Ms Bullock seem to belong in the category of the actor-as-self. They often portray the same types of characters over and over again. In the end, you tend to see them as "the Meg Ryan character" --perky sweet, enthusiastic at love etc. In the same way that when you say it's "the Woody Allen character" you get the picture of the neurotic Noo Yorker who likes Jazz and cute underaged girls.

The Sandra Bullock character is the I'll bite your head off if you piss me sort of girl. Oftentimes she never really bothers with the girly kikay stuff, unless she has to enter a beauty contest and commit herself to ensuring World Peace. In Two Weeks Notice, she is Lucy Kelson, Harvard-educated lawyer and peasant blouse and Birkenstock wearing aktibista. She also orders a lot of Chinese takeout. She's campaigning agains the destruction of the Coney Island community center and she schemes to convince Hugh Grant to do otherwise. Now Hugh Grant is always Hugh Grant in all his movies. He's bumbling. He's one charming son of a devil. He also reminds me of The One Who Shall Not Be Named. Two Weeks Notice is the sort of movie where you can substitute me and TOWSNBN, but without the clown nose and the tennis bit and the Hollywood ending

Hugh Grant's life is like Monopoly. He likes fun irresponsible stuff. You want Hugh Grant to grow up a bit, and he tries to, but in the end you just know he will still be Hugh Grant whatever you do. He also says the one thing why Sandra Bullock is hard to live with. She's stubborn and tries to be perfect, and she makes Gandhi look like a used car salesman. Sandra Bullock tries hard to be a saint, and let's face it saints are oftentimes boring. Who wants to sit around and wait to levitate. But she can be your bobcat pretzel. Only the following morning, of course she will deny ever having said that.

*bump*

Honga, di na si Ka Pete. Si Luli na lang. Hehehe. Uy nakita nyo na ba si Arlyn ngayon? Super tan na siya. Galing kasi sa Boracay. Di ko lang sure if nakapag-uwi nga siya ng buhangin. Kulitin nyo na padalhan tayo ng mga postcard perfect shots niya. We met up sa Mega kanina para sa screening ng Punch Drunk Love. Andun din sina Astrid at Pepper. Saka bump pa ulit: nakasakay ko sa jeep si Sir Charlson. Akala niya film major ako.

oo nga autograph Jol. ok na yung Teo Antonio headgear mo, pakipirmahan tapos akin na yun. ( O ayan ha! Hindi na Pete Lacaba o gulp Christina Aguilera)

ang liit talaga ng mundo. kung si jol, naka-connect na kay sen. kiko pangilinan. ako naman kay ate shawie. tumambay ako sa abs last sunday para i-stalk si rowell santiago kasama ng staffer ng yes. kaya nakita ko si ate shawie at sa katabing studio naman ay si kris, like you know, kasi the buzz.
naku, jol, kung office of the vice president, ang iyong contrata niyan ay isang taon na lang. mag-eeleection na kasi! e medyo old na si guingona. dapat ang maging chummy ka na politiko yung siguradong mananalo sa susunod na eleksyon para mahaba-haba ang iyong stay. kay kiko ka na lang o kaya kay loren.
tsaka, wag mo kaming kalimutan kapag sikat ka na. pahingi ng autograph.

Hope you got more sleep XKG. CLF at A T, balita? Musta ang makukulay na buhay natin dyan aber?

vd sucks, bigtime

At hindi dahil miserable ako or anything na hindi ako makakapag-participate sa komersyalismo ng lecheng VD na yan. Kaya lang naman ako maangas dahil hindi pa ako nakakatulog. I spent the 13th working on freaking revisions na sobrang dugo na-dehydrate na ako. Bukod dun sa revision, may concept paper pa for pitch day na ipinasa muna sa headwriter ko nung nalaman ni headheadwriter na may gagawin pa pala akong treatment. So sulat sulat sulat hanggang lumitaw ang araw. Natulog ako ng grand total ng two hours tapos lumarga na sa meeting. At di pa rin ako nakaligtas sa concept paper. Binalak pa naman naming mag-umpisa ng maaga para matapos ng maaga at makaligtas sa trapik. Pero too late. All roads going to Pasig na. Then just when napapasarap ang tulog ko tumawag ulit headwriter ko and had me work through---dyaran! More freaking revisions. Yes! I am in revision hell! Ito ba ang specific hellhole for soap writers? Kasama ba ang soap writing sa se7en deadly sins?

You know how grumpy I can get pag walang tulog. Merry vd to all of you. Kung-phooey fat choy.

Akala ninyo makakatakas kayo sa akin ha? Happy-valentines-day-nyo! Wehehe!

cyborgs? wala yan, eto pa rin mga astig na cyborgs- http://www.spawn.com/features/torturedsouls2
lintek, kung maraming-marami lang akong pera, bibilhin ko yung buong set! astig yan!!!

songs inspired by literature

What do I am the Walrus, Tweedledum and Tweedledee, and Sting have in common?

Oist mechajol, laos na daw ang post-modernism. Dead na daw ang mga cultural at media studies ek. Kasi daw the cyborgs are taking over. We are being possessed with the ghost of a new machine:

The term (itself a hybrid of "cybernetics" and "organism") was coined more than 40 years ago by scientists working in the space program. "A cyborg is essentially a man-machine system in which the control mechanisms of the human portion are modified externally by drugs or regulatory devices so that the being can live in an environment different from the normal one," explained The New York Times in 1960. By a neat coincidence of intellectual history, that was shortly after C.P. Snow's famous University of Cambridge lecture on "The Two Cultures," which inspired an outpouring of worry over the gap between the sciences and the humanities.

We are post-humanist. Uh huh, got that. Pero pag post-human ka ba, kailangan ba rin ng TIN saka ng SSS number?

bangkok or bust

Here's something really mind-blowing from MetaFilter: Thailand launches national "Bust-Boosting" campaign - "In an almost surreal scene, rows of women in shorts and T-shirts massaged and squeezed their breasts in front of the crowd of officials, media and onlookers on a busy Bangkok street....The health ministry said the idea was to show Thai women that there was another, more natural way, of boosting their breast size than plastic surgery. ...Cosmetic surgery is an extremely popular and lucrative business in Thailand....Bangkok is renowned for its inexpensive, but not always reliable, plastic surgeons."

Plus a history of the "I must I must increase my bust" chant. Which reminds me a particularly silly poem that I read one arts month poetry reading many years ago. Kasalanan ni Wendell yun.

Ay, nakow! Mahabang storya ang adventures of Astrid on her first day at YES! magazine. Nakikinita ko na kung anong magiging mga first lines ko sa aking memoirs sa puntong ikinukwento ko na ang aking first encounter with Jo-ann Maglipon. Paano naman kasing lecheng traffic na yan. Aba, malay ko bang kailangan ng two hours allowance pala dito sa Pilipinas para to get to one to point to the other. Eh, mas mabilis pa kung pumunta akong Cebu by plane.

Anyway, nag-baptism of fire na ako. Hindi pa naman ako sure na hired na at hindi pa rin ako sure na magpapa-hire nga ako pero tinutubog na kami sa makulay at magulong mundo ng showbiz journalism. May nag-warn pa naman sa akin na sa lahat ng beat, wag akong papasok sa showbiz dahil madumi. At symepre dahil bad shot ako for being late, kailangan kong mag-compensate. Kaya ayun, buong araw akong nasa office nila at kung may iuutos na coverage or whatever, eager beaver ako. Kaya ako napadpad sa Luneta. May press con si Lucy para sa kanyang new show. Sumama daw ako para makilala ko yung mga people in the neighborhood. Kaya ayun, photo finish ako sa Megamall.

Niloloko ako nila Pepper na paang Training Day pala ang aking experience. Ako si Ethan Hawke, si Jo-ann si Denzel.

Mukha namang interesting. Kailangan ko lang i-re-align ang aking mundo such that ito ang magiging sentro. Mukhang bawal na rin akong mag-plano in advance ng mga social chu-chu ko dahil madidiskaril rin naman. Haay, paano na ang aking social life? By the way, baka gusto ninyong panoorin ang aming Ilonggo video. Ipapalabas sa CCP tonight at 6:30. MEdyo mahaba kaya umihi na kayo at maghapunan. Bukas naman ang awarding. At syempre, i-ga-grace namin ang occassion. Baka swertehin. Tsaka, kasi Valentine's.

By the way, na-penetrate na ng essay ni Jol ang egroups ni Pete Lacaba. Pwede ka nang masama sa reading list ng ating mga guro. Isulat mo na ang more adventures at BIR.

Napansin kong ang daming beses na na-mention si Ka Pete dito. Ano ito? the Ka Pete Fans Club?

The only hell is solitude*

Kagagaling ko lang ng screening ng El Crimen del Padre Amaro starring my Papa Gael Garcia Bernal. (hehehe) Mahigit kaming isang oras nakipila at nakitayo sa labas para sa opening film ng Pelikula at Lipunan habang ang mga chosen few (uy, nakita ko ulit si Mang Pete!) ay naroon sa maliit na cordoned off area at nakikipag-cocktails. Inabot na kasi ng gabi ang meeting namin so di ko na rin nasipot yung Dolphy tribute. Sayang may libreng food pa naman dun. Last year, ang opening film ay Amores Perros, na si Gael Garcia Bernal din ang kasama. Anyhow, mahabang ang pelikula, disturbing at depressing. Pero may punto din naman. Nominated ang pelikula bilang Best Foreign Film sa Oscars at tumatalakay sa mga frailties ng kaparian. I don't think the Academy will let it win, considering na maraming puna sa simbahan ngayon. Kontrobersyal eh.

Gayong hindi umattend ng Philippine premiere si Gael, nagkaroon naman ng celebrity sightings. Nung nasa pila kami, sabi ng kaibigan kong si Gio may mga pa-konyo daw sa likod namin. Guess kung sino? Yung direktor ng Gamitan, pare. Asteeg. Na-boo ng mga jologs na hecklers si Boots Anson Roa sa introduction kasi may mga mag-i-speech daw. Eh alas diyes na kaya at sangkaterba ang magsasalita. Nakabangga ko rin yung direktor namin sa Kasangga. Sabi ni Direk Boy siya daw ang nag-edit nung tribute kay Dolphy pero wala siyang tiket o invite para dun sa opening film. Labo. Nakita namin yung likod ni Mang Dolphy, saka si Julio Jose.

Mga di pa celebrity, pero soon to be legends sightings naman. Nakita ko rin si Astrid, na galing sa Luneta. Siya na ang bahalang magkuwento kung ano ang ipinunta niya doon. Nakasalubong ko rin sa Shang si blockmate Maricel Catenza. Sabi niya nakikita niya akong pakalat-kalat noon pa sa Shang pero di daw siya lumalapit. Di naman ako naka-dog collar nun. Bakit kaya?

*Dialogue mula sa pelikula. So bawal muna ang mapag-isa. Kaya kung miserable kayo, tara, kita-kits tayo.

Marami palang lakaran ang mga tao rito. Buti pa kayo. Pati si Jol, may lakad sa Biyernes! Jol, sabi ni Nate, kung magbibigay raw ng trabaho sa iyo si Papa Comish, huwag ka raw tumanggi! Ikaw ang pinag-usapan kanina (kilig ka naman) at kinwento ko na rin ang mga angas ng mga tao dito. Astrid, pareho kami ng preperensya nun. Kunin mo kung ano ang may pinakamatinding entertainment value para dalawa na kayo ni Jess na hitik sa showbiz tsismis sa uli-uling pagkikita. Hehe. Loko lang, kung saan ka masaya te, suportahan ta ka.

May invite si Butasnachucks para puntahan yung exhibit ng mga love letters sa Post Office sa Liwasang Bonifacio. What spirit of the season? Sabi ng kanta, "Hindi ako si Bitter Ocampo." Bah-humbug. Pero malay mo magbago ang isip ko. In the interest of cultural and emotional anthropology. Chos! Meron bang ganung kategorya? Ah ewan.

Shemai naman. Bakit ba binabaha tayo ng problema ngayon? Ako rin gusto ko magsubmit para sa workshop, pero wala pa akong isa-submit. Eh Tuesday na kaya ngayon.

Nga pala, may ibinibigay na tickets sa akin para sa tribute kay Dolphy bukas sa Megamall. May booklaunching pa daw. Part yata ng Pelikula at Lipunan. Hindi niya magagamit ang ticket kasi monthsary daw nila ng boylet niya. Leche. Sige, akina na ang mga tickets. Dapat matawa ako kay Pidol as Pacifica Palayfay. Kung hindi, magkakalechehan na lang.

anong klaseng work?

hay, medyo heartbroken ako ngayon na hinde. ewan. di ko madescribe. sa sabado na deadline ng UP workshop, kailangang makapagsubmit ako. open pa ba yung love story anthology ek-ek?
baka magpadala rin ako dun e.

damn valentines day...

anyway, mga pipol, daan kayo sa booth namin sa FA. nagbebenta tropa ko ng jap comics. dennis, may hentai sila dun kaya wag kang mag-alala. dumadaan din ako kapag hapon, kapag napayagan akong mag-half day.

may panibagong problema ulit sa BIR. abangan ang sequel. pati boss ko nabasa na yung article ko sa BIR na kumakalat-kalat ngayon sa iba't-ibang school at mailing list. oo nga pala, preview ng sequel- ako lang ang kaisa-isang professional freelance writer kaya kailangan ko magbayad ng 10% ulit para sa VAT.
teka, pakiverify naman, baka may freelance writer din diyan na professional ang category.

abangan.

wala lang. nagising ako ng maaga dahil sangkatutak ang aking kailangang isulat. sangkatutak din ang aking problema. hindi ko na alam kung saan sisimulan. kaya magi-internet na lang ako.
Jol, gusto mo bang mag-work sa Makati for an internet company? naghahanap ng writers ang aking old employers from Legmanila pero ang company ay Surfshop? text me kung interesado ka. refer kita.

watch it if you can

Got to watch Catch Me If You Can during the weekend. May mga nagsabi sa akin na ang worth it lang sa pelikula ay yung opening credits, which was very French animation to me. Really cool. Sums up the whole film too. What made me sit through the entire two and a half hours:

(a) It's the seemingly most interesting Leonardo diCaprio movie in years since The Beach. The scenes in the plane made me think that he was caught between sets: one for this and Gangs of New York, where he wore a similar hairstyle. But as Frank Abegnale Jr he was more slick, and definitely more movie star material.

(b) Christopher Walken is in it. I'd watch anything with Christopher Walken in it. Annie Hall, Headless in Hollow. It was marvelous seeing Christopher Walken twirl around the room. So suave, so much in love. You don't usually think of Christopher Walken as somebody in love. Always tortured and stingy, but not in love in the way we see him twirl his war bride wife around the room. And the pain, the pain after that divorce. It's the pain that pushes this movie till the end. "We'll get it all back, Daddy." It's everything for Daddy.

(c) Nathalie Baye. I thought she looked familiar. That look, that accent. And she was French. Then I realized it was Her from The Pornographic Affair, which you might recall I have fondness for. She was also in Venus Beauty Institute, which also starred a younger Amelie, er Audrey Tatou, who by the way is coming out with a daisy chain of a movie, A la folie..pas du tout. Which in turn is nasal French for "He loves me, he loves me not." The whole rhyme goes "Il m'aime, un peu, beaucoup, a la folie, pas du tout." He loves me, a little, a lot, madly, not at all. But of course, it sounds better in French. Or maybe it's just me.

I'm also looking forward to The Crimes of Father Amaro. I'd like to say it's because the film is interesting, but actually it's because of Gael Garcia Bernal, who is as interesting as it gets. Even if he looks like he hasn't bathed in three days, he manages to look yummy. Then again, maybe it's just me.

super friends with pete and jo-ann

Wow, parang title ng bagong talk show. Hehehe. Naaliw naman ako. Well, butasnachucks, diskarte na lang yan. Ayoko na ngang mag-isip ng tungkol sa trabaho ngayon. But it would be nice to work with them. Tama ka, sana mas maganda ang selections ng non-fiction writing class ng CW. I'm not sure if you can classify Marra Lanot's class as non-fiction, but most of the selections na binigay niya sa amin yung mga nonfiction, celebrity interviews na ginawa ni Nick "Sk8erboi" Joaquin. Hindi ko alam kung paano ako nakatagal ng 2 semesters sa klase ni Marra Lanot. Pero well, nabuhay naman ako. Saka natatandaan pa nya ako kahit paano. Ang saving grace lang ng mga klaseng iyon kasi minsan sinusundo siya ni Pete Lacaba and I get to see Pete Lacaba. Tapos nga pala, nung nagpa-sign ako ng book sa kanya sabi ko nagustuhan ko yung guesting niya sa "Pahina" where they featured yung Kagilagilalas na Pakikipagsapalaran. Hinanap ng barkada ni Carlo Aquino si Pete Lacaba, tapos nag-overnight pa sila sa apartment niya. Asteeg! So ngayon, akala ni Pete Lacaba high school pa ako. Okay lang din. Yun din ang sabi ng high skul barkada ko nung nagkita kami last week nung feeling down and lonely ako dahil nawala na ako sa teenybopper show. Lahat sila naka-uniporment pang-opisina tapos ako naka-jeans at tank top. Saka hoodie. Saka sneakers. In short, lahat nung di ko sinuot nung latter part ng stint ko sa teenybopper show. Aliw nga eh. May hat pa ako.

Share ko lang nga pala. Last week nagkaroon ng soap summit -- lahat ng writers at creative people involved na nagsusulat para sa soap ng network dapat andun. I was looking forward to it kasi kasama si Roy Iglesias ng KMK para di kayo mabulunan. Sa lahat ng sabon, iyan ang inaabangan ko whenever I can. Pero siyempre di kami sinipot ni Ser Roy. Ang andun iyong isang writer niya na siyang sumasalo ng lahat ng weeks. Legendary din ang working style nila. Isang beses daw sabi sa kanya: Okay, our thesis for the week is that "the Montemayor women make bad mothers." Yung writer na ang bahalang dumiskarte kung paano gagawin iyon. Eh? Panic attack kaya yun. Walang storyline, walang treatment, diretso script. Tapos super revision pa sila. Tinanong ko yung writer how long it takes him to write the script. "Mga one day." One day per script? Hindi daw. One day, mga dalawang oras niya lang sinusulat. Anak ka ng. He's not a good writer daw, but a fast one. Kahit yung writer ng isa pang sabon, yung Maskara ni Olga, it takes them 30 minutes for a week's brainstorming. At siya lang din ang tanging writer ng sabong iyon. Baka nga tama sila. The key to tv writing is learning to write really really fast. Pagong pa naman ako compared to others. Iyon ang target ko ngayon: Matutong magsulat ng mabilis. I wanna be a lean mean writing machine. Or maybe not.

Nga pala, bakit kaya marami akong kakilala ngayon na nagsusulat ng sabon? Si AA ng Batch 12, nandun sa soap na kasama si Karen Po ng McDo. Si Rose na classmate ko sa French nasa creative team ng sabong kasama si Lorna Tolentino sa kabilang channel. Saka si Adolf ng Batch 11 dating nag-try para dun sa Montemayor soap. Si Sig din andun sa soap na kasama si Vina ng DaHunks. Di kaya bumula na ang mga utak natin nito?

Mechajol, I think medyo malabo kong sasagutin ang tanong mo. Kasi ako ulit ang occupant ng posisyong ina-applyan mo eh. Windang kasi ako, at kailangang mabilis ang turnout ng produkto. Iyong nakuhang isang writer eh super bilis talaga magsulat so ako ang reliever writer na okay lang sa akin ngayon dahil slacker mode ako. I'd rather slack muna ngayon to save my sanity than write and write na mabubuwang lang ako pagkatapos. Kaya nga napapadalas ang pagpo-post ko sa angas ngayon dahil I relatively have more time to myself now.

Kuwento tungkol sa booklaunch ni Mang Pete. Huy naaliw ako ng husto sa hat ko. Si Gwen ang nagkumbinse sa akin to get the hat para daw maaliw ako. Nagwork naman so ayun. Hat person ako. Happy din ako kasi may kopya ako ng libro, may autograph pa. "Ganito kami noon." Eh ano ang gagawin natin ngayon? Saka paano? Yun ang hindi ko alam.

hello pipol!
ngayon lang ako ulit nakabalik dito, err, sa pagpopost, ibig kong sabihin. damn, valentine's week na kaya isasara ko muna ang CLF. magha-hibernate na muna ako. baka sa weekend, magpost ako ng anti-valentine, o kung anuman. anyway, nandito ako ngayon sa NCCA, pero paalis na rin ako mamayang konti. lalakarin ko na mamaya ang TIN ko. sabi kasi nung kausap ko, i-pass ko na lang daw ulit sa BIR west ave. yung form 1901. sana talaga ito na ang huling lakad ko rito. may TIN na nga pala ako, at TIN card.

syet, akala ko okay na ang taon na ito para sa akin. mukhang maganda na sana, pero may namumuong bagyo ulit sa mundo ko, as usual. putsa, dumidilim na naman.

astrid,
ala problema. kuha ka ng installer ng dreamweaver, gagawa tayo.

XKG,
wow, astig na pangalan, parang model ng isang secret weapon ek-ek. anyway, ano balita sa HKK? ito na ang huling linggo ko sa NCCA, at mukhang may dilemma pa mga tao sa taas kung kailangan pa nila ng isa pang writer.

dennis,
wala akong message sa'yo pero nilista pa rin kita kasi baka magtampo ka na naman diyan. hehehe!

happy valentines day, pipol. kayo na bahala mag-interpret kung may sarcasm o wala. i don't care anymore.

Mukhang dito na pala na-transplant si Kantogirl. Nabuhay tuloy bigla ang angas blog. hehehehe. Jol, tulungan mo akong gumawa ng website!!!

Magku-kuwento na lang ako para hindi naman mukha si Jessel lang ang may mga adventures in life. Meron akong pseudo-crisis or at least na kikita kong magkakaroon ako ng crisis. Kaya ayaw kong nagkakatrabaho. Bumabaligtad ang mundo ko. Eto ang kwento. Mga December nung wala akong job, minention sa akin na naghahanap ng editorial assistant ang Yes! Oo, Yes! as in the showbiz magazine ng Summit na ang current issue ay cover si Ate Shawie. So, apply naman ako. Sandali. Baka ma mis-interpret ninyo. Hindi ko ultimate dream ang magsulat for a showbiz magazine kahit na tempting na maging ka-rubbing elbows ko si Ate Guy, Ate Shawie, Ate Vi, at si Ate Luds. Ang aking ulterior motive talaga ay sobrang gusto kong makatrabaho si Jo-Ann Maglipon, na editor in chief ng Yes at sobrang galing magsulat at tita ni Pepper.

Promise, ang galing niya talagang magsulat at kung nabasa ko siya earlier in my life, nag-journalism ako. Minsan naisip ko ang bobo ng mga nagtuturo ng non-fiction narrative at essay sa CW dahil wala si Jo-Ann Maglipon sa kanilang reading list. Napaka-elista talaga. Kung interesado kayo, basahin ninyo ang Primed. Eniways, balik sa kwento. Nung December, hindi nila ako kinontak. Sooo, baka hindi nila type ang beauty ko or hindi sila nag-shoshopping for new talents siguro. Pero, hindi ako patatalo. Kaya, nag-crash tayo ng book launch ni Pete Lacaba dahil alam kong pupunta doon si Tita Jo-Ann (at syempre, nakiki-tita pa ako!). Ewan ko kung anong gusto kong mangyari. Basta alam ko pupunta siya doon dahil super friends sila ni Pete. (And by the way, si Pete ay copyeditor yata ng Yes! So, Silang dalawa ay nagbibigay ng respectability sa showbiz writing.)

Eniway uli, e di chinika ko yung assistant editor ng Yes! na Batch 10 sa Ricky Lee workshop. Sinabi ko ulit na nag-submit ako ng resume. Sabi niya submit ko sa kanya para sure. Ok, di sinubmit ko. Bago tayo umalis ng book launch, nagbabay si Pepper sa Tita niya at minention niyang nagsubmit ako ng resume sa knaya. Sobrang nataranta si Tita Jo-Ann at sinabi sa akin tawagan ko siya sa Monday. Ewan ko kung saan at paano at anong oras pero oo naman ako sabay flash ng aking best smile. Nung friday, check ako ng e-mail. Ok na. Natanggap na nila resume ko at hintay na lang ako kung kelan ako pwedeng interviewhin. Nag-text pa daw si Tita Jo-Ann sa assistant editor niya para ipahanap ang resume ko. O, flatterred ako at naalala naman niya ako. So, eto na! A few steps away na ako sa chance to work with Pete Lacaba at Tita Jo-ann, di ba. Kung tanggapin nila ako, talagang willing ako to throw everything in the wind. Kung kailangan kong mag-drop ng classes ko dahil full-time yung job, sige! Mas marami naman akong matutunan sa kanila, di ba?

So, anong problema?

Mabilis kasi ang mga pangyayari. Lahat ito within the last three days lang. Remind ko lang na kaya ako jobless ngayon ay dahil i-opt kong magsulat para sa telebisyong pambata na in line naman sa aking visions in life na magsulat para sa bata, di ba? At hinihintay ko na mabuhay kuli yung project para ituloy. E, mukhang mabubuhay ang project at mukhang better than before pa. At sobrang masaya yung grupo na nakasama ko doon at mga same age ko pa kaya chummy-chummy. At pinagpalit ko ang aking stable and secure status bilang government employee para dito.

So, nakikita ba ninyo ang napipintong crisis ko? Decisions, decisions. Okay, baka sabihin ninyo. Ang yabang ko naman, at what made me so sure na matatanggap ako sa Yes! E, feeling ko naman ay buong mundo na ang nagco-contrive para makuha ko ang posisyong ito.

Ah, ewan.

Oist, Butasnachucks, nanalo ng top prize ang Spirited Away, and I still haven't watched it yet:

Hayao Miyazaki's brilliant film SPIRITED AWAY won nearly all the top honors at the The International Animated Film Society's 30th Annual Annie Awards ceremony, taking home awards for best feature film, writing, music and direction. The ultra-talented Ronnie Del Carmen won Outstanding Achievement for Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production for SPIRIT: STALLION OF THE CIMARRON, which also ran off with major awards in the categories of character design, effects animation and production design. In television, Lynne Naylor nabbed the award for Outstanding Achievement for Character Design in an Animated Television Production for Cartoon Network's SAMURAI JACK. It appears that ASIFA and the Annie Awards got it right this year.

New York on my mind

Ewan ko lang kung bakit ang daming artiks abt NY akong na-browse today. It's an interesting city, to say the very least. NYC is always in the movies. Paul Ford of The Morning News gives us an incomplete taxonomy of the cinematic New Yorks.

Powells interview with Mariel Hemingway, grand daughter of Ernest and sister of Margaux, who starred in Manhattan, one of my top favorite Woody Allen movies ever.

The New York Times tells us why that phone number we often see in movies -- 555-xxxx is mostly fiction.

The city never sleeps. But now I have to. It was nice hanging out with you guys. Post naman kayo soon.

This is a magazine. The Beautiful Losers issue has words and pictures say why you should stop being gay at prom, and why this song isn't really about you. To quote tonight's word of choice: Asteeg!

Sabi ni Sophia sa Vanilla Sky:

Every passing minute is a chance to turn it all around.

Yan din yung sinabi ni Eminem sa 8 Mile, na hanggang ngayon ay di ko pa napapanood. Pero ganun pa rin ang gusto niyang sabihin. At ganun ang gusto kong gawin. Kung ang buhay lang natin merong auto-erase katulad ng sa mga digital video cams, at puwedeng patungan na lang yung mga pangit na shots and just do it all over again. But life isn't like that. So we have to live with whatever screw up we did. . It's just that all things at once na naman ang mga nangyayari. I so want to trade in my life right now for lucid dreams. I keep on saying I hated and still hate "Vanilla Sky" but I keep referring to it. Damn Penelope Cruz. If only she didn't sound so ugh in her weird accented English. Pasensiya na kayo kung nagiging misery chick ako these days.

Why walk, when you can run?

It's official now: I'm not doing that show anymore. They said my sneakers made them think I was some college kid slash amateur writer, so I learned how to walk on chunky shoes. The boss was kikay, so I learned how to be kikay. I worked on my Filipino really really hard. I watched all the teen romance comedies I could put my hands on. I spent my Saturday afternoons watching both shows. My ringtone proclaims my work, and I sent it out to all of them, for crying out loud. All that effort put into dressing up and trying to make small talk and being really really pleasant until your face just hurt from all the smiling. I worked hard on every script I turned out. I don't care if it took three, four drafts until it was unrecognizable anymore. But for some reason, they just really hate me. And I don't know why. Is it because I was younger than everyone else? Is it my sneakers? The way I talked? What does it have to do with writing?

Since summer, it's been one long game of waiting it out. Even my headwriter doesn't know why they just keep on bringing me down. Every idea, every concept, every script. It's hard to work a job wherein you have to worry every time whether the one you're working on is going to be shot down on the sole basis of because it was yours. Last December, following another script trashing, I went very very near to just tearing everything down, drop everything and move to Thailand. The other writers talked me out of it. But now I'm just tired of "let's just give it a try." Haven't I tried hard enough?

Now I don't have to wait it out. I'm free Tuesdays now.

Ang Cambio ba ang bagong E-heads? Article from the Sunday Inquirer Magazine. At last, they finally realized that it's never going to be the same. Think of the gender bending involved:

"We were surprised that the whole perspective of the song changes when Kris is singing," says Raymund. "It's different when you're writing for a girl. You can't really change the gender of 'Pare Ko' but you can change the gender with 'El Bimbo,' and the story gets even stranger when you change the gender of 'Magazine.'"

It was a gender-sensitivity workshop for all concerned-even Kris. "Sometimes I catch myself talking about things that are too personal, like 'Shit! My you-know-what itches!" Then I have to bite my tongue-I have to remember that these are guys I'm with."

O kaya para simple ganito na lang: Isipin mo ang "Kaliwete" pag kinanta ni Kris Dancel. Weird, man. If they're going to be better? I don't know. They're not a "superband" for me. Parang Frankenstein pa nga eh. Now if Frankenstein can create good music, that we have to listen to.

Nagpunta kami nina Astrid at Butch sa Chinatown kanina. Since late ako ng mga tatlong oras, I had to treat them to lunch. We went from Paco Park to Binondo Church and we had no idea kung saan kami kakain. Then while inside the church we thought: What if magdasal na lang tayo. Like, Lord ituro mo po sa amin ang daan para sa mga nagugutom. We took a walk down Ongpin and then found Presidents. We were already seated on a table for like ten people when we remembered about the prayer. Wow, sinagot ni Lord! Malakas pala ang signal sa loob ng Binondo Church. Hehehe.

Ang dami-daming tikoy sa Binondo. Parang lahat ng tikoy sa mundo andun. Tapos feeling namin nasa ibang bansa kami, like HongKong. Kasi hindi namin maintindihan ang salita ng mga tao, saka parang kami yung mga foreigner. I don't think any of us looked Chinese. Napagkamalan na akong Korean before-- but well this is Chinatown. I like Chinatown. Para siyang dry-run for HongKong. Now if we only have the money. Mas gusto ko yung really Chinese side of Ongpin than the Sta. Cruz, more Pinoy crowded end of it. Traffic na kasi doon saka maingay. We also found Lai-lai palace which was recommended to Astrid, but we didn't get to try it. Siguro next time. It was really fun. Great afternoon, you guys. Sa uulitin. Promise, di na ako papa-late ulit. Magastos eh. :)