From Ramon:
"This Saturday, July 3, is Free Comic Book Day.
I'm putting out a zine called Hey, Comics! It's an anthology of short stories from members of a small mailing list I moderate.
These contributors are Arnold & Cynthia Arre, Quark Henares, Chris Costello, Neva Talladen, Harvey Ong, Mark Lavin, Dean Alfar, Jordan Santos, Andrew Drilon & Wincy Ong. It'll be about 64 pages.
It will be FREE only on this ONE DAY. After that, it'll be sold wherever they'll have us. We'll be giving them away at CCHQ, which is at the 3rd floor, FBR Building, Katipunan. Across Ateneo, near World Topps. Supplies will be limited, so try to be early. :)
Please feel free to tell anyone you think would be interested. :)"
Some more details at Ramon's Blog
Saturday, March 13, 2004
Let's try linking to my drawings!
Sunday, February 29, 2004
She made me do this!
:]
Sunday, September 14, 2003
I am waiting for someone at work to call me at home with an issue update and I have nothing to do while logged on to the office network which coincidentally connects me also to the internet.
It's ten in the evening
I'm typing here to vent-
Documenting my account
Of last two hours' events...
My brother ran like crazy,
Bursting in my room
He brought the ringing cellphone-
A portent of my doom.
The folks at work were calling
As I enjoyed TV;
There's an issue with the client-
A real emergency.
I scoured my mind for answers:
Now who else could they phone?
Who else could they bother
And leave poor me alone?
It must been dementia
Or swoon from heavy meals
For I replied, 'All right you fools,
I'll take on your ordeal.'
I brought out the laptop-
To work I have decided
And use the net connection
The company provided.
I dialed to the server
From the comfort of the house
Though working on a Sunday's
Not what comfort's all about.
The task details were boring,
They reeked of tech manure
I did the dirty laundry
As befits an IT whore.
All good things must end they say,
And even bad things too
The weekend died before its time,
But soon my deed was through.
Packing up, I'm glad to think
Work didn't grow absurd
I'm grateful too for lunch today
(The cheesecake was superb).
I'll leave now and please forgive
If I sound a bit too sappy
Today's also my birthday;
Well-wishers made me happy.
Thanks!
Friday, July 18, 2003
Conversation in front of a milkshake stand
SB: (peruses the menu) Ikaw ang may ayaw sa vanilla flavor di ba?
Servbot: I hate vanilla! Kung may kitten na natapunan ng vanilla ice cream, sisipain ko 'yan!
SB: (imagines Servbot kicking a tiny ice cream-covered kitten across the floor)...
Servbot:(aside) Uy, porkchop-flavored milkshake! Order nga ako ng isa.
Tuesday, July 01, 2003
Spare the rod, beat the child!
Like most well-meaning mothers, mine pestered me to get good grades. She was quite diligent at it in the beginning- peeking at my assignment notebooks, lecturing me past a reasonable bedtime, and even applying corrective physical punishment when my enthusiasm for my studies wavered. Thankfully, the police-state tactics ended midway through my grade school life (old age finally caught up with her spanking arm), though the psychological hooks have pretty much left a lasting effect on me.
It was a surprise then to have recently unearthed my mom's old report cards one lazy afternoon. They were transcripts of her college grades, which were required documents when she was applying for a job.
It baffled me how my mom, who was quite strict about school matters as a parent, could barely pass history as a student. She dropped out of at least two classes and flunked several courses, managing to graduate on time by only a fraction of a hair.
Imagine if I'd known about this earlier!
Mom: What's this? You forgot to do your homework again?
Me: I'm sorry Ma, but I've firmly decided that by virtue of your less than stellar college grades, you have lost the moral authority to command me in these matters. I will go watch 'Transformers' now. Toodle-oo!
Mom: ...
All right, that was a bit far-fetched (I would never say 'toodle-oo'). But if every child knew their parents' academic standing, it would be a disaster. Why would any boy or girl want to get an 'A' when dad or mom managed no higher that a 'C+'? From a student's standpoint, what right do these elders have demanding from their child a stringent level of performance even they could not accomplish?
Indeed, there is a wonderful way to make money off this condition. Let's say we collect the academic records of all the parents whose children study in a certain school. After filtering out the top performers, the remainder on the list will be the prime targets of the scam. These poor souls will be communicated an ultimatum- we know your past. Pay up, or your sons and daughters find out what slackers you were.
We don't have to stop there. Their offspring will want in on those report cards. A handsome sum can be charged for a peek at mom's marks for economics class, or dad's grades in poetry. Knowledge is power, and what better way to shift the balance in the household than to gain moral high ground through insightful knowledge of the tyrant's formative years?
The danger here is that the very structure of society will crumble under the weight of youthful insolence. Fortunately, if it ever comes to that, parents will still have something to give them hope- boxing lessons.
Tuesday, May 06, 2003
"Baaaad Movies...Always Make Me Cry..."
Have you ever read a book, seen a movie, or indulged in content where every logical neuron in you protested its lack of intelligence, originality or quality, yet you somehow found a rewarding feeling of gratification and enjoyment from the experience? I have.
My guilty movie pleasures, in no particular order:
Hiram na Mukha
This is a classic soap opera revenge film desperately seeking an original hook. Nanette Medved plays a facially disfigured circus freak whose voluptuous body catches the fancy of wealthy mad scientist/plastic surgeon Christopher De Leon, who uses his professional expertise to grant her a beautiful face in exchange for her hand in marriage. Ironically, the outward beauty and pretentious prosperity of Medved's character corrupts her as she turns into a cruel, scheming vixen out to destroy those that hamper her ambitions. Cesar Montano also stars as Medved's true love (and isn't there always a true love in these kinds of stories?), who complicates things to the point of murder. Ah, passion. It's quite fun to see how the alluring Medved destroys all those around her. Go, circus freak, go!
Love Kita...Final Answer!
My high school barkada and I watched this film on a dare. Oh all right, I confess- we were hoping it would be like Rufa Mae Quinto's other film, the raunchy Booba. Anyway, Love Kita... is about the romance between a ditzy working girl and a womanizing corporate suit, peppered with off-color jokes and the general madness/charm of the lead actress. Although Booba's gun-toting sex freak Ai Ai Delas Alas is not in the movie, John Lapus is just as hilarious, playing the male lead's homosexual butler. Ah yes, Rufa Mae's pretty to look at too.
Dude, Where's My Car?
This film is absolutely stupid. Two idiots must find a missing car to solve the mysteries of a previous night's drunken debauchery and ultimately save the world. Hence, the title. Dude... features a cameo by Fabio, hot chicks administering erotic pleasure, and two men kissing. In retrospect, I should not have watched this film four times. Damn those kissing men!
Bubble Boy
Good god, this is a movie that will offend everybody! A young man with no immune system goes on a road trip to stop his sweetheart's marriage to a jerk. On the way he meets a hippie cult, a biker gang, a parade of circus freaks, and his psychotic right-wing parents. Things I love about this tactless celluloid romp: the curry jokes, the Mandy Moore appearance, and Fabio! This film would be even better if it had two men kissing, but that would be asking too much.
Super 1, 2, 3
Any film starring Tito, Vic, and Joey has a special place in my heart. The details have long been forgotten, but the plot involves three losers who undeservedly gain super powers and save some kids from some generic evil, complete with a song and dance number at the end. To hell with the mindless story; the toilet humor is the star of this wonderful waste of time. Remember the comedy bit in cartoons where the character eats a watermelon, then spits out the seeds like a machine gun, brutalizing whomever gets hit? Well it happens in this film, complete with crappy special effects! Thankfully, Aiza Seguerra isn't in it.
Nang Kinagat ni Adan ang Mansanas ni Eba
This is the very first Dolphy movie I ever watched inside a movie theater. The film concerns a single older man and his amorous adventures with a younger woman. Since I saw this movie when I was still innocent to the world, I did not understand the colorful humor of the film. I now realize that it's all about flirting and fornication. Yipee!
Some Kind of Wonderful
This John Hughes romance about a high school senior who pursues the most popular girl in school is quite sappy, but Mary Stuart Masterson plays a cute girl who wears boys boxers. Who can resist?
Alamid: Ang Alamat
This film is pure low-budget garbage. It topbills Dan Alvaro, Dick Ysrael, Mickey Ferriols, and Dennis Padilla, with a guest appearance by Lito Lapid (Fantastic, says Captain Sarcasm!). But seriously, Alamid is a cheap rip-off of Batman. The film's protagonist is a wealthy millionaire that dresses in black to fight crime, the main villain is a criminally insane clown that wears bad make-up, and the love interest is a nosy journalist chasing the hero for a news scoop. The modified motorbikes, the scrappy costumes, the flimsy sets- production values are atrocious, as everything looks like it's been made of painted cardboard (including the actors).
Fortunately, Alamid is so bad that it's quite entertaining. This all-out superhero action movie should be classified as a comedy, since everything in Alamid from the tacky fight scenes to the dumb dialogue gives more laughs than Dennis Padilla, the supposed comic relief of the film. Then there's the homosexual undertone of the movie embodied by male lead Dan Alvaro, who sports the gayest moustache in Pinoy film history.
Despite the unintended fun, Alamid is still a terrible piece of filmmaking, and any self-respecting human being would not be caught dead in a theater watching something this horrible. Thank goodness I can view this dreck on video at home.
McHale's Navy
A misfit Navy boat crew faces off against international terrorists! This movie stars Tom Arnold, so there is little intelligence to expect. Nevertheless, Tim Curry is in it! Wonderful Tim Curry, who plays the title character's archnemesis Major Vladikov, the number two terrorist in the world! (They couldn't hire number one, since he is always so busy.) Nyaahahahahaha!
You can learn more about most of these deplorable movies at www.imdb.com. I'm a lazy linker.
