Sunday, February 18, 2007

I love the nightlife...

Gimmick.

After years of fun and bottles of alcohol. I have finally decided that if ever I will go out in Manila's nightlife, it will be to accompany some friends and just to see the current crowd painting the town. It will be rare, unlike before. It will be much sober, unlike before. It will be more relaxed, unlike before.

Manila's nightlife has gotten younger and younger. Or maybe I'm the one getting older. The crowd does have the same faces every weekend for about a year or two. Then it will have additional few younger faces after a few months. Music continuously evolves to a more dreamy and grotesque themes in mixed beats. And so is fashion- more eclectic. Although at some point, got boring. If you go out twice a year with six-month intervals, you will not be missing a thing.

Bars lives peak in a year and unless they renovate or add some additional features, go downhill and eventually close down. And the same crowd will transfer to another new venue and waste that place for the same span of time until another new bar opens.


I was not planning to go out last night. I have been wanting to stay at home and watch dvd while doing some drawings. Until Lloyd (who apparently is one party animal who is terribly bored partying in Manila) asked me to join him for dinner after going to the gym. We had dinner at SM North (my, reminds me of college years). Then another friend called-- Wilan is from San Fernando. Lloyd got excited and proposed that we go out and have fun-- in Angeles City. I have to call Paul, since we are supposed to see each other that night. Paul agreed. A few minutes later, we found ourselves in NLEX driving to San Fernando to pick-up Wilan to party in Angeles.

We hopped from one bar to another. Lloyd met a few friends who practically got us in to bars and places for free. Ended up eating the best sisig in the palengke at about four in the morning. Paul brought me home at about six.

The experience was different. We are thinking of going back there next week.

Saturday, February 17, 2007

NON-writer's angsts... 2


My editor told me that I can write well in my blog yet my articles are poorly written.

The last article I wrote for a magazine was a commentary on Philippine furniture design. A former officemate asked me write something on trends on design, how the business started and how it is doing now in the country. My diminutive writing ego was totally intimidated and told her that I can't do it. She told me to just scribble something and she will take care of it. I did. She had it published in their November issue. A number of friends got to read it on board Philippine Airlines and told me it was nice. It made my day. Rather days. Until now, I still receive text messages about it.

It is funny that after working in the magazine industry for almost five years now, styling over a hundred homes, doing countless set-ups, choosing products to feature (my, if only these stores know it everytime I enter their doors), it is rare that I will receive text messages about what I did considering the degree of difficulty of the set-up or home shoots. Not that I am begging for it, not that I'm needing it, but it sure boosts one's ego if you get one.

I have said before that I sure want to work in the magazines when I was still a student in design-- primarily because I have believed that I am a better critic than a designer. I sure entered the business and did something else-- exposing my work for critics. Yet writing something about somebody's work is still far from reach. I guess, it will never happen. But yes, I sure am contented where I am now. (In the industry I mean, in life, that's another thread.)

Writing on the other hand is one dream I have to put aside. It is accepting my limitations and moving forward to other avenues. Doing it from time to time in other magazines (and publications) feeds my whim (and fear).

It's funny because, in my home magazine, the last time I wrote something substantial was (aside from the bookazine) about three years ago- shopping flowers in Dangwa. Funnier, it was minimally edited.

Monday, February 12, 2007

sigh!


"there are bridges you cross you didn't know until you cross..."

Glinda the Good, Wicked

The morning after...

It was the term my aunt wrote as a salutation on a photo she sent to my grandmother.

Querida Mama,

And so I thought it was ill meant to have sent my grandmother such. Then my mother told me it means "Dear" or "Darling" or some term of endearment fit for somebody special.

Querido/Querida/Kerido/Kerida/Kerids/Kabit

How the word got its meaning now is another story. In fact, a story unkown to me. The origin of how it became a slang is something I have not heard of. Though how we take such word right now I know every single sigh and syllable of it. It takes one to know one, I guess.

It was supposed to be a one night stand. It went down to us seeing each other everyday and eventually got into holding each other's hands. As if it is the most private part. I pressumed that both of us are single since either of us showed no signs of being not. My mistake.

It was my turn to be brought to the other person's place. It was remarkably designed. Quite dated in choice of accessories and hues but nonetheless, it was impressive. On each console
stood the family photos. Except for one console- the foyer. It was the person I'm holding hands with embraced by some unfamiliar face.

I was told a few days before about the fact. I brushed it aside. Thinking I can handle it since the other party is not here. Or I can just forget about it. Until last night.

It wasn not only on the foyer console, worse, the bedside table.

I went home this morning to catch my eight in the morning shoot... inside the cab, I wrote this--


Uuwi na ako

Umaga na naman
Nakasisilaw ang pumapanhik
Na Araw
Binibigyang liwanag ang mga kanto't
Kalyeng masalimuot.

Uuwi na ako.
Sabi ko
Galing sa bahay mo. Maginaw.
Galing sa yakap na nailaan.

Umaga na naman.
Nakasisilaw ang katotohanan.
Ipinapahiwatig na ako'y
Nag-iisa.


Saturday, February 10, 2007

Cursed!!!

curse of the golden flower
a.k.a. -- ang sumpa ng ginintuang kepyas

The story was quite simple--

Everybody is preparing for a party. You have a mom from the upper class sleeping with the dad's eldest son from his first wife. The dad who is not from the nobility tries to poison his wife to madness so he can control her while banishing her son for ten years. The eldest son sleeps with the dad's pharmacist cum confidant's daughter who apparently is married to his so-called banished first wife. The mom hires a spy to investigate the meds given to her, who happened to be the same first-wife of the dad. Mom finds out. Conives with son to plot a coup against the dad. Eldest son finds out. Tells dad. Youngest envious son kills eldest brother to get attention of the dad. Dad kills youngest son. Coup fails. Son kills himself. The party continues.


Well, it is not that simple really - It is a story of a deranged family. Spiced with tens of thousands of cast, millions of beadwork, kilometres of carpet and an unlimited supply of potted chrysanthemums. Shot in a studio resembling the fabled forbidden city.

We came in about five minutes late and the first scene was the cancelled meeting of the empress with the emperor. It was Hero put to Last Emperor drenched in gold. The next few scenes splattered in shades of aqua, plum, red and more gold. As the whole visual assault is going on, you have breakers of black and gray with fantastic special effects ( I guess, break from all the colors but an assault as well). Then the inevitable battle that made Helm's Deep elementary and as if it is not enough, after everyone was killed, they cleaned the entire area, rolled a new carpet, bring new chrysanthemums and tada! fireworks and the festival pushed thru complete with a choir of thousands. Excess became an understatement.

Living in a country where the film industry thrives on austerity, such lavishness and impossibility is almost ridiculous. Keen attention to detail became a euphemism for
some pathological behavior. Considering that it is based on the latter part of the Tang Dynasty, the most ostentatious of all dynasties, much artistic license was put doubling the entire visual feast.

Come the credits, scored with some chinese pop song. You get out of the cinema saying "P#+@Ng I%@!!! Ano yun?!"

One wonders how the opening of the Beijing Olympics be next year considering that they have the same director.

Monday, February 05, 2007

DESIGN POLICE

try visiting this.... http://style-observer.blogspot.com/



A friend has been asking me for the longest time to make a blog about design. Afterall, that is what I do (or at least pretend to do). And I would always contemplate about it and decide not to because I am not a writer. So how can I possibly make an essay about a certain tea-pot designed by some blond lashed genius who doesn't even know where Manila is or if ever, still calls the Republic of the Philippines - P.I.? Po*#-i*& sh*t!

On the other hand, on our private moments, we will always talk about the common sins prevalent inside our homes. And other sins involving design and decorating. Yet we can't find a public venue for it.

Ok, I have to write this disclaimer---

Whatever is written there is not meant to insult but to correct. It is not written to ridicule but to improve. And yes, if you commit a crime as defined in that blog, you will never go to jail!

Enjoy!

brain gender and hmmmm...

Your Brain is 60% Female, 40% Male

Your brain is a healthy mix of male and female
You are both sensitive and savvy
Rational and reasonable, you tend to keep level headed
But you also tend to wear your heart on your sleeve

Friday, February 02, 2007

portraits from ilocos

Ocs Alvarez had me hold his old camera.. and now, im contemplating on changing careers.




















... I need to go to workshop and yeah... buy a good camera.

northern exposure

Just got home from Ilocos...

fried frosties at the old city

threads of abel

remedios' view

Paoay

windmills of Bangui
Bojeador watchman

loner in saud