Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Manilyn Reynes Talks About Ghosts

Wrote about Manilyn Reynes in my GMA Pinoy TV column (that's www.gmapinoytv.com/karma just in case you want to bookmark it -- hint hint).

I love Mane. I grew up watching her movies (but not watching her on That's) and was thrilled to find out that she's really nice in person. I haven't told her that I did part of my thesis on some of her movies though, because it might freak her out. Or maybe not. I told Allan K I saw his stand up comedy act once as a child. He seemed pleased, though I think I made him feel old.

Who knew that me, who was terribly shy and who hated showbiz and local TV and couldn't speak Tagalog to save my life would end up in TV? I guess that Feng Shui expert we had over in High School was right -- I *would* end up in media. Our ancestors were geniuses!

Friday, December 08, 2006

My Last Shameless Self-Promotion for the Year

I'll keep it short and sweet:

The holiday issue of Gusto (The mag I'm Editor-in-Chief of) is out. Shopwise members can grab a free copy at any Shopwise Customer Service. This issue has Dawn Zulueta on the cover. It's got stickers inside that correspond to discoutns on certain items, plus features on Toni Gonzaga, Salsa (the dance, not the food), surfing, what to bring to a pot luck party, how to keep sane during the holidays, plus lots more.

The December-January issue of Fudge is out. It's my first time to write for the mag. It's a two-cover issue -- Up dharma Down and Kamikazee. I did the story on Up dharma Down. I love those kids. They're so sweet. Ean is single and looking, by the way, just in case anyone is interested.

The Philippine Speculative Fiction Volume 2 Book Launch will be this Sunday, December 10, 2006 - 3PM at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf in The Promenade, Greenhills. My story, "The Child Abandoned," is in it. According to Dean Alfar's blog, "next week, the anthology will be available at Fully Booked, Comic Quest, Booktopia, mag:net magazine stores, Ayala MuseumShop, and the Filipinas Heritage Library, with other venues coming soon."

Whee! :D

Did I miss anything? I hope not.

GMANews.TV is best media website

Got this in my mail. Congrats to the News Team! I used to write for them, you know. :) Talked to one of the editors today, they're up for another award, this time for investigative journalism. Apparently, they even beat PCIJ! Way to go, guys!

P.S. Forgine the messy links -- I was too lazy to HTML them. *sheepish grin*


GMANews.TV (www.gmanews.tv), the official news website of GMA Network, on Thursday night won the Best Website in the Media category of the 9th Philippine Web Awards, a yearly event staged by Media G8way Corp. (MGC).

The People's Choice Award, chosen through SMS and online voting by the public, went to The Official UNTV-37 Website (www.untvweb.com).

Named the Most Popular Website of the Year, based on SMS and online voting, was The Official Website of Ang Dating Daan (www.angdatingdaan.com)

A total of 60 websites made it to the finals. Local and foreign judges then evaluated all the finalists by Dec. 1. The scores of each finalist were then tabulated by the Isla Lipana & Co., a member firm of PriceWaterhouseCoopers.

Malou Mangahas, editor in chief of GMANews.TV, and Jose Torres, the website's managing editor, received the plaque from hosts JM Rodriguez and Sheryll Crystal.

Because MGC imposed 10-word acceptance speeches, Mangahas limited herself to this sentence: "To Filipinos all over the world, this is /serbisyong totoo bente-kwatro oras/ (true service 24 hours a day)."

Those words were awarded at the end of the ceremonies as the Best 10-Word Speech. Mangahas then made another brief speech: "/Dahil hindi natutulog ang balita, ang GMANews.TV ay gising bente-kwatro oras/ (Because news events never sleep, GMANews.TV is on the alert 24 hours)."

Earlier in the evening three websites earned the distinction of winning both the Best Website and People's Choice Award in their respective

categories:

Lifestyle and Leisure - Ang Pamana: The Inheritance

(www.angpamana-theinheritance-movie.com)

Schools- Mapua Institute of Technology (www.mapua.edu.ph)

e-Government - Bulacan provincial govenrment (www.bulacan.gov.ph)

Other local government units awarded for their websites were Naga City, Lagait town in Misamis Oriental, and Infanta town in Quezon.

It was the first time in the history of the PWA that LGUs were honored.

According to the PWA website, the category was included in a partnership signed between MGC, the National Computer Center (NCC), and the Commission on Information and Communication Technology (CICT).

The other winners:

Corporate - Verdana Homes Mamplasan (www.verdanamamplasan.com.ph) Corporate, People's Choice - Ayala Land (www.ayalaland.com)

Banking and Finance - China Bank Online (www.chinabank.ph) Banking and Finance, People's Choice - Unionbankph.com

(www.unionbankph.com)

SME - Holy Cow! Animation (www.holycowanimation.com) SME, People's Choice - 19East Bar & Grill (www.19east.com)

Arts and Portfolio - Anino Shadowplay Collective (anino.sining.net) Arts and Portfolio, People's Choice - Stephanie Coyuito Photography

(www.stephaniecoyuito.com)

Organizations - Ilustrador ng Kabataan (ink.group.ph) Organizations, People's Choice - Ang Dating Daan (www.angdatingdaan.com)

Community and Portal - E-YellowPages (www.eyp.ph) Community and Portal, People's Choice - Kaanib.net (www.kaanib.net)

Blogs - Touched by an Angel (aboutmyrecovery.com) Blogs, People's Choice - Sexy Nomad (sexynomad.i.ph/blogs/sexynomad/)

Celebrities and Personalities - Journey With Terry The Tarsier

(www.terrythetarsier.com)

Celebrities and Personalities - The Official Website of Daniel Razon

(www.danielrazon.com)

Personal - Joey Alaiza Personal Website (joeyalaiza.com) Personal, People's Choice - Superluwi - Pinoy na Astig

(www.superluwi.com)


Website owners consider the PWA as a stepping stone to the Annual Webby Awards, a global event that the BBC hailed as "the most prestigious award in the world."

The PWA presenters were Jaime Garchitorena and Gelli Mateo, Pinky Amador and Ibarra "Bombing" Gutierrez (MGC president and CEO of MGC) Francine Prieto and Monchito Ibrahim (president of the Philippine Computer Society).

Performing in between presentation of the awards were the Fil-Australian band DNA Rock, Helen, and Join The Club.

Recently, MGC president Gutierrez was appointed Webbys Ambassador for the Philippines. Webby Ambassadors are a group of Internet supporters and entrepreneurs in over 15 countries, serving as a "voice on the ground" in their area.

The awarding were held at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium Podium 4, RCBC Plaza in Makati.*-GMANews.TV*

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Burn Magazine Launch

This is from Luis:

Just wanted to remind alla youse about BURN BABY BURN:the massive concert put together by BURN magazine!
It's happening this Thursday, November 23, at theMusic Hall in SM Mall of Asia, and it starts at 5 PM.(Originally slated for last September 28, it waspostponed when mega-typhoon Milenyo hit.)

Just flash a copy of BURN issue 3 or 4 to get in.

Here's the lineup.
Radioactive Sago Project
Sitti
Orange and Lemons
Johnny Alegre
Moonstar88
Hemp Republic
Sugarfree
Callalily
Drip
Chillitees
Itchyworms
Up Dharma Down
Hale
Sino Sikat?
Pupil
Imago
6cyclemind
Spy
Bamboo
Jeepney Joyride
Nyko Maca
Dice & K9/Mobbstarr

Hope to see you there --Luis
http://burn.ph/

I say, whee! :D

Thursday, November 16, 2006

My Other Blog

I've published something in the blog I keep for GMA Pinoy TV. Check it out here !

Why Mario Dumawal Must Die

I'm not even sure I spelled his name right. All I know is Mario Dumawal, senior showbiz reporter for TV Patrol has no breeding. I was interviewing Alfred Vargas during the Gigil press con when he suddenly appeared, TV crew behind him, and proceeded to inteview Alfred IN THE MIDDLE of my interview!

Some actors, like Pavlov's dog, are conditioned to respond to a TV crew -- the actors, not the dog -- so Alfred went along and answered Mario's cohort's questions. My first impulse was to pick a fight. My second impulse was to walk away, crossing the camera's line of sight and thereby ruining their footage. But then, I didn't want Mother Lily banning us from all her press cons, or to give anyone the chance to say that people from our channel like to pick fights.

So I let Mario and the rest of his uneducated crew finish their interview, keeping my recorder on the whole time. I've already used Alfred's answers to their questions in my article. Call it passive revenge. And I didn't even have to make a scene!

Learning to Fry

Mnay things have been happening the past few days, which is why I haven't been able to update any of my blogs *guiltyguilty*.

One of them is that I've learned, by necessity, to (drum roll please) fry an egg. Yes, I've never fried an egg. I can cook soups, pastas, and I think even did steak once, but I have never, ever, until now fried an egg.

It was an interesting experience. I was angsting because there was no olive oil around and was frettig that the yolk would overcok or the white would be undercooked. I think they came out decent enough. I haven't been brought to the hospital yet. I still have to master the art of making the white crisp at the sides and the yolk runny.

I've also been writing a lot. Unfortunately, none of them fiction. Most of it is for my day job as mild-mannered showbiz writer. The office has been in a flurry these past few days as artistas come in and out to be taped, recorded and photographed. The three top office favorites - Dennis Trillo, Jolina Magdangal and Marvin Agustin.

You will never get to fully appreciate Marvin until you have met him in person. He's sweet, charming, friendly and easy to work with. The same goes for Jolina, who, aside from being all that, has the nicest boots! Her new 'do is pretty, too. Dennis will always be a crowd draw. Everyone loves the good-looking mysterious guy-next-door-ness.

We also finished printing and delivering the latest issue pf Gusto! to Shopwise. It should be out this month so if you have a Wise card, head on over to your nearest Shopwise customer's service for a complimentary copy. We've featured Dawn Zulueta on the cover, with an inside feature on Toni Gonzaga.

I've also been busy with the Wish bazaar, ICAAA and AAXS's joint annual Christmas, er, bazaar. This year's event happenson the 2nd and 3rd of December in the Xavier School grounds. It will; feature booths, a rock concert, exotic pets, cars and more.

Last but not the least, Leah has come back from the U.S., bringing gifts of chocolate. She gave me a Ghirardeli Christmas pack, for which my tatse buds are enternally grateful, but my waistline is not. I love you, Leah!

Sunday, November 05, 2006

My Story in the Free Press

Here's an excerpt from my short story, "Transmission Ended," which came out in this week's Free Press:

I helped myself to the pack beside him as he stared at the night sky. “Cigarette smoking is bad for the health,” I said, quoting the Surgeon General’s warning.

“That’s all right,” Jason said. “I plan to quit when I’m twenty seven. That gives me five years.”

For all my playful warnings, I was genuinely surprised. Jason had never expressed any fears about his mortality. “You’re going to start worrying about your health then?” I asked.

Jason snorted. “I’m not afraid of death,” he said.

“Why the cut-off age?” I asked.

“Smoking causes wrinkles,” Jason said. “I don’t want to get wrinkles.”
I laughed. “You are the vainest boy I have ever met.”


"Musical Atrocities," the other story in the mag was very, very interesting. I want to read more of the author's stuff.

Thursday, November 02, 2006

Post-Halloween Posting

I've posted a new article in my GMA Pinoy TV Column, Candy Coated Karma (that's at www.gmapinoytv.com/karma/ , folks -- plug, plug -- tell your friends and family overseas to check it out, and get the channel as well) about how I spent my Halloween/ All Saints Day.

What I forgot to put in was that I also spent the last few days demolishing all the dark Kit Kat I had Kage buy for me in Hong Kong (Thanks again, Kage! And thank you, Waya, for lending me Candy Freak (the book that started it all), and letting me know about Dark Kit Kat in HK). As if that wasn't enough, Jilly, who just came back from New York, brought chocolate for everyone (Thanks, Jill!). I'm on a choco high.

Before that, I posted a pre-Halloween, well, post suggesting some websites to check out in the spirit of the season . Be sure to check that out, too!

Belated Samhain, everyone!

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Pick up This Week's Free Press, Y'all!

In celebration of Britney Spears' losing 25 pounds, I'm going on a diet for two minutes and declaring this post my "Speak Like Britney Post," y'all. Cuz I'm Southern like that. Okay, I'm really not.

Anyways, pick up this week's copy of the Free Press, y'all, cuz my story, "Transmission Ended" is in it, y'all!

For people familiar with my work (all three of you), "Transmission Ended" is something I've never done before. Its' my first attempt at 'straight fiction' (no gay jokes, please), meaning this isn't a horror piece. Nobody gets maimed, killed or goes nuts. Nobody takes drugs, does questionable things to animals or children, or engages in illicit or illegal bahavior. There are no monsters, human or otherwise, and no one is wearing kohl eyeliner (unless one of the characters put some on when I wasn't looking). It does, however, involve a gay man. What, you expected me to write a completely straight story?

It took a lot of courage for me to write it, and even more to actually send it out. I'd like to thank Sarge Lacuesta, the mag's Literary Editor, for accepting it. It's my first time to be published in this magazine (granted, it was also my first time to send them something). My new story coincides with the mag's "new look," so I'm even more honored.

Remember:
Free Press
Transmission Ended
New Look

I hear it'll be available on Saturday. Go out and grab yourselves a copy, y'all.

Friday, October 20, 2006

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

The Passing of a Master

I just found out that author/ editor Charles L. Grant passed away last September 15, 2006. This is a big loss to the horror community, as Mr. Grant has not only written many brilliant works, but has put together lots of great athologies. He will be missed.

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

I've an Article in Entrepreneur

I've an article in this month's Entrepreneur (September 2006) on store displays, where I interview stylist Niña Sandajas and grocery-merchandiser-turned-jewellery-deigneer Bo
Escueta.

Even if I didn't have an article in it, I would have bought the issue anyway because it's got a great piece on microentrepreneurship.

Hard times are making Pinoys look for different ways to make money and this (microentrepreneurship), I think, is what's going to make our country succeed in the future.

In other news, people have been telling me that they've seen me on Eternity , which opened in theatres today. Wow, it's like being an artista... only not. :P

Friday, September 01, 2006

Making Pakyaw the Boys in Bands

The high school girl in me is doing cartwheels at the prospect of interviewing Westlife. Actually, the high school girl in me has been doing cartwheels all year because I've been lucky enough to interview, shake hands, pose in pictures with and declare my love to her (take note, hers, not mine) crushes.

That's probably the only reason I ask for and giddily take these assignments: to live the life I wanted to have in grade and high school.In grade school, I wantged to be a freelance writer. In
high school, I wanted to meet all my idols. This year, I'm a freelance writer who gets to meet her high school idols. Better late than never, I guess. I got to interview the Backstreet Boys (and proclaim my love to Howie!), Swedish Industrial band Interlace (Goth is a state of mind), and (forgive me for including you in the same sentence and though you aren't a boy band, you
*are* my favorite Pinoy musical act) Pedicab.

And now I'm off to interview Westlife (my favorite: Mark, who came out last year -- why do I always like the gay one???!!!)! I haven't been this happy since Michael Buble (another man who I think may be gay) touched my shoulder when he was first in the country! Now if only Take That would get back together and come to the Philippines. Now that would *really*
make my year!

My favorite Take That member in high school? Mark Owen! And boy does he look gay in a tight shirt! Remember the "Everything Changes" video? He made baby powder seem
obscene. No wonder I feel slightly dirty everytime I see a bottle of Johnson's talc-iest.

Monday, August 28, 2006

You've Got the Touch

And yet another forawrd. This is a demonstration of the Multitouch Screen by Jeff Han. I'm not a techie but even I found it fascinating. It's sure to make instruction manuals obsolete!

Jeff Han on TEDTalks

Jeff Han is a research scientist for New York University's Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences . Here, he demonstrates — for the first time publicly — his intuitive, "interface-free,"
touch-driven computer screen, which can be manipulated intuitively with the fingertips, and responds to varying levels of pressure.
(Recorded February 2006 in Monterey, CA. Duration: 09:32)

Dream, Believe, Survive!

This was another forwarded message. While I usually don't like forwards, be they e-mail or SMS, I do save some of the rare gems that come my way. This is one of them.

To reflect and... Act!

The difference between the poor countries and the rich ones is not the age of the country. This can be shown by countries like India & Egypt, that are more than 2000 years old and are poor. On other hand, Canada, Australia & New Zealand, that 150 years ago were inexpressive, today are developed countries and are rich.

The difference between poor & rich countries does not reside in the available natural resources.
Japan has a limited territory, 80% mountainous, inadequate for agriculture & cattle raising, but it is the second in world economy. The country is like an immense floating factory, importing raw material from the whole world and exporting manufactured products.

Another example is Switzerland, which does not plant cocoa but has the best chocolate in the world. In its little territory they raise animals and plant the soil during 4 months per year. Not enough, they produce dairy products of the best quality. It is a small country that transmits an image of security, order & labor, which made it the world's strongest safe.

Executives from rich countries who communicate with their counterparts in poor countries show that there is no significant intellectual difference.

Race or skin color are also not important: immigrants labeled lazy in their countries of origin are the productive power in rich European countries.

What is the difference then?

The difference is the attitude of the people, framed along the years by their education & their culture.

On analyzing the behavior of the people in rich & developed countries, we find that the great majority follow the following principles in their lives:

1. Ethics, as a basic principle.
2. Integrity.
3. Responsibility.
4. Respect to the laws & rules.
5. Respect to the rights of other citizens.
6. Work loving.
7. Strive for saving & investment.
8. Will of super action.
9. Punctuality.

In poor countries, only a minority follow these basic principles in their daily life.

We are not poor because we lack natural resources or because nature was cruel to us. We are poor because we lack attitude. We lack the will to comply with and teach these functional principles of rich & developed societies.

If you love your country, let this message circulate for a major quantity of people that could reflect about this & CHANGE & ACT!!!


Okay, I don't agree with the last part because I don't like chain letters, but on the whole, I agree with what the piece says. Almost every rich book worth its salt will tell you to be frugal, punctual, ethical and smart. Reading the forward just saved you a thousand bucks and a few hundred pages in reading.

Saturday, August 26, 2006

I Wants a Hamster!

This is all Fran's fault. First, she directs me to cuteoverload.com , which leads me to looking at hamster blogs like baruchito.com and hamstertracker.com and now I want a hamster of my own! The problem is, my cat will eat it. :P

My cat is actually very good at catching mice. She's even better at eating them. She once devoured an *entire* mouse before my very eyes. It was like watching a documentary. First, she stalked it, played with it a little, then killed it. Then she started on the innards and bones before eating skin, feet, and head. When she was done, all that was left was the tail. There weren't even bloodstains on the floor. This is the cat who discriminates against certain cat food brands. She won't eat Whiskas but she'll eat a whole mouse. Go figure.

Anyways, the point of the story is if I got a hamster, that's what's going to happen to it.

Lots of Luis

Here's a rundown of what the King of Nothing to Do has been up to:

1. This is old news but Luis was recently mentioned as one of the Most Important Young Filipinos in Erwin Romulo's weekly colum in the Philippine Star, during the paper's aniversary issue. Other people mentioned were The Radioactive Sago Project, Iya Villania, and Celine Lopez.

2. Luis' second book, The King of Nothing to Do, is out! It's his first book of essays, and has a cool cover, which was done by Elbert Or. He gave me a signed copy (dapat lang!) and -- I'm not being biased here -- it's a real good read. Go get your copy now!

3. Luis was recently interviewed as a panelist for Pia Guanio's QTV show, Ang Pinaka. The episode -- Ang Pinak: Sikat na Banda, or something to that effect. This weekly show lists the most popular, well, categories in Pinoy pop culture. Fellow panelists include Reyes of The Dawn.

And then of course, there's his bi-weekly column in the I section of the Manila Bulletin. I haven't been up to date with that *guilty, guilty* and it's apparently harder to look for on line, so it's still best to find the hard copy version.

I'm sorry if this post sounds like a press release. It isn't. It's just tha I've been doing so much copywriting over the past few weeks it's beginning to leak into my normal writing. I'll be posting about specil deals and buy one take ones next! :O

But seriously, Way to go, Luis! *clap clap* :D

Friday, August 18, 2006

I'm Back!

I'm sure my fans (all three of you) have been wondering why I haven't posted in a while. Truth is, things have been kind of hectic, and it's only now that I'm able to take some time off to write about what's been going on. I've been:

1. Editing magazines

Gusto, Shopwise's lifestyle magazine, came out with its Nature and Wellness issue early this month. It's my first time as Editor-in-Chief of anyting, so it was a big thing for me. I'm pretty proud of the result, but that's also because I got to work with a super team (I love you guys!).

If you're a Shopwise member, you can stop by the customer's service counter to pick up your copy. The latest issue has Christan Bautista on the cover. This issue also features an interview with Bossa Nova phenomenon Sitti Navarro, tips on how to get kids to voluntarily eat vegetables, articles on Capoiera and healthy snacking, and tons of recipes from the kitchen of cool couple Sarah and Che Katigbak, the mag's stylst and photographer team.

2. Being in the movies

If you watch closely, you might be able to find me in Eternity, the latest romantic drama starring Iza Calzado, Ding Dong Dantes, Mark Herras and Jennylyn Mercado.

Mitch and I were on location conduction interviews for the wesite when I got pulled in as an extra with Mark from MTV. "You look like a Korean," said Tita Rose, the movie's location manager (and my self-appointed "manager") as told Mark and me what to do. There's a chance that my cameo might get cut out of the final product, but until then, I can honestly tell everybody that I was in a movie with Mark Herras. *squeals like a schoolgirl*

And because of that set visit, I am now a big fan of Iza Calzado, who is the sweetest, most charming girl around! When we asked her for an interview, she begged for a little time off to freshen up, then promptly went looking for us when she was done. She was also very machika, treating the interview as if she was talking to old friends instead of media peeps. Katrina Halili is like that too, which is why they're two of my favorite celebs.

3. Winning Contests... sort of

My story, Stella for Star, was an honorable mention at the 1st Philippine

Graphic/ Literature Awards. I had written that story in college and didn't really know what to do with it. It's nice to see everything fall into place.

I feel as if the college me was the one who got awarded. I don't get a prize but I hear that I get to be part of the anthology. What's even cooler is that Neil Gaiman's actualy read my work!

4. Eating santol

The story behind this is Mitch and I went to visit the set of another movie, a romantic comedy that's coming out in October. We went with TV Prod peps Paolo, Pabsy and Shi, and had to wait until in between takes to snag interviews with its stars.

One of the locations had a huge santol tree that was heavy with fruit. Sometimes, one of them would drop onto the ground and we would share it. What was freaky was that there was a guy there who would "pray" to the tree for fruit -- and one always fell when he did.

I think this is the first time I learned to really eat santol, and it's nice that the fruit I learned with came fresh from the tree!

5. Being on TV

Mitch and I have a cameo in an episode of Balik-Bayan, a travel show that showcases the hometown of some of our most beloved celebs. It's hosted by Drew Arellano and airs every Wednesday on QTV Channel 11 at 10pm.

We got to spend a day with the Balik-Bayan staff. It was fun to hang out with them because they're all like one big barkada.

I think the episode we're in airs next week.

6. Attending events

Some of them were:

a. Burn launch

The Burn magazine soft launch at Embassy Cuisine where Bossa Nova singer Sitti Navarro and electronica act Drip performed. The launch was a smashing success!

Burn kicks off for the month of August with a series of mall tours that culminates in their grand launch. The first two mall tours were in SM Mega and South Mall and featured Up dharma Down and Barbie Almalbis, respectively. The one this Saturday will be held at SM North and features The Dawn, while the launch will be at the SM Mall of Asia and will feature lots and lots of bands.

b. Dark Bulb

Graphic artist and all-around nice guy Nelz Yumul had his very first solo exhibit at Pablo gallery in the Marikina Shoe Expo. I love his work, especially since a lot of them remind me of the covers of comic books that I used to read in high school.

You can still catch his exhibit, which runs until September 13. I hear he has a second one coming son after. I can't wait for that one as well!

c. Simply Sitti

Got to attend Sitti's first concert at the Music Museum. Getting tickets wasn't easy because they were sold out. You can't even get tickets to her September 9 show anymore!

Her concert was fun, as aside from Sitti's glorious voice and wonderful presence, the audience was entertained by many Filipino-Brazilian acts like Brigada, Inky de Dios' band, Jon Santos as Bossa Nova Villa, a spanish-speaking Brazilian tourist, and lotsa salsa.

Sitti also gave one of, if not *the* most sulit encores I have ever seen, as she happily did, like, five songs after everything was over. The tone of the whole concert was very personal and intimate. Siti chatted with the audience as if they were all at a party together. All in all, it was a wonderful affair. Congrats, Sitti!

7. Surfing

I've been coming across some interesting things on line. Here are but some of them:

a. Cute Overload

Thanks to Fran Ong, I have found the joys of cuteoverload.com , a site filled with pictures of baby animals. My top two favorites are: little boy snogrling puppy and built-in blush .

I must warn you, the site is extremely addictive. Don't blame me if you're suddenly unable to do anything else but surf the site for the next few days.

b. Elmo is Evil

An article that explains why widdwl wed Elmo may lead to the downfall of mankind.

c. All the Hoff you can Eat

David Hasselhoff has been ruling the net lately. Rapgap magazine compiles 50 of his most popular videos, including the Opening Credits for Knight Rider and Baywatch, for your Hoffalicious enjoyment.

Cheese Factor: Extremely High -- but we know you love it

8. Supporting the local movie/music industry

Got to watch Tulad ng Dati, the fictional movie about the all too real band The Dawn. The film won best picture at the Cinemalaya. It's a great film, folks, especially if you grew up in the 80's. Admittedly, I was too young to have caught The dawn in their heyday but that didn't stop me from waxing nostalgic and wishing I was old enough then to have seen a Storm concert (not that my parents would have let me).

9. Eating

I've started bringing vegetable sandwiches to work with me, so I get my daily gulay and I get to save money. This doesn't mean I'm beyond the occasional steak or two (or three or four).

I also got to have lunch with Anson at Snackeroo, which is located on Kamuning cor. Judge Jimenez in Q.C. Good company, cheap steak, nice weather. Quite a good experience, except for the passers by and a neighbor's dog, who kept trying to take our food.

10. Getting published

I have an article out in this month's Entrepreneur on the benefits of Feng Shui on your business. I also had an article in Sense and Style on Cecil Licad, but I think that came out last July.

That's it for now. I hope to be able to update more often.

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

The Depression Continues

I’m still bummed over the Jason Mewes news. I’m currently consoling myself by playing Placebo’s cover of The Pixies’ “Where is My Mind” over and over and over again (Thanks, Luis!). I hate you Jason Mewes, I really do.

You’ve just destroyed my childhood, or at least my late college years. And why, oh why didn’t Kevin Smith intervene? Was he too embroiled in the whole Superman fiasco to notice that his friend was slipping into the jaws of evil?

I can’t believe I feel so strongly about this. I can’t believe I’m so torn up about it. I don’t even like Jason Mewes in that way (Jason Lee is a different story). I guess it’s like finding out that your goofy favorite cousin has just hooked up with the mean slutty girl in high school. Does this mean no Mewes is good news?

Anyway, on a happier note, my friend Anson and I have come up with a rehashed version of the Santa Claus conspiracy… here it is, kids: Santa and Mao are the same person!

Exhibit A: Santa is a commie because (This idea was inspired byDJ’s Robot Boy comics)…

- knows when you are sleeping and when you are awake
- knows if you’ve been bad or good
- has an army of elves
- wears a hat
- wears red, a color associated with Christmas
- is fat
- mass produces toys for mass consumption all over the world

Exhibit B: Meanwhile, Mao…

- knew when his constituents were sleeping and when they were awake
- knew when they were bad or good
- had the Chinese army at his beck and call
- wears a hat
- wears green, a color traditionally associated with Christmas
- is fat

And now, China…

- mass produces toys for mass consumption all over the world

Now isn’t that the darnest thing? Now that we’ve shed light on the truth behind Santa, let’s see if we can pick on the Easter Bunny next…

In other, other news… I jut realized that the intro of Placebo’s “Song to Say Goodbye” sounds like the intro to Oasis’ “Wonderwall,” a song which Cat Power covers very well (Thanks again, Luis!).

Monday, June 19, 2006

Non Non Non Heinosity

Saw part one and half of part two of the Bagets reunion on Showbiz Stripped. You know, I suggested the very same concept to the last show I was in the other station but they didn’t buy the concept. How sorry are they now? Anyway, I’m glad that Ricky Lo’s team thought of it and made it come to life. It’s something that I’ve always wanted to happen.

That movie brings back memories! I’m showing my age here but that film affected an entire generation. Watching clips of it again made me realize some things about how I perceived the actors in my youth, namely:
My crush on William Martinez was justified because he was cute;
Now I understand what all the fuss about Aga Mulach was about. Too bad he grew up to be an old papa;
My favorite Bagets-er then was JC Bonnin, and now I don’t understand why. That mustache! Ugh!

Now I want to see Bagets, Bagets 2, Ninja Kids and Hot Shots again! Wow, I’m old! Anyone wanna lend me a copy?

I didn’t realize Eula Valdez was in Bagets. She looked so plain then, nothing like the hot momma that she is now. Maybe 40 *is* the new 30!

Another movie that defined a generation (well, sort of) is Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventures. Now we all know that Keanu Reeves has gained a questionable reputation ever since playing lovable Ted “Theodore” Logan. I have to admit I embarrassed myself by putting “getting Keanu Reeves to marry me” as my life’s goal in my high school yearbook but hey, I was young and this was just a few years after Bogus Journey. Keanu may have moved down the ladder of coolness, but as this essay at http://www.thejay.com/2006/06/13/keanu-reeves-does-not-suck-and-i-can-prove-it/ shows, the coolness never left, baby. Station!

Wednesday, June 07, 2006

Brokebackalicious!

There's always been a lot of homoeroticism going on in the media, even before Brokeback Mountain made it's award-winning debut. Glad to know I'm not the only one who thinks so:
http://www.cracked.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=430

He's my addition to this list, in no particular order:

1. Richard and Edward from Daimos
We never noticed it as kids, but if you'll watch the series again as an adult, you'll notice that there's a lot of tension going on. Edward hates Erica, Edward hates women, Edward's always looking for Richard...

2. Harry and Draco from Harry Potter
Thousands of fanfic writers can't be wrong! Too bad we see less of Draco in the later books. Maybe Harry got tired of him and is trying to work his charms on Ron...

3. Heero and Duo of Gundam Wing
Relena is nothing. Duo is way prettier, but Zechs is the prettiest of them all. Then there's that brokeback mecha scene between Treize and Wufei in one of the first episodes. Whoo!

4. Kurama and Hiei of YuYu Hakusho
That's Dennis and Vincent of Ghostfighter to most people. A lovelier pair I have never seen. And just how macho can a rose whip be, anyway?

5. Mulder and Skinner from The X-Files
I can hear the Mulder/ Krycek fans taking up arms at this statement. But admit it, there was a sort of tension there, in a homoerotic employee-boss kind of way.

6. Clark and Lex from Smallville
As hot as Lana was, she was just a beard to Clark's growing feelings for his pal Lex. Their eventual falling apart is just proof of what happens when you don't show the one you love your true feelings.

7. Grissom and Warrick from CSI Las Vegas
Warrick was always Grissom's favorite CSI. I wonder why. Must be those lovely green eyes. Admittedly, I'd much rather see Nick and Warrick get it on but Nick seems to be too straight (or too in-denial) for anything at this point. Maybe in the future...

8. Mr. Burns and Smithers from The Simpsons
How can you not look at them and not think gay?

9. Itchy and Scratchy from The Simpsons
Can you spell BDSM?

10. Suboshi and Ameboshi from Fushigi Yuugi
Twins. Identical twins. Prettyboy identical twins. Mmmm. So is this incest or narcissism?

In other news, I had to watch Manay Po for work. Not a bad movie, if you're in the mood for comedic nonesense and complete and utter suspension of disbelief. What to look out for is Luis Allandy and Polo Ravales as two straight-acting gay lovers. The crowd loved them! I loved them! I think they should play straight-acting, closeted gay men all the time because for some reason, it pushes their hotness factor up a notch, don't ask me why. I think everyone was waiting for their kissing scene, which, alas, was cut out to meet MTRCB standards. How weird that the MTRB let them keep the bed scene and the whorehouse scene, but had them lose the gay kissing scene. I'll never understand adults.

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Catching Up

Here are some odds and ends on what I've been forgetting to write about:

Saw Prez GMA in Glorietta by chance. We were there to cover Jennylyn Mercado's album launch. Unfortunately, our coordinator got the date wrong. Good thing we got to take shots of the prez for the news page. Isn't she tiny (the pic, I mean)?

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Same day, different place: this is Marvin Agustin chilling out. We caught him in a good mood. He's such a great interview! And he still remembers me from his past life. I think Mitch, the photographer and I have since become Marvin and Jolina fans, because they;re so nice to deal with. Of course, we have also become (Fafa) Polo Ravales fans because, well, anyone who's seen the Folded and Hung billboard along EDSA will understand why. See, he's rendered me intelligible already.

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The Pako Salad from Kusina Salud, our first stop in the Kulinarya Quezon tour Kaisa took as it's summer outing.

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Table setting from Ugu's Pottery Barn, same outing:

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And isn't it funny how these traditional houses are modernized by ads? I just had to take pics of them!

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Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Exam Time

I took the What Muppet Are You test and I'm happy to say I got my favorite muppet!

You Are Animal
A complete lunatic, you're operating on 100% animal instincts.You thrive on uncontrolled energy, and you're downright scary.But you sure can beat a good drum."Kill! Kill!"
The Muppet Personality Test


My results to other tests are:

Your Mexican Name Is...
Doña Maria


Ay, bongga! Doña akesh. I always knew I was destined for a life of luxury. Inday, pahingi ng juice!

Your Hidden Talent
You have the power to persuade and influence others.You're the type of person who can turn a whole room around.The potential for great leadership is there, as long as you don't abuse it.Always remember, you have a lot more power over people than you might think!


Really, now? In that case, kneel, slaves!

You Are 40% Boyish and 60% Girlish
You are pretty evenly split down the middle - a total eunuch.Okay, kidding about the eunuch part. But you do get along with both sexes.You reject traditional gender roles. However, you don't actively fight them.You're just you. You don't try to be what people expect you to be.
How Boyish or Girlish Are You?


I always had a penchant for androgyny. Brian Molko, come to mama! I mean, papa. I mean, mama.

You Belong in 1965
If you scored...
1950 - 1959: You're fun loving, romantic, and more than a little innocent. See you at the drive in!
1960 - 1969: You are a free spirit with a huge heart. Love, peace, and happiness rule - oh, and drugs too.
1970 - 1979: Bold and brash, you take life by the horns. Whether you're partying or protesting, you give it your all!
1980 - 1989: Wild, over the top, and just a little bit cheesy. You're colorful at night - and successful during the day.
1990 - 1999: With you anything goes! You're grunge one day, ghetto fabulous the next. It's all good!
What Year Do You Belong In?


Drugs, yay! Where's my Valium?

Your Birthdate: September 9
You are a born idealist, with more pet causes than you can count.You prefer be around others, both when working and while relaxing.Generous and giving, you believe you can change the world one person at a time.You're open minded and tolerant. People feel like they can tell you anything.
Your strength: Your go-with-the-flow flexibility
Your weakness: Your flair for the over dramatic
Your power color: Pine green
Your power symbol: Circle
Your power month: September
What Does Your Birth Date Mean?


Pine Green???!!! PINE GREEN???!!! Could have been worse. Could have been fuschia, which is harder to spell.

That's it for now.

Thursday, May 25, 2006

Laugh Break

This was the first thing I read today, courtesy of Miss Clark, head of the gmanews.tv Special Reports division. I don't know where she got this from, only that it made my day, while proving that this country wouldbe in a better place if we relaced our politicians with parloristas. I don't think there'd be a big difference, except that the parloristas would have style, and would pass bills that would actually make sense, like one that makes weekly mani-pedis mandatory, for example. They'd also find a reason to elect Piolo Pascual into the closet, I mean, cabinet. Ay, fafa!

Kung gay lingo lang sana ang ginamit nina GMA at Garci, wala sanang scandal ngayon.

GMA: Hallooo Gracia!
GARCI: Yes mother! Nachukchak ko na po iyong mga chuva ek-ek!
GMA: Bonggacious! Eh iyong mga tienes-tienes, carry na ba?
GARCI: Winnie Santos na Mama! Eclavou na ever!
GMA: Ang tarush! Babush!

I love gay linggo!

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Da Vinci Cover

Check out my review of The Da Vinci Code at the Odds and Ends section of gmanews.tv: http://www.gmanews.tv/odds.php?sec=27&id=6659 . It, however, is not as amusing as Giles Coren's Da Vinci Code-laden review of The vincent Rooms at http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,1147-2175526,00.html . Giles rules!

Also, because I have a soft spot in my heart for Nirvana (mainly because of their making flannel fashionable, and also because I thought it was cool that Dave Grohl looks exactly like Alanis Morisette), here is the Ukelele Band of Great Britain's rendition of "Smells Like Teen Spirit:" http://www.collegehumor.com/movies/1691441/ .

Minor Rant:
We all have complaints about anoying people. Here's mine for this week:
Interviewed a minor artista the other day at the Captain Barbell press con. I won't say who she is, only that she isn't part of the cast. I was slightly annoyed by the way she reacted to being interviewed, which was like her time was being wasted. Hello! The reason you even have a job is because you get coverage. I wanted to tell her, "Excuse me lola, isang eating disorder lang ang lamang mo sa akin!"

I've been hearing stories about how unprofessional this actress is and it's only now that I've gotten to experience it firsthand. She's lucky that my job forces me to write nothing but good things about her. Grr.

Sometimes I wonder if I should have spent less time in school and more time at the salon, like my mother said. Apparently, my MA, my various acheivements in different kinds of media genres and my literary awards (yes, yes, I'm carrying my own bench [binubuhat ang sariling bangko, hehehe], but it's *my* blog) don't mean a thing because I'm not anorexically thin and I don't look likeI was the illegitimate child of a frisky haciendero. But I've complained about this before. Unfortunately, all it's going to do is give me a headache and give her a few minutes of irritation at being asked for her opinion. Like it counts.

Let's change to a nicer topic. The rains have started! Yay!

Monday, May 22, 2006

Random Thoughts

If you aven't read my column yet, shame on you. Go click on it now at www.gmanews.tv/yvettetan/ and don't come back till you've read it!

In other news, it looks like Britney may be dropping her good for nothing husband soon... unfortunately, it looks like she keeps dropping her baby as well.

The Da Vinci Code has everyone in an uproar nowadays (SM has refused to show it, Manila has banned it, the CBCP called a conference on it, the list goes on...). I had to see the movie for work, and I can tell you, it's not worth the hype. I'll post the URL of my review as soon as I can find it. Suffice it to say that after leaving the movie theatre, the only thought I had was they should have cast Harrison Ford instead. Still, in the spirit of blasphemy, I'd like to share with you The Ten Things I Hate About Commandments http://egotastic.com/video?yt=u1kqqMXWEFs&w=600&h=500&info=Ten%20Things%20I%20hate%20About%20Commandments%20-%20The%20Ten%20Commandments%20Parody%20Trailer%20video

I hate it that I can't make my posts any neater. Grr.

Thursday, April 20, 2006

Random Thoughts

I came upon a picture of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay at the Time 100 website.
Hillary and Norgay were the first people to scale Chomolungma in Nepal -- that's Mt. Everest to the rest of us, folks. Norgay looks like a happy yak herder while Hillary looks like he was drawn by Steve Dillon.

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And while we're on the topic of Mt. Everest, I'd like to say GO ROMI!

In other news, this review of Champor-champor ( http://property.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,1147-2132713,00.html ), a Malay-fusion restaurant by Giles Coren of the Times is by far the best and funniest rant I have ever read. When I grow up, I want to dis like you, Giles!

Again, I apologize for not using html when posting links. I've given up on it and all my posts will just have to be a URL mess.

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Another Bout of Shameless Self-Promotion

Work's piling up, but I'm not complaining!

Yesterday, I interviewed the brand manager of The north face for an article for the gmanews.tv site on Romy Garduche's ascent to Mt. Everest .

I also interviewed the organizer of the Amateur Basketball Association, a Fil-Chi basketball organization, for a feature in Tulay , Kaisa Para sa Kaunlaran 's bi-weekly news journal.

Then there are the assignments for the next issue of Burn magazine, which includes 2 features and three reviews.

Whew! And to think I'm considering adding more projects to my workload.

My piece on a day in the lives of Starstruck Batch 3 winners Marky Cielo and Jackie Rice is up .

Lastly, you can check out my column here . It'll be linked to gmanews.tv soon, I just don't know when yet. I've posted my first piece. Let me know what you think.

If you're wondering about the sudden flurry of selfish self-promotion, it's because I've been getting requests to post about when and where something of mine gets printed. Besides, all I seem to be doing these days is write (Again, not complaining!), so it's only natural that I've got projects on my mind.

Besides, reading is good for you, and you reading my articles is good for me. So good is good for everybody, whee!!!

Sorry, that was uncalled for. Let me crawl towards my coffee now...


P.S. Thanks for helping me with this post, Ian! :)

Monday, April 17, 2006

The Late Bird Gets the Late Worm

Yes, yes, I could have been more punctual with my updates but inbetween work and, well, work, it's tough to keep chronicling every little thing that happens to me. Don't worry, work hasn't made me a dull girl yet, or at least I hope not. Here's what's been going on:

March 7, 2006

Luis and I were able to watch the Fearless Mixed Martial Arts competition that was held in Metrowalk along Meralco Ave. Two guys, Angie and Sir Yogie, from Fight Club (the gym I go to) were participants.

It was my first time to watch a MMA competiton. Now I want to watch more! I think that Angie and Sir Yogie's fights were the most exciting, with Sir Yogie's being the most dramatic. Angie won his while Sir Yogie, alas, had to throw in the towel because part of his upper lip was hanging loose and he was spitting blood.

Too bad, because he would have won if he had kept on. Still, saving your face (literally!) is better in the long run than winning a non-major competition.
Sir Yogie's opponent was a laugh to watch. He was deliberately leaving himself open, clowning around and trying to psyche Sir Yogie out. Even the announcer was making comments about Sir Yogie's choice of attire (spandex, anyone?). But no one can psyche-out Sir Yogie because he's the best!

I think I screamed a lot. Not as much as I did during the Backstreet Boys concert, but enough to matter.

At the risk of regressing into a deranged fan, I'm going to go ahead and say, ANG LUPIT NIYO, GUYS!

When I grow up, I want to beat up people too, just like Angie and Sir Yogie. Yeah!

March 10, 2006

The maiden issue of Burn magazine is out! I suggest you walk, no run, to the nearest newsstand, magazine shop, bookstore and get yourself a musiclicious copy.
I did a few reviews, as well as a feature on Pedicab (my favorite local band), The Bitter Pill (co-written with Luis) and of course, my ultimate guilty pleasure, the Backstreet Boys.

It's only a hundred and twenty bucks (Php 120) a pop, plus, you get a free CD filled with great music and narrated by Zach (formerly of NU). And who doesn't want a CD filled with great music and narrated by Zach?

Grabe dude, pare! You gotta, like, go get your copy na, noh!

March 16, 2006

Happy Resurrection Day! In my religion, we're not allowed to use Easter because, you know, that's PAGAN. Besides, bunnies don't lay eggs in real life, unless they're genetically modified mutants who eat babies for breakfast or like to overdose on chocolate (Incidentally, did you know that the Mandarin Deli in Gateway Mall sells Valrhona bars? maybe that's what these egg-laying bunnies overdose on).

Luis told me that I have been selected as one of the sixteen to be included in Vin Simbulan's Dragon Anthology. Yay! I only hope none of the people who read my story are loyalists lest I be pelted with shoes. You can find the list at www.viniquest.blogspot.com

March 17, 2006

This is it! I've prayed for this for the longest time. I now have my very own weekly column! I can't beleive it! I'm very grateful to my editor, who must have seen something in me to give me such a responsibility. I'll post the URL when I start writing.

Thursday, April 06, 2006

Better Late than Never

Here, finally, are pictures from the time I had to follow Katrina Halili around for a day. The article is archived somewhere on the GMA news website. I can't post the exact link yet because we're still undergoing changes.

Katrina on SOP in her Majika costume:

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This one's Kat doing a dance number on SOP. I have yet to master the art of taking good pics with my camera. It's not easy whe your hands never stop shaking.

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Kat and Polo Ravales during the Majika visit to Fiesta Carnival. Polo's beefed up and has a gorgeous tan.

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To Christian, don't worry, I haven't forgotten. You'll get the full set soon.

Read Me!

Shopwise members, the 3rd issue of Gusto is out! Its got hunky surfer dude Echo Rosales on the cover, with the story on him written by yours truly. Here are some photos that I took at the shoot at the Panday loation somewhere in the hidden hills of Rizal.

Here's Echo in Panday in action:

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Echo during the Gusto shoot:

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Echo posing for his adoring fans (in this case, the Gusto staff):

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Too bad I didn't get a picture of his cute younger brother Nookie, who was also at the set. Echo was a joy to work with. He's thoughtful, charming, gallant and, to quote Kuya Che, our photographer, "nakakabakla" (buti na lang babae ako!).

I also have an article in this month's issue of Entrepreneur magazine about using friendly competition to motivate your sales force. Go buy! Go buy! :)

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

Bright Celebs and Dark Stars

This is what Interlace has done to me:


March 30, 2006, I was asked to cover the Yes! magazine 6th Anniversary celebration and -- get this -- I had fun!

I know I work in media but this has not prevented be from being, what I like to call introverted (and what others like to call anti-social -- hoy, anti-social lang, ha, hindi sociopath). I don't do small talk, I don't do the air-kiss thing (at least, not often) and I do not (unless coerced, medicated or slightly tipsy), approach people just to say hello. But I did all that and more, all while being underdressedin in a black racerback, ratty jeans and dying (albeit cute and comfy) flip-flops. I was using my gorgeous faux-velvet messenger bag though, so it quite makes up for everything.


The reason I was so underdressed was because everyone in the office thought the party was on the 31st. We didn't find out until the day itself that it was actuallyon the 30th. So, inlike the invitations request to dress "chic and fashionable," I and Mitch, our photographer, were probably the most underdressed (but arguably two of the prettiest) people there.
I got a mini makeover courtesy of the L'Oreal booth (love the Glam Shine lipstick, and am going to buy myself a ton of their mascara), so I wouldn't have to feel so naked. I also mt some acquaintances, namely Roxane Guinoo, who said I got fatter (yeah, yeah); Janice de Belen, who recognized me from a former incarnation; and Echo Rosales, who intoduced me to his girlfriend, Heart Evangelista. Bamboo (the band) performed, with Bamboo (the singer) going around the party area during his song numbers. At one point, he sat at my table and was singing to me, me, me, bwahahahahaha! Okay, I'm not a big fan, but my friend Crissy is, even if she says she's over him. It's an interesting experience. Unfortunately, this happened after Mitch left, so she wasn't able to take part in the Bamboo experience.


I don't know if it's a good thing, because of my job, or a bad thing, because, well, it's, like, showbiz, you know, it's so chaka. I'm going to take this opportunity to apologize for my Tagalog. I learned it while working in TV, where words like chuva chenes choo choo is part of the vocabulary. As Joel commented on the chat bar, nagiging showbiz na ako.
Which brings us back to Interlace.


Interlace is an Industrial band whose Asian tour included three performances in our humble little archipelago. Luis asked if I wanted to interview them, and I said yes (Thank you, thank you!), and am I glad I did, because the encounter may very well have changed my outlook (see above).

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I caught them in Absinthe, their last Manila gig. Though they seemed unomfortable performing in such a small space (This was later confirmed, when they said that teir Manila gigs were the first time they've played to a small crowd. They're used to an audience of 1000, 500, at the very least. You get the full Interlace experience that way.), they were, what's the word, amazing!

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Not only do they have great music, they put on a mean performnce (the sight of Oscar, the vocalist, kneeling as he stares lovingly at a mask just takes my breath away). What they did on stage was everything I've been searching for in a musical act (you can tell I don't get out much) -- good music, intense atmosphere, and a powerful performance borne from passion for their art. Even though they spent the whole performace barely moving, their faces covered by gas masks and bodies protected by leater gowns, the presence of the otehr three members were poweful nonetheless. They exuded wisdom and puropse, as if the music they made was the energy that gives life to the superhuman in front of them.

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I had the opportunity to interview the band after. Oscar spoke in behalf of the band, so that's who I'll be quoting in my article, which comes out in the second issue of Burn. After the interview, I got to chatting with Max, one of the keyboardists. What Oscar didn't talk about (because the band didn't want the media writing about it -- nothing scandalous, just a lot of the band's philosophy that they want their audience to figure out for themselves), Max filled in -- of the record, of course.


Both of them are such gret conversationalists. They're smart yet laid back. They've painstakingly worked out everything about their band from the concepts beihind their albums to the images on their video screen, so that when they say theywant their audience to figure the meaning of their performance out for themselves, they mean it. I am so thankful to have been able to hear the Interlace philosophy. The experience was almost spiritual.


The whole thing -- the ambience, the (half-goth) crowd, the performance, the interview and the conversation did something to me. I was there at that event alone and yet I didn't feel scared or out of place. I was chatty (at least for me), and spent the night chatting people up. I don't think I've ever been as comfortable in a social event as I was that night. And with no one there with me, too (pats self on back)!


And that's why I'm suddenly chatty. That's why I've suddenly started going up to acquaintances and saying hello, so glad to see you again. Not because it's the showbiz thing to do, but because I'm genuinely happy to see them. All that, because of Interlace. And though my sister may call them 'scary' (I showed her my pics), I love them because they've made me see the beauty in living.

Interlace promo photo from:
http://www.chainsaw-beats.de/foto/interlace_02.jpg

Monday, March 20, 2006

Oh My Golem!

Am going through China Mieville's Iron Council while reading Terry Pratchett's Going Postal. Do you know what these two books have in common, aside from containing revolutions (there is always a revolution) and being written by geniuses? Gollums! I mean, Golems, that's what!

In Iron Council, they are robots made by someone who I can't help but imagine as a really old Jude Law because he's called Judah Low (Jude Law, Judah Low, get it?), while in Going Postal, the golems have become sentient beings, in their own fashion.

Got to watch A Chinese Odyssey vols. One and Two, starring Stepen Chow. It's a mix of time travel and Chinese mythology and until now, what with all the characters appearing and dissapearing and changing names, amking everyone look like each other after a while, I'm still not quite sure what the plot is. Still, It's Stephen Chow, so I'll takes him as I can gets him. Boyi Bolomi!

In other news, check out my special report on a day in the life of Katrina Halili here: http://www2.igma.tv/gmanews.tv/specialreports.php?id=2164

Yes, I still can't get the ahref thingie to work. Grr.

Monday, March 13, 2006

MILF

I just realized today, while listening to my co-workers talk about the Moro National Liberation Front, that MILF means something entirely different to a whole new generation.

I'm not saying I'm young but I did wonder why a bunch of reporters were talking about hot mommas.

Friday, March 10, 2006

Figure Skating is so Gay

I have never understood how figure skating could be cool. Watching men and women in strange costumes dancing mock ballet on ice has never been my cup of tea. To me, figure skating has always been the delicate prima donna princess of winter sports.

So while my sister swooned over Kristi Yamaguchi, cried over the Ekaterina/Sergei love story and watched that Moira Kelly/ DB Sweeny movie whose name I thankfully can't remember over and over and over again, I had to keep from gagging over the cotton candiness of it all and trying to end my miseries with a duck and some rat poison.

That is, until I stumbled into the wonderful world of Johnny Weir.

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To me, he epitomizes the sport -- its preciousness and drama, the athletic skill required to make it to the top, the intruiging and good looking personalities that make millions of people want to worship them. All these, plus that he brings to the surface what other figure skaters are afraid to -- he's hip, flambouyant, is oh so sure of himself, and is just so darn good-looking, in that skinny, half heroin chic, half androgynous sort of way . He's proof that figure skating *is* gay, but in a cool way.


Photo from http://www.figureskatersonline.com/johnnyweir/gallery.html

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

I've Created a... MACster!

I gave my sister a tube of MAC's Taupe (matte) yesterday before heading to work. She spent the whole of this morning raving about it.

Just trying to do my best to be the best sister I can be and to make the world a prettier place.

Last night was the taping for my Casanova review. I said a whole lot of things but here's the short version of my thoughts on the movie: The acting, directing and production design is good. The dialogue is okay, but the plot kind of sucks. Anyways, watch it for Heath Ledger.

Here's the question for the day:

Which Dawson's Creek girl is better off?
a. Michelle Williams, who never got as famous as she should have but is married to Heath Ledger (swoon, girls, swoon!), or
b. Katie Holmes, who is uber famous but has her life ruled by Tom Cruise's craziness?

I'm now starting on Deviant, the story of Ed Gein, by Harold Schechter. Will let you know it it's a good read.

Tuesday, March 07, 2006

Oscar Schmoscar

Yesterday was an interesting day, as far as surprises were concerned.

1. I received a text from a publisher regarding one of my stories. No specific news yet, I don't want to jinx it.

2. I got asked to do a spiel for Groupee TV that's airing this Saturday. It was just two sentences but I still got a kick out of doing it, anyway. I think Groupee TV airs every Saturday at 11pm on QTV Channel 11.

3. I went to watch the premiere of Casanova for Review Night. The surprise here was that I won a prize, a very pretty jewelry box with the name of the movie inscribed on it. Unfortunately, the movie wasn't as enchanting as it's giveaway. I was very disappointed with how the plot just generated into absurdity. Heath Ledger is still cute though, and now that I've seen Sinenna Miller act, I can't hate her anymore. I think Review Night airs every Friday before the 7pm and 9pm movies on Cinema One. I don't know when the replays are.

Now weren't they more interesting than the Oscars?

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Back to High School

February 16, 2006

I was asked to speak to a class of juniors in my old high school about my work in the media. Iris came along to watch my lecture.

It’s weird to be back in high school and not have to attend any actual classes. I almost ran for it when I saw my old geometry teacher. She might give me an exam. She did look well, though, probably because she doesn’t have to deal with delinquents like me anymore.

The girls were a lot less rowdy than I thought they would be. They were very shy at first, not wanting to answer my questions and denying being interested in the media.

Me: Who likes artistas?
Them: - silence –

As the morning wore on however, they began to shed their all-girl-school propriety and admit, though their actions, to a little bit of “pang-masa-ness.”

Me: Being in media, you tend to know which actors are really gay.
Them: Aaaaaaaw!

And:

Me: … Etheria, after 24 Oras.
Them: After Extra Challenge!

When it was time for the open forum, the questions kept flying. They were, as expected, very high school. In them, I saw the girl I used to be. Hopeful, sheltered, intimidated by what’s out there but raring to see it anyway. I hope my lecture inspired them to, if not go ino media, to go fulfill their dreams.

One thing I realized: as much as I miss high school, I’m still glad to be where I am now, and that’s far, far away from geometry exams.

Member din ako ng Manilyn Reynes Fans Club

February 10, 2006

It seems that the only times I am truly interested in a celebrity is if they were big in the 80’s. And we all know that Manilyn Reynes was very big in the 80’s. It was hard not to say “I used to watch your cheesy horror movies!” but I managed to restrain myself. I did, however, ask if I could take her picture.

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This was on the set of Moms, where I also interviewed Lani Mercado and Sherilyn Reyes. Lani was the most reserved of the three. This probably comes from being in the business so long, plus all the hullabaloo that their family has been subjected to in the past year (or was it two?). I don’t blame her. She was very gracious, albeit guarded.

Manilyn and Sherilyn both talked up a storm. It’s easy to get drawn into their little stories about their careers, their families, and what goes on in the show. They were very easygoing. Manilyn was very cheerful and bouncy. Sherilyn was very candid, even mentioning her past and how she’s very grateful that she was given the chance to host a show for mothers.

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From the interviews, you can tell that all three women love what they’re doing. All of them at one point talk about how great it is to work on a show that’s close to their hearts.

The staff was really nice to us, too. And jut watching them work, you could tell that like the hosts, they liked what they were doing. The atmosphere behind the camera was very relaxed and happy. Everyone was professional, but informal. It’s a show that I can honestly say is lovely both inside and out (naks!).

This Is So Gay

February 08, 2006

Luis and I saw ZsaZsa Zaturnah. I’m a big fan of the comic book (I actually got starstruck when I was introduced to Carlo Vergara), and I’m glad to see that it translated well onto stage. Eula Valdez was great as ZsaZsa. Agot Isisdro was okay as Queen Femina, though you could sense that she was still holding back somewhat. Ricci Chan was absolutely wonderful as Didi, and Tuxqs Rutaquio made a very demure, withdrawn Ada, more so than in the comic. Arnold Reyes, who played Dodong, was okay, though his part was written in such a way that made Dodong lose a few IQ points. Some of the musical numbers were too long, but the play did dwell on Ada’s relationship with his father, which was glossed over in the comic. All in all, it was funny and extremely entertaining, and you should go see it.

Watching the play made me want to read my comic book again. Now if only I could remember who I lent it to.

My Turn in Front of the Recorder

February 07, 2006

Some education majors from Philippine Normal Universoty (PNU) interviewed me today about my Palanca award-winning children’s story. It’s only the second time I’ve been interviewed and I’m not used to being the one in front of the tape recorder. I’m used to asking the questions – which is what I did after they finished recording. Apparently, I was their first ever interview. I hope I didn’t scare them too much.

The students were pretty awe-inspiring. In a country where education takes a back seat to entertainment, it’s amazing to find people who want to be teachers. All of them were pretty passionate about it. It was cool to see.

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They had asked permission to use my story in their project. I got asked a lot of very showbiz questions, like who my inspiration for my story was and which character I identified with the most. I think they were a bit disappointed to learn that I was a horror writer and it was my love of the genre that fueled the story. They were happier with my other major reason for writing the story: my wish to kill off all child molesters, or at least teach them a lesson involving a big hairy kapre, a tree, and a cigar. They also gave me a token, a little teacup with a candle inside. The whole thing made me feel like a celebrity. It’s a feeling I wouldn’t mind getting used to.

The Other Nestle Twin

February 06, 2006

Visted the set of QTV’s My Music Station (MMS) today, where I interviewed Raymond Gutierrez, Richard’s identical twin brother. Most people will remember them fondly as the Nestle Twins from the 80’s commercial, or perhaps as the Siamese twins in the 80’s movie Kambal Tuko (yes, I saw the movie).

We all know that Richard ended up as everybody’s leading man, but not many know that Raymond has been holding his own in the world of showbiz. Whereas his twin brother has decided to concentrate on acting, this Gutierrez has decided to turn his attentions to hosting.

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Raymond loves working on MMS. According to him, music is one of his obsessions, along with “coffee, clothes and traveling.” He’s very shy in person, as if he’s not quite sure what to do with all the recognition just yet. He tries not to be conscious about it, which of course, makes his consciousness all the more evident. He was very game though, answering everything without the guarded edge that most celebrities have. He was also gracious enough to pose for a picture for DJ (it was her one request), and even mentioned her in the interview as “one of the four people who look up to me.” Any celeb (well, almost) humble enough to engage in a little self deprecation always earns a few pogi points and since Raymond is already good looking, this just ups his cuteness factor. I’m sure DJ thinks so.

Ultra Tragedy

February 04, 2006

Notice how I’m not saying anything about the Wowowee stampede at the Ultra. You’ll have to read the news for that.

Small Wonder, de ja vu?

February 03, 2006

Visited the set of Ay, Robot, where I got to interview the cast. We stayed to watch part of the taping and it was hard to stay quiet and not laugh because the episode was funny. Okay, not funny as in Frasier, or even Friends, but funny in the way a good, old-fashioned, family-oriented Filipino sitcom can be (do I sound like a press release already?).

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The highlight of the set visit was my interview with Eunice and Sam, the two kids in the show. Now, I’ve interviewed children before for the Junior Inquirer, but I’ve never interviewed really young kids. It’s part interviewing, part babysitting. Fun, but tiring. The girls were angels, but at one point, Eunice was teasing Sam and that made her cry. Eunice immediately said sorry, and Sam immediately stopped crying. When I say immediately, I mean immediately. It was interesting to watch because I don’t think you’d get that fast a reaction with non-showbiz kids.

Eunice was so cute, she even told me, out of the blue, who her crush was. Sam, who’s a bit more mature, claimed that she was immune to such childish affectations (My words, not hers. She just said “Wala!”). This probably means my brain is the same age as Eunice’s, considering that I go around telling perfect strangers, including the person in question, who my crush is (Howie, I crush you!).

Okay, that had nothing to do with the set visit. I just wanted to use “I crush you” in a sentence, which I have, so there.

Monday, February 13, 2006

The Not-so-fine Art of Improv

February 01, 2006

Visited the set of All Star K today. Too bad I didn’t bring my camera. I got dragged along at the spur of the moment. They were taping two episodes, so I got to interview a lot of celebs from different shows. There was Jaya and Allan K, of course, the All Star K hosts. I couldn’t help but go into semi-fan girl mode around Allan. I told him that I saw him as a child in the 80’s when my parents took us kids to one of his shows in a bar that my cousin’s uncle used to own. I even remembered some of his routines. I said, “You made my childhood.” He laughed and said, “Childhood talaga, ha!”

There was also Ogie and Regine, who I interviewed for their concert, Jose Manalo, who I interviewed for H3O and Eat Bulaga, Ryan Eigenman, who I interviewed for Etheria (I actually forgot my last question because I got sort of distracted, hehehe) and Jake Cuenca, for my own personal purposes. Just kidding. I interviewed him for Love 2 Love, where he’s teamed up with Jennilyn Mercado. There was a point where Connie, my companion, introduced me to someone as the person who was going to interview him. I think I did pretty well, considering I didn’t have a clue who he was. I’m not putting his name here because it’s too embarrassing. The gods of improvisation must have been watching out for me. Good thing!

Chinese New Year’s Eve

January 28, 2006

We celebrated Chinese New Year’s Eve the traditional way – by eating. It doesn’t matter so much where we ate or who we ate with, what matters is what was on the table. Specifically, what was on the table when midnight struck.

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My mother had prepared a gorgeous, very Chinese looking dinner table to welcome the New Year. She laid out the party flatware and made sure the table was filled with auspicious food like fish, chicken, glutinous rice, dates, and this year’s five lucky fruits (according to a feng shui master): apples, oranges, pineapples, pomelos and bananas. We also had misua, leeks and shallots.

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I don’t remember what each of the items are supposed to symbolize, except that in the end they all mean wealth, which is important if you’re Chinese. In today’s economy, wealth is something that a lot of people would be very glad to have.

A lot of Chinese tradition points towards the attraction of luck and the accumulation of wealth. This is not due to selfishness, but practicality and a selfless love for the next generation. Chinese parents work hard to give their children good lives. They train their children this way too, so that they can feed their children and thus continue the family line.

Unfortunately, this is sometimes misunderstood, both by Chinese and non-Chinese. Wealth is seen as something to lord over others. It becomes something to covet, to show off, to make a name with. It buys power, prestige, friends, favors. Because of such thinking, people become spoiled, bratty, overconfident of themselves. A lot aren’t driven to achieve by themselves because their money can do it for them.

I’m not going to sat which side of the fence I’m on. What I will say is that I should stop this train of thought right now and get back to work. After all, time is money. ;P

A Damn Good Kung Fu Fighting Crook

January 27, 2006

I got to watch two very different, but very entertaining movies.

Volcano High
Or Whasango, is a Korean film that is set in an alternate world where the people are Korean, the culture is modern Japanese, and the writing system is in Chinese. Here, people have super powers and students have managed to take over the schools, which means pandemonium all around. And since I’m too lazy to go into film critic mode, I’m just going to say that watching the movie is like watching anime -- complete with clichés like gang rivalry, torpe main characters who turn out to be “the one” and strange hairstyles – but with real people.

The movie was very well made. They got everything just right. Excellent casting -- everyone, even the extras, acted in that over the top way associated with anime, making it funny, not corny. The production design was wonderful. They created a world that was strange yet familiar. It reminded me of Brazil, but not as freaky. The plot is nothing spectacular, but you kind forget about it amidst all the insanity. I wish there were more fight scenes, though, but then, there are a lot of things I wished for after watching Whasango. Like supernatural powers. Or a membership in the kendo club. Or really good tea.

Volcano high rocks, for reals!

Temptation Island

Have finally gotten to see Joey Gosiengfiao’s camp classic. No more will I be in the dark when people make obscure comments about damn good crooks and double bitches. It makes me wonder what happened to the cast, though. Of all of them, I think only Dina Bonnevie is the only one still in showbiz. It makes me wonder why we weren’t shown this in film school. But then, we weren’t shown any of Eddie Romero’s B movies in film school either.

Stars Say the Darnest Things

January 25, 2006

In the spur of the moment, I attended a GMA press con for a bunch of its talents. It was held in Little Asia, Morato. The concept was simple, yet ingenious. A bunch of stars and media people were gathered together in one place, then left to their own devices. This means you could interview anyone there about their current or upcoming projects.

I got to interview Yasmein Kurdi, the Halili sisters, Jenilyn Mercado, and Arnold Clavio. Katrina had me in stitches with her answer to my question, “Ano birthday wish mo kay Yasmein?” Her answer was, “Sana pumayat siya.” It’s a very refreshing break from the canned “More power, God bless, good luck in your career” that everyone in the industry likes to spout. Katrina continued her statement in Tagalog with, “Yasmein keeps asking me how to get slim and I keep telling her not to eat so much.” At this point, she points to Yasmein, who is spooning some food onto her plate and exclaims, “There she goes again!”

Arnold Clavio was also fun to interview. When I asked him what three things he would change in the country if he had the power to do so, his first answer, without hesitation, was “Politicians.” I laughed and said I would be printing that, and he said, “Go ahead.” He quickly balanced his first answer with people who make a business out of being poor, and dishonest, non-law abiding citizens. He was also happy to report that his NGO, the Igan Foundation, was doing very well. I wanted to ask him where his puppet was but I was afraid that I might get thrown off the second floor if I did.

New Game Show, New Movie

Because I'm notoriously bad at posting on time, here's what's been happening the past few days...

January 24, 2006

Visited the set of Now Na!, QTV’s first game show. Hosted by Arnel Ignacio, this is a trivia show where time really does matter. Contestants are given a ridiculously short amount of time to answer questions such as “What gives an air conditioner its cooling power?” Apparently, under pressure, some people come up with ridiculous answers such as “Ice.” This is what the show is about. keeping your presence of mind (and poise) under pressure.

Walking onto the set is like stepping into the inside of a giant clock, complete with the faint tick-tocking that lodges itself in your brain. It sounds like a fun concept. Arnel Ignacio is especially excited about it, especially since it’s his first show after leaving the station for a while.

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Later that evening, Luis and I went to watch the premiere of Zathura. It was better than we expected it to be. Although, in the end, you shouldn’t expect it to be anything more than a children’s movie, it did contain ideas that you have to be an adult to get.

Though Tim Robbins was the only name actor there, he’s actually the one who does the least. The others do a good job of conveying their characters. One guy, the one who plays the astronaut, looks eerily like Zack Braff. The girl who plays the kids’ older sister is the one who played Jodie Foster’s daughter in Panic Room. The effects are good – nothing special, but nothing below average, either. It’s something I’d recommend to families who want to watch a kids’ action flick and to barkadas who are out for the kind of fun that only watching a kids movie can give you.

Thursday, February 02, 2006

Breaking News

This just in! Someone is trying to jump off the billboard of the MRT station beside our building as I write this! I went out to look at him, but I didn't have my camera with me. Let that be a lesson to me to always be prepared. Hey, mercenaries have off days, too.