One of the gods is dead

Morning. I was waiting for the elevator when I saw the ticker from the tv/announcement-casters in the bldg lobby: "J.D. Salinger, reclusive writer, dies, 91." It woke me up. 

So not all office workers are phonies. Some of them are literate enough to pick-up the news from the bunch of headlines and Kris Aquino. 

R.I.P., J. D. Thanks for Holden. 

We still "can't erase even half the fuck you's in the world."

iPad vs. iPod (medyo mahirap bigkasin para sa mga Pinoy)

(photo from here)

Sana iba na lang ang itinawag. Mahirap i-differentiate para sa atin ang pagbigkas ng dalawa. Pwede naman sigurong

iLet
iBlet
iTap
iBlock
iBar

Bohol Is Hands Down Better Than Boracay

Just don't forget to include in your itinerary Balicasag Island, and you'll know what we mean.

Do not forget to allocate some budget to dive or snorkel in this area.

Weve seen the most powdery (the "finest") white sand in Panglao

And the place is not yet that thrashed by commerce. There are still place of calm

They went out for Christmas Gifting...

I bought these Vintage Classics because during the last Cutprice booksale that they are real steals (Inferno went  for just 80 PhP), and I knew upfront that they'll look good on any bookshelves..

But then I discovered that in this new Corporate eklat environment I revolve in, gifting is almost a must. And it does gets you favor; it appears to helpget your work done fast, if you know who to give presents to.

I used to think that giving books is plain pretentious. Would the person assume that the book you gave him/her youve already read? Should it mean that that you shouldnt gift books that you havent read yourself? Do you want to send off a deep, learned, well-read, genius image when you give books?  Are you telling the person whom your gifting to to read a bit more as you do?

Ah, basta. I think 99% of unexpected gifts are appreciated.

For posterity (notes to self): I also gave out the following books that Ive finished reading: White Tiger, Oscar Wao, Shalimar the Clown, Outliers. And then some Twisted 8 1/2 Zafra books (signed).
And then one red Scribe notebook, fireman toy, and chocolates bagged in scotchtaped giftwrappers.

Kumuha ng calling card ng mga konsehal para hindi hulihin sa Pasig

Ayon dito kay Traffic Enforcer R Saldana, na karaniwang pumupwesto sa Ortigas Center tuwing umaga, awtomatik na hindi huhulihin sa Pasig kapag pinalad na nakahawak ng calling card ng isang Konsehal. Ibinibigay din daw ang calling card sa sinumang nanghihingi.

Kasabay ko ang isang Civic na umumang patawid nang Emerald Avenue, habang nakatalikod si TE Saldana sa amin, sa gitna nang intersection. Ang ibig sabihin pala nang kanyang pagtalikod ay nakasignal sya nang stop. Matapos hindi mag-alok nang kahitaq ano, ako ay tiniketan at kinumpiskahan nang lisensya. (Ang walang kamatayang DTS na naman ang pinandahilan).

Samantalang ang Civic na may hawak na tarheta ni Konsehal Lipana ay pinalampas. Mabuhay si Konsehal Lipana! Mabuhay si TE Saldana! Kapuri-puri ang kanyang honesty.

Councilor Renato Rene Lipana, pahingi naman nang business card please.

Avatar Vs. Jesus Army

Avatar as reviewed by the Vatican.

It's always awkward if a review becomes non-secular.
But the Christian voice, Christian Living, the Christian tone,  the Christian, that, the Christian this, however hard you explain their bogusness, they will always have a listener and follower. (I used Christian, but you can always substitute Zoroaster, Islamist, etc. as well). So what to do?

Well, just get along.  And be sure to watch the movies who get the extreme treatment. Whether extreme praise or extreme criticism, watch it. It will be definitely, surely, great entertainment.

Is this photoshopped?

Possible connotations:

• Fat + Stupid = Happy 
• Or "Fat, Stupid, But Happy"
• Philippines is unique for loving our own Fat Bee

Lunch of a cubicle dweller

FATTY PORK ADOBO

KOREAN EGGPLANT SOMETHING SOMETHING

Costs 60 pesos each. Cooked in the morning, ready by 10am. By 12NN, when you order, store pops it in a microwave for 30 seconds... then good to chow.

It's not that bad (in taste) as it looks, though. And still a source of nourishment that you need for the afternoon office action.

Rakenrol Comics: The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb (Review)

MESMERIZING drawings, discomforting panels... this book is easily a landmark of the graphic novel genre.

I first saw an excerpt from this book in The New Yorker magazine’s cartoon issue. The teaser captured cleverly the Adam and Eve episode of Genesis—which of course is the tastiest to draw and capture in comics. It is what attracted me to buy.

Of course the whole book is not as entrancing as that one episode. For example, there are boring chapters explaining lineage—man 1 and man 2 are the sons of man from his “seed” to this woman, and then Crumb did his best to draw unique faces of these persons (with distinct facial hair, headwear, accessories, etc.) to differentiate them and maintain reader interest.

But then the chapters showing the semi-savagery, primitiveness, and weirdness of this first book of the bible are depicted brilliantly. Those make the book's price worth it.

At the minimum, it will make you open that thick bible languishing at your shelf to check if the various narratives, characters, and scenes are really in there. And indeed you’ll discover that everything is in there! Incest, massacres, bludgeoning, generous amounts of sex, a selfish, “love-me, praise-me, you-are-my-servant" God (He seems to be competing with other Gods on some parts), Abraham pimping his wife, rape,... as the cover says--everything illustrated "nothing left out!"

How Crumb draws his people and frame a scene bring out that very unique appeal. It is raw talent to imagine and draw Noah, for instance, as looking like a bumbling, confused old man, and Rachel to have the nose ring, and with a face of seeming perpetual condescension. I also love how we God was depicted here as the "traditional" long beard and flowing white dress... but with a twist of a very expressive face (you'll know when he's really mad).

Definitely worth the price! Deserves a place in your bookshelf. As a coffee table book, it would entrance any guest who casually picks it up. Radical.