White Tiger at Mga Kups Julia Vargas Ave, Pasig

Inilantad nang librong White Tiger ni Aravind Adiga ang sari-saring nakakatuwa, nakakarimarim, nakakaaliw, nakakaawa, nakaka-nganga ng bibig, na paraan nang panlalamang, korupsyon, pagpapahirap, pangmamata, paniniiil, at pang-aalipin… mga sistemang bulok sa modernong India.

Halimbawa, ayon sa White Tiger, ang eskwelahan daw sa probinsya ay lupa pa ang sahig. At ang titser ay hindi nagtuturo. Ang alam lamang niya ay manghampas nang yantok sa puwit nang mga bata, at ang matulog maya’t-maya, at dumura sa dingding ng paaralan kapag nagigising. Hindi nakakarating ang mga libreng unipormeng nilaan ng gubyerno para sa mga estudyante, dahil pinitik na ang pondo para rito ng titser..

Meron ding kwento tungkol sa isang ospital na walang duktor, pero sa listahan ng attendance ay parating may duktor, kumpleto pati nars. Kasi ang logbook nang attendance ay nasa munusipyo, minamarkahan na lang duon ang logbook, nagkukuntsabahan, at naglilistahan nang attendance at parte ng kurakot ang mga ulupong. Sumusweldo ang doctor sa trabaho nya sa pampublikong ospital, pero pwede pa rin syang sumideline sa pribadong mga hospital. Duling na duling--doble ang kita, ‘ika nga,. 

Naaaliw nang husto marahil ang mga taga-kanluran sa pagbabasa ng mga ganitong anekdota. Novelty ang mga kwentong ito sa kanila, kaya pumatok ang libro. Tingin ko nga’y inilista muna nang awtor ang kung anu-anong sistema nang panggagantso na nalalaman nya nang personal at isiniksik sa isang matinding librong ito. Mahusay na naihabi ang dramas sa buhay ng bida palibot sa mga ito.

[Isang drayber ang bida na rumangya ang buhay mula sa pagkakalugmok sa pinakailalim na sistema ng korupsyon sa probinsya. Sa istruktura nang nobela kunwa’y sinusulat nya ang kwento nang buhay para ilahad sa Prime Minister ng Tsina na kasalukuyang bumibisita sa India].

Maeengganyo rin naman ang sinumang pinoy na magbabasa ng White Tiger, dahil malalaman nya na mayroon din tayo nang panraraket na tulad nang mga iniksplika sa libro. May mga matitindi rin, at may mga maliliit na makakapagpangiti sabay makakapagpailing na lamang sa ating bansa.

Halimbawa, kapag napadaan sa Julia Vargas, patulak nang Megamol, mapapansin mo na sa huling bloke bago mag-megamol mismo, magiging one way ang mismong Julia Vargas. Pag napadaan ka nang gabi rito, mamamataan mo na di nawawalan ng traffic enforcer sa mismong gitna bago maging one way ang dalawang kalsada na hinahati nang island. Pinakamababa ang tatlong magagaling na enforcers ang nakatayo, hindi nagtatrapik, hindi nagsesenyas, basta nakatayo lamang at nag-aabang. Kasi, pag natyempo ka sa pinakalabas na lane nang kalsada, at di ka lumiko sa biglang nag-one way na kabilang kalye, tiklo ka. Kikil at tatakutin ka nang inconvenience eklat sa pagtubos nang tiket. Ituturo sayo ang isang sign na di mo napansin dahil gabi. Dabest na raket. Ito marahil ang real source of income nila gabi-gabi.

Syangapala sa dulo ng WhiteTiger (dapat kunin mo ang cover ay tulad nang nasa picture sa itaas) ay meron pang reading guide. Parang eksamin ito para mas malasap pa ang mga dapat matutunan sa libro. Parang Noli at Fili. Anggaling,

Pero nabanggit na rin lang ang Noli, parang White Tiger nga rin pala itong nobelang ni Rizal sa isang banda. Nakaispat nga lamang sa mga prayle, kaya malamang boring na siya ngayon sa kabataan. Oras na siguro para gumawa tayo nang pang-kontemporaryong lipunan. Yung mga payola system eklat na naglipana sa lahat nang ahensya nang gubyerno. Ultimong mmda enforcer e pag nakadama nang konting kapangyarihan, e talaga namang pang-iiskor ang mga nasa isip. Kayang-kaya isulat yan ni Norman Wilwayco. 

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.