Winner!

For posterity, Im writing that this brought some bright light to another dark hell week at work:

The challenge was to write a story given a background music. I entered the spur-of-the moment doodle that I also posted here two weeks ago (entitled simply as "Sequence," because I can’t really think of a title for that rambling).

Although I tried indeed to formulate a scene in a movie with the background music-- in short, the entry stuck strictly to the assignment--I was just counting on the promise of a consolation prize and an invitation to coffee or cocktails that Jessica has been assembling recently (in lieu of a bigger gathering that she’s been planning for some time now for blog followers). Ms. Jessica Zafra, the master herself, who I consider as one of the five best Pinoy writers alive, has been inviting for drinks a small group of constant participants to her “Litwit” challenges! (If it is not part of your morning reading yet, you should follow her blog). And the invitees can prepare 10 questions each, I believe to relieve the awkward silences.

Talampunay or me asking Jessica 10 questions over drinks, though nerve-wracking, should be a very welcome shake to our 9-to-7 lives. (630am to 10pm, if you include travel and prep time for that proverbial office grind).

Now, although there was no cocktails for this week, it was really a big, happy surprise to see turmukoy as the first prize winner of Litwit 3.8! And then the prize, a dense biography of Sartre and de Beauvoir. Wow!

Ive been hearing of their marriage-less, 'free' relationship more than ten years ago, since Soc Sci 1, and their existentialist justifications to their seductions and affairs. This arrangement must be a source of inspiration for all those landmark writings on existentialism. 

I am ready to put away whatever is currently bedside (American Pastoral by Roth) for this book. 

I was so thankful! Masaya at maganda ang buhay! J

Hindi magandang gamitin sa ads...

ang picture na ito na parang nagpapakita nang kasibaan.

Mukhang iresponsable rin ang kanyang ina.

Gutsy Carlos

These remarks don't come from a church people should be going and giving money to:

Catholic bishops have criticized President Benigno Aquino III for saying that his administration will promote both natural and artificial methods of family planning. At least one bishop said Aquino could be excommunicated.

Carlos's placard saying Damaso! must have hit them where it truly hurts. They're playing Noli indeed with these threats. These worthless priests, who now cant deliver a decent homily, has no contribution any more to society except to make people sleep in their droning masses.

You da man Carlos! Mabuhay ka!


And then there's this stupid cop...

Andres [the apprehending police] said Celdran was wearing a “Charlie Chaplin costume.” 

Watdapak? 

Sequence

Split screen, real time, dalawang tauhan, isang lalake at isang babae, tanghaling tapat, tumutugtog ang background music.

Si babae ay naglalakad sa bukirin, si lalake sa isang kalye, papuntang EDSA. Naririnig ang papalapit na kalyeng matrapik. Businahan ang mga oto't bus.

Parehong malayo ang tingin nang dalawa, nag-iisip nang malalim habang naglalakad. Si lalake ay di mawaksi sa isip ang kanyang hipokritong boss na walang alam gawin kundi magpagawa nang report. Puros na lang report na walang resulta. Tuwang-tuwa ang boss at kumikislap ang mga mata pag nakakakita nang mga palamuting bar graph, spiderplots, at piechart. Gustung gusto nya rin ang mga retorik na katulad nang “have a sustainable capacity-building solutions to increase our pool and capability.”

Pareho silang magsasalita nang: “Langya.”

Si babae naman ay iniisip ang ipinipilit nang nanay nyang pagtatrabahuhan na pabrika. Kung siya ang masusunod, ayaw na nyang umalis sa bukid. Subalit ang lupa nila ay unti-unti nang napupuno nang mga kubo nang kanilang pinsan, kapatid, tiyahin, ditse, ingkong, tiyuhin nang tiyahin ng pinsa, na walang libangan kundi magkastahan. Nagkalat na ang kanilang mga anak-anak at unti-unti nang kumokonti ang mga taniman. Sabay na iiling ang dalawang tauhan, at magsasabi: “Tsk!”

Tutuluy-tuloy lang ang kanilang paglalakad at pagtingin sa malayo. Tapos, bigla na lamang, si babae sa bukirin, ay makakatapak nang mainit-init na tae ng aso! At si lalake naman, sa sementadong kalye papuntang EDSA, ay makakajackpot nang isang tumpok na ebak ng kalabaw.

Matatapos ang background music, parehong magtataas nang talampakan ang mga tauhan at magsasalita: “Putsa!”

Magsisimula ang kanilang itinadhanang pag-iibigan, na sinimbulo nang dalawang tumpok na tae na natapakan. Bakit may tae nang kalabaw sa Edsa? Bakit may asong sa pilapil pa dyumebs?

Subic

What I'll remember about our recent trip to Subic are the following: 

1) Straight road, the as far as-your-eyes-can-see type. 

2) Puregold duty free: good enough prices!, a must in anyone's itinerary

3) toll rates: 

I also discovered that various companies split-out the road into territories. They cant combine everything to just one stretch. There is a part where you have to pass a toll gate, pay, travel a short winding portion of road, and then suddenly another toll gate, and then straight, afterwards voila, another toll gate!

Tipo - Subic - 18 PhP 

SCTEX - 112

San Fernando- Bocaue - 125

Dau to SF - 49

It's 304 PhP, one-way... 608, two-way!

4) Tons of Gerber that we bought for baby, to even-out the costly toll + gasoline 

5) There's a Petron station near Puregold. It might have some duties/taxes advantage as well, because they charge about 2-3 pesos lower than gas stations in Manila.

6) We had to go home without going to zoobic or any other attractions. We misjudged the travel time and the hours needed checking the duty free shops.

7) This safeguard soap. I bought a set of 4 each in white and then the original beige.

You dont get to buy the local version in this shape (ergonomically curved, it seems) and size (big) any more. The smell evokes a real, strong 99%-germ killer as well. 

Paano kaya?

Paano kaya kung ang magkaroon nang ganitong promo...

ay ang

CHICKENJOY-ALL-YOU-CAN?!

Tyak na rambol iyon!

Tyak na kagulo ang Pilipinas!

Tyak na maraming sasakit ang batok sa highblood!

Kikita ang Mercury Drug sa bandang huli!

 

Tanginang Tim Yap

Kung sino man ang hunghang sa greenwich o ad agency ng greenwich na nakaisip na kunin itong kulugong tsekwang tsekwang na ito, nasa kamay nyo ang ilang libong pizzang hindi naorder. Maraming nauyam tyak sa pagmumukha nang Tim Yap na ito sa commercialat posters nyo.Maraming bibili na sana nang Bacon Melt ninyo, pero natawag na lang bigla sa 9111111 dahil nakita ang kups na ito:

Ano ba ang ginawa nito sa buhay para mabigyan sya nang karapatan na gambalain tayo sa tv? Anong kultura ang nais nyang iparating? Dahil ba sinwerteng nakapagtayo nang emba-emba na paboritong tambayan ni L'il Zuplado? Dahil gusto nyang maging wannabe TMZ tsupaetski? Watdapak! Kinansel mo ang bisa ni John Lloyd sa commercial. Alisin na ito, Greenwich President. 

Photography Workshop with Daemon Becker

And so i finally attended a formal photography seminar. i chose the one sanctioned by UP, also after seeing the portfolio of the facilitator (daemonbecker.com) and finding out that he owns a full-fledged studio in Mandaluyong (pioneerstudios.ph)     


This is Daemon:

I liked best the third day where we held class at his studio itself. And when we tested a setup proposed by joemcnally in one of his own workshops. Here is what we're trying to emulate... 

and here's what we got,,, again, another one with daemon... 

Not bad, eh? 
With probably more tweaking towards individual critiques of pics, some more proactive dispensing of solid tips (instead of waiting leads from us students with our mouths open), and then requiring the students to KNOW their camera before attending class (to save on time on the first day), the course would be perfect. He has the tools and the experience (even formal education), so he must believe onwhat he brings to dispense as lessons. Also with more confidence, the teaching will improve.
But even as it was last week, I would surely recommend the workshop to anyone who wants to learn studio. 
My prime takeaway indeed is in learning the various lights of the studio setup. It would sort of bring me confidence in actually renting out a studio, with several members of my family, to take portraits of each... and then probably one group shot.
I will do it within this month, and then finally improve on pathetic home studio lighting like this:

(the subjects here are prettiest though! :-) )

Thanks, Daemon. You have a future in teaching! I hope you really can assist a bit (for free. hehehe) when i rent pioneerstudios. the cheapest lang muna at 1500 before moving to the bigger studio:

thanks very much, and more power!

Aahh, Chocomani!

This is the ChocoMani being used by Red Ribbon in their Choc-o-nut roll.

Chocnut apparently is too big for Red Ribbon and they refused to serve Red Ribbon's needed flavor.

I tried Chocomani earlier this morning, and it tastes nuttier-better than Chocnut. Could this be a case of a key employee of Chonut leaving for ChocoMani?

I also like Chocomani's jumbo size. It provides the right amount of dose to jolt anyone's flatlining office afternoons.

Though I wish it should add more mani to the bar. Let the natural sweetness of the nut blend-in. Do not artificially infuse with tons of sugar!

Weird, pero totoo raw ito, PENIS CAPTIVUS? Watdapak!

Sabi ng aming bubwit, totoo raw talaga ito:

Biruin mo ang karakas nang Martin na ito. Parang guwardiya lang.

***

Totoo rin daw ito.

Penis Captivus? Pwedeng pangalan ng  Decepticon ito a. Anggaling at all-powerful na robot siguro nito. Sisiw ang mga walang kwentang ganire...