Sunday, June 28, 2009

Editorial Liposuction



Many days ago, Manila Bulletin came out with a photo about Dr. Vicky Belo being met on the airport by her children. Look at how son, Quark Henares, came out to be. From Quark to Quart. But then, that would be, physics speaking, a grandiose weight addition. From the smallest particle in the universe to, well, a quart.



Journalistic Asides


Can you make it a Ten Year Quarantine Please?

Baseball Players for Sale










Found this box full of baseball players assembled a decade ago in HK. Worth a fortune you might say. If you want to order, tell me. Honus Wagner. Griffey. Jeter. Here are some:

Michael Jackson, Inventor


Image from the patent filed by Michael Jackson to describe the method of leaning beyond the centre of gravity, as seen in the pop video "Smooth Criminal"



Joan Baez sings for Iran

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Invite to a Wedding


Teh BEST evah!

Weird Baseball

Is Lawyering a Bane to Filmmaking?

One upon a time, there was a young man who made a film about a young woman determined to marry a man. The woman decided to sew her gown and then the sewing never ended. She sawed on the street and all over the city on top of a jeep. She sewed everywhere. She got the groom and the film won the Experimental Category in the CCP. Joenar Pueblo was still a law student then. Now he heads the Provincial Tourism Office of Iloilo and we met with him during our sortie. We met up with the other Ilonggo filmmakers about the competition we are conducting. Then the next day we met up again and watched their short films. Ilonggo filmmakers showed promise. One of the short film shown was about the June 12 celebrations there interspersed with the Rock Ed meeting and the demonstration of a cop about how to protect your comrades from a grenade explosion (The cop did die). The editing brought the docu into a blast or was it a whimper? Another was about the Typhoon Frank coverage and how the media was seen as a saviour when all it could do was watch. Then Joenar showed his upcoming films including an aswang and a full-length feature film. He said he had a hard time coming up with new films because of his lawyering. Not the time but logic got into it, he said. Which makes you think. The whereases and the writs really do mess up the non-linear thinking needed in films. Or do they? Lawyers are good at lying. They make up stories. They should be good filmmakers.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

The 80s Toy Story

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Ialay sa Bayan

Roland Tolentino, a good friend, is now the Dean of MassCom in UP Diliman. This is his acceptance speech:

Taos-pusong pasasalamat sa mga sumuporta—nagnomina, nag-endorso, nagnobena at nag-alay ng itlog kay Santa Clara. Kung wala kayo, wala ako rito. Wala namang makakapaghanda sa trabahong ito, bigla na lamang napa-dive at ngayon ay patuloy na inaaral ito.

Natutunan kong mahalaga ang pirma ng opisina. Walang papeles ang kikilos at mailalabas sa Kolehiyo nang hindi nakakapirma ang Dekano. Natutunan kong mas marami pala akong dapat ngitian at batiin ngayon habang naglalakad sa Kolehiyo. Tila dumarami ang friends ko o nais maging friend. Natutunan kong mainam at napaka-convenient palang may reserve parking, o sariling toilet sa opisina. Napapagaan ang buhay. Pero higit sa lahat, natutunan kong accountable ako sa lahat sa inyo.

Ang ating Kolehiyo ay nasa radar ng kasalukuyang globalisasyon. Lumalawak ang papel ng media, dumarami ang ating estudyante, at mula sa estado, lumalalim ang pagnanais na lalo itong kontrolin. Sa pagpapabuti ng gawain sa pagpapatalas ng skills ng ating estudyante, dapat ring paunlarin ang independiente at liberal na edukasyong magpayabong ng kritikal na pag-iisip.

Napapanahong pagtibayin ang liberal na edukasyong karakter ng ating mga programa—na ang media ay mapagpalaya, at ang ating mga graduate ay ahensya ng pagpapalaya ng kaisipan at pagkilos. Napapanahong palawakin ang ating mga programa—certificate program sa Film, diploma at online masteral programs sa Journalism, rebyu ng Ph.D. Communications program, pag-aalok ng bagong track sa Ph.D. sa Media at Cultures, at pati na isang inter-departmental undergraduate offering sa Multi-media Arts o/at Media Studies.

Para maitaguyod ito, malinaw sa akin ang pagpapayaman ng resources ng Kolehiyo. Una na nga ay ang upgrading ng ating mga klasrum. Ikalawa ay mga suportang struktura ng makabagong auditorium, mas permanenteng canteen, tambayan, mga opisina, at library service; pati na rin ang isang media archives at ground work para sa ikatlo at huling building sa Media Complex na maglalaman ng mas malaking auditorium, library at faculty rooms. Pero higit sa lahat, titiyakin ko rin na lalo pang magkaroon ng faculty, staff at student support para sa resource generation ng Kolehiyo.

May dalawampung taon na nang una akong magturo sa UP Manila. Ito ang unang trabaho na nagtagal ako nang lampas na anim na buwan. Sa unang araw, kahit ilang beses kong inulit-ulit ang script sa aking utak, nakalimutan ko pa rin ipakilala ang aking pangalan sa klase. Binabaha kami sa UP Manila, at may ilang gabi na naglalagi na lamang sa AS Building doon. Ito rin ang panahon ng walong oras na blackouts araw-araw. Kaya para kaming Florence Nightingale ng fakulti na may dala-dalang rechargeable lamps na kulang naman para makapagturo sa madilim na klasrum.

Naranasan ko na ang departmental politics, college at university politics noon at ngayon. Pero inisip ko pa rin na ito ang gusto kong gawin sa buhay ko. Gusto kong magturo, manaliksik, at magsulat. At gusto ko itong gawin sa walang ibang lugar kundi sa UP. May alok rin na magturo sa ibang unibersidad na nangangako ng mas mataas na sweldo, may research funds, may medical plan na isang konsern ng tumatanda sa trabaho, at mas bawas ang iringan sa opisina. Parating may temptasyon, lalo na habang tumitindi ang iringan sa opisina. Bakit ko naman gustong bwisitin ang aking sarili? O bakit gusto kong ipagsiksikan ang aking sarili.

Gusto kong maging guro dahil dito ko iniisip na dito ako magaling. Magandang katambal ng pagtuturo ang pagsusulat. Gusto kong magturo sa UP dahil nandito ang pinakamagaling na estudyante sa ibabaw ng lupa—nag-iisip, maalam at may pakialam. O may tendensiya nito na pwede ngang pagyamanin ng diin sa liberal na edukasyon—to think out of the box, ang mag-isip na lampas sa sarili, ang mag-isip di lamang sa kapwa tao, kundi mag-isip na isinasaalang-alang ang bayan.

Bawat isa sa atin ay kumaharap at humaharap sa predikamentong kinalagayan ko. Sa mga junior faculty at staff, ito ba ang gustong gawin sa mahabang natitirang bahagi ng inyong buhay? Sa senior faculty at staff, ang mumunting discoveries na nagrereafirma sa ating desisyong manatili sa pamantasan nating mahal?

Na kahit pa limitado ang resources at hindi kailanman malalampasan ang mga panibagong demand, na kahit pa may iringan at ligwakang nagaganap, na kahit pa paulit-ulit at tila walang kinahihinatnan ang ating mga gawain, nananatili tayo nandito, araw-araw, hindi dahil wala tayong mapuntahang iba, kundi dahil napipirmi sa atin sa araw-araw ang ating puwang sa unibersidad.

Na bawat isa sa atin na nandito ay nandito dahil may nararamdamang kahalagahan sa ating ginagawa at gawain. At lahat ng gawain at ginagawang ito—pananaliksik, serbisyo, pagtuturo, committee work, administrative work, paglilinis at pagbabantay ng facilidad—ay ginagawa dahil sa ating mga estudyante. Kung wala sila, wala tayong lahat rito.

At ito ang pangunahin kong tagubilin sa aking sarili sa pagtanggap ng bagong gawaing ito. Na ang galing ko ay iniaalay para sa pagpapabuti ng kalagayan, akademikong kagalingan, panlipunang kamulatan ng ating mga estudyante. Ito ang simulain ng ating mga gawain at gagawin sa Kolehiyo. At tulad ng slogan sa nakaraang pagdiriwang ng Sentenaryo ng UP, isinasapuso ko na UP ang galing mo, ialay sa bayan.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

When Media is the Vector for AH1N1

ABS-CBN got a jolt when two of their employees were tested positive for AH1N1. So what to do?
1) First, broadcast in your own homes
2) Second, edit in your own homes
3) Third, interview yourselves about the progress of the flu

Bloggasm

Monday, June 15, 2009

AP will now include nonprofit investigative journalism

It's so Escher the Pavement


Sayang! If only the Baguio City surfed on the Net and found this, then we wouldn't have the most common pavement in the country.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

The New YouTube Hos and Heroes

The Internet is a freaky place. Evidence

Friday, June 12, 2009

Got No Idea?

You need a brainstormer

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Defining Con Ass

Whoever coined "con ass" is in for a lot of punning. "Coonass" is a shortened form of "raccoon ass" and is actually a term for Cajuns in Louisiana. It was first pejorative but then the Cajuns learned to embrace it as their own. Then if you read the link, you will stumble on the French word "conasse" which is worse but very apt for your representatives.

"In WWII, when American troops were stationed in France, it was necessary that the forces establish and maintain communication with the Free French Forces inhabitants. Naturally, the French-speaking Louisiana soldiers provided an invaluable resource. The French soldier, possibly threatened by his "long lost cousin," referred to the French-speaking American soldiers as "conasse." The French noun "conasse" is defined as a "stupid man or woman; used specifically for a bungling prostitute; to a prostitute without a health card; a man who does stupid things; grossly stupid person."

And then there's cone ass:


Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Renovating Rumour's Bar




The Birthplace of CDs (Pirated)


Taken across Davao City Hall

Nose-y Jeeps Not Allowed


Taken at the crossroads behind Burnham and right of Ina Mansion

Friday, June 05, 2009

Hangover

300 and 27

The Big Unit finally got his 300th victory. I was shuttling between the NBA Finals and the San Francisco - Washington Nationals game to see Randy Johnson get his due. Happy for him and now giddy for Ichiro who is gunning for his 29th game with a hit tomorrow.

Thursday, June 04, 2009

The Way You Hold Your Glass





reveals something about you. Oh yeah, the scientists received a science grant to tell you this.

But your choice of icecube design is much much more interesting

Wednesday, June 03, 2009

Iloilo Anti-Tour Guide(1st Part)


The last time I was in Iloilo City was four years ago. We were on our way home at the airport with some of the provincial media. It was the old airport then, similar to Baguio's Loakan Airport except for carabaos on the horizon. I think Raul Roco was in that flight. Anyway nothing much happened in that flight until we reached Manila. We were waiting for our luggage at the airport carousel when the mediaman beside me, an editor from Mindanao who seemed to know everything (earning the ire of those who really did) yanked his bag. A clip on the handle of his bag got snagged and this is the horrible part: all his clothes spilled on the carousel. I remember the soiled briefs, man. I really wanted to laugh right there while helping him collect his laundry going around and around. I can't help it but I was really laughing then and so were the other passengers.

So last month from Cebu City we took the plane to Iloilo. It wasn't that full so Choy and I were brought to the back of the plane to balance things out. Ha ha ha We landed on the new airport which is much farther from the city. We were met by Mr. J P who worked with the tourism office. He was the anti-tourist guide, pointing out the old houses and churches that were destroyed by restorers on our way to the office. Mr. J P turned out to be an artist and the next day, we went to his pad in Jaro. He also turned out to be an art collector. He painted his walls fiery orange and used capiz windows in the inner walls to create a confusion of inner/outer. He undermined the worth of his painting colelction, saying that some were bought for P100 each. His house was a treasure box so he earns the right to bitch about how his province had been going headlong to the future without looking back to its illustrious past.

Tuesday, June 02, 2009

Karaokeology: Shrek

Brit's 100

1. Oasis - Live Forever
2. Oasis - Don't Look Back In Anger
3. Oasis - Wonderwall
4. The Stone Roses - I Am The Resurrection
5. Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart
6. The Verve - Bitter Sweet Symphony
7. The Who - My Generation
8. Arctic Monkeys - I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor
9. The Clash - London Calling
10. Oasis - Champagne Supernova

These are the Top Ten british Songs according to Xfm. All Oasis and what about the other great British bands? Rolling Stones is in No. 14 and Beatles in 18. Read the rest

Are You Fast in Reacting?

Vajrapani


Over at Bliss Cafe (inside Hotel Elizabeth in Baguio), Gen Kelsang Yangdak, the resident teacher of Vajrapani Meditation Centre in Malaysia, is coming over June 10 and 11 to teach. Come from 7 to 8:30 in the evening. Text Shanti at 09175281166 to confirm
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