Kilroy Was Here and Here and Here and...

The Wikipedia Entry for Ferdinand Marcos

This is the revisionist version. Someone wants to publish the whole wikipedia. What if this makes it? Hmmmm

Wanted: Author of "Requiem" Poem

This is a poem submitted to Roland T for the "Mondo Marcos." We don't know the poet and if you do, please tell us immediately or else we have no choice but to drop this poem:

Requiem

Memory is a mosaic of tongues licking dirt, of lies embroidered to protect the King of Martial Law.

He was born. He is risen. He will kill again. And his kingdom will have no end.

Memory is a 1972 machine gun fired on Sunday morning. Four bodies on the edge of a dirt road. An act of suspended drowning.

This is a cup of his blood, the new and everlasting covenant.

Memory is a woman who howls wolf past curfew. Late night dinner parties and spilled champagne.

She drinks it so that their sins may be forgiven.

Memory is a spinning bottle, a top with no base, a mad pack of white dogs eating brown tails, brown dogs eating spotted tails.

She breaks the bread, gives it to their disciples, and says, Eat this in memory of us.

Memory is an archipelago of closed-view coffins, eaten calmly like sugared fingers of bread.

Bringing Up (Marcos) Baby

These may seem funny but come to think of it, those born during the Martial Law were weaned on TV and comics. Some spent their childhood in jail with their dissident parents. Yes, chess was encouraged then, There are more good/bad examples here
via neatorama

Mondo Marcos Update 5

We have whittled down the shortlist into 45 contributors with some submitting 2 or more pieces. We will email those who made it.

Mondo Marcos Update

Ay! After three years, the Mondo Marcos anthology list is finally finalized (may 3 pang nangungulit). We have about 50 contributors and these are not your usual suspects. Well, some of them. But this is a great bunch of people who finally made it. From Seattle to Saudi to Batac, the home of great leaders, as the caratula said. Roland and I are still fighting who to retain and detain. The contributions are funny and tragic, ironic and hard-core, sacred and profane. FM would be so proud of His children.

Hoy, Your Papaya is Polish!

"Papaya" is ubiquitous now in the Philippines, thanks to Edu Manzano and his program. Marcos babies like me knew Papaya in their childhood but can't exactly point where the papaya tree came from. A Pinoy homeschool teacher pointed out that it was a Groovychick's remix of Urszula Dudziak's song. Dudziak is a Polish jazz vocalist and was a great scat artist with a five-octave range. The Encyclopedia of Popular Music noted that "Language barriers hold no problems for her, as she customarily eschews words in favour of a wordless vocalizing that is far more adventurous than scat." She recorded about a dozen albums but even Edu is not sure on what year "Papaya" became a hit. I had a feeling that "Papaya" was included in her album entitled "Urszula" because this album was produced by Arista Records in 1975 and she was 31 then. She later became a vocalist of Vocal Summit group, together with Jay Clayton, Jeanne Lee, Bobby McFerrin, Norma Winstone, Michelle Hendricks, and Lauren Newton so that must be the ultimate vocal gymnastics team. "Although her remarkable talent is worthy of greater exposure, Dudziak's chosen style has meant that she has remained relatively unknown except to the cognoscenti," EPM wrote. How ironic that a country like the Philippines, where the musical taste of the common person is the opposite of cognoscenti, would champion Urszula.

Coco Banana: Where Are You When We Are Now the Matronas and Aging Barflies?

We always thought (we being the Marcos babies) that Manila’s 400 during the Martial Law were having a party. As it turned out, yes. As Imelda’s disco throw pillow would say, Nice Girls Go to Heaven but Bad Girls Go Anywhere. I don’t know if Imelda went to Coco Banana’s but her daughter Imee certainly did. In fact all the innnneresting people did. Ernesto Santiago, the fashion designer, started the bar on June 12, 1976 and it became the tres chic’s best way to beat the curfew. The world knows where we are, was the come-on. No address. One time on TV, they showed what’s going on there: Life-size retablos using real people as saints. One time, Santiago came with a white and mirror party then Carousel, Rocky Horror or even West Side. Drugs were everywhere but I heard you had to bring them with because drugpushing was not allowed. Santiago as doorman was said to be worse than St. Peter at the Gate. Even if you can afford the ticket (which rang up to P150 at that time) but if he doesn’t like your face or vibes, You’re so out. He doesn’t like your outfit, go home and change. But you had to come back because the music was so UG NY. Underground New York. The Coquettes (the classy gay troupe) and James Cooper (that hairdresser of the stars) as Diana Ross stirred the Studio (Highway) 54 crowd. Helen Guerrero of Azabache would come as a geisha. The top models at that time were always there as wallflowers. Imagine that? You don’t know what to expect. The party could go on till 4 am. You would know the party was ending when Barang Streisand and Donna Summer’s “No More Tears” could be heard. You know the refrain, enough is enough is enough. Santiago said enough in 1988 when he just locked up that old house in Remedios for good.

Code of Ethics of the Martial Law Regime

Borrowed from Shanghai:

Ominous

petition online informed me that I just signed an online petition calling for the immediate resignation of PGMA and Noli de Castro. Much as I detest her administration, I have not willingly signed the petition. What if this is part of Martial Law and one way to arrest me?

Leaving Manila

I had to leave Manila in a rush. They declared martial law already in the city. The bus stations were full, most leaving anyway and most suddenly wanting to leave sooner than they wanted. I was slated for 12 mn and left at 11 pm because I don't want to be caught in the curfew. Not that it matters but it's too much a hassle and too much baggage on my back. The coup attempt was so imbecile and obvious (Nov. 30 Araw ng Mga Bayani, hello) but it still caught us flatfooted. I was in the area, for example. But the reaction of the government is so, so "playing in the iron gloves." Now she can have her dictatorship!! First, she declared Martial Law in our bedrooms. Now she's taking over the nation. How sweet. And on the Holidays, she would be in Baguio declaring Peace and Understanding. Then I have to find a place to leave again.




And I was just telling people that Etihad was one of the best we rode into. So now we can't leave on this jetplane also.

Wea Twins

More on WEA Twins in our upcoming anthology. Those killer jodhpurs ala Metallic Gigolo. Heard that they migrated to Canada. It's been so long that I now forgot how to tell them apart. Who is Joy and who is Gay? Back then, they were synonyms. Now it's either "Gay" and "Still In the Closet" or "Gay" and "Proud." For "Joy" I can only think of "Chicken."

Pinoy Jackpot

Decades ago, the jackpot in Channel 13's Llave 13 (you need to know jai alai) was P1,000. That was Sandy Andolong and Tom Oppus. Thanks to nostalgia manila.

Our Word for Today Is...

Mistah

This is what classmates of the Philippine Military Academy call each other. Examples include:
1) mga mistah...kmusta n kyo lahat...for info wla nko OCGPA, nagrerelax nko d2 OG3,10ID ksama ko cla Q, noki, mabsky
2) Matillano’s classmate or “mistah” from the PMA Class 1971, retired police Deputy Director General Reynaldo Velasco, said he would run for mayor in his hometown in Sta. Barbara, Pangasinan province
3) On the average mistah, we are now 43 years old and older and I hope a lot wiser too.

PMA, as per tradition, will not divulge the etymology of "mistah" and will only say that it did not come from "mister."
Someone told me that it came from:
mystagogue (MIS-tuh-gog) noun

One who teaches mystical doctrines or one who inititates others into
religious cults.

[From Latin mystagogus, from Greek mystagogos, from mystes (an initiate) +
agogos (leader).]
This is plausible because most of the PMA graduates now involved in politics act like mystagogues.

Kohei Yoshiyuki

Yoshiyuki's exhibit in New York has been written and analyzed too much because it dwelt about a Japan that fits into our stereotype. His images are about couples making love in public parks at night. More importantly, he also included a group of men and women who hide in the bushes watching these lovers. Yoshiyuki spent some time with these people who were sometimes so emboldened that they would also be groping the legs of the women. Non-Japanese may be shocked about this perversion but cmon...I know a 40 year old woman who still get the kicks seducing young men and doing it at UP Sunken Garden. One Valentine Day, we were egged on by a classmate to drink, We don't know it yet then but we went to Rizal Park in Manila and paid I think P2 for the Chinese Garden. That turned out to be where couples who can not afford Anito go, doing it among the Chinese bamboo. It was too dark to watch and we were not as emboldened as these Tokyo gangs. But the funny part was that we were caught by some policemen and were about to be brought to the police station. In other words, we paid our way out. We, our classmates, never talked about it. I don't know how to put this embarrassing situation in a poem. So it stays here for a while.

Kanthoughts

Carmelita Garcia, blogging from China, provided us about another possible etymology of "kanthought."

"There was a cartoon that appeared on one of the very first issues of Jingle Magazine (yes, I’m that ancient) which featured this nugget of wisdom: ‘Canned Thoughts are better than Banned Thoughts," she wrote.

So, our kanthought has a slightly Martial Law ring to it. Hmmmm

Gerry

The joy of surfing at 3 am! I found from Gerry Alanguian website that Edd Aragon blogs from Australia. Well, when I was young I used to devour his comic strip like Sic. And then he vanished. Iyun pala he migrated to Australia.

Chinese Screen Names

I am cleaning my bag when I saw this list of names at the back of one concert ticket. These are the names of Chinese actors, actress and others in the HK and Taiwanese movies with nice names. Well, you know Run Run Shaw, how about:
Moon Lee
Casanova Wong
Ringo Lam
Noodle Cheng, who reminds you of:

Curry Lau, director of "Ultimate Vampire"
Season Ma, actress famous for "The First Time is The Last Time" and "Boat People" where she co-stars with Cora Miao (catty!!)
Tomato Chan

Well, you know Maggie Cheung but why do they always use the full name "Maggie Cheung Man-Yuk" which is not really good. Or Elvis Tsui who is more completely known as "Elvis Tsui Kam-Kong."
Well, at least Ridley Tsui is just that.

Martial Law

I was given an ultimatum by Karina. Deadline for the submission of the "Mondo Marcos" book is December. We already have submissions but if you have one. Give it now. Fiction and poetry in English or Filipino about being a martial law baby (those born 1965 to 1984). Give it now!!!!!

Shame

Remember Claudia Zobel? Remember "Shame" before you read the book where it was based (by Rushdie, crazy)? Jojo de Vera makes us remember.