:: the impossible fairytale ::

Off with her head!

2009-06-26T12:14:43Z

Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter: two names in a cast list that tells you, without fail, that it's Tim Burton orchestrating the fantasy behind the camera.

If you're not giddy with excitement, you're probably not of this earth. Alice in Wonderland, people, through the eyes of Tim Burton, to be released in 2010. Anne Hathaway and Alan Rickman help bring the story to life:

Alice and the Queen of Hearts

Tim Burton's head must be a scary yet fascinating place.

Photos are lifted from www.rottentomatoes.com

SHIFT.

2009-06-14T14:02:39Z

“The irony of commitment is that it’s deeply liberating – in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around as rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life.”

- Anne Morriss

Conversations. ...Sort of.

2009-04-28T14:56:24Z

A few weeks ago, an apt warning from Glenn: "Maro, the guy has issues, are you sure you want to get involved?"

I realized, no, I shouldn't. And yet two days ago there was this:

Me and my sister, during mass, after a crazy little thing dawned on me:

Me: I have a confession.
Ate Joan: What?
Me: I like him a lot already.
Ate Joan: ... that's your confession?!
Me: Umm, yeah.
Ate Joan: I already knew that.

Something tells me this will end in tears. And LOTS of overpriced coffee.

It is written.

2009-01-31T17:21:18Z

Call it proof of my incapacity with words, but the only succinct way with which I could describe Slumdog Millionaire is to call it great and thoroughly entertaining.

There’s also been much talk about the cast, especially Dev Patel and his restrained but powerful performance. My personal favorite, however, would have to be the actor who played the young Jamal. That kid lit up the screen with such raw charisma and talent. He was adorable to watch. There’s one priceless scene where he jumped into a pool of poo and emerged from it almost heroically: It could easily have come across as disgusting; instead it was hilarious and oddly uplifting, as I found myself wishing I could muster enough courage to wade through shit (not literally, I hope) to get what I want.

Anyway, the film itself is a feast for the senses. You watch it and you realize that yes, Danny Boyle deserves that directorial nod after all. The first half was especially kaleidoscopic, and for one who’s associated blighted areas with dull and dreary tones, I found India’s slums ablaze with color. Even the music had personality and was perfectly strewn in at all the right times. And watching a young Jamal run to his idol while he’s casually cloaked in excrement -- well, that almost made me cover my nose.

If you haven’t seen it yet and you’re wondering what it’s about, Slumdog tells the story of Jamal and how the small and seemingly inconsequential moments in his life came together to turn his fate around. His struggles growing up in the slums and his bittersweet journey to be with Latika is told against the backdrop of India’s version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire.

It’s a fairytale, really. In the real world, you don’t win ten million and happily move on with your life. In the real world, you’ll probably have to deal with flocks of friends and relatives who’ll surface from who knows where. You’ll probably lose sleep over how to drive the thieves away. You might even need therapy to help you cope with the force of going from flat broke to filthy rich in a matter of hours.

But the rags-to-riches story isn’t the core of this film. It’s not about making you want to win big on Kris Aquino’s show, or pushing you to gamble more money on the lottery.

Instead, it’s about destiny. Fate. That some things, no matter how improbable they may seem, are simply meant to be. That an uneducated boy from the slums can know the answers to a game show’s questions and also have enough luck to guess the last one rightly. That it’s not so bad to hope and to dream because no matter how dire our circumstances, some things, better things, are simply written.#

PS.
Tiny bit of trivia: Danny Boyle revealed in this interview that he shot parts of the film with a compact Canon camera. Yup, a compact still camera, not a fancy DSLR or some hard-ass professional video cam. Biases aside, it’s hard not to be impressed after having seen how visually striking the entire film was. He didn’t reveal which particular model he used, but methinks it must be one of the PowerShot superzooms (the SX1, perhaps).

PPS.
Mainstream Filipino screenwriters and filmmakers should have at least one valuable takeaway from this film: tell the story you know and tell it honestly and with originality. I’ve been put off by Filipino films mostly because they’re poor Hollywood remakes, unoriginal and obsessed with its popular but mostly incapable actors. Slumdog Millionaire, on the other hand, was unforgivingly real. It exposed the ills of its society without coming off as some preachy propagandist piece. At the same time, by shooting on location across India, it also showcased the many gems that drive hordes of tourists to the country. And while that trademark dance number just before the closing credits did make me cringe a little, I also found it to be distinctively Bollywood -- a clear statement of pride in their culture and a brave effort to make their mark in the global cinematic stage. Soon, I hope, someone will come to engage the world in our story.

____
images were lifted from www.rottentomatoes.com

something to talk about

2008-05-14T06:36:57Z

I have sore eyes. For the second time in 5 weeks. I was sent home from work Monday morning and I’m stuck at home to this day, frustrated and almost spasming from the thought of not being in the office. This is where LJ comes in. Blogging, dear friends, is therapy.

On work. No matter what else happens in the coming months, I’m sure that 2008 will go down the history of my life as the year I started my career. I say there’s no such thing as a perfect company and even one as reputable as Canon has minor glitches in its system, but if you ask me about my job alone, I’d tell you that this is exactly the kind of thing I pictured myself doing. It’s as hardcore marketing as it gets, embracing everything from brand management to events marketing, product management to advertising. Of insane schedules, I already have first-hand experience (for the HD Launch at Mall of Asia, we ingressed until 5:30 a.m., went to Rice’s condo for a nap and a bath, and were back at the venue just three hours later). I hear the work load is about to get crazy, but the great thing is, it’s something I welcome. I can handle stress and pressure as long as I’m doing something I love and enjoy. With projects involving the likes of UAAP and Project Runway Philippines, I’m having as much fun as I could have hoped for in a job (I’d love to divulge the details, but that would be against company policy, hahaha).

It’s a small world, indeed. My boss apparently shares a boarding house with Paul Tagalan (UPCBA batchmate). Also, on my first week, I was in a business meeting with L’oreal and Pats Chua was there (batchmate again). Commuting to and from Makati daily, I usually bump into people from St. Scho and UP. Finally, my dad turns out to be one of Canon’s values trainers, and no less than the president is acquainted with him. (You’re probably thinking that surely, I knew about this; I honestly didn’t. My dad holds seminars intermittently but frequently for a wide range of organizations both here and abroad, and even my mom sometimes has trouble keeping track of his schedule). I’m just saying, the world feels small sometimes.

Cubao Expo. I got to visit the place for the first time during Friday’s shoot and I enjoyed immensely its unaffected atmosphere and vintage appeal. Three gems we unearthed:

♣ Breathing Space. It’s a cozy gift shop that’s really more than just a gift shop. We had coffee there while waiting for the production team to set-up. Drinks were served with Kraft pretzels and caramels — stuff of my childhood, oh my! — and just like that, I’m convinced it’s a place I’ll go back to again and again.

♣ Janilyn’s. Hello, Fabulous Bargains.

♣ Bellini’s, where the food is great and the ambience irresistibly Italian. Of course, I loved the visit for an entirely different reason: I was told on that day, at that place, that my Italian sounds “authentic.” The conversation went something like this:

Waiter: Veramente, parla italiano?
Me: Si, ma non molto bene. Solamente un po’.
Waiter: Ha gia vista l’Italia?
Me: No, purtroppo non anchora.
Waiter: *says something speedily*
Me: *stumped* …Scuzi, non capisco. I need a lot of practice!
Waiter: But your Italian sounds authentic!
Me: *grins*

For all I know, he dished the compliment more as consolation, haha, but I’ll take it!

Mild addictions. People who know me well are aware that my only vice is a small handful of TV shows. ‘Vice’, because no matter how hectic my week is, I just have to have my fix in the form of at least one episode of any of these:

♣ American Idol. This I get to catch up on during weekends, thanks to YouTube. I’m a reluctant David Cook fan. I don’t like his arrogance, but his insane covers of Always Be My Baby and Music of the Night sit snugly in my hard drive. For a time, David Archuleta was the most adorable thing to hit TV screens, until he started singing the same runs week after week and predictability turned into bore. So basically, I’m now torn between the two David’s. Thank God voting is exclusively for US residents.

♣ Grey’s Anatomy. If you ask me, I’d say last week’s episode is Grey’s best in a long time. I don’t care about how many people have lost interest in the show after some ludicrous plot turns and emotionally heavy episodes in season three. I still want my McDreamy, I still crave doses of Cristina’s dry wit, and I still love Meredith despite her annoying bouts of being “scary and damaged.”

♣ House. Grey’s feeds my need for melodrama; House satisfies my ‘intellectual curiosity’ (sounds nice when you put it that way). Kaka and Macri got it on point when they said that Grey’s is very character-centric and House, case-centric. Every episode opens with a baffling case and ends with House finding an unconventional way of solving it — simple pattern, really, but everything in between is almost always fresh and interesting.

I’ve apparently filled up two pages on Word, not to mention I’m starting to feel ridiculous wearing shades while tinkering away on my PC, so I have to stop about now. Coffee dates, as always, are very welcome. ♥

Can I just say...

2008-02-06T04:24:39Z

...Ellen Page is my hero. And Juno and Bleeker are now my favorite (fictional) couple.♥

___
photo lifted from rottentomatoes.com

more potent than drugs and alcohol.

2008-01-30T09:16:28Z

Three days after the 2008 Australian Open officially ended, I find myself having withdrawal symptoms. Haha. No kidding. Irritability, inability to think clearly (because my mind is doing replays of Nadal’s fist pumping and that insane passing shot by Djokovic in the final). It’s something I should have anticipated. After all, every day for two weeks, any background music I played while working was replaced with Sharapova’s shrieking, Rafa’s grunting, and Ana’s shoes squeaking, as well as sporadic player challenges — some disruptive; others, specifically ones in tight matches, mildly nerve-racking.

[There’s at least one person that shares my sentiment: Jayef messaged last night saying, Ang boring-boring. Wala nang tennis :( You see, we take tennis seriously :P]

The Australian Open was never really my favorite among the Grand Slams, but this year something was different — special, almost — about the tournament. Like for every round, there’s at least one great match, records were rewritten and nothing really played out the way experts had predicted: Roddick crashed out in the third round, Federer almost followed suit, Henin lost in a lopsided quarterfinal, the Williams sisters didn’t make the semis, an unseeded Tsonga demolished three top ten players, and most shocking of all: Federer walked out of Rod Laver on a semifinal, which meant that for the first time in three years, the men’s singles trophy would go to neither Roger nor Rafa. (It went to Djokovic, who is now within 900 points of Rafa’s ranking and looks poised to become world number one. I still don’t like him as much as Nadal, but there’s consolation in him being easy on the eye, and in his little brother being the most adorable fan in the arena :P).

Haay, it’s going to be a long four months until Roland Garros.

~ ~ ~

On the yearbook:

Still in progress. Honestly, there are days when I literally feel like throwing up while I'm about to start more work on the annual, and days when I feel so inspired it’s hard to contain the ideas in my head. Whatever the case, things get accomplished anyway, and tomorrow we’ll be releasing a brief update to let everyone know that, thank heavens, we are still on schedule.

just because.

2008-01-29T13:09:30Z

"...Although you may not stumble across a Martian in the garden, you might stumble across yourself. The day that happens, you’ll probably also scream a little. And that’ll be perfectly all right, because it’s not every day you realize you’re a living planet dweller on a little island in the universe."

~ Gaarder, in The Solitaire Mystery

Coup? What coup?

2007-11-30T04:13:23Z

When you're from UP and something like yesterday's "coup attempt" takes place, you just have to have an opinion — more so when you're from BA and you wish to belie the undue labeling of your college as the Bastion of Apathy.

Yesterday, however, I realized there are times when it's worth it not to care.

I actually followed the news for a few hours. Knowledge and understanding are antidotes to apathy, so I tried to keep myself informed.

And then I caught Trillanes protesting to the media about the "government’s brutality" in risking civilian lives just so they can take the rebels down. I figured that was incredibly self-righteous of him to say after planting bombs in Oakwood. I also thought it disgusting the heroism they were trying to fake by surrendering "para wala nang madamay." I decided then that I was just wasting my time, turned off the TV, and went back to doing layouts.

At this point, Butch Dalisay's barber seems to have a better take on the "coup" than me, so I'm reposting Sir Butch's blog entry, An Abortive Coup:

"AN ABORTIVE coup (it looked more like an impromptu press conference to me) broke out in Makati as I was getting my haircut today, and here’s what my barber—who doesn’t want to be jailed for sedition, so he’ll go unnamed—told me as we followed the ongoing action on the barbershop TV’s tiny screen (I won’t bother translating the language, because this concerns only us Pinoys anyway):

1. If you’re going to launch a coup, make sure it has a real and reasonable chance of succeeding. Otherwise, bitin at nakakainis lang.

2. If you’re going to launch a coup, don’t call it off because people might get hurt; that was the point, di ba? Tear gas pa lang, sumuko na.

3. If you’re going to launch a coup, don’t let former VP Tito Guingona speak for you. He’s a nice guy, but he’ll go on and on in his Ateneo accent and soon put everyone to sleep.

4. If you’re a member of the media and want to cover a coup, don’t complain if you get hurt or get arrested. Don’t make yourself the bida of the issue, at least while the bigger thing (the coup, remember?) is going on. Pagtatawanan ka lang ng mga totoong war correspondent sa Iraq.

5. If you’re going to show popular support for GMA, don’t do it by gathering a group of Cavite mayors behind Gov. Maliksi. Parang barkada ng mga cattle rustler.

6. If you’re going to stop a coup, don’t remember to cut off the electricity five hours after the coup began. Makaka-recharge pa ng cellphone ang mga coup plotters.

That was my barber speaking, folks. Arrest him, not me! (I had a few of my own opinions, but I didn't think it was a good idea to debate with your barber while he slashed the air with a razor to emphasize a point.) ;)"

~ ~ ~

On UP Reg, then and now

2007-11-08T10:48:33Z

Glenn was in UP for registration this morning, “It’s surreal. Parang hindi reg. Ang konti ng mga taong naglalakad sa labas.” I digested the message and thought, hmm, “konting tao” certainly isn’t the kind of phrase I associate with UP reg, so I replied: “Why? Kasi people are enlisting in their own homes? Well surely it’s convenient. Pero iba nga the kind of reg that we know, which was always an experience, something you emerge from with stories to tell – as if nakipagsapalaran ka talaga nang tunay.”

This is the exchange that followed:

Glenn: “True. V. true. There’s something about UP reg that builds character. If everything becomes convenient, it dulls our edge, makes us complacent.”
Maro: “Precisely.”

I do think it’s great that enlistment is now fully online. I got a taste of the convenience when CRS did a test run in summer, during which I enlisted 199 and finished with registration in less than fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes! -- from actually enlisting the subject to paying the fees at AS.

But like I told Glenn, I’ve always associated UP reg with building hopping and impossible queues, with sweat and frustration, and with the overwhelming sense of accomplishment that comes with completing the units you need for the sem. I should know. After all, my initiation to UP was manual enlistment. I skipped the advanced registration for freshies since Ate Joan was still in school then, and I figured we can pay our fees together. Bad decision. The registration assistant tore my Form 5A right in front of me (she seemed pleased about it), and told me I had to manually enlist my subjects from scratch.

Just imagine my shock. I was a freshie. I didn’t know how to enlist. I didn’t know where the buildings are, or how to get to them. I couldn’t even remember all the subjects I pre-enlisted or what other options I had.

And yet, after two full days, I had enlisted 18 units. Maybe pity from the RA’s had much to do with it – oh, she’s a freshie and she’s about to break into tears – I didn’t care. By the time I had finished, there wasn’t only a sense of relief but also a certain amount of daring: Bring it on!

And this brings me back to Glenn’s point: character building. UP reg as we know it is in itself a course on developing patience and resolve to carry oneself to the finish line; about working one’s ass off to get to the goal. Personally, I always found it exhausting but rewarding, and because it was always an adventure, I could think of nothing better to kick off each sem. So while I recognize that online registration streamlines the whole process, I can’t help but feel a bit of sentiment creep in at the thought of future iskos and iskas never getting to experience the kind of reg we loved to hate, but which, I’d like to think, also helped mold us into solid UP students.

~ ~ ~

Grey's Anatomy on Love/Addiction.

2007-10-05T16:02:21Z

I'm sure a handful of you will agree, and another two or three will need it to rationalize whatever they're going through. Yes, it's mushy. But just be happy for me that the mush finally has nothing to do with me or my issues :P

"Often, too often, things that start out as just a normal part of your life cross the line to obsessive, compulsive, out of control. It’s the high we’re chasing. The high that makes everything else fade away.

…

The thing about addiction is it never ends well. Because eventually, whatever it is that is getting us high stops feeling good and starts to hurt.

Still, they say you don’t kick the habit until you hit rock bottom. But how do you know when you’re there? Because no matter how badly a thing is hurting us, sometimes, letting it go hurts even worse." - Meredith in Grey's Anatomy

~ ~ ~

If you haven't seen the episode yet, you might be interested in these

the kind of things you need during hell week

2007-09-30T08:12:18Z

♣ Good news...
"In the recent convention of the UP Alumni Association in America (UPAAA)...Roman came as the guest speaker... At the end of the gala evening, she had raised a staggering $1.7 million for the University of the Philippines. If that isn't a knock-out, I don't know what word to use."

INQUIRER OPINION - COLUMNS
$1.7 M for UP

September 26, 2007
Updated 23:06:09 (Mla time)
Belinda A. Aquino
Inquirer

SAN FRANCISCO--University of the Philippines president Emerlinda R. Roman couldn't be happier these days.

In the recent convention of the UP Alumni Association in America (UPAAA) in this fabled "city by the bay," Roman came as the guest speaker for this biennial event. At the end of the gala evening, she had raised a staggering $1.7 million for the University of the Philippines. If that isn't a knock-out, I don't know what word to use.

Someone who was not even a UP alumnus wrote out a check for $500,000 right then and there without blinking. But more about this later.

The magic word for the evening was "centennial." Roman's message was compelling. "In less than a year," she began, "we will be 100 years old." While anniversaries are occasions for reflection and remembrance, she continued, "they also present an opportunity for us to look forward to UP's future." Citing part of UP's proud history, she noted that the institution has survived "two world wars, a dictatorship, two Edsa revolutions, and countless threats to its autonomy and freedom." And she thanked the faculty, staff, alumni and friends who have loyally stood by the university in good times and bad.

Roman presented an impressive Power-Point review of her two years in office and an agenda for the future, both long-range and the upcoming 2008 UP centennial. When she assumed office in 2005, she put together a 10-point Plan (2005-2011) aimed at strengthening UP's position as the leading research and development university in the country. She stressed the centrality of science and technology in this academic vision and developed an agenda for the "Emerging Fields in Science and Technology Program." She created a Scientific Productivity System (SPS) to encourage productivity in scientific programs for national development. This groundbreaking initiative provides rewards to talented faculty and scientists who pursue cutting-edge research in the natural and physical sciences, medicine, agriculture, fisheries, engineering, social sciences and other disciplines. The first UP Scientist Program's "productivity awards" were given in 2006. Roman is concerned about faculty leaving UP and the incentives system of rewarding talent and productivity might be one way of making them stay.

Her leadership has also generated a "National Science Complex and Technology Incubation Park," which is designed to serve as the "national hub for the generation and application of new scientific knowledge in the natural and applied sciences and mathematics."

In line with her visionary goals, she has embarked on a number of structural changes ranging from tuition adjustments to downsizing unproductive programs, to upgrading human resources for the university's vast and diverse constituencies. She has streamlined administrative operations, and major units like the Philippine General Hospital have achieved a dramatic "turnaround" in their fiscal operations. Roman has a doctorate in business administration and was previously dean of the UP business college.

Roman's impressive accomplishments are too numerous to mention in this limited space, and leadership may regain lost ground for UP which has fallen by the wayside in recent decades and left behind by Asia's most outstanding universities.

The "powerhouse donor" of half a million dollars is the legendary Diosdado Banatao, sometimes known as the "Bill Gates of the Philippines." Currently a managing partner of Tallwood Venture Capital, he is credited with developing several key semiconductor technologies in Silicon Valley and holds several patents. He has become a major contributor to the PC industry. His Tallwood venture is the partner of another venture-capital firm that has invested $2 billion in various companies and has an extra $1 billion in the wings awaiting targets. An engineering graduate of Mapua Institute of Technology, Banatao holds a master's degree from Stanford and was given an honoris causa doctorate by UP during the presidency of Francisco Nemenzo. An experienced pilot, he flies his Learjet weekly. Actually, his latest contribution to UP pales in comparison with his 2001 donation of $20 million to Berkeley's Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society. What a spectacular Filipino success story!

Not to be outdone, megabusinessman Magdaleno Albarracin and construction magnate David Consunji threw in $400,000 apiece to the UP pot. I believe their companies provide for matching funds given by alumni to UP. In this case, the UP Alumni Engineers Association of America raised $400,000 for the UP fundraising effort this year. "Smaller hitters" like the UP alumni association of San Francisco headed by Dr. Manuel Gaspay kicked in $5,000, which was equally matched by Elizabeth Tsai and a number of San Francisco alumni like Luisa Yee.

Things are looking up for the UP centennial and the future, thanks in large measure to Roman's visionary and aggressive leadership, which certainly inspired the overwhelming donations to UP this year alone. What a show!

A University of Hawaii professor and director of Philippine Studies, Belinda A. Aquino served as UP vice president for public affairs in 1989-91.

♣ More good news...
Ian McEwan's Atonement has been made into film and is set for release in December. Even better news, the team behind it is the same ensemble of geniuses that remade Pride & Prejudice in 2006.

♣ And an that will make you go awwwww... <3

Constellations and dreams.

2007-08-25T04:27:05Z

Over the past week, at least five people (professors included) asked what I did during “vacation”, referring of course to the six-day stretch without classes. For convenience, I said I basically just slept in and did schoolwork – that’s what people expect you to say, after all. In truth, though, it’s the best things that were left out. I also

♣ Reconnected with friends
♣ Tidied up my room and work area
♣ Rekindled my affair with music :)

There’s something about the rain and cold weather that puts me in a “crossover” mood. I must have listened to Josh Groban and Andrea Bocelli a hundred times over four days and Awake is now officially on my favorites list. I also got to sit down and listen to some piled up albums, a task that yielded three gems:

Dolores O’Riordan will be a familiar voice, I’m sure: She was lead vocalist of the now-defunct band The Cranberries. Are You Listening? is her first solo album and wow, what a debut. I always thought her voice was haunting, so distinctively soothing it’s almost hypnotic (remember Linger and Close to You?), and it seems to have gotten even better with this release. Fave tracks include Apple of My Eye, Ordinary Day and Black Widow.

Also highly recommended: Little Voice by Sara Bareilles (think Natasha Bedingfield meets Fiona Apple) and Once Cell in the Sea by Fine Frenzy (hmm, think tamed Tori Amos with a touch of Vienna Teng). There’s not one dud in either album.

~ ~ ~

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did so. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

~ Mark Twain

After almost three years as junior officer at the DFA, Ate Kate has been designated Vice Consul and Third Secretary of the Philippines to India. Err, vice- what?! Doesn’t matter. The title rocks, is all. :) I’m excited for her because I know how much she’s been looking forward to a good posting, and how much she deserves it after all the hard work, patience and sacrifice (living apart from Jay is just one of many). At the same time, I can’t help feeling a bit gloomy because the appointment means she’ll be away for at least three years.

As if she doesn’t have enough books already, I decided to get her another one as going-away present: Killing Time in a Warm Place, Butch Dalisay’s first novel, published in 1993. I haven’t read the book myself and know little about it besides the fact that it won the Palanca and the National Book Award, but I got it with the hope that it would somehow serve as inspiration to the aspiring novelist in her. I had Sir Butch sign it after class on Thursday – quite a feat for someone averse to getting autographs, not to mention I had to gather all my guts to vanquish the prospect of appearing like I’m playing it up. (Hmm, fine, it’s not that heroic an effort. But still). Ate Kate leaves at 8pm tonight.

Incidentally, Ate Joan is also out of the country, undergoing training with IBM and Fuji-Xerox in Ireland.

Honestly, I always thought that instances like these would put pressure on me, but the other night I realized the contrary – that I surprisingly don’t feel burdened to excel like they do. I guess it’s because my sisters (like my parents) have always been supportive, so much so that there can only be room for gratitude and none for pressure. I’ve also seen over the years how much effort preceded the successes – an affirmation that indeed, it is discipline and hard work that drive our sails and take us places.

~ ~ ~

I first heard about the Philippine Advertising Congress as a freshie several years ago and I’ve wanted to go ever since. It’s been held in Cebu and Davao; this year, the congress is back in Luzon, Subic to be specific. Surely, it would be cheaper, right?

Wrong. The fee is 19K, exclusive of accommodations.

The 20th Philippine Advertising Congress, 21-24 November 2007.

What about the congress is worth spending that much on? Neil Gaiman is just one of many. He headlines the congress to expound on “Imagination and Creativity in the Contemporary World.” The who’s who of advertising will be there, including the chairmen of Lowe Worldwide and Leo Burnett Singapore, AND the president and CEO of Universal McCann. I’m salivating already.

We’ll find a way to make it, yes? :)

All good things.

2007-07-13T14:27:40Z

♣ Thanks to birthday girl Kaka, I got acquainted with Paolo Nutini, quite the talent with a voice like Chris Martin’s and who writes like John Mayer(!). Seriously, how can you not like an artist who starts off a song with "Back off, loneliness"?!

♣ Getting home from school one day last week, I was welcomed by a postcard that would make my confetti moment for the week. It’s of Tivoli, the world-famous amusement park and gardens in Denmark, which incidentally inspired DMCI Home’s Tivoli Garden Residences (the contest for which my 172 group bagged first prize and 50k *grin*). It was a wonderful surprise from Evy who at the time was living my dream and going around Europe. So thanky, Evy dear. And Macri, too, for providing Evy with my address. :p

♣ Mommy’s finally home from being confined for asthma and pneumonia. Thanks to all who lent their support. <3

♣ If you find yourself along E. Rodriguez any time soon, you might want to drop by Mom & Tina’s. It’s that well-lit restaurant, hard to miss, with a country American motif. It started out as a stall beside Panciteria San Jacinto and now it has expanded into a cozy bakery and café. It's a lovely place, and the food is pretty good.

♣ The last movie I saw at the theater was Miss Potter -- This, I’m sure, beats Glenn’s I-haven’t-seen-this-and-that movie rant. I’m bringing this up because there’s one film that’s sure to send me running back to theaters as soon as it’s released here, the film which New York Post claims is “Pixar’s best yet”: Ratatouille. Only Pixar could make me laugh and cry over fish (Finding Nemo) and adore babies that turn demonic (The Incredibles), so it will be very interesting to see how much they can do with a rodent.

♣ There’s Fiorgelato at the SE canteen. (It’s probably been there for some time now but I only found out yesterday.) I wonder when they’ll put up Starbucks in BA. Lol.

♣ Speaking of Starbucks: Yesterday afternoon saw a hint of the storm; it was breezy and I was feeling sleepy so I told Kaka I needed a good dose of caffeine. We dropped by Starbucks and she recommended I get an Americano, and that I did. I took it plain, against Kaka’s prodding (half-screaming and arms flailing) to add to it a dash of milk. So how’d I find it? Let’s just say, (1) I needed a real pick-me-up and the drink didn’t let me down, and (2) Never again.

♣ I finally got a copy of Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth. More on this on another post. For now, I’m encouraging you guys to see it if you haven’t yet, and yes, you may borrow from me :)

♣ VJ Armitraj and his Wimbledon co-host made a fearless forecast that Nadal will win his first Wimbledon before Roger wins Roland Garros. Of course I’d love for this to be true but them commentators are usually wrong, so I won’t get my hopes up. For now, since an LJ comeback (lol) is never complete without a little fangirling:

*swoon*

Once again, just because.

2007-04-29T07:19:10Z

Part I. My own version of Not-so-tall travel tales

There’s an article on Star today about embarrassing Filipino travel experiences and I realized I’ve actually a few of my own to share. While the author’s purveyor of such moments is her grandma, mine is mostly my mom. For instance:

When I was 7, my dad wanted to bring the family to Cebu but the whiny kid that I was, I refused to go by plane because of downright fear. And so, we took the Super Ferry. It had quite a few charms – themed lounges, a pool, great view of the waters (we caught a pod of dolphins swimming by), just to name a few. (I took a PAL flight to Cebu with Macri a few years back and apart from the glorious view of the clouds at sunset, it’s really no match to the thrills of a trip by sea. Only, you shouldn’t be pressed for time since it’ll take you another two days).

So anyway - Eating isn’t allowed inside cabins, but we were doing exactly that when my mom went to wash her hands, only to find that there was no running water. Irked, she immediately rang the crew, and they responded almost immediately. Not only did they find a functional faucet, which my mom apparently just didn’t know how to operate (seriously, we were traveling by sea, how can there be no water?!), they also found a bunch of kids (that’s us) criminally snacking on their beds.

That’s not the end of the Super Ferry Tales. On the way back to Manila, my mom got so thrilled about the glorious sunrise that she burst into Suite 101 screaming, "Gising na! Gising na!" Well, wrong room. 101 was our room on the way to Cebu. On the way back, we occupied the cabin to its right.

There’s more (involving durian and the Kowloon Panda Hotel, and separately, over-dramatic sisters on the docks of Galera), but I’ll save them for next time.

Part II. The inevitable internship log

Doing my internship at J&J is turning out to be quite an experience for me. It’s almost the only thing I talk about now, only because it’s also the sole thing (besides sleeping) that takes up most of my weekdays. The string of interesting experiences and anecdotes begin on my first day, with this:

J&J is located at a side road littered with companies like Fuji Xerox and Astra Zeneca, and accessed only through private vehicles or the tricycles that hold terminal at the entrance. Well, as you know, I commute, and this is what happened on my first day:

Me: Manong, sa Johnson and Johnson po.
Manong tric: Special?
Me: *?!* Um, sa Johnson and Johnson po.
Manong: Oo nga, special ba?
Me: *confused*
Manong: Mag-isa ka lang?
Me: Ah, opo. *flushed*

Apparently, there are options to riding the tric. You can ride on your own (“Special” trip, worth P16) or you can share the ride with at least two other passengers (regular, P7/person). So you see, I’m well on my way to becoming street-smart.

I say still ‘on my way’ because just this Monday, my lovely pink MFG shoulder bag got slashed while on the jeep going to Astra from Taft. Nothing got snatched (thankfully), but hey, I loved that bag.

These are actually the trivial things. The more considerable ones are still brewing in my Starbucks journal and will probably make it to LJ when I’m not feeling so vulnerable.

In any case, though there are days when I seriously doubt I can finish the program (it runs until June 8), I also cannot deny the fact that this has been one of the more character-building (if not life-altering) experiences I’ve had in a while.

Part III. Half-Sulking...

...with sufficient reason.

~ ~ ~

On J&J and Miss Potter.

2007-04-13T17:21:16Z

Every weekday for the next two months, I’ll be traveling to and from both ends of Metro Manila. From North to South, literally (Marikina to Parañaque), for my internship at J&J.

The past two days have been exhausting to say the least, but it’s also the most productive I’ve been in a while. I also went to UP this morning to have my internship credited and took care of some yearbook stuff, then I went to J&J to get the first batch of materials that require my attention. OJT officially starts on Monday, which (for me) marks the end of late nights since I need to be up at 4:30 to get to the office on time (time in is at 7:30!).

Needless to say, my commuting skills have extended far beyond Cubao. I am now an MRT expert and have become adept at pushing and shoving people (believe me, it’s a skill) to get oneself on the train during rush hours. I no longer pay Php 300 for a cab ride to Parañaque. I ride the jeep now, and when the heat starts to get to me, I look on the brighter side: mass commuting reduces my carbon footprint so that I’m doing my part to ease global warming.

Seriously now, J&J has been rather impressive. Great facilities, free meals, good work-life balance, brilliant people. I also read through the employee handbook that they provided me on my first day and I found the employee benefits a huge plus. The work involved for interns – well, it’s not clerical, that’s for sure. It’s actually a bit daunting – I myself will be working on two projects (telecommuting and APE) – but hey, I’m up for the challenge (psyching myself, yes).

SO ANYWAY, my dreadful movie record is slowly rising from the ashes – I saw Miss Potter today at Gateway, with my sisters. It’s a good film. I personally think that its strengths lie in the charm of the actors and the characters. Ewan and Renee were simply adorable. From the characters, I loved Millie (and the uber cute stable boy, lol). I’m tempted to tell you about a tragic turn that left me crying for the last half hour of the film (embarrassingly, that’s not an exaggeration), but I wouldn’t want to spoil it for you (haven't I already? :p). In any case, the movie ended happily (fortunately, not in a conventionally cheesy happily-ever-after kind of way).

Incidentally, the actress who played Mrs. Warne, whom we thought was Emma Thompson in old-woman prosthetics, turns out to be Emma Thompson’s real life mother (they have identical eyes and speaking voice, I tell you).

Finally, only because they're adorable, I’m sharing with you a couple of Kitty's pics. This is him contentedly sprawled on the piano (and I mean on the actual keys):

And this is him crouching (at play):

I can tell I'll need a real break soon (I can settle for a few rounds of House of the Dead. Yihee, Kaka? :D). Then when I get my pay (and when work's over), I'll make sure I get away from the city for a while.

risen from the ashes. lol.

2007-02-28T15:51:11Z

First post for the year.

Unbelievable.

I still have about five Christmas gifts lying on my desk (and our living room’s still decked with a wreath!) so I sometimes feel like the holidays are still here. But then, one day, I see people walking around with ashes on their foreheads and I realize that damn, time is riding on one hell of a bullet train.

I’ve never even mentioned our feasib paper on my LJ and now it’s done. DONE. All 257 pages of it. But I’ll save the details for another entry.

For now, I have to share with you guys. I know it all seems like a bunch of crap but believe me, it makes sense. It’s supposed to make sense. Because it’s my midterms submission for 175. Lol. Those are 16 pages of collage which I put together for the convenience of posting – each created from scratch and each based on a list of questions given us by Sir Sandoval (who, wonderful as he is, doesn’t seem to realize that such a project requires about forty hours of work and is the last thing people need after wrapping up two hellish weeks of finishing up on feasib).

So this is the part where I get to rant some more about how I’ve worked my ass off for the past weeks. But I can’t, really, because I managed to squeeze in so many hours to finish all of Grey’s Anatomy (until the 17th episode of the 3rd season, yes. YES, I’m done with the story arc. Yeeessss, it was great. And yesssss, I cried buckets!) I’m supposed to feel guilty because I could have spent those precious hours being productive, but Grey’s is my only vice, and it’s the one thing that keeps me sane (besides coffee).

Anyway, on other news, Ate Kate’s piece won the grand prize for Star’s Lifestyle contest so she gets fifty grand, a new cellphone, and handshakes from the who’s who of Philippine Star, National Bookstore and Globe (co-sponsor). I, well… I get balato. *grin*

Speaking of writing tilts, the Palanca Awards has been accepting entries for a few weeks now and I’m sending a shout-out to all of you guys, Glenn and Macri especially, to give the competition a try. Like Ate Kate would say, the first step to winning is actually joining. Lol.

That's it for now. Anyone who's up for coffee, message me and I'll make time for it. :)

between sniffles, on a lazy afternoon.

2006-12-11T09:52:57Z

This is it. Grad pictorial on Wednesday and I still have no concept for my creative shot. I used to half-jokingly tell people I'd pose as Emily Rose - it’s not very glamorous but it’s certainly original – but then I started having hallucinations right before going to bed, and so I decided against it :p

Speaking of pictorials, I assisted again on Saturday and it was good to see people come to the studio prepared. Pepe was a stand out. He dressed as Willy Wonka (a dashing and less bizarre version) complete with a svelte suit, tall hat, pale make-up and lollipop. Other notables are Gracia as drag queen and Evette as Betty ~~Boobs~~Boop ;)

Incidentally, Regine Velaszquez was at Eastwood for a free concert so after the pictorials, we dropped by the central plaza and we caught the event just as it was starting. Well, it’s Regine, so it’s birit galore. She actually missed a note but as Earvin would say, “when you’re sikat, walang piyok-piyok. Style lang.” In fairness to Regine, though, she sang effortlessly and for once, she didn’t look like a fashion victim (classic black dress, simple hair and clean make-up).

Afterwards, we (Gracia, Jayef, Jen, KC & myself) dropped off Noel at Cubao and proceeded to Novaliches where KC’s brother is having a birthday party. Them guys were in a celebratory mood since their pictorials are over and they can go back to wolfing down 1000-calorie meals, and that they did. The rest of the evening was all about Magic Sing, Red Horse, and eavesdropping on juvenile conversations (Jayef got stuck in a heated debate with high school boys, over a most unlikely topic: religion. Lol.) Whattaday.

Anyway, a few days ago, I was at Megamall with Sheena and Gracia to catch Mig Ayesa perform live. He was wonderful! Very charming and personable, and he’s got a really great voice. We caught only three of his performances and so to pass time, we did a tiny bit of shopping, got eat-all-you-can merienda at Dad’s, and stretched our vocal chords for an hour of videoke (we each did an Aegis song, lol.) We made a quick stop at St. Francis Square before finally calling it a day.

Finally, just four more days left and it’s Christmas break already and unlike Glenneth, I’m really looking forward to it. I love the “break” part as much as “Christmas” and I really need the festivities to provide me some sort of escape. Four days. Just four more days. The prospect should be enough to get me through two cases and one brand group presentation.

ETA: meet Simba, KC's adorable pooch ^^ -

thud.

2006-11-29T15:26:18Z

So. Sheena sent in the yearbook compilation she made for me and she was kind enough to take out the people's names so that I, like them, can experience being (pleasantly) baffled about who said which.

It was really fun and funny and sentimental and touching, and then there was this:
"If Maro were a Photoshop tool, she’d be the TEXT TOOL kasi mahilig sha magtext!"

Haha. This is so what-the-fuck for two reasons: 1) ang cornyyyyyyy!, and 2) mahilig magtext? since when?!

Still. I appreciate the effort :p

confetti moments ii.

2006-11-25T18:48:26Z

♥CONFETTI MOMENT I: PANA!♥
Congratulations to the PANA team for bagging the third straight IMC Challenge Championship, and UP CBA's third major win this year (following Stratmark and Finex). :) I don't see how anyone can question such display of consistency. True enough, excellence isn't an act. It's a habit ;) (Collins)

♥CONFETTI MOMENT II: DAY 2 OF PICTORIALS♥
I was at Eastwood the whole day today to assist at and oversee the pictorials, and as draining as it was, I'm really happy I did it (and this whole yearbook thing in general) because I'm getting to know everyone in the batch. I mean literally everyone. And I realized that through the pictorials is actually a good way of getting to know people since it's then that you get a chance to see them express themselves, get acquainted with their tastes and perspectives even.

Incidentally, ABAM was there for the ChristmasThree Bazaar (tie-up with business orgs from Ateneo and La-Salle), part of which is a free concert with such bands as Imago and Itchyworms. Sheena and KC dropped by the studio at around 9pm and waited for us to wrap up the day's shoot, then we proceeded to the bazaar where I ended up getting three pairs of earrings and a pretty headband :p Dinner followed at Teriyaki Boy, and I must say, my search for that mysterious round, fried, sticky appetizer (lol) is turning out to be quite a blessing since I end up trying new stuff that turn out to be really good, like tonight's tofu steak. *joy*

♥CONFETTI MOMENT III: STARBUCKS PLANNER♥
I got mine today! --

Their Eastwood Branch actually ran out of stocks (!) so I dropped by the one along Libis to get my copy :) I didn't find any coupons, though. Lol.

snapshots of the past week :)

2006-11-15T02:15:09Z

Before...

...After :D

And you see, this is worth 'documenting' for a reason :p

Quite a jump from Cibo to isaw :D

McDonald's with the current loves of my life :p

Sbarro with the lovely 80's duo

Lol.

So very sheena.

... :)

and maro plays the role of the proud sister :p

2006-11-12T09:45:33Z

Ate Kate's essay is featured in today's issue of the Philippines Star.
Read the article here.

You might want to check out her travelogues as well, http://www.masala-raga.blogspot.com

:)

Q&A.

2006-10-30T05:44:23Z

This morning, out of nowhere, Glenn posted this question:

Maro, why do you still allow yourself to fall in love despite the terrible pain that comes with it?

Honest and mush-packed answer: I guess it’s because when you’re at the beginning of loving someone, you don’t think about the heartache; instead you hope and look forward to the possibilities.

For someone who isn’t exactly risk-averse in love, the prospect of reciprocation or of finding “the one” makes the plunge worth taking, even if it brings with it the inevitable vulnerability to pain.

It’s as Murakami wrote in Norwegian Wood: when you fall in love, the natural thing is to give yourself to it entirely. It’s just one form of sincerity. It might turn out well, or it might not. That’s just how love is.

~ ~ ~

About time.

2006-10-23T17:58:35Z

Finally! -- time to do a bit of writing about the recently concluded DMCI Challenge. Basically, the competition involved creating a campaign for Tivoli Garden Residences, a condominium project that will rise in Mandaluyong. It sounds fairly simple but IMC is a really meticulous process. You don’t crunch a lot of numbers but there’s a lot of research, brainstorming, processing, conceptualizing. Your brain will literally hurt from the thinking. While working on the brand framework, for instance, just phrasing your USP or the tagline can take as much as five hours; and you can’t just go with a concept that’s favored by the majority. The final concept must be sold to everyone.

AND there’s an even greater challenge: Sometimes, thinking simply isn’t enough. Most (if not all) creative ideas are born not so much from thought as from inspiration.

So anyway, it’s true what the wise say – it’s precisely when you’re feeling at your worst that you shouldn’t give up because things can only get better from there. Midnight of the day of the presentation and I still had no creative idea to work with, I told the group I’m done and I just sobbed in front of the pc. I sulked in bed, tried to convince myself that no recognition is worth this much stress, and failed. By 9am I was back to work with Gracia, Evy, and Sheena (our number one supporter!) here at my cluttered workspace.

With the competition slated to start at 2pm, few people would believe that at 10 in the morning, the tarp was our only finished pubmat; that at 12 noon, Evy was only halfway through the script, writing it as we made last-minute discussions on strategies; that at 1.30 we were just starting on the visuals; and that at 5, Evy and Gracia would be scouring Celeb for a decent wifi signal so they can access the presentation I mailed.

It was a sweet and wonderful victory for several reasons. First, there’s nothing like getting rewarded, however simply, for something you poured your heart into. Second, it was unexpected. Although we cheered each other on right from the start that “isisingkwentamil natin ‘to!”, we were never that confident that we could nail it. Of course it doesn’t hurt that there’s a cash prize and a grade incentive, although believe it or not, those are just cherries on the cake. The real treat was in rising above the challenges and knowing you can make it to the top. And the real reward isn’t in the grade or the money but in the values reinforced and the friendships forged. ;)

~ ~ ~

Now, there’s always room for fangirling, hence room for swooning over dancer-gymnast-globetrotter-fashion designer Daniel Vosovic (You just gotta love the stylishly unkempt hair :">). And yes, I knowww, he’s gay. Funny thing is, just when I was starting to believe there could be a straight guy on Project Runway, I catch the episode where he actually talks about stepping out of the closet. So now he’s out. Adorable. And the best part is, he’s got the brains to match the looks. Now that’s *hot*.

just because.

2006-09-30T08:11:23Z

Why I'm busy despite the 6-unit load this sem :)