Rosie from Bushwick wants to talk to you about 'the gays'

The latest video from Fight Back New York features the amazing Rosie Perez...



...and she is taking on the Reverend Ruben Diaz, and I quote:
Senator Ruben Diaz? I am extremely disappointed with your position on this matter. With all due respect, Sir, your stand represents a lack of justice and equality on this issue. Please take note: You are not speaking for the majority of New York State Latinos.
For more information on the video click here.

Last Day to Earn the 4-Book Linky Love Prize!

Thanks to all those who have already linked to this blog in honor of my 2nd blogiversary. For those who haven't but have been thinking about it, TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO DO SO!

Oh, sorry about all that yelling. I was a little too excited, wasn't I. Yep.

Go here to get the 4-1-1 on how to win the four signed books I am giving to the person with the most linky love. Yes, I'm bribing you to love me. I don't have problem with this, so hopefully you don't, either.

(Okay, actually I do have a problem with bribes. And with paying people to show me love. Yet here we are. Let's face it, I'm an oxy-moron in the flesh.)

Speaking of oxy-moron...Oscar, starring Sylvester Stallone, has some of the best grammar and linguistic jokes ever to grace the silver screen. I laugh every time I watch the show. And yes, I own the DVD, so I watch it quite frequently. In fact, I think I'll go turn it on now. That way I can get my mind off the fact that I'm waiting to pay someone to love me.

What are Pedro Julio and Ricky Martin up to?

Tweeted! Pedro Julio Serrano hanging out with Ricky Martin at a recording studio in Manhattan.
It's been six months since pop singer Ricky Martin came out on Twitter and he's been relatively low key since then.  As far as I know, he has only granted one official interview on the topic when he appeared on the cover of People en Español in June and discussed being a gay parent.  But that doesn't mean he has been silent.

The Puerto Rican pop idol has been surprisingly forthcoming when it comes to LGBT issues on his Twitter account. Not an insignificant thing when you realize that the man has nearly 1.7 million Twitter followers. No wonder he was recently named by The Advocate as the 6th most popular gay personality on Twitter in the world,

Just last week, as the doomed senate vote on 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' approached, he tweeted:
As a HISPANIC member of the LGBT community,I ask u 2 pls repeal #DADT and move fwd with the #DREAMAct #enddiscrmination
And today he sent Tweets about two young gay men who committed suicide in the United States as a result of being bullied.

Usually that's not how things go. First, a star comes out and then all media wants to ask about is his sexual identity. The star will be all demure and say that their art is about more than their sexuality. They will say they shouldn't be seen as role models or experts on gay issues. And then get angry if the press pushes them on the subject.

It's only later, when a star becomes comfortable with their 'out' lives, that they might delve into LGBT rights without thinking that it might define him or her.

Twitter has turned all that around. Twitter has allowed Ricky Martin to define his coming out process instead of media doing it for him.  He has been able to reveal what he wants to reveal about himself without being completely open about his personal life.  And it has allowed him to delve into LGBT-rights issues without reporters asking whether it means he's now decided to be a full time gay activist. Today, six months later, gossip sites and magazines are still speculating about who his partner might or might not be.

Things are about to change. The English-language version of Ricky Martin's autobiography "Me" is due out on November 2nd.

On her farewell talk show season, Oprah has landed the first television interview with the singer since coming out (Are you a Ricky Martin fan? Want to appear on the show? Here is Oprah's open call).

Before things blow up into the stratosphere:  On Saturday, my friend Pedro Julio Serrano sent this on his Twitter account:
Hanging out with @Ricky_Martin #instudio... Boricuas in the house! http://twitpic.com/2rz879
Lordy lord! In a way, that's certainly no surprise. The moment I knew Ricky Martin would not wimp out on LGBT issues after coming out was the moment he thanked Pedro Julio for his LGBT activism back in May. So It was certainly no surprise that once Ricky came to New York he would get in touch with PJ.

By the way: Pedro Julio, who works at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF), will be receiving an incredible honor himself as he receives the "Puerto Rican Pride Award" from the NYC-based November Committee.

The LGBT advocate joins past Boricua honorees Jennifer Lopez, Antonia Pantoja, Denise Quiñones and Sila Calderon in being honored by the committee. It's the first time that an honoree has been chosen for his LGBT advocacy and I dare to say that both Ricky Martin and I are super proud of his achievement.

Previously:

Girls are "dangerous"!

Every night before bed time, (no no, i am not reading bed time story to my boys, i am such a lazy mum.) i will have some casual chat with the boys. Like what are they doing in the school today, did teacher scold them for being naughty?

Usually they will tell me their friends, so and so, and who and who not coming to school because sick, or their friend's teeth broken, because eat too much sweets or this friend got some new story book, new toy, new school bag..bla bla bla.

My "social bee" Cruz, sometime he will mention some girls name, like i like Mxxxx, i like Txxx, i don't like Nxxxxx. He will mention those "pretty girls" name and tell me he like them *start worry*. On the other hand, Fearles hardly told me anything about "girls". He always told me i like Isaac, I like Ian (those are his cousins), i like Cxxxx (the school friend, a boy name).

There is one night i start "tease" him, how come he only like boys no like girls? I ask why you don't like to play with Nxxx? How about Mxxxx? He said "don't want, i don't like them" * Oh!! I start another worry, he only like boys and don't like girls? silly me right* LOL

I never give up, i still ask him "why and why and why" I know he is a "shy" and "quiet" boy, not like the brother Cruz, very good in "socializing"! Suddenly, Fearles told me this " mummy, MY BRAIN tell me, boys only play with boys, cannot play with girls!!" Oh yes, you can see a big "O" on my face, i thought i heard it wrongly, i ask again, "your what tell you?" Fearles look at me seriously and point at his head and said "MY BRAIN"!!! *i speechless for a few second and i cannot stop laugh out loud!!!*

Kidlit Con and Me

Even though it hasn't been officially posted, I thought I should mention to everyone out there that I will be presenting at Kidlit Con this year.

Shocking, I know.

(No, I really mean it. It's shocking that someone would actually WANT me to speak for an hour in front of an audience of people who probably know more than I do. But I digress...)

One of my mixed-up cohorts, Kurtis Scaletta, and I will be teaming up for this one, actually. We will be speaking on MG blogging (of course, since I'm going as the spokesperson for From the Mixed-Up Files).

So, if you've been on the fence, now's the time to sign up. Not only will you be able to prove to everyone else that I am a real human being, with a face and everything, you will also get to use your own face and laugh along as I entertain* the masses.

So go here for more info about Kidlit Con and how to register.

And while you're out trolling the internet, do me a favor and leave some links back to this blog. I'm bribing the one who links the most with four signed books. Come on...I know you want 'em...

See you at Kidlit Con!

*Not guaranteed. Actually, it's more likely that we'll all sit there in awkward silence as I try to figure out how to use the projector.

Mid Autumn Festival 2010

This year we had two Mid Autumn celebration at home. On the actual day, we had steamboat dinner, then follow by light up a few lanterns for the kids to play, and for adults, we enjoy eating moon cakes and sipping tea and chatting under the moonlight. Due to next day, everyone have to wake up early to work, we just had a "short" one, not like previous year or year before.

Every year, my in law without fail, will celebrate this special day. Since on the actual day, we don't celebrate it "seriously", so they decide to do another one yesterday ie: Sunday night, whereby Monday is their off day, so they can stay up late.

We had a last minute BBQ at home and invite some close relatives over to enjoy the food, and eating moon cakes. Now let me show you what we had last night.......


mother in law bought these beautiful and "big" lantern!


pork belly, mushroom, sausage wrap with bacon.......


prawns.........


ribs!!!!!! ready to serve.......


we got pork satay, prawns, chicken wings on the grill.........
Chef of the night was my hub......


closer look of the prawns......


ribs on the plate..... this is a hot items, finish fast!!! I only had one stick!


some fruit salad....


another batch food on the grill.....

All the food are finish fast, we don't know why. Everyone standing at the tables, once the food on the plate, it gone just within a second. It's now you see, now you don't! No kidding!

The sausage below, i took one on my plate and i was helping hub putting the food on the grill, as his "assistant", when i turn around, my sausage was gone! Lastly, i manage to try one on my sister in law's plate. :)


it may look ugly, but it sure taste good!


this is how the plate look like while everyone still waiting for the food to be ready...


belly in the grill......

After everyone finish eating, then it was hub turn and sister in law and my turn, we sit on the table, eat slowly and enjoy the food, no one "fight" with us for the food. Kids playing inside the house while waiting the rain to stop. Yes! It rain heavily while we had BBQ, lucky we got "shade" to hide from the rain.

Some of my hub aunties and uncles, they start play mahjung, while we "young" one, light up the candles and lanterns, sipping tea and eat moon cakes. Now my boys are older, they are no more interested to play lanterns, they are more interested in playing candles!!!



some of the lanterns....












this is how my boys love to play, light all the candles on the floor. This picture i took on the actual night. :)

Everyone had so much fun, my boys too. I let them play till almost 10.30pm, this morning they nearly cannot wake up for school. ^o^ By the time we finish clean up, it is almost 11.45pm, and those playing mahjung, they still continue till 1am!!! *yawn*

This is how we celebrate our moon cake festival this year. How about you? Do you have a great one?


Lançamento do Livro Sketchbooks
























MUSEU DA CASA BRASILEIRA
Dia: 28 de Outubro de 2010
Local: Av. Faria Lima, 2705
Horário a confirmar mas provavelmente, à partir das 19h

Mix 8



Turning 25 soon.

My birthday's coming up soon and to be honest, I don't know what I'm feeling. I also don't know how to celebrate it. I don't know whethere I should be excited of turning 25. I feel like that time flies by so fast that you need to pay attention to every second. Gone are the days of being a teenager and having petty problems in life. More is expected from you as you grow older and you need to get better at it.

Now, all I can say is that I am truly truly blessed. I'm very happy where I am now. :)

I guess it really is about making the most out of every day.

Keep On Keepin' On

(Please please please share the linky love for my Blogiversary! I'm giving away 4 signed books one lucky reader! Go here for details.)

When I was in college, Barry Williams came to speak and do a book signing for his new tell-all book about his experiences playing Greg on The Brady Bunch. His appearance was lively and exciting, and he signed my book (and others) with the simple yet profound, "Keep on keepin' on."

And after his appearance, I was lucky enough to be one of the representatives chosen by the college to take him and his agent out to lunch. We went to The Dodo Restaurant in Salt Lake City, and had a nice chat over [I forget what we ate, so insert your favorite dish here].

Barry probably doesn't remember this afternoon. I doubt he even wanted to be there, hanging out with three college girls and their male college advisor. In fact, he hardly said much the whole time, and we spent most of the lunch chatting with his agent instead. I remember pitying poor Barry Williams, who looked as if he wasn't happy with his life. From the conversation with him we learned he had divorced and now spent most of his days alone, on the road for his book tour. All he had left was memories of his glory days on the set of the Brady Bunch. And instead of keepin' on, he was wallowing in how things had taken a turn for the worse.

I wished he would have taken his own advice that day. (Maybe has has now. I don't know.)

Today I realized that I've probably been a little like Barry Williams was when I met him. It's no big surprise to my readers out there (hi, all 6 of you!) that my book has not sold yet. It's still on submission, and I keep hoping editors will actually pick it up and read it one of these days. I'll admit it's been frustrating to watch other books sell as mine languishes in the submission piles. And I have been wallowing. I'll admit it.

But I'm not going to be like Barry Williams was at that lunch way back in the mid 90's. I'm actually going to take his advice. I will keep on keepin' on until I, too, have some good news to share. I'm not going to dwell on what has (or hasn't, in my case) happened. I'm going to look to the future instead of dwell on the past.

And for those of you out there who may be in a similar place, either in their writing or life in general...I just have one little piece of advice:

Keep on keepin' on.

Garden @ The Curve

It was Raya eve, i am working alone in the office and everyone already start their Raya holidays. Rushing work for the whole day and didn't go for my lunch, i save my tummy for the night time dinner with my girlfriends.

We went to this Garden Cafe at The Curve to celebrate one of my girlfriend's birthday. They got another branch at One Utama, we always pass by that place, but never go in and eat before. This is my first time at this Garden Cafe. The set up and concept is "garden" theme, with all white colour in the cafe, it give you a relax and very comfortable feeling.





does it look like a garden?





They serve their drinks in this unique "jar".
Passion fruits with soda and apple with soda...



this is the appetizer and soup that we order..
*picture taken from Catherine's camera*

fried calamari, tom yam soup, apple with soda, mash potatoes, wild mushroom soup and fried chicken wings.


here come our main course.....
*pic taken from Catherine's camera*

~ fried mee mamak (me and another guy sharing this plate of noodles, remember i said i am very hungry? LOL)


~Rib eyes, grill chicken, cod fish and spaghetti Aglio e Olio

Foods are good, i love the mee mamak, and my rib eyes steak also nicely done, not too dry, it's juicy. :)


After we stuff our tummy full, it come to "cake cutting" session, we didn't get Catherine a cake, i get some cute mini cupcakes from the restaurant inside my office building.


The cupcakes look cute? It taste good too!



i caught the birthday girl in action!!!

Before blowing the candles, we camwhore a lot and laugh a lot, and was the most noisy table in the restaurant!!!


group picture with the birthday girl...
*picture taken from Catherine's camera*


Are we look funny???? LOL!

This spec, Catherine bought it for the son's birthday two weeks later, but before the son use it, we big kids, all wear it and act silly to the camera! LOL!! We sure have so much fun and so much laughter!



Last but not least, a coffee latte before we called it a night. Cheers!!!! Oh ya, coffee only for three of us, not the other two, they can't take coffee at night. :)

I enjoy the food, the laugh, and the company, it did help to unwind some stress. :)

Newt Gingrich uses "The Americano" to blame DREAM Act loss on teh gayz

A side-note on yesterday's Senate "Don't Ask Don't Tell" / DREAM Act vote fiasco....

Possible 2012 conservative presidential Republican candidate Newt Gingrich might have winked at the Tea Party recently when he gave his unqualified support to a crazy-ass cover-page Forbes Magazine article on President Barack Obama, but he's also setting himself up to be as the John McCain candidate of old (you know, the John McCain who used to be a lead semi-conservative voice for immigration rights before he turned into a cranky asshole).

If he runs, it's a safe bet that most of his rivals on the right will hem the xenophobic Tea Party mantra on immigration - and that he will position himself as the kinder, gentler conservative on the issue of immigration.

That, in fact, was probably the reason Gingrich launched The Americano in September of 2009, or, as the site's byline reads "your top source of Hispanic news and commentary".  Try not to think of FOX News when they describe themselves as "a more balanced view on all the issues that concern American Hispanics today".

Which brings us to today's leading headline: "Attempt to repeal 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' kills DREAM Act".

If you actually saw the proceedings, you'll realize The Americano is playing it both ways: The Republican Senate leadership actually argued they didn't vote in favor of the DREAM Act because they wanted a straight up and down vote on a Senate defense bill. In other words, they alleged they would have passed the bill if only the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" repeal AND the DREAM Act bill hadn't been included.  In fact, the rank and file of the Republican senate leadership used the DREAM Act to argue that the Obama presidency was "seeking amnesty for illegal immigrants".

Cue in a photo of angry Dan Choi on The Americano's entry page and an article with no byline saying that Republicans would have passed the DREAM Act if it wasn't for teh gayz pushing an end to "Don't Ask Don't Tell"

Pluhezzz The Americano, have more respect for the intellect of Latinos.

First Dental Visit

Backdated post ~I must noted this down as a record.

Cruz went for his first dental visit on 7th Sept, a day after we came back from our Melaka trip. On the night before, he was crying whole night and telling me his tooth was very pain, i took a look didn't see any black spot or anything. I give him some ice to "sulk", after that he went back to sleep. He woke up again after 1/2 hour, crying, i use my finger and check on his gum, feel it is a bit swollen, either he is heaty or there was infection on the tooth. I took the propolis honey and apply on the gum and massage it softly, after a while, he told me not much pain already, so he went back to sleep.

It was already 4am in the morning, he finally doze off till the next day, i don't know what time he woke up as it was school holiday. I told the maid to apply the propolis honey on the gum, if he complain again on the pain.


Next day, after my work out at the gym, back home, my boys also finished their art class, i saw Cruz happily playing with Fearles and the cousins. BUT, i saw a big "pau" on the cheek, i ask him is it pain, he told me a bit. Immediately i brought him to see dentist, lucky there was one dental nearby my house still open.

Cruz is a brave boy, at first he was a bit worried, keep ask me is the doctor going to pull his tooth, i said i don't know, but have to let the doctor check first. He sit on the chair, and the doctor ask Cruz to wear the 'sunglasses" and she check on the tooth. It is so cute and funny, but i am not allow to take any picture there. :(

Doctor said there was a hole on the tooth, she show it on the tv screen, she need to fill it with medicine. That is the main culprit to make the gum swollen. When she do the cleaning and filling, i heard the sound it make me feel scared, and i walk so far away and dare not to see. Lucky Cruz didn't complain pain or cry, he act very cool. After "fix" the hole and clean the gum, Cruz was given one bottle of mouth gaggle water, antibiotic, pain killer and swell reduce medicine and he need to go back for follow up after two weeks.


On Monday, i brought him back to check on his tooth, everything ok, but still got some swell on the gum, doctor said it will take sometime to heal, but there was no more pain according to Cruz. Then i notice there was a hole on the last tooth underneath, in fact both side also got hole, doctor told me the holes must be there for sometime already, because can see the gum almost same level as the tooth. Doctor said better do filling for the holes, before it start another infection, so on that night, Cruz done two filling on the teeth.

After the first round teeth pain, now he paid more attention to his teeth, it been two weeks plus, he didn't ask for any sweets! When i ask him, does he want sweets he told me, cannot eat sweet, later the teeth "broken". On off he will check his teeth on the mirror, it is really a funny sigh. When i give him vitamin, he will ask me is it sweet, can he bite it, will it spoil the teeth? LOL!

From now on, hope he can "love" his teeth more.

I'm-No-Good-itis Strikes Again...but it could be worse

(Don't forget to go here to enter my Linky Love contest in celebration of my blogiversary. I'm giving away 4 signed books to the lucky winner!)

I recently sat through an entire day of training offered by the Boy Scouts of America. It was training to teach me how to train others to do their jobs more effectively (titled, appropriately, the Trainer's EDGE). There was much taught there that also applied to public speaking. Though I've never been nervous in front of people (trust me, I routinely make a fool out of myself in front of large groups of Scouters and their families, plus I spent my entire childhood/teen years singing in front of full auditoriums), it was enlightening to listen to some of the dos and don'ts they suggested when addressing large or small crowds.

(My favorite part of this training, however, was making and flying paper airplanes. Man, BSA is my kind of organization. Those people know how to have fun.)

Anyway, one thing listed in the training session was: don't apologize for the things you don't do right or well.

I got to thinking about this phrase, and how appropriate it is for writers, too. There have been many times when I've handed a manuscript to my crit buddies and apologized for all the missing parts and rough edges (and I've even been guilty of doing this when handing something to my agent, too). I am embarrassed that it's not perfect, so I make excuses. I have that debilitating disease called "I'm-No-Good-itis."

I am trying to overcome my I'm-No-Good-itis, but it's hard work. It's easy to second-guess yourself, especially in a business where subjectivity rules. One email may say your book is outdated and will never sell, while another uses the word "love" and "offer" in the same paragraph. But we shouldn't ever feel like we need to apologize.

Let me say that again.

We shouldn't ever feel like we need to apologize.


On the other hand, however, I do know a few authors who have the opposite problem: Big Head Syndrome. I hope I'm never one of those people who think my opinion should be revered and that the masses should bow down to me whenever I grace their presence. Humility and I'm-No-Good-itis aren't the same thing, and a little humility never hurt anyone. I'm just sayin'...

Linky Love Contest: Second Blogiversary Edition (With Double the Prizes)!

This weekend my little blog turned 2. (Well, I started blogging on LJ two years ago, anyway. This Blogspot edition came a little later.)

I am hoping this means it will be potty trained soon and can move quickly through that awkward teenage phase and on to the grown-up blog it was meant to be.

And to help it along, I've decided it's time to shamelessly promote it.

Sooooooo.....

I'm hosting a Linky Love: Second Blogiversary Edition Contest!

I want to see how many links to my blog we can get out there in the world. I will be seriously disappointed if only three people enter. So do me a favor and help me out here.

All I ask is that you share a link to my blog somewhere, asking people to check it out. Then leave a comment telling me where you've shared your linky love--on FB, blog, twitter, message board, email*, in a letter to your grandmother, on the bathroom stall at the local college**, whatever (share a link to your linky love if you can). Each link counts as one entry. You can also earn extra entries if someone sees your link, checks out my blog and leaves a comment telling me you sent them (they must mention your name in the comment for you to earn the additional entry).

The person with the most linky love entries wins. So linking once most likely won't be a winning entry. (It had better not, at least. If it is, I will be so embarrassed.) In case of a tie, the winner will then be chosen by lottery.

Seems simple enough, right?

Since my blog is now TWO, and this is the SECOND Blogiversary edition of a Linky Love contest, I thought I'd stick with the "TWO" theme for the prize. But that didn't seem like it was big enough, so I'm doubling that.

The winner will receive the following FOUR (you know, because 2 X 2 = 4) SIGNED books:



Soul Enchilada (hardcover), David Macinnis Gill


The Healing Spell (hardcover), Kimberley Little

Jungle Crossing (ARC), Sydney Salter


Palace Beautiful (hardcover), Sarah DeFord Williams


(Yes, all four are signed by their respective authors! I'd take pictures, but my camera isn't working. You'll just have to take my word for it.)

Please don't make me feel like a loser. Hopefully the prize is worth a little linky love on your part. And, yes, pity links are as much appreciated as "Ohmygoodnessyouhavetocheckoutthisblogit'sawesomeandthebloggerishysterical" links. I'm not picky.

I do have to mention here that this contest is for US/CAN residents only. Sorry, international friends. I would love to include you but I think shipping these mostly hardcovers would be a little more than I could cover at this time. But you are still welcome to link away. In fact, I would really appreciate it. And I should also mention that this contest is being run simultaneously on my LJ journal and my Blogspot blog (same content, different platform). So if you want to see where your entries stand, you'll have to check both blogs.

To give people time to link and check out links, this contest will run through Thursday, September 30, 2010. All entries must be posted by 11:59pm Pacific Daylight Time (PDT). Winner will be announced once I can tally everything up.

Link away! And thanks for playing!

Oh, and happy blogiversary, little blog.

*Spamming your entire email list will NOT count. Well, it will, but you'll only get one entry. So I don't suggest you do it. It might make your friends and family mad at you. Let's share the love, not the spam, okay?
**On second thought, maybe not on the college bathroom stalls. I don't think anyone would appreciate the vandalism. But putting a flyer up on the college's public bulletin boards...now that could work.

B-U-S-Y

that explain why i have been "MIA" and neglect my blog for sometime and also hardly blog hopping.

I don't know why this month is such a busy month for me, not only work and also my own things. A lot things "pop up" sudden.

~ beginning of the month, a dearie blogger mummy passed away, which make me think a lot and sad for some time. Me and a few mummies went for her wake, we had a "small gathering", but we don't hope this happen again, we don't want this type of "gathering".

~ Almost every week i got a dinner outing with friends, birthday celebration, friend back from down under, an old friend/a hotel guest from Hong Kong paid me a surprise visit.

~ Raya week, most colleges are on leave, so much work to do, even now after they come back, i still got tons of work to do...

~ Helping hubs at the market over one of the weekend, as parent in law and sister in law went for holidays.

~ birthday party to attend.

~ my brother, my "god sister" will be in town, but because of the timing, can't meet up with them.

Last but not least,

~ planning on my "first project"!!!

Am i that busy, i don't know, but time just not enough for me. Hope i can have more time to blog hopping and update this blog and please don't "mad" with me by turning this blog to "food blog" soon, because i just want to share the food that i had over the last two weeks. :)

*updated - beside than the above, this evening, STP sent me mms and show me that, my website have some "dangerous link" and it may contain virus, not safe to open my blog and it come from my "rpc blogrolling" where i put all the blogs that i visit at my side bar, now i have to remove the rpc blogrolling link, and all my daily visit blog link had gone. I have to add it up one by one again. Haih!!!

My New York: Tornado Warning!!!

Crackle!

Russle!
Crash!

Rumble!

Pop!

Crush!

I hope nobody was hurt this evening in Jackson Heights or elsewhere throughout the area... Find out more at NY1.

Related:
Update: Tornado warning no more.

How about two tornadoes? Or is it 'tornadii'?

Queens (you might want to lower the volume level on your computer for this one)....


Meainwhile, in Brooklyn ("Duuuuude, bro, holy shit, it's a tornado!")...

    Vapor Trail (Clark) (2010)

    An archived photograph of the Filipino-American war as shown
    in John Gianvito's Vapor Trail (Clark)

    Aftermath
    by Francis Joseph A. Cruz

    I once fancied myself a history buff, memorized all the events, the dates, the personalities, and other specifics. I was necessarily fascinated by the fact that these events, although involving unheard of elements like war, bloodshed and political intrigue, were real and that they happened in the same world that I exist in. That these events happened in the past gave me a god-like stance of observing them, studying them, memorizing them within a safety that is comforting. The immediate rewards of this fascination with history included top grades in social sciences and an infamy for being a reliable source of trivia.

    Trivia. That was all history was for me and presumably most of the world’s work-a-day citizens. As soon as we participate in the seemingly grand but realistically humdrum race called life, we conveniently forget the lessons of the trivial past and replace them with a mentality of “what’s in it for me in the future.” The several EDSA Revolutions all seem like blurs, all parades of empty symbols of the color yellow, the Laban sign, and the humongous Mama Mary standing guard atop a Catholic shrine. For majority of us who are in it for the future consider these symbols as emblems of the promises that they once were and are rejuvenated as continuing promises, not necessarily as a linkage of the persistence of history as a reason for the woes of the present.

    Alexis and Nika were murdered on September 1, 2009 in Alexis’ house in West Triangle. Alexis was a film critic, nay, a film activist who spread himself and whatever resources he has amassed during his lifetime for the goal of film education, whether it be to salvage whatever remains of whatever film legacy the Philippines has or to simply broaden the tastes of Filipinos to try films more complicated than the traditional offerings of Hollywood and its local counterparts. Again, all of these are just trivia, bits and pieces of information that newspapers would publish for a semblance of currency in their news-telling. Again, that’s that, a piece of history for the now-enamored-then-oblivious history buffs in high school. The truth of the matter is that their deaths have left an immense void in the advocacy that they concentrated their efforts on.

    One of Alexis’ foremost projects was to set-up informal screenings right at the heart of the hangouts of the middle-class and upper-class Filipinos, presumably to bring intelligent films into the consciousness of those with the most capabilities to move and change the pitiful status quo. Thus, the Fully Booked Film Series was born. Imagine. The static shots of Lav Diaz, the beautiful experimentations of Raya Martin, the ultra-personal visual poems of John Torres, and the sensible madness of Khavn just a few meters away from Batman, Spider-man, Archie, Calvin and Hobbes. The irony of it all is just the cherry on top. The meat of the project is that these films, criticized for only being devoured by film enthusiasts outside the country, are being screened in the Philippines, for free, and with the directors and film experts present to answer or at least acknowledge hopefully sensible questions.

    A few months after the deaths of Alexis and Nika, the Fully Booked Film Series re-introduced itself as the Tioseco-Bohinc Film Series in appreciation of the two film lovers’ contribution to its existence. In consonance with the recent happenings in the Philippine cinema scene, a very apt screening of John Gianvito’s Vapor Trail (Clark) was held a few months ago after much prodding from Lav, one of the film’s staunchest supporters. The first part of two documentaries that tackle former United States military bases in the Philippines, the film parades itself as a document of the harrowing effects of the ghosts of these bases, from the contaminations to the water supply to the general forgetfulness of the residents of the subtle woes that the Americans have left behind in the country. The documentary perceptively masks its berating message to the Filipino populace who seem to have contented themselves in treating history as a reason to install crumbling statues in unkempt city plazas while sniffing rugby for pleasure. We are a country of people addicted to momentary flights to landscapes of illusory comforts while everything else in the world is decaying.

    In Gianvito’s very personal introduction to the film, where he acknowledged the contribution of Alexis to the film but was only read to the viewers because Gianvito was in Boston and could not go to the screening, he proposes that the Philippines “was robbed of its own independence” by the Americans “at the very moment it had finally achieved liberation from the brutal yoke of Spain is yet one more example of the willful distortion of history by those who benefit from the suppression of inconvenient truths.” The crux of Vapor Trail (Clark) is not only the indictment of the Americans of its overt and subvert crimes against the Philippines but also the indictment of the Filipinos for the act of forgetting and hence, undervaluing and neglecting the gift of liberty that was delivered by our patriots and freedom fighters. The very purpose why this country exists has been overshadowed by tenuous promises of alleviation. The truth is that we are still at war with our colonizers yet there are only very few revolutionaries left fighting, very few nationalistic songs sung, very few real Filipinos left to protect. The rest are slaves to a written history that is too much about trivia and too little about us.

    These ramblings are of course products of my own frustration, not anymore about how this country’s history has been morphed into a topic of quiz nights instead of discourse but by the well-founded opinion that to even entertain such an idea is so unpopular, so boring, and so unsophisticated for anyone to spend a few hours of a lazy Sunday for. Vapor Trail (Clark), powerful as it is in its content, in the fact that it is imparted by an American, in the fact that it is too scathingly true to be simply a matter of entertainment or even curiosity, ended with only four people in the audience remaining. Alas, such is the sorry fate of these films that only seek to enlighten and to change mindsets and such is the blessed fate of Christopher Nolan’s Inception that is praised to death by both critics and viewers for its ability to turn fantasy into reality, vice versa ad infinitum. Such is also the fate of those who attempted to inherit Alexis’ woes, finding solutions against all odds to instill a permanent curiosity which will hopefully evolve into a thirst for films of these sort, films whose whispers are louder than the most grandiose explosions in a Michael Bay flick. If only these things can be treated as trivialities. Unfortunately, they can’t so we simply stagger on.

    (First published in Uno Magazine, September, 2010, issue)

    Estudo rápido para o TNTema - Fadas

    Some self-promotion: Go read about me and how great I am!

    OMG! My friend (and amazing queer activist) Lorenzo Herrera y Lozano, who writes for Change.org, told me he'd be writing something about the homophobic poll Univision removed from their sites over the weekend and asked me for a photo he could use for the piece.

    Instead, he goes an writes this: "LGBT Latino, Andrés Duque, a Force To Be Reckoned With". Click on the link if you dare and read on.

    Gack! Or perhaps *blush*!  Thanks, Lorenzo!

    Update: Univision removes homophobic poll from website, apologizes

    That was quick: On Saturday I wrote about a poll Univision had posted on their website.  It asked readers "Is Soccer compatible with soccer?" and provided three possible answers, two implying it would be OK as long as the player kept his sexual orientation hidden, and one that read "No, soccer is a sport for macho men."

    Both Queerty and After Elton picked up on the post, Queerty noting yesterday that the poll had been removed from the site.

    It turns out the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) saw the blog post and followed up with Univision.  From GLAAD's blog:
    Just days after a CNN poll asked, “Are gay characters on television harmful to society?” the blogs Blabbeando and Queerty reported on a poll on Univision.com that asked site visitors “is homosexuality compatible with sports?” Among the choices was: “No, soccer is a sport for macho men.” GLAAD’s Director of Spanish-Language Media reached out to Univision.com on Sept. 13 to explain how this question demeans a number of people, including all gay and lesbian people already playing the sport and how the question perpetuates damaging stereotypes.
    Today, Sports Editor Joaquín Duro acknowledged that publishing the poll had been a poor decision and apologized for having done so. The poll was removed. The story that generated the poll accurately reported on a German agent who made anti-gay remarks about Spain’s soccer team, and we thank Univision.com for that.
    “Leading ‘poll’ questions like this only serve to perpetuate intolerance and misunderstanding about our community,” said GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios. “Univision’s swift action is the latest step in a trend of Spanish-language media becoming more responsible and open to covering LGBT issues in a fair and accurate manner.”
    We greatly appreciate the prompt responses from both Univision.com and CNN. The next time any media outlet decides it wants to poll its viewers about whether gay inclusion is a good thing or a bad thing, we suggest that they instead ask themselves THIS poll question: “Does homophobia belong in the media?”
    The answer is no.
    Thanks, GLAAD!

    Aplicativo para IPhone - How2Draw super heroes

















    Em parceria com o Fábio Yabu, estou produzindo uma série de aplicativos para IPhone com lições de desenho.
    A primeira lição é sobre o desenho da cabeça masculina.

    http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/how2draw-super-heroes-roger/id386646409?mt=8

    Obrigado pelo convite, Fábio!