Switzerland :)

I said before that long distance is a b*tch but it's frikkin awesome when you get to visit your loved one :) I'm here now in Switzerland visiting Misha :) The place is beautiful!!! Check out the foliage!!! I've been here 24 hours so far and I'm enjoying the sights!!! I'll post some more pictures soon when I take more pictures. Hahaha!

Misha says hi!

Took this pic since my Mom likes the storm windows

Jiggy jumping shot!

No Other Woman (2011)

No Other Woman (Ruel Bayani, 2011)

Ruel Bayani’s No Other Woman has supposedly earned for itself the distinction of being the highest grossing Filipino movie of all time, for now. It’s essentially about marital infidelity, tackling the sordid turns in a married couple’s life when another girl enters frame. The premise alone makes it an unlikely crowd-drawer. However, the movie is designed for commercial success, featuring pretty faces and sexy bodies living and breathing in places that are seemingly removed from the reality that its targeted audience should be familiar with. It’s essentially escapist fare, piling gloss upon gloss to arrive at a final product that resembles the tacky front cover of a random lousy romance novel.

Ram (Derek Ramsey) has been selected to supply furniture to a luxury resort, where he meets Kara (Anne Curtis), the daughter of the resort owner. The two start an affair. Charmaine, Ram’s wife, starts to become suspicious and eventually discovers the affair, forcing her to compete for her husband’s attention. The story’s quite thin, riddled only by extraneous complications involving the characters’ familial histories, supposedly adding depth to the characters’ convictions and motivations. Unfortunately, the characters, despite all the needless details, are nothing more than caricatures that are meant to be objectified.

Although the movie parades with the sheen of seriousness and importance it borrows from its subject matter, it sometimes resolves to treat the subject matter with disarming humor. The movie shines when it is upfront with this irreverence, such as when the movie’s internal rules of fate and circumstance connive to have the wife and the paramour meet each other in the mall while wearing outfits of the same hue, with both of them bursting in the seams with knowledge of each other’s secrets, throwing each other one-liners with irresistible double-meanings. Joey Gosiengfiao is an obvious reference. However, Bayani seems unable to completely surrender to the pleasures and sophistications of camp, making his movie an unwieldy and inconsistent romp that leads essentially to something that is best described as dull, ordinary, and ultimately offensive to the intellect.

The movie is mired by an utter lack of integrity. It is unable to decide what it wants to be, a persisting problem of movies produced by mainstream studios whose addiction with formula and morally and socially acceptable but completely illogical endings has ruined nearly most of their films. Kara, a promising character who represents the Filipino woman that is uncharacteristically not beholden to marital vows and declares herself immune to love and guilt, unfortunately drowns in remorse, betraying whatever complexity the character has. The marriage of Ram and Charmaine, in what seems like a product of the director and his writers’ chronic lack of imagination, is as good as new. Even more bizarre is the resolution wherein the married couple actually becomes civil with the woman who nearly threatened their relationship, completely forgetting all the shouting sprees and the violent catfights.

It is as if nothing happened, and the entire ordeal is simply an avenue to learn lessons in life and gain new friends. I don’t even see why Bayani bothered to tell that story of infidelity at all, if infidelity turns out to be that inconsequential, that negligible. But then again, there’s big money to be made serving junk in pretty platters.

(Cross-published in Twitch.)

My Creation - Part 53

Happy Halloween!!

This year, we didn't get invited or join any treat or tricks like last year, so how we "celebrate" this day? We do nothing but i am fixing another "Halloween" bento for the boys.

Hope this one look a bit "better" than the previous "injury ghost" !! hahahha



rice with three little cute "ghost", sweet and sour chicken, meat ball, quail eggs, strawberry and grapes. Add one Halloween lollipop in the box to add the "Halloween feel".



a hand is sticking out from the box...


a feet is sticking out from the box.


three cute little "ghost" sleeping on the nori (seaweed).



Hope you all like my "Halloween" theme bento lunch.

An ode to Steven Mackin

It's been five years to the day since my friend Steven Mackin lost his battle with cancer. He would have been 32 yeas old this year.

Before he passed away, Steven asked me to write about him and post his photos on this blog so he would not be forgotten.   I am not prone to observe annual themes on this blog but I always make an exception for Steven on this day.

In Steven's name, I ask you to Stand Up To Cancer.  Better yet, if you have some time on your hands, please visit his hilarious, candid, sad, unpolitically correct and incredible LiveJournal blog "Things I've Found In My Butt".

Steven began writing as a way to document his struggle with cancer and, ultimately, he ended up leaving a testament of the amazing, funny and beautiful man he was while alive.

In 2007, the Associated Press featured his blog as an example of how people dealing with a terminal illness were using online diaries to leave a legacy behind ("Blogging at Life's End").

My heart goes to his mom Sheila tonight.

My Creation - Part 52

When i saw the "doughnut bread" idea at pinterest few days ago, i told myself, i must try it.

Here is my version, fixed it last two days for my boys breakfast. When i am back from work, they said, i got surprise today, i got doughnut bread!! I like!! Please fix again!




Cruz - doughnut bread with kaya , cereal fruit loops, strawberry, and a mini bread.

Fearles - doughnut bread with nutella, cereal fruit loops, grapes and a mini bread.

Investing in IMAGE

Comics published today won't be as valuable as the Golden Age or the Silver Age ones. But I think that SOME Modern Age books may get valuable in the future.

IMAGE Comics have low print runs. They're not as many as the MARVEL or DC print runs which makes it more valuable.

Anyway, I recently acquired 2 KEY Image titles. One is making a name for itself in the small screen and the other is about to enter the small screen.

The Walking Dead #1 9.8 Signed by artist Tony Moore... (I couldn't get one signed by KIRKMAN!)

You watch The Walking Dead on TV? You HAVE to read the comics!!! :) IT'S FRIKKIN AWESOME!!! 

Chew #1 9.9 MINT!!! How cool is that??? 9.9 as a grade is near to impossible to achieve!!!

I hope that John Cho will pull it off as Detective Tony Chu!!! I'm rooting for you John Cho!!!

My Creation - Part 51

It had been quite sometime since i last fix lunch bento for my boys. Last weekend, i decide to fixed something for them. I told Cruz i want to do "halloween" bento for them. You know he look at me in puzzle and asked "are you sure you know how to do???????" I said i will do something really simple since i am not so expert and creative.

So this is the outcome........hmmmmmmm.....i know the "ghost" don't look very scary :(.



simple lunch - fish, anchovies, "injury ghost" and grapes.


closer look

I should try harder next round! hahahhaha..

Progress Reports

This past week Jason, my mother and I met with Springfield Public Schools ECSE to go over all of Cruz's evaluations. He had 5 separate tests that were administered on different days. The special education preschool is about 25 minutes from my house. The school itself is a diamond in the rough. It is in a  not so great location but it's bright and colorful, shiny and new, and full of hope. We all sat down around a conference table and the first thing out of his caseworkers mouth was, "Cruz is very bright, very very bright." We all sighed relief. During our two hour meeting we discussed the results of each one of his tests. Fortunately, each one of his testing results seemed accurate and consistent with how he is majority of the time. Cognitively we scored average and seemed to actually score above average on visual reception, memory, and block building design. His extreme difficulty with expressive language brought his overall score down. Their findings were concurrent with the diagnosis of Apraxia, SPD, and social/emotional delays. So, Cruz is being admitted full time to morning preschool. The school bus will pick him up and bring him back home. We got to tour the facility and meet his teacher. There will be no more than 6 kids in his class with one teacher and two aids. In addition, he will also receive 90 minutes of specialized speech therapy every week and 30 minutes of occupational therapy every week. We are so excited for him. I know he is going to have a blast. I've been very emotional this past week watching the progression. Nine months ago this little guy could only say mama, dada, and no. He couldn't produce the  'e', 'o', 'y', 'i' sounds or majority of the consonants. He wouldn't hold eye contact, he wasn't happy, he had screaming fits for hours on end. He would run his head into the floor. Now, my son is a different child. I know God has been answering our prayers and I am so thankful for the medication we finally put him on. It has made a world of a difference. We really hesitated and procrastinated on using any kind of medication. After exhausting all other efforts we agreed to try them. He is so much happier now. He is starting to sleep better. He still wakes up during the night but he goes to bed earlier than midnight, usually around nine. He hasn't had any of his major screaming fits since he started the medication. Everyone that is around him is amazed at how he is suddenly friendlier, more engaging, and pleasant. Today his speech therapist came, who we love and will be devastated to have to part ways with in a few weeks. Cruz has been asking for her all week. She told us that he has one of the most severe cases of Apraxia that she's ever seen. But, and there is always a but.... he is making major improvements. This kid is going to have an amazing story. Sitting here now on the computer, I can hear him in the backyard with Franklin just singing his little heart out. The other night I was putting him to bed and I just laid there next to him in the dark looking up at the stars on his cieling. I ran my fingers through his thick hair and realized how big he is getting. Tears filled my eyes as I realized only a few months ago I was pulling my hair out at the bottom of the barrel not sure how to get through each hour with him. Here in the still quiet of the night snuggled up with his favorite blankets I thanked God for the tremendous progress and growth he has accomplished. I know God is going to continue to do amazing things with Cruz and I am so humbled.

SHELL, FERRARI, and SINGAPORE!!!

This year,  I got a big surprise from Shell! I was asked to become part of their Shell V-Power Network of Champions. They wanted me to travel in different places to learn more about Shell and what they do. The first leg of the trip was in London but unfortunately I wasn't able to attend since I had prior commitments. But last September, I finally got to join the trip! I went to Singapore for the F1 Grand Prix to know more about engine health.

I joined the Philippine Team in Singapore comprised of Jinno Rufino, Beeboy Vargas, Vernon Sarne, Tim Yap and Patty Laurel. There were also other Shell V-Power Champions from European countries. Believe it or not, I was the youngest among the whole group! Pressure? Haha. 

Anyway, click on READ MORE to see what I did in Singapore.

I've always wanted to see the F1 Grand Prix LIVE. I used to watch a lot during the time of Michael Schumacher, Jacques Villenueve and Mika Hakkinen. I also followed when the young guys came in like Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton. Of course, I was there to cheer for FERNANDO ALONSO and FELIPE MASSA!!!

If there's one word to sum up the F1... LOUD!!! You really need earplugs! It's a MUST! When the drivers rev up their engines? Man! LOUD! But it's awesome!

We met a lot of the SHELL executives and it was really cool that we got to learn what Shell V-Power does to the engine. 

Why is engine health important? 

As an engine is used, it can be prone to friction, wear and the build-up of deposits in critical areas. Deposit build-up can block passages created for the lubricating oil to flow through. It can affect the engine's power, performance and efficiency...

So how does SHELL V-Power come in? Basically, the fuel is formulated with a unique double-acting formula designd to actively clean the engine and protect vital engine parts. 

Richard Bracewell who you can see in the picture above shows us 2 parts of 2 engines. One that uses SHELL V-Power and one that doesn't use SHELL V-Power. I'm telling you, the difference is huge! The one that uses SHELL V-Power is uber clean!!! And the one that doesn't??? Uber dirty!!! I'm glad I use SHELL V-Power... I know my engine is clean!!!

The most interesting thing I learned was the great partnership of SHELL and FERRARI. 

Just some facts for you guys...

12 Formula One World Driver's Championships

10 Formula One Constructor's Championships

>475 Formula One races contested

>155 Formula One race wins

>2000 Formula One World Championship points

99% of the chemistry used in the race fuel is identical to that in SHELL V-Power road fuel.

The tandem of SHELL and FERRARI dates back to 1929!!! Imagine that!!!

But I was amazed by the partnership. I couldn't tell who worked for SHELL and who worked for FERRARI. The 2 are so close that it seems like they're in one company!!!

I'll have more stories about my trip soon!!! For now, hope you liked this entry :)

Mapang-akit (2011)

Mapang-akit (John Torres, 2011)

In 2009, directors John Torres and Frosti Runolfsson, participants in DOX:LAB which endeavors to partner Scandinavian filmmakers with Middle-Eastern, Asian or African filmmakers for a film project, ventured into rural Antique to document the hudas-hudas, a practice done in a small town in the province every Black Saturday where an effigy of Judas is hanged and burned in the town center. Mapang-akit, assembled from footage that was unused for the documentary, may be accused as a mere product of afterthought. Fortunately, it is as gorgeous as it is anomalous, an alluring and exhilarating mix of communal and personal mythology, of documentary filmmaking and fictional storytelling, and finally, of the overtly banal and the subtly sublime.

Mapang-akit owes much to Torres’ creative process in Ang Ninanais (Refrains Happen Like Revolutions in a Song, 2010), where he made use of footage gathered while shooting in Panay Island. Everything, from people, stories, history, and language become separate components that are assembled to complete a whole that while reminiscent of its individual parts is clearly and convincingly different. Interestingly missing in the film however are Torres’ voice-over and poetry, marking a movement for Torres towards a storytelling style where he does not feature as a main element. What essentially remains is an idea that is just as personal as all the other ideas that populated all of his shorts and features, germinated from local myths and realized through astute artistry into a dazzling portrait of a woman adored and envied for her beauty and scorned for her being.

It is a lovely-looking film, relatable considering that what Torres primarily captures are random images of provincial life, but enveloped by some sort of supernatural gleam. People talk. Their discussions are kept secret, even to Torres, by the foreignness of their spoken dialect. With only the rhythms and melodies of what is heard from the villagers, Torres tells a very loose story of an alluring woman who has enchanted local men who mysteriously die through subtitles that do not correspond with what is actually being said.

Mapang-akit benefits much from the randomness of how things unfold, which seems rooted to the film’s formerly documentary intentions. The camera is curiously observant, reacting to the most delicate of details like the sudden gush of wind, the musical invites of a passing ice cream vendor, a random carabao that becomes curiously attracted to the act of being recorded on film. There is always that sense of being within the film as opposed to being mere unaffected onlookers, making the film unusually compelling despite the seeming mundaneness of everything.

While it is unavoidable that ethical questions are raised since the subjects are not actors who are portraying fictional characters, Torres never claims to tell the truth as most of the world normally sees it. Truth, after all, is sometimes overrated, especially when heartlessly removed from what should be a truly personal experience. Instead, he paints very personal dreams and visions on a canvas made from the visual and aural landscapes of hid footage, making the province’s dormancy irresistibly seductive and its unravelling mysteries oddly romantic.

(Cross-published in Twitch.)

Mark Torres' Surprise!

During the TRESE 4 Launch, right after the program, I had to dash to reach the 6pm mass with my family. On the way out, Comic Book Artist Mark Torres called me and said belated happy birthday. He said that I had too many Spidey sketches already so he gave me this.

I was in Comic Odyssey the last time I saw him and I was getting old back issues of Thundercats from the old WildStorm comics. I wanted to read some Thundercats since the cartoon is on break.

But this sketch of LION-O is just awesome!!! Mark was really cool to have given me this. It made my day that day!!! 

Thanks again Mark!!!

Oh, and by the way, Mark will be drawing TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES!!! WHAT. UP. Congrats Mark!!!

Things I'm liking now

I haven't done this in a bit but I just felt like sharing with you what's making me happy. Need to keep myself busy since being in a long distance relationship can be difficult...

First up is the 100 BULLETS Hardcover from DC/VERTIGO written by Brian Azzarello and drawn by Eduardo Risso. I decided not to get the trades for this book and I'm quite happy that DC decided to release a hardcover just like Y: The Last Man and Fables.

Click on READ MORE to see the rest :)

My favorite comic book now is the ALL-NEW Ultimate Comics Spider-Man! Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli relaunched the book with the brand new African-American/Latino Spider-Man, Miles Morales! This book has been awesome so far. 3 issues now and it's kickin ass!!!

I've been wanting to get shoes by Onitsuka Tiger and they are comfy as hell!!! I love them!!! Feels awesome when you walk!!! The Blue and Red on White was really my 1st choice but the Yellow on Black and Yellow on Blue look really cool too!!!

NESCAFE Dolce Gusto Coffee is just seriously good coffee!!! Plus it's so fun to make!!! I got a Red Piccolo for myself and I recently showed it to my friends when I had a party at home. It's just so cool having a NESCAFE Dolce Gusto system!!!

The OCEAN Cologne of the Men's Collection of Bath & Body Works is excellent!!! I smell fresh at work with this scent!!! I also have the NOIR and CITRON which smell just as great!!!

Buenas Noches, España (2011)

Buenas Noches, España (Raya Martin, 2011)

What separates Earth from space? If we are to base it from what could arguably be the most famous sequence in Andrei Tarkovsky’s Solaris (1972), it is a speedy ride along a futuristic highway. The sequence, around five minutes in length, oddly switching from black and white to color, and uses a Tokyo highway to pass for the futuristic highway, approximates the experience of travel, more specifically, space travel. Stripped of the usual pleasures of escapist science fiction where space travel is always depicted to be exciting or intriguing, Tarkovsky’s concept of space travel is more grounded, evoking a sense of displacement, awkwardness, even boredom. In a way, Tarkovsky has injected cinematic space travel with much-needed honesty, much-needed humanity.

What then separates now from then? Time travel is nothing new in cinema. Yet the actual experience of time travel has always been curiously neglected. At most, we have gotten ourselves satisfied by seeing speeding cars disappearing in the sky, or sparks and bolts of electricity appearing as kitschy contraptions are turned on. However, what actually happens to the human being that is transported back in time is left to the fringes of the imagination, unfairly blanketed by extraneous depictions of characters and things disappearing supposedly back in time. So if we are to base it from Raya Martin’s Buenas Noches, España, what separates now from then are not sparkles or random disappearances, it is reality-altering drugs and a lot of it.

The seemingly random events of Buenas Noches, España is grounded on one exposition, that on 1593, a Filipino soldier stationed in Manila suddenly vanishes and wakes up in Mexico City. Martin establishes several things through the anecdote. One, that non-traditional travel exists. Two, that there is an inherent connection between and among Spain and all of its former colonies. From those starting points, Martin places two lovers (Pilar Lopez de Ayala and Andres Gertrudix) in a trip across Spain, across time, and elsewhere. The footage of the couple are heavily processed, played and replayed in various tints of red, blue and yellow, accompanied by a perpetual droning and strategically placed sound effects from slapstick cartoons of the past.

Martin replicates the experience of being under the influence of drugs. He also replicates the feeling of being lost in time, seeing scenes played a few moments ago played again and again with various details changed, and listening to sounds that evoke reminiscence of carefree childhood. Being in the influence of drugs and time travel, although at first glance are two very different experiences, are actually interchangeable, giving Martin’s proposition logical sense, and very personal sense, too, since drug influence and time travel are both panacea to heartache, allowing a person an option to forget and to make what has been made permanent by the movement of time more or less malleable. Thus, the lovers seem to be in incomparable bliss being in that state of temporal randomness, oblivious of where they are and where they are going.

Curiously absent from the couple’s ecstatic trip is the Philippines, past or present. A visit to the museum would reveal artifacts from Spain’s past as colonial master: various paintings by Juan Luna, a Filipino artist who won various prizes for his paintings while sojourning in Europe with various other Filipino intellectuals. The sight of the paintings is sobering to both the lovers and Martin. From the vapid goofing around the museum’s various chambers, the lovers are mysteriously awestruck and emotional, as if reminded of a closeted fact in history. Martin slows down too, relaxing the editing, substituting the heavy drone with ominous silence, and settles with black and white visuals. The sudden break is strange but fitting, alluding to a shared history between countries, finally establishing that long lost thread that will finally connect present and past, and Spain and its former colony.

Buenas Noches, España is more frustrating than it is pleasurable. It is more experiential than intellectual. Just as Tarkovsky has created the most precise cinematic equivalent of space travel, Martin has created the most precise cinematic equivalent of being stuck in time, immobilized by some obsession with the past, with history, never moving forward, never moving backward.

(Cross-published in Twitch.)