Manila Times column for 01 March 2009: "Of e-books and literary imaginations"

original post here.

THE SCRIBE VIBE
By Libay Linsangan Cantor
Of e-books and literary imaginations

In the age of portable and mobile everything, would you convert your library to be on-the-go as well? This is where e-books come in.

In the late 1990s, the first e-books I encountered contained short stories, hence they weren’t too bulky to read in your computer. The idea back then for e-books was something to be acquired online, downloaded in your personal computer, printed out and then read away from the computer. Some who didn’t have printers opted not to print—a cheaper option for most.

But I remember a friend saying she preferred curling up in bed with a good book, so she hated e-books. But with the advent of the computer-based mobile technologies, this is not a problem anymore. Many devices today have the capability of storing e-books. Even music players such as iPods with bigger screens also have the capacity to display e-books via the simple text format. Mobile phones and other personal mobile devices are already prepared for the technology using PDF files or other applications. There are even devices made specifically for e-books technology, like online retailer Amazon.com’s Kindle device I mentioned last week.

Thus, all of these gadgets and technological advances make us carry our reading habits even further, contributing to newer ways of reading, but still implies traditional ways of imagining and enjoying literary texts. Authors are also not limited to traditional publishing woes as they could self-publish their own material via this technology—that is, if it’s okay for them not to have print versions of their works. Some writers find this set-up just fine.

As a keen observer of technological advancements, I am greatly excited about this new literary development of the e-book. However, when it comes to reading, the purist—or perhaps romantic—in me couldn’t seem to let go of the feel, smell and look of a traditional book, one with paper for pages, handsome or impressive covers, and emits a distinct smell that I am somehow addicted to—the “library smell” or “new book smell” or “bookstore smell.” Hey bookworms, I know you know what I’m talking about. These are some reasons why some people still prefer to buy books, real books, from bookstores all over the world.

But perhaps, whatever works for readers—be it e-books or the printed book—what’s more important is that people read literature. And that, to me, is something I would not question, but would proudly applaud. Whatever it takes for people to read more, I am all for that.

Comments? Suggestions? E-mail libay.scribevibe@gmail.com.

the archaeology of words

puwede pala iyon? interesting.



Scientists uncover oldest English words
Agence France-Presse
First Posted 12:05:00 02/28/2009

LONDON -- The oldest words in the English language include "I" and "who", while words like "dirty" could die out relatively quickly, British researchers said Thursday.

Scientists at Reading University in southern England have used a supercomputer called ThamesBlue to model the evolution of words in English and the wider family of Indo-European languages over the last 30,000 years.

They say that the most commonly-used words -- which also include the numbers two, three and five -- tend to be the oldest and change most slowly over time.

Meanwhile, adjectives like "dirty" and verbs like "squeeze" could disappear over the next eight centuries or so, the scientists say.

"What we've discovered is the frequency with which the words are used in our common everyday speech is a strong predictor of whether or not they will be retained and words we use a lot tend to be highly conserved," Professor Mark Pagel told BBC radio.

Because there are many different ways of saying "dirty" in Indo-European languages -- currently 46 -- it is more likely to die out, the team said, along with, for example, "push", "turn", "wipe" and "stab".

The oldest words in circulation today have been in use for at least 10,000 years, researchers added.

As well as English, other languages in the Indo-European family include Hindi, Gujarati and Bengali.

LDFG vs. Specter: Lovely Day ep I directed saturday morning

shameless plug, as always.

okay lang kung di niyo panoorin. buksan niyo lang ang tv sa ch7 at this time, then sleep again. it works sa ratings!

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please tune in to GMA7 this saturday morning at 9:30am and support this 30-minute program.
i directed this episode.

never mind the time in the photo. the show now airs at 9:30am, not 10am. Airing on February 28, 2009

LDFG vs. Specter

Airing on February 28, 2009
Saturday, 9:30 a.m.

Softball

The all-girl team of the Muntinlupa Little League has really proven their worth in the game of softball: they just clinched the right to represent NCR in the coming National Games this April!

Hosts Bea Binene and Gabby Roxas will meet the team members and learn the basics of this sport from the coach herself! Coach Nina will teach the two kids how to throw the perfect pitch and strike a winning home run! Bea and Gabby will also meet the youngest member of the league: 10-year old Kevyn Ann Lacson, who has been playing softball since she was 6!

Photography

Click! Click! It seems like when it comes to taking beautiful pictures, there are no limits for the students of Kids Ahoy, the country’s only photography school for kids.

From pretty portraits to exciting action shots, kids learn the basics of taking pictures in Kids Ahoy. One of its A-students is Alon Severino, the son of broadcast journalist Howie Severino. Alon will teach Host Bea Binene how to frame shots properly and how to creatively capture memorable moments!

LDFG vs. Specter

The evil partnership of Raijin and the Professor has conceived another evil plan to take the powers of the LD Force: The Specter! The Specter is a ghoulish creature that could suck courage from people, and its main goal is to take the LD Force’s bravery! Both Raijin and the Professor hope that through Specter, the Ld Force will finally surrender their powers!

Will Specter succeed in sucking the courage of the team? How will Love, Bea, Gabby, and Jacob be able to deflect Specter’s power? Find out in Lovely Day Force of the Guardians this Saturday, 9:30 AM on GMA-7!





About the show:

LD Force of the Guardians is the first fantasy – magazine show in Philippine Public Affairs programming. Airing every Saturday at 10 am, the program is starred by Love Anover, Bea Binene, Gabby Roxas and Jacob Raterta.

Formerly known as Lovely Day, this weekly morning show has successfully evolved from a good news magazine show to a fantasy - educational family show, until it created its own genre in television dubbed as the “fanta-zine" – a program that delivers educational and useful information through an entertaining and exciting format.

THE NEW SEASON

In the new season, we will see the old Lovely Day Force transform into a stronger league of heroes, the Lovely Day Force of the Guardians.

The episodes that will be aired every week will be part of a series that will delve even deeper into the lives of Love, Bea, Gabby and Jacob and the new challenges that await them.

The new season will also introduce new characters that are bound to spice up your early Saturday viewing experience: Mimoy, the guru who will guide the four, and Raijin, the Lord of Lightning and the arch nemesis who heads a host of monster minions.

Each episode promises to give you a rollercoaster ride of drama, comedy, action and suspense that will surely keep you glued to the succeeding episodes.

THE NEW STORIES

The new LD will also bring you the latest and freshest stories for both male and female audiences, young and old alike. These segments will be smoothly interwoven with the fantasy narrative each week.

As Love, Bea, Gabby and Jacob explore their new powers and fight new battles, they will also bring you the latest information and interesting features on different topics.

In her weekly reports, Love gives you the latest on what’s happening around the metro. She looks into the newest breakthroughs and discoveries in and out of the Philippines. She also features inspiring stories of ordinary people living extraordinary lives.

Bea brings you the latest kikay scoop in beauty and fashion. She also checks out the hippest gadgets, cutest toys and coolest inventions that are in with the youth today.

Gabby scouts for the best restaurants and eating spots serving the most delicious dishes.

Jacob explores the popular and hidden wonders of the Philippines and of the world. He also features stories on how to take care of the environment, one of the LD Force of the Guardians’ most important missions.

THE AWARD-WINNING HISTORY

Lovely Day’s first episode aired on April 3, 2004. Back then, it was a magazine show that delivered the good news to the viewers’ homes to make their weekends lovely and happy.

A few months later, Lovely Day explored the fantasy genre to include the interests of a wider and younger audience. The program presented informative segments interwoven by a fantasy narrative.

The new format was well-received by the public and Lovely Day was able to maintain a loyal following every week.

In 2006, Lovely Day celebrated its second anniversary with an anime-inspired fantasy narrative introducing the new band of superheroes, the Lovely Day Force.

Although the format has changed over the years, Lovely Day’s aim stayed the same: to deliver educational information, to impart good values and to empower people to live lovely lives.

This was recognized by reputable award-giving bodies as Lovely Day received a number of awards and recognitions:
• Catholic Mass Media Awards, Best Children’s Show (2005)
• US Television and Film Festival Certificate of Excellence (2006)
• Anak TV Seal Awardee (2005, 2006 & 2007)

wala ako sa mood...

...and it's not about procrastination this time. this is about something heavier -- temporality.

wikipedia defines it as such:

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Temporality is a term often used in philosophy in talking about the way time is. The traditional mode of temporality is a linear procession of past, present, future. Some 20th century philosophers have made various interpretations of temporality in ways other than this linear manner; for example, the present moment emerging only from where our projected future is curled back into a past.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

so bear with me if this unusual rant takes a longer time to unfold and express.


earlier, i blogged about how i had such a fucker of a day last wednesday, the actual people power 1 celebration day, and how my day started and ended in traffic, with my butt clearly ensconced into the fabric or material of the seat i was occupying. but it didn't end there. after the long trip back from uplb, my co-worker friend avie and i met up with fellow co-worker and friend teta din somewhere in riverbanks area marikina. a pity we arrived late for bellini's in calumpang, but still early for the new scenic pugad dencio's. we settled down there with our boxes of baked los banos goodies in tow, and discussed for about 2 hours or more, some issues and concerns that concern our work and all.

that was also indeed tiring.

but amidst all that talk in scenic riverside dencio's, a text from my mother zapped what energy was left of me. it said:

"wala na si dona. bumigay na heart."

earlier that day, i asked my new academic info officer, bang, to research on what sepsis is. simply put by teta's friend mavi, it just means blood infection, could be of the fatal kind. as i was gearing up last wednesday morning to start my day, my mum texted that my young cousin dona slipped into a coma, because of complications of pneumonia, and sepsis as the doctor said. asthma runs in our family, and this whole medical condition of hers began with simple coughing and a bit of asthma fit. the night before that, her youngest sister boojing texted all her cousins to tell of her ate dona's situation. that was just a shocker.

and now this. she's gone.

dona was just 31. she was 3 months pregnant, as i learned from a cousin. she already has a child, a small kid named agatha. as pretty as her. well, everyone in the linsangan clan was pretty, after all. no bragging intended. we are blessed with good genes that carry pretty faces, big butts and humongous boobs. the female of the species, that is. although some male cousins have manboobs, but that's another issue...

"baby" agatha and dona,
from cousin aja's blog

she was just 31. my younger sister jazz, my only sibling, is 32. kami-kami ang magkababata, partly because their family (orfinada) and ours (cantor) grew up in project 4, a suburb in quezon city. our mom and their mom are sisters, sila ang bunso sa linsangan clan sisters or as we cousins fondly call them, "the golden girls." they had one brother, si kuyang, who died when i was young. my mom is the second youngest, my tita boochie was the youngest. tita boochie is dona's mom.

kaya ang close ko nang cousins, halos mga 2-4 years older sa akin, or 2-4 years younger sa akin. wala akong ka-age sa kanila, pero mas close ako sa younger batch. some of my older cousins have kids already, and these kids ay medyo malapit pa sa amin ng edad, kaya mas chika ko rin sila in a way. ganun din sina dona. kaya sometimes, growing up, i never liked attending the yearly linsangan reunions because i felt i was in the middle, with no particular ka-batch, until i caught up with my older cousins when i graduated and became a working professional. pero itong mga mas bata ang ka-chokaran ko. like sina dona nga, at kapatid ko, at ako, pinagchichismisan namin ang ibang relatives at kung anu-ano pang issues sa clan ek. you know the drill. until our own lives put spaces in between our interactions as we grew older, experienced things outside our clan, and met people we related to better even if they were not our relatives.

so to learn that 31 year old younger cousin dona was gone made me think of temporality, of how our own ticking clocks tick loud enough for us to hear it, to better prepare us for what's about to come, or ignore it altogether and live life the way we want it to. with all the blah blah problems we have been having lately at work, it pales in comparison now when i think of my own temporailty, whether i will still be here with you today after i publish this post, or if tomorrow i'll be another fertilizer at loyola memorial.

yeah, it's like that. it doesn't affect me this much when the death is of someone not that close, although i've been profoundly affected by deaths of people who are not my relatives but who were somehow close, or served as mentors. but this one is different. i grew up with this girl. she was there when i was making my film thesis (she acted in it). i saw her and her brother grow up. we were neighbors in bugallon street in project 4. we visited them often when they relocated to cainta. our family and their family was close. her mom and my mom are movie-watching buddies. it's different this time. i am affected. deeply affected. even if, in the past years, i didn't agree to where she was steering her life a bit (puro gimik), maybe now, in hindsight, it had a purpose, sabi nga ng nanay niya. na baka maikli lang talaga ang buhay niya kaya party dito, party doon, clubbing dito, nightlife doon ang ginawa. and i agree. baka nga that ticking clock was underneath all these actions, and we just weren't aware of it. but she was.

isa pang gusto ko sa family nila, alam nila ang media world. si tito bong kasi, may relatives na producers noon sa channel 9. dona's younger brother hugo was actually a contemporary of juday, or actually mas nauna pa siya umarte at umiyak sa soaps kesa kay juday, kasabay nila si gladys reyes na laging kontrabida, pero mabait sa totoong buhay. when i was 13, sila ang ka-hangout ko sa studios ng channel 9 where they taped their soaps, at doon ako unang nakakita ng tv shoot sa buhay ko, kaya may ganun akong affinity sa kanilang pamilya. kaya sa film thesis ko sa film school, silang magkapatid ang kinuha kong artista para sanay na. saka na-a-appreciate nila ang media work ko ng tunay, unlike my other relatives na flashy lang ang tingin dito, syempre kasi hindi nila naiintindihan ang inner workings ng media/showbiz.

kaya medyo weird na nakita ko siya sa loob ng kabaong, lifeless. ang magimik na pinsan e wala nang buhay. ang labo. and it still makes me tear up when i think about it. ang dami namang puwede mamatay muna di ba? satan has a long list. i have my own list, if the grim reaper wants it. just don't take young people like her away, like this. not like this. and not this early.

ang labo.

kaya for two days now, i opted to stay at home for now. next week na ko lalabas ulit, after her sunday burial. wala ako sa mood. dedma sa deadlines. hindi ako mamamatay kapag di ko sila na-beat. dedma sa responsibilities. life is too short to be stressed out by them, especially the unnecessary ones. those things can wait. just let me mourn for a while. then i'll be okay again. hindi ito OA. a weird sense of deep loss lang naman. and it's sad, really sad. when i entered the loyola chapel yesterday, hindi pa nga ako nakakasilip sa coffin, her dad, tito bong, burst into tears when he saw me. and i hugged him and i burst into tears as well. we instantly felt that loss, and we couldn't help it.

no, not like this. she's so young. marami pang puwedeng gawin. at paano na si agatha?

hay naku...things like this make me think of my own mortality, and how life is short, and how i have been lucky so far, to have attained all that i have attained in my life, and to reach the things i did, stuff like that. too bad she won't have that now.

yesterday at the wake, i knew her younger brother hugo already had his cry. but as i was chatting with my other cousins, i was watching him, standing alone in front of the coffin, his ar mscrossed near his chest, occasionally looking closely at her face, perhaps wondering if what he was seeing was true, or maybe hoping that what he was seeing was untrue. i welled up when i saw this scene, but i fought against it. nakakalungkot. nakakalungkot talaga.

so who's to say that 31 is a young age to die? most. pero paano kung iyon lang ang limit ng temporality niya? it makes me think of my own temporality then, kung ilang taon pa ako dito sa mundo, maglalakad, magsusulat, kakain, manonood ng sine, magmumuni-muni. i know i don't want to be a 70 year old invalid, so the moment na maging invalid ako, euthanasia na please. ayokong maging pabigat, at ayoko ring maging useless. ayoko ring naka-display ako sa wake. gawan niyo na lang ako ng avp na ipe-playback sa wake, tapos closed casket just like journalist louie beltran's, and after that, cremation na lang. part of my ashes sana maisambulat sa outer space, kung pagbibigyan ng NASA. the rest, itago ng sinumang nais magtago. ayokong ilibing, ayoko ng may tombstone. basta kung maalala ng tao, e di naalala. kung hindi, keri lang.

god. all of these problems at work, in life, seem useless now, banal, baseless, if confronted with mortality. so you see, it's not really procrastination. told you it was something else.

so i'll just let this pass. for now. ganun na lang siguro.

pampalubag-loob

i had a fucker of a day last night, from beginning to end, spilling over about an hour to the next.

most of my butt suffered in traffic, first in metro manila where the frigging edsa one celebs rerouted most of edsa traffic, causing much traffic everywhere else. buti na lang nakaabot pa ko on time sa isang mega coverage duty scheduled that lunchtime. then from horseshoe vill, on to slex na ginagawa pala punyeta kelan ba matatapos yun, to go to UP los banos for the UP Open University anniversary. it was a big and important academic shindig so naturally, we were there. we just spent like no more than 3 hours there, and then we boarded the uncomfy vehicle back to manila, more butt torture in tow.

i just found the earlier gustatory experience ironic with the latter. at the mega thing, i will be writing a resto feature so the resto i went to served up their sampler dishes that the photoggrapher shot, and then i tasted. i didn't have time to wolf down the entire thing because i was already late for the uplb trip thing. but i was able to sample all dishes, except for the sweet dessert. the food was superb, at dapat lang siguro considering the price. i tasted a 700+pesos worth of liver pate, a 1000+ lamb shank, a 600+salad, an 800+ prawn dish and a 400+ dessert thing. tumbling ito. that was my lunch. sayang mg digicam batteries conked out, napiktyuran ko sana ang mga ito, because they looked prettier, so pretty to eat.

my dinner was something else. it was the freebie sit-down dinner sa openU anniv. the selection wasn't so happy and the servings weren't so filling. had we known na puwede kaming lumafesh na pg-mode (pataygutom, accdg to my friend bubbles' terminology to describe serious lafangan na galit-galit level) outside the official venue, dun na kami umatak. pero dahil hindi na nga, nag-mcdo takeout na lang kami sa slex pabalik sa manila. and of course the required detours sa d'original buko pie store at ang natagpuan namin sa wakas na store ng mernel's that bake the second most delicious butterscotch in the philippines (the first being quan's of bacolod).

kapagod.

pero may pampalubag-loob ang stars.

Taurus Horoscopes

(Apr 20 - May 20)

Thursday, Feb 26th, 2009 -- As the day progresses, you might become weary of your worldly responsibilities and long for some peace and quiet away from others. Although you truly desire solitude, you are not particularly lazy now. Others may not be able to see how much energy you are actually expending, for you may limit your activity to the realms of imagination and fantasy. This is not a waste of your time; what you dream about today may happen tomorrow.

kapagod pa rin. well, at least that sounds hopeful for today.

50 questions about chorvaness

repost ko lang dito. mula sa facebook kulitans. last week pa ata ito. or two weeks ago?

tagged by kia and arlene, so here goes.
decided to make the full-force one (the 50 questions hehe).
wala lang, it's a friday and this is a way of chillaxin' :)

kung di niyo trip sagutan, okay lang din naman :)


--------

Post this on your profile, replacing my answers with yours.

Tag 25 people (including me) to do the same thing.

If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.


1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE:
-- yes. olivia hussey, the star of the 1968 film ROMEO AND JULIET directed by franco zeffirelli. she was romeo. charot! siyempre juliet. my mum loved her. hm, kaya siguro cinematic ang life ko hehe...

sayang lang na hussey didn't make such a dent after that juliet role. the only memorable role yata she had after that was being norman bates' mother in one of the chipipay PSYCHO sequels.

hey, at least i wasn't named after pink floyd, right? i actually met a boy named that. his brother is named van halen. i am not making this up. inaanak ng nanay ko si van halen. kuya nila si led zeppelin. rakista ang tatay nila noon.

the stupid scene from ROMEO AND JULIET,
where juliet exclaims "bakit ka nagpakamatay?
hintayin mo ako, magpapakamatay na rin ako!" chenelyn.

lesson: love is stupid. puppy love lalo na.
13 at 14 lang si romeo at juliet sa original
shakespeare play, di ba? tang-a!

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
-- i think 2 weeks ago. i was enjoying my new ipod for the first time, and for the first time this year, i slept alone sa haus, so that moment had me having moments while emoting with music, so ewan kung bakit ako naluha lang. nothing serious, though.


3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
-- my friends used to say i have my own font when writing. i happen to believe them.

when i was in high school, i hated my handwriting. my madre of a teacher one day grabbed one of the compositions submitted to her, and waved the white pad saying we shouldn't write like chicken scratch or something. at ang tumataginting na ehemplo niya ay ang papel ko.

die, madre! (yes, i hate penguins.) since then, i thought my handwriting was shit.

when i was in college, my spanish 1 teacher changed all this. at 7.20am in the morning (7-8.30a ang class ko), she waved one of the yellow pads and exclaimed that as language students, our handwriting should always be neat and legible chenes, and quickly pointed to my paper and said "like senorita cantor, who has neat handwriting" sabay smile. kasi that time, gamit ko na ang point 1 techpen sa pagsusulat at kahit pangit ang sulat mo, neat siyang tignan when using this.

ole!


4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
-- does spam count here?


5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
-- nope.


6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
-- hm, i think so. i've always liked to have a twin, so yeah. as in tunay na twin ha, hindi yung nasa isip ko lang na parang psycho ako ek or schizo. gusto ko nga lalaki ang twin ko e. hm...


7. DO YOU USE SARCASM?
-- yuhhhh. it's my middle name.


8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
-- yuuhhhh


9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
-- i already did. ang saraaaaaaaaaaap! altho mababa lang naman, mula sa mga matataas na puno ng buko (around 30-50ft) at lupa ang lalagpakan. masaya pa rin.

i actually wanna try skydiving sana. hinayang nga ako na di ako nakasama sa shoot dati na skydiving ang topic. nasubukan ko sana hehe.


10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
-- nothing in particular. nung maliit ako, fruit loops. but now, my cousin doc limited me to the ones that lower my cholesterol. so i have this honey-flavored cheerios-type in the pantry.


11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
-- eheheh minsan hindi


12. WHERE IS/ARE YOUR FAVORITE PLACE(S) TO VISIT?
-- used to like baguio but the pollution there's so bad na! it's like being stuck in an aircon room with smokers.

i dunno why i like bangkok so much. apart from looking like a thai girl (na lagi talaga ako napapagkamalan hehe), i love the way i blend in that city. i really don't know why. i'm gearing up to visit this year sana, kung okay na ang situation dun.


13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
-- growing up, it was baskin robbins's jamocha flavor and magnolia's coffee mangosteen. now, any coffee-flavored treat will do.


14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE ?
-- if they're full of themselves. then i avoid them.


15. RED OR PINK?
-- um, purple? unless you're talking about menstruation, i don't know how to answer this. (pink mens?)


16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
-- ang pagiging sipunin!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i want a new nose.


17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
-- wala naman. i'm good. altho i wish i could chika wth my sister again na nasa calif. congrats!!! nurse na siya.


18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO COMPLETE THIS LIST?
-- hindi naman. kung nais lang nila at hindi labag sa kalooban nila.


19. WHAT ARE YOU WEARING right now?
-- a dark grey shirt and panties. and a smile.


21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
-- wit. i'm still downloading the OSTs i wanna listen to, particularly VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA.


22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
-- i used to identify with prussian blue. now, hm, kung may amber color na sa crayon, yun ako.


23. FAVORITE SMELLS?
-- wala naman masyado. basta napapangiti ako, i love that smell.


24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
-- my mum


25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
-- wala naman masyadong pressure. tag tag lang.


26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
-- growing up, i liked watching baseball games and tennis matches, stefi graf time. now, it doesn't interest me as much.


27. HAIR COLOR?
-- wit. if there's anything i won't do with my body, it's to color the hair.


28. EYE COLOR?
-- parang mega dark brown


29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
-- no. glasses. it's sexier hehe


30. FAVORITE FOOD?
--dami ati! tuna sashimi, cheeses (the soft ones, camembert/brie and the like), lamb dishes, bbq stuff, isaw! fresh lettuce tomatoes carrots, fruits, ah basta mahilig ako kumain!


31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
-- intelligent narratives. regardless of ending.


32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
-- VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA. i so love penelope cruz in this one. reminded me of an ex na siraulo din hahaha! aba eh kung ganun lang sya ka-hot e di tityagain ko rin siya like what javier bardem's character did hahahah! choz.


33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
-- grey


34. Boxers or briefs?
-- i lke wearing those parang square-ish undies baga, ewan kung ano tawag dun. sa herbench meron.


35. HUGS OR KISSES?
-- licks? hehehe


36. FAVORITE DESSERT?
-- more of sweets. anything sweet. depende sa mood, basta wag masyadong carbo loading lang.


37. IF YOU COULD MAKE A WISH?
-- i wish i am a media mogul.


38. WHAT (in general) BOTHERS YOU THE MOST?
-- stupidity and arrogance, especially when practiced by intelligent people.


39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
-- i recently picked up THE BEACH by alex garland in my neighborhood booksale shop. winner sa price kasi (at 45, from 70 pesos!) a friend said the book is better than the film and as a traveler, i should read it. currently enjoying it. will just return to the one i started last year before i fell into thesis mode, yung THE ILLUSIONIST ni francoise mallet-joris (a lesbian novel).


40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
-- my hand!


41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?
-- don't really watch tv. there's a reason it's called the boob tube.


42. FAVORITE SOUND(S):
-- i like contrasts in sounds. thus, birds chirping amidst the slowly escalating morning road sounds are wonderful to listen to as i wake up in the morning.


43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
-- beatles had the better composers. but i like some stones' songs, in fairness.


44. WHERE IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
-- i think india. went to rajasthan for 10 days in 2007. winner siya! i wanna visit other parts, tho.


45. DO YOU HAVE SPECIAL TALENTS?
-- i'd like to believe so. hehe. procrastination is one. and twisting my tongue in 3 different directions is another.


46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
-- qc. in a hospital


47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?
-- interesting to read them all.


48. WHERE DID YOU MEET YOUR SPOUSE/SIGNIFICANT OTHER?
-- saan pa, e di sa makasaysayang downelink! hehe :P


49. WHAT IS THE CRAZIEST THING YOU HAVE EVER DONE?
-- quit a high-paying job (international NGO) for a low-paying one (teaching in tha pilipins! in a public school!) . but it's rather rewarding naman pala in the long run, so goes the cliche :)


50. WHAT SHOULD YOU BE DOING INSTEAD OF THIS QUIZ?
-- preparing my iligan workshop entries hehe, along with writing two other stories for some anthology. bukas na lang.



o sha, kayo naman. punta muna ko pet society hehe.

[wawa dam, montalban]
tinda sa tabi-tabi

society schmociety

may ganito pala. achieve!


On a cloudy day she saw beauty forever
By Ester Dipasupil
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 04:20:00 02/22/2009

That serendipitous day in 2007, when Giselle stumbled across a stunning display of nature’s wonders as she and her friend were sunning themselves on a New South Wales beach, brought her in contact with the Cloud Appreciation Society.

English author and cloud advocate Gavin Pretor-Pinney founded the London-based organization in 2004, feeling that clouds had been “unjustly maligned.”

Giselle had e-mailed the Jervis Bay photograph to her mom, who showed the shot to a friend, Dr. Laura T. David, an oceanographer.

David promptly identified the mass as a Kelvin-Helmholtz Wave Cloud (named after two scientists who did a study on turbulence in the 19th century), and said this type of cloud did not make itself visible in the Philippines because of our climate.

Wondering what cloud could be amazingly patterned like breaking sea waves, as if sketched or photo-shopped by a graphic artist, and now equipped with a name to identify it, Giselle excitedly looked up references on the Internet and ended up with a website address of the Cloud Appreciation Society (http://cloudappreciationsociety.org).

read the whole article here. haba e.


sige lang. nakakatuwa ang mga naiisip ng human race, aney?

pero bet ko sha ha. aside from astronomy, likes ko magtanaw-tanaw ng clouds sa skies. at mag-picture-picture paminsan-minsan.

Manila Times column for February 22, 2009: "E-books versus audio books"

original post here.

just for the record, the original title of this is "New ways of 'reading' literature." la lang. mas type ko kasi yun kesa sa pinili nila dito. oh well...

THE SCRIBE VIBE
By Libay Linsangan Cantor
E-books versus audio books

For weeks now, I’ve been asking friends what they preferred, e-books or audio books. The jury is still out, so to speak.

I asked this because patronizing one or the other entails buying the technology that supports it, and that involves some small investment. On my part, I have always been a “walkman junkie” as I grew up in the 1980s enjoying the compact mobility that my portable radio/music player afforded me. Imagine carrying a small device the size of your hand where you could play your favorite music anytime and anywhere. When the technology changed, the discman didn’t quite cut it for me due to the size of the player that had to hold the compact disc. But with the advent of the mp3 player this decade, things became small again, even smaller. Music tripping was never happier, thanks to the one gig’s worth (or more) of music at the palm of your hand. Thus, I began experimenting with audio books five years ago.

However, listening to someone read a book for me somewhat took away some of my contribution in the imagining of the novel. There were times that I wanted to see how words were written, spelled or laid out on the page, and the audio book takes away that privilege. But I guess it depends on the kind of material one “reads” as an audio book.

The e-book is another thing. This technology was introduced to me in the late 1990s when the owner of a cultural webzine I co-edited wanted to sell Filipino tales through e-books. He wanted to emulate what Stephen King did to one of his novels—made them available chapter by chapter as an e-book, where people paid for each chapter. Since ecommerce was not so hot yet that time in Manila, the project failed.

Ten years later, in the age of palm pilots and mobile phones with large screens and qwerty keypads, e-books made a comeback. Now, there are computer software you can install in your handheld electronic devices to read different ebooks formats. Amazon.com even has its own e-book reader/device called Kindle. Imagine storing a mini-library at the palm of your hand, and opening them to read anytime you are stuck in traffic, waiting at some lobby, or wherever you are. Nothing beats reading the words on a page, even if it is an electronic page.

The thing with e-books is that, like a regular book, you are required to focus more on the words, unlike with audio books where you could somehow multitask as you listened. That is what attracted me to the technology earlier.

But now, I’m still torn. What do you think?

Comments? Suggestions? E-mail libay.scribevibe@gmail.com.

Attention: UPFI Students Who DID NOT Pre-enlist (BA, MA)

Did you fail to pre-enlist? READ THIS!

In order to help you have access to the actual classes you need for the first Semester AY2009-10, the pre-enlistment survey was conducted early this month.

However, due to the general low turnout in CMC, we are having difficulty assessing the number of sections and subjects we will offer next sem.

Thus, the UPFI Academic Division decided to reach out to those who were not able to do the pre-enlistment survey in this alternative process/venue.


The names listed below are the ones who did not pre-enlist, according to the CMC Admin tally. If you see your name here, read the guidelines below. If you know someone in the list, regardless if they are in our multiply contact list or not, please tell them to respond to this ASAP.


What to do:

1. For CONTINUING STUDENTS (BA/MA), if you see your name below,
email us at upfi.academic@gmail.com and send us the following:
-- your name
-- your student number
-- the list of subjects you are taking THIS SEM
-- the list of subjects you plan to take THIS SUMMER (if any)
-- the list of subjects you plan to take NEXT SEM (FIRST SEM)

2. If you are only signing up for RESIDENCY, you still need to drop us
a line so we could strike you out of this list.

3. If you are GRADUATING this semester, please drop us a line
and indicate so we could strike you off the list.

4. If you are SHIFTING OUT, going into NON-DEGREE STATUS or
any other status other than the ones mentioned here,
please drop us a line so we could mark it.

5. The deadline for this is February 23, 2009 Monday (a holiday).


FAILURE TO SEND US YOUR CHOICES MEAN YOU MIGHT RUN OUT OF SLOTS/SECTIONS, ESPECIALLY FOR YOUR MAJORS. PLEASE PARTICIPATE ACTIVELY NEXT TIME.

If you classes/groups/orgs have mailing lists or any other online networking capability, feel free to repost this message to reach out to your classmates/orgmates/friends who may be on this list.

Thanks.

List of Students who did not Pre-enlist for
Summer 2008-2009 & 2nd Sem. 2009-2010

Undergraduate

1. Amor, Don D.
2. Arenillo, Krista Mae A.
3. Barcena, Bryanne Albert D.
4. Bembo Giselle
5. Bernardino, Gerelyn
6. Borlaza, Victor Juan Emmanuel A.
7. Buenaflor, Maria Erika E.
8. Castro, Marella C.
9. Dela Cruz, Michael DS
10. De Leon, Anne Christabel
11. De Leon, John Kenneth
12. Dela Cruz, Rosebell Mikaella Jean B.
13. De los Reyes, Melissa Bien M.
14. Duque, Nerissa Kamille C.
15. Ericta, Jessie Michaela S.
16. Fernandez, Joan Rose C.
17. Icatlo, Patricia Janine A.
18. Kison, Justine Iathina Marie M.
19. Lansigan, Mairan Ryza
20. Magbanlac, Aphrodite B.
21. Mendoza, Almn Onieil L.
22. Moran,Romeo III B.
23. Pajar, Carl Alwind M.
24. Palaganas, Joanna Rizza A.
25. Patalinghug, Bernard Jose C.
26. Rapanut, Jennelynn P.
27. Refuerzo, Francesca Nicole B.
28. Reglos, Precious T.
29. Sarthoou, Carlos, Miguel S.
30. Sun, Candy Noreen Lynnelle
31. Tan, Hazel Marie C.
32. Tejero, Anna Katrina V.
33. Torres, Fatima Marie S.


List of Students who did not Pre-enlist for
Summer 2008-2009 & 2nd Sem. 2009-2010

Graduate

1. Abalahin, Anna Maria Socorro M.
2. Alandy, Joenathan M.
3. Alegre, Abraham Archangel A.
4. Andes, Sheryl Rose M.
5. Arumpac, Adjani G.
6. Benedicto, Nino Manuel S.
7. Carlos, Christine H.
8. Chuaunsu, Jewel Rachelene S.
9. Cordero, Carlo Antonio C.
10. Cordero, Patrick Ian V.
11. Corpuz, David R.
12. Cosio, Ana Karina A.
13. Curamen, Valerie I.
14. De Castro, Emilio Fidel R.
15. De Jesus, Ramil V.
16. Dela Cruz, Vincent S.
17. Galang, Michael-Juancho S.
18. Garcia, Kim Homer C.
19. Gutierrez, Carlo Joel B.
20. Ham, Jongsuk
21. Lozada, Felizer Louie M.
22. Mateo, Julie Christine DC
23. Ong, Bryan Oscar P.
24. Quesada, Bryan T.
25. Rodriguez, Romel Son D.
26. Sabado, Alma D.
27. Silarde, Vincent Q.
28. Sumabat, Maria Cecilia C.

106 films without sheer logic

kinopya ko lang kay ceia. for more procrastination!

di ko feel mag-check ng papel ng students today, kaya heto ako heheh.

-------

SUPPOSEDLY if you've seen over 85 of these films, you have no life. Mark the ones you've seen. There are 239 films on this list. Copy this list, go to your own blog account, paste this as a note. Then, put x's next to the films you've seen, add them up, change the header adding your number, and click publish at the bottom.

( ) Rocky Horror Picture Show
(x) Grease
(x ) Pirates of the Caribbean
(x ) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest
( ) Boondock Saints
( x) Fight Club
( ) Starsky and Hutch
(x) Neverending Story
( ) Blazing Saddles
(x) Airplane
Total: 6

(x) The Princess Bride
( ) Anchorman
(x ) Napoleon Dynamite
( x) Labyrinth
( ) Saw
( ) Saw II
( ) White Noise
() White Oleander
() Anger Management
() 50 First Dates
() The Princess Diaries
( ) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
Total so far: 9

(x) Scream
() Scream 2
( ) Scream 3
() Scary Movie
( ) Scary Movie 2
() Scary Movie 3
() Scary Movie 4
(x) American Pie
() American Pie 2
() American Wedding
( ) American Pie Band Camp
Total so far: 11

(x) Harry Potter 1
(x) Harry Potter 2
(x) Harry Potter 3
(x) Harry Potter 4
(x) Resident Evil 1
( ) Resident Evil 2
() The Wedding Singer
() Little Black Book
() The Village
() Lilo & Stitch
Total so far: 16

(x) Finding Nemo
( ) Finding Neverland
() Signs
( ) The Grinch
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
() White Chicks
() Butterfly Effect
(x) 13 Going on 30
(x) I, Robot
( ) Robots
Total so far: 19

() Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
() Universal Soldier
(x) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
() Along Came Polly
() Deep Impact
( ) KingPin
() Never Been Kissed
() Meet The Parents
() Meet the Fockers
( ) Eight Crazy Nights
( ) Joe Dirt
() KING KONG
Total so far: 20

(x) A Cinderella Story
(x) The Terminal
( ) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
( ) Passport to Paris
(x) Dumb & Dumber
( ) Dumber & Dumberer
(x) Final Destination
() Final Destination 2
( ) Final Destination 3
( ) Halloween
(x) The Ring
( ) The Ring 2
( ) Surviving X-MAS
( ) Flubber
Total so far: 25

() Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
(x) Practical Magic
(x) Chicago
( ) Ghost Ship
( ) From Hell
( ) Hellboy
() Secret Window
(x ) I Am Sam
(x ) The Whole Nine Yards
( ) The Whole Ten Yards
Total so far: 29

( ) The Day After Tomorrow
(x ) Child's Play
( ) Seed of Chucky
() Bride of Chucky
(x) Ten Things I Hate About You
( ) Just Married
() Gothika
(x ) Nightmare on Elm Street
(x) Sixteen Candles
( ) Remember the Titans
() Coach Carter
( ) The Grudge
( ) The Grudge 2
(x) The Mask
( ) Son Of The Mask
Total so far: 34

(x ) Bad Boys
( ) Bad Boys 2
( ) Joy Ride
( ) Lucky Number Slevin
(x) Ocean's Eleven
(x) Ocean's Twelve
(x) Bourne Identity
(x) Bourne Supremecy
( ) Lone Star
( ) Bedazzled
(x) Predator I
( ) Predator II
() The Fog
( ) Ice Age
( ) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
( ) Curious George
Total so far: 40

(x) Independence Day
(x ) Cujo
( ) A Bronx Tale
( ) Darkness Falls
(x ) Christine
(x) ET
(x) Children of the Corn
( ) My Bosses Daughter
(x) Maid in Manhattan
(x ) War of the Worlds
(x ) Rush Hour
( ) Rush Hour 2
Total so far: 48

( ) Best Bet
(x) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
(x) She's All That
() Calendar Girls
(x) Sideways
(x) Mars Attacks
() Event Horizon
(x) Ever After
(x) Wizard of Oz
(x) Forrest Gump
(x) Big Trouble in Little China
(x) The Terminator
(x ) The Terminator 2
(x ) The Terminator 3
Total so far: 59

(x) X-Men
(x) X-2
(x ) X-3
(x) Spider-Man
(x) Spider-Man 2
( ) Sky High
( ) Jeepers Creepers
( ) Jeepers Creepers 2
(x) Catch Me If You Can
(x) The Little Mermaid
(x) Freaky Friday
( ) Reign of Fire
(x ) The Skulls
(x) Cruel Intentions
() Cruel Intentions 2
() The Hot Chick
(x) Shrek
(x) Shrek 2
Total so far: 71

( ) Swimfan
( ) Miracle on 34th street
( ) Old School
(x ) The Notebook
(x ) K-Pax
( ) Krippendorf's Tribe
(x) A Walk to Remember
(x ) Ice Castles
( ) Boogeyman
(x ) The 40-year-old Virgin
Total so far: 76

(x) Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring
(x) Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
() Lord of the Rings Return Of the King
(x ) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(x ) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(x ) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Total so far: 81

() Baseketball
() Hostel
( ) Waiting for Guffman
( ) House of 1000 Corpses
( ) Devils Rejects
( ) Elf
( ) Highlander
() Mothman Prophecies
(x) American History X
( ) Three
Total so Far: 82

( ) The Jacket
(x) Kung Fu Hustle
( ) Shaolin Soccer
(x) Night Watch
(x) Monsters Inc.
(x) Titanic
( ) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
( ) Shaun Of the Dead
( ) Willard
Total so far: 86

( ) High Tension
( ) Club Dread
(x ) Hulk
() Dawn Of the Dead
(x) Hook
(x ) Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
(x ) 28 days later
( ) Orgazmo
( ) Phantasm
(x ) Waterworld
Total so far: 91

(x) Kill Bill vol 1
(x) Kill Bill vol 2
() Mortal Kombat
( ) Wolf Creek
() Kingdom of Heaven
( ) the Hills Have Eyes
( ) I Spit on Your Grave aka the Day of the Woman
( ) The Last House on the Left
( ) Re-Animator
() Army of Darkness
Total so far: 93

(x) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
(x )Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
(x)Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(x) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(x) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(x) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
( ) Ewoks Caravan Of Courage
( ) Ewoks The Battle For Endor
Total so far: 99

( x) The Matrix
(x ) The Matrix Reloaded
(x) The Matrix Revolutions
(x ) Animatrix
( ) Evil Dead
( ) Evil Dead 2
( ) Team America: World Police
(x ) Red Dragon
(x) Silence of the Lambs
(x) Hannibal
Total : 106

tapos na? walang logic ang listahang ito hahaha! labo.

Manila Times article: film review of VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA

this is a film review that came out today at the manila times newspaper. read the online version here.

it has been ages since i wrote a film review, for a publication. i've been writing informal ones on my blogs but i really dig writing one for official purposes, like this publication. i used to have a film review column at the now defunct localvibe.com (late 90s-early 2000s) and i immensely enjoyed that gig. that continued with herword.com, an affiliate of businessworld newspaper sometime in early 2000s. yun na ata ang last.

and now, this. and in a newspaper again at that, hindi lang sa online. kakatuwa hehe :) when i was the entertainment editor of the now defunct pinoy times newspaper (early 2000s), i also made special columns to print my film reviews, na kinatuwa naman ng mga nag-iimbita sa akin for the press preview dahil i call them as i see them (in short, kung pangets, chugi and justify. kung ganderz, praise and justify). i was actually glad to discover that some in the entertainment press enjoy honesty like that.

sana mag-dire-diretso na ito if ever. this is the gig i don't mind na delayed ang tf hahaha! kasi i get to watch films on the big screen, in advance pati. at puwede pa ako magsama ng friend hehe :) winner!

Thursday, February 19, 2009

FILM REVIEW

‘Living la vida loca,’ Woody Allen style

A review of Vicky Cristina Barcelona

By Libay Linsangan Cantor Contributor Trust Woody Allen to fall in love with a city and cinematically immortalize its charm via the quirky citizens that inhabit or visit them. Over the years, he has done that several times with his beloved New York, ranging from classics such as Manhattan, Annie Hall, and Bullets Over Broadway. And now, he does it for Spain, particularly Barcelona, and the quaint city of Oviedo in Asturias, with his latest opus Vicky Cristina Barcelona. For avid Allen fans, you won’t be disappointed with this change in scenery, and locale. The usual elements of his films—the ones we’ve grown accustomed to, and love dearly—are all here: An uptight New Yorker (Vicky, played by Rebecca Hall) with a “bland” partner (her fiancé Doug, played by Chris Messina), a more laidback/free-spirited New York soul/artist (Cristina, played by Scarlett Johansson), and the sexually charged individual that stirs up a hornet’s nest of a situation (Juan Antonio, played by Javier Bardem, the dashing Spanish artist that befriends and beds the two girl friends), plus a neurotic-slash-quixotic character that is just there to “mess” things up some more, albeit philosophically, gracefully, artfully or just plain crazily (the lovely Penélope Cruz who plays passionate Maria Elena, the ex-wife and artist colleague of Juan Antonio). With these character types alone, it’s easy to imagine how things begin and what happens next as the vacationing American girls meet the dapper Spaniard. Vicky is attracted to Juan Antonio and has a one night stand with him, before she gets married. After she gets married, Cristina ends up spending the rest of her summer living with Juan Antonio. Cristina has him all to herself, until he takes in Maria Elena to take care of her after her failed suicide attempt. The three share more than the house, so to speak. I’ll leave it up to you to discover what they discover for themselves. As with other Allen narratives, this one sets up the mood familiarly, guides you to a witty journey, and leads you to hang on to your seats for the exciting conclusion/s. While the artists’ tempers and personal temperaments fly high, their interactions are not that harsh or hard to take in, thanks to the wonderful sceneries where Allen takes us. He shows us Catalan-born Antonio Gaudí’s breathtaking architectural genius in Barcelona, the main subject of study of Vicky (this New Yorker is doing her graduate thesis on Catalan identity—go figure!). He shows us the main streets and side streets full of fruits, flowers, goods, shops and everything you can imagine of romantic Barcelona as seen through the eyes of Cristina and her developing sensibilities as a photographer. We hear haunting melodies played on Spanish guitar as it teams up with the wine, the greenery and the balmy ambience of Oviedo to set up the sparkling sexual attraction—and its obvious copulating conclusion—between hot Juan Antonio and quirkily pretty Vicky. With this film, it’s obvious that the neurotic New Yorker we have come to love in Allen has relaxed, taken a vacation, and fell in love with a place that made his wit sharper than ever. Sharp, but not scathing, and that is a fascinating change—a welcome one. After seeing this film, you will have the urge to hop on a plane and fly to Barcelona, to see things for yourself, and hope to capture one of the storylines that Allen served in this wonderful film.

masaya ang advise ng stars today...

eto sabi:

Taurus Horoscopes

(Apr 20 - May 20)

Wednesday, Feb 18th, 2009 -- You have been so focused on your role in the community or your status at work that you may have lost sight of the larger picture. Now it's time to start shifting gears and thinking about the future, rather than the present. Of course, you'll still need to meet your current obligations, but you can do that while rejuvenating the same dreams you set aside to get ahead in your career. You don't have to wait until your birthday to make a wish.

i wish i could make 10 more wishes :) but my life right now is one big wish fulfillment. so i'm good. la vita e bella. yeh.

okay winner!

at isa pa: HAPPY BIRTHDAY GOLDSTAR! :) hihi

don't do this!!!!!!!!!

i want i want i want! aaarrrggh!

yes, ebook wins.

the amazon.com kindle

naman e!

ito ang tinatawag na "bitter ocampo"

and yes, meron nang batas, yes, law, na puwedeng gamitin sa mga stupido tontong ganito.

ayan, napala niya.



Man emails sex video of ex-GF; is nabbed
By Nancy C. Carvajal
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:15:00 02/14/2009

MANILA, Philippines – A former call center agent has been arrested in Quezon City for allegedly spreading, through the Internet, a sex video of his former girlfriend.

The suspect, who police identified as Hener Caunte, 21, was nabbed on Thursday with the help of the victim in an entrapment operation on Litex Road.

The video showed his girlfriend and a man having sexual intercourse; it was passed on to all the girl’s relatives using the victim’s e-mail address, a police investigator said.

Case investigator PO3 Maribel Versoza said Caunte would be charged with violation of Republic Act 9262 or the Anti-Violence against Women and Children Act.

Based on the victim’s statement to the police, the scandalous footage could have been taken on Jan. 23, 2009, in one of their “nights-out” where she claimed she passed out and woke up inside a hotel room.

The victim also said that she and Caunte had been living together for the past three months at the house of the suspect’s relative in Antipolo City, but broke up on Jan. 25.

The 24-year-old single mother added that at the height of their argument, the suspect did not agree to a break-up and instead threatened her that he would spread a video footage where they were intimate.

“I ignored his threat because I never knew we’ve been filmed, but when I checked my mother’s e-mail two days after, I saw the horrible video,” she said.

She further said the suspect who knew her password in her e-mail used it to spread the scandalous video online.

The suspect, police said, denied uploading and sending out the footage.

“He said he loves her, why would he embarrass her that way,” police quoted the suspect as saying.

a moment of online vanity

as i was reading some things at several links, one of them being wikipedia, i got frustrated because i didn't find what i was looking for. i ended up closing the four tabs i opened at firefox.

before closing wikipedia, though, i thought of looking up my nickname in there, see what it will produce. just a curiosity. as with google and other search engines, whenever i type "libay," it would automatically ask "did you mean libya?"

right, i am a country.

but i discovered that there was an eastern european painter whose last name was libay who lived in the 1800s. okay.

so i decided to add my last name. and when i typed "libay cantor," it asked "did you mean libby cancer?"

wtf??? and there was no explanation for that.

wotevah.

so much for playing with words. and vanity.

Manila Times column for 15 February 2009: "The Literature of Love"

original post here.

siyempre may konting subtle promo dapat ito, pero i omitted it. i wanted to say na one of my short stories appeared in the Sawi anthology, pero dedma na hehe.

happy valentine's, kung uso sa inyo yun!

------

THE SCRIBE VIBE By Libay Linsangan Cantor The literature of love

Whether you were loveless or full of love this Valentine’s Day/season, may I suggest curling up (alone or with someone) and picking out a good book about love by Filipino authors? It’s a nice way to spend quality time with those you love—your significant other, or yourself. So many literary anthologies have celebrated love and all its different permutations. In the local scene alone, there have been books on love like an anthology on different kinds of relationships, several about gay love (the popular Ladlad series edited by Danton Remoto and J. Neil Garcia), even a collection of poetry that celebrated children’s love for their fathers. Thus, one couldn’t say we Filipino authors don’t have our contributions to the world of love. We write about love a lot, trust me. But what’s amusing is that there have also been several anthologies dealing with the loss of love—heartbreak. There are two exciting collections of heartbreak literature in the bookstores today, one is from Cozy Reads Publishing entitled Heartbreak (with the intriguing subtitle “Stories That Will Stay With You Longer Than Your Ex Did”) edited by UP creative writing graduate Ma. Celeste Flores-Coscolluela and the other is called Sawi: Funny Essays, Stories and Poems on All Kinds of Heartbreaks edited by Ateneo de Manila University professors Ada Loredo, BJ A. Patino and Rica Bolipata Santos, published by Milflores Publishing. While Heartbreak limited itself to ten short stories, Sawi expanded its collection to include not just short stories but also essays/creative nonfiction and poems. Heartbreak writers include Faye Ilogon and Carljoe Javier while Sawi writers include a veritable mix of veteran and upcoming writers like Gemino Abad, Nikki Alfar, Cesar Aquino, Pearlsha Abubakar, Ian Rosales Casocot, Bernice Roldan, Apol Lejano and Elyrah Salanga, to name but a few. Individual authors have also been writing about love and/or heartbreak in their own collections. During this recent Valentine season, I revisited one of my favorite collections of all time entitled Kung Di Man: Mga Tula Ng Pag-ibig 1970-1992 by Elynia Mabanglo. Now based in Hawaii, USA, Mabanglo’s poetry continues to captivate readers who have been rediscovering her lately. This collection shows her great command of the Filipino language, demonstrating how lyrical and beautiful our language is, especially when it speaks of love. This book contains her famous poem “Kung Ibig Mo Akong Makilala” which was also turned into a song by the great Susan Fernandez. Love has always fueled writers to immortalize feelings into odes, paeans and stories. Sometimes, in order to write, all you need is love, to quote the Beatles. Comments? Suggestions? E-mail libay.scribevibe@gmail.com.

valentine schmalentine

this love story cracked me up hehehe. got this from an email.

-------------

The love story of Ralph and Edna...

Just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to, doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.

Ralph and Edna were both patients in a mental hospital. One day while they were walking past the hospital swimming pool, Ralph suddenly jumped into the deep end. He sank to the bottom of the pool and stayed there.

Edna promptly jumped in to save him. She swam to the bottom and pulled him out.

When the Head Nurse Director became aware of Edna's heroic act she immediately ordered her to be discharged from the hospital, as she now considered her to be mentally stable.

When she went to tell Edna the news she said, 'Edna, I have good news and bad news. The good news is you're being discharged, since you were able to rationally respond to a crisis by jumping in and saving the life of the person you love. I have concluded that your act displays sound mindedness."

"The bad news is, Ralph hung himself in the bathroom with his bathrobe belt right after you saved him. I am so sorry, but he's dead.'

Edna replied, 'He didn't hang himself, I put him there to dry. How soon can I go home?'

goldfish's art angel-esque project :)

magandang umaga! :)

sabi rin ng stars:

Taurus Horoscopes

(Apr 20 - May 20)

Saturday, Feb 14th, 2009 -- You might send a Valentine's Day card to someone special, but this may be more of a formality than a true expression of what's in your heart. Your deepest feelings won't easily be channeled into words, for today you need to demonstrate your love directly, rather than just talking about it. Don't be afraid of trying something new to show how much you care.

i'm sure katrapikan ang sangkamaynilaan today! lalo na yung mga kalyeng papuntang flower group at iba pang motels hehe. sakto sa sabado ang date day na ito kasi.

kaya bukas kami lalabas. not really for a valentine's chenes, but to actually watch ZSA ZSA ZATURNNAH ZE MUSICAL. sa wakas mapapanood ko na rin!

funny ang isa diyan. nang sinabi kong feb15 kami lalabas, sabi "ano yan, date ng kabit?" hahahaha! may ganun?

be well, all!

funny freaky floofloo quote of the day

actually, two days ago pa ito hehe. three if you count that i'm blogging at past midnight of monday (so tuesday na).

last sat, i attended the very first homeowners association of the condo residences chorva where i live. maraming issues at controversies sa meeting na nauwi sa mga angsty people grabbing the mic and airing their (unnecessary) views. naturally, some views were negative, some were asking for unity from all, and some were just plain non sequitur. i swear, each of them deserves their own blog entry. saka na lang pag may energies na ko heheh.

but the most striking quote from that batch was from this dude who was trying to appease the overheated argumentative crowd.

back story: there was supposed to be an election that day of a new set of association officers. but that was met with a lotta flak. kaya ang dami who spoke their minds about the process.

at ito na nga ang tumataginting na winona sa quote:

noel (brimming, mega-all whites seen with perma-smile): um, hi! ako po si noel. unit owner po ako dito, pero di ako nakatira. napapadaan-daan lang po... ah, gusto ko lang sanang sabihin na... sana, magkakilanlan pa ang isa't isa dito, na makakatulong sa pagbobotohan natin ng susunod na board members. maaari po nating simulan sa pamamagitan ng pagkausap sa mga katabi natin. so ang gusto ko pong gawin niyo, humarap kayo, sige po, humarap kayo sa katabi niyo, at sabihin niyo sa kanya na "mahal ka ni hesus."

REACTION SHOT KO: humarap ako sa nanay ko na kasama ko sa meeting, niyakap ko siya ng mahigpit, and i buried my face in her shoulderblades...to keep me from bursting into uncontrollable laughter and blurting out WADAPAK!!!!!

sana huwag ko siya makasakay sa elevator noh, at ngingitian niya ko ng weird gollum-my-preciousssss type of smile niya, at sabihing mahal ako ni chorvah. potah. hm, ano kaya gagawin ko pag nangyari iyon? himatayin kaya siya if i raise my shirt and ipa-hello ko ang left boob ko, sabay sabi ng "pero mas mahal ko ito" or something wittier (or more wicked, or more heretic).

ang daming materyal dito heheh.

Manila Times column for 08 Feb 2009 "Books as the original interactive ‘game’"

original post here.

THE SCRIBE VIBE
By Libay Linsangan Cantor
Books as the original interactive ‘game’

No matter how advanced technology could develop, we still return to good “old-fashioned” books which supply us with the most imaginative and interactive form of entertainment, especially if it entails readers going into the world on the written page—literally.

Such is the plot of the film Inkheart I recently saw in theaters. I wanted to see how the filmmakers would translate this Cornelia Funke young adult fiction novel (the first of a trilogy), and it wasn’t disappointing. This first book is about a man who has a unique talent: whatever book he reads aloud, its elements come to life. As with all powers, this good thing is coupled with a bad thing—whenever elements come out of the book, something from the “real world” should go in, as replacement. Imagine that power. I wouldn’t want that man reading aloud the Lord of the Rings trilogy or anything like that.

As imaginative as this novel—and now film—could get, I couldn’t divorce myself from thinking of an earlier work similar in nature—The Neverending Story. This is a 1984 film based on another German writer’s (Funke is German, too) fantasy novel, Michael Ende. It’s about a bullied kid named Sebastian who went inside the book of the same title, and he is tasked to save the dying Empress of the book by simply giving her a new name. The land she inhabits is also being “eaten up” by this thing called Nothing. In the film, the way to fight this Nothing is to make many wishes. Simple enough, yes, but in 1984, I was an 11-year-old bookworm who wanted to trade places with Sebastian anytime.

Another childhood favorite is an animated series called The Superbook where two kids discover a big Bible with the ability to transport them to the stories inside it. Thus, each afternoon, I watch them hang out with Old Testament characters as those stories are narrated, and they, of course, learn a few lessons along the way.

This is the reason why I sometimes pity children these days whose imaginations seemed to be so “programmed and supplied” by the latest gadgets and technology at their disposal. Where’s the good old-fashioned firing up of the imagination by a good book? Sure, I also play these video games, computer games, and other games that supply me with ready visuals, but at the end of the day, I’d still rather curl up in a comfy nook with a good book and “travel away” within the worlds it presents to me, using my imagination. Nothing beats that kind of entertainment, still.

Comments? Suggestions? E-mail libay.scribevibe@gmail.com.

oh good lord, let this be so!

if this happens, huwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaw!


from jeanettewinterson.com:

--------------------------------------

Is it true that The Passion is being made into a movie?

Yes. Miramax have bought the rights. Gwyneth Paltrow and Juliet Binoche are signed. I'll put more details in the film and TV section when I have them.

----------------------------------------

i am a huge jeanette winterson fan. my own writings are evident of this, as her very postmodern works have inspired me to delve into metafiction as well. sobra! my favorite winterson novel of all time is THE PASSION, and i even wrote a spin-off fan fiction-ish type of short story inspired by one of the events in that novel. di pa tapos yun, will go back to that one heheh.

my favorite quotes of all time are also there. one inspires me to create more creative recreations of experiences that become my stories ("I am telling you stories. Trust me."). the other one is like a bold declaration which is also a huge note-to-self type ("What you risk reveals what you value.").

but if this book becomes a film, huwaaaaaaw! and si gwyneth pa, at si binoche! huwaaaaaaw! di kinaya ng powers ko ang casting...

hm, i wonder who'll direct it... exciting din ang pd at lighting. shet. can't wait!

kelan kaya?

Manile Times column for 01 February 2009: "Filipino, Chinese and Literary"

beginning february 2009, my Scribe Vibe column appears every sunday na, at the Sunday Times version of Manila Times. i'm not sure why the paper changes its name every sunday, though. hm.

my column is lumped together with the Literary Times section. aptly so naman. i agree with the reshuffling and rearranging.

her'es my first sunday times piece:


original post here.

Sunday, February 01, 2009

THE SCRIBE VIBE By Libay Linsangan Cantor Filipino, Chinese and literary

As we all greeted each other kung hei fat choi this week, I hope the Chinese New Year would inspire us to revisit literary works by Filipino-Chinese writers as well. There are a lot of great Filipino-Chinese writers in our midst, and their stories add a distinct, unique and colorful flavor in our literary culture, much like what their contributions in other cultural sectors do. A sampling of their writings could be seen in Anvil Publishing’s excellent collection called Instik: An Anthology of Chinese Filipino Writing launched in 2000. This book won best anthology at the 2000 National Book Awards. Edited by eminent writer-scholar Caroline Hau, this collection includes short stories, poems, essays and even a teleplay by a great mixture of Filipino-Chinese authors. Some of the people included in the book are poets Anthony Tan, Alice Sun-Cua and Jaime An Lim who are all, incidentally, based in the south of the Philippines; fictionists Charlson Ong, Alessandra Gonzales and Clinton Palanca; essayists Doreen Yu and Teresita Ang See; and TV-film scriptwriters Ricky Lee, Jun Lana and Peter Ong Lim. Even identified Filipino-American writers like poet Fatima Lim-Wilson and scholar Bliss Cua Lim’s works are included in this anthology, for more Pinoy pride—specifically, Filipino-Chinese pride. Most of these writers are still actively producing and publishing works, despite the fact that most of them are not full-time writers by profession. Perhaps only Jun Lana and Ricky Lee could be considered as full-time writers, as both of them produce material for television, the former for GMA-7 and the latter for ABS-CBN 2, incidentally both for the teleserye, or TV soap opera genre. Some double as teachers while others write for magazines and newspapers as well. As a fictionist, I am more familiar with the body of works of Charlson Ong, as I am actually a fan of his short stories, all crafted with a great command of the English language, peppered with humor and sprinkled with the interesting nuances of the Filipino-Chinese way of life. His 1996 book Conversion and Other Fictions, also published by Anvil, contains some of his finely written short stories about being Filipino-Chinese in contemporary Philippine society. He also has a novel, the second prize winner of the Centennial Literary Prize entitled An Embarrassment of Riches published by UP Press in 2000. I really hope more fiction works would come out of the Filipino-Chinese community, as their literary contributions provide us with added meaningful insights into the very diverse lives of Filipinos. Comments? Suggestions? E-mail libay.scribevibe@gmail.com.