sine chirchiryahan: time traveling up across the universe

nabuhayan akong mag-blog dahil inspired akong manyugi hehehe. chos. hindi naman. slight.

as usual, mabilisang paspasan muna, bite-size reviews of films i've recently seen. dami na kasi kaya magandang itala na bago malimutan na naman.

here goes.



ACROSS THE UNIVERSE (2007)
d. julie taymor
featuring songs by the beatles

pitch: some kinda love story cum anti-war protest statements on the side peppered with beatles songs

catch: elements are not cooperating cohesively

i first came across this film in my favorite lezbitranswomen entertainment site afterellen.com as they alert you of upcoming movies with lbtqi characters/images/depictions/whatnots. at aliw dahil part-pinoy ang heritage ng nag-portray kay prudence, ang lbtqi character dito, na si t.v. carpio. cute, if not for her kinda drugged-out-like performance or character attack. other than that, wala masyado maaasahan sa kanya.

and that's the problem with this film. wala ka masyado maaasahan sa naratibo niya. sayang. i so love the visualization of some scenes (especially the strawberry fields segment) but sometimes they stick out like sore thumbs in the overall scheme of things. the julie taymor quirky surrealist approach i first fell in love with sa FRIDA is an ultimate fail here. sayang. parang minsan gusto nitong maging MOULING ROUGE na hindi nagaganap, o kaya maging angsty na RENT level pero hindi na-a-achieve. minsan para kasing feeling pilit ang songs, na hindi organically lumabas sa istorya. take pointers from MAMMA MIA to see what i mean. doon, hindi contrived ang dating ng songs, kahit ang chakaness kumanta ni pierce brosnan, but i digress.

and no, it doesn't help na ang characters mo ay named after the songs mismo na anytime hinihintay mo na lang ang fruition ng name-song niya, like si jude na yes kinanta ang "hey jude" at si lucy na no, walang "lucy in the sky with diamonds" (or did i miss it sa kabagutan? hm.). sayang dahil maganda pa naman ang arrangement ng ilang songs at ang pagkakakanta ng mga singers like si bono na nag-cameo. luz.

sayang sayang sayang ang budget. good example siya of how not to do a musical. students please take note.




THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE (2009)
c. rachel mcadams, eric bana
s. from the novel by audrey niffeneger

pitch: modern-day man has genetic disorder that enables him to travel over time, but with undue consequences in his own life, especially affecting his loved ones

catch: methinks it should have stayed as a book

as a book, you have lots of leeway and time to explain a lot of things in a story like genetic anomalies, how one criss-crosses through time, how a love story evolves in different time planes, stuff like that. the film has that effect, na parang patche-patche na naman ang labas dahil sa kulang sa oras kaya salient points na lang ng nobela ang kinuha at bingyang-buhay. sayang dahil ang ganda sana ng premise, na parang hindi rin masyadong nabigyan ng extra kurot sa puso and all that para mas may oomph ang dating, o baka lang din hindi effective sa akin ang akting ni eric bana at ang pagpapakyut ni rachel mcadams. hm. sayang, loves ko pa naman ang mga time-traveling tales and all that. now i want to read the novel tuloy. siya, i will, 'pag nag-sale sa powerbooks.




UP (2009)
p. pixar

pitch: an old man with an adventurous spirit finally embarks on his lifelong adventure to search for a lost paradise land with a scout-like boy as his accidental sidekick

catch: not very happy with the story

maybe it's because i am used to expecting something heartwarming na funny sa pixar animation kaya i was taken aback by all this sentimentality presented in this film. biro mo, mega-montage ang life ng lolo dito mula bata siya at nakilala ang love of his life hanggang sa tumanda na sila and all that, hanggang sa namatay na yung love niya na di man lang nila na-fulfill ang childhood dreams nila to embark on an adventure trail eklavu. hambigaaaaaat.

mas naiiyak ako kesa natutuwa most of the time, dahil sooooobrang lungkot na bigat nito. not that these emotional things should be shunned from seemingly "for children" stuff like these, no. in fact, that's the fact i applaud the most here. even the unwanted child syndrome nung wilderness scout boy (na parang tinatakwil ng parents) ay nahagip dito kahit papaano pero hindi masyadong belabored ang pagkukuwento. maganda siya. light-handed approach kahit heavy-hearted ang effect most times. so okay, ambivalent ako dito. not totally sad. sige na nga.hey, it's pixar. i am programmed to love their works. somewhat.

and i love the rainbow-colored androgynous bird hehe. la lang.

Manila Times column for 30 August 2009: "To earn and be deserving of the National Artist title"

original post here.

talagang hindi humihinto ang carlo j sa chorva niya. hay naku...

Sunday, August 30, 2009

THE SCRIBE VIBE By Libay Linsangan Cantor To earn and be deserving of the National Artist title

Amid this ongoing National Artist Awards controversy, the issue as to why the honorees deserve this award came about. My question is, setting the selection process aside, did they earn to be nominated in the first place? If we look at past honorees, I believe they all earned it. Their works speak for themselves, especially the quality, not the quantity. And no, their works are not limited to being objects of study in an academic institution as the title was also conferred to artists who are icons of popular culture. Maybe there is that impression because some of the honorees’ works, especially those in the literature category, are heavily studied in schools, and the honorees are also teachers. An example is poet/fictionist Edith Tiempo (conferred 1999), the “literary mommy of Dumaguete” because of her establishment of the writers’ workshop in that place (together with her late writer husband Edilberto Tiempo) and poet Rio Alma (conferred 2003), former dean of the UP-Diliman College of Arts and Letters. But their works, being classified under media and the arts, are actually part and parcel of our daily lives, even if we are not too conscious about it. I myself never realized that I walk past the work of a National Artist for Sculpture during my undergraduate years (at least its replica). Now I relish that thought and smile whenever I pass by the UP Oblation made by Guillermo Tolentino (conferred 1973). I love watching stage plays and it was only now that I discovered that one of my favorite venues was named after the 1997 National Artist for Theater, Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero. For theater, I was only familiar with the titles conferred to Rolando Tinio (1997), Atang de la Rama (1987) and Daisy Avellana (1999) for I was more familiar with their contributions. I love watching Shakespearean plays translated by Tinio in Filipino (as well as his other works) as he really had that great command of our language. And when I watched the musical play based on Atang’s life, I was immediately transported back to my childhood days when my late beloved grandmother used to play vinyl recordings of kundiman songs made popular by Atang. Who would have thought that at that early, I was already exposed to a National Artist’s works? And I was lucky enough to meet Avellana when I interviewed her for a theater article I wrote for a magazine before. Although I must admit, as endearing as she is in person, I was more familiar with (and excited about) the works of her husband, filmmaker Lamberto Avellana, also a National Artist conferred in 1976, mainly because of my film bias as a film major. The Merriam Webster dictionary defines “luminary” as “a person of prominence or brilliant achievement.” We could certainly apply that word to past National Artists recipients. Let’s see if we can apply it to future nominees, evaluate if their works have earned the nomination for them to be considered as deserving of the title. Comments? Suggestions? E-mail libay.scribevibe@gmail.com. She is also at libaycantor.multiply.com.

Manila Times column for 23 August 2009: "Meeting National Artists for Literature"

original post here.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

THE SCRIBE VIBE By Libay Linsangan Cantor Meeting National Artists for Literature

When we hear the title “National Artist for Literature” attached to a writer’s name, it’s but natural to admire those who carry this privileged and honorable title. It’s like being bestowed the knighthood of the literary world, in a way. But it’s more heartwarming when one discovers just how humble and helpful such “titleholders” are, especially to younger and starting writers, despite the magnanimity that their titles suggest. I took my graduate degree in creative writing so that gave me the chance to meet several National Artists for Literature. But funny enough, I met them all outside of formal classes, except for one—Bienvenido Lumbera, conferred in 2006. But that was rather different; he was my undergraduate teacher in film theory and criticism back in UP film school. Besides writing literature, Sir Lumbera is also active as a film critic. Before enrolling in graduate school, I was lucky to be accepted at the 1997 UP National Writers Workshops in Baguio and Cebu. NVM Gonzalez, conferred in 1990, was present in both workshops. While most were afraid of him for his no-nonsense criticism of short stories, I somehow saw him as my “literary Lolo” for he always smiled and talked to me about literary and writing tips, even outside the workshops, like how a grandfather would talk and tell stories to his grandchildren. He would even lend me books to read, leading me to authors that will somehow help me in my craft. Occasionally, he would give me mini-criticisms of articles I wrote for publications, and I was flattered because I never even knew that he read my stuff. When I formally began my graduate studies, that was when I met another National Artist, Francisco Arcellana, conferred in 1990 like Sir NVM. Between the two, he was wackier because his sense of humor and demeanor was as unpredictable and as postmodern as the short stories he wrote, with tales and narrative styles that really revolutionized the Filipino short story in English. He kept giving me books, magazines and other stuff he no longer needed. When he discovered that I was also a photographer, he even gave me an unused photographer’s jacket someone gave him as a gift. He was around the UP College of Arts and Letters a lot, and we young writers hung out with him there, trading stories and writing tips. He even went as far as declaring to people that he wanted to be my MA thesis adviser. Too bad I took too long to finish my darned thesis, and he went ahead early. I now wonder how that venture could have gone, had he handled my thesis. To think that these literary greats already reaped awards, published legendary books and wrote stories that defined our literature, they still had the time to hang out, share a few laughs, and mentor wannabe writers like us. That was really something. More of these kinds of literary luminaries next week. Comments? Suggestions? E-mail libay.scribevibe@gmail.com. She is also at libaycantor.multiply.com.

Manila Times column for 16 August 2009: "Encounters with real National Artists"

o, napanood niyo na yung mga pinagsasasabi ni carlo caparas? hehehe. now read my column today.

original post here.

ang hirap talaga whenever i have to condense to 500 words and below all of what i want to say about a certain thing. this is one example of that.

happy reading nonetheless.

ps saka wala akong column post last week simply because the newspaper webmaster forgot to upload it. fail!!! buti na lang sa print meron. hay...

Sunday, August 16, 2009

THE SCRIBE VIBE By Libay Linsangan Cantor Encounters with real National Artists

It’s hard not to give an opinion on the hottest talk of the artistic community—the National Artist controversy. But I’m not going to; a lot has already been said. This controversy instead made me think of what it’s like to interact with National Artists up close. I had a blast thinking about my encounters; I never knew some of my fondest memories involved some of these creative geniuses we hailed as National Artists, and these encounters surely contributed to my skill, art and craft as a writer today. I can start as early as 1990 during my college years in UP Diliman. One of the very first teachers I had was already a National Artist as he was conferred in 1976. As a naïve fine arts freshman, I never knew he had such a title simply because I didn’t even know these titles existed back then. All I cared about was making it to this man’s afternoon class in time, held inside this rickety-looking “studio” he called The Foundry. Each time I entered that foundry, I felt like I was entering a sacred secret museum full of world-class sculptures that were really alive, as they were all thought-provoking, captivating and of course aesthetically stunning. My classmates and I had fun passing by our favorite called The Bridge of Love, where a life-size sculpture of a naked man bent to reach the sculpture of a naked woman opposite him, who was also depicted as trying to reach the man, therefore making an impression of a bridge. We joked that each time we passed, it seemed like the man and the woman were getting nearer to the body parts of the other that they wanted to reach. That piece alone made me admire the man who made it, and his name is Napoleon V. Abueva. Fast forward to five years, and I found myself a graduate of the first filmmaking course in the country (yes, I shifted). My co-film majors and I always hung out at this humble-looking roadside bar-eatery near Kalayaan Avenue in Quezon City called Kasalo especially whenever we couldn’t sleep and we wanted to deconstruct films we just saw in theaters over cheap beer and satisfying pulutan. But rarely did we see the simple bar’s owner, the future National Artist for Cinema in 2001—the late great film director Ishmael Bernal, whose films we admired and watched over and over even if they weren’t required in class. When we finally had an Ishma sighting, we shyly pushed each other as to who should approach him first, and hopefully engage him in some cinematic small talk, maybe ask him about the metaphors of Nunal Sa Tubig or something. But when we saw him, he looked haggard and tired, probably from dealing with prima donna actors and overbearing producers, so we left him alone. More National Artist encounters happened in my life when I decided to take a graduate degree in creative writing. I’ll share those stories next week. Comments? Suggestions? E-mail libay.scribevibe@gmail.com. She is also at libaycantor.multiply.com.

the komiks-is-not-literature-kaya-kayo-galit-sa-akin defense

or to put it simply, naririto ang mga pinagsasasabi ni carlo j. caparas, komiks novelist (and NOT komiks artist) and filmmaker, kung bakit karapat-dapat siyang gawaran ng NATIONAL ARTIST title for film and visual arts category.

alam kaya niya ang ibig sabihin ng NON SEQUITUR??? lahat ng pinagsasasabi niya, sablay to the nth level. teka, baka tawagin rin niya akong "elitista" dahil sa may alam akong big word like "non sequitur" na ang mga binabasa ay mula sa akademya lamang and therefore hindi national scope ang mga arts. bleh.

haaay ewan. kakasira ng ulirat.

watch che-che lazaro's show MEDIA IN FOCUS where caparas guests with creative writer butch dalisay and young film critic alexis tioseco.

i hate it when a good writer dies

john hughes RIP
photo from the examiner.com

hindi pa nga ako nakaka-recover much from michael jackson's death--and then yung kay tita cory pa and all--heto na naman ang isang icon ng aking henerasyon na na-chugi kanina. at masama ang loob ko kasi scriptwriter din siyang tulad ko.

get to know john hughes in this new york times obit. nasa IMDB rin siya.

sino ba siya? if you are a cineaste, at least a true and unpretentious one, then you should know his films and the star that carried most of them, si molly ringwald.

SIXTEEN CANDLES was about a girl's 16 year birthday overshadowed by her elder sister's wedding preps. THE BREAKFAST CLUB was the quintessential brat pack "what if" movie (like what if you put diff stereotypes of high school peeps in one afternoon of detention) that really highlighted my generation. these films he directed, if i'm not mistaken, at least the breakfast club. but mostly, he wrote them. sample of others he wrote but not directed is the HOME ALONE series that made macaulay culkin a household name and another favorite, FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF which starred a very young and dapper matthew broderick, pre-sarah jessica days. hm teka siya rin ata direk nun...

and then there was my favorite SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL..

ah, watts...

seeing watts, played by mary stuart masterson, practice playing the drums in the opening sequence of this movie just got to me, solid at swak, and solidified my then burgeoning interest to learn how to play the drums (and i did, because the guitar doesn't love me). it helps ba na tombash-looking ang lola mary stuart ditey? yun ang archetype na gusto ngang i-achieve ng pelikulang ito, na the popular girly-girl doesn't get the boy in the end but the tomboy-looking one does. hehehe. kaloka. although secretly, i never knew then why parang mas excited ako kapag may screen time ang girly-girl na si amanda jones (lea thompson) at si watts hehe. but that's just me. :)

hindi na niya kailangang maging carlo j caparas level in the sense na napakaraming ginawang films pero sabi nga dito ni sir bien, hindi "important" hehehe pero it's the quality that counts. hughes has a clear-cut quality sa mga pelikula niya, dahil parang kakaibang teen flicks lang ang ginawa niya na tumatak sa pop culture forever. teen, but not bopper type, at walang weird music pero sobrang wapak ang mga soundtrack ng mga films niya. at ang gusto ko doon, buo ang characters. tight ang plot. walang loopholes. at nakakatawa na nakaka-touch na nakaka-relate ka kung kaedadan mo ang mga bida sa mga kuwento niya. e yun ako e, kaedad, kaya relate. ayan, naging drummer tomboy tuloy hahahaha!

hindi na siya ganoon ka-active sa showbiz nung late 90s til the time of his death, sa indie scene siya nagsulat mostly. i can understand why. scriptwriters are granted only with such an amount of patience for stoooopid people sa industriya, kaya feel ko kung nadismaya siya. (at wala, walang pinaghuhugutan ito, wala, wala! hehehe)

so to end this short tribute, repost ko yung blog entry go years ago sa isang weird start-up site named i.ph kung saan ako nag-try mag-blog din:

the breakfast club

June 26, 2005

a habit of mine when i’m alone in the house is to fall asleep with the tv on. i set the timer so that the tv will turn itself off in about an hour or hour and a half; enough time for me to sleep. when i’m alone, i don’t like to lie in bed surrounded by silence. i don’t know why; just a quirk, i guess. usually, i turn the set on mtv to get updated by the latest visuals and music as well.

last night, the yearly MTV MOVIE AWARDS was on. it showed a portion where they honored the cast of the film THE BREAKFAST CLUB. my thirtysomething generation surely remembers this film: a bunch of high school students with different personalities locked in detention for one day. marami nang ganitong film dati, hanggang ngayon. in fact, as a scriptwriter, ang dali ng ganitong story set-up ng drama.

i just can’t believe that was 20 years ago as molly ringwald said. siguro kung yung generation ngayon merong angelina jolie at sandra bullock, noong panahon ko, si molly ringwald ang reyna, kasunod lang niya si julia roberts. teen angst and all. sa kanya ka relate. thanks to the films of john hughes, buhay ang teen angst ng dekada ‘80.

so if that was 20 years ago, i was 12 then. that was a crucial period for us filipinos. i was 12 when the first edsa people power revolution happened. my lolo and family were all for marcos so we were draped in red and blue. our neighbors were in yellow. never really knew what that meant but it was okay then.

betamax pa ang mode of viewing films noon in video. i can’t remember if i saw this film on the big screen or in betamax. basta the thing is, napanood ko siya. and young as i was, naka-relate ako sa ilang angst ng mga tao sa pelikulang iyon.

i can’t recall much of what happened in the film. but i remember some of the emotions. i guess that’s what makes it important.

Manila Times column for 02 August 2009: "Loving (our) literary languages"

original post here.

buwan ng wika na. whatever that means. labo, kelangan ng one month to speak filipino. bleh.

Sunday, August 02, 2009

THE SCRIBE VIBE By Libay Linsangan Cantor Loving (our) literary languages

I know it could be difficult to write—and be excellent at it—in one language, let alone two or three. But how about reading? Is it that difficult to read Filipino literature written in Filipino than in English? Some say yes, and I really find that funny. Aren’t we Filipinos automatically “ready” to read texts written in English and Filipino (at least those of us who were reared in these languages)? I thought about these things because I am reminded of August and the celebration of “Linggo ng Wika” in schools within this month. Isn’t it funny that we set aside one whole week of a year to have a “special” celebration of our own language? Shouldn’t we celebrate our own language every day of the year? And reading literature written in Filipino or any of our other regional languages could be a good exercise in celebrating our own languages. Yes, we actually have many, not just one or two. Sometimes I really envy those who could speak, read and understand languages other than Tagalog, such as Ilonggo, Cebuano and Ilokano, as we have so many great literary texts written in these languages—but that’s another column entry. Sticking to Filipino and English, I could say that we are mostly exposed (or at least those of us who are based in Metro Manila) to literary texts written in these languages. But I really find it funny that some literary writers declare that they cannot read (or don’t have the patience) to read literature written in Filipino. I’m not even referring to the Balagtasan-type of “deep” Tagalog but just plain, everyday Filipino language. Some writers say they prefer reading Filipino literature written in English because it’s “easier” for them to read that. I also found it alarming that some lawmakers believe Filipino will not help us much, therefore they want to legislate English as the official medium of instruction in schools. I wonder if these folks really love our country, because for me, loving one’s country also means loving its language—or in our case, languages, and not just the dominant one we use to communicate with foreigners. It’s one thing to make us globally competitive, but it’s another thing to make us ashamed of our own heritage by not upholding the beauty and integrity of our own national language(s). So maybe as we ready our kids to join the Filipino declamation contests and Filipino language-oriented activities this month, maybe we should also stop and think about how we celebrate our language in our everyday lives. Read more Filipino literature written in Filipino or any other regional language you understand. That always helps. It’s time we love our own more, don’t you think? Comments? Suggestions? E-mail libay.scribevibe@gmail.com. She is also at libaycantor.multiply.com.

ano ang meaning kapag gumawa ka ng "L" figure using your fingers back in 1986?

mga muni-muning sumagi sa isip
sa pagpanaw ni tita cory

ano nga ba ang ibig sabihin kapag nag-flash ka ng "L" sign gamit ang hintuturo at hinlalaki mo at nakatiklop ang tatlo mo pang mga daliri noong mga panahon ng 1986?

imahe mula sa gma7 tv blog

tanong ko lagi 'yan sa mga unang lectures ko tungkol sa semiotics and symbolism sa kursong language and grammar of film na tinuturo ko mga apat-limang na taon na rin sa mga pumiling magpakadalubhasa sa pelikula sa unibersidad ng pilipinas sa diliman campus, sa institusyon kung saan din ako nagpakadalubhasa noong nasa edad ako ng mga tinuturuan kong ito.

at nalulungkot ako kada semestre sa nagiging sagot nila sa tanong na iyon. ang pinakabagong sagot nga sa akin ay: "Ma'am, Loser?"

loser. loser talaga ang di makaalala ng ating kasaysayan. ano nga ang sabi ng anecdote na 'yun: "Those who forget their history are doomed to repeat it." tama ba?

tama. kaya pinapagalitan ko sila kapag di na nila naaalala ang ating history. kasi baka sila pa ang maging henerasyong magsulong ng mga kabulukan ng mga nagdaang panahon dahil hindi nila masyadong inaral ang history ng pilipinas at kung ano ang nangyari sa mga tao noong mga panahong iyon. sana huwag naman. god save us, sabi nga sa tag line ng pelikula ng pinakabago niyong national artist for, er, film and visual arts. but that's another blog angst post.

at ngayon, dahil sa nakakanood na sila ng mga walang katapusang tribute kay cory aquino sa TV/cable, diyaryo, internet (mga midyum na hindi natin matatamasa ngayon kung di naganap ang people power 1 haller. nasubukan niyo na bang manood ng state-run TV? ako oo. i hates its beri mats. never again!), nakikita na nila marahil ang ibig sabihin ng "L" sign na tinutukoy ko sa klase.

at nais kong ipaalala sa kanila na ang simbolong 'yan ay makapangyarihan ang ibig sabihin: LABAN.

oo, laban, lumaban ka sa mga nang-aapi sa yo, tulad ng paglaban ni tita cory sa mga pumatay sa asawa niya. naramdaman mo na bang mawalan ng asawa? siya, oo. ako hindi, dahil hindi pa kami binibigyan ng karapatang magpakasal (but that's another blog angst post), pero marami akong kaibigan at kakilalang nawalan ng asawa, mga kaibigang nawalan ng tatay/nanay, at malungkot iyon.

ngayon naman, lumaban din siya sa kanser. naramdaman mo na bang lumaban sa isang sakit na nakamamatay? pero kinaya pa rin niya. lumaban siya. napapa-araguy ka sa tuwing naiipit ang kamay mo sa pintuan ng tukador, sa paper cut mula sa libro, sa galos sa tuhod kapag nadapa ka o natapilok, pero nakaramdam ka na ba ng punyetang uri ng kasakitan, yung tingin mo mamamatay ka na? siya, oo. kaya dahil dito, naaawa ako sa mga nagmamahal sa kanyang nakakita ng ganitong uri ng paghihirap niya.

mula sa Fact Sheet exhibit ng
2008 Cine Veritas sa UPFI Bernal Gallery
litratong kuha ko

malungkot ang pagpanaw niya, oo, pero sana huwag naman nating kalimutan ang ilang bagay na naging okay para sa atin, dahil sa kanyang presensiya at desisyong ginawa sa buhay. sige, hindi naman siya perfecto nga. sino ba ang perfecto? pero tama na yung nagsilbi siyang susi ng demokrasyang tinatamasa natin ngayon.

sana, sa paglaon, tayo rin ay lumaban. lumaban sa mga taong nang-aapi sa atin, di lang sa politikal na sense, kundi pati sa pang-araw-araw nating buhay, even in the seemingly simplest sense, where things matter to us the most, and whenever our loved ones matter, and our own lives and sanity matter. binubugbog ka ba ng tatay mo o asawa mo? putangina, lumaban ka! nababagabag ka na ba ng kawalan ng pera? puwes, lumaban ka, maghanap ka ng trabaho, raket, anything na matinong mapagkikitaan. huwag kang padadaig sa kabagutan. depressed ka ba, kasi malungkot ang mga nangyayari sa buhay mo? puwes, lumaban ka rin! sabi nga ng isang ad campaign ng reebok dati, "Because life is not a spectator sport."

pero siyempre, hindi sa lahat ng pagkakataon, lalaban tayo ng walang kaabug-abog din naman, o lalaban ng bonggang bongga. bilang advocate, lalo na ng mga adbokasiyang talagang puwedeng mag-polarize ng mga tao--kahit ng mga sarili kong kamag-anak at kaibigan--alam ko kung kelan dapat huminay-hinay muna at kung kelan puwedeng rumatsada ulit. siyempre hit and miss ang prosesong ito. kung may perfectong paraan ng pagsulong ng equality, e di dapat wala nang advocate sa mundo na mag-a-advocate pa nito. in short, no one's perfect, but we try to perfect things around us still. ganun lang yun.

mula sa mga litrato ko noong
2008 LGBT PRide March sa Malate, Manila

sabi nga ng isa kong paboritong kanta of all time, to everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven. so as a reminder, ilang linyang sipi mula sa kantang iyon:


A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep

A time to build up, a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones
A time to gather stones together

A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rend, a time to sew
A time to love, a time to hate
A time of peace, I swear it's not too late!


is it too late? nasaan ka ba nung 1986?

i was twelve years old in february of that year. grade six, last year sa immaculate conception parish school sa cubao, at natutuwa dahil ang daming araw na walang pasok. kung ang iba kong mga kaklase ay may yellow stickers at pins sa IDs nila, ako naman ay may red and blue dahil ang lolo ko ay ilokano, hence parang default supporter ni marcos na ilokano rin. malay ko ba sa importansiya ng mga kulay na iyon noon? wala naman akong magawa dahil yun lang ang mga stickers at pins na nasa bahay, kahit sa totoo lang, parang mas bet ko ang yellow pins and stickers ng mga kalaro ko, kasi di ko bet ang design ng red and blue kasi para akong may suot na philippine flag, e hindi ko bet ang philippine flag noong mga panahong iyon kasi na-associate ko siya sa flag ceremony namin sa umaga sa school na kapag na-late ka lang ng dating e papatayuin ka ng mga madre sa corridor, na madalas mangyari sa akin kahit hindi ko kasalanang ma-late (yung serbis kong jeep ang late!). kaya lang baka magalit si lolo 'pag nag-uwi ako nun sa bahay at makarinig ng litanya ng ukinam! so dedma na. red and blue it is, i thought. at magbabasa na lang ako ng funny komiks kasi wala nang voltes v sa TV.

imahe mula sa photo essay na ito
ng time magazine

tapos eto na nga. sabi sa radyo, pumunta na kayo sa edsa, naroroon na ang mga tao... chenelyn. di ko maalala kung may panaka-nakang coverage sa edsa sa TV noon, pero parang meron kahit konti e. radyo ang bidang midyum ng panahong iyon, salamat sa radyo veritas. ako naman, akyat sa bubungan sa bahay ng lola ko sa project 4, dahil dumadaan na ang mga eroplanong tinawag nilang tora-tora. kamukha daw kasi ng mga tora-tora suicide airplanes noong panahon ng giyerang hapon (at malamang sa hindi e ang mga eroplanong iyon ang mga tora-tora plane din na ginamit noong panahon pa nga ng giyera!). malapit lang ang project 4 sa camp aguinaldo noon na isang tawid lang e camp crame na rin, kung saan naroon ang ibang aksiyon sa kasaysayang ito. ang lolo ko naman, ukinam na ng ukinam kasi pinabababa niya kami sa bubong kasi baka daw matamaan kami ng bala, kahit wala namang nagbabarilan. ganun lang talaga ang lolo ko, cautious. at takot. can't blame him; dinaanan nila ng lola ko ang panahon ng giyera ano!

sana nga mas naging pasaway ako noon at nagbisikleta papuntang kalantiyaw street, kung saan pag tinunton mo ang dulo, tatagos ka na sa 20th avenue at lalabas na iyon sa kalyeng malapit na sa mga kampo. pero siyempre iba ang panahon noon. noon, puwede ka lang talaga damputin nang walang kaabug-abog (er, does that sound familiar now???) dahil paghihinalaan kang subversive (um, jonas burgos baga???), kahit na mukha kang fil-am o isa kang fil-am (haller melissa roxas isdatchu???) at lalo na kung mukha kang estudyanteng tibak (um karen and sherilyn the prequel???) o kaya'y nagtuturo ka daw ng katibakan sa iskul (justice and tenure for sarah pa rin!!!) at kung anu-ano pang paratang, totoo man o hindi.

now you see the point of learning from your own history?

please be more informed. as we bid farewell to tita cory, the key figure in our nation's history, it's time to dust off the books and relearn the things we still need to learn/relearn today.

and that goes for all of us.