Chain Gang got on the scene in the late 80's and was actually the original Dredd's (yup, when it was still know as Red Rocks) semi-inhouse band. I was still in high school when I first heard of them...who knew that I would someday meet and hang out with Mae in NYC, and get to count Dorky as one of my good friends?

The first album, Smelly Smiley Stinky Dinkies (also an indie release, ca.1993) produced the sleeper hits 'Rinse and Cycle', 'You Creature', and my personal favorite 'Tuesday of My Being Sick'. Copies of this very limited release may still be floating around though someone told me once that it costs P1,000 a pop because of it's underground cult status. (Allow me to gloat but I'm lucky enough to own one, signed by the four original members).

*Visit their official site to hear samples of their music
* Their WXB102 interview by Michael Sutton
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Baloney of HalfProject is one of the country's young, kick-ass designers. Check out his fantastic work.
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I recently introduced Arnold-baby to the delicious yet very affordable pasta and pizza fare at A Veneto Pizzeria Ristorante, a restaurant just a few blocks from where I live. If you chance upon a branch, remember to order the seafood nut pesto pasta, a sure winner anytime of the day. Yum!

How to eliminate blind spots when driving
(National Safety Council)

Adjust the driver's side mirror by resting your head against the window (not from behind the wheel as what's usually done) and then turning the mirror so that you can see the side of your car.

Next, move to the center of the vehicle and turn the passenger side mirror so that you can see the side of your car.

From your driving position, you won't see your own car in either mirror , yet what you will see is far better. Cars behind you show up as usual in the inside rear-view mirror, but the instant the car leaves your field of vision there, the outside mirror picks it up.

No blind spots: no wondering where that car about to pass you has disappeared to, and no waiting a few seconds for the car that you just saw in your rear-view mirror to show up in your outside mirrors.

(Haven't tried this myself and I'm sure it would take a lot of getting used to, if you're like me who won't have peace of mind unless the sides of the car are visible from the side mirrors).
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Will be back soon!

The book is a collection of stories -- slices of life that both stand alone and intertwine somehow -- and poetry, by some of the best talents in the Philippine comic book industry.

For obvious reasons, the story I'm closest to (but I don't necessarily relate to because of the depressing theme) is FLAT: "Written by Michael Simbulan and featuring the evocative art of award - winning Arnold Arre...Flat is a tale told at different speeds, and thus at different levels of sadness and anticipation."

The write - up continues: "It is fascinating to see Arre illustrating purely modern and realistic subjects for once though his characters remain imbued with the kind of distinctive personality he is known for."

That's my baby (: So proud of you, hon!

I lost a Greenbelt Mall parking card yesterday and here's what Arnold and I had to go through: the guards asked us to fill out a form stating (in this case since we used my car) my name, address, phone number, car model, driver's license, plate, registration and official receipt numbers, and a bunch of other stuff. Sounded easy enough except that I forgot to bring the car's registration papers since we just got it back from the repair shop. Much as I didn't want to bother my mom and make her panic, I had to call home and ask for the info. Add to that the humiliation of having the security guards talk to her to confirm that yes, I AM the legit owner of the vehicle, while several other people in their cars were queued up, waiting to exit the carpark while looking at the tense girl and her supportive boyfriend surrounded by guards and wondering what the heck was going on. After all that questioning and explaining, we ended up paying an additional P150.00 on top of the parking fee, which wasn't that bad. It was really the hassle that drained us both.

Looking back, I still have no idea where the darn thing went. I usually put tickets in my bag right away (and so should you) in order not to lose them.
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In addition to Pau's comment re too much hype over the local skinflick Red Diaries, Arnold and I have discussed this many times (in disgust), too and we think it could be because no one's really watching it despite the publicity. Now this is actually good for the industry. Producers should know that they need not resort to having talent - less actors bare their bodies in a movie and package it as an 'art film' because hello, moviegoers can tell the difference between a quality movie and crap. There was a three - part report by Nestor Torre in the Inquirer a week ago about Why Filipino Films are Down - but Not Out, where he attributes the phenomenon mostly to the Pinoys' increasing standards in film - viewing. Yeah...and it's about time that old -school filmmakers move over and make room for a fresh new breed of directors.

That's your cue, Quark. (:

Okay, I just found out that INKJET, the self - produced album of our friend Squid 9, a.k.a. Raymund Marasigan (of Sandwich and Eraserheads fame), was finally released by BMG Records this month. The image above is from the inlay I designed (months ago!) for the album.

Squid 9's sound is described as "...sonic experiments that cruise sampled grooves from trip-hop to house and drum n' bass instrumentals, light years away from the directions forged by his previous bands." - from Philmusic

INKJET is 100% homemade: recorded and stir - fried in Raymund's very own Squid Crib. The tracklist sounds pretty tasty too -- with tracks called Calamari, Ika Fry, Squid Balls, Squid Flakes, you'd think you're reading a pica - pica menu.

* To listen to cuts from the album, click here.

Oh and just so you know, Squid 9 composed the theme for my Arnold's book Trip to Tagaytay. (Look for the music page.)

(The story reminds me somewhat of Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time. Hey a movie version of that would be interesting too.)

Jean 'Moebius' Giraud, known for his elegant, highly detailed visual style, is my Arnold's idol and greatest influence. He's a repository of information on almost all of Monsieur Giraud's undertakings, from his sci - fi and fantasy stories (Arzach, Airtight Garage) to the films he art - directed (Tron, The Fifth Element, Alien, The Abyss, Willow).

Scott and Therese defines Kanonization as the process in which a Kano, or an American as Filipinos call them, sees himself as locals do, warts and all. (Note: the term Kano is not derogatory, it is merely a shortened version of Amerikano or American). The book is a collection of (often humorous) anecdotes of the author's various experiences as he is exposed to local customs and culture. Skimming thru our copy, I took note of his observation that Filipino English has surprisingly acquired a good amount of British English over the past few decades (Part 4: English spoken here?). Funny that.
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Hey! I just noticed that Erna's using a quote from Arnold's book on her site's title bar. Glad you liked Trip, Erna
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Oh, and at the risk of sounding self - indulgent, my profile on ITNetCentral is up.(:

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Brushstroke.tv is one of the most elegant and well - written weblog sites around. Do pay Ms. Melanie a visit now. (:

If I were still in advertising, this guy's presence would've probably made me quit in a jiffy. (Check out his list of awards!)
• 09:12 a.m.

This is for every girl who's ever wished upon a star, dreamed of fairies and unicorns, and waited (or still waiting) for Prince Charming (:

Finally getting around to downloading IE 5 for my Mac. I'm so tired of running into pages that Netscape can't display.

See I even got the Beasties to thank all you fine peeps. (courtesy of FlipFlopFlyin)

Arnold and I logged-on immediately yesterday when we heard that the article was up but, sigh, we couldn't access the site. (Incidentally, we still can't. Is their server down?) Thanks to the Legmanila folks anyway, especially Indi and Luis (...remember, Arnold was also featured sometime ago). (:

Swim in the sky and drink the sun,
don't ask why, enjoy the fun
Hug a cloud and kiss the moon,
eat the rainbow with a spoon.

(excerpt from 'Vivid Confusion', track 1 in Girlfrendo's 'So you are here again, shadow?' album).
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My Arnold is part of the 8th Fil-Am Art Expo so if you're anywhere in San Francisco from August 9 -12, please drop by the following galleries: The Academy of Art College, Studio Z, 66 Balmy. I'm so proud of you, baby!
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If you're left-handed (like me), you may want to look at the lefty novelty items here.

Being a lefty in a right - handed world isn't all that bad. Thank goodness I can use the mouse with my right hand but when I was in school, I did have to learn to adapt to those chairs with the arm - desks that weren't lefty - friendly at all.

The decision to go freelance came when I realized that I didn't want to be in the rat race all my life. There was no drive to move up the corporate ladder anymore. I wanted to have my own ladder. At home. No more working overtime, just working on my own time.

Alvin Toffler actually predicted "a return to cottage industry on a higher electronic basis, and with it, a new emphasis on the home as the center of society" in Future Shock: The Third Wave, published some 20 years ago. And I quote: "...this implies less forced mobility, less stress on the individual, fewer transient human relationships and greater participation in community."
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Metro Manila traffic also played a key role in my decision to work from the house. Just the other day, Arnold and I spent 2 hours in the car in the 1 km.-long White Plains stretch! Flashbacks of driving to and from Makati and QC every single working day for 9 years tore at my memory. Nonono, I will not go through that ever again. What for when there's the convenience of corresponding via phone and e-mail? We are, after all, almost in the Third Wave.

"The Third wave... is based not on muscle but on mind. What we call the information or the knowledge age, while it is powerfully driven by information technology, has co-drivers as well, among them social demands for greater freedom and individualization."

Comments?

1. Frustration with the last layout's overall look. I owed it to myself to come up with something more original & creative than the last stiff - looking one. Ugh.
2. Lack of room to move around. I needed a bigger log area so I could finally paste pretty pictures, like so!

(that's Arnold's drawing, by the way)

3. A sudden burst of inspiration. Been drawing a lot recently so I decided to make use of that skill here (thanks, Arnold-baby, for the tons of love and encouragement); and
4. A much - needed breathing space in between client projects.
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