October 31, 2001

My New Yorker friend Dindi tipped me that theatre show tickets are now practically being given away for free so Arnold and I have come up with a list of musicals that we'd love to see on the off chance that our families will allow us to travel soon (in light of recent events, we might have to wait a couple of years or so) :

Charlie Brown

1. The Producers
(2001 Tony Awards: Best Musical, Best Direction, Best Actor, Best Book, etc. Okay, we don't need convincing!)
2. I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change
(I saw this alone in a theatre full of couples 3 years ago, and I'd love to see it again as part of a couple this time)
3. Rent
(yet again!)
4. The Fantasticks
(Saw this once at the Sullivan Street Playhouse and also saw the Dulaang Sibol adaptation, "Sinta")
5. You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown
(Sing along, now: Happiness...is finding a pencil, pizza with sausage, telling the time...)

What's your favorite theatre musical?

October 29, 2001

from the shoebox of amnesiac

kid a,

like a soda before the bubbles of carbon dioxide escaped and brought the flavor with them, it was good while it lasted.

amnesiac

(Haha, now that was short and sweet.)

Shoeboxed.com by fellow Weaver AJ is a repository for "shoeboxed letters". If you have some rotting away in your closet, go ahead and submit -- and they won't care about misspellings and wrong grammar. They want raw, unedited letters that reek of drama, mush, pure thought and emotion.

***
Have you ever thought about the difference between going to anticipated mass on Saturday evenings and going to mass on Sunday mornings? I used to attend mass on Saturday evenings with my family but ever since Arnold and I deemed it our "out - with - friends night", we moved to the Sunday morning slot, also known as the kiddie fest, where we've been distracted many a time by, say, an imaginative little girl recreating a fight scene with her tiny Buttercup and Bubbles dolls, or tireless tykes playing hopscotch on the floor tiles, to the consternation of their (exhausted) parents. Don't get me wrong, we love watching kids and, though they could be rowdy at times, they definitely complete the overall family going - to - mass experience.

So there you go. If you want your mass solemn, Saturday evening is best because the crowd is composed mostly of well - behaved teenagers and yuppies, but if you prefer a real celebration, go on Sunday.

Note: For your information, I was never rowdy when I was a kid. I even went to Sunday School. (:

October 26, 2001

Shirley's Pets is an adorable comic strip by our good friend Robert Magnuson, who, Arnold and I believe, is definitely one of the few storytellers around who can write (and draw!) from the heart.

The strip made it's very first appearance as, believe it or not, Robert and Shirley's wedding invitation. When they decided to get married, Shirley wanted her pets to be part of the celebration. Sadly, that wasn't possible so Robert figured that if their pets couldn't be at the wedding, then at the very least, he could make it appear that they were responsible for it...

Awww!

Oh, the pets can blog, too.

Shirley's Pets comes out every other Saturday in Junior Inquirer

***

Addendum to my Harry post: Stephie says she'd like to own a Firebolt in real life so she can avoid ever being stuck in traffic. What a neat idea! (:

October 25, 2001

I AM 33% GEEK.

I probably work in computers, or a history department at a college (eh?). I never really fit in with the "normal" crowd. But I have friends, and this is a good thing.

October 24, 2001

Arnold and I have always thought that it would be incredibly fun to be part of the creative teams developing toys and merchandising gimmickry for the Harry Potter movie.

October 23, 2001

Caught "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes: The Annette Funicello Story" on cable this afternoon. (There's nothing like hearing loving words from Arnold -- thanks, baby -- and then taking in a feel - good TV movie afterwards to soothe frazzled nerves.) Anyway, I do remember Ms. Funicello from The Mickey Mouse Club but wasn't aware of how big a celebrity she became after that:

October 22, 2001

Our musician friend's brother died in a swimming accident yesterday. Such sad news to wake up to... ):

***
I know how it feels to lose someone close. I lost my own brother Christopher to leukemia years ago... I was 9 and he was 6. (Our youngest, Calvin, was only 4 months old then).

That was one of the rare times I saw both my parents cry. I still feel sad that we never saw him grow up and that Arnold never got to meet him, but we know he'll forever be our little guardian angel.

October 20, 2001

Arnold and I had dinner at our favorite A Veneto Thursday night and witnessed the game show craze that's sweeping the country these recent months. The restaurant, reasonably packed that night (composed mostly of UP students and alumni, we noticed), was showing "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" on the big TV set in the corner and it seemed like everyone was watching and cheering (and jeering) in between bites. It was just funny seeing all these people who don't even know one another react as one solid group.

Note: Well, the bug bit us too so we ended up finishing the show, armed ourselves with Frios and followed it up with an hour of "The Weakest Link" upon getting home.

Related link:
Who Wants to Beat Up a Millionaire (DC game)

October 18, 2001

Landwaster Books, October 2001

Rat: A Love Story is one of those books you can read full through in one sitting but lingers in your mind long after you've put it down. Written and illustrated by New York - based comic book artist Rich Watson, it is a fantasy story about a rat who grows tired of his routinary life and ends up falling in love with a (human) woman, risking everything just to be with her. There's a very unexpected turn of events halfway through... which is why I have to stop talking about it now or else I'll end up ruining it for you. (; All I can say is that this very touching, magical yet down to earth story is worth the trip to your friendly neighborhood book shop.
12:58 AM
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October 17, 2001

Oh wow, Arnold got an e-mail from Moebius*! Isn't it wonderful how the internet can bridge the gap between fans and their idols?

*If you've been reading this weblog long enough, you'll remember that revered French fantasy artist Jean "Moebius" Giraud is my talented honey's biggest influence. (see old post)

(Um, we have yet to decipher the note because it's in French)

***
I finally got around to updating my main site -- new stuff are in the Hand - Drawn and Creative Graveyard sections. Take a peek when you can. (:
1:03 AM
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October 16, 2001

Oh, the nice folks at Philweavers did a little feature on me. I urge you to check out the tons of talent the group has to offer, proving that the new breed of Filipino web designers are of equal caliber as their international counterparts.

Philweavers is the brainchild of kickass designers Drew Europeo and my friend Jose Illenberger.

***
Little Avid & Co.'s happy scribble doodle collective Rocketsheep has been updated, yay!

***
Something from Dino: apparently someone took the time to make a list of a lot of the links related to the controversy.
2:18 PM
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October 15, 2001

What comes after Oh! Tokyo*?

Oh! Tokyo II! (duh)

They've kept the original program's format, and the only difference is that there's a new host, a pleasant young Filipina (possibly an exchange student) who's very fluent in both Japanese and English. Now what's wrong with this picture, you ask? We miss Eleanor!

*Oh! Tokyo is a Japan information show aired on the WINS cable channel. Filipino reporters are sent to museums, expositions, and special events to interview Japanese people and then translate everything into Tagalog (the local dialect). Eleanor, the original host (shown above), has endeared herself to the audience because of her awkward - sounding Japanese and unintentionally funny commentary.

• read this old post
• Lia (of the always - interesting Cheesedip) watches it too
11:39 PM
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Seeing the theatre musical Rent again yesterday sent me rummaging for my Rent book to re - read creative genius Jonathan Larson's inspiring life story.

At some point in their lives, most creative people have to decide whether to apply their talents to a moneymaking career or pour them purely into artistic endeavors and pay their bills with a day job. Jonathan chose the latter. p. 15

And thousands of people all over the world, Arnold and myself included of course, are glad he did.

• Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation

***
Anyway the latest production of Rent : Manila is a lot better than the production two years ago. I've seen the musical a total of four times already, twice in Manila and twice at the Nederlander (ok I'm a fanatic), but it was Arnold's first time and I'm glad he saw this particular production (great acting and singing, near - perfect casting), after I hyped up the play for him all these months.
11:52 AM
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October 13, 2001

Lookit what I found in the mail today!

(four of these, actually)

Arnold and I are now bonafide Eraserheads fans, thanks to Le Van (whose name the Eheads immortalized in their tune "Balikbayan Box"). The image on the button is a miniaturized version of the drawings Arnold did for the Eheads' "Maskara" song promo.

By the way, Lev is also the webmaster of the well - maintained Eraserheads Circus Site.

Anyway, these buttons are well appreciated because I've started to build a mini - collection, some of which can be seen on my bag strap. So far I have Broadway musical and indie band ones that I got in NYC a couple of years back, comic book pins (Bat Mite, X-Men, The Spirit, Lex, Mxyzptlk) courtesy of Comic Quest, and a much treasured Hogwarts pin given by Arnold baby. (:

***
It seems that everyone has been blogging about the renegade muppet issue. All I can say is that Bert may be evil, as this Most Wanted Terrorist photo list implies, but we know our pal Dino, the creator of the original spoof site and NOT the "doctored" Bert - Bin Laden image, isn't.
12:20 PM
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October 11, 2001

Apparently there is now at least one Japanese food outlet in Manila that serves Ranma 1/2's Ukyo's specialty dish okonomiyaki, and that's Teriyaki Boy along Gilmore. Okonomiyaki, also popularly known as Japanese pizza, are large savory "pancakes" made with thinly sliced seafood, meat and veggies. I've tried the real thing in Tokyo five or so years ago and, well, didn't like it all that much, but then again the taste varies from restaurant to restaurant. We haven't tried the one in Teriyaki Boy (I do want Arnold to taste it) although some friends have said that it's too mayonnaise-y for comfort .

Here's a recipe site.
8:03 PM
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Believe it or not, I was a Chemistry student teacher once in high school, but I don't remember science classes ever being this fun:

Sci-fi.com presents the award - winning fantasy writer Michael Swanwick's Periodic Table of Science Fiction. (This week's element is Argon.)

***
So I only discovered Virtua Tennis this week. The game play and court settings are very realistic, and of course you get the chance to play with some of the top-ranked players in the world. I personally use France's Cedric Pioline, and Arnold works up a mean Jim Courier.

***
Just added Ruffy to my list of bloggers. Go and see what makes him Dazed in HK.
2:28 PM
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October 10, 2001

Ay, I think I spoke too soon. So, as I'll be busy working on my cash cows* (as Arnold puts it), thought I'd leave you with a delicious link to use up your net hours with (via the very talented Halina's Mandala).

*projects I need to take on for the more obvious reason, and not for creative fulfillment.*sigh*

***
The FAAE Philippine Post Event Show will have their exhibit opening tomorrow, October 11 and will run til the 23rd at Gallery 139: SM Megamall and Gallery 139: Glorietta. Participating artists for the SM Megamall exhibit are: Pandy Aviado, CrisCruz, Dopy Doplon, John Marin Flores, Caloy Gabuco, Lamarroza, Malang, Mario Parial, Ige Ramos, Rosscapili, Jose Tence Ruiz and Soler. Participating artists for the Glorietta exhibit are: Arnold Arre, Manuel Baldemor, Lydia Velasco-Cruz, Kiko Escora, Carlo Magno, Al Manrique, Joel Mendez, Mona, Ramon Orlina, Stevesantos and Ronald Ventura.
2:10 PM
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October 7, 2001

That's "Cynthia" and "Arnold" in hieroglyphics. Pretty cool, huh? Have your name translated, too. I got the idea for this when I re-read Arnold's book The Mythology Class recently, and marvelled yet again at how he was able to translate so many words into alibata.

***
Spent the past week designing not one, not two, but three album covers and sifting through 320+ websites in the personal category of the Philippine Web Awards. As of this writing, the cover designs have been approved and my shortlist of 14 sites has been submitted (for screening still by the Finals judges) so for now I can happily blog away until the next installment of work renders me sleepless again.

***
Everyone, point your browsers to fellow Philweaver J's awesome debut offering, Sushihendrix - Design Roulette:October. Wow!
11:09 AM
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--------------- October 3, 2001

Yup, that's me doing a cameo on our good friend Marco Dimaano's manga - inspired comic book series Angel Ace! The series tells the story of Angel, a beautiful young woman who has somehow gained the ability to fly. Check out the new, improved site, powered by *ahem* Tala Studios (a.k.a. Arnold and myself).

Incidentally, it was Marco who was responsible for introducing Arnold and me to each other around 5 years ago...and of course, the rest is history. (:

***
Keep your eyes peeled for my Arnold's interview on UNTV. We both haven't caught it yet but I've been getting text messages from friends saying they've seen it at odd hours on the channel this whole week.
12:54 PM
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October 2, 2001

Watched Arnold play Munchkin with our friends last weekend. If you've ever played D&D in your life, you'll have a blast with this really funny, fast-playing card game that captures the essence of the dungeon experience . . . with none of that stupid roleplaying stuff.

The game is designed by Steve Jackson and the cards sport wonderful illustrations by cartoonist John Kovalic. You begin the game as a 1st level human with 'no class'. Via cards, you get to acquire races, classes, magic items, armor, potion, etc that you can use to combat 'scary' monsters of varying levels such as the Undead Horse, the Net Troll, the Unspeakable Awful Indescribable Horror, and *shudder* the Potted Plant. The object is to reach level 10, and by the time someone does, you'll all have laughed yourselves silly!

(The 'magic weapon' featured in the card above is a Friendship Potion that you can obviously use to pacify dangerous monsters.)

More not - so - geeky games can be found here:
- SJ games
- CheapAss
2:24 AM
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