I just finished reading the very enjoyable Box Office Poison by Eisner-awardee Alex Robinson. A collection of slice-of-life vignettes, BOP offers a peek into the lives of struggling gen-x writers and artists living in New York City. Amazingly the characters seem so real that after a few pages you'll feel like they're really your friends (... or maybe our friends are just really like them).

By the way the book is 600+ pages thick but rest assured that you'll hardly notice the length -- I actually wanted to read more and had to turn the last few pages very slowly to savor the experience. If you have a week two week's worth of lunch money to spare, consider adding this one to your collection.

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So what was I up to between posts? I managed to finish and submit two album package designs (due out next week, watch for them -- as if) and am now about to work on *sigh* four more. And then there are a couple of website projects slowly making their way into my to-do list. Busy, busy, busy first quarter. I really have to stop accepting job requests by September.

Last weekend we were also able to meet up with U.P. friends that we just don't see enough of anymore. More pics here.

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Arn and I also finally got to watch the movies Nic sent (scroll down to see last week's entry). Here are some short reviews:

Il Mare - lovely and touching (yes, I cried). It struck us as a warmer, fuzzier Griffin and Sabine (because of the surreal plot twists). A must-see, even for the awesome art direction alone.

Waterboys - funny, funny, funny! How come the Japanese can be funny in a low-budget film without having to go the slapstick route? If you liked Shaolin Soccer (which we did) you'll enjoy this too.

(Thanks again, Nic!)

***
The H.P. Lovecraft edition of the US-based Graphic Classics is now available at comic book stores. Check it out and see illustrations by Arn and Gerry Alanguilan.

10:33 AM
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January 25, 2003

My Arn's After Eden gets reviewed at The Fourth Rail. Thanks to to Mr. Erwin Rafael, the "reader in the Philippines who enjoyed the graphic novel" for sending a copy to Snap Judgments reviewer Randy Lander, and to Xavier, Elbert, Ramonra and Ariel Atienza for informing us!

AFTER EDEN
Recommended (8/10)

Though his is a name that I haven't heard before, he seems to be well-regarded in his native Philippines, and it's easy to see why, as he brings an expert sense of comic storytelling to the rarely-explored romance genre, and his realistic approach could touch the heart of even those who are quite cynical about the realities of romance.

Read the rest of the review.

***
This just in from Junnie who found an article on the After Eden book tour in MTV Ink: (the article) reads "...just kicked off last November 10 at the Megamall branch of the National Book Store. Uber artist and John Travolta lookalike*, Arnold Arre is a two-time National Book awardee whose futuristic Trip to Tagaytay and action-packed Mythology Class graphic novels were hailed as Best Comic Books...."

*Haha, see I'm not the only one who says so!

06:09 AM
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January 24, 2003

Just a quick note to plug Manila Girl, an old friend Marcelline Santos-Taylor's site where she archives her bi-weekly column for the NJ-based paper Filipino Express. [Marcie's blog can be found here.]

06:02 AM
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January 23, 2003

A couple of nights ago we got together with our Creative Cat group of friends to celebrate some birthdays and simply catch up and have a good time. Arn and I finally got to play Cranium, the brain-stimulating game Dean & Gig brought back from the US. Fun moments I can remember:
ï Vinnie sculpting a swimming pool (it ended up looking like a boat with a beach ball in the center)
ï Dimaans humming "Whip It"-- yes, that "Whip It" -- and Carl guessing the tune
ï Cams charading the phrase "role model"
ï Jayce guessing the word puzzle Arn and I couldn't figure out
ï Carl cleverly sculpting a boxing match in 2-D
ï Dean and Gig struggling with word puzzles (ha, for once!)
ï Arn impersonating Humphrey Bogart, Liberace, Woody Allen, and Puff the Magic Dragon (I guessed them all except for Puff -- his charade was so funny, nonetheless)

(But of course I won't mention my own boo-boos, see Dean's blog na lang.)

Vinnie and the birthday-Brazo De Mercedes.

The gang playing a round of Apples to Apples.

Nikki and Dean setting up Cranium.

Posing in the bedroom.

***
As soon as she learned about our engagement, a good friend from college, Ads Leung, generously offered to lend me her sister's Martha Stewart Wedding magazines (which, at P700 a pop, I absolutely cannot afford). Ads, a well-known photographer/production-designer in the ad biz, had been inviting us to see her self-decorated condo unit for months but since her busy schedule couldn't meet ours, the plans never materialized until recently. The place was so tastefully designed Arn and I couldn't resist taking pictures to post here (Shei, Tippi, look at this!):

Me and the wondergirl!

It's not visible here but the window is composed of multi-colored stained glass squares. Ingenious!

Ads had those wooden slats installed in the ceiling for dramatic lighting.

Here's Arn inspecting the photo ref magnets Ads made herself.

Those pre-cut stone tiles actually cost less (and look much nicer) than ordinary kitchen tiles.

Ads mostly uses garden materials (keyword=affordable) to decorate her pad proving that good interior design doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg.

***
Earlier that day, we were in Makati for work but were able to accidentally meet up with another one of my good friends Sheila in the afternoon. Being married, she was all too happy to sit down and give us even more wedding tips. I should start carrying a little notebook for all the ideas we get from friends!

11:26 AM
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January 21, 2003

Nic Ruffy, one of the many nice friends I made via this blog, very thoughtfully sent Arn and me two precious DVDs from HK -- Waterboys, a Japanese movie about an all-male synchronized swimming team and Il Mare, a Korean-made love story that crosses the boundaries of time (text as copied from the site).

Because I'm such a slave to work, I've yet to sit back, relax and enjoy these wonderful gifts. What a nice treat, Nic! Just you wait for my raves. Thanks again (:

07:26 AM
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January 16, 2003

What a week. I was down with the flu and couldn't breathe and sleep properly for days. On top of that, our clients decided to go on a first quarter job-ordering spree* all at once. Haaay.

*that spells extra Together Money for us so we really don't mind. Yun lang, everything's happening at the same time.

***
Arn and I have taken a break from wedding planning for the meantime since a lot of things on the checklist for this month have already been settled. Martha will be so proud:

ï date, church and reception venue
ï principal sponsors and entourage
ï initial guest list
ï gown designer
ï photographers
ï videographer
ï florist
ï stylist
ï invitation (compre)
ï souvenir/favors supplier
ï emcees and entertainment

Truth is we're very blessed to have loyal, longtime friends and relatives wholeheartedly offering help, advice, and even their actual services. What more can a couple-to-be ask for?

***
Just checked my referrers. If you got here by googling "wedding planning + blog", may I direct you to Erika's The Digital Bride, a collective blog by brides-to-be.

For more in-depth planning advice, go to The Knot, Wedding Channel, or Wholly Matrimony. Locally you can visit Kasal, Philippine Wedding Guide or Weddings at Work.

08:31 AM
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January 12, 2003

Thanks to Arn's brother Jing, we got to see Two Towers Friday evening, hassle and pila-free at Louies THX. And it rocked, oh yes it did. Peter Jackson & co. managed to make the longest, most boring part of the book trilogy an audio-visual treat worth missing suppertime for. On a side note -- that utterly annoying Gollum looks so freakingly real and hateful it's hard to imagine he's computer-generated, no?

***
More stuff keeping us entertained in between deadlines:

Forlorn Funnies 2: Mother, Come Home by Paul Hornschemeier (Ramon's Christmas gift to us). It tells about a man and his son coping with loss. Very moving, somewhat surreal, the intro unravels in a way I've never seen before -- the points-of-view shift from father to son, leaving the reader with a wholistic view of what they're both going through. I love the way the characters speak like they're not speaking for an audience, like you're really reading their thoughts. And the art... the gorgeous drawings and carefully-chosen subdued hues complement the mood perfectly. Just beautiful.

Good news, there's a preview right here.

Una and Miguel by Liledeshan Bose. Adarna House gave us this book for Christmas, back to back with their other SLAM title All The Right Moves (which I already wrote about before). Arn figured that he's not the target market so he left them with me. (Ganun!) Anyway, if I was 15, I'd be able to relate to artsy kid Una with her who-cares-about-what's-uso-I-live-in-my-own-world mentality. Truly! Hehe. Fun read.

09:48 AM
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January 5, 2003

Apart from a growing stack of bridal books and magazines, these are the things that kept Arn and me entertained over the holidays:

Hey, Wait by Norwegian cartoonist Jason. Highly recommended by Ramonra, the book is actually one of my Christmas gifts to Arn. The story is very heartbreaking but is told so beautifully, all in simple yet striking images, that you'll want to go through it again and again just to inspect details you may have missed the first time. Warning: it gets sadder with every read-through.

Spirited Away. What a charming movie! It's adventure + a little bit of comedy + fantasy in a Neverending Story kind of way (well the flying dog-beast reminded me of it) all rolled into one enchanting audio-visual experience. The shops in Japan were teeming with copies of the newly released DVD when we were there in October but I held off buying one until I got home, knowing I could get it cheaper here, heh. IMHO, it's Miyazaki's best yet (and today's his birthday!). You may read our pal Dimaans' more detailed review.

Dumped and Slow News Day by Andi Watson. After we read and fell in love with Watson's storytelling style via Breakfast After Noon and Geisha, we knew this double purchase would be a good idea. Both everyday-kind-of-relationship stories read so real that soon enough you'll feel that you're watching the characters right from your apartment window.

A Walk to Remember. We didn't get to see this film during its run though we got intrigued after Luis K told us that it was better than he expected (oops, did I just ruin your rep, Luis?). Anyway, Arn's brother Jing lent me the vcd a week ago so sige na nga, I gave it a chance. Being the mushmallow that I am, I liked it and actually cried at several parts -- wait let me finish -- also because I can relate (I have a brother who succumbed to leukemia when he was 6). Worth your 90 minutes of planet time.

Ang Agimat, the only MMFF movie we felt like seeing because (1) it's a fantasy-adventure movie; (2) we were not in the mood for melodramatic face-slapping finger-pointing hoohah; (3) the teaser actually "teased" us. Saw it the first week of its run and the theatre was packed with Jolo Revilla fans (the kid can't really act but the brooding pa-intense look holds promise). All in all? Better than we expected (we didn't expect anything much, really) but hardly what you would call "a good movie".

I'll be back with more soon.

07:52 PM
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January 3, 2003

Happy new year to everyone! May you have a wonderful 2003.

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Please also greet our friend Dean a happy birthday! (:

***
Thank you for all the congratulatory notes and sms greetings, they mean a lot to us. Arnold and I are truly happy and excited about this giant step we're taking. Funny but most our friends and rellies' reactions were either "Finally!", "Thank goodness you've set a date!", and the classic "Ha, hindi pa pala kayo engaged sa lagay na yan?"

The very first time Arn had hinted that we were bound for the altar was when we had this conversation on our first month together:

Him: "Baby, do you see this relationship as 'long-term'?"
Me: "But of course, love. What about you?"
Him: "...Longer than you think..."

32 blissful months, a formal proposal and a pamanhikan later, we're as sure as sure can be. (:

Note: Pics of the pamanhikan dinner are here.

***
We have 11 or so months to go before our big day but we're bracing ourselves for what looks to be a supercalifragilistically busy year. I got a taste of it this early, having a mild panic attack upon learning that most reception venues for the date we set are already booked! So soon!?!

Fortunately we were able to get a slot at our first choice, but only after being waitlisted for 2 weeks. For some reason, the other person cancelled her reservation so Arn and I didn't think twice about plunking down that deposit* right away.

By the way, if you know of any good local online resource regarding wedding planning, be it a guide site or a blog, please let me know! Thanks.

*Gulp. We have to work twice as hard now. Everything's so darn expensive.

***
Speaking of weddings, congratulations and best wishes to Gerry and Ilyn! Here's to more artists in your family. (:

06:52 AM
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