Nung bumisita kami ni WhizHeart sa Batanes ay nakuha ang atensyon ko ng batang pintor na ito. Patuloy lang sya sa paggawa ng kanyang obra maestra ng walang pakialam sa mundo. Kung ikaw ay mahilig sa sining na tulad ko, kamangha-mangha talagang pagmasdan ang gawain ng mga artists. Wag na nating bilangin si Michaelangelo. Hinahangaan ko ang mga artists dahil kaya nilang gumawa ng mga magagandang bagay sa mga pinagtagpi-tagping papel, bubog ng baso, basura at iba pang ordinaryo sa ating paningin.

Posted in Litratong Pinoy | 8 Comments

After being the most-acclaimed Filipino movie scriptwriter, Ricky Lee wears another hat in his star-studded career by launching his first novel entitled ” Para Kay B (O kung paano dinevastate ng pag-ibig ang 4 out of 5 sa atin)” on Nov. 30, 4 pm. Venue is the UP Bahay ng Alumni in Diliman, Quezon City.

Previously, Mr. Lee published books but they were more literary adaptations of his screenplay. The list includes “Trip to Quiapo” (considered a bible by aspiring screenwriters), “Si Tatang at mga Himala ng Ating Panahon” (anthology of short fiction, essays and a screenplay), and Brutal/Salome (the first-ever published film scripts in the Philippines).

“This is the realization of a lifelong dream for me,” says Mr. Lee, whom I had the fortune of interviewing in the past at his house in Xavierville, Quezon City - the official address of the notable Ricky Lee scriptwriting workshops. Mr. Lee is an avid bibliophile and also has an enviable collection of films in all formats.

Posted in Happenings & Events, Language & Lit | 4 Comments

Susubukan ko ngayon na magsulat sa sariling wika sapagka’t trip kong sumali sa lingguhang meme ng mga bongga ka day na mga blogistang-litratista ng Litratong Pinoy! Aaminin ko na ang pangunahing atraksyon sa akin ng pagsali dito ay ang pagkakataon na magsulat muli sa Pilipino. Mas madaling magsalita kesa magsulat ng katutubong wika, di ba? at mahirap magsulat kung di mo man lang ito pina-praktis at ang gusto mo lang ay haypalutin na Ingles. Kaya samahan nyo po ako sa aking munting ensayo at talakayin ang tema ng LP ngayong linggo na ito na pinamagatang “madumi.”

Nakakapagtaka. Halos tatlong libo na rin ang mga larawang kuha ko sa Flickr, pero wala akong maisip na litratong aakma sa temang ito. Naisip ko tuloy na dapat yata ay magising na ako sa katotohanan at hindi na lang puro kagandahan ng buhay ang kunan.

Halimbawa: nandiyan naman ang mga barung-barong, ang kaawa-awang kalagayan ng Pasig River o di kaya ang mga gusgusing nilalang na nagpapalimos sa atin sa Maynila. Bakit kaya karamihan sa mga blogistang tulad ko ay puro masasarap na pagkain at magagandang tanawin na lang ang kinukunan? Hindi ba form of self-denial ito, o shying away from reality kaya? Muni-muni mode on!

Pagkain na naman ang naisip ko pag pinag-usapan ang “madumi” at yan ay ang street food!Wala nang ibang madumi na masarap di ba?

Posted in Litratong Pinoy | 15 Comments

Eating in restaurants is my vice or indulgence, since I don’t smoke and hardly ever drink. I don’t claim to be an expert, but at one point in this blog’s life, I’ve been called a foodie, which is defined in this site as “someone who has an ardent or refined interest in food.”

Ardent, yes; refined is still something I have to achieve since most of the time, I prefer lutong bahay (home cooking), carinderia fare and making tusok the fishballs. Eating out - especially charting untried culinary territory - remains an adventure since you don’t know whether what they will serve you is up to par with your hard-earned peso’s expectation. Unless of course the meal is free, then it becomes less of a burden

I’ve long thought of making this post, from the point of view of a customer who has splurged my salary on food and patronized restaurants all these years. It is true that times are hard and it’s doubly difficult to keep businesses afloat; still, proprietors forget that it is often the little details that count. If you, as a customer, has something else to add or say, please feel free to share them here:

1. Giving me change; giving me very very loose change. I still have to ascertain if this is unique to the Philippines. Let’s say I’ve paid for my meal in cash, and expect a change of P680. I’d surely dread it if the server returns with an assortment of peso bills, two P10 coins, 4 P5 coins and 20 pieces of P1 coins. Wow! Don’t know what they mean by this, but nothing screams more of “gimme a tip! gimme a tip!” I do hope those presumptuous cashiers give patrons the option to determine the amount of gratuity, instead of cheapening themselves by implying that I should give loose change , when in fact I mean to give a whole paper bill

Posted in Munchin' | 13 Comments

It’s a health conscious world we’re living. It’s not just enough to eat your fruits, walk daily, drink eight cups of water, take your vitamins and adopt the whole get-fit caboodle. These days, people also get to “wear their health,” as we’ll see in the following examples.

Subject no. 1: FitFlop! The latest designer incarnation of the ubiquitous thong sandals became famous when the likes of Oprah and Heidi Klum started to endorse it, and celebrities like Julianne Moore started wearing ‘em. FitFlop takes pride in its slogan “It’s the flip flop with the gym built-in.” The official literature says the brand gives your feet a workout through its MicroWobbleboard technology in midsole which lets you exert 15% more energy in walking. More effort means you get to burn your muscles more, thus toning and firming the legs.

Posted in Shopping Etc. | 7 Comments