LokalPulse

2011-02-21T17:07:00.014+08:00

february is just the beginning.

reading the last question of this article about marvel studio's visit to the country in the hopes of looking over expansion possibilities in the country, caught my eye and reminded me of how challenging it is to collaborate with another person on a writing project.

you see, in co-writing a story there are so many elements that come into play -- plot, characters, consistency, coherence, differences and agreements and the worst -- other priorities and obligations. i can just imagine the enormous challenge these two guys had in weaving good omens into a modern literary classic.

but collaboration isn't the exception to the rule in writing great stories, nor in music and art. musicians and songwriters ian zafra , jude gitamondoc and cattski know what it means to collaborate -- the challenges, suprises and ultimately, the satisfaction it brings.

i'm not really sure if rob does any work with his brother john , but just imagine the possibilities there. and if proof of the partnership is in the blooming, strawberry is an apt example of how alexa and jude's collaborative journey has borne much fruit.

february is just the metaphor we use for remembering the romantic partnerships we have with loved ones. as the month ends, so does our celebration of social, artistic and cultural partnerships, collaborations and everything in between, begin.

penumbra uno: thank you for the use of your photos in this post -- alexa, jude and ysai perez by way of ian z. . salamat kaayo! :)

penumbra dos: coming in from a desk job and taking on freelance work full-time is not easy, let me tell you. in the last ten months, i've crashed and burned so many times, that in every single day, i'm praying and hoping for a miracle. every single day, God provides. thank You for the lifelong collaboration.

2011-02-20T15:22:00.012+08:00

sunday roast chicken

12.12NOON. my wife is fussing over the roast chicken (garlic, rosemary and thyme) while i fussed over the local channels looking for where i may be able to view the donaire-montiel showdown.

i had just finished reading through jingo quijano's insightful last round column today and stoked at being able to witness this fistic fest, i turned to tv. alas, my skills on the computer keyboard are no match at searching through channels and decided to wait out for the results. while my wife's roast chicken was still in the turbo broiler, i indulged in some little mma reading.

boxing and mma are just of two sports that enjoy a strong following in the country, and especially in cebu where there are numerous boxing, yaw-yan or kickboxing, arnis and mma gyms and schools around metropolitan cebu. if you're a fan of at least two of these sports, it wouldn't be a surprise to you that cebu is rich not only in cultural and social history, but in the martial tradition and heritage, as well.

i had come across an interesting essay about the philippine yaw-yan foot boxing league, which caught my attention as urcc was starting to gain more and more attention and i was looking for more information about the then-fledgling domestic mma competition.

among the sports that were featured were boxing and yaw-yan -- yaw-yan being a filipino kickboxing style that has made a successful transition into mma, just as boxing had. there is one team that has had a lot of crossover success in the leading domestic mma competition.

in boxing, cebu has become the center for serious professional boxing training. the island cosmopolitan is where one of the most successful boxing gyms outside of the capital is based, and has produced many champions and boxers in both on the international and domestic level.

the success that our filipino athletes have showcased on the international stage is something we are all proud of, and do expect and look forward to continued success. personally, i believe that filipino mma athletes are very, very capable of competing in the international stage, and have done so in many mma and bjj competitions. for ufc president dana white to say that the philippines may be the first to hold the very first TUF International Series is an opportunity for the country to showcase the best of what our mma athletes.

already, the cultural exchange of martial styles has been well-received, if not in the country, here in cebu. there are two schools of brazilian jiujitsu in Cebu city, both in my home city of talisay --john acosta's gracie jiujitsu school in robinson's lawaan -- and deftac in asiatown it park.

i've been able to visit both schools and was most impressed with them. to be there personally and to see how the teachers and students interacted was a great experience and i hope to be able to enrol in a class soon -- something that many fans of the sport should one day take to enhance their knowledge and passion for the sport. who knows, it may just add to your experience of watching mma on tv and enjoying home-cooked garlic and rosemary chicken.

(penumbra: thanks, by the way, to friends, rob carin, and the sports alchemist for the donaire-montiel update!)

2011-01-08T17:11:00.009+08:00

is it just me or does lapulapu look overweight?

moving to a new city definitely has its perks. the delightful rustic ambience of talisay city has proven to be a balm for a newly-anointed home-based writer, allowing the shedding of the more urbane proclivities and the adopting of leaner and less complicated trappings -- plus, paying a relatively high monthly mortgage (for the next 30 years) will change your perspectives somewhat.

i finally took a break from work for one short saturday to spend time with the family. it was appropriate; my wife had just come out of the hospital because of a very nasty infection due to complications from her pelvic endometriosis (benign, but nasty little buggers and right then, it was touch-and-go whether she would go under the knife or not) and she needed some fresh air, some time to strengthen her stomach muscles and boost her system with a little walk.

so we went to see lapulapu eat.

crocolandia has been around for decades. my delightful sis-in-law, janice and her hubby, quiet arn, had been there before and had told the matriarch of the family of their experience. mama ching wanted to see reptiles bigger than those sticking to our walls, and the promise of seeing a 15-foot crocodile literally explode out of the water to snap up a carcass dangled a few feet in the air was just too tempting to resist (reference at least three movies, 17 youtube vids and one wikipedia entry). it was exciting just to imagine and we couldn't wait to get there.

when we arrived and saw how puny the fences surrounding the biggest croc's pool, and the many little itty bitty cute little kids with us. like i said, we were there to see the big croc feed. the anticipation was too much to bear.

then the keeper entered lapuplapu's enclave. the crowd started whispering and waiting, anticipating a whirl of water and a sudden parting of water lilies that covered nearly the entire surface of the pool.

but nothing. one minute, two minutes, three minutes.

the guy must have been somewhat miffed as well and pulled back the pole where a large chicken carcass was attached to, and like a professional angler, whipped it over the water.

still nothing (demmet).

but then, there was a stir... a slight movement in the water. the lilies shivered. at the far end of the pool (were i was standing, incidentally), the lilies suddenly parted. i jumped back. i did not want a half-ton of reptile eager to wish me a happy new year.

but that was it. no other movement happened when suddenly, a huge knob of a nose poked out underneath the carcass as it dangled about five or four feet from the keeper, standing there at the water's edge. without any preamble, a huge head, about three feet long, rose from the water. and the leviathan rose from the depths and roared.

well, not roared as to purr loudly.

and lapulapu didn't really rise, as much as try to pull himself out of the water. oh, he was huge, make no mistake -- and frighteningly fast. fifteen feet of green skin and pure unadulterated fat -- er, muscle, is no joke!

he was huge, and just a little too pudgy around the middle.

one thing i will take away from that experience is this: lapulapu was disgustingly and embarassingly cute!

sure, the beady cunning eyes were there, taking stock of the lot of us, as the beast thought to itself, "Entree #1, entree #2, entree #3... " -- and don't forget the claws. huge easy-access dining complements! he definitely made an impression on me. i was amazed at his size, his majestic bearing, and his absolute -- fatness. i'm fat, overweight, and in dire need of exercise. lapulapu, was just... too fat.

so, after less than two minutes of seeing lapulapu gulp down two chicken carcasses, we were treated to the great reptile's impression of a rug. apart from some idiot dropping her mobile phone a few feet from lapulapu's mouth, we were looking at a contented croc; satisfied with a meal he didn't have to hunt for and enjoying the awestruck and adoring attention of tens and tens of fans that drizzling afternoon. with that, lapulapu closed his eyes and dreamed: the fence was down, he was a few hundred pounds lighter, and there was this rotund overweight bald-headed weirdo, standing stock-still in front of him, camera shaking in fear.

all was well in crocolandia again.

.

2010-05-17T15:14:00.002+08:00

on freelance writing and the jobs i take

freelance writing has been a part of my life since i left the seminary and took on a few writing jobs for tuition money and allowance. at 19, i began writing, first for a local magazine and a few classmates lazier than i with their theses and reports. it was an easy and expedient way to make money -- i had learned early on never to make the same report in the same tone and voice. from there, it became a matter of survival, a dance of counting out what was left in my pocket against the next freelance project that came along.

i remember my first writing job. it was for sun.star weekend. it was a poem about writing at the late hours of the night, of light and darkness, and of stepping away from the life of merely being a student, to a new life of being responsible for myself. it was revelatory and refreshing. and erma cuizon, literally, opened a whole new world to me. she was my genie in graying hair and reading glasses that dipped down to the tip of her refined nose. and eventually, my friendship and association with fellow writers pointed me to bigger, more lucrative freelance projects.

the thing about freelance writing is that it's always better to do when you don't have anything steady to bank on. for someone whose main source of income was a steady job, doing freelance takes more resources and time management. i am not, i confess, adept at managing my time between work, doing freelance projects and attending to household details. always, there will be one thing that will be left behind. so, when i entered the world of online writing, it was an easy and expedient for me to concentrate on my regular work, and choose my freelance tasks when my time was available and if the project was practicable.

my last two projects were serendipitous -- as half of all freelance writing projects are -- and truly enjoyable writing experiences. (i value enjoyment in freelance writing, because if it's not something i enjoy doing, i'd rather not).

the first is dimension architects. it is a young architectural firm, but it was full of vibrance, enthusiasm and dynamism. they had vibrant and realistic plans and ideas for transforming the cosmopolitan's skyline. so, when they came to me through sean lapus, and explained their need, there was no hesitation. i knew i just had to do their marketing collaterals. i like working with young, emerging companies / individuals because they are open and welcoming, not set in their ways and are forward-thinking. they will not compromise anything in their pursuit of their vision and i find that very refreshing. it's always a good idea for a writer to be in the company of people who are active and dynamic, because it adds to their own experience and breaks down preconceived notions, not just about writing, but of what to write about.

niel quisaba is a joy to work with, i've always said. he is brimming with ideas and new insights that early on, i've decided not to put a price tag on our working relationship. his insights about his art and about life, in general, just adds loads of new ideas and perpectives to how i can approach writing. it's always great to work with him.

as i continue my writing career, i've realized that freelance writing should never be about worrying about where you'd get your next meal, or getting on from paycheck to paycheck. a full-time job should take care of those necessecities. freelance work should be enjoyable, and you must take on projects that you will take pleasure in doing, and derive personal satisfaction from.

.

2010-05-05T16:35:00.003+08:00

on job security and following your dream

never in a hundred years would i have thought that i would end up doing what i love as my career and my passion: writing.

okay, forget that hyperbole for a moment and ask yourself: are you happy doing what you do at your job? in all honesty, i am. i love what i do. i can deal with the occasional boredom or mind-numbing hours staring at my pc monitor, because i love what i do.

the key to self-fulfillment is the mental masturbation you do in the things you love doing best. for me, writing never gets old. it never gets boring in long stretches. writer's block -- and admittedly, burnout -- is an occupational hazard, but an extended slump doing nothing, is never an issue.

because i love to write.

what i can get into trouble with is multi-tasking. i can't blog when i am in the thick of figuring out a productivity analysis report, or an ad campaign. i can't do freelance work if the process documentation and the the policies my fellow manager requested hasn't been put to bed -- i'm one-tracked in that sense. they say a writer is only as good as his last feature article, and i'm like that: i can't attend to my personal and freelance needs if work calls sweetly and longingly.

you can even say, i'm living my dream career.

working at an office for nearly five years changes you. it makes you build friendships and bridges (and makes you realize that the bridges you've burned before can be mended with a healthy dose of humility and a lot of foot-in-mouth apologies). it enlivens you.

and when that ends, it becomes a nightmare. on a professional level, you're stumped at what to do and where to take the next step in your career. on a social level, it is a painful process of seeing friends that have become old friends, too precious to let go, and too depressing a realization that you'll never see them again to share that pre-work coffee and cigarette.

on a personal level, it is a potential quagmire -- the dread of writer's block, or worse, an extended slump of doing no writing is fast becoming a reality i may have to deal with.

my dear friend said it best when she said that she'd rather write than be promoted to a position that gives her no opportunity to write. like i, celeste is living her dream, and we will both be leaving behind fond memories of brain-wracking ad copy and countlessly-edited process documentation and operational policies. and most importantly, treasured friendships.

i've always wondered why they called it a career -- the holding of jobs in the corporate world, in the call center, in business process, or even in politics. is it because there is no guarantee of job security, only "steps to building your career?"

in closing, doing what you love is important to building your career. what counts is that wherever your feet land, wherever your career calls you to, you are living your dream.

(now, click on the "Next Blog>>" tab so i can think up what i would write about next...)

2010-04-29T18:04:00.003+08:00

on writing comic books and graphic novels

about two months ago, i IM-ed with an old friend (and former CannonCreek Asia colleague), louie climaco. apart from the closing of the old company, comparing compensation benefits in the writing industry, and the merits of doing freelance work versus employed writing, we drifted to comic book-writing.

about five, six-ish years ago, he and i, along with roby amor and joe raganas sat down during lunch break and started toying with the idea of working on a comic book. louie, roby and joe, were passionate about illustration and coloring, and taking the idea to the next level was the most logical thing.

then, i got offered a nice comp package by another company. joe went freelancing, following his heart and did freelance graphics for a while. roby and louie stayed at the company for a while, before it closed down.

i didn't know until later that comic book and graphic novel-making was that big in cebu city. seriously. if it wasn't for ian z. and his mad idea to start a comic book about the local music scene, i wouuldn't have known. and there are a lot -- suede monkey and his merry cohorts are a few of the local lads i've started to follow online recently.

going through their artwork, made me wonder: how will we rate against these guys? i mean, suede monkey is good. and while i'm not a graphic designer, nor an illustrator (and will often leave the "judging" to my more graphically-inclined friends), it's easy enough to see that he's got something really good going here.

the thing i like about blogger.com is that when you sign up to be a follower of a specific blog, you are given access to a lot of other things you can browse through -- not just random browsing like googling, but really following a thread that leads you to like sites. what's really great about it is the rich diversity of these sites -- you'll be able to go through so many sites but know you'll never get lost in the clicking, because they are, really, one online community based on a shared experience and medium.

so it was a fine realization for me to see that there are a lot of cebu city-based comic book artists -- some who will remain unknown till you connect the dots, and others who have gone on to fame and fortune, and have established their own online stomping grounds.

it's amazing... the things -- or people -- you discover now and then, about this little island-cosmpolitan called cebu.

.

2010-04-27T12:52:00.001+08:00

are you ready 4 PoP?

so Niel Quisaba and i got to talking about his interview with computer arts mag and it was interesting to learn from one of the madmen of digital illustration that cebu city is deeply steeped in traditional art (i.e., painting). while this is a good thing, he concedes, a lot is lost in the transition to the more popular graphic design.

graphic design in cebu city has boomed in the last five to eight years, but more so in the last few months. it's ubiquitous, omnipresent, everlasting. at least, to me, whose world revolves around a graphics design and web development company where i, alone, am the sole writer and editor of my life and the content needs of my office. friends and officemates ian diez, pykee and mike tesch are just three of the many manic movers and shakers of the local graphics design scene.

niel is one of my favorite people. he's a good friend, and a keen observer of human interaction. and he should be, being in an industry where inspiration can come from simply sitting back and listening. and one of our favorite topics is digital illustration because, you can see it in his eyes -- that it's his passion. he had been explaining the poignant story behind his new artwork, when he shares that one of the keys to his success as a digital artist was his training and background in Fine Arts. "Lahi jud kanang naa ka'y training kay makita ug ma-appreciate nimu kung asa nag-gikan ang ilang inspiration ug emotion."

so, PoP 4 is just around the corner. check niel's site for additional information. deadline for graphic designers interested in participating in this annual landmark graphic design event.

.

2009-03-13T15:52:00.006+08:00

Take 3 for PoP 3

Cebu is known for its plethora of artistic talent; its artists are known for their commitment to excellence, creativity and ingenuity. This drive for excellence inspired Niel Quisaba, one of Cebu’s artistic mavericks, to put up the Perfect on Paper exhibit, in 2007.

Since the first installation in 2007, Perfect on Paper has become a local homegrown hub for graphic artists to converge and celebrate their artistry and talent in graphic design. Tomorrow, March 14, PoP III will open at the Outpost bar, featuring the graphic design art of 68 artists based in Cebu.

Lokalpulse takes aside three of PoP 3’s participating artists to shoot the breeze.

LokalPulse: Did you guys know that Perfect on Paper is being considered as one of the premier graphic design exhibits in Cebu? Your exhibit tomorrow, tops both PoP I and II (PoP3 has 68 participating artists; while PoP1 and PoP2 had 11 and 32, respectively). As an artist, what do you think contributes to PoP’s success?
Antonio Ismael Sandiego : PoP 3 for me is a showcase of talents from Cebu's up and coming graphic artists. It is also a good way to educate people about graphic/digital designs – most people are so used to the traditional paintings , murals, and other art forms, etc. We have to show people, specially the so-called "purist-traditional" artists that this is also another medium that artist can use to do their art.
Ralph Pykee Lambaco : Sakto si Maeng, and I guess, that more and more artists are responding to the challenge of putting their art and their expressions out where it can be appreciated and taken for what it is.
Winston Cangsuco: It is seldom that graphic artists get together to do an exhibit like this – we usually have our own sites, or contribute to graphic sites, but it’s all online. Perfect on Paper is a refreshing and new way for me, and the rest of us, of presenting our designs to the appreciative public. The artists themselves, make this annual exhibit a great success.

Lokal: What inspired your art work?
Winston: My artwork was inspired through introspection. I wanted to make an artwork that projects the opposite side of me. A scary and demanding person. It’s titled “Tonto’n” short for “Tonto nga Inton.”
Maeng: It’s called “Escape” and was inspired by problematic and uninspired friend who's trying to escape from his little demons and monsters.
Pykee: My piece is called "Bibingka." Why? Well, it's simple: I know everybody loves to eat bibingka and that's the point. I want everybody to love my artwork – nevermind the innuendo. My dog inspired my piece, by the way – Hahahaha!

Lokal: There must have been someone in your growing up years that inspired you to go into graphic design…
Winston: Believe it or not, I was a sucker for Tweety Bird. Even if it took me twenty seven years to know what his gender was, he was my favorite cartoon growing because he was the easiest character to draw and the yellow crayon was always available.
Pykee: Raphael of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. We have same personality back when I first started watching TV, around 5, and we both love to make trouble – Bwahahahaha!

Lokal: Any closing words, like, oh – what was you favorite song when you were five years old?
Winston: The soundtrack from the Aladdin movie, “A whole new world.”
Maeng: Ice, Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice, and Black Cat by Janet Jackson
Pykee: …. Dammit! -- I like those songs too....

They say trouble comes in threes, but not everything in threes is bad. There was Charmed, the BeeGees, and the Beastie Boys. And then, there’s Pykee, Winston and Maeng.

See you at PoP 3.

Opening: 14 March 2009, 6PM.
Close: 28 March 2009, 11PM
At: The Outpost Gallery, Cebu City, Philippines.

.

2008-11-12T19:35:00.000+08:00

Tough love waits in Sto. Domingo @ Carrera Habagat 2008

The driving force behind Habagat Outdoor, the popular brand of outdoor equipment and adventure racing gear is the passion and love for nature and care for the environment. No more, no less.

It was this passion led to the creation of Habagat Outdoor, and in 2000, the Carrera Habagat. Habagat head honcho Randy Su explains that Carrera Habagat was an apt event that celebrated the company’s passion and support for adventure racing and eco-awareness. It also became a practical laboratory of sorts, where Habagat products can be “field-tested.”

“In effect, we are practicing what we preach: It wouldn’t be Habagat if it was not built by hand and tested by nature,” smiles Randy. “The business and development of quality and innovative products for practical and outdoor use, and adventure racing simply grew out of our love for nature and the outdoors.”

Carrera Habagat is considered the country’s toughest and most grueling adventure race. It is a multi-day and multi-discipline event where teams are confronted with orienteering and navigation, cross-country running, mountain biking, paddling, climbing, as well related rope skills..

Another thrust of Carrera Habagat is the introduction and development of awareness for the environment and eco-tourism. “One of the most important things that the Carrera touches on is the appreciation for the environment and of nature. In the Carrera, the countryside becomes your ally, the sea becomes your guide, and the locals become your friends, says Nadine. “Habagat does its best to showcase the many beautiful places that may be found all over the country, not just in the more popular ones. It’s not uncommon for our participants to exclaim they never expected to see places in a particular locality or LGU, that are so beautiful, and yet unknown to anyone else.”

For the 2008 Carrera Habagat, all roads will lead Sto. Domingo, Albay. This coastal municipality faces the Pacific Ocean on the east, and the noble Mount Mayon in the northwest. Sto. Domingo is known for its rare and exotic black sand beaches, which are exactly like the ebonine beaches of the island of Hawai’i (the main island of the Hawai’i state) – sought after and famous throughout the world. This rare and magnificent beachline forms part of the Albay Gulf coastline. The locals say that this rare type of black volcanic beach sand was formed from the erosion of ground lava, and is said to have therapeutic benefits. Very small specimens of several gemstones (including ruby, sapphire, and diamond) may, in fact, be found in black sand.

This year marks the first Carrera ever to be held in Luzon – in Sto. Domingo, Albay, with its exotic magma-black sandy beaches and dreamy landscapes. Nadine Vallejos, 2008 Carrera Habagat event coordinator, says that the organizers are expecting a large field – bigger than any of the previous Carrera events. “We’ve always had a lot of teams from across the country, especially those coming from Manila and Eastern Visayas. With this year’s race being held in Sto. Domingo, Albay, we’re expecting that teams from up north won’t miss the chance to join the Carrera.” Carrera Habagat is known for fielding the best of the country’s adventure racing teams. Team Santorini and the Philippine Mount Everest Team, are just two of the team-participants who consistently sign up for each of the past Carreras, expected to sign up for this year’s race.

To know more about the 2008 Carrera Habagat, for race details, registration requirements and how to sign up, check out the Events page of the company, email the secretariat through events@habagat.com, or call or SMS through 0917.320.9298 / 0922.820.0696.

The 2008 Carrera Habagat “Isang Linggo sa Sto. Domingo” is co-presented by Habagat and the Sto. Domingo Municipality, under the auspices of Mayor Celso de los Angeles. This year’s Carrera is sponsored by T.W.O., Vertigo Wall Climbing Center, Dot Region 5, Graphicstar, Topway Intl., V12 Radgear, Pitman Apparels, Baye, Fluidsurf, Blood Red, Virginia Foods Corp., Trans Asia Shipping,
Julies’ Franchising Corp. Media sponsors are: 8Thumbs, Bite Magazine, Sun.Star Daily, Cebu Daily News, RCTV Channel 36, ABS CBN Davao and Living Asia Channel.

About Carrera Habagat

Carrera Habagat is one of the initiatives that Habagat Outdoor has instituted and held yearly on some of the most challenging environments that abound in our beautiful, island-studded country. The Carrera, as it is fondly called, is a multi-discipline, multi-day sports challenge that pits the teams with a chosen terrain in various events like orienteering and land navigation, paddling, mountain-biking, and other events with only basic navigation tools and skills given, and a tight schedule to follow from one spot to the other.

2008-10-14T20:34:00.008+08:00

Setting up shop for an in-house ad campaign

Late this year, several key employees in our company were promoted, and responsibilities and tasks were passed on to other teams and personnel to make way for their new responsibilities. One of those fellow employees happened to be handling our in-house career ads campaign. It was fortunate for my team to receive this responsibility -- not because we're masochistic animals who delight in needless responsiblity, stress and pain. Making an ad was a genuine welcome and exciting challenge.

The copy team immediately took action. From the outset, we were faced with an immediate worry: How do we set up a team composed of members from the different deparments that would be able to deliver on the needs for an in-house ad campaign, as painless as it can possibly do this? In answering this question, we boiled down the necessities for the campaign into three specific elements: Strong identity of the concept, an awareness and close adherence to the schedule, and plain old logistics. (Please do note that this process is not the end-all and be-all for all in-house ad campaign projects that you might work with. This process, I have found, works best for our team and for our campaign.)

The Concept
Despite the initial dampener of having to set up a team for the campaign, coming up with the concept for the campaign was not a problem. It was emphasized at the start that each ad should have four characteristics: Each ad had to look polished and clearly stated its message; each ad must have a professional look and feel; each ad must embody a corporate identity or dynamic to it; and as much as possible, each ad have a little spark of fun, or spunk, in it. The main concept was to present the company as a place where people can establish firm and solid careers foundations. Our challenge was to show our "market" just that.

The Schedule
The in-house ad campaign runs for eight months (May to December) and is composed of 19 separate ads. To generate effective ads without losing momentum, these were divided into four phases, each with its own storyline and concept. The last two were where I and my team came in.

Now, what has a storyline have to do with the schedule? Everything. In the standard prose plotline, you have: One, the introduction of the character; two, the rising action, or exposition; three, the climax or the crux of the story; and finally, the denoument, or the ending (or anti-climax, to be technical about it).

Figure out your storyline. Brainstorm. Get the story straight and everyone in your team facing the same direction, and you'll be able to figure out how many ads can be made, which ad has to be the hook, etc. Once done, you can now be able to visualize the idea and get your photographer, your graphic artists, and ad copy writers moving in the right direction.

Then, you can start organizing your schedule. Since we were colloborating with an external client, we had to beat their deadline. Note that even if you are the client in this ad campaign, the classified ads people will drop your ad if you miss a deadline, and that's money you can't get back. So be prepared ahead of time, and make sure that all the people you work with for each ad know that and that any delay at their level will compound and cost you in delivery time.

The Logistics
Getting the graphic artists needed for the ad campaign was a big dilemma. While our office clearly cornered the local graphics talent pool -- no doubt about that -- they were all assigned to different teams and projects -- it would be easier to walk through broken glass than try haggling for their time. Luckily, department managers Rob and Ericson found a loophole: Graphic artists tend to shut down when faced with rote work. To cure this, they would gladly lend their resources on the condition I didn't take them away from their time. I jumped on the chance without looking back. (It's simple, really: "When they know, you'll know -- you know?" Thanks, Crush the Turtle.)

Working on an in-house ad campaign with these three elements in mind helps. But, it should be noted, however, that the team came up with these three elements knowing in advance what these elements were, and what the expectations from the campaign are. Working from the ground up -- that's a different story.

Penumbra: Thanks to my team, and to the graphic artists who worked on these ads you see in this blog post -- salamat kaayo!!!

.

2008-09-12T12:22:00.003+08:00

Penumbra: Christian Darius Zafra is the erstwhile guitarist of Sheila and the Insects and man-behind-the-scenes of Midweek Sessions, a local monthly rock show at the Outpost Cafe, and a regular scribbler on the goings-on in the local Cebuano music scene. This is an article I wrote about him in the June 2008 issue of Bite Magazine. Enjoy!

Papait ala Zafra

The key to delicious papait (or in colloquial English, savory goat innard stew) is goat bile. Without it, papait with its mélange of sweet and savory ingredients, the odd meat bits and goat parts, some herbs, a lot of ginger and spices, becomes a simple, tasteless affair.
Papait is Ian Zafra's favorite dish. But for the songwriter-slash-erstwhile axeman of SATI, the dish is more than that. Read on and know what Ian puts into that delicious bowl of steaming hot stew called his life.
BITE: Okay, first off... Situational question: You're in Boracay, clad only in board shorts, with a cold drink in your hand when suddenly, two women in skimpy bikinis come along. The first is a good friend you see everyday -- at the workplace, gym, bar, or -- whatever. The second is your childhood crush, looking every bit as the girl of your dreams, only more endowed and appealing than twenty-two years ago. Who do you say 'hello' to first?
Ian Zafra: (Takes a Johnny Bravo-esque pose and says loudly to himself) Hellooooo --- Mama! Hoo-hah!

BITE: (Laughs) Okay, seriously now. You haven't really been out of the loop, but you haven't logged in your playing time. What keeps you busy these days?
IZ: Quite a lot, actually. There's work, and there's the Midweek Sessions, too. I host the show because, basically, I can’t afford a proper host (laughs).
And I'm also working on and off with Jay Young on demos for songs I've written. Also, when I can, I'd go to pocket venues like Iamics and play my songs, just to see if audiences respond positively to them.

BITE: So, contrary to the urban myths of burnout, you're actually working on your music career?
IZ: I'll have to correct you on that bit: Playing music never felt like a career. Songwriting is one of the things I love doing. I guess I was lucky to have great band-mates to collaborate with so my songs could be made. I’m very grateful for that. In terms of my life outside performing and music-writing, I have a lot of catching up to do. But I knew I couldn't stop writing songs. What I did need was a fresh perspective and being able to do things in my own time. I really don't see this as a career. I always feel the need for a creative output. I suppose that is my benchmark.

BITE: How single-minded are you about your music and song-writing?
IZ: It's like this: I can't be faithful to a single songwriting process. It's always arbitrary and polygamous. Maybe because good tunes don't cum (sic) often. But of course, there must be a little courtship and an artful stimulation to get things heated up. Sometimes when the urge cums (sic--again), I'd like to do it in bed, in a chair, bathroom, even on the road on my way to work. Sometimes I start down there -- the melody; sometimes I'd like to work on the lips -- words. It's always important to understand that when you're aroused (inspired), there are no clear-cut policies in love making... er... songwriting. Just hammer it on -– Wham-bam!!!

BITE: Ooo-kay.. moving on... Your day job -- describe how different your music and your day job is.
IZ: Music is like meditation -- I try to speaking from the soul. I pause, sing and understand what I'm about to say before merging it together. In retrospect, my songs then are not the same as what I'm writing now. Some of my earlier stuff had that tinge of vengeance, arrogance and angst streaming through the words. I still appreciate them but that was my youth. A different perspective. I suppose it's true what they say about age... you sort of "mellow" down.
My day-job, on the other hand, is a totally different experience. It's mostly bound to the five senses. It's also very much oriented to the physical, mental, financial priorities. Most often I can't afford to be emotional about my job and the things around it. The challenge is learning to understand how to breath for both sides. Otherwise, it will tilt to one side and you drown.

BITE: What keeps making your life more flavorful from day to day?
IZ: I'm a workaholic, so I like to take my time and appreciate the little things in life. Like, I would spend about an hour and a half -- maybe even more -- getting ready for work. I love to slack off before going to work. Work can be stressful and you'll never know what hits you that day. I don't like the idea of making haste. Haste makes waste. Sometimes it's necessary and inevitable but when it becomes a habit, it's never good.
Also, I write songs, do sketches, draft blog entries for my Midweek Sessions and Indieology webpages, and read books. I like to keep in touch with people, posting 'Joke Of The Day' in YM, and I especially love getting emails from friends in the local music scene. Weekends are always for family. I love my family very much.

BITE: And you're still actively engaged in writing music -- or is it an on-and-off thing?
IZ: I'm actively looking for time to write music, if that's what you mean. But the most trying part of it these days is the schedule. It can be very challenging when you have to learn and relearn how to switch between moods and modes versus tick-tock-tick-tock. There are only 24 hours in a day, 7 days in a week. The discipline required between the band and my other priorities can be very demanding. I just had to realign my priorities.

BITE: What sounds better with papait: Steamed long-grain rice (from the caldero), or puso (hanging rice)?
IZ: Rice is best. I can eat papait for every meal of the entire day -- even for the entire week. The only best chef I know for this dish is my uncle Bob.

Like papaitan, things need to simmer for a time before they're ready to serve. Ian says that, music-wise, he'd like to perform again, but states that before that happens, he'd like take time to let things in his life happen naturally and enjoy what he's doing – Midweek Sessions, work and songwriting; taking an hour or two to get ready for work; and taking the weekends off for family time. To take a page out of Ian Z.'s book: With the right mix, and ample time, the papait you'll stew won't just warm your belly, it will feed your soul.

(Note: No goats were harmed in the process of writing this article, nor were any trolls, or bridges involved.)

Penumbra: Thanks to Bite Magazine for the photo!

2008-09-12T12:08:00.004+08:00

Penumbra: This little ditty came out in Bite Magazine's May 2008 issue. ENJOY!

Bulate_69 vs Paborito

Online gaming is so popular in the Philippines, covering all forms of sport ever imagined – from realistic military operations, to surreal sci-fi settings, historic arena games, and the hugely popular fantasy genre. So, it wouldn’t be surprising if you’ll find gamers of every size and demographic, hunkering down and doodling away, creating their own versions of online gaming characters.

What’s exciting for these would-be character designers is Mojizu.com. Self-styled as a “contemporary character design community,” Mojizu.com is an online portal for artists and enthusiasts to see their original character creations posted online.
But it goes further than the simple posting of your character design art. The big difference between Mojizu.com and online sharing, and social networking sites, is that it is also an online community of artists, character designers and fans from around the world, who view, read up on character profiles, and vote on their choice of characters.

Relatively new, Mojizu.com’s objective is the development and nurturing of an online community of artists and art fans, where the former may showcase their character art globally. The site is very user-centric, and derives most of its traffic from artists and character art enthusiasts who visit the site to post, or vote, or view the regular Mojizu wars – a voting-based competition between uploaded original character designs. In Mojizu.com, the character that you design is called a Moji. It can human, animal – or a combination of both. It could also be mechanical, fantastic, or something only your mom would try to love and understand. You may design your Moji characters digitally, or by hand. In the meantime, the MojiWar feature is currently under development, but essentially, the most popular Moji character advances to the next level, until there is a grand winner. The grand winner receives special prizes and recognition on the home page of Mojizu.com.

To start, all you need to do is visit Mojizu.com. Registration is free; for added features, a special subscription package is offered that provides other benefits like unlimited Moji submissions, unlimited downloads of Moji art and ad-free surfing. Regular registered users may submit up to ten Moji character designs per month, while subscribers can upload an unlimited number of Moji’s. The site also offers financial benefits to its users through merchandise tie-ups.

A lot of artists from Cebu have joined the site and find it both refreshing and welcoming. Local graphic artist, Aji Mechilina (Moji profile name: bulate_69), whose interests range from air-brush, web, industrial and graphic design, says that Mojizu.com is a great way to showcase character art, and in particular, the talent and skill of graphic artists. “It’s not limiting at all,” says Mechilina. “Pwede kang gumawa ng maraming character at i-post sa site tapos i-rate ng mga online viewers ang MOJI mo or katong character mo, to see how people like your art. It’s fun and I’m happy na may nag rate sa character ko na si Demonyito.” Mechilina has also created two other characters, Angel and Purplegirl.

Will other budding online gamers, doodling away at paper napkins in coffeeshops, or at the comfort of their home office pc, take Mojizu.com as the next step? With enough experience points and HP, anything can happen.

2008-09-12T11:57:00.002+08:00

Setting Up Shop with MyMarket.Ph

No more registering new accounts, no more logging in --- all you need to do if you've got something to sell is to have a verifiable and legitimate email address. New ads directory site, Mymarket.ph, is getting the goods and services to the market in a safe, yet hassle-free way.

By getting advertisers online as economically and easily as possible, Mymarket.ph allows its users to be able to market their products and services as quickly as pushing the "Post" button.

And it is this quick and easy ad-posting access that gives Mymarket.ph an edge over other existing sites --- these sites usually which require advertisers and prospective buyers to register member-accounts, and other site restrictions before they can start doing business online.

Mymarket.ph, literally cuts through that "waiting" period, and gives its users a free hand in posting their goods and services.

According to Cherry Dungog, owner of Mymarket.Ph, while there are a lot of sites that offer similar services, "a lot of sites can be limiting. What I wanted to do was allow people to be able to shop around, look for something that they may need, and be able to get it as soon as they want to. What is important to us is providing a venue for people to conduct business, be it selling products, or even offer job opportunities."

The site not only caters to Cebuanos, but to other customers around the country. Dungog adds that eventually, Mymarket.ph would be going global, allowing users from around the world to post ads, and shop for products and services in their localities.

To post your ad for an item, a service, or a job offer, all you need to do is:

1) Click on your regional location;
2) Click on the "Post an Ad" button, then enter the needed information (adding a picture is encouraged), and you're all set.
NOTE: You will need a legitimate email address for verification purposes and contact.

Registering to an account, logging in to post your ads, and going through other account-specific guidelines is a thing of the past. Mymarket.Ph brings the market to you fresh and sound.

Mymarket.Ph was launched in January of this year, and has quickly gained a following, for the easy access and the wide reach that it provides.

2007-06-15T23:16:00.000+08:00

“BANTAWAN SA BATHALAD” features Poet Gerard Pareja

A little less than three years ago, a band of wordsmiths, verse-fiends and storytellers found this nook of a place called Kahayag Café. They found it suitable conversation, the sharing of dribbles and oodles of words that poured forth from random musings and politically incorrect conjecture. Thus, was born, “Bantawan sa Bathalad.”

“Bantawan” is monthly poetry reading activity that features the oral form of the works of Cebuano writers and poets of the Bathalad, or “Bathalad-ong Halad sa Dagang” (Divine Gift of the Quill). It is a venue for the expression of the Cebuano language, and aims to usher renaissance of Cebuano literature, and nurture appreciation of Cebuano language. Local writers and people in the audience are always invited to read their original poetry during the session. A few months earlier, “Bantawan” began featuring the “Poet of the Month.” This new feature added opportunities for audience members and other writers to discuss the Poet’s works and voice their opinions about them. It broke ground beginning with Cebuano poets Bambi Beltran, Vince Cinches and Kaira Zoe Alburo. For June, "Bantawan" will be featuring the works of poet-photographer Gerard Pareja.

Bathalad is helmed by notable Cebuano writers Michael Obenieta, Januar Yap, Jeremiah Bondoc, Greg Fernandez and Josua Cabrera. “Bantawan sa Bathalad” will be featured at the Tapas Lounge, at the Crossroads, in Banilad, this Wednesday, June 20, 2007, at 8PM. This will be a temporary arrangement as their home of many readings, Kahayag Café, closed down late last month. Cabrera says the Bathalad is eyeing a few venues and hope one may be receptive to sponsoring a spot for this merry band of wordsmiths. ArtCebu is also sponsoring this month’s reading as Bathalad is in the thick of searching for a new home.

A little less than three years ago, a band of wordsmiths, verse-fiends and storytellers founded monthly event that celebrated the Cebuano language, and featured the works of local writers. Since then, the “Bantawan” has become part of local fare, entrancing audiences with the Cebuano spoken word, inviting them to beguile and be beguiled by the sharing of verses written in a language that both strange and alluring, as it is very much their birthright.

.

2007-06-02T16:14:00.000+08:00

Stagecrew makes studio time for "Dreamland"

The pop-alternative band, Stagecrew, has been together since 1997. The band is based in the Cebu City, Philippines and is popular in the Visayas, especially in the Leyte-Samar region, where their new hit single, “Kapiling Na,” has gained a massive following. They are especially known for their energetic live performances, as well as their rapport with audiences.

Stagecrew’s stint in Manila between 2001 and 2004 added experience and maturity to their music. The trip gave them exposure to the music and entertainment industry, where they guested in television shows and live events. Stagecrew was also able to launch their self-titled debut album. Some of their songs have been included in a few original movie and television show soundtracks such as “Jologs,” “Bituin,” and the Pinoy Big Brother edition.

Formed ten years ago, Stagecrew was composed by Rommel Tuico, Jason Dacua, and George Castro, Jr. Joel Gabucan and Edward Ceballos were playing for their own bands before joining the trio. Their first months together were marked by their disagreements over musical preferences that Tuico subscribes to as birthing pains.

Fortunately, they were able to find their groove and Stagecrew has been playing sweet music ever since. Dacua says that it was mainly being high school buddies and friends that kept their egos in check (and keeping the band together). Playing and keeping their musical chemistry came in second.

The band has regular gigs at Ratsky’s resto-bar and Sunflower City bar. The band is popular on the live performance circuit, playing regular events like SMB’s “Sarap Magbabad” concert series. Stagecrew is also favorite guest at local televisions shows and is featured regularly at local variety shows such as GMA 7 Cebu’s “Oi!” variety show. Their influences are varied; from reggae music, hard rock, popular music, and romance ballads. Their repertoire is equally determined by the venue and event that they play at. Stagecrew’s repertoire covers songs by favorite bands like U2, Keane, Coldplay, The Police, REM, Sublime, Big Mountain and Sting. Not content to just sit on their success, Stagecrew expanded their repertoire by including original songs.

Stagecrew is currently logging time in the studio. The band is currently working on their second album and has finished laying down the tracks for ten original compositions (Five in English, and five in Tagalog). Already, “Kapiling Na,” the carrier single of “Dreamland,” is getting heavy circulation in Eastern Visayas and in Cebu City and has in fact, begun making rounds online via Youtube.com.

Ten years in the making, ladies and gentlemen, on center stage… Stagecrew!

Stagecrew is:
Rommel Tuico (Lead Vocals)
Jason Dacua (Keyboards/vocals)
George Castro, Jr. (Drummer)
Joel Gabucan (Bassist/vocals)
Edward Ceballos (Guitarist/vocals)

Notable Singles
“Next in line” – Afterimage cover that became part of the “Jologs” OST and the Pinoy Big Brother reality show soundtrack
“Cinderella” – Along with “Next in line” was used in the Pinoy Big Brother OST album
“Alam ko di ako, okay lang” – Entry for Himig Handog 2003, interpreted by Bayani Agbayani
“Ulan” – penned by Rommel Tuico for all-male band Cueshe

Albums
Stagecrew (self-titled)
Dreamland (in production)

Repertoire includes music from:
U2, Keane, Coldplay, The Police, REM, Sublime, among others.

Notable Appearances
“Jologs” movie, as the house band
"Bituin" TV series, as the lead character, Melody Sandoval's, band.
“Oi!” GMA 7 Cebu variety show, as regular guest band.

Awards and Nominations
1997 DYRT Artist of the Year
Best Jingle, SMB Jingle Contest 2000
Artist of the Year, Cebu FAME Awards

.

2007-03-30T16:56:00.000+08:00

WHEN BARDS BAND TOGETHER, WHAT SONGS DO THEY SING?

   When bards of old --- wandering musicians and poets --- were wont to gather, what tales did they weave? What stories would they share about their travels? In this same vein, Powerhouse Entertainment and BisayaOnline.net are bringing some of local music’s wandering bards to tell their music tales and misadventures.

   According to IndieCultureOnline, co-presentor of, "Banded," this unique Lola Basyang-esque event happening at the Handuraw Events Café, this Saturday, March 31, 2007, some of the bands taking turn at telling their tales are Silhouette, Cold Transfer, Indephums, UNO, One Man Down, Ruined, Glass of Dirt, Missing Filemon, Balde Ni Allan, Aggressive Audio, Xephra Project, and Zarah Smith Band.

   Also taking their turn at the helm are members of the seminal RockEd Philippines volunteer group.

   Read up on the full ICO story now.

Penumbra:
      Many thanks to Ian Z. of ICO, for the info!

2007-03-06T19:46:00.000+08:00

Bringing the “Island Riddim” to the Island-Cosmopolitan

March ushers in proms, grad balls, final exams, and the onset of summer, to this small island-cosmopolitan of Cebu. To urban Cebuanos who have done their academic dues, March is more notable for being the unofficial month of reggae. It is the month when pocket concerts are held in honor of that rastafarian prophet and reggae statesman, Robert Nesta Marley.

This year, a tribute in his honor will be bringing the “island riddim” to the island-cosmopolitan dubbed, “High Noon on the road to Mout Zion.” This event will begin at high noon, no less, and will open with a reggae bazaar, with an assortment of activities and booths toting reggae-themed items and accessories.

This year’s tribute event will feature many of Cebu's foremost reggae bands, like, Junior Kilat, Urbal, Skunky Muggles, Island Joe, Coolie Dread and the Microphone Commanders, Crown Royale, Bambu Spliff, Skankin' Brew, Potent Bush, Domestic Grass, Powerspoonz, Paskanin, Big Marvin and D'Wigiws, Toy Souljahs, No Parking Anytime, and Santing Scalawags, and more!

To add spice to the reggae brew three non-Cebu based three reggae bands have been invited, namely, Reggae Mistress, Milagros Dancehall Collective and the much-loved Enchi.

Check out the event details below and I’ll see you at the festival!

"HIGH NOON ON THE ROAD TO ZION"
The 12th Tribute to BOB MARLEY
12Noon, March 24, 2007
At the Paseo Mall, Panagdait,
Mabolo, Cebu City, Philippines.

Penumbra:
Thank you to Wikipedia for the photos used in this entry
(despite the lack of permission, thank you kaayo)

***

2007-03-06T16:26:00.000+08:00

October to February: There and back again.

Feel-good February

For a month steeped in romance and commercial pandering to the heartstrings of every person deeply in love, I was more caught with preparing for PODD Corp’s 2nd anniversary, more than anything.

The PODD @ 2 anniversary party was it for me, as February was concerned. It was a great party and the PODD Digital Art Contest was the best way to say, “Happy Birthday!” The venue was great, the spread was delectable and the finalists outdid themselves with their entries. (Mitch Tedor and Ian Zafra’s exclusive on winner, Luke Tornilla, in an earlier entry). And although, we weren’t able to finish out the production as much as we hoped and expected it to turn out, but shit does happen even to good guys --- damn that Murphy’s Law!

But I wasn’t completely out of it, celebrating Valentine’s and all. At the start of the day, Joyce and I had a romantic brunch, and I bought her chocolates and books on --- what else? Historical romance.

Here ends this five-month sojourn. More stories to come about Cebu and the beat of this island-cosmopolitan's thriving cityscape.

***

2007-03-05T15:26:00.000+08:00

October to February: There and back again.

January: Sinulog, Fiery Pigs, Pinnipig, Midweek Session and Perfect on Paper.

January heralded the year of the Fiery Pig. PODD Corp marked its second year, with a digital art contest open to college students. Luke Tornilla, of UP Cebu, won the first prize of this inaugural digital art contest.

January was also auspicious for three things: The Sinulog Video-Docu Contest, Pinnipig and the Midweek sessions. Clee Villasor, my erstwhile cohort at itzamatch.com, contacted me to do consulting work on his script. The piece came in 8th place (I think). Not bad, for a first-time director and screenwriter. Kudos, Clee!

Ni el Quisaba and Ia n Zafra, are probably two of most artistic and hardworking people I know, and the idea of them joining forces to form an online store just blew me away. In fact, I think it blew the two of them away, too. Pinnipig.com, their joint online effort into promoting Niel’s artwork, became so popular that, within a month of its birth, the site crashed because its bandwidth limit was exceeded. Peejay, another friend on mine, told me that bandwidths are only exceeded if your site has had too many users clicking and trying to access your site, or if you’ve exceeded your weight index two times over. Which is quite an achievement for a young online store like pinnipig.com. Kudos, Niel and Ian, to your success!

Another digital delight was last January 17’s Perfect on Paper, skippered by Niel Q., this group exhibit featured the digital artwork of Cebuano graphic artists such as Rocky Barria, Palot Umali, and Leo Guevar a, among others. Watch out for these individuals because they’re more than just perfect on paper.

Segue to music and then some... In the early 2000s, a small, albeit inocuous band-space, called Midweek Sessions was created at the now-dead-and-revered Artist Dais music bar. It was a weekly gig that featured local artists who wrote and sang their own material. Many local music aficionados and fence-sitters tried to dissuade the trio of Eimer Tabasa, Fern Villaflor, and Ian Zafra that gathering a horde of mostly young bands together to play their original material may look great on paper, it may just be a pretext to a very flat note. Unfazed, the trio approached Edwin Asis of Artist Dais. The rest, as they are fond of quoting, is history.

Midweek Sessions made its comeback last Feb 28, Wednesday, at the Outpost, in Nivel Hills, Lahug, Cebu city. Indie freshmen, The Line Divides, and local pop-chartbusters, Missing Filemon opened the relaunch.

Penumbra: Next “Feel-good February”

***

2007-03-01T13:52:00.000+08:00

October to February: There and back again.

Samal Christmas holiday and Poker de Pamilya

I spent my holidays with the in-laws in Davao. Three whole days of sun, sun and more sun. We started with a boat ride to Cagayan de Oro, followed by a grueling 6-hour road trip to Davao, where temperatures raced from noontime-hot, to midnight-deathly cold. I wouldn’t want to be stranded in Buda, at 3AM in the morning, that’s for sure.

Davao, is by far, the biggest city I’ve been to. From my cousin-in-law’s place, to the commercial district was something like 45 minutes to an hour, in early morning traffic, which is a bit longer than I’d expect, coming from an island-city that Davao city’s port could probably swallow up, and still have enough space to include Barangay Punta Prinsesa. I wouldn’t want to be caught in mid-hour jams there, that’s for sure!

But I enjoyed Davao. Very likey! And Samal Island was great! For want of a better comparison, it was like Malapascua. Same travel bumps going there, but very, very, very much like Malapascua. (I want to go back there!)

Christmas was also a time for me to strengthen family ties, renew bonds of friendship, cuddly with my wifey, Joyce, and play home poker games --- what else?

It was fun at first, then, the kids got better and better. Negreanu, Lederer, Hansen and Esfandiari, you better hold on to your winnings because when these Tan kids come of age, they’ll be sweeping the tables clean!

Penumbra: Next “January: Sinulog, Fiery Pigs, Pinnipig, Midweek Session and Perfect on Paper.”

***

2007-02-28T17:16:00.000+08:00

October to February: There and back again.

PODD Christmas Party @ The Vudu Lounge

December wouldn’t be outdone with the PODD Christmas Party at the Vudu. The Kris Kringle exchange of gifts netted me a poker set, which was promptly used at a family home game two months down the line. Beer was flowing, albeit the two-drink stub we all got. One of our Estonian friends was quoted to have said, “This is the happiest Christmas I’ve ever had in my entire life! (sniff-sniff)” Yeah, yeah, always blame the Filipinos for your fun.

The party was a blast, complete with singing and holiday cheer. And while the food was a fiasco, everyone went home pretty satisfied, loaded down with gifts, and piss-drunk. Post-Christmas party, my wife, Joyce, and I spent some quiet romantic time to ourselves --- We dropped by Flame-It for some burgers. She commented on how good I looked; I complimented her on her taste of clothes. She blushed; and I thanked her for helping me pick out my wardrobe for the night. And we both remarked how Astrid and Peejay looked good together.

Penumbra: Next “Samal Christmas holiday and Poker de Pamilya”

***

2007-02-26T20:37:00.000+08:00

Luke Tornilla: Bringing home the bacon

In the wake of capturing the inaugural PODD Digital Art Contest bacon, PODD’s Mitch Tedor and Ian Zafra, caught up with Luke Tornilla to talk about his winning entry, digital art in general, and why his mom and dad should have a share of his winnings.

Ian and Mitch: I think your entry seems to tell a story. If you are to make a story out of it, can you tell us what happened before the action in the picture took place and what happens after?
Luke: Hmmm... that's a little hard but I'd like to believe that it happened during the Sinulog when everyone in Cebu is celebrating the mardi gras parade and Sto. Niño is just as glad and so He hovered above the heavens. If you can see, there's the Philippines below Him on the picture.

I&M: You used some of the names from Greek mythology. Is there a relation behind the Cebuano Sun God?
L: Well when I learned that Palmy Tudtud is one of the judges, I thought I should make an impressive work (laughs). So I tried to make up a little story about it (pointing on the description scribbled at the back of his artwork).

I&M: Can you tell us how you got the idea of the Cebuano Sun God?
L: It was first based on the PODD contest theme "Pigs On Parade: The Year of the Fiery Pig"... then everything else has something to do with Cebu. There's the Sto. Niño driving the kalesa, and the orange and crispy pigs inspired from the lechon (roasted pig). It's very Cebuano.

I&M: How many hours per day did you spend on making this art?
L: 1 week. An hour or two after classes and after watching TV.

I&M: How did you get interested in digital art?
L: I got interested with computer games since 4th grade and got my inspiration from there.

I&M: What's your favorite PC game?
L: Prince of Persia

I&M: You said you're currently taking up Management in UPV and it's a bit offbeat from what you usually do or at least what we know of you, why Management?
L: Originally, my direction was to take up either advertising in UPV or economics in UP Dilliman. The latter being my first choice but it turns out that UPV is actually in Iloilo, and not in Cebu. I thought it was in Cebu. But I was still excited and I said 'Yes! I'm gonna be in Iloilo!' But my parents was horrified of the thought that I'd be there so I took up a course that has something to do with economics instead.

Back in elementary, things just doesn't make sense - you wanna be an astronaut and then when you start dreaming towards it, you realize that, ‘Hey wait, there's easier money over there [with my course]’ - so I thought of business.

I&M: What’s your dream job?
L: That's a hard one (laughs). You've been asking me hard questions (laughs again).

I&M: What would you think of your future be like?
L: It will be cool if all things could just come conglomerated. I don't think I've changed that much since high school.

I&M: What's keeping you busy these days?
L: I was enrolled in 2004 and 2005 at the International Academy of Film and Television (IAFT) taking up computer graphics and video editing. After that I got an OJT in the same school for 2 and a half months. Now I'm busy with school - it's the finals so I'm studying for my exams.

I&M: Did you hear about PODD Corp before the contest?
L: No, I did not. But I do know now that the company does graphic designs, search engine optimization, and web designs. I think PODD is a small, fast, and cool company that can do anything. It's almost like hey-c'mon-give-it-to-us kinda thing.

I&M: Aside from digital art, what else do you do?
L: Photography. I love the last hiking trip me and my dad had (showing a couple of images from his deviant art profile).

I&M: How did you learn about PODD Corp's digital art contest then?
L: My dad buys and reads the newspaper. My mom read your ad and showed it to me and said that I should join.

I&M: How do you plan to spend your prize money?
L: I got some money saved from Christmas, then some from my birthday, and then the money from the contest. I'm gonna buy a PSP (Portable Playstation) with it.

***

Ian Zafra
Musician, e-businessman, and writer are just a few of the coats this man wears. Apart from his marketing work with Philippine Offshore Development and Design Corporation, he’s in the thick of rejuvenating Midweek Sessions (which relaunches this Wednesday, 28 February 2007), a weekly pocket music event in the late 90s and early-2000s which became a seminal launchpad for many Cebuano rock bands.

Mitch Tedor
A online marketing specialist, nursing a growing love for digital art, Mitch is one of the youngest online marketing specialists at PODD Corp, and considers chocolate her passion, second to none.

2007-02-21T13:11:00.000+08:00

October to February: There and back again.

Halloween, Bloody Halloween
My November’s big event was the PODD Corp Office Halloween party, where my fellows brought their DARKER colors to life.

Quite a few ladies of the faerie kind dropped by; a couple of ghouls sampled the buffet while Sponge Bob cavorted with an apparently dead rape victim --- Celeste swears that she was dead, before Sponge Bob gave it to her.

The Fright of the Night was the irresistible diva of deviousness, queen of all arachnids, the most venomous widowmaker, Erica!

The twist: I missed that one. Won't miss this year's now...

Penumbra: Next, “PODD Christmas Party @ The Vudu Lounge”

***

2007-02-20T16:21:00.000+08:00

October to February: There and back again.

I was remiss in my duties to this blog. In lieu of months of missed deadlines and poor excuses, here is a series of articles --- blurbs, more like it --- highlighting my mis-adventures from... "October to February, and back again."

"If a May-December Affair exists, why not a March-October?"

My beautiful wife, Joyce, and I exchanged matrimonial vows last March 25, 2006, in Maribago Bluewaters. It was a Born Again Christian rite, attended by most of our closest friends and family. Little did we know then that when her papa called and asked us to visit his family in Basilan so I could pay my respects to his side of the family, we’d be replaying it again, the Islamic way.

It was ceremonial, of course, but its significance was heartfelt. My wife would always tell me that, “A man not only marries his wife, but her entire family, as well.” I am happy --- and thoroughly relieved --- to have Joyce’s papa’s blessings on our marriage. The alternative would be, shall we say --- a very, very, very delicate situation we would all love to avoid.

Penumbra: Next, “Halloween, Bloody Halloween”

***

2006-10-05T03:15:00.000+08:00

Humba on the mind.

   8.40 in the evening.
   Saturday.

   As he walks into the building, a slight breeze picks up. He turns and nods to the guard. The elevator ride was a haiku of mental anguish.

   He crosses to his desk, takes out the heavy silver metal briefcase from underneath a pile of magazine and paperwork. Opening the case, he caresses the velvet-lined inside and runs his fingers through the rows of chips. The tension mounts; it is unbearable.

   "Wala pa sila?" He looks up. Eyes meet, the question passed. The scent of buttered popcorn waft through AC-cooled air.

   "Padung na daw sila." The barely contained excitement is unbearable.

   Twenty minutes: A five-minute jeepney ride; a ten-minute walk; three minutes to finish the first cigarette of the night; two more minutes for even more tension to build.

   The scent of buttered popcorn and blue cigarette smoke mingle with the icy smoothness of bitter brew, the tartness of vodka & juice jello shots, and the sweet-savory taste of humba in the mouth.

   Three hours.
   Several hundred pesos lighter.
   He shrugs and puffs the last cigarette of the night.
   And runs the Eights Full of Kings over and over and over and over and over...

   Game over.

   Two weeks later.
   Now.
   Again, he walks into the building.

   No elevating degrees of mental anguish, this time
   Just the quiet breeze of anticipation
   And the taste of humba in the mouth.

2006-06-02T02:15:00.000+08:00

ARTCEBU: Introducing Cebuano Art to the world through its online art gallery.

a little over two days ago, the work of over three weeks finally came to fruition: ArtCebu.com, Cebu's premier online art gallery was launched and is now available to browsers over the world.

the site is being managed by ArtCebu and one of its primary sponsors, PODD Corp., and currently features ten renowned artists, for its initial presentation. More artists will included at regular intervals. the site also features an artists directory, as well as a monthly section that features news and info on art exhibitions, events and activities in and around the metropolis. the section will also feature articles on Cebuano art and history, as well as essays and profile features on Cebuano artists. i've attached a copy of their release below. for more about artcebu, check out their site!

     An art collective introduces Cebuano art to the world with the launching of Cebu’s premier online gallery site, "ArtCebu.com." A vanguard of renowned and celebrated artists coming from different backgrounds, yet wholly committed to bringing Cebuano art to a new global marketplace of ideas will be among its first exhibitors.

     The online art gallery will showcase the entire gamut of Cebuano art, beginning with visual art, and eventually including other genres such as sculpture, and photography. Installation art, performance art, dance, short film, and other art genres will be presented featured as well. ArtCebu aims to network with with other regional as well as international art groups, to promote exchange of ideas.

     "ArtCebu is an online gallery intended solely to showcase Cebuano artwork on a broader scale," emphasized Japamala Arnaldo, ArtCebu.com liaison officer. "The site has the potential of making a great contribution to the Cebuano art community, and to the local community as well," adds Arnaldo. "By promoting Cebuano art and culture to the international art scene through the Internet, I believe that ArtCebu may easily capture a new and bigger audience, at the same time, establish contacts and networks with other art groups in other countries. And perhaps, more new art patrons."

     The thrust of the site is to become an online hub where ArtCebu artist-members may not only show their work and meet their counterparts, but to become the info central for exhibits and art events organized by and for Cebuano artists, as well. Not only does the site show various artwork, it also contains a directory of Cebuano artists and art groups within Cebu.

     ArtCebu promotes Cebuano art on and off the Internet. More information may be accessed through www.artcebu.com. Inquiries may be directed through info@artcebu.com.

Penumbra:
kudos to all the people who worked with taking the site online. it was an experience to work with you! however, this is only the beginning. as christine succinctly puts it, "Note: now the real work begins."
congratulations and more power!

2006-05-16T05:58:00.000+08:00

Adrienne.

     Everyone has a passion; be it writing, painting, or even making leche flan. I remember that my Lola Coring was obsessed with making the perfect leche flan --- it had to have just the right creaminess and texture, with the right touch of vanilla and raisin to keep you asking for more). Her passion took on a life of its own when she retired from government service. She would often sigh and say that if she had a second chance, she would have gone into baking earlier, as it was her one and true passion. But alas, she would wink and sigh. There were grandchildren to dote on.

     Other people are luckier. Not many are lucky to be able to reconcile their passion and work. Quite a few people have been lucky enough to start a career and be able to pour out all their passion, creativity and energy into their chosen professions. When I asked Adrienne, CCT trainer (Culture and Communication Training) of Convergys, how she kept her passion alive despite the challenges her job poses, she simply smiled and said, “There is no such thing as an impossible dream.”

     Working with twenty impressionable young adults or so, for eight hours a day, five days a week (and sometime on the graveyard shift at that) is a lot of work. But she doesn’t seem to be daunted by it all. “I start my ‘day’ by preparing my ‘weapons’ for class,” she begins. “Working for a call center means that sometimes, your "day" could actually begin late in the evening, because even trainers go on different shifts. My ‘weapons’ include my training guide, manuals, handouts, and my toolbox, where you’ll find goodies like whiteboard markers, crayons, pencils, a stapler, a timer, and a 50 First Dates CD, which I have to have with me to keep me going!”

     Adrienne’s CCT classes involve the basics of American culture and exercises for speaking in the Standard American Accent (more commonly known as the neutral American English accent). “These lectures, discussions and exercises enable my ‘babies’ to communicate effectively with our American customers and understand what they mean,” she says. She adds that her favorite part in the classes is the one-on-one exercises with her students. Equally challenging is finding ways to make the lessons easy and understandable. No small feat for a young woman who says her first job was helping out at her aunt’s sari-sari store, and yodeling to The Cranberries till dawn. Apt training ground for facing twenty or more young expectant individuals.

     But how does teaching American culture and contemporary communication skills translate into something you can pour your passion into? Isn’t work, just work and passion, something that you dedicate your whole being into? “I guess I want what everybody looks for in a job --- good pay, a good working environment, a lot of room for professional growth and most important of all, something that will enable me to hone my God-given talents.”

     And that according to Adrienne, is the crux of what keeps her going. “I really love my job. It's not just a means for me to make money. I actually have passion for what I do! I actually want to be excellent at something!” she smiles. “I was really an underachiever before, even in school. I didn't care about being first. I just wanted to enjoy the ride. I guess I only get inspired to do something great if I really like what I'm doing. It's like when I'm drawing: I'm a perfectionist; I don't show off work which I feel is substandard.”

     “I also feel that I'm stronger and more determined now,” she adds. “I used to be such a cry baby. I would get so easily disappointed in myself. Now, I just keep telling myself, ‘Fight, fight, fight!’”

     Adrienne says that she’s very proud to be part of the best. “I love the people I work with and the work place is great! Majority of the people working in Convergys are young people. Some are fresh out of college and some are even still studying. I find it interesting to be able to interact with so many young people from different backgrounds. As a trainer, I've been trained well and equipped with everything I need for me to be effective at my job.

     But not everyone is equipped to be a trainer. Sure, training and equipment could give you the tools, but the confidence and knack for standing in front of twenty or so students is not for the faint of heart. “The biggest challenge for me is to always put a smile on my face when I'm in class,” shares Adrienne. “As a human being, sometimes you have personal problems. During these times, it can be really difficult when you have to go in front of your trainees and give them your best smile. My boss once told me that every class is a performance. And that's really true. There were times when I would cry in the ladies' room during breaks and then touch up my makeup and go back to class like it was the most beautiful day! It's really important to learn how to compartmentalize. And being able to set aside your emotions and keep the faith, is one of the many things that keeps me going. Besides, I have Teddie to lean on.” (At this juncture, Teddie, the buff BF, enters stage left, right smack into a double shoulder pinch that would have shamed any lobster worth his claws).

     “The greatest high I get from working as trainer is seeing my ex-trainees excelling at what they do, getting promoted or simply getting pats on their backs,” Adrienne beams, the blue cigarette smoke whirling around her, framing her, dreamlike. “It gives me a sense of satisfaction in knowing that somehow, I contributed to their success because they learned something from me. In the classroom, I not only impart to my trainees what I learned from the books, I also show them how to work well with others. I really stress on values like respect and integrity. I always tell them, "There will be no superstars in my class, except me." (laughs with Teddie) “It's just my way of telling them that they should really learn to work as team players.

     As the interview winds down, she glances quickly at her watch. Her shift is about to start. I couldn’t resist asking her one last question. She ponders on this one (a toughie, she confesses) before tilting her head up and answering: “If I didn't work as a CCT Trainer, I'd be an artist or a ROCKSTAR (all caps on that one)! Singing is really my number one passion. Maybe part of why I love my job so much is that I get to take center stage --- even if it's in the training room of Convergys (Laughs out loud). I really love being onstage or being in front of the camera. I guess that's why I love working for RCTV where I'm a part-time VJ. I also love drawing. I've done portraits and still lifes. These are the things I really love doing. Who knows? Maybe one day I'll get to pursue them professionally.”

     Adrienne and Ted get up, mouth their goodbyes, and walk away, hands entwined. One could see the familiar movement; the confident lilt of the shoulders, the open expression of the eyes that capture that spark the rest of us, mortals, wait near lifetimes to experience: The perfect melding of passion and dedication, once only found uniquely among artists and poets, now, among trainers.

Penumbra:
           - This is an article that I sent but didn’t get published. Something, perhaps, was lost in the translation. But my wife liked it, and I liked it, too... in a not-so-narcissistic sense --- d’oh!
           - Photos taken from her Friendster account --- thanks, Adrienne!

2006-05-10T00:55:00.000+08:00

Introducing Cebuano Art to the World.

     an online art collective with the goal of "introducing" the entire gamut of Cebuano art is in the works. dubbed, "ArtCebu," this online art collective cum art gallery is the brainchild of christine rom and features a lot of brave and new ideas.

     first off, there's christine rom, eo cedeño, king montecillo, jagat rubio, japamala arnaldo, roro fernandez and myself, committed to this project. we're the organizing committee of sorts. then, there are our artist-collaborators, raymund fernandez, josua cabrera, and radel paredes. there are a few others, but i forget their names. we met last saturday (06May2006), to discuss the project.

     jagat and japamala have vast contacts in the cebuano art community and have already began trickling the word about this project. from what they say, their artist-friends are looking forward to such a project, particularly those who do not have the time and means to put up their own sites for exposition.

     the concept for ArtCebu was to come up with a way to showcase the artwork of local artists, and to an extent, to present the Cebuano artistic movement through an online site or gallery. the success of “Panagtagbo” charged the idea and urged christine and jagat to open preliminary discussions and consultations with various Cebuano artists.

     in the ensuing meetings to discuss the architecture and form of the site, jagat had asked if we were limiting the scope to just visual artists, which i took to mean as only painters. after a mildly active exchange of ideas, everyone agreed that to discriminate so would be counter to what we may envision ArtCebu to be. thus, it was agreed that the online gallery may post images of artworks in various media, provided these are of high quality. thus, paintings, sculpture, photography work, and even mobile art and short film may be presented through the site. Eventually, ArtCebu was also expected to include artists from the other Visayan regions in the next few years. furthermore, the site would have section where Cebuano art history and the like would be featured, as well as profile features, exhibit and event updates.

     ArtCebu therefore, emphasized christine, is an online gallery intended to showcase Cebuano artwork through the Internet. jagat and christine, as well as the rest of the organizing group as looking forward to launch ArtCebu by the end of may. they both agree that ArtCebu can make a great contribution in promoting Cebuano art and giving Cebuano artists exposure in the international art scene, as well as to online browsers worldwide.

     together with its Cebuano visual and graphic artists and sponsor-collaborators, ArtCebu is hoped to promote Cebuano culture and its artistic tradition internationally, as well as establishing worlwide contacts for its member-artists and artist groups. The thrust of the site is to become an online hub for having a site where ArtCebu artist-members may be able to show their work, as well as meet other artists, interested sponsors, buyers and patrons, and other art groups based abroad. ArtCebu also aims to become the info central for exhibits and art events organized by and for Cebuano artists, and a directory on Cebuano and Visayan artists.

PENUMBRA:
     05102006
          - i invited noel cabangbang to be part of the writers' pool for artcebu's features section. after the content plan meeting earlier this evening, we discussed artcebu a bit further. it is a massive effort, no doubt, but one that i am inclined to see to the very end, or when it begins tying up with other regional and international art networks. while noel expressed concern that we may be limiting ourselves to merely representing the visual art medium for the very reason that literature, and a few other art media may not be accurately represented through the site. that the enormity of such a venture may leave out some of the other art media, leaving space only for such art media as visual and graphic art, which by themselves comprise of a myriad of sub-media! despite the general idea of presenting the whole gamut of Cebuano Art, noel has raised a valid and valuable point indeed --- something that i had not taken account of, nor explored in detail --- and one, i mean to contemplate on, now.
          - i concede to Noel's point and intend to present this to christine and the rest of the web and organizing committees as soon as possible. to represent the entire gamut of Cebuano art is indeed an ambitious and noble effort. i hope and pray that the gods and muses of the Cebuano Arts may help us in this venture. i, for one, am confident of features secton of artcebu, which will be manned by capable and knowledgeable artist-writers, such as Raymund Fernandez (and hopefully, his wife, Estela), Josua Cabrera and Radel Paredes, and young writers Ederts Cojuangco II and Noel Cabangbang, among a host of others who will be guest-writing from time to time.
          - updates and info on artcebu soon...

2006-05-04T03:13:00.000+08:00

Niel Quisaba's Digital Delight

Following the success of his one-man exhibit, dubbed "Digital Delight" at the Gamay'ng Gallery at the Turtle's Nest cafe, and his participation in the group exhibit, "Panagtagbo last January 2006, Niel Quisaba has gone and launched his portfolio site.

I met up with him sometime ago and asked him a few questions about his craft and how he looks at graphic design, careerwise.

This is how it went:

Art is the one of the most powerful nonverbal means used to express and communicate ideas. It is a vein through which ideas flow from realm of the abstract to the real and the perceivable. It is in this very same vein that Niel Quisaba paints his artsong.

A multi-disciplinary graphic designer with a degree in Fine Arts, and an extensive experience in web design and graphic art, Niel continually strives to transcend his earlier artwork by experimenting and exploring new ways of combining fun and art; thus, he make his artwork palatable to online browsers of different backgrounds and experience.

Be it working on professional projects or creating graphic art, Niel says that it is essential for a graphic artist to develop his/her own technique, or style. This is delicately evident in his one-man exhibit, "Digital Delight," which, according to Niel, was something that was a complete new and different from his previous concepts and artwork.

Developing a unique style allows an graphic artist to stand out from the pack. Not only will he/she be known for that particular style, developing his own method and technique may keep a graphic artist's works commercially viable and edgy.

A graphic artist therefore, must never stop learning, says Niel. That he has to keep experimenting, never becoming complacent, and creating artworks and web projects that deliver on expectations, and pique the interest of online browsers, and challenge himself at every artwork that he makes.

2005-12-28T22:07:00.000+08:00

Poker's Pinoy Face.

got this off a a tabulas blog. what's interesting to note (and i would dare say damn proud to be part of) is that the design team for the poker site that the e-release in the lower part of the blog post is talking about holds office right here in cebu. read on...

"Official PokerBarkada launch set for January 2006 with huge bonuses and great offers"
     A new poker site is coming, featuring a twist that’s both global and uniquely Filipino! PokerBarkada.com is your online portal to meeting Pinoy friends from across the globe for a bit of chitchat and fun!

     Conceived for the express purpose of drawing together Filipinos around the world, through an online venue, and through poker, PokerBarkada.com appeals to the very heart of the Pinoy psyche: The penchant for drawing together no matter where they are, and from what part of the Philippines they originally come from; and the innate love for card games. Playing card games is second nature to Pinoys and PokerBarkada.com takes that fondness to an entirely new level! You don’t have to wait for them to visit! You can play online poker with your friends and family, and other poker players from across the globe with Pokerbarkada.com!
     What makes PokerBarkada.com unique among the myriad of poker sites in the Internet is its creative use of online poker gaming software, and designing its entire service package around the Pinoy segment of the worldwide online poker gaming community, creating a niche that’s very Filipino in taste and style, yet uniquely global and accessible to everyone online!
     PokerBarkada.com is an online community for Filipino poker players all over the world! We welcome everyone; the average everyday poker aficionado to the suave, sultry, and complicated. We're welcoming Pinoys from every city, county, province, country, shape, size, mix and bend. And if you don't play poker yet, isn't it about time you did?
     PokerBarkada.com also introduces that fascinating poker game variation, Badugi. PokerBarkada.com is one of the very first sites to introduce this fast-paced triple-draw four-card low-hand wins game online! If you’re striking out at Hold’em, try Badugi and win! What’s more, PokerBarkada.com will be coming out with Filipino-themed wallpaper, screensavers, tutorials, banners, avatars and more!
     PokerBarkada.com's launch will also mean huge 25% bonus offer on your first purchase. Poker players can take advantage of this first bonus promotion immediately upon becoming members! So what are you waiting for? Join PokerBarkada.com now and take advantage of this great 25% bonus offer and exciting online poker action, and get the chance to meet other Pinoys across time zones and boundaries! Sali na!
     PokerBarkada.com’s poker play support is provided by the Doyle Brunson Poker Network, one of the premier online poker gaming networks in the world! This is where you can play the advantage of being global yet closely tied to your fellow Filipinos. We're inviting you to join a world-first! Be among the select few, be a part of PokerBarkada.com as it launches online on January 2006!

     amazing isn't it, how cebu has not only become a venue for corporate IT outsourcing services and solutions and call centers, but a verdant milieu for digital artists, web designers and software developers to log in hours working on sites of a lighter nature. i have a feeling that i'm talking over my head here and that i'm a bit naive in this regard --- will look up more info about local digital artists, web designers and software developers working on international projects of this same nature.

     recently, poddcorp played a collaborative role during the recent toyphilia event in handuraw which featured toys for the big and small boys. this january it will be celebrating its first anniversary, which coincides with pokerbarkada's launch, will be hosting an art exhibit featuring local artists in oil and canvas, as well as digital art. i've been able to touch lightly on subject with jagat rubio and leo guevarra, creatives supervisor and art director of poddcorp, respectively. more on that subject, soon. a good friend of mine, niel quisaba, will be part of this exhibit, as well. he had recently put up a digital art exhibit at turtle's nest, dubbed, "digital delight." ---- i'll be posting some of niel's stuff here as soon as i figure out how to do just that.

Penumbra:
     i talked with my wifey's cousin on the phone yesterday and she remarked if we didn't have any plans of working abroad, especially since the wife has a big chance of going abroad fairly easily. i told her that i see a great dynamism in cebu's IT industry and that, in this regard, there's no way but up for the lokals.

2005-12-21T00:03:00.000+08:00

Celeste, Handuraw and a drinking contest.

Celeste Opolentisima, a dear, dear friend of mine and colleague, won a beer-drinking contest during Handuraw and Kahayag Cafe's Christmas party last night. She had returned to Handuraw to pick up some of the things we left there when our office had its Christmas party the other day. When she got there, she found a lot of people inside and, waving her to join them, were a few friends and the beginnings of a beer binge.

The rest, as they say, may be seen through the bottom of the beer mug.

Penumbra:
Celeste. now totes a new mantra and plans to swear by it tomorrow.
Her new mantra: "Drink with moderation."
Repeat ten times,
Then, alternate with ten situps and twenty pushups.

2005-12-20T05:22:00.000+08:00

christmas parties and benefit concerts.

Had our office christmas party last night at this fine self-styled events cafe just off the city circle called Handuraw Cafe --- Have great food, will come! Woohooo!

The pizza was great; the pasta with pesto sauce was to die for; the Hors D'oeuvre spread was tantalizing, and so was the roasted porker (Minus that "Oh traditional fruit-in-mouth, wherefore art thou?!" apostrophe, that is).

By the by, Handuraw will be holding its christmas party in tandem with Kahayag Cafe. I had briefly shared a smoke with Miches Bianan who mentioned that there will be between 15 and 20 local bands participating in this year's festivity. Jr Kilat, Cattiski, The Ambassadors, Urbandub, Pandora and a host of other local greats will be joining the party. I'd like to add my congratulations to Jr. Kilat for bagging the 2005 NU Rock Awards "Song of the Year" for Ako si M-16!!!

Grabe kabulabog ang katung last year, bai, Bianan laughs, recalling how the guys from the different bands wrapped condom, cans of sardines, and other assorted market items as gifts for the traditional gift-giving. Bianan, who dabbles in software development and web design when not strumming the bass for Zarah Smith, says that a gift he would never forget was a neatly wrapped present that Budoy gave to Jr. Kilat cohort Gina Pestaño. Accompanying the gift was a dedication that spoke of his heartfelt sincerity and undying friendship. As she took the present, a musical rattling could be heard. When Gina opened her gift --- lo and behold! it was a container filled with munggo beans!

it's two in the morning now. perhaps the party has ended. most likely, the more serious business of getting drunk is just getting under way, who knows? one thing's for sure, that once in a year, the denizens of the local music scene will get what they deserve: One happy night of song and cheer, where the music and alcohol flow freely; and where musicians sing their hearts out to their fellows in this season of joy and love.

Penumbra:
The Rasta Claus benefit concert will be this friday, December 23, 2005, at the Kukuk's Nest (adjacent to Golden Peak Hotel, Gorordo Avenue). In lieu of the cover fee, bring canned food, goods and clothing. The concert is for the benefit of the urban poor.

2005-12-08T02:55:00.000+08:00

marc nadela, leo guevarra and JDLC

marc nadela. erstwhile classmate and good friend in elementary. he and i met again at talentfolio where i was the erstwhile resident copywriter-slash-PA. he had come in with his band to discuss the future of their band with our company.
fast forward to four years later, 2005. met him again through my wifey's colleague, who happened to be marc's guitarist. after their gig, we got around to talking about writing something about the lokal music scene. he'd be my source, i'd be the journeyman telling the tales. nice arrangement, now that i've consciously decided to write a blog about all things cebu and lokal. talked to ms mimi about my idea of featuring some lokal musicians, and got a positive on featuring them in her section at Cebu Daily News. nice. very nice.

leo guevarra. art director, old-school musician, neverending artist and dreamer. heard mainly from buddy niel quisaba about leo. i still don't know a lot about him, but i did broach the topic about this blog to him. he replied in the positive and said he'd introduce me to a few people he knew who were still active in the lokal music scene. cool.

JDLC, Juan de la Cruz. Wikipedia has a short entry about them, stating that, "After "Up In Arms", Joey "Pepe" Smith and Mike Hanopol joined the band. Along with remaining member Wally Gonzales, the trio arguably started the "Pinoy Rock" movement with the song "Himig Natin". Although it wasn't the first song to be sung in Tagalog, it was the first song of its kind that was sung in the country's native tongue." See: JDLC

in lokal music, it isn't everyday that you hear youngbloods play old tunes. in a way, playing the classics has something to do with both respecting the roots of your own music at the same time offering a rhythmic libation to the gods of music, imploring for smooth sailing throught the seas of adversity and the changing tides of trend.

2005-12-08T02:16:00.000+08:00

online poker and then some.

i just celebrated the last wee hours of my first two months with PODD, about two hours ago (2:17AM, my time). or is it three? two is more like it. PODD is a outsourcing web design company. we're in the thick of designing several online poker gaming sites for quite a few big poker networks abroad. it's interesting really, because i've always been curious about poker.

i've seen it in a lot of american films, among others and have seen several episodes of celebrity poker and world series of poker, and other poker tournaments on solar sports channel. while it is a gambling game, a perception of it as a sporting game is steadily growing ---- in my opinion, this aspect of it being a gambling won't ever change, even years from now. but then again, even billiards had risen from being a bar game where hustlers elbowed each other for room, to an international sport, where filipinos are collectively known for their skill and mastery of the game. albeit being a gambler's game, poker does have the potential for becoming a really big sporting event. maybe even as legit as chess, if i may be allowed to say so.

(apart from these websites that PODD works on, our other clients are as varied in nature as there are poker hands, from
poetry to software dev --- but that's for another blog article.)

2005-12-06T00:21:00.000+08:00

the blog commandments.

got this off another blog (thanks, jeff ooi!).

useful stuff to know...

2005-12-03T02:39:00.000+08:00

M-16s and Fingers Crossed.

Saw a story in yesterday's Manila Bulletin about Jr Kilat being one of the nominees of this year's NU 107's Rock Awards, for "Ako si M-16." Nice.

They're up against some of the music scene's heavy hitters, namely The Dawn, Orange and Lemons, and Bamboo. Am waiting for a message from Budoy about how they did --- ataya! left my phone home --- of all the --- aaaaaaaarrrrrrgh!

Keeping my fingers crossed.

***

Several hours ago, a friend of mine, Marc Nadela, invited me to Handuraw, where several lokal bands were slated to play. I forgot their names now, but i do recall Marc telling me that the line-up will be playing good ol' classic rock. Had to work nightshift, so there. atay.

Here in Cebu, the lokal music scene is divided between indie and pop; indie bands steeped their indie sounds (read: individual, unique, original) and showbands playing their popular music (read: covers, mostly). sure, there are other bands who cover other bands as much as there are record labels with offices or distributors scattered throughout the metropolis. but the bigwigs who do the deciding have their eyes set on imperial manila, where the plethora of bands have a better chance of making it to the biggies because of two key elements. One, geography (you don't need to catch the next boat to watch a concert in the next province); and two, the audience is legion.

In lokal cebu, there are three main elements: there's reggae, the myriad genres of rock, and pop.

and then there's that ol' bastion made of hard, solid riffs, classic rock. another friend of mine, Luigi, once lent me a cassette tape of a Hendrix compilation. for a week, i was in nirvana (pun intended). then i had to return his tape back. atay napud.

for marc, luigi, tim (marc's longtime friend and bassist), and a throng of others rooted in the classics, it's become second skin; to play the music in their blood, to sing in the face of shifting prefential faddism and strive on, spreading the music to lokals who cared to listen at venues that dared to take them in.

in lokal music scene, it's not the bragging rights, nor the tracks recorded that matter in the long run. to these fellows of the rhythm, it's all about keeping the faith, playing the music, and enriching the lives they touch.

for now, whether the lokal audience still craves for lokal rock 'n roll or not, i'm keeping my fingers crossed. Jimi Hendrix waxed poetic and said it best,

Purple haze all in my brain
Lately things just don’t seem the same
Actin’ funny, but I don’t know why
’scuse me while I kiss the sky

(lots of love to www.lyricsfreak.com/ for that piece of poetic lyric.)

2005-11-29T00:38:00.000+08:00

writing to keep myself in coffee and cigarettes

had a talk with a friend of mine, last week and i swear, i did not know about it, until then that outsourcing has been here in the philippines since the late 80s in one form or another.... ataya.

* * *

a friend of mine got me into this NDS thing, which is a copywriting thing that you send online and get paid for through your bank account. it's actually something interesting because all you have to do is write a 250-word article about anything; they'll email you the topic and the keywords, and all you have to do is come up with a workable draft and send it back to them. you get a several pesos for it, i think.

i haven't really started on it yet --- still settling into a groove with both my fiancee and my own workshifts, so there. the trick there, the lady behind the NDS wrote, is writing as many as you can in, say, a week, to make it worth your time in coffee and cigarettes. i used to do that. occasionally, i'd help out a friends who were having trouble with their thesis papers, for a pack and a brew. not bad for an afternoon's worth of hanging out and reading through some very interesting theories on optimization, engineering theory and application, reading comprehension and statistical data on local newspaper writing.

so, instead of lolling about in the mid-afternoon sun drinking coffee and doing nothing, i guess i could give this NDS a try.

2005-11-11T06:48:00.000+08:00

job out.

i also remember outsourcing being locally referred to as "job-outs." while it is an affectation and may not necessarily be apt in defining outsourcing in the strictest sense, the term often meant having an outside company, or a subcontractor handle the manufacture or facility of the product and service.

is outsourcing comparable to companies hiring out certain workloads to other companies who specialize in accomplishing these loads? here in cebu, most companies hire out for their janitorial services, as well as messengerial, or courier services. would this be an equivalent? what the difference between outsourcing your need for such services, and say, courier services? there's a company called safefreight that does the billing sendouts of local companies to their clients and subscribers. utilities and credit companies employ their services, mostly. when i worked with a local sports club, we'd get them to send out our members' billing every month.

or, does geography have to play a big part in the definition? the first time i heard of outsourcing was when i worked for cannoncreek. a little later, call centers started popping around in and around the metropolis. soon, website design was being outsourced. in fact, i work at a company that provides such outsourcing services.

i realize that one must be knowledgeable of the field that he or she is working in, so the need to define outsourcing beyond what it connotes, i.e., call centers and website design companies. i'll work on answering my own question soon. for now, sleep beckons and i must not deny her satisfaction.

2005-11-09T04:28:00.000+08:00

focusing and being reborn.

i have no idea how many times i've unsuccessfully tried to be faithful to a blog. i'm hoping that this time, i'll get the focus i need from the daily pack of marlboros i've fallen back in with. stream-of-consciousness doesn't seem to work well, especially if you don't have DSL... tsk. ah, to be writing again! it's like being reborn, but without the hand-raising and the sporadic "amens."

is there a study out there that suggests that your focus (in writing, mainly) is directly proportional to the nicotine (and caffeine --- i've taken it in more ample amounts, these days) levels in your body? that the more you take, the more focused you become? i gotta have me a copy of that... two, or three maybe, and give the other copies to couple of friends i know having trouble focusing their attention on their relationships. man, the things people share when having coffee....

it's interesting how a lot of things can be tied in with the kind of work i do as a copywriter for an outsourcing company. you'll never know what kind of information you pick up just being in the office for eight hours of the day. just yesterday, i learned about viral marketing. curious.... i looked it up in Wikipedia and realized "word-of-mouth" IS viral marketing. makes you think about foot-and-mouth disease... about mad cow, avian flu and red tide. let's hope nothing happens to soy, or we're out of protein alternatives to sink our teeth in. or, we may have to outsource,

you see, i work in a web design outsourcing company. i don't know anything about web design, but i can write. or, at least i try to. outsourcing is big business here in cebu. what was once thought of as "subcontracting" is now reinvented as "outsourcing." i remember doing several articles where "subcontracting" was turn of phrase. later on, when i did try out a deskjob and still maintained a few moonlit writing on the side, everything i did was called outsourced content. funny... how is a freelance writer who contributes to magazines called then, i wonder.

i first got acquainted with outsourcing when i worked as a junior copyeditor (my third deskjob as a copywriter) at CannonCreek Asia, which maintained an online business newsletter ("... with corporate subscribers from Europe, Asia and the United States!" or something like that, i dunno now). i had also worked as a correspondent for the lifestyle section of a local newspaper, half to support my college tuition and keep me in ciggies and caffeine. occasionally, i did the odd thesis paper or two, just to keep in practice, and more often, because i collect trivia, odd facts and other sorts of useless info, which, you'll never know, may come in handy in the offing --- did you know that "offing" is synonymous to suicide? urbandictionary, you are my online drug. well, one of them. my thanks.

as always is the case, you'll never get rich writing in this country. not unless you write books on law, taxation, advanced grammar, and values education, and then require it at school ---- maybe some teachers were on to something about making their own syllabus-dictated-must-have textbooks...... try multiplying 150/book with 500 students and then multiply that by two semesters. wow.

writing or proofreading college thesis papers was one, albeit narrow, way of trading in information and currency. i remember editing this engineering paper where i charged a paltry 5-pesos per page (at 207 pages, i was content). or of another one that i did for a pack of cigarettes and two cups of coffee. i always knew that there was money in the education sector, but i didn't want to grow old writing thesis papers for students too lazy to do their own material. so, i tried the school paper and found my hook, line and synch-er.

in this line of business, it's always good to be a, er, man of your word. writing copy for private individuals and groups relies much on word of mouth. i've had my fair share of bad reviews and insults thrown my way, as well as tips in token of my great copy. but always, a hack writer always looks for the good word his clients may put in to his future clients. as is the case in relatively small island cities, everyone knows everyone. half the people didn't like doing business with me, while the other half kept my hope up by saying they'll pass the word on. because you need to keep in shape, you write. because you need to eat, you write. man, there were times when i'd go hungry....

and maybe this is my ticket to consistency --- sure, i've been inconsistent, especially with deadlines. just ask my old editors and clients. i never squealed on quality, but was a total nutcase when it came to beating deadlines (i never was a violent person). i've had to learn discipline and focus the hard way: by threats of a failing grade, expulsion, bad business rep, lethargy, and loss of income. but, perhaps, i will be reborn, my focus renewed, my drive restored, my writing consistent and regular, and my lungs belabored... *sigh* the price we pay for our craft.

took this off a desk bauble:
"I love to write."
"I love to write.."
"I love to write..."
"I love to write...."
"I love to write....."
"I need the money."
(ms. mimi lijauco, you're an inspiration and one of my greatest teachers in professional writing. i think this was printed on your mug, or stapler, or something...)