fast, faster, fastest

It's the end of March already and I thought the year was just getting started. The first quarter of the year went like a breeze. I haven't even made a checklist of things to accomplish. Let's see. Er, I finished a script which might be made into a film later this year. My film Limbunan had a successful screening in France, Zamboanga and Davao. I was able to finally hold the first Moro Artists and Cultural Leaders Summit which I have been planning since 2006.

The second quarter of 2011 will start in less than 24 hours. I would need to be more proactive to accomplish more things. I'm targeting to do two films this year, and publish a book that should have been out in 2009.

My 3*th birthday falls during this time, two months from now. I came up with a wish list last year.  4 out of 12 wishes came true. Not bad considering that the number corresponds to the big wishes. This year I have a not-so-new set of wishes.

1. Canon EOS 5D Mark II. Yes, I still want this camera.

2. A trip to Venice (I love the city), Barcelona (if I would be given the chance to make my film this year, some of the scenes will be shot here), San Sebastian and Berlin.

3. The house that I have been wanting to build in Pagalungan, Maguindanao.

4. To lose 10 pounds.

5. More honest friends, and those who can keep their promises.

6. Multiple cat beds for my nine cats, in different colors.

6. To meet Tsai Ming Liang, Michael Haneke, Hou Hsiao Tien or Jean Luc Godard.

7. A state of the art kitchen with all the good stuff. I'm considering a new career: restaurateur.

it's not all money

There's a good development in the controversy regarding Willie Revillame  stemming from an episode in his television program when he "made a six year-old boy named Jan-Jan Estrada to repeatedly perform dance moves usually done by male adult dancers in indecent shows."

Janna Ong, daughter of the CDO Karne Norte CEO reported that, "(CDO) already wrote TV5 to tell them we are temporarily withdrawing our sponsorship until they give us something concrete as to how they will handle Willie. The letter sends a very strong message... We are all God-fearing and honorable businessmen and we will not allow our company/brands to be associated with personalities who practice child exploitation."

If only the other sponsors would have the decency and right moral judgment to follow CDO Karne Norte.

let's dance.

Filipino-American dance artist Daniel Cloud Campos, best known for his involvement as dancer in Madonna's Re-Invention and Confessions tours, recently wrote, directed, and edited this dance video called The Music Box. I've been curious about making dance films, and this one is surely inspiring.

i lerve critics

Limbunan is nominated in six categories in the 34th Gawad Urian, including Best Film, Best Direction, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography for McRobert Nacario, Best Production Design for Paramata Endawan, and Best Sound for Dempster Samarista.

The Gawad Urian is handed out by the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino or the Philippine Critics Society composed of Dr. Roland Tolentino, Dr. Gigi Alfonso, Mario Hernando, National Artist for Literature Bienvenido Lumbera, Dr. Miguel Rapatan, Benilda Santos, Dr. Nicanor Tiongson, Tito Valiente, Lito Zulueta, and Butch Francisco.

In a blurb written for the film's press kit to the 67th Venice International Film Festival, Zulueta wrote

In lyrically detailing the curious pre-nuptial rituals that a very young Maguindanao woman undergoes in Mindanao in southern Philippines, Limbunan lays the pros and the cons of tradition and change that any society in transition confronts. There’s no hard sell here: only images and stirrings of wisdom that fill the viewer’s heart and mind in one meditative flow of humanity and empowerment. Limbunan is that rarity: a poetic movie with a gadding edge.

crassness

Willie Revillame has overtaken his old record of crassness. This time he "made a six year-old boy named Jan-Jan Estrada to repeatedly perform dance moves usually done by male adult dancers in indecent shows [in his television program.] The poor child was in tears and looked scared the entire time, as Revillame poked fun at him and the audience laughed and cheered."

Public reaction has been diverse. Revillame's fans have accused those who have been complaining of over reacting. Some wrote complaint letters to the Commission on Human Rights and the Department of Social Welfare and Development. In her letter to the chairman of the TV network that airs Revillame's program, Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman asked, "What kind of values are we teaching our children through these shows, especially after Willie Revillame pushed Jan-Jan to do something against his will and then told him that it’s alright because he will receive money in exchange for it?"

What is more appalling than Revillame himself is the reaction of the President. He shrugged the issue. According to his official Facebook page, the President said that "Perhaps you can direct your anger at the bigger issue and not make a mountain out of a mole hill for Willie. Controversy, specially misplaced, may even improve his ratings."

"Remember, you are free not to watch the program."

Others are not content on boycotting Revillame's  program. They have asked people to stop patronizing the show's sponsors.

I am not a fan of Revillame. I've seen him when he was still a striving host or comedian (the side kick of Randy Santiago in GMA 7's Lunch Date). Back then, as he is now, Revillame remains an embodiment of kabastusan, showing no respect for people especially women. For the sake of argument, I wondered if I could survive a boycott of his sponsors.  Here's a list of sponsors followed by my remarks.

CDO Karne Norte. I don't eat meat.

Pepsodent. I use Colgate.

Islander Sandals. I wear Mojo and Sandugo.

Camella Homes -- A Vista Land Company. I didn't vote for Manny Villar. I'm content with whatever land I have, so I don't need to buy a parcel of land in one of his overpriced subdivisions.

Cignal HD. I don't watch TV.

Cebuana Lhuillier. Rosver is the most reliable pawnshop this part of the country.

Pau Liniment. The smell is hideous.

Smart Wireless Telecom. I'm a Globe subscriber.

Belo Medical Group. What for?

Oishi. I love the spicy prawn crackers, but I guess I can live without it.
Vaseline. I use Head and Shoulders. But I was told Head and Shoulders is also a sponsor. Can anyone confirm this?
Bench Daily Scent. Nope.
Bench Wil Cologne. I have been using The Body Shop perfume.
Wil Tower Mall. Where in Mars is this?
Techno Marine. Nope.
Surf. Ariel with Downy.
UFC Ketchup. Yuck! Heinz or Hunt's for me.
Smart C Juice Drink. Huh?

I have surpassed the test. I will surely survive without these products. And without Willie Revillame. Trust me, you can survive too.  Life would be happier without him.

i will be japanese today.

Since I'm on the subject of Japan today, I'll devote my Monday to everything Japanese. I'm going to watch two Japanese themed films. Three if I could manage it. First would be Return of Godzilla.

Godzilla was conceived as a monster created by nuclear detonations and a metaphor for nuclear weapons in general. Godzilla was described as "a cross between a gorilla and a whale", alluding to his size, power and aquatic origin. This brings me to a recent development in the Fukushima Nuclear Plant in which radiation has apparently reached the nearby sea. Could it possibly result to the mutation of some sea creature into a monstrous giant like Godzilla?

The second film in my line up is Norwegian Wood. I've seen it during last year's Venice International Film Festival. I'm a fan of its director, Tran Anh Hung, whose debut film Scent of Green Papaya was one of the inspiration for my own film Limbunan. I have conflicting opinion on his Haruki Murakami adaptation, especially on the style of editing. I guess it's a good reason to watch it again.

You'll have to excuse me now. I have to boil water first for my green tea and some instant Nissin Ramen before playing my DVDs. I'm too lazy to get a proper sushi.

memories of tokyo

Finally I received word from my friends in Tokyo. They're all doing fine, despite news that radiation level in Fukushima have reached new highs. I've never been to Fukushima, which is about 200 miles away from Tokyo. The last time I was in Japan was in the winter of 2007. The trip was confined to the capital and the neighboring Kanagawa Prefecture.

From my hotel window at Prince Tower, I could see the centuries-old Zojoji Temple.

I would find myself straying to its hallowed grounds during my afternoon walks. In the front gate, you would be greeted with a lot of warnings, set in bold kanji, foremost of which is, no (lighting of) cigarettes. The thought of this magnificent temple reduced into smoke and cinder is sacrilegious.

I was curious. What if fire, indeed, happens? My host Yojiro Tanaka of the Japan Foundation told me that like in most of Japan’s important heritage sites, there are rescue volunteers of Zojoji Temple, ordinary citizens who would rush to the site in case of fire. They conduct annual drills to prepare themselves for the job. Perhaps, when the earthquake struck on March 11, the volunteers also made sure that the temple was in good shape.

On Harumi Street in the heart of ultra-chic Ginza sits the Kabuki-za Theater. For three hours, I was enthralled by a kabuki performance. It made me hungry. Good thing there was an intermission.

I had this bento box in one of the cafeterias in the theater. It was so pretty I just had to take a picture being chomping it all down. Before I left Tokyo, I visited Meiji Shrine enveloped in a lush, thick forest. It was serene, a stark contrast to hypnotic Harajuku at the entrance of the shrine.

Japan has a lot to live for. I know, she will rise again.

moving back

I'm moving back here. This morning I was at the mall and a reader walked up to me (Yes, I have a reader. Thank, God!)

"You're Teng, right?" she asked.

I nodded.

"You're not blogging like you used to."

"I'm kinda busy recently, but I wrote something a few days ago."

She was surprised.

"Are you sure you're following my blog?"

She nodded.

"I mean my new blog."

"You have a new blog?"

I said yes.

"Why?" She looked disappointed. "You have your blog for three years already. My husband and I read it."

"Five years actually. Thank you very much for finding my blog worth your time. You can check my new blog. The link is on the right side of my old blog."

"No, no. You're known for Morofilm. It's you. What made you decide to move to a new blog?"

"Change, perhaps."

The woman was unconvinced by my answer. "You can change without abandoning your original blog." She looked straight at me. "Sayang! Okay, I'll try to check your new blog."

While on my way home I realized that she was right. I worked hard to create this blog, nurtured it for the last five years, created friends and enemies through it, honed my writing skills. According to a page ranking system, it has a score of 4/10 which is supposed to be good. I gave in. I would like to say thank you again, to Christine (that's her name), for following this blog.

I'm moving back here. Now it's time to redecorate.

the queen is dead! long live the queen!

Farewell, Elizabeth Taylor.

see you in polar bear heaven

Good bye, Knut. You will be missed.

scenes from jolo

My recent trip to Jolo proved to be futile. We were supposed to conduct an arts workshop there. However, due to security concerns that arose when the project coordinator didn't do her job planning and coordinating the activity with local authorities, we were ordered to pull out of Jolo. Nevertheless, we were able to capture some photos of our four-day stint in the southern town.

Glutinous rice cake with sweetened coconut filling. It's addicting.

Tausug-style pancakes.

A helper in a kadday (coffee shop) pounding chili for the satti and tiyula itum.

This wall art was partially destroyed by a bomb explosion.

Bajau men waiting for boat passengers to toss some coins into the waters.

A majestic sunset in the Sulu sea is breathtaking.



Thank you Basilidas Pilapil Jr. for the photos.

measuring up

How do you measure up to the rest of the world? Here's the world penis size map to determine how you fare with the rest of the world. 

nightmare in jolo

"It's like Iraq here!" I overhear my friend Faisal speaking on his mobile phone. "It's dangerous. It's like Iraq here!" He hangs up the phone. 

We are in Jolo, Sulu, in the tip of southern Philippines. A day earlier two powerful bomb explosions rocked the town killing five people and injuring more than a dozen. It was only 400 meters from the hotel where we are staying. The building shook from the sheer force of the first bomb. "Stay calm. It's just natural here. There's no cause for alarm," said a text message I received from a dean of the state university here. 

It is hard to stay calm. Jolo conjures a lot of negative thoughts and emotions –from the Abu Sayyaf, the massacre of hundreds in Bud Dajo by the Americans, Ces Drilon kidnapping, bombings, to indiscriminate killings. One of my friends, the photojournalist Gene Boyd Lumawag, was shot dead here in 2004. It is my first time to return to Jolo after seven years, a way of coming to terms with the death of my friend. 

Today, there are four bomb threats in the town's business district. One of the bombs has already been detonated. "Stay calm," I remind myself. It is Friday, a day that the majority Muslim population here holds sacred. 

-An entry in my journal dated March 11, 2011