Bagong Bayan(i), A Repost

(OFW Series part 9)

I was chatting with Ate Cham (former housemate at UP Village) last night through YM and after the customary hello-how-are-you exchanges, I mentioned that I'm going home for vacation this week. I mentioned that I'm a tunay na OFW na and she said wow, so Bagong Bayani ka pala! Hence, I remembered this blog entry originally posted at my Multiply account 10 months ago:

***

Letting go. Yan ang unang-una mong matutunan pag naging OFW ka.

Pipilitin mong pagkasyahin sa 20kg na check-in baggage at 7kg na hand-carry ang mga bagay sa buhay na nakasanayan mo. At mga materyal na bagay lang un. Hindi kasya at hindi kaya na madala mo lahat ng bagay na gusto mong dalhin, na gusto mong isama sa pagsisimula mo ng bagong buhay sa ibang bansa. Maiiwan ang mga photo albums, CD collection, magazine collection, pati mga libro mo, masyadong mabigat. Mas uunahing mong dalhin ang mga toiletries at damit at mga essentials para mabuhay ka.

Higit pa sa mga materyal na bagay, maiiba na ang takbo ng buhay mo. You have to let go of what you used to do. Hindi naman pwedeng magkita kayo ng mga kaibigan mo parati. Mahal ang airfare. Hindi mo rin pwedeng isama ang mga tao sa bahay nyo, wala ng magluluto ng almusal mo. Mamimiss mo ang lutong bahay, at cge, pati na rin ang karinderya, restaurant sa Pinas at aminin na natin, pati ang Lucky Me pancit canton at si Jollibee. Mamimiss mo ang mga nagtetext sayo, maliban na lang dun sa mga nagtetext sayo ng emo text na minsan hindi mo naman kelangan. Mamimiss mo ang mga ingay sa bahay, ang kama mo, ang mga taong nakakahalubilo mo araw-araw. May mga taong namatay at tanging alaala na lang ng huli nyong pag-uusap ang maiiwan sayo. May mga taong aalis rin papunta sa ibang bansa katulad mo, magsisimula ng bagong buhay at wala na ring kasiguruhan kung kailan kayo magkikita ulit.

Sa pagsisimula ng bagong buhay mo sa ibang bansa, malaking parte ng buhay mo sa Pilipinas ang iiwanan mo. You have the chance to earn bigger bucks, have a rewarding career and travel the world. Is it worth it? Hindi ko alam.

At hindi ko rin alam kung tama bang tawaging Bagong Bayani ang mga OFWs.

Kasi kung tutuusin, parang selfish maging OFW, in a way. Para ba sa kapakanan ng sambayanang Pilipino kung bakit kami umalis?Hindi naman di ba? Pero dahil kumikita ang gobyerno sa porsyento ng mga remittances o dahil sa OWWA membership fee o kung ano pa mang dahilan, tinatawag na bagong bayani ang mga Pilipino abroad. Isang euphemistic na tawag lamang ang salitang Bagong Bayani para matakpan ang kakulangan ng gobyerno na mabigyan ng maayos na trabaho ang mga Pilipino.

(Hit the comment box if you disagree with me on this)

Araw-araw iba-ibang klaseng OFW ang nakakasalubong ko dito. Habang naglalakad ako papunta sa trabaho kada umaga, may mga domestic helper akong nakikita, at alam kong Pilipino sila. Yung isa naghahatid ng isang Chinese na bata sa may bus stop. Ung isa may dalang trolley papunta sa supermarket malapit sa office ko. Yung isa naman may inaakay na matandang lalaki. Kapag lunchbreak, kasama ko ang mga Pinoy officemates ko, at may makikita kami o makakasabay na mga Pinoy na nakacorporate attire, may necktie pa at katulad din naming mga professionals na nagttrabaho sa may CBD. Kapag hapon naman, habang naglalakad ako pauwi, may mga nakakasalubong akong mga grupo ng Filipina na papunta sa mga bar. Sabi ng landlady ko, mga prostitute daw un. Alam kong hindi naman nila cguro ginusto na ganun ang trabaho nila. Na maaaring dala lamang ng pangangailangan kung bakit nila pinasok yun.

Hindi naman para sa Sambayanang Pilipino kung bakit kami nasa ibang bansa. Hindi ko ata kayang tawaging Bagong Bayani ang mga prostitute na nakikita ko dito.

Humming a Daughtry Song

I haven't packed my bags yet. Well, I have nothing to pack anyway. I still haven't bought any pasalubong, except my two nieces' High School Musical sticker book and screaming pink Crocs. That's it. I have nothing (yet) for my other nieces, my nephews, my sisters, my brother, my parents, my grandparents, my brothers-in-law and friends. Whew. Okay, I still have three and a half days to search for and buy pasalubongs.

The truth is, the three-day weekend is too precious for me to spend at the malls. This is not laziness at work here, I'm just avoiding crowds. It's the first Great Singapore Sale weekend and I'm not kiasu enough to raid the malls at this time.

I spent Vesak day at home, cleaning the room and "cleaning" my laptop's MyDocs folder. Wah, there are a lot of files I have already forgotten about. Those crazy Maginhawa House videos and epic one-liners, college photos copied from someone else's Multiply account, my attempts at making TV and print ads, unfinished AVPs, pictures of Singapore outings, etc. Oh, memories contained in my computer's memory.

I spent Saturday as a couch potato, catching up on Idol Top 2 Performance Night (yes, up to now, I still haven't watched The Finale) and Glee "Home" episode. And the usual Maalaala Mo Kaya night with Lola Bechay and Melai.

Sunday is for pseudo-kite flying at the park. Went to Pasir Ris Park this morning with Alan, Joann and YT, the rest of the gang (who sort of promised last week that they're coming) pang seh -ed us at the last minute. The moment we reached the park, it was drizzling, good thing it stopped after 15 minutes or so. Some of the kites were broken. It was not windy enough. Ironically, the moment we decided to give up kite flying is the same time we noticed the signboard near the street stating KITE FLYING NOT ALLOWED. Seriously? It was the very same spot we flew kites last week! I hope no Citizen Journalist is OC enough to be at the park searching for law violators on a Sunday morning. Otherwise, we would be on Stomp this week. Hahaha.

Okay, enough of blogging. I should think of what pasalubongs to buy. Well, I'm not really that excited to buy pasalubong. I'm just excited to go home and step on Philippine soil again.

[Insert Daughtry's song here]

Philippines, I Miss You

See you next week.

I wouldn't want to see Puss-in-Boots cry

(the copy chronicles 6)

We've all experienced the Newbie phase in our jobs. Yes, the awkward days of getting-to-know everyone, grasping the culture, trying to pronounce your colleague's name correctly, learning what things not to say in front of the boss, you know the drill. This Newbie phase normally tags along heaps of attitude too, I can do this and that stuff, too or I think I can do better. I was over that Newbie phase months ago and I believe I've been a good Newbie to the point that a colleague mentioned that my "efficiency had become a curse" (overflowing workload!).

What comes next is the looong Shoulder-Shrugger phase: you do what is needed, enough of pleasing the boss because you've already succeeded, do your best work possible, don't question the system. Go with the flow. Yeah, do what the client says.

After this is the Iconoclast period. Well, wait, not really. Not all people overcome the Shoulder-Shrugger phase, because at the end of the day, we are all doing things for the clients. What creative freedom? *Shoulders-shrug* Iconoclast period happens even within the Shoulder-Shrugger phase, when we get too tired of the things we normally do we want to break out of the system.

***

As my posts these days reflect, I'm undergoing the Iconoclast period. I have drowned in all that cliches and it's time to save myself and whatever is left of my writing ability. Okay, don't get me wrong. I'm not resigning, I just want to try new things. Keeping my fingers crossed is part of it as well. Not because I'm willing to try to do things differently doesn't mean other people feel the same way.

I know, it's not going to be easy. Jessica Zafra mentioned in one of her blog entries that in order to write well, one must "write 1,000 words a day, read a book a week". It's all about training and hard work; and these virtues apply to copywriting, too. These past few days, I've been digging cyberspace and utilising my Googling skills to check out the best works of copywriters across the globe, reading a lot of advertising materials online and re-reading my 100 Great Copywriting Ideas book (and I disagree with one of Maslen's points, but that's another story). ll those books and reading materials point out to this: the importance of being able to risk and accept failure when it happens.

Luke Sullivan, one of my copywriting idols, wrote: a sense of play is important, and part of play is failure; the skinned knee, the black eye. Everyone, to a person, said to push past the pain and “fail forward, fail harder, fail gloriously.” Whatever flavor of fail you get, our group said, walk it off and go for it again (Sullivan, 2010).

In one of his blog entries Sullivan also mentioned: SLOPPY WRITING MAKES KITTENS CRY. Yes, I imagined a crying Puss-in-Boots because I have watched Shrek's trailer before reading that entry. And seeing my previous works for several companies, I imagined how many kittens have cried because of them. Hahaha. Pardon my being so literal here.

I admire companies who are willing to risk and I could only wish that all our clients are like them. We cannot change our clients' mindset if we keep doing the same things. We have to prove we can do something else, give them something that will surprise them, forget the safe bets. Don't make those kittens cry.

Be the iconoclast but be ready for some bruises.

Bittersweet Residue: Kites and Copy

the copy chronicles 5)

it's amazing how a kite could give you satisfaction when it's up in the sky, flowing with the wind, with you gripping its string as if you really were the one in control. it's amazing how it could give you disappointment the moment it hits the ground, with you recovering the string, realising you were not the one in charge - it was the wind.

You're just making yourself believe you could let it fly.


***

it's amazing how a copy you've done could give you (just a little bit of) satisfaction when it's published, with you reading it as if it was really your idea.

it's amazing how it could give you disappointment the moment you realise you don't want to be associated with that project. You compromised your artistic capabilities and creative philosophies just to get that project done, the client is king after all.

You're just making youself believe you've done a good job. Wake up my dear.

Tell me what for you is creative and I'll tell you who you are (The Copy Chronicles 4)

Jonathan Sanchez blogged about Creative Conflict at Media Asia website and cited the contents of Harvard Business Review December 2009 issue. He wrote:

Contentment breeds complacency, harmony delivers humdrum. What drives change and growth and smashes old lazy habits is having the confidence to challenge some authority, fight for what you believe and energize your people.(Sanchez, 2010)

Fight for what you believe. We all know it's easier said than done. Yesterday, I did just that. I tried to convince two Account Executives in the company to use a tagline I suggested (I did three, they liked two of them and they hated the other one). They don't like one of the taglines because, for them, (a) it's not impactful enough, (b) it's not corporate enough, (c) it does not reflect the story, (d) it somehow conjures not-so-business-like images. So, I suggested a compromise: I would do a new tagline, but they have to keep that one and present it to the client as well. Both of them disagreed. I am left disheartened.

I know, you might think I'm this stubborn copywriter who does not listen to Account Executives. Truth be told, seldom do I argue with AEs regarding taglines and concepts, and when I do, I do it for a good reason. I do not fight for something I do not believe in, I will convince you to try a concept because I think it has potential. I do not want to give our clients the same old cliched taglines that have permeated the industry for soooooo long. I know this is so idealistic of me, but what will happen to the creative industry if we keep doing the same thing over and over and over again?

***

Here's what happened next: I went out of the office for lunch break, let out my bitterness over cheeseburger and fries and I thought I would come up with a new tagline. I wasn't able to. My bitterness consumed me that time, and when I tried to come up with a new copy, what went inside my mind was how to defend my tagline even more.

So I went back to the office wracking my brains for a new copy. It just didn't come.

You know the sad part after all these? The tagline one of the AEs came up with was:
(a) not impactful enough
(b) not corporate enough
(c) reflect the story just a bit
(d) somehow conjures not-so-business-like images

And what did I do? Nothing. It's crunch time, the designer needed to finish the mock-up so the AEs could attend the meeting on time. We used his tagline. Mine faded into the realm of 'taglines that tried to defy convention but was not even given the chance to do so'.


***

I am not disappointed with myself, I did my best to defend my tagline. They did not listen to me. I have no control over what people think is creative or appropriate or not.

After that incident, I found solace in Sanchez's ending words in his entry:

Clearly you have to be prepared to lose, god knows I have a few times - but the big things, the things that matter to shaping the future of a business shouldn’t be hidden in the ‘one-day’ or ‘too-much-hassle’ or ‘we don’t do it that way’ closet, they should be out in the open air and vigorously, yet fairly, debated. (Sanchez, 2010)

Jake Gyllenhaal, The Prince of Persia!

The first ever film starring Jake Gyllenhaal I have watched --- wait, seriously it's not Brokeback Mountain --- was October Sky, a true-to-life story of a NASA scientist, the origins of his interest in rocket science and how he got inspired by Sputnik 1. I really loved Jake Gyllenhaal since then, the charming look, the shy smile, the ability to connect to the audience (sorry this sounds sooo Kara Dioguardi comment from American Idol). If you haven't watched it, go dig your big brother's or sister's movie collection to see the young Gyllenhaal's inspiring portrayal of a high school science geek. The lovable kind of geek, by the way.

Well, yes, I have watched Brokeback Mountain as well. And this is, undoubtedly, Jake Gyllenhaal's Hollywood 'breakthrough' moment. The cowboy with the soft heart, the hidden love affair, Heath Ledger, I wish I knew how to quit you epic line. Enough said.

Years later, he now takes on another role, the Prince of Persia. I am excited to see the movie because of:

1. Jake Gyllenhaal, no less.
2. I grew up with Disney films and I want to watch this Disney movie
3. As the press release said, it's from the same team that brought Pirates of Carribean Trilogy. Hello Jerry Bruckheimer! So it probably is good.
4. Same director as HP Goblet of Fire. Though I like Prisoner of Azkaban better than the Goblet of Fire, I would still like to see another Mike Newell-directed film.



The storyline is: A rogue prince reluctantly joins forces with a mysterious princess and together, they race against dark forces to safeguard an ancient dagger capable of releasing the Sands of Time—a gift from the gods that can reverse time and allow its possessor to rule the world.

Apparently, the dagger functions like Hermione Granger's Time Turner. Allow me to put myself in the Prince's shoes:

If I have a dagger that turns back time, what event would I change?
The Asian Tsunami, December 26, 2004. I would froze the oceans after the earthquake so no lives were destroyed in Thailand, Indonesia, etc. and no tourism industries were damaged, like those of Krabi's and the rest of Southern Thailand. If the parts of the Pacific and Indian Oceans were frozen, no tsunami would ever occur that time. And since I'm that powerful, I could just actually calm down the ocean, instead of freezing it.

But this is just wishful thinking of course. But yeah, that power would be just awesome. Let's just leave it to the Prince to decide what to do with the dagger, don't forget to catch Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Movie starting from 27th May 2010 and join the official Facebook and Twitter page!

Kitchen Confidentials

(OFW series part 7)

When you become an OFW, you will learn the fundamentals of being independent, the most important of which: HOW TO COOK.

I have to admit, I don't know how to cook anything more complicated than adobo. I can fry anything into perfection and cook Lucky Me pancit canton, but that's about it. My sinigang is either too bland or too sour. Ask me to boil an egg and I would not know when to turn off the stove; chances are it's too hard boiled or too soft.

I know, this isn't the type of things my future mother-in-law should hear, but hey, I'm too young to think of a mother-in-law to please. Okay, maybe not. But still, I hope that by the time my future mother-in-law reads this, I have gone beyond my adobo skills. (I don't know where did these thoughts come from, but for the sake of spontaneity, I am not going to delete this part.)

Please don't get the impression that I'm the bratty kid who doesn't help in kitchen chores. I used to help my mom crush garlic and slice bell peppers at home, but I avoided onions if I can help it. I could make the perfect lumpiang shanghai, the part where you put the filling, then roll and seal the wrapper, I mean.

By the time I studied in Diliman, I stayed in a boarding house where we were not allowed to cook. We relied on the powers of the microwave oven, anything instant, UP food stalls, nearby restos and deliveries. Hence, my cooking skills were never tested. Or tried, to begin with.

During my magazine days, my life was pretty much the same. Leaving the house at 8am and coming home at 9pm (if I was lucky), I was too tired to cook.

Then here I am, living the so-called independent life. I have improved a bit. Just a bit. I learned how to do buttered prawns. Yehey. Well, that's it. I am still working on my timing on turning off the stove when boiling an egg. I still try to remember to put salt when frying an egg. And I am still working on my sinigang. Oh, and I can make the perfect salad, too! But that's just tossing, still not more complicated than adobo.

If it is indeed true that the only way to a man's heart is through his stomach, then I would be an epic failure. But wait. Adobo and siningang could be my redemption.

Apparently I should spend more time in the kitchen. Just don't ask me to cook anything with bagoong and I think I'll be fine. And yes, gaining a pound would serve me well, too.

Sparks at Ion

The previous entry was oozing with bitterness and it contradicts the very reason why I reactivated this blog. So I told myself I would write a happy post to restore the good vibes.

And a happy post comes in the form of Murakami guy at Ion Orchard.

I was headed to Tangs last night but for some strange reason, I exited at the wrong side of Orchard MRT station and found myself at Ion. I then remembered that I need to go to Kiehl's so I continued walking but the thing is, I didn't know which side of the mall I am in!

I continued walking while staring at shop signs, hoping that the cursive Kiehl's logo would appear in my view. I walked and walked while searching for the store when I almost bumped into this guy.

Almost.

Then there seemed like a second of why do you look familiar? look and then nothing.

Quoting Murakami, here's what happened:

But the glow of their memories was far too weak...Without a word, they passed each other, disappearing into the crowd. (Murakami, 1993)

***

Singapore is a small world, after all. But what is the probability that at that point in time, out of four million people living in this little red dot in the map, why was he the one who I bumped into in the busy basement of one of the countless shopping malls at Orchard Road?

If I turned 10 seconds later, or he did turn 10 seconds later as well, we would have bumped into each other, exchange our sorries, and ask each other 'You look familiar!?' I would then remind him that he's the guy across the street and I'm the girl at the other side always waiting for the green man to light up every morning at one of the intersections of this lonely planet.


***

Yeah, I should've said that this is a 'hopeful' post, not a happy one. In my giddy state of mind, however, 'hopeful' could translate to 'happy', too.

Cliche Quicksand (The Copy Chronicles 3)

Unloading. Don't read if you don't want to hear today's "heartbroken"tales.
If you happen to be my officemate or my colleague or my client and you read this blog, please be forewarned that I don't want to talk about this in person.


***


I am a copywriter and I would like to believe that I'm good at what I do (good, not very good, not exceptional. just okay). But this belief got totally totally shattered this morning. I was browsing through a site called Modern Copywriter and I saw those sample projects of big time copywriters from all over the world.

Then something hit me.

Have I done something at par with these?

Here I am, a copywriter for almost a year now, and I could not think of any projects that I have done that was really really exceptional. I could think of three projects that stood out, but they weren't exceptional enough.

Then, a conversation at the office even compounded this feeling of inadequacy.

We had those "can we change this tagline?" type of conversation again. One colleague suggested that we use *insert cliche tagline here*. I quickly replied, "no don't use that!" And then he replied, "why not? that's what the companies have been using blah blah blah

Okay, two things. It doesn't mean that since other companies have been using that tagline we should use it as well. And second, the mere fact that thousands of other companies have used it means that it was a tagline that any shareholder would not want to see again, if they have a choice.

I would not feel this way if not for the incident the previous week. The very same person who told me to "be more creative, don't use these kind of cliche taglines" last week was this same person who said it was okay to use *insert cliche tagline here* today. Talk about double standards.


***

You see, cliche are double-edged swords. It could very well be a cure for any company's conservative point of view. Give them cliches, those are tried-and-tested, everybody knows them. They have seen them everywhere. Yeah. Conservative companies would accept that. But what does this speak of us as professionals in the creative business? We are paid to think creatively for those companies who ask for our professional advice. Isn't it a disservice to them if we would just insert some cliche in their projects?

And of course, not all companies are conservative. One day, some companies who champion creativity would see our cliche-laden projects and would look down on us. We call ourselves Creatives but we do not live up to that label.

I know this because I have churned out cliches, too. We produced cliche-laden projects in the past. The clients were satisfied. I wasn't. 'You're bound for heartbreak', a friend told me. Indeed I was, and still am.



***

I still believe that someday, I would be able to break the mould.
Deviate from the status quo.
Risk.
Do something way way out of the box. Or eliminate the box altogether.
I just hope that some people are brave enough to do it with me.

I still believe that creativity can be learned.
I believe that we can pull ourselves out of this cliche quicksand if we choose to.
I know that there will come a time that clients would get out of their own boxes and be brave enough to risk, design-wise.



I believe that one day I would be proud of my work and I would see my name in a website that lists the best copywriters of our generation.
Then I would open this blog and laugh about my so-called hearbroken tales here.

Boto at Konsepto (The Copy Chronicles 2)

Ang paggawa ng konsepto* ay parang pagboto.

Kelangan mong pag-aralan. Pag-isipan.
Isang pakikipagsapalaran,
isang pagtaya.
Iba ang opinyon mo sa ibang tao.
Iba ang pagtingin mo sa mga isyu.

At hindi sa lahat ng pagkakataon mananalo ang ibinoto mo
parang
hindi lahat ng tao magugustuhan ang konsepto mo.
Natatalo ka. Hindi mo nakukuha ang proyekto.
Pero hindi ito nangangahulugan na mas magaling ang konsepto nila sa 'yo.
Natatalo ang kandidatong ibinoto mo.
Pero hindi ito nangangahulugan na mas magaling ang nanalo
kesa sa ibinoto mo.

Ganun talaga.


*konsepto i.e. sa advertising/PR

Dear Bogs, Paano na Kaya si John?

Sinisimulan ko pa lang ang entry na to, natatawa na 'ko sa sarili ko.

Hindi talaga ako nagpunta sa sinehan ngayong linggo para panoorin ang Ironman 2 dahil baka pangit, kaya next week ko na lang papanoorin. Nanghihinayang ako sa ten dollars na gagastusin ko para manood ng isang hindi kagandahang pelikula. Pero ang ironic lang. Nasa bahay nga ako, nakatipid nga ako ng ten dollars na GV ticket at seven dollars or so para sa popcorn at drinks, pero mga hindi kagandahang pelikula din naman ang pinanood ko.

Kagabi, tinapos kong panoorin ang Dear John. Pinutol ko kasi ang panonood noong Martes kasi nabagot na ko sa walang katapusang pagpapalitan ng sulat. Hindi ako natuwa sa pelikulang ito. Sayang, na-hook pa naman ako sa trailer. Bakit naman kasi kelangang si Tim pa ang makatuluyan ni Savannah?

At kanina, pinanood ko ang Paano na Kaya sa pirated DVD. At cge na, eto na ang review ko.

Pasensya na, nahohomesick kasi ako ng onti this week kaya I need my dose of anything Pinoy.



***

Legend: Kim = Mae, Gerald = Bogs, Melissa Ricks = Anna


Pinanood ko ang pelikula na hindi nageexpect. Hindi katulad ng Miss You Like Crazy na nagexpect pa ko ng onti, na mejo magiging maganda dahil maayos naman ang huling pelikula nina John Lloyd at Bea.

Hindi ako nagexpect na maganda (please don't get the impression na maganda nga ang pelikula, dahil so-so lang ito). Ayos pala pag ganun. Mas tataas ang appreciation mo ng pelikula kapag umpisa pa lang binabaan mo na ang expectations.

Alam ko na naman kasi ang takbo ng istorya: 'best friends who fell in love with each other and they live happily ever after, but wait meron munang problems bago ang happy ending' type. Halatang halatang scripted un part na magkausap si Mae at Bogs sa may shore sa umpisa ng pelikula, parang ang plastic kasi ng dating eh. Parang pilit na pilit ang pagbigkas ni Bogs ng mga linya.

Maayos naman ang cast - Ricky Davao bilang strict at business-minded dad ni Mae, Zsa Zsa as the cougar mom ni Bogs, at winner ang group of friends ni Mae sa pelikula. At least sa gitna ng ilusyon ni Mae na maging girlfriend ni Bogs, nababalanse. Andun ang group of friends nya na nagsasabi at nagreremind sa kanya na wag magpakatanga, wag maging parang yaya ng bestfriend at nakapag-point out na baka isang rebound relationship nga lang yun.

Okay na sana ang mga linya sa movie:

Mahalaga lang siguro Bogs, pero hindi mahal.

Mahal mo ba talaga ko o sinubukan mo lang akong mahalin para hindi kita iwan?

Sinyota mo ang best friend mo!

Dyan tau sumasablay bogs eh, may 'kaya lang'. Laging may 'kaya lang'


At least, hindi nagpapakaprofound at di gumagamit ng malalalim na salitang Tagalog. Pero naman! Bakit kelangan pang sabihin ang linyang it's not you, it's me . At bakit kelangan pang mag-insert ng ilang Chinese phrases ni Ricky Davao everytime magsasalita siya sa pelikula? Unnecessary na kasi un, kasi naestablish na naman na he is of Chinese descent.

Naipakita naman ang transformation, mula sa pagiging best friend to boyfriend-girlfriend relationship. Naestablish naman ang conflict nang muling nagbalik si Anna, ang paghihintay ni Mae nang masiraan cya ng kotse at ang pagkukulang ng food sa catering services bilang mitsa ng galit ng dad ni Mae sa kanya.

Maayos rin naman ang mga supporting elements. Ang vintage car na nagevolve mula sa simula hanggang sa maging super shiny red car na ito sa ending. Naipakita ang pagbabago ng relationship ni Bogs mula sa pagpipinta sa pader ng I Love You Anna hanggang sa painting nila ni Mae sa kanyang sariling talyer. Ang paggamit ng apelyido (Chua at Marasigan) para maipakita ang lebel ng relasyon nilang dalawa.

At dahil ito ay isang Star Cinema movie, oo, naresolve naman ang mga issues. Nagkasundo si Mae at ang kanyang dad, nagbukas siya ng sariling business, nagkausap si Bogs at Mommy nya.

Paborito ko ang eksena ng hiwalayan sa taas ng fire truck. Okay ang analohiya ng nasusunog na kagamitan sa relasyong Mae-Bogs. Astig. Hindi awkward na eskena sa restaurant o sa kotse o sa traffic sa gitna ng kalsada.

Siyempre, sila pa rin naman ang nagkatuluyan sa huli. And speaking of ending, bakit kelangan pareho sila naka-shades at naka-white (well, cge na nga offwhite ang suot ni Gerald Anderson)? Fail ang parteng ito.

It's all about the money (The Copy Chronicles 1)

Sometimes, our concepts are not judged whether
it speaks of the message the client wants to deliver.
Neither are they seen as something novel or revolutionary.
Or if the execution is exceptional to the point that maybe,
just maybe,
we would be able to win design awards.
It all boils down to money matters.
What special treatment?
No, no.
No budget.
How many pages?
Okay, workable.
Oh great, we wouldn't need to buy photos?
What will you do with the cover?
Oh okay, yes, will have no problem with the printers.
It all boils down to money matters.
And everything is equated to a dollar sign.
Sigh.

Tuesday Blues, Buddhism and Booze

Tuesday and its tales:
Owee and and the blue-eyed wonder
High-pitched voice and *duma-the life* expression
Micah and the complicated disc/love stories
Spectacles and makeover plans
Nelly and the schoolgirl crush no more
poolside chikahan and poolside curfew
Heineken and that addicting Loacker
Buddhist teachings and suffering
Sadness and happiness
Spectrum and cycles
Pain and Manny Pacquiao quote
October Eighty Publications and the bad things we hate about it
The Devil Wears *whatever brand here* and magazine life kwento
2am-ish cab ride home and Keppel Road
Taxi driver and his Casino suggestion
Marina Bay Sands and good feng shui
3am-ish sleep time and alarms
8:57 log in time and early morning coffee
Beethoven Symphony #9 and cover tagline
not-so-creative concept and tracing papers
projects and more projects
fried chicken and teh ping
afternoon boredom and Oreo cookies
SS and his Subspecie-ness
the breaking news and NAIA Terminal 3
6.30pm and Channel 511
The Amazing Race and Shanghai
Organic rice and white rice
Facebook and this blog
chicken nuggets and dinner time.
early to rise and early to bed.
signing off and dozing off.

Why American Idol Will Never Be The Same Again

American Idol is part of our TV viewing habits at home(Batangas, Philippines) during these summer months. But the experience of watching it will never be the same again for me.

The first time I watched American Idol here in our flat in Singapore felt a bit surreal. Sitting alone at the couch while eating Hokkien noodles using chopsticks, I watched the show at Mediacorp Channel 5 and it felt, well, different. No, it's not the lackluster performances this season, or Ellen Degeneres sitting there as one of the judges, but the viewing experience itself is not the same as it used to be.

The intro tune accompanying the twirling AI logo at the beginning of the show brings back memories of me comfortably watching AI at home in Batangas. Hearing that tune every single time never fails to bring a little bit of homesickness in me. Back at home, I usually watch AI either at Star World or QTV. Now, I had to wait for the replays at Mediacorp 5 because I couldn't watch it on the same day due to conflicts in TV viewing schedules (the owner of the house watches TV Patrol by the time AI is shown). I also had a favorite spot at the sala while watching the show: left side of the living room at the corner of the wooden chair nearest to the TV set. Yvette, my niece, always watches with me and she usually roots for someone who happens to be not my favourite. When it was David-David season, she loved David Archuleta while I cheered for David Cook. Last season, she loved Glambert while I was rooting for Kris Allen while my dad favoured Danny Gokey. Yvette always tries to annoy me, always saying that her favourite contestant is better than mine and I would prove her wrong and a playful banter would ensue. Here in SG, I watch AI with no one to talk to and it's damn sad.

Now, I just take comfort in the fact that by the time of the NBA Conference Finals, I will be in Batangas, sitting in my favourite spot at the wooden chair nearest to the TV while cheering for my dad or my brother's favourite team like what we usually do every year.