I feel like I’ve written about this before. The players may be different, the occasion dissimilar, but the result remains the same: mayhem in the streets. This year’s commemoration of People Power 1 came down to rally permit revocations, crowd dispersals, and arrests because of an aborted coup attempt. And right now, some Marines are holed up at Fort Bonifacio protesting the relieving of Maj. Gen. Renato Miranda, one of their commandants, even though his relief was upon his request. Like vultures circling a dying man in the desert, some politicians showed up at the site. Are they hoping for People Power redux, which was an aborted coup attempt that catalyzed a civil action that was just waiting for a good excuse? The Marines’s instigator has called upon civilians to protect the uprisers from aggression, which has echoes of a similar appeal to civil society 20 years ago.

The first People Power was special. As Richie says so eloquently:

“All I see that People Power has brought us is the rule of the street parliamentarian – if you rally enough, even the president can be toppled, and to hell with the law! It has made the Filipino arrogant. It has corrupted our very soul with the fantasy that given enough rallying and people on their side, the masses can choose their own leader, if they don’t like the current one – and install him or her without benefit of the vote. We’re all going to hell, and yes, it was paved with good intentions.”

I haven’t been a big fan of the street protest ever since I realized nothing really fundamental changes after the people go home. Sure we can topple the Chief Executive, but the same people who were in power during Marcos’s time were only temporarily attenuated by Cory Aquino’s wrath before they sprouted again like weeds whose roots haven’t been killed. Not everybody’s going to be pleased about who’s president at any given point in time; that’s the price we pay for democracy by majority election. Having a bad president doesn’t necessarily mean that the problem rests entirely where the buck stops; through whose hands did the buck pass in the first place?

The buck starts right here, with each individual person. What Filipino has not had the thought pop into his or her head that due process can be expedited or circumvented through palm-greasing or other queue-jumping measures? The cold and bitter truth is that we have become a nation of cheats and liars; why else would it be so newsworthy that a taxi driver returns a foreigner’s wallet? Sure, there are individuals with hearts of gold and clear conscience, but this society as an organism leaves much honesty to be desired. I’m beginning to wonder if it’s really reasonable to expect honesty from the president when the very machinery that runs under her loses 13 percent of the government budget to corruption–and the laws to protect against this aren’t enforced either!

I think our education as a people is sadly lacking in emphasis on respect for discipline and the law. Sure, we study the Constitution in every high school, but in practice disregard for law is the rule. “You can cheat/lie/steal/kill. Just don’t get caught. If you get caught, you can get out of getting punished for it. Because, you know, the laws are just suggestions.”

The same perception is probably taken toward Christian doctrine. For Asia’s largest “Christian” population (I’m aware the term is very loosely used), this country’s people seem to forget there’s a passage in the Bible that was written at a time when dictatorship and oppression ruled: “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” (Romans 13:1)

UPDATE: Well, the Marines are back in their barracks and the acting commandant Brig. Gen. Nelson Allaga has said, “The Philippine Marine Corps is solid … We will not allow ourselves to be used by politicians.” Take that, you vultures.

Tags: Philippine politics, People Power

My Aunt T and Uncle R came over last night to spend a week or two here at our house. They’re on vacation from Canada and they stayed with some relatives of my aunt down in Alabang half of this week. Uncle R is Papa’s cousin, so their relatives in Alabang aren’t our blood relations.

“Ibinebenta ka na namin (We’re setting up a match for you),” Aunt T said with a laugh to me barely fifteen minutes after I’d first met her. Throughout last night she discussed the following things:

• My dad has two cousins who are both spinsters, so being an old maid runs in our family and must be prevented in my sister and myself.
• Filipina women are naturally more solicitous towards their husbands; they’ll serve them hand and foot because it’s how they show their love.
• She has a nephew whose family hit it big in agriculture, and she thinks I’ll make a fine match for him. By the way, he’s 33 years old.

I don’t know whether this is a byproduct of reading Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, and Emma in a row, but last night I felt like I was trapped inside a Jane Austen novel. Not that it’s a bad thing (I kept hoping Mr. Darcy would show up), but it just hadn’t occurred to me until then that there are actually people who will pair their niece (a spinster in-the-making) off with the next rich guy. Now I know why it was so revolting to Ms. Austen’s characters.

I’ve heard that the Chinese have a saying: “May you live in interesting times.” It’s supposedly meant as a curse, since “interesting” can be good interesting or bad interesting.

Well, I’ve had an interesting morning. After going to the gym with my sister, I decided to stop by Eastwood City for a Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf ice blended drink. I parked my car, took my time sipping the drink, reading about the latest news concerning the Leyte landslide. Then, I picked up my trash and put it in the bin, returned the newspaper to its rack, and walked back to the car.

I put the key in the ignition and turned it. Click went the engine, and the dashboard lights fell dark. I tried it again. Still, nothing. I got the wrench from the trunk, unscrewed the car battery contacts, scraped them clean of oxidation, and reattached them. Then I turned the key again. The dashboard lights flickered, then went dark.

So now, I’m here in an internet cafe paying P70 an hour, killing time until the mall opens so that I can do something else. My dad has to attend to some business, so I’ll have to wait until after lunch to be rescued.

How was your morning? Ü

Last weekend my friends and sister made an impromptu decision to go to the movies. I joined them there, even though I had no idea what would be playing in the theaters. A few days earlier, though, I’d seen a trailer on television and noticed that Eric Bana had a new film out. I didn’t know what that film was, but I do like Bana’s acting (for what it’s worth, I think he and Sean Bean were the saving grace of Troy). So when we saw the cast for Munich, Steven Spielberg’s new opus, we decided to get tickets for that immediately. We almost began regretting that we’d bought tickets so quickly when we saw that Firewall was also playing, and had Harrison Ford in the lead.

Fortunately, Eric Bana and the entire ensemble cast of Munich didn’t disappoint, and even exceeded our expectations. To tell you the truth, I don’t think we really knew what we were getting to when we sat down inside the theater. I think we’d forgotten that this was Spielberg the director of Schindler’s List, and we assumed the film would be a lightweight sort, like Catch Me If You Can. Instead, we were treated to a heart-wrenching display of human drama where the killings were secondary in nature to, and only instrumental in, the development and deterioration of the characters into madness. I think you can safely say that we loved it; it was a lovingly and painstakingly crafted film that didn’t glory in violence but instead is a call for peace–or at least for a truce. I don’t want to say any more about the film, but I highly recommend that people watch it. It’s a refreshing palate-cleanser from the gooey local loveteam movies, and it has a lot more substance. (I don’t mean to be unFilipino or unpatriotic, but I really, really don’t plan on watching films about local loveteams.)

In other movie news, Aeon Flux has finally hit Philippine cinemas. Although panned by critics and unpatronized by moviegoers in the US, I managed to watch this one on DVD prior to it being shown locally, and I have to say I liked it. I really, really liked it. It’s very loosely based on the MTV Liquid Television series of the same name. I say “very loosely” because this film comes up with a background story about the eponymous main character (played by Charlize Theron) and a cohesive plotline and motivation for Flux’s actions; these were things the MTV series rarely (never?) had. Also, Aeon wears more clothing, has a smaller bustline, and has short hair in this film. Ü In any case, this is a fun romp in a futuristic world; it’s a very slick film with stunning visuals and a nice twist ending. If you liked Tomb Raider, you’ll appreciate this one.

I have to say it’s a shame Pride and Prejudice is scheduled to come out locally in March, instead of during this week (Valentine’s Day) when it should logically have been shown.

Tags: Munich, Movies, Aeon Flux

I loved writing stories when I was younger. I’d fire up my IBM-compatible 486 desktop computer, my eyes straining at the wash of white characters on the screen’s black background. I’d write stories based on a TV movie series shown on HBO, inserting myself and my friends into that world (these days that’s known as Mary Sue-ing, but I digress). Later on I also wrote fanfiction about The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest (you’ll find some of my work on Quest Enterprises) and had a short-lived stint as an aspiring fic writer for the anime Rurouni Kenshin (I’m on FanFiction.net for that).

Every time I tried to come up with an original story, however, I had problems with characterization and with location. Fanfiction lent itself to derivation because the groundwork for the characters had already been laid. An original work, however — one had to put a lot of work into who the characters are, what their motivations should be. As for location, most of the books I’d read took place in America or in Europe — places I’ve never been. Trying to set a story in the Philippines, I ran into language problems as well. How could I use English when most of what I knew passed for conversation took place in Tagalog? How much of Philippine social life did I know, anyway?

The more I thought about these issues, the more I couldn’t write. And the more I read novels that had been written with painstaking historical and technical accuracy (Michael Crichton, this means you!!), the more I felt my own incompetence. “Write what you know,” the ghost of Louisa May Alcott whispered gently to me. “I know nothing!” I cried, and clapped my hands over my ears. So I stopped writing, letting ideas fly over my head and leaving them to swarm elsewhere.

Lately though, the ideas have been buzzing like flies, landing, biting, whining in my ear, flying off and coming back again. The mere length of time an elevator took to reach my floor sent my brain into a creative tizzy about what could be causing its delay and whether a story could be written of it. Observing people around me, I began to create little stories about what kind of people they were and what kind of life they led. Reading more books only attracted more ideas, this time about building entire universes where the places, the people, the workings are strange so there would be no need to know much about the geography of the Earth, if I knew the landscape of my mind well enough to map it with my stories.

Now, my head is full of words. My notebook is empty of them. What’s stopping me from writing? I think I’m afraid of falling into the earlier trap, of being derivative and unoriginal or of not knowing enough about human nature to write about people. How can I know that my stories aren’t just some pastiche of the works of previous authors? Do I have a tale to tell uniquely my own creation? What about subtext, the tale between the lines? My imagination is bound by self-doubt and by my own education (or lack thereof). Simply put, I’m stuck.

So I’ll start with the smaller ideas. I’ll catch them and look at them and pin them onto the page with my pen and ink. I hope I’m onto something.

Dear Ms. Austen,

You may be astonished at my making such an abrupt introduction of myself, but I have known your writing far longer than you have known mine. It may then be merely my pleasure entirely to introduce myself.

Of late I have familiarised myself with your book Pride and Prejudice. My prior acquaintance with it came in the form of an excerpt in one of my children’s books. I am not now a child, but I was once one and I had many books with which to amuse myself. — But no more of this.

Permit me to express my sincerest adoration for the plot, the characters, and even the language of the aforementioned work. You have shewn the world a stile essentially your own, and if I were I would chuse to write in it, adapting your mannerisms of prose and turns of phrase — and perhaps even spelling. Though I would have liked it if the declarations of love had been shewn, not merely described. So prettily and wonderfully were the characters of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth thought out that no body would ever dare to hope for their ultimate separation. Rather, one would pray that their pride and prejudice would not hinder them from finding in each other a perfect match — and yourself being the master architect of every point and development, you deserve much praise.

In this connexion I heartily commend you and will recommend your book to my friends. I would also like to inform you of the existence of a most excellent film based on your novel. But I am sure the producers of the said film have already asked your permission to create it.

With warmest, deepest regard, &c.;

***

Had you there, didn’t I? In case you didn’t get it, all I was saying was that I’ve read Pride and Prejudice. If you can get past the whole intricate English language thing (fashionable in Austen’s time, which I was referencing in my letter), it’s actually a beautiful story. It does take some imagination to generate the images in my head because Austen sometimes describes what was said rather than having her character actually say it. The 2005 film version, which stars Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet and Matthew MacFadyen as Mr. Darcy, is more explicit. Aside from some anachronisms in speech within the film (“she must snap him up,” says Charlotte Lucas), you get a better sense of the emotion, although the book offers you a better view of the workings of Elizabeth’s mind.

By the way, the version of the film I watched didn’t have any kissing, quite different from the version screened in the US. I guess I like understatement best as it seems more in tune with the era in which the film is set. The film itself already takes liberties with the expression of love towards the ending; I don’t think anyone need be whacked over the head by Mr. Darcy calling Elizabeth missus several times.

Pride and Prejudice is my new favorite romantic film. I love Mr. Darcy!

P.S. I took this quiz about the book and I got 7 out of 10 right. If I hadn’t second-guessed myself about some of the answers I think I might have gotten 9 out of 10. Ah well, I’m reading the book again anyway.

Also, Christianity Today has a positive review on the film and lists it as one of the Ten Most Redeeming Films of 2005. (Links via AustenBlog: She’s everywhere.)

Tags: Pride and Prejudice, Books, Movies, Jane Austen

Today I took a little time to start re-organizing my room, and I realized the defining characteristic of my room is: BOOKS. Piles of them lying on every hard flat surface, inside my cabinets and drawers, and most recently piling up on my bed.

Rummaging through just one drawer, I rediscovered books I had forgotten I owned. If that isn’t a sign of a serious bookrat problem, then I don’t know what else is. A huge selection of the books in the upstairs family bookcase belongs to me. Also, when we moved to this house I didn’t bother to unpack a big box of books, so I have another cache of books sitting in the attic storeroom collecting dust.

I really should start cataloguing my stuff. Do you think I can actually start using the Dewey decimal system? Ü Wait, that’s only for non-fiction books. Most of my “collection” (if you can call it that) is composed of fiction, the gems of which are fantasy and science fiction. I also seem to like spy thrillers, murder mysteries, and classic children’s books.

Two weeks ago I was in absolute book heaven when I discovered Libreria, a bookstore/cafe on Tomas Morato Avenue. I’ve also spent a little under P2,000 at Powerbooks over the last three weeks because their 20% discount chopped off 100 pesos from the price of each hardbound Sherlock Holmes novel. After I got successful feedback on my thesis a month ago, I blew some bucks at a nearby Books For Less to celebrate.

I need help. Ü

I do ego searches of my name when I’m bored, and usually the results show websites I’ve worked on or guestbooks I’ve signed. When I used Google’s Blog Search, however, I found something I hadn’t been aware of at all.

Some of you may be aware of a post I wrote concerning my past exploits in the Philippine cosplay world, particularly with regard to creating and naming the Pinoy Cosplay Mailing List and the use of the name “Pinoy Cosplay” by an unrelated forum website owned by a certain Mike Abundo. I resolved the issue by stating that Pinoy Cosplay ML would remain a separate and unrelated entity from PinoyCosplay.com. I thought the matter was settled; little did I know that my own name would become further embroiled in this issue.

Google’s Blog Search alerted me to posts on other blogs (particularly LiveJournals) that reproduced the text written by LJ user keiohwai warning Philippine-based fandom groups about the name-stealing activities of Mike Abundo, the guy who coopted the name “Pinoy Cosplay” for his forum website. I’m not really involved in the fandoms concerned here, but I was disturbed by the use of my name without my knowledge in what has become a forwarded email propagated to God-knows-where. I’ll quote part of the text below:

When NOELLE DE GUZMAN, founder of the pinoycosplay ML, spoke with Mike Abundo, he admitted that he did not, in fact, make a google search for the keyword term “pinoycosplay” before buying the .com domain and creating the forum.

Mike Abundo, in the latter part of the conversation with Noelle de Guzman, proposed that the pinoycosplay ML merge with his pinoycosplay.com forum, saying the mailing list would benefit from the boost of traffic that would soon visit his pinoycosplay.com site, claiming that his .com site was far more accessible to people everywhere.

Noelle De Guzman rejected the offer and said the Pinoycosplay ML will not be affiliated with Pinoycosplay.com under any circumstance. Mike Abundo chose to keep the name of his .com site, saying that he has already invested his monetary resources into the creation of his forums which, in reality, uses the format given by the invision.net service providers on the creation of an online bulletin board/forum. (emphasis mine)

This was posted to the Pinoy Cosplay ML as well earlier this month, but since I don’t regularly read the messages from there, I was unable to voice an objection to the use of my name in this context. Since then it appears to have been spread all over the Internet.

The released “Warning to Philippine-based fandom groups” is supposed to be about the activities of Mike Abundo. The gravity of his actions as described in the text speaks to what kind of person he is; I see no need to use my proper name (and use it repeatedly) when the term “the founder of the Pinoy Cosplay ML” would have been sufficient in describing who the person interacting with Abundo is.

Well-intentioned the warning may be, I feel that I need to say that I have nothing to do with the “Warning to Philippine-based fandom groups.” Next time, folks, do what the journalists do and ask first before using someone’s name in something you write. Thanks.

One of the main concerns people have when one of their favorite books gets turned into a movie is, “Will it still be essentially the same?” There’s a general trend of thought that in order to adapt a book to screen, you have to make certain changes or certain compromises to make the movie version flow better.

I’ve rarely been one of those people who’d read the book years ago and then went to see its adaptation. For me it’s mostly been the other way around: the Lord of the Rings trilogy of films, the Legends of Earthsea miniseries–I watched them before I picked up the original books. This could probably explain why I never felt strongly against the Lothlorien Elves coming to Helm’s Deep or red-skinned Ged being played by fair-skinned actor Shawn Ashmore.

I’d read the Chronicles of Narnia books back in my rosy youth, however (AKA when I was seven years old). I wondered how I’d react upon watching the 2005 film adaptation of the Chronicles of Narnia: the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Would I be a purist, arguing that this or that wasn’t in the book, that this or that was contrary to the spirit of the book? I didn’t want to be disappointed.

Thankfully, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was an enjoyable experience. Its portrayal of Aslan was particularly powerful; I absolutely had goosebumps when Aslan was revealed for the first time halfway through the film and almost cried when he gave himself up as Edmund’s ransom. The child actors did well as the Pevensies; Edmund’s treachery and bewitching didn’t seem contrived, Peter grew from harsh older brother to noble king, Susan developed from unbeliever to faithful supporter.

The weak link in this film’s performance was the acting of the actress who played Lucy; her facial expression for wonderment was equally her expression for sorrow, or surprise, or happiness… The character of Lucy being a pivotal part in how readers experienced the wonder of Narnia, this was the only thing that nagged at me throughout the film.

Overall, though, it did bring the world of Narnia to life, though I’m not sure how people who had never read the book could have kept up with the story. (I think this is the reason why the bookstores say “Read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe before watching the movie!”)

My family loves dogs. In fact, I don’t remember a single year of my life when we didn’t have a dog in the household. Now, they weren’t always pedigreed, but they were always loved.

For the past few years, we’ve had the Dalmatian named Shaolin guarding our perimeter and warding off intruders whether big or small. (He’s also very handy when you’re feeling low and need someone who accepts you even if you have eyebags the depth of the Marianas Trench…) Now, in a development that seems all too sudden, we have a Labrador Retriever puppy we’ve named Ashton. Yes, Ashton like the actor–but I’m quite positive he’ll grow up to be better-looking. Ü

It feels like we’ve had him for a while, but we only took him home with us yesterday. Glossy black from nose to tail, bigger than his siblings, Ashton was the dominant pup in his litter. He pooped and threw up in the car as we drove home, but I’d already fallen for him and didn’t faint from disgust. Marielle is sitting outside with him right now; she absolutely adores him. Despite his barking and howling every time we leave him, he’s a gift from God. I hope we train him well.