Statement: Bloggers For Freedom

.:My Pre(r)amble:.

I was still in high school back in 1999 when, in the middle of then-President Erap Estrada's term, one of the biggest thorns in his side, the Manila Times, ended up selling to the late Mark Jimenez, a close friend of Erap's, for what was essentially a steal.

The Manila Times then, like the Inquirer, then and now, definitely made some controversial choices when it came to how it chose to report on the then-President. That Erap's showbiz friends then launched an advertising boycott on both papers in hopes of teaching them a lesson, a lesson only Inquirer managed to survive, was a clear red flag that the Estrada administration would brook only so much dissent. Lucky for them, the internet was barely around at the time, and people were too busy talking showbiz and UAAP on Pinoy Exchange to really get into any meaningful form of political discourse online, especially with the absence of contemporary social media and the echo chamber platform it has ended up providing for everyone of any inclination.

Today, we see glimmers of that happening again. While the Inquirer purchase may not have been a move of desperation that the Manila Times sale was, the sudden revocation of Rappler's incorporation by the SEC is a glaring act of selective justice. And while I won't pretend to be the fount of legal expertise many of Rappler's detractors suddenly appear to be despite well over a year of pretending cops killing drug suspects without due process was anything but cold-blooded murder, it doesn't take a mind-reader to see when the fix is in.

When it happened to CJ Corona, a person most of us weary of GMA's machinations happened to be anything but fond of, not a small number of us on this list today opposed this political railroading on principle - even if we didn't like the guy.

When then-President Aquino used the Papal visit as an opportunity to take cheap shots at the media outlets that just wouldn't get off his back, not a small number of us on this list today clapped back, telling him to toughen up, because the President's job is thankless and only history can judge him.

So now that President Duterte has decided for himself that he will brook no dissent and that not using tanks and guns to take down his enemies is an act of benevolence in and by itself, are we supposed to suddenly make an exception for him?

Protecting the freedoms we have worked so hard to earn is not a partisan act. Defending our institutions and due process does not recognize party lines. All it does is acknowledge that as flawed as the system is, this is the system we are supposed to abide by. For without the system, if all we have is shortcuts and the word of a man who walks back his every other statement as a joke that only his cult of personality ever gets, what exactly are we putting our trust in?

This is the Philippines. It is my country, right or wrong; if right, to be kept right; if wrong, to be set right. Anything less, any complacency, any attempt at compromising one's core values, solely upon the altar of one man is a betrayal of both the self and the nation that we live in.

.:Statement: Bloggers For Freedom:.

We concerned Filipino bloggers stand for the rights to free expression and to free speech. And our first responsibility is to protect these rights.

We thus stand with Rappler, its right to exist, the rights of its working journalists and contributors, and the rights of its community of readers.

We stand against moves to silence and scare journalists, bloggers and media practitioners just because the President and his ardent supporters dislike their news and views.

Now is a time for making choices amid battles between truth and lies, debate and dissonance, democracy and dictatorship.

We sign our names here to tell everyone we have made a choice. We are bloggers for freedom.

Noemi Lardizabal-Dado
Tonyo Cruz
Dale Bacar
Marcelle Fabie
Myk Mykapalaran Cruz
Rod Magaru
Ely Valendez
Alex Lapa
Tess Termulo
Zena Bernardo
Jover Laurio
James Romer V. Velina
Ramon Nocon
Flow Galindez
Helga Weber
Mc Richard Viana Paglicawan
Raymond Palatino
Loi Landicho
Saul de Jesus
Karlo Mongaya
Ricky Rivera
Mark Will Mayo Magallanes
Eyriche Cortez
Julius Mariveles
Yusuf Ledesma
RJ Barrete
Dino Manrique
Peachy Tan
Rhadem Camlian Morados
Julius Rocas
Jon Limjap
Markku Seguerra
Jam Ancheta
Estan Cabigas
Enrico Dee
Acee Vitangcol
Stefan Punongbayan
Jesus Falcis
Hancel Reyes
Czarina Maye Noche
JM Mariano
Reginald Agsalon
John Clifford Sibayan
Jane Uymatiao
Johnn Mendoza
Carlos Celdran
Christian Melanie
Jann Medina
Carlo Arvisu
Inday Espina Varona
Eugene Alvin Villar
Melo Villareal
Brian Ong
JM Tuazon
Fritz Tentativa
Fitz Villafuerte
Tina Antonio
Mykel Andrada
Reynaldo Pagsolingan Jr.
Renz Daniel de Vera

Published on January 19, 2018, Black Friday.

This Was Coy. He Will Be Missed

.:We're Too Young To Be Writing Eulogies For Each Other...:.

All around me are familiar faces

It never gets easier.

You and I met for the first time during the 2007 Emerging Influential Bloggers Night. It was also the first night I met AJ Matela. At first, I was amused by your video and video editing. Then, I was utterly mystified when you proved how good you were during that Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf event where we were part of the same team, making a video together on the spot.

Worn out places, worn out faces

Then 2008 happened. Laughs And Gasps. You put together a video of all the subliminal messages Jay and I dropped to make our finale happen, and you had to do it before the finale actually happened. There wasn't a single person I could have thought capable of that but you.

Bright and early for the daily races

But your legend as a vlogger, if not the vlogger, just kept on growing. It was always a pleasure to see you at blogging events, and as the years went by, we always would keep in touch here and there. It was always a pleasure to see you, as more and more new faces poured into the blogosphere.

Going nowhere, going nowhere

As I slowly found myself disillusioned with the notion of the blogosphere, you remained one of the positive points, although it had far more to do with who you were, than it had anything to do with your blog. I always respected you. And I always valued what little time we had to spend with each other.

Their tears are filling up the glasses

But I just thought we'd have more time to spend. I mean, who thinks about these things happening to any of us so soon?

No expression, no expression

So I'm sorry if there's no eloquent way to say I wish you didn't have to go just yet. I'm sorry that I can't craft this weaving verbal tapestry of praise and honor for a friend who absolutely deserves it, in life and beyond. But inasmuch as I want to drown in apologies, this isn't about me. It's about you. And you were a great person who I may have spent so little time with, but you were a great person who made every moment count.

Hide my head, I wanna drown my sorrow

Sometimes, I wonder where life would have taken any of us if none of us ever discovered blogging. In the end, all I see is how much better life has been knowing you were a part of it. And I take small comfort in the fact that no matter where you are now, you will always remain to be a part of it. Those blog posts won't unwrite themselves, those Tweets won't untweet themselves, nor would those YouTube videos ever unrecord themselves.

No tomorrow, no tomorrow

I hope wherever you are now, you are at peace. I can't thank you enough, and I can't write hard enough to express the profound sense of loss I feel right now. I guess I never expected to have to write a eulogy for a friend like you so soon.

This was Coy: a great friend, a visionary, a guy who knew how to laugh at himself, and someone who reminds me why I am grateful to have been a part of this blogging community.

This is how he will remain with me for the rest of my life.

I'll see you soon enough, Coy. All of us will. In the meantime, I'm going to miss you while you're gone.

                                                                                    from Fritz Tentativa

And I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad.

The dreams in which I am dying are the best I ever had.

I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take

When people run in circles it's a very, very mad world.

Blogger Events? It Felt Like A Lifetime Ago...

.:... And Yet The Entitlement Complexes Never Went Away:.

I slowly eased myself out of attending blogger events ever since I worked for Nuffnang four years ago. At some point, being at blogger events was more work than anything else, and it no longer became a prominent part of my life. Nothing wrong with blogger events at all, mind you. I just lost interest in attending every single one that invited me at some point.

Of course, I remained friends with a lot of bloggers. It's not like I stopped being one, myself, or decided to isolate myself from the rest of them. But in doing so, it provided me with the opportunity to really choose who I would spend time with, rather than to waste my time being surrounded by vexations to my soul.

This also means that I missed the newer generation of bloggers, especially the newer generation of atrocious ones. The ones who decided that this whole "patay-gutom bloggers" thing was really cool and they should continue its fine tradition. And continue, they did.

I feel rather jaded about the blogging scene lately, to be honest. Most of the award-giving bodies have successfully turned blogging into a celebrity-dominated sphere, where nobody bothers with the opinion of anyone who isn't a power blogger, whatever the Hades that means.

The "Power Blogger," in its element.

The thing is, blogging on its own has been nearly as irrelevant as it has been before it even existed. In the age of 140 characters or less, someone sitting down to read a full-length blog entry where some self-proclaimed social media (idiot) savant shouts about his relevance from the highest mountaintops, yet nobody is listening. Have you noticed who gets nominated for blogging and social media awards lately? I'll give you a hint: nearly all of them are celebrities, and they will drown you out, regardless what your message is.

With how much I've been writing for the 8List ever since last year, the frequency of my blogging has obviously taken a hit. I'm not the same blogger I once was, and haven't been particularly waving the banner of blogging that much in the last year or two. As such, what really does get to me is how more than a few of these remaining loud voices in the blogosphere take it upon themselves to represent everyone else, saying they do the sh*t that they do for the "honor" of bloggers. Who died and made them our savior, really?

Look. I'm not being a hipster about this blogging thing. You wanna SEO your way to riches? Go ahead. You want to receive tokens and gift certificates all the time so you never have to do your groceries ever again? Be my guest. But I am not you, and when you keep saying you are fighting for people like me, it annoys the f*ck out of me. I don't know you, I don't give a damn what you think you're entitled to, so leave me out of your drama.

I'd be looking at the back of my skull if my eyes rolled any further.

I've been keeping what is functionally an online diary for eleven years already. I like to write. I like to get on my soapbox and talk about things, with varying degrees of success. I like being snarky, and even getting into flame wars or trollbaiting people sometimes. But what tires me out is when that's all I ever encounter, when some bloggers who think they're hot stuff use their so-called influence to leverage threats against people, and then claim they are being bullied when the inevitable backlash flies in their face.

I don't need someone telling me how to be ethical when they keep jumping from endorsing one skin whitening brand to another at the drop of a hat, yet still looking every bit the same.

I don't need someone telling me how much this restaurant sucks because it can't give anything beyond free food for bloggers to try and write about, when any self-respecting food critic would actually want to do this incognito.

I don't need someone telling me to get outraged at the latest issue you deem worth "curating." You have yet to meet an ambulance you didn't want to chase.

I especially don't need someone telling me how to be ahead of the social media curve when they don't even have five hundred followers to their name while they proclaim themselves a "guru."

It's all self-aggrandizement, really. People who are all bark and no bite, yet think that crying "wolf" the way they do about their vaunted influence would somehow make the world be at their beck and call. It doesn't work that way. 

Your blog doesn't make you special. Your traffic doesn't increase your bust size, nor does your ad clicks increase your sperm count. If you think for one moment that your status on the internet entitles you to anything more than any other human being should reasonably expect, then maybe you need some WD-40 to get your head out of your own ass. It's way too far in already.

Visual aid.

I don't represent anyone when I say this, mind you. Maybe some people agree with me when I say this, maybe some don't. But most won't even bother reading this. I don't care. I just want it to be stated for the record, that for the most part, I'm jaded with where the blogosphere has ended up after all these years. When celebrity culture permeated blogging, I never thought that most everyone would ignore virtually all the good stuff that comes with it and instead only pick up the relentless narcissism, the unmitigated self-importance, and the overblown sense of entitlement.

So please. When you talk about how people who aren't bloggers should deal with those who are, when you talk about what bloggers are all about, or when you try to so much as stand as a representative for bloggers at large? Just f*cking speak for yourself, okay?

Being a blogger does not make you special, or entitle you to anything out of the ordinary. Being a blogger does not make you smarter or more amazing than anyone else. It's the person behind the blog that makes something special, not the blog in and by itself. And if you squander that strength of personality over some petty vendetta or some stupid score you have to settle, do you genuinely think it's worth it?

Somehow, I don't think so.

Project 52 (40/52) 2012: On Being A Blogger For Ten Years (And Why The Cybercrime Law Sucks In Light Of It)

.:Project 52 (40/52) 2012: On Being A Blogger For Ten Years (And Why The Cybercrime Law Sucks In Light Of It):.

It's been nearly ten years for myself as a blogger, and I cannot help but feel nostalgic about it. True, I haven't really managed making a comprehensive retrospective for my blog so far, but it has been an amazing ten years, and I hope I will keep on going and blogging for as long as I have the mental faculties to do it.

Or at least, unless nobody ever decides to sue me for whatever I may have blogged here lest I end up in prison over it.

Considering how eager the PNP seems to be to use the Cybercrime Bill to strike down people who speak ill of policemen, we are really going into unchartered territory at this point.

Beware, because they dare.

Ten years of blogging, and today, we come face to face with this. Wow.

Last week, I was part of the Cyberfreedom Forum organized by Senator TG Guingona, and never have I found more to be awed and disappointed by than to discover that only Senator Guingona even bothered to read the Cybercrime bill enough to actually see why it was problematic. Just ask Chiz Escudero, he'd tell you. How could 23 other senators completely miss this or just willfully allow this? Double jeopardy, using the internet as an aggravating circumstance in and by itself, an abridgement of due process, and an archaic libel law upheld in the cyber arena? What were these people even thinking?!?

This isn't even considering so many other ridiculously misguided sections found in the bill that any lawyer worth their salt would be quick to point out to you. It is just a fustercluck of such epic proportions that I can't help but wonder how they could treat the internet with such contempt and such carelessness.

So here I am, celebrating ten years as a blogger. Yet here I am, also standing against these unmistakable transgressions against my rights as a netizen. What should be a moment of celebration for me is instead a moment of trepidation, because I know that while I may not ever get into legal trouble because of my blog, I could be, if it were their whim and fancy, and there's not a damned thing I could do about it if I let it slide now.

The Cybercrime Law is certainly a hot-button topic and I have already written about it on the POC.  Despite that, it bears repeating here on this blog: this is an attack on our freedom. It is the kind of freedom our heroes have died for that we may enjoy it, no matter how trivial or mundane our exercise of the freedom is. That's exactly the whole point of freedom, after all: you get to exercise it as you see fit, within reason. What this law attempts to do is to abridge that freedom in favor of caprice and arbitrariness. At no point are they required to go through due process, and it sickens me that nobody is watching these watchmen as they level veiled threats against us and attempt to villify the internet so as to pretend that their cause is just.

Well, I won't take it. No way, no how. 

I am Marcelle Fabie. I have been a blogger for ten years, writing with a real name to my words.

And I will not be silenced.

We will not be silenced.

This Is How I Bon Chon!

.:This Is How I Bon Chon!:.

Ever since Denise introduced me to the wonders of Bon Chon chicken, I’ve been hooked, always making it a point to grab a two-thigh meal with large iced tea whenever a branch without a snaking line was within reach. With branches in Katipunan (Where I live.), Makati (Where I work.), and even The Fort (Where I *used* to work.), there didn’t really seem to be a problem for me in that department. Ask anybody: I was a fan, and it showed.

So imagine my excitement when I was cordially invited by Bon Chon to their blogger’s day, which wasn’t just an excuse to stuff us with enough chicken until Sunday, but to even let us know that they now have Ko-Yo, that is, Korean Frozen yogurt, on top of their already delectable menu. I don't think I could have contained my excitement at all if I tried. 

Food so good, even the ketchup brings on the smiles!

So yeah, it was a great time, as I met some old blogger friends who also appreciate Bon Chon chicken. It was quite the reunion, to say the least, and the sumptuous feast we had to stare down that entire afternoon. We even had a nice lesson on how to best enjoy chicken wings, for that matter! From now on, I will no longer fear chicken wings because I found a simple and painless way of going at them.

After all the amazing chicken and the delectable calamari (My new favourite item!!!), we finally got to try out their Ko-Yo, and let me just say it was wonderful! At 70 bucks a pop, it really satisfied my craving for yogurt, since for quite a while, I almost had Fro-Yo from different places on a daily basis, all of them decidedly more expensive than Ko-Yo.

Pictured: a happy Bon Chonner! Can we call people that?

Well, after everything has been said and done, I couldn’t eat another bite. Bon Chon just gave us bloggers an amazing experience not just because they had great food (I’ve been eating there long before, after all.), but even the slice of life stories we had with the owners as they introduced us to the origins of Bon Chon. It was just such a casual moment that the whole thing took me back to 2007, back in the day when we were doing events for our blogs, not doing blogs to get to events. It was just a great time all around.

So yeah, Bon Chon has a lot of branches all over the metro, and even a branch in Visayas and another in Mindanao soon to open.

Just Another Magic Monday: "It's True! It's True!" Wins In The Philippine Blog Awards 2011!

.:And I Am Still Dumbstruck...:.

                                                                                    otakufridge.com

Ang hair ko, umabot hanggang dooooon sa haba!

Yes, this is hardly related to magic, but the moment was, for lack of a better word, magical. Last Saturday night, I was tasked to do voice over duties for the Philippine Blog Awards, as hosted by Ms. Gang Badoy herself. It was pretty amusing when I was asked, because while I graciously accepted the invitation to do so, I jokingly asked Juned if this was his hint that I had no chance of winning that night for either nomination. Juned just smiled and said he's not allowed to comment on stuff like that.

What was very different about this year's program was the fact that there were actually acceptance speeches this time around, which Arbet reminded me about while going over the program. I just casually noted that being the VO guy for the evening meant I wasn't going to win, shrugged, and moved on.

The evening was great, seeing as I met awesome people like the aforementioned Gang Badoy and the Christopher Lao! He seemed a lot shorter than I thought he would, and oddly enough, without his glasses on, he reminded me of Mr. Fu. Nonetheless, it was fun running into him, and to be referred to as the "voice of God" by Gang throughout the evening.

Pretty soon, they got to the part of the awarding ceremonies where my blog was nominated in two different categories. When I didn't win the Personal Category, I kinda assumed that was the end of it already, since that was the one I've been gunning for since 2009, I believe (I was off the grid in 2007 and was the host in 2008, after all.).

Next thing I knew, I was announced as the winner for the best blog in the Society, History, and Politics category.

                                                                                    otakufridge.com

This is how you feel so big and so small at the same time.

I haphazardly went onstage, still shocked (Hades, I still am to this very moment!), joked about loving all 20 of my loyal readers, joked about the fact that I was the disembodied voice throughout the evening, then quietly shuffled to backstage immediately afterwards. Yep, I pretty much didn't have an acceptance speech at all, but that's okay. This is my blog, so I get to do that here.

First of all, I'd like to thank the judges of the Philippine Blog Awards for the recognition of this blog. I've been blogging since 2002, so winning something like this, without a doubt, is truly a great honor for me. I still cannot contain my joy over this great recognition, and it never gets old. I've won best Philippine Blog in the Flying Chair Asian Blog Awards in 2003, then won one of the top 10 best blog posts in the Philippine Blog Awards in 2009, and yet, this honor couldn't have come at a better time, for me.

I am very honored that despite splitting my writing between this blog, The POC, Filipino Freethinkers, and, for a while, Filipino Voices, my blog still managed to strike a chord with the people who have read it in ways that I didn't quite expect. I've always been an autobiographical blogger, so it comes a bit surprising to me that my life has taken a turn towards the societal, historical, or political aspects of this nation. Sure, I do political satire here and there even in my blog, but I realized that with no active desire to stay relevant via my blog, my life itself has given me the opportunity to do and say something relevant that I can only hope brings, aside from the lulz, some measure of knowledge or dare I say enlightenment, no matter how unenlightened my position may or may not get.

To the people who do read this, know that I can only be grateful that you like what you see. I really can't please everyone, so I only ever write for my own sake, because I'm pretty much the only person I have any business representing in an official capacity, even if I do try my best to put forth a great picture of the Philippine Magic Industry in my blog every now and then.

I guess what I hope people take away from my blog is that I am a multi-faceted person with something to say. Whether or not you agree or even find what I have to say interesting, at the very least, I hope you can see where I am coming from and how I have come to form the opinions or even convictions I hold onto.

I have no illusions that this win would bring me to the upper echelon of recognized bloggers whose every word people wait on with bated breath. I have no illusions that my writing will directly engender changes in this nation, unless I myself take a direct, pro-active stand offline as well. I have no illusions that my writing would magically become more prolific and more enticing for consumption for the general public. Hades, I'm even shy about showing my own mother my own blog, despite the fact that I don't really write anything embarrassing about myself here.

What I do know, though, is that I will keep writing because I have something to say. I have always believed that is the first reason someone would want to blog, and that is reason enough for me to keep on doing what I have been doing for the past nine years in my own little corner in the web, ever since I realized I can't read my old diaries anymore because of my atrocious handwriting.

I'd like to thank Cracked because their sense of humor has influenced my writing immensely, and hopefully for the better. I'd like to thank the POC and the Freethinkers for having faith (I use that word very loosely, Freethinkers!) in my writing as well. Of course, I'd also like to thank everyone who has touched my life and been a part of this blog, really. It's hard to name all of you, but you know who you are. Obviously, without you, there'd have been at least one less entry for me to write, and as an archivist by nature, that would've been a travesty.

And the only thing I regret not having said onstage would be... I'd like to dedicate this win to someone who was, without a doubt, someone who did effect change in society, whether within the blogosphere or through his personal advocacies. Thank you, AJ Matela. I miss you, and I think that it is fitting for me to dedicate this honor to you, because you have, in your own way, sparked a revolution of minds and hearts, in life and in death.

Thank you, one and all, and I hope that my life continues to intersect with what is relevant and important to this nation, even if what I personally have to say about it doesn't always live up to the same standard.

                                                                                                                                             azraelcoladilla.com

Congratulations, one and all!

HillaRex Reloaded!

.:Hilariously Hillary:.

                                                                                   Unedited picture from Pinoy Weekly.


I have nothing to do with this man.

So I'm not really a big fan of Hillary Clinton, but I don't have much
against her, either.

That being said, Wednesday was a pretty larger-than-life experience for me as I found myself in the National Museum to take part in "A Conversation With Hillary Clinton," which, while quite a softball affair, definitely called attention to the many things we take for granted about US-Philippine relations.

Indeed, in the middle of beauty pageant questions about the contents of her iPod and her smartphone of choice, I must say that I was mildly disappointed nobody tried to ask not-necessarily hardball questions about, say, the Occupy Wall Street movement, or her opinions regarding reproductive health. All in all, the questions asked were very trite, predictable, and downright patronizing, to the point that when the activist, Marjohora Tucay, stood up to deliver his protests against the Mutual Defense Treaty and the VFA, I actually thought it was part of a script by GMA-7 to spice up the afternoon or something to that effect.

Regardless, I still inched away from him mainly because while I am sympathetic to his cause, I certainly am not sympathetic to his methods. It's good that he managed to conduct an interview after the fact to explicate his side, because he only ended up looking pretty silly when he was in the forum.

After all of that, one can't help but see that Hillary Clinton's eloquence and charm undoubtedly allows her a far wider berth than many other political figures from her country, especially if they're Republican. Do I still have misgivings about the lopsided terms of the MDT and the VFA, particularly when it comes to extradition? Well, yes. But I wouldn't posit it in a venue where my message would be drowned out by people who are unabashedly her fans.

In any case, I didn't have any compunctions about having my Patriotic Filipino® photo opp, courtesy of The Philippine Beat and momblogger.

                                                     The Philippine Beat

Feel the Filipino-ness!

.:Rex Reloaded!:.

I completely neglected to have a picture taken with Rex this time out. LOL.

So I hosted Rex Reloaded in the NBC Tent after the whole Hillary thing, and I must say, I did a pretty cut-up job getting the whole crowd hyped throughout the night. While some of my friends were asking me why I didn't do any magic that night, I mentioned to them that I specifically asked to be the host because during the first Rex show, Noel Gascon had to pull double duty as both the voice over and the performer, which looked very awkward, to say the least. Let's face it: JB Dela Cruz is an awesome magician, but he himself would tell you hosting isn't in his skillset, so I had to do the honors.

And an honor, it truly was. Rex was very gregarious throughout the whole thing, and he really hit his stride well with the crowd. JB's magic and Mike's comedy definitely set the stage for a very raucous night of laughter and amazement, and Rex delivered the goods, no question about it.

On top of that, he even won an ALIW Award for his previous show! How's that for a crowning moment of awesome for him?

All in all, everyone was pretty happy about the night. Everyone was in stitches during his bit about the joke of jokes, and even the appetizer jokes were just as hilarious. Rex is a master of his craft, and it really shows.

It was a supremely humbling and memorable experience, one that I still haven't quite recovered from.

Here's hoping to more awesomeness for Rex in the near future!

Just Another Magic Monday: Alodia's Fantasy And Then Some

.:Just Another Magic Monday: An Enchanting Weekend:.

This weekend was marked by three straight gigs to my name, which, of course, I have no complaints about whatsoever.

No complaints, whatsoever. Photo from source as indicated by logo.

So yeah, it was pretty enjoyable, to say the least. Tack on the fact that on each gig, I managed to perform a bit of magic doesn't hurt my chances of writing about it and passing it all off for Just Another Magic Monday. So sue me, this year hasn't had nearly as much magic as 2010, obviously, so I'm less inclined to flat out do reviews of magic videos and the like, but that's all right.

In any case, opening for Mike Unson is one thing, and performing in Wack Wack Country Club is another, but ultimately, being a part of history, being the host of the first ever interactive cosplay show, Alodia's Fantasy, is just on a whole different level. Yup, that's the title, and no, I have no idea what else it could possibly mean.

A lot of preparation went into the show, truth be told. Weeks upon weeks of rehearsals, pre-screenings, and pre-production meetings. On the day itself, rehearsals were being rigorously conducted just to make sure that everything was in proper order. To say that all the cosplayers and performers really pulled out all the stops would be the understatement of the year, although I guess Alodia would be more capable of discussing all the work that went into the show than I personally would.

Technical glitches aside, there was one glaring sore spot throughout the night, but the less said about it, the more likely we'd forget about these unremarkable and unsavorable factors. Someday. Maybe. One can dream, after all.

That being said, once we went live on Flippish, we were greeted by hundreds of people all online at the same time, just wanting to catch a piece of history, as the show fired on all cylinders, with everyone just putting on the best show that they can. If you wanted details about the results, you could check out Fritz's Photo Recap, but all I can say is that the rehearsals before the show was hilarious because all the side comments I promised myself to put a lid on, I brought out in full force while the cameras were off.

It was pretty interesting as well that I managed to bring up people like Kring and Mike Abundo with his lady companion Itel (Of Best Of Anime fame.) for impromptu interviews that night. They did have some awesome stuff to share, not to mention the fact that there were a whole bunch of people in the audience that made me feel right at home. The chatbox for the event was burning up, though, because there was no reading a full sentence before it would end up scrolling out of the screen. I had to ad lib my way through the entire thing.

Seeing as this wasn't the first time I co-hosted an event with Alodia, we had our banter just down to pat already. I pretty much knew when to toss her softballs and when to toss her curveballs, and I was impressed at her ability to keep up with me. Looks like her stint in L.O.L. has really given her the chance to step up as a host, and I, for one, am proud.

As usual, I paid tribute to Zack Ryder during my closing spiel. Woo woo woo, you know it.

Ashley's performances were splendid, as always, and it was pretty cool to finally meet Eric Salamat. I joked that I stopped watching ADMU games because ADMU seemed to lose everytime I did. I also mentioned I stopped watching ADMU games for the past four years, so maybe there's something to that theory.

Seeing Ranulf at the event also gave me a nice surge of confidence, but it still paled in comparison to my true highlight of the night...

Cookie and Pancakes 2011!

Backstage, Alodia was poking fun at me when a different picture had the three of us together. She told me that she pretty much photo-bombed a couple pic and I'd probably crop her out the first chance I got. She might be on to something. Heh.

The after-party was fun, too. I met Karen, Joy Bordador's sister, for the second time ever, as Chris Tan proudly introduced her to us. At some point in the night, I ended up doing my signature psychokinesis act. So yeah, despite not doing a single routine onscreen throughout the night, enough people still remembered that I am a mentalist.

In any case, it was an awesome event, and I cannot thank the people of Flippish, the Gosiengfiao's, the cosplayers, the performers, the bloggers, Pancakes, and everyone else who made that event possible, and for asking me to be a part of it. It was one of my proudest moments to see a very good friend, someone who's practically family to me, Alodia, do so well and flourish in something she passionately believes in.

Stoked

.:Pretty Exciting Week, Really:.

Here, we get autobiographical again...

For the most part, this week has been pretty crazy, especially since I'm meeting up with old friends over the weekend, and hosting a wedding, as well as another cosplay event. It's been great, although honestly, things could be better.

Nonetheless, one of the highlights of my last week was when Carlos and I met up with a lovely couple for Australia who wanted to see some of the things Metro Manila could offer that you probably wouldn't get from a Lonely Planet guidebook.

We ended up taking them to Dampa in Home Depot that night, and needless to say, it was splendid. As always, the see food diet won out, and we had prawns, scallops, crabs, tuna, snapper, and then some. It was good to know that they enjoyed the sumptuous meal, because swapping stories with them really felt like a genuine cultural exchange all the same. As they would love to say, we totally smashed it that night.

Afterwards, I managed to take them to Tomato Kick, where they were treated to a mostly translated night of standup comedy courtesy of GB, James, Abe, Carlo, Jeps, Ryan, Richie, and yours truly. Practically everyone killed that night, by my estimate, so everyone had a pretty great time all around.

Had it not been for the fact that Steve Jobs passed away this week, this would've been as close to a perfect week as could be for me. Ah, well.

Here's to the rest of the weekend, then. :D

The Thrilla 4 Matela Thank-You List

.:The Thrilla 4 Matela Thank-You List:.

It was done on such short notice, but as the saying goes, if there's a will, there's a way. Thrilla 4 Matela was a smashing success, and we are more than happy to have had a chance to show our love and support for our dearest AJ and his family in our own little way.

I recognize that the cause for this occasion, while undoubtedly worthy, is also a solemn one. Regardless, we believe that this simple celebration was a heartfelt commemoration in song, laughs, and gasps, of the lifes and times of AJ Matela.

Under normal circumstances, I'd be writing about this show much in the same way I've written about similar cause-oriented events I've organized in the past. However, given the nature of the event, I can't do a recap post the same way I would have done in years past. I believe it would be enough to just thank people individually in this post, and piecing together the event that way.

So that being said, let me thank the following people:

Aileen Apolo-de Jesus, for helping us secure the venue.

Geiser Maclang, for lending us the projector, although we didn't use it during the program.

Poyt, for organizing the events page and helping in publicizing the event.

Joyce and LA, for manning the ticket booth, and LA for actually making the tickets himself (And coming back from limbo! Where have you been, dude?).

Ali, Jordan, and the other people from PinoyTuner and Dig Radio, for their generosity in allowing us to use Shift Bar for this worthy cause.

Vin Dancel, for not only performing his awesome music, but even covering the Sugarfree classic "Burnout", which we also thank Ebe Dancel for.

Nino Avenido, Carlos Castana, Julianne, and Evee Simon, for being amazing musicians who really gave music straight from the heart. It was a very great experience for everyone who was there.

Ade Magnaye and the rest of Lose Your Beer Belly, for bringing your awesome music to the table, and Ade, especially for giving very sound advice behind the scenes as we were trying to produce this show.

Stanley Chi, for sharing some laughs with his unique brand of humor.

Micamyx, for the film showing of "12th of June" which was chock full of awesome blogger cameos.

Mike Unson, for capping off the night in an awesome night. When he started doing those relationship jokes, me and an old friend couldn't help but look and laugh at ourselves because Mike was just dead on. It was hilarious and insanely awkward at the same time, which just showed why Mike Unson is one of the best standup comics in this country, bar none.

Definitely, we can't forget the Itchyworms: Jugs, Jazz, Kel, and Chino, for performing that night. It was pretty surreal catching them perform together, let alone an acoustic set, as I asked only Jazz to do a set for this night. Next thing I knew, the whole band was there. I can't thank Kerwin and Julie enough for their kindness.

To the bloggers and friends who went or even just extended their best intentions for this event, even anonymously donating over the course of the night, thank you so much. This goes a long way to help.

Lastly, and most importantly, thank you, AJ. This show came together as our way of showing our gratitude to you for having been an indelible part of our lives. Thanks for the memories, thanks for the friendship, and thanks for simply having been a human being who lived a life well lived. This one's for you, AJ!

Shot Through The Heart, And You're To Blame: You Give Blogs A Bad Name

.:Whoah, Like A Loaded Gun!:.

You can call it shamelessness. Or kapal ng mukha. Or a weird sense of entitlement. You can even call them Patay-Gutom Bloggers, or the Blogger's Quolorum. You can react to them in disgust and shake your heads at how they sleep at night, doing what they do.

"No freebies?!? How dare youuuuuuu!!!"

Ultimately, this is a monster we created for ourselves.

Now, maybe some of you feel you played no part in this disturbing trend in the blogosphere. If you honestly felt that, then fine, I won't argue with you. But if, on the other hand, you feel the slightest tinge of guilt over having somehow enabled the worst of the blogosphere to be the way they are today, then this post is you. Don't worry. I'll be nice about it. I'm one of those guilty people who let it happen, too, after all.

When I read Animetric's article yesterday, I shook my head and reacted like I normally do to news about smug, entitled bloggers: what else is new, right? It's a free country, and we could only resort to gossiping about them or maybe hinting at their identities, because clearly, they bristle and bring out the pitchforks when we call them out on their behavior.

But see, I was blogging since 2002, and I was there when the first ever iBlog happened. I was also there during the event that started it all: Blog Parteeh '07. Since then, events became more and more commonplace for bloggers, and in the early days, we proudly showed off the swag we got, or the freebies that came with going to the event.

As more events went by, we even started finding the courage to tell off the people who mistreated us. Our blogs became a battleground where we showed these nefarious people the errors of their ways. Whether it was Malu Fernandez or Jayce Perlas, bloggers stuck by each other, and it seemed like nobody could stop the juggernaut that was the community.

And then, at the height of our pompousness and our self-importance, Bambi Dela Paz happened.

At this point, some of us took notice that maybe, just mayyyybe, we were a little too drunk with power, and we were shooting first, asking questions later. I know I did.

The problem was, because we have gone over the line ourselves, it felt wrong of us, perhaps even hypocritical, if we would call out other people who went over the line themselves. People in glass houses and throwing the first stone and all that jazz, right? So when slowly but surely, people invaded the blogosphere and they behaved in a way that felt questionable, we didn't want to sound like killjoys and tell them to stop being "too greedy" about freebies, or "too atat" to attend events, or "too impulsive" to do proper research before using their blog to personally malign someone.

Obviously, it's hard to posit yourself as an authority of sorts. I mean, by what measure do we say someone is "too" greedy? Or "too atat"? Where do we even draw the line? Was this just a generation gap between the old and the new guard of bloggers, and so we should just limit ourselves to smiling at each other during events but never calling each other out when something seems to be out of line? Do we want to sound classist about this? Or maybe clique-ish? Are we setting a dangerous precedent by taking newbie bloggers to task for things we may have been blindly guilty of in the past?

Our greatest fear.

In not lifting a finger to stop them, we created this monster we now have to deal with. Because we were too cowed when they gave us empty threats and non sequiturs each time we tried to call them out, our apparent silence was taken by these people as tacit approval that there's nothing wrong with what they do.

In keeping our mouths shut and not establishing a standard, the people we'd least expect to ever be an authority on ethical behavior attempted to set the standard themselves while all of us could only look aghast at what we thought was some sick April Fool's joke or something. And because few bothered to challenge them, they grew bolder and bolder, wrapping themselves in the cloak of self-importance, rendering themselves immune to any criticism.

In not doing a thing about these abuses happening right under our noses, we now share the shame of the other bloggers who actively committed these egregious displays of shamelessness. Now, we have extortionists, scam artists, even outright thieves who would do anything to get a gift pack.

It's all about the al-f**kin-mighty gift pack.

But don't get me wrong, I'm not washing my hands of this travesty: I'm every bit as guilty of inaction as anyone who feels guilty about this happens to be. Perhaps not because I did something wrong, but because I just smiled and let it happen. Kitty Genovese would've probably hated my guts.

I'm certainly not saying we should establish a standard by which people should conduct themselves. Good luck ever establishing one. However, what I wish we could do is that we could find a way to discuss these issues more openly rather than in hushed whispers with snide snickers thrown in the way of the Patay-Gutom Bloggers of our community. Clearly, the more we ignore them, the more brazen they have gotten. And if they truly feel that their actions are justified, then surely they can drop their defensive attitudes and discuss this in the open without pointless threats that they clearly have no power to carry out?

But really, that's just me thinking out loud. While I do love blogging and I've been doing it for as long as I remember, sometimes, I can't help but look in the mirror first thing in the morning, point to my reflection and say: you give blogs a bad name. Not because of what you have done, but because of what you have not done.

True, nobody's obliged to do anything. True, it's nigh-impossible for anyone to take such a duty upon themselves without someone protesting it as an act of self-righteousness. True, we aren't the worst the blogosphere has to offer.

But sometimes, you just have to wonder if we could have avoided all of this if Blog Parteeh '07 never happened. Or if we told Mike Abundo to sit down the third time he was going to ask a question in iBlog 1 just so he could plug his blog. Or if we named names during the whole PGB brouhaha in '09 when we were merely content talking behind their backs, making us hardly better than them, anyways.

And after wondering about the things we could've done back in the day, you then ask yourself what you, as an individual blogger who actually gives a damn where things are headed, should actually do. RIGHT NOW.

The preceding post is the opinion of the author and does not reflect the opinion of his employers whatsoever.

Too Fabulous For This World: AJ Matela (1982-2011)

.:Too Fabulous For This World: AJ Matela (1982-2011):.

Today, the world lost a beautiful soul.

AJ was always larger than life to me. I remember that the first time I met him was during the 2007 Top 10 Emerging Influential Bloggers Night. I was hoping to embed a video from Coy of that event, but unfortunately, AJ wasn't in it.

I will always remember that time because after I did a mind-reading act for him, one of the first things AJ told me was that he used to work with mentalists as well, so he knew how I do what I do. And he wasn't kidding. The man could've been a genuine Mind Master if he ever decided he wanted to do it. He was, on first impression, the kind of man who had everything he needed to get any woman he desired.

Thanks to Juned for this picture.

Then, I found out which blog he actually owned.

Here was a guy who looked like a complete heartthrob, then the very next moment, I found out that he helmed the site Bakla Ako, May Reklamo? AJ, in two words, broke stereotypes. Like a boss.

I even chuckled when, in a subsequent conversation, he mentioned that he had several gorgeous girlfriends before he came out, easily destroying the self-esteem of all the straight men who were within earshot when he said it. Because they knew it was true: AJ's appeal crossed gender lines like nobody's business. He was just awesome like that.

He was feisty and he stood strong for his beliefs. His blog entries were rife with the passion he had for the things he believed in. Whether it was advocating gay rights, or taking misbehaving bloggers to task, or just reading a certain restaurant the riot act for their rude treatment of bloggers, he wrote with conviction and he stood by everything he would say.

Did I also mention how much I loved Bloggers Da Who? That site was just amazing, and what the community needed at the time. Heck, I think the community needs it to this very day. Like, now na.

As time went by, it seemed funny to me how I came to appreciate AJ, because here was someone who proudly announced that he was gay and outright dared anyone to tell him they had a problem with that, yet the first thing I would always remember about AJ wasn't the fact that he was gay, but how great a person he really was. I guess that's what makes writing this very difficult right now: knowing that this great person is no longer with us.

In 2008, he was one of the four hosts of the Philippine Blog Awards, along with myself, Tiffy, and Kring. I had fond memories of how full of life AJ was that night. If anything, I still can't believe I'm writing a eulogy for him to this very moment. That night in 2008 made anyone who knew him and saw him that night feel that he was immortal and would live on forever.

Pictured: Quadruple Fabulousness. And, oh,
left of Quadruple Fabulousness, Kring, Tiffy, and myself.

Some of us knew that AJ was ill for a long while already, but he mostly kept it to himself. Maybe he didn't want us to worry too much. Maybe he didn't want people to feel sorry for him. Only when Migs wrote about it did the severity of the situation come to light. It still didn't sink in. AJ always prided himself in being self-made, self-sufficient, and ultimately, selfless. That's why he never really let on to us just how ill he was, and we saw nothing but an indefatigable faith and unwavering optimism in the few Plurks he still managed to make. His strength of character really shone through, and I'm still dumbstruck that he isn't here with us today, nor would we be greeting him a very happy birthday tomorrow. AJ was just such a vivacious person that you couldn't help but think he would live forever.

But yes, AJ will live on forever, in the hearts of each and every one of us. For the nearly 29 years he has spent upon this planet, he has left his mark on so many of us. And as his friends, we mourn his passing, but choose to stay strong, to keep calm, and to carry on, through his very example.

It's fitting that in the life of Mr. "Bakla Ako, May Reklamo?", the only reklamo we have is that he was gone too soon. Far, far too soon.

Thank you, AJ. When we're lost, we can look, and in our hearts, we will find you. Time. After. Time.

If you wish to help AJ's family in their time of need and grief, 1000 Volunteers For AJ is the best hub to extend that aid, and all necessary details will be there.

Other blogposts by friends who will all miss AJ:

Poyt Salazar - Adieu, AJ!
Juned Sonido - My Friend, AJ Matela
Marck Rimorim - Somewhere Over The Rainbow.
Mica Rodriguez - In Loving Memory Of AJ Matela
Gail Dela Cruz-Villanueva - For AJ

Film Review: Zombadings - Patayin Sa Shokot Si Remington

.:m.globe In The House!:.

Was at an interesting launch for Globe last night, as I was given the opportunity to be acquainted with Globe's new *free* service to give people a taste of how it is to go online on their mobile through the one-stop portal, m.globe.

Pretty nifty, really. Aside from the fact that you can check some of the basic features for your Twitter and Facebook, you can even readily check your balance from there, and it's a very simple program that almost any online-ready mobile phone would be capable of running.

Just text M.GLOBE to 2910 or visit http://m.globe.com.ph on your mobile phone to try it out. This is a very good tool, and quite honestly, seeing as more people have cellular phones than computers, the easier it becomes to go online with your phone, the more exciting mobile internet can get.

.:Film Review: Zombadings:.

Yes, we had a gay old time, all right.

Zombadings: Patayin Sa Shokot Si Remington
George Romero would be proud.

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

I really didn't know what to expect from Zombadings despite the fact that I've been anticipating it for quite a while already. It seemed like a hilarious romp into the zombie genre for Filipino films, and seeing as how Roderick Paulate and Eugene Domingo were both part of the cast, it seemed pretty hard for the film to go wrong. I was right.

For a film that plays the stereotypical gay trope for laughs, Zombadings managed to exceed expectations by giving a very positive and even uplifting message for homosexuality, pushing the idea of homophobia as something deplorable and worthy of criticism, in fact making a complete villain out of the most homophobic character in the film, aside from the lead himself, Remington.

As a child, Remington poked fun at gays solely because they're gay. He keeps doing this, and at some point, he insults a homosexual who decides to curse him to turn gay. Fifteen years hence, and as he tries to live a normal life, and even finds himself attracted to the girl next-door, he mysteriously gets attacked several times, each time becoming more and more stereotypically gay. First, he dresses in very tight clothes, then he starts speaking in fluent Swardspeak. Then, he finds himself falling for his best friend, who actually attempts to reciprocate his attraction.

All throughout this, a serial killer is on the loose in the small town, murdering homosexuals. This mystery isn't much of a mystery, though, as the identity of the killer is revealed pretty early on. Nonetheless, knowing that Remington's own godfather is the serial killer, and knowing that Remington is now gay, things are going to come to a head. He has a weapon that kills his targets, called the Gaydar. It works by detecting homosexuals, then promptly frying them.

Interestingly enough, the Zombadings showed up only at the final act of the film, when, in a last-ditch effort to revive his master, the manservant of the homosexual who cursed Remington performed a ritual that turned all of the victims of the serial killer into zombies.

The only way for the curse on Remington to be broken would be for a straight man to take Remington's place and turn gay. Remington's father makes this sacrifice for him. All's well that ends well, for the most part.

When the film ended, I was stunned at how sensitive the film was to gay issues. Just when it felt awkward that turning gay was a plot point and set as a bad thing, the film manages to put this sticky issue into perspective by mentioning the fact that regardless of anything else, this is not who Remington truly is, and as such, if he decided to let the curse become permanent, he would only be denying himself.

It's not so much that being gay is a bad thing: it's that being gay would be allowing himself to become someone he is not, and that is truly a tragedy, which his father accepted on his behalf, making it a true, genuine sacrifice. The way the storyline played itself out just astounded me, honestly: it imparted a very positive message about homosexuality, and underscored what it means to be true to your own self.

For a comedy film that was meant to play on stereotypical tropes, Zombadings is a very deep and introspective look into the state of being for the homosexual. That the small town is almost wholly accepting of homosexuality, albeit with the immature perception that it's because gays are funny and beauticians, was enhanced by the diversity of the gay characters in the film, even if they were being stereotypes.

After the film, I ended up running into Ms. Giselle Sanchez, and Mr. Roderick Paulate. To say that this was an awesome moment would be an understatement.

Now, to photoshop Rick Astley into this picture in place of Ms. Giselle... I keed, I keed.

I loved this film. It managed to express a very positive message about homosexuality in a light-hearted and matter-of-factly manner. Considering how easy it is for well-meaning efforts in progressive filmmaking to end up being too heavy-handed or outright backfiring, this film managed to not only paint gays in a positive light, but also managed to dispel the notion that if being gay is okay, then everyone would be gay. Being true to yourself means you are every bit a valid person whether you are straight or gay.

For that and more, it's hard not to think that this film is the best Filipino film I've seen this year, even better than “Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank.”

Fun Evaluation: A+ (The comedy was strong in this one.)
Criticval Evaluation: A+ (Tight scripting allowed the film to get its message across without accidentally marginalizing itself, or becoming too preachy.)

Double Celebration!

.:A Decade And A Half Of Making Mornings Worth Waking Up To:.

It's no secret I've always been a Rusher, from the very start. Don't worry, though, I won't go all hipster on you guys and say I liked the Morning Rush when it was still underground.

I promise.

Having said that, last Saturday was the celebration of fifteen years of laughs and tears, of triumphs and tribulations. And there was no way I was going to ever miss it for the world.

Soon as I walked in, I realized how huge the Morning Rush truly has gotten, as the entire gathering of people inside Coffee Bean encompassed about three generations worth of listeners, whether it be some of the original gang, such as Cherry and Joti, or some of the newer people, like Camilo and Astroboy. Seeing everyone come together and just have a good time, remembering the hilarious moments that made the show what it is to this very day, and of course, commemorating this momentous occasion with the hosts, Chico and Delamar, it really just made one choke up.

Throughout the day, we were all poking fun at the fact that the older rushers just practically clumped together not because we were being cliquish, but I think most of us were actually intimidated by the sheer number of newer rushers! At the same time, seeing old faces after all these years really just made for awesome times. I never thought I'd run into so many old fossils if I didn't go to an archeological dig or something.

And really, that's the testament to Chico and Delle's longevity in the industry: they brought together a bunch of people from all walks of life, and in doing so, they have touched our lives in a way we couldn't ever thank them enough for. From their daily rapport that has been an indelible part of our mornings at one point or another, to the friendships and bonds we created with kindred souls over the years, there is definitely so much to celebrate about in the fifteen years since the Morning Rush existed.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Tandercats.

There was a time I was the "baby" of this group. Now, that seems like such a hilarious thing to say.

.:Blogwatch And Social Media Day!:.

Three hours after the Morning Rush celebration ended, another event on the same street happened, and it was for Blogwatch.

I don't really have much to say about it aside from the fact that my very own Achie was looking extra gorgeous that day. I was already under the weather by then, and my voice was on the verge of conking out on me. Thankfully, I managed to muster enough strength to still do my show the next day. Performing alongside the ineffable Flooch was quite an experience, and I can't wait to see him do his pickpocketing routine someday!

The evil cabal, planning and plotting.

Blogwatch has so much reason to celebrate. It has been a great run thus far, and it's not yet over!

Happy Fourth Of July!

.:“To Be American Is To Be A Friend To The Philippines”:.

The fourth of July is a very important day to the United States of America as it is their independence day. In the Philippines, we also recognize it as Filipino-American Friendship Day, underscoring the longstanding alliance between the two nations, that has been at times, contentious, but for the most part, harmonious.

Last Friday, in anticipation of this celebration, I was honoured by the U.S. Embassy with an invitation for their pre-Independence Day celebration, which was highlighted by both an awe-inspiring speech from the U.S. ambassador, but obviously, a beautiful display of fireworks over Manila Bay. I was there with a couple of other bloggers, namely Noemi Dado and Franny, and we were surrounded by a number of people who were definitely in a celebratory mood, including the US-Philippines Peace Corps.

Freedom is a concept that we tend to misunderstand a lot, and even on a day that commemorates another nation’s independence, it’s a good idea to reflect upon the concept sometimes, especially in this very interconnected world we find ourselves in today. Freedom has generally been about the emancipation of the self and the human spirit, but often, we leave by the wayside how this freedom could be used to better not just ourselves, but others.

I must say though that U.S. Ambassador Thomas has shown a kind of eloquence in his speech that I truly respect. You can pretty much read the whole speech here, but for me, the highlight of the speech is how well he managed to tie together what it means to be an American while still standing upon Philippine soil. It’s that kind of elegance in his speaking and the clarity in his line of thinking that impressed me thoroughly. Indeed, while it might strike some as patronizing, he merely attributed specificities to a generally acceptable notion: to be a patriot doesn’t mean to be xenophobic or jingoistic. It means to be proud and willing to share your nation to your friends, rather than to impose it or to provoke discord.

So with all that in mind, here’s a toast to the fourth of July!

The ToyCon 2011 Recap

.:The ToyCon 2011 Recap:.

That has got to be the best stage for a cosplay event I've ever seen, hands down. Photo from Mr. Abundo, as is any other onstage photo you see here.

So... ToyCon.

Having been involved with ToyCon since 2007 in one way or another, I was certainly stoked to know that I was going to be doing some hosting duties yet again for the biggest convention in the Philippines not held in SMX. Last time I hosted was, I believe, in 2009, and needless to say, given the scale of how big this year's ToyCon was, I was just glad that I was a backup host, and not the main one.

At least, that was the case on the first day, as I stuck to hosting exclusively on the stage at Megatrade Hall 2, which was where the bands and panels were going to be, but not the cosplay itself, which was 190++ people of pure cosplay goodness. I actually saw the latter half of this event, when Cholo and Ashley Gosiengfiao took over hosting duties, and it was just awesome, but definitely stressful.

Meanwhile, in contrast, I mainly handled doing questions for the ACPI during their panel segment as we talked about animation, then shared the stage with Cholo for the panel on comic books with local artists who made their names in the international arena like Edgar Tadeo, Mico Suayan and Gilbert Monsanto, as we entertained questions from the audience, and even quizzed them on their Kick Fighter knowledge.

After the cosplay segment, though, and they needed to buy time for Ashley to make her exit lest she be forced to perform an acapella song number, I was instantaneously called up on stage to do some standup comedy and magic, with mentalism thrown in at the end. I had to buy them about ten or so minutes of time, and it was fun, because I was back where I started: onstage, in ToyCon, performing magic and mentalism just the way I did four years before.

I even ran into an old friend, Liezel, who was wearing a ton of blue that day as well, which resulted in this awesome photo...

Bluer than blue! Note my jacket there, then note my jacket on Day 2 in later photos.

I left day 1 pretty happy, because even if the crowd was ten thousand strong, I had a relatively light assignment of handling only the panels for the day, which was a far cry from the high stress you'd come to expect from doing the actual cosplay segment itself, especially when you factor in the intimidating size of the stage. At the time, just performing for fifteen minutes onstage seemed enough to me, since I didn't do the normal mental preparations I do for hosting cosplay events (Oh, believe me. You have no idea how much effort CosFus was for me before I hit the stage...).

It was a lot of fun, I met some people from GameOps, Fritz, Ryan, and several other people from the blogging world. Overall, it was still a hectic day even if I was only handling the minor stuff.

And then Day 2 came along.

Day 2 was super hectic because they were both doing the regular stuff for the convention as well as handling the shooting for Cosplay Nation. Day 1 had the ACM happening in ToyCon, so that was overall busier, but Day 2 was no slouch, either. By the end of the shooting, Cholo was exhausted from being the hype man all throughout, so at the last minute, I discovered I had to do hosting duties for the group Cosplay competition as well as the Gamer Girl contest.

It was a really hot crowd, undeniably. When I did a roll call of all the UAAP schools, there was wild applause from the people from each school - except NU, which apparently didn't have a single representative that day. :P

The group cosplay went all right for the most part, although I had to buy the program people another twenty minutes by doing straight standup comedy, seeing as I didn't have my bag of tricks with me. I can't thank Mr. GB Labrador enough for the inspiration for that one, but I pulled it off, and once the program got going, save for a few minor hitches, all proceeded according to plan. 99.5 RT got so much mention throughout my spiels, obviously, so Gibb, Neil, Koji, and Cleo should be proud. Heh.

What shocked me, though, was that almost immediately afterwards, after all the fun we had, and the fact that the eventual winner, the Sentai group has a name that rhymes with "hentai" (How juvenile, I know.), the Gamer Girl contest featured none other than Jazminne Huang! Considering that she's one of my dearest friends, we ended up sharing so many obvious inside jokes while we were onstage together that I had to remind the audience I'm not a judge, especially when we found out later on that she actually won the thing. Considering she's also one of the frontrunners in the race for the Prettiest in DLSU, she's had quite an awesome time recently.

With only six candidates, this was still pretty hotly contested.

While two of the ladies in the competition turned out to have never even played video games ever, and one of them, despite claiming to be a hardcore gamer, apparently doesn't even know what the Contra Code was, that didn't change the fact that this was quite a hotly-contested competition. I didn't even have an inkling that Jazminne would win, although she did answer very intelligently during the Q and A segment. I believe my questions involved the Contra Code, one's least favorite boss, one's personal milestone as a gamer, a question about what games a certain girl plays since she isn't a gamer, a question about what game one would play if she gave video games a chance, and about the stereotype that male gamers are better than female gamers by default.

After the contestants were done, while they were coming up with a script, Alodia ended up onstage, along with a celebrated cosplayer from China named Grace. We had amusing banter, probably brought on by the fact that this wasn't the first time we co-hosted, so we had a lot of professional chemistry working in our favor. Inside jokes flew in rapid succession, but the audience still managed to get them. I mean, after seeing these people applaud for Temptation Island, it was almost like the entire audience heard my own inside jokes when I was telling them to my friends.

Good times, good times.

So when we awarded the winners (I had to step offstage, though because they were shooting for the movie at this point.), it was quite a thrill, especially when I had to hand the prizes to Jazminne, who was in shock at winning the Gamer Girl Contest. It was double win for me, and as Cholo thanked me, it just really felt great to be doing a good job, especially since even the Cosplay Nation people were congratulating me even if my hosting had little to do with their actual shoot.

Of course, nothing could cap off my day better than sharing my moment of personal triumph with yet another wonderful winner, though.

Maybe I should've stuck with the Ateneo jacket?

Rambling On Independence Day...

.:The Reverse Celebration Of Independence:.

The freedom to be fabulous!

It’s our 113th Independence Day, and it does make me wonder how far we’ve really come. True, the spirit of EDSA is also important, and so are other key dates that we have marked down to commemorate what makes the Freeman from the Philippines the way he is today, down to the very fact that because I’m online more than anything else, I see more Filipinos hating this nation than loving it.

The irony is, they can be every bit vocal about it precisely because we are a free nation. We can tell Noynoy what a lazy bum he is because of the blood, sweat, and tears our forefathers shed for all of us on this day. Personally, I think that’s amazing, and if the very nation-bashing we see today becomes a reverse celebration of what makes this country (still) great despite everything we’re faced with, then so be it! Bring on the hate, and whether or not I agree with it, I will defend to the death your very right to say it.

Speaking of Independence, I’d like to exercise my freedom not to bash this country, but more like express my joy in being a Filipino. Or to talk about frivolous things like how awesome it was to watch “Hangover 2” with my officemates, and how I don’t feel compelled in the slightest to review the film, regardless. Or how awesome it is to be with the Disenchanted Kingdom lately and how awesome Ms. Pia Magalona has been for supporting our show like anything.

I could talk about a lot of different things just to highlight that yes, we are a free nation, no matter how many dimwits and corrupt officials we are beset with, no matter what kind of poverty we are faced with, no matter the injustices. We’re still better off than Singapore, and… wait. Maybe not, but there’s a point to be made there somewhere.

And the point is that with all this freedom we have, isn’t it the challenge to us to make of it something greater than ourselves? If we are, as St. John Bosco himself said, born for greater things, shouldn’t we choose the better things? True, our freedom in this country extends to so much as we can afford the choices we make, but that only highlights the fact that freedom and responsibility do indeed go hand in hand.

I’m not interested in hoisting myself up on my own petard and talking about what I’ve done for this nation. That’s rather self-serving and counterproductive. Rather, I’d like to make people ask themselves that admittedly unsettling question. Too often, we ask what this nation has done for us, and true, I understand the sentiment. But sometimes, we also need to ask, what have we done for this nation? That is the essence of June 12, 1898 to me. We have the chance to make of ourselves a great nation. It’s up to us to not blow that chance. While that unrealized potential can be sad and disappointing, the fact that the window still hasn’t truly passed us by should provide us with great consolation.

It’s still there for the taking for us, guys.

And that being said, I’m also proud of our film industry, even in the middle of the dreck we sometimes get subjected to, especially during the Metro Manila Film Festival. Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to catch the Nestle Philippines 100 minutes for 100 years film anthology, Kasambuhay sa Habambuhay, which really just hammered home how great storytellers our Philippine filmmakers can actually be when given the opportunity.

All in all, ten ten-minute films were shown to the bloggers in attendance, and we were floored by them. Now, while I’ve seen a lot of great Pinoy films over the years, you have to admit, our best ones tend to be just… depressing. Even during the Brocka era, you couldn’t name a single pivotal Pinoy film that didn’t explore poverty or loneliness as a central theme.

Well, we were treated to ten good films that weren’t depression-a-thons, and that includes the one entitled Silup, which follows the story of an honest cop going through an existential dilemma of sorts. It may have been gritty, but it sure didn’t strike me as grim.

Aside from Silup, we also had: The Howl And The Pussyket, outlining the trials and tribulations of a child with a speech defect who will stop at nothing to win a declamation contest. The fact that comedy paragon Eugene Domingo stars here makes this film just that much more powerful.

Oh! Pa Ra Sa Ta U Wa Yeah! A film about young love and the secret techniques housed in the Womanual. It’s actually pretty catchy, and appears to be a sequel of sorts to the Nestea commercial featuring the same characters.

Downtown, a touching tale about an old Chinese man that would be criminal for me to describe, because doing so without spoilers would prove to be too difficult.

Sali Salita, the story of how sometimes, words do have as much power as actions. The man playing the role of the grandfather in this short film will reaffirm your childhood if you grew up in the 80’s or early 90’s, unless his turn during “Ang Pagdadalaga Ni Maximo Oliveros” is just too traumatic for you…

Isang Tasang Pangarap, starring Ramon Bautista. That alone should already cement the film’s appeal, a surrealist take on the joys in a cup and psychic abilities. Monra is the true Mind Master.

Cooking Mo, Cooking Ko, Romeo and Juliet, carinderia style. What’s not to love?

Unplugged, starring Marvin Agustin and Eddie Garcia. It’s a very good film that reminds us that truly, the best things in life still boil down away from the keyboard and the glare of the LCD screen.

Tingala Sa Baba, my personal favourite, which is like the Waiting For Godot done by kids discussing the social caste system of the Philippines.

Ten great films, ten minutes each. A hundred minutes of goodness corresponding to a hundred years of goodness from Nestle in the Philippines. It couldn’t get any simpler than that, and this past weekend, they showed these films for free to the general public in select SM malls, including SM Megamall.

Indeed, June 12 is a great day. Today, we celebrate our freedom, and whether we do it by cursing the country and its government, or by praising the little or great things that makes the Philippines great, we are still indeed celebrating a freedom that those who came before us staked their lives upon, and the recognition of all that is the least we could offer them today.

Thanks to Aileen for the photo! Happy Independence Day, everyone!