First Samhainniversary

Panget ng pun. Anyway, thoughts too cluttered to be communicated. Might post about "microegangrau" that later became "the microeigengrau carcosite" in the soonest time possible. No one seems to be reading, anyway. Good night. Pray.

Cyberpunking Again: A WRSD PS!

Hyperlink-laden ito!

Somehow, this is going somewhere. Got my copies of sunday times. Had very insightful exchange of ideas with Rhodge and Julien re: prose, poetry and life (Naks! paDeepsh*t!) . Then, an accidental World Raising the Standards Day enlightenment. Reminiscence of the the not-so-recent past comes next. Have read a Neonomicon review, and Alan Moore's take on magic and comics and Watchmen here, and here. Currently (re?)reading cyperpunk-related essays that seem quite familiar such as these two matrix essays, this Transmetropolitan review with scans, and this list of sci-fi films that I might watch later. And, would also queue two threads from filipinowriter.com. Hm.. Where would I schedule Steampunk and Automatik Kafka, then? :L Viewed a steampunkd tumblr here. And a geeky alphabet here. Somehow moved on with the NU issue. Few days to go and it is someone's birthday and something's anniversary. In between is The Deadline! And as we speak, here's a link to news that media conglomerates would not dare cover. Spontaneous post. Reflects how I need focus. That's 20 links, if I counted correctly. I need sleep. But I can't.

Wouldn't be in any social networking sites for around five days. Please kontak me via yahoo messenger or email or sms, had there been anything that you need to tell me.

PS (within a PS [within a PS! Nakailang [re]copypaste ata ako!])

An announcement from The Quarterly Bathroom Companion Comics Compendium that would be launched at the November 13 Komikon, then I would logout!:

ATTENTION! First volume ng QBCCC! Contributing creators: Adam David * Ammathorn * Apol Sta. Maria * Bugsy Garcia * DJ Legaspi * Hub Pacheco * Jim Faustino * Jobert Cruz * Josel Nicolas * Mervin Malonzo * Norby Ela * Rex Romano * Tilde Acuña * Teddy Pavon

70 - 80 pages of craziness! November 13! Komikon!

p.s.: Those who still owe us stories for this volume, HURRY UP & SUBMIT (AJ!)! Thanks.

p.p.s.: Lineup may still change... sana hindi na. Pero final na yan! Wala nang aangal!

NU107, No More?

After reading this shared FB link, I felt pissed. More pissed, of course, than I was back then when I stopped listening to NU107.5, the home of nu rock, after being unlucky enough to hear a lot of 6cyclemind, and the like, that they aired (You know what I mean, I assume. And, Tanduay + 6cyclemind et al is another issue, as told by Cabring Cabrera of Datu's Tribe--another screwed up reality in the music industry. Actually, in the art industry, as shown by Banksy!). The decision to shut the only radio station--which served as a venue to a variety of rock and even metal genres--down is just.. so wrong. Especially in this case, where it appears that the reason is "financial" and "commercial." I only had my taste of FM metal during those friday nights eons ago... Metal Madness, I believe, that was Metal Madness, right? Googled and found a thread that predicted the downfall of NU. Nostalgia is all there is now, it seems. I did not like the latest NU107, but I did not want it gone. Sigh. Hello, another novelty radio station in the making. Goodbye, FM radio. Go, torrent! And WDRS! HAY.

LAKBAYAN 2010

This would be short. Though we did our own Lakbayan march on our own and we arrived just after the burning of the Haciendero Republic effigy, this peasant activity is something I would remember. Way back then, I was one of those who documented the March (I need to find those videos. THAT dramatic march against the rising morning sun! Sigh.). And how I wish to have done the same--every Lakbayan--had my primary contradictions been resolved. Anyway, this time, despite almost being seemingly a mere spectator to the strength of the movement and listener to the mind-opening speeches of mass leaders, I can say that this day shattered, again, all my constructed beliefs /theories about art, and the like. What those realizations are, I cannot relay and discuss in detail at the moment. All I can say is the "scene" outside the academe is not what I thought it was--as told/warned by our mentors in educational discussions. Well, I would like to end this short entry with two of Ka Daning's quotable quotes, as I have heard (Or what the 'essence' of the quote is.) "Nagkamali tayo nang rinig, pero ngayon, malinaw na ang sinabi ni Pnoy: Kano ang boss ko!" and "Ang kamote, pag tinatalbos, dumarami sa ilalim."

Back to Drawing

Seems like somehow, it is going well. I hope it really is.

Zombie-ing again really gives the productivity illusion.

About two days to go, and it's LAKBAYAN. Another hope.

15 Filmmakers

Game! Bandwagon ulit! Hehe. Andami nga lang cartoons. Tagged ni PJ sa FB.
Madaya ito, pero andito ang mas madaming kinseng mas madaya.

The Rules: Don't take too long to think about it. Fifteen filmmakers who've influenced you/you have an affinity with/that will ALWAYS STICK WITH YOU. List the first fifteen you can recall in no more than fifteen minutes. Tag [at least] fifteen friends, including me, because I'm interested in seeing what filmmakers my friends choose. (To do this, go to your Notes tab on your profile page, paste rules in a new note, cast your fifteen picks, and tag people in the note.)

00. Adam Jones
01. Brothers Quay
02. Mamoru Oshii
03. Fritz Lang
04. Jan Svankmajer
05. Lino Brocka
06. Wong Kar-wai
07. Tim Burton
08. Ridley Scott
09. Hayao Miyazaki
10. Peter Chung
11. Matt Groening
12. Christopher Nolan
13. Satoshi Kon
14. Guillermo del Toro
15. Alex Proyas


***balik inks!***

***nalimutan ko si Linklater! Kaso wala akong maalis sa list!***

The Ouracle [ii] at the Sunday Times

The last of the two parts of the walanghiyang shameless plug last week. Read the previous entry here. Read the part ii here. Go directly to part i without reading the blog entry here. I hope I could watch Juan Isip at the park later, so I could then have a side trip at the Manila Times office somewhere in Manila. The problem is, I've no cash left. The elbi trip two days ago was a miracle of the gods. Anyway, it is 10.10.10, and I do not have any copy of the stories: Killing Disease and The Ouracle yet. During the recent elbi visit, I saw the copy at the Department of Humanities in UPLB though. I think that is more than enough. Thanks again, Sir Ordonez and Sir D. * yearn for the US vs John Lennon * sigh * publish post * Good sunday morning.

An Excerpt from a John Lennon Interview

Before the day of John Lennon's birth ends, here's an excerpt from an Interview. Copied and pasted from Power to the People: The Lost John Lennon Interview. Happy 70th. Exit Through the Gift Shop, then this? At least I had some thinking to do. Mao wants balance and success with form (aesthetics) and content (politics), right?

After something about form (here's a copypasted nitwit from twitter),

(_tilde) thinks Banksy and Mr. Brainwash. Questions art. Speculates that it is all a joke that people buy. Well, what isn't? Diba, The Comedian? Sigh11:53 PM Oct 7th via web

Here's something about content:

TA: No ruling class in the whole of history has given up power voluntarily and I don’t see that changing.

YO: But violence isn’t just a conceptual thing, you know. I saw a programme about this kid who had come back from Vietnam – he’d lost his body from the waist down. He was just a lump of meat, and he said, ‘Well, I guess it was a good experience.’

JL: He didn’t want to face the truth, he didn’t want to think it had all been a waste…

YO: But think of the violence, it could happen to your kids…

RB: But Yoko, people who struggle against oppression find themselves attacked by those who have a vested interest in nothing changing, those who want to protect their power and wealth. Look at the people in Bogside and Falls Road in Northern Ireland; they were mercilessly attacked by the special police because they began demonstrating for their rights. On one night in August 1969, seven people were shot and thousands driven from their homes. Didn’t they have a right to defend themselves?

YO: That’s why one should try to tackle these problems before a situation like that happens.

JL: Yes, but what do you do when it does happen, what do you do?

RB: Popular violence against their oppressors is always justified. It cannot be avoided.

YO: But in a way the new music showed things could be transformed by new channels of communication.

JL: Yes, but as I said, nothing really changed.

YO: Well, something changed and it was for the better. All I’m saying is that perhaps we can make a revolution without violence.

JL: But you can’t take power without a struggle…

TA: That’s the crucial thing.

JL: Because, when it comes to the nitty-gritty, they won’t let the people have any power; they’ll give all the rights to perform and to dance for them, but no real power…

YO: The thing is, even after the revolution, if people don’t have any trust in themselves, they’ll get new problems.

JL: After the revolution you have the problem of keeping things going, of sorting out all the different views. It’s quite natural that revolutionaries should have different solutions, that they should split into different groups and then reform, that’s the dialectic, isn’t it – but at the same time they need to be united against the enemy, to solidify a new order. I don’t know what the answer is; obviously Mao is aware of this problem and keeps the ball moving.

World Teachers' Day

Hindi ko maaalala lahat, pero hindi ko naman malilimutan ang mga turo lalo pag gagamitin na sa tunay na buhay. Bale, malilimutan ko pala kasi hindi nagagamit sa tunay na buhay ang karamihan ng tinuro sa Pamantasan. Syempre joke lang, maams at sers. Pasasalamat sa tiyaga. Iuupdate ko na lang ang post na ito kapag naalala ko ang iba. Paunang pasintabi na sa malilimutan.

Kinder to Hayskul muna. Teacher Annie Zarate, Teacher Dolores Usa [?] na lang ang naalala kong mga teacher nung first half ng elem. Ms. Rey at Ms Almazen nung lumipat. Teacher Roda, Pastor Andy, Teacher Christine. Maam Malou, Maam Josie, Sir Art, Maam Eugel, Pastor Daniel [?] ang Titser naming natutulog sa klase hehehe. Maam Abello. Tsaka Maam Jo.

College naman. Maam Jo Crisostomo. Sir Bob Figueroa. Sir Dulds. Sir Jaime Samaniego. Maam Pleni [?], Maam Rizza, Maam Jen Aguila, Maam Marge Paterno, Alan Jay Natividad, Sir Arlegue, Maam Saniano, Maam Larcy Bello, Maam She Bano, Maam Eloisa Martinez, Maam Arejola, Sir Glenn Lubuguin, Maam Ong, Maam Janette Malata,

Kailangan kong ihiwalay ang mga sumusunod bilang mga mayor na impluwensya. Sir Dennis Aguinaldo, Sir Emmanuel Dumlao, Maam Beng Espinosa, Sir Paul Zafaralla, Maam Kei Tan

Kung ang hinahanap ay pahayag na may kinalaman sa education at sa kakulangan sa budget nito, nasa facebook ang statement ng mga makabayan nating guro. Andito ang press release ng ACT Teachers' Partylist, at ito naman ang statement ng CONTEND (Congress of Teachers/Educators for Nationalism and Democracy). Ang susunod ay personal nang pasasalamat sa mga naging propesor sa Unibersidad ng Pilipinas Los Banos at syempre, sa labas ng apat na sulok ng silid-aralan, minsan, sa lansangan.

Hm... Second thoughts, second thoughts. Huwag na pangalanan lahat. Magtatop-five na lang ako ng nasa academe, tas another top five na hindi "pormal" na guro, ano? In no particular order ha. Depende sa memorya.

1. Kapalitan ng kuro-kuro mula komiks, agham, panitikan hanggang ilang current events national o campus issues man, ang nag-encourage sa aking magpasa ng mga akda sa mga publikasyon at mag-apply sa mga writing workshop at dumalo ng mga kumperansya tungkol sa panitikan, ang kritiko ng creative output ko, si Sir Dennis Aguinaldo.

2. Isa sa mga facilitator ng unang dinaluhang poetry workshop sa labas ng Pamantasan kung saan tinalakay niya si Jose F. Lacaba, gurong may magaling na handling sa FIL20, naging seminarista kaya isa sa mga nagturo sa akin ng ibang teorya ng liberation theology, ang propetang thesis adviser kong si Sir Emmanuel Dumlao.

3. Guro sa Thea107 na isang memorable na bahagi ng buhay CommArts kung saan marami akong natutunan sa loob ng Produksyon tungkol sa teatro at sa pakikitungo sa ibang tao--sa iba't ibang uri ng mga tao na malamang sa malamang ay makakasalamuha at tingin ko eh nakakasalamuha ko na nga sa labas ng Pamantasan, si Sir Joey Vargas.

4. Ang art critic na gumawa para sa akin ng typewritten (as in written sa typewriter, yung may ribbon na itim, yung makinilya) recommendation letter para sa [P] Editor in Chief selection process, ang nagpareport sa akin tungkol sa sayaw tas kailangan daw may "example" (kaya buti pumayag ang Filipiniana magperform sa class), Sir Paul Zafaralla. Phinotocopy ko ang nasabing recom letter, Sir. Kaya may kopya ako. Ganun din ang ginawa ko sa recom letter ng

5. Kilabot na prof, lalo na ng mga sumusunod: hindi nagbabasa, lutang ang utak habang nasa klase, nagbasa pero hindi naintindihan ang readings, walang alam sa ibang bagay maliban sa acads, di mo maintindihan gusto palabasin sa ipinasang paper, etc., at masasabi kong isa ako sa pinakaswerteng mga taong napabilang sa mga naging estudyante ni Maam Beng Espinosa.

Mga hindi naman teacher by profession, pero nagshare pa rin ng leksyon:

1. Ermats. Siyempre. Life's first lessons. Well, kahit hanggang ngayon naman.

2. Mark. Bagamat mayabang, matiyaga, hindi lang sa pagtuturo kundi sa paghahanap ng oras para makapagturo. Mahusay magbigay ng mga halimbawa. Tulad ng madaming instruktor, hindi nagsasawang magpaliwanag, nasa gitna man ng diskusyon, o kahit bago magpahinga, bilang housemates kami.

3. PJ at Nikki. Sa kanila ko ata unang nalaman ang Social Realism.

4. Mickey. Nitong mga huling araw, sa kanya lang ako nakakapagpalitan ng mga ideya tungkol sa iba't ibang schools of thought. Wala rin sawang sumagot sa mga tanong kahit pa epal lang at nagmamaganda ang mga tanong, tulad ng mga sa kapwa philo niyang si Sandra.

5. Teta. Ang nagpakita sa akin kung paano pasayawin nang tama ang mga anino.

Muli, salamat. Sana magkaroon uli ng pagkakataong magkatalakayan tayo.

BONUS

Allan Jay Natividad - Artistahing (daw ) philo 1 prof na nangcultureshock sa akin noong ako ay musmos na freshman pa lamang. Bumalik ka nang elbi, ha Allan Jay. Napakasabog ng klase natin.

Jerrold Tubay - Una at huli kong singko noong college. Freshman ako noon. math17

Jonnah Valero - Sis. Gusto kong maka-uplb-ibarang-handshake ka ulit.

At IKAW. Buwan natin ito dapat, ano? Taon na rin sana at 10.10.10.

Taon, lampas kalahating dekada, na rin ang nakalipas. Sana andito ka.

Gusto kitang batiin at kamustahin at tanungin, para malinawan ako.

Apir. Salamat. Magkikita din tayo, balang araw. Hehe. :)

The Ouracle [i] at the Sunday Times

Walanghiyang shameless plug ulit.

It is the first Sunday of October, and here is the first part of The Ouracle. I do not know what it would imply now, because the State and the Church are having lovers' quarrel or something. The said story was written without any references to the recent Spectacle. But since, I think, any work of fiction (or even art, in general) is inevitably interpreted with external factors that give particular meaning/s to it in a particular context, then it is, of course, up to the reader to comprehend what the writer attempted to communicate. Again, while reading Transmetropolitan, which was written in 1997, I took Warren Ellis for a Nostradamus,commenting on 2010 Philippine politics. But of course, he is not. Anywaaay. Would again extend my gratitude to Sir Dennis Aguinaldo of UPLB and Sir Elmer Ordonez of the Sunday Times.

PS I would have plugged this upon the story's completion, but Kathy June Fiel posted the link on facebook. And I think Hani Julien also did. Pero, matsala pa rin, mga chong. Sana abangan ang susunod na kabanata. Hehe. Pa-kritik na rin, kung maaari.

[source]

***

Okay, from here, I would like to "update" what I think of the Spectacle. There are also speculations--grounded ones--about the business angle of the RH Bill. The US would have its business interests fulfilled if the RH Bill is passed. We would, of course, import contraceptives from them. And, again, the issue also shifts focus on the heretic-heroic Noynoy being another important opposition against the "DAMASOs", therefore a champion just like Celdran and the liberals. This is of benefit to US Imperialism and its bureaucrat capitalist puppets, with (as mentioned on the previous blog entry) the advantage of diversion. (Forget Arroyo, extrajudicial killings, human rights violation, the hostage crisis / PNP incompetence, the agrarian revolution, the issue of rising unemployment when nurses apply as call center agents, the education crisis, among others.) However, my problem is, why and how would Noynoy retain pogi points in the rural areas, where the Church, I suppose, is still powerful enough to influence politics? And, adding Gloria Arroyo to the equation/s further blurs the image of what the actual agenda is, at least for me. Who or what institutions would then be sacrificial lambs for the preservation of the status quo? Seeing most of the posts of RH Bill advocates, they are indeed neo-Malthussians, blaming the poor for their poverty, and in conclusion blaming this poverty on overpopulation--and not on the power relations concerning the distribution of wealth. Thus, deviating away from the issue of class conflict as the primary contradiction: the root cause of the problems of society. As most liberals keep on bitching about overpopulation and the irresponsible scums (poor people! duh?) that went forth and multiplied like an epidemic--threatening the good hardworking people who abide by the(ir) law. BUT, yes, the Church does rip a lot off the religious. I do not know. I really do not know how I myself can be enlightened, though most of you, probably, have positions already.

Or perhaps I tried, and that's enough, ano? Hehe. "Over thinking, overanalyzing, separates the body from the mind," Tool hummed.

[source]

***

Out of whims, I want to end this post singing "Ktulu! Ktulu so baaaaad!"

Ktulu (He's So Heavy) by Beatallica.

***

The Celdran in a Prison Cell

Ang Celdrang nasa Selda / The Celdran in a Prison Cell

Please consider this post as an inquiry. As my face book status remains, up to this point: Tilde doesn't get it.

Celdran is free, as all of you might already know since it was broadcasted by facebook. And now, what? I have been thinking how to disclose what I have in mind, but by the time I thought I knew how and what to say, he is already free. Either his creative form of protest happened as a mere quick spectacle, OR I am too slow to respond to such novelty, in fear of possibly offending the pro-RH bill block and/or the Catholic Church. OR both: he is too quick and I am too slow, but it is often better late than never, right? (Apologies for the lengthy segue. And impending spontaneity.)

Let me begin by attempting to weigh both sides and (based from by observation adrift the cyberspace) present what both sides claim--though there are, as there would always be, what we call grey areas. Those that somehow lean towards the Church say that Celdran is misleading us. Those that somehow lean towards the RH Bill say that the old Church is being medieval and being an old fvck that wants to drag us back into the dark ages. There are those who stand for the RH Bill AND believe that the way Celdran staged his protest was just plain rude, since he may show dissent in means that would not offend those who run to the Church for their religious needs. And there are those who think Celdran is cool, because using condoms and contraceptives and having a lot of sexual partners is cool—though the RH Bill, once passed would, I think, merely legalize norms of promiscuity which are actually deemed as the norm.

Now, what am I attempting to drive at? Maybe, Celdran is right in echoing the dissent of those who want to remind the Church of its supposed separation with the State. But maybe the Church is right too in having Celdran arrested because that was kind of similar to, I think, trespassing (though the Church is a place of worship for all)—and, of course, the institution, that is, the Church was not the only offended party here. Most city-dwelling people think the Church is obsolete and it does not have any influence anymore, but I personally think otherwise. The neo-colonial semi-feudal society implies and indicates that the Church, especially in rural areas, would still somehow have that tinge of influence they enjoyed during the Spanish era. If we were already an industrialized country, then the Church might have less influence—but we are not, since the industries in our country are often own by foreign companies as national industrialization could not be advanced, thanks to the neoliberal policies that benefit first world countries.

Now, what the hell am I blabbering about, when all we are talking about is Celdran? Both sides have their arguments against the other side, but both could actually co-exist and help one another to resolve what the RH Bill wanted to be resolved: the population. Isn't the population the rationale behind the RH Bill? Now, taking that into consideration would bring us into the age old theory of Malthus that most intellectuals still believe up until now: that the increase in population is exponential, and that of the resources is linear—this same theory justifies wars of aggression, since we are too many for the limited resources, let us go kill each other because that is the law of nature. But of course, Malthussian theory is bullcrap, if not insane. We have been increasing in population, yes, but that does not mean our resources cannot suffice. The solution to the problem the RH Bill raised is not what the most vocal of its advocates ...advocate. :L I believe the solution to the (over)population problem is the proper distribution of wealth—and not primarily population control (though, again, it may help, but not like the long-term solution that distribution of wealth would offer). It might also lead to the question: Is overpopulation really THE primary problem? THE primary contradiction that would overhaul society into another society with better living conditions? And that would be another long story.

Now, what is Celdran and his performance, for me? Though, yes, it stood for something, but as I have mentioned before, it is a spectacle. It misled us into a trivial issue—and our energy could have been channelled to other issues bigger than that of contraceptives and religion and science and chastity. Because in the end, these matters are still under the powers of the class that dictates how these should be used. Remember that though the Inquisition plagued humanity in the name of God, God himself did not create nuclear weapons with his godly powers. Point: Religion can be used to rule over the people, but so can the Sciences—and even education. The only problem is, the latter would not be too obvious since Religion, especially to the liberals, are a target to direct their enlightened dissent, rather than focus the attack on what and who the real enemy is, rather than concentrate on the bigger picture. How to solve the population problem? You might not like this, but, we would have to go back to the streets for land reform, minimum wage increase and higher state subsidy for education among others. If not, there are means that would not be non-violent. Your contraceptives might stop producing babies who would just starve and die upon birth and latter development because of poverty, but it cannot stop bullets from killing those babies who are now grown human beings, struggling for the sake of humanity.

I do not want to sound preachy, so to make things clear, I'd urge you to please take these as sincere statements of curiosity and inquiry: Why the high five, salute, kudos, whatsoever to Celdran who was simply jailed because of rudeness ( or radical sacrifice for thioe who treat him as their modern Jose Rizal) for the sake of the RH Bill's cause? And no say at all about people who devoted their lives in asserting for human rights that the Constitution guaranteed? Nothing for Morong 43 who served as health workers and got arrested, nothing for the Hacienda Luisita / Hacienda Yulo farmers who struggle for genuine land reform for decades, nothing for more than 10 victims of political killings under this regime and thousands during the previous hell ride of a government—emphasis: these are not mere detention, again, killings—of activists? Like novelty noontime shows, I think Celdran's performance is just like wowowee (sorry, I haven't been watching television, what are the brand new titles of the same old shows?) for the liberal intellectuals who have access to new media.

Just like the date [1002 2010] that happens to be an anagram by the way, Celdran reshuffled, deliberate or otherwise, the supposed prioritization of social issues according to significance. I think it was Andy Warhol who said that time will come when people would be famous for 15 minutes. Celdran’s fifteen minutes is over, now can we move on to pertinent matters? Can we have the same manifestation of social awareness during Celdran’s performance, but this time, re-channelled to bigger causes, for the larger chunk of the born population? Or are we to return to our routine of posting status messages about what we eat or how our day was, 99% of the time?

Also note that the mainstream media lean towards Noynoy. Remember the hotdog. I have also read somewhere that the excommunication threat against Noynoy was a hoax, or rather, an exaggeration. I initially thought that Celdran is a diversion, since Noynoy’s 100 days are almost up but I cannot immediately translate into words what the thought, and how it should be delivered without offending anyone, though that would be impossible. Anyway, Celdran's show is, apparently, stirring sympathy from the liberals. That is what this hysteria against the Church is all about, as it seems to me: Liberals championing Noynoy and urging him to stand for "Reason." Or is it? I sincerely want to know what you think. Would post the link to this post on facebook, and would tag more people later. And you know how late later is for the blogspot feed. Anyway:

Everything in this blog entry remains a question. No conclusions, no impositions, mere questions. Consider this post as an inquiry. As my face book status remains, up to this point: Tilde doesn't get it. This is what I think: Noynoy probably smiles at this commotion. The Church is news, and his failures are, seemingly, forgotten. But still, his 100 days are almost over.

[read the poem here]