Letters to Hong Kong

So one of my short stories has been adapted for the stage, and is going to be performed in Hong Kong this June 28 and 29! From the HK Ticketing site:

Letters to Cara: "This one-act production is adapted from a short story by Luis Katigbak, written in the form of letters. It comprises 13 letters to Cara from an unnamed writer, her dear friend. As you hear Cara read the letters, in her mind's voice, you will gradually glean clues about the two characters. Music included."

I wrote this epistolary story over a decade ago, and a version of it appeared in the first issue of Chimera. I didn't include it in my first short story collection because I always wanted to revise it somehow. Maybe it'll be in the second.

Thanks, Mida. :)

The MTV VJ Hunt 2007

Everybody who can: please go to the Mall of Asia TONIGHT, JUNE 22, for the MTV VJ Hunt Finals! It should start around 7:30 to 8 PM, at the Music Hall, and it's free and open to all. It's going to be a fun show, and not just because I wrote it. There's going to be performances by the ALLSTARS, SINO SIKAT, and KITCHIE NADAL, and a coupla others (okay, okay: DANITA and MIGUEL ESCUETA). Not to mention twelve VJ Hunt finalists trying to win your affections.



Here's this year's batch of female MTV VJ Hunt-ees. They are much much better looking in person, I swear. Kat Alano (fourth from left), in particular, must have pissed off the stylist somehow. She's actually pretty hot in real life, and doesn't really look like an aging Tita who's still trying to look 'hip'. However, my vote goes to Andi (fifth from left), because she's cute. I mean, because she has radio experience, knows what she's doing but isn't jaded by the industry yet, and is a fresh, fun presence. Also, cute.



And here are the boys, for those of you who like looking at boys. Sib (second from left) is the only one who doesn't look like he used to beat up nerds in high school. That alone would get him my vote.

Also, Sarah Meier is hosting. She is always a sheer joy -- not just to look at -- but to work with. (I am still amazed at her ability to intelligently ad lib, AND memorize scripts in an instant.) And the new MTV VJs -- Victor Basa, Anne Curtis, and Maggie Wilson -- will be hosting too. Plenty eye candy for y'all. Those of you who are so inclined can start debates about whose legs are more stunning, Sarah's or Maggie's (hint: Sarah's).

So please go. And afterwards, go to the second leg of the BURN magazine bar tour, at SaGuijo! :) Playing tonight: Markus Highway (yes, that’s ex-Eraserhead Marcus Adoro’s band -- read the excellent feature by Aldus Santos here), Bagetsafonik, Sino Sikat (again!), hip-hop up-and-comer Nimbus 9, Paramita, and Indio I. Yaaayy!

UPDATE 06/24/2007: Event turned out great! My two favorites (Sib and Andi) won, and they decided to hire a third new VJ too (Kat). Tado's interview portion with the finalists killed me. I think he almost made Brent Javier cry. Fun to see band people like "Boy Elroy" Conrad and "Chicosci" Miggy in the crowd, no doubt there to support Sib. The special will air on MTV Philippines on Wednesday, July 18 at 9PM, with replays on July 20 at 3PM, July 22 at 8PM, etc. MTV Philippines is Channel 57 on the company you love to hate, Sky Cable.

Waves of Nostalgia

Stumbled across this image-heavy blog entry by Wendell Capili, all about the UP Diliman campus, where I used to study (and, for a while, teach). Man, it made me nostalgic.

A very Happy Birthday, by the way, to JB and Joelle! My memories of UP would not be as fond had they not been with me then. Ah, yes: memories of JB dragging me out of a Math 17 class to go to SM (it takes amazing strength of will to cut a class when you're already in it), and of Joelle doing a dance from Grease (or possibly West Side Story) at the tambayan.

New Pervert Suit

Click on the pic for the full-sized image.

So, the goddamn Batman looks pretty hot in his new suit. Er. I mean... I'm straight.

I love the fact that they finally found a way to separate the headpiece from the neck. Remember the first Batman movie, when every time Michael Keaton had to look up, he practically had to tilt back his whole torso? And check the boots. Sweet. I'd wear those.

Read more about the suit at Gizmodo and Geekologie.

Ask Me, Ask Me, Ask Me

So, I mentioned this already below, but the 49th installment of my column, The King of Nothing to Do, comes out tomorrow (or today, if you happen to be reading this on June 6, Wednesday) in the i section of the Manila Bulletin. This one's called "Eighteen Years," and basically recounts some personal memories from eighteen years ago, when I was in high school. It was prompted by the realization that I have a friend close to my age who has a daughter who's now eighteen years old. The mind boggles.

And yes, you read that right -- this is my 49th column for the Manila Bulletin. Which means I've been writing it for almost two years now (a far cry from Erwin Romulo's 11-years-and-counting stint at the Star, but still. Two years is about as long as I've worked on anything). As any comic book fan knows, 50th issues are special, and should be double-sized, or have a foil-stamped hologram cover, or feature Darkseid as the bad guy, or something. So for my 50th ish, I wanted to do a sort of 'mailbag' section. Yes, yes, I know, how very original and brilliant of me. ANYWAY. What I would like you (yes you) to please, please do, is:

Send me a question.

Ask me anything, about life, love, literature, comics, hamsters, whatever, and I'll answer it in my next column (June 20) to the best of my ability -- which is not saying much, I know. Please send it to:

thekingofnothingtodo at yahoo dot com

And thanks. :)

Flash Fiction Wanted

Got this in the mail from my editor at the Bulletin. Btw, I know I haven't been plugging it lately, but my column, The King of Nothing to Do, still does come out in the i section every two weeks. :) Check out tomorrow's Bulletin for the latest installment!

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

i magazine, the newest quarterly publication from the team behind the i section of the Manila Bulletin, is now accepting submissions for FLASH FICTION in English.

Launching October 2007, the i magazine is high-concept publication inspired by Another magazine and Tank, headlining fashion (a whopping 120 pages of it) as well as Filipino excellence, both here and overseas.

Feature stories range from Filipinos excelling in their fields (i.e. designers, artists, writers, professionals, or high-level executives abroad), new angles on Filipino culture stories (i.e. comparative story on a famous sculptor and a new young sculptor with similar aesthetics, or ethnographic stories of Filipino culture in European countries), and special-interest stories relating to Filipinos or Filipino culture ( i.e. Filipino toy designer in an international toy company, Filipinos who have more eclectic collections, or Filipino architects and engineers involved in reconstruction or preservation of historical buildings).

The i magazine is currently accepting flash fiction submissions for the maiden issue, in keeping with the editorial direction to introduce fresher, more intelligent, and though-provoking content that is still digestible for local readers. We are looking for stories that capture a brief moment, a single breath. We are looking for an irreverent piece, in the structured prose of fiction, with the lyrical movement of poetry. Hopefully, through these shorts bursts of story, we can slowly open up more readers to Philippine fiction.

Accepted submissions will be paid P500.00 a pop. Deadline is June 16, 2007. Send in your stuff now!

Submission Guidelines

1. All stories must be in English.
2. All stories must be at 150 words or less.
3. Priority will be given to stories that have Filipino content or references.
4. Stories must not have strong political or religious content, nor any blatantly offensive content.
5. Stories must not contain outright profanity.
6. While stream of consciousness or post-modern approaches are allowed, stories must be clear and palatable for target readers.
7. Stories must not have been released before in newspapers, magazines, or other commercial publications. Stories previously released in books or other anthologies must have written consent for publication.
8. Submissionsmust be in standard manuscript format: font size 12, double-spaced, on letter-sized paper, in true type font (i.e. Arial, Times New Roman). 9. Email submissions only. Stories must be attached as rich text format (.RTF) file. Subject of email must read " Flash Fiction submission for i magazine_(TITLE OF STORY)_(AUTHOR)."
10. Submissions must include short author biography with contact information as (rich text format) RTF file.
11. Pseudonyms are allowed. For billing purposes, authors using pseudonyms must clearly indicate his or her real name along with the biography and contact information.
12. Only authors of approved works will be contacted by the i magazine editors.

Email submissions to morningcup@gmail.com. Deadline for submissions is JULY 16, 2007.

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ideas. innovation. interests. individuality.
wednesdays, fridays and saturdays in the manila bulletin.

"What was it like, being the only woman in the cast?" "Exhausting."

While I thought Ocean's 12 was annoying -- mainly because of a plot twist, if you can call it that, at the climax of the film -- I'm probably watching Ocean's 13. If only because of this interview.

DAMON: [To Pitt and Clooney] Is it true that you were the last two actors up for the hitchhiker role in Thelma & Louise?
CLOONEY: It was pretty embarrassing. They brought Brad and me in, and they just made us take our shirts off and stand there for a while, and then they picked Brad.
PITT: That is absolutely not true.
TIME: Did you know each other at that point?
CLOONEY: I knew him afterward.
DAMON: "Hey, that's the f___ing guy that took my job!"
CLOONEY: My friends said, "You want to see Thelma & Louise?" And I'm like, "F___ Thelma & Louise!" But it was fairly obvious when you saw the movie why I didn't get it, 'cause Brad just knocked it out of the park.
PITT: Aw, they were just grooming you for Batman.

I love it when actors (or musicians, or anyone else for that matter) are relaxed and funny in interviews. As opposed to, say, bitter and funny, or mean and funny, or just unfunny.

Plus, I love Ellen Barkin. I have loved her ever since I was this gangly adolescent who read this great interview with her in Esquire. Okay, that's a lie. I've never gangled in my life.

Also, isn't it funny that, in the trailer, [Matt Damon] + [an enormous fake nose] = looks like Matthew Modine?

Frisbee or Not Frisbee

Yes, those are my friends. No, they aren't actually shitty Frisbee players. Call it an off moment.