2014 Eiga Sai

I make it a point to attend the annual Japanese film festival (Eiga Sai), a very much anticipated event especially by otakus and film buffs. I for one, am much more a fan of Japanese films than Hollywood ones because I just can't get enough of samurai films (and am also a fan of Chinese wuxia films). I also love the subtle and surreal Japanese movies, those that will really move you to tears because of the characters' display of strong will, determination challenges, and well, everything seems slow but never boring.

Last July, I only got to watch two because of my busy schedule and also because it's the start of the rainy season. I love the rain but I hate the floods and I don't want to get stranded anywhere. Anyway, one Saturday, I agreed to meet up with a friend I met in archaeology. She didn't make it to the first film though because she didn't expect traffic would be bad on her way to EDSA Shangrila Mall.

The first movie I watched is Symphony in August, a very touching autobiographical movie about Japanese singer Ai Kawashima whose early foray in the music industry was full of challenges. In her bid to get the attention of music companies, she decided to sing 1000 times in the subway. Her efforts paid off when a group of marketing people took notice of her and helped her. That part, where her newfound friends trusted in her and invested time, effort, and money in her was very touching. In today's busy world, we seldom come across people who would be willing to lend us a helping hand.

watch trailer HERE

The most touching part was towards the end however, when Ai finally had her concert and she let the people knew of her story. Her mother just passed away. But aside from that, it was also revealed in the end that her biological parents died when she was young. Despite going through a lot of life's sorrows and difficulties, she still persevered, which really made me cry nonstop, so much so that my eyes were puffy when I came out of the theater.

The second film is a light drama about a young woman who married a wolf man and gave birth to wolf children. When her husband suddenly died, Hana took the responsibility of rearing their children, moving out to the countryside so that her children can choose whether to grow up as humans or as wolves.

We see the transformation of Hana's children through time. In their younger days, Yuki the elder sister was very aggressive and courageous whereas Ame the younger brother was always afraid of the littlest things. When they grew up, the roles reversed and Yuki eventually chose to be human while Ame went off choosing the path of a wolf.

Never Let Me Go

Never let me go, for if I go there is no turning back.

In this world inhabited by more than seven billion people, there's a very very slim chance of me meeting you, of you meeting me. Fates make people cross paths but ultimately people should decide whether to keep in touch or not.

I always believed in keeping friends for as long as I live. Even though spatial distance keeps us apart, even though we no longer meet everyday nor do we do the things that we used to do, even though we meet new people, we promised never to forget each other. But time sure has a way of making people forget. Empty promises, words said so sweetly during farewells but not fulfilled to the last letter. Tell me how do I cope with such when I try to reach out to you and yet you continue to shun me, as if we never met, as if you never said those kind and thoughtful words you said when we said goodbye. It would have been better if you gave me the cold shoulder that day we parted ways so I'll know that you wouldn't want to be bothered anymore.

I remember not being mushy when I left. I never said anything because I didn't want to promise anything. Because I know that even if I don't promise anything I will still reach out. Because my heart never forgets. My heart always longs for those old days when we can be happy together being silly being childish, just being us with no thoughts about the world.

But I'm tired of being lied to EVERY SINGLE TIME. I'm tired of being with people who say one thing and mean the other. I'm tired of always being the one to reach out and yet all I get are excuses and most times, cold silence. It's just not fair that I should always be the one to chase you. Does that make you feel happy or superior, to have someone like me chasing you? I never thought you could be that shallow and insecure.

I guess you just can't tell me you didn't like me at all. I don't even know why you used to hang out with me. Is it because you knew that everybody can be my friend even though not everybody is actually a friend to me? I cannot imagine how you can pretend to be happy when you're with me, don't you get tired at all?

I just don't get why people can' be honest with their feelings.

Never let me go. On the other hand, I'm letting myself go. For when there is no longer trust, there's no meaning in staying and trying to keep the relationship afloat. Let it sink. Let it sink. Let it forever sink into the depths of memories that no man shall ever uncover it.

Botero Abu Ghraib

112 pages with 86 color illustrations, published by Prestel (date published not indicated)
essay by David Ebony

Colombian artist Fernando Botero's works first caught my eye when, as a college student, I frequented forums on literature and history. What made his works appealing is his portrayal of men and women as curvaceous, a signature style that is now known as Boterismo. His style reminds me a lot of the Venus figurines, works of art showing round breasts and round bellies. Sure renaissance and baroque art were also replete with plump subjects whose nakedness display curves, but Botero's is much exaggerated because the subjects are rounder in shape and well, just voluminous, in vibrant colors. Definitely eye-catching!

So one day in 2012 while inside Booksale, I happened to see a book about Botero's works portraying the torture of Iraqi prisoners in Abu Ghraib prison when the US invaded Iraq under the pretext of liberating the country from Saddam Hussein's hands. I was hesitant to buy the book because one, the book is expensive at P320 (by a cheapskate's standards), two, I am already having storage problems, and three, anytime I need artistic inspiration I can just search the net anyway. In the end, Ebony's essay won me over since it gives a clear understanding of what Botero's works are all about, as a whole and more so, about the horrors of Abu Ghraib.

In his Abu Ghraib art series, Botero's sketches and paintings depict naked men in cells, blindfolded, in sexual acts with other men, in female underwear, and combinations of these. An insight into this portrayal, Ebony writes:

"Exploiting Islam's ban on homosexual acts, and the perception that for Iraqi men it is humiliating to be naked in front of other men, the soldiers threatened the nude male detainees with rape and forced them to simulate sex acts with each other." (p.9)

Also disturbing are the images of dogs attacking the prisoners. Straightforward and direct to the point, Botero's art certainly is clearly a statement against US policies, a protest against violence, and a "call for humanity in the face of man's inhumanity to man" (as Ebony aptly penned it).

In an interview with the Associated Press, Botero said he was "shocked by the barbarity, especially because the United States is supposed to be this model of compassion" (in Ebony, p. 13).
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When art goes beyond aesthetics to tackle social problems we face today, it becomes even more relevant as it gives voice to the oppressed, making the world know of their sufferings in the hope that we, as human beings, denounce all forms of violence.

Due to the graphic nature of his works, I am not inserting any image from the Abu Ghraib series in this post.

Happy Ghost Month

August 10, 2014 is mid-Chinese Ghost Month (15th day of the 7th month in the lunar calendar). On this day, the Chinese believe that mischievous spirits come out from hell to roam the realm of mortals and cause accidents and bad luck.

The day before, I went to Trinoma to watch two movies. I did experience a series of unfortunate events though I was still lucky if you will consider the small things. For one, traffic in EDSA was heavy so it took me long to get to MRT. Even though I ran all the way to the cinema area, I lost to the fates. Long lines greeted me and I wanted to cry.

So instead of watching a Cinemalaya movie, I watched a Marvel one instead. After that, I was 7 minutes late for the second movie because I got lost. (Yeah, still the P-chan...) I was disappointed with the two-piece Bon Chon chicken meal I had after the movies. I almost tripped on a big piece of wood lying on the street on the way home. I cooked a lousy version of smoked salmon pasta. I even accidentally poured hot water on my wrist!

So on August 10, I stayed home and helped in the ceremonies. Boy did I wash so many dishes that one day! It was tiring and the day was hot. I also experienced my first time to chop a whole chicken. At least it was cooked.

But whatever bad luck that came my way, I found solace in my violin. Being able to play again gave me such joy. Music certainly has that magical touch to ease the burden of being a mortal.

Cinemalaya 2014 Part 2

Having watched three movies during the first week of August, just last Saturday (Aug. 9), I sneaked out of the house and went out to watch more. Initially I planned to watch two more of Cinemalaya's offerings: Children's Story and Separados but because I arrived at Trinoma at exactly 1:30PM and there was a VERY long line at the ticket booth, I decided to just watch Lucy which was showing at 1:45PM. But it should come to pass that it was already 1:52PM when my turn to buy tickets came. So I opted for Guardians of the Galaxy instead, which is showing in three minutes, and luckily I was still able to grab a seat out of the two left. Whew!

Guardians of the Galaxy is a fun movie about lesser known Marvel heroes. Misfits would be the more apt term. But whatever differences these criminals turned heroes have, they sure did a great job in protecting the galaxy from evil. Truth be told though, this isn't something I would normally shell out money for. But anyway, going on a self-date is fun and I wanted to watch two movies that day.

After that, I headed straight to the next cinema to watch Separados. The movie comprises of mini stories of characters who are in one way or another connected or related to each other. The main story focuses on a man who can't satisfy his wife thus ending their marriage in an annulment. The man meets a lovely girl whom he later on marries. As the church wedding is going on, the mini stories are shown like flashbacks. The common theme is failed marriage: a wife battering her husband, a husband who cheats on his wife, a wife who cheated on her husband thus leading to the husband being an alcoholic, a husband who admits that he is actually gay after 26 years of married life, a young man who wants to break free from his wife who taught to use drugs... (did I miss anything?)

For me, the movie is a statement against the rampant movies they churn out these days about married people having extramarital affairs. There is this one Sunday column I read in PDI and usually the letters are about husbands and wives alike cheating on their partners. It's just sad to think how we have all these cool technology and we're supposed to be civilized and yet we succumb to our base nature to feed our licentiousness.

Since I was on a self-date that day, I was more than pensive as I walked out of the theater. Is this fated, that I should watch this movie to glimpse of the many possible things that can happen if ever I were to get married? I'd like to go back to being an innocent kid who believes in fairy tales but I guess I've read and heard enough true stories about infidelity to make me be 100% sure of marriage.

On the happy side, I finally gave in to my cravings. For a month, I've been wanting to sink my teeth in those Bon Chon chicken which looked yummy when I laid eyes on them last month in Shangrila Mall. I was utterly disappointed that the flavor was only on the skin and did not sink down to the tender meat. JUJUJU!

Upon arriving home, I cooked smoked salmon in oilve oil... for the first time. It lacked character and mom says it was bland. I put in sliced black olives though I don't think people here appreciated it. I guess I'll have to do more research...

Cinemalaya 2014 Part 1

Cinemalaya 2014 Part 1

Cinemalaya 2014 kicked off on August 1 with a free film showing at CCP. Since going there from work is quite a hassle, I decided not to attend and just try to catch whatever I can at Trinoma. I invited one friend if he'd like to go watch with me the following day and he agreed.

On August 2, I planned to be at CCP at 12:20PM to make sure I get to but tickets, but because I had to cook lunch and lost track of time, I arrived at 12:50, already late for the first film to be shown that day and I had yet to buy tickets. While on the way, I received a message from my buddy saying all tickets were already sold out. Incroyable!

When I got there, I ran straight to the ticket booth and saw that they were still selling tickets. My friend and I decided to see Hari ng Tondo and Asintado. Since I don't read reviews nor summaries when watching movies, I picked those two because they sounded like action flicks. (Asyong Salonga came to mind when I heard about Hari ng Tondo.)

We entered the theater 15 minutes late but we were still lucky to have good seats three rows from the screen and almost center. Carlitos Siguion Reyna's Hari ng Tondo is about an old businessman (Robert Arevalo) whose business is on the brink of bankruptcy and who then wants to live the remainder of his life in Tondo. Ricardo asks his grandchildren Ricky and Anna (Rafael Siguion Reyna and Cris Villonco respectively) to go with him so they can learn more about life and to develop guts ("magkaroon ng bayag"). With the guidance of Boyong (Rez Cortez) who is friends with Ricardo, the two easily blended in with Tondo residents. Blinded by money, Boyong feeds information to Ricardo's son, daughter, and son-in-law who are all against his decision. Subplots include a short romance enjoyed by Anna with a man with cleft palate named Emong (Lorenz Martinez) and Ricky's inconclusive music career as he learns from Aiza Seguerra and company. Boyong reconciles with his friend in the end as he rescues Ricardo from the burning "Alapaap" (name of the building owned by Ricardo which is being rented out to Tondo residents). Ricardo in the end walks around Tondo and seeing the poverty-stricken place he cries, having done nothing to help its development despite his initial success.

For me Hari ng Tondo is better off as a musical. In particular, if ever Emong is made to sing during the scene where he gives testimony to Ciara Sotto's abusive boyfriend, THAT would be the highlight, IMHO. One thing I didn't like about the film is that there seems to be a lot of things going on and yet these things are not well-connected so in a sense, it feels as if there's something missing. Despite the humor and amusing scenes, Hari ng Tondo makes one think about the further corruption of the area famed for notoriety and poverty because those with power, those proclaiming themselves as King of Tondo are not doing anything.

Ironically, I didn't get to eat lunch at home because I was in a hurry to get out of the house. My buddy and I went to Café Alfonso at the ground floor of The Grand Towers to grab some food for my growling stomach. Their spicy tuyo pasta  (P120) was instant LOVE! I love how they shredded the tuyo into tiny bits and how the spiciness blended well with olive oil and the tuyo. Yummy! Just the right food when I am always craving for that favorite of mine when I haven't tried to cook it at home.

The audience of Asintado

 The next movie we saw was Louie Ignacio's Asintado which is set in Brgy. Bibiclat, Aliaga, Nueva Ecija. Part of the story relies on the place's Taong Putik Festival (Mud Man Festival) held every 24th of June as part of the barangay's celebration for the feast day of San Juan. Tonio (Jake Vargas) is recruited by the town mayor Carias (Geoff Eigenmann) as messenger to procure drugs in time for the festival. After getting the drugs, Tonio puts them inside his brother's pockets. His mentally challenged brother Etok (Miggs Cuaderno) throws the "stones" away seeing that he cannot use them as stones for his slingshot. The mayor threatens Tonio and his mother Julia (Aiko Melendez) so in the end, the family hatches a plan to bring down the mayor using Etok's skills with his slingshot.

While the film is predictable, allowing the viewer to foresee Carias' death right before the mud festival, though one is left guessing as to who would do the job. Tonio's uncle and mother both showed determination and resolve to end things. Despite being the marksman, the challenge with Etok is that communicating with him is almost impossible and only his mother can get through to him. However early on, in the scene where Julia watches as two women try to catch the pigs, we see that Etok can actually comprehend his mother. The title of the movie is already a giveaway.

What I like most about Asintado is the beautiful imagery throughout the film. Many times I gushed about wanting to take still captures of scenes. That, and Miggs Cuaderno's awesomely realistic performance as Etok. As we were heading out of the theater, I told my buddy I wanted to have my pic taken with Etok (but that didn't happen because I couldn't find him in the crowd).

We went around CCP right after since there was time to do so. My buddy easily recognized actors and actresses he saw whereas I wasn't as quick to see them so he had to point them out to me. LOL! 

The last movie we saw was K'na The Dreamweaver. Set in Lake Sebu in South Cotabato, the film is about a tragic love story between a daughter of chief K'na (Mara Lopez) and an ordinary supplier (RK Bagatsing) of abaca fibers used to weave the famed t'nalak cloth of the Tboli. The actors and actresses all spoke the Tboli language all throughout thus lending authenticity to the movie, in addition to their colorful garb.

I cried at the end of the film because of the tragic ending. K'na has to sacrifice her love life to save her people from an impending war as her father (Nonie Buencamino) marries her off to another man. Her lover died shortly after but until his death, he made sure to tie red abaca fiber on the tree next to K'na's window as he always did during their happy days. When K'na visits her town years later, she sees the trees with red abaca fiber tied on the branches, a spectacular sight, and a touching one at that.

While the story is very cliché, this is one good movie mainly because it captures the beauty of the Tboli culture. Viewers are treated to their ways and customs and are introduced to the tnalak, the weaving customs, and its importance to the Tboli. It reminds me a lot of African quilts which hold meanings in colorful patterns.

Nora Aunor as seen from the lobby: max zoom used

We stayed for a while at the CCP lobby, a wise decision indeed as we were able to glimpse Nora Aunor. I almost missed her but thanks to my buddy I was able to catch some photos. Suddenly the crowd roared "Hustisya! Hustisya!" pertaining to both the title of the Cinemalaya entry she stars in and the "injustice" for not being named a National Artist. 

view from CCP: I just LOVE the lights at night

Outside, the festive atmosphere was celebrated with a capella song and dance number led by Soliman Cruz, later to be punctuated by the sudden arrival of rain. My buddy wanted to stay at CCP for a while but I was adamant to go because it was late and I still wanted to continue reading a book which lately interested me a lot because of its political and economic theories. We took the jeep, much to my dismay, I who love walking in the rain. Then again Vito Cruz is easily flooded, something I don't like at all.

Catanauan 013102032014

I joined a trip to Catanauan last February to visit an archaeological site but because of a dilemma on whether to write about it or not, I didn't do so until now, for some reasons even I could not comprehend. (Yeah, that happens, believe it or not.)

On the way to Catanauan, we passed by a stone bridge made during Colonial times. Malagonlong Bridge took 20 years to complete with construction starting in 1840 by the Cura Parroco Antonio Mateos of Tayabas. It is one of the few remaining colonial bridges in the country and I consider myself lucky to have seen this, thanks mainly to two professors who were with me and a friend. That time I told myself, okay, I'll include old bridges as part of my itinerary whenever I go on a domestic trip.

In fact, what made the whole trip enjoyable was that I learned a lot about many things along the way and when we got to our destination. The geologist, Sir J was very generous in sharing his knowledge to us about the formation of volcanoes. Sir D, on the other hand, was ever the best person in the whole ASP to converse with when it comes to food and recipes. Both men are also into the outdoors so it was a whole lot of fun to be with them despite their age. I was more than inspired to travel again. Hearing stories of their buwis-buhay adventures made me want to follow in their footsteps. Oh what fun they had in their younger days! I wish I could live such a fruitful life so that when I am old and gray I will have a lot of stories to tell my grandchildren. (Okay... I think I will have to consider marriage as part of my personal goals in life...)

some of the cute creatures I saw: two burrowing creatures and a hermit crab
And the one in the lower right is one of the cooks who helped me cook spaghetti for the team

In the site, the dig was not difficult because of the sandy sediments which are easily to excavate. And after a day of digging everyone goes to the beach to enjoy the sunset amidst beer and laughter and lots of storytelling.

At night we slept inside tents. Some 15-20 meters from the shore was the tent city. A friend and I shared one tent where we often chatted until we fell asleep. 

If there is anything new I learned onsite, it's how to do proper flotation under the guidance of a professor who's studied in the UK. She was such a good talker and for a while I thought of going back to school if only to learn more about botanical remains and ways on how to analyze them. Her passion was something and I think she could be one of the loveliest persons to work with, always smiling, friendly, chatty, and eager to share knowledge.

One memorable night was walking a long stretch of the shore at night with a friend whom I haven't seen for long. She was with a new-found friend, a boy from Australia who I think is very friendly and smart. I even used his belly as pillow while the three of us lay down on the sands to just enjoy the beach at night, with the sound of cicadas, the stars spread out in the clear sky, the occasional flicker of light from one or two fireflies in the mangroves.

But on the fourth day we had to go. It had been fun, the trip providing me a glimpse of that much talked about Catanauan excavation where, everyone who's been there says, is a paradise. A paradise it truly is especially on nights when you lay on the sands and just listen to the waves crashing to the shore.