August so far
I was taught, as a child, some trick in remembering the day count for each month of the year — which can be done simply by relying on my knuckles.
With a fist, each knuckle and the spaces between them represent a month. The months that land on a knuckle are sure to have 31 days, and the months that land on a space have only 30 days. February, of course, is an exception as it is only 28-days long, with an occasional addition of a day during leap years.
It was said that in the olden times, the duration of months alternated between 30 and 31 days. However, to avoid the misconception that August, which was named after Rome’s founder and first emperor Augustus, is inferior to July, which was named after Julius Caesar, the Roman Senate decided to take a day off February to equalize both months.
This modification meant that July, August, and September would have 31 days each. So as not to have three long months in a row, the last four months of the year — September, October, November, and December — were adjusted, leaving us with 30 days for both September and November, and 31 days for both October and December.
But I digress. August is also an English term which suggests grandness. And this month, so far, has not been short on that.So much for an introduction.
The cinephile in me
It has been quite a yearly tradition for me to watch Cinemalaya films since I started staying in Manila in 2010. I have a keen interest for non-mainstream films, perhaps mainly because I am selective when it comes to the media content I consume and mainstream media often fail to impress me with their sensationalized profit-hungry productions.
I prefer to watch independent films in any given opportunity, and Cinemalaya provides to be an avenue for the public to, at least for a week, shy away from overhyped materials and immerse in a culture that is socially and politically sensitive.
Bwaya
Bwaya is based on an actual event that made headlines a few years ago. A young girl, Rowena, was reported to have been attacked and devoured by a crocodile in Agusan marsh. The suspect crocodile was believed to be the captured Lolong, who so far holds the world record for being the longest crocodile, measuring 20 feet and three inches.
The film inserts actual interviews with Rowena's parents, which add “realness” to the material that, given its rich and raw storyline and casting, can already stand alone. The addition of a seeming ancient folklore narrative about a crocodile couple and their journey to a river also coherently strengthens the film.
Hari ng Tondo
I was hesitant to watch Hari ng Tondo because it gives me an impression of mainstream madness that relies heavily on production values and fares poorly in terms of social context. As well, I could not help but think that, basing on the title of the film alone, it has something to do with the infamous Manila kingpin, Asiong Salonga.
I proved myself wrong, somehow. The only commonality this film and Asiong has is, well, their setting: Tondo. Hari ng Tondo offers lighthearted entertainment, but for some who opt to relate it to profundity, the film can speak of greed, pride, and its uncouth cost to relationships.
Mariquina
I will cry when I watch this film, I told myself right after having watched only its 30-second trailer. Father-daughter relationships have a way of pulling into my heartstrings. And, I was right.
The best thing about Mariquina is how it slowly drags you into the complications of Imelda’s relationship with his father, and how subtly it shows you that the situation seems to still be very familiar and current, despite the long gap between then and now.
Sundalong Kanin
When we speak of children and war, we cannot help but think that these innocent faces are the ones who suffer the greatest and deepest in the most heinous of crimes. However, Sundalong Kanin tells a different tale, at least in the way it presents war through the eyes of children who, surely, still inevitably have to deal with hardships at an early age, yet are somehow directly involved instigators of war.
Shorts B
Barber’s Tales
Barber’s Tales is not part of the Cinemalaya film fest lineup, and fittingly so; otherwise, it would have raised the ante for independent films that only a rare few could ever afford to reach.
The film realistically brings us back to the time of martial law, with all its human rights violations and media manipulation, in a seemingly far-flung community through the eyes of a barber’s widow, Marilou, played beautifully by Eugene Domingo no less.
The production team deserves all the accolade it has gathered in international film circles before going back to its roots in this country. Very rarely do we get to find films tellingly powerful in social and political exigencies and covertly encouraging of women empowerment.
Fables
It all started with an unexpected get-together with a few friends. Ate Meg returned a long overdue graphic novel which she borrowed from Nigel, which I hostaged (yes, I hostaged the book) because Nigel has yet to send me some files.
The day I released the hostage, Nigel willingly turned in more.
I first became interested with Fables when Nigel told me that the main idea behind the television series Once Upon A Time is, well, not original.
Fables is the first graphic novel I have read — and still am reading — from cover to cover. It tells the struggle of fable and fairytale characters who were forced to leave their kingdoms and homelands and live in the world of the mundanes (read: mundane = us).
The story arcs are neatly knitted together, giving readers some sense of unwarranted but rewarding surprise every once in a while. As of this writing, I just finished reading its twelfth volume.
But what I like most about this creation of Mark and Bill Buckingham is, aside from its occasional love affairs (Snow and Bigby!) which will always touch the hearts of the hopeless romantics, its tangy political commentary.
^ The Adversary, for one day every year, entertains pleas from his audience —
though his benevolence lies under the guise of tyranny.
^ Bigby was sent to the homelands to send a threat to Gepetto —
yep, Pinocchio’s maker and father —
who controls the Adversary and, consequently, the Empire.
Mentors and friends
Free books!
Ever since I had been affiliated with the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism in 2012, I have considered myself blessed. Indeed I am; the people I have met there are not merely my mentors but also my friends.
PCIJ was recently upgrading their system and updating their library, which meant some old books have to be left out of the shelf. They opened their library to anyone who would want to claim books for free. I got a few; the good ones were gone as soon as they were put out in the open.
^ Never mind the rain. I had to be there.
(Nakaw photo by Sir Cong Corrales)
Ms. Marge
Ms. Marge was my journalism professor in college and one of the very few I loved and appreciated.
We had dinner sometime this month and I am pleased to see how our relationship has transitioned from one that used to be professional to a now more personal one as she shared her heart aches and career plans. I have learned a lot from her; I still am.
MRT mishap
I was on my way to a mall in Makati when an accident that merited headlines happened. An MRT-3 train overshot the Taft station and hit a post, leaving about 30 people wounded.
(Related article: Jarius Bondoc’s column published in The Philippine STAR on 28 May 2014 - MRT-3: A disaster waiting to happen)
The journalist in me made my way through the crowd, got the information that was readily available then (not much), and reported to the news desk — even if I was not required to do so. I was in the right place at the right time.
But then, I made it to the front page after all — though it happens to be in a wrong paper. Heh. •
^ Front page of the Philippine Daily Inquirer,
14 August 2014
With a fist, each knuckle and the spaces between them represent a month. The months that land on a knuckle are sure to have 31 days, and the months that land on a space have only 30 days. February, of course, is an exception as it is only 28-days long, with an occasional addition of a day during leap years.
It was said that in the olden times, the duration of months alternated between 30 and 31 days. However, to avoid the misconception that August, which was named after Rome’s founder and first emperor Augustus, is inferior to July, which was named after Julius Caesar, the Roman Senate decided to take a day off February to equalize both months.
This modification meant that July, August, and September would have 31 days each. So as not to have three long months in a row, the last four months of the year — September, October, November, and December — were adjusted, leaving us with 30 days for both September and November, and 31 days for both October and December.
But I digress. August is also an English term which suggests grandness. And this month, so far, has not been short on that.
The cinephile in me
It has been quite a yearly tradition for me to watch Cinemalaya films since I started staying in Manila in 2010. I have a keen interest for non-mainstream films, perhaps mainly because I am selective when it comes to the media content I consume and mainstream media often fail to impress me with their sensationalized profit-hungry productions.
I prefer to watch independent films in any given opportunity, and Cinemalaya provides to be an avenue for the public to, at least for a week, shy away from overhyped materials and immerse in a culture that is socially and politically sensitive.
Bwaya
Bwaya is based on an actual event that made headlines a few years ago. A young girl, Rowena, was reported to have been attacked and devoured by a crocodile in Agusan marsh. The suspect crocodile was believed to be the captured Lolong, who so far holds the world record for being the longest crocodile, measuring 20 feet and three inches.
The film inserts actual interviews with Rowena's parents, which add “realness” to the material that, given its rich and raw storyline and casting, can already stand alone. The addition of a seeming ancient folklore narrative about a crocodile couple and their journey to a river also coherently strengthens the film.
Hari ng Tondo
I was hesitant to watch Hari ng Tondo because it gives me an impression of mainstream madness that relies heavily on production values and fares poorly in terms of social context. As well, I could not help but think that, basing on the title of the film alone, it has something to do with the infamous Manila kingpin, Asiong Salonga.
I proved myself wrong, somehow. The only commonality this film and Asiong has is, well, their setting: Tondo. Hari ng Tondo offers lighthearted entertainment, but for some who opt to relate it to profundity, the film can speak of greed, pride, and its uncouth cost to relationships.
Mariquina
I will cry when I watch this film, I told myself right after having watched only its 30-second trailer. Father-daughter relationships have a way of pulling into my heartstrings. And, I was right.
The best thing about Mariquina is how it slowly drags you into the complications of Imelda’s relationship with his father, and how subtly it shows you that the situation seems to still be very familiar and current, despite the long gap between then and now.
Sundalong Kanin
When we speak of children and war, we cannot help but think that these innocent faces are the ones who suffer the greatest and deepest in the most heinous of crimes. However, Sundalong Kanin tells a different tale, at least in the way it presents war through the eyes of children who, surely, still inevitably have to deal with hardships at an early age, yet are somehow directly involved instigators of war.
Shorts B
- Indayog ng Nayatamak espouses so much artistry in its storytelling that its interpretation cannot be confined in just one, two, or three possible storylines: an interesting break from traditional narrative.
- Lola: I have to admit I watched nearly the entire film with my eyes half-closed (because I hate thriller films!) but I like how the film can be packed with symbolisms yet simple on the outtake: love (for family) always wins.
- Ina-Tay is comedic but could easily be regarded as shallow by some. My friend and I see it as a satirical piece against Filipino drama.
- Nakakabinging Kadiliman: The plot is minimalistic yet as real as it gets. The conflict which eventually lead to one of the character’s implicit death, however, seems forced.
- Eyeball catches you off guard then hits you with a laughable but dark surprise.
Barber’s Tales
Barber’s Tales is not part of the Cinemalaya film fest lineup, and fittingly so; otherwise, it would have raised the ante for independent films that only a rare few could ever afford to reach.
The film realistically brings us back to the time of martial law, with all its human rights violations and media manipulation, in a seemingly far-flung community through the eyes of a barber’s widow, Marilou, played beautifully by Eugene Domingo no less.
The production team deserves all the accolade it has gathered in international film circles before going back to its roots in this country. Very rarely do we get to find films tellingly powerful in social and political exigencies and covertly encouraging of women empowerment.
Fables
It all started with an unexpected get-together with a few friends. Ate Meg returned a long overdue graphic novel which she borrowed from Nigel, which I hostaged (yes, I hostaged the book) because Nigel has yet to send me some files.
The day I released the hostage, Nigel willingly turned in more.
I first became interested with Fables when Nigel told me that the main idea behind the television series Once Upon A Time is, well, not original.
Fables is the first graphic novel I have read — and still am reading — from cover to cover. It tells the struggle of fable and fairytale characters who were forced to leave their kingdoms and homelands and live in the world of the mundanes (read: mundane = us).
The story arcs are neatly knitted together, giving readers some sense of unwarranted but rewarding surprise every once in a while. As of this writing, I just finished reading its twelfth volume.
But what I like most about this creation of Mark and Bill Buckingham is, aside from its occasional love affairs (Snow and Bigby!) which will always touch the hearts of the hopeless romantics, its tangy political commentary.
^ The Adversary, for one day every year, entertains pleas from his audience —
though his benevolence lies under the guise of tyranny.
^ Bigby was sent to the homelands to send a threat to Gepetto —
yep, Pinocchio’s maker and father —
who controls the Adversary and, consequently, the Empire.
Mentors and friends
Free books!
Ever since I had been affiliated with the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism in 2012, I have considered myself blessed. Indeed I am; the people I have met there are not merely my mentors but also my friends.
PCIJ was recently upgrading their system and updating their library, which meant some old books have to be left out of the shelf. They opened their library to anyone who would want to claim books for free. I got a few; the good ones were gone as soon as they were put out in the open.
^ Never mind the rain. I had to be there.
(Nakaw photo by Sir Cong Corrales)
Ms. Marge
Ms. Marge was my journalism professor in college and one of the very few I loved and appreciated.
We had dinner sometime this month and I am pleased to see how our relationship has transitioned from one that used to be professional to a now more personal one as she shared her heart aches and career plans. I have learned a lot from her; I still am.
MRT mishap
I was on my way to a mall in Makati when an accident that merited headlines happened. An MRT-3 train overshot the Taft station and hit a post, leaving about 30 people wounded.
(Related article: Jarius Bondoc’s column published in The Philippine STAR on 28 May 2014 - MRT-3: A disaster waiting to happen)
The journalist in me made my way through the crowd, got the information that was readily available then (not much), and reported to the news desk — even if I was not required to do so. I was in the right place at the right time.
Derailed train EDSA-Taft. No MRT operations for now. @PhilippineStar pic.twitter.com/JyqHwLvHi0
— Cherry Mae Salazar (@CMGSalazar) August 13, 2014Approx 10 passengers brought to hospital due to minor injuries. Investigation ongoing. @PhilippineStar pic.twitter.com/pfRf6OlBvH
— Cherry Mae Salazar (@CMGSalazar) August 13, 2014One of the MRT passengers to be brought to the San Juan de Dios Hospital @PhilippineStar pic.twitter.com/YKFUT6BTUH
— Cherry Mae Salazar (@CMGSalazar) August 13, 2014REPORTS: Injured passengers brought to San Juan de Dios and Pasay Gen Hospital. | via @CMGSalazar
— The Philippine Star (@PhilippineStar) August 13, 2014REPORT: Whirring noises from the train already heard at the Magallanes area. 2 passengers thrown overboard during the incident | @CMGSalazar
— The Philippine Star (@PhilippineStar) August 13, 2014But then, I made it to the front page after all — though it happens to be in a wrong paper. Heh. •
^ Front page of the Philippine Daily Inquirer,
14 August 2014