durr...

maybe someday, simply by making a statement, i can affect the country's economy. but not that way. crazy sh!t.

before i rant further on the sad state of the nation (holy cow! eighties songs!), i think i will just post my first formal review of something i've read or heard. if i feel that maybe i write something nice, maybe it won't be the last, thereby leaving me something to look forward to for the coming days (at least the sub-chaotic ones we in the Philippines all have left) and if anyone is reading this, and wants to comment, feel free to. anyway, here goes.

Review: Bill Willingham- Sandman Presents: Taller Tales

everybody has to know sandman. neil gaiman's series put Vertigo on the map, re-established mainstream comic books as serious (yet again), and made gaiman so revered that even when he puts out something subesequently bland (his non-graphic novels), it's still critically acclaimed. but gaiman gave something back. he left sandman with so many open windows that it was but natural for Vertigo to make use of them by letting prodigious writers explore these windows, to bank on sandman's popularity and at the same time expose comic book readers to talents other than gaiman. from this concept came the series of, among many, the dreaming, mike carey's lucifer (easily the superior of all sandman offshoots), and bill willingham's sandman presents. taller tales compiles 3 of willingham's previously released material and 1 new story. (at least i've never seen it in single issue form- could be wrong, though).

unlike the dreaming and lucifer, sandman presents takes an irreverent poke at the mythos of gaiman's universe, and may be considered as the 'joker' in a sandman deck of cards. it serves as a nice relief, to me, to the hyper-melodrama of gaiman's (and the other writers of his spawns') writings. and though casual readers will easily appreciate the tongue-in-cheek treatment given to the characters (especially in the last installment), those very familiar with the characters will appreciate this collection the most, because they know the idiosyncracies of these characters already- you will hardly be amused with the fairy gift nuala if you don't know who the heck she is in the first place.

like i said, however, even casual readers will appreciate the stories- i especially recommend the last two entries. 'The Thessaliad', wherein a Thessalian witch is being hunted down by four death gods, mixes wit, suspense, and mystery with a little bit of violence and romance- a concoction Willingham also does for his Eisner Award winning Fables (to better results). And there is, of course, 'Everything You Wanted To Know About Dreams- But Were Afraid To Ask'- this is where Willingham, i believe, tries to make something for everyone- the obvious humor is there, but it's familiarity with the characters that ultimately takes it to the next level. i'd like to think he wanted something affectionate for the faithful ones, and something to draw the semi-initiated into the fold.

if you haven't read the sandman series, or at the very least any of its offshoots, well, this may prove still to be a very nice collection of stories- but it's not the best place to introduce yourself to this part of the comic book universe. if you have, then this volume will be a very entertaining read (unless you've already collected these in their short forms).

as an addendum, if you like bill willingham's works, then i seriously recommend any of the Fables comics, or at the very least the trade paperbacks/ special edition books. Fables: Legends in Exile, Fables: Animal Farm, and Fables: The Last Castle will be available at your local comic book shop. a wonderful series full of wit and suspense, and a little bit of everything else.

oookay.

my dad frequently submits his opinions to local dailies (cuz he can't help it, he needs his say)- he actually kept a scrapbook of his 'appearances' for the first year or so, then gave up after my mom retired, which had cut off our supply of at least 5 newspapers (and a tabloid or two of red and black ink on newsprint) a day (side note: it just occurred to me how long ago this was because local tabloids have long progressed from red and black on newsprint). ANYWAY, he often has me type the prints to be submitted to the newspapers, and yesterday he handed me his draft just hours after a/an (insert adjective here) announcement that will definitely affect the country's political situation in the upcoming months. the gist of what he wrote: we're in big trouble.

i for one, count FPJ's decision to run as mildly disappointing. i'm afraid he's just not the one, period. he has no notion whatsoever of the complicated machinery and system dynamics behind the operation of a government. it did not even occur to him that when he announced his intention alone, the peso dropped to a 30-day period low and has not improved since. (for all who click the link, the magic date was October 22) i do agree, however with former senator Raul Roco when he said that this will (somehow) dilute the votes between him and another opposition candidate, who i believe might also not just be the right man for the job. however, Roco himself has failed to see (intentionally?) that he is doing the same political tug-o-war with the incumbent. if he's such the concerned political analyst, i wonder why this has not occurred to him yet. heck, a yahoo like me figured that one out. oops, silly me. it already has occurred to him. what he does about it is another matter.

speaking of the incumbent, i was thinking of casting my vote her way during the coming polls, but now i'm having serious reconsiderations. i do believe that we are better off with her, rather than her predecessor, simply because she knows the aforementioned intricacies of a government. however, the opposition has been throwing 'spanners in the works', especially within the last half-year, and, sad to say, it has worked (largely due to the ignorance of the masses by using the tactic of 'sympathizing with the oppressed'- more on that next time.) it tells me that she does not have complete control of the situation, and, unfortunately, she never will, especially given the announcement of FPJ (y'all know why.)

so what now? who do we vote for? that's not even the question. the question is who can we vote for? i feel sorry for us, because, yet again, we are faced with the 'lesser evil' decision.

so what's left for us to do? the closing line of my dad's latest letter to the editor seems, to me, the only logical thing for us to do now.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you...

back at the playground

I was at the rock radio cafe the other night for the anniversary of 'Admit One', and i was once again rudely reminded of how old i was. the entrance was teeming with people who are at the age with which people of my age would derisively snort, 'kids.' we came in to some band who played RATM covers and other screaming-rock-funk groove hybrids reminiscent of EARLY (emphasize!) incubus. one of my friends actually said they weren't so bad (hmm, coming from a girl who likes sarah mclachlan, billy joel, and has never heard of incubus. i'm not joking.)

next came a band called matilda. and then it got weird. i won't discuss, but let's just say i'm just not a fan of whatever it was they were pulling on stage. so i passed on that, instead talking and watching people (two of my favorite pastimes with friends) outside the joint. frankly i don't remember if i missed any other bands because i was back in soon as violent playground went on stage.

violent playground released an album, 'primordial soup', back in 1996, around the boom of the pinoy rock scene. Aside from the ones that have lasted (Wolfgang, Razorback, Rivermaya, the re-grouped The Dawn), there were other cool groups like Ethnic Faces, Bonehead (aiight!!!) Indio I (aiiight again!!), and Violent Playground. VP were different, in that they had more than just hand-drawn album art (Webby award winner Dino Ignacio designed their album art) and had songs that had slicker production, much cooler riffs, and lyrics that actually made some sense. however, their music didn't take off and 'soup' turned out to be the only LP they ever released. one of my major regrets is having procrastinated buying their CD until i finally couldn't find it anywhere. ditto for labuyo's album. that's what i get for ignoring OPM.

back to the gig. they started with the anthemic 'Starvation Army', then followed with 'Humble Pie', 'Moist', and a song they recently recorded whose title i don't know. a mini-mosh pit had formed in front of the stage and it was funny, as mosh pits are reserved for slapshock, cheese, et. al. but here was a small group of people, soaking in what was (likely) the first violent playground gig of this millenium. you could tell the band was having fun, as the singer was laughing, joining in the mosh pit banter (saying, 'shut-up!' when they were joking around), and even helping himself from a pack of chichiria that was offered from a hand in the crowd. everyone could just feel the vibe, nodding their heads and singing along as the reunited band took the stage once again. as they started the opening chords of their closer, the singer broke in, 'well, i hope we don't make this a habit... see you in another three years.' And the crowd just snapped and rocked to 'Never The Bright Lights'.

i left soon after (missing Fatal Posporos and Chico Sci almost entirely), and i noticed that a lot of kids were still milling about outside after set (probably waiting for cheese), and that i was surrounded by people my age and by the band members of those who would follow. everyone in the place during VP's set was just cognizant of the fact that here was a group with music that's been forgotten by all but a select few. though they may never rock again for another couple of years, every so often they come around to make those who remember feel young, rock in their own way, and relive their time. our time.


p.s. further proof

the group i was with was composed of 4 twenty-somethings (ha! i'm not gonna say!) and the 4th year HS cousin of one of us. we left jeffy ('the kid') inside during the set of matilda, and after VP's set i noticed he had bought a CD in the club, i got it and jokingly said, 'thanks'. jeffy goes, 'that was matilda, d'you hear their set? galing, noh?'.

i looked at the CD again, and wordlessly handed it back to jeff.

stereotyping

what is it with people? why the heck do we stereotype? i am asking because i have recently been hit hard with a realization that i stereotyped someone (and boy, was i wrong or what!).

basically, i was talking to an co-worker who i see as very shy, soft-spoken (which is a given, because she really is), and modest (by modest i don't mean the opposite of proud- i mean the opposite of flashy). we were both working overtime one night and, of course, as is, we got to talking about some personal things. and i was so surprised at what she told me (well at just one thing), and because i was shocked, only then did it occur to me that i stereotyped her (well, i'm not gonna look at her the same way again- don't get me wrong, it's actually not a bad thing.)

what's funny is that, after this, i'll do it again. and it applies to everyone. once in a while, our 'stereotypes' get shattered. but we'll do it again, not with the shmo who shattered it, but likely with somebody else. why the heck don't we change? is it human nature? or have we just stereotyped ourselves into thinking so?

almost a month

since my last post. and i must admit i've been either tied up or just procrastinating.

i've been reading two blogs regularly since i started this jaunt, (not for plagiarism purposes, mind you), but to help me answer my question, 'what can I put in my blog?' you know, that sounded just like plagiarism, so now i'm tempted to add their links just so you can check. *afterthought: i decided to link to one of them after reading this entire post* but anyway, i'm digressing yet again.

one of them was my teacher in college, and a person i do consider a friend. we'd just not encountered each other too much after she left school, and the times we'd see each other were the two-second 'hey!'s in a mall, at a party or at a what-not. she writes well. she relates about work, about things she does, her diet, about missing having a companion. and about friends. typical stuff.

one of them i encountered because she's a third-degree friend person. i've met her, though, and she even had a comment about me not falling under the stereotype of a particular group i was in. anyway, she writes basically about the same things: missing a companion, friends, work, her diet... the same typical stuff. but the second person here writes with such emotion that her posts frequently strike me. because i hardly see someone with such an affecting insight on things such as a choice for life, the awkward stumbling of two people who have shared something that they maybe shouldn't have, even on of-the-day social issues. you can judge her posts as those of a hopeless romantic- at times, maybe i do. and, ultimately, her views are selfish, because she relates everything in her blog to herself (wait a minute, how is that selfish?) but i like her style anyway (probably because i prefer that i write that way myself). i don't really know what it is. i know she doesn't need my sympathy, so i won't have any for her. but my hope is that her idealism does not wane, nor does her life faze her. and my utmost hope is that there are more people like her in this world. they may be rough, they may drink and smoke too much, but, ultimately, the world needs more people like them.

and people like them need more of each other.