Buy lang siya ng buy kahit di nya masyadong trip. May mabili lang.

So, that day, what caught his eye –well, sort of–was the pirate’s eye patch they had on display for Halloween. He bought one, and searched for a matching pirate’s head dress. Having found both, our aunt told him to save his money for the future because she’ll be paying for both items with her own money instead.

Hearing that, Joboy went to look for another set of eyepatch and headdress.

“You pay for my costume,” he told our aunt. “I’ll pay for these for Kuya.”

Here’s another Balagtasan from The Batutes. In this one, Dako and I debate who makes a better lover: someone younger or older. GP serves as the Lakandiwa on this one. Enjoy!

Me lookin’ lean in my favorite pink shirt.I stole this photo from my new friend, Bookmarked!’s Sumthinblue, who I met in Shelfari.com when I joined my friend Gege The Grammar Pulis’s bookclub, Flips Flippin Pages. I also met MayDiwatangNawawala, who Alan Navarra described as a towering presence, but I don’t know if she keeps a blog.

Check out those two amazing blogs from these two brilliant ladies. Sumthinblue blogs about books, books, and books, while Gege The Grammar Pulis is keeping us safe from the atrocities of awful grammar, one mark at a time.

It was fun. I wish you guys were there. Nida, local publishing industry’s rising force to reckon with, brought a boxful of books from her own collection for swapping, and some of the people must have bought Roles just so they can get something free from the loot pile.

We had our fair share of crazies. I don’t think I’ll live long enough to forget the lady who asked us if we had seen Satan lately. “Bakit wala pa sa inyong nakakakita kay Satanas?” she asked exasperatedly. And then there was the man who changed his name and job several times during the course of our chat.

And, yeah, Stormtroopers.

That’s taken by renowned psychologist Dr. Alan Navarra, whose book, the seminal text on understanding the female species, Girl Trouble, is a mindblowing visual feast, not to mention a triumphant literary feat.

BTW, Visprint’s latest release Tragic Theatre from their newest author GM Coronel SOLD OUT! It’s a tale of gothic horror, and relentless suspense! Get a copy as soon as you find one.

Heartbreaks are meant to be exhibited. There’s nothing more cathartic than a good bawl in public, a lengthy rant in your blog, or simply getting massively fuckin’ drunk, the sort that makes you lose your phone in the cab you took to get home.

The Spoils of Love was an exhibit of heartbreaks. One part of the exhibit is a museum dedicated to memorabilia from failed romances, and another was a gallery of installed pieces exploring the concept of love and how it ends. My friend Carmela wanted to come so she can leave a T-shirt her ex left with her, and I wanted to go because there’s free food, and going to art exhibits make me sound like I am an artist of certain knowledge. The food was great, except for the carving station which is just a big block of meatloaf made to look like roast beef; it must be part of the exhibit– the artificiality of meat.

Pictured above is an installation. People milled around it, unsure of what exactly it does. Carmela noticed there were four headsets attached by each of the four corners of the base. We approached to investigate. I placed one over my head, and fiddled with the controls to listen. There was nothing. People saw me, and followed suit. They have more patience than I do, they stayed longer, listening to whatever was not there. Or maybe the headset I had on was broken. I slipped it off my head.

“Anong meron? What’s playing?” Dr. Vicky Belo asked as soon as I turned around. Her son has an installation being projected on one of the walls. She must have been watching me.

I grinned at her. “Wala. Panget ang tugtog…”

“Ano?”

“Careless Whispers,” I told her.

=====================================

Except I didn’t.

At the very last moment, I chickened out. What really happened: She came over to ask what was playing, and I told her “Nothing. Must be broken.” before I went to join my friend for more canapes.

I discovered The New Dentists while cyberstalking Zombienovela. No, they’re not professional dentists. They’re a gang of literary-minded individuals from the DLSU who are coming out with their own brand of writings soon. They’re launching a portfolio by the end of this month, or by earlier next month.

YOU can be part of that portfolio. For details on how you can submit (and what you can submit), go to their Tumblr.

When I saw their call for submission, I got intrigued. They sound very anti-establishment, anti-cannon, so I asked them to come to one of our gigs so we can discuss future tie-ups. Unfortunately, as I’ve mentioned before, I was too sick to make an appearance that day, so I missed them. Oh, well.

Anyway, The New Dentists wants me to come to one of their meetings and advise them on their project.

I said NO.

I said NO to them because I don’t want to affect their voice. The first thing that got me really intrigued with them is the fact that they don’t subscribe to a particular brand of writing mandated by a university-appointed adviser. I know that if I come in to their group and give them advice, they’ll listen to me. I don’t want that. I want them to come out with their own voice first, I want them to not be afraid and just write what they want to write, publish what they want to publish.I want them to do their 1st project like they would falling in love: with crazy abandon, and the faith in happy endings.

I did make a promise with them, though. After they launch their folio, I’ll be more than happy to jam with them. I know it’ll be fun.

ALSO, I submitted a story to them. I hope it gets accepted.

As always, you can click on the image for a larger view if that’s your thing. Hahaha. I stole that photo from Jay Bordon’s Facebook album. Thanks, Jay!

For this workshop, Kooky and I divided the time between the two of us. The activity she came up with was a group collaborative exercise.

It was the Saturday before the first Bar exam for this year, and after the workshop, we managed to get caught in the pre-bar rites/rituals that they have. It was eerie for me to see that, and it only made me realize the irony the moment. I am a law school drop out, and there I was, witnessing a law school tradition that I couldn’t relate to.

The participants came out with varied pieces, and I was–and still am–sorry that I missed their culminating activity when we  asked them to join us at the following Bigkas Pilipinas Open Jam (held at the Tsoko.Nut Batirol in Shaw Blvd). I was too sick to go, I must have caught something at the bookfair.

Anyway, if you’re interested, do check out this page for more information on the workshops I’m offering.

Here’s a clip of them performing their poems.

Lovely, aren’t they? I’m so proud of them!

Too bad only three of them showed up (but the three who did made up for it, mos def!) because there were several participants in the workshop, and we all had fun. Here’s a photo taken by Digi Castillo (of the British Council):

Click on the image above for a larger view!

I think that must have been taken during the part where we were playing games as a warm up activity. The participants were not yet familiar with each other at that point, and as facilitator, it was up to me get them comfortable enough with each other so that we can all work side by side for the next couple of hours.

For those interested, check out this page to learn more about the workshops I conduct.

Speechless from Apples & Snakes on Vimeo.

This month last year, I was in the UK as part of the Speechless tour. It was one hell of a month, living on trains and hotels, doing the show on several venues. It was fun. To learn more about it, check out the video above. Enjoy!

From the official Apples & Snakes Vimeo account:

How free is free speech? Are there things that just can’t be said? A short film exploring the Speechless performance poetry tour.

The Speechless tour brought together four UK based poets and five South East Asian poets to embarked on an intensive four-week programme of performances, training and audience workshops. Directed by Mike Kirchner, the artists performed newly commissioned work on the theme of freedom of expression in five venues across England.

In this film we go behind the scenes and talk to the Speechless artists, the director and the audience, look at the processes involved in staging this ambitious tour, and ask the question ‘What is performance poetry?’.

Speechless is a collaboration between Apples & Snakes and the British Council.

Please credit this site if you want to share it with your friends. Thanks!

Balagtasan – Plants VS Zombies

Plant:

Magandang hapon po sa buong sang katauhan

Ako po ang pinadalang representative ng mga halaman.

Ngayong tayo’y sinasalakay ng mga patay na nabuhay,

Andito po kami upang sa inyo ay umalalay.

Ang kailangan nyo lang ay magtanim at kami’y alagaan

Sa pagsugod ng mga zombies, hayaang kami ang lumaban.

Simulan sa mga sunflowers upang maka-ipon nang sinag,

Gamitin ang sinag pambili ng ibang halamang matatag.

Kailangang bilisan, bago zombies ay dumami

Survive the first wave bago sila magtawag ng kakampi.

Siguraduhing buong lawn nyo ay may halamang bantay

Upang hindi kayo kainin ng mga buhay na patay.

Zombies 1:

Hello. Zombies kami. Hello. Hahaha.

Kayo tao? Dyan ba kayo? Hello. Hahaha.

Kami gusto kayo gawing friends, Okay?

Pakdatshit mga halaman, shit, okay?

Wah andito na kami hello huy brains

Gusto naming kumain ng masarap na brains

Buksan nyo to pakdatshit naman o shit brains

Dito na kami sa lawn nyo shit mga tao brains

Zombies 2:

Ipagpaumanhin ninyo etong aking kasama

Ang huling hapunan niya’y utak na galing sa Atenista.

Kaya tingnan nyo, di sapat upang tumino siya,

Di tulad ko, sa UP pa dumayo ng mamemerienda.

Halaman:

Wag kayong makinig dyan sa mga zombies na yan,

Dumidiskarte, kayo’y nililinlang, pinagsisinungalingan.

Iba’t ibang uri ang mga zombies kung inyong napansin,

May mga wild, may mga tuso, at may takaw-tingin.

Kayong mga buhay pa, siguraduhing di matulad sa kanila,

Wag hayaang buhay nyo ay mawalan ng kwenta.

Silang mga zombies, kumikilos, kumakain, nguni’t wala nang buhay

Kaya’t bago mahawa, siguraduhing buhay nyo’y may saysay.

Magtanim ng halaman at nang matuto kayong mag-aruga,

Mga mahal nyo sa buhay, pagbuhusan ninyo ng pagkalinga.

Kapag pag-ibig at pagmamahal ang sa puso ninyo’y itinanim,

Wala kayong pangangambahan, maghari man ang mga nilalang ng dilim.

Zombies 3:

Gosh naman fuck halaman is so relevant wow

Let’s clap our hands and let him take his bow.

O, happy ka na, fuckin preacher, telling us what to do,

Ayusin mo buhay mo, kasi you’re just as fucked as us too!

Zombies 4:

Di naman naming kasalanan na kami’y maging zombies

Pero eto na, zombies na, accept us na lang into your families.

We promise not to eat your brains, promise, peksman.

You can trust us with your brains, promise, mamatay man.

Zombies 5:

Guys, try natin sa roof naman dumaan

Mukhang mahina ang defense nila sa bubungan.

Yung iba sa atin, dun sa pool dumerecho

Di nila tayo kayang pigilan kung sila’y nalilito.

Halaman:

Ayan na sila! Mga tao, makinig kayo sa akin!

Ilabas ang mga pakwan, melonpult ngayon ay gagamitin!

Mahal ang mga upgrades, kaya dapat pag-ipunan ninyo

Gamitan ng pampaslow, ratratin ng rapido.

Dapat kasi’y natutong mag-ipon nuong araw ay masikat

Upang sa pagsapit ng dilim, hindi magtiis sa kakapurat.

Ngayong ang ating tatag ay nasusubok, pinahihirapan

Kailangan nating magsama-sama at magtulungan.

Ang zombies sa lawn, walang tigil man sa pagdami,

Ang mga tao at mga halaman ay lalaban bilang magkakampi.

Kailangang bilisan, hikayatin ang iba na magtanim ng halaman,

Eto ay para na rin sa ikaliligtas ng buong sanlibutan.

ZOMBIE CHOIR CHANTING:

Halaman, halaman, sumuko na kayo

Pakain, pakain, na ng utak nyo!

Magtago man, magtago man, ng buong gabi,

Susugod, susugod, andito na kami!

Ang utak ng tao, ang sarap, sarap

Pag kinain ng zombies, nilalasap-lasap.

Zombies ng bayan, ngayo’y sumasalakay

Ubusin, ubusin, ang mga buhay!

Ang utak ng tao, bihira kung gamitin,

Sariwang-sariwa, ang sarap kainin.

Samahan ng alak, wag magtira ng latak

Eto na, eto na, ZOMBIES ATTACK!

Tao sa Bahay:

Salamat sa tulong, kaibigang halaman,

Sa ating paglaban, di mo kami pinabayaan.

Kung noon ay di ka namin nabibigyan ng pansin,

Patawad, kami ngayo’y humihingi ng paumanhin.

Mga Zombies, mga putangina ninyo,

Nakalimutan nyo na ba na minsan kayo’y naging tao?

Kapag madami kayong kakampi, dun lang kayo matatapang

Naghihiraman ng angas, umaasa sa size ng inyong gang.

Kaming mga tao, nagsurvive dahil utak namin ay ginamit,

Sama-samang lumalaban, bagong bukas ay makakamit.

At kung pagsikat ng bagong araw ay hindi na makita,

Tandaang kami’y lumaban hanggang sa huling hininga.

=====================================

Did you like that? Well, if so, you might be interested to download an excerpt from my Zombie novel by clicking here.

Also, I’ll be signing books the whole day at the Manila International Bookfair on September 16 | SMX Convention Center (Mall of Asia} | Visprint Booth. Please come and hang out with me. Thanks!!!

——-

AT dahil madalas ako makatanggap ng requests for writing exercises, eto ang isang writing exercise para sa mga readers of my blog. Using the following words, try to create a poem or a verse lang.

TAGITGIT  —  tira-tirang kanin na tumutong at dumikit sa kaldero.

KAWAGISNONOK — mamantikang kawali na ginisahan ng adobong manok.

BULATIK — makapal na sebo ng lumamig na bulalo.

SEBUTIKACHI — matinding sebo ng mga pinggan na ilang araw nang di nahugasan.

KALPUCHICHO — amoy ng pocherong napanis sa kaldero.

BAGULANTUTAY —- amoy ng bagoong na dumikit sa  platito.

BUGOGOK — amoy ng itlog na nabugok sa mongkok.

MASANGTOT — amoy ng kalderetang dalawang linggo nang umaalingasaw sa llanera.

BULABLENDAY —  sabong nagbi-blend sa disenyo ng plato.

BAREKLONG —  sabong naiwan sa labi ng baso.

KUGIDGID — sabong natira sa gilid ng kutsara.

KUKULATINI  —  sabong naipit sa kulamoy ng tinidor.

Please post your writing exercises sa comments section. If you’re wondering where I got the words, well, OK, fine, kajologan ko, nakikinig rin naman ako sa mga FM stations na pangjologs, hahahaha. Baket ba, walang basagan ng trip. Commercial ata ng dishwashing liquid.

Game! Patingin ng gawa nyo!!!