LizzBuenaventura.com

Apartment For Rent?

2008-07-23T14:22:20Z

I've been looking for an apartment for a little under a week now, and Josh has been nice enough to help me look (i.e. get lost) around Metro Manila. So far we've been to places in Quezon City, Pasig, San Juan, and Ortigas.

I'm not looking for anything fancy-- just a 1-bedroom, relatively safe apartment with a parking spot inside some sort of compound. We've met with varying degrees of failure, as every place we've been to was revealed to be:

a. a box
b. haunted
c. in the province (where Metro Manila *ends* is apparently a grey area when it comes to giving out addresses)
d. all of the above

The apartments with picture ADs turned out to be tiny, (hello Photoshop), the apartments with description ADs turned out to be disgusting (apparently you *can* go wrong with a 2-bedroom loft type), and the rest were just in flat-out ridiculous areas of the city.

Today I was so disheartened that I actually clicked on an AD with an address that was walking distance from my current neighborhood. I rang the lady, went over to check it out, and promptly fell in love with the place. Of course, it turns out to be just *that* much over my budget (what with the ridiculous association fees and the excluded parking spot rental). Not to mention the fact that it's a 10-minute walk away from my parents house. (Oh yes, my brother laughed his ass off when I told him about *that*.)

I've reached the point where I don't know what's worse-- living with my parents until I'm old and grey, or living in a tiny box in the middle of nowhere. I'm so despondent that I can't even bring myself to be witty anymore.

Crud.

My Last Will And Testament... Not.

2008-07-19T03:13:52Z

Had a mild life-and-death experience two days ago (there was a fire at the gas station we were at), and as my life was flashing before my eyes (superimposed over the giant fireball a scant few feet away from my person), three things crossed my mind:

1) I want to be a silkworm in my next life!
2) Would it be prudent to kick over the table (action-movie style) and hide behind it?
3) Oh crap, I haven't updated my will in a while!

(Of course there was also the requisite oh-god-oh-god-i'm-going-to-die-and-i-haven't-even-done-anything!! thought, but that belongs in a different entry.)

Anyway, as I was mulling over the events last night, I realized that I needed to look for my old will and update it. It wouldn't do to give away possessions that I no longer owned (hello, old Toshiba laptop), or give my (meager) savings to charities I no longer gave a crap about.

So I set about looking for the aforementioned will, which I had secreted in one of my pen-and-paper journals. Now, keep in mind that I've been keeping a journal since 1991 (mum gave it as a Christmas present), and that translated to having to search through this pile of crap:

All I could remember was that I wrote it when I was in college, which meant I could eliminate maybe a third of that pile (I was more verbose as I got older). I ended up spending a couple hours rooting through emo poetry, old letters, ticket stubs, pressed flower petals (ew), and of course, skimming through the actual journal entries.

My God, but I was a wanker back then. (I still am, probably, just with a better sense of humor.) I finally found a copy of the will in my latest journal; I didn't take it with me to Japan last year and remember thinking that my plane might crash and blah blah blah. Two hours of my life wasted because I started looking in the *middle* of my college years. Sheesh.

I still couldn't find the original, but the copy is good enough. Next order of business? Rewrite it completely. :|

I'm doing a Meme Voluntarily! The World is Ending. XD

2008-07-14T12:44:10Z

Rules of the game:

A) People who have been tagged must write their answers on their blogs and replace any question that they dislike with a new question formulated by themselves.

B) Tag eight people to do this quiz and those who are tagged cannot refuse. These people must state who they were tagged by and cannot tag the person whom they were tagged by. Continue this game by sending it to other people. (As if I'd tag anybody.)

1. What are your reasons for having a LJ?
I don't have an LJ, I have an IJ. I have a blog because sometimes I need a break from work and want to write stuff down.

2. What do you do before bedtime?
Watch a little television, maybe write in my pen and paper journal. Mostly I draw in my little sketchpad next to my bed, though.

3. What will your dream wedding be like?
Black and white, I think, with just a few family and friends. The honeymoon I can go nuts on, but the actual wedding? I'd rather it be small.

4. What is the city of your dreams and why?
It used to be Tokyo, but then I lived there for a year and realized that the Japanese are racist like all hell. Maybe the city of my dreams is Metro Manila, (that is if someone manages to fix our damned traffic problem).

5. Are you an introvert or extrovert?
Extrovert like whoa.

6. Which is more blessed, loving someone or being loved by someone?
Probably being loved, but I dunno.

7. Do you trust easily?
Not at all.

8. If the person you secretly like is already attached, what would you do?
If they're attached in a non-married fashion, I'd probably act like I normally would. If they're married, I would forget the whole thing.

9. Is there anything that has made you unhappy these days?
My personal life is great.

10. What is your best quality?
My winning smile. :| Actually, maybe it's my creativity.

11. Is being tagged fun?
Sure.

12. How do you see yourself?
I'm an artist who likes art. Sometimes I can be moody and a bit insensitive, but I'd like to think that I don't do this on purpose and would stop if someone said "Hey, you're being moody and insensitive." :|

13. Who are currently the most important people to you?
The little people living inside my head. 9_9

14. What kind of person do you think the person who tagged you is?
Nobody tagged me. I stole it from Larian, who's awesome. :)

15. How do you want to die?
In a no-holds barred death match in the grand arena, ala Gladiator. No, really.

16. How many children do you want to have, if any?
Maybe two. Three's a bit much, but a single kid would turn out to be a spoiled little brat.

17. What's better, to give or to receive?
Giving, definitely. I can be very creative with presents, and I like seeing people's reactions to them.

18. What is your dream career?
Comic artist, which I am doing now. :)

19. What would you do if you became pregnant unexpectedly?
At this point in my life, I'd have an abortion. Of course, I say this because I know that if I went to the clinic, I'd feel extremely guilty, freak out, and run out of there like a bat out of hell.

I'd probably have the kid, actually, because I don't have the balls to have an abortion. I wouldn't get married, though.

20. What were your parents going to name you if you'd been born the opposite sex?
My father and brother are both named Luis, so I'd probably be Luis III. :| Thank God I'm a girl.

Tagging whoever wants to do this.

Garth Ennis: Chronicles of Wormwood

2008-07-14T07:27:11Z

I've been wanting to rec this for a long time, but have kept forgetting to do so because hey, I have a life outside of comics.

Oh wait, no I don't.

Anyway, Chronicles of Wormwood is a 6-issue limited series by the man behind the now-legendary "Preacher", Garth Ennis. It's basically about Danny Wormwood, the antichrist, who has shrugged off his destiny and is currently running an American cable tv network. :D

He has a girlfriend, a talking pet rabbit, and a best buddy named Jay. And yes, Jay is short for Jesus, who was hit on the head by a racist cop while he was at a peaceful protest rally.

A few things happen in these 6 issues, and some of the more memorable moments include: Danny goes on a road trip with Jesus and the rabbit to heaven, he goes on a road trip with Jesus and the rabbit to hell, meets the whore of Babylon, and oh yes, has sex with Joan of Arc.

And those are pretty much just bonus pages.

(Danny, Jesus, and the rabbit in Hell.)

If you only buy one comic per year, make it the collected trade paperback of "Chronicles of Wormwood" (usually found at Fully Booked or Comic Quest). <-- Yay, a plug! :D

If I gave stars to comics, I'd give this one a billion stars out of 5. But I don't, so whatever.

Michael Turner Tribute.

2008-07-07T01:35:23Z

MICHAEL TURNER, RIP
April 21, 1971 – June 27, 2008

After a long battle with cancer, Mike Turner passed away at the age of 37. Best known for his work on Fathom and Witchblade, (and more recently his work on Superman/Batman), Turner was among one of the most popular artists of the genre.

His work on Identity Crisis (see above) is immortal.

God speed, Mike.

Wankage #01: Gentle/Ungentle

2008-07-06T16:48:37Z

I haven't written anything in a long time. This is an exercise from Writer's Unblock; it's also 100 words (not counting the prompt).

PROMPT: Tell of Ghandi's first bicycle ride where a riot is erupting. The wind howls through the trees; men are selling their children to gypsies, while time drips by in this infernal place.

The boy is twelve when he rides his bicycle down to the well. There are gypsies there, filthy and unkempt, and they cuss and spit and piss on the side of the road.

The men from the village drag their girls to the market by the hair. Dark eyes on dark skin; they stare at the boy while they go.

The well water tastes like earth. The boy gets off his bicycle and offers the handles to the smallest girl of the lot. She does not reply; her eyes are miles away.

The boy leaves and does not look back.

A/N: The riot has been omitted because I forgot about it. :D

Lizz's Daily Tweets

2008-07-05T19:08:12Z

Lizz on Twitter: labuenaventura...

Spiderman 3 on HBO. My God, I'd almost forgotten how bad this movie was. #
Off to see girlfriend from Japan. Yay, Pocky! :D #
Retail therapy is the best cure for feeling down. :D #
Random, random blog entry: tinyurl.com/5chg3d #

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Random Musings of A Random Mind.

2008-07-05T14:32:43Z

Yesterday was an odd day. I was so upset (about so much random crap) that I spent an hour writing down an angry!blog entry in my memopad (I hadn't brought my laptop) whilst waiting for a friend in a cafe.

Now that I've actually got time to write an entry down, though, I no longer feel as angry and would thus feel odd transcribing my rant just for the sake of doing so.

I'm feeling very mild-mannered now, come to think of it, as I just spent the afternoon shopping with a girlfriend who came in from Japan. I took her around Greenhills and we spent about five hours going around and around and around. She kept marveling about how cheap everything was compared to Tokyo, and I got the chance to practice my (now horrid) Japanese. It came in handy when we were discussing purchases in front of the sellers, though, as my haggling skills are tres rusty. :P

I think that my irritation over last night's events has waned somewhat, and it has been replaced by an odd numb sensation in the pit of my stomach. There are times when I wish my blog was anonymous again, if only because I miss being able to bitch on it.

And in other news: Have officially unofficially started apartment hunting once more. The sibling moved out when he was 25, and I can feel the crushing pressure to follow suit as my 25th birthday looms. :|

Lizz's Daily Tweets

2008-07-05T08:05:38Z

Lizz on Twitter: labuenaventura...

Gettng caught in between a couple fighting sucks ass. #

God damn I wish I had a cigarette right now. #

If I was home, I'd be able to make decent headway with work. Arg. #

Spiderman 3 on HBO. My God, I'd almost forgotten how bad this movie was. #

Off to see girlfriend from Japan. Yay, Pocky! :D #

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Lizz's Daily Tweets

2008-07-02T08:30:38Z

Lizz on Twitter: labuenaventura...

Yay Quantum of Solace trailer: tinyurl.com/5oadkk #

HOLY SHIT Manhunt might get picked up by an actual publisher!! WOOHOO! :D #

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Lizz's Daily Tweets

2008-07-01T08:42:32Z

Lizz on Twitter: labuenaventura...

Just found out that Michael Turner (Witchblade, Fathom) died a couple days ago. Rest In Piece, Mike. #

I woke up at 8am today. Yay! #

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Lizz's Daily Tweets

2008-06-30T08:11:35Z

Lizz on Twitter: labuenaventura...

I have a splitting headache. This whole waking up late just isn't for me. #

Dammit I want to go to the Juan Luna exhibit. Why is it so farrrr? :F #

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Lizz's Daily Tweets

2008-06-29T08:04:19Z

Lizz on Twitter: labuenaventura...

Spent $10 on Samorost 2. As I cannot finish the last level, I don't know if it was money well spent. Arg. #

So Dexter is supposed to choose between hot blonde momma and hot brit artist in season 2. It's like there are no wrong answers, here. #

Coffee Bean Video Entry: tinyurl.com/5nasxq #

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Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Flash Creativity Event!

2008-06-29T04:36:18Z

Josh and I went to this event last June 24th, and we picked the Flash Creativity: Video talk to sit in on. We didn't know that we had to come up with an actual video at the end of the night, though (I'm sure we would've gone to the Writing talk if we'd known), and this was shot in about 5 minutes on my Moto RAZR2 camera. Ew.

Still, Josh did a pretty good job of editing the crap footage I gave him, and voila: our entry!

http://www.whatsyourcoffeebeanandtealeafstory.com

Lizz's Daily Tweets

2008-06-28T08:10:52Z

Lizz on Twitter: labuenaventura...

Finished Samorost 1 in approx 30 minutes this morning. V pretty but short game. tinyurl.com/2qpz7k #

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Lizz's Daily Tweets

2008-06-27T08:08:05Z

Lizz on Twitter: labuenaventura...

Trying to color comics in Starbucks because a fuse blew in my house last night. Strangely fun. #

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Lizz's Daily Tweets

2008-06-26T08:12:57Z

Lizz on Twitter: labuenaventura...

Rush jobs = hand cramps (which are never fun). Still, I don't think I've ever been happier with my profession. :) #

Extremists-R-Us: tinyurl.com/4z6zyd #

Wow. Italians rock. tinyurl.com/6bl7bc #

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UP: Extremists-R-Us

2008-06-25T10:39:55Z

My car has been in the shop for the past week so I had to take a jeepney around the university today, and while I was enjoying the nostalgia of riding the most mundane of public transportation vehicles, I noticed a large-ish sign taped to the back of the driver's seat. It was a Student Announcement, calling their fellows to "Support the Livelihood of Drivers" by saying "NO" to the newly-implemented One-Way Academic Oval Scheme.

Now, for my readers who have never been to the University of the Philippines' main campus, I have illustrated a map below:

(This is a super simplified version, as there are many more colleges behind the ones accessible through the main road). Anyway, the red arrow represents the new one-way traffic scheme. It used to be two-way, but now regardless of where you're going, you have to make a full circle.

It's a bit of a hassle and has disrupted the route of the jeepneys a bit, but all in all it's a pretty decent setup because there's much less traffic now.

Anyway, because of this tiny little thing, students are kicking up a fuss and claiming that "the Man" has yet again tried to step on the poor, hardworking jeepney drivers. UP students have always been quick to jump the gun (student activists are the reason why our shopping center is a dilapidated pile of crap instead of an Ayala-owned Mall), and I wouldn't be surprised if they started rallying on the steps in the next week or so.

For all their brilliance, I have always felt that UP students have been perennial "rebels without a cause". I was pretty much a loud-mouthed debate whore during my first few years in UP, but now that I'm on the final year of my second degree, I think I've finally managed to mellow. (I'm still a debate whore, mind you, but not quite as loud mouthed.)

It's important to stand up for your beliefs, but there's a difference between standing up for your beliefs and just being an impediment to progress.

:/

Lizz's Daily Tweets

2008-06-24T08:12:37Z

Lizz on Twitter: labuenaventura...

I had a pet lizard for approximately 3 hours today. I let it go in a bush outside Starbucks. Bye, Mortimer IV! #

Um. Wow. Best advertising for a movie. Ever. tinyurl.com/59xaza #

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Capsule Reviews: Booster Gold 10, Batman RIP, etc.

2008-06-22T07:04:18Z

Booster Gold #10
I haven't seen this level of gayness in mainstream comics since John Constantine shoved his tongue down Stanley Manor's throat in Hellblazer (yeah yeah, so Vertigo isn't technically mainstream, but whatever). Booster Gold has always been one of my favourite superheroes (he switches with Batman for the top spot every now and then), and his new series has been really, really well-written and drawn.

That said, I applaud DC's decision to bring our sexually ambiguous duo out of the closet and straight into the limelight with the scene below:

This was then followed by a scene where Ted heroically decides to travel back in time to get shot in the head by Max Lord to preserve the timeline, and he and Booster touch hands through the time machine glass.

...

I'm not sure if they were aiming for *quite* the level of Brokeback Mountain, but this book came damned close.

Whatever the case, I think Booster Gold is my favourite superhero this month. Lol.

Batman #677

Grant Morrison's run on Batman has been the best I've ever read on the title in years, but his decision to "kill" Bruce Wayne with the RIP story arc has been giving me serious doubts. 677 is the second issue out of the six-issue RIP arc, and so far I'm not sure where it's going. 676 was a good start, but 677 was, in my humble opinion, not so great. There's something about Jezebel Jet that I really don't like, (her lack of personality, maybe?), and for all intents and purposes, she's just another Silver St. Cloud.

I'm reserving final judgment for when Robin and the ex-Robins (i.e. Dick, Jason, and Tim) start showing up, but so far Batman: RIP is falling short of expectations.

Titans #3

Raven discovers that she is not Trigon's only child. Her devil spawn siblings wreak havoc on the Titans with various "sins", (i.e. Lust for Nightwing and Starfire, Anger for Beastboy and Raven, and Envy for Donna Troy and Flash).

I didn't really see much point to this issue aside from letting us know that Nightwing (aka the first Robin) is *still* the biggest manwhore in the DC Universe. He learned his lessons from Batman well, apparently.

Wonder Woman #21

The plot thickens. Gail Simone is an excellent writer and it almost feels redundant to say that the Ends of the Earth arc is really good. It's difficult to juggle being an amazon, a secret agent, *and* Tom Tresser's girlfriend, haha.

Midnighter #20

The final issue. I saw this through to the bitter, bitter end, and my god what a gigantic piece of crap that end was. I should've stopped reading when Garth Ennis left, but the Authority has and always will be my favourite superhero team (with Midnighter being my favourite character in that team), which was why I stuck it through.

Ugh.

Detective Comics #845

Have I mentioned how much I love Paul Dini? The way he writes Batman is the polar opposite of Grant Morrison, and yet he still manages to stay true to the character. Detective Comics does the one-shot stories while the main book does the long, sweeping arcs, and the franchise runs so much the better for it.

Oh, and one thing Paul Dini can do that Grant Morrison can't? He can write a 3-dimensional woman. *Loved* that Catwoman snark on page 7. Hah.

Boring Meme Time! Yay!

2008-06-20T08:23:53Z

Tagged by Josh.

1. What was I doing 10 years ago?

Being a complete dork in 3rd year high. And also, watching Star Wars obsessively.

2. What are five things on my to-do list today?

1. Finish coloring some comic pages (which I probably won't manage).
2. Get drunk to celebrate getting laid off from my job.
3. Go home.
4. Finish coloring more comic pages (which I still won't manage).
5. Eat cheetos.

3. Snacks I enjoy:

See number 5 on my things to do list.

4. Places I've lived:

Quezon City, Philippines for the most part, but I lived in Tokyo, Japan from April, 2007 to March, 2008.

5. Things I'd do if I were a billionaire:

Buy a bunch of comics and the best computer available.

What?

I have simple tastes.

6. People I want to know more about:

The Beatles! Except half of them are dead. D:

I'm tagging Luis, but he probably won't do it because he's a lazy bastard who likes to pretend he's working all the time. :P

Incredible Hulk! ZOMG...

2008-06-18T23:34:03Z

Most people have been raving about how awesome the special effects, action sequences, and general "dude, omg!" factor of this movie is, but I think they've completely glossed over the fact that Edward Norton and Liv Tyler have some serious chemistry going on.

Don't get me wrong-- the action aspect of this movie was fantastic, (I was literally gripping my arm rests the entire time), but what I was surprised by was that it had actual emotional content going on between our two leads.

In practically every single superhero film out there, the love interest tends to suffer from being the requisite damsel in distress. From Spider-man's Mary Jane (blah), Batman Begins' Rachel Dawes (the whole point of Batman is that he *doesn't* have a love interest), Punisher's Amanda Castle (vomit-trociously, horrendously cheesy chemistry), to Superman Returns' Lois Lane (played by the non-feisty, non-sharp, non-rapier witted blonde Kate Bosworth), non-superhero women have all basically been presented as pretty furniture that needs to be saved every now and then.

The thing about comics is that the women have had decades to evolve a personality. MJ in prose is a firebrand; she's witty, sexy, smart, and funny. Kirsten Dunst as MJ was... not.

I mean, Hollywood chooses its women based on their popularity and how pretty they look next to their leading men (not a bad thing, certainly, but IMHO shouldn't be the deciding factor in handing out roles).

Now Hulk, on the other hand, has smokin' momma Liv Tyler next to method actor Edward Norton. Honestly, this girl is so hot they had to put dorky glasses on her to make her less so. Edward Norton, on the other hand, is decidedly not hot in this movie (method actor, remember? He's channeling science dork homeless guy in this flick).

But you know what? Miracle of miracles, they actually make it *work*. I have never seen this much chemistry in a superhero movie *ever*. Like, *ever*. I almost felt like it was back in the nineties and I was reading Peter David's run on Incredible Hulk again.

(Incredible Hulk #400, Peter David, Jan Duursema)

Okay, so that was a lot cooler in the 90s than it is now. But still, the point is that they were able to squeeze the emotion out of almost 500 issues of comics, run it through a Hollywood (tm) blender, and still have it come out *pure*.

And by pure, I mean stomachable.

And by stomachable, I mean like NOT turning MJ into some floozy who jumps from guy to guy while constantly bitching and crying.

The dynamic between Tyler and Norton puts this movie solidly in my top 3 superhero movies of all time, right behind Batman Begins and X-Men II. No mean feat! :D

Justice League: Line-Up!

2008-06-17T06:17:35Z

With the release of Marvel's Iron Man and Incredible Hulk (and the fact that both movies did well at the box office), it looks like the future's looking pretty damned bright for the Avengers movie. After maybe a couple more individual movies (i.e. Captain America, Thor, etc.), the culminating team film will be a pretty awesome Avengers flick.

But what about DC? The Batman franchise is doing really well, but after the not-so great Superman Returns and the cancellation of the Wonder Woman movie, it looks like team film Justice League has been put on indefinite hold. I wept at the thought... until I decided to waste some office time putting together a cast for the JL movie.

Since DC rumors have been spreading that the upcoming JL movie will feature a younger cast at the start of their superheroing days, I put together a team of non-teen actors. My dream movie has the cast in their late twenties to mid-thirties, as I think the individual movies have laid out each character's origin story well enough.

In any case, first up is... Wonder Woman!

Lucy Lawless of Xena fame as the immortal amazon princess Diana of Themyscara? Hell yes! I know Lucy isn't as young as she once was, but she's still absolutely gorgeous and can totally pull off Wonder Woman. And besides, "ageless" doesn't necessarily mean "young-looking", and I never really pictured Diana as some 20-year-old twinky. :)

David Boreanaz (Angel, Bones) as Hal Jordan! I've never been much of a Green Lantern fan until I watched "JL: New Frontier", and Boreanaz did such a great job as the voice of GL that I couldn't stop picturing him as the live action hero as well.

Ryan Reynolds (Van Wilder) as Wally West. I think he actually was slated to play The Flash in the canceled movie adaptation, which depresses me because as far as casting went, this was an excellent choice. Reynolds is the right mix of funny, annoying, and general nice guy that embodies the character.

Michael Dorn (Worf, Star Trek: TNG) as J'onn Jonez. The Martian Manhunter is one of my favourite characters because he's a sort've tragic, somber hero. Not bitter like Batman, or eternally bright and spiffy like Superman, but kind of like the zen character in the midst of the really famous heroes. I think Michael Dorn would make a great J'onn because he's a) used to wearing lots of prosthetics and b) he looks like a quiet sort of guy. Lol.

Jeremy Sisto as Bruce Wayne! I actually had to dig pretty deep to find a clean-shaven picture of Sisto, but boy was it worth it. He's got these maniacally intense eyes that would be perfect for Batman. He's not quite as big, but he can buff up for the role. Christian Bale gained like 30 pounds of muscle, anyway.

I was looking for a 30-something actor to play Superman, but then I remembered that Tom Welling (currently playing Clark Kent on TV's Smallville) is actually around 30 now! Lol. He's been playing CK for almost 10 years... talk about typecasting. Anyway, I don't think he's the best choice for Superman, but I figure after almost a decade of playing the alter-ego, it was high time that he got a chance to put on the actual tights. :P

And last but not least: Elisha Cuthbert (24) as Black Canary! The 7th member is usually Aquaman, but considering we only have one girl on the team, I'm sure the producers will opt to switch him out in favor of a hot blond chick. My pick is Black Canary because she's currently the leader of JL in the comics, and she's had a long history with the team. And also, because Elisha Cuthbert is hot.

Thus ends my casting entry! Hopefully DC won't kill the Justice League movie... I've been waiting for it since I was a dumb kid reading comics over my brother's shoulder!

Collezione: My Pilipinas The Series: Art Meets Fashion

2008-06-12T04:52:35Z

Josh and I went to Collezion's My Pilipinas The Series: Art Meets Fashion (by artist Rhett Eala) event last night, and I'm not quite sure what to make of it. The series was introduced as a Warhol-inspired, pop-culture entry into the world of Nationalistic fashion, and though I could see that it hit all of the above, I felt that they could've taken it a step further.

The art of Print-making has never been my forte, but I know enough about it to appreciate the artistic constraints that it presents. (I didn't get to ask, but I'm assuming the process they used to mass-produce this was silk-screening.)

Anyway, the hall was set up with the art pieces alternating with the clothing it inspired:

You can't really see it from this (horrible) picture, but the pattern on the shirt and side of the dress are the Philippine islands. It's juxtaposed with a mirror image on the black shirt, which I think I would've liked more if the colors hadn't been in such opposing shades.

This was all right. Good use of pattern, though it's so small that if you weren't Filipino you probably wouldn't get it's nationalistic significance.

The picture above was one of the large paintings mounted in between the clothes. I didn't see any patterns resembling this, which I thought was a shame because it would've looked rather spiffy on a dress or a guy's casual shirt.

For those who have trouble picturing it, I have kindly illustrated it for your benefit:

See, isn't this pop-nationalistic fashion?

No?

Well phooey on you, then. :P

Anyway, all in all, it wasn't a bad event. There was a fun faux auction during the middle part where the audience used play money to bid on prints, but unfortunately Josh and I suck at knowing when to raise the paddle. Despite the fact that we pooled our play money together, we still didn't have enough to buy the print I wanted. Oh well.

The event itself was very well-organized as usual, and the press kit contained a plethora of useful info about the collection.

As a professional artist, I feel that it's important to say that beyond watching Zoolander a billion times, I know pretty much squat about fashion. At the end of the day, I guess the only valid question would be: Would you wear it? And judging by the beatific smiles on the faces of the audience, the answer would be a resounding "yes".

***

The exhibit will be open to the public until June 14, 2008, at the CAV Restaurant in Bonifacio High Street, Taguig. For more information about Collezione C2, call 671-2770 or email info@collezione-c2.com.

"The Rules" -- beating a dead horse, but I just can't help myself.

2008-06-10T14:50:37Z

A friend and I were having an intellectual discussion regarding the tendency of people to act like lemmings the other day (pass "the Secret", please!), and he mentioned that he was so glad that "The Rules" was no longer popular.

As I'd never heard of the book prior his mentioning it, I asked him to further elaborate and, lo and behold! I discovered the ~~horror~~ wonder that is "The Rules: Time-Tested Secrets for Capturing the Heart of Mr. Right".

Women were using this as a sort of bible from 1995 (its publication) to mid-2000. I had never heard of it before, (apparently some good came from being mired in a 7-year relationship), and was thus thoroughly incensed at the very essence of it. (Feminist? Me? Why do you say that?)

I don't know if I was more insulted by the fact that, according to this book, a woman's ultimate goal in life is to snare a man to marry, or the fact that it basically teaches you how to "play" a guy until you get what you want (i.e. commitment and marriage).

Seriously, whatever happened to gaging your success by your personal accomplishments rather then whether or not you've got a man on your arm?! Books like this throw women back in the dark ages. Hell, don't we have enough Disney movies telling little girls that they need to patiently wait in their castles for their princes to rescue them? (Except for Mulan. Mulan kicks ass.)

See the following excerpts for samples of this ass-hattery:

EXHIBIT A: "Stop Dating Him if He Doesn't Buy You a Romantic Gift for Your Birthday or Valentine's Day"

Wow. This is a great rule. Makes perfect sense... if you were 12. You'd think that grown women would have a bit more sense. You can't "trick" a guy into being more romantic. He'll either do it or he won't-- just the same as you. Trying to fit relationships into little boxes is like trying to define Art, for god's sake. You just *can't*.

EXHIBIT B: "Don’t See Him More than Once or Twice a Week" and EXHIBIT C: "Don't Call Him & Rarely Return His Calls"

Anyone who uses 'playing hard to get' as a core concept in their book should be taken out back and shot.

EXHIBIT D: "Don't Stare at Men or Talk Too Much"

Okay, so the first part of this rule I kind of get. It's hardly polite to be ogling other men while you're on a date, right? But the second part? How on earth can this be a Rule?

Don't talk too much! He might find out that you've got a personality, then where would you be? Oh WOE!!

There's actually a crapload of these Rules, but I have neither the time nor the inclination to write about them further. I did more research and apparently craploads of feminists and oh, I don't know, EDUCATED women have been criticizing the shit out of this book for years. Hence the title of this post.

But yeah, I may be late coming in to the party, but I still felt the need to say it: you don't need to burn your bras to be socially empowered, girls-- just burn that fricking book.