Category: writing

a book review, and then some

In the second installment of A Song of Ice and Fire, King Robert Baratheon is dead, and four kings insist their claim to the Iron throne: the boy Joffrey, Robert’s eldest son but is believed to be the fruit of his mother’s incestual relationship with his uncle Jaime, the Kingslayer; the boy Robb, Ned Stark’s eldest son and self-proclaimed King of the North; and Robert’s brothers, Renly Baratheon, who commands several Houses who have sworn their allegiance; and Stannis Baratheon, Robert’s brother, who has dismissed the old gods for the more powerful (but suspicious) Lord of Light. Meanwhile, Sansa Stark is still held hostage by the Lannisters, Jaime Lannister is held hostage by the Starks, Arya serves at the Lannister-controlled Harrenhal but keeps her identity secret, and Daenerys of House Targaryen tries to find a way to land an army on Westeros and unleash her dragon-children. In the sky, a blood-red comet passes, spelling both doom and victory, depending on who is looking.

With such a complex plot and so many characters, a less skilled writer would have ended up confusing readers, and maybe even confusing himself, but Martin’s storytelling is strong and sure. And such twists! And such suspense! Martin is testament to the fact that you can produce a novel that is fast-paced and action-packed, but still let the language shine through. A really good read.

(The third book is A Storm of Swords and is already waiting for me over at Jaykie’s, but I’ll take a break from Martin for a bit to read The River King by Alice Hoffman, which was lent to me by Kat. :) )

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Speaking of Martin, I’ve been seeing this card deck at Jaykie’s

and I’ve been asking him to teach me how to play for days, so on Friday we finally sat down for a round:

I controlled House Lannister:

I lost! LOL. But I found this card game easier to understand than Magic. The art is awesome.

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Speaking of awesome art, after I came back from the weekend I found this sitting on my bed:

Inside the packet are complimentary copies and a letter from GASFI. Thank you so much! :D

I don’t know if the book has already hit the book stores, but if you ever come across a copy, flip through the pages for a preview and maybe buy one for the kiddies? :) The book is published on glossy paper and the art is lively and bright. I really love Ray Sunga’s artwork here. My first children’s book! *squee*

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And speaking of stories, thanks to Don Jaucian for including “The Just World of Helena Jimenez” in his list of spec fic best-reads in 2009. You may read that story here.

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A lovely sound: Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Halfway through this year and I’m lovin’ it.

Mareklamo nga lang ang ating bise-presidente. Hay, kuya. Ang buong Pilipinas AY HINDI MAKATI.

Nakaka-turn off ka. ‘Yun lang.

fidelis tan reviews ‘demons of the new year’

Here and here, over at POC. About my story, “Salot“, Tan writes:

Salot

Eliza Victoria

Salot brings us to the birthing place of horror stories – the “probinsya.” A good portion of the story involves the main character – a girl from the province about to go to the city for college – going over the horror stories she’s heard from friends and family. These stories are strange little blurbs about sighting apparitions and hearing voices in the night – the kind of stories we’ve all heard before, from maybe a family member or friend, and which more often than not take place outside the safeties of big cities.

The main character gripes over these stories – they’re part of an absurd, backwards culture she’s ready to ditch. But just as she’s about to leave all those old superstitions behind, the old superstitions (in typical horror story fashion) come to her. This is when the story takes a sharp turn for the unexpected – the salot, the supposed bringers of plague and ill fortune, are not quite what she’s always been told they were, and the way she treats them is far from how other people have.

Salot is a sweet read, and the suggestion that the things that go bump in the night might have much more to them than the probinsya-type horror stories suggest, is in itself enough to make it worth reading.

Read the whole anthology here. It’s available online for free.

catch that story idea!

I’ve set aside Falling Man to read this. Thanks Jaykie for the pressure buying me a copy. Note the lace bookmark. (I make bookmarks out of everything. Folded receipts, shirt tags, etc. This one came from a top I own. I still wear that top – amazingly the subtraction worked.)

I have an idea for a story, but every time I sit down to start writing it just runs away. It simply won’t take shape. Very frustrating. One of these days I’ll sit down in a quiet corner with a pen and my Spongebob notebook (the white, empty screen of my laptop is making me puke) and a cup of coffee and brainstorm until I churn out an outline. (“Outline” is a fancy term I use for snippets of scene descriptions and dialogue arranged in more or less chronological order. I don’t do the academic outline with the Roman numerals and shit, I’m not that crazy.)

Also, I just learned at the PSF V launch (thanks Charles for the head’s up) that my poem, “Tour Guide” (the last poem I wrote before the pesky poetry writer’s block hit), is in the April 4 issue of the Free Press. Yeah, I’m late, I’m sorry, I forget to monitor these things. Hope you can get a copy. :) National Bookstore and the convenience stores (7-Eleven, Mini-Stop) carry back issues; Jaykie and I even saw some inside a Mercury Drug branch. So yes, my poetry can be found inside a drug store, or on the shelf beside the booze. Coolest thing ever.

on fragments


Don DeLillo’s Falling Man. Reading this now. The prose is just perfect.

Yesterday I re-read this piece I had been working on and had set aside for what felt like forever, and lo I still like it. I was pleasantly surprised. Maybe I can finish this thing.

I don’t think I  can write poetry anymore, hm. Everything turns into prose. But meh, the words can take whatever form they want, as long as they leave my head.

book launch

From Dean Alfar’s blog:

Philippine Speculative Fiction has become one of the country’s most consistent and highly-anticipated yearly anthology series, showcasing the continuing development of the exciting field of speculative fiction writing. This fifth volume, edited by Nikki Alfar and Vincent Michael Simbulan, collects a broad spectrum of short stories that define, explore, and sometimes blur the boundaries of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and all things in between—featuring the work of both literary luminaries and very new voices, from across the archipelago and the globe. PSF 5 contains stories by:

Angelo R. ‘Sarge’ Lacuesta Dean Francis Alfar
Rica Bolipata-Santos Paolo Gabriel V. Chikiamco
Timothy James Dimacali Joseph F. Nacino
Charles Tan Dominique Gerald Cimafranca
Isabel Yap Christine V. Lao
Raymond G. Falgui Mia Tijam
Joseph Anthony Montecillo Ejay Domingo
Apol Lejano-Massebieau Veronica Montes
Alexander Osias Fidelis Angela C. Tan
Andrew Drilon Gabriela Lee
Aileen Familara Marla Cabanban
Eliza Victoria Kate Aton-Osias
Kenneth Yu

The fifth volume will be launched on April 24 (Saturday), 3 pm, U-View Theater, Fully Booked High Street. If you see me there, say hi! (And, if you have money to spare, buy the book!)

This post has way too many exclamation points!

Flashback! Look at them covers. :) I am also in the fourth volume.

vacation, or this incredible heat

Bulacan till Easter Sunday. Halu-halo. My mother’s caldereta and kare-kare, yum. Sex and the City. How I Met Your Mother. Some Big Bang Theory. One story, done, but needs re-reading and edits. One story, edited, final read, done (hopefully). Silly computer games, like Diner Dash, to kill time. Jollibee with my brother. Re-read Atwood’s The Robber Bride. Drank Mint Choco Bailey’s with my father while watching a godawful action film.  Made my brother watch The Ruins, and of course he hated me for it, hehe.

The heat was torture. I’d take a long cold shower when I wake up and in a few hours I’d be swimming in my own sweat. I’d take a shower in the afternoon, and I’d start sweating while wiping myself dry. How can we live like this?

I hate the summer. I love beaches, the feel of the sand, the look of the water and the sky, but I hate the heat. Hate it hate it hate it. If asked to choose between an airconditioned hotel room and swimming at the beach under direct sunlight, I’d choose the hotel room in a heartbeat. I’m a worthless tourist like that. Seriously, we should hold tours at night, and swim only when it’s dark. (Boy, I sure hope the sun would hide behind thick clouds during the Bohol trip with Jaykie and Friends next month.)

Anyway, met up with the boyfriend after Lent. It was so hot during the commute back to the metro that I was SERIOUSLY this close to punching a stranger. Seriously. Seriously. So I had a shower first in my airconditioned room. Airconditioning. It is bliss.

Went to UP. Lunch at Choco Kiss (airconditioning!), had the Chicken Kiev. Some The Office. On Tuesday we planned to stay indoors, but ahoy rotational blackouts. Even a moron wouldn’t want to stay indoors in this heat, so off we go to UP, which also experienced a blackout (fuck – it’s as if it’s following us), played cards with Mark who happened to be at the HGC tambayan, then off to the mall.

We watched this! (Mark mentioned that Jme wanted to watch it on Saturday I’m sorry Jme it was hot and I was miserable and I wanted to laugh please don’t hate me for dragging Jaykie and watching it ahead of you guys. T_T)

As I was saying –

Photo from Filmofilia.

I love this film. (Despite the fact that the children speak with an American accent while the adults speak with a Scottish accent – despite the fact that they’re all supposed to be Vikings.) It’s  one of those few 3D films that you won’t mind paying extra to watch through the funky glasses.  (Now, if I can find me a theater where your chair tilts as the dragon spins and descends…)

3D tech has been abused lately, but in this case, it’s quite effective.

Oh, and have I mentioned that I was sweating while we’re waiting in line to buy our tickets inside the mall?

I was sweating. Inside. The mall.

It was seven p.m. when the film ended, so it was safe to venture out since the sun’s finally disappeared from the sky. But before we went home we tried eating at this Vietnamese restaurant (whose name I can’t remember! The heat’s killing off my brain cells!) for dinner. I enjoyed the salad. The vegetable’s really fresh, and the dressing’s light and tasty.

All in all, great vacation. (But still – the heat’s a real fucker.)

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In other news, my story “Once They Were Gods” will appear in is in the April issue of Expanded Horizons soon. Watch this space.  Go click and read! :)

I’m also looking forward to the Summer Komikon and the Philippine Speculative Fiction V book launch this month. Yay!

me want earrings

I love earrings. Now you know what to get me for my birthday and/or Christmas! Or on any random day, really. :D (You can also get me some nice earring compartments or a cheap jewelry chest. Right now I store them all in an ice cream tin can from Yellow Cab. They all look rather sad in there.)

I bought these yesterday:

I love this pair!

I also bought a necklace for good measure.

In they all go to the tin can! Ha!

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Right now I want some bracelets. And wide headbands with feathers (yeahhhh). And some rings. Big, chunky, clunky rings. I’ll look for those next. Any recos? Shops or personal stash or whatnot? :) They better be cheap. None of those 300-peso-a-bracelet nonsense.

And more earrings of course, for one can’t have too many earrings.

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And there you go: another worthless blog post. :) I’ll stay offline for the rest of the week, writing and reading and making myself fat.(I’m about to finish one story, and I think I have one that needs editing. Hopefully a poem idea slaps me in the face soon so I can write one again. But fiction’s treating me fine, somehow, so it’s all right.)

Till then!