Updates

surrogates

What if: you can live your life through a robot proxy?

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You don’t have to get up from bed. You don’t even have to brush your teeth or take a bath, because through your proxy, or Surrogate, you always look perfect.

What if: something goes wrong?

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I enjoyed watching this film.

Photos from Filmofilia.com

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In other news, I’ve finished Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog starring Neil Patrick Harris (Neil Patrick Harris!), and written by Joss Whedon et al. I hate you Mr. Whedon, you are too awesome.

I’ve also started reading Warren Ellis’s Transmetropolitan.

I couldn’t write anything because I just found out yesterday that my MS Office (and my antivirus) has expired. Darn it.

the farthest shore is now live

Clicky -click!

My story in this collection of secondary worlds, “The Just World of Helena Jimenez”, is over here.

Feel free to repost/share the link. :D

notes on the storm

‘Ondoy’ dumps heaviest rainfall on Manila in more than four decades

– When I heard on the news that the storm would hit land Saturday, I didn’t think too much of it. I mean, we get a gazillion storms every year.

– That day I even woke up early, thinking I could go for a jog if the rain had stopped. I couldn’t hear anything because the windows were closed. I pushed back the curtain and boy oh boy.

– A flatmate had work that morning; she came back minutes later and said she couldn’t cross the street, the water in front of the condo had already reached her knees.

– An office mate informed me through text that the front steps of our office was submerged in flood water. Dahil ganito kami sa Makati, y’all.

– It ain’t just Makati, it turned out. At around 2 p.m. my sister sent a text message saying there’s water now entering the first floor of her boarding house (she lived in Manila), and that she couldn’t contact our brother, who left at 10 a.m. for Bulacan.

– I managed to go online briefly, and a friend sent a message through chat: This is the first time a storm has ever scared me.

– I stayed glued to the TV. At one point, actress Jennica Garcia, Jean Garcia’s daughter, called Startalk to say that the Marikina Riverbank had overflowed, and that there was now water reaching the second floor of their house. She was crying and begging for rubber boats.

– It was so surreal.

– Later we heard that Ara Mina’s sister, Christine Reyes, was on the roof of their house with her pamangkin, also asking for help.

– My brother was still missing.

– The news said that several towns in Bulacan were now flooded.

– At around 7 p.m., my brother finally sent a text. He was stranded in Isetann.

– My office mate, who lived just behind the office, couldn’t get home. She texted me at around 11 p.m.

– My mother texted: There is now water inside the house.

– At 7 this morning (Sunday) my brother was still not home.

– I watched TV and was infuriated by Kris Aquino’s cheeriness. “They just pledged 2,000 bottles of VitWater. VitWater’s the one with Pacman, right? Okay yan o, may nutrients pa.” Te, te, bagyo kasi ‘to, hindi piyesta. Imbiyerna!

– Brother finally reached Bulacan at 10 a.m., 24 hours after he left Manila.

– Now I’m looking outside the window, and it is sunny. If you’re cranky and tired like me, you’ll probably consider the sunshine as an insult.

– I hope you guys are okay.

meanwhile, somewhere in texas

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Click here to read the September issue of The Houston Literary Review. “News About the End of the World” is on page 4, just zoom in. :)

Love the cover art.

notes on the mibf 09

I went on Saturday with fellow book fair first-timer Eula. Promised myself that I will only buy local books, since I’ve already amassed several foreign books from the bookstores and other book bargain sales. Promised myself that I will never buy another book till mid-2010. No, really. Control yourself, damn it.

–          Wow, ang laki ng SMX.

–          Wow, books.

–          WOOOOOOOW.

–          First stop, Visprint, so I can finally get me those dead-tree versions of the Trese books.

–          I did not recognize Trese author Budjette Tan. I asked, Magkano po yung Trese?

–          Eula’s spidey sense tingled, and so we asked Manang Cashier. She said, “Oo, siya ‘yun. Papa-autograph kayo?”

–          Me, to self: SO KUMUSTA NAMAN YUNG KABOBOHAN MO, ELIZA.

–          Went back to the author. Budjette asked, “What’s your name?” I felt the temptation to say, “Pedro”.

–          I went, Oh I’ve read the first seven issues online, so-and-so is my favorite. Nagpa-charming ang lola mo para maitago ang katangahan haha. :D

–          No, I don’t think it worked either.

–          Kajo (Trese artist) was also there. Woo-hoo, great art!

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–          Pre-ordered the third Trese book. :) Nawa’y hindi mawala yung libro at makarating naman siya sa ‘kin before October 18.

–          I want a Trese poster featuring the Kambal, nyorks.

–          UP Press. Got Nouveau Bored by Marc Gaba (I am in love with the cover art, seriously), You Are Here by Mabi David, and Libot ng Durungawan by Allan Popa (I haven’t read a Filipino poetry collection in a long while).

–          Ateneo Press: Got The Highest Hiding Place by Larry Ypil.

–          Ayos ‘tong book fair, at least I didn’t have to go all the way to UP or Ateneo just to buy the books. (That’s what I did to purchase the Conchitina Cruz books.)

–          Can’t wait to crack these books open and be inspired and write my own stories/poems and all that cal.

the farthest shore covers

I think I’m in love.

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F2W10-backa

From editor Joseph Nacino’s site:

But really, this is just an excuse to show you the final front cover art for The Farthest Shore anthology done by the excellent tyron caliente. Granted the cover is for the PDF download, the art will still be available on the actual website itself.