SIGNS & PORTENTS

Teodoro C. Benigno's Opinion column Here's the Score seems to be predicting doom and gloom for the Philippines in stark contrast to the sunny outlook touted by current administration supporters.

Of course, everyone else seems to be in the "doom and gloom" mode given the increasing lack of faith in the current democratic institutions in this country. What's interesting is his attack on... the Catholic Church for coming out and essentially declaring the voting free of cheating even before the tallying of COCs have been completed.

In his own words,

This is a double rendering to Caesar what is due Caesar, (in this case Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo), and to God what is God’s, in this case the assembled bishops of the most numerous Church. I say the Church has ventured into slippery ground, which has to do with the constitutional separation of Church and State. I say the Church should have left FPJ alone. He should have been allowed to walk the constitutional trail without encumbrance, limp and stagger if need be in the canvassing, and collapse at the end. FPJ did not have to be told, however indirectly, he had already lost the presidential elections even before the Congressional canvassing started.

This is not fair. This is not just.

I have never been a fan or admirer of FPJ. In fact, I have often roasted him over the coals in this space as being unfit for the presidency. But as in the profession of prizefighting, he should never have been counted out while he was still standing, even if he was bloodied and broken all over. Since the Church believes in miracles, there was still the miracle Da King could recover and beat GMA by a whisker. But I suppose he was condemned to defeat from the very beginning by the Establishment. Even in cockfighting, the injured or fatally crippled cock is removed from the pit only when it is dead and cannot stir anymore.

Welcome back, Jack


"Cynosure. Sweet, cynical Cynosure. Where the dimensions meet... Guns work here, magic works there... swords work everywhere."

I first encountered Grimjack in the cluttered and grimy comics shop of Tibor. I started late in the series, but eventually managed to hunt down almost every last back issue of this series.

Grimjack was essentially an ex-soldier turned Private Investigator / Mercenary / Bodyguard. He had a code of ethics that he stuck to come hell or high water, and often found those principles tested in the back alleys and twisted intrigues that plagued Cynosure and all the dimensions touched by the Eternity Rail.

I remember John Gaunt known better as Grimjack. I remember his best friend Blackjacmac and regulars at Munden's Bar. I remember the tragedy of Rhian and the Demon Wars and magical, doomed Pdwyr. I remember Mama Joe Miller and her infamous medallion (Miller's Medallion). I remember the arch-villains: Dancer, the Hanged Man, and the demons... all those stories and more...

Now it's all finally coming back. After years and years of attempts, John Ostrander and Tim Truman's creation "GrimJack" will be making a comeback after finally securing the rights to the character they created. IDW Publishing announced that they'd be the new home of "GrimJack." The article can be found here.

Bananaman and Kid Saging
Here's a neat picture by a friend of mine of a comic strip that'll be coming out.



Pick up the comic book compilation WAN, and the the upcoming TU and TRI.

Tales from the North: Sa Lahat ng Fans...

... ni Sharon Cuneta?

One of the funny moments during our bus ride up to San Fernando, La Union was when we were listening to the radio on the bus. Eraserheads' "Para sa Masa" came on and we we began musing about the effect of Eraserheads on the local music scene, the band explosion that came around that same time, Ely Buendia's songwriting, River Maya's songs...

Then we heard the lines

sa lahat ng di marunong bumasa
sa lahat ng may problema sa skwela
sa lahat ng fans ni sharon cuneta

and began to laugh inanely.

One of the ways to understand the Filipino psyche is really to listen to OPM songs (even the badly written ones). They speak volumes about what our desires, dreams and daily struggles are about... and reveal all the myriad attitudes that Pinoys and Pinays have towards the trials they encounter in life.

They also speak volumes about what various record companies believe the "masa" wants to hear, but that's another tale...

Tales from the North: Poro Point
We ended up taking lots of pictures all over Poro Point. We got to see the Voice of America facilities (but were only allowed to take pics of the outsides). Very tight security there. Once our cameras were out of digital film, we were allowed inside the facilities and got to see the racks of electronic equipment, backup generators, control room, emergency room, and a peek at the door to the safe room and rooftop escape hatch.

We go to see the cottages (where even GMA stays when in La Union) and the white sand beach. We got to see the lighthouse (but weren't able to go up into it). We even got to go to the La Union airport!



Here we are posing by the "Adarna Plane" we discovered at the airport. From left to right, that's me, then Ross, Jay, and the shadowy and mysterious Lenard.



Here's the frontage for the Ma-Cho Temple. It's a Chinese Temple honoring the female deity Ma-Cho, also known as the... Virgin of Casayaysay. Say what?

Tales from the North: Bus Trip
The trip to San Fernando, La Union was cold. You see, we weren't warned that the bus trip (on a Partas bus) was gonna be cold. Airconditioned are supposed to be cold, but because it was a night trip, it was even colder. For folks in T-shirts, it was a problem.

The Nisce twins had brought jackets and caps. I began wearing a shirt on my head to keep it warm, and crossing my arms over my chest. Eventually, Jay (who had brought a jacket) loaned me his, being somewhat impervious to the cold. Lenard placed a towel over his head.

There were several pit stops along the way where we bought snacks and drinks or used their facilities. The music was a mix of old and older pop songs and ballads that we occasionally made fun of, or began long trips down musical memories of our younger years.

We finally arrived at around 2:30 AM at the twins' place.

Kids, a trip up to San Fernando, La Union costs P235. Don't forget your jacket and headgear if you travel by night. An alternative sound system may be of concern to you, if you don't like the ABS-CBN radio station's programming.

Tales from the North

Lenard, Jay, Ross and I survived the Partas trip to San Fernando, La Union. Oddly enough, half the crew almost missed the bus... literally. We were told that the bus would leave at 9pm, and so Lenard and Ross went to find Jollibee food. Around the time we began to wonder where they were (8:15pm) the call went out for our bus.

And so we called them up and said "get back here". After convincing them it wasn't a joke, they made it back in time.

More on the trip later!

COMPLEAT and COMPLETE

My father once told me that the words "compleat" and "complete" are two different words. The word "compleat" is neither an incorrectly spelled "complete", nor the British way of spelling the American "complete". It is a different word, with a similar meaning. They are not, however, the same.

From Dictionary.com

COMPLEAT
adj.

1. Of or characterized by a highly developed or wide-ranging skill or proficiency: “The compleat speechwriter... comes to anonymity from Harvard Law” (Israel Shenker).
2. Being an outstanding example of a kind; quintessential: “Here was the compleat modern misfit: the very air appeared to poison him; his every step looked treacherous and hard won” (Stephen Schiff).

COMPLETE
adj. com·plet·er, com·plet·est

1. Having all necessary or normal parts, components, or steps; entire: a complete meal.
2. Botany. Having all principal parts, namely, the sepals, petals, stamens, and pistil or pistils. Used of a flower.
3. Having come to an end; concluded.
4. Absolute; total: “In Cairo I have seen buildings which were falling down as they were being put up, buildings whose incompletion was complete” (William H. Gass).
5. a. Skilled; accomplished: a complete musician.
b. Thorough; consummate: a complete coward.