Writing and Blogging Infused with Culture

Blogging on the said event will be - yours truly. Though live-blogging is not exactly something I do usually, this is an event I’m making an exception. The event will discuss SEO writing and useful 101s on blogging.

I also haven’t been to the Yuchengco Museum and this is my chance to visit the place while attending a substantive talk on writing and blogging. It’s not every day that the Freelance Writers Guild of the Philippines will be having events as such, taking advantage of opportunities like this is a must on my list.

The Yuchengco Museum is one of the stone structures that proves the harmony between Filipino-Chinese communities. I wish to one day exhibit my works here but for now, I'm happy just having to visit the place while killing numbers of birds at the same time.The Arts & Culture is something that not all of us have a clear picture with, since most writers tend to stick with the arts of letters. Having this place as a venue really opens up windows into other areas of arts.

There’s a huge number of Filipinos who blog but only a few of them actually get to earn through blogging. The event will also be demystifying SEO writing, which is something not all writers understand. If you wish to take part on SEO writing and start earning through it then I highly suggest that you join in.

Know more about the event on Panitikan.com.ph

 

Reservations are available and I believe that early birds will have discounts. If you have questions then don’t be afraid to ask and call the numbers on the link.

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The Freelance Writers’ Guild of the Philippines (FWGP) teams up with the Yuchengco Museum for a series of writers’ workshops and substantive talks of experts on culture, art, design and heritage. “Media practitioners, journalists and writers are the links by which cultural information and education is disseminated to the general public. In the information age, it is imperative that cultural institutions share substantive knowledge about culture, art, design and heritage. This 2012, Yuchengco Museum focuses on Culture and Media, bringing together ideas, sectors, groups and institutions in collaborative ventures that will highlight Culture as an intrinsic and central pillar for development directions,” museum curator Jeannie Javelosa announced. Under the program Culture and Media, Yuchengco Museum partners with writers groups, the first of which is the FWGP.

The first-in-a-series of workshops kicks off at noon on Saturday, Feb. 11 for a workshop by blogging pioneers Ganns Deen on Blogging 101, Janette Toral on Search Engine Optimization or SEO. Dannie Alvarez of the Yuchengco Museum will give a theoretical framework on culture, to be followed by Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist Arch. Isabel “Cookie” Berenguer Asuncion with her talk on “Let the Eyes Speak, Articulating the Language of Design,” with her talk opened to the general public at 3:30pm.

The FWGP is a new group of freelance writers based in the Philippines. Its members include journalists, newspaper and magazine contributors, copywriters, researchers and documenters, blog writers, screenwriters, literary writers and SEO experts. It is committed to protecting the welfare of freelance writers, and to elevating the quality of their work output.

Yuchengco Museum fosters a greater public appreciation of the finest in Filipino and Filipino-Chinese visual arts and creativity. It does not only showcase art, but also serves as a forum of exchange, debate, and education.

The FWGP’s founder Ime Morales says that the series aims to seek new writers from among the participants of the seminars and mentor/ help them develop writing skills; educate aspiring writers about the different forms of writing for new media/blogs, TV & film, children, among others. The group also wishes to help current writers upgrade their skills, especially in new media. Finally, they wish to enhance the capability of writers – senior, junior and aspiring – by educating them on possible streams or sources of income outside of the practice of their profession.

The Culture and Media Program 2012 will focus on writing for the needs and supporting specifics of the Creative Industries. Lines up by the FWGP are Writing for TV, Film and Theater back-to-back with What Clicks with the Filipino Masa: Motifs in Filipino Blockbuster Films / the Indie Culture in April; Opinion Writing vis-à-vis Filipino Cultural Values: The Spirituality in Filipino Dance and Music for July; and Writing for Children with Philippine Culture and History as Source of Inspiration for Creative Concepts in October.

Workshop fees are pegged at P1,800. inclusive of attendance in one session, a day pass to the Yuchengco Museum, cocktails and a certificate of attendance or participation.

Cash or credit card payments are accepted and may be coursed through the Yuchengco Museum. Check the website for more information and schedules of talks for the year www.yuchengcomsueum.org. For inquiries, email abrina_programs@yuchengcomuseum.org or call 889.1234. The museum is located at the ground floor of RCBC Plaza, corner Ayala and Sen. Gil Puyat Avenues, Makati City.

Starving Poet: Thorn Among Flowers?

Poetry on the wall.
The mounted pieces are made of groundwood (Untreated Paper)
and are hand-sewn to keep the leaves together.

Yesterday was the opening of Art at 50 at Ishmael Bernal Gallery where I joined in and added a few copies of my poetry selection this 2011. I also included the prints of the triptych visual poetry collaboration with Zeus Bascon back in 2006.
Most of the pieces are visual arts with little words in them but mine was mostly in literature and very little to do with the visuals.

I do believe F. Sionil Jose when he said that “Literature is the highest form of Art”

Though my pieces may be a bit considered remote in the exhibit, I stand firm in my decision to post poetry among dozens of visual art pieces. I wasn't prepared since I was notified quite late. Most of my art books were sold during the 10a Alabama event and also during Pride March. I didn't have time to replenish my books.

Art at 50 celebrates art pieces that can be bought at an affordable price. If you don’t have a gift for a friend then perhaps a visit to Bernal Gallery in UP Diliman will give you ideas and gifts for your friends and others.

The Exhibit will be open until classes resume next year, probably til the first week of January.

Go ahead and take a look. After that you can head to the UPFI Cine Adarna theatre and watch a film for free.

The Current State of a Starving Writer

I remember last year that I was totally broke I did not have even the money to get to work, I had nothing the whole day. The fridge in the condo unit I was staying has nothing for me and I had 20 pesos in my pockets. P10 became load which zeroed out in the next ten minutes of having it since I had to tell my boss I couldn’t make it to work. I didn't lie, I told her I'm broke.

The other P10 became a piece of banana which of course disappeared within ten seconds.

The day before I had a couple of flat tops for lunch, it wasn’t filling but of course it was better than without. I couldn’t bother to call my mother in the US or any of my other siblings living a life of comfort in different corners of the globe.

I chose to stay here, to fulfill my dreams right in the soil of the motherland.

There was no other way, it was a Friday and I had to get back to my home in Laguna, it was the first and last time that my salary was delayed for a few days. I couldn’t bring myself to borrow money but of course out of hopelessness and famine I was forced to contact a friend of mine who works in Makati who was kind enough to lend me some cash. The problem was I didn’t have the money to go to Makati from Mandaluyong.

I was doomed.

But of course that was last year, at the end of the day my salary went through and I was able to go back to Laguna for the weekend.

Today, I may be experiencing the same thing. I just know that being a writer will never ever make me rich. It’s a very enduring profession but I keep telling myself that I’m not doing it for money but yes, a little bit of comfort won’t hurt and comfort would of course cost money.

F. Scott Fitzgerald, George Orwell and other writers before me have suffered as well as writers. Fitzgerald had to toil in order to support his lavish lifestyle and George Orwell hid his poverty stricken status by hiding away and keeping the bread he bought in his pockets for people might see him buying cheap bread.

This week, I found myself eating Kimchi Ramyun noodles and baked beans straight from a can.

The feeling of air-headedness starts to kick in when I haven’t been eating healthy and nutritious food. As a faithful vegetarian, I need to eat more varying vegetables in order to fulfill my daily nutritional needs, which of course were flung to the Pasig River since the beginning of the week.

I try to kill my blazing appetite with water. The fridge at my place in Katipunan only has a spread of Sugar-free orange marmalade and another bottle of molasses. It could last me another week.

Another book will be sold again this week and somehow, I consider it as a shining ray of hope to extend my days before complete famine and destituteness.

Meetings and events that requires attendance may have to be postponed which also meant that the progress of my careers would stop to a halt as well. I shall go, even if I have to pack boiled sweet potatoes for lunch.

What George Orwell and I had in common, I recently discovered, was that despite famine looming over our heads – we were able to hide it quite perfectly. He never wanted anyone to know he was a starving writer when he was in France that he couldn’t even tell his laundry maid that he had no money to pay her anymore that his maid thought he had another one doing the work for him and had conceived contempt towards him – that, he’d rather accept.

In my case, I do my own laundry because the idea of stranger going through my clothes is enough to drive to neurotic madness and yes, I also won’t pay for a service I can do better myself. No one else knows how to take care of my clothes but me alone.

Being broke and having this status burned on my skin and soul keeps me grounded. That girl that everyone’s telling me to ask out will never be asked out, for the sole reason – I can’t afford dinner. I can’t afford to pay for her fare, drive her to places and thankless tasks I would normally do for someone out of sheer honor and a tinge of pride. Because I have this ideology that frugal pocket is proportional to frugal passion and the code of etiquette for lesbians – “the asker pays for dinner”.

I also can’t entertain others when asked out, because I will always offer to go Dutch and since I can’t even afford to go Dutch then I would rather spend the evening reading books and studying new materials or writing the novel I’ve been dying to finish.

If the asker or askee insists on paying for my dinner: an epic battle will ensue.

Friends are also starting to miss me since I haven’t been able to hang out.

Poverty is like a chain and ball cuffed to my every limb. But it doesn’t necessarily mean I’m unhappy, I just know that I’ll get through this high and low state of my early-twenties life.

Buy my book… :D

Search for the best Vegetarian Restaurants (Manila)

For a starving writer, I barely starve, I also believe that the “Starving Writer Feeder’s” Club has something to do with it. I’m thankful for having a lot of friends who are very supportive of what I’m doing. I suppose it’s apt to say that I’m a struggling writer… I have my famished times too.

Recently I have been trying out Vegetarian Restaurants around manila. As a vegetarian, I find it a treat and a good way to expand my taste pallet. I cook for myself however, I would rather have someone cook for me and therefore a very good life partner would be a “cook”, otherwise I would have to spend time learning how to cook new dishes.

*Oh and I joined my other vegetarian friends who came from Olongapo to Vegetarian Resto Hop and for two days we ate at several restaurants in Manila, I didn't have to spend much. Thanks Carlo and Clarice and hope your Vegetarian Restaurant in Olongapo would soon be realized. Good Wishes!!

Here are the reviews of the Vegetarian Restaurants in Manila. I must warn you that my reviews are subjective but I’m sure you are smart enough to know that people have differing opinions about everything. (In descending order, that’s right from “Great to Not-So-Great”)

Greens

Scout Castor in Tomas Morato, the place can easily be mistaken for a house, because it once was (the toilet even has a shower).

The place upon entering is canopied by green plants and a few trees.  And warmth surrounds the atmosphere of the interiors of the restaurant. A must try would be their Barbecue, coming in only at P75 a meal and the option of having red rice or java rice is available, so as not to make your barbecues lonely, includes a serving of their atsara.

I tried their Sisig, it wasn’t bad. The serving was good enough for two people and it costs P120 without rice. Their grilled vegetable wrap was good. I can’t wait to taste the rest in their menu. For desserts, they have vegan chocolate cake and other tasty treats, although some of them aren’t always available. Their Baklava is a nice match for tea.

They also have wifi, therefore it became my office for a couple of days and very nice toilet.

Pipino

Malingap St. Teacher’s Village. (Maginhawa).

Tofu Balls by Pipino

Go with tofu balls for the appetizers, they’re wonderful and excellent for sharing. I tried their Vegetable curry with Couscous. It was good but it became too tiring for my taste buds half way. The presentation was good, rice in the middle of a large plate then splashed with the vegetable and curry sauce, topped with 3 thin slices of tofu. Some green sprout was holding the 3 slices of tofu in place.

They have interesting dishes such as the demi-dried stuffed tomatoes and the Portobello mushroom steak, which are quite good and worth a comeback.

Their vegan lasagna wasn’t exactly what I would have a taste for the second time, it was peculiarly sweet and tiring halfway.

The place is decent and clean, although the people dining there are quite loud, as though they want to force the other people to eavesdrop with their comatose inducing conversations. Familiar doodles were on the wall and paintings probably coming from my friend Zeus Bascon’s circle of artists.

Smoking area at the back, not that it’s something I should be happy for. Clean and decent toilet is a plus.

Price ranges with meals have a mean of P200, pretty pricey for a writer who has an average monthly salary. I’ve dined there last January three times, once in three consecutive weeks.

Eggplant and Tofu Miso

Vegetable Curry with Couscous

Camote Fries By Pipino

Portobello Steak

Demi-dried stuffed Tomatoes

Nom Nom Nom

Timog, Quezon City

A great place to dine in and hang-out with friends, I remember my painter friend Zeus Bascon saying he will be exhibiting his works there or simply displaying some of his works. I liked the color combination of the place and the feeling when you’re inside. Artworks and interesting trinkets from young artists hung on the wall. The nostalgic designs of the tables and chairs can truly take you to another dimension as though in a dream.

They have their slab pizzas and tofu meal creations, I didn’t like their stir-fry tofu but the others were great.

Price rates are a bit higher than Greens but they’re a bit reasonable, though the toilet… hmm I don’t really appreciate. I really wish they could make it a bit better since the prices of their meals aren’t exactly pocket-friendly.

Ha Yuan

Timog x Tomas Morato? (I forgot where it was but I’ve eaten there a couple of times already)

This is a Chinese restaurant that’s vegetarian friendly. They have vegetarian siopao which is my favorite and their Cold Taho is very popular.

My friend suggested trying out their Lumpiang Ubod and to my surprise it was really good. The dish is always served fresh and with bamboo shoots too. They have a wide selection of mushroom and tofu dishes, which are always worth a try. They have a good selection of vegetarian meals and if you’re on a date with a person who’s not exactly a vegetarian, then this is a good place to take him or her, at least there would be something for you and the other person from the menu.

The place wasn’t so bad, there were vintage Chinese paintings (Which can be knock-offs) and the sound of the traditional Chinese bamboo flute music always seem to welcome me when I go there. Meal prices aren’t that expensive although they can get expensive too.  The vegetable siopao costs P35, which is a rather small size but the Lumpia is about P80 (I think) for a serving.

Another Vegetarian friendly Chinese restaurant is Mr. Ube (Binondo and another place in QC), they have vegetarian meals but the selection isn’t that diverse. I think there’s only one vegetarian meal there…

Corner Tree Café

Jupiter St. Makati

Koftas in Tomato Sauce

Quiet place and unlike Pipino, people who dine here are afraid others might hear their conversations, so they lower their voice a notch down whispering or is it just me seeing other people’s mouth move without a sound coming out of it? Anyway, I like them, they don’t make a sound.

Trying to remember what I ate, I believe it was Koftas with Tomato Sauce or Vegetarian Indian Meatballs in Tomato Sauce with rice. I love everything with tomatoes and tomato sauce in them so this one won me over effortlessly. I’m a sucker for tomatoes.

Their Chili Beans was definitely something I would come back for. I loved chili con carne when I was a meat eater and I’ve been craving for some in the past months and finally I found a vegetarian version.

Their vegetarian lasagna must have been the best veggie lasagna I’ve tasted so far, definitely worth a try.

The interior of the café was simpler and has a more classic touch and I really find it a quiet and peaceful place.

The meals were pricier than Pipino, not to mention they have an exclusive service charge when their toilet, though clean, pales in comparison to what Pipino has. This must have been the priciest vegetarian restaurant I’ve dined so far but their dishes are wonderful, still it does not justify the price.

Bowl of Chili (Chili Beans)

Teriyaki Asparagus with Shiitake Mushrooms

Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna

Vegan Chocolate

Starter plate (Dukka and white beans Humus)

Green Halo

Cubao Expo

Tofu Sisig

For a restaurant who claims to serve organic food and items, they wrap their to-go dishes and meals in a Styrofoam. Anyway, they’re the only vegetarian restaurant in CubaoX, so I usually order there.

I tried their vegetarian Burger Steak, it was blah. Their sisig wasn’t exactly something I enjoyed eating although their Basil and Mushroom sandwich was great, I just wished they’d remove the crusts of the sandwich.

I haven’t tried their pastas, perhaps next time I would. Prices are almost the same as Greens but a bit pricier and less than appetizing. I suggest they lower their prices, I could easily remake their sisig in my sleep.

The place looked as though there was no lone concept when designing the interior, my friends liked the wall color though. Dolls and empty bottles of what-nots where on display and also some water color artwork that were for sale starting form P6,000. I would like to call their interior design concept as “Chaos” or “Chaotic”.

No toilet, either the pay-toilet outside or you sneak in Alan’s Grill for their toilet.

Best pick would be Greens. For several reasons such as having a solid wi-fi connection, which makes it perfect for those who work remotely or the place is a really good one to hang out with. It’s very homey and all your favorite cooking has their vegetarian counterparts. Clean and decent toilet with shower and you can buy your vegetarian supplies at the same place. Prices are very reasonable, though I still can’t eat there every day.

I didn’t rate their service, as in how the waiters and waitresses were since I noticed they diversify their treatment each time I visit. Sometimes they could just be stressed or thinking about something and aren’t aware they’re pulling a scowl, I forgive them as long as they don’t do something funny with the food I order.

Other Vegetarian friendly restaurants in Manila

HEAT

I haven't tried the mushroom burger of HEAT since a friend of mine said that it's in Shangri-la Plaza, it was too late when I discovered it was in the hotel. They only have the Mushroom burger for vegetarians.

Mexicali (MOA)
Garden Burger and their Grilled Vegetable Taco are great - Always a reason to try again, other options are available.

Bodhi (Megamall, SM South)

A level below Greens, not so shabby, very good alternative.

Good Spirits (The Collective, Makati) 

They have the most amazing marble brownies.

Sophia's Mediterranean Cuisine (West Gate Alabang)
Reasonable, Good and filling. One of my favorites.

Pho Hoa (Alabang Town Center, Shangri-la Plaza)
Decent, not so bad.

I will expand the list next time, I'm always up for some new tastes.

Fate will lead you to Libreria

How do you find something that's quite obscured from sight?

There was no sign, no name on the window pane of a quaint bookstore almost located at the end of Cubao Expo. Most of the time the people who frequent CubaoEx do not even know it exists. So a question I posed to the owner How do people find your store? Confidently she smiled and said

“People who are meant to find it will one way or another get here”

Of course I believed I was pre-determined to discover this place. Even a single drop of dew from a cold morning has significance.

The place is a cool cozy place where one can hang-out, drink coffee or buy Vodka from the neighboring stores and drink inside the shop while reading Hemingway or Edgar Allan Poe. They have brewed coffee which only costs P50 with refills, what could be better than that?

The diversity of the book collection is quite astounding and most of them are sold at a fraction of a cost, even going for P50 for pre-loved books.

Most of the conversations I had in Libreria are meaningful ones and the people who frequent the place are never boring, there's always something interesting that catches my eyes and even staying in silence can be rewarding.

Recently I have been dropping by the place and have made it my new office, I get to have free wifi, unlimited coffee, AC and people whom I can have good conversations with. Sometimes when the nights are good, Triccie, the owner, would open a bottle of wine, death-defying marble brownies and since the season’s giving birth to tikoy, we had fried tikoy the other day. The marble brownies are for sale, I got first dibs for free.

Currently the Bookstore will be having a soiree for organizing a book-club this coming February 3, 5pm onwards. Exclusively for people who want to join, preferably people who love to read, loves to eat and to drink wine. I will also be reading one of my poems from an earlier collection for the soiree. Please bring wine or fruits for the event and also for the Chinese New Year celebration.

 

The Starving Writer and Starving Painter

Tuesday January 18, 2011

The Plan: KKB style dinner with Zeus Bascon (Starving Painter) and yours truly (Starving Writer)

After making me wait for 45 minutes in Ayala, I told Zeus I'm going back to Mandaluyong. I wasn't in the waiting mood (I got tired of staring at the cats in Bioresearch) and it seemed that what he's doing at the exhibit took longer than I thought. So I went back to my place in Mandaluyong, I could have waited longer but my mobile phone was dying, no place to charge so I went back. I was a bit upset but I let it go. Thankfully he dropped by my place and bought me Green Tea Latte (After complaining that I wasted my time and effort hehe), he was forgiven.

So we decided to meet in starbucks in Edsa Central, took Neomi with me in case there was wifi connection available, unfortunately Starbucks doesn’t have wifi, they really are patronized for their coffee. They don’t need wifi to attract their customers but it would certainly help if that branch had wifi connection.
He was fixing some things in WhiteSpace Makati for an upcoming exhibit in which I’m afraid I won’t be able to attend to, despite my word telling him I would. I do have my reasons.

I was the one who ordered our drinks as he sat outside the café smoking, on the far table were two lesbians, I know they’re lesbians because my gaydar sense tingled. Lining up, there was another lesbian behind me, there were lesbians everywhere… I thought the lesbian couples at the far table were cute, I saw them kiss. I realized people are quite tolerating or is it just me, I was sure no one eyed them in a weird way when they kissed and they weren’t really shy to hide their relationship from the crowd.

Zeus is one of the people whom I can easily talk about everything and he’s one of the people I hang out with a lot. We talked about our projects recently and on how things are looking up for the both of us, starving artists marvel at the face of projects and opportunities because if we don’t do, we don’t eat. That is the tragic reality we face daily. He said he probably can’t work as an employee as to what I have managed to as of the moment. The truth of the matter is, I’m not really a fan of being an employee and I suppose I can tolerate it, since there are a lot of restrictions and rules when working for someone.

Although it may be quite hard to admit and I may not look it, behind this goody-two-shoes look is a badass employee who doesn’t bend the rules but ignore them. I go to work late, I leave early, I take 3-4 hour breaks and eat kimchi fried rice and what nots in my working area. A friend of mine told me it’s a miracle I’m not fired yet. My boss is too kind I suppose and my work is output basis or should I say, I’m just that good.

We spent hours talking over coffee while watching SAW 6 on my laptop, just the perfect movie to discuss my dating habits and on how we are focusing on our careers and not on our lovelives.

Around midnight we have decided to leave the coffee shop and go back to our respective modern caves. He asked if he could charge his phone at my place first before taking the bus to laguna. As we were walking to my place a bus passed and dropped a stick of balloons. It was one of those lame and tacky small balloons tied in one stick, which boyfriends who have no idea what to give their girlfriends on valentines day buy. He gave it to me and we had a funny thought that I will introduce him as my boyfriend when we arrive at the unit in CGS. The people in my unit are having the suspicion that I was gay so it is only apt to mess around with their heads. My landlady will definitely have another reason to be depressed and unhappy with her bitter lonely life.
It was only our maid who saw us come in that night, we remained by the door and talked about spirituality and the end of the world until 2AM. Then I walked him to the bus stop.

The next morning our maid asked if the guy I was with the night before was my boyfriend, I placed the stick balloons at the end of my bed. I told her that he was my boyfriend as I tried very hard not to laugh on the idea. It didn’t take long before the people in the household got a hold of the news.

Though in reality it will never come to be since I am gay, I like my friendship with him(I think friendship is better than a relationship) and despite the fact that some women claimed they have dated me before, I have only dated a few women and I would like to keep it that way. Zeus on the other hand claimed disinterest in men and attraction for women and he complains often about gay men hitting on him.
I don't mind women claiming they have dated me before, especially when they're hot but the thing is I don't date a lot.

Retreating to the northern mountains

After long hours of journey, I finally arrived at the Bus Terminal, where my friend, Clarice has been waiting. Thankfully after several times of visiting, this time she came first.  Stepping out of the bus gave me the feeling that I was in a strange land, but a strange land quite familiar. A southern like me still feels peculiar in these places.

Taking a few steps from the bus’s door I heard a voice call out from behind and as I turned I saw my friend in a gray hooded jacket and pink tube undergarment, a pair of pants and walking shoes. I was quite veggie headed all day and had no idea how I came about with things. I would say words I barely understand and type in sentences that barely made sense… I was afraid I’m having aphasia.

Focusing on the moment, we greeted each other with a friendly hug “You’re wearing PE?!” she exclaimed and as I remembered I didn’t have clothes anymore therefore I wore the PE shirt a friend of mine gave me back in college, aside from the sentimental bitter memories this shirt has, I like this shirt for its fit and comfort. “Yeah, I am. Dovie gave it to me” I said and mentioned a name I haven’t spoken for so many years “It’s alright, I’m wearing a hound’s tooth coat” I wore the coat over the shirt since the season has become quite chilly. “I like your coat…” she said “So catcher in the rye right?” I replied.

“You’re leaving that here” she said “What?!” I gave out quite a repulsed reaction, which only my closest friends have the luxury to witness. “No way!”

We met one of her friend who was a yoga instructor.

We had dinner at subway, where I only had cocoa and a cookie while she had the veggie delight sandwich and went to their place after having quite a long talk and interesting conversation about my landlady.

“There’s a party tomorrow, did you bring clothes?” my friend asked (It's her sister's birthday)

“Yes, I did…” I answered.

“My sister and her girlfriend don’t know you’re here.” She added

“Great…” my mischievous smile emerged.

Arriving at their place, I was bitten by their male dog Black, Once on the hand and once on the leg, it wasn't deep to cause injury. However it was awfully weird of him doing that since I've been here for at least a couple of times. The dogs each time I come back keep on increasing in numbers, White, a female dog with dalmatian blood had given birth to puppies once again but only a black-brown-white puppy was now left. 

I gave him the name Alto although I would have liked Delmonico, but they complained about the name's length. They own 2 dutch-hounds, princess and yulu, a german-shepherd couple, Mac and Virka, White and Black which is an additional 2 with Alto makes a total of 7 dogs. 

The next day came and apparently we woke up quite early, I could have slept again but I felt quite rested anyway and thought I might as well move around at 6am. Clarice had to cook and prepare for the party and I thought, perhaps I could help out. After a serving of peanut butter sandwich and another with cream cheese and pickles an hour later, I was recharged and ready for the day.

Each morning, whenever I visit, I make it a point to pet the dogs and walk Virka. Then I wash my hands and arms for they're most probably seem as though they were dipped in dog-drool.

After trying to help a bit around the kitchen, I have decided to relax and watch The girl with the dragon tattoo.

~~~~~

I visit my friend a couple of times a year in the mountain ranges of Olongapo City. Her mom is a Vegan and she is a vegetarian :)

She owns a catering Business called Fidro's. They cater to parties, gatherings and any occasions. She cooks, bakes and churns, all of these she works with love.
She make terrific Cheese Cakes.

For food and catering services around Olongapo and Subic Area...
Contact Clarice 09163982941 Please don't  call after office hours. Much appreciated. 

The landlady from the colder regions of the earth.

I know I shouldn’t be writing about this, but I’m a writer. I can write whatever I want to, let’s assume this is an exercise shall we?

Much to my disdain to spill information about myself, I just have to let perhaps a leak and hopefully some of you would find this entertaining. I do not wish to evoke negative feelings, at least not on this one.

I must say that as a starving writer, I have limited myself from activities that would drain my bank account (which recently refused to cough up money for some unknown reasons). Therefore I cook for myself, go to the market and choose ingredients that wouldn’t hurt my pockets as much. I’m vegetarian so food is rather more expensive and harder to get by than the average omnivore.

Let us move forward to the subject at hand. My land-lady, or the one who owns the unit I’m renting in Mandaluyong is quite young, she’s only 24 after all but I’m not exactly sure when she will turn 25 and I don’t want to know. I stay in one of the condominium communities in Mandaluyong where the mental asylum is in our neighborhood.

I have been staying there for a couple of months and I have no complaints. Though interestingly enough there were events I find as an anomaly to my well-being.

In the unit there are three rooms, I stay in one and share it with a roommate I barely see since she works at night. Me? Work by day? No, I don’t work… I hang out at the office and surf the net.

Before, it was just me, my non-existent roomie, the landlady and her sisters (who barely stay there) perhaps destiny had a hand in this. I can tell from the beginning that my landlady seems pretty lonely and depressed. I was never the one to really care what she’s doing but a few months ago she has no work and simply watches TV the whole day and night drinking cola until she passes out. She’s talkative and complaints a lot, we used to have a maid and she complaints about her a lot.

One thing I noticed was that she’s incurably dishonest, such as telling potential tenants in the other room that there is no more space left but one, when in fact the room was empty.

One time for some unknown reason, she used our bathroom, she has her own so I don’t understand what she’s doing in our bathroom. She didn’t lock the door and it was one beautiful morning. I got up and went straight to the bathroom to wash my face. I knocked in case someone was there. No one answered so I figured it should be clear, but then when I opened the door I was surprised to see my landlady on the throne smoking. She closed the door immediately and I went back to my bed thinking it was just a dream.

The next thing I know was, our maid telling me I could use the bathroom upstairs. I suppose it wasn’t a dream after all.

I forgot to mention we also had a dog back then, eventually she was neglected and my roomie couldn’t take care of her so she has to go somewhere else.

The dog was unleashed and is pretty much free to roam around the place. My landlady has a love and hate relationship with the dog. There was a time where she really liked petting the dog, she kneeled on the floor and scratched the little puppy's fur. I was standing and the moment she knelt, since her neckline was quite huge her puny breasts (as I would like to call them) were exposed, just perfect for my angle. Quickly I turned away. She should really wear a bra… Eventually I realized she doesn’t care whether her tiny jugs were seen.

I thought that was the end of it, there was another time that she even bothered to put on a see-through shirt and her teeny weeny tits were just as seen as if she weren’t wearing anything.

I don’t really mind if she wants to walk around our place naked, IF… IF and only if she has the body and a face to match, she’s very skinny with a rather fair complexion, bulging round eyes and lips as though taken from a trout.

I noticed her arms were somehow covered with thick curly hair, explains her half-Egyptian blood.

So the sasquatch, I mean my landlady, despite the Egyptian lineage has a very Filipino, mediocre appeal and personality. She doesn’t like to read, she mentions “nose-bleed” each and every time, claims she’s spiritual (Even if she doesn’t even know what it really means, I must say she’s giving spirituality a bad name), talks and gossips a lot, has no taste for art, blames her parents for what happened to her life, she's a bit homophobic too etc.

I can live with that, I don’t really see her a lot and I don’t have to bother her. However there was a time that she came down to my little space. Comfortably sat on my bed, I don’t really mind, and then lied on it while talking about something that’s enough to put me in a state of comatose.

I was sitting on the foot of my bed as a Native-American would and was holding the book I was reading, while this snoopy landlady of mine who’s seriously needing a friend invaded my bed.

My room then was slightly lit, just enough so I could read a book. So there she was trying to tell me things of no importance, she was so comfortable that an Eagle would have nothing to say on how she had spread her legs before me.

She was wearing a pair of boxer briefs for women where the leg hole was a bit bigger than normal.

I looked out to my window and looked back at her place. I sort of noticed some weird image between her legs. I was wondering if it was just some weird underwear design but much to my surprise and confirmation. My landlady must have never heard of panties and bras…

There before me, was the mouth of the volcano covered in sasquatch fur. It stared back at me for the next thirty minutes. I dared not say anything about it so I pretended I didn’t see it. She kept on talking and complaining...

I suppose it’s good that they don’t really know much about me. Since I keep to myself but it was rather unnecessary that my landlady would go that far to let her anatomy known…

First part ends here.

Why Artists Starve in the Philippines

By nirmonculus

“Ever wonder why there are no Filipino Nobel prize winners?” Asked Alvin Buenaventura, Executive Director of Filcols(Filipino Copyright Licensing Society Inc). We were all there, young writers, painters, performance artists, the creative youth all huddled up in Espasyo, listening to Alvin saying that a country the size of Mindoro and a population of 1.5 Million has a Nobel Prize winner to their name.

In the Philippines, being a writer, a novelist, a poet, book writer, rarely were ever full time jobs. If a writer wants to survive in our harsh economy, one has to take another job and do his or her writing on the side. There are little to no full time writers in the country, it is a cruel fact that a full time writer cannot clothe, shelter, feed oneself on the career alone, what more a family? Therefore others take a job like BPO jobs, waiting or crew jobs and others completely out of the writing range.

Or worse, one artist will totally be buried in debt. I have a painter friend who owes people money, he owed me too. I believe it’s almost a year now and he hasn’t paid me back and it wasn’t even much. But since I believe in supporting artists who have the talent to make it in the industry, it is nothing to help in every way I can. However I’m not rich either, I’m just as broke as he is and though I want to be a fulltime writer, I need the money back. I want to dedicate every facet of my being to writing my novels, poems and stories and whatnots! Not some article my boss wants me to write…

And I am nothing more than a victim of reality. So I work as a writer for some company, writing something else and my novels, stories, poems had to stay on the side for my fear of literally starving. I receive absolutely nothing from my family, no support whatsoever and can I blame them? I could also take a higher paying job, but at least what I have now is still under the writing department.

It is very true what Alvin said, artists who take jobs not connected to their talents and skills will render them dull and not be able to reach their full potential.

Death to the artist at heart.


Alright, a writer’s life is harsh and full of hard work and what does consumers or readers, whom writers pretty much depend on, can do?

Photocopying and reproducing their works without permission, is a great way to render them bankrupt and put an end to their passion and poor existence.



Ever wonder why school textbooks sucks? Because students do not buy the book, they photocopy it so they can get what the book offers for a huge fraction of the cost. If brilliant writers can’t feed themselves they would probably starve to death and fail to write books that would shape young minds, leaving the Filipino youth ignorant.

Don’t tell me that books in the Philippines are expensive! We are the only country in the world that sells the cheapest books, with imported books having a special edition just for our country.

Alvin spoke with Bro. Armin Luistro about the photocopying of books in De La Salle University Taft Library. That these students should pay the authors whom they copy materials from. These payments will be collected by Filcols and be distributed to authors when their books or works were reproduced in any way. It’s not even going to cost much, perhaps 0.05c to 0.10c per page for the starving authors. Miserably to hear it was of course denied. However if we look at it this way, students can afford it. Students pay for some “internet fee” per semester and were all of them able to utilize it? One would have to take his or her laptop to campus, and how much is the fee? A whopping P500, enough to buy two books and a piece of turon. This fee can be seen on our miscellaneous fee, at least on mine when I studied in DLSU-D. Since I’m frugal, I consumed the internet access I forcefully paid for, wisely. Can they really not afford it?

Photocopying a part, maybe a chapter or more of a book is stealing and yes according to a religion one may go to hell for that. Although back when I was a student, I did photocopy a few pages but never the whole book. They said in France, it is free to photocopy only five pages of a book. So I guess it wouldn’t hurt to copy one page of a book if not, I’m very much willing to pay back the amount it cost to photocopy all those books (I photocopied) in the library.

As of the moment I’m writing a novel which I’m planning to submit to one of the publishing houses in the country and when people find out, the first thing I hear after “Wow, really?” is “Can I get a free copy when it’s out?” and I’m extremely nice to say “Sure, you can!” however sometimes in my heart of hearts, I wish I could say “Why don’t you just pick up a knife and please stick it to my throat? That way I wouldn’t have to work my ass off writing a book to simply give it away for free.” It sounds hostile so I don’t say that, I don’t want to appear like Dr. Gregory House. Although I wish I could give the book to my friends for free, I’d be giving it for free on my own expense. I would have to buy it for them, which is pretty much similar to getting a gun, putting it to my mouth and pulling the trigger.

If a book costs P100 in a bookstore. P50 goes to the store, P35 goes to the publisher and a measly P15 goes to the writer who toiled, stayed up all night and probably starved writing the book.



A Filipino writer’s future is bleak, but one thing is for sure, writers will make publishers richer. Truly, intelligence and talent can never be weighed equal to currency.

I understand, perhaps I won’t be a millionaire through writing, however I don’t want to starve doing what I passionately love. I wish to feed myself, buy new clothes when the current ones are worn out, I wish to be able to pay for my date’s meal, pay for movies and our hotel reservations. Is that so much to ask?

If you feel like supporting starving writers such as myself, then you can start with dinner, coffee and driving me to work. But of course there are other ways, I’m just citing examples.

There are no Filipino Nobel prize winners since they can’t dedicate their efforts on their skills and talents alone due to poverty. Budding writers, struggling artists, mad aspiring scientists and others have to in one way or the other, must eat first. Leading to talents and skills be set aside, eventually neglecting their potential. Perhaps abandoning the potential to be a Nobel Prize winner too.

Also read Starving writer struggle

Starving Writer Struggle

“Artists starve for the love of Art.”

Quite literally.

My long time friend, Zeus, who's a painter and lives just ten minutes away from my home in Laguna is one of the friends I support and I believe he dreams to be a national artist in the Philippines someday, aside from that he loves to paint and has a career out of it.

Not a lot of my friends have dreams like that and I would like to help out, in whatever means I can.

To mention, not a lot of people have goals or dreams almost similar to mine or his(I'm not about to discuss my dreams but uhhh yeah I do have them). Now, I see people my age go about each day without realizing their dreams. They walk nonsensically day to day without trying to look into the vignettes of their future. No wonder there aren't a lot of people who are happy with their jobs, despite it paying better than mine. People who find it a bit challenging to get their diplomas (probably because they don't like the course they took). And halts to complete silence when asked “What's your dream/goal/plan in the future?”

It puzzles me that somehow they don't know the answer to that simple question. It's like not knowing oneself and is ignorant of one's purpose.

Zeus, pursues his dream with rackets and projects that would lead him a step further into the road of painting superstardom.

Another friend of mine who has a passion for dancing and acting, used to be a model, but a turn in her fate recently had compromised her dreams. She got knocked up and got married eventually. She told me she still wants to pursue dancing but certain obligations hold her back. We used to share a dream... no, not dancing and acting but the dream of supporting each other in pursuing our own goals, to be there in and bask in the struggles and petty achievements along the road. She was my best friend.

But we're young and I know there's still time for her to achieve her dreams and I'd still support her, nothing has changed in me.

Last Sunday I went to Zeus's house and hanged out til 2am. He was painting 3x3 feet canvas for his upcoming exhibit in Shangri-la plaza. He ranted on the amount that they were going to be paid (and honestly I could earn them in two days) saying that the exhibit don't have enough budget to accommodate what he had requested for the pay and had several issues into taking the project. He was hesitant since the offer was quite minuscule, he might as well hit himself with a huge lump of rock to the head.

“It's Shangri-la Plaza for crying out loud!” - not exactly what he said.

He has been working freelance for about 5 years and counting, he never took any job that would sway away from his career and he may not be richer now and sometimes he would go to desperate measures just to meet a deadline.

My freelance days are over. I work in an office in Diliman since I find it hard to drag myself to the computer despite it just sitting next to the bed. I needed an office in which I'd be pressured to work in.

“Dreamless people starve for the lack of Art”

Not literally.

Dreamless people aren't creative, much like a rolling ball with not much of a direction and they are everywhere. They are purposeless, thinks rhythmic greeting cards are a fine work of art, poetry-ish.

Rarely do they amount to anything but would as much as, perhaps to suck the marrows out of their parent's bank account in order to sustain their lifestyle. They have no drive, no passion to fuel their means and nothing to burn for their souls.

However most of them have resources which in turn would be a lot of help for Zeus and I. Some of them have everything, yet nothing to create with. They lack the ability to create.

That Sunday evening at Zeus' house we prepared coffee. My first coffee since I discovered I shouldn't indulge too much on it since it's quite hazardous to my health.

I know very well, pursuing a career in writing won't probably make me a millionaire. My mum told me she thought I'd be a painter or illustrator someday and my english teacher back in high-school wrote at the back of my notebook “You will be a writer someday.”

It probably won't feed me and my future partner. We would starve perhaps?

I would still write despite the empty stomach the same as my friend would paint despite the lack of sleep.

I'm taking a step on the road of my writing career. I know it's going to be hard and I'm only taking a few steps... yet my stomach is already grumbling.

What's your dream?