HOW SOON IS NOW

My acclaimed "best shot" ever

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Models: They wish to be unnamed (Too bad for them if you know 'em!)

Photo taken during Independence Day June 12, 2006 at Valle Verde 6, Clubhouse

BUG

My mom wants a heart attack.

When we met up today, she told me something about a malicious letter inserted with our phone billing. She said it was something that said "You don't know me but I know who you are. I know where you work..." Now, how could a threatening letter get inserted with the phone bill? Is PLDT a secret evil empire who wants to kill its customers if they aren't willing to pay more and more and more? (Maybe because I don't use the phone anymore, except when complaining to that sucky Smart WiFi/Bro watchamacallit.) But then she asked me about my surfing, where in hell I surf and what in hell do I do when surfing. And what am I to say on a time like that? Was I supposed to tell her each and every page I had visited? (Well, inside of me, I was thinking of those. Wondering if I got into somewhere illegal, which I doubt!) I just said nothing but inside I'm almost freaking out, (I mean who wouldn't?) so I hurriedly bought the stuff I was supposed to buy so that I could get home and read that infamous pathetic letter. So when we got home, I played cool for a while before sneaking into her room to get that stupid letter. I opened it as my nerves went on, and threw everything else aside from a note that looked like it was badly written with markers. After touching that note, I wanted to laugh out loud. The note looked like it was written in paper with black and red markers, like that of death threats. I read the content, finally getting the sense behind it. And after reading the part that said it was from someone called Bug, I turned the paper to reveal an ordering form for an effing anti-virus service from the effing phone company!

Good job, PLDT, you almost killed my 2-member family. To think that I was the one who first saw that bill during that morning. I should have opened it the minute I first saw it so that my mom wouldn't have gone hysterical. Nice one advertising committee.

AHEAD

Early two years ago, after being baffled by Last Tango in Paris, which I barely understood, I had an idea of creating an adaptation of it. However, I had a different theme in mind. Instead of having an old man who is a foreigner and a European woman, having an affair, I was thinking of changing that European woman into a man. Well, that idea became short-lived when in the middle of last year, came that film which was eventually called Brokeback Mountain. So much for that.

Last year, I came to stumble upon the book by Carlo Vergara which was known as Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah. If you live in the Philippines, you might have known by now that the book will be adapted into film by the great local film mogul which I need not name. Needless to say, I also had thoughts of adapting the book. The same is true for my ideas for Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband and The Picture of Dorian Gray, and W. Somerset Maugham's Up at the Villa. All of which have already been made into films.

Just days ago, after these very unsuccessful encounters with film adaptation, which didn't even reached the point of pre-production, I thought about reviving an old film genre - the silent film. And yes, you guessed it right, somehow, someone also got the same idea, as I read last night on a newspaper, because there is someone who was able to make a film like that, and it is to be featured somewhere, to hell like I care where that is.

Needless to say, my only sin in this story is that I wasn't born earlier to be able to get ahead of people who had similar ideas. Right now, I would like to put into letters that I do have intentions of creating films about Magic the Gathering's Rath Cycle, Lazaro Francisco's Maganda Pa Ang Daigdig, and something similar to Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. Even if I don't own the rights to these works, I just want to point out my intentions. If all else fails, well, there's always that thing called experience which I can manipulate anytime of the day.

PINOY SPLENDOR

American Splendor is a comic book series about the day to day experiences of Americans through the eyes of its author, Harvey Pekar. Due to boredom, I created Pinoy Splendor - a spinoff of the aforementioned comic book and a spoof of sorts of a government publication.

Eastwick

Bloodthirst

Joker

J.D.L.

Bearded Lady

If in any case, I've offended anyone, well, all I've got to tell you is that your picture was in a mockery section - I was just capitalizing on the M-O-C-K. Besides, what were you to do if you were bored and only have the paper and a pair of pens? Peace.

DANCING IN THE MOONLIGHT

Alright this is my karma for making fun of the fact that there was a brownout at my friend's place yesterday. Now I'm getting my share. To think that I hate brownouts.

I was having my siesta when I woke up due to the irritating heat I felt. So I went out, still within the perimeters of our home to take snapshots of the lightning bolts that were so eye catching. Later on my mom went out, telling me to go inside due to the strong thunderstorm. Quizically and sarcastically I asked her if it's possible for me to get struck by lightning despite the fact that there is still roof that shields my head. Thus, I remained outside. Seconds later, there a strong lightning bolt emitted much light, and I noticed the figure of a man walking in the street. Then all of a sudden, after the light had faded, the figure disappeared, which prompted me to go back inside the premises of my humble abode. Now I'm here, condescendingly entertaining myself through the heat of the night. To think that while I was watching Before Sunrise and Before Sunset (for the bazillionth time) earlier, I said to myself that I wanted to be in a situation like Celine's when she went to Germany where she could not watch television and could not do anything worthwhile.

Well, since I've mentioned my watching one of my favorite films of all time (Yeah I know, you're thinking I should change the name of my blog to something like Before Sunrise, Sunset and Sunny-side eggs; or whatever) I've had this new realization. Inside the car, as Jesse was to take Celine back to her apartment, he told her this - "I kinda see love as the escape for two people who don't know how to be alone." Well, if that's the case, it kinda makes me wonder... What if living alone is something I very well know of doing, does that mean that love isn't something meant for me? Is love really such a lame excuse for two strangers who couldn't live alone thus coming together only for the sake of companionship? If that's the case, where do you draw the fine line between lovers and friends, if what you're just looking for is a buddy to spend the rest of your life with? Why spend the entirety of your life waiting for 'the one', when all you need is someone?

PS:
Yes, Carrie style + cynicism = The old Mark's back. Sorry, I can't make a pun right now. I can't afford to think hard and let this machine hibernate due to computer mal-pun-ction. (Well, at least I tried. :P)

INDECISION

Mark's moral lesson of the day: If you've got something you wanna buy on SM Megamall, buy it as soon as you can. Because if you'll take time to think about it, when you come back, that thing would be gone. That's what happened to me for the nth time this year. First it was the Ravnica fat pack, The Fisher King DVD, and now - the ever rare 60's Blow Up. Good thing I was able to salvage the collector's edition of 2oo1: A Space Odyssey and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf during my last expeditions.

For the first time, I had to resort in asking a saleslady (whom I do not trust, because if you ask something which isn't familiar, they'll just tell you they got out of stock [and I mean that in the nicest possible way]) about my product inquiry. And amazingly, for the first time, I was convinced. She told me that the ones I look for are the types which only have minimal copies and if they don't get sold, they pull them out. So if you're interested on a Warner Bros. product, buy it as soon as you can. Because they pull it out.

Although there's still a part I don't get about the pulling out concept. My basic understanding is that if a product has been pulled out, the store stops to display the product or at least does not let the customer see it. While I was paying for a CD I bought, my attention was caught by a VCD of My Left Foot rotting on the counter's desk. When I inquired about it, the saleslady told me the product was pulled out. So I asked if it was possible for me to buy it, she said no, because it's already been pulled out. That I do not get. So if you know something about this, please shed some light on this idiosyncrasy shiznit.

CRITICISM SCHMITICISM

Roger Ebert won the Pulitzer Prize for criticism. Interesting. Now I have something I could look forward to in case I'd stick to this newspaper thing. *smug* Pulitzer Prize for criticism *grins* What a beaut! I'll be as constructive as it gets. *smug* (Yes sir, I will) *smug* I'll be as tamed as a muzzled rabid wolverine. (Yes sir, I will) *smug* But hey, Ebert worked for decades before being an institution in film critiquing. Great, my new goal - to become an old ailing writer. Thus, gaining sympathy votes that would result to my receiving various awards. Just like the Oscars a la Paul Newman, Geraldine Page, Henry Fonda. And that ain't no criticism. Just sharing facts. *smug*

PS:
Let's pray for Roger Ebert. He'll undergo a cancer surgery. Let the old man continue his criticisms.