watching #MINIMALISM the docu. me, the hoarder guy who is minimalist at heart. the designer who needs and keeps stuff to dress up sets really wants an empty house. char.
— benjamin padero (@benpadero) March 24, 2018
laundry list
long laundry list for the government, written in 2016. i was once encouraged by the current president but even before the elections i had apprehensions and my gut told me to vote for somebody else. and my apprehensions and fears turned to reality.
regardless, there are some things on this laundry list that i can check off. higher wages for some sectors of the government is a yes (the police and military), fair taxation (except that the effect is not so favorable i.e. inflation, but we’ll see), accessible venues for art despite generally for metro manila residents. that’s about it. we have to moved more mountains to go through the rest of the list. remember, if the government cant help you, ikaw na gagawa. Godspeed!
i had a dream. part iviix
so i had a dream (woke up tired after all that).
nasa excursion daw ako or something kasama carlo, sisters ko, other friends etc. tapos may pa-raffle at nanalo ako ng He-Man and Skeletor na action figurines. kaso yung guy na may dalang maraming masters of the universe na figurines din (si pigong) hindi nilabas agad yung napanalunan ko, i think nilaro niya tapos ayaw ibigay sa akin agad.
tapos need na umalis so sumakay na kami ng vans and separate ang vans namin kay pigong. hindi ko nakuha ang He-Man and Skeletor ko. pagdating namin sa mall (limketkai na madilim at parang brownout pero maraming militar), parang nadedma na ang prize ko at di ko makukuha. so ginawa ng ate ko kumuha siya ng ibang action figures dun sa collection ni pigong.
hindi pa natatapos ang kwento. manonood daw kami ng sine ni carlo dun sa limketkai na madilim na parang brownout pero maraming militar. bibili kami ng ticket pero magkaiba ang papanoorin namin. ang papanoorin ko ay Sana’y Wala Nang Wakas.
ang tagal ko mahanap yung wallet ko kaya nagtagal ako sa ticket booth. eventually nakabili na ako ng ticket at nilagay ko siya sa bulsa ko na marami ding resibo kasama. tapos alam kong last full show ang papanoorin pero ang dami pang tao sa mall at ang layo ng sinehan na posible kaming ma-late. tapos sa paglalakad nawala kami, ibang coridor, ibang area pala ng mall at malayo sa cinema 4. eventually nahapan na namin ang cinema 4 at pwede na pumasok. mejo late na ang nagsimula na ata ang sine. hinahanap ko ang ticket kaso di ko mahanap. tumagal ako sa paghalungkat ng bag at bulsa dun sa mga resibo at nahirapan ako hanapin ang ticket ko para sa Sana’y Wala Nang Wakas ni ate shawie. ang ending hindi ako nakapasok at hindi ako nakapanood.
Tapos gumising na ako. The end.
CITIZEN JAKE
watched CITIZEN JAKE last weekend march 10 at its world premiere in the UP film institute (formerly film center which we still fondly call it). it was a very strong piece of work and timely for this generation. mike de leon hasnt made a film in 18 years but clearly he hasnt lost his magic touch. the little touches of breaking the narrative with inserts of bts footage reminds you of bayaning third world.
atom araullo was awesome as the titular character and i was pleasantly surprised by max collins’s performance. luis alandy’s jonie was the ER we all wanted to have and even richard quan’s take on the henchman, enchong, was chilling i was afraid to approach him after the premiere coz he might pull out his gun on me. lol.
maybe i havent been clear but, yes, atom araullo is gorgeous on-screen and in person. probably not ok to drool on his coat but it’s hard to stop oneself. charot.
the film also brings in mike’s long-time collaborator, cesar hernando, the production designer for his previous movies, and who just retired from teaching at the up college of fine arts. he was our mentor and friend in university, he often brought us along to film festivals and continued to nurture our love and passion for filmmaking and we owe much to this awesome guy.
rounding out the stellar staff are colleagues from our FA organization, UP CINEMA AS ART MOVEMENT (UPCAM): editor tom estrera iii, who was chairman before me, and noel pascual our lib-sci member who eventually went to write for graphic novels like patay kung patay and now co-writer with mike de leon for citizen jake.
didnt have a photo but dix buhay is cinematographer i normally get to work with in commercials (and also dop for erik matti’s honor thy father and pepe diokno’s dinner for three) and martin mayuga, bianca balbuena’s little me, played line producer for mike de leon in this film.
fanboying at the national museum
the first time i saw and realized the beauty of the senate hall was when they were fixing it in 2011. the space was so gorgeous even in its broken down state, i cried just being in it.
we were able to visit again october 2012 and the senate hall was finally open.
then came the news that the botong francisco murals from the manila city hall will be transferred to this gorgeous hall this year 2018. i was undoubtedly excited.
and it’s possibly the best space to enjoy one of our national artist’s masterpiece.
carlos “botong” francisco’s FILIPINO STRUGGLES THROUGH HISTORY was commissioned by the city govt of manila but is now moved and (maybe) permanently housed in the beautiful senate hall (my favorite hall) at the National Museum. gorgeous, iconic masterpiece! botong is known for his lyrical style and his murals on phil history reminds me of czech artist alphonse mucha’s works on the history of the slav people. something new to look forward to at the National Museum. please go and visit this amazing piece of filipino love.
hilak na pud.
THE ARTFAIR or Why it is important to teach kids today how to appreciate art properly.
confeermed. tita ako!
yesterday, carlo and i went to the artfair at the link in makati. it is a 4-day art event where they transform a carpark building into a collective featuring different art galleries and curators showcasing their collection of artists and artworks yada yada.
every year a lot more people go to these things but this year was pretty crazy because of the popularity of the fair. more kids came but alas, they were totally oblivious on how to “behave” in spaces like this. i felt they just came to take photos or selfies. i wish we went earlier (like maybe when they opened just to avoid the young crowd) but we only make it to the weekend.
some kids were so excited they bumped into others and disturbing people who were enjoying the artworks just so they could get near the objects and take selfies. good thing the sculptures on the pedestals they bump into didnt topple over. the titas of katipunan is livid. but i was too exhausted to call them on it. there were several floors of art this year and i had to conserve energy.
nevertheless, im also glad the galleries come together to get into this, and more “everyday” people coming in to “appreciate” art, if not, to at least take selfies and declare themselves art lovers. something good will come out of this, im sure. i hope.
carlo teared up in the EJK exhibit (“silang mga walang pangalan). i did when i saw this photo. this was part of neal oshima’s photos on display (photo taken in 2014). i met this guy, ma’afil in 2004 in lake sebu when i went to work on a documentary of the t’bolis and their ancestral domain in a government-protected watershed area. i asked to buy one of his hegulungs without the tourist writings on it and when he came by to deliver it, i asked him to play the hegulung while i took a video. i did learn eventually he passed away around 2016 so it got me reminiscing and nostalgic when i saw his photo on display. rest in peace ma’afil.
here’s the link to my blog entry on lake sebu and ma’afil’s sister, y’egas.
ooh. also invaded the artbooks.ph booth at the artfair and bought a few books. below is the las casas bajo de las campanas. the other book carlo and i bought was salvador bernal’s patterns of the filipiniana. another book was ethnic patterns of the philippines. so much fun! and good luck credit card. i couldnt afford the artworks on display so i just bought books instead.
CALL ME BY YOUR NAME
this is a long overdue post.
saw this during the cinema one originals festival in november last year and i was blown away. i kept saying to people it strongly reminded me of this tilda swinton film and all my emotions about watching that film and i didnt realize the gorgeous CALL ME BY YOUR NAME (2017) was directed by the same guy who did the gorgeous I AM LOVE (2009), one of our favorite films of all time. bow ako luca guadagnino. even blogged about I AM LOVE years ago.
3 months after and im still rendered speechless about this film, i cant really verbalize my emotions. a lot of friends have said the book was better, the book was better yada yada. i cant validate which would be better because as a film, i felt strong emotions from the walls and on that piano and the orchard and in the water and in his swim shorts. ganung levels charot. to better appreciate it i decided to forego finishing what i was reading currently (love in the time of cholera, a reading project being put off since 2000) and purchase the book.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BfDSIYkBfq4/?taken-by=b3npad3ro
for one thing, the casting is awesome if based on the book. it doesnt really help that i have a huge crush on armie hammer in his film with henry cavill (the man from U.N.C.L.E.).
the book is sending me into all sorts of emotions and bringing me back to embarrassing moments in my life where i was once elio, struggling to understand his feelings and all that jazz. jusko. im taking my time to finish the book because i cant breathe.
In Call Me By Your Name, Oliver (Armie Hammer, left) and Elio (Timothée Chalamet) spend a summer falling in love in Northern Ital
maybe when i finish reading it, i can be eloquent with words and intelligently discuss why i loved this movie and logically plot out my feelings and emotions. and maybe im pretty sure that really wont happen.
i cant breathe.
cant wait!
ive been a fan of botong francisco and i truly believe he is our version of Alphonse Mucha. or mucha is the czech republic’s version of our botong francisco? either way, they are both awesome and doing all this crazy ass big mural paintings.
i cant wait to see this on saturday. off to the national museum!
the big bad wolf sale
the irony of me posting on twitter a few days before and me last night visiting BBW.
rc and bianca had original plans to visit the big bad wolf sale after the awards show at resort’s world. since carlo and i generally had nothing to do afterwards (except sleep), we went along. i though to myself, if i do find some titles i planned to buy anyway, i might as well indulge.
the good thing about this is it’s 24 hours open. i know the whole thing opened a few days ago and will end on february 24, 2018. it’s a massive display of books it kinda reminds me of m/v doulos back in the 80s, which docked in cagayan de oro as part of its philippine tour and we were all excited to go buy our books.
the name big bad wolf reminds me of customer service wolf who works in a bookstore. lol
love this comic strip.
The Big Bad Wolf Book Sale originated in Malaysia and was founded by Andrew Yap and Jacqueline Ng in 2009. It is a regular event in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka; the 2018 event in Pasay will mark the first time it will be held in the Philippines.
Most of the books available come from the stock of Andrew and Jacqueline’s BookXcess, a bookstore that specializes in excess stock from international distributors.
while there was indeed a massive selection to choose from, i came home empty handed. i was practicing self-control because i am on a material-things-diet. books, as much as i love them, still counts for space in my room and i know i wont be able to read them as fast as i want and as long as that happens, i told myself years ago i shouldnt be buying new books (promise kept).
full disclosure, the last book i purchased was from fully booked just a week ago.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BfDSIYkBfq4/?taken-by=b3npad3ro
back to big bad wolf, i wanted to buy some books by douglas adams but they didnt feature the whole hitchhikers guide collection (the only ones available were book two and three i found miles away from each other– or maybe they ran out of the other titles) or that x-men tradepaperback graphic novel but eventually decided to pass. a lot of gorgeous interior design books but they were still quite expensive in general and by experience, they get outdated pretty quickly so ive actually stopped buying these years ago. i also tried to pick up a biography of alexander mcqueen and some books by h.g. wells. eventually i dropped them along the way and never looked back (sorry if im messing up the floor space by moving those few books around, i love you BBW staff).
on the whole, it was still encouraging to see people at 2.30AM still out and about bookshopping. there were also some kids with their parents so might be pretty exciting for young minds to be in this huge ass warehouse with all the books, noh?
BIG BAD WOLF is at the world trade center, pasay city. open 24 hours until february 24, 2018. cheers!
benjamin padero 