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The science-fiction author Ray Bradbury celebrated his 83rd birthday with this wish: One night, 100 years from now, a youngster will stay up late reading The Martian Chronicles with a flashlight under his blanket -- on the Red Planet. "That's the dream I have and that's the reason I'm here," the author of the 1950 classic said during a birthday party organized by the planetary society.

The space exploration advocacy group presented Brandbury with a mammoth birthday card printed with messages from 4,000 fans. The actress Angie Dickinson gave him a kiss, and the director Peter Hyams, whose movie version of Bradbury's short story "A Sound of Thunder" is due in April, called him a "national treasure."

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Just came back from Bizu, Greenbelt. Outside the restaurant, the Philippine Astronomical Society set-up two telescopes for people to see Mars. We got in line and finally saw... this white dot that looked like the moon. The astronomer said it's because Mars is so close that it's reflecting more light from the Sun and that's why it's white, instead of red.

While lining up, we were thinking of ways to cash in on Mars' visit. An event could have been held in the abandoned building of Mars disco. Globe could have offered Mars MMS downloads or an "Invaders from Mars" JAVA game. Guess Mars isn't so hot and that's why no party-preneur took advantage of its arrival.

Talking about the god of war... don't you think there was an increase in violence, attacks, bombings around the war as Mars got closer?

Hmmm...

Anyway, going back to Ray Bradbury, I remember that used to watch THE RAY BRADBURY MYSTERY THEATER. The opening credits of that TV show happens in Bradbury's writing room. You'd see the camera pan across the shelves full of books and other trinkets. As the camera finally finds Bradbury at his typwriter, you'd hear Bradbury's voice talking about how every object in that room holds a story just waiting to be written. That's what gave me the bright idea to fill my room with all sorts of crazy stuff... in hopes that I'd eventually write a whole lot of stories like Bradbury.

So far I've only written two sci-fi stories, one of which didn't really get good reviews from my friends.

The other story, I'm happy to say, has been included in FAST FOOD FICTION, an anthology of shorts that all average 500 words. It's edited by Noelle Q. de Jesus and published by Anvil. It will be launched on September 6 at Figaro, Emerald Avenue. Unfortnately, I'll be out-of-the-country during the launch. (Hope the save me a copy of the book.)

I am nowhere close to the volume of work that Bradbury has done. Time to go back to work.




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