Babbling Point

. Easter is a very special day for us sisters. Every year we'd drive back home, to the river where we learned how to swim. We called ourselves the Mango Tree Gang, in honor of the big tree by the banks. We'd jump in the river and yell, "Green Mango One! Yellow Mango Two! Red Mango Three!" But you, being the panganay, always wanted to be different, so you'd shout, "Karabao Mango!" Easter just hasn't been the same since you moved to Canada. So, this Sunday, we'll take turns calling you up with our Globe to greet you, "Karabao Mango!" and a happy Easter. Client: Globe Agency: Harrison Communications Inc. CD: Joey Campillo AD: Argem Vinuya Writer: Budjette Tan :-) Yesterday, got the following text about the ad: From Emily: Nice copy in Globe horizontal ad today with kids in pier. :-) Great copy, Budj! Love the ad... could feel the pull of memories... have lots of similar ones. You are an excellent writer; keep writing, Budj. And I don't...

And I Quote... From Jonathan Carrol’s GLASS SOUP "There are people we meet in life who miss being important to us by inches, days, or heartbeats. Another place or time or a different emotional frame of mind and we would willingly fall into their arms; gladly take up their challenge or invitation. But as it is, we encounter them when we are discontent or content and they are not. Whatever they are, we are not and vice versa. Two trains going in different directions that pass for a few powerful moments at full speed, blasting noise and wind but then they are gone. Whatever serious chemistry might have been possible if, isn't. "She knew he possessed a quality few males do. It was an instinctive thing that most of the men who had it didn't even know was there. Yet it was the most formidable part of their arsenal: They made you feel totally comfortable when you were together with them. On the street, in bed, having lunch, having sex, having a laugh, a walk or whatever-- it...

. “Joel, I'm not a concept. Too many guys think I'm a concept or I complete them or I'm going to make them alive, but I'm just a fucked up girl who is looking for my own peace of mind. Don't assign me yours.” –Clementine, from ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND How the heck do you get to write stuff like that? How far does one have to dig to find such words, such thoughts? Which chamber of the heart do I open to find the right story? Do I use a scalpel, a butcher’s knife, or a black Pilot V5 sign pen to stab my heart and make the right words spill out onto the paper? Is that how it works? How bloody does this story have to get? How do I make money out of misery? How do I make the right words splatter across the computer screen and not make people cringe and say, “Ick! He’s being sappy again!”? Which vein do I slice open that will let me spill the words into the page that will make people say, “Oh wow, that’s me. That happened to me. It’s like he’s writing about m...

. Call me Mr. Quote of the Week Hi, for those of you who don’t know me, I’m Budjette Tan, Philippine animator extraordinaire-- and I sold out. Let me explain. Last week, I attend the launch of Eddie Boy Escudero’s photo exhibit “When We Danced”-- which is more like an exhibit of Eddie Boy’s photos and Karen Kunawicz words. While checking out the exhibit, I saw Tim Yap who introduced me to two kids. “Budjette! I wanna introduce you to our two new super writers…” Super writers? Huh? My brain quickly hyperlinked Tim to the Inquirer’s Saturday SUPER! Section. Oh… Super! writers. Anyway, their names got lost in the rest of the people’s chatter. Tim pointed to me and said, “Guys! This is Budjette Tan! One of the Philippine’s best animators!” (At least that’s what I remember Tim yelling in the din.) “I sold out!” I yelled. “Don’t do what I did!” (At least, that’s what I remember yelling.) So, not only did I NOT correct Tim about my job description, I ended up giving advice to the two Super!wr...

The Next Big Thing? Teen romance novels with manga-type art on the cover and pin-ups in the interior pages. (Which local publisher will cash in on this first?)

. Quick Report I'm now in Pattaya, Thailand attending Adfest 2005 . Last night, the awards for the print catgory were given and one of the very few winners came from Filipino ad agency BBDO Guerrero-Ortega. They won the following awards: Single Print Category Bronze Award for the Orbit gum print ad. Print Campaign Category Bronze Award for the Childhope Asia campaign. Outdoor poster Category Bronze Award for the Smart MMS posters. Out of the 3,000+ entries from the entire region (and how many hundred entries from the Philippines) they were one of the few to get into the finals and win awards. The judges were so strict in determine the best ads that in some categories no awards were given at all. So, congratulations to the creative teams for BBDO Guerrero Ortega.

. Tongue-Tied Two On a related note, Leigh blogged : The Manila Bulletin, which has billed itself "The Nation's Leading Newspaper" since I could pull off bangs with aplomb, has a television commercial. Its tagline? "Freedom used as it should." WHAT?No wonder this country is going to hell in a handbag. Our "leading" English newspaper doesn't even have a grammatically correct tagline.

. Tongue-tied I recently received an email from a senior college student, studying in a one of Manila’s major universities. She was doing a report on Filipino comic books for her journalism class and here was her list of questions: 1. How does comic affects its readers? 2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of comics through its readers? 3. When and where does comic-making start in the Philippines? 4. Today, how was the comic industry surviving in the competitive business of media? 5. What is the current status of Filipino-made comics? 6. Nowadays, some of the comics were created as an animation or movie. Does this process helps the comic industry to live by? 7. I am asking in some news stand, if they have comics for sale. Unfortunately, they have none. Where do the comics go? or Where can I find the Filipino-made comics aside from the Internet? Looking at the bright side of things, at least she didn’t write her letter in txtspeak. I’ve already received two or three emails that ...

* Call Me Mr. Freeze You just can't win `em all. I finally found a netcafe that doesn't have noisy kids playing netgames or loud-mouthed x-men showing off their fake boobies to their chatmates abroad. It's a very quite netcafe, which only has five computers, so it nnnever too ggets too noisy, and the clerks play their FM radio at a decent volume. And since it's located inside rrRCBC, there are no warfreak kids yelling out, "I'm dead! I'm dead! F#$K you! I'm dddead!" There's even a Starbucks right outside this netcafe, making it so easy to go out got a cccoffee run. So, what's the downside to this wonderful, quiet netcafe? IT'S TOO DAMNED COLD! Seems like they've re-routed all the airccconditioning to this sssole spot in the whole building. Feels like I'm in the CSI morgggue. My fingers have gone numb. My snot is now all frozen. I'm beginning to see snowmen dance on the computer screen (or is this the screen saver?). If you d...

. Status Report I'm now on leave and feels weird to be not at work. I was planning to sleep all day, but I did that the other day and it's becoming boring. (And I know I'm going to regret saying that.) I now also realize that I have been able to insert doing my comic book stuff in between the usual workload at the office. Now,I have to find a netcafe that isn't too noisy and that's well-lit to write my comic book stuff. (This isn't going to be easy.) I will be on leave until mid-March. So, I've got to figure out how I'm going to get work done in these noisy netcafes. Maybe I need to go here early in the morning, just as they open, and hopefully the place won't be packed with kids cutting school. I'm supposed to be using this time to write all the things I usually don't get to write because of work at the office. And now I just want to go back to sleep. I owe Gerry a script. I owe other people some comic book scripts. And I owe myself several ...

new comic book blogs http://regting.blogspot.com/ is where comic book writer / reviewer / editor Reg Ting blogs about his comic book http://gilbertmonsanto.blogspot.com/ is where Gilbert shows some of his new art and stuff from his sketch pad. http://reviewcapsule.blogspot.com/ has really, really short reviews.

Been away. Offline. Threw away the watch. And switched off my cellphone. Went to Isla Naburot , which is a one hour boat ride from Iloilo. (Will try to get you contact info, in case you're interested.) Phlog has got some new features, which is why I've re-organized some of the art there into albums. So, in case you're interested, you can take a look at some B72 pin-ups , some Alamat art , Ian Sta. Maria's PROJ: SOUL BOOK , and the only existing pages of PROJECT: DATU without having to wade through pics of me. hehehe

. KICK ASS KOMIKS "Chief Edwards retires from the Modesto Police Department a lonely man. On his way home he hits a flying whale with his car, opening the beast's mouth to find a boy from a parallel universe named Jacobus. Chief discovers that a society of insect monsters want to kill this boy due to a mysterious virus that grows on his hand. The Chief becomes a father figure to the boy and trains him how to survive insect monsters by becoming a great American ass-kicker." Isn't that just the funkiest comic book synopsis you've ever read? (well, maybe some of Grant Morrison's books are funkier) The synopsis above is for EARTHBOY JACOBOS , a graphic novel by Doug Tennapel, coming out from Image Comics this May.

. Pretty Pics, Astig Art http://www.kaareandrews.com/ http://jamesjean.com/

Best Mobile Messaging Service : Globe Telecom, Inc. (Philippines), G-Cash is a breakthrough in m-commerce, transforming subscribers’ phones into “mobile wallets”. The picture that came out in the Inquirer today was taken with a Globe phone and sent via MMS. (Another great thing made possible by Globe.)

New Sites to See http://www.phlog.net/ has got a new look and new features! Check it out if you still don't have a Phlog account. http://baylans.blogspot.com/ a blog novel in progress in now online. Chapter 1 has been uploaded. The revolution will be online! http://www.kabayancentral.com/onlyindphil/lastikman.html is where you can buy Lastikman online.

. A Personal Thing © 2001 Neil Gaiman and Graham K. Smith Tracing your face in the way it all started Eyes like assassins, we cried when we parted Shimmy and slip like the mists of December I close my eyes and I try to remember Now I need you here like a kite needs a string I need you more than I need anything I want you back but I'm too proud to say it out loud It's a personal thing Starlight and moonlight and madness and heaven You made me all that I am: you're forgiven The touch of your hand or the feel of your finger Memories cut through my heart and they linger on... I need you here like a bird needs to sing I need you more than I need anything I want you back but I'm too proud to say it out loud It's a personal thing Every cold mile between us is painful All of the words we could never unsay in full Moments are magical, pain universal Frozen like ice and it's just too damn personal I need you here like a dream needs a wing I need you more than I need anyth...

. a bad b-movie plot So what was that all about? What was the point? The Abu Sayyaf bombed three buses yesterday and said it was their Valentines gift to the President, making sound them like two-bit terrorists from a B-movie starring Eric Roberts and Chuck Norris. So, now what? Did they win any support for their cause? What are they fighting for again? What is the tagline of their revolution? “Free our People”? “Free our Land”? What do they want? If their cause has any worth of getting any support, why aren’t people rallying in the streets? What do the people know about the Abu Sayyaf? “Oh, they’re those guys who kidnapped those Americans? Yeah, those guys who bombed those buses and the Superferry.” Why did they do it? Nobody knows anymore. Maybe the Abu Sayyaf themselves have forgotten and have become two-bit crooks threatening people for more money. We can only pray that more peaceful means can be found in solving this problem. Our country needs more heroes, not cowards who throw ...

. Postmortem on Our Love © 1993 Neil Gaiman and Lorraine Garland I've been dissecting all the letters that you sent me Slicing through them looking for the real you Cutting through the fat and gristle of each tortuous epistle Trying to work out what to do I've laid the presents that you gave me out upon the floor A book with pages missing, and a bottle, and a glove Now outside it's chilly autumn, I'm conducting a postmortem On our love I'm conducting a postmortem on our love An autopsy to find out what went wrong I know it died I just don't know how, or why Maybe its heart stopped Maybe its heart stopped There's an eyeball in a bottle staring sadly at the morgue There's a white line on the sidewalk silhouetting where it fell In the dark I am inspecting all the angles of trajectory Of hell Was it suicide or murder or an accident, or what? Though I cut and slice and saw and hack, it won't come back to life And I'm severing the label of each organ...

Two tickets. Two popcorns. Two soft drinks. That's how it used to be. These days, I just buy one of each. I watch the first screening here in Manila while you watch the last full show in New York. After the movie, I call you and we talk about the scenes and actors that we liked. I long for the day when we'll be in the same theater together. Until then, hearing you rant and rave about movies will always remind me why I fell for you. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Client: Globe Agency: Harrison Communications Inc. Creative Director: Joey Campillo Copywriter: me :-) Art Director: Argem Vinuya