Babbling Point

TRESE 7: COMING SOON Previously in TRESE... Read all the latest cases of Alexandra Trese at: http://tresekomix.blogspot.com

Telling True Stories in the Living Room Hey, you’re here! You’re just in time. Grab a chair. There are still a few empty chairs up front. The band’s just about to start. Can I get you anything? San Mig Light? Vodka 7? Tequilla? Welcome to The Living Room. Now on stage is the beautiful Kelly Flint the rest of and Dave’s True Story. SPASM EVERLASTING NO DOG STORY There is a playlist in my iTunes marked TYPING , which is the music I listening to when I’m typing down notes I’ve written in my notebook or when I already know what to write and just need to bang away at the keyboard. Included in that folder are the songs of Dave’s True Story. I found out about them when I was looking for a soundtrack that would get me depressed. At that time, I was re-writing a storyboard for Globe called “Closure” (and for those you who are familiar with that story, then it just means you come from that G-moment batch of Harrison… I still hope to get that approved and produced some day. B...

The Illegal Facilitator IF: Illegal Facilitator, a criminal whose crimes facilitated the crimes of others. “He’d looked, Milgrim thought, like an ethnic version of a younger Johnny Depp. Brown had once referred to the IF and his family as Cuban-Chinese, but Milgrim would have been unable to make an ethnic identification. Filipino, in a pinch, but that wasn’t it either. And they spoke Russian. Or texted in an approximation of it.” — Spook Country by William Gibson In Gibson's first novels, his characters surfed cyberspace by jacking-in, literally plugging themselves into the net with a hardwire connected at the back of their necks. With his new novels set in the present, they jack-in using the usual monitor and keyboards and by going to Google and Wikipedia. Still, he introduces concepts like "locative virtual art" that just gives you the same mindfuck you got when you first read about the concept of cyberspace. So, if the IF was texting in "an approximation of...

IMMORTAL KOMBAT There are no decent comic book shops here in KL. (Well, they're not like Comic Quest, Comic Odyssey, and Druid’s Keep.) They do have enormous stores like Kinukoniya and Borders where they have a huge selection of graphic novels and an even larger section with manga. In their Chinatown, I found two stores / comic book libraries that had original manga and anime DVDs. Anyway, since I have no access to the single-monthly titles that come out, I’ve had to do with reading their summaries at: www.majorspoilers.com . (Yeah, I know I can probably down scans of comic books, but I don’t.) The site recently reviewed Matt Fraction’s THE IMMORTAL IRON FIST . Fraction’s work has been getting rave reviews from the likes of Brian Bendis and Warren Ellis, which takes a whole lot of restrain from buying the IRON FIST HARDCOVER TPB that I saw in the store recently. But check out these very, very cool villains from the latest issue. THE IMMORTAL IRON FIST will definitely be on my pull ...

What am I thinking of right now? Couple of months ago, Arjun showed me this site called TWITTERVISION , where you see a map of the world and every couple of sections a word balloon would pop up on some part of the map and it would be someone leaving a note on this big world map about what they were doing in their part of the world. At that time, Arjun thought that would make for a nice execution for a TV commercial. (Has anyone done anything like that lately?) Anyway, I later found out that the foundation of Twittervision was the site / service called Twitter . I eventually got an invitation get a Twitter account, which I did and got excited by the feature that let me text in my “blog entry” or my whatever it was I was Twittering about. It also allowed me to receive (via text) the Twittering of other people. So, ever now and again I would get a text/Twitter from the people I’m linked up with and I’d get to know little things happening in their day. They’d Twitter about where they were,...

If you need advice about... ... what to play. http://thelonegamer.wordpress.com/ ... what to watch. http://fiveleggediguana.blogspot.com/ ... or just advice in general. http://coffeespark.com/

Commentaries: babbling about movies I recently watched BOURNE ULTIMATUM If ever Hollywood decides to do another Daredevil movie and if they really want to do it right, then they should get Paul Greengrass to direct it and Tony Gilroy to write it. Heck, while they’re at it, they should get Matt Damon to play Matt Murdock (aha! They even have the same first name!) And maybe Ben Affleck can start as the cop that gets killed by Bulleyes in scene one. Did you see that rooftop/ le parkour chase scene? Did you see all those close-quarter combat scenes? Aren’t all those just classic Frank Miller-Daredevil scenes?!!! I could already see the sfx word KRESHHH pop on screen when Bourne crashed through the window. Out of the three BOURNE movies, I liked this the best. It did have the advantage of having two previous movie provide all the set-up for the character, so for most of the movie you just see him getting his mission accomplished. The movie wasn’t burdened with too much backstory and we di...

NOW SHOWING Gerry Alanguilan's TIMAWA http://www.webcomicsnation.com/komikero/cresthut/series.php?view=single&ID=84338 WASTED: Episode 4 http://www.webcomicsnation.com/komikero/wasted/series.php?view=single&ID=79874 This is probably my favorite episode in the series, where Eric delivers that monologue in the car. I read that page during one of those poetry reading sessions in Mars (some of you might not even remeber that place). Yeah, I cheated and didn't read any of my own work. Anyway, after reading that poem, I saw Barbie Almalbis and gave her a copy of WASTED. After she read it that night, she was so moved and affected by the story, she ended up writing the song "Dancing" the next morning. COMING SOON More preview art at: http://iantoy.deviantart.com/

Over here, dusk arrives a little after 7:45pm. Tomorrow seems to take its time. It wanders in much later compared to its version back home. I wonder if it’s really raining in Manila. I am waiting for the sun to set.

Don't Look Under the Hood The other day my mom drove to the church to attend mass. After the mass, her car wouldn't start. She said the battery seemed drained and she couldn't recall if she left any of the lights on. The next day, she asked our neighbor if their driver could go with her and try to jumpstart the car. So, they went back to the church and to her surprise, the car started. Thinking there might still be someone wrong with the electrical system of the car, she brought it to the reair shop. The mechanic said that once the battery gets drained, it's not possible for it to start again. "Maybe your car has a friendly spirit in it," was the diagnosis of the mechanic. Which made me wonder, how much do mechanics pay for exorcising possessed cars.

52 weeks later All of these lines across my face Tell you the story of who I am So many stories of where I've been And how I got to where I am But these stories don't mean anything When you've got no one to tell them to It's true, I was made for you --Brandi Carlile, THE STORY

Post-its A wastebasket overflowing with Kleenex. An empty blisterpack of Neozep on top of it all. On the shower drain are overlapping spirals made out of long, black hair. The scent of burnt Spam still lingers in the kitchen. Reminders of your very short stay. As I clean up everything, I get teary-eyed, but I stop myself when I remember that you used up all the tissue.

arrival The trip seemed to take too long even though there wasn’t any traffic on the road. I glanced at the taxi cab’s speedometer and I was surprised to see the needle at the 100kph mark. As it wobbled near 110kph, it still felt like we weren’t moving fast enough. Funny how time warps when I’m rushing to meet you.

KaPaw!!! If you've been wondering why you haven't seen any new TRESE episodes lately, it's because Kajo's been busy with the day-job, as well as working on other artworks (and using a different canvas). Check his collaborations with Paw. Here's my favorite pair: If you want your own pair made/modified, just ask them at: http://kapaw.multiply.com/ They've already been featured in a magazine: http://hyphenate.multiply.com/journal/item/1/KAPAW Astig! p.s. Kajo emailed me the latest pages for TRESE. So, you'll get it to read it very soon.

While at the urinal, my thoughts drifted to Leonard Nimoy in a turtleneck sweater (What follows is my attempt to track down how my brained hyperlinked “taking a piss” to “Leonard Nimoy”.) So, there I was, standing at the urinal and while I was doing my business, I looked down and noticed a piece of paper in my breast pocket. That paper contained the number of the people who manage my apartment. I got that number because I was supposed to give it to Ms. Chin, the lady who sells prepaid load (because she’s looking for a new place). And I thought about how some names sound better if they were preceded by a “Mrs” rather than a “Ms”; like Mrs. Peel from THE AVENGERS . Which made me wonder if there was ever a Mr. Peel and if he was ever introduced in the show. The image of Mr. Steed and Mrs. Peel flashed in my head. That visual then quickly became the image of another couple from another TV show that was produced in the 60s/70s. In my head, I could see Leonard Nimoy in a turtleneck sweater ...

we have such sites to show you http://project365.multiply.com/ "365 Days... 365 Dorwings. A very simple premise. Enjoy this collection & I hope it inspires you to make one of your own." --avid liongoren Here's one of my favorites: WASTED: Episode 2 is all done and uploaded and ready to be read. Begin here: http://www.webcomicsnation.com/komikero/wasted/series.php?view=single&ID=79550 Coming soon :) ART BY: http://kajobaldisimo.blogspot.com/

Hanging Out with the Dream King (for your weekend viewing) Gaiman @ Google: where he reads several things from FRAGILE THINGS and answers a whole lot of questions, total running time 60:52 Wherein Gaiman talks about H.P.Lovecraft Wherein Gaiman talks about GOOD OMENS Wherein Gaiman gives us INSTRUCTIONS on what to do if we ever end up in a fairy tale Wherein Gaiman and McKean talk about MIRROR MASK, among other things

Harry Potter + Sliders + Peter Pan + 1960s X-Men + Green Lantern Corps = INTERWORLD Well, it’s not as bad as it sounds. It was a fun read for the most part. Well, maybe it was because I identified with the character so much. Joey Harker is a boy who’s “directionally challenge”. He got lost in his own house. (Same way I got lost in my own neighborhood. And I still get lost every time I go in Glorietta. I never know which corridor will bring me to Filbars and which one will bring me to G4.) Anyway, so Joey Harker gets lost in his own town and ends up in an alternate reality and ends up meeting other J/o/e/y Harkers from other realities. He gets recruited to they’re mission, which is to protect the rest of the multiverse from the forces of magic and science. The other more interesting story is how this story ended up becoming a novel. Neil Gaiman talked about it in his blog ; how INTERWORLD was originally supposed to be pitched as an animated movie (and they tried to pitch it to Dreamwor...

You Can Quote Me on That Announced at the San Diego Comic-Con last week, Warren Ellis will be writing ASTONISHING X-MEN: SECOND STAGE. When asked why he decided to accept writing the X-Men title, Ellis answered: “Well… I'm closing in on 40 now, so I'm pretty much washed up and preparing for the time where I'll have to sell what operating internal organs I have left for bill money, and I'm looking around to see what's left in commercial comics that I haven't done.” He was also asked what readers can expect with his X-Men stories. “Oh, the usual, you know. Raping your childhoods, using my position to destroy everything you love, displaying opinions you may not agree with and writing with my own voice and personality. All the things people hate in commercial comics these days. And yet, all the things I am specifically hired for. It's a funny old world.” Sounds like fun! Can’t wait for the first issue. Read the complete interview at: http://www.newsarama.com/...

I found out about this shampoo commercial --yes! It’s a SHAMPOO commercial!!!-- from Creative Review Magazine (May 2007) . “Kazuro Nakazawa, the director behind the anime experience in Kill Bill Volume 1, has created this stunning animation for Japanese shampoo Ascience. The story, which despite its beautiful rendering is unlikely to please feminists, revolves around the Japanese proverb, “Hair is the heart of a woman”. In it, a Japanese princess falls in love with a young Samurai but is forbidden from seeing him by her stern father. Devastated by her loss, she hacks into her unfeasibly long hair but, as she cuts, blood spurts from the severed strands, causing her death, as well as that of her lover who was using the locks to climb up the castle walls to be with her. The film ends with the proverb spelt out in the princess’ blood.” So, what are the chances we’ll ever see a Filipino shampoo account do something like that? While we dream about that, you can read more about the ...