Precaucion, Precaucion!

what : Los Chupacabras/Poetry Reading
where: mag;net katipunan
when : april 2 2007 (monday), 8pm up






sir rock drilon of mag:net has come up with this great idea: to have the first and third mondays of every month "happy mondays poetry" nights, which should ideally fall between 7 and 9pm. the whole thing kicks off this coming monday. on april 16, another set of poets will be reading, and so on. it's a grand gesture on the part of mag:net and a great opportunity for established, young, and upcoming poets to read their works.

at eto na. more or less the final list of readers
who'll be reading their works in-between our sets:

1. Jimmy Abad
2. Krip Yuson
3. Marne Kilates
4. Lourd De Veyra
5. Mookie Katigbak
6. Conchitina Cruz
7. Ken Ishikawa
8. Andrea Teran
9. Lope Cui, Jr.
10. Pancho Villanueva
11. Allan Pastrana
12. Jonar Sabilano
13. Darwin Chiong

The others yet to confirm their participation
are Larry Ypil, Arkaye Kierulf, Angelo Suarez, and Mark Cayanan.

at kaarawan 'yun ni kael. so wasakan! punta kayo lahat! we're arranging for cheap beer and cheap entrance. may open mic pa 'to. bring your stuff!

sow kam on, let's joyn as!


Heroic Secret Service Agent Takes Question Intended For Bush

from the onion. full story here.

Bring That Sheet In!

from sarge lacuesta, literary editor of the philippines free press. please come.



and from ma'am marjorie evasco, this lovely quote she forwarded me this morning:

"the only courage that is demanded of us: to have courage for the most extraordinary, the most singular, and the most inexplicable that we may encounter." -- RM Rilke


A Walk

My eyes already touch the sunny hill.
going far ahead of the road I have begun.
So we are grasped by what we cannot grasp;
it has inner light, even from a distance-

and charges us, even if we do not reach it,
into something else, which, hardly sensing it,
we already are; a gesture waves us on
answering our own wave...
but what we feel is the wind in our faces.

translated by Robert Bly

Rainer Maria Rilke

Humanatee

from this interesting site that talks about the extinction of the Steller's Sea Cow:

"Georg Wilhelm Steller, the naturalist and physician on a Bering Sea expedition, recorded the first, and best, descriptions of the sea cow:"

These animals, like cattle, live in herds at sea, males and females going together and driving the young before them about the shore. They are occupied with nothing else but their food. The back and half the body are always seen out of the water.They eat in the same manner as the land animals, with a slow forward movement. They tear the seaweed from the rocks with the feet and chew it without cessation... During the eating they move the head and neck like an ox, and after the lapse of a few minutes they lift the head out of the water and draw fresh air with a rasping and snorting sound after the manner of horses.



Seacow, Si Ako, Dugong
Pilipino. I am the other
walrus. Toothless and kind,
paddling away to safety.
Yet calling to you, sirenian.
Breaching the surf, beaching.




***

Below are some other "manipulations" by up and coming painter and web designer Emman Acasio (who made the Makahiya photo on the right bar of the blog).

Year of Bayaw

iba't-iba pang piling-piling kuha ng mga bayaw.

bawal ang bardaging bayaw dito! hehe.



el indio igorot bayaw




mafiartist bayaw



werds ob mawt bayaws



but look! it's todo todo torres bayaw!




totelcoholic bayaw



at higit sa lahat...bayaw fuds treep!




wasak na wasak!

***

CHE FECE . . . IL GRAN RIFIUTO

A day comes to some people when
they must pronounce the great Yes or the great No.
It is instantly clear who has the Yes within,
ready; and by uttering it, he crosses over to

his honor and conviction. The one who
refuses has no remorse. If asked again,
he'd say no again. And yet that No —
the right No — weighs him down to his life's end.


[1901]
Translated with Willis Barnstone


C. P. Cavafy
Translated by Aliki Barnstone
The Collected Poems of C. P. Cavafy
W. W. Norton & Company

from Poetry Daily

Uncle Baobab's Lucky Seven Club

i think that i shall never see...

well, not until i came across a forwarded link that took me to a photo site that featured the grandest and most magnificent trees in the world. only then did i find out that there is, indeed, such a thing as a baobab tree. call me stupid, but i've thought all this time that it's just some invented planetoid vegetation from that tiny saint-exupéry book, the little prince.

and boy, do they look marvelous. apparently, as the link explains, putting the baobab tree on top of the list (grabbed photos are credited to their respective sources):

"The amazing baobab (Adansonia) or monkey bread tree can grow up to nearly 100 feet (30m) tall and 35 feet (11m) wide. Their defining characteristic: their swollen trunk are actually water storage - the baobab tree can store as much as 31,700 gallon (120,000 liters) of water to endure harsh drought conditions.

Baobab trees are native to Madagascar (it’s the country’s national tree!), mainland Africa, and Australia. A cluster of "the grandest of all" baobab trees (Adansonia grandidieri) can be found in the Baobab Avenue, near Morondava, in Madagascar."



"In Ifaty, southwestern Madagascar, other baobabs take the form of bottles, skulls, and even teapots."



and my most favorite photo:



sana nga lang may balete rin. better if the resident kapre decides to join the photo op, grinning broadly and blowing tobacco smoke rings on the photographer's face. 'yun ang talagang panalo! punung-puno ng kabayawan.

Earthsea Grapes

was browsing the studio ghibli website, checking if i in fact have all the acclaimed animated film outfit's main titles in a 19-CD boxed set i got last year. was pleasantly surprised that studio ghibli made an animated adaptation just last year of ursula k. le guin's Tales from Earthsea, which came after the nebula award-winning writer's earthsea trilogy. of course, i don't have it yet.

many anime fans would often sum up studio ghibli's success to that of a single man: its most renowned director, Hayao Miyazaki, who directed such unforgettable titles as "Howl's Moving Castle," "My Neighbor Totoro," "Princess Mononoke," "Porco Rosso," and "Spirited Away," the first ever Japanese animated feature to win an Oscar.

interestingly, Tales From Earthsea was directed by Miyasaki's son, Gorō. this is the son's first work and the father said something to the effect of having finally "accepted Gorō" after previewing the film. how japanese (but heck, what do i know). hmmm....i'm intrigued by the movie. hirap lang n'yan would be the necessary and unavoidable comparison to the father's works. wasak. teka...nyay! eto na si Yevaud!




Sea Grapes

That sail which leans on light,
tired of islands,
a schooner beating up the Caribbean

for home, could be Odysseus,
home-bound on the Aegean;
that father and husband's

longing, under gnarled sour grapes, is
like the adulterer hearing Nausicaa's name
in every gull's outcry.

This brings nobody peace. The ancient war
between obsession and responsibility
will never finish and has been the same

for the sea-wanderer or the one on shore
now wriggling on his sandals to walk home,
since Troy sighed its last flame,

and the blind giant's boulder heaved the trough
from whose groundswell the great hexameters come
to the conclusions of exhausted surf.

The classics can console. But not enough.


Derek Walcott
from Selected Poems by Derek Walcott
2007 Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

----

and, in the PDI today, this wasak photo. find the sea grape and win a prize!

Aequus Nox

today marks the beginning of it. the latin phrase sounds weird enough when directly translated to english: equal night. probably why they combined the two words. equinox. hmmm...now that's even weirder. sounds greek even. it still doesn't seem to equate to anything sensible. where's the light? the sun? at may paki ba tayo dyan? siguro. sobrang init na nga naman. eh di tanggalin na lang.

Nakakatawa pa yung paliwanag sa wikipedia:

"In practice, the day is longer than the night. Commonly the day is defined as the period that sunlight reaches the ground in the absence of local obstacles. The Sun is a disc and not a single point of light, so when the center of the Sun is below the horizon, the upper edge is visible. Furthermore, the atmosphere refracts light, so even when the upper limb of the Sun is below the horizon, its rays reach over the horizon to the ground."

Well, at least, bakasyon na. Woohooo!

A Blizzard of One...

snowflake fell through my window, straight from cold Scotland, where Paolo Manalo met one of my most favorite poets, Mark Strand, and was able to get him to sign a copy of The Continuous Life for me. Wasak. Maraming salamat ulit, Pao!




This came after I got myself a fully-clothed, HB signed limited edition copy of Peter Beagle's original and unedited version of the classic fantasy The Last Unicorn: The Lost Version (you remember the movie adaptation with America doing the main theme and Art Garfunkel that love song, "That's All I've Got to Say"?). Truly one of the most poignant and loveable fantasies ever written/filmed.




***

Long day yesterday. Had to give a talk in the arneow with Lourd for Daryll's intro to poetry class then had to rush to the Alliance Francaise's Lettera Amorosa reading in dreaded Makati (was just fortunate enough to get to hitch a ride with Sir Jimmy, otherwise I probably won't even bother (Nyaaay, Maka-katakot-ti) especially with the sudden friggin' downpour. Anyway, had to run like hell in the rain and got into Sir Jimmy's car all wet and smelling like ass). But the reading turned out great. Lotsa wine and Czech beer. Found out that this year's theme, "Lettera Amorosa" is taken from a poem by the 20th Century French poet René Char, who passed away in 1988 and whose Centenary is this year. Well, the poem's title is obviously and inexcusably not French. hehe. But it did remind me of a wonderful poem Eric Gamalinda wrote which came out in the Free Press a couple of years ago that alluded to the guy.

Swamped with final novel analyses, grades all due tomorrow. Must...get...back...to...work...

***

The Evening Star

Tonight, for the first time in many years,
there appeared to me again
a vision of the earth's splendor:

in the evening sky
the first star seemed
to increase in brilliance
as the earth darkened

until at last it could grow no darker.
And the light, which was the light of death,
seemed to restore to earth

its power to console. There were
no other stars. Only the one
whose name I knew

as in my other life I did her
injury: Venus,
star of the early evening,

to you I dedicate
my vision, since on this blank surface

you have cast enough light
to make my thought
visible again.


Louise Glück
Averno
Farrar, Straus and Giroux

from Poetry Daily

In Adder Newsssss

Just got an email stating that two of my poems ("Jesus Walking on Water" and "Subterfuge") are coming out in the Spring Issue of Washington Square, the literary journal of New York University's graduate creative writing program. Allan Popa's poem, "Aubade" is also seeing print there. Wasak One!

Also, Khavn dela Cruz is screening his new digital short film, "Literature" based on my poem of the same title on March 24, 7pm in Center for Arts in Timog. I caught a glimpse of how "90%" of it looked last night in mag:net. Angkol Tom's Khavn says 90 percent pa lang 'yun because he's still tweaking it for the actual launch on the 24th. This along with some of his recent short films, including "I'm not Batman" which features Lourd and rest of Sago. Wasak Two!

Below's the announcement and some photos from the shoot of "Literature". Nood naman kayo, mga bayaw.


THIS IS NOT A FILM BY KHAVN: KHAVN DELA CRUZ GETS BANNED!

Banned Movies Pilipinas has proven itself as the home of indie artists when it served as the venue for the premiere of John Torres’ Gabi Noong Nalaman Kong Ang Aking Ama ay May Anak sa Labas last January 20 and Raya Martin’s Long Live Philippine Cinema! last February 17.

Come 7pm on March 24, 2007, Banned Movies Pilipinas will chalk up another milestone when it premieres Khavn dela Cruz’ newest digital film, Literature, based on the poem of the same title from Joel Toledo’s 2004 2nd prize-winning Palanca collection for poetry, starring Farley Alcantara, with voiceover by Ebong Joson, sound design by Ria Muñoz, cinematography by Albert Banzon, editing by Lawrence S. Ang, and production design by Lope Cui, Jr.

The premiere will be held at the Center for Arts in Timog, Quezon City.



A recent recipient of the Grand Jury Prize in the recently concluded Digital Lokal competition of Cinemanila, Khavn dela Cruz is an award-winning filmmaker with 16 features and more than 60 short films tucked under his belt. He is also one of the
movers behind the Independent Filmmakers Cooperative (IFC) and Filmless
Films.

Also to be screened are Khavn's other recent digital films namely: Institusyon ng Makata (starring Marvin Agustin), Amen, and I’m Not Batman (with the Radioactive Sago Project).

Performing for the evening are Taggu nDios, Linch 12, The Brockas, and Kiko Machine.

This event is made possible through ClicktheCity.com, Transit, Red Leaf Printing Press, Anthem magazine and NU 107.

For inquiries, email banned_movies@yahoo.com or visit www.bannedmoviespil ipinas.com. You can also text 0917-9180575.

A Cure for Dead Dogs

. . . as if weather were a cure
for childhood.
--Bin Ramke

As if time were a cure. As if all things
pass, this too shall pass were a cure
for time, the time it takes, time enough,

a little more time. As if waking
with a taste in your mouth
were a cure for childhood, a sweaty

sweaty dream, a monster, an
angel in the closet, under the bed
were a cure for a ghost. As if

a thing lost or forgotten, discarded,
fled, written down and revised, revisited
were a cure for dead dogs, dogs

put to sleep, put down, put out of mind,
put that way were a cure for the facts.

As if this were a cure for that.

As if what happened, events as told, as tell
about the teller were a cure for
what ails, what finally ends, what time

has taken its toll on. As if what can be
hoped for, what works, what heals
were a cure. As if a cure were needed.

Craig Morgan Teicher

from Verse

The Darkness of Books

Tagged by Mikael

1. One book that changed your life.

Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig. "Good is a noun," says the author, meditating on the metaphysics of quality. Wasak.

2. One book you have read more than once.

Mark Strand's Blizzard of One.

3. One book you would want on a desert island.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance ulit. It's been quite some time since I last read it and it might just be enough to "tide me over" while waiting for quality coconuts to fall. Teka, "desert" island ba talaga o "deserted"? Kasi kung disyerto at may kasama naman pala akong hayop, eh di Man and Camel na lang. Hehe. Baduy...

4. One book that made you laugh.

Hmmm... It would have to be A Spell For Chameleon from Piers Anthony's Xanth Series. Winner of the World Fantasy Award and a real belly-acher.

5. One book that made you cry.

The Stranger by Albert Camus. Weird, but that climactic scene with Mersault confronting the priest near the end really got me all wound up.

6. One book you wish had been written.

Nueve Chupacabras by Accessibilly Ty Collins.

7. One book you wish had never been written.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Aside from being too formulaic, the premise of this highly commercialized series (you know, a school of Wizardry and all) was unabashedly taken from Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea Trilogy.

8. One book you are currently reading.

Why We Are Hungry by Dave Eggers. Hehe. I'm reading this because Kael got either too drunk or too hypnotized a few nights ago and promptly lent it to me, his eyes blank.

9. One book you have been meaning to read.

Ramil Gulle's new poetry book, Textual Relations. Got it from the recent book launch in UP.

Tagging: Banzai Cat, Cos, Daryll, Weng, Paul, FRODA

14th Iligan National Writers Workshop (INWW)

The National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCCA), the Mindanao Creative Writers Group, Inc., and the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology’s Office of the Vice Chancellor for Reseach and Extension (OVCRE) are accepting applications from writers to the 14th Iligan National Writers Workshop (INWW) to be held on May 21-24, 2007 in Iligan City.

Panelists this year are Rosario Cruz Lucero, Erlinda Kintanar Alburo, Jaime An Lim, Leoncio P. Deriada, Merlie M. Alunan, German V. Gervacio, Steven Patrick C. Fernandez, Victor N. Sugbo and this year’s keynote speaker, the poet Rebecca Añonuevo, 3rd INWW Fellow (1996)

Fifteen (15) slots, five each from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao are available for writing fellowships to the INWW.

Applicants are required to submit five poems, or, one short story, or, a one-act play in Filipino, English or in Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Kinaray-a, Waray (with English or Filipino translations) along with the applicant’s biodata, two 2X2 photos and a certification that his/her work is original. For short stories or plays, please submit a hard copy and a CD with the manuscripts encoded in MS Word Unpublished works are preferred.

Writing fellows will be given free board and lodging and a travel allowance. Applications must be postmarked on or before March 30,2007. No applications or manuscripts will be accepted if sent by fax or e-mail. Applicants are also advised to keep copies of their manuscripts since these will not be returned.

Send all applications to the 14th INWW Director, Christine Godinez-Ortega c/o OVCRE, MSU-IIT, Iligan City. For more information call Pat Cruz tels. (063) 3516131; or e-mail: ovcre-mepc@sulat. msuiit.edu. ph / cherlyadlawan@ yahoo.com

Laki Sa Layaw, Bayaw!

A photo essay of the various bayaws linked to the blog and/or looked up to by the Bayaw Collective. Hehe.



starry starry Vincent "King" Bayaw
Wengster Bayaw

Darkman Bayaw

Gothic Bayaw

Sleepy Bayaw

Charlson Marcos Hawthorne Bayaw

Dada Bayaw

Magic Al Bayaw w/ Mascot Bayaw

The Architist Bayaw

Pinikpikan Bayaw

Troll Bayaw

Fine Young Vayaws

At syempre...


Bayaw Lokal Boys (Anonas Chapter)

Wasak!!!

Wha' Happened?

Ika nga ni Maricel S, "I'm buck!"

Maraming salamat kay Norman "Iwasak" Wilwayco aka swiminteractive
para sa bagong hitsura ng blog. Wasak ka talaga, bayaw!

Kudos also to Emman Acasio who designed the artwork on the right side for the poem, "Makahiya". Salamucho, tol.

Sundays

Grandmother religious—whose jargons were spoken with firm belief
in the Sabbath, that solemn and complex gestures must come before
Amen, who insists that hands must not simply meet, but mean and signify,
point heavenward, lest slapped—today I am not wearing po

my Sunday best. Remember the afternoon I came home with science,
offering newer lessons? How you scorned me then. Even as I was pulling out
that dissected frog, you were already running around the old house,
opening all windows, simply detesting the evil smell of formalin,

your rosary your sole consolation, as you swayed gently on that now lost
rocking chair. God, how you punished my pure sacrilege. Once,
you made me sit in the corner all day, forcing the scriptures into me,
as classmates studied the many wonders and synonyms of the word,

chrysalis, while every other kid was out catching butterflies. It was cruel,
the way you made me shine those leather shoes, wear that stupid belt.
And how, later, slowed down and forgetful, you had given certain Saturdays
your sacred duties of the next day, making me miss so many assignments

in biology. Lola, I can still see you, bane of science, skeptical to the end,
warming your cold chest with your one book, dictating wordlessly
the written and exact answers to all my questions, as I steadily grew
into belief, on my own, discovering faith and beginning to count

my blessings, having nothing to do on weekends, still transitory,
roaming the city and clasping both hands on the railing only out of instinct
or this sudden lucid memory, missing again certain stations, the mass.