Giverius Navarroy and the Chamber of Surprises was recommended to me by a school friend, Meileen.

Right now, the site has an Oliver Wood poster feature, As Wood As It Gets. Droolworthy Oliver never fails to complete your day.

The site creates poster parodies from popular movies such as I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, Planet of the Apes and The Lord of the Rings, among many others.

Wish they would make the parody posters as big as those in the cinemas and sell them commercially. You can also send spoof postcards right from the site. Naughty and nice.

In other book-related news, is Stephen King really that determined to give up his gory quill for a more quiet and less suspense-ridden life?

Come to think of it, the past few years have been eventful for him, and most likely draining as well. He had an accident and was convalescing for quite some time. He published a semi-successful e-novella and wrote a slew of books that still became bestsellers.

Presently he pens a show called Rose Red. What a life he leads indeed. He admits that he does not want to end up like Harold Robbins, who suffered a stroke and promptly burnt out in both his life and writing career.

It began with the forging of the great Rings. Three were given to the Elves, immortal, wisest and fairest of all beings. Seven to the Dwarf lords, great miners and craftsmen of the mountain halls. And nine, nine Rings were gifted to the race of Men who above all else, desire power. For within these Rings was bound the strength and will to govern each race. But they were all of them deceived, for another Ring was made.

In the land of Mordor, in the fires of Mount Doom, the Dark Lord Sauron forged in secret a master Ring, to control all others. And into this Ring, he poured his cruelty, his malice and his will to dominate all life.

One Ring to rule them all.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring has finally reached Iloilo City after the month-long wait!

The movie opened at 10:30 AM today at SM City Cinema. I was able to catch the early evening show as there was a lot of school business I had to take care of in the afternoon.

Orlando Bloom, who plays Legolas, was even more beautiful on the big screen. He is just so poised, stunning and unruffled that you cannot help but want to glomp him, in full rabid fangirl mode. He did not say much but he catches your eye.

Viggo Mortensen as Prince Aragorn was so very appealing too. He came across as a very passionate, dangerous warrior. Truly a woman’s man. I envy Arwen.

I also got to fully appreciate the soundtrack when it was used in conjunction with the film’s intricate, breathtaking cinematography. I particularly loved the rendition of Rivendell, which was the closest thing to Paradise.

The battle and chase scenes were so epic, that it was like watching a mythological titanic clash unfolding before your eyes.

The fifth book in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series has no set date of publication, it seems.

Last year, word was out that Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix would be released by November, but then the date moved to January 2002 to give more attention to the first Harry Potter movie.

Looks like there will be another postponement.

In several interviews, Rowling said that there was indeed no set deadline for her to finish Book Five.

Considering the clincher ending of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the series’ commercial multimedia success, and countless fan speculations on the backgrounds and futures of the different characters, the pressure to rise to expectations and exceed them by springing surprises is indeed great.

Let us just hope that whatever will come out would be worth the wait.

Maybe Snape will end up with Trelawney.

I just finished watching a Gunsmith Cats animated movie on GMA-7.

The story centered on Rally Vincent and Minnie May getting involved in a tense truce with the police and some other officers of the law in order to acquire a license for their gun shop to operate legally. In the process, they had to go on an assignment of sorts to “prove their worth.”

Rally uses her amazing skill and speed with guns, coupled with the obligatory fanboy treat of jumping off balconies half-naked.

May provides comical, lethal sugar with her toothy grins and deadly explosives that are almost always housed inside those colorful balls that are displayed on Christmas trees.

The movie was pretty cool, in, of course, an escapist kind of way. It was nicely bloody as well, with cutesy female protagonists and antagonists alike.

It ended rather abruptly though, with unresolved issues as to the “true” relationships among several characters, but this is nothing unexpected in anime.

Surprises abound as the winners for both Kasadyahan and Ati-Atihan tribes competition of Dinagyang 2002 were announced at the Iloilo City Freedom Grandstand at 7 PM tonight.

The Kasadyahan 2002 Winners
Best in Float: Uruyan Binirayan
Best in Music: Tambo
Best in Costume: Kahilwayan
Best in Choreography: Kahilwayan
Best in Performance: Kahilwayan
Third Place: Uruyan Binirayan
Second Place: Tambo
First Place: Kahilwayan

The Dinagyang 2002 Barangay Category Winners
Best in Music: Parianon
Best in Costume: Molave
Best in Choreography: Atub-Atub
Best in Performance: Molave
Best in Discipline: Atub-Atub
Third Place: Parianon
Second Place: Atub-Atub
First Place: Molave

The Dinagyang 2002 Barangay Category Winners
Best in Music: Bola-Bola
Best in Costume: Paghidaet
Best in Choreography: Paghidaet
Best in Performance: Lunok and Bola-Bola (tie)
Best in Discipline: Paghidaet
Third Place: Bola-Bola
Second Place: Lunok
First Place: Paghidaet

Last year’s champions in both Barangay and Open categories in Dinagyang were not able to retain their titles. Atub-Atub slid down to second place in the Barangay level while Bola-Bola went down two notches from its, previously dubbed as “infallible”, former top position.

Bola-Bola’s stunning loss was due to a boo-boo in the second performance area where they were laughed at and booed by the crowd due to surprising errors. Their choreography was not able to fit well into the narrow space so whatever adjustments they made were not able to compensate. Their mistakes proceeded to demoralize them.

Lunok and Paghidaet tribes had equal scores from the five judging areas, based on the following criteria:
Music: 25%
Performance: 25%
Costume: 25%
Choreography: 25%

However, when the scores from the roving judges came in, it turned out that Paghidaet was tops in discipline (see that they won the award for such) so they proceeded to win the Dinagyang 2002 Open Category plum.

This is the first time that Dinagyang festival was overseen by the private sector. In previous years, the event was managed by the Iloilo City government, normally with a Dinagyang Committee headed by a certain city councilor. This year, the festival was delegated to the Dinagyang Foundation under the leadership of Atty. Nene Consing.

In several of his speeches during the course of the festival, Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas said that the new Dinagyang system was one of the early steps his administration was taking in its bid to make the city the next “Shining Star” of the Philippines.

The Ati-Atihan-style tribes competition of Dinagyang 2002 concluded at one in the afternoon today. Energetic performances were rendered by a total of 17 contesting groups in all five judging areas placed throughout Iloilo City. There were two categories: the Barangay and Open levels.

The Barangay level has 12 out of the 17 participating tribes under it. Under this category, the Iloilo City government provides a subsidy for the tribe’s expenses and such. The following is a list of the Barangay Category contestants, according to performer number:

1. Atub-Atub
2. Miluvi
3. Kongo (of the sexy red G-strings)
4. Aninipay
5. Badyao
6. Hamili
7. Lakandon
8. Halimau
9. Himala
10. Parianon
11. Angola
12. Molave

Atub-Atub, the defending champion, performed amazingly well this year, too. We can probably expect another championship from them, but the downside was that their costumes were so similar to those of Bola-Bola last year.

Providing the closest challenge to Atub-Atub is Parianon, a pleasant surprise entry. Their performance this year is very, very different from the rather mediocre one in Dinagyang 2001. They had tremendous energy.

Himala had fantastic costumes and music, which provided a classic 1980s feel to their performance, but the choreography left a lot to be desired.

The darling of the crowd, however, was Molave, which incorporated elements of the Eat Bulaga! (a noontime television variety show) Sex Bomb dancers, they of the shrill chanting and shrieks, into their routine. The male warriors, of course, shrieked and danced sexy as well.

On to the Open category. This level allows the participants to solicit from sponsors. Malls and big manufacturing firms provided the money necessary for these tribes’ more grandiose and naturally more expensive numbers. There were five contestants in the Open level:

1. Uruyan Binirayan, from the province of Antique
2. Lunok, Iloilo City National High School
3. Pana-ad
4. Paghidaet, La Paz National High School
5. Bola-Bola, Iloilo National High School (Provincial)

Bola-Bola, the level’s defending champion and arguably the most popular tribe in Dinagyang history with performance records in the Americas, introduced yet another innovation: The warriors/dancers used sakuting sticks to complement the drumbeats. It still is the overwhelming crowd favorite, despite their strange, abrupt, poorly-choreographed exits from the performance areas.

Lunok, which has a controversial history for protesting Bola-Bola’s Dinagyang 2000 victory, rendered a high-octane, non-stop, amazingly synchronized number that could very well give Bola-Bola a run for the trophy.

Results of both Dinagyang and Kasadyahan competitions will be announced tonight.

Kasadyahan, the first phase of the big annual Dinagyang weekend in Iloilo City, wrapped up at around 12 noon today with the completion of the performances of seven competing groups.

These groups represented various schools from all over the province of Iloilo and even from the province of Antique.

The seven tribes are (according to contestant #):
1. Tribu Tambo, Maasin National High School
2. Tribu Busilak, Jalandoni Memorial National High School
3. Tribu Mandurriaonon, Mandurriao National High School
4. Tribu Kahilwayan, Sta. Barbara National High School
5. Uruyan Binirayan, from Province of Antique
6. Tribu Ogtonganon, Oton National High School
7. Tribu Paghidaet, La Paz National High School

Binirayan was the best, with spontaneous transition from scene to scene and infectious drumbeats as well as clear, appropriate “canned” music when used. They used the theme of planting rice, incorporating old cultural beliefs and more modern farming approaches.

Kahilwayan was very good as to their choice of theme, very patriotic, but the music was so-so. Their performance tunes were not clear and likewise derived from the musical scores of popular movies such as The Mask of Zorro.

First, you ask, what is balut? The full answer could be found here.

However, here is the skinny on the delicacy, from filipino.com.au: Balut (or “Balot”) is one of the Philippines’ real native culinary delicacies that is sold everywhere on the streets. It is simply a duck egg cooked by boiling it for not less than 20 minutes. What makes balot special is that it is not simply an egg with the white and the yoke. It actually has a half-incubated chick inside.

Yes, I just had dinner. Two servings of balut, a tall glass of iced tea and a steaming cupful of Great Taste Instant Cappuccino.

Very nice to be at the end of the week. My favorite “time” is Friday night going on Saturday morning. I just cannot help but feel relaxed. Ironically, I tend to drink massive quantities of coffee during this period and shy away from food. The polar opposite of what happens on Sunday night going on Monday morning.

It is, of course, the start of Kasadyahan less than seven hours or so from now. I will probably do some stuff throughout the night and wait up for the very start of the telecast at around six in the morning. I get a kick out of doing that sort of thing.

I will be posting updates on the significant ongoings of Dinagyang weekend in this journal as I get ahold of the pertinent information.

The event is not really comprehensively covered by any big national Philippine newspaper so I believe people on the Net are deprived of the real taste of Dinagyang, even if it is just through news about it. Most of the time only the winners are stated, with some luminaries names’ mentioned and a brief explanation on how the event came to be. Definitely not enough.

This article was forwarded to a mailing list of which I am a member. It was, in a nutshell, about the Pope’s opinion on the current state of the Internet. He deems cyberspace to be a place of “both danger and promise.”

The Internet has given us human beings, with our limited perceptions and flawed faculties, the power to access and transmit a lot of information in so short a span of time and so easily.

Power in itself is neither good nor bad; it depends on who uses it and how he or she does so. Spider-Man realized after the death of his Uncle Ben that with great power comes great responsibility. Even if we are not superheroes, this adage does apply to us in a manner that whatever we have, we should never seek to abuse it or use it without regard for the consequences. Responsibility is about caution, foresight, moderation and, above all, consideration for the welfare of those around us and who rely on us.

I have been writing research and position papers on the Internet and its various facets ever since I was in high school. Time and time again, I could not help but stress that it is a double-edged sword. We just cannot use it mindlessly, as there always will be repercussions to our actions if ever we cross the line between what is freedom of expression and what is abuse of that freedom.

Was up very early and went online right away to read tickers, newspaper sites and random fanfics. I watched out for Virtua Fighter anime reruns on GMA-7 but all I got was a coverage of the Ati-Atihan Festival ongoing in the province of Antique.

It is also the town fiesta (feast) of my home for almost 11 years, Villa de Arevalo. In the Philippines, these feasts are held to celebrate the Day of the town’s respective Patron Saint. For Arevalo, it is Santo Niño.

Last Friday, I intentionally took the Oton jeepney route and got off at the plaza so I could pass by the traditional perya (fair) that is set up whenever the feast rolls around. The fair had the usual games and rickety Ferris Wheel, plus some cottage industry and accessory stands, not to mention the kiosks that serve beer, barbecue and seafood.

Next weekend it will be the Kasadyahan and Dinagyang, on Saturday and Sunday respectively, right here in Iloilo City. These count as among the Philippines’ most watched and expensive cultural events.

These festivals are held as tribute to Señor Santo Niño. Kasadyahan is a contest in presenting the best cultural/historical-themed production number, while Dinagyang is a rowdier face-off that involves painting the bodies of your performers (referred to as “warriors”) black to look like those of Aetas and making them dance to drumbeats.

Lots of people from other countries go here just to watch Kasadyahan and Dinagyang. These events are colorful, wild, creative, fun, highly competitive – the list of adjectives goes on and on.

I finally got to buy two soundtrack albums that I really wanted: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

I went to the mall this afternoon and was very glad to see that the music store people have already put up the newly shipped-in tapes and CDs up on the shelves.

The LOTR album sounds very grand, with powerful choral voices thrown in during intense bars, not to mention Enya’s fantastic theme song, May It Be.

The Harry Potter album sounds a bit tame, I suppose, but I think it goes with the territory. The movie was pretty much General Patronage in nature, unlike LOTR which was considered by certain Filipino religious groups as violent and not suited for young children.

Dark Hope

I hope you will see
Right through the blankness
That is my countenance
It is not emptiness
But a mask of pain

I hope you will hear
Right through the quiet
That is my outward self
It is not silence
But a rage no one will understand
Hence I keep

I hope you will feel
The beating of my heart
That no one knows is still there
I am not stone
Nor darkness, nor torment
I am shadow
Wanting light
I am my unknown self
Needing you

I just finished watching Buffy: The Vampire Slayer on RPN-9, a multiple-episode run wherein the Slayer and Faith switched bodies.

It was quite sad, since it became evident by the end that Faith’s life was different from hers. Buffy had loyal friends, a Watcher/father figure, a cool mother and a tolerable boyfriend.

Faith had none of these. She was, in a nutshell, alone. At the end sequence of the arc, she was in a hut made up of wooden planks. That wordless shot captured her desolation.

It was nice to see Spike aka William the Bloody again. I haven’t watched Buffy for quite some time and I was struck to see how gorgeous Spike really is.

Maybe my taste has gravitated to guys with very neat, swept-back hair. There is this character David in the dubbed IBC-13 Mexican soap Por un Beso, now Spike.

For the past few months, I have been lurking in some fandoms where I have been actively participating before. Just got back from reconfiguring some options in my Yahoo! Groups account so I would get mail from my old MLs again.

Indeed am looking forward to catch up with some of the earliest, closest online friends I had. Majority of these really awesome pals are from the Fushigi Yuugi fandom.

Although the fandom itself has experienced a bit of a change that I could not exactly describe as impressive or even favorable, a lot of really intelligent, kind and friendly people are FY fans.

I just got home from watching the Best Picture winner of the 2001 Metro Manila Film Festival, Yamashita: The Tiger’s Treasure.

I liked the film a lot, although some people said that it wasn’t accurate in terms of historical facts.

Well, if they want history, they should go read a Zaide book or something. The Yamashita treasure itself is mostly a romanticized rumor, anyway.

The ending of the movie was sad and sweet; I grew to like the Lolo Melo character played by Philippine cinema’s Golden Age icon Armando Goyena very much.

Well, despite what Cesar Montano says, I say Yamashita deserves the Best Picture plum.

Here is a summary from Kabayan Central:

Yamashita: The Tiger’s Treasure follows a labyrinthine chase along the bounty hunter underworld of missing treasure from the spunky viewpoints of a gang of teeners led by Jobert played by Danilo Barrios, and chums played by Camille Prats, Mico Palanca and Bearwin Meilly, all of whom unwittingly find themselves caught in the middle of an ongoing treasure hunt about to hit paydirt.

Armando Goyena plays Jobert’s Lolo Melo, wartime witness to the Yamashita caper who leaves his coded wartime diaries in the care of grandson Jobert.

Veteran screen bugaboo Vic Diaz plays the evil Japanese officer Naguchi, who comes back to the country 60 years later, now a crime syndicate boss, to reclaim the loot, with a lackey triggerman played by Rustom Padilla.