1. sketch.

Bored. So I did some sketching. Comment. Boost my ego. Or destroy it.

post-election analysis.

The election is over, though the malaise of violence and deception still lurks within the contours of our brain matter. Who can shrug that idea? The numbers are still ramming their way up as the counting goes on but we cannot set aside the fact that the Philippines Incorporated is preparing its carpet now for its newly appointed CEO, Mr. Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino. Forgive me, I still can't call him President. I'm following my conscience's behest.

Do I have to submit (to the new CEO)? The answer will be an undeniable affirmation although my synapses are sending the opposite reply. I can hear the applause now, and the banners raised with the signage in bold yellow letters "Hindi pa ako magnanakaw!". I can hear them. Yeah, really, I'm trying.

As I read the papers this morning, I found out that Manny V. has finally conceded to Noynoy. I cant' help but be really teary-eyed. Blame it to the hot choco from McDonald's. Nah, really, I was moved by Villar's triumphant acceptance of the election's result proving that advertisement has been downplayed once again by increasingly visible and knowledgeable voters. Promising politicians, change your strategy as early as now! Manny V., as I have said "I was moved" but that doesn't mean I'd congratulate you for that.

These observations will not escape unscathed from my eyes (yours also, I bet):

1. 8 million Filipinos still hopes for the deposed J. Estrada to be their next President. My body's numb to think about it. Seriously? If it were not for "humba", I'd forget I'm a Filipino now.
2. About 40,000 Filipinos believed in JC de los Reyes. Do they really know him? Or they just happen to shade the wrong oval which calls for the touch-move rule. Just a thought.
3. Do we have to celebrate for J. Binay as early as now? Is he serious about his "Ganito kami sa Makati" campaign? Do I have to babble the phrase, "Ganito kami sa Pilipinas" now? Hmm..it takes time to practice you know.
4. I'm happy M. Defensor-Santiago's still in to do the Senate's household chores. Oops. She's really working. R. Revilla's on lead which means we still have a heartthrob-slash-hunky senator on the seat.
5. The Marcos' grandeur seemed not tarnished at all. Their defamation sneered. Imelda won a seat in the House of Representatives and her only son Bongbong M. appeared victorious for the 24-seat Senate. Oh, the Filipinos are forgiving. Or, we are just too scarred and calloused to feel and hear the woes of our past history. Oh, the Filipinos are forgiving.
6. Advertisements don't work anymore. Filipinos are intelligent voters now. Yeey! They use their hearts, not their minds. Hah!
7. Automated elections worked. Except for some regions. Do I smell tilapia here? Hope not.

Now that Noynoy Aquino will be the Philippine's next Commander-in-Chief, the next pinball of defamatory remarks and issues, the remedy for the pining Filipinos and the hope of the masses, let us just cross our fingers that he will be as strong as his deceased parents and not as debilitating as the most hopeless proletarian.

philippines incorporated: the next CEO.

Who will you vote for this Monday?

This afternoon, we had a chat with our boss, who practically started the fire on this conversation. Talking about conflagration of thoughts at its purest form. We're inside the van on our way to the airport for our boss' flight. 8 of us. The inevitable topic which I think was the most probable topic of any human being there exist in this country, be it a child or an adult, would be the election this Monday. Aaww, the long-awaited day for our hopeless Filipino countrymen and the super-duper excited officials and wanna-be officials. Brother Eddie popped on my mind. Duh?

This day will be the busiest day in the entire history of the Philippines, not mentioning, of course, the previous happenings of the previous years. Set them aside. You might think they contribute, nah, for now the country's so busy prepping itself for the impending doom (or in better terms, the resurgence, our glory). The people nowadays don't care much about their history. This day will mark the day of infamy for those who have fingernail fetishes. Hahaha. Your nails will bathe themselves with that indelible ink, an obvious evidence of maybe-the-best or maybe-the-worst decision you will ever make in your godforsaken life. Who would care if you vote though? Bless your self because you will bestow upon the worthy (or imbecile) his ticket to his position. Cringe if you want, but that's the truth.

"Who will you vote for this Monday? Let's talk about this." Our boss seemed to be in his aggressive mood.

"I'll go for Noynoy. I think he's the only one with the heart to lead the people. What will we do with good credentials if later that President will just betray the trust of the people?"

Does he mean Gibo? He has good credentials, compared among the rest.

"Well, I'd go for Villar. I think he has the ability to lead the country given the idea that he has the experience, both as a Senator and as a businessman."

"Kaya nga, he is a businessman and has brought his business even in politics. Nakasabit yung C5 sa name nya eh. Pero ngayon pa naman siya nasira ng ganyan, 'di ba?"

What about his issue that prompted him to be removed from his office as the Senate President? Shall we give him an excuse? Excuse me, I have to be the President coz I just plundered my own cash here to reach this glorious position which only earns P60,000 a month. Beat that! Why, oh why?

"Ah, it must be Gibo. He has the credential. Read the articles about what he has actually done. Although there were minor issues about him but he had managed to clear his name from these."

"No, you should vote for Noynoy. I have this gut-feeling that he has the integrity and the right heart to lead. 'Hindi ako magnanakaw.' He has the promising legacy of hope that we Filipinos need in this dark hour of our existence." Schmaltz!

"Bakit naman tayo boboto sa kanya? E, as a Senator, wala nga siyang nagawa. If we are in a company, convince me why will I hire him if his previous record suggested that he has done nothing. Will I leave my Philippines Incorporated to someone who doesn't even work? By the way, may naipasa ba siyang batas? Kung di dahil sa parents niya, malamang nandiyan pa rin siya sa puwesto niya at wala pa ring ginagawa."

"At least hindi siya nagnakaw. Wala siyang issue ng pagnanakaw."

"But di ba parang pagnanakaw na din yon kasi hindi nga siya nagtrabaho. Kung ganoon man lang, si Dick Gordon at Bayani F. na lang iboto natin, kasi visible na may nagawa sila, di ba?"

Silence. Silence. Deafening silence.

"I think it will be Erap who will win, kasi when I asked the cab drivers, sabi nila pera naman daw sa sugal ang ninakaw niya. Yung kay Gloria, pera ng bayan."

"Brother Eddie can lead but he can't be expected to do it in a government. I admired him as a church leader, but to see him as a President will be debatable."

"Basta ako, ang iboboto ko ay si Jamby!" And everyone breaks into laughter.

This Monday, we will mark the start of change. Or is it? We can only cross our fingers, and our toes, (that if you can) as we begin to unfold another chapter in our Philippine history. As you let the ink flow into your fingers, let us hope that whoever you vote for will be the candidate of your conscience and not just the pulse of the media advertisements and surveys. These things should not be your benchmarks. The change lies in your decision. Not mine, coz I will not stain my fingernails. Sneer at me. Ciao!

perfume: the story of a murderer (a movie review).

In my quest to find the movie that could be both boredom-killer and mind-blower, I came across with so many books (not movies, my mood shifts so sudden) with which I found disappointing until I came across with a book written by Peter Suskind. I didn't know how I came across with such. Pardon me with my memory, they became picky sometimes. The title caught my interest. It was like fireworks display during Holy Week. I tried to find an e-book of this title but the luck seemed to be dodgy that time. I tried to satiate my bloodthirsty excitement by scanning series of videos from YouTube and I was not disappointed to see that there were installed parts of the movie. Do I sound cheap? Get lost. So click and roll!

But my happiness was just few reels away since I found out that it was not complete. Damn that pathetic creature who uploaded the first few parts only. Bet he's spending his life like a troglodyte now. Selfish brat! And so continue my mind-wrecking quest to find the whole copy of the movie. Since this movie was quite not popular, I had a hard time finding the legendary copy of this. That was when the world of torrents did not open itself to me first. So shy. It was a year ago. HAH!

Anyway, I have a repertoire of taste when it comes to movie. They range from the cochlear-busting-slash-techie type of films up to the grotesque-slash-epic movies which were all docile to the whims of my mood. Such movies were all slaved by my own criteria. You see, I have my own yardstick with which I gauge the movies I watch, whether they are just another waste-of-time piece or an epic one. Some considerations to see were as follows (you can plagiarize mine):

1. The actors or actresses are not make-believe like some sort of once-upon-a-time story with which the characters are too perfect to be true that even the strands of their hair look like Venuses intertwined. Movies should be realistic. Or almost.

2. The story is a spark of wit, struggle, beauty coupled with brilliant eloquence. It should be a banquet of rich storyline and not just an hors d'oeuvres of CGI effects and gadgetry (although this may pass for an eye-candy).

3.The movie haunts your deepest psyche and thus leave you, if you're in a cinema, dumbfounded; or if you're at home, insomniac after you've already watched the movie 3 times in a row. It becomes a topic for a week.

Going back to what I mentioned a while ago, I downloaded the movie from a torrent and watched it with my friends. I'm sorry I can't find it in any movie shelf since last year. Waiting until now was way too much for me, my ego's bleeding. But patience was always rewarded. With Smeagol laugh, I could finally ravaged "my preciousssss". So click and roll!

The story revolved around the brilliantly gifted and grotesquely obsessed perfumer, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille who performed a morbid experiment to preserve the scent which could bring the world at its feet. The narration was flawlessly delivered and the scenes perfectly executed. Wait. I won't summarize the film for you coz this will render you imbecile relying too much in my shortchanged compendium. Just a tickler though. Naked bald girls. Homicide. 12 + 1 scent = ultimate perfume. A modest orgy. A cannibalistic ending.

Let me share a piece of it to you (a narrative excerpt towards the end):

"He still had enough perfume left to enslave the whole world if he so chose. He could walk to Versailles and have the king kiss his feet. He could write the pope a perfumed letter and reveal himself as the new Messiah. He could do all this, and more, if he wanted to. He possessed a power stronger than the power of money, or terror, or death - the invincible power to command the love of man kind. There was only one thing the perfume could not do. It could not turn him into a person who could love and be loved like everyone else. So, to hell with it he thought. To hell with the world. With the perfume. With himself."

You'll be surprised to hear that familiar twang of Alan Rickman. Remember Snape of Harry Potter? You'd wished you'd been circumcised twice if you'll not watch this.