The past week has been interesting.


Chapter 1: My Dad’s Film
Tuesday night I spent with my dad and his daughter, my half-sis, watching the premiere showing of a film he wrote entitled, "Dukot" ("Taken," or more appropriately, "Snatched.") My half-bro was also there and he brought his girlfriend with him. I met a lot of other people who knew me as a kid as well as some of my mom’s old "Bulwagan Gantimpala" theater friends. They knew me, but I can’t remember them.


The film is about activists in the Philippines who were taken by supposed "patriots," fighting communism for the government.

Funny because these same "patriots" who claim to fight for our democratic republic of a country would use means that is probably only legal in dictatorships or real communist countries. The means by which they "fight" are not at all legal, especially in a country like the Philippines.

These "patriots," and really I don’t care if they are military intelligence guys or what, should use democratic means to deal with these activists. If they don’t like what these activists are doing, why not bring them to court? Hey, they are military intel guys, right? Let them drag these activists through the Philippine justice system instead of making them "disappear."

My dad really addressed a lot of issues in the movie. I had a lot of insight into my dad’s psyche and the world in which he lives in (the activists’ world) and I can’t help but be concerned about my half-sis. I hope she doesn’t demonize people like us whom activists see as capitalist exploiters of the poor. If anything, communism is a dead cause. Like, hello? Uh, U.S.S.R. anyone?

My dad doesn’t know it, but I probably am more communist in my heart than he is. The heart of his issues is that he is crying out for justice alongside the other victims of such evil actions the government dealt them during the times of Marcos. And just recently a bunch of activists and journalists disappeared because of their criticisms against the government and the present administration.


I loved the few minutes me and my half-sis spent talking. I don’t like to compare but my full-sis, we don’t even talk much. She likes the company of girls more. We are not in the same frequency. With my half-sis, I got to “chika-chika” (chit-chat). Then my two college friends A.C. and Dustin arrived just before the movie started.

I drove my two friends home after the movie. We got to talk more and I saw A.C.’s wedding ring and told him, “You are a ring bearer, Frodo Baggins.” That made him laugh. He’s going to be a dad.


Chapter 2 My College Buddies
and I got to talk online. From her I found out about the Mangaholix anime convention last Nov.21-22. I was hoping to meet her there, though we really didn’t made plans to see each other. She was going there with two school friends. Then I realized that Nov.21 me and my college buddies were having a surprise b-day celebration for one of our friends.

So, I wasn’t able to go in the anime convention. I just kinda loitered around outside, looking at all the cosplayers and peeping what’s inside the convention. You had to pay P100 to get in you see. I got there at 5pm, and I had to make the reservations at 6pm in the café we were having the surprise b-day in. I parked the car in SM-Mall of Asia, and walked all the way to the convention, which was a few kilometers away in World Trade Center. There was this lovely rainbow outside as I walked to the convention. Then it started drizzling. “Uh, that’s right. Rainbow equals rain. Should have brought an umbrella from the car.”

I got to the convention. I loitered a bit, as I mentioned earlier. Then I had to walk all the way back. The drizzling turned into light rain, and I barely made it to the car to get the umbrella and our friend’s b-day gift.

I looked for TokyoCafe. SM-Mall of Asia is the largest mall in Asia as of this point in human history. Thank goodness I found it. I made the reservations for 9 people at 7pm. The waitress told me that at 7pm-7.15pm, we must be there otherwise we would lose the reservation.

I went to Data Blitz (an original software store). I asked if the last copy of Red Alert 3 (the non-collector’s edition) was still in their SM Megamall branch. It was. So I asked if they can have it delivered to their Robinson’s Place Mall branch. They said yes. Now I am waiting for their call when it arrives there. To be honest, I wouldn’t mind if it doesn’t get there, because I still have a bunch of games to finish and I really shouldn’t get a new game now. (I will be going back to Davao at Dec15 this year. I really don’t have much time to finish the games that I should.)

I went back to TokyoCafe, held our reservation for an hour until my friends arrived. We had such fun getting updated with each other’s lives and eating together. We all had salaries now and going out isn’t that much of a financial issue unlike back in college.

We had desert in this yogurt place. Then they went bowling. I just watched cuz like…we own a bowling center in Davao and even there I don’t play bowling. It was nice just watching them.

Then one of our friends had to go, her girlfriend was waiting for her (yes, she’s a lesbian, the kind that looks like a guy). Philip the b-day celebrant had to go too, so our company was getting smaller and smaller.

Hector asked if I finished my thesis back in college. I said yes and got reminded that many of them have not seen my thesis “Ginger The Cat” yet.

We went to Alley Gator, it’s this drinking bar place near one of our friend’s condo. We stayed there chatting. Dustin introduced us to this new gin drink, with green tea extract. It is probably the first alcoholic drink I have ever had that tastes like a healthy tea drink. I only had about half a glass to drink because I was still driving. I got home at around 2pm.



Chapter 3:The Mangaholix Anime Convention
Since I failed to indulge in the anime convention the day before, I was thinking that, after church, I’d go there. I didn’t have much money left, just enough to go and see the anime convention.

I almost decided against going, but in the end I still went. I wasn’t new to anime conventions thanks to my ArtFarm friends and my cousin in Davao who helps organize cosplays in Davao City. He always dresses up as Speed Racer. I knew that there had to be some differences between Davao anime conventions and Manila anime conventions. One of these is that the Davao cosplayers are a tight-knit society compared to Manila. Another is that in Manila, the sponsors are bigtime; companies like Eastern Telecom (there to market their “gaming-class internet service), and shockingly, even FHM was a sponsor (FHM, or For Him Magazine. A girly mag for lusty guys).

Sex sells, even in anime/manga.

The first thing that got my attention is the featured art in front of the inside of the convention, right after you pass by the canteen. Bleedman’s work was featured, as well as one of my college org-mates Then I saw ’s work. I was like, -_-; uh, ok…That is actually not a surprise to see.


No, I didn’t meet instead I met . I just opened his portfolio and recognized one of his works ([link]). It was surprising to meet a DA artist you didn’t expect to meet.

I also met . Heck I got to talk to the guy. I saw him selling sketches and doing commissions. It was amazing seeing him work. Just a few strokes of the pencil and tada, instant anime cuteness. If you don’t know Bleedman, he just this guy with the most hits here in Deviant Art. He’s a pretty big guy. Those that criticize him unconstructively would think twice to do it in his face. He could stomp on them easy, unless they are as big as him.

So there I was with Bleedman in the convention’s canteen. As we were talking (it was nearing the end of the convention, around 7pm Sunday) he asked if I had a Deviant Art gallery myself…I looked away with an embarrassed look and said “Yeah, I have…but I ain’t really that active.” Hey, just look around my DA account and see how few my works are here.

I ended the week with a *sigh*, “I should have brought my camera…not to mentioned I should have gone to an ATM.” Ah well…


Ah well indeed…cuz there will be another anime convention, held by the country’s only anime channel HERO TV. It will be held on Nov30, 2009, 10am-9pm at the A-venue, Makati City.

Too bad Mr. Vincent (Bleedman) said he won’t be there.