pachel-belle.blogspot.com

School of Humanities Launch Party

2007-09-02T00:09:00.001-07:00

Second time around at Katips Bar. KATIPUNAN Magazine did a short presentation (wasak!!!) Food and beer after :-)

KATIPUNAN Magazine August 2007

2007-08-23T01:51:00.000-07:00

KATIPUNAN August 2007
In Search of Security

Talk of an Act aimed at protecting Filipinos has got us thinking about the concept of security.

At a time when villains come in many forms, and the ways one can fight back are as plenty as the excuses to run away, we wonder where things stand in a culture deadlocked at the crossroad of fear and defiance.

To define security is to say who one wants to protect, to shield, to keep safe -- himself, his family, his friends, his community, his people, a nation.

To define security is also to acknowledge who or what one wants to be protected from -- terror and suspicion, struggle and poverty, perception and doubts, indifference and indolence, boundaries and limits.

And to define security is to admit what one values most -- peace and privacy, truth and transcendence, creativity and inspiration, today and most especially tomorrow.

This August, KATIPUNAN explores the various ways security is defined -- in light of global terrorism, local oppression, the attacks of perception, the boxing by the mainstream, and the uncertainty of the future -- and how the different persons in society have worked to maintain their own individual and collective security, to protect what and who they hold most dear.

FEATURES

In Search of Security: Cracking the Safeguards
by Angeli C. Alba and Carmina C. Reyes
An investigation of the law that is supposed to grant the nation a sense of security, and why some sectors believe this law and its goals to be two disparate things

Global Filipino Image
By Martin Villanueva and Trish Elamparo
What should Filipinos make of the headlines and reportts in the international media which have led to the grim depiction of our country?

A New Ecosystem Emerges
By Al Agassiz D. Dela Torre
A look into the discovery that could possibly curb global warming

The Man Behind Chikka
By Al Agassiz D. Dela Torre
The business side of technology, a man and his Web company, and how they try to do things in service of families

Defying Definitions
By Xela Ann Marie Avilla and April Sescon
Veteran indie filmmakers Khavn dela Cruz and John Torres expound on the experience of the experimental film

Mainstream to Indie
By Xela Ann Marie Avilla
An Ateneo alumnus and ABS-CBN scriptwriter recounts her journey from writing commercial entertainment to directing her Cinemalaya entry Still Life

Remembering a River's Flow
By Michelle Bugante and Ma. Lourdes N. Colinares
A return to the waters where Rizal in his novels pours his grief over the oppression of the Filipino

40php per copy! :-)
contact me: nikay_p (YM) or 0920-9132778

13th Ateneo-Heights Writers Workshop

2007-08-08T23:53:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to the fellows!

Katrina Paola Alvarez (IV AB Communication)
Victor Michael Patricio Anastacio (III BS Management)
Kyra Camille Ballesteros (I AB Literature, English)
Anne Calma (III AB interdisciplinary Studies)
Zoe Anne M. Dulay (III BFA Creative Writing and Arts Management)
Marie la Viña (III AB Philosophy)
Kristian Mamforte (III BS Applied Mathematics, major in Mathematical Finance)
Ali Sangalang (III AB Interdisciplinary Studies)
Jason Tabinas (III AB Economics)
Timothy Villarica (III AB Social Sciences)

Split 260php (!) for a cab ride to the Novitiate with April and Martin. We stayed overnight and drank, um, gin. Drew took us home. Yay :-D

(L) Martin & Drew: the pose!; (R): April & manuscript.

(L) Glowy Zoe. Haha :-p; (R) Marie, lovely lady.

(L) Brad---, workshop pussy; (R) Hey...

Lola Nita's Burial

2007-07-26T09:37:00.001-07:00

2007-07-19T06:36:00.001-07:00

The Mechanics of a Smile

It has been said by an anonymous photographer that: “If you photograph people in color you show the color of their clothes—if you use black and white, you will show the color of their soul.” I, for one, belong to the school of reluctant “posers.” At the sound of the shutter we tense up, skip a breath and try to forget the photograph was ever taken.

It is the belief of some Native American and African tribes that taking a person’s picture is tantamount to stealing his or her soul. I once posed a question to a photographer friend on how he coaxed his subjects, everyday people on the streets, to pose for him. “Do you pay?” I asked. “Yes,” he replied, “twenty pesos.”

It was on a recent trip from Banaue that I encountered a jolly group of old men and women by a plateau regally dressed in their Ifugao outfits. As soon as I retrieved my camera from my bag and approached them, they quickly huddled together and worked their poses. My mother had warned me earlier on the way there that these men and women posed with tourists for a living now that they were too old to help with the crops or sell wood carvings. Any amount would suffice. The only difference being that they were smiling; they were ready.

A black and white photograph is said to direct our full attention to the emotion of the human subject. This happens because the replacement of colors by dark tones supports and directs our gaze to the solid face. If we wish to preserve a subject’s authenticity, then we switch to black and white. However, we are again faced with the dilemma of knowing when or when not to take a photograph.

The scenario among friends, on the other hand, offers us no challenge. We take pictures with them and of them because we want to preserve the memory of their company. We have no qualms about our souls being stolen because we know them all too well and vice versa. Though one peculiar observation is that there is a piercing moment of silence as the person taking the photograph counts to three and the shutter is released.

Now we are slowly distinguishing between the man who agrees to have his picture taken for twenty pesos and the Ifugao men and women who wait anxiously for the next pack of tourists to come. The question of when and when not to take a photograph is indirectly answered by the two situations: some subjects have lives while others have a living. It is then the photographer’s innate obligation to respect the human being and reveal the truth, if not, a truth.

The colors of our souls our black and white precisely because we know no other way of seeing it. There is the good and the bad, the willing and the reluctant, the truth and the untruth.

2007-07-19T06:22:00.001-07:00

KATIPUNAN, July 2007

Cover Story:
Battle Bruises
Pinaglabanan Shrine
Monument of Simon de Anda
Maintenance of Historical Sites

News & Current Affairs:
UAAP Opening
Forex Rates
QC Nutrition Month

Art & Lifestyle:
Speculative Fiction
Children's Literature

Science & Technology:
Preparations for Typhoon Disasters

2007-07-08T05:14:00.001-07:00

Dean Francis Alfar (born 1969), is a Filipino playwright, novelist and writer of speculative fiction. His plays have been performed in venues across the country, while his articles and fiction have been published both in his native Philippines and abroad, such as in Strange Horizons, Rabid Transit and The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror.

His literary awards include nine Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature (Palanca Awards) — including the Grand Prize for Novel for Salamanca (Ateneo Press, 2006)— as well as the Manila Critics’ Circle National Book Awards for the graphic novels Siglo: Freedom and Siglo: Passion, and the Philippines Free Press Literary Award.

He was a fellow at the 1992 Dumaguete National Writers Workshop and 20th UP National Writers Workshop.

He is an advocate of the literature of the fantastic, editing the Philippine Speculative Fiction series, as well as a comic book creator and a blogger.

Alfar is also an entrepreneur — running several businesses. He lives in Manila with his wife, fictionist Nikki Alfar and their daughter. (from Wikipedia.)

2007-06-22T20:14:00.001-07:00

"Art is more than a frame of mind. Great photos are waiting to be captured."

Join KATIPUNAN Photo. Your story begins here.

Poster by: Charz.

2007-06-22T05:19:00.001-07:00

KATIPUNAN Magazine is an independent student publication based in the Ateneo de Manila University. We've won the Catholic Mass Media Award for Best Student Publication and been a finalist for Best Student Organization in the Loyola Schools Awards. Our resident writers have garnered Raul Locsin Awards for Student Journalism and a Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Award.

Think about and decide on which staff you're going to apply for, then contact its respective head or editor either by email or text. State your intention to join their staff and provide your name, year/course, and contact details.

The staffs and editorial board contacts are listed below:

WRITING CLUSTER:

News & Current Affairs
Editor: Carmina Reyes
+63 916 602 9258 // mina_reyes18 @yahoo.com

Science & Technology
Editor: Aga dela Torre
+63 916 636 0834 // thebluecartoonist @yahoo.com

Travel
(Acting) Editor: Martin Villanueva
+63 917 918 1963 // martin2vill @yahoo.com.ph

Art & Lifestyle
Editor: April Sescon
+63 906 241 3271 // sarjhoshino @yahoo.com

DESIGN AND ORGANIZATIONAL CLUSTER:

Creatives
Director: Charz Mendoza
+63 917 844 9314 // chalz_mendoza @yahoo.com

Photography
Head: Nikay Paredes
+63 920 913 2778 // nikay_p @yahoo.com

Operations
Manager: Dani de Castro
+63 917 807 9314 // dmdrdc @gmail.com

Business & Marketing
Maganager: Lesley Claudio
+63 925 671 1076 // lesclaudio @yahoo.com

Ma's Birthday

2007-06-09T21:57:00.000-07:00

Lansang!

Haburday.

2007-06-04T22:42:00.000-07:00

It's my Mama Jane's birthday. She is 47. Today, we celebrate her fabulousness.

Putong Ama Mo

2007-06-01T19:28:00.001-07:00

Your father is a rice cake.

The above photograph is my favorite kind of puto. I tried Googling its name but I only ended up discovering that there are actually five methods of making this popular kakanin.

Last semester, Father Javellana mentioned in our Aesthetics II class the sad plight of the kakanin in the side streets of the Metro. Treats like puto, biko, kutsinta, sapin-sapin have been bypassed for the more odoriferous hamburger and (rather intimidating) foot-long sandwich.

I've seen several stalls in malls and in LRT/MRT/bus stations selling kakanin items. However, these places fall short to the nostalgia of seeing the manang hauling a basket on his/her shoulders, beckoning you to sample a piece of her humble heaven.

UPDATE: The above photo is the Putong Linutaw. Credits to my ka-Daupan, Eric and his mom!

Updates

2007-06-01T05:01:00.000-07:00

Well, I don't have any.

Me and glass, here.

Uwan Series

2007-05-23T01:32:00.001-07:00

I take photos.

But that does not make me a photographer, nor do I consider what I do photography. Pachelbelle is my friend. Like a shadow or a thin piece of paper or the rain.

Sola Overload

2007-05-22T20:17:00.000-07:00

Maureen Ty is back in Cebu with a vengeance. And some minty Victoria Secret lip gloss. We 'fetched' Yums in USC-TC (since it was raining pretty hard) and went to BTC.

It was only four in the afternoon so we went to this bookstore and stayed there for about three hours. Haha.

Then, pizzaaaaa.

Seven bottles of Sola for three people.

Julian being, well, Julian <3 Hehe!

And we pose.

Wicked!

2007-05-10T21:35:00.000-07:00

Walking around Ayala, I mentioned to Isel how much I adore Wicked the Musical and Idina Menzel as Elphaba Thropp. It's become an obsession, really.

Isel is, of course, my Creative Writing blockmate in Ateneo. She has a GenRev camp thing in Cebu and we decided to meet up. We had dimsum for lunch, then went to Bo's.

I think it's alive.

Isel now very much resembles an island girl.

Must. Get. Eyes. Checked.

By the window.

2007-05-06T22:58:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of updates.

Skewer me for saying that there's not much to photograph these days (hah!); it's just that I don't have the luxury of carrying Pachelbelle around the city where snatching is as common as a Paris Hilton up-skirt pic.

In the meantime, check out this article from Shutterbug.com by Rosalind Smith (March '07), Personal Project; The Poet And The Photographer; A Photographer Translates A Poet’s World. It features (the great!) Stanley Kunitz (!) :-)

Paseo and the F.F. Series

2007-04-28T22:46:00.000-07:00

Meet Nathan. He loves to read though he's not very good at it yet. Upon seeing us arrive, he enthusiastically got out his trusty storybook and started to sing this song about buses going around town. Or something.

He is Shi2x's (girl in green) nephew. Shi is one Gorm's friends. The other guy is Gel, her boy-chum.

We proceed to Paseo in Banawa after little Nathan's storybook spiel. Mon, also from Gorm's posse, joined us with her brother, Josh. We had BASIC CHEESE (!!!) pizza at Da Vinci's where Mon (girl below) ever so naturally turned the night into a series of hyperboles with her over-sized imaginary pen-and-calculator. We're so Stacy! :-)

Then Mon got hold of Pachelbelle and started taking pictures. Thus I present to you the F.F. or Feeling Fotographer Series, which Mon had named herself.

Mayon Volcano

2007-04-19T18:58:00.000-07:00

Playing around with Pachelbelle's shutter speed. Here it is, folks: Mayon Volcano. Some of these roadtrip photos are long overdue. Sorrehh.

The Mactan Bridge Series

2007-04-19T18:51:00.000-07:00

Grandparent LURV!

2007-04-19T18:45:00.000-07:00

Halo-halo will make you feel like a kid again. Take it from the grandparents.

50's Diner

2007-04-07T10:22:00.000-07:00

If you happen to be in Baguio, head off to Leonard Wood Road (that's near the junction on the way to Camp John Hay or Baguio Country Club) and look for a place called 50's Diner. My mother did some research on where to eat and this unassuming restaurant was part of the list. Basically, it's a diner diner with neon lights and waitresses sporting pink-and-white uniforms.

Yes, we are hungreeh.

Papa checking out the movie posters.

We all ordered the same thing, the tenderloin steak meal. It had a soup, a salad, the main course, and dessert. To complete the whole diner "feel," we ordered ice cream shakes. Woo!

The bread was really good. I noticed that Baguio serves good bread. (We bought cheese bread in Baguio Country Club and it was fantastic.)

La Trinidad, the "salad bowl of the Philippines," is just next to Baguio so the veggies are really good. I particularly love tomatoes.

Ice cream shakes. Had vanilla. It's the most forgiving flavor, I think. Sweets make me dizzy. Mama's head looks funny 'cause it's right on top of the strawberry shake. She is a dairy product!

What better place to eat Baguio Beans. Hello, meat.

Okay, done. Vanilla ice cream, a drizzle of strawberry goo and a wafer stick.

Then, Banaue

2007-04-06T17:50:00.000-07:00

The day started early with a ride to Bangaan, Banaue. My mother in a jeepney is priceless. She looks okay, ya think?

DSLRs take "camwhoring" (I really don't like that word) to the next level. There were more shots, of course. This proved to be the okay-looking one. I think. "Whatevs," says Bryanboy. Gorm looks sleepy. I look like I just swallowed a whole block of cheese.

Years back, I had altophobia. I didn't know anything about classical conditional then, but I got over it soon enough. We made a quick stop at some hanging bridge. I had a grand time jumping up and down to freak my mother out. Yes, evil.

Random terraces. This isn't the one you see on postcards, but it's still as beautiful.

A short stop here.

Look what we saw :-)

Here I am, about to be fed. Can't you see I'm hungry after all that rough road?

ShoutoutZz to the ChuliPazZzz!

The driver, the tour guide, and some person. Nagsabot asa sunod manulis. That's the standard Ifugao home. Co-zy!

The infamous Plaza-Independencia-yaya-pose!

The Bangaan terraces. Still not the one you see on postcards, though. Those houses are an eyesore, I think. Maybe it's the building materials they use. If they stuck to something more 'primitive' or complementary to the greeneries, I guess it'd look better.

Most of the day was probably spent picking on my mother. Here she is at the side of the road, paying homage to her skin.

Obviously bored, I fixed her shawl to make her look like those beautiful Afghan women on Time Magazine (or something like that.) Coolness!

On The Road to Banaue

2007-04-06T03:12:00.000-07:00

A day after Gorm's graduation, we proceeded with our roadtrip to Northern Luzon. Breakfast near some gasoline station in who-knows-where.

This was taken in the parking lot. Marvel in the ambiguity.

Another stop, outside Starbucks. Their coffee makes me dizzy. Haha, Bo's bias!

Fast-forward to Nueva Ecija. SA 21 and Sir Jerry immediately came into mind. I shall miss those days of frantic running, sylvannas, R. Crisostomo, and radioactive bathwater (!)

Dalton Pass, Nueva Ecija.

Lunch! (See my glee.)

Finally, Banaue. Papa strikes a 'winner' pose.

And another one. BTW, Jess Paredes is a distant relative from Abra. So people, vote!

Bulul, the rice god.

Ta-dah! My lens's dirteh.

It's J-A-N-E. Jane. Jane. Jane. (@ Banaue Hotel.)

Good-bye, childrensss. Finally, a bed to sleep on. Guess who looks like crap. Guess!

The Singkamas Series

2007-04-06T03:01:00.000-07:00

The Gorm Graduates

2007-04-06T01:52:00.000-07:00

My sister (a.k.a. "Gorm") graduated last March 30, 2007, majoring in Humanities and minoring in Hispanic Studies (whew). The rites were held at the Ateneo High School gym at four o'clock in the afternoon. I didn't go to the baccalaureate mass earlier that day because I was. Urm. Asleep.

Erika, our ex-roommate and Gorm's professed "soul mate" stopped by to bid congratulations and then some. We miss you, Ewika-uh!

With the mother and the father. The AHS grounds have really improved since last year. I noticed that they were also feeling the Zen vibe thing in the Berchman-Kostka-Gonzaga area. It's a lovely afternoon. La-di-dah!

The graduates sat in front, followed by the faculty, then the parents of the honor students, then the parents, then finally, us. Mere mortals. Feeble humans possessing blue passes and forced telescopic vision. I had to make do with watching this projected video. I swear that that bluish blur's my sister.

After the ceremonies. She's looking for important people to be photographed with.

Sure enough, I managed to take quick shot of her with Father Ben Nebres, our university president. Just look at all the scholarly bling! He has a Ph.D in Math from Harvard or something. Sorreh :-)

Pandemonium in the Ateneo High School gym.

The lights at the back look like fireflies... Yey :-)

The parentals waiting. Patiently.

Post-graduation dinner at Italianni's, Eastwood.

Congratulations, Gorm!

First entry and The Balut Series

2007-04-05T20:16:00.000-07:00

Welcome to The Posthumous Shock, my little 'photoblog.' First and foremost, I would like to thank this site's primary benefactor, my mother, for my Canon EOS 400D DSLR, Pachelbelle. Pun very much intended.

To commemorate TPS's conception, I present to you the Balut Series. This features (surprise, surprise) me and my papadoodles in Burnham Park, Baguio.

(As a side note, our designated driver, 'Noy Inting, referred to it as "Bringhouse Park." Congrats!)

I've seen foreigners freak out on TV while being coerced to eat balut. Not to be snooty or ignorant or anything, but prior to this candid occasion, I had never eaten the high-protein Asian delicacy and (egad!) aphrodisiac

So in the name of first times and substandard shutterbug 'skills,' I present to you the Balut Series :-)