Saturday, June 22, 2024
Done! Submitted to the editor! I had so much fun writing this, on the 30th anniversary of Ladlad: An Anthology of Philippine Gay Writing. Will post the link when it happens. Happy Pride to all, especially Danton Remoto and J. Neil C. Garcia!
Labels: books, life, memories, philippine literature, Pride, queer, writers, writing
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Accept with grace even the disappointments, because life will throw you a lot of these. The secret is not to stop trying. [Always a hard thing to do.] But do try again using the hard-earned wisdom of hindsight.
Labels: life
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Thursday, June 20, 2024
Renz and I absolutely had no plans to have a cat. I mean we both love cats [we constantly send each other cat videos], but we didn’t plan to keep one because we were both so busy. But this one barged into our lives very decisively, we had no choice really but to take care of her. Meet Orville.
Labels: life, love, pets
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Wednesday, June 19, 2024
12:52 PM |
Back to the Grind
Back home. Back to work. Back to making the to-do list happen. It’s raining in Dumaguete, but at least I got to have some taste of “summer vacation.” [They don’t even call it that anymore. They call it a “mid-year break,” which just breaks my heart.]
Labels: life
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7:00 AM |
Poetry Wednesday, No. 192.
Labels: poetry, Pride, queer
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Monday, June 17, 2024
4:36 PM |
Piaya, Napoleones, Atbp.
The plan was to go back home to Dumaguete today, but I extended my stay in Bacolod just to be able to watch Kurt Soberano’s Under a Piaya Moon on the big screen. [Vince Groyon wrote the screenplay.] This was such a joy to watch, and you really have to be Negrense to revel in this film in a deeper level. I’m glad I caught this in Bacolod, a most appropriate place to watch this film, and I’m glad I extended my stay here, because I’m sure I won’t be able to watch it anywhere else. When oh when will Dumaguete filmmaking take on stories like this? I’m kinda growing tired of the macho slapstick that seems to define Dumaguete film.
Labels: film, food, negros, philippine cinema
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Sunday, June 16, 2024
10:00 PM |
Bacolod Roundup
June 14, Friday. At the Gawad Tolentino of the Tolentine Star, the official publication of the University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos in Bacolod. My speech was titled “The Writer at Dusk,” to follow their theme of “Nocturnal.”
June 15, Saturday. It was my first time to be at The Negros Museum in Bacolod City, and it was an honor that they hosted my talk on writing a literary historiography of Negros. [The new Negros Island Region being proclaimed official suddenly makes the project worthwhile.] The whole talk lasted until 4 PM, with a great and long Q and A at the end. I always thought doing this project was such a lonely effort, but today I found kindred spirits. Thank you, Tanya P. Lopez, for making this happen!
Later, at the studio of Bacolod-based Dumaguete artist Kristoffer Ardeña. We had a great time catching up over coffee after this studio visit.
Later, at Italia in Paseo Verde for dinner with
the Elsie Coscolluela. I know she rarely goes out these days, so I’m truly honored that I had dinner tonight with her! I discovered the short stories and poetry and plays of Ma’am Elsie in college, and I’ve been a fan since then — and delighted over the fact that this Palanca Hall of Famer is from Dumaguete and is a Sillimanian, although home for her now is Bacolod. It was my honor to play a version of her father in her iconic play
In My Father's House when it was finally staged in Dumaguete in 2013. I love this night.
Kulang ang three hours with all the talk we did! Thank you, Rayboy Pandan and Sally Pandan, for making this dinner happen!
June 15, Saturday. I didn’t plan to do this but I had some time to kill in Bacolod so I visited the Orange Project.
Later, at the welcome dinner of the 24th IYAS La Salle National Writers Workshop at Raymundo's Diner in Talisay City.
Labels: art and culture, bacolod, negros, philippine literature
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Wednesday, June 12, 2024
7:00 AM |
Poetry Wednesday, No. 191.
Labels: philippine literature, poetry, Pride, queer
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Saturday, June 08, 2024
12:00 PM |
Notes on the Writing of 'You Don't Love Me Anymore'
In 2009, the writer Lilledeshan Bose invited me along with other writers to transform some of her dad’s talisman drawings into literary pieces. The great Baguio artist Santiago Bose had died a few years back, in 2002, and Lille wanted to put up an exhibit of his works (along with their literary interpretations) in something she called Confessions of a Talisman.
That’s when I began writing “You Don’t Love Me Anymore.” I was only able to send her an excerpt, because I couldn’t quite finish the story. I felt that it was going to be the story of a husband and wife who have slowly fallen out of love for each other, with the burning of the husband's anting-anting by the wife becoming the ultimate schism in that relationship.
I based it on my memory of my parents. My father once abandoned us when I was a tween, but came back after a few years to live with us again — with an anting-anting in his wallet that he picked up from some adventure in Manila. [He swore by its powers.] This freaked out my mother, who was fervently Born Again, and I remember her taking the anting-anting from him and burning it, and shouting all manner of “In Jesus’ name!” while doing so. That whole scene is embedded in my memory. I wanted to make that the basis for my story — and this may be why it took me such a long time to finish. I didn’t want it to be too autobiographical.
Year after year, I would come back to the story, writing a paragraph here, another paragraph there. One year, I decided to set it in Malaybalay, Bukidnon for some reason. A few years later, the husband became a writer, and the wife a maker of longganisa. A few more years later, he wasn’t just a writer, he was a writer of balak [or Binisaya poetry]. The story built on like that. And now it’s finished.
The illustration below is the original Santiago Bose art Lille gave me. This story will be one of four new stories to be included in the reissue of Beautiful Accidents to be published by the University of the Philippines Press in 2025. Obviously, I’m still working on the new edition.
Labels: fiction, writing
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Wednesday, June 05, 2024
I’m full of gratitude today. It’s one of those days that make me realize there are people in the world who do care for me, and are there for me, and who wish me well. They know who they are, all the people I’ve interacted with today. Thank you.
Also, I finally finished writing this story! Finished it while waiting for my turn at my dentist’s clinic! [Note: I began writing this in 2009, and it has taken me fifteen years to finish it.]
Also, after months of quietly suffering, I fixed my dental issues and can finally eat properly! [But it was actually my dentist who texted me I needed to go to his clinic ASAP yesterday, without appointment. And then
gihatod ko pauli. Full dental care!] Thanks, Xandro Dael!
Labels: friends, health, life, writing
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7:00 AM |
Poetry Wednesday, No. 190.
Labels: poetry, Pride, queer
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Tuesday, June 04, 2024
9:15 PM |
I Feel Violated
Somebody tried to use my credit card for a significant purchase in Japanese yen. Immediately reported it — but now my card has been discontinued and will get a replacement card in seven working days. But what the hey. Scammers are awful.
Labels: crime, life
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Sunday, June 02, 2024
9:00 PM |
Anniversary Weekend
We’re belatedly celebrating our 11th anniversary together, first with a staycation at UNWND Boutique Hotel Dumaguete [
so comfortable!], and now a dinner, because May was just fraught with so much busy-ness. Having dinner now at our usual anniversary resto, Adamo.
Labels: life, love
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