Learning List: Seminars and Workshops That Will Help You Learn

I regularly surf the internet to look for seminars and workshops about anything held in Metro Manila, Philippines. And I try to see if they are interesting and affordable for me to attend. I find a LOT out there. The big number of these I found made me decide to organize them and create a blog directory of seminars and workshops.

LEARNING LIST
Learning List is a blog directory of the schedules and details of seminars, workshops, talks, symposia, and events held in Metro Manila Philippines. These events help people learn in different areas such as arts, crafts, writing, speech, corporate, and computer technology.

The link is LearningList.blogspot.com.

Back to Blogging...Hopefully

I blog a lot back then. But I had to stop for a while because I'd been busy with graduation requirements, and I wanted to give my blog a fresh new look and feel. I have yet to fulfill the latter though.

The stress times have been over since I graduated last March. Fortunately, I got the two awards I had hoped I could get, and another that surprised me.

No more school...but I've been sleeping late still because I keep doing or thinking of the things I want to do like there's no tomorrow.

Does that happen to you?

It happens to me a lot. And I admit it can be bad for the health, especially for my skin!

My Hater is Really Angry

Date: November 19, 2008

Kim (which is not the person's real name), the Czari-Hater, hates me more than I expected. Not only did she/he flood me with testimonials, saying that I am "pangit", her/his very Friendster account had nothing in it except the words, "Czari Flores Pangit". The hater definitely only stole someone else's photos. She/he put some details on her/his profile. And then, she/he had a number of testimonials from herself/himself to her/his own account. And the testimonials only said "Czari Flores Pangit" or "Czari Pangit".

The hater's Friendster profile link.
I don't hate or dislike the girl in the picture.
I believe it's not the hater's photo.

Someone Hates Czari

Date: November 17, 2008

While finishing my reports for the YCPA organization accreditation, I logged in my Friendster account this evening, and was greeted with a flood of testimonials from someone who thinks I am "pangit" (ugly). Her testimonial said, "pangit ka.. and yet naefeature ka sa kablog". She said the same thing over and over. The image below is a screencap of my testimonial inbox. I didn't include her photo because I think the messenger is a POSER. "Kim" might not even be her real name. She might not be a girl either.

I'm not in the mood to message her back thru Friendster, but I'm willing to present here in my entry my message for her.

Hi there, Ms. Czari-hater, thanks for the comment. But I think it'll be better if you say what you think directly to Ka-Blog's researcher, producer and host, Mico Aytona themselves. I didn't present myself to Ka-Blog, they contacted me. So, maybe you can insult them, instead of me. And FYI, I woke up early and travelled long for that shoot, I paid for the extras' transportation fees, and I did all those acting needed for the shoot...I did all those things just for the production team's FAVOR.

My unfinished Harry/Draco fanfiction (2005)

I was looking at my email account's Sent Box when I saw this unfinished FanFiction story I wrote when I was 16 years old about Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy. Hahaha! I cannot remember my plan for this story, but I still feel interested to continue this...

Unfinished FanFic about Harry and Draco

Quivering, Draco felt his knees weakened. He leaned more on the wall and slowly slid his back downward to sit on the floor. He felt weak, so weak that he couldn't even find the strength to wince in pain. When Harry's earlier actions flashed on his mind, he hurriedly buried his face in his left forearm.

Harry, who had begun to walk away, had steps that suddenly became tentative ones when he heard sniffles from behind. Malfoy is crying? He thought excitedly. He wasn't sure at first but when he turned around, there it was — a picture he certainly did not expect to see. Wow. He had finally done it. The sniffles were like telling him that Draco had enough. Although capable and willing, Harry did not put on a smile for his triumph. His countenance was blank, eyes stilled on the form that was sitting in a dark corner. He searched through his emotions and expectedly didn’t find mercy among them, but not even the usual hatred was present. What a feeling of oxymoron! Although he was aware that he had done something he might regret in the pool of moral dillema, a part of him didn't care less and insisted that he was not the bad guy between him and Draco. Malfoy started it after all; he always did.

However, this time Harry felt something he had never felt over a Slytherin before. He found himself not exactly pleased with Draco's situation. It was as if he wanted to talk and give the blonde soothing words. As he looked at him, he felt that he should but rationally he shouldn't do so. This is the poncy ferret that has no real need of such compassion, he reasoned out to himself.

But at the lost of control, he uttered worriedly, "Malfoy."

Without looking up, Draco forcefully gestured Harry to back off. "I said I'm not going to tell any one," he said sternly, with words slightly muffled by his forearm that was covering his face.

Ignoring the gesture's command, Harry made a step forth as spurts of guilt suddenly hit him.

"Fuck off, will you!" Draco exclaimed weakly.

The peculiar formation of kindness within Harry grounded to a halt in the blink of an eye, for one thing he really abhorred was such Slytherin-ish surliness. He gave a frustrated and frantic scowl.

Detesting his enemy even more, he departed.

By Czari

Czari Flores on TV Show "Ka-Blog" GMA-7

Date: November 10, 2008

Ka-Blog is a public affairs type of TV program for teens on GMA-7. They feature trends, issues, and information that are relevant to teens. The hosts are Mico Aytona, Andrea Torres, Monica Verallo and Lucky Mercado. For each episode, four issues are covered.

In one of the upcoming episodes, Ka-Blog will be talking about BLOGGING. Their researcher Earl contacted me if I could be featured. I met him in the leadership convention of Children's Museum and Library Inc.(CMLI) when I was in high school.

I said yes. And just today I did the shoot together with my friends Gen Gonzales and Sab Ragudo, my cousin Roland Caoili and uncle Joris Belmonte.

The host for the BLOGGING segment is Mico Aytona.

It was very fun. Aside from the exposure, I felt that I was very privileged to see how shootings for TV shows are done, considering my field of study (Communication, Major in Advertising) is related to it.

I don't know when it will be shown though, but Ka-Blog airs every Saturday at 10am.

If there's anyone there who knows how to record, do let me know.

Beware of Jayson Lindsey Ng

I have been meaning to write this. This is a long overdue article about a guy I tried hunting down.

My friend's Friendster account was hacked. The password became different and the hacker started sending messages to her friend list, telling to the girls:

"Gurl gus2 mo bang kumita ng xtra income? cyber chat cam 2 cam privte sa YM 500 dollar per hour sa western union ipapadala ang bayad karamhan ng guest foreigner yon ngayon ang sideline ko if interestd ka can i hav ur YM user? dnt worry coz prvte yan walang ibang makakaalm just the 2 of u lng susundin mo lng lahat ng sasabhn ng guest yon lng kadali, practical na ngayon... walang mawawala kng susubkan dba? ako nga nakaya ko e."

"e2 YM nya dale_co2000 Gurl gus2ng bilhn ng 100 dollar ang pict. mo nude kita mukha 7pcs iba iba post ung 1pic close up sa breast ung 1 namn close up sa prvte part gamt ka ng dgcam or cp mo para pagkha sa pict. send mo agad sa prvte mail ko concern20@yahoo.com para ma.send agad sayo sa western union ang money dnt worry gurl mga close friend ko mga foreigner hndi cla gagawa ng kalokhn O ikakasama mo thy love 2 collect nude pict wholebody kita mukha dapt malinaw basta pinay coz they love our beauty as pinay."

Some girls actually fell for this. They were told that this Dale Co is a half-Chinese guy who wants Cyber-Sex Chat with Filipina girls. Those girls who fell for that actually showed themselves to him on webcam.

But what happened in return...they weren't paid...instead, it became the opposite. This Dale Co actually RECORDED the girls' webcam videos and threatened them that he will SPREAD the VIDEO SEX SCANDAL, unless they pay him an amount.

I immediately tried hunting down this guy to find out who he is.

I did learn who he is.

His real name is JAYSON LINDSAY NG (or maybe Jayson Lindsey Ng). He is the hacker who hacked my friend's account. He asks for cyber-sex cam to cam, pretends he will pay, but it is actually a way for him to get money from the girls.

I got his real name, picture and location but he lives in SURIGAO, which is in MINDANAO.

I told my friend who got hacked about this and she reported him to the authorities immediately.

If you will ever meet this guy, keep in mind that he had actually done this thing...he had threatened girls this way, and this is AGAINST THE LAW.

Aside from his real name and location, I also got his pictures. Here's one:

Beware of Jayson Ng

Cyber Crime

About Cyber-Sex Chat
Whether you guys are aware or not, there is such thing as Cyber-Sex Chat, wherein two people with web cams would chat with each other, masturbate and chat-dirty. It seems that in the Philippines, young girls are falling into this. Some foreigners only need to go to Filipino chat rooms and look for girls or young ladies who are willing to be SEEN. These foreigners get to SEE then for free. This has already become a business actually, wherein clients would have to pay membership fees first before they can get to sex-chat with a lady.

Goodbye, Campus 99.5

August 16, 2008

Heartlessly, the 99.5 administration fired the famous Campus guys, namely John Hendrix, Joe Spinner, Jimmy Jam, Jaybee, and the Triggerman, and so at 5 pm of August 14, 2008, Campus became no longer associated with 99.5. This is the reason why when you listen to 99.5 these days, you wouldn't hear any DJ voice, but there are still music, commercials, celebrity and technology updates/news, and the recorded voice of BigZ saying, "You are listening to 99.5, the station for the hits!" In mentioning 99.5, there is no brand included, because yet again, for nth time, 99.5 is re-branding, as its owner searches for the most-selling brand.

Simply put, Campus is gone because the sales group thought that it wasn't selling well.

Perhaps that is how things really go. But there is no doubt that the Campus guys, together with the Campus Aircheckers (student deejays), have worked hard.

It is a sad news to my family not to hear John Hendrix in the morning anymore. He has been a part of my family.

They mark this time as special... if time exists

Date: August 8, 2008

A day after my friend Mia was born on the 7th of August, 1988, many Chinese pregnant women had caesarean births, so that their children would have the luckiest birthday on earth: August 8, 1988, or 8-8-88.

Eight is a lucky number already, and a four of it can only mean four times that luck. My friend's mother could have tried holding herself for just a few more hours but her only child Mia was too excited to be with the world. Perhaps, Mia didn't want to be like everyone else who were suckers of luck. Or perhaps her parents didn't really care about such superstitions.

Twenty years have passed and the triple eight is now at hand. Today is 8-8-08 and so many are scheduled to have their weddings, hoping for a lucky and prosperous marriage life, with husbands who wouldn't have excuses from forgetting wedding anniversaries.

I wonder who among my single professors have intended to marry or propose on this day.

I remember that Professor Alvie Rivera had been invited to a wedding as the best man. His friend's wedding was supposed to be today but it was cancelled because the bride-to-be, according to the records, had married someone else in Batangas. Now, they couldn't push through with tying the knot unless the case is settled.

Speaking of Professor Rivera, my reliable mentor, he is one of those who would, indubitably, sniff at such superstitions, for he has taught me the invaluableness of TIME as treated by man.

Some live by the past, trapped in old, painful memories. Some count the years and compare numbers with others. Some take the number of age seriously. Some treat the digits as though they're sacred. In all these, TIME as a MEASUREMENT is taken too seriously.

But does TIME even exist?

Or is it MERELY made by man?

Something in existence is something you can STOP.

Can we stop time? Yes? At least, in our minds we can.

We illustrate stopping time as the CESSATION of movements, like those in the movies when a time-stopper is used.

But how can you know that time has stopped when in fact you have to use time itself to record the time that the cessation is taking place?

Then perhaps time does not exist.

But what do exist are CHANGES. We see changes everywhere, visual changes. The young becomes old. Hair color changes. Trends come and go. All these things we think TIME devours. But these are "changes in appearances" that we simply describe as "happening as time goes by". We simply say that "time has changed" because "appearances have changed."

But it isn't time. It's simply us.

So, instead of burdening yourself of the many years you've been bad, instead of counting years you and your loved one have been together, instead of counting and marking the years... instead of depending on numbers, why not exert the energy on loving and living instead, rather than fretting about something that does not exist although mankind has named it as time.

I might not cosplay this week anymore: My younger sister got Dengue-4

I might not cosplay this coming Saturday at the Toy Convention anymore.

Here's the story.

My younger sister Sabrina "Abby/Sab" Flores who has just graduated from college had enrolled in the famous film school in Mactan, Cebu: the BigFoot. She has always wanted to study film. She even has numerous envelopes of brochures, catalogs, and application forms of different film schools abroad, particularly in U.S.A. My parents had decided to enroll her in the BigFoot, with Php 300,000 as the tuition fee. She flew to Cebu last week.

But just this Thursday, she got a fever. She just rested. It got worse, so she was taken to the hospital. The doctor's diagnosis was that she had dispepsia. But my mom didn't believe the doctor. She thought that it was probably worse than dispepsia.

So, yesterday my mom flew to Cebu with my brother.

I stayed home and researched about symptoms of different sicknesses. My research said that my sister either have SCARLET FEVER or DENGUE.

Mom took her to the hospital again, my sister was diagnosed, and it was confirmed that she has dengue.

The normal platelet count of a person is 140,000.
When my sister got in the hospital, her platelet was then only 50,000.
That is already a rare occasion. My brother has had dengue before and we didn't know about it. He stayed in the house resting for a week until my mom took him to the hospital. But he was strong. His platelet was still 137,000. His fever subsided.

In my sister's case, she needed blood transfusion as soon as possible. I've been contacting people to donate blood since a bag of blood costs Php 8,000. But mom didn't care about the money. My sister had two blood transfusions last night.

But from 50,000, her platelet still WENT DOWN. Now it's 16,000. After that, her nose bled. I did my research and learned that as the platelet count goes down, it may lead to hemorrhage, external bleeding or internal bleeding. When that happens, the condition might be irreversible already.

My mom called me, crying, to say sorry to my sister. For many many months, we finally talked again. I've had a silent kind of fight with my sister when we had an argument months ago.

I've made the skirt for my costume, I've bought the cloth for the suit, I've bought some materials for my weapon, but I might not cosplay this week. Dad told me not to anymore. I will be staying home or do things for school and in school.

Campus 99.5 Launch Party: Campus Redux!

By: Czari
Date: May 30, 2008

Photo by Sab, Camera of Marion and Edited by Czari (me)

Tonight was the Campus Redux! It was the launch party and concert of FM radio Campus 99.5 held in Eastwood City Central Plaza at six in the evening to make known to everyone that old-school Campus Radio has returned with a new brand, yet still having the deejays that everyone had loved - John Hendrix, Jimmy Jam, Joe Spinner and the Triggerman from the famous Campus Radio 97.1! They were all there in the concert hosting the show, together with other fellow deejays Jagger, BigZ, BoyToy, Zack Attack (who has just returned from Washington DC), also the female deejays Jaybee, Piper and Yvette, as well as the young Aircheckers, of course, not to mention new Airchecker Sparky, the guy with many names (Kel, Mister Vader, and real name Marcelle).
Sparky for the Front Act
Sparky had the privilege of opening the concert with his magical campus show with the help of fellow Aircheckers. It's too bad I wasn't able to watch his magic tricks because I was still in Cheesecake together with Jagger who was burning the videos for the show. It was Jagger who shot and edited the videos presented to the audience, and he was able to finish them only on the same day. I noticed it had been tough for him because the laptop wasn't fast enough.

Bands
The bands who played in the concert were the following: Dice \ K9 Mobbstar, Zelle, Paraluman, Southborder, 6 Cycle Mind, Fuse, Imago, Spongecola, Callalily and Bamboo!

Bamboo
I most especially enjoyed Bamboo's show. Vocalist Bamboo was really full of energy. I didn't know that he was actually a bit 'tisoy' in person. It was only him with whom we weren't able to have our pictures taken. The bouncers were all around him the moment he went off the stage. Oh well, I hope to catch them at the radio station.

During the concert, most of the time I was backstage with the Aircheckers, but when Bamboo was already performing, I did watch him together with Matt and his classmate at the right side of the stage. It was a tight spot that I almost couldn't see him well. But finally there was a moment when he actually faced our side! As though he was suddenly filled with energy, he kept jumping high as he looked at us and the energy seemed to have flown to us because Matt, his friend, and I suddenly also jumped and sang together with Bamboo! Matt's friend couldn't forget that moment!

Spongecola
When Spongecola performed, I was waiting for it to end, so that I could talk to vocalist Yael. He was my neighbor way way back when there was no Spongecola band yet. Since our houses were so closed together, I could hear him sing in his room and in the bathroom. His windows had no blinds or curtains and so I could see his room clearly! I didn't know his name back then though, but I did know that his father was Mr. Yuzon. Every morning, Mr. Yuzon would always be outside sweeping any trash he would see on the ground, even if it was a "kalat" of the neighbors he'd still clean them!

The whole time my Canon Ixus camera phone was in my pocket only because it was out of battery. I had nothing good to use then to take photos of the event, let alone take pictures of myself! But here are some photos of me taken by fellow Aircheckers.

Czari (me) and Cherry, the Campus 99.5 Photographer!
Photo by Cherry

Apol (dear!), Czari (me) and Izza (Arn's sweetie)
Photo by Izza

Czari (me) and Izza (Arn's girl)
Photo by Izza

Apol (dear!) and Czari (me)
Photo by Sab, Camera of Marion

Sab (my photographer), Czari (me), Kean (of Callalily), and TJ (Korean?)
Photo by Marion

Czari (me) and Jiff (the sweaty)
Photo by Sab, Camera of Marion

Jiff (macho) and Sparky (machuwatt??)
Photo by Sab, Camera of Marion

Czari (me) and Marcelle (Sparky/Mister Vader/Kel)
Of course, a picture with the magician-slash-performing-monkey!
He loves to amaze his audience with his magic.
And he loves making people laugh.
That's very obvious with his smile. =)

When Ramon's car wouldn't start and Tado's Bugoy became possessed, Sabrina from Fairview went on the air!

By: Czari
Date: May 26, 2008

In TBWA ad agency where I am taking my OJT, work ends at 6pm just like most other jobs, but my co-workers in the Digital Team (Creative Department) usually get things done as late as 8pm or even 10pm. The driver and dad also pick me up late, so I stay there in the office for overtime together with the team in most days.

But today, I tried my best to leave work on time, so that I could spend the rest of the night at the radio station to observe deejay BigZ on boardwork (6-9pm) and have some laugh with the Brewrats (9-12mn). I did leave work on time, but it so happened that my mother and the driver were scheduled to buy groceries that night. They finished at 9pm already. Too bad I missed deejay BigZ's shift and I arrived late for the Brewrats.

As usual, it was so fun, but "too bad" again that DJ Ramon Bautista was absent from the show, with the excuse that his car wouldn't start. Tado shared that the same thing actually happened to his car Bugoy, but it was timely that it happened when he had arrived at the radio station already. Bugoy wouldn't start when he wanted it to, but there was a moment when Bugoy started on its own. Wow, probably just like Lindsay Lohan's Herbie, Tado's car is possessed! That's good news, since surely Tado treats Bugoy as though it is human.

I checked out Tado's BigTime multiply website and his Bugoy had pictures there in an album about his adventures with the car. Meet Bugoy!

Tado's Car: BUGOY
Photo by Tado

Airchecker Sabrina from Fairview
It was Sab who had the privilege to man the console today for the Brewrats show. When I arrived in the booth, she was hiding under the table so I wouldn't see her and so that she could take me by surprise. But she had told me beforehand that she would be there for the Brewrats and BigZ's shift, so even though Vanessa said she didn't know if Sab would come, I knew she had to have been there already by that time. Silly Sab!

As a first-timer, she made a lot of mistakes when she went on the air, such as forgetting to introduce herself and not saying Campus 99.5 properly.

Tado noticed the mistakes and kept on calling her as "Sabrina from Fairview". But Sab did pretty well when she read the AOB of Street Groove. Invisible Ramon Bautista, who was listening during that time, even noticed it.

Sab: "Picture me! Picture me!"

Sab: "I'm a mannequin."

The nerd-looking gals!

Here's another picture, Vice, that you can steal for your multiply. =)

The smiles were unintentional.
We look like sisters here.
Tado and Ramon sometimes confuse the two of us. Haha!

Happy Birthday Uncle Nap!

By: Czari
Date: May 25, 2008

Today my family was invited to join my Uncle Nap's birthday celebration in a public resort in San Mateo. We lost our way there just because I misunderstood Uncle Nap's instructions via text message. He said "after second seaoil turn right". I thought he meant there were two Sea Oil gasoline stations, so upon passing first Sea Oil, we went looking for the other Sea Oil. It turned out that he actually meant to say "after second S-curve, is seaoil, turn right".

Anyways, they all went swimming, but Mother and I preferred not to and just stayed in shade, eating butong-pakwan.

Me and my mom.

Here are some closeup pictures.



I played with my young cousins at the playground there. It was really fun, especially that bar that lets you slide in the air. The cheap resort was actually very nice because of the well-designed garden, but you could only appreciate the view when the people are gone already. Since it's an affordable resort, so many people were there to go swimming.

The Brewrats and Chin Chan Tsu?

By: Czari
Date: May 22, 2008

As an Airchecker
As an airchecker of Campus 99.5, it's not all the time that you get the kind of training that you want, because certain things could get in the way and prevent you from learning how to use the console for real and get to try going on the air. These factors are the big number of aircheckers, the rules at the radio station, and your own other schedules which could leave you lesser time to spend to hangout at the station.

Help from the Brewrats
Good thing there's the Brewrats! Why? It's because the Brewrats radio show lets us aircheckers take over the console, so that we could learn how to use it.

Francis from UPLB
After aircheck Francis' overwhelming exposure when he manned the console last Wednesday during the Brewrats' Cultural Wednesday, Sab was encouraged to visit to perhaps try her luck. When she informed me about it, I decided to join along as well.

Cherry from UP Diliman
When I arrived at the booth, it was Cherry who had the privilege to get to handle the console. For me, she did well, because I could tell she tried applying the professional deejays' style, such as the energetic voice and the timing of ending the adlibs right before the vocals of the song start. She did well even though Brewrat DJ Ramon Bautista said "no".

Brewrat Ramon Bautista
Speaking of Ramon Bautista, when I got off my car in front of the Paragon Plaza, there was a tall guy in white shirt standing outside, smoking. I thought maybe he was a call center agent. We used the elevator together but I still couldn't see him because he was at my back. When we reached room 906 of Campus, I skipped it and went straight to the log book outside to sign-in while he entered the room. Someone opened the door and said, "Hi Ramon!" Ow, so it was Ramon Bautista after all!

Nerd-looking Girl
When I entered the booth, Ramon was the only Brewrat who arrived early. Cherry was on the console, and the other aircheckers who were there were Francis, Hazel and Miguel. Sab also arrived. Ramon Bautista told the nerd-looking girl, that was me, to sit and say something on the air.

Tado, "Honey"
Tado arrived next. I gave him my seat and was about to leave the booth when he said, "Halika dito honey". I did look back and he said, "Uuy, tumingin". Hahahaha.

Chin Chan Chu
Tado and Ramon asked if I was using "shin chun chow". Perhaps he meant "whitening products na pinapahid-pahid" or "glutathione stuff". Tado also asked if I was Chinese. (I am not actually). Now they call me Chin Chan Tsu/Chu.

Picture Taking
I had my pictures taken with them inside the booth, but the pics didn't come out really well because of the lighting. Thanks to Sab's N93-photography skills, my pic with Ramon is not worth posting.


I will be visiting them again next time.

Czari might cosplay as Gogo Yubari of Kill Bill

By: Czari
Date: May 19, 2008

Since I want to cosplay before I graduate from college next year, I searched for details on up-coming cosplay events here in the Philippines. There are two that I found:

1.) Mangaholix Manga Mania: AniManGaming Convention 2008

Poster by Mangaholix

Host: Alodia Gosiengfiao
Date: May 31, 2008, Saturday
Place: SMX Convention Center, Seashell Drive, Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City, Philippines
Special Guests: Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo
Live Performances by: Urbandub, Kala, Nyctinasty, Fairlight Madison and The Kagaws: Indies
Contests: Art Arena - Ten Paces, Cosplay Collision, Art Arena - Quickdraw, Cross-fire - Anime/Manga/Gaming trivia challenge

2.) 7th Philippine Toys, Hobbies and Collectibles 2008

Photo from Alodia's Official Site

Hosts: Ronald Guanzon and Alodia Gosiengfiao
Date: June 14-15, 2008
Place: Megatrade, Megamall
Cosplay Contest Gategories:
- Cosplay Anime and Manga
- Cosplay Comics
- Cosplay TV and Movie
- Cosplay Video Game
- Cosplay Toys
- 2nd Philippine Game Girl

Since there's not much time to prepare for the May 31 cosplay contest, I'm planning to just join the 7th Philippine Toys, Hobbies and Collectibles 2008.

I asked my co-worker Antonio at OJT for character suggestions I could cosplay as. He gave many names, but considering that this is my first time, the costume would have to be a bit easy. I cannot afford to buy a wig, so my own long, black hair would have to make do. Hence, I settled for my schoolmate Ysa's suggestion: GOGO YUBARI of the Kill Bill movie. I have yet to watch that movie. I did try before but I immediately ejected the DVD because I found it too BLOODY.

Gogo Yubari of Kill Bill Movie
Art by Mari-Angel

But I'm not so sure yet. Still in thinking mode because I have to choose between Gogo Yubari and Ultraviolet. I so love Milla Jovovich.

Milla Jovovich as Violet of Ultraviolet Movie
Official Photo of the Movie

However, for sure, I'm getting new bangs soon!

I want to cosplay also

By: Czari
Date: May 16, 2008

When I was little I would always lock myself in the room while I watch Ranma 1/2 anime show. I locked myself because I wasn't sure yet if I was allowed to watch it considering the adult stuff included in the show - such as the booby anime girls and the character Shampoo's addiction to making Ranma touch her.

But it was Ranma 1/2 and other early anime shows that had inspired me to dress like anime characters (in my dreams). I only got the chance to cosplay in real life just ONCE - during my classmate Chochai's birthday party. Of course, I dressed as Ranma's female version. I made my own clothes for that too. It's too bad that I've lost the pictures already.

In those times, I could imagine how I could make cosplay costumes look so much like the anime characters, but I never got around to trying cosplay seriously. Until...the legendary Alodia Gosiengfiao rose to fame as a cosplayer because of her detailed costumes and distinct anime-ish face. Finally, someone made it possible to resemble anime characters without looking gawdy.

But with Alodia Gosiengfiao as a reference guide to cosplay, obviously it goes to show that cosplaying is an expensive hobby made possible by rich kids. The wig alone costs more than a thousand pesos. Since cosplaying is usually done by the young set, how could they afford spending too much money and time making those costumes? Are they earning already and have the money to spend for those? Or they have rich parents? Well, I would conclude the latter.

The ingredients to cosplaying are not just artistry, good looks and keen eyes. Resourcefulness and MONEY are also essential. That goes to show that not everyone has the equal chances of getting to the cosplay community.

I don't have the same chance. But before I graduate from college next year, I want to join a cosplay event. Yes, even just one. Hehehe.

Let's see.

Campus Aircheck (Batch 5) Orientation Day at Campus 99.5 Radio Station

By: Czari
Date: May 7, 2008

I did not really mention here on my blog about my audition for Campus Aircheck because I wanted to know the results first. I was thinking that if I made it to the list of aircheckers, then that would be the only time I would tell people that I auditioned and that I am now a part of it.

Now that the results have been released and fortunately my friend Sab and I got in, I could now tell the whole 'cute' story.

Magic 89.9: Junior Jocks Audition
The only student-DJ audition that I knew about was that of Magic 89.9 because I usually listen to CJ Rivera's Carpool show wherein they announced about it. He was in charge of the whole Junior Jock program. As what I have written before, I encouraged my friend Sab to audition even though she was not an avid Magic listener because becoming a DJ had been one of her dreams since she was 10. She didn't get in but that was alright.

Campus 99.5: Campus Aircheck
Days after the Junior Jocks audition, at around 5pm, I browsed some other radio stations aside from Magic and got to listen to the Campus Aircheck radio ad. Campus Aircheck had been the oldest student-DJ program started by Campus Radio 97.1 WLS FM. Campus Radio had reformatted to Barangay LS (now Barangay Ayos), but now it is back with a new brand name - Campus 99.5. With its comeback, it also brought along with it its school of student-DJ, Campus Aircheck. It was too bad that I learned about the audition on the day of the audition itself at the particular time when it was already closing. I immediately contacted Sab and she really wanted to audition. We both really wanted to because not only do we want to try radio but also because we've been listening to the old Campus Radio since we were young. But afraid that it might be too late when we get there, we stayed in our homes, while I thought of ways to get to audition though too late.

Boy Toy to the Rescue
I got in touch with Boy Toy (Neil), one of the DJs of Campus 99.5, through the Yahoo! Messenger. After days of chatting as early as 3am with Boy Toy, he invited me over to the radio station. I tagged Sab along with me and we got to meet John Hendrix and Jaybee (on our next visit) after Boy Toy's morning shift. The four of us -- John, Jaybee, Sab, and I -- had our breakfast (John's treat) and after that, when Joe Spinner arrived, we were given the privilege to still audition for the Campus Aircheck even though we were late. It was Joe who recorded our voices. Just like CJ the DJ, Joe Spinner was adooorable. If it weren't of Boy Toy, we wouldn't have had the guts to visit the station and get to audition.

The Visits
Enjoying ourselves before work (my OJT and Sab's summer classes) begins, Sab and I visited the radio station several times since we auditioned. John then would sometimes joke that Sab and I, as aircheckers, would have to train, but the results weren't even out yet.

We Got In
Luckily, Sab and I really got in!

Campus Aircheck Orientation
On April 30, at around 1pm, was the orientation for the aircheckers. All 30+ of us were asked to come to the radio station. We met the Campus radio DJs and John Hendrix, being the teacher-like that he is, briefed us about the current radio industry including his basic philosophy as a DJ --- that what 'you' say as a DJ matters. The radio as a form of media is a powerful tool, capable of shaping the audiences. Undoubtedly, nowadays there are a lot of sex-talk on the radio. Whether the day wherein all you'd hear on the radio is "moaning" would come is an open question. It's a funny yet stupid thing. Hence, their business is to educate the DJ's of tomorrow. This is what Campus Aircheck is all about.

Campus Radio Flyer
On the same day, we also recorded the OBB/CBB of Campus Radio Flyer. Campus Radio Flyer is the radio's segment that allows students to advertise their school events and other announcements on the air. It's not an ordinary advertisement because it gives the students the privilege to speak their ads themselves on the air instead of making the real DJ's do it.

Here's our picture inside the recording booth when we recorded the radio flyer cheer:

Long Lost Twins?

By: Czari
Date: May 4, 2008

"Long lost twins" is a phrase that is used to describe two people who are neither related nor are childhood friends, yet have uncanny similar characteristics such as personality, jobs, dreams, likes, dislikes, and so on, and even similar physical features! The most popular characteristic that causes a buzz among people is the "similar physical features" because it is something that can be seen, noticeable, and leaves them wondering, "how could two people, unrelated by blood, turn out to look alike?"

It has been my habit to find out "who looks like who". I even made a website called "Celebrity Look-Alikes" that contains pictures of Filipinos who physically resemble famous people.

Last April 30, Wednesday, was the orientation for Campus 99.5's student-DJ's (aircheckers). I'm one of the oldest among the group; most of them are 18 years old and below.

One of them, Christine Manansala, who calls me her 'big sister' turns out to have the same birthday as my younger brother Enrique, but Christine is a year older. Their birthday is December 13. They're not an example of "Long Long Twins". The real example though is Christine Manansala and...another student-DJ whom we met there...Arnold Garcia. They have the same birthday, including the year of birth. They both wear eyeglasses! Cool, huh?

I even asked to take a picture of the two of them.

And by the way, they both are very nice.

Czari with DJ Andi9 / Andi Manzano

By: Czari
Date: April 24, 2008

Before today, the last time I saw Andi Manzano (Andi-9) was when I was in gradeschool. My cousin Nix's friend Carlo is Andi's cousin. I got to know her personally then even though not very well. Back then, we were still young and she wasn't a star yet. Years later, my cousin Ryan (who had a crush on her) informed me that Andi (Andrea) was part of ANG TV 2. At first I didn't believe it was her because I couldn't recall how she looked. Later on, she appeared in StarStudio episode with Janus del Prado. During those times I was already wishing she'd have more appearances, especially for Candy magazine cover, but it took more time before that happened.

Since she's now a DJ in Magic 89.9 and I'm an airchecker (student-DJ) in Campus FM 99.5, it'll be easier to reach her, and finally, after our student-DJ orientation at Campus, I got to meet Andi again.

In this picture, we're with Miguel, who's one of the aircheckers as well.

Glad to finally meet her again!

99.5 Campus FM: Results of the Audition for Campus Aircheck (Batch 5, 2008)

The student-DJs of Campus FM (which used to be called Campus Radio) are called Campus Aircheckers. It was Campus Radio that started its school of DJs in the radio industry. There had been four previous batches of Aircheckers, and this April 2008, along with the sudden come-back of Campus Radio with a new brand name, Campus FM, it has brought back Campus Aircheck.

A total of 34 students were chosen. They are the following:

Assumption College
Czarina "Czari" Flores (Assumption College) <--ME!

Philippine Women's University
Sabrina Ragudo (PWU)

University of the Philippines, Diliman
Anne Cristabel De Leon (UP Diliman)
Iris Isaguirre (UP Diliman)
Christine Manansala (UP Diliman)
Patricia Lazatin (UP Diliman)
Anna Canlas (UP Diliman)
Cherry Sun (UP Diliman)
Total: 6

University of the Philippines, Los Banos
Jiff Caban (UPLB)
Angelica Orais (UPLB)
Francis Galura (UPLB)
Jan Marie Sison (UPLB)
Total: 4

Polythecnic University of the Philippines
Theresa Carbonel (PUP)
Grechell Silvestre (PUP)
Edzhel Ramos (PUP)
Hazel Elizes (PUP)
Aphrodite Samson (PUP)
Total: 5

Ateneo de Manila University
Matthew Quiros (Ateneo)
Arnold Garcia (Ateneo)
Klarizza Laza (Ateneo)
Paulina Savillo (Ateneo)
Total: 4

University of Santo Tomas
Sienna Salamat (UST)
Deedah Velasquez (UST)
Marilyn De Mesa (UST)
Xeres Guia (UST)
Total: 4

University of Asia and the Pacific
Raisa Tan (UA&P)
Kristen Morados (UA&P)
Total: 2

De la Salle University of the Philippines
Leonardo Larrazabal (DLSU)

Letran
Miguel Bonifacio (Letran)

Makati Medical Center
Katwin Santiago (Mkt. Med. Ctr.)

Miriam
Cecilia Javier (Miriam)

St. Paul's College, Pasig
Johanna Estrada (St. Paul’s Pasig)

San Sebastian College
Nairisse Vispo (San Sebastian College)

Pamantasan ng Lunsod ng Maynila
Melanie Fernandez (PLM)

I stayed up late for...NOTHING.

By: Czari
Date: April 24, 2008

It is common that many people stay up very late at night. But I had an uncommon reason for trying to stay up as late as 12 midnight despite the fact that I was informed this evening that I would be given some tasks for tomorrow at my OJT in TBWA ad agency and would then be needing some good rest.

But I thought I just had to stay up late even until 12 midnight to at least catch Mister Vader (Marcelle Fabie) on boardwork on 99.5 Campus FM. His show is 12 - 3 am. I knew I wouldn't be able to listen to the whole show, but catching him at 12 would be good enough.

I waited. And I asked him via text for the days of the week that he's on air, 'desperately' hoping to catch him one of these days at the station.

But he's not going to be on air, he said.

That then explained his post about only staying home for the night.

I felt really bad to hear that. Whether he's officially out or what, I don't know. But I do feel terrible that they told him "he wasn't good enough". He's definitely not remarkably good 'yet' because he's still on training. But he's got the 'spirit' of a learner: He was there at the station 11 hours before his first time to work. He wrote long, in-depth entries about his days of boardwork. He had turned down a TV show to be a Wave 89.1 jock. He got disappointed there because he didn't learn professionally. And he had exerted the efforts to come back with the willingness to learn. Don't you call that love for radio? Not good enough? He's got a philosopher's mind, professional experiences in hosting, and physically hot yet never shallowly hangouts...now, isn't that character?

Oh! What happened to you, Campus FM?

99.5 Campus FM: The Brewrats and Mister Vader

By: Czari
Date: April 22, 2008

The Brewrats Show
That very cool and famous Brewrats radio show had stirred up the radio industry with their unconventional approach to being radio DJs. While all jocks out there perfect their diction, pronunciation and modulation of voice when they are on air, self-called "rats" DJ Tado and DJ Ramon Bautista remain being themselves, having that seemingly trying-hard-to-speak-English-of-a-native-Filipino type of voice. It's all imperfect English yet with confidence and wit, making the show really hilarious. DJ Angel is with the Brewrats as well but she speaks good English compared to the two.

Brewrats' 1st Segment: Early Bird Callers
In the first few minutes of the show, usually it's DJ Tado who's on air because he's the early bird among the three. The first part of the show is also all about the Early Bird Callers. With the sound effects of twittering birds in the background, DJ Tado answers the calls, asks questions to every caller, and *bangs* the phone in the middle of every conversation. Now, that, I think, is a great and funny idea of a segment! It's my favorite part of the show actually.

Everyday Themes
They also have themes per day: Educational Monday, Bring a Friend Tuesday, Cultural Wednesday, and Sando Party Thursday.

Mister Vader on Brewrats
Marcelle Fabie, the magician/blogger/teacher/philosopher whom I ran into the other day at the station has returned to radio! With Mister Vader as his alias, he now has his show on 99.5 Campus FM from 12 in the midnight until 3:00 in the morning. He was so excited for his first day (April 23) that he arrived at the station as early as 1:00 pm! He met the Brewrats there at the station and since their theme was Bring a Friend Tuesday, he ended up as the 'Friend' who would join the show and be interviewed because Tado and Angel were interested about his being a 'professional DJ'. He seemed to really enjoy the Brewrats show that he even gave Tado and Angel a grade of 11/10 when he was asked to rate their performance as amateur jocks.

I had to be asleep already since tomorrow is my first day for OJT. But I stayed up late because I wanted to catch Mister Vader's first radio show at 12. I did catch him and was even able to greet him via phone call, but of course I didn't finish the whole show.

I am so glad that Mister Vader have picked 99.5 Campus FM

Czari is Student-DJ for 99.5 Campus FM ...aka Campus Aircheck Batch 5

By: Czari
Date: April 21, 2008

After that traumatic experience with Cebu Pacific airlines, we arrived back here in Manila from Cebu at 6:00 am. I had been feeling so jumpy to land, so that I could finally turn on my cellphone's radio and be tuned in to 99.5 Campus FM. One of its jocks, John Hendrix, had told me via text that the results for the Campus Aircheckers (chosen student-DJs who had auditioned) will be announced on-air today.

So, although still lacking sleep, I tuned in to the first show this morning of DJ Joe Spinner and DJ Jaybee. I actually fell asleep in the middle of the show without having heard any announcement. But then I awoke by the sound of my cellphone when Sab texted, informing that the names were being announced already by batch of ten people. All in all there are 34 Campus Aircheckers. That's quite a number, but John said it will still go smaller.

I waited and heard DJ Jaybee announcing Sab's name at the end. I still didn't hear my name. But there was one batch of names left.

While the show was still ongoing, before 10:00 am, I chatted online with DJ Jaybee and asked if she could announce the whole list (because maybe my name had already been announced or maybe I wasn't accepted at all). DJ Jaybee said it was a long list and that maybe she would try.

When she finally announced the last batch of names, she had already given eight names and still my name wasn't included. But in the end, DJ Jaybee said "...and finally, SURPRISE! A student from Assumption College... Czarina Flores! Congratulations!"

She really wanted it to be suspenseful, eh? I wasn't supposed to be last; my name was supposed to be announced right after Sab's because we auditioned together. In the later announcements throughout the day though, my name was always next to Sab's, but Jaybee wanted it to be a suspense in the morning so she announced me last. Hahaha!

Congrats to me! Yipee!

I'll have my OJT in TBWA. Wait, what does TBWA stand for?!

By: Czari
Date: April 16, 2008

Why do they make up complicated acronyms for names of ad agencies? The more complicated the acronym is, the better the ad agency is?

These are some of Dad's questions when he first found out that his high school classmate Melvin Mangada was the Managing Partner/Creative Head of the ad agency TBWA here in the Philippines. Since my course is advertising, I was the first thing that came to my parents' mind when they met Melvin years ago. They decided that I should take up my OJT there.

I don't really know which ad agency is the best. Is it JWT? BBDO? McCann-Erickson? TBWA? I don't know. The best ad agency seems to change every year, every month, and every day.

In TBWA's case, they became the best ad agency in the Philippines from 2003-2005. TBWA's the most awarded ad agency.

When my mom showed me TBWA's website, I was impressed by the FLASH INTRO alone. And since then I said to myself I'd take up my OJT there.

In my school Assumption College, before you can submit your resume to the companies you are applying for, recommendation letters signed by the Department Head have to be made. That takes weeks to finish. In my case, I did ask for recommendation letters for BBDO, TBWA, and McCann-Erickson. But anyway, I sent my resume to Mr. Melvin Mangada (Managing Partner of TBWA) via email because that was what he told my mom.

A few days later, I received an email from Mr. Val Subido, asking me to email my portfolio to TBWA. Instead of emailing them attached files, for one night I created my portfolio website and then I gave them the link. They didn't get to check out anyone's portfolio though.

Again, a few days later, I got a text from Mr. Subido. I got into the shortlist. I was asked to be interviewed at the TBWA office and they told me that I should bring my portfolio. I brought printed ones, but I also took along with me my mother's small ACER laptop so that I could also show them the videos I've directed/edited.

Being an Assumptionist, we're trained with power-dressing for interviews; hence, my classmates are all in suits when they go for their interviews. But since I've lost weight again, my suit doesn't fit me anymore. So, I just wore clothes that are not-so-casual, still proper for interviews.

What do you know? I was so suprised! My fellow interviewees were dressed so CASUALLY. I was really surprised. Then I found out they were U.P. students. My classmate, whom I was texting at that time, told me that that's really the way things are. She knows because she has had her interviews before.

I met Mr. Val Subido there. He said that they were looking for students who are fit for the Creative Department. When he mentioned 'creative', I got a bit intimidated because the U.P. students who were with me were, no doubt, Fine Arts students. I didn't even get accepted in U.P. Fine Arts! If it's 'creatives' they in TBWA were looking for, then they were probably looking for those who can DESIGN well.

Too bad for me. Designing is not the edge of Assumption College. We're not taught hands-on activities there. Although, the professors always ask for creative outputs.

I don't know why TBWA included me in the shortlist. Maybe it was just because of my resume. They didn't even see my portfolio. But anyway, it was a good thing that I do design despite my amateur background.

When I was being interviewed by Mel and Marcelle, I explained to them what advertising is like in Assumption. I made it clear that what we're taught there are a little bit of communication and a little bit of marketing. We're not taught exactly how-to design. But since there are a lot of creative requirements, we do design. And it so happens that I learned how-to on my own...from graphic designing to web designing and even video-editing.

They were surprised about it though.

Days later, I got a text from Mr. Subido. I got accepted for the program! Wow, it was like I was no longer carrying that one big rock. I got a bit scared because I only applied for one company for my OJT. It's great that I got accepted there.

I like their office, by the way. It's so white there.

So, what does TBWA stand for anyway? I get that question when I tell people I'd have my OJT in TBWA. When I answer them on YM, I always have to quote a website:

"Even the most jaded advertising person grapples with what TBWA stands for. Known as 'Tibwa' by industry-smart pinoy Makati crowd, T stands for Tragos, an American management firm, B for Bonnage, a French marketing company, W for Wiesendanger, a Swiss creation group and A for Ajroldi, an Italian client services establishment. TBWA today counts the world’s most awarded ad agency..." (Roger, 2007)

Til now I haven't memorized it, let alone pronounce those words. Haha!

Source: Roger, P. (2007). What's your ad agency's name? Adoimagazine.com

First time to see Telekinesis in real life when I met Marcelle Fabie aka Kel, the magician

By: Czari
Date: April 15, 2008


The other day I was googling the words "campus, mellow, nu" and some other radio station names when I stumbled upon this black blog called Magi-kel of Marcelle Fabie. His profile also caught my attention because it said there that he was a professor, a philosopher, and a magician, but still a 24-year-old.

It's so freaky...because on the next day (which is today), I met that blogger/magician.

A tall, tisoy guy entered the booth in the radio station and started talking to the female DJ as though they knew each other.

Female DJ: "Guys, this is Marcelle. Marcelle, this is Czari and Sab."

Czari (me): "Marcelle? Marcelle what?" (I wanted to know his surname because if it begins with F, he might be the magician!)

Female DJ: "Marcelle Marcelle. He used to be called Kel."

Czari (me): "Kel? As in Magi-kel?" (I hesitantly mentioned the name of the blog.)

Marcelle: "Magi-kel the magician?"

Czari (me): "Yeah!"

Marcelle: "That's me!"

Czari (me): "Oh my! I saw your blog!"

That was freaky! I chatted with him and found out that he's taking his masters in Philosophy. It is with thesis because he would definitely want to pursue doctorate afterwards. What a smart guy he is. He performed some magic in the radio station. He even bent (or ruined) a fork for me. It was so cool. I still have the fork with me right now and I'll bring it wherever I go to show to people. It's not just fake magic tricks, guys, he is really a professional magician. He's been studying magic since he was eight years old. So, the bending of the fork thing, or telekinesis, is real. He really can do it. I asked him whether it's possible to cheat for exams/quizzes with his magic. He said that it is really possible but he takes his quizzes/exams the hard way by really studying. He is smart and hardworking anyway, so I guess he does not need to cheat using his gift of magic.


Here's another funny and freaky thing:

I lost the foam-cover of one of my earphones while we were in the sofa. I wanted to ask him if he could look for it using his magic. But I didn't ask because I was shy.

He went out of the booth. And then he came back. When he was about to sit back on the sofa, he showed me my earphone's foam-cover and asked, "Is this yours?"

Hahaha! He's probably a mind-reader as well.

If you're looking for a magician to perform in events such as kiddie parties, do get him!

Jesse McCartney is NOT gay just because he co-wrote Bleeding Love!

By: Czari
Date: April 14, 2008

When I heard from John Hendrix that Jesse McCartney co-wrote Bleeding Love (with Ryan), I couldn't but like Jesse even more. I have liked him ever since because of his young, boyish face, and now I like him even more because he CAN write. He is not the same as most pop stars who have no real talent in music, song writing or even singing yet they get good marketing because they are used for money-making. Jesse on the other hand has got real talent. Not only does he sing and write, he even does voice-acting (for the movies Alvin and the Chipmunks and Horton Hears a WHO).

Jesse McCartney co-wrote Bleeding Love for his album but decided to remove that track since he thought it didn't fit in the album. Clive Davis heard it and told him that he wanted it for Leona Lewis, and so Jesse let them make Leona Lewis sing it.

If it were Jesse McCartney who sang the hit, this is how it would have turned out.

But when Leona Lewis sang it, the song became a #1 Hit!. It's now the top-selling UK single as of the year 2007. It is number one in more than 28 countries.

A lot of people ask Jesse whether he regrets handing over the song. He does not regret it, saying, "A hit is a not just a hit because it's a great song. [It] Also has to do with who records it. A hit for Leona Lewis may not necessarily mean a hit for Jesse McCartney... I think that it worked out for the best... I'm really excited for her more than anything because that's a really great way to debut yourself as an artist, you know, have a monster of a smash like that."

Check out this video interview of him about handing over Bleeding Love to Leona.

A Visit to the Campus FM 99.5 Radio Station

By: Czari
Date: April 12, 2008


Recently when I still couldn't sleep as late as 3am, I would glue myself on my laptop and listen to the radio (my Nokia N93's radio only because I do not have my own 'real' radio). Within those early morning hours, the radio station that has really caught my attention was Campus FM 99.5 (originally Hit FM) with Boy Toy (or Neil) as the DJ. I have always liked the songs he usually played.

Since the first time I made a song request via online, DJ Neil and I would chat with each other on the Yahoo! Messenger to keep him company, since his 3-6am shift is a lonely time to work. He does not have a co-DJ to keep him company as well.

Just yesterday, he joked that if I'd come to the radio station, I could pick all the songs I wanted to play. Since I have never been to any radio station before, I decided to agree to visit him at the Campus FM station with my friend Sab who happens to be the biggest fan of John Hendrix, one of the oldest DJs of the original Campus FM.


What a great time it would be although too early, because aside from having a bit of a crash course on radio broadcasting with DJ Neil, I'd get to finally meet our idol John Hendrix! His shift is just right after DJ Neil's. (Sab met him twice already when she won RBO tickets).

OUR ACTUAL VISIT TO THE STATION
We arrived at the Paragon Plaza at around 4:00 in the morning. At the 9th floor, along with the stations of Magic 89.9 and Mellow 94.7, was Campus FM 99.5. Only DJ Neil and two technicians were in there. DJ Neil showed us the radio console (which Sab used to call the dashboard) and taught us how it works. There were 3 PCs around it, one for the radio ads, another for the music to be played, and the last is an ordinary PC for using the internet, including the YM chat. It seems that as a DJ Neil was all the chill-ka-lang type. He even said that it's almost a "brainless job" to be a DJ because controlling the PCs and the console are so easy for him.


Sab and I had a great time fooling around in the station with DJ Neil. We picked some songs (from the 90s, that's because the show is called Campus Classic Weekend) and we played requests from the YM. Sab constantly chatted with the YM people because her fingers have always been so patient with even the cheapest kind of keyboard. There was a webcam also and we made a fool of ourselves there. Haha! Here are some of our pictures inside the booth:






JOHN HENDRIX ARRIVES
Time seemed to have flew so fast there in the station. At 6am, John Hendrix in his dark-rimmed eyeglasses and leather jacket arrived to take his shift. After chatting for a while with DJ Neil, John immediately set up his stuff to begin his work. As though an obsessive compulsive, he aligned the positions of the telephones neatly. He readied the papers (about the ads) and his pen, and he put up his mac laptop for internet research (about the artists) instead of using the PC (for YM, he doesn't YM at all). He also hid the webcam! Clearly, he was the total opposite of DJ Neil!




DJ Neil was all bubbly and a great example of an extrovert, but John Hendrix was the opposite of that. Even though he has such a vibrant voice on the radio, John was the silent and serious type. Not that he was snobbish, but he always concentrated on his work, and he was serious about being a DJ, complete with his own principles on broadcast radio. He sort of gave us a lecture on what radio should really be and he pinpointed the wrong things that other radio stations do.

The new Campus FM (which came back because of the petitions made against Barangay LS) is the radio station that is actually less talk and more music. John prefers not to talk non-sense (or anything under the sun) on-air like other DJs would do; he would rather speak fast within a limited time to make way for the music, which is what radio is all about. Furthermore, as what he is known for, for him research is important as a DJ because it is always a must that the listeners could hear great snippets of information on the artists.

Just like today, through his research, John Hendrix announced on-air that Jesse McCartney actually co-wrote the song Bleeding Love (sang by Leona Lewis) which is a big hit today. Jesse also did voice-over for Horton Hears a WHO and Alvin and the Chipmunks. Now, "that's what I call real talent", John shared.


Of course, the day would not be complete without our pictures with John Hendrix!

I Wish Vincent Hiei and Dennis Kurama were Lovers!

By: Czari
Date: April 11, 2008

My article about how much I love Gay-to-Gay love stories is actually the most commented entry on my blog. I do not know how those readers (or blogders) came across my entry. They were people whom I do not know and they have come from different parts of the world such as Austria. Maybe they found my blog link from Google, but whatever it is they typed on the Google search box (maybe “gay love?”), I do not know yet, and it has aroused my curiosity ever since.

But for now, let us see if this article I am writing will be one of the most read as well. I have wanted to write about this for so long already, but I just couldn’t find the time to do so. Now that it’s summer time, I can write more! More time, more articles. More articles, more entries about gay love! Ha-ha-ha!

Seriously, you see, I first encountered that unusual feeling of liking gay love way back in grade school, around nine or ten years ago. Back then, GMA-7 had high ratings because of their popular Anime shows such as Ghost Fighter (or Yu-Yu Hakusho). Like most people, my favorite characters in Ghost Fighter were Vincent Hiei and Dennis Kurama. I couldn’t actually choose between the two of them. I like them both though they have opposite personalities.

And aside from being obsessed with those two characters, Vincent and Dennis, I had another obsession-like feeling—I want them to be a couple! I could not understand why I felt that way. It was a weird feeling and knowing that no one else had the same thoughts or fantasies, I kept it to myself. But from time to time, I would ask and ask people to confirm whether Dennis Kurama is male or female, while secretly hoping that he was a SHE instead so that they could possibly be a couple. But no, he was not female. But even then, I wanted no other character to be paired with Vincent aside from Dennis! No girl should get near him, I would secretly wish.

How devastated was I then at the near end of the series when Mukoro, the potential girlfriend of Vincent, appeared. She was a strong female character who had similar humiliating past as Vincent’s; hence, they could relate to each other. They had an uncanny and cold relationship, yet in the end, Vincent expressed his feelings for her—he told her that he did not know why he was starting to like her.

He said those words. That does it then! Indeed, they were destined to be paired, or at least, that's how Yoshihiro Togashi wrote the manga. On the other hand, Dennis Kuruma did not end up with anyone.

I have always disliked Mukuro because she ended up with Vincent Hiei. The couple I wanted was Vincent-Dennis only, but sadly, that cannot happen in the Anime series because it is not normal—gay love is not normal. The young viewers might feel disgusted or parents might file complaints against GMA-7, moreso the local church might be scandalized. I resorted to silently wishing that Dennis Kurama had been a girl instead, so that he could be paired with Vincent.

Maybe you might ask, did I search about them on the internet? I did not. You see, also back then, internet was not the predominant communication medium, so I did not get my hands on it just to search for “Hiei Kurama Gay Love”. As a 10 or 11-year-old girl, I would just often fantasize about those two male characters as a couple. I did not, of course, fantasize about anything malicious. I just imagined love stories (not R-rated) about them.

And then, suddenly, the awakening day came! A school mate lent me some diskettes that contained FanFiction stories from the internet. She had no idea that it would be my first time to read, so I didn’t know about the genres. I began reading some of the stories one evening. Some stories kept saying at the beginning: “Warning! This is yaoi!” Not knowing what Yaoi meant, I still continued reading.

Surprisingly, it was as though my “anime fantasies” were coming to life! What I was actually reading was a story about Vincent Hiei and Dennis Kurama as a pair! Yaoi meant gay love story. I was very very happy to be reading it. It is not that the story was great, it was just that I was so happy that there were people out there who had the same fantasy that I had. They wanted Vincent and Dennis to be paired that they resorted to writing their creative stories about them.

Ever since then, I have read so many stories about male characters whom I fantasize to be couples. Whether you like it or not, reading them makes me happy. Sometimes, sad as well, but these stories make me appreciate “love” even more, and even the “gay sector” in the world.

Happy Birthday Cousin Nix!

By: Czari
Date: April 10, 2008

My cousin Nix Quejada (Nixy-Wixy!)
turns 21 today! Happy happy birthday! I love you!

Adam Sevani a.k.a. Moose from the Step Up 2 Movie

By: Czari
Date: April 9, 2008

People may not know but I'm a wannabe hip-hop/street dancer. The last time I really danced, though, was when I was still in grade-6. I had street dancing lessons with my cousins in ProFit (Professionals in Fitness), which was then my aunt's own gym. Our street dancing teacher was a Chinese-looking young lady. It's too bad that I've forgotten her name already. I was able to attend only a few sessions, but we did have a presentation at the end of the summer classes. There were only, if I could remember, four of us --- my three cousins (Nix, Ren, Ryan) and me, who presented. We danced to the tune of Jump Around. To this day, I can still clearly remember the dance steps. Maybe one of these days I'd convince my cousins for us to dance it again. Haha!
I have been missing those street dancing sessions, especially when I caught Michael Kim of So You Think You Can Dance doing onion popping. To read my article about him, click this.

Aside from Michael Kim, Step Up 2 also makes me want to get back to dancing. I haven't seen either of the movies, but my classmate Mia showed me her favorite scene of the Step Up 2 movie. The scene was when Moose was Dancing on the Stairs with the tune of The Way I Are.

Here's the video of Moose dancing on the stairs.

It's so cool! He's such a natural dancer. Though he looks funny and dorky with his big curly hair, big nose, and lanky body, his ability to dance is remarkable! I most especially love that part when he was stepping down and holding his backpack by the strap. He's so good, it's as though his moves are edited already to make it look more robot-like. At the end of the movie wherein the group dancers had their final presentation (in the middle of the rain), there were parts wherein Moose was the leader. It showed that he was taller than most of the guys and that his shoulders were broad. With his dancing ability to boot, it's almost sexy! But turn on the lights and look closer, you'll be surprise to see the baby face of Adam Sevani, that's Moose's real name. I can't wait to see more of Adam!

Magic 89.9 Good Times: DJ Grace Lee (aka Lee Kyung Hee)

By: Czari
Date: April 6, 2008

Heads up to the fans and admirers of the Korean DJ/host Grace Lee (or Kyung Hee Lee) who's becoming famous here in the Philippines because of her morning radio show on Magcio 89.9, Good Times together with Mo, Lil' Man Guile, and Mojojojo, and its TV show version on Studio 23 every Tuesday, 11pm. These are two collages of her pictures. Like em? The second one really had a great photographer. Grace Lee is beautiful in the pictures.

My friend Sab auditions for Magic 89.9 and CJ the DJ meets my bulldog

By: Czari
Date: April 5, 2008

It was the second and last day for the audition for the Junior Jocks of Magic 89.9. Days before the audition, I contacted my friend Sab to encourage her to join because becoming a DJ has always been her dream. Seriously, she had wanted it since she was 10 years old. Although she does not listen much to Magic 89.9, she still tried out for the experience.

Sab almost didn't make it to the venue because her mom decided not to allow her to go out. But at 5pm, finally she was able to travel from Commonwealth to Bonifacio High Street for the audition. However, it said on-air that the registration already cut off at 4pm. I made Sab push it through and she was still able to register with the coolest number: 89!

Unfortunately, Sab wasn't chosen because she still lacked the energy. She had a beautiful voice though, and she spoke well as an announcer for the radio advertisements. But the night was still great, thanks to CJ the DJ. He let us use his Timezone card to play games the whole night. And he gave Sab pieces of advice on how to improve self-confidence. "I'm sure someday you'd have your own amazing story," CJ told her. Some of the ways to build self-confidence, he said, were to hangout or go out a lot, to volunteer in school, and to take leadership responsibilities in groups.

CJ and LUCIO, THE BULLDOG
My parents dropped by Timezone with our English bulldog Lucio. CJ once told me that he really wanted an English bulldog and that he'd name it Hercules. When my parents arrived, I called him over to ask if he'd want to see Lucio. He did, and so CJ met my parents and our dog. He was able to hold Lucio for a while and they looked good together! Here are some photos of the twins:

Leo Carlo Delos Santos: Junior Jock for Magic 89.9

By: Czari
Date: April 4, 2008

I wrote this very loooong article as requested by my brother who is friends with Leo. My brother wanted me to write the story of Leo's audition for the Junior Jocks as detailed as possible.

LEO
To be a DJ has always been one of Leo's dreams. (Leo: "Dreams? I never knew that!"). It is just understandable because of his love for music, speaking, hosting, and...joking! I actually didn't know him personally before the audition and that just makes the story even more interesting. Here's what happened:

JUNIOR JOCKS of MAGIC 89.9
Around two weeks ago was the first time I heard of the Junior Jocks Batch of Magic 89.9. Carpool DJ's CJ, Sarah and Lellie announced on-air that the audition for the next batch will be held on April 4 and 5. Although I love listening to the radio and to Magic's DJ's, I unfortunately don't have the skills, so auditioning didn't enter my mind.

MAGIC DJ of CARPOOL SHOW: CJ RIVERA
Later on, through Facebook, I found out that CJ's (true name, CJ Rivera) girlfriend, Izza Velez, was my schoolmate in grade school. I added CJ as a friend then. He approved and contacted me to ask for my help with CSS (web designing). I approved. Since then we started chatting.

DJ FAUSTINO: A DJ WANNA-BE
Because I was so proud that I now personally know CJ, my DJ idol, I told my brother, Enrique "Flo" Flores, about it. He then mentioned to me that he's got a friend called DJ who wants to be a DJ. I then contacted DJ to invite him to audition for the Junior Jocks. He hesitantly approved, but at the last minute he declined because he had to go to Lipa, Batangas. Too bad. He happens to be a big Magic fan!

LEO DELOS SANTOS
When DJ found out about the Junior Jocks audition, he mentioned that their other friend called LEO DELOS SANTOS also wants to become a DJ ("WHEN THEY'RE OLDER"). I then added Leo on my YM and told him about the audition. He said he'd "definitely" join! Cool!

LEO'S HESITANCE and OTHER STUPID THINGS
A day before the audition, I listened to Magic 89.9 and wrote down the requirements for the audition. Yah, it was too late for me to do that. I then told Leo about the requirements. It so happened that he didn't have any of the requirements --- 2 x 2 picture, resume, and school ID. He settled for his temporary ID, and then I gave him a sample of my resume which he used to pattern his own. As for the 2 x 2 pic, he gave me a picture of him in a restaurant while eating. Here's the picture:

Leo didn't have a 2x2. I had to edit this picture to make a 2x2 for him!

HE'S ONLY A BABY BOY
When he sent me his picture, it was the first time I saw how he looks like, and I thought, "Oh my! He's just a baby boy! So young! Does he even know how to talk? Can he be a DJ?"

THE 2 X 2 PICTURE
Anyways, with my "magical" Photoshop skills, I was able to edit his picture. Here's the 2 x 2 now. Spot the difference!

Edited picture of Leo to make a 2x2

RESUME
He looked at my resume (and another resume from a website) and copied the styles. I also edited his resume.

NO PRINTER
But he doesn't have a printer to print his picture and resume. So, I printed those and just planned to meet him at the audition.

ON THE DAY OF THE AUDITION
It was planned that we'd meet Leo at Timezone at 4 pm. As usual, my brother and I were late. Too bad for Leo because he arrived early and he didn't have a cellphone! He brought his sister's phone but it didn't have load either. So, he just stayed there, waiting for me and my brother, not even sure whether we'd arrive. At around 5 pm, we finally arrived.

MOJOJOJO'S INTRODUCTION AND TIPS
Mojojojo spoke to the auditionees outside Timezone to give them a clue of what's going to happen in the audition. He reminded them not to be nervous, to be perky, and that only 15 sec is given them. Leo, my brother, and I stayed at the very very back near the trash can. Leo felt nervous and afraid. "Uwi na tayo," he told us.

SIGNING-UP
Anyways, he signed up for the audition. His number is 75.

LEO and MOJOJOJO
It was already past 7pm, yet there were still many auditionees. Leo saw Mojojojo and asked him whether he'd still be able to audition or would they have to move it for tomorrow. Mojojojo said that it might be pushed through tomorrow, but anyway he asked Leo for an on-the-spot trial audition with Mojojojo as the judge. Leo just told stuff about himself. Mojojojo's answer was: "You have the potential because you speak well. But since you sound like that, they'd say you're boring and they wouldn't accept you." He advised Leo to be perky and exciting.

OOPS!
When I heard about Mojojojo's comment, I felt that maybe Leo wouldn't get picked. Yes, he really isn't perky enough, his way of talking isn't exciting. When I first met him and heard him speak, I was like, "Oh! Doesn't sound like a DJ; he's not fun enough...hehe."

THE 6-HOUR LONG WAIT
It wasn't Leo's turn yet. We waited...and waited...and waited...and played Tekken...and waited...and waited...and cursed...and cussed...and waited. Leo had to wait for 6 HOURS for his turn. He was already telling me and my brother --- "Kasalanan n'yo toh eh! Nagpaka-late kasi kayo!"

THE REAL AUDITION
Finally, at 10:00pm, it was Leo's turn. He was asked to sing "Basket Case" by Green Day. And then after that, he had to speak in front of the DJs, including CJ and Sarah. They made him listen to three songs and he had to give the titles. He didn't know the songs. But then it was kind of them to make him listen to around 15 or 20 songs more, because finally out of those, he was able to name three titles. They also made him read a piece of paper that has advertising copy on it.

And WHADDAYAKNOOOWWWW......................he got chosen! He doesn't know why though. Haha! Anyways, the 6-hour long wait was worth it. Let's see now if he'd make it to the final 5.

When CJ the DJ called me up on my mobile phone, he asked me why his back is on my blog. Hahaha! I included CJ in the photo because I needed a photo that proves Leo really auditioned.

Dawn Yang and Edison Chen: Edison Chen Wanted Sex with Dawn Yang

Newspapers Said: Edison Wanted Sex with Dawn Yang

Singapore newspapers reported that Edison Chen invited Dawn Yang to come over to his place to stay there overnight. Edison told this to Dawn through internet's instant messaging.

Here's an excerpt of the conversation they had:

---------------------------------
Edison Chen says:
how bout u come to town on
the 29th

Edison Chen says:
19th i mean

Dawn Yang says:
as in hk?

Edison Chen says:
yeah we maybe get a nice
suite

Edison Chen says:
and get freeky all night and
day

Edison Chen says:
heheh how bout it will u do it
wid me babee
---------------------------------

Edison Chen and Dawn Yang are Friends

Yes, they personally know each other. In case you are wondering if it was the true Edison Chen whom she was chatting with, yes, it is! Dawn Yang claims that in 2004 she had been introduced to Edison Chen by their mutual friends.

Dawn Yang was Close to being a Victim of Sex Scandal

Dawn Yang did feel that Edison was hot and that he could get whoever girl he wants. However, Dawn did not give in to him after the chat.

Good for her, because days after, Edison Chen's past sex photos and videos leaked to the internet. Had she given in and had sex with Edison, then her sex photos with him would have been included. More so, she would have been a victim of Edison's seemingly "pervert" mind.

Dawn Yang Speaks: Her Blog Entry

Dawn Yang wrote a blog entry about the chat she had with Edison Chen and the sex scandal. Here's her entry:

EDISON Chen – girls, ladies, and even tai-tais (if reports of his having photos of several wives of Hong Kong’s richest tycoons are true) the world over fawn over him and are enamoured of him.

I confess. I used to be one of his admirers many years ago. My friend even gave me an Edison toy, complete with his baggy hip hop gear and diamond ear stud, as a Christmas present one year.

This was when I was a teen and I have long since grown out of that silly phase. Still, I was, frankly, neither all that shocked nor surprised when the controversy first exploded.

I already kind of knew the sort of past-time Eddie indulged in. I was introduced to him by mutual friends in 2004. An excerpt from messenger conversations with Eddie:

*** says:

how bout u come to town on
the 29th
*** says:
19th i mean
xxx says:
as in hk?
*** says:
yeah we maybe get a nice
suite
*** says:
and get freeky all night and
day
*** says:
heheh how bout it will u do it
wid me babee

That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Now, I read back these saved conversations in amusement. When the pictures first leaked, I seriously thanked God I was not foolish, naive or feeling frisky beyond control.

Otherwise my photos may have just ended up being among the hot 1,300 ones out there. I mean, with cute, charming, sweet Eddie, it could be very hard to resist.

Anyway, Eddie basically can get any girl he wants, and he knows it. A young, hot-blooded man like him – much to the envy of guys everywhere – thus has lots and lots of sex, with tons and tons of different women.

It’s simply because he can and he likes to. Does anyone dare argue that he’s abnormal or the only man around like that? Why make him out to be such a jerk?

I think he’s really lucky that all the women he beds do it because they like him, not because he’ s some filthy rich old man who buys expensive gifts and gets them movie roles or record deals.

So, Eddie has an exhibitionistic streak and likes to film his bedroom antics and keep sexy photos of his many conquests.

How to get Dawn Yang's Eyes or Eyelashes?

Blogger: Czari - Edit Post "How to get Dawn Yang's Eyes or Eyelashes?"

For those people who have been trying to google-search the phrase "How to get Dawn Yang's Eyelashes (or Eyes)", I'm making this article just for all of you. Here's a step-by-step process on how I think you could imitate Dawn Yang's eyes.

If you want to know who Dawn Yang (a.k.a. Dawn Yeo) is, read my post about her.

What makes Dawn Yang really stand out from the rest of her peers, as shown in her online photo albums are two things: her eyes and white skin. At least, for me, that's what I think. She usually has the whitest skin in her pictures and her eyes the biggest. (I don't know yet how she got white!)

So, you want to grab that look of Dawn? The eyes especially? Here are the things you need to know:

1.1 LOTS OF SLEEP, NO TO MUCH WATER, THICK PILLOWS
First off, get a lot of sleep so you'd lose your raccoon eyes. Don't drink too much water before you sleep and use pillows that are not too flat. Yes, the pillows affect your eyes. If they're too flat and you lie down with your head aligning your body, the water in your body will reach your eyes and make them baggier.

1.2 ICE FOR EYES, or SURGERY
Another way to lose your eyebags is to put ice on your eyes. I've read this tip from many magazines. I've tried and it felt refreshing, (but I wasn't patient enough to continue doing it).
What else --- if you have the money, you can have your eyebags surgically removed. Some even say that the only way to remove them is through surgical process. My mom has tried it.

2.1 MOST-WANTED EYELIDS, with SURGERY
Now this is what all Japanese, Korean, Chinese actors do to their eyes. They make their eyes bigger by surgically getting the double eyelids that Caucasians naturally have. Not only does the extra lid make the eyes bigger, it also makes the eyes more expressive. A surgeon once offered to my sister to have her eyes fixed this way, but she refused. Now she thinks that she has to because one-eyelid seems to only look good for male.

2.2 DOUBLE EYELIDS, without SURGERY
Is there a way to get an extra eye-lid without surgery? Well, I do know ONE way, because I GOT ONE for my left eye. Look at my picture below.


My right eye looks smaller, right? But that's the true shape of my eye, it looks Chinese. The left one is bigger, notice it? It became bigger because of the eyelid that I have there. But how did I get it? It was because of SORE EYES that I had when I was very young. I had sore eyes on both eyes, but then the right eye healed faster than my left eye. I thought the latter would heal right after so I didn't take care of it well. My left eye then remained SORE for weeks. My left eye was also partly CLOSED, couldn't open it well. When it finally healed, the double eyelid appeared because it had been too long that I didn't open my eye well.

So if you want to have a NATURAL double eyelids, maybe you should try that? Get the SORE EYES! Haha!

3. IRIS EFFECT
It wasn't only surgery that made Dawn Yang's eyes bigger, because when they eyes are small they are small because the IRIS (colored part of the eye) is small. If you want to have a bigger iris (= bigger eyes), then colored contact lenses is the answer. But there are contact lenses already designed to give the bigger iris effect.

I've tried using Hazelnut-colored contact lenses (400 grade), and it made my eyes look bigger because the contact lens not only has a color but it also has a dark ring outlining the iris, which doesn't match my iris because mine are smaller. Hence, the contact lenses made my eyes bigger. I assume it's the dark ring of the contact lenses of Dawn Yang that makes her eyes look bigger.

To understand what I mean, take a look at the picture below.


4. EYELINER MAGIC
For a better effect, put some lines under and above your eyes using liquid or pencil eyeliner. For a detailed how-to-apply and tips, check this out from wikiHow. For the lower lids, some people prefer to put eyeliner on or below the lower lashes, but I prefer to line the rim of my eye directly because it looks more real, whereas lining the lashes only makes it look like it's a drawing that's not part of the eyes.

5. FINALLY, THE LASHES
For the eyelashes, you can put fake eyelash extensions, which everyone knows already, or you can just use mascara. There are mascaras that not only color and thicken the lashes but also make them longer. It's a technological advancement, haha! I've tried one from Maybelline, called Sky High Curves.

Note: It's not true that cutting your eyelashes will make them longer and thicker when they grow back.

6. Don't Forget: THE RIGHT POSE
When getting your photos taken, there's a pose that can make your eyes look bigger. Look at Dawn Yang and how she poses. Her poses are all the same. Anyway, the pose is to tilt your head downwards a bit and then look at the camera and smile without closing your eyes even for a little. How do you do this? By raising your eyebrows a bit! This is the pose usually used by Filipino girls for their online accounts because the pose makes their eyes bigger and the lower part of their face thinner (maybe to hide the double chin?) Haha!

Kim Ah Joong really had surgery? Did she or did she not?

I first learned about this new Korean actress called Kim Ah Joong from Wendy Cheng's blog. In her blog entry, Wendy posted an alleged "before picture" of Kim, wherein she still looks fat, has small eyes, and a not-so-high nose, claiming that she is not a natural beauty. The "before picture" is below:


I immediately did my research to find out if Kim really did have surgeries, and if this is really Kim Ah Joong's picture. However, it was hard to research about it when I google searched "Kim Ah Joong Surgery", because what always appeared were articles about her first movie 200 Pound Beauty.


In the 2006 movie 200 Pound Beauty, Kim plays the character Hanna Kang, a talented singer but obese lady who underwent a full-body surgery so that she could have a normal life.

The articles, blog entries, write-ups that I found were all talking about this movie. But finally, I found a forum wherein the people were arguing whether Kim had surgeries.

Most of them believed that the alleged "before picture" is really her, but some opposed and showed the following pictures of Kim when she was younger to prove that she was actually already beautiful before:

Young Kim Ah Joong (schoolgirl)

(Left: Before) Young Kim Ah Joong, (right: after) Kim Ah Joong now

20-year-old Kim Ah Joong

Kim Ah Joong in high school

So maybe the "fat girl" picture isn't really Kim, and if these schoolgirl pictures above are really hers, then she was already beautiful. But that doesn't mean she's 100% natural, because it's obvious she had some surgeries done. I suppose she had her eyes, nose, lips fixed, and she had all her teeth pulled out and re-planted.

I've seen the movie 200 Pound Beauty. She was really beautiful there, but sometimes there seems to be something wrong on her face, but when I was watching I couldn't exactly point it out. Maybe the answer is because she had some surgeries done.

However, Kim Ah Joong was such a fantastic actress. She has a natural talent in acting, dancing and singing, those are for sure.

I first thought that maybe she just lip-synced in the movie, that maybe it wasn't really her voice that was singing. But I found a video clip on YouTube that shows Kim Ah Joong practicing the song "Beautiful Girl".

She really CAN sing!

Dawn Yang vs. Xiaxue?

Before Dawn Yang became famous through her ClapBangKiss xanga blog, another blogger was already famous - she's Xiaxue (true name Wendy Cheng). Xiaxue is like Filipino DJ Mo Twister of Magic 89.9 who has become famous because of his controversial opinions that he shares to the public. Xiaxue is somehow the same but she does this through writing, blogging. And what makes her the most talked-about blogger is her criticisms. She jokes that she has criticized over 3000 people already.

Xiaxue (a.k.a. Wendy Cheng)

The rivalry between the two began when a magazine article is published saying that Dawn Yang has beaten Xiaxue in top bloggers rank. Xiaxue researched about it and claims that it is not true. Dawn Yang was never even in top bloggers rank, although she has become famous. Furthermore, Xiaxue tells that Dawn Yang is not even a true blogger, saying that she's just a pretty girl who posted pictures on her blog.

Well, I agree with Xiaxue. It doesn't quite fit that people place Dawn Yang and Xiaxue on the same line, considering that "if" they were "products", they don't belong to the same category. Hence, they're not supposed to be competitors. Dawn Yang's blog is basically full of her pictures in her travels. So, if people visit her blog, they're just probably looking at her pictures. Comments on her entries even seldom reach a hundred. Whereas, Xiaxue's blog is heavy both on text and photos. And she gets more than a hundred comments per entry. In short, we can say that Xiaxue is the true writer or blogger and Dawn Yang is not (but there are a lot of girls like Dawn Yang who just post pictures of themselves on their blogs). Xiaxue was right in saying that.

Girls like Dawn Yang do not exert too much effort on their blogs. Some don't even mind that they murder their words, and they write like they're text-messaging. But those like Xiaxue who are true bloggers exert effort in writing well, being choosy of the photos to post, and with photos always relevant to their text-entry. People read the blogs of these "true bloggers" because of the interesting entries they have.

But, recently, I noticed that Xiaxue seemingly wants to be similar to Dawn Yang when it comes to publishing photos of herself. Xiaxue now posts her best photos where she looks prettiest. And she even photoshopped these photos herself. However, Xiaxue admits openly that she photoshops all her photos. She tells that subtract 40% off the photo and you will get the real thing, the real "she". We shouldn't be fooled by the photos posted by girls on the internet, because they do use photoshop, Xiaxue shares.

So, it appears like she's just joking. Intentionally she makes fun of blogders (blogger readers) by publishing photoshopped photos.

But, she's already so Dawn-Yang-ish in this photo:

Xiaxue's photoshopped photo

Now, what's the difference? Dawn Yang is pretty because of surgeries, whereas Xiaxue is pretty because of Adobe Photoshop.

Maybe she's just trying to keep ahead of the competition in the blogosphere? So many young, pretty girls are out there already, knowing how to write and go about blogging and playing with HTML (web designing).

But the fact that Xiaxue admits she photoshops herself and the fact that she convinces people that the photos she published are not the real thing, shows that she admits she's not a natural beauty. "No one is," she tells. Because even hair color, fake eyelashes, foundation removes the natural beauty off a person.

So, in the end, Xiaxue convinces people to stop comparing Dawn Yang and herself. She wants people to stop saying that:

* Dawn Yang is pretty, Xiaxue is not
or
* Dawn Yang is a fake beauty, Xiaxue is a natural beauty

because...they're both 'not' natural, in all its sense - surgery, makeup, photoshop.

I quote Xiaxue on this one:
Xiaxue: "So I am no natural beauty on this blog.
Even if you saw me in real life and think I'm pretty, what's so authentic about foundation, fake eyelashes, and loads of mascara?
FACE IT LA. Everyone is fucking fake. Who can be all natural? I know who... Ugly people."

Dawn Yang and Xiaxue even have pictures of them together. It was Xiaxue who asked Dawn Yang for a photo.

Xiaxue and Dawn Yang are friends?

Dawn Yang: Most famous face in Singapore blogosphere

Note to Readers: I do not own these Dawn Yang photos. The link embedded on each photo is not my copyright. I only embedded the link so that when people see these photos elsewhere (not on this website), they can check out the link and be able to read the article.

Again, I do not own these photos. I accumulated them out of my research.

(Can't recall when) I was browsing the "most popular" profile accounts on Friendster when I saw this picture of a long-haired, slim, Asian girl, with big eyes and long eyelashes. She was so "angelic" in the picture at first look that I even thought, "Could she be real", and I bet many would think the same. Below is her picture that I first saw.

Her name is Dawn Yang a.k.a. Dawn Yeo (born December 5, 1984) ; she's a Singaporean. As I would usually do, I googled her name and was greeted with many scandalous articles, comments, write-ups on her.

She became popular through her xanga blog (that she calls ClapBangKiss) which has a lot of her pictures in her travels. Talent agents saw her blog and it became her ticket to enter the celebrity business. "She blogged her way to instant fame", so they say.

This is one of her photos in her blog.

However, in many articles (mostly blog entries), people hated her because they think that her beauty was not natural. They claimed that Dawn Yang had a massive surgery, and that they had "before" pictures of her to prove it. These "before" pictures I found on the internet are the following:

Dawn Yang (before her surgery)

Dawn Yang (before her surgery)

Dawn Yang (before her surgery)

Dawn Yang (before her surgery)

Dawn Yang (when she had some surgeries done already, but with a not-so-high nose)

I didn't believe it at first, especially when I saw the first three photos above. But when I chanced upon the last two, no doubt it is really Dawn Yang, but her nose was not too high yet in the photos.

Despite the bloggers' claim, when Dawn Yang was interviewed, she said that she didn't have surgeries done.

But then on August 22, 2006, she finally confronted the rumors "somehow" on her blog. On her entry, she said she hated it that people always say that Dawn used to be "fugly". It pains her because she was never called that way when she was younger. She did not say that the "before photos" floating on the internet were fake, but she claimed that indeed she had unflattering photos that were taken from her bad angles.

So, to prove that she wasn't "monstrous" when she was young, Dawn posted her old photos on her entry. I don't know if she regretted doing this. But the photos posted by herself proved that indeed she had changed a lot, although these photos were better versions of the ones posted by Dawn-haters.

The following are the photos that Dawn posted on her blog:








Her post entry can be seen here. So, what do you think? I guess for all those who are wondering whether she really had surgeries done, the photos will give the answer right away. She is prettier today than she were before. Her nose is now higher, pointier, her eyes bigger, her cheeks bigger, her chin pointier, and even her skin is whiter.

Dawn admits in her entry that indeed she has changed a lot, but still she didn't mention about "the surgery".

Related articles:

Famous Blogger Dawn Yang Plagiarizes

Photo of Dawn Yang without Fake Eyelashes or without Makeup

Edison Chen Wanted Sex with Dawn Yang

How to Get Dawn Yang's Eyelashes?

Dawn Yang's Video on Youtube

Dawn Yang vs. Xiaxue?

Note to Readers: I do not own these Dawn Yang photos. The link embedded on each photo is not my copyright. I only embedded the link so that when people see these photos elsewhere (not on this website), they can check out the link and be able to read the article.

Again, I do not own these photos. I accumulated them out of my research.

Czari on Sunday Inquirer Magazine

Two or three weeks ago, I got an email from Sunday Inquirer Magazine's Associate Editor, Ruel S. de Vera. He was asking if it was alright for him to interview me for an article about eBay. I said yes then! It came out just today. I'll scan the picture (of me) from the magazine when I have the time today.

Here's the article he wrote. Thank you, Ruel! ^_^

(He wrote the wrong eBay I.D. It was supposed to be Czayuri, but he wrote Czari. Anyway, in this post, I've changed it already.)

Here's the actual photo that appeared on the magazine.

FEATURE
Auction heroes

By Ruel S. De Vera
Inquirer
Last updated 05:32am (Mla time) 09/30/2007


MANILA, Philippines – At first glance, Czarina Denise D. Flores looks like your typical college student—winsome and smart. But on eBay Philippines (www.ebay.ph), the college junior (eBay ID: Czayuri) becomes a seller of books and other items with a perfect feedback of 100 percent. That means everyone that Flores has sold something to emerged satisfied from the transaction.

Yet it was only in July last year that Flores discovered eBay. “I was only a buyer at first,” she says. “I found it fun to browse items. And so I signed up for my account and bought stuff.” The items ranged from skin products to books. Then Flores looked around her house. “After that, I decided to sell some stuff, too.” Flores now sells whenever she can. She’s sold everything from an electric guitar to Gabriel Garcia-Marquez books for five pesos. “It’s an e-book,” Flores explains. “Some sell e-books for higher prices, but I prefer to sell them for five bucks; the cheaper, the better.”

All this is made possible by the eBay platform. Essentially, a seller opens an account, then posts listings of items up for sale—sometimes with photos—and then holds an auction (usually for seven days, and the best bid wins), or opts for Buy It Now, which is exactly what it sounds like. Here is where everything becomes serious: the buyer must first pay for the item and its shipping costs before the seller sends it. After the transaction, both buyer and seller are allowed to leave feedback on each other as a tip for others who might want to deal with them in the future.

That is why Flores’ perfect feedback is one of her biggest asset as an eBay seller. Keeping track of such transactions is also eBay’s strongest suit, aside from it being “convenient for both buyer and seller,” says Flores. For one, this seller makes sure she gets the payment first, either through wire transfer, gcash or autoload. She then sends the items through courier simply by texting the courier and then leaving the package for pickup. “But usually, to be fair, everything’s done at the same time. While the buyer sends the money, I prepare the package and send it,” Flores says. “One time, I had a buyer interested in a pair of shoes, but she wasn’t sure it would fit her. So, I sent the shoes to her first. It fit. And then she paid for it through wire transfer. ”

There is a unique aspect to eBay Philippines in that meet-ups (where the seller and the buyer actually meet in person to exchange payment and goods) is the preferred option. “It’s cheaper,” explains Flores. The usual eBay deal often involves shipping and service charges for payments made through wire transfer. At the original eBay site, credit cards were the dominant currency, thanks to eBay-owned Paypal, says Flores. In eBay Philippines, however, other means of payment are available, including through cellphones. “Easier to communicate that way,” she says. “E-mail takes time and it’s also difficult to check my e-mail all the time when I get busy with school work.”

It isn’t all fun, though. Flores hates dealing with what she calls “joy bidders,” people who bid just for kicks and have no plans to actually pay. Online auctions are nothing new to tech-savvy Pinoys. Bidshot and Auction.ph have their own devotees, as well as the advantage of having launched much earlier. But eBay Philippines, launched in November, 2004 from California, was no lightweight. It was the inevitable local offspring of eBay (www.ebay.com), the world’s marketplace, with over 125 million customers worldwide. Founded in 1995 by Pierre Omidyar, eBay became a lynchpin of the Internet revolution by introducing an entirely new kind of marketplace, with sellers and buyers from all over the world turning “eBay” into a buzzword.

“The launch of eBay Philippines brings our successful online marketplace to a growing Internet market in Asia,” said eBay International senior vice president Bill Cobb in a statement about the launch. “eBay’s global community already includes many thousands of members in the Philippines, and we are happy to provide them with their own dedicated website."

The mothership, eBay.com or just plain eBay, is home to Filipino sellers as well, sellers who ship internationally. Such is the case of Greattoysonline.com (eBay ID: greattoys-greattoys). Founded in 2003, Greattoys is a thriving concern that sells mostly toys and collectibles through brick-and-mortar stores in Greenhills, Makati and Manila. Malvin John Lim, 27, and his brother Jesus, Jr., 31, are the proprietors. Two years before it had a physical store, Greattoys was already selling its wares on eBay. Lim also sells on Bidshot, and is presently pondering the idea of selling on Auction.ph. He notes however that eBay is special because of the “brand name backing and integration of eBay.ph with eBay.” He cites several advantages of selling on eBay: “lower operating expenses and (better) product exposure online compared to the walk-in store.”

Greattoys, claims Lim, is doing very well on eBay, with “approximately 200 transactions” monthly. In fact Greattoys has an eBay slate of over 5,000 transactions. Aside from the toys, such as Transformers and Star Wars, Lim says they sell a lot of Li-ning Shaquille O’Neal basketball shoes and RekindledMoments.com Scrapbooking products. And though he sells on eBay’s main site, Lim says his Philippines-based eBay clients can pick up theitmes themselves at any of his stores.

But challenges remain even for a seller with such a high volume of sales. Lim says he has to overcome concerns about payment methods, as well as his pet peeve, “bogus sellers and unserious buyers.” That last bit is important because Lim, like many sellers on eBay, is a buyer as well. Lim’s eBay presence is so serious that he actually has an eBay store, which is a dedicated page for his items instead of just having them lumped with items from other sellers. Indeed, Lim gets what he sells on eBay from his store, “to have access to a bigger client base.”

With such a large turnover, Lim did his homework and found the shipping method that best suited him, as he is selling to buyers in the United States for example. He also notes that eBay boasts of eBay seller protection: “If buyers don’t pay, you can file a ‘non-paying bidder warning,’ and most buyers immediately act upon the warning. Those who don’t pay also risk being kicked out of eBay.”

Flores and Lim both advise prospective eBay sellers to craft honest and accurate descriptions of their items and take new photographs of the actual products for sale. “Buyers would like to see what the product really looks like,” she clarifies. She says it would be possible for Filipino sellers to sell full-time like their American counterparts, but not just yet. eBay Philippines, she says, is still a work-in-progress. “On a rating of one to ten, I would rate it a five.” Lim agrees: “There’s still a lot of work to be done.”

Flores however believes that Filipinos are made for eBay. “Although Filipinos love the malls, they also love the Internet very much,” she says. “Once they try checking out items on eBay and get to know how it works, they’ll get addicted to it.” Lim concurs. “My experience has been very exciting,” he says. “And I will continue to sell as long as there is eBay and the Internet.”



Copyright 2007 Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Memories of My Melancholy Whores

After reading Of Love and Other Demons by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, I became crazy about it, and since then I have wanted so bad to read two of his other novels - Love in the Time of Cholera and Memories of My Melancholy Whores, which are both love stories just like Of Love and Other Demons. But these three aren't just some kind of love stories. They're Gabriel Garcia Marquez'...they're unusual, intriguing, even scandalizing.

The only romance novel that I consider to have read is Bridges at Madison County because of a classmate who energetically talked about and lent a copy to me. But these three by Marquez, I do not consider them romance novels, because as I said, they're not ordinary love novels. They are unusual stories, with unusual people, unusual couples, whose love, I believe, are unusual as well. And hence, much worthy of being read. The other romance novels out there probably all have cliche-ish storyline. And so I do not give them attention, although recently, with much curiosity, I did buy Summit romance novel books - No Boyfriend Since Birth and The Breakup Diaries. However, they didn't keep me hooked, so I haven't really finished them.

I was happy when I found so many Gabriel Garcia Marquez books in my school's library. I borrowed Love in the Time of Cholera and No One Writes to the Colonel last year, but I was not able to read them. But anyway, I probably won't borrow them again, I think I'd rather buy myself a copy, for I might like them too much when I get to read them.

And then, whenever I'd have the chance to be in a bookstore, I'd read a few pages of Memories of My Melancholy Whores, but not buy it. I don't have money yet to spend for books. I didn't finish it by doing this.

But now I have finished the book...because of a good news and bad news.

Good news is that I now have a copy.

Bad news is that a professor gave it. And that's not supposed to happen.

Anyway, I loved the book. I intend to reread it. The 90-year-old main character was not adorable, but he made so much sense as a wide-reader scholar, and I am happy for him that he found true love before dying. He loved the 14-year-old Delgadina. I am happy it was her. I am happy he found her. But more than that, I am happy she loved him back, and that he learned about it in the end.

Gackt is Hot!

I have finally attempted to create my own Livejournal Icons (LJ Icons). Do you guys know what LJ Icons are? If you don't, do you at least know what avatars are? Avatars - they are squarish graphics used in messageboards by every poster/user as his default photo. LJ Icons are like avatars used by LiveJournal.com bloggers. Since it is really so fun to create them, and it is also fun to look at them, and admire them, there have been a lot of community blog accounts out there that only have LiveJournal Icons in them.

Browsing these blog accounts is one of the Internet things that I love to do.

I didn't really attempt to make some LJ Icons. I've never tried to make one because I don't have an account in LiveJournal.com, and that means there's no place where I could use them. But after seeing photos of Gackt Camui, the idea just came to me.

Live Journal Icons, Character Used: Gackt Camui, a Japanese Singer

Why did I make some Gackt LJ Icons? I made them because I think...

G A C K T I S S O D A R N H O T ! ! ! !
He is so like a Vampire, or a Part-Veela Draco Malfoy.

My friend Ella has told me that Gackt Camui, a very famous Japanese singer, is bisexual. Proofs of this are his performances in concerts, where he would usually almost-kiss some male members of the band, or do other gay-ish acts. I've actually seen one of his concert videos.

I did some research and found out that he is NOT gay. Male-to-Male acts are not uncommon among Japanese concerts of artists/singers. It is a kind of entertainment, and is usually part of the choreography. "Hihi... Japan is really a very free country, where hentai, pornography and homosexuality are accepted, and considered NORMAL."

But there's something more about Gackt Camui. He may not be physically gay, but he is bisexual at heart, which means that he would never be in a relationship with another man, but he can love anyone irregardless of gender. Has he ever loved any boy before?

Yes, indeed. It's HYDE, also a male Japanese artist.

According to Gackt himself, if HYDE were a woman, he'd fall in love with him. HYDE once awoke to see Gackt's face very close to his, and Gackt was even going to kiss him while asleep, yet Gackt never denied or agreed to actually wanting to kiss him, responding to this comment with a laugh and somewhat embarassed look.

That is so bisexual, isn't it? Not that I'm crazy about bis and gays, but I still think he's hot.

Final Night with "The Catcher in the Rye"

This entry would be about myself and the book I've just finished reading, "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger.

About The Catcher in the Rye.

Title: "The Catcher in the Rye"
Author: "J.D. Salinger"

It wasn't yesterday, or today, or the other day, when I began to read The Catcher in the Rye. I couldn't remember exactly when I started to, but I still know WHERE I had first read it. It was in a National Book Store. Before, every time my family went to the mall, they'd go shopping or eating while I'd prefer to stay in the National Book Store or any other book stores. I often thought of not buying new books because I knew that if I did, I wouldn't be able to finish the old ones at home. Although, I could hardly leave the store without a new book in hand.

When in any mall with my family, just to kill time, I'd go to the National Book Store and read the novel "The Catcher in the Rye", treating the place as if it were a library. When it was time to go, I'd remember the page or chapter I'd finished. So, the next time I'd go back there, I'd know which page to start reading. It went on like that until I reached a certain part of the book, whose page I failed to remember. Although I could still recall how the story last went.

There came the time that I finally bought the book. I loved it, by the way. The first time I have begun to read it, I have loved it immediately. When I finally had a copy of my own, it never left my side.

But I failed to finish the book because I lost it. It seems that I'll never finish any book at all. When we moved to our new house here in Makati last December of 2004, the book was gone. I must have forgotten to bring it with me. I have gone to our old house many times already, but I have never found it.

I've been labeling "The Catcher in the Rye" as one of my favorite novels since - God knows when. But I've never actually finished it until tonight. I've downloaded its Ebook version and read it from the beginning of the story. I have finally finished it.

Half of me wishes that I've finished it years ago. The other half is in content.

Every page of The Catcher in the Rye has something. It may seem like it doesn't. It may seem like the book is just a bunch of rants. In the book, the 17-year-old American narrator, Holden Caulfield, just speaks about what happened when he was kicked out of Pencey High. With every situation, he tells what he thinks. He tells how he feels about it. And oftentimes, he would share about someone he knew and what he thought about that person. His thoughts are often negative, with just some spurts of goodness. Apparently, he was misunderstood by the people around him. And he couldn't understand the people around him either. Human nature...it sickens him, that sometimes he wishes to just live in a place where the people wouldn't bother him.

Simply put, Holden hates the world, or the people in it, as if everything was unpleasant for him. As he would often say, many people are PHONEY. And he hates it. Everything he sees is phoney. I wonder how many times he has used this word in the book. Phoney. He uses the word goddam (without the n) a lot too.

By merely stating the OBVIOUS, he can always successfully convince you that someone is being phoney. Then, he would give his opinion. I think there was no time that I disagreed with him. He seems to be always correct; every time he tells you something, (such as just wishing that this phoney guy would act in a different way), and he'd tell you how, you would sort of agree with him right away. He is extremely opinionated, but not in a haughty way. He is opinionated in a peculiar way. He thinks differently. It's almost very wise of him. But if you think about it, it's actually not that remarkable, because anyone would have thought the same way he does if only one would be honest. Just plainly honest. It's that simple.

Holden Caulfield is so truthful and all, which makes him not-at-all phoney. You'd like him for being honest. You really would. So throughout, Holden Caulfield was being himself and honest. And when he does, he always makes so much sense. The book has a lot of it ... it makes so much sense.

And so, a part of me is in content even though it took me like 4 or 5 years to finish the book. By just reading the first few pages of the book, it can already make someone love it forever, even though that someone fails to finish it.

But the other half of me wishes that I've finished it years ago, because in the near end pages of the book is the VERY message that Holden Caulfield wants to convey. I can't stop thinking - why the hell have I not finished it before.

All along I thought that Holden hates the PHONEY because they kill and aggravate the hell out of him. But the thing is more than that. He is more than just a misunderstood outcast.

Imagine a guy, who is almost-not-a-virgin at the age of 16, who claims he has a lousy sex life, who drinks too much, who smokes a lot too, who swears in his every sentence, and who is a high school drop-out. Imagine him.


Imagine him walking in a Preschool and suddenly seeing that one of the school's walls has the word "Fuck You" written on it.

What do you think he would do?

If that guy was Holden Caulfield, he would rub it off with his hand.

Why would he do that?

He wouldn't want the kids to read and learn such words.

"It kills me", Holden would say.


It kills me. Holden uses this phrase a lot. Sometimes it means that the IT, which is a situation, is something that creeped him out; something that unnerved or annoys or sores him. On the other hand, the IT can also mean something that he actually liked. It may seem hard to tell because he uses the phrase, It kills me, which can mean two things that oppose each other. Nevertheless, whenever he uses the phrase, you'll always know which of the two he meant. It's actually amazing.

So, in the situation above, when Holden wipes off the words "Fuck You", he did it because it kills him to see a kid learn those words.

I hope I made some points in this entry. It just seemed hard to tell how I feel about the novel, or even convey what I think of it. Sometimes, you can't really tell what's so nice about a particular story. Actually, it happens to me most of the time. I can't seem to learn how to explain why I think a story is good. Sometimes, I would even forget some parts of the story, or the altogether plot of the story.

Although, I can still pick out which of the stories I've read are my favorite ones. I may forget their actual stories, but I can't forget the FEELING I had after having finished reading them. It's through it that I judge them. If the FEELING is strong, then I'd say that the story is good, and that it can be my favorite. Like for example, one of the first novels I've finished is "To Kill A Mockingbird". It's a beautiful novel. I love it. I'm sure I can't retell the story; I must've forgotten most of it already. But I'll never forget how I felt when I've read it. I was young way back then, hardly understanding what I read, but I FELT something, which was strong. And so, I've labeled it as my first favorite novel.

As for "The Catcher in the Rye", it killed me. It really did. You never saw one that can kill you the way this can.

Proyekto sa Filipino

Para sa major project namin sa Filipino, sabi ni Sir Rowie, mag-kwento kami ng tungkol sa isa sa mga "Paglalakbay" namin. Ang pag-kwento ay sa kahit anong paraan. Maaari kaming gumawa ng sanaysay, scrapbook, tula, maikling kwento o kung anupaman. Basta daw ay hindi verbal na pag-kwento. Pang-indibidwal na proyekto ito. Di ko alam kung ano ang pumasok sa isip ko at bigla ko na lang sineryoso masyado ang proyekto. Maikling panahon lang naibigay sa amin. Sa maikling panahong iyon, pinagpumilitan kong makagawa ng komiks. Siguro, mga tatlong araw ko lang ginawa. Nakakapagod, grabeh!

Title: "Ang Tatlong O.C. sa CMLI"
Dedication: "Para kina Sab at Klaren."

Ito ang front cover ng komiks ko. It's not my best, but I'm still proud of it. I'm still proud of the whole comics. It was tiring to do, but I was glad that my prof Sir Rowie liked it.

I can't publicly show clear samples of the comic book. Sab and Klaren won't allow me. The story is a true one. It's about our experiences, the three of us, when we attended the CMLI Convention in Baguio last year.

But I'm still allowed to show vague samples. Here you go... I intentionally made them small, so you guys won't be able to read them.

Notice to the Public

The hairy, smelly dog in the house has eaten up my pocket dictionary, and it's only a matter of time before the dog gets a beating. You get that, Lassie dog? Geesh! Dogs in the house - you'll never really know what they're up to.

In one of my entries, I think I made it clear that I would really love to live in a house/condo alone. It would be so much better than living with my parents in this abode that houses my monkey siblings, preoccupied parents, hard-to-be-taught maids and dreadful insects. Plus, no more smelly, hairy, weirdo animals around by that then.

There are times when I imagine what my house/condo is going to look like and what decorating style it's going to have. It might depend on my mood. I'm still undecided. At one point, I feel like having the theme of "Papemelrotti" for the design of the house/condo. I imagine how nice it would feel living in a jungle-like place. But as much as I want to appreciate nature, I'm afraid I can't and don't want to turn my house into one. Wood furnitures, wood stuff, anything made of wood, anything that's brown and smells like wood...they tend to attract insects. There's no way I'm sharing my house with those dreadful creatures.

And so at another point, I feel like giving it a METAL-like decoration. Metal-like...that means the design is like those of corporate places. I think I'm going to like it that way. I've figured that with that as the design, it's going to be easy keeping the place as sleek and shiny as Draco's hair, while maintaining its expensive look like that of Draco's leather boots.

I'm still undecided. I still might change my mind. I don't really know.

"Are you sure you wanna live alone?" my friends keep asking me. I tell them, "No, I won't be alone. I'd be living with a DOG, probably a chihuahua or something." I may hate my family's Lassie dog, but I still love dogs.

There are times that I can't resist letting Lassie enter my room. She can be so cute sometimes, so I let her stay. Although she has bitten up every pair of stockings that I have, I don't get mad at her for doing that. Those stockings are cheap anyway and I can buy new ones.

Sometime this week, maybe this morning, or yesterday, or the other day, I couldn't find my pocket dictionary. It wasn't in the place where I left it; it wasn't on my desk. I searched for it, and found it on the floor near under my bed. Lassie was beside it; she was under my bed. Without checking it out, I picked the book up and place it on the desk. When there came a point that I needed to use it, I finally noticed - Stupid Lassie has eaten it all up! There are holes all over the book! Yeah, I'm a bit exaggerating. The dictionary can still be used.

But argh! I can't believe it. My beautiful, nicely-plastic-covered, neatly labeled, ever reliable pocket dictionary has been gnawed!

Yeah, I will definitely buy a new copy of it. It will be the third Webster dictionary I'm going to have. The first one I had was ruined too. It can still be used though, but it already smells like VINEGAR, coz I sorta spilled some all over it. My second one is this one that's been gnawed by Lassie.

It's not pretty, you know. Just imagine your Harry Potter book having tiny holes all over it. So, yeah, I'll definitely buy a new one.

Comics: When Paul was Seven (by Czari)

I drew and colored this strip, but I didn't coin the story. It's more like a part of David Levithan's Boy Meets Boy. Hope you like it, guys! If you do, please post a comment.

People at Greenbelt

In a table of four, there sit three individuals in their mid 30s: two men and a woman. One of the men, whom I like to call Mr. Sean, will have been my crush if he weren't so old. He has really light skin, tidily shaven chin and a wrinkle-free face. His hair is even fixed; it is very tidy, sleek and shiny as the Malfoys'. His hair is as black and shiny as his shoes. What will have been a turn-off to some is that fact that Mr. Sean is ocular-wearing at this moment. You can't really blame him, though. But I like him that way because his eyeglasses make him look respectable, even smart. He and his officemate, whom reminds me of Mr. Mar Roxas, are both wearing polo. But Mr. Sean's is white and more elegant than Roxas'. Mr. Roxas does not care about style. His hair is messy, and his wristwatch is so big and plastic-like. Apparently, Mr. Sean is more fortunate-looking than Mr. Roxas. On the other hand, the woman they are with is as simple and as unfortunate as Mr. Roxas. Ms. Santos has very short hair, very light makeup and simple clothing. She is wearing a light blue, ¾ blouse and black pants. As they eat lunch during their office break here at Flamers, it goes to show that Mr. Fortunate (Sean) has been probably brought up well by a well-to-do family. He is very quiet and shy-looking as the other two chat to each other, making it seem like he, Mr. Sean, is their son. By the way, the three of them have made the sign of the cross before eating. It has made me agree with myself that their work is related to "proclaiming the good news"; although, it is only Mr. Sean who looks pastor-like.

Mr. Overweight Old Man comes in and makes the place cheerful. He is with a man (in mid 30s) who is probably his attendant or apprentice. Mr. Overweight has gray hair that is as gray as his shirt. He is wearing thick square eyeglasses. On the other hand, Mr. Attendant is wearing a pink polo that looks less expensive than Mr. Overweight's. His hair is still pure black, making it seem like he is ten years younger than the other. They talk in a friendly, business-like manner to each other. The fat old man sometimes speaks in English, sometimes in Filipino. He has even mentioned President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, which seems to me – business-like.

Beside their table is another pair: a young lady and a Chinese-looking fat guy. The lady is short; the guy is so tall. That lady is slim; they guy is not. The girl is wearing a black, tight, ¾ polo and gray skirt. The guy is wearing blue polo and black pants. Like the others, they are eating lunch and it is their work's break. Lovers? No, they are not. The cheerful, fat guy has been looking at the group of men behind me. Yeah, he is gay. They are best friends: he and she.

Somewhere not in the restaurant, while ambling, there I see a short guy walking. He has a gelled hair that goes upward in the front part. He is wearing a maroon, fresh-looking, long-sleeved polo and black pants. He is wearing eyeglasses. Yes, he is attractive. He has a black mailman bag that seems to contain a laptop. He is on his way to work, and his morning has gone like this – fresh from the shower, got in his car and headed straight to Greenbelt to meet his client.

In conclusion, anywhere I go, I see gay people.

Attention, Earthlings!

Here's something you should all know.

Should I be more precise? I have loved Chester Bennington. There you go.

I've figured he has had a rather interesting life, which can make a really good movie. The story of his life is interesting, although he had an unpleasant one during his childhood, puberty and adolescence. He has undergone a lot of hardships: he was sexually abused as a child by a friend; he had a close friend who died when they were just skateboarding; his parents divorced when he was 11, which greatly affected him and his good school grades; he has become addicted to different kinds of drugs; he lived a penniless life.

Yet he was able to graduate from high school and go to college. Interesting enough, here's what Chester has to share about his schooling:

"[High] school was interesting. In one hand I was nerdy and geeky, but again I had friends who were part of the different cliques. I was never invited to parties directly, but I always ended up at them because I came with the people who were wanted. I used to be a good student and an obedient kid, but after the divorce, I couldn't care less what I did or what the consequences were."

"I've always been a good student and a person who grasps new things easily. So, homework was pointless because I understood it already. So, I failed classes but they couldn't throw me out because my tests were perfect. The teachers actually hated me."

"[In college]. I got on the bus and went straight to Arizona State University. I never enrolled because I couldn't afford it. But since classes were held with 200-500 people in there - (except for Advanced Philosophy, where there were 10 people) - I got away with it. I think the philosophy guy knew, but he turned a blind eye because he enjoyed my presence."

Wow. Chester has got a lot of brains in his head, doesn't he? I wonder what his I.Q. could be.

Hermione Granger's Thoughts

Drabble.

In the movie Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, know-it-all student Hermione Granger shoots up her arm in the air whenever the professors ask questions. She knows a lot about everything because, in my opinion, she's that excited and thrilled about being a WITCH, considering that she has lived with a non-magical family and all. I have in mind that when she was told she was a witch, she thought, "Oh my gosh! I'm a witch? This is so exciting. I better learn everything about the wizarding world now."

Just want to make fun of her picture.

In this picture, what is Hermione thinking?



Is she eager to answer the professor's question?

or,



...

Post Secret

I can't remember from where I first learned about PostSecret, but I have immediately loved it. If you don't know what it is yet, I'll tell you. After all, it should be known coz it's one of those sites that will always make you want to scroll down to see more and more and more. PostSecret is a website full of postcards sent by anonymous people. Written in these postcards are their secrets, which are surprising, interesting and sometimes scary. What makes it more exciting to read is that the postcards are creatively designed like artworks.

Many postcards are being posted each week. Here's one from the site.

This one's not posted on the website anymore. The site has no archives, so the old ones just disappear. Ten postcards are posted every Sunday. That means ten postcards are deleted each week.

"I had gay sex at church camp. 3 times." This postcard is one of those that I can never forget. I wasn't able to save it back then, but good thing I was patient enough to search the web for it. Luckily, someone has saved and reposted it.

By the way, the first time I visited the website, a visitor shared that he/she hopes that there is going to be a book version of PostSecret. Guess what, the last time I visited, which was just a few minutes ago, it says in the site that there is now a published book. "The PostSecret book is a hardcover with 288 pages published by Harper Collins/Regan Books. Inside, there are hundreds of color images of postcards. Many of the PostSecrets have never been seen before."

Online Comics: Boy Meets Boy

Have just discovered a fun thing to do. I searched Google for David Levithan's Boy Meets Boy. It led me to a daily online comics story that's also entitled Boy Meets Boy. Its story isn't similar to Levithan's. It is fun to read!

Boy Meets Boy, by Sandra Fuhr.

Daniel Radcliffe Rocks!

Once when I had nothing to do at home, I downloaded some videos of Daniel Radcliffe by using LimeWire. I tried to download more than 10, but I think only 4 or 5 were successfully saved.

The video that I really enjoy watching is Dan's interview with Conan O'Brian. I think it was shot just last year, some days before the showing of the Prisoner of Azkaban, so he was probably 14 at that time. Yeah, during the interview, he said so himself that he was 14.

Daniel Radcliffe (when he was 14) with Conan O'Brian.

Generally, everything they talked about was interesting. Dan was really fun to watch because (a) he joked around, (b) made a funny expression, (c) did a freaky thing, and (d) he was just funny as himself.

When Conan asked Dan if he had some celebrity crushes and if it was okay for him to tell about it, Dan said yes and told him that...

Dan: "Have you had on the show I think maybe like Brody Dalle of The Distillers?"
Conan: "Yeah. She's great -"
Dan: "Ah! She's hot."

Hahahaha! I'll never forget that look on Dan's face. It makes him... NORMAL, considering that he is a celebrity. It's an expression that most people make when thinking about their crushes. Dan also has crushes. He so himself is just the same as everybody else.

Another thing about the show that's memorable was when Daniel showed everyone the Freaky Thing he did when he was auditioning for the role of Harry Potter.

Dan: "I can rotate my hand... for 360 degrees."
Conan: "What?"



Dan: "..."
Conan: "AW!!!! Look at that!!!!"

Hahahaha! What a talent!?! Daniel rocks.

At Gloriette with Sab and Ken

Sab, Ken and I have planned to meet at the door of Glorietta 4 at exactly 10 in the morning on October 20, Thursday. Hey, that's today.

It was the first time that the three of us got to go out since high school graduation. I have gone out with Sab twice already before this day. The first one was also at Glorietta and the other at U.P. Aldaba Hall (when we watched a play). Sab and Ken have always gotten to see each other because they are school mates at Trinity College. So, this hang out has actually been about Ken and I. The last time I saw her was during our high school graduation. Naturally, it is something that has saddened her... I suppose.

Czari, Sab and Ken. (National Bookstore, Glorietta.)

Coming all the way from Fairview, Sab and Ken arrived at G4 at exactly 10. They waited for my arrival as I drove from Fort Bonificio. Yeah, I live very near Glorietta, but I was 2 hours late. I had an excuse though. Mom was with me. She wanted to go shopping for her birthday tomorrow. She was the one that was late.

For some snacks, I bought myself French Fries and Twister Fries from McDonald's; then I bought Sundae ice cream for Sab and Ken. We stayed in G4's Starbucks. There, I showed them some of the files in my laptop computer. Yeah, I had brought the laptop computer with me. They seldom get to go online and I am often lazy to email them the stuff I want to show. So, instead of going through all of those, I had decided to just bring my laptop with me on the day we'd be meeting.

The files I showed them were pictures of Daniel Radcliffe (and his video-interviews too), Tom Felton, Katie Leung and Lindsay Lohan. I also showed Sab the documentary of Savannah College of Art and Design. (It's a DVD about some of the published projects made by the students of Savannah College of Art and Design, a college in Georgia.)

Then I lent Sab my comic book Ang Kagila-gilalas na Pakikipagsapalaran ni Zsazsa Zaturnnah. To Ken, I lent her my I Am David DVD.

Filipino comic book that I lent Sab.



DVD that I lent Ken.

There was a time that Sab really wanted to play arcade games. She couldn't help it, so she did play. Ken and I decided to play too. We chose car racing. I think Sab played 3 times. Ken played once, whereas I played five games. I didn't stop playing until I reached the 3rd place. Hehe. Sab reached the 3rd place too. Ken didn't care though she only reached the 4th.

After playing, we went to the National Bookstore. While they were buying the things they needed, I was at the Fiction corner looking through the Gay and Lesbian Fiction Novels. Didn't know that such category exists! Almost all the books there cost P500 and up, so I didn't think of buying. Maybe next time I'd buy.

These were the books that caught my attention.

Title: "Bound in Blood"
Author: David Thomas Lord

The next time I go to National Bookstore, I'll make sure to leave with this book in my hands. It's about a charismatic male vampire and the changes in his life when he meets a guy, who is probably a human.



Title: "The World of Normal Boys"
Author: K.M. Soehnlein

This is the kind of story that I have always liked. It's about a teenage boy who is sexually confused.



Title: "Uncle Max"
Author: Chris Kenry

As for this one, I just like the cover. It's cute. ^_^

Anime Jesse McCartney

I attempted to draw an anime version of Jesse. I sucked at it. I don't think it looks like Jesse at all. And, I swear there's something wrong with his face. Oh, yeah! His eyebrows. Haha!

I'll try again next time.

Daniel Radcliffe Used to be Hot

Why do they have to grow up so fast?

When I was in grade 6, I wondered why so many Filipino women and gays fell for Daniel Radcliffe when the first Harry Potter movie was released. I wondered and wondered more when I saw the movie myself, and then commented that his face wasn't even striking. Was he really handsome? Maybe he was. Maybe there was just something wrong with my eyes.

As I grew up, I realized it then. My vision began to clear up. My God, he really was handsome. Why did I not see it before?

I checked him out again on the first and second movies, and I thought that he was cute. Dan was handsome in those movies though very young. When the third movie came out, I couldn't believe my eyes. Was it really Dan I was looking at? He had grown so much. It was as if he had reached the stage wherein he was handsomest. No, not just handsome. Man. He was gorgeous. See for yourself. Below are Dan's pics in the movie Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. The movie was released just last year.

Daniel Radcliffe when he was 14.

Just when I think he is okay already, he goes and ugly-ies himself up. Naturally, he has continued to grow, and unfortunately, he has become worse-looking. He now looks nothing like when he filmed the 3rd HP movie. His face is no longer oval. It's now SQUARE! His hair is not as dark as it was anymore. He doesn't even look like he is 15. It is like he is in his thirties. I hate that new jaw of his. He does not look sweet anymore. He looks... he looks... deformed?!? It would have been okay if what has changed was his height, but no, his very FACE has changed, while he has remained short. Oh, great! A short guy with a face of an old man.

Daniel Radcliffe today.

I hope he grows more soon... just so this current face of his will pass out.

I miss the 14-year-old Dan.

The Night I Almost Brushed My Teeth With Soap

This happened at around 2:00 in the morning, but I like to call it NIGHT, since at that time it felt more like nighttime to me than daytime.


Pathetically, I consider every crawling, little creature as dreadful. Worms, spiders, cockroaches... they can all scare me. I even notice that I can also sometimes be afraid of just the ants, mosquitos and houseflies. So, practically, maybe I am afraid of every insect in the world. It's terrible, really.

Unfortunately, there is something else that makes it more difficult for me. We all know that insects like dirty and dark places. It so happens that I live in a house that can never be sleek and shiny no matter how I try to turn it into one. This is so because I live in a house with my monkey siblings, preoccupied parents and hard-to-be-taught helpers.

Gosh, I wish I lived in an apartment/condo alone. If I'll ever do, there'll be no sign of insects anywhere. My place will be as sleek and shiny as Draco Malfoy's hair.

In the meantime, as an underaged citizen, I have to suffer and stand a few more years in this house with my family, household maids, dogs, cats and those dreadful insects that won't go away, while I pray that I won't develop a heart disease.


Everyone in the house was asleep. I was the only one awake. I was surfing the internet and writing some stuff. At around 2:00 in the morning, I noticed that I was already sleepy, so I fixed my bed and cleaned my room. Before going to sleep, I decided to take a bath, wash my face and brush my teeth. I went downstairs. It was dark. Then I prepared my soap, shampoo, facial wash, toothbrush and ... there had to be a toothpaste. I didn't see my Lemon Close Up toothpaste in our bathroom. I thought then that it was probably in the powder room under the stairs. It would have been easier to go there if I had not have this phobia for COCKROACHES. Our powder room was located under the stairs. Because it's placed below and in a dark place, most of the little cockroaches stay there at night. I was afraid of going there coz I might see some roaches. I still tried though. Upon reaching the door with my outstretched long arm, I quickly opened it, turned on the light and ran away far from it. Lights on... that'd scare the roaches away, I thought. After a few minutes, I decided to take a closer look. I was about to step inside the powder room when a 2cm-long brown cockroach suddenly flew towards me. Grrr... I nearly screamed from fear. My heart began beating faster. I cursed and cursed. Bloody hell. Holy cricket.

I was really afraid of getting back to the powder room, that I almost decided to just use SOAP as my toothpaste in brushing. I imagined the feeling. It wouldn't feel good, I thought. I'd rather not brush my teeth for the night than use soap as toothpaste. Not my brush my teeth? No way! No matter what it takes, I said to myself, I'd have to get in the powder room and take the toothpaste out.

After trying and trying... I did it. Phew. I took a bath, washed my face and brushed my teeth... gosh, how I enjoyed every second of it.

Jesse Gets Punk'd

I was about to finish reading Boy Meets Boy when Sab texted me and said that Jesse was being Punk'd on MTV. I was like 'what?' because I didn't understand her text message, but I immediately turned on the TV and switched the channel to MTV.

On TV, there was Jesse in an orange shirt, looking really troubled. He was in the streets. There were these big wrestlers-like guys who seemed angry at him. He was trying to explain something to them - I think about his car and all that - but they wouldn't listen to him. Then in a few minutes he was almost about to cry. His voice was shaking too. So, he got in his car and tried to avoid anymore fights, but then some of the big guys started banging on his limo's window.

Ashton Kutcher was the one playing this prank on Jesse. By the time Ashton ended the prank, Jesse was all smiles again.

Loving SLASH (Boy-to-Boy-Love)

Date: October 11, 2005

Isn't it that in a family, each member has his or her secret, something that can't be shared to the other members? I think this is true. I can feel that my parents and siblings each have secrets of their own. I do too. Sharing this secret to them would be so awkward, but revealing this to my friends is always okay.

I'm still unready to divulge it to my family. But it's now quite fine with me to talk about it over the internet, specifically through my blog. I've never done this before, afraid that my family members might learn about it, since Internet also runs through their veins.

Now, I don't really care. All I want now is to be myself when writing.

I haven't mentioned what my secret is exactly, have I. Alright, here I go. I know that, as a teenager, I should often be fantasizing about myself and my crushes going out and being together. Most teenage girls do this. In the case of teenage boys, it's even more intense. More often than not, they can't stop thinking about their crushes and would even fantasize about 'having sex'. It's not their fault anyway, (blame it to the hormones), so it's okay.

My case is a different one. Freakishly different. If guys enjoy porn and hentai, I enjoy something else, something I describe as "better than porn".

Believe it or not, "Every night, I fantasize about Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy being LOVERS". They are my favorite couple. It's not just them that I enjoy thinking of. Actually, any male characters will do, but their impact on me is so great. They make me feel. They make me happy. They make me sad. They make me cry. And a lot more feelings that are hard to describe.

Here's a very cute 'fan art'. I didn't make this. Just got it from some site that I can't remember.

The blond guy is Draco Malfoy. The redhead is Ron Weasley, and the blushing, glasses-boy is Harry Potter.

The story in this fan art probably goes like this...

Ron: "Draco! Draco! Harry wants to tell you something!"
Harry: "No, Ron! No! Shut up!"

Take this into account too. At times when I am sad or tired because of too much work at school, just a few thoughts about Harry and Draco can already make me walk in the air. Reading good Fan Fiction stories about them as lovers is even better. I read every fan fiction story about them, but I try to avoid those that only focus on the 'sex part' of the story.

I'm also pro-gay, by the way. It's fine with me for same-sex couples to be recognized as officially married. But, (I hate to say this but it's true), I dislike cross-dressers and gender-crossers. I think it's indecent and awkward to look at. Really, I find it hard to talk to a lesbian who dresses and acts like a man. The same thing with a gay who dresses and acts like a female. I mean, they can just be simple, can't they? I have a male professor, who's so decent to look at, but he's actually gay and is in a relationship with a guy. He admits that he's gay, but he doesn't act like the typical gays. That makes me respect him.

I know. I don't have the right to command the lesbians, gays and transgenders to act the way I want them to. It's my problem and not theirs.

So In conclusion, I am pro-LGBT, pro-same-sex-marriage, and will try to accept that by being so, I would have to be pro-cross-dressers and pro-gender-crossers as well.

Does it Look Like Me?

Does it look like me?

I was looking in a mirror, when I decided to draw what I was looking at.