Noelle Pico, writer and UNO contributor (see our April 2010 issue), also happens to be a singer/songwriter of no small talent. She just posted a demo version of one of her songs, “Coffee and Nonsense.” You should listen.

Friends and family, please come to the launch of my self-published book Astigirl: A Grown Girl Living On Her Own Terms this March 8 at 6:30 pm in Powerbooks Greenbelt 4.

In celebration of International Women’s Day and Women’s Month, six women speakers will briefly share with us their “ideas worth sharing” as well as their hard-won knowledge and wisdom in the first Astigirl Talk. They are a Jungian psychotherapist, a yoga teacher, the founder of Leyende (an organic beauty product company), the founder of Center for Possibilities (a non-profit organization for children with special needs and their families), a safe sex advocate and educator, and the founder of Messy Bessy (a non-toxic line of cleaning products).

Looking forward to seeing you this Tuesday!

love and peace,
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“When you get, give. When you learn, teach.” – Maya Angelou
www.dothewritething.ph

“It is this energy that fuels local rap battles that garner 9 million hits on YouTube, or propels homegrown groups to conquer the global dance arena. It is what keeps individuals exploring our treasure trove of 70’s soul artists’ records, hoping to capture true Filipino flavor in samples that serve as the bed to American-twanged rhymes.

“Perhaps with time and maturity comes a deepening awareness that the beauty comes in recognizing, embracing, and honing the struggle, not trying to wash ourselves of it.”

There’s an excellent article by Sarah Meier on hip-hop and the Philippines over at the Brooklyn Bodega blogazine. Go, read!

You Are Here: Two Stories by Luis Katigbak (“Subterrania” and “Day Devoid”), with Photography by Kidlat de Guia

UNO’s February issue (with Heart Evangelista on the cover) is full of absolutely amazing stuff, but please forgive me if I wallow in self-indulgence for a moment, and draw your attention to this little offering in particular: two stories by yours truly (one old, one new), with photographs by bestest friend (and amazingly talented photographer/filmmaker) Kidlat de Guia, with wonderful writer Kit Kwe as subject.

I wrote “Subterrania” over a decade ago, and it became one of my most well-received stories so far. When EIC Erwin asked me to write a thematic sequel of sorts, the idea was both thrilling and daunting. It also turned out to be a much harder task than I thought; that old Douglas Adams quote about staring at a blank page until your forehead bleeds comes to mind. I think in the end only the scheduled shoot with Kidlat pulled me through: since the photos already existed, I had to hold up my end of the bargain.

I am proud of our February issue due to many other things (Maggie Costello on bittersweet love, Lorely Trinidad’s adventures in dating, Pat Evangelista’s piece on the bereaved Rene Saguisag, Risa Hontiveros’ first-person account of surviving sadness, our ‘Creative Couples’ gallery, our ’8 Things Men Should Know About Love’ feature, and essays and interviews galore, as well as a revamped look), but for fairly obvious reasons, this one’s special to me. Thanks to Kids and Kit, and to all who find themselves reading it.

I used to be a real enthusiast when it came to romantic comedies. (As a teenager, I loved flicks like Cousins and When Harry Met Sally and Hannah and her Sisters.) Over the years, this enthusiasm faded, possibly because there were so many very bad romantic comedies that came out in the wake of When Harry…‘s success. I think the very last straw was when I found myself in a theater watching an alleged comedy starring J. Lo and it hit me that what I was doing amounted to masochism. So I pretty much gave up on the genre.

This is the part where I say, “But then I watched this movie…”

But then I watched this movie, Definitely, Maybe, last Monday with my girlfriend M., and it is really very good. It didn’t even register on my radar when it first came out — the only reason I even have a copy now is that the last time I went movie-hunting, I was looking for a third DVD to round out those 3-DVDs-for-a-special-price deals they have at the dibidihan, and I noticed that this one had Rachel Weisz and Elizabeth Banks in the cast. Sold!

It’s not just that the movie stars a trinity of utter cuteness (the two aforementioned actresses, plus Isla Fisher), and okay, Ryan Reynolds — it’s very well written, with many delicious quips in there, and some really well-conceived scenes, and it’s just an all-around joy to watch (even Kevin Kline in showboat mode pops up to join the fun, in a small but important role), despite the fact that there is a sadness that runs through it. Or perhaps it’s that sadness that makes it better than so many of these utter-fluff rom-coms. That and the Bill Clinton jokes.

I’m not saying it’s deathless cinema or that it has revived my enthusiasm for the genre as a whole, but it is a smart, lovely little film, and well worth watching. The trailer is cute, but this is one of those movies that turns out better than the trailer may have led you to expect.

Some Valentine’s Day reading for you all:

Tonight you think of your lost loves — both the loves you once had that departed in some way and for some reason, and the ones that you yearned for, drew close to, but never really held.

You have promised yourself that you will not be maudlin. Things happen for a reason, you have been told repeatedly, and you have come to accept this, though more out of an unwillingness to debate the point than any real conviction.

Read the whole essay here.

We caught China Crisis at the Eastwood Mall Open Park last night. Good show! Never thought I would ever get to see them play live, so it was a pleasant surprise. Backed by a bunch of looks-like-they’ve-seen-it-all Pinoy sessionists, Gary Daly and Eddie Lundon reminded us why they were one of the most inventive and unique and beloved bands of the 80s.

Here’s what they played, in order:

1. Seven Sports for All
2. The Highest High
3. Best Kept Secret
4. You Did Cut Me/Lovin’ You*
5. Black Man Ray
6. Strength of Character
7. Tragedy and Mystery
8. Working with Fire and Steel
9. King in a Catholic Style
10. Wishful Thinking
11. African and White
~ encore ~
12. Christian

*Yes, as in Minnie Ripperton’s “Lovin’ You.”

You can still catch them tonight, 8 PM, at the Venice Piazza at McKinley Hill, 8 PM.

Last April saw our now-notorious all-fiction issue hit the stands — you know, the one where we envisioned a Philippines that could have been, with reviews of nonexistent albums, books, and restaurants, coverage of events that never happened, and features on imaginary women. (As we intended, it was pretty convincing — we still get inquiries from people who want to eat at Kagat, the aswang-themed restaurant imagined by Waya Gallardo.)

Am amused to learn that Esquire did something similar way back — with a profile of a nonexistent up-and-coming celebrity. “Forget Gwyneth — forget Mira — here’s Hollywood’s next dream girl!” declared the cover.

Read more about “Allegra Coleman” here and here.

(This essay was originally published in Luis Katigbak’s “The King of Nothing to Do” column in December 2006.)

Everyone knows the True Meaning of Christmas: this is the time of the year when we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (History nerds may or may not quibble about the accuracy of the date, but whatever.) For those who harbor different religious beliefs, the True Meaning has something to do with loving and cherishing one another, good will to all, and whatever else your standard TV Christmas special may teach you. But there are other meanings as well—associations and experiences that may be less spiritual, and usually less pleasant, but no less constant.

1. TOO MANY PEOPLE. Okay, where did you all come from? Do the malls import you like movie extras from some neighboring Southeast Asian country, starting in mid-November? Unlikely; you all look as Filipino as I am. Is there some massive cloning facility just outside Metro Manila? But in that case, where do you all go when the Christmas season is over? All I know is, you’re not a figment of my imagination, since you’re definitely clogging the shops and streets and violating my personal space on a daily basis come December. Perhaps a percentage of the population hibernates for eleven months out of the year.

2. SUCKY MUSIC. To be fair, not all Christmas music sucks. But even good songs can have their inherent appeal scraped away through yearly repetition. And mediocre songs—which make up most of the usual Christmas pop music fare—can, if heard often enough, drive you positively suicidal, or homicidal, whichever comes first. Worst offenders are those dance medleys that mix brain-melting renditions of typical Christmas tunes with some novelty song, all set to an inane, insistent beat. There are some Christmas songs I do like, such as U2’s “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),” or Saint Etienne’s “I Was Born on Christmas Day.” Aimee Mann’s Christmas album, released just this year, looks like it’s worthwhile too. But that’s not the stuff, alas, that usually gets played in malls this season. Although late last Friday night, I was in a 7-11 in Makati, and I was ridiculously pleased when I realized that they were playing “Fairytale of New York” by The Pogues, one of the best Christmas songs ever. (“You’re a bum, you’re a punk!” “You’re an old slut on junk.” Beautiful.)

3. CHRISTMAS PRESENTATIONS. The office Christmas party can be a good or a bad thing, depending on how much you like your officemates. I like my current officemates just fine, although I really could do without the mandatory Christmas presentations. I mean, I thought I left that stuff behind in high school, or at the very least in college! But no. Our theme for the presentations this year was “Movies,” so my group dressed up in fancy clothes and performed a sort of dance number based on Moulin Rouge. (My suggestion that we all just don jogging pants and headbands and remake Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo was shelved.) I have to admit that we did have fun, largely because my colleague Joelle, who also happens to be a professional dancer/ dance teacher, took charge and whipped us into shape, or some semblance thereof. And it was enjoyable to watch the other departments’ presentations, although the sight of one of my male officemates dressed as Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music is a horror that will haunt me for some time to come.

4. GIFTS AND MONEY. To quote my boss, “Aw yeah. That’s what I’m talkin’ about!” (He was using the statement in a different context though; I believe we were looking at pictures of a very cute girl at the time.) When you’re a kid, whether you admit it or not, this is what makes Christmas a thrill: the gifts gifts gifts. When you’re a little older, instead of gifts gifts gifts, you get money money money, which in many ways is even better. And then when you get even older, you get your bonuses from your job, which aren’t as thrilling, and melt away faster than ice cubes in a volcano (or, for that matter, almost anything in a volcano), but are still welcome nonetheless. When I was in my late teens, for several years in a row, I would meet up with a handful of friends post-Christmas, and we would go around Greenhills and/or Galleria laden with our Christmas money, happily blowing it on books, comics, video games, and donations to charity. (Okay, maybe not donations to charity.) Our term for it was “Katas ng Pasko.” These days, my friends have wives and children and more urgent things to spend their money on. Which means more comics for me, mwahahaha!

5. MIRACLES. I know, I know. This doesn’t exactly qualify as an “other meaning.” What the heck; just like many a Christmas special, I couldn’t resist getting a little sappy at the end. Aside from minor miracles like finding parking or a taxi driver who will actually be willing to drive you somewhere, sometimes you get something more meaningful. A little over twenty years ago, some hours after getting home from the annual Katigbak Christmas get-together, my parents, my brother and I got the best Christmas gift ever: my sister Marien, who, just like in the Saint Etienne song, was born on Christmas day. I’m sure my mother would have preferred that she arrived gift-wrapped instead of having to go through all the blood and pregnancy, but it was still pretty miraculous nonetheless. And speaking of births, I guess I’ve got miracles on my mind because my dear friend Cyan just gave birth to twins—a boy and a girl. (“That’s great!” I told her. “One of each—you don’t ever have to have kids again!”) Merry Christmas to Cyan, her husband Mike, and newborns Colin and Megan—and to all of you reading this. Ho ho ho!

This November 18-20 (that’s today ’til Saturday, dear readers), the National Book Development Board, in partnership with the Filipinas Heritage Library, National Book Store and Philippine Airlines, will present the 1st Manila International Literary Festival. A three-day festival to be held at the Intercontinental Hotel in Makati, LOL: Literature Out Loud will “bring together a large community of writers, readers, students and teachers to talk about traditional and emerging concerns in literature. Together with local and international writers, publishing experts, teachers of literature, the NBDB hopes to create a continuous dialogue on literature and reading.”

“Among the foreign writers who will attend the festival are Vikas Swarup, whose novel Q&A has been adapted into the Oscar award-winning movie Slumdog Millionaire; Christopher Cheng, who has published critically acclaimed books of fiction and nonfiction for young adults and children; Andy Mulligan, author of young adult novel Trash; literary agents Mita Kapur (also the author of the F-Word) and Jayapriya Vasudevan; and David Parker, the chair of the Man Asian Literary Prize.”

UNO editors Erwin Romulo and Luis Katigbak (ahem) will also be participants, in panels on experimental writing and online writing, respectively. The illustrious roster of writers and editors involved includes Gemino Abad, Alfred “Krip” Yuson, Dean Francis Alfar, Tara Sering, Yvette Tan, Carljoe Javier, Angelo “Sarge” Lacuesta, Cyan Abad-Jugo and Jose Y. Dalisay (incidentally, all of them friends and contributors of UNO as well).

Read more about it here and here! And see you at LOL.