Exploding Technorati

to all those I'm tagging, please repost. Just make sure the links show when you post it.

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Is your Technorati number a goner? Then in the spirit of 8 of 2008, let’s see if we could bring it back to life! I have randomly selected 8 bloggers below. Publish this post in your blog and tag 8 other bloggers by simply adding them on to the list. (Do not replace, just keep on adding! Yes let’s hope a long list!) It’s real easy! Tag others and see your Technorati Authority increase exponentially! And what are the benefits of Viral Linking?

- One of the fastest ways to see your Technorati Authority explode!;
- Increase your Google PageRank fast;
- Attract large volume of new traffic to your site.
- Build your community
- Make new friends!

And these are the people who already took part on this tag:
Reyna Elena, Bluep, Kotsengkuba, Jojitah, Pusa, Malen, YoungCanCook, Chuva, Kengkay , Max Female Beauty, Ely, Manilenya, Vanidosa, Repah, Rhapsody, Sherliz, Fortuitous Faery, Bisdak Babbles, Princess Ody, Gingmaganda, GMirage, Celia Kusinera, LittleMsFirefly, Shiela, Battik, Sarah Grutas, IAmKaith, MeowbyKate, Maimed, Pamstr, JohnnyAnne , Journeyof Eros

I'm tagging the following (not like they read this blog and will repost): Ian, Karl, Mari-An, Bayaw Joel, .

Tree Girls

From Daphne to Gina Alonzo in Darna to Rachel Weisz in The Fountain, the woman-tree connection isn't as strange as one may think. In this postmodern world of remakes, I thought, might as well...

But now that the cheque will be cleared on Wednesday, I'm excited to begin searching my tree girl (and the kick-ass crew that will make her spankin').

And scientists are actually thinking the same thing... well, sort of...

"Suddenly I realize
That if I stepped out of my body I would break
Into blossom" -- james wright

stolen from http://libarynth.org/groworld_hpi

HUMAN PLANT POLLINATION

Moving beyond the exchange of knowledge and skills, human-plant interaction could lead to a deeper, metabolic symbiosis where we witness the growth of hybrid organisms (at scales necessary to accommodate this evolution). Maybe we could begin by extending the pallette of skin-pigments to include chlorophyll, carotene, or blue-purple anthocynanines, gradually learning to change colour depending on our moods. More importantly, perhaps we could allow our upper epidermis to be invaded by deeply green symbionts able to photosynthesise. Would this symbiont feed directly on the carbon dioxide in venous blood, or that exhaled from our lungs? Could botanical extremophiles form a living protective defense, allowing us to live in polluted areas, sequestering toxins, or metabolising substances harmful to un-augmented humans? How would we reciprocate, how would we extend our existing bacterial symbiosis to include nutrients for our plant companions?

Pollination, or cross-fertilisation between plants and humans would require methods, techniques and perspectives which suggest potentials beyond the mechanistic or teleological views of the universe. Perhaps we could examine what Agnes Arber called the “organismal approach” in which “the vital co-ordination of structures and processes is not to an alien intelechy but is an integral part of the living system itself.” (Arber, 1954)

Work

I heart Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert. I think Dilbert is only truly funny for people who work in thankless 9-hour corporate jobs.... And I'm going back to this flourescent-lighted hell--depending on the job offer (and interview results) in a few weeks from now.

It sounds crazy at this time, but I think I can focus more on the film when it is the only job I have requiring creativity and heart. Any form of writing requires creativity (whether its crappy ass tv drama or crappy ass avps). And teaching requires heart (and patience and a tough exterior). Phone sales for IT solutions may require mental work but it ends with the shift. I don't take it home with me.

Plus the money. Yes the money, I can be sure that no matter what, I get a paycheck twice a month that's enough to pay for the basics with a little extra in case the NCCA fund falls short. And maybe a little extra for the little things that keep me sane.

Not pestering your friends and parents for money to pay for emergency expenses (and "the film" may require a lot of it) gives me confidence. And I need a lot of it now more than ever. It's been four years, I'm rusty, and I'm doing something that has not been done before (at least in the history of Philippine short films I think), and filming an idea too far-out to be taken seriously. Undertaking something like this can make one look to zealous or eager (like evangelists and activists and lovestruck people and malnourished people). Like your life depended on it. And too much eagerness makes one pathetic. And nobody wants to work with pathetic people.

At this point in my life I come to a realization that people really like you because of how you make them feel about themselves. We are drawn to people who make us feel the way we want to. That of course is relative-- some need to feel needed, some need to feel important, some need to feel sexy, some need to feel feared, and you get the picture. And to get the results you want from people out is to get them to feel whatever it is they want. And this is why we like being around funny, magical people. People who give us hope and make us forget. That is why we have religious cult leaders and rockstars. Of course it takes effort to put on a show 24/7, but politicians, stars, and cassanova's do this unconsciously. This is what sales taught us. Maybe this new job could be a reviewer.

A woman may very well form a friendship with a man,

but for this to endure, it must be assisted
by a little physical antipathy.

Speaking of humour, check out The Nietzsche Family Circus. It's a Nietzsche quote paired with a cutesy Family Circus cartoon.

Thoughts are the shadows of our sensations -
always darker, emptier, simpler than these.

Ultra-femme Wednesday

I can take a hint, but I don't take defeat, at least not as easily, and not to seasonal affective disorder caused by this Karen chick.


Placenta There are things like baby footprints, saving baby's first lock of hair, posting his ultrasound pic on Facebook... but nothing says "motherly love" more than a Placenta Print.

Ah, I should've gotten one back '01, mount it on canvass, auction it when I get famous (or die, whichever comes first). It's the closest I would ever get to "visual art". I wonder what it would smell like though... I guess parenting is like durian, it stinks to some, tastes heavenly to some...it's an acquired taste.

Rubyfruit




Stolen from Elaine . This 1989 short film is by Sadie Benning and was made with this toy camera. I wish my godmother had given me a Fisher-Price camera instead of a Barbie.
Reminds me of my UP film school days in the '90s when we had someone like Sir Jonathan Beller make us watch films like these and Kenneth Anger's and make papers using The Flor Contemplacion Story & Natural Born Killers alongside Renato Constantino readings. Where else could you find an American who make us watch Nora Aunor & Lito Lapid films in film theory class?

Rachel Sofield



pic stolen from designer Rachel Sofield . Not necessarily true I think. My heart is in both places. My heart is all over the place (on my sleeve, on my blog). And it always is fun while it lasts. I have low EQ. I'd rather have fun now. You won't know if the prince is a frog until its kissed.

Sometimes I want to be proven wrong. But same old, same old... The 90-day rule may have some truth to it. My friend Nina was telling me the other day that if we put together all the beer we've drank (since we met back in 2005) to talk/forget about the men in our lives, it would be enough to fill an olympic-sized swimming pool. Definitely enough to drown one's sorrows. Luckily I know how to swim.

50

don't we all wish we could be this hot at age 50?


i heart our lola madonna.... she celebrated her 5th decade yesterday

i revel in the fact that we have astro aspects in common : virgo ascendants, sun in leo, mercury and mars in virgo

she gives this fan hope... after an out-of wedlock child (the gorgeous lourdes) and a gazillion lovers, she finds her guy ritchie at age 41... and 2 kids, and more adopted ones to come, she is and will always be ... the Queen of Pop (all hail).

Touch

"I like eight because it is zero... because it is round"



crude yet strange audiovisual presentation on the tactile perception of a kid with autism... stolen from Estee

It's like a cross between poetry and a dialogue between earthling and alien...

i can't wait

distractions help me cope when the goal becomes more hypothetical than real... it's not escapism, it's more like survival...


Coraline The Watchmen


Camera Obscura's new album

Lunar Eclipse

photo credits: visbeek


A partial Lunar Eclipse occurs this afternoon at 5:16 PM EDT, triggering awareness of need or lack in our lives, such as our relationship to work, to our health and bodies, and so forth. This is a time when matters come to light--things that have been brewing under the surface.

When a Full Moon occurs, we can suddenly burst forth with proclamations and outpours that seem fresh and new, simply because they are not yet rationalized. A Lunar eclipse is a more potent Full Moon, and its effects tend to last longer.

Many astrologers believe that the effects of a Lunar eclipse last approximately six months. With the Leo-Aquarius axis involved, this Lunar Eclipse presses us to strike a balance between romance and friendship, and between expressing ourselves in personal and impersonal ways. Epiphanies are likely at this time as we become acutely aware of our lack. This understanding can propel us into positive action.

stolen from cafeastrology

Paperwork

photo stolen from nanibird

I wish this was the kind of "paperwork" I had to do.... I still don't know what magical prayer I need to chant to miraculously come up with an extra 5000Php for Monday. I don't get why some twentysomething who is already charging six digits for 4 hours of brainless work, still requires our measly production to shoulder the services of their required make-up artist. Of course after being berrated by some self-important footsoldier over the phone at 2am for an unanswered text message, I still put on my smiley-faced voice and said it wasn't a problem. Hello, showbusiness.

It's 6:30am and I still can't make the necessary phonecalls and I'm wondering why the hell I'm doing this when I could be doing things that are more meaningful to my life. This godforsaken spiels shoot is urgent but meaningless. Nobody cares about this. Only me, because I was dumb enough to sign the contract and get myself enmeshed in a government funded project. It's hard to work with people who "can't wait to get it over with". Government employees are like that. They take forever to do anything, and they don't care. And then they resign in the middle of it all and you're left to deal with another apathetic civil servant.

I don't want to not care. But apathy saves precious energy and therefore makes one more efficient. Like a machine. Pop in a coin and out comes the script or the avp or 10th revision to the storyline. I don't want to be efficient anymore. I want to be the passionate artiste, the diva who throws tantrums, the genius whom everyone bends over backwards to please. I wanna be like your lola Behn Cervantes. Why is it so hard to be nice? All this counting to ten will cost me a nervous breakdown pretty soon.

(shhh) happythoughtshappythoughtshappythoughtshappythoughtshappythoughtshappythoughts

Penelope Dullaghan

I heart Penelope Dullaghan

The Wentletraps

I heart The Wentletraps . Sisters Ria & Chary comprise this Pinoy indiepop duo. Acoustic guitar, great vocal harmonies, memorable songs.

Here's one of them:
Pure

-30-

Yesterday was an internal party. The solar return of my third decade on earth. I feel like a dinosaur. Not the flesh-eating sort, but the purple sort-- Barney. Song and dance in the rain. I love you you love me, we're a friggin happy family.. And I am bigger, brighter and everyone else are puny creepily articulate children..

I hold that thought in my head. I thought I would have a gigantic party, Leo-style-- a gathering of all the people who figured in my 20s. But no, little parties with the few people who truly care for me-- lunch with a true friend and dinner with family. That's that. I've learned now that it's better to exercise minimalism in my relations. It's simpler, and the happy feeling lingers more. No headaches and regrets after.

Yesterday I also learned to count to ten before replying anything that could cause irreparable damage. It's not always about getting back, or expressing yourself. Its about choosing battles. I may have a gift for quick wit, fast retorts, piercing words and these have caused the deaths of valuable friendships and work relations. And its not worth it....

But I'm not bullet-proofed against pain. I will probably never forget what she told me. But it's ok. Now I know what we are . We're co-workers, we're drinking buddies. We're not true friends. And again its ok, maybe I don't need a lot of friends, maybe I just need one. Everyone else, I can just work with or have fun with.


I've always wondered what the symbol -3o- meant at the end of articles or stories. I first saw this done by former bandmate KDM, then I found out the journalism teachers at St. Scho did it too. -30- meant the end of the story. And there are a ton of myths as to where this originated. But the most valid explanation would be that 30 is shorthand for "end". This is according to the Phillips Code .

In a way my 30th year can be considered an ending. Or at least I'd like it to be. The end to emotional immaturity, flimsy friendships, bad habits, embarrassing behavior, negativity. The end of my 20's -- probably the most intense period of my life so far.

In the Phillips Code, a lot of the numbers' have messages that uncannily correspond to the what my message when I was at that age....

7 means "are you ready", 13 is " i understand", 18 is "what is the trouble", 24 is "repeat this back", 28 is "do you get my writing?"... I can't wait till 88, which means "love & kisses".

signs

stolen from tengal


photo credits: amarand agasi

The lover is the natural semiologist in the pure state! He spends his time reading signs -- he does nothing else: signs of happiness, signs of unhappiness. On the face of the other, in his behavior. He is truly a prey to signs.

So the proverb is a lie: love is not blind...

Love is not blind. On the contrary, it has an unbelievable power to decipher things, which is related to the paranoid element in every lover. You know, a lover combines bits of neurosis and psychosis : he's tormented and crazed. He sees clearly -- but the result is often the same as if he were blind.

Why?

Because he doesn't know where or how to make signs stop. He deciphers perfectly, but he's unable to arrive at a definite interpretation, and he's swept away by a perpetual circus, where he'll never find peace.

Roland Barthes, Playboy, Sept. 1977 (interview conducted by Philippe Roger)

The Divine Comedy

my most-played song this week...

"give me your love and i'll give you the perfect love song
with a divine beatles bassline and a big old beachboys sound
i'll match you pound for pound, like heavyweights in the final round,
we'll hold on to each other till we both fall down..."

Geraldine Flores

I heart poetess/graphic artist gingmaganda

stole a pic of her dolly. i heart yellow.

solar eclipse

i hate that it rained today! i would've wanted to see this solar eclipse unlike these Slovenian kids in Hyde Park

A Solar Eclipse AND a New Moon .. new beginnings/inevitable ends... depends on how one sees it...

stolen from cafeastrology ...

At 6:13 AM EDT, a New Moon Solar Eclipse occurs in the sign of Leo. The effects of this eclipse can be felt up to six months after the actual date of the eclipse. In the sign of Leo, confidence, creativity, romance and dating, games, sports, recreation, speculation, hobbies, or children will be a strong focus on a personal level. This eclipse is about new beginnings regarding all of these matters. With this potent Leo energy, we have the chance to make progressive changes in our lives. For some of us, circumstances are such that we need to pay more attention to these matters. Flaws in an important system in our lives are revealed around the time of the eclipse, prompting us to redo or to start fresh. Something ends in order for something else to start anew.