I spent the afternoon last Saturday, February 9, at the College of Fine Arts for Eka and Patti’s thesis short film shoot. Despite the fact that I didn’t have any formal role in the crew list, I passed by and played as an extra in some of their sequences.
Tags: college friends, film student, thesis, UP Film
Two weeks ago, I passed by my film blockmates Tope and Joma’s thesis short film shoot in one of the quasi-abandoned building complexes in UP. Their thesis also sort of brushes up on political disappearances. Actually, another blockmates’ film also tackles the same theme. Having similar themes with the other theses don’t really bother me. For me it’s simply a manifestation of the social milieu our films are based and made on.
I only stayed for a couple of hours that Saturday morning, as I had other things to attend to, so I was only able to catch the first few takes. Medyo bigatin ang thesis nila. They had Bembol Roco and Jason Abalos as their main actors.
Tags: college friends, film student, thesis, UP Film
If my birthday doesn’t fall on the day of our town’s fiesta, it falls a few days before or after the celebration held every first Thursday of February. I spent some hours during the day in Sta. Maria, Bulacan last February 7 before going to my late afternoon class and took it as an opportunity to stroll around and take some pictures.
Traffic in the poblacion, and in the highway around the Bocaue area is terrible whenever it’s fiesta day. Ambulant vendors, flea markets and thousands of pedestrians are all over the streets. It can get pretty frustrating, especially when you’re driving into and out of town, but it actually makes the environment feel quite festive.
After my late afternoon class that always last four hours into the evening, I invited some friends to come with me back to Sta. Maria and have dinner at our place. As expected, we were stuck in heavy traffic on our way. However, watching the spectacular fireworks display that went off while we were on the road made the wait in traffic and the frustrated hunger bearable.
Tags: birthday, Bulacan, fiesta, poblacion, Sta. Maria
When I got home late last night, I turned on the TV to watch parts of the proceedings in the House of Representatives. As everyone knows, an overwhelming majority of the House voted to oust Rep. Jose de Venecia from his leadership as Speaker. One of his sons may be one of my friends, but I didn’t feel any sort of sympathy for the Speaker as he was betrayed by his fellows in Congress and by the administration he has so fervently supported and defended all these years. For me, the circus in Congress and his consequent ouster was a natural phase of decay in a rotten institution. It is natural for a rotten body to decay and destroy itself.
It’s sickening how the words change and reform were raped by the congressmen last night. What change and reform are they talking about? They are largely the very institution that sustains the status quo. Their political maneuverings only seek to preserve the prevailing order of an Arroyo-controlled government and all its crimes. My god, I’ve rarely heard that much bullshit in one night. It can only come from Congress! If we should be certain about one thing, it is that congressmen are some of the last people who will be real agents of change in this country, for they are those who thrive in our present and tragic condition and social order.
There are some who fear that the events of the past days only reinforce the theory that the President and her family are preparing to maneuver its way into post-2010 control of the government. Scary thought, but all too probable.
No, it’s not my birthday. Not yet. Last Monday, I went to a close friend’s birthday party at McDonald’s. It had been a while since I experienced a McDonald’s birthday party. I know it was a novel idea some time back to hold fastfood birthday parties with elder teens, but it’s only now that I was able to attend one. It was a respite, actually, as I had just come from a full day of picketing and rallying in the Senate and in UP. It was quite hilarious seeing everything play children’s party games.
It’s been some weeks since I last saw some films. I saw Bee Movie, interestingly at the Quezon City Hall. I was waiting patiently for my turn at the City Treasury’s Assessment Lounge where they were screening a pirated DVD screener of the film. It took me almost two hours of waiting, so I actually finished the entire film while on queue. The other two films, Eastern Promises and American Gangster, I watched at home. Again, don’t ask how. Hehe.
Tags: Canadian production, Hollywood films, movie commentaries
In the midst of the relentless pursuit of the UP Administration to push for the reverting of the final two UP Charter bills to the original pro-commercialization Pangilinan UP Charter bill during the Bicameral Conference Committee (BCC) last 28th of January, the Iskolars ng Bayan and the UP community have achieved two major significant victories in our campaign for a democratic, pro-student and pro-people UP Charter.
The day after my thesis shoot, I passed by my friends’ own thesis shoot in UP Village. That was last Sunday. It was a set shoot, with all the bulky lights and equipment. It went on for almost twenty-four hours, but I didn’t stay on all the way. Eka and Patti were also shooting on 35 mm film, something I also planned on doing but eventually decided against it.
Interestingly, we’re shooting at the same location, in the same apartment, in two weeks.
