Just got back from Palawan. Puerto Princesa this time and just for a vacation. No work whatsoever involved. On this trip, I got to visit the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm, which turned out to be slightly unnerving but very cool. I think it's the only place where the prisoners are in charge of the prison gates. I took a photo of the guy whose job it is to sound the bugle call for head count. I want to go back, and shoot a bit more in this interesting place.

I also got to go through an underground river which you enter via a cave on sea-level. That was really great too, but at some time during the 45-minute boat ride in the dark, I started wondering if animatronics and light and sound effects could enhance the experience a bit.

Just this morning, I went dolphin-watching. I saw the dolphins first and called everyone's attention to it. Until the boatman said I was pointing at a bobbing buoy. We then dropped anchor in this place called Turtle Cove. It was like a giant pool with fine sand at the bottom. Around noon, we got back on the boat and had a really good meal of grilled fresh fish, grilled eggplant, boiled shrimp, and adobo.

I almost skipped on today's itinerary. I was seriously considering staying at the hotel, watching cable TV and finishing my Civil War book.

If it weren't for work, or more adventurous friends, I'd never be able to see these places. And even when I'm already at these sort of places, there's still that natural inclination to just sit and do nothing. I can be boring that way, and I think I take after you, Pa.

I remember when Gino and I were kids, and you'ld take us to the beach during the summer or on weekends. We'd play war games with the BB guns, or play cards, and grill hotdogs (which you'ld forget to take out of it's vacuum wrap). But we never strayed far from our cottage, except for that time you got us bikes and wanted us to try them out.

I also remember you stories of whenever you'ld go on out-of-the-country trips. They'd always be for work, and you liked staying in your hotel. I remember the time you went to Tokyo and had the chance to explore the red light district. You almost skipped that part but you didn't want to embarrass your hosts. You ended up making small talk with the Filipino bar girls, which you enjoyed because you got to speak Tagalog.

I do a bit more of traveling-for-fun than you, and ironically, it's because you encouraged it. You liked sending us away and talked about not minding having to spend for your kids' travels. It was worth it you'ld say, and it is. A big part of who I am is because of the places I've been to, thanks to you. But there are times when I just want to revel in doing nothing. To have the luxury of free time, to just sit around and read, or talk with the people I have in my life. I really can be boring that way and I really take after you. I really don't mind at all.

In a perfect world, everything is WYSIWYG.

Alec Soth in the NY Times

I almost missed this profile in the NY Times of Alec Soth, one of my favorite photographers. In talking about many things, such as how he broke out with his Sleeping By The Mississippi body of work, his working methods, and his new exhibition, Black Line Of Woods, wherein he surveys the people and places at the fringe of society, Alec Soth is, as usual, candid.

He takes his exhibition title from Flannery O'Connor. He says, "She’s talking about where culture ends, I wanted this work to be about the longing to escape."

Regarding his photo of a parking lot where Olympic Park bomber, Eric Rudolph, was apprehended after five years of hiding, "Even though he was a bad guy, it was this boy fantasy about hiding, and there’s something really romantic about that."

On his knack for photographing people, "My own awkwardness comforts people, I think. It’s part of the exchange."

Anyway, so that's inspiring. I'm in sort of a creative rut. I miss photography. I shoot pictures almost every day for work but I miss taking my own. And when I do take my own pictures, I seem to be horrible at it. So the idea of escape and working on my own is quite appealing to me right now.

Get an NY Times free acount and read the article, Alec Soth, Trolling For Strangers To Befriend.

Waking The Dead

I met Yvette during the fun days of hanging out on the set a TV series of which she was a writer. Except that Yvette reminded me that I met her more than 10 years ago because we had the same Math/Chinese tutor.

Yesterday, Yvette, one half of the literary powerhouse that is Luis and Yvette, launched her book, Waking The Dead. It's an anthology of weird, heartfelt and powerful stories. I went to Powerbooks to attend the launch, got in early, got a copy, and had her sign it. I sat down and was four paragraphs into the first story about Quiapo, elementals and the Black Nazarene before the program started. I was hooked. I wanted to stand up, get out, go home, find a nice spot to finish the book. I also wanted to write my own stories, be a conjurer of all the arcana my mind could muster.

In her acknowledgments, Yvette thanked Neil Gaiman for the inspiration. Yvette is my Gaiman.

Read Inquirer review here.

Have had a bad run at the movies lately. Last one I really liked was Adventureland. Though I was banking on Ryan Reynolds, The Proposal truly sucked. I'm really surprised that a lot of people liked it though. Which is why I guess there is an us and there is a them.

GI Joe also sucked. I mean it wasn't boring, but it could have been better in many ways. As a kid, I used to collect GI Joes. I used to buy them from Nova Fontana in Shoppesville for, I think, 70 bucks a figurine. I collected the vehicles and bases too. I thank my parents for indulging me and rue the day I decided to open my Joes and Cobras up and mix body parts. Youth is wasted on the young.

Also, after going through a bunch of interesting books, I am stuck at a very mediocre one.

That's all!