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Year-Ender Post: 2009 in Fritzparazzi Photos

Whew! This took too long. I’m sure there’s an easier way out there but I’m old school (i.e. a noob) so I rocked the hard way. If we’ve had interactions in the past year and if in those moments I was crazily snapping away like a loon, then most probably you’ll be in one of the 250 odd “fritzparazzi” photographs I used to come up with this vid. I was too tempted to use photos of other bloggers from most events because I later realized I was missing a month’s worth of pics off my archives, July 2009 to be exact, but thought better. This should do, I hoped.

So I start out with the Baconator and end with a snap of the lunar eclipse that happened on New Year’s Eve. Ok, that’s a lie. The ending’s totally different and I might end up getting killed for having that up LOL. Watch the vid already so you’ll know what I mean.

This one’s for you. For the company, the good times, your work, your craft, your dedication, and your passion. I hope that one day, I could at last measure up with the amount of efforts you have put in this endeavor, with or without Google AdSense.

Happy New Year, everyone! Here’s to a better year ahead of us all. And world peace.

Cheers!

Note: You may want to watch the full HD sized format of this vid straight off its youtube page. You’ll see the detail better that way.

Uno Magazine October 2009 Issue: 21x Moar Awesome!

Other than the rare chance to see Ornusa Cadness going medieval in her pin ups, the words “FUCK OFF” in (big, bold,) upper case plastered on the front cover of a lifestyle mag (only strategically cloaked from public scrutiny, something I’ve never seen done my entire life), RJ Ledesma’s article on the great man that is Washington SyCip (I have a copy of his biography written by Butch Dalisay, written and dedicated to me by Wash /gloat), a full page compilation of the late Alexis Tioseco’s inspiring words, and feature articles on bombshells Aryn Cristobal and KC Santi, here are 21 more reasons why you should get a copy of Uno Magazine’s October 2009 issue (out now).

To see this jpeg is one thing but to read the captions for each featured blogger is a whole different matter/level of awe/bewilderment/LOL altogether. Brilliant, bloody brilliant! And I’m in there, one of the 21, somewhere (wink wink). If you want me to sign your copy, please draft me a message by filling out the fields in the “contact” link abov…. jez kideeng LOOOOOOOOOOL!!! As there are two Ornusa covers out this month, here’s Uno’s for your reference.
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Get a Non-Tribal Tattoo: Check!

It’s been two days and the tat now hurts like a bish (think of your worst ever sunburn sensation two days after foolishly baking yourself under the high summer sun). Got mine done by the great Dyani Lao, the same artist who did Anne’s magnificent Sandman tattoo. For the design, I chose to have an Ouroboros, influenced heavily by the tattoo worn by the Humunculus in the animated series Fullmetal Alchemist (bite me).

Not on impulse, I’ve been wanting to get one for the longest time but I had to be absolutely sure that I have the most perfect design I won’t regret having for eternity. I needed to have a great tattoo artist, too, skilled and worthy enough to stain my skin with art so fine, anyone who has a glimpse of it would want to be my groupie. Without hesitation. For life (4evr-4real LOL). Right, that coming from somebody who considered having Alfonse Elric’s tattoo on his right leg.

When I attended Globe’s YOUNIVERSE and IMMORTALTXT launch around a month ago, I would have ended going home that night branded with the Alchemist’s symbol (above).  You see, attendees were challenged with a dare that most had a hard time refusing. Dare to get a tat right there and right then and, when your name gets picked, you’re going home with not just a tattoo but a brand new laptop as well. Simple as that! Without hesitation (having cleared that we get to choose the design of our own liking), I and around four others (let’s see, there’s Anne, Lauren, Jewel, Juned and myself) apparently were insane enough to sign up.  In the end, Lauren won. Losing that day worked fine for me because around two weeks later, my mind was set to getting nothing but an Ouroboros.

The Wikipedia pretty much has concise text on the Ouroboro’s origin and meaning, spanning centuries, cultures, disciplines, and beliefs. Below, for me, are the notable bits:

The Ouroboros often represents self-reflexivity or cyclicality, especially in the sense of something constantly re-creating itself, the eternal return, and other things perceived as cycles that begin anew as soon as they end (compare Phoenix). It can also represent the idea of primordial unity related to something existing in or persisting from the beginning with such force or qualities it cannot be extinguished.

Plato described a self-eating, circular being as the first living thing in the universe—an immortal, perfectly constructed animal.

The notion of a serpent or dragon eating its own tail can be traced back to Ancient Egypt, circa 1600 BC. From ancient Egypt it passed to Phoenicia where it was used as a symbol for Janus, before it passed to the Greek philosophers, who gave it the name Ouroboros (“tail-devourer”).

Before leaving for Bangkok on September 9, I commissioned my tattoo artist, Dyani, to do my design. I initially gave him this sketch, done by deviantartist Danli Zhou (I was going to contact the artist and ask permission from him had I used his creation) for reference (as you may observed, I’ve retained the revised “Star of David” detail of FMA tattoo, shown above):

Dyani said I’d lose the details if we limit the size. WHAT? Me, get something as wide as a CD as my first? NO WAY!!!

Fast forward to two days before tattoo day, I have come prepared, armed with unwavering resolve and already managed expectations. I gave Dyani free hand with the depiction of the Ouroboros, telling him to feel free and make sure he incorporates his own unique style to the output. Size would not matter much, either. The larger it is, the more detailed it would look, he explained. I figured: he’ll get to express his art + I’ll get an original design = A win-win situation. He emailed me the final sketch, a day before tattoo day:

For me to boast that the entire process was painless will only make me sound like a jerk. The first 2 hours and 45 minutes, however, were quite bearable. My hands would uncontrollably jerk and twitch from the pain once in a while while my face showed few signs of suffering, save for the sweat forming on my upper lip, nose, and forehead (and pits, don’t forget the pits!). I compared the pain to that of a paper-cut’s sting, if you can imagine it spreading all over your back, made worse, nay, amplified, by the buzzing sound of the tattoo instrument and prolonged for the duration of the dutdutan. Good thing fitness celebrity Noelle, flickr celebrity Helga, and talented writer cum expert paper crane maker Marck kept me company during my self-initiated ordeal. (Thanks again, gais! I really mean it!)

The last 15 minutes were the worst. WORST! That was when Dyani added white highlights onto the design, over my already swelling back. The final output with the whites, however, looked awesome. His great effort can be seen on the littlest detail he managed to incorporate on the wyvern: a perfect circle there (somewhere), the lines, scales, shades, highlights, and the shadows. Harmony depicted permanently on my skin. The win-win outcome. What a master!

Just look at those pores! So red and angry! More angry looking than my wyvern! Later that same night, when all my pores has shriveled back to normal size, I had Anne took another photo, for posterity.

Not so small for somebody’s first tattoo, yes? IRK. For the more adventurous, you may want to play the HD videos (taken using the nifteh new cam yo, reprazent!) below, taken by Mr-Steady-Hands (Marck) during my session. First one has the first time the needle punctured my skin (yeaouch!), second’s a continuation of the first (a bit longer, too), and the third will show how Dyani does the shading of the wyvern’s right wing (gigil na gigil lang o!). Enjoy! (more…)

Win a Sony VAIO W Series Mini Notebook from Adidas

Students and alumni from either Ateneo and La Salle should consider themselves very lucky. Every single receipt purchase worth P2,000 of any UAAP Fan Wear from Adidas entitles you to one raffle entry to get a chance to win one of 12 Sony VAIO W series mini notebooks. I saw those jackets on sale at 20% off recently but I’m not so sure if they still are. Also, you are luckier if you haven’t bought one of those jerseys/jackets yet LOL. Promo runs from August 17 to September 20, 2009 only.

Gosh, I want that mini notebook so bad!

(Please click on the image above for a larger view. Full press release after the jump)
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The Irony of Eternity Lasting Only 16 Issues

In May 1993, the Kid Eternity comicbook series hit the shelves as an on-going monthly for DC Comic’s then just-launched “Suggested For Mature Readers” arm, Vertigo Comics. Kid Eternity picked up from where Grant Morrison and Duncan Fegreedo left off when their 3-issue prestige format mini-series of the same title ended in 1991. Like the mini-series, the monthly series rocked my world. I mean, seriously, Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud arguing over the psyche of a teenager in comicbook format in issue #2? Neal Cassady in issue #4, Marilyn Monroe in #6, Nikola Tesla in #11? Priceless! Like all good things, however, it ended. Or, rather, got cancelled. Other lucky titles last 25 issues (plus a two-part special) like the “House of Secrets,” written by Steven T. Seagle, also under Vertigo.

I had to write about Kid Eternity because collecting all 16 issues had been my crusade for the last decade. 10 long years and I’m still at it, still missing an issue or two. The series has not been reprinted so whenever I find a Comic Odyssey branch, on impulse and as if on a trance, I’d thumb through their stacked “on-sale” comics still hoping to find strays that may at last make me complete all 16 issues. I’d get down on my knees and rummage though Filbar’s or Comic Quest’s back issues whenever I can but, so far, Planet X Comics/Comic Odyssey has the reputation of preserving the quality of the vintage comic variety in a very acceptable state. Alphabetically arranged, too.

In those 10 years, I got my Kid Eternitys from various places: one from Cartimar (surprise, fucking surprise!), quite a few from the Diplomat Bookstore in Iloilo, then some from several Merriam Webster Bookstores around Manila. I’d manage to get one or two a pop. There are some years, however, when I haven’t found a singe back issue. Nevertheless, I’m not complaining. Torrenting a copy (hint hint!) may be an option but I want my single eds collected. It’s the only thing I’m overly patient at doing and something seasoned comicbook collectors pride themselves of having a high tolerance for.

Last night, I found another Kid Eternity issue: the elusive #14 (priced at P120.00) from Planet X Comics on the 3rd level in Glorietta. Yay!

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“The Biggest Loser” Asia to Hold an Audition on August 15th at SM Megamall

The Biggest Loser comes to Asia and Fitness First is going to hold an audition for potential finalists on August 15th (Saturday) at the SM Megamall. I’ve seen around two seasons of the original franchise on ETC 2nd Avenue and if anything, it was inspiring, to say the least, to see people persevere towards the goal of shedding the most excess pounds in the end. Contestants all had doctors, fitness trainers, and dietricians to guide them and ensure that they follow a safe but effective regimen all throughout the show, as claimed.

What’s in it for us who can’t audition, then? Listen, young padawan. Listen well:

Woot! 25Gs!

Full press release text after the jump.
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Sneak Peek: July 09 UNO Mag featuring Cindy Kurleto

[EDIT: Calling all Bloggers, you may want to check an event out, care of Uno Magazine. It's the UNO Magazine Bloggers and Contributors Night on July 29! Venue's at the 4th Level of Fully Booked at BHS. For details, click here.]

I’m liking the “premium” overall feel about the new maxi-sized Uno Magazine. For one, the pinups and main sections were printed on paper (thicker/matte) different from the rest of the mag (thinner/glossy). Then there’s the content that feels like much heart were given to them as opposed to something that somebody came up with less thought process just to beat the deadline.

Having said that, also to show that I really bought a copy, here’s a peek of what’s inside the July 2009 issue of Uno Magazine. Since I have the facility and technology, I directly uploaded this photo to flickr using the “post to web” app in the Nokia N82. Rest assured, no Photoshopping was done before this image was published.

In the July issue are separate articles featuring Ellen Adarna and Gretchen Fullido (a preview of their articles can be found after the jump).
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