Top 5 Graded Comics that I want to own.

I don't care what the grades for these comics are but I just want to friggin own them!!!

5. Avengers #4 - Captain America finally returns in the Silver Age of Comics. AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!!!





4. Giant Size X-Men #1 - The First appearance of the new team of Wolverine, Storm, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Warpath and Cyclops. The new era of the X-Men!!! Uncanny X-Men 1 may be nice but Giant Size X-Men 1 changed the way people looked at the X-Men. I find it more meaningful.





3. Fantastic Four #1 - This is where the Marvel U began!!! Who wouldn't want to own this gem??? It's mainly of significance to me. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby practically created the best fiction!



2. Amazing Spider-Man #1 - Nuff Said.



1. Amazing Fantasy #15 - First Appearance of Spider-Man. Need I say more?

Ninoy in a Nutshell

A week ago, there was this article from PDI.

I got a text from my Tita Viel saying, "Good Article on your book, maybe you should start thinking of a 2nd run", I also got a text from my Lola saying "Congratulations!"

So finally, I decided went to the office pantry and check only to find out that the Star was the one available.

Fortunately, one of my friends from the Coffee Business Unit handed me the article.

I'm thankful that the writer put in a good review. It was a big sigh of relief. At least there's one person out there who appreciated the book.

Anyway, here's the article by the kind Mr. Ruel De Vera.

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REVIEW
Ninoy in a nutshell
By Ruel S. De Vera
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:24:00 10/13/2008

MANILA, Philippines - Twenty five. It is a number of multiple significance, a figure that pervades much of “Ninoy: Art and Essays,” collected by Jiggy Aquino-Cruz (self-published, Mandaluyong, 2008, 105 pages) in both fighting form and spectacular spirit.

Aquino-Cruz, eldest grandchild to the late Sen. Benigno S. Aquino Jr., calls himself “a comic-book geek” and cannily harnesses the power of that form to create a tribute which is also the most accessible encapsulation of the late senator yet seen; Ninoy in a 100 pages or less.

“It has been 25 years since Aug. 21, 1983,” Aquino-Cruz writes. “When asked the question: Who is Ninoy Aquino?, can the youth of today still give an answer worth hearing, or has he been reduced to being just some guy on the P500 bill?”

Aquino-Cruz breaks down the considerable life of Ninoy into 25 bite-size highlights, and then illustrates the heck out of them.

He does this by gathering art from a broad range of sources, including some of the Philippines’ most successful comic-book talents, accompanying essays from those who knew Ninoy best, all wrapped in a hardcover package with a gorgeous cover by Leinil Francis Yu of Marvel’s blockbuster “Secret Invasion.”

Following that lead, “Ninoy” assembles black-and-white and color art from Whilce Portacio, Gerry Alanguilan, Carlo Pagulayan, Harvey Tolibao, Stephen Segovia, Philip Tan, Lan Medina, Andrew Drilon.

Providing the insight through essays are former President Corazon C. Aquino, Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, Kris Aquino-Yap, Paulynn Sicam, Leah Navarro and others.

The art and the prose are uneven but diverse, earnest in their goal of distilling the essence of Ninoy Aquino in as few words and images as possible.

“Ninoy” also dispenses some of the late senator’s choice quotes, including: “I have carefully weighed the virtues and the faults of the Filipino, and I have come to the conclusion that he is worth dying for!”

Reader-friendly

It works brilliantly. From a glimpse of Ninoy as a heartbroken child after losing his father, to the young man wooing Cory, “Ninoy” presents a very reader-friendly passage through Aquino’s life before the legend. It is intimate (Cory Aquino got an Amorsolo painting of herself from Ninoy) and surprisingly inclusive (read the doctor’s report on Aquino’s triple bypass).

Aquino’s achievements as a governor and a senator at 34 stun readers in these times of pedestrian expectations. It is bracing to read Noynoy, the son who also became a senator, write about what it means to be senator in this country at this time.

Aquino’s Job-like ordeal in Laur is nothing short of dramatic. “In faith, it dawned upon him what it meant to be destined for greater things,” the book notes. “Ninoy the future president died in Laur. In its place, Ninoy the hero was born.”

Even a quarter century later, it is difficult not to feel moved by the decision, after three bucolic years exiled in Boston, to return home to certain death. The one page in
“Ninoy” that is truly done up in full comic-book form is page 81, a riveting four-panel recollection by Aquino-Cruz and artist Jason Paz of Ninoy Aquino’s last moments prior to his assassination. The book has it right: “There was no stopping Ninoy.”

Beyond its quirky visual and narrative charm, “Ninoy” boasts a winning price (P300 for a hardcover) and a good cause (all the book’s proceeds go to the Benigno S. Aquino Jr. Foundation). Together with the ingenious iamninoy campaign, “Ninoy” represents a dynamic and valuable attempt to acquaint an entire generation of Filipinos with the life and legend of Ninoy Aquino, most significantly a generation born after Aquino’s history-changing death in 1983, and one which includes the book’s creator, Jiggy Aquino-Cruz.

“I wasn’t sure what a 22-year-old like me could do to achieve such a great feat,” he explains. “But I was certain I wanted my lolo to inspire the youth as he had inspired me.”

Judging by the maverick yet accessible nature of “Ninoy: Art and Essays,” it can be safely said, Job well done, because this is definitely a book worth shelling out for.

Available in hardcover at Comic Odyssey and Druid’s Keep.

Birthday Blowout to my Blockmates in Barcino

This year, my Birthday came earlier and it wasn't celebrated at home. I invited my dearest block that is R2. It was another great reunion. Though there was a slight awkward moment during the night, it was another fun time to add to the memory box!

The celebration was at Barcino in City Golf. It's a Spanish Wine Cellar and Tapas Bar. It's a quiet nook but it found its customer base. It's amazing food! Although the serving of the Barcino Platter was less plus they added this "salad" which wasn't very appetizing to the people... The Manchego Cheese and the cold cuts were the winners!

Val surprised everyone by dropping by. Grad ko pa siya last nakita. It's been too long...

October is usually the best time of the year for me. Hehehe. Since it's my Birthday month and all. Plus the block really comes to my celebration. It's a happy reunion!

This year was quiet. Not that many people but nonetheless happy!

My 2 best friends have to be there to make the night complete. Timmy and Ospret just HAVE to attend. You can't have a celebration without those two. And of course there's Steph :) Siya ang MUST! Hahahaha.


It's not yet my Birthday as of the moment. Well not for another 3 hours and 10 minutes. I'm already happy! I just hope work will be kind to me tomorrow...

The Holy Land

So it seems 100% sure that the Aquinos will be visiting the Holy Land this October.

My Lola wants to visit the Holy Land and pray for the country, the family, and her health.

It'll be a new experience for me but I'm excited that we'll be one happy family travelling together.

It looks like EVERYONE will be going. I CANNOT miss it. So I'll be filing for a leave. Probably 5 days max. I hope my boss allows me to go. I just CANNOT be left here alone.

Family comes first...

Posting Publicity Articles

I was interviewed a few weeks ago by SUPREME of Philippine Star. Jan Vincent Sarabia Ong wrote this article and he went overboard with praise.

I have been blessed. The publicity the book has been getting is just great! Can't ask for more... Well... Sales of course.

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The yin and yang of justice
READ NOW By J. Vincent Sarabia Ong
Saturday, August 30, 2008

We Filipinos recently had two long weekends of snoozing, goofing off, DVD marathons, overdue reunions over coffee, hopping back to our barrios and, of course, pigging out. Basically, time was finally ours and there is a reason for that. It is because of our national heroes that we can appreciate those few days of liberty from corporate slavery. Aside from the genius of holiday economics, heroes make life more than just bearable. They make it possible.

Yet what are heroes in the first place? Are they mortals or gods that walk on this earth? Do you need to wear a cape to be one? These ruminations started kicking in as I realized how much time I had, thanks to heroes like Ninoy whose time was cut short. I considered that my A.D.D. couldn’t contain such lofty ideas (or ideals). I also knew that I couldn’t talk to Ninoy Aquino since he has been gone for 25 years unless I stare at a P500 bill. So I did the next best thing. I talked to people who at least looked like him and maybe spoke like him. I set up an interview with his nephew Bam Aquino and grandson Jiggy Aquino-Cruz. They have both edited books about heroism — one about the past and the other about the future of heroes.

Super Lolo

As I read 22-year-old Jiggy Aquino-Cruz’s tribute book to his lolo, Ninoy: Essays and Art, I discovered the true heart condition of this modern Filipino inspiration. He didn’t have coronary insufficiency, as Dr. Rolando Solis says in this book. I would rather believe that it was because his heart had a big hole: it bled too much with love for both the people he knew personally and for people he never even met. As a teenager, Cory writes, Ninoy gave her a portrait that was worth two months of his salary at the time; but he also had compassion for foreigners like the Koreans whom he reported about in the Manila Times. His heart was too big for his body; maybe that’s why he even came back to Manila only to be shot after three tranquil years of living as a family man in Boston.

After reading these anecdotes, I realized that there is a yin and yang to justice. The equation is that for every loss, there is a gain. For something to live, something else must die before it. In Ninoy’s life, his early understanding of responsibility came with the passing of his father when he was only 14. Then Ninoy had to lose himself in Laur prison to find God. Finally, he had to lose his personal dream of a family and intellectual career by coming back for us to live that dream ourselves, thus making sure that people would never have to make the same sacrifice again.

And this is why Ninoy is more than a measure of currency that can give you a fistful of change in denominations of 100s and 50s; he has changed forever the lives of many persons starting with his grandson Jiggy who worked on this book for two to three months, giving up time after hard working days, as a gift to his Lola Cory. Now, the buck has passed on to the many writers and artists who were inspired by Ninoy. This includes the writers who were Jiggy’s famous relatives, friends from his comic arts group Übermensch Studios and even a Ninoy Aquino scholar, Sonny Pasimio, who is now an assistant VP with an international company. The artists, on the other hand, are what Jiggy calls a “comic book boy’s dream.” The contributors include Whilce Portacio, Leinel Francis Yu, Philip Tan, Jason Paz, Gerry Alanguilan and others who set aside time from their big projects at Marvel and DC comics to complete the work at a photo-finish pace. The outcome is a collection that Ninoy would no doubt have appreciated: work done with a lot of heart.

Bam! Fighting everyday evil

Like Jiggy, his uncle Bam is a comic book fan. Yet Bam (or Paolo Benigno Aquino) already possesses the powers of a superhero. As president of Microventures, he already has empowered poor sari-sari stores on a multi-regional scale through his Hapinoy microfinance program. He was also chairman of National Youth Commission (NYC) for three years. More than that, just as Robin was trained to excel by Batman, Bam was raised as a political child star — but instead of singing he began by giving speeches at rallies by the age of six, immediately after Ninoy’s death. His strong resemblance to his uncle even makes you think that the universe has conspired to have him fill the gap Ninoy has left behind.

He has certainly lived up to his role to inspire, beyond his clean-cut looks and simple demeanor. As he capped his NYC run two years ago, he was asked to produce a book for the 40th anniversary of the ASEAN. He gladly accepted the task and took it as a cherry atop his political career. The outcome is an ambitious profile book entitled Young Southeast Asia: 40 Inspiring Youths published by Art Post Asia, written by 10 teams from the ASEAN region, and shot in natural light by our very own Jake Versoza.

As much as featured names like Bounleuth Luanpraseuth or Muhammad Fahmie Haji Awang Metussin can leave you breathless, their diverse stories of courage, compassion, commitment, and creativity can leave you at the loss for words. Included among the 40 is a Quaran-reading winner, a world-class violin player, a colleague of Professor Stephen Hawking at age 21, a bowling champion, a Gawad Kalinga volunteer, a Miss Universe representative turned teacher. These stories, Bam says, reflect the character of the ASEAN region due to specific problems that kids must face, whether poverty or political turmoil in their own communities, and the changes they want to inspire. He adds that religion, as an integral part of our Asian heroism, shouldn’t be thought of as a backward characteristic because it displays the richness of our cultures as compared with the West.

He hopes that readers won’t find the lives led by the 40 featured Asians to be daunting, but rather as inspiring, attainable and accessible as the people they see every day. This is all in the wish that people might pick up a soccer ball, a chessboard, a Bible, an ambulance bicycle or even just themselves to change the world and challenge people to do the same.

It’s A Matter Of Time

As I got my Aquino dose of what valor means, I realized that heroism begins with what you do to fill your time on the planet. If you are not doing something good for others or yourself, you owe it to the heroes who made your time possible. Whether it’s two months like Jiggy or two years like Bam, we have to realize that evil occurs because there is no one to stop it. Thus, in the yin and yang of justice, we have to ask ourselves where we stand in the balance of good versus evil. After all, as Ninoy told Kris: “Nobody will help make the Philippines great except us Filipinos.” We must understand that nobody can make ourselves great except us. It is only then that we can be prophets of hope as Ninoy continues to be.

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Ninoy Art and Essays is exclusively at Comic Odyssey (http://comic-odyssey.com): Robinsons Galleria, Robinsons Place Manila, and Druid’s Keep, third floor, Gateway Center, Paseo de Magallanes.

Looking back at my Coffee Stint

April 8 to August 8, 2008.

I had my Marketing Stint in Coffee, under Nescafé Classic. It was probably my most challenging stint. My first stint in General Trade was like the adapting phase and immersing myself in the urban areas. My second stint was the analyzing part of my training. It was a pure desk job analyzing charts and numerical data. Marketing let me see the company some more. I got to meet a lot of people and I got to handle a New Product Launch. It doesn't come every stint and I was very fortunate to have experienced that.

Probably the best part of the stint was working for a great boss. She's probably the most sincere, humble and genuine person there in Nestlé. She taught me a lot. I was given independence but also given guidance from time to time. I felt that it was the part wherein I grew professionally as a person.

I had a lot of good experiences in the 4 months. Interacting with the main bosses gave me good exposure and training to be more confident. High Risk, High Return also went into play but I don't wanna get into the details.

What makes me happy is the people that surrounds me in the work place. If the work is hard but the people that keeps you sane are there, then it's all good. I was surrounded by dedicated men and women. It was a blessing that I was put there because I learned so much.

From time to time, I drop by and say hey to the people in the Coffee Business Unit. I miss the work there but the life of a trainee is adapting to change. It's hard at times. If you're the type of person who values relationships, it'll be hard. Time is what you need.

I feel like I have adjusted already. It's not like I left or anything but the world I live in is much different. The transition has been good so far.

Right now, I'm back with Sales and I'm also thankful that the people there are also fun to be with. Sales and Marketing are different worlds but hey, at least I get the best of both.

Time flies so fast. Today is September 8... What a coincidence...

The Manila Comic-Con

Next year will be big for Pinoy Comic Fans.

The first ever Manila Comic-Con will be held March at the SMX Convention Center (Tentatively)

It'll be huge. I know one of the organizers and he says that it'll be huge!!!

As of now, they're getting artists, both current and the legends. I heard that even the Pinoy Artists abroad will drop by.

I might be doing a project for this one depending on the success of Ninoy: Art and Essays.

A Ninoy 100 project might be in the works. Or even the first ever Ubermensch Studios Graphic Novel...

We'll just have to wait and see...