Some thoughts on work

So I'll be ending my last stint on December 12.

Pretty soon. After the kick-off, I would have, by then, graduated from the Corporate Management Trainee Program of Nestle.

Life's fast. You gotta make the most out of everyday.

I ended my 14 day Nestle Fitnesse diet. For 2 weeks, I just ate Fitnesse for Breakfast and Dinner. Discipline and Determination. Whew! Lost 8 pounds. The real challenge is to maintain it. Earlier today, the team went to Cabalen. Buffet for lunch. Avoided the prichon, sisig, and the other stuff. I stuck to the crabs, sushi, and dimsum. I did have a taste of the dinuguan though. But still, I don't take the elevator going up. Stairs baby!!! 10 floors up!!!

I decided to lose weight because hearing people say that you're getting chubby/heavy is totally a downer. Nobody wants to hear those words... I've had it! Don't wanna hear that again.

The 14 days have paid off somehow. People have been telling me that I got thinner. Still big though but nonetheless, they still complemented me for losing weight. I gotta keep this up!

Christmas will DEFINITELY be a challenge. Glorious food on the 24th, 25th and 31st!!! DAMN!!!

What I'm doing now is lotsa cardio!!! I have to look better by next year!!! I promise!!!

So we'll see... Time will tell!

Reading List

Over the past month, I got two Graphic Novels to read. Both praise worthy and award-winning but different in their own way.

1. Heavy Liquid by Paul Pope.


It's about a guy named "S" in a futuristic New York City. People fight for this drug known as Heavy Liquid".


2. Maus: A Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman

This is a Pulitzer Prize winner and it recounts the struggle of Spiegelman's father to survive the Holocaust as a Polish Jew and draws largely on his father's recollections of his experiences.



I'll give my reviews as soon as I finish reading them :)

Collecting Comics

I went to Druid's Keep in Magallanes last Saturday for the store's 4th year anniversary. Felix Cua built the shop 4 years back and there's still a loyal fan base.

My brother and I remain loyal to the Keep. Though I try to go there weekly, it's pretty tough. The place is a bit far from the house. But nonetheless, Druid's Keep will always be the comic shop of the Cruz Bros.

Had chats with all sorts of Fanboys there. But it was real nice to see the 2 coolest Pinoy artists, Carlo and Harvey. It's a real pleasure to see the 2 guys who helped me get my project going. Carlo's working on Agents of Atlas while Harvey's doing Avengers: The Initiative #19. Harvey said he put another Ninoy cameo. Hahaha.

Comic Collecting has been my passion for the longest time. My collection is growing weekly!!! What can I say? I love the hobby. Unlike toys, you get to read comics plus you get to learn some new things as well. And hey, it's still reading!

I remain to be a Marvelite/ Marvel Zombie. I get to read the Image and Vertigo here and there. But The House of Ideas just takes the cake! Marvel will always be THE premiere publisher in my opinion. The character base is the best!!!

Collecting Comics is an expensive hobby but to those who wish to start, you gotta choose. It's either you read for the sake of reading or you read + invest.

For the sake of reading, you can read the collected graphic novels. Value won't appreciate though. TPB's or Trade Paperbacks are for catching up.

If you wanna read + invest, get singles!!! I love the feeling you get in the last page of the comic book. To be continued!!! Arrrgh! What a feeling!!!

Anyway, I'm just rambling...

But if you do want to collect, check out Druid's Keep located at the 3rd floor of Gateway Center in Paseo de Magallanes.

Or, you can check out Comic Odyssey. Galleria, Ermita, or Cybermall.

Christmas Card Picture

Last year, we had this Christmas Card made. My Lola sent it to her friends and my mom and my other titas used it as the card for the Christmas gifts. A simple digicam was used a year ago.

But this year, my Tita Kris wanted it different. She was doing a photoshoot one day and she asked the photographer if the family can join in. So it was in the studio of Jun de Leon. He's a great photographer by the way. Really good at his job!

The shoot was color coded. Since my Mom let all her siblings choose ahead, all the good colors were picked already so my family ended up with plain old white. My Lola and Tito Noy got yellow. The Abelladas got blue, Dees got green, Yaps got red. I wanted to be either blue or red but that's life... But the picture came out nicely. It's a great shot of the family! Everyone looks happy :)

So this pic will come out in this month's K Mag. Check it out!

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...