My First Article for Rogue: The Art of Seeing

I just got a copy of Rogue and I'm giddy like a schoolgirl. It's a dream of mine to contribute to this style and culture beacon. My editor, Nicola Sebastian, and I have been trying to agree on a topic for months and after a few false starts, we've settled on art. It's one of the things I love writing about and I'm doubly excited that I made it in on their yearly art issue! 

The Art of Seeing was inspired by John Berger's, "Ways of Seeing"- a book and a BBC series that demystified how we looked at paintings. Personally, it encouraged me to have a dialog with art instead of trying to label it and critique it. So I thought it'd be interesting to have people from different walks of life do the same. I asked an artist, a student, a banker, a nurse, and an art curator to tell me what they thought of Clockwise by John Jose Santos III.

If you're interested to read it, you have four days to get a copy. Or you can hop on over to Reese Lansangan's site. She's the young artist I interviewed for the piece. She scanned a copy and put it on her splashy blog, which I absolutely heart. 

Btw, for this issue my friend JP Cuison drew about the history of Philippine comics. As of this writing, it's garnering interest because Gerry Alanguilan is adamantly opposing the influence of Carlo J. Caparas on the Philippine indie comic scene. I wonder how that hullabaloo will pan out. Nonetheless, this is a power-packed issue with interviews on Leeroy New and Ronald Ventura. 

Elpidio Q. Allermo : A Long Weekend Well Spent

November 2, 2012. I woke up early. My boyfriend and I were going to visit our grandfathers at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (Cemetery for Heroes).

“Tatay”, my lolo, was a strict father and quite the ladies man. He also enjoyed getting drunk out of his mind, but he had mellowed into a gentle old man when I met him. He rarely spoke but was always quietly kind.

We arrived at the cemetery. My boyfriend’s family friends had a tent pitched on top of their grandfather’s impressive tomb. My boyfriend’s grandfather, a brigadier general, was in the same elite row. I marveled at the care of each tomb. One had purple lilies dotted on the mound. How artsy. Another tomb had a massive flower arrangement with intertwined cabbage flowers, giant red roses, and yellow tiger lilies. All fake, upon closer inspection. I realized then that I was empty-handed. I didn’t bring anything for my dear lolo.

Tatay was a hardworking jeepney driver. He’d come home from driving a nightshift with a lot of change in his pocket. My cousins and I would clamor around him, wanting a share of the loot, “Piso! Piso! Piso!”. He’d oblige by handing each of us a peso. But for a reason that escapes me now, all of us wanted the piso with the carabao on it. The delight upon getting one with the animal was mind-boggling.

My thoughts were interrupted by a query from one of my boyfriend’s family friends, “what was your grandfather’s rank?” I fumbled for an answer. “Not sure he had a rank. My grandmother said he was a guerrilla messenger of some sort.” She looked at me wide-eyed. “But you have to have a rank if you’re buried here”. I turned away feeling sheepish. Truth is, I didn’t know that much about my grandfather.

I did know that I was his favorite grandchild. I guess I took that as fact because that’s what my aunts would tell me. I had other proof. In his jeep, he inscribed all the names of his grandchildren. But my name was the one above the driver’s seat- directly above his head.

I never visited his grave alone so I didn’t remember its exact location. Lucky for me, a volunteer soldier located him on his computer records. My boyfriend and I made the long walk over and when we finally found him, I looked down and smiled at the sight of his name. We said a prayer and having no flowers to leave behind, I left a shiny new piso.

“Tatay, maliit na siya. Wala na din siyang kalabaw.”

Musamanila's Secret Weapon/ Makeover Time for Multiply

Teeheehee. Did you guys see me? Watch it again and this time don’t blink ;)

It was a big honor to be part of this online campaign to advertise Mulitply. It used to be my go-to social network for photo uploads. But it's actually found its biggest success in transforming online entrepreneurship and shopping for the Philippines. It makes sense that it will be focusing solely on that. To get a better understanding of its makeover, I interviewed one of my best friends and Multiply's current senior marketing manager, Mei Marasigan-Brantzeg.

1.    Why are you rebranding Multiply?

The re-branding of Multiply to full e-commerce is a decision that came about, following the lead of our own community. It is the Filipino community of multiplyshoppers and sellers that have defined this new business model for the whole world and that is why we (together with Indonesia) are now the lead market formultiply.com globally. Our full transition to e-commerce

“Multiply(.com)'s mission has evolved over the past year and a half to become the biggest and most trusted e-commerce marketplace in two very exciting markets, Indonesia and the Philippines. Ultimately this was a business decision, critical to our success moving forward,” says Stefan Magdalinski, CEO of Multiply in his blog post in the official page of the company.

 
2. What do we have to look forward to from Multiply?

A simpler, more rewarding online shopping experience. We are upgrading the e-commerce platform to ensure easier use for both sellers and shoppers. We are cementing more deals with payment and logistics partners to ensure a simple yet seamless experience for all our customers.

We are excited to pursue our own mission to give the 350 million consumers in Indonesia and the Philippines a great way to buy and sell items online. Our singular focus now is for Multiply to retain its status as a vibrant e-commerce destination in Southeast Asia in the years ahead,” said Magdalinski.

To be more specific, The new Multiply will strengthen its 4 core functionalities: Shopping Cart, Prod Listing (all information about one’s product), Payment Gateway and Stockroom (inventory management) to create even better shopping experience for buyers and convenient selling experience for merchants. The Product Listing allows merchants to showcase their products in the best way possible while the Shopping Cart enables buyers to add to cart from one or more merchants and check-out in a single transaction. Meanwhile the Payment Gateway reaches out to as many types of buyers as possible by offering a wide variety of payment options. Lastly, the Stockroom feature provides merchants an easier way of keeping track of the availability of their products. Users can expect further improvements of these features along with Multiply’s shift to become a full-time e-commerce site.


3. Any messages for the users of Multiply?

We want everyone to be excited for a bigger, better and even more vibrant marketplace.We also want to ensure that export tools to be used in transferring their content (from Multiply’s social media platform) will be announced soon. In the meantime, everyone can get the change to access their existing photos, videos and other content before December 1.

Type 'Em Radio Tuesdays: It's More Fun in the Philippines Local Jingle

The no. 1 resource for radio ad scripts continues. To celebrate the launch of two beloved projects,

 "It's More Fun in the Philippines" Campaign Website 

and It's More Fun in the Philippines" Facebook Page 

I am posting the lyrics to the head-bopping, giggle inducing local jingle of the same campaign. It's a fun read but you'll get so much more by listening to the actual song here. (Clickity click click that link.)

The Philippines Department of Tourism 

Official "It's More Fun in the Philippines" Domestic Jingle 

Agency: BBDO Guerrero

CDs: David Guerrero and Tin Sanchez 

Copywriter: Tin Sanchez 

Stanza 1
Kating kati na ba ang iyong mga paa Handa nang umalis mag-liwaliw at lumarga Buti nalang taga-dito ka
'sing dami ng happening ang dami ng isla!

Refrain 1
It's more fun in the Philippines! (More Fun in the Philippines!) Bakit pa lalayo? Sobrang swerte kaya ng tsinelas mo! Nakatapak ka sa paraiso!

Refrain 2
It's more fun in the Philippines! (More Fun in the Philippines!) Bakit pa lalayo? Mula Batanes hanggang Jolo Iba ang saya ng Pilipino! It's more fun in the Philippines!

Stanza 2
Nandito nang lahat, san 'pa pupunta? Malalim ang dagat at mababaw ang ligaya! Halatang-halatang Pilipino ka! (Pilipino) Abot-langit ang 'yong ngiti, lahi ng masasaya!

Refrain 1
It's more fun in the Philippines! (More Fun in the Philippines!) Bakit pa lalayo? Sobrang swerte kaya ng tsinelas mo! Nakatapak ka sa paraiso!

Refrain 2
It's more fun in the Philippines! (More Fun in the Philippines!) Bakit pa lalayo? Mula Batanes hanggang Jolo Iba ang saya ng Pilipino! It's more fun in the Philippines!

Bridge
Jumping Smiling Showering Singing Driving Parking Waiting Tapping Jogging Hopping Resting Sleeping Planking Tweeting Blogging More fun!

History Biology Geometry Chemistry Geography Philantrophy Hanging out Moving out Working out Dining out Frostbites Fireworks Bonfires Doubledeckers More fun!

'sing dami ng happening ang dami ng isla!

Refrain 1
It's more fun in the Philippines! (More Fun in the Philippines!) Bakit pa lalayo? Sobrang swerte kaya ng tsinelas mo! Nakatapak ka sa paraiso!

Refrain 2
It's more fun in the Philippines! (More Fun in the Philippines!) Bakit pa lalayo? Mula Batanes hanggang Jolo Iba ang saya ng Pilipino! It's more fun in the Philippines!

Filipina Forward! A Belle de Jour Event

It's been such a busy week, I almost forgot to post about tomorrow's Belle de Jour event. I'll be giving a talk on behalf of the Postura Project! I'm nervous and very honored. All I ask is this: 

Dear crowd of empowered women, please smile back and ask as many questions as you can. Thank you :)

Type'm Radio Tuesdays: Tim Winton’s Breath

I browse around for award-winning radio ads mostly when I'm stuck on a radio JO and I need a little inspiration. It always frustrates me how much TV and press work I wade through before finding a truly great radio ad. To non-advertising folk, radio is the odd medium that advertisers don't really pay attention to. Or bothers to write about. That's why it's hard to find quality radio ads online. A lot of them are archived and you have to pay to listen. Isn't that preposterous? You have to pay to listen to an ad? Ads pay us, not the other way around! 

If you do find a radio ad, it's usually recorded. Nobody's even bothered to type it up. Copywriters need to be able read those words to appreciate structure and rhythm. So that's why I've taken it upon myself to be the no. 1 source for typed-up radio ads in entire world wide web. It all begins here with one of my all-time favorite radio campaigns.

The Sydney Morning Herald
Tim Winton’s Breath: 1, 2, 3.
Agency: Whybin\TBWA\Tequila Syndey
CDs: Garry Horner, Matt Kemesley
Copywriter: Steve Dodds
 

(1)

MVO: If Tim Winton had written this ad about Tim Winton, reviewers would be praising it as “one of the finest Australian ads ever” and “truly the ad of a master”.

If Tim Winton had written this ad about Tim Winton you’d be as moved by it as you will be with the exclusive extract of his new novel Breath in the Good Weekend.

Tim Winton could say don’t miss Australia’s Greatest Living Novelist in the Saturday Edition of the Sydney Morning Herald without actually stating he is Australia’s Greatest Living Novelist.

You’d just know it.

If Tim Winton has written this ad about Tim Winton, it would probably be short-listed for the Booker Prize. Not some stupid advertising award no-one’s ever heard of.

(2)

If Tim Winton had written this ad about Tim Winton, it would have a much better opening sentence.

It would swoop and soar, without using hackneyed phrases like, “swoop and soar”.

If Tim Winton had written this ad about Tim Winton you’d know what to expect from the exclusive extract of his new novel, “Breath in the Good Weekend”.

Tim Winton would find a way to say, “this extract of his new novel is only in the Saturday Edition of the Sydney Morning Herald so you shouldn’t miss out” that trips delicately off the tongue.

If Tim Winton had written this ad about Tim Winton, it wouldn’t suck.

Tim Winton would never use the word suck.

(3)

MVO: If Tim Winton had written this ad about Tim Winton, it would be over 400 pages long and populated by characters. They would have names like Pikelet and Sando.

There might be a talking pig, even though Tim Winton doesn’t like repeating himself.

If Tim Winton had written this ad about Tim Winton you’d already be excited about the exclusive extract of his new novel Breath in the Good Weekend.

Tim Winton wouldn’t just blurt out that it is only in the Saturday Edition of the Sydney Morning Herald so you shouldn’t miss out.

It would come out in passing, sly, but you’d still get the point.

Unfortunately, Tim Winton doesn’t write ads about Tim Winton.

Someone called Stephen Dodds does.

Kapeng Barako Club: Samahan ng mga Bitter

This play won a Palanca Award. That should lure in theater regulars. But for those who think theater is too highbrow and let’s face it,  a bit of a snooze, you’ll want to check this out.

Kapeng Barako: Samahan ng mga Bitter is unlike those plays where actors in dated costumes and mangled accents play out a Shakesperean scene high above on the stage. Here, the actors are people just like you. May mga issue at obsessed sa love life nila. The dialogue - real conversations you’d have with your friends when you catch up and have a drink. Angsty pero maraming kalokohan, kaunting landian. The stage, it’s a coffee shop set in an actual restaurant. So the whole experience is like being at your barkada hangout watching on a particularly interesting table. Hit sa mga chismosong pasimple. But in this coffee shop, you don’t have to strain your neck to hear every single thing they say. 

They want you to hear it. 

Don’t be fooled by the title. Kapeng Barako: Samahan ng mga Bitter is very sweet.

It even contains some lessons relatable lessons for those experienced in the art of love. I’m so tempted to list it here but I know that would spoil it for you. So take a shot and watch it. The last show is this Friday. But if enough people clamor for an extended run, you'll still be able to catch it in October ;) 

To inquire/book tickets, text their hotline 0915 4601108 or PM them on their Facebook Page: 

https://www.facebook.com/samahanngmgabitter