Dan Brown replies to MMDA Chair Tolentino's Open Letter re: Manila as 'Gates of Hell'

So finally, Dan Brown replies to MMDA Chair Francis Tolentino's open letter cum invitation to come to Manila, "the gates of hell." Or did he?

When news of Dan Brown's mention of Manila in his latest novel Inferno came out, there wasn't much rejoicing in some parts of the Philippines as some overly- patriotic Filipinos took to the streets of cyberspace and voiced out their anger at Brown's reference to the capital city as "the gates of hell." On the other camp, there also are the Filipinos who viewed this simply as what it is-- a work of fiction, which tells the truth of what Manila really is-- and something that should be considered as an eye-opened to Filipino citizens and lawmakers alike.

Dan Brown refers to Manila as 'Gates of Hell'

Brown, author of the controversial yet bestselling novels Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons, among others, says of Manila:

“When the group settled in among the throngs in the city of Manila—the most densely populated city on earth—Sienna could only gape in horror. She had never seen poverty on this scale.” "[Kids] with desolate eyes,” “six-hour traffic jams, suffocating pollution, and a horrifying sex trade, whose workers consisted primarily of young children, many of whom had been sold to pimps by parents who took solace in knowing that at least their children would be fed.” “a kind of shantytown—a city made of pieces of corrugated metal and cardboard propped up and held together” with “wails of crying babies and the stench of human excrement” "[The character has] run through the gates of hell.”

MMDA Chair Tolentino writes Open Letter to Dan Brown

Among the many who just felt the need to defend the honor of Manila is Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairperson Francis Tolentino. The dear gentlemen just had to write an open letter to Dan Brown himself.

Parts of this letter say:

"While we are aware that yours is a work of fiction, we are greatly disappointed by your inaccurate portrayal of our beloved metropolis. We are displeased of how you have used Manila as a venue and source of a character's breakdown and trauma, much more her disillusionment in humanity.. [Manila is] a center of Filipino spirit, faith and hope. Our faith in God binds us as a nation and we believe that Manila citizens are more than capable of exemplifying good character and compassion towards each other, something that your novel has failed to acknowledge. Truly, our place is an entry to heaven."

The actual letter.

What do you think? The nerd (I mean nerve, sorry)! As if Dan Brown will ever reply to our ever dearest MMDA chair Tolentino.

I'm not saying that Dan Brown is an author that we all should believe in, especially with his radical ideas of the Catholic faith and everything, although you got to admit, his books are awesome! So, remove the fact that I've always loved Dan Brown's work, it would still be safe to say that our dear MMDA chairman seems to have missed the fact that the book is a work of fiction, and that even if it is, it tells the truth about his 'beloved metropolis.' Bewildered reactions came from all over cyberspace about the chairman's move. Some were keen to bet that our dear chairmen never even had the chance to experience what Dan Brown was talking about in Inferno.

Fortunately for Tolentino, there were also quite a bunch of Filipinos (that same bunch who preferred a work-from home 20-year OJT mama over an accomplished lady lawyer with a lot of achievements under her belt to be part of our esteemed Philippine senate) who supported his views, posting angry comments on Dan Brown's Facebook page.

Dan Brown replies to Tolentino's Open Letter

Mr. Brown up to now didn't look like he cares much about what people are saying. So far, Tolentino's stunt had been nothing but a whine from a kid with ADD. But hmm.. Looks like Mr. Brown can spare a minute for a short reply--

Ha! But wish as I hard as I want, this isn't from Dan Brown. This is the oh-so-awesome STFU post from the Professional Heckler.

So Dan Brown didn't really reply to Tolentino. Just my thoughts. But one thing remains clear, there are a lot of Filipinos who ooze with over-nationalism and who are willing to fight for trivial things such as a work of fiction, but not for their more vital rights such as the right to have a deserving city mayor and vote-worthy senators. Instead of getting butthurt and angry at what people of other races call our country and our people, we Filipinos should start owning up to our responsibilities as citizens of our country. Maybe we can do better next election. This should be a good start of proving Dan Brown wrong.

5 Tips Newbie Online Article Writers Need to Learn

Although there aren't any surefire tips that newbie online article writers need to learn in order to produce top quality articles and impress new clients, I have gathered five important things to remember when writing articles for clients.

Many website owners and private companies rely on outsourced freelance writers and copywriters to write about their online posts, product descriptions and press releases among other content. These employers find it more convenient to commission freelance article writers than to hire their own in-house copywriter. Most of the time, they are in the look out for writers not only with the best writing experience and potential, but also somebody who can write articles for an affordable rate and who has a quick turnaround time (who can turn over finished articles fast).

For freelance article writers, here are those five online article writing tips that you can follow to make sure that you not only get paid nicely, but you can also establish your integrity and good reputation as a freelance writer.

1. Be discriminate in your job applications/ bids

There are some clients who makes it clear in their job postings that they indeed are badly in need of the skills of online article writers-- you can barely make out what it is they want because of poorly written sentences, lack of details, ambiguous requests. Thus, you might need to be discriminate in choosing the job postings that you would like to apply to.

A post that says "Need editor at 10$" is not only incomplete, but may even be misleading. For all you know, 10$ is for editing a hundred articles. Look for posts that are not only complete with details, but also gives you a clear view of what the client's working attitude is like.

2. Make sure the instructions are clear

Before everything else, make sure that you completely and clearly understand what it is that you are supposed to write. Read and understand your client's instructions. Make sure that the following are well defined:

• keyword and/or topic
• number of words
• deadline
• rate

Once you have established contact with the client, whether this is for an initial interview or you've already agreed to work with each other, you and the client need to be on the same page about these specifics.

3. Make sure you understand and know what to do with the keywords/ topics

Usually keywords that are given are too broad. When this happens, you can do one or both of two options:

a.) You can ask the client if he has a specific content in mind that he wants to be written, and if the client failed to give you a proper response as to what to do, it would be safe to do the other option yourself, which is to...
b.)  Delimit the topic into something specific -- ex: fitness exercise bikes. this may sound specific, but if you look the keyword up, you will find that the results would vary from bikes for sale, to fitness instructors, to news about exercise bike injuries, to workout tutorials, among others. As long as you have the keywords laid out exactly as specified, delimiting your writing to a more specific topic is a safe diversion. But then, it is always better if you and your client can openly communicate.

4. Make notes

Starting from when you first signed up for the job, have a notepad (either on your computer or an actual one plus a pen beside you) ready. Although I would recommend the use of the one in your PC, as you can copy and paste as you wish.

PC notepad or actual notebook, it pays for you to take note, starting with the keywords, in numbered form. And then you can cross them out, as you finish one after another. You can also copy and paste the URLs and links that you need to include in your article after the numbered keywords, so that way you will not miss any.

5. Make an outline first

If you're just like me who started out as a distracted perfectionist who just couldn't seem to choose which angle to follow or which catchy novelty introduction to try, I suggest that before you start rambling and find yourself talking about irrelevant things, please do yourself the favor of making an outline.

An 'outline,' my dear brothers and sisters in the-business-of-trying-to-make-a-living-online, is a sketch or a brief plan indicating only the main features of something, as in a book, for example. Like say, the Twilight saga can be outlined this way: silly girl meets vampire boy - they fell in love - the world is against them - stupid girl leaves family for boy - everything still seemed to fall into place. Totally cheap material, if you ask me. Well anyway, that's what an outline is.

Well, alright! For a more professional example, say you will write about dating, or since I've already told you that you have to be specific about a topic, then say, "how to impress a hot geek" would be better. So, you can outline it this way: Allusion to a Star Wars film or a Game of Thrones episode as your intro - Why dating a geek is fun and an attractive alternative to jocks/cheerleaders - Steps on how to impress a geek - Summary - A quote, perhaps from Star Wars or Game of Thrones, or whatever you choose to quote.

And, that's it. That, for me, are the five top tips that I would advise to newbie online article writers/ bloggers. Keep the content and the traffic coming, guys! Good luck!

*Repost from http://maeconserva.blogspot.com/2013/05/5-tips-newbie-online-article-writers.html

Life is a series of random collissions. Eh?

“Life is a series of random collisions.”
-  Jessica Zafra’s Chicken Pox for the Soul

Indeed. Some of them you’re more than happy to be tangled in – as a matter of fact, you  anticipate the impact, you relish the explosion. And some… Well, some you wish you could have undone, you could have avoided, because, really, when you think about it now, all those mashed up flesh and bone and hurt and pain, they’re not really worth the thrill of violating all the traffic rules for.  And oftentimes, these collisions are just one and the same – you really wouldn’t know where the excitement ends and where the panic begins.

Iloilo Art holds exhibition, talks

 Ugyon sa Dihon 2011, An Ilonggo Art Festival

(Published in Panay News, March 22, 2011)

 

Iloilo Art, together with the Province of Iloilo, held “Ugyon sa Dihon 2011, An Ilonggo Art Festival,” last March 8 to 12, 2011 at the Philippine National Bank (PNB), Gen. Luna St., Iloilo City.

Jason Gonzales and Charlie Co did the ribbon cutting to open the Ugyon sa Dihon 2011 Festival on March 8, 2011. With them are Iloilo Art's Lester Amacio and Marrz Halley Capanang. 
Photo Credit: Anthony Estancia thru M.H. Capanang

 The week-long festival is an exhibition of artworks by different Ilonggo artists, from visual arts students of the Iloilo National High School – Special Program for the Arts, to college students from various universities and colleges including the University of the Philippines and the University of San Agustin. There had also been talks and workshops covering a variety of topics such as art management given by Prof. Vinnie Tan of UPV Gallery curator, tattooing by Iloilo Tattoo Artists Organization president Norman “Poloy” Gerona, museum management by historian Rene Trance of Museo Iloilo, drawing by Shielo Mae Duterte, faculty of the College of Fine Arts, University of San Agustin, water media by Alex Ordoyo of the INHS-SPA, live model sketching by John Paul Castillo of the Philippine Women's University, terracotta sculpting by artist Alan Cabalfin of the Iloilo Visual Artists Association, and basic photography by artist Lester Amacio of the Avellana Art Gallery in Manila.

Iloilo Art is the brainchild of artists Lester Amacio and Rheo Nepomuceno. Ugyon sa Dihon, on the other hand, was planned firsthand by USA-College of Fine Arts faculty member and resident artist, Yannie Rose Noble and John Paul Castillo.

“The reason we put up the organization is gusto namon padayunon ang naumpisahan na sang mga older artists,” Amacio says, “and of course para mahatagan break ang mga kabataan nga artists like the kids from the Special Program for the Arts.” He further says that any artist who has the time and commitment can be a member of Iloilo Art.

Amacio is optimistic that Iloilo Art, with the support of the local government and the Ilonggo artists themselves will be able to hold festivals such as Ugyon sa Dihon in the coming years. For more information and pictures of the festival, see Iloilo Art on Facebook.

Additional Links:

You can also check out this site: Iloilo Art.i.ph

To see Amacio's artworks, look up Lester Amacio on Facebook. 

Bacolod artists grace festival

(Published in Panay News Sunday, 20 March 2011)

Bacolod-based renowned artist and visionary Charlie Co, who did the ribbon cutting for Ugyon sa Dihon 2011 opening night on March 8, popped in with Dennis Ascalon, another one of Bacolod's most notable artists, on the third day of the exhibit, bringing with them a league of the younger artists from Bacolod City.

~o0*0o~

Roderick A. Tijing 

Roderick is a surrealist whose works are somewhat influenced by the colorful, dreamlike works of Charlie Co. Roderick's are however, more on the playful side, compared to Co's usually social commentary-charged pieces. He has a solo exhibit entitled "Dreamscapes 2" on going until March 25 at Negros Museum, Bacolod City.

~o0*0o~

Guinnevere Decena

Decena's "Refined Chaos"

Guinnevere's, or Gwen's (as what she prefers to be called) works are both graceful and thought-provoking. Her featured painting entitled "Refined Chaos" depicts an exquisitely done female bust with towering hair made of what looked like crumpled paper, a signature in her work, if you check out her Facebook. The title, according to Gwen, pretty much summarizes what the painting is all about. "It's a battle between control and accident," she states. She describes her style as being "minimal but maximal." In other words, she does with painting what poets do with words.

~o0*0o~

Ian Valladarez

Valladarez' "Femininity"

Ian is resident artist to Balay Negrense in Silay City, where he works on his specialty -continuous wire sculpting, from seemingly simple keychains to more complicated artworks such as his Ugyon exhibit piece, "Femininity."

~o0*0o~

Christine Bangero

Bangero's "Travelers Secret"

Christine is a photographer who also has a great appreciation for art, as well as a penchant for body art. In fact, the newest tattoo that she got from fellow Bacolodnon, tattoo artist Chaq Lobaton (for more info, visit his blog, Pain n' Ink) won third place in the festival's Metal Ink Tattoo Expo competition. The tattoo design is a lotus flower with vibrantly colored details.

Bangero's newest winning tattoo, by Chaq Lobaton

  

~o0*0o~

Ilonggo pride amid national renown-

Sculptor Harry Mark Gonzales in Focus

(This article was published in Panay News Sunday Edition, March 20, 2011)

 

Gonzales with "Munting Anghel" in Ugyon sa Dihon 2011 at PNB Iloilo

 

 “Munting Anghel.” That is what the gleaming sculpture of an adorable cherub balancing on dainty feet, like a baby playing see-saw on his or her mother’s legs, is called. This interesting sculpture, despite its simplicity has drawn some attention from visitors at the recent Ugyon sa Dihon 2011 exhibit at Philippine National Bank, General Luna on March 8-12, by Iloilo Art, an organization of young artists from all over Iloilo, together with invited artists from Bacolod City.

Made of cold-cast marble, a medium that is novel for most Ilonggos, this 20-kilo sculpture is from artist Harry Mark Gonzales, a native of Mandurriao, Iloilo City. It is one of Gonzales’ personal achievements, as it is the first of his cold-cast marble sculptures that he was able to exhibit here in his hometown. 

“Because of my craft, my life has improved,” says the 29-year old native of Mandurriao, Iloilo. He explains how from just being an elementary pupil whose future seemed geared to becoming just a mere tambay, his life took an amazing turn for the better when his father took him to one of his carpentering jobs for no other than Ed Defensor, one of Iloilo’s premier artists. 

As his works started reaping him awards such as for the Shell National Student Art Competition, which he won when he was in first year college, as well as winning the Metrobank Art and Design Excellence Award for National Competition in Sculpture, Gonzales also gained a huge following from bigwig collectors in Metro Manila. Through this, he was able to learn and perfect the medium of cold-casting from one of the country’s master sculptors, Juan Sajid Imao, son of National Artist for Sculpture, Abdulmari Asia Imao. From then on, the boy was fated for a bigger destiny. 

And it is this destiny that Gonzales is living now.  Aside from continuously producing sculptures made of clay, terracotta, and his latest medium – cold-cast marble, Harry also conducts workshops every summer for SM City Iloilo. On top of that, together with his mentor Ed Defensor, he had also been commissioned to work on several public pieces such as the relief sculptures on the base of the simburyo that graces the rotunda on the new road in Brgy. San Rafael,  Iloilo City. 

The reliefs around the San Rafael rotunda monument were done by Gonzales with Ed Defensor.

Gonzales also reveals that he also would be part of the proposed 15-feet monument which will crown the new Iloilo City hall’s dome. He says it’s an ambitious project but he is nevertheless proud to be part of it. Asked what the monument would depict, he says it’s for all Ilonggos to watch out for, what he can tell us is that the monument will be cold-cast in bronze, the process for which would take the artists to Cebu, as we still don’t have the facilities here in Iloilo City. 

“Our city mayor is a cultured man, having attended UP himself,” the artist says, “he recognizes the need for Ilonggo culture and art to be celebrated.” 

Gonzales says he deeply supports this move by the city government despite the controversy attached to it, because for him, it is sad that Iloilo, albeit being rich in art, is lacking of recognizable landmarks that would put us on the map.

 “We don’t even have a monument commemorating the Dinagyang Festival!,” he exclaims.

So is it really all about the profit? Gonzales admits that art has done him a great good financially, but then it’s not all about the money. He says that with the discipline and the principle that he lives by right now which constitutes making as many sculptures as he can so he has a lot of them to sell when the collectors come buying, he says he has everything covered, even the future education of his kid. 

“I’m a simple man,” Gonzales says, “I have simple needs. And I can tell you that it is simply pride and honor that drive me to do my art.”

Like the novelty of the medium that the “Munting Anghel,” takes it form by, Gonzales believes that as a mere human being, he is only passing by in this earth, thus he says that when he sees the completion of these landmarks, Gonzales says that he can live to an old age feeling content that he was able to contribute not only to Ilonggo art, but also to the history of our city and province. 

"In the future, when my kids would tell their friends that it was their father who created this monument, it would make this whole endeavor worth it," Gonzales finally says.

To learn more, or check out his works, find Harry Mark Gonzales on Facebook.

Re-inking the Ilonggo psyche

Tattoo artist Poloy Gerona

(This article was published in Panay News Sunday Edition, March 20, 2011)

“It’s all about the pain.”                                                        

 

And so goes the motto that runs on the storefront of Macabre Tattoo in the 3rd Floor of Mary Mart Mall, Iloilo City, owned and operated by Norman “Poloy” Gerona, tattoo artist and president of the Iloilo Tattoo Artists Organization (ITAO).

 And this, perhaps, is also the appropriate motto for what Poloy, as what he prefers to be called, and the tattoo artists and enthusiasts of Iloilo, with ITAO, wishes to achieve – to reverse the perception that most Ilonggos have towards tattoos and getting one.

“Kalabanan nga mga Ilonggo, panumduman nila kung pintados ka, adik ka," (Most Ilonggos think that if you are inked, you’re a drug addict,) Poloy says, “but then, we are not. Tattoo is a form of art."

Poloy himself is shaven, pale, and despite his job description, is not (yet) covered from head to toe with tattoos.  The most notable tattoos that Poloy has are the pieces on his chest – on his right, a portrait of his wife Venice, and on the left, that of the Lord Jesus Christ with a crown of thorns. 

Here in Iloilo, tattooing doesn't get much of a following compared to the US or even just Cebu or Metro Manila. That's why he was thankful when he got the invitation from artist Lester Amacio of Ilonggo Art to stage a tattoo expo on March 10, Thursday.

“First time ini nga nagka Tattoo Expo diri sa Iloilo,” Poloy says, “Kag hopefully, mangin paagi man ini nga ma-familiarize ang mga Ilonggo sa tattoo art.” He says that there are still many of the old-fashioned lot in the city, even with the artist community. This Expo, as Poloy sees it, would be a big step for the tattoo industry to be accepted, if not yet embraced.

"Ang tattoo, waay delikado," the 35-year old artist explains when asked about the popular notion that one can get diseases through tattooing, "kay of course, tanan na ya nga ginagamit disposable --from needles to wipes."

"Halin sang-una gid na ya, gina-try ko gid engganyo ang mga tawo," he further says, stressing that people should be educated that tattooing is simply an art form, only that in this case, the canvas is the human skin.

Asked how he found himself in this kind of enterprise, Poloy explains that it simply started as a hobby back in 1991.

"Kay halin sang-una pa ya hilig ko na gid mag-drawing," he explains. He says that the first tattoo he put on himself is that of the logo of the biking brand Fox on his left hand, owing as well to his other hobby. In a show of sentimentality from somebody who has demon images on his arms, Poloy says he has covered up all the other older tattoos he's had, but he'll be keeping this one.

“It was just a sort of backyard thing,” he says, “we were in CPU then.” And as, they say, the rest is history. Right now, Macabre Tattoo has been gaining customers since he first started the business in 2008.

The Tattoo Expo, attended by tattoo artists from the city, as well as invited guests from Bacolod City and Boracay, is a day-long event that featured a tattoo competition for two categories - small and big tattoo designs.

Asked if they apply some sort of local anesthesia if customers would request it, Poloy only smiles and says, "It's all about the pain, gani."