After Three Years...

This August 2011, one of the 3 biggest malls in Bacolod City is celebrating it's 3rd year anniversary.  888 CHINATOWN SQUARE, a mall that is well-known for it's affordable and great variety of items.  Checking out the mall last week, i should say that it  has come a LONG way.   A year back, there are fewer stores and less sparkle but now, everywhere you look, there's always something interesting that will catch your eye.  People with different hobbies and likes will surely enjoy shopping here.  From thrift-value housewives to avid shoppers, 888 Chinatown Square is the place for you!

There are lots of improvements since last year.  Their AC was upgraded <--- a good thing considering OUR weather here in the Philippines.  The various NEW Stores that were added are very unique and innovative.  More FOOD TRIP awaits everyone who visits the mall!  And I know we Bacolodnons LOVE FOOD!

It's not only the MALL that has been improved.  Celebrations and Events have escalated on a different level.  The 888 Event Center is famous for Cosplay Conventions and Celebrity Nights that feature artists from the NCR.  This year they're really celebrating their anniversary!  They will be having COCO MARTIN and MAJA SALVADOR to entertain the crowd on August 6, 2011. 

Here's the schedule with regards to their 3rd Year Anniversary:

AUGUST 5, 2011 - BATTLE OF THE BANDS by LOVE RADIO 91.9 at 6:00 PM - 888 Event Center
AUGUST 6, 2011 - MOTORCADE with Coco and Maja at 11:00 AM - Bacolod City
AUGUST 6, 2011 - CELEBRITY NIGHT with Coco & Maja and a lot more performers -
                                6PM, 888  Event  Center
AUGUST 8, 2011 - FIREWORKS & GRAND VARIETY SHOW with local performers and a Live
                                Band - 6PM, 888 Event Center

Anyway, contests and prizes awaits those who will be celebrating with the mall!  See ya there!

Signing out,
KATZ

A Few of my favorite Things~

One of the perks of working in a mall is that you can check out all the new things - trends, toys, gadgets and many more...  You can immediately see the change in the shops you pass by.  For me, I see them regularly and it seems that I miss much of them due to roving around the mall to check on work.  Yesterday though, I was asked to take pictures for a write up ordered by my boss to be published in a newspaper a week before our Mall's 3rd Anniversary. 

Because of this, I was able to really SEE the little details and hidden treasures within the stores that surrounds my everyday office work.  For example...

So many trinkets to collect!!!  AND in different colors too!

I have been passing by a store on the ground floor that carries these nice trinkets and baubles!  I love seeing their different colors and styles.  For someone who loves old and new jewelry, 888 Chinatown Square is the place to go.  Check out the stores, SUPERSTAR, SUPERGIRL and SUPERBOY where they feature different types of fashion and they are the biggest accessory shop in the mall. 

Bangles, rings, necklaces...  YOU NAME IT, the HAVE IT!

I love this store because they don't basically follow trends.  They just have a variety of bangles, rings - a whole lot of accessories that will sure to please any kind of person who'll be visiting their shop. 

The mall is filled with different shops and different styles.  Most people in Bacolod wouldn't really care to check on them because they're not famous stores like the ones in big malls.  But little does the majority know that they can basically save a LOT of money by purchasing unique stuff here in 888 Chinatown Square.

There are shoppers who're wise enough to understand the value of an item.  Take for example the Ukay-ukay!  888 Chinatown Square has the biggest Ukay-ukay center in Bacolod.  You can find 2nd hand original stuff in different UK Stores.  But you have to have keen eyes to spot nice ones...

These UK stores can be found on the 2nd Floor area of 888 Chinatown Square.  You can't miss it!

   
In times of financial crisis.... UKAY-UKAY comes to the rescue!  Hahaha!  But really, these surpluses from other countries are treasures.  You can't find an original Hermes bag for P200 just anywhere, man...  Yeah, it has a small hole at the sides but nothing you can't fix, really...  And not only that!  From clothes to toys...  Ukay2 proved its worth!

These are 2nd-hand toys that are displayed in JEBS (Japan Surplus Area) on the 1st Floor of the Mall.

My bestfriend and I went crazy over the newly arrived toys from Japan!  It was totally unplanned.  That was last week.  We were waiting for my laptop to be assembled back when we walked about the first floor and found new toys. 

That's a PONYO puppet and a Dragon scarf something...  J and I fooled around!

These stuff came from Japan...all of them~  And I scavenged to find unique treasures!

ARGGGHHH! So many things to conquer!

Okay, okay!  So after that, I have to go back to the main topic and that is to promote the mall!  Aside from having a variety of stuff for the kids, the mall offers us a VARIETY OF FOOD!  From Fried noodles, siomai, halo-halo, ice cream, shawarma, shakes and many more, 888 Chinatown Square is the best!  Even the Home-cooked meals are available! 

Yeah...this is the very reason I am FAT now...  HAHAHAA!  Anywhooo~  I'll update this blog as soon as possible...and will be continuing this till...our anniversary date: August 8, 2011. See ya!

Katz~

Jose is THE Man

Yesterday, June 20, 2011...I was resting.  It's a National Holiday and we were given a one-day break from our harsh reality - Work.  So yeah, I began the day late...woke up at 9:00 am, lazed about...checked the net and decided to go along with my dad and check some DVDs in the Mall.

It's different when you're given a time to just...do your thing in your own time.  No rush.  No pressure.  And why do you ask were we given a break?  It's because of Jose Rizal's Birthday.  Yup!  It's our National Hero's birthday.  "I LOVE YOU, JOSE!" 150 years and still you're giving us freedom (even for a day). LOL!

When in the mall, I was browsing for something great to watch the day away...and I found the DVD I was looking for.  "The Kingdom of Heaven."  Uhummm... I already saw that movie but still I think I need to collect it much because it touches on a very delicate subject that almost all Filipinos are very careful to thread on - Religion.

I was actually made to take a detour when I arrived.  My best gals asked me to join the monthly get-together.  When I arrived at the restaurant, they were all so surprised to see me.  It's been months since I last saw them.  I was so busy with being a Mangaka that I forgot to socialize.  Hope I won't become a hermit in the process.  So, I enjoyed the night with my friends, chatted and laughed our heads off.  When I got home last night, I first decided to check my FB account to which I was absorbed in a very serious chat-versation with the guys at FIC.  Then, I basically found myself ogling my NEWLY FIXED Laptop... (cries)  I miss my laptop...after 3 months of being dead....HE'S ALIVE ONCE MORE! Duhn-duhn...  Oh well, I checked on it...testing it with graphics and etc...and I nearly forgot my DVD!!!  Just when I was about to close the screen, I found the DVD I bought and decided to watch it.

OMG!  I was so surprised!  I bought a pirated DVD and yet...it's the DIRECTOR'S CUT EDITION!!!! WAAAAAHHH~ I'm sooooo happy!  I didn't really pick the movie all because it's Orlando Bloom, Edward Norton and Liam Neason...  FINE! Yeah...well I have a thing for Legolas...so maybe I did. HAHHAAH!  But I love the story.  I love how Edward Norton as the King of Jerusalem told Balian, the Baron of Ibelim that "A man is responsible for his own soul."  That when we will be faced by the Father, we can not say... "God, I did this because I was compelled to...or because the circumstances calls for it..."  It's is very true in our lives.  If we do not live by these, then what will become of us?  Liars? Traitors?  Murders?  All because we can point our fingers on someone else. 

And going back to my man, Jose...  He did what he needed to do for the country.  Men like these are hard to find these days.  Most men would truly blame their misfortunes or mistakes on someone else to keep themselves clean.  I wasn't able to finish the movie.  It was more than 1 and a half hour which makes the Director's Cut really...really detailed!  Please...if you can watch the movie...watch it.  It's beautiful.  For now, I have to go back to work and blog about the company...not my life...HAHAHAH!  See ya tomorrow!

signing off,

katz

Leaps of Faith

What is Parkour?  Lemme WIKI that one...

Devil Dive.

Parkour (sometimes abbreviated to PK) is a utilitarian discipline based upon the direct, successful, swift traversing of one's surrounding environment via the practical application of techniques, based around the concept of self-preservation. It is a non-competitive, physical discipline of French origin in which participants run along a route, attempting to negotiate obstacles in the most efficient way possible, using only their bodies. Skills such as jumping, climbing, vaulting, rolling, swinging and wall scaling are employed. Parkour can be practiced anywhere, but areas dense with obstacles are preferable and it is most commonly practiced in urban areas.

The term "freerunning" is sometimes incorrectly used interchangeably with "l'art du déplacement". While l'art du déplacement aims to enable the practitioner to be able to move quickly and creatively past obstacles, freerunning is a competition sport, with Urban FreeFlow being credited with this change of definition.

In short...it's moving about in the most EFFICIENT and SKILLFUL way in your environment.  A friend of mine is recently bonkers over PARKOUR.  Why?  Well, because it's sooooo KEWL!  I was lucky enough to be able to watch a performance of the PARKOUR BACOLOD last event. 

YES, People...we have a parkour team here in Bacolod City.  PARKOUR BACOLOD has been at it for four years now and they've been practicing in different areas but mainly in the Panaad Stadium where varieties of pole, ramps, stairs and much more challenging courses serve as their training ground.

Parkour Bacolod. ICI Launching Event.

I used to think about it the other way - the Adult Way.  I mean, damn!  They're doing stunts without safety nets or whatnots.  It's freaking me out everytime they do backflips in areas 10 ft high.  Can you imagine doing that without safety nets or an ambulance nearby???  You might tell me that they must have gymnastic backgrounds but hold it right there!  Most of them don't have proper training.  One of the team members told me that it is a way of life.  It's a principle and they take it very seriously.

Most people will not understand these guys as they compete with themselves - their bodies, their mindsets.  An obstacle to them is like a problem in life to conquer and they do it without a doubt.  Once they set their minds to it, they'll jump alright...they'll jump no matter how high...no matter how far...

Parkour Bacolod testing the sets before the event.

The first time I saw a Devil Dive done by a friend who does Parkour, I was like... "FUCK, he's gonna die!!!"  It was so unexpected and I felt like my heart leaped outta my mouth.  But when he landed perfectly down 10 - 12 ft below the edge, everyone clapped their hands...including me...a bit awe- struck and mouth gaping. "WTF!"  

One thing I'm sure of, they got BALLS!  No kidding...  I do my art, I risk not sleeping...  But these guys...they risk their LIMBS...LIVES even!  Some might find it absurd...stupid...dumb...  Sure enough, there are loads of PRACTICAL people around this world thinking of Parkour as nothing but suicide...too many of them, if you ask me...

But for those who are passionate...for those who understand the mindset of such a deep and meaningful symbol of life, for those who understand the invisible realities in this world we live in, for the PK boys who embrace this discipline...it only takes a Leap of Faith...for them to FLY.

I salute you!

katz :3 

  

A Writer's Love Affair

I don't know if many writers experience the problem called, Insomia?  I bet many do. I am one of them.  I have that complication whenever my hand is itching to scribble my thoughts on paper.  Yes.  ON PAPER.  I have tried to write in a PC.  My dad even gave me a laptop for Christmas because he knows I love to write.  Maybe he was thinking, "I feel sorry for my poor daughter who writes on paper even in this age..."  Don't get me wrong, I'm very grateful.   But the fact of the matter is, I can not write when it's not on paper.  

Some of my written works are on the notebooks of other people.

Some of my written works are on the notebooks of other people.

My love affair with paper and pen started a long way back.  I'd love to call myself a Weaver rather than a writer because my grammar sucks and I'm proud to call myself a weaver of stories - sounds acceptable.  I never really thought I'd love writing much and never gave a damn when I was younger.  The drive to write...well, I can't even remember when it started.  Maybe...

 
 

  

One boring day, Kathryn decided her life is a waste without writing something interesting...  

I wrote several written works: novels, short stories and also poems.  I don't really know why I wrote poems.  I'm not the type to fall in love easily, but I find writing poems romantic.  It all started when I was in Highschool.  I wrote poems...THAT SUCK!  And I left the whole idea of being a writer when the journalism club denied me for the Nth time!  So I was a bitter child back in my younger days.  But then, when I graduated I began writing due to boredom.  I find it comforting and being an only child clamoring for knowledge, it's something I didn't regret.

Beautiful is what you are

Your flames flicker

Inviting me, coaxing me nearer

Do you understand how I fare?

Your warmth is calling me -

your arms outstretched...

How can I refuse?

It is a sin to long for something so lethal

when I know, in your hands

I will burn for my desires.

But what is love if not for sacrifice?

I've lived in beauty - but what is beauty

without your warmth?

And indeed, I burned for it.

I wrote this poem in a blackout.  The candle flickering in front of me and my hands commanded me to write.  This is my version of "A moth to the flame" - something that is very significant to my current state at that time.   But that's another story...

There are times when a Typewriter is tempting...

This is one of the many poems I wrote...and take note, I wrote them all on paper.  I don't know what possesses me to...and most of my works were either destroyed by water accidentally or lost or torn.  When I say paper...I mean MANY types of paper.  Scratch paper, writing paper, newspaper, old paper, parchments and the occasional tissue paper.  

So, you'd probably ask me: Have you never ever wrote using a PC?  No.  I wrote a novel in my PC.  Novels are dangerous to write on paper.  Once you lose one page, you're done for.  So I do write using a PC.  But there were times when I was writing "The Silver Prince" that I'd write the chapter on paper first before retyping them on PC.  Masochist much?  

I wrote "The Silver Prince" in an office computer when I was working in The Negros Museum as a tour guide, a secretary and more.  I put up with that job because I was surrounded by culture...literally.  Maybe it was that very influence that drove me to write...  Whatever it was, I'm thankful despite the insomia...

Among all the stories I wrote, "Rook of the Rats" was the first to be published...not as a book though...but as a graphic novel in a monthly Issue-per-Issue Graphic Magazine, Ice Cream Indie.

ROOK OF THE RATS - A page in the ISSUE 3.0 of Ice Cream Indie

So many changes were place in the Graphic Version.  I remembered writing Rook because I have a sympathy for street kids and how they are raised.  But the story is basically not a downer.  In fact, it's filled with freakish comedy about how a kid views the problems of life.  

This is how ROOK OF THE RATS started.  The first manuscripts are all written on paper along with some sketches of the story.

"The cries were to no avail as the queen of thieves used her true strength and pulled the kid away from a crying Nameless.  Rook stared at the dizzying height below - breathing hitched and nervously balancing on the tip of the cliff. "

This scene was also redrawn by my bestfriend, Jay who is the head artist of the BLOTS Team in ICI.  Despite the urge not to change the art style, an artist must face the fact that young readers nowadays prefer popular culture a.k.a. anime/manga style.  It is easier to the eyes, I admit.  The young generation nowadays love manga art and being new in the market, we need more that what we have.  In the future maybe...we'll introduce a more mature take on this story.  This story follows the life of Rook after all and no one stays YOUNG.

 

Prince Arisipides Orestes Dismas

The illustration here is one of the many sketches I did while writing the story.  I'm not much of a graphic illustrator really...  I hate my uncertain lines and adore Jay's precise with a mix of rough style.  The very notion of sketching for my own novel is audacity in my part mainly because I'm not patient with art.  I do a lot of detailing to the point that I lose interest almost immediately because my laziness in finishing the artwork overpowers my drive.  I have days when I prevail...but the uncertainty of that fact alone compels me to NEVER ILLUSTRATE my stories...  Well, at least not alone.      

Among all the written works, Rook seems to be an obsession.  Even for Jay...  The beauty of a street kid perhaps?  I have to confess, I've never once experienced begging for money...asking, yes...but BEGGING?  Begging is a very humbling experience.  Asking is a bit acceptable.  But begging is in a whole new level.  Begging is like throwing all your dignity for a penny...and THAT, my friends is a feat for most of us.  I can only imagine...  And this Imagination is one of the many drives that pushed me to write Rook of the Rats.   The very notion of scrapping the garbage for food is lunacy for me...not to say unhygienic.  But the world that Rook lived in is the very example of children that were left to fend for themselves and who's to tell them it's unhygienic?  

The other book that I wrote 6 years back...yes, it's older than Rook of the Rats is THE SILVER PRINCE.  We are planning to market it...publish it under the ICI Banner as one of the collections for the BLACK BOOK Edition.

  

First of all, it does not contain "H." Hahahhaah! Otakus know what that means.  It is rated for the fact that the story has bloody images and dark sides that I don't want younger kids to read about yet.

BLOODRIGHT is the prequel to the 30-chapter main book, THE SILVER PRINCE.  The prequel tells of "The Forging of the Silver Prince" in short, how Dierdre grew up.  Again, the story is parallel to Rook.  I often want the story to start from the very beginning of a character's life mainly because WE all are built up to be who we are now.  It's the same with stories...the characters evolve.

I don't know if the people in Bacolod would love to read this.  For the record, this is a risk that I'm willing to take.  I hope you guys didn't fall asleep reading this.   But this is my love affair...and I'm sharing it to all of those who wants to understand my daily musings...

For those who bought copies of our published works, thank you so much!  I am beyond happy about the news I heard a few days ago that people from different schools are buying them.  

Readers are the writer's strength and support.  Thank you.

Writing like a Madman,

katz :3

Who is Rook?

If you're not familiar with the name ROOK, chances are you've not read the latest addition in the I.C.I. manga issues.  OR!  If you're not familiar with ICI = Ice Cream Indie, Bacolod's Local Manga...then, you do not know ROOK.

So, who is ROOK?

Rook is the main character of the manga, ROOK OF THE RATS that debuted last month in the comic magazine, Ice Cream Indie Issue 2.5.  The story is basically set in a medieval era depicting the very reality of our present state in our country where there is a kingdom within a kingdom and unseen barriers everywhere...  For the most part, so far the story that was told was about Rook's childhood and how the child was able to overcome trials such as jumping from a very high point to escape danger.

After being adopted by this Guild called the Rats, Rook was dubbed as the most favored of the queen of thieves and did rebellious things to get attention or to plainly get money.  Issue 3.0 ended with the introduction of another important character, Arisipides Orestes Dismas, the Prince of Thieves.  

The story was originally written with the intention of publishing it as a BOOK and not as a graphic novel.  As you can see, these writings are the very start of what ROOK is all about. 

There were several revisions despite a lot of PONDERING because the audience, due to the change of medium...is younger now.  So even if the youngsters can call it normal, I won't take chances.  Graphic Media is a powerful thing.  I'm going to post some excerpts for the good of the people who read....and are more mature... 

"The streets of Lunetta are paved with them - bright, smiling stars happily trotting about.  Romancing your senses as they juggle, leap, make fun and, while they're at it...steal you pockets.  'Monsters!' One man shouted, running after his money pouch.  Oh no!  maybe at first sight they do look like little monsters...but no, they're kids - little boys like what you got at home.  The only difference is - they don't have homes..."

 

Several designs of Rook were made a couple of years back just to help with the image of the whole Old Kingdom.  But the team did not pursue it much in graphic.  The project is too detailed if one should go about the whole story.  But since we're actually publishing it as a graphic novel now, then...we are compelled to revise the script in the most convenient version for the readers to understand.

In the end, we came up with this.  The head artist, Jay Wong wanted to add a different vibe apart from the anime art we're used to.  We gave it a bit of a skinny treatment given that the characters are in a poverty-stricken community.  

The history of the kid, Rook is very complex.  Readers might find the first few issues a bit usual because pages are limited and that's how the issues move, but come the following issues you will find the story totally fresh and totally interesting.  

For those people who are waiting for the next issue.  Here's great news...  I'm already at Issue 5.0.  It means, it's up to Jay, Jo and Fu to finish the Issue 4.0.  AND!  Don't forget the other stories that are featured in ICI!!!  IN HER WORLD, WISHFUL THINKING, RISING UNDERGROUND, and ONE STEP CLOSER!!!  Thank you so much for supporting us!!!

Yours truly,   

katz :3

the SCOOP on Ice Cream Indie

Time sure flies...  Ice Cream Indie, after just being a part of the staff in a month or so, we are launching officially!!! We will be an Official Company!!!  And I will be an official Ice Cream...? Hhahahah! Despite the feellamagiiibies about all these fast-paced things slamming at me, I'm really happy that we will finally be pushing boundaries and start out an official local manga industry.  Sure, we're small...but all great things do start somewhere...and with a little nurturing, we'll see what the future holds... ^_^

Our Comic Mag Stand at KJ Fairmart.

For now, the future looks bright and I am not one to back out.  We will be launching this April 16, 2011 at Munsterific Inc, Ramos. The event features local performers, artists, bands, cosplayers and games that will surely give you one hell of a night.  Ice Cream Indie will do its best to absolutely entertain you. ^_^ If ya wanna be a sponsor, please do contact me...hahahahahah!  I'll be posting MORE, MORE, MANY MORE in the future. 


Truly,

Shin :3