Of Commercials and Numbers

Last night we watched the last full show of The Constant Gardener at Greenbelt. Before the trailers they showed the commercial of Sentricon, the anti-termite company. The print was obviously years old, for there were major scratches on the film; the soundtrack was scratchy as well. “Get their home before they get yours!” admonished the voice over of the commercial. Seeing that commercial I was reminded of the La Germania gas range commercials they showed for the longest time in moviehouses years ago. Specifically I remembered the one featuring an Italian chef. I’ve seen it so many times through the years that I’ve memorized the monologue:

As a chef I wear two hats, one at work where I deal with gourmets, and one at mi casa mia where I cook for my loved ones. In both places I have to do my best. (Then his son comes in and says, “Papa!” wherein he replies: “Si, I know.”) In both places I use La Germania. Because in both places, I have to be the best. And for you, Mama Mia, the best! (His wife teases him, “Salvatore!”) With my La Germania, no problema!

Gosh! Another advertiser who had their commercials shown in moviehouses for the longest time was Technogas, another gas range brand. A runner-up is McJim leather products.

* * * * *

On my way home after the movie I glanced at my speedometer and I noticed the total number of kilometers traveled so far by Orlando:
That’s 66,666 kms in 5 years. I thought, “Wow, I need to take a picture of this!” So I parked on the side of the road, whipped out my phonecam and took a shot. Then I noticed the time:
Double wow!

Can You Say “King Kong”?

You Are A: Monkey!

Monkeys are intelligent and agile, well-adapted for jungle life as they swing happily from tree to tree. As a monkey, you are a social animal who is quick to learn new things, loves to climb and is known to show off. A monkey's tiny primate features are irresistable, as is his gregarious personality!

You were almost a: Squirrel or a Frog
You are least like a: Puppy or a TurtleDiscover What Cute Animal You Are!

No wonder I love eating bananas (and going bananas too)!

The 5 Ps of Washing

The sign on a laundry shop near Sikatuna Village reads “Bullseye Laundry” and just beneath it in a smaller font, “a division of Bullseye Marketing.”

Wow. Now that’s what I call a spin-off company.

Water Therapy

I never liked getting a cold. It’s such a nuisance, an in-between sickness. You’re not sick enough to be bedridden—so you can still report for work—but you don’t feeling well either. Ugh. I’d rather be down for the count.

I’ve been nursing a bad cold since Sunday, the kind that refuses to bubble to the surface but insists on lurking somewhere down my throat. It’s really irritating—my throat is itchy and I could feel phlegm clinging and making me cough every so often.

What I usually do is not pop a cold pill—they only relieve the symptoms but they don’t cure the disease—but drink lots of water instead. I could finish two 1500ml bottled water in a day. Drown that fucker, I say! I don’t really know if it is effective—I just imagine my phlegm becoming more watery, thus less irritating. What I’m sure of is that I go to the bathroom a lot. Getting a cold really pisses me off, literally.

Monday

Gosh, I’m having withdrawal symptoms.

I caught a bad cold thanks to one of our cast members, so I stayed home today. After lunch I decided to watch Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, but didn’t have the patience to finish the movie. Switched to Y Tu Mama Tambien but ended up just watching the sex parts. (Yeah, I know, same director.) Was going to watch Apocalypse Now Redux but my head was aching by then. So what did I do? Started rereading Umberto Eco’s “Foucault’s Pendulum” which I last read in 1989, I think.

After dinner my feet were itching to step out of the house, so I drove over to Blue Wave and check out my long-untouched and un-updated Friendster account. Now I have this craving for KFC.

Wonder what my next play will be?

Final Bow

Thus ended the run of Bayan-Bayanan.

There were two special performances today (Sunday), 10am and 2pm. My alternate took the morning slot, while I closed in the afternoon. After taking our final bow, the whole cast and crew whooped and cheered.

Some tears were shed. Not me; I’ve been in too many plays to really be affected that way. Still, there was sadness in the end. Some days we hit it right, other days we were off our mark; still I could safely say that we all gave our best.

After the show most of us trooped to Shakey’s, each one hoping to stretch the time we have with one another. But one by one goodbyes were said, and we all headed home.

Right now I’m in an internet café; I just finished giving Orlando a much-needed foam bath after weeks of neglect. Starting tomorrow I’m back to my daily morning ritual at the gym, a ritual I put on hold for the past month now. Starting tomorrow I don’t have any reason to leave the office early.

Starting tomorrow it’ll be back to regular programming.

Funny how this play took a big chunk off my life, and yet I’m treating it as if it happened alongside what I consider as my “regular life.” Ha.

No, it shouldn’t be. In fact, some of us alumni in the cast were saying to one another, “We need something like this at least once a year, or else we’d go nuts in our jobs.” Gosh, how sad. Why can’t we make this our day jobs instead? That way, we don’t need to go nuts.

Anyway, that’s fodder for further mulling. For now, it’s curtains for Bayan-Bayanan. I promised myself I’ll write a “thank you” episode, addressed to the cast and crew. Maybe it’ll be shown here in The McVie Show, maybe I’ll just limit it to our egroup mailing list.

To those who watched, my heartfelt thanks.

Bow.

“I’m Dedma, And This Is My Sigil”

From The Personification of the Eighth of the Endless

Please don’t feel bad if at times I refuse to be tagged. Sometimes that which you tagged me with is interesting enough; sometimes it isn’t. Sometimes I have time to do the list; sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I have nothing better to post; sometimes I do. I can be very dedma, even with text messages that are religious sayings or inane jokes. It’s your choice, it’s your load, and it’s your loss. I just choose to ignore them.

It’s really not you, it’s me.

Ha.

Neuro Sis

Now I know why actors are considered a neurotic lot.

This is the last weekend of Bayan-Bayanan, and while the audience feedback has mostly been favorable, I’m still not sure just how I’m doing, acting-wise. Consider this: most people I know (mostly TA alumni who’ve bothered to take time out and watch the play) who’ve seen the play would go backstage and congratulate the cast. When they reach me, they’d either say “You really looked sick onstage” (my character falls ill by the second act) or say nothing at all. What gives? I’ve had two friends—fellow cast members—who’ve seen my performance during the run and told me that I “nailed it.” Okay. I guess that should be enough, but really it’s not. They say acting is all about reacting. I say acting is really 60% reaction and 40% insecure paranoia.

Still it has been one hell of a journey, a journey I wouldn’t mind getting paranoid all over again. Will I consider doing it as a living? Hmmm, tempting, tempting.

A Marvelous Read

Just finished reading Neil Gaiman’s Marvel 1602, the graphic novel wherein he re-envisions several major Marvel characters and situates them in England, 1602. It’s a fascinating piece of entwining both the fictional Marvel universe and the real universe—or at least real figures from our history. To really appreciate what Gaiman did one needs a bit of familiarity with the Marvel characters. That is both the strength and the weakness of the book. Without extensive knowledge of Marvel lore, the juxtaposition may come off as but a curious exercise. But those in the know can have the satisfaction of being “in on the joke,” so to speak. And what interesting juxtapositions Gaiman created! Capt. America as an American Indian, Dr. Strange as Queen Elizabeth’s court magician, Magneto as the Grand Inquisitor: there is giddy joy in discovering their re-imagined characters. Marvel 1602 will not gain new Gaiman fans, but will certainly cement his reputation with the faithful as an inventive writer who can infuse new life into modern legends. Truly, to paraphrase The Watcher, this book is indeed full of heroes and marvels.

The Bitch Is Back

And the waiting of her faithful nears its end.

It is said that the first single from the album is entitled “Hung Up” which contains a sample of “Gimme, Gimme, Gimme (A Man After Midnight)” by ABBA. I am giddy with anticipation.

Big Brother Is Watching

Nope, not the one where the new housemate is the male lead talent in the current Close-Up TV commercial, the one where housemate Chx French-kissed for a looong time while sitting on his lap, the one where two girls had a torrid kiss while in the pool.

No, I’m talking about our office IT.

First they blocked out Friendster. Next they blocked all the known proxy sites available. Now they’ve also blocked Connexion. Hmmm, methinks there are too many gays in the company that’s been logging on to that site, enough for our IT guard dogs to take notice.

Jeez.

So far Downelink is still standing, but I don’t know for how long. Funny, the only one that’s left is the one I use the least.

Still, I should be thankful I’m using super-fast broadband connection freakin’ free of charge. It was a cinch to download the “I support Cedric Diggory” wallpaper from the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire website. Cedric is cute, but I believe Viktor Krum will give him a run for the, er, Snitch. And don’t forget the delectable Daniel Radcliff—Harry’s all grown up. Between the three? Why not! I swear those kids will make Michael Jacksons of us all.

In Showbiz News

While I was in Galleria on my way to the cinemas, I saw people in the restaurants craning their heads. In my years of experience in showbiz, I knew it meant one thing: a celebrity was in our midst. Sure enough, I saw not one but two of them. They were walking arm in arm, trying to look inconspicuous yet obviously aware that they were being watched by all.

Mo Twister and Donita Rose.

Wow, how oh so very 90s.

They passed within inches from me. I bit down the urge to say, “Has beens.” In fairness to Donita she’s been able to reinvent herself into an Asian VJ. But after getting married, she obviously prefers a more sedate private life than a very showbiz one. But Mo Twister? After stealing Janet McBride away from local showbiz and hiding in the States, he’s back in the country after a very public split—thanks to The Buzz—and it looks like he’s trying to revive his stalled career. What career? The previous night he was on television, in a song number within the Search for the Next Close-Up Couple Grand Finals. He was rapping alongside several female singers (the likes of Bituwin Escalante). You know, the kind of rapping Carlos Agassi does so badly his career is practically defined by it. Mo even had the chutzpa to dance and groove when he obviously has no rhythm. It was excruciating to watch.

Donita, I would rather see you arm in arm with Mike Casem, heck, even Casey Kasem. But that’s just moi.

* * * * *

For the upcoming Advertising Congress this year, I hereby nominate the TVC for Best Foods Spread with Vhong Navarro singing as the Most Embarrassing Use of a Celebrity Endorser Ever. What is puzzling is why Vhong accepted the gig. He obviously doesn’t need the money—he has several projects on-going. The TVC succeeds in making the product memorable, but in a really bad way. Talk about an assault on the senses: the jingle grates the ears, the art direction hurts the eyes, and the whole TVC is an excellent example of bad taste.

* * * * *

Uma of Big Brother is becoming quite popular among both gays and girls alike. His popularity is interesting in the light of the fact that he’s never declared himself to be straight, gay or bisexual. That makes him “available” to girls and gays. Hmmm… methinks bisexuality is out. Make way for ambiguousexuality.

Post-Gala Night

(singing ala-La Aunor) Tonight, I gave the greatest performance of my life… (stops)

And out of all those I personally invited, only three came to witness it. To them I say, Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Two cancelled on the day itself. One didn’t even bother to send regrets; I only found out after the play. I should have just invited my family—at least I’m so sure they would watch.

Oh well.

At first it was easy for me to be understanding and just let it go. But during the cocktails after the gala night performance, when I saw how the other cast members were surrounded by their guests, that’s when the disappointment hit me—not hard, mind you, but nagging just the same. All that effort and none of you got to see it. Then again, every audience member who watches any of my performances deserves that kind of effort, so I suppose none of it is wasted really. It’s just that I never really mentioned here how much of an effort and how important this role was for me because I was planning to talk about it only after the play’s run (it didn’t seem appropriate to discuss it at length while the process was still on-going). Then again, I suppose what’s important for me isn’t really important to others. I guess I should just appreciate the stuff that I do and not expect the same appreciation from others.

There I’ve said it! Got that fucker out of the way.

Anyway, to blunt the disappointment I decided to have dinner first with some alumni then drink and dance the night away. Dinner was a sedate affair at Katips. After that some of us trouped to Centro in Libis to join the rest of the cast and crew to celebrate the birthday of one of the cast members. Centro is located on the second floor with a private area on the third floor which we had all to ourselves. There we danced and drank and boy did I drink. Our lighting designer ordered a whole bottle of Jim Beam and between the two of us we finished almost four-fifths of the bottle (I don’t know where the rest went). Pretty soon we were dancing on top of the unused bar on the third floor. There were two cages positioned on the third floor overlooking the dance area on the second floor and soon some of the girls were gyrating wildly in them. However, when I and another guy took over the cages, a staff member politely asked us to leave. “Only women are allowed in the cages,” they explained. Because they were polite we complied, but afterwards we were all fuming: “How discriminatory! How pa-straight naman itong lugar na ‘to! Pakshet!” So we contented ourselves with dancing on the bar.

After dancing almost non-stop for close to an hour, I sat down and assessed the damage. My right middle finger was swollen; I think I clapped just a little too hard and too carelessly to Will Smith’s “Switch”. And my neck was tired from giving all that head—banging and bobbing, that is. Still, it was surprising how much I was able to last long that night. I had two shows that Saturday (2 and 7pm), and by dinner my eyes were drooping. I guess music and whiskey can equal the effects of several bottles of Red Bull.

Driving home was a blur, but tipsy as I was I was still very much aware of driving carefully and within safe speed limits. My mind is like that—when all else fails, my mind takes over.

Sunday found me with a slight hang-over (which immediately disappeared after eating lunch) and a nagging neck ache that was just painfully short of a full-blown stiff neck. That made driving after lunch a bit of a chore because it was painful to look to the right when turning. I decided to spend quality time with my most reliable companion, myself, and catch up on movies (I put movie-going on hold during the whole rehearsal period). I first watched this French film in Galleria, Wild Side. It was billed in the poster as “a wickedly seductive gay love story”. After watching it I felt like tearing down all the posters around the area; it was neither wicked nor seductive. Well, I must admit I got a hard-on twice while watching two very explicit sex scenes, but that’s only because I’ve placed my sex life on hold too during rehearsals. Disappointed, I went into The Brothers Grimm expecting to be disappointed further (after reading all the lukewarm reviews). Surprisingly, I allowed myself to be amused by this film—I could see that the critics were right in saying the film takes on too much for its own good, making it a scattershot mess, but knowing that coming in I was ready to enjoy the little joys that director Terry Gilliam managed to pull off.

Sigh. I guess that’s the way life goes, eh? One must always expect disappointment so one can enjoy the little joys life throws one’s way.

* * * * *

By the way, TA Marketing was able to book more shows for “Bayan-Bayanan” for the third week, so the cast had to rework the performance assignments given the additional shows. So the schedule I posted before doesn’t hold true now.

Brokeback (And A Look Back)

I just saw the trailer of Ang Lee’s latest movie, Brokeback Mountain. It’s about two cowboys, played by eye-candies Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger, who meet and fall in love while working at a Wyoming ranch.

Oh. My. God.

Okay, never mind that the two actors are so gorgeous to look at, you can be forgiven for not noticing the breathtaking Wyoming landscape in the background. What got me was how manly Ang Lee treated the love between two men. It looked and felt like a love between two men, not between two girly men (the un-PC term would be “faggots”—hwek, hwek, hwek). But seriously, it brought back memories of my early fantasies back when I was barely into my teens.

At first I fantasized falling for all these hunky men (usually TV characters). Then we met our neighbor, Nes. He was several years older than me and my brother, and it showed in his body—his chest was full of hair, he was muscular in a natural way (as opposed to a gym-toned body), and he smelled all-man. He also preferred to go around their house shirtless. I remember getting jealous because Nes clicked more with my older brother than with me. They bonded on basketball, toy soldiers and the guitar; I contented myself with playing third wheel. When Nes entered high school I saw less and less of him and focused on my classmates instead. Whenever we’d finish intramurals and we’d all be dressing up in the classroom, I reveled in the sights and smells of sweaty straights stripping down. I fantasized about making the ones I fancied fall for me.

Jeez. No wonder for the longest time I was a straight-chaser.

Nowadays I know better than to fall for straight guys. Sure, I can love them as friends. But no way will I make any effort to turn one to “the dark side of the Force” (that’s what my straight friends call “turning gay”). Still a movie like Brokeback Mountain may just make me want to revisit my childhood fantasies one more time.

Must! Watch! Movie!

Gala Night This Saturday

Good news! For those who want to watch the play “Bayan-Bayanan” but don’t want to pay 150 pesos for the ticket, you now have a chance to watch it for free. The Saturday, Sept. 17, 7pm show is our gala night. No tickets will be sold for that show; it will be by invitation only. Well, I’m inviting all of you who want to watch. You’ll be my guests.

BUT, BUT, BUT. I will require you to please tell me in advance if you are watching. Best if you tell me on or before Friday. That way we can gauge the number of guests for that night.

After The First Weekend Run

So how was our first weekend run? Great! Except for the late entrance by an actor in our opening night, there was no major faux pas in the succeeding shows. I only had two shows, Thursday evening and Saturday evening, so I had ample rest time in between the shows. This week will be more physically demanding because I have two shows back-to-back on Saturday. Still, I have several hours of rest in between shows, so I hope that’ll be enough.

Saturday evening after the show I decided to join the kids in their version of their gimmick—dinner at Fazoli’s in Libis. There we the alumni had fun teasing two of the kids. You see, a week ago one of them finally admitted to the group that he was bisexual; furthermore, he also admitted he had a crush on one of the guys in the cast. So when they were seated beside each other during dinner, we had a ball asking them questions like “So what do you like about each other?” and “Will you give each other a chance?” Very college kids level type of past time, matchmaking via public humiliation.

Afterwards we left the kids and attended a birthday party in Tia Maria’s in Tomas Morato. The birthday celebrant was the former boyfriend of one of our cast members (she didn’t attend the party) who was still smarting over the break-up. He obviously wasn’t over her, and it was very clear to all of us there that night that he still has a long way to go before he can let go of her. We stayed with him until around past two, when he was already too drunk to keep his head up. After we helped him home, I decided to go home and rest.

I had planned to go to either F or Club Bath after the Saturday evening performance because I’ve put my sex life on hold the whole time we were in rehearsals. But that Saturday evening turned out to be one great weekender for me. A good onstage performance followed by teenage matchmaking and ended up with helping someone let go.

Sunday was a very domestic one. Most of the day was spent playing with my niece Naya, who’s getting more and more used to me. And in the evening I attended a small birthday celebration for our director at his house in Cainta, 10 minutes from our house. There we played with his two kids (one 6, the other one-and-a-half years old) and discussed future plays. Gosh, I really missed the stage.

But I also realized that theater is very demanding—one needs to devote a lot of time and discipline. Theater is a jealous lover. I was lucky my boss allowed me to join this play; next time I might not be so fortunate. Still, I’m very thankful for this opportunity. Years ago I left advertising because I wanted to “scratch my theater itch” and devoted almost a year doing nothing but theater. I experienced the best provincial tour of my life (bringing “Ang Kambal” to Iloilo and Roxas City) and helped in the music and sound design for “Makbet”, but I also ended up with close to four thousand pesos in debt. Ugh. Some of my happiest memories are the ones made during that time, but what a cost. I was so foolish then. One day I’ll find a happy balance doing what I like most and yet still earn enough to live in relative comfort. Until then, this will do.

Heck. I still have The McVie Show after “Bayan-Bayanan.”

Opening Night

At last we opened! By all accounts I should have been a nervous wreck last night. After all, my last opening night was more than two years ago. Plus the last time I did a play that required naturalistic acting (as opposed to, say, stylized or affected acting) was in 1987. Added to that was the god-awful rehearsal we had last Friday, when our director stopped the play and gave us all a tongue-lashing. But maybe it was the berating we got that made me determined to prove my director wrong. Maybe it was the acting challenge that got me fired up. Maybe it was the special Bayan-Bayanan mix in my iPod (I gathered all these somber mood music) which strangely made me relaxed instead of hyper. Whatever it was it worked. My performance last night wasn’t the best—I had a great run a few rehearsals earlier, when I felt that I nailed it close to perfect—but it wasn’t bad either. At the very least my performance impressed the non-discerning viewers in the audience.

Better yet, the reaction of the jam-packed audience was rapturous, despite some glitches. The worst that happened last night was one of the actors forgot he was needed in the next scene, so he was backstage changing pants when the cue for his entrance came on. In less than 10 seconds he was able to get into his pants, put on his shoes, slip on his jacket and enter stage right. But those were the longest few seconds for all of us, especially for the stage manager.

After our curtain call, all of us in the cast and crew simultaneously burst into hugging and screaming in the dressing room. It was quite a euphoric feeling, to be able to get through the whole play with everyone pulling off a generally good job.

The play, if done well, is a very moving piece despite its somber tone. It is something one rarely sees nowadays—no major histrionics, no big emotional outbursts or scenes. Thank god we were able to pull off the delicate balancing act needed by this play. Of course I’m just repeating the feedback given by our crew who saw the whole performance; I have yet to see the play in full. Today I’ll watch my alternate so I can also have an idea what the play’s impact is on the audience.

Funny thing is after opening night, I felt that my happy Bayan-Bayanan days are slowly drawing to a close. Given the situation in my workplace, it may be quite some time before I step onstage again. I might as well make the most and enjoy the rest of the ride.

Broke a leg* last night and it felt good.

* Break a leg – The superstitious belief is that telling an actor “good luck” actually tempts Fate to do the opposite. So in the theatrical equivalent of reverse psychology, actors would wish one another to “break a leg” to ensure that nothing bad happens to their performance.

McPromo

Want a Jericho Rosales screensaver? Email me and I’ll send you the file. Photo courtesy of David Fabros, the guy who took my stylish (stylish daw o!) pics.

Wha-pak!

They said they wanted to know the truth but done through peaceful, democratic and legal means. So they went through peaceful, democratic and legal means. But using her political wiles, PGMA and her supporters were able to block the impeachment—in a democratic, legal way.

Now the truth is out: they just want PGMA out. They don’t want the truth about jueteng or the Garci tapes—they have already judged her guilty. Their reasons for wanting her out are as varied as the composition of their coalition. But whether their reasons are noble, selfish, or vindictive, one thing is obvious. We don’t really respect the institutions we have. People only call upon them when they know that these institutions will support their causes. The moment the ruling of a court of justice or Congress doesn’t favor them, they disrespect the process by going to the streets, crying that our institutions are weak and flawed.

The strength or weakness of our institutions depends on us. Are we that kind of people, incapable of upholding our institutions?

Gosh, that wasn’t funny or entertaining at all.

I did get a kick out of the headline of People’s Journal, though. I never thought I would see that word used as a headline, in a tabloid at that. That word ranks way up there, along with “panache,” “pizzazz,” and “razzmatazz.”

Commercial Break

Wait, is that a not-to-be-missed blog? Yes folks, this is highly civilized hilarity if you’re a fan of both Martha Stewart and the Bel Ami boys.

Click on the link and enjoy.

A Big (Wind) Blow

On the one hand I feel it inappropriate. On the other hand I feel a certain sense of reverse superiority upon hearing the difficulties that the U.S. government and the people in Katrina-stricken states are experiencing. Hearing them Americans whine made me realize how spoiled these people are—they’re so used to living in first-world comfort, they’ve become paralyzed when the hurricane struck. Unlike us Filipinos in our ratty third-world country, we’ve become so resilient in the face of typhoons, earthquakes, Pinatubo eruptions, and a progression of presidential pull-me-downs via people power.

It’s weird to feel proud that we Filipinos are masters at making do and bouncing back from hell. Can’t we experience heaven—or at least a decently working government—for once?

P.S. – Predictably al Qaeda released a statement saying Hurricane Katrina is the “wrath of God”. Yeah right, and the Asian tsunami was Allah’s first-strike against predominantly Muslim Asian countries.

Announcement

For those interested in watching, here are the details:

Tanghalang Ateneo presents

BAYAN-BAYANAN
Written by Bienvenido Noriega, Jr.
Directed by Ronan Capinding

Venue is at the Rizal Mini-Theater
Ateneo de Manila College of Arts & Sciences
Katipunan, QC

Tickets are at Php150. Please support Philippine theater.

I will be performing in the following play dates:
Thursday, Sept. 8, 7pm
Saturday, Sept. 10, 7pm
Thursday, Sept. 15, 7pm
Saturday, Sept. 17, 2pm & 7pm
Thursday, Sept. 22, 7pm
Saturday, Sept. 24, 2pm
(My alternate will perform on the Wednesday and Friday shows.)

Because it’s free-seating, I suggest you come early, as in 30 minutes early. Please advise me in advance when you’ll be watching so that I can inform the front of house that I have guests. They will let you in first, so you have a better choice of seats. The theater isn’t the most ideal of venues (chalk it up to the Jesuits scrimping on the budget during construction), so if you come in late you’ll end up watching from the back, and the acoustics and sightlines aren’t that good. You have been warned.

Enjoy the show.

Signs

While driving to work yesterday morning, I saw the message on the mudguard of the truck in front of me: Walang matinong kumpare sa alembong na kumare. On my way to rehearsals later in the afternoon, I spotted this new photocopying shop in UP Village: Pakopya Ni Edgar.

Ah, the Pinoy humor! I remember back when I was still working in an advertising agency, two of our female officemates decided to put up a tailoring business, and they asked us copywriters to come up with name studies for their shop. My favorite was I Sew Design because it came with a built-in jingle, thanks to Ace Of Base.

Times like these we need all the laughter and joy we can get.