Jerri's GONE! I can't believe it! Annoying as she was, I'm gonna miss her. Although she was really bad to Kel, I think she wasn't really as bad as she was made out to be. I actually liked her when she and Colby went beach walking and swimming. And by the end, I really felt sorry that she's gone.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, it's just as well. Take it as you read it.

I still haven't worked the past few days, still recuperating from that damned flu. The first thing I'll do is finish that Galactus drawing, do one more Dr. Who drawing (and this time I get to actually draw the doctor!), and finally start Ochlocrat. I'm inking more of Leinil's stuff soon so I gotta do everything I need to do. Can't be lazy.

Gad, I feel so bad. Damned flu. You're thinking I may be better off in bed but damn, I've been on that bed for so long today that my head hurts. Watched Mir crash and burn on TV (what a stunning sight). Nothing better to do, I started watching Survivor 2: Australian Outback. I can't believe I like it. Read Essential Thor. My eyes hurt. Coughed. Sniffed. Sweat. Slept. Checked mail. Talked to my doggie. Called Ilyn. Told me to go to bed and turn off the TV. 'kay.

I could never be a lawyer. I could never be a debater. It's for this reason that I'm slowly shying away from arguing with people on the net via mailing lists and message boards. I guess I'm too emotional. I can never look at anything quite so subjectively. Emotion is always involved and more often than I want to, I find myself blowing up and regretting the manner which I said it later on.

I got the FLU!! Again!! Darn it! Inspite of that, I'm still working on a Galactus drawing commissioned by a friend of mine, although I'm not drawing it as fast as I normally would. I've long wanted to do Galactus so I'm quite excited about it....

I saw Flowers for Algernon on HBO earlier today. It stars Matthew Modine as Charlie Gordon, a retardate who is treated to an experimental operation which hopes to make him smarter. The operation was a success. Too much of a success when it makes him a certified genius. I really liked it. I was crying by the end. This story made me sad when I first read it years ago. Yes, the movie is an adaptation of a 1959 Hugo Award winning short story by Daniel Keyes, but I believe this movie to be an adaptation of an earlier movie.

Hmm. It seems I'm getting transparent with my likes and dislikes. Yes, I'm a hopeless romantic and I like movies like this. So sue me.:)

I saw a French Film today on TV5. I was able to understand it because it had english subtitles. I've gotten sick lately of American movies and with Seven Samurai fresh in mind, I've got a craving now for non-Hollywood movies. I wasn't able to catch the title of the french movie. Actually, I got hooked onto watching it only because the lead actress was very pretty. Not Miss Universe beautiful, but the kind of pretty that you fall head over hells in love with. And the story was just the stuff of sappy tragic love stories. Girl has heart condition. Girl falls in love with guy. Guy dies and without Girl knowing, she gets Guy's heart. Still, watching it really moved me for some reason.

Leinil lent me copy of his Time Bandits DVD. Awesome!! Terry Gilliam rules!

Current comics faves see me returning to old favorites Barry Smith and David Mazzucchelli. Barry Smith's Conan: Red Nails still knock the socks off me every time I see it. Each page of my copy is so mangled from intense studying. This was the stuff I was looking at a long time ago when I was starting out. Looking back at my art samples back then I see a vitality that seems to be lacking in my work now. Jonas, a friend of mine, commented that the difference was probably due to the fact that I used quills more frequently back then. Aside from that, I let my instincts draw for me then unlike the studied methodical approach that I do now. It looks like I'm back to school.

WOLVERINE

Check out this page on EBAY! These are 2 of the pages from Wolverine #125 that I had inked. I'm not the one selling it though. In fact, I don't even remember getting a share of the original art from this particular issue. If I remember correctly, I think I inked 10 pages from this issue and I didn't get a single page back. Oh well. I'm just showing it here because these are a couple of pages that I actually liked after I had inked them.

SEVEN SAMURAI 2

Ha!! I got to get the Seven Samurai Criterion DVD after all. Whoo hoo! Fedex just delivered it to my front door. It turns out that the guy who outbid me at the auction backed out and the next highest bid (who was me) got it instead.

Happy boy. Happy boy.

I just finished inking several Xmen pages. I wish I could show it here, but I can't. Check it out when it comes out in Xmen 113.

WASTED was in a little article in the Philippine Star today. I don't remember exact details about it because I stupidly left the newspaper at Leinil's place earlier today when I went there to pick up some new Xmen pages. I think it's in the newspaper's Tech section. The article is about Wasted, and how it has also found it's way into the Internet via the Alamat site.

SEVEN SAMURAI

Damn! I could almost smell it. I could almost feel it with my fingers. A new unopened copy of Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai Criterion Edition DVD. It retails for around 35 dollars in the states and I had a chance to own one after I made the highest bid for a copy at eAuctions.ph. The bid started out at 1,100 pesos which was insanely inexpensive (relatively). I had bid 1500 for it which was beaten by a bid by a friend of mine, Raymond. I then bid 2000 for it which stayed that way for a couple of days. Then someone came in at the last minute and bid 2600, and he won it. Man, I was so disappointed. I could have fought for it and bid higher. In fact, I was on the bidding page with 2 minutes to go. I could have won it, but as much as I love this movie, I won't pay that much for it, specially since I could get it for less ordering it from Amazon.

I guess I'm nevertheless happy with the DVD that I had actually won, a copy of the 2 Disc Special Edition Highlander: Endgame DVD. Not exactly a movie in the order of Seven Samurai, but I'm a fan of Highlander so I guess that's OK.

It's official! I've finally gotten my hands on actual Xmen pages to ink! XMEN!! Whoo hoooo!! It's only a few pages but damn, it's just so cool.

Leinil handed me some pages today. I've only a short time to finish them so I guess the next few nights I will go sleepless, but I will no doubt be too ecstatic to care.

Filipino Comic Book Artist of The Month

I'm launching a new section on my site today! In an effort to help preserve the legacy of classic Filipino comic book artists, I'll be spotlighting a particular artist every month with a sample of their best work. This month it's Nestor Maglapo, who worked with Carlo J. Caparas on Urbano, and with Mars Ravelo on Wanted : Perfect Mother. Go the page here.

WARDOG

This is a drawing I just finished. It's supposed to be for a Dr. Who benefit book. I had wanted to draw the Dr. himself (and I still could, I think), but it was neverthess fun drawing this supporting character called Wardog.

That's ME, about to break GRINGO's neck.

ATTN: Sen. Gregorio Honasan

Guess who's here in San Pablo today? I went out this afternoon to settle my Internet bills and went to buy some snacks for visitors at home. And just as I was about to cross our main road and bam! A vehicle with a huge HONASAN written on the side passed me by. I looked up and if it wasn't ol' Gringo himself waving like an idiot, red faced and fat. I swear my blood pressure shot up like a rocket in just a few seconds. Campaigning here in San Pablo huh? You want to be a senator again, huh? IDIOT. You don't GET a second chance. Moron. You'd think I'd forget how you prevented the truth from coming out? And how you, yellow bellied looking like a smacked wet puppy, tried to win back favor by turning but were beat back by an angry mass of Filipinos? Don't you fucking dare smile and wave your hand in front of ME wanting to shake my hand. You're disgusting. Get away from me. You're hideous. You're despicable. I hate you.

And if it hasn't been obvious yet. I will not be voting for you.

I got back from Alabang today. As usual, going there was a pain. Two weeks ago, it was that damned fiesta. Last week it was a vehicle bang up that caused mostrous traffic, and today, the damned bus had a flat tire. It's a conspiracy, I tell you.

I did something today that could probably change my life, but I'm hoping it doesn't. I'd rather not say what it is, but it would certainly solve a lot of the problems I've encountered during the past several weeks.

I saw Miss Congeniality today with my GF Ilyn. It was very entertaining! I found myself laughing out loud several times throughout the movie. All I can say is that Michael Caine is really brilliant. And it's always hilarious seeing William Shatner in ANY role.

I'm drawing Wardog right now of the Special Executive, a character from the Dr. Who mythos. It's great fun. I'll post it here once I'm done. Can't continue it tonight though. Real tired!

It looks like the unfortunate incident earlier today hits closer to home than I realized. Yes, it was indeed a holdup, a guard was shot, and in the process of escaping, the holduppers lobbed a grenade to anyone who may be pursuing. No one was killed in the grenade blast, thankfully enough, but it did injure scores of people, one of whom was my cousin. My cousin works as a security guard at a nearby bank and he was hit by shrapnel as he was guiding a car out of the bank parking lot. He's allright though, and was able to return to work soon after. FUCK! Damn them all. I hope they choke on that money. I hope snakes bite them in their sleep. I hope they die miserably and slowly.

Went out today to buy food for my dog and encountered a crime scene in town. A hold up of a local pawnshop led to the death of a guard after a shootout. The news was on everybody's lips and I heard all kinds of versions. One said that it was the local drug store that was robbed, and that it was the Abu Sayyaf who did it. Crazy really. Why would a Moslem rebel group rob a drug store. It doesn't make sense. It's a hold up, perpetrated by common criminals. I suppose the news would shock townspeople here. San Pablo isn't really a small town, but nothing much really happens here. This hold up is big news.

When I passed by the crime scene, the body was already gone but I could still see some blood near the entrance. A lot of people were still milling around.

Jeez. It's kinda depressing, knowing that just a few hours ago this person was still alive, thinking of what to bring home tonight for his family's dinner, catching up with what's on TV. And now he's dead. I can't bear to think of what his family is going through now.

CITY OF LIGHT

Check out the poster/cover/promo whatever for City Of Light:


Click on the link below to go to this comic's official page.
City of Light

Just got back from Alabang. Yes, there was a horrendous traffic again going there. Boy, you'd think people actually wake up in the morning thinking, "Hell, I'll be stupid today and cause a HUGE traffic so it will annoy Gerry. he.he." Lots of things happened, but I'd rather just let the story last Saturday stand. It's tiring just thinking about it. I think I'll go to sleep now.

Now it's cold...and rainy to boot! Weather's gone crazy! I have to go out again today. Hopefully there's no traffic in my way or else I'm gonna freak. I finally finished Antony Johnston's City Of Light for Unbound Comics. I'll be working next on several illustrations for a Dr. Who benefit book. Can't wait to start on it. I actually haven't seen a single Dr. Who episode on TV, but I did enjoy the comics. I hope to finish it by next week and start on January again.

I saw Ravenous last night on Star Movies. What a crazy movie. When it began you can't tell if it was a comedy or not. I wasn't sure if I wanted to watch it, but it had Jeffrey Jones, who I find hilarious, and it also had one of my favorite actors, Robert Carlyle. And man, Robert didn't disappoint me. He was terrific in this movie! He was able to look pathetically crazy, and terrifyingly menacing and diabolical.