Sorry for the lack of updates the past week. Work has been pretty hectic recently, and my life has been boring so far anyway. I only have a couple of links that are a few days old that maybe you guys may still be interested in anyway.

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Roberta Silman may cause Alice Hoffman to go on a Twitter rampage, but apparently Hoffman can induce other authors to go into a gun shooting frenzy.

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Over the past few weeks I've found myself slowly but surely becoming an AI Season 8 fanboy. I blame the Kradam, which, coincidentally, is being called a model for gay-straight relations.

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NYC Prep looks horrifyingly awesome. I kinda want to watch it now.

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This is cute: Gay geeks who play Dungeons and Dragons. I love how under the table action in this context literally means under the table action.

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This, on the other hand, is not cute: paleontologists brought to tears, laughter by Creation Museum.

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Finally, have a cat catching a bat.

My first ever LJ post was titled, quite unfortunately, "my first time :)"

Yes, the smiley was included.

It was Pride last Sunday, and if you guys checked out our 60 Minutes interview with Danton Remoto you would have been treated to a hilarious three-page interview. Zingers left and right with that guy.

Other publications also came out with gay-themed articles, which for some reason almost always seemed to focus on the gay sex worker. There's this article on gay go-go boy Max Steele on The Awl and one on rent boys over at the Village Voice.

I like the rent boy piece more than the Max Steele one. And, good gravy, those rent boys sure charge A LOT. $2800?

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the_bumper_car also notified me about Shatterstar being outed in X-Force #45. While that's great and all, I did feel my age a little -- the illustrations now are so different from the ones I had gotten used to a long time ago.

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Lastly, Bill Nighy has been cast in Deathly Hollows.

Anyone who's done any sort of writing and had their work edited knows that criticism is part and parcel of that whole process. And while there is technically no "editor" that governs the millions of blog posts that go up everyday on the World Wide Web, the millions of snarky and obnoxious commenters that will get on your case will surely teach you a thing or two about being criticized and scrutinized.

If you're a journalist or a blogger, you get used to being corrected. It's not fun the first time it gets done, but through the years, you get to develop a hard skin and learn to take what you can from the criticism you receive.

You'd think novelists who've had several books published would know this lesson best, but apparently Alice Hoffman didn't get the memo. In a series of Tweets that Gawker managed to cap before Hoffman's Twitter went bye-bye, you see the author not just be a whiny bitch about a lukewarm review, but actually ask her fans to attack the reviewer, Roberta Silman, online and on the phone.

I've never read an Alice Hoffman novel before, but now I'm interested. Is she any good?

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Here's another writer who's just as insufferable. Plum Sykes, author of Bergdorf Blondes, lives a life of back pain and suffering, at least according to her. Most of us who are cubicle drones strapped forever to a computer know how this feels, and what we usually do is stand up and stretch and hope that we don't end up looking like Quasimodo at the tail end of our lives.

This is what Plum does. To quote the writer from Jezebel: Thanks Plum!

I know that in this entry I talk about my decision to not just pack up and leave this country for greener pastures, but the past few weeks have been really working on that resolve. As more and more days pass, the feeling that I have to leave this country if I want to go anywhere in life is becoming stronger and stronger.

I don't exactly know what brought it on. Sure, there has been a bit of drama at work, but everything's worked itself out and we're kinda back to normal already. But now there's just this feeling over there of...hopelessness. For me, it feels like I'm working hard on a ship that is very quickly sinking.

I'd leave, but it's not like finding a new job is easy, especially in today's times. And I don't want to take the same risk a friend of mine did, who just went to Madrid without a proper job in place already. If I'm ever going to leave the job I'm in right now I better have a new one waiting for me already.

I've also been looking desperately for anyone to give me a good reason as to why I should remain in this country. My family and friends all seem to agree that there's nothing to be had here, and I'm just waiting for that one lone person to give me something that will override everything that I'm feeling right now.

So I don't know if any of my followers on Twitter (@tristantrakand) noticed, but a couple of days ago American Idol's Danny Gokey was the object of the wrath of both ohnotheydidnt and ontd_ai. A lot of the bile stems from this post.

Y'all probably all know where I stand on this. I guess the best lesson that should be learned from something like this is the same thing that Tracy Isabel Borres learned after her immersion with the Aetas: Nothing you ever put on the Internet is EVER private. If you're going to say something bad about someone, make sure you can live with the response, whatever it is.

And the response to this was particularly widespread. It even found itself in mainstream media outlets like Movieline and MTV.

So just remember kiddies: If you're not ready for the backlash...keep your mouth shut!

There's been a change in my life recently. Nothing mind blowing, just a few minor details in my admittedly boring life, but it has got me all aflutter. It has been surprisingly easy to adjust to it, and I must say that all the hand-wringing I was doing beforehand was just me being paranoid.

My sister is adjusting to changes, too. As I giddily announced some blog posts ago, she is now a high school freshman, and so far it's been a drama-free transition for her as well. Her first two days in school actually went very well -- she made a lot of new friends -- and while there were declarations of "I'M GONNA DIEEEE!!!" when her classes actually started, she didn't mean them literally. I think.

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Gizmodo reviews the new iPhone 3GS. I dunno. If the best thing about it is that it's faster...is it really worth all that dough?

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Same sex relationships play an important role in evolution. I hate to be childish about this, but I could not get over the paragraph where they say that male dolphins insert their penis in other male dolphins' blowholes. Wouldn't that hurt? Won't they suffocate?

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Ever fantasized about disrobing a tennis player? Then check this out.

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Jamie Dornan and Eva Mendes model for Calvin Klein. Although I was mostly appreciating Jamie Dornan.

So. 247 cases of AH1N1 influenza, according to the latest reports. And if it's not going to freak you guys out too much, I will admit to being at both La Salle and ABS-CBN when their cases were announced. But as the Department of Health also reports, it's not as serious here in the country as everyone thinks it is. Maintaining proper hygiene and lots of Vitamin C will do the trick.

Other than that I've nothing really exciting to share with you guys today. I do have links under the cut.

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( Links and such )

It's my little sister's first day at school today! She was all excited and kept fixing herself up at the mirror before she went out of the house. I was supposed to be the one to take her to school, but my dad decided last minute that he'd rather do it himself. And who am I to refuse a few more hours to sleep in?

Hopefully my sister has a great time in high school. While my high school life wasn't exactly horrible, I do wish that I was a little less stuck-up and more outgoing.

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Dustin Lance Black has this to say about his leaked photos:

"It is unfortunate that individuals and other outside parties are trying to profit from material which is clearly private. I have had the privilege to speak to people across the country, both gay and straight, on a number of critical issues including safe sex. More important than the embarrassment of this incident is the misleading message these images send. I apologize and cannot emphasize enough the importance of responsible sexual practices."

Honestly, I'm still trying to get over the fact that this scandal doesn't involve an actor or actress.

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For anybody else who is on Twitter and looking for updates on the situation in Iran, you can check out http://twitter.com/Change_for_Iran. It's a student Tweeting real time about what's happening inside Tehran University.

As my followers on Twitter (@tristantrakand) already know, I've been trawling the metropolis looking for a copy of the Rolling Stone issue featuring Adam Lambert, aka Glambert, aka Glambeezy. It's been a futile search for the most part; I almost thought that we didn't have it here.

Turns out that it will get to the country on Wednesday next week, and as such I made three reservations with three different vendors just so I could at least get ONE copy. This is not me being paranoid: all three vendors say that there's already a long list of reservations. One of them even showed me the actual list.

And like I said over at Twitter, I think I frightened one of the salespeople at one of the stores where I made my reservation. The incident went like this:

Me: Do you have a copy of the latest Rolling Stone?
Salesperson # 1: Is this the one with...
Me: Yes, Adam Lambert.
Salesperson # 1: I don't think we have it yet but let me ask Salesperson # 2....
Salesperson #2: Adam Lambert? He's gay.
Me: (eyebrow raised) And what's wrong with that? Ha?
Salesperson #2: Uhmmm....

And then he gives a long explanation that I didn't bother listening to. In hindsight, he may have not meant anything by the "he's gay" comment, but I just didn't want to take any crap that moment.

So...it's been almost a month since I last made a blog post. I've been getting my life back on track during the past weeks and hopefully I get my head screwed on right again. maybe I really do just need to take a rest or something.

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I won't link to it because you guys can just as easily google it, but has anybody else on the flist seen THOSE Dustin Lance Black photos? Holy moley. That is one nice looking naked screenwriter. And as Gawker points out, isn't it refreshing that the star of this particular scandal is a screenwriter? Doesn't happen very often, doesn't it?

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Work sucks donkey balls. Makes me want to do these things.

A cookie for the people who can recognize that quote!

A conversation I had yesterday reminded my of my childhood predilection for comic books, first sparked by those Filipino serials that they used to rent out to everybody back in my home province of Marinduque. Nights would be spent that way: gathered around a pile of komiks and just reading.

( Me and my comic book past )

When I was younger than I am now, I thought I would never want for anything. My parents always got me what I needed, and with a little creative sulking, I could even get what I wanted.

Now that I no longer expect -- or want -- my parents to rescue me from a financial bind, I've certainly become extra tight with any cash that comes my way. Other than books, I very rarely make impulse purchases. I only buy clothes twice a year -- when I get my midyear bonus and my Christmas bonus -- and even then I only spend a small amount. Most of my money goes to insurance payments, monthly bills, and a savings account.

And while you could call it being responsible or whatever, there are days when I really, really hate it. When that mood hits me, I feel like just taking out all my money, buying a plane ticket to somewhere I've never been to before, and just spend my days backpacking and doing menial jobs all over the world.

If only it were that easy.

From 77ws



For the past few weeks or so I've been hooked on Twitter and its 140 character limitations. I really shouldn't be that enamored of it: Facebook has more features and Livejournal lets me ramble on and on, which I tend and like to do.

But I believe it's exactly those limitations that have drawn me in. Without any "poking" or unruly html to distract me, I'm forced to try to actually sound interesting. It's almost always a complete failure, but at least I've been made to try.

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Daniel Radcliffe dines out with transgender performer Our Lady J. I love that Daniel is down with the trans folk.

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Look! A Filipino Star Wars wedding makes it to Gizmodo!. From the_bumper_car

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Look at this fucking hipster. Just look at it.

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Only two videos under the cut this time.

( Glambert, breasts, and Gary Oldman playing a midget. Or is the PC term a dwarf? )

Not much today, as I will be off for an interview.

So...I've been working the Book Blockade Story. I've managed to interview Undersecretary Sales and will soon be talking to the book people. As expected, there is a lot more to the story than one would think.

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Is Our Obsession With 'Straight-Acting' Guys Perverse (And Really Harmful)? Personally, I don't have a problem with "straight-acting" dudes so long as they don't act all homophobic around those who aren't.

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The Sexualization of Spock. Now I really want to see this movie.

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Three videos under the cut.

( Gael Garcia Bernal, Diego Luna, and Abe Lincoln )

This will be quick, as I have to chaperon my little sister around as she enrolls for school.

Yesterday was quite a day, as my colleagues and I headed over to the Hotel Celeste to interview a National Artist. The interview was going as well as it could -- the National Artist wasn't exactly very talkative -- but then my stomach decided it was time to be a petulant bitch.

It was some minutes after eating the salmon that I started getting dizzy. Before you know it I was making regular trips to the Hotel Celeste's pretty, pretty restrooms to unload all over their toilet. I swear, going back to the interview acting like nothing happened was probably the most awkward thing I've ever had to do in a while.

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This is a little awkward too:

There's such an aura of romance around having a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship as a teenager. Feelings are so much more intense and every decision the two of you make is always a matter of life and death. And while it may be genuinely romantic for the people directly involved, us bystanders who have to live with the collateral damage definitely don't see what the big fuss is about.

Maybe I've only just seen bad examples, but all I've ever gathered from teenage relationships is one individual -- could be boy or girl -- kowtowing to what the other partner needs. Manipulation, spineless, trivial drama. It's like a bad soap opera, but the worst part is IT'S ALL REAL.

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Carol Ann Duffy named Britain's first female and openly gay Poet Laureate. Can anyone recommend a poem of hers? I think one of her poems was the subject of attempted censorship in one English school or something.

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( If the pig sneezes, he's fucken dead. )

From kerryblaze



Also, you can now get gay married in Maine. Or at least their Senate says you can.

I was thinking of writing about something else entirely, but then I found out about this piece of news: Top Gun Star Kelly McGillis comes out. In case you guys don't remember -- or weren't around when Top Gun was all the rage -- she played Tom Cruise's love interest.

While that's the most immediate gay news at the moment, yesterday was also big for the gay community in the United States. New Hampshire passes a same-sex marriage bill, while US House of Representatives finally passed the Matthew Shephard Hate Crimes Bill.

More substantial post...tomorrow? Am a little woozy at the moment.