Eh-hum # 275

HULLO! It's March already, can you believe it? Eh-hum.

Before I write anything from everyday life to Philippine politics, I just want to share this:



When worlds collide, Neil Gaiman as guest in the Colbert Report. ASTIG.

Enjoy!

Eh-hum # 273

This is a tad late, but it is such wonderful news that I just had to share it:

NEIL GAIMAN WINS THE NEWBERY MEDAL FOR HIS LATEST WORK, "THE GRAVEYARD BOOK".

There, I shouted it out for the rest of the world to hear.

An online article from Publisher's Weekly:

Neil Gaiman Wins Newbery Medal for "The Graveyard Book"
By Donna Freitas -- Publishers Weekly, 1/29/2009

Last fall PW caught up with Neil Gaiman to talk about his newest children’s book, The Graveyard Book, which at the time was hot off the press. This week, Gaiman is recovering from some very exciting news regarding his novel: waking up during the wee hours of Monday morning to a chorus of 14 children’s librarians shouting on speakerphone that his book had won the Newbery Medal.

“I was on so little sleep and had not expected or even dreamed that I would win,” Gaiman said about the 5:30 a.m. call to his cell phone—he was in Los Angeles doing a press junket for the film based on Coraline, which is set for release February 6. “The only thing going through my head was: ‘Don’t swear. It’s wrong. They’re librarians.’ And then I was informed I couldn’t say anything for another hour until it was announced. So I just sat there and wrote a blog entry, made myself some tea, and phoned my agent who was over the moon, and my editor, Elise Howard, who was crying she was so excited.”

Read the rest of the article here.

Congratulations, Mr Gaiman, you deserve it!

***

In other book-related news, Stephen King has something to say about Stephenie Meyer: "...can't write worth a darn. She's not very good".

Eh-hum.

Eh-hum # 258

And now, a word from the man:

"I'm conscious, as ever, that a lot of water has flown under the bridge since my last message. Since then I've been working hard at an edit of my Diaries 1980 -1988 in time for publication next year, whilst watching Archie grow up and trying to come to terms with my identity theft by a hockey mum in Alaska. And no, Sarah Palin is not my sister, daughter or alias. And I'm Sahara Palin not Sarah." (Read the rest of it here)

Damn straight! No way can he be related to Ms. Sarah "I-can-see-Russia-from-my-house" Palin, especially she was born as Sarah Heath. Yes, we should be looking at the husband. But he's not running for VP, is he? Hehehe, sorry, just like to point that out.

***

In other news, I have decided to prioritize my studies over work. Its going to be challenging for me to do this full time since I REALLY like earning some serious dough (I have a lot of stuffs I wanted to buy). Then again, I have to move forward professionally and I can't be a staff forever. I am optimistic that my MA degree would help me secure a better job and open other doors/opportunities both here and abroad (eh-hum). Time is of the essence and I have to accomplish this by 2010.

Gambatte Kudasai!

***

Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book is ALREADY OUT! And as far as I know, only one bookstore in Metro Manila has copies. Excuse me, I need to make a phone call.

Eh-hum # 215

Ohboyohboyohboyohboy.

I could've just stayed at home and relaxed. But NO! This was an opportunity of a lifetime, and I am not about to let it pass.

I suddenly remembered that I was in Kobe when Neil Gaiman toured Tokyo last September 2007. If I had a LOT of money at that time, I would've bought a Shinkansen ticket just to see him. But it was either that or starvation. Nonetheless, there was hope and yesterday proved to be a blessing. Therefore, I couldn't think of any good reason NOT to see him in person. Hehehe, not even Mina the typhoon. And the wonderful part about that was, I was not the only one willing to face the bad and unpredictable weather just to catch a glimpse of Mr. Gaiman.

Oh. Did I mentioned that I was there?

Yep, I went to Fully Booked at the Fort and attended the awarding ceremony of the 2nd Philippine Graphic/Fiction Awards as well as the launching of the book Expeditions, which contains the works of last year's winners (one for each category; comics and prose). Mr Gaiman provided the foreword of the said book(s). Thankfully, the weather cooperated with us (just a drizzle) and everything went smooth as silk. Local magician Eric Mana and a group of percussionists/musicians/arnis practitioners (forgive me, with all the excitement I forgot their name) graced the evening and provided entertainment.

I was contented to be just a few feet away from Mr Gaiman, though I wished I arrived much earlier and owned a better camera, fit for those zoom shots. But its fine, I had fun and it was really heartwarming to hear Mr Gaiman applaud the winners for their good work and talk about the uniqueness of the Filipino tradition and culture. Now, the contest is in its third year, and Mr Gaiman asked all interested parties to submit their best works. He even announced that they are including a new category: short film (to the excitement of the crowd). The organizers will be giving the future contestants a year to do their stuff, hence, mediocrity is NOT an option.

I'll leave all the writing/drawing/moviemaking to the professionals; I'm just happy to be one of Mr Gaiman's fans and be in the same place as he is. The most memorable event of the evening was when Mr Gaiman requested his son, Mike, to join him in the stage (wherein Mr Gaiman expressed that one can profit from your children's nightmares, hehehehe). You can see that apart from being an amazing storyteller and bestselling author, he is first and foremost a father and family man. Better yet, read his blog; he gushes over his children.

That's basically it. Oh yeah, I also bought an autographed copy of the movie Beowulf script and won an autographed Sandman bookmark (which I have yet to claim). Thanks very much Mr Gaiman, hope you can visit the Philippines soon, you are ALWAYS welcome.

Eh-hum # 213

I can't believe I am posting this just now. He's in Subic for crying out loud. I mean, we're practically breathing the same air.

It was Monday. I was in school and just hanging out in the library (where it is properly and comfortably ventilated and quiet). I logged on and proceeded to do the usual stuff, like checking my email. When I got to the blog-hopping part of my Internet itinerary, I totally flipped-out. In his Sunday post, Neil Gaiman casually mentioned that he, in 18 hours, was about to leave for the Philippines. Holy of all holiness...

I felt kind of bad for not making an effort to see the Fab Five when they visited the country last year, since they were a MRT away (from Ayala Malls I mean). So I am not about to make the same mistake again.

>Kindly visit http://heartofadream.wordpress.com/ for more information on Mr Gaiman's Manila tour. He's in Subic most of the time for the 20th Philippine Ad Congress, but on Sunday, he will be at Fully Booked at the Fort. Gaiman fans unite!

Eh-hum # 201

Sigh.

If I have tons of money right now, I would go (preferably by Shinkansen) to Tokyo just to see Neil Gaiman in person.

And this, if I say so myself, is a really cool picture, featuring three respected, very-talented and amazing people huddled together (According to Mr Gaiman, he had to "digitally messed up this photo" to protect the potentially top secret Ghibli info around them):

(L to R: the Hayao Miyazaki, Neil Gaiman and Toshio Suzuki. Picture from http://www.neilgaiman.com/)

Eh-hum # 187

Being a (new and perhaps less rabid) Neil Gaiman fan, I am looking forward to watching his novels/works on the big screen. Though I want to read the novel first, I am pretty excited with Stardust, which will be released this August. But I am more excited with this one:

Gaiman, together with Roger Avary (Pulp Fiction), adapted the legend that is Beowulf to the screen. Using the same "performance capture technology" in the film Polar Express, this version is in CGI and features both the voice and acting talents of Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, John Malkovich, and Angelina Jolie. Watch the trailer, and am sure you will be amazed how similar (looking) the actors are to their characters/movie counterparts. Well, that's because the movie is entirely motion capture and the said actors were doing the voice, acting and facial/body movements. The only exception is that they had blue/green screens as the set and were fitted with special suits and sensors. Gaiman described the "melding of the actors' work and the performance capture technology as digitally enhanced acting (this was during the Q and A portion at the 2007 San Diego Comic Con where 20 minutes of the movie was shown)."

This could be a new trend in producing major epic movies. You don't need expensive sets, elaborate costumes or an army of stunt people or larger than life pieces like dragons. Also, producers can hire actors regardless of age, since it does not matter in motion capture. For instance, Ray Winstone is already in his early 50s and his Beowulf has a physique (see above picture) that could match Gerard Butler's King Leonidas (by the way, Butler also played Beowulf in 2005's Beowulf and Grendel). And just because its animated, it doesn't mean its exclusively for children.

But I guess the downside is that you will be putting a lot of stunt and props people out of work. Also, some people would prefer to see real flesh and bone running around. Hmmmm...

Picture from http://www.beowulfmovie.com/. The site is up but some parts are still under construction. Enjoy!

Eh-hum # 168

Happy Father's Day to all the dads, including dads to be!

And to commemorate this special day, here's an audio/mp3 file of Neil Gaiman being interviewed by his youngest daughter, Maddy (sorry, couldn't find a better, meaning a more visible, mp3 player). Quite touching really.

For more on the wonderful and weird world of Mr Gaiman, kindly visit his website.

Eh-hum # 153

I did not go anywhere special during the Golden Week. Well, I imagined that the best places (within Kobe and the Kansai area) will be crowded, so staying home where its cozy and safe (not to mention stress-free) was the better option. But I did go to Sannomiya last Saturday, to get out of my room (read: away from the Internet for a change). I took a stroll at Central Gai and it was fine. And then, I found myself spending 5,000 yen.

Well, I had to buy that lotion, I needed it (but as far as lotions go, it was expensive). However, I made an unplanned visit to (my favorite hang-out...sigh) the Foreign Bookstore located in Motomachi. This was not such a good idea, since at that time I haven't received my allowance yet. When I got there, I kept repeating to myself that "I will just look around...llloookkk arrroouunndddd". For the first few minutes, it was fine; no pressure, just browsing. Moments later, I had this uncontrollable urge to buy something. To stop this annoying feeling, I convinced myself to shell out 1000++ yen for one book. But when I saw the sign that the books are 10% off, I just had to get another title. Hence, by the end of the day, I am a (proud) owner of two books:

and

I went home happy and content. And broke. Eh-hum

*images from Wikipedia.

Eh-hum # 149

While still a newbie, I am officially a fan of Neil Gaiman, and I look forward to read his other works, may they be novels, short stories or poems. And for your viewing/listening pleasure, here's a video I got from YouTube wherein Mr Gaiman is reading a "free" poem from his book Fragile Things. He reads his work very well (it helps that he's British, hehehe). Enjoy!

This is just an excerpt; to view the whole thing (yes, almost 2 hours of reading and answering questions), click this link. If you decide to watch it, you won't be disappointed...I wasn't. ;)

Eh-hum # 148

I woke up late today, because I slept early...early the same day I mean (like 2:00 AM). And this time, it was not because of the Internet.

This is to blame:

Bought it yesterday at the Foreign Bookstore in Motomachi. Its one seriously humorous and entertainingly scary novel. And the great thing about it is that the story dwells on the familiar yet complex subject that is family relations. The main character, Fat Charlie, works and lives in London and is engaged to be married. All is normal, until he gets word that his father, whom he hasn't seen in 20 years, died and that he has a brother he never knew. The moment he made "arrangements" to meet his brother, Spider, Fat Charlie's life has never been the same.

But that's not all. Neil Gaiman successfully combines a family story with comedy (funny/sarcastic dialogues, slapstick), romance (meeting the girl/boy of his/her dreams), crime fiction (a financial scam, murder), the supernatural (a ghost out for revenge, the birds) and ancient African mythology (gods in "the beginning of time") in one book. And if you think the presence of a variety of themes makes the novel messy, think again. His witty and matter of fact writing style makes Anansi Boys a very coherent piece of work, and the transition from one scene to the next is as smooth as silk. The characters, may they be mere mortals or divine beings, have depth; they become more interesting as the story progress.

To reiterate, the book is funny, wickedly funny. I find myself laughing out loud while reading it. Its scary also, but not a thriller. The highlight, I think, was the lime. Hmmm, doesn't make sense? Well you have to read it. And believe me, you won't be disappointed. :)

Bookcover from Wikipedia.