Artistic License

Artistic license (also known as dramatic license, historical license, poetic license, narrative license, licentia poetica, or simply license) is a colloquial term, sometimes euphemism, used to denote the distortion of fact, alteration of the conventions of grammar or language, or rewording of pre-existing text made by an artist to improve a piece of art.

- Wikipedia

I guess if someone points out a misspelled word or grammatical error, I should just raise this defense. I'm getting lazy nowadays. 

Cotabato City

I guess it's all in my head.

Last month, I had the chance to tag along with my colleagues for a client presentation in Cotabato City. I wasn't particularly nervous about the trip but I was clearly thinking about what a typical war zone in Mindanao would be.

My imagination demanded that I see potholes of past IED explosions and dozens of checkpoints en route.

To my dismay (and fortune), there was none. In fact, our road trip was very pleasant. The roads were fine and there was no hint of danger all the way. Even as we were passing Pikit, the notorious place where skirmishes between the government army and Muslim rebels have been very frequent, we've only witnessed the normal bustle of a small town.

In Cotabato City, the streets were still busy past seven o'clock in the evening, a far cry from what I heard that the city was a ghost town after six o'clock.

Still, precautions were still followed. We couldn't travel back to Davao in the evening. We had to look for a hotel with a private parking lot for rental cars. We opted to stay inside our hotel for dinner.

I wonder what the other cities in Mindanao look like?

Missing Dog

What a way to start the week.

I just lost Wiggles, one of our dogs, during my Sunday jog this morning. Papa was visibly upset when I told him the news and I spent over an hour tracing my route looking for her.

The dog wasn't on a leash because she would usually just follow me wherever I jog. 

It seems, this time around, that wasn't the case. 

Here's to hoping she's coming back. 

Kilala Mo Si Jun Sabayton?

I've already talked about Lourd De Veyra. But I failed to mention his director, friend, and now fellow news anchor, Rodolfo "Jun" Sabayton, Jr.

Guess who Jun Sabayton is. A picture from his Facebook page

At first, I thought the guy was an extra, just a regular tambay plucked from nowhere for the show Word of the Lourd. However, when his appearances in the show became more frequent, I also became more curious.

Jun has been known for a lot of antics, from his half-naked looks to his nonconformist clothes. But his recent habit of appearing in other networks' shows has upped the ante:

What the heck. Guess I have a new idol now huh? 

Mabuhay ka Jun Sabaton!

Team Luy-A

L-R: Rodel "Yotz" Malagum, Ramy Baltores, Anthony "Tonyo" Salva, Paolo Ray Bataller, Mary Grace "Grasya" Uayan, Henry Awab

This is Team Luy-A. 

The group also includes Sam Porras (the one who took the picture) and Rommel who we haven't seen for quite awhile. Grace is also an honorary member standing as the muse.

Sir Ramy had asked me sometime ago to write a post about the group. Well, here it is.