Just something about Alexis

I don't exactly remember how I met Alexis but it was through Quark and Ramon maybe during those mall-run foreign film festivals. He was a shy, skinny kid who we teased about being canadian or being gay, or egg-shaped or anything we could tease him about. Quark was always telling me, "Let's set him up Trinka, who kaya?" Alexis was always supportive, showing up at shoots and keeping us company, and would always be Quark's willing extra. I got to hang out with him because it was a small film circle, where everyone was just starting out trying to become their best version of a storyteller. I was not close to Alexis but he was always good company, with a strong opinion and a hearty laugh. Plus he let me bug him about borrowing props or finding sources for certain projects.

I saw less and less of him, as my college film circle expanded and we started moving and going our different ways in various work. Alexis was moving around and actively writing and publishing. I would always hear someone telling a funny thing Alexis said, or what he was up to. I remember Erwin telling me about how he chided Alexis' style on movie watching and critiquing for he was always with a pen and notepad, and he said something like, "Alexis, watch the film. Don't take down notes". This was maybe five years ago and I don't know how much of Alexis watching style has changed. It was always great to hear what Alexis was reviewing. It was great fun disagreeing with him and thinking up of new arguments. Suddenly, he was teaching and many of his blogs were up and he was traveling and joining panels. He was suddenly becoming so distinguished and adult :). He was even getting more manly, his face changing shape, no longer the skinny "Eggy" as my friends used to call him.


The last time I really hung out with him was at JT's Manukan near abs-cbn, with Raya, John, Kahvn and some other new faces of the film community I had only met that night. We had just come from a film screening and we were hungry kids. I was feeling a little bit out of place but Alexis was sitting across me and he smiled and chatted me up. After a while, he took out his ipod and said "Hey Trinka, I've got something for you you're going to love." He had just come back from indonesia and he was happy to show me Edwin's work. I would look up from time to time to his grinning face, curious about my reaction. (Kudos to Alexis whose shared discoveries that night blew me away and inspired me out of a creative slump later that year.)

In the recent years, I would only bump into the jovial Alexis at festivals or online when I would follow his writings whenever I needed references for reserach. One time he would introduce me to Nika and it was a quick wave and hello, and "see you at the screening!". And then it would just be word from the film pool about Alexis. I never heard bad stuff about him.

Ramon told me the news five hours after its occurrence and I was reeling from the shock a thousand miles away. It all still feels very unreal. Alexis got us all out of some sort of slump, one way or another, and I'm hoping we get out of this one... *Hugs and much prayers to Alexis' and Nika's family and to my friends back home.*


Thank you Alexis, for everything. We miss you.

Anticipating 30

Joey of course, had to remind me that we're turning 30 late next year. THANKS A LOT JOEY! As the years got ticked off in my twenties, I hardly felt like I was getting older. Age is just a number after all. But a friend of mine had also pointed out, "Trinka, 42 isn't too far off from 28 you know.", and then it hit me. I am approaching the next decade in a year. What a shame, after just getting used to being 28.

And thus, the timely opportunity to make another "TO DO BEFORE 30" LIST. Because I have been trying to be an accomplishing bee in the last years, here are my attainable goals which I hope to fulfill by Dec 20, 2010 if I play my cards and my sanity right. Hahaha.

THE FUN GOALS:

1. Get my driver's license and a license to drive in Germany

2. Own a 21 Speed Mountain/City Bike

3. Learn how to scuba dive.

4. Learn the bass guitar

5. Launch my Lamp series.


THE SERIOUS GOALS:

1. Finally sport an adult wardrobe. More dresses, fancy shoes and Funny blouses and pants. (Fun and Trinka quirky but serious enough to look respectable at meetings and job engagements hhahaha)

2. Invest in Mutual Funds

3. Get a freelance working visa abroad.

4. Design a feature length of a filmmaker I admire.

5. Earn enough to substantially sponsor my parent's trip to Europe!

THE TRAVEL GOALS

1. Swim with the Butanding Whales.

2. Spend a week biking in Batanes.

3. Pig out in Thailand/ Vietnam


THE HEALTH GOALS:

1. Run a half marathon.

2. Learn how to hooopla hoop.

3. Play soccer once a month.

...

Set your timers! Here we go!

2008 in Review

AHS. Berlin and Bonn and back again. My pink bike and picnics and kiteflying by the Rhine, 360 degree turns, gelatos, midnight bus rides, 10ks, and coming home. The seasons, Snow and Spring and the summer in my head; Chili chocolates, talks wiht U.H; Patina techniques, Ludwigsburg, Leipzig, Hamburg, Schwangau, Alsace, and Flotrinkian Road trips, sound trips, and food trips, train rides and long distances, Puppenhaft, Dresden-Prague, Traumtanzer, Cologne, Hush Hush, driving distances; Hotdogs and PNB, Banaue, Batad, Cambulo, Buses breakng down, shoots and typhoons, NGC, Zambales, Capones and unruly waves. Sleeping on beaches and freezing mountains. Mt. Pulag, the Summit and mild Hypothermia. Tagaytay, 5ams and weeklong setups, muddy footwear, the scorching sun, the Big C, close encounters, unfinished movies, mishaps and adventures that are yet to be undertaken; footbridges and falling stars, rice paddies, hot chocolate, water bottles and popcorn machines, auflauf adventures, moving in, moving out and moving back and back, finding homes, Christmas and stockings, headless shepherds and wise men, staying still, moving forward. Moving onwards.

...

Bernard gave me an arowana for Christmas with "I give you the gift of responsibility" spiel. "Are you implying I'm irresponsible???" I said to which he replied, "Well, I gave everyone pets--turtles, scorpions, fighting fish..." which are nothing compared to the kind of trouble the Arowana can give you, especially once it starts getting bigger. Responsibility as a word and as a reality is a handful. And there's enough trouble for me to deal even with a sense of humor. And now I've got this additional silver tailed-joke in the backyard, but hey, I guess I should be counting my blessings (or curses).

...

I got an heirloom for my birthday; a snazzy new wallet, a much coveted Headlamp and a pink watch for Christmas. 2009 looks like a very good year. :) Let's have an adventure!

Something is happening to me

Berlin bites. On the ass maybe. Maybe it's just because its winter but Being alone in your favorite city or maybe just being alone, makes that run to catch that 11:36 bus makes it blissfully an adventure. And you realize that you've adjusted your life to the country's clocks so you can do as you please and with as much freedom as you can. And when someone is late, I've just learned to shrug my shoulders and enjoy my alone time. Back home, I would've spent an hour more being annoyed and giving people a hard time and letting things get to me. And if something doesn't happen as planned, here faraway, I realize, I have more faith believing that it's not the end of the world, or that It will happen and I can make it happen.

Tomorrow is Next Year again

The last day of the year is always reserved for the obvious: merry making and and contemplating on your bellybutton, toasting or cursing the year that passed and praying so hard to God that the new year will be much much better than the previous one or perhaps, praying that each jump at midnight will bring you several inches taller and maybe closer to those life dreams.

Spending the Holidays away from my family for the first time this year have somehow become a less neurotic event for me. Perhaps because everything of everyday is an adventure and that reflection falls short of 10 minutes when I think to myself, "Am I going the right way?" and then come to realize "Well hello, you're somewhere halfway around the world on your own, through your own means and strategies, so that has to count for something right?"

There is no life changing reflection in this blog entry. Just a big grateful hug to everyone who's gotten me safely and sanely out and around the big bad world. :)

Let's have an adventure!

Eavesdropping at the Panaderia

This afternoon, while I was sitting and drawing some storyboards at the panaderia down the road, there was a group of old fogeys--joggers if you will, who were contemplating the NBA series, the French open, global warming, the death of the sun in 2.8 billion years and living in a paperless society all in the span of 12 minutes.

There was this one particular old fogey who said, "damn the sun" and other old fogey said in reply "What's your problem with the sun?" and the old fogey said, "It's just too hot." The other old fogey said in reply, " You know, without the sun, there would be no life on earth!"

They seemed to be bothered by Bill Gates's declaration of a "paperless" society, stating, "That's not 2.8 billion years from now, but it's going to happen very very soon." "How am I going to read the newspaper?" "Wala pare, sa cellphone na lang natin babasahin ang balita. "Pare, iba pa rin ang garyo at iba pa rin ang may hawak kang libro." "So kung paperless society na tayo, pano natin babalutin yung daing at tinapa natin?"

I guess Bill Gates hadn't considered this yet.

:)

After a Summer Downpour

Mannno. I never thought I'd say this,

but can't these crickets shut up??????

Hahaha.

I guess not.