Tattered SHORTS The Book

Being a total noob with writing and publishing, I may have put too many eggs in my basket.

Oh the book is coming along nicely, with so many short stories and ideas I have written down, some of them committed to memory, it’s driving me nuts just to keep track.

Now, I’ve come encountered a bump in the road. Two, actually. Like I said, there’s just too many stories for just one book. And the second bump – I don’t have enough funds to go all-writer and publish a book as thick as the white pages.

So while editing and proof reading myself, I’ve come to terms and settled for a couple of economical and practical ways to pursue my delusions of being a writer and illustrator at the same time. Because my short stories, narratives or whatever you may call them have a word count ranging from 900 to 12,000 words, and they are a lot of titles. So, here it is:

TATTERED SHORTS will be available on February 22, 2018. It’s a Thursday, when I play bass and sing myself silly with a couple of outstanding musicians, Pepe and Jerome, and myself, otherwise known as The Komradze [mk II] at Bambu Intramuros. The book is set at 7″x8.5″ and will have at least 10 stories and illustrations. The good part is I still have a lot to put in the next book – DISCARDED SHORTS. hat is if I could pool enough funds for both.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. TATTERED SHORTS will be the initial offering for my own VisualNoise venture, with Mike Carlo as partner, whom I think is good natured enough not to show his impatience (we will get through this bro). DISCARDED SHORTS will follow, and eventually those illustrated graphic komiks novels, of which I will blog from time to time.

Yes, I know I haven’t been blogging for sometime, but since I have decided to write more, draw more and play music, there’s no better time than now.

If you haven’t been following this blog, better do it now for more updates.

Komiket 2016

It’s The Little Things

Last night I hardly slept. I should have, you know, snored halfway to valhalla, if we  factor in the copious amounts of brandy I had in my system (I came from regular  hangout with friends from way back and needless to say, alcohol and food is a  staple in those parts). Not that I am complaining, I didn’t spend anything. And  these friends know that. These are the same friends that held my hand when I was  about to break from the endless deluge of rejected job applications and failed  business deals. It’s these small handshakes, the little pat on the back that assures  me they have my back. Even a brother whom I bothered too often about my  financial predicaments suddenly sent help, and in the most timely manner,  because I am really going for the loanshark at this time, which my Mayor Street
friends discouraged.

So, short bursts of sleep, and series of graphic books in the works, a life saving  rescue by my brother, and the unflinching loyalty of friends, what else is there to  be thankful for?

It’s the little things.

• Those free Uni Ball Eye pens that went with my purchase of three felt-tip pens at National Bookstore. I was looking for drawing ink but bought a 03, 06 and 08 Uni Pen and didn’t realize till I was home that the freebies were put in my bag.
• Books and audiobooks.
• Pares and Mami carts that provide delicious sustenance for the thrift. The chili and fried garlic added liberally makes it better.
• Gigabytes of data riding tiny USB flashdrives. The 80s saw a Chess Grandmaster square off with Big Blue, a machine that was powered by 1Gb of data that was stored in something as big as a house. Nowadays you could carry the data you need 32 times over on a thumb drive.
• Coffee. No buts about it.
• Street corner laundry service. Even if I try to do my ow washing, sometimes it’s better to have them done, just because I have nowhere to hang the laundry to dry in my current inhabited space.
• Mp3. Digital music. Yes, I long to hear music the way it should be heard, on vinyl, on a phonograph, with the amp and speakers tuned through an extensive equalizer set up and played loud. But I need a home to do that, and in this city living, Mp3 is my saviour. I could write and draw continuously with my favorites playing in the background.
• Mall comfort rooms. Don’t ask.
• Analog mobile phones. Smirk at the idea, but the way I see people griping about battery life and lugging extra powerbanks just so they can browse continuously, I go for the bar phone that lasts a week with a single charge. And don’t get me started about android updates, nor iPhone upgrades.
• Twitter. And no, not for reasons most people think.
• Internet connection. However shitty the service is, still something to be thankful about.
• Blogging. Not for fame, nor profit, but for my sanity.
• Wix!
• Technology in general. Most people take this for granted but growing up with less, access to modern technology is still a joy to behold.
• Movies. In data format. I could marathon The Hobbit and Lord of The Rings as often as I want. And all the films I want to seeover and over.
• My landlady. Her kind heart let me stay even if I can hardly pay the rent. She understands, bless her.

And we could go on and on about the little things that make life worth going through each day, but go list your own.