I hate it when someone misspells my name.
But then again, I can't do anything about it. I've been ranting about people getting my name wrong for so many years now - so often, perhaps, that I can't remember how many blog entries I've written about it, more so which ones - but I've never tried to correct people about it anymore. Never in coffee shops, never in fast food restaurants, never in most places where my name is needed, for some reason. The only exception, perhaps, would be when I'm in front of a celebrity who's signing an autograph. "Niko. N-I-K-O." Saying that to Dia Frampton may sound bitchy, but hell, you're meeting a celebrity for perhaps the only time in your life, so you only really have one chance to get it right.
As for everything else, well, it still gets to me. Really get to me, especially if you're on Facebook, posting on my wall, greeting me a happy birthday, my name standing there, in front of you, clearly. My name, spelled correctly. Niko. N-I-K-O.
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2/26/2013
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2/20/2013
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I remember reading it somewhere. "The democratization of film." I know, this line sounds very high and mighty, but if you think about it, it does make sense. Gone are the days when you need a hell lot of money (or a very generous benefactor) to make a film: the expenses for buying rolls of film, and a camera, and a dark room to develop the rushes, and a place to cut and splice the reels. And, of course, paying the people involved.
Now, you can just buy a digital video camera, install editing software on your computer, and make magic happen. And it's easier to get inspired now, with most films now widely available. You can watch your schlock and the textbook legends at one go.
As a sort of film student I certainly was raised with that idea: anyone can make a film. I had the chance to watch some of the great films of our time - yes, I know this sounds a bit pretentious, so I must clarify, I did not go to film school, but I had a bunch of film classes - and I took them all in. Some of the things I learned were at the back of my head when I, along with two of my friends, produced a short film as our thesis. It wasn't the best film - by that I mean not one that shook the world's core - but on our story about a son not being able to forgive his father, we certainly did our best.
Read more »
Now, you can just buy a digital video camera, install editing software on your computer, and make magic happen. And it's easier to get inspired now, with most films now widely available. You can watch your schlock and the textbook legends at one go.
As a sort of film student I certainly was raised with that idea: anyone can make a film. I had the chance to watch some of the great films of our time - yes, I know this sounds a bit pretentious, so I must clarify, I did not go to film school, but I had a bunch of film classes - and I took them all in. Some of the things I learned were at the back of my head when I, along with two of my friends, produced a short film as our thesis. It wasn't the best film - by that I mean not one that shook the world's core - but on our story about a son not being able to forgive his father, we certainly did our best.
Read more »
2/14/2013
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"So," Dinna asked, "have you ever mentioned her to me?"
"I haven't," I answered. "Not to many people. We've been hush-hush about it."
"I'd say you did a great job keeping it secret."
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"I haven't," I answered. "Not to many people. We've been hush-hush about it."
"I'd say you did a great job keeping it secret."
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2/10/2013
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Among the loads of people at the seaside thing at MOA yesterday were these... students, I guess? They were all walking about with these signs in their hands, some made of sturdy cardboard, some from not-so-sturdy cartolina, and some from flimsy bond paper.
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2/06/2013
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The Freedom of Information bill is dead. Again.
As I write this, the last session day of the 16th Congress winds down - an early end in anticipation of the upcoming national elections in three months' time - and legislation that will expand public access to most government documents, an obvious cornerstone in the Aquino administration's fight against corruption, has withered again in the Lower House.
Over the past week the House Committee on Public Information continued to dither when faced with the task of deliberating over the FOI bill. Meetings were cancelled, other items were tackled, and excuses were found, the most important of which was Malacañang's reiteration that Noynoy Aquino is not bent on certifying the bill as urgent, a move which could singlehandedly fasttrack its approval in the Lower House and get the ball rolling, as it did with the equally controversial Reproductive Health bill, or as it's called now, the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012.
Read more »
As I write this, the last session day of the 16th Congress winds down - an early end in anticipation of the upcoming national elections in three months' time - and legislation that will expand public access to most government documents, an obvious cornerstone in the Aquino administration's fight against corruption, has withered again in the Lower House.
Over the past week the House Committee on Public Information continued to dither when faced with the task of deliberating over the FOI bill. Meetings were cancelled, other items were tackled, and excuses were found, the most important of which was Malacañang's reiteration that Noynoy Aquino is not bent on certifying the bill as urgent, a move which could singlehandedly fasttrack its approval in the Lower House and get the ball rolling, as it did with the equally controversial Reproductive Health bill, or as it's called now, the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012.
Read more »
2/01/2013
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"I like to test people," Rainy told me.
We were seated in a coffee shop that afternoon. I'm pretty sure that isn't where she really said it, but in my defense, she was telling me of this fact again, perhaps in an attempt to point out the different between her rebellious nature and me being, in her words, a stick in the ass. I don't like doing things just to see how people react. She does. I'm not really sure why she does it. To gauge the current, maybe? That sounds sensible enough. Also, I'm pretty sure I got that metaphor wrong.
I don't know how many times she tested me, in the many times we've gone out. To be honest, I never really saw them as tests I have to pass to impress her. Never really crossed my mind. What you do are just, you know, things you do to engage with the person you're hanging out.
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We were seated in a coffee shop that afternoon. I'm pretty sure that isn't where she really said it, but in my defense, she was telling me of this fact again, perhaps in an attempt to point out the different between her rebellious nature and me being, in her words, a stick in the ass. I don't like doing things just to see how people react. She does. I'm not really sure why she does it. To gauge the current, maybe? That sounds sensible enough. Also, I'm pretty sure I got that metaphor wrong.
I don't know how many times she tested me, in the many times we've gone out. To be honest, I never really saw them as tests I have to pass to impress her. Never really crossed my mind. What you do are just, you know, things you do to engage with the person you're hanging out.
Read more »
Niko Batallones writes The Upper Blog.
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Some photographs have been edited using post-production curves from Shalla Yu.
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