15 Minutes of ‘Cyber Fame’

I was a late convert of Esquire Magazine. I have always wanted to buy (and collect) this magazine since their maiden issue with Manny Pacquiao on the cover but I can’t manage (financial-wise) to maintain more than one magazine subscription. You see, I was a huge PULP Magazine collector then but things changed since their magazine turned into an Avon magazine-brochure (But that’s another issue. Let’s not go to that awful story). 

But things started to change when they featured Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile last year. You see, sans the issues surrounding the old man, I am a huge fan of the Pinoy Palapatine. And when they featured him on the December-January issue last 2012-2013, it was a no-brainer that I buy it. I found the magazine classy, substantial, and educational so I dumped my old collection and on that moment, my relationship with the magazine began.

I have learned a lot about life, trends, culture, politics, literature, and social issues since I started reading and collecting Esquire. It is not your usual bikini-clad, sex talk-filled, AB Market-catering magazine. It has substance. It has sense. For me, this is the magazine.

As of writing, they have just previously released their March issue featuring the 90’s It Girl Mai Mai Cojuangco. And the new issue reminded me of something ‘crazy’ that I did last month, something that I forgot to blog, and something that I will forever cherish.

Last month’s Art issue of Esquire Magazine features a ‘back portrait’ of John Lloyd Cruz. Most people do not know this ‘other side’ of John Lloyd – that he is a huge collector of local artworks and that his house is a mino-art gallety of sort. Personally, being an occasional artsy-fartsy that I am, I was also surprised that this A-list actor has a different persona away from the lights and glamour of show business.

I am not a die-hard John Lloyd fan. I haven’t watched all of his movies. I am just that regular viewer who watches him on TV every time I have the chance to do so. (Though I admit I am a huge fan of ‘Rovic and Eds’ – his loveteam with Kaye Abad during their Tabing Ilog days.) But John Lloyd Cruz, being the epitome of guwapong-lalake-pero-walang-6-pack-abs, is the inspiration of my ‘alter ego’.

I am a high school teacher and my students fondly call me “Sir John Lloyd”. It started when I declared myself as a John Lloyd look-a-like. And whenever they tag me photos on Facebook, I would always comment ‘#TeamJohnLloyd’ – indicating my self-proclaimed resemblance with John Lloud Cruz. I even went into putting John Lloyd Cruz’s photo in my test papers with an ‘inspirational quote’ (basically quotes from his movies) from the great man. (I am telling you, I am one hell of a crazy teacher. Haha!)

So when Esquire featured John Lloyd Cruz (again, having graced the cover before on their The State of Man issue) on the cover of their Art Issue, I decided to do something crazy. Just for fun, I told myself, something to ‘cement’ my claim that I look like John Lloyd Cruz.

With the helped of my siblings, I made a ‘back portrait’, imitating John Lloyd’s pose on the unique cover. I started sharing it on my social media accounts – Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram – for the purpose of bringing a smile to people’s, especially my students’, faces.

And then the unexpected happen. The official Twitter account of Esquire Philippines tweeted my picture with the caption “When Life imitates art. An Esquire reader does his own version of the February cover” 

And then it snowballed. They also featured it on their official Facebook page:

After the photo was posted, I was bombarded by messages and reactions from my friends, praising, laughing, and basically astounded by my crazy antic – and its unexpected aftermath. Being a man contented with third world cyber joys, I was so elated when the Esquire did this. I even joked that this may be the key on finally meeting John Lloyd Cruz. And fist-bumping and bro-hugging him if possible.

I slept that night with a smile on my face. Seriously. Tangina John Lloyd Cruz yan eh! Sorry, I just have to let that out.

Sans this ’15 minutes of Cyber Fame’, I would like to express my admiration and gratitude to Esquire Philippines not for featuring my photo on their social media accounts but for providing readers with features and articles with substance. I wish longevity and more success for this badass magazine. I can’t wait to grab myself and read the latest issue.

And oh, Esquire Philippines, I am dead serious about meeting John Lloyd Cruz. It will be my greatest joy if this would see the light of reality.

Philippine Daily Inquirer: You Got Trolled!

It was no surprise that for most of us who have been religiously following the happenings on the cyber world (half of which are journalists and the other half are bored individuals like me) – whether it be on Twitter, Facebook, or Tumblr – that President Aquino made it to this year’s list of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. The news came last April 18 at 7:03 PM, Manila time.

In response, President Noynoy Aquino said that he was merely the “face” of the Filipino people, that the recognition is due to his countrymen and of the whole country and that if success was achieved, it would be the success of everyone.

As most of you know, I have always been fascinated with covers and front pages of various local and international broadsheets and magazines. In fact, it is my daily habit before starting a day’s work to browse and to look at various front pages and covers whether it be in print or in digital format. I consider it as an exceptional art and as a part of history as well. So when the list came out, I eagerly waited on who would be on the cover of TIME’s special issue.

An hour past midnight earlier, while waiting for the developments on the manhunt of the marathon bombing suspect in Boston (and while waiting for my ‘Homeland’ episode download to finish), I dropped by the website of the Philippine Daily Inquirer to see if they have already uploaded their page one for today. As I looked at the digital format of the front page, aside from the photos of the two Boston bombing suspects, I saw the photo of President Aquino in an apparently, a cover of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World.

 

 

But here’s the catch: The cover looked fake and the photo of President Aquino that was used was one of his, excuse me, unflattering photos. I immediately searched TIME magazine to verify its authenticity and lo and behold, it turned out to be fake. The cover for this year’s special issue is Jennifer Lawrence. Not President Aquino.

So what? Some trolls and pranksters probably made that “false cover’ to fool on people.  But here’s the thing, it landed on the cover of one of the most respected broadsheet in the country (and they have repeatedly said that they are the leading broadsheet in the country, which, I believe by the way). The fake TIME Magazine cover landed on the front page of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. What a shame! (I later discovered that this fake cover came from one of the memes of Showbiz Government, a satirical Facebook page. Good job guys!)

I have a love-hate relationship with that broadsheet. Though I have repeatedly praised some of their creative front pages (like the false cover and the bloodied cover for the Philippine Independence Day celebration), I have also criticized (if not make fun of) some of them. to name a few, there was the juxtaposition failure, their tabloid-esque layout, and the headline that’s more appropriate in the entertainment section.

It has been a buzz in the social media that the Inquirer is “too yellow”,  a broadsheet that is always in favor of President Aquino. In fact, my (new) favorite blog, The Spin Busters, describe the Inquirer (or PDI) as thePresident’s Daily Inquirer. The Inquirer later apologized in a tweet saying that it was an honest mistake. But here’s the catch, they also said that they wish it was President Aquino on the cover. With that being said, I think it is evident that there is no statement “more yellow” than that.

I once worked for the publishing industry and it is a mortal sin among us to run and print non-factual information and materials. Though my previous job is not that of the news industry (I worked for a private company publishing textbooks), this broadsheet, In my opinion, with their hundreds of employees, should have exercised diligence in publishing their paper. Now that the boo-boo has been published and distributed nationwide, I think this broadsheet has lost a bit of their credibility. That’s the price you pay of falling for a troll’s trap.

Going back to President Aquino’s statement that he is the face of the Filipino people, I cannot but take a look again at his unflattering photo. The trolls have successfully used the President’s signature “nganga” image. In the local pop culture, “nganga” – or the act of leaving your mouth wide open – has a connotation of emptiness, laziness, tardiness, and stupidity.

If this is the real face of the Filipino people, then we are travelling not in a promised Daang Matuwid. We are in a Ngangang Matuwid.

Elsewhere:

• Inquirer: Fake PNoy Time Cover “Honest Mistake” but…  – The Inquirer’s yellow apology and their list of past front page boo-boos. (Rappler.com)
• LOL! Yellow Paper falls for fake TIME Magazine cover  – The Spin Busters’ satirical blog entry about the latest victim of Facebook trolls

Pumped Up Kicks – Miracle of Modern Science (Orchestral Cover)

http://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F26909489&auto_play=false&show_artwork=true&color=ff7700

“All the other kids with the pumped up kicks You’d better run, better run, outrun my gun All the other kids with the pumped up kicks You’d better run, better run, faster than my bullet..”

The lyrics is familiar, right? This song by Foster the People is inarguably one of the best songs of 2011. You hear it almost everywhere and I bet you have this in your phones, iPods, and music players. I first heard it on 99.5 RT and I immediately fell in love with it. (I just don’t know if the masa stations in Manila play this.)

Earlier this morning, I was browsing my dashboard when I saw a post from the Daily What featuring a Kickass Cover of the Day. The group described themselves as Bon Joviver – a fusion of Bon Iver and Bon Jovi – and they gave the Bon Jovi classicYou Give Love a Bad Name a Bon Iver-esque rendition. And I liked it.

I searched for the band on the web and found their other kickass covers. And this song by Foster The People left me repeatedly playing the song the whole morning. The strings and the rockestra-ish arrangement must have done the trick.

I have been posting serious stuff over the past days so here’s something to make my blog, and your dashboards, less serious, hyped, feel-good, and fun.

I hate to make a comparison by in my opinion, this cover is better than the original.

Enjoy the music fellas! Good morning from this side of the globe!

Elsewhere:

• Miracle of Modern Science Facebook Page – You can download the song here for free. And yes, it’s legal.
• Miracle of Modern Science Website – check out their latest album and other songs here.
• Pumped Up Kicks by Miracle o Moderns Science (Video) – Eccentric and kickass playing of cello and violin. ‘Nuff said.