2) Just arrived from shooting our pilot episode of Kids TV for ABC-5 at Manila Baywalk. It was hot and sunny, I had to pour on cold water to heal my burnt skin.

3) JUST ASKING: What do you like best about my blog?

I couldn't see it, but I could feel it.

Months ago, I was sleeping on my back inside my dark bedroom when I felt a heavy pressure against my shoulders and my groin, as if someone is trying to hump me dry.

I couldn't move one bit. My mouth was shaking, trying to utter words. But it felt like I'm being gagged.

However, my will is stronger. "God," I shouted.

The pressure vanished.

I thought it was the end of it.

You're right. I was wrong.

Two weeks ago, I was...again, sleeping on my back when suddenly I was grabbed at my balls by some unseen force.

That heavy pressure had returned. My breathing became constricted, my mouth trembled as my balls were being carressed.

I tried to shout "Pa!", calling my Dad, but I could only let out a soft "Poooo..."

It was gone again.

It got me thinking, "What would have happened if I didn't shout?"

Was this presence trying to get into my body?

Would this ghost attempt to rape me?

Would that make me spawn a Devil's Child?

Oh my, would that make me the Virgin Maruja?

If the ghost tried to molest me for the third time, would I let it?

***************

THE EMPRESS FOOTNOTES

1) Most of my blog friends are beginning to podcast. It's the new cool thing.

2) My Dad came home last night, worried about an impending coup d'etat against the current president. I doubt it would happen.

3) Turn on my maruja radio and let the music guide you through my posts.

4) JUST ASKING: Is there a limitation to democracy?

Next on maruja radio is the theme song of a hit fantasy TV series "Etheria." It is the prequel/ sequel of an even bigger TV hit Encantadia." Known ethnic singer Bayang Barrios gave out her haunting, Enya-esque rendition, using lyrics that only the people of Etheria (and its viewers) can understand. You can't help but be enthralled by the music, never mind if you don't understand what the singer is saying.

Another Pinoy underground DJ, Makkina is one of the original raggamuffin & junglehead of the Philippine electronic music scene. He's been patronizing and promoting jungle and drum & bass since 1999. I downloaded his free track "Cold Fusion" out of curiosity. It sound good. I do hope that the efforts of these Filipino DJs get recognized amidst the flood of rock and novelty (popular genres in Las Islas Filipinas).

I know that my last track for this issue of maruja radio may be a bit kitsch, but you gotta admit that this girl has talent. Filipinos remember Yasmien Kurdi as the over-confident runner-up of the first season of celebrity search StarStruck (I didn't even like her at that time). But when she released her debut album, people changed their minds at the instant they heard her tracks. Hmmm...maybe she was right when she insisted that she deserved to win that reality-based contest. Her songs, mostly in English, are cute and pleasing to hear. The title track, In The Name Of Love, became the local theme song of popular Taiwanese series "Frog Prince."

EDWARD: Bakit mo natanong?

JEWEL: Well, hindi ko pa siya nakikilala. Hindi mo pa naman siya pinapapunta dito sa university--

EDWARD: (sasabat) Selosa siya.

JEWEL: 'Yun ang gusto mo sa kanya?

EDWARD: (matatagalan bago makasagot) Maganda siya. Mahaba ang buhok, seksi ang legs. Noong una ko siyang nakita...tinamaan na ako. Minsan nga, noong birthday niya, niregaluhan ko siya ng kumot.'Yung mga friends niya diring-diri sa regalo. Cheap daw. Sinabi ko na para kapag malamig ang gabi, parang niyayakap ko siya. Tinanggap niya ang regalo. Saya nga niya, o baka sinubukan lang niyang maging masaya. Magmula noon niligawan ko siya...Tama na nga 'yan!

JEWEL: Ay! Lagpas na pala ang recess! Baka ma-late tayo. Tara!

(Tatayo sina JEWEL at EDWARD at tutungo sa pinto. Hihinto sa pinto si EDWARD at haharap kay JEWEL.)

EDWARD: Alam mo, bagay sa 'yo na mahaba ang buhok.

(Aalis si EDWARD at maiiwan si JEWEL sa pintuan.)

JEWEL: (bubugtung-hininga) Ang sweet niya, ano? Ginusto niyang magpahaba ako ng buhok.

UNA: Kasi gusto ni Edward na gumanda ka lalo. Malamang kung mahaba ang buhok mo noong una kayong nagkita, pinalitan na niya ang Lita'ng 'yan.

JEWEL: Minsan nga kinantahan niya ako. Hindi ko lang maalala kung ano’ng kanta 'yun, ang naalala ko lang 'yung "I didn’t know how" sa lyrics. Basta, naka-focus lang kasi ako noon sa ganda ng kanyang boses...Siguro 'yun ang theme song niya sa akin.

SEGUNDA: Edward has a girlfriend for crying out loud! You're ruining their relationship all because of your delusions!

JEWEL: (tatakpan ang tenga) Hindi ako nakikinig...

UNA: (kay SEGUNDA) Kailan ba naging hadlang ang girlfriend sa paghahangad na mapusuan ng iyong minamahal? Hindi pa naman niya asawa.

JEWEL: Makita lang ng Lita'ng 'yan. Madaan lang siya sa campus, magsho-showdown kami. Magpapaligsahan kami sa harap ni Edward. Makikita niya kung kaninong mukha ang mas maganda at kung kaninong katawan ang mas maalindog.

SEGUNDA: You just don't seem to get it, do you?

UNA: Ano pa ba ang hinihirit mo? Hindi na nga siya nakikinig sa 'yo.

SEGUNDA: Edward is just using you.

JEWEL: (mapapakinig) Ano?

SEGUNDA: Edward is using you. You are just his assignment answering dummy as far as he knows. He is taking advantage of your delusions for him.

JEWEL: Hindi mapagsamantala si Edward. Kahit ilang buwan ko palang siya nakilala, nararamdaman ko.

UNA: (kay SEGUNDA) At saka, huwag mo naman masamain ang pagtitinginan ng dalawa. Ayaw mo ba'ng maging masaya si Jewel?

SEGUNDA: Jewel?! Since when did you call yourself Jewel?

JEWEL: (ngingiti) Noong isang araw. Kilala na nga ako sa campus bilang Jewel.

UNA: Alam mo, bagay na bagay sa 'yo ang pangalang 'yan. Jewel...Jewel in the Campus...ang Jewel sa puso ni Edward.

SEGUNDA: I say, it means...Jewel, The Glittering Fool...delirious yet gullible...obsessed about a love that never was.

JEWEL: Hmph! Inggit ka lang!

SEGUNDA: I'm not envious, especially to someone who wears (tatanggalin ang wig ni JEWEL) fake hair!

(Tatakbo palayo ang SEGUNDA dala-dala ang wig. Hahabulin siya ni JEWEL.)

JEWEL: Uy! Akin 'yan!

SEGUNDA: It doesn't fit you!

UNA: (sasama sa habulan) Ano ba? Pinapaiyak mo si Jewel!

HAPPY SINGLE AWARENESS DAY!

Yes, it's that day again when we singles are reminded how "boring" our lives can be. How we welcome the day without a bouquet of flowers or a box of chocolates coming to our doorsteps.

Yes, this is OUR DAY. A day when we need to congregate and frantically jump on the love wagon as we shout, "Hey! I'm single. Love me!"

Okay, back to normal blogging...

***************

CLARK, CLARK, AND AWAY

Last Saturday, the Kids TV team left the office at 2:30AM. I didn't sleep just to get to office on time. Why such unholy hour, you ask? That's because we were catching some balloons to take flight.

Hot Air Balloons to be precise.

By the afternoon we went to a popular "Halo-Halo sa Corazon". We were treated to platefuls of palabok noodle dish, dinuguan (pork blood stew), puto (rice bread), and halo-halo.

Halo-halo is roughly translated as "mixed sweet sludge," a concoction of spoonfuls upon spoonfuls of mixed sweetened fruits and beans topped with shaved ice and milk. In Pampanga, its version of the halo-halo only consists of five main ingredients: caramelized bananas, white beans, corn, candied coconut strings, and carabao milk curd.

During our afternoon shoot I asked my co-writer to take pictures of me while lounging at the air field.

It looks ridiculous, I know. But it's lovely. I mean, for once I felt like a mermaid.

***************

THE STORY BEHIND "JEWEL"

Ever wonder how I got to write my latest play?

"Si Jewel At Ang Kanyang Dalawang..." is a revised version of my first theater script, "Ilusyonada." I always say that "Jewel" is "a semi-autobiography."

I wasn't kidding.

It was inspired from a significant chapter in my life: College Freshman Year (1997). It was when I met a person named Mike.

He's the guy in the middle. I'm seated at his right side.

Meeting him was both elating and agonizing. I was very happy whenever I would spark a conversation with him. I was also agonizing deep inside on what he thought about me. Was I a friend? His confidante? His karma? Or something else?

Those struggles in my head became the basis of writing a play entitled "Ilusyonada" (The Disillusioned), a gay guy battled by two opposing forces. My first attempt at playwrighting made me win third place at a collegiate literary competition.

Many years have passed. My relationship with Mike became one hell of a roller-coaster, and ended bittersweet (or somewhat). And when an opportunity for Artistang Artlets (my theater org) to stage a 25th anniversary presentation, I decided to update "Ilusyonada," added some scenes and revised the dialogue in such a way that the sensitivities of the Catholic priests running the University would not be offended.

Consider it as a form of closure. In a way, I am ending my hopes for Mike. I want my memories of him to be as faded as that faded photo. I am ready to start again. But how? I don't know.

In a week from now, a play of mine will be performed for the first time.

I am so excited.

If Mike watches it, he might laugh.

***************

THE EMPRESS FOOTNOTES

1) A bunch of shameless plugs. Watch "Si Jewel..." along with four other plays on "This Must Be LAAAAAB!" a 25th Anniversary Presentation of Artistang Artlets, the official theater guild of the Faculty of Arts and Letters, UST. February 21 to 23 at Rizal Conference Hall, St. Raymund Building, UST Manila. For more information, contact Richard Uy at +63917-5777490.

2) ZsaZsa Zaturnnah Ze Musical is now perfoming! For playdates, contact Tanghalang Pilipino at (632) 832-3661 or (632) 832-1125.

3) Starting March 11, Kids TV will be seen on ABC 5. Hooray! From a Siberia Channel to No. 3 Station!

4) I just bought a nice shirt on E-bay. It has an image of the Shoe Lady Imelda Marcos fashioned a la Che Guevarra. Isn't it neat?

5) Take a visit of my tenant, JoiseyGirl, at her blog "Thought Bubbles". She's an American living in Scandinavia and she details the humor and life in her eyes. Lovely read, just click on the screencap at the sidebar.

5) Thank you, Mike, for everything.

Oh goodey! Now we can forget the Wowowee Stampede for now. Why? I've got the pics from our Tagaytay shoot, of course!

The production team checked in at a modest hostel in the City. The hostel is fine (we didn't stay too long since we shot the whole day), but I have only one critique.

Why would they put a swimming pool in a town that is so cold all year round? That's two of our hosts, by the way.

After we had our breakfast, our hectic day started.

The hosts were welcomed by the city's tourism office.


They did some spiels.

Kids TV! Our TV!

Tagaytay is a cold mountain city, famous for its majestic view of Taal Volcano, which is the smallest in the world. When we arrived last Sunday, it was so windy not even my hard hair wax could hold.

As you can see, I did some extracurricular activities while the rest of us were shooting. I took some pictures together with my co-workers.

We ate lunch at RSM Lutong Bahay. It has a beautiful garden setting and we were serenaded by their in-house band.

They sang the theme song of Pinoy Big Brother, much to my dismay.

Dad and the crew were enjoying the warm reception.

Much to my delight, we were served with a bountiful selection of fried pork rind, sizzling barbecue, fried noodles, chopsuey, grilled tilapia, beef bulalo, and rice wrapped in banana leaves. Yum...

After lunch, it was back to work.

While we were at the Picnic Grove, I asked our production manager to take a picture of me.

It was windy. Hair was messy. Garland was flying. Beautiful.

Too bad my batteries ran out when dinnertime came. We ate at a beautiful restaurant called Viewsite. It has the nearest view of Taal Volcano, and it has a wide array of fresh seafood to choose from.

This Saturday, we'll be leaving at an ungodly hour of 2:30a.m. just to cover an event. I'll tell you what that is next week.

***************

REHEARSAL JITTERS

As scheduled, I went to my alma mater UST (short for The Royal and Pontifical University of Santo Tomas, the Catholic University of the Philippines) to check out the progress of the rehearsals for my play "Jewel and the Two..."

As I've said, my play is one of five productions celebrating our theater organization's 25th Anniversary.

Director Jon did not attend that night so the stage manager took over. The rehearsals were done at the parking lot using temporary props. The run-through was one actor less, so his lines were being uttered by another actor "offstage".

I personally liked the director's treament of my script. I didn't meddle much to my director's creative license during the meetings because I wanna see how he envisions my play, and it was all good.

What I liked the most were the two dance numbers incorporated in the script. The choreography was hilarious.

Looking at the actors and the lines that they utter from my script, I felt like a mother seeing her baby for the first time. It was so overwhelming.

I guess they were jittery by the fact that the playwright was monitoring their rehearsals. They tend to forget their lines, especially the lead actor (whom I still find cute).

After the run-through, the lead actor admitted that he was a bit nervous because I was there (as a scriptwriter, of course, stop that! hihihi). I told the actors that I felt really happy of your performance, and those jitters were forgiveable since they were halfway through. They were glad and relieved.

I will attend again this Sunday for a pictorial and a "critic's night". Hope they do well.

***************

LOVE ME, SUGAR PAPA/ MAMA (A PHOTO GAME)

I'm making a photo game for everyone to enjoy. It's called "Love Me, Sugar Papa/ Mama"

Show your expressions of love to your invisible Sugar Papa/ Mama. Include a funny or raunchy message to your lover.

My co-writer and I will start...

I know you can do better. So show your affection and express your love and gratification. E-mail your pics at empressmaruja@gmail.com. Photoshopped pics are accepted for now, but it would be adviseable if you write your message on a piece of paper together with that sexy pose.

I'll be posting more of my amourous showings in future posts.

SYET, PAPA, SYET!