Last Sunday, I had the good luck of sitting next to an old ex Jesuit priest (kinda) who used to be my teacher. He invited me to lunch after so we could talk and so I could meet  his artist friend Joey Velasco, a painter of strong Christian tableaus in very contemporary fashion. Since I was going to have late lunch with my in-laws, i went  with them for awhile to chat while they ate.

Joey gave me a whole set of copies of his works and I must say I am very impressed with them and am very grateful.

The images are so strong and their local flavor makes it so impactful to Pinoys visually and emotionally.

This is quite an innovation from the usual Last Supper we see in many Filipino homes.

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I’ve been wanting to do it.

I finallly watched Indiana Jones last night after an earlier attempt at going to Eastwood two days ago  and cancelling because I could not find parking. I watched the late show and I really enjoyed myself. Spielberg can really tell a story.  I loved the whole Amazon chase. It was terrific. Won’t talk too much about it since my son has not seen it yet and he may be reading this blog.

But I guess we can expect more Indiana Jones sequels since the mantle has been passed somewhat. Or didn’t you notice the not-too-subtle hint? OK, I’m quiet from here on.

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I am down to my last two shows this weekend before I go back to Sydney. Everyday, I check the weather over there and I’ve noticed that these days, there is a 30 degree diffrence in the temperature between Manila and Sydney. It’s been so hot lately that even with a fan directed to my body, I am sweating like crazy. I know my electric bill will be painful since I’ve been using the aircon quite often lately.

Bahala na. In a few days, I will probably be missing this while I complain of the cold naman.

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Been meeting with APO and brainstorming for our 40th anniversary bash at the Araneta Coliseum this September 20. I am really getting excited about it. We will have a full complement of technical support in both equipment and personel. It will be an audio-visual treat. Our lightsman Mike Rodis will be flying from the US. He is a Filipino who does lights  for big artists in the US like Michaqel Buble, Tony Bennet, Natalie Cole, and some young acts as well.  Often, he joins us coming from some big show the day before. He drops everything to join us when we tour the US because he simply enjoys APO a lot.

Will tell you more about  the show when the date is nearer. I promise you an anniversary that it is not be missed. Tickets are already moving this early. What a thrill.

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The last thing I feel like doing these days is to write.

I have been on photography mode lately and I find it is easier to express myself visually than with words. But then, each time I sit and write, I still manage to come up with something. I feel that the best way to write is to simply show up and write. I have been keeping a blog for a few years now plus writing for the Philippine Star for more than a year and Hills News in Sydney for a few months and I guess the habit of writing with a deadline has made me a more or less functional writer at my worst and a pretty decent one at my best.

If good writing is something of a game of chance for me, then it follows that the more I write, or take pictures or whatever I do repeatedly, the better I get at it. Practice makes one accident prone to doing something well.

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