Alan Navarra's DUMOT

Shepherds, farmers, fishermen, and other members of the self-employed profession have the best reason to be happy. They don't need to deal with an Evil Boss. They don't need to hold that anger or contain that aggression against this evil puppeteer and manipulative hog who remains a constant source of pain in the urban, corporate world.

This book by Alan Navarra is about anger and hate. I bought this one on the eve of TRESE 4's launching as a companion read to that good comic book. Another reason is the title---it caught my attention because I know what the word means due to my West Visayan roots.

Though the main character's (Michael Perez) vindictiveness against his superior is a natural reaction, me as a reader feel no sympathy nor allegiance to this corporate worker who shares the same "hole" with the boss. Considering that Michael can easily puke at the mere sight of his superior (nandidiri), I think that it's stupid to bang your boss's wife. Wala syang pinagkaiba sa boss nya.

No matter how funny and clever the writer's choice of cuss/curse words and phrases and no matter how experimental and postmodern the writer's technique here, he who paints his character as an eternal victim that whined every second and badmouths everything, unknowingly paints Michael Perez as the character who failed to differentiate the pussy from the weiner and also metaphorically becoming both. It's like an attempt to spit on God's face and realizing that your spit fell back flatly in your own face, special thanks to gravity.

By the way, I think the "crab mentality mindset" is a redundant term. Redundant as a "crisis situation scenario" or "difficult dilemma." But I'm not an English teacher nor a communications expert, I'm just a common, pedestrian reader who just inserted his 200 pesos worth of money to the writer's pocket. Once again, just a reader.

Luckily, this Visayan reader appreciates a good art when he sees one. Alan Navarra's style (ala Robert Crumb) of organic art  transmuting into different forms and symbols of Michael's own version of the alphabet as they complement acronyms of the shitty business and corporate terms became a redeeming point. Design saved the day for Navarra, prompting me to give his book a passing mark. This one is a very angry design book and it's better to view it more as a design book than as a book of complaints but at least, the aggression here is entertaining.

I'm sure Alan Navarra knows another Hiligaynon term like YAWA and if he attempts to write a book about it, I will surely look forward to read it.

ART SAVES THE AUTHOR

Genre: Postmodernist Literature, Visual Book, Mature Reading
Rating: 3 enchantments of YAWA out of 5

This is a Mad Worlds

Days before my team conclude the ultra-cool road trip project: the Visayas-Mindanao road survey, I was already planning to do two things as soon as I breathe again the bucolic atmosphere of Las Piñas. First is to watch the Harry Potter Finale and second is to read a new book.

Just before entering the theater I saw this collection of essays (published last month) by the frontman of Radioactive Sago Project and to tell you the truth, I actually have no idea that Lourd wrote a blog via the urbanite website spot.ph until buying and reading this book.

"THIS IS A CRAZY PLANETS!"
---STELLA STRADA (R.I.P.)

Nothing's new really with Lourd's sensibilities and observations (and bigotry) regarding varied current affairs but seriously, I share the same sentiment when it comes to the First Sister of the Philippines, simply referred as "K." His tribute to the legendary public enemy Paquito Diaz, eulogy for the rock n roll station NU 107, sentiments on old movies, observations on the Pacquiao Clan and PNoy's metaphor of illegal wangwangs, warning on porn addiction, and his lamentations against taxi drivers from hell plus the bad habit of indiscriminate defecation in public are all classic Lourd de Veyra. There's nothing to contend in a writer who states the obvious, and shows you the sarcasm in a mask-less face.

His reminder for women; umasal lamang ng ayon sa ganda. And for the gents; ang tunay na lalake ay walang abs. Amen!



Genre: Essays, Social Commentaries
Rating: 3.5 shots of GIN POMELO

Apocalypse Now

THANKS FOR THE TIP, BRO!

Harold Camping's prediction about the end of the World based on the First Testament's Book of Genesis is once again, off. His previous calculation (or rather, miscalculation) assumed that Judgment Day should have happened last 1994. Of course, humanity survived 1994 and today, does anybody care if somebody declares to know when the end will happen? With or without predictions, humanity must fight for their right to live and maintain that courage to face the inevitable.

The question by the majority now (that I really hate to hear) is when will it happen and who will be the next fool to declare it. Answering that is open to everybody and subject for anyone's interpretation.

On the other hand, my foolish opinion about the End of Days is this: Apocalypse will not happen in a single day but it has already started. Now, we are actually in the process of slowly killing ourselves by breathing poisoned air, eating synthetic foods, dealing with nuclear and natural disasters, and the recurrent man-made wars. We don't need to pinpoint exactly the ending, we only need the courage to face it. Because Man is the only species capable of this kind of courage, not plants, not animals.       

The Happy Beast

ME & MY TRIBE

"The bourgeoisie loves so-called "positive" types and novels with happy endings since they lull one into thinking that it is fine to simultaneously acquire capital and maintain one's innocence, to be a beast and still be happy."
---Anton Pavlovich Chekhov