Jessica Zafra's Blog, page 295

Moondogs author Alexander Yates on growing up in Manila, feeling Pinoy, being alien

There aren't many novels by foreign authors set in the Philippines. There's Cryptonomicon, Neal Stephenson's massive, genius novel about a crypto-hacker who plans to build a data haven in the Philippines. The description of the protagonist's walk from the Manila Hotel to Luneta tells us that the author was in town to research his location. [...]

All Blacks vs France! Live commentary, with occasional discussions of the actual rugby. (Update: PHL Volcanoes in Borneo 7s final v Japan at 1640.)

Today All Blacks Captain Richie McCaw becomes the first New Zealand player to earn 100 test caps. And Brewhuh will be there to shred our eardrums! We were all set to watch the Rugby World Cup games at a nearby sports bar, but when we tried to make a reservation yesterday we found that they [...]

All Blacks vs France! Live commentary, with occasional discussions of the actual rugby

Today All Blacks Captain Richie McCaw becomes the first New Zealand player to earn 100 test caps. And Brewhuh will be there to shred our eardrums! We were all set to watch the Rugby World Cup games at a nearby sports bar, but when we tried to make a reservation yesterday we found that they [...]

Back to the All Blacks

On Saturday, September 24, Jessica Rules the Universe turns 5. We've got celebrations planned for our fifth anniversary; you'll get your invitation as soon as all arrangements are confirmed. On Saturday Brewhuh, Auntie Janey and I shall hunker down in a bar that is airing the Rugby World Cup and watch the game between the [...]

Auntie Janey's Old-Fashioned Agony Column: In which a reader dreams that she is Mulan or dating President Noynoy

Dear Auntie Janey, My name is Olivia and here is my concern. I have been having weird dreams and I don't know why. Last weekend I dreamt that I was Mulan. Yes, the Disney princess who took her father's place and pretended to be a guy to join China's army in fighting the Huns. In [...]

Happy 88th Birthday, Nanay!

Nanay with National Bookstore's area managers. Photo by JZ. Today is the birthday of Nanay Socorro Ramos, the founder and the face of National Bookstore. No one is more qualified to be our birthday oracle, but as we all know Nanay Coring is very busy. Happy Birthday, Nanay! From all of your anak (and we [...]

Back to the All Blacks

On Saturday, September 24, Jessica Rules the Universe turns 5. We've got celebrations planned for our fifth anniversary; you'll get your invitation as soon as all arrangements are confirmed. On Saturday Brewhuh, Auntie Janey and I shall hunker down in a bar that is airing the Rugby World Cup and watch the game between the [...]

Download John LeCarre's Smiley trilogy for free now

The Guardian website is giving away seven John LeCarre audiobooks absolutely free this week. Download them now. Each book is available for download for 6 days only. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is only available until tomorrow, the 23rd. Registration required. Here's the link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/serie... Thanks to reader ronaldcs for the alert.

Buffy's back on TV

Not as Buffy, but as twins in Ringer, which sounds Hitchcockian. We're glad she pointed out the ludicrousness of doing a Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie without Joss Whedon. James Wolcott pays tribute. Never an ill word will be dragged from me against Sarah Michelle Gellar, the star of the new CW series Ringer, which [...]

Talk talk talk

The FEU campus in Manila The Lamp, the official publication of the FEU Institute of Nursing, invited us to give a talk on writing to its editorial staff. We've given many talks, some of them quite eventful (People bursting into tears), some underscoring the fact of our irrelevance ("What do you have against tweeting that [...]