One time Chips and I were in Tagaytay and I was supposed to stop by the ukay-ukay shop that was along the rotonda. When we got there, I find that the 4-storey place of vintage gloriousness was gone! I was devastated! That's where I got a Zara band-style jacket for only 200 bucks! Shit man, there goes another Fozzy destination.

Fast forward to yesterday -- Chips and I were up there again for a breakfast buffet at Josephine's. I planned to ukay at one more place I knew of that was still there. It was a little store in that building where Figaro was. When we got to the lot, the store was closed! Can this be? Is the world conniving against my source of thrifty stress-relieving happiness!?? I was at a loss. Like, utterly down and out.

And then... as we were going to visit a chapel... the heavens broke and shone on a miracle of a mirage. There it was, paradise! A complex filed with rows and rows of potential finds. If only I had more money. Dammit.

Okay, for all of you who would want some ukay fun in Tagaytay, I'm in a sharing mood. If you know where Jollibee, Greenwich and McDonald's is from the rotonda, you'll find the heaven. It's like, going to stare you in the face. Come in, buy all of us.

LomoManila goes to Mag:net Bonifacio High Street

Local photography movement LomoManila splashes its vibrant images on to the walls of the new Mag:net Café High Street in The Fort Global City from August 13 to September 10. The ever growing group of toy camera lovers unveils their collages of exciting and colorful lomographs with a launch on Monday, August 13, 8pm featuring five themed lomowalls and musical performances by Kate Torralba, Mozzie, Shoulder State, Mobster Manila, Top Junk, Free Beer and Sanity Kit.

Lomomanila is a community of toy camera photographers who advocate the use of film and a non-traditional approach to photography, disregarding the basic rules of composition and exposure. With hundreds of members in the community, this exhibit will have more than 250 lomographs from about 50 active Lomographers using a variety of film and toy cameras.

"We have taken Lomography and Lomomanila into the mainstream, exhibiting in a high profile location such as Mag:net in the Fort. We hope we can get the interest of more people in Lomography and appreciation for our style and brand of images. We appreciate Mag:net for supporting our movement and the art community in general," Robert Rojales, comments.

The exhibit, dubbed the Crapshoot, dedicates entire walls to shots of body parts, flash photographs, self portraits and the best work of some LomoManila members with over-the-top angles, colors and techniques. “LomoManila’s exhibits are not only exhibits, they are a celebration of creativity and friendship. When you join LomoManila you’re not only joining a photography club but an entire barkada full of fascinating and wonderful people,” LomoManila Founder At Maculangan emphasizes.

The group started in 2003 as an e-group of Filipino artists drawn to the lomography movement which started in Vienna, Austria. Since LomoManila’s inception, it has held exhibits in BlackSoup Projects in Marikina Shoe Expo Cubao, Route 196 Bar and Mag:Net in Katipunan, and DPI Photography Center in Ortigas. It is a mix of artistic individuals from students to corporate executives, writers, visual artists and professional photographers.

“Lomomanila is the most vibrant, the most exciting and the most welcoming photography community I have ever come across. We are very proud to have them in Mag:net Bonifacio High Street," Mag:Net’s Gabe Mercado comments.

LomoManila’s “Crapshoot” at Mag:Net Bonifacio High Street runs until September 10. For more information, contact Bong Rojales at rrojales@gmail.com

*Press Release written by Marge Francia

I would like for the rain
to lace through my fingers,
to make puddles at my feet
as I lay down with you.

I would like for the breeze
to sing through this sadness,
to dance within my tears
as I search my soul for you.


I would like for this night
to feel like it wasn't,
to unfold like it shouldn't,
because it shouldn't have been...


11:48 PM
August 6, 2007