THE WHIP OF ONDOY’S FURY

By Mark Pillos

The reverberating voices of children…The shrieking mothers…The wailing fathers…all were callously drowned by the shuddery fury of Ondoy on the 26th of October.

He mocked and guffawed beyond strata: rich or poor, young or old. All were just nonsensical pieces of crap for him. He slashed and jagged in tearing every creature caught by him like feeble and hopeless ants to a raging whirlpool of water and mud.

He never had a heart.

He never wanted life.

He never got enough of death.

He voraciously swallowed the panic stricken people of the metropolis and its outskirts.

The morbid truth of Ondoy’s aftermath has caused unfathomable grief and immensurable pain for those who have invested millions for their properties. Cars floated like paper boats. Business establishments soaked into flood. Nothing left but mud-bathed products. And worst, the poor people living in ramshackled shanties who are now sipping the bitter succus of Ondoy’s wrath.

Some people were not aware of what happened outside their tall buildings, cozy condo units and high places. They were so lucky that they were enjoying and affording the comforting warmth of their nooks. But those who were flooded, most of them could even wished that they had never lived for them not to have suffered the unpitying clutch of his suffocating rain and tempestuous gush of torrents.

There are those who blame the government. There are those who blame the people who are spifflicating nature. There are those who keep on blaming others. They are not just aware that this would not bring back what has been damaged and lost. Why not begin another morning? Why not help the government for the realization of friendly-nature projects? Why not start helping each other? Why not pondering what may happen to this wonderful world if we keep on pointing our fingers to others because of our own despair.

We are not certain for the days to come. For the calamities that may approach. Only one is certain, the key is ourselves!!!

LET’S START POINTING OUR FINGERS TO OURSELVES!!!

SKETCHES FOR BELLA'S GOWN

I consider the TWILIGHT SAGA a treasure. I love the line when Bella said "I cringed at every thought of poofy white dresses and bouquets..." I remember that is in page 6 of the final book BREAKING DAWN.

Take a look at the sketches of famous designers below and be "caught up in a dizzy spin of fantasies."

Enjoy!!!

Monique Lhuillier

Lhuillier's creation is a mermaid-style dress with lace detailing. The reworked take on a gown from the 1920s features a silk sash and high neck with cap sleeves.




Zac Posen

This pink gown features a turn-of-the-century corset, bustle, full skirt, high-neck and dramatic detailed sleeves. Posen keeps to the vintage theme by finishing with lace-up boots.




Badgley Mischka

Badgley Mischka's vision is a strong silhouette with vintage details like full-length lace sleeves and bodice, and a high-buttoned neck.





Christian Siriano

Siriano's three-tiered dress has a lace bustier and high ruffle neckline with off-the-shoulder sleeves and a full body.





Lela Rose

Rose focused on the rear view of her off-white, handcrafted dress. The simple body gathers at back into a sweet lace bustle.





Max Azria

Azria focused on the vintage lace detail for his Victorian inspired gown. The dress is complete with lace peaked shoulders, full sleeves and a high neck.





Brian Reyes

Reyes envisions the fabric as a slightly tarnished bone color. The silhouette is a long skirt with a ruffled blouse and lace diamond inserts. The inspiration is a youthful spin on early 20th century Edwardian era elegance.






Erin Fetherston

This interpretation has a high-neck, puff sleeves and lace bustier. Fetherston put her signature ethereal touch on the two-tiered body with a tulle and lace underlayer.

ENHANCE YOUR LISTENING SKILL THROUGH MARK PILLOS


Hotel Reservations





CLICK PICTURE TO LISTEN TO THE AUDIO FILE


GUIDE QUESTIONS:



1. The man makes a reservation finally for which day?
A. March 20th
B. March 21st
C. March 22nd


2. What kind of room does the man prefer?
A. a non-smoking room
B. a smoking room
C. either one is okay


3. Why doesn't he want to reserve the suite?
A. It doesn't have a nice view.
B. It doesn't come with a sauna bath.
C. It's too expensive.


4. Including tax, how much is the man's room?
A. 80 dollars
B. 88 dollars
C. 96 dollars


5. How do you spell the man's name?
A. Maxner
B. Maexner
C. Mexner





IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS:

1) "roll out the red carpet" = give very special treatment to welcome guests
EXAMPLE SENTENCE: "The nice thing about the hotel is that they always roll out the red carpet for their guests."


2) "24-7" = twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week
EXAMPLE SENTENCE: "The front desk is open 24-7 in case you need assistance."

I AM ME …by MARK PILLOS

Arts, literature, passion …these are three things that cushion the minutest tint of my derangement and sanity. As I am juxtaposed to my contemporaries, I am just a typical nonsensical lackadaisical emblem of idiocy. But I know deep within the chasm of my intricate soul, there lurks the unfathomable glitch and glamour of my true self.

My childhood days were full of painting and writing. I remember when I had my first stroke of the Crayola crayons to a then clean sheet of paper with blue and red lines. The memory keeps rushing back to me (I wish I could have written the exact date) as I had drawn a bird which I replicated from my mother’s work. My father busted to loud guffaws and gave me exaggerated praises when he saw that ‘treasure’ (that is how I’m considering it).

I was six when I started joining art competitions. Then my high school days were full of rich memories of how I reaped and lost art competitions. I cried like I spilled milk, but I laugh to my heart’s content. This stage I consider the most plenteous part of how I hone that artistic skill of my pixilated hands, though in college I had beaten artists from the different parts of Region I that catapulted me to the limelight of let’s just say being ‘famous’ to my competitors (Let me just put it that way. Anyway, this is my work and DEFINITELY not yours. Hehe). I always smile at the very thought of winning in a painting contest that qualified my work to compete for the countries in the entire Asia Pacific.

Writing is a different story. This started when I was a couch potato at a very young age, i.e. elementary. My number channel then was Cartoon Network. Funny. If not watching, I’m bound to doing three things: (1) reading books, (2) reading books, (3) reading books. It seems that these were my opium or ecstasy or marijuana. There was a point when I really wanted to create a story that I can officially call ‘mine’. I have drawn the cover of that supposed book. That was my first short story, and I was just barely in grade six then. Too bad, I thought I lost the manuscript then. I was dumfounded when I found it when I was in college.

I had my poem “My Wings” published in a national English magazine when I was fourteen. I earned my fame in high school being the Associate Editor and Cartoonist. In college, I boosted sweat just to be the Editor-in-chief of our college paper, and Associate Editor for the university.

Designing clothes is another great story which is quite intertwined with my passion in painting. Chills of excitement suffuses me everytime that I create dresses especially gowns. I want to emphasize a woman’s body through my creations. I also want to showcase the curves and pits of a man’s body but that realization just came to me as I was in loved with the hot pictures of JIRO SHIRAKAWA.

Arts, literature, passion- these are three indispensable things that I can not live without. These are like the air that I breathe the water that I drink and the food that supplement my body for survival.

These are anchored to my soul that shouts: I am arts! I am literature! I am passion! …I AM ME …

This is me, my life and my passion ...