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Bloody Twisted Valentine Cake, originally uploaded by 160507.

This is My Bloody Twisted Valentine Cake, the latest creation of the Dessert Diva. It was awarded to the winner of our story contest, sylviaplathsghost. It’s Strawberries and Chocolate Cream—layers of chocolate meringue sandwiched in chocolate cream and strawberries under a blanket of chocolate roses. If the leaders of our nation ever tell us to eat cake, we hope they mean this.

Some friends of mine attended the rally on Ayala Avenue last Friday. They walked over from their offices. As the rally progressed, they grew more and more uncomfortable. They were surrounded by the hakot crowd—busloads of people who had been paid by politicians to appear at the event. This is not about class or snobbery. This is about wanting to express your outrage, and finding that the guy standing next to you was paid to show up. You hope that his outrage is genuine, and you really can’t begrudge him accepting money because he probably needs it. But it’s not right. This is not what People Power was supposed to be. People were supposed to be united by their convictions. Now it’s been reduced to a show of numbers. My friends repaired to a nearby Starbucks, where a whole bunch of people who had also come to the rally from their offices had also taken refuge. That’s what they were: refugees.

Twisted 8, originally uploaded by 160507. TWISTED 8 by Jessica Zafra. Now available (P250) at Cibo and Cafe Bola branches, National Bookstores, Powerbooks. We deliver orders of 10 copies or more; email zeusbooks.twisted8@gmail.com.

Every so often on this blog I give away books as prizes for contests, as cheap bribes, or to make space on my shelves. The winners are notified by email to claim their prizes at the offices of Anvil Publishing in Mandaluyong (fairly accessible, near Robinson’s Pioneer). Jo at Anvil has informed me that many of the books have not been claimed. Please claim your prizes by the end of this week, or I’ll have to think up another contest and give them away again. If you live outside of Metro Manila, have someone pick them up.

Kon Ichikawa, director of Fires On The Plain and The Burmese Harp, has died at the age of 92. Fires On The Plain (Nobi), set in Leyte during the Japanese retreat towards the end of World War II, is one of the fiercest, saddest condemnations of war ever committed to celluloid. It should be required viewing for all humans.

Today. Lunchtime. The Mandarin cafe/jungle in Gateway.

Grungella: Why’d you break up with your boyfriend?

Grover: He said he was commitment-phobic.

Guy Smiley: You should’ve said you were breakup-phobic!

Grover: It wasn’t a huge surprise. He did say at the start that he wasn’t ready for a relationship.

Grungella: That’s what my last one said, too! But I never listen because I believe that an exception should be made in my case.

The Count: I ran into my ex. He used to be buff, but now he’s fat.

Everyone: That’s wonderful!Good for you!

The Count: A purely sexual relationship is really the best kind.

Kermit: But what about love?

Grover: I thought you were looking for a boyfriend, I didn’t know you were looking for romance.

I saw two sweet movies in a row: The Darjeeling Limited (showing only at Greenbelt 3), and Juno (showing everywhere).

The Darjeeling Limited is another trip into the stylish artificial universe of Wes Anderson. Every time I watch a Wes Anderson movie, I wish I had his characters’ problems. (Although I Was the Jason Schwartzman character in Rushmore.) No one ever worries about the bills, they just have elliptical conversations and dissociate from reality.

Everyone I know who’s seen it ranks its stars this way: 1. Adrien Brody, 2. Jason Schwartzman, and 3. Owen Wilson (whose head is bandaged throughout the movie, reminding everyone of his suicide attempt). You figure out what the ranking is for.

I enjoyed the movie, but it seems the filmmakers went to a lot of trouble—having Marc Jacobs design the matching luggage, hauling it to India—just to say, “Guys, you need to get rid of your emotional baggage.” Recovery time: 0. Nothing to recover from, unless you have luggage envy. Although I did contract LSS and have “Play With Fire” by the Rolling Stones in my head. Which reminds me that “Ruby Tuesday” was in The Royal Tenenbaums soundtrack, so I hear the two tracks alternately.

Juno is not bad, but it’s no Superbad. Recovery time: 30 minutes, but only to get over the cute cloyingly obvious soundtrack.

Breaking news. In Juno, the title character listens to Sonic Youth’s cover of “Superstar” by The Carpenters. Well President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo just sang The Carpenters’ “I Have You” with Richard Carpenter and Claire dela Fuente in Malacanang. There’s some weird synchronicity here. Maybe we should imagine GMA singing “Don’t you remember you told me you love me babeeeh. . .” But in Thurston Moore’s voice. Please.

Great quote from I don’t remember whom: “If Karen Carpenter and not Mama Cass Elliot had eaten that ham sandwich, they would both be alive today.”