Cold.

In nights without you I shiver.
I suffer.

2010

I exist in this dark depressed night

Swallowed in the belly of this glutton clown

In the pits of his swollen lazy legs

Between the crevices of his fat gelatinous neck

I insignificantly exist in his insignificant existence

Arms outstretched as I grasp for freedom

His stench seeps deep into my very core

Until my existence surrenders and burst into woes.

CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS: ASEUM SYMPOSIUM

ASEUM is an international network of new media art practitioners pushing for cultural, educational, and technological exchange on emerging new media art practices in South East Asia and Europe. Initiated by SABAW Media Art Kitchen (Philippines) and Multimedia Center KIBLA (Slovenia), ASEUM hopes to draw attention to artists, their work, their perspectives and the complex interrelationships between technology, art and culture through various symposia, workshops, and collaborative endeavors.

Discussions on interactive design, networked cultures, the burgeoning open source software movements, interactivity, data visualization, bio-technology, DIY electronics, open-source hardware, computer/electronic music, and sound and video art are among the few topics that will be tackled by some of the most recognized artists working on new media art and technology in Europe and Asia.
This year’s symposium is slated to run from July 21-25, 2009 in Manila, Philippines and is open to all artists, software programmers, engineers, scientists, students, DIY hobbyists, and art enthusiasts. The symposium will feature new media artists from Europe and Asia through a series of interactive sessions, open fora, live audio-video performances and presentations in top universities and renowned artist-run spaces in Metro Manila.

*Please note that the hands-on workshop labs on graphical programming languages Pure Data and DIY sound devices using Arduino can only accommodate a limited number of participants.

To be considered for participation, please submit a 1-2 paragraph essay (not more than 300 words) stating your purposes in joining, including how you can contribute to the symposium given your specialization or field of work. Please also submit your full contact details along with the essay on or before June 30, 2009 to sabawmediahub@gmail.com or contact 09175191511.
Complete details regarding symposium venues, speakers, performers, presentation topics, and program flow available upon request; email chesquita@gmail.com.
ASEUM is sponsored by ASIA-EUROPE FOUNDATION as part of the Follow Up Project (FUP) of the 5th-6th Art Camp New Media and the Mini Summit on New Media Art policy & practice.

Feel free to disseminate this email to interested parties, to blogs, websites, the like.

Thank you for your time.

Love in the time of chicken pox. -Ways on how not to touch yourself for self gratitude, clinically.

Let me introduce my new friend, Varicella—Varicella Zoster Virus. Varicella is usually fond of little kids but for some pathological reason, has decided to crash in my place a few days ago. I guess my unhealthy lifestyle of social toxins has been conducive to Varicella and found it habitable to incubate some of her babies on my skin for a good 10-21 days. Being the perpetual host that I am, I found the moving-in hard to resist. Now Varicella and her babies are happily feasting the outer region of my dermis from scalp to toes. Of course I wouldn’t be such a rude host by sleeping while my viral-guests are still on a party mode so I decided to get myself preoccupied lest I want to join their ecstatic party of scratch and prick. Here’s what I thought of in keeping me from touching myself, clinically:

1.Create a blog to document this once in a lifetime pathological phenomenon.You only get chickenpox once in your life so savor it to its very blisters.

2.Review your sent email folder in your yahoomail. It stores the ones you sent from when you first created the account. You’ll find yourself laughing with whom and why you sent that message to.

3.Log in to facebook. Sure, you do this everyday with or without chickenpox but if you really want to get preoccupied from the itch, visit all your 300 plus friends. You’ll see that not all of them have met you personally.

4.Stare at your crush’s page for a good half hour. Then go back to the homepage for eye rest. Then stare at the page back again. Do those for a couple of hours then change your status message saying: “Nirvana!” for all the world to wonder.

5.If you don’t want to use Nirvana, just reply to his status message with cryptic smileys and uberly-pacool-slash- pakyut-phrases. ^_^ If ever he asks what’s with all that, say it must be some artistic itch, with another cryptic smiley, of course. =)

6.Flood yourself with DVD’s good for 2 weeks worth of watching. Dare not to borrow from your jologs kapitbahay. You’ll end up watching Steven Siegal and Transporter 1,2,3. You’re better off scratching and pricking your boils than watching those.

7.Make yourself productive. Answer quizzes from facebook. Why else do you think they make those quizzes for?

8.Organize your file case. Even if it is 2am.

9.Clean up your closet. Even if it’s 2am

10.Drink coffee. It is already 2am.

11.Count your blisters.

And finally,
12.Romanticize your scabs. After all, it was once part of you. Awww…

That’s what you get when you can’t touch yourself for 2 weeks.
Boils, blisters, puss.
05/28/09