Bayani Cafe: March 2009

Bayani Cafe for Mabuhay News March 2009 issue is, somehow, my simple salute to comics. Salamat nga pala kay Gerry Alanguilan.

Editorial Cartoon: March 2009

This is the latest editorial cartoon I made for Mabuhay News. Introduced by Sen. Matt Rector, Bill 48, basically would require employers to pay $40,000 to GovGuam for every contract worker they hire from foreign countries like the Philippines. Presently, an employer only pays $1,000 for ever H-2 worker it hires. I will be posting the actual Mabuhay News Editorial article about the bill as soon as I have the copy. For now, you can read about Guam's Bill 48 here and here.

Orlando, Florida

Just a glimpse of our tiresome yet pleasurable trip to Orlando. I gave one camera to my daughter that actually took nice images. It's fascinating really. Handing camera to a child and giving them the opportunity to take photos can give you the chance to know what interest them. We were standing in the line for a carrousel ride then the next thing I know, I saw her walking away, stood before a safety sign and took a shot. The collage photo below is a sample of her shots.

Driving home at dusk with my wife and daughter, all worn-out, slept halfway through the 5 hour drive. The sun at the back offering its tender goodnight. On the way home, I drove to a wrong exit and as usual I made a u-turn. Typical. (Kawawa ako sa alaska ni misis)

Sketch: Oneng

This was taken when we went to Disney Orlando (3 years ago?). It was so damn hot. Tired and exhausted, you can sense that she wasn't enjoying every minute of our last hour in the park that day. We will be going back there this week and Oneng is now 5 years old. And boy, she's extremely excited. My wife, Arceli, won't be going with us to visit the park since she will be staying in the hotel for a conference. She's crossing her fingers that Oneng and I won't get lost driving because I will be my own navigator. She adores how I drive yet she knows how bad I am at going to where I want to go without making a lot of u-turns.

Bayani Cafe

Bayani Cafe is a comic strip I created way back in the late 90's for the monthly Filipino-American newspaper Mabuhay News based in Guam. The strip first appeared in the paper with Eli, Feli and Teri as the main characters slurring corny punchlines with waitresses and fellow barflies while drinking in a bar called Bayani Cafe.

Eli, Feli and Teri, (names drew out from the title of Dr. Rizal's El Filibusterismo) first appeared as the main characters of Bayani Cafe.

Presently still running together with my editorial cartoon, the scene now revolves outside the Cafe with my three old pals out of sight.

Panaginip ni Nanay at ni Oneng

"Panaginip ni Nanay at Oneng" - 17 x 30, watercolor & ink on paper

I visited a house once with a group of people and saw this brilliant original print by Mucha hanging on the wall. It was so strikingly beautiful that I spent almost the entire visit standing there while every one was walking around touring the huge house. I was absolutely impressed by this collection as a matter of fact jealous even. I was so jealous that I had to own one. But of course with a master piece like Mucha's the price probably is the same as the Porsche Carrera GT parked outside the house's driveway.

"Panaginip ni Nanay at Oneng" is way out of Mucha's brilliance but at least it's my own Art Nouveau pinoy style ready to be hung on our wall. Art Nouveau is not my style, I just wanted to own one but couldn't afford a Porsche.

Yes! I am Ryan Redilla

"Panaginip" study • pencil on paper

An old friend of mine asked me once, "when will you make your own site?" I have been working with computers as a graphic artist for almost 20 years now but for some reason I have been hesitant to make one. Ego maniacal that I am, still always had this scary thought of letting my identity read by a stranger.

Another friend of mine, and this time a high school classmate, miraculously stumbled upon me on a site. "Are you the same Ryan Redilla from Dagupan City National High School?" he emailed me. His name of course I remembered and I replied with such happy words: "Tangina mo!, Ako nga si Ryan Redilla. Kamusta na?! Booninam animal!" Ryan Redilla... I have never heard of that name for so long. With no facebook nor friendster account, it's really hard for some of my old acquaintances to track me online because back in the Philippines in my school days I was Jose Ryan "Bong" Redilla, with a double "L". Before my family moved to Guam we had to wait 8/10 years (can't recall) for all the paper works to be processed and waited another extra months for an extra paper to be worked on. And that extra paper works were to clear and prove all the necessary materials of our migration papers that we are same family written and being petitioned on the paper. Because for some odd circumstances our family name on the INS papers only has one "L". Not sure sure who to blame: The employee with a bad hangover who took care of the paper signing or perhaps it was my lolo, who signed the petition papers, that had sanmig bilog the night before (Never really asked my parents what the real reason was. Pretty sure my father will explain it on this blog).

What ever the reason is. Klasmeyts! Yes! I am Ryan RediLLa, Kamusta na? Bok-kitito animal!