Corsair on the Airwaves

Earlier this day, I got the chance to guest in a radio show along with two of my LIRA co-fellows, Pau Hernando and Guia de Leon. Nothing grand an event — there are thousands of people hosting a radio show around the globe at this very second, for example — but still a notable experience. Well, every first-time experience should be.

We came into the PIA Building expecting to zip in for around 15 minutes, promote our upcoming LIRA Fellows’ Night (more on that later), rattle off a few poems, and zip out. Instead, we found ourselves being the ‘main guests’ (is there such a term?) for today’s Youthlinks program at DZSR (918 Khz; the online streaming version can be found here). We stayed for the show’s full hour-long duration.

We felt at ease with the show’s great staff, which includes co-hosts Allan Elman, Rommel Brillantes, and Jacky Chan (yes that’s his first name; I failed to catch his surname). After talking a bit about our personal backgrounds, the LIRA fellowship process, and workshop details, each of us three was given the time to read two poems. I chose two “battle tested” (pinalihan, or dumaan sa palihan in LIRA-speak) works, namely TalÃ (”Star”) and Fast Food.

Time willing, some of us fellows might return to DZSR regularly, per the invitation of sir Allan. As the show title implies, Youthlinks is targeted to the most driven and visionary slice of our society (okay, excluding toddlers). The chance to be able to massively promote Tagalog/Filipino literature, especially a kind attuned to societal sensibilities and yet balancing the writer’s emotional/personal side, is a chance that arrives as frequently as “You’ve been published in [insert prestigious journal title blah blah]” in the mail.

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That’s just the radio guesting. If all systems are go, I’ll be guesting at the TV show At Your Pleasure, Nancy hosted by Nancy Castiglione. Nah, nothing about poetry, nor geekery, nor even blogging; I’ll be interviewed for my toys. Yes, my toys. Airplane miniatures, in particular.

The said show (run by the new for-men channel Makisig Network at Skycable 76 and 82) will have the taping of their toys episode on Tuesday, October 30. I still don’t know when the exact airing will be, but I do know that I’ll be sharing the cameralights with Star Wars, diecast cars, and action figures fanatics.

Some other details I’m sure of: it’s a one-on-one chat with Nancy; 7-15 minutes each with the beautiful lady; I need to be there with my only luxuries on this world — all 18 of them; casual conversation in Taglish. Thank heavens. My written English might be passable, bat mai ispoken Inglish is Bisaya en uh, um, eh, bruken.

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Just before I get an early and healthy dose of sleep: You’re all cordially invited to the LIRA Fellows’ Night to be held in December 11, 2007 at the Conspiracy Garden Cafe at Visayas Avenue, Quezon City, from 7 to 9 in the evening. Great Filipino poetry and flowing booze are the night’s attractions. We’ll also be launching our batch folio titled, Sidhay.

11 comments so far. Subscribe to comments feed.

[...] Unang beses kong maging panauhin sa isang radio station kanina. (Basahin ang kuwento.) Masaya, lalo na kapag may kasama kang mga kaibigan. At siyempre, masarap ang karanasan na naipapakinig mo ang iyong mga tula sa libo-libong mga tao. [...]

nice solo pic hahaha. fafang fafa! nice way of holding the mike too. wahahaha! :P

dahel! there’s a better a shot than that, but it’s not solo hehe.

Buti pa yung iba nakarinig sa ‘yo sa radyo. I couldn’t find the station. I wish I knew sooner that there was live streaming online. (Upload nyo na lang sa YouTube. :P)

Everybody seems to be jumping on the “cater to the male market” lately. It’s A Guy Thing (but was axed), RPN9 (their whole branding changed), and now this. Anyway, I still think there’s something funny when people talk about boys’ “toys”. :D

i was able to listen to the station online. i know it would be hard to locate on the radio so i just looked it over online.

congrats again!

ia, youtube?? nyay! that was only audio hehe. re: the toys, well, i do my best to avoid calling my planes as such. “collector’s models” would be the better term. heh.

ariel, thanks a lot! :D

I wasn’t able to listen to you! Bummer :( Hehe congrats, looks like someone going up the celebrity ladder? Haha is there such a thing :P

Hey, if you got time, please greet Aaron, it’s his bday today :) http://breadcrumbstrail.blogspot.com/2007/11/happy-birthday-aaron.html

[...] Some tidbits from the episode’s taping, which was held last October 30 (a few days after our Youthlinks radio guesting): [...]

Thanks Geo. Me, up the celebrity ladder? Sawa na! Joke.

Oki doks, will greet him! :)

[...] Phlip previously guested at the Youthlinks radio program of DZSR on October 27 (read his blog post). [...]

[...] Enough words. Enjoy these pictures of the LIRA Fellows’ Night 2007, courtesy of Fellows JC Sola and Karla Cachola, and the person who saw me through it all, Ia. It goes without saying: click to enlarge. From left to right: Ia, batch president Pau Hernando, Christine Magpile practicing on the piano, and yours truly testing the mic. (And posing for a photo op as well.) Conspiracy Bar’s hallowed stage, ready for another night of verses. JC, Pau, and I preparing for the program. The small, in-your-face stage helped ease some of the jitters. Artwork on Conspi’s wall and shelves. Look closely and you can see some strong social messages. Enjoying the free buffet dinner. From left to right: Christa de la Cruz, Pau, me, Ia, and Guia de Leon. My first poetry reading. Yes, first in my whole 22 years on earth. I was the fifth Fellow to read. Poem: TalÃ (”Star”), the same one from our radio guesting. A short piece. Don’t mind the preppy stage decor; we were crazy. Reading my second poem, Ang Ika-Ilang Milyong Lumusong sa Ilog (still coming up with an un-literal/semantic/idiomatic/etc. translation to this one; tentatively “The Nth Crosser of the River”). The first poem’s succinct title was representative of work’s length; this one’s, too. Thank goodness nobody yanked me off the stage with an umbrella handle. This pic was included because it made me realize that, hey, I indeed have Chinese blood, and hey, my eyes are really Sinitic. You win, Ia. JC, Pau, Pilipoy/Kimpoy, and Sir Rio Alma. JC and Pau are two of my closest friends in the batch. LIRA member Repa Gallos is in the background. I honestly forgot what the fanfare above was all about. Sir Rio looks dead serious in the pic, but trust me, he was jolly the whole night. The one in the black shirt is Sir Fidel Rillo. BLAM! LIRA president Beverly Siy gets a surprise. Belated happy birthday, Miss Bebang! Sir Rio giving his message to the LIRA Fellows. Another ’serious’ pic not indicative of Sir’s mood, haha. As you can see, Conspi is a cozy place…although its reputation is by no means small. The great Balagtasista, Teo T. Antonio. Sir, thanks for the very gracious feedback on our metaphors and figures of speech, hehe. Yours truly is now officially a graduate of the LIRA Poetry Workshop 2007. Too bad my right eye again screwed up an otherwise great photo. (Members of the Kimpo family are supposed to more pronouncedly exhibit these ‘unbalanced eye’ shots. Beats me.) The Fellows (in yellow) pose with some of the biggies of Filipino lit. Hurrah for LIRA! The organization’s Christmas party followed in Conspi’s garden. Luckily, nobody got a photo of me playing in one of Miss Bebang’s “dignified games”. No evidence! This folio is the product of our blood, sweat, tears, and…semen? Just kidding. Kudos to Karla and JC for coming up with the wicked cover. For some scans of what’s inside, head over to my earlier blog post. There you have it. In dramatic fashion: the LIRA chapter of my life ends on a high note. Will there be there a sequel? I’m going to have to wait until January — Sir Rio and the rest of the org will still deliberate on who makes it as full-fledged LIRA members. [...]

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