Raisinhead places 2nd at the People’s Choice Awards

This is quite old news already, and I myself am wondering why it took me a long time to post this. I have been very busy lately and in a way mentally and emotionally preoccupied with a lot of things. Yes! Raisinhead placed 2^nd at the People's Choice Awards, which just proves how many friends love me, haha! But really, I thank everyone who took time to register at Pelicola.tv and vote for my baby.

The awarding night was an unforgettable one - very informal, lots of yuppies (My dad felt out of place and can't stop muttering, "Puro bata naman pala rito!"), premium San Mig beers, but most especially we had Neil Gaiman grace the event. Of course, I was hoping to at least place in the top 3 in the judges' picks so I can personally spend time with Neil. But that didn't stop me from approaching him on the stage and have a little discussion. Unfortunately, my camera ran out of battery!

Congratulations to all the deserving winners, especially to Irene who placed 1^st place in the People's Choice Awards and 2^nd place Judges' pick! Woohoo!

A very pleasant surprise from Fully Booked!

Just a week ago, I met with Irene to talk about her The Open Time Capsule project and she asked what my plans for Raisinhead comics was. Raisinhead: A Tale of a Modern-Day Tiyanak was my entry to the 3rd Philippine Graphic/Fiction Awards. It's almost 2 years already and we haven't heard anything yet from the organizers regarding the status of contest. Assuming that there was already no hope for the contest, I told her that I might release it for the Komikon in its present form, or perhaps expand it to a series or graphic novel format.

A few days after this, I received a pleasant surprise from Fully Booked… in the form of an email:

I have no idea yet who else are shortlisted for the comics category but this is indeed GREAT news! Irene's entry was also chosen in the shortlist of the short story category.

I checked Fully Booked's website and saw that they have already posted an announcement regarding the line-up of events related to this: the awarding night, an art contest and book signing by Neil Gaiman himself!

Someone told me we won't know the winners until awards night (kaya nga Revelations no! Gosh, I hate the suspense!) Hoping for the best!

Honorably Mentioned!

It's been some time since I featured something here, but this one surely tops all the backlogged blogs I have yet to write (new logos and Body Pump!). I was so excited when I opened this letter and my friends from work were there to witness it, a fine way of ending a day of an exhaustive all-day presentation in an Aquatherapy seminar. Here is what I received last night:

April 24, 2009

CHRISTIAN OLIVER ANG CRUZ

Artist

Dear Mr. Cruz,

We are happy to inform you that you won Honorable Mention at the 2009 PBBY-Alcala Prize.

The awarding ceremonies shall be on July 21, 2009. We shall be contacting you about the said ceremonies details a few weeks before.

Our heartfelt congratulations!

Sincerely,

ANI ROSA ALMARIO

Secretary-General

I've been working on sketches before based on the PBBY-Salenga Prize winning piece "Ang Higante Sa Loob Ng Aming Bahay" by Raymund Garlitos, and I featured some of it here. I actually worked on the final artwork based on these sketches and submitted them as entries to the 2009 PBBY-Alcala Prize. Here is a description of the prize (from the PBBY website):

Larry Alcala (Lauro Z. Alcala), after whom the PBBY Illustrators' Prize is named, was one of the founding members of this organization. More than this, however, he shone joy and and rained laughter into the hearts of millions of Filipinos with his comic strips and illustrations. The fact that he chose the popular medium of newspapers and Filipino komiks means that he reached adults and children alike, many of whom could not afford more expensive forms of entertainment. The characters he created capture the whole spectrum of the Filipino's smile: from the bandana-wearing Mang Ambo to the intrepid Siopawman, from the profligate Asiong Aksaya to the hilarious duo of Kalabog en Bosyo, he sustained our souls even during the darkest moments of recent history. His single-page Slice of Life which included his own profile hidden--and at home--among the daily doings of his countrymen had most of the nation spending a few minutes of their busy lives searching for the likeness of the man who made them laugh.

Besides these accomplishments, Larry also broke new ground as a teacher of young artists. He introduced the first college degree course on Commercial Design in 1953 and the first 8mm film production of animated cartoons for the Dept of Visual Communications in UP Diliman in 1972. His awards are many but his gifts to us are more and so we remember him every year the competition for the Illustrators' Prize is held. Let all who compete and all who win remember not only his talent but his service to our souls.

First time I joined such a contest so this news really came in as a huge surprise. I won't get the chance to illustrate the book (that privilege goes to the sole Grand Winner), but I'm definitely ecstatic enough to get an Honorable Mention! Thank you Lord for another answered prayer!

I didn't get to scan properly my entries (they were huge!) but here are a few snapshots: