what's in a name?

All my brothers' names, including mine, start with the letter "A". Antonio, Ariel (me), Armond, and Achilles. I don't know if the letter had any significance to my parents – it never occurred to me to ask them.

What I was told, however, was that my grandmother (who was into names and numerology) made sure we had lucky names. According to her, the letters in people's names corresponded to numbers. And these numbers all fell under four different fates: Buenas (lucky), Penosa (painful), Peligrosa (dangerous), and Muerte (death). Now, don't ask me if this is a fair segregation – apart from one, all the others seem to suck.

Do I believe in this kind of thing? I don't know. But I sure got fascinated by what people said about the name of Manny Pacquiao, the Filipino boxer who is currently the world's best. They say his name is very lucky indeed: "Manny" sounds like "money", while "Pacquiao" sounds like "pakyaw" (which means "to get everything" in the Filipino language).

Interesting analysis, for Pacquiao now ranks 6th in Forbes.com's list of the world richest athletes. :-)

So parents, how about naming your baby "Euro", "Dollar", or "Gazillionaire"? LOL

(Top) The Fujio Akatsuka Bearbrick with the letter "A" on its chest was created by the Beams retail chain in Japan to promote Mangart Beams T, the new line of Manga-inspired Tees at their concept shop in Daikanyama, Tokyo.

The bear is a representation of Fujio Akatsuka (1935-2008), a famous Japanese manga artist who created many famous cartoon characters such as Daddy Bakabon (see t-shirt below). You can check out his official website here.

ode to 22!

nothing's more addicting
than bearbrick collecting
hundreds, thousands, or more?
it's so hard to keep score!

there's no end to the obsession
till the last one's in my possession
i can't explain the lust
it's bearbricks or bust!

fast forward to july
a new series to buy
can't find them at the mall?
i say eBay them all!

guys, here's series 22!

Upper row, left to right;

Basic (@ Gold)
Pattern (Let's Play Uno)
Secret Pattern (Let's Play Uno)
JellyBean (Pastels)
Flag (Jamaica)

Bottom row, left to right:

Hero (Green Lantern)
Cute (Cars 2)
Horror (Pirates of the Carribean/On Stranger Tides)
SciFi (Black Rock Shooter)

Upper row, left to right;

Animal (Pirameki)
Secret (Medicom 15 Years)
Secret (Bape)
Secret (Long X Boy London)

Bottom row, left to right:

Secret (Hanakuma Factory)
Secret (Happy Socks)
Artist (House of Pain)
Rare Artist (Sasquatch)

it's quite hard to decide
which bear i'll set aside
as my favorite of the lot
it's the gaudy gold one – not!

the colored camo's striking
and black stripes are to my liking
need a bit of time to think...
hmmm...
         the happy socks in pink!

Pics by Yours Truly / Copyright Bearbrick Love July 2011

i heart eavesdropping

Last weekend, I paid a visit to my chiropractor, Dr. P. I wasn't in any kind of extreme pain, really; my back just felt a bit stiff and I thought the doctor could simply snap my misaligned bones right into place.

While I was waiting in my cubicle in a pale blue examination gown with packs of hot compresses on my back, I suddenly heard voices. They were coming from the next cube – that of a father (who I imagined was in his thirties and an American, judging from his accent) and of his son (who sounded like a lovable 3-year-old).

The dad spoke first. "Now, you just keep still there while Daddy gets a massage, okay? Can you do that? Then after we're finished here, I'm going with you to wherever you want to go."

The boy replied, "Okay, I'm going to sit here and... and wait for you. Then... then I want to go where you want to go, too, 'cause I love you... I love you all the way to Pluto!"

"Really? Well, I love you all the way to Pluto and back."

Not to be outdone, the little one quickly said, "I love you to all the way to Pluto and... and... to all the planets in the world! All the planets!!"

At that point, I was smiling and waiting for his dad's answer. There was a bit of a pause, then dad let out a very slow and breathy "Wow!" I could almost see him smiling, too.

After an hour, I walked out of the clinic feeling better, thanks to Dr. P's healing hands, and the infectious love between an anonymous father and son. Some say laughter is the best medicine; I say it is love, too.

It's Valentine's Day. Share the love, people! :-)

(Top pic) The Bearbrick with the heart icon was designed by New York grafitti/graphic artist and illustrator Todd James a.k.a. REAS. It was one of ten (10) Bearbricks from the Bearbrick World Wide Tour (BWWT Set B).

Pic by Yours Truly. Copyright 2010. Background painting detail by Filipino contemporary painter Popo San Pascual.

21 in 2011

Somebody wrote to me last December 5, 2010:

Hello Mr. Comia.  I am writing to wish you well and was wondering if everything is all right, as I haven't seen you posting on your Bearbrick blog for quite some time.  I enjoy reading and looking at all of your beautiful pictures and frankly am quite jealous of your extensive collection.  I send you positive energy and well wishes for a happy holiday and a blessed New Year.

Sincerely, A

I wrote her back, telling her how touched and thankful I was for her inspiring email, and that I would be blogging about my new Series 21 very soon. Well, A, as promised, here they are!

Upper row, left to right:

Basic (@/Metallic Red)
JellyBean (Pale Lime)
Flag (Mexico)
Animal (Karel Capek/Buzzy the Bee)
Secret Animal (Karel Capek/Cotty the Ladybird)

Bottom row, left to right:

Pattern (The Prodigy/Invaders Must Die)
SciFi (Tron/Daft Punk: Guy Manuel de Homem Christo)
SciFi (Tron/Daft Punk: Thomas Bangalter)
Cute (Barbie/Original Swimsuit)
Secret Cute (Barbie/Pink)

Upper row, left to right:

Horror (Twin Peaks/Laura Palmer)
Secret Horror (Twin Peaks/Dale Cooper)
Hero (DC Comics/Batman)
Secret Hero (DC Comics/Superman)

Bottom row, left to right:

Artist (Eric Haze)
Artist (Holiday Japan)
Secret Artist (Mark Ward)
Secret (Black Rain Music/Kaiki Gesshoku)
Secret (Rubber)

There you are, 19 Bearbricks from Series 21.

Did you notice that aside from Basic, Jellybean, Flag, Animal, Pattern, SciFi (SF), Cute, Horror, and Artist, there is a new category called Hero, as represented by the Batman and the (rarer/secret) Superman bearbricks?

While those two choices seem predictable (they are not the first issues of those characters), I won't complain; it is a brand new year, a time to inspire hope and encourage change. Certainly, the addition of heroes of any kind is most welcome!

Let's make it a happy and heroic 2011, Bearbrick lovers!

Pics by Yours Truly / Copyright Bearbrick Love January 2011 
Thanks, Rareak, for helping me complete this collection.