Where is Jessica Zafra?

I never knew “Irony” until I read Jessica Zafra

I never knew “Sarcasm” until I read Jessica Zafra.

I never knew “World Domination” until I read Jessica Zafra.

Arguably, Jessica Zafra is one of the few people I admire. As indicated in the introductory sentences, she is considerably a great believer of the three nouns. The essence of humorous irony and sarcasm was put into practice. Moreover, there is a certain style in her writing which possesses quirky and brutal frankness. For instance, in the article The Daze of Whine and Neuroses, Zafra writes:

"This would make perfect sense if I were stupid, ugly, or boring. I am most emphatically not stupid-I'm not humble either, but I am not stupid. I am not ugly, despite the photographic evidence; I can only surmise that the day this photograph was taken, Nico's camera was possessed by an evil spirit. I am not boring, because if I were and you're reading this of your own volition, then you're a dummy. You wouldn't want to be called dummy, would you?"

The excerpt seemingly suggests how Zafra would usually write; quirky and brutal frankness is evident.

The question as of press time: Where is she? I left the Philippines last 2001. I would still fervently listen to her radio show “Twisted” in K-Lite 103.5. Truth be told, I miss her show. Even if the station can be heard through the world wide web, it would be a chore to listen because of the time difference. (Twisted would start at 3 am, Los Angeles time)

Another factor why I missed her writings: Today.com.ph is not on the internet anymore. Zafra writes for the periodical “Today.” I even peruse adobo.com.ph, nevertheless, I failed. Some people might say: “What about her books?” This is a reasonable inquiry, however, a weekly radio show and weekly writings would alleviate the longings more efficiently as opposed to a book which I can finish in one sitting.

I searched google and found the article one article, FLIP: A parting shot. Seemingly, it adds to the longing…. Where is she??? I need doses of irony and sarcasm. I even got the phrase “Disclaimers and Excuses” from her.

Here is the article regarding only 8 issues of FLIP:

FLIP: A Parting ShotPosted: 10:40 PM (Manila Time) Sept. 26, 2003Inquirer News Service By Jessica Zafra
WE WERE going to change the world. Or at least Philippine magazine publishing.
We were going to swim against the tide, push that boulder up the mountain, and defy conventional wisdom.
We were going to produce a magazine that was intelligent and ironic, that took on serious subjects without taking itself too seriously, that interpreted the world through Pinoy humor.
We called it Flip: The Official Guide to World Domination.
And we found people who believed.
For eight issues we showed the skeptics that it could be done. Now we have to admit that the skeptics were right: Market conditions do not permit us to continue, the magazine is too small to make it on its own, blah blah blah.
Flip has ended, but we like to think of ourselves as a Velvet Underground of magazines. It is said that only 10 people ever bought a Velvet Underground album, but each of them went on to form a band. Considerably more people read a copy of Flip. Imagine if each of them were to conquer the world in their own way. Our title may yet be prophetic.
Our last issue never made it to the press, but we couldn't just disappear without a whimper. Here is our goodbye to you: the Flip profiles of the men and woman who may be the next President of the Republic.
Start flipping.
Jessica Zafra
Roby Alampay
Francine Medina

Work Cited:
FLIP: http://www.raulroco.com/selected_articl/FLIP_inq7_27sept03.htm
The Daze of Whine and Neuroses: http://www.atbp.com/etc/zafra/daze.htm
Photo Source: http://store1.yimg.com/I/divisoria_1841_1888248