Eroplano

Lipat-Bahay

2006-01-21T16:33:00.000+08:00

Sorry for not updating you, blogger. I've been blogging here.

Change

2005-08-25T13:46:00.000+08:00

It's been four days since I started here at the new office. Everything is radically different from my previous setup, and I'm still trying to get used to it.

I don't bring big red anymore because they charge an arm and a leg for parking in Makati, plus my fuel bill will drive me to the poorhouse. Working hours are unpredictable (more on this later). Food in the building's cafeteria, like parking, costs an arm and a leg. There are no less than three banks on the ground floor. There's a Fitness First gym in a nearby building, but I've yet to get my stride in fitting a workout into my new schedule. AND Whereas I used to work in a person-width cubicle in an uncomfortably warm second floor room with no view, I now work in a person-width computer desk in a cool tenth-floor room with an awesome view of Ayala avenue.

Endnote: Yesterday was the last day of Wilf's wake. Raimund was right when he said that seeing Wilf in the coffin would bring closure. But then I think that image only served to drive home the fact that he is indeed gone. I can only imagine how his family and close friends are able (or not) to fathom that loss. As with the changes in my own life, I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around it.

Requiem for a Friend

2005-08-22T18:02:00.000+08:00

Wilfrid (aka Wolfmann) passed away yesterday after suffering from a massive aneurysm in the wee hours of 20 August, 2005. He was with friends celebrating a common passion: music. I, for one, will regret not having known him more but I am consoled knowing that he lives on in the music he created. Be at peace, my friend.

Be careful what you wish for. You might just get it.

2005-08-09T17:35:00.000+08:00

A couple of weeks ago my Karen asked me to forward a friend's SMS calling for IT professionals' résumés, you know the sort. I think I was busy at the time I had received the message so I kind of ignored it, making a mental note to attend to it later. Fast forward to last week, I was cleaning out my phone's inbox when I came across the message again. On a whim I sent my own CV just to see if the company would go for it.

The long and short of it is that I have a new job, and will be rid of my current job in two weeks' time. I promised myself that I would quit this job this year if I wasn't made permanent. Anyway, the Man didn't put up a fight when I said I'd been offered a new job. To think that I was telling a coworker that I missed the culture at one of my previous jobs: young, vibrant, progressive, devoid of bureaucratic stumbling blocks. Well, the new job, I think, will be somewhat like that.

This is my first major job change in two years, and the routine has made me comfortable. I'm scared of the impending change, but I welcome it.

- I've just finished the new Harry Potter book. I still think Goblet is the best in the series. Oh, and thanks to everyone who spoiled the ending for me.
- Saw Trainspotting for the very first time, after I splurged on a couple of dibidis. Very entertaining.
- Speaking of DVDs, the Star Wars original trilogy box set is in the queue as well. Need a lot of time for that.

Fantastic Panoramic

2005-07-29T01:09:00.000+08:00

Hey folks, let me bore you once again with yet another of my panoramic mosaics.

Bullets

2005-07-22T12:41:00.000+08:00

I'm off to Cebu tomorrow. Work-related stuff. See you when I see you.
My grandma's been feeling woozy these past few weeks so my mom's all flustered trying to figure out what to do. Hope grandma gets well soon.
Monday, we launch our new video at Mayric's. Visit my band's website for details.
Last night's rehearsal for the launch was productive.
I miss my girlfriend.

Road Trip

2005-07-21T00:16:00.000+08:00

A hundred kilometers from home

A thousand

Childhood memories

Come flooding back

Let's Eat!

2005-07-07T12:54:00.000+08:00

Karen and I celebrated our anniversary yesterday. We had a sumptuous Italian dinner at Caffé Maestro in Makati. It was the first time for either of us to dine there, so we were both surprised by the quality of the food and service. I'd been meaning to dine there ever since I'd read about it in Jen's blog.

Dinner
The appetizer consisted of pita bread accompanied by butter, duck paté and diced tomatoes in basil and olive oil. For our main course, We ordered the seafood marinara, which was stuffed with salmon and another fish plus a creamy sauce sprinkled with caviar, and a pizza topped with anchovies, capers and salami. She had the house wine, I had a four seasons cooler. We were a bit full after polishing off the ravioli so we were able to manage just two slices of pizza each. We took a doggie bag home so I had some pizza at the office today.

For dessert we had capuccinos and the authentic tiramisu which the menu boasted was 'the real kind with mascarpone cheese.' Whenever we dine at an Italian or Italian fusion restaurant we make it a point to order the tiramisu just to try it out. This was one of the better tiramisus. Not too rich or sweet, it was just right, except I think it had been in their freezer for too long because I could feel ice crystals in the cake.

Maestro Lounge
Maestro Lounge, the upstairs gallery where we had coffee and dessert, was interesting. The most notable pieces displayed were a huge mural depicting the EDSA People Power Revolution, and a Ferdinand Marcos-era painting. The second painting was interesting because it was clearly a propaganda piece illustrating Marcos' WWII mythology. The foreground showed an elderly woman held at bayonet-point by an enraged Japanese soldier. The background, meanwhile, showed a legion of captured Filipino and American soldiers marching with their heads down, except good old Ferdie who was at the very center of the painting. There were also some antique tocadors, but I don't know if they were true antiques. They looked old, though.

The restroom was awful but overall, the food was excellent. It set me back a considerably sum but it was worth it. :-) Karen was so enthralled about the whole setup because she'd been able to have ravioli (which she hadn't had in a while) and some wine, and the service was great. I'd like to think she was impressed with her date as well ;-)

Graduation Day

2005-06-28T15:46:00.000+08:00

Everyone seems to be raving about Steve Jobs's commencment address to Stanford University's class of 2005.

That's all fine and dandy but I think Stephen King's address (text with audio) to gradudates of the University of Maine kicks ass. I happened to catch a video replay of the speech on C-SPAN while channel-surfing and just had to watch it.

Our own graduates could learn a thing or two from this. Substitute 'the Philippines' for 'Maine.'

(EDIT) Here's one by Conan O'Brien (commencement speech to the Harvard Class of 2000). Thanks to Tek for sharing.

I was lucky enough (or unlucky depending on how one looks at it) to have graduated college twice, so I got to listen to commencement speeches by two notable men -- Harvard-educated business tycoon Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala II (1999) and Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario Davide (2001), key figure in the Erap impeachment fiasco. It could have been former Dept. of Health Secretary Alfredo Bengzon when I was in High School, but I forget.

Say Cheese!

2005-06-25T13:11:00.000+08:00

I'm in a photo-sharing mood, so here are a few stills from our upcoming video. Enjoy!

Jooby Holly and the Itchyworms

The token attractive love interest

Hey, hot chick, won't you lend me your comb?

Groovy, baby!

Backgammon is fun!

Obligatory Fête 2005 Entry

2005-06-20T16:21:00.000+08:00

No Rain

My band didn't get to play last year because of the monsoon rains that coincide with the French spring celebrations, so the virtually cloudless sky at this year's Fête was a godsend. But boy, was it sweltering.

Rampaging fans!

These feisty little buggers caused a two-hour delay at the rock stage, during which we feared that we wouldn't be playing at the Fête for a second year in a row. But eventually the orcs behaved when they sensed that no more bands would play if they didn't behave. Note the war flag and jockstrap one of their heads -- these guys must still be hung over from last month's PULP Summer Slam. War's over, boys, go back to barracks! Credit Echo for the picture.

The Putty Thing

Luna and Aids dropped by Racks to give me this stress-relieving pasalubong. Thanks Luna!

Über-hot MTV VJ

After hosting the rock stage for four hours, Jazz and Jugs and I went to have dinner, and Cindy Kurleto was there. I just couldn't resist. Eat your heart out, Mikey!

Pulp Fiction

2005-06-16T17:22:00.000+08:00

Hi friends! My band's in this month's Pulp magazine. Mascot-lovers will enjoy the photo spread ;-) Good Charlotte (who are coming to Manila this July) are on the cover.

Guess which one is me.

My Star Wars Senti Trip

2005-05-20T17:19:00.000+08:00

Last night as Revenge of the Sith credits rolled, I sat in seat F-20 dazed. I felt as if my youth had just ended. To Karen, it may have looked like I was waiting for the outgoing crowd to thin, but I swear to you, I was frozen in my seat. By this time, my bladder had been screaming for release for an hour. But the Jedi in me used the Force to subdue its plaintive pleas. I was not going to miss a single space battle or lightsaber duel in this final Star Wars for the world. And I agree with the critics when they say that Sith is probably the best Star Wars film since The Empire Strikes Back. To paraphrase Darth Vader, it was impressive.

If you're a Star Wars fan like me, know how it is to anticipate a new Star Wars movie. You pine for it for three years. To give you some perspective, kids of my generation had probably been pining for a decade for answers to the burning questions posed in the original trilogy. Who was this Anakin Skywalker and how did he become Darth Vader? How did the stately Old Republic become the evil Galactic Empire? Why were there only two Jedi masters left? What were the Clone Wars? Someone, something, had to illustrate how the events in the original trilogy had come to be. That someone was George Lucas and that something was the new Trilogy. The prequels, in a convoluted manner, were to answer the burning questions.

Fast-forward to the present and at last, the prequels are complete. But I feel a profound sense of loss because there will be no more Star Wars movies to pine for. And it's with both sadness and joy that I celebrate the completion of the Star Wars saga. I'm happy that I now know the entire story, but then I'm sad that it all has to end.

What Is Up part 2

2005-05-18T09:47:00.000+08:00

First of All
Di na masyadong mainit, but it's so goddamn humid. Yesterday's sudden downpour was refreshing. Made a nighttime trek to Makati sweat-free. Still had to take a shower before bedtime, though.

Big, Big Red
Hopefully repairs on big red will be finished today.

Telepon, Telepon
Got a second-hand Nokia 6610 for 5K yesterday. Lady-owned so it was in more-or-less pristine condition. Thankfully the purchase went off without a hitch. The guy I found on eBili was a straight-up seller, except he had to postpone our rendezvous a couple of hours from the agreed time. Now all I need to do is rebuild my phonebook. Gah.

Star Wars!
Got tickets to a regular screening of Star Wars for Thursday at the Shang Cineplex. Hopefully that's early enough so that I can avoid the spoilers, and late enough that Karen and I can avoid the premiere rush. We'd had a hell of a time (emphasis on hell) lining up at the Matrix:Revolutions premiere in Decemeber 2003, so we've learned our lesson.

A Sagittarius, Yoda is.

Star Wars Horoscope for Sagittarius

What is Your Star Wars Horoscope?

You are superbly wise and have been known to spread your wisdom widely.
You are impatient and pushy when people take your teachings too lightly.
And your philosophical side always peeks through.
Star wars character you are most like: Yoda

And Finally
It's awkward interviewing someone who has more experience than yourself.

What Is Up

2005-05-16T17:58:00.000+08:00

First Of All
ANG INIT. (Can I get an 'Amen'?)

Big, Big Red
Repairs on big red are coming along well, except it's taking longer than expected. Steering assembly was finished today, timing belt replacement is next. These fixes should get rid of long-standing problems and prevent future ones. Shait, rehistro na pala this month! It's comforting to know we won't be selling big red for a while.

Commutative Property
So since big red's been in the shop, the daily commutes via MRT and LRT are a bit stressful. I'm always sweaty from all the walking (pasintabi sa mga nagmemeryenda). Plus the cab rides are a bit pricey. That being said, I like the new LRT better than the EDSA MRT. The LRT is spacious and cool, and the über-futuristic PA messages add major geek points. The deal breaker is that the tracks end at Santolan in Marikina, just short of the Sta. Lucia and Robinson's Metro East Malls. It'd be great if the line were extended up to there because it would make taking public transport to Karen's place much easier -- no more extra jeep/bus/FX/cab ride from the station to the mall.

Telepon, Telepon
My quest for the perfect phone for a PhP5K budget continues. Hope the guy I'm meeting tomorrow doesn't hassle me with a bad phone or bad manners.

Star Wars!
I was able to catch the Clone Wars marathon on Cartoon Network this past weekend, so I'm happy. Darth Grievous is a big mystery. Who is he, what is he, and how can an android wield the Force with such dexterity? Also, read a cool column about Star Wars ending and lost childhoods. Could wookiees and ewoks be related? You can spell 'ewok' from the letters of 'wookiee'.

And Finally
I love Tim Burton's Big Fish.

Gym-notions

2005-05-07T10:44:00.000+08:00

Karen and I signed up at a gym near her place. I weighed myself yesterday and I found I've gained two pounds since we started working out! I guess it's only natural because my appetite's on overdrive. Blech. The upside is that I don't feel lethargic anymore, I sleep better and I don't snore. And I get some perverse consolation from the fact that other people at the gym are fatter than I am.

Star Wars is Coming to Town

2005-05-05T18:20:00.000+08:00

T-minus 13 days and counting before Episode III starts showing in theaters. Finally we get to see how Anakin Skywalker succumbs to the Dark Side. I can't hardly wait. Neither can this guy.

Caught the tail end of Cartoon Network's Clone Wars mini-series. Yoda and Mace rock.

Found an awesome new Star Wars fan blog: welcome to the Darth Side and some cool Star Wars articles (again, from Wired)

This is off-topic, but I just want to say that Tita Paring's suman latik is the bomb.

Shoot Me!

2005-04-25T18:07:00.000+08:00

Yesterday's album cover photo shoot was exhausting but loads of fun. It was actually funner than I expected it to be! When we were planning the album cover, I was a bit apprehensive because of its complexity and I was thinking the required photo shoot would be, well, not fun. Anyway, things turned out fine -- everyone (almost everyone) was on time despite the 7AM call time. We got things rolling at around 830 and quickly hit a steady working pace. Plus we got a lot of work done before our 2PM lunch break and actually finished early. I apologize for being purposely vague about stuff. It's all hush-hush right now because we're in the post-production stage. I promise you'll know what I mean when the new album comes out in a couple of months. It'll blow your minds.

Habemus Papam!

2005-04-20T16:18:00.000+08:00

I had a feeling it would be Ratzinger. Good thing new pontiffs get to choose a new name. The name Ratzinger sounds like a giant teutonic rodent.

Random Stuff

2005-03-30T10:28:00.000+08:00

Flower Power
It's my Karen's birthday today, and she's spending it in Boracay with family. I miss her :( Since we knew she'd be away today, we spent a lot of time together last week. The Monday of holy week, I surprised her at AA with a bouquet of mums. I think she was pleasantly surprised because I'd lied about having some errands to run. We had dinner and coffee at Cibo and Starbucks at ABS-CBN. Cibo is one of our favorite places to dine. It was a bit pricey but what the hell, it was for her birthday. We ended up calling it a day at around 10pm because we were both tired -- she from a full day at school and I from accompanying her for its latter half. Je l'aime :D

Guitar Bliss
Most of my guitar parts for the new album are finished, and I'm quite happy with my guitar tones and solos. Raimund cheered me on for one particular solo so we could get a certain laid-back dynamic. He had Shinji put on some long delay so that I'd restrain my dynamics. On playback, we turned off the delay, and (not to carry my own weight) I beheld one of my best solos ever. It took a few rehearsal takes but then you can never rush perfection.

Should I Stay or Should I Go?
Work is a drag. I can't seem to finish one particular project because I'm stuck and I hate it. Plus I have no idea what's going to happen at the end of April, when my contract expires. Part of me wants to stay and part of me wants to go and find greener, less atmospheric, pastures.

Dibidi dibidi

2005-03-03T09:47:00.000+08:00

Yesterday I was able to buy a new Philips DVD player at MC Home Depot at The Fort in Taguig. The Philips people are having their five-day bodega sale (until 6 March) there, and I was able to get a brand new player at PhP4,900 down from PhP6,150. They have everything from plasma-screen TV's to CD players and 5.1 surround sound systems, all at sale price. If you want a new plasma-screen TV for about PhP150,000 (down from PhP300,000), then that sale is the place to be.

Why'd I need a new DVD player? Because my old Promac unit went on the fritz and we brought it to a repair guy. But then the repair guy suddenly packed up and was nowhere to be found. Good bye, Promac DVD player. It's just as well. My new Philips player is slimmer and has a better interface. Plus it's bound to last longer. So there.

The Wave of the Future...

2005-03-01T10:37:00.000+08:00

All he wanted to do was build and fly his airplanes! Damn you! Damn you all to heeeeellll!

(EDIT) Sorry, I just had to get that out of the way. Watching The Aviator helped me to see Mr. Hughes in a different light. I guess I had known pretty much the same as everyone: he was the billionaire playboy and moviemaker and he built the "Spruce Goose," the mammoth seaplane that flew only once. Martin Scorsese's film changed all that, portraying him as a passionate but tortured man. But as it turns out, Mr. Hughes's innovations in aviation, air travel and aeronautics design and engineering were nothing short of revolutionary. He was seething with passion for all things aviation.

P.S.
I absolutely loved Cate Blanchett as Katharine Hepburn. I'm glad she won the supporting actress Oscar®.

P.P.S.
Come on, academy. What's with the Marty snub?

Grammy Mania!

2005-02-14T17:57:00.000+08:00

I thought I'd finally gotten back my momentum at work, but I was mistaken. Nothing doing here.
Things are looking up, though, in the employment department. No details just yet. I don't want to jinx it. If things turn out well, I'll be neck-deep in work in the coming weeks. Will know in two days.
Speaking of jinxes, Karen and I watched Meet the Fockers yesterday. It was a laugh trip, but I don't think most of the people got some of the jokes. We also got to try the cheesecake at Cheescake, Etc. Yummy with a double latte.
I'm still smarting about missing the Superbowl halftime extravaganza.
Watched the part of the Grammys this morning. I'm crushing on Alicia Keys. Her performance was awesome. Massive Grammy props to
- Jamie Foxx for the soulful Georgia on My Mind duet with the smashing Ms. Keys (conducted by no less than Mr. Quincy Jones)
- [EDIT] Maroon5 for winning Best New Artist
- Green Day for winning Best Rock Album
- John Mayer for winning two Grammies
- Steve Vai for getting another Grammy nod
- U2 for winning three Grammies and for a great performance as well
- Ray Charles for being the man
Can't wait for production on our album to begin. I'm having fun road testing the new songs, though. My band rocks! :D
Oh, happy Valentine's day.

Song Title Meme

2005-02-07T17:05:00.000+08:00

Describe yourself using one band and song titles from that band
Created by naw5689 and taken 16127 times on bzoink!
Choose a band/artist and answer only in song TITLES by that band:	The Beatles
Are you male or female:	Boys
Describe yourself:	I'm So Tired
How do some people feel about you:	Something
How do you feel about yourself:	Nowhere Man
Describe your ex girlfriend/boyfriend:	The End
Describe your current girlfriend/boyfriend:	Girl/She's A Woman
Describe where you want to be:	Octopus's Garden
Describe what you want to be:	Mother Nature's Son
Describe how you live:	With a Little Help From My Friends
Describe how you love:	All My Loving
Share a few words of wisdom	Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey
Create a Survey \| Search Surveys \| Go to bzoink!

What's My Motivation?

2005-02-02T14:23:00.000+08:00

Yesterday one of the company's marketing divisions had their start-of-year conference at a posh hotel in Manila, and a colleague and I were tasked with helping to present their brand-spanking-new website to employees. For some reason they had asked us to come in at 7 AM to set up our laptop with their LCD projectors, because of the morning mass before presentations would start. Being the good employee that I am, I comply with their request and start my commute to Manila at around 6 AM, in order to beat the morning rush. Whaddayaknow, there was almost no traffic at that hour, and I got there at 630.

Guess what? The actual presentation didn't start until after lunch. The production crew they hired for the morning had pulled out their own projectors, and we had to transfer our laptop to their smaller ones. Talk about a monumental waste of time. I could have slept in for a few more hours. I fell asleep during the priest's homily, having come from a late gig the previous night, and had just three hours of sleep. The hotel lunch buffet and snacks were tasty and filling, though. But the combination of über-cold A/C and a full stomach didn't help much in the trying-to-keep-awake department.

Anyway, my point in the story is this: I noticed how charismatic this particular division's VP was during his big opening presentation, and what a great motivational speaker he was. No surprise that in a highly competitive sales-driven market, their company had attained phenomenal record-breaking growth in the last year. I figured this kind of motivation, this driving force to achieve, is what I'm lacking in my own job.

Could it be that, after working for four years, I'm getting bored? I think the lack of motivation comes from the uncertainty of a contractual position. I want tenure, dammit! A boss like that VP would be a help, too. Not that I don't like what I do. I love computers, and I think I'm lucky to be doing what I'm doing now. But then maybe I haven't been challenged enough. I dunno.

Tiny Cubes
In other news, we've gone back to our old second-floor office, except now it's been renovated. It took long enough. We moved to our 'temporary' office in December of 2003, and moved back into the new old (new old?) office just last weekend. The A/C is comfy, but it's shut off at exactly 4:30 PM. I now work in an honest-to-goodness cubicle farm. And my new cubicle is tiny, befitting a contractual employee of my stature. The regulars get to work in walled cubicles, and the temps get a sweatshop cubicle farm. But I should be grateful. At least I still have a job.

Look, Ma! No tripod!

2005-01-20T16:36:00.000+08:00

click photo to enlarge
The week after this past Christmas, Karen and I and a group of college buddies trekked up to Tagaytay to have lunch, coffee and to exchange Christmas gifts. While waiting to get a table at Josephine's, I took a few pictures of the breathtaking view of the nearby lake, which I had wanted to photograph since our trip to nearby Punta Fuego. To view another one of my panoramas, click on the photo above. Enjoy!

New Album Blog

2005-01-13T15:58:00.000+08:00

Hello, friends. On itchyworms.com I've added a blog chronicling the production of my band's new album, NTS. There are only three entries so far, but expect that number to grow in the coming weeks. So visit the site, and scratch our itchy worms a bit. Enjoy! ;-)

Star Struck
In other news, I got to see the new Star Wars trailer when I went to watch Ocean's 12. And it dawned on me that maybe wookiees will be to Episode III (ROTS) as ewoks were to Episode VI (ROTJ). Damn, I can't wait till May. Ocean's 12 is, well, another movie. I'll post my thoughts on it another time.

Long, Long, Long
I've also finally finished The Name of the Rose! Yay! Hands down it's a great book, but some of the religious/philosophical discussions among the characters were tiring to say the least. Highlights: the protagonists' adventures in the library and the revelation of the library's map. This book deserves another read, if only to translate all the Latin and French passages. It would've been good to have a computer and a connection to the 'net while reading it, but that would take all the fun out of reading. For a first book, Mr. Eco created a literary masterpiece.

Fmeh

2005-01-08T02:18:00.000+08:00

The holidays seem to have taken away my blogging momentum, hence the lack of entries thus far, so please bear with me while I pound out this lame-ish entry.

Grill Me This
But seriously, the holidays were ok enough. Got a lot of shopping done, especially for gifts for the folks. Feels warm and fuzzy to make other people happy :) Karen and I bought sizzling plates as Christmas gifts for our respective families, and I got my dad a new knock-down grill so he could do away with the makeshift one he's been using for so long. So new year's eve dinner's main dishes consisted of everything grilled: garlic mushrooms, teriyaki chicken (on the new sizzling plates) and the piece de resistance: foil-grilled pink salmon. *burp*

Shopping Spree
Echo and I each got to buy a pair of late-80's retro-cool Nike Air Max 1's from the Nike factory outlet at Marikina Riverbanks for HALF PRICE! How cool is that? Echo and I had wanted those shoes since we were kids so when I saw Echo had bought his, I wanted a pair immediately. I also purchased a few new shirts (for office and gimik) and jeans just to update my wardrobe a bit.

Makati New Year's Eve Countdown
That gig was a blast! We got to open the show at 7pm after that magician guy whatshisface. Plus we got to frolic on the closed-off intersection of Ayala and Paseo de Roxas. How often do you see those streets devoid of vehicular traffic? We agreed that the empty business district had a Vanilla Sky dream sequence feel to it that New Year's Eve afternoon.
(EDIT)

Too bad we couldn't stay for the awesome fireworks. But then who could pass up all that food at home? Grabe. I feel bloated just thinking about all that grub. :|

Year of the Worm
We're finally deep into pre-production for our new album but cutting the album's length to about 70 minutes is proving to be difficult. Pruning songs from the final lineup is rapidly becoming an option -- one that we're not too keen on. It feels like having to kill one of your kids :s I'll be installing a blog on itchyworms.com so you all can keep track of the goings-on in pre-production and production. One thing I can say is that our second album is going to be awesome.

I'm going out with Karen later to watch Ocean's Twelve because I loved Ocean's Eleven and Steven Soderbergh is the bomb.

Oh, happy new year.

Holiday Greetings!

2004-12-25T11:53:00.000+08:00

Iddy Biddy City Birdie

2004-12-13T13:21:00.000+08:00

Echo saw a parakeet perched on the tree outside our room's window, so he rushed to tell me to take a few pictures. It looked very calm up on the branch but we kept quiet just the same while we were photographing it. Turns out there's a song that seems like it was made for this picture. This was just too precious not to share. Enjoy.

City Bird
by Of Montreal from Satanic Panic in the Attic

City bird haven't you heard
hasn't anybody told you?
These city blocks can't hold you
Your place is in the sky how can I show you?

City bird haven't you learned
of the boundlessness of your freedom
The sky is your blue kingdom
You neglect your wings like you don't need them

City bird maybe these hands that feed you need you
Maybe you understand that city bird

---

Ang lupit nito. Jal, makaka-relate ka dito.

---

And I Love Her. Isn't She Lovely?

Punta Fuego Panorama #2

2004-12-02T14:16:00.000+08:00

The stitched-photo-panorama bug has bitten me. But this time I didn't obsess over getting the pieces to mesh exactly, which I think adds a little character to the piece. Here's more of Punta Fuego featuring my lovely girlfriend Karen.

The Island Off Fuego Point

2004-11-30T13:21:00.000+08:00

This is the island off Fuego Point. I don't know what the island is called, but it intrigued me because there were people living on it, apparently fisherfolk because I saw a small pumpboat nearby as we were admiring the view from the Fuego Point gazebo. The cave-like opening near the middle part of the island also peaked my curiosity, so I took a picture -- two pictures. So, I actually stitched together this "panoramic" view from two pictures I took. A few creative free transforms with Photoshop and some level adjustments were all that I did, but you'll notice the seam where the two photos meet because of the abrupt color change in the sky. Hope you guys like it. I do. ;-)

Reality Show Follow-Ups and Other Stuff

2004-11-22T14:24:00.000+08:00

Do you ever wonder what happens to all those guys on Queer Eye after they've been Fabbed by The Five? What happens to all the women who've started over on Starting Over? Unsolved Mysteries had follow-up reports on some previously-featured crimes. Wouldn't it be interesting to see the made-over guys and started-over girls several weeks or months after their time on the shows? Will all those people be able to maintain those expensive wardrobes and lifestyle changes? Do all the quick once-overs on those apartments stay put, or does the paint fade and wallpaper peel the very next day? Do all the starter-overers live happily ever after, or do they revert to old bad habits? If that were the case, I'm guessing the networks won't show that stuff, lest they contribute more to the demise of the reality show. (cue film-noir music: DUN-DUN-DUN!)

I was touched by Joey's entry. Aw.

Check out my MoBlog, exclusively for my photos. Half a dozen photos as of now. More to come.

Academic Dillemic

2004-11-18T13:06:00.000+08:00

I've come to the conclusion that, in order to increase my professional marketability (hence my pay grade) and expand my employment horizon, I must get a postgraduate degree. [Aside: It would be nice if I had a green thumb for business like Kelvin or Jugs, then I'd be an entrepreneur and make my money grow and circulate and make ends meet more easily. But I don't, so I can't. But then again I haven't really tried.] Because I've been in the I.T. industry for four years now, the course has to be related to that, and maybe geared towards management. So I've been browsing through some schools' websites and here are a few that caught my eye:

Ateneo's Master of Science in Information Technology
UP Diliman's Master of Technology Management
UP Diliman's Master of Science in Computer Science
DLSU's Master of Science in Information Technology

But then when I came across the requirements for some of the courses, I was daunted by the thought of paying so many fees, taking so many exams, filling out application forms, and obtaining certified true copies of this and that. All that will mean having to take days off from work and going out of my way.

Truth be told, I think I'm scared.

I'm scared of shaking up my status quo. And, actually, just the thought of eventually attending classes, writing papers and doing projects makes my stomach queasy. Ugh. To think one of the application forms requires one to write an essay detailing "specific areas of interest, and assessment of your academic, mental, and emotional preparedness for graduate study, and your future prospects." Emotional preparedness. Someone give me a shrink and a long couch, please :s Paging Dr. Ben Sobel. Dr. Sobel, you're needed in room 203.

I think I'm spreading myself thin as it is with my current commitments. I don't think I want more work. Thing is, I think I need to do this if I want to get ahead in the world. Something will have to give. *Sigh*

Shampoo Shenanigans

2004-11-11T14:10:00.000+08:00

Ilang months na 'yan?, greeted the beefy gym instructor, referring to my overgrown hair. At first I thought he was referring to my tummy, him being the gym instructor here at the office. But then he asked when and where it was that I last had my hair cut. I said around July at the salon along Kalayaan that used to be David's, and that my hair grows slowly.

Then he starts talking about how he's having a difficult time growing his hair and he compliments me on how the hair on the back of my head goes off to the sides in waves. I tell him to try having it cut more often because when hairs grow they taper off at the ends and tend to grow more slowly than when they're newly cut. I also say I have to grow my hair a bit because it's really fine.

By this time I was beginning to feel awkward with our topic but I volunteer, albeit sheepishly, "Maybe it's the shampoo I use?" Looking really interested he asks, "Yeah! What do you use?" "The clear something or other shampoo. That's what they buy at home, but it's great for every day use," I answer, with him listening intently all the while.

"Okay 'yan! Ipagpatuloy mo lang (That's great! Carry on with the hair-growing thing)," he concludes. And I briskly walk back to the team room thinking "That. Was. Weird."

Other Stuff
I was at Punta Fuego (Terrazas and Peninsula) with my Karen and several friends last weekend, where unlike Boracay I got to spend a considerable amount of time under the sun. It was an exciting first time to drive outside the metropolis, too because of all the varied road conditions on the way to Nasugbu. Pictures of the famed Infinity Pool soon.

On the band front things are looking up, as the gigs suddenly piled up for November. Also, a big company asked us to do a jingle-type-thing for their product which will mean lots of exposure for us. It's all still hush-hush now but I hope it pans out soon, so I can announce the details to you all. Also, the big boss at our record label is asking for our album, so it looks like we'll be heading to the recording studio soon. Wish us luck!

The Boracay Money Shot

2004-11-03T17:46:00.000+08:00

Sex In Boracay

2004-10-29T10:52:00.000+08:00

Hey all!

At work, the fourth-quarter crunch is starting to kick in so there's loads to be done. And I've had no time to blog lengthily or post pictures. So this here's just a quick blog before we head off to our Boracay gig over the long weekend. We'll be taking a bus going there (via the RO-RO ferry). I'm particularly excited because it will be my first time to go there. I've charged my batteries and cleaned out my camera's memory card so I can take hundreds of pictures :P Look forward to my Bora-blog when I get back, guys! Happy Halloween to everyone!

Sunday (31 October) and Monday (01 November) are my bro Echo's and my mom's birthdays, and I don't I'll be able to blog in Bora so I'll greet them now.

Happy birthday bro & ma! I love you!!!

O, Captain, My Captain

2004-10-21T13:29:00.000+08:00

A Date with Joe and Polly
This past weekend Karen and I were so frustrated with work that we decided we needed some diversion. She had relatively little to do so Monday evening was spent watching the last full show of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow at Robinson's Metro East. I had previously read an article online about how the new Jude Law (Joe "Sky Captain" Sullivan) and Gwyneth Paltrow (Polly Perkins) movie was shot almost entirely with bluescreen backgrounds. When we'd first seen the trailer (when we watched The Bourne Supremacy), we were both captivated by the art deco retro-ness of it all, and resolved to watch it when it came out.

The movie did not disappoint. The story was straightforward but engrossing, mixing equal parts comedy, romance, drama, action and adventure. The special effects were awesome eye candy yet subtle enough not to detract from the actors' performances and the plot.

Love Me or Leave Me
I'm not surprised, though, at peoples' mixed reviews of Sky Captain. I think it's one of those love-it-or-hate-it movies like Matrix: Reloaded or The Phantom Menace. If you love it, you really love it. If you hate it, you really hate it. I think it has something to do with the special effects. The thing with this movie is that you know it was shot mostly with bluescreen, but then the CG blends so seamlessly with the live action. Although the giant robots, the rockets and the flapping-wing aircraft are most obviously CG, suspension of disbelief is supported because their existence in the Sky Captain world is so very plausible. I guess some people don't like the movie because they have a hard time suspending disbelief, or because the special effects aren't so flashy. To each his own.

Flying Wallpaper
As luck would have it, the Sky Captain website is equally nifty. There's a downloadable Sky Captain game and you even get an "exclusive" desktop wallpaper when you "enlist" with the Flying Legion.

The movie (and the website) get my two thumbs up! ;)

Happy Birthday, Pa!

2004-10-15T15:24:00.000+08:00

October 16 is my papa's birthday.

He taught me that it's safe to eat anywhere there's running water. He taught me how not to be a picky eater and try new things. He taught me how to ride a bike. He taught me how to write and draw. He taught me how to play my first Beatles tunes on the guitar. I inherited his love for espionage books and National Geographic magazine. He taught me how to play scrabble and do crosswords and all kinds of word games.

All told, he infused in me an indelible passion for literature, visual arts and music: Passion for life itself.

Without him, I would not be the man I am today. I love you, pa. Happy birthday!

Epiphany

2004-10-15T14:37:00.000+08:00

Sunday evening after dinner with Karen's family to celebrate her brother's birthday, a cousin called me on my mobile. She said that she needed to get in touch with my dad immediately and that no one was answering the phone at our house. It was around 11 at night so dad, by then, was fast asleep. I wondered aloud: why the urgency? She told me that my dad's brother, our uncle, had just passed away. "Oh shit," I blurted out.

Suddenly, queasiness.

My initial thoughts: How ironic. Just as we've celebrated a birthday — a life — news of a death comes. It's sad that this comes now, when another cousin has just come home from abroad to visit. I wonder how my dad will take the news. Dad's birthday was coming up the following Saturday.

When I got home, I gently woke my dad and told him the bad news. He had the same reaction as I did: "Oh, shit." His grief was visible, though I think he tried to conceal it.

He was my uncle. But I hesitate to call him that because I barely knew Tito Vicente. All I know is that he and my dad didn't really get along. They had actually come to blows at least once in my lifetime, something one thinks would be left in their childhoods. And I know he, along with another sibling or two, had caused great grief and hardship — both emotional and financial — for my dad. But that's another story.

Later, I talked with one of the bereaved daughters, and got the relevant information. He would be cremated the next day then laid in state at the Mount Carmel chapels in New Manila. Final mass and interment three days after.

For these reasons, I realize I have no real feeling of kinship toward him, even at the time of his passing. When he was alive I had been civil to him, always greeted him at family gatherings, always shook his hand. But I felt no love. No hate, either.

Indifference, maybe.

They say indifference is worse than hate because one feels nothing at all for a person when one is indifferent to them. At least one feels hatred towards another.

You could say I went to his wake not for him but for my cousins, his children whom he'd left behind, to share their grief.

There was a Mass on the evening of the first day of the wake, and in his homily the priest talked about how God's love is infinitely more than what we can imagine.

He started off by joking a bit about how people react when they're informed that they're going to die. "Oh my God!" "I don't want to die!" I, for one, welcomed that bit of levity in his homily. He said he was surprised that the reactions completely go against what we all learn in catechism: that upon death, we go to "be with God, join our creator," we go to "heaven," we go someplace "better."

"Why, then, should we be afraid of dying?" He asked.

I guess it's because our temporal, corporal experience simply cannot fathom perfection. "We have never experienced perfect love, perfect compassion, perfect care, perfect forgiveness," were the priest's words. No matter how grave our wrongs, we will be forgiven. No matter how hateful we are, we are loved.

Idly, I came to the conclusion that if God's benevolent love is infinite, then Hell might not exist after all. God can forgive my uncle for his sins. Take it a step further: forgiveness for those with graver sins like murder. Yet another step further: forgiveness for those who'd murdered millions. So if you follow my logic, as incomprehensible as it may seem, God will forgive the likes of Idi Amin, Saddam Hussein, Osama Bin Laden, George W. Bush and, yes, one Ferdinand Marcos. Simply because in His infinite love He can. [I know I'll get a lot of flak for this from you, my dear readers, but that's the idle conclusion I've come to as regards God.]

After the mass, I learned that my uncle had died of an aneurysm. He was only 59. The autopsy revealed what everyone knew: that he had an enlarged heart (from the hypertension that afflicts our family), a cirrhotic liver (from his drinking) and failing kidneys (he had been passing blood). The real shock was that the medico-legal officer found a tumor in his lungs the size of a golf ball. He had been smoking up till the very end, but no one had a clue that he had stage two cancer.

My cousin Tim said that if they'd brought him to the hospital, he would be in a coma for several days then pass away anyway. If they had discovered the cancer, his liver would not be able to handle the chemotherapy for his cancer, either. Tim said, "ang bait pa rin talaga ng Diyos." [God really is good.] "He didn't suffer, but he was really burning both ends of the candle."

Bang. The depression that would consume me for the next two days had begun. Suddenly there was that heavy emptiness in the pit of my stomach, the bitter taste in my mouth. You only feel those when you're depressed.

At 58, my dad isn't sick, but he's not exactly healthy, either. Would my dad die at 59 like my uncle? God forbid. Their father had died of a heart attack at 55, for Chrissakes.

That, and a whole host of concerns were all swimming in my head.

Fast forward to Thursday. Dad and I joined the family for the last mass before interment at Manila Memorial. My balikbayan cousin and the eldest daughter gave eulogies for my departed uncle. I was not ready for the images of him that they would project: loving, warm, compassionate. Could this be the man that had caused my dad so much grief?

Epiphany. "They couldn't be wrong," I thought. They had known and loved him better than I could ever hope to. And I was ashamed at myself.

After the eulogies, I noticed dad was no longer sitting beside me, but was all the way at the back of the church. As the final song began, I walked towards him. As I came near I saw he had his glasses off, and was wiping his eyes. He'd been crying -- for the first time, I guess, since Sunday night when I gave him the bad news. I could not remember the last time I had seen him cry.

"You OK?" He said yes. I hugged him.

I hugged him for him because he'd finally succumbed to his grief at the loss of his brother.

But I hugged him for me, I guess for much the same reasons as we cry when someone has passed. We cry for the loss of our loved one. We weep, inconsolably, because our mortality does not stare us in the face more directly than when a loved one has died.

I hugged him for me because I had been so depressed the past two days. And because I missed him, and I was sorry for all the wrongs I'd done him. And because I want so much for him to be alive and healthy for many more years.

Spider-Cam

2004-10-11T18:19:00.000+08:00

Along Came A Spider...

Here I Go Again...

2004-10-07T13:43:00.000+08:00

Perfection Obsession
I'm getting bored with my blog's layout, but the other free templates on Blogger aren't my cup of tea. My current template is one of them but from the start, I had been constantly tweaking it to suit my taste. I saw some cool Spider-Man templates but thought they were too faddish. The Coke™ and Pepsi™ ones scream "corporate sellout." But I have half a mind to just go with one of the Matrix templates.

So I'm in the process of designing a new one. It's the same obsession as for my band's website, but this time I'm giving in. As God is my witness, I will not stop until I have the perfect blog template. Too bad I won't be able to apply it to my Livejournal. Changing the S2 color scheme will have to suffice.

I started building the new template from scratch and tried to publish it today but the containers were misaligned and text didn't want to wrap inside the containers. Plus the proprietary Blogger markup is quite hairy to keep track of. It's back to the old HTML drawing board for me.

Photo-Meme
I got this idea from Blogger and I want to try it out just for fun. Ask me for three (3) photos you'd like me to take and post here. It'll be good if the photos you want to see have a theme, i.e. three things I use around the house. I'll photograph anything, anyone or anyplace as long as it's doable, but no x-rated or gross stuff, please. I'll compile your requests and then decide which ones to post.

Level-up!
On the programming homefront, I've given myself a level-up just for finishing the SMS-based phonebook querying system I've been implementing on and off for the past month. At its heart is an SMS gateway: two Nokia 5110s on serial ports and a daemon that manages all the incoming and outgoing SMS's. This is where the SMS requests land. They're very much like the vote or subscribe stuff you see all over TV. All that runs on Redhat 9 server.

The SMS requests trigger corresponding queries to a phone directory listings database which lives on another Redhat server. The directory listings are the same as what you'd find in the yellow or white pages. I had a hell of a time creating the MySQL tables because the original tables weren't normalized and turned out to be so large. Writing the queries took longer than I had expected. In the end I had to settle for a quick two-step approach instead of using a slow one-step JOIN. (Hey, that's MySQL for you.) So once the query is performed, the results (subscriber's names, addresses and telephone numbers) are formatted in PHP and sent out via the SMS daemon. Whew! All I need to do now is improve the SMS keyword help functions.

Bora, Baby!
We'll be playing a gig in Boracay at the end of the month (on the 31st, Echo's birthday). Our talent fee is considerable but we'll still end up shelling out money. But hey, I've never been there. So it's all good. I just hope the bar (a notorious hassle) we'll be playing at won't turn out to be too much of a hassle. At least it's the off season so it won't be too crowded. I'll be able to take a few pictures, as well.

The Prom You Never Had

2004-10-05T13:34:00.000+08:00

My Admit One Collage. Warning: big graphic

Photos were taken by me and Echo. You can't see the label (because Photobucket resized the collage :S) but it says most photos by me. Click on the collage to enlarge it.

Medley Madness
October 2 started ordinarily enough. I went to the office and put in my eight hours. By that morning, Jazz had spent the whole night at the hospital because Nicole had gone into labor. So whether or not we would be able to rehearse for Admit One, much less perform, was still in doubt. But it was alright, even if we wouldn't be performing, my good friend's new son was coming into the world! I think people would understand.

Our rehearsal on the previous Tuesday had gotten us psyched up because we'd put together a fun campy medley of 90's prom songs. We were supposed to cover just one song but we couldn't decide what song to cover. We were tossing around all these corny songs and we wanted to play them all! So we made the medley such that each song got its intro, at least one verse and one chorus in.

The songs were (in this order)
Stars (Simply Red) sung by Jugs
Dying Inside (Timmy Thomas) sung by Jazz
This Time I Know It's Forever (Errol Brown) sung by Kelvin
I've Been Waiting For You (Guys Next Door) sung by me
I'm Too Sexy (Right Said Fred) sung by Jazz & Jugs
Exta-si Exta-no (Chimo Bayo) sung by all four of us

All through rehearsals we couldn't contain ourselves because the medley was so baduy (there's no word for it in English), especially with the narcissistic vocals in I'm Too Sexy and the hokey chanting in Exta-si Exta-no.

Anyway, Jazz insisted we push through with rehearsals and the gig. But during rehearsal, we got word from his mom that Nicole had given birth but was still in recovery and that the baby was to be temporarily put in an incubator. Jazz decided he would go back to the hospital right after we were to play. So everything panned out all right and we were able to perform. Before the medley, we performed Buwan and Beer. I think we had everyone laughing their heads off and clutching their aching bellies by the time we finished the medley.

A Bad 80's Teen Flick
Before rehearsal, I went with Jazz's family to fetch him at the hospital. Aldwin was there complaining that he didn't have a decent costume for Admit One (people had to come in their prom attire). Peavey suggested he just wear a photographer's vest and go as the official photographer (which he was anyway). And I said, yeah, take the prom pictures and make prints with fancy lettering and sell them at the end of the show. We were laughing at the idea because it was so, well, prom! Aldwin said he didn't have any photo paper, so we left the idea hanging.

At the gig itself, it was like a bad 80's teen flick: Niño came as a waiter, Richie came as a teacher and Kris came as the pregnant girl. Raims even looked like Kevin Bacon in Footloose. When I got there, Aldwin had already set up his lights and camera, and he had his Mac and a printer running so he could make the prints with Photoshop. Aldwin blended in quite well, I think.

We Are The World
Another great part of the night was when we re-formed the old wedding band (we actually performed at a wedding reception in 2003) composed of Ene, Ebe, Buddy, Zach, Jazz (on keyboard) and myself. We hadn't rehearsed any songs so at various points Echo, Aia, Vin, Jal, Jason, Raimund and Jerros took to the stage to perform. We performed a bunch of covers like Play That Funky Music, It Ain't Over Till It's Over, and With Or Without You. Everyone was dancing and singing onstage and off. It was an ensemble like USA for Africa. Basta, you had to be there.

It was great that I got to perform Should I Stay or Should I Go with my idols Buddy and Raimund and former Tripnosis bandmate Jason. Later, Jason and I agreed it was great to play guitar onstage together after a loooong time. After the carnage, I approached Buddy and thanked him because I think it was the first time I had been able to jam with the two of them. He said, "Pag tayo ni Raims ang nag-jam, songhits na lang ang katapat n'yan." Awesome.

Last Night's Last Full Show

2004-10-01T14:13:00.000+08:00

Our performance at last night's Last Full Show was great. I think our Tuesday rehearsal helped us shake off the rust :) Gab of Parokya ni Edgar, fresh off their recent US tour, jammed with us on Beer which Joey enjoyed thoroughly ;)

Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man, who played a tight set, are starting to find their sound. Grats to them! Plus, I got to see Imago again after a long time. I think their song Taning rocks. Too bad I didn't get to see Pedicab (composed of Jason, Diego, Raims and Mike) perform.

Can't wait for Saturday's Admit One. Sarap tumugtog!

Great Bumper Stickers #001

Hear, hear!

So Call Me Captain Backfire

2004-09-30T15:38:00.000+08:00

Type KILIG OFF and send to 2346
A few days back I subscribed to one of those daily quote SMS services offered by my cellular provider. I opted into the "Kilig Quote" service in the hopes of chancing upon a rather romantic SMS that I could share with my ♥Karen♥. At just a few pesos per message, I thought it'd be a small price to pay in order to get in good with her romantic side. This morning I got one that I thought was killer. Here's our text exchange.

ME: (forwarding) "There's never a dull moment w/u! I can just imagine spending the rest of my life w/ someone as lovely, charming & funny as u. Think that's a good idea? *wink*"
SHE: *blush* wats wid d sudden outburst? Proposal n b 2? (Desired result)
ME: Di naman, just expresn hw i feel. Ü
SHE: Is dat original?
ME: Hehe no. (mali) But i thot it was nyc 2 send 2 u. Ü (Notice how I use the smiley to be charming)... Id be lying if i said it was. :|
SHE: Gawan m nlang ako ng orig mo ü

OK then. Back to the old drawing board. Then again, maybe it was a half-assed move to just wait for a nice message then forward it to her. I guess it really does pay to think up your own stuff especially in the romance department.

The moral of the story? Plagiarism did not pay. I did.

Slipknot, Anyone?
Yesterday I listened to Slipknot's second album Iowa from start to finish, and I was blown away. The arrangements were simply jaw-dropping. I now have half a mind to watch them at the Amoranto Stadium when they come here in November. Now if only joining that crowd wouldn't be like going into the depths of Mordor...

Is It Just Me... #001
... or is Friendster's layout just plain sucky?

"No Theme" Theme

2004-09-28T13:52:00.000+08:00

Sorry for blogging about such heavy stuff these past few days. I guess when I get pensive, it shows. I think that was me trying to get more coherent and thematic blog entries.

Anyway.

Music to Dance By
The gig at Mayric's last night was better than the last one at Café Saguijo. We were considerably tighter so I enjoyed myself more! Tonight we're rehearsing for Saturday's Admit One prom-night-themed gig at Freedom Bar. We're covering a few 90's-era songs that you normally heard at your Junior-Senior Prom or at your annual dance. That should be fun!

Fashion @ NKYM
After the gig, Echo and I stopped over at Nakayama and found the trio of Ebe, Vin and Joey having a few beers. I had my usual Coke™. As is normally the case with musicians, discussions turn to happenings in the music scene, our respective bands, instruments, and music in general. But then we got to talking about something musicians, especially guy musicians, don't usually discuss: fashion. We talked about the clothing sponsors that we'd all had, about how certian clothes make you look better, and how our own bands currently look.

Among musicians, sure, it's all about the music. But when you factor in the audience, packaging is crucial so that they can have a visual as well as aural peg for a band. Vin noted that bands that made it in the early 90's were kind of exempt from that because it was a time when not having a "look" was OK. So bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, the Youth and the Eraserheads could get away with a "No Look" Look.

We agreed that Sandwich are one of the best-dressed bands in the local scene today, citing Raimund Marasigan. Actively gigging with no less than four bands -- Sandwich, Cambio, Squid 9 and Sun Valley Crew -- Raims must have a hell of a time crafting looks for each of them!

The general consensus was that today, a band's apparance, image -- packaging, if you will -- was almost, if not AS, important as their music. Ebe said, "Hey, we're talking about fashion at Nakayama of all places." I said, "E di hindi na dapat Nakayama. Dapat NKYM!"

Some Rights Reserved
Check out the über-cool Creative Commons License. Use it to put some restrictions on how people use (or re-use) your original text, photos or audio.

Sayang

2004-09-27T13:29:00.000+08:00

Is there an English equivalent to the Filipino word sayang? Great loss? No, I don't think that phrase even begins to express the disgust (and maybe sadness) that comes with sayang: disgust at or grief for a loss of, or deprivation from, something or someone.

Sayang Part I
Last week I noticed workers repainting the partitions of the office parking lot. It looks as though the physical plant guys overcalculated how much bright yellow paint was needed, so today even the volleyball court outlines, volleyball net stands and a tubular railing or two are also bright yellow. I think it's funny how we pinoys think it's sayang not to use up (or consume) something we have too much of when we can very well save it for later. Neva blogged about something similar.

Sayang Part II
Friday morning, my dad told me one of my cousins had died. Horrified, I asked who. He said a maternal cousin's son -- a second cousin on my dad's del Castillo side. Having coffee later in the day with Karen, I read the sad news about my second cousin Jose Luis "Joselu" Villanueva.

So this morning, dad and I went to Santuario de San Antonio in Forbes Park, where Joselu's remains lie in state, to give the bereaved family a mass card. None of the family were present when we got there except a lady who I took to be my dad's cousin, as she said she was the a niece of the deceased's father. My dad asked what happened so she told us pretty much the same story that was in the newspapers, but added that "It was a big mess," referring to the mayhem that ensued after the five suspects boarded the bus. "The guy stabbed him in the jugular so he bled to death," she said. It's fortunate that four of the bandits were apprehended shortly after.

Still, the nagging question in my mind was "if he comes from such a rich family, why the hell was he taking public transportation?" This article gave me the answer. He was barely out of his twenties, good-looking (my dad noted "gandang lalaki," after viewing him in the coffin), intelligent, industrious and he lost his life all because of a cellphone. That, if you ask me, is what's sayang.

Not Sayang
Over the weekend I started reading Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose, and it's turning out to be an infinitely interesting read! I have a good feeling that it's not going to be sayang. ;)

Last Night

2004-09-24T15:08:00.000+08:00

I'm not too satisfied with our gig last night. It was fun but I don't think we were up to our usual standard. Maybe it's because we hadn't played a gig for almost two weeks prior to last night. Anyway, we can use the next few gigs and a rehearsal or two to oil the rusty joints. Nevertheless I think the crowd enjoyed our set. Hopefully SVC and Boldstar had better performances.

On a lighter note, Guia was there with her friend Bleps, and she gave me a postcard of her Red Plump painting. Cool! LJ (and offline) friend Ina was there, too, with boyfriend Mike. Sorry I wasn't able to take your picture. Next time, I promise. And hopefully, I didn't scare Igorot princess Shiva too much when I introduced myself ;)

Glassware
A great idea from Shine

Tonight at Café Saguijo

2004-09-23T15:56:00.000+08:00

Itchyworms
Boldstar
Sun Valley Crew

PhP100 gets you in (consumable beer or iced tea)
Café Saguijo is on Guijo street in Makati City. From Gil Puyat (formerly Buendia) going in the direction of Roxas Boulevard, take a right on Pasong Tamo. Take the third right and then the first left. That should be Guijo Street.

The French Connection
Our regular French teacher (who is Filipino) was overwhelmed by his new teaching schedule at another school so he got a substitute. Not just any substitute, mind you. He enlisted the services of one Monsieur Julien Friedel, French national, who has been our stand-in for two weeks now. He looks intimidating -- six foot six, buzz cut, deep loud baritone -- but you'd be surprised at how congenial his classroom banter is. He jokes around a lot and he even speaks some Filipino, having been a resident for three and a half years.

In Tuesday's class, we learned that he was a graduate of Environmental Management from a school in Lyon in the south of France. But he had us guess from where in France he was. Naturally, people conjectured that he was from Paris or Cannes. You know, major cities. Turns out he's from the southeast, in the area of Grenoble and Marseilles. What surprised Karen and I was that he crossed out the "Paris" he'd written on the board and said, "Masyadong mayabang," as if to renounce its inhabitants Then, mimicking a snooty Parisien, he started strutting back and forth, pointing both of his thumbs at him self saying in a honky French accent, "I yam from Paris, serve mee first!" At which point the whole class burst into laughter. Apparently even among the French, Parisiens are considered arrogant!

Anyway last Tuesday, as an exercise, Monsieur Friedel had us write a mock phone conversation between two friends, with one asking directions to the other's home or office. We were to give the directions based on a map of a section of Paris. Then we were to act out the dialogue in front of the class. We were used to this kind of exercise, having done countless mock dialogues since the first module. But then Monsieur Friedel said something that made me realize that, after almost eight months of classes, I'm finally getting the hang of speaking French.

Modesty aside, I think you've hit your French-speaking stride when an authentic honest-to-God Frenchman says you have "bon prononciation."

Photos du Jour

Ma copine ♥Karen♥ et moi. Elle est très belle, n'est-ce pas?

Mon frère Echo et moi.

I Think that I Shall Never See...

2004-09-22T11:50:00.000+08:00

If you've been to the New Edsa Central Mall that connects to the concourse of the MRT Shaw Boulevard station, you know about the row of cylindrical trees that line its main walkway. They're not real trees, though. They may actually be decorative shrubs or a type of climbing ivy made to look like trees. They remind me a lot of the cubist-style backgrounds from the Disney animated feature Sleeping Beauty.

Anyway, this is one of the places I've been absolutely dying to photograph. So this morning on my way to the office, I took a few shots. Please forgive any blurriness -- I've only been photographing for a week, and I've yet to master the skill of pressing the button and keeping the camera still at the same time. Enjoy!

Pictures!

2004-09-21T14:11:00.000+08:00

The Case of the Missing Socks

2004-09-20T13:36:00.000+08:00

This morning, I reached for the blue dress socks in my sock drawer only to discover that there was only one of them. The other half of the pair was missing. And I suddenly realized that over the past year, more than a few pairs of socks have gone solo.

It's funny but somehow, between the washing machine and the sock drawer, half of a pair of socks mysteriously disappears, never to be found. One fleece-grey ankle-high sport sock, one charcoal Reebok sport sock, and this morning's blue dress sock are part of the growing Missing Socks list.
My dad might say that it's a case of duwende becoming fond of humans' personals because we've lost other personal effects or household items that, no matter where we looked, could not be found. This reminds me a lot of The Borrowers.
Today's missing sock also reminded me of an urban legend about missing pens turning into clothes hangers. Come to think of it, there's always an excess of hangers lying around in various parts of the house, but the pens at home seldom disappear. Maybe my socks are turning into hangers.
I'm having fun with my new camera. I bring it everywhere in case I see photogenic places (or people).

This past Friday, I got to take a few blurry pictures of my bro's band Boldstar at their Big Sky Mind gig and our tambay at cheap-food-and-beer-place Nakayama. Sidenote: Nakayama is located at Matalino street, Teachers' Village, right beside Kowloon House. I could care less about the beer but the tosilog and crispy pata are scrumptious. Saturday, I took a few still-life-type photos of glasses of water at Figaro Sgt. Esguerra and a few of shiny reflective metal things (my slide, my keychain and keys) at home. Yesterday it was the empty chairs and the nice streetlamp at Starbucks ELJ.

I'm still trying to get used to keeping my hand steady for the flash-less shots (of which I take a lot). Overall, I think I'm getting good shot composition and color, but I'm not so confident about my photos yet. I'll post some of the better ones soon. My goal is to take photos that need almost no enhancement with Photoshop. The movie mode is cool, but you need good lighting and you can only take 15-second clips.
Like Mikah, I levelled-up in my programming skills last week because I learned how to load flat files into MySQL tables, a task which I thought would require a separate PHP script. I had previously written one for another similar purpose, and thought I would need to modify it for my purposes. It turned out to be as simple as invoking a LOAD DATA LOCAL INFILE and then specifying the flat file's path plus the columns of data I needed to dump. Moxious! Next level: JOIN queries.

With regard to programming, I think I'm well-rounded. At the office, where Microsoft is king, I'm occupied with VB/ASP/MSSQL. At the same time I also have an open-source project based on PHP/MySQL. I've got my fingers in two pies, so to speak. But I find I'm more fond of C-style languages like PHP and JavaScript. Although VBScript (which I use for ASP) is at its heart a structured programming language, its syntax and flow don't wash with me. Maybe I'm biased because I cut my teeth on C, but I find PHP more elegant and logical, not to mention versatile. I have more fun programming PHP because after two years of using it, there's still always something new to learn.

First Picture of You

2004-09-16T15:08:00.000+08:00

Digital camera - 13,599
128MB xD picture card - 2,780
rechargeable batteries & charger - 2,150

Being able to take your own pictures - priceless.

Bought my camera today. Pictures soon! Moxious!

No News is Good News

2004-09-13T13:28:00.000+08:00

(a.k.a. Karma Chameleon II)

Up until after the recent elections, I read the news religiously. Most of the news I read was on the Philippine Daily Inquirer (which isn't exactly a bastion of journalistic accuracy) but I more or less was informed of the goings-on in local politics, opinion and, yes, showbiz. Hey, it's better than reading the Manila Bulletin, which is only good for its daily crosswords and some of its comics. Now that's a newspaper with some very beefy sacred cows.

Now, I think I don't give a damn. It's not that I've stopped reading news completely. It's that I find myself reading just the headline and perhaps the first two paragraphs of an item before I completely lose interest. Am I that old that the news has become predictable? Or is it that the news isn't exactly new? I know it could be a mix of both, but with more of the latter. The news isn't new anymore because people -- especially politicans -- are either mind-numbingly stupid or infinitely stubborn. People never learn from their mistakes.

More often than we care to notice, the serpent that is karma rears its scaly head, venom in its fangs, and strikes. History repeats itself. I'm glad to say I'm old enough to notice that.
Digital camera or DVD box set? I have enough cash for one, but not both. Anguish!

grand total: 6 accidents in 48 hours

2004-09-09T13:02:00.000+08:00

the gory details
this morning, for some strange reason, i woke up at 5:30. i felt hot and stifled, though the morning air was cool. as i lay in bed half-awake, i heard a loud thud from outside. then there was a woman screaming and a child crying for her mama. immediately i knew there was a collision just outside, on maginhawa street (1). i stood up to go to the window to see what had happened. my view of the street was obscured by the trees behind our bakod, but i could see tricycles and other vehicles slowing down and men pointing and shouting. i had half a mind to put on a shirt and go out to gawk but decided not to out of respect for the people who may have been hurt. the screams disturbed me, so suddenly i'm afraid to drive in this city. i had trouble getting back to sleep.

sidenote: when i did get back to sleep, i dreamed that big red had been in a crash (driver unknown) and was being repaired in our driveway. so tools and vehicle parts were strewn all over, and i remember the wheels and windows and lights were all dissembled (usage?), and all the sheet metal on big red's corners was crumpled and rusting. but in the dream i somehow realize that it's not big red (a Hilux) but another car (a Revo). the dream was so vivid that when i woke up, i had to go downstairs straight away and check the car. :|
on my way to work i take Greenmeadows avenue (on the way to the Ortigas-Shaw area). and in the middle of the stretch of Greenmeadows avenue just before coming to Valle Verde 5 there were two vehicles -- and L300 cab-type van and a nissan sentra taxicab -- both stopped with hazard lights on. no apparent damage on either of them, but it looked like they might have brushed each other in some fashion (2).
yesterday evening echo and i came across the scenes of no less than four vehicular accidents or collisions. before he picked me up he'd come across one on Kamias (3). on our way to karen's house, there were two just on the bottom of the Blue Ridge side of the katipunan flyover -- one each on the north- and southbound lanes (4 and 5). naturally traffic was piled up on the southbound lane, as some repairs were going on in the center lane of the 3-lane road. northbound, a jeepney was awkwardly perched on the guardrail with a Volvo station wagon stopped with hazards a few meters further down. a tow truck was already there. as we turn right on Aurora boulevard/Marcos highway, traffic is also piled up. this time it's a bus and an FX taxi stuck side-to-side like father and child (6).
yay! the price of diesel (big red runs on diesel) is going to go increase by a little over PhP2.00 in the coming weeks. jee-zus! oh, and have i mentioned i spent a hefty chunk of my half-month salary on new battery for big red and repairs on the alternator? i swear, it never ends. good thing dad's going to take care of the long-overdue oil change.
on a lighter note, i'd like to invite everyone to our gig at Café SaGuijo in Makati tonight. Squid 9 and mikah's band Quail Quartet will be playing.
i have four gmail invites and, again, no one to give them to. you guys know the drill.

it's a clean machine

2004-09-07T13:50:00.000+08:00

my obsessive-compulsiveness got the better of me yesterday so i've finally finished what i've been meaning to do for a long time, which is to clean up the code of the itchyworms.com pages. i've gotten rid of most of the cumbersome tables i was using for layout and switched to divs (which are easier to track and syntax-check) so the pages are about 1 or 2KB lighter than before. thing is, i have to keep track of all the new CSS. hopefully the new code is more standards-compliant and should be easier to maintain. i also broke out the old Photoshop and put in a new masthead design cos we finally got a decent-looking group picture.
unbeknownst to many, itchyworm Jugs has a 'sideline' -- he makes and sells stuffed toys! if you're ever at Robinson's Galleria, go to the B-shop at 50th Avenue on the third floor of the new East Wing. you can also visit SoftSpot, Inc., the official website.
has anyone heard of Beatallica? it's Metallica meets the Beatles! hilarious! they're a real band, but the members choose to hide behind the aliases Jaymz, Krk, Larz and Kliff. old-skool 'tallica, anyone? songs from their two EP's (the self-titled Beatallica and A Garage Dayz Nite) are absolutely free -- they actually encourage everyone to copy and burn them. my current favorites are Sandman (Taxman with Enter Sandman-esque lyrics) and For Horsemen (imagine the trumpet solo on For No One played by twin guitars). with titles like Blackened in the USSR and The Thing That Should Not Let It Be and a tagline like YOKO UP YOUR ASS!, how can they possibly go wrong?
i love the video of She Will Be Loved (Maroon 5). Kelly Preston (a.k.a. Mrs. John Travolta) is hot.

my FHM moment

2004-09-03T11:27:00.000+08:00

yesterday karen and i skipped french class cos she was feeling flu-ey. but she had already taken the AA bus to meet me at galleria, so we decided to have dinner there. i took her to yoshinoya at the new east wing. after we had ordered and settled down to eat, FHM beauty Diana Zubiri came in. i could not help but stare at Diana because i wasn't sure it was she indeed. ex-FHM sex columnist Juliana Palermo entering the store to place her order confirmed my suspicion. so that was my FHM moment. not one but two FHM beauties in one go! of course, i didn't let on to my girlfriend lest she get jealous. i just sipped on my miso soup and feigned nonchalance.
while we're on the subject, i'd just like to say that i absolutely ♥♥♥ my girlfriend because she indulges (or should i say tolerates) my affection (or should i say affliction) for said publication. actually, when she was still working at that popular magazine distribution company, she did give me a couple of complementary issues of MAXIM.
i dig the free sticker giveaway in the september FHM. it says: I read FHM. I don't just look at the pretty pictures. riiight.
minsan nakakapagod maging the dependable responsible one. :|

i guess i'll never know

2004-08-27T12:39:00.000+08:00

i fucking hate it when people talk down at me. or is my self-esteem that low, that i feel certain people talk down at me when maybe they're really not? whatever the case may be, when i feel i'm being talked down at, i wanna say i'm not a fucking idiot, ok? the sour feeling at the pit of your stomach and the bitter taste in your mouth when someone's talking down at you have got to be one of the worst feelings in the world.
kwentong aksidente
the other day, on my drive to work, i came down the northbound side of the new Meralco avenue flyover, and there was a small pileup just before coming to the NASA complex. turns out a car had stopped in the middle of the road. when i passed the car's right side, i caught a glimpse of the driver. he was just sitting there, and he looked like he was sleeping. morbidly, i thought that he may have had a heart attack or just simply kicked the bucket right there. i could have helped, but traffic was piled up. i guess i'll never know.
about a year ago, i remember kel, jugs and i were in kel's car on the way home from our band retreat in tagaytay. we were on C-5 in taguig. traffic was light because it was a sunday. at a pedestrian crossing we witnessed an accident. why there are crosswalks on our highways is beyond me. the pigs in public works should get a clue.

we'd seen the scrawny man who wanted to cross the highway via the crosswalk, but the driver of the car in front of us couldn't figure out if the man was going to cross already or not. and the scrawny man couldn't figure out of the driver was going to let him cross. so the driver swerved a few times until the inevitable happened. bang! the driver hit the scrawny man and screeched to a stop a few meters away. and it was like the video of coldplay's the scientist -- everything was happening in slow motion, except forwards.

to avoid them, kel braked and swerved over to the gas station's curb. i immediately got out of the car, cautiously (it was a fricking highway) ran towards the stopped car and came upon the driver taking the man in his arms. the scrawny man was unconscious and i remember being silently surprised how little blood there was. it looked like he was going to rush the man to a hospital. which hospital, i don't know. no words were exchanged. all i could do was open the driver's passenger car door so he could put the scrawny man in the passenger seat. he did that, then they sped off to god knows where. i guess i'll never know what happened to the scrawny man and the driver. i guess we'll never know how many similar accidents have happened on that same highway.

a disco bandit is me!

2004-08-23T14:10:00.000+08:00

sailing the seas of cheese
Mikah's ravings have turned me on to an online RPG that's much like the linux command-prompt MUD (multi-user dimension) i used to play in college. The Kingdom of Loathing is a visual MUD, if you will, but all the illustrations are simple line drawings and the characters are stick figures which i think contributes greatly to its cheese factor. plus there aren't the conventional RPG characters like wizards, elves and warriors. my character is a disco bandit, complete with disco ball and disco bandit mask. i mean, it's so cheesy it's cool! instead of the usual money or gold as currency, there's meat. yes, meat. the browser-based interface is a godsend because you don't have to memorize any navigation commands, plus you have actual maps of your surroundings. moxious!

KoL control panel

KoL main screen
last week, i tripped on my phone's charger's cord. that sent my phone crashing into something pointy, which bitch-slapped a nasty crack onto the casing. that settled it: i had to buy a new casing for my phone. after scouring the upper floors of robinson's galleria, i found no express-on covers for my 6610. turns out fake covers were being sold in the basement. i got a cool-looking silver cover for PhP 150, but it sucks. one side of the front cover simply wont latch onto the phone's body. now i think i need to look for a genuine nokia cover, which i think is going to cost me a bit. ah bugger it.
kwentong cebu ulit
friday's cebu trip was a bit tiring. having virtually no sleep, i took a cab to NAIA domestic for another 5AM flight and got there around 630AM. after some breakfast at the hotel, i got about 2 hours' sleep. my 2PM lecture lasted about two and a half hours, which left me just enough time to sneak a quick shower in before i needed to check in at mactan. in the waiting lounge, i napped. fortunately, i didn't drool. on the plane, i napped some more, albeit restlessly because my head kept bobbing off to one side. plus the 730PM flight was packed, which left me with little elbow and leg room. plus two noisy children in the row behind me kept on playing with the goddam tray table! fuck! before i knew it, we were on our final approach to manila. i took a PhP580 airport taxi to big sky for our LFS gig. luckily, kel offered me a sleep in his car, which got me my second wind for our performance. *phew*
gniksamkcab
there's a thread on our mailing list about messages in backmasked music. eto post ko:

Date: Mon Aug 23, 2004 10:58 am
Subject: Re: [itchyworms!] backmasking

... which goes to show you that when you play a song or a speech in
reverse, you will hear what you want to hear. if you want to hear
'satan' in a backmasked recording, you will hear 'satan'. if you want
to hear the word 'marijuana', you'll hear 'marijuana'.

given the inherent phonetic similarities in human speech components,
especially in vowels (which compose a sizeable portion of the sounds
we make), there are high probabilities of obtaining recognizable
patterns when recordings of speech (or song) are played back in reverse.

i saw that documentary, too when i was in grade school. i was about 13
then, so i was kind of freaked out about it. which, i guess, was the
desired effect. "don't listen to rock n' roll, it's the DEVIL's music..."

bullshit. we mock what we don't understand.

the thread is quite entertaining ;) join the mailing list if you haven't already.

Yesterday

2004-08-13T19:06:00.000+08:00

i've borrowed kel's Beatles Anthology DVD box set, and i'm almost done with episode seven. for a Beatles fan like me, it's awesome to watch never before seen footage of the Fab Four. absolute bliss.

i guess it's no secret that they had a less than peachy time here in the philippines in 1965, with Imelda Marcos throwing a First-Lady-sized tantrum. in the DVD, they (John, Paul, George and Ringo) recall the Manila incident with palpable bitterness. the long and short of it was that unbeknownst to the Four, manager Brian Epstein had received and declined an invitation from Malacañang for a private audience with Tita Meldy. it was a rare day off in their hectic globe-trotting touring schedule, after all. as you can gather, Tita Meldy in all her Marcosian power pulled some strings and gave the Beatles some bad press (and radio and TV). when they were finally whisked off to their British Airways jet at the Manila International Airport, their flight was stalled by the cops, and the profits from their performance at the Rizal Stadium confiscated. George, rest his soul, recounts that they feared deeply for their lives.

what's the point of this blog? i'm a Beatles fan through and through, and i am saddened that because of what Imelda did in 1965, my favorite group detests my country. why do the Beatles fans of today have to pay for her sins? i mean, let's face it. Sir Paul McCartney, the only performing Beatle alive, is almost retired and there's no way in hell he will perform here. lucky kel got to watch Paul's concert in Japan. it's just sad that i might not get the chance to see Paul any time soon, and he's not getting any younger.

maybe someone's thought of doing this before, maybe i'm the first. i've been wanting to do this for such a long time, so here goes.

An open letter to the Beatles, from a fan
Dearest John(+), Paul, George(+), and Ringo,

For once and for all, I'd like to apologize for what happened to you guys here in Manila in 1965. Ferdinand, Imelda and their lackeys were -- as you might call them -- stupid gits for doing that.

The legions of Beatlemaniacs, of which I am part, will be greatly pleased if even just one of their heroes would visit them. You'll be glad to hear that your music is alive and well in our hearts.

Maybe, just maybe, one of you would consider swinging by Manila one of these days to perhaps do a few numbers? I promise nothing of the same sort will happen. No pressure, sirs. Take your time.

Finally, I'd like to say thank you. Your music and ideals have so deeply penetrated my life and my own music. I will be a fan forever.

Love,
Chino Singson
xoxo

P.S.
I absolutely adore Abbey Road.

that's it. no long-winded blubbering fanboy raves. short and sweet. Beatles forever.

can't we all just be adults?

2004-08-12T12:15:00.000+08:00

i hate it when people take things personally that they shouldn't. it's WORK for chrissakes, not a fucking relationship. grow up, bitch.

in other news, signed na kami sa UR. yehey! excited na ako pumasok sa studio!!!

Philo of Pop

2004-08-07T17:27:00.000+08:00

flight status: antokis
inflight entertainment: Circus - Eraserheads

"Three minutes of perfection, that's what a song is... It's something that makes you feel good when you put it on, end of story." -- Aerosmith's Steven Tyler on the philosophy of a hit song

cebu chibog

2004-07-31T16:09:00.000+08:00

flight status: normal
inflight entertainment: Bogchi Hokbu from the Eraserheads Anthology

i didn't get to go around cebu city much, but i was able to eat a lot -- and i mean a lot -- of great food. when we got to cebu, we checked in at the Marriott and went straight to the breakfast buffet. there, i had some toast and cheese with strawberry jam, plus a hotcake, scrambled eggs, bacon, and some fruit and orange juice. i love hotel breakfast buffets! yum!

after our morning event at Southwestern U, we had lunch with the members of the POGS cebu chapter, where we had the classic cebu lechon (no mang tomas for me, thanks), kalderetang kambing, roast calf and fish fillet. double yum! after packing up , we headed straight back to the Marriott to get some shot-eye.

at 6pm, we woke up to -- guess what -- have dinner! we had dinner at grand cowrie where we feasted on crispy pata, chicharon bulaklak, laing, pinakbet, sizzling boneless bangus, halaan, baked scallops and unlimited rice! for dessert i had bud-bud (suman with chocolate sauce) and all that food for nine people cost just PhP2600.

*BURP*

at the hotel i looked at my self in the mirror and my tummy was bulging. ugh. :|
the PAL in-flight snack packs were the same going to and coming from cebu: crackers, a fudge pastry, peanuts and Storck. :P on the flight back to manila, i hadn't had any breakfast so i finished everything off except the Storck.
the plane going to cebu was a Boeing 737-400 while the plane back was an Airbus A300, same as what we rode to cebu 2002 for our SM mall tour. the A300's seats are on the stiff side, and the air conditioning is a bit warm. the 737 meanwhile has comfier seats, is quieter, and has cooler air conditioning.

uncle sam can suck my brown filipino ****

2004-07-28T11:33:00.000+08:00

A. Lipin 28 July 2004 (by Jess Abrera, from inq7.net)

this strip goes particularly well with conrad de quiros's column Sex, Lies and Washington, and together they pretty much sum up how i feel about the whole iraq pullout fiasco.

Sugarfree's Dramachine - now in stores

2004-07-27T12:40:00.000+08:00

hey folks, ebejal&mitch's new CD, Dramachine is out! peborit ko ang Hari ng Sablay woohoo!
good day, sunshine! buti na lang umaraw na, napalinisan ko na si big red.

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

2004-07-26T17:32:00.000+08:00

George Lucas, et al, have officially announced the title of the sixth and final Star Wars installment. i can't wait for May 2005! sana hindi pa mag-end of the world.

crosstown traffic

2004-07-26T12:46:00.000+08:00

may naglabas na ba ng t-shirt na nakalagay: "i survived the great july 23 2004 traffic jam"? grabe. 3 hours 45 minutes from Crame to Cainta. buti na lang may radyo't CD's sa kotse!
i'm off to cebu on thursday (on business nga lang, not pleasure). 5AM flight. ugh.

number coding and all that jazz

2004-07-21T10:13:00.000+08:00

karen had her hair cut last friday. she had an oh-so-cute pixie-style cut done cos her long hair was cramping her style. the new style suits her well and i have a big crush on her now *grin*
coming to work earlier than usual is like seeing the beginning of a movie for the first time after you've started it in the middle and watched it through to the end. so thaaaat's what happens! coding si big red ngayon, so i opted to beat the 7am number-coding cutoff in lieu of enduring what might be a less-than-dry commute via public transport. i was actually still on the street at 7am, but suprisingly few traffic enforcers were at their posts. i saw one of them along greenmeadows in front of valle 5 but he was just walking along the sidewalk, not, well, enforcing traffic. ako naman si kabado, akala ko titingnan nya yung plaka ko kaya todo iwas-tingin ako sa kanya. buti na lang mukhang kakain muna sya ng agahan. :|
The Bourne Supremacy, sequel to The Bourne Identity is coming out soon. i liked the Identity but, having read Robert Ludlum's novel first, i was disappointed with all the creative liberties the makers took especially with the plot. glaringly gone was the subplot tying protagonist Jason Bourne to the über-assassin known only as Carlos. maybe it was all the scriptwriters could do to glean an easily-digestible (read: Hollywood-ized) plot from Ludlum's layered manuscript. note to self: read Supremacy after seeing the movie.
a month or two ago, we consigned the songs from our and the worm jumped over the moon single to a cellular service company for public subscription on their ringtunes service. on the menu were the two versions of buwan and illusions, a live recording of the early itchyworms song at a 1997 itchyworms gig. in may, we received the numbers from the company. in the first month of the deal (march), subscriptions were relatively few, limited to about twenty each for buwan and illusions and roughly double that for the acoustic buwan. in the second month (april), subscriptions shot up dramatically. buwan acoustic got about eighty, buwan original ninety. and get this: illusions got 611 subscriptions for the month of april alone. that number beats the crap out of over the moon's gross sales! who would've thought that subscriber ringtunes could be an alternative channel for song distribution? how about that?

that being said, check out itchyworms.com for details about My Jolly Old Buddy (previously available on the Last Full Show compilation), our new ringtune on Smart.
yesterday, sales reps from Honda were at the office campus showing off their new 1.3-liter hatchback, the Jazz. think Honda City but as a wagon instead of a sedan. after lunch, i went over to the parking lot to take a look at the shiny new electric blue vehicle. i got into the driver's seat and started inspecting the dashboard and the seats. it was quite roomy for a car its size. when suddenly, sir, sa banda po ba kayo? di ba kayo yung sa antipara? turns out both of the sales reps, a guy named stef and a girl named mafeth (she pronounces if muffet), knew me from my band's video. that broke the ice a bit, so i asked if i could possibly start the engine and maybe take a test drive around campus. they said yes and hopped in. it was a fun 3-minute drive around the parking lot. i dug you could switch to a 7-speed semi-manual transmission from the default automatic. what's neat about the 7-speed tranny is you switch gears with buttons on the steering wheel, much like F1 trannies. i'd buy that zippy little car if i had the money! fun fun fun!

clutterbug

2004-07-19T18:29:00.000+08:00

a while back i was obsessing over the overall design of itchyworms.com. either i'm getting tired of the design or it's too cluttered : somebody please restrain me from getting all obsessive-compulsive over this.
at last saturday's LFS, i stayed to watch Quail Quartet. just as with the now-defunct Fish Trio, nainggit ako. they revived my desire to form a jazz band. thing is, i'm not confident that my guitar chops will suffice for playing jazz. jal!!! 'stumomagjazz?
today marks the start of a two-week repreive from our language classes at Alliance Française. i'll miss the lessons but it'll be good to have mondays and wednesdays a little less hectic. up next: module 3!
*blip*

bentsingko

2004-07-14T12:32:00.000+08:00

with big red in Quezon for repairs, i'm riding jeepneys more frequently. and i've noticed that with the recent fare increase (minimim of PhP5.50), the lowly 25-centavo coin is ubiquitously back in circulation. matanda na ako kasi naaalala ko pa na we had 1¢ (square with rounded corners), 50¢ (with the monkey-eating eagle) and P2 coins (decagonal and, more recently, rounded, with the coconut palm), some of which were part of the Flora and Fauna series of the Republic Period of philippine currency. currency factoid: the study of coins is called Numismatics. cool!
ahm, sir, baka meron po silang smaller bill?
speaking of money, i just found out that the philippines has the Guinness-certified biggest paper bill in the world?

centennial note image mulled from the bangko sentral money museum website
the PhP100,000 centennial bank note measures a whopping 8½ x 14 inches. langya, sinlaki ng long bond paper! let's see if you can get THAT into your wallet. maysh! may barya ka sa isandaang libo? hati tayo!
kadiri, i'm blogging about money. buti na lang sweldo na bukas :|

fake neon trees

2004-07-08T15:43:00.000+08:00

tonight is Last Full Show night at big sky mind with the Mongols, Sponge Cola, the itchyworms! (sino 'yon?), Helen and Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man
last night we had a great time rehearsing for saturday's eraserheads tribute at altered native our set list is top secret ;), but i will tell you that we've recruited the services of the great Noel Garcia (Pin-Up Girls, Technicolor Dreamcoat), who played keyboards for quite a stretch for the famed eraserheads. it promises to be a fun night!
text-exchange between me and kathyg
kathyg: Haha! Un stupid neon green coconut tree s tbi ng mnumento n andres bonifacio ay acidently n nsunog nun ngpafireworks cla nun 1 araw. Kutob ko sinadya. HaHaha!
me: Hahaha ayus!
kathyg: Kutob ko un bagong mayor ng caloocan eh bwisit dn dun sa fake tree na un hahaha!
me: The very thought of a fake neon tree is funny. Yung masunog sya e mas nakakatawa pa. Cguro nga bwisit na c mayor hehe!

karma chameleon

2004-07-08T15:17:00.000+08:00

just got the 100MB Yahoo! Mail upgrade. langya, kailangan lang pala punuin yung Inbox. fmeh.
i missed Six Feet Under on tuesday because of the FOPC gig. will miss the replay on friday because we're rehearsing for saturday's Eraserheads tribute gig and we have the LFS gig that night.
karen and i celebrated our anniversary yesterday. she gave me Robert Ludlum's The Cassandra Compact, knowing that i used to read him before. yay! new bedtime read for me! i bought us dinner at café juanita in kapitolyo. kinda pricey but the food and ambience were perfect. my karen absolutely adored the créme brulée we had for dessert :D she said, "now i understand all the fuss about créme brulée." i love my girlfriend *sigh*
dad and i rode the MRT together this morning. first time namin magkasama! we were both southbound: he was on his way to makati, and i on my way to work. i enjoyed dad's company cos i hadn't seen him since sunday, what with my schedule and all. aside from my dad asking me about work, we didn't talk much on the cab ride over to GMA-Kamuning nor on the MRT. but i guess that's the way it is between men, and maybe even moreso between fathers and sons. certain things needn't be said.
on my way home the day before yesterday, i took the UP Campus - Pantranco jeep from near the Quezon Avenue MRT station. i got off at the National Housing Authority (NHA) building on the Elliptical Road. and i remembered that my dad, being an architect by trade, used to work for the NHA. in retrospect, it's funny that i remembered this only on that day when i've gotten off there scores of times.

when i was younger, he would tell me stories about his exploits during his tenure there. he would tell of how his colleagues would help themselves to easy money (read: perang kurakot) just by signing cash vouchers at their office. he would say that he could have done the same, but he just didn't have the stomach for stealing other people's money. this got me wondering: if my dad had given in -- compromised his principles -- and taken advantage of the situation, would my family be better-off today financially?

i'm not very religious nor spiritual, but i believe in a sort of karma. what goes around comes around. garbage in, garbage out. if you deal people shit, you'll get shit back. as if to drive his point home, dad would tell about how certain colleagues' (who had given in to avarice and greed) wives or daughters or sons would fall victim to a life-threatening disease or a debilitating accident.

i guess what goes around comes around. would be better off financially? you betcha. but at what cost?

Spider-Man Steals Girlfriend

2004-07-05T00:59:00.000+08:00

my girlfriend karen has a crush on Spider-Man. she confessed this fact to me just a while ago, after we got home from watching spidey 2. "kinikilig ako when i see him swinging through the air kahit alam ko na CG lang s'ya. he's like a ballet dancer/gymnast/martial artist. so graceful." or something to that effect :T

i have my work cut out for me. anybody know where i can find some radioactive arachnids? i need to get bit :P

+RIP Marlon Brando, atbp.

2004-07-03T14:19:00.000+08:00

the great marlon brando passed away yesterday. maybe the Big Mafia Boss Himself made him an offer he couldn't refuse.

>>>

i'm tripping out on the Eraserheads Anthology (i've been hankering for this double-CD ever since kathyg raved about it). listening to the songs, i realize that it's mindblowing to actually be peers and friends with the very people who wrote the songs that were the soundtrack of my youth.

sabihin n'yo nang baduy ako pero ang galing lang talaga ng songs nila, lalo na yung Para Sa Masa -- nakakaiyak. i'll take their ~~cover~~ remake of Ryan Cayabyab's Tuwing Umuulan at Kapiling Ka over Regine's screecher any day of the week and twice on Sunday. and who can deny the understated but groundbreaking sublimeness of Ligaya, Toyang and Pare Ko? those songs may have literally sealed the musical fates of many of the players in today's local scene.

the question is, are they earning any royalties off this release? they'd better be. it'd be a crying shame if they weren't. they certainly deserve the compensation.

>>>

yes, i am materialistic. what of it? etong mga gusto ko:

gadgets and other stuff:
- digital camera
- scanner
- bagong PC
- iPod 20GB
- yung alangyang 6610i
- Marshall na amp
- hardcase para sa HS Anderson ko
- patch cables atsaka matinong 9V power adapter para sa Boss pedals ko

DVDs:
- Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
- The Matrix Revolutions
- Fight Club
- Godfather Trilogy
- Back to the Future Trilogy
- 24 Season 3
- Six Feet Under Seasons 1 & 2
- Beatles Anthology
- G3 Live

CDs:
- Velvet Revolver
- Outkast, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (come to think of it, meron pala si kelvin nito. burn ko na lang siguro :P)
- Steve Vai Anthology
- Steve Vai, Fire Garden, Passion and Warfare, atbp.
- Joe Satriani, Is There Love In Space?, atbp.

so much stuff, so little money.

Back to the Future

2004-07-01T11:10:00.000+08:00

i don't know if it's my quarter-life crisis kicking in, but i often find myself wanting to turn back time whenever something bad happens. and the desire to do so always -- for lack of a better word -- rhetorical. i mean i really want to turn back time and undo all the deeds and misdeeds and not just leave the yearning alone.

i wish i were Marty McFly (not the band) in Back to the Future. [For those of you who haven't seen it or were too young when they first saw it, go here.] i wish i had a Dr. Emmett Brown who had invented a time machine (in a DeLorean, at that), who would have me go back in time to undo all the events that had gone wrong. i wish i could help my parents banish all the demons in their past(s) in order to improve their lives and, ultimately, our family's life.

alas, there's no turning back time. all one can do is take stock of the past in order to deal with, and make the most of, the present and hope that the future holds better things.

note to self: get the Back to the Future DVD box set.

mo' rain

2004-06-29T12:46:00.000+08:00

in case you're wondering, yes, we did get rained on -- mid-song -- at the myx event. same as with the Fête, we followed 6cyclemind. which makes one wonder if we should ever agree to following them in the future ;) joke lang, guys. earnest perceptively noted that if you organize an outdoor event in the middle of june in the philippines, you're practically asking to be rained out.

but the organizers were kind enough to transfer us to camp yellow. hung out behind all the band equipment and took some pictures with jal and maysh before our turn to play.

so we were able to play four songs to the sizeable crowd on roxas boulevard. and, as if to reward me for all the hassles, there was a Mesa/Boogie Mark II Dual Rectifier half-stack on stage. SWEET! jazz later on noted that i did my windmill guitar stroke quite frequently. hands down, you can't beat the Mesa/Boogie-and-SG combo. you get an such awesome growling sound that you can't help but feel like a rock star. ah, bliss.

so with raging winds coming in from manila bay, we played Happy Birthday, Buwan, NTS and Antipara. the seething damp masses showed their appreciation by moshing incessantly to each song. the crowd must have been sufficiently amped up by the other performances because they were moshing to Buwan and the relatively unknown NTS. Saya! :)

pumapatak na naman...

2004-06-26T16:35:00.000+08:00

gig mamaya sa baywalk sa roxas blvd. crossing my fingers. sana hindi umulan. ayokong mag-take-2 ang wête de la musique. plis lang. *tingin sa langit*

Wête de la Musique 2004

2004-06-25T12:21:00.000+08:00

me, kelvin, jazz and jugs getting ready to rock. heavy cloud, no rain.

after the rain poured. me, quark and the moist throng.

quark and jugs being interviewed by the kapuso network. show's just been cancelled.

de rain, boss! de rain!

pix c/o Joel; photo enhancements by me.

hi, my name is chino and i'm a blog-a-holic

2004-06-22T17:56:00.000+08:00

lulong na ako sa bisyo ng pagba-blog at sa pagla-livejournal. 'di na 'to nakakatuwa :|

naalala ko lang...

2004-06-21T00:56:00.000+08:00

kahapon, habang naghihintay sa artists' tent kasama sila joey at jason ng twisted halo, merong lalaki galing sa audience na nagtatanong kung nasaan daw si francis. the guy was hanging out behind the waist-high tent divider. nagkataon wala sya non, so sabi namin wala sya. he goes away. later on, he comes back offering us some gin, showing us his bottle of Ginebra and a shot glass. no kidding. we politely refuse.

still later on, after the dawn had finished their set, the same guy is back. this time, he's asking for jett pangan. as in JETT! JETT! 'SAN SI JETT?! HOW DO WE GET BEYOND THE BEND, PARE? i'm like whaaaat?! pero astig din kasi alam nya yung song na Beyond the Bend. which, no surprise, was the title of the dawn's second album. pero kakatawa lang that he said it that way. astig.

speaking of jett pangan... when he's back in the artists' tent, he's talking with his wife and jun-boy leonor and two other friends, and he notices me. so i walk up to him, shake his hand and give him a hug. i say, solid ng set nyo, pare! if i do say so myself, i was successful at suppressing my inner fan-boy. i could have gushed alam mo, boss jett, i used to have a band in high school, and we used to do covers of Little Paradise, Saling Pusa, and Talagang Ganyan. and, ooh, your version of Jimi Hendrix's Purple Haze inspired me to play lead guitar in a band. you and your band have influenced me profoundly. ang galing mo kumanta! and, ooh, you positively rock as Pontius Pilate in Jesus Christ Superstar! i love you, man.

but no, i chose to go understated. solid ng set nyo, pare! sheesh.

linkin park pix!

2004-06-20T15:50:00.000+08:00

here are the pictures karen took of the members of linkin park during the pre-concert meet-and-greet.

the dashing mr. joe hahn

the blurry mike shinoda

(L-R) mike, mr. hahn, phoenix, rob and brad

brad and chaz

these were taken with her P800. manipulated by me on photoshop. up next: concert pix!

my day at the Fête

2004-06-20T15:15:00.000+08:00

yesterday, i woke up to the sound of rain. (teka, kanta yun ng Skid Row ah...) still lying in bed, i thought to my self, sana 'wag ulanin ang Fête mamya.

1130AM
under cloudy skies, echo and i hurriedly shoved off to fetch jazz and head to eastwood to beat my 200PM hosting calltime and boldstar's 220PM performance call time.

12:30PM
got to jazz's house in the heart o' San Juan at only to find that he had left to bring a few things to his apartment. so we ended up just fetching jazz's bass guitar (he would be playing for boldstar in the afternoon show of the Fête Rock stage). after getting lost in San Juan because i was an efficient navigator, we proceeded to eastwood via ortigas.

1:45PM
so far so good. with boldstar's car pass, echo and are the first to park our car at the artists' designated parking area. we head to via mare (Fête headquarters) to get our artist id's and food/drink stubs. no luck.

2:00PM-ish
we grab a late lunch at 7-11. it's humid as hell.

hintay. (familiar ba 'to?)

3:00PM-ish
dahil wala pa si jazz tsaka si justin, echo, on jazz's request, asks me to play bass for boldstar's soundcheck. since we already had jazz's bass guitar, i gladly oblige :) we soundchecked accident prone, bio and i love you. saya! if i do say so myself, i can play bass adequately. ;)

after soundcheck, (say it with me) hintay. jugs and jazz arrive later on.

4:00PM onwards
with a smattering of people in the audience, jazz, jugs and i hit the stage to start the rock stage pre-show. monsterbot christens the Fête rock stage. francis brew (kiko) joins us in hosting the show. most of the bands that played were great. i particularly enjoyed the performances by grass, southern grass, hellbender, ciudad, monsterbot, boldstar, kjwan, happy meals, and greyhoundz. because of stage manager ene and staff's efficiency, the rock show runs like clockwork.

8:45PM
Fête opening ceremonies. hosting duties are over. woohoo! i'm all amped up cos of the great rock performances, and am ready to perform myself. by this time, umambon na nang makailang beses pero mahihina't mabibilis lang.

the audience area is packed to overflowing. in the moshpit, there are punks with crazy foot-high mohawks, two guys with -- get this -- gas masks and a guy with a puppet (?!) may times na kinailangan namin silang sabihan na wag magsakitan habang nagmo-mosh kasi naging rowdy na sila lalo na sa sets ng chicosci tsaka 'houndz. beer, yes. bottles, no. at one point, habang sinasabihan namin sila, the moshpit clears a bit and a guy lays down in the middle, and smokes a joint! labo, mhen.

9:00PM
the rock stage main show gets under way with the dawn. solid din ng set nila! thank goodness still no rain.

10:30PM
while twisted halo rips up the stage, trici asks us to stand by for our set. andox tunes up the guitars, and we get ready.

10:40PM
6cyclemind hit the stage. with guitars in hand, we go to the performers' holding area. excited na 'ko, tututgtog na and itchyworms! sa wakas! in the middle of 6cyclemind's third song the rain suddenly pours. it's as if someone opens up a great faucet in the sky. the raindrops are big fat and juicy, just like in Neo and Agent Smith's final match-up in Matrix Revolutions. i'm still hopeful that we'll be able to play cos ene and the RSL (sound system) guys let 6cyclemind finish their song.

to shelter themselves from the rain, a few members of the audience hurriedly clamber over the tarp that separates the holding area from the audience. yung iba, sumuot dun sa man-high passageway sa ilalim ng stage. yung mga kasama namin sa holding area, they start shouting itchyworms na! kakataba ng puso :) hehe, may fans pala kami ;)

finally, as if to end the anguish, ene comes down to the holding area to announce that the show has been cancelled because the equipment and the circuit breaker have gotten wet. bummer.

we wait a few more minutes for the rain to let up before hastily packing our things. tech-guy andox mistakenly puts jugs's bag, which contains jugs's cellphone, parking card, wallet and driver's license, in the trunk of kelvin's car. kelvin has sped off by now. jugs and i make frantic phonecalls to CDy and jenny. jugs tells CDy to meet him at mcdonald's. jenny tells us she's at mcdonald's and kelvin is meeting her there. jugs runs off to mcdonald's.

while echo fetches the unsold boldstar cd's at macau, i wait in big red. cold and more than a bit damp, echo and i finally head home. on the way out from the eastwood parking lot, we drop off emma in front of mcdonald's.

11:30
traffic outside eastwood is heavy but moving, so the ordeal lasts only about twenty minutes. habang nakasakay, tinamaan na ako ng pagod.

12:15
we get home. gusto ko pa sanang i-post kaagad dito yung nangyari, pero talagang lomi na 'ko. after a midnight snack, i go up to my sweet bed and pillows and conk out. zzzzzz...

sayang. this was our third year to be at the Fête de la Musique, and our second to host the rock stage. di na nga nakatugtog, di pa nakapag-ikot. (last year, nakapunta pa ako sa venue ng jazz so nakapanood pa ako ng one or two jazz groups.) at least the hosting was fun. disappointment din na hindi nakatugtog ang Nuncy Spungen -- they had come all the way from Cagayan de Oro. they were great at our Last Full Show gig this past friday, though. the bands that did get to play were awesome. with so many excellent rock acts, how can pinoy rock be dead?

>>>

nga pala, my co-host francis brew told me yesterday na meron palang silang gamit na amps sa linkin park concert. nakatago lang sa likod nung risers behind some cloth. so much for my sonic abstraction theory.

i work here, too, y'know

2004-06-18T13:08:00.000+08:00

where i work, there's a gymnasium with covered basketball courts. on tuesdays and thursdays, the courts are set up for playing badminton. we had two courts reserved (under our bosses' names) for our use yesterday, but didn't find our names on the scheduled reservations list. so i go to the athletics office, and ask the supervisor. it turns out that the reservation was cancelled because another division needed to use the courts for a volleyball game. the super' says he informed everyone concerned in advance.

what pisses me off is that he suggested that the cancellation was justified because the people my boss plays badminton with (me, my other teammates) were project and contractual employees, and not regulars. so i asked what the difference was. he says malaki ang difference no'n kasi the courts are for regular employees only. we are accommodating (sic) casual employees, but not legally. it's not policy. i didn't argue the point, but it think that sucks. big-time.

did i hear that right? bayanihan ba, 'ka n'yo? tssss.

it sucks that this company treats so-called 'casual' employees like second-class citizens. it sucks because it's the casuals -- like the maintenance men, the security guards, the food service staff, the assistants, the programmers (like me), the rank-and-file who, from my estimates, make up a significant percentage of the company's workforce -- who literally keep the proverbial machine clean, well-oiled and running.

don't think i'm petty because i wasn't able to play badminton yesterday. it's the principle behind it. i think i'm as entitled to use company property as anyone else, because i work here, too.

>>>

this is spooky. note the last paragraph.

>>>

when my beloved TechTV was taken off the Destiny Cable channel roster, i was livid. i thought Destiny was trying to cut costs by 86-ing the TechTV feed. The Screen Savers, Call For Help and Big Thinkers were my favorite shows on that channel. it turns out TechTV was acquired by cable TV juggernaut Comcast, and cancelled the channel. read on.

>>>

pasensya na sa rant. on a lighter note, i was able to see mikey and quark again last monday for ciudad's first gig in a long time. they must've played a hundred songs. pero all in all, ang saya ng gig. kathyg was ecstatic the whole time. :)

check. mic. test.

2004-06-17T16:42:00.000+08:00

testing photobucket... 1, 2, 3...
hey, sound. hey, check.
this is me (with a weird look) at Tracks studios during the sessions for Blue and White.

LP concert redux a.k.a. sonic abstraction

2004-06-17T15:05:00.000+08:00

mabalik tayo sa LP concert, nasabi ko last time na they had no amps onstage with them. actually, uso na ngayon 'yun sa karamihan ng US acts. i've seen Metallica's S&M concert, and they had no amps onstage, just in-ear monitors.

ticket ko sa Linkin Park concert

i read in Mix magazine that Garbage do the same thing when they go live: they have Line6 Pods for each guitar, a kit sampler for the drums (the actual kit is just a mock-up with triggers), and another sampler/sequencer for the keyboards. these are all situated off-stage, and the members of Garbage have in-ear monitors. their engineer says that onstage, all you'll hear is Shirley Manson's voice. galing! talk about sonic abstraction.

the appeal of this kind of setup is it's very convenient. it gets rid of many sound-mix-related variables. for example, onstage amplifier and monitor levels need not compete. also, there's less equipment to deal with, such as cables: guitarists in particular can go wireless, and have the wireless receiver situated at the sound booth or somewhere off-stage.

however, the performers must have an extremely skilled sound engineer for an arrangement like this to succeed. he will have to manage switching among all the sounds each musician will use for each song. he'll also have to take care of all the instrument and vocal levels, along with any effects (reverb, delay) they use. he also needs to make sure that the onstage monitor mix is pristine and clear. that's a lot of work, but that's what sound checks are for ;)

when the band isn't worrying about the mix, they're freed up to do what they do best: perform. and when you think about it, that's what making music is all about.

sorry, i'm talking shop. baka si jal maka-relate hehe. astig sana kung lahat ng banda dito sa pinas pwedeng gawin yung ganun. kaso mo, mahihirap lang kami. ang mahal ng gamit sa banda! ;p

nga pala, kung dein nyo na-gets yung title ng entry ko kahapon, eto yon: sabi kasi ni mike shinoda sa isang part ng show, itaas ang kamay, pero syempre may american accent. ayun, naaliw lang ako.

>>>

the dollar, now standing at PhP56.33, has just broken the PhP55.00 psychological barrier. sana hindi maging PhP100 = US$1 pagdating ng panahon. :s

ita-ahs eyng kuhmaye -- Mike Shinoda

2004-06-16T15:00:00.001+08:00

saya ng LP concert kahapon! perhaps the most striking thing about their live show is that their performances sound so much like those on their CD's. there were minor variations in timing and arrangements, but the overall performance was awesome -- very tight and clean. saya din ng stage moves nila! got to meet ramon after the show and from their posts, i know kelley and jorel were there, too. the lucky bastard ramon literally swam through the crowd just to get the drummer's drum stick, which had been thrown to -- but not caught by -- the crowd. astig!

Kwentong Linking Park Concert
2:15PM
i picked up karen at her house 'cos she had to be backstage early for the meet-and-greet (m&g). according to the LP underground confirmation email she'd received, she needed to be there by 3:45PM for the 6:15PM m&g. so hayun, kahit malabo [namimigay din kasi ng m&g passes ang NU pero kahit 5pm na sumipot ok lang, tsss] sugod kami nang maaga.

3:45PM
nasa kalsada pa rin kami. by this time, lumipas na ang pagka-high-strung ni karen dahil huli na kami. tsaka sinubukan ni karen na lagyan ng film yung kanyang 25mm camera pero ayaw kumagat ng film. bawal daw kasi ang digicam sa m&g. go figure.

4:45PM
dahil hassle ang traffic sa Aurora blvd, na-late kami ng isang oras. pagka-parada sa concert-goers' parking area, ako naman ang sumubok na ilagay ang film sa camera ni karen. ayaw talaga. kaya hayun, pinabayaan na lang ni karen. back-up na lang yung P800 nya, kung makakalusot.

dahil natakot kami na baka umulan, nagdala kami ng tig-isang jacket, isang folding umbrella, atsaka tig-isang extra t-shirt. na nilagay namin sa knapsack ko. yung CD wallet ko, nakalimutan kong ilabas sa bag kaya nakadagdag sa bigat. syempre ako ang nagbuhat.

secured big red, tapos deretso na sa pila. hiwalay ang pila ng lalaki't babae. so hayun.

5:00-ish
nagsimula nang papasukin ang mga babae. karen got in and was whisked backstage by concert staff for the m&g. isa sya sa sampung maswerteng tao; sa sampung 'yon dalawa silang LP underground members.

maya-mayang konti, inubos na yung mga natitirang babae atsaka sinimulan nang papasukin lahat ng lalaki. biglang sabi ng bouncer 'dun sa kabila ang gold at silver!' -- he was referring to another side entrance na may kalayuan sa pinagpilahan ko.

SPRINT! tagaktak ang pawis ko dahil sa sprint, so binanatan ko na yung baon naming mineral water. bawal pala sa loob, ha... dein naman sinita ng marshall e.

pagdating dun, may babaeng naghuhuramentado dahil 2PM pa daw sya nakapila, tapos bigla na lang patatakbuhin kami sa iba palang entrance. tsss. buti na lang maluwag pa sa gold area, kaya nakapasok ako kaagad.

pwesto ako sa malapit sa guardrail. there are about fifty people inside the gold front area. the stage is about 15-20 feet away. LP's gear are covered in large tarps. the PA is blasting house music and promotional ads.

hintay. mahigit dalawang oras pa bago magsimula. by this time, i'm starting to get hungry, but i don't eat kasi gusto ko sabay kami ni karen.

6:30-ish
nasa air-conditioned backstage tent na si karen kasama ang iba pang m&g-ers.

dumarami na ang tao sa gold front area. hintay pa rin. mainit, di gumagalaw ang hangin. medyo gutom na. nag-se-setup ang crew ng LP.

good thing they thought of putting sand on the grassy field -- that's to prevent the ground from getting muddy in case it rains.

hintay.

7:15PM
karen finishes her m&g with LP. she calls me on the phone to ask where i am, so i raise my hand and tell her, 'look for my hand, i'm waving'. and a guy i guess overhears me, and offers me his red fred durst baseball cap for me to wave. so sige, i tell karen 'i'm waving a red cap!' turns out, napunta sya sa gold VIP area, which was cordoned off by guardrails from the gold front area, where i was. so karen had to double back around the whole field to get to our area.

when she gets there, i have to relinquish my prime spot 'cos she's daunted by the thought of squeezing through the sweaty throng. oks lang, hirap nga naman doon, baka madurog pa kami.

bili kami kaagad ng dalawang PhP50 hotdog sandwich atsaka dalawang PhP25 maliit na mineral water. ah sustenance at last. dinner na namin 'yon. then she shows me the pix of the LP guys she took with her P800. astig! nakalusot yung P800 nya! when i get 'em, post ko dito ;)

madilim na -- there are occasional gusts of wind that cool us, but it's still humid as hell. pawis na pawis na ako.

hintay pa. at least kasama ko na sya.

8:20PM - it's showtime!
after an hour of waiting and some hysterical screaming by fans, the huge [LINKIN PARK]-emblazoned backdrop is hoisted up on stage. more hysterical screaming.

no sponsor roll-call, no front act. it's LP all the way to 9:45PM! awesome show! they played songs from both Hybrid Theory and Meteora, plus one unreleased song, and a Nine Inch Nails cover.

gainto setup nila sa stage: sa likod, si mr. hahn (with the big DJ setup) tsaka yung drummer nila, nasa mataas na riser. sa harap, si mike shinoda, chester bennington, and the guitarist and the bassist. no amps, just monitors. may apat na maliit na vanity stage na pwede nila sampahan. astig! tapos parang halos bawat kanta, yung guitarist nagpapalit ng gitara. yung bassist, nagtataka ako, ganun din pero same type lang ng bass, iba lang kulay. pero may 5-string tsaka 4-string pala sya, kaya sya nagpapalit.

buti na lang hindi umulan. BUTI NA LANG! eto na muna about the LP concert, ang dami na kasi nito e. post ako about LP over the next few days.

>>>

As promised, my Mandy Moore article from Balitang Higad

Yours truly got the chance to watch teen songstress Mandy Moore’s concert at the Araneta Coliseum last month. Those of you who are members of the official itchyworms! mailing list may have read my long semi-rant about the event, posted 21 November 2003. In it, I tried to give an objective “review” of the show, but I think I failed miserably because the show had almost no saving grace. To read the whole message [http://groups.yahoo.com/group/itchyworms/message/4977], join our mailing list. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge.

Although I am not a fan of Ms. Moore, I am a fan of great music. Her new album dubbed Coverage intrigued me. It contains covers-slash-remakes of popular songs such as Carole King’s I Feel the Earth Move and Todd Rundgren’s Can We Still Be Friends, hence the obvious title. So I said to myself, what the hey, give it a shot, you might have a good time. After all, my girlfriend is a fan So I went to the Big Dome not expecting much.

Also, it’s not often that I get to watch a popular foreign act in Manila. The first and only foreign artist I’ve seen live here in Manila is Sting. My girlfriend and I watched his Mercury Falling promotional concert at the Ultra (circa 1998). In my youth I was deprived of the chance(s) to watch Pearl Jam, Rage Against the Machine and Metallica when they brought their world tours to Manila in the mid-1990’s, so I guess I’m trying to make up for it. But I digress.

As I was expecting, Mandy Moore’s first concert outside of her native United States started late. The show was supposed to start at 8:30 PM. After a one-hour wait, the major sponsor’s fashion presentation, the front acts Fil-Am R&B singer Jay-R and former 14-K member Arnee (of Cold Summer Nights remake fame) and another 30-minute wait, concert proper was finally ready to begin.

Mandy’s voice was top-notch, and her band were quite tight. They pounded out the songs like a well-oiled machine, never missing a note. Now that I look back (again) I think the band’s performance had all the finesse of a machine, too. The house sound system sounded weak and the mix was rather unprofessional, as microphones kept feeding back. Mandy’s voice would also be drowned out by the band from time to time. And the crowd’s din would at times drown out the whole sound reinforcement setup. The house speakers just weren’t enough for the big venue.

All in all, Mandy’s whole set consisted of just ten songs. Yes, including the encore Cry. Mandy’s voice was hoarse by the time she sang her encore, and she was noticeably straining to hit the song’s high notes. I don’t think we can blame her for having a bum throat that night. Who knows? Maybe the climate didn’t suit her well. All this being said, I think Mandy Moore has an excellent singing voice, and is no doubt one of the better female singers on rotation in MTV.

Still, I’m hoping to have a better concert experience with Incubus and Toto in 2004.

errata dito: i watched the Sting Mercury Falling concert in 1996, not in 1998. (salamat kay Mike)

>>>

woohoo! may GMail account na ako! maraming salamat kay karenlog na nag-invite sa akin sa GMail. 1 GIGABYTE, BAYBEEEE!

sa Yahoo! naman, nag-upgrade na sila ng free email nila to 100MB. Pero wala pa rin ako nung upgrade kahit noong 2000 pa ako nag-sign-up. oist! Yahoo! loyal user ako ha!

if it's not one thing, it's another

2004-06-13T02:35:00.000+08:00

Palace Mulls 20% Tax for Every Text Message (from inq7.net). that's a big load of bullshit if you ask me. we're already suffering some form of fascist rule with PLDT's monopoly on telephony (and that of Meralco's on electricity). we shouldn't have to suffer yet another tax on our alternatives to PLDT. Globe and Sun are the Davids to PLDT's goliath -- i don't count Smart because it's PLDT-owned.

mobile phone GSM service providers like Globe, when they came out, were a godsend to the telephone-deprived. finally cheaper -- and therefore more accessible -- communication was possible. we had been denied of telephones for so long by PLDT (even now, applying for one is a bitch) that a reliable alternative, like Globe's pioneering insanely cheap text messaging, was bound to succeed. and now they want to TAX us for using it?!

gusto ko silang yakapin at alagaan dahil dito:

excerpt
"It is an inherent right of the state to impose taxes," said a high-ranking finance official, adding that text messaging had characteristics that made it "excisable," or liable for excise tax...

The finance official said too much texting, especially of jokes, made the activity go beyond being a necessity. As such, this made texting liable for excise tax, which is an impost on such items as alcohol, cigarette, luxury vehicles, and jewelry.

"We have a reason to tax texting because too much of it clogs the system and it encroaches on what are supposed to be productive working hours," the finance official said.

in fairness to PLDT, they said this: Telecom giant Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) said imposing a tax on text messaging would be detrimental to the telecommunication industry, which is a significant contributor to the country's economic growth. but one expects them to say this because they're also a player in the huge, extremely lucrative text-messaging market.

here's an idea: the government should shape up its tax collection procedures, not introduce new 'hidden' or 'forced-payment' taxes like VAT. maybe, just maybe, if the taxes we unwillingly (unwittingly?) pay were used to actually improve on basic services and other appropriate things, i (for one) wouldn't be opposed to it. but no, there's just too many corrupt pigs in barongs pocketing too much of our hard-earned manuel roxases. WAG NA YUNG TEXT-TAX. PLIS LANG.

>>>

karen, my lucky girlfriend, just got chosen to meet and greet the members of no less than linkin park (LP) when they come to manila to perform on tuesday. despite her being a member of LP's underground, she still had to sign up for the meet-and-greet raffle. we figured, hey, how many filipino LP underground members are there? baka konti lang, naisip namin. dapat dein na yung raffle kung konti lang hehe... anyway, she was still chosen. so on tuesday the 15th, we'll be at the CCP for her 3:45PM meet-and-greet with messrs. hahn, shinoda and bennington, et al. lucky gal. she deserves it, though -- she's a really big fan.

although i'm not a real fan of LP, i'm actually looking forward to tuesday cos they'll be the first foreign act i've seen since mandy moore. and they're the first foreign rock act i will have seen since sting in 1999. i wrote an essay for Balitang Higad (our band's dormant newsletter) about ms. moore's concert at the big dome in 2003. i'll post it here later.

>>>

hassle. panibagong gastos.

just as we had big red's wheels changed (smooth ride na), and the air conditioning fixed (cool ride pa), a rotten branch fell from one of our trees here at home fell on it. so now there's a spiderweb of cracks on big red's windshield. we should have seen it coming cos a few weeks back, a much larger branch fell off the same tree. lucky echo and i were using big red when it happened. luckily, the branch that fell this time was much smaller. luckily, the crack isn't on the driver's side, so driving won't be too difficult. jazz says that it's a sign that we should sell big red. but part of me doesn't want to cos i learned to drive in this city with that car. and i really don't wanna be without a vehicle now. well, we made do without one for years... oh well. wait-and-see muna. right now, i'm just thankful that i have my own transportation. :)

saksakan ng siksikan

2004-06-11T13:30:00.000+08:00

yesterday, i took the MRT from shaw boulevard to santolan/annapolis. at rush hour. oo, saksakan ng siksikan. can you say 'sardines'? just after the train left ortigas, a man and a woman started arguing. when the rare argument erupts in the MRT, practically everyone listens.

apparently, yung lalaki, may dalang envelope-type bag/pouch and he was holding on to it with the hand he was using to hold on to the railing as well. dahil siksikan nga, he had to hold on to the high horizontal railing, not the vertical ones. because he was using only one hand to hold on to both the railing and his envelope, nahulog yung envelope for what i surmise wasn't the first time. kawawang ale, nahulugan (nang baka makailang ulit na) nung envelope na mukhang mabigat.

excerpt
babae: (masungit na) parang nananadya ka yata!
lalaki: sinong nananadya?
babae: (referring to the envelope thingy) bakit mo hinahawakan 'yan d'yan sa taas?! nahuhulugan na ako eh!
lalaki: siyempre mahuhulog galing sa taas! saan ka nakakita ng nahuhulog galing sa babâ?

at this point, people start snickering. and i'm like whaaaaat? alam ko, masama ako for snickering along with them. but the remark from the guy wasn't really funny -- may pagka-pilosopo nga e. naging nakakatawa kasi kalbo yung lalaki, tapos nakaluwa pa yung mata. ka-balor nya si pugak. pramis. hahaha, which reminds me, may isa pa akong riot na pugak story -- si jazz, ako tsaka si echo naman ang mga tauhan -- abangan sa susunod na entry ;)

you could really feel for the woman, though, who just wanted to get home, tapos napeperwisyo pa sya nung lalaki, who was being a real joker about it. palagay ko alam nung lalaki na wala sya sa tama, so he tried to weasel himself out of it by calling the woman maarte, and telling her manahimik ka na. sa akin naman, wag mo kaya hawakan d'yan sa taas?! have some common sense, fer pete's sake.

>>>

big red is renewed! nakabili na si echo ng bagong gulong kahapon -- may promo sa CATS Greenhills. libreng wheel balancing along with installation. thanks to my dad :) (hey, malapit na nga pala ang father's day). greet your dads!

speaking of my dad, his latest obsession is -- guess what -- Harry Potter. you know he likes something on HBO when he asks you to record it for him. ganun din sya with Band of Brothers dati. isip ko nga bilhan sya ng dibidi (hindi DVD, mejo may kamahalan 'yon) ng unang dalawang HP movies (pati na rin yung bago kung meron) for father's day. para magpakasawa sya kay Harry Potter. sana matuwa sya.

maalinsangan ang gabi...

2004-06-10T14:30:00.000+08:00

just as i got home last night, nawalan ng kuryente. so tumawag ako sa 'langyang meralco, nagtanong kung may scheduled power outage ba sa UP Village. sure enough meron nga daw. hanggang 5 or 6 ng umaga. so syempre dahil walang kuryente, tumuloy na ako sa kwarto't nahiga. e ubod pa ng alinsangan kagabi (hanggang sa mga sandaling ito, actually). ni hindi nga gumagalaw yung hangin, e. hirap tuloy makatulog, maya't-maya, magigising ka dahil sa lamok o dahil sa init. awa ng diyos, nagkaroon ng kuryente bandang umaga na (baka mga alas-singko). kaya heto, kulang ako sa tulog at inaantok. bleh.

>>>

congrats nga pala sa purplechickens dahil launch mamaya ng kanilang bagong music video na pinamagatang A Break In A Prayer! tutugtog ang Cambio, Boldstar, Musings of a Cigarette-Smoking Man at Daisy Singko sa Big Sky Mind sa ganap na ika-10 ng gabi. kitakita!

pistol-packers

2004-06-09T11:33:00.000+08:00

took a taxicab to the MRT this morning. i had the driver take v. luna then east avenue to get to the GMA/Kamuning station. along v. luna near east avenue, there are a lot of street vendors selling broadsheets and cigarettes and candy and whatnot. and there was this guy in an isuzu trooper who stopped in the middle of the road to buy a newspaper, so he somewhat obstructed traffic. naisip ko, hus, porke malaki sasakyan mo basta ka na lang titigil sa gitna?! yabang nito. well, he really only stopped for a few seconds as another driver was manoeuvering onto v. luna from his parking slot, blocking mr. trooper's path. but still. doesn't that reek selfishness and inconsiderate-ness (if there's such a word)?

this morning's incident reminded me of another example of pinoy kayabangan that i happened upon recently. i was on my way to jazz's house for practice, so i was on the kalentong jeep on shaw boulevard. and there was this guy in the front passenger row who was arguing with the driver and the driver's wife. apparently, he had taken the seat when driver and wife had waved him away to the passenger seats at back, like everyone else. now, it peeves me too when i want to ride up front but am forced to sit somewhere else, but this guy was different. all the way to JRU, they were arguing.

when the guy got off, he gave the driver an angry tirade. and si mamang driver wasn't at all fazed, he just shot back at the guy's harangue. at this point, i'm thinking, (sarcastically) oh please, just shut the hell up and go home cos this is really awkward, not to mention inconvenient.

as the driver speeds off, the angry guy pulls a fucking .45 pistol and aims it at the driver! he was shouting HOY! BUMALIK KA RITO! na parang action star sa isang pelikula. syempre, kaming mga pasahero, andun kami sa likod. and i swear, my life flashed before my eyes. i thought, oh shit, what if he's a bad shot and he misses the driver but hits me?!. without overstatement, i can say that that was one of the scariest things to happen to me in my whole life. in retrospect, nakikita ko na ang yabang nung mamang yon. nagkabaril lang sya, he thought he had the right to pull it on the driver (and everyone else in the jeep for that matter).

a friend of my dad also turned loopy when he carried his gun around. my dad tells me the guy pistol-whipped someone for cutting him on the road. fist fight, ok, but pistol-whip? man. also he kept dropping barilin kita d'yan eh to people he was annoyed with. tssss. even my dad avoided him. happy will be the day when turds like these are denied their permits-to-carry.

>>>

in other news, ayos na yung cooling system problem ni big red. turns out the water pump had already died, and kept on bleeding coolant. so we hadda buy a new water pump. langya mas mahal pa yung labor kesa sa piyesa. jeez. i think we'll be getting new tires this weekend, too. woohoo!

rainy days and mondays...

2004-06-07T10:46:00.000+08:00

i miss karen :s she's in baguio on retreat, so i'll be alone at french class later today. poor thing hasn't had a decent night's sleep since she got there this past saturday. typhoon frank was particularly belligerent in baguio, as karen says the winds kept banging the windows at their retreat house. and that's not counting the LOUD snoring from her roomie. i should know, i heard it last night when karen and i were talking on the mobile. hope the typhoon lets up soon so she can get a good night's sleep. her first day of class is on wednesday, and she can't afford to lack sleep.

>>>

admit one on saturday was a blast. the theme was old-school OPM, so nag-cover kami ng No Touch ng Juan de la Cruz band. saya! with all due respect to mike hanopol, i have to say his vocal performance on that song is appropriately manyakis-sounding.

pahipo naman (no touch)
pahawak naman (no touch)
di na kita (no touch)
matsansingan

sabihin nyong hindi manyakis 'yang mga lyrics na 'yan.

>>>

hey, can someone tell me about how to duplicate my blogger entries on my LJ or vice versa? it's a bitch to always have to copy-paste my entries every time i update. thankies!

looks like me daw o...

2004-06-03T16:55:00.000+08:00

my bro says that the mood icon i chose for my lj looks like me. kamukha ko ba talaga? yung 'sleepy' icon siguro kasi, as my bro puts it, 'lagi ka naman sleepy, eh.' let's put it to a vote -- vote sa comments section puhleeez ;P

wala lang

2004-06-01T17:32:00.000+08:00

in my wallet, in the part where you're s'posed to store credit cards and whatnot, i store the MRT stored-value pass upside-down. why, you ask? it's because GMA's frigging face is on there. ayoko ngang mapagkamalang Ate Glo supporter. come to think of it, i have an unused Erap-edition single-journey MRT pass (the green one). itapon ko na kaya? then again, it might be worth something someday.

if her photo on all those cards isn't electioneering, i don't know what is. she had her face on them way before election 2004's sanctioned campaign period even began. paging comelec, chairman abalos! huuuy!

granted, the MRT is a godsend to those who traverse EDSA on their daily commute to work. hindi naman project ni Ate Glo yun eh. the contracts for that project were signed when FVR was president, so for all intents and purposes, it's Eddie "Tabako" Ramos who should have his mug on all those cards.

>>>

bought gold area (yeah, baby!) tickets to Linkin Park's Meteora world tour Manila installment. hope it doesn't rain on the 15th or we're f**ked.

get it overwith!

2004-05-31T15:21:00.000+08:00

finally, after days and days of time-consuming debate, congress in joint session have approved the rules for canvassing the election returns of the May 10 presidential elections. talk about taking their goddamn sweet time. god help us if they don't proclaim someone by the end of the month. methinks the title of neal h. cruz's column hit the nail on the head: Proclamation: Better late than wrong. *facepalm*

>>>

conrado de quiros, in his column today, wrote something about the power of showbiz over politics, focusing on the results of the senatorial race. here's my take on the same thing.

proverbial so-called quote-unquote "style"

2004-05-29T10:24:00.000+08:00

i hate going to the office on a saturday.

you see, at the company i work for, it's policy that the first and last saturdays of every month are work days. so two saturdays out of four in a month, i have to drag myself out of bed and tell myself: 'get your sleepy a$$ to the office!' the work saturdays cut in to quality time with my girlfriend big time. and they cramp one's proverbial weekend style. instead of being able to plan some r&r for a friday and a saturday, one is dissuaded from staying out too late. but sometimes -- most of the time -- i say f**k that, i wanna have some fun, and stay out anyway.

perks are that i get weekend overtime pay for work on saturdays. plus traffic's not too bad on saturday morning. oh well. you can't have your proverbial cake and eat it too.

>>>

the gig last night was fun, though the band that played just before we did was a hard act to follow. although there were still a good number people in the crowd, one cannot help but notice considerable thinning in the ranks as a three-song set progresses.

i shouldn't have been surprised, though. a half-hour before our set, the emcee was calling out the names of the bands playing and there were loud screams after each name. when it came to our name, the screams were a bit softer. maybe the crowd were thinking, 'okay, we don't really know that band but let's just scream for the heck of it cos we had a good scream-rhythm-thing going.' :S

but it's always good to see a few fans in the audience really singing along with our songs and getting a good head-bob or pogo going. cool! but it really gives me a warm fuzzy feeling when fans muster the courage to come up to me and shake my hand or high-five me and say, 'pare, astig kayo!' or have his copy of our CD signed. that, in a word, rocks.

great gigs and 'the zone'

2004-05-28T15:51:00.000+08:00

the band's mailing list party was great, though there weren't that many people (aside from the bands) at culture club. that's 5 bands including us 4+5+4+4+5 equals 22 people. heheh that might have been half the crowd right there.

but seriously, i had great fun playing monday night. that was one of the better gigs we've played in a while. come to think of it so was LFS last night. it's great to have those gigs where one plays efforlessly -- when my instrument and i are one, when my guitar's tone is spot-on and i don't have to think about what notes to play. ah the high from playing music :) those gigs come few and far between. at most other gigs i'm just, well, not in the zone so it's a great feeling to get in there.

>>>

have i mentioned i'm tripping on the pearlfishers' the young picnickers? the songs are so infectiously catchy that the CD was constantly in big red's CD player over the past three weeks. i'd been hearing their name from friends in-the-know, but this is the first time i've heard their music. (picnickers was released in 1999, for god's sake!) their sound is equal parts beatles, beach boys and burt bacharach (did i spell that correctly?). great sunshine-y 1960's sing-along pop songs. great for driving. great for singing along with. musical bliss.

>>>

i got 91.9% woohoo!

2004-05-26T13:16:00.000+08:00

*bpbppbppppbppbbbppp*

somehow i knew...

2004-05-14T10:03:00.000+08:00

this is the result of a 'What Kind of Guitar are You' quiz i saw on conrad's blog. i'm actually not surprised cos i actually have a strat®. IMHO, it's the most versatile guitar anyone can play.

check it out: i'm a strat®!

You are a Fender Stratocaster®. Simple, rockin'; The standard of the industry. You probably are the good all-around person. Or not.

The Electric Guitar Quiz
brought to you by Quizilla

richie d'hoarse-y

2004-05-13T14:36:00.000+08:00

i hope the rasp in my throat goes away by tomorrow or saturday. it's goddamned irritating, and my voice is husky, and not in the Rex Navarrete way. strepsils lozenges (mmmmm, menthol) help relieve the irritation, but i my mouth gets really dry. i think it's because of the alcohol in strepsils' active ingredient. 'dichlorobenzyl alcohol amylmetacresol' doesn't roll too nicely off the tongue, though.

anyway, i need the rasp gone cos i do backup vocal duties for my band. by the way, if you're free saturday night, come to Gasoline Alley at Robinson's Galleria. a whole bunch of bands from Last Full Show will be playing.

election shmelection reloaded

2004-05-12T13:07:00.000+08:00

it's hot today. so much for the cool rain.

>>>

this morning saw FPJ leading GMA by a spread of 10,000 votes (per NAMFREL's not-so-quick count). this afternoon, FPJ widened his lead to just over 40,000. honestly i hope the trend doesn't last. not because i want GMA to be president, but because i don't want FPJ to be president.

i voted for my man Raul Roco again because i felt he was the most sensible choice. too bad he's last in the counts. i think he's what this country needs to get its act together.

i did consider Ping Lacson because i was impressed by his detailed and goal-oriented platform, but balked at the proposition of iron-fisted rule. i didn't give Eddie Villanueva a second look because was pushing the church too close to the state for comfort. as for Eddie Gil, well, you just have to look at his toupee to know that he's a joke.

i voted Hermie Aquino as my vice president simply because i think only he would work best with Mr. Roco. i wanted neither Noli the fencesitter nor Loren the turncoat. i've been wondering: why don't we have the U.S. model for presidential elections where you get the president and the veep like a happy meal?

i think having to vote for the vice president makes for divisive politics. look at what happend with the Erap-GMA, and GMA-Tito Guingona combos. there came a point when the president and veep didn't see eye to eye, and the veep got 'reappointed' to the Department of Foreign Affairs as if it were a kindergarten classroom corner. if i'm not mistaken, that Erap did that to GMA when she was veep, and GMA did that to Tito Guingona just recently. you end up with the veep really being a spare tire, and not making any supportive contributions to administration policy.

i've forgotten the roster of senators i voted for, but it's on a piece of paper somewhere (that i hope hasn't been thrown away). here's the 11 i voted for off the top of my head: Mar 'Mr. Palengke' Roxas, Dick 'WOW' Gordon, Parouk Hussin (give our Muslim brothers a break!), Nene Pimentel, Jun Yasay, Pong Biazon, Robert Barbers, Orly Mercado, Frank Chavez, Boy Herrera and Heherson Alvarez. of those i voted for, the ones in the 'magic 12' are Roxas, Pimentel, Gordon, Biazon, and Barbers.

>>>

i just hope that as a country, we can get our act together soon. how's that for sunny optimism? :S