December 4th, 2006 at 1:40 am Borat.
Me and You and Everyone We Know..
Entourage 1,2 and 3 .
Roughly 22 hours spent this week in front of the boob tube catching up on all the bestselling plots on film that I have missed. Quite insane for a supposedly workaholic kind of person that I am.
But there I was, a delighted recluse gorging on sumptuous spaghetti and iced tea while spending half of the long weekend in our new couch. Easily the simplest joy in life.
But this week was far from uneventful.
Last Tuesday, I received word that a 6-month long writing project that I thought had been junked will be pushing through after all. It starts January but meetings will begin this month, and should satisfy my insatiable thirst for new clothes. I also received an auspicious blessing to pursue another writing project which aims to inspire the youth but also personifies Pandorra s box in our social context.
That should be exciting and worthwhile. After that intimate dinner in UP, I headed to Gateway to hook up with the boys to watch Borat the SOB who left me in stitches the whole night. This movie was totally hilarious!
We couldn t stop dissecting it over beers at neighboring Oyster Boy. The next day, I met up with my PDF counterpart at Rockwell after hitting the weights at the Fort and then headed to practice at 9:30. Thursday, I had to dress up a bit for my drinking shindig with my Shang officemates, which was preceded by a meeting with my boss and our friends from the World Bank regarding some serious social development issues, and a simple gathering at the office for my boss, who would be celebrating her birthday the next day.
I slept at 4am because I was compelled to watch another movie! Friday, I had an awesome workout thanks to Teng, saw some episodes of Entourage and then got ready for my Handlebar gig. That event was monumental man it was a reunion of the original Rats, with Dave A and J Lupito jamming on stage.
It was actually fun being in the audience for the most part, hanging out with my surprise guests from Shang and my UP college friends. Splendid!!
! Then I headed north to 70s to drink some more with the boys and there were still Pinoy rock celebs there from the Jerks and Color It Red. As normally practiced, we capped the night with a 430 breakfast in a nearby pares station.
The next day, I just decided to slack off and make the couch my home for the next 12 hours to give my skin a break. Mind you, I still managed to squeeze in 2 speeches in my Saturday to-do given my lackadaisical demeanor. I m still a responsible bugger I guess
November 6th, 2006 at 1:10 am There is no better way to start a long week than by spending Sunday with kids.
I learned this last week when I was invited by my friend from Ictus, Ina Juan, to come to her birthday party at the cancer ward of V. Luna General Hospital in QC. Our orgmates from Ictus chimed in and we all helped the sick kids, most of whom I think are terminally ill, paint colorful masks.
Ina s parents and brothers were also there to help out. There was spaghetti and fried chicken for everyone, and all the kids went home with goodie bags filled with art materials and toiletries. Everyone was happy, and I told Ina I ll probably celebrate my birthday the same way she did.
For me it was the perfect party simple yet very meaningful.
That night, I rehearsed with Zann for my cousin s debut the next day where my aunt commissioned me to sing. I think we finished at about 3, talking more than practicing just like Moira days.
The songs I chose were Have A Little Faith In Me by Jewel and Time Of Your Life by Green Day, which I selected at the last minute because I thought it fit the occasion perfectly. Have A Little Faith In Me was a bit high for my range, but I insisted on doing it on the same pitch mainly because I really wanted to do that song for the longest time in the way it was performed exactly. That song carries a distinct quality that has always had a huge impact on me I guess it s the way Jewel just brings it, y know?
Woke up early and skipped gym because I had to be in UP by 830am to participate in another Social Protection forum, work-related of course. I headed straight home because I wanted to get some sleep before the party at 7, despite the work for the Singapore trip that has been piling up on my desk. Zann and I did a pretty good job with the surprise number for my cousin I think, because even though I was almost gasping for air at the bridge part, I got the overall effect I desired.
Can t explain how though. Then of course we finished a bottle of red to load up before hooking up with Ruben who s anxiously waiting at 70s watching AC on his lone ass. AC we paid 150 bucks to watch this band drill a hole in my head.
I mean COME ON, that must have been the lousiest parody of rock and roll fusion I would never have paid 150 bucks for. Funny that I came all dressed to the nines at bistro, pearl bag and all, but with a Red Horse in hand. Hehe.
Beats staying at home man, spending a night with the boys even though I could care less about the band which was begging for a death sentence. On the way home, I was uber hungry as usual so thanks to Ruben s leftover onion rings, my tummy s anguish was immediately resolved.
Boy was I a work horse on this day!
Had an eventful meeting with my boss in the morning, which is always a good way to start any day. She told me that she already submitted my recommendation to Annenberg, and will submit the one for Harvard soon. What could I ever ask for pa in a boss?
! I was busy the whole freakin day revising the country reports for the ministerial forum on families I just found out that one of the reports did not respond to one of the agreements in the first ministerial. Nerd stuff forget it.
But what really ticked me off was the artwork that I was asking for that came so late and me catching the people working on it playing games in their computer. Tangina nila, engaging in recreation while I was slaving my ass off waiting for their final lackluster output. Aaaargh
That night, I celebrated Halloween with my choir mates in our traditional yearly get-together, brought a hat (which was supposed to be a headress, but it wasn t), ate lots, played Invisibles and saw The Others.
We also planned our upcoming Christmas party, which is like the icing on the cake of every year. The theme that was agreed on? The Christmas Belen, each of us portraying one of the characters: Joseph, Mother Mary, the 3 kings, shepherds, angel and even the darn animals.
And among all of those, guess which I was auspicious enough to pick? The fuckin donkey. I raised hell, but of course had no other recourse but to concede.
Later the idea was questioned because it may be sacrilegous, so we might actually change the theme, which is very good news on my part.
The Rats struggled with CSNY s Carry On the harmony parts were just impossible to weave together. Had a great talk with Andy and Butch afterwards, mostly about politics.
Talk about spacious in the tiny cocoon that is mag:net on a Friday night. We generated a measly 11 walk-ins, but the night was still incredibly fun. Every gig night is fun.
But Butch, Johnny, Tom and Andy chiming in about their carefree days is something you don t experience very often so that was a major highlight of the evening.
Went to Conspiracy for the Rakrakan Blueskrieg event, where our friends from Snakecharmer and Firebottle performed. Blueskrieg is a 15-song compilation of original blues songs, in which unfortunately, the Rats was not able to participate.
The night was fun, and despite the early warnings to Deltaslim that there was no way I m gonna get up on stage to sing, I relented at the jam sessions. I can t say no to these guys. It s always fun just hanging out with all of them.
After the gig, we went to an obscure kebab place along Congressional where we fancied stories about weird movies and enjoyed the surprisingly sumptuous servings of chicken kebab and barbecue. Only then did I realized that there was also someone who appreciated the movie Adaptation apart from myself and it was really great knowing that, because for me that movie is a work of understated genius. The same guy also saw Happiness, which is arguably the most disturbing collection of mishaps and daily atrocities which will leave an equally disturbing effect on the viewer.
See it for yourself
David Bowie s A Reality Tour - the highlight for me was Under Pressure, which was sang with Bowie by the bassist, a gifted woman named Gail Ann Dorsey. Galing!!
!
The Break-Up - 5 stars, every man should see this film
September 9th, 2006 at 3:49 pm Not so long ago, I was a certified nerd that was handed the golden opportunity to integrate myself into high society. I was hired by a posh company (understatement) to be their PR officer given my rudimentary skills in copywriting, an exceptional portfolio of published works and a natural quick wit that won the catty big boss over.
The other male boss was doubtful about my potential to preen because he sensed a cockiness that was only reflected by the male species. He even called me a lesbian. So naturally, the direct boss, who was not present during the first encounter, had to see me for herself.
Impressed, she immediately summoned the fashion police to doctor my style. Surprisingly, I was thrilled, because the stylist was none other than this famous model with a Pakistani-sounding name. I never thought my style was in dire need of rescue, because I remained resolute in my fashion sense despite my social work predilections.
Apparently, the social work to sosyal work called for a major transformation, and my distressed look needed to be revived instantly.
That is why I love this movie, The Devil Wears Prada. I saw the geeky fashionless Andrea in me, hired for her competence, not necessarily for her looks.
Unlike in the movie though, I was dressed to the nines on my first day to work. I remember wearing a black sachet belt to accentuate my tan suit I never wore it again. I was more comfortable with the usual black suits with white tops, those sorts of staples.
Anyway, the point is, that stressful job required me to run in my heels and do these ridiculous procurements with much speed without sabotaging my hair. The word poise became the by-word. Getting the job done, no matter what it takes, remained my mantra .
now only with the corollary while still looking good. Even the normal ritual of dining casually was a quagmire. I remember struggling with the serving spoon in a traditional Chinese table setting, which was pointed out discreetly by my boss during an important lunch with the press.
Prior to that, I was only privy to the mundane features and purposes of the fork and spoon. Haaaay .
But looking back and reminiscing those days through the movie was a lot of fun.
I remember understanding the vulnerability of my boss, and why she usually behaves the way she does, contrary to how the people around us would normally perform their tasks. They said she wielded power like she was the hand of God, and she really did. There were days that I would want to wring her neck, but there were also days that I found myself defending her.
I m told she no longer demands the impossible (In her heyday, I actually had to pull the strangest set of strings to haul US$2000 worth of furniture pieces owned by my friend to the party venue on the DAY of the party. Dang ) and she s easier to work with. Those days were backbreakingly fun AND crazy, thanks to her.
I also remember my abhorrence for formal functions, when I would stay up late to endure those pretentious bastards gawking at each other, sipping wine and secretly wishing that he or she was wealthier than the other. It was a fictional universe of dumb characters I could not stand.
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