December 26th, 2006 at 6:04 pm Haaay, it has been a while .
I can easily count the times I have written here feelin THIS GOOD, but I never thought I d miss the mundane habit of personal expression THIIIIIS MUCH. On my way to here, I was sucked by the feverish maelstrom of common labor and domestic frivolity.
Boredom was non-existent, but the urge to be artistic and alive fled, at least for a while, leaving me too content, alone and incapable of flying.
Since I last wrote, I had three awesome blues shindigs the AIM Christmas Party, mag:net gig and A Blue Christmas at Conspiracy. The crowd at AIM was unforgiving in a very flattering and self-validating way.
I enjoyed rockin every tune in our 30-song repertoire, but would have enjoyed the night much better had I tasted the yummy tandoori dish I had been eyeing at the buffet table that vanished so disrespectfully. The mag:net gig was a party felt vindicated finally that some people came, that the place was actually worth performing at. In Conspiracy, the Whitey trivial pursuits were intoxicating but 3Beers stamped the seal of a gig to remember on the fateful night with his hysterical in-the-zone Milli Vanilli take on the Stones hit You Can t Always Get What You Want, performed by Snakecharmer.
This guy is the man to get seriously insane with. Just see for yourself:
You have to understand that the things I have been doing in the last three weeks are quite punishing to recall in my current state of euphoria. All I can remember is that there were several gigs I went to (Elvis and Beatles night), a drinking spree at my house, a holiday feast at Heat, a pathetic bridal shower, too many Starbucks visits, a barely surviving left toe brutally assaulted by misfortune, a sumptuous steak Noche Buena, a stack of awesome books to read, a tape-long interview to transcribe, a much-needed reunion cum despedida, major pain-in-the-ass traffic jams, frequent grocery trips, almost eternal TV show indulgences, a terrible cough, a completed Simbang Gabi novena a milestone indeed, panic in my grad school application, my affection for online keyboard tutorials, my rendezvous with the black and ivory, One Hundred Years of Solitude still lingering in my memory, my uncontrollable fascination with fashion and my growing desire to pierce my cocoon, blast through the door without knowing where to go and leave the quarter life with a sense of liberty and adequate preparation for the unknown.
Maybe 2007 will acquiesce with the promise of growth and spectacular experiences. Because I know I cannot reduce my life to something less than spectacular, even though I lack many things. And I know I need to preserve the adventure when facing the fear of the limitless surprise.
Maybe William S. Burroughs will lead the way today
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 28th, 2006 at 12:26 pm Thanks to a chatmate who fancies up-the-butt girls, I finally cropped up a title
And it s been a while since I dropped a line here, perhaps because of work and all the other insignificant things I do in between (such as updating my Multiply site, for one). Even the Sunday afternoons that I use for updating my blog have been filled up. I wonder why that is
What made this gig extremely fun was the arrival of some unexpected visitors Erika and Macky (still very friendly despite the break-up), the avid-groupie-in-the-making pair of Judith and Elias, the surprising appearance of Deltaslim and his darling Jane (I can talk about all sorts of stuff with this girl), our favorite groupie in QC (and beyond) Mr.
Jaime and his charming wife; Ruth and her boyfriend Shawn; Ruben and Zann who followed after a gig in Pasig and a host of other party animals I normally catch at the Friday night watering hole. Drinks were on the house too. I think Henry was too happy with the article I wrote about the place, which btw you can check out in this month s issue of F B World.
It had been a long time since we last played at Ninoy s. Nobody thought we could convene 7 players at first, but voila! We had 11 uncomfortably seated players trying their luck on the felt.
I finished fourth damn! If I finished third, I would have recovered my measley P100 investment
The turnout at the venue was quite pathetic, but the overall vibe, thanks to a modest cast of Allman and Stevie Ray Vaughan aficionados, compensated for the empty house. But this was a milestone in my singing career.
I never thought I d share the same stage with the Pinoy icons who have rocked the joint for years Johnoy came. Ruben and Zann followed and we all stayed and relished Renard s tales of Lolita Carbon s hot shindigs in his premature encounters with Asin at a time when he still had his crowning glory
My friend from The World Bank, Loraine Hawkins, will be leaving the Bank on Dec 1 to reunite with her husband who is based in London. The dinner was our despedida for her.
I throwed all caution to the wind and ordered a Caesar s salad and a Rib-Eye steak with mint jelly and peppercorn sauce on the side and a pasta al ajillo side dish and a glass of red. Yum yum yum .I ve missed dining with such indulgence.
The dinner was fun, albeit I felt a little out of place because of my age. But hey, we re all coming together somehow because of the same line of work we are involved in and in that kind of work there are just too many things to laugh about. Malu was such a darling to organize the surprise dinner.
I gave Loraine a CD of the Rats covers which we recorded at Dish. The sound quality was poor, but I wanted to give her something that would remind her of the Rats gigs she went to while she was working here.
Then I headed to Reg s house to play poker with Chot, Blue, Gino and Gail, Mel and CJ, Pia and Reg.
The pot? A whopping 2,200 pesos. Reg won in the heads-up with Blue.
I finished third. The highlight of the evening? I had an A-4 hand.
The flop read a King-2-3. Chot was all in. The turn was 5.
Five!!!
! The river? Another 5!
!! I was jubilant.
Awesome play!!!
Oh this gig was fuuuun!!!
The Rats was asked to open the show, so we did 6 hard core blues songs: Motorcycle Mama (N. Young), Hoochie Coochie Man (M. Waters), then Cowboy did Red House (J.
Hendrix) and Crossroads (E. Clapton version), then we ended with The Allman Brothers One Way Out and Whipping Post. The crowd was crazy and I loved it.
Check out the photos:
Butch and I went insane when we heard Snakecharmer s take on Bob Dylan s I Shall Be Released. That was mind-blowing
After the gig, Ruben, Mina, Augee, Kakoy, Surit and myself headed to 24-hour Rufo s to have breakfast. Mina was the star manghuhula.
So fun. We ended at about 6:00 in the morning. Crazy.
Mich texted me that my picture was on the sleeve of the Blueskrieg CD. Coooool!!
! He also asked me to join him at UP to jog. I was already comfortably finishing the second season of Entourage, but what the hell right?
I haven t tried jogging at UP and I figured I might as well do it na. The jogging was more like walking, but I had a great time just catching up with Mich, who s also freakishly busy with work
Yesterday, I finished writing the Snakecharmer profile. Another brain drain exercise, but I think I like what I managed to produce
This week is gearing up too fast What could be in store this weekend?
We ll see .
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
October 25th, 2006 at 1:58 am I went to two birthdays this week. First was at the old Hyatt for Reg, one of my closest friends, where we gorged on delightful room service versions of the Quattro Formaggi, the salmon steak and the katsudon (the food is surprisingly good there); and second was at Gary s, where I was invited to come at the last minute. In both celebrations, poker was the centerpiece, and I won in each.
After the Tuesday night bday bash at Hyatt, I went home and slept at 2 to wake up at 530 for my 9am at the World Bank. The agenda of the PDF meeting was to harmonize LGU efforts with the workplans of other working groups, which include ours, the MDGs and Social Progress WG. I was a tired dog, but headed home right after the meeting to get a few things done and prepare for rehearsal that evening.
Just before I was about to leave, Chikki texted if I wanted to dine for free at Abe, a new restaurant in Serendra. So of course I said yes, because I was going to Makati that evening anyway. Lo and behold, Dawn J, communications director for the LJC group, was there.
Well actually, I called her up when I was losing my way because I remember her telling me about Abe during our lunch at Bollywood. So anyway, we hooked up, got settled, met her friend Karen, spokesperson for LJC, and then another surprise Judith J of BusinessWorld, my dear friend whom I have not seen in aaaaaages. That night turned out to be a whole lotta fun, despite the fact that I was sooooo late for practice.
My bandmates can t kill me anyway even if they wanted to haha
On Thursday I hung out with Z who generously (and proudly) gave me a copy of their upcoming album. Finally, Snakecharmer s about to fly
Friday was the gig at Handlebar. The place was packed, but the crowd was not too appreciative, like they feel so obligated to applaud or cheer.
Kim was out so the singing chops came from me and Cow. My friend Chi came, as well as Stacey, Mitch and Rubi we all had great fun laughing our asses off, thanks to Rubi s Beijing shebang. We laughed until the 3:30am closing time.
On Saturday, Z was at my doorstep unexpectedly to catch YouTube vids on my PC. Joke. I left at 6 for the Days palanca night where I will be giving the palancas to my cousin kit who s a participant (their batch is A34 I m A17 deng!
) Iza was also a participant. Then I smoked and stayed until lullaby to sing some Days staples .Ghost, Nothing Compares To You and Come Away With Me.
I still got it
Sunday I drove my cousins home after Days for two hours I was on the road. I had tons of work waiting at home, which I miraculously accomplished (well, not all of them) while chatting with Zann the man. It was like being Diane Sawyer, because he regurgitated one of his miscalculations.
Hahahaha that kept me up.
Slept at 5am woke up at 11. Headed to the office, printed stuff then headed for SM North to have my iPod with the sad mac checked and go to the gym.
Bad news .the iPod would set me back a gruesome 8k. Putang ina lang talaga hassle.
Oops sorry. Anyway, tears embarrassingly welled up in my eyes. My precious iPod now gone.
So I went to the gym, prepared myself for the run without the music (sigh). Surprisingly, I ran for 25mins straight!!
! I could ve gone longer, but I didn t wanna push it. I had MTV s Wildboyz to entertain me, no iPod.
Now I m psyched to go on the treadmill again tomorrow! Yahoo!!
! Then I dressed up and headed for Makati to join my friends at Circles. I was with Chi, Stacey and Chikki.
My dinner was on the Chef, for the profile I wrote for him for his cookbook. However, after the dinner, turns out the Chef paid for all four of us unintentionally of course. Chi has to explain to him tomorrow how that happened hehe.
All the guys there are their usual generous selves they prepared special entrees such as a platter of huge king prawn tempuras and sea bass with mango salad. The dinner was splendid .but the dessert station was horrendously downgraded.
I can t believe people can no longer enjoy the delicious flourless cake, plated cakes, puff pastries, creme brulee .On the other hand, the food at the other stations were delightfully good.
We went to Red to hang out with Ed who promised us free bottles of wine.
Thanks to my main man Erick, we got free champagne!!!
That rendezvous at red was so much fun all the jokes were hilarious!!!
Ed pa went on and on about his kapilyuhan days. So funny. Then my poker masters called to say they were about to start the 2nd game, so I ll be blinded out.
I headed for Blue s house and joined Chot, Mich and Jay and some of their HS friends for some poker, which I lost instantly.
Then I went home, took a bath and got a good rest
October 16th, 2006 at 12:09 am Although I did not reach the point of passing out at any time through over-inebriation, I sensed that too much Red Horse and smoking may have penetrated the deepest recesses of my brain this week. I don t feel fried, but I had the weirdest dreams, like being fired from the band, which to me was more like a nightmare.
I started the weekend early, and hung out with Snakecharmer at the Rockmoto gig at Motorsports Alley last Thursday. I came at 10, they played at 3:30am. But hanging out and just listening to some new bands was surprisingly refreshing.
I couldn t remember the last time I listened to a young band joyfully personifying their illusions of being Steve Vai for a night, like this band that played Sabbath s War Pigs and Children of the Grave (awesome). Personally, Snakecharmer s 4 song set after the eternal wait was almost transcendental, after enduring an amalgamation of noise and premature talent ejaculation from some bands (more practice puhleez ). Or maybe because I m biased.
Correct me by asking that host who went up to me and asked Hey, are you Snakecharmer s groupie? Some nerve. Of course I knew what she meant, but I answered so blankly anyway and said No, I m a friend.
If Emily Post was a trailblazin hippie on acid and she heard that comment, prudence would be translated into a punch in the nose. Everybody say . You do not use the term groupie when striking up a conversation with a girl you don t know.
If I looked like a slut, it would have been excusable. But I looked amazing (as I usually do haha) so .excuse me?
You callin me a groupie? Uhm, I happen to sing for some rats Thank Gad I ended the morning on a happier note with Zann the man at mickey dees for some early breakfast.
Moving on I had a date with the Ver on Friday, as I was carless that night and we had to go to a common friend s despedida.
It was actually my first Ver trap, but I was pretty prepped for it. We bonded, and she knows too much about me now. Some very private info was actually divulged indiscreetly to her boyfriend s friends (who are like 40-ish old) by her of course after a few beers and a few smokes.
Hay. But thankfully, there was another party goin on in the other room, with some people more my age who roam the same musical circuit as I do. That was more fun than getting stuck in the stuffy smoky room where weirdness and mild impropriety were brewing.
I m glad I got home safe and sane
Saturday was my day of rest, but Tom that night did not resist badgering me about my inactive social life, if you know what I mean, and mocked me to death
Tonight we went to Donna s 9th day novena mass, where me and my high school buddies were informally reunited once again. The food was delicious
Plug: The surreal inimitable sound of Salindiwa was launched in a pre-album launch party last Saturday, October 14 in Alabang. These guys are guuuuud.
Buy their album when it s out. Too cool. Publicity artwork below by Cowboy Santos
October 9th, 2006 at 12:21 am Another meaningful weekend swung by like a breeze, reminding me of how much I dread tomorrow s Flag Ceremony at DSWD where I have been tasked to sing a Cyndi Lauper classic to evoke the importance of sincerity to my distinguished public service colleagues.
The weekend started on Wednesday night, which was devoted to band rehearsal and poker. I finished third lang, but it s cool. Ninoy s serving of Color Me Badd, Backstreet Boys and Francis M tunes was nostalgic, but it drove me nuts.
I think that s why I lost my all-in magic.
Huka, D4 and Firebottle
Ok last Thursday, I had the distinct horror of braving the floods to get to Conspiracy to sing Bob Dylan with Ruben Flores of Snakecharmer, a dear friend, who requested me to back him up with the awesome harmony parts on Oh Sister. Thankfully, the car survived the storm and was able to make it to Joric Maglanque (Firebottle), Kakoi Legaspi (Salindiwa) and Ruben Flores (Snakecharmer) s Dobro 3 or D3 set.
Thanks to Joric, the trio took on a new monicker, D4, because of me, the dopedeeva, who jammed with them on the melancholy Elmore James classic It Hurts Me Too. Moreover, my duet with Rubs was pretty awesome, the harmony really clicked in my opinion and Kakoi s harp playin sealed it. When I actually first heard the song, it reminded me of the mesmerizing scene in Almost Famous when William chanced upon two folk singers (Peter Droge and Elaine doing Small Time Blues ) rehearsing by the entrance hall of a hotel room.
Anyway, Edwin Vergara (formerly of Lampano Alley) of Color It Red and Noel Cabangon, also came to jam with Huka, one of my favorite local bands. And somehow, I missed Edwin, who played with the Rats for three Saturdays at Hobbit in Joey s absence when he went to the States in the summer. That guy has serious guitar chops.
Alex (or Indian Joe) of Huka s breathtaking performance was the highlight of my evening. This guy is phenomenal. He s my idol when it comes to just letting it lose on stage.
It was also good to see Eric, Huka s bassist, again. It s been a while since we last saw him at Hobbit at our last gig there. And of course, Kakoi also deserves credit for saving Joric and the rest of Firebottle by taking on the guitar reins with the absence of their 2 band members.
I think we left Conspiracy at about 3am, with 3 Strong Ice beers swimming in my blood stream.
I was so stressed out on my way to the gig because I had to write the Secretary s speech for the GK event the next day. Very important that I finish it before I leave for the gig.
Thankfully, I checked in on time. Kaya pala, there wasn t a crowd waiting. I thought at first that it might not be a good night for us, but later into the night, the whole experience was divine.
The highlight? Zann Pacificador and Ruben Flores of Snakecharmer, 2 of my bestest blues buddies since Moira days, jammed with me and the rest of the Blue Rats again, with It Hurts Me Too. (Yun kasi yung alam nila eh.
) and Mel Po and this other jammer Janno were amazing too. But my moment with my boys was priceless, because it was a true reversal of roles. I used to jam with Snakecharmer all the time, pre-Rats days.
And now, they re the ones jamming with me on stage! It s like forming one big bluesy and incredibly crazy family, with Rats and Snakes in the pot. Btw, I also enjoined singing Janis Piece of my Heart, a most requested song, because I think I killed it haha.
Donna was my classmate in high school. We used to be seatmates all the time, because in the order of alphabets (hence, seating arrangements), Mislang preceded Molina. 2 weeks ago, a 2cm tumor in her brain ruptured during surgery, which caused her to lie in a comatose state until her demise last October 6.
I was devastated, although I knew that her untimely death (at the age of 24) was imminent because of her condition.
The wake was held at The Heritage Park in Fort Bonifacio, a place so idyllic and peaceful. It looked like a resort actually, and I wanted to have my remains stashed there too, hehe.
Seriously. The solemn mass was presided by her brother, Father Carlo, and eulogies from her best friend, her boyfriend s mother and her boyfriend touched my heart. The AVP of her short life was filled with countless photos of awesome memories.
She really made an indelible mark in the lives of the people who surrounded her.
For me, Donna is my silly schoolmate, who laughed with abandon and loved with abandon.
To Donna, thank you for the honor of knowing you.
You make me want to sing Good Day Sunshine by The Beatles with your smile. Stay bubbly and happy in heaven.