The Gap

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3e8-usQrCI

One of my good friends,Karl, directed this vid years before. He did a pretty awesome short film and it starred Ian Tayao of Wilabaliw/Queso. I still had to tease him why I still have to tease him to this day why I not been an extra on his featured films. Until the next zombie film,maybe.LOL.

xoxoxo and more...

In time the heart heals by itself with the noise and the faces familiar to you.

It then hit me that the world does not end after a breakup.No matter how hard i wished that that there was a rewind button.But there isn't,and in the end I pay the price.I'm also facing the cold hard truth that i'm bumming myself. i just updated my resume and i try to enjoy myself by drowning into the noise that keeps me alive somehow .Going to routine that makes me different kept a bit grounded even for a while.Last night's trip to West Gallery at Quezon city was a relief because i get to see artworks,made by some of my friends Dex Fernandez and Mark Andy Garcia.Dex's "xoxoxo" exhibit is catered for the erotically delighted,where he teases the audience with colors and patterns that censors the pornographic material yet it felt the intensity through its lines and cutouts.Andy's show "Acquainted with the Night" showcases his brighter perspective in his life. As always, he never fails to emphasize is view on family life as his foundation,underneath his personality as a an aloof character.Other works featured were from Jigger Cruz's "Dead End" where the art for the normal meets the mundane is very possible as he splashes his oil paint over the flat ones as misadventures.The last one included on the show was from Bjorn Calleja's "Some Failed Attempts in Creating A Good image for Painting".Much filled with things we see everyday,he paints the picture with pop culture in a way that it gives room for us to see more of what each stroke does to complete the picture.

Last night was also a great night because i get to reflect myself and what i really want as I see the people who knew me.I forget that I firmly wanted people to see that side of me outside work because this is the only way i know how to appreciate what life brings despite heartbreak and changes.And I still want to learn what tomorrow will bring me as its gift.

hello i'm old....

what's new at the scene?personally,i lost track of everything fresh and i'm starting to appreciate old songs and the ones from (ugh,bite me) Glee.I'm beginning to have a mature ear (if that is really existent),which is why I start to have LSS on some pop songs.just like that Hugh Grant movie 'music and lyrics'-not the one with Drew Barrymore in it, but the reaaallly cheesy one -'Pop goes my heart' (Thanks red and nikki for that lss,it's still friggin sticks to me like glue)

oh yeah.i go crazy over electric percussions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVkU8dDSC9w

LADY GAGA - Born This Way (Cover)

Ah sorry,a very late post.Finally, after a somewhat slew of mediocre youtube versions of new songs,i find Maria Aragon's take of Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" amazing and fresh.She's so cute,the way she sings the high pitch.It's not everyday that a superstar would tweet about a kid with all respect,you know. Hats off to Maria!!! She did awesome. :D

2010 wanderlust

there was a lot of good music this year.even the old ones sound soo cute.

this includes french band tahiti 80.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xNtw6Z55ak

previous snippets

boy,have i not written here for quite some time!! it was bad enough that i don't give enough time writing.but to make up for lost time,i decided to post some pics from scenes that i've been for the last few months.

5 day vacay starts now

Silver Gold Amazing (Demo) by My Parasol

twisted fork

i like art. it's unpretentious. and raw. and it creates better bridges to community. though I'm not good at it,i like to think that i have a huge and healthy appreciation for arts more than any categories i would like to bring up with,well art AND life itself.

enter Ferdinand Center for the Creative.

I believe in this group because their aim is to teach,provide art to the less fortunate.
I also have this strong belief that art will eventually rule the earth.

i got this message from ferdinandcc's main man, Lester nelson, last month,asking if i can do some stints on interviewing some of the graphic artists here in manila.without batting an eyelash,i had to say yes.

now,i have to say that i have NO proper knowledge of theories or technicalities when it comes to graphic design,but i know how to distinguish pieces that stand out.because i think that those pieces makes a person different.

my first interview was for graphic artist Dan Matutina.
he's the main man for Idea's - it's a design & communications agency that helps design to nonprofits and NGOs.

If that’s not enough, he also teaches at the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts.

for days, i had been emailing Lester back and forth about questions we can ask to Dan,until those were finalized and i had to email Dan.I was nervous because,heck,that's my first time and I feel like a groupie.

Finally,i had a reply from Dan for the interviews.yay!!
being a wreck for a few days paid off after all.

anyway.here's the link:

http://ferdinandcc.org/

and here's Dan's links:

http://ideals.ph/
http://plus63.net/main/
http://plus63.com/
super thanks, Les!!

in her elizabeth

i was on leave last Tuesday,my nose was runny and i had a really irritated throat. i'll be on leave until this Friday.

after a ton of events,i was encouraged by patty to write again,so yay.

anyway,since i was on leave last Tuesday,i was also invited by close friends,Ben mart and Charles to have dinner at dampa.seafood overload.haha.

by 10 pm,we were already stuffed with seafood on our bellies and mart has to go home.i have to file for leave by 1am so i was really that available that time.luckily enough,Charles said that the terminal going to their place arrives by 10.30. i had to suggest to Ben and Charles to go with me at the collective so check out the place.

when we came there,the place was pretty much closed. except for Vinyl on vinyl,that art space with beautiful graffiti on it.luckily enough,it was the opening night for kooky tuason and some artists for their show "in her Elizabeth"- it's an exhibit where artists get to interpret their take from kooky's poems. i get to see Dex again, and some familiar faces, like Zeus.and i was introduced to uno magazine's gabby de la Rama and comedian Stanley chi.they're so down to earth.but i was really drawn into the artworks and sounds-it never fails that these two always go hand in hand.that was a good night,every art night is.

From vinyl on vinyl

i was on hibernation

long time no activity,bloggie.*sigh*
i promise to now give you helluva updates soon
i'm still heartbroken and hopeful
it's much better to be on hiatus on relationships and special someone
i'd rather focus on things that i love
music and art, sometimes people food and fashion
i promise to write more. <3

back to work

i've been in my absence for almost 2 months here.i missed writing though.i've mostly been busy.i've been through a lot lately so i really do apologize for that.but now that i'm back,let's get to the main stuff.

last 2 weeks so far was awesome.

1-22-09

FRESH SOUNDS at RCBC's hexagon lounge

Upharma down,Not Another Boyband,and Sleepwalk Circus

I simply cannot miss that because of some reasons

* it was my day off
*i still have spare cash to kill
*rcbc is a place that a few heard of as an elite gig spot
*lastly-sleepwalk circus and updharma down

i came there late with my usual posse- ben and charles. then i saw some friends there as well,like red and nikki, tim, aki and even my grade school classmate,paula!:D

we already arrived when the first act, Not another boyband did their stint.they sound electronica,which will make me look forward to listening to them.i was only able to hear one song from them when we arrived.but i promise to listen to more of them soon.

it was nice when i was a bit tipsy that time.listening to Sleepwalk circus feels like it drives me to into this place when no one braves to enter.plus that was my first time to also see their new bassist,laurie.she was cute,hehe.

the reason why i also loved Sleepwalk is because all performances are different.they weren't boring.the light shows were only a plus.

The next and last act of the night were from Updharma down.

And just like Sleepwalk, they are also one of the acts that everyone shouldn't miss.

Armi's vocals were as superb as always,followed by Carlos' trippy riffs and Paul's basslines were always awesome.And finally i get to watch Ian to play again.All of their songs made me fall in love with "Bipolar" once again-as if i've lost my love for the album.haha.

It was also great that I've encountered my 5 minutes with Armi.She asked where i got my shirt- my fave tee of the moment-my yakult shirt.:D

late night ends,and ben and charlie had to leave after.So red nikki and tim invited me to eat midnight dinner with them at an area in ortigas where foodtrip galore exists.They call it banchetto,and the foodmarket opens every friday midnight to saturday lunchtime.

And the glory of it all began. i had a hard time choosing what to eat because all looked so mouth-watering.i liked Tim's blueberry pie that he ordered.it was perfect-not to sweet and not too heavy at the same time.and i ate my chicken pasta. and i was baptized with banchetto's bestseller- the crepeman's white chocolate crepe.and i was craving for it after.hehe.that was a good night.

make believe

Nov 7, '09

friday last week- i went for the very first time to CubaoX to view Darel Ballesteros's work called "Make Believe" at Pablo Gallery.since that was my first time ever,i went there with one of my new friends, Amber.she looks like my sister,but she's a lot more quiet than her.i arrived there by about 8 pm- because the mrt that i rode that time experienced technical issue so i was stuck on the train for about 20 minutes.then i got a bit lost going to cubao x until i got past of ali mall. Cubao X is a quaint hotspot for artist/musicians/entrepreneurs for the arts.then again,it's actually NICE to get lost in CubaoX-there were a lot of nifty stores/vintage hubs that i can browse through.but i went there a bit late so some stores were closed too. I never met the artist before but i did want to check out the artworks - i was handed with a little picture invite from dex's show and pretty much went to exhibits after that.it was fun,that these artists are something.there wasn't any sense of intimidation as they welcome spectators to see their works.Anyway,funny thing happened that night,i was looking for amber in CubaoX when someone shouted my name-not on my nickname-but my REAL name! i was thinking if i knew someone in the QC area who knew me-aside from my relatives,of course.i was thinking of friends from MY area-the BF area-because they're the ones who usually called me by my name.then slowly turning around- i see familiar faces - shannen of NU,froi,kuya neil,andy,and raf. Funny that they eventually recognized me from a 10 feet distance.haha.so i hung out with them and finally saw the pablo gallery.It's a small space for an art event,but i think what makes up for it would be the well lit room.the artworks can be seen and the colors blended as well. Since that was my first time ever to view darel's artwork,i could say that i instantly fell in love with it,since all i see would be pictures of doll-like figures.they're all in the same ,but the feelings would have changed it otherwise.i liked how it had this dream like effect-almost nostalgic-makes you wish that you were a kid and that you would like to become an artist someday. it was child-like but the deep shades of purple is what appealed to me the most.i had an opportunity to say hi to darrel saying that i loved his works.plus a quick trivia that shannen told me-that was also his first time to draw a real idenity-such would be the picture of a young girl with a book. but it still looks surreal.he may have forgotten me after that,but i still would be a fan for his works.the night was young,so i hung out with people-and then i saw joe de jesus-first time that i also met him was at the al's bar silipan at rinigan event-friendly dude. and then we talked abou anything new about his prod- Tubby Trousers.I'm already familiar with Tubby Trousers because Soft Pillow Kisses usually performs on his prod.And undoubtedly-i've been a fan of Soft Pillow kisses for quite sometime.then we chatted the whole night,and it was all good.Then i saw Brendan Goco- so i'm really relieved that i saw people whom i've been really open to when it comes to music and art.but then i had to leave early because i have work the next day after.

Good thing that the last train ride was until midnight.otherwise,i would be screwed up after.

maybe someday when i have a kid,i'd buy a huge artwork from him and give it to my future kid to "make believe".


http://pablogalleries.com/2009/11/06/make-believe/

rainy weekend

wednesday again.my nose just itches and i feel like my body was run over (again) by a car or something.ah. anyway. the hype after the NU Rock Awards 2009 is over and i got the chance to witness it.it was my first time to watch it.even if the weather wasn't that game (at that time typhoon "Santi" already was in the manila area).I was with my friends Ben and Charles, and the gave me the ticket ABSOLUTELY FREE .heheh.But the event was hell fun. Because the event was not that packed,and it was star studded-rock stars everywhere. from the hottest names-like say, Ehra Madrigal, Ornussa Cadness, and other heavy names in the biz,i'm in absolute haven,i guess.Iza Calzado was a goddess by every inch and her co host was even a rockstar-Ramon Bautista.hahaaa. The performances were stellar-from the opening acts like Salamin, Turbogoth and Even to Up Dharma Down's Armi Millare singing the National Anthem, and to the hardcore acts like Kamikazee, Urbandub, Juan Pablo dream, Razorback,Kjwan and Chicosci. But 3 of may faves would be from Franco, Up dharma down and the one for Francis M- Ely Buendia singing "Higante" with Elmo Magalona.i couldn't help but coo at his kid siblings at the side of the stage-the youngest of the Magalona clan-they were in synch with the rap part. The downside part of the show would be the storm and how the heck are we going to go home after.But that was not part of the event-so blame it on the weather that time.hehe.

list for this year's winners:

Artist of the Year: Up Dharma Down
Album of the Year: Bipolar by Up Dharma Down
Song of the Year: “Antukin” by Rico blanco
Hall of Fame: Francis M
Best Live Act: Hilera
Listeners Choice Award: Chicosi
In the Raw Award: Dimmerswitch
Best Music Video: “Last Day on a Cruise Ship” of Bamboo as directed by Pancho Esguerra
Producer of the Year: Robin Rivera of Peryodiko
Best Album Packaging: “Mornings and Airports” of Sugarfree by Inksurge
Vocalist of the Year: Ebe Dancel of Sugarfree and Armi Millare of Up Dharma Down
Guitarist of the Year: Kakoy Legaspi of Peryodiko
Bassist of the Year: Ivan Garcia of Hilera
Drummer of the Year: Allan “Bords” Bordeus of Kamikazee
Best New Artist: Peryodiko


*photos were taken by Popo dela Cruz.awesome pics.

500 days of Summer

my new favorite movie.it's not a chick flick.but it is a hard hitting story about love. oh yes.
and somehow the scene of the story was sort of autobiographical for me.what i like and how i view relationships were true. on the summer's point of view,as i have said it to people.and how i dump guys,yep,the cold truth. and how i get dumped,from the guy's point as well. i do that,breaking things after rejection.and most likely gets depressed and drunk and plays music that loud and screams.but then again on my end i get past thru depression,i guess.

What i loved about the film was the cold hard truth that love is not getting the guy (or girl- from the protagonist's point of view). I mean Tom (played by Joseph Gordon- Levitt) sets his eyes for Summer (played by Zooey Deschanel) and madly falls in love with her-but the girl though otherwise. it's a perfect story of reality vs. expectation. One cannot help that they can be so torn up for the dude.but that also goes the same for the ladies as well.

BUT THIS IS ONE GOOD FLICK WITH AN EVEN BETTER SOUNDTRACK TO MATCH.
Take it from the Smiths-- the cinematography also goes with it-- the neutrals and the browns are visible on the movie.really sharp and snazzy, i may say.

favorites on the soundtrack:

Mushaboom- Feist
Please please please let me get what i want - The Smiths
There is a light that never goes out- The Smiths
Bad Kids-Black lips
There goes the fear- Doves
You make my dreams- Hall and Oates

what i'm listening right now....

"Buang"

It's filipino for "crazy" or a mad man if that one's much more specific. This is one the recent exhibits that i recently headed to as a kickoff for my restday since that fell on a Tuesday. One of my new friends, kuya Neil gave me this cardboard brochure to check out their works at Makati. That was good because i don't have to get frantic at that time because the location wasn't that far from the office. I even checked out the webbie for the address on where the event will be shown at.

Alliance Francaise de Manille

(formerly Reposo St.) Bel-Air 2, Makati City

i was a "buang" too when i realized that Alliance is ridiculously near the place where i work at.no less than 10 miuntes away.haha. i cam there by 8 ish. i was able to see same faces which is fun because in my own opinion,i'm starting to get reacquainted to people who i've been introduced with and i've gotten comfortable with myself because i get to ask helluv questions.

then the exhibit closes.next thing i knew is i was already with dex and others.having a drink somewhere in manila.the night was late so i stayed at dex's until 6 pm.That was also the first time i ever went to Marikina. I do get to see what it's like to be a visual artist firsthand-it's typical. the difference is that they full heartedly are committed to see how things are and they've mastered it on medium.

But i'm enjoying all the hype that they're humble still nevertheless.good to know that there's still a group who welcomes the world and makes it better. No doubt I'm really enjoying art in real life.

these past few days...

i would not say that i'm an artist too.But i like art,i really do.it's one of those things that makes a big part of me "ME". i finally came to my senses that i should be better off solo having a healthy appreciation for the art scene rather than hassle people to view artworks that they can never say what makes them think towards it.i do get rejected after a couple of tries to invite friends to accompany me to view art.sadly enaough in my own honest opinion,a huge population doesn't really appreciate art unless it was being dictated as cool.that's why i get annoyed when people tell me that i'm there to see friends and not view the works itself.

16-October-2009

"FTW"
-works by dexter fernandez and froilan calayag
-Tala Gallery, Kamuning, QC

i had a good 2 hour sleep from work,so i headed to Tala Gallery at Tomas Morato.i was an idiot for those "going- to -north" commutes.anyways i was already there by 8 pm-and saw some kids who were introduced to me from the previous "spoils" event.these kids are students from TUP-or Technological University of the Philippines. These kids are aspiring artists so i also like their eagerness and they absorb interest like sponges.really a good sight to see.then seeing familar faces like mihk and beejay from tether,redslim 08, even reporter julius babao was there. The ever so good think about art events is that there is no pretenses-on my part,i was introduced and i honestly say who i am-just an employee from a call center who likes art to its extremes.

Then came Dex and Froilan, who came by 9 ish.it was awesome that they're both simple guys who have this really strong force for the art scene.

I like Froi's work when it somes to color--it has this really strong hue which is total irony for his fuzzy looking creatures. Dex , on the other hand has a penchant for brown tones, japanese culture and things that are deranged.the awesome thing about it is that he makes it look interesting.

I came there solo flight. But i ended up getting acquainted to new faces,and even see their perspective towards art.

have fun at work

weekend blues.today is my rest day.i like to listen to my playlist with lots of indie flavor in it.i'm currently listening to the magic numbers' "those the brokes" album. really nice to listen to on a cloudy day. anyway i woke up late because i had dinner with my coworkers at dampa- it's a marketplace/restaurant where they can cook a la carte for customers.it was fun,i was full even if i can't eat crab-i'm allergic to it.haha.which was disappointing for me.and i can only eat a bit of shrimp-but heck it tastes good.even if was just a few pieces of it.anyway,the reason wny i suddenly am talking about work is because i'm starting to have fun again.i like how some of my new teammates poke fun at work,which is exactly why i needed to take a break before.i also have a new teammate-his name is aaron who i can talk to about a hell lot abou music-which makes me wanna go to work after.because i can talk to him about almost everything-about the music scene.and yesterday,one of my co workers asked me if i knew someone who can play drums or do vocals-i knew some,but i;m really not sure if they're really game about it,so the first person that i asked would be aaron,since i asked him and he could play a bit of drums.the next would have been another co worker-patrick.patrick l3-as i call him because he used to be one of our network specialist at work,would be on vocals,hopefully would be game since he fronted for an indie pop group called "the fantasy lights".so i'm still looking for budding musicians at work.that's as little as i can do to help someone out.but i'm really hoping that i can look for a good lineup. so that i can keep myself busy and i can say that i am
enjoying work. :D


with team mates at work.



http://www.myspace.com/thefantasylights

The Singapore Mirage

Quick pause from the music scene.

After Shift: my usual routine after work is walking in the streets of Makati...the CBD of it.the busy lifestyle of Pinoys...

I plan to go to Singapore soon. Well,not only that would be a new leaf for me,but it would also be an entirely new world out there.I remembered one time when I met my high school friends Jenny and Marybel last July 29th.Jenny went home for two weeks here in the Philippines while Marybel was waiting for her visa to leave abroad-which makes an endangered species in my high school batch who did not plan to go somewhere.That was before and i think it's about time to take such a leap.We had this mini reunion.Aside from that,i also had a brief discussion on what to do abroad.Scary,but worth a try.Life is indeed that short,and why not enjoy some of it?

But I'm not thinking about the career right now-I'm thinking of a break,a vacation.I never ever left the country for past a decade(being which I'm born in Saudi Arabia-an advantage for me,which is good) so i would like to have a little ol' travel time.

What is not to like about Singapore? Aside from the really obvious ones-it's a blend of cultures in one small country,Singapore would definitely be a place to thrive all aspects of industries wherein more than a thousand multinational companies prosper.Meaning to say that there's a wide range of possibilities for everyone who seeks business overseas.

I would like to take the opportunity to experience Singapore at any given day possible because I would love to see the possibility that even if we live in different countries,we also have the same ideals that makes every nation so great.

Browsing through Singapore-there's a lot of reasons why Singapore is the Place to Be:

Read this one through

http://www.visitsingapore.com

Association of Singapore Attractions
--I'm a sucker for museums. Perfect for tourists.great for the whole family.And hey,what is not to like about souvenirs (haha,because i admit, I'm also a huge sucker for souvenirs-pasalubong in pinoy terms. :D)
National Heritage Board
--ever wondered why Singapore is a melting pot of mixed cultures? It's best that we experience the awesomeness of the heritage that they posses.
The Food Capital of Asia
--anyone who denies this would be really DEAD lying. I mean,in my terms, Asian Cuisine is the best-it SHOULD be savoured to the last minute. I heard it's a fusion of East and West,and that should be really good.And that should be a gastronomical adventure.yum!


ITINERARIES:

I could imagine myself as a one-day tourist in Singapore.I'd spend the whole day and paint the town red after.

And the whereabouts?

Oh,here it goes.
* The hawker centers
-best experienced when you're a first timer.as well as a foodie.

1000 places to see before you die – A traveller’s Life list by Patricia Schultz. hmm.I think I should read this one.

*Pasir Ris Park
-never been in a recreational park,so I'd rather do this somewhere different.Teehee.

*TigerLIVE at St James Power Station
-because it's for one word:BEER. Oh yay!

*Singapore River
-visible nightspots on four quays- The Boat Quay, Clarke Quay, Empress Place and Robertson Quay,what's not to like with a tranquil river beside it?

*Isles of Singapore
-Kusu Island,Pulau Ubin,Sentosa, and Saint John's Island-I guess this would be the place to go when you have to take a break from the hustle and bustle of Singapore,do a little chillax.

*Go to a bar where ELECTRICO would play
-oh yes, it was kinda upsetting for me that i missed the chance to watch Electrico live.hmpf. I love Electrico.never had their albums because it was never released here in the Philippines so I'm dead sure i wanna take their albums home.

Err,to sum it all up,this comes in one cool package that i've stumbled upon:

THE UNIQUELY REWARDING PACKAGE

-it's an exclusive package for the ladies,and that is really rewarding.Shopping IS a must.And top it off with people watching at Orchard Road.Followed by a spa treatment.Then end the night with a par-tay.Awesomeness.An ultimate package.

I really think to say that Singapore's a haven would really be that blissful once that you reached its destination.And really adds up on the knowledge that there are a lot of good reasons why we have to live the good life.

ughhhhh....darn.I'm about to sleep.work tomorrow.But really,that would be awesome!I'd make my plan happen if I had it my way! I'd really take the chance to enjoy the sights,indulge everything it has to offer and make it my unique Singapore experience.

good things to do this weekend

These are two good reasons why i'll be busy today and the next day.so where will you guys be?:D