i am your wisdom tooth

Pen Medina Acting Workshop! (Batch 2)

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 12:34:38 GMT

ReINTRODUCTION: A Different Approach to Film and TV Acting
A Workshop by Pen Medina

"Acting is standing up naked and turning around very slowly."
- Rosalind Russell

Learn important elements in acting such as:

Acting for Auditions
Subtext
Acting Truth
Building A Character
Relaxation
Improvisation

Slots are limited to eight (8) students per class! Workshoppers will get a chance to make a final short film. Shooting will start at the end of the workshop.

Schedule: Sat & Sun, 1-7pm.
Duration: July 11 to August 2.
Fee: P8,000.

With special insight from Spanky Manikan and Joel Torre. :)

See you at the workshop!

*** To reserve a slot, please pay a nonrefundable 25% of enrollment fee. Full amount must be completed on the first day of the workshop.

Venue: Nuevo Mundo Innovative Learning Center. Loyola Heights Condominium, Esteban Abada St., Loyola Heights, Quezon City
CP: 09175347464
Landline: 9961907

LET'S GO GUYZZZ!!!

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 15:55:03 GMT

ReINTRODUCTION: A Different Approach To Film And TV Acting
A Workshop by Pen Medina

Acting is standing up naked and turning around very slowly.
~ Rosalind Russell

Learn important elements in acting such as:

Acting For Auditions
Subtext
Acting Truth
Building A Character
Relaxation
Improvisation

Existing film scripts (written by Ping Medina) will be used as acting exercises. These exercises will be shot to produce a short film for the students to take home at the end of the program.

16 yrs old & above:
MON-WED-FRI (1pm - 6pm) April 27 - May 29
SAT-SUN (9am - 4pm) April 25 - May 31
* Fee: P8,000. (full, installment or deferred payment)

8-15 yrs old:
T-TH (1pm - 6pm) April 28 - May 28
* Fee: P6,000

Maximum of ten (10) students per class.

With special insight from film and TV actors Joel Torre, Ronnie Lazaro and Willie Nepomuceno.

Venue: Nuevo Mundo Innovative Learning Center (Katipunan-Xavierville area).
For inquiries, please call 996-1907 or 0917-5347464.

See you at the workshops! :)

(Acting workshops WILL CONTINUE after the summer! We also accept late enrollees.)

For Every Woman

Sat, 21 Mar 2009 20:18:40 GMT

For every woman who is tired of acting weak when she knows she is strong, there is a man who is tired of appearing strong when he feels vulnerable.

For every woman who is tired of acting dumb, there is a man who is burdened with the constant expectation of "knowing everything."

For every woman who is tired of being called "an emotional female," there is a man who is denied the right to weep and to be gentle.

For every woman who is called unfeminine when she competes, there is a man for whom competition is the only way to prove his masculinity.

For every woman who is tired of being a sex object, there is a man who must worry about his potency.

For every woman who feels "tied down" by her children, there is a man who is denied the full pleasures of shared parenthood.

For every woman who is denied meaningful employment or equal pay, there is a man who must bear full financial responsibility for another human being.

For every woman who was not taught the intricacies of an automobile, there is a man who was not taught the satisfactions of cooking.

For every woman who takes a step toward her own liberation, there is a man who finds the way to freedom has been made a little easier.

By Nancy Smith
Copyright 1973

Strawberry Shortcake: How to Love a Woman (and All You Will Ever Need To Know)

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 07:31:49 GMT

From page 100 of Haruki Murakami's "Norwegian Wood", my 2nd favorite book from the author. :)

“… So I made up my mind I was going to find someone who would love me unconditionally three hundred and sixty-five days a year. I was still in elementary school at that time — fifth or sixth grade — but I made up my mind once and for all.”

“Wow,” I said. “And did your search pay off?”

“That’s the hard part,” said Midori. She watched the rising smoke for a while, thinking. “I guess I’ve been waiting so long I’m looking for perfection. That makes it tough.“

“Waiting for the perfect love?”

“No, even I know better than that. I’m looking for selfishness. Perfect selfishness. Like, say I tell you I want to eat strawberry shortcake. And you stop everything you’re doing and run out and buy it for me. And you come back out of breath and get down on your knees and hold this strawberry shortcake out to me. And I say I don’t want it anymore and throw it out the window. That’s what I’m looking for.”

“I’m not sure that has anything to do with love,” I said with some amazement.

“It does,” she said. “You just don’t know it. There are times in a girl’s life when things like that are incredibly important.”

“Things like throwing strawberry shortcake out the window?”

“Exactly. And when I do it, I want the man to apologize to me. ‘Now I see, Midori. What a fool I’ve been! I should have known that you would lose your desire for strawberry shortcake. I have all the intelligence and sensitivity of a piece of donkey shit. To make it up to you, I’ll go out and buy you something else. What would you like? Chocolate mousse? Cheesecake?’”

“So then what.”

“So then I’d give him all the love he deserves for what he’s done.”

2009 is the chance to get it right/mess up all over again

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 09:41:38 GMT

"If you're going to try, go all the way. Otherwise don't even start. This could mean losing girlfriends, wives, relatives, jobs. And maybe your mind. It could mean not eating for three or four days. It could mean freezing on a park bench. It could mean jail. It could mean derision. It could mean mockery, isolation. Isolation is the gift. All the others are a test of your endurance. Of how much you really want to do it. And you'll do it, despite rejection in the worst odds. And it will be better than anything else you can imagine. If you're going to try, go all the way. There is no other feeling like that. You will be alone with the gods. And the nights will flame with fire. You will ride life straight to perfect laughter. It's the only good fight there is."

-- Charles Bukowski

KAMPAI FRIENDS! :)

an update

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 10:52:27 GMT

I've been good! How you been? Things have been moving quite a bit around here. Lots of plans. So many things to do, but doing one thing at a time. Quite scared when I'm visualizing plans, but I always think, what the heck. My tito just passed away, and I might do the same at whenever.

I quit smoking! Ever since I moved out and away from all the ciggies at home, I've been the cleanest chimney Santa can ever pray for. I rarely get cravings, and it's usually the very negligible kind. Withdrawal was nonexistent, so I believe in the power of the mind. Now if I can only "power of the mind" my health. I've been hovering between eating and exercising and this stupid holidays cough (even though I haven't smoked in ages). My weight has been hovering too, sometimes I'm pudgy, sometimes I'm meaty, sometimes I'm just plain dried out. Good thing the cough and phlegm's starting to subside. Time to be healthy again! Have to get ready for the holiday parties hahaha!

My first Syquoia Xmas party was great! My camera died on me early in the night though. Stupid me, I opted not to charge. Will post about it in a later time. Brought Megra along because I know it's her dream to live in Syquoia. She dubbed it, "the best party ever." We're good. She makes me smile and laugh on a daily basis. And I learn so much from her all the time. She pushes me to be a better person by barking like a crazy attorney. Those are the very important things.

Rest in peace, Marky Cielo.

Tito Mel

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 09:46:30 GMT

At four in the morning came a sudden intuition to call Dad. He passed up watching a Mike De Leon film the day before because his youngest brother, Tito Mel, had passed away that morning.

I had a feeling he was already in Pampanga to tend to the wake. So now I'm checking up on him, to see how he was dealing with the sudden loss of his youngest brother, six years his junior, to a sudden heart attack, the same way he lost my grandfather Apong Seong to a weak heart, while Dad himself has been dealing with his own heart problems as of late.

My father tells me they're burying Tito Mel's body in a few hours, not opting for a prolonged wake, and nobody bothering to tell me because they thought I had work. The realizations choked me; Tito Mel won't be singing karaoke this Christmas, and even though Dad was telling me, "Baka ikaw pa yung mag-breakdown ah," his voice sounded different, it was just him quietly grieving on the other line, and I had to leave now.

I take the first bus going to Arayat. It's a trip I take every year with my family. Now it's all so strange, taking a bus full of strangers, a trip three weeks early, heading to Arayat for an entirely different ocassion. But with funerals, especially the sudden death of my 52-year-old Tito, who is relatively young, one can never really know what to expect.

I arrive to my brother outside, distant relatives greeting me, close relatives all puffy-eyed from the night before, Tita Nina still high-strung from it all, my Dad listening to the tail-end of the sermon. I see Tito Mel's photo, and the open casket.

The procession starts, I haven't had any decent sleep, I don't feel an ounce of tiredness, passing out from the heat was the last thing on my mind. It's the last thing I am ever going to do for my Tito Mel. I walked and remembered he smoked a lot, liked drinking with us Christmas Eve then Christmas afternoon, liked singing karaoke and always wanted us to sing. I thought it was still too early for him to go. I shook my head a lot of times. I told my tito's and tita's it was still too soon for him to go. He didn't even say goodbye, he just got up and left.

We will miss you, Tito Mel. See you soon.

instant connection (electrification! when i met you)

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 17:35:49 GMT

I'm really getting old, you know. But as they say, Age Is A State Of Mind. (Do not ask me what stage I'm in!)

My budding interests do not reflect my real age! Instead of feeling and experiencing, the river has started flowing to creating and building. And it is starting to flood! Good thing I'm damn good at being a beaver.

It'a good thing too, you're a crazy b*tch who makes me laugh with all your megaphone decibels of expressing your thoughts and emotions. And I'm really happy that you're starting to trust me the way I trust you. Bah, told you it's normal at the start of every relationship.

Whenever I'm alone with you... You make me feel like I am young again... :)

***

On the other hand, this really makes me feel special. Really. I think. HAHAHA thanks for trusting me enough to post this! It's a good thing you know, trust :p WE SHOULD PRACTICE IT MORE OFTEN, MEG!

meg
are you free sunday?
cat, my really good friend
wants to meet you
i wanna take you to her mom's cafe
in merville
and try her

pinggoy
i'm kinda intimidated with the wants to meet you part
haha

meg
salad with mango vinigrette (did i spell it right?)

pinggoy
vinAigrette

meg
she's been a witness to my years of dating mishaps
thanks for spelling correction
so i need to introduce you

pinggoy
haha
okay :)

meg
and when i say years of mishaps, i mean YEARS of dating MISHAPS
hahahahahahahaha!
from dating japanese models wearing plunging shirts

pinggoy
didnt you wanna hit that
oh yeah
so i'm like the fluke, eh?
thanks.

meg
you're the anomaly

a friendly reminder

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 00:28:36 GMT

"Chemistry, they say, is what attracts people to one another. That may be. But if, after the chemistry does its work, you don't rise to a higher level of consciousness, the chemistry will eventually turn into hatred. The passion will still be there, but the attraction will become malicious and revengeful. That's what soap operas are based on, and a lot of so-called great literature. That's what a lot of people still call love."

~ William Ashoka Ross

bagong umaga

Wed, 28 May 2008 03:36:47 GMT

Ito yung 'pag gising mo sa umaga, maiisip mo siya. Maalala mo yung mga nangyari kahapon. Tapos maiisip mo kung ano na talaga kayo ngayon. Simula sa araw na ito.

Iiyak ka na. Iiyak ng iiyak. Ito ang gagawin mo pagkagising na pagkagising mo sa umaga. Halong ayaw mo at gusto mo ang mga luha mo. Bubuhos lang ng bubuhos.

Iiyak ka kasi kahapon na-realize mo kung ano ang bigat niya sa buhay mo. At ngayon, kinabukasan, alam mong hindi na siya magiging sa'yo. Nahuli ka na naman. Palagi kang late bloomer.

Nalasing na ako kagabi. At matagal ko nang hindi naramdaman yun. Yung gusto mo talagang malasing. Yung kailangan mong malasing. Nanuod ka ng Urban Dub. 'Pag uwi mo, nagwawala ka sa "Let The Music Play" sa kitchen. Tapos sa kama, nasa "Cannonball" ka na.

Hindi titigil yan. Kasabay ng sarap ng musika ang walang tigil na pagbuhos. Kasi sa bawat patak ng luha, papalabas sa sistema mo, na tagaktak sa pisngi mo, dahan-dahan siyang sumasama. Hanggang sa pag-alis niya, aalalayan mo siya at iingatan.

This is part of letting go. Sabi nga ng tatay ko, ganyan ang buhay. Ibuhos mo ngayon ang lahat. Namnamin ang sarap ng lahat ng nangyayari sa'yo.

Tapos, piliin mo ang sarili mo. Kasi matapang ka.

one of my fave films last year

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 16:53:21 GMT

Endo opens February 13, 2008 at the following cinemas:
SM (Megamall, North Edsa, Manila, Southmall, Fairview, Centerpoint), Ayala (Glorietta 4) and Gateway.

Visit endothemovie.com and endothemovie.multiply.com

WATCH THE TRAILER!!!

my facebook status: Ping Medina is Searching for.

Sun, 23 Sep 2007 17:17:11 GMT

Random but important stuff for this entry.

******

Good news! I got nominated this month at the Urian Awards. And we're starting this afternoon Kristine Hermosa soap to be aired this October. I play the role of a young and idealistic fresh graduate policeman. So if anyone's been seeing me on Jack TV with that stupid coconut hair, blame ABS-CBN. Anyway, I didn't win at the Urian. But the guy who beat me in supporting actor category, Mr. Rafael Rossell, is Kristine Hermosa's love interest in aforementioned soap. So I'll be seeing that fucker quite often. Kidding of course! I'm really happy for him. :)

Prinsesa ng Banyera! To be directed by this total performer dude, Andoy Ranay, who's incindentally totally gay and "bonggacious" and an absolute great fun to be hang out with on the set. :)

******

I've been addicted for about a week now to facebook. www.facebook.com. WWW.FACEBOOK.COM. It's like friendster, but with really cool statistics games like HoboWars and Fight Club and everything under the sun. Which basically add 1million cool points. (Remember that college A1 bench friends? When I used to spend hours on the bench making high scores on dopewars, oblivious to you strange people living in the real world :p HAHAHA!!!)

What the hell, why am I plugging it??? Don't join aryt? If it becomes popular it won't be so cool anymore. Plus I like facebook because it is somewhat a private site. Kinda like myspace.

fezbook

******

PenPen friends! To all those who might be wondering, yes Manikako is still the featured group for the month of September. And I'm still actually very open to extending their residence because as it turns out, it's tough finding a worthy replacement for them. (Any suggestions for young and dynamic groups out there?)

click your clicker on this if you don't know what PenPen is:

really gorgeous review of Bea Acosta for ClickTheCity

******

I am a Leo man. July 23 is my birthday. So that makes me a Leo cusp. More specifically, the Cancer-Leo cusp. Because my birthday falls on the Cancer side instead of the Virgo.

Cancer (Jun 21 - July 22)
Leo (July 23 - Aug 22)
Virgo (Aug 23 - Sept 22)

Wala lang. I've been quite interested in all this love astrology shite lately. Realizing the duality of my signs, no wonder I've been confused my first 21 years of life!

YOU AND LEO MAN

He falls in love readily, then finds it hard to sustain the emotion. for him, falling out of love is as simple as falling out of bed.

Don't make the mistake of thinking Leo man is casual about love. he isn't; in fact, he sees love in practically mythical terms. To him, a love affair is never minor or mild or murky. It is high drama; it is a grand passion. No one else in the zodiac can more easily make you believe that you and he are the first, original, quintessential lovers in the world. The woman who wins his favor moves instantly to center stage. The spotlight is on her, she rates in the bright circle of his admiration. It's a heady experience to have a Leo lover. Then suddenly the lights are turned off, the curtain falls, the play is over—and she doesn't know why. And he won't explain. Most likely, it's because Leo was in love with a mythical creature of his imagination—a beautiful adoring princess completely fulfilled by him. When the real woman supersedes the myth, Leo gets on his white horse and rides off.

Leo man likes a woman to cater to his every whim. Yet he would be surprised to hear himself described as demanding. He doesn't see himself that way at all. He thinks he is openhearted, trusting, asking nothing but what he is entitled to. If told that he sometimes asks too much of those close to him, he simply wouldn't understand how. After all, why should anyone refuse him? In pleasing him, they please themselves. A true democrat, he believes everyone is equal—equally ready to serve him.

If this sounds like an overweeningly self-assured type riding for a fall, look a bit closer. Underneath Leo's surface majesty is a sensitive, vulnerable man who needs reassurance—and praise. Praise is as necessary to him as food and drink.

In sexual relationships he won't voyage beyond the farthest limits of the known to find a new continent of sensuality. He's a cautious navigator who sticks close to charted waters. On the other hand, a woman will never end up with a sunken wreck.

If you rub his mane the right way, Leo the Lion is a marvelously affectionate, cheerful companion. He is kind, strong, generous, something of a spendthrift but usually successful in business. A woman who gets this flamboyant, magnetic overachiever with the sunny disposition has only one problem. Somehow she has to teach him that the sole object of his adulation does not have to be himself.

YOU AND CANCER MAN

This sensual man doesn't come at you directly. He'd rather play the attentive courtier, the one who brings candy, flowers, and champagne and takes you to nice places. At most, he'll make an oblique suggestion that could as easily be taken for a mere risque quip. That's to leave himself an avenue of escape, for he can't stand rejection.

He falls in love easily, for he is inclined to be a romantic daydreamer. His imagination becomes quickly engaged and anything will start him off: a wisp of a remembered fragrance, an almost-familiar face, the sound of a foghorn across the water. He begins to visualize scenes out of the past or to fantasize about the future. He can work up a whole romantic scenario out of very little raw material. Unfortunately, this also applies when he becomes jealous. He must know that his chosen mate is faithful at all times. His own fidelity runs very deep, and he demands total fealty in return. Anything else is a threat to the stability he prizes, the security he needs.

Cancer male is very affectionate, and certainly doesn't insist on having a number of women around. ("If you've got one good woman, who needs two?" a Cancer male would ask.) Lovemaking is best for him when it happens at the whim of the moment.

He is intensely imaginative and expressive, with remarkable empathy and an instinctive understanding of the human heart, especially of its pain. He can actually feel his way into your emotions and sense your problems. Loving and attentive, he is willing to go to any lengths to please the object of his desire. He has a gift to amuse, and will spoil you outrageously if given half a chance.

Above all, he wants the woman of his dreams to share his dreams with him. He is faithful and takes his role as a strong male protector very seriously. He is a very masculine man, not necessarily in an outer show of brawn and ruggedness but in his inner strength of tenderness and sensitivity. If you're the kind of woman who likes being pampered and looked after—having a constant devoted companion—Cancer is definitely your man.

Yun lang!!! Found the site really good, and the stuff written in it have so far been the best works on Astrology I've seen. Really interesting and impressive work, whoever you are dude. I now know I possess a lot of both Cancer and Leo traits. :)

MORE ZODIAC BULL AT:

http://www.pixelgirldesign.com/astrology/index.html

Seriously though. I never liked reading astrology until I cam across this site. Now I'm hooked.

at last!

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 22:26:13 GMT

*hawak kamay with*

Hi guys!

I kinda got into some kind of business. The FOOD business that is. Well it's not really MY business, because I am just helping out. Anyway to cut it short, my Mom has this little kainan just off Tomas Morato, aptly named PenPen. Haha.

Are you hungry? Click on this cut!

Do you care about other peoples in general? Click on this cut!

It is the entrepreneurs who have the power to harness the creativity and talents of others to achieve a common good.
- John Gokongwei

PenPen will be featuring Manikako for the month of August.
We will also be giving 10% percent of the net profits for the entire month.
Now it is time for you to meet Manikako!

PenPen has two (2) immediate goals:

1) To give financial assistance

2) To raise awareness for budding non-profit groups such as this one, thereby helping them attract the right people willing to support their cause

We're planning to make this a monthly thing with a different non-profit organization every month. But if Manikako gets more than good feedback then we are more than willing to extend them to the month of September. (aside from the gratitude from us for being PenPen's first willing victim :P)

For more information on the Manikako: Dolls Of Hope project, you can visit the official website:

www.manikako.com

Or go here for photos and documentation of past workshops.

AND OH! A special PENPEN DOLL will be on display at PenPen for the entire month! Care of Manikako's resident sexy seamstress coffeecurls. It will be on display at PenPen for the entire month, I just hope nobody steals it because it is so cute! Hehe :)

I will be frequenting the place to oversee operations in the first few weeks. So all of y'all will drop by or else! We have great food not anywhere else. :)

play this song! it is love hahaha
WE ALSO ACCEPT CATERING :p

birkenstocks was "in" at the time

Tue, 05 Jun 2007 14:47:38 GMT

So I posted this really sloppy elchay entry November of last year, about my retired Nastase sneakers. But Mr. Jerome Gomez texted me yesterday he wanted to use it for a MetroHim issue. It's really sloppily written, quite long with lots of digressing and pooping around. So I edited it for about 50 minutes today to bump it up to MetroHim standards.

I don't know how much of it he's going to use, or if he's going to use it at all. But he only told me to send the damn thing already. So... Just thought I'd repost it. And enable the commenting. Because the old comment-disabled entry didn't really do Nastase full justice. I changed the photo from B&W to a colored one.

Adidas Nastase Sneakers
197? - 2006

(This is an old photo of Nastase taken a few years back, in a healthier state Mr. Quickie would approve of)

It was a day in July 2001. I was fresh out of high school. On the verge of the unfamiliar world of college. It was the perfect time for personal reinvention. As I've been wearing everyday leather shoes all my life, I instinctively headed for our dusty shoe closet and dug through with all the promise of discovering hidden treasure. What I found, I did not expect. Such a beautiful sight to behold. Sitting pretty was love at first sight.

I thought the sneakers were absolutely neat-o. The fit was exactly how I would pick a fresh pair off the rack. And everything was already feeling like freaky fate. Did they feel so good to my feet? Oh yes. These were the lightest sneakers in the world. I could sleep in them at night and jump straight into my day next morning.

I got attention for the slogan shirts I wore, but it was always Nastase who did the trick. People come up to me wanting to buy my precious pair, asking where they could get one, or stuff I couldn't give an answer to. Even though I know it's impossible, I still say, "Try looking inside your shoe cabinet."

Nastase was perfect for me, but he didn't come with no feet hazards. Nastase had onion skin soles so jagged rocks was not an option. Occasional unforeseen puddles, which Nastase was more than willing to dry up owing to the absorbent nature of its material, always gave me the dreaded wet socks. But I guess this is what people found most appealing about Nastase. Nastase was a crappy old shoe, but he was very comfortable being one. And looked quite damn good.

At one of the countless gigs I went to, we were hanging out and an old crush was there.

"I like your sneakers. They look pretty old."

A song later, I ask her:

"So what do you usually go for? Older men?"

"No, just guys with nice sneakers," (Then flashes a smile. Haha.)

I found Nastase inside a dusty shoe closet, so I guess one thing that will forever remain a mystery to me is his actual age. I used to play a lot of tennis so I know the design was named after Ilie Nastase, a popular Romanian tennis player in the 70's. So if I were to carbon-date this, Nastase was born around the mid-70's, which would make him around 25 years old the first time I met him in our shoe closet.

Nastase used to be this vibrant cool pair of grayish color. He was smug and unique. But now he's just really really dirty. His seams have exploded all over the place, and you can sneak a peek at all my toes if you prod the right places. For a while I contemplated seeking Mr. Quickie's help, but I knew it was inevitable.

The last few months were spent getting comfortable with the new but old replacement shoes. They are the same brand, has a bulkier look to it, with pentel pen doodling on the sides. The soles are about a hundred times thicker, so I don't have to worry about any hostile edges. But of course, they don't look as cool as Nastase. Because I don't think there is a pair in the world that can look as nice as that old ragged thing.

So here's to you, Mr. Nastase. For every single pavement day, from the habitual heavy feet to my zest for quest adventures in new and tedious terrain, which has obviously taken its toll on you for all those meaningful five years. Nothing else will ever come close.

yay internet!

Sun, 06 May 2007 19:01:49 GMT

the modems have been screwy mofos today. IT REALLY PISSES ME OFF TO SEE MY WIFI METER GO ZERO AND THAT PAGE CANNOT BE DISPLAYED SIGN GOING UP. but i get such pleasure from knowing that all i have to do is turn it off and on and im back again! hee hee, such a kick out of it... eniweiz

TODAY! the live recording we did january last year i think got played on "in the raw" all so sudden and unexpected. it was like,

huy may sesend ako pakinggan mo tell me what you think...

sige! patugtog namin mamaya sa in the raw sunday ngayon.

OKAY.

but wow, it was WOW. first time i've heard anything of ours on the radio. anyway, mr. brew commented:

- compelling sound (you're jerking me off! ;p)
- nice arrangement (haha! thanks i'm better there than playing the geetar)
- like the japanese sounding guitar part in the middle
- and ping if you're listening, there's this thing called "tuning"

haha sorry i was still tuning slightly half a note higher back then. second-hand multifx don't come with manuals and my ears are no good it has to be half-note out of tune for me to notice :p

anyway that particular song has evolved a lot since then, better guitar parts and some added arrangement by jp and denden. i was having that last single problem with the arrangement and they took care of it while i wasn't around. that's so sweet. and convenient for me.

but yea shit. i like encouraging comments but i don't take them to heart? even if it came from the likes of mr. kiko himself. i know we still have a long ways yuh! add to that our vox left us a while back which brought us back down to like... 2 1/2 songs. har har. now we are looking for a vocalist: sana medyo cute ang boses, medyo cute din, mabait sa tao, does not abhor pop the good kind anyway. most important though: loves life and singing and performing.

***

lately it's been busy and meditative for me. lots of contemplating and searching for recipes that i would heartily eat myself, simple yet great ones i can proudly serve to peoples. although my time is pretty flexible, the accumulated stress and anxiety can get tedious over time. this an entirely different putahe. over the past few months i have learned to:

make BEEF KEBAB from scratch, relying not on internet recipes but instincts and years of love for persian food.

make great creamy squash soup (try it!), which my kuya taught me

mini cordon bleu! bleah :p

PLUS A BUNCH OF OTHER COOKING STUFF. like learning how this and that ingredient works and all that chef stuff. i get it all from the internet. oh what would i do without you worldwideweb? WWWWWWWW...

tomorrow i'm learning how to make yoghurt! i didn't know it was that simple. looked it up on the net, all you need is milk thermos kitchen thermometer and two tbsps starter yoghurt. that's basic homemade yoghurt fer yer fatty ass! whowuldathunk

was supposed to blog about my favorite cats in the world and how grown up they are now (sniffle huhu, proud-ness yay hahaha i love you my favorite cat Prozac hahaha shet yuck hahahhahaa taena stop it! hahaha yuck)

but i felt like i had to blog about these things first. hmmm... mebbe for the next entry :) hehehehe yak hahahhaha mwerf stop it!!!!!!!!!!! haha (okay stop it!) mwerf

it has to be bold font

Thu, 15 Mar 2007 20:13:03 GMT

from 2006 - present.......... tada

through those years i have learned to be patient
to the person i'm talking to:
if you don't get it, does not mean you're stupid
it just means i have to explain a little more
give effort a little more

months and months of half-waiting, half-pursuing
i've learned that if you don't work hard
for the things you love the most
it doesn't hold much meaning
(although there is the occasional fluke, wonderful fluke, very meaningful fluke)

if you suspect that you're working too hard
you probably are
and it's probably about time
that you ask
is this too hard or
is it really not just for me?

i am happy with what i have learned
i do not wish to know everything in the universe
i am happy with what i know
with what i don't know

i'd like to get drunk sometime the entire night
without having even a single realization about love
without the words beer belly crossing my line of vision

in other news

Thu, 22 Feb 2007 00:36:31 GMT

At 101 pesos per ticket, only 35 people went to see Imahe Nasyon on the first day. Two of them, probably a lesbian couple, went in thinking the show was still Rome & Juliet, last week's film that sold 1000+ tickets on the first day at 131 pesos. It has gone on to a second week at Robinson's Ermita because the first week had more than half a million in revenues and women (and men) were still coming in. I didn't know if the couple wanted a refund. But that's their fault anyways. Hahaha

We met up with TV crews at Robinson's IndieSine yesterday to promote the film. Pretty late isn't it? Shouldn't we supposed to be promoting the film BEFORE it shows? One of the crews were from the Buzz, so that won't be showing until this SUNDAY, third to the last day of the regular run, and probably on the time slot of the second to last screening of the day.

Even the youtube trailer was a bit late. Added feb 16, by Manie. Take a peek:

I'm almost embarrassed because Jon and Carol Red and company were very hands-on promoting this. Looking back I probably should've asked favors from different media people I am acquainted with. Or maybe twisted some arms in the few weeks before the regular run, while asking nicely of course. But all I did was internet work. (I heard Rome & Juliet had TV plugs.)

So now I'm doing two radio interviews later. And this photo spread for Inquirer's Super! section on Saturday. Whose brilliant idea this is, I don't know. But I am once again in awe of how much the PDI people helps little people like us. Thanks to Pam Pastor and Pepe Diokno, the latter I think I have not met yet. So that gives us what, an Inquirer spread to boost the last 4 days? Should be good. I'm really excited for later. The stylist has already contacted me last night. He is a he and his name is Milan, I love it. We will be shooting somewhere in EDSA so as to be appropriate for the film. Should be fun, dontchatink. :p

EDIT: Oh my garsh as in turns out it's the cover for Super! this Saturday. I just came from the Inquirer offices in Makati hung around until they finished working on the spread. It turned out really really really great. It's so beautiful hahaha.... The photos (Idris Vicuna), the layout (Kuya Marlone), the words even if the overall gist is a bit too much for my insecure self haha (Pam Pastor and Pepe Diokno)... I'm so excited for it to come out! YAY! Much thanks to Tim Yap Pepe Diokno Pam Pastor David Milan of PDI. :) (I really hope it will boost sales for the last 4 days of Imahe Nasyon.)

Feb 21-27 IndieSine Robinson's Galleria

Tue, 13 Feb 2007 19:08:28 GMT

Hello... hello... I freeze... *frown*

Ayan sa wakas, magkakaroon na ng theatrical run ang Imahe Nasyon. Ito ay 20 short films na likha ng 20 directors, with each of them unique take on what happened to the Philippines after EDSA I.

Medyo tedious na project noh? Biruin mo, 20 directors yan, 20 mood patterns, 20 katao na hindi agad magtetext back sayo, 20 unique perspectives, at kailangan mo gawan ng paraan para ipagkaisa ang twenty different minds. It's a project that required A LOT of patience from Mr. Jon and Carol Red and company. Parang ayaw na nga nila ulitin ito e, sabi nila.

Ito, kung gusto niyo ng mas-intellectual na opinyon ng ibang writers:

manila times review

inquirer review

inquirer interview of Jon Red, creator and line producer

Sa totoo lang, nagandahan ako sa mga lumabas na shorts, a little more than what I expected. Merong mga magaganda at meron ding mga okay lang at meron ring hindi ko talaga naintindihan. Pero bakit ba kayo makikinig sa akin, e biased ako :p

Personal favorite ko sa mga shorts e ang... ang hirap talaga pumili. Seryoso. Halos lahat kasi nagustuhan ko. Pero kung papipiliin talaga ako, ang personal favorite ko ay ang "La Pula" ni Roxlee. Hahaha. Basta.

Segue. Nakuha ko ito sa eljay ni Clang Sison, ang award-winning editor (nakanangtooch!) ng Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros:

Sa wakas! After 15 billion years! Available na po for the general public and official DVD version ng Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros

DVD - Php 450.00
VCD - Php 250.00

Available sa lahat ng video stores initially in Manila pero kakalat sa buong bansa yehehey!

At kung type niyo bumili ng copy ng Maxi DVD autographed by no less than Nathan "Maximo Oliveros" Lopez himself, kindly text +639178574011. I think it sells for the same price, 450 pesos. At meron namang Maxi and Sarong Banggi VCD bundle for only 400 pesos. :)

Nuod kayo ah! Magsama kayo ng friends na sawa na sa fried chicken at spaghetti. Sa February 21-27 at IndieSine. Ito ang cinema 3, ang bagong digital theater ng Robinson's Galleria. Isang buong linggo (one whole week) yan ipapalabas. Kaya pag kayo, hindi pa nakapanuod...

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone! :p

late tribute

Mon, 12 Feb 2007 20:30:51 GMT

the late Elmo Redrico, in Imahe Nasyon's "Local Unit" by Tad Ermitano
Nung una kong nakakasama si Ka Elmo, OA na actor ang tingin ko sa kanya. Palaging intrusive at hyper ang kanyang energy, dilat na dilat lagi ang mata at parang sarcastic lagi magsalita (think Robin Padilla). Pero nung napanuod ko siya sa kanyang more recent works gaya ng Kubrador at Imahe Nasyon, ako ay napahanga na niya. Kung dati e Robin Padilla, ngayon ay Marlon Brando na. :)

Simula noon e inabangan ko kung saang indie film naman sunod na lalabas si Ka Elmo. Huli kong nakausap si Ka Elmo, bago siya tinamaan ng isang fatal heart attack nung August 2006, ay sa screening ng Kubrador sa UP Cine Adarna. Nagtatanong siya tungkol kay Miss Amor ng Star Cinema, na siyang tumulong ng malaki sa marketing ng Maxi at ngayon ay manager na ng dalawang budding talents sa industriya ngayon, si JR Valentin at Soliman Cruz.

E nagkataon na nakuwentuhan ako ni Sol tungkol sa laking gaan ng buhay niya nung dumating si Amor, na halos napaisip ako kung bakit ako e ayaw kumuha ng manager? Kaya sabi ko kay Ka Elmo, good choice yan! Natutuwa talaga ako noon para sa kanya. Kasi napakagandang nilalang ni Ka Elmo nung araw na yun sa Cine Adarna. Isa siyang nilalang na punung-puno ng excitement at pag-asa.

Laking gulat at sayang lang nung nakuha ko yung text tungkol sa pagpanaw niya. Nung binabasa ko yun, medyo walang sense lang talaga. Kasi, si Ka Elmo yun e. Hindi namamatay ang mga ganung tao. Pero naisip ko rin, malakas siya uminom. Malakas siya manigarilyo. Tapos ang hyperactive niya. Tipong kayang dilat ng isa buong linggo na walang tulog. Malaki ang puso ni Ka Elmo, pero gaya ng lahat ng bagay, bumigay na rin. Ayun sa wakas, may sense na rin.

Tunay talaga, isang kakaibang karakter ang nawala sa aming maliit na industriya. Umaasa ako noon na makikita ko ang pagusbong ni Ka Elmo bilang actor. Pero okay na yun siguro. Kasi alam mo naman, magkikita-kita rin tayo diba? Kaya relax mo lang puso mo diyan, Ka Elmo. Patuloy lang kami dito. :)

2006 was a year for thankful (year 2007 for vision)

Mon, 01 Jan 2007 13:03:40 GMT

To everyone,

Because I was inspired by Raya's entry.

To ANGELINA JOLIE and BRAD PITT. For being a great example. Hooking up must've been the best decision of your blessed lives.

To ISAW SA KANTO PRODUCTIONS aka close friends including guy best friend. For making some of the best music videos this year. 2007 will bring in more good things, friends. Let's make a feature-length within the decade, at text niyo naman ako pag may shoot :p (Special props QUARK HENARES, his insane livejournal entries and his cinematic way of living.)

To UP DHARMA DOWN and THE ITCHYWORMS. For giving birth to two of my favorite OPM albums this year. UdD was still a three-piece band of 2004, going by the name of Catch-22, and after an evening gig of singing her heart out, Armi was, the right term would be, bitching about being alienated by a silent audience, but mostly perplexed as to why the uninterested crowd didn't seem to get what she was scream/sing-ing about. Now look who's stimulating their minds now :p (And ANG BANDANG SHIRLEY for coming out with the best EP this year. Owel you are hands down the best songwriter of our generation and the best in a long time, and I am coming from a very objective mountaintop. We are man-hugging gay lovers, we thrive in pressure with pleasure.)

To HELLO EBRO aka bandmates aka high school barkada plus one saling-kitkit. For teaching me humility in collaboration. Energy cannot be created nor destroyed. Same with music, our music we will not create nor destroy, but transform and transmutate and transpose trans trans trans, and we will take our sweet time doing it.

To SADDAM HUSSEIN. All throughout his 24 years in Iraq, his being not-right-in-the-head was exploited by the United States of In Control Of The World. Even in death they made good use of you. I am sorry. (And to USA, for electing the Democrats into power. I don't fully understand how this works, but it's a welcome change.)

To SPONGEBOB and PATRICK STAR & OTHERS. I love watching your reruns. Simply genius. Much love to DISCOVERY and NAT GEO channels.

To my MOTHER. It was always Dad and I who thought alike, never us. But I think we found our common ground just before the year ended: a mind for commerce. We will start small and one day be called pioneers in our own right. May 2007 be a fruitful year for us, so that we may have enough resources for future endeavours (and tuition fees).

To ACTING and WRITING. The first, you are my bread and butter. And you, I wish to do more of you this year.

To JON RED. I constantly pop up in his head during casting, I feel the love, and the majority of the twenty filmmakers, who picked me for IMAHE NASYON. And to the TV PEOPLE GMA TAPE RUEL BAYANI, for giving me a chance to come out on TV and for giving me your good money. MIKE SANDEJAS for bringing the late TEDDY DIAZ and THE DAWN into my life. BOBBY BONIFACIO, one of the most promising young directors, who will come back from Guam exile to direct another movie for us pinoys :p

To PROZAC. You have grown so big. You are the most peculiar cat ever. We have the same mind. I will cry if you die.

To my FATHER. Because I wouldn't be proud of the imperfect good that I have become if it weren't for you.

To YOU. Because being there is never just being there. You taught me. We will ride.

I wish to be great one day.
There is a good chance
this will happen
because simply,
I am surrounded by genius.

From ripples to tsunamis,

Pinggoy
Jan 1 2007

birkenstocks were "in" at the time

Mon, 27 Nov 2006 11:25:19 GMT

Adidas Nastase Sneakers
197? - 2006

(this is an old photo of Nastase taken a few years back, in a healthier state mr.quickie would approve of)

It was a day in July 2001. I was fresh out of high school. On the verge of the unfamiliar world of college. It was the perfect time for personal reinvention. As I've been wearing everyday leather shoes all my life, I instinctively headed for our dusty shoe closet and dug through with all the promise of discovering hidden treasure. What I found, I did not expect. Such a beautiful sight to behold. Sitting pretty was love at first sight.

I thought the sneakers were absolutely neat-o. The fit was exactly how I would pick a fresh pair off the rack. And everything was already feeling like freaky fate. Did they feel so good to my feet? Oh yes. These were the lightest sneakers in the world. I could sleep in them at night and jump straight into my day next morning.

I got attention for the slogan shirts I wore, but it was always Nastase who did the trick. People come up to me wanting to buy my precious pair, asking where they could get one, or stuff I couldn't give an answer to. Even though I know it's impossible, I still say, "Try looking inside your shoe cabinet."

Nastase was perfect for me, but he didn't come with no feet hazards. Nastase had onion skin soles so jagged rocks was not an option. Occasional unforeseen puddles, which Nastase was more than willing to dry up owing to the absorbent nature of its material, always gave me the dreaded wet socks. But I guess this is what people found most appealing about Nastase. Nastase was a crappy old shoe, but he was very comfortable being one. And looked quite damn good.

At one of the countless gigs I went to, we were hanging out and an old crush was there.

"I like your sneakers. They look pretty old."

A song later, I ask her:

"So what do you usually go for? Older men?"

"No, just guys with nice sneakers," (Then flashes a smile. Haha.)

I found Nastase inside a dusty shoe closet, so I guess one thing that will forever remain a mystery to me is his actual age. I used to play a lot of tennis so I know the design was named after Ilie Nastase, a popular Romanian tennis player in the 70's. So if I were to carbon-date this, Nastase was born around the mid-70's, which would make him around 25 years old the first time I met him in our shoe closet.

Nastase used to be this vibrant cool pair of grayish color. He was smug and unique. But now he's just really really dirty. His seams have exploded all over the place, and you can sneak a peek at all my toes if you prod the right places. For a while I contemplated seeking Mr. Quickie's help, but I knew it was inevitable.

The last few months were spent getting comfortable with the new but old replacement shoes. They are the same brand, has a bulkier look to it, with pentel pen doodling on the sides. The soles are about a hundred times thicker, so I don't have to worry about any hostile edges. But of course, they don't look as cool as Nastase. Because I don't think there is a pair in the world that can look as nice as that old ragged thing.

So here's to you, Mr. Nastase. For every single pavement day, from the habitual heavy feet to my zest for quest adventures in new and tedious terrain, which has obviously taken its toll on you for all those meaningful five years. Nothing else will ever come close.

THE JOLLIBEE SCANDAL

Tue, 24 Oct 2006 16:43:26 GMT

WHAT THE FUCK!!!!!! DO NOT CLICK ON THIS LINK! WHATEVER YOU DO DO NOT CLICK ON IT! IT WILL RUIN YOUR LIFE!!! AHAHAHAHHAA

an engaging entry will be my next goal for this eljay ahahahha

ripped from loveyoujaded

Sun, 03 Sep 2006 02:54:20 GMT

Which Cat Are You?

The House Cats - tugstugstugstugstugs....

The Funk Cat

The Workout Cat

The HipHop Cat

The Metal Cats - yeeeaaaaaaoooowww!

The Stevie Wonder Cat

The Stoner Rock Cat

The Techno Cat - hahaha this is my favorite

The iCat

hehe have a nice day all!

i like cold woongjin tomato juice... yum

Tue, 15 Aug 2006 00:05:56 GMT

the past few weeks i've been going to bed around SIX AM, oh so much energy to be dissipated everyday! a few times i tried to imagine the spores in my body growing to be as round as plates so all my energy will evaporate into the night and i can sleep and recuperate my asthma. sleeping as the sun is coming up really feels like shit unless you have aircon and thick rugs covering your windows. there's nothing like sleeping in the dark dark night.

but today i wake up FOUR-THIRTY AM because i slept TEN PM! yay... my sister said, bat ka nagising? i am actually awake in the morning yay for me officially loving it. i hope this will continue.

anyway, i am planning to make a mix cd for the band, just so they can get a idea of the stuff i listen to and the sensibilities and aesthetics i want them to be familiar with:

<.prologue.> ritchie valens - sleepwalk

narda - crime-fighting mama
cibo matto - spoon
gloss - my heart belongs to you
jacks mannequin - dark blue
hanne hukkelberg - true love
broken social scene - 7/4 shoreline
kahimi karie - alcohol
ang bandang shirley - ang pag-ibig alinsunod... AKA tsuper duper
aberfeldy - love is an arrow
hanne hukkelberg - displaced
the cardigans - over the water
the wannadies - (di ko alam title, but i really love the head-bop ending instumental)
the wannadies - you and me song
gloss - lonely in paris
tokyo jihen - himitsu
bic runga - say after me

<.epilogue.> nintendo remixes - tetris happy hardcore techno

i swear every one of them is a good song! try downloading one. go ahead, try it out. but they are mostly "happy/cute songs" and some "dangerous/sexy songs" hehe... can you suggest any songs to me? i need your help! and i love the japanese!

hellobebe and i were talking over KFC yesterday, how she loves listening to steady sentimental melancholic music. it just reminded me how i used to be like that, this entirely different EMO person. amazing how much i liked listening to really sad heavy songs. even EMO songs. i'd listen to those songs like they are all that mattered in the world. just me, my downer emotions... and those songs.

i kinda miss the old days when i was hellbent on feeling everything to the very core of my being. experimenting on whatever's available and basically just wanting to try everything once. I WANTED TO FEEL IT ALL. i miss being irrational, selfish, immature, crazy... yes i will admit to being crazy, even if it's the most pretentious thing to say since i believe that

everybody is crazy. nobody is normal. although most of us are trying to be.

hahaha! but i've turned into this boring fucker that i am right now. what can i say? i simply turned out to be one of those happy to be alive fuckers. i rarely drink, i've cut down dramatically on cigarettes, no more drugs for escape... what's next? start exercising? geezuh! everything is going all right. it's not bliss, just downright thankful and content and happy with what i have. for once, i'm constantly on the lookout for the million possibilities of life and not looking to end it all. I AM SHAPING GOALS NOW. but the big difference is that even if i don't achieve them all, i know deep in my heart that i will die a satisfied man. key words being: it's okay.

anyway, i'm just babbling. all the thoughts in my head can constitute a whole book, which i will not write here. so here's a little something i favorite-d from purploony. dedicated to all the eljay peepz out there... life is hard eh? hope this will help:

This being human is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival: A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor. Welcome and entertain them all! Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture, still, treat each guest honorably. He may be clearing you out for some new delight. The dark thought, the shame, the malice — meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in. Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.

- Rumi

i always say to peepz, if you're feeling it and you don't like that specific feeling, you probably don't think it's RIGHT to be feeling that way? WRONG. hehe... whatever you are feeling, don't fight it. whatever you are thinking, don't think it's a wrong thought. if you are feeling it, feel it to the hilt. enjoy all the pain and suffering and confusion and happiness and bliss that follows every storm. just enjoy everything and all. for feelings are just feelings, there no right or wrong ones.

but i like the above quote better because it's so literary and eloquent as opposed to mine version of saying it, so clinical and procedure. gah. i promise i will come up with a well-thought entry soon. promise to myself: get some real writing done.

okay bye bye, spread the love! make love not peace, as a gay office friend of marian would say. :)

edit: anyone know where i can a find a brand-new laptop at a good price? i don't need a powerful one, just something i can write in, put in mp3's and photos, put in some games like my all-time favorite pc game, "Shogun"...

i love owel and "tsuper duper" is one of my favorite songs ever

Tue, 01 Aug 2006 16:58:47 GMT

you see, we love owel alvero, and the music "ang bandang shirley" makes. even though owel's with so many bands right now that i wonder how he manages his time, i know SHIRLEY will always be the one closest to his heart. it's one of those precious things in a man's life. so headed by lightrefraction and owel, we present you with this:

pure genius above brought to you by jeanina witty_repartee and blindgin, spot the hare and the turtle! haha

one hundred pesos (p100) gets you in! all the money that we don't have yet will be spent on the production of ang bandang shirley's first video, ANG PAG-IBIG ALINSUNOD SA KARANASAN NG ISANG JEEPNEY DRIVER aka TSUPER DUPER! it will kick your ass when it's done i promise!

this whole thing will be a music video showcase sandwiched in with the band performances, yay! including videos you probably haven't seen yet for sunflower day camp, ciudad, nimbus 9, daydream cycle, the bloomfields, and the purplechickens' kick-ass waking life-inspired video, pretty much the videos that aren't on Myx yet, har har! and some other videos you've probably seen already, like kitchie nadal's "fire" and up dharma down's "maybe".

this is all out of pure love, including the bands who have agreed to play for this. i promise it will be a good show! i've seen all the videos and i wonder why these aren't the talented people making the mainstream stuff. bakit kaya?

o ano na ano na??? lesgow sagow!