Guitar Freak

Rainy Days and Mondays

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 05:29:32 +0000

I've got one more week before school officially starts, and I never thought I'd say this but I'm really excited. I CANNOT WAIT TO GO BACK TO WORK. That's the disadvantage of being a part-time instructor; summer vacation means no work and no pay. So yeah, I've effectively wiped out my savings this summer (heck, I wiped them out even before the break ended so I'm living off on donations from my wonderful family, hahaha). At least this year, I've been "promoted" to a full-time status which means more pay, more benefits, and more work. It's okay though; it's better than sitting around all day playing Mafia Wars. LOL

Okay, so what's been going on lately, seeing as I haven't updated this thing in over 6 months?

First, this is going to be one busy week. I have curriculum planning on Wednesday AND Thursday (we don't have to go to Cavite like it was originally planned, thank God), then a company outing on Friday (I heard it was going to be in Los Baños), then band practice Friday night to Saturday afternoon (we're sleeping over at Chevy's house), then my grandmother's birthday on Sunday (hooray, food!).

Next week will be the start of classes, meaning I have mountains of paperwork to do, classes to hold, rules to impose, students to torture mwahahahaha! Then come Friday is the Philippine Independence Day - no classes yey! But that's not the real reason I'm excited. We have a gig that night at CubaoX for Lomomanila (LCA 25th Anniversary Party), then we go to Baguio from there with the rest of Lomomanila for another party and another gig. This is the first ever out-of-town gig for the band and I'm totally psyched! I love Baguio!

I guess that pretty much wraps up stuff. I feel like I'm going to have a good two weeks, even if it is raining like crazy.

Oh wait, the rain stopped. I better go get my license renewed before it starts pouring again.

Wow

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:48:07 +0000

I haven't posted in almost five months. Woosh.

Anyway, quick updates:

• I've graduated (finally) and have taken a job as a college instructor at my alma mater. I don't know how and why, but apparently I'm skilled enough that they asked me to teach there. It's all very flattering, really. It's also very awkward; my former classmates now call me "miss", and my former teachers are now my colleagues (and one of them is my boss) and I get to see a side of them that I never would have seen as a student. It's a little shocking, to be honest, but I think four months is enough time to adjust. My gahd, my co-workers are crazy.

• Faye has left for the US for work-related stuff. She'll be there until the end of the month, and that means no gigs for us. I miss you, bruha. Who would have thought I'd actually miss your insane wrla brla sound effects?

• The 6-track EP is almost done. I'm having a little bit of trouble with the layout (mainly because of my job) but hopefully I'll be able to put it together this sembreak.

• I may be going to Puerto Prinsesa this November with my high school buddies. I'm still a little unsure about it but...we'll see.

• I FINALLY got to go to Enchanted Kingdom. Loser points down to 50%! Werd! (Okay, so I suck at hiphop lingo.)

• My love for bowling has been rekindled. I want a wrister!

• My love for photography is increasing. I want a new lens and a speedlite!

Okay, enough wanting. I have to hit the sack, I have to proctor an exam early tomorrow. Until my next post.

Hiatus

Wed, 21 May 2008 11:30:41 +0000

So I haven't posted in over a month. Don't ask why, I don't know either.

See, I can't even get past two sentences.

*25 minutes later*

I'm turning 25 tomorrow. Yup, I'm about to enter that seemingly terrifying space in time that is quarter life. Okay, maybe it's not so terrifying. Still, I'm not getting any younger and I feel like I've missed out on a lot of things. I was recently at a party, as I was watching my companions talk about photography, recording, travelling and whatnot, I realized how sheltered I am. Maybe I should start considering breaking out of my shell more if I want to get laid.

Wait, did I just say that? Yeah, I did.

*10 minutes later*

I should stop. Thinking of what else to write is hurting my head.

Discovery: Sara Bareilles

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 17:22:16 +0000

I was driving home from graduation practice last week when I heard this song on the car radio. The syncopated rhythm of the piano was enough to catch my attention, so I grabbed my phone and wrote down one line for reference. As soon as I got home, I searched for the artist and got myself a copy of the song.

Her name is Sara Bareilles. I've never heard of her before. Usually when there's a song I like from a "new" artist, I try to listen to the entire album to see if they're worth downloading into my mp3 player. It took me a week before I could get a copy of her album (Little Voice, released 2007).

The last time I listened to an album and loved almost all of the tracks in it was back when The Corrs released their "Borrowed Heaven" CD (2003, I think). I like how she weaved great piano pop, a wee bit of rock, and a touch of jazz together that you can't help but bob your head to the beat and just feel good. If you like Aimee Mann, Delta Goodrem, Norah Jones, and maybe Rachel Yamagata, you might want to give Sara Bareilles a try.

Favorite tracks: "Love Song", "Vegas", "Bottle It Up", "One Sweet Love", "Morningside", "Between The Lines", "Love On The Rocks", "City", "Fairytale", "Gravity"

Crappy Days, Cookouts, and Short Notices

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 09:56:43 +0000

I don't remember the last time I trembled in anger but yesterday was so bad, I thought my cells were going to separate. And then a text message had me going from just trembling to wanting to strangle each and every giggling, lovestruck couple I saw passing by with their fingers intertwined.

No, I'm not bitter. I'm very happy and content with my single life. I guess it was just one of those days when I had a bad case of insomnia and then everything seemed to catch me at a really bad time. What I don't like when this happens is that I tend to say things which I will most likely regret when I've calmed down. I admit I regret some of what came out of my mouth last night but some, I meant every single word.

I'm just glad yesterday's over.

Tomorrow, my bandmates and I are going to Caliraya for a Lomomanila field trip/roadtrip/foodtrip. I was having second thoughts about going but after what happened yesterday, I am so welcoming this distraction. After Caliraya, we might be going straight to Club Dredd (yes, with all the Caliraya dust in our clothes...hinde, joke lang) for Sunshine Production's 2nd year anniversary. I was kind of caught off guard with the offer; playing at Club Dredd after what I think will be a tiring day in Caliraya was not on my to do list for tomorrow, but what the hey. It'll be our first time at Club Dredd. I hope it'll be fun. ^^

Yeah. I'm going back to work.

The Man Upstairs...

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 14:45:22 +0000

...has a twisted sense of humor.

Kung kelan naman o! E di lalo naman akong nailang. Anuveh! >_<

===

In other news:

1. My thesis partner and I got through the final defense in one piece. There are still a couple of changes needed in the video and the manuscript, but those are just minor stuff. ^_^

2. I will officially be a "ninang" this Saturday. MJ, my cousin's son, will be my first ever "inaanak".

3. TRLV Valentine's party will be on the 14th. They've asked Kaze to play a couple of love songs in an acoustic setup. It's been a while since we did that, and the last time we went acoustic, it was a disaster. So yeah, I'm not kind of looking forward to this one.

4. Miwa signed me up for the Caliraya Cookout on the 16th. That was a complete surprise, but I figured what the hell. I don't remember the last time I went on a long trip that didn't involve my thesis so I might as well go and have fun.

5. The band and I met last night at the Churrito Cafe in BF to celebrate and talk about our EP. We only have one song left to record, and hopefully we'll finish the master cd before April or May. *crosses fingers* Shet! Excited na ako! Kami naman ang magl-launch ng EP! ^_^

Yun lang. Bow.

Romantic, Ulul!

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 15:17:50 +0000

I was surfing the web while waiting for my thesis to finish rendering and I came across this astrology/zodiac website. I've always been fascinated with the idea of ruling planets and houses and stars that can tell you whether you'll burn your breakfast or not, so I went on ahead and looked up what was in store for me this month.

So sweet will Friday, February 1, be for you that you may start to celebrate Valentine's Day early! Anything is possible! It's a wonderful day, for sure, so the two of you may go window shopping for diamond rings, for example, or decide to run off to a cozy bed and breakfast for a long, loving weekend together.

Riiiiiight.

But I have to agree, Feb01 was sweet. I spent the night singing and laughing and swaying to the music at Mozzie's EP Relaunch at Route 196, Katipunan Ave. The bands were awesome, the music was awesome, the pizza was awesome...I think you can already tell that I had a grand spankin' time. I honestly cannot wait for their album launch. Anyway, I'll get into more details after I have my films processed and uploaded.

Another excerpt from the astrology site:

Now on to the really big news: February 6 will bring the first solar eclipse of 2008. This friendly eclipse will fall in your 9th house, a part of your chart ruling big goals and broadened intellectual horizons.

Alternatively, you may see an exciting development in regard to a publishing or broadcasting project, or a really exciting development in your pursuit for higher education. You may be asked to assume a new teaching position, or conversely, you may decide to go back to college for an advanced degree. If you are already in college, you may choose a new major or change institutions - something seems new. This will be a very intellectually broadening eclipse, and after it appears on February 6, you will begin to think on a much larger scale.

Feb06 happens to be the day of our final defense. HOMAYGAD. I am so paking nervous and restless, I want to run down the street with my arms outstretched while singing "The Sound of Music" at the top of my lungs.

On second thought, I'll stay right here and brood. I just remembered that there's a security guard making rounds on a bike. Baka mabugbog pa ako ng batuta ng di oras.

This thesis is a big, BIG deal. To those who've known me for more than 3 years, they know my situation and they know that I can't afford to fail this thing. I can feel at least two important people in my life breathing down my neck. Pressure. Namaaan.

So yeah. Wish me luck. I can't wait to get this defense out of the way so I can at least gain some semblance of humanity and go back to my normal gig life. Aarangkada ako, potah! *vroom vroom*

Okay, this entry went longer than I thought. Sorry naman, I haven't had a decent night's sleep in two weeks and I can feel my brain turning to mush.

2007 In A (Big) Nutshell

Mon, 31 Dec 2007 21:51:57 +0000

I find it hard to believe that 2007 is over. Lots of ups, downs, left, and rights, but I managed to get through everything in one piece.

And as much as I want to enumerate all the things that happened per month, my memory isn't that good and I'm actually very sleepy. Ayoko lang patapusin ang New Year ko na hindi nagsusulat ng year-ender post. So I'll be writing down the things I can remember.

1. I finally got my glasses back, which I left at Joyce Dancel's house two years ago, but I had to replace it because it broke during the Neo-Carnival exhibit.
2. We (Kaze) had to stop playing at Kala to concentrate on recording songs for our EP.
3. Sherwin, Chevy, Faye and I went to Sta. Mesa to buy Faye's guitar (Noogie).
4. Played an acoustic set at Bob's Crabshack. It was...bleh.
5. Brought Seven to the vet twice for mating purposes, but it didn't quite work out. Suplada kasi yung bruha eh, ayaw palapitin yung stud. =/
6. Neo-Carnival exhibit.
7. "Keiichi, the Thunder Goddess" video.
8. We recorded "Rain" at Heartfire Studios. Waited for three month for the output, which turned out to be very disappointing. =/
9. Got drunk at Chevy's house care of his version of Mindoro Sling. Anakngtokwa, hindi na ako uulit talaga nun. Pakshet. Then again, I would like to see a certain someone get drunk and sleep in the bathroom again. *evil grin*
10. Experienced "Guitar Hero". Nakakaadik.
11. Took the Civil Service Exam and got a pretty high percentage. :)
12. Played at Hillsborough for Bea's (Faye's cousin) debut.
13. Went to Leki and Paul's Banality of Man exhibit with my bandmates.
14. Enrolled in voice lessons, which turned out to be pretty useful.
15. Kaze's first gig with Mozzie at the Swiss Deli & Bistro. Dun palang, na-wow na ako ng Mozzie. Galing galing, shet. Anyway, this paved the way for the band's gig-ing life.
16. Shrek 3. Benta forever yung special ability ni Sleeping Beauty.
17. Put up the band's website, as well as other accounts (Multiply, Channel V Amp, Friendster, etc.)
18. I turned 24, had the best birthday cake ever, was amused by an immortal candle, and had a great party.
19. My mom sprained her foot pretty bad. Reyna-mode siya for months. Hahaha.
20. My dad and Miwa stole hoards of those plastic butterflies during Tito Nemie's silver wedding anniversary.
21. One of my good friend's brother died. It's so unfair, but I guess that's how it is. :(
22. Kaze's first TRU (The Room Upstairs) gig with Mozzie and Yosha. I will never forget this gig because we made a complete and utter mess of "No Tomorrow". I still cringe everytime I remember that.
23. My grandmother's oldest sister, Lola Mary, died of old age. She was 98. We had to go to Ilocos for the funeral. Almost bawled my eyes out when I saw my grandmother bawling her eyes out.
24. "Rain" made it on AMP's Philippine Charts, and eventually reached number 1. The song also got as high as number 2 on the Overall AMP Charts. :)
25. Kaze's impromptu gig at Purple Haze Bar, c/o Mumucow Productions. Lufet.
26. ECLP.
27. I started my thesis. Pakshet yung pressure at pang-iipit na binigay at ginawa sa amin ng thesis partner ko.
28. Club Streakers gig. Bad experience, pero we paking rocked.
29. Lola Rubing's 80th birthday party. She had no idea her kids had a party planned. Hehehe.
30. Finally met my lovely nephews, MJ and MR.
31. Laid eyes on the biggest teddy I've seen in my entire life.
32. Had my eyebrows threaded for the first time. Mashaket.
33. Practiced at Crush The Cherry for the first time. I heart CTC!
34. Had a full body massage for the first time.
35. Saw myself on the front page of the lifestyle section of Inquirer (July 11). Siyempre alam ko parin yung date. LOL :)
36. Went up to Tagaytay Highlands to shoot a video for a prelim. Ang saya! Ang lamig! Ang baba ng clouds! Wheee!
37. Juay's 24th. Ang dami kong kinaing barbeque nun. I also met KC's boyfriend Andro.
38. Managed to complete that darn cube thingie puzzle Andro brought along.
39. I was introduced to the wonderful world of photography and lomography.
40. One of my brads/teammates back in the UP arnis team, Jerome Arpon, died of a heart attack. :(
41. Got myself a library card from the National Library.
42. I found out that my liver's in a not-so-good shape, so I had to give up drinking.
43. "The Sign" music video. ARE WE HAVING FUN!?
44. Finished recording and mixing Rain at CTC (with better results).
45. Realized that 3D modeling is so not for me.
46. M.A. @ Work exhibit. Saya saya!
47. Pam's birthday party @ Route 196.
48. On our way home from Pam's birthday, we saw this couple in a taxi having a serious makeout session. Like I said, kulang nalang maghubad sila dun. Of course, we followed the taxi until we got to the Sucat exit.
49. Stardust. I heart Robert de Niro!
50. Kaze sportsfest - badminton in the morning, ice skating at MOA in the evening. Lesson learned - huwag pagsunurin ang badminton at ice skating kung ayaw mong masaktan.
51. Naka-apak din ako sa MOA! Nabawasan na ang loser-ness ko!
52. Impromptu Tagaytay Breakfast. Ibang level din sumpungin ang mga magulang ko.
53. Started blogging less and less. I guess it's because I have nothing interesting to say.
54. Perf is my professor in all my subjects. Woosh!
55. The writer's strike in the US. Whatever will happen to my favorite shows?
56. Went to Paete with my family and my thesis partner. Pakshet, that place is damn far but it's very nice.
57. "Book Bigayan" @ Roland's Bar, North Fairview. ANG LAYO! PAKSHET! But it was a fun, fun gig. Thanks to the bands who played, and to Faye for organizing this event!
58. Attended the AVID Media Composer seminar at school. The software's completely different from Premiere, and I imagine it's going to take me a while (and a very hi-tech PC) to get used to it.
59. CTC's anniversary @ Al's Bar. Woooo!
60. Coup d'etat. Stupid Trillianes. We missed Mozzie's EP launch because of his stupidity.
61. Lomopalooza @ CubaoX. PAKSHET. The best gig we've had, no doubt about it.
62. I was called a slut/bitch/whore by Bolding-mort. LOL! Natatawa parin ako, pramis.
63. Made lots of mouse ears for the TRLV Christmas Party at Meycauayan.
64. Started my practicum at the school's PR department.
65. Did an editing job for the dean, and found out she can be very...makulit. Adik din pala siya. Hahahaha!
66. Spent Christmas day at the hospital, watching over my sick grandmother.
67. Had a great year-ender gig at the Penguin Gallery Bar in Malate.
68. Au's 24th @ TGIF, ATC. I think I lost a couple of pounds with all the laughing we did.
69. Went to LomoManila's Year-Ender bash. POTEK. SAYA.
70. Finished recording 7 Shots, Marionette, Wallflower Boy. Started recording Pink & Blue, Ika-50 Pag-Aaway, Anything Under The Sun, The Name Game, Pseudo-Utopia.
71. Wrote a couple of songs, including Pseudo-Utopia and Dilaw.
72. Started a song while in the hospital. (Tentative title "Aviators")
73. Bought Mozzie's EP.
74. Ate at Tony Roma's for Dad's birthday. Steaaaaaaaak.
75. Ate at Cyma for Mars' birthday. Steaaaaaaaak.

That's it, I can't think anymore. Maybe I'll edit this if I remember something else. I'm going to bed.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope you guys have a great year ahead!

And to KAZE, this is our year! Go go go!

//edit:
76. My parents bought a Ziller videoke machine. Siyempre hanggang mga 3 kami kumakanta kagabi.
77. Got aviator glasses from Faye. Tenchu tenchu!
78. Got new speakers for Kalabasa from Mars. Tenchu tenchu ulit!
79. Defended our thesis proposal and passed.

When Insomnia Bites You In The Ass

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 22:06:52 +0000

It's 6am. Yes, I haven't slept yet. Weird, considering I was tired by the time I got home from Bri's company's Christmas party at Antakya.

Ho-hum. Write write write. And write some more.

Half of my family will be spending Christmas in Mindoro. The rest of us left here in Manila will partey! Hahahaha! Joke lang. I can't imagine my grandmother partying. It's like trying to imagine, uh, Faye without the pata (sorry friend, wala na akong maisip eh).

I just saw my cat sound asleep by the electric fan. Lucky bitch. Bleh.

Ho-hum. Write write write. And write some more.

Hoboy, the sun's up. Pfft.

Anyway, since I'm already here, might as well invite everyone to Al's Bar later this evening at 10pm for "Waiting By The Mistletoe", an event by Burning Clutch and Out on a School Night Productions. Entrance fee is 120 (I think) inclusive of a free beer/iced tea. I'll see you guys there. :)

And I should really try getting some shut-eye.

Updates

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 12:19:40 +0000

- Thursday's failed coup d'etat. Failed nga ba? I guess so, since Arroyo's still the prez. Anyway, we were supposed to play at Mozzie's EP launch that night but we had to cancel because of the curfew. Pakshet. We were really really really really really looking forward to it, pinaghandaan namin itong gabing ito dahil alam naming importante to para sa Mozzie. Gah.

- Friday's Christmas party practice. Our pastoral group came over to practice "Somewhere Out There" from "An American Tail". Zack, the little boy who's supposed to sing the lead, has the vocal chords of a rockstar. Grabe tumili. Sa microphone pa talaga. O_o But I gotta hand it to him, he knows how to "work the audience" at such a young age. Mana kay Kuya Sam (his dad). Hahaha! Anyway, I'm not going to sing this time, but I was tasked to make about 20 pairs of mouse ears, a pair of cat ears, and the moon. Ganda ko, diba?

- Saturday's practicum, hospital visit, and Lomopalooza. I started the day bright and early to go to school to work for the PR department. They had me finish the BS Nursing brochure I started a few weeks back, and now Miss Candy wants me to make the brochure for SPED. Wooo, layout layout. I left the office (naks, office!) around 12nn, relaxed for a couple of hours, and then went to Asian Hospital with Chevy to visit Faye's brother, who was sick with dengue.

Grabe si Chevy kumain ng donut. Apat daw ba. Hahahaha!

After that brief visit, Chev and I dropped off Faye and Ate Tetet (Faye's older sister) at their respective homes before going back to my house to practice for Lomopalooza.

Shet. Lomopalooza. This was, by far, the BEST gig we've ever had. Pramis. Talbog lahat ng ibang tugtog namin. LOL. I guess it was the crowd - they were very receptive (lalo na ang Mozzie at yung bagong fans ni Sherwin hahahaha!), but also we were able to channel our frustrations last Thursday into our performance, and like what Chevy said, we f*cking rocked.

I heart Mozzie (thanks for the awesome CD!). I heart Topjunk. I heart Mike's Apartment. I paking heart Lomomanila. Bibili ako ng Holga pag nagkapera na ako!

Pictures can be found here. :)

- Sunday's bolding comment. LOL. I still can't get over it. My bandmates had a kick out of it (lalo na si Sherwin), and I think so did my friends who made comments at my Multiply entry. Hahahaha!

This week, we're taking a break from gigs to focus on practicing the songs for the wedding on December 14. It's an acoustic set - something we haven't done in a while. Sayang, gusto ko pa man din mag-full band.

That's it for updates. I gotta go back to making those ears.