The McVie Show Season 2

It’s The Season For Change

2005-04-12T20:05:00.000+08:00

Variety is the spice of life, and the seasoning of The McVie Show continues.

Subic Mamaraz

2005-04-12T17:12:00.000+08:00

This weekend we’ll be going to Subic to cheer our friend Marisse. She’s competing in the Slimmers World Bikini Bodies 2005. Insiders say she has a chance, so we’re there to provide pala. Plus I was the one who picked out the music she’ll use for the one-minute freestyle posing portion of the contest. I suggested Lady Marmalade (Thunderpuss remix). The song is familiar to all but since it is relatively old, the chances of the other contestants choosing it are slim. What’s more she’s using the remixed version, which makes the chances even, pardon the pun, slimmer. I’m dying to see how the choice of song will go down on the crowd. Familiarity with the song can add excitement and affinity to the one dancing. Plus because it’s unlikely anyone else will be using it, it’ll help make her stand out.

I’m also excited to stay overnight in Subic. I have very fond memories of the place. Back when I decided to leave the rat race and be a theater artist, I joined many productions with my college theater company and we went on several tours in Subic. That’s why I’m still very familiar with the place. Of course, the last time I was there I found out there were more restaurants now open—including the all-important Yellow Cab. Now I can have my fix of roasted garlic and shrimp pizza while we’re there. Before our food choices were limited to Meat-Plus, Fishcado and Wimpy Burger. Now there’s also Dencio’s, Pancake House, and a whole lot more.

In one memorable tour, we stayed overnight at a beach. Some of us wanted to skinny-dip, but unfortunately our host was with us. Since we wanted to be invited again and again, we decided to put on a clean, wholesome image… until he took a nap. Off came our trunks and bathing suits.

Another time, we were invited to go to a bar outside the base after our last performance. We were invited by the local college kids who acted as ushers during the performances. The bar turned out to be a huge place that alternated live bands with karaoke singing and disco-dancing. Eh mga taga-teatro kami, noh? So when it was the karaoke portion, the singers in our group monopolized the microphone. But the crowd didn’t mind, because we had good singers—they even cheered when one of our gay actors sang a girl’s song, complete with falsetto. When they played dance music, we monopolized the dance floor by “performing” for the crowd. And when a local band started singing, we weren’t contented to just stay on the floor dancing; one of us climbed onstage and sang along with the band. Later on they allowed him to sing lead in a rap tune! (The guy is now a bass player in a local band.)

It was also during those tours that members coupled and uncoupled in the space of a weekend. Just recently I learned that in one of our tours, a straight couple (guy and girl) shared a room with a gay couple—and on separate beds they had sex that night. Well, at least they claim there was no crisscrossing of beds. So they say.

This weekend I’ll be with some of them, although they’ve all graduated and are now busy trying to earn a living. They’re all a little older, maybe a little wiser. I doubt we’ll be as wild as we were years ago; besides, the more adventurous ones won’t be with us. But who knows, we might just try to get some naughty fun this weekend.

Binondo

2005-04-11T16:42:00.000+08:00

I was going to go to Baguio alone this past weekend (wala, trip lang—as in, trip literally) when I told Jong about it. He asked that I postpone my Baguio trip and go instead to Joe in LB. We also invited Phillip to come along. But Jong had a change of heart—how about a Binondo food trip? Phillip opted not to join though.

The last time I went around Binondo was—drum-roll—twenty years ago. Gasp! Okay, strictly speaking the last time I was there was last year with Nelz, but we just went to have dimsum at this particular restaurant whose name I now forget. We never got around to roam the streets because [1] it was already night, and [2] Nelz only wanted to eat at that particular hole-in-the-wall. But going around Binondo, as in roaming, well, the last time was in 1985 when my first year Filipino class went on a field trip together with our college professor. He wanted us kids to experience eating at the estero and visiting the shops. Today that particular college professor is bed-ridden because of a stroke many years ago, but Binondo is still standing.

First stop was the makki and siomai at this hole-in-the-wall resto. Then we went to Ramon Lee’s Freid Chicken House for some tender, juicy, tasty chicken. That’s the same resto where they shot the Piolo/Vilma rendezvous scene in Dekada ‘70. Then we had fresh lumpia in another hole-in-the-wall, before having coffee in Lord Stowe’s (we obviously had no more room for their sumptuous egg tarts).

And for the first time, I saw the renovated Avenida. They’ve converted it into a walkway/park underneath the LRT train. What a great idea! One can admire the old movie houses and buildings along the street without worrying about vehicular traffic. I was tempted to take pictures but the fear of pickpockets and snatchers kept my camera inside my bag.

We also ended up in SM Manila (by car, not by foot) where I had a foot scrub for the first time. At first it felt weird having a stranger hold my stinky feet up close. I thought I’d be tickled when she started scrubbing my feet harshly. But I soon found out that I can withstand tickling of the feet like I can endure dental pain. All I have to do is accept the sensation then focus on something else: mind over feeling, so to speak.

Aside from eating, window-shopping and walking around, I was also able to buy the VCDs of two gay movies, Lan Yu and Rice Rhapsody. The former is a Chinese movie which I was able to watch when it was featured in the last year’s Pink Film Festival. The latter is a movie set in Singapore about a mother with two gay sons who’s doing her best to prevent her youngest son from turning gay too. I haven’t watched that movie yet, though.

What I did watch immediately upon returning home was the DVD of the Korean soap opera Oh Pil-seung, Boon Sun-young! It’s the “kimchinovella” I was talking about a few episodes ago. Now I’m able to watch all the episodes and fill in the blanks. What’s infuriating about the DVD version is that they edited out the closing credits. But that’s where they show certain important back stories not tackled in the main body of the episodes. I’m thinking that’s what one gets when one buys pirated DVDs (okay, okay, this is one of the few times when I’m willing to buy a non-original—I mean, what are the chances of finding the DVD of a Korean TV series that’s never aired on Philippine television being sold locally, eh?) Oh well, win some, lose some.

So for the next week I’ll be watching at least an episode a night of Oh Pil-seung, Boon Sun-young! Mental note to myself: must go back to Binondo. Food trip na, movie trip pa! Panalo. Thank you Jong, for being an excellent guide as well as a funny one. Bell-curve ka e-vur! Ahahahahahaha! Yan ang tatalo sa intonation ala-Nora Aunor.

Next trip: Baguio.

Star Match

2005-04-11T11:34:00.000+08:00

McVie, the best Zodiac Match for your personality is Sagittarius

Sagittarius, the Archer (November 23 to December 21): This intellectual and independent partner is just your type. Initially, a Sagittarius may catch your eye with their knack for witty conversation and flirtation. But as you get to know them better, you're even more likely to be drawn to your Sagittarian's adventurousness and unhesitating willingness to take the risks necessary to keep life fun and free. People born under this sign are typically both enjoyable to be around and interesting to talk with. Be aware that Sagittarians do have a tendency to become restless at times. However, this sense of adventure will help keep things exciting in your relationship. In the bedroom, you'll likely find that the Archer is sexually creative and will keep you happily engaged. This is simply a natural extension of the Sagittarian nature. Overall, they want to get the most out of life and are always on the lookout for exciting new adventures.

I took the Tickle Zodiac Match test and this was the result. I’ve read many different books on astrology through the years and this is the first time that Sagittarius came out to be the number one match for me. Surprise, surprise indeed! Goes to show you just how unpredictable astrology can be. (For the record, my last straight “crush” was a Sagittarius. But he is straight, so there. I think he cured me of my falling-for-straights self-destructiveness.)

Kooky Cookie

2005-04-11T11:32:00.000+08:00

Thanks to Xander for the email last Friday. I’ve taken the liberty of editing the article to shorten it.

Cookie Monster Advocating Eating Healthy
By CHELSEA J. CARTER, AP National Writer

NEW YORK – Something must be wrong in the land of Muppets. First PBS announced that "Sesame Street" would kick off its 36th season this week with a multiyear story arc about healthy habits. Then I learned of changes that turned my "Sesame Street" world upside-down.

My beloved blue, furry monster — who sang "C is for cookie, that's good enough for me" — is now advocating eating healthy. There's even a new song — "A Cookie Is a Sometimes Food," where Cookie Monster learns there are "anytime" foods and "sometimes" foods.

"Sacrilege!" I cried. "That's akin to Oscar the Grouch being nice and clean." (Co-workers gave me strange looks. But I didn't care.)

Being a journalist, I did the only thing I knew how to do. I investigated why "Sesame Street" gave Cookie Monster a health makeover.

I searched the Sesame Street Web site for news on Cookie Monster and up popped a press release about the show's "Healthy Habits for Life" emphasis. Buried near the bottom was a one-sentence mention about Cookie Monster eating fewer cookies.

But what did that mean? Scarfing one plateful instead of two? I picked up the telephone. "What's going on with Cookie Monster?" I asked the Sesame Street press office. "Why are you doing this?"

They sent me to Dr. Rosemarie T. Truglio, the show's vice president of research and education. She said the show changes every year, focusing not just on teaching numbers and letters but also emotional and physical health. With the rise in childhood obesity, Truglio said "Sesame Street" is concentrating on the need to teach children about healthy foods and physical activity.

This season, each episode opens with a "health tip" about nutrition, exercise, hygiene and rest. Truglio said "Sesame Street" also will introduce new characters, such as talking eggplants and carrots, and offer parodies, such as "American Fruit Stand." Even guest stars will address healthy activities, such as Alicia Keys talking and singing about the importance of physical activity.

Cookie Monster was not available for comment. (I'm hoping he hasn't gone too Hollywood.)

"We are not putting him on a diet," said his spokesman, Truglio. "And we would never take the position of no sugar. We're teaching him moderation." The furry one also plans to try different kinds of cookies (read: healthier cookies) rather than his just staple, chocolate chip.

But will he still scarf his food? Yes, plus the occasional object, Truglio said.

But isn't that unhealthy? Her reply: He's still Cookie Monster.

Cookie Monster appears to be happy with the new "sometimes food" song, because at the end he warbles: "Is sometimes now?"

"Yes," he's told.

So there it is. Cookie Monster still gobbles cookies, he's just a healthier version of his old self. His eyes are still googly, his fur is still scruffy and he's still messy.

Even "Sesame Street" recognizes that we all need guilty pleasures.

Dare You Go There?

2005-04-07T14:48:00.000+08:00

Who among you in the audience is old enough to remember this song?

*play music*

A place / where nobody dared to go…!

*stop music*

Yes folks, that was ONJ with ELO singing the title track from a movie made in the early 80s. ONJ? That’s Olivia Newton-John. ELO? That’s Electric Light Orchestra. The movie and the title track? Xanadu.

Haaaaaaaay!

For me, that song has such happy memories attached to it. It was the number one song in my personal music charts for quite a long time back in high school. It featured two of my favorite acts then (nowadays I’ve outgrown Olivia but I still like ELO). There was even a Xanadu dance contest in one of the noontime shows (either Eat Bulaga or Student Canteen). The movie really sucked, but I liked the opening credits: to the tune of ELO’s “I’m Alive,” the seven(?) muses in Greek mythology scattered all over Earth in a (then) dazzling display of movie special effects—a long, comet-like stardust tail trailing behind each Muse.

And who can forget the climactic, bombastic ending of the song? Xanadooo-hoooo-hooooooooooooooooo! It doesn’t sound as if ONJ’s pipes were augmented electronically in the studio, so that makes her ascending ending even more impressive. What a grandiose, pompous flourish in the end! In the dance contest, the competitors had no choice but to end their dance with a lift. I mean, what else can one do, right? The song mandated the lifting in the end.

I bought the cassette back then, but it eventually disappeared like most old cassette tapes do. For the longest time I couldn’t find the soundtrack anywhere. When CDs came out I thought maybe one day I’ll be able to find a copy. For years I kept my eyes peeled for it every time I visited the record store, but to no avail. It was only 3 years ago that I found a copy of the soundtrack on CD—and it wasn’t even brand new. No matter. I grabbed it immediately before it disappeared again. (I remember there were two other copies on-shelf, but I didn’t want to take a chance.)

Nowadays the song is in my iTunes. So now whenever I want to go to “a place where nobody dared to go,” it’s just a click away.

McBet

2005-04-07T12:40:00.000+08:00

Pinakbet: A mixture of vegetables that include:
bittermelon, eggplant, and squash

Which Filipino Food Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

And to think I don’t really like pinakbet. I’m not really fond of ampalaya; I eat it on rare occasions, pag tinopak ako. And I don’t like the taste of squash. If I had to eat pinakbet, I’ll just get the string beans and eggplant.

Schizo Ears

2005-04-06T20:43:00.000+08:00

My god, what they said is true. Thanks to downloading, the iPod and other MP3 players, and most especially the “shuffle” function, I am experiencing a change in my listening preference.

I grew up with long-playing albums or LPs—you know, the vinyl ones. I grew up listening to and loving The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Electric Light Orchestra’s Time and k.d. lang’s Ingenue. I appreciated the idea of one song effortlessly segueing to the next, and I loved the idea that at the end of the album the listener gets a sense of a musical journey.

But that changed beginning with the Now That’s What I Call Music! album compilation. That was followed by the proliferation of music sharing and downloading on the net. Then iPod came out with a shuffle function.

Now people can listen to one single to the next without any rhyme or reason connecting the songs. Right now as I’m typing this, Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain” blares from my speakers. Before that was Madonna’s “Material Girl” and even before that, Deee-Lite’s “Groove Is In The Heart”. Okay, because I hand-picked each and every uploaded song on my iTunes, I love each and every one of them. But there’s a different, schizoidic feeling listening to them in that order. It’s a different joy, a different rush.

(In a rare occasion, the next song played was another Mac tune, “Think About Me”. Hey, it happens, you know?)

Of course the concept album isn’t exactly all dead and buried. Green Day’s American Idiot and Brian Wilson’s Smile! are recent examples of concept albums. But when I listened to the latter I had to force myself to push through song after song and resist the temptation to skip or skim through the album. It was a lot harder now than before to go through the whole thing. My ears seem to have a shorter attention span now.

Then again, there are surprising and unexpected segues that one only discovers when in shuffle mode. For instance, just now I never thought that Run-D.M.C. vs Jason Nevins’ “It’s Like That” can segue effortlessly to The B-52s’ “Summer Of Love” before downshifting to Fleetwood Mac’s “Songbird”. (Hmmm, this is the third Mac song. My iTunes must be having a big Mac attack.)

I don’t know how long the novelty of listening in shuffle mode will last, but for now I’m enjoying it. Shuffle away!

Papa Rap Papa

2005-04-06T16:05:00.000+08:00

Understandably there’s media frenzy over the Pope these days. Starting from the Pope death-watch (morbid but undeniably fascinating) to the growing wake of mourners, the media coverage will escalate into what’s shaping up to be the biggest world-wide event of the year so far: his funeral. And the ending will happen in a cloud of white smoke, when his successor is chosen. World-wide blockbuster ito!

Because of all of these, the Papacy and the Church has been on my mind lately. Despite the Pope being the closest thing to God on earth, he is still a man. And like all men, he was shaped by his past. This Pope grew up under totalitarianism. No wonder then that one of his greatest triumphs is to polarize Poles to go against the communist rule. He also is said to have supported our Catholic Church in defying the Marcoses, leading to the first People Power movement in 1986. He championed the right of the oppressed to be free.

Unfortunately the “oppressed” and “marginalized” did not include homosexuals. (Not surprisingly, many of the gays I know have mixed feelings these days—they feel like crying for someone who angered them on his stand against gays.) Despite the presence of gays in the clergy, it is highly doubtful that a gay-friendly cardinal will one day ascend to be the direct descendant of Saint Peter. I think it may be several lifetimes until we see the Catholic Church softening its stand against homosexuals. After all, it took centuries for the notion of the Earth as the center of the universe to be replaced and for the Church to formally admit that they treated Galileo rather shabbily.

I know I may never see the day when gays are embraced and accepted by the Church the way Christ embraced and accepted Magdalene, a woman engaged in the oldest profession in the world. So I remain part of the Church—but in the fringes.

*****

What if a gay cardinal was elected to be Pope? Either he’ll be closeted or worse, he’ll be of the “love the sinner, condemn the sin” variety. The former has the potential to turn against his fellow “sisters of the cloth” and be very anti-gay (self-hate is just so ugly, isn’t it?) The latter I cannot abide; I don’t believe that homosexuality is a sin.

I prefer to have a straight Pope who is nevertheless very comfortable and accepting of homosexuals. Maybe he is someone who grew up being comfortable around gays, someone who doesn’t think of them as “different” folks. For then he will truly be an example for the straight community to follow. Wouldn’t that be a sight to behold?

Siya talaga ang kauna-unahang tunay na Papa!

Unlucky Guy

2005-04-05T12:10:00.000+08:00

Kawawa naman si Nora Aunor. The Superstar was arrested at a US airport for possession of illegal drugs (shabu, I think). Pero namatay ang Papa, kaya natabunan ang news story about La Aunor. And the Dept. of Foreign Affairs only sprang into action after they got a call from President Arroyo, who is considered close to her showbiz doppelganger.

Pero habang hindi pa nalilibing at napapalitan ang Santo Papa, ang Pope pa rin ang headliner for the next few days. Kaya sorry ka na lang, Ate Guy. Kulang na ang box office clout mo para i-upstage si John Paul II.

Papa And Mama

2005-04-04T23:55:00.000+08:00

[1] Papa

Goodbye, Pope John Paul II, time to rest in peace. You’ve certainly earned it.

I must admit that for several months leading to his death, I was a little peeved at him. Here he was suffering from a debilitating disease, reducing him to shuffling and shaking uncontrollably in public, and yet he refused to retire and yield to a successor. Why doesn’t he just let go of his office? I wondered several times. Is it pride that makes him hang on even though he cannot muster more than a grunt in his last Easter appearance?

Only when he died did I remember that the Papacy isn’t a beauty contest. It’s not just for a year only; it’s a lifelong responsibility. And you don’t have a first runner up who can take over in case the current Miss Universe cannot fulfill her duties. The good Pope did his best to carry on his duties to the very end.

Yeah, I don’t agree with him in all things. But the way he lived his life… well, I respect and admire him for that.

[2] Mama

Tomorrow morning my mom and my aunt are flying off to Bohol. My aunt had her cataracts removed while she was here; now that she can see better, she wants to go back home. My mom decided to accompany her sister there for two weeks.

One the one hand I’m glad she’ll be out of the house. For one thing, I find it easier to bring friends over while she’s away. I don’t know why, but I have this need to “hide” my friends from my mom so that she can’t get a lock on the kind of people they are. Mind you, not all my friends are gay although most of them are in theater, so they can be quite uh, unrestrained, even the girls. But that’s not really it; the few times I had friends over, they never really embarrassed my in front of my parents. Maybe I just have this weird need to keep my different “worlds” apart from one another.

But on the other hand I’ll be very happy when the two weeks are over and Mommy’s back home. Hers is a comforting presence I’d miss when she’s away. I can’t help but worry when she’s too far for me to come to her aid.

Then again, I can always use the next two weeks as practice for when she eventually joins my dad.

Oh gosh, the last time I talked about my dad eventually leaving us permanently, he ended up dead in less than a year. Hey, You up there! Walang ganyanan naman, okey?

Major Decision

2005-04-01T14:48:00.000+08:00

Last night I ended the almost month-long suspense for him. I said “yes” to his proposal.

Yes folks, I’m giving couple-hood another chance. After years of “shopping around,” checking out possible boyfriends, I’ve finally settled on one. Choosing was not easy. I had so many concerns, so many “what-ifs” circling my head. Actually some of them still do, but I chose to take the plunge despite the doubts. No pain, no gain, right? And to think he had to break off with his boyfriend so that we two can be a couple. Wow.

This time, no need to wish us luck—we won’t need it.

Do The Curly Shuffle

2005-03-31T21:53:00.000+08:00

I’m a sucker for catchy cool taglines.

So I decided to play songs in my iTunes in shuffle mode just to get a feel of what it would be like if I had an iShuffle. It started with Enya, moved on to a Fatboy Slim dance tune, then ABBA. It also segued from Pet Shop Boys to George Winston. Surprisingly, since I chose all the songs, they all appeal to me. So this random playing is actually quite exciting. I have no idea what will play next; all I know is I’ll like the next song cuz it’s part of my selection.

What I also love about iTunes is that in shifting from song to song it overlaps the ending of one with the beginning of the next. Galing! Parang DJ sa radyo.

The only “downside” I can see is if I have passengers with me who may not like certain tunes in my selection. Then again, hey! They’re my passengers, noh. Tiis sila kung ayaw nila ang Dancing Queen!

Burn

2005-03-31T19:05:00.000+08:00

The heat’s sizzling outside. They say temperatures will go even higher still. But in our offices, the temperature is blissfully cool. I still need to wear my jacket after few hours of staying inside. Thank god for our editing machines.

What’s also keeping me cool is my iTunes. I’ve already managed to upload 168 songs totaling 11 hours, 45 minutes, 46 seconds. I think I still have a long ways to go to fill up an iShuffle. But for now I can enjoy the greatest hits of ABBA, B-52’s, Fleetwood Mac, Erasure, Fatboy Slim, Pet Shop Boys, The Cure, plus singles by other various artists. To think Lola Madonna’s not there yet!

So I’ll continue to burn, baby, burn while outside it continues to burn, baby, burn.

A Year After

2005-03-31T17:55:00.000+08:00

Tomorrow is my dad’s first year death anniversary. One year ago my mom shook me awake to help my younger brother carry my unconscious dad to the nearby neighborhood clinic. One year ago I had to call my boss early in the morning to tell her I won’t be coming to work. One year ago two different people from our neighborhood claimed they saw my dad going to church to attend the morning mass; one even saw him praying at the Blessed Sacrament chapel.

My, how time flies.

Now my younger brother is married and lives in Ayala Alabang with his wife’s family; they both have a 3-month old daughter. My dad never got to see his latest grandchild. My boss is now retired, having decided at age 40 to devote her full time to raising her two young daughters. Today there are no more sightings of my dad.

My mom is coping with the loss of her lifetime partner. Death did them part. At first we were worried of her high blood pressure and occasional dizzy spells. Now her ailments seem to have diminished. She rarely checks her BP these days. I still have to convince her to have her gall stones taken out. That’s a major operation that needs to be scheduled properly.

Between my mom, my other brother, my sister and me, we’ve taken over the various tasks my dad used to handle. My mom relies on me most of the time to drive for her should she need to travel, but she can always ask my brother or my sister in case I’m unavailable. I notice my mom now clears major decisions with us; we often say yes to anything she proposes anyway.

It seems death had a way of bringing us closer together. When my lola died, the whole family went back home to Bohol to bury the last of our grandparents. After that we seem to look forward to the next occasion when all of us could be together. Baguio, Subic, the beach in Iba, Zambales… we delighted in family outings. When my dad died, whenever my mom called for a family gathering, it was easier to get everyone together. The road trip with my younger brother and sister last Holy Week would not have been possible two deaths before.

I’m sure that as the years progress we’ll be busier with our own lives, and it’ll be easier for us to say no to family invites. But I’m pretty sure we’ll still be able to rely on one another if anyone of us gets into a tight fix. We’re the McVies.

“Food” Fight

2005-03-31T16:43:00.000+08:00

Gimik, The Reunion is showing on television. I haven’t been paying much attention to it, though once in a while I would glance at our monitors to see how young Diether Ocampo looked like with his crew cut, or how innocent Mylene Dizon was back then, or how not much has changed with Jolina Magdangal through the years.

But one scene caught our attention because of a line from the dialogue. The set-up: Diet and G Toengi are sweethearts who suddenly discovered that she cannot bear children. The two are helping out in the restaurant owned by the late Rico Yan (looking fresh and oh-so-delectable). Diet enters the kitchen to follow up an order. G Toengi and Mylene are in the kitchen, trying to cope up with the deluge of food orders.

(The following dialogue is not verbatim, but it’s close. I think.)

Diet: O, bakit kilawin yan? Nasaan na yung sisig? Kanina pa naghihintay yung customer!
G: Teka, teka, sisig ba? Eh nakikita mo na ngang natataranta ako eh!
Diet (blowing his top): Ang problema sa iyo, hindi mo na nga maayos-ayos ang mga order ng cutomers, hindi ka pa magka-anak! (A pause as Diet realizes his mistake.) Ay, sorry. It just slipped out.

(Diet walks off. G Toengi follows and grabs his arm.)

G: “It just slipped out”?! Sa gitna ng kilawin at sisig, “it just slipped out”?!

A-hahahahahahahahahaha!!!

iThink, Therefore iShuffle

2005-03-31T13:53:00.000+08:00

I’m making the somewhat painful transition from Windows Media Player to iTunes. “Somewhat painful” because I’m so used to the speed in which WMP can rip music from a CD. iTunes takes more than twice that speed to import music from CDs. I hope I could load a lot of songs into my computer because I plan to get me an iShuffle.

There, I’ve said it.

My recent road trips during Holy Week have made one thing painfully clear to me: Orlando’s cassette deck had become inadequate for my wants. Not needs, mind you, but wants. Now I want a digital source for my music while driving Orly.

Truth is it’s still somewhat a toss up between a mini iPod or an iShuffle. In terms of memory size, I only need an iShuffle. But the mini iPod allows me more choices in the order of listening to songs. What if I want to shift from Enya’s ethereal sounds to New Order’s hard-driving techno? In the iShuffle I’d be pressing the skip button blindly until I reach a New Order song. But I think the difference in cost between the Shuffle and the Pod will be enough for me to embrace the former.

The option to buy a non-Apple MP3 player is there, but because they don’t have the cool factor of Apple, I’m not really exploring that option seriously. (Yes, they’re cheaper. Not cool at all.)

So now I’m enduring the longer process of importing songs in iTunes, sometimes enduring the pauses and lags during the process. (I have no idea why they happen. Argh!) It’ll be days before I can sufficiently fill my iTunes with enough songs to fill an iShuffle.

I’m counting my tracks before they’re shuffled.

DJ Culture

2005-03-29T16:13:00.000+08:00

Driving home last night while listening to Fatboy Slim’s album Live On Brighton Beach got me thinking. (I do some of my best thinking behind the wheel. I’m amazed I haven’t hit anyone or anything yet.) The album is a recording of Fatboy Slim’s set in front of a huge rave crowd. The producers wisely inserted some of the ambient live sounds of the crowd cheering at certain points during the set. And I thought, what awesome power a DJ can have over a huge number of people at one time! No wonder they say that God is a DJ.

And I looked back at my attempts at DJ-ing in TA parties. And what I realized is this: it’s not about power (TA parties rarely have more than 50 people in attendance), but about responsibility. Whenever I start spinning, I am keenly aware that the life of the party is in my hands—and in my extensive CD collection. What I remember most vividly is the whoop! of the crowd when I start playing a big dance hit. There were times when I’d look at the crowd having fun, couples dancing together, bodies entwined, people flirting with one another. And a wave of self-pity would descend on me: “Damn, how about me? How can I have fun when I’m panicking over what song to play next?” But then a drunken reveler would approach me, request for Macarena, and stagger off back onto the dance floor as I cue the song. And when the first bars of the song start blaring (“Tan! Tan! Tan! Tan-tan!”), I forget about feeling sorry for myself. In fact, I forget about myself for the moment and instead focus on the others. And I revel in spreading joy, happiness and temporary insanity… even if for a few hours.

Yellow

2005-03-29T12:55:00.000+08:00

“So then I took my turn
Oh all the things I’ve done
And it was all yellow...

D’ you know, you know I love you so
You know I love you so

I swam across
I jumped across for you
Oh all the things you do
Cause you were all yellow”

-- Coldplay, “Yellow”

Text Tales

2005-03-29T00:11:00.000+08:00

[A] Can You Say, “Pushy”?

Around two months ago, I received an email from a 20-yr old from St. Benilde. Let’s call him Mike (not his real name, of course). Mike saw my profile online and wanted to meet me, see if “maybe we can be friends.” I’ve since met him twice (and for the record, we only talked over coffee), and on the second meeting I was pretty sure he’d be a handful. Days before Holy Week, Mike was bugging me about my plans; he wanted to spend the weekend with me. I was able to ditch him totally, and I thought maybe I heard the last of him. Early this evening while I was driving to Megamall to watch Robots, Mike sent me an SMS. The following is our text conversation, done mostly while I was driving down EDSA.

Mike: Musta na!

Me: Eto back at work.

Mike: He he he! Ako din kaya, finishing touches nalng 4 my thesis, defense n me, anyh0w, san k nga pala nung h0ly week, iniwan m naman ako! :-(

Me: Ah mostly on a road trip with family, some friends.

Mike: W0w, family oriented k ha! Nga pala, na mis m b ko? Kc, mis n kita eh, pramis, walang stir

At this point my eyebrows were raised. Missed me? He never entered my mind even once the past four days. And why are all his letter “o”s changed to zeroes? Must have something to do with our phones. It took me a while to compose my reply.

Me: I’m concerned with how intense you are, and how your needs are different from mine.

It didn’t take him long to text back: So! Wat d u mean?

Me: It means I’m not looking for a relationship with anyone right now.

A pause. Then his text message came in.

Mike: But we can still be friends naman dba?

Ahhh. I have to be diplomatic about this. No sense being unnecessarily nasty or blunt.

Me: It’s possible. Let me make this clear now: most of my friends are the low-maintenance type. So if you’re not the emotionally needy type, then perhaps we can be friends.

Mike: D ko ma gets joel, tagalugin m0

What?

It took me several minutes to compose my next text. What I really, really wanted to text him was this: “For a Benilde student, your poor grasp of rudimentary English is appalling. Grab an English dictionary.”

Instead, I texted him: Wala akong kaibigan na demanding.

Mike: Bkit? Kailan b ako nagng demanding sai0? Ah ok, nung h0ly wik? Tama b ako!

Before I could reply, “Kelan? How about NOW?!” another SMS from him came in.

Mike: Needy type!? Bkit? Kailan b ako nang hingi sai0?

I took a deep breath and gripped the steering wheel tighter. Let’s be gracious and kind, I told myself. I waited until I had parked at the Megamall basement, gone to Teryaki Boy and finished giving my order to the waiter before I composed the following reply.

Me: Right now you’re being pushy. Why don’t we give this a rest, time to calm things down, okay? We both still have work to do.

Mike: Ok! Lam ko busy k lng cgur0! Anyh0w, just text me if u have tym n 4 relati0nship! Nyt

Oh no, I groaned inwardly.

*****

[B] The Graduate

Walking to my car after watching the movie Robots, I received the following SMS from a number that’s not in my phonebook.

+639272034817: Mare hppy graduati0n!

Hmmm. I’m really getting irritated with all these “o”s to zeroes conversion.

Me: I think you have the wrong number.

+639272034817: Cn0 kb tlaga r u kidding?kc im sure na dme ngka2mali ng #.

Umakyat ang dugo ko. Puta ‘toh, questioning me if I knew who I was?! Was I kidding daw?!

Me: Who are you congratulating ba? I’ve graduated years ago.

+639272034817: Tgasan p0 ba kau i mean saan lugar p0 2?gwa p0 #.2 ng kumare k0ng tga sbang p0.

Hay naku. Time to cut this short.

Me: You have the wrong number. This is an office phone.

And that was the end of it.

Holy Week, Batman!

2005-03-28T17:02:00.000+08:00

Last year we spent our Holy Week at my dad’s wake. This year I wanted to go out of town, but unfortunately the plans Phillip, Jong and I were making for that long weekend kinda fell through. So we improvised. And I was able to save money this Holy Week—all the better for a beach trip!

Maundy Thursday

More pictures at The McView Point
With Phillip in Tagaytay with his parents, Jong and I decided he shouldn’t hog all that cool air all by himself. So off we went on a simple road/food trip up Tagaytay. First stop, Mushroom burger. It has been years since I last tasted their burgers. Memo to me: get the one without the scrambled egg next time. Next, coffee at Bag Of Beans. I’ve been to the place several times before, but I always stayed at the small store upstairs. I had no idea they had a garden café until Jong led me to the place downstairs. Ooh, what a romantic setting! That afternoon however kids ruled—there were so many families trying to escape the heat of the city that the garden looked like it was over-run by live garden gnomes. After that we tried to hook up with Phillip, but we didn’t have the means to get past the Highlands gate. So we just decided to while the time and traffic away by watching the sun set—and admiring the volcano and lake view—at the ridge. On the way home we stopped by the Shell station where Jong couldn’t resist Colonel Sander’s secret recipe.

Good Friday

More pictures at The McView Point
This is the day Jesus Christ died for our sins. So I decided to be a bit subdued and visited Leigh and my inaanak Luc at her place in Mandaluyong. The kid was asleep most of the time, like most 3-month olds are. I saw the Star Wars cover photo in Vanity Fair—the final fold-out took my breath away! Leigh was also able to download using Limewire the mash-up of Alicia Keys’ “Karma” and Stevie Wonder’s “Superstitious”; Depending on who labeled it, the mash-up’s title is either “Superstitious Karma” or “Karma(stitious)”. I also decided to swing by F, where I went egg hunting two days before Easter.

Black Saturday

More pictures at The McView Point
My brothers and sisters have made it our annual Black Saturday activity: go on a road trip going around Laguna Lake. Our route is via Antipolo, Morong and Pililia, Rizal, then on to the Laguna towns. We stopped at Paete to look around the shops. There we also had lunch at Exotik, the roadside restaurant with the exotic fare (they also have the usual ones) and a gigantic boa constrictor which, the maitre d informed us in a conspiratorial whisper, is being used in GMA-7’s new fantasy soap, Darna. The snake travels to Manila via an airconditioned van twice a week for tapings. This year we decided to swing by Lake Caliraya to enjoy the cool lakeside breeze (it was slightly drizzling when we got there). Then on we went for chocolate, kalamansi and dessert at Ernest Santiago’s 83 Café and Gallery in Pagsanjan. Then we dropped by UP Los Baños, where we bought white cheese and low-fat milk. Then we had an early dinner at Joe, an Italian restaurant with a very American name and numerous Irish paraphernalia on its walls. Talk about multinational. We then suffered through slow-moving traffic in Pansol, Calamba. By the time stopped by for coffee at the Shell Station in South Superhighway, it was already 8:45pm. We got home a little past 9:30pm. We left the house at around 8:45am; we were on the road for almost 12 hours. We traveled a total of 233.7 kms that day. At the start of that day I thought I could still drop by Bed in the evening; instead, I dropped off to sleep in my bed.

Easter Sunday

More pictures at The McView Point
Easter Sunday was a pool party day to celebrate my nephew finishing grade school. My brother and his wife reserved this private pool in QC for us. Unfortunately the reservation was from 10am to 8pm. So I had to wait until 2:30pm before I swam—skin specialists have advised people to avoid prolonged sun exposure between 10am and 2pm because that’s when the UV rays are at their harshest. We had Yellow Cab for lunch—another food trip! I had four big slices of roasted garlic and shrimp before I told myself, “Enough!” Me and the treadmill have a week-long date starting Monday. In the evening I wanted to watch a movie, so off I went to Megamall. Upon parking I discovered to my horror that I left my wallet at home! Thank god I had enough coins in Orlando to pay for the parking fee. So goodbye movie, hello home. But when I got there I was so saying-na-sayang that I left the house again and headed straight to F for more egg hunting. But this time my eggs were the ones hunted down. I must say my Holy Week really ended on a high “note”—with a bang!

Heck, who needs Puerto Galera, huh?

Oplan X: Day 3

2005-03-23T19:28:00.000+08:00

Miss X was talking animatedly to three of her workmates near her desk. I wanted to see her reaction to the following text: Sge n lts b txtm8s. 6220 dn fon k. D b cmptble tyo? (Sige na let’s be textmates. 6220 din phone ko. Di ba compatible tayo?)

I was watching her from afar when she received the SMS message. She was the one talking when her phone buzzed. She finished her animated story then proceeded to read the message. Then she complained out loud to her companions: “Tingnan mo ‘to! Naka-lima o anim na yata akong text mula dito. Gustong makipag-textmate!” She showed the message to her companions. One of them asked, “Baka naman wrong number.” And Miss X added, “At hindi 6220 ang phone ko, noh!”

They continued to talk about it but at a lower volume, so I couldn’t hear the rest of the conversation. So I moved closer to catch what she’s saying. The last thing I heard her say about the topic was: “Feeling ko kilala ko yung nagte-text,” as she placed her phone inside her bag again.

Meanwhile, one of our co-conspirators sent Miss X an email showing the features and a picture of the Nokia 6220. It was sent yesterday. So far we haven’t heard Miss X talking about it with her workmates.

Now Voyager

2005-03-23T12:47:00.000+08:00

I’ve already fixed the engines. Excuse me, the “variable position warp engine nacelles” pala. More pics in The McView Point.

As Promised

2005-03-22T12:17:00.000+08:00

As I’ve mentioned in The McView Point, I made a mistake of putting the engines on upside-down. I’ve since reversed the mistake.

Oplan X: Day One & Two

2005-03-21T17:35:00.000+08:00

Okay, so there was a delay in the implementation of Oplan X: Make Klepto Praning Ever! Plus there was a change in stages.

Sunday afternoon I commenced stage one. Using my Smart SIM card, I sent her two SMS messages: Helo! Pwde b tyo mging txtm8s? (Hello! Puwede ba tayo maging textmates?) No reply from her.

Today, I had my phone on mute. As luck would have it, my desk is right beside hers (ah, Fate!) So I sent her another SMS: Hi! Sge n, lts b txtm8s. (Hi! Sige na, let’s be textmates.) A few seconds after, her phone buzzed. She read the message, then said out loud (addressing her deskmates), “Ano ba yan?! Sino ba ‘to? Gusto pang maging textmate!” Then she proceeded to delete the message.

An hour later, I asked one of my co-conspirators to come to my desk and “discuss” something with me while I sent the following text message: Hi. Lts b txtm8. Mgnda k nman. Mtalino p. D b my bgong 6220 k? (Hi. Let’s be textmates. Maganda ka naman. Matalino pa. Di ba my bagong 6220 ka?)

After a few seconds her phone buzzed. I had the vantage point of facing where she was seated. It was undeniable—a worried frown crossed her face. And this time, she kept quiet.

Knowing her very matalak personality, if she were innocent, she’d have reacted the way she did with the previous message—she’d have said something like, “Bakit ang kulit ba nito?! At akala pa yata niya na may 6220 ako!” And we never really publicized the model of the stolen phone.

A few minutes later, she excused herself and locked herself in our boss’ room (he’s on leave the whole week). Her press release? She has a headache daw, and she wanted to rest her eyes which were hurting because of the fluorescent lights.

We smell guilt.

Engage Indeed!

2005-03-21T16:21:00.000+08:00

My Voyager is now on display at The McView Point—take a look! Unfortunately, Photobucket is down again (bahket?!) I will post a pic here when it’s up again.

Movie Pitch

2005-03-21T00:53:00.000+08:00

Marisse, Evert and I came up with this silly movie pitch while having dinner at Chili’s Sunday evening. Maybe it was all that nachos we ate. Anyway we were laughing our heads off the whole time. We actually had another silly movie pitch idea years before: different scenario but same title. Fearing that someone else is already making a movie similar to what we thought of, we retained the title and came up with another plot.

Dead Spot
A black (and white) comedy

After losing his wife to cancer, a detective and his son moves into the suburbs. There his son befriends a stray Dalmatian. He allows his son to keep the dog to help the kid get over his mother’s death. Named Spot by its new owner, the dog turns out to be a friendly one. But soon the boy started noticing strange things about Spot, like how it growls in anger whenever it sees a phone. Plus the kid starts having these weird violent dreams, seeing a particular pet cemetery marked X on a map.

Meanwhile, a series of similar deaths have been occurring in the neighborhood, and the detective is called upon to investigate. A similar pattern is seen: usually the victim is using his/her cellphone when suddenly the signal disappears. He/she then is attacked by a vicious creature. Several witnesses also claim they spotted a very thin dog slinking in the shadows near the scene of the crime.

Upon further investigation, the detective finds out the real history of Spot: years ago its previous owner would use the receiver of an old rotary phone as a “bone” and would toss it for the dog to fetch. One day he tossed it onto the street and when the Dalmatian caught it, it was suddenly run over by a telephone repair truck. But its body was never found.

To test his theory, he places his cellphone near Spot—no signal! Suddenly a skeletal dog attacks the detective. Spot defends the detective from the attacking skeleton, and the creature runs away. Spot runs after it, followed by the detective and his son. They all reach the pet cemetery, the same one marked X in the boy’s nightmares. They spot the skeleton dog lying near a very old grave—its cross is already lying on its side, forming an “x”. X marks the spot! An old faded picture is still nailed on the cross—it was a picture of Spot! Turns out that the poor dog, like Bruce Willis in “The Sixth Sense,” had no idea it was already dead! X marks the Spot.

Sadly the boy says goodbye to Spot and lets him go. The dog gently lies down beside its skeletal remains… and promptly disappears. The sun rises. The detective’s cellphone starts ringing. He looks at his son and says, “Spot is at peace now. This grave is not a dead spot anymore.” He then picks up his phone. “Hello?” He hears a ghostly dog howl on the other end of the line. Scary music as screen turns black. End credits roll.

We already have the tagline for the trailers and posters: “See Spot? Run!”

Mash-Ups

2005-03-18T23:44:00.000+08:00

Definition (from www.salon.com): The wacky juxtaposition spawned its own kind of revolution, inspiring legions of the club remixes now called “mash-ups” – with one classic example being “Smells Like Booty,” in which Destiny’s Child wails over Nirvana’s classic dirge and drone. Mash-ups involves blending samples from two songs – generally, one song’s vocals atop another’s instrumental or rhythm track. The sum of the parts often surpasses the originals. The more disparate the genre-blending is, the better; the best mash-ups blend punk with funk or Top 40 with heavy metal, boosting the tension between slick and raw. Part of the fun is identifying the source of two familiar sounds now made strange – and then giggling over how perfect Whitney sounds singing with Kraftwerk.

Last weekend as I was driving down South Super Highway, 99.5RT aired this mash-up. It was the very first mash-up I’ve ever heard played on local radio. It was the juxtaposition of Alicia Keys’ “Karma” and Stevie Wonder’s “Superstitious”—Keys’ singing over Wonder’s instrumentation. What a bitchin’ track! I’ve been trying to search for it on the net, but so far nada. But I was able to download “Drop It Ms. Jackson,” a mash-up between Snoop Dogg’s “Drop It Like It’s Hot” and Outkast’s “Ms. Jackson.” Not as seamless as the Alicia/Stevie wonder, but interesting still.

Nostalgia Trip

2005-03-18T14:11:00.000+08:00

I was driving to work this morning when on the radio they played “Life in a Northern Town” by Dream Academy. Oh wow, what a nostalgic trip! I was suddenly transported to Baguio, circa 1982-83. We were all members of our college theater group, and Apa Ongpin, who was in charge of our lights, invited us for the summer at their family residence in the City of Pines. One afternoon we went to this particular peak where Apa claimed we could see the South China Sea. We parked Apa’s car and hiked to where there were huge rocks and boulders. We climbed upon them until—gasp!—we saw the magnificent sight of the sea shimmering way near the horizon. The sun was about to set. We had with us some bags of chips and a tape recorder. Jeez, a tape recorder, hahaha! Remember those? They were the one-speaker precursors of the boom box. We had only a cassette with us, George Winston’s December. We kept playing the cut “Variations on the Canon” while we watched the sun dip low. Fiery sunset combined with the ever-chilling air as dusk settled, with a solo piano score to boot. When the sun was almost gone, the clouds started rolling in. Suddenly we realized we were alone on some rock formation with the fog getting thicker and no lights. We decided to slowly retrace our steps, keeping just a few feet away from each other since visibility was suddenly down to less than 10 feet. Luckily Apa had wisely decided to stay in his car, and after a few minutes of walking we suddenly saw a ray of light piercing through the fog. Apa had wisely switched on the fog lamps on his car, and he honked his horn several times so that we can be guided to where he was. A few minutes later we were all safely in his car, driving back to the house.

The following year we went up again to Baguio, with the same theater group. Apa wasn’t with us though. We were playing “Life in a Northern Town” throughout the whole trip—on the way up, while we were there, on the way down.

Certain songs really leave their mark and become part of the soundtrack of my life. To this day whenever I hear “Variations on the Canon” and “Life in a Northern Town” I’m immediately transported back to the City of Pines. The memory of the scent of pines tickles my nostrils, and visions of the morning fog still linger at the corners of my mind. And I’m haunted by the ache of past joys, when life was simpler, friends were always there, and laughter came fast and easy.

Oplan X

2005-03-17T22:46:00.000+08:00

So here’s the plan.

OBJECTIVE: Make Miss X praning, paranoid.
PURPOSE: Nothing will make her return the phone she stole. So we just want to make her so uncomfortable, she’ll want to resign.
PEOPLE INVOLVED: Just the three of us (Lotta and the victim excluded) who know that Miss X was the one pinpointed by Lotta’s “friend.” By limiting the number of people in the know, we can avoid detection.
THE PLAN:
Phase One: Send her an e-mail detailing the features of the Nokia 6220, to be sent by someone named Magna Nocum.
Phase Two: Using a new SIM card (I have one which I got for free when I bought my Nokia), send her text messages. First day: “Hi. Cn I b yur txt m8?” Second day: “Hi. Cn I b yur txt m8? May bgong Nkia 6220 k naman e.”
Phase Three: Leave a brochure of the Nokia 6220 on her desk.
Phase Four: Send the following text message: “Alam na ng iba sa office.”
START DATE: Tonight we commence phase one.

Then we watch her squirm.

P.S. – We have even more elaborate, diabolically evil plans (which involve making Miss X “kilig,” thinking she has a secret admirer), but we decided to simplify plans and trim them to their bare essentials. After all, may takot din kami sa Dios at sa karma.

New Phone

2005-03-17T20:02:00.000+08:00

Well, well, well! It seems that every year our company phones are upgraded. All we have to do is give back our old units and choose from a slew of new ones. Depending on one’s rank and the phone model, our new phone can either be fully subsidized or we fork over a bit more to get the more expensive ones. Because my old unit was stolen, I have to pay for the loss of that unit. Fine, cheap lang naman yun, at depreciated na rin. I looked at the new models available. My phone of choice, the Sony Ericsson S700i, is out of my reach (at my rank, I would have to fork over Php14,000+ to get that unit). So I decided to go for the SE K700i. Not bad, considering it’ll be fully subsidized. I don’t need to pay for anything! Wheee! We’ll be getting our new phones within the month.

Now if only the company can start subsidizing iPods. (Plus, I hope Miss X doesn’t start eyeing my new phone.)

One On 1

2005-03-17T18:23:00.000+08:00

It’ll be April 1 soon. It’ll be the first-year death anniversary of my dad. One year on April 1.

My mom has coped well with her loss. Yesterday she admitted that she had dreamed of my dad but only once. In her dream she was attending an induction of my dad at some church. She and my dad were seated when he got up for the entrance procession. My mom and the rest of the guests were then asked to sit near the back to make room for the inductees. When my dad came marching in, he saw that my mom wasn’t at her seat anymore. He stopped, searching for her. Mom was waving to him at the back, but he didn’t see her. My mom noticed that my dad was so much younger. “Ambata-bata niya, poging-pogi at tisoy na tisoy pa!” she said. I think it’s just the second time in my life that I heard my mom gush about how good-looking my dad was. I keep forgetting that my mom is like any other love-struck woman who ended up marrying the man she fell in love with. That she and my dad lasted for so many years can be attributed to a number of reasons: the institute of marriage, having children, social acceptance, shared interests, religiosity, etc. I guess it also helped that while my dad had an eye out for beautiful women, he never really strayed (or if he did, he sure kept it very quiet).

I don’t really miss him. I’m glad that he’s at rest already. And during his wake my officemate Lotta told us that my dad promised he’ll stay with us for a while just to make sure we’re fine. That’s why when an intruder entered our house a few months ago I’d like to think it was my dad’s ghost that frightened him away. I prefer to think he’s still watching us, guarding over us.

It’ll be April Fools soon. Maybe my dad will pull one last joke on us.

At Warp Speed

2005-03-17T14:56:00.000+08:00

There! I bought myself the U.S.S. Voyager NCC-74656 scale model. It was a lot more expensive than I remembered. It was closer to Php6,000. Eeep!

I was in Cubao yesterday. I took the day off because I wasn’t feeling well. I didn’t go to work but went to Cubao instead, mwhahahaha. I headed straight for the specialty toy store on the second floor of Ali Mall. When I got there, it was gone! The space had been vacated; there was no sign saying where the store’s new location was. Frustrated, I decided to walk aimlessly for a few minutes while I figured out what to do next. Luckily, I stumbled upon their new location—it was on the first floor!

Gusto ni Lord na bilhin ko ang Voyager. Kaya binili ko agad-agad. Which was a good thing—that was the last stock they had. And to think their shop was technically not open yesterday; they had just moved in that morning, and they were still sorting out their stuff. But I guess I had this look on my face when I peered in and asked them, “Bukas ba kayo?” that made them answer, “Yes, po.” It took them a few minutes to make out a receipt for my purchase.

So now Captain Janeway’s ship is safely in my room, albeit in several pieces. Knowing me (knowing you, ah-haaaaaaah…) once I start I won’t stop until I finish the whole ship. So I’ll just work on it this weekend.

Engage!

Ghosts Busters Update

2005-03-17T12:49:00.000+08:00

Last Tuesday after the theft was discovered, we asked our Admin to send some security personnel over to conduct a desk-to-desk search. Unknown to us, Lotta had already told two other officemates the identity of the thief. So these two plus Lotta were watching the movements of the thief while the security personnel were going through their search.

Later that evening these two decided to tell me the identity because of an incident that happened earlier: when I was trying to call Admin to get them to send security to conduct the search, I approached several officemates to ask for help. One of them was very reluctant to do so. She even said, “Huy, wala bang employee rights na ma-va-violate sa search na yan?!” In exasperation I blurted out loud to the others, “Ito talaga si Miss X, ayaw tumulong! Akala mo tuloy siya ang magnanakaw!”

It turns out it was Miss X whom the ghost identified as the thief!

Well, well, well!

When I said that statement I was just joking out of annoyance. But the two who already knew Miss X was the thief were taken aback by what I said. So they decided to tell me what they knew.

It also made sense that Miss X, who often goes home promptly at 6pm, waited until 7pm before going home. That was when the security people finished their inspection and left our office; during the inspection, they posted a guard who would inspect the bags of people going out of the office. She waited until the guard left.

So now we’re conniving what to do next.

First, we have to find out if Lotta’s “friend” is wrong or right. We’re asking Lotta to get more details from her “friend”; the more damningly specific the details, the better for us. But given how Miss X behaved the day of the theft, she’s now our prime suspect. And we want to lessen her chances, if not stop her altogether from victimizing another one.

We want to scare her silly. I thought of leaving an anonymous note on her desk, like an “I know what you did last summer” type of note. My officemates are thinking of getting a new SIM card and start texting her everyday, “Nabenta mo na ba yung 6220?” Or maybe leave a brochure of the Nokia 6220 on her desk everyday.

I thought of a more elaborate, more dangerous scheme: announce to everyone that we already know who the culprit is, and is giving him/her until Monday next week to quietly return the phone. Otherwise we will whisper to everyone one at a time the identity of the thief. If Monday comes and the phone isn’t returned, we’ll start the whispering campaign. But here’s the twist. We’ll whisper to Miss X someone else’s name (we’ll get the approval and connivance of that person, of course). To the rest, we’ll whisper Miss X’s name plus the name we’ll whisper to Miss X. That way, if Miss X asks them who the thief was, they’ll mention the name given to her. That way everyone can be wary the next time Miss X approaches their workplace, but without tipping her off that we know she’s the thief.

Tonight over dinner we the plotters will meet and discuss what we’ll do. I’m thinking of stealing Miss X’s phone in retaliation. Well, we’ll see later.

Ghosts Busters / M & M

2005-03-16T01:14:00.000+08:00

This afternoon an officemate lost her cellular phone. She had left the phone unattended for a few minutes at her desk; when she came back, it was gone. We’ve had similar incidents in the past of cellphones being stolen, so we immediately suspected theft. And given the location of the victim’s desk, it was most likely that the klepto was one of us. Unfortunately, no one saw who did it. The only way to bust this klepto is to ask for help from our resident ghosts.

So we turned to Lotta, our officemate with the third eye, and asked her to find out from her “friends” what exactly happened to the phone. True enough, one of Lotta’s “friends” not only confirmed that the phone was stolen but also named the person responsible.

Now Lotta is in a difficult position: on the one hand, she refuses to divulge the identity of the klepto, for how can you make a case against someone when your only witness is a spirit? But on the other hand, how can Lotta remain silent and possibly allow the klepto to strike again? To make matters worse, Lotta told us that the klepto knows that she can identify the thief.

We’ve been trying to get Lotta to reveal to us the identity of the klepto but she adamantly refuses. We’re almost sure we’ll never see that phone again, but maybe we can get Lotta to change her mind yet.

* * * * *

On a lighter, sillier note: Melanie Marquez strikes again! In an interview with Ces Drilon in tonight’s episode of Pipol, she was defending her loss in the recently-concluded Mrs. International beauty pageant: “I didn’t promise that I’ll bring back the bacon!”

Much later, on living a happy life: “Just follow the Ten Commandment.”

Iba talaga si M&M!

Seen This?

2005-03-15T14:52:00.000+08:00

Scenes from our summer station ID: Piolo and Bernard hanging on the side of Jones Bridge, Geoff & Heart looking like they’re in a Close-Up commercial, Maricel drumming, the Quizons clowning around, AiAi with Ati-atihan dancers, and dancing in the streets of Quiapo.

So, wala pa rin ba sa inyo ang nakapanood ng summer station ID? Curious lang ako sa mga reactions ninyo, so if you’ve seen it already, please react away.

Dilemma

2005-03-14T18:03:00.000+08:00

Last Saturday I was debating with myself whether I’d buy this as a birthday present for myself. It’s Php5,200 if I buy it at this specialty toy store in Festival Mall and Php4,400 sans shipment costs if bought on the net. Bakit mahal? It’s a snap-together kit, requires no more painting, and has a lighting system (batteries not included).

Pakshet.

Greet Me!

2005-03-12T02:40:00.000+08:00

Happy birthday to me! I don’t look 39 years old. Place your greetings below.

Summer’s Here!

2005-03-11T23:20:00.000+08:00

If you guys want an idea of what I’ve been working on these past two weeks, going to the beach and all that, tune in this Sunday at around 2:15p.m. You can choose from any of the following channels: Channel 2, Studio 23, ANC, CinemaOne, Lifestyle Channel, or MYX.

Out Of The Blue

2005-03-11T13:33:00.000+08:00

A guy I met a few years ago in Blue Avenue sent me a text message this morning.

Commercial break: Blue Avenue was this gay bar in Makati, located very near where Government is today. On the outside it looked like any other two-storey apartment in Makati. The only sign that it’s Blue is the blue light coming from the second floor window which signaled that the bar was open. On the ground floor were the bar and gym (daw!); on the second floor were the viewing room (where g-films are shown one after the other) and several grope rooms. Last year they closed it down. The apartment today is back to what it’s supposed to be. I often see the owners of Blue at Bed, dancing the night away. Remember the orgy party I stumbled into a few months back? The owners of Blue were the organizers of that party. Now back to regular programming.

After we met in Blue, we exchanged numbers and actually went out twice afterwards. Then I did not hear from him again for almost seven months. That is, until this morning when I received his SMS.

Blue Guy: musta.na?

My reply: Ok lang. Long time no hear from you.

Blue Guy: kakauwi.me.lang.fr.cebu.musta.na?

Tumaas ang kilay ko. Nairita ako. More than the use of “me” (as in “kakauwi me”), more than the periods instead of spaces between words, more than the demanding tone (as in “musta na?” for the second time)… nobody texts me with all-underlined!

So I fired back: Eto I’m seeing someone na. What did you do in Cebu?

Well, that shut him up. He didn’t bother to answer my question at all. And I hope that’s the last I hear from him.

* * * * *

Wow! After more than an hour, Blue Guy replied.

Blue Guy: wow.congrats… nagbkasyn.lang.aftr.graduating..sa,GMAkaparin.b?

Hay naku. Sablay pa rin siya. Ako ang hari ng sablay, ako ang hari ng sablay....

Reply naman me: Hindi GMA. The Kapamilya station.

Blue Guy: sory.pwde.bko.aply.dyan.khit.PA.lang?

Ahhh! Now we’re getting into the heart of the matter.

Answer naman me: Sure. Just give your resume at our HR Dept.

Blue Guy: san.dyan? sinu.hanapin.ko? pwde.mo.bko.ilakad?

And there you have it! Bingo!

Text naman me: Just go to the guard at the gate and tell him you’re submitting your resume to HR. Sorry, I cannot make lakad.

What I really wanted to say was this: Sorry never make lakad me eh.

Diss Content

2005-03-11T11:25:00.000+08:00

According to the World Values Survey, Filipinos placed sixth among the happiest nations; furthermore, we are the only Asian country to be in the top 10. In a different survey by the Hong Kong-based Political and Economic Risk Consultancy, Inc., the Philippines ranked the second most corrupt nation in Asia.

There must be a connection there somewhere.

Are we happy to be corrupt? Does corruption lead to happiness? Or are our come-what-may, “bahala na” attitude allow for corruption to flourish because we’ve accepted it, nay, embraced it as part of life?

Ugh.

Suddenly discontent seems desirable.

The Deadly Musical Fruit

2005-03-10T15:33:00.000+08:00

Bohol is in the headlines again today. Bohol Students Die of Food Poisoning. 28 to 30 students died after eating fried cassava yesterday. Apparently there’s a kind of cassava crop that naturally has cyanide. If not properly skinned and cleaned, the dose can be lethal.

Immediately what came to my mind was: “Bohol! The land of tarsiers, Chocolate Hills, and killer cassavas!” Or how about: “Kamoteng kamatayan!” (even shorter: “Kamotayan!”) Or: “Try our cassava—they’re to die for!”

Being Boholanos, my parents love the stuff. They never fail to mention that during World War 2 all they ate was kamote. Thank god I didn’t get my parents’ fondness for cassava cake or kamote. I never knew that the musical fruit could also be deadly in a non-olfactory way.

* * * * *

Erratum: To be strict about it, the “musical fruit” is kamote, while cassava is kamoteng kahoy. Those are two different crops. To be fair to the lowly kamote, the musical, olfactory-challenging fruit isn’t the deadly one, it’s the cassava. The title should have been “Killer Kamoteng Kahoy” or “Cassava Kills” or something like that. Obviously towards the end of my post I mixed up the two.

So all you kamote-que lovers, go back to eating your favorite snack. It’s cyanide-free. -- (McVie, 11 March 2005, 9:15p.m.)

Bun-text!

2005-03-10T14:46:00.000+08:00

Yesterday I received an SMS message at 12:19 p.m. It came from someone not in my phone directory. There was no name, only a number: +639272034817. I will reproduce the text message in full, caps and all: ATE LINDA BUNTIS AKO 2MNTHS.

(Promise! Totoo ito! I even saved it in my phone archives just to prove to people that it’s true.)

I was flabbergasted upon reading the message. I also took pity on the sender. After taking a pregnancy test, her pregnancy text was wasted on a wrong number. So I replied immediately: Hindi ako si Ate Linda. Sorry pero wrong number.

That got me thinking. For such an important message, why text only? Why not call Ate Linda directly? (But thank god she didn’t call me; that would have been even more surreal.)

When I showed the message to my officemate Edsel, he said, “Maida yan! Can’t afford niya ang call, kaya text-text na lang.” Puwede, di ba?

Anyway, a few minutes later I received another SMS from her: SORRY MALI KO.

Ms. +639272034817, I hope your pregnancy wasn’t a mistake, and that you and Ate Linda are happy with the impending birth. If your baby is a guy, can you name him McVie?

Litter Bugged

2005-03-09T14:03:00.000+08:00

There were three of us waiting for the elevator on the 13th floor: me, a guy who bought food from the café on the same floor, and a girl carrying several files. When the door opened I let them enter first. That’s when I noticed that the girl dropped a piece of paper on the elevator floor, a receipt. I caught her notice the paper on the floor but she decided not to pick it up.

The door closed. I looked down at the piece of paper littering the otherwise pristine elevator floor, then back up to her face. She was ignoring me and the paper. Dedma ever. I considered several options:

Polite: “Miss, you dropped your receipt.”
Bitchy: “Do you want me to call your yaya to clean up after you?”
Smug: “Ahem. Littering is so inconsiderate.”
Pa-saring: (to the guy) “Ay, ang ibang tao diyan, o! Hindi marunong magtapon ng basura ng maayos!”
Pa-subtle: (ala-dumb blonde) “Hihihih! Miss, uh, is that paper yours? A-hihihihihi!”
Long-winded: “Miss, may dumi ba ako?” (You can either wait for her to react or not.) “Kasi buti ka pa, may basura… sa sahig!”

I was still busy thinking up of another option when the door opened and she stepped out of the elevator. The receipt was still on the floor. I glanced at the guy beside me; he apparently was unbothered by the piece of paper on the floor. I wanted to pick up the paper but stopped myself. What would the guy think? That I’m a neat-freak? That I’m a sanctimonious prick? That I’m actually a well-dressed janitor working in the building? I decided to wait for him to get off his floor.

When the door opened and he stepped out, I moved closer to pick up the paper. But then three other people stepped in. I was standing in front of the receipt. Oh no! Now I can’t pick it up. Worse, now they’d think it’s my piece of litter.

When the elevator got to the ground floor, I hurriedly stepped out; five other people were going in. I decided to leave that piece of litter for them to figure out what to do with it.

Sideswiped

2005-03-08T18:31:00.000+08:00

(Warning: spoiler alert!)

After watching the Oscar Best Picture nominee Sideways, I thought Alexander Payne wuz robbed. Sure, I haven’t seen Martin Scorcese’s The Aviator, but many have already said it wasn’t his best picture. Personally, I think Sideways was the better made, more compact, more fully intact, more engaging movie than Clint Eastwood’s very upbeat boxing-and-death movie. Maybe because in Sideways, even if no one dies, not everything ends happily-ever-after; plus, its characters are so relatable. In Million Dollar Baby, who among us can easily relate to being a quadriplegic, or to being an angel of death and mercy? Well, Academy members who vote, apparently. Then again, it’s not surprising to know that Hollywood is full of people who can’t act on their own and who do mercy killing all the time. Ah! No wonder Sideways lost for Best Picture.

Feel Like A Million Bucks

2005-03-08T18:29:00.000+08:00

(Warning: spoiler alert!)

After watching Clint Eastwood’s feel-good movie of the year, Million Dollar Baby, I felt like jumping for joy off the 15th floor of our building. Notice how the movies directed by him are so positive? In A Perfect World, Kevin Costner befriends his kid hostage and gets shot right in front of him. In Bridges of Madison County the lead characters may have “done the nasty” on the bathtub, but they don’t end up with one another. In Mystic River everyone is morose or worse, have no sense of humor. In Unforgiven, Morgan Freeman gets killed. After Freeman's character stopped a beating from happening in Million Dollar Baby, I was half-expecting him to be lynched while he was watching the title bout on TV. It is to Eastwood’s credit that he restrained himself from killing off his film partner yet again. But a death still occurs in the movie, and what started out as a female Rocky turned into a moody debate on mercy killing. By the time the lethal injection was administered to a lead character, I felt like killing myself too. That Clint Eastwood sure knows how to make his viewers feel like a million dollars.

Punchline

2005-03-04T23:21:00.000+08:00

I’ve read a lot of biographies of comedians and funny people. One common trait most of them have is how they use humor as a mechanism to cope with pain and suffering. While most people will scream, rant and bawl their eyes out, these people would rather spin things around and make it into a joke, a funny anecdote.

I remember the 1988 movie Punchline, an early Tom Hanks starrer (with Sally Fields in her post-“You like me! You really, really like me!” mode). Hanks plays this guy whose dream was to be a stand-up comic, but his doctor-father wants him to follow in his medical footsteps. In one pivotal scene, Hanks delivers a star-making, gut-wrenching performance: one night as he stepped onstage to deliver his routine, he spied his father enter the comedy club and sit down to watch him. At first he stammered and faltered with his routine. Seeing that his routine was dying, he started talking about his father, how his dad once tried to make him interested in medicine by waving a dead pet in front of him, terrifying him to bits. What was fantastic about that scene is how Hanks managed to spit out his rage towards his father while trying to put a comic spin on his story. Of course no one was laughing throughout the scene, but everyone was riveted. It was such a powerful soul-baring scene.

When I saw that scene, I thought, wow, astig. I think it was then that I made a conscious decision: I will wield humor as a sword and shield.

Tom Hanks was never nominated for that role. Maybe it’s because his character falls for Sally Field (playing a married mom). Ewww. She may get top billing because she was the bigger star then, but the movie totally belonged to Hanks.

Photographs And Memories

2005-03-03T17:33:00.000+08:00

Shit, Photobucket is currently down. So I can’t post the pictures I took yesterday of JC Cuadrado. Well, not in here anyway. But do click on The McView Point. He’s there.

* * * * *

Yesterday’s shoot went well. It was blazing hot, but hey, we were on the beach. I had an eyeful of JC plus AJ. What’s with all these cute boyz and initials anyway? Maybe I should call me McV (wow, feeling cute!)

* * * * *

May latest dagdag pa sa The McView Point! Ngy-arap ever ito!

Life’s A Beach

2005-03-01T20:45:00.000+08:00

We’re going to the beach tomorrow! We’re going to the beach tomorrow! Unfortunately, it’s work. But still. It’s the beach! Wheee!

Weather I Like It Or Not

2005-02-28T21:43:00.000+08:00

Schizophrenic ang weather these days. It’s still cold in the morning (as in, I still need a blanket) but by 9am the sun is blazing. By noon the heat is stifling. Kaya uso na naman ang ubo’t sipon. Buti lang I’ve restricted myself from going in and out of the office often.

I’m also feeling a little divided these days. Like the two fishes in my zodiac sign, a part of me is swimming upstairs while the other half is spiraling down. Maybe it’s just the weather affecting me. Or maybe it’s something more. Maybe it’s because Pil-Seung and Soon-Young is not showing anymore (it was already replaced by another kimchinovella) and I totally missed the ending of the series. Maybe it’s because we watched House of the Flying Daggers on DVD last night. Maybe it’s because there’s a 5-day shoot that’s staring us in the face and we’re having a hard time mounting it.

Ay leche. But this too shall pass.

Corrupted Lyrics

2005-02-28T18:57:00.000+08:00

Sometimes on my shoulder makes me happy
-- to the tune of “Sunshine On My Shoulders” by John Denver

I can’t figure it out why I’m so
corrupt!
Got me feelin’ it.
Corrupt!
I don’t know what it is,
But it seems she got me twisted.
I’m so
corrupt!
I’m losing control,
This girl’s got a hold on me.
-- to the tune of “Caught Up” by Usher

Na-feel mo na bang ma-finger?
Na-feel mo na bang ma-tow?
-- to the tune of “Love Is All Around” by Wet Wet Wet

“And the Oscar goes to…”

2005-02-28T12:48:00.000+08:00

It’s Oscar Day today. Most gays look forward to two specials every year—the Miss Universe pageant and the Academy Awards. More look forward to the former for obvious reasons, but the Oscars are in a way also a beauty pageant (the dresses! the outfits!) of massive Hollywood scale. I can totally skip the Miss U telecast (my gay genes are warped that way), but I just have to watch the major categories of the Oscars. It’s the speeches.

Thanks to Oscar.com, I can take time out and skip certain portions of the telecast. Still, I enjoy watching two commercials over and over during the telecast: Pepsi’s new one starring Jericho Rosales (ang cute ni Echo! ang cute ng TVC!) and Nicole Kidman’s Chanel No. 5 TVC. This is the time of the year when Channel 9 earns the most via sponsors, kaya pagbigyan na nga!

* * * * *

Funny thing is I haven’t watched any of the five Best Picture nominees. The Aviator is still showing. Million Dollar Baby (the Best Picture winner this year) will open March 2. Finding Neverland and Ray are coming soon. Sideways typically came and went after, uhm, two(?) days. For some weird reason, this year’s batch doesn’t excite me as much. None of the frontrunners are as buzz-worthy as, say, any of the Lord of the Rings movies or even Titanic. Oh well, I guess I’ll just have to sneak out once in a while this week. At least it looks like the Oscar win of Clint Eastwood’s movie will help keep it in the theaters for a longer period than Sideways.

Nelz: This One’s For You

2005-02-27T19:46:00.000+08:00

At the christening of my niece, one of the ninongs was Aeus. So during the merienda afterwards, I had a chat with him. Another ninang, a friend of his, was with us.

Me: “Ay, kilala mo si Nelson, di ba?” He had a puzzled look, like he knew more than one Nelson and was trying to figure out which one I was referring to, so to help him further, I said: “Nelson Agustin?”

At last, recognition. “A, oo!”

Me: “Alam mo ba nasa Canada na siya?”

Aeus: “Talaga?”

I was enjoying my warm-up. Me: “At kasal na siya.”

Without missing a beat and not looking up from his food, he asked very innocently, “Talaga? May girlfriend ba siya?”

I thoroughly savored my split-second pause before I replied: “Lalake po ang asawa niya.”

Aeus looked up. Nelz, you should have been there to see the expression on his face. Ika nga ng MasterCard commercial: Priceless.

Ano daw ang reaction niya? “Ha? Puwede pala ang ganoon (gay marriage) sa Canada?”

In total fairness, mabilis naka-recover ang mama.

Grrr-rant Me (An Ear)

2005-02-27T05:45:00.000+08:00

Nakanampoootcha, haaay naku! Ayoko na! I give up. Kung sino pa ang type mo, siya pa ang lalayo-layo sa ‘yo. At kung sino pa ang type ka niya, siya pa ang dedmatic ka. *sigh!* Story of my life. All those happy couples? Fakers. Mga fekkis lahat sila ever!

This has got to be the most immature episode in The McVie Show yet. And I love it!

Just a few hours ago in Bed, someone whom I was flirting with the whole night leans over and tells me, while laughing, “You know, you’re too smart for your own good.” Too smart? Gee, nobody told me when I was a kid that I shouldn’t be “too smart.” Too smart?! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrgh!!! There are too many fucking stoooooooopid people already in the world, and you want me to not be “too smart” too?!

Shet. I need to get some sleep. It’s bad to ask me to come to work on a Saturday afternoon. Gets on my nerves.

Two All-Beef Patties, Special Sauce, Lettuce, Cheese, Pickles, Onions, On A Sesame Seed Bun

2005-02-26T14:36:00.000+08:00

(This episode has the longest title in The McVie Show yet!)

I’ve gone to his place three times already; last night I slept over there. He thinks I’m one funny guy. Sometimes he’d just look at me and start laughing. I’m beginning to wonder if I look like a clown or if there’s a big booger always hanging from my nose. When I ask him what’s so funny, he just smiles and hugs me. I know my nose is clean, so maybe I just look like Ronald McDonald.

Call me Big Mc.

She Got That Right

2005-02-24T23:00:00.000+08:00

I’m not a big fan of Miss Big Fanny, but Her Tushness has got me shaking my tush every time I hear her latest song, Get Right. This dance hit has one of the most infectious samples I’ve ever heard, an insistent horn that lodges in one’s mind and refuses to leave. (It’s on the same level as Usher’s Yeah! and Beyonce’s Crazy In Love.) The accompanying music video, alas, has a very trite concept—multiple Jennies in one block. Still, it’s a joy to watch her dance up a storm in high heels. And thanks to that unrelenting bleating, her music video becomes eminently more watchable. Nowadays she insists to media that she doesn’t want to be called “J. Lo” anymore. Looks like she’s trying to shake off her colorful past. Her personal life has always threatened to overshadow her musical career. Maybe with this song, she just might get it right this time.

* * * * *

My gulay. The saxophone riff for Get Right was sampled from a James Brown song. No wonder it sounds sooo funkieee! Panalo!

And true enough, I’ve proven that I’m not a fan of Miss Ex-Half Of Bennifer. I only like two tracks in her album, and they’re both the Get Right cuts (the second version has the prerequisite “added rap part” featuring rapper Fabolous grafted unto the song’s intro and instrumental break). If it weren’t for the additional DVD (with videos for both Get Right tracks and a boring—as in, really—“making of” feature), I wouldn’t have bought her latest album Rebirth.

Equal Rights Can Kill

2005-02-24T12:52:00.000+08:00

(Someone sent me the following email.)

Barbara Walters of 20/20 (USA-ABC Television) did a story on gender roles in Kabul, Afghanistan, several years before the Afghan conflict. She noted that women customarily walked 5 paces behind their husbands. She recently returned to Kabul and observed that women still walk behind their husbands.

From Ms. Walters’ vantage point, despite the overthrow of the oppressive Taliban regime, the women now seem to walk even further back behind their husbands and appear happy to maintain the old custom. Ms. Walters approached one of the Afghani women and asked, “Why do you now seem happy with the old custom that you once tried so desperately to change?”

The woman looked Ms. Walters straight in the eyes and without hesitation said, “Land mines.”

Much Keanu About Nothing

2005-02-24T00:41:00.000+08:00

A lot of people say that Keanu Reeves cannot—nay, doesn’t—act. Can he, really? Is what he does in his movies “acting”? First off, let me say that I found him deliciously cute during the early part of his career (the Bill & Ted and Private Idaho era). But as he grew older and thinner, his sex appeal diminished for me. So my assessment of him is not tainted by any “ay-type-ko-siya” bias. By the time he did The Matrix, I found him handsome but very wooden, very flat. It’s like his personality disappeared. He took very varied roles, from drama to comedy to action; he worked in small films as well as Hollywood behemoths. But despite all that variety, Keanu always comes off as inscrutable, like you cannot find a man behind the character. He is a hollow man, filled with words from a script and actions from a director’s blocking. I suspect he actually acts, except that his features are so passive, even his eyes do not show the inner workings of his mind. And yet he remains picture-perfect, always camera-ready. Ultimately, Keanu is a star if not an actor. Call him Mr. Hollowood Star.

Hang Loose 2

2005-02-22T20:05:00.000+08:00

Thank god I didn’t get to see any cute naked hunks today, so no one noticed how “free” and “relaxed” I was the whole day. Masarap din pala yung pinakakawalan ang mga boys ko paminsan-minsan. Parang silang mga ibong nakawala sa hawla. A-hahahaha! I’m a briefs guy, but I also own a couple of boxer shorts and also boxer briefs. Mukhang mapapadalas ang paggamit ko ng mga iyon.

Hang Loose

2005-02-22T12:13:00.000+08:00

Oh gosh. In my rush to leave the house this morning, I forgot to pack in my gym bag a change of underwear. So imagine my shock after workout when I found out that I don’t have a clean pair to wear for the day.

So now I’m, uhmmm, hanging loose in the office.

Of course I could go to the nearby Crossings Department store and buy me a new pair. But somehow there’s something exciting and kinky-fun in strutting around the office with nothing in between me and my Levi’s. I just hope I don’t get an erection in public.

So On Sunday, God Rested

2005-02-21T23:29:00.000+08:00

Actually, I watched Constantine Sunday afternoon. I went to Shangri-la Mall because I was told the new theaters there were fantastic. Well, they are: aside from the great incline (for better sightlines) and surround sound, they have some of the biggest screens around. As in! In most theaters, one just looks steadily ahead; here, one has to glance to the left and right just to take in the full view. And I was already seated somewhere in the middle towards the back! Tarush. Plus the crowd there is a whole lot better than at Gateway. The Araneta-owned mall has Greenbelt-like theaters, but the crowd is sooo Ali Mall. Your inner snob will not like them when they’re talking out loud during the movie.

Anyway, back to Constantine. First, a confession: when I heard that Keanu Reeves was playing the lead character in the Hellraiser comic series, I was skeptical, if not downright disappointed. Why did these people choose a star instead of an actor? Keanu is great to watch from any angle, but his emotional gamut runs from A to B.

And yet! After watching the movie, I suddenly had new respect for the director. His casting of Keanu was, I think, inspired. No one else in Hollywood has the combination of looks, popularity, box office clout (Reeves can open a movie much bigger than Depp) and an irony-free acting that may look wooden in another movie but in here looks quite… cool. Whoa! Nobody can do “jaded cool” like Keanu. Whether he’s confronting an angel or a demon, his countenance doesn’t change. He’s the ultimate “been there, done that, bought the t-shirt” guy.

Other signs that Keanu pulled off the role: [1] he wasn’t eaten alive in his scenes with the charismatic Tilda Swinton as Angel Gabriel; and [2] Rachel Weisz, otherwise a very competent actress, actually looked like she was putting too much effort when placed beside Keanu; compared to his Zen-like acting, hers was a signal no. 3 typhoon.

The movie is also eye candy in more ways than its handsome cast. The effects are gorgeous to look at; not surprising, since the director came from music videos. Definitely it’s a fun movie to watch, despite the metaphysical ek-ek. Its theology may bother your parents who were weaned on pre-Vatican II precepts, so don’t bring them along. Its message of how the lines of good and evil are actually more blurred than we thought is something that they shouldn’t worry about, especially when every day they’re getting closer to buying the farm.

Saturday, God Was Very Busy

2005-02-21T23:25:00.000+08:00

I was asked to DJ a cast party last Saturday evening. The last time I DJ-ed was at the TARUGO (Tanghalang Ateneo Reunion, U Go!) party last December; before that, it was many years ago since I last played music at a party. So my skills were quite rusty then; naka-apat na sablay ako that night. So when I was asked to be Mr. DJ last Saturday, I accepted because that gave me a chance to redeem myself. In total fairness to me iisa lang ang sablay ko, at hindi pa teknikal (meaning sablay sa pag-press ng play, o pag-cue ng music). I chose the wrong song, thinking kakagatin ito ng mga bagets. Eh wiz type pala nila, kaya flop! Most of them cleared the dance area, although may isa o dalawa na umattempt na patulan ang kanta (hindi ko na sasabihin kung anong song, nakakahiya eh). But aside from that, patok ang mga choices ko of songs to play.

The kids grew up with the music of Spice Girls, early Britney, even Steps’ “5,6,7,8”. So ang saya-saya dahil na-retro sila sa mga yun. They were also into the latest R&B hits (like Usher and Ciara).

In the midst of all this, while I was “in the zone” and had the crowd lapping up each and every song, I received a text message from Phillip. He and Zeki were in Government. Shit! I couldn’t just leave the party; if I do, it dies.

Only then did I realize the truth behind the song: God is a DJ.

Still, I managed to meet up with them in Government. O say! Isingit sa sked ang lahat ng puwedeng maisingit. Ako si Mr. Singit. Phillip was blissfully buzzed. Zeki was… actually, I don’t know if he was bored or he was already contented with watching the people on the dance floor. Basta he looked cool in his black shirt. Anyway, it was my chance to dance—biro mo, I was at a party and the whole time I couldn’t really dance kasi busy-busy-han ang lola. Kaya dance ako sa Government! That is, after I quickly downed two glasses of vodka tonic—I needed the buzz kasi. At the cast party I was drinking beer, but intermittently. (One really needs to focus on the job at hand, otherwise sasablay.) So I didn’t even have a buzz when I got to Makati.

Properly buzzed, dance-kiti-dance ako.

After a while I noticed Zeki was alone. Where was Phillip? Nagpapaka-Good Samaritan upstairs. Well, maybe more of a Good-but-with-a-hidden-agenda Samaritan. Basta it involved a very drunk guy wearing white sando and jeans. How drunk was the sando guy? He told Phillip he was alone, but later on he wanted to find his friend. Hmmm… akala ko ba alone siya? Then again, maybe it was Phillip who was the really drunk one, and had his stories crossed.

Heniwey, mabuti na lang at nakaka-drive pa si Phillip pauwi without endangering Zeki and his car Amanda.

On my way home, I dropped by the cast party. Only a few people were still up, singing songs. The others were scattered all over the house, asleep. From the pairings and positioning of the people snoozing, one can tell who was interested in whom. Ah, kids! Ang saya.

The Laughing/Crying Mask

2005-02-21T15:20:00.000+08:00

People who are funny more often than not have gone through much suffering, and have learned to use humor as a way of coping with pain. The more pain, the more practice they have using humor to cope. No wonder some of the funniest people hide some of the saddest stories.

Phantom Take 2

2005-02-21T15:19:00.000+08:00

Because Mommy and Auntie wanted to watch Phantom Of The Opera, I ended up seeing the movie again. Strangely enough, I found myself enjoying it more the second time around. Yun lang nga, the dragging parts were even more of a chore to watch; as much as I love the song “Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again”, I fell asleep during that musical number. And while the Phantom was singing the reprise of “Masquerade” at the end (when he let the lovers go), I had this sudden insight as to maybe why I’ve remained single for so long. And this time I stayed to listen to the new song written especially for the movie’s end credits (thus providing the movie with an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song).

Learn To Be Lonely

Child of the wilderness
Born into emptiness
Learn to be lonely
Learn to find your way in darkness.
Who will be there for you?
Comfort and care for you?
Learn to be lonely
Learn to be your one companion.
Never dreamed out in the world
There are arms to hold you?
You’ve always known
Your heart was on its own.
So laugh in your loneliness,
Child of the wilderness.
Learn to be lonely
Learn how to love life that is lived alone.
Learn to be lonely
Life can be lived
Life can be loved
Alone.

Now it’s clearer to me why I was such a Phantom fan when everyone else was going gaga over Les Miserables. I mean, “On My Own” and “A Little Fall Of Rain” are heart-breaking songs, but the Victor Hugo novel-turned-musical was way too miserable and dealt more with social and political issues. Phantom is in essence a story of unrequited love and a man who hides himself from the world out of fear.

Ten-Song Tag (from Leigh)

2005-02-18T14:00:00.000+08:00

Random 10:
Wala po akong iPod, and it was just very recently that I’ve started putting songs in the Windows Media Player of my office computer. So I’ll revise the question to “10 songs on my current playlist, or running in my head these past few days” (in no particular order):
[1] You’ll Be Safe Here (orchoustic version) – Rivermaya
[2] Hari Ng Sablay – Sugarfree
[3] What You Waiting For? – Gwen Stefani
[4] Rich Girl – Gwen Stefani
[5] 1,2 Step – Ciara
[6] Caught Up – Usher
[7] Tell Me On A Sunday – Andrew Lloyd Webber
[8] Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again – Andrew Lloyd Webber
[9] Think Of Me – Andrew Lloyd Webber
[10] Get Right – Jennifer Lopez
Obvious ba that I’ve just recently watched The Phantom of the Opera?

What is the total amount of music files in your computer?
I’m still old-fashioned. I’d rather have my music on disc, not in a hard drive.

The last CD you bought was:
Actually I bought three at the same time.
Love. Angel. Music. Baby. – Gwen Stefani
Goodies – Ciara
You’ll Be Safe Here – Rivermaya
This explains some of the songs in my random list.

Five songs that you listen to a lot or mean a lot to you:
[1] You Choose by Pet Shop Boys
Don’t blame him for refusing your bid / He didn’t decide to love, you did. / Learn the lesson / Take the blows / You didn’t fall in love by chance / You chose / Play the sad songs / Sing the blues / You don’t fall in love by chance / You chose.
For me it was a great epiphany: falling in love is a choice. You may not be able to totally control your emotions, but you can control your actions.
[2] You Learn by Alanis Morissette
The fire trucks are coming up around the bend / You grieve you learn / You choke you learn / You laugh you learn / You choose you learn / You pray you learn / You ask you learn / You live you learn
I love the image of fire trucks just around the bend—you’re in trouble, but the solution is on the way. Living is a constant state of learning.
[3] Tell Me On A Sunday by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Let me down easy / No big song and dance / No long faces, no long looks / No deep conversation / I know the way we should spend that day / Take me to a zoo that’s got chimpanzees / Tell me on a Sunday please
The ultimate break-up song. It’s the gentlest yet firmest I’ve ever heard.
[4] Eleanor Rigby – The Beatles
Eleanor Rigby, died in the church / and was buried along with her name / Nobody came / Father McKenzie, wiping the dirt / from his hands as he walks from the grave / No one was saved / All the lonely people / Where do they all come from?
Searing images plus a spare yet evocative string arrangement contribute to a powerful song about loneliness.
[5] Gumboots – Paul Simon
I said, “Hey senorita, that’s astute.” / I said, “Why don’t we get together / and call ourselves an institute?” / You don’t feel you could love me / But I feel you could.
This song is a great example of Paul Simon’s lyrical prowess—understated, yet rich in meaning. Plus the music’s great, his foray into South African music.

Who are you gonna pass this stick to? (3 persons and why)
No one. The buck stops here with me. I’m just too tamad to tag people. Those who wanna answer it in their blogs, please feel free to do so.

Sing Tune A Do

2005-02-17T17:54:00.000+08:00

Last Tuesday evening at a funeral mass for the father of a former officemate of ours, a female solo singer started to sing Lift Up Your Hands during communion:

“Life is not at all that bad my friend…”

I noticed her voice was wobbly, obviously out of age not grief. I also noticed she was singing at quite a high key. I turned to my companion (another officemate) beside me; her eyes were shut in prayer. So I just kept my mouth shut. Then the singer got to the refrain:

“And He said…”

Ay, tataas pa ito.

“…cast your burdens upon me…”

Her voice started cracking; she was struggling to hit the high notes.

“For the yoke I will give you is easy…”

Oh no, not again.

But then suddenly she spoke: “Please sing! Those who know the song, sing along with me!” “…and my burden is light….”

Ay, may ganun! I looked at my companion; she was looking at me too. We broke into uncontrollable giggling.

Later on after the mass, I asked my former officemate who the singer was.

“She’s my father’s sister, my tita,” she replied, then immediately added, “…who is one of the original members of The New Minstrels.”

Oh my gulay! Muntikan ko nang i-okray ang isang original member ng New Minstrels, ang isang tanyag na vocal group from the early 70s! Kaya may-I-reply na lang, “Ahhh, okey.” Sabay punta sa buffet table para kumain ng barbeque.

How To Deal With Homorassment

2005-02-17T13:45:00.002+08:00

The following story is from my friend, Marlon.

This happened years ago when he was still staying in Cubao. One night walking home, he passed by a little mendicant girl who, upon noticing his sashaying, started harassing him: “Bakla, bakla!” At first he didn’t mind it because, heck, patulan ba ang bagets? But then the little girl started to run after him, her taunting getting louder: “Bakla! Bakla! BAKLA!”

Finally Marlon had enough. He slowed down a bit just so that the girl could catch up. When she was almost directly behind him, he suddenly turned around, bent down, pointed a finger almost at the girl’s nose and hissed quietly but emphatically at her:

“Eh kung kantutin kaya kita?!”

The poor girl scampered away, eyes wide with fright.

* * * * *

In fairness to Phlog, their updated look is a lot snazzier. I only have one new picture, though. I must go out-of-town again one of these days.

Doctor Quack Quack

2005-02-15T19:05:00.000+08:00

I remember the time I went to see a shrink.

It was a few years after college; I was already working. Yet I was still grappling with coming out and a succession of unrequited romances. I was getting antsy—it felt like my whole world was caving in. I needed to see a professional.

While I have several close friends who are quite sensible and level-headed, I decided not to talk to them about my problems. Friends aren’t the most objective people to talk to; they have their own hidden agenda and interests to protect. Professionals just need to know that you can pay their fee. Sometimes you really need an outsider with nothing to protect to slap some sense into you.

At first I decided to talk to one of the Cenacle nuns (they were recommended by a priest during one of my last retreats I attended). She was very kind and listened well; best of all she never injected anything religious into our conversations. But she also didn’t ask for any payment, so after three sessions I felt I was taking too much of her time. So I asked her if she can recommend a doctor for me.

The shrink she recommended had his office along Taft Ave. I had to go there for about 5 sessions of an hour each. It was great! Snapped me out of the funk I was in. And because the sessions weren’t exactly that cheap, I had to snap out of it fast, hahaha!

Before there was a stigma attached to seeing a shrink. Nowadays it can be a status symbol, especially if you’re with the hoity-toity crowd. But stigma or symbol aside, seeing a shrink is something one can seriously consider. After all, they don’t tell you the solution; they merely help you figure things out on your own. And with that you can have peace of mind.

Mister Sungit

2005-02-15T14:21:00.000+08:00

At least three guys have told me (after having sex in the bathhouse) that I was masungit-looking, which is why they hesitated to approach me in the first place. Last Saturday a guy who I met in Bed told me I looked like a mabagsik na pulis.

Oh god!

It’s my dad’s genes. If you see his pictures (especially when he was already in his 50s) his general countenance is one that’s often scowling, his eyebrows furrowed, frown lines prominent, lips on a downturn. No, he wasn’t an unhappy man. I think he was always squinting (he had glasses but often refused to wear them). My eyesight is still 20/20 (as determined in last month’s medical check-up), but I’m always thinking of something. And when I’m thinking, I tend to furrow my eyebrows and purse my lips. I think that makes me look sungit.

Of course, those who already know me say that I’m not masungit, that I’m actually an easy-going guy. Sarcastic, yes, but still an easy-to-approach kind of guy. Of course, at bars and bathhouses there’s not much opportunity to display my easy-going charm and sharp wit. Sheesh!

Memo to me: SMILE MORE.

A Musical With Little Lift

2005-02-14T18:09:00.000+08:00

Watched The Phantom of the Opera, director Joel Schumacher’s attempt to put on celluloid Andrew Lloyd Webber’s long-running musical. The director has been accused of making the Batman franchise frivolous and fey. In response, he made two gritty films, Tigerland and Phonebooth (curiously, both starred the very sexy Colin Farrell). Schumacher should have retained his frivolity in his latest effort. Despite the sumptuous cast and production design, this movie needed more chutzpa in terms of direction and camera work. It needed the manic energy that fueled Baz Luhrman’s Moulin Rouge. Maybe Schumacher felt he’d suffer too much in comparison to that Oscar-nominated musical. Only in the musical numbers “Notes from the Phantom” and “Primadonna” did the movie seem to lift a bit. Otherwise, the whole movie had a very heavy mood, like it was weighed down by all the gold and heavy textile of the sets and costumes.

A Very Long Engagement

2005-02-11T11:27:00.000+08:00

Starring Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles. They are to wed decades after they first met in 1970. After Princess Diana died in a car crash in 1997, Prince Charles waited eight long years before he got down on his knees and proposed to her. How very patient, how very British. (Then again, if one stands to lose a crown because of hastily marrying a divorcee after one’s beloved wife just died in a horrible accident, one would be prudent to wait that long.)

McInfluential Music Acts 2

2005-02-10T15:40:00.000+08:00

McVie’s Top 10 Most Influential Music Acts: Solo

I had a harder time listing this group. I guess I’m more of a team-player than a soloist.

[10] Ricky Martin
Okay, so I’m not a major fan of all of his songs. But the ones I like, I like a lot. Mr. Shaved Armpits helped me to not be embarrassed in liking dance songs with Spanish lyrics (like “Macarena”, hahaha!) Quintessential favorites: Maria, She Bangs, The Cup Of Life

[9] George Michael
Even when he was still with Andrew Ridgley, I knew Georgie was Wham! I also knew that he was with my team. I actually liked his solo efforts, especially the danceable ones, more than his Wham! hits. His songs are soulful and heartfelt (sometimes too much though). Quintessential favorites: Praying For Time, Freedom 90, Killer/Papa Was A Rolling Stone

[8] Alanis Morissette
Some of my personal anthems about love and relationships are from her breakthrough first album. She helped me go through some rough times dealing with (often) unrequited emotions. Even if she only released one album, that would have been enough. Quintessential favorites: Hand In My Pocket, You Learn, Thank U

[7] Barry Manilow
Hahaha, my age is showing! He was my favorite male artist back when I was in grade school. I remember almost crying when I heard “Ships”. And “Copacabana” was a huge hit with all of us. I could take even his ballads. These days his songs have this kitschy appeal. Quintessential favorites: Mandy, Weekend In New England, Read ‘Em And Weep

[6] Andrew Lloyd Webber
Technically, he’s not a solo act. But he writes the songs that make the whole theater world sing. And his tunes go beyond the stage; they enter not just pop charts but also the pop consciousness of people who don’t even know what an overture is. His songs are so pop yet so theatrical and dramatic they are my musical equivalent of comfort food. Quintessential favorites: Anything But Lonely, Memory, Tell Me On A Sunday

[5] Sting
After being the head Police-man for several years, Sting embarked on a solo career that was more successful than his acting career. He continued to write whip-smart lyrics, but flexed his musical muscles beyond the simple 3-chords-and-the-truth mentality of rock and roll. He incorporated jazz into his pop songs, and his music became as witty as his lyrics. Quintessential favorites: Fields Of Gold, When We Danced, They Dance Alone (Cueca Solo)

[4] Janet Jackson
Miss Jackson (because I’m nasty) certainly made very hip, danceable songs, and her choreography broke the usual dance mold during that time. Whenever I’d DJ at a party, I always play a Janet Jackson song or two. But then she became nastier, and while her sound became increasingly irrelevant, she decided to take a page off her brother’s “Controversy as a Career Move” book and showed her boobie at the Super Bowl. The rest of her career is, pun intended, a bust. Quintessential favorites: Nasty, Love Would Never Do (Without You), Throb

[3] Prince
His Royal Purpleness, TAFKAP, the glyph symbol… what’s in a name? That which we call the Royal Purple Comeback would still make music that’s sweet. Prince wowed me with music that was controversial, feral, oozing with sex and danger—the perfect anti-Michael during the 80s. Now he’s this very stable, happily-married man while Wacko Jacko is, well, wacko. Talk about role reversal. Quintessential favorites: 1999, When Doves Cry, Kiss

[2] Michael Jackson
Okay, so he may be wacko, but no one can deny the cultural impact he made during his reign as King of Pop. Heck, I wanted to have curls like his! I wore white socks! I wanted the multi-zipper red jacket! But I stopped at the sequined gloves. Meanwhile, his songs and videos are forever etched in my mind. He’s a genuine thriller in more ways than the one involving little boys. Quintessential favorites: Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’, The Way You Make Me Feel, Remember The Time

[1] Madonna
Hello, obvious ba? Gay icon. She made an art out of self-promotion and reinvention. And her music ain’t that bad too. She was a genius in picking the right people to work with on her albums and videos. Too bad she had lousy instincts when it came to her acting. Heck, can’t win ‘em all. Nobody’s perfect. Quintessential favorites: too many to mention

Runners-up (in alphabetical order):
k.d. lang – Thanks to her album “Ingénue” she merits a special mention in my list. Her song cycle of love found and lost is a treasure chest of anthems for every stage of a relationship. No wasted track.
Barbra Streisand – I’m actually a fan of her “Broadway Album”. That album alone has songs that I’ve used one time or another as my “song for the moment”. And aside from possessing some of the best pipes in the business, she has impeccable phrasing. They don’t sing ‘em like they used to.

McInfluential Music Acts 1

2005-02-09T21:16:00.000+08:00

Here I go again with my lists. I’ve attempted to list my Top 10 Most Influential Music Acts. What do I mean by this? These acts, whether solo, duo or group, created music which helped defined my taste in music. One way or another, their songs make up the soundtrack of my life.

I divided it into two lists: [1] duo or group; [2] solo acts.

Duo or Group

[10] New Order
The band formerly known as Joy Division was a major influence in the kind of direction dance and electronic music took during the 90s. I loved the way they marry cold and hard electronic sounds with the tortured singing of Bernard Sumner. Quintessential favorites: Love Will Tear Us Apart Again, Fine Time, Regret.

[9] Fleetwood Mac
It’s the dynamics between ethereal Stevie Nicks, California rocker Lindsey Buckingham, and cool, breezy Christine McVie which makes Fleetwood Mac’s repertoire of songs an interesting mix. Together, they create pop gems that have their personal stamp as well as an unmistakable Mac-mark. Quintessential favorites: Gypsy, Tusk, Go Your Own Way

[8] The Police
Sting’s whip-smart lyrics combined with the very tight interplay between him, guitarist Andy Summers and drummer Stewart Copeland equals some of the smartest rock music in the 80s and early 90s. Quintessential favorites: Message In A Bottle, Every Breath you Take, King Of Pain

[7] Paul McCartney & Wings
Growing up I listened to the Beatles, so when they broke up I naturally followed the solo careers of John, Paul, George and Ringo. Paul was the most successful of the four; he was also my favorite Beatle. Sir Paul may be faulted for writing too many “silly love songs”, but he’s also proven to be capable once in a while to pull a more substantial pop song or two. Quintessential favorites: Listen To What The Man Said, Live And Let Die, Tug Of War

[6] Pet Shop Boys
Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe spoke of gay men’s concerns masked (at first) in a hetero-ambiguous way. But their electronic music couldn’t mask their fey and gay spirit. I also like how Neil’s lyrics became more substantial without losing the smart play of words. Quintessential favorites: What Have I Done To Deserve This?, So Hard, I Don’t Know What You Want But I Can’t Give It Anymore

[5] BeeGees
Starting as a gentler Beatles-wannabe in the 60s, the quintessential disco act of the 70s went on to make elegant pop music in the 80s and 90s as well. I remember biking home in a terrible rush because I heard the song “You Should Be Dancing” playing in our neighbor’s TV. Their songs have such elegant arrangements, it’s no surprise even their dance songs are backed by an orchestra. Now that’s disco music with strings attached. Quintessential favorites: Don’t Forget To Remember, If I Can’t Have You, You Win Again

[4] Electric Light Orchestra
An outgrowth of my love for Beatles music (especially during their “Magical Mystery Tour” era) is my fascination with another Beatles-wannabe group. Taking the rock-and-roll-band-with-strings-section one step further, Jeff Lynne had a whole string section backing his band up. Even during the disco era, ELO made danceable rock music. On later albums Jeff Lynne stripped down his sound, but his melodies and arrangements still sounded suspiciously like the Fab Four’s. Quintessential favorites: Don’t Bring Me Down, Don’t Walk Away, Endless Lies

[3] Abba
Why not? ‘Nuff said.
Seriously, it’s Swedish kitsch plus flawless tunes equals timeless pop classics. Quintessential favorites: Knowing Me, Knowing You, The Name Of The Game, The Winner Takes It All

[2] U2
The boys from Ireland have helped pushed the envelope for modern rock and roll. Dabbling in electronica, hip-hop, classical and other diverse musical influences, U2 was never afraid to push their music in brave directions, to go where the streets have no name. That they continue to rock on and reinvent is a testament to their staying power. Quintessential favorites: Pride (In The Name Of Love), Numb, Discothèque

[1] The Beatles
Hello, obvious ba? The earliest memory I have of any song is their Obla-di, Obla-da. With the album “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”, the Beatles did for pop music what Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 did to classical music: they burst the genre wide open and moved it in directions unheard of then. Ground-breaking, record-breaking, life-changing—they weren’t called the Fab Four for nothing. Quintessential favorites: too many to mention

Runners-up (in alphabetical order):
The Carpenters – The brother-and-anorexic team of Richard and Karen made music that, in a way, defined the 70s for me. Theirs was the music I’d hear on AM radio stations during afternoon siesta, usually with our Bisaya maid singing haphazardly along to it.
Daryl Hall & John Oates – They reached their peak in the 80s, with top 5 hits one after the other. Their songs are part of my 80s soundtrack, as are the songs of…
Duran Duran – Another quintessential 80s band. Their songs make up my soundtrack, while their videos define that era’s images.
Queen – Long before I realized Freddie Mercury played on my team, I already liked his band’s music. They made hard-rocking tunes that were irresistibly sing-alongable. Plus their set in Live Aid was one for the books.

Next time, the solo acts.

Kung Hei Fat Choi!

2005-02-09T17:54:00.000+08:00

All rise to celebrate the Year of the Wooden Cock!

My Current Top Local Song

2005-02-08T22:56:00.000+08:00

It’s from the local TV series “Spirits”. I was driving home last night when this song started playing on the radio. Towards the end, when Rico Blanco kept repeating the line “you’ll be safe here”, I got a little teary-eyed. This song is like a reassuring pat or an arm around my shoulder.

You’ll Be Safe Here
[ Rivermaya ]

Nobody knows
Just why we’re here.
Could it be fate
Or random circumstance?
At the right place,
At the right time,
Two roads intertwine.

And if the universe conspired
To meld our lives,
To make us
Fuel and fire,
Then know—
Where ever you will be
So too shall I be.

(Chorus)
Close your eyes,
Dry your tears,
‘Coz when nothing seems clear—
You’ll be safe here.
From the sheer weight
Of your doubts and fears,
Weary heart…
You’ll be safe here.

Remember how we laughed
Until we cried?
At the most stupid things
Like we were so high.
But love was all that we were on...
We belong.

And though the world would
Never understand
This unlikely union,
And why it still stands.
Someday we will be set free.
Pray and believe.

(Chorus)
When the light disappears
And when this world’s insincere,
You’ll be safe here.
When nobody hears you scream,
I’ll scream with you—
You’ll be safe here.

Save your eyes
From your tears,
When everything’s unclear,
You’ll be safe here.
From the sheer weight
Of your doubts and fears,
Wounded heart…

When the light disappears
And when this world’s insincere,
You’ll be safe here.
When nobody hears you scream
I’ll scream with you—
You’ll be safe here.

In my arms
Through the long cold night,
Sleep tight.
You’ll be safe here.
When no one understands,
I’ll believe.
You’ll be safe,
You’ll be safe,
You’ll be safe here….

Put your heart in my hands,
You’ll be safe here.

I Remember Yesterday…

2005-02-08T18:13:00.000+08:00

…the world was so young. I got the following off Rabbi’s livejournal:

if you read this journal,
even if i don't speak to you often,
post a memory of me.
it can be anything you want.
it can be good or bad,
just so long as it's happened.

then post this in your journal/blog.
see what people remember about you.

*McVie sings*

“Memory, all alone in the moonlight, I can smile at the old days, I was beautiful then….”

Go ahead, make my day.

Isn’t He Lovely?

2005-02-08T15:24:00.000+08:00

Isn’t he wonderful? Isn’t he precious?

Okay, so he’s not that singkit, but he’s sooo adorable just the same.
Swoooooon!

Oh yeah, speaking of singkit… advanced kung hei fat choi!

Birthday Victim

2005-02-07T19:20:00.000+08:00

You can spring this birthday prank on someone. This is our version of a “Birthday Victim Extreme Edition”. We just pulled it off today on one of our officemates, Chloe.

First, one of Chloe’s friends in the office contacted her boyfriend and clued him in on the prank. Next, our officemate Clyde started texting Chloe using her personal cellphone number, a number Chloe doesn’t have in her phone directory. Clyde pretended she was Chole’s boyfriend’s other woman, and started to “harass” Chloe. She texted lines like: At last I got your number. Hindi ako nakikipaglokohan sa iyo. Hindi ako manloloko, kundi ang boyfriend mo. Yes, I may be a bitch pero ako ang bitch na sinasamba ng boyfriend mo.

Ang taray!

Anyway, Clyde as the “mistress” told Chloe she didn’t want a fight, but she needed to meet with her that afternoon because she had “important things to discuss” with her. They agreed to meet at the nearest Starbucks. Come rendezvous time, we hid inside Starbucks while another officemate of ours accompanied Chloe outside the coffee shop to wait for the mysterious mistress. Then, as a final prank, Clyde called up Chloe on the phone while she, along with the rest of us, crept up from behind her.

Surprise!

Yes, we are an evil bunch. Just make sure the celebrant is the kind who can survive this kind of cruel stunt.

Close Encounter of the Showbiz Kind

2005-02-07T16:04:00.000+08:00

I peeked into their on-going photo shoot for their new show. Mark, the executive producer, decided to introduce me: “Aaron, this is Kuya Joel, he’s the promo specialist, este, promo supervisor for comedy.”

Fuck. Why do production people always refer to us as “kuya” as if we’re related?

Aaron stood up from his seat and offered his hand. I took it and shook it.

Oooooh gosh! I’m shaking Aaron’s hand! I’m shaking Aaron’s hand! Eeeeeeeeeeee!!!

Then he spoke: “Hi, po.”

“Po”? Po?! Shet. Puwede ba ‘wag mo ako galangin?!

Hay naku. The kids of today…!

*****

PAKINGSHET!!! That kid is not 19 years old pala!
He's only 15 years old.

Pakingshet.

Bitay ito!

Pil-Seung & Soon-Young

2005-02-07T14:51:00.000+08:00

I’m really getting addicted to Korean/Chinese/Japanese tv series and movies. And my current favorite is a Korean soap opera that I stumbled upon one Sunday morning while channel surfing. The title of the series is Pil-Seung & Soon-Young, and like Lovers In Paris, the recent Kimchi-novella that was a big hit here, this soap isn’t an all-out weep-fest but instead has many light, humorous moments.

The titular characters are the ones on the left. Pil-Seung is a simple provincial lad. What he lacks in smarts he makes up for with a big heart. He meets and falls in love with Soon-Young, a woman working as a clerk in a giant supermarket chain (think SM). But she has her heart set for the head of marketing of that supermarket chain (played by the actor on the right). Things get even more complicated when Pil-Seung is discovered to be the heir to the chairmanship of the giant supermarket chain. (Hey, told you this is a soap opera!) So now Pil-Seung is the boss of both Soon-Young and the marketing head. And that’s not all: to help him into his new role as head of the company, Pil-Seung is given a teacher (the girl third from the left); she eventually falls for Pil-Seung.

Love quadrangle itetch!

Most of the light moments are supplied by the actor playing Pil-Seung. He’s not really that good-looking, but he possesses great comic timing and isn’t afraid to look ridiculous for the camera. Which of course makes him look even cuter in my eyes! He’s now the latest in my long line of chinky-eyed crushes.

Hay naku. Now I really wanna go to Singapore or Hong Kong or Seoul.

Of Commies and Shootings

2005-02-07T13:46:00.000+08:00

On the front page of the Inquirer today, photos of the first gay marriage in the New People’s Army, between a 21-yr old and a 54-yr old. My god, the Reds have turned pink!

*pause*

Imperialista, ibagsak! Dikaturang Arroyo-US, patalsikin!

(P.S. -- Thanks to Jong’s blog for the pic.)

*****

Yesterday afternoon I attended my very first photo shoot party. Hu-whaaat? you may ask. Well, it’s a really inventive way to mix business with pleasure.

My friend, let’s call him D, is a struggling newbie photographer in Manila. In a city with a surplus of professional shutterbugs, he knows he’ll have a hard time breaking into the market. At the same time he also needs to further improve his photo skills. How will he do that if he can’t have people posing for him?

He found the solution in, of all places, Friendster. He noticed how a lot of Friendster pics are slap-dash pics that don’t do justice to the person. D thought, if people had access to professional photographers, they’d want their pics taken by them and post those pics on their Friendster account.

Thus, the photo shoot party was born. D invited his friends to invite their friends over. At the same time, he contacted several people through his Friendster account and invited them over. So D gets to practice his photography skills, the guys get to have better Friendster pics, and people get to swap cards, contact numbers and—maybe, who knows?—body fluids much, much later on after the pictorials. Think of it has having the dynamics of a gay orgy without the orgy, of course. There’s a lot of shooting load going on, but we’re talking loads of film. (Weeeell… actually, digital ang gamit niya.) D wants to keep the pictorial as “clean” and professional as possible—he’d better, because his boyfriend always tags along in every shoot.

There were about 15 of us in the room. There were two couples who had their individual photos taken as well as with their significant other. With matching kiss and hug pa ang posing nila. D asked me to join in just to observe, but I ended up mugging for his camera towards the end of the shoot.

Because D limits his invitees to only gay men, we were all very supportive when one of them, let’s call him Marc, asked to be shot nude. As in totally in the buff. So we dimmed the lights, and Marc posed gamely for D. Too gamely, in fact—he stroked his dick so that in several shots he had a raging hard-on. (Pretty decent size, I’m sure my dear viewers would have wanted to know. Maybe five-and-a-half inches, thick enough.) Most of us put on a blasé attitude, although some of the younger ones were obviously tickled pink. Of course, if Marc had been very buff and very good-looking, we all wouldn’t be as blasé as we were.

After the shoot, D told me to invite my friends who may want to have their Friendster pics upgraded—for a very minimal fee—Php500 yata, I’m not too sure now. (Oh yes, the shoot isn’t free. The payment covers part of the venue rental and the CD where D will burn your pics in.)

So, anybody interested?

My Current Local Showbiz Crushes

2005-02-05T01:50:00.000+08:00

Shet, pabata ng pabata sila! I think I’m turning into a pedophile.

On the left is JC Cuadrado. Ang square ng name niya, noh? A-hihihihihi! Seriously, one can be reduced to a giggly-girl when face to face with him. And take note… I almost saw him shirtless! Had I entered the men’s room five minutes earlier, I would have witnessed the yummilicious sight! Haaay!

On the right is the runner up to this “talent” star search recently conducted by our network (take note the quotation marks). Aaron’s only 19 years old! (I wonder if all he ever wanted was love.) Actually sungki ang ngipin niya, at hindi rin naman siya masyadong magaling umarte sa drama. But he dances well (he looks like he’s really enjoying himself while dancing) and he can do a mean comic screaming faggot role—very un-PC and cliché-ridden, but despite all that he pulls it off. Joskopo, at 19 years old manamis-namis pa ang kanyang… ahem.

Between the two of them? Why NOT?!

Friday Snapshots

2005-02-04T20:56:00.000+08:00

In the Feb. 07, 2005 issue of Newsweek, there’s an article about the Chinese actress Sylvia Chang. The article mentions her role in the Hong Kong-Singaporean film Rice Rhapsody as a Singaporean mom with two gay sons who is determined to make sure the third one turns out straight.

What an interesting premise.

*****

The product is JJJ Papaya Whitening Peeling Cream. It is a Chinese product. According to the package, it is a “clean out horniness whitening” cream. It promises “one minutes dispel horniness”.

Sumasakit na ba ulo mo? Wag ka, meron pa!

On the side it says:

Efficacy: This papaya whitening peeling cream by use of natural plant papaya withdraw the essence, vitamin B3, Vc, and mulberry extraction distillate, availability wipe off face die cell, restrain melanin, strengthen cell renovate, restra in melanin and blemish, skin whitening, look brand-new.

Use: Days for sub-two, first shall face wetness, and weild the product gently knead, then with cleanly water washing.

Notice: avoid into eyeball, if immodesty, shortly washing for cleanly water.

Methinks Arnel Salgado of “The Fire Within” fame has found work in China. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll just lie down for a while. I think I have a headache.

Hilda-ism

2005-02-03T21:56:00.000+08:00

We have an officemate, Hilda, and her English is one of a kind. This afternoon we heard an officemate ask her: “Huy Hilda, nag-da-drive ka na pala?”

Hilda’s nonchalant reply? “In a way.”

Bathhouse

2005-02-03T13:46:00.000+08:00

Last night I watched Chris Pablo’s second digital movie, “Bathhouse”. His first effort was “Duda”, which was also an independently-produced digital movie written and directed by him. I was hoping that with his second effort, he could have shown improvement as a writer and director.

To be fair, this one is more confidently directed. But his writing sucks.

Basically, it’s his dialogue. He writes as if they weren’t characters but thesis statements and conclusions. And although his insights into why people frequent bathhouses aren’t new nor deep—nothing that can’t be explained in a paragraph of an essay—he states them instead of showing them and letting the audience arrive at their own conclusions. His screenplay is didactic, pedantic, and just plain ick. For example:

Scene: lead character, a 19-year old newbie, is in the shower room of the bathhouse, fully-clothed, water running all over him. He’s devastated because he was just rejected by his ultimate crush, the love-of-his-life. A naked customer comes in and takes the shower next to him, all the while complaining loudly about a previous encounter. (Take note, he didn’t even raise an eyebrow upon seeing a fully clothed, fully drenched guy beside him.)

Naked customer: Ngawa-ngawa-ngawa… pakipot pa eh sex lang naman hanap nating lahat dito eh!

19-yrs old (looks forlornly at him): But I only wanted love!

Ick!

But still I’d support movies like “Bathhouse”. It’s good that there are those who are pioneering digital movies here in the Philippines. And bravo to those courageous enough to tackle gay themes on film. What they do is to help raise the bar on independent films. Who knows, I might just decide to make one myself. If I do and you see one of the characters there say, “But I only wanted love!” you have my permission to shoot me.

Snail E-mail

2005-02-02T17:20:00.000+08:00

Today I just received an email from Jong, asking me about Bohol. The weird thing is this: his email was dated Jan. 19, 2005; I got it in my inbox only today, Feb. 02, 2005.

Hu-whaaaat?!

Heniwey, Jong, I emailed you both at your office address (methinks it is) and your gmail address. Tell me immediately—whether through here or email—if you received my reply or not. Sayang naman if late na ang sagot ko. I want you to enjoy your trip to Bohol.

P.S. Your Batanes pics are great. Makes me wanna go there.

Pubic Appearance

2005-02-01T23:01:00.000+08:00

There are perks to working in a major network. Like for instance this morning, I saw Diether O.’s pubes. Yup, that’s right.

You see, we taped him and the rest of The Hunks for a promo spot for their upcoming new show. We asked him—very nicely—to push down his pants so that we can show some skin that’s just a little bit below the belt line; we were expecting him to pull it down on one side. What we didn’t ask him to do was to pull down his pants just above his crotch—he decided that on his own. Thus, the pubic appearance.

When we were previewing the material, the female editor beside me squealed, her sensibilities offended. But I’m pretty sure part of her was titillated at the sight. His pubes were quite neat-looking, not bushy-bushy this-way-and-that. Actually his crotch area looked like he smells really nice and neat, like a combination of Ivory soap and light sweetish sweat.

I think I wanna go on a Diet.

Nag-u-um-angst Ako

2005-02-01T13:30:00.000+08:00

Alam niyo, hindi ko na talaga alam, ha. Bakit wala nang nagpa-participate sa inyo? Bakit walang nagre-react? Kailangan ko bang maging magnanakaw para magreact kayo? Kailangan ko bang pumatay ng tao’t i-post ang details dito? Wala na bang nanonood ng The McVie Show? Boring na ba ako? Corny na ba ako? Are you not entertained?

Down ba ang Haloscan?

McMemory Loss

2005-01-31T20:37:00.000+08:00

Paking shet! Alzheimer’s na nga itoh! I cannot remember where my volumes 3-5 of “A Series Of Unfortunate Events” are! Did I lend them to my younger sister? She says they’re not with her. I’ve also asked Leigh; nada also.

Argh! This is infuriating!

Hair’s My Newly-Trimmed Coif

2005-01-31T20:23:00.000+08:00

I love it whenever Ipe (muchas gracias, Ipe!) does my hair. I’ve finally found the right formula: cut it quite short (but not too much so that I can still play around with it), then let it grow for about a month. By that time my hair will reach maximum fabulousness—grow it any longer and it becomes bad hair week.

Oh yeah, an officemate celebrated her birthday today. She’s the “I see dead people” officemate. I asked her if any of her “friends” have greeted her already; she said none of them did. It would be weird to have dead people greeting you on your day of birth.

Let’s Go Local

2005-01-31T20:07:00.000+08:00

I’m in love with two OPM songs these days. This hasn’t happened for quite some time now. Before this, the only local songs I listened to were by the Eraserheads and just some by True Faith. Nowadays I’m flipping over Hari Ng Sablay by Sugarfree and You’ll Be Safe Here (Theme from the TV series “Spirits”) by Rivermaya.

The first one is reminiscent of The Police’s “King Of Pain” although Sugarfree’s song isn’t as angst-ridden as Sting’s ode to torment. In fact, it’s quite a fun song. Anyone who takes it seriously and makes it his angsthem is a desperate drama queen-wannabe.

The second song I’ve know for quite some time now because it’s the theme song of this local TV series, Chito Roño’s “Spirits” (currently airing after the early evening news). The series is well-made, but the numerous subplots and complex story structure have become too demanding for ordinary soap viewers; the ratings are decent but not spectacular, considering they spend a lot of time, money and thought into the series. Too bad. But the song is currently number one in the MYX countdown, and I hear it played from high-end FM stations like 93.1 K-Lite and 89.9 TM to the more jolog-jologan stations na “kailangan pa bang i-memorize yan?” at mga “for life!” Talk about a cross-over hit! Feeling ko it can reach the level of popularity that Kitchie Nadal’s “‘Wag Na ‘Wag Mong Sasabihin.”

Thank god natapos na ang acoustic-accoustic-an phase!

Cunning Linggo

2005-01-31T18:32:00.000+08:00

Wow. For the first time in a looong time, I spent the whole day Sunday at home.

Okay, to be strict about it, I spent the first five and a half hours of Sunday in Bed, dancing on the ledge for more than two hours. The guy dancing next to me was grinding his butt on my crotch; I decided to put my hands inside his polo shirt and tweak his nipples. Tits for twat. But we only went that far. After I stepped down, I didn’t see him anymore that night. (Come to think of it, I don’t quite remember his face. He was very tall, so I didn’t look up too often to memorize his features. Also he had his back to me most of the time, a-hihihi!)

Sunday is usually the time I go and watch a movie and/or go to the bath house if I’m feeling horny. (When I was younger I’d go watch a movie if I was feeling horny. Not anymore. Cruising in the movie house for me is sooo yesterday.) But Saturday night before going to Bed I was in bed at the bath house with two other guys. Yep, threesome ito, mga pare! And I got to fulfill one of my fantasies: me humping a guy while sucking another. Okay naman sha. May bolitas pa yung guy na I was sucking. Iba rin pala sumubo ng may ball-bearings.

So you can imagine by Sunday I was feeling contented and strangely pious. NOOO, I didn’t go to mass—baka pasukin na naman ng mangnanakaw ang kotse ko, noh! I just felt like my body didn’t need to do anything sexual. So I spent the day with the family watching the extensive documentary “Star Wars: Empire of Dreams” on the bonus disc of the Star Wars Trilogy on DVD. Then before dinner we watched Close Encounters Of The Third Kind because according to my mom, “Nakalimutan ko na ang umpisa ng pelikula.” Ah, okey. “Hindi ba si Drew Barrymore nasa pelikulang ito?” Wow, Mommy! You know Drew Barrymore! But no, you don’t know your Spielberg filmography; E.T. po yon.

By evening I was trawling the TV, looking for something nice to watch. There was this Korean soap opera on the Arirang Channel which was interesting only because the Korean guy was cute. There was also another Korean soap opera in another Korean cable channel that had not just one but two cute male leads! All these cute singkit men! Haaay!

By 11:30pm I was asleep.

Anne-no Ba ‘To?!

2005-01-28T21:13:00.000+08:00

Alright, enough of those tests! Obvious ba na wala akong episode na ma-post? Super-busy kasi kami leading up to the weekend. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Heniweyz, this morning I came to a sudden realization while at the gym. I was trying to remember the lyrics of Anne Murray’s song, “You Needed Me.” The first verse goes:
I cried a tear,
You wiped it dry.
I was confused,
You cleared my mind.
I sold my soul,
You bought it back to me,
And held me up and gave me dignity;
Somehow you needed me.

That’s when I realized: Hoy! Siya na nga yung iyakin, confused, at walang kaluluwa, at siya pa ang may kapal-muks na sabihin, “Kailangan mo ako.” Hellooooow?!

Earth calling Anne Murray, o kung sino man ang songwriter ng “You Needed Me”— Ang kapal ng mukha moh!

Wala lang.

My Personality Type

2005-01-28T16:45:00.000+08:00

You Have A Type B Personality

B

You're as laid back as they come...
Your baseline mood is calm and level headed
Creativity and philosophy tend to be your forte

Like a natural sedative, you have a soothing effect on people
Friends and family often turn to you first with their problems
You have the personality to be a spiritual or psychological guru

Do You Have a Type A Personality?

Soul Food To Go

2005-01-27T23:15:00.000+08:00

You Are a Peacemaker Soul

You strive to please others and compromise anyway you can.
War or conflict bothers you, and you would do anything to keep the peace.
You are a good mediator and a true negotiator.
Sometimes you do too much, trying so hard to make people happy.

While you keep the peace, you tend to be secretly judgmental.
You lose respect for people who don't like to both give and take.
On the flip side, you've got a great sense of humor and wit.
You're always dimplomatic and able to give good advice.

Souls you are most compatible with: Warrior Soul, Hunter Soul and Visionary Soul

What Kind of Soul Are You?

Peace, man!

What 2004 Hit Song Are You?

2005-01-27T21:53:00.000+08:00

Toxic by Britney Spears

"It's getting late
To give you up
I took a sip
From my devil cup
Slowly
It's taking over me "

Ah, what's a year without breaking a few hearts? Literally.

What 2004 Hit Song Are You?

Oh my god! I remember flipping out to this song last year.

I’m A Speyshal Child

2005-01-27T21:33:00.000+08:00

Your Dominant Intelligence is Spatial Intelligence

You've got a good sense of space and how the world around you looks.
You can close your eyes and "see" images. You have innate artistic talent.
An eye for color and shapes, you're also a natural designer.
Since you think in pictures, visual aids and demonstartions help you learn best.

You would make a good navigator, sculptor, visual artist, inventor, architect, interior designer, or engineer.

What Kind of Intelligence Do You Have?

How Pisces Am I?

2005-01-27T21:26:00.000+08:00

You are 73% Pisces

How much do you match your zodiac sign?

(Out of 45897 people the average score was 67%)

McVie Gives Head

2005-01-27T17:44:00.000+08:00

“baka dapat hindi ka masyadong nag-iisip, mcvie. ang talino mo, eh!”
— comment by rjamesg from a previous episode

Ay naku my friend, if only it were that simple. :-)

Pero klaruhin ko lang muna: ayaw kong tawagin ang sarili ko na matalino. I just consider myself more exposed to a lot of stuff than most people.

But I will say this: I’m a thinking person more than a feeling person. Ayokong maging feeling, charing. Seriously, my mind runs on Energizer spiked with a mixture of Petron Blaze and rocket fuel. (Serious daw, o!) My mind is the first to kick in. I think I was built that way. I remember at a certain point in my life I made a conscious decision that I will use my head first. You should see me give head! Really, I prefer to attack things from a rational point of view. I keep a tight reign of my emotions. It doesn’t mean I’m detached from my emotions; I don’t let them control what I should think, decide, and do. I roll my eyes when I see people moan and groan about their emotional problems when, if they assess them dispassionately, the answer is staring at their faces. We are homo sapiens: the gay rational animal.

Still it came as a shock to me when an office acquaintance of mine described me as someone who doesn’t let anyone come close emotionally. It was shocking because that comment came out of the blue. Made me think: was I giving out that kind of vibe?

Yes, I’ve tried the “jump-without-thinking” before; it became more of a “jump-and-keep-assessing-every-step-of-the-way-down” kind of thing, you know? But yeah, I’ve done my fair share of falling mindlessly over certain guys before.

But it’s not really about emotions. I just don’t decide without thinking first, without assessing and weighing the pros and cons. I don’t “decide” to fall for someone, but I decide whether to go out with him or not. I don’t “decide” to have a crush on someone, but I decide whether to act on it or not.

There are those who are risk-takers, and then there are those who are deliberate. I don’t think I’m the type to dive headlong into something. I’m not the type who easily throws caution to the wind. It is a deliberate decision for me to act wild and carefree.

Having said that, I also noticed that I like to do particular spontaneous things: kaladkarin ako sa mga yayaan (“Dinner tayo sa Yellow Cab!” “Mag-Bed tayo!” “Let’s go to Antipolo!” “Road trip!”) at pag may pera, madaling mag-impulse buy especially if it’s a CD or DVD.

I guess what it all boils down to is this: I take responsibility for my actions—especially if they impact on others—very seriously.

And now, I must rest. All this thinking is giving me a headache.

Shirley You Must Be Kidding….

2005-01-26T22:09:00.000+08:00

No I’m not. And my name isn’t Shirley.

This is one bitchin’ album. The Remix Album: Diamonds Are Forever contains Shirley Bassey classics such as “(Where Do I Begin) Love Story,” “Diamonds Are Forever,” and “Goldfinger” remixed by such acts as Propellerheads, Groove Armada, and Kenny Dope. Yes, the songs are the ones your parents listened to, but with a modern spin, they’re given a new lease in life. Yes, the album is uneven, but it’s a rare find here in Tower or MusicOne or (good luck sa iyo!) Odyssey. So if you find one, grab it immediately, go to the listening station, and decide right there and then. It may not resurface anymore.