In Anticipation…

The last time I visited Phoenix’s official website, this was the picture that greeted me… or at least something similar to it. But today, I was surprised to see this instead.

Since I did not have a clue what the word meant, I went to the most reliable source on the internet to find the answer –  Wikipedia.  The wise website states that Thermidor was the eleventh month in the French Republican Calendar. It also defined the term as “the phase in some revolutions when the political pendulum swings back towards something resembling a pre-revolutionary state, and power slips from the hands of the original revolutionary leadership.” In what way the word is connected to the music of French indie alternative band Phoenix, I do not know yet (but I’m guessing it is the title of a new album or a single). What I do know for certain though is that something new is finally cooking.

l-r: deck d’arcy; christian mazzalai; my favorite member, laurent mazzalai (a.k.a. laurent brancowitz); and thomas mars

And they’re cooking, all right!  The band’s latest journal entry shows that Phoenix is back in the studio to work on their fifth album after their highly successful and Grammy award-winning 2009 release, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (WAP). Designer and photographer Hedi Slimane provides some pieces of evidence of the band working.

For fans of Phoenix such as I, this is good news! Well, if you can still call that news.  I did not notice it immediately but the “latest” journal entry I had just read was actually published one year ago!  Shoot.  (It is quite apparent that I have not visited their site for quite a while, huh?)  Despite learning about this development belatedly, this does not stop me from being thrilled.  I wonder what their new music would sound like.  Would their musical pendulum swing back to something that resembles a pre – Lisztomania state or would it slip into something that is more revolutionary?  I hope they release the record soon so I can have the answer.  Or at least I hope Phoenix would update their fans and not just keep all the juicy, fun stuff to themselves!

Let’s leave Paris and New York for a while and focus on a brilliant musical species proudly indigenous to this shore, who, by the way, also has a new musical offering.

Four years after his first solo effort, Your Universe, took the music scene by storm, Rico Blanco is back with a new album called Galactik Fiestamatik. According to an article of Juice.ph, Galactic Fiestamatik offers a “festive adventure that seems ethnic, folk, punk, and futuristic, all at once, with Blanco’s signature songwriting as the centerpiece.” Furthermore, Blanco himself describes the record “as more abrasive, more flawed than correct, production-wise.”

In one of Myx’s programs (the title of which I do not know though. It is the one wherein Francis Reyes and VJ Chino are awkwardly paired), Reyes said that some people in the music industry say that Blanco’s second album is so good, it would put Your Universe in the dust!

On June 4, Blanco will release the album’s carrier single, Amats, which will let the public have a taste of this intriguing and highly applauded album.  Let us wait and see if the fearless forecast would prove itself true.

Being “Anti-Social”

The internet is brimming with social networking sites (SNS) these days and more, I bet, would be popping up in the future. It is said that these social networking sites make distance irrelevant, and communication with dear family and friends better. But do they?

I have always been reluctant when it comes to SNS. It often takes me years to sign up for an account, and friends usually have to “encourage me strongly” (a.k.a. force me) to do so. Before, I used to think that joining SNS was just a silly way to collect “friends”, and announcing to the world what you were up to, no matter how insignificant these things might be. If I wanted to connect with friends, I would rather meet them in person, I thought. But, as years passed by and friends became busier and eventually lacked the time to meet up, I realized that these SNS might even have a good purpose after all.

and that’s not even all of them!

Despite this realization, I still did not become a big fan of SNS. I would put up one, build it, but lose interest in it afterwards. My friends were mostly into uploading photos; I was not. I was more into writing, but my friends were not so much big fans of reading. Besides, after a while, newer and more popular SNS emerged and friends usually supported them, neglecting the accounts that they had put up, and therefore disconnecting with the friends they had added in their contacts lists.

After signing up for these SNS, I finally grew tired of them. I have deleted most of the accounts that I have, and I now just mainly use Facebook and WordPress nowadays (with the latter enjoying more of the attention). My social-media-crazy friends have told me to sign up for Twitter, but I refuse to do so. Really, what can you express in Twitter? (Just bought a new pair of shoes today. Excited to wear them. Yay!) I can be a bit of anti-social at times, but because of my reluctance to join these SNS, some of my friends have called me “anti-social” for a completely different reason.

A couple of weeks back, I hung out with some friends. We watched a show and decided to get some lunch afterwards. I was hoping we could share a good conversation about a lot of things over lunch as we had not seen each other for quite a while, but as soon as our butts hit the chairs, they took out their phones and tweeted away. I did not want to take away from them the pleasure of announcing something to the virtual world, so I did not say anything; I thought it would not last more than five minutes, anyway. But, how completely I was mistaken! They chatted with their Twitter / FB friends about the show we had just finished watching – for almost twenty minutes, interrupted only by the waiter telling something about our orders, or them curtly encouraging me to sign up for Twitter so I could “relate.” Watching them, I could not help but be pissed. I did not want to make a big issue out of it anymore, so I just did not express any irritation that I had with them. The order finally arrived. We ate and chatted… a bit.

Is this the future of human interaction – contained in the intricacies and void of interconnected computers and phones?

A couple of days after, I found this interesting “game” posted by a contact in Facebook.

Introducing a new game called:

“Don’t Be Anti-Social During Meals With Friends.”

Everyone puts their phones in the middle of the table. Whoever cracks first by touching their phone, pays for the entire meal.

The purpose of the game was to get everyone off their phones, away from Twitter,Facebook, texting, etc. and to encourage conversations. In other words, help cure the “Anti-Social Social Media Craziness.”

Rules:

1) The game starts after everyone sits down.
2) Everybody places their phone in the middle of the table.
3) The first person to touch their phone loses the game.
4) Loser of the game pays the bill for everyone’s meal.
5) If the bill comes before anyone has touched their phone, everybody is declared a winner and pays for their own meal.

We had a blast. Conversation rocked. Everyone loved it.

Are You Game? Are you willing to turn the tide of anti-social behavior? What do you think?!?

The “game” clearly reflects my sentiment but I am not asking everyone not to touch their phones at all because I think that would be too much. What I am simply asking is for people not to spend too much time on their phones, Twitter, Facebook, games, etc. that they fail to remember that they are actually in the company of real people. I do not care about who pays for the bill, what I do care about are the issues of face-to-face human communication and relations, even respect and courtesy.

If communication would inexorably lead to this kind of scenario, then I would be glad, even proud, to be considered an anti-social.

Caret Solidus Hedera Interrobang!

No, this post is not about magic words, although the title does sound like one!  For today class, we will talk about punctuation marks.

Punctuation marks used in English can be confusing.  My main language is Filipino, but I have studied and used English – as many other Filipinos have – my entire life.  Despite the extensive exposure to this international language, I admit that I still often seek the help of grammarians even in this seemingly basic topic.

Last night, I wanted some clarification on semi-colons: when to use them when independent clauses are involved, so I sought help online.  My attention however, was caught by an interesting title of an article, which I will share now.

Below are 14 punctuation marks that you never knew existed taken from buzzfeed.com.   I have seen many of the symbols, but I did not have an idea that they were actually punctuation marks!  The only ones I am familiar with are the name and function of the caret, and the meaning of the pilcrow (I was not aware of its name until now!)

Really, interrobang, snark, and exclamation comma are punctuation marks

Dagger

Also called an Obelisk. This bad boy (on the left), and its two-headed friend (on the right) the Double Dagger or Diesis, represents a javelin, which is cutting out extraneous stuff from your text. Its primary use through the ages has been to mark out superfluous repetitions in translation, though nowadays it mostly just stands in as a kind of footnote.

Caret

Also called a Wedge, an Up-Arrow, and a Hat, which is cute. The word caret is Latin for “it lacks,” which is convenient, because the caret is primarily used to indicate something that’s missing from the original text.

Solidus

Not to be confused with a slash! The Solidus is also called a Shilling Mark (presumably by old British dudes in top hats) and it is at a much steeper angle than a boring old backslash. Back before decimilization took the world by storm, the Solidus was used to set apart different values of currency from each other.

Asterism

The Asterism has an awesome name, a cool look, and a really lame usage. It’s for indicating minor breaks in text. It can also mean “untitled,” apparently.

Guillemets

Guillemets means “Little Williams,” which is interesting but unhelpful. They’re named after a 16th Century French printer. Their primary role is in non-English languages that use them as quotation marks.

Sheffer Stroke

Mainly used for Boolean functions and propositional calculus. Truth tables. Stuff like that.

Because Sign

This one’s so cool. It’s like the “Therefore” sign, but upside-down, and it means because.

Section Sign

To indicate sections in a text, mostly by lawyers, who are too good for regular punctuation marks. You probably knew this one, but it’s cool-looking, so.

Exclamation Comma

Just because you’re excited about something doesn’t mean you have to end the sentence.

Question Comma

The interrogative version of its best friend the Exclamation Comma.

Interrobang

It’s a combo-Exclamation/Question mark, and it’s awesome. It is the glorious punctuational equivalent of saying OMGWTF?!

Hedera

Hedera is Latin for ivy. Why that is relevant here is not very clear at all, but this little glyph was used back in the day to mark paragraph breaks. Seems like it was probably really hard and annoying to draw, but it looks nice.

Pilcrow

This one’s also for paragraph breaks. Most people will be familiar with it, though not with the fact that it’s called a Pilcrow. It’s also referred to as “The Blind P,” which sounds like a good name for some hopelessly twee indie band. “Pilcrow” is the Middle English word for “Paragraph.” You will never be able to use that fun fact in real life.

Snark

Also called the Percontation Point and the Irony Mark, this one’s used to indicate that there’s another layer of meaning in a sentence. Usually a sarcastic or ironic one. So it is essentially a tool for smart people to use to make stupid people feel even stupider. Which makes it the best punctuation mark of all.

It’s Sweeter the Second Time Around

“It’s sweeter the second time around” – that saying might be true for love, but I am not here to talk about the L word, rather, my second UFL experience, which I should say, was indeed “sweeter”… relatively.

As I have mentioned in the previous entry, my football-loving friend did invite me last week to watch the Loyola Meralco Sparks FC – Kaya FC match.  “It is going to be a big game,” she told me.  But being the football ignorant that I am, I was not really aware of how big or small a game would be.  I mean, they all seemed the same.  The degree of importance of a game between two teams was alien to me.  So I told her that I would think about, which I did.

Though the LMSFC vs. Kaya FC match would not start until 4:00p.m., my friend wanted us to be there earlier to have good parking and seats, since it was “a big game.”  She wanted us to be there as early as 2:00 p.m.!  Being there as early as 2:00 p.m. meant I had to endure watching the first match between Pasargad FC and Stallion Giligan’s FC.  I did not know if I could do that – watching two football games in one day.  Initially, I wanted to say, “pass.”  I would just finish all the work and errands I had for that weekend.  However, as Saturday drew closer, I thought about how my weekend looked like – boring.  Yes, I would accomplish my tasks, but it would still be…boring.  Suddenly, I did not feel like being responsible on a weekend, so I finally told my friend, “I want to come with you guys tomorrow.”

So if I am not a football fan, why did I say yes? Apart from boredom, here are the reasons.   Some may sound weird but are valid, nonetheless:

1. I wanted to go out and just feel the summer breeze on my face;
2. The stadium offers a vast view of the sky (and if you’ve read my 5:11 post, you would know that I like watching clouds);
3. I did not want to be alone on that day, but I did not want to be with the same people either. I wanted to be with a different crowd – a totally different crowd;
4. I wanted to have a break with my routine;
5. I needed a distraction.

Although I had said yes to my friend, I told her that I would only watch the first match.  I did want to get away for a while but I also did not want to spend almost the entire day there.

We arrived at the same venue the week prior, at the Univeristy of Makati, at 2:00 p.m. en punto.  There were not many people yet, only a handful.  This gave my friend and her sister, the “founder” of LMSfc’s booster squad, the Spark Squad (SS), the opportunity to set up and prepare for the match.  Compared to last week, they had more paraphernalia, which they all made by themselves.  They all specially did and bought everything –  the flags, clappers, flaglets, banners, etc. – out of love for LMSFC.  I must say I admire their dedication.  I do not think I have reached the level of devotion, especially that of the sister’s, for any idol of mine before.  (I will write more about this topic next time.)  Cheers to the cheerers!

Amazingly, time flew faster for me this time around.  The game suddenly was on its second half; before I knew it, Pasargad FC (1-0) was the celebrated winner.  By 4:00 p.m., the bleachers were filled with enthusiastic supporters.  At this time too, the SS was making last-minute preparations – distributing stuff, notifying and reminding people about their cheers, and taking in as much oxygen as they could before the action kicked off.

It was almost 4:30p.m. and as I had told my friend earlier, I would only stay for the first match, but she requested that I go watch at least the first half.  If I would watch the first half, I thought, then I might as well stay and go through the entire match.  Since I wanted to be “irresponsible” for that day, I thought, what the heck, why not just make it all the way?   Iresponsable na kung iresponsable!  Besides, tension and excitement were detectable in the air.  The whole event somehow also intrigued me eventually.

As I am a useless source of the game details of the LMSFC – KFC match, I suggest you go read this interaksyon article or this one from  pinoyfootball.com.  I will however, share my own highlights, observations, and insights about the whole event itself.

1.  1.  Unlike the games last May 05 wherein LMSFC was able to score a goal 10 minutes into the start of the game, this time, the team was only able to do so after Kaya had scored at the 21^st minute.  There were many instances wherein LMSFC could have scored afterwards but their efforts were thwarted by KFC’s goalkeeper, Saba Sedigh.
2. I almost had a blooper when Kaya first scored a goal.  I got a bit excited that a team finally scored that I almost clapped!  (Remember, though I was literally at the LMSFC’s side, I remained an objective spectator – not trying to appreciate just one team, but the whole sport itself.)  Good thing I was able to control myself, because if not, I would have probably gained the ire of the Sparks’ fans!
3. The Spark Squad was comparatively better – more solid and alive that day.   They cheered from the moment the game started until it ended.  More importantly, they cheered on at a time when their voices were mostly needed – when the LMSFC was losing morale.
4. Actress Angel Locsin was present.  And we all know who she was rooting for!
5. The entrance of Aly Borromeo at the latter part of the second half was dramatic.  He brought a different energy to the whole event.  I could almost hear an orchestra announcing his arrival to the field.
6. Misagh Bahadoran approached the LMSFC side of the bleachers and chatted with some of the fans.  I whispered to my friend, “He’s Hollywood, right??” slightly recognizing his face  from a sports article I had read some days back.  Surprise was written all over my friend’s face, “How did you know?!” she asked.  She could not believe I “knew” him and that I would even use his nickname to refer to him.  Well, it was easier to remember his nickname rather than his real name, I told her.  (I could not believe it either – me, reading a sports article!)
7. There were moments in the match when the LMSFC fans stood up because of their excitement, and I found myself standing up with them.  Later on, I realized that I was still standing up when most of them had already sat down.  Uy, nagiging involved na! 
8. Sometimes just when you think everything is lost, something will happen to turn it all around.  The 90-minute game was given four more minutes as an extension, and it was at the 94^th minute that James Younghusband was able to prove that not all was lost.  The game ended with a draw: 2-2.
9. After the games, several LMSFC players granted the cheering squad’s request for a photo session at the bleachers.  Since I do not know all of them, I could only enumerate a few which included Gabi Borja, Davide Cortina, James Younghusband, and Anto Gonzales.

When I got home, someone asked me, “So are you a football fan now?”  The answer is, “of course not!”  I have only seen 3 ½ games for the past couple of weeks.  Although I had a better experience this time around, it was not enough to convert me.  Sports, I have realized is hard to appreciate unless it has been inculcated in you from a very early age.  It is all about rules, technicality, and skills.  You have to have a degree of appreciation for such things.  Unlike music, for example, once you hear a song with lyrics to which you can relate; rhythm and beats with which you can bob your head along; or a melody, which you can hum; it easily finds a space either in your heart or in your mind.  It creates an instant connection to your soul.  It is easier to find people who like music than people who like sports.  Sports involves a lot of observation before you can really say that one team or an athlete is good.  You have to establish patterns, watch a lot of their matches, study their moves, etc.  You cannot just watch one game and say that, “Ah, this team is good.” And you cannot definitely support a team just because their members are good-looking (but that happens!)   With music, let someone listen to a really good song and one can easily conclude that it is a really good track.  Music is more easily relatable regardless of the genre.  Sports, on the other hand, is much more complex.  But that’s just me.

In the end, every passion – whether it may be music, film, sports, arts, culinary, literature, etc. – is better when it starts earlier.  However, like the old adage goes: “It’s never too late to start to learn the piano.”  Or in my case, “It’s never too late to start to love sports.”

             

    

All images are courtesy of interaksyon.com unless otherwise specified.  To view more photos of the LMSFC-KFC match last May 12, 2012, visit this interaksyon gallery.

For UFL schedules and venues, please visit ufl philippines.

Interested to join the Spark Squad? Go and drop by their Twitter pages, @jassabrina and @SparkSquad.

Balls, Testosterone, and Me

I am a football virgin.  Well, was.  I was, as dirty and inappropriate as this may sound, “de-virginized” last Saturday.   And was it pleasurable for me?  Let us just say that for a first timer, my experience to watch a live football match was not as bad as I had expected it to be.

My introduction to football started in 2010 when I saw the FIFA World Cup in South Africa on cable.  I chanced upon one of the matches and decided to see what the hype was all about.  You see, before that, I had never seen any football matches… at all.  If football is the universal sport that binds the countries of this world as one, then I definitely live in a different planet.  I do not like football.   There is nothing about it that interests me.   Now before all you football-loving people of the world send me hate mails, here is my main reason why I dislike it: I am just not into it.  I am not into sports in general, period.  It is as simple as that.  I have played numerous sports in school before, but I only played them because they were required.  I never developed love for sports.  Watching swimming and gymnastics amuse me; and I have the desire to learn boxing, archery, and target shooting, but I cannot really say that sports spark my passion.   The only reason why I even decided to watch FIFA 2010 in the first place was because I caught a glimpse of Cristiano Ronaldo!  Even then, his charisma and skills were not able to convert me into a football fan.  I watched a match, and then changed channels after 10-15 minutes.  Worse, at times, I would just see who was competing and then leave the station, only going back to it to find out who won.

And so when my friend, who is a sports fan, invited me to watch the United Football League (UFL) games at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila several months back, I declined.  Me, watching football live?  Not happening.  Unlike TV, I could not switch channels, thereby leaving me no option but to bear it. [Although this friend of mine and I do have plans (more like dreams!) of going to Brazil for the World Cup 2014, my motivation to go there is mainly for the opportunity to experience Brazil and not necessarily to enjoy the games.  And oh, yes, to see Ronaldo in the flesh!]  She also invited me to join the booster squad that her sister was trying to put up for the Loyola Meralco Sparks FC (LMSFC).  Why the hell would I cheer for these people whom I did not even know?!  So again, I declined.

The UFL matches were held weekly and she continued to invite me even after I told her that I did not want to witness the games live.  I could almost see myself if ever I had decided to go – I would just sit there in the bleachers, bored stiff.  While everyone would be screaming out their guts in support of their favorite teams, I would probably be somewhere in the venue, reading a book, away from the celebrating audience.    But my friend was persuasive and even struck a deal with me – she would accompany me to a gig, but I should join her and her sister one time to see a live football game.  She used the magic word – GIG.  How could I say no now?

After turning down my friend’s invitation a number of times, I finally agreed.  Actually, a tiny part of me wanted to go, too.   I had never watched any live (pro and even semi-pro) matches before and I thought (and hoped) that it would also be a nice experience.   We set the date on May 5– the day when LMSFC and Stallion Giligan’s (SG) would compete.  Although my interest in football is nil, I just focused on the fact that I would do something new, and that was good enough for me.  As May 5 approached, interestingly, I looked forward to it.

We arrived at the University of Makati, the venue for that day’s games, early; we even caught the second half of the first match: Philippine Army vs. Philippine Air Force.  I looked at my watch – it was only a little past three in the afternoon; the LMSFC – SG match would not start until four.   I did the math:

45 minutes (second half) + 15 minutes (break) + 45 minutes (first half) + 15 minutes (break) + 45 minutes (second half ) = 165 minutes.   And I thought I only had to endure 90!

 But since I was already there anyway, might as well make the most out of my situation.  I tried to appreciate and analyze what was going on.  Whenever I did not understand anything, I would seek the help of my friend, who gladly supplied the explanations.  I was not able to focus my attention fully on the games though as it jumped from the athletes; the intense and even sometimes violent reactions of the audience; and even to the LMSFC athletes training nearby.  I saw one of the most popular of the bunch, Phil Younghusband, and wondered how the hell he could remain so white under the sizzling Philippine sun!  I also noticed the trees and the buildings, and realized that I had once visited that place eight long years ago!  Oh, yeah, right, back to the games!

Despite the snail-like movement of time, the second half finally ended.  My friends and I changed seats to have a better view.  I sat with the booster squad, aptly called the Sparks Squad, and suddenly felt so out-of-place – I was the blue-green in a puddle of orange.  My friend actually asked me to wear something orange too, but you guessed it right, I said no.  Orange meant I was an LMSFC supporter, which I was not.  I was not supporting any team, as I did not know them at all.  I was merely there as a spectator, not a fan.  I was neither attached nor was invested emotionally in any of them, so I did not feel the need to side with a team by wearing its official color.

It was the same with my reactions.  I could not fully feel happy whenever one of them scored a goal.  I applauded their skills and was amazed with their achievement but not enough to make me jump out of my seat and shrill.  I even hoped to see SG score a goal just to see how their supporters would react.  I was Switzerland circa WW II.  The only reason why I was “on the side of LMSFC” in the first place was merely that my friends were supporting them.

I wish I could retell what happened with the games but that would be impossible, as all that I could remember was that all of them were just running around and kicking balls!  I could only share my observations, the highlights, and thoughts overall:

1.  1.  The match had a high dose of testosterone.  There were several instances when the athletes got a little too physical.  There was pushing, and hostility flared between the two parties.  My friend said that it was their first time to see such occurrences as well.
2.   Before the games started, I had hoped that either of the two teams could score at least 1 point.  The experience would have been terribly frustrating for me if after sitting there for more or less 90 minutes, the scoreboard never even changed.  Fortunately, LMSFC granted my wish as they generated 3 points.
3. Just like concerts, watching football matches live is indeed better than watching it only on television.  The energy of both the athletes and audience feed off each other.
4. I suggest that before doing something totally new like what I did, acquaint yourself with the subject a little bit more.  Although I do know something a little bit about the game, the technicalities of it were lost on me.  There were times when the yellow card was raised and I did not understand why.  Yes, my friend was there to guide me but I did not also want to bug her with all my questions all the time and prevent her from enjoying the game itself.
5. I had the privilege to see Phil and James Younghusband up close when I gained a special insider access, along with other fortunate fans who were dying to have pictures taken with them.  Since I was not (and still am not) a fan, I did not ask for their autographs, etc.; I was content watching the whole scene take place.  It actually reminded me of myself during my earlier gigging days when I also used to line up (or even ambush!) my favorite musicians just to have a photo taken with them.  Hay, it is so embarrassing to be a fan sometimes! Haha! 

Despite checking and zoning out on several occasions; having question marks all over my face; and being unable to relate to the conversations of my friends and the other fans for most of the time; it was, on a general note, a good experience.  It did not completely move me, but it was an adventure, nonetheless.

My friend invited me to come with her and her sister again this coming Saturday for another LMSFC fight, this time with Kaya FC– another club that is entirely unfamiliar to me!   I told her I would think about it.  I still have until Saturday morning to think about it…

P.S.  Who would have thought that I would have a sports category here in my blog?!  Definitely, I did not!  Ha!  Strange.  Moving on..

___________________________

For details of the game, please visit this pinoyfootball article  OR this one from interaksyon.

For images of the said match, please visit this interaksyon gallery.

For UFL schedules and venues, please visit ufl philippines.

Interested to join the Sparks Squad?  Go and drop by their Twitter pages, @jassabrina and @SparkSquad.

Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)*

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of 99…

Wear Sunscreen.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh nevermind; you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked.You’re not as fat as you imagine.

Dont worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blind side you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing everyday that scares you.

Sing.

Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself.

Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch.

Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life; the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40-year-olds know still don’t.

Get plenty of calcium.

Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone.

Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you wont, maybe you’ll have children, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary.  What ever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either; your choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s. Enjoy your body, use it every way you can.  Don’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own..

Dance even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.

Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.

Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be gone for good.

Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go,but for the precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography in lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old, and when you do you’ll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.

Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time its 40, it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than its worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen…

 

~ Baz Luhrmann

 

________________________

*  I heard this song on the radio last week, after not hearing it in ages; i thought of sharing it now.  it’s kind of timely since it’s the season of graduation, but people who have long graduated from school and are still studying in the university of life would benefit from this as well.

 

DON’T READ THIS!!!

What is the title of this post?

Yes, you are correct! And here you are, reading it still.
Do not go on any further!

Do not read this entry!!

Do not go scroll down!!!

Hey, what are you doing?! You are still reading the post even after I have said not to!

OK, so you want to play this game, huh?

Don’t look at the strange painting located below the image of a world map on the right side of the screen!

Don’t re-read the name of this site resting prettily on your address bar! And don’t even wonder why I have named this blog as such! (And don’t check this page  because you will find out the reason why! Yikes!)

Don’t play this sexy Gucci commercial of Chris Evans and Evan  Rachel Wood!

JUST DON’T DO THEM!

Oh, you’re still here? Fine. Suit yourself.

can you guess what peter did next?

Why do people break the rules or warnings even if they have been told not to do something? Do people do it out of stubbornness? Denseness? Curiousity? Sheer lack of discipline? Or to fulfill a desire to do something adventurous? Could it also be possible that the word “NOT” carries a subliminal message telling you to do the exact opposite?

I mean, it is very evident in society. There are a bunch of rules telling people not to do something and yet there are a lot of people breaking them.

Bawal magkalat. (No littering)
Bawal magtapon ng basura dito. (Don’t throw your trash here.)

[and see heaps of trash in those exact areas]

Bawal umihi rito. (Don’t pee here!)

[but that spot actually reeks of piss.]

Bawal tumawid dito. (No crossing here.)

[but you will see hordes of people crossing that part of the street all the time, demonstrating a different kind of “people power”]

Bawal magbaba at magsakay dito. (No loading and unloading)

[and there all the buses and jeepneys will converge to load and unload]

A couple of months back, I saw a local high school whose walls are painted with messages about illegal drugs. With the power of negative words such as “don’t” and “not”, I could only wonder if the kids would actually follow them or would only be more enticed to break them.

oh, "drug free is the key"! i thought it was "drug is the key"!

dapat magalang ang pagtanggi!

Instead of telling the children what not to do, why not try directing them to the path where they would be better off? Give them clearer rules and alternatives. Instead of saying, “don’t do drugs,” why not tell them to participate in sports instead? Or do volunteer work. Or engage in art or music? – simple, but clearer ways to get their minds off the very thing you want them to avoid.  The more that you tell them not to think about something, the more they would think about it! Like if I say,

“Don’t think of a polar bear on a trampoline” - 

that is the exact image your mind is going to create!

If you bombard someone with these negative words, it would eventually be the image seared in one’s head. And could actually make one gravitate toward the realization of that scenario.

Some people might argue that even if positive words and imperatives are used, there is no guarantee that they would be obeyed. Yes, I am well aware of that, but I think that using a more positive energy is still better.  Words may be cheap but they are very powerful. They can destroy people indirectly, even unwittingly, but can also inspire them; so it is wise to be careful with them.  However, I am not saying that to counter these negative imperatives is completely wrong too, because for example, if a government tells its citizens not to protest against it, despite it being, let’s say cruel and unjust, then I think it is but unreasonable to follow the rule.   I guess in the end, people would just have to be a little smarter when it comes to obeying the laws.

If you have reached this part of this entry, it only means that you have disobeyed ALL the negative imperatives that I have stated earlier. Now, I wonder – if you have followed all the “Don’t commands”, will you follow this single positive imperative or won’t you?

Write a simple comment on this entry when you’re done reading it.

Familiar

Familiar. He looks utterly familiar. 

I said to myself when i saw his face for the first time. I just could not pin point who he looked like or if i had even seen him somewhere before.  All i knew was that i “know” his face.

“He” here is a foreign student of mine – a 14 year old kid who is obsessed with designing cars and owning a Lamborghini.   I handled him a few times in a group class but weeks after, that class was replaced with a one-on-one tutorial.  Everytime I saw him, my little secretaries inside my head automatically search my memory files for any sort of evidence or at the very least, a hint; but every search was unfruitful.

Time had passed but i still could not shrug off that nagging thought that i knew this kid… From somewhere or sometime.  Then one day, it hit me like a lightning bolt on a cloudless sky.  I figured it out!  He looked really familiar because he looked like a crush i had in high school!!  When I realized that, I suddenly tumbled into this wormhole and found myself transported back to my junior-senior years.

This crush of mine was a CAT-I (Citizen’s Army Training) officer and totally defied my usual taste.  I actually asked myself many times before what attracted me to him.   He was not the most talented student around neither was he academically strong.  He had a pleasant face but he was never one of the campus’ “crush ng bayan hall of fame awardees.”  He was actually somewhat below average (at least by my standards).  The only outstanding thing about him was the fact that he was a COCC (Cadet Officers Candidate Course) trainee in 3rd year turned CAT officer, the year after.  Hmm… Maybe it was the uniform.  Kidding.

I had neither seen him nor had I heard any news about him in a decade.  The last time I saw him was during our graduation.  I had already forgotten about him until my recent encounter with my student.  I must admit, seeing this boy made me curious about the whereabouts of my former object of infatuation.  ”Where could he be now?”  “What’s his job?” ”Did he finish college?” “Is he even still alive??”

My questions were all later on answered, thanks to the wonderful world of social networking sites!  (ahh.. The power to track down someone is just a click away.  How convenient!)  After only a few minutes, I found his page.  Thankfully, it was open to public prying.  There he was - captured motionless in some webpage together with his wife and baby.

It was weird seeing him again after ten years.  Has it been that long already?  Wasn’t it just yesterday when he was still learning the chords of Green Day’s ‘Hitchin’ A Ride’?  Wasn’t it just yesterday that our literature teacher yelled at him for misbehaving in class?  Wasn’t it just yesterday when I just used to give him a snappy salute or a firm “Sir-permission-to-speak-sir-statement” during training days?  And now, he’s got this bright career, lovely wife, and a cute baby!  It felt surreal.  But the weirdness didn’t end there.  After getting a good look on some of his photos, I realised that he now strongly resembled another familiar face.  I know time changes the way people look, but the way his face changed was a little bit freaky.  Thankfully, he still had two eyes and no limbs growing out of his head, and his ears and other features were still in their proper places, but he now looked like a classmate of mine way back in college.  And oh, i forgot to mention, that college friend of mine is a girl.  They now almost looked like twins! Freaky, I say!  Where did his ‘real’ face go??  I then exited his page and vowed never to visit it again.

I was supposed to continue my trip to the past (and present) by looking for the other crushes I had had before, but I thought I should just stop there.  I needed to set aside other potentially freakish surprises for another day.

 

___________________________________

Note:   This is an entry from my former blog.  I’ve decided to post it here because the same student I was talking about in the said entry is my student again this time around.  The last time I saw him was about 2 years ago.   He was just this short, scrawny, geeky looking kid back then.  And now, well, he’s still scrawny and geeky looking, but he’s taller than I am and his voice has definitely become deeper.   Sometimes I feel old whenever I see students who were just kids not so long ago, now on their way to adulthood.   

Cheap and Vulgar Appreciation

Denise Hennessey on Ted: Ooohhh, he’s delicious isn’t he? I’d serve coffee on that ass.

John McCarthy: Do you have to be so vulgar about men? Like they’re pieces of meat?

Denise Hennessey: I’m sorry, John. I forgot you’re sensitive about your flat ass.

John McCarthy: You know, Denise, that’s why you’re not married. Women act like men. Then they complain men don’t want them.

Denise Hennessey: Oh, is that why? ‘Cause I thought it was something different. I thought that it was ’cause I deserved the best and he’s out there. He’s just with all the wrong women. And let me be clear. After CENTURIES of men looking at my tits instead of my eyes and pinching my ass instead of shaking my hand, I now have the *DIVINE* right to stare at a man’s BACKSIDE with vulgar, cheap appreciation if I want to!

Sharon McCarthy: Well said!

Denise Hennessey: Yeah, well, I thought so.

***

Enough said

The dialogue is taken from the movie, “P.S. I Love You”.   The photo, on the other hand, is a scene from Cristiano Ronaldo’s underwear ad for Armani in 2010.  At the same time this ad was released, another one starring Megan Fox was also launched that almost had the same storyline as Ronaldo’s.  If I were the girl in Ronaldo’s ad, I would not have only hidden the shirt but also the pants!  :)  I wonder if the sales of Armani underwear actually increased after this commercial was released or if it was merely the number of times the Play button was clicked that exponentially multiplied.

Ugh, it would be such a shame if the rumors surrounding Ronaldo’s sexuality were true!  That would be such a waste, indeed.

Four is a Magic Number: Kjwan IV Volume 1 Album Review

At least three good songs – that used to be my condition before I would buy an album especially the foreign ones. P450 many years ago was too expensive to afford for a student with a small allowance such as I, and so shelling out such an amount for a CD was not very practical. This is why before I would purchase a CD, I would wait for the artist to release no less than three good songs; so if the rest of the album sucked, at least I would have three good reasons to justify the money I spent on that damn record.

Now down to IV: (l-r) kelley mangahas, boogie romero, marc abaya, inky de dios

Last March 31, one of OPM’s biggest names in rock, Kjwan, launched their fourth studio effort titled, “Kjwan IV Vol. 1.”  If Kjwan had released this album back when I still abided by my 3-song rule, I would probably make an exception. Even if they released only one good song from it, I would still purchase it, for the reason that it only contains four songs anyway.

As the album title suggests, it would be released in volumes – two more, to be specific – but the dates are still unannounced. It is the band’s follow up to 13 Seconds to Love, which was made available in 2009.

Many changes have happened since then, which primarily concerned their line-up. Drummer Jhoon Balbuena and guitarist Jorel Corpus have left, which paved the way to embrace a new member in the person of keyboardist and percussionist, Enrique De Dios, whose musicality has clearly added a new dimension to Kjwan’s dynamic sound.

This quasi EP opens up with its carrier single, “Walang Kaso”.   It introduces the audience to the song with subtle drumming and keys, followed immediately by what seems to be a conversation between two sensual guitars.  The guitars are remarkable – as stated earlier, in the intro – and as they inch towards the outro at 2:15. The track has a nice build up.  It oozes with confidence, and for a lack of a better word, coolness. It is the perfect opener – energetic and catchy.

the cover reminds me of another opm album...

“Walang Kaso”  fluidly transitions to the next track, “Strong for Us,” whose beat (except in the chorus) has similarities with Up Dharma Down’s “Every First Second” but just a tad slower.  The feel of Marc Abaya’s voice, on the other hand, is slightly reminiscent of Sandwich’s “Love Is.”  The track is solid, yet delicate and graceful at the same time; all the elements are interlaced wonderfully.

A song with a splash of swagger – that’s Play for the People. It seamlessly mixes rock, a dash of soul, and hints of old school RnB. As the title states, this song essentially describes the band’s desire to play music and to share their world with anyone who is willing to listen. Like “Walang Kaso”, it exudes boldness, and is very inviting. The bass and keys give this track a special kick.

They decide to end the album with a dramatic touch. Babalik Kaya? starts out with an acoustic guitar and deeply heartfelt vocals. Different instrumentation follows as it crawls towards the half time mark and builds a stronger sound. Musically, it is good; but the same could not be said about the lyrics. They are clichéd and nauseatingly sentimental.

...this

Overall, IV is worth buying despite having only four tracks. It is inexpensive – only P199. However, if you’re going to do the math, it would actually be more expensive than most OPM albums that are usually sold for P290 – P350, but contain around 10 – 12 tracks. If you would have to buy all three volumes (and I’m assuming that all of them would have the same price tag), it would total to almost P600 – more pricey than the foreign ones.

This type of release is ideal to people who prefer to buy only the tracks that they like; they would not have to buy all three albums. However, knowing Kjwan’s quality music, it would be highly unlikely to do so.

* * * Kjwan IV Vol. 1 is available at all Astroplus/Astrovision outlets.