Thursday, December 31, 2009

A cup of coffee and a stick of yosi (New Year blog)

As I gazed upon the sky and see the colorful display of lights, I sat down by the garden chairs, lit a stick of Marlboro black and took a sip form my cup of Starbucks Christmas blend.

Every puff, I work on a new year resolution.

Work out extra hard at the gym to achieve the beach body I want for summer.

Quit smoking. As in reaaaaalllly quit.

Try studying for a change and not let fate and stocked knowledge determine my grade.

Save P10,000 by the time I graduate.

And since nobody really follows these damn resolutions, or at least keep them for a year, I would like to hold them by the end of the month. Imma keep all these resolutions, of course, except for the last one where I'd save big money. Ahahah! Unless I'm from Paranaque and had won the P111 million lottery money.

Anyway, new year at our place would have been perfect if it wasn't for my dad who's slowly getting back to his old self again. Which was kinda awful to start the new year off. He's...uhm....

Anyway, I'm watching White Chicks right now. Effin' fun movie! ahahah!

Off to the beach in a while to REALLY celebrate New Year with my family!

tata!

Happy new year to everyone!

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Losing a family member




She may not be the most charming member of the family, but she definitely left a mark.

Sydney has been with us for the past two months in Manila.

I'm gonna miss looking for my slippers early in the morning only to find them under the couch, her favorite spot.

I'm gonna miss opening my cabinet and find her cuddled comfortably among the blankets and towels.

I'm gonna miss seeing her poop inside the toilet (floor). If only we had enough time to potty train her.

I'm gonna miss the moments when she'd follow you around the house, and play with your feet at the dining room.

I'm gonna miss her. I hope her new family takes really good care of her. =)






Now here comes Bali. Another sweet addition to the family. I hope she reciprocates the huge loss that is Sydney. She's sssoooooooo cutttte!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And she loves to kiss me a lot! ahahahaah!

I gotta feeling that we're gonna have a lot of good times together!

Join me in welcoming Bali to Manila!

Monday, December 28, 2009

Twitter-ing

GAHD!

I can't believe I'm actually stalking on such extremes!

This can't be right, right?

Stay away from me you eye candy!

Aaaaarggggh! Uwi naakooooo ng Lucenaaaaaaaa!

DevTrginized

So I received a text from Pocholo about a VTR. Apparently, an agency is looking for a good looking male aged around 20, who can play the drums. Pocholo asked if I wanted to go with him. Since thesis was in the way of the schedule, I said no.

Then he started asking my thesismates to go with us. Eventually, after text messages exchange aplenty, we decided to go and give it a shot.

When I woke up the next morning and found my drumsticks nowhere, I took it as a sign and texted Poch.

Then he replied.

"may extra set ako dito. Ikaw, game ka pa?"

Well, that's a better sign, I said to myself.

So I waited for Poch at Trinoma only to find out that another group from my class is working on their thesis at BK. I kinda felt bad having to cancel our thesis meeting for this, but everyone from our group had something else to do anyway, so might as well go on with this VTR bit.

We took the MRT to Makati and got off at Ayala. Took a cab and circled the long Pasay road to look for the Evekal bldg where the VTR would take place. After three rounds, we finally found the building and followed a 20-ish guy who looks like he's about to audition as well.

When we found the room, the guy was there ahead of us.

In front of the lights and camera, he explained that he just came from another VTR near the area, and was only asked to drop by since it was in the vicinity. He had very little knowledge about drums though, and to think they were casting a drummer.
He still tried though, very hard.

No, there was no drum set in the VTR area, we were asked to play using their huge tool box.

My turn.

"Hi, my name is Wado Siman. 21 years old. And I stand 5'9."

Then the VTR lady asked me to turn right. (pause) "saan ba right ko?"

Now left.

Now face the camera.

And then she asked me to pull a chair and the toolbox as well.

"pwede ko kunin yung isa pang upuan? Cymbals kunyari?"

She laughed and said yes.

I did a freestyle shenanigan, but not quite well. I am never good with first impressions, and I don't think I made a good one this time. I am very awkward especially when in front of the camera, and I don't think this makes a good first VTR experience. That is why for the longest time, I've decided to enjoy the life behind the camera, as I feel comfortable at it.

But being deVTRginized isn't all that bad. It's one thing I wrote on my "bucket list" last year and I was hoping that before the year ends, I'd be able to do one of them successfully.

"Never say NO to an opportunity. and never say YES to negativity."

I didn't say no to this opportunity, though I fear the opportunity might say no to me. Ahahahah!

It was a long trip to and fro Makati, but it reunited me with a passion that I have long been deprived of, the gift of time.

I watched the sun set while on the MRT. We stared at each other for 5 long minutes as it slowly changed its color from bright orange to red.

I walked an unfamiliar place once more, and suddenly became more inspired to work on my script for film. I get to watch people again, different kinds of people. The feeling was overwhelming.

I enjoyed to cool December breeze brushing against my face.

I enjoyed eating by myself while listening to music. I miss my alternative music playlist.

I enjoyed life, where I have all the time in the world to do the little things in life.

I was smiling.

I was happy.

And what's even better, it's reality.

Happy Birthday Jesus!

I love You more and more everyday!

Friday, December 25, 2009

Friendster revisited

When I went to check my Friendster account just now, ang dami kong nakitang pagbabago. Nakita ko na yung status ko eh In a relationship pa din, ang dami kong invites, messages tungkol dun sa Ego City na ewan (game ata sa Friendster), and mga lumang pics.

Pero on the brighter side of things, nakita ko na bago na ang itsura nito, mas maaliwalas and interactive, parang Facebook. Kung lahat ng cool friends ko eh nasa Friendster pa, mas gagamitin ko yun kasi nga, ang sarap tingnan. Kaya pala mukhang familiar yung donuts sa Krispy Kreme, kasi yun yung smiley sa bagong Friendster. Fun!

Nung tiningnan ko yung mga albums ko, eto.


Akalain mong puro pics pa namin ni Cams ang nandun! Hindi na talaga ako nag-uupdate! ahah! Kaya naman lahat ng mga friends ko tuloy sa Lucena na addict pa din sa Friendster, akala eh happy pa ang lablayp ko. =) Hahah! Happy pa din naman, ang pag-ibig ng mga kaibigan. Yis!

Anyway, sa pagtatapos ng Pasko, eto ang litrato ng kakaiba naming Christmas tree, may isang malaking orange plant sa gitna. yun na ang decoration.
(sorry naman sa palabas, pero pinapanood namin kagabi yung kwento ni manay Gina de Venecia sa I Survived, nung namatay yung anak niya na si KC nung nasunog yung bahay nila. Kalungot. Pero she survived! galing!)

Ewan, pero eto na ang pinaka-maangas na tree na nakita ko ngayong taon. Yung ibang nakita ko, super sa ilaw, sa ornaments, na hindi na nabibigyang pansin yung green color nung puno. Siguro, pinapakita din nito yung simplicity ng mom ko sa lahat ng bagay. Na kahit hindi na kami masyadong nagtitipid sa buhay, eh hindi siya nakakalimot magtipid. =) That's what I love about my mom, marunong lumugar. Hindi nakakalimot tumulong sa mga deserving tulungan, lalo na this time of year.

Anyway, pinasalamatan ko ang mom ko by getting her a pair of Flojos. Matagal na kasi siyang naghahanap ng slippers na malambot, gumagastos ng 2k sa slippers, eh ang dali naman masira. Buti naman at happy siya that I introduced her to Flojos. Yun na daw ang gagamitin niyang brand forever. Yey! I made her happy!

I visited an old friend kanina lang, catching up kami the entire day tomorrow watching MMFF. Yun yung bonding time namin eh, movieeees!

Ayun, just updating, parang Friendster, nag-update ng sobra! =)

Happy Holidays again! Hindi na masakit leeg ko, konting konti na laaang. Sana bukas, wala na! =)

Love you Lord! =)

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Stiif Boy ako (part 2)

Pagkagising ko kaninang umaga, may tapal na super laking salonpas na gel sa batok ko, masakit pa din ang leeg ko. Natulog ako sa lazy boy sa pag-asang hindi na sasakit ang leeg ko after nung hilot ko kahapon, pero sadly, kasing sakit pa din.

Tumawag yung tita kong madre, may pinapagawang tarp sa akin para sa misa de gallo mamayang gabi.

"Tita, super sakit pa din ng leeg ko eh."

Pero mapilit siya, at wala akong choice kundi pumunta. Kailangang kailangan na din daw kasi talaga nila nung tarp ng pasasalamat sa lahat ng dumalo noong simbang gabi. Nahirapan akong magtype nung una dahil kailangan kong yumuko para makita yung characters sa keyboard. At hindi sila madaling i-please. So may ilang revisions akong ginawa.

Anyway. 45 minutes after, natapos ko din ang pinapagawa nila. Tinawag ng tita ko ang isa pang madre, na hindi marunong magtagalog. galing ata ng China pero mukhang Vietnamese. Magaling daw siyang mag acupuncture, at mukhang matutulungan ako sa stiff neck ko. Natakot ako.

"tutusukin po din ba ako ng needles, ganun?"

Pero hindi. Nagpakuhua siya ng GSM (yung bilog), at posporo. lalo akong kinabahan nung nakita ko na yung madre. Maliit at kailangan, english ang salita. Nilagay niya yung GSM sa isang bowl tapos sinindihan. Nakita kong hinahawakan niya yung gin para i-check kung mainit na. Nung hindi pa, sinindihan niya ulit.

Pinatanggal niya yung shirt ko, tapos pinaupo. Pagkatalikod ko, narinig ko na lang yung tunog nung apoy na parang "swoooosh" tapos naramdaman ko yung init sa likod ko habang yung lamig nung gin eh tumutulo sa balikat ko. Habang tumatagal, lalong tumitindi yung init.

Natakot ako na baka wala na akong buhok pagkatapos nung ritual. Pero dapat pala, mas natakot ako sa gin. Kasi, mainit talaga!!!! Hinahawakan ko na yung damit nung tita kong madre sa sobrang init.

"ano ka ba naman, para apoy lang yan."

Alam mo yung feeling ng torture na masarap? ganon! Kasi konti-konting nawawala yung pain. After nung ritual, seryosong nabawasan yung sakit. Hindi pa completely nawala, pero relief mula dun sa sakit nung una.

Sabi nung Chinese nun, may malaki daw akogn "snake" sa likod. yun daw yung term para sa ugat na ewan. HAahah! Dunno. Hindi ko makausap dahil nahihiya ako dahil nakahubad ako sa harap ng mga madre, at dahil nagrereklamo ako sa sakit eh ang laki kong tao. Hahah!

Anyway, ngayon eh medyo gumanda na ang araw ko. I went to my suki barbero sa Lucena for my haircut. Medyo mohawk na kalbo. Then DVD marathon ng mga chick flick. She's the Man, Raise Your Voice and Uptown Girls (in memory of Brittany Murphy).

So far, ggumaganda ang daan patungong pasko ko. Ngayon, I'm watching American Idol marathon sa Star World while waiting for the Christmas mass tonight. We still have yet to plan for tomorrow.

Merry Christmas everybody!

Hug and kiss your family for me!

Remember that Christmas is not about the gifts or the food we feast, but the birth of our saviour, Jesus.

Happy Birthday, Jesus! Thank you for all the blessings!

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Stiff Boy ako

So it was my first time to drive all the way from Manila to Lucena. But destiny didn't make it an easy trip for me. Let me tell you about it.

When I got up at 4am to fix up, packed coffee for me during the trip (takot antukin), mom asked me to bring the water refill (the big five gallon ones) upstairs to the dispenser.

A consistent, though not really painful sting on my neck has been bothering me for three days. This morning, when I lifted the water container, my neck gave off an excruciating sting on the left side of my neck, and almost dropped the container. It was so painful, I couldn't turn my neck sideways.

Just imagine the torture of driving when you couldn't move your head. And I had to keep myself awake, but couldn't sip coffee properly from my Starbucks tumbler. I wasn't able to focus on my driving, but rather, on the neck pain I have.

When we got to Lucena, I asked my dad to immediately look for aid. He came back for me after a few minutes and brought me to Cotta, to see a "manghihilot". Lola Aida was really popular in the area. We easily found her place since everyone knows about her.

She was this big lady who sat comfortably in a papag (a wooden bed made of bamboo). I assumed she could hardly walk because of her size.

"Halika, upo ka dito."

Then I sat in front of her. She asked me to take off my shirt. By the shoulder, she pulled me close to her and asked me to lean back. Then using her special oil, she started rubbing my neck. After ten minutes or so, my dad went next.

Then I started noticing her place, which was sorta creepy. There was this great province feel to it, and huge figurines of saints were present. Before she began her hilot on me, she kinda recited this short prayer in Latin, and it kinda freaked me out a bit.

Until now, while I am writing this blog, my neck still hurts. Tonight, I just wanna grab a cup of hot choco and sleep the pain away. My auntie gave me this huge menthol patch for the pain. My sister who is a nurse advised me to do hot compress and that's it.

Ohhh, I hope tomorrow, before I hear mass, this is ovah!

**Some pics I took when it was my dad's turn for the hilot!


Sunday, December 6, 2009

Classy, classy, classy

So I was a staff for the UST Christmas Concert for two consecutive days. I was a stage manager, and it's not an easy job, most especially when you have to deal with difficult people.

I remember this one girl we call f bitch. For two consecutive years now, she's been nothing but a pain in the ass for the staffers. She reaaaaaaly loves to bitch around, and I seriously don't know what she gets from it. I was kind of hoping not to see her playing this year, but, alas, she's still alive.

So during rehearsals, the director asked me to let the orchestra in, in a single line. So I told the orchestra as they entered the hall to fall in a single line. F bitch answered back, "Orchestra kami, so iba-iba kasi yung pwesto namin. Hindi kami pwedeng mag single line." I told her, "Para lang po maayos."

And she went to her position. Two minutes later, she approached me. I don't think she's comfortable with the fact that I got the last say in our little argument.

"Excuse me lang, linawin ko lang. Orchestra kasi kami. So, iba-iba yung pasok namin. Iba-iba kasi yung instruments, kailangan maintindihan mo na..."

I saw her eyes, and I really felt bad for her. All I said was: "Okay, no problem."

Then I understood where she was coming from. I assumed that she was having a hard time at home, and all she could do was express her feelings through music. Many people from the Conservatory of Music really gives us TOMCAT a hard time. Actually, this is the only event in school I despise a lot, and that is because of the difficult people you have to deal with. After the event, the staffers would gather and share experiences (bad ones) about the members of the orchestra.

But there are at least some of them who have really good hearts. Some guys would help out in transferring instruments, fixing the wirings and stuff. They make up a good working environment.

So I thought, the good music they play must me coming from very serious emotions. Either good ones, or bad ones. But these are really strong, powerful emotions.

When the concert began, I was staring at f bitch most of the time, trying to read her actions. How she ignored the director's orders during rehearsals, was maybe a manifestation of how people ignored her at home. But as she was playing, her eyes were closed. As if trying to mourn with the music from her violin. I know I would have done the same if I were a musician, but maybe not to the point where I'd be hurting people's feelings. She must've been through a lot, and she got my sympathy that night.

But what made my night was an audience member. Though she was seated next to Dra. Belo, I was all eyes on this lady from the Ayala-Zobel clan. Every performance by the orchestra were reciprocated by her graceful applause and appreciation. When the UST Singers sang, I could even read the words "wow" and "wonderful" coming out from her mouth. She really knows how to appreciate classy performances, plus the fact that she's gorgeous, beautiful, rich, powerful and beautiful, and gorgeous. She's got class baby!

Media has given me the wrong impression about these people. I assumed she'd be mean or something. I was wrong. She was like Princess Diana, only ten times more beautiful. Right then and there, I fell in love with her personality. How I wish all rich people would be like her, and the poor ones would be less demanding. What a wonderful world!

That's why I told myself, I'll set my standards to her level, to motivate me in life. I'll look for a girl I could bring to the opera house and wouldn't fall asleep. Or someone who can drink and carry herself elegantly (I don't know how this is possible but I sure know this Ayala-Zobel woman can!). She's become so ideal that I'm beginning to doubt her existence. I thought I've seen them all, but no, she's the BOMB!

I wonder where these people hang out?

Maybe if I stay there long enough, they'll notice me.....and call on the guards! ahahah!

Anyway, Belo is hot in her own right. I couldn't blame Hayden for dating her, kasi she's hooot! I got this thing for older women, matured and nurturing. Ahaha! NURTURING! It's like having a mom and a girlfriend combined! I want to feel that someday. Someday. Wag muna ngayon. Thesis muna.

Friday, December 4, 2009

Story concepts for Film class

Well, we've been asked to make these story concepts for a short film, and I browsed over my previous fiction stories and tried to summarize them into five sentences. I sooooo wish I'd be able to produce all my works in the future, and Film class is definitely a good start!

Anyway, I just wanted to share the three story concepts I made just now. Actually, I'm not sure if concept is the right term to use. Ahahah! Summary?! Anyway, I've published Syria and Celeste on my Multiply account several years back, while My Name is Clyde and Ilog Sierra came in last year.

My Name is Clyde
How can a person love someone who couldn’t love you back? At the final year of her high school, Essie meets Clyde who, in every aspect, is every girl’s dream guy. Struggling to fit in along with the other students of the university, Essie finds deliverance in the hands of a complete stranger (Clyde) who keeps her company every day. When the necklace she received from Clyde suddenly disappears, Essie’s memory of the car incident she had over a year ago gets more vivid, slowly realizing that she may be sharing more than just everyday small talks with her dream guy.
***
This story was born inside an FX on my way home. An ambulance passed by us, and the blue and red lights flickered on the face of the pretty girl sitting across me. I assumed her name was Essie.


Ilog Sierra
Childhood bestfriends Mico and Trish were separated by fate when Mico’s family decides to migrate to the U.S. just before they reach high school. Six years later, Mico returns to the country with high hopes of seeing his childhood best friend and finally confess of his suppressed feelings towards Trish. Back at Ilog Sierra, Mico sees the same Trish he left six years ago, except that she is already married. Ilog Sierra reminds us of our childhood promises, and how inevitable circumstances make it difficult for us to fulfill them.
***
This story was created for two people very close to me. It's my way of telling their love story.

Syria at Celeste
Long-time partner Syria and Celeste are caught by the 7:00 p.m. rush hour along Ortigas and heavy rain begins to pour. Inside the car, the couple is caught in an intense argument about lovers’ past and issues that have long been repressed. As the rain and traffic gets heavier, so does the emotions pouring inside the car. Will their relationship stay in traffic or are they headed for another detour? Syria at Celeste takes us to a road trip that will shed light on relationships that encounter road humps, intersections and dead ends.
***
This was the life story I had during my second year college. I placed myself in one of the character's shoe, and piled my frustrations with other people on the other character. Put together, the two main characters Syria at Celeste create some sort of chemistry that makes a good tandem. Twofold. I was able to release my feelings, and was able to come up with an interesting story. ahah.





I have a lot of stories to tell, but only a few really chooses to listen.