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10:14AM - #lasalle reunion

Back in the days when few people had Internet access at home and chatting was cool (we’re talking about way back in 1993 to maybe 1996), I stumbled upon MIRC and #mabuhay which was then being managed by its creator BoyBlue a.k.a. Jardine of poker and Rockband lore. Giz01 a.k.a. Rolly created a spin-off channel and #lasalle in undernet was born. I was founding member of the channel (my e-mail address was one of the 10 listed to get it approved) and admittedly, I still get a kick out of visiting the channel on undernet and just seeing it still exists although I no longer chat.

Last night, we had a sort of mini reunion with the gang and needless to say, it was amusing to say the least. Funny guy Kazmut a.k.a. Darwin who got a lot of ribbing last night for his infatuation with several women in the channel now works for IBM. Bakekang a.k.a. Miles still works for Cathay and we had fun reminiscing how we’d both get drunk during parties and puke by the side of the road as she was driving me home. Giz01 is no longer this skinny Chinese guy whose eyes disappear when he smiles. He’s now an average-built Chinese guy whose eyes disappear when he smiles. But seriously, Giz01 has the best story in chat. He ended up marrying Clio, who he met in chat, and they are now happily married with children. A_x, who now works for a credit card company, has turned into XXX as like me, he has now come out of the closet. Trissie a.k.a. Trissie (baduy!) is still the same Trissie. Seriously. Same hair, same eyes, same built…she hasn’t changed! As for me…well as they were pointing out, TheGirl has now turned into TheBoy and I guess that is the weirdest transformation ever.

I left relatively early and could no longer join them at Max Brenner (we had dinner at Italliani’s where I happily freeloaded off Jardine’s food) because I had to be at FriiSpirit in Katipunan (Aside from the fact that it was my shift, I was seriously itching to play “No More Heroes”). We made plans to keep in touch more often and I set a tentative night out with Miles although we assured each other that no one is going to be puking by the curb this time. Needless to say, I’ll be seeing them all again (especially Jardine of http://iamclockwork.blogspot.com fame).

8:00AM - "The Truth shall set you... back."

Or alternately: "The Universe you are trying reach is either unattended or out of coverage area."

...

I was waiting for two literal calls (or even just SMSes) from the Cosmos yesternight. Neither arrived. How fucked am I.

...

12:59AM - Looking for that techie toy for me.

"Ano ba ang hilig mo?"

Not really an odd question. What made it odd was the person who had asked me that particular question.

After at least a week-long debate with himself, Tad finally went ahead and purchased that Apple iTouch he's been longing to buy. I think the last straw was when he saw that Jerald had bought himself an iPhone, hahaha. So anyway, every time Tad was thinking about getting a new player, he would ask me about all the differences between the iTouch and the iPod Video. Every time we have this conversation, I would always have the same answer: "Depends on the lifestyle of the person who will own it." So there, he got an iTouch instead of the iPod Video, because we both knew that he wouldn't be able to fill the player with all the videos in the world considering he just wants a music player that's capable of WiFi.

Which brings us back to the first sentence of this entry. We were talking about all the stuff Tad had just put into his new toy, and then I admitted that even though I was such a music lover way way back. But now, I have no clue when it came to music trends and, well, music in general. It didn't really surprise him, as he knew that I mostly listened to Broadway until I couldn't keep up with the new stuff anymore. I then concluded that a portable music player isn't really for me for now. That's when he asked me that particular question. I just shrugged and said that I like blogging.

Then I suddenly remembered the clickety-clacking sounds behind me during class this afternoon. I found Kaye hunched over this uber-small laptop, literally just the size of my spiral notebook. A "cutie laptop," I called it, hahaha. I never realized that the Asus Eee PC was that small and designed specially for Internet-related activities. Now that was for me like Tad's new toy was for him. Hahaha. It's just for something small to carry around while I'm out and my own computer's out of reach, anyway.

Hahaha, now that's pretty small and compact.


Another project's about to start this week. But my goodness, talk about professionalism. No one even bothered to inform me today about rehearsals not pushing through tonight. Oh well, fine, I'll cut them some slack for now.

3:30AM - Guinea Pigs and Laboratory Mice

While some theatre companies invests on tried and tested Broadway hits, the Cultural Center of the Philippines are tapping on local Filipino talent. On the fourth instalment of the Virgin Lab Fest, artists collaborate to bring a breath of fresh air for audiences young and old. New materials are given the spotlight and featured from June 25- July 6 at the Tanghalang Huseng Batute and Bulwagang Amado Hernandez of the CCP. Budding artists and institutions of Philippine Theater are behind this experiment that hopefully brings back enthusiasm to performing arts.

Pagkagahaman, Panlilinlang, Pananampalataya

Last Sunday, we were able to watch the featured one-act plays that are eclectic, entertaining and educational. These are the three words that come to mind while watching the performances. Debbie Tan’s “Mga Babaeng Toobright” brings us to the world of Charlotte York. Yes, it’s the world of curators, visual artists and museum directors. Employing metaphor and a huge toilet, Harmony, Reflection and Discord have to deal with each other. Like the contraptions used by a multimedia artists, the director utilized colors, movements and language to tell the story.

I have to agree that this play is too bright for me. I look for a story that will not only draw my interests but also my emotions.

Tuxqs Rutaquio co-stars with Sharmaine Buencamino in “Ang Kalungkutan ng mga Reyna” written by Floy Quintos. Think how a hairdresser (Rutaquio) can affect matters of State, the President calls on the expertise of a coiffeur to improve her image and government. The zealous Yolanda played by the phenomenal Sharmaine Buencamino wants to be the country’s first monarch.

Quintos brings wit and heart to this political satire reminiscent of the play he previously directed in the first quarter of this year. One may not be able to appreciate the great writing without the help of the fabulous casts. I have but good words for it.

Cultural and religious differences are the conflicts presented in Koh Jun Eiow’s “Ang Dalawa Niyang Libing.” Its premise is based on a very stirring series of event that caused conflict between Muslim and Chinese communities of our Southeast Asian neighbour. Leo Rialp directs the troop of actors that re-enacts the fate of the family torn between their tradition and Islamic law.

The audience has been exposed to Malaysian through its playwright. As an Asian Studies major, this gives us a glimpse of the conflict brought about by religion and politics. It also has a touch of an ancient tragedy written by Sophocles, Antigone.

Both artists and audience are put into tests as we are exposed to unstaged and untested works. This endeavour levels the playing field among budding and seasoned writers. The playgoers are subjected to new materials to appreciate. Like guinea pigs taking pills. We are up to the shock of our lives as we bask into the unknown realms of the universe we call theatre.

3:22PM - friispirit, thegirlfriend, rockband, and the perils of alcohol

Saturday at the shop was crazy. We had one of our best days and that is always good but our manager-on-duty Zig took a few days off to attend a wedding and Andrea was under the weather. To make things worse, there was a private party in the lounge room, a Guitar Hero tournament, and it was Burger Night (and Che is the only one who can cook the burgers). The end result? Che and Jen running up and down the stairs, syncing remotes, cooking food, handing out drinks, changing games…all with a smile on our faces (I love talking about myself in the third person). Okay…maybe at one point, I wasn’t smiling. In fact, I was on the verge of throwing a tantrum. Thinking it was my business and that some day I will sow what I reap kept me going. Oh…plus Cobra energy drinks.

It also helped that the girlfriend paid me a visit. She brought her sister along so they could play games and hang out while effectively spending time with me. Of course, our disturbingly comfortable beanbags, good food, Guitar Hero and Wii games could also be the real reasons why she showed up but I’d rather believe the former so please humor me. (And the sentence above was my attempt to discreetly plug FriiSpirit).

So after working myself to sheer exhaustion and after the girlfriend had gone home, I stayed at our relaxation area and tried to chat a bit with Carlos, Andy and Larcy. Since I can no longer avail of Jack Daniels to lubricate my tongue, I needed to make an effort to be funny and amusing while I was sober. I don’t know if it worked but Larcy still insists she likes me better when I’m drinking beer.

I was prepared to spend the entire Sunday alone at my condo, sleeping the day away, but who can stay home knowing that your shop was getting “Rock Band” that day and there are songs to be unlocked? Rock Band was finally released for the Wii and we snapped up two sets real quick. So after taking intermittent naps, I rushed over to FriiSpirit to find Andy, Carlos and Carol impersonating “The Police.” I naturally kicked Carlos away from the guitar and started strumming away. I also ended up being the resident go-improvise-and-sing-this-song-no-one-knows-and-make-sure-you-don’t-die-because-we-need-to-unlock-songs dude. So as soon as an obscure song needed to be played, I took over the microphone and tried my best not to fail. Forget about sounding good…I just wanted to reach the end of the song.

I slept early Sunday night because I had to be prepped for my day job. One mustn’t forget that it’s my day job and sidelines that pay the bills. The shop will pay off later but in the meantime, I need to be editor-in-chief-writer-extraordinaire if I don’t want to end up living on the streets (which is naturally an exaggeration because as Andy once told me, “You can always sleep at the shop.”) Come to think of it, even when the shop starts making money, I don’t think I’ll ever earn more in the business than I do in my day job. Which means, I’ll forever be a grease monkey (if I was a mechanic, which I am not…but I can’t think of a cool phrase to describe being an editor).

I woke up early Monday and after my morning rituals (which isn’t much, mind you), I tried to get a cab to take me to Makati. After I kept getting turned down left and right even when I was willing to add to the meter, I asked one of the drivers what the hell was going on. I was told that a tanker filled with alcohol (not the one I like) overturned in Edsa turning all routes to Makati a virtual nightmare. Unfazed, I bargained with him like crazy and got him to agree to brave the madness (and I didn’t even have to sleep with anyone). It was a nightmare all right. I was stuck in traffic for two and a half-hours and I ended up forking over almost four times my usual fare (which made me wish I just slept with someone…have a sense of humor, guys. It’s a joke).

So here I am taking a few minutes off work to type out this long, convoluted blog entry in an attempt to fight off burn-out and keep my sanity. One reading this might immediately deduce that I am tired and unhappy. I hope I am not leaving that impression because in truth, I am exhausted…but I have also never been happier in my life.

10:51PM - Labfest opening.

Virgin Labfest 4 finally opened this week. I kept telling myself that I couldn't wait for the show to open so I can finally breathe easier. Plus, schedules wouldn't be as crazy anymore, as there are other things that I have that's been piling up.

We were supposed to have our DTR last Sunday, but because of the darn weather, all rehearsals had been canceled that day. DTRs resumed on Tuesday, beginning with our set (Set A: Kapamilya, Kapuso, Kabisyo). By Wednesday, I was already a wreck, as we had called rehearsals in between Virgin Labfest 3 Revisited's matinee and evening shows so we can rehearse a certain prop that never came. Darn it. We finally resolved the issue by coming up with an alternative that was used in Himala the Musical.

Thursday came. Way too early call time to give way for a final DTR before our opening show at 3pm. One thing I just want to say during final DTRs is "Huwag mo akong ngaragin." Hahaha, I've been using that line since my thesis days, but lately I've been too nice to do so. I don't know, what annoys me like hell is when someone would nag at me for slacking off when I'm already trying to do my job. Yes, I'm too nice to speak up for myself, ahehe. The very few who know me that well know what I'm talking about, hyukhyukhyuk.

DTR was pretty much alright, except for a few miscues. Plus I had to wash May's costume immediately after our show, so I didn't get to watch the other 2 plays. I was gearing up for the 3pm show though. Of course, there was even a time that I had to run to Harrison Plaza to buy Karo syrup, but by the time I got there, Shopwise had run out of the darn stuff, so I had to return to CCP empty-handed.

That day was almost like my birthday, working like crazy without even any time for a breather. It was our 9th month, and Tad and I didn't even get to see much of each other, specially after a little minor disagreement the night before. But one sweet gesture, he appeared in the Batute dressing room just long enough to put a venti coffee jelly frappuccino in my hands as a peace offering. Thanks, love! Too bad I didn't get to drink it at that time, so I just left it on the one of the counters by the refreshments.

Thanks to Zee, Dyown and Billy for watching the 3pm show! Sorry I didn't get to stay and chat.

Even though our blood effect didn't work during the matinee show, I still had a bit of laundry duty as the dress that May wore still had some red stains on it, probably from the shower where we had put red food coloring in the water. Thanks to Ate Bheng's patient instructions, I managed to wash and dry the dress just in time for the evening show.

Even if the blood effect worked for the 8pm show, there were still a few glitches then. First off was that May couldn't find the gauze bandage I handed over to her before the show (which I found on the floor in the dressing room, ahehehe). Then our shower went off when the faucet was turned on, hahaha! I was cringing the whole time and was avoiding any view of Tuxqs in case he was doing the same. It was still a good show, though.

To unwind, I found myself in the dressing room during Ang Mga Halimaw, finally happily sipping that coffee jelly delight in a plastic cup. Shared it with Tara, Anna and Martha to hype them up for their own play, Amoy ng Langit, which is the 3rd play in our set. Afterwards, I started collecting my props, quietly bringing them to the prop room so I don't have to worry about lugging all of them during the strike.

Props to Mia for hanging tough out there, by the by. You've finally been "devirginized" by the Labfest, hahaha. Doncha just love the feeling of being up there and hearing "Standing by..." and "Going..." after your every command? Hahahaha!

Two shows down, two more to go. Congratulations to everyone involved in Virgin Labfest 4! And break a leg to those who are still about to open tomorrow!

7:56PM - Damnit

I really wish someone would answer their phone. I really need to talk to somebody and I can't seem to get a hold of anyone.

3:50PM - The 31st Birthday

In typical Che fashion, my birthday started off with drama. But all’s well that ends well. If anything, it made me realize that alcohol just isn’t worth it. It can ruin friendships and relationships. So with that being said, I promised Leah to quit drinking. Last year, I quit smoking on my birthday. I’m giving up vices left and right…that confirms it…I am getting old! Soon I’ll be like Anna sitting in a housedress, drinking herbal tea and knitting. Hehehehe.

Still, I had one hell of a birthday. I told Leah it was one of the best birthdays of my life. She didn’t take me seriously at first until I started crying. I know…I know…I can be so sentimental sometimes. It’s the sentimental sap in me. Once in a while, it just pops out. But anyway, it was such a great birthday because we did absolutely nothing. Seriously.

In the morning of my birthday, I felt like a kid trying to get a glimpse of my presents. I was even trying to wake Leah up accidentally-on-purpose so I could open my gifts. When I was finally able to create enough of a disturbance to stir her awake without it being too obvious, she was surprised to see me wide-eyed with a grin on my face pointing eagerly to where my presents were located.

And what can I tell you? I loved my gifts. I think that was when I started crying. I told her that the gifts she bought were stuff I wanted for myself but couldn’t bring myself to buy (particularly because when it comes to shopping for myself, I’m a cheapskate). She got me three pairs of shoes (which means a lot when you learn that I only have two pairs of shoes and one of them is broken beyond repair), a moleskin notebook (which I’ve always wanted but always found too impractical to buy) and a bottle of my favorite scent.

After I’ve worn all the shoes at least once, jumped around the room a little bit, sprayed Leah with perfume, smelled my moleskin notebook, hugged and kissed Leah countless times, cried some more, laughed even harder, I bought us both lunch. We ate in the condo, shawarma rice, Aysee’s sisig and mineral water. After lunch, we had plans to go swimming but ended up sleeping instead. I woke up after thirty minutes but didn’t have the heart to wake Leah up since I know she’s been having problems sleeping for over a week. So I opted to lie down next to her and read my new book (The Eleventh Commandment by Jeffrey Archer). Four hours later, Leah woke up and it was time for dinner.

We decided to eat at Seafood Island because they have these gigantic seafood meals that are good for three to four people. It was nice to see that despite Leah’s appetite being lacking lately, she managed to eat quite a bit (because it’s my birthday, thank you love). Of course, I ate a lot.

After dinner, we went back to the condo where we wanted to talk and hang out a bit. Unfortunately, I suddenly got sleepy which could be a reaction to the seafood which I am no longer used to. Although I no longer take antihistamines, I’ve noticed that I get extremely sleepy when I eat large amounts of shellfish. I wonder if this is psychosomatic again.

Anyway, we ended up sleeping before midnight ending a very relaxing and pressure-free day. I really believe birthdays should be like this, especially for someone my age. I just don’t have the energy to party anymore and drink the night away. Lately, I’d rather spend a quiet evening with the one I love. In truth, despite the gifts, enjoying the company of the person I want to spend the rest of my life with for an entire day is probably the greatest present of all.

I’m 31 and really, it isn’t too bad.

And yes, I really quit drinking.

12:52PM - It was a good ride, George...

...but I'm afraid we must take issue with some of your parting words:

“I do feel that when you’re born into the world, you’re given a ticket to the freak show, and when you’re born in the United States, you’re given a front-row seat.”

“…at some point, I drifted away from feeling any allegiance…I don’t identify with city, state, government, religion, association, country, organization or species, even.”


Oh but George, you are so painfully American still.

It was a nice try, bub, and certainly you have good cause to want to disengage from this cruel, crumbling world (“Human beings were given a lot of great gifts…but we squandered it on goods and superstition. We gave ourselves over to the high priests and traders, and they are the ones we allow to control us.”). But you gotta know from a third-world native: You were born a white boy from the US of A and you died a white boy from the US of A. It never fails to amaze me, this American conceit.

Maybe you can finally isolate yourself, wherever you are. Maybe you’re not so white over there anymore.