the Eraserheads Reunion Concert was really not meant to be

from the very start, it seemed that the universe has deemed that the reunion of Ely, Marcus, Buddy and Raimund was not really meant to be.

from the very start, the Eraserheads Reunion Concert was already hounded with controversy.

first off, there was even the issue that each of the Eraserheads had received a huge paycheck for signing in the concert. then, the concert’s promoter, a tobacco company, received much flak from anti-tobacco groups who were lobbying against the promotion of the concert. read it here. the whole hoolabaloo even prompted the Department of Health to join the fray. there was also the promotional campaign that fans who wanted to go to the ‘then-free-invites-only concert’ had to sign-in at the tobacco company’s website so that they could get invites. and because the reunion concert was sponsored by a tobacco company, the audience had to be automatically ‘over 18 years.’ there was even word that the sponsor could not get a permit.

here is most of the gist of the most of the issues.

but still the concert had to push through. the anticipation of the event was a rollercoaster. the concert was said to be cancelled, then it would push through but people still have to wait for the procedures. it was a thriller, the whole experience of it.

and the concert did push through. despite all the glitches.

i don’t know if it was because of the profitability of the whole event or because of the countless prayers of the millions of Eraserheads fans did for heaven to hear. i guess, it was too much for heaven to bear.

the tobacco company sponsor had to back out. see the details here. even though they had already paid the Eraserheads members.

then the new sponsor made ‘a few changes’ with the event. see it here and here. when the change of hands happened, the lobbyists were happy.

i believe that the Eraserheads concert was supposed to be the ‘concert’ of the year because of the band’s interstellar influence to the Filipino. but if one had been much aware of the media, there was not much marketing and advertising. there were no posters, there were no television ads. i don’t know if there were even radio ads. the issues that were covered by the local news did not even sell the event. viral word-of-mouth marketing was the means by which the news spread among the fans. this was true for my case.

the internet also had its share in breaking the news. i got my share of the E-heads gossip through a friend who is a music industry insider. she posted updates on her multiply account. word was passed straight from the band members through their official mailing lists. this proves true here. the website quoted Raimund Marasigan’s, the band’s drummer, statements through the mailing lists. read his anticipation here.

when all were settled, the people had to get ready. everybody was real excited. because the new sponsor had the reunion concert changed from being a ‘free-for-all,’ fans had to have tickets. read the clamor for tickets here. i experienced this first hand. i waited two long hours because the ticket distributor’s website bogged down.

friday, i had the tickets. i was real excited, i plurked out my feelings to the world.

then came, saturday, i had to do something so i almost came late to the event. but a friend and i managed to get there on time. we settled ourselves amongst the people cluttered on the open fields of The Fort. we did not have seats, food and drink. i did not mind the hunger (for i still did not have dinner then) and the stress for that day (i was running errands the whole day) for the Eraseheads were going to sing for me and all the fans, who have gone through hell for these rock legends.

when the 20-minute countdown flashed on all the field screens, all the fuss, the stress, the disappointment faded away. euphoria filled my systems as the first few notes of Alapaap rang the open air. for the next hour, i was singing my heart out. i was ecstatic. i was in rock and roll heaven. it was nirvana.

i have been to many gigs and concerts and all i could say is that i am thankful that this reunion gig happened. it will be forever etched as the best concert that i have been to.

i could not recall all the songs that band played. it was a blur. the whole concert was surreal. at least they played With a smile. it was all there was to it. there was Ligaya, Hey Jay, Kaliwete, Sembreak, Fruitcake, Shake Yer Head and all the other songs that made the first set. i was awash with nostalgia and this warm, happy feeling inside made me feel that everything was okay and that THIS experience was the best, EVER.

i was thankful. and very much happy that i was part of the whole shindig. it was history.

and after the first set. it was really history.

the band called for a 20-minute break because they have almost played for more than an hour. i saw on the screens that Ely slumped down after the end of the set. his drawn face was on the screens.

i had my dinner during the break. but the break continued on to almost an hour. then Buddy was on stage with a girl with hardcore bangs. he introduced her as Lally, Ely’s sister. they broke the news that Ely was brought to the hospital because Ely gave in to emotional and physical stress. to this, i could not argue because i knew that Ely’s physical condition was frail after last year’s heart attack and because word also got out that his mother died a few days back. the organizers called on everybody for a short prayer for Ely’s health and apologized that the concert had to be cut short.

this is the latest about Ely’s condition. they also had this.

i was not disappointed that the concert had to abruptly end. i believe that the pay was all worth it. though i joked to my friend Paul that the organizers had to refund everybody, especially those who paid huge bucks just to be there.

but i was really thankful. thankful that this concert happened in my lifetime. thankful that, somehow, the Eraserheads were able to play their hits for thousands of fans who were there.

i was also sad. gloom came to me after realizing that all the hardwork and dedication and prayers that made the concert true was put to an end by inevitable reasons that the universe only understood. from the very start, there were many obstacles that hampered the concert’s success. there were too many issues, there were too many controversies and there were too many problems.

then it dawned to me that this Eraserheads Reunion Concert was really not meant to be.

this made me really sad.

but it also made me hopeful that despite all the misgivings and the failure that have been borne out of this failed concert, there will be another Reunion Concert. one that is better. one that will be more organized. one that will be good for all the fans and all the people in the Filipino music industry.

it was fun reading this. it was fun to remember.

while doing this post, i ran through Eric Caruncho’s book, Punks, Poets, Poseurs: A reportage on Pinoy Rock & Roll. the book was printed in the mid-90s. Caruncho had an article there about the E-heads and their early beginnings. he said that the Eraserheads were the future of the Pinoy Rock music scene, then. Caruncho was a prophet for the Eraserheads are now icons of Pinoy Rock & Roll.

i quote Caruncho in his aricle that “God save the Eraserheds.” i also pray that “The Kids [will be] Alright*.”

*this was the title of Eric Caruncho’s feature on the Eraserheads, The Kids are Alright.” he called the Eraserheads ‘kids,’ then. When the Eraserheads played Toyang, Ely belted that ‘they tried to tell us we’re too OLD.’ how time passes. now, the Eraserheads consider themselves to be old.

words of wisdom

two weeks ago, i joined some of my banahaw family for a Subic road trip.

i have been longing for a road trip for a while and this shopping trip was very much welcome.

that Subic-Clark-Tarlac Express Highway is a Filipino success. it is that good.

for lunch, we went to this place called Seafood by the Sea, along Bayfront Road. it was a nice enough restaurant with classy food that comes with a fairly-priced tag.

what really caught my eye were these “words of wisdom booboos” that were posted inside the men’s toilet.

do try to spot the grammatical errors.

nice, ain’t it?

now for the parting shot, the men’s toilet has this to offer.

can’t wait…

until September 6!

because on that fateful day me and some of my friends will be joining WordCamp Philippines, a blogging conference for WordPress bloggers.

i’ve blogged about this here. and i’m really excited. haha.

oh, by the way, it looks like WordCamp Philippines has been grabbing attention for the number of sponsors have gone up. a great big kudos to all the organizers.

Click here to see the sked. I’ve signed up for Blogging 102 – Basics and Beyond by Jayvee Fernandez, Building a Blogging Community by Blogie Robillo and Blogging and Journalism by my thesis adviser, Prof. Danny Arao.

here is the sponsors. 🙂

• i.PH: the Domain for Individuals
• Free Online Flash Games
• Wazzup Manila Philippines
• Real Estate CRM
• Real Estate Website Designers
• Orange County Real Estate
• Auto Insurance Quotes
• Lane Systems Inc.
• RedMedia
• Orange County Business Lawyer
• Cebu Pacific Air
• Buddy Gancenia Reality TV
• SmartBro Wireless Broadband
• SPOT.ph
• Make Money with Performancing Ads

seeing the world through opaque eyes*

i have been wearing prescription eye glasses since i was seven years old.

my parents discovered that something was wrong with my eyes when i asked them why their heads were so small and when i watched the tube, i was so close that i was kissing the screen.

my affliction also boggled my parents for i had it at a very young age. there was no question that having impaired eyes was an undeniable genetic quality of the family. but it came too early.

at first, the eye doctors denied me of clear vision because the head optometrist didn’t believe that i could already read when i was four years old. they had me taking pills that made my head implode. the headaches were so bad that i was always banging my head on my table in my prep class. i was also made to take eye drops that made everything look even more blurry.

my eyes were so shot then. i remember that all my writing exercises were all wrong for all rounded letters like a, c, o, b, s, e were all o’s. all the slender letters like the l’s, the t’s, the i’s and the j’s were all the same. i was so messed up. it was a good thing that my homeroom teacher knew of my problem that i was free to sleep in class when my the headaches came. i was made to sit in the back. it was a good thing for my classmates didn’t see me sleep. it was also a bad thing for i also didn’t see anything written on the blackboard.

i had to endure everything until i was seven, when the eye doctors were really convinced that i could already read. they found out that i had astigmatism and that my poor vision was deteriorating. they had me wear progressive horn-rimmed glasses with thick lenses.

since then, my glasses were made a fixture on my face. it was my new eyes.

it was also then that i realized that my glasses was the most important part of my body. aside from the fact that they were expensive, i damn needed them. i needed them so that i could enjoy my books, comics and television better.

i have gone through many pairs of eyes glasses. most of them were either crushed and mangled when i was in grade school. i used heavy-duty double-bridged frames that not only restricted the growth of my face but it also made me look really nerdy, which at the time, i was not. i also had metal frames but these did not last long for they were so bendable.

i was a hothead runner back in gradeschool. i was one of the lead runners in our Agawan-Base matches against other classes. in other words, either i was the bait for other the opposing runners or the saviour for our captive comrades. but most of the time, the glasses restricted me. i couldn’t move too much for the glasses might fall off. i avoided much contact for one wrong move and goodbye eyes. and because of the thick-frame, i had so many blindsides.

so, i guess, the glasses had made me into a real nerd. it came with the package. by high school, i was a full-blown nerd. i didn’t do sports. i did not go out for i was not happy with my looks. all i did was read. i was a total nutjob.

come college and all. my plastic pair of eyes have well become a part of me. i didn’t want to try other things for i was more comfortable with my glasses. and it was a good thing that in college, having glasses is a must. you look more intelligent and amiable to everyone.

then, i was working. wearing plastic eyes were still okay. but i have been doing things that needed me to put my eyes aside. but still, i could not take them off.

fear is the only reason i could think of that prevented me taking these blasted lenses off. it was the fear that i couldn’t see better, fear that i would hurt my precious eyes, fear that i would leave a good part of me that had made me more comfortable for who i was. i still wanted to see. my plastic eyes made me see things clearly and to take it off was to let go of everything and i didn’t want that.

last week, i started using contact lenses. i admit that until today, i am still uncomfortable. it burdens me to put it in and then it takes hours for me to take it off. i hate it when i have to blink many times to make my eyes water so the filmsy contact lenses won’t dry up.

i don’t know why i did the jump. the fear is still there. it was not an implusive decision but the move was smooth and it was as if things were made to be that way. i don’t know what moved the universe to sideline the fear. i don’t know if it was because of her and the thought that there was no longer a chance for me to get her was part of the reason. i don’t know if it was some weird cosmic nudge to make me get walking ahead.

i was made to move. i was made to change.

this week, a friend also had a life-turning realization. the friend said that for every drastic change in one’s life, one has to change. the friend said she was changing. she really did. and like me, she was recuperating. i don’t know yet if she’s fully recovered. i don’t still know if i had.

it was only then that i realized that i, too, have changed. it was only then that i realized that i had changed because of what happened to her and of what had happened to me. i had made me change and no external force had made me.

i believe that this change was for the better. my depth perception is way off. i am blurry all the time. and i get a lot of praises from my friends. they like my natural “guy-liner.” i get more second looks now. which is a good thing.

i don’t know if i still clearly with this new set of eyes. but i do appreciate what it can do for me. i can clearly see now that things are now really different for me. and that i am okay.

*this was the crappy, made-up title of a book that i’m supposed to write. i put it up in my college yearbook write-up.

and finally, the last installment [Defining GWAPO part 4]

here it is, boys and girls. 🙂

go here to enjoy.

and this time, i’m included! ahaha. i was mentioned in # 35. the domesticated gwapo.

yun nga lang, i’d like to add another dimension to Maya’s definition. ahaha. indulgence and narcissism. hehe.

the word domesticated, in this discussion, may mean:

1. to accustom to household life or affairs.

let us put this definition into the context of a Filipino household, where machismo predominantly reigns supreme.

the masa definition of the common guy can be summed up with what a usual guy would do during his daily routine: eat breakfast. pet the dogs. hang-out. chat with the neighbor. nap. eat lunch. nap. watch basketball. hang-out with the neighborhood tambays or watch the neighborhood sabong matches. flirt with aling nena’s daughter at the nearest sari-sari store. eat dinner. hang-out. chill with the kapwa tambays and drink beer or bilog.

and if you are a Filipino guy and sports, women, tambay and drinking is not part of your daily routine, you are either gay or a geek. hehe. if you are a common macho, your life must revolve within this sphere of activity alone.

and if you take a guy out of this sphere, and make him do other things, naku, giyera. and if you make him do household chores, naku, world war. kaya nga maraming cases ng domestic violence. because chores like doing the laundry or planning or shopping for family’s weekly meals is not exactly manly.

and if you do household chores, you might as well branded yourself an andres, a weakling. and if you are already married, you might as well be called an under-the-saya. a harsher type of weakling.

but if you are that type of male who can do pang-nanay chores with confidence and dexterity, that is the domesticated gwapo. walang kyeme-kyeme. walang hiya. okay lang sa iyo maglaba ng panty at ang pagsampay nito. with the neighbors looking.

here‘s an interesting reaction to the series. ayos. a guy’s perspective on things.

i agree with mr. jester that one can learn and improve one’s home-making skills in due time. however, it limits the definition of being domesticated only to the skills aspect, without defining the Pinoy psyche of the whole domesticated gwapo definition.

pero, the screwdriver banat was one of a kind. 😀 hahaha.

pero ako, i prefer an electric drill. bumabarena eh.

Defining GWAPO

My friend Maya is a genius.

She came up with this earth-shattering definition of just being gwapo. Actually, it’s more on categorizing each and everyman’s kagwapuhan.

See it here.

And here.

And here.

There’s still the last installment coming. And I’m so excited on seeing my own category in her list. Ahaha.

Bucket List

I haven’t seen Bucket List, that inspiring dramedy starring heavyweights Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, but I’m planning to see it one of these days.

I was inspired with what my friend Cai posted a few days back. She also told me to do my own Bucket List. So i guess, this is my “to-do-list-before-I-die.”

1.) Have surgery.

Aside from the usual and mandated surgery for all Catholic-born males, I have not experienced any major penetrative surgical procedure. If I do, I hope it would be corrective (Laser-Assisted in situ Keratomileusis or LASIK) or even cosmetic (ay, jusko! ano kaya?).

2.) Finish a kick-ass graphic novel and have it published. Ito pangarap.

Yes! Yes! Yes! Yun nga lang, it’s still in the works.

3.) Rehabilitate my hybrid mountain bike. And ride it again along the dikes toward Mt. Pinatubo.

4.) Travel

For now, kahit saan. Pero I want to go to a place where there is snow. Ganun lang ako ka-cheap. And exotic animals. Yung polar bear. O kaya llama. Ganun.

5.) Savor a Bird’s Nest Soup.

Idol ko talaga si Washington Sycip. Ito ang kanyang daily breakfast.

6.) Learn the art of sewing.

My paternal grandfather was a good tailor. Until his eyes failed him. I still use hand-me-down dress pants that he made. For the office.

7.) Better myself in carpentry.

I pride myself for being a do-it-all handyman. Gusto kong magkaroon ng shop with all those marvelous carpentry tools and stuff.

8.) Drive a Subaru.

An Impreza WRX, to be exact.

9.) See the stars upclose, again. Hindi artista.

The first time I did was in UP, in 1996. With a gigantic telescope. I wish I could peek through the lens and reach the heavens again.

10.) Learn to surf or skimboard.

Shet, taga-Zambales ako at wala akong board. Pathetic.

11.) Overcome my acrophobia and do something “high-flying.” Yung talagang lumilipad.

12.) Have and own 1,000 books. Or even more. I’m already at around 300+.

13.) Complete all of John Irving’s and Frederick Forsyth’s novels. Addict.

14.) Have a dip in all of the world’s major oceans. So far, South China Sea pa lang ako. Hindi siya ocean.

15.) Smoke high-grade weed. Gago rin, ano?

16.) Watch films. Ito ay isang on going project.

17.) Finish a Shakespearean play. Pucha. Ang hirap.

18.) Run a serious marathon.

19.) Complete my SD Gundam collection. Kahit hindi na Musha models.

20.) Till the land. All over again. Parang magandang magtanim ng mais.

21.) Learn the Rumba. Tangina. Sa totoo lang, I like ballroom. Shet na lang sa hirap ang Rumba.

22.) Better my cooking.

23.) Score a homerun. 🙂 Baseball homerun, ah. Baseball.

24.) Learn the Cat’s Cradle. Yung parang sa ending credits ng Maskman.

25.) Master the Rubik’s Cube.

26.) Fly a kite. Promise, hindi ko pa nagawa ito.

27.) Give a great kisser.

Yung solid na sapak sa mukha. Be it a straight or a whalloping hook. Yung, makaka-knockout. And be given one in return.

28.) Build my own house. Yung ako talaga maghahalo ng semento. Tapos gagawa ako ng library at Audio-Video room. Hay…

29.) Go snorkelling.

30.) Maupo sa ilalim ng isang waterfall. Yung parang ginagawa ni Alexis aka Shaider para magmeditate. Hahaha.

Dito na lang muna. There’s still more to come.

UJP ACLE (or for the love of the org)

grabbed from Jam’s multiply site. for additional promotion. i’m so proud of you kids!

Start: Aug 16, ’07 1:00p
Location: M 213, College of MassComm
The Union of Journalists of the Philippines – UP will show “Huling Hala Bira!”, the award-winning documentary of the I-Witness team of Howie Severino. Ms. Ella Marie Evangelista, Executive Producer of the documentary, will give a discussion afterwards.

What is it about? From Howie’s “Sidetrip”:

“As far as squatter conditions go, Jojo Paragas has few complaints. He has nice neighbors, a riverside view, and safety from flooding. As a trolley boy, the happy-go-lucky Jojo lives with his family close to work – right under the tracks, at the point where the railroad’s steel bridge over the Pasig River meets land.

Unique among the thousands in Manila who live dangerously near the railroad, Jojo’s family and a few neighbors can see the underbelly of passing trains from their homes. For them, the thunderous noise and violent shaking are a small price to pay for the benefits of their location.

The documentary opens as their barangay is happily preparing for the annual fiesta, a raucous event inspired by the Ati-Atihan in Aklan where most residents are from.

For Jojo and his “under-the-tracks” neighbors, it is also a bittersweet time, for it will likely be their last fiesta in these parts. They have received their notice of demolition from the government, which intends to upgrade the railroad. The fiesta provides a reprieve.

But after it, their fate is in the hands of the authorities and perhaps their feisty neighbor Aling Adel, a widow and ihaw vendor who has assumed the role of leader in their quixotic fight against dislocation from a community they have come to love. She takes their fight all the way to Manila Mayor Lito Atienza.”

happiness

she said her name meant happiness.

i met her last saturday. we talked. we had coffee.

she told me that her name literally meant “happy kid”

hehe.

let’s see what happens.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

i miss blogging. it’s already been a while since i last dropped by. i guess my absence and lack of interest in posting may be been caused by my being too preoccupied with work and with being too lazy. yes, i have been, for almost a month now, a lethargic bum.

i guess, this period of inactivity was triggered by the, “ahem.”

well, so much for that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

i offer a huge SHOUTOUT to my “original” blockmates who railroaded the metallurgical engineering licensure exams!

Top 1. Chester James Razote de Leon! ~ you fucking asshole! you’re one hell of a genius. but come to think of it, you always hung around with me. shet.

Top 2. Dande Louie Alejan Pena ~ well, we sure do look a like. no question about it. napatunayan na yan.

Top 4. Erwin Geul de Guzman ~ ang gwapo na lang.

Top 11. Maria Lily Espenilla Rosios ~ ang gwapo mo rin. chick boy!

making the rain bleed

“you made the rain bleed.” ~ Yukishiro Tomoe, Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuiokuhen OAV*

the rains have come again.

yesterday, was a heck of a day. there came the downpour, then sunshine, then another hail-mary of rain. the environment’s so fucked up you can’t tell when it’s going to rain. thank god for global warming. it’s triggering the modern-day deluge. it’s going to bring the new-age old testament flood. maybe it’s time that we have a new noah. wait, there’s already an evan almighty.

back to the rain talk. i’ve always liked the rain. especially when i’m sure that’ll it come. when i was a kid, this time of the year is very much anticipated. back when i was still “supot,” my neighbors at guadalupe bliss, makati used to hang around the monkey bars, letting the raindrops smother us wet.

it was fun, then. we would even lie at the shit-littered parking lot and revel at the beating we will receive from the sky. we won’t go home until were blue in the lips, shivering to death and with palms and feet wringled. my friends and i always looked forward for rain.

then came the phenomenon called acid rain. we stopped going out and gambolling in the rain. we were afraid that we end up with disintegrating faces and melted shoulders and fingers. we just stayed indoors and watched television.

yesterday, when i looked over ortigas and all of its buildings engulfed in the rain, i cant’ help but remember the days that i could still frolick in the rain’s cold embrace.

though it brings back happy and wild memories, the rain also recaptures times that are best forgotten.

like the time we both watched the rain,

we watched the rain until it turned red.

*a quote from one of the best OAV’s i’ve seen. it was dramatic and very moving. and of course. it was raining. Kenshin Himura was still the dreaded Battosai then.

Himura was squaring off with an assassin. Tomoe was drunk and was on her way home. Himura divides his opponent into halves and sprays the passing white plum-scented lady with blood.