Rai no Tantou - Suicide

DEAD BLOG.

2009-02-23T16:35:00.003+08:00

As late as always...

Yup, you can consider this blog dead. Until i do a major change with the theme. =]

* Out of curiosity... do you still, by any chance, visit this site? o.O

AGAIN AND AGAIN...... and again...

2008-06-16T23:08:00.009+08:00

... and again.

Though it's been a monthlong of parent-play, money laundering and human breeding [which gained me 4 kilos and lost the 4-pack i made with the Hiphop Abs move i leeched from TV], i'm currently feeling sad right now. My mom, sis and the two kids are going back to Abu Dhabi and i guess they'll be arriving there at 2AM [ET]. I do wish them a safe and sound trip and i'm gonna miss them again, especially my first nephew Harvey [including the AdHoc multiplay we had on PSP].

But i guess it won't be too far, since we can talk anytime now that we have DSL at home. I remember saying that Bayantel DSL sucked. I admit that i'm "partially" wrong and i'll take back some misconclusions i've made. Yeah, it still sucks because of the fact that the ADSL splitter is quite useless, the connection gets interrupted most of the time when making calls. But the good part is that their "Speed on Demand" feature [10PM-10AM] really is helpful. My connection goes up to 1200+kbps [which makes my DL speeds at barely 70-130+kB/s], i just have to pick the right IP to connect to. Ordinary speeds are also fine, jumping from about 400-780kbps [DL speeds at 25-70+kB/s], also depending on which IP i connect. Bad thing is that the first few days didn't quite satisfy the main reason the DSL was put on [my sister's... streaming was choppy and connection was so freakin' lossy... that's why i said it sucked]. Right now, it's at it's best... and i'm going to abuse the speed by downloading DS/PSP games, movies and some series [i'm hunting 'The Dead Zone'] and some other stuff... but no online games, and again... definitely NO PORN! =]

Though frequent bluescreens [with random causes and 0x00 codes] and restarting "restarts" really is starting to piss me off. o.O

I've replaced the RAM, put on a new AGP card, bought a soundcard and an ethernet... and still this [though it boots now unlike before when after Verifying DMI pool data gets you to a BSOD]. One of the remaining options i have is to buy a SATA [my board supports that HD] or get a clean installer of XP and repair the installation [could be my installer's wasted]. Or if it still doesn't work, then i'd be forced to buy a new mainboard... which i hope not because that means i'll be needing to buy new parts, again [AGP slots are obsolete, as per PCeXpress said]. If that's the case then i'll be waiting for another AbuDhabi-made system--- and hope it's not a Vista. =] Right now, i should just hang on [again] with what i have until i know if things could be fixed.

So much for that. I'll be doing a new theme now that the PC's barely working. I'll be able to manage. For how long? No one knows until it's obvious, right? ^^ Just wait if the time ever comes.

* At this point, i should be saying "Welcome Back to AbuDhabi" to them. =]

And that was four [4] "again"'s to comply with the title and the intro. Ok, this makes it 5. Stupid me. =]

PC'S BACK UP!Online Life Resurrected.

2008-05-31T13:56:00.005+08:00

The 1.4 gets a new RAM, too.

If you're reading this, then yes... i've pre-written this post [still] with my NDS Lite using homebrew. But this is also a Welcome Back note to my mom, sis and nephews all the way from Abu Dhabi... and a brand new 19" LCD monitor! =]

It's been months since i last used my own PC 'til the monitor blew up. By that time i wasn't able to do some of my usual PC stuff [blog, friendster, Cakewalk/GP making sound clips/concepts etc (but definitely NO porn stuff)]. Now that i've got visual, i'm definitely back to business [rather, back doing my stuff (still, NO porn stuff)]. Though it's a bit wide... still i can see everything perfectly.

First thing i'll be doing is to clean [but not format] my HDs 'coz i'll be needing the space real soon. Second thing is to do some errands from Dennis regarding the finished concepts. I'll need to finish all concepts left undone, and i think i'll have time to sit in front of my PC everytime a concept flies by my head. Most of all, i'll be needing the space for my nephew Harvey and copy some PSP games i've got from girl besfriend Cha. Dunno when i'll be needing my own copy...

... 'coz by the time i've posted this, we're probably on DSL already. =]

* A little update [where everything at this point are typed from the 1.4]. I got a Phat PSP with 3.71 M33 FW. ^^ Okaa~y, you can curse me anytime... say that i'm a biased dude who owns two competing handhelds. But this i gotta tell you: there's actually no point of competition. As i said before, if you want good titles, go to PSP... and if you want something else, go for the DS. It's just that i'm lucky enough to have two. =]

And my DS ain't left out just because i got a new handheld. I actually use it to play at WFC... especially now that i have a wireless router. Got to boost up my rankings at Tetris. =]

But then, Bayantel DSL sucks bigtime. o.O I'll post why soon.

OZINEFEST '08Commercial Break muna!

2008-04-02T21:34:00.003+08:00

Advertisement... again. What did i do last April Fool's anyway? Well, here goes nothing...

It's going to be held this Saturday, April 5, 2008 @ Megatrade Hall [dunno which one, choose a lucky number from 1 to 3], at the top floor of SM Megamall, obviously.

Armada will be performing right after lunch [when peeps are eating], in case you're interested to watch them [or... be one of Ian or Adz's fans club].

And please, don't watch if ever you're just curious about me or my playing... it'll suck, so don't worry. =]

Yun lamang po, bow. ^^

* I kinda missed that last line of my testimonial. ^^

After the performance, RevEp will immediately have its meeting. They'll be watching, yes.

I'll be waiting, then. =]

STRATOMARCO:Fixing one loose wire and another...

2008-03-26T22:09:00.002+08:00

... and, no. It's not the "Frankenstein" operation just yet. =]

I'm a DS Lite owner, and many of my friends are consulting me regarding handheld stuff... since some say it was a bit odd that i chose such a system. It's a common reaction coming out from them, asking why did i choose a Nintendo DS over a nice and uberpowered Sony PSP and which should they choose if ever they'll be buying their own handheld. I always say that if they're looking for good game titles and great graphics, go for a PSP [they're all there]... if they're looking for something else to play, get a DS. Yes, i know that in terms of graphics i'd prefer a PSP, but the DS [though underpowered] provides us with innovative ideas of gameplay. I remember a good quote from one Gamefaqs forum member: "a great game doesn't require great graphics."

Same with my "Marco". Yes, now i'm talking about my 1.5-year old, 2nd-hand RJ-made Stratocaster guitar [sorry about that, i love to make intros]. The very first electric musical equipment that i could consider my own [aside from the fact that the money i paid for it was really for our Meralco bill ^^]. I chose a Strat over other available 2nd-hand guitar models sold online because of the Strat's versatility, and it was obviously cheaper. Though it was old and messy when i got to buy it already, i tried my best on restoring its face value [if you saw the "for sale" pics online it was truly a disaster]. I also brought it to my uncle to tune [hindi itonong "itono" a] the thing up and even asked on how to fix the internal parts so if ever i'll be having problems i can fix it on my own.

Well, the time has come for me to fix it.

It already has undergone 2 "operations" from tito Jimmy regarding its wiring. One was realigning the pickups, re-soldering and securing the wires, and the other was the disconnected ground from the bridge [thus the pure static from my September 15 perf, i told you it wasn't that 'crazy' mini-amp]. And recently i've got the same problem on its wiring--- i've got 2 disconnected wires [the ground and the main wire from the connector].

Although soldering wires with lead is but a piece of cake [thank God Diliman, i must admit], i needed to borrow Jeremiah's soldering iron... and a small piece of lead. =] It can't be helped, my bro's soldering tools were nowhere to be found. Anyway, i already fixed the guitar last monday night [yes, i'm proud i did it myself this time]... though it's not really as good as new since the main parts [the pots and switch] are either wasted or all-rusted up, thus affecting the sound output sometimes during play.

So, does this mean i need to buy a new guitar already? Good idea. =] But, naa~h. As long as things could be fixed, then there's no need for a guitar change. Not unless the body gets cracked open [well, the neck can always be replaced if it's broken]... as long as it's just the electric parts, it's easy. I love my Marco very much that even if i get a new guitar i'll still be using it for performance. I'll be saving some cash to buy some important parts [3 pots and a Strat switch] to bring back Marco's sound vitality. I think i should replace the wires, too. We kept on fixing the wires, i guess it'll come that i should be replacing it [Frankenstein, here i come!]. I won't be buying a new "faceplate + volume knob" set just yet, since it's not really necessarry [pampapogi lang naman yun, wag muna]. Though i'll be needing a tremolo bar pretty soon [mahirap i-bend ang trem ko by hand at nakakangawit din, and i'll need some pulling power para umabot sa higher octave na "E" yung bend ko sa dulong fret, though i'll need to practice it dahil mataas ang risk na maputol ang #1].

And if ever i'll be getting a new guitar, i'd still prefer a Strat over any better model [even if it's the 'expensive-yet-good-looking-best-toned-guitar-for-lead-but-getting-generic-already' Les Paul (no offense to LP users, well, the Strat itself is 'generic' BTW... especially in gig studios, though as i look at it, i could say that the Strat became a prototype of many models {or maybe it's just me}), and please do NOT offer me one].

WAG lang RAON Strat ah. o.O

... and, no. I can't fix your guitar. Sorry. ^^

* Good thing i got to know Marco's schematics, a lot of thanks to tito Jim for letting me know. Better than what i've learned myself in computer hardware manipulation, mostly by trial-and-error. ^^; Still, it's a good thing that i learned [alangya, Nido hehek].

Now... my nephew, Harvey, will be back here on May. He's got a 3.03-firmwared PSP to downgrade. That means i'll get ahold of a PSP for two months. 2 different handhelds. Lucky me. =]

It's getting hot, 'eh. Kapag nasa Abu Dhabi ka ng ganitong panahon, iiyak ka sa init. ^^

Sis, is Hongkong up on May? Buy me something when you get back. Just, don't buy a new CPU. One 512MB PC400 DDRAM [or higher, hehe] is all i need, which can be bought here.

The laptop can wait, so don't buy. =]

BACK AGAIN.

2008-03-15T01:24:00.007+08:00

And so everyone else thought i've left for good. Think again...

Yup, i'm back after a long period of a very nerve-breaking silence. Hello to my few BUT most loyal audience that checks out my blog everytime for new posts and also to the new parties that'll be dipping with my life's down-and-unders. ^^ Just so you know, my monitor's busted for a few months now... and the only place i could go online is in an internet shop. To the least, this is my first post for the year. I kinda missed posting some crap here [where all people, including myself, get hit at the same time]. I do think i made enough room, though.

Anyway, i spent most of my time meddling with my Nintendo DS Lite [believe me, this whole post was made using homebrew... the touchscreen really proved itself useful]. I've used this to do some task that i haven't done since my monitor got busted [e.g. text-only browsing (not until i get the "NDS Opera Browser" card), chat, play some music, type some texts]. Most of all, i recently discovered that you could possibly connect to Nintendo WiFi Connection and play online using the game ROM alone. All you need is an original DS unit and a R4DS card [some other slot-1 Nopass cards exist now, but R4 has high compatibility], as long as there is an available access point somewhere. The only thing that sucked is that my neighbor locked up their wireless router with a WEP key last week. Now i need to go somewhere like Robinson's or Edsel's place [using their neighbor's, that is] to connect. =[

Some people think that Tetris is a VERY boring game to play, that's because they haven't seen the fun in it yet. ^^, You'll see when you get to play with someone, especially when you go online. Just prepare to say your prayers when you get to see a Japanese opponent. You'll get a 4:5 probability of getting owned by those Japs [not on Tetris alone, but other games too... Japs own even in everything]. It still IS a good practice to get better in the game. =]

What about RevEp? Well, one thing's for sure: we're still NOT onto that ride to fame thing where near gets too far. Edsel made a good song, and i'm planning something else for a finale [probably the most ambitious score i'll be making since "Imperfect" and the Dead's "We Wanted", that's why i called it a finale]. Dennis [yep] already made the lyrics for it. After i finish the MIDI [which will be 6-7mins long, i assume] we'll get onto practicing it and in the long run, play it live [i'll be going to Jeremiah's or Edsel's to finish it]. Anyway, that already makes 6 songs we made in a year. Not much, but it is a growing progress. Ian has some new ideas as well. I wonder when i'll be able to write some lyrics again... it's been a year, bah!

Speaking of a year, RevEp had its 1st anniversary last September 9 [yup, 6 days before Jeremiah's bday and before realizing StratoMarco (gitara ko) already needed some repairs with its wiring when we played]. Just an ordinary jam session and a whole lot more as a year-old RevEp. We celebrated as the band itself had a birthday. We talked about a lot of things regarding band-related stuff etc. We even exchanged some gifts after a great dinner. ^^

Although it may sound pretty lame for some other bands to have such an occasion which doesn't really matter to them, i do believe it is important to take note of the date. Why? Because it's fun. =] Nah. Kidding aside, it is how we value each other as bandmates, musicmates, teammates, and most of all, as brothers [anung brothermates? o.O]. I mean, it is the date when the band successfully booted up. It is a good date to remember. =]

Aa~nyway, we had a jam session last February at ROA. I tell you, it was one of our worst practices ever since day one [yehey!]. Everyone got all warmed up on their respective places [individual practice helped us individually] but got all excited that we played off-sync. ^^ But that's conceivable, we haven't had a band practice since December 1 [see how serious we are at this?]. Though we managed to get all-synched up on the last few minutes. =] We did make it up at Gig Studio [simple but catchy name] two weeks after, though. We should've finished his new song but then he forgot to bring his song's lyrics. Bravo, Kulot. =]

Speak of the curly tops, i could say that Edsel has done some new interesting leads for the old songs. I know he's much more of a "good luck" speed player before where his lead is all heard but incomprehensible, but this time around it's a different issue. He actually made his leads an ear-candy. His melody is more accurate and fun to hear, though for me it still lacks some flavor [oi nilaglag daw oh]. He notices that as well [sabay-bawe haha]. But still, he's on the right track. One thing, though--- you can't totally compare his playing style with mine. Why? Because it's fun. =] Nah. We're both guitarists with a different style of playing [though we have some same parts playing together]. That's the main idea of our combination. All i can say is he's got natural talent [well, everyone has it too] and i'll coach him to help develop his capabilities much more. But i'm much a better coach for him at singing, since it's obvious when his vocals suck. =]

Ian, as far as i can tell, is much better than i was [the time that i was still playing for the Dead, gawd i missed "bahizta"... heh]. She's got a lot of "random" basslines coming out of nowhere, which i can say is pretty much accurate and catchy than what she's doing before [yung tipong "good luck"]. In fact, she's a much random bassplayer than i was [yep, i definitely miss the bass]... and that's a scary thought [i'm all nervous yet excited when i'm doing random stuff, imagine a worst-case... freaky ^^]. At least she's a more confident bassplayer right now, knowing the essence of her position as a bassist.

A little update. We gave a surprise for our princess this past tuesday: a BRAND NEW bass guitar! And not just any guitar... it's a "Stagg". Dennis bought it with Edsel, while he tagged me along too to have an "experienced opinion" [mamaya iba uli pagtranslate dito, batukan ko kayo. eto na layman's]. He told me he needed my opinion as a FORMER [pa rin] bassplayer if he'll be getting a good buy. And for my opinion, i've finally found a bass with a much better feel and power than the ones i've used before in Dead [yung bass nila, and yung dati kong hiram ke tito]. Lightweight yet powerful... and sleek, too. BTW, i chose a natural wood color to match Ian's skin tone and for practicality issues--- RED is becoming the "generic" [i love this word] color of bass guitars [no offense to all red bass guitars especially my "eX", minahal ko naman yun (tinira ko pa nga sa likod e)]. I could conclude that it was indeed a GREAT buy compared to RAON [where her former bass was bought for a close price and poor ampaw quality (salamat sa kuya nyang ugok)... naman, UK ang Stagg! (ukay ka jan)]. This gift made her cry so hard it was not appropriate to call it just "tears of joy" [Edsel and I hummed the "Graduation March" on the process =)]. I felt that she was, that time, the happiest person on Earth [OA pero pagnakita mo sha you'd agree]. Pero sabe ni Den wala na daw Cocobeach si Ian, hehe! Of course, that was just a joke. =]

I've got something else to say when i played that Stagg. With her experience on the old Ampaw bass [i did use her bass in one of the Dead's perfs, and that time i say it's HELL], she'll definitely boost-up with her playstyle by the time she uses it. I can say with confidence that she deserves a surprise gift like that than i do [although i'm a bit ingget pati si Kulot (imported e wahaha), i'll stick with StratoMarco (wiring lang prob, but the feel's still there so no need)]. Maybe she'll learn bass slaps or do some more of her "unorthodox" moves in the near future... we'll see. But, as always, i like it random. =]

Dennis completed his dream of buying his very own drumset. And for me, his kit is more than complete. But i guess he'll be buying more to make his drumstyle much powerful [whoooo~a!]. Don't worry, you won't hear the "bug-burag-bug" more often. I know that the fact of Dennis' "unpopular" beats came from me [diba?]. Get shocked when you hear him play again [well, i actually got dazed for a few seconds when i heard him roll]. He's got some new slicks i haven't heard before. I think he plans on putting it onto the new songs [obviously]. And BTW, his double-pedal handling is more stable now... just don't let him get too excited and everything's just fine. =]

And me? What about me?

Ask them. It's better when you hear it from their mouths, don't you agree? And PLEASE [lang] don't ask if i improved! o.O

Overall, we DEFINITELY love what we're doing. ^^

Now, i haven't talked about my active poster and real-life most trusted, multi-talented [at multi-awarded wekeke!] bestfriend for a long time. Jeremiah taught me the basics of playing a complex cardgame called "Vampires". Nosebleed, but thankfully i got the basics. I just hope i could level it up with the other players [Dok Jason, Don Jebs, etc.] though it's not going to be easy. The only easy cardgame i could play was "BANG!" =]

He even copied some of my HD's games, especially Starcraft. He craves for it ever since i got home from UAE. Long time, 'eh? =] Anyway, i'm planning to make a project with him. Not to make another movie for a school project [but he made a good storyline for my project], but to make a song. Why? Because it's fun [i'm enjoying this]. =] Nah. He's got a good selection of words, and an excellent voice too [much better than what i've heard before, remember i said multi-talented? (and, oh... he draws and paints too and does photography and filmmaking, acting... atbp. o.O should've said "uber")]. And, no... i'm not just going to use his words for the benefit of RevEp... he's going to sing it. ^^

WHAAAA~T?!?

Seriously. I really wanted to make something good with Jeremaster like we did before [prior to the school project MENTOR]. It goes all the way back to grade 6 in DPS where we became a [somewhat] stupid yet ideal combination where everything was running through imagination and making it all real. Drawing, recording, we think of it, we make it. Though i admit he's way too better than me in regards to talent and brains [bords i'm giving you too much credit hehek].

Anyway, the suggestion to make Jeremiah sing for RevEp came from Ydah. Since Edsel won't budge from his vocal post [egomanyak! ^^ juk. i like that he's making progress with singing already... knowing when it's good and when it's bull], i told the team that i'm planning a project letting Jeremiah sing for it. They gave me a GO. The mission will be "to integrate whatever he writes/sings into what we'll be playing." Simple? Naa~h. Never was a child's play. ^^

Balitang Showbiz naman. =]

Edsel has been enjoying a paradise-driven life in CocoBeach [remember when i used to talk about this place everytime?]. And guess what--- he's already been there two times in a row [NOW i'm getting more envious that i'll need a picture ^^;]. Yeah, he's been there last week for 3 days, and he's there once more for this week. I was invited by Dennis to come with them, but i've got some errands for Armada [i made a "walkthrough" for Ozine's line-up] but thanks anyway. Some other time, perhaps? Para kumpleto!

He DID broke our record, huh. =]

I mentioned Armada. I haven't heard from them since Ongaku [and Antarctica's party last December]. Now we're about to perform again after a long absence. I like the song line-up [Spica and Winter Long], though i'll be having a hard time practicing the songs again, especially for one song that i like and at the same time i hate: "Sorairo Days"--- the best and worst thing since "Eden". Oh well, it's a good practice. I still have two weeks before it's jam-time. ^^

Well, for my finale... i'd like to type something else. Don't worry, this won't sting a bit. ^^

Remember POOR POLITICS? In our present situation, we can't really tell whose telling the truth [although for me it's way too obvious, we still can't render final judgement]. I'm talking about the ZTE issue that's been running for several months now.

Something smelled controversy, and senate opened up an investigation. Witnesses popped out, stating what they claim. A star witness appeared, cried and says the government is greedy [which is a hard thing to say and prove, imagine facing the highest position of the country]. While the government right now released efforts to make advertisements regarding their own version of the "TRUTH" [which is, i say, very defensive for the government-side]. Other witnesses popped out of nowhere--- some supports the star witness' statement, while another also cried in front of the camera [in a government-owned network... i tell you, his crying sucked bigtime] and says the star witness is not credible because he's a corrupt official, and another [believed to be the key, but i doubt it] evades and shuts his mouth. Some senators are determined to finish this [though i really have no idea who's who]. Church meddled once more and calls for the truth to come out. Rallyist that are PRO [first time i heard about one to set up rallies] and ANTI government shouts at the streets. Many are involved and the count rises as the political drama heats up.

We've all watched it, yeah. Who can avoid it when the media's swarming all over the issue? It's more of a ringfight now than a trial. Seems like whoever gets all soft-hearted during this heat loses. It is true that "evidence" is the strongest thing to convict a suspect, and until we see it we're not going anywhere with this. Until then, all we could do is watch. Observe.

As you can see, i've posted quite a long entry. I missed blogging, so bear with it. And to those having ill-thoughts about this post? Although it's not directly my fault if you get mad at some lines that you think may pertain to you, i apologize. Just don't get it into your head too much.

As Adam West said in a classic Batman episode: "Suspicion usually provide surprises."

* I did mention "where all people, including myself, gets hit at the same time" right? ^^

I'll try to post regularly starting with some crap [might try a weekly post]. Dunno if i'll go with my happy-yet-sad experience with Cats or some useless updates but it'll definitely be crap. =]

To my few but loyal audience:
- If you did read this post up until this point, thanks. You can ignore the next line.

It did prove one other thing. ^^

YOUTUBE COMMENT FOR FROLIC NIGHT

2007-12-21T18:37:00.000+08:00

First things first. This is not really an issue, but for the benefit of everyone reading i should post my piece.

It's not really my fight, but there were 2 people posting on their "Dying" Youtube vid... and things got a little heated up when our names got tangled with something. We became suspects of insulting their pride and member. One comment was "pointless", so pointless i guess the 2 main members of ex-SuspenDead posted a bit seriously regarding it. But prior to that was a comment that started it all: Musikocritiko's post, which the King says it even sent a PM to the keyboardist JB saying harsh words to him, thus making JB a bit of a paranoid. No one's got an idea who the hell's that hidden character [which i think is but a kid]. And guess what... i WAS a prime suspect.

Anyway, i think this was stuck somewhere, so i guess i should post it here for the meantime while i wait for them to accept it in their comments [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHQBcbG6n7k]... if they will, that is. I posted this [as guest0401, old/only account. no reason to create a new one just for this] yesterday to clarify that i am not a poster whose going as far as messaging one person personally [via PM] to blatantly insult or curse him while hiding my identity. I know i could send in some "stray bullets" [without naming names/tamaan ang tamaan, used to that], but still you'll know it's me. It's just not my style to hide my ident just to get some simple thought of revenge and make someone cry to death.

And don't ever think about saying guest0401 is just as good as musikocritiko [i used guest0401 "anonymously" in SuspenDead's vids to advertise the former website, but i've put up my blogsite's link is in the account], because those two got used in different ideas.

Now, below is my actual [supposedly] comment on their Youtube. Read on.

===
[Note to all: NEVER get the wrong idea with this post.]

... now THIS is some ruckus i wasn't really expecting besides my blog. ^^

I just thought that one of us quitters must talk to help clarify things [Dennis told our team about this last monday], so i guess i should talk to close some false hunches. I'll try to be fair for the benefit of observation and whatnot, especially to answer a VERY trivial something that's REALLY bugging both sides right now it even made a girl cry.

I DO think they're striving to change their pace from the old SuspenDead to their very own brew of Frolic goodness. I mean, you might not like it [at first]... if you got used to SuspenDead [which i highly doubt], but watch the video[s] to see and hear what they've made out compared from before. [nawala nga lang ung amateur vid ng Dday (ng Dead) dati dito sa Youtube] As for JuBei's statement, me point naman. They've changed the bass and drums for Dying and Dday and i'm a witness to that.

I shouldn't say this since this is kind of obvious, but King K2 has EVERY right to use SuspenDead's former [simply put: his] songs [of course he wrote 'em], especially when he or some of the others made the chords as a skeleton for the structure. That time we just helped 'em arrange the song[s] to have a final product, and i guess that's it. It's still considered his "original", or maybe we could safely say that it's legally theirs.

And i'd agree to the "respect" thingie [either totally change it OR simply just make it better than before], so it's no issue. Can't wait for We Wanted Love's revamp [if ever they'll be playing it for good].

Better or not, it's their supposed-to-be "newborn" style... or should i say, they've found what they want for their type of music as "Frolic Night". It's just that "SuspenDead is SuspenDead" and "Frolic Night is", well... do analogy. If you ask me [opinion is based on video and live perf]... compared to the former SuspenDead, the Frolic boys are in good sync now... but, that's all i have to say. At least for now.

Now, although i am not used to it [and i'm not really as customed to this as you guys are]... let bygones be bygones. Do have a nice day.

- Mark [RevEp]
a/f.k.a. "Rai" [SuspenDead ]

P.S. - Comment in relation with the video performance as much as possible and not about ex-SuspenDead stuff, that's the reason why commenting's here anyway. If you got something to say about them in general, post it on their Friendster account.
===

Honestly, i'm still in big doubt about that Musikocritiko guy [if he/she/it really cursed the keyboardist to insanity using PM]. I've got 2 big probabilities, one which i already told the King. The other? I'll be keeping that to myself until there are further developments [i do hope this stops now]. We're not the only ones [SuspenDead] who know about our actual history, you know. Think outside the box for a while.

And we've already got our separate lives, so DON'T mess with our lives again [to whoever's making the fuzz].

* Some holidays, huh.

Got something to say to this post? Post it here.

WHAT NEXT?

2007-11-05T18:56:00.000+08:00

Don't ask me. But, it's rather obvious... as always.

I'd like to announce to the public that i lost a good friend last October 20. It was a shock, since i got to know what happened in a late manner. She was the wife of our former counselor and friend, and a dear sister to me back in high school.

I'd like to share my deepest condolences to Huge. Mam Gem was definitely a gem. I hope you get better soon. You still got EJ. Wag nyo pabayaan pamangkin ko! ^^

* We couldn't perfectly tell what's going to happen in the future. We can always predict the obvious... as we could never foresee what we really don't expect. It is a fact that we couldn't predict our exact date of death, like this is our curse as we live in this earth. Some people say to just live our lives to the fullest, like live it as if it's your last... yet our life's fullest extent is measured only from the time of your birth until the time you die.

HIGHWAY STAR [Rimula X Commercial]

2007-10-04T01:39:00.000+08:00

"Wooo~ it's a killing machine..." - Deep Purple

'ika nga ni Kulot: "Whoa... so fast!"

Yep, it's been a while. And i could see that asides from my friends posting on the Blurtbox, there's still some of my regular audiences [including the spam]. Well, i wouldn't think so much about it since it's just the Blurtbox; made for the public. It's made ready for desecration anyway. ^^

Ayan, magtatagalog ako sa ngayon para sa mga ayaw ng purong ingles. Pero magpost pa rin ako ng ingles... kelangan nating praktisin yun, kailangan ng buhay yun, bah!

Eniweys, ano yung topic? Nakuha ko yung ideya ke Kulot dun sa comment nya sa Friendster ko. At since magkasunod yung mga balita e ituloy ko na rin.

Malamang nakasakay ka na ng ordinary bus mula sa kahabaan ng EDSA... mga bandang 11:30pm hanggang madaling araw kung saan e maluwag ang daanan. Well, kung hindi pa e enjoy the ride nalang at magsimula ka ng bunutin yung rosaryo mo.

I'm discussing some of the obvious and lots of nonsense. As usual. Wala lang. =]

Totoo, nakakatakot magmaneho yung mga bus drivers tuwing peak hours [ng mga kriminal] na tipong magagamit ng driver yung "powersteering" ng bus sa kakarampot na curve o minsan kahit diretso yung kalsada e tatagilid pa rin yung katawan ng bus hanggang 30degreees sa sobrang pagkakaliko. At maaasar ka pa kapag pumara ka e lalagpas ka sa babaan ng hanggang kalahating kilometro.

Pero yung nakakatakot e mataas ang probability na bumangga yung bus sa sobrang bilis. Doon papasok si Prime. Oo, yung trak. Dalawang magkasunod na araw e nasa balita yung magkapatid sa laking mga sasakyan at sa parehong dahilan, magkaiba lang ng lugar. Isa rin yung trak. Iba-iba kargada, pero di nalalayo sa bus pagdating sa daan. Pagpasok ng peak hours [ng mga kriminal] e biglang sulpot yung mga trak sa daanan. Me karag-karag, meron ding heavyduty. Pero parehong mabilis pag maluwag ang daan. Nakakatakot lang sa trak e madalas MAS mabigat kesa sa bus.

Me mga pasaway talaga na driver kung san e tila [pero meron talagang] nakadroga't nagmamadaling pumunta ng langit kung magmaneho. Siguro minsan pag maluwag ang highway at walang pulis na manghuhuli e nagkakaroon tayo ng pakiramdam na "atin ang kalsada (yeeeahhh!!!)" kaya harurot naman tayo [si Dennis ganun sa SLEX hehe].

Sige, ok lang... basta pagdating sa disgrasya e sana walang damay. =]

Point is, make sure na makakarating sa dapat puntahan bago magrelax sa manibela. Wag pipikit!

* Oh well, at least i typed that quick enough. I'll post right after my birthday.

Congrats pala sa "Frolic Night". Na-TV na sila!

NAKAKALASON.

2007-08-21T18:58:00.000+08:00

So... what's next?

The worldwide market seems to be cleaning up some stuff. Starting with goodies like instant foods, candies, toothpaste etc., up to toys and kiddie shirts... telling that this has high content of lead or formaldehyde or better yet THISMIGHTKILLYOUINDUETIME. I hope this doesn't end up making mankind naked.

Making things short [since i'm only renting in a shop and my time is limited], tell your kids not to play with dangerous toys. Better yet, don't buy something that's not worth your while. A tens-of-thousand-priced thing isn't worth it when your son/daughter dies from choking or intoxication.

Keep your kids safe. Let's stick to wooden guns operated by rubber bands and soft Alateris bullets, the bearing-operated-plywood-directional-push-trolly, and the one thing that a family member might give you from climbing to Baguio: the movable snake. At least it's cheap... and a bit safer than the commercial toys.

Well, don't forget to tell them not to get hurt. =]

* Brings back memories... it feels good to be primitive sometimes. ^^,

POOR POLITICS.

2007-05-16T19:51:00.000+08:00

2 days...

I just saw the news on TFC, and there's been a lot of violence this election period. Every part of the news' always crisis about the election returns, the canvassing and the candidates banging at each other's doors. And the canvassing's not done yet. Well, nothing's new. We have dirty politics in our own land. Some candidates are willing to take a step ahead just to win, even if it involves cheating. Because for some people, winning is everything... and for some people, winning is not enough.

To the parties who feel like winning, good luck and congratulations in advance [if you win]. Just make sure you do your job by the day you get appointed as an official. And to those who'll lose, well... just let it be. Don't cry out just to get the public's sympathy and speak with a rotational nonsense to the extent of the media's presence. Not everybody would care anyway [with the exception of some loyal supporters].

It is not helpful for anyone to slam their head to a wall of idiocy and poor sport. Candidates should be running for the country's future, not with their vested interests. But even if you're not running as officials [or you lost the race], you could always do your part for the country. If you really love the country, do something about it as a citizen.

* Lamang ang oposisyon sa senatorial race? Interesting...

WALANG TOPIC.

2007-05-14T01:28:00.000+08:00

4 days...

And i'm not going to talk about it since there's nothing to talk about.

* Honestly, la ako maisip ipost. Don't mind me. ^^

MOTHER'S DAY.

2007-05-13T06:09:00.000+08:00

5 freakin' days...

Yep, my days are definitely counted. I wasn't able to post anything because i'm quite busy spending my remaining days here [sorry to those missed IMs].

Anyway... honestly-speaking, i'm not used of remembering calendar events since usually i don't have a proper track of time. This stuff, like the spirit of christmas, should not be celebrated in a single day and should be applied in our daily lives. But then again, i think these days were created in case we forgot about it.

In my case, i really forgot the date. Thanks to a certain SMS for reminding me. =]

This might be the main line. Quite short, but i guess it's the thought that counts. We'll be meeting later afternoon anyway.

I'd like to greet my mom a happy mother's day.
Thanks for everything. =]

* Same goes to every mom around us, including the girls with boyfriends who call themselves in a family-ish manner.

Greet yours, too. It won't hurt. ^^

PROS AND CONS

2007-04-27T16:37:00.000+08:00

21 days...

Well, i'm kind of thinking. This is a self-experience i had during schooldays when we're required to do some projects in a group. Sometimes it's better to join a group where your friends in class are because they'll be doing things for you and you could communicate ideas with them at ease. And there are some people who... well, selfishly, wants to work in-solo for the group and carry all the burden.

The hardest is when we're assigned by the teacher on who we should join. We'll be wishing and crossing our fingers that we get asigned with our closest friends [many times, with the ace of the class] so things could get easy. Tough luck when you're teamed up with people you barely talk to. Things get worse when we're assigned to be the leader.

That was back in my schooldays. I guess everyone's been in all possible situations already. Working alone in a team, working as a team, and working in a team we really don't like. In some cases where i think my field should work well, i prefer to be alone and do the job myself [and get paid later ^^]. And in some cases where i'm lacking some resources, i require manpower to do the job [depending if manpower should be compulsary used or by selection of those who are able].

We usually finish and submit a project on the deadline [if there should be a bonus we do it earlier], but we do "plan" ahead on what to do before that day comes. My blurting begins here.

Here goes...

Planning is a basic strategy. We make such in advance of our original goal. With a smooth plan, we have a "dotted" guideline on where to go. But apparently some plans doesn't work like we expect it to. As a dotted line as it is, a plan alone wouldn't be able to achieve its goal without filling the broken parts.

===
Q: What is more effective to fulfill a plan? Having a team or working alone in it?
===

We all know that "teamwork" is at its best when we're doing something as a group. But teamwork is not really as simple [but not that complicated] as we think. Teamwork, of course, requires a "team" to be called such, and a team needs cooperation or to act together for a common goal.

So what's good with having a team? If we could use our manpower properly and fully, we could do exceptional things to fulfill the plan and make it a straight line. We could assign on stuff to be done with a specific person who can work on the required field, doing the same to other members, finishing up their individual work, and finishing the project as a team. And budget/funds [if required] wouldn't be a problem because you could actually raise up to a hundred or more in a week if you got a team. Having your closest friends is also beneficiary because there will never be a gloomy day in your team while doing a certain project.

But there are downfalls to this. We're not sure if the team members are willing to cooperate or not. Some of the members may be lazy enough to do the stuff assigned to them [sad if everyone, usually happens when you don't know your groupmates very well], so when it comes to the finalization of the whole project some of its parts are incomplete. Funds would be a major problem if everyone does not give their share, too [sometimes i don't give my share as well =]]. Our closest friends may be our worst nightmares when the deadline comes, their presence could possibly lead to ignorance of the project [in other words, forgotten all about it kasi makulit masyado].

In a worst case scenario, one would stand up being a martyr of the team and is willing to do the job singlehandedly. Yet in some cases, from the start of the creation of the team and the assignment of the project, one would say "ok i'll do everything, bayaran nyo nalang ako..." or something like that, like his/her/its arrogance would fill the group in and they'll have to agree because they will be buying an effortless grade from their classmate [and it won't hurt a sweat].

This martyrs, or could be called "stupid, lonely [but not sad] people" [or in another view: arrogants who think they're gods to do something in their own hands] prefer to work alone, ignoring the team [and usually earning cash out of them]. This is because they're having a hard time doing something in a team [often thinks that the team they have wouldn't be able to do what is planned or what HE planned] and they prefer to be alone. In solitude, they have all the time to think and do things, and they could actually finish it alone if their field is specialized with the project to be done. Most of the time, the reason is they don't want to be distracted... while sometimes they just enjoy doing things alone. A certified One-Man-Army of the class, it seems.

But this is not advisable for the weak-hearted. Consecutive performances like this would lead to the abusement of your capabilities. The habit of getting money from the group is only advised when the money is needed for the resources and for you to get what you lost if you initially bought some items for the project. Profiting from this is hard because some of your groupmates won't usually pay you until next schoolyear. Sometimes this leads to bullying as well [anung utang? gusto mo pabugbog kita?]. In solitude, too much thinking might break down your brain to pieces, resulting to not finishing the project properly. Fatigue and stress also rises rapidly when doing things alone, not removing the fact that things could take a lot of time to finish. When a single soldier rans out of arsenals against a battalion, the only thing they should be doing is grab a knife and wish they won't be shot while sneaking from the back of another soldier to stab and get [steal] another weapon. Meaning, some things really require your groupmates for backup purposes in case you miss something.

For me, whatever is beneficial, we do it. I'm living a practical life, so i think choosing here's conditional... meaning, depending on the situation, of course.

But like i said above about planning, a plan is only a "dotted" line, perhaps we could say a blueprint. Let it alone and it'll end up being a drawing. Building a house, or even a small tent requires something beyond manpower.

So i quote:
"Whether it be a group of cooks or a single master chef, they wouldn't be able to complete a recipe without the ingredients."

Share your thoughts...

* Amf anghaba. ^^

Anu Jere mas maayos na ba o magulo pa rin?

HALFTIME CRAP.

2007-04-18T04:30:00.000+08:00

30 days...

Due to excessive sleeping habits, the past 30 days became a breeze.

I ate a total of 5 Subs [Subway Sandwich], 6 London Dairy pints, 4 slices of Pizza Hut's seafood special, 3 half-slices from SBarro, drank 2 bottles of mango juice, a bottle of strawberry juice, 7 tetra box of a certain Chocolate Caramel drink, and a can of energy drink [excluding my daily meal sa bahay]. I also gained a bit of chub on my face but i can't see the effects on my arms yet [pisngi ko tumambok pero di gaano sa braso].

I already downloaded 16 PS2 games at BC [an average of 1.5 ISO/day and still going], 3 games from Torrentspy, and the PC didn't get any rest since i came [except for 6 accidental and 3 intended restarts]. I downloaded 16-19 of Prison Break's season 2, but was unable to watch it due to PS2 madness. Bought a 512Mb memory stick with my brother [for 38DHS] and finally made it working with ARMAX EVO. Wasted 2 DVD-R's for thinking ARMAX EVO might work in DVD Format. o.O

Bought a PS2 Travel bag with my sis so i could take it anywhere with ease. Also bought a new memory card for the PS2 and a 1-Gig MMC for the cam. Switched MP3 players with my sis which makes what i currently use a 512Mb iRiver T30. I have taken only 51 images in my A430, where i deleted the original half. Wasted 3 pairs of AA batteries on the cam, 2 AAA batteries on the MP3 Player. Bought a Ni-MH/Ni-Cd charger and a pair of Energizer Rechargeable 2500mAh AA batteries for the cam.

Completed downloading discography of a certain band. Completed downloading Susumu Hirasawa's album for the PS2 game of Berserk. Got ASAKI's full Album thanks to Matt. ^^ Finished reading Berserk Manga from Vol.1-32,ch.284. Played the PS2 game and discovered it's a somewhat-ripped version of the manga. Was addicted to Berserk very much. Did a single concept for RevEp and not even halfway done.

Called the Philippines thru my only student ALOT of times [e.g. lives, informations, kumustahans, practices, another set of kumustahans, thus making our bill sky-high, sorry nay ^^] for an average of 12.3minutes/day. Called Eds for about 2 times. Called Dennis 1 time, but no answer. Tried calling Jeremiah but was confused on what number to call.

Phew. And that's NOT all. =]

I felt so attached to the sofa. It became my temporal throne. I almost became the only user of this computer, most of the time i'm on the driver's seat [except for some 'inevitable' times]. Jeremiah got better and better during our billiard sessions over Y!M, beating the crap out of me. I talked to mom about whatever happened to the band and who're my new friends in this new band. Dennis sent an E-mail to me, i replied and sent it back to the whole RevEp team. Made something funny that rhymes perfectly with a name [though gramatically-incorrect yet still funny]. Gave Jeremiah a bit of a headache with my nonsensual posts.

Dangit... there's more!

But let me end it here. I want to sleep.

* I'll be looking for a BOSS PS-5 in some music shops here. If ever Dennis informs me of a cheap one in the Philippines, then i'll be getting that one.

Another 30 is plenty. ^^

CAN OPENER.

2007-04-17T15:52:00.000+08:00

31 days...

I saw an interesting Friendster bulletin post from Loren regarding something. I thought i'd put this up here and make a topic out of it:

===
THIS IS FOR YOUR AWARENESS. READ IT OR MISS IT

i am tired of "scene" kids waering thesame pants, posing on the camera thesame way, wearing a freakin bandana ontheir head, getting mad if they gotsthe same haircut as the other scenekids, CARING SO MUCH ABOUT WHAT THEYWEAR/HOW THEY LOOK/WHAT THEY LISTENTO. its getting hella old seriously,wtf?! grow up people!!!!! theres somuch more to care about other thanthose things you cant even take withyou when you die. its sad to see howconsumerism is taking over 95% ofeverybodies life. how about you juststop caring about what yourwearing??!!! tight pants or not, tryto pull off your own trend. shooot.what in the fifi is wrong witheverybody right now??!!! GA'HEAD ANDCUT YOUR WRIST AND HOPE TO DIE! shiit.stop pretending to be someone you arenot. i hope this is getting straightto yo head coz i dont post bulletins.and im about to flood this shiit withmy bulletins. because it makes me madhow people are so freakin shallow.

i respect those who are more intimate on their points in life, more than howmuch they care about what brings themtheir "coolness" in the present. BEYOURSELF KIDS. its wayyy better
===

I dunno if she's talking about what we modernly call "Posers" of some sort but i'll post my piece about what i understand.

Here goes...

Well, it is a fact that there are a lot of people nowadays whom we could say as "scene" people. People who makes their entirety a "fashion statement" like having a self-declaration that we are like this and that and [forcibly] changes every way they are, just to be cool [e.g. "I am a Satanist. Die." or "Rakista/Hiphop ako, yeah!!!"] . Their clothing, gestures, even their own personal feelings [which makes things worse] are becoming a fashion trend. I won't disregard the fact about "the Evolution of Fashion": that every era has a specific fashion [like Bahag, Barong-Saya, Tux, Retro, Woodstock/Beatniks, New Wave etc.]. It is a part of our daily lives, which has been a "cycle".

But that cycle does get somewhat annoying nowadays. It's like it's becoming a requirement of socialism to have friends. I mean, we tend to change our entirety just to become "in" and one of the "cooler" ones. We need to be in this in order to be that. What can we do? We need to ride with the flow. We need to have fun, we need to be the best! And when we see a carbon-copy of our "frontal image" [e.g. pareho japorms] the point of comparison comes.

Rakista ka ba? Alam mo ba ang My Chemical Romance? Anung tugtugan mo? Kaya mo ba tong ganito? Hiphop ka ba?

Then an inevitable "war of the worlds" event comes. "Mas astig ako sayo!" or "Wala yan laos na yan!"... it's becoming a "competition" of the very same "fashion statement" we knew. This isn't a Beauty Pageant; much better if we call it as an ordinary "Fashion Show" where we are all models and we walk in the runway in front of everyone. If this is a "Battle" then, yes. But i think fashion shouldn't be aligned with competition without the proper declaration.

Or maybe we want to "stand out" and be different? If we think we can do better, let's just show everyone that "we can" and not just "talk" it out. If we're going to talk about what we can do at least talk with certainty. Have a grounds... if we're proud of who we are, and we talk and brag about it, at least have a living proof that we are what we are and not just we are what we want to be.

If we prefer to be "what we want to be", at least try naturally. If not then it's better not to be. For me, an important essence of "change" is naturality.

Fashion is a trend, yeah. It's part of daily life. It's the outer shell of ourselves. They say "we are what we wear". But sometimes [many times] the inside's completely NOT LIKE the surface that we see.

Honestly speaking, there has been a time that i was within the same annoying flow. All i can say is, some of us grow up... some takes time. The body gets old, yet the mind seems to be younger or older [depending on the person]. Time is of the essence... and it looks like i'm getting "seasoned" for this kind of stuff.

And so i quote:
"If this goes on, in the near future the most different thing will be the simplest one."

Then everything is in cycle.

Share your thoughts...

* Sorry kung me tinamaan man, interesting lang tong post kaya i made a topic hehe. ^^

ANAK NI TULFO... NAHULOG SA PATIBONG!

2007-04-13T21:23:00.000+08:00

35 days...

This is originally Jeremiah's post. He told me about this saddening news. I looked up at 2 Tulfo's... and now a descendant just ruined my respects of the elder.

Friends, Romans, Countrymen...

Natiklo po ng pulisya ang anak ni Ramon Tulfo na si Patrick Tulfo, as he attempted to extort from my brother's company yesterday(12 April 2007), pretending to expose the company (as if they are violating laws between the countries they are working in and for).

Sa susunod, when you want to be like your father, at least do it legally and without ulterior motives.

~Ayun~

* I say: `pag nalaman ng tatay mo yang ginawa mo siguradong matu-Tulfo ka. ^^,

DIFFERENTIALS.

2007-04-12T23:50:00.000+08:00

36 days...

Talked with Ida for a good topic but we both couldn't think of any. She suggested some stuff like i did in the "Gossip" post, and thanks to that i guess i've thought of a perfect topic after a few days. For the recent months i've been thinking, i even consulted with Jeremiah for some things. This should be of a good discussion, i think.

Here goes...

Why is it that a change of perspective could affect a nation? Why does it cause rallies on the streets? Why destabilize? What could be the possible reason? Is it because of change? Dissatisfaction? Perhaps because of power?

Before that... why is there "power" in the first place?

Basically, we know that power should go somewhere and not get stuck in one place. It ain't considered as "power" when it is idle. As Physics said: "Power is defined as the rate of speed that a specific work is accomplished. To understand Power, it is first necessary to define Work." [source: http://www.dr-fix-it.com/defpower.html]

POWER = WORK / time [P=W/t]

Generally-speaking [whether it be practical or philosophical], there is no power performed if there's no work done. Turning the statement, Power exists because of Work [now i'm definite of this to be something like "kung walang work, walang power... (buhbye!) *sabay-kaway*"]. So Work is a definite reason for Power.

Now... is reason "power"?

We all reason to answer something, often clarified using the question "Why". In another related view of the word, reason is the cause itself. Reasoning is also related to logic and rationality. But is it related directly to power?

Jeremiah said, "reason is considered as a form of power when it is used for making correct decisions." I said: "reason NEEDS power to be conclusive and convincing." Yet i do think it's not something like "kung walang reason, walang power... (buhbye!) *sabay-kaway*" to define reason directly with power [i dunno if the other way around's logically-correct, though]. Ang labo diba? o.O

So both of us are aligned in one perspective: that reason isn't always power. That's why we've got "invalid reasons" to begin with... which is usually a form of lie.

Yet here's a good argument:

Q: So, what about "reasoning power" or "the power to reason"? Is the word phrase wrong?

I'll leave the explanation to you guys. ^^

[putyourcommercialhere]

Now, let's move on to "change". Why are there changes?

Every move we make affects our current posture/stature. Wikipedia said: "In modern physics, the concept of change is associated with action." So it's an undeniable fact that we will witness change occur always, and in a lifetime. Yet the irony of it: it's not always automatic to favor with change.

Some still needs to adapt in a specific flow of change. Sometimes it does take time to completely ride with the flow of change. Some people loves change, and some hates it... while some are scared of it. And as Jeremiah stated a clearer point of view: "a sudden change sometimes lead to a feeling of betrayal."

Everything of naturality, even stagnant things, changes in time. Animals migrate, trees grow old, rocks deform, stars and planets move away from orbit, heavenly bodies hit and damages each other, and the most obvious change of all: mankind.

Change is originally natural. Some do force change to happen, sometimes causing anarchy in our nation. But whatever happens, change exists while we are alive and beyond death. Our bodies will rot when we die.

From politics, down to ourselves. Acceptance of this reality sometimes isn't as simple as we think it is.

Share your thoughts...

* Boy Abunda: "Kaibigan... tara, usap tayo." *sabay-kindat* ^^,

So, did i make a good discussion?

AUTOMATIC.

2007-04-08T15:26:00.000+08:00

40 days...

I'm trying to reset my clock so i intentionally didn't sleep properly yesterday. I went out with my brother to buy a USB Flash Drive/Pen Drive for my PS2 so i could use ARMAX EVO's [burned] "save transfer" function properly [CodeBreaker 9.0's didn't work for me]. Got things working with my MP3 player but i don't want to use a different format [since my MP3 player won't work as a player with the format i'm using when on ARMAX EVO] so i decided to buy an exclusive stick for my PS2.

A 32Mb size was fine for me... but standards here were so high that the minimum size is at 512Mb. I won't be needing that much of a size just for PS2 save files because i could always transfer it to the harddrive and back.

The prices of Flash Drives here are damn expensive compared to CDR-King's. And i'm already trying to save some cash so i could buy some things that i originally prioritized [e.g. guitar controller, effects, etc.]. So i didn't buy it.

I think things could wait for that. I'll just buy one when i get back home.

Anyway, i'm really having a good time playing with Jeremiah on YM's "Pool" game every week. He's getting better and better with trajectories and complicated angles [in short gumagaling sha] so i often lose. And we consume a lot of time finishing a single game. o.O

Completely two different things.

* So... what's with the topic name? o.O

BERSERK.

2007-04-07T10:42:00.000+08:00

41 days...

English says:
Phrases are incomplete sentences/set of words that doesn't put up a direct thought/sense.

I asked:
When does it become "something else"?

After 2 days of waiting, my 3.6Gb ISO download has finished about 1AM. I've watched the series before and it's brutally great, and when i tested the game version on my PS2... i can't stop playing, i couldn't even sleep.

Whoever created Berserk is one twisted man. The storyline alone is somewhat tragic while violent and the art is pretty much in gore. I haven't read the manga yet but i've watched the 25-episode anime, which was great [although bitin sobra]. And now, the PS2 game continues the anime and going with the manga's flow [i think].

It's a simple "hack'nslash" game but somewhat interesting because you definitely can use Gatsu's sword alone to finish the game, yet you could use different types of weapons to add up the taste of your gameplay. Included in his arsenals are the very same weapons he used in the serie. Graphics are fairly good... accurate enough to the original characters' detail in the manga. Soundtrack's a bit eerie, and i loved the intro very much. I'll be ripping off the audio soon. >=]

After some of my downloads at BC-Games, i'll try looking for the manga. I think the story's still ongoing so it's best to expect that scanlations are not complete yet. But it's worth the read, i guess.

Bitin nga lang ulit. =[

* The answer showed up by itself.

WHERE IS THE SKY?

2007-04-06T03:53:00.000+08:00

42 days...

I haven't posted for more than a week, i know. So, "what's new" you ask?

Well, the "moon shot" plan has been aborted. I already made a shot and it looked terrible. It's just a piece of light up the sky. I was expecting a bit better [like seeing some of the stars] but i guess the cam's on its limit already. I think i'm stuck on shooting images inside the boundaries of this Earth. =[

In fairness i got a new 1Gb MMC for the cam. Almost 3k of shots set at "Medium" [1024x768 + Fine setting] and hell that's a lot of shots. My only problem now is the battery. I got to buy a rechargeable around here... what mAh should i buy? I mean, what's the recommended mAh for a rechargeable battery to be used for a digicam? The one i've seen so far is 2100mAh... will that last long?

I've been enjoying downloading PS2 games via torrent. That kinda saves me a lot of money instead of buying the "copied" games for the MOD version at stores. When i get back to the Philippines with a DVD writer i'll try applying for a DSL. I just don't know how much will my mom pay for the electric bill here now. ^^;

For the longest time i've been idle without a concept, finally... i've made something out of my basic-patterned 3-B's for RevEp. But it's not a finished product, just a concept that we could probably use somewhere. I miss the team... =[

The topic? Well, sandstorm has been a topic before... but it got worse a few days ago. Cars were so dirty they got spots of dirt everywhere. There were times that i could see a blurry field, only a brown fuzz all around the place including the sky. The winds were so strong that the sands were nakakapuwing. Although strong, the winds are cool and relaxing at night.

And damnit. Taxidrivers here get the advantage when the wind is cold and strong... they turn off the aircon to save gas, save them some slack and a bit of money.

Anyway i couldn't think of something to post. I'll stop here for now.

* Back home, our taxidrivers couldn't do it because the passengers will bash 'em with tons of curses. ^^

GOSSIP.

2007-03-29T00:12:00.000+08:00

50 days...

My mom said something about gossiping, that it is true no matter where you look at it. Gossips [or, chismis/tsismis/whateveritsspelled] are undeniable facts of what's happening around, she says.

I disagreed, of course. My point of view was, ok... it MIGHT be a fact: yet DENIABLE. Why? Usually it goes this way:

a.) You see something new [thing/person/place/event], something you haven't seen before and something you ain't expecting to see.
b.) You think of something odd within something you see, yet you can't confirm if it is true or not... resulting to self-assessment of the events, thus leading to more questions and confusing his/her/its mind.
c.) Lacking self-control and self-assessment of the event, you look for someone to talk to [kasamasabahay/kapitbahay/kapwa-katulong/anyonenearyoucantalkto] to reduce confusion/questions, the perfect ingredient for "Brainstorming" comes in... and form a certain self-conclusion which leads to what we call chismis about the thing/person/place/event.

Not excluding the fact that Chismis does evolve in time. [e.g. i remember that Domex ad - daughter:"Nay mura na raw ang Domex..." old mom:"ANO?! MINURA AKO NI DOMENG?!"]

So in my point of view, it's an incomplete information yet to be proven [called "data" in programming terms]. They might have seen a part of it, but that's not the whole picture. For example, you see a portion of a photo... for this instance, the EYE. It looks like an eye of a girl because of the feminish eyelash, but is it really a girl's eye?

How about this? Walking on the street you were wandering around, sightseeing. Obviously you saw a beautiful lady, but with broad shoulders and big muscles... and lots of leghair and varicose veins, too; you thought that the person is a pretentious gay. But what if that person really IS a natural girl and not a Newtype? [waw Gundam terms ^^,]

Now everything depends on how accurate the information and how malicious the human mind is. o.O

* Where'dya get the bottle anyway? ^^,

And, do correct me if i used the proper word for the english of chismis=gossip.

POWERSHOT.

2007-03-24T04:49:00.000+08:00

55 days...

As the topic states it. I was really hesitating, but that didn't help.

Yes, i bought a Canon Powershot A430 [a 495DHS value, thus dropping my credit limit]. It's sleek, handy, and a pretty good digicam for an amateur like me. It has no nightmode, but it does have a night snapshot setting... yet even without the setting, the shot alone could actually emphasize what's in the citydarks. I just don't know what it could do in a totally dark environment.

Below is a pic taken from our balcony, the area where SKMC [Sheikh Khalifa Medical City] is located:

Click to Enlarge

SKMC is where my mom works, FYI.

BTW, that image's been quality-reduced. I have no image-editing tools here except for MSPaint. The original resolution was 2272x1704. What i did to resize it was preview it with "Windows Picture and Fax Viewer", press PrintScreen, opened MSPaint, pasted, area selection, cut, new, paste, then save as JPG. I was just astounded by how the colors appeared in the pic though it's nighttime when i took it.

I think this camera's worth it. I mean, a 495DHS [x14 for PhP] value with the important features' not bad, especially when you could get a good pic at night. And to tell you the truth, it was expensive some time ago so i think it's a great buy.

* I'll be trying Jeremiah's attempt on "getting a shot at the moon" with his "Diaz-type" Cam [o.O] since i couldn't do it in my former cam. And i think that a full moon on arab skies' pretty neat.

I'll post the results here if ever i get a good shot. ^^,

FILLED WITH SAND.

2007-03-22T15:54:00.000+08:00

57 days...

There's currently a sandstorm here, the whole place's... well, dusted. The wind's still normal as i can see, nothing different as of now, really. Just, the seem-clouded view of everything. I haven't tried getting out of the house right now. But we did some shopping yesterday.

My bro accompanied me on looking for a cheap DVD Writer around Elektra, and luckily we bought one for 120DHS [x14 to PhP=1680]. It works wonders, and i already burnt a working ISO of Katamari Damacy for my folks here [especially the kids]. Now, to download other games while i'm here...

We also bought a 2.1 SRS Speakers [i couldn't afford a 5.1 so bear with it] for 69DHS, i can say that it's good for an indoor SRS. The subwoofer's nasty, too. My only problem is positioning the speakers here. But if ever i bring it along with me back home i'll be putting it around my home. I'll try buying a 4.1 before i get home.

And, at last... after more than a year without it, i just ate a SUBWAY sandwich!!! We shared on a 12" [6 inches each] Seafoods and Crab Classic, which was really tasty! And i almost haven't ate dinner because of it [pakiramdam ko busog pa ko]. Ida, eat your heart out. /gg

I'll be posting again whenever i feel like it. Looks like 60days will be a breeze.

* What's a good and affordable Digicam which has a Nightvision/nightmode function so i could take pictures even in the dark? In need of suggestions. Is a Canon Powershot A430 good? Thanks.

COMMENCING "RAI SA ABUDHABI - Part II"

2007-03-19T02:56:00.000+08:00

60 days.

Finally after about 13 hours [i think, i got deranged with the time during the flight] we reached Abu Dhabi. If it was a straight ride we would've reached it in 9hours or earlier but it was expensive so we took a transit ride to Doha, Qatar before going straight to Abu Dhabi. I fell asleep at the plane going to Doha, but i was able to wake up before it landed so i recorded the landing sequence. But i guess my position sucked a bit 'coz my window was on the wing-side and i couldn't view things properly.

Doha's Airport looked good, but i think Abu Dhabis' a bit better than it.

I fell asleep when i arrived in my mom's flat. It was BIG, way bigger than last year. Instead of a room, it's a whole flat. o.O Air-conditioning was a shock to my systems, too.

The weather here's currently weird. They told me that there was a sandstorm. The thing is that the sun's burning up yet the wind feels cold.

We got ADSL here, and it'll be a lot of help to my download needs. If ever we get a DVD Burner i'll be starting to download and burn some PS2 games so i could update my games database. HD space will be an issue. Also i'd be downloading season 2 of Prison Break starting today. I already have up to episode 15 and the whole 1st Season thanks to Edsel.

Speaking of which, Edsel already had his 1st practice with Armada. I dunno what happened there but i think he enjoyed it. That way he should be able to improve his skills and avoiding it from getting rotten.

Ian will be having her Graduation this week. I hope i'll be able to see my student's important event but anyway, congratulations to her. I'll try to get her something when i get back.

I talked to Dennis about 30 minutes before i left home to go to the airport. I'm entrusting things to him while i'm gone. I think he'll be going after "some" gigs while i'm gone, intended to raise the two's experience on-stage. I'm looking forward playing with them again by the time i get back.

Anyway i'm still sleepy and i think i should rest for a while. Rest easy... i shouldn't tire myself too much with something. So, later. ^^

* And stop calling me Prince of Persia. My goodness... i'm in Abu Dhabi and not in Persia!

And don't even try to think about calling me Prince of Abu Dhabi... you'll get me killed here. o.O

ONE...

2007-03-17T02:17:00.000+08:00

... almost set for lift-off.

It was sad that time's ran short for us, but i enjoyed Edsel and Ian's company a while ago. We played a bit of "Thrill Drive" @ Worlds of Fun, Sta. Lucia with Edsel's Tropang K[ulot? j/k]. It was my first time playing the game and really it was thrilling. It was like Burnout without the actual takedowns but avoiding structural/traffic accidents while reaching the goal. I wanted to spend some more to play that "thirilling" game... yet our plan was to go to RiverBanks, Marikina.

We talk about lots of things while in there. Mostly we took pics of ourselves but my digicam's not really good in the dark. After that we drank 2 bottles of RC Cola and a pack of Cheese Ring while talking. We missed Dennis a lot, since he's the "complete half" of the team. ^^, I wonder how's he doing with his job... oh, before i forgot. I still got to make them some chords of Moon River for Armada's practice later.

A few hours ago i talked to Jeremiah over the phone. He's an eye-opener, really. A lot of thanks to him i realized that i'm carrying an airbag the whole time. I'm really sorry for not being able to cope with your schedule for our supposed-to-be meeting.

Selected WAA peeps' [which i know] keep on calling me Prince of Persia by the time Adz invited me to their conference.

I'll start to bid my farewells to you guys, since there's a great probability that the next time i post here i'm already in Emir sands. I won't be able to update later on... i'll be taking off the PC's hard drive and put it in my travel bag so i could bring it along with me. I'll need to authenticate my Windows XP over there.

Well, i'll be leaving really soon. So i guess this will be a non-formal goodbye.

See you when i get there. ^^,

* Crap that travel bag thingy... i only got a backpack and my mom's requiring me to bring a travel bag as an accompanied baggage.

Starting March 19, 2007... begin to count up to 60 days.

TWO DAYS...

2007-03-16T01:08:00.000+08:00

... and i failed updating my last post, `eh.

Things are starting to get really exciting within the remaining days. I'll keep some things in my pocket for a while, one day i might post something about those. Anyway, my mom, sister V and I went to SM North to buy some final stuffs for departure. We bought some souvenirs [to be given to some certain personalities over there], and i bought a cheap sunglasses [about 170PhP] for my eyes... i might not be able to tolerate Arabian sunlight by this time.

After that we ate at Yoshinoya, which i guess made a bit of a culture shock for the two. They ordered some Gyoza Udon, and it was only noodles with 3pcs of gyoza... and they were ranting that the soup tastes like "pinagbabaran ng tinapa" [which was true]. Luckily for me i ordered Pork Katsudon. ^^, Well i was sorry in my part; that was the first time i ever ate at Yoshinoya and i wasn't familiar with their menu. I got used at Tokyo-Tokyo. Then, through the grocery.

The Hypermarket has done it again... since we looked like "generics" inside the grocery [about 3:10 ratio where the remaining 7 are "really" rich peeps] there are about 2-3 guards surveying our whereabouts in every 5 minutes. I dunno if i looked like a national terrorist while wearing my sunglasses but hell it's way too annoying for them to doubt us as some shoplifter. Well i guess they're just doing their jobs. Talk about high security.

And i thought that there was a prominent person in there 'coz i saw an old lady walking behind me talking to a well-built MIB [Man In Barong], after that i saw a lot of MIB's roaming around the market... thus i thought that they might be the old lady's bodyguard. Oh well, so much for that.

We repacked and reorganized the package, since both our baggage limits are up to 25Kilos. I already packed my PS2 inside one of the boxes so i couldn't play right now. And i just bought "GTA: Vice City Stories" too. I'm still having a hard time looking for the game Prince of Persia: Warrior Within. =[

So now i only got 48 hours left... later on i'll be meeting up with half of RevEp [the other half's completely Dennis lol j/k] for our final... well, meeting. o.O I think i'll be calling Dennis later on.

I'm sorry, Jere. I wasn't able to cope up with your schedule. Iyak. =[

People are expecting me to bring some sands for them when i get back [who am i, the Prince?], and to those people who wants some sand, please post here so i can be aware. ^^,

Lagay nyo na rin kung anu gusto nyong halo sa buhangin wakekek!

* This was based on an old concept: Too much of something might have a relative negate effect. Rest easy.

THREE DAYS... and this?

2007-03-15T00:50:00.000+08:00

Whoa... kakapost ko lang ah.

This will be a short message, just so that i could maintain my count. I'll try updating/modifying this post later.

So... another thing from the past reappeared in front of me, unexpectedly... one big factor that greatly contributed to my life. Though my awareness of it almost faded, its importance is of a great matter. And chronologically-speaking, i'm a bit doubtful of the occurence being plain coincidence.

If another thing from the past appears in front of me, then i therefore conclude that there's something going on.

* Nice try.

FOUR DAYS LEFT...

2007-03-14T19:01:00.000+08:00

Start your horses!

It seems like i was out for a long time, i'm sorry. I just ran out of internet prepaid and i'm a little bit grounded "unconditionally" at home [ayaw ako palabasin for a good reason wakakak]. Anyway...

Mom and I already finished doing the necessarry stuffs for leaving. It was actually an early-bird task she did... and i was wondering if we're getting a little excited for leaving. For those concerned with my flight schedule, we'll be leaving at exactly 6AM on March 18... and so it was decided that we leave the house @ 12AM so we'll be early for the check-in process. We'll be riding a Qatar Airways plane that will have a stop-over in Doha for a few hours before proceeding to our main destination: Abu Dhabi.

I have a big problem regarding my final visit with Jere, i won't be able to. This Saturday my mom won't let me out of the house anymore. So if he's got his schedules open for tomorrow then i do hope we'll meet before i leave.

There's definitely NO CHANCE the whole RevEp will have its final meeting in complete attendance since Dennis is too busy with work [and before someone sends over a converted-message-which-results-to "backstabbing"...] but we fully understand his dedication with work. Although it'll be sad without him, i'll be meeting the other two this friday.

Regarding some of my posts, i think i overdid the general topic "BEHIND YOU!" a little bit. I really wasn't expecting an anonymous person to post something with his/her/its experiences of the past. It looks like the topic really is large-scaled, it's a general topic after all. ^^,

Anyway, i've got minimal time left... I don't know if i'll be able to post again but i'll try. I have a countdown to finish.

* I'm almost finished playing Prince of Persia - The Two Thrones on my PS2. Will someone help me look for the PoP - Warrior Within episode? I seem to have a hard time looking for it, and i don't want to finish the game completely without playing the second episode.

RAI SA ABUDHABI - Part 2:COMMENCING COUNTDOWN...

2007-03-05T04:01:00.000+08:00

... probably 13-15 days left.

At last a clarity of when i'll be out of the country and an estimate of when i'll be back. My mom already made it home last Thursday and she told me everything i needed to know regarding the flight. Thus i made a probable 13-15 day countdown.

We were supposed to leave on March 18, but some things went wrong with the ticket. We got the same dates, same airline company, and apparently... we got different departure times. I'm supposed to ride a Qatar Airways flight at 6AM and my mom is timed 2PM. That wouldn't be any convenient to my mom so she said if the the ticket couldn't be made the same for our departure, then just reschedule it on March 20 [which is convenient for me]. ^^,

But, sad things came RevEp's way. Dennis became busy this past few weeks so we haven't had our practice, and our live was cancelled due to Dennis' request. He'll be bringing Gladys to the great Cocobeach on March 10, which was the date of our live. Well, we're a very understanding team so we conceded to his request. And since we don't have any practice these past few weeks then we shouldn't play yet.

Now look how serious this band is... where's the fun with that?

I'll let you guys think for a while... done.

Of course that's sarcasm! [o.O] We don't even play gigs yet [just once]. We're not even the "gig-all-you-can" type. If we're too serious to play then maybe we'll be up the stage for every available production in Dennis' contacts, but no. We might be serious in crafting our target output but we're no dummies in terms of being the "people of the band".

We do have fun, while practicing. The feeling of accomplishment fills in everytime our music improve during our practice. I think everybody feels the same way, so if it's having fun you're looking for then this is the place to start. We're not too serious to play live and go up the underground scene yet. Time will come for that.

For now we'll be playing in studios making and practicing songs.

And to end this crap, right now we're NOT EVEN ACTIVE. Where's the seriousness with that?! ^^,

Well, that's that. I won't be having my despedida live, but i do have something for RevEp before i leave. I'm already making my despedida concept, which will shatter our target concept alot. It's way too far from our target output but is near with the "moodbreaker" aspect that we'll be promoting soon. I haven't let Dennis hear it yet because i couldn't reach him.

Edsel became my official stuntman for Armada. He'll be replacing me for the guitars while i'm out of the country. I'm expecting him to do great things for Armada, as they're expecting a lot of things from him right now. Go kulot. ^^,

So, should i start doing the usual routine of visiting each of my friends for farewells? I'll be doing fewer than last year this time, if ever. I still have to lend my time to Jeremiah.

* I'll be posting again real soon, countdown shouldn't stop. ^^,

I HOPE-I HOPE YOU COMPREHEEE~ND... tuj-tagz-tuj-tagz

2007-03-04T23:32:00.000+08:00

A comprehensive response usually require:

1. Common sense.
2. Broadmindedness and understanding.

If all else fails as you failed to understand and match the point [the time when things get out of hand and becomes pointless], you'll end up calling the person insane as an excuse.

I think one person here could probably answer this topic. JEREMIAH [bolded, capsed and italicized] Usually i try to comprehend this guy a lot, but it's like having a hard time trying `coz i know his brainwave's more radical than mine. Yet i do understand that he's not crazy or something, his way of thinking only has a different way of processing things... a different perspective but always has a point.

He does sometimes make things complicated with his words. That's where we differ. Usage of words.

His knowledge compared to mine is incomparable... he's much a greater being than i am. He uses deep format of words and sometimes uses a certain form of grammar to explain his point, while i explain my point more literally and practically. We usually do things where we're comfortable at.

A person might have made things complicated with his words alone... would you have understood his point in the first place then things will never go amiss. Understanding words depend on how the words are used, so the level of comprehension should vary.

Having two truths going against each other means the other is false. That's where things in this world start to worsen and swell. We'll never have an easy life, people who says so is nothing but a runner who doesn't want reality written on his face. Decision-making is far from just eating popcorn, and much worse than just removing the residues in-between your teeth. We don't live in dreams to just float around and fly.

If you want to fly high, make a "working" wing and not a "half-assed" one. Or much convenient, ride an airplane. But still things should be done before riding one. Getting a passport is a start. Location is another thing. Even airplane tickets alone have a high price.

Life has shortcuts, but there's no easy way out. Selected people become famous for joining reality/game shows, young couples do abortion to escape accidental pregnancies, people even kill just to win the elections instantly. Admit it. You already faced something terrible that made you sweat yourself cold, you were eaten away by your guilt too. Taking shortcuts have consequences... and if you don't care where you're going then i'll meet you down the cliff.

* And if you don't like insanity due to uncomprehension, don't bother reading this. Whose enjoying this anyway?

I need Jeremiah's opinion regarding this so i could correct some points.

BEHIND YOU!

2007-02-23T14:12:00.000+08:00

Look back and avoid getting hit or ignore it and keep going forward?

Words could be statements of our declaration, yet effortless in comparison with the single most important thing about whatever statement we may have: doing it.

Honestly speaking, my past is important to me...

How about you guys? Do you prefer to leave your past behind or have it as a part of your life?

In need of opinions.

* ... for me, there's always a high probability of the enemy showing up from behind.

NICE QUOTE.

2007-02-20T01:57:00.000+08:00

Got this from my sister's blog. Said it came from a friend's SMS.

"Just because my eyes have no tears doesn't mean my heart doesn't cry. And just because I come out strong doesn't mean there's nothing wrong. Sometimes I choose to pretend I'm happy, so I don't have to explain myself to people who'll never understand. Smiling has always been easier than explaining why I'm sad."

No further comments.

ECHOES FROM THE PAST...

2007-02-20T00:45:00.000+08:00

... they're resonating.

Changing the mood i always had whenever i'm posting positively about the output of every performances my band(s), i won't be taking credit for everything [as one might say]. In fact, i'll state the complete opposite.

Well, so much for my last gig with Armada. I totally messed up with things. I relied too much with the "standing-in-toes" technique and went off blank. I played random notes uneven for the first song "Kiss Me Goodbye". That's the biggest error i've done so far. Anyway, until the end i tried that technique [except for Shissou which i memorized the tune but still missed] and so far i lacked some life with the final OPM song "If".

But before going to that OPM, i went back to the bass. My fingers got stiff and my stamina dropped, so you can hear errors within my basslines. So to sum my performance up, i sucked as usual.

I am, although i'm full of errors, proud with Armada. I'm just a little disappointed with myself because as for my last gig with them before i leave, i did my worst performance ever. And it was i who said i'll do my best. Just Jeremiah's statement: "losers whine about their best." Sounds like i got hit with his slug.

Speaking of Jeremiah, i'm quite disappointed with myself considering my self-declaration of being his "bestfriend"... and i couldn't do anything about his problems. I've also lacked time communicating with him. I feel not worthy being his friend right now. I wish i could find some way to make it up with him.

Anyway, after the gig... K2 summoned me via Edsel. It seemed like his post on my "blurtbox" about talking for old time's sake was afterwards. I think he read something within my blog and he wants to talk about it. And i was partly right, it was about my posts.

When i came, things were kind of shortlived. We talked about some things of the past, concerning what i have posted 4 months ago. He hasn't read it ever, perhaps just this month, that's why he wanted to clear things out. We finished that conversation with a conclusion: "it was an old post and things went better already."

BTW, FrolicNight had their live at Brickroad, Cainta with Kat's Prod. I didn't see them play [di ako umabot] but Edsel observed things for me, and as the guitarman he is now i know he did his job well to listen with their output. And i am proud with 3ple, i knew he had it in him. ^^,

Although my presence there pissed some people a bit, the one i really missed the most is 3ple. I still know what i have done, and it really feels awkward for me to face them knowing these things. The only thing i could do for those concerned is to shut up. `tis sad that i've let things go this way.

But the good thing is that, nothing violent happened. Diplomacy rules. ^^,

I guess things are over concerning that issue. I've closed the book on my side already.

Meanwhile... after about a year of pending invitation, my former "II-Dumagat" advisor Aouie Enrile finally added me up on her friends' list in Friendster. I was kind of looking forward to the day that i could post a testimonial to my most favorite advisor of all time, i just hope she approves my testimonial. =]

Election period's started. Who will you vote?

Me? I haven't even registered. ^^,

* No countdowns yet.

WALANG KATULAD...

2007-02-11T10:28:00.000+08:00

Just a small SMB Commercial teaser... oi Manny jok lang to a. ^^,

Wala akong magawa, honestly... pero nakita nyo na ba yung latest advertisement ng SMB featuring Pacquiao & Morales? Nung unang makita ko tong ad na ito a few weeks ago e natawa agad ako sa initial impression ko. Unang naisip ko: "What the hell... bakit ganun?" Kaya naisipan kong abangan sa TV Tuner ko ang ad at ni-record ko, then with the help of some screenshots e nagkaroon ako ng ganitong mga images sa baba nitong post ko. Pagpasensyahan nyo na kung di maganda pagkakaphotoshop ko sa main pic since this is intended for humor purposes only.

Walang ibig sabihing masama at hindi ito propaganda panlaban ke Manny dahil tatakbo sha sa eleksyon.

Anyway, magsimula na tayo.

Kapag narinig mo yun katagang "WALA KA'NG KATULAD, MANNY..." ano ang unang papasok sa isip mo?

Bibigyan ko kayo ng scenario. Read on.

Erik: ...

Manny: "..."

Erik: "Wala ka'ng katulad, Manny..."

Ano sa tingin nyo? ^^,

PREPARING TO GO BACK...

2007-02-11T09:07:00.000+08:00

... with many things.

Ok, ok. I haven't posted for a while... Sendoh's external MODEM broke due to excessive takedowns [lagi nalalaglag ng matanda dito pag natatabig sa telepono]. SO i guess some people here misses me, especially my bestfriend Jeremaster who is constantly checking out my site if ever i did an update or not [tol manlibre ka naman jan]. Anyways sorry for the delay, but i guess i'm back to blurt out some of my "b!tchings and bullsh!ts" if that's what some of you want to call it.

I'll be going back to Abu Dhabi this March... so i'll be leaving RevEp and Armada behind for approximately 2 months and it WONT exceed. I'll be back for them. I'll just serve my time there and leave [parang statement ng preso amf]. My mom recommended me to come there for a vacation since i stopped school again because of my continuous failures [i failed BTW]. I guess i'll be needing that to wind up my mind and rehabilitate myself for two months. Smoking habits' getting worse. Anyway, i already have some plans when i get there. My mom will be coming here the first of March and hopefully we'll be leaving after two weeks.

But before i actually go there, theer are some things i would like to finish [but NOT end] with Armada and RevEp. My last live with Armada before i leave is next week @ Reia's event [ung Final Fantasy chuva] and i haven't prepared yet. I need to work on my fingers so i'd look good [even just for once] with my critic(s) [mahirap ng masabihan ng mayabang... ok na suplado wag lang mayabs].

While i know what i can do with my ears, i know that there are lots of people there much better than i am. It's a fact, it always was. I know i'm not so-a-great lead guitar player [nagsisimula pa lang ako] but please don't think we're giving credit to ourselves [especially myself]. It's not taking credit, it's just being "plain happy" with the output. The band don't usually talk about the output positively but not also depressingly, so i post on what i think with things over here... fairly and freely. At least give me someplace where i can express our accomplishments. I know you're good so let's... just stay with that, ok? ^^,

Leaving that behind, i'll be breaking my bonds with SuspenDead for once regarding the bass... just this once. I'll need to play the bass for one song [Paradise Kiss' "Lonely in Gorgeous"] since i'm concerned about my student Ian's current finger stamina. The basslines were repetitive, thus using your 2 fingers alternating presses in only a single lo-hi octave pattern... and from my experience it REALLY is tiring. And since she'll be one of those that'll sing the song, i'll take her place and play the bass. It's just one song then after that we'll be both back with our respective instruments.

But it's weird that some sensation fills me whenever i play the bass... no, seriously. I think i get more excited playing while on bass than the guitar. Maybe because it was my first band instrument, i dunno. But it looks like i enjoy it a lot.

So let me savour that feeling again. It's just a single song anyway.

Oh, well... i think SuspenDead won't care anyway since it's already dead. The former band decided to abandon the name and go up with a new one: FrolicNight. No biggie, but i think the meaning shows obviously: "Masayang Gabi...". I haven't seen them play yet, though i've met Vic unexpectedly at last. The name doesn't have that usual impact but you'll never know... be sure to watch out for them play.

But i'd be happier if they retained the name SuspenDead... it already had a punching name with some regular audience just after i left the band. Audiences were talking about the band during their last gig in Mayrics' España with Sendoh. Meaning it really had the potential to hit from underground. Too late for that to be realized just now, i guess.

SLN

SuspenDead

† 2002-2006 †

RevEp is currently INACTIVE. So there's nothing much to say. I'm waiting on when'll we be making my "despedida practice". One thing i'll make sure, though. By the time i go there i'll still continue working on with new concepts if there should be any [i can't think of doing anything to fastforward time]. Speaking of concepts, i made Ian's song Imperfect Perspective a tune and now it's by far the closest application to our target output. Well, that's what Edsel said. I made a copy with my voice on it so Edsel would be familiar with the tone of the vocs i made.

I'll try to post something in the later days for the countdown. I don't have the exact date of my departure yet. Until then i'll be counting my last few remaining days.

No worries... i'll be back.

* And look who's back on his blogger blurting out again. ^^,

Ah... i've got a teaser for you about Pacquiao/Morales' ad for SMB. Look on my Friendster account. It should be there. If ever i'll be posting it over here, too so be sure to wait for it.

Re: ARMADA.

2006-10-25T16:57:00.000+08:00

Truly an unexpected performance. ^^,

The night we performed at Ahoy! There in Timog was outrageous. I had a lot of fun with the band, one which i haven't felt for a while. I just hope there were some images floating around so i could have something as a remembrance.

Armada played 6CM's "I" as a starter. It didn't looked like the usual "Pogi Rock" because of the different output [thanks to Erl's distortion provided by Ian's 506, and Dennis' MT-2 that i'm currently using]. I got a lot of mistakes with my lead for that song, but i managed to put up some pinch harmonics through the chorus part. I just don't know if it fitted or if it was heard. But from that song's ending, Matt celebrated due to the band's "unexpected adlibs" which... well, fitted nicely.

For the second is my proposed Rock version of To Destination's Eden. It went out pretty well, except for my lead. I haven't re-practiced my part before the event because i needed to study for my school activities, so i kind of forgot the lines. But i managed to back with Adz for the vocs, i just didn't know if my voice blended through. But my job was the lead, so... i generally sucked. =[

And here's my fave... the last song. We performed a different rendition of "Zombie" which sounded like... i dunno... but i can pretty well say that it's a type of the "fusion" that i wanted to propose with RevEp. I can say it's a practice for Ian and me. Anyway, there's a major part of something like "Jazz" [Chi said it was Acid] and with a short, but mood-changing heavy part. To change the Zombie's concept from "scary" to "fun" [i say you'd be doing something like Michael Jackson's thriller dance by the time you hear it] was something odd but interesting to do. And to the fact that we've made a successful output, i loved it. I think it had a different impact with the audience as well.

To sum it all up, it was one hell of a night. Other bands were also great, although i haven't watched the others play because i went outside for a while. But those which i have heard were great.

So this is Ongaku Society. ^^,

* From that point, i got inspired and got different ideas that i could probably use. Yesterday, i accidentally made something for RevEp when i was about to teach Ian about plucking. ^^,

REVIEW.

2006-10-19T10:18:00.000+08:00

Okay, i should be studying Trigonometry right now.

I'm trying to prepare for the Ongaku Fest this coming 21. It will be held at Ahoy! in Timog, i think that's near Klownz. Okay, i already plugged for the event, but anyway... as usual, it's the Anime community so i'll be playing for Armada. I think the band will be a little bit different for the performance, i mean the band's at a different level for that performance. Even if Kat [the young keyboardist] will be absent for the event due to legal issues [underaged and parent-wise], Armada managed to shift a gear up.

We will be covering three songs, each individually-assigned by language/race/country/whatever. The event's required outline was to play a J-Rock/Jpop song, a western-based and finally, OPM. Although i really disagree of playing our chosen OPM due to my personal issues [one by 6CM entitled "I"], we'll be pushing it. I decided to make a different approach in its original structure, i hate the way it usually sounds.

There would be two surprises in store for Armada's audiences: our J-Rock and western song will definitely have a different twist. So be sure to watch us.

But we're going to perform at approximately 11:45PM.

Asides from that, i'm trying to get serious with studying. There's been alot of issues before, but i should manage to ignore them and put some time for my studies. I'm kinda rusted with my programming skills right now... i forgot the syntax. ^^,

* Anyway, this was short... i'm still sleepy. I only slept for 1 hour. And i noticed something... lumubog lalo panga ko.

RECALL.

2006-10-12T15:59:00.000+08:00

Has it been that long already?

I never have thought to use my learnt skills to something i began to love along the way. Now, what were my reasons back then and what is my sole reason right now why i continued playing... starting from acoustic, and a long path leading to the different world of electric guitar?

Here begins my brag-... er, story.

===
NOTE: this post is intended not to brag, but to share something.
===

My interests with a guitar started when i was still at grade 5... where every single man in the batch seem to know AND want to learn how to play the acoustic guitar. It was the era where you'd usually hear some songs that you still hear with guitar starters; the songs of the former OPM rock bands mostly from Eraserheads. Most of them have basic reasons why they chose to play the guitar, and they vary from the following:

1. They want to play 'coz they want to play.
2. Because they want to be with the trend, which is cool in a way.
3. Because it'll be easy to court girls if you know how to play a guitar... most girls easily fall with the guitar guys.

... and others not mentioned.

Now, i forced my sister to teach me how to play a guitar... and FAST. I remembered her asking me, "why all of a sudden?"

That made me think... really.

I do admit that i don't have enough good reasons to defend my interest by that time. And all of a sudden, i got this simple, and stupid reason: "I want to play 'coz it seems like everyone's playing and i can't... like i am the only one who can't play it." That's the most of it. Nothing more.

The irony is... my sister taught me knowing that i may be not prepared to learn right that time. And, sadly... she taught me REALLY quick.

Quick as in a single day.

I got through a lot that day, thinking that my sister is forcing out what i can't really do. Well, it was my wish for her to teach me so i can't babble about it. She did the usual "old-school" way of learning fast that would really stick into your brain; a punishment in every wrong move. She'd hit my hands with a ruler if i got things wrong. Sadistic... yet effective, i learned all the basic chords in a single day. Although i can't do the power chords yet [the B and F, she taught me the G shortcut].

After everything, i was on my own. Without enough reason, i tried to learn by myself with the basics... plucking, picking, powerchording, and copying chords from certain songs. I even bought my own acoustic guitar on my 12th birthday. I was satisfied at one point, for i have achieved my goal: to play a guitar.

And so i stopped... for a long time.

Maybe from time-to-time i do play the guitar, especially when we have music class. And sometimes i do bring my guitar when my friends tell me to so we could play during breaktime. Asides from that, i didn't make guitar a serious career. I wasn't even serious of playing it.

My interests really doesn't concern with music, i was not a music guy to begin with. What i love to do that time was to draw and make comic strips and show them to my classmates.

Then this certain time came...

By the mid-time i retook my 4th year in high school [which makes it my 5th], Vic told me about his band. He asked me if i wanted to join. That time was the peak of Parokya ni Edgar, and other unsigned bands pop out as well [but not like now where humongous amount of UG bands swarm out]. I don't know if he's recruiting me because he knew i can play a guitar OR if he's recruiting me because it's just simply fun. But i left him with an answer: "wait 'till i graduate and i'll think about it." But there was a time when i went out with Vic, but with a different band composed of some of my former batchmates [specifically Gid and Jeffrey Carbonel] and some of their current schoolmates. I held the bass, and i sucked playing it. ^^, That was my first time, 'ne?

And so a major coincidence happened.

I successfully graduated my highschool at last. I was looking for a college that would apply with my scholarship plan. My course of choice was ComSci. I had an option: FEU-FERN. I applied to that school and passed the entrance examination, but knowing my mother she always have backup plans. She looked for other schools that supports the scholarship plan, and my sister suggested East Asia [she was a nursing student of FEU, BTW].

Luckily, it supports my scholarship plan. So i took the entrance test for free and i passed it. Not knowing that Vic is actually studying at the same school. I remembered the description he told me about his school but i forgot the name he mentioned.

By the time i got enrolled, he asked me about the offer. I thought it wouldn't actually hurt me if i accept his offer, so i took it. Then he asked me what instrument would i lke to play. He gave me 2 choices: Rhythms or Bass. I asked him what's the easiest, he told me that the bass should be easy [remembering the first time i played the bass, it was difficult]. I told him that i'll go for the rhythms since i'm much fond of chordplaying. But he told me that he's currently on rhythms and his bass was actually heavy [literally, not musically] so he doesn't want to play the bass. But he keeps on encouraging me to play the bass. So i willingly accept it.

He introduced me with new faces, including his band. There i knew the people, and at first they were intimidating. And i was officially recruited to their band.

The first week of classes came. That very first week we had a practice. As usual, i sucked with the bass since i am still not familiar playing it. They understood, since i was new with the band. K2 and Tristan taught me some basics and familiarizing the bass. Knowing Vic, he then encouraged me telling this: "pag gumaling ka ang gusto ko maging style mo katulad ng ke Buhawi."

Yes. The excellent bassist of PnE. So i was inspired thanks to Vic. But at first it was difficult to catch the basslines in songs [usually they sound faint if you don't listen attentively] and i was way off Buhawi's level [even right now]... there's possibly no chance that i could reach that level. Yet i didn't stop. Along the way i got familiarized with the bass basics and i was actually hearing the bass in songs much clearer. I tried recalling some concepts from our music class regarding the fretboard knowledge and used it.

And by this time i began to have a second reason: "i wanted to improve."

I learned so much while i was playing with the band, until the time it got baptized with the name SuspenDead. The time came that i could actually ride with their playing and tempo using basic techniques. The time also came that i used some learnt techniques thanks to certain songs that i have listened. We were in full-synch when playing [except for the times that we were drunk].

Then a third reason came out: "i'll play for myself and i wanted the music to sound different, yet good."

I used everything of what i know to SuspenDead's music, and i even borrowed some tutorials and asked for some concepts from my uncle Jimmy. Time by time i tried to change my absslines to something that would fit with our music... and sometimes i even do it during gigs. I wasn't scared of doing my share, i thought of it as a type of "samurai training" which in the long run became a habit to me. It was the experimental stage where i try this and that, if it would be compatible with this or not. If not, i'll shift to basic then think of something while i'm playing and thus producing a cycle. Jeremiah stated this as "standing in your toes, huh."

And when the time came that i was satisfied with what basslines i've done to the song, i'll use it as the basic structure of my lines... meaning that it's the pattern, but i'll still try to add something up in random. There's a lot of room so why not maximize it, i thought to myself.

I also began to get interested with other instruments... having a reason: "i want to get familiar with the other instruments so i could produce good music concepts." I tried out the drums, since it's the biggest instrument related to bassplaying. Thanks to K2's influence of Percussion Freaks, Dennis' moral support and suggestions, and Kat's recruitment of me for Leche's Plan which was soon called BH.

My interest never stopped there. I began playing the electric guitars and applied some of the basslining to it, though it was a bit difficult because i got used with wide frets. Many times i did jam with Edsel at his house and ask my uncle for some concepts, especially on how to make pinch harmonics.

Usually, i ask for concepts and i'll do the rest. That's the way it goes, and i liked it that way. I thought of it as a game like "discover something beyond what you currently do and what you can still do". It will be difficult at first, but it's like a puzzle. Once you're familiarized with it you'll get used to it, thus making the job easy. I've accepted 3 band offers to session with so i could expand my learnt musical concepts freely.

Many times i was forcing myself to learn something that's off my level... and luckily some of it i learned in due time. I believed in the concept "never stop until your finger bleeds..." a concept i learned from my sister. =]

After the biggest event SuspenDead has ever been [Summer Sault of WLSFM], i began to realize something. It wasn't really enough to play for yourself. You should be able to please your audience if you really want to se if you've made a good music. From here on, it was a bigger reason. A reason i never thought that i'll be thinking.

I wanted to make a different music that would please the musical ear. Not mine, not within the band, but reaching out to the "real, attentive" audiences [there are "dead" audiences, most of the time just came to the bar to get drunk or wait for their band-friend to play and leave, not even paying attention to others playing]. I think you'd consider your music to be good when they're not familiar with it but they jived with it for some reason you just can't explain. That was a reason so high to reach, but i think was possible. One event was SuspenDead's first gig with Creed of Rock Productions.

From the time i left the band, i carried out this reason. My mind was still filled with ideas for SuspenDead's music, honestly. Their songs were still circulating within my mind. That wouldn't be so obvious, i've been in SuspenDead for more than 4 years. It's just that i loved the band so much i can't forget the music [that's why i'm having a hard time clearing out the fact that they're currently in a massive damage and possibly because it was my fault]. I was thinking what to do with the reason and accomplishment i've done so far. I'm trying to teach everything to my only disciple Ian so someone could actually hold up and continue my urge while i'm on the bass. But i guess my music life ends there... or did it?

Just when i thought that i was out of the music devil's grasp, i was tempted with Dennis' new band and what they could do. The first time RevEp practiced and while i was watching them, i saw something different. Something that made me jump onto music's side again. It was something i couldn't explain at first not until i became a part of it. So i decided that i'd finish my job in RevEp and see if i'll be asking for more reasons to play after i accomplish my current reason/goal.

So right now i got some serious interest of playing. I know my fingers still aren't sleak and fast like others, but i have a single thing that i'm proud of. My ears can do much better now than my fingers.

Ending this post, i am not trying to brag. I'm just trying to share what i've been through and that things are possible if you just put your whole [ok, not whole but maybe a big part] heart onto it. It is never a career, it's just having a reason to play. If you have a serious reason to play, you got yourself a goal to reach. Reasons aren't really required, but it could help you a lot with improving and raising your interests to the maximum. And never stop not unless if you already lost a lot of blood. Remember, if you're really interested at something you can't resist getting along with it. Remember: you should develop your ear as early as possible, it's one of the most important factors of playing.

Of course, don't forget to rest for a while. Too much exertion would tire you a lot.
[Now what the hell am i trying to talk about?! Kidding aside, the concept still applies.]

* I'd like to thank my mom [for not forcing me too much to stop playing], my sister Elaine [who showed me the physical concept of "pains and gains" ^^], Kat [for recruiting me to BH], Edsel [my guitar buddy], Jason [for some concepts], uncle Jimmy [for a lot of concepts], and the whole SuspenDead [including the former original line-up]...

... if it has not been for you guys, i won't get interested with music at all.

REMORSE...

2006-10-09T15:31:00.000+08:00

It shouldn't have gone this far...

When i just have thought that everything went as planned, something unexpected, rather, something just went wrong along the way... which destroyed the very foundation of the one i was once part of.

It was September 29, a Friday. The first time that i will see them as an audience, and sadly... the last time that i will see them of who they once were.

This will be defined as SuspenDead's mortality. About who we were, what they were when i left the band, and what they have been afterwards.

I have full respects on the band since i started as their bassist. They became the igniter of my talents... and thanks to them, i learned some concepts and got interested to learn other instruments. As i was always saying, ever since we started with the original lineup, the potentials were already present.

I should stress out that i have had high hopes for the band... and along the way i built many ideas for the band's music [just ideas, not applied]. The music was good to begin with, but then i begin to realize that it was lacking a major ingredient after Tristan left/we removed him from the band.

And there came a time that they suggested a keyboardist. Not being mean, but i guess this was the start of SuspenDead's disease [i will become the initiator of the greatest wound later]. The music underwent a major renovation and the keyboards [JB] had a hard time to adjust for a long time, especially for the punk songs. Although afterwards it went out with style, transforming our heavy songs to semi-goth and the punk songs to somewhat punkpop, the keyboards became dominant... so dominant, that the guitar powers went down greatly. This is just an observation, though.

This topic was opened up in one of our meetings. Though the suggestion was "to keep the keyboards volume down and balance the guitar volumes," i realized sooner that it wasn't enough. I thought that even if we filtered it, it would still be dominant and will outstand the other instruments due to the levels. If there was something that the band should do, i thought it should be something like "balance". Though i admit that it was my error, i suggested the "balance" thing as the "volume" thing. I wanted to mean that the balance should be with the "levels" or the skill. Not that highly-expected, but even just at the standard levels should do.

Skill was one of the most important ingredient of a band. The first thing should be "chemistry"... and that chemistry wasn't that strong in terms of music. Yes, our chemistry explodes a lot, as friends... so i thought it would add up to the band's chemistry. But after RevEp's practice last saturday, i realized something important. RevEp have done something that SuspenDead has rarely done: "freestyling". The "thought of Jazz". Not the literal "offbeat, 4-way coordinated" Jazz [i'd snap a finger doing things like Greg Howe does so not now], but the one that is known to be the "meat and potatoes" of Jazz: the "feeling" and "improvisation".

Though we didn't bother to save what we played for more than 10 minutes, i realized that the band already have a strong chemistry and that there's a lot of things we could do with what we've just did. Then i discovered that Dennis' planned "fusion" was possible.

In terms of music, SuspenDead rarely does this kind of thing [except for Dennis and me who usually starts up something when nobody's playing]. But i do remember one time when this idea was implemented: during the making of "Feel no Pain" in the early days of the band.

The original plan was making a fusion, thus the name SentiMetalHardTernativePopCore as the band's theme. But the literal meaning was implemented, not the idea. We have had most of them in each individual songs, though mostly we're playing the heavy songs.

I always thought that "playing for myself and for the band's music" was enough and satisfactory, but now i realized that the people should be able to accept your music in order to be satisfied. I realized this from the biggest event we've been into: 97.1's Summer Sault. We looked like sitting ducks [no offense guys] in that event, seeing the finalists' levels were much more higher that ours. I then realized that our levels wasn't supposed to be for that kind of event yet, and that our supposed-to-be chemistry didn't take effect. I'll say it was "pure luck and influence" which made us reach the finals. Luck, because i always thought we weren't really ready with our current music output... and influence, that's a lot of thanks to DJ Braggy.

It's not that i ain't proud of the music, in fact i really am. It's just that during the finals, everything got obvious: we already lost even before we played. We were, in fact, musically-incompetent during that time. No offense meant, guys.

Then it came into my mind that i already used up four years in the band... and we improved only an inch of the ruler within that timeframe.

I was asking myself what was wrong. What happened to the potentials? As for Science's definition of Potential Energy, it was defined as "stored energy". If it were to be released or used it would be called "Kinetic Energy". I realized that we got stuck knowing we had potentials and have no idea how to release those potentials. I already made MIDIs before for basis, but those weren't enough to wake the potentials.

So i decided to do a "suicide"... which sadly became the time limit of SuspenDead.

"There are times that you should lose some to gain some..." this is what i thought. If i really love the band then i should do whatever it takes to make the band better, even if it requires my expulsion just to wake the potentials up. I did everything that i could do for the music, so i think i already did all that i could do... and there's one last thing i haven't done: kill myself. If i leave the band, to the least they'll get tense and do whatever it takes to use their potentials. And i tried to anticipate everything that might happen after i leave; from Dos' entry and 3ple's transfer to the bass [and another thing that i tried to prevent from happening]. I even suggested these to K2 but i guess it just happened naturally and not because i suggested the new lineup.

Though K2 said the only thing that happened was: there came a reshuffling and there was really no effect of my absence, i think of it otherwise. The good thing is the band's progress went up and they tried to make some major improvements. That last gig i could say it improved a little and was catchy [the audience were reacting to it especially on the song "In Control"], but i can't say their full progress. [Vic was absent during SuspenDead's final gig so i can't really say how much they have improved completely] If they were complete maybe i could see the music's progress. Yes, i did see them play this last gig, but i still consider having Vic around if i was to observe their progress.

Seeing them play is one thing, seeing them play together and complete is another.

Going a bit off-topic, but a bit related. I remembered posting on my Tabulas with the topic: "What is a True Friend?" [i forgot the title]. Are those the friends you can count on? A person whose always concerned? The friends who will support you until the end? Those who ease your pain? If i were to look back, having those qualities ain't good enough to be considered a "true" friend. For me, it's called "true" friend because of the word included in it: TRUE.

If you were to have a true friend, it's a kind of friend who'll tell you everything ranging from your rightfulness up to your wrongdoings. It's something like: "If you're right, you have my support... if you're wrong, i'll tell you that you're wrong even if you get mad at me." It's a kind of friend that doesn't spoil you. In one point i was proud of the band, because it has that kind of quality... thus we never had problems in SuspenDead before. I've always told Kat and Edsel this during the BH days. I guess it faded away for some reason.

I guess the biggest mistake was due to a "major misunderstanding". I thought that everything was over after my "suicide" issue, but it so happened that Dennis' "criticism" was misunderstated as "insult" or "discrimination". I should agree that Dennis shouldn't be using harsh words if you're just criticizing due to the effects it may do to the soft-hearted, but i do agree at one point that if SuspenDead cannot handle a bandmate's point of [lemme say this] "painful" criticism then you're never ready for the music industry. There are lots of the worst sharks out there that can say worse, much worse that you might punch that guy whose criticizing with harsh words... you might even want to kill him.

From this point, it was all over. SuspenDead went with a decision to stand alone and leave Dennis behind, having the reverse with Dennis [which is leaving SuspenDead behind]. Either way, it's over. I tried everything to prevent this to happen, i already anticipated that SuspenDead might end but not this quick. It's only been two months since i left the band, and now the band's gone. Although K2 said that their team would still be "them", i'm having a feeling that the output will be much different. And he said that Vic already lost his morale of playing with a band so they should stop for a while.

I feel bad for Vic... and i was blaming myself because of it. I could have prevented his beating if i came earlier before the final meeting with me, the night before i decided to quit. I didn't want the blame to bury him, all i wanted was a major renovation. And now that Dennis made statements about the band's current levels, he got buried deeper. I really think it started because of me, even SuspenDead's disbandment.

I'm having a bad feeling that things may get worse if RevEp and the former SuspenDead [i don't know if they'll be changing names] meet up with each other. I will be hoping that i'm wrong and that both parties wouldn't open or make any issues from now on.

I am totally disappointed with the results... especially myself.

* I knew my mistakes. It shouldn't have turned out this way.

So much for my birthday present. =[

INSOMNIA

2006-10-02T00:57:00.000+08:00

Shet. Di ako makatulog. Help.

BIRTHDAY Part 2

2006-09-17T14:54:00.000+08:00

Well, what's with September anyway?

Actually, i forgot to mention that it was my nephew's birthday last September 3... and i'm sorry not being able to come to his birthday.

So Jeremiah's birthday was yesterday, and today's the birthday of my only disciple... Ian. Unfortunately, we haven't celebrated her birthday because we had a practice with RevEp.

But the day was totally productive for her, i think. All of us in RevEp [Edsel, Dennis, and me] thought of one thing about her: she is greatly improving. She made interesting basslines, and we are already planning on what to do with one of it. I think she's already near the half of my level before i left SuspenDead, though i know she's got a lot of things to learn still. Of course, i'm here to teach her. I'm her bass instructor after all... and that's the only gift i could give, i think. Anyway, happy birthday dear student! ^^,

Changing the subject a bit...

We finished Edsel's song entitled "Disdain", and it was pretty good. I nearly compared it with SuspenDead's "You Wanted Love" due to the tempo and riff and "In Control" because of the simple chorus rhyth-lead that i've made, but in totality, it's got a different level. I'll let you hear it... when we're ready.

I'm still thinking about the enrollment. I should get going this coming Monday.

* Actually, i came to school yesterday afternoon but there were too many people so i decided to go next week.

BIRTHDAY Part 1 [w/Pics]

2006-09-16T13:27:00.000+08:00

Happy birthday to my very first-considered "bestfriend" and arts master, Jeremiah. He's turning 22 right now and i'm hoping him to have an exciting life to come.

I've been at his place a while ago having his party themed as "Boredom Awareness Seminar". It wasn't boring at all, though i almost fell asleep due to the lack of it and thinking about my problem in school disrailed my attention to everything that time. I'm sorry to have blown up the party, i really wanted to stay longer that time.

You'll see the pics below shortly. I'm currently uploading them. Click them to view it at 800x600.

* And, btw. I'm offering him the "vocs" position for RevEp. I just don't know if he's really serious about it but i'm hoping his schedules won't become an issue. ^^,

While it's his birthday today, my only bass student and disciple Ian's birthday will be tomorrow.

REBOOT SUCCESSFUL...

2006-09-13T00:30:00.000+08:00

... that was nice.

I've been thinking alot of some offer which needed a lot of time. At first i was thinking twice, but now i think i should be proud. From here on i'll be straightforward and say the facts about that certain offer.

My friend Dennis [a.k.a. Sendoh], the drummer of my beloved former band SuspenDead, told me something even before i left the band. It was a revelation... unexpected, but understandable. He wanted to make a new band; a different one. More different than SuspenDead has ever been. And he had high goals for it. He wanted to create a band who can perform a different kind of music [well, who doesn't want to do that nowadays anyway]. A fusion; a mixture of different styles... one which we had tried on SuspenDead for so long but was just too hard to accomplish. It was a different idea, i guess. But i can't state what type of genres will he fuse yet, for private reasons. He offered me to become his bassist once more.

The idea was interesting, as Dennis' eyes were gleaming with light. But that time i wasn't interested after i left my post as SuspenDead's bahizta. Obviously, i refused the offer. Instead, i suggested that i could get the right men for his proposed band. I already got the idea of whom to put up on his band, and my #1 pick for the lead guitars was none other than my former BH bandmate Edsel, whom i've played with a lot of times even after BH broke up.

Although i already refused to join, he still pursued me to become a member of his new planned band. I said i'll think about it, since i have my word for SuspenDead that i will no longer play a bass guitar for other bands after i leave the band.

So i thought about it, spending a lot of time thinking while i was at school. It wasn't a bad idea, really. I was just scared that SuspenDead might get a bad impression on me. I mean, think about it: i quit the band, then their drummer and former bassist on a new band? I think that's gotta suck, bigtime. And knowing i left a word regarding the bass. It was a bad option. Then i heeded second opinions from my good friends.

Some suggested that it was my big mistake to release such words then regretting it on the last moment, while some said that what i did was martyr-like and plain stupid. But a good suggestion came out, stating something like: "while you can't hold the bass anymore, why don't use another instrument instead?"

It gave me an impression... a better, untreachorous idea. One i've done already with Armada. One that could avoid further conflicts and could do only minimal damage. It was then i thought if i should be holding the guitars for a change. Since i had some little skills i got from the bass, i thought maybe i could transfer them to the guitars... since they're both strings. The main problem i'll be having though, was adjustment. It was about time that i call for my uncle Jimmy's help to teach me some "real" guitar basics. All i got from him before were suggestions, not actual training. So i thought that maybe it's better if i ask for his help.

Then, the StratoMarco was born. Now, what the heck is a StratoMarco?

I decided to buy my own guitar so i could get familiarized with the new feel of the neck, fret distance, and strings. Dennis helped me with some options. Either i buy a guitar in Raon/Sta.Mesa [bad option], OR budget-wise: buy a second-hand guitar.

I really am avoiding buying guitars from Raon or Sta.Mesa because of their manufacturing and bad quality. You might say it depends on how you choose the guitar, or maybe it depends on how you take care of it. But HELL. From my experience, you can never get a good-yet-cheap guitar with those places nowadays and you can't maintain them properly even if you're really the "careful type". The term "local" there sounded like "lo-qual", so nevermind.

If you're willing to have a good, performance guitar then you'll have to buy for around 6-10k. So my option for a local-yet-good quality guitar was RJ. Since i saw their shop in Cubao, i had a good vibe that their guitars have a good quality since they have a demo there that shows how their guitars are made. And what's good about RJ was that they're engineering their guitars well and they use good woods. My uncle adds that they have good pick-ups too.

So i decided to get a RJ, and the model: just a simple Stratocaster. I'm not after the design [even if it's a Flying V i won't take it], i'm after the feel and sound that's going to come out of the guitar. My uncle gave me an option to get a Les Paul stating that it's good for solos, but i'm starting to hate it 'coz EVERY band seemed to have a Les Paul nowadays. If i'm about to make a good sound, i'll try it out with a simpler guitar. And i won't waste my money for something that'll lose value after it gets EVEN a little dent/scratch.

How much is a RJ Strat? The last time i looked it was about 6,700+... and my budget was just about 3k. So what can i get? Should i proceed to Raon/Sta.Mesa? Nah. Dennis helped me to look for 2nd-hand guitars at Philmusic. There were many options; including a 2nd-hand Aria Pro Magna, Fender Stratocaster Squier, even a Gibson Les Paul. But since they're highly-priced, i went down to one last option to fit my budget: get a second-hand RJ Strat.

I got that used-up RJ Strat for about 2.5k [using the money for our electric bill, but hey i payed it afterwards]; and with it was a guitar stand, an Ernie Ball strap, a heavy-duty cable, and LOTS OF F#*!IN DECAL LEFT-OVERS. The body was obviously abused with lots of decals ripped off the surface... and by the time i bought it, it was entirely messy. I had to clean the guitar, with Edsel and Ian's help it was possible. I finished cleaning the whole body after 2 days... and i love the clean, new look of it. Although it has a coin-sized dent underneath, i loved the guitar very much, since it's my very first electric guitar. I'm thinking of changing the paint job later, i got to customize the whole thing first.

The pick-up and switch were rusted, though the tremolo board and the machine head were still fine. The tone pots were somewhat broken, but i can replace it anyway. I scraped off the head part since it was very dirty, to the least i got it clean as new except for some ink left-overs. The RJ logo was not there when i bought it, and it looked dull without something. Then i decided to put up a name for my guitar. I bought a transfer letter and wrote up "StratoMarco". Now i call it that.

Now i have to save up money if i'm about to change the pick-ups. I was planning on letting my uncle make me a customized one at first. If i get enough money, i'll be buying a DiMarzio pick-up for the tremolo part.

Anyways, enough about StratoMarco. It was then i reconsidered Dennis' offer to me, i'll join his band BUT i'll be on guitars. It doesn't matter if i'm lead or rhythms, Edsel and i can do both anyway. And i had a package deal. I want my student, Ian, to be on bass. If she can't join then i won't join. But Dennis said it's fine with him having her on the band.

You might think it's something like "special treatment" of sort. It's not. I wanted her to learn a lot of things about being in a band. It's a part of my test where i wanted to prove that a willing person who loves their music and instrument has the capability to improve, learn fast, play good music, and having the spirit of a bandmate. And since it's the bass, i could show her some secrets that me and Dennis alone know: our chemistry.

Issues were raised but i think they'll understand Dennis' plans in the long run. SuspenDead was a great band when it started, and i have greater visions for the band's music while i was still there. There were lots of potentials, i can say. And the potentials were still there by the time i left the band. The thing i wished was for that potential to be released someday after i am gone from the band.

Now with this new planned band of Dennis, i knew the people i selected were potentially-talented. Edsel exceeds me with his speed already. Ian's on the process of learning freestyles and can now play lines in two strings. While i'm still studying some patterns, these people improve further. I think Ian will reach my bass skills in no time and will surpass what i can do when i was still in SuspenDead.

Dennis is excited to start up the band. Our only problem is a vocalist. For the meantime, we decided that Edsel should sing for the band. One day after the decision, he already made a pattern and partial lyrics. Talking about excitement. I did some songs for the band as well. One was a former recipe which was originally meant for SuspenDead, one just came out of nowhere. Everyone else were excited while Ian was tensed. She said that she might drag down the band, but i encouraged her that she'll learn in no time and that i believe in her talent. I won't put her up in the band if she won't do any good in it. I know what she could do... i'm her bass instructor after all.

For about two months since the planning we finally had our practice last September 9. It was then decided that the band's officially booted up. We're not planning on playing as of now, we're focusing on polishing the songs to something different. But here's our target: after we make 3 good songs, we're planning on playing live with gigs. Dennis is planning on having our next practice this coming saturday. I just hope this won't get a conflict with SuspenDead.

We currently use RevEp as the band's handlename. As for its meaning, you'll know soon enough.

* Well, that was pretty long. It just shows that i missed blogging. ^^,

RETRACTION...

2006-08-29T02:00:00.000+08:00

... and so i am back.

It's been a while since i last touched this blog. I remember making this one since 2003. Now that i'm back, i've got lots of reviews to give you guys. But i won't elaborate right now 'cause i'm focusing on building my own template.

Many things happened. Definitely. Back in my LJ, i already wrote the first [and last] topic... I AM NO LONGER A BASSIST. I already let go of my title "bahizta" from the band SuspenDead last month for reasons i won't be posting, yet. I loved the band, really. I wouldn't be holding a single band instrument [with the exception of the Acoustic Guitar] if it wasn't for them. All i can say is that i don't want any conflicts to happen and i decided to kill myself from their sights.

So i had this goal that i should at least transfer everything that i know to my good student, Ian.

Meanwhile, the other band is really getting busy these days. Armada made a good break in the Anime community; doing that "Unchained Melody" soundcheck last J-Muzik Fusion really did an impact to the community. And the full version appeared on August 19 at the CulturEvolution which was held on Teatro Marikina. ^^,

Of course, i am proud to become a part of Armada... even though i'm from the outside realm, they considered me a part of their family. I pinned myself the name "Barq`z" for the community [Rai's getting common these days], thus my URL.

I'll give you some recaps later... especially about StratoMarco. I've got a lot of stories to tell... but i should at least make my layout presentable. =]

* Just as he said: "THIS IS THE POINT OF NO RETURN".