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. ^^
