When the songbird sings

I arrived a bit late. I didn’t know that they were only waiting for me to get there so that we could come up with a semi-decent program. I rushed a list of activities for the night, tossed in a couple of games in between intermissions, short speeches and raffles. I left around 10 to proceed to Cubao X for the Terno Au Go-Go event. We introduced a new Gov and a set of site mods.

Congrats to Amcy, Budoy, Toots, Leio, Kit and Maricris.

Mike, ano yan ha?

“No woman, no cry…” Budoy’s national anthem.

Ang mga bagong alipin

Rome and I went to the MTV Staying Alive Music Summit for HIV/AIDS last night held at the Fort Bonifacio Open Field. The event featured some of the biggest names in the local pop, indie and rock music industry such as Bamboo, River Maya, Parokya ni Edgar, Sandwich, Imago, Kitchie Nadal, etc. It was a fun event, to say the least, meant to promote HIV/AIDS awareness to Pinoy youths.

The stadium concert itself was successful, but I wonder if the reason for staging the event was. It is hard to believe that the black-clad bodysurfing, midfinger-raising, condom-inflating and invectives-spewing majority of the audience (which ran up to thousands) gave a hoot about HIV/AIDS, no matter that those who delivered the message–actually, read the scripts about the disease–were China Hortaleza, Nancy Castiglione, Alessandra De Rossi or Vhong Navarro.

Foreground is buffer zone between VIP and “masa” sections

A blurry Mig Ayesa

Not that I’m trying to sound anti-masa, but I was only too glad that we had our VIP passes so we were able to watch the concert from “the other side of the fence”. The part where there were cocktail tables and free booze, where there were rows of monoblock chairs to park ones backside on if one got tired from standing or walking or meeting and greeting friends. That same area which Mig Ayesa would rather sing to since its members seemed to be the only ones out of several thousands that appreciated his performance and did not raise their middle fingers when he said “Raise your hands!”

Rakista ng Malate, Pazzaway ng Kyusi. Bawal magka-AIDS

I didn’t realize actually that it was World Aids Day yesterday. Yeah, I know that Dec. 1 is ALWAYS World Aids Day, but what the heck, I forgot all about it until I went to last night’s concert.

Also read: A whisper to a scream

The gimmick wth Nobu, one of the staff of our Japanese partner, pushed through last Friday. He texted me around 5 to ask if he wanted to go out, so I told him that I’d confirm if my sked would allow it. Fortunately, the trip to a ballet-slash-poetry performance to QC with Rome didn’t push through so I told Nobu that I (and my bf) were available that Friday. I invited my officemate David to join us on my way out.

I went to Saguijo (as usual!) before 10 and hung out at the smoking area while waiting for Nobu who arrived about 10 minutes later. Funny, when we entered the place, the joint’s owner was there. I tried to say hi to him pero dinedma ako. He was probably thinking that I was dating someone behind Rome’s back, haha! No way, Jose! That’s not me at all. Rome joined us 30 minutes later and had a bit of introductory chat with my visitor.

About an hour later, David called Nobu to invite him to their gig at Wasabi. Nobu replied that he was suddenly in-demand. LOL. Eventually, David and his friend instead decided to join us at Saguijo. Smooth. I guess they were…uhh…on a prowl. *wink*

Hopefully we’d be able to take him to Malate (”the party central!”) one of these days. He informed me that he was already tired of the videoke scene, while the Greenbelt 3 crowd he found too snobbish. He had been wanting to watch live bands, especially rock acts.

Rome and I left him in David’s care by midnight.

Nobu and I being silly at work last summer.
The day was unintentionally themed yellow.

Rome and I went to the birthday party of Tessa last night. She is the Lifestyle Section editor of The Manila Times. I was already planning to join the badminton EB at BR but I had reservations since I hurt my elbow the last time I played, and that meant a break from the games would not be a bad idea. Good thing, Rome called me up to inform me that we would be going to QC.

Tessa’s party was nice. We joined the table of his colleagues and I didn’t know it was the paper’s CEO, Dante Ang Jr., whom I was talking to until I asked Rome who it was who was asking a lot of questions about UP CMC. We were later joined by one of Rome’s friend, Dexter, and his wife, Ria. Dexter is a uber-funny guy who kept referring to me as “the famous girlfriend of Rome”.

TV personality and Manual Magazine EIC, RJ Ledesma, and his girlfriend, Vanessa, joined our table later in the evening. RJ is a very smart, charming guy who makes it a point to include everyone in the conversation. All along I was thinking, “Teka, sa Royal True Orange commercial ko lang dati napapanood ito ah!” His girlfriend is very charming and smart.

Of course, I finally met Tessa, the birthday girl and Rome’s boss. She’s very pretty.

Rome and I watched “Opera Now” at the CCP last night. For the first time, he was able to get tickets for the main section of the theatre where the view was so much better. The performances were nothing but powerful, backed by the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra. As usual, one didn’t have any idea what the pieces were about unless she spoke the languages in which the songs were sung. It was still a good production, no less. Rome’s friend, Dan, tagged along.

I saw Lorna of PB perform last night for the first time. That she was an opera singer was easy to guess, but that she was a bubbly badminton player with killer smashes was a different story altogether. Now, that made me wonder if she was the same girl who played the lead in the opera adaptation of Nick Joaquin’s May Day Eve in 1998. That was one of the more memorable operas I’ve attended not only because of the production value but also because it was a show that our Journalism professor asked us to attend, and that we watched it with a bunch of touring high school students from Bulacan who had no appreciation at all for what was happening on-stage.

I think the event was supported by one of the TV networks. A few of their reporters and anchors were there, and one of them even approached our group during the intermission cocktails. We were merrily busying ourselves with our cakes, hams and drinks (mine was bubbly) when this lady anchorsuddenly came up to us and said “Hey! You guys! How are you doing?” as if she knew us since childhood. She knew Rome alright, but there was something unnatural in the way she acted. Anyway, I’ve known her since UP days and I even participated in her thesis about a particular soundtrack which she claimed would cause the listeners’ noses to itch. So she pretended to be only conducting a survey among the class while listening to the debatable music. At the end of the session, she explained what the activity was about and claimed that majority of the participants scratched their noses in the course of answering the sheet. Blimey. That WAS weird. Her thesis WAS weird. *Ponders if there are soundtracks that make you PICK your nose.*

We dropped by Penguin café in Malate after the opera, but the place was deserted. So after waiting for Dan to finish his beer, we brought him to Saguijo. Kiko Machine was performing when we arrived. The guys are a funny lot, donned with Ferrari race uniforms and in the case of their bassist, a home-made Spiderman costume. As usual, we visited the I Love You boutique upstairs where we met Corrinne and her friend Alastair. Dan bought a red shirt that in my opinion really looked fantastic on him. When we went back to the bar, Ely Buendia’s new band, Pupil was already in the middle of its second set. It’s a noisy band but a good one. I think I would rather watch them play live music instead of listen to their CD. See, there are at least two ways of appreciating a band (read: making them earn)–going to their gigs and/or buying their CDs. I just have to note that Ely looked like someone slapped him with a hot flat iron last night. He still rocks, though, and still has that spaced out look about him. Naalala ko tuloy yung isang episode ng weekly anthology ni Mikee Conjuanco where his former band Eraserheads guested. Ely played Cojuanco’s love interest. Can you imagine, Ely Buendia doing pa-cute stuff on TV? It was funny but was, like, far out man!

Today’s “Culture Vulture” piece pretty much sums up several of the activities that I had engaged in last week. And to recap the events of the past three days, we watched a performance by the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra at the Cultural Center last Friday night. PPO isn’t PPO for nothing, but I wish they didn’t hire the poor tenor whose voice faltered no less than five times in the course of his single-song performance.

Saturday was spent at a tribute gig to Wilfrid Hernandez (”Wolfman”) at Saguijo Bar where bands Sugar Free, Sandwich, Chillitees and others performed. It was a poignant event for the most part.

Last night was most enjoyable as we attended the opening of I Love You store at its new location: the basement of Pilar Building along Makati Avenue. It’s right beneath Government bar.

Yeah, Rico was the first to be kicked out of Pinoy Big Brother. Ugh! Evict the whole lot of them! Thank God for cable, I don’t have to be numbed by ABS-CBN and it’s un-original pamilya each time I have to watch the telly.

We went to Conspiracy bar on Visayas Avenue, QC last night to attend the weekly Writers’ Night. It was a fun event filled with “tibak” music in fused bossanova and reggae genres that the crowd obviously enjoyed. A few poets read their pieces about love, sensuality and politics. Last night’s poetry reading was the more “radikal” though not necessarily pang-masa (for the masses). It is radically different from Penguin’s spoken word performances that patrons of Sanctum bar attend. It is nice to be able to attend both poetry reading/open-mic sessions and I can’t help but compare the voices that the writers use, as well as the subjects of their writings. It allows one to glimpse life from two different although not necessarily opposing ends of the social spectrum.

The audience was mostly composed of UP students and alumni, nearly all of them us from Diliman campus.

“Tulad ng ibong malaya ang pag-ibig natin
Tulad ng langit na kay sarap marating
Ang bawat tibok ng puso’y kay sarap damhin
Tulad ng himig na kay sarap awitin.”*

*”Himig ng Pag-Ibig” by Asin

My back and legs still hurt from last Saturday’s strenuous games at IBC. It had been two weeks since I last touched my rackets which explains why my muscles cry bloody murder when I try to move. But that won’t stop me from attending tonight’s regular Monday EB at Blue Rackets which I missed for about 4 weeks already. Sheesh.

Last Friday found Rome and I at Repertory Philippines’s production of “Taming of the Shrew” staged at Greenbelt 1’s OnStage theatre. It was a decent production that emphasised the Shakespearean tradition of having an all-male ensemble. It was funny for the most part and over-all a decent re-enactment of the Bard’s comedy. I wonder if that play would be written at all in the same manner or proselytize of female subjugation if Shakespeare lived in the 20th century.

After the play, we dropped by a nearby 7-11 outlet to buy beer and proceeded to Marianne’s slumber party for the eCutes. It wasn’t exactly a slumber party for my part since I didn’t sleep at her place but chose to leave early with Rome.

Saturday morning was spent at Powerbooks where I read a few itneresting books while Rome was interviewing the founders of Pinoy Writers. I sat with the group for a few moments and then excused myself when the interview’s direction turned towards Rome and I. Not that I minded being asked how we started or how long we’ve been together, but it was an interview about them and PinoyWriters egroup, not about the journalist and his girlfriend.

Evening was spent for a couple of hours at the opening of an Indian cultural center or gallery (or something like it). Chin-Chin Gutierrez opened the program with a melodius oyayi. Members of Bitaw gave an improvisational dance number as the band Sing India peformed. The band’s next numbers were supposed to encourage members of the audience to dance but I just couldn’t be depended on to hit the dancefloor that night, haha! Still, that does not mean I’m not into world music or anything that hardly resemble western tunes. I just couldn’t force my body to move according to their beats. I like Bollywood, but I don’t know how to do the Bollywood thing, if you get my drift. It didn’t help either that I was in a bad state that night.

I finally met Wawi, one of Rome’s closest friends, at the event. She’s the lead vocals of band The Late Isabel.

Vulture Review:

Cross dressers and cross-cultural ponderings

I’ve got to blog about the MTV Pilipinas Awards 2005 before I forget all about it. Rome and I went to the show last Thursday since he received complimentary tickets for the nth time. I bet he was sure that I hadn’t even been to *any* MTV Awards gig so that was probably another reason why we trooped to Araneta Coliseum last week.

The show, at the least, was entertaining. We left Makati quite late so we missed nearly half of the program. The biggest winner that night was the band River Maya which won two awards over my personal fave, Bamboo. Watching frontman Rico Blanco and company receive the award offered a chance trip to memory lane, way back in 1995 at the 2nd UP Fair where I first watched River Maya for the first time. The vocalist back then was Bamboo and Rico was not yet the glamor boy that he has turned out to be 11 years later. My, he looked younger than when he was in his early 20s (I’ll bet my neighbor’s dog that Mr. Blanco is in his 30s now, which isn’t a bad thing). The band’s drummer, Mark Escueta gave a short yet meaningful speech. The funniest bit was still reserved to the ever irreverent band, Parokya ni Edgar as the members emphasised that what they were saying on stage, they were simply reading from the cue cards. Funny people, those blokes!

Anyway, some acts that I saw included those of popsters Rachel Anne Go, Christian Bautista, Nina and some other guy whose name I forgot. Sugarfree, River Maya with the lead vocals of Session Road performed a swell tribute number for Gary V. How I wish that Mr. Valenciano would come up with new compositions and refrain from churning “revivals” altogether. Leave the covers to the neophytes. Kitchie Nadal won an award for something like “everybody’s favorite song, you’d hear it playing practically EVERYwhere” award. She had the right to win the award anyway. “Huwag na Huwag” figured in my list of favorite songs a couple of months ago. Of course, there was the “Pogi Rock” showdown between Hale (Hail???) and QueueCueshé. Sila pala yun.

So that was what MTV Awards was like. There were more bands than individual artists, and given the predilection of pop “artists” nowadays to release all-covers albums, we should be glad that there are many more out there who publish original pieces. That quite keeps the local music industry alive.

Oh yes, I also saw those famous, fabulous, freeety fifol whose photographs pepper magazines, billboards, lifestyle pages and God knows what else. Table napkin, perhaps? It would be too rude to suggest a different kind of paper, eh? They’re pretty, what can you do? They at least entertain us with their prettyness and that is a good thing given that everywhere you look you see squalor…partly covered by their pretty billboards.

Pag nagka-anak ako, papalakihin ko ring pretty.