againstdflow

 

Love the part from 1:30-1:40. Laugh trip takte.

Two of my fave bands are like best mates now, hanep.

Congrats sa Horsemenof theApocalypse sa pagkapanalo sa WCG Philippines CS Tourney! Lalo na sa blood brod ko na si LGx! May airtime pa daw kayo sa mga news show ah, at sa Digital Tour. Hanep. Tapos may article pa daw sa PDI, hayop talaga!


Hayup, di mapigilan ang ngiti! Hahaha.



Good luck sa WCG Finals.... sa Seattle!

At eto matindi mga bro, sa mga gaming forums, nakikita ko yun pangalang LGx ah... #1 Filipino CS v1.6 player daw. Hahahaha. Puta legend ka na brod! Mukha nga lang naooffend yun mga oldskool. Pero para sa amin na mga katropa mo sa Quesci, puta wala ng tatalo pa sayo!

Kung nun 4th year kami, tapos sinabi sakin ni Jupi na pwedeng gawing hanapbuhay ang paglalaro ng PC Games, tatawa na lang ako eh. Pero ngayon napapakamot na lang ako ng ulo sa mangha at bilib eh. Mas malaki pa kinikita niyo sa isang araw kumpara sa mga kumakayod sa mga banko, callcenter at kung anuman na hindi managerial position eh! Seasonal man ang laro at kita, pero puta 20k para sa panalo sa isang araw? Anak ng teteng oh, sarap naman nun pag panahong sunod sunod ang laro. Eh sa ngayon na may mga sponsor pa kayo, eh di mas madalang na ang mga tag tuyot na panahon. Hanep talaga.

Tangina nga naman pag pinanganak na swerte oh. Haha. Swerte ka na nga sa chicks, swerte ka pa sa buhay! Puta nanalo ka ng Meet and Greet Click5 sa Singapore last year diba! Hahaha. Tapos nakakabiyahe ka pa para lang maglaro ng CS. Tanginang kaswertihan yan oh. Tapos ngayon ang pinakaaasam na WCG title. Hehe. Pero lahat naman ng bagay pinaghihirapan eh (except yun sa Click5 na talagang ubod na ang kapit ng swerte), kaya tama lang na sa inyo ang titulo.

Iwagayway niyo ang bandera ng Pilipinas sa Seattle! GL sa WCG Philippines CS Team!

One thing I'm surely going to miss when I go back home to the Philippines in September would be satellite TV. Man oh man, it's the best thing I've experienced here in the states. 1,000++ channels? Having something good on TV at all times is now guaranteed thing.

I get to watch the current on- going seasons of TV shows. And I also get to watch old episodes of Scrubs, The Chappelle Show, and a lot of good television shows. And I can't forget about movie channels, all 50++ of them. Holy shit is an understatement. I get to watch DVD releases 2 weeks after their official release. And I don't need to worry about not watching them right away, since about 30 of the PPV channels air these movies for a week to 2 weeks. For example, Stomp the Yard has 3 channels dedicated solely to it, all day for 2 weeks. Get the drift? And after its premiere run it's transferred to the remaining movie channels which are arranged by genre. Cool, huh.

But that's not even the best thing about having satellite TV. One word: sports.

I get to watch all the latest on all sports. And I even get to watch all PPV events live. Now, even holy fuckin' shit is an understatement. I get to watch basketball all day. I have NBA TV for my reports, analysis and replays, and ESPN, Fox Sports, ABC, TNT for my games. I'm not even sad that it's the offseason, 'cause I get to watch all Vegas summer league games and some WNBA games on NBA TV. I'm a basketball junkie so this is definitely good for me. The WNBA? SUE BIRD, reason enough to watch. I'm just bummed, she's injured and not going to play in the All- Star.

I get my PPV wrestling fix twice or thrice a month with the WWE, TNA: Impact, and Ring of Honor (WTF? obscure promotions on PPV? haha). And of course, mixed martial arts and boxing. I've watched about 7 MMA PPVs (UFC, EliteXC/Strikeforce, K1, Cage Rage, King of the Cage) in just 3 months, and weekly boxing PPVs. And I get these LIVE. Being a fightfan, this is a dream, man. Live boxing and MMA PPVs weekly, and replays on the weekdays? Hanep.

Some of my favorites (so far). I've watched the replays of these over and over again.

Floyd Mayweather vs. Oscar Dela Hoya
This is a classic. I'm not a big Mayweather fan, because he refuses to mix it up and plays the hit-hit-run style seen previously from Prince Naseem Hamed, but he displayed such skill in this one that not praising him would be an insult to one's self. Pretty Boy threw less punches than the Golden Boy, but he landed more at an alarming accuracy and efficiency. Now that's some foot and hand speed. It looked like sparring practice for the still unbeaten Mayweather. Dela Hoya has nothing to be ashamed of, and if possible this only improved his boxing rep rather than tarnish it. But he should really consider retiring now, I just don't see him exchanging more with power punchers like Ricky Hatton, and Miguel Cotto.

UFC 71: Liddell vs Jackson
One of the best UFC I've watched in recent memory. Loaded undercards, and phenomenal main event. Some of the matches I've enjoyed were:

Lightweight: Din Thomas vs. Jeremey Stephens
This match is a perfect demonstration of why brute strength isn't everything at MMA. They give us an evenly fought first round, and an even exciter 2nd round. The veteran Thomas positions himself for an armbar subsmission, but Stephens is still on his side preventing for a full extension of the arm. Sensing the predicament he's in, the debuting Stephens carries the whole weight of Thomas (further risking putting more pressure on the hold on his arm) for a slam, in hopes of shaking off Thomas and the hold. Unfortunately for him, Thomas is so crafty that he hooks on to Stephens' leg before he hits the ground, further improving his position on the armbar, and eventually submitting the rook. Thomas' post fight interview is even more entertaining than his performance, "I'm slick as a motherfucker" in referring to his fantastic move in avoiding the impact of the slam. Then he blasts boxers who dismiss MMA as entertainment rather than a legit sport, "Where them boxers at? Where Mayweather at? Where Kermit Cintron at? Y'wanna fight? I'm the motherfucka to fight!" before showing a demo of his jab- uppercut combination.

Light Heavyweight: Houston Alexander vs. Keith Jardine
Jardine underestimates the "old" newcomer, and he gets his ass kicked. Jiu-jitsu kicked in once Alexander slipped in one knee after another, setting up for the ending flurry of punches.

Light Heavyweight (Championship Bout): Chuck Liddell vs. Quinton Jackson
With all the hoopla leading to this fight, Liddell has become a household name, appearing on mainstream publication (ESPN The Mag) and TV (Entourage). That in itself is amazing for the UFC and the MMA community. Before The Iceman, the sport's biggest star was Tito Ortiz because of his in- ring and off- ring antics. Liddell has since taken over that spot. But Rampage Jackson took over his championship spot. Liddell has victimized many with that looping left hook of his, but it cost him his title when Jackson duck the hook and threw a counter right hand that caught Liddell and sent him sprawling to the mat. Jackson quickly pounced on the now glassy eyed Liddell. Three punches in, and it was all over. Jackson howling like a madman afterwards was pure entertainment.

K1 Dynamite! USA
This was memorable more for its circus like athmosphere rather than for its fights. Dennis Rodman with the intro? Torch bearing? The LA Coliseum as a venue? Need I say more.

Heavyweight: Bernard Ackah vs. Jonnie Morton
African comedian based in Japan vs. former NFL star. Weird pairing, eh? Norton comes out guns blazing, only to get knocked right on the button by a power hit from Ackah... 38 seconds into the fight. Norton gets carried off in a stretcher afterwards. To add insult to injury, Norton tests positive for steroids post fight.

Super Heavyweight: Mo Siligia vs. Ruben Villareal
Kickboxing star Mighty Mo continues to make the transition to MMA in his thrid MMA bout. Warpath Villareal looks to add another impressive opponent to his list... of people he lost to. LOL. But you gotta give the man his props, it's no joke fighting against Bas Rutten, Ricco Rodriguez, and Dan Severn. He managed to draw Don Frye a few years bacl, though. The heavy handed Samoan catches Villareal with a right that sends the native American to the canvas. Villareal, still disoriented, turns his back onto Siligia setting up the referee stoppage.

Heavyweight: Dong Sik Yun vs. Melvin Manhoef
Manhoef comes out of the gate swinging a la late 90s/ early 00s Vitor Belfort, punishing Yun with machine gun like punches. The Korean weathers the storm, though and is able to take down the kickboxing specialist before the first round ends. Manhoef again pulls the trigger on his punches in the 2nd round, but gets taken down by the then winless Korean. After fighting for position, Yun submits his opponent via armbar. That was the Korean's first win, a real suprise to me since he looked like a real good tehcnical guy. Yun may have won, but he certainly didn't look the part. His left eye was as big as a friggin' golf ball.

Super Heavyweight: Brock Lesnar vs. Min Soo Kim
This was supposed to be Brock vs. the Techno Goliath Hong Man Choi, but the Korean was pulled of the card for health reasons. This left the former WWE Champion to fight 1996 Olympic taekwondo medalist Kim, another Korean. Brock looked great in his MMA debut, displaying power and agility unseen from a guy his size, but then again I think any heavyweight would look good against the goofy looking Korean. Brock achives full mount and Kim submits... via strikes? WTF? First time I've seen someone tapout from being hit.

EliteXC/ Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Baroni
The undercard of this MMA event by fledgling promotions EliteXC and Strikeforce was a little underwhelming, but its main event more than made up for that. Cung Le was good, but not exactly impressive.

Middleweight (Strikeforce Championship Bout): Frank Shamrock vs. Phil Baroni
It wasn't exactly the fight of the year that it was advertised to be, but is sure was entertaining to watch. From the pre- fight feuding, to the slobber- knocker of a fight, to the post- fight flashing, this was brilliant MMA promo right here, further showing that MMA is leaving boxing in the dust. The 2 former UFC fighters go at it right from the get go, with Shamrock surprising many with his still loaded (and maybe even better) fists. Baroni was dazed from being made a punching bag for the fists of Shmarock, but survived the opening round. Shamrock, although impressive, looked gassed at the start of the 2nd round and understandably so. He tore both ACL and MCL a couple of weeks prior to the fight, and had no cardio whatsoever. Baroni unleashed some power punches, but Shamrock absorbed most of them and countered with some of his own. Baroni went for the takedown, and got it, but it seemed Shamrock wanted it that way. With the injury, Shamrock isn't able to shoot on his own to get the fight to the ground, therefore the takedown was actually a blessing for him because of his superior ground skill. Baroni never established a solid guard, and Shamrock ended the fight with a rear naked choke. Baroni never tapped out, though. He chose to pass out rather than submit to Shamrock. I think Baroni might have been hit once too many, because he flashed Bill Goldberg during the post fight interview, prompting Goldberg to react, "Put that thing away, man!" Haha.

UFC 73: Stacked
What an appropriate title for the event. 4 of the 5 main cards are top draw fights.

Lightweight (Championship Bout): Hermes Franca vs. Sean Sherk
Fuck, Sherk is beast. I'm a big BJJ fan, so naturally I wanted Franca to win this one, but Sherk just overpowered him in every way. Total dominance, no question. Except for the three knees to the head, and the guillotine choke attempt, Franca didn't mount any offense at all. Of course, Sherk had a lot to do with that, never letting Franca get control. Sherk easily passed Franca's guard everytime and gained full mount at will. A great example of this would be in the opening round, Sherk survives a knee to head from Franca, then picks up Franca for a slam, only to find himself in a guillotine choke which he then easily escapes from by overpowering Franca. He's that good, and he went 100% during the full 5 rounds. Franca was obviously tired during the last 2 rounds, since he had another chance for a guillotine but he just let it go due to exhauastion. Unanimous decision to Sherk.

Light Heavyweight: Rashad Evan vs. Tito Ortiz
I hate to say this but Tito Ortiz maybe (just maybe) is on the back end of his dominance. The Huntington Beach Bad Boy is still an okay fighter, but let's face it, in the last three years the only guy he has completely dominated is a 40 year old Ken Shamrock. And against Rashad Evans, people were looking for a return to form for Tito, mainly because he's a much bigger fighter than Evans. But that dominance never happened. He can't even go for a clean flawless takedown against the smaller and lighter Evans. At one point in the 2nd round, Tito had Evans on a single with a little bit of elevation, but he couldn't completely sweep Evans off from under. Maybe it was just brilliant takedown defense from Evans, but then again Tito is supposed to be one of the premier fighters of the sport. In the 3rd round, Tito looked slow and Evans was able to pick him up for a slam. The Tito of old wouldn't let that happen. The fight may have ended in a draw (due to a point taken from Tito for holding onto the cage), but IMO Tito lost this one. This was a great opportunity for him to show that he's not yet through, and he didn't take advantage. And this fight may have further diminished his crowd drawing status. Aside from the Shamrock dismantling he has done, he hasn't won any marquee fights in impressive fashion lately. He split both Forest Griffin and Vitor Belfort, he didn't even finish Patrick Cote (a UFC noob at that time) and let the cards do the decision.

Middleweight (Championship Bout): Nathan Marquardt vs Anderson Silva
How do you stop the spider? Middleweights are probably mulling that right now. Marquardt never had a chance against the all around Brazilian. Silva is so long and rangy that his opponents have a hard time both in the standup and in the guard. I don't get why he doesn't get the respect he deserves, but I think Silva will be holding the title for a long time, no matter who stands in his way.

Fights I would love to see in the future:
I know Dana White and Joe Silva will protect Chuck Liddell in his next fight, so we might not see a Chuck - Wanderlei Silva this year. And if reports are indeed true, it will be Keith Jardine vs Chuck on the UFC: 76 maincard. WTF? Jardine got knocked the fuck out by a nobody and he gets Chuck as a prize? Real classy ducking by White and Silva to protect their boy. What's the plan? Build The Iceman up again? Chuck doesn't need building up anymore, he's got enough of a rep that a knockout loss to Rampage will not really destroy him overnight. This Jardine fight will only get him more heat from ignorant keyboard pushers. Let's bring on The Axe Murderer vs. The Iceman!

But if we do not get that this year, I have some fights I want to see in the near future.

Heavyweight: Randy Couture vs. Gabriel Gonzaga
We're getting this on UFC 74! Wooo! Another big striker for The Natural, another victory I suspect. Couture may not have the greatest track record against strikers and bigger guys, but I honestly believe he's good enough to get past Gonzaga just as long as he gets the fight on the ground, because Gonzaga has shown impressive knockout power from both his punches and kicks, and he's not a bad ground guy, too. I'm genuinely excited for this one.

Light Heavyweight: Dan Henderson vs. Quinton Jackson
I'm a big Hollywod Dan fan, so yeah I want him to win this unification bout that is the main card of UFC 75. Both has knockout power, and more than average ground game (especially Henderson). A Pride and UFC LHW title unification fight? This is history in the making right here! After Henderson beats Rampage (which I'm hoping for), I want to see a Anderson Sylvia - Dan Henderson MW unification bout, haha. Sorry Rich Franklin fans, there's no chance in hell Sylvia will lose to Franklin, so we might as well put the best 183 lb fighter against the Spider -- and that's Henderson. Unless, Matt Lindland, Fedor or Ninja Rua decides to fights in the UFC.

Welterweight: Dan Henderson vs. Anderson Sylvia
As explained above.

Lightweight: BJ Penn vs. Sean Sherk
I don't know if Penn is moving back up to welterweight, but if he doesn't, this fight should definitely happen. Someone has to expose Sherk in someway and Penn just might be the guy to do that. Sherk is so overpowering that opponents have a trouble getting control once he mounts on them, but Penn is a crafty BJJ guy that has shown he can outfight bigger, stronger guys on the ground with wins over Matt Hughes (RNC) and Matt Serra (cards). The only problem for Penn that I see is that Sherk is a cardio machine, and we have yet to see Penn come in with awesome cardio. That might be a factor if the fight goes the distance. This should definitely happen, this year or early next year.

Heavyweight: Mirko Cro Cop vs. Tim Sylvia
2 big strikers, one big brawl. Reason enough?

EliteXC/ Strikeforce Middleweight: Frank Shamrock vs. Ninja Rua
It's only reasonable to do a fight between these two guys since they won middleweight titles (different promotions) on the same card, even though I still think Rua should be the only one taken seriously since the Strikeforce title bout between Shamrock and Baroni was a fluke. Smokin' Joe Villasenor (who lost to Rua for the EliteXC title) could've have beaten either guy. That title fight was just to draw the crowds, nothing more. Frank Shamrock is only a legend because no one really knows his current ability and health, he's more of a mystery, because like Dana White said, "Frank plays a game of smoke and mirrors." Frank Shamrock will never fight a top MW guy today, because he's protecting his "legend." What do you expect, the guy walked away from the UFC at age 27 just so he could go out on top, stating he has nothing more to offer and prove. WTF? He defended the MW belt for only 4 times and against only 2 marquee names (Ortiz and Jeremy Horn). I would have respected the guy if he defended for the same length as Tito did and against more marquee names. I want to see this fight, just to see Rua beat the crap out of Shamrock. But then again, Shamrock would probably duck this fight. What a waste.

I think now is the right time to review Paramore’s Riot! It has been 3 weeks since the release of the sophomore effort from the now- quartet group from Tennessee, and 2 1/2 weeks since I bought my 3 (read it: 3, effin’ 3!) copies of the album’s different versions. This review will cover all 11 songs standard on all releases, and in the latter part I will also do all bonuses contained in the f.y.e edition, Hot Topic edition, and Best Buy edition. What is not covered in this review is the Euro/ UK released Riot! and the standard 10” clear vinyl, and the limited edition 10” vinyl (which I’m really having a hard time getting my hands on, without having them shipped over by HMV from the UK, and paying a ton).

 

Why wait 2 weeks to give a review? Well, to be direct and straight to the point: I didn’t to give it a mediocre mark because it failed to blow me away instantly. I was hoping that the album (s!) would grow on me over time, well not really the whole album, but some specific cuts on it. To get started, I’ll give it my rating: 3 out of 5. I’ll explain further in the following paragraphs.

 

Riot! is a riot. And that’s a good thing, and a bad thing. Good because the tracks show variety, growth, and experimentation. Bad because the album seems like a mixtape; a mishmash of songs that don’t share a uniform identity. 2005’s All We Know Is Falling introduced us to a female fronted version of Fall Out Boy (or for those in the know, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus), and all songs fall in line of what can be expected from that description.

 

But Riot! is just unclassifiable, for lack of a better term. One minute you’re listening to Paramore, then next you don’t know if it’s Flyleaf, Panic! At The Disco, or (gasp!) Kelly Clarkson you’re listening to, hence the mixtape description.

 

Needless to say, the album contains worthwhile cuts. The first single off the album was Misery Business, which is throwback Paramore. Fantastic vocals, catchy guitar riff, and a pounding rhythm section. Other tracks that can be considered throwbacks are the first track For A Pessimist, I’m Pretty Optimistic, Hallelujah, and the encore Born For This. Hallelujah needs no explanation -- it was written as the time as AWKIF was written, and was leaked out about a year and a half ago, although the one contained in the CD is a new recording of it (so, for the FAN, y’might want to label them as different tracks on your iTunes or something). The headstrong opening track and equally headstrong closing track are both okay, but nothing really new and to a certain extent BFT is just awkward to listen to. BFT is amazing live, but in the recorded version the tribute line to The Refused (“We want the airwaves back”) is just awkward and could’ve been better. I actually like the track now, but it took 2 weeks of listening to nothing but the CD to do it. Both tracks utilizes gang vocals, which is good since gang vocals have been a staple of rock music since the 70’s, but the it was overdone on BFT in my opinion.

 

Another problem that plagues this release is the leaks. All four tracks I’ve mentioned so far have been leaked onto the internet months (and in Hallelujah’s case, a whole year) before the CD’s actual release. So, by the time you get the CD, these 4 supposed new tracks are old.

 

Paramore gets you amped and dancing with That’s What You Get and Miracle. The former is turning out to be one of my favorite Paramore songs of all, and it certainly is my favorite off of this release. It’s reminiscent of Here We Go Again; it’s awfully and easily familiar but at the same time it’s not, which makes it fun to listen to. Gang vocals again play a part here, which includes Steven from Fuse’s SURS (just a quick info). The latter track is your clichéd, never-give-up-‘cause-there-is-hope track.

 

The group tries to channel their inner Flyleaf in We Are Broken. Yeah, clichéd line and song again. But the group somehow manages to make it more than that. It actually feels very spiritual, and very much like the group means every line, every beat, and every riff of it. It’s this CD’s Franklin. Great track, not for the casual fan though.

 

Last notable track would have to be the Lilith Fair worthy When It Rains. It’s a nice laidback, acoustic- tinged ditty about searching for truth when it’s not there anymore. Sarah McLachlan would be proud of this, and this beats out anything the Frampton (of Meg and Dia fame) sisters churn out.

 

So, that covers 8 of 11 standard tracks. Where’s the other 3 then? Uhm, they’re the tracks you kind of skipped and fastforwarded. To enumerate: Let the Flames Begin, crushcrushcrush, and Fences. The first one is just not worth discussing, although scenekids are hailing it as their trial by fire song. The song sucks, plain and simple. The 2^nd one, I was disappointed with, because with a title like that it should be a kick ass song! But instead it’s a trance/ house music lined track that would be mainly for new fans. The last track is just peculiar. It has P!aTD written all over it. Just replace Brendon Urie.

 

Now for the bonuses. One of the main problem for every fan, is that Fueled By Ramen wanted to market Paramore to bigger audience so bad, they offered special exclusives to a lot of companies, which led to about 5 editions of Riot! excluding the standard release, and this is in the US alone. UK has the import, and the 2 10” vinyls, which has My Hero (electric remix), and a cover of U2’s Sunday Bloody Sunday. Meaning if you’re looking to legally (!!!) complete your Paramore catalogue, you have to really part with your money. f.y.e had the live Here We Go Again bonus, and Hot Topic had  Decoy. Still, sweet deals right? Not every band offers b-sides. But if you’re looking for bang for the buck, the Best Buy version was the best, as it offered 3 bonus tracks: Stop This Song (lovesick melody), Rewind demo, and the live Emergency. I didn’t bother getting Smartpunk and Kmart’s releases, as they only offered free ringtones of the single. Still working on getting all 3 Euro/ UK releases, though. Getting a hold of the BestBuy edition now would be very difficult, as not that many CD’s of that were printed. I got mine on the 4^th day of the release, and it was the 3^rd to the last on the rack. My friend who went there the next day, got a CD, but it was already the standard disc. I’m just saying.

 

The live tracks are self explanatory, both are from the debut album. And again, leaks come into play. Decoy and Rewind are leaked tracks, and it might be possible that management just decided to put them in as bonuses now, since the tracks won’t offer anything new anymore. I really don’t care for Decoy that much, since it’s not that good and that’s probably the reason it got cut, but Rewind is a different thing. A lot of people, including me, were waiting for the polished version of it eversince the live demo of it came out last year. But instead we get a four track recorded demo version of it. Still better than the live one, but the song had so much potential. I guess will never know now. What I’m still scratching my head about now is how Stop This Song got cut. It has got the potential to be a single, and it’s one of the strongest tracks the group has ever done.

 

Overall, the CD is not necessarily a step back for the band, but it also certainly isn’t a step forward. It doesn’t do anything to build up the critical acclaim they enjoyed for the first album. It’s a safe album, with tracks laid out to cater to everyone. But convention says, you can’t satisfy everyone, so it’s a mistake to do an album this broad in scope.

 

Hayley’s vocals are as tremendous as ever, but the writing is shaky at most. The totally surprising, memorable lines are still here, but so are forgettable lines. Examples would be from Misery Business: “Second chances they don't ever matter, people never change/ Once a whore you're nothing more, I'm sorry, that'll never change/ And about forgiveness, we're both supposed to have exchanged/ I'm sorry honey, but I'm passing up, now look this way”

crushcrushcrush: “They taped over your mouths/ Scribbled out the truth with their lies/ You little spies”

Stop This Song: “This four- four beat I’m in time with you”

We are Broken: “Keep me safe inside/ Your arms like towers/ Tower over me”

These are very anthem- ready for scenekids to grab and make as their daily life quotes (LOL).

And then there’s lines from Let The Flames Begin: “This is how we dance when they try to take us down/ This is how we sing/ This is how we’ll stand when they burn our houses down/ This is how will be oh glory” I’m sure she meant well in writing that, but I’m also sure there a ton of other ways to write about strength during trial and tribulations.

Fences: “And it's obvious that you're dying, dying/ Just living proof that the camera's lying/ And open wide, 'cause this is your night/ So smile, 'cause you'll go out in style.
You'll go out in style” So P!aTD, plain and simple. Fortunately, Hayley carries the songs through sheer vocal performance.

 

And now more than ever, the band seems to be buried under Hayley. Gone are Josh’s memorable bridge guitar lines, and his riffs seem so obscure with the singing. Suffering even worse is the bassline of Jeremy, which only gets exposed during some of the track’s downtime at either the intro, outro or bridge. Only Zac’s rhythms seem to have improved, and it was in full showcase here alongside Hayley. No wonder Kerrang! has been ragging on them as being Hayley’s band for months, as if the boys are just that -- her boys. Yeah, totally uncalled for, but they got to sell pieces off the stands and they actually have some basis for it.

 

This album is good, but not great, especially for those who have followed the band from 2 years back. From a critical standpoint, this album is a letdown. But if Fueled By Ramen’s plan was to gain newer fans and ease Paramore into the mainstream, then by all means this album is a commercial success. Numbers never lie, and so does mainstream TV appearance and exposure. In the US, during the first week of it’s release, Riot! was:

#5 on iTunes Alternative chart

#22 on iTunes Top 100

#6 on Billboard’s Current Alternative

#7 on Billboard’s Current Rock

#10 on Billboard’s Digital Chart

#20 on Billboard’s OVERALL 100

And last week it was released in the UK, and it placed #1 on the rock charts, and #24 overall. But the craziest stat is this: during its 1^st week of official release, it sold 42,027 copies! Half of what AWKIF sold in 2 years, and it is the biggest opening by a FBR act not named Fall Out Boy. And to add to the craziness, they finally appeared on mainstream TV last week, on MTV’s TRL nonetheless! View the clip here (Hayley looks like a kid!). Think it doesn’t get better than that? Think again! Their faces are plastered on the windows of TRL in Times Square New York! And these are huge friggin’ posters covering the whole window! That, and they’re headlining Warped Tour and MTV Live. Yep, they’re getting big.

Convention and the Miguel Alonzo theory of elitism says I should be shying and slowly easing away from them now. But no, I think they deserve every single bit of this. I've been a fan for two years, and I'll be a fan until the day they do choreographed dance moves.

I love them. And now, so does MTV.

May 19, 2007 is a date I won't be forgetting anytime soon, or forever for that matter. It's because that's the date I got to see PARAMORE LIVE! That's big for someone who only got to see them rock it out on YouTube before. It's just plain big for me, period.

I'm flying back to Torrance tonight, after spending almost the past week and a half here in Vallejo (near San Francisco) at my friend Mark's house. Franco stayed over, too. So, it was like a reunion of sorts for us after not seeing each other for sometime. Franco, who's based in Reno, and I really had a good time. Aside from the drinking, we mostly enjoyed getting around San Francisco and seeing Paramore live! Here's a little recap of key dates and events.

May 10
I fly over from LAX. My flight gets delayed by about an hour, so I get to SFO at around 12:30am. Mark picked me up, while Franco drove from Reno. Stopped by Taco Bell before going to their house. Drank Smirnoff while updating each other on each other's shit.

May 11
We picked up Pau Jovy from the bus stop, since he just rode the bus from Pittsburgh ('yun dito lang sa SF area ah! haha!). We ate dinner at this Chinese buffet. Pucha, OA na yun pagkain sa dami eh. Haha. Then, we bought Hennessy to add to the Smirnoff and Heineken already at Mark's house. Bigtime na eh, 'di na kami tumitirada ng Emperador. Hahaha! Joke. Biniro pa nga namin 'yun kahera sa Food4Less eh, Pinay kasi, "do you carry Emperador? how about Ginebra?" Haha, natawa na lang siya eh. After just about two shots of Hennessy (syempre shot, Pinoy style tagay eh! haha), Franco was already done for the night. Bulagta na agad si gago, nasobrahan 'ata ng Smirnoff bago kami ng Food4Less.

May 12
Went malling at Fairfield. Got a couple of shirts at Hot Topic, then we dropped off Pau back at the bus stop since he was leaving for the Philippines in 3 days. Ate at Nation's. Puta, 'di makatao 'yun Nations, 'di talaga. 'Yun serving hindi lang pangdalawa eh, siguro pang tatluhan pa eh.

May 13
We went to downton San Francisco -- Union Square, specifically. Walked around, took pictures. Walked some more, got to China Town. Stopped at Starbucks and got coffee, taking pictures while mocking Pinoys who have the urge to take pictures while at Starbucks and posting it on their Friendster with the line, "at Starbucks." WTF? Parang monument of some sort or parang nagbakasyon ka na rin pala pag nasa Starbucks kaya dapat may litrato. Mga jologs, eh bibili lang kayo ng isang kape at tutunganga ng ilang oras. Haha. Rode the cable car to the Pier and then came the winning line from Franco, "sa isang taon ko dito sa States ngayon ko lang masasabi, andito na talaga ako." Franco's a self providing student kasi, so before this 1 week break he took he was working nights and studying mornings. Haha. The view was fucking sick, mehn. Alcatraz, Golden Gate, the sea lions. The Pier and Wharf itself was unlike anything I've seen before. Talagang nasa America na nga ako, haha.

May 16
Got Air Force 1 mids! Cost me $85 (including tax), since the sales lady at the mall was a Pinay, we just made small talk and coyed her into giving us the 20% employee discount, hahaha. Mark got one, too, albeit in a different color. Mark's a wannabe African- American, so he walks in this weird way as to not get creases on the shoes. Wala naman ako paki, magka crease man o hindi, haha.

May 19
We watched Paramore. LIVE! at Slim's in downton SF. It was mostly Franco and me, since Mark went home at around 9 (the show started at 8!) Haha. Can't blame him, though, it's not his music. I'll expound on this glorious night in a later post.

May 20
Went to the different viewing spots at the Golden Gate bridge, and walked the bridge itself. Take, masaya ako na malungkot eh. Parang gusto ko sana kasama ko pamilya ko sa ganito eh. Eh sa walang magagawa, ako lang may ticket eh. Pero sayang talaga kasi sobrang ganda ng view. We went to Church in the afternoon with Mark's family. While lining up for communion, Franco was pointing to a girl. Banat ko naman, "Oo chong, cute nga." Si Mark naman, "Batang bata pa 'yan, ano ba!" Biglang talikod at ngiti 'yun babae, sabay banat ng, "Nakakaintindi ako ng tagalog." Haha, takte natawa na lang ako eh. Wala talagang kakupas- kupas katarantaduhan natin, kahit sa Simbahan 'di pinalampas.

Well, that's it! I'll go back to my boring, routine life in Torrance. While I already have friends there, nothing beats the company of friends you've known for 17 years (Franco), and 9 years (Mark). Kakainggit pa, magbabakasyon si Mark sa Pinas ng June-July, parang gusto ko na rin tuloy umuwi. Pagbalik sa Torrance, wala akong mabibiro ng mga katarantaduhan namin, eh pano isa lang naman kaibigan kong Pinoy dun, laking 'tate pa, tapos the rest halo halong lahi na. Tae.

Pictures are in my Multiply, all 350++ of them or so.

I just remembered, I was watching NBA TV and FSN last week (well, I really do watch them everyday) and they discussed the current state of the Playoffs. The main issue was, is the quick and immediate exit of the defending champions, the Miami Heat, and the best team this season, the Dallas Mavericks, bad for the league?

 

On NBA TV, Peter Vessy (sp?!?) of the New York Post stated that he believed that this would be bad for the league’s image, simply for the fact that the league would be losing two of its current most profitable teams. It would dull away the Playoffs without marquee names such as Dwayne Wade, Shaquille O’Neal, Dirk Nowitzki and Kobe Bryant (even though no one expected the LA Lakers to advance; and add Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming, since Houston was yet to be eliminated at the time of the discussion). And he was saying that a repeat of the San Antonio Spurs - Detroit Pistons Finals would happen, in which the NBA received some of the lowest ratings it had all time. I suppose that the Spurs –Pistons scenario was just used to show what he was talking about, the Playoffs are only beginning the conference semis after all, it would be getting ahead thinking about Finals pairings. I think the contention was that people would shy away from games, simply because the remaining teams and players are not as marketable; that the Playoffs are just kicking into gear and its top draws both just got bounced!

 

I understand the point that people would be looking for the popular players, and that questions such as, “Who’s Ben Gordon? Who’s Luol Deng? Who’s Baron Davis? Isn’t that the guy (Stephen Jackson) that punched out a fan?” would pop out. To a certain point, that argument is valid since these are second tier stars (at the most) compared to the superstars they booted out. Valid, but incomplete in my opinion. The league’s, and the Playoffs specifically, appeal would definitely diminish. But at the same time, it’s not like the remaining teams are devoid of stars. LeBron James, Vince Carter, and Jason Kidd are still strong draws from the East. The run and gun Phoenix Suns, bannered by their trio of All- Stars, is one of the most popular teams, if not THE most popular. The Pistons and Spurs, no matter how boring they might seem, both hold a solid fanbase. And of course, there’s the now fashionable Golden State Warriors and their throng of rabid fans, which includes a celebrity list that can rival those in attendance at last Saturday’s Floyd Mayweather Jr – Oscar de la Hoya superfight.

 

Which brings us to the counterpoint: it might be bad for the league’s image, but good for basketball. Steve Kerr on FSN answered the same question with that.

 

I don’t think it could have been said any better. Fans that would get up and go simply because a certain team or player is booted out, are just that -- fans. But people who would stick it out, and be genuinely excited about how things are not going by the book are the people who really matter. Followers -- they should be called that. There’s a certain sense of intimacy with the term, while the term fan, in my opinion, connotes glamour of being associated with something. The followers, and to take it to extremes -- purists, are the ones who see everything from two sides and are able to roll with changes. They are the constant, year in year out, watching, observing, appreciating. They see the beauty in an underdog willfully playing its way in dismantling a 67-win team. They see the magnificence in the maturation of the formerly Baby Bulls. They see the splendor of Steve Nash’s flapping hair as he weaves through traffic, orchestrating the best symphony the league has seen in years. They appreciate the traditional, and methodical way the Spurs and Pistons play. They notice just how good Jason Kidd really is despite all the knocks on his age and fitness (they also see how sportswriters robbed Kidd of the MVP award four years ago, haha!), but at the same time they notice that the Toronto Raptors will be a force in the years to come with their young core of talented players, because the best teacher is still experience, just ask the Bulls. They distinguish that it’s not Kobe’s fault, and it’s not Lamar Odom’s fault (no matter how many times he gets blasted by the media), but that change should start from upstairs.

 

They are thankful for those still playing the traditional way, but they welcome those who play out of the box, play without constraints and against convention, play the game to innovate it. They observe that a changing of guards is starting as older, aging teams/ players (Spurs, Heat, Shaq, Pistons, Iverson) are being challenged head on by the nu- skool kids (Bulls, Warriors, Suns, LeBron, Carmelo Anthony). The change will happen, definitely, but that would not turn them off. As the saying goes, change is inevitable. In basketball it represents the progression of the sport. That’s what diehards live for. In a heartbeat, they simply love live basketball.

 

So, no I don’t think the NBA should be alarmed that the Heat and Mavericks got bounced just like that. Sure, it may hurt revenues a little, but it will surely balance out once fans get wind of the next big thing. It shouldn’t be bad for the league’s image, what it should be is bad for the teams themselves.

 

The Heat should be kicking itself for thinking it can still ride Shaq and its cast of old timers. Ride into the sunset, maybe. But not for a repeat. Experience is nice, but not when all of you can’t move laterally to save your life. The team ran on fumes last year, it was just that they had a motivated young driver that masterfully maneuvered them to the finish line. This year though, the tank was already dried up at the start of the season. Not only was the tank dried up, the entire thing creaked the whole time. This is one car, save for a few new parts (Wade, Jason Kapono, Udonis Haslem), functional but commonplace pieces (James Posey, Jason Williams) and a serviceable vintage item (Shaq), in need of a major overhaul.

 

The Mavericks on the other hand are just pathetic. For a 67- win squad to be afraid and timid against a team that finished 25 games below them is just pitiable. It’s not just the players, the coaching staff should also share the blame, too. No reason will ever be enough to justify a no. 1 seed changing lineups to adapt to an 8^th seed, no matter how the matchups are. The 1^st seed should be the one imposing their will, not the other way around. Tough luck to the Mavs, job well done for the Warriors.

 

Wait, lost in all these is the MVP awarding. With it coming up, I now foresee a bad scenario for the league. Just how the fuck would anyone explain Dirk Nowitzki as the MVP?

Those are the words of Jerry Brown in referring to how the Lakers have gone into a full 180-degree turn since Shaquille O'Neal left. And I guess the same can be said for these NBA Playoffs, which has been nothing short of crazy and stunning. Oh yeah, how the mighty have fallen.

First to fall were the Miami Heat. Okay, 2^nd to the Orlando Magic, but no one was expecting the upstart Magic to advance anyway. But a lot was expected of the Miami Heat, even though the Chicago Bulls held serve over them. And yeah why not, the Heat have All Stars Shaquille O’Neal and Dwayne Wade, former All Stars Antoine Walker, Jason Williams and Eddie Jones, future Hall of Famers Gary Payton and Alonzo Mourning. Yeah big names, compared to the Bulls’ relative unknowns.

So, why were the Heat on the receiving end of a sweep?

Truth be told, the Heat’s best players this season aside from Wade and O’Neal (who will always be better than mediocre just because of his size) were Jason Kapono, Udonis Haslem and James Posey. And even Wade and O’Neal were only subpar. Wade, understandably, because of the shoulder injury, and Shaq because of his insistence that he can just turn on a switch and bang, the old Shaq will be ready. And Wade’s limited mobility and Shaq’s age showed in the Playoffs, with Wade averaging close to 7 TOs a game, and Shaq not even putting up a double- double, much less a 20-10. To sum it up, the Heat were just too old, and too banged up.

Couple that with the Baby Bulls, who finally are showing some of that adolescent swagger. Yeah, Ben Wallace is the only All Star they’ve got, but Luol Deng and Ben Gordon definitely has the makings of one. Kirk Hinrich is somewhere between the level of Deng and Gordon and a second tier star, but he’s just as valuable as those two. Then they have the energy guys – Andres Nocioni, and Tyrus Thomas. And the most important of all, the veteran presence of Wallace and PJ Brown. These Bulls are stacked, and not only that, they believe they let Miami win last year! I know it’s all semantics, but they refuse to say that Miami beat them last year, but rather that they let Miami win. Now that’s confidence right there, which transferred to the court with Deng repeatedly going for mid range jump shots, Gordon and Nocioni burning the Heat by popping 3s after 3s, and even Wallace got into the act by making 7 straight free throws at one point, non more important that the last 4 in the dying minutes. If John Paxon can only find a way to keep this core for the years to come (Hinrich, Deng, Gordon, and Nocioni were all signed in a span of two years, with all coming off the books within the same span) MJ’s heyday might finally be a distant memory for the Chicago Bulls. But that’s another story.

Let’s move to the West, where the Dallas Mavericks, the best team in all of basketball, fell to the running and gunning Golden State Warriors. Now I loved this series, not because Baron Davis is up and healthy and showing up people, but because for once I have proof that Dirk Nowitzki is a choker. I used to argue a lot with my friends that Dirk is a Playoff choker, but they would counter that his numbers are greater compared to Steve Nash and Michael Finley therefore those two are the chokers and are responsible for holding Dallas down. Y’know why Dirk’s numbers were better than Nash and Fin’s, which were littered by bad shooting percentages and TOs? Because during their time together in Dallas, it was Fin and Nash who carried the load, because Dirk had no killer instinct in him. Finley was the one brave enough (although sometimes not smart enough on the selection) to take shots in the dying minutes, and so was Nash. And again it showed last night, with Dirk going for only 1 shot during the pivotal third quarter. How could an MVP candidate go for only 1 shot while his team is getting buried? Much more questionable is how he only attempted 13 times! Maybe the matchups weren’t in their favor, but that was their own fault to begin with. They had the chance to get the slower LA Clippers in the first round, but they played their bench against Golden State in the final game of the season. The Warriors won that game and barged into the Playoffs. The Mavs were probably thinking that by sitting down the starting five, they will be resting their key players for a long playoff run. Yeah, real long. It lasted about a week. Tough luck.

I’m just happy for the Warriors, because no one was giving them any love aside from those in Oakland. A lot of people were saying that they got the last Playoff slot, just because the Clips slumped. No one gave them credit for being the best basketball team during March and April, save for Denver. Then Charles Barkley called them midgets on air after the game 1 victory, and said that the Mavs would go on to win four straight games. But they stayed humble, and refused to acknowledge the mismatches to their advantage, with Don Nelson even going as far as saying that they would not win the series. But just how could the Mavs keep up with the Warriors who plays 4 guards at the same time? They’re not only fast, they can also shoot. They played with heart, and emotion. Too much emotion at times, though. But that’s how you win, and even Avery Johnson acknowledged this at the post game, “They just refused to lose.” And then he blasted his team, “I’m surprised that we didn’t have the confidence.”

Oh yeah, aside from the Bay Area fans. The Warriors were getting support here, in LA! It was funny, really. My tito who is a diehard LA fan, acknowledged that there is not future with the current Lakers lineup, even before their series started. So the next best thing is to support the Warriors, who feature two UCLA alums in Baron Davis and Matt Barnes! Even the American husband of my tita said that people in Santa Monica wished that Davis had come here after playing in UCLA.

Takte, I can’t be happier right now. Most of the teams I want to go on are in! The Pistons, Bulls, Warriors, and Suns. And although I’m not really fans of the other teams, I’d rather take the Spurs over the Nuggets. I’m just disappointed that the Wizards had some fucking bad luck over the last month. And I’m really no Jason Kidd, Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady fan but I’d want them to move on over their respective opponents.

dirk. choker. what's new?

Let's go Warriors!

Puta dapat binili ko na talaga last week yun Baron Davis jersey na nakita ko eh.

This came in the mail today! Woo!


I'm still waiting for my May 13 Gym Class Heroes tix, though.

I found myself smiling and biting my lip at the same time while watching the New Jersey Nets - Toronto Raptors playoff game. I was preparing myself a peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwich, and then I remembered the inuman I had with some of my hs friends after we went to Enchanted Kingdom last December 29. I remembered Chito, specifically. We were also making PBJ sandwiches then, and none of us has at that point actually tried it. Then came the winning line from Chito, "siguro pagkagat natin nito parang nasa America na rin tayo." Haha. Pucha.

Kaya tayo magkakabarkada eh. Pare- pareho tayong weirdo mag isip eh, laging stoned kahit 'di naman. Hehe.
-------------

I dropped by f.y.e (For You Entertainment) this morning before going to work. I thought of getting myself some new CDs or DVDs, so I could listen to something new or watch for that matter. And I really haven't spent that much since I've been here, except for my camouflage hoodie, corduroy pants, and my kickass bargain -- 4 Nike's for $150 at the Camarillo Premium Outlet (everything else, my tita pays, ehe). And of course my smokes. I was tempted to get a lot of DVDs of my favorite movies, but the OC- part of me came creeping up, and I resisted the urge to splurge. Hehe. I have a list of titles I want, and it was at home, and I want to cross out everything in the list first before I get newer titles (the list consists of my all time faves, a lot of 90's shit). So I just browsed the music section of the store, and I got 3 CDs -- Rotten Apples: The Smashing Pumpkins Greatest Hits, Eric Clapton and BB King - Return of the King, and...

Avril Lavigne - The Best Damn Thing.

Okay the first two titles are self explanatory. Or if it isn't for you: I'm a 90's alternative kid, hence the Pumpkins love. And I love slow melodic guitar lines, and no one is better than Mister Slowhand himself, Eric Clapton. And my Dad loves the Clapton, he's one of the few musical acts we actually agree on and listen together (the others being Toto, The Eagles, The Eraserheads, and The Dawn). Plus, my dad was the one who introduced the man to me.

The last one's odd, but I'm actually proud in saying, I spent $13.99 (plus tax!) on an Avril record. Haha! I have her two previous releases, but my mom was the one who got them for me. And even if I had money then, I'm not sure if I would have purchased Let Go and Under My Skin. But this latest album, I was willing to spend my hard earned money on. Well, because, weird enough, she has stopped posing as a non poser. Figure it out, ha!

I mean, y'can see she has clearly embraced her un-punkness, and poser-ness now. And that’s what makes this record fun and entertaining to listen to. Under My Skin was too pilit, in my opinion. The maturity pushed blatantly on that album, didn’t fit her, it was like wearing a pair of the newly released Jordan 1’s with baston pants -- just a bad match.

The album has this weird twist to it. It’s actually more punk influenced than her first two releases, but at the same it’s not. It has this 80’s punk snare and bass feel to it, complete with the British accent, Euro stadium clap, and of course singing in unison on certain parts, but unlike unadulterated punk which to a certain extent is deliberately crassly made (no vocal polishing, no loops, no synthetic audio), the album is clean. The single, Girlfriend, exemplifies this. You have the snare and bass 1-2 beat, the British accent (“In a second you’ll be wrapped around my fingah, ‘coz I can do it bettah”), the stadium clap (and in the video, the dance moves), and the lo- hi vocal effects in the chorus, and catchline. Here’s the flipside, the back- up vocals are also Avril’s! Haha, the miracle of technology. The lo- hi effect is just different vocal tracks mixed together, so there really is no unison singing. Listen closely to the track, there are synthetic bleeps looped throughout. And just in general, it’s really clean, malinis na malinis yun pagka- mix.

But it’s an entertaining listen, albeit a quick one. I think the whole 12 tracks would clock in at no more than 40 minutes, that’s why I have spun the album 4 times already. The album is upbeat in general, except tracks 5, 7 and 8 which are sort of slow tracks. Track 10 (One of those Girls) is very reminiscent of Losing Grip, while track 11 (Contagious) is a The Killers induced ditty. And of course there’s the token Avril Lavigne slow/ acoustic song (reminds you of Napanee, Why, and the Knocking on Heaven’s Door cover) track 12 (Keep Holding On). The only letdown is track 9 (I Don’t Have to Try), which left me uttering, “what the fuck?” Just think of it this way, some people just aren’t made to rap. Haha.

The album’s best points? The fun- ness of it. The great album art and photo direction (done by Derick Whibley!), which shows a great contrast between the black/dark and color of Avril’s new look. And hearing Avril cuss. Oh yeah.

Overall, I’m really satisfied with it. And I don’t regret spending for it one bit.

Band aid! ^^

Life’s been pretty much a flatline since school went out (Feb.25 for me). It would spike up once in a while, but would plummet back down quickly. For the past month and a half, life has been pretty much a routine. It’s like going through the same episode of a bad TV rerun. Save for the graduation, my despedida, my flight and today -- my birthday, life has been pretty much a bore. And I ask myself, after 21 years, a good 17 years of them spent at school, is there nothing more?

 

And I guess I’ve hit rock bottom today. Spending birthdays alone, just blows. Well, I had no choice, really. My family’s back at home, and my tito and tita have work. I celebrated by myself, eating lunch at In-n-Out before catching the line 3 bus to work. Got a nice, little surprise, though, first time they made me man the register for the whole day! No cleanup work, no customer delivery, because it’s my birthday. I got home at around 7:45, and ate a dinner more fanciful than we normally would have, with my tito and tita. Still, nothing would compare to spending it with your family and barkada, especially this one – my first one out of school, the epitome of having finished. The barrage of call and texts since yesterday, greeting me, didn’t help either. It’s good to be remembered, but I’d rather share the day. Hay.

 

This day fully exemplifies why I feel this mishmash of emotions.

 

It’s certainly bittersweet celebrating your success all alone.

I’ve been here in Torrance for more than a a week now, and I’ve got to say this is one of the best vacations I’ve had in a while. Although it’s been kinda lonely for the most part (since I’m left on my own most days, because my tita and tito has to go to work and does not come home until 7), but at the same time it has given me this sense of independence that maybe I can make it on my own. Going around Torrance is not a problem, since I’ve been here twice before and I practically know every street, backstreet, and bus route. But going to the other South Bay cities has been a thrill! I went to Redondo Beach yesterday morning alone! I just dropped by the library and got myself a transit system map and there I knew what bus to take and what time it drops by the area. I’m planning to go to Long Beach tomorrow morning, and to the big ass South Bay Galleria maybe on Friday.

 

On days I have not gone exploring the city, I just spent my mornings at Wilson Park (which I jog from the house, a distance of about 5-7 miles) shooting hoops and watching the skaters at the skatepark. I love the park and jogging around it, I just wished that the weather was a little hotter, because I look like a fucking spring roll with my 2 shirts under my sweatshirt. The weather isn’t that cold, but it’s not hot either, so trying to work up a sweat is a real pain in the ass.

 

My tita and tito has only brought me around the South Bay area so far, mostly hitting different clothing chains and of course Del Amo Fashion Center. But the highlight has got to be going to San Pedro, man. Last time I was here we didn’t have the chance to go to SP because it was too foggy and cold, but the clouds were clear last Saturday so we went there. Got to see the Korean bell which is atop a hill in SP, and which overlooks part of the Pacific Coast Highway and the Pacific Ocean! Fuckin’ sick, man! Nice view and nice chilly weather! My tita and tito totally loved the weather, because they said that it was just right, and I’ve got to admit it was nice at first when the chilly wind hits your face, but as you stand longer out in the open it becomes unbearable with each passing minute.

 

I actually haven’t spent a single penny since I arrived here, because my tita has paid for everything. And I mean everything. We’ve been to Del Amo Fashion Center, and I think I made a purchase from almost all major clothing stores there: Aeropostale, Hollister, Gap, Old Navy, American Eagle, PacSun, and of course Vans. I’ve only been here a week and I don’t know how I’ll fit my purchases (and the ones in the coming weeks) in my box! We haven’t even gone to Hot Topic, Nike Best Buy, Barnes and Nobles and Target yet! And I’m probably hitting Del Amo’s stores quite a few times more, since it’s just about 10 minutes away from here. And of course I’ll be going to San Francisco with Franco to stay with Mark from May10 –20 (2 of my East Fairview buddies). So it’s quite a dilemma as to how I’ll fit everything.

 

But my bigger dilemma has got to be, stay or not stay? That one is just bugging me right now. Immigration stamped my passport for until October 2007, and I’m valid till then. And I’m thinking y’know work here fulltime for a bout 4 months, ‘cause the fucking pay is good (June – October), see how it feels, and then go home, ‘cause I’m not yet ready to apply for a sponsorship here and stay 4-5 years while waiting to get a green card. And maybe after I come home, work for like a year there, and come back August of next year together with Mark since he spends his summer back home. I just can’t wait to see how much working fulltime will pay, ‘cause right now babysitting and working parttime at Starbucks Torrance is paying me a healthy 250$ a week (with an additional 50$ coming this week, since I also babysat for my cousin’s friend this week). Getting around 10,000 pesos a week, ain’t that bad.

 

It’s not so much the idea of being independent (and even that I doubt, since I’ll be living with my tito and tita) that’s giving me second thoughts, but the idea of leaving a lot behind. Family is of course the first thing, I don’t know if I’ll survive even just 4-6 months without seeing them. Then of course East Fairview. Tangina, I grew up there and everything I know is almost there, the place, the people, the lifestyle. And of course friends, especially EF barkada (eventhough there’s 3 of us here in Cali) and HS barkada (there’s 4 of us here around the LA area). Starting from scratch and losing all familiarity that I’ve established for the last some 15-odd years scares the shit out of me.

Had fun last Wednesday. Got out of the house, went someplace different for a change, and spent time with friends. Went around Makati with Ruel and Jurgen, dropping our resumes at different ad agencies. I have always been a QC boy, so it was nice to go around Makati, nakakapagod nga lang. Hehe. Ang ganda ng mga offices, parang nakaka enganyo tuloy na magtrabaho na. Pero fuck that, bakasyon muna! Vegas strip clubs here I come! Hahaha. We ate lunch at a Korean restaurant. Putangina ang anghang ng pagkain! Takte, kahit ano sa mga nakahain ang isubo ko, lahat maanghang eh, haha, pero ibang trip din eh so ayos lang, panibagong experience rin. Went home at around 4pm. Then, went back to Katips around 8 for basketball in Makati (again!). My smoke- addled lungs can only take 1 full game of full court basketball, haha, but I was content just watching as they played 2 more games after. Ate at KFC afterwards, but I was fuckign antsy while eating because I left the car in Ateneo and it was already near 12midnight. Overnight fee = 1000! Fuck. Parang Cinderella, halos sakto ako naidaan ni Ruel ng Ateneo ng 12. Buti na lang! Got home at around 1230, and since gising na rin naman ako, inantay ko na yun PBB Uplate. Sarap ng tulog, pagod na pagod eh!

And uhm, would anyone know if TFC carries PBB? 'Di ko kayang walang PBB ng 2 months!

I realized this earlier this week: I sometimes purposely try to avoid things I used to like whenever they get to mainstream for my comfort. In other words, I don’t like a lot of other people sharing what I like, haha.

 

Case in point: Fall Out Boy. God, I can play their Take This to Your Grave and From Under the Cork Tree albums endlessly! Well, before they hit MTV’s TRL and before it was hip to slash your own wrists and be a loser. They kind of lost me after Dance, Dance and after Pete Wentz became an idiot. I avoided listening to them after that, and the abovementioned CDs became an afterthought. Even with This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race on heavy rotation in radio stations, I never really paid much attention to them anymore.

 

But about a week and a half ago, their latest release 2007’s Infinity on High came in a balikbayan pouch (yes, there’s such a thing) along with other stuff from my tita. So, I gave the CD a spin, and I was hooked! I just had to listen to their old stuff, so I dusted off the 2 other CDs, and now my shuffle is filled with songs from those three FOB albums.

 

And it hit me, I stopped listening to them not because they became sucky, I stopped listening to them because everyone liked them now, and they were not my best kept secret (and biggest mistake, haha, joke!) anymore. But fuck it, this is fucking brilliant material right here. The wit, understanding, passion and emotion contained in each song is just fucking genius! Plus factor in the fresh musical arrangements, winning combo, men. I’ve Got a Dark Alley and a Bad Idea That Says You Should Shut Your Mouth made me realize this. The lyrical genius of Pete Wentz, and musical brilliance of Patrick Stump is just overflowing in this one single track.

 

Fuck it. I love Fall Out Boy. Nevermind they sold out (who doesn’t at some point). Nevermind of they’re suddenly hip, and “in.” Overcastkids, yeah!

 

And I guess I’ve been down this same road of thought too many times before. Sandwich, Parokya ni Edgar, Sugarfree, Rafer Alston, 2Pac, and a whole lot more. Everytime something blows the fuck up and gets big, I suddenly find myself crawling away far from it. Instinct, I guess. Ayaw mag share, haha. I guess the only exceptions to this are my love for the Eraserheads, and blink182, but I guess that’s a different kind of devotion. So, I guess I have to just let everything go and not really be too analytical about everything. Kung gusto, eh ‘di gusto. Plain and simple, ‘di ba?

 

But if +44, Paramore and The Hush Sound all blow up, oh shit patayan na ‘to!!! Hahaha.

Since I have nothing to do for the better part of almost everyday, I’ve been watching a lot of fucking DVDs for the last week and a half. I have gone through Fast Food Nation, Blood Diamond, Little Miss Sunshine, The Pursuit of Happyness, The Good Shepherd, Flags of our Fathers, Letters from Iwo Jima, World Trade Center, and Babel.

 

I totally loved Flags of our Fathers and its great story. I am not sure if it is just a fictional account of the flag planting at Mt. Suribachi, though (uhm, they really did plant a flag on top of the mountain, I’m just not sure if the story/ controversy shown in the film actually happened in real life). But nevermind if it’s real or not, takte ang galing talaga! I especially felt the plight of “Chief” Ira Hayes, the Indian. He’d rather have the chance to have his friends (3 of the 6 other flag raisers died) back than be called a hero and be paraded around the country as a marketing ploy to gain support for the war. Rene Gagnon, a survivor along with Chief, was total fucking prick, man. But who could blame him, one minute you’re dodging gunfire from the crazy Japs and the next you’re being paraded all over America as a war hero. The last of the 3 survivors, John “Doc” Bradley, seemed to be the most sane (sp?) of them. He kept his emotions in check during the tour, eventhough deep inside he also kind of shared the same sentiments as Chief. And in the end he said it best, “The only heroes are the ones who didn't come back” or something to that effect. The acting was also great! I didn’t even recognize Ryan Philippe and Paul Walker until the end credits started rolling, and even then I had to go back and look at the film again! The acting was that fucking great, seamless pare.

 

And then I had to go watch Letters from Iwo Jima, which ruined everything. Bilib na ako kay Clint Eastwood sana eh, Flags of our Father totally blew me away. And then after (and even during) watching Letters from Iwo Jima, I was like, “uh, hindi ba napanood ko na ito?” Sure, it was from the Japanese’s standpoint, but it’s just the same friggin’ story.

 

World Trade Center is crap. And the balding, moustache wielding image of Nicholas Cage is just disturbing. Babel is okay, I guess, but the formula is tired already (21 Grams anyone?). Little Miss Sunshine was good, but it wasn’t what I expected considering all the great reviews about it. Fast Food Nation was funny, but overall it blows. Nothing like the impact the book has, or maybe it is just better suited for reading rather than for watching on the screen. I think it tried to not be overly preachy, and in the end it wasn’t preachy at all. But isn’t that what Eric Schlosser wanted? -- to show the epidemic that is fast food? I was just left dumbfounded in the end, “’yun na ‘yun?” Yes, it did expose some of the harsh realities of the fast food industry, but where’s the compelling proposition that would make me want to take a stand against it? And casting Avril Lavigne as an activist was just ridiculous. I think Avril really is a vegetarian in real life (???), but it was totally unnatural (and hilarious to an extent) seeing her trying to free and save cattle from being made into burger patties. But the surprise was, the lead from Maria, Full of Grace was also in the cast! Wala lang, first time I saw an actor from the movies we watched in EuroFilm in an American movie, hehe. The Good Shepherd is okay, of course medyo bias, De Niro fan ‘to eh, hehe. But has anyone noticed that Matt Damon doesn’t seem to age? What is he, 28 forever? LOL. Blood Diamond was remarkable. Now that’s how you get a point across without being preachy. And does Djimon Hounsou (sp?) really talk that way? ‘cause if he does not, pucha bow down talaga ako, galing! Another plus is Leonardo DiCaprio’s Danny Archer character, pucha ang galing din nagpakadeliver. Biruin mo naging South African si DiCaprio! Hanep!

 

The Pursuit of Happyness was amazing, real touching. Sure, it was dragging in some parts, but the ending more than makes up for those few parts. It is the kind of movie where you find yourself feverishly pulling for the lead, and Will Smith made sure that you will pull for Chris Gardner. Takte, I can’t pick out a single scene from the movie that’s my favorite, because there are a lot of them! One was when Gardner was shooting hoops with his son up on the rooftop. First, he was telling his son how he’ll never be a pro player, and after seeing the discouraged look in his son’s eyes, he changes his tone and tells his son, “Don’t ever let anyone tell you what you can’t do. Not even me.” or parang ganun. Another one was when they spent the night in a train station’s bathroom. You could just see the fear in Gardner’s eyes. Fear not of being evicted by the janitor or someone, but fear for his son’s future. And I just lost it when Gardner was accepted to be a stock broker near the end, and he didn’t know what to do, hindi mapakali, totally captivating. Will Smith is totally underrated as an actor, just great delivery from him.

 

300 na lang ang bago kong DVD na natitira na hindi ko pa napapanood. Any new titles worth watching and buying, anyone?

-------------------------------

 

            Speaking of Avril Lavigne, anyone explain please. How can someone go from Keep Holding On to Girlfriend in just a couple of months. WTF? And she’s doing choreographed dance moves now, ehe. The so called Britney slayer (Rolling Stone 2003) has just become Britney herself. Oh, the irony of it all.

Last Saturday was the first time I heard my mom tell me to stop buying books. And I was really surprised. Since we were kids, my mom always urged us to read. And I do love to read, basta wag lang sappy romance novels. So, after a brief pause from me (because of my surprise and confusion), I asked, "baket?" And she answered, "wala ka nang paglalagyan eh." Haha, 'yun naman pala eh!

And it's true. I have two bookshelves in my room, and they're both full. Sa sobrang dami, I already have a growing pile of books on the floor next to one of the bookshelves, haha. Last time I counted and made an inventory, which was about 6 months ago, I already have close to 100 books. Just imagine, if we include my mom and dad's books, haha, I'm sure the count would reach near 400. Majority of my books are BtVS books (that explains the big number), but I also have a lot of other titles ranging from the Harry Potter series, to Marc Spitz to Puzo to Crichton to Grisham to Gaiman, and the list goes on. 'Di pa kasama dyan yun mga Hardy Boys at Goosebumps ko ha, hahaha!

And I have this thing for large, hard bound, glossy books (yeah, the coffeetable ones). Wala lang, parang naisip ko lang, "uy astig complete batman begins screenplay 'yun nasa sala mo!" pag may bahay na ako. Haha.

MTDS gig plug

 

SaveMeEverytime Productions

 

presents

 

Conspiracy Against the Ballerina

 

January 27. Saturday. Freedom Bar Anonas. Show starts at 6pm.

 

featuring:

Manila Teenage Death Squad, Landmine Valentine, Corvus Crowley, Obrigado, August Downfall, Tragic Encounter, Arm Yourself, Late for the Wedding and many more.

 

with 2006 Nescafe Soundskool winner, Effinboiche

 

tickets at 120 php.

 

Against the Flow Productions

 

presents

 

Symphony Harmony

 

January 27. Saturday. Bridgeway Bar, Brickroad, Sta. Lucia Mall. Show starts at 6pm.

 

featuring:

Manila Teenage Death Squad, Landmine Valentine, Lost Diaries, Last Cause and many more.

 

with main bands

 

Chicosci and Saydie

 

Tickets at 150 php.

I know it’s kinda late, but what the heck. Here’s my new year’s entry.

 

I ended 2006 with a fucking bang, man.

 

Dec. 29 – Dec. 30

Went to EK with some of my HS barkada (LG, Seph, Brent, Vince, Neil, Saki, Chito, Eugene), sausage party! Had a fucking good time, but everything did not go as smoothly as planned. Neil almost did not show up, and it was his van that was supposed to be our mode of transpo. Well, he did show up… 3 hours late! So we were just killing time in SM North while waiting for him, ‘ala nga naman pagkasyahin naming kaming 8 sa auto ni Saki. Haha. To some extent it was Seph’s fault that Neil didn’t wake up early, putang ina naman kasing mga cryptic text messages ‘yan eh. Pare, nasobrahan ka na sa PC games, walang rally point o ensnare sa tunay na buhay, haha. Batuhin kita ng flash eh! Haha!

 

Left SM North at around 1pm, and with Saki’s smooth driving we were in EK at around 330. Those who rode with Neil, got in at about 4pm. Puta, sunugan agad ng pera sa entrance, 600 agad! Pero sulit, onti lang tao. Sa sobrang saya ng araw naming, na- lowbatt lahat kami, haha. Space shuttle, log jam at rio grande the beeesssst!

 

Went home at around 11pm, and was in Lagro at 1. Inumaaaan na! Some of the pics are in my friendster, and I’ll upload everything in my Multiply this weekend siguro.

 

Dec. 31 – Jan. 1

Inuman na naman! Una dito lang sa bahay. Gin-juice ang toma. Onga pala, kasama naming ang balikbayan naming barkada na si Mark. Haha, bakla ka pare, talo ka pa ng 17years old! Well, ganito ‘yun. I went inside the house to get plates, while Mark was the one mixing the gin and juice. I haven’t tasted the mix yet, but JR and EJ were already complaining that it tasted like juice. Even my dad was complaining na juice lang daw, eh hindi nga mahilig ‘yun sa hard eh. Then came Patrick and his cousin Feefee, pinainom din namin! Syet, pati ‘yun bata nagreklamo, “juice?” Haha! Finished about 4 bottles of gin and 8 bottles of beer, before 12midnight struck.

 

Wow, ang ganda ng fireworks ‘pag may amats ka na. Haha, warped amputa.

 

Told the family my new year’s greetings and then it was off to JC’s annual new year handaan. Fiesstttaaaa grabe! Plus, most of the East Fairview crew was there. Kulitan to the max! Masama lang amats nun toma, cheapass El Hombre tequila! To make things worse, we ran out of lemon after finishing the 2^nd bottle, so we had to improvise –ponkan! Panalo! Buti na lang may Red Horse panghugas pagtapos. Akala ko malakas na kami ni JR uminom, pero grabe bow down ako kay JC, Pat at Brian. Atay na gawa ng bato, mga idol! At si Nikki, the smoking mom to be, idol din!

 

Eh sinulit na eh, 530 na ng umaga umuwi!

 

Here’s to 2007! Sana mas marami pang inuman… para mas makasama ko pa ang mga taong malapit sa aking puso. Haha, may banat pang ganun!

 

Pero may panira agad ng 2007, bwiset na Sana Maulit Muli Yan! Naurong tuloy ang Princess Hours! Takteeeeeee, mag- aral muna kayo umarte bago kayo gagawa ng palabas. Bwiset. Isama na rin ‘yun Super Inggo! I know I know, we have the show’s DVD pero minsan kasi may mga scenes na parang, “ah eh, ‘yun ba dapat talaga ang subtitle?” Haha, kaya mas okay na ‘yun tagalog na lang!