Thursday, April 20, 2006

Random Thoughts

I came upon a picture of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay at the Time 100 website.
Hillary and Norgay were the first people to scale Chomolungma in Nepal -- that's Mt. Everest to the rest of us, folks. Norgay looks like a happy yak herder while Hillary looks like he was drawn by Steve Dillon.

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And while we're on the topic of Mt. Everest, I'd like to say GO ROMI!

In other news, this review of Champor-champor ( http://property.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,1147-2132713,00.html ), a Malay-fusion restaurant by Giles Coren of the Times is by far the best and funniest rant I have ever read. When I grow up, I want to dis like you, Giles!

Again, I apologize for not using html when posting links. I've given up on it and all my posts will just have to be a URL mess.

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Another Bout of Shameless Self-Promotion

Work's piling up, but I'm not complaining!

Yesterday, I interviewed the brand manager of The north face for an article for the gmanews.tv site on Romy Garduche's ascent to Mt. Everest .

I also interviewed the organizer of the Amateur Basketball Association, a Fil-Chi basketball organization, for a feature in Tulay , Kaisa Para sa Kaunlaran 's bi-weekly news journal.

Then there are the assignments for the next issue of Burn magazine, which includes 2 features and three reviews.

Whew! And to think I'm considering adding more projects to my workload.

My piece on a day in the lives of Starstruck Batch 3 winners Marky Cielo and Jackie Rice is up .

Lastly, you can check out my column here . It'll be linked to gmanews.tv soon, I just don't know when yet. I've posted my first piece. Let me know what you think.

If you're wondering about the sudden flurry of selfish self-promotion, it's because I've been getting requests to post about when and where something of mine gets printed. Besides, all I seem to be doing these days is write (Again, not complaining!), so it's only natural that I've got projects on my mind.

Besides, reading is good for you, and you reading my articles is good for me. So good is good for everybody, whee!!!

Sorry, that was uncalled for. Let me crawl towards my coffee now...


P.S. Thanks for helping me with this post, Ian! :)

Monday, April 17, 2006

The Late Bird Gets the Late Worm

Yes, yes, I could have been more punctual with my updates but inbetween work and, well, work, it's tough to keep chronicling every little thing that happens to me. Don't worry, work hasn't made me a dull girl yet, or at least I hope not. Here's what's been going on:

March 7, 2006

Luis and I were able to watch the Fearless Mixed Martial Arts competition that was held in Metrowalk along Meralco Ave. Two guys, Angie and Sir Yogie, from Fight Club (the gym I go to) were participants.

It was my first time to watch a MMA competiton. Now I want to watch more! I think that Angie and Sir Yogie's fights were the most exciting, with Sir Yogie's being the most dramatic. Angie won his while Sir Yogie, alas, had to throw in the towel because part of his upper lip was hanging loose and he was spitting blood.

Too bad, because he would have won if he had kept on. Still, saving your face (literally!) is better in the long run than winning a non-major competition.
Sir Yogie's opponent was a laugh to watch. He was deliberately leaving himself open, clowning around and trying to psyche Sir Yogie out. Even the announcer was making comments about Sir Yogie's choice of attire (spandex, anyone?). But no one can psyche-out Sir Yogie because he's the best!

I think I screamed a lot. Not as much as I did during the Backstreet Boys concert, but enough to matter.

At the risk of regressing into a deranged fan, I'm going to go ahead and say, ANG LUPIT NIYO, GUYS!

When I grow up, I want to beat up people too, just like Angie and Sir Yogie. Yeah!

March 10, 2006

The maiden issue of Burn magazine is out! I suggest you walk, no run, to the nearest newsstand, magazine shop, bookstore and get yourself a musiclicious copy.
I did a few reviews, as well as a feature on Pedicab (my favorite local band), The Bitter Pill (co-written with Luis) and of course, my ultimate guilty pleasure, the Backstreet Boys.

It's only a hundred and twenty bucks (Php 120) a pop, plus, you get a free CD filled with great music and narrated by Zach (formerly of NU). And who doesn't want a CD filled with great music and narrated by Zach?

Grabe dude, pare! You gotta, like, go get your copy na, noh!

March 16, 2006

Happy Resurrection Day! In my religion, we're not allowed to use Easter because, you know, that's PAGAN. Besides, bunnies don't lay eggs in real life, unless they're genetically modified mutants who eat babies for breakfast or like to overdose on chocolate (Incidentally, did you know that the Mandarin Deli in Gateway Mall sells Valrhona bars? maybe that's what these egg-laying bunnies overdose on).

Luis told me that I have been selected as one of the sixteen to be included in Vin Simbulan's Dragon Anthology. Yay! I only hope none of the people who read my story are loyalists lest I be pelted with shoes. You can find the list at www.viniquest.blogspot.com

March 17, 2006

This is it! I've prayed for this for the longest time. I now have my very own weekly column! I can't beleive it! I'm very grateful to my editor, who must have seen something in me to give me such a responsibility. I'll post the URL when I start writing.

Thursday, April 06, 2006

Better Late than Never

Here, finally, are pictures from the time I had to follow Katrina Halili around for a day. The article is archived somewhere on the GMA news website. I can't post the exact link yet because we're still undergoing changes.

Katrina on SOP in her Majika costume:

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This one's Kat doing a dance number on SOP. I have yet to master the art of taking good pics with my camera. It's not easy whe your hands never stop shaking.

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Kat and Polo Ravales during the Majika visit to Fiesta Carnival. Polo's beefed up and has a gorgeous tan.

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To Christian, don't worry, I haven't forgotten. You'll get the full set soon.

Read Me!

Shopwise members, the 3rd issue of Gusto is out! Its got hunky surfer dude Echo Rosales on the cover, with the story on him written by yours truly. Here are some photos that I took at the shoot at the Panday loation somewhere in the hidden hills of Rizal.

Here's Echo in Panday in action:

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Echo during the Gusto shoot:

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Echo posing for his adoring fans (in this case, the Gusto staff):

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Too bad I didn't get a picture of his cute younger brother Nookie, who was also at the set. Echo was a joy to work with. He's thoughtful, charming, gallant and, to quote Kuya Che, our photographer, "nakakabakla" (buti na lang babae ako!).

I also have an article in this month's issue of Entrepreneur magazine about using friendly competition to motivate your sales force. Go buy! Go buy! :)

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

Bright Celebs and Dark Stars

This is what Interlace has done to me:


March 30, 2006, I was asked to cover the Yes! magazine 6th Anniversary celebration and -- get this -- I had fun!

I know I work in media but this has not prevented be from being, what I like to call introverted (and what others like to call anti-social -- hoy, anti-social lang, ha, hindi sociopath). I don't do small talk, I don't do the air-kiss thing (at least, not often) and I do not (unless coerced, medicated or slightly tipsy), approach people just to say hello. But I did all that and more, all while being underdressedin in a black racerback, ratty jeans and dying (albeit cute and comfy) flip-flops. I was using my gorgeous faux-velvet messenger bag though, so it quite makes up for everything.


The reason I was so underdressed was because everyone in the office thought the party was on the 31st. We didn't find out until the day itself that it was actuallyon the 30th. So, inlike the invitations request to dress "chic and fashionable," I and Mitch, our photographer, were probably the most underdressed (but arguably two of the prettiest) people there.
I got a mini makeover courtesy of the L'Oreal booth (love the Glam Shine lipstick, and am going to buy myself a ton of their mascara), so I wouldn't have to feel so naked. I also mt some acquaintances, namely Roxane Guinoo, who said I got fatter (yeah, yeah); Janice de Belen, who recognized me from a former incarnation; and Echo Rosales, who intoduced me to his girlfriend, Heart Evangelista. Bamboo (the band) performed, with Bamboo (the singer) going around the party area during his song numbers. At one point, he sat at my table and was singing to me, me, me, bwahahahahaha! Okay, I'm not a big fan, but my friend Crissy is, even if she says she's over him. It's an interesting experience. Unfortunately, this happened after Mitch left, so she wasn't able to take part in the Bamboo experience.


I don't know if it's a good thing, because of my job, or a bad thing, because, well, it's, like, showbiz, you know, it's so chaka. I'm going to take this opportunity to apologize for my Tagalog. I learned it while working in TV, where words like chuva chenes choo choo is part of the vocabulary. As Joel commented on the chat bar, nagiging showbiz na ako.
Which brings us back to Interlace.


Interlace is an Industrial band whose Asian tour included three performances in our humble little archipelago. Luis asked if I wanted to interview them, and I said yes (Thank you, thank you!), and am I glad I did, because the encounter may very well have changed my outlook (see above).

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I caught them in Absinthe, their last Manila gig. Though they seemed unomfortable performing in such a small space (This was later confirmed, when they said that teir Manila gigs were the first time they've played to a small crowd. They're used to an audience of 1000, 500, at the very least. You get the full Interlace experience that way.), they were, what's the word, amazing!

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Not only do they have great music, they put on a mean performnce (the sight of Oscar, the vocalist, kneeling as he stares lovingly at a mask just takes my breath away). What they did on stage was everything I've been searching for in a musical act (you can tell I don't get out much) -- good music, intense atmosphere, and a powerful performance borne from passion for their art. Even though they spent the whole performace barely moving, their faces covered by gas masks and bodies protected by leater gowns, the presence of the otehr three members were poweful nonetheless. They exuded wisdom and puropse, as if the music they made was the energy that gives life to the superhuman in front of them.

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I had the opportunity to interview the band after. Oscar spoke in behalf of the band, so that's who I'll be quoting in my article, which comes out in the second issue of Burn. After the interview, I got to chatting with Max, one of the keyboardists. What Oscar didn't talk about (because the band didn't want the media writing about it -- nothing scandalous, just a lot of the band's philosophy that they want their audience to figure out for themselves), Max filled in -- of the record, of course.


Both of them are such gret conversationalists. They're smart yet laid back. They've painstakingly worked out everything about their band from the concepts beihind their albums to the images on their video screen, so that when they say theywant their audience to figure the meaning of their performance out for themselves, they mean it. I am so thankful to have been able to hear the Interlace philosophy. The experience was almost spiritual.


The whole thing -- the ambience, the (half-goth) crowd, the performance, the interview and the conversation did something to me. I was there at that event alone and yet I didn't feel scared or out of place. I was chatty (at least for me), and spent the night chatting people up. I don't think I've ever been as comfortable in a social event as I was that night. And with no one there with me, too (pats self on back)!


And that's why I'm suddenly chatty. That's why I've suddenly started going up to acquaintances and saying hello, so glad to see you again. Not because it's the showbiz thing to do, but because I'm genuinely happy to see them. All that, because of Interlace. And though my sister may call them 'scary' (I showed her my pics), I love them because they've made me see the beauty in living.

Interlace promo photo from:
http://www.chainsaw-beats.de/foto/interlace_02.jpg