m35b - where collective thought & action germinates

R.I.P.

2009-06-30T16:13:00.002+08:00

To most it would seem ironic that I've opted to close down m35b on the day that I celebrate the start of my life.

I remember writing 5 years ago that this blog serves as:

my personal Book of Eccleciastes where I would start out with the pondering of the meaningless of it all and where I would end it with the exhortation to, "remember our Creator in the days of our youth." So as to voice out a positive statement to live our lives fully in light of God's grace and gift of salvation but also of encouragement to make something out of our lives while we still can because truly life is for us to live.

I believe it has served its purpose, in such a way that it has catalogued a good 5 years of my online life.

But as with all things good one has to move on to other things.

Thanks to every single one of you who have been gracious enough to read, re-post and comment on the things that I've published in this blog.

A wise man once said: “endings are mere beginnings that are looked at the opposite direction."

Here's to new beginnings ;)

x.s.
for those who're still interested with what I'm doing I will every now and then post some stuff on the following blogs/sites

Greenpeace, Nukes and Militants

2009-02-03T22:52:00.002+08:00

This page requires a higher version browser

Perhaps most of us are already aware of the issue on nukes. Above is a good video from the Philippine Inquirer covering the protests from Greenpeace and other groups at the Philippine Congress yesterday. YOu can read more about it by clicking here

cool video about clip arts

2008-12-16T16:39:00.001+08:00

When I was a kid I was a fan of clip arts as I always use it to create digital paintings and this video brings back fun memories.

9-mile

2008-12-01T14:27:00.007+08:00

I haven't written a blog for a long time. Frankly, because since Jeanie's left I have somewhat lived a very uninteresting life. And maybe last Saturday would have been the same, if not for a gig that I played both as part of my longtime punk band, PayItForward, and as DeathToPuberty, Ellen Degenerate was also supposed to make a debut in that gig but our last practice at Albertos made us realize how we are yet unprepared as a musical unit to perform.

But just the same Ten and Jen decided to watch the gig (and also to sell Shinda Ningyo dolls), and it was not only them but also Roni and Luwi and most specially Leyza whom I last saw the day before Jeanie went to the Netherlands.

Before I would go further I would also like to express gratitude to the kind folks of Zero Mass Productions, for accomodating both PayItForward and DeathToPuberty and for patiently bearing with us that night.

Punk and Disorderly
To sum it up it was a night of fun filled punk rock courtesy of Bad Omen and Albert Ascona's side project with Aji Adriano (of The Wuds); that played those very cool classic punk rock covers of The Clash and Stiff Little Fingers, and The Wuds.It was really good to hear those guys and not to mention to see the forebears of the scene make an appearance in a gig where you're playing, imagine seeing members of legendary pinoy punk bands like that of Betrayed and Private Stock. Kieth Dador was also there to take pictures, maybe soon I can post some of those images here.It's also noteworthy that I'm The Bridge, one of my favorite Q.C. punk bands weren't able to join, (too bad...)

DeathToPuberty
The original plan was for Ellen Degenerate (a punk rock cover band that composes of me, Reggie, Ten, Mark and Jen),to ditch DeathToPuberty and play DTP's supposed set, but we're not yet ready I decided to honor my previous commitment to play a set there, but since we've focused on pumping up Ellen Degenerate, to play I've altogether took forgranted practicing with the rest of the members of DTP, so I decided to just play solo, which I've done before on a number of occasions. All in all I think a played a fairly decent set, (I mean its just plain stupid to play a sloppy set if you're alone…)

PayItForward
This is a different story, we were supposed to play right after Bad Omen, but as I was about to bring my bass onstage the bassist of The Wuds brushed me aside saying that its 11PM and that's their preferred time play their set so I asked Mark and we both agreed okay, cool after all they're punks. Too bad though we're not that much of a fan of their music basically since they played their newer songs which were already a way to far departure from the punk rock music they played that I for one come to love, so I decided to step out of the room and have a chat with the nice folks of Bad Omen.Once The Wuds played their last song Inosente Lang Ang Nagtataka (a song which was recently covered poorly by River Maya,) we stared to make our way into the room but Joe of Ginseng the gig's organizer asked if its okay if Oh Man Oh God, would play their set first since that's only fair to them since they were the first band to arrive in the venue.So we said okay, after all, they're DeathToPuberty's friend in MySpace, and once they started I can't help but feel a bit weird at their set basically since for starters they don't have a bass player and they're a freakin' 3-piece unit; another was the fact that they played this eerie hardcore/grind/thrash whatever kind of music that maybe I'm just too old or happy shinny to appreciate, (I really am no fan of aggressive, and angry music).Oh Man Oh God's set was quite quick with each song they basically played lasted only for about 2-minutes max.

So again I tried to make my way onstage with the rest of the band outside Laix decided to call them again as I and Peejay (of Slumber Army Productions) who was helping me carry the other guitars to the stage were making our way there those douchebags from Purple Chickens stepped in with their guitars and started their set to the astonishment of Joe who was about to introduced us.I stepped out of the room pissed of basically because they elbowed their way around the lineup, and that's plain wrong. Outside we had a chat with Peejay reminiscing the good old days of Slumber Army. So after those assholes played their set we stepped on stage and played a very sloppy set which you can read in more detail at PayItForward's blog.

Purple Chicken Kups
Under normal circumstances I don't ditch other bands even those whose genre of music I do not fancy, for them I would like to make an exception.First off, I am not a fan of plain old rockn 'n' roll, hard rock, pop rock or whatever cheapshot rock genre it is that you play. I don't like your music plain and simple.Another is that you act as though like you're rock stars.

Reality check: you're not rockstarts. Dressing up like one or acting like adolescent assholes doesn't make you a rockstar.

Let us be clear that there is a lineup, and provisions as to the bands who get to decide about their place on the lineup are given to those established bands who already have proven themselves, namely The Wuds and Bad Omen.
What about you?

Maybe you already get paid on gigs or whatever, but plain and simple you're not underground legends like Bad Omen nor are you counter cultural icons like The Wuds. You're just an obnoxious band that play in obscure productions like this one.

Think about it?

Because you have messed up the lineup schedule K.D. Sistema and another band walked out off the gig altogether.

Has anyone among you experienced being bullied?

Well, I have and the way you acted there reminded me of the good old high school days when I was a geek in a world of basketball-playing jocks. Or of the numerous times that our band was forced out of the stage by Rap-Metal bands and fans because we chose to play MxPx rather than the manufactured angst of Korn and their contemporaries.

I don't know where you came from during that time but like you I supposed we were all tired as well and would have really loved to go home early as we also have our own schedules to meet the following day, and I think we pretty much deserve to play ahead of you since we did our damn best to be on the venue on the preferred call time.

What about you?

You haven't even spent more than 30-minutes in the venue and there you go, stealing PayItForward's set on the schedule, and right at the moment we've set stage you step out of the bar like the assholes that you are.Thankfully, the organizers are smart not to invite you guys again. Douchebags….

Bad Omen
Bad OmenOne of the highlights of that night was also the release of Bad Omen's new album entitled God is Everywhere, which were sold there along with Ginseng and All Wound Up's split EP.Personally what I find special is that Bad Omen's bassist Albert Sy who was kind enough to put me and Gato in the album sleeve's acknowledgment, which made the night worth it...Thanks guys...

Thanks
Gracias! also to Joe and Joel of Zero Mass who invited DeathToPuberty and PayItForward to play, also to the nice folks of AWU and Ginseng

Here's to more gigs to come!
Cheers

whatever...

2008-09-30T20:59:00.000+08:00

"sometimes your loyalties are put to question when the ones you love are made to experience of the unjustness of the institution you serve..."

New Media Douchebag

2008-09-26T16:18:00.001+08:00

What I like about Chuck Norris

2008-09-18T18:46:00.000+08:00

There are no races, only countries of people Chuck Norris has beaten to different shades of black and blue.

Chuck Norris doesn't actually write books, the words assemble themselves out of fear.

Chuck Norris CAN believe it's not butter.

A picture is worth a thousand words. A Chuck Norris is worth 1 billion words.

Chuck Norris can divide by zero.

When Chuck Norris talks, everybody listens. And dies.

When Steven Seagal kills a ninja, he only takes its hide. When Chuck Norris kills a ninja, he uses every part.

Chuck Norris doesnt shave; he kicks himself in the face. The only thing that can cut Chuck Norris is Chuck Norris.

For some, the left testicle is larger than the right one. For Chuck Norris, each testicle is larger than the other one.

Chuck Norris invented black. In fact, he invented the entire spectrum of visible light. Except pink. Tom Cruise invented pink.

In the beginning there was nothing...then Chuck Norris Roundhouse kicked that nothing in the face and said "Get a job". That is the story of the universe.

Chuck Norris grinds his coffee with his teeth and boils the water with his own rage.

Chuck Norris ordered a Big Mac at Burger King, and got one.

Chuck Norris and Mr. T walked into a bar. The bar was instantly destroyed, as that level of awesome cannot be contained in one building.

The show Survivor had the original premise of putting people on an island with Chuck Norris. There were no survivors, and nobody is brave enough to go to the island to retrieve the footage.

The Bermuda Triangle used to be the Bermuda Square, until Chuck Norris Roundhouse kicked one of the corners off.

When Chuck Norris is in a crowded area, he doesn't walk around people. He walks through them.

Chuck Norris once ate an entire bottle of sleeping pills. They made him blink.

Guns don't kill people. Chuck Norris kills People.

The chief export of Chuck Norris is Pain.

There is no chin under Chuck Norris' Beard. There is only another fist.

The leading causes of death in the United States are: 1. Heart Disease 2. Chuck Norris 3. Cancer.

If you ask Chuck Norris what time it is, he always says, "Two seconds 'til." After you ask, "Two seconds 'til what?" he roundhouse kicks you in the face.

The quickest way to a man's heart is with Chuck Norris' fist.

What was going through the minds of all of Chuck Norris' victims before they died? His shoe.

Someone once videotaped Chuck Norris getting pissed off. It was called Walker: Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

If you spell Chuck Norris in Scrabble, you win. Forever.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool Chuck Norris once and he will roundhouse you in the face.

Chuck Norris has two speeds: Walk and Kill.

Contrary to popular belief, America is not a democracy, it is a Chucktatorship.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is based on a true story: Chuck Norris once swallowed a turtle whole, and when he crapped it out, the turtle was six feet tall and had learned karate.

Chuck Norris doesn't shower, he only takes blood baths.

Some people wear Superman pajamas. Superman wears Chuck Norris pajamas.

When Chuck Norris does a pushup, he isn't lifting himself up, he's pushing the Earth down.

Chuck Norris eats beef jerky and craps gunpowder. Then, he uses that gunpowder to make a bullet, which he uses to kill a cow and make more beef jerky. Some people refer to this as the "Circle of Life."

Chuck Norris doesn't step on toes. Chuck Norris steps on necks.

Ninjas want to grow up to be just like Chuck Norris. But usually they grow up just to be killed by Chuck Norris.

The last thing you hear before Chuck Norris gives you a roundhouse kick? No one knows because dead men tell no tales.

When Chuck Norris was denied an Egg McMuffin at McDonald's because it was 10:35, he roundhouse kicked the store so hard it became a Wendy's.

Once you go Norris, you are physically unable to go back.

Chuck Norris once pulled out a single hair from his beard and skewered three men through the heart with it.

Chuck Norris is the reason why Waldo is hiding.

more

happy birthday jingjing

2008-09-17T13:37:00.003+08:00

It's that special time of the year again when we celebrate God's gift of life. Happy birthday jinging.

remember these posts?
I'll simply make mention of solidified independent sentences that speaks of...
A Testament To Romans 8:28
Happy birthday Jeanie!
I love you

memento mori

2008-09-12T12:30:00.002+08:00

Below is the words of a Never Forget The Cause (its an electronica collaboration that I'm doing with Ten Derillo and Jen Tuazon) song entitled Memento Mori (Latin for the phrase: 'remember that you must die') at present it is still in the works all I need to do is have Ten (a.k.a. Ellen Degenerate) sing the stanza parts

Life is a banquet and death is the buffet
Life is but a cycle of waking, walking and dying
Life is like a day you wake up, work and then die in slumber

Life is a banquet and death is the buffet
Remember that you must die

Life is but a cycle of waking, walking and dying
Life is like a day you wake up, work and then die in slumber

Life is a banquet and death is the buffet
Remember that you must die

Waking, walking and dying
Wake up, work and then die in your slumber

Life is a banquet and death is the buffet
Remember that you must die

Death rides on a coal-black horse
He wears an invisible cap...
Death can step along smiling with the dancers
He drums hard and he drums soft
Die, die, die you must

Life sucks we'll all die sooner or later

Life is a banquet and death is the buffet

Hopefully this song will be finished before the year ends... in the meantime you can listen and download some of Never Forget The Cause's songs in myspace by clicking this link

notes from Disturbia

2008-09-05T13:05:00.000+08:00

I was watching the movie Disturbia the other day and after having been cramped up at home for a few days already I cannot help but feel affinity with Kale Brecht, the central character in the movie played by Shia LeBeouf.

He’s on house arrest, for assaulting his teacher.

I on the other hand feel like I am also on house arrest because I'm advised by the doctor to take a week off and rest in order to recover from my recent bout with dengue fever. It has almost been a week now that I am staying at home with my parents eating, taking afternoon naps and watching DVD, with the occasional follow-up visits to the doctor, (just this afternoon I had blood extracted from me so that the doctors could determine if I have already fully recovered).

Like Kale I also feel limited, helpless I long for freedom, but the irony of it all is that while I am here at home spending time with my family I long to go out and the only place that I can go to right now if indeed I could choose to go out is to go to work.

Sadly, I don't want to come back to work right now. I'm jaded with whatever it is that's taken hold of my precious work at Greenpeace, sometimes I feel as though it has lost its soul, it's hardly the organization that I became a part of 3 years ago, and I welcomed the idea of getting sick because it meant that I could get away with doing web work, for the meantime. Maybe I'm just exhausted with work, or maybe with life in general.

I've been through a lot lately, for starters a couple of weeks ago I cried my heart out because Jeanie's going to be gone for a year. I had just finished preaching to the youth congregation of Grace Bible Church. I have gone to what I feel is an unfruitful trip to Indonesia. I cannot help but feel pain whenever I'd see how unfairly treated my friends at Greenpeace's fundraising department are not getting the same benefits that I am getting for my tenure of work for the organization. I am still agonizing whether I should take up a course in theology. And right now I am still somewhat sick and tired of the fact that I do not have a clue as to what it is that I want to do with my life.

If only life was as simple as that of a movie, like in Disturbia everything went back to how it is, by the time that the next door serial killer has been done with. I'm going back to work on Monday, again I'd be off to Greenpeace cyberspace, off with the accumulated paper work that needs to be filed, the unread emails aching to be replied to and the thought that again I am back to work, regretting that I have not really exerted much of any 'quality time' with my family during my short tenure here at home.

The only consolation that I could get is that with easy access to the net means a more efficient way of getting in touch with Jeanie who's at the moment studying Communication Culture at Maastricht.

Perhaps this is just a phase that in God’s time will build up character and reap a harvest of blessing on my part. But as for now I feel cold and still exhausted...

Several things to do in the absence of Jen

2008-09-03T16:34:00.000+08:00

I realized that I will be spending almost a year alone, without Jeanie.

Here are some things that I’ve thought of doing just to pre-occupy my attention from the lingering loneliness of her absence:

Kill Boy Abunda – This is a no brainer, this fag has gone way to far in telling people how they ought to live their lives it’s time for his appointment with the Grim Reaper.
Tell Kris Aquino that nobody gives a crap about her and her opinions – Perhaps this would require me to join her crappy game shows just so I could give her and her idiot opinions my 10 cents worth.
Strangle Bamboo with a microphone cord – I’ve had enough of rock stars like this moron, (I mean isn’t Axl Rose, Fred Durst or Jon Bon Jovi enough?!). As a musician I’d like to reveal to the world that rock isn’t about being cool on stage while holding a microphone, it’s about playing an instrument on stage and about writing songs. In his case he lacks both, good thing once upon a time Rico Blanco had the right mind to fire him from Rivermaya (which by the way is the best example of a poser rip-off band).
‘Fire’ Donald Trump – I hate this asshole. His hairpiece is a monstrosity and common having to copyright everything related to him is downright cheapskate. Perhaps I ought to join The Apprentice and introduce him to my fist and his hairpiece to the garbage and then I’ll rip-off his catchphrase: “you’re fired”. Serves him right for being the capitalist scum that he is.

Crawling from the wreckage…

2008-09-03T16:14:00.000+08:00

Jeanie is gone.

I remember closing the taxi door with tears dripping down my eyes, knowing that for a year there will be a void in my heart because its better half would be somewhere in the Netherlands.

I cried.

I was lonely.

Up to this point in time I’m still missing her.

Thankfully, technology has enabled me to hear her voice again.

It’s something that helps me keep my sanity…

Back from the brink…

2008-08-30T16:20:00.000+08:00

Thank God it’s over.

After a grueling week of dextrose and having not a lot to do I am finally free!

The blood platelets are now stable.

Praise God.

Dengue has now been defeated. I am again well and good if not for a wedge of emptiness in my heart that right now continues to bleed…

my usual day...

2008-08-15T10:14:00.000+08:00

Some thoughts on veganism

2008-08-12T17:28:00.002+08:00

Most of the people who read this knows of my work at an environmental NGO and I think there's such a big fuss about how environmentalists ought to be vegans. I for one am not vegan because I believe in biodiversity and in symbiotic relationships in the ecosystems, if veganism is really the natural way of how things work it would then be tantamount to saying that lions behave 'un-naturally' because they hunt and eat meat of their prey (hence there's a symbiotic relationship between the lion and the prey). Just now I stumbled upon another insight about veganism and why I am not a vegan, another is that veganism is a consumer activity here's a portion of an interesting article about veganism from Infoshop:

Thus, a vegan diet may be seen as a sensible response by people who want to minimize their involvement with the meat industry in an industrial capitalist society. But this is not a universal context, whereas veganism markets itself as a universal solution. PETA has declared that you can't be a meat-eating environmentalist, and most vegans believe this line or toe it explicitly. What vegans have failed to think out is that industrial capitalism has not existed forever, nor have human societies always been ecocidal or abusive towards animals. In fact, to avoid eurocentric conclusions vegans must admit that the first and the very best environmentalists eat meat. I refer to a number of indigenous societies, past and present, that have the best track record of living in harmony with the environment and seeing other species as their extended families. Especially since vegans put so much emphasis on the impacts of an individual's lifestyle, they (being nearly all residents of wealthy countries) are deluding themselves and the broader communities to which they advertise their image as the preeminent environmentalists, considering that these omnivorous non-capitalist societies had a much lower ecological footprint and a much deeper affinity for animals than anyone socialized in an industrial society can ever gain in their lifetimes.

if john meyer's a pervert...then jack johnson's a douchebag!

2008-08-07T17:49:00.003+08:00

I know I'm treading on dangerous ground here but to be honest I feel like I can no longer hide the disgust that I feel whenever I'd see those two on television or hear their music. Plain and simple I hate them I hate the way John Meyer disguises his perverted look at ladies by calling their bodies wonderlands, I hate Jack Johnson plainly because I think the world has had enough of the likes of him.

Funny thing is that I think people would expect more of me when addressing these two artists they'd say: "give them a chance and they'll grow into you..." but I hate them. Come to think about it I also hate Incubus and Jason Mraz but not as much as I hate John and Jack. I hate them in the same way that every Irish person that I meet hates U2 and Bono. They suck in my book plainly because I think they suck. In fact I found more reason to hate them when my bandmate, Ten mentioned that she saw a photograph of Jack Johnson wearing no socks to a pair of what seems like Sperry topsiders, I mean what year is this 1992?(!), maybe he just stepped out of his Mitsubishi Lancer or something.

I hope they die soon. I hope more people would choose to listen more to Bright Eyes, Rocky Votolato, Bob Dylan, Pedro the Lion or even Dashboard Confessional...

As for John Meyer I remember this episode in Seth MacFarlane's Family Guy where Chris under the influence of his living zit vandalized Goldman's Pharmacy with the phrase: "THAT'S ENOUGH JOHN MEYER"

Indeed that's enough John you're a pervert and I know it.

Maybe its time for everyone to start thinking that these two doesn't represent intelligent music.

They're just lousy posers.

being away from home sucks

2008-08-06T18:01:00.002+08:00

i know i've only been here in indonesia for a day, but i already feel like its been years. i have a flue right now. my teeth still hurt. i at a lost with my work. i don't have anyone to talk to. i miss the philippines especially jeanie, i can't imagine a day without her and right now as i live life without her i feel pretty much at a lost. i miss my family. i miss my friends. thankfully with each night that i'll go to sleep i'm a day closer to being home again.

a good question for multiply.com users

2008-08-05T17:56:00.000+08:00

people say they like multiply.com because its like having your own website to host all your contents. so a good question perhaps that we should ask them is that whether they need a website or not. because if they answer 'no' its all but logical to conclude that maybe the multiply.com user doesn't really need a website... ;)

one helluva toothace!

2008-08-04T17:59:00.001+08:00

i got one helluva toothache... good thing there's pain killers

thought for the day

2008-07-16T17:47:00.001+08:00

Bakit sa panahon na ito, tila ata lahat pwedeng malugi pwera lang sa mga kumpanya ng langis?

Multiply.com sucks!

2008-07-16T17:44:00.000+08:00

Multiply is for lousy posers who want to have their own websites!

emo, punk and other whatnots

2008-07-15T17:14:00.004+08:00

"wouldn't it be more of an act of rebellion if you didn't spend so much time buying blue hair dye and going out to get punky clothes? it seems so petty. stop me if I'm being offensive. you wanna be an individual, right? you look like you're wearing a uniform. you look like a punk. that's not rebellion. that's fashion."

- slc punk

"Today's emo kids are nothing but androgynous poser punks..!"

- chuck baclagon

what happens when you're editing web content in a hurry...?

2008-06-10T16:05:00.003+08:00

....you end up with a messed up website...

my bloodshot eyes

2008-06-10T16:03:00.003+08:00

i suppose the image says it all...

2008-06-07T20:26:00.007+08:00

for more worthwhile stuff that please checkout the Quit Coal blog here