Seashells of Island Angel

Goodbye, Evanescence

2011-09-14T04:20:00.000+08:00

For the longest time, I have been a big fan of Evanescence. Although I don't follow the band's life in general, their music was much more important to me than controversies--especially with Amy Lee's case having been in a relationship with Seether's vocalist for the longest time but parted ways bitterly. The album the band released after her breakup with Shaun was "The Open Door". I instantly bought it with my own money when it was out.

I first heard the band while I was a DJ in M.O.R. Cotabato. Like everyone else, I listened to "Bring Me To Life" and I got completely hook. And just like everyone else, their music was confused by the mainstream as a mixture of goth and something else. I was one of those that got fooled by this mix up but I am glad that it had been cleared out sooner.

Their music was dark, there is no denying to that. What's more amazing is the band's vocals. Amy Lee has a great voice and to front a band with a voice like that singing with music like that was just like one of the many dreams I wanna achieve in life. I simply wanna be in her state as well, so becoming a powerful vocalist had been my passion for a decade. So far, I have achieved this aspect in my life in some sort of a way, but still I need more practice. Having known Amy Lee's adolescence as a member of their school choir, that even made it harder for me since I have never been part of the choir in my high school. In fact, I refrained from it because of my introvert personality then.

I did what I can to improve myself and just by listening to Evanescence made me go further as a vocalist. Even today, my talent was because of my perseverance and drive to be just like Amy Lee in Evanescence in a much darker sense.

"The Open Door" was the second album I bought from them (the first one was "Fallen"). So having heard the news of their new album release got me all excited. I even listened to the lyrics video that they posted in Vevo. And while it wasn't that dark as I expected it to be, I still hear her powerful voice. That alone was enough for me to decide to buy their new album when it finally comes out in our local music stores.

Today, I saw the update from their Facebook page about their new video up in Vevo. For the longest time, I have endured what this music video site has done to viewers like me. With their whoring of licences for copyrights on YouTube, they are able to diminish other channels from uploading originals because of "supposed" copyright infringement. Obviously, this is a capitalist movement and today they have finally done it when they successfully made it impossible for the rest of the world to watch Evanescence's new video of their new single from their new album. Simply put, I can't watch the video.

And this is why I have decided to end my fandom with the band (just like when I stopped listening to Silverchair when "Young Modern" came out). By allowing the capitalists to own their rights and making it exclusive only in the U.S., I am disappointed. I have no reason to support this band anymore. I have always looked up to them and hoped that everything goes well for the band after all that shit they have gone through, but this is just too much to take. Shutting the door in my face just because I am not from America? Amazing way to impress fans worldwide.

So now, I bid my farewell to Evanescence. It had been an experience quite memorable, even a passion unforgettable, but I think looking up to them was a regrettable mistake. True that it improved my talents, but maybe I should've looked somewhere else instead to continue more of this sparked drive.

Which reminds me... Tarja Turunen anyone? Tee hee~

Inner Goth

2011-09-13T16:48:00.000+08:00

Lately, I've been getting in touch with my inner goth. What is it exactly? It's sorta like I feel gothic but I can't seem to express it in fear of being judged by family members. I know how they can be the most difficult people in your life and it's confusing why they do it out of love and protection.

I have just been recently throwing my inhibitions of family judgment away from myself. It had been holding me back for many years and I am very regretful why nobody told me to believe in myself sooner than now. I've lived a rough childhood with my brothers and I had to experience first-hand the cruel ways of life. As they say, "experience is the best teacher", but not everyone can handle these experiences very well.

I have to discover everything all by myself.

Now in my late 20's, I feel rather more like of a child than an adult when I should be like an adult. Matters of figures somehow reminds me of one of the very first children's books I've read by Exupery ("The Little Prince").

I found out in my early 20's that people in my age at that time are in a state of "identity crisis" and that it is quite normal for us to be ever searching for something in our lives to finally represent ourselves to the world. That may include being true to yourself while majority tend to become who they are not. It's a frustrating battle within yourself and it takes a pretty toll in our time.

In my case, it was rather difficult having to experience tragedy before I can even get to decide who I am really in life. I've always embraced my Grunge roots and Metal had always been my outlet for my anger management issues. Industrial gave me a great deal of fun and Alt gave me great friends to mingle. Somehow, Goth had a very special place in all of it eventhough my only source of goth music are most particularly from the mainstream which doesn't really tap into the real Goth music.

So what really Goth people are like? From my point of view, Goths are a bunch of intelligent and polite people embracing the darker and weirder and stranger sides of life. Somehow, I do embrace the insanity, the madness, the darker depths and the weird. And that is why I feel the inner Goth in me.

And since my inhibitions are long gone, I'm slowly transforming myself to what I really wanna represent myself to the world. Whatever that is, I think we'll just have to wait and see. One thing's for sure though, I am embracing the dark side with kind arms.

Hell Girl VS Death Note

2011-09-09T00:38:00.001+08:00

What? What is all this? Did I just make a debate for myself? All these dark entities brooding right before me is making my creative juices flow like they've never before. Well, maybe a little but it really got me curious to the point of actually writing a blog for it.

Okay so, do I really need to tell you all the summaries of these two animes? Come on. Go figure it out yourself. I'm not gonna feed you with that. I'm here to express my thoughts on this debate.

On this debate, I choose Hell Girl. Why? Simple. Right on the first episode I got hooked. With Death Note, there was nothing. I even went to watching 4 more episodes just to pique my interests, but none. I don't understand why the story has to be that complicated that I have to watch 4 episodes with nothingness.

Death Note was born onto the mainstream because of, well, people--specifically kids, teenagers to be exact. Putting up "L" on their Facebook profile pictures, declaring how they loved the series. I admire their passion, really, but I don't see the point of loving it too much. It's getting too popular and conventional that I just practically ignored it and continued watching "Higashi no Eden" (Eden of the East) at the time when I was offered to watch Death Note to balance my opinions out.

I couldn't really understand it. The prologue took about 3 episodes for the anime series to explain the story. On the 4th ep, my friend told me that it's where the story gets pumping. And I'm like, "You know what? Screw this shit. I'm already on my 4th ep and I still get nothing? I watched the first episode of Higashi no Eden and I was completely hooked. I even watched 3 of the movies!" He was still taunting me to watch the 5th as a passive suggestion to me just so I could get interested, but I am stubborn and I never get to watching the next episode.

Now, I can't shake the similarities of Hell Girl to Death Note, but, of course, they're both very different in their own way.

How did I manage to find Hell Girl? Truth be told, no one suggested this to me. How amazing is that? It's like a diamond I've found all by myself against the dirt.

I have no idea what Hell Girl was. It had an interesting title for sure, but nobody talked about it so I don't know anything. When I started watching it, it was "love at first episode". I was so into it that the first episode gave me chills already. Wow. What an amazing effect. How could I stop from there? I'm already watching the season 2 and I'm bound to watch the live action movie of it in the near future.

Another plus for the series is that it has actually a great musical score. Seriously. Though I am not a fan of the opening song of Hell Girl, the ending was a little nice to hear. Death Note had a ridiculous score. Gothic, yes and I like it very much, but it was a bit too much.

So to make all these worth, I will post the first episode of both animes. Don't worry, just the first parts of their first episodes, usually it's the first 10-15 minutes, and then you'll be the judge of this. They will be in English dub for everyone's convenience.

I present Death Note first.

Now, Hell Girl.

There ya go. Of course, both have different universe but you can't help compare them because of their worlds linking to hell and death. However, I personally prefer Hell Girl. What? You think you can get away from wanting someone dead? I don't think so.

Sleeping to Cobain's Voice

2011-08-25T14:50:00.006+08:00

I woke up to the sound of Kurt Cobain's voice in my headphones. Lately, I've been trying to get more sleep than usual, and by doing that straight away, I need to listen to my kind of music with nobody else bothering so I can succumb back to my own private world. And it's been amazing for a couple of days now that I've been back to this kind of privilege just so I can get back on my own two feet again.

I wasn't listening to some Nirvana songs. In fact, I don't have their discography downloaded yet. I just get lazy sometimes, so I never bothered to anyway. I was actually re-watching an interview documentary called "About A Son" directed by AJ Schnack. I love hearing Kurt's voice in that entire documentary and felt the idea of listening to him while going to sleep would work.

The first things I heard again was about his early childhood and how him and I are a little similar having psycho dads growing up. I guess in that time I've already fallen asleep for my usual siesta.

And back to where I was saying, I woke up to the sound of Kurt Cobain's voice. I heard him talking about Courtney and how it was really different with how people like to judge her all the time--that she eventually led Kurt to his untimely death and all the while in those few minutes re-watching this documentary, he was talking positively about her. And it occur to me that Courtney didn't make Kurt die. It was the media that destroyed what Kurt loved.

And on and on he went up until his prediction of music in 20 years and how it will be very re-hashed and plagiarized that music will become nothing more than a fashion statement to have an excuse to have a social life. I laughed. Living now after his death, he was very correct.

And as the documentary ended, I cried. A year after that interview was done, he shot himself in the head.

I've always examined myself whether the people I look up to are bad or wrong or entirely different from other people's point of view, and whenever I do, I always agree within me that these rockstars I look up to are not the typical people you meet anyway so why should I bother with other people's judgments about them. They make me sane in anyway possible and that's good enough for me.

And then another thing came up. John Frusciante and Kurt Cobain are alike in some ways. And my grandfather also thinks somewhat like them both. And then I found out that they are actually "Pisces" people. LOL. Geniuses from water, I guess.

That's all for now. I just felt like sharing stuff after waking up.

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A/N: Angelikus was just discharged from the hospital a couple of days ago due to allergy and asthma attacks caused by stress and over fatigue. She is in need of bed rest for a week.

Bigger

2011-07-19T03:26:00.003+08:00

It occur to me that ever since I have been given the gift of singing, I have been cheered on by so many people, strangers and friends alike. With this spread of positivity, I was encouraged to join the allegedly famous talent reality shows such as "Pilipinas Got Talent" and "Pinoy Dream Academy."

As you all know I have already auditioned for PDA (Pinoy Dream Academy) 4 years ago and posted a blog entry about it here (if you missed it, here's the post: link). The rejection was one of the most fatal blows in my life and it reverberated in the years after that, that even giving in to my mother's wishes for what my life should be like had become my fuel for living. I began to forget my dreams. That episode in my life I already wrote it here (link).

My mother, no matter how supportive she is, is not comfortable with the idea of me pursuing a musical career. She is the most definite existence known in the universe as the eternal rationalistic. That is enough reason for me to stop talking to her about the future I want for myself.

Now I laugh at the thoughts of the people around me. PDA? PGT? Personally, I have already left the dream of making it through them, but I have never given up on my dreams. My PDA rejection catapulted me into somewhere higher than I know. Though it was very depressing at first, it never stopped me from aiming higher than before.

So why did I laugh? Lemme ask you then. Why would I go back? It's clear that these things are not for me. So why would I wanna embarrass myself? They do not need me, so why would I need them? I sang in front of them once and they have failed to unwrap the package. It's not my fault if they prefer the wrappings than what's inside.

But when I hear people talk to me about auditioning for the shows, I just smirk and the first thing that comes into my mind is : "I have bigger dreams than that."

Experience is the best teacher in life. The rejection led me downward until I were then discovered by Popong Landero, one of the most influential artists in the city, to which I have higher respects for than the judges of the talent reality shows. He complimented me very much as to having such an amazing voice with genuine clearness to it and powerful enough to deliver a quality tune.

That compliment led me to many things, including the president of SAMADhI (Samahan ng mga Musikeros sa Davao, Inc.) Madam Sandra's invitation to sing in one of the stages I've been dreaming to perform in: Taboan at Matina Town Square.

And after performing so many times there, I met musicians new and old from all walks of life in the city. It's one of the most dreadful things I am most anxious about, but it turns out that there are great people to be with.

And my most recent achievement is having to perform in front of 10,000 people at the Solidarity Rally for Inday Sara. The crowd even cheered and sang with us. It was one of the most exciting moments I've ever had.

I'm sure the people around me wants to see me up there achieve higher than what I have. For me, that is a level lower than now. I'm sure you are about as curious what kind of dreams do I have in life.

It is still the same, a musical career, but this time I have laid out every detail that I specifically want. I want to be recording rock artist with a full band in Europe, possibly more into gothic genre or anything that rocks hard with upcoming world tours. And with the suggestion of my beloved cousin in Germany, I will soon grab hold of my dreams and live them. I can't wait!

I am confident and it very rare when I am, but when I am given a small window of opportunity, there is no denying that I will instantly climbed into it with everything I've got. I don't wanna live in regret in the coming years of my life when it is this near to reach them.

And to those who still think that I must climb these steps a little slower than going to Europe for my dreams by joining these shows: like I said, I have bigger dreams than that.

Nonsense Rants of Non-Davaoeños

2011-07-01T19:15:00.005+08:00

I was originally intending to write something about what our city mayor did: 4 punches onto the stubborn face of the court sheriff who didn't listen to the mayor's plea to give her 2 hours so she can prevent any riot from happening at the demolition site in Agdao, Davao City. I failed. I lost my focus and my anger is just boiling madly inside me that I failed to write something that will hit everyone's skull so my opinion can be embedded right in their brains. Without any privacy at home, I decided to do something else.

If you don't know the story yet, lemme provide you some videos I found concerning our topic today:

DUTERTE PUNCHES COURT SHERIFF AMID DEMOLITION OPS IN DAVAO CITY

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ANC Interviews Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte

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Mayor Inday Sara Duterte Sinuntok Si Court Sheriff Aby Andres

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Testigo - July 1, 2011 (Mayor Inday Sara Duterte)

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I personally dislike the first 2 videos I gave you but I had to post them if you can't understand Tagalog or our dialect Bisaya which is widely used in the Visayas and Mindanao regions. ABS-CBN is a very biased media corporation and the worst employers in the history of the Philippines. I said that because of years of experience. I only got to work in the company as a radio jock for over a year, but that's all. My parents, on the other hand, had 25 years of experience. They sacrificed a lot and they were never compensated. All the company knows is to hire new people because their pay is low. So they ditch the old ones working for years for them just because they can't afford to pay them anymore. What senseless brilliance, I must say.

But enough about that. I came here to write of the (as the titles goes) nonsense rants of non-Davaoeños. It is very degrading to learn that the public, most especially who are not from Davao or have not lived in Davao, are very stupid in their judgments, conclusions and comments. I laugh at every post they make. They speak as if they know. They talk as if they are wise. They judge as if Duterte is their mayor. They conclude as if they have lived here all their lives. They comment as if with a title.

Okay, so I don't have a title and have never graduated college just so you know who the freaking hell is writing this post, but I sure damn well know enough to reason and criticize to get my opinion across with facts in mind. My mother taught me well and I don't need a diploma or a title to prove that.

Back to the topic! (Dammit, I get lost all the time!)

I went through every site and every page I know where people will certainly post their opinions about the incident. YouTube has a lot of them and I have spent a day to prove these idiots wrong. Yes, one day just commenting over and over again. It does sound kinda sad, but it was the only way to convey what I wanna say. I am after all gathering my wits to write it here, something I have to do before I can babble on senseless things like the rest.

What really made me laugh at the brains of some of these people are the ones who are not even from Davao City or have not lived nor experienced the life here. It's perfectly clear they missed out the whole story.

I've even checked out some Facebook pages where I know that these kind of people would post their half-assed comments. Here are some of the screenshots I've taken: (I do apologize but some of them are not in English)

This guy said that the mayor is an embarrassment because of what she did. He's also wondering what are other things she could do without the cameras. He's from Sta. Mesa, Manila. The comments below him are siding him who are from Quezon, Baguio, and Rizal respectively. None of them are from Davao.

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This one is actually praising the mayor and from Davao City but the last comment is not siding her stating that she should've just scolded him and that she had displayed an abuse of power. She wondered if the mayor had no bodyguards then, what would've happened.

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This guy is against the mayor's actions and is from Rizal. The one commenting him below is from Davao City and obviously against him.

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Two more who aren't from Davao City even and are also against the mayor's actions.

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This one is the funniest in the screenshots I've taken from the page because it's coming from a troll. What a coward.

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I later found out that the page I went to wasn't really the official page. I searched for the other one where there are even more idiots talking there. I am not calling names. They are really idiots who talk like they know shit. They will really raise your eyebrows with what they are saying. Gotta hand it to Bayan Mo, iPatrol Mo: Ako ang Simula (which is also from ABS-CBN) for attracting dimwits always complaining but never helping.

This post is from a girl who is half trolling but totally wrong with her facts. She says that what the mayor did was against human rights. I can't believe how single-minded this person is. Apparently, she failed to see the riot in the demolition site. Get real, kid. Pfft.

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There are a lot more of these people who talk nonsense at all. They don't even know the story. There was even one post that mentioned Davao as a "province". I totally laughed my brains out. Seriously, is this what the capital has? Filled with idiotic citizens who know nothing but complain a lot with gibberish? As if it isn't enough that the prices of their products are insanely expensive? Lemme ROFLMALOL for a moment.

Somehow, there are some Davaoeños who are against of the mayor's actions. When I carefully read their complaints, it's as vivid as ever before that these people also didn't know the whole story. The mayor had explained herself countless times on T.V. and radio what happened and the plans she made before the demolition order could begin. It pays to know, people. Do your homework!

Now comes the question. Why am I defending, supporting and proud of the mayor? If you are from Davao or have lived here for so long, you'll know that the Duterte's had been keeping peace and order in the city for decades. They cleaned the streets from criminals and have even started a city ordinance for anti-smoking and liquor ban. From Mayor Sara Duterte's father, Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, it all began with him: a former mayor and the people's pride for protecting the city. The Duterte's never left Davao. They never dreamed for a position in Congress nor in the Senate. They remained in Davao keeping everything intact, safe and progressing the city while opening its doors to the world. They are a family of leaders that the city knows so well. Their reputation never fails their actions. There are so many things about the Duterte's and I might have not included them here now because I forgot, but one thing's for sure, the people know them and love them and that is why the people have voted for them.

Above all these negative comments and criticisms, there still remains the strength of the leader to her people:

Now, off we go to save Davao from the victims of the recent flash flood. Yes, we have other problems to face and a true Davaoeño possesses strength to face them all.

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A/N: Did you see how she dispersed the riot herself without arms? The police couldn't even do that! The people respects her. Too bad the court sheriff and the judge didn't. LOL. Go Mayor!

Goodbye Pazzy

2011-06-10T08:31:00.003+08:00

The time has come for the queen of my kennel to go and be happy with a new life ahead of her. At the age of 5, I have already made up my mind to adopt her to a familiar friend, my late brother Deo's best friend Mike who was also a triathlete and was the last person my brother texted before he died. Mike had accepted my offer and this morning he left our abode with Pazzy in his care.

She has been the mother, grandmother and great grandmother of so many Basset Hounds in the city and I believe she has already given so much to my brother's legacy.

My mission is finished. I have done what my late brother would've wanted. And now it's time to retire Pazzy and give her a good senior life with her new family. She had been the sweetest of all dogs I've ever had and I will never forget the dawn I saw how good of a mother she was.

I will miss you, Pazzy. Mike will take care of you now. I'm sure you will enjoy the life ahead of you. Mike has been a good friend to my brother and I'm sure he will take good care of the greatest contributor of my brother's keep: Pazzy.

Have a good life, Sweetness! XOXO

Don Juan Baktas

2011-06-03T10:41:00.010+08:00

I know I have been unfair for not telling you about my joy in the music department of my life. So I thought I'd sit down and write all this down, as long as I can remember everything that had happened these past few months in climbing the stairs to my dreams.

"Don Juan Baktas" was formed a year later after my brother's death. Me and my kid bro performed the hymns for our late brother's 40th day. I used my guitar Rusty which I bought on 2005 in Zamboanga City. Alex (my kid brother) didn't have an accompaniment of his own for percussions so he used my Yamaha keyboard for the drum sound effect. After that, we started jamming from there.

So we planned to make an acoustic band of our own. Alex finally bought a Cajon (a wooden percussion instrument in cube form popularly used for acoustic sound) from Cebu. We'd practice songs we love and then upload videos of our sessions at home on YouTube hoping that our talents would be recognized worldwide.

Our passion in music was supported by our good family friend and musical mentor Chuck Mascariñas whom I have mentioned here in this blog when he passed away (link to the said post). We became inactive after his death.

But as when we were hopeless for a musical career, Alex was discovered by an indie film director in their school and was then offered by a male lead role in the upcoming movie "Crossfire". My brother accepted it and spent weeks worth of shooting at the cold mountains of Cagayan de Oro. During post production though, Alex was introduced to the film's scorer who happens to be one of the most influential indie musicians in Davao City: Popong Landero.

Now my family knows Popong Landero, not personally though. We have always been fans of music and his representation of himself and of Davao and Mindanao to the world. We already met him back when Kuya Chuck was still alive but we were only introduced casually. Alex's second meeting of him was more important as Alex was not seen only as a common man but the male lead actor for the movie.

It was even more of an honor when Sir Popong invited Alex to jam at Sea Girt Beach Club. This was sparked while Alex was testing out the new drums at the said place. He asked whether he plays. Alex affirmed this but not professionally and that he plays with me on the acoustic guitars and vocals. That's when he invited us for one set.

We immediately heed his invite and that's when Sir Popong Landero and SAMADhI (Samahan ng mga Musikeros sa Davao, Inc.) were blown away. We were then invited for future gigs in the coming months which included one of our dreams to come true: to be able to perform at Taboan, Matina Town Square--the stage where many local and national musicians frequented and the place where a lot of customers come to dine in, drink and enjoy great music by artists selected as fit to perform.

This was not just an ordinary stage and to perform there in front of many people was an opportunity we never thought that it would come to us in the form of tribute to the passing of the owner of Matina Town Square: Chito Ayala. We did the opening act of SAMADhI's "Easter Sunday Jam" in his memoriam on April 24 this year. It was also the first death anniversary of Kuya Chuck's passing. And since Deo's 4th death anniversary was on May 5, we decided to dedicated a song for these 3 people who meant more to us and that song is Coldplay's "The Scientist" (video can be seen here).

The status of Don Juan Baktas at this very moment is an acoustic rock band now known in the city. I am very happy that my musical side is now founded strongly by our humble beginnings and an opportunity we will never forget. We are forever indebted to Sir Popong Landero for that simple invite and to SAMADhI for giving us our break on one of the many stages we once dreamt to perform on.

"Baktas" in "Don Juan Baktas" means "walk" in the Cebuano dialect (a widely used dialect in the Visayas and Mindanao regions of the Philippines). The history of our band name goes back to our childhood roots when we used to take the shortcut from school to our home and vice verse. All throughout our 14 years of studying in Don Juan dela Cruz Central Elementary School, we took that shortcut filled with rocky roads (sometimes muddy after a night's rain), grassy plains with scary bulls grazing, and that narrow wooden bridge on a very large and deep canal that separated the school and the subdivision we're in. But after that ordeal, we'd end up on our final path filled with flowers and gardens. It was one of our most unforgettable experience that me and my siblings share that no matter what lies ahead, we are most positive that we can overcome it (especially of rough childhood). We are not alone in our struggles. Rich or poor, we are all equals taking one step at a time to our "gardens" (metaphorically speaking). We keep moving forward, we walk on. And in our musical journey, even Don Juan walks.

You can check out our updates, gig dates, videos and pictures on our Facebook page (click here) and on YouTube (click here)

We hope you'll continue to walk with us. Rock on wood!

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*I now have a new guitar for better performance as per advised by Sir Popong Landero. "Alice" (which I fondly call it) is a Fender Starcaster acoustic guitar that I bought with my very own hard-earned money.

The King's Speech (And a message to my friend)

2011-04-30T19:56:00.005+08:00

Last Oscars, I didn't really expect for my bet to win, but out of all of the movies released and nominated for Best Picture, I always thought "The King's Speech" had a better story to tell than "The Social Network", "127 Hours", "Black Swan" and other films that I've failed to remember because of how less their impact are to me.

All of which that I've particularly mentioned had greater chances to win. "The Social Network" is a true story behind the history and the controversy of Facebook while "127 Hours" is also a true story of a famous athlete on his trail and surviving from a horrible accident that made it look like impossible for him to get out. On the other hand, "Black Swan" is a fictional story but based from the story of "Swan Lake" which was taken to real and twisted proportions.

The amazing talents of James Franco in "127 Hours" and Natalie Portman in "Black Swan" was the ticket of their movies to win. "The Social Network" boasts of Facebook's history that could grab the Oscar. As you all know, Facebook is now the most famous social network on the web and this popularity gained interest among viewers to watch how Facebook was born. Personally, I think the only interesting part of it was that Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails did the score of the movie. LOL.

So maybe I am biased since I've never watched these 3 movies before because I believe I can save money if I won't pay myself a ticket to see a movie that I'm not even interested in. I also believe that seeing a movie half-heartedly is a waste of time, and I'm almost in regret when I do cave in to watching it because of my friends' recommendations or just out of pure curiosity because of the hype than the story itself.

I've always felt that a movie is an art of telling a story. Special effects, CGI, blue and green screens, make-ups, all of these are just bonuses in a movie. The problem with society today is that these have become the major aspect of the movie, so much than that of the story.

The first time I heard about "The King's Speech" was on YouTube and I thought the title was interesting. Who is this king? And what about his speech? Those were some of the questions that popped in my head. After clicking the video for the trailer, I was fascinated of the story. The actors were big bonuses for my part and seeing Helena Bonham Carter in a more decent look was pure sublime. She was even more beautiful than I imagined and it was refreshing to see her out of the Tim Burton movies for a while.

"The King's Speech" is the story of King George VI of Britain, his impromptu ascension to the throne and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch become worthy of it. Starred by Colin Firth as Bertie (King George VI) and Geoffrey Rush as Lionel (Lionel Logue), "The King's Speech" grabbed the Oscar win.

As everyone else who watched the trailer, we thought we know the story and that is just what the movie is telling. The thing I liked about it is that presumption went down the drain. There is even more to tell and quickly the morals of the story floats on the surface. And though it may boasts of great performance by the actors and the basing of it from a true British monarch and his life as a stammer, like every other story should be, lessons should be learned--and there is a great deal of lessons being taught in the film.

I am not gonna tell you why the movie has "more to tell" than that of the trailer. It'll spoil you the goods. But if it were me, I wouldn't mind. My attention to visual details are more keen than other movie buffs.

I do recommend for parents to watch this.

So a bit of this review aside, I remember someone who used to be my friend when I watched this film.

He used to be my friend because we had an argument that led to the destruction of our friendship. He believed that I wouldn't be happy if I won't let go of my issues.

I had a rough childhood and getting out of it and trying to live life in a bliss is difficult. Achieving happiness is hardwork for me and I must strive harder no matter how different I am. Being disowned by your very own father and telling it in front of you, with fear and hatred always governing my heart because of how hard he was to me and to my brothers, is a future undeniably scarred.

Jonathan Davis, Michael Jackson and King George VI are perfect examples of results of bad parenting. They were even having problems with their lives because of their childhood. How much more with my own life?

So to my friend, I tell you that it is difficult to "get out" of it. This ugly past lingers on until adulthood and trying to solve it is not easy at all. It's like waiting for a miracle to happen, that's how impossible it could get. For someone who had lived a happy childhood, I wouldn't expect you to understand. It just saddens me that you chose your pride more over our friendship just because I have issues. I am only human trying my best to live albeit my past. Isn't that enough credit for you?

But I am living the life I want now. I have a boyfriend who loves me and makes me happy everyday. I am now a recognized vocalist in my hometown where I get to sing the songs I love in a band. Sure, my financial status hasn't improved, but everyone has money problems. I don't really aim to be successful, but to be happy is much more important to me. And so believing that I will never be happy because of my issues is a curse broken. You were wrong, my friend, and I hope you'll realize that you don't have all the answers to everything. I am truly sorry that we are not friends anymore, but I will not apologize for being who I am.

I wish you all a fun time watching "The King's Speech" as much as I had.

Peace!

Mindanao Times Writer Apologizes

2011-04-05T23:22:00.002+08:00

You can also view the comments here: LINK

This apology was published on March 25, 2011 only on the newspaper, but it was not included on their website.

Have fun scrutinizing because I'm not buying it. There is a special place in hell for people like him.

Mindanao Times Writer still unmoved despite Animal Cruelty declaration

2011-03-24T10:05:00.002+08:00

You know how these old people bear a firm ground to stand on. Their pride goes way up as their age is a vivid evidence of their wisdom. I do not believe such wisdom exists for Loreto D. Tinitigan, an Opinion-writer for the Mindanao Times.

On March 21, 2011, Mr. Tinitigan told the whole world on print and internet media how he was bitten by his very own dog right on the buttocks and endured 25 injections to save himself from rabies. He then wrote that he gave his dog to his drinking friend for meat.

Here's the link to that article: (link)

Yes, meat. Dog meat for human consumption. With this declaration, he practically stirred the world. Congratulations, Mr. Tinitigan! Now everyone is watching for your next say on this. Unfortunately, the Editor-in-Chief can only print a couple of grievance letters after that (link) (link) while the old man continues to write like nothing happened.

A public apology would be nice but it's not enough to undo what he had done. Animal Welfare Act prohibits the killing of dogs by anyone unless by that of a registered veterinarian (link). It is also stated there that it is mandatory to update dog's anti-rabies vaccination every year. This vaccination is given free by the Department of Agriculture Bureau of Animal Industry.

Now pet lovers, owners, dog clubs and other local groups are in fury. Animal Welfare Coalition (link) had expressed its disgust over the said column. Active buyers and sellers on Pet section of Tipidsale.com (formerly known as DavaoSale.com) who happens to be dog lovers, owners, breeders, and members of active dog clubs in Davao City are not impressed of this writer's declaration (link). Founder of the Dachshund Club of Davao (and also a friend of mine Jezyrel Villaruz) raised awareness to this issue as her scanned image of the actual newspaper column on FaceBook gathered a lot of her dog-enthusiast friends and expressed their dislikes with a passion (link).

A non-profit organization WeDogs (link) conveyed their utter unsatisfactory of the same article. Even our furry pals from Philippine Pet Finder did not love this article (link).

But did this writer say anything? Oh no, why would he? He had already written what he wanted to say. All the people in the editorial staff are just collecting feedback and now they've only published a couple out of countless reactions to the issue.

As what Gandhi likes to tell us: "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." So far, we are far from it.

Mindanao Times Writer Suggests Animal Cruelty

2011-03-21T18:19:00.003+08:00

I called their office and I was told to write my complaint on email and send it to them. I am glad to share what I wrote to them as this will also be forwarded to this supposed writer.

Hope everyone shares my view, but this is also just my opinion to the matter.

I may not be the best writer in the world but at least I have the decency to be more respectful of other living things and can even write about it and share it with my friends and family.

According to Animal Welfare Act of the Philippines, only a registered veterinarian can perform euthanasia to an animal, or it can also be done inside only of the premises of the city pound. It is also said that it is MANDATORY to acquire anti-rabies vaccination to our pets. This column by Loreto Tinitigan entitled "Pet lovers, your attention please!" at the Mindanao Times dated today, March 21, 2011 (http://www.mindanaotimes.net/?p=18318), has sent my nerves cracking for paid published writers like him pretending to be responsible pet owners on print media and even reasoning his highly humanitarian authority to give up his pet for "asocena" just because he had to endure 25 injections to save him from rabies which obviously costs a lot of money if only he had updated his dog's anti-rabies shots then maybe it could've been a win-win situation--both of them alive and well and kicking. Oh by the way, the anti-rabies vaccination by the Department of Agriculture Bureau of Animal Industry is FREE. Since it is mandate from the government itself to give anti-rabies vaccinations to our pets, this service can be enjoyed by anyone with pets.

Ignorance to the law is inexcusable.

I am Marie Angeli S. Gacayan, 26, female, single, self-employed and had never graduated college. I am a proud owner of 3 Basset Hounds and 2 Miniature Dachshunds, a dog kennel I run in memory of my brother. And this writer has never even passed as a novice pet owner in my opinion.

I am not afraid to face this man and tell him that what he has done is against the law and of our morals. I have been bitten by a dog before, and a puppy at that which had more rabies than that of an adult, and it died 2-3 days after it had bitten me.

I cried for its death and then I was sent to the hospital to start my 90-day schedule for anti-rabies shots. I didn't blame the puppy for my misfortune. I blamed myself more for being less of a responsible pet owner. The puppy died biting me because I didn't give him anti-rabies vaccination. An experience charged as a life lesson.

Yes, I don't have children. I hate kids to extend that matter, and so is my hatred the same for responsibility, but my hounds taught me that what I give them will always result to something. They are a mirror to my actions, good or bad. Pretty much like raising a child, I suppose. The only difference is, the dog is never wrong. There is no such thing as a bad dog, only a bad owner.

Basset Hounds and Dachshunds are members of the hound group classified as scenthounds who, unfortunately, are not the brightest of all the breeds. Basset Hounds are known to have the second-best nose in the canine world, hence their stubborn nature. Dachshunds have highly-acute sensitive noses which also make them very hard to train but plausible if with consistency.

So why am I making problems for myself anyway if this is a bother? Well, it is not a bother for me. Basset Hounds and Dachshunds are known for they affectionate nature. I am impatient and have a very bad temper (my psychologist even told me to undergo Anger Management which I never did), but I fell in love with these breeds. They were not bred for training, they were bred for hunting and it's up to me as their owner to enhance their hunting instincts through dog sports in the city.

Obviously, this man had read too many wrong information. Why should he care about celebrities and their dogs? He can't even take care of his own dog! He should've called the City Pound and give his dog up to them instead of giving it to his friends for meat! UNBELIEVABLY INHUMANE! Yes, my dogs are far way more important than I! I can survive with bread and water daily while my hounds eat boiled black meat, rice and water cress and serve it cold with dry dog kibble. That is the cost I accepted to make them healthy and away from vet bills. I had saved a puppy once from near tricycle accident on a Monday morning while I was on my school uniform. I glared at the driver and then the puppy ran away safe from the heavy traffic.

Why should he have the right to judge an animal's life when he doesn't even know how to take care of one? If he had experience taking care of pets, then at least he could've taught his children why dogs are man's best friend, like what Cesar Millan, the dog whisperer, would tell everyone. It pays to be knowledgeable of responsible pet ownership. Take the time it takes, as what Ed Frawley of Leerburg Kennels, a professional K9 trainer in the U.S., would say.

His opinion is an evidence of poor pet ownership. I suggest he never touches another living thing in his life ever again, and while he's at it, never write another insipid column without even acquiring the proper knowledge to begin with!

Oh by the way, if he doesn't know, the proper way to introduce yourself to the dog is to let him smell you without eye contact. Form a fist with your hand and let the dog sniff it, then conform in a positive voice to let the dog hear you. Lastly, if the dog advances in slowly in a non-aggressive form, touch it's ears slowly and continue talking to him in a positive tone until the dog makes the first eye contact. That is how you introduce yourself to a dog. A helpful tip so he can save himself from another 25 injections.

Pfft. Amateurs. They think it's easy when they don't even know the slightest idea.

A Market Scene

2011-02-08T22:52:00.004+08:00

Last Sunday, me and my mum went to the Toril Public Market for our weekly supplies. It was hot and I was sweaty while carrying 2 bags filled with fish and veggies. But before we could go back home, we stopped at a grocery story near the market and bought more stuff. At the cashier, the line was so long and it was grossly tight that I opted to wait for my mother outside till she's done.

Outside, it was still hot but I managed to spare me some shade from a pile of empty soda cases.

While waiting, I happen to fixate my attention to a middle-aged man walking in a very slow pace. It seems that he is sick with something (maybe heart-related) that it affected his walking. He was dragging everyone behind. I was by the entry but I didn't had the guts to help him. Instead, the woman behind him offered to carry his grocery and off they went to the man's destination.

I felt kinda bad for not helping in an instant. He was obviously needing help but I don't know why I hesitated. I even turned away. I felt really cruel towards him eventhough I didn't do anything, but by doing nothing, it already meant a big fault in me.

But then something caught my eye. A white fluffy puppy was tied outside of an empty store across the street. It wasn't even tied with a proper leash. It was just a plastic rope. He was eating leftovers set on a plastic bag. The pup was maybe only 1 or 2 months old.

I quickly scanned my surroundings for its owner. Why did he let his puppy be in this situation? After a few head turns, I caught the glimpse of its owner returning back to somewhere but going directly the long path behind the store. I saw the puppy's food on a mount. I guess he refilled its food with more of their leftovers, but the puppy didn't touch it. Instead, it went crying and screaming and whining. It wanted to play. It wanted attention. It wanted love. It wanted his owner.

My heart was aching as it went on crying. Against the smoke-belching motorcycles, cranking rusty jeepneys, crappy radio speakers, blabbering mouths and honking cars, why am I the only one who can hear its cries? Why can't anybody hear his pain?

The Philippines is famous for poor pet ownership. That is the typical Filipino attitude. They think that dogs only eat leftovers from their tables. They think that they should not go anywhere but only to where they tied them for 15 years. And then, when the dog gets noisier than ever before or it hasn't done any good for them, they kill it for its meat. A grotesque taboo.

They forget that these are creatures from God. They breathe, eat and live too, just like the rest of us. They feel pain and they feel love. Why should we rank ourselves above of them when they are so much capable of loving us rather than us loving them?

I wanted to cut the plastic rope and bring the pup to our home, but it will bring risks to my kennel. I wouldn't know if I can still take care of one more dog. My hands are already full. I had to stop myself though it wouldn't be the first time if I saved the pup.

Back in Zamboanga City, I stopped a tricycle from hitting a puppy by the sidewalk. The driver was making a U-turn by using the sidewalk as an advantage. I thought he would stop because he suddenly hit the brakes, but then he stepped on his gas. Without missing a beat, I halted the vehicle by spreading out my limbs. Half of my body (left side) bumped the tricycle which led to a complete stop. I screamed "no" at him and the puppy ran away from the road. I glared at the driver and he put his tricycle on reverse. That was a morning by the way, while I was on my school uniform. LOL!

So back to the topic.

On our way home, I was pondering so much about what happened that I began to evaluate myself in that situation. Between the man and the puppy, I had so many emotions in a whirlwind. And eventhough I felt I betrayed humanity for not helping the sick man, I felt even more depressed and a complete downpour of sorrow for the puppy.

You can say that I have more heart for animals than mankind, but it is man's fault for receiving suffering by acquiring illness through gluttony and lifestyle, and it is also man's fault for brewing suffering onto God's creatures by acquiring cruelty through ignorance and neglect.

Video: 1st Davao City Dachshund Race

2011-02-04T23:39:00.002+08:00

Finally managed to upload all parts to the Dachshund race video. Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dachshund Club of Davao

in collaboration with

petALLdavao.com

presents

1st Davao City Dachshund Race

September 25, 2010 at the SM City Davao FDS

Kurt's White Star Lilies

2011-02-04T19:27:00.005+08:00

You may call me ridiculously pathetic but I have never watched "Nirvana: Unplugged in New York" until Chinese New Year of 2011. The session was recorded in 1994 so you can just imagine the big gap of then and now. What have I been doing to miss it all this time? Apparently, I have so much going on in my life that I never got the chance in 17 years.

I became a "rocker" in '98 after discovering Silverchair's "Freak Show" cassette tape in my cousin's room. Back then, I was more into the Backstreet Boys and Boyzone. Yep, I was a "pre-teeny bopper" and my brothers love to tease me with it, but when I heard "No Association" by Silverchair, it was a complete 180 that I ditched all of my boyband tape collection. I was in for a wild ride.

T'was rather a ride too late. 1998 was the boom of Alternative and Grunge was fast disappearing. I did a lot of coping up and I started with Silverchair, then Oasis, the Verve Pipe, Live, Smashing Pumpkins and a whole lot more, but whenever I start reading about Silverchair again, I kept noticing the group "Nirvana" always mentioned because fans kept comparing both of them in number, color and style.

So I did my research and found out that Nirvana was the origin of Grunge to boom on mainstream. It was a very big discovery for me and Kurt Cobain's death eludes me more to the most phenomenal story in the rock music industry.

In the early 2000s, a friend of mine lent me a rock magazine which contained stories from MTV about the before and after of Nirvana's Unplugged session in their studio. A dude from MTV was in a Nirvana concert to catch up with them so they can talk about their session. Kurt mentioned of arranging their set with White Star Lilies and black candles while Dave Grohl (drummer) and Krist Novoselic (bassist) were figuring out what instruments to use for their acoustic session. Much to their surprise, the guy from MTV was kind enough to borrow a few things for them.

I forgot the name of this dude and since I have no room in our house, my things are all boxed up and it's too much pain to find that rock magazine through all that pile.

So anyway, the group never had a proper practice. They haven't got a clue on how to bring acoustic feel to some of their songs or what songs should they play. When the question about why "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was not included, Kurt said that it was ridiculous.

The article went on to the actual Unplugged session that would leave a historical mark on the rock music industry.

It also described the feel of the set. A few paragraphs back, I mentioned of Kurt's request to MTV to decorate their stage with White Star Lilies and black candles. Back then, I didn't know how it would look like in reality so random images pop into my mind as the writer went on as how it was so "funeral-like". He also wrote that it was like he was singing in his own funeral.

And then months later, he passed away.

Recalling the details that I could gather from my last read on that article, it became more clear as to what the writer was telling his readers. He was right. After watching the session, it did feel like he was singing in his own funeral. The backdrop was big red drapes basking in a dim light, almost looking silhouette. The stage at the center, the audience around them, with White Star Lilies set in stillness around their equipment. The black candles lit on black candleholders arranged in varying heights. MTV did what Kurt asked.

My favorite song from their Unplugged was "Pennyroyal Tea". I was unknowingly holding my breath when he reached for the high notes which also reminded me that Kurt, as much as he wanted to be recognized as a songwriter rather than a singer, loves to always push his vocal limits. It rekindled in me as to why Kurt Cobain is one of my inspirations to be a vocalist.

So even though I was 17 years late, I'm glad that the experience was brand new for me. Seeing Kurt sing seemed like going back to the way it was, back to the time when music actually mattered.

My "Kung Hei Fat Choi" Night

2011-02-03T01:25:00.004+08:00

So apparently, today is the Chinese New Year. I don't really follow tradition since I am not Chinese nor do I bear any Chinese blood in me, but a friend of mine told me to wear anything red, orange or yellow and greet midnight awake with it. She also told me a bunch of stuff to do which I completely missed comprehending. It was more rituals for the occasion but it was such a hassle, but I do remember that it was supposedly for good luck.

So the only thing I remembered was to wear the said colors and be awake till midnight and that I did. I wore this old long-sleeved red top and stayed awake which wasn't really the reason why.

I had an argument with my boss/ex-boyfriend 4 years ago. LOL. Yeah, I know. It just so happens that I work as a freelance outsource writer for their small company. He offered me the job and christened me as the "Lady of Contents" in their office.

The argument was not really related to my work or being the "exes" we are, but it was about his friend/co-worker and my friend.

See, on my birthday (which was the best birthday celebration ever in my life) I invited my ex and he brought along his friend. I invited lots of my friends too and his friend got along well with this certain friend of mine.

The problem is my ex. He never told me all of the information about his friend in one sitting. In fact, he told me bit and pieces of here, there and everywhere in random times that his friend was actually married. Only 2 weeks ago did I know that his friend have already 3 kids!

One more problem is that my ex is so passive that he doesn't want get involved. I just met his friend on my birthday and my friend was assuming that I know his friend very well.

If I've only known all of the facts in one night, I could've told her to stay away from his friend, but NO! This useless imbecile did absolutely nothing to prevent anything from happen.

My friend cried when she heard the facts straight from the horse's mouth a few weeks after they've become close. Now I am cleaning up their mess.

The most annoying part is that my ex shut me down when I started ranting about his unbelievable passiveness and his friend's ridiculous pursuit of my friend. Wow. That reminded me of my recent ex of 4 years who used to do that to me every time!

I am not stupid nor would I accept this kind of behavior again. So I removed him from my Skype contacts and "unfriended" him on my FaceBook. Seriously, I thought he was a gentleman and a really nice guy, but the fact that he wanted nothing to do with what's happening which was clear that he is involved because he knows his friend more than I do and even not doing anything to keep them away from each other eventhough he knows makes my blood boil.

One thing I remembered is that the next day, after finishing the beer I had from my birthday that they drank a couple of weeks later here in our house, his friend kissed and told! I cannot believe these kind of men still exist!

Eventhough he was very gentle-natured, the fact that he didn't do anything to prevent this from happening knowing that he holds all of the information is just plain for me to do the actual thing that I should do. I never knew he never had the balls to stop it nor face me when I'm mad.

Heh! And I thought I was sick for being a sadist to children. They're even sicker than me. I guess there is no reason for me to commune with him anymore except for my last pay.

After "cleaning" my Skype and FaceBook from hazards like them, I ended up watching "Nirvana: Unplugged in New York" and what a relief that is for me. It totally cooled down the tension in me and I managed to enjoy the rest of the night until the Chinese New Year.

Responsible Pet Ownership Program

2011-01-31T18:59:00.003+08:00

So last Saturday, January 29, the Dachshund Club of Davao and the Toscana Homeowners Association presented "Responsible Pet Ownership Program". It is a whole day activity in which we teach how we should handle dogs in our homes and to the community. It was a success!

With our sponsors (Ark Animal Health Clinic, Cox Water Retailer, Department of Agriculture Bureau of Animal Industry), we were able to gather round the pet owners of Toscana (a subdivision by Camella Communities), have them educated to basic obedience training, animal welfare and responsible pet ownership, and vaccinate their pets to anti-rabies and 5-in-1.

Before this became a success, I walked the entire subdivision and go over house to house to inform the homeowners of the event. It was TIRING! All in all, I managed to give registration forms to 57 pet owners in Toscana. 29 people paid the registration fee but only 23 came.

We also held a portion for DCD (Dachshund Club of Davao) for their "Earthdog Trial Training". It was an eye-opener for others ignorant of the Dachshund breed especially those who took these dogs for granted. As what the K9 trainor said who was there for more hands-on training, Dachshunds are actually one of the most dangerous dogs in the canine breed if not knowledgeable enough to be well-taken care of.

But as much as they are like that, I fell in love with the breed as they are one of most affectionate dogs out there. Hence my dedication to support their function and sport. I am just glad that the Dachshund Club of Davao supports this vision.

So anyway, we finished the activity by DCD's tunnel training for the Earthdog Trial.

The president of the Toscana Homeowners Association wants me to organize all of the pet owners in Toscana and form a club. Ugh. How can I say no? I live here and I think nobody else knows how to take care of their pets round here. Sigh. I gotta try.

Which also means that I might have to sacrifice work time for this and I'll be able receiving only half my usual pay. Wow huh? Oh well. I'll have to figure out something in the long run.

Pictures of the event here: LINK

Till next post~

"Piyesa Bisikleta" by Lee Brian Leyritana (R.I.P.)

2011-01-24T02:13:00.009+08:00

Note: This poem was authored by Lee Brian Leyritana who recently passed away. Lee was my one of my late brother's best friends and biking partner in TriAD (Triathlete Association of Davao). My brother Joko (Amadeo) loves to brag about him and that is why I couldn't forget him. When my brother died, he purposely went home from Manila to attend Joko's wake and burial. He was a vital part of my brother's life and it's so sad to hear of his passing. He made this poem for Joko and now it is his as well.

NASAAN KA NA AMIGO KO.

BAKIT KA BIGLANG NAGLAHO?

MARAMI PA TAYONG PAG-USAPANG KUWENTO.

KAHIT HINDI KO KABISADO BUHAY MO,

PERO MERON PA RIN AKONG ALAM SA SEKRETO MO.

NASAAN KA NA NGAYON?

MAGKIKITA PA RIN TAYO SA IBANG PANAHON.

IKAW AT AKO MAGKASAMA PA RIN SAAN MANG DESTINASYON.

HALIKA KUNIN MO NA ANG BISIKLETA,

TAYO NA AY RARAMPA SA KALSADA.

IPAKITA MO SA KANILA ANG BILIS NG IYONG SIPA,

KAHIT NA IYONG GULONG AY HINDI NA NILA MAKITA.

AMIGO, ANDITO LANG AKO SA LIKURAN MO.

IKAW MUNA ANG MAGTRANGKO,

LUMABAS KA LANG KUNG HINDI MO NA KAYA ANG SUSUNOD NA KILOMETRO

PARA PALITAN KO ANG IYONG PUWESTO.

IHANDA MO NA ANG IYONG PRENONG SHIMANO

AT AAKYAT NA TAYO

NG DAHAN-DAHAN

SA KALSADA NG CATIGAN.

BATALYA'Y MABIGAT O MAGAAN MAN

SA IKOT NG KADENA LANG ANG BATAYAN.

IPADYAK MO LANG NG MAAYOS SABAY TUTOK SA GULONG KO'T SIDI NA SAPATOS

PARA PAGDATING NG TUKTOK PAREHO TAYONG HINDI KAPOS.

NASAAN KA NA KAIBIGAN KO.

KAILANGAN BA TALAGA NA IIWAN NG MAAGA ANG MUNDO.

PAANO NA ANG ATING MGA PLANO,

HINDI NA BA MADALA NG PAYO.

KAIBIGAN, KAHIT ANO PA ANG NANGYARI KAMI'Y ANDITO PA RIN.

NAGPAPASALAMAT SA KABUTIHAN SA AMING BUHAY IPINARATING.

KAMI KAIBIGAN MO, BISIKLETA ANG LAGING NASA ULO.

PIYESA MAN AY MAY KAMAHALAN AYOS LANG YAN,

BASTA LUMA MO'Y AKIN NA LANG.

MANOBELA MAN AY HINDI SAKTO

BASTA PWEDE PANG MAGAMIT SA PAGTAKBO.

KAHIT RAYOS MAN AY KINAKALAWANG BASTA ITO'Y KUMPLETO LANG.

KAIBIGAN, BUHAY MO'Y KAGAYA NG PARTE NG BISIKLETA MO.

NAWALA KA MAN IKAW PA RIN NAPAKINABANGAN.

May you rest in peace, Lee. Finally, you and Joko will meet again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Lee Brian Leyritana was mauled and killed by 5 guys and a girl in Jansar Resto Bar, Toril, Davao City on November 27, 2010. He was only 28. His remains rest on Toril Memorial Park. For more of this news, please click: LINK

**In the picture, Lee (white) and my brother Joko (blue) with Lawrence (yellow green) and Hansoy (black) in the background resting at a gas station in Calinan, Davao City.

The Twilight Red Riding Hood--WHAT?

2011-01-20T19:18:00.010+08:00

I recommend you to watch the trailer first before I can start my rant...

Now I may begin...

My first reaction was WOW. Why? Cuz this is my very first bedtime story. I remember holding this large storybook where the first story in it was "The Little Red Riding Hood." It had intricate and colorful pictures in it, and it even had an audio cassette tape which I rarely listen to because I am very much fond of reading than listening. LOL.

Automatically, this is one of my favorite classics when I was a kid.

So when I heard of the Hollywood film. I was actually positive to it. Well, you gotta thank Amanda Seyfried for starring in this film (I like her as an actress)--then I remembered that Hollywood sucks when it comes to revising stories from books and/or comics to movies. BUT, I was still positive. I mean, this is after all my very first bedtime story so I was hopeful that it's not going to suck.

And then, through the seconds passing along with the scenes in that 2-minute run of the trailer, I began to feel that "Twilight Vibe" because of the love triangle that it resembles from the Twilight movie. I commonly ignore this because this is my very first bedtime story turned into movie. Yes, I can be very optimistic too, until I saw this:

What the FUCK?! As if it isn't enough that Twilight (movies and books) is a disgrace to the Vampire and Werewolf world, they are going to humiliate a classic children's literature?

Seriously now, I mean Stephenie Meyer is such a bad author to have her glorified fan fiction stories made into movies and now this? What? Did Catherine Hardwicke who was the director of that freakin movie Twilight was really bored and bummed out of SMeyer's intellect that she opted to not direct the rest of the Twilight "supposed" saga and she now decides to recreate a classic into like Twilight but with a better story to tell?

My neverending trail of curses is running on and on in my mind and I will just have to stop cuz it will make more Twitards cry. Now I may hate them, but I have greater respect for living things. LOL.

So to prevent Hollywood from breaking my precious childhood memory into pieces, I'll be fatalistic like ye olde Capricorn I am ( No, I do not follow the new Zodiac). I will wait for it to come out and wait some more for the comments, reactions and, my favorite, reviews. If all of it are mixed, Imma have to watch it with a very skeptic perception of it that will finally conclude whatever in the end. Then if they all say it's good, so Imma have to go watch it--later. But if it weighs heavier than the other side, good riddance.

As a movie buff, spoilers do not affect me especially if it's a very good movie. Sometimes, people keep forgetting that movies are art which is a thought I never lose.

Until then...

Tada!

2011-01-19T15:43:00.002+08:00

Well, I must say this is very refreshing to have the blog reworked. I'm still doing some minor changes, but so far it is active again and I've got a lot of stuff to talk about.

What made me decide to activate my blog? A few geeky friends of mine told me that my blog has a lot of traffic going on. I don't really know why but they told me that even the paying blogs have less than traffic than mine which is a plus.

I don't even sell stuff here. I just keep rambling on and on so I don't really know what's the big fuss. I was even planning to delete this but I was halted by same geeky people. So I opted for a rework.

I'm planning to put up a lot of stuff like a real-time chatbox and etc., and organize all this mess.

I would like to express my deepest gratitude towards the people in my blog roll. After checking one by one, a few still have my name up in their blogs and I am very happy for it. I thank you for being patient with me (I must be a pain for being inactive).

See ya!

Under Construction

2011-01-11T11:22:00.001+08:00

I'm planning to renovate everything here so for now, this blog is under construction till further notice.

Thank you for your patience. Soon, I'll be posting lots of my ideas here. Weee (^_^)

1st DAVAO CITY DACHSHUND RACE

2010-07-19T11:02:00.002+08:00

Dachshund Club of Davao is going to host an event unlike any other in Davao City: The 1st Davao City Dachshund Race!

There will be:
Dachshund Breed Information and Photo Exhibit Dachshund Puppies Give-Away Raffle Draw Fastest Dachshund Race EarthDog Trial
-- dachshunds enter tunnels/labyrinth with dead ends and obstacles attempting to locate a live bait (mice or rats) but these baits are caged and protected.
Hotdog Eating Contest (For Master and Dog) Deckel Fashion Show
-- Funniest -- Most Elegant -- Look-Alike

Dog Food, Water Stations, and Porta-Toilet will be provided to contestants as well as area for resting the dog will also be provided (Dogs' Tent with ventilation)

COMMITTEES is now open for volunteers: Let me know if you guys are interested. We need all the help we can get to make this a Successful and Fun Day for you, your family and dogs.

Link to download the Race Registration Form will be available next week.

Entry Fee for All 4 Events = P200.00
(discounted for Advance Registration)
Entry Fee for Deckel Fashion Show only = P50.00
(no need to pay extra 50 if you have paid 200)
Race Day Regular Fee = P 250.00
(if you choose to register on Sept. 25, walk-in)

We encourage Advance Registration starting next week because Race Packets will be provided to Human and Dog Contestants 1 Week before the event.

What's in the Dachshund Race Packet?
A dog's race coat, 2 race bibs, a dog food ticket, puppy give-away raffle draw claim stub .

Example of a Race Coat

Example of a Race Bib

For more info, click on the Dachshund Club of Davao's discussion thread in DavaoSale: LINK

This is what Lestat does to Twilight fans XD

2010-07-15T10:18:00.001+08:00

WARNING: IF YOU'RE A TWILIGHT FAN, DO NOT TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY. BUT IF YOU WILL, IT'S NOT MY PROBLEM ANYMORE.

This is what happens when Twilight fans think they can marry vampires and sleep with them and have babies with them XD

So yeah, I'm anti-Twilight. Read a book, saw a movie. It just really sucked. I tried my best to comprehend it, but I was about to gag if I continue. I hated how SMeyer tries to recreate a new version of vampires. Ugh. If you ask me, they look like fairies to me.

What's worse? The fans... I don't even need to explain.

Behold, the Vampire Lestat. He's a rockstar. He doesn't sparkle but he can go out in the sun because of Akasha's blood, Queen of the Damned. He's 2 centuries old and he sucks blood from evildoers although he tends to break this rule sometimes. If you wanna know more, just read Anne Rice's "The Vampire Chronicles".

Go Team Lestat :)

The Eldest

2010-07-15T10:09:00.000+08:00

Never Back Down. It's a fight movie with a very awful soundtrack. It's a fairly predictable movie and maybe Star Movies is just idling time with this. Same old pride-builder egoistic testosterone-filled sweaty flick, but you know what got me into it? The world on your shoulders for being the eldest child of the family.

Oh man, whoever wrote this movie, he/she knew what it was like to be the goddamn eldest kid. I myself am the eldest and you can't believe the expectations they set for you that you end up clueless of your choices when your future comes. You don't even have the confidence to continue in your life anymore because you need a fucking approval. And if you're thinking this is bullshit? It's not my fucking fault anymore if you weren't born the goddamn first one in the family.

You have to set an example as a role model to your siblings. You have to make the right choices. You have to look out for your brothers. I didn't ask for this, but then again I didn't ask to be the second-born either. So I tried to set an example and looked out for my brothers as well. I thought hard of the right choices to make and all the while living my life as best as I could. I tried to stand up on my own and for the first time in my life I was selfish. So I started having a piece of my mind and making choices of my own to which I was barred from but I stood firm and defended what I believe is right.

And then when the time came that I actually made the wrong decision, I fell hard and, to my dismay, nobody picked me up. Not even parents and brothers and grandparents and friends can make me stand on my feet again because they never even bothered. They say the worst things at the wrong time--or better yet, they're never there at all. Funny, isn't it? No.

And then they punish me leaving my brothers out of my watch. Then, Deo died and I blame myself more entirely than ever for not guiding him and not looking out for him while I selfishly succumb to the pain of my own past mistakes. My life has changed and all of a sudden my kid brother gets a life because I can't get any!

Up to this day, I don't know what to do because I might make another mistake again for being myself too much. So I wait for some fucking approval of some sort that IT'S ACTUALLY GODDAMN OKAY TO BE HUMAN!

Fuck. If I only knew what to do, I wouldn't be in this black hole. And if I go back to being selfish again, I will really leave this place. Yeah, I'll leave everything behind and I wouldn't have any care and any worry at all anymore. That is so inviting and maybe in that time I wold actually know what to do.

But you know what? I didn't leave, did I? I still stayed and I'm waiting patiently for my time to depart from all of this. Is it to die? Is it to run away? Is it to fly? Is it to swim away from here? I don't know myself, but there's one thing I'm sure of: I'm fucking tired being the eldest. Why don't you guys try it? Let's see if you'll love the fucking attention because I know I don't. It's suffocating me to every cell of my being.

Feeling Lestat

2010-07-15T10:07:00.001+08:00

For days now, I've been consuming myself with the sugary words of Anne Rice in her book "The Vampire Lestat" (the second book of "The Vampire Chronicles" and one of my favorite books). I just thought I needed some sanity in me to conform myself that vampires are dark creatures and not those kind as portrayed by Stephanie Meyer (author of the Twilight Saga) as glittery immortals repeating high school over and over again for the past hundred years. I needed to satisfy my knowledge that vampires are inexplicably charming but ruthlessly cunning at the same time.

Yes, that's what being a vampire is and not some pixie pansy who sparkles under the sun. Get a grip, people. Stephanie Meyer can't even write. Do you want some proof of how her pieces are categorized as "glorified fanfiction"? Here, lemme provide a piece of her literature: LINK

And it doesn't even surprise me that while reading that, I've read it like I was really reading fanfictions. Skimming and scanning, only reading the conversation parts. In totality, I don't read like that at all especially when I read a book, but this book presents itself as to be read like that—like it was inviting me to capture a sense of it without even bothering to be particular. That's what Stephanie Meyer's piece is.

I don't mean to be prude and bias, but I can't help compare her work to the famed Anne Rice. The idea that vampires are being crazed now when they already existed even before the Twilight Saga is pissing me off. Call me sadist, bitter and cruel, but this is one of the reasons why I don't like kids. They sensationalize over the simplest things that it makes me want to torture and kill them. Oh the luxury of it would satisfy my evil self but all I could do is slap them by the nape and brutally attack them with the dirtiest of words. Their virgin immaturity gags me to the core that sometimes their very existence makes me twisted and oftentimes I thought of giving in if not for the other angelic side of me.

So what's so special about "The Vampire Lestat"? The imagery is so pristine that I find myself watching everything inside my head. When Lestat thirsts for blood, the words are so full that I even thirst for blood too. The impact is so vivid and convincing that whenever I read it, I am in a pace of not stopping and always continuing up to what happens next. It is unpredictable and moving that I end up feeling whatever Lestat is feeling.

Even in the beginning of the book, I've already felt what the mortal Lestat felt. I laughed at the coincidences. It felt too good to be true but here it was, right in front me, the perfect words that described the inner depths of my soul back then that nobody understood. It scared me so I kept the thoughts to myself, but this book reveled into me. Every word flowed into my system and it read everything and accepted all of it like it was my friend forever. Yes, the book is that well-written.

Heck, it was even unbelievable that when he became a vampire, I had the same mind as his—his evil and human side, and even the angelic side. It made me feel not alone and that is quite a big of a deal for me because I don't have to rebel on everything anymore. Maybe on a few things, but not all the time anymore. Here's one of my favorite quotes from the book that I even had it posted on my FaceBook status message:

"I wasn't part of the world that cringed at such things. And with a smile, I realized that I was of the dark ilk that makes others cringe. Slowly and with great pleasure, I laughed."

I smiled too and I knew how dark he must've felt. I enjoyed it so much that maybe you'll find it insane, but for me, it is to keep my sanity. Feeling Lestat and feeding my evil thoughts enables me to see other things in a supposed "normal" perspective. Now that I look at it, it looks strange enough to the naked eye. Too bad, not many people feel it the way I did.