Writing

Title: Writing
(Written 1331 29 Sep 05)

Caroline and I had a conversation last night about writing since it was one of the few things that we actually have in common. We both like to write. But she has the upper hand. Her work has been published before (the latest was an article in PDI’s “Youngblood” which was printed sometime last year), whereas for me, my writing has been relegated to the backseat and stored “for future reference”.

As our conversation progressed, it became apparent that although we both love to write, we are two totally different writers. She approaches writing differently, like those novelists that she admires, focusing all of her energy on a single story. I, on the other hand, write about anything that tickles my fancy, but only in short articles, as my mind wanders from one topic to the next. I still can’t string my articles to make one large article, but she can. In fact, she’s been planning on writing a full-length novel for quite some time now, and she has been investing her money in buying books to improve her writing skills. Me? I’ve started writing one, but I can’t seem to get it going. Hell, I haven’t even finished one chapter yet, with all the revisions that I’ve been doing to it. And now, I’ve been working on several other storylines that I developed some years ago, most of it inspired by stories that I’ve read and movies, tv series and other visual media that I’ve seen.

(Written 1053 19 Oct 2005)

I met Caroline a little bit earlier yesterday evening because I didn’t go to my Japanese class at FSI in DFA. I couldn’t go because I was attending a meeting that finished well beyond 5 pm. As we decided to go to SM North to have our dinner, I started to tell her about the stories that I’ve had playing inside my head. I wasn’t finished telling her my stories when we decided, just after finishing dinner, that we should watch a movie – Dungeons and Dragons. She had a feeling that the movie was going to be a “B” movie, but I was insistent so we watched it.

(Written 1016 24 Oct 2005)

And let me tell you, she not only enjoyed it, but instead, that movie gave her some more ideas on what to write.

Four Brothers

TITLE: FOUR BROTHERS
(Written: 1123 30 Jan 2006)

A couple of weeks ago, my brother bought a DVD movie entitled “Four Brothers”. This was a movie that I had planned on watching but did not manage to do so for one reason or another. I watched it as soon as I could and happily, the movie did not disappoint.

This movie is the story of four adopted brothers whose mother was killed in a hold-up. Each lived separate lives but they all came back for their mother’s funeral with one thing in mind – to learn who killed their mother and why. The story is about the four brothers’ journey to find the truth and the realities that lay behind them.

Essentially, this is a “revenge” movie, a genre that we Filipinos know so well. But what sets it apart from the usual “revenge” movie is the way that it is told. The drama is not played too much in this movie - just enough to let the audience have a tangible emotional connection to the characters and the dialogue is kept simple, laced with a healthy dose of earthy humor between the characters to make them more interesting and “real”. The story is tight and well edited, and to my mind, there are no “boring” scenes in the movie. Everything is “watchable”.

But what really got me was the music. The director, John Singleton, used late 60s and early 70s “soul” music for the film, which was entirely fitting since the setting for the story is Detroit, the home of Motown. I especially enjoyed the loop that was used as the background music at the menu screen.

Overall, this movie was great, and I am including it to my (so far, very short) list of favorite movies.

Baseball

Title: Baseball
(Written 1113 27 Oct 2005)

People have often asked me what my favorite sport is and I usually answer them “baseball”. There is no sport that I’d rather play than that. My fascination started when I was in 2nd year high school. One of our PE classes involved us playing softball as our PE for a quarter. The whole class was divided into teams and we had an inter team tournament in our PE class. My team, unfortunately, was the weakest of all. We never managed to win any of our games.

I don’t think that I’m a very powerful hitter. But I pride myself on my defense, which is essentially my catching ability. So when I was in college, I played catcher in our PE softball class. We had an informal match with an all-girls softball team and we beat them. I played catcher in that game. I’ve always played catcher, since no one really likes that position.

We played informal games with our neighbors when I was younger. There were only three of us (I played with my brothers) against six of them (all of them related). We won most of the time, but that was because my younger brother, Francis, pitched really hard. My youngest brother, Bernard, played the field and I played catcher. My older neighbor, Kuya Ram, usually umpired for us. Then there came an “all-star” game. The older kids on the block against us newbies. The game was close but we lost. I remember blocking a slide from one the other team’s players that resulted in him hitting my face with his leg. I nearly blacked out. But being a kid, I just shook off my injury and continued playing.

I bought a baseball a few months ago, and I’ve been looking to buy 2 gloves so I could play catch with whomever was interested – usually my father or one of my brothers. I already found the gloves (cheap ones to be sure) but I still can’t buy them because they are really not important. Instead, I just practice my throwing motion. After a few tries, I don’t think that I’m cut out to be a pitcher because my pitching skills are so bad. I guess I’ll always be a catcher.

Ate Ding

(written 1010 24 Oct 2005)

There is something to be said about women who have aged gracefully, and let me tell you, this woman has certainly done that. I may never be able to forget her, not just because she is beautiful (and for someone who has passed the half-century mark, she has nonetheless retained some of her youthful features which makes you wonder, if she looks that beautiful now, what more when she was a whole hell of a lot younger?), but because of how she moves. She is easily one of the most graceful women that I’ve met, and that is how she captivated me. I had a crush on her, not just because she was still gorgeous, but also because she seemed to move with ease. To borrow a term, she “glides”. I guess some people are just born graceful.

You know, I’m really having a hard time not to be poetic, but I have no other means to describe how she moves.

When she was still with us at the office, I would often just look at her and see nothing but gracefulness. Of course, her body remains as one of her biggest assets (she has maintained her figure to a very astonishing degree for her age), but there are a lot of women who can boast of maintaining the same and not all of them can move as gracefully as she can.

Sigh. If some women had a tenth of her gracefulness, then the world may be a better place visually...

My "workstation"

This is my table, where I work in the office. Pictured at the back is my cabinet (the upper one which is opened). The laptop on the table is the broken down laptop that was assigned to me. It is where I make the powerpoint presentations for my boss. My table is one of the smallest ones in the office (I tend to put a lot of stuff on my table, burying it beneath stacks of paper. A bigger table means more space to put more papers and documents. Thus, in order to control it, I usually take the smallest table, just enough for me to work).

My house in Cavite

The picture on top is a picture of my house in Cavite. It measures roughly 30 square meters, and has a lot area of 72 square meters. I got this through my mother and I’m currently paying for it through Pag-Ibig. I’ve been telling this to all my friends so here is a picture of my house. This was taken during the first weeks of October.

My house is located in Summerville, Barrio Osorio, Trece Martires City, Cavite. It’s about 70 kilometers away from the city (road distance). It’s really in the heart of Cavite (and I do mean in the very center of the province geographically) and I usually joke that my house is located in the middle of nowhere (“sa gitna ng kawalan”) because it is quite far from Manila. But, there have been improvements near this area. There’s already a Robinson’s and SM Mall in nearby Dasmariñas.

This what my house looks like after our last visit (picture below). Pictured here are my father and my sister. He did me a favor and had someone build the fence in front of my house and completed the wall behind it. My mother contracted a resident to watch over my house and he had planted some flowers (which are quite beautiful, really) to make my house look more, er, homey. My father is now contemplating finishing the interior of the house and fixing the floor. He’s also been thinking of some improvements, such as extending the house to make it bigger. We’ve also discussed moving some of our older furniture there, especially the living room set and the dining table from our old house in Bulacan (which my mother had rented out several years ago).

Since my house is quite near to Tagaytay, we often have lunch there after visiting my house. My father will be retiring soon so he’s fixing my house up as some sort of vacation house whenever we want to get away from the city.

What were you like

Dionne tagged me, so here are my answers.

20 Years Ago (1985)

I was in grade school in Bulacan. I was in Grade I. I remember playing in front of our house with my neighborhood friends, who were, incidentally, also my classmates in school. I also remember watching the village intercolor tournaments, participating in the Santacruzan, and enjoying my childhood. It was also during this time that I got my “dimple” – my pet dog bit me in the face.

15 Years Ago (1990)

We had just transferred from Bulacan to Antipolo three years before (1987). At this time, I was studying in Marikina. I had met my first crush in Grade IV, two years prior (1988), which I nurtured until I was in 2nd Year High School. It was also in high school that I met the first girl I thought would become my girlfriend (1995). Unfortunately, college got in the way. I also met new friends when I transferred, some of whom I met again in high school and also became close friends. We still meet each other from time to time, often just to reminisce.

10 Years Ago (1995)

I was in UP and culture-shocked. Everything was brand new. After a lifetime of wearing a uniform, I found out that I could wear whatever I wanted as long as it was decent. I discovered the arcades in the shopping mall where I spent nearly all my allowance playing all the games I could. I made another set of friends, the closest friends that I have. I discovered freedom in UP, and I learned a lot of things (but obviously, I haven’t learned enough) that made me into what I am today.

5 Years Ago

I was still looking for a job because no one would hire me. I tried applying in Makati but all I got was a job selling house alarms. I never attended the “graduation”. Good thing I applied at the Department when they were reorganizing, so I got a steady job almost immediately after. I was planning on courting a high school crush whom I’ve been writing to on and off during college but she had already said yes to someone else by the time I got the nerve to ask her. I now had my own money which allowed me to enjoy being employed and single.

3 Years Ago

Met Caroline in the weirdest of circumstances (through text chat, would you believe!). She became my girlfriend a couple of months after that. J Got bitten by a cat while texting her. I got promoted after two years of work. J Still waiting for that other promotion, though. I tried my hand at post-graduate studies but my personal life got in the way…

Last Year

Had a free trip to Paris (my first international trip). Made another set of friends (the whole French class from FSI).

This Year

Celebrated with Louis (first time I got tipsy from alcohol in 2 years) in January. Attended a seminar in Australia in February. Broke 3 of my teeth there and spent a fortune fixing them (I used up all of my savings from that trip to pay for it and still it wasn’t enough; I had to make a loan from my aunt for 51% of the amount and my loan from the office cooperative just managed to make my money on hand 49% of the total amount). Caroline and I celebrated our 3rd Anniversary last June. Got bit by a cat again (good thing I’m still covered by my anti-rabies shots three years prior). Hoping that I can apply for a post-graduate studies slot in Australia.

Yesterday

Drove my mom to work, presented our USEC’s presentation to a bunch of military officers at J5, did some editing on it, went to my dad for some gas (diesel, actually), fetched my mom, drove my mom and sister to the grocery to buy food for my sister’s field trip, slept early. Last NightCalled Caroline to say good night and attempted to tidy up a few loose ends…TodayFinished my editing (I hope my USEC likes what I’ve done). Sent a friend an e-mail that will determine our future in the office…

Tomorrow

Have my laptop checked out. Try and arrange my files for eventual transfer to cd. Prepare myself for another night in the office (I’m the SDO tomorrow).
Next YearHopefully, I’ll be in Australia studying for a post-graduate degree or if that doesn’t push through, attempt to pursue a post-graduate degree here in the Philippines. Get promoted to the next higher step (and get a little more money). And be financially… liquid.

5-10 Years From Now

Get married and settle down. Have a maximum of 2 children. Occupy an executive post in the Department. Be financially stable. Think about migrating somewhere else…

(written: 1316H 01 Sep 2005)

Conversations between brothers

It’s always fun listening to conversations between my father and my uncles whenever we visit our relatives in Batangas. Just like normal siblings, they talk about each other a lot, especially the memories of their childhood. My youngest uncle, Tito Renato, is the designated joker. He possesses an earthy type of humor and is truly outrageous. He often tells stories on how he was bullied by my oldest uncle, Tito Ding, into doing more work, even though he was as thin as a rail and the youngest of the brothers. Then, there are stories about my father, the funniest of which are the inter-barangay basketball game where they lost 26-24 in double overtime, wherein he describes my father as one of the star players of their team (and my father did have a good game when he was younger, as evidenced by the multitude of basketball jerseys he wore as a player and coach during his younger days, most of which are now worn by my youngest brother, the most athletic among us) and the time my father tried boxing (my father always said that he fought only 5 times, with a record of 0 wins, 3 losses and 2 draws). Honestly, the way Tito Renato tells stories can really make anyone crack up with laughter, be it about himself or about other people.

It was only last week, after our latest visit in Batangas (to commemorate my grandfather’s 1st death anniversary) that I realized the value of the memories that my father and his brothers shared through their stories. Now, as I am writing this, I’m thinking of recording some of those stories, albeit discreetly, then transcribe it, so that I can save those stories for posterity.

People of different generations always have different stories to tell about themselves. And I felt a touch of envy as I thought about the conversations that my father had with his brothers because my brothers and I don’t have anything that can compare with what my father and his brothers had. But as my mother pointed out, they lived in a different milieu from us, so their experiences and our experiences may not even be comparable. Perhaps she’s right. Given time, me and my brothers’ childhood memories may be able to approximate the stories my father and uncles have, and maybe one of our children would have been thinking the same thoughts as I do now, of enjoying listening to the conversations of his father and his brothers and even recording it for posterity.

(written: 1306H 28 Sep 2005)

Making Caroline laugh

I haven’t heard Caroline laugh as hard like I did last night. She was laughing so hard she had a bellyache. And the funny thing was, I felt glad to have made her laugh out loud like that, even if it was at my expense.

I have often asked her, “Am I really funny?” And her usual answer has been “Yes.” However, I often look at her with disbelief because I feel that she is too biased towards me. She is my girlfriend after all. But seeing how often she laughs at my one-liners, my witticisms and jokes, I now believe that I am somewhat funny.

She has said in the past that she has been grateful that I turned out to be somewhat of a funny guy, and she’s also thankful that our relationship has also been filled with laughter, along with everything else. And I have replied to her that making her laugh has always been part of the job description of being a boyfriend; I’m just “doing” my “job”.

(written 21 Sep 05)

My apologies

I would like to apologize to all of the people who read my blog (yes, all four of you - just kidding!) for not having updated it for a month. September 2005 has been somewhat of a difficult month for me because our whole division in the office was uprooted and transferred upstairs. I didn’t have an Internet connection (but I’ve finally found a way to get around it) and my job has been more of preparing and editing Powerpoint presentations for my boss, which includes assisting whenever he’s presenting outside the office. Caroline has been giving me hell all this time because I still haven’t sent her picture that she wanted to have posted on her Friendster account.

But don’t worry; I haven’t been idle. In fact, I’ve been writing articles that were supposed to be my posts for this blog over the past weeks. I think I’ve managed to write enough to satisfy all of you. ;-)

By the way, the changes that have occurred this month will reflect how often I can update my blog. So you may see my entries posted in batches.

Well, I guess that’s it for now.

Happy reading!

Anybody seen the moon last night?

Anybody seen the moon last night? Damn, the moon was big! It was close enough to touch... It looked like a shot from a sci-fi movie, didn't it? Anybody know the explanation why?

"Slow is smooth; smooth is fast"

I got this cool quote from the video game titled “First to Fight”, an X-box game that Tita Debbie had gifted us last Christmas. It’s an FPS, similar to “Counter-Strike” and “Rainbow Six”, about US Marines in a fictional conflict setting in the Middle East. They use this quote when they do “Room Take-downs”, which is entering a room and killing enemies within, usually done to rescue hostages. So what’s the connection here?

I know how to drive. I’ve been driving for about 7 years now, and I’ve gone through personality changes associated with it – from being a novice to a more self-confident driver. In all those years, it was only for the past year or so that I’ve driven an automatic transmission car. Most of the time, I drive manual transmission cars (stick-shifts), but now, when my father sold the car that I had been using for the past 4 years (a silver ’91 Toyota Corolla 1.6GL) and bought his “slightly new” Toyota Revo LXV, he gave me permission to use his ’96 Toyota Corolla 1.6GLi with automatic transmission. In the beginning, I was apprehensive in driving this car (and to some extent, I still am) for the primary reason that it is a very complicated and complex machine (much more than the already complicated and complex manual transmission car that I drove) that cannot be easily fixed by any roadside mechanic (one of my greatest fears is this car breaking down in the middle of nowhere and with no one to fix it) and also because I know that the price of its spare parts and the cost of maintaining will ultimately lead me to poverty. In addition, I had a very traumatic experience while driving this car – I fell asleep at the wheel with my sister as my passenger. When I closed my eyes, I swerved to my left, nearly hitting a car and crossing the intersection. It was a good thing that my body managed to wake me up. I immediately jumped to the brake and then the car came to a screeching halt. My sister, bless her, slept through the whole thing. But now, I have no choice. I can’t drive my father’s LXV (he won’t let me), nor can I drive the 98 Toyota FX that serves as my mother’s “service” (it’s way too big for me since I usually drive alone) so I was stuck with it. Don’t get me wrong; it is a very nice car. I just didn’t see how it fit my driving style (I’m more of a passive-aggressive type of driver, especially with the ’91 Corolla, which was set-up for speed). So I made a decision. I had to change my style to fit it.

The change was a bit difficult. I sometimes cannot control my urge to put the pedal to the floor and charge away particularly in intersections. And I can’t maneuver as easily in traffic as I did before (being an automatic, it’s painfully slow from a standing start). In short, I felt it was limiting my freedom somewhat. My father had always told me that automatics don’t like sudden bursts of speed since it takes them a certain level to change gears; instead, I should always keep my foot pressure constant on the gas pedal so that I reach the optimum speed at the right levels and not force the engine. Unfortunately, I kept forgetting that fact. However, that all changed last week, when I bought a book entitled “The Greaseless Guide to Car Care and Maintenance”. I had been looking for that kind of book for sometime since I do have plans to learn to be a mechanic someday (even just for troubleshooting). There I learned that my father had been right all along, that the engines of automatics should never be forced and that driving them should be nice and smooth (how stupid of me not to believe my father… He’s been driving way before I was!). So now, as much as possible I try to drive as smoothly possible. Then I remembered that quote from the game, which has now become my mantra for driving – “slow is smooth; smooth is fast”. And it really works, you know. I feel relaxed while I’m driving, the car is more responsive and I save more fuel. I still get a little flustered at times so I forget, but most of the time, I remember. I hope to become a better driver with it.

“The Space Between” by the Dave Matthews Band as a break-up song?

The radio station I listen to has a top ten list of songs based on particular themes like: top ten songs played in outer space, top ten songs we’d like to read as poems, etc. Now on one particular day, it was a top ten break-up songs and this song was included in it. Now I had been driving to work then and upon hearing that this song was made part of it, I was really, really incensed. “The Space Between” by the DMB, a break-up song? I couldn’t believe it! I was shouting inside the car how stupid the person was to even suggest the idea (good thing I put on the air condition, otherwise people would wonder why I’m shouting) because the song is not a break-up song. It’s a song of reconciliation and love. And it is my favorite DMB song (because I sang it to Caroline while we were still dating). People may have their own opinions about it, but as for me, it is most definitely not a break-up song. However, in the interest of fairness, I would like to ask your comments on it. What do you think of the lyrics? Does it suggest a break-up?

The Space Between
- Dave Matthews Band

You cannot quit me so quickly
Is no hope in you for me
No corner you could squeeze me
But I’ve got all the time for you love
The space between
The tears we cry is the laughter that keeps us coming back for more
The space between
The wicked lies we tell to keep us safe from the pain
Will I hold you again
These fickle fuddled words confuse me
Like will it rain today
We waste the hours with talking, talking
These twisted games we’re playing
We’re strange allies
With warring hearts
What a wild eyed beast you be
The space between
The wicked lies we tell that hope to keep us safe from the pain
Look at us spinning out in the madness of a roller coaster
You know you went off like the devil in the church
In the middle of a crowded room
All we can do my love
Is hope we don’t take this ship down
The space between
Where you smile and hide
That’s where you’ll find me if I get to go
The space between
The bullets in our fire fight
Is where I’ll be hiding waiting for you
The rain that falls
Splash in your heart
And ran like sadness down the window into your room
The space between
Our wicked lies is
The hope to keep safe from pain
Take my hand
Cause we’re walking out of here
Right out of here
Love is all we need dear
The space between
What’s wrong and right
Is where you’ll find me hiding
Waiting for you
The space between
Your heart and mind
Is the space we’ll fill with time
The space between

The music of my life and the Dave Matthews Band (extended version)

(This post has appeared before in past incarnations of this blog, I just added some more bits and pieces)

For many years, I have searched for a particular kind of music and a particular way of writing songs that could somehow reflect my personality – the way I am, the way I feel, the act, the way I think. It may sound odd to some, but it is true. When I was young, I grew up listening to a lot of 50’s and 60’s music, plus American country music, thanks to Kenny Rogers, whom we listen to when we go to Batangas to visit my grandparents. During high school, I was into the metal – grunge scene, thanks to my friends who introduced me to the music of Metallica, Guns n’ Roses, Nirvana and Pearl Jam. In college, I was into Pinoy rock and ska, electronica and J-Pop, judging by the albums I bought during that time. I also changed stations, shifting from 50’s-60’s to rock, and finally settling on alternative, to which I have been listening for four years now.

However, though I found the music genre I wanted to listen to, I hadn’t found the particular brand of music and the particular way of writing songs that I wanted. I could sing the songs of this and that band, and I could use some of their lyrics as poetry on the love letters that I had been writing, but they seemed artificial; it did not truly reflect my personality. And then, four years ago, in 2001, I heard the song that answered my problem. It was “The Space Between” by the Dave Matthews Band.

At that time, I had not been a fan of DMB, as they are fondly called. I hadn’t even heard of them, quite frankly. I vaguely remember listening to some of their songs that were being played by some of the radio stations here in the Philippines, but their songs then didn’t appeal much to me, probably because I was intent on listening to other songs. “The Space Between” was a whole different story, though.

I remember first listening to this song on the radio station that I am listening to now. At that time, they still played a weekly countdown of the hottest songs in the US. The first thing I noticed about this song was the lyrics. It was extraordinary. How do these lines grab you? “The space between what’s wrong and right, is where you’ll find me, hiding and waiting for you. The space between you heart and mine, is a space we’ll fill with time.” Cool, huh? I had not encountered a line or lines that expressed being in a relationship that way. So I kept on listening to that countdown every weekend, checking to see how high the song went in the countdown. I think it peaked at number 17 on the weekly countdown and number 32 for the year-end countdown. And then I got the idea of writing down the lyrics, which was difficult when you are listening on the radio, and more difficult because they only play the song once. After a while, I managed to get the album title. The song was taken from the DMB album “Everyday”. I also did a little research on the band itself; and then the radio station I was listening to played some of their earlier songs, so I got to know the names of the other DMB songs on the radio as well as their previous albums. I managed to buy the second studio album, until their fifth, albeit in cassette form; I didn’t have enough money to buy CD copies then.

“The Space Between” affected me so much during that time that I was singing it whenever I got the chance. At the office, at home, while walking, heck, even while taking a bath, I kept on singing it. I just couldn’t let go of the lyrics. It was also within that span of time that I met my girlfriend, Caroline. We met through a chat service and had been texting and talking for a couple of months when I finally decided to ask her out on a date. I brought along my DMB tapes because I always bring them with me when I drive. After our date, as we were going back to her boarding house, I asked her to listen to my favorite song. She politely listened to the song, and I even sang a few bars while driving. Then I proceeded to explain what I thought about the song and the meaning of the lines. Maybe she thought I was so passionate about explaining the meaning of the song, at least for me, that she asked me if I could e-mail her the lyrics. Which I did, and we discussed it. After a while, she was asking me to sing it to her; and eventually, when we agreed to have a relationship, it became our “theme song”.

My discovery of the music of DMB did not stop there. As I listened to all their albums, I also found other songs that had profound effects on me. Songs like “Ants Marching”, whose beat is so lively that whenever I listen to it, I feel my spirits rise. It doesn’t matter if I’m feeling down; if it’s playing, I’m already smiling. “#41”, whose inspiring lyrics reflect the way I try to live my life – “I will go in this way, and find my own way out”. “Crush”, whose bass-driven jazz-like intro begins a song that for me, is a tribute to my girlfriend. And then, I started listening more closely. Now, it wasn’t just the lyrics that got me; it was the arrangements. I love the way the songs of DMB are arranged. I can spend the whole day listening to DMB songs and pick them apart instrument by instrument. Every time I listen to one of their songs, I seem to discover something new, parts of the song so subtly placed that most people will not notice them. It may be a particular drumbeat, chord or note, something new and exciting that was not heard before when I first listened to it. And as of now, only DMB songs are playing on my CD player, my Walkman and car radio. I managed to buy one of the five cassette albums I had (then) in CD format; my aunt gifted me with four. There was a solo album, collaboration between Dave Matthews, the lead vocalist and songwriter, and his friends away from the band that I also bought in CD format. And now, I’m looking forward to their next studio album, which was released in the US last May. I just hope that they release it here in the Philippines too.

I finally found the music of my life in the Dave Matthews Band, and I am now a fan for life…

Right now, I have 7 studio albums of DMB (Remember Two Things, Under the Table and Dreaming, Crash, Before These Crowded Streets, Everyday, Busted Stuff, and their latest, Stand Up) plus Dave Matthew’s solo album (Some Devil) and two live concert albums (Live at Red Rocks and The Gorge). I’ve made some sort of “Best of…” compilation of the more famous songs by DMB, just for my personal enjoyment, which I eventually gave to some of my friends for them to listen to and enjoy [I just finished another one, but this time, it’s for Caroline on the occasion of our 3rd Anniversary. It’s not the choosing of the songs or the actual making of the CD’s that is making the preparation process longer, but the packaging), and I’ve taken pleasure in hearing them say that DMB’s music is great and totally different from what they had been listening to.

The main problem in making such a compilation is finding the albums in the first place. It’s actually very difficult to find DMB albums here in the country, especially the older ones (some albums weren’t even sold here, I think). It’s just a good thing that my aunt, Tita Debbie, who’s from the US, gives me the DMB albums as gifts whenever she comes back here in the Philippines. That’s why I got the latest album, Stand Up, only a couple of weeks after it was released in the US, several songs from which I incorporated immediately to the compilation I’m making (Dreamgirl, Old Dirt Hill, American Baby and my current favorite, Stolen Away on 55th and 3rd).

Sevens and Fives

Tagged again. I hope no one's offended... :-)

Seven things I can do:
1) I can take a nap anywhere (and snore in less than a minute after falling asleep);
2) Eat a meal under 5 minutes (with a minimum of chewing);
3) Spot "hot" girls while driving;
4) Write legibly;
5) Confuse people (I do that all the time);
6) Speak a little French and very little Japanese (oh, and I'm learning a little Ilonggo and Bisaya on the side);
7) Play my strategy games all by myself (even though the rules explicitly say that TWO players are needed).

5 CDs in your player:
1-3. 3 CDs of songs from various artists that I won from a radio contest
4. Best of REM (I love singing to "What's the frequency Kenneth?")
5. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones "Let's Face It"

7 things that scare me:

1) spiders and beetles;
2) murderers, muggers, hold-uppers and their ilk;
3) failing to meet my responsibilities and obligations to everyone
4) incurring debt;
5) my car breaking down and not knowing how to fix it;
6) being drunk;
7) myself

5 things I can't do (but tried):
1. wiggle my eyebrows or my ears
2. save money (I am chronically short of cash)
3. lose weight
4. exercise
5. speak slowly and intelligently

7 things I like the most:

1) traveling abroad
2) sleeping
3) reading
4) playing video games
5) listening to DMB
6) eating
7) watching anime

5 movies I’ve seen recently:

1. Underworld (DVD)
2. Blackhawk Down (DVD)
3. The Great Raid (SM North)
4. Immoral Sisters (Hentai anime - VCD)
5. Wimbledon (DVD)

Seven important things in my room:

1) my mementos
2) my books
3) my CDs
4) my scale models
5) my mini-DVD player
6) my PDAs
7) my bed

5 nice things that happened to me lately:
1. watched a movie and had dinner with Caroline
2. Receiving a kiss from Caroline
3. Getting my monetization (and paying off my bills)
4. Receiving gifts of tea from Bon (thanks ulit!)
5. Finishing my gift to Caroline (finally, after 3 months!)

7 random thoughts on things:
1) You can't be everything to everyone all of the time
2) Slow is smooth; smooth is fast (taken from a video game)
3) The feeling after taking a crap and picking one's nose is the nearest thing to heaven I can think of (after a conversation with my brother)
4) Save , save, save
5) Damn, I feel awful. I want to sleep...
6) In planning never a useless move; in strategy, no step taken in vain (quoted from a comment in Sun-Tzu's "The Art of War")
7) Lost in a crowd and alone in a circus...