I hope my friends over in the easily flooded areas managed to keep themselves high and dry, though.
River Wild
Despite the 17-hour shoot, the deluge that made quick work of our City's drainage system, a 4-hour car ride that was only supposed to take 10 minutes, and city streets turned into raging rapids (quite literally), I managed to have a decent day. I suppose the fact that our shoot was for a restaurant that has such delicious food (with which they fed us continuously) helped a bit.
I hope my friends over in the easily flooded areas managed to keep themselves high and dry, though.
This used to be a street in our village. Notice the lamp post being sucked into the vortex of doom.
I hope my friends over in the easily flooded areas managed to keep themselves high and dry, though.
When I Ruled The World
I recently stumbled upon an alternative video to one of my favorite songs of late: Viva La Vida
Although not as cinematographically stunning, I somehow prefer it to the other, actor-focused video. I especially enjoyed how Chris Martin, playing the deposed king in the song, turns and smiles as he sees his bandmates humming together behind him, knowing that as abandoned as he feels, some people still do follow him.
This small segment at the end truly emphasized in me the value of encouragement. At times, even the most determined fighters lose their motivation, their drive to continue the faith. As one who has felt the humiliating sting of falling from grace (as I am sure everyone else has at one point), I know that there is nothing like a kind word of encouragement to lift my spirits and keep me on the straight and narrow, reminding me that that for which I fight is indeed well worth fighting for.
Oh, and eat your heart out, Burger King.
Although not as cinematographically stunning, I somehow prefer it to the other, actor-focused video. I especially enjoyed how Chris Martin, playing the deposed king in the song, turns and smiles as he sees his bandmates humming together behind him, knowing that as abandoned as he feels, some people still do follow him.
This small segment at the end truly emphasized in me the value of encouragement. At times, even the most determined fighters lose their motivation, their drive to continue the faith. As one who has felt the humiliating sting of falling from grace (as I am sure everyone else has at one point), I know that there is nothing like a kind word of encouragement to lift my spirits and keep me on the straight and narrow, reminding me that that for which I fight is indeed well worth fighting for.
Oh, and eat your heart out, Burger King.
Correr
Listening to music and daydreaming while running has never been so fulfilling. For the 30 minutes to an hour that you're killing yourself out in the unforgiving road, you are also magically transported to another world, one of your creation, lost in the swirl of your music and your thoughts.
As you take off, the magic begins. For the first moment, you're the star striker of Liverpool with ninety thousand fans shouting you on with fervor, singing that you'll never walk alone.
Suddenly, the tone shifts. You are now a king fallen from grace, speaking about how seas would use to rise when you gave the word but now you sweep the streets you used to own.
As you slowly rise from your laments, darkness suddenly falls. You are atop a tall tower, clad in a jet black robe and a red cape swaying slowly with the nighttime breeze. The princess has the whole town seeking your name, vowing no sleep until it is obtained in her quest to avoid what she perceives to be a lifetime of servitude to you, he who would be her husband by morn. You slowly smile with a confidence unmatched as you command the night to vanish and the stars to retreat, knowing that by dawn your kiss will dissolve the silence that makes her yours.
The trance continues until the end of your journey. You awaken to reality ever so exhausted and gasping for air, yet bearing that twinkle in your eye as the last glimmer of your Terabithia slowly fades away, always ready to return for as long as that imaginative fire still burns bright within you.
I never wanted an iPod, but ever since I purchased one I have never regretted a single moment with it.
*NB: The beautiful photo above is not mine. Apologies, random Flickr user. I promise you I am not making money out of this photo.
As you take off, the magic begins. For the first moment, you're the star striker of Liverpool with ninety thousand fans shouting you on with fervor, singing that you'll never walk alone.
Suddenly, the tone shifts. You are now a king fallen from grace, speaking about how seas would use to rise when you gave the word but now you sweep the streets you used to own.
As you slowly rise from your laments, darkness suddenly falls. You are atop a tall tower, clad in a jet black robe and a red cape swaying slowly with the nighttime breeze. The princess has the whole town seeking your name, vowing no sleep until it is obtained in her quest to avoid what she perceives to be a lifetime of servitude to you, he who would be her husband by morn. You slowly smile with a confidence unmatched as you command the night to vanish and the stars to retreat, knowing that by dawn your kiss will dissolve the silence that makes her yours.
The trance continues until the end of your journey. You awaken to reality ever so exhausted and gasping for air, yet bearing that twinkle in your eye as the last glimmer of your Terabithia slowly fades away, always ready to return for as long as that imaginative fire still burns bright within you.
I never wanted an iPod, but ever since I purchased one I have never regretted a single moment with it.
*NB: The beautiful photo above is not mine. Apologies, random Flickr user. I promise you I am not making money out of this photo.
Of Sausages and Noodles
Today turned out unexpectedly well.
After a client meeting which turned out much better than planned, I headed to the Peninsula Manila with Diego for the celebration of their 33rd Anniversary where we were to meet with Fonta, Ina, Lynn, Tin, Cris, and Marie. The Manila Pen, as it is fondly called, marked this auspicious occasion by selling at their original 1976 prices the three menu items which have been present since Day One, namely the Halo-Halo, Pancit Luglug, and Schublig. The 1976 prices being Php33 per dish, it was a no-brainer.
As I foresaw, the line was insufferably long. The estimated 2.5-hour wait left me questioning the worth of the dinner we were about to have. To make matters worse, Ina had class to attend and Lynn had two meetings.
Three Schubligs and 1 Pancit Luglug (and about 2lbs worth of fries) later however, I found myself thinking that everything that happened after that point made the grueling wait outside in the sticky, humid Makati air seem like a mere trifle. I enjoyed the food and ambiance (as evidenced by the 9 hours we spent there), I met new friends, and I had quite the....interesting conversation that night.
I still say, what a way to spend the day.
After a client meeting which turned out much better than planned, I headed to the Peninsula Manila with Diego for the celebration of their 33rd Anniversary where we were to meet with Fonta, Ina, Lynn, Tin, Cris, and Marie. The Manila Pen, as it is fondly called, marked this auspicious occasion by selling at their original 1976 prices the three menu items which have been present since Day One, namely the Halo-Halo, Pancit Luglug, and Schublig. The 1976 prices being Php33 per dish, it was a no-brainer.
As I foresaw, the line was insufferably long. The estimated 2.5-hour wait left me questioning the worth of the dinner we were about to have. To make matters worse, Ina had class to attend and Lynn had two meetings.
Three Schubligs and 1 Pancit Luglug (and about 2lbs worth of fries) later however, I found myself thinking that everything that happened after that point made the grueling wait outside in the sticky, humid Makati air seem like a mere trifle. I enjoyed the food and ambiance (as evidenced by the 9 hours we spent there), I met new friends, and I had quite the....interesting conversation that night.
I still say, what a way to spend the day.
The Dust of the World
As I sift through my virtual photoalbum, I chance upon a photo taken last July during the pre-production for the CSFI Shoot. It's a shot of the Philippine Flag at the House of Representatives, taken just as the sun was slowly retiring.
The image of the solitary flag brings about a sudden rush of patriotism for me. My mind wanders through the many times this has happened in the past. I think of all my independence day trips to Luneta. I remember all the highly-charged political discussions I've had with different people. I remember the essay into which I poured my heart and soul for my Jose Rizal class during my third year in college (thanks to one of the most inspiring professors I've known).
As this flash flood of amor patriae slowly ebbs, two thoughts linger. The first is of Elias' dying breaths as he lay by the riverbanks, looking into the bewildered eyes of a boy whose mother and little brother had just died most horrible deaths. He said, "I die without seeing the dawn brighten over my native land! You, who have it to see, welcome it -- and forget not those who have fallen during the night!"
I wonder, will I live to see the Philippines I long to see? Or am I doomed to perpetually bear witness to the evils and cancers that I believe beset our nation?
My second thought is of a line from Jonathan Larson's semi-autobiographic play, Tick, Tick...Boom! At the play's finale, the main character sings
"What does it take to wake up a generation? How can you make someone take off and fly? If we don't wake up and shake up the nation, we'll eat the dust of the world wondering why."
Isn't this already what is happening?
The image of the solitary flag brings about a sudden rush of patriotism for me. My mind wanders through the many times this has happened in the past. I think of all my independence day trips to Luneta. I remember all the highly-charged political discussions I've had with different people. I remember the essay into which I poured my heart and soul for my Jose Rizal class during my third year in college (thanks to one of the most inspiring professors I've known).
As this flash flood of amor patriae slowly ebbs, two thoughts linger. The first is of Elias' dying breaths as he lay by the riverbanks, looking into the bewildered eyes of a boy whose mother and little brother had just died most horrible deaths. He said, "I die without seeing the dawn brighten over my native land! You, who have it to see, welcome it -- and forget not those who have fallen during the night!"
I wonder, will I live to see the Philippines I long to see? Or am I doomed to perpetually bear witness to the evils and cancers that I believe beset our nation?
My second thought is of a line from Jonathan Larson's semi-autobiographic play, Tick, Tick...Boom! At the play's finale, the main character sings
"What does it take to wake up a generation? How can you make someone take off and fly? If we don't wake up and shake up the nation, we'll eat the dust of the world wondering why."
Isn't this already what is happening?
A New Toy
I recently made a trip down to the hardware store to buy, amongst other things, a bolo for the house, and....I ended up overdoing it.
Meet my new sword. It resembles a falchion, but without the handguard. Victims so far are 2 Langka branches and one banana. Also, apart from your usual housework, you can use it:
- To protect yourself in case someone attacks you with an icepick (imagine the look on the guy's face when you suddenly brandish a magnificent blade to counter his puny little toothpick)
- To keep street kids from being super kulit (stroke it and glare, and voila they're gone!)
- In really really vain photoshoots
- To freak everyone else out at the table when carving your steak
- As a really unique fashion statement
Hmmm what else can I do with this? Think, think.
Meet my new sword. It resembles a falchion, but without the handguard. Victims so far are 2 Langka branches and one banana. Also, apart from your usual housework, you can use it:
- To protect yourself in case someone attacks you with an icepick (imagine the look on the guy's face when you suddenly brandish a magnificent blade to counter his puny little toothpick)
- To keep street kids from being super kulit (stroke it and glare, and voila they're gone!)
- In really really vain photoshoots
- To freak everyone else out at the table when carving your steak
- As a really unique fashion statement
Hmmm what else can I do with this? Think, think.
Bruno
I watched Bruno today. Offend my sensibilities, it did.
edit: It didn't actually offend me, it was just....disgusting. And at times totally hilarious.
Boomdeyada
"Two down this month, thousands more to go," I muse as a slowly slip into sweet slumber in the homeward-bound bus, lost in the recesses of Ilocos Norte. "Cambodia, Pannzian, where to next?"
I'm jarred into consciousness by my poor seatmate Brian, whose tall frame has doomed him to 12 hours of awkward positions on the small bus seats. I happily keep up my contemplating, an activity which I have taken to quite often in the past few weeks. My mind circles around the events during the past four days.
I think of Adams, the community hidden from the world in the mountains. By the house where we stayed the night, there ran a river who between its turbulent yet widely-spaced rapids had the bluest and most serene waters. I remember sitting on a large solitary rock whose high flat surface afforded me a dry spot. Dragonflies flew about in their multitudes as I spent the better part of the hour in perfect peace.
I think of the falls, whose cool waters and sheer grandness made the one-and-a-half hour hike seem like mere hopscotch. I still hear our delighted screams as we all jumped the cliff down into the pool.
I think of Lover's Peak, where I beheld the sun rise through a thin layer of fog. I imagine how many sweethearts shared their first kiss here, lovingly smiling into the same sun.
I think of all the nights we got together and celebrated life. Ten wonderful people, all unique to the world, all now special to me.
In my last thought as I begin to end another addition to my budding adventure book, the image of two astronauts floating in space comes to the forefront. I quickly shut my eyes and smile to myself, saying
THE WORLD IS JUST AWESOME.
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