Last September, I got invited to Medicol's Press and Bloggers Launch for Medicol's Tap Out Pain game. Ironically, I wasn't able to go because I was IN pain that day because of a gout attack. (long story) It's too bad because I really wanted to check out the app.

So after my first gig at Freedom Bar last week, Francis Cabal of The Strangeness asked me if I could session for them at their Meiday Cubao X gig because their regular guitarist would be unavailable to play. I was initially apprehensive, because the bands that would be playing that night were pros, bands that I actually listen to. Shit's scary, right? Look at that line-up!

ok so i haven't been posting entries lately but something really important has compelled me to do so.. the philippine blog awards!

...was awesome. i wanna blog more about it but i don't have pictures (a sad, sad part of the whole story) so yeah. i just wanted to make this entry because if i don't, then it wouldn't feel "real", like it never happened. yeah i know, pathetic right? fuck you.

full (hopefully) entry in the coming days. now i go to soak in my memories of the concert. yowza.

(nevermind the title. i just had to say something relevant to the topic.)

i'm sure most of you have already heard about this rumor that's been spreading like wildfire on the net. for the uninitiated, it goes something like this.. a band THE superband that was a product of the 90's boom in alternative music who parted ways after a still-unclear fallout is planning a one-night only, orgasmicawesometastic reunion concert come august 30 barring any major hitches. ring any bells? no? fuck you.

i guess it's safe to say that i am a big fan. hell, this band started my love affair with pinoy alternative music so yeah, i am DEFINITELY going to be there with thousands of fans if and when they make the official announcement.

also, because i am such a lazy bum, you can check out more of the happy details here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here. got it? good.

now go out and offer those animal and child sacrifices to your gods so this shit can push through hotdammit!

+ + + +

EDIT, 10:40pm: just got word that this is indeed TRUE. motherfuckin-a. who woulda thunk? read the affirmation here. tickets! where can i get tickets?!?!?!

EDIT, july 14 10:30am: another, more detailed article here.

just got wind of this awesome news and i totally peed my fucking pants. after the long wait, DIABLO III is finally upon us!
man, this is going to kick MAJOR ass. i can't WAIT to get my grubby little paws on a copy of this game.

pics from my mini-celeb at the beyond office HERE.

i suck at giving gifts. over the years i have come to accept that sad fact, as well as dread certain occasions that warrant them. add the trademark larry traits of being a) late and b) unbelievably lazy and what do you get? a sucky gift from a friend/family member/boyfriend that doesn't really fit the grandeur of that certain date it was given on. for that reason, i rarely go gift-buying alone. usually it's the gf, who's more than happy to window-shop herself or the sister, who i have to bribe into going to the mall with me with pounds of sumptuous chocnut. the problem starts when they themselves have no time, or the gift is intended for them.

valentine's day last week was no different.

i'm not a big fan of heart's day. to me it's just another excuse for people to celebrate something that should be an everyday affair. besides, that whole i'm-going-to-treat-you-to-an-insanely-expensive-dinner-so-afterwards-you-can-thank-me-by-letting-me-put-my-penis-inside-your-vajayjay schtick is just a tad too tacky. still, i knew karen would appreciate a little effort on my part. i debated whether to give her flowers and/or chocolates BUT i din't want to be too conventional on a conventional day so i settled for something relatively cheap unique. i remembered that i asked the sister (who works at starbucks) to get me one of dem "design your own" tumblers last november. i was supposed to give it to karen as part of my christmas gifts but i wasn't able to finish the design. i completely forgot about it.. until now.



i whipped out my month-old file and finished the design on the 12th. the officemates were a hilarious lot, helping me paste, cut and mount the damned thing. it always amazes me how interested they seem when i do stuff like this for karen. prolly cause most of them are married already and most of the sweetness and mushiness has gone out of their lives. (i kid, i kid.) the next day, i took karen out for a pre-valentine coffee date and gave her the tumbler. she loved it she said, and she couldn't stop smiling. as she whipped out her cam to take pics of it, i stifled a smile of my own.

maybe there's hope for me yet on this gift-giving thing.

the zambales pics are up! yay!



check them out here:

day 1: the journey

day 2: riding the waves

day 3: bruised ribs, bruised ego

i took some shots using my holga but i haven't had the chance to have the film developed yet. next week, maybe. :D

stopovers • photography • surfing • grilled vienna sausages and spam • cannonball wave rides • mudslide • rhum coke • card games • lessons • red horse • sunsets • goofing around • cold nights • kayak weeee-ings • knock knock sessions • eating binges • sandy shorts • bruised ribs • attempted karaoke • duty free • teriyaki boy •

as i said in my last entry, we are headed to zambales this weekend!

this is going to be my second time to go surfing and i can't wait to ride the waves again. even the gf and the sister are excited cause this is going to be their first time to try it out. will post pics as soon as we get back.

hang ten baby!

it's now official: maroon 5 is coming to manila! it's gonna be on march 5, 8pm at araneta coliseum. ticket prices are as follows:

last friday, karen, kaye and i went to araneta to catch the vertical horizon concert. they were fronted by the new rivermaya (not quite there yet, but pretty okay) while comedian jamie kennedy provided a nice intermission for the eager crowd at the jampacked venue.

(photo taken by karen, girlfriend extraordinaire)
nevermind that me and karen went through the traffic-filled streets of makati during rush hour. nevermind that we got three seats that weren't next to each other (well two of them were. guess who made the sacrifice of sitting alone?) nevermind that i had to sit behind the most annoying group of teenagers ever. it was well worth it. they sang songs mostly from the "everything you want" album (including 'shackled'!), a couple from "go" and one from their upcoming album due early next year (i think). matt (lead vocals/guitar) surprised me because i din't know he was that good on the axe. damn. we weren't able to record that many vids like we did during the switchfoot concert because "it wasn't allowed" according to the ushers (what were those flashing lights then? stars?) all in all an amazing night.

• • • •

speaking of concerts, i came across some bits of juicy news about the foreign acts set to come to the philippines next year. (these are still unconfirmed so don't go telling your friends just yet okay? )

• we all know this band. in fact, i would hazard that almost all of us DIG them. their arrival is a return trip, having had a succesful concert a few years back. you'd have to PARDON ME though if i can't spare any more details on this.

• this bubblegum boyband member turned soulful, hip singer brought SEXY BACK to the worldwide music scene. if ever he pushes through with coming here, you can be sure that he is gonna ROCK YOUR BODY like no one can.

• a band with a flair for infectious melodies and lyrics, one who can make groove even on a lazy SUNDAY MORNING. it really MAKES ME WONDER if they really are coming.

• this pop icon has been through so many transformations that' it's just BORDERLINE crazy not to know who she is. geisha, new age hippie, crazy whore or all-american lady, she is always in VOGUE. all you ladies would not want to miss this one.

• a band that prolly needs no introductions, a band that's like a MIRACLE DRUG for your VERTIGO. i'm definitely gonna see them WITH OR WITHOUT YOU, friends.

i repeat, these infos are sketchy at best. still, it never hurts to be prepared so start saving up for dem concert tickets. i know i will.

i'm sitting in front my laptop at 2:30 in the morning unable to sleep, still shaking my head over the bizarre chain of events that happened just this morning. a group of anti-government people led by antonio trillanes IV and a general lim holed up in a makati hotel after walking out of trial in a court in makati earlier as a protest to what they branded as a crooked administration. me and my officemates watched every scene unfold; from the statement made by the duo, to the deployment of troops by the president, the teargas, the forced entry and the arrests. i listened to each update with morbid fascination, growing more and more disturbed by the developments that ensued.

i have never been interested in philippine politics, and i sure as hell don't give a fuck about it. call me ignorant or judgemental, but i just don't see the point. i'm sure there are a lot of competent leaders out there but.. okay i'm actually sure that i'm NOT sure. that's the reason why up until now, i have yet to apply for a voter's license. even if i do, it would be for the sole purpose of having a legal ID. something i think is more valuable to me than my right to suffrage.

but i digress.

the aforementioned circus today left me wondering if i had been wrong to simply dismiss politics in the past and that it would be better to pay a little bit more attention from now on. maybe my opinions won't matter either way, but at least i'd be aware of what's happening around me and how it will affect me. maybe if this curfew thingie becomes a regular thing i could use the extra awake-time to do some research and shit. it won't be an easy task see, since old habits die hard. several minutes after starting to write this i quit watching the late-night news and switched to wrestling while munching on a yummy bowl of cereal.

in time, baby. in time.

(p.s. i realize that after writing this i would come off sounding like a total idiot so yeah. great. fuck you.)

last saturday i went to cubao to meet up with karen and a friend to check out the lomolove too event. i din't know what to expect; all i knew was that there would be a bazaar there that would sell various cameras so i was quite surprised that a good number of people (mostly the artsy types) were there at the cubao expo. it was my first time there, and after circling the area a few times i felt the urge to kick myself in the balls. why haven't i heard of this place before? it was amazing. small boutiques lined the streets, offering gems ranging from comic books to vintage stuff to ukays. there were photo and art galleries, and even a big projector that shows a variety of films. it was a haven of the arts. that same urge reared its ugly head once again when i realized that i FORGOT to bring my camera with me. i could have easily snapped photos using my camfone, but seeing almost everybody with a camera slung around their necks, i decided against it. (stupid pride. i know.) i settled for stealing some shots from karen's newly-purchased vivitar panoramic cam. the day also marked the opening of four new shops on the strip and several bands played to the delight of the slightly inebriated crowd. there are still events lined up every saturday for this month, so do check it out if you're into the arts. i know i will, hopefully with my camera next time. =]

read more details about the event HERE

• • • •
i stumbled upon SOMETHING on the net that made me wet my pants: vertical horizon will be in manila next month!


this is gonna be one hell of a show. if anyone has any details on this one, please lemme know. alright? good.

• • • •
finally, after a while, the superband from the south is back with their fourth studio album!


click on the pic to download the songs.

• • • •
and now for the phrase of the day, because all of us need to laugh more often:

"don't touch my gaiman!"
-- mark, beyond advertising creative head upon seeing me trying to hide his "m is for magic" book.

(ordinarily i wouldn't find this funny, but he pronounced gaiman's surname as "GAY MAN" so yeah. got it? good.)

now go out and do something stupid. later.

the experience was too surreal for words.

i had been anticipating the show for weeks, and despite some minor bumps during the day (including a tussle with an officemate and an "OMG-we're-going-to-be-late-we're-not-gonna-make-it" episode"), we arrived at cuneta astrodome a little after 8, only slightly worse for wear. we went through the gates, found our seats and comfortably settled in. a few minutes later, the lights slowly dimmed and the crowd roared. the show was about to start.

salamin, switchfoot's front act, came out on stage and performed 3 of their songs. i wasn't really paying attention because i wasn't that into them. (to me they just sound like dicta license, which i like better) after a few words from bamboo clone and band vocalist paolo valenciano, the lights went out again in preparation for the night's main event.

switchfoot came out a few minutes later, and proceeded to rock the foundations of the stadium with god's music. ok not really. they kicked things off with one of their recent songs, "oh gravity", then went on to play an awesome set that included:

• stars
• dare you to move
• american dream
• this is your life
• more than fine
• learning to breathe
• chem 6a
• gone
• on fire
• awakening
• meant to live

they capped off the show with "only hope", with lead singer jonathan foreman going solo-acoustic for the first few minutes of the song. the bandmates later joined in during the final parts, which they segued into a power-packed rendition of "we are one tonight". me, kaye and karen went trigger happy, snapping pics and recording videos of the performances. (i don't think i'll post them tho, save for the images i used here. they're all blurry anyways, save for one magnificent shot by my baby. and the vids? poor quality best kept for personal amusement.)


thanks to cathie, one of the people involved in the show, for providing me with tickets. you made my two ladies very very happy. oh, and thanks too for helping us score some shirts.


the concert was for the benefit of the international justice mission (IJM).

went to villa gregoria in nagcarlan, laguna last saturday to celebrate kristi's birthday. the place really din't offer anything out of the ordinary, but i guess the company more than made up for it.

kristi and yap brought along a lot of food, prolly enough to feed an entire family for a week. of course they din't forget the booze.

i guess the biggest difference of this place from any other resort i've been was the chlorine-free waters (i was told they got water directly from rivers). since highschool, i've had this nasty allergy that makes the skin in my thigh and legs itchy and swollen everytime i took a dip in pools, which sucks sour frog ass. in fact, i wasn't even planning on swimming but when i learned of this interesting tidbit of information, i had to test the waters, so to speak. haha. whatta pun. i'm so funneeh.

check out more pics HERE.

guess who's going to the switchfoot concert next week?

i was able to score some tickets for the upcoming event, and i am going with the sister and the gf! this is going to be AWESOME! click on the image above to check out the official site of switchfoot manila, or if you don't wanna go but you love their music nonetheless...

click on the image to download songs from ALL of their albums. yes, ALL OF THEIR ALBUMS! wow, whuut an offa!

after a couple of weeks of rain, the sun finally shone this morning, so me and karen finally had the chance to go out after a week of not being able to see each other. i had trouble enough going to work while the skies wreaked havoc on the metro a few days ago, so you can just imagine if i had to meet up with her after office hours. the trip home would be killer. (what's that? larry the wuss has no time for the gf you say? fuck you. you don't live in malabon so you have no idea whatcher talking about.)

we met up in trinoma earlier this afternoon to look around and to exchange that darned pair of shoes i got for her that were too big. i also got myself a new pick to match my new guitar. *ahem* after a few hours, i told her that i'd finally do something i'd promised her a while back, and that is to take her to mister kabab for dinner.


mister kabab is a small resto located at the corner of west avenue and quezon avenue that serves a slew of heavenly middle-eastern grub. the place was introduced to me by friends way back when i was still studying in UP, and i have tons of fond memories there. i remember countless lunch breaks when we would trek the traffic-filled streets from the university going to this place just for a quick meal.

we arrived at kabab a few minutes later, and we had to wait a bit because of the number of people waiting to be seated. once inside, i immediately beckoned to a waitress and placed our orders: 2 plates of special chelo-kabab* and a plate of keema with eggplant. while waiting for our orders, i told karen a few pointers. well actually, just two:

one, to slather her plate with as much sour cream sauce as humanly possible, and;

two, to use the hot sauce sparingly. (it was decievingly normal, but after the time i put on a little too much of the stuff and my tongue became swollen for weeks, i learned to respect the red sauce which i hear was forged from the depths of hell by the devil himself.)

i wanted to order other dishes so she could sample more of the food there, but knowing how filling the chelo-kababs were, i decided against it. the meal was awesome as usual, and i had to order an extra round of sinful rice** to finish off my kababs. karen liked it so much she even ordered take-out so she can have more keema goodness tomorrow for lunch. guess i'll just have to take her back there one of these days. she hasn't tried the shakes yet. and the shawarma. and the-- nevermind.

i'll stop talking now cause i'm getting hungry again and i'm starting to munch on our sofa.

* curiously, this is a consistent order for me everytime i go here. wtf.
** sinful rice, because it's topped with a large block of margarine. tasty, yes. sinful, VERY.

i am now the proud owner of a brand new electro-acoustic black guitar, courtesy of the gf!my friend perry texted me saturday morning, saying he wanted to drop by the house later that afternoon cause he din't have anything better to do. i was supposed to go to the mall to buy stuff but smelling another drinking session was brewing, i replied in the affirmative almost immediately. around 2pm, he came strolling into my room, which he normally does when i'm upstairs and nanay lets him in. we talked for a bit, then he said he wanted to show me something downstairs and asked me to follow him. i swear i heard a faint "pink panther" theme playing in the background as we made our way to our usual drinking spot near the river at the back of the house. there, seated at the table, was karen, smoking a cigarette and smiling ear to ear in that cute little way of hers. i was surprised primarily because she had a late friday night at work (she finished around 6am) and i was expecting her to still be asleep at home. my jaw dropped even further when she pointed to the other end of the table, where a large, black bag was. "surprise baby!", she intoned. "open it!" my balls felt liquid as i unzipped the bag and saw what was inside: a shiny, black guitar. it still had the new ca-- uh, guitar smell. "happy anniversary baby!", she said simply, still smiling. "you din't think that those songbooks were all i got you now, din't you?" i think i stood still like a scarecrow for a good 10mins before i was able to sit down.

later on, after gathering my bearings, she told me all the details: how she got perry and yap to fish for guitar preferences from me, how the three of them along with yap's gf kristi went out that morning to buy it, how she asked kaye to ask me to go to the mall on sunday instead, and how nanay let her inside the house while perry chatted me up in my room. it's pretty amusing i tells ya.

i can't remember the last time i was ganged up on and actually felt HAPPY about it.

P.S. guess what? we ended up having a booze session after all, with yap, kristi, algene and kel joining in on the fun later that night. good times.