L.A. Vie

L.A. Vie http://imoquibilan.multiply.com/ Another blog?!!! This account exists only to keep in touch with friends. Click <a href="http://kontra-diction.blogspot.com">here</a> to read my fiction and <a href="http://zosimoquibilan.wordpress.com/">here</a>. Oh yes, I decided to use the photos and video feature of this site mostly about notre L.A. vie and the not-so-distant past. Mon, 13 Oct 2008 08:39:27 -0000 Mon, 6 Oct 2008 15:46:16 -0000 L.A. Vie http://images.imoquibilan.multiply.com/logo http://imoquibilan.multiply.com 100 100 A Bewildering Story My story called <a href="http://bewilderingstories.com/issue308/rembo.html" target="new">"Rembo"</a> appears in this week's edition of <a href="http://bewilderingstories.com/issue308/rembo.html" target="new">www.bewilderingstories.com</a>. It's another short short that I wrote in Filipino a few years ago for an anthology. It got accepted but the anthology didn't push through. Enjoy, or rather, Beware! http://imoquibilan.multiply.com/journal/item/53/A_Bewildering_Story_ Mon, 6 Oct 2008 15:46:16 -0000 Uncovered #1 Here are songs that first became popular (at least in the Philippines) performed by different artists. I thought they were good songs but since these songs were filed under Pop and I was typecast as a Rocker, you wouldn't have caught me humming these songs then. It was a relief actually to find out that they were originally written by musicians I respect for their songwriting skills. Here's a sampler. I guess it's just coincidence that these songs were covered by women, (except for the last one which is a duet). I'll post more  and make these sidebars to my <a href="http://100songs.wordpress.com" target="new">100songs project</a>. 1.  I first heard How Can I Tell You sung by Lani Hall. I liked the melody of the song immediately but it was always used as background music in soap operas then. Here's the original by Cat Stevens. 2. I didn't even know the title of this song, not even the artist (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolette_Larson" target="new">Nicolette Larson</a>)but I thought it was catchy.  However, the song was ruined for me when I heard a disco remix.Years later, I would be... http://imoquibilan.multiply.com/journal/item/48/Uncovered_1 Fri, 25 Jul 2008 21:04:03 -0000 The Magnetic Fields - Busby Berkeley Dreams <img class="alignleft" src="http://images.imoquibilan.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SIUUVwoKCtcAAC2TYOY1/phpThumb.jpg?et=wPbhBsfJNunR2F1aNlrPaw&nmid=0" border="0">I didn't know what or who Busby Berkeley was when I first heard this song by <a href="http://www.houseoftomorrow.com/">The Magnetic Fields</a>. All I knew was that this song is lovely in a heartbreaking way. It combines the stark honesty of an acoustic piano accompanying a faltering baritone made even poignant by soothing drones of a cello and a viola in the right places. If you take a closer listen, you might be prompted to expect to hear ambient noises from a guy's bedroom recently deserted by a girl. The first time I heard <a href="http://www.houseoftomorrow.com/">The Magnetic Fields</a> they (?) had recently released the album Get Lost. I searched for this album because I read somewhere that it sounded as if produced in the early days of the synthesizers in the 70s and 80s.  The review was right and there wasn't even any attempt at authenticity with the drum machines. Although the sound was dated, Merritt was able to muster enough fresh twists in this album that it stands out in songs like Why I Cry, You and Me and the Moon, and All the Umbrellas in London. The Magnet... http://imoquibilan.multiply.com/journal/item/47/The_Magnetic_Fields_-_Busby_Berkeley_Dreams Wed, 23 Jul 2008 22:16:01 -0000 Asin - Itanong Mo Sa Mga Bata <img class="alignright" src="http://images.imoquibilan.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SITiRQoKCtcAAA9ziuQ1/ASIN-front.jpg?et=Z%2BFkQw716%2BmQhOaxEVKZLA&nmid=0" border="0">It was a good thing the local boys, too, were aspiring rock stars. Edison had ditched the idea of packing a couple of drums for the mini tour. In fact, he decided not to bring even just his snare drum so he wouldn't have to think about being charged for excess baggage or worse, having his instrument damaged in transit. I was getting worried that Edison would not be able to find any percussion instrument come performance time. Then the boys arrived as we began our pick-up rehearsals on the morning of our first performance. We were right smack at the Ibajay town plaza when the the kids brought a makeshift drum kit to Edison like an offering to the local patron saint. The first thing that came to mind was to ask them if they were serious. We almost laughed at the sight of this contraption. The hi-hat was a ring of flattened bottlecaps. The snare drum was a square motor oil container (1 gallon). The bass drum was a large square water container and there were more bottle caps in place ... http://imoquibilan.multiply.com/journal/item/45/Asin_-_Itanong_Mo_Sa_Mga_Bata Mon, 21 Jul 2008 19:34:41 -0000 "Huwag kang tumingala at tumitig sa langit" Tell me if it is just poverty that drives people to do this and I will try to understand. I came across this story and thought it speaks volumes about us as a nation. ______________________________ Tribal farmer surrenders, admits killing Philippine eagle By Joselle Badilla Mindanao Bureau First Posted 18:19:00 07/18/2008 DAVAO CITY, Philippines—A 22-year-old tribal farmer has surrendered to police and admitted to killing an endangered Philippine eagle, conservation officials said. Brian Balaon yielded to a lumad datu (tribal chief) Friday, two days after a P10,000 cash reward was offered for information leading to the arrest of the killer of the three-year-old bird, Dennis Salvador, director of the Philippine Eagle Foundation, said. "He felt the heat because the volunteers and association of porters were also mobilized to track him down," Salvador said. Balaon was brought to the PEF office in Bukidnon, he ... http://imoquibilan.multiply.com/journal/item/44/Huwag_kang_tumingala_at_tumitig_sa_langit Sun, 20 Jul 2008 22:03:31 -0000 The Road <h2>..each the other's world entire</h2> <img style="float:right;margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer;cursor:hand;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_Xw7Vp_Ry580/SH-8-Dllz_I/AAAAAAAAAJU/LYBtdgI6w6Y/s320/cormac-mccarthy.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224101867073949682" />I've been meaning to write a review of <a href="http://www.cormacmccarthy.com/" target="new">Cormac McCarthy</a>'s The Road but I couldn't, primarily because so many things have been said about this Pulitzer Prize winning novel already. Ironically, I first heard about it on Oprah. She chose the novel for her Book Club (a red flag for me and my wife, telling us to get away from it immediately). Oprah also was able to convince the reclusive McCarthy to indulge her in an <a href="http://www2.oprah.com/obc_classic/featbook/road/interview/road_interview_main.jhtml" target="new">interview</a>. The premise is simple: a father and his son wander off in a post-nuclear holocaust America with "...each the other's world entire." Primarily, the novel concerns itself with the issue of keeping one's humanity intact in a world ceaselessly plummeting into anarchy and despair. If you want to read about the book, go <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/25/books/25masl.html" target="new">here</a>, <a href="http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/5434/the-road-by-cormac-mccarthy/" target="new">here</a>, or <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/28/AR2006092801460.html" target="new">here</a>. You can also go to your nearest library or well, get yourself a copy. In the latest issue of <a href="http://www.esquire.com/" target="new">Esquire Magazine</a> (August 2008), a short article discusses the link between McCarthy's presentation o... http://imoquibilan.multiply.com/reviews/item/13 Thu, 17 Jul 2008 22:07:30 -0000 Malcolm McLaren with Catherine Deneuve - Paris, Paris <a href="http://imoquibilan.multiply.com/photos/hi-res/upload/SH0yCwoKCtcAAFjgyOU1"><img class="alignleft" src="http://images.imoquibilan.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SH0yCwoKCtcAAFjgyOU1/185343.jpg?et=GmrseQT2vjfbKcpGpJgiwg&nmid=0" border="0"></a>Having fronted a punk rock band, it was hard for me to believe Dante that Malcolm McLaren was even worth a listen. Though I was more a fan of The Clash than the Sex Pistols, I was aware how thoroughly vilified McLaren was (still is) in rock music.  I'd read about his ugly divorce from the most notorious band in history -  a band he helped (and exploited, some say) become famous. Of course, the credit for inventing punk, that musical revolution which also became a subculture and philosophy, is debatable. It depends more on which side of the Atlantic one is. No one can deny,  though, that it was Mclaren's who gathered (rounded up?)  teenagers Johnny Lydon,  John Simon Ritchie, Paul Cook, and Steve Jones and made them poster boys for his fashion boutique called Sex if not members of a rock band. As we worked on direct marketing campaign materials, Dante played electronica and all its various ephemeral incarnations like drum and bass, jungle, house, rave, big beat... http://imoquibilan.multiply.com/journal/item/43/Malcolm_McLaren_with_Catherine_Deneuve_-_Paris_Paris Thu, 17 Jul 2008 17:52:21 -0000 The Cure - A Few Hours After This <a href="http://imoquibilan.multiply.com/photos/hi-res/upload/SHutQgoKCtcAAGrzJNU1"><img class="alignleft" src="http://images.imoquibilan.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SHutQgoKCtcAAGrzJNU1/168fb2c008a0b104513c9010.L.jpg?et=Vq87uoxIywlZ4pNbeaECIQ&nmid=0" border="0"></a>Jonel looked more like the Math major that he was than a music geek. So when he told me he was selling his entire The Cure cassette collection, I became a bit suspicious. I thought that the collection was not his but some hot item. He just didn't look like a druggie who would steal for a quick fix. It was the beginning of the semester and he was the only person in that French class, a foreign language elective, who would talk to me. He told me he was friends with some friends whom I'd jam with and I believed him. I needed his company also because I was the only freshman in that sophomores-populated class. Later on, I learned that he was, indeed, a certified music geek. In between French grammar quizes, we would talk about the whole range of music genres from bands like The The to Guns 'n' Roses to Megadeth to Aztec Camera. I didn't dare ask him if as to the why and 'where from' of his offer. I figured he needed the cash for rent. Students from the countryside, like him, who go to the cit... http://imoquibilan.multiply.com/journal/item/41/The_Cure_-_A_Few_Hours_After_This Wed, 16 Jul 2008 19:03:31 -0000 A Hundred Songs I'm taking on Mike Bernardo's challenging idea in <a href="http://imoquibilan.multiply.com/journal/item/30/Billy_Bragg_-_Greetings_to_the_New_Brunette">the comments section of this entry</a>, by by setting up a new blog where I will write about 100 songs at least. I have written about ten songs already. Each entry will have a link from here. Here's what I wrote in the about section: An Arbitrary Number I have no explanation as to the significance of the number except that for now, it stands as a goal - to blog about at least 100 songs that comprise this particular life-long soundtrack. The choices are, as most cataloging endeavors are, arbitrary, too. note: I’ve taken the liberty to scour available video from the web because I believe that sooner or later each one of us can claim that the web is our searchable memory. http://imoquibilan.multiply.com/links/item/7/A_Hundred_Songs Tue, 15 Jul 2008 20:07:05 -0000 Sampaguita - Sa Diyos Lamang <a href="http://imoquibilan.multiply.com/photos/hi-res/upload/SHsjbgoKCtcAAHRXmeM1"><img class="alignright" src="http://images.imoquibilan.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SHsjbgoKCtcAAHRXmeM1/sampaguita.jpg?et=a5ym5wz0DhC6KC45zEZMww&nmid=0" alt="" border="0"></a>A day after we picked up Tatay at the Manila International Airport, we went to Cherry Foodarama on Shaw Boulevard. I remember listening to Freddie Aguilar's Anak in the cab on the way home and staring at Tatay's hair that was long by Martial Law's standard. Because of his job as a seaman, my sister and I practically grew up without a father. He'd be with us only from two to three months after his ten to twelve months of working  overseas. Of course, we were excited to see Tatay. We missed him every time he went away. But we were also excited about his pasalubong - a Sony 3-in-1 Stereo System (an FM/AM tuner, cassette and record player). We were quite sure it was something that the other households didn't have. Our neighbors had the huge, cabinet type record player that was the in thing then (to compliment the Hitachi or Radiowealth cabinet-type TV). What our Tatay brought home was the compact record player (this in the  days when stereo component systems were still an idea). I... http://imoquibilan.multiply.com/journal/item/39/Sampaguita_-_Sa_Diyos_Lamang Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:34:53 -0000 Grand Funk Railroad - Inside Looking Out During my senior year in high school a couple of friends asked me if I wanted to form a band for the upcoming foundation day. I've had a little experience playing in a band, so I accepted the offer. I told them, however,  that I had one problem - I didn't own an electric guitar. Terence, who was to be the keyboard player, assured me that it was alright and that he would ask his guitarist friend to loan me his axe. Next thing I knew, Terence was handing me a well-worn white Philippine-made Fender Strat. He told me it was from a guy who was with the local born-again Christian church. I later became friends with the guitarist. I wanted to know him because of his generosity. How could a someone entrust his main musical weapon to a stranger?  I was also intrigued if he was really a speaking-in-tongues-type like what Terence painted him to be. <a href="http://imoquibilan.multiply.com/photos/hi-res/upload/SHhkgAoKCtcAADn4q541"><img class="alignright" src="http://images.imoquibilan.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SHhkgAoKCtcAADn4q541/CoverSurvival.jpg?et=cra7Nv7zcft%2Blr4BfMlPiw&nmid=0" border="0"></a> The mystery was shattered when I returned his guitar to his place. We went straight to his bedroom/studio and I saw LPs of Black Sabba... http://imoquibilan.multiply.com/journal/item/36/Grand_Funk_Railroad_-_Inside_Looking_Out Sat, 12 Jul 2008 08:18:32 -0000 The Doors - Touch Me It was our ever-reliable, finger-picking guitarist, Tom Halim, who finally figured out the chords to this song. For our last gig, we wanted to play this song partly  because I've never seen any Pinoy band cover this song, at least in the music scene I was part of in the late 90s. Of course, we loved <a href="http://www.thedoors.com/">The Doors</a> but we didn't want to cover  Break on Through or Light My Fire. Last Band. After deciding to quit playing after I disbanded Flowers for Zoe in 96, I found myself aching to play again four years later. When we had rehearsed a few songs to last us at least a set, we decided to perform again. Good thing, my friend <a href="http://kulastalon.multiply.com/">Khavn</a> (who was stil Khan then) had a bar called Oracafe along Kamias Road. It was there where my band, re-christened Milk Bar (after a Anthony Burgess' Clockwork Orange) performed covers of Radiohead, Belle and Sebastian, Tommy James and the Shondels, Velvet Underground and a few of our original songs from <a href="http://imoquibilan.multiply.com/video/item/1">Flowers for Zoe</a>. Eventually, our song <a href="http://kamiasroad.com/avantpop/indieyo.htm">Wasakin ang Pad... http://imoquibilan.multiply.com/journal/item/35/The_Doors_-_Touch_Me Sat, 12 Jul 2008 00:08:58 -0000 Pink Floyd - Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in A Cave and Grooving With A Pict If you grew up in the Philippines in the 80s, the first thing that will come to mind when you hear this song is the weekly TV show Pinoy Thriller. Automatically, you will start recalling the verse that comes after "Ano, ang nasa dako pa roon, bunga ng malikot na pag-iisip". SSOSFAGTIACAGWAP is one of the avant-garde songs (if you could call this one) in <a href="http://www.pinkfloyd.com/x/default.html">Pink Floyd</a>'s Ummagumma, a double album consisting of a disc of live recordings and another of each member doing a suite of solo tracks. I discovered the song when I bought Pink Floyd's The Works years after it was released. (I remember the plastic cover of the LP was already crumply and full of soot when I ripped it.) This track stands out because it's the only one with no music in it. Instead, it's a cacophony of mimicked animal sounds and an archaic poem being read by a Pict (a member of an ancient people inhabiting northern Scotland in Roman times, fr. Oxford American Dictionary). Chief Pink Floyd songwriter, Roger Waters,... http://imoquibilan.multiply.com/journal/item/34/Pink_Floyd_-_Several_Species_of_Small_Furry_Animals_Gathered_Together_in_A_Cave_and_Grooving_With_A_Pict_ Fri, 11 Jul 2008 21:32:50 -0000 Missing Persons - Words For the longest time, I thought this song was done by Til Tuesday. I don't recall anymore why I associated this song with Aimee Mann's former band whose song Voices Carry  lingers in my head intermittently after a recent re-listen. Words was included in a mixed tape I got from my <a href="http://imoquibilan.multiply.com/music/item/1/Almost_Famous">House of Beth</a> band mates in the 80s. This track came before our band's home recording of "Assault and Battery," a song that despite the title was as chong as chong could get (new wave, that is).  Needless to say, I played the tape to death until it was way beyond worn. Since I didn't know who performed it, I couldn't search for the lyrics in Jingle Magazine. I didn't even know the title and I thought the singer sang "When the world's whore..." There's an acquired taste quality in the voice of singer, like Cyndi Lauper's. Dale Bozio's one of the more recognizable voices of that era together with Lauper, Mann, and Martha Davis of The Motels. Although I really hated the use of synthesizers, I re... http://imoquibilan.multiply.com/journal/item/33/Missing_Persons_-_Words Fri, 11 Jul 2008 20:53:13 -0000 Rogue Wave - Lake Michigan People, at least here in the US, will remember this song as that awesome soundtrack to this Alice in Wonderland-inspired TVC for Zune. Sunshine and I have been noticing this TVC a while back before we saw the song performed solo by Zach Rogue as one of the featured artists in Songs of the City. The concert was top indie acts' ode to the City of Angels held at the Walt Disney Concert Hall last January. There were a dozen performers which included Zooey Deschanel (of She and Him and, yeah, that chick from M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening), Sondre Lerche (one of the better performers from Norway), Annie Stella (whose CD we bought at the lobby and still enjoy listening to), Bob Mould (who did not meet our expectations, but what the hell, it was the Bob Mould, right?), Biirdie (a folk group based in Glendale whose song, Life in a Box, about living in an apartment we can relate to), and one of the guys from Belle and Sebastian called Stevie Jackson. Anyway, we only confirmed tha... http://imoquibilan.multiply.com/journal/item/32/Rogue_Wave_-_Lake_Michigan Thu, 10 Jul 2008 22:32:51 -0000 Billy Bragg - Greetings to the New Brunette <a href="http://imoquibilan.multiply.com/photos/hi-res/upload/SHXrfQoKCtcAABmlH4A1"><img class="alignleft" src="http://images.imoquibilan.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SHXrfQoKCtcAABmlH4A1/s3487.jpg?et=sGtNHJ3LpSZWOUKEDYTQXQ&nmid=0" border="0"></a>Almost twenty years ago, I bought this Philippines-only compilation called The Cutting Edge. The record, strangely, became warped in a few days. Luckily it was still playable until I sold it together with my entire record collection a few years before moving here. Some of the songs in the compilation have since become New Wave cult classics: The Room’s New Dreams for Old, XTC’s Dear God, even actor Rupert Everett’s A Generation of Loneliness. I bought the LP because I’ve been listening to <a href="http://www.billybragg.co.uk/">Billy Bragg</a>’s Greetings to the New Brunette on NU 107 and was dying to transcribe the song’s lyrics if not the guitar chords. In the days without google much less a reliable music information source, all I knew about it  was that it was a sweet song, probably about love, sang by this Mr. Bragg who didn’t give a damn if his Cockney crooning is getting in the way of comprehension, if not appreciation of his song. It was much later on that I found out that the song was produced/co-performed by Th... http://imoquibilan.multiply.com/journal/item/30/Billy_Bragg_-_Greetings_to_the_New_Brunette Thu, 10 Jul 2008 10:59:16 -0000 Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Upon This Tidal Wave of Young Blood <img class="alignright" src="http://images.imoquibilan.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SHUtVgoKCtcAAGBpaL01/cyhsy_cd_small.jpg?et=RI9KC%2C1gMdv2XBAxby%2B6qw&nmid=0" border="0">The song begins with guitar strumming reminiscent of Trini Lopez's If I Had a Hammer. The tempo even matches the live version some of us from Manila must have heard from one of those made in Indonesia cassette tapes when CDs were still a luxury in the late 80s. It only becomes clear that this song is not a cover when the delay/rotating leslie guitar effect is heard in the background. In a few more bars, a David Byrne-sounding Alec Ounsworth begins singing: Now that everybody's here Could we please have your attention? There is nothing left to fear No now that bigfoot is captured But are the children really right Alright alright Hailing from Brooklyn and Philadelphia, <a href="http://clapyourhandssayyeah.com/news.php">Clap Your Hands Say Yeah</a> are one of alternative music's phenoms. Their meteoric rise stems from their effective use of the new media using DIY philosophy. They produced and promoted and sold their first album online and was hailed then as the best unsigned band. They continue to promote themselves virally via the... http://imoquibilan.multiply.com/journal/item/29/Clap_Your_Hands_Say_Yeah_-_Upon_This_Tidal_Wave_of_Young_Blood Wed, 9 Jul 2008 21:28:54 -0000 The Mountain Goats - This Year <img class="alignleft" src="http://images.imoquibilan.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SHPp7woKCtcAAGKknVg1/518ACJ9Y92L._SL500_AA240_.jpg?et=gcdyoAns356hORsgq28jBQ&nmid=0" border="0">The first time I heard <a href="http://www.themountaingoats.net/">The Mountain Goats</a>, I was shuffling through Joms' iPod on our way to the San Diego Zoo last year. I think we were talking about the absurdity of the emergence of a <a href="http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=77:2678">Lo-Fi </a>category in alternative music, where TMG falls under. I forget which track or album were we listening to then but I remember clearly how TMG's music, albeit crudely recorded (a main characteristic of <a href="http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=77:2678">Lo-Fi</a>), served as the perfect soundtrack to the vast and never-ending San Diego Freeway. I've since heard most of TMG's discography and I've included the group (it's actually the moniker of singer-songwriter John Darnielle)  as one of my all-time favorites. I like the intimate feel of TMG's albums that always revolve around a central narrative - a series of lo-fi opera/concept albums.  I'm currently listening to The Sunset Tree (2005). So far, this one ranks among their best albums to me (the other one is 2006's Get Lonely). Despite the brutal reality of The Sunset Tree (it's abo... http://imoquibilan.multiply.com/journal/item/28/The_Mountain_Goats_-_This_Year Tue, 8 Jul 2008 22:38:21 -0000 Birth/Death Isa siya sa mga pinakamagaling na male vocalists sa <a href="http://imoquibilan.multiply.com/journal/item/21/Nooy_Mayo_2Bayani_rock_opera_Mahal_kong_Selya">2Bayani</a>. Siya rin ang nagdrowing ng mukha ni Andres Bonifacio sa poster ng <a href="item/21/Nooy_Mayo_2Bayani_rock_opera_Mahal_kong_Selya">2Bayani</a>. Ang huli naming pagkikita naganap mahigit isang dekada na. Bago o katatapos lang ng initiation niya sa frat sa UP. Ilang linggo matapos ang performances ng rock opera kung saan alternate namin ang isa't isa sa papel na Pedro Giron, ang tinuturing na naghudas kay Bonifacio. Nitong Sabado, nabalitaan ko na kasama siya sa mga mountaineers na tinangay ng malakas na alon sa isang ilog sa bundok sa Zambales. Pabalik na sila mula sa pamumundok noong nanalasa ang bagyong si 'Frank.' He went missing for days only to be found washed ashore on a nearby island, <a href="http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view_article.php?article_id=144727">lifeless on his 32nd birthday</a>. I wrote a poem a long time ago about my fear of drowning. Di ko alam na isa sa mga kilala ko ang mamamatay sa tubig doon pa mismo sa araw ng kanyang pagsilang. Paalam Thaddeus Reantaso (o Duff para sa amin sa TA) __________________________ Pagbalik sa Tubig Itong pagbalik. Itong ... http://imoquibilan.multiply.com/journal/item/26/BirthDeath Thu, 26 Jun 2008 23:05:21 -0000 LA Revisions http://imoquibilan.multiply.com/photos/album/11/LA_Revisions Fri, 6 Jun 2008 05:29:36 -0000 Verbsap http://imoquibilan.multiply.com/links/item/5/Verbsap Fri, 6 Jun 2008 05:23:17 -0000 Hala, Friday the 13th When one says there's a happening in Filipino (eg. May happening sa bahay namin, punta ka.) it means something fun or exciting will transpire. On June 13, something exciting will happen. I doubt, though, if this will be your ordinary kind of fun. I know the critics are already training their guns on M. Night Shyamalan, again. I pity them for their incapacity to dig this guy.  Kawawa talaga. http://imoquibilan.multiply.com/journal/item/23/Hala_Friday_the_13th Wed, 21 May 2008 19:48:48 -0000 Noo'y Mayo, 2Bayani (rock opera), Mahal kong Selya <a href="/photos/hi-res/upload/SCTI8woKCtcAACYSOvg1"><img class="alignright" src="http://images.imoquibilan.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SCTI8woKCtcAACYSOvg1/2bayani-poster.jpg?et=6kNuKi%2Crl8VVOWAOOOL0Mw&nmid=&nmid=95267149&nmid=95267149&nmid=95267149&nmid=95267149&nmid=95267149&nmid=95267149" border="0"></a>Noo'y Mayo, isang araw sa daa'y inambon tumungo sila sa bundok Buntis Karatig ng Marigondon Above is the first verse of the last song of 2Bayani, the rock opera that <a href="http://kulastalon.multiply.com/">Khavn </a>and I wrote in 1995. 2Bayani* dramatizes the last days of Andres Bonifacio, from the time he was captured by the Magdalo faction of the Katipunan (the very organization he founded to revolt against 370+ years of Spanish rule) until his execution in the hands of, yes, Filipinos. It also deals with the factionalism of Filipinos at a time when unity was most needed. It also attempts to reveal the ugly truth that no true revolution has ever been carried out in our history. That this exalted  political and mass-based movements in Philippine history can be summarized into a story of  landlords wanting to get back the lands that the friars took from them. It's never about the people, this, our local brand of revolution. The song ends like this: Si Andres Bonifacio'y Pumanaw kahapon Uparang marating natin Ang kinar... http://imoquibilan.multiply.com/journal/item/21/Nooy_Mayo_2Bayani_rock_opera_Mahal_kong_Selya Fri, 9 May 2008 23:01:32 -0000 Ha-ha-ha, haiku! mga taludtod na pansamantagal habang binubuno ko ang mga susunod na salasalabat na kuwento ng Bayang http://imoquibilan.multiply.com/links/item/4/Ha-ha-ha_haiku Wed, 2 Apr 2008 22:19:18 -0000 Bob Marley: The Legend Live (Trojan Video Archive, 2003) Marley completists, make room From the Trojan Video Archive comes Bob Marley: The Legend Live (TLL) for the first time in DVD. Filmed in 1979, this video captures the irrepressible reggae god spread third world music of peace, love and jamming in California's center of affluence - the Santa Barbara Country Bowl. Touted as one of his last recorded performances, TLL captures a Marley consumed with passion in a gig that otherwise oozes with bright vibes and good cheer. It starts slow but steady with Positive Vibration. The concert purposefully picks up energy as Marley and the Wailers try out a slightly different rendition of I Shot the Sheriff, the song that put Jamaica and the reggae music movement on the international music map. After the hippie crowd settles inside the Bowl, the momentum picks up further as Marley and the Wailers play popular hits like Africa Unite, Exodus, Jamming. There are quite a few surges in the concert that spice up the groove of the show especially ... http://imoquibilan.multiply.com/reviews/item/12 Tue, 5 Feb 2008 00:53:04 -0000 Maraming Salamat, Rene O. Villanueva Kung lumaki ka sa Batibot o nahilig sa mga kuwentong pambata o isang masugid na tagasubaybay ng dulaang Pilipino, huwag kang malungkot sa pagpanaw ni <a href="http://renevillanueva.blogspot.com">Rene</a>. Sa halip, manghinayang sa isang dambuhalang kawalan di lamang para sa panitikan kundi para sa kamalayang Pilipino. *** When people ask me who's the first Filipino to deserve a Nobel Prize, I always say it should be Edgardo M. Reyes (Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag, Laro sa Baga, Mga Uod at Rosas). I never asked myself who's next. It was only recently that I realized, after a short stint at the the UP Writers Workshop in Baguio (2006) that Rene should have been my close second. *** Wala siyang kapaguran magsulat; parang isinumpa siyang magsulat. Walang katapusan din ang papuri at pagkilala sa kanya. Sa mga nakilala siya nang personal, di namin malilimutan ang mga one-liners niya. In one of the discussions in the workshop, tempers were already rising when the panelists and the fellows were debating about poetry. To ease the tension, rene grabbed... http://imoquibilan.multiply.com/journal/item/11/Maraming_Salamat_Rene_O._Villanueva Wed, 5 Dec 2007 19:58:02 -0000