listening to aqualung...

you're either dipping your toes or drowning..
is it better never to start than to bear the pain of having to stop?
halfway to the bottom..
instantly forgotten
i never thought it would come so easy
i never thought it would go so quickly
is it safer never to love than to risk your heart having to lose?
is it wiser never to speak than to raise your voice and never be heard?

-- 'halfway to the bottom' by aqualung

what I best like about aqualung (aka Matt Hales) is his poignant yet subtle lyrics, and also the minimalist use of instruments in a very effective form. hmmm... so... what is aqualung all about? it is basically an open and honest look into the "fragilities" of the heart.

a relaxing sunday afternoon for me...

four am

everything is a matter of perspective. like they say, there are two kinds of persons in the world. the first one sees the glass half-full, and the second sees it as half-empty. which one am i? i personally think that i'm a very optimistic person… but lately, i'm different… hope to get out of the rut soon.

my weekend playlist - eheads

just finished setting up my ipod playlist for the weekend. i'm still not sure if i'm going to the concert tomorrow night. most probably, it will be a last minute decision.

maling akala
pare ko
shake yer head
ligaya
tindahan ni aling nena
shirley
sembreak
alapaap
minsan
alkohol
wishing wells
magasin
sa wakas
superproxy
waiting for the bus
fine time
torpedo
poorman's grave
tikman
kaliwete
spoliarium
milk and money
popmachine

stuck, somebody help me

i woke up this morning feeling like i'm stuck in a cesspool. and i really don't know why. i'm not sure if it's triggered by a particular event, or a series of incidents yesterday. i really am lost. darn. maybe i just need to vent out my frustrations later in my futsal game. futsal can be very therapeutic sometimes. i better finish up work so i can leave the office before six. bye. until my next entry.

chelsea gets an upgrade

after two disappointing seasons, finishing second to manchester united, chelsea fc is desperate to win this year. during the off-season, they signed deco from barcelona fc (my fav club in la liga) to further strengthen their midfield. deco, on his debut game with chelsea, scored from long range in the 89th minute. this somewhat validates that the signing of the 30 year old midfielder was an upgrade, despite comments from detractors that the club should have gotten a younger player with more energy and potential.

to man u, arsenal, and liverpool... be afraid... lampard emphatically said after their 4-0 victory over Portsmouth, "blues will only get better".

i concur.

random thoughts

life’s purpose, personal relationships, the treadmill of work, the uncertainty of an era… stuff that bugs the minds of twenty-something individuals. existentialist woes they say... crap... these things are best discussed with a bottle of scotch.

so tired from the long weekend… i had a blast though... sleepy…

hitchcock

a really good friend of mine surprised me with a gift last friday... 2 dvd collection sets of hitchcock films. now... i have dvd copies of the following. yahoo!!!

the man who knew too much
vertigo
rear window
shadow of a doubt
saboteur
the birds
psycho

i can't wait to watch these classics again. hitchcock, without a doubt, is still the master of suspense. he is definitely an icon, pioneering so many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. his career spanned six decades, starting with silent films, through the initial stages of sound films, and up to the color era. to those who still haven't discovered him, it's now time.

thanks irene.

(i was introduced to hitchcock back in college in one of mark escaler's classes. i think it's film theory class, a comm elective. surprisingly, my first hitchcock film was rear window. for most, it's usually psycho since it's his most famous masterpiece, his mona lisa. since then, i've been a hitchcock fan.)

alcohol and writing

just came home from twi's despedida thing.

since i have nothing else to write about... and since i'm also a bit tipsy... let me just talk about the correlation between alcohol and writing. i've read somewhere that there's a special bond between writers and alcohol. for edgar allan poe, ernest hemingway, and many accomplished writers, their greatest works couldn't have been possible without alcohol abuse. interesting huh? i do personally believe that there's a special link between creativity and alcohol. that's why most probably, writers drink alot more than other people. in my case, (since i'm definitely not a writer, i'm more of a programmer) my greatest designs/solutions were created in table napkins at bars somewhere in upstate new york and kamagong. no kidding. sometimes (take note, i said sometimes and not always), we are just our better selves when intoxicated. (oh by the way, creativity is sometimes a response to emotional pain. but let's discuss it some other time).

so, i leave it up to you if you can make sense of whatever i said. time to sleep.

wait... before i go... a quick trivia. ernest hemingway's heavy drinking brought him hypertension, kidney and liver diseases, insomnia and sexual impotence, among others. At age 62, he shot himself to death. wow.

top barney stinson quotes

Barney: It's going to be legendary!
Ted: Don't say that! You're too liberal with the word "legendary".
[flashback to Barney standing at Ted's door in snow gear with a shovel]
Barney: We're building an igloo in Central Park! It's going to be legendary! Snow-suit up!

Barney: Was that chick at the end really a client?

Barney: Suit up!

Ted: I'm gonna do what that guy couldn't, I'm gonna take the plunge... Well, I guess that's not a perfect metaphor since... for me it's falling in love and for him it's... death.
Barney: Actually, that is a perfect metaphor.

Barney: Ted, your problem is all you do is think, think, think. I'm teaching you how to do, do, do. Marshall: Doo-doo! [laughs]
Barney: [chuckles] Totally.

Barney: Ted, tonight we're gonna go out. We're gonna meet some ladies, it's gonna be *legendary*. Phone-five! [slaps cell-phone]
Barney: You didn't phone-five, did you? [pause]
Barney: I know when you don't phone-five Ted.

Barney: Haaaaave you met Ted?

Barney: It's gonna be legen... wait for it... dary!

Barney: It's gonna be legend-... wait for it... and I hope you're not lactose intolerant because the second half of that word is DAIRY!

Ted: So, who are we picking up?
Barney: I dunno... her? Or maybe her...
Ted: Wait, so when you said we were going to pick someone up at the airport, you meant we were going to *pick someone up* at the airport?
Barney: Yeah...
Ted: You're kidding!
Barney: False!

Ted: Hey Barney, see that girl?
Barney: Ohhh yeah, you just know she likes it dirty!

last kiss

i was cleaning up my hard drive the other day, and i came across this zach braff movie entitled 'last kiss'. the last time i watched it was a year and a half ago, and i was about to delete it since i'm in dire need of space (need to rip my latest cd purchases for my i-photo). but before proceeding, i decided to watch it one last time.

i'm surprised that i still had fun watching it considering it was my third time. i admit that it's not as critically acclaimed as garden state but it is still noteworthy of a buzz. what i really like about it is that the film poses a lot of questions for people who are nearing 30. there are so many issues that are going through our minds, one of which is relationships. we see our friends getting married or having kids and you start to ask yourself questions such as: "should i be getting married too?; should I wait until I am ready and no longer tempted but what if I never feel ready?; if life is short, should I not grab hold of what is in front of me?; could I forgive myself or my significant other if he/she cheated on me?; am I prepared for children and the commitment involved?". these are just some of the questions that troubling our already troubled minds. i know that there are a lot of movies that touch on the subject, but none does so with realism like 'the last kiss'.

also, the soundtrack rocks...

TbC

outrageously danceable pop melodies, tempo-shifting rhythms, inventive arrangements, layered landscape... it may seem that i'm talking about the british post-punk band bloc party… but hell no... i'm introducing taken by cars…

the fivesome postmodern rock band is composed of sarah marco (vocals), benny yap (bass), siopao chua (guitars), bryce zialcita (guitars), and bryan kong (drums/sampler). when i first heard them on nu107, i said to myself that they are just another band trying to sound like bloc party (or even franz ferdinand). however, after getting myself a copy of their debut album “endings of the new kind” last weekend, i have new profound respect for the band. the album is just overflowing with great stuff. notables are “uh oh”, “weekend memoir,” “colourway,” “stereolove,” and of course “december II chapter vII.”

pretty much, i’ve been listening to TbC the entire week especially when i’m driving. the rhythms, melodies, dance-inspired beats, the lyrics and vocals overwhelm the senses, and are just perfect for hitting the asphalt, stepping on the gas, and racing side by side with the crazy bus drivers in edsa.

so pass by your nearest record store, and get yourself an original copy.

prepare to be taken.

holy cow

my curiosity was aroused after reading an article in my favorite local magazine Rogue (burger, she wrote by tals diaz). i don't really consider myself a "burger connoisseur", but i do know what a perfect burger should taste like. and if that perfect burger really do exists, it should be "a wonderfully dizzying experience from the first bite to the last".

so last monday night, the search for that holy grail of a perfect burger ended at malcolm's place. i ordered the malcolm's wagyu burger, and behold, i almost did say 'holy cow' after the first bite. it's kind of pricey but it's okay coz i really did get what i paid for.

Note: Malcolm's place is located at 108 H.V. de la Costa St. cor. Tordesillas St., Salcedo Village, Makati City. Also, I suggest you get medium or medium well, never well-done.

081408

there's an itch for me to write but i'm out of words... tic tac tic tac... my mind is just not working tonight.

anyway, let me just greet someone a happy happy happy happy happy birthday. you know who you are. your best years are still ahead of you.

ciao!

from one of my fav books

"Sometimes fate is like a small sandstorm that keeps changing direction. You change direction, but the sandstorm chases you. You turn again, but the storm adjusts. Over and over you play this out, like some ominous dance with death just before dawn. Why? Because this storm isn’t something that blew in from far away, something that has nothing to do with you. This storm is you. Something inside you. So all you can do is give in to it, step right inside the storm, closing your eyes and plugging up your ears so the sand doesn’t get in, and walk through it, step by step. There’s no sun there, no moon, no direction, no sense of time. Just fine white sand swirling up into the sky like pulverised bones…

And you really will have to make it through that violent, metaphysical, symbolic storm. No matter how metaphysical or symbolic it might be, make no mistake about it: it will cut through flesh like a thousand razor blades. People will bleed there, and you will bleed too. Hot, red blood. You’ll catch that blood in your hands, your own blood and the blood of others.

And once the storm is over you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, in fact, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm you won’t be the same person who walked in."

~'Kafka On The Shore' by Haruki Murakami

i need one tonight

you hold in your hands the first light beer in the country
and the only light beer you should have

expertly brewed by san miguel
with full beer flavor
and the right alcohol hit
made less filling for your pure drinking enjoyment

the perfect balance of light and right

100 calories per serving.

two thumbs up

i'm such a loser. i just watched 'the dark knight' sunday evening at glorietta 4. blame it on loads of deadlines, a client visit, and football. being a christopher nolan fan, it's a disgrace for being 3 weeks late. anyway, i'm sure that by now you've already read a lot of good reviews, so i'm not going to suffocate you guys with another one. all i can say is that the two and a half hours spent (and of course the 150 bucks ticket) was worth it. nolan is able to sustain what he has started in 'batman begins'. definitely, a two thumbs up!

for those who wanna check out his other films... here's the complete list.

following
memento
insomnia
the prestige
batman begins

i guarantee that all of them are worth your precious time.

indeterminate state

at any time, one has a certain number of options. never unlimited, at least two options. however, i refuse to choose. i want to wait, to remain open to other options. ultimately, my life is suspended in limbo…. with no specific direction, stance…

saturday morning blues

we live in a oftentimes-boring-oftentimes-mechanical workaday world. from monday to friday, we wake up, dress up, drive to work, be slaves for at least 8 hours, drag our sorry asses home, and then sleep. And when saturday morning comes, i wake up in my bed silently uttering, ‘what now’?

life's odd these days.

080808

today is something.

start of beijing olympics. weddings, lots of weddings. and it's also a FRIDAY.

for me... after a crazy week, i'm just looking forward to a relaxing weekend. ofcourse, after partying hard tonight. hehe.

round two

as a self-confessed uaap bball fanatic, i can't wait for the second round to start. for ateneo, it's good to be on top of the standings. hopefully they can sustain the momentum, and end up with the twice to beat advantage in the semis. Here’s the schedule which I got from the alumni newsletter.

UAAP Basketball 2008-2009
SCHEDULE OF GAMES
MEN'S DIVISION

Second Round
Saturday, 9 August 2008 - ULTRA
4:00 pm FEU vs Ateneo

Thursday, 14 August 2008 - ULTRA
4:00 pm UST vs Ateneo

Sunday, 17 August 2008 - ULTRA
2:00 pm AdU vs Ateneo

Thursday, 21 August 2008 - Araneta Coliseum
4:00 pm Ateneo vs UE

Sunday, 24 August 2008 - Araneta Coliseum
2:00 pm Ateneo vs UP

Saturday, 30 August 2008 - ULTRA
4:00 pm Ateneo vs NU

Saturday, 6 September 2008 - Araneta Coliseum
4:00 pm Ateneo vs DLSU


mark your calendars. see you at the games.

wear blue… especially on september 6…

self-titled

just finished listening to my latest cd purchase... itchyworms' newest album - self-titled.

fresh. catchy. addicting. fun. engaging. witty. sarcastic. melodic. happy. colorful. amusing. technical. odd. original. polished. whimsical. effervescent. head-bobber. infectious. lss-inducive. great pop rock tune.

again, they got me hooked....

too tired to write...

"All we have to believe with is our senses, the tools we use to perceive the world: our sight, our touch, our memory. If they lie to us, then nothing can be trusted. And even if we do not believe, then still we cannot travel in any other way than the road our senses show us; and we must walk that road to the end."

~ "Shadow" in American Gods by Neil Gaiman

first time...

this is actually my first attempt at blogging... we'll see... i'm not really the type who likes to write on a regular basis. my urge to write, or let's say stab at documenting my mundane existence strikes very rarely. i'm kind of convinced that it only comes either when i'm emotionally unstable, or pissed drunk.

enough of this introduction. it's almost midnight now, and i need to get some rest to prepare myself for a shitty day tomorrow.

welcome to my blog.

goodnight.

later.