When all we can do is pray
August 29, 2006Although Rogelio Narvaez isn’t my teacher in Computer class, I heard from his students this term - Caresse and Sudoy, among others - that he has suffered a stroke, and is now confined in some hospital’s ICU, yesterday. He is a member of DLSU’s Behavioral Sciences Department, which weirdly handles such classes (until this term, for it wouldn’t be offered soon), and also teaches Sociology classes.
Caresse heard from Ian Jayson Hecita, another DLSU faculty member, this time for the Political Science Department; Sudoy heard from Jason, also a classmate in the class. After questions as to how their grades would be distributed on Thursday, which is course cards distribution day, but his students are optimistic that they are finished and are just waiting ditribution.
It sounds so sudden - Caresse pointed out he is in his forties - but we’re in prayer that he goes through this well. Then again, sometimes things just surprise us…
Not quite a good release, that one
Sadly, Sponge Cola’s latest single Bitiw hasn’t impressed me. I’ve yet to catch the music video - it was premiered on Myx around twenty-four hours ago and I failed to catch it - but somehow it hasn’t impressed me.
Unlike their initial releases from their first album Palabas (especially Lunes and Una, both which affected me incredibly and is taken as a sign of great songwriting), this one was, in my opinion, pure and unadulterated pop rock. One listen and I knew it was a bit shallow lyric-wise. Also, it was a bit fast-paced for me (like To The Sly and Cunning from the last album). Nevertheless it was a good listen - but a bit disappointing, to say.
But of course, that’s just an initial judgment. It’s always better, I think, to listen to the entire album first for it might fit. Their next album Transit is coming this September.
“…but I should’ve known.”
Although this entry may seem like a more personal rant - my apologies if it does seem so - the first paragraphs do bounce off like social commentary. More than the fact that Ale lost her mobile yesterday, it’s what could’ve happened but didn’t.
http://www.xanga.com/noregretsss/523513633/item.html
Unfortunately, though, with authorities taking their pride, their donuts and their pleasures first, it seems we’re indeed a hopeless case.
Here goes the backlash
August 26, 2006
Just a minor update on Pluto being demoted, again from BBC News: “A fierce backlash has begun against the decision by astronomers to strip Pluto of its status as a planet.”
As far as I know, the NASA called the decision “embarassing” (quoting from the same article), the widow of Pluto’s discoverer Clyde Tombaugh is disappointed, and (thanks to Kofi’s Hat) stickers have been distributed protesting the decision.
And so I began thinking. If Pluto was demoted primarily because its orbit intersects with that of Neptune, then Neptune must not be a planet as well, right? (more…)
We’ll settle for nachos, then
August 25, 2006
What used to be “my very educated mother just served us nine pizzas” would now be “…nachos”.
Pluto is no longer a planet. Faced with the prospect of having to teach kids about a solar system with fifty-something planets, the International Astronomical Union met in Prague to discuss and finally define what makes a celestial body a planet. Now, a planet must (a) be in orbit around the sun, (b) be large enough that it takes on a nearly round shape, and (c) must have cleared its orbit of other objects. With these criteria, Pluto, whose orbit intersects with Neptune, is automatically disqualified.
Pluto may have been demoted as a “dwarf planet”, but it is made the chief among its kind. (more…)
It’s what I wish we had: part two
So how do you make dance music accessible?
I’ll admit, I do listen to Wave 89.1 on Saturday nights, when they (for once) ditch the cheesy R&B, or the redundant hip-hop, and crank the party switch up a notch. You might be surprised to know I do listen to dance, although I’m not particularly crazy about it. There must have been something with electronic beats and dance pulses that gets me up and running - obviously, hyperactive me - but then again, I’ve always seen dance music as something that’s upmarket, something that only those who go to parties can appreciate. I will admit I do get tangled in all those crappy teminologies, but then again I’d go purist and say it’s music all the same.
I rarely listen to dance shows, nevertheless. I often find myself tuning out from Wave on Saturday nights thirty minutes after the start of the show, partly because I’m bored, partly because I’m weirdly looking for more, and partly because it’s somehow dragging - the reason why I still appreciate host banter. I love atmosphere, I love beats, and I can appreciate what you can give me. (more…)
“With a milk bottle in my hand…”
August 24, 2006
What I really like about ABC’s The Chaser’s War on Everything is, simply, they’re just weirdly great.
Thanks (again) to idents.tv, who unwittingly introduced me to the program through its recorded clips, I was exposed to this comedy show that isn’t exactly a sketch show nor a practical joke show. To make things easier to understand, the show’s a bit satirical, a bit crazy, and is something I honestly think wouldn’t be possible in the Philippines: in our language, makapal ang kanilang mukha. And once you see the clips, you’ll know why.
The five stars of the show - from left, Andrew Hansen, Chris Taylor, Chas Licciardello, Craig Reucassel and Julian Morrow - have pretty much, as the show’s title suggests, waged a war on everything, from Australian current affairs shows to hamburgers to late night quiz shows. And, although its only got two weeks left on its twenty-seven episode run, it’s never too late to catch it. (more…)
The show’s over for another year
And so, after months of hype and weeks of drama, the House of Representatives have again killed the opposition’s impeachment complaint against President Arroyo.
And, to be quite honest, it’s the end of another entertaining stretch of arguments, counterarguments and the occasional random utterance. Yesterday, boredom flipping through radio stations led me to DZMM’s partly marathon coverage of the start of the interpellation, and more than the fact that (personally) talking people somehow soothe me, the things they’ve been talking about have attracted more than enough attention.
So my late afternoon began with DZMM’s Dos Por Dos, complete with a mock tribute to the impeachment complaint, and before I knew it I was treated to an as-is, where-is coverage of what the congressmen are actually saying. And the first thing they were debating about? How much would be spent for their food. (more…)
It’s what I wish we had: part one
August 23, 2006By now I would have gotten really tired of the twenty-five radio stations we have on Metro Manila’s FM frequencies - or, if you’re down south like me, twenty-six radio stations. Thanks to almost similar formats, really persistent rotation (for most stations, at least) and our location in the world, what we have is pretty much what the others don’t - and, I’m settling for a few radio stations only because nothing else better is on. Personally, I’ve surfed frequencies too many times already: on a regular day, I’d go from Magic 89.9 (where Mo Twister is) to NU 107 (where they surprise me with the tracks they play) to 99.5 RT (where rotation isn’t as bad but, well, I guess I said wrongly) to even RJ 100 (because it just sounds good at night). But fickle-minded me would end up jumping stations at least twenty-something times, all because there just doesn’t seem to be anything good on - different, challenging, just refreshing, even.
And by now you must have known about my incessant interest in British radio, thanks to the Internet - if not for new UK licensing laws, I would’ve listened to a lot of them, but now most of the commercial UK broadcasters just keep us away from their online strerams because we’re from outside the UK. If I just don’t feel like sticking, I could jump from XFM London one day to BBC 6 Music the next, and then maybe listen again to son of eclecticism Gilles Peterson, and jump to Chill.
That last station - oh golly. (more…)
“The hell is de-grunged?”
Golly, Issa does better Photoshop than me.
Then again, Friday’s Rockestra 2 was a killer, as she said. The hype wasn’t as much as last year’s, I thought, but there were a few posters scattered around the DLSU campus - one at the Student Council bulletin board, and another near the Department of Communication - and by Thursday a few have asked me about where they could buy tickets for the event. Of course, it was Issa who I would text, since she had bought tickets earlier. Of course, she was the one who went to the surprisingly little-hyped Fete de la Musique this year. She knows stuff.
Ariane was there as well, which wasn’t much of a surprise considering Jana and Clarence were with her, both being big 6cyclemind fans (not to mention Jana being closely connected). So maybe, the moment I realized she went home at around midnight and actually went to watch the thing, I was regretting not buying a ticket - but then again, I live farther than she does - and here begins my nonsense about Rockestra 2. Turns out I didn’t have to be there to write anything about it. (more…)
It’s there, it’s almost there…
August 22, 2006
This is, well, supposedly an entry of love for Pupil’s latest single Dulo ng Dila. Those who’ve been following me for some time might know that it is my ultimate favorite song off their debut album Beautiful Machines way before it was released as a single. It wasn’t just the catchy lyrics, the catchy guitars and the catchier drums that did it: it was the lyrics itself, so well applicable to my state back then - struggling to say something I couldn’t just say.
Well, the video’s been released, and it’s started to get airplay, but I saw it first on YouTube and could be surprised at how contemporary it feels. It just doesn’t feel like a video to me - it’s more of clips fragmented, pasted together - and it is spanking nice. In other terms, I just fell in love with it. (Watch the video here through YouTube.)
Of course, it isn’t how I imagined it to be. I’ll admit, I somehow wished I was in that video as well, complete with zooming out shots that would be prevalent - but of course, I couldn’t do anything about it. I don’t quite know who did the video - the YouTube video credits directorial duties to King Palisoc and Wincy Ong - but it just looks so artsy to me, despite it seemingly in a low, low budget. (more…)
Breaking the unintended hiatus
August 18, 2006I must’ve done this a long time ago, catching up with you guys. It’s been really busy during the three weeks I was forced to go on hiatus, despite brimming with a lot of thoughts (and stories to write about), and now that finals weeks is starting in DLSU, I figure I’d be doing some catching up.
By now, though, most of the things I would’ve written would be invalid. The freshmen elections have finished, and the controversy has since died down. I’ve cried over movies. I’ve thought of smiles. I’ve finished church service way back and haven’t written about it yet. I’ll reiterate again that I’m having a lot of ideas for Shale, but then again, I’ve been barraged by school work and much more school work. Even my other blog hasn’t been getting enough updates lately.
Don’t worry though - I’m starting my catch-up sooner than you expect. Within the next two to three weeks - before we all get busier again, thanks to majors - I’d be finishing the Godfather of two series, launch a new series of articles on the artists and tracks that have been rocking me and my environment, and write essays on the freshmen elections (which Santugon has again swept for the CLA) and smiling, among all things. (more…)
ust nalang kayo muna kumampi. hahaha!