+ The Rude Awakening +

Damage Assessment

2012-01-19T09:47:00.009+08:00

The title of this blog entry is inspired from the article Post Holiday Workout Plan in MultiSport magazine. Congratulations to my friend and fellow runner Amanda and her Philippine Diabetic Athletes teammates for appearing in MultiSport.

After my first out-of-town in Corregidor Island, I took a break from competitive running and weekly exercises at the gym. During the Holidays, all I did were working, shopping for gifts, and drinking hot Peppermint Mocha at Starbucks. I gained weight rapidly and became cranky as a result. Also, looking back in 2011 made me depressed. Falling in love, hurting badly, unfulfilled goals at work, losing a pet, health concerns, and running my first couple of half marys are just the few moments happened to me in one year. After the Holidays, I forced myself to get back in shape.

I started going to the gym again for an upper body workout. Gaining weight really enhanced my strength and yet affected my endurance. On Sunday, January 08, I started running again in UP Diliman campus grounds to run these blues away and to test my current shape. Despite of a bad weather, I enjoyed this day by running under the rain and talking to random people. I'm very thankful to the Lord that I'm alive and healthy.

Now, look at how my babies Poochie and Mittens approach me and my dirty pair of Adidas Adizero Mana 5 named Chrissie when I arrived home.

I don't want to make promises except to be healthier, stronger, and better in 2012. See you running at Condura Skyway Marathon!

2nd Corregidor International Half Marathon

2011-12-23T11:40:00.013+08:00

Last November, I mentioned here on this blog that I was being summoned by the numbers 12-10-11, to join The Second Corregidor International Half Marathon. I would like to credit Mhalot for inviting me via email. Despite of lack of serious training, no trail run experience, and gaining a lot of weight after my half mary debut at Adidas KOTR (I was at my all time heaviest of 146 lbs. two days before the race), I accepted the challenge. It was also my first time to visit Corregidor Island, run my first race outside Metro Manila, and run within a team. JC, Mhalot, Badette, Vince, Raquel and I (collectively known as JPMC Runners) were indeed summoned to conquer The Rock.

In a rainy morning of December 9th, we boarded on Sun Cruises ferry on route to Corregidor. I also had an opportunity to meet and greet my high school classmate Ryan who is now working as a tour guide in Corregidor. At 12:00pm, we landed the island and the fun has just started. We had a tour around the island after leaving our stuff in our room later that afternoon, traded fart jokes with tour guide named Armand, passed by several ruins, and discovered a lot of wonderful facts about the huge mortars such as such as Battery Geary, Battery Grubbs and Battery Way, the beautiful Japanese Garden of Peace, the lighthouse, and the last stronghold of Filipino and American military joint, Malinta Tunnel. I bought myself a P200.00 medallion doubles as a fridge magnet as a souvenir at the Pacific War Memorial Museum store.

We went back to our room at McArthur's Cafe for an overnight rest. Whilst Raquel, Vince and I attended the carbo-loading dinner. We went back to our room and slept as early as 7:00pm.

The moment came on December 10, 2011. After a good night sleep, the team woke up at 5am and did some stretching and had breakfast. Mine was my usual pre-race meal of scrambled eggs with grated cheese prepared by McArthur's Cafe resident cook. The team geared up and started warming up near the starting. Intense emotions were building up amongst all the participants. whilst, Vince and Raquel are preparing for the 10k category. An hour before the race, JC's long time friends Christopher de Leon (not the actor) and Enrico Sta. Cruz arrived in full gear. Before the race has started, I made a silent prayer to thank the Lord for bringing us to a place where thousands of people sacrificed their lives to defend this country nearly 70 years ago. We also prayed that all of us will finish the half marathon race and no one will get injured.

The route consists of ridge and muddy trail. We passed by the ruins, the artillery, other landmarks, and the dimly lit Malinta Tunnel three times according to the race map which gave me a creepy experience. Honestly, I never thought that running over muddy trail wasn't that difficult. The agony started from kilometre 19 to the near finish where we passed the infamous upHELL and downHELL route. I saw other runners struggling to pass this grueling route. Some of them were breathing with their mouths to get their second wind. I just sprinted the last 500 metres after getting enough water at the last hydration station. I found the hydration station interesting because they offered honey and citrus juice with malunggay leaves extract rather than commercially-available sports drinks.

Upon reaching the finish line, I heard race commentators and comedians Betong Sumaya and Mhey Bautista saying "Approaching to the finish line is the man wearing a SHOCKING neon green shirt and running shoes!" I never knew that they were referring me after realising that I was the only guy wearing neon gear running near the finish line. I was about to laugh when I finished the race. From now on, I'll be known wearing shocking neon gear at almost every races. LOL!

It has been the toughest yet most shocking ..... I mean, memorable half marathon race I've joined so far. My official time was 2:48:23. My friends and I have conquered The Rock and will return anytime soon.

After the race, we ate at the lunch buffet and left the island later that afternoon. I wonder how many plates I've finished.

l-r: JC, Arthur, Badette, Chris, Enrico, and Mhalot

Before I wrap up, I would like to congratulate all the finishers, the staff, and race director Mr. Edward Kho for making CIHM 2011 a huge success. From now on, CIHM will be my pre-Holiday tradition.

All photos courtesy of Mhalot Martinez and KB Photography

Gwendolyn Ruais: Almost Miss World

2011-11-12T12:01:00.005+08:00

Sorry for another late blog post. Whilst preparing my brunch on a Monday morning, I was watching the live coverage of Miss World 2011. The surprising things I have found in Miss World 2011 are having 100 contestants settling on a tiny stage at Earl's Court London and very different set of rules which can be compared to an Iron Man competition.

Anyway, here are my picks for Miss World 2011:

Miss Philippines Gwendoline Ruais. Our very own beauty who stands 6'1"!

Miss Indonesia Astrid Yunadi, who looks better without make-up at Beauty With A Purpose Fast Track campaign clips. Her looks has similarities with Thai actress Baifern Pimchanok.

Miss Canada Riza Santos. This Filipino-Canadian beauty is known for winning Miss Earth in 2006, being a Pinoy Big Brother housemate, and gracing the pages of FHM Philippines a year later. My biggest crush next to Angel Locsin! Unfortunately, she did not make it to the semi-finals.

Miss Puerto Rico Amanda Perez - cute and bilingual!

I am so proud that Gwen (Miss Philippines) earned her the first runner-up title for answering the final interview portion with her usual straightforward and un-beauty queen-like approach. With that, the infamous Tunay na Lalake blog must feature her. Honestly, I prefer her to win the crown instead of Miss Venezuala Ivian Sarcos.

Every Filipino should be proud of Gwen's feat!

12-10-11

2011-11-02T23:43:00.000+08:00

I guess, I am being summoned! How about you?

Details can be seen at http://www.corregidor21.runningmate.ph/

Adidas King of the Road 2011

2011-11-01T07:07:00.009+08:00

Running a half-marathon is one of my main goals for 2011 and I didn't want to delay it. Last August, I was choosing between RunRio events through a toss coin. Chevrolet New Balance Power Run on November 6 as head and Adidas King of the Road on October 23 as tail. I tossed the coin and tail appeared on the top of my palm. I registered online to for the 21k category of Adidas King of the Road 2011. I am also glad that my good friend and colleague Leo signed up for the same category and we promised each other for a buddy run. It was my first time to have a buddy to run with for a race.

On the race day, I prepared my old trusty Adidas Response 2009 blue shirt, black Supernova shorts and locked in with my new pair of neon yellow Adizero Mana 5 (which I broke in a few months ago). I was expecting this year's KOTR a tough race but it wasn't. Runners looked so warm and colourful as this year's KOTR theme "Colours." Leo and I managed to run smoothly, saw a few Kenyan professional runners (literally) outrunning us, and had brief yet wonderful conversations with fellow runners along the race track. But, I suffered cramps on my right foot at the 20th kilometre. I told Leo to leave me and wait for me at the finish line. I took a two-minute break by stretching my left leg and ran again without slowing down to the finish. Praise God that I finished my official Half Mary debut! After crossing the finish line, I took pictures of myself with some of the elite runners of the country.

I checked the official results five days later. I was clocked in at 2:26:15.

Another miracle has been achieved!

My feedback for KOTR 2011:
- Not-so-user friendly online registration
- Beautiful yet oversized singlets (which I didn't wear)
- Well-organised
- Solid looking medals
- Nicely placed hydration stations and paramedics
- Well-trained race marshals
- Pleasant-looking runners

For those who failed to join Adidas King of the Road 2011, I've got a few words for ya:
"YOU'VE MISSED A LOT!!!" :D

Rovilson Fernadez, yours truly, and Rio de la Cruz

Yours truly with The Bull Runner Jaymie Pizarro. She's so lovely, isn't she?

Increasing Mileage

2011-05-29T20:13:00.019+08:00

I started distance running around Bonifacio Global City after a stressful work on Christmas Eve of 2009. All I had were a pair of New Balance 749 purchased at The Athlete's Foot, cotton shirts, cheap shorts. Like a typical rookie, I was a little bit obsessed of becoming faster by outrunning everyone. But when I joined Century Tuna Superbods Run on February 21, 2010, all of my expectations were failed by gassing out after 2nd kilometres and finished my first ever 3k run at 17 minutes and 33 seconds. I felt so embarrassed to myself! This made me realised that speed is NOT the way to finish distance runs. Moments later after picking up a copy of The Bull Runner magazine (with Coach Ani de Leon on the cover), I became fell in love more with my hobby and started training seriously. I also purchase more running gear, started training at UP Diliman grounds, attended free of charge running clinics, and joined a few more 3k and 5k races in late 2010.

In January 2011 with two 5k races under my belt, I have made a decision of going out of my comfort zone - by increasing my running mileage. I started training and getting more tips to finish running at least 10 kms. February 6, 2011 was an eventful day for me. I ran the 10k category for the very first time at Condura Skyway Marathon and I was successful for achieving it. At first, I had doubts of finishing it due to lack of confidence, personal struggles, and too much work. But a week before the race, I let go of all my fears and stayed focused. The outcome was beautiful by finishing a base record of 1:08:32, getting my first ever finisher's medal, and gaining a lot of friends and future running partners. On March 6, another 10k followed-up at Run United 1 2011 at Bonifacio Global City. It was an easier run for me despite of arriving late from the gun start. Thanks to the event photographers who took pictures of my funny self. I finished at 1:05:47 which is so far, my 10k personal best.

However, in summer of 2011, my running habits started to wane. So, I took a break away by going to the beach. On May 22, 2011, coming home from a vacation, I unabashedly ran the 15k category of Brooks Run Happy. Despite of the heat (due to the late start of the race), lack of hydration, having only weight training, and sheer guts, I finished my first ever 15k race at 1:32:42. After the race, I treated myself with a spicy chicken meal prepared by the gorgeous Indian chef Anjie Gogna and fruit shake at Mercato, went to church to thank and worship Him and purchased new stuff at Adidas TriNoma.

Resolutions for 2011

2011-01-08T03:53:00.009+08:00

2010 has been a tough yet memorable year for me because of several failures and challenges. I am glad that I have learned a lot and conquered them all! I have also save up and travelled much more than I did in the past.

Meanwhile, I am enjoying the first few days of 2011 and I am hoping for its consistency despite of the forthcoming challenges. I would like to share with you the few things that I have to accomplish and purchase for 2011:

- I began running in December 2009 and I limited myself joining 3k and 5k categories. This time, I will step up and join 10k runs and train for my first half-marathon (21 kms)

- Purchase a four-string bass, preferably an Ibanez BTB or ATK.

- Purchase a few pairs of Nike Lunareclipse.

- Purchase a durable sports watch with heart rate monitor and GPS tracker.

- Visit Singapore, Baguio, Cebu for the second time and cross-island to either Bohol or Bantayan Island.

- Stay focused and be promoted at work!

- Purchase an HD camcorder and HDTV set.

- Revive this blog and regain followers by hook or by crook, LOL!

- To be less conscious with detractors and accept their harsh jokes as constructive criticism.

- Most of all, keep on doing what I want that benefits me without hurting other people!

December Rain

2010-12-19T23:18:00.008+08:00

Holidays are killin' me with work, Christmas shopping, lack of sleep, and parties left and right! However, after waking up from a long rest five hours ago, it was cold and raining. I love it! Rainy days give me so much happiness, clarity, and more courage to overcome difficulties I've had in the past few months. Now it's time to wear my rain jacket, weatherproof cap, running tights, and all-terrain running shoes and run a few kilometres on the streets.

Wait, it's 11:27pm here in Manila, not 5:00am! Too bad that I have to stay home the rest of the night!

Return from Inactivity

2010-11-18T09:34:00.006+08:00

I have lots to things to write but my busy schedule prohibited me to do so. Until, I nearly lost interest in writing and being creative. Yet, I still manage to post my thoughts at my Twitter account for more than a year.

I'm officially back after more than a year! I have to give credit to Joy for encouraging me to continue blogging. However, I don't know if I will still gain followers I used to have years ago. Yet I will continue writing as many times as I could.

The Final Curtain of NU 107

2010-11-12T03:27:00.030+08:00

(In Rockin' Memory: 1987-2010)

I was tired from a volleyball game and soundly asleep on Sunday night, until I received a phone call from a friend inviting me to visit NU 107 studios in Ortigas Centre whilst airing their final broadcast. I was really surprised that one of the most beloved radio stations in the Metro was about to closedown permanently a few days after its 23rd anniversary. Unfortunately, I was unable to visit the studios. I tuned in to 107.5 MHz on my mobile phone instead. At exactly 12:05am of 08 November 2010, NU 107 FM became history. It was indeed one of the saddest days of the Philippine music industry.

Here are just a few of my fond memories with NU 107:
* I started listening to NU in late 1991 through a Sony Walkman given to me by my dad as a pasalubong (gift). Because of NU, I became more keen with rock music.
* My first visit to the station then-located at Strata 200 was in December 1995 to claim my prize.
* I rediscovered classic rock and blues through a Tuesday night programme called The Crossroads which I listened from 1997 to 2009.
* I never attended any Rock Awards night. Yet voting for my favourite artists and watching the awards night made be happy.
* Despite of their gradual decline for the past two years, I still listen to them as often as I could for my daily doze of rock music.

However, from 1996 to 2006, I was switching the dial between NU107's music programmes, talk shows on 103.5 K-Lite, and jazz music on 105.1 Crossover.

My all time favourite DJs in NU were:
--- Francis "Brew" Reyes, a nice dude and great guitar player whom I have talked with a few times at the station and at his gigs.
--- Dylan, a gorgeous inked goddess who encouraged me to try working for radio after listening to the way I talk.
--- Cousin Hoagy Pardo, former Crossroads host was "indirectly responsible" for my wonderful discovery of the blues. I still listen to his new Sunday night radio programme on RJ Underground Radio. I'd love to meet him someday!
--- Charlie Y, the man who was known for working as a DJ, newscaster, and rock singer at the same time. He was the first voice I've heard on NU and another man that I'd love to meet in the near future.

Currently, 107.5 MHz is having a test broadcast and most likely to be an another crappy copycat of 91.5 Energy FM. It's a shame that FM radio in Metro Manila these days is being occupied by cheesy pop music, DJs talking nonsense, and greedy moneymakers. Forgive me guys but, I'm speaking on behalf of all Filipino rock fans and advocates of diversity in FM radio!

NU 107 may be gone but their rock n' roll spirit lives on!

I Go Gaga Over Gaga

2009-09-11T18:04:00.019+08:00

*This updated post was first posted on my Multiply page on 03 June 2009.

Who wouldn't love this charming little New Yorker named Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta?

Wait a minute, who in the world is Stefani?

Is she a friendly saleslady at Saks Fifth Avenue? Or a hairstylist? A waitress at a pizza parlor? A cheerleader from Syracuse University? A dentist? A popular blogger? A gym instructor? An NYU dropout? An avant-garde chick?

Wrong, except for the last two descriptions!

Stefani is non other than famous singer-songwriter Lady GaGa. She brought back exaggerated stage theatrics which were popular in the 1980s. That's why she wons millions of fans around the world. It seems that everybody goes ga-ga over GaGa.
That's why I came up an idea of having a male counterpart of Lady GaGa. Let's call him like hhmmmmmmm...............

BOY GAGO! XD

*Gago (Tagalog foul word) --- a person who acts foolishly or says something stupid, as humor more than anything.

Missed Call

2009-09-10T04:30:00.005+08:00

Anyone here received an annoying missed phone calls from +0011 86423627837? It kept on bugging me at work around 2am. I doubt it is a South Carolina number 'cos, it doesn't begin with +1 864! I asked my colleagues and trainer about it, they have no idea about the number. I wonder where the hell it came from. Please tell me!

Perez Hilton's Boxing Debut = PHAIL

2009-06-24T00:07:00.006+08:00

Toronto, Monday, 22 June 2009 -

Perez Hilton made his boxing debut but, was knocked out by Polo Molina by just one punch.

Photo and the rest of the story can be found at
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/132/story/793967.html?q=perez%20hilton

Cosplay Comeback

2009-06-21T15:26:00.008+08:00

I thought, I'm done! I thought my cosplaying days are over. I was absolutely wrong!

Until, a Multiply private message from Chai to be part of their cosplay group proved me wrong. I asked her who will I cosplay. She replied, "You'll know the character once we meet up on Sunday morning. Don't worry we'll take care of your costume and stuff." That character happens to be Nite Owl II of Watchmen. She also asked me if I'm into theatre presentation and willing to take a major or minor role. I told her that I only can dance at clubs. Otherwise, I'm willing to sing and act. At first, I was just a back-up person to fill-in the role of Nite Owl. I became a part the main cast when another friend decided to concentrate with his other cosplay group.

Exactly a week before ToyCon, I went straight to RCBC Centre Makati from my hotel stay at The Bellevue Hotel in Alabang to meet the Chai and the gang and their respective roles:

SpiderDan– Dr. Manhattan
Chai – Silk Spectre II
Jonathan – Rorschach
Ricky – Comedian
Shuli – Ozymandias
Markee – SilhouetteBogus – Prison Guard / Blackman 1
Jonx – Prison Guard / Blackman 2

We rehersed for 4 1/2 hours and finished two 24" pans of pizza at Dan's place also in Makati. Please don't ask who finished the most number of slices of pizza! :D

The moment has arrived on Sunday, 14 June 2009 at the SM Mega Trade Hall. Lemme tell ya that Nurikane has finally retuned to Cosplaylandia after six long years! A lot of people mistaken me as Dark Knight because they could easily recognise the costume. None of my good ol' friends even recognised me at all, except when I'm unmasked. I didn't mind being called Dark Nite Owl as well.

As you can see on the picture at the upper left, my Nite Owl costume consists of Don Robert's Dark Knight Batman costume and Jiteroshi's biker goggles. Wearing Don Robert's costume was a bit uncomfortable at first. I found it a bit too tight because, I'm taller and slightly bulkier than him. Although, I just got use to it after after mingling with friends and complete strangers specially, kids!

I was kinda worried when time was running out and we haven't performed yet. I'm glad that ToyCon organisers had a very good schedule so, we were able to perform on time. We started the skit at around 6:30pm. We called our skit "Watchmen Scandal: The Musical" in which, we referenced it with several movies and musicals like Moulin Rouge, Chicago, Les Misérables, and even current events like The Hayden Kho sex video scandal. Too bad, I botched at the mid part of our group skit presentation after the mask was misplaced and completely blocked my vision. Nasayang tuloy yung practice ko (sorry team)! At least, I kinda enjoyed dancing like Katrina Halili. Disgusting, isn't it? LOL! Although, It's a shame that I left the venue at exactly 7:15pm and was not able to purchase toys for my self and my niece due to work.

Special thanks to:

- Chai, Don, Marky, Shuli, Ricki and the rest of the team for the teamwork, fun, pizza, great conversation, LOLz, and allowing me to cosplay again.
- Our team's official lensman Kiko for the photoshoot
- Allan Melivo for the right-at-the-venue photoshoot
- Don Robert for the Dark Knight costume. I'm sorry if we altered (destroyed) your cowl.
- Jiteroshi for the specs
- That nice guy from Final Fantasy group who glued the crescent buckle on my belt
- Marcelle "Rickroller" Fabie (the Toycon emcee) for the jeers
- Also, to the children who took pics and loved me that day.

Watchmen cosplay group photos can be seen at:
http://nurikane.multiply.com/photos/album/41

Also at Chai's ToyCon album:
http://chenmeicai.multiply.com/photos/album/176

8th Toycon Day 2 was indeed memorable for me. This August, you'll see me again wearing a custom-tailored costume of Nite Owl 2. Thank you for making my very busy weekend complete!

Well, I've got one more year left in cosplaying!

A Salute To The Pinoy Pugilists

2009-05-05T12:37:00.019+08:00

What I thought was my blogging days are all over. Three months ago, I was thinking of posting my final blog entry to the blogsphere and concentrate with my job and my date. Yes! I'm dating someone again after three long years.

Meanwhile, April and May has been a great season for Filipino boxers.

On 19 April 2009 at The Big Dome, Nonito "Filipino Flash" Donaire successfully defended his IBF Flyweight championship for the third time against Raul "Cobra" Martinez. Martinez went down four times before referre stopped the fight at the 4th round. Donaire is just too strong! Also on the same day, Brian "The Hawaiian Punch" Viloria has finally silenced his critics by becoming the new IBF Light Flyweight champion against Ulises Solis who defended his title for the ninth time. The fight was even until, Viloria dominated the latter rounds and knocked-out the elusive Solis at the 11th round. A week later, I have seen how Gerry Peñalosa fought valiantly against another world champion Juan Manuel Lopez for the WBO Super Bantamweight title. Gerry never went down yet lost before the 10th round starts. Lopez was just too big, too young, and too strong for the 36-year-old Peñalosa. It is still unclear if Gerry will retire this year with his WBO Bantamweight championship on his waist.

Photo by The Associated Press

On 03 May, Manny Pacquiao knocked out Ricky "Hitman" Hatton at the second round of their fight. As usual, the traffic on Sunday afternoon was way too clear because, everybody's eyes were glued on pay-per-view. My prediction was either of them will go down at Round 10 or 11. I was wrong. I was also worried when Hatton was knocked out cold from Manny's left overhand and unconscious for several minutes. I'm glad he got up. Hatton happens to be one of my favourite boxers, in and out of the ring. He shares his love for full English Breakfast before fights (yummy!) and Guiness beer with pride, which not all athletes would ever admit.

Photo by Dave Thompson (PA)

Before I wrap up, here's something we can be also be proud of, other than great Pinoy boxers and San Miguel Beer:

The luscious roundgirls at the Donaire-Martinez/Viloria-Solis double header.

Things I Wanna Do Before I Die

2008-09-21T22:42:00.004+08:00

I've moved on, matured, and learned from my experiences. Thanks to our Lord and Mercy Jesus Christ for saving me. Also, I'm ready to confess my true feelings to a special someone. The question is when and where will that be.

Meanwhile, I just started going to the gym again to build more muscles and gain more weight. I've also finished six sketches which I'm about to post on my deviantART account. Please check them out soon!

I copied this idea from a new Myspace friend named Paula. Hey, Paula, I'm sorry, if I took it without your permission!

Here are the 21 things I wanna do before I die:

1. Earn at least P2,000,000 annually.
2. Scuba diving
3. Bungee jumping.
4. Have my own house in a quiet community where I can settle for the rest of my life.
5. Watch London Olympics and Asian Games.
6. Watch a Metallica concert.
7. Get married and have two to four kids. Two girls and two boys would be better.
9. Write at least a few books. It could be a series of children's storybook or some sort of autobiography.
10. To form a rock band with strong musical and personal relationship.
11. To learn how to play the piano and saxophone..
12. To learn speaking and writing another language fluently aside from Tagalog and English..
13. To have a stronger relationship with my dad.
14. Own a radio station and a clothing line.
15. Join any reality shows like the Amazing Race Asia.... seriously!
16. Pursue a Master's Degree and teach English.
17. Travel all around the world alone and along with my family.
18. Quit smoking for good.
19. Teach kids how to draw and create their own costumes.
20. Become a part-time investigative journalist.
21. Have my own art exhibit.

A Surprise Present From Cozee

2008-03-30T01:57:00.016+08:00

Nothing beats staying at home, spending quality time with my family and a few friends, and having more sleeping hours for four days. Thanks for the two-day vacation leave and two rest days.

On March 29, a day after my birthday, I went to the First Philippine Cosplay Convention held at Robinson's Place Manila Midtown Atrium which was co-organised by my good friends from FilCosplay. Two days before the event, Robert Wong texted me to attend the event. I replied to him that I will be there after lunch time. He also informed me they found people who will cosplay as Phil and Cozee. I kept on asking him the names but, he refused to reveal them. I got really excited to meet them in person!

I arrived at the event at 4:30pm. It was the first of it's kind because the management of Robinson's allowed the cosplay participants to use the lounge and the cosplayer can roam around and interact with other attendees without restrictions. Except that some of the couches are stinky! But, I was really surprised when FilCosplay has finally ended the quest for the the right people to cosplay as Phil and Cozee after four long years. I would consider that as the group's surprise birthday gift for me. Phil is cosplayed by Michael Ignacio who gained notoriety for the first Filipino Haddo Gei impersonator and Cozee is portrayed by the fashion savvy 23-year-old Nadia Bautista. The costumes were created by Leandro Polidario, Pablo Bairan with the help of Tanya Obedoza.

Wow, I never expected that my little girl comes to life! Congratulations to all the people who made PCC possible especially, Kel and Nadia for portraying the characters in a very splendid way!

Thanks also for the hundreds of people who greeted me for my 30th birthday!

Dating Myself

2008-02-25T10:28:00.010+08:00

If a lot of couples and some singles (hunting willing preys) went out last Valentine's Day, I didn't. I just went to the gym pumping iron, drawn several assignments from a few clients, ate bowls of oatmeal, drank glasses of chocolate milk, and had plenty of rest. I'm glad that one of New Year's resolution which is gaining about 155 lbs. of muscle will be accomplished sooner than I expected. I'm 133 lbs. right now. Nothing beats pampering myself in the midst of being single. I don't mean that the door is closed for dating nice and gorgeous women. In fact, there are a few women that I'd love to go out with but, I have to wait for the right time. I'm turning 30 next month and believing that I'm still young and have to enjoy bachelorhood. Otherwise, if God introduce me to the most beautiful girl in the world.*

Honestly, I have some sad moments and I don't deny it. Sometimes, I even encounter some people who are kept on complaining or contemplating simply because, they're either lonely without their having a significant other or still nursing their broken hearts. In my humble opinion, if anyone claims that he or she doesn't suffer occasional depression of not having a romantic partner, that person is a complete hypocrite. Do agree with me? What I do to cope this situation is to draw, watch DVDs of Maisy with my 6-year-old niece, play with my cat, have some more sleep, get more productive, not to get bitter on anyone, read the good book, and worship God.

Depressed Mode

2008-01-31T00:00:00.001+08:00

I'm quite depressed right now. I don't worry about ageing, getting saggy, being single and not dating anyone for two years, looking for money to pay some debts or what. I worry about something else. My cat Piolo lost a lot of weight and some fur. Yet, he still remains active and eats well. Is it because of the cat food? I have to change his diet back to raw fish and send him to a vet ASAP or anything else will happen! -_-

The Attack of 107.9 U Radio

2007-12-30T02:21:00.005+08:00

When I turned on my mini hi-fi on a lazy Summer afternoon of 2007, there was a fuzzy signal came out of nowhere at 107.1 MHz. I thought it was just a signal interference from a TV station but, it was something cooler than I thought. They played non-stop dance music. There were no DJs, station queues, and advertisments. I stayed tuning in to that station within the next few hours until I heard pre-recorded queue of a woman's buttery voice announcing their mobile phone number to get in touch with them. I wrote it down on my notepad and called them right away. An eloquent man answered the call and mentioned that the station is ten71FM, an unlicensed FM music station operating at a secret location. Since then, I become addicted listening to that station. I even spread the word to my colleagues.

But, in June. I thought the fun suddenly stopped. They went off the air. Would that be the beginning of the end of ten71FM? Luckily, I was completely wrong. They just took a break for about two weeks.

After a minute of scanning, I picked the right reception again. At that time, they had a better signal at 107.9 MHz, and renamed themselves as 107.9 FM Underground Radio Manila. More and more avid dance music listeners locked in to 107.9 FM and developed a cult following. In November, as they become semi-established, they shortened their branding as U Radio and started promoting their own Friday night events at bars in the Metro.

Nobody would thought that the fun has just begun.

If you're in Metro Manila, tune in to 107.9 MHz.

If you're elsewhere, please visit their website:
http://uradio.bigbig.com

To celebrate the dawn of 2008, forget about firecrackers. Just tune into U Radio, crank up the volume to 69 and start humping!

Christmas Wishlist

2007-12-07T14:46:00.002+08:00

Holidays are coming! Here are the items I'd love to receive this Christmas:

1. Canon EOS 350D or 400D
2. Nike Air Force 25 (preferably custom-made :D)
3. Fender Japan '70s Precision Bass
4. Are You Gonna Go My Way CD by Lenny Kravitz
5. SmackDown! World Heavyweight Championship title replica
6. Sprawl V-Flex XT shorts
7. Gibson Les Paul Custom (preferably white)
8. Any US made electric drill set
9. Cans of Whiskas for my cat Piolo
10. 2008 limited edition planner from Starbucks

UP Gakuen Sai 2007

2007-11-27T09:08:00.004+08:00

Wow pare, grabe hangover ko from the event and I still have it until this very day!

I'm not talking about drinking a shot of liquor with 200 proof alcohol level or even four cans of energy drink (which I really did). I'm talking about UP Gakuen Sai, which was held at the UP Bahay ng Alumni, University of the Philippines Diliman campus. Gakuen Sai (Japanese term for school day), organised by the UP Anime and Manga Enthusiasts was indeed the most successful anime and cosplay event this year.

After long hours of dealing with egotistic and aloof colleagues, I went straight home did my daily rituals and went straight to UP Diliman. I arrived at the UP Bahay ng Alumni at exactly 8:45am and started doing my job as one of the booth representatives for FilCosplay/Cosplay.PH. All of the representatives of UP AME as well as the exhibitors and sponsors prepared seriously. Whilst, yours truly was helping the FC team to raise the tarpaulins, give out promotional flyers, and invite guests to join our club.

Until, UP AME President and one of the programme emcees Delurianne Chua announced "Good Afternoon! To all students and faculty members, the school is now open." twice in a very formal manner. Made a five-second pause and perkingy uttered "Welcome to the 2007 UP Gakuen Sai!" which made the gates finally opened to the public at exactly 1pm.

UP Bahay ng Alumni became jam-packed in the span of fourty minutes and every body's starting to roam around the area to meet old and new friends as the programme goes. They've got karaoke contests, cool merchandise, fun games, art contests, comic books, club memberships, stuffed toys, and more. I temporarily left UP for one hour to pick up a girl friend in a university nearby. The cosplay catwalk has begun at exactly 5pm, the time we arrived back at UP.

Mark Ilano was really a badass that night. Imagine a six feet tall bloke wearing a costume of Sakura Kinimoto of Card Captor Sakura, walked and talked like a goon on stage, and went home with Audiendce Choice Individual Cosplayer award. Jin Joson made a monumental return cosplaying as Ichigo Kurosaki of Bleach breaking the mask on stage which made her a Thrid Prize Awardee. Scott Aquino won the Second Prize as Gondar the Bounty Hunter of DOTA. Gilbert Sagun bagged the Grand Prize for cosplaying as Geki Red of Jyuuken Sentai Gekiranger. Guess what, he has legitimate nunchacku skills a-la Bruce Lee!

Meanwhile, other highlights including a WWE-inspired Hunter x Hunter skit courtesy of dance group Illusion Brigade and of course, this hilarious video courtesy of Group Cosplay Winners Prince Arthas & Co. of World of Warcraft courtesy of Prince Arthas himself, Mr. Pablo Bairan.

Please watch!

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take pictures because I was darn busy taking care of things from left to right. In fact, I took five cans of energy drink to keep my self going. I left the venue along with my friends at exactly 8:45pm and missed the fireworks display outside the venue. Otherwise, It was a blast! My verdict is despite of having it held in a hot, un-airconditioned hall, it's indeed the best anime convention I've ever attended since December 2003.

Congratulations to the winners and participants of individual cosplay and group cosplay competition, and specially to the young men and women of UP AME!

Her Name is Riyo

2007-05-30T08:38:00.006+08:00

There's an old saying that true beauty comes from within. It is very hard to prove that statement nowadays, specially if you're living in a superficial world. I may be right, and perhaps wrong in the same time.

In fact, there was one young woman from Shizuoka proved me wrong. 20-year-old ballet instructor Riyo Mori crowned as the new Miss Universe Pageant in Mexico City last Monday night (Mexico Time). She may neither have been a heavy favourite until the final interview nor the most beautiful candidate that night. But, her aura, intelligence, and uniqueness specially her swimsuit presentation really stood apart among other candidates. If Kurara Chibana fell short last year, Riyo finally ended the 48-year drought.

I found Riyo very cute and so genki (perky in Japanese) like a teenage high school girl which is not so usual to be seen in beauty pageants. She didn't have too much overrated class as well. Pure and simple Japanese style yet fit for a queen! If Kurara captured my heart last year, I'm sure Riyo's doing it to me right now and I can't help it! For those people who will this blog entry please email me your pictures of Riyo and let's start a fan club!

Speaking of crushes, I found 3rd. Runner Up Miss Korea Honey Lee a true and legitimate honey. Take a look at her killer smile, guys! 1st. Runner Up Miss Brazil Natália Guimarães in the other hand, is a total knockout. Meanwhile, our very own Anna Teresa Licarios bagged the Miss Photogenic award. Thanks to our friends and kababayans here and abroad who voted her. Terê [Licarios] didn't really look fabulous that night. My girl friend who is close to Terê told us that she'll even gonna kill the stylist after watching the pageant. Otherwise, we're still proud of her achievements at Miss Universe..

Regarding the pageant proper, there are a couple of blunders happened. But, my most favourite moment when one of the judges Dave Navarro asked the question "Would you choose a man whose adventurous and wild or a man who plays safe?" Ladies, how would you answer that question?

Photo courtesy of MSM-Mainichi Interactive

Saving Ashley

2007-04-04T23:59:00.004+08:00

When I just arrived home from work at exactly 10 in the evening, I saw a two-week-old abandoned kitten walking towards the gate of my house. I picked her up immediately, fed her milk, and named the beautiful creature Ashley. She's beautiful, adorable wide gray eyes, has flat nose, and unlikely long brindled fur. She might have mixed breed. I really wanted to keep but due to several circumstances, I had no choice but to let her go!

I called some contacts who are active in animal welfare societies to ask what to do next since I don't know where the nearest animal shelter was. Jireh Grobler and Nancy Cara told me to send her PAWS animal rehabilitation centre, the only animal shelter here in Metro Manila at the border of Marikina and Quezon City right away. I even took an unscheduled day-off from my job just to send the kitten to the pet shelter. I'm so glad that Dr. Amihan and Gina of PAWS told me that she's healty and injury-free. They told me that they'll take care of her as hard as they can until she gets adopted by more deserving volunteer. I left the PAWS rehabilitating facility crying.

When I arrived at work the next day, my colleagues and manager told me that I was crazy. I simply rebutted: "If the same situation happened to you, I'm damn sure that you'll be doing the same thing I did! Besides, saving a kitten is like saving a child."

I really hate when people specially here in the Philippines neglecting stray domesticated animals and let them die through starvation or cruelty. I wish the Philippine government will strengthen the laws against animal cruelty and people must realise that cats are God's gift to us. Saving Ashley is indeed the most special day of my life thus far.

I'll post some updates about Ashley and let you know if she's ready for adoption. Advance Happy Easter!

All I Want For My Birthday

2007-03-18T16:35:00.002+08:00

Here are the things I'd like to buy or receive as birthday gifts before I go on a Summer getaway:

1. cool boardshorts by Reef or Oakley
2. running shoes preferably Asics or New Balance
3. an affordable yet reliable 5MP or higher digital camera
4. a pair of black 12oz. Twins boxing gloves
5. a pair of Oakley Razor Blades
6. a 1GB USB Flash Drive
7. a micro cassette voice recorder

Meanwhile, I went at Rockwell Power Plant mall last Thursday afternoon wearing my usual clothing ensemble: white shirt, desert camo shorts, cap, and sneakers [quite unfashionable for visiting an upscale mall]. I saw a wonderful anime art book at Fully Booked titled "Monster Book of Manga" (book cover shown above). For less than P2000, the 384-page book is literally a bloody MONSTER! I mean, it has everthing including easy to follow instructions, complete illustrations, beautiful colour toning, and more. I really love to buy it. Unfortunately, I don't have enough money and I just ended up browsing and putting it back to the shelf. Boo hoo hoo!

Since my birthday is just ten days away, I hope somebody will give that book to me as a gift. Hehehe! :D

Drinking Spree

2007-02-11T05:14:00.001+08:00

I've been drinking for the past three consecutive nights. It's funny because, I always get tipsy but never really had a serious hangover except the few ones that I had few years ago. What a restless weekend indeed! Otherwise, I'll be missing a lot of good things about self-discovery.

Last Friday night, I went to '70s Bistro to experience the ambiance for the first time along with my friend Stuart. The venue is great, not so noisy [using only 25-watt amplifiers mic-in to a PA], and most of all, the people there were friendly. Stu introduced us to his friend named Mavi who is into geology. Likewise, it was the first time to see rock legends The Jerks performing live. They played a great set! I mean, a first few songs in their first set. Then, young and promising indie mod revivalists The Members played a set as an in-betweener. The Members' timing was impeccable! When The Jerks came back to stage for their second set, they played more songs mostly from Steely Dan, Rolling Stones, Stray Cats, and a number of their hit songs. The second set lasted for more than an hour which they never did before.

After their performance, I approached all the band rosters, including their manager. Afterwards, I immediately approached frontman and guitarist Chikkoy Pura whilst wrapping up his equipment. I had a chit-chat with him. Despite the fact that Chikkoy is very popular, the remained humble and approachable. I was surprised that with his powerful yet creamy tone, he's only using FOUR BOSS GUITAR EFFECTS PEDALS! Those are Super Overdrive, Digital Delay, Equaliser, and a power supply. Readers, please bear with me if I'm sounding quite technical. If you have any questions regarding those overdrives and stuff, feel free to email me or better yet ask to a neighbourhood musician.

Moving on, Saturday was kinda lazy for me because I just slept all day, washed dishes, cook some food, and slept again. But, became erratic and fast moving after Helen and Stuart messaged me to go to Cafe SaGuijo to watch indie bands live. The place was overcrowded and we weren't able to watch them performing live. So, we just stayed outside along with a number of people. I had my drinks as usual. That time, I drank two glasses of black russians instead of beer. I wasn't in the mood to drink beer. I've met a few musicians and new acquaintances. At exactly 1AM we drove straight to a place at The Fort in Taguig formerly called Manila DJ Club to witness the party sponsored by Nike to celebrate the release of Nike Air Force XXV. Stu told me that Nike spent a lot just to renovate the place. I've seen graffiti on the wall, heard house music, and visited the gallery of different AF 1 and XXV designs from the mass-marketed to the limited editions. Unfortunately for avid Nike AF fan like me, they didn't really emphasize with the vast history of AF1. I didn't even saw a single poster and a half-pair of signature kicks of AF1's current leading endorser Rasheed Wallace. After less than an hour, we went to Absinth. I just napped on a couch because I was fucking tired. Helen and her boyfriend departed from the scene first. Followed, by Stu and I.

I guess I have to get some sleep after I publish this. (yawns)

UnlimiTXT Scam

2007-02-03T23:13:00.004+08:00

On February 1, mobile phone provider Globe UnlimiTXT service increased their rates from PHP15 for 24 hours, PHP25 for 2 days, and PHP50 for 5 days to whopping PHP20, PHP40, and PHP80 respectively. I even spoke with a customer service representative earlier tonight just to verify if the rumour is true. She said yes. How come Globe become so mean to their customers? I'm not referring to the frontliners but the the company? A few days before the increase, I've been receiving SMS from my personal contacts for not subscribing for at least two weeks to protest the free SMS service.

Honestly, UnlimiTXT has been giving ultra-convenient service which was great! But, what the telco did is QUITE RUDE for loyal postpaid and prepaid Globe subscribers like me. They're focusing too much on increasing profits rather than serving the customers right. I'm sure, they'll gonna lose a lot of customers because of that! In fact, there's an online petition going on to demand a price roll back which I signed a few minutes ago. 104 has already signed and please spread the word!

To sign-up the petition please click: http://www.petitiononline.com/posible/petition.html

Welcome 2007

2007-01-01T21:24:00.004+08:00

Say goodbye to 2006 and say hello to 2007!

The year 2006 was quite horrible yet meaningful to me. So many things happened including a nasty break-up with my girlfriend, had bad dates afterwards, had the usual love-hate relationship with my job, fought with writer's block, etc. I've learned my lessons from those experiences. I'm very much single right now and I'm proud of it. As long as my family and friends are always with me. Also, I'm looking forward for 2007 to have a more productive and progressive year for. One of my New Year's resolution I'd like to share with you guys is to gain up to 40 lbs. in 3 months. Please expect that there'll be a major makeover on this blog anytime with this year.

In that year also that I almost completely deleted most tracks of J-Rock acts such as L'arc-en-Ciel, Gackt, and X-Japan from my MP3 collection, in exchange to new wave music and Indie Pinoy rock acts. I finally realised that it's no longer my kind of music. In the same time, these guys are more of doing too much fan service and all sorts of shenanigans to sell millions of records than playing real good music. I still listen to Japanese jazz and some pop, though. To those my friends who loves J-rock, please forgive me but, it's just my damn two cents!

Moving forward, I watched a UFC Pay-Per-View fight between Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz for the very first time live on free TV. I'm glad that Liddell settled the score. I'm kinda frustrated that they didn't show Filipino-American Brandon Vera's quick knockout victory against former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir live on TV last November. Too bad, many Filipino MMA fans didn't witness how good Brandon is!

Happy New Year and enjoy with cold beer!

A Painful Christmas

2006-12-21T19:58:00.009+08:00

I have suffered from several sprains and cramps whilst participating in different sports in the past. But, this is the first time to have a fracture and I've got it from a stupid domestic accident. My left hand has a splinter right now. That means, no boxing for more or less than three months! It's quite hard to type on the computer as quick as I used to be. However, I've learned how to place targets in the links of my blog. I have to credit this one to a good friend of mine, Monika!

Moving on, I've been obsessed in tuning in to different radio stations, researching information and news, and editing articles about Metro Manila radio stations on Wikipedia for the past few weeks. After K-Lite closed shop, I switched to an AM station Rock 990, the Philippines first classic rock radio (temporarily off-air making way its technical improvements) and the legendary new wave music station WXB 102. Just to give a heads-up, WXB 102 was an FM station from 1982-1987 and returned after in September 2005 as a now-very popular internet radio station. Also, I just discovered a cool and wacky anime website called AMV Hell that makes my day complete. If you like anime, parody, and dubbed crude humour, this site is for you!

Before I wrap things up, here's a song dedicated to all kids of today and also to my fellow classic rock fans out there. Sorry, it's not a Christmas song! It's the song "My Generation" performed by the legendary The Who on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in circa 1967. I believe it was the first ever smashing of musical instruments done by a rock band recorded on American TV. Please check out how Keith Moon blasted his bass drum like a mortar with no remorse! .... and that's rock n' roll!

Happy Holidays!

K-Lite 103.5 FM: 1995-2006

2006-12-01T08:38:00.004+08:00

The disc jockeys of K-Lite 103.5 FM made their final broadcast altogether on 30 November 2006, 4:00PM at the K-Lite Studios located at Paragon Plaza, EDSA, Mandaluyong City. I also called them and patched me on-air for the very last time. It's very sad that one of my all-time favourite radio stations will be gone forever to make way for the new management and completely reformat the station. I just don't know what's with the network executives keep on reformatting radio stations. Just to rake more money? Is this happening only in the Philippines?

Forget about the tears! Let's talk about the wonderful memories with K-Lite instead. I started listening to K-Lite back in 1997. K-Lite was known as Manila's First Interactive radio station, had a station slogan called "The Right Kind of Lite", and played adult contemporary music. The first programme I've listened to was Faster Than Lite (played requested alternative and hard rock music) hosted by The Blade. In late 1998, I was completely shocked after listening to that late night programme where listeners fearlessly talked about their relationships, problems, guilts, and whatnot. After listening it for the first time, it became my favourite. The show was called NightLite with then station manger Li'l David, Jesse "The Blade" Reyes, and the lovely Monica. It was shocking because it never heard a show like that on FM radio before. NightLite was aired every Wednesdays at 12MN to 3AM and it lasted from 1998-2000. If some people says that Mo Twister's currently popular morning programme (on Magic 89.9) is an introduction to 'shock' radio in the Philippines and you ain't know anythin' about NightLite, think again! Another talk show that I used to listen was Talk Back (aired Mondays to Fridays at 7PM from late 1990s to 2005), a one-hour programme where callers have to speak out about the topic for the day. I also listened to variety of shows including Girl Talk, Lite & Live (plays nothing but requested live performances), Twisted with Jessica Zafra, Lite Wave (played New Wave music) , and Classic Lite (played requested Motown and rock 'n roll from the 50s to the 70s).

Eventually, I stopped listening to K-Lite when I started working for my first job and my radio got busted. When I purchased a brand new mini hi-fi and tuned in again after almost three years, I was surprised with thier new braver format, new station manager named Nigel, had new bunch of DJs, played a notch heavier music, and called themselves as "Manila's Lite Alternative". Despite of changes, they still live up on its name and I listen to to the station on a regular basis. But not as frequent as I used to because of my work at night. My favourite DJs in the "Alternative" format were Vito Lazatin, Carl, and Hilary Isaac the gorgeous Hilary Isaac who was known for singing the "Lovemachine" on air during lunch time. Currently, 103.5 FM is not yet completely off-the-air, plays the same music that we love commercial-free, but no more talk shows and friendly DJs to entertain us.

For those people who'd like to know about K-Lite, please visit their website and their Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K-Lite_103.5 edited by yours truly from a typical one-liner stub to a more profound stub.

Goodbye K-Lite! This is Arthur, an avid listener and frequent caller known as The Lionheart wants to say thanks for the wonderful memories and we will keep the Lite on... forever!

Going Sabbatical

2006-11-08T16:40:00.005+08:00

I would like to say thank you for all my friends here and abroad who keeps on visiting my blog and my DeviantArt account. Belated Happy Halloween to you guys!

I'll be outta here in this blog for the mean time need some time fix some personal matters such as spend more time with my family, concentrating on my job after getting promoted, and practice playing the bass guitar. Yes, this is the first time I mentioned that I play the bass! However, you will see me blogstalking in a few occasions.

However, I keep on checking this shit time after time. More surprises will come out soon! Here's one of my drawings called "Mi Tifa Maldita" as a special trick or treat for you.

Cheers and have a great week ahead!

Happy Birthday to my loving father Arturo Soriano Doctolero! I understand that we argue oftenly but, I love you so much Dad! Have a blast!

Beginners' Guide on Smoking Shishah

2006-10-07T03:25:00.007+08:00

It was another great Friday night indeed after the whole day of more relaxed weekday. I had a date with my former coworker Twinkle at Greenbelt 3 Makati. We ate dinner and had some brisk walking. Whilst we are walking and chatting in that area, we stopped by at an Indian bar and restaurant named Bollywood Bar & Restaurant. We've got curious about that thing those Indian men smoking from a beautiful glass bottle. I asked the waitress what they were smoking. That Indian bong with a hose is called a shishah according to the waitress.

Shishah is a WEED-FREE Arabian cigar that comes with different flavours: mint, banana, strawberry, apple, lemon, etc. The waitress accompanied us to a table of two with the best view! 'Cos, it's located on the bar terrace.

They gave us the Seduced Heart glass design with mint flavour on it, put some flaming charcoal and waited for one minute before we started smoking. I let Twinkle to do the honours. It was relaxing at first but we smoked way too much! Here's a part of conversation were Twinkle and I had whilst smoking the bong:

Twinkle: Nakakarelax talaga! (It was so relaxing)
Myself: Yeah, sobra! I just can't get enough!
Twinkle: Next time, we have to bring our own partners at this place and have a smokin' double date. What do you think?
Myself: Sounds great!

Twinkle and I got dizzy after an hour-and-a-half of too much smoking. We paid the bill right away, left the bar, and went to our designated restroom to.... throw up! LOL! It's a GREAT experience though and we would love to come back at Bollywood Bar anytime! But, we have to smoke moderately next time. Beginners should NOT try what we did! After picking up a cab to send Twinkle home safely, I went to a The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf to relax and drink lime tea. I'm glad it helped a lot to get me back on track! There was a nice and smart Lebanese-born Canadian tourist named Omar whom I invited to sit beside me and had some interesting conversation from different cultures to current events for two hours. Omar works as an English teacher in Korea by the way. What a great Friday night it was!

For more info about shishah, please visit one of the resources I've found on the net:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hookah

Mama Tifa

2006-10-04T22:25:00.004+08:00

I might be a typical young, hardworking, trendsetting dude around who have a built and potential punching power of a junior featherweight boxer and dated some unknown models. But, I admit that I'm a nerd at heart. As much as I love rock music, sports and latest trends, I also love anime and videogames and it's quite evident! Eversince, the blockbuster RPG Final Fantasy VII brought here in the Philippines in late 1996, I fell in love with one of the most beautiful and sexiest video game heroines of all time. She's none other than Tifa Lockhart. According to the storyline, Tifa is a 20 year-old bartender and owner of Seventh Heaven Bar, member of the Avalanche rebel forces, and stands 5'5" tall. What can I say is she has the killer smile, sexy body, long silky smooth black hair, nice pairs of knockers, long legs, optimism, and most of all deadly martial arts skills! I wish that Tifa Lockhart is for real! So, move over Mr. Cloud Strife! Wipe your own shit 'cos, she's all mine! Just kidding! Anyway, for those who are not familiar with the video games, et al, visit Wikipedia and other Final Fantasy VII-related websites to learn more about her.

About two to three years later, her popularity was overshadowed by the more realistic looking yet reed thin Final Fantasy VIII's resident damsel-in-distress Rinoa Heartilly. For all the Rinoa fans out there, please bear with me for degrading your heroine! Until her popularity came back after eight long years when she made a huge makeover for the 3D anime film "Final fantasy VII: The Advent Children". Her traditional skimpy white tanks, bulky burgundy gloves with black elbow braces, and black micro leather skirt was changed to the more conservative yet athletic black leather track suit. With that, she (Tifa) captured more hearts of the new and old fans alike. Although, at first I was quite disappointed because I was expecting for an uber-Filipina-looking character design. Yet she turned out to become more of a creamy Oriental stunner. Otherwise, she's still as beautiful as ever! As time goes by, I learned to appreciate her new look.

Moving on. Guess what I've found on the Net! There's this beautiful young Asian woman (probably Japanese) cosplayed or dressed up as Advent Children Tifa. It's really surprising that that young woman, whoever she is looks almost exactly as Tifa. I didn't believe at first because, I thought she's just a CGI. But when I took a closer look, I realised that she's real. SHE'S DAMN REAL! She's da bomb indeed! If I see this girl in person, anytime, any place, I won't be hesitated to introduce myself, thank her, give her a dozen of roses, or perhaps do something more romantic and sexy like singing Justin Timberlake's song "SexyBack" in front of her. Please check out the pictures and see for yourselves.

Happy 10th. Anniversary Final Fantasy VII!

Photo at the bottom is courtesy of Edmund "Swifty" Yeo
http://www.flickr.com/photos/82727030@N00/136798271/
DISCLAIMER: Tifa Lockhart, her images and other characters mentioned in this written entry are being used for non-profitable and humourous purposes only. No Chocobos and other animals including Red XIII were harmed!
Tifa Lockhart & Final Fantasy VII (c) 1996-2006 Square Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Holidays Are Coming

2006-09-17T13:51:00.003+08:00

I just saw a boring chess match between Marco Antonio Barrera and Rocky Juarez. As expected, Barrera PREFERRED not to be engaged to an exciting toe-to-toe fight and won via a Unanimous Decision. Also, I just spoke with a customer service agent from one of the biggest MMORPG companies here in the country a few minutes ago. Guess what, those money making firms didn't help my direct concerns. Such bummers! Two days prior, I went to the ABS-CBN compound to hunt nice flats and visit some remarkable places including the infamous Pinoy Big Brother house and the cool Pinoy Dream Academy studios.

Now, let's go the the main topic. We, Filipinos celebrate the Holiday season as early as September. I don't know exactly why. My theory basically is that the urban people must avoid the Christmas rush and our dear farmers from the provinces must harvest tons of crops and earn good income by selling and processing those before the end of November. I prepare this season is to save money, more money... and more money! Since, I'm struggling with my job nowadays, I must start venturing for a business right away.

I'd like to share with you the list of items (most of them are essential necessities) I'd love to have:

--- A white Nike Air Jordan V
--- iPod Video U2 special edition
--- A brand new leather wallet to replace my stolen one
--- The Who: 30 Years of Maximum R&B CD box set
--- The Who "The Kids Are Alright" DVD
--- Canon EOS400D D-SLR camera
--- Stereophonics: Live From Dakota double CD
--- A black MacBook (a total frustration!)

I wish that I could have those toys before the year ends. Namamasko po! :)

Philippine Pride by Nike

2006-09-14T03:00:00.004+08:00

It's been a several months having the usual blogging hiatus due to my hectic schedule at work and lack of ideas to write. I've eventually realised lately that I don't even have much of a social life nowadays. I also had a flu for almost a week but I still had to report to work in certain days. It sucks! Well, that's the kiss-ass life inside the corporate world especially in the call centre industry.

Meanwhile, there are some facts I'd love share with you guys that makes the entire Filipinos here and the rest of the world. As everyone knows that Jeepney is our pride. We have our own blen od food such as bagoong, balot, fishballs, and sisig. It's not true that everybody eat dogs! There are a number of emerging Filipinos and Filipino-Americans all over the world from the entertainment industry to sports nowadays. We've got a few names including Manny Pacquiao, Efren "Bata" Reyes, Kirk Hammett, Apl.de.Ap of Black Eyed Peas, SmackDown! Superstar Batista who just visited Manila last weekend, and the undefeated UFC Heavyweight fighter Brandon Vera. Please take note of Brandon's Alibata/Baybayin tattoo collection on his back!

Also, the top sneaker brand Nike released a limited edition Air Force 1 LO trainers dedicated to our National hero, Jose Rizal and the emerging Filipino community in the U.S. As you can see from the picture above, the sneakers are made from select red and blue suede with Three Stars and A Sun embroidered in yellow strategically on a white patent leather that represents the colours of our National flag and the sole is made of semi-transparent red and white rubber classic AF1 sole. If you like humpin' to the tunes of "Bebot" by Black Eyed Peas, this is the perfect pair for you guys. Lovely indeed!

The price range for these lovely kicks costs around US$250 or £85, which is quite a hefty sum. Unfortunately, the limited edition kicks will not be available in Philippine retailers. What nerve! But who cares, I'd love to have a Size 9.5 US to add it to my sneaker collection and a first from Nike after nearly 20 years as long I reloaded my debit card once again! Other problems will be the always expensive International Shipping charge and that damn shipping tax being charged by the Bureau of Customs!

So, what's next: A Fender Custom Shop Philippine Flag Stratocaster? Why not?

Kurara Chibana Should've Won

2006-07-25T21:26:00.005+08:00

Hello, Ladies and Gentlemen! I apologize for submitting late entries for a couple of months due to my hectic schedule. However, I managed to bring back my creative force in me. I already finished four drawings and two poems within a month. In fact, I have plans of draw the babe featured on this blog.

Let's go now to the main topic. I saw the Miss Universe 2006 pageant yesterday morning. I placed my bet to one of the most beautiful contestants. She's none other than Kurara Chibana of Japan. Ms. Chibana stands 5'7", and has the complete package of a modern day queen: beauty, body, grace, poise, charisma, x-factor, and intelligence. However, she wasn't hyped to be a heavy favourite until she was named as one of the 10 finalists compared to Miss Puerto Rico and Miss Paraguay. I hate to admit that as a new big fan, I'm guilty collecting photos of her and reading her blog. FYI, she was born on March 27, 1982, just one day ahead from my birthday! Her evening gown was superb, she looked gorgeous in swimsuit and answered remarkably in Q&A portion. Don't forget that her sword-and-jaw-dropping samurai costume made the judges amazed and gave her the Best in National Costume Award. But unfortunately, she became the 1st Runner-Up.... ONLY? What the hell! In other words, she was robbed.

According to forums I've read, her interpreter did not do a good job. In my humble opinion, the judges and the Miss Universe Organization aren't ready for an Oriental stunner with feminist's views. Instead, the Miss Universe organization keep on winning the typical uber-polished, surgery-enhanced pageant-type babes to become the ambassadors of the World. Of course, with the exception of Asian and African winners including our very own Gloria Diaz and Margie Moran-Florendo back in 1969 and 1973 respectively. I don't want to sound like racist here but, Mr. Donald Trump and his group must polish the entire organization period. Please bear with my two cents, guys!

The Okinawa-born beauty has the best result in last three years since Miyako Miyazaki became 4th Runner-Up in 2003. So far, Akiko Kojima was the only Japanese beauty who won the crown in 1959. To know more about the latest buzz on Kurara, please check out Kurara's own blog at http://blog.arekao.jp/muj_kurara/

In the other hand, I'd like to congratulate Ms. Zuleyka Rivera Mendoza of Puerto Rico for being the newly-crowned Miss Universe. Also, to Miss Philippines Lia Andrea Ramos for being Miss Photogenic. Lia, please bear with me if I placed you as my second personal favourite! If you would've let your soft and shiny hair down and hired the best make-up artist in the planet, you'll definitely be at least one of the "It" girls that night. ;)

Photo courtesy of MSM-Mainichi Interactive

World Cup Fever 2

2006-07-02T05:14:00.003+08:00

June 01, 2006, Gweilos Eastwood City:

I never experienced the good atmosphere while watching World Cup live inside a bar along with fellow soccer fans before. In fact, I had some nice chit-chat with comedian and team Germany fan Epi Quizon about the odds & ends of each teams in the semifinals. When I arrived Gweilos a few minutes before the England vs. Portugal game kicks off, I felt like I'm watching the games inside the stadium. Too bad all of my favourite teams except for France are now eliminated.

It was an unfortunate night for England to go home early after losing through penalty kicks against Portugal 3-1. The real turning points of the game were David Beckham forced off with his knee injury and never returned to the game and a red card sanctioned to Wayne Rooney. Supreme defense showed by both squads. Despite of England's handicapped situation, they managed to play tougher defense until neither of the teams scored in the regulation and extended periods. Until a Penalty Shootout came in. Portugal made three goals while, only one goal for England. Portugese Goalkeeper Ricardo and forward Cristian Ronaldo are the best players of that game. What a nerve-wrecking game indeed!

Brazil wanted revenge against France when they lost the championship game back in 1998. But it never came through when France defeated Brazil (1-0) in Frankfurt. It was a tough game indeed until the perfect pass from Zinedine Zidane to Thierry Henry made the difference. I can say that Zidane is absolutely wrong! Because, he shouldn't retire right away and France STILL needs a team leader like him. Will France win their second championship in this tourney? We will find out soon.

Just a few hours from now, the stage is set for the fight our countrymen have been waiting for. It's the super featherweight fight between our very own Manny Pacquiao and Oscar Larios. The fight will be held at the Araneta Coliseum. I have to rush home so that I could eat breakfast and watch the fight on TV along with my family. My prediction of course, is Manny will win via 9th. Round KO. But he must be aware for the not-so-strong yet very durable and resilient Larios and must do a slight variation on his winning strategy which he used on his victory against Morales last January.

photos courtesy of FIFA World Cup

World Cup Fever

2006-06-07T19:07:00.003+08:00

The Philippines has never been played in a single World Cup tourney. It is indeed our country's most impossible dream next to our men's basketball team to win the Olympic Gold medal. But who the hell cares anyway? As long as we cheer our favourite International football idols, we're happy enough.... at least for a mean time. Who knows, we could have our own World Cup entry eight years from now?

However, there are lots of problems we see in participating for World Cup or even playing soccer or football such as our sports-governing body Philippine Sports Commission spends millions to support our players that will never ever (miracles included) make it to World domination. Thank you PSC for all the sacrifices! The Philippines doesn't also have ENOUGH large playing fields and stadiums perfect for soccer games which is reasonable. Most of all, Filipinos don't give a damn on playing football. We are more interested on becoming the next Michael Jordan or Manny Pacquaio.

Moving on, rainy days finally showers our beautiful 7,108 islands (I love rainy season!) as well as the World Cup fever has begun. FIFA World Cup 2006 is hosted by 2002 runner-up Germany. For the first time since 1949, Germany changed their reserve jerseys from traditional emerald green to red.

I'm hoping that England will end the 40-year-drought after their first and only championship title back in 1966 and win the trophy against either Germany or Brazil. The team lead by the famous David Beckham (Real Madrid MD), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United FWD), Michael Owen (Newcastle United FWD) and their secret weapon: 6'7" lanky giant Peter Crouch (Liverpool FWD). If not, Becks would go home with full of shame! The English team already won twice in this tournament. However, injuries of Rooney and Crouch might constrict their offense.

I hope the U.S. team lead by Tim Howard (Manchester United GK) will make a strong finish once again after their 2002 performance by upsetting the powerhouse Mexico and making to the quarterfinals. Too bad they were outgoaled and embarrassed by the Czechs in their first game last June 12, 3-0. The Americans must work on their defense on their following games.

Also, Australia made a huge surprise by slaughtering Japan 3-1. Thanks to the ferocious effort of Tim Cahill (Everton FWD)! Whilst, 5-time and defending champion Brazil struggled their way to win against the heavily defensive Croats last June 13. Kaka (AC Milan MD) scored their very first goal of the tourney. But you have to wait the smiling dragon named Ronaldinho (FC Barcelona MD) to breathe fire in their next games. Please don't forget Ronaldo (Inter Milan FWD) is still in his peak! Remember, he contributed a lot in their two championship reigns in 1994 and 2002. UNLESS, if 1998 host and champions France lead by Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid MD) and Thierry Henry (Arsenal FWD) will come back with a vengeance after their early elimination four years ago. The French will be the main thorn to Brazil.

I always cheer for England but the yellow and evergreen Australian football kits are just simply beautiful. :)

Legend: FWD - forward; GK - goalkeeper; MD - midfielder; DF - defender

Difficulty to Write

2006-05-30T02:45:00.005+08:00

Having Writer's Block is even worse than being shot-blocked in a basketball game or your penalty kick was blocked or caught by the opposing team's goalie in a football game. A lot of you guys may agree with this. As a matter of fact, it's not easy to recover from this case.

And guess what, I've been suffering from Writer's Block for quite a while. It's hard to finish or even start a story, poem or even a blog entry. I haven't even finished a good one for the past tree years! BOOO-hooo-hooo-HOOO! Except if I force myself to write. But, whenever I force myself, I have tendencies to procrastinate that's why I usually I end up unsatisfied on my finished works and leave in the archives instead of publishing them. That transformed me from a consistent creative force to a mediocre.

Too much frustration, stress, brain-drain, clutter and lack of inspiration are the few main reasons that contributed my writer's block. Should I consider breaking up with my girlfriend a few months ago a huge factor? Maybe! Right now, I'm reading self-help articles from Writing-World, making layouts, researching further, and especially avoid getting depressed. Yes, depression really deprives me from being inspired.

Men in Black

2006-05-21T23:01:00.003+08:00

I am doing well with the call centre company in Makati working for for some time now. Thanks to the good relationship with my colleagues and superiors. However, one of the saddest news struck us last Monday night when my current account which is the order taking service from TV infomercials is about to be pulled out of the company due to low sales conversion which we found really dubious. Majority of us were in complete shock. We thought of losing our jobs prematurely if we weren't able to do not apply to different accounts. We have to do something or else hundreds of us will be sacked from the company!

Since my colleagues and I are trying to prevent further arguments with the management, we decided to wear black to mourn the "death in advance" and the same time remember the glory days of our account. Because of that, I decided to wear all black from head-to-toe including accessories such as my brand new black leather wallet which I bought half the price last night. Well, it's about time to retire my rusty old, unfashionable red nylon wallet!

However from the least expected, I received a notice from the Human Resources Department that I'm one of the hopeful 175 employees to be trained for our new account. It was a blessing in disguise indeed. What a crazy and erratic week it was!

Speaking of black clothes, I'm currently watching few of the videos I've picked up from YouTube such as live performances of The Who and Stereophonics and Japanese popular stand-up comedian clad in skimpy black leather garb named Razor Ramon Hard Gay or Haado Gei in Romanised Japanese. For those people who still don't know HG, he happens to be the first comedian in the country to make his living taking the mickey out of militant homosexuals, which has divided some opinions over how to take the leather-clad cad. HG, Masaki Sumitani in real life, happens to be very straight, worked as a heavyweight professional wrestler back in college and was known for dating a model-actress.

Damn it! He's really fucking outrageous, believe me! He might have a weird talent that's why I love him! LOLz!

Well, wish me luck for my training tomorrow afternoon. See you next time!

Photo courtesy of MSN-Mainichi Interactive

Questions

2006-04-26T15:36:00.003+08:00

Holy Cow! It's been a month after not writing here in this blog. Blame it on my seven days-a-week work! I'm currently employed in two jobs right now and trying to squeeze a little time to read books or even to sleep. Well, life's a bitch and I have to stick my ass on it!

Moving on, I've made up several questions in my mind after more than 20 years of wandering around. Is the love to observe the popular music, sports, Philippine culture and politics, etcetera the primary reason behind these questions? Or am I just plain tired and bored?

Here are the questions:

1. What if rock legends in the likes of Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin are still alive today? What do you think they're doing as of press time?
2. What if ex-dictator Ferdinand Marcos never proclaimed Martial Law?
3. What if Michael Jackson never experimented on plastic surgery and all sorts of queerness?
4. What if America has a female president today?
5. What if MTV was never shown on air?
6. What if cosplaying became a legitimate high-paying job?
7. What if three-point shot (in basketball) wasn't invented?
8. If dodgeball become a phenomenal sport, what country(ies) do you think is currently dominating and why?
9. What if reality shows was not invented or shown on TV?

More to come soon! If you have answers to these questions, please place them in the "Comments & Violent Reactions" link not on my TagBoard.

I would like to congratulate the men and women of FilCosplay for making CausePlay in Asilo possible last April 30. I'm sorry guys that I wasn't able to attend due to my hectic schedule. Babawi na lang ako next time! :)

Happy Birthday To Me

2006-03-24T20:24:00.004+08:00

Five days to go before I celebrate my 28th birthday. Honestly, I still don't know where to go and what to do. Although, some of my friends told that they will recommend me a cute and gorgeous woman for a date as a birthday present. However, I refused the offer because I just had a nasty broke-up with my girlfriend a few weeks ago. I have to enjoy being single at the moment. As long as I will age gracefully, be more successful and ready fall in love again at the right time with a right woman.

Well, I would love to own a two-bedroom condominium unit first before I get hitched. Happy Birthday to ME! :)

The Most Beautiful Girl in FilCosplay

2006-02-12T11:21:00.003+08:00

I have a confession to all of you guys. There are so many beautiful women in the cosplay community. You know who they are. But every time I log on to FilCosplay, I always take a glimpse on the picture of the most beautiful female cosplayer I've ever met. Well, she always sees and greets you every time you log in.

She's none other than Cozee, one-half of the FilCosplay official mascots.

I was dwelling in San Fernando, Pampanga when I made a first drawing of Cozee on February 12, 2002. Exactly four years ago! I'd rather not mention who was the source of inspiration on creating my character. It was a supposed entry to Cosplayers' World Character Hunt but did not pushed through because I don't have the money to express deliver or even scan-and-email my entries. It almost came to a point where I was supposed to give my baby away to someone else for their projects. Eventually, I changed my mind and decided keep her drawings instead. My baby was in the shelf for more than two years.

I joined FilCosplay on May 9, 2004. FC founder Mina Reyes brought up an idea to have an official mascot. That idea gave me a wonderful opportunity. I told her that I'll show my samples of Cozee during the Filbar's 25th. Anniversary Convention last June 1, 2004. During that event, I showed the original drawings and a new rough sketch of Cozee sporting her now-known-as the signature helmet to Mina, her sister Rosemarie and cousin Adrian. I'm so glad they like Cozee and made her as the first official mascot of FilCosplay. Her identity starts to shine after two long years. I'm so happy like a father seeing his child to walk and to grow beautifully. Well, that's my girl!

After few days of her formal introduction as the official mascot, FC Supermoderator and cosplay veteran Robert Wong immediately came up an idea to pair her with his handsome creation named Phil. Since then, the Phil and Cozee "love tandem" was born. It just happened to be the most amusing idea we've ever emerged. There were appreciations such as fan arts and Alex Sibug's rendition which became the official artwork (see photo). From now on, Phil and Cozee truly are the icons of FilCosplay.

Right now, I'm looking for the best yet most affordable materials to create a prototype helmet and probably look for a beautiful young lady ages 18-25, stands from 5'1" to 5'5" tall to dress-up as Cozee. So, anyone wants to be Cozee?

Happy 4th. Birthday Cozee!

Top: Gimli's official rendition of Phil and Cozee (courtesy of Filcosplay)
Bottom: One of my sketches of Cozee
This article was originally published on FilCosplay Forums last October 12, 2004.

Pac-Man Wins

2006-01-22T21:51:00.004+08:00

I would like to congratulate Manny "Pac-Man" Pacquiao for winning his rematch against Erik "El Terrible" Morales by a 10th. Round TKO earlier today (Saturday night PST) at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada). It was indeed one of the most defining moments in his entire career. I'm glad that Manny evolved from an aggressive brawler to a full-pledge technical boxer-puncher. Thanks to Freddie Roach and Team Pacquiao!

Pacquiao made an unexpected slow start by giving out quick right-hand jabs, body blows, and incredible footwork. Morales in the other hand, had moments that caused Pacquiao in the first few rounds. Until, Pacquiao started exploding in the 6th. Round. When Morales was tired and hurt on the 8th. Round, Pacquiao became even more furious by initiating the onslaught. Until, Morales went down twice and Kenny Bayless, the third man on the ring ultimately stopped the fight. It was indeed the first time Morales suffered a knockout in his illustrious career. It was a sweet revenge for him after he lost in their first encounter and the entire nation is now celebrating.

However, Señor Morales deserves a lot respect for giving a great fight. I'm looking forward for those two men to have their third and deciding match. This time, title is at stake. For Manny, I'm wishing him to overcome Barrera one more time and grab the World Super Featherweight Title.

Manny claimed that his Mexican-made Cleto Reyes gloves made a big difference. Forget about Manny mentioning "Clito Riyis" (mispronouncing Cleto Reyes as 'clitoris' because of his thick Visayan accent) during his post-fight interview. Let's grab some bottles of San Miguel Beer and Boy Bawang cornicks for pulutan and celebrate instead!

Mabuhay ka Pac-Man!!! We are proud of you!

Top Right: Pacquaio nails Morales with a left straight.
Bottom Left: Referee Bayless says it's over!
Photos courtesy of BoxingNews.com

Cubao

2006-01-15T03:06:00.002+08:00

I went to Cubao a few hours to enjoy my last weekend. Because, starting on Monday, my days off will be changed from Saturday-Sunday to Tuesdays 'til Thursday. I picked up a fresh copy of FHM ^^, met my new artist friend named Katt, ordered burritos, had some good conversations about art and listened to jazz music while drinking some coffee. It was really fun! Unfortunately, my friends left as early as 8:00PM to attend a birthday party.

But the fun never stopped especially when I went to an interesting joint besides the now-abandoned Old COD Building called Marikina Shoe Expo where cool specialty stores and inexpensive galliers are dwelling. I usually go there once a month. However, most of the establishments there are closed. I went to Chunky Far Flung Gallery and Toy Store --- visited another artiste friend Margaret and congratulate her for the opening of their coffee shop on the second floor.

I also checked out cool stuff from Vintage Pop, a hip store owned and operated by Bong Salaveria. They have almost everything vintage such as cameras, bicycles, jukeboxes, TV sets, clocks, memorabilia, shoes, and even a few pairs of bell bottomed jeans. I purchased a set of bad-ass Bad Cat post cards made by Brian Vallesteros and reserved one of Bong's items specially those then-hard-to-find Adidas Campus sneakers to be purchased hopefully next week. I also rubbed elbows with Eraserheads, The Dawn and Cambio bassist extraordinaire Buddy Zabala. He introduced me to his cute and adorable 4-year-old daughter Frida. Too bad I don't have enough space in my tummy to eat at Bellini's Italian Cuisine!

FilCosplay Christmas-New Year's Party

2006-01-02T11:16:00.002+08:00

It was a sunny yet cool Friday morning, 30 December, when I attended a party organized by one of the Philippines' premiere local cosplay community and online forum FilCosplay.

For the first time, I finally saw FilCosplay on its most defining moment ever compared to all the previous gatherings that our group had. Please take note that nobody wore costumes. Just our usual casual and rugged clothes. Majority of the members who attended the party had fun, played wacky party games, had fun, mingled with fellow members, had fun, exchanged gifts, had fun, forgot all the personal grudges and misunderstandings in the past, had fun, and had more fun. Well, that's what the Christmas spirit can make. At that day, I've finally realised that FilCosplay is more that just an online forum or club, but considered to be as a one big happy family.

I brought some pizza, entertained guests, and borrowed Robert's digital camera to take some pictures. Too bad, I didn't stayed that long and missed most of the party because I had a lot of work to do and my boss didn't approved my leave of absence. I had no choice but to thank everyone and left at exactly 2:15PM. I'm looking forward for more gatherings to come. Next time, I'll make sure that I have to file a leave of absence. The party ended at 8:30PM. Long live FilCosplay!

To our dear founding members Mina, Adrian and Rosemarie, wish you were there! The entire FC family misses you so much!

Top left: "Gambatte, Peace Out Man!" --- yours truly (sporting a bad hairdo and a pair of Avaitor shades) along with Patrick, Cheska, Joy, Ramil, Jin and MC Robert Wong (courtesy of The FilCosplay Photo Archives)

Bottom: One big happy FilCosplay family minus yours truly before the party ends. (courtesy of Mr. Ronald Guanzon)

Merry Christmas!

2005-12-25T16:26:00.003+08:00

WOW! I just had an uber busy yet meaningful weekend! It was so amazing, the mere fact that I thought I was so fucked-up and miserable. Until, some great things happened starting two days before Christmas. Guess what? I already have a new job which is not that stressful and pays higher and received my Christmas bonus and backpay from my previous employer. Those are the two of the best Christmas gifts I ever had in my life. Also, I went to the place of a special friend right after Noche Buena. We had some dinner, drinks and good conversation until sunrise. It was wonderful indeed! Sorry guys if I won't mention her name here! All I know is that she's really adorable. Well that's it for this time. I couldn't able to post that much 'cos, I'm kinda tipsy right now

Merry Christmas everyone!

TV Show Review: "Etheria"

2005-12-17T01:20:00.003+08:00

It has been two weeks that I haven't wrote anything on this blog. At the moment, I'm very fond of watching a new series called Etheria: Ang Ikalimang Kaharian ng Encantadia (The Fifth Kingdom of Encantadia). Etheria is a prequel to the recently concluded series Encantadia. Here are the things I can say about series after watching the premier episode.

1. The production is purely art-ladden and the casts are star-studded.
2. We will witness the untold story of the once dominant yet corrupt kingdom called Etheria, its fours Heras (Kingdoms): Hera Volo, Hera Andal, Hera Aega and Hera Sensa, and its rich yet ruthless culture before it cease to exist and forgotten for a long time.
2. The main characters of Encantadia with Danaya (Diana Zubiri) as the new queen of Lireo, along with Amihan (Iza Calzado), Pirena, Alena (singer Karylle), and Ybrahim (Dingdong Dantes) as the new king of Sapiro are back in upcoming episodes to discover the lost golden timepiece to travel back in time and change history.
3. Sunshine Dizon is back as her critically-acclaimed role, Pirena. But this time she'll be one of the heroines.
4. Sexbomb Girl Jopay Paguia is finally showing her true acting prowess as Hera Volo princess/amazon Juvila.
5. The birth of the New Sapiro under the rule of King Ybrahim with his wife Alena.
6. Sultry and talented young actress Pauleen Luna will finally shine as the cunning and manipulative Odessa of Hera Aega.
7. Expect more excitement in the future episodes!
8. Keep on eye on underrated yet very impressive actors and actresses such as Empress Schuck as young Cassiopeia, Sid Lucero as young Asval and Ping Medina as young Hagorn. Yes indeed, Ping is the son of Pen Medina, the actor who played old Hagorn.
9. There are more mysteries yet to be told.

All you have to do is to check it out on TV from Mondays through Fridays at 9PM on GMA-7 (plugging ba!). Also, please check out the iGMA TV website, click on SHOWS, browse Etheria.

Well that's it for the mean time. I have to fix my stuff. See ya and I have to prepare for the Holiday Season.

DISCLAIMER: This is a non-paid television show review. Etheria and Encantadia is created and produced by GMA Television Network. Copyright 2005 GMA Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Album Review: "Switch" by INXS

2005-12-02T02:01:00.004+08:00

I bought INXS' new CD Switch (Barrett/Epic) last night. I really wanted to purchase old INXS CDs such as "Kick" or "X" but already out of stock. I have no choice but to buy it out of curiosity. It is their latest effort after eight long years with their new frontman. After listening to the entire CD, it seems that INXS with the help of reality show Rockstar INXS has finally found the Real McCoy in the name of Canadian singer and songwriter, JD Fortune. JD's bari-tenor voice made a good impression of having an ability to channel the spirit of his predecessor, Michael Hutchence. Most of the songs are pretty much sound like the old INXS except for songs co-written by JD and Andrew Farriss such as "Devil's Party" and "Dirty Vegas". Cool reggae-patterned track "Never Let You Go" sounds erotic. Thanks to Kirk Pengilly's basic saxophone solos. I would simply describe "Hungry" as haunting and emotional post-new wave song. That synth-flavoured track is very much dedicated to Michael Hutchence. Whilst, "Us" is somewhat soulful. The entire record is pretty good. Although, I'm looking forward for the band to let JD Fortune write more songs in their forthcoming releases to prevent him to be called a Hutch wannabe.

Highly Recommended.

Moments ago, I checked out the official website of one of rock n' roll's most influential and most charismatic singers of all time: the late great Michael Hutchence. Michael was the founding member and original lead singer and songwriter of INXS who passed away at the very young age of 37. I also posted some notes in the guestbook and linked the site to this blog to honor him and his legacy. Too bad he's no longer with us for eight years. May he continue resting in peace while millions of people who believe and idolise him will continue his undying legacy.

DISCLAIMER: This is a non-paid record review. Switch by INXS is now available at leading record outlets.

Purple Eyed Luci

2005-12-02T01:56:00.001+08:00

My friend Helen invited me to her band's gig in Kolumn Bar in Scout Torillo, Quezon City. It was good experience that I saw my friend sings for the very first time. I knew her for wielding the ax pretty well when we first met. In fact, we formed a band together a year ago. Apparently, we broke-up due to creative differences which I blame it to my former bestfriend who always wanted to be the centre of attention. They invited me to jam onstage but I refused because I have no idea what to sing or play at that time. Instead, I took pictures of them on stage. I'll definitely watch their gigs in the future.

More power, Purple Eyed Luci!

Good News, Bad News

2005-11-30T00:40:00.002+08:00

Last Saturday night the operations department restricted my application of transferring from telemarketing to the technical support account for consumer electronics, the job that I really love and I'm really good doing at. Y'know, IT REALLY SUCKS!!! That was the baddest news I've ever received in the entire week. I'm thinking twice whether to accept another job offer from a different firm or stick my ass with the company I'm currently working for. Besides, December is now approaching so I have to make better decisions and earn more money. Walang hiyang buhay ito!!! -_-

In the other hand, here's some good news. I watched the exciting taekwondo action at the Southeast Asian Games along with some close friends earlier tonight at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City. It was a great experience how to witness our very own jins fight for the gold medal and for country's pride live! I saw a lot of our kababayans approaching some of taekwondo stars to sign their programs. Too bad, I missed yesterday's competition when four of our jins swept the competition and captured all four gold medals. Eventhough, I only slept in just a few hours, I'm still awake and kicking ass. That's the good news!

Raw Talent

2005-11-24T15:08:00.003+08:00

Drawing is my most favourite hobby. A hobby that turned into a passion. A passion the not even money can buy. It all began when I was a very small fry. I learned how to draw right after I started learning how to count using fingers and how to speak. First, I practiced drawing stick figures and wacky cartoon characters when I was a preschooler. Then, I started mixing colours and hues using crayons and water colours, followed by copying and creating Mars Ravelo and Stan Lee-inspired superheroes during pre-teen days. Eventually, I shifted to my favourite manga and anime-style when I was in fourth year high school. I also design clothes and footwear alongside to that. Right now, I'm currently practicing how to sketch anything realistic. I use colour pencils and some felt-tip as my main drawing tools.

Suddenly, I've realised that my skills are not enough. Despite the fact that I neither have a Fine Arts degree nor have a formal training in an art school, practice made my craft improved as time goes by. I admit that I still have lots of flaws. That's why I'm not that ready to accept commissioned works at the moment. Although, I'm willing to accept lady clients willing to be drawn nude for self-improvement. Absolutely FREE for a limited time only! Hey, don't think of something else about me please!

I'm cordially inviting everyone to visit http://nurikane.deviantart.com and check out my works and its drastic improvements. Cheers!

The Ego Has Landed

2005-11-13T13:41:00.007+08:00

Hello Ladies and Gentlemen! An HTML illiterate-dashing debonnaire (kapal!) named Arthur is FINALLY here to express his personal sentiments and then to rule the entire blogsphere.

After several months of envy to those people who are experts in publishing their own blogs including my sister (Hi Amie!), finally they indirectly convinced me to scream out my sentiments, anguish, comments, laments, raves, etc. from the top of my lungs through my new blog. I named it The Rude Awakening.

I've been writing my journals occasionally through Friendster and FilCosplay message boards. It means that Blogging is nothing new to me. But only a number of people who bothers to read them. Simply because only users of their respective communities are only applicable to read them. How sad to be so unpopular and unrecognized, isn't it?

Thus far, I've been learning the basics of HTML and mixing unique HTML colours. I have to learn them diligently so that, I could transform a simple and way fucking boring layout into a work of art. Unfortunately, I'm having a hard time learning it. I suck in HTML big time!

Ladies and gentlemen, here I come! Comments and suggestions are badly welcome.

nurikane@yahoo.com

Photo was taken by Amie Doctolero at home on 24 March 2004