Destination: Yangshuo

After two years of waiting...the trip is finally pushing through.

Can't wait to climb new rock!!!!!

Let's take it slow...

Nope, not in reference to the same thing that Freestyle was talking about. I'm talking about -- what else? -- the four-letter word starting with a W and ending with a K.

Just when I was recently promoted, here comes the signs that're telling me that it's not about the destination, it's about a journey.

Sure, I hear it all the time...

Ok wait, I take that back, I do hear that all the time about TRAVELING, but not about careers. Nowadays, everyone is just in a friggin' rush to be someone, to be something, to make an impact, to earn a lot, to be out there and successful. But I can't help but see all the people I look up to -- they didn't do it overnight. They're so good at what the do because they worked their way up. Their years and years of experience is what makes them so good! So why am I pressuring myself to be at their level in a span of three years when it took them ten years to get there?

Then here comes Chris Lindner, professional sport climber, to further impress upon me how the journey matters so much to him. He goes around the world with a personal mission to spread word about rock climbing and the benefits of being a rock climber -- both to oneself and to the world around us. Nevermind if he doesn't always get the mesage across, but at least he learns many things along the way, which builds his character and will likely equip him for future encounters, and eventually lead to the fulfillment of his mission, as slowly as it may take.

Then there's Father Nonette, the parish priest in Mapayapa Village I, last Sunday, touching on one my favorite topics in Stephen Covey's Seven Habits -- blocking time for the "big rocks". He reminds us to not lose sight of what's important in life, like moments spent with family and friends, and to remember that all it takes is a little bit of prioritization.

Not that I'm feeling work is getting in the way. I'm not saying that just yet, because I'm still able to find ways to do the things I love. But I just can't help but wonder, What's all the rush about? What am I running after? Is it all about racing to the finish line? Carpe diem, they say. But even that is subject to one's perspective. You can "seize the day" to advance your career, or "seize the day" to maximize the time you can invest on the things you truly love.

I can't get myself to choose between the two extremes right now. Count on me to position myself in the "safe" in-between zone. The only thing I know now is that I'm not hearing any reasons to rush, and I'm more than happy to take my time, to stop and smell the sampaguitas (roses stink), to let all the sceneries and little learnings sink in.

Maybe my mind will change in a year. Maybe it will change in a week. But this is it for now.

Comedy Break!

Comedy break. Break from doing overtime on a Monday. Break from climbing. See, it was a break in more ways than one. On to the story...

For a different kind of gimik (not that we actually replaced an evening of climbing), my friends and I decided to scoot over to Greenbelt 2 to check out the "observational" comedy scene. Yes, lesson #1 for the night: may ganon palang terminology! They call it observational comedy in contrast with "those you see in Quezon Avenue," i.e., Clownz, Zirkoh where the comedians sometimes interact/put the audience in the spotlight.

Personally I was up for this because I've heard a lot (of good things) about Tim Tayag. Tim was one of the performers of the night – an event called Laugh Man Standing organized by Jack TV and eCircle Entertainment – as part of the group called the Comedy Cartel. I first heard about Tim at around the same time when Rex Navarette hit it big in Manila, but never got around on seeing his act. Meanwhile, I do catch him on his travel show in Living Asia Channel (On-Foot) and, whenever I fly Cebu Pacific, automatically flip to his column on the airline’s Smile magazine.

So I’d like to think I entered Spicy Fingers (the venue) with relatively high expectations (um, but this may be especially true for our companion Mr. Yap). But what I wasn’t aware of is how the show would actually transpire. All the while I thought we’d be watching around 3 comedians only, when the line up was actually made up of around 10! It turned out that this event featured not just Tim but, like I said, different members of the Comedy Cartel + finalists of Jack TV’s Laffapalooza (think Last Comic Standing with Jay Mohr).

I don’t think I’d be able to review each comedian, nor would I want to spoil their acts by describing their most memorable (both positive and neagative, haha!) spiels, but just a rundown of my top picks for the night:
 

    - Tim Tayag
    - Mike Unson
    - Alex Calleja
    - Marlon Olivan

Mike Unson

Alex Calleja

And it made me wonder…what made them stand above the rest? It seems their unifying elements would be their relevant themes – it certainly helped that they all talked about matters which I could identify with. Then there was the great story. Their jokes were not just randomly being thrown at you – they were tied together which made for a great buildup and kaboom! one punchline after the other. Being well-versed in English and Filipino was definitely a hit with me. It helps in relating with them and their anecdotes, because you know they are Filipino, just like you and me.

Sheeesh. I can be such a nerd. Nanonood nga ng pampatawa, ina-analyze naman sa huli!!!

So nevermind! Disregard the post-event analysis if you think it’s going above the line. I just want to say…I recommend that you try to catch the Comedy Cartel one of these days, and when you do, watch out for these men!!!

And may I just note...TIM TAYAG, I am now officially a fan :D













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*For upcoming shows/schedules of the Comedy Cartel, check out the eCircle Entertainment website
**Images from Comedy Cartel feature at Click the City and On Foot Online

Event: Climbing with Chris Lindner (and the National Team!)

Sanuk, in cooperation with Power Up Climbing Gyms' 14th Anniversary, SCAPI and ROX has brought Chris Lindner to Manila for an up close and personal Boulder Day at Serendra, the Fort, Taguig City on October 5, Sunday.
 
It will be a fun day of bouldering for all levels of climbers, check out the schedule:

 
OCTOBER 5 - Chris climbs in ROX
 
2:30 pm.- 5:00 pm.  - Clinic
 
Open Boulder clinic with problems set by Chris with coaching and assistance by the National Climbing Team and the Power Up staff.  Set up at Serendra: 3boulder walls with varying difficulties and a vertical top rope line for those who haven't tried climbing yet.  
 
Be you a hard core climber, beggining novice, kiddo climber, or just someone who wants a shot at getting vertical :) Come over for this chance to get coached by one of the world's best climbers and our country's National Team!

 5:00 - 7:00 pm  Invitational Competition: Beat Chris!

Watch the country's top climbers bat it out on the boulder wall in an attempt to beat the world's best!  Invited climbers will be the National Team players and the local gyms' hard climbers who've been showing great potential in the boulder scene.
 
 7:00 - 8:00 pm - film viewing/cocktails
 
Catch Chris Lindner's newest film "Spray" and hopefully free DVD's of the film.  Consequently, he's in Asia collecting raw material for his next climbing video.

8:00 pm.  Awarding and Closing ceremonies
 

OCTOBER 6-8.  Chris goes climbing in Cantabaco, Cebu
 
All are welcome to join up on this trip if you want to meet and climb with him :)
 

So see you at the Fort on October 5! 

the concert that might have been

CAN. NOT. GET. OVER. it was such a beautiful night. sad. but happy that i saw at least 1/3 of it. kahit imagination na lang ang ginagamit ko para mabuo ang gabing yon, ok lang. like i said before -- everything happens for a reason. there's sunshine after the rain. there's light at the end of the tunnel. something bigget will come. hahahaha.

repost from http://thinair23.multiply.com who reposted it from http://www.candymag.com/teentalk/index.php/topic,175472.msg4108473.html#msg4108473. kebs lang. may hangover pa din ako eh. tsaka ganda i-share to.

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We were all supposed to dance the Huling El Bimbo with a fantastic fireworks display. It was going to be the perfect song to end a perfect concert. I know because my sister said so. She was one of the band's PAs (guess which one!) and was there during the production meetings. On Sunday morning, as we gathered for our family lunch, she told us what was supposed to go down during the Eheads concert. The first set went exactly as planned, except of course for Ely's collapse. To refresh your memory, these are the songs we heard:

1. Alapaap
2. Ligaya
3. Sembreak
4. Hey Jay
5. Harana
6. Fruitcake
7. Toyang
8. Kama Supra
9. Kailan
10. Wag Kang Matakot
11. Kaliwete
12. With A Smile
13. Shake Yer Head
14. Wag Mo Nang Itanong
15. Lightyears

During the second set, the band was to sing ten more songs, in this order:

1. Maskara
2. Poor Man's Grave
3. Torpedo
4. Trip to Jerusalem
5. Back To Me
6. walang Nagbago
7. Maling Akala
8. Tikman
9. Spoliarium
10.Magasin

When Magasin was to be played, the screen behind them would have montages of various news and magazine clippings of them. It would flash alternately with shots of the band and audience until the song reached the coda where Ely sings "...ay centerfold ka naaaa...woo hoo-hoo, haaa-haaa" part of the song. Then there would be fire works and a fountain of sparks, going on til the last note of the song. Then the hydraulic stage would be lowered and the band would make a "fake ending". The lights would then go out. My sister said the band would wait til the crowd chanted "more". "It would take two beers' worth of chanting "more" she said. Then in the darkness, a very dramatic keyboard solo would be heard, and it would be the opening chords of Para Sa Masa. The hydraulic stage would rise again and there they would be. After Para Sa Masa, they'd switch into Overdrive. With the crowd pumped within an inch of insanity they were to hit us with Pare Ko. And then we would slow down and reminisce with Minsan. Finally, they would perform Huling El Bimbo. Again, after the last refrain, at the coda (la la la laaa...) the grand fireworks display would go off, fountains of light surrounding the stage. The next la-la-la parts would see fireworks from behind the general admissions section, and as the song ended there would be a burst of confetti all over the audience. Then the hydraulic stage would be lowered for the final exit.

Those were the plans for the Ultraelectromagnetic night. It may not have happened as planned but at least we knew they were going to give us a show we would never forget!

We asked my sister if the band knew about all these  plans and she said they did. In fact they were so excited about all the gimmicks and couldn't wait to party with the audience. "Nag-usap pa nga sila kung may mga kailangang saluhin na kanta just in case (di na kaya ni Ely)," she said. "And Ely said, hindi, Kakanta ako!"

I'm putting out an order to the Universe that we all get to watch the second set!"

death of a playground

it's really gone. :(

i remember the days...

of late nights

of RRLs

of laptops and more laptops

of comm theories

of library visits

of sleepovers (or type-overs?)

of midnight munching to stay awake

of tables of contents

of page numbering

of footnotes and bibliographies.

*just came across these random photos and couldn’t resist reminiscing. those were the days indeed! just one of those days when i’m wishing i’m living the simple student life…hay.