My Freaking Neighbors Singing Hesus on The Videoke Machine!

As of this moment, as of this freaking moment, my neighbors are singing on their hired videoke machine. They are still in tune which could mean these things:

1. They are not yet drunk, obviously.

2. And because they are not yet drunk, I and my family would be tortured until the wee hours in the morning by their deteriorating singing which in a few hours would be nothing more than slurred shouting and moaning. 

Never a weekend without videoke.  I couldn't blame my neighbor because it's a stress reliver that anyone could afford. Most of my neighbors are construction workers, drivers, factory workers and bums, so, I guess I have to give them a little lee way.  They are, by the way, my former drinking buddies, so for old time sake, I do my best to commiserate with them. 

Anyway, even passively listening there are times that I, without really being aware of it, would sing along with them. I think its because they sing every weekend; the lyrics of what they're singing get into my head, even when I'm asleep

At the moment, I could hear one drunk guy singing Hesus.

This song is a Christian Song. I am familiar with this because it is sung in our church. It first crossed over into the pop/rock scene when Alamid turned it into a rock ballad but it did not gain that much attention until almost two decades later when the Aegis Band fronted by two women with built in amplifiers in their diaphragm did their own powerful interpretation of the song.                                                                                                                        

I'm not really an Aegis fan but they are very talented musicians. Forgive me for saying this, one thing i have against about them is that the vocals of their songs are overpowering. Watching them singing on TV, their voices up there hitting the fifth or eight octaves, I can't help but imagine blood and intestines spurting out of their mouth. 

But everybody loves them. They are very popular that PETA created a play out of their music, Rak of Aegis.

Hesus has become a standard. I could hear my neighbors singing about the Lord Jesus Christ while intoxicated it's...hmmmm...not gonna say bad, or blasphemous....ahhhh weird is the word. I guess its irresistible., Aegis' vocals and searing guitar solo has reinvented the boring song into an operatic rock  song ala Freddie Mercury minus the AIDS.

Anyway, I hope that while they're singing the song, the lyrics would somehow get through to them and make them think about what they're singing. Make them realize that they are sinners. That they live a lonely life, a life devoid of meaning and purpose and that only having a relation with Jesus could save them from their predicament. 

I hope that one day I'll see them carrying Bibles, instead clasping shot glasses, saying hallelujah and amens instead of curses and dirty jokes and in the process give the whole neighborhood peaceful weekend nights. 

And now they're singing "Ako'y sayo at Ika'y akin lamang..."

Marijuana Experiment and why I never got hooked with the stuff

Marijuana grew wild in the Valley Golf areas. A grade
school classmate brought dried leaves between his
notebooks which he said he picked up near Bulao River.
We were amazed.  We sniffed the leaf thinking it would get
us high, but it did not. The most potent variety I puffed
was the "lagkitan" variety. It was sticky and damp and
it literally pops when smoked.

Public perception about Marijuana is now changing. Some countries like the Netherlands and Uruguay and US states Colorado and Washington have decriminalized possession and use of cannabis while other countries have eased their restrictions against it by lessening the penalties for possession and use or by relaxing the implementations of prohibitions against it.

Its medicinal as well as recreational benefits are now being re-studied and there are medical findings about cannabis' painkilling properties sans the organ damaging effects of synthetic painkillers. It is also reported to stop and control epileptic seizures. But it cannot be denied that if abused, marijuana can also cause medical, neurological, as well as social problems.

There are a lot of arguments for and against marijuana but I will not be talking about them. I have read enough to know that just like any other stuffs like alcohol, cough syrups, hamburger and french fries (honestly, I believe that these two caused more physical, psychological, social problems and deaths than marijuana), roof sealant, chocolates, candies, adobo, balut, etc. things taken in excess and abusively will eventually lead to addiction, neurosis, psychosis and eventually death (in no particular order). 

We used to smoke it everywhere.
One trick to avoid detection was
to use a disposable tumbler
to catch the smoke.

Personally, I have had my share of puffing this stuff.I was introduced to marijuana during my first semester in college. It was 1992 and I was studying engineering technology at the then Rizal Technological and Polytechnic Institute now the University of Rizal System. I became friends with two freshmen from Binangonan. They were already users and knew where to get the stuff. (I forgot their names and lost contact with them. The other one died after a few months I left school. I heard he drowned in a swimming accident.) 

Then the smoke was released outside
the window. We did these when we
 were in the gym. It was normal
 to see boys doing these.

I had known marijuana users from our neighborhood and they were bad asses. They fought, they gambled, they stole to support their vices. But it was different with my classmates. They were like me, "normal" students. I have eaten in their homes, met their parents and noticed nothing unusual or dysfunctional with their families.

My experience with marijuana was not a bad one. It was not as bad as it was reported to be during those years. Literature, pulpits, TV ads etc. raged about the evil (worse than bad) effects of using weed. I guess most of these propagandist either have had no experience with weed or have had bad experience with it.

Music and puffing

Pinoy rock is mosty Black Sabbath, Jimmy Hendrix, Led Zep
The Who, and the Beatles all rolled into one.

Music and weed goes well. I was into Pinoy Rock then. It was the early 90's; the beginning of Pinoy Rock renaissance (thanks to DM 95.5, NU 107, and DZRJ 100.3). But I was not into the neo-Pinoy Rock, I was into the classics and one of my favorite bands was Sampaguita. 

A puff or two plus Sampaguita songs, those Gary Perez guitar leads and existentialist cum hare krishna  lyrics plus Sampaguita's husky-sandpaper like voice would sink in deep, too deep may I say.

I was seated there asking the same question Sampaguita was asking and thinking about the mysteries of life, suffering and purpose not noticing that I had been in that sitting position for almost the time the side A of the  pinoy rock album was playing, about 30 minutes. CD was still an expensive novelty then.

  

Aside from Sampaguita, there were Maria Cafra, Asin, Juan Dela Cruz, Judas, Labuyo, Anakbayan and others. Just listening to their music, one can smell the sweet aroma of marijuana. Good or bad, who cares, but many of the people who grew up with their music are now the parents and the decision makers of the nation.

Of course slow and folk rock was a must: Deep Purple, Scorpions, Rainbow, Alice Cooper, Neil Young, CSNY, Cat Stevens etc. Weed did something to my ear when I listened to music. Made me more sensitive to the lyrics, interpretative with guitar solos and there's this psychedelic union of mind and music. Whatever...

(Photo not mine) Our favorite spot  in Calumpang, Binangonan
was the fretil. We would sit there and listen to music
while puffing.

But it could go to extreme, though I did not experienced it, being stoned listening to music for hours was one of them. 

Even when using weed, I still had this little voices in my head telling me not to go too far or else...

It is no wonder that musicians love the weed because it enhances sensitivity and creativity. Though judging from the music of the Rastafarian Bob Marley, it impaired his English grammar. (But who cares? We're not native speakers!)

The Beatles used it, so was Hendrix, The Who, Jim Morrison, Clapton the list does no end. Some of them died but most  survived and became decent human beings.

Food trip

This was weird. When a stick of marijuana is puffed, it does something to the sinuses and taste buds, it stimulates appetite but it numbs the taste-senses. I had experienced this. We were puffing all of a sudden we became so hungry, we ate rice without any viand or dish to go with it; and because we cannot taste a thing, we were driven to eat more.  

I had never felt such hunger before.

Thirst was also another thing. Because it was unfiltered smoke, I could feel the heat going through my throat up my nostril and it dried my throat and mouth. So, to relieve the sensation and discomfort, I had to drink a lot of water.

Laugh Trip

Its not as if I inhaled laughing gas and went into uncontrollable laughter. No, it was that it produces good mood and made me more susceptible to laughter at even the un-funniest and corniest joke and most mundane occurrences like someone walking and tripping. I guess that's why they call it "trip", no reason or rhyme.

Marijuana cocktails

My classmates had more experience with weed. They told of combinations like marinating the leaves in cough syrup to make it more potent, or brownies, or taking it with downers or uppers etc. but I had never tried them, I was afraid of synthetic drugs. .

Many ways we drank gin: gin-pomelo,
gin-pineapple, gin-orange gin-7-up,
gin-calamansi, gin-dayap, gin-apdo,
gin-aratiles, gin-grapes etc. but the
most toxic and potent  was the 3 is to 1 formula
Three bottle of beers mixed with one
bottle of gin.The stuff, especially when cold, was
smooth to drink that I sometimes drank
beyond what I could handle. Made me vomit
green slime, many times it did.

But I had seen my classmates use weed with prescription drugs. One took twenty tablets of Akineton and then puffed a stick or two. After a few minutes, I couldn't help laughing at him because he moved so slow. I asked him what Akineton was, and he told me it was used by mental patients. Heee  wwaaaasss sssooooo sssllloooowwww! When he tripped he fell in slow motion.

Another puffed weed and then drank a 120 ml of cough syrup; it was also hilarious. Suddenly, he became talkative. He talked to people but he had foam forming at the edges of his lips. It was like he was eating soap. 

The whole thing was hilarious and so insane that I quit school, stopped studying and settled to being a  bum (tambay) and to drinking gin bulag.

To tell the truth, I was underwhelmed and a bit disappointed. I was expecting hallucinations, mind altering experiences but all I experienced were drowsiness, music induced trance,which is quite good; food trip, laugh trip and sleep.

None of the hype. I think its much demonized negative effects has to do with state of mind. If one used it with hatred and rage in his/her heart, or had lust and cravings, the stuff could amplify these negative feelings,  loosen the user's inhibitions and make him/her do bad stuff, but if the user is in good spirit it could induce euphoria and stimulate creativity. Also, most problem arises when it is used in combination with alcohol or other drugs. This is based on my personal experiences and not to be taken as conclusive, authoritative and normative: an impression. It was also a short affair with Mary Jane, so, caveat.

Of course, this was twenty years ago. And good or bad, science or religion, stay away from the stuff. You may become addicted to it.

(How the time passes by and this post has become too long...)

Jessica/Manny Pacquiao Overdose

Okay...I do not hate Jessica Sanchez. I have nothing against her. She's a very talented Mexican-Filipino-American. I don't know which part of her the singing talent could be attributed to but heck I don't care about the Filipino's propensity to take credit...you know what I'm talking about.

Anyway, the American Idol contest has been over and done with for almost a month, but still I am hearing and seeing video clips of Jessica singing that Whitney Houston (no disrespect to WH) over and over again on Philippine television (just  few seconds ago, I heard it again). Heck, can't we move on people!  I am beginning to develop Jessica overdose syndrome: itching ears, raised blood pressure and what have you.

Not another video clip...please!

Another human being that keep popping up on the news daily is Manny Pacquiao.I see him jogging, singing, Bible Quoting (good development), dancing and being nice to his opponent. It is a relief that he is not shown singing that ghastly over emotional blah, blah, blah Dan Hill song "Sometimes when we Touch" thing, but still seeing him covered by media minute by minute is hmmm...troubling.  Now, Jinky is also there.

Anyway, I think Manny is now good because I don't see Gov. Singson in his entourage. I think his new found faith in God exorcised the guy off the group.

No, I 'm not angry or anything, just sour about...hmmm...nahhh. Come to think about... it's numbing.

NKOTBBSB: The problem with boy bands

I heard that two boy band, or to be more accurate, two old boy bands will be having a concert here in the Philippines: New Kids on the Block and the Backstreet Boys. They were being announced on TV as  the two of the world's famous best boy bands.

Now what is wrong with this?

NKOTB 2008

Hell, they are not boys anymore. They are old now and seeing them perform their hits on the TV teaser is kinda painful. They were famous during the 90's and this era is kind of memorable to me because this was the age of alternative rock. The 90's saw the birth of great Filipino seminal bands like Eraserheads, Yano, the Youth etc. also the divide or the rivalry between metal and hiphop was kinda strong. So, their music was treated with contempt for they were pop and commercial (as opposed to the alternative-grunge-indie  music of the era). Also, they took advantage of the young girls and gays hormonal imbalance.

These boy bands were considered corny and childish or girlish and no rocker was ever expected to  listen to them. Now they are coming here to...weird. Of course, the rivalry between the hiphop and the metals are gone and all the nonsense... guess we all grew old, matured,  and became men and women. Still they call themselves boys? 

Backstreetboys 2011

They should rename their band: Old Kids on the Block and Backstreetmen. Anyway, hope to see them in 2080.

Gaga is done

Guess the rallyist watched the concert on the second day because they disappeared outside the MoA.  Lady Gaga owed Pastor Benny Abante and his group advertising and promotional  fees for effectively promoting the concert and making people interested with her and her music.

What did Pastor Abante and the other Christians accomplished with their rallies against Lady Gaga? (aside from hitting their own heads with their own fists)

Hmmmmmmm....hmmmmm...hmmmmmm...hmmmmm...hmmmmm...hmmmmmh....hmmmmmh....hmmmmm....hmmmmmh.....hmmmmm..hm...hmmmmm...hmmmmmm...hmmmmm...hmmmmm...hmmmmmh....hmmmmmh....hmmmmm....hmmmmmh.....hmmmmm..hm...hmmmmm...hmmmmmm...hmmmmm...hmmmmm...hmmmmmh....hmmmmmh....hmmmmm....hmmmmmh.....hmmmmm..hm...hmmmmm...hmmmmmm...hmmmmm...hmmmmm...hmmmmmh....hmmmmmh....hmmmmm....hmmmmmh.....hmmmmm..hm...hmmmmm...hmmmmmm...hmmmmm...hmmmmm...hmmmmmh....hmmmmmh....hmmmmm....hmmmmmh.....hmmmmm..hm...hmmmmm...hmmmmmm...hmmmmm...hmmmmm...hmmmmmh....hmmmmmh....hmmmmm....hmmmmmh.....hmmmmm..hm...hmmmmm...hmmmmmm...hmmmmm...hmmmmm...hmmmmmh....hmmmmmh....hmmmmm....hmmmmmh.....hmmmmm..hm...hmmmmm...hmmmmmm...hmmmmm...hmmmmm...hmmmmmh....hmmmmmh....hmmmmm....hmmmmmh.....hmmmmm..hm...hmmmmm...hmmmmmm...hmmmmm...hmmmmm...hmmmmmh....hmmmmmh....hmmmmm....hmmmmmh.....hmmmmm..hm...hmmmmm...hmmmmmm...hmmmmm...hmmmmm...hmmmmmh....hmmmmmh....hmmmmm....hmmmmmh.....hmmmmm..hm...hmmmmm...hmmmmmm...hmmmmm...hmmmmm...hmmmmmh....hmmmmmh....hmmmmm....hmmmmmh.....hmmmmm..hm...hmmmmm...hmmmmmm...hmmmmm...hmmmmm...hmmmmmh....hmmmmmh....hmmmmm....hmmmmmh.....hmmmmm..hm...

The rallies and demonstrations boosted ticket sales by 2000%. They also made many people, even the uninterested like me, search and listen to Lady Gaga's music.

 If you don't like then don't, but please...other people have the freedom to. 

AI, Fil-Am Serial Killer

As expected another white guy with guitar won this year's American Idol. I was expecting Joshua Ledet to win because he got the most number of standing ovation but again, it was the American voters who decided who would win and they have voted for Philip Philips.

Anyway, my problem with Jessica Sanchez was that she was a diva. There's is something about diva's that make people sick: exhibitionist display of vocal range, ear splitting volume and power, irritating vibrato, and orgasmic facial expression. I mean...I think the Americans had enough of divas; me too.

Philip Philips is not an outstanding singer. Even I, a tone deaf, could hear when he is out of tune, but he is different: weird and awkward.

___________________

The Filipinos, as always when they hear news that a person with Filipino blood--from 50% to .00000001%--is doing well in singing contests or any international event of some sort, roots for their "countrymen." I myself, sometimes does not understand this especially when my countrymen felt ashamed of  Andrew Cunanan. I mean, he's a Filipino serial killer and if we are proud of Filipino-American singers, we should also be proud, I mean its not as if we expect all Filipinos to be just talented in singing or dancing or boxing...we should be proud that we also have a world class serial killer.

Background information
Birth name	Andrew Phillip Cunanan
Born	August 31, 1969 National City, California,United States
Died	July 23, 1997 (aged 27) Miami Beach, Florida, United States
Cause of death	Suicide by gunshot
Killings
Number of victims	5
Country	United States
State(s)	Minnesota, Illinois, New Jersey, Florida

Andrew Phillip Cunanan

August 31, 1969
National City, California,United States

July 23, 1997 (aged 27)
Miami Beach, Florida, United States

Suicide by gunshot

5

United States

Minnesota, Illinois, New Jersey, Florida

Gaga over Gaga

The more she is maligned and called anti-Christ, the more record she sells.  Isn't that obvious?

I heard and seen from the news that Christian groups in the Philippines violently opposed Lady Gaga's concert. Biblemode a group led by Politician cum Bible Baptist Pastor Benny Abante who by the way believed that only Bible and Fundamentalist Baptists are true Christians and other Baptists (guess we Southern Baptist are heathens) and other denominations are bound to go to hell, is organizing rallies and demonstrations (hmm... aren't rallies and demonstrations the same?) to show their opposition against Lady Gaga's concert. This guy's organization is calling to all Christian (my gosh, he is joining hands with evangelicals, a denomination he denounced in his Biblemode TV program) to support his cause!  Ow come on...

Don't you people have something productive to do like...  For heaven's sake, try to have a mind of your own.

Didn't we learn anything he, he,he...This kind of thing,. the moralizing, Bible Verse throwing, the anti-Christ name calling, hell, judgment thing does not work. And to tell the truth, the attention generated by the anti-christ- bruhaha serves  only as the best free advertising for the concert. If these Fundamentalist Christian people, especially their youth, just stuck to talking about it in their pulpits and in their cell group, the concert would just pass by without a fuss. 

Who cares about Lady Gaga! Why be afraid of her?   I mean, we the Filipino People should be more afraid of fundamentalist groups out to destroy freedom in the name of their religion. The freedom, which by the way, is also being enjoyed by them. 


Pastor Abante should go to Iran and discuss the matter with his fellow fundamentalists there. No disrespect meant, just plain disgust coming from a heathen Southern Baptist.

Magrally ka mag-isa mo!

Princess and I, Jessica

I saw the premiere telecast of the much hyped and promoted channel 2's new teledrama Princess and I. The plot was about err...if you read Snow White errr...I mean Cinderella... you got the plot. Anyway, the series was set in Bhutan and its understandable, for authenticity, that Filipino actors playing the Bhutanese characters to speak Bhutanese but  ...hmmm...it felt weird seeing Filipino actors speaking foreign tongue being subtitled in Filipino. Anyway, I hated Gretchen Barreto; she's evil, only meant she's a good actor because she was able to make me hate her character in the series.

My gut tells me that Jessica Sanchez, half Filipino half Mexican who tells the world that she is a Mexican and not a Filipino but the Filipinos, for the sake of being Filipino, claims that Jessica is a Filipino and not a Mexican...anyway, my prediction is that she will not make it. Ninety-nine percent of the people that vote for American Idol wannabes are teenage girls. Teenage girls vote cute guys. Of course, being a patriotic and nationalisitc Filipino, I am praying and hoping and wishing that this Mexican-American girl wins the crown.

Guitar and memory (not that memory)

For sometime now, I haven’t touched my guitar because I’m quite busy with school; I am in charge of the graduation practice and simply asking about 300 pupils to fall in line zaps most of energy not to mention keeping their noise level down and keeping them in line. Handling large number of pupils is very stressful, and if I am not careful I may end up physically controlling some of them which I try my best not to.  I am exhausted when I get home.

I haven’t touched my guitar for quite sometime now and last night when I tried to play some pieces, I found out that I forgot some of the passages and this frustrated me. I am not really a guitarist but because I like classical guitar music, I taught myself to read notes and even today I read notes like a grade one pupil so I learn guitar piece at a very slow rate. Learning one, depending on the difficulty level, is quite a challenge that takes me from few minutes to many hours chipping at the score a little at a time. So it was frustrating to realize that what took me hours to learn, I forget faster.

Among 19^th century philosophers, Arthur Schopenhauer was among the first to contend that at its core, the universe is not a rational place. Inspired by Plato and Kant, both of whom regarded the world as being more amenable to reason, Schopenhauer developed their philosophies into an instinct-recognizing and ultimately ascetic outlook, emphasizing that in the face of a world filled with endless strife, we ought to minimize our natural desires for the sake of achieving a more tranquil frame of mind and a disposition towards universal beneficence. Often considered to be a thoroughgoing pessimist, Schopenhauer in fact advocated ways — via artistic, moral and ascetic forms of awareness — to overcome a frustration-filled and fundamentally painful human condition. Since his death in 1860, his philosophy has had a special attraction for those who wonder about life's meaning, along with those engaged in music, literature, and the visual arts.(Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

Anyway, that’s life…time is what we do not have that much to spend. Most seemed to think that work is what gives meaning to person’s life and other activities that do not contribute to productivity is considered useless. True to a degree but it is also important to experience the beauty surrounding us because this adds meaning to our lives. Even the pessimist philosopher Schopenhauer saw that art and the contemplation of beauty is a sort of an escape or a balancer in our perpetual battle against our will (will to Schopenhauer is evil). So when we contemplate beauty or works of art, we are temporary raised above the level of our wills. That coming from a sour philosopher is something to think about.

Life without music is a mistake according to Nietzsche, so,play on!

Bronchial Asthma, Lost etc.

February 13, 2011. It was raining. I didn’t mind the rain. I strapped on my helmet sans my raincoat which I did not bring, rode on my motorcycle and left the school. I enjoyed the cold rain drops beating down on my face. It was cold because it was still February and the weatherman from the hopeless PAG-ASA, the country's weather bureau, kept on telling us that the tail end of the cold front was still on us, whatever that meant.

Anyway, I was wet and cold but enjoying my ride home. When I arrived, my wife gave me dry clothes and hot coffee. I sat down and rested for a while, and then it began: I started coughing. It was a little cough which I did not mind at all; I cough a lot because I have allergies, all that mucus and other yucky stuff. Things started to get weird when I went to bed: I started coughing really hard because of abnormal mucus secretion; my throat was constricted; I was cold but sweating. I was not able to sleep the whole night. 

The day after, I went to see the doctor. The diagnosis: bronchial asthma. I was given asthma medicines and anti-biotic, but the best of them all--not that I like being sick--I was given a three day rest which counting the weekend, meant I had five days of rest. I spent Valentine's day sick.

But things didn’t go that well. I didn’t know if there’s some connection or something because when I woke up yesterday, my ankle was hurting and when I looked at it, my ankle bone was missing--my rheumatism or gout or whatever this inflammation of the ankle joint Is called was acting up again. Heaven’s when it rains it pours! Asthma and rheumatism they do come hand in hand. (I really don't know if I had rheumatism, or arthritis, or rheumatoid arthritis, or arthritic rheumatism or arthritic-rheumatoid-rheumatism-arthritism...) I don't know if its psychosomatic or some sort of..anyway..I do need to take care of my diet now.

Age is what it is…I used to hate the smell of Efficascent Oil, or Omega Pain Killer Extra Strength, but now that I frequently used them, and  I have become used to their smell, now, I mean...in the bedroom, sort of a love scent or something...aromatic-aphrodisiac...hmm sort of.

Anyway, what did I do with my five days rest?

I read book, played guitar and watched DVDs.  

Here’s the strange thing: every time or most of the time when I am reading a book and I am interrupted to go to the comfort room, when I come out of the comfort room I forget where I put my book or sometimes I forget that I am even reading a book. So, I end up looking for the book which usually I just slam on whatever surface page-open-faced-down. When this happens, I end up picking up my guitar and playing some pieces that I knew, but I can’t concentrate because I am still thinking where I put the book that I am reading.  

When not looking for the book, I find them in the strangest places like upstairs on the bed, or on the aparador with the cracked mirror, or under the plastic sofa hidden by the throw pillows that looked like rugs now, on the motorcycle seat and sometimes even on top of the dog’s cage.. Hmm…weird, I sometimes think there are naughty gnomes living in the house.

Still learning Bach's Gavotte en Rondeau on the guitar for almost a year now. A happy guitar piece--I like Bach's music because they are happy. Gavotte is a French Folk dance which explains why its a happy, lilting, jumping music and rondeau means round: ABACA form. Anyway, just learning it because it's beautiful music..

My wife complains that she is better off when I am at work because then she does not have to deal with the clatter (bootleg DVD jackets, books, guitar scores, banana peels, cotton swabs…) I leave wherever I sit.

Anyway, I am now in season five of Lost! Great, great series to watch. Just one complain though, I hate the 360 degrees camera sweep. I mean the camera starts from the face, then to the ear then to the nape, then the other ear, then back to the face again, cliche.

On Punctuation

They celebrate punctuation day! (Photo not mine)

Okay, so what  do I know about punctuation? Not much really because I don't like my blogging to be bothered by technicalities, and I am too lazy to check my grammar book on the proper use of punctuation. I just cruise along, and, if, I, make some pauses while...hmmm...writing, I usually put a comma in there. This, to a grammarian, may look weird, and, unconventional because too much commas makes writing choppy and crowded. But, one of the reasons why I use too much comma is that I think of them as natural pauses, sort of a musical rest, like when, I'm thinking about, words, I pause, once in a while, and think. Of course commas are separators, but for me, they, are...pauses, too.

Hmmm...about ellipsis...these three little dots that...is also one of my favorite punctuation. Ellipsis means there is something more to be said but instead of continuing the writer simply stops and put hmmm....The reasons? 

1. He is too lazy to come up with words, too lazy to think.

2. He does not know what the heck is he writing about, 

3. He is not sure of anything at all.

For one thing the following phrases  is already obvious to the readers like for example: "What the...!", Or Holy ...! Of course I am not saying bad words but the effect of the ellipsis could be hmm...felt. So sometime ellipsis makes the writing interesting because there are gaps where the reader are made to psychologize and analyze what the in the world is going on in between! Well, too much ellipsis make hhhh..., ..., ..., ohhh..., ...like... maybe..., to..., maybe if.... see... it is creepy, really.

Anyway, another reason is that the writer just wants to quote parts of something like: "In beginning...Lambs book of life!" The writer quoted the entire Bible leaving some stuffs in the middle for the reader to:

1. Just leave as it is.

2. Open the Bible and read what is in between,

3. Just pretend nothing happened.

I used the Bible as an example because it is the book that I read often, nothing else.

I once saw a neighbor a fresh college graduate doing his, I mean her, resume and I saw that he, I mean she,  used a lot of ellipsis.

I read her application as:

I am a hardworking college graduate interested in working in your company...

I graduated with a degree...etc.

I immediately told her that these three dots have specific use. Obviously she did not have any idea about the use of punctuation. She replied that these three dots made her resume look artful and interesting. I asked where she was applying for a job and she said she was applying for a job in a Chinese shoe factory in Taytay. I said...hmmm...ellipsis is good!

Do, read, your, grammar, book, and, try, to be a smart writer....but my tip is, doodle anything and then let the punctuation and other technical stuff bother you later, ..., ..., ...,...!

Anyway, my first morning class is about to begin in 10, 9, 8, 7...

Friday Blues...(not that Blues)

Friday and feeling a little down. It’s because of money, lack of it. No matter how I try to be a little aloof, or stoical (?) about money, still  the lack of it could sometimes put me down. Hmmm… The feeling is quite natural especially in this age where the temple of materialism and consumerism abounds promoting materialism and consumerism, what else? One pastor calls them SM or Satan’s Mall. But I wouldn’t go that far…maybe Satanic Malls would be better. Just  kidding. Malls are amoral, they have no idea what is right or wrong or evil or good, etc. They are just buildings filled made up of matter for heaven’s sake.

SM Mall of Asia (MOA) is a shopping mall owned and developed by SM Prime Holdings, the largest mall developer and owner in the Philippines. SM Mall of Asia is the 2nd largest mall in the Philippines after SM City North EDSA, 3rd largest shopping mall in Asia and the 4th^[1] (Ref. Forbes' World's 10 Largest Shopping Malls) largest shopping mall in the world.

We just received our Christmas compensation and even before the money could land on the table (I put my salary on the table in front of my daughter and wife, and we all do the budgeting to let my daughter see how every cent is accounted for). Before the money landed on the table, it already went to bill enevelopes. But there were still some debt unpaid, waiting for the next compensation before finally being settled, I hope. At least I have given my wife and my daughter their Christmas money. But as my co-teachers and master teachers always tell me, “at least there is money that passes by your hands” (Sounds better in Tagalog).

Money sure can't buy happiness but at least they could buy stuffs.

I was planning to buy two sets of guitar strings, nylon and steel, for my guitars, but I guess it will have to wait for hmmm…ever. Good guitar strings are quite expensive. I hope instrument makers will develop strings that do not break or lose their  tone.

Guitar strings, especially nylons, lasts long but they tend to become dull and lose their tones because of the stretching and the contracting.

One of the reasons I miss my childhood is that I missed the naiveté (not the nativity) of Christmas. I grew up during the martial law era. Life was quite simple then because there were not that much stuff around. There were no TV lifestyle, or reality shows that promotes hedonistic living; shows that makes one want to rob a bank so that he/she could get money and at least get a taste of high living. Most of the TV shows then was Marcos proclaiming something on the TV, all stations both TV and radio. Even Voltes V was banned from being shown; may corrupt the youth’s mind. I suspect Marcos was afraid that some genius would create a robot or something that could challenge his security force.

Out you go...you Japanese invader. I think one of the reasons why many Filipino supported Cory Aquino was because they despised, deeply hated Marcos for pulling Voltes V out of air . The family was not forgiven and the act not forgotten. Voltes V is a cult here in the Philippines.

Compared today, there are a lot of stuff everywhere. Of course its not that I miss the martial law days. What I really miss is the childness of Christmas.

Anyway, I am thankful for Christmas because, really, Christmas means grace…and I should be writing my lesson plans!

Submarinebiebertuitionfeeblahblah

I am beginning to feel the stress of the opening of classes. My daughter’s first year high school tuition fee almost gave me a heart attack. The down payment alone cost me a whole month salary excluding books, uniforms and school supplies. I stopped counting…

 I am waiting for the inevitable: asthma attacks. The change from summer to the rainy season is already happening. One hour it is blistering hot, the next hour it’s raining very hard. The humidity is also starting to bother me; the water in the air is encouraging the growth of molds and other microscopic plants that trigger allergic reactions.

When my boss informed that I will be teaching Music and English this school year (of course things can and do change), I am now forcing myself to study Filipino folk-songs and attempting to arrange some of them for the solo guitar. There are surprises because some of the pieces are very good for the guitar.

Pressured because I will be one of the discussant in the Summer Enhancement Program for Teachers...fancy name for the district seminar that will be held this Monday-Friday. I am part of the Music team...more or else I will do more guitar playing than discussing.Our chief is planning to have a band present during the seminar, it is also possible that I may be playing bass guitar, too. I hope that the band will sound like a band. I haven't played in a band, except for jamming with the church band, for years now. I don't know if I still have the "it".

Que se ra...

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So, the Philippine Navy is planning to acquire a submarine by the year 2020. Why is it, that I think this is not a good idea. A submarine is very, very expensive for our navy. It’s not that I don’t want our navy to have one, but let’s face it we do not need a submarine because we cannot afford it yet. What the navy immediately needs is ships, boats, helicopters, planes to guard our coasts and to conduct rescue operations. The navy does not even have ships capable of operating in the open blue seas; all they have are patrol boats and WWII landing crafts.

Hmmmm...submarine hotdog.

_____________________

Justin Bieber held a concert here in Manila and many young Filipinos were disappointed by the snobbery of the Bieber. There was a video showing Justin elbowing a fan asking for an autograph. Also, he did not attend the post concert party which disappointed his fans.  Of course, many were hurt by Bieber's actions because of their naivety. Also, many defended Bieber's actions because of their naivety and lack of sense.

The sweet baby, baby, baby image that Bieber projects to his fans is an illusion. The guy is a performer. He  sells himself to the audience, and the fans should not think that the cute, smiling and boy next door image that Justin projects  is the real him.   

The fans must somehow separate the reel from real. They pay him for his performances and that is it—he performs. If they want Justin to be nice and accommodating to them…hello…hello…For all I know, the guy hates all of his fans for their gullibility and ....  

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I was listening to the news when I heard a comment by Garcia’s lawyer that a plea bargain agreement mounting to a hundred fifty million pesos does not in any way indicate guilt. I almost threw what I was eating at the TV set. Of course, I do not blame the lawyer for making the statement because it is sworn duty to defend his client at whatever cost it takes. Also he knew the technicalities of the law than a stinking-armchair-pseudo-expert like me. 

But I can’t help asking, where did General Garcia get the 150 million to offer the government in exchange for a downgrading of his case from plunder to bribery? 

Nobody is buying the story that guy is born rich.

Lawyers amaze me for their mastery of the art of prevarication.

__________________________________________________________

Almost three years of blogging, yet my writing, grammar, mechanics still sucks ...boink, boink....

Motorcycle, Disco, Penitensya and a little theology of pain

Yesterday, I was on a motorcycle and listening to KC and the Sunshine Band singing “That’s the way” and following a crowd shouting “crucify him!” while two centurions carrying two large bamboo piggy bank go from jeepneys to bystanders asking for donations made me stop, look, listen and scratch my head. The irony and the incongruity of it all almost made me want to get down from the motorcycle, grab the cross, carry it, then sing “That’s the way I like it” while swaying to the rhythm of disco’s groove and horn…Of course this  sounded sacrosanct, but, sometimes the mind had its own way of dealing with absurdities, go insane or to be more adaptive and survivalistic,  think of little crazy things. 

Anyway, for all the traditions and the holiness we attached to holy week, there’s one thing that I need to talk about. It’s the question that nags me every time I see penitensyas done in the street: Why there has to be pain? If you ask me, Lent especially Good Friday is one big sadistic traditional festival very similar to that of the hedonistic Mardi gras that is also, incidentally, part of the observance of the Lenten season, where exhibitionism and flagrant sensuality rules the day. (Mardi gras in English is fat Tuesday. It is the tradition of celebrating and eating all you can before the beginning of the fasting season of lent which is Ash Wednesday). There is a thin line, actually the relationship is direct and complementary, between pain and sensuality.Orgasm and dying are both ecstatic-medically speaking of course.

In the Philippines it is belief that self inflicted suffering like whipping and the literal crucifixion of a devotee to imitate the sufferings of Christ brings with it forgiveness and washing of sins, and, also expected are healing, blessings, and the granting of prayers.

Although many religion practice self inflicted pain as an initiation rite and also as a way to induce ecstatic experience, the Christian tradition, or understanding,  of pain and death of Christ is that of representational  or vicarious in that the sufferings and death of one man, the second Adam, all may live. So, if I follow, Christ suffered and died to give life, and that is by ransom, by redemption, that resulted in our justification before God. Christ's death sufficed. Although many saints suffered and was martyred, it’s not because they intentionally chose to, but it’s because of the hostility of their era to Christ and Christianity and to expect Christians to suffer in the way these saints did is absurd. That is why Paul stressed the spiritual aspect of suffering and the nailing on the cross of our fleshly nature because of the dangers of Christinity going the way of Stoicism, which Paul fought vehemently during his time. The teachings that espouses the denial of the body and the glorification of suffering and physical pain. Unfortunately, the mythologization of the lives of the saints, real or fictional, resulted to the glorification of self mortification at the expense of the joys and the blessings of a saving relationship with Christ.

Penitensyas, unfortunately, still espouses the discredited and dumped dogma of indulgences because it deemed self mortification as a bargaining chip, not different from that of the excess merits of Christ and the saints, to win favor from God based on what humanity could give and not grounded upon the grace and perfection of God. What can humanity add to the sufferings of Christ? Nothing. It is the acceptance and the realization that the suffering of one man is enough for us all-that is what we must to-accept grace for we cannot add anything to God's perfection.  

Penitensya is odd because if it is to be understood as an imitation of Christ, it does not accomplish much. Observe that after the lashings and the crucifixions, after a few days, most of these people are back to their former selves with not a trace of change in them. Experiencing Christ does not necessarily has to be painful, but it must be life changing.

The practice and tradition of self mortification has its scriptural source in the writings of St. Paul; Romans 6:13 “If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die; but if ye live through the Spirit to mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.”; Col. 3:5 “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.” Though the implications of the verses are spiritual and do not necessitates self mortification, the traditionalization of the penitnesyas may well be the result of the Catholic Church’s institutionalization or at the very least toleration of the penitensyas.  

 It is only lately that the church, as a whole, started issuing strong repudiation of the necessity of self mortification on a Biblical as well as for health reasons. Also, with the attention that penitensyas are getting, the evil of commercialization is starting to rear its ugly head. People are not getting nailed on the cross for religious and even ecstatic reasons; the primary motivation now is manna-money, the love of which St. Paul rightly said as the root of all evil. Because of this the Catholic Church realized that the religious and spiritual aspect of most penitensyas is taking a backseat and is now just a peripheral justification for the observance of penitensyas and what is emerging is one lucrative business: the religious-cultic-tourism. They are now taking steps but centuries of traditions and the pull of making money cannot be changed in a day.

Why is there pain? I don't know gaadddaafffi...

 The absurdity of it all is saddening. Its like riding on a motorcycle, listening to KC and the Sunshine Band singing “That’s the way” while watching a young boy dressed like a Christ re-enacting crucifixion. Where is this leading to?

Back to basics people! Jesus saves.

And back to my breakfast...I like blogging while eating!

American Idol musings...

I am sad when Cowell left American Idol. Watching the show without Simon Cowell is worrying me because without a devil's advocate, the show, I fear, will become errr....mushy. Cowell's bluntness and Britishness and unpredictability (well sometimes he is) adds flavor to the show. Also his criticisms, though they hit hard and painfully, is mostly justified and correct. Well he is gone, not dead I mean, but the show is doing well without him.

Steven Tyler (I have always known him as Steve) and Jennifer Lopez, the new judges, is proving to be very good and entertaining judges. I have reservations about Steven Tyler because he is a hard rocker. I fear that he would be too hard to the contestants. Steve (before becoming Steven) belongs to the old school rockers. These rockers, the pioneer of hard rock and heavy metal, have bad reputations. They are famous for their notoriety, drugs, sex, violence etc. during their heyday in the late 60's to the early 80's that they are called anti-christs, devils , demons, etc, especially Ozzie Osborne of Black Sabbath because his theatrical concerts includes eating bats and mocked beheading. They are the parent's enemy no. 1 because of their hold over their children. Well things are different now. They are now senior citizens. My friend once showed me a video of a Black Sabbath concert where Ozzie Osborne suffered a broken hip when he tried to do what he thought he could, he jumped on the stage. Funny. But the accident showed that rockers are becoming brittle (or soft) as they age.

Anyway, after a few episodes, my reservations is proving to be wrong. Steven, though he uses the "F" word a lot, is a sensitive and a politically correct judge. (The "F" word is slowly losing its power, and according to linguists words lose their meanings when they are misused. Maybe in a few decades the "F" word will have a very different meaning from what it is now.) Truth to tell, I am a little disappointed because I am expecting a very rowdy Steve and not a very proper...err... a relatively proper Steven. Though sometimes I disagree with his choices for the obvious reasons, but as a veteran musician, maybe he is seeing something else from the contestants that I can not. I thought he would the bad lubot in the panel but, I'm glad I am wrong. I am seeing his good and soft side (as far TV could tell).

J Lo, as expected, is not unlike Paula Abdul. She talks a lot about authenticity, being real to yourself, about being honest to the art. She's emotional. The problem is that she says the most positive thing that I can't tell if she is just being nice! But her positive comments meant a lot to the contestants. I can see how the contestants' eyes shine with hope every time she gives encouraging remarks.

Alas, Randy Jackson is taking the place of Simon Cowell. He is now the primary source of negativity in the show.

The judges' chemistry is very good. Abangan ang susunod mga susunod na kabanata...

Justin Bieber's hair

I heard that Justine Bieber's lock of hair fetch 40, 000 US dollars. Its crazy. Why would anyone want to buy a lock of hair? For forty thousand dollars!

Maybe its the mystique. I heard that Manny Paquaio (okay, I saw it on the news) also had his hair cut. If I were the barber, I would have collected all Manny's hair and then put them in a plastic container and then had them signed and sealed by Pacquaio for posterity. Who knows maybe in the future Many's hair would cost a lot. Who knows maybe in the future when our country has aready advanced in the field of genetics and cloning, our politicians and our sports officials may want to clone Manny Pacquaio so that we could produce another world class boxer.

Why stop there? Imagine if Bata Reyes' barber also collected the billiard champion's hair. Maybe we could clone another billiard magician. How about Charice Pempengco's manicurist? Why I hope they are saving samples of her nails.

Hmmm...

Anyway, its the relic mentality. This phenomenon (not Manny Pacquiao's Bieber haircut, I mean why would he had that haircut in the first place!) is not unusual. People have bought hair, bones, straws from the manger of our Lord that according to the experts...well...would make our Lord a very hairy person or would make his mangers a very big manger. Bones of saints, blood of heroes etc. People want a piece of the people they admire.

Maybe we can trace this back to the belief that if a person ate another person's brain, he also ingests the person's power or prowess. Maye eating Justin Bieber....hehehe. Anyway, he is a phenomenon and I just hope that Bieber would grow up to be a normal person. Teen stars usually have a very unhappy life, look at Michel Jackson.

Ahhh... shocks, what am I saying :-)

Francisco Tarrega

Francisco Tárrega (Francisto Tarrega y Eixea) (November 21, 1852 - December 15, 1909) was a Spanish composer and guitarist. Born in Villarreal, Spain, he fell into an irrigation channel when he was young, which rendered him nearly blind. Partially due to this accident, the family moved to Castellon and enrolled him in music classes. Both his first music teachers, Eugeni Ruiz and Manuel Gonzalez, were blind.

In 1862, guitarist Julián Arcas heard the young prodigy and encouraged him to journey to Barcelona, a hub for musicians. However, Tarrega was soon brought back by his father. [1], He entered the Madrid Conservatory in 1874, under the sponsorship of a wealthy merchant named Antonio Canesa, where he studied composition under Emilio Arrieta. By the end of the 1870s, he was teaching the guitar (Emilio Pujol and Miguel Llobet were pupils of his) and giving regular concerts. A virtuoso on his instrument, he was known as the "Sarasate of the guitar". He later settled in Barcelona, and died there in 1909. As well as his original works for the guitar, which include Recuerdos de la Alhambra, Capricho Árabe and Danza Mora, he arranged pieces by others for the instrument, including works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Frédéric Chopin and Felix Mendelssohn. As with several of his Spanish contemporaries, such as his friend Isaac Albéniz, he had an interest in combining the prevailing Rom.

Francisco Tárrega's music and style of guitar playing became strongly influential in the twentieth century. He was central to reviving the guitar as a solo instrument in recital and concerts. His output was modest, having composed only 78 original scores and 120 transcriptions - mostly for his own use. Among his most popular works for the guitar are Recuerdos de la Alhambra, Capricho Árabe and Danza Mora.

He is also the composer of what has been claimed to be "probably the world's most heard tune": the Nokia ringtone, Nokia tune, or simply Nokia, also used in advertising spots, is based on Tárrega's Gran Vals. His music also inspired Mike Oldfield to arrange Tárrega's tremolo study Recuerdos de la Alhambra for the soundtrack of the film "The Killing Fields".

As with several of his Spanish contemporaries, such as his friend Isaac Albéniz, he had an interest in combining the prevailing Romantic trend in classical music with Spanish folk elements, and transcribed several of Albéniz's piano pieces. The noted contemporary guitarist and composer Angelo Gilardino has written that Tárrega's 9 Preludios are "... the deepest musical thought of Tárrega in the most concentrated form."
(Wikipedia)