Thoughtful...

.:Thieves:.

Sure, it's only twenty bucks, but the theft in my room the other day pretty much proves that I still have someone stealing from me every chance they get.

I'm tempted to figure out some way of catching him red-handed. Maybe UV rays would work, provided I can spritz some substance on my money that'd register under a UV ray...

Preferably, it should be something that doesn't wash off easy.

I guess it should be obvious why I'm none too pleased about this crud...

.:Trolls:.

To those playing Marvel vs. Capcom 2, how do you feel about hearing from a guy non-stop that he's so good with Hayato he can own Cable with ease?

What a laugh.

.:Terrible:.

And she wonders why I'm upset.

Gee, whiz, maybe she shouldn't have pushed me away from meeting her again in the first place...

Isn't it just my luck that this always happens? I honestly can't help but feel very frustrateed that this happened again...

It boggles the mind how these Indian givers can even act indgnant after what they've done...

.:Twenty-Four Times Two:.

That'd be forty-eight. And that is one of the biggest reasons why I can't keep away from Pinoy Dream Academy, which has been a source of riveting TV for me.

I don't really know, nor do I care if the singers from Philippine Idol are better. The fact of the matter is that the personalities in PDA are very riveting, and sir Jim's presence as Headmaster just gives the whole thing an air of legitimacy.

A couple of weeks ago, sir Jim started assigning the forty-eight hour assignment to the scholar of the Academy. This assignment involved them pretending it was the last forty-eight hours of their life, and acting accordingly.

If you knew you'd die in two days, what loose ends would you want to tie up? Who would you talk to, apologize to, forgive, profess your love to? Or would you just sit idly by and let those forty-eight hours pass you by as if it didn't matter what would happen at the end of it?

When sir Jim gave us this assignment for Creativity Class in Ateneo around four years ago, it was a turning point for me. It was that point in my life where I realized life was too short to harbor petty grudges and petulant caprices. From that point on, while I may still act petty at times, I never lose sight at the end of the day that there is a bigger picture that remains to be seen.

It's been two years since I graduated from Ateneo, and yet I still carry valuable lessons with me. Lessons I learned from great teachers like sir Jim, or ma'am Sining, or Jon Bulaong.

And the more I watch PDA on television, the more I completely go against my usual "Pure Kapuso" viewing habits when I watch local TV, the more I miss the academe. The more I long to return there and to remind everyone that the academe is precisely where I thrive.

Sometimes, I really just wonder...

P.S. Vote for Rosita. She's just so much fun to watch. =P

Long-Delayed...

.:TOEInty Tears Up Eastwood!:.

Before The Competition

Eastwood came to life as TOEI Philippines celebrated its twentieth year with a group cosplay competition to end all group cosplay competitions.

While yes, Hataw Hanep Hero at World Trade Center was a bigger, more well-publicized event, I have to say that the stops were really pulled out at Eastwood, where we were treated to masterpiece presentations, from top to bottom.

In any case, I got there in the afternoon, after the kid cosplay competition and in the middle of the dubbing competition finals. The ones I saw were pretty good, though I really wished I would've had the chance to see how the “Battle Royale” team did...

So that being said, my partner Juno and I stood around for a while with the cosplayers before we finally got to the floats which was going to start the festivities for the evening. While there, we ended up sharing the float with two girls from the Airgear cosplay group.

Well, to be honest, one of the girls rubbed us the wrong way. She was rambling on and on about wanting to be a supermodel and stuff, and then she made it a point to remind everyone she had a boyfriend so everyone can back off from her when they approach her, which was kinda counterproductive to her cosplaying.

To top it all off, she even fainted and got her own team eliminated. I'm pretty sure supermodels don't faint before they go on the catwalk, and if they did, they really should reconsider their career... heh.


Here It Comes!

After the parade, we spent a bit of time with a briefing where we worked out the lineup of presentations and got ready for the main event. Juno was in costume, but I tried to pass myself off as one of the Voltes V guys who'd always wear cowboy clothes. Yeah, yeah. What a sneaky way to get away with not cosplaying, but whaddaheck.

The crowd was incredibly responsive. No matter at what point in the show, they were definitely hot for the presentations all night long and the crowd refused to thin out for as long as the decision wasn't handed out.

Performances were spectacular. You had awesome choreography from the One Piece guys, insane comedy from the Dragonball crew, and so on and so forth, but the crème de la crème would have to be the Zodiacs group who presented Saint Seiya in musical fashion, the second Super Robot Wars team that had lots of breakaway props they put to interesting use for fight scenes, and of course, the runaway winner by far was the Shaider team, which blew everyone away. They were a group that cosplayed for the first time, and nobody expected costumes this accurate, choreography this meticulous, and an overall presentation that completely felt like an actual episode of Shaider. The crowd was deafening when it came to them.

Michael V was the celebrity guest judge, and it was really awesome. The crowd was really into the whole presentation, and despite a long technical gaff at some point, the crowd sat there patiently. In fact, I even ended up doing Liquid Metal, which led to me cutting my thumb, bringing my total of injuries that night to two. You see, I kinda landed real bad on my foot when I got off the float before the show... heh.

In any case, the people out there were also amused when they heard the ever-famous “Some call these men the greatest entertainers on Earth...” spiel. It was a riot, as I managed to get away with that while one of the bands were getting ready.

And of course, kudos to the bands who performed as well, and special mention has to go to Neotaku and X vs. Zero. You guys are awesome.

For more pictures, do check the other entries all over LJ land about the TOEI festival, and for videos, check out YouTube, and search with TOEInty. The Shaider presentation is an absolute treat.

Congratulations, everyone!

.:Happy Feet Is A Must-See:.

Awesome, awesome movie! Well, so was “Fight Club”, and I have to thank Tita Toots, Tito Fort, and of course, Bessie Estelle for that. It was a really great Sunday...

.:New Phone. Finally:.

It's about bloody time, I guess. Thanks to my mom for that one...

Hehehehhee..

.:160 Gigabytes! Wheee!!!:.

My uncle bought me a spanking new hard drive for use with my laptop. I am beside myself with joy.

Not just that, he even got me a fan for my laptop to keep it from overheating. I am just stunned. =)

Thanks, uncle Raymund! You're the absolute best.

.:Film Review: Borat:.

Borat:
This movie film certified funny humor for human watching by the greatest country in the world of Kazakhstan..

Watched this movie with a friend from grade school, and I just can't believe how floored everybody was by the film. The film was a laugh a minute and it wasn't really going to make much sense for me to tell you what happens in the movie, since it spoils the enjoyment.

Let's put it this way... Borat is a reporter from Kazakhstan, and he went to the United States to discover more about American culture. The glaring cultural differences, from the very blatant anti-Semitism, to the lopsided male-female dynamic, and so forth, all add up to a very hilarious but politically incorrect romp through America as Borat discovers Pamela Anderson and attempts to marry her...

I loved the whole dynamic of Borat trying to get married to Pam. It was just hilarious, and the way he kept on ticking people off along the way was classic... it's a nice commentary on how hypocritical people can really be when they are just being forced to subscribe to norms they really don't believe in deep down.

I don't wanna talk about it much beyond that. If you're not easily offended by very politically incorrect humor, give this movie a shot. It's a genuine laugh-a-minute film.

And, oh. Leave your brain at the door.

And, errr... get ready for one of the most disturbing man-man scenes you will ever see.

Marcelle's Critical Evaluation: B
Marcelle's Fun Evaluation: A+

I'm Bringing Sexy Back... (Yeah!)

.:It's A Bit Of An LSS...:.

Edited the lyrics for relevance... :P

I'll Just Post (To Say I Love You)
by Stevie Wonder

No new year's day
To celebrate
No chocolate covered candy hearts to give away
No first of spring
No song to sing
In fact heres just another ordinary day
No April rain
No flowers bloom
No wedding saturday within the month of June
But what it is
Is something true
Made up of these three words that I must say to you

CHORUS:
I'll just post to say I love you
I'll just post to say how much I care
I'll just post to say I love you
And I mean it from the bottom of my heart

No summer's high
No warm july
No harvest moon to light one tender August night
No autumn breeze
No falling leaves
No even time for birds to fly to southern skies
No Libra sun
No Halloween
No giving thanks to all the Christmas joy you bring
But what it is
Though old so new
To fill your heart like no three words could ever do.

(Repeat CHORUS x 2)

Of my heart
Of my heart

Stevie Wonder is God. How can he not be? God is love. Love is blind. Stevie Wonder is blind, so w00t!!!

But I digress...

You know who you are.

For no other reason than because I dare to choose, and even if you may not feel the same way as I do...

I give you all the power in the world to hurt me. To break my heart completely and utterly. And there is no other person in this planet at this very moment I would want to say this to more...

I love you, I love you, I love you. I love you a whole lot more than I ever thought I still could possibly love someone.

Quick Thoughts...

.:Lookie This...:.

We're premiering something v-ery interesting by next year...

You like it?

.:Under The Weather...:.

I was supposed to be back at work by today, but due to some bad conditions, I'm still very sick up to now...

Despite that, I still am finishing some playlists, and I took the time out to meet up with Elbert, Camz, and Estelle in MegaMall. It was fun, really. I mean, how else can I possibly describe the feeling of being with my wonderful friends? =)

I especially am grateful to Elbert, by the way, for the Magic DVD compilation that he gave to me... it was definitely awesome, to say the least.

.:Genuinely Worried:.

Hey, Cami!

I know things aren't going so well where you are right now, and I fully understand how it can get lonely being in the States where people who care about you are so far away. I understand how difficult it can get from time to time, and I want you to know that though we are really far apart, I really am hoping for the best for you.

You made a decision to stay there and you stuck by it. As your friend, I can only support you in whatever you choose to do, but know that if ever you miss hearing from here, I'm one of those people you can get in touch with, anytime, anywhere. You've been an awesome awesome friend since college, and I'm sure by now you know that geographic boundaries can't possibly stop us from keeping in touch. =)

You'll be fine. Your friends will keep on being there for you every step of the way. Don't ever let the distance, the loneliness, and the boredom get you down, because you know that it'd all be worth it in the end. You're a great person, and it's only a matter of time before you get what is due to you.

Take care, Cami! I'm just around. =)

Celebrate!!!

.:It's His Party, And He'll Cry If He Wants To:.

Elbert never quite knew what he walked into when he got to Kolumn Bar, and saw a sampling of some of his friends inside the bar. The celebrant most certainly was clueless all the while, and this is considering that his not-so-quiet friends were around him all this time.

So I went to that party with Camy, and since I had to drop by her house before we headed off to Kolumn, I was introduced to her cousine, Lianne. I was, err... stymied. Camy was reminding me she was 16, though. But yeah, enough of that. Haha.

So we got there, and soon enough, guests were arriving, albeit sporadically. Despite that, it was still a good turnout, as we had people like Alex, Camz, and so forth, plus by the time the celebrant got there, he was nothing short of stunned.

First bit of entertainment for the night was a dance number from Francis, my brother. It was really odd, since if you think about it, Francis and Elbert don't really know each other, particularly because they've prolly met only once or twice beforehand. Anyways, Francis performed “Like I Love You” by Justin Timberlake, and now, we pretty much know who got the dancing genes in the family. Sure as Hades wasn't me.

Elbert was still dumbstruck, and it hasn't really registered to him yet what was going on. Johan and Estelle took care of the hosting duties, and it was really cool that Johan proved exactly what I felt: he'd have made a great jock at NU if he just gave it a try. In between bits of entertainment, they were reading some very interesting testimonials from quite a number of people, and of course, Elbert was piping up in between the very amusing anecdotes. I especially liked Elsie's testimonial, for the record...

Anyways, after this one, Stanley Chi had a stand-up comedy routine for Elbert, and it was pretty hilarious, in my opinion. This was followed by poetry reading, and all the while, Elbert was getting all emotional, since that one came from his best friend, Gabby, who is currently in Singapore, if memory serves me right. In between these key points, we had the celebrant go upstage as Neil played for him to sing. Unfortunately, he decided to get me involved, and well, we ended up doing “Ang Huling El Bimbo”, by the Eraserheads, before I turned the mike over to him so he can sing “Panahon Na Naman Ng Pag-Ibib”. Pretty cool, really, as he ended up being a surprised number.

Afterwards, I went back to do my magic show, which was hampered by the lighting, although at least now, El knows that the reason I did magic again was for his party. Except for one trick (I just exposed the secret for them since it didn't work out.), everything went perfectly smooth. The whole X-Men patter worked to a “T”, and they especially loved the disappearing deck box, Indecent, and Liquid Metal. Throughout the rest of the night, I was doing magic tricks for other friends of Elbert, and even for Ciudad, who really enjoyed Mindbender and Liquid Metal. I was glad I brought a lot of forks that night...

So anyways, performances continued, and lo and behold, Narda was there, with the inimitable Ca2 Librando. It was my first time to see her perform live, as it was her first time to see me perform my magic as well. Well, c'est la vie. Narda was such a joy to listen to, and this was considering how the band was already supposedly disbanded, but since it was El's birthday, it didn't matter and his friends really just pulled out all the stops. He was especially teary-eyed upon hearing that there was going to be a performance from Narda, and I think he got even more struck by the acts to follow.

All El really wanted was that Estelle would, for once, sing in public, but this was more than his wildest dreams could've ever hoped for. Not only did Estelle sing a divine set, she and the rest of El's friends even made this huge gathering possible. Since Estelle and Johan were a bit winded after that bit and they were buying time for Ciudad to get there, April and I ended up taking over for hosting duties a bit, which resulted in a lot of laughs, especially when I went on the homoerotic tangent once again. They were laughing when I said I declined to host because I felt I was going to end up getting overexposed, and it turns out I was right.

After a while, it was Ciudad's turn, and Elbert melted on the spot, especially when he got the chance to jam with them during the song called “Strawberry Jam”. You just had to be there, seriously. El was really giddy like a five-year old kid let loose in a candy shop, and there was no better sign that the party was on the right track, by my estimate.

Elbert even got Vin, Andrew, and Jamie, who were his backup singers for his acapella segment, where he sang Jason Mraz's “You And I Both”, followed by Billy Joel's “The Longest Time”, and what without any practice whatsoever. It was definitely cool, to say the least. =)

The last performance for the night was really just from the heart, as we sang “With A Smile”, and I humored them by hitting the high falsetto notes to the detriment of my voice... heh.

All in all, it was an awesome night that I'm sure would remain with El for a long, long time. His speech at the end of the night really said all that needed to be said, and I was more than happy for him... it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.

More Things To Bring Up...

.:Happy Birthday!:.

Well, it's Elbert's birthday. I hope he has a great day today...

.:Starstruck:.

While hanging out at Mr. Bing's shop and hearing him give me a good lecture on building up before aiming too high, a very surprising sight showed up.

He looked familiar to me, and it turned out that he was actually Anthony Billan Co, aka the father of Mindbender.

I was starstruck, and I was especially pleased when he gave his nod of approval to me with my planned routine...

Soon enough though, I heard Anthony and Mr. Bing talk about very interesting topics about other magicians.

Now I know what kind of a firebrand Mr. Bing really is... I guess he can really bruise a lot of egos, and that's why not too many people in the magic circles like him, since it's mostly still an industry of egos...

Well, I don't mind. I don't have the right to claim I'm some great magician just yet, anyways...

.:I'm Sorry...:.

We can't be friends right now, because it just hurts too much...

I'm sorry. I guess when hearts are on the line, it's just too hard to make a clean transition from one to the other.

I really am sorry...

Sigh...

.:Dry Run:.

Looks like my routine for the next gig is almost perfect. I already did a nice little run-through of it with Estelle, and I think she enjoyed it quite a bit. I ended up falling asleep at her house, though, although I was strongly reminded by it that I just cannot, for the life of me, take being in an airconditioned room... it's just way too cold for me. Heh.

.:At Long Last:.

I ended up meeting JB, one of my best friends from back in college, last Saturday. It was mainly me, Elbert, and her, and as usual, El hit it off very well with anyone I introduce him to, and vice versa. That made for a very interesting night, where I heard quite a bit about how JB has been doing and that almost immediately after her Masters in Economics, she's working for the government already. It's unbelievable, really, as she's just on the up and up. Hopefully, I find some similar progress in my academic career by next year...

Nonetheless, it's been practically two years since I've last seen JB, so it was really awesome to meet her again and just act as if we never missed a beat at all. And of course, because we had dinner at Gerry's Grill, it ended up being the case that I finally satisfied my craving for their grilled squid, which was just marvelous to enhance our conversations.

Elbert did most of the asking, really, since I think he was even more intrigued by JB's new career path, as it does seem like she's doing a rather exciting, or at the very least, interesting job. While I can't entirely be sure how great the conditions of the job are, and although JB doesn't seem to be a big fan of the kind of work she does, I'm still of the opinion that it's only a matter of time before she blazes that trail only she can, because quite honestly now, she really does have what it takes to get to wherever she wants to.

And, oh, El and I ran into Clair by pure accident on the way...

.:The Continuation:.

After dinner, we ended up going to Elbert's place so that we could hang out there since I had to wait for a call from my uncle, as well as wait for Myka and Johan, who would be dropping by so we could just talk to each other.

That being said, things were pretty mundane, but the comedy was golden, because Elbert played his usual “you are so not funny but I'll force myself to laugh anyways” routine, which grabs people all the frigging time. Nonethelesss, my uncle called up soon enough, and it turns out I had a lot of clerical errors I have to address for the next time.

So anyways, JB really enjoyed the company of my friends which made me glad because despite the fact that it's been a couple of years already, things are still going well between me and her. I know she'd continue to be super busy in the future, but keeping in touch with her would be so much easier if only she would go on her LJ more.

If all else fails, we could always just go on a text brigade and make sure we're coordinated... heh.

Thanks for the wonderful time, JB! You're bound to be doing awesome things sooner than you'd think. =)

One-Track Mind...

.:Wowed:.

While playlist-making has definitely exhausted me a lot today (I've been up since midnight yesterday.), I still managed to be on semi-performance mode on that day as I actually went ahead and did Stigmata, Indecent, and a few other simple tricks that really got them, including the ever-reliable two-card monte.

Anyways, that being said, I'm glad I met up with Jay to learn how to perform Stigmata better. It's a very good effect, and can really freak people out. Stigmata is just one for the books, to say the least. Indecent needs some more practice, but it's definitely a shocker when pulled off perfectly.

I'm very happy about my steady improvement at performing magic. One can hope that this is a sign of good things to follow...

Hah!

.:Movie Premiere Updates:.

Well, the official date for the premiere of Happy Feet is November 18, 2006, around 3 or 4 in the afternoon in Robinson's Galleria.

That conflicts with my hosting of the TOEI cosplay event.

That being said, I guess this simply means I will probably only have two tickets to give away on that day, since I won't be there to finagle extra ones, which means that only Clair and JM are accounted for, sadly.

My apologies for the snafu due to my schedule...

After Happy Feet, we are going to premiere on November 20 (That's a Monday.) Borat. I wanna see that film myself...

.:Prophets Welcome:.

In the past few days, I've spoken about how my sense of wonder is mainly that which allows me to have such a strong affinity for magic. The way I see the universe unravel itself and remind me that there are still a myriad things I can never hope to explain is one of the appeals performing magic instills in me.

Last Saturday though, when I ran into Rhoda, Rachel, and Bernadette (Gradeschool classmates of mine, mostly.), I discovered yet another quality magicians seem to have that may or may not be endemic to magicians...

I remember an old saying that goes, “a prophet is never welcome in his own land”, and for the most part, it seems to ring true in just about any career. You go back to people who've known you for so long, and even if you're the president of the country, or a lawyer, or a doctor, these people would still remember you as the “weird kid”, or the “nerd”, or the “geek”, or whatever other not-so-flattering trait you might have possessed at the time.

It's not necessarily a bad thing, in that they remind you rather strongly of how you started off, lest you get too big for your own britches. No matter how famous you may turn out to be, no matter how successful, your “own land” will never let you forget what it took for you to get to where you are, although at times, the fact that they can't quite perceive this “weirdo” to be a lawyer now, or that the president of the country used to be the resident “freak”, all of these tend to remind you how hard it can be at times to break free from the past.

And yet, magicians seem to be, based on my experience, immune to this, insofar as their magic goes.

I remember that I wasn't exactly one of the favorite people of the girls from Don Bosco Sta. Mesa, mainly because of how annoying my personality was back then, and to some extent, still is.

In spite of that not-so-great reputation, the moment I started performing for them, it was as if they met me for the first time in their lives. They were freaking out at some of the tricks I was performing, and never in my wildest dreams did I expect a reaction from them like that, as I was working under the knowledge that they knew me so well and for so long already, and how they knew me was anything but as someone to gape at.

While it may be quite the ego booster, even more than just that, I really felt that the small performance I made awakened their sense of wonder as well, both in the realm of magic, and the fact that despite having known me for thirteen years or so, there's still so much they have yet to discover, and vice versa.

A prophet, for once, welcome in his own land.

Ah, life. Abracadabra may not always work instantly, but more often than not, it still works, regardless.

It's the things you do with your life that makes magic possible. It's the things that you believe in despite adversity that makes miracles possible.

Wheeee....

.:A Four-Day Weekend... I Had To...:.

So I decided to take a leave today, mainly because I was going to have a bunch of meetings to attend and I needed to have ample sleep to get through it all. Truth be told, it's an opportunity for me to just finally get off on the right foot with my work outside of radio.

I'm supposed to be hosting the TOEI cosplay convention next Saturday. That ought to be very interesting, to say the least.

.:Tournament Progress:.

After a bunch of bad tournaments, I finally had one that landed me in the Top 8. Doomsday, apparently, is still as fearsome as always.

In fact, my luck pushed it all the way to the Top 4, where I almost stole a win from Lauren via Quickening Tendrils on his turn, except of course, he had Force Of Will ready for that.

All in all, it was a fun tournament. I managed to practice Indecent, Saw, and Mindbender on them all, and truth be told, I've definitely improved a whole lot with my performance, and I've especially improved at the patter, which means I can definitely do very well for the next time I have to do an actual show.

.:Happy Coincidence:.

So I was supposed to watch a movie at Estelle's place with her last Saturday, but I inevitably got delayed by a happy coincidence.

While I was about to cross the street from Mega A to Mega B, I saw what looked like a Korean girl who was giving me the eye. Now, that being said, I was considering making an introduction or something since I actually brought all my magic paraphernalia, but as I was working up my courage to talk to her, she ended up turning to me, and then said, “Marcelle”.

In a flash, I recognized who she was. It was Rhoda Acosta, a grade school classmate of mine, and one of the most wonderful girls from Don Bosco Sta. Mesa.

So I let her under my umbrella, and we walked to the other side, where I ended up hanging out with her at Starbucks, although we were actually waiting for her friends, who were also my batchmates from DBS. Rachel Obfenda was one of them, whom I've been trying to contact for ages, and Bernadette Eustaquio, who came with her boyfriend.
So we sat there and caught up on news with each other, although on top of that, I decided to demonstrate some magic for them.

Needless to say, they were floored. Stigmata, the Coin Box (Which I botched.), and Mindbender got amazing reactions. Of course, Saw also made them freak out. Heh. It was fun, really, and the more I do this stuff, the more I realize that it was an investment worth making...

Surprises....

.:Guess What Movie We're Premiering?:.

You know you want it.

.:Amusingly Enough...:.

Well, the day was mostly non-happening, but I found the time to meet up with Estelle and ND for an excursion to Ali Mall for the evening. That one turned out pretty well, simply because I managed to pick up some nice insights for magic performances I could do in the future.

I understand though that some not-so-good occurrences have been going on with Mr. Bing, and I wouldn't want to contribute to that, so I'm taking his advice and being cautious of other magicians, especially since they could potentially hurt his business.

It's really cutthroat, and it saddens me that just because they're magicians, they would involve themselves in trickery to deceive a man out of a decent living...

Or were they simply tricksters who thought they could do magic because of their misconstrued perception of what magic is all about?

Either way, I just find it sad.

.:Relatives Rock:.

After that excursion to Ali Mall, Estelle, ND, and I went to Tierra Pura so I can deliver the playlists to my uncle. What was amusing about this was the fact that my grandparents were actually there.

So my grandparents and my uncle got to know ND and Estelle, and I'm happy to say that good impressions were all around... that's great, really.

In any case, it's been a great couple of days. One can only hope that business picks up now that even my uncle and grandparents have seen me do magic and do it well. =)

I'm Glad

.:Oh, Noes:.

I overslept, woke up at five, and had to get to work despite missing out on my on-air stuff because I had to do office work and so forth. Grr.

On top of that, I can't find my flashdisk again. I hate it when something like that happens. It's such an unnecessary burden.

Nonetheless, my gratitude for Elbert for letting me work at his place. Despite the unintended nap, I am still wrapping my work up right on schedule, and that's the beauty of it all.

.:Dry Run:.

Minus the patter, I do believe I have a pretty good routine to use for any magic shows I'd end up doing in the future, and in meeting up with Mich and Carlo yesterday, I managed to put that routine to the test.

I did all of the important stuff for my routine over the two hours I was reconnecting with Mich and Carlo, and it was really great to have a captive audience who enjoyed what they saw. It was definitely one of the best things about being a perform: they enjoy.

Whether they know what is really happening before their eyes, or whether they're just plain gullible, it's the way you perform that makes it not matter whether or not they know how it's done.

After the couple of hours I spent with them, I got back to working on my playlists, but for the most part, it was an awesome day...

... having Rowena tell me she was listening to me this morning only helped make it even better. =)

Sigh...

.:Whoops!:.

Three weeks whizzed by so fast. I didn't even realize my vacation is over already, and now, I'm back to work. Oh, well. Them's the breaks, I guess.

.:Interestingly Enough...:.

Last Friday night, I actually hung out at a friend's house, and we took the time out to talk about various concerns about various matters, albeit matters of the heart took the biggest share of the pie.

Nonetheless, I also demonstrated to her what is arguably the most powerful card trick that I learned, the Mind Bender, which I definitely would love to be able to put to good use, given its sheer strength when being displayed out in the open.

In any case, we really have been communicating fairly well as of late, and the more I hear her stories about people, the more I can relate to some of the people around her. It gives me an insight into myself, both good and bad, and it helps me know what is best for me to do when all things are taken into consideration.

With each passing day, I learn to appreciate a friend like her more. That says something when you consider how we hardly ever talked in the three or so years we've known each other.

That, well that's cool.

.:Guilt-Wracked:.

I can't begin to understand why I even allowed myself to submit a piece of shoddy crud like that to my editor...

Seriously, I'm just terribly guilty that I disappointed my editor, and I wish I actually put less "pizazz" to the work and more bloody research, which I usually do for fun, to begin with.

It's not even the fact that I'm missing out on a payday that gets to me. It's the fact that I know I do better work than this...

One can only hope I can somehow redeem myself after this.

Ms. Iyay, I know you prolly won't ever get to read this, but I'm really, really sorry. It won't happen again. Ever.

.:First Ever:.

So while I was hanging out with April in Teriyaki Boy at Madison last Friday, I got a text message from Angie, a college blockmate of mine, and she was wondering if I did children's parties.

Next thing I knew, I was booked for my first-ever paying magic gig the following day, and I was beside myself with happiness, knowing this was going to be a huge deal for me. It was going to be at Merk's Bar, since the celebrant was none other than Richard Merk's daughter. That being said, it was definitely a welcome surprise for me to be there. I lined up around ten effects, and proceeded to do a routine that began with a coin disappearance and ended with the famous liquid metal routine. All in all, it was a pretty good first show, and a lot of the kids enjoyed it. I had to ask them to come close and watch the whole show from that distance, making it less of stage magic and more of table magic, really.

After the party, Mr. Merk shook my hand and said I was "good with kids". That was one of the biggest compliments I have ever received, and it was something I certainly didn't expect.

Apparently, Sunshine Cruz was also there at the party, for that matter, which was just gravy, really. Meeting Angie after all this time since we graduated was also way cool. I'm glad they all enjoyed my first official show ever, and I hope that I'd have more opportunities to strut my stuff in future events...

.:Downtow To Chinatown:.

Elbert and I spent a lot of time the other day in Chinatown, where we went around as he did some checking out of shops for an article he had to write for EYP. It was pretty fun, and all the while, we were actually looking for some forks and some rubber cement I could use.

At the end of the day, I ended up pigging out on seedless kiamoy, ended up buying uber-cheap fake Bicycle decks, and I apparently ended up being the one who really made the most out of the trip... heh.

Afterwards, we just headed back out and watched TxT with Estelle in Megamall, which was way cool, since it's been a while since the three of us got to hang out together, particularly since 'Elle only got back from Baguio last Sunday, and we didn't particularly like "World Trade Center" when we watched it, whereas TxT was just way cool...