Kel And Jay On This Issue Of Mangaholix!

.:Mangaholix Issue 6 Is Out!:.

Grab a copy of Mangaholix 6 and not only do you get your usual dose of Filipino manga goodness, you even get an excellent feature on Kel and Jay, albeit the gay-sounding innuendo of calling us the "Cosplay Community's Official Magical Tandem" does color the whole thing a bit... lol.

.:Happy Birthday, Cheska!:.

Elbert's niece turns 6 this midnight. I, for one, am honored that I did a magic show for her, and it seems the people genuinely enjoyed the show, especially the jokes I threw that just flew over the birthday girl's head.

In any case, it was fun, and meeting El, Arvs, Harvs, Mary, Lora, Cheska, and Cheska's parents was really cool. Hope we can spend more time in the near future! =D

Music And Arts Festival...

... I'll be there today. See you in Megamall!

Also, don't forget to be there at Krispy Kreme for the KK treat... also in Megamall, at 7PM...

Just A Song Thrown Into The Air...

.:Today's LSS...:.

Unang Araw
by Sugarfree

Sadya ba talagang ganyan
Palakad-lakad ka't nakatungo
Sa'n patungo?
Ngayong wala ka na
Kailangang masanay na muling nag-iisa
Sa'n ka na kaya?

'Wag mo akong sisihin
Kung minsan ika'y hanapin
Ito ang unang araw na wala ka na
Ito ang unang araw na wala ka na


Nasanay lang sigurong nand'yan ka
'Di ko inakalang pwede kang mawala
'Yan na nga
Nababato, nalulungkot
Luha'y napapawi ng singhot
At talukbong ng kumot

'Wag mo akong sisihin
Kung minsan ako'y iyakin
Ito ang unang araw na wala ka na
Ito ang unang araw na wala ka na

Wooooooo, ito ang unang araw na wala ka na...

Loafing Around...

.:Funny Thing, That Fork Bending...:.

To give an air of legitimacy to my demonstrations of Psychokinesis, I tend to attribute my fork bending to something taught to me by Fr. Bulatao.

Amusingly enough, as he would gladly tell you, I taught him that, not the other way around. Lol.

.:Huhuhuhu...:.

If you haven't seen Sad Movie, then this post will contain a few SPOILERS. Stay away, if you don't wanna be spoiled.

So before I went to Psychology class where I was treated to a very interesting moment of reading a person firsthand with little more than pure intuition guiding me (Fr. Bu was suitably impressed.), I met up with My Beloved again, and this was a much better rendezvous than the last time.

I guess it's been a while since we had a good time together, really... since things got messy, it's been neither here nor there, but this time, we just really relived old times, and watched a movie.

I didn't think "Sad Movie", the Korean movie that stars My Sassy Girl's Cha Tae-Hyun, would turn out to be that sad. The upbeat tone of the film seemed like it was an exercise in irony, but lo and behold, the film didn't disappoint.

By the end of the film, I was crying buckets of tears. I am such a sucker for these heartwrenching films, and I must say, this was one of the best ones I've encountered so far. My Beloved was practically laughing at me for being such an emotional sap, but I didn't care and just kept on bawling my eyes out. Especially that part where Cha Tae-Hyun had to break up with himself because his girlfriend couldn't do it herself...

The movie was top-notch, and the four interweaving storylines just went so well with each other, although the videotape of the fireman at the end fell flat for me. If the movie ended at the whistle, it would've been perfect, though.

I liked the way they tied in the fireman and the girl, the girl's sister and her artist crush, the kid and his mom, and of course, the guy who tries wooing his girlfriend by getting a job where he plays the messenger for people who want to break up with each other.

Each story seems to have its own trope it wants to play up, really... while each trope seems capable of holding a movie on its own, I like that the four were combined into one film not only for the "something for everyone" feel, but also to minimize the risk of overplaying any of the four tropes. It was nice, and the buildup seemed so happy and despite the film's title, one was inclined to believe it was going to be happy times.

But then, as things seemed on their way to a happy denouement, a quadruple whammy strikes, and you're hit with one emotional blow after another. After another. After another. It was incredibly hard to watch in a good way towards, the end, truth be told. With a stellar cast like this, I guess the film was meant to deliver.

If you want to watch a movie guaranteed to tug at your heartstrings, "Sad Movie" is a good bet. I definitely loved watching it with My Beloved, and I hope when you get to watch it, you'd love it, too. =)

And to My Beloved, thanks for spending time with me today. You know it made my week just a little happier...

The Joker's Fatality On Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe!

.:They Faked Us Out!:.

Supposedly, we were going to expect MK vs. DCU to be a not-so-violent version of the game, but now it can be told... we were fooled!

While the superheroes still won't have Fatalities, the villains and the Mortal Kombat characters definitely will.

Without any further ado, then...

I may not like how clunky Mortal Kombat's fighting system is, but that's gold!

Today's LSS...

.:Going Out To My Beloved...:.

It's one of those songs that just really hits home. I know we didn't exactly have a great time when you dropped by the house last Wednesday, but I guess this song says it all, if things really don't end up the way I hoped it would...

Bittersweet
by Sara Bareilles

Bittersweet seasons.
Mistake a warm winter for spring.
Seems like I’m best at leaving when leaving is not the best thing.

You couldn’t help it if you needed more than I could give.
That’s just the way it goes. Now..

I call you misplaced but never a waste of my time.
Everybody’s gonna make mistakes,
But you’ll never be one of mine.

You couldn’t help it if you needed more than I could give.
That’s just the way it goes.
I knew you felt me leaving long before I ever did.
That’s just the way it goes now.
Loved me fearless when you needed to.
You would not rest till you came through.
So god bless and thank you.

There is no anger, it's just you and I and the truth.
You can try to make her but love will not be forced to bloom.

You couldn’t help it if you needed more than I could give.
That’s just the way it goes.
The only love worth fighting for is one that you can win and,
That’s just the way it goes now.
You would not break but you could bend.
And for love’s sake you let love end,
But I still swear that you were god sent.

And you stood before me knowing that the wings I have you gave.
And that’s just the way it goes now.
And I barely have the breath to breathe much less to fly away.
And that’s just the way it goes now.
And a silence entered the room for a one last,
"I’m gonna love you."
So god bless and thank you.
So god bless and thank you.
Thank you.

An Eternal Sunshine For This Spotty Mind...

.:I Long For An Eternal Sunshine For This Spotty Mind…:.

I’ll be fine without you. O RLY?

How happy is the blameless vestal's lot! / The world forgetting, by the world forgot / Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind! / Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd.

- Alexander Pope, From Eloisa To Abelard

In the Michel Gondry film, “Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind”, we are introduced to the concept of a machine that erases memories selectively in order for one to forget about something significant in their lives…

Sometimes, the pain just hits you too hard, and you find yourself unable to move, unable to function, unable to live. You feel so empty, and you feel that everything in your life is going awry.

The Lacuna machine isn’t perfect. There’s a gaping hole where something or someone important used to be, and it’s possible you’d repeat the exact same mistakes if you’re not careful, as one would find out if they watched the movie that starred the indefatigable Jim Carrey and the brilliantly sassy Kate Winslet. It wasn’t going to be a feel good movie. It was a movie meant to make you cry… a movie meant to make you think.

Despite the risks, if this process existed, on the surface, I’d want to erase so many things, so many people from my memories.

I’d want to forget about My Favorite Mistake, my Red Kryptonite, every single person who has hurt me in ways I can’t even begin to describe.

But mostly, I’d want to erase you.

I don’t want to remember you. I don’t want to remember the things we used to do, all the things that remind me of you. I don’t want to feel this pain in my heart. I want to eradicate you completely, to obfuscate whatever you mean to me, just so I could pretend that I’m okay and I can move on, even if it’s all a lie. I admit: I’m not strong enough to live with the pain. I’m not strong enough to soldier on and be cool with being without you. It’s far too much for me to deal with.

Maybe the process has begun… my phone recently got formatted, pretty much deleting most of my memories of you. I don’t have any of your letters. You made sure of that by taking them back. It’s a slow and painful process, seeing you being eradicated from my life, piece by agonizing piece.

And I learn to loathe myself a little more each day when I wake up. Because I know if I did things differently, it would never have come to this. Things would’ve been so much better, and I would have still been with you had I made better choices about us along the way…

Every single day, I think of you a hundred times, from morning ‘til I go to sleep. But as time passes by, perhaps there would come a time that I’d think of you only ninety-nine times, then ninety-eight, then ninety-seven.

Then maybe I’d begin to forget how your smile looks like… or how that look in your eyes was just a look of love that I will never see again… or how sweet your kisses are… or how your hugs would make me feel like I’m something special when I’m not. They say time heals all wounds. Maybe it will, as my memories fade away.

And as the memories slowly get hazier and hazier, I think back to what it would mean to have someone like you in my life… and realize that no matter how hard I try, I can’t quite remember what it was. I know something in my life is missing, but I have no idea what it is.

For despite somehow being able to completely eradicate all memory from you in my life, I know there will still be a void in my life that can never be filled up… not by anyone else, for as long as I live. And that space will forever remain empty as each and every memory of you is eaten away.

Not even a spotless mind would find an eternal sunshine. Not when it means that I would never have you again, even if I no longer quite remember what I’m missing.

It’s because I love you. Far more than I ever loved anyone, far more than I’m willing to love anyone ever again. And if you do leave me, if you do walk away, I can’t survive if I don’t eradicate you from my life, though I know it would never make me happy, and though some would rather that I’d simply let the pain remain.

Nobody will replace you. Nobody can replace you. And that is why I don’t want to let go, because I know you’re my once in a lifetime, and letting you go would mean that I’d let the most wonderful person in my life walk away.

I guess this is the point where I really ask myself once more… do I really want to erase you from my life? On the surface, it would seem my life would be easier without any memories of you whatsoever, but in reality, it’s just my mind ignoring the gaping hole in my heart that will forever be there once you’re gone…

For as long as I’ve known you, you’ve made me feel worth far more than I ever believed myself to be. For as long as I’ve known you, you’ve made me feel special and treasured and cherished… something I didn’t believe I deserved in my life.

I can’t thank you enough for that.

Yet now that all that is gone, I can’t bring myself to look at you and realize that everything we once shared is gone now. And I have only myself to blame for that.

By some act of God, I may forget you in time. But I’ll never forget the love I have for you.

Eraserheads Reunion Concert Canceled?

.:Eraserheads Reunion Concert Canceled: Don’t Blame DOH. Blame Marlboro:.

There is much buzz over the news that The Eraserheads’ Reunion Concert is officially canceled.

We all know that the main reason at this point is that the Department Of Health has specifically refused to issue a permit for the concert to push through simply because of the existence of one Republic Act 9211 (Read Section 4, letters L and ironically, Q. It clearly says the E-Heads concert is a no-no.), which forbids tobacco companies from advertising, promoting, and the like. Sponsoring an event like this easily falls in line with that.

I find it sad that most people register their anger at the Department Of Health for acting out what the law says. We can all say that there are “more important things to focus their attention on,” but isn’t it terribly convenient for us to want the DOH to look the other way when it benefits us? Such hypocrisy to the value of the law should not be tolerated, and is downright pathetic. We castigate others for violating the law, but we willingly wish to look the other way when it would serve our purpose well.

Is there any wonder then why the Philippines is one of the most corrupt countries in the world?

The Eraserheads concert is, in all likelihood, canceled, and it’s obvious why it ought to be so. While we are quick to complain about the DOH and decry how they are “grandstanding” and trying to cause a scene, we seem to be very ignorant of the fact that it doesn’t take an idiot to know Marlboro was wrong in even trying to stage this event, so either Marlboro was being incredibly stupid, or they played their cards right to generate massive publicity without having to really advertise.

At this point, whether or not the event pushes through, Marlboro already got their money’s worth as far as public awareness about them is concerned.

This was a ploy from the get-go. It’s incredibly irrational to think that Marlboro didn’t realize this was going to happen. They played this out, and now, they get to reap the benefits… instant awareness. And assuming the concert doesn’t push through, with no advertising whatsoever.

For people to demand DOH back off is just plain ludicrous.

If we’re going to level unreasonable demands, we may as well demand that Marlboro back off, and offer the event to another, less controversial, sponsor. There is no reason to crucify the DOH for doing their job.

Don’t blame DOH. Blame Marlboro.

A Birthday Wish From The King Of Wishful Thinking...

.:A Birthday Wish That Won’t Come True…:.

As some of you know, my birthday is coming in, oh, a little over a month.

What you may not know is given how horrible this year has been for me on nearly all fronts, I am thoroughly disinclined from celebrating my 25th birthday. Finally, an annual tradition for my friends is broken, and I simply don’t have the heart to organize anything. Not to mention that my birthday falls on a Monday, so meh.

In my mind, there was one party I wanted to organize, but I know it would never achieve fruition. It’s just me being the king of wishful thinking once more…

I call it a “Bury The Hatchet Party”.

In my mind, I’d invite all the people I used to be good friends with, but for one reason or another, we’re no longer cool with each other.

In my mind, we’d eat, maybe even drink, maybe watch movies, have fun, and reminisce about the times we were great friends, or in the case of some, a great couple.

In my mind, they’d only leave the party when things are cool between us again, and I’d finally rediscover some of my erstwhile friends and perhaps even become close to them once more.

In my mind, this would be the happiest birthday I’d ever have, as I finally end longstanding hurts, feuds, and even heartbreaks. After weeks, maybe months, maybe years of all this drama, I get to end it all and finally be at peace with myself.

And sadly, “in my mind” is all this hope could ever come to be…

Because in reality, the only time they’d bury the hatchet is when they can bury it in my face.

And that’s why I don’t think I want to celebrate my birthday this year. And why I don’t think I’d have a birthday by next year, for that matter.

Sigh…

The Grab Bag In Bulletpoints...

.:My Apologies…:.

Due to crazy stuff going on in my life right now, I think I have to hold off on writing about Diane’s and Mark’s wedding, as well as the Influential Bloggers night…

Having said that though, lemme rip off a few pictures from Jac for your amusement, and give you some bullet points of what piqued my interest in both events…

Click the links for the pics, all pictures came from Jac Ting Lim.

The Wedding:

- The groom had his hair cut. I almost didn’t even realize it was him!
- I hosted the reception and was wearing a ridiculously white suit.
- I also did magic during the reception, and my Beloved was even there. She was the assistant for the infamous rope trick.
- As if the yaoi-ish moments weren’t enough, I hitched a ride home with Mario. In the bridal car. Yes. Two well-dressed men are in a bridal car. Umm… congrats?

The Influential Bloggers Night:

- I didn’t win $100! Grumble. =P
- As usual, I introduced myself to everyone as Marcelle Fabie from a certain infamous website carrying a certain infamous blogger’s name.
- I didn’t win $100! Grumble. =P
- The night’s music started off 80’s, and as a clamor for a Rickroll grew, the genre promptly shifted to contemporary hits. Whut?
- Did I tell you yet that I didn’t win $100? Grumble? =P?

Posting Tomorrow...

Oh, it'll be a killer. Trust me.

In the meantime, Bon Voyage to Sacha and Wayne! Take care back in Canada and don't do anything I wouldn't do!

More On Inquirer. Net!

.:Blogged By Mr. Villafania!:.

Much thanks to Alex Villafania for featuring me not only on video, but even via blog. It's funny to note though that this interview and video was shot a while before the Kel and Jay show really got into full swing, so as you can see, there was no mention of my Penn and Teller influences, and only my disdain for Valentino was mentioned, without my tempering counter-opinion of how exposure can be good when used to enhance a performance...

Having said that, this was a really great piece written by Alex that I feel captures what I've been doing for magic the last couple of years, sans of course the more recent developments. It's a nice snapshot of how I was four or so months ago, although the sad part of all this is the fact that by the time this came out, Campus 99.5 was already reformatted, so even that blurb about me training there is... dated.

Thanks, Alex! This is awesome!

I Need To Sleep!

... and so I will...

ngork...

Sorry. Posting much more sensibly by next week...

There's Something About Bachelor Parties...

You are warned. This is not an all-ages post. Seriously.

.:So Sue Me. This Is All So Shiny And New To Me...:.

Y'know, if you're one of those people who has encountered more than one bachelor party with a stripper, you can stop reading right now. You probably will tell me something like "this stuff happens all the time, it's not something to poke fun at", and spoil my fun.

Now, if you are, like myself, uninitiated to these things, then allow me to poke fun at it. =P

Now, to protect the identities of the people involved, I shall codename everyone involved. But since you know which wedding I've been to recently, it kinda narrows down who's who, right?

Having said that, it was the bride's idea to organize a bachelor's party, not to mention that the party happened at her place, so I guess it makes sense why the party wasn't the raucous sinfest uninitiated people such as myself assumed these things would turn out to be...

.:Prelude...:.

The groom had no idea there was going to be a bachelor party. Obviously, he wasn't expecting one would happen right in his own bride-to-be's condo unit. For all intents and purposes, it was merely going to be a pizza and video games party night, but even the groom-to-be realized something was amiss when the bride-to-be disappeared for no apparent reason.

Soon enough, the reason became clear when a knock on the door heralded the arrival of...

.:The Stripper...:.

Ever since my immersion in Olongapo during college, I've been mighty averse when it comes to bar girls, prostitutes, and yes, strippers. Thanks to the immersion, I am psychologically wired to not enjoy these things, and tonight was no exception.

Now, having said that, this does not preclude me from having preconceived notions about how a stripper would conduct herself in lieu of the ones I see in movies, albeit of the male variety, where they come in as a fireman, and start stripping for a bridal shower. For some reason, I don't recall the female iteration of this in any movies I've seen.

That being the case, I didn't expect that when the door would open, a Chinese guy would walk in, followed by a meek-looking girl who's smiling very shyly.

"Good evening po," she says.

Are strippers really this polite? Seriously. There go the images of someone coming in, playing music from a boom box, and going straight into the performance. Nope. It didn't work that way.

The handler asked the groom-to-be for something that could play the CD's they brought while the stripper dressed up. Apparently, some cosplaying was involved, which made us joke that she'll come out as a PSP just for the groom-to-be.

In true gamer fashion, it turns out that the only thing in the room capable of playing CD's was the PS3. So the handler was holding a PS3 controller, figuring out which track was which, and finally, it was go time. No more awkwardness and just pure, anadulterated, adult-rated fun, right?

Wrong.

.:Strike One!:.

So out she came in a schoolgirl outfit.

I, being melancholy at the time, remembered that one of my exes was a former student who graduated before I started dating her.

Right then and there, I was thrown out of the mood, as she gyrated for the groom-to-be to the tune of Britney Spears' "Give Me More". Outside of that, I do not recall what tracks were used for music. Trust me: it's better this way. It might ruin it if one of your favorite songs of all time were used as a track that night... really.

So she gives a lap dance for the groom-to-be, and the groom-to-be looked nervous, but was not looking like he'd enjoy this at all. Clearly, he wasn't too keen on the girl, and by the looks of it, neither was anyone else in the room. Now don't get me wrong, she wasn't ugly, but despite the fact that there were three non-geeks in the room, even they weren't really into it, for one reason or another, and how the girl looked had little to do with it.

I was seated on the floor, so she couldn't give me a lap dance if she wanted to. She went back to the room she changed in after one song, though, and then...

.:Strike Two!:.

... she came out in a nurse's uniform.

Have I told you yet that My Beloved is a nurse? Now that you know, and knowing that I was melancholy at the time, how d'ya think that made me feel?

By the time she was dancing in front of me, she was staring at my blank expression, and quickly moved on to the next guy. Even if nobody in the room was getting into it at this point, I was just so clearly disinterested that she didn't push the issue anymore.

.:And The Games Begin!:.

So there were body shots, and body rubs to be given out, and I have to say, the last part was the only one worth noting, where she would take some guy, lay him on the bed, and then, well, tease him, pretty much.

After two guys were done, and we shall call them the Boxer brothers, they were looking for a third "volunteer". Nobody seemed to be moving. I stayed seated on the floor.

But this one guy, let's call him "Mr. Carry On", got up to grab a drink of water.

Predictably enough, another guy pushed him and he tripped on the mattress/bed, and the stripper practically pounced on him because he seemed so eager.

After finding out he was a briefs guy, we had a hearty laugh at his expense as he was clearly in heaven regardless of being surrounded by guys who were ribbing him for finally being "touched" by a woman.

Needless to say, I think he got drunk shortly after that.

.:And... Strike Three!:.

Here's the funny thing... she was supposed to be there for three hours, but simply because nobody was into it and we were all too nice like just a bunch of guys and a girl having good clean fun with little clothing involved (Emphasis on clean. It was almost... fit for general consumption. Well, almost.), it was clear that there was no reason for her to stay longer than the 45 minutes or so that she was there.

And so she left, still with those polite niceties, but here's the kicker...

"Sige po... ingat po... God bless po..."

I don't know about you, but I may not have had many strippers come into my life, but really, is "God bless!" the last thing you'd tell your clientele after doing your thing? I don't judge what she does, but really. I mean, even as a magician, I don't say "God bless," and I'm not exactly denying how strongly Catholic I am... =P

.:The Drunken Aftermath...:.

So, back to Mr. Carry On...

Here's a transcript of his drunken rant to the groom-to-be in the presence of the bride-to-be after she came back...

How many girls do you know who are gamers, game developers, share your interests, and cosplays for you?!?

I don't know about you, ****, pero 't*** ina, I don't know what you did right in this life to get someone like that, you lucky bastard.

I know I'm drunk right now, pero f*** you, you are such a lucky bastard!

Don't you just love this guy? =P

.:The Wrap-Up...:.

I seriously hope to never experience a bachelor's party again. It does nothing for me. Really. If it weren't for the fact that Mr. Carry On was a bag of laughs that night, I would've come out of it rather cross, really.

Nonetheless, more power to Ms. Polite Stripper. I may never see her again, but she knew how to ride the current (Dammit. Bad choice of words!) and made the whole thing just as fun as it can be, when it was clear that nobody in the room was particularly... horny. =P

But please, don't cosplay as a schoolgirl. Or a nurse. Or heaven forbid, a doctor. That just completely threw me for a loop right there...

Magikel On Inquirer.Net!

I'm on Inquirer.Net right now! Wow! Check it out!!!

Backblog Lineup...

1. The Wedding.

2. The Bachelor's Party.

3. JGL Assemble!

4. Influential Bloggers.

5. Why "old" doesn't mean "suck".

6. Nice guys, bad boys, and everything else in between.

In Memoriam: The Campus 99.5 Megapost

It ain't over 'til it's over...

.:The End Of An Era - Campus 99.5: 23 March, 2008-14 August, 2008:.

Not since Chico and Delamar have I found myself this invested in radio. To this day, I still shake my head and ask myself how this could've all happened so soon. Just a bit over four months ago, Campus 99.5 came into the radio scene, promising something new with an old school flavor, and many were hooked. Hades, I drank the Kool-Aid.

But alack and alas, it wasn't meant to be.

This post will not pull any punches. It will name names, if needed be, and will not hesitate to give out details to prove a point. This is the story of Campus 99.5, however tragically brief the story may have turned out to be.

So sit back, relax, grab a bite or two, because this post is going to be pretty damned long. I was contemplating if I'd put pictures here, but I guess it's unnecessary. Just let the words reach out to you, and know that this was written from the heart.

The Resurrection: As You Believe!

I woke up on Easter Sunday to a text message from Jaybee, telling me to tune into 99.5, because apparently, she's back on radio. I thought it was just her, but upon listening and hearing the familiar voice of John Hendrix imploring me to "maintain this frequency", a chill ran up my spine: Campus was back, and I couldn't be more excited.

You see, when I graduated from college, I applied to many radio stations in hopes of becoming a radio personality. For all of one day, I was a member of Campus Aircheck Batch 3, since they weren't able to promise me anything at the moment in 97.1 way back in 2004. A day later, WAVE 89.1 hired me, and that pretty much was my home in radio land for the next three years. Despite that, I was still friends with most of the jocks from Campus, since I usually dropped by them, particularly when I had to go report to work for QTV-11. Jaybee was one of those friends I made from Campus Radio.

I never considered getting back into radio after my teaching stint with Reedley ended, and I was fine and dandy concentrating on my thesis and my mentalism/magic/hosting career, since it was paying off pretty well. But something about Campus coming back after all this time struck a nerve with me, and once again, I felt that radio wasn't done with me yet.

Without anything but pure guts willing me on, I did the rounds of the stations again: RX, WAVE, Campus, and even NU. NU was inclined to hire me albeit in a marketing position with only the on-air stuff as a second thought. Despite the fact that I had a sure shot in NU, I stuck it out with Campus, primarily because I was very familiar with the format, and of course, I had my thesis to worry about.

Campus, despite not giving me any promises, appealed far more to me. This was a station I grew up listening to before I discovered RX. This was a station I loved, and these were jocks I admired and respected. John Hendrix was very accommodating to me, and after a few weeks, I was given a trial run on air again...

Mister Vader: Akala...

So I was given a trial run, and my show came after the Brewrats, where I met DJ Tado and DJ Angel. I was hooked. I loved the feel of the station, I loved the fact that I could see John Hendrix, Jimmy Jam, Jaybee, Joe Spinner (That's a lotta J's!), and then reconnecting to Migz whom I got to know from Heart FM, albeit he had to change his name to Zack Attack. The other jocks who came from the Hit Squad were likewise amazing people, such as Joshua/Big Z, Neil Almighty/BoyToy, and Ron/Jagger.

My first on-air foray wasn't even my show itself. It was with the Brewrats, as they guested me. I felt welcome. I felt home again. I was at home in radio.

It was a great time for me. I was on air as "Mister Vader", and that meant I was using the name I've always been fond of using online for the longest time, and I was extremely happy about the fact that after almost a year, I was finally back on radio.

Unfortunately, that comeback lasted all of two days.

I expected that I might be taken aside and even taken off the air, but not *this* soon. I was, in a nutshell, told I wasn't "Campus enough", and that I had a lot of rust to work off, especially since I was way off with my ad libs and my voice quality. It was deflating, and it was certainly embarrassing, but I soldiered on, after taking about a week off to think about what happened to me.

Campus Aircheck: Susundan?

When the Station Manager, the Triggerman, broke the news to me that he felt I needed to reacclimate myself to being on air, and I sucked it in and took it like a professional. Over the next two weeks, I trained with John Hendrix on and off, but after a while, Joe Spinner took the initiative to really drill me as best he could. This meant that I would find myself training more often with Joe Spinner, until I ended up being paired with him regularly from 9-12 noon. He became my mentor in my time in Campus, and I will forever be grateful to him for taking me under his wing.

Meanwhile, I was having the time of my life, getting to know the other Campus Aircheckers, making me technically both batch 3 and batch 5. It was fun, because I met people like Deedah, Hazel, TJ, Gracey, Vanessa, Cherry, Matthew, Miguel, Vice, Czari, Sabs, Tabel, and eventually, Cat, and a few others who were sorta jocks but still technically Aircheckers, Piper, Alex, and Sharon Yu. We bonded, we laughed, we had fun, and we even had unforgettable moments of romance, intrigue, and action. Ask Iza and Arn. I'm sure they'd tell you.

I was rechristened "Sparky" thanks to Migz, and the going was good. It was acting like an elder brother to the Aircheckers I ran into, and I was standing in for training whenever the opportunity presented itself. I may not be an official jock on Campus, but I had years of radio experience under my belt all the way back from high school...

I felt like I had a new group of friends I'm very comfy with. We even started an "Aircheck Da Who" Multiply site, where we gossiped about ourselves, just because. It's hard to even believe all of this stuff happened in under five months.

The Redux: Back 2 Me!

En route to the Campus launch party, Redux, we actually got visited by Boo Kyler from 103 1/2 MAX FM, and he told us that we pretty much "kicked their @$$3$" in sales for that month. He congratulated us and welcomed us back, and for the next couple of months, it appeared we were doing well sales-wise. We were at worst, at number four (out of five), and at best, at number three. At least, that's how it was for a couple of months.

Yes, you heard it right. I wasn't fibbing when I said we weren't last in sales. Unfortunately, I can only speak for two months out of the four and a half that Campus was on the air. Can I spill this now? Well, I just did.

By the time we got to Redux, things were in full swing. I opened for the show with a magic show(!), and people were having fun in the party, as everyone from Zelle to Fuse to Callalily to Spongecola to Bamboo were performing. Needless to say, the night was electric, and despite any snags that may have occurred, the overall prognosis thus far was positive. Who could have possibly thought things were going to slowly turn sour, right?

The Necessary Pinoy Exchange Sidebar: Bakbakan Na!

The thread may now be closed, but Campus 99.5 went 164 pages on Pinoy Exchange before it finally wrapped up. There was a lot of stuff going on, and a lot of discussion in that particular thread, and even jocks like John Hendrix, Jimmy Jam, and Joshua chimed in there when they got the chance.

It's sad, because the lifespan of the station paralleled the lifespan of the thread: it was all ups and smiles until shortly after Redux, when it seemed a rift inexplicably began between the Campus listeners and the Brewsters, and I found myself smack dab in the middle of it, trying to pacify both sides and letting them understand that there was no conflict to speak of. People were making mountains out of molehills, and I took it upon myself to alleviate the tension in the thread, and at some point, even found myself being lashed out at for no good reason at all.

Shortly after the issue turned into a Brewrats vs. Boys Night Out debate which meant the Campus feud was all but forgotten, some users came into the Campus thread to ignite flamewars by insulting the jocks, calling them "old" and "baduy", and (at the time) falsely claiming that Campus was dead last in the sales. They weren't.

I stood my ground and called out any shenanigans, even getting personal insults thrown in my direction in the process, for acting as if I were a jock when I wasn't, and I saw them belittling my status as a Campus Airchecker. I avoided insulting them and just pointed out that it's their opinion, but there's no need to call anyone names, but the thread degraded into flamefests, and I was called many things I have never heard anyone call me in my life.

By the end of the thread, the haters were rejoicing, and instead of being angry at them, I only felt sorry for them. If their life revolved around whining against a radio station that is not actively trying to hurt them, and if they rejoice over people losing their jobs and kicking people while they're down, then I really can't help but feel sorry for them. I said my piece, left the thread, and just overall lost a little bit of faith in the human race there.

I conducted myself with dignity in the middle of people insulting my friends and my mentors. To me, it was personal.I took it seriously because I felt it was unfair how people were putting down the station when normal people just tune out instead of showering the thread with potshots. I was misquoted and made out to be a liar, but the truth will out, and at the end of the day, I know I have made a difference in that thread and made some friends, even.

Rev Up: I'm Yours!

When an opening suddenly showed up due to staff reshuffling, I found myself handling a show during the graveyard shift again. Despite the fact that I still had to identify myself as Aircheck Batch 5, the show for the people who "can't sleep, shouldn't sleep, or simply don't wanna sleep," Rev Up, was back. Yep. Same tagline as Insomaniacs way back in WAVE, I know.

For those wondering, no I wasn't on the payroll for this. Out of love for the station, I did it for no payment, although it was a tad problematic for me because I wasn't that financially well off at the time, particularly since I didn't have any shows in July. Despite that, I soldiered on, never mind what my circumstances were.

This was where I really bonded with people like Cat, Neil, and Gracey. I found my groove on the air again, and it was just great being able to host my own show again, and really ad lib through it. Quite a marked improvement over my last few months at WAVE, really, so I ran with it.

I have to say, given the 1+ month I had in that show, I acquitted myself well, and have lots of newfound friends and listeners to show for it.

Alack and alas, I ignored the signs that all this wasn't going to last...

The Beginning Of The End: Slippin' Away...

There are some things that happened behind the scenes that personally involved me that I'd rather not go over because I feel it's not my place to air out dirty laundry. Nonetheless, anyone who has me on LJ would probably know the details of it, and anyone who knows me personally would know what connections I had to offer and what transpired on that turning point (for me) in Alabang...

Having said that, there was lots of tension in the air, and I'll leave it at that. People didn't see eye to eye on a lot of things. The writing was on the wall, but the thinking was if the ratings did come, then whatever the case may be with the sales (I was, by end of July and early August, pretty much in the dark on this.), things would smoothen themselves over since it was going to be all good once the ratings back up the moves of the on-air staff.

I never even got to know how the station did. All I know is that like when the Triggerman took me off the air as Mister Vader, "I expected it, but not this soon."

The Boulevard Of Broken Dreams: Disconnection Notice!

I was hosting the wedding reception for Mark and Diane when I got a text message from the Triggerman...

"As of 5PM today, I am no longer connected with Real Radio 99.5. Thank you very much for your support."

Since it contained only a subtle indication that Campus itself was gone (Real Radio 99.5? Shoulda seen that a mile away.), I took it to mean that Triggerman resigned or was terminated from the company, but after asking Joe Spinner about it some more, I realized it was a freaking reformat. Since I wasn't on the Aircheck SMS shortlist, John Hendrix didn't tell me that Campus was gone (This, despite being asked to reiterate I'm from Aircheck every ad lib by the man... odd.). I found out for myself, and next thing I knew, wild speculation was flying all over the place.

"I heard they got fired!"

"I heard Triggerman resigned and the rest of the jocks followed suit!"

"I heard it was sales' fault. They didn't do their job."

"I heard the sponsors threatened to pull out if the reformat didn't happen"

"I heard the ratings were bad."

"I heard the ratings were good, but the sales were still terrible."

"I heard this, I heard that."

"Haha! Sparky, you just got FIRED!"

"How can he be fired when he's not even HIRED?!?"

"Goodbye, Campus. We're going to miss you."

"Hooray! Campus is dead! Long live RT!"

In a span of a few hours, I was almost literally swimming in details, both real and fabricated, from all sides involved, even those who really weren't involved, but wanted to pretend they were. To this moment, I don't know what to believe. All I know is that it felt like a punch to the gut, and it was almost full circle from when I thought only Jaybee was back in radio to when I thought only Triggerman left the company... I didn't see the whole picture until I really sat down to think about it...

And by then, when I listened to the radio, all I heard was music. No jocks. No nothing. Just plain music.

Campus 99.5 was indeed gone too soon. It was the end of an era, however short-lived it may have been.

The Aftermath: It Will All Get Better In Time...

I've come to terms with the recent developments, and am at peace with myself with how I have conducted myself in the months I have been under training in Campus. I don't have any regrets with giving my time freely and voluntarily for those months, and I feel no anger over the end of an era yet again.

On a personal level, I am not slighted over losing a "job". It wasn't mine to lose, to begin with. All the service I have rendered was a labor of love not just for the Campus format, but for the radio industry as a whole.

On behalf of my fellow Aircheckers, though, I would just like to remind everyone else that the people who were affected by this are real people. Resignation or termination or whatever the case may be, these are people who have hopes and dreams, families to feed, and are no different from you and me.

For the life of me, I can never comprehend why people would take personal happiness from people losing their jobs, or in the case of Aircheck, having their hopes and dreams dashed. While all this may be temporary, it's as real and true as it can get. As I talk to my other fellow Aircheckers about what happened, I feel the genuine sadness over what has transpired. Real feelings of people who truly and personally invested themselves into the station.

I hope the people who laugh and point in the middle of the tears being shed by my fellow Aircheckers can sleep well at night, knowing that they revel in the suffering of another human being. I, for the life of me, cannot wish such a fate on even my own worst enemy.

I came into this all those months ago with much excitement and happiness for the return of Campus. I never once used this as an opportunity to compare them with Hit, or put down any other jocks, mainly because I respect the legacy of Hit and RT as a whole, all the same. How I felt about Campus had nothing to do with what I thought of the previous station's format.

I went on-air for all of two days as a DJ trainee before I was told I wasn't "Campus enough", and while I could've picked my ball up and went home from then, I decided to soldier on and train under Campus Aircheck, despite having been a jock in another station for three years already. I turned down an offer from another station with a radically different format because I wanted to do what I can to help Campus, even at my own personal expense.

I went through the unpleasant experience of the flamewars on PEX between Campus listeners and Brewsters as a pacifist, until finally we realized there was no reason to fight, to begin with.

I tried remaining a pacifist as people actively began to not just criticize, but demean the station, all the while respecting their opinion, but calling out any shenanigans when it comes to inane speculation, and baseless accusations.

I took it all in with nary a sweat when I was insulted for no good reason other than I dared to respond, to clarify. Truly, I was fighting city hall.

I took it all, personal attacks and everything, because you know what? I love radio too much to let some troll or flame-baiter sully my mood.

But when some of the closest friends I've made in the last five months are breaking into tears over what happened, and when I think of those who choose to laugh and kick us when we're down, I realize that this is something I can no longer take sitting down. Just know that if you are rejoicing now over what has happened, you are building your smiles on the tears and broken hearts of many people.

I will always treasure the things I learned from Campus, both good and bad.

From the many times I've been corrected by the person I look up to as my mentor, Joe Spinner...

... To the eye-widening things I learned about the industry from Neil...

... To the crazy antics I've had with my Fellow Aircheckers...

... To the wasak moments I had with the Brewrats...

... To the Rickrolling fun with Jaybee, Alex, and Piper...

... To the radio stories swapped with Jimmy Jam and Dada...

... To the hi-bye's with Nana...

... To the yet-to-be-delivered promise of a hook-up courtesy of David...

... To the fun conversations with Joshua and Ron...

... To the sunshine that was Lee...

... To the John Hendrix (And often, Jimmy Jam too!) impersonations...

... To the "High School Musical" tripping with Migz and his christening me "Sparky"...

... All of this is what made me feel so alive the last few months.

Even the times spent with sir Gener, sir Cherry and the other technicians, and everyone else in the office was nothing short of memorable.

To the people who rejoice over the apparent demise of Campus 99.5, I sincerely pray for you people. May you never find yourself in sad times and have people laughing in your face when you need a helping hand the most. Nobody deserves that. Despite all you have done, I will never wish that upon you.

And with that, my life will go on, wherever it may take me. If I could do everything over again, I'd still have chosen to go to Campus 99.5 despite knowing what I now know.

This post is dedicated to all the people, from jocks to office personnel to fellow aircheckers I've encountered in the months I've been with Campus 99.5. Whatever happens, you all have been a significant part of my life and of my growth as a human being.

So long, and thanks for all the fish! I know we'll still see each other again!

One Last Song: Saludo, by Six Cycle Mind

This song goes out to everyone in Campus 99.5. I wouldn't be here right now if I didn't love you guys. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for all of you guys. Thank you so much for everything, thanks for bringing the Campus back into our lives, if only for a while. Sa inyong lahat, saludo ako.

For the people who can't sleep, shouldn't sleep, or simply don't wanna sleep, thanks for Revving Up here on the number one hit music station in Metro Manila, Campus 99.5! This is Sparky, a proud member of Campus Aircheck Batch 5, signing off.

Saludo
by Six Cycle Mind

May bago kang liwanag
Isang dalangin
Pag alanganin sa takbo ng buhay

Refrain:
Punong-puno ng galit ang magulong paligid
Nakaya mong magtimpi
Lahat ay may ginhawa sa taong may tiyaga
Natuto kang sumabay

Chorus:
Saludo ako sa‘yo
Saludo ako sa ‘yo

Bawat araw, bawat oras
Punong-puno ng pag-asa
May kalungkutan sa iyong damdamin
Hangad mo ay magandang bukas

(Repeat Refrain)
(Repeat Chorus)

Ilang umaga man ang haharapin
Kapiling ang mga dalangin
Bawat pagsubok na babanggain
Ligaya mo ang aking nais
Bawat lungkot na sasaluhin
Tinig mo ang aking awitin

(Repeat Chorus twice)

(Repeat Refrain 4x)

R.I.P., Campus 99.5...

Post to follow on Sunday... I haven't thought about what to really say yet, but hopefully, my post on Pinoy Exchange will suffice in the meantime...

KEL AND JAY @ NBN-4 TONIGHT!

I'LL BE ON TV TONIGHT WITH JAY MATA, 9:15 PM, AT NBN-4. The show is entitled "Ang Say Ng Kabataan", and they'll be talking about mentalism!

Congratulations To Mark And Diane!

I'll post more sensibly, but for now, I just want to congratulate two of my great friends, Mark and Diane for tying the knot! May this Ad-Hoc connection forever remain strong!

Woo-hoo! Thanks also for giving me the honor of hosting and even doing magic for your wedding...

And much lurve to my Beloved for being there. It was definitely something I'm grateful for...

The details are all hazy, but I guess it's understandable due to the things that happened that day...

So Many Things Happened, But Still Can't Blog...

I'm just too tired, but here's a quick rundown of things to backblog for yours truly...

1. The 10 Emerging Influential Blogs Night.
2. My Beloved.
3. Nice Guys, Bad Boys, and you.
4. Sacha's birthday, Shari's birthday, Diane's wedding.

And, oh...

5. NBN interview tomorrow about mentalism.

Yehey! Wala Na Kami!

.:Yehey! Wala Na Kami!:.
may-akda di-kilala

Yehey! Wala na kami.

Yehey! Wala na kami. Wala na akong aalalahanin, wala na akong iisipin...

Pero hirap akong matulog sa gabi dahil bumabalik yung mga alaala noong magkasama kami. Naiisip ko kung paano niya hawakan yung kamay ko, yung tipong nagsasabing hindi niya ako iiwanan. Kung pa'no niya ko yakapin, yung nagsasabing lagi niya akong poprotektahan. At kung pa'no niya ako halikan, yung nagsasabing mahal na mahal nya ako.

Yehey! Wala na kami. Hindi na ako iiyak pa...

Pero kapag gabi nagagawa ko pa ring umiyak, dahil nami-miss ko siya. Nami-miss ko yung mga ngiti niyang nakakaloko, mga jokes niyang corny, mga tingin niyang nakakatunaw, tawa niyang nakakabaliw, pangungulit niya sa akin at kung anu-ano pang kapraningan na ginagawa niya. Nami-miss ko yun...

Yehey! Wala na kami. Wala na akong tatawagan, hindi na ako magte-text sa kanya, at makakaipon na ako ng pera para sa sarili ko.

Pero sa tuwing hawak ko ang cell phone ko, lagi kong hinahanap ang pangalan niya. Lagi akong nate-tempt na magtext sa kanya, o di naman kaya, tumawag. Nangangati lagi ang darili ko na pindutin ang "Write Message", i-type ang message ko, i-scroll yung button para makita ko yung number niya na nasa "aa" naman, at tapos ipe-press ko yung "Send." O kaya naman,i-scroll ko yung button para mahanap yung name niya tapos ipe-press ko yung "Call." Kahit na alam ko na mauubos na ang load ko at wala na akong pambili ng load (dahil kabibigay lang ng nanay ko).Kahit na alam kong hindi naman sya magre-reply at hinding-hindi nya ako tatawagan. At kahit kailan hindi na nya gagawin pang magparamdam.

Yehey! Wala na kami. Magkakaroon na ako ng time para sa sarili ko, sa pamilya ko at sa barkada ko.

Pero sa tuwing lalabas ako ng bahay, kasama man ang pamilya o barkada ko, siya lagi ang naaalala ko, na sana, kasama ko siya ngayon. Magkahawak kamay na namamasyal, naglolokohan, nagkukulitan, at nagtatawanan. Tapos, walang katapusang usapan kung saan kakain ng lunch, kung sa Fazoli's, Congo Grille, Gerry's, o sa Mang Jimmy's at sa mga tinatambayan namin. Kung pupunta ba sa sinehan para manood ng pelikula, kung maglalaro ba kami ng bowling upang magkaalaman na kung sino ang mas magaling, o kung mapilitan akong mag-ice skating kasama siya. Tapos, kasabay ko siya papauwi sabay nanakawan ko ng halik habang nasa biyahe.

Yehey! Wala na kami. Hindi na ako magpupuyat sa kakatutok sa computer, aabutin ng madaling-araw kaka-chat sa kanya.

Pero sa tuwing may ise-search ako sa Internet, bubuksan ko ang Plurk ko at sasabihin na nami-miss ko siya. Papasok ako sa Blogger at magbabakasakali na sumagot siya sa isa sa mga post ko, o kahit man lang sa Shoutbox ko. Titingnan ko ang Friendster at Multiply ko at pagmamasdan ang mga larawan namin noong masaya pa kami... bubuksan ko din ang Yahoo Messenger, dahil baka sakaling dumating siya. Makausap ko man lang, makikipagkulitan uli at baka sakaling magkaliwanagan kami at maibalik ang dating "kami."

Yehey! Wala na kami. Wala na akong girlfriend, pwede na akong tumingin sa iba.

Pero sabi ko sa sarili ko, hindi ko na kayang magmamahal pa muli. Alam ko, dahil sinubukan ko. Alam ko, dahil siya lang ang mahal ko. Siya lang ang nakaka-kumpleto sa araw ko, siya lang yung inspirasyon ko sa mga bagay-bagay. Siya lang yung nakakaintindi sa akin kapag may problema ako. Siya lang yung nakakapagpatahan sa akin kapag umiiyak ako. Siya lang ang buhay ko, siya lang, wala ng iba.

Yehey! Wala na kami. Wala na ring saysay ang buhay ko.

A Song To Myself...

.:A Song To Myself... Today's LSS:.

Dear Marcelle,

You blew it. Big time.

No Love,
Marcelle

Apologize
by Timbaland feat. One Republic

I'm holding on your rope
Got me ten feet off the ground
And I'm hearing what you say
But I just can't make a sound
You tell me that you need me
Then you go and cut me down
But wait...
You tell me that you're sorry
Didn't think I'd turn around and say..

That it's too late to apologize, it's too late
I said it's too late to apologize, it's too late

I'd take another chance, take a fall, take a shot for you
And I need you like a heart needs a beat
(But that's nothing new)
Yeah yeah

I loved you with a fire red, now it's turning blue
And you say
Sorry like the Angel Heaven let me think was you,
But I'm afraid

It's too late to apologize, it's too late
I said it's too late to apologize, it's too late
Woahooo woah

It's too late to apologize, it's too late
I said it's too late to apologize, it's too late
I said it's too late to apologize, yeah
I said it's too late to apologize, yeah

I'm holding on your rope
Got me ten feet off the ground...

Wonderful...

.:Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You...:.

You were beautiful today. Really, you were.

I found it incredibly difficult to not keep on looking at you despite the fact that my stomach was doing cartwheels on me with what I was going through.

Maybe I'll forget about you. Maybe I'd get to move on.

Just call me the king of wishful thinking...

.:Today's LSS...:.

King Of Wishful Thinking
by Go West

I don't need to fall at your feet
Just 'cause you cut me to the bone
And I won't miss the way that you kiss me
We were never carved in stone
If I don't listen to the talk of the town
Then maybe I can fool myself..

I'll get over you.. I know I will
I'll pretend my ship's not sinking
And I'll tell myself I'm over you
'cause I'm the king of wishful thinking
I am the king of wishful thinking

I refuse to give in to my blues
That's not how it's going to be
And I deny the tears in my eyes
I don't want to let you see.. no
That you have made a hole in my heart
And now I've got to fool myself..

I'll get over you.. I know I will
I'll pretend my ship's not sinking
And I'll tell myself I'm over you
'cause I'm the king of wishful thinking..
I'll get over you.. I know I will
I'll pretend my ship's not sinking
And I'll tell myself I'm over you
'cause I'm the king of wishful thinking

I will never, never shed a tear for you
I'll get over you

If I don't listen to the talk of the town
Then maybe I can fool myself..

I'll get over you.. I know I will
I'll pretend my ship's not sinking
And I'll tell myself I'm over you
'cause I'm the king of wishful thinking
I'm the king of wishful thinking
I'll get over you.. I know I will
You made a hole in my heart
But I won't shed a tear for you
I'll be the king of wishful thinking
I'll get over you..
I'll pretend my heart's still beating
'cause I've got no more tears for you
I'm the king of wishful thinking..
I'll get over you.. I know I will
You made a hole in my heart
And I'll tell myself I'm over you
'cause I'm the king of wishful thinking...

As Much As I'd Like To Write Certain Somethings...

.:Cryptic Disclaimer:.

There are two things I really want to write about at the moment...

Unfortunately, the first one needs some more time for me to mull over what I'd want to say. I know I had a lot of fault in the matter, but at the same time, I feel that it shouldn't have come as a surprise to begin with.

I guess when it comes to the first one, discretion is the better part of valor. I can say my piece and defend myself, but I don't think it would achieve anything, so I'd just leave it at that.

The second one, on the other hand, is something I am trying to write as we speak. However, what I realize is that I don't want to put it out in public for people to read. I think I'd best keep it on my Livejournal when it comes down to it...

The Samsung Omnia: Everything You Ever Wished For!

.:Lemme Tell You Something...:.

For the most part, I'm a Nokia user, but if I had to make an exception just once, then I'd best make it a good phone.

I don't have an I-anything, and it's not that I hate Apple or anything silly like that. I just don't see any use for it, and I'm very pragmatic when it comes to my gadgets. I would prefer a dedicated phone/camera/portable gaming unit/music player even if it meant multiple gadgets rather than a mediocre hodgepodge of all these devices in one.

That's why I'm really happy to say that the Samsung Omnia is simply a treat for anyone who wants a phone that does everything you expect of your dedicated devices, and does all of them well. With a 5-Megapixel camera, 16GB of memory, and full Wi-Fi capabilities for going online, this phone can pretty much do everything aside from being your prom date.

I have to apologize that I don't have pictures of this wondrous phone at the moment, but that's mainly because I don't have ways to transfer any data as I write this, but I hope that my glowing recommendation of this phone will suffice. I'm not the most tech-savvy blogger out there, but I liked what I saw: a very smart and intuitive phone that looks stylish and fulfills multiple roles very handily.

It was great being at the presentation in Manila Peninsula last Thursday night, truth be told. I especially liked that nifty landscaping feature of the camera that allowed it to pretty much digitally stitch together multiple pictures so that it could create one sprawling panoramic shot. That, and its intuitive discreet mode that is activated merely by turning the phone face-down.

Other bloggers were also present, and I'm sure they'd have their own take on how they found this phone, but I have to tell you, I'm sold on it. Priced competitively for a phone of its caliber, it definitely is an eye-catching and impressive phone for the person with discerning tastes.

Much gratitude to the people from Samsung, as well as the people from Microsoft, who helped us figure out how well Microsoft works in conjunction with this phone. I was definitely impressed with the potential for this phone, and it's definitely a phone I would love to have for myself. It has pretty much everything one can wish for in a phone, and then some.

Much gratitude as well to Juned, for introducing me to some of the people from Samsung, and of course, to the other bloggers who were similarly there and made for awesome company. I can't thank Samsung enough for not only taking the time out to help us learn the ropes of the new Omnia, as well as for this lovely Digital Photo Frame I'm staring at right now... wow. That's all I can say.

You can be sure I have something nice to say about them later when I'm on the air... in the sneakiest way possible, of course.

Name That Tune Meme!

.:Since I Don't Know What To Write About Today...:.

I had an interesting day today, mainly because of something I did in the evening, but I think I'll save writing about it some other time. I don't need the emoness to tain the experience...

.:The Name That Tune Meme!:.

Taken from May Martinez...

Pick out your 20-25 favorite songs.

Pick out a line from each (try not to use the chorus or title of the song). List them and see if people on your friends list can guess them. Once one is guessed correctly, strike it out.

To the people answering: NO GOOGLING FOR THE LYRICS!

1. "My heart starts breaking, when I think of making a plan to let you go..." Rick Astley - It Would Take A Strong, Strong Man (Guessed by Gurlalein)

2. "Well, I gotta go, I'm almost at the bridge now... oh s***, I forgot, how'm I suposed to send this tape out?!?" Eminem - Stan (Guessed by Bulitas)

3. "And I won't miss the way that you kiss me, we were never carved in stone. If I don't listen to the talk of the town, then maybe I can fool myself..."
Go West - King Of Wishful Thinking (Guessed by Fitz)

4. "You showed me how tomorrow and today, my love is different from the yesterday I knew..." Apo Hiking Society - When I Met You (Guessed by Bulitas)

5. "All day, I'm talking to myself in public, dodging glances on the train..." Matchbox Twenty - Unwell (Guessed by Bulitas)

6. "Alam mo bang, kanina pa akong magdamag nang nakatingin sa iyo? At di mo lang alam, sa gitna ng kadiliman, di mapakali, ako'y nabighani..." Sugarfree - Mariposa (Guessed by Mighty Dacs)

7. "You think by now I've learned, play with fire and you get burned..." Teri Desario - Fallin' (Guessed by Bulitas)

8. "'Di mo alam ako'y nasasaktan, sa 'di pagpansin sa aking pagmamahal. Lumapit ka't ako'y naghihintay..." Gary Valenciano - Gaya Ng Dati (Guessed by Xee)

9. "The rain on my face, it covers the trace, of all these tears I had to waste..." Rick Astley - Cry For Help (Guessed by Mighty Dacs)

10. "But then you went and changed the words, and now my heart is empty..."

11. "Some of us hover when we weep for the other who was dying since the day they were born..." Lisa Loeb and Nine Stories - Stay (Guessed by Toni)

12. "Oh and it's okay if you go away. Just remember the telephone works both ways..." Jason Mraz - You And I Both (Guessed by Bulitas)

13. "I tried to find you but you were so far away. I was praying that fate would bring you back to me..." Wilson Phillips - You're In Love (Guessed by Mighty Dacs)

14. "I have to say, though alone in this crazy sea of faces, it’s still your face I wanna know..."

15. "It's been two years since she passed on, but somehow the pain still lingers on,
and no other day can magnify it like this day..."

16. "Hindi ba natin kayang dayain,ang mga yakap sa tuwing lumalambing..." 6 Cycle Mind - Biglaan (Guessed by Bulitas)

17. "I wanted you to stay, the tears begin to show. You said you cared for me, but then you had to go..." Second Wind - Pain In My Heart (Guessed by Mighty Dacs)

18. "So I ask myself what you have left behind for me, to go on each day to live as if I have you once again..." Basil Valdez - Let The Pain Remain (Guessed by Xee)

19. "Loved me fearless when you needed to. You would not rest till you came through. So god bless and thank you..."

20. "Some people will work things out, and some just don’t know how to change..." Boyz II Men - Water Runs Dry (Guessed by Mighty Dacs)

21. "How could you make then break my heart? If I can’t say, “I miss you”, let me say one last thing..."

22. "You were my world, you meant everything to me. You're the air I breathe, the song I sing. You were my queen, I was your king..."

23. "Oh, another social casualty. Score one more for me..." John Mayer - My Stupid Mouth (Guessed by Bulitas)

24. "I need inspiration, not just another negotiation..." Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore - Way Back Into Love (Guessed by Xee)

25. "Cause we can never be more than friends, and it hurts me everytime I close my eyes, all I see is you..." Kim Chiu - Crazy Love (Guessed by KCness)

Yesterday's Long But Enjoyable Day...

.:Good Times To Kick Off...:.

After doing Rev Up on Campus 99.5 from 3 to 6 in the morning, I dropped in next door to hang out with Mo, Mojo, and Grace Lee for their show, and I noticed Mojo wasn't in the best of moods as he was a tad, nay, quite angry at some kid, refusing to give him ticket because his brother did something mean to Mojo.

Even Mo Twister, who's normally the mean one among the three, was actually asking Mojo to lighten up already and give the tickets. First of all, it wasn't even the kid who insulted Mojo, but his brother, and he shouldn't be obliged to rebuke his brother, particularly when he's younger.

It was a fun show all around, especially since they had lots of people in the booth to keep them company, as well as Mo's newly neutered dog, who was snoring in the booth while catching some sleep. Heh. It was pretty fun, and we even exchanged talks about how I first met Mo during his joint album launch party with Chico and Delle all those years ago in SM Centerpoint, and the fact that I rarely listen to radio during the morning show nowadays because I'm more inclined to go to sleep instead and all that...

In any case, Robi the Rascal actually showed up on the show as an impersonator for Tokuda, the 73-year old Japanese porn star. Ah, Japan. Never change. I was especially amused by how he tried flirting with Grace Lee, talking about her "Mount Fuji's", among other things,and how he'd like to star in a movie with her, like "The Devil Wears Nada" or "Crotching Tiger" or something. He was hilarious and you could see Grace Lee was especially disturbed by the concept of old people sex, and was stunned when "Tokuda" asked her:

Will you do it with me if I were younger, like, 69?

.:Happy Birthday, Charo!:.

After the show, I met up with a client and ran into James from WAVE's sales team, and we talked about my current concerns in radio. Having said that, I then headed off to Charo's house, to see her since it's her birthday. We had a great meal, and the T-Bone steak where we ate at was awesome and affordable, plus we swapped very intriguing stories that I almost wish I could forget about... Damn, Charo, you threw me for a loop! Heh.

In any case, it was a great day spent with a good friend, and here's hoping that the JGL can get together again one of these days. It's been wonderful being able to celebrate Charo's birthday, and it was definitely great because Charo does bring out the gourmand in me... the thousand-layer lasagna just sounds positively sinful.

.:On Characters...:.

Yesterday, Mojo was lamenting that he was being hated by listeners and by the 14-year old kid as a person and not seeing through the fact that he was merely "portraying a character" on the Good Times radio show.

Mo went Batman Begins on him, by reminding him that it's not what he is inside, but what he does that defines who he is. And let's face it: on air, Mojo is flamboyant, and a tad confrontative. Mo had some choice words to describe him instead, but I'd rather not use that.

But it does beg the question... was Mojo right in taking offense that his "character" was taken as who he really was? I personally vouch for the fact that Mojo in general is really a nice guy in person, but his radio persona is slightly different albeit it's an extension of who he really is. When people don't "get it", ala how people who think wrestling is real genuinely hate the bad guys, do we have the right to take offense if we are attacked as if our character was really who we were?

Yes and no, I suppose. Being on radio doesn't require a character as it were, and anyone can tell you that. Unlike being a TV actor or a pro wrestler, the "character" you portray is a character you insisted on. Nobody went there and said this is the role you'd play, and how you choose to ask is simply concordant with how differently you carry yourself when you're on air. By dint of this, since the listeners only know you by what you do on the air, then it's easy to understand why they will make judgments about you based on what they hear.

I think that while there are cases where you can't just judge a person, such as in the context of a movie, it's also unavoidable that how one conducts himself in a public venue, whether radio or online forums, is also an indicator of who you are, no matter if this is merely one facet of who you are. If Mojo didn't want to be hated for the character he felt he was merely portraying, then he should've shown to his listeners more and more who he really was rather than his so-called character.

As Mo put it, if you decide to be an @$$ on the air, then don't be shocked when people hate you for being an @$$ even if you're a real saint off the air. He also took it as a chance to poke a bit of fun at Grace Lee, who despite not being uber-innocent, turned out to be rather "boring" on Forbidden Questions, considering the fact that she did nothing but tell the truth... heh.

Grace Lee was cute today, though. She had no idea what it meant for NBA during the off-season, asking if they literally played basketball "off the court"... which just cracked up everyone in the room. She's smart and witty, but she's not sporty, I guess. =P

But then, really now. Mojo's a great guy. It's too bad people don't get to see that about him often enough.

Yet Another Act Of Unprofessionalism: An Open Letter To The Producers Of ABS-CBN's Matanglawin

.:An Open Letter To The Producers Of ABS-CBN's Matanglawin...:.

Last Saturday, I was requested by your crew to be present in Makati for an interview for your episode involving magic and mentalism. Initially, this shoot was scheduled at 6PM, but the day before, it was moved to 1:30PM instead.

I understand that schedules are often subject to change when it comes to TV productions. As a former segment producer in another TV network, I know how difficult it is to get schedules in sync just to get a shoot right.

I suppose this explains why I am writing this to express my disappointment when despite being at the venue and despite the fact that the shoot was already being conducted, Jay Mata and I, who were designated as Escape Artists for this particular shoot, were asked to be rescheduled with another group of magicians instead of the group of mentalists we were with at the time.

Now, first of all, Jay Mata and I are both mentalists as well who only happen to have branched out in Escape Artistry. Secondly, we were specifically asked to be present for this shoot, and not this other shoot we have only heard about on the day itself. Thirdly, we were already at the venue, and the shoot was already in progress. Why would we have to reschedule ourselves when we were already at the venue while the shoot was already in progress? Would it have been too much effort to actually inform Jay and myself earlier on that our presence was not required?

You see, this other shoot was something we were completely uninformed about, and was scheduled at 9PM, a full seven and a half hours after the schedule agreed upon. Both Jay and I took the effort to free up our schedules for this shoot, in my case no mean feat considering I sacrificed sleep to make this commitment on time, having been up for the past thirty hours due to my work as a radio personality in Campus 99.5. If a distinction between magicians and mentalists exist, would there not be yet another distinction for escape artists? Unlike magicians, there is simply no "secret" to escape artistry, except pure skill and efficiency.

This abhorrently unprofessional display by your staff is a far cry from what I would expect from a program produced by one of the country's leading television networks. As professional performers, Jay Mata and I value our time and expect due respect as professionals who have taken time out to be present for this particular shoot. Furthermore, asking us to reschedule a full two days after this mishap only emboldens our opinion that your staff does not possess any amount of professional courtesy whatsoever: we categorically stated that given this mistreatment, we would rather not be featured on this particular episode anymore.

Did you honestly think that we merely said this for dramatic effect? We would rather sacrifice a chance for exposure if it means that we could preserve our integrity as professionals. We are hoping that if your staff is sincere in making up for their transgression, they would have a far more substantive effort than that, otherwise, it would be best not to extend anymore half-baked efforts at rectifying this mistake.

We are putting this grievance out in public as it is an affront to Jay Mata and myself. Given the effort we have extended to be present for this shoot, the least your staff could have done was to simply interview us since we were already there. Just because we do not appear to have the clout and influence to make threats does not give you the right to treat us unprofessionally.

Dear producers of Matanglawin, we hope this letter would allow you to rectify this issue in a timely manner. All we asked was some professional courtesy, which we were unfairly denied. Was this really too much to ask for?

Sincerely,
Kel Fabie

The Rick Astley Live In Manila Megapost!!!

.:The EPIC Rick Astley In Manila Mega-Post!:.

This will be a while. Sit down and listen to a tale I have to tell.

The Seeds Of Fandom: A Power I Just Can’t Deny…

Photograph by Poyt.

Most of the time, people see Rick Astley merely as a guilty pleasure. I understand of course the need to maintain one’s composure and not just throw themselves at the altar of an 80’s icon when it’s already 2008, much the same way most girls my age pretend to have never been fans of the Backstreet Boys or Boyzone, or at least declare that their tastes have indeed matured. Fine, I respect that, but I have no such inhibitions, and my fanboyism knows no bounds. When I’m a fan of something or someone, I make no effort whatsoever to hide it, no matter how “bakya” it may seem.

Having said that, Rick Astley is not a guilty pleasure for me. The Rickroll phenomenon was merely a means for me to be in vogue when I wax nostalgic about hits like “Never Gonna Give You Up” and “Together Forever”, and actually discover that one of my favorite songs, “Cry For Help” was actually done by Rick Astley. Yes, I’m not the guy who’d memorize a particular artist’s discography… until recently, that is.

Regardless, I’ve been a fan of Rick Astley since I was four years old, and twenty-one years hence, I’m still a fan.

So what’s to like about Rick Astley? Isn’t he just some kind of 80’s Icon whose time has passed, sorta like Cindy Lauper, Bananarama, and New Kids On The Block? No, not really, because unlike those other has-beens, Rick Astley still has a career (No, a new album for NKOTB doesn’t count. At all.).

Here are ten good reasons to like Rick Astley…

1. His first single was also his biggest… “Never Gonna Give You Up” spent five weeks atop the UK charts. It was the highest-selling single for 1987 in U.K. His follow-up, “Together Forever”, was pretty big as well. So big in fact, that in the Philippines, it inspired a certain guy named Roderick Paulate to follow in his footsteps…

2. He knows how to play the guitar, drums, and piano. His deep baritone voice, similarly, lends to the rumor that he is a front for a black singer.

3. The Rickroll owns Chuck Norris Facts any day of the week. I’d watch a Rick Astley concert, but I would never watch a Chuck Norris concert. It has also become the anthem for the Anonymous movement against the Church of Scientology, which, I must say, is a nice way to give them the bird.

4. The only newcomer deemed better than Rick Astley during the Grammy’s? Tracy Chapman. If you’d lose to someone, may as well be a Tracy Chapman.

5. If you change the pitch of his songs, his voice sounds suspiciously like Kylie Minogue’s. If you lower the pitch of Kylie Minogue’s songs, similarly, you’d hear Rick Astley singing. Don’t believe it? Try this on for size.

6. While famous for dance ditties, “Hold Me In Your Arms” and “Cry For Help” are two of Rick Astley’s most popular songs of all time.

7. During the 90’s, Rick Astley was rocking the long hair. It actually looked pretty cool, if you ask me.

8. He’s a genuine, down-to-Earth guy. Not to mention he’s British. Instead of thinking that the rickroll phenomenon is a nod to his immortality, he acknowledges it as a quirk of the internet, and was more worried about it embarrassing his 16-year old daughter than anything else. He literally turned his back on fame in favor of being a family man and gets more kicks out of being featured on Family Guy than living in his glory days.

9. He doesn’t take himself seriously. He has a dapper sense of humor that’s remarkably almost Austin Power-ish. It’s sad though that due to record industry pressure, he never had the kind of career people like Madonna still enjoy. He doesn’t seem to mind at all, though.

10. The man is a changed man. During his heyday, he lived a very wild life, but managed to walk away from all that just in time to settle down and be the phenomenon he is today.

Excitement Builds: You Couldn’t Get This From Any Other Guy!

A poster I took a picture of way back in May…

Way back in May, I posted about Rick Astley coming to Manila, and even casually mentioned that I’d like to see Roderick Paulate as the front act. As I had no Facebook account, I wasn’t part of the epic Petition group started by Gabe Mercado and friends.

Despite that, I genuinely wanted to see the concert, and since I had a friend who works for Araneta, I asked her for tickets early on. Ironically, she wasn’t going to be my source for tickets for the concert night itself.

The Face To Face: When I Think About Leaving, I Think About Losing…

Notice the resemblance to the poster above? Apparently, a lot of people did.

The thing is, I really wanted to meet Rick Astley in person, and, similar to how I was during the WWE RAW and Smackdown tours, where I met Mick Foley and Batista, Booker T, Bobby Lashley, Michelle McCool, and Chavo Guererro, respectively, I didn’t care much for seeing the actual show anymore afterwards.

As my recent post about how I met Rick Astley in Alchemy thanks to Jayvee intimates, I was on a high when I saw the man, shook hands with him, and even had a picture taken with him. Jokes escalated from my friends when there finally was photo evidence that Rick Astley and I could pass for father-and-son because we really had similar facial features.

I was happy. I didn’t feel the need to go to the concert anymore because I figured I already topped the concert by meeting the man, not just seeing him. But then, the more I talked about it on Thursday, the more I realized I wanted to see the concert. There was still the whole “will Roderick Paulate be there?” bit, and as I kept on listening to his music and watching his videos while online, I felt an irresistible urge to want to see him perform these songs live. When you see WWE wrestlers do their stuff live in Manila, they don’t put nearly as much effort as they would if they were doing it on pay-per-view. In contrast, when a singer goes on concert, it’s less likely they’d just phone in a performance, and I was banking on Rick Astley pulling out all the stops for this one.

It was then that I realized that it takes a strong, strong man to ever let this chance to see Mr. Astley go.

Clawing My Way For Tickets: A Cry For Help

All you need…

My friend who works in Araneta, Be, couldn’t get me any tickets for the show, so I had to think of something, and fast. Thankfully, I already asked my station, Campus 99.5, for tickets. We were media partners, after all. But there were no guarantees, and I didn’t get any word from the Triggerman if he had even just one ticket to spare for me. I headed home from my radio show on Friday morning with a determination to get tickets whatever it took, so I pulled as many strings as I could: Tita Harvey and Kathy Chua, my former co-workers at WAVE 89.1, Uncle Raymund, and so forth. I was prepared to buy from a scalper if needed be, because I didn’t know if the tickets were sold out, plus I wanted good seats. Maybe not Patron, but anything’s better than nosebleed seats…

Then, when I woke up in the afternoon, I was greeted by a text message from Anne of WAVE 89.1. She had two tickets for me that I could pick up from Mossimo Gateway. I gave out a general call on my Plurk, asking for any takers, but I ended up asking old friend and batchmate Cami out.

But then, I received another text message, this time from Joe Spinner. He told me that Triggerman had tickets for me, which just threw me in for a loop, since during the morning, Triggerman said he had nada to give. I was to go to the Campus 99.5 Gateway event and get the tickets from the Triggerman, bringing me up to a grand total of four tickets. That’s when I got back on Plurk and made another open offer. This time, Poyt and Joy answered the call, and I offered to treat them to CBTL for a sandwich or something before we headed out, and in the event things get messed up and they don’t get tickets, they’d still have CBTL to look forward to.

It all went well, and the four of us managed to get tickets. Since Poyt brought her camera, she was pretty much the official photographer for the night, and that was all good.

The Prelude: Don’t Tell Me You’re Too Blind To See…

We built this sitteh… (Photo by, yes, Poyt.)

The place was packed the closer the seats got to the stage. Ironically, there weren’t too many people in the bleachers, and due to the fact that we managed to finagle tickets through WAVE and Campus, we had Patron seats which some of us were tempted to just scalp for money, since they cost 5,270 bucks each. I was in Row I with Cami, while Poyt and Joy were in Row P a bit farther up back.

The concert opened with a set from Tres, the guys who brought you Angel. They were from Bacolod, so the lead singer who looked like Elvis (As the Danish people in front of us pointed out.) was singing with much gusto that “We built this sitteh on rock and roll.” So sue me, I’m a grammar nazi even during a concert. Despite that, they got the crowd going, with stuff from Wang Chung, Van Halen, and so forth.

But one song they sang stood out to me, and Cami pointed that out: it was “King Of Wishful Thinking”, by Go West, and it felt like every single line of the song was meant for me. If I wasn’t pumped up before then (And I was.), I was definitely pumped up and excited for Rick Astley after that song… I even texted Poyt that “King Of Wishful Thinking” was my personal anthem, which she promptly Plurked over her cellphone. It was a 90’s song, though…

So after much anachronistic gyrating from the female singer that looked nothing like from the 80’s, the opening act finished, and more anticipation was building for Rick Astley’s arrival…

There was some massive applause and cheering during this interval. It turns out that Roderick Paulate had front row seats, and we felt that something big was up. Rick Astley knows about the rickroll. He’s been in the Philippines for two days already. Surely someone told him about Tito Dick already!

The Concert: There Ain’t No Mistaking It!

My eyes doth not deceiveth me… (Photo by, you got it, Poyt.)

Rick Astley got onstage, looking every bit like an English gentleman with shades of Austin Powers as he kept saying “yeah, baby!” while sipping on what appeared to be a cup of tea or coffee. He opened with “Together Forever”, and while he didn’t do any dancing, people got up on their feet, and started dancing. It would seem then that after every song, he’d talk to the crowd, thanking everyone for “waiting 15 to 20 years for him to get there” because it was a “long way to canoe all the way from Merseyside” or something along those lines. He was funny, he was witty, and he had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand.

After performing a couple more songs, he mentioned that he heard about somebody who dances just like him, and I promptly started a “Tito Dick” chant amid the rabid applause. He smartly told the people in attendance that he was going to see for himself at the last part of the concert, thereby assuring that everyone would finish the entire thing, which they certainly did.

He sang his hits with much aplomb. Of course, I especially liked “It Takes A Strong, Strong Man”, as well as “Hold Me In Your Arms”, “Whenever You Need Somebody”, and “Cry For Help”, which is of course, my absolute favorite non-“Never Gonna Give You Up” song. I didn’t even realize he was the one who sang “My Arms Keep Missing You”, and he even had a cover of “When I Fall In Love”. He knew how to play off of the crowd, asking them to be the “largest karaoke in the Philippines” to sing the choir part of “Cry For Help”, and even getting a fan up on stage named Gina, whom he playfully allowed, no, guided to grab his butt in the middle of their duet (Was it “My Arms Keep Missing You” that they sang to? I think so.). He had nothing but nice words to say about the Philippines, about how beautiful the people were and about how he’d want the audience at Jakarta for his concert the next day because of how receptive they were.

Aside from teasing his hotel room number to the crowd, he even had a heartwarming moment where after Gina (Who was insistent in taking pictures of Rick Astley all night long.) went back to her seat, Rick Astley said that he and Gina could get something going on if it weren’t for the fact that he has two women in his life already: his partner and his sixteen-year old daughter. It’s very casual, candid moments like these that made you feel how sincerely and genuinely happy Rick Astley was to be there that night.

Just where are those hands going?!?

He reiterated his invite to Roderick a few songs prior to all of this, saying he had “six more songs to go”, and that he’s saving his energy up to dance for only one song, because according to him, at his age, he only has enough in the tank to dance to one song. Cami and I were cheering like mad and dancing and I was singing along to most every song there. At one point, he even ad libbed a spoken word bit because he allegedly forgot the lyrics to one of his songs. He even brought out the reading glasses to thank his sponsors at one point, making him look radically different…

He sang a lot of my favorites, and some songs I barely know, like “My Arms Keep Missing You”, and songs I’ve only ever heard once, like “Hopelessly”, “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg”, and “Don’t Say Goodbye”.

After six songs, he faked out the audience by pretending to leave already, as if he forgot to sing “Never Gonna Give You Up” (How’s that for a Rickroll within a Rick Astley concert?!?). The Araneta Coliseum crowd wasn’t fooled. They refused to leave, and soon enough, Rick Astley came back, alone. We knew what this meant…

Rick And Dick: Together Forever!

Words cannot express my joy… (Photo by, unbelievably, Poyt yet again.)

Rick Astley grabbed a guitar, and started strumming. I saw this on YouTube before, so I knew he had an acoustic take on Never Gonna Give You Up. At this point, he invited Tito Dick onstage, and…

The EPIC commences!

You could see that Roderick Paulate was genuinely happy. Maybe he hasn’t sung or danced to Rick Astley in at least a decade, but it was just like old times, and it was amazing how it seemed like there was only one singer between the two of them despite the fact that they were passing the mic back and forth. Tito Dick sounded exactly like Rick Astley! The crowd was white-hot at this point, and Tito Dick was firing on all cylinders, from the dance steps to impressing Rick Astley that he actually knew the lyrics by heart, prompting Rick to say that Tito Dick “should’ve been up on stage all night.”

After this bit which arguably got the biggest applause of the night, the band came back and Rick Astley performed “Never Gonna Give You Up” on his own to cap off the show. People in attendance were definitely satisfied. With promises that he’ll be back soon enough, Rick Astley went off the stage, and a good chunk of the fans proceeded to backstage to have autographs and pictures with him. Of course, this is where my Alchemy experience yielded me an advantage, and I didn’t go there anymore.

What’s unbelievable about this was that it may have not happened, and we have Gabe Mercado to thank that he got into Tito Dick’s ear to motivate him to really do the cameo.

After The Party: My Heart’s Still Achin’!

It’s the four lucky people who got free Patron tickets… (Photo by, whodathunk it? Poyt!)

It was a sheer rush of emotion for me. I am a true-blue fan of the man, and it was great having been able to take three of my friends with me to experience Rick Astley. While it obviously wasn’t a Rickroll since we fully expected to see the man, it was an amazing experience, without any question.

A funny thought occurred to me during the concert though, that it would’ve been a genuine Rickroll moment if we went to a Fallout Boy concert and it was Rick Astley who showed up instead.

Having said that, after watching a bit of True Faith at the Gateway event in Campus, the four of us parted ways, although I took Cami home before heading to the station, still obviously on an amazing high after the concert.

I don’t know what else to say about the experience, really. It was a long trek from mere Rickroll jokes (Which I love pulling on unsuspecting people.) to actually seeing the man, the legend, RICK ASTLEY live in Manila. From the moment I found out about the concert, and amid all the not-so-flattering jokes about my musical tastes, my own singing and dancing, and even my sexuality, to the moment I shook his hand in Alchemy, to the moment we stepped out of Araneta Coliseum still singing Rick Astley songs, to the very moment I’m writing this post now, I am grateful for the entire experience, and with no hint of irony and in all seriousness, this will always be a big part of my life.

I don’t know if this message will ever get to Mr. Rick Astley himself, but I just wanted to say: thank you so much, Mr. Astley, and we hope you make good on your promise to come back here. I am one of your biggest fans ever, and you have no idea how you have managed to lift up my spirits at a time in my life where I absolutely needed a reason to smile and be happy and forget about the drama for a moment. God bless you, and may you have continued success in whatever you do.

Call it overacting or hamming it up, but I am dead serious: everyone knew I would move heaven and Earth for a moment like this, and here I stand now, with this post as living testament that no matter what, every dog has his day.

Here are the other posts about the concert… if you have a post about the Rick Astley live in Manila tour, drop me a line, and I’ll link to it here!

Cami
Gabe Mercado
Jayvee
Mighty Dacs
Poyt
Spanky
Spring Roll
Tals

EDIT: ZOMG. The entire concert is on Torrent?!?