Just Another Magic Monday (Sorta): Homecoming

.:Just Another Magic Monday (Sorta): Homecoming:.

One guess why there were no bondage jokes that night.

I had a show Monday night as well, but inasmuch as that was fun, there was still nothing quite like performing in Don Bosco Sta. Mesa once again after approximately eighteen years since I last performed there.

You see, years ago, one of the first people who ever taught me magic was a lovely human being named Sister Angie, FMA (That's Figle Maria Ausilatrice, not Full Metal Alchemist, or Fixed Martial Arts.). It was the most unlikely mentor ever, but Sister Angie really got things started for me, and as you can see to this very day, it never really stopped, did it?

So when I performed last Sunday night in Don Bosco, that was as real a homecoming as can be for my magical career. It was just amazing, and the people were, in a word, entertained, which is the whole point of getting into magic the first place.

It was quite a moment, really, even if I had to be extra careful about my words and my jokes, since I was surrounded by nuns throughout the night, and I knew my liberal ways (LOL) were not going to go over very well there.

On a tangent, by the way, I'm still amused the last time someone referred to me as a liberal, considering how I actually am in practice. Not to mention that said person is apparently one of the least gracious people I have ever met, considering how said person has the temerity to still grouse and whine after being apologized to.

Stay classy, yo.

Anyways, where was I? Oh, yeah. The show. I think Apol and Iza had the idea to get me that night, and when I obliged them, I was overjoyed to see that it went over just fine, considering I had to follow a TV celebrity, which just intimidated me to no end. In any case, it was all good, really. This was a great return to my roots, although the next time I talk about doing a "back to basics," it had better be a post about me finally meeting Sister Angie after all these years. She was, unfortunately, not at the celebration that night.

Much thanks to Kcat for this picture, by the way!

She Can't.... But She Can!

.:She Can hEAR!:.

She is made of win!

I cannot say enough about my admiration and respect for my DBS batchmate Kcat Yarza, but it was definitely an honor for me to host her birthday party and fundraiser last Friday night.

It was a great night, to say the least, especially since a lot of her friends and family were there to celebrate her birthday. Goes to show that she is surrounded by people who love her, and know that no matter what she goes through, Kcat is made of far sterner stuff than whatever the universe can throw at her.

Kcat is simply an inspiration to many. Her will to fight on despite setbacks, her inability to take “no” for an answer, is something that few people possess. When problems beset us, it tends to be easy to throw our hands up and surrender, but Kcat shows that winning is a state of mind as much as it is a state of affairs. When things seem down and when things seem undeniably challenging for us, thinking about people like Kcat reminds us that the slings and arrows of fate are only as strong as we allow them to be. They cannot overpower us if we refuse to allow them to do so.

The night was punctuated by a bit of comedy, and a whole lot of music, and even more food. I’ll say one thing about Kcat: she knows how to throw a party, and it was amazing meeting an old classmate and friend of mine who’s been based abroad for a while already: Sarah Jervoso.

She was the only girl taller than me in Grade 3!

Having said that, with all the challenges we face, and with all the things that we have to deal with, leave it to Kcat to lead the way and to never give up in the face of adversity. As people who believe in her and support her, the least we can do is heed her example.

Kcat, thanks for having me at your celebration. It was an honor and a blast, and I’d be more than happy to have the opportunity to help in any way I can in the future, if you so wish me to. You are truly an amazing person, and your battlecry of “I can” rings true in every ounce of my being. Godpseed to you.

With that, I leave you with the AVP from her celebration...

Happier Times...

.:Diyes Is It!:.

Hayskul life, oh my hayskul life...

If my DBTC homecoming was marked by the fact that I saw only four other people from my batch (And they were all classmates.), the DBS homecoming was marked by the fact that batch 2000 came to the venue armed to the teeth.

It was good seeing old friends and classmates, albeit I was the only guy in my batch who went there and didn’t have a girlfriend or wife from the batch. Nonetheless, I felt right at home as I caught up with my friends from the batch.

It was crazy, really. From bonding with Mrs. Penano to hearing from Iza after all this time and discovering Apol’s married, to seeing Eky and feeling like it’s just another weekend (We hang out a lot. LOL.), everything was just surreal. The fact that we had an after-party to cap off the night with a massive table occupied by former DBS students was

.:Tasteh. Ravioleh.:.

En garde!

Thanks to Arpee, I found myself in a very quiet dinner for a few bloggers with the likes of Ryan, Karla, Sha, and Bambi in Bistro Ravioli. Ultimately, it was a very great experience, and the owner, Princess, was nothing but gracious to us.

We tried out pizza, ravioli, buffalo wings, and even desserts. The pictures of the food don’t do justice at all (You can catch most of them in Arpee’s blog.). You just need to taste the food to find out how delectable it really is. I’m a sucker for cheese, cheese, and more cheese, so I went for their four-cheese pizza and their spinach ravioli. Needless to say, I was floored by the food. The noodles are hand-pulled and fresh, the dough is baked on the spot, and all the ingredients are top-notch.

As a guy who loves Italian food, it takes quite a lot for me to stand up and take notice of a restaurant. You either have to be exceptionally economical (Like Fazoli’s.) or exceptionally good (Albeit not necessarily worth the price, like Italianni’s.) for me to bother to talk about the food. Bistro Ravioli is good and very affordable. You can find it in Mall of Asia’s south wing on the second floor, while another branch with a different menu, Ravioli, can be found in Robinson’s Galleria’s foodcourt. It’s like an oasis there. You can’t miss it.

A Pat On The Back...

.:Refreshed:.

Slept for thirteen hours yesterday. Couldn’t believe it, really. I just went out at 6PM, and woke up at 7AM the next day. Wow.

It’s the perfect way to reward myself for having (finally) submitted my thesis hard copies yesterday. Yeah!

.:Sunday’s Surprise Party:.

I hosted the latter half of Bubba’s (Jane’s beau.) surprise birthday party, and it was quite an awesome night. From Rockeoke (Yes, I sang “What’s Up”!) to Jane and Bubba having a duet live, to seeing Stanley Chi perform again after a long time of being delinquent from Spicy Fingers, it was all good, really.

Carlos, Hannah, and Vince were awesome company. We had a grand time, especially when Carlos and I decided to start doing some magic for Vince, who was just floored by the both of us. Ultimately, the night went really well, from the food to the company, and I’m glad Bubba liked the surprise Jane put together for him. With a girlfriend like Jane, I guess you might say Bubba is one helluva lucky guy. I don’t think I’d ever have someone pull something as big as that for me, after all.

.:Instant Homecoming:.

Last Saturday, I found myself with nowhere to go after a successful show in Woodrose. I was about to just head to Megamall to play some Street Fighter IV when I discovered that the annual alumni homecoming was happening on the same night. It wasn’t too hard to figure out that the appeal of going to my high school alma mater, Don Bosco Technical College, proved to be too much for me to resist.

So I went there and discovered there were only about five of my batch who bothered to go to the homecoming. Despite that, it was fun. Catching up with Luis Geronimo had to be one of the most surprising moments of my life, not because we were pseudo –rivals in high school, but because apparently, we both happened to personally know Manolo Quezon. I have to admit, I couldn’t help but say “small world” when I found out.

The alumni homecoming was definitely fun, although I didn’t feel too compelled to stick around for long. Pauleen Luna was hosting it, the theme was all about wrestling, and some people I haven’t seen in ages, namely Mrs. Etta Benessa, Mr. Narciso Mefragata, and Mr. Sixto Antiga were in attendance. I must say, I felt a lump in my throat as I saw them.

I think I should make this a personal annual tradition for me. In fact, against my better judgment, I started seeking out my classmates from Zone 40. Maybe a decade away from it all has given us rose-colored visions of how things used to be, but I genuinely am proud of having been a Bosconian. That much cannot be denied.

Project 365 (23/365), And A Random Grab-Bag

.:23/365: The Blindfold Act Or Remote Viewing:.

This is my demonstration of the blindfolded rubik’s solve.

Remote viewing seems to be the one branch of mentalism that has had the most practical use over the years, assuming that it works perfectly. There was a time when the FBI actually used remote viewing to aid them in solving crimes, such that they’d have supposed psychics focus on finding kidnap victims or analyzing crime scenes.

Unfortunately, as my demonstration has shown, I don’t quite have that kind of range just yet, and am restricted to remote viewing in my proximity and in real time. The blindfolded Rubik’s solve is something I learned from Richard Osterlind, and is one of the key highlights of my act. Now, in my case, it could be called a blindfold act, but if I were to attempt to dictate to a person how to solve a cube while I stood in another room, that would not be a blindfold act, but it would still be remote viewing.

I love this routine, because it’s such a hard worker. It never fails to please the audience, and any skeptics you might run into are quickly flabbergasted when you start solving the cube behind your back, deliberately holding the cube in front of you both for orientation and drama purposes.

Remote viewing is something that has been utilized by pretty much every single mentalist of note out there, although there are a million and one variations. We’ve mentioned in the past that Uri Geller has also performed his own version of remote viewing, specifically doing the blindfolded drive. Osterlind has done it, I’m almost certain Banachek could’ve done it, as it’s right up his alley, and of course, the great Glenn Faulkenstein has done a signature blindfold act with his wife for decades.

The possibilities are limitless when it comes to sightless vision. As an entertainer, I certainly love the things I can pull off with it. But imagine this... if everyone could only do remote viewing even just by proximity, barring worries of peeping Tom’s, wouldn’t that be a good thing?

.:Spare Us!:.

Manny Villar's jingle is now in Japanese.

.:The Countdown To Stepdown!:.

It's 158 days before GMA says goodbye to the presidency!

.:The Final Showdown:.

Ditzy Diner's last ever open mic was amazing. That is all I can say about it for now, although I must warn that I was completely out of character that night, like anything. Needless to say, we're gonna miss that place after everything's been said and done.

I really went and left it all on the stage that night. I was extremely harried, what with the double whammy I got hit with earlier that afternoon. Still, my third set for the year went over very well.

.:Impromptu Homecoming:.

After a very successful show in Woodrose where I was asked to do an encore by the audience, I found out through Eky that tonight was Don Bosco Technical College's homecoming, so I promptly dropped by. There were only five of us there: Patrick Cruz, Nilo, Jeff Ching, and Luis Geronimo. Mrs. Benessa also showed up, so did Mr. Antiga and Mr. Mefragata. Wow.

I was a bit saddened that I found out only tonight that my mentor in English, Edna Rivero, passed away last September, at the height of Ondoy. I owe it to her to write more about my memories and experiences of her once I gather my thoughts...

Rebuilding...

.:Bonding Time:.

Met up with Cher last Tuesday because it was a good time to catch up on each other. She’s been handling a lot on her plate lately, especially with work, but it was good to see her in high spirits despite the crunch of employment.

Anyways, this is really only the second time we’ve met, as the first time I ran into her was during Fashion Art, but we’ve been talking a lot online in recent weeks, and I’ve found her a very fascinating person, to say the least. So when she told me while we were in Starbucks that she was going to go to a party for her friend’s birthday at 77 Bar and she asked me to go with her, it was a no-brainer for me to agree.

So there we were, and I made the cardinal mistake of introducing myself as a magician in a frigging birthday party. That obviously meant I was going to have to perform that night, but hey, it’s an excuse to do Lady and the Rope on Cher, so who am I to complain? LOL.

Anyways, her friends were mostly entertained by the performance, so I’m pleased as punch with how that turned out. Sarah’s brother, Ace, was apparently there that night, so he saw me at work as well, and I found it cool to discover that apparently, 77 Bar is where Bagetsafonik would usually hang out when not doing a gig.

All in all, it was a great chance to get to know a great person better, and I’d be remiss to not thank her for the wonderful company.

And, oh, yeah, lemme share this one again: me performing Lady And The Rope at Fashion Art some time back, with Cher.

.:Once A Bosconian, Always A Bosconian:.

Last Wednesday, I was talking to Noel Gascon, and I realized that Don Bosco has had such a profound impact on the both of us, we were talking almost as if we had a shared history.

It was really cool, as we talked about our electronics experiences, how our stand on religion was formed by a very liberal but still unmistakably Catholic point of view. Being a Bosconian meant we would question our faith not because we were afraid to find ourselves sorely mistaken, but because we were thoroughly convinced that putting our beliefs through the wringer could only make us more sure-footed on where we stand.

We talked about masses, and the unique songs we heard while we were Bosconians, and how different the environment was for us when we ended up in Ateneo after Don Bosco, and how being a Bosconian meant that the way we looked at the world was shaped in a way that could only be tempered by an Ateneo education, but never supplanted, much less superceded.

It was surreal talking about this stuff with him, because not only was he not in my batch in Don Bosco, he actually came from Don Bosco Makati, and I, from Don Bosco Mandaluyong. The way our personal philosophies in life seem to overlap as we talked about social justice, “walang basagan ng trip”, and apathy versus activism just floored me. It felt like I was talking to myself a few years from now, and it really showed me how powerful an impact our Bosconian upbringing had on the both of us. It may have been different schools geographically, but the values inculcated in us were unmistakably Bosconian.

It was really eye-opening to hear him talk about how Amici started during his time, and how they used the student body as a cheap form of R and D. It was equally surprising to him when he discovered the existence of Don Bosco Sta. Mesa, a rarity in that it’s a Don Bosco school exclusively for girls. I remember one of the nuns there first getting me interested in magic way back in Grade 3.

It was also a point of interest to Noel to find out that Don Bosco is actually the patron saint for magicians. Given how I’ve used magic to entertain and to educate at times, I know all too well the power a performer has when he steps up onstage and tries to wow an audience. That kind of power cannot be taken for granted, and as a fairly accomplished standup comedian, Noel also realized this pretty early on. It’s such a rarity to find a Bosconian-Atenean, and it’s really amazing to know someone like Noel, who is definitely one of the deepest thinkers I have ever encountered.

Once a Bosconian, always a Bosconian.

If I Could Be Serious For A Moment...

.:Yet Another Passing...:.

Someone who has been a significant influence in my life has recently passed on. A high school teacher of mine, and to be honest, not one of my favorite people, but one I was always grateful to.

Teacher Glo was my first year Science teacher. She was also the moderator of the Don Bosco Technical College Young Broadcasters Club, which was the budding ground for high school kids who dipped their feet into radio broadcasting at a young age. The show, "Anak Gabay Mo", was a youth-oriented program in DWXI, where I had my first experience in radio. It was here where I learned how to write scripts, how to conceptualize segments, and so forth.

Teacher Glo was a controversial figure. To go through all the factors for that would be a great disservice to her, because despite all of that, she, for the most part, treated me well. Love her or hate her, she was someone who really influenced me and made me believe that my love for radio could transcend it merely being a hobby to something I could actively be a part of. If it wasn't for Teacher Glo, I cannot understate that it would be highly unlikely I'd even consider getting myself into radio.

Three days ago, due to complications with diabetes, Teacher Glo Flores passed away, and I take consolation in knowing I've thanked her for making a great impression in my life. As Ric Flair once said, it's not what the person's reputation is, but what they have done for you. Some people may actually feel happy Mrs. Flores is no longer with us, but I know that on the day she passed on, that part of me, wide-eyed and curious about all things radio, will miss her terribly.

Godspeed to you, Teacher Glo.

The Teacher's Journey (Thus Far)... Part I of III

This is the first of a three-part account of my journey in life as a teacher. It's something I really wanted to write for ages, and now's the best time for me to do it. Hopefully, you guys will like it.

.:I Never Really Bothered To Learn How To Drive, But I Know I Should've...:.

Honda launches VCM 643, and yet here I am without any driving knowhow whatsoever.

After today's one-hour date with my Beloved, I realize how much nicer it would be if I actually had a car so I can take her places...

I remember that I substituted for Mr. Bulaong nearly four years ago, and it was a great moment for me, because it was, honest-to-goodness, the first Philosophy class I've ever taught, and it really was a great experience for me. I was especially touched that Mr. Bulaong trusted me enough, a mere teaching assistant at the time, to take over his class, instead of ask someone else to substitute for him.

I also remember Sacha watching one of my classes, and how she told me that I was very enthusiastic, and I did very well. It was funny, because I was really grateful to Jon for letting me take over two of his classes that day, yet what I tend to forget about that moment was the fact that he actually thought I was doing him a favor. He offered to teach me how to drive in return for subbing for him, and while I never got to "collect" on that, I'd still hold him to it once he's back and he's Dr. Bulaong already.

Sometimes I really wish I learned how to drive already. I'm passing up so many opportunities to learn a lot of things, and while driving has little to do with being a teacher, it reflects how sometimes, I miss out on learning something that would make me a better person, or a better teacher, and how often I pass up on these opportunities.

.:The Seeds Were Planted Early On...:.

I knew I wanted to teach since I was a kid. Sure, I knew I wanted to do a lot of things as well, but teaching and radio were two of the strongest callings I've ever had, and I've already done both.

I recall that when I was still in grade school, Mrs. Tiburcio from my high school alma mater, Don Bosco Technical College. She asked me if I ever considered being a teacher, and I guess it stuck.

Come high school, my mentor of sorts, Ms. Rivero, kept on letting me teach every now and then, which allowed me to really get a feel of how it was to teach English in high school. As a student teacher, and as the eventual winner of the student-teacher competition, I really had my "fix", as it were. I liked the feeling of teaching. It was a feeling I thought I'd end up forgetting about until I got to third year college... then it all just came rushing in...