An Update, Because It's Been That Long...

.:Life In General:.

It has been hectic. The 8List has been occupying most of my time, and in a good way. I'm very proud of what I'm doing here, so I don't see any problem in doing what I do for them.

That being said, I hope things get a little less hectic soon. I don't even know what I'm doing half the time anymore, except when I'm actually doing it. It's all just a blur, and I'm just glad I'm still functioning (relatively) intelligently as I go about it.

Watched Despicable Me 2 a second time with an old friend, as well. That was fun. But not as fun as the Best YouTube Cover Artists list Rico and I put up on the 8List.

.:The Rowdy Empire:.

Before I left for Australia a month ago, I went and introduced Chiqui to King DJ Logan, and she is tearing it up now as one of her co-hosts. Her ability to jive with KDL is just phenomenal and I couldn't be happier that she's flourishing in her role there. She is, without a doubt, awesome, and I'm glad I managed to help her blossom in this new endeavor.

Shown here, blossoming.

Well, that being said, KDL is not one to rest on his laurels, even if his show has been hitting some really amazing highs lately. Expect bigger and better things to Just suddenly Appear from the Middle of nowhere in the coming weeks.

.:On Improv:.

I've been very busy with the new improv group I'm a part of, Switch, and it's been a great experience thus far. We perform every Friday and Saturday evening in the Jamba Juice area in the Fort, and it's been an awesome opportunity for us to share the stage with so many luminaries from improv in the Manila Improv Festival last month, for that matter. 

I would have loved writing about  MIF more, but not only am I pressed for time, my head hurts. Maybe I'll cover it next time, but needless to say, improv is alive and well, and it's coursing in my blood.

Tomorrow, the world.

A Season Of Grace...

.:A Season Of Grace...:.

Now, now. It'd be a good idea to leave the puns at home over this one, though.

It's been a great week so far, even if it's been a tad stressful. Spent yesterday at the Rowdy Empire with King DJ Logan and Dani, and that was pretty interesting, and it sure made me feel very, very happy to still be in radio in some shape or form.

Pictured: JJ Abrams on radio?

Overall, it was a pretty cool show, even if we had to make a lot of adjustments on the fly. It was a fun time for everyone involved, and I must say, the sooner I can do this more often, the happier I would be, definitely. 

Tried not to tackle the downer issue about Carlos Celdran getting sentenced to jail time, as I felt that it didn't really suit the matter. We instead went and discussed how amazingly observant the PNP were when they pointed out that in their expert opinion, security lapses led to the Megamall robbery last Saturday. No, really? That's news to us!

With the explosion in the Fort today (That's like the second one since Judd and I caught one a few years back!) and the other shooting incident in Robinson's Magnolia, it seems there have been a spate of public disturbances lately that might be cause for panic for the fidgety among us.

.:The Thankless Job Of Judging:.

Las week, I actually went and judged a cosplay competition for a certain school, and sourgraping hit myself and my co-judges when the cosplayers didn't agree with our results, essentially saying behind our backs that we "had no idea how to judge." 

The funny thing? 35% of the criteria indeed went to costumes, but just as weighty was the 35% to stage performance. The thing is, none of the cosplayers saw each other perform because they were all behind the stage waiting for their turn, so unless they have X-Ray vision, they were in no position to make these claims, either.

Oh, well.

.:Wakeboarding!:.

Also last weekend, I finally went wakeboarding again after a year, and given that My Beloved and I are going to be doing it with some regularity now, you can rest assured I'm going to get the hang of it - even if I did do kneeboarding this time out.

Elegant form as I stumble while not even in the water.

Well, what can I say? With Angel going with us to Deca in Clark last Sunday, I was simply amazed at how accessible wakeboarding has ended up being for us thanks to this new venue. I bet my friends from Japan, Australia, and Taiwan would be so proud to see me finally work towards a goal I set for myself a year ago, and yes, I'm gonna be back in Clark sometime next week!

It's great in Deca Clark, and if you really want to give wakeboarding a try but have no desire to go to CamSur yet, then you should go and give this place a shot!

She is perfect.

The most important thing to note, by the way, is just today, she got the job in Australia that she wanted. I am so proud of My Beloved!!!

You know I am.

.:The 10th Kanto:.

I've been opening for the great Mike Unson for the past couple of years, so it's awesome to be a part of his 10th year anniversary show on February 9. You get to catch awesome performances all around that night, and it would really be awesome and mean so much to me if you guys could come and watch us in Gweilo's on that night.

Mike is, in my book, the premiere standup comic of the Philippines. I have nothing but good things to say about the man, and to see him still standing and an undisputed success after ten years of this is something I am honored to be a part of.

I hope to see you guys there!

Ooooh. Delinquent.

.:Well, wow.:.

It’s been weeks, and I haven’t realized how delinquent I’ve been with my blogging. It hasn’t been easy, really. Balancing writing for The 8List, dropping in on WAVE, where the one and only King DJ Logan now finds himself, and a host of other things, but most important of them all, finding time to spend with My Beloved, whether I be reading The Kite Runner to her ‘til she falls asleep, or just doing a drive-by hug for all of five minutes.

It’s been difficult, and it has made me reconsider if it’s time to finally call it a day with my blog. It’s not like I’m setting the world on fire with my blogging anyways, and unsurprisingly, I’m too busy living my life to spend an inordinate amount of time writing about it. By now, I’d have written about, say, coral reefs, or Ricky Lo’s interview, or Les Miserables itself, or even the fact that a year from now, we’re likely sending a Filipino to space, courtesy of Axe. Or the funny coincidences involving my old friend, Christine.

And yes, given that the office sponsored Les Mis for all of us and we all pretty much got to watch the same movie, it almost seemed like a sure bet that I was going to a barricaded office the next day, with my co-workers singing "Do You Hear The People Sing" while setting up the barricade. Alack and alas, this did not come to pass. 

Yes! This means I should've taken pictures with my co-workers last night! I was so negligent, and I apologize for that.

Despite all that, despite the see saw of life getting the best of me sometimes, I am happy. Immeasurably so. And that is enough to go by for now. Blogging will follow. There’s always Twitter and Facebook to put my thoughts in for now, I guess?

And yes, I’m enjoying the little gadgets I’ve purchased over the past couple of months. They have definitely served me well. Heh.

My wallet is complaining, though.

The 10th Anniversary Retrospective: 2007

.:The 10th Anniversary Retrospective: 2007:.

Not pictured: blatant product placement in a soap opera.

2007. Wow. What a year, really. This was the year when I ended up being a teacher in Reedley International School, so needless to say, it was quite a wateshed of a year for me, because it was when I got back into the thick of teaching and the academe.

Yeah, I still had my pipe dreams of being a PhD or something. So sue me. Heh.

This was the year when love was in full bloom and I thought it would never end! Oh, how giddy I must have felt when this happened, and I thought that everything was just perfect. Then I wrote this, and all I could think was wow, she really is my once in a lifetime! 

And I guess she always will be. And it felt so right, because she couldn't help but say how much she loved me, too!

But I guess it's easy to say you love someone so much when you actually can't compare it just yet to the point where you truly, honestly did, eh? But that's a story for another day. Maybe in 2012, or when I do a retrospective in 2022.

The year was pretty amazing because this was when blog events started happening. We had a Blog Parteeh in 2007, and from there onwards, we never looked back, to the point that events left and right saturate the blogosphere nowadays. And I mean saturate: it brought out the best and the worst of the blogosphere, but whaddaheck, it was a natural progression of things, really. After meeting Sam Oh in 2006 and getting inspired to become a magician, I ended up hanging out with The Story Circle, who really became a huge part of my life for several years hence.

2007 was also the point where I was super crazy about Kim Chiu and Gerald Anderson, so "Sana Maulit Muli" was my favorite TV show of all time. It was pretty funny, and My Beloved just went along with it, no matter how much she rolled her eyes over the fact that I'm just super crazy over the Kimerald tandem. Yes, that's the actual tandem, and not just Kim Chiu. I was seriously a fan of the loveteam. It was also the time when I was a majorly active user in the Comic Book Resources forums, which I moved to when the Ragnarok craze killed the activity in the Otaku Boards.

Because of the fact that I hosted TOEI in 2006, though, I started becoming a presence in conventions because I tried to do my magic out there. Having said that, this was the point I met and became friends with Alodia, Ashley, Crissey, and Tricia. I would end up friends with Domz in the year after that. I don't know about you, but that was a pretty interesting time, because slowly, I was transitioning into really being a regular fixture in cons as a host.

You know what my favorite entry was, though? I think it's the one where I did the math. I still grin from ear to ear when I look at that entry. It felt even smarter than all those crazy Philosophy papers I wrote for Mr. Calasanz and everyone else.

That being said, huge things happened this year, such as being a speaker during iBlog 3. It was my first time speaking during iBlog, and it was definitely given rave reviews by everyone who watched, as it set the tone for my magic career for quite a while. That being said, not only was it a success, My Beloved was actually there.

On top of all that, I resigned from WAVE in 2007. Yeah. It was a huge leap for me to make, as I was in radio for a good three years. Still, moving to teach in Reedley was one of the best things I ever did in my life, and to this day, I still cherish that schoolyear I had with my kids from Reedley. The mere fact I'm still friends with several of my colleagues and students from Reedley, as opposed to me mostly remaining friends only with Camilo in Ateneo should demonstrate the contrast, really.

This was an awesome year for me. I was so happy. I was so in love. And I was so fearless, as I came to grow as a performer by leaps and bounds. 2008 was simply a continuation of all the blessings I've managed to accrue in 2007. It also showed with how I blogged, as the academic bug clearly bit me again, and I had ridiculously detailed posts without being so transcript heavy. It was a subtle evolution of my writing style that I think stands to this very day.

The 10th Anniversary Retrospective: 2006

.:The 10th Anniversary Retrospective: 2006:.

Probably only the second or third best thing of 2006.

Wow. 2006. Talk about a pivotal year, because this was the year I blogged the least. Offline life was getting in the way so much that I couldn't help but have to really let my blogging take a hit, inevitably. Heartbreak near the start of the year, then followed by months upon months of career woes since I had to give up QTV11 after doing segment production for one season.

It was also the year when I got into professional magic and mentalism, which was definitely one of the biggest, most pronounced changes in my life. To think that it all started because I simply wanted to do a performance for Elbert Or, who was my best friend at the time. 

It was the year I got to meet Estelle, bonded with April, met Mick Foley, and yes, found out that National University actually existed.

Not photoshopped, rest assured.

So overall? I met new people and got to doing new things. I was really having a hard time dealing with heartbreak, so despite the misery I felt at the time, I found amazing friends who helped me weather the storm.

I was starting to be less transcript-based with my blog entries, and as I started to using more pictures, it really felt like my blog was becoming a lot more fun to write. Of course, I wrote so few entries during this year, and some of them were downright dark and disturbing, reflecting the state of mind and heart I found myself in at that point. I was down, and almost out. I couldn't thank my friends enough, but there was someone who made all the difference in the world that year, and she was simply unforgettable.

Towards the end of the year, My Beloved came into the picture. We saw The Departed,  and then things slowly started falling into place. That's why this was my favorite entry of 2006, because that very brief bit I had to say about her said everything I needed to say then... and now.

"I love you very much, and I hope that I would prove to be worthy of your time and attention. Sometimes, I worry when I catch myself not treating you in the best way I could, but at the end of the day, I know I will do whatever it takes to do right by you.

No matter what, we will find a way.

Thank you for making my life just a little brighter."

Truer words have never been said.

Radio Musings...

.:The Disenchanted Kingdom, In Brief:.

I dropped in on the Disenchanted Kingdom with Logan, Marf, and Cleo yesterday, which proved to be quite hilarious, to say the least. I know it was so politically incorrect, but talking about the road rage guy and making a reference to him shooting it up because he gave his “potty mouth and middle finger” a rest was quite amusing, albeit definitely insensitive.

In any case, overall, the show was one of the quieter ones, but we still managed to have our moments. It seems to be quite a trend to tease me and Cleo on the air lately, but hey, what can we do, right? I guess that’s turned into a bit of an attraction, because one of the listeners who called in this morning actually mentioned that the whole “loveteam” (Not that there’s any.) made for giddy moments. Looks like that has made for quite an interesting turn of events.

At the same time, since Cleo and I were ditched by Logan and Marf last night, we ended up catching Ninja Assassin together. It was, as the review indicated, a pretty fun movie, although definitely nothing to write home about. I even called in on the show this morning, and they ended up asking me about the movie “date” last night, and actually mentioned it to Pidro during his Roadwatch segment immediately before I called in.

Nonetheless, it’s all in good fun. Cleo emphasized my being a virgin as a point of unattraction, but I was glad to have Cat on my side, as she extolled my sparse virtues and told Cleo that maybe, just maybe, it’s worth a try. I was certainly amused. That, and Logan even chimed in that it must be a big deal for me to wake up early and listen to RT, since I’ve always been listening to Chico and Delamar prior to all of this, which is actually true. This is the first time my radio was tuned into anything else but the Morning Rush since Chico and Delle hosted the Rush Hour on 939 KCFM.

So yeah, in a nutshell, that accounts for all the craziness on the air lately. Just a lot of high-school era teasing that’s amusing, but ultimately enhances the show’s demographic, for some reason. I guess that’s because deep down, the world could stand just a little more mush in their lives.

.:The Ship May Have Already Sailed...:.

As pretty much anyone knows, I merely guest on DK, and I’m not officially an employee of 99.5 RT.

Now, see, I have no problem with that, since I’m too busy to commit myself to a radio station full-time. I am loving my work here in Nuffnang, and I’d be a fool to leave all of this for a job that will not only pay much less, but one that I still feel I have underachieved at.

The only time I really felt I was doing well as part of an on-air team was when I was a part of Campus 99.5. Unfortunately, that didn’t last too long, and worse, a lot of back talk has taken its toll on me, and I’m really just too tired to have to go over all of that right now.

The thing is, I love radio with a passion, but I am aware of my weaknesses as an on-air personality. I wish I could change all of that, but it’s just not easy. I can’t just overhaul how I sound on-air in a flash and become a sensation. I always deferred to those who came before me, and except for one time in Campus, I was never given the kind of latitude needed to really break out. But see, again, I have nobody to blame but myself. I had my shot, but I just decided to phone it in all the way. The one time I strove to excel was when I was aboard a sinking ship.

Well, nowadays, I’m hanging out at the Disenchanted Kingdom, and I’m having the time of my life. I’m still far from perfect, but hey, I’m not on the payroll, and it’s not like I’m not trying to improve myself at all.

I ask myself if I want to find myself officially back in radio, and I honestly can’t say “yes” without any hesitations. I’ve found myself way too jaded with certain things, and this healthy distance from the official world of radio has afforded me a chance to continue loving it instead of being immersed and resentful at the same time.

Two years ago, when I left WAVE, I never thought I’d see myself in radio again. Campus rekindled that flame, but now, I know better than to just keep on pursuing what seems to be a pipe dream at this point. And with all due respect, maybe if I ever consider radio again, I have to look beyond the five stations I constantly look at when I think about it.

I do it because I love it. I have no desire but to give back to an industry that has given me so much throughout my life, from being a listener to being part of AGM to being in Radio 1, being a jock, being an Airchecker, and to being a host. It’s all because of radio. It’s all because of those who came before me that I always have and always will defer to.

Perhaps in the end, I love radio too much to truly belong there.

Dropped By WAVE Last Night...

.:Good To Be On Air Again, If Only For A While:.

So I dropped by WAVE last night after hanging out in Galleria for a bit. Ran into a few old faces, and Jada even asked me to chat with them a bit on the air while they did their show. Well, I did, and it felt great being on air again after about six months of being away from radio.

Well, that's all I have to say for now. I'm still nursing a deflated ego more than a broken heart, really...

Today's My Last Show At WAVE...

... Sensible blogging, all next week...

Finally, I Managed To Be Coherent For Long Enough...

Expect another post or two soon as well... one about politics, the other about my Beloved, and maybe even a third.

.:Wave-oke Wednesdays!:.

Just because we felt it, Gia and I decided that we should just go ahead and sing along to the songs we're playing.

Yes. On the air.

It's a riot, to say the least. Gia and I are having a blast with this new little development that will definitely get people talking, for better or for worse. Gia sang "You're In Love" by Wilson Phillips, while I tried my hand at "When I Met You" by APO Hiking Society.

That being said, we only sang a few lines of the song, really.

W-ell, this is assuming it does catch on, really. And before I leave WAVE, obviously. But I don't think that's gonna happen, truth be told. We know that much...

.:The Nail In The Coffin:.

Joe The Mango has already relinquished his position as station manager of WAVE, and has turned it over to the former program director.

I think they couldn't have done a dumber thing, to be honest.

The man is a lot of things, but leadership material is not one of them. Not only does he not look the least bit presentable as a station manager, he is also, pardon my saying so, a blithering idiot.

You see, I'm not saying *I* should be the station manager, or Hades, even program director. I'm about as good as gone from WAVE, to begin with. What I'm trying to hint at is that quite frankly, the current guy leading the charge for WAVE is not competent enough to do the job. He is not something you'd be proud to show as the man in charge of WAVE. Neither is he the one you'd turn to if you wanted to wow people over through a presentation for the station.

I've been working for WAVE for going on three years already, and as I see myself being repeatedly bypassed for a better timeslot while I've been languishing in the graveyard shift, I felt less and less enthusiastic about the station.

Clearly, they weren't giving enough respect to the people in the graveyard shift, simply by virtue of their timeslot. Their opinions apparently don't matter, nor does it have any relevance to them no matter how well the graveyard people perform simply because they are little more than second-class citizens. Their welfare is merely an afterthought to this station, even if one of their jocks is actually anemic and therefore should not even be medically cleared to do graveyard.

I've given up so much for WAVE that it irks me how little I've been accorded for it. From choosing them over QTV-11 when I was there, to giving them ideas for their student DJ program relaunch, I've been there. Yet what happens? For starters, I'm still stuck at the same salary as I started with three years ago. To top it all off, I'm not even going to be involved with the damned student DJ program despite all the time and ideas I've invested into the relaunch.

The straw that broke this camel's back is when they decided to "reshuffle" the jocks' timeslots, only for me to discover that the timeslot I lobbied to get is being handed to somebody else... and I wasn't even asking for primetime.

I'm tired of all this politicking in WAVE. I joined this station and stayed loyal to this station for long enough in spite of the fact that I grew up on RX 93.1 all these years. I didn't step on any toes, and in return, I was walked all over.

Well, now, my days of giving my all to this station are done. Whether or not I remain with this company, I have no desire to render the best service I can for them, and am merely in it for the pitiful but reliable money. That is, unless I find something far more worth my time.

I have valid and undeniably plausible gripes with WAVE. I've had enough, and it's high time they realized that they are losing one of the few people in the station capable of doing anything creative at all.

Oh. And if this stupid computer I'm typing from now isn't hanging every five or so minutes, itsstupidspacebargetsstucktomakeupforit.

Gah.

.:Finally, Under My Belt...:.

Well, last Friday was my teaching demonstration, where I was going to take over Dr. Orendain's class and go over some poems for the students. Poetry, especially analyzing poetry, is far from my strongest suit, but nonetheless, I went ahead with it anyways.

I had three poems to take up, all with a feminist slant... "Revolt from Hymn" and "Querida" by Angela Manalang-Gloria, and "I,Your Wife", albeit I forgot who the author was on that one.

It wasn't easy, because I needed to put my neck on the line and really offer an interpretation for each poem, and the moment I make a single mistaken interpretation, then I would pretty much be screwed.

That being said, I won't go into length over how I went over the poems anymore, but I know I really captivated the class' attention, and even managed to work in a bit of magic as I went over the lesson, methodically at that.

I ended with having them compose a quick freeverse based on the theme of "empowerment". All in all, the class seemed to enjoy the whole bit, and I think for the most part, it worked.

.:The Interview...:.

During the post-panel interview, I felt I did particularly well in addressing the worries of the faculty. I noticed though the funny discovery that one of the "students" I called on during my teaching demo turned out to be one of the teachers who grilled me during the panel interview.

After the panel, I had a one-on-one interview with Dr. O where she brought up her worry about me and the prospect of dealing with impressionable female students. I assured her that at this point in my life, that is definitely a non-issue. She wasn't the only one I had to assure about that fact, though...

It Feels Weird...

.:After Practically Three Weeks...:.

... I'm sitting here inside the WAVE booth once again.

It feels weird. It's like I shouldn't be here...

Ah,well. That's what I get for having been suspended, I guess...

As usual, my brain is fried at this hour. Posting more sensibly next time, I hope...