Teresita Gopez-Timbol: 07 October, 1933 - 04 April, 2014

.:Teresita Gopez-Timbol: 07 October, 1933 - 04 April, 2014:.

I will always remember Lola Tita in a way nobody in my family probably expects me to: she really knew how to make me laugh. Unintentionally.

And that's really what made my grandmother stand out to me, more than anything else: she was so set in her ways, so clear and deliberate, that you couldn't help but smile in spite of yourself when she started acting according to script. She was predictable, and the most predictable thing about her is that she would love her children dearly, and dote on her grandchildren just as much. She was a beautiful human being that way.

But boy, did she have a fun way of showing it. And it was her innate ability to be self-cognizant and to see the occasional absurdity and usual quirkiness of it all that allowed her to not take herself so seriously. It's interesting to think about it this way, but you might say that Lola Tita was the Manic Pixie Dreamgirl before the archetype was even born. No wonder my grandfather was so utterly smitten with her for well over half a century!

She taught me how to laugh at myself and to never take myself seriously because she did that to herself, no matter how much gravitas and depth she actually possessed as a person: after all, like Lolo Nor, she wasn't a Fulbright scholar for nothing, and her keen mind was only matched by her devout spirit. I am humbled to have had a grandmother like her, and I hope she doesn't mind me sharing some anecdotes of my fondest memories of her.

I was probably around 9 years old or so when I saw some guy on Home TV Shopping selling magic tricks. I think his name was Anders or something, and he was the original guy hawking stuff in that old Megamall kiosk. I asked Lola Tita, for my birthday (Or was it for Christmas?), to buy that magic set for me, and she did!

Except she completely misheard me, and thought I was asking for "magic shet." But despite mistakenly thinking her grandson of under 10 years of age was cursing right in front of her, she went ahead and ordered it anyways, although I had to clarify that I said "magic set," and I, being the sheltered kid that I was, still had no idea what "shet" meant.

I could almost hear Lola Tita say it in her distinct voice we always tried doing impressions of: "Yiiiii! Lorraine, yung anak mo, humihingi ba naman ng magic shet! Hindi pa karagul, aba, kung makapagsalita na!"

Despite misunderstanding me at the time, did she get angry at me? No. She took it all in stride, and still ended up getting me that magic set, complete with Macky and Wacky. And as the years would go by, she would always look at whatever I do with wide-eyed interest and the biggest smile she could muster. Through all her hurts and cares, she would always shield her grandchildren from the worst of it, and make us feel treasured and cherished by her, and that was no mean feat on her part, I'm sure.

It's hard to just laugh at Lola Tita, because she laughs with you. She's self-aware enough to know when something unintentionally hilarious has just happened, and even if she caused the uproar in laughter, she never hesitated to laugh with us. It was that gift of mirth that I will always remember about her, because for some reason, that's something that really stuck with me about her through all these years.

So I guess it was a shocker for all of us to see her pass on so suddenly. She was still well. She was still strong. There were some problems here and there, but nobody saw this coming. Except maybe her.

Ever since Lolo passed away nearly four years ago, you can see it in Lola's eyes how much she missed the love of her life. She pined for him for the rest of her days, and though she made it a point to not let her grandchildren see her in her moment of weakness, we knew how much she missed him, because we missed him, too.

So there I was, on the road, en route to the hospital, when I got the dreaded news from my brother. Like Lolo before her, I was spared from the sight of seeing her last moments in the same way. I don't quite know how I would have taken it if I were there, so maybe that was for the best.

And now, we miss her, too.

One more thing about her, though: unlike my other grandparents, Lola Tita took to texting like a fish to water. She enjoyed it, and I remember how funny it was when Lolo would tell us that there was a time he didn't want to disturb Lola because she looked like she was fervently praying and clutching a rosary, but the minute he heard those telltale keypad sounds from Lola's trusty old Nokia, he realized how mistaken he was. We had a good laugh about that, back then, and I chuckled over the realization of how "with it" Lola Tita was, even if she wasn't really trying very hard to be so.

I guess the biggest regret for me would be the fact that I never texted her enough. She used to send us quotes on a daily basis, and I knew that was her way of reminding us she cared. I would text her every now and then, and remind her how special she was to me, but you could never do that enough for someone who really holds a special place in your heart, can you?

Wouldn't it be nice if I could text her just one more time? Maybe text her something schmaltzy but sincere, like "Thanks for all the smiles we have shared over the years. I know I will see you again someday. I love you, Lola!"

I wasn't kidding.

P.S. Of course, a few seconds later, I get a reply from the phone. Apparently, my mom held onto Lola's phone for safekeeping, and we ended up laughing over the fact that for a brief moment, I thought I received a literal message from beyond the grave.

P.P.S. Somehow, I'm sure Lola Tita was laughing with us, too.

.:Project 52 2014 (13/52): Say Goodbye:.

I really don't like Chris Brown, but this song does cover what I want to say today better than nearly any other song I could think of. I'll hold off on the sordid details for now, but let's preface this by making it very clear: this is not an April Fool's joke. I don't even see the point about making an April Fool's joke as vague as this would be.

.:Project 52 2014 (13/52): Say Goodbye:.

How do you let go when you, you just don't know what's on the other side of the door when you're walking out?

I don't know where to go from here, because the only life I've known has been one with you there. You were a constant I almost took for granted. And to this very day, I still don't want you to go. I just don't know if I have any right to ask you to keep on staying, when I know that in your moments alone, all you could think of is moving on.

But then, what comes after this? What would waking up the next day without you there bring? Would it really shake me to the core, or would it just be business as usual soon enough? Maybe I don't want to find out. Maybe I'm too afraid to.

Talk about it, and everything I tried to remember to say just went out my head So Imma do the best I can to get you to understand Cause I know...

But that's the thing, isn't it? There's no more room to talk. There's only room to do things. To let go. To try to ease the pain of goodbye by bracing against it because it is so imminent, so inevitable, even. It feels like it's coming, and there's not a damned thing anyone can do to stop it.

And all I could do is pray for a miracle. Even if I'm not the praying type.

There's never a right time to say goodbye...

Too soon, and you're classless. Too late, and you're insensitive. Saying goodbye is never easy, no matter how many times you tell yourself you're ready for this, and it was all just a matter of time, to begin with. It's a question of when now, not if.

But can you blame me for hoping against hope?

But we know that we gotta go our separate ways...

I hope that wherever you go from here, you will be in a better place. a happier place. I don't know what else to say, really, because as I try to think about you and about everything we've shared with each other, I realize how generous a soul you truly were. And now, I have to say goodbye to all of that.

And I know it's hard but I gotta do it and it's killing me, 'cause there's never a right time, right time to say goodbye... 

And I will miss you so. And I will cherish you so. But how much longer can I truly expect you to be with me, when our time is running out, yet there's still so much left to say, so much left to do?

So all I could do now is say "thank you."

Mother's Day, Sophia The Lappy, And Aleitheia The Tabby

.:A Happy Mother’s Day To All The Moms Out There!:.

Because if it weren’t for you fine ladies, literally none of us would be here today.

And worry not, because this doesn’t mean that we’d forget about you for the remaining 364 days of the year. Didn’t you know? Every day is mother’s day, today being just that extra special…

She looks like a thinner Sharon Cuneta, no?

.:Retail Therapy For The Buyonic Man:.

Taking a page from Denise Cua’s blog, I’m going to share some of the recent purchases I made…

Meet Sophia the lappy and Aleitheia the tabby.

Since I was cashless until Monday last week, I missed out on the launch day for the iPad 2, which was just fine, as I ended up going to Greenhills to search for one. I didn’t own an iPad 1, so I felt no regret at all about getting the newer model (Seeing how most people who upgraded said that it wasn’t really worth the upgrade.).

In any case, after a futile search in official iStores, I found a stall in Theater Mall that sold the iPad 2 at a decent price, so I jumped right at it. I named her Aleitheia, which I hope wouldn’t be awkward to my future daughter if I ever have one, since I totally plan to name her that, too. After a few more moments of installing stuff and whatnot, I took it home, proud of a purchase well-made.

That was, until, I tried to sync it with my office laptop.

You see, as the office owns the laptop, I had no admin privileges to it. This meant that I wasn’t allowed by my computer’s iTunes to sync with my iPad, which proved to be a bit of a dilemma for me. This led me to the realization that since I don’t have a personal computer at the moment, I may as well buy a good one, and after going around SM Megamall’s Cyberzone one day after buying the iPad, I found her.

She was electric blue, and even matched my iPad 2’s cover. 500GB, decent speed, albeit no Bluetooth or DVD drive. That was fine, since I was provided with an external player, anyways. All things considered, the Acer Aspire One I got looked slick, felt slick, and even had a dual OS, allowing me to switch between Windows 7 and Android at a whim. It also clocked in at about ten inches, making it the smallest computer I have ever owned. I needed the portability, so it was just perfect.

Turning to this tiny powerhouse, I named her Sophia. Which has little to do with my friend, Sophie Manapat, and more to do with the greek word for wisdom itself.

Considering how I don’t buy too many gadgets outside of Android phones, I think it was a long time coming for me to finally get myself the iPad 2 and the laptop. Should be very helpful for work in the coming days, as I’ve been using both heavily for presentations and whatnot.

But no, don't worry. I didn't just suddenly morph into some kind of tech blogger of whatnot. I'm still as pseudo-Luddite as can be. 'Cause it's cool to pretend to be Luddite while holding an iPad 2 in your hands.

2010-2011 Transition Roundup

.:Back On The Poc!:.

It’s missing one particular visual gag, but my latest article is up on the POC now. Pretty fun stuff, if I do say so myself.

.:The New Year Roundup:.

That’s how you spend New Year’s Eve Eve. Yep. Eve Eve. Not a typo.

A Tribute To Mang Bert Timbol

.:Gone, But Not Forgotten:.

Mang Bert Timbol: 14 June, 1931 - 20 November, 2010.

This year was one of the most volatile years of my life, and it's been so hard to stay positive in the face of all the adversity I've ended up dealing with in 2010. I tried constructing a list of people I wanted to be thankful for this year, the way I did in the past how many years before, but for some reason, this year just wouldn't allow that. I think the most glaring change is that some of the people I was most grateful for last year are currently people I wish I never even met. When you hit that kind of resentment, it's hard to be all thanky-thanky, but I feel that throughout the year, there was only one person I could not in good conscience not thank at the end of 2010.

I really have only one man to be grateful for this 2010: my grandfather, Norberto Timbol.

In my life, there are two men that I admire more than any other men: my grandfather, and Rick Astley. Now, while I may have attended Rick Astley’s concert with front row tickets two years ago, I would’ve certainly done the same for my grandfather if he ever had his own concert. Besides, seeing how I have no musical talent whatsoever, it should be pretty obvious that despite all my adulation for Mr. Astley, even that pales in comparison to how highly I think of my grandfather.

When I was about five years old, I was struck down with a severe case of dengue, and found myself in critical condition while laying in the hospital. It was probably only one of two times I could recall where I was truly in mortal danger, and my entire family knew it.

My grandmother would always tell me this story when I was older: that my grandfather prayed hard and offered his life in exchange for mine. He prayed that the Lord take him in my place, just so I may survive. He prayed fervently, and it seemed God heard him: indeed, I survived.

But see, the Lord was good, and He ignored the other half of my grandfather’s prayer for the next 22 years, until finally, on 20 November, 2010, my grandfather passed away due to complications with his nine-year long bout with cancer. He was 79 years old.

Lolo Nor was larger than life to everyone else around him, but to his family, he was the best and most down-to-earth husband, father, and grandfather anyone could ever know or hope for. The fond memories I had of Lolo Nor are countless, and I will never forget that his kindness and gentleness for his family inevitably shows even for the very people he works with throughout his phenomenal career, both in Unilever and in MASSCOM.

He was an institution in the industry, and only in his passing did I personally realize that this was truly the case, seeing some of the movers and shakers of the media industry present day in and day out at Lolo Nor’s wake, when a calculated PR move would have simply required a single ten-minute visit instead. When the industry mourned the loss of Lolo Nor, they truly mourned for the loss of a great man. As someone who looked at Lolo Nor with the all-too casual eyes of familiarity, it struck me that as great as I thought Lolo Nor was, the man everyone else knew as Mang Bert was even greater than I could begin to fathom.

And with that realization of how devastating the loss of this man was to so many people who have known him even just in passing, one could only imagine the sense of loss his own family felt. I realize that everything I say right now may come off as cliché, but they are every bit true and every bit applicable. The devastation and the grief that washed over us was powerful and almost paralyzing, but with the strength of will and character Lolo Nor showed us throughout his life and until his very last moments, we couldn’t but follow his example and stay strong for each other. He would have wanted nothing less.

I’m grateful I never missed out to tell my Lolo Nor how much I loved him and appreciated him for the influence he has been to me. My insatiable appetite for knowledge and wisdom, my drive and stubbornness, all these qualities were born through his encouragement of me and my dreams, always reminding me that whatever I choose to do for myself, I should aim to not give myself room to regret the choices I would take.

I guess my greatest regret was that with his passing, he would never see me march onstage to receive my Masters Degree. And though I turn my back on the academe with that realization, I won’t turn my back on the lessons my grandfather has taught me in the 27 years of my life that he spent with me. I always joke that “bata pa lang ako, apo na ako ni Lolo,” but it is less of a joke and more of a testament of his drive to be the best in whatever he put his mind and heart into. From the moment he could call me his grandson, he resolved to be the best grandfather he could ever be, and he succeeded with flying colors. For that, I cannot thank him enough.

Before he passed, he made my grandmother swear to him that she would never put him on life support, no matter what. She reluctantly complied, but knew that he was ready for this moment for years. Lolo Nor lived a full life and was not afraid for himself in facing the other side: he was a great man with great faith. He knew he would be in a better place, and we know that, too. The cliché’s always go: it’s not the year you were born or the year you passed, but the dash in between. We do not mourn for him, but for ourselves, bereft of such a great human being. Whatever you may call them, they are absolutely true. We could only have wished to have more time to spend with Lolo Nor before his life’s mission was over. We know he lived a wonderful life. In spite of all that, the grief that overwhelms us reminds us just how much he loved us and how much we love him.

He was brilliant, he was passionate, he was steadfast, and he was truly one of a kind. He proved to me that you’re never too young or too old to learn something new, and it doesn’t matter how much you think you know, it’s how much you don’t know that would keep reminding you how much you should learn to live life rather than to let it pass you by.

You know, if I could ever be half the man my Lolo Nor was, I think I’d end up pretty okay already.

Godspeed to you, Lolo Nor. We miss you, but we know that you will always remain with us in our hearts, a constant inspiration and beacon to all of us whose lives you have touched. Thank you, we love you, and you will always be in our prayers.

Pardon The Delays...

My writing has been in total disarray this past week because something in the family happened that changed everything.

I'll explain everything all in due time, but for now, I'll do only the Project 365.

Hot And Cold

.:Disenchanted Kingdom, Featuring Elbert Or And Jonas Diego!:.

Elbert and Jonas really caught the attention of a lot of people today when they guested on this morning’s edition of the Disenchanted Kingdom. The episode itself went really well, considering how we had a lot of political comedy and a whole bunch of quips about Jason Ivler among other topics, as well as a tease of another on-air tiff when we talked about insomnia.

I recently made a new friend, Mich Co, and she was listening this morning. Considering how she put a silly grin on my face and caused me to stay up late last night just getting to know her, I guess it was really good to know that I chose my time wisely and really met an awesome person who tuned in to the show.

Having said that, Jonas and Elbert were their usual humorous selves, and we were having a fun time talking about comics and how they both got their start. It was really good to see them in their element and talking about how well they did in the line of work that they chose for themselves, and the fact that the references to the fringe benefits of being a comic book artist really got highlighted was just an awesome part of the show. I think they interacted very well with the whole usual gang of idiots thanks to the comedy and offbeat commentary.

Ultimately, it was a great show and a fun guesting with Elbert and Jonas. Here’s hoping that the listeners who consider comic books really get inspired to pursue their dreams.

.:Blood Is Truly Thicker Than Water:.

Truly, fewer things are more unconditional in this world than a mother’s love. Despite Jason Ivler’s rather heinous crimes, his mother, Marlene Aguilar, still stands by him all the way.

It doesn’t matter if he’s innocent or guilty. Marlene will pull out all the stops just to make sure that he is saved from a harsh life in jail. I mean, considering what kind of a pretty boy he is, you can be sure he’s not going to like the life waiting for him in jail once he gets there. Or he might. There’s that wee possibility, after all. Not to mention that there must be a million “Anak” lyric jokes about Ivler by now, but I digress.

I don’t begrudge Mrs. Aguilar’s behaviour. Ultimately, a mother would do what she can to protect her son, and no matter what Jason Ivler may have done, Marlene Aguilar will still be his mom. I don’t have to like it or agree with it, but I certainly understand where she’s coming from. She may or may not believe in her son’s innocence, but she will do whatever it takes to keep her out of harm’s way. That’s how genuine a mother’s love can be, and you have to respect that aspect of it.

It’s a tragedy how such a promising young man has come to this. We could try to analyze his values and his upbringing all we want, but in the end, he will have to face the music for his actions. He has already killed two people because of his actions, and he certainly needs help.

Seeing all this, I guess I can’t help but feel disturbed that in contrast , another mother, driven by poverty, drowns her kids. At first glance, this seemed like a heartless thing to do. I mean, by no means am I glorifying Mrs. Aguilar, but compared to this mom, Marlene seemed like a saint.

Then again, when you think about it, as twisted as the logic is, she killed her kids to spare them the misery of poverty. She didn’t do it because she despised her kids, but because she, in her limited capacity to think in the heat of the moment, felt it was best for them to not live this life anymore because she couldn’t give them the kind of life she believes they deserved. That’s still love. And it’s hard to comprehend and to imagine, but I could see that going through her head as she tried to put her children out of their misery.

It’s rather sobering to think that our country has gotten to such a point where it would seem almost excusable, almost understandable to kill your own children just to spare them from the harsh realities of life. I think about this sad development, and I can’t help but ask myself why this has happened. Apparently, we have reached that point.

And yet we still want to elect plunderers, brazen liars, lapdogs, pompous jackasses, and swindlers? Do we need to actually appreciate the merits of mercy killing just to get by in this country? I’d lead a battlecry to wake up the nation, but unfortunately, I know this post will fall on deaf ears and heard hearts.

Truly, a mother’s love knows no bounds. One could only wish a Filipino’s love for her own country could be more of the same.

She's Baaaaaacccckkk!!!

.:ZOMG!:.

My mom's dropping in again after a looooong while.

I doubt that means she'll be back for keeps, but it's awesome knowing that she's coming back, as we definitely missed her.

Welcome back, mom!!!

.:Akantor-Hunting I Will Go...:.

Spent some time with Cher today, as I helped her kill Akantor. Well, I must say that was quite an experience, as I had to fight Akantor with her character.

Surprisingly, I managed to pull it off, with no Cool Drinks to help me out. By sheer dodging and hit and run tactics, I managed to kill Akantor with a longsword, something I've never attempted before.

The Unexpected Night Life...

It was my first week with Nuffnang, and each day, I found myself doing something after work hours. I'm hoping this doesn't become a trend for me. Heh.

Anyways, lemme get some of the unimportant stuff out of the way...

The Cat Killer: He needs help, not ridicule.

Ted Failon: Innocent until proven guilty, gais. Tell that to the cops, too.

.:Wednesday, 15 April, 2009:.

I ended up hanging out with Jen and Eloisa while watching the Bloomfields. Not much there, since we kinda thought this was going to be their last show there for a while. Imagine our surprise when it turned out that wasn't the case. Arbet hath fooled us. Boooo!!!

.:Thursday, 16 April, 2009:.

Was I going to check out Silly People's Improv Theater, or go to Route 196 instead to catch Chillitees, The Ronnies, Sugarfree, Itchyworms, Radioactive Sago Project, and the Bagetsafoniks? Well, it wasn't an easy decision, but being able to hang out with one of my closest online buddies, Ms. Sarah Cada, was the hand that tipped the scales.

So I went, and had the time of my life, to say the least. The bands were all awesome, each one giving us something to really get excited about, from the oldies but goodies courtesy of the Ronnies, to the insanely hot performance by the Chillitees, to "Mariposa" from Sugarfree, a superb live performance of "Freak Out Baby" by Itchyworms, the unparalleled sounds of Radioactive Sago Project, and the sheer energy of Bagetsafoniks, it was quite an entertaining night, to say the least.

So I had a celebrity picture phail that night, though, because I approached this guy and asked for his picture, thinking he was Lourd, the leadsinger for Radioactive Sago Project...

At least, he was nice enough to have a pic with me...

It must've been pretty dark though, because that was not sir Lourd. The minute I saw him perform during "Freak Out Baby", I realized my hilarious mistake. Sarah was laughing her head off at me, and I was thinking how nice that guy must've been if he posed for a picture and he wasn't even a celebrity or something.

Thankfully, for the more knowledgeable among us, that guy was sir Lourd's brother, and he was the bassist of the band, so it was all good.

Now, after Radioactive Sago Project performed, though, I mustered up the courage to approach sir Lourd, but luck was on my side because he was with Mr. Jugs Jugueta of the Itchyworms. I asked them for a picture, and I was surprised when Jugs told me he would do it if I bent the fork.

I had to stop for a while there because I had no idea how he knew that I do that stuff.

Turns out, his girlfriend, Andy, was my co-host during the Oktoberfest Bloggers' Party at Mall of Asia last year, and she saw me perform. This only occurred to me after they already left, but whaddaheck, I performed anyways, and sir Lourd's reactions were priceless. He was almost freaking out!

After I performed, they obliged me with a picture, but it was clear they wanted to know how I did it...

Halp! My idols are threatening me with bodily harm!

After Bagetsafonik's set, I left for home, and was more than pleased with how I spent my money that night. I even got to talk to one of the members of Project 2, and he's interested in performing for "Bound And Gagged" this October... hee!

.:Friday, 17 April, 2009:.

As a way to end the week for us, I ended up watching T2 with my co-workers from Nuffnang this night. I won't review it anymore, but it was scary enough and I don't regret watching it. It was also a great opportunity to bond with my co-workers. They were awesome people.

After they had late dinner at Gerry's Grill near Banchetto (I only had bottomless sago-gulaman.), I ended up hanging out with blogger/plurker friends at Banchetto where we talked about people who should come out of the closet, the Bebigerls, the Ted Failon issue, some fail tidbits in blogging and otherwise, and a ton of other stuff.

Speaking of fail, lookie here... the PGB has been mentioned. But I digress.

It was great meeting these people, to be honest. There was great food (Ate a pound worth of burgers.), great company, and it was just so funny talking about how Helga is jousting with this plurker named Eric(a), who thinks calling someone "no longer virgin" counts an insult. Lol. Weird.

Days like these, I long for the 2006 era where blogging events were few and far in between, and everyone who went had something worthwhile to say about an event... sigh.

.:Saturday, 18 April, 2009:.

I had quite an interesting gig last Saturday in Marquinton, as I performed two very awesome sets that resulted in quite a lot of good reactions from the audiences who were thrilled to no end with the stuff we pulled off. I did magic, I did comedy, I did mentalism, and I was very happy that I really had a crowd that appreciated my stuff.

After that, I headed off to Conspiracy Bar to watch Stanley Chi, Mike Unson, and the rest of the Comedy Cartel for a night of awesome comedy from the best luminaries in point of view observational style comedy. Stanley's new jokes referencing his recent life experiences were really awesome, and Mike just went off for over an hour with his best material, simply flooring all of us with his sheer genius and comedy. Some new guys, Richie and Ryan, namely, were also amazing revelations. I'm extremely glad to have run into them, and to even share a few conversations after their performances for the night. It was definitely an enlightening experience.

I'm proud to be friends with the people of Comedy Cartel. Stanley Chi's come a long way, in particular. He's definitely kept at it and improved his craft at an impressive and consistent rate.

And by the way, they're going to be performing again this Thursday at Mag:Net Cafe Bonifacio High Street. That should be a load of fun. Maybe you guys should drop by. :)

.:Sunday, 19 April, 2009:.

It was a family day, since my mom is home from Thailand for until tomorrow. Awesome times!

Two Thoughts...

.:Sigh...:.

My mom's migrating to Thailand on Monday.

I'm definitely going to miss her, but I know she'd be much happier there, away from all the headaches back here.

.:Funniest Thing I Heard This Week...:.

My Beloved in green font. Marcelle in blue font.

So I'll drop by your house to see your mom sometime this week since she's leaving for Thailand already....

Really? So what will you tell her?

Oh, I dunno, maybe tell her that my intentions for you are pure?

I love her. ::blushes::

Celebration!

.:Happy Birthday!:.

It was my uncle's birthday last Friday, and I was nothing short of chuffed about being able to really do well as a host for the festivities back there, as I had some pretty good zingers interspersed in the spiel, such as when they saw Uncle Raymund's music video, and I pointed out that he composed, arranged, and even shot the video for this. Amusingly enough, I mentioned that even the people in the video were also him, repeatedly shooting himself against a chroma wall.

When my grandfather was about to speak, I kindly pointed out that he should keep it only to five minutes, to the amusement of the audience, but it was all taken in stride, as the people I ribbed while I was onstage were all really good sports.

I must say that his birthday celebration was a really good one. I even got the chance to perform a bit of my walkaround routine upon request of the family, and I certainly did my share of entertaining them outside of the hosting bit. It all worked out for the best, since I know for a fact that the people definitely enjoyed the party, what with bands like Biv, Southwind, and Metafour in the fray, among other things.

It's been a great start for my year, so far. With two bookings this month alone, and a lot of other promising stuff coming up, it just might be one of my better years yet.