Recalling Saturday...

.:Blog Parteeh '07: Whoop, There It Is:.

I apologize for the lack of linkage in the posts. I guess that's an excuse for the people I mentioned by name to give me their URL's so I can edit this post to do just that. Hehehehe. Please don't kill me. I had to rush to write this post... =P

And so I met up with Jonas around two in the afternoon yesterday so we can haul ourselves to the Blog Parteeh. Jonas and I had a pretty good idea who the guests would be, so we knew what we'd be expecting for the most part.

We got to the venue after being lost for a while because while we had a map, but we forgot to take note of the actual street address. Even then, it wasn't so bad, and when we got there, there were a lot of people already. It was pretty cool meeting different bloggers, although of course, it was a bit difficult breaking the ice because there was a significant number of people whom neither of us knew.

With the party in progress, we had a few notable personalities like Mr. Abe Olandres, Mr. Migz Paras, Ms. Janette Toral, and so forth. It was really fun at my table, as I ran into one of Bessie-Moo's friends, Benj. Links to follow, once I start finding each of their sites, since I'm sooooo not savvy at that.

While things were just getting started, Jonas and I were talking about how detailed my blogging about “Sana Maulit Muli” has been lately, and how amusing it was that I was having an LSS with Kim Chiu's Whisper commercial. All throughout, they were flashing blogs on the projector screen, and at some point, they managed to hand out gift certificates to Bubba Gump, and even an original DVD set of Star Wars, to which Rico, one of the organizers, asked the winner:

Rico: So. Is this your first original DVD?

That got a load of laughs.

That being said, it didn't take long before I got settled in and I started bringing out the decks of cards to do a little bit of card magic for the people. While people were eating and chatting along merrily, our table was having a bit of a magic convention as apparently, I wasn't the only guy at the table who knew magic. After a while, one of the steering committee saw me going at a bit of card magic, and he asked me if I was ready to perform anything for intermission. I was carrying my materials with me, as I knew I just had to be prepared...

So after a few minutes, they called me on to do an impromptu magic show. I didn't really keep it too long, as I decided to use only three effects: the lightning box, the four-dimensional mind read, and of course, Liquid Metal. I got a lot of great reactions from the last one, which was exactly what I anticipated. I always wanted to perform magic for an audience that didn't expect it at all, and the element of surprise just really allowed me to delight most of them. ^_^

As I always say, it was all about entertaining the audience, and I know I did that. They especially found it funny when I made that crack that my coin trick is known as the “Presidential Trick”, and at that moment, I made the coin disappear. Well, looks like political humor works on them. Ahahaha. That was the second biggest reaction throughout the routine, next only to the much-ballyhooed Liquid Metal bit.

After the magic show, we had raffles galore, and I won a clutch bag. I didn't win any donuts or the I-Pod, sadly, but I guess it's okay. At least I won something... hehehe. From that point on, the ice was broken, and I didn't feel so awkward around a lot of strangers, as the ice was definitely broken from then on, which really helped me get through the party without that usual shy feeling I get around strangers.

I wouldn't say I was the party's attraction, as I would attribute that to one of two: the I-Pod, won by AJ (Hope I got your name right.) and Bro. Bo Sanchez. I'm just glad I managed to make people happy while I was at it, because that's what mattered most to me. If I don't make anyone happy with my magic, then no matter how good I get, there's no point to doing it.

After the party and after a few more performances here and there, I plucked up the courage to approach Brother Bo so I can show him Liquid Metal. Boy, it was a rush, and for the first time, I was very much conscious I was being videotaped, and I had to make sure I did really well with this one...

In any case, it was an awesome party with awesome people. I hope stuff like this can really happen more often, because I'm very, very proud to be a blogger for the past four or so years. =)

.:Hanging Out With The Story Circle:.

Well, apparently, they do tests for their members, which made me thankful I wasn't a member. I'd hate to be evaluated that way by even more people, when hearing from sir Bing should be more than enough verbal castration already.

That being said, I got videotaped when I crashed a table for them as well. I did a pretty good job with using a bit of mind-reading to do my magic, since I was pretty sure they've seen all the sleights they needed to see from the rest of TSC. It was all good, nonetheless, as I was still in a magical mood, since I barely scratched the surface when I was at the Blog Parteeh.

After my table-crashing, I just taught one of the guys how to play Magic: The Gathering, which turned out pretty well. It wasn't so hard teaching him how to play, as the decks he had were pretty conducive to getting to know the basics.

All Those Dead People, And What Does Superman Do?

.:Ahahahaha!!!:.

What Would Superman Do?

Ganked this from someone on Scans Daily.

.:Exhausted, But Happy:.

Money flow has been a lot more liquid, and now, I must say I haven't been this happy since an entire year.

It's amazing how it works out that two fiery tempers can give way for each other such that it never happens that both are in a foul mood at the same time.

Random Thoughts

.:What A Disgusting Commercial...:.

Have any of you guys seen that really repulsive PCSO commercial? The one where someone is singing and thanking PCSO for its "love" and "caress"? The one with videos upon videos of GMA doing charity work, as if they weren't politicking enough without having to pollute my television?

Ugh. Can't they just get off my TV? The politicking is so annoying already and I can't help but change the channel in disgust when that idiotic commercial comes on. It's shameless, it's tacky, and somebody should really shoot the advertising agency that makes these commercials.

.:The Oscar Nominees Are Out...:.

Leonardo DiCaprio was nominated for his role in "Blood Diamond", but not in "The Departed". I somehow feel that the former is his weaker role of the two, and so I am inclined to think it's going to be Forrest Whitaker who gets the win.

I am so rooting for Marky Mark to win the Best Supporting Actor category. He was awesome in "The Departed", and the role he played wasn't even important at all in the Hong Kong original, "Infernal Affairs"! He gave life to an otherwise throwaway character, and I was rooting for him all the way until the end. Who'd have thought Mark Wahlberg would be an Oscar contender after being a rapper and an underwear model?

"The Prestige" is nominated in two categories, and I hope it would win at least one. Despite the hype, it is still a better film than "The Illusionist", by my estimate.

"Happy Feet" had better win in the best animated film category...

And of course, out of all the films there, I want "The Departed" to win in the best film category...

Well, let's see how the Academy tallies up. Heh.

.:More Sana Maulit Muli:.

Tristan is in a time flux right now and he sees events playing out the second time around, but this time, he has knowledge of things that have happened in the past.

Jasmine died in his arms, and he was willing to go through the pain and misery of having her die, so he struck a deal with Death to turn back time for a second chance to do things right, but he is warned that he cannot and should not change what has been decreed to happen.

He defies Death, but in doing so, events are thrown awry. It's similar, but it's no longer the same. Subtle differences, as if entering an entirely different universe, have been materializing. Jasmine is repulsed by Tristan because he comes on too strong. Camille may turn out to be the real Poknat this time around, and not Jasmine. Tristan's actions have been changing a lot of things, but Death reminds him that it won't save Jasmine's life, and that's precisely the problem. In his attempt to change everything, he's just making things worse.

I love the song "Sana Maulit Muli". It speaks volumes of why for the longest time, I refused to give up in the face of adversity, but as we clearly see, even turning back the clock with the knowledge of how things play out may simply not be enough to set things right.

I ask myself what it truly entails to be given a second chance. Do second chances really have any weight, to begin with? Or are a good deal of them just futile attempts at recapturing lightning in a bottle? The moment has passed, and if even turning back the clock to set things right can instead set things into disarray, what then for those who can't even do that?

I ask myself if I would ask to turn back the clock to relive moments with someone, even if the result would still be the same no matter what I attempt to change. I ask myself, for whom would I do this? Would I just do it for anyone, or only for one or two people?

Am I willing to go through things a second time around? Maybe I wasn't understanding enough, maybe I wasn't kind enough, maybe I didn't give enough? Maybe I pushed too hard. Maybe I could've done things differently. Maybe I could've loved more. Maybe I could've loved less.

I don't know. I can't know. That's the beauty and curse of reality. I only get one shot at making things right, and if I blow it, my chance has passed me by, but my life hasn't. There will be other opportunities to set things right, in whatever shape or form they may come.

Do I want to turn back the time now? At this point, I may actually have to say "no". The present and the future has little to do with the past at this point, not by my own choice, but nonetheless, it is the case, and somehow, I doubt turning back the clock, or even erasing my memories ala "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" would change any of that.

It is enough that I have loved and I have loved truly. If I cannot gain the same boon in return, I cannot fault the other person, much less expect.

Blog Parteeh!

.:Blog Parteeh!:.

If you're a blogger, then this one's for you! Happening this Saturday, 27 January, 2007!

Taken from The Official Site:

What: Blog Parteeh! 2007
When: January 27, 2007 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Where:
6th Floor (Poolside Area)
Classica Tower 2 Condominium
HV dela Costa St., Salcedo Village,
Makati City 1200

I've been blogging for about long enough
I've gone through good times and rough
Sometimes it's cool to hang out, talk shop
With fellow bloggers, so this is the stop

I can write about my blogging history
But who'd care about that but me?
Methinks it's more interesting to see
A rapping plug about the Blog Parteeh

Happening this Saturday, just so you know
Be there or be square, go, go, go
If you're a blogger, then go say so!
If you miss out on this, that'd just blow.

Now's the time for this blogger to unwind
If I missed this party, I'd be outta my mind
This is a rarity, this is one of a kind
Blog Parteeh 2007, what a find!

This event is sponsored by: Sheero Media Solutions, MyJournal Philippines, FeedText, Inc., Migs Paraz, A Bugged Life, The Blog Herald, b5media blog network, About My Recovery, Pinoy.Tech.Blog, Enthropia, Inc., Krispy Kreme Philippines, GMA New Media, Awesome Philippines, Codamon.com, Boracay.com.ph, Recipes.com.ph, WebMaster.com.ph, Bouncing Red Ball, Bo Sanchez, Microwarehouse Inc.

BlogParteeh07 Donors:

Marc Javellana, Bubba Gump, e-YellowPages, Adobe User Group - Philippines, Weddings @ Work, Google Philippines, Hinge Inquirer Publications, Andrew dela Serna


Well, I'll be there. I hope. My e-mail's at mistervader@gmail.com, just in case.

BlogParteeh07

Wheeee!!!

.:Can I Just Say That...:.

... I am absoluely loving the television show, "Sana Maulit Muli"? I find the story very gripping and interesting.

I wanna watch more. Haha.

.:Marathon:.

And so I was booked to do walk-around for six straight hours in Mapua, and I must admit, it was really something I was pretty excited about.

I got there around twenty minutes before noon, and Carlo, my contact for the day, was fairly accommodating despite looking obviously harassed from the frenetic pace of their foundation day activities. Nonetheless, I got there and prepared myself for a pretty long day, and I had to make sure that I was going to be adroit all the way.

Lemme digress a bit. Hmmm.... “adroit”. I think that's my new pet word... hehehe.

Anyways, after prepping myself, loading up on a few forks, and determining what my basic routine would be, Carlo followed me around with video camera in hand for my first two stops, and when I started off, the audience would only be the booth I was performing for. So at least, fairly manageable audience, right? Well, at least, that's how it started off...

After my third or fourth walk-around, people were catching on that there was a street magician around, and they'd ask me to go and perform at their booth, some of them would joke around with me, but most startling of all, they'd practically swarm me, and it was an adrenaline rush to be performing for at least two hundred people, forming five circles around me, making me completely surrounded and rendering all my angle-sensitive effects moot. Or does it? The audience practically misdirect themselves! Haha. :P

Imagine the feeling of performing for three people in one minute, for twenty the next, for fifty the next, and for two hundred or so people within four minutes. Anything you do, all eyes are on you. Every single move, every single actuation, it's all visible. People cheer wildly, girls scream, hecklers pass by to warn people to keep an eye on their wallets, but it's all good. The adrenaline just drives me to perform, to the point that even after my finale of Liquid Metal,they simply refuse to let me go back and recuperate at my post, and wouldn't mind seeing my openers again, since most of the audience weren't there when I started.

When I was at the organizer's HQ, the organizers asked me to do a bit of magic for them as well. More or less, I did a bit of mind-reading, and bent even more forks, and then showed them a demo of card handling, not that I was particularly amazing at it. Anyways, at one point, one of the organizers showed her friend what I accomplished with a fork. I overheard him from a distance saying he doesn't believe in magic and thinks that he can do whatever I can do with the forks, and then he approached me.

That was my cue to floor him with Liquid Metal. He sheepishly grinned and said “Pare, nawala pagkalalake ko sa'yo”, the moment I asked him to take out the corkscrew bend from the fork. I don't care how much he works out, I was pretty sure that he wasn't going to be able to unbend that corkscrew... hehe.

My last run was at a booth where there were lots of girls. I had my biggest audience for the day, and the biggest reactions of all because I did all the routines that mattered. The forks were bent, the minds were read, and at the end of the day, there were so many of them who were asking me for my phone number. Heh. Some of them are still texting me every now and then, and it's been very encouraging to know I did a good job.

All in a day's work.

.:Action-Packed Saturday:.

Joined my first ever Type II Magic Tournament, and I didn't do too well in Limited, sadly. I went only 1-3, but regardless, I did pretty well since I had a fairly good intuition as to what cards should ideally go into a deck, although I guess I could've done better.

Afterwards, I met up with Elbert and Estelle to watch Night At The Museum, then passed by Coffee Bean to drop off Elbert, where Vin asked me to do a bit of magic for Sage, who positively loved Liquid Metal... hehehe.

I capped off my day by hanging out with the Story Circle a bit, which was really cool.

On Love, In Love...

.:Today's LSS:.

Here's a song that I wish was written a year ago...

Someday
by Nina

Someday you’re gonna realize
One day you’ll see this though my eyes
By then I won’t even be there
I’ll be happy somewhere
Even if I cared

I know you don’t really see my worth
You think you’re the best girl on Earth
Well I’ve got news for you
I know I’m not that strong
But it won’t take long
Won’t take long

CHORUS:
Someday someone’s gonna love me
The way I wanted you to need me
Someday someone’s gonna take your place
One day I’ll forget about you
Someday, someday

Right now I know you can tell
I’m down and I’m not doing well
But one day these tears they will all run dry
I won’t have to cry, sweet goodbye

(Repeat Chorus)

There are moments I'm taken aback how people can take things casually and not miss a beat. But I guess that's to be expected when all you ever really had was a shallow connection. It's hard to make something out of nothing.

Still, at least, by my view, the good outweighs the bad. Too bad it doesn't cut both ways, when hindsight speaks in the opposite direction in other cases.

.:On Love And Being In Love:.

Sometimes, I wonder what I would rather have if I can't have both.

Would I rather someone were in love with me, but didn't love me?

Or would I rather that someone simply loves me, but wasn't in love with me?

There's a big, big difference between the two, and they may or may not be mutually exclusive, depending on the situation.

When you love someone, you care about their welfare and look after their happiness. Loving someone entails some measure of commitment, and to be honest, that's why I'm not too uneasy when a friend tells me that they love me, because I know exactly what it means. Because I love my friends. I care about them a lot, and I know I want to see them happy.

When someone tells me that they stick out with me because they feel great when they see me happy, I'm a bit put off, particularly when I see that person romantically. Such a way of thinking would easily mean they are either one (Loving you.) or the other (In love with you.), but most likely not both.

I've been on both sides of the equation, and I still can't quite determine what I'd rather have. Is it possible to learn to fall in love with someone? Can loving someone even after the illusions of being in love with that person have been stripped away be possible? Either proposition seems to be a tall order, and I'm a bit unnerved when thinking about it.

What makes it ironic is that despite the uncertainty when someone isn't in love with you but loves you, this is the most secure place to be in a relationship. The drawback is that in some cases, it can be argued that stable = stagnant.

In contrast, when you are in a relationship with someone madly in love with you, you thrive on extreme highs and extreme lows, which results in an unstable and rapidly burning out relationship if nothing deeper is established. But the tradeoff is when you thrive, oh how you thrive!

All I know for certain is that I do not know. But I am more than happy to find out.

Ah, so many odd conflicts and quirks and interactions.

Rebonding

So I saw Saw 3 last night...

It was gruesome and disturbing, but beyond that? Meh.

Movies as so-so like these keep me from wanting to write good movie reviews again...

Anyways...

.:Rebonding:.

I fond the time to just hang out with Sacha as I was hoping to secure a permit in Greenbelt to do magic, although I did have a few problems achieving that since they apparently needed a letter of intent, and my odds of getting a permit were pretty low...

In any case, Sach and I hung out for most of the day, although I was a bit ruffled because we went from mall to mall and I wasn't exactly 100% because of the stuff I've been going through with work and whatnot.

So we went to Greenbelt, then headed to Greenhills where Sach looked from place to place for clothes, and she never really found anything she liked. Then, Shang-rila, then Starmall, and there was a detour to Megamall at some point there. We really got around, but at the end of the day, she found books, not clothes. No big deal, since I guess what mattered was Sach and I managed to bond with each other.

I'm very happy because I haven't had time with Sach like this in about a year. It's as if we never really lost touch despite the fact that we've been apart. Hooray for the wonders of the internet.

From jokes to conversations to magic to everything, being with one of my best friends is always an adventure.

After the whole thing, I took her home, and then after I visited Krisette at her house, I ended up taking a cab to sleep over at Elbert's. It's been a while since I last got to hang out with him, and I mean that in a perfectly heterosexual way. Seriously though, El was extremely lethargic for the most part, and it rubbed off on me. I was just so tempted to sleep all day long, and thankfully, Estelle shook me out of it, as we ended up bowling, which was real cool. I also met up with Bruce and Mart, and even Peachy, and so I ended up doing a bit of magic for them as well. Liquid Metal seems to be a guaranteed hit whenever I do it... haha.

Anyways, it was a pretty good time spent with a good deal of my best friends. The weekend was spent well with them... I hope they enjoyed my company as well.

Thoughts Galore...

.:Archie Comics Takes A New Turn:.

As a kid, I read Archie comics a lot. It was formative to my personality, as I incorporated a lot of the personality I got from that comic book into how I am, even to this day. I eat like Jughead, I'm (sometimes) girl-crazy like Archie, I'm (sometimes) malevolent like Reggie, I'm (sometimes) a doormat like Betty, and I'm nerdy/geeky like Dilton.

I love Archie comics. I've been a fan for years, and whenever I have the chance, I still read it. There's nothing quite like enjoying an Archie misadventure as he tries to juggle Betty and Veronica on a date at the same time, or a story about Jughead running away from Big Ethel. It's been done a million times in a million different ways, but it never got old.

So it's quite a surprise to me that they are making this change:

Whoa. Did I just see Archie's art style turn "realistic"? Even worse, don't Betty and Veronica look absolutely anorexic? I shudder to think how Jughead would look like, but I'm very skeptical about the direction of both the art and the "longer, more realistic stories" they are touting.

How do you make plain ol' Archie "realistic"? Teenage pregnancy? On-panel drug abuse? Homosexuality issues? CONTINUITY?!? Because seriously, if you're just going to go the route of love stories and draw them out instead of making Archie Comics funny, you're going to alienate the strong fanbase Archie has who enjoy Archie comics for who they are: one-dimensional characters that are putty for entertaining and often funny stories...

They already turned Sabrina into a manga, and while that worked, that's because the stories were inherently the same, and the quirky art is just a matter of opinion. Now, with the new Archie line, they're touting not only the new art style, but the new direction of storylines. Gah. Color me skeptical.

.:If You're Going To Do Something, Do It Right, Or DON'T DO IT AT ALL!:.

If you want to be friends with me, then be friends with me. Don't give me a half-baked excuse for "friendship" and then cry foul when I call you on it. I'm not the one with issues about the past, apparently.

If you want to give me the details about your relationships that I don't necessarily want or need to know, can you spare me your self-righteous act that you so like to tout only for me to discover from a friend I introduced to you that you've been lying through your teeth to me all this time?

As your friend, I didn't need to know these details, but you encouraged me to ask and told me you'd be up front with me.

Instead, you lied to me, and to me, it's not even the fact that you've done these things, to which I will just say it's normal and perfectly natural, but to which I would say you didn't have to effing lie to me about them.

Spare me the details. I guess now I know why I haven't been too compelled to talk to you for the longest time.

Random Updates...

.:And A Partnership Would Hopefully Be Born...:.

Jay and I talked about it, and we decided that it'd be a good idea that we'd come together as a Mondo Magic-ish tandem and do street magic on camera in hopes that someone would catch on and like our material. It's going to take some coordination and a load of effort on our parts, but I have to say that I'm very confident of our prospects here.

So far, we've talked about it when we met in Eastwood today, and I think this is going to really work out well, since our routines are so radically different that it's not going to be a problem if we did magic in the same area. He's better with card magic and mentalism, I'm better at forks, coin, and ring magic. Even our patter styles are widely different.

Well, let's hope that “Kel and Jay” get to tear down the house. Next thing you know, one of us is gonna get mauled by a white tiger. Haha.

.:When In Town...:.

Well, both Abby and Sacha are in town for a while before classes go back and so forth, so it was really great that I managed to meet up with them.

Abby and I met up at Seattle's Best by Megamall, and just really talked about things, for the most part. I must say that I had loads of fun talking to her, and she definitely enjoyed seeing the stuff I do for shows, especially, so it seems, the fork.

Afterwards, we went shopping for a cellular phone, so we ended up going around St. Francis Square.

Last Saturday, I ended up hanging out with Sacha and the JGL at Tsoko Nut in SM Makati, which was really awesome, since it's been ages since I've seen a good chunk of the JGL. Estelle was with me, and she got along just fabulously with the JGL.

What was amusing was that on top of the time we spent together, I ended up being approached by someone who seems to have noticed my magic show, and asked for my calling card. I have to say that moments like these remind me why I do what I do...

During that night, I tagged along with Estelle to see a night of Pyrolympics, which, while cool, really tired me out especially when they made me game master of a mano a mano challenge... gah.

.:Walking Home...:.

There's something quite wonderful about walking home someone dear to you...

Goshdarnit, I'm so giddy again...

Meme's Galore...

PLACES:
1) PLACE YOU HUNG OUT THE MOST IN THIS YEAR:
Elbert's Condo.

2) FAVORITE NEW PLACE YOU DISCOVERED:
Chinatown. Not really new, but I found a shop that sells seedless Kiamoy for so cheap...

3) PLACES YOU WENT ON DATES:
Greenbelt, Shangrila, Megamall, Glorietta, Gateway. I especially am not fond of the first and the last one...

4) FAVORITE VACATION SPOT FOR THE YEAR:
My house.

5) PLACES YOU MADE OUT IN (OR MORE) THIS YEAR:
Lots of places. I don't particularly want to specify...

PEOPLE:
1) PERSON/S WHO TAUGHT YOU ALOT THIS YEAR:
Elbert and Estelle. You learn something new everyday. Mr. Bing, in his magic shop.

2) AN OLD FRIEND YOU REDISCOVERED THIS YEAR:
Johan and April, I guess.

3) PERSON/S WHO TOLD YOU THE NICEST THING ABOUT YOURSELF:
Estelle, who spent 23 letters detailing what she appreciated about me.

4) PERSON WHO DID SOMETHING REALLY GREAT FOR YOU (AND WHAT):
Estelle, for the 23 letters I got for my birthday...

5) PERSON YOU SPENT THE MOST TIME WITH THIS YEAR:
Elbert and Estelle, for obvious reasons.

6) PERSON YOU DID SOMETHING REALLY GREAT FOR (AND WHAT):
Elbert. I relearned magic and did a magic show for him...

7) SOMEONE YOU WISHED YOU TALKED TO THIS YEAR:
Most of my friends whom I haven't seen except once or twice this year, like Jaded or Christelle. I don't feel too bad about not talking to Willow or Addy Dy anymore.

8) SOMEONE WHOM YOU STARTED A GREAT NEW FRIENDSHIP WITH:
Rowena. And Jay Mata. And Mr. Bing.

9) OLD ENEMY/S YOU MADE PEACE WITH THIS YEAR:
None, really.

10) SOMEONE YOU LOST THIS YEAR:
A girlfriend.

11) PERSON/S YOU KISSED THIS YEAR:
The ex, the non-fling, the no-strings, and my Beloved.

12) PERSON WHO MADE YOU LAUGH THE MOST:
Elbert.

13) PERSON WHO MADE YOU CRY:
The ex.

14) PERSON/S WHO YOU DISLIKE WHEN THE YEAR BEGAN BUT ENDED UP BECOMING GOOD FRIENDS WITH:
None, really.

15) PERSON YOU HAD A CRUSH ON THE ENTIRE YEAR:
The Beloved, I guess...

16) SOMEONE YOU WISHED YOU APOLOGIZED TO:
Nope. I've apologized to all those whom I needed to apologize to...

17) PEOPLE YOU WENT OUT ON DATES WITH:
Rachel, Gyn, Rowena, Moon, April. Most of these were “dates”, though. They shouldn't really count. Haha.

18) FRIENDS YOU WENT OUT WITH ALOT:
Elbert, Estelle, April, Johan, Clair, Hrbs, Krisette.

19) COOLEST PERSON YOU MET THIS YEAR:
Umm... Mick Foley and Estelle.

STUFF:
1) CLOTHING ITEM YOU WORE MOST THIS YEAR:
Black pants.

2) NICEST PRESENT/S YOU GOT THIS YEAR:
Well, as Jackson 5 put it, “give love on Christmas day”...

3) FAVORITE SONG FOR THE YEAR:
“Choose”, by Mojofly. “Irreplaceable”, by Beyonce? “So Sick”, by Ne-Yo? I had a lot of old/remade songs that I especially liked this year though, thanks to lots of videoke. “Di Ako Bakla”, by Michael V. Haha.

4) COOLEST EVENT/S FOR THE YEAR:
I hosted the WWE Smackdown Press Conference.

5) NEW HOBBY YOU PICKED UP THIS YEAR:
I became a magician.

6) BEST BOOK/S OF THE YEAR:
The Prestige

7) BEST MOVIE/S:
The Prestige, The Departed.

8) MOST SHOCKING NEWS HEADLINE OF THE YEAR:
Kurt Angle went to TNA.

9) FAVORITE FOOD FOR THE YEAR:
Sbarro's, I guess. If not, then Pao Tsin. Haha. Whatta cheapskate.

10) FAVORITE NEW ARTIST THAT CAME OUT THIS YEAR:
Ne-Yo, most likely.

LESSONS:
1) WISEST THING YOU DID THIS YEAR:
Opened my eyes.

2) STUPIDEST THING YOU DID THIS YEAR:
Let someone trample on my heart for too long.

3) BIGGEST CHANGE IN YOUR LIFE THIS YEAR:
The new magic career.

4) BIGGEST CHALLENGE OF THE YEAR:
Finding gigs and breaking even.

5) SOMETHING YOU LEARNED THE HARD WAY:
That being in love and loving someone isn't the same thing.

6) GREATEST LESSON YOU LEARNED ABOUT:
Love and heartbreak.

7) BEST JOKE YOU'VE HEARD ALL YEAR:
That Elbert and Peppy are straight.

8) BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE YEAR:
When people who claim they'd be there forever turn their backs on you and act like cowards.

9) BIGGEST BLESSING OF THE YEAR:
I found a sideline that paid even more than my main job.

10) BIGGEST THING YOU DISCOVERED ABOUT THE WORLD:
That it owes me nothing.

11) BIGGEST THING YOU DISCOVERED ABOUT PEOPLE IN GENERAL:
That they can depress you one moment and then make you unbelievably happy the next.

AND LASTLY:
1) GOALS/DREAMS FOR THE NEW YEAR:
Get out of the graveyard and really move on up in the magician circles.

2) PREDICTIONS FOR THE NEXT YEAR:
I will give my all in whatever it is I want to do. A politician will switch allegiance to and from GMA. Bush will say something stupid. Undertaker won't lose at Wrestlemania.

1. What did you do in 2006 that you'd never done before?
Get “laid”. Hahahahahaha. R-ight.

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't make resolutions.

This year though, I resolve to do more street magic as often as I can.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.

5. What countries did you visit?
None.

6. What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006?
Sleep.

7. What date from 2006 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
March 28, December 25, and subsequently, 28.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Becoming a professional magician.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Obviously, the ex.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Quite a bit, mostly due to lack of sleep.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
My magic collection.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Rowena. She's learning to meet people halfway after years of it being her way or the highway.

13. Whose behaviour appalled you and made you depressed?
I won't mention the name, but it's obvious that the sudden turnaround for someone who claimed to care really depressed me.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Magic DVD's.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Being told that she likes me, after months of not feeling that way... It was a nice way to end the year.

16. What song will always remind you of 2006?
“So Sick”, by Ne-Yo. “Unwell”, by Matchbox Twenty. Lots of songs, really. Curse of a DJ...

Oh, and “Di Ako Bakla”, by Michael V.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? It balanced out.
ii. thinner or fatter? Fatter.
iii. richer or poorer? Richer.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Sleep.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Refusing to back down when I should. Whether from arguments, or from trouble, or whatever else.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
Spent it with the family, but exchanged text messages with my Beloved.

where's #21?

22. Did you fall in love in 2006?
Yes.

23. How many one-night stands?
None.

24. What was your favourite TV program?
Ummm... RAW and Smackdown. Pinoy Dream Academy.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
None. Hate is too strong a word. Disappointed, yes.

26. What was the best book you read?
The Prestige. Harry Potter, if it was this year, was meh.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Michael V., John Legend, APO Hiking Society (More like rediscovery with this one.)

28. What did you want and get?
Friends like Elbert and Estelle.

29. What did you want and not get?
A new main career.

30. Favorite film of this year?
The Prestige, The Departed.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I just hung out with friends. It was stormy then, so I also climbed up 26 floors to get to my condo after the whole thing...

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Closure. At this point, I don't think I'd wish to have still been with the ex. Not when I see how it could be so much better... not when in so many ways, it already is.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006?
Same as always.

34. What kept you sane?
Elbert and Estelle.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Patty Laurel. Lol.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Work politics.

37. Who did you miss?
Pomelo.

38. Who was the best new person you met?
Estelle.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006.
Magic is not a matter of fooling people, but of entertaining them. That, and experience is the best teacher.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

Sabi nila
Tinawag mo 'kong bakla (Huh!)
Hoy bruha kang talaga
At ang kapal ng mukha

'Di ako, 'di ako bakla!
Hitsura pa lang, 'di mo ba halata?
Kung di ka tumigil sa pagsasalita
Sasabunutan kita, hindi ako bakla!!!

The New Year...

.:Bessie Bonding:.

I find it amusing that the word “bonding” for me and Estelle has been synonymous to me and her vicariously sharing a bad experience, such as when we tried that weird-tasting cheesecake from Sugarhouse, which tasted suspiciously like spit.

Nonetheless, hanging out with Bess has been awesome for the most part, whether it be to achieve some Christmas shopping, or hanging out with her while we're at Jay Mata's place in The Fort, where we had a lot of interesting conversations and a few cool demonstrations of magic, especially since I met up with Deeji, who was my classmate a couple of years back in Heidegger.

She even made the very sweet gesture of wanting to adopt me for the new year's celebration, which was something I really appreciated, although I ended up being adopted by the Ching family.

One thing Estelle said made my day, though... apparently, she thinks that Erik Mana is “mediocre but interesting enough”, mainly because she finds Erik's patter boring, and she thinks I'm the better showman. I was touched. Yan ang Bessie! Hehe.

.:Et-Ching!:.

So I spent New Year's Eve with Clair, Dang, Tita Claire, and Panda, who was cowering over all the fireworks. Hehe. In any case, it was really awesome being there, because I even did a little magic show for the kids in the area, sort of as a taste of the kind of stuff I'm capable of doing already. Let's just say that I got a lot of reactions for the bite card, as usual. Haha.

After that, we went on a bit of a movie marathon, as we watched Take The Lead and Love Actually, plus of course, Michael V's Bubble G anthology... hehehehe.

All in all, an awesome New Year. I should do this more often and have myself adopted by a friend every New Year. Haha.

.:The Top Five People I'm Most Grateful For:.

It's been a really crazy year for me, to say the least, and it took a while for me to get around to getting this list down to pat. Nonetheless, I'm glad I finally found the time, albeit the list and the commentary itself would prolly be noticeably abbreviated...

5. To you who can make my heart skip a beat: In what would be quite a huge change of pace for me, I cannot honestly say I'm grateful to you the most for the year. This has been a year that hasn't been kind to my heart at all. And while the happiest moments of my year have involved you, so have the most painful ones.

Thank you for making me feel special and loved. Thank you for letting me love you, thank you for breaking my heart, thank you for making me laugh, making me cry, for making me feel the highest points of my life, and the lowest points all the same. I wouldn't be a stronger person if it weren't for you.

Thank you.

4. To Jay and Mr. Bing: To the two people who were instrumental to my newfound career in magic, I thank you both. For putting up with my clumsy hands as I tried to learn a double lift, to patiently explaining to me the finer points of misdirection.

For bringing back the wonder in my life, I thank you. Thanks for letting me remember the power that comes with but a wave of a hand.

3. To my Uncle Raymund: Out of my entire family, you're the one I'm most grateful to this year. For giving me a skillset I never realized I am capable of, to the fact that you've been someone I can talk to every now and then about just about anything and everything.

It's not what people say about you that matters. It's how you deal with the people who matter, and for that, I appreciate everything I've learned thanks to you.

2. To my friends: In the most turbulent times of my life, you came through.

All of you.

Words cannot express my gratitude for all of you, for having kept me sane at the moments where my head was spinning off its axis.

I couldn't have gotten to this point without you: the entire JGL, Row, Kathy, Krisette, Hrbs, Debbie, Moon, April, Johan, and pretty much everybody else whom I've failed to mention.

3. To Elbert, Estelle, Clair, Sacha, Jaded, Christelle: The ones whom I proudly call my best friends. You have no idea how much more colorful my life has been with you around.

To Elbert, for the countless nights of pleas... err... I mean, conversation, for being my dose of reality when my head is too mired in illusions, for being the best friend who believes in pushing me to be a better human being.

To Estelle, for having come into my life and being a never-ending source of new and interesting things, as well as for being my favorite audience for children's party magic. For having been the most wonderful new person I've gotten to know this year, Bessie-Moo, you are an amazing human being and I know things can only keep on getting better. Oh, and of course, by extension, I have to thank Kuya Allen and Mang Ted, too! =P Seriously, by extension, I also have to thank Tita Toots and Tito Fort, especially for proving to me that N.U. actually exists. For bringing out the inner child in me, I thank you as well.

To Clair, for being my voice of reason. There's never a dearth of interesting conversation with you around. You're awesomely cool, and you prove without a shadow of a doubt that friends like you are simply one in a billion.

To Sacha, for being there for me, even when you're a thousand miles away. It seems that you're always there just when I need you most. It's amazing, because it's not like we plan any of our encounters online, and yet, by some twist of fate, you never fail to come through.

To Jaded, for believing in me and reminding me that even if we're far apart, we never do truly lose touch, at the end of everything. Thanks for being one of the people who keep pushing me to excel and to try harder.

And to Christelle, for caring about me even when I feel that I sometimes neglect to remind her how much I care about her. For actually playing quite a hand in getting my magic career off the ground. I can only promise to try harder to be there for you when you need someone to be there for you.

Bah, Humbug

.:Bah, Humbug:.

... cold and lonely.

What else could I have expected?

Was there anything I could've honestly hoped for from about fifteen hours of an illusion?

Goddammit, I'm a magician. I, more than anyone else, should know better than to accept an illusion at face value, and yet I did.

At the end of the day, I was just given a cold, harsh reminder that Christmas really, really sucks.

When people assume "Christmas is canceled" because Santa Claus apparently doesn't exist, I've pretty much ascertained for myself everyone has completely missed the point of the holiday already.

There was one and only one good thing about the holidays, and that was the point where I did a charity magic show for an orphanage in Don Bosco Sta. Mesa, where I was a student...

Outside of that, Christmas has been empty and pointless. It was just another day as is any other.

Bah, humbug. So much for giving love on Christmas day...

Merry Christmas!

.:Random Thoughts On The Holidays...:.

Well, first of all, a merry Christmas to everyone!!!

Christmas shopping with Bessie 'Elle was nothing short of fun. I was just walking around with her until she finally got tired (and grumpy). She had a really cool present for me, and I responded in kind with a present all of us will be using sometime soon...

That being said, I don't feel the Christmas spirit by much. I'm honestly just grateful for friends and special people in my life, and the fact that it's December 24 as I say this is irrelevant. From my best friends, especially Sach and Abby who are in town for the holidays, to certain people whom I've professed my affection to (*ahem*), you might say that this year has been one hellacious ride, to say the least. If it means ending up knowing people like Estelle though, I'd gladly go on that ride all over again.

I have managed to already construct a list of the top five people I'm most grateful to this year, but in contrast to how they've always been for ages, it would seem that there is a radical change of pace to who would be the person/s I'd be most grateful to this 2006. It's been a rough but financially rewarding year, and a transition to what I can only hope would be better times for my career.

.:Happy Feet Thoughts:.

Did you know that there is a mild uproar from the United States at the moment over Happy Feet, citing Mumbles' being "different" as a subtext for a pro-gay statement?

Man, the conservative right can get the wildest ideas, to say the least.

I mean, granted that I can't argue with them on whether or not homosexuality is fine, but I sure as Hades can argue over the fact that anyone who would see a gay subtext in "Happy Feet" has got to be overreading into the movie's message.

Is it politically and environmentally heavy-handed? A bit. Can it scare some kids at some grim segments of the film? Most likely.

But were there gay overtones? Wolfgang Foxtrot Tango!

Happy Feet was a great movie that is highly enjoyable. I've seen it twice, and on the second time, I even saw it with a good friend of mine, Rowena. It makes next to no sense to me that they can find gay subtext in a movie like that, just because the message is "it's okay to be different".

Different >< Gay. For them to think they are the same thing is beyond me.

.:All I Can Offer You This Christmas...:.

... is the fervent desire to do right by you.

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.

Woooo!!!

.:Confirmed:.

I'm booked for a magic show on Thursday. In Villamor Air Base. Whoa. This is way cool...

.:The Hurly-Burly Of Christmas:.

Sometimes, I really feel sad about the people who equate “Merry Christmas” to “give me money”. People like those make me continue to harp about this season becoming little more than “Santamas” year in and year out.

That being said, Estelle and I did a bit of Christmas shopping in 168 today. While I’m so horrible with shopping as I practically had no idea what to get for whom, it wasn’t so bad, regardless. I suppose it could’ve been better, though.

Thanks to Estelle for today. The company was so great, I completely forgot that Radio Partners is having their Christmas party tonight, and I’m here at Tita Toots’ office instead… hehe.

.:Uneventful, But Glad:.

This weekend was relatively uneventful, but most of it was mainly spent hanging out with Elbert and Estelle, and it has really been great, seeing how we just manage to connect on a level where we really can pretty much talk about anything and everything, from psychoanalyzing each and every girl I went out or made a serious attempt to go out with, to what I did in the grocery after we talked about lactating third nipples, to prostituted students that Elbert seems to run into...

That being said, it's been a really interesting and amusing encounter with Elbert's best friend, Gabby. It wasn't exactly the most flattering of first impressions that we gave to her, but it was still all good, considering how she was mostly amused with the sheer speed at which El and I mowed topics down, one after the other.

All in all, it was pretty cool...

.:Updating My Skillset:.

I just need a bit more practice and I'll be capable of sound engineering already. Well, at least minor engineering. I still don't think I can do that for music... hehe. Still, having been able to spend time with the family by sheer luck last Sunday was a great opportunity for me to really relax and then some... heh.

Weekend Recap!

.:Urong-Sulong Ka…:.

Bakit ka ganyan?

.:Sudden Practice:.

Due to a booking that came from out of the blue, I had to practice my routine with Estelle last Friday night. Nonetheless, it was pretty smooth, and I just really had a grand time enjoying her company, for the most part.

.:Divine Providence Of Sorts...:.

I have to be extremely grateful to Christelle for this one...

After losing out on a gig for the weekend, next thing I knew, I was booked to do a magic show for a party organized by Ms. Luli Arroyo. Whoa...

Anyways, I ended up getting in touch with Ms. Kay Honasan, who asked me to prepare a magic show for a children's party, and the party definitely was an eye-opener to me, to say the least.

These kids were smart, but they were also very disciplined. While some of them knew how some tricks work, they were kind enough to let me know after the show, and not in the middle of it. I even had this nice little touch where I told them that the magic I do is something I can only do with their help.

I asked them what channel, 2 or 7, they preferred to watch. Most of them answered “2”, so I told them that the magic word for the day was going to be “Kapamilya”. It was a pretty interesting routine, because from top to bottom, the audience was just simply enthralled, whether or not they knew how the magic worked.

It was a joy to perform, and the comedy bits just came naturally. Both Mr. Bing's lessons and my personal touches came together and really got the audiences going. What really sold the whole thing was that while the kids loved the show, the adults were stunned when I did my fork bending routine, which is definitely slowly turning into my trademark of sorts.

One moment, I was doing my magic show, all kids in front of me, and next thing I knew, while I was doing Liquid Metal, all the parents were behind me. Well, it's an angle-free sequence anyways, so there's no big deal with that.

All in all, people were really happy with it, and it looks like I'd have some repeat business.

.:Taxi Tales:.

For some reason, Saturday was a pretty good day to talk to cab drivers. Whether we talked about politics or whatever else, it was definitely interesting to talk to some of them. Sometimes, it's good to be reminded that not all cab drivers are insensitive dolts after your money while forcing you to hitch a ride along their intended route.

Some of them would gladly talk to you about magic, and that's just normal, really, but the really interesting conversations I had all the time were about integrity. One of the cab drivers was talking about how he was tempted to not return a wallet containing twenty thousand pesos simply because his wife was expecting and it was probably going to be a C-Section. The money would've covered half of the operation.

Despite that, he gave it back. His wife ended up giving birth naturally, which cost only 7,000 pesos.

I guess nice guys don't always finish last, after all.

Sometimes, you can learn really powerful lessons from the places where you least expect it...

.:Yet Another Anime Convention:.

So I went to the anime convention at U.P. Diliman, and I have to admit, it was quite an event. Lots of people were there, cosplayers galore, and so forth. I even ran into some people I haven't seen in a while, such as Addy Dy, and of course, Jac.

Anyways, that day was the perfect opportunity for me to do a little bit of street magic. There I was, just really going around and approaching strangers left and right and just performing for them. I even ran into a group that came as Crazy 88, mostly high school people, and a couple of people I ran into from HHH the last time. All in all, it was pretty cool, and I got really great reactions from the audiences as I was doing my magic schtick.

I even ended up being the most photographed non-cosplayer for the day, given how many people were taking pictures of me and the magic. I especially loved it when they were shooting the hands of the people who were holding the cards for the Ultimate Transpo... it was way cool.

I suppose, the only thing that does get to me is that my personality seems to be too strong for the most introverted of people. Apparently, one of my new acquaintances has been scared away by my personality, deeming it as me coming on too strongly.

Ah, well... can't have 'em all, I suppose.

.:The First Dinner:.

I dropped by Elbert's place so we can go meet up with Johan, Myka, and Estelle together. We had dinner at Sentro, and we even ran into Sam Oh along the way, which was just way, way cool...

Anyways, the food was great, and so was the company. It felt great to finally have the chance to hang out with them after a while, since it's been really difficult for all of us to just meet up with each other due to all of our varied schedules...

Anyways, we had a great time, and the sinigang corned beef was absolutely marvelous...

.:The Second Dinner:.

Kathy asked me over for Carnivore Night, and while I got there late, I still got to play catch-up with a bit of soup and potatoes and chicken and lamb chops. Kathy can still cook up a storm.

Guest list was short and sweet. Clair, Krisette, Hrbs, then some guys from Holland named John and Martin, and, err... one other girl. I did a little magic show for them and all, and they were mostly amused, but I noticed how awesome John and Martin were at figuring tricks out. They were engineers, and they pretty much deduced some tricks I didn't think anyone could easily do it. That being said, I'd want to ask them to figure out some tricks in the future... hehehe.

Anyways, after dinner, we ended up fire spinning again, after all this time. None of us have spun in ages, but it just happened, and I did the whole gamut of moves, with my favorite one, the neck wrap.

By the time we were finished, and after Hrbs was sufficiently freaked out by the gay innuendo, especially since Clair kept on singing Michael V's “Di Ako Bakla”. Nonetheless, it was awesome doing so much all in one Saturday, pretty much including three magic shows, one anime convention, two dinners, one firespining session, and a million great conversations...

And seeing someone gush over a guy was just priceless. You don't see that everyday...

.:And So The Plot Thickened:.

Clair had to go home at three in the morning, so since I wasn't very comfortable about her safety, I just took her home and ended up spending Sunday and Monday morning there... it was funny being there, as apparently, I'm one of the few guys their dog, Panda, didn't get mad or aloof at upon first meeting. If anything, Panda was sweet towards me, and they were hypothesizing that since he's only friendly towards girls, then they have to begin doubting my immeasurable and oozing masculinity... ah, whatever. Hehe.

But yeah, it was pretty cool being there for a while. Thanks to tita Claire, Dang, and Clair, and Panda for the hospitality... =)

.:Christmas Party Again...:.

Yet another magic show came around, this time, for the Brandstream group. Well, it was pretty cool, as I did a series of effects with no genuine rhyme or reason. Despite that, I got loads of reactions from certain effects, namely Saw, Four-Dimensional Mind Read, Stigmata, the Invisible Deck, and of course, Liquid Metal. The Shapeshifter was pretty good, too... heh.

As Ogie Diaz was one of the guests, he predictably picked on me… hehehe. Oh, well.

Weekend Recap!

.:Urong-Sulong Ka…:.

Bakit ka ganyan?

.:Sudden Practice:.

Due to a booking that came from out of the blue, I had to practice my routine with Estelle last Friday night. Nonetheless, it was pretty smooth, and I just really had a grand time enjoying her company, for the most part.

.:Divine Providence Of Sorts...:.

I have to be extremely grateful to Christelle for this one...

After losing out on a gig for the weekend, next thing I knew, I was booked to do a magic show for a party organized by Ms. Luli Arroyo. Whoa...

Anyways, I ended up getting in touch with Ms. Kay Honasan, who asked me to prepare a magic show for a children's party, and the party definitely was an eye-opener to me, to say the least.

These kids were smart, but they were also very disciplined. While some of them knew how some tricks work, they were kind enough to let me know after the show, and not in the middle of it. I even had this nice little touch where I told them that the magic I do is something I can only do with their help.

I asked them what channel, 2 or 7, they preferred to watch. Most of them answered “2”, so I told them that the magic word for the day was going to be “Kapamilya”. It was a pretty interesting routine, because from top to bottom, the audience was just simply enthralled, whether or not they knew how the magic worked.

It was a joy to perform, and the comedy bits just came naturally. Both Mr. Bing's lessons and my personal touches came together and really got the audiences going. What really sold the whole thing was that while the kids loved the show, the adults were stunned when I did my fork bending routine, which is definitely slowly turning into my trademark of sorts.

One moment, I was doing my magic show, all kids in front of me, and next thing I knew, while I was doing Liquid Metal, all the parents were behind me. Well, it's an angle-free sequence anyways, so there's no big deal with that.

All in all, people were really happy with it, and it looks like I'd have some repeat business.

.:Taxi Tales:.

For some reason, Saturday was a pretty good day to talk to cab drivers. Whether we talked about politics or whatever else, it was definitely interesting to talk to some of them. Sometimes, it's good to be reminded that not all cab drivers are insensitive dolts after your money while forcing you to hitch a ride along their intended route.

Some of them would gladly talk to you about magic, and that's just normal, really, but the really interesting conversations I had all the time were about integrity. One of the cab drivers was talking about how he was tempted to not return a wallet containing twenty thousand pesos simply because his wife was expecting and it was probably going to be a C-Section. The money would've covered half of the operation.

Despite that, he gave it back. His wife ended up giving birth naturally, which cost only 7,000 pesos.

I guess nice guys don't always finish last, after all.

Sometimes, you can learn really powerful lessons from the places where you least expect it...

.:Yet Another Anime Convention:.

So I went to the anime convention at U.P. Diliman, and I have to admit, it was quite an event. Lots of people were there, cosplayers galore, and so forth. I even ran into some people I haven't seen in a while, such as Addy Dy, and of course, Jac.

Anyways, that day was the perfect opportunity for me to do a little bit of street magic. There I was, just really going around and approaching strangers left and right and just performing for them. I even ran into a group that came as Crazy 88, mostly high school people, and a couple of people I ran into from HHH the last time. All in all, it was pretty cool, and I got really great reactions from the audiences as I was doing my magic schtick.

I even ended up being the most photographed non-cosplayer for the day, given how many people were taking pictures of me and the magic. I especially loved it when they were shooting the hands of the people who were holding the cards for the Ultimate Transpo... it was way cool.

I suppose, the only thing that does get to me is that my personality seems to be too strong for the most introverted of people. Apparently, one of my new acquaintances has been scared away by my personality, deeming it as me coming on too strongly.

Ah, well... can't have 'em all, I suppose.

.:The First Dinner:.

I dropped by Elbert's place so we can go meet up with Johan, Myka, and Estelle together. We had dinner at Sentro, and we even ran into Sam Oh along the way, which was just way, way cool...

Anyways, the food was great, and so was the company. It felt great to finally have the chance to hang out with them after a while, since it's been really difficult for all of us to just meet up with each other due to all of our varied schedules...

Anyways, we had a great time, and the sinigang corned beef was absolutely marvelous...

.:The Second Dinner:.

Kathy asked me over for Carnivore Night, and while I got there late, I still got to play catch-up with a bit of soup and potatoes and chicken and lamb chops. Kathy can still cook up a storm.

Guest list was short and sweet. Clair, Krisette, Hrbs, then some guys from Holland named John and Martin, and, err... one other girl. I did a little magic show for them and all, and they were mostly amused, but I noticed how awesome John and Martin were at figuring tricks out. They were engineers, and they pretty much deduced some tricks I didn't think anyone could easily do it. That being said, I'd want to ask them to figure out some tricks in the future... hehehe.

Anyways, after dinner, we ended up fire spinning again, after all this time. None of us have spun in ages, but it just happened, and I did the whole gamut of moves, with my favorite one, the neck wrap.

By the time we were finished, and after Hrbs was sufficiently freaked out by the gay innuendo, especially since Clair kept on singing Michael V's “Di Ako Bakla”. Nonetheless, it was awesome doing so much all in one Saturday, pretty much including three magic shows, one anime convention, two dinners, one firespining session, and a million great conversations...

And seeing someone gush over a guy was just priceless. You don't see that everyday...

.:And So The Plot Thickened:.

Clair had to go home at three in the morning, so since I wasn't very comfortable about her safety, I just took her home and ended up spending Sunday and Monday morning there... it was funny being there, as apparently, I'm one of the few guys their dog, Panda, didn't get mad or aloof at upon first meeting. If anything, Panda was sweet towards me, and they were hypothesizing that since he's only friendly towards girls, then they have to begin doubting my immeasurable and oozing masculinity... ah, whatever. Hehe.

But yeah, it was pretty cool being there for a while. Thanks to tita Claire, Dang, and Clair, and Panda for the hospitality... =)

.:Christmas Party Again...:.

Yet another magic show came around, this time, for the Brandstream group. Well, it was pretty cool, as I did a series of effects with no genuine rhyme or reason. Despite that, I got loads of reactions from certain effects, namely Saw, Four-Dimensional Mind Read, Stigmata, the Invisible Deck, and of course, Liquid Metal. The Shapeshifter was pretty good, too... heh.

As Ogie Diaz was one of the guests, he predictably picked on me… hehehe. Oh, well.

Lyrically Speaking Scribbles Part III

.:Lyrically Speaking Scribbles, Part IV:.

Nakapagtataka
by Apo Hiking Society

Walang tigil ang gulo sa aking pag-iisip...

Hindi ko maunawaan kung bakit kinakailangang ganito. Away-bati. Away-bati. Nagugulumihanan ang aking pag-iisip sa nangyayari sa atin.

Ang bilis.

Ang bagal.

Ang tamis.

Ang pait.

Ang lahat-lahat.

Mula nang tayo´y nagpasyang maghiwalay...

Nawawala, bumabalik. Heto na naman. Heto na naman ang matinding kirot sa aking dibdid, ngayong nakikita ko muli kung ano ang nangyayari sa atin.

Palagi na lamang may humahadlang. Palagi na lang may balakid. Kahit mawala pa ang lahat ng mga humahadlang sa ating paligid, tayo mismo ang humaharang pa rin sa sarili nating kaligayahan.

Bakit ganito? Bakit kailangang magpaalam?

Nagpaalam pagkat hindi tayo bagay...

Na kahit mayroong nadarama... puso't isipa'y magkaiba...

Marahil nga, hindi lang laan sa isa't-isa.

O marahil, hindi lang tayo nagsikap ng sapat...

Hindi ko alam. Hindi ko talaga alam kung kulang pa ang ating ginawa para sa ating dalawa.

Nakapagtataka, oh...

Nakapagtataka talaga. Nandito pa rin ang damdamin ko para sa iyo. Ayaw mawala. Hindi maibsan. Kahit ilang beses na tayong nagkasakitan, sa napipintong pagdating ng
Pasko, lalo lamang ako nangungulila para sa iyo.

Hanggang ngayon, kahit na ganito pa ang nangyayari sa atin.

Kung bakit ganito ang aking kapalaran Di ba´t ilang ulit ka nang nagpaalam...

Puro na lang paalam. Puro na lang "tama na". Puro na lang "ayoko na".
Ilang beses mo na iyan nasabi sa akin, at ako naman si tanga, paulit-ulit naniniwalang ito na nga ang huling beses kitang makakausap o masisilayan man lang.

Pero maya't-maya, lalapit ka na naman. At kahit sino pa ang mali, ako pa rin si tanga, tatanggapin ang iyong alok na muling mag-usap, na umaasang sa likong paraan, maunawaan mo kung gaano kahalaga ka sa akin. Na sana, sa likong paraan, maantig ka naman sa mga nangyayari sa atin...

Ito na nga ba ang huling beses? Parang hindi. Kilala na kita. Babalik at babalik ka rin...

At bawat paalam ay puno ng iyakan
Nakapagtataka, nakapagtataka...

Bawat paglisan mo ay tila ang unang beses.

Hindi na ako natuto.

Nakapagtataka talaga.

CHORUS:

Hindi ka ba napapagod, O di kaya´y nagsasawa...

Pagod na ako. Sobrang pagod sa paulit-ulit na nangyayari sa atin. Para tayong sirang plaka na walang kahahantungan kundi ito ng ito ng ito ng ito lamang.

Nakakapagod. Nakakasawa. Ngunit ano ba ang iba kong magagawa maliban sa umasa? Iyon na nga lang ang kaya kong pangahawakan, eh.

Sa ating mga tampuhang Walang hanggang katapusan...

Away-bati. Away-bati. Wala na nga bang katapusan ang ganitong pakikipag-ugnayan sa iyo?

Sana naman, hindi. Sana naman, matanggap mo na lang na tunay ang damdamin ko, at wala ka sa lugar na ako pa ang iyong pagdudahan.

Sino ka ba?

Sa tingin mo ba, may mapapala ka sa kadududa mo sa aking katapatan, samantalang mas dadali ang buhay nating dalawa kung kapwa na lang tayo makisama sa isa't-isa?

Ewan ko sa iyo. Ang labo mo.

Napahid na ang mga luha, Damdamin at puso´y tigang...

Hindi ko na makuhang iyakan ka pa. Siguro, unti-unti na akong namamanhid sa paulit-ulit mong pag-alis at pagbalik, sa paulit-ulit mong pagbawi ng sarili mong mga salita.
Hindi ko na nga alam kung bakit pa ako naniniwala sa iyo, eh. Ang tanga ko rin talaga minsan.

Pero ganun, eh.

Kasi mahal pa rin kita, kahit ganito ang nangyayari sa atin.

Wala nang maibubuga, Wala na ´kong maramdaman...

Minsan talaga, namamanhid na lang ako na tila ba wala na akong madamang galit o sakit o takot o kahit anupaman.

Minsan, kinakabahan ako na nasasanay na ako na puro ganito na lang ang napapala ko sa pagmamahal ng isang tao.

Akala ko pa naman, magiging iba ka sa kanila. Na magiging totoo ka sa iyong mga salita, at mauunawaan mong hinding-hindi ako magkukubli sa iyo ng tunay kong nadarama.

BRIDGE:

Kung tunay tayong nagmamahalan Ba´t di tayo magkasunduanOh, oh...

Kahit naman hindi tayo nagmamahalan, hindi man lang ba natin makuhang magkaunawaan?

Away-bati. Away-bati. Bakit masyado tayong mapagbigay sa isa't-isa at paulit-ulit tayong nagpapatawaran, ngunit sa dulo, lalo lang tayo nagkakasamaan ng loob?

Hindi ba natin kayang mabago ito?

Huli na ba ang lahat para sa ating dalawa?

Walang tigil ang ulan At nasaan ka, araw...

Ang hirap ngumiti kung umpisa pa lang ng araw, sirang-sira na dahil sa
dinadala mo.

Nakakalula din kung gaano kabilis ang mga naging pangyayari, at ngayon, para bang hindi na bumalik ang sinag ng araw sa buhay ko...

Napano na´ng pag-ibig sa isa´t-isa Wala na bang nananatiling pag-asaNakapagtataka, saan ka napunta?

Oo, tanggap ko naman na hindi mo nadarama ang nadarama ko para sa iyo.
Pero kailangan mo bang pagdudahan ang aking katapatan?

Masakit. Nakakainsulto. Ano ba ang karapatan mo para idikta sa akin kung paano ako dapat nakakadama?

Sana naman, hinay-hinay ka lang sa puso ko. Masyado na akong nasasaktan minsan sa ginagawa mo, eh, tapos ikaw pa ang may ganang magalit...

Kung tunay tayong nagmamahalan, o nagmahalan man lang, o magmamahaln pa lang, o anupaman, bakit hindi natin makuhang magkaunawaan? Bakit hindi natin makayanang magkasunduan?

Sana naman, napapagod ka na rin sa paulit-ulit nating mga tampuhan. Sana naman, maisip mo na wala tayong mapapala kung patuloy lang tayo sa kahibangang ito. Maawa naman tayo sa ating mga sarili. Tama na. Sobra na.

Ayokong humantong sa puntong bato na ako sa iyo. Ayokong humantong sa puntong kamumuhian kita at nanaiisin kong lahat ng kamalasan ay dumalaw sa iyong buhay. Wala tayong mapapala kung ganoon...

Sana naman... hindi naman ito para sa akin lang... para sa atin ito.

Salamat sa iyong panahon.

Ranting...

.:Unprofessional Bastiches:.

You know, it's extremely unprofessional and completely uncalled for to book someone for a hosting gig and expect them to block off their schedule for you only for you to back out on him like the unprofessional bastiches that you are.

That's opportunity cost. Not only did you screw him out of the hosting deal you worked out, you screwed him out of getting other gigs for that matter, since he blocked his schedule off for you.

Screw you. Hopefully, your party becomes a miserable dreck of crap like the kind of people that you are.

.:You Have No Right To Judge How I Feel:.

Who are you to cast doubts on my feelings just because you feel differently?

Who the hell are you to think that my feelings are any less true, or any less significant, or any less meaningful, because it was a conscious choice I made, and not just a product of impulsiveness?

Contrary to how your warped viewpoint sees it, people can actually choose who they love. That's exactly why people who know better aren't entirely thrilled about arranged marriages precisely because they intend to choose who to get with or who to marry.

People can't help but fall in love sometimes. It's rarely a choice, whether or not to fall in love, and yet people who want to stay single find ways, find excuses, find whatever it takes to not fall in love. Be it the most superficial of flaws, be it turning the other person to hatred so that one's conscience is placated, whatever.

I made a fucking choice. So what? Is it any less true, is it any less meaningful, that I chose to love? How dare you insinuate that making a choice makes it insignificant, when the lack of choice precisely implies a lack of freedom. That you couldn't have loved anyone else any which way you look at it, and you had no choice.

What is beautiful about being shoehorned into a destiny you had no say in? What is beautiful about loving someone not because you believed them to be right for you, but only because they came along and you couldn't help but love them?

Screw that. I don't want to just be a victim of chance for all my life. I choose to love someone, and that is precisely what makes it beautiful. That I could just have my pick of anyone, or choose someone who'd love me back because it's easy, or just let my feelings be dictated by circumstances; all of this underscores that because I chose to love you, you are special. That despite all the circumstances and variables and whatever else, I still love you.

I don't choose to love you because of the circumstances surrounding us. I choose to love you in spite of it. If there is only one thing you have to understand, let that be it.

Otherwise, as choosing to love can happen, choosing not to love is equally possible...

... and arguably just as difficult.

It's Been A Long Time...

.:I Understand...:.

... more than ever, that there needs to be a foundation for you to be worth fighting for.

Initial attraction is rarely, if ever, enough to make someone just say "to Hades with the risks" and fight for you tooth and nail. There has to be more than that. They have to see you as worth it not just because of what you initially seem to be, but with who they think you really are.

It's not an issue of whether or not you are truly worth fighting for.

It's an issue of whether or not they know you well enough to even determine for themselves what the deal is.

Someday, I hope to find someone who wouldn't just be someone I could love and treasure.

Someday, I hope to find someone who would take the time out to know for herself if I truly am worth fighting for.

Otherwise, I guess there really is no point for me to just continue pining on empty when one would rather curtail it when they think of me all the time, or when they feel the slightest bit of desire to want to be with me when the going is bad.

Wouldn't it normally be taken as a good thing if you knew someone was willing to cheer you up when you've been having a bad day? Wouldn't it be normally taken as a good thing that thinking of someone makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside?

But it's sad, because even after all that, you're still not worth fighting for.

And maybe, just maybe, you never were, and you just refused to recognize it.

.:Bonding With Friends...:.

Had a grand time with Debbie and Camz and Exstelle at Cubao, where we rediscovered our childhood by going to Fiesta Carnival. I rode a couple of rides, the most terrifying (and painful!) being the one that looked like a massive spinning disc that just tossed you around and almost compacted my spine, even.

Debbie was particularly surprised when she found out that I already do magic, and really loved the routine, even if I mainly did card magic, which isn't really my strongest suit. I spent the night over at her place, and saw Dominique after a while. It was pretty cool, all things considered.

A few days later, I dropped by Elbert's place after a long time, and that was really great. It's pretty nice hanging out with him and Estelle, although of course...

...

...

... I digress.

.:Thanks!:.

A friend gave me a call to cheer me up because I texted her that I was so stressed with this week's playlist requirement. Lo and behold, they really want us to do this whole mess for no more than two hours, and that's just not going to be a mean feat, to say the least...

In any case, I'm very grateful to Row for having been there for me lately. It's been an amazing two months of just reconnecting with you, and I'm hoping that things just continue to get better and better. For now, all I have on my side is hope.

.:A Photo Shoot...:.

Whoah. Looks like I'll be showing up for Seventeen Magazine in line with the fact that I'm going to be featured as one of those "freelance guys" you always hear about, except they're going to focus on the fact that I'm actually a magician.

They took pictures of me while I had my cards fanned out.

And ONLY with my cards fanned out.

No, I'm just kidding, really. Seriously speaking, I'm just really happy about it because the girl who photographed me actually has a bar, and I know I can do magic in bars with no problems whatsoever. Just going from table to table shouldn't be a problem for me, as I have a lot of good magic standbys to put to use.

This is a good start lined up for the coming year. Let's hope I can follow up on it well enough, because while I was there with Tata and Monica from Summit, I really gave them a demonstration of a few good effects I've been putting to good use. I did the Lightning Box, I did Kaos, I did Stigmata, and I did the Ultimate Transpo, which is quickly becoming a personal favorite of mine already. It's quick, simple, and a very effective magic trick for impromptu.