the five best pinoy bands of all time

(warning: highly subjective. violent reactions are not allowed)

1. Aegis- if music is the expression of the soul, then Aegis is highly articulate and eloquent in voicing out the soul’s anguish. Feel the pain as you listen to ‘Luha’ and sing ‘Halik’ while letting go of a past love. With their heart-piercing melodies and their soul-baring vocals, the songs of Aegis pierce one’s heart and make one realize that love, with all the joys and pains it harbors, is experienced and suffered by all. Moreoever, singing these songs out loud is the most recommended way of appreciating them. The pain is best felt by singing it at the top of your voice, tonsils visible, veins protesting.

This is the true measure of a song: when it makes you want to sing it.

2. Eraserheads- of course it would be on the list. They practically started the rebirth of the band during the 90’s when all we have on the radio are mushy love songs (note: Aegis is not mushy). They were able to toe the line of hip, masa, cool, sensible music without falling into the senseless, trying hard to be unique, almost cool but not quite, too masa line that some bands have fallen into (read: Parokya). Their sound is so unique and their messages so diverse that practically everyone became a fan. Years after they have disbanded, they remain relevant and appealing. Beat that.

3. Pinikpikan- well this is not a band in what to most is a ‘band’. But their good. And their unconvential. Their music is a welcome break from the usual pop songs polluting the radio. They offer us melodies and beats that are usually untouched by mainstream bands without sounding archaic and passe. And with their ‘Sarung Banggi’ song, they are the only band to ever make me listen to a song without me understanding the lyrics. That’s how good their melodies are.

4. Yano- who could sing about society’s ills without being preachy? Yano. From migration to failed movements, from hypocrisy to struggle against poverty, Yano was able to succesfully penetrate popular music without abandoning their commentaries on society. With catchy tunes and in your face lyrics (lyrics not about love), Yano remains to be one of the most original bands to ever come out of the woodwork.

5. Up dharma down- probably one of the most sophisticated band to ever make an appearance in the music charts, Up dharma down steps up the quality of band music by serving songs that are musically more complex and a whole lot different from the usual band fares currently being dished out. After breaking out with their single ‘Oo’, the band now needs to further push their music into the mainstream to be able to improve the quality of airplay music.

i take it back.

(refer to previous post: ayokong magka lablayf)

i take it back.

napuyat ako.

wala naman talaga ginawa.

kumain.

uminom.

gusto ko pala magkalablayf.

gustong gusto.

my mom is evil 5

me: hindi pala ko nakabili ng sabon

mom: anong sabon?

me: sabon. sabon paligo

mom: eh ang dami-daming sabon dyan ah

me: anong sabon?

mom: irish spring

me: ako? papagamit mo ko ng irish spring?

mom: sabagay pangit naman balat mo, gumamit ka ng magpapaganda dyan

me: (walkout)

ayokong magka lablayf

ayokong maglablayf kase ayokong napupuyat. ayokong nawawalan ng pagkakataon makatulog dahil palagi kayo magkasama pero wala naman kayo ginagawa.

ayokong nawawalan ng oras mag gym kasi yayayain ka nya  na manood na lang ng sine o kumain o mamasyal o kumain o magkape o kumain. ayokong tumaba.

ayokong nauubusan ng pera kasi palagi kayong may date. palagi kayong lumalabas. kailangan may regalo pag monthsary, anniversary, valentines, birthday. ilang sapatos at pantalon rin sana mabibili ko dun sa pera na pinanlalabas namin.

ayokong palaging absent sa picture pag may event ang barakada o ang pamilya kasi palaging busy sa kanya.  ayokong nawawala na lang bigla sa mga plano at di mahagilap ng mga kaibigan kasi nag-aadik sa isang tao. ayoko yung kelangan pa silang suyuin ulit at mag sorry na naging out of touch para lang may kainuman pag nag break kayo ng kinaadikan mo.

ayoko ang feeling na may naka-attach sa akin na heart monitor at kailangan ko itext kung ano ginagawa ko, asan ako, kamusta ako, sino kasama ko, kumain na ba ako at kung anu-ano pa on a regular basis. ayokong tumira sa big brother house.

ayokong palaging may consultation. saan tayo pupunta? ano gagawin natin? maganda ba to? bagay ba? san tayo kakain? ayokong palaging iconsider ang gusto nya at ibalance yun sa gusto ko para masabi na we compromise.

ayokong magkalablayf kase ayokong kabahan na baka matapos na agad. na baka ayaw na nya. na baka masanay ako sa mga gusto nya kainin, puntahan, panoorin, sa sleeping habits nya, sa mga trip nya, na kapag nawala sya yun pa rin ang gagawin ko, kakainin ko, pupuntahan ko- yun nga lang ako na lang mag-isa.

ayokong magkalablayf kase ayokong mag-invest ng oras, ng panahon, ng pera, ng tiwala, ng pag-asa sa isang bagay na maari din naman mawala.

at higit sa lahat, ayokong magkalablayf kase ang pangit naman tignan kung gustong-gusto kong maglablayf pero wala pa rin hanggan ngayon. mas ok na yung ayoko at least pag may nagtanong kung bakit wala akong kahawak ng kamay,  sasabihin ko ‘eh ayaw ko eh’. single na nga ako, mawawalan pa ko ng self-esteem sa inability ko na magkalablayf. wag na uy. ayaw ko naman talaga eh. ayaw ko. ayaw ko. ayaw ko. pramis.

si susan boyle

susan boyle is the current toast of the talent show ‘Britain’s got talent’

the ordinary looking 47 year old woman from a ‘collection of villages’ in a certain area of Britain wowed the audience of the talent show with her near-amazing performance of ‘I dreamed a dream’ from the Les Miserables

but what makes her story stand out (and resulted to a 40 million plus hits in You tube) is how the people in the show ridiculed and disbelieved her while she was being interviewed by the judges. no one thought she was as good as she turned out to be. no one perceived a shred of talent in her. no one believed her.

and they were all wrong.

she sang. she awed. she shone.

she was everything they never thought she was.

we all encounter a susan boyle in our lives. someone we never thought could bring us so much awe and inspiration. someone unassuming. unremarkable. ordinary.

most of us dismiss a susan boyle outright. automatically turning our backs on them like an unappetizing buffet. immediately tuning off and wandering away.

only a few, a very few, choose to stay and give a susan boyle the chance to showcase what she can offer. only a few gets to be awed, inspired, and lifted up beyond their expectations.

these few are usually those who are colorblind to the grays of a person’s hair, whose eyesights are poor when it comes to the wrinkles of the face, and whose visions refuse to settle on the beauty of the body.

they chose to listen. and in listening, they see. they see the grace, they see the beauty, they see the happiness beyond the ordinary.

where is my susan boyle?

ikaw

ikaw ang toothpaste na naiwan sa toothbrush after gamitin at kahit anong gawin eh ayaw maalis sa toothbrush.

ikaw ang cabinet na ayaw sumara ang parehong pinto, na sa tuwing isasara ang isa, bumubukas naman ang kabila.

ang buhok na tumitikwas at tumatayo kahit ganu karaming gel ang ilagay.

ang mga 5 and 10 centavo coins na sinusukli ng SM.

ang bpi atm machine na 1000 at 100 peso bills lang ang meron.

ang ayaw na lumabas na ketchup kahit anong gawin mong shake sa bote.

ang political ambition ni manny pacquiao.

ang diction ni marian rivera.

ikaw ang sobrang init na panahon.

ang mga corny na jokes sa love radio, lsfm, at iba pang suking radio station ng jeep at fx.

ang traffic sa c5.

ikaw ang ipis na lumilipad.

ikaw.

nakaka-irita at ayaw mawala.

bleak.

the problem with consistently failing is that even on the verge of winning, one tends to still fear the possibility of going home alone. one is on the alert for that first signs of declining interest or cooling passion.

Life has trained me well.

i need to do that. i need to brace myself. i need to be aware of the smallest tremors so that i can ready myself for the great quake. just like donning protective gears, i will shut down each of my senses from the assault that you effortlessly exude. a helmet against your smiles. a lifesaver against your promises.

it makes it easier for me to rebuild what will be left when you leave. for believe me, even with all these preparations, it would never be easy. it can never be easy.

picking up the pieces, i am reminded of the wasted efforts, the lying moments, the pointless plans. i see the future, of doing it all over again, and i feel tired. again. over and over again.

but i am getting too far. we are just starting. we are just building what will be broken. carefully assembling the pieces as if it will stand the test of time. we are hopeful.

i am tired.

Life has taught me well.

weird scenes in pinoy movies

(please correct inaccurate information)

1. the killing ref (shake, rattle, and roll 1)

- if there is any equivalent of Einstein’s theory of relativity in cinema, this would be it. a refrigerator that kills, falls in love, and seduces all done in a credible and scary way by ishmael bernal. what more can you ask for? in a genre of aswang, multo, mangkukulam, and the likes who would have thought of using a ref ( i think it was a general electric ref) in a horror movie? but aside from fear, the ref, unbelievably was able to portray sensuality in its seduction scene with janice de belen! can you believe it? this must be a first in world cinema, a sex scene between a ref and a woman done in an effective and oh so sexy manner. 5 stars!!!

2.’there’s a place for us’ singing scene while eating gay meat (temptation island)

- the premis is that food that no one likes to eat will be eaten easily if one is singing. weird. but to make it weirder, the song has to be ‘there’s a place for us’ (whatever the title is). now let me just ask, how can it be easier to eat a fellow person while singing? wouldnt it be harder to chew while singing? i tried to eat while singing just to prove it and i was right, it was almost impossible to sing and eat at the same time when singing ‘there’s a place for us’ (its easier though when i sang ’stop right now’ by the spice girls). weird.

3. roderick paulate as engkanto

- i saw him as petra. i saw him as a mountain native. i saw him as a goon/gay twins. but come on, as an engkanto? in a serious movie? all i could think of while watching him carefully pronounce every line of his dialogue lest a gay twang escape, is that scene of his in another movie when he delivered the line ‘isang box galing japan’ while applying lipstick on his lips.

4. plane giving flyers in temptation island

- ok. the whole film is weird. but fun. super fun. its just that why would a beauty pageant advertise for contestants by dropping flyers from a plane? why? i know its camp, but still. why?

5. maui taylor’s boobs in gamitan

- the scene: wendel ramos making love to maui taylor. both of them are standing. wendell is at the back of maui. maui is topless. maui is leaning against a transparent glass while wendell is pressing at her back. maui presses her boobs against the glass. and viola! the boobs transformed into a toilet bowl plunger.  as in. where there is supposed to be flesh, there is uhm an orb like something in her boobs. weird. its actually fun watching it on dvd. rewind-forward it repeatedly and youll be amazed at the sudden transformation. very good special effects you got there maui!

6. big fish on the face slapping scene (mara clara)

- can there be a more ground breaking sampalan scene than the confrontation of mara and clara during a party? what makes this scene as the scene to beat (yes this is even better than cherie gil’s ‘youre nothing but a copycat’ wapak) is the sheer genius of using a fish rather than the usual palm for slapping. imagine mara getting the fish (i think its sweet and sour lapu-lapu) from the table and wapaking it across clara’s face. now thats entertainment.

7. devirginization scene in Kahapon may 2 bata

- imagine Jennifer Sevilla, in a dire attempt to devirginize herself lest she be sacrificed or something by her townsfolk, inserting a long neck bottle in her vagina. now, why would she do that when a penis is warmer and im guessing more comfortable? heck, a finger would even be an improvement to that cold bottle. sheeesshh. women.

8. Nora Aunor as Super Gee in Super Gee

- Ok admit it, we all have images in our minds what a superhero should like, and sadly it does not fit the great La Aunor. For the entire movie, one wonders if its Super Gee or Super Mouse one is seeing onscreen. Her all black outfit does not help her one bit in trying to look like a superhero. It just makes her look like a bibo mouse who is ready to fight the bad guys. Go mouse go!!!

9. Ghost girl coming from a window ala the Ring in Sukob

- This is not just weird. It is outright funny. I understand why in the movie Ringu, Sadako came out of the TV (the whole movie is about a videotape which you watch through a tv. gets?) but why would this ghost girl choose to come out of a window? Is there something supernaturally frightening in entering a house through a window? Come on. Chito Rono should have borrowed Janice de Belen’s ref and let the ghost girl use it. now that scary.

10. Happy ending scene in One More Chance

- I looooove this movie. Except the ending. Its a downright downer. Why would I want to see a happy ending for a sad movie? The movie was able to disillusion me on a lasting love while bringing back old pains in the entire 90 minutes (or so) of its run only to turn its back with its tail between the legs and flop a happy ending on my lap. geeezzz. Why oh why did they do that? And oh, to make matters worse, the final scene looks like a Lovingly Yours episode cut and pasted in an almost great movie. hayz.

halika

“Bakit kaylapit ng salitang halika sa halik?

Ngunit bakit sa tuwing ikaw ay tatawagin ko

Sa aking tabi, halika sa aking tabi,

Sapagkat nanginginig ang kama sa titig ng gabi,

Halika, sapagkat nais kong sabihin ang halika

Nang paulit-ulit, halika, halika, hayaang mapuno

Ng halika itong madilim na silid

Sasagot ka ng katahimikang bitbit ang buong daigdig

At tila isang uniberso ang pagitan ng ating mga bibig.”

-Mga Tala sa Balarila, Carlos Piocos III

lessons.love

1. never buy groceries when you are hungry.

hunger fills your cart

from cookies to cold cuts

from shampoos to tissue papers

from instant coffee to sauces, dips, marinades, and condiments.

wheeling into the cashier,

your cart wobbles from the weight of things

you want but do not need

and as each price registers on the machine

feelings of futility creeps in,

you know you will be back

for the things you want but do not need.

2. if you want the best product at the best price, haggle.

everything of worth requires effort

one needs to persevere to witness the marvel

of prices stumbling in front of your very eyes,

and as you go home with the spoils of war

you find yourself buoyed by the conquest

of being able to have found and fought for something

worth keeping.

3. when you buy something, use it.

dust tends to corrode even the strongest metal

and  induces impotence among plastics,

it causes objects to be obsolete

making one wonders on the purpose of its purchase

soon, too soon for comfort

one finds oneself ignoring the object into extinction

a source of joy once

a waste of space after.