October 30, 2005

Therapy for the Lonely

It’s Saturday night on a long weekend and since I’m not attractive and cool enough to be invited to those wild Halloween parties, I’m just here at home, updating my blog. Come to think of it, it’s been sometime since I wrote something personal on this blog; you know, something that discloses my inner being or third world angst, those stuff. I realize, and this I observe also in reading other blogs, that we tend to write more intimate stuff when we’re lonely and depressed. But when we’re happy and stress-free (like myself these bum days), we write more about trivial things like detailing a weekend gimmick or answering forwarded surveys, that stuff.

Yes, notwithstanding my being alone on a Saturday night, I’d like to think I’m happy and stress-free so I’m going to answer a forwarded survey which I got from my Friendster bulletin board. The survey tells me to list down 50 random things about myself and they are…

1. It’s only last year when I finally got a bedroom of my own. I grew up sharing bedroom with my parents and younger sibling since we’re poor. When I left home for high school, I lived in a dormitory so I also shared rooms. Same thing happened in college and post-college where I lived in a boarding house.
2. I don’t like to analyze myself. I’m still at number 2 and I’m having a difficult time finishing this survey already.
3. I never imagined myself being a scriptwriter after college. Actually, I still refuse to tag myself with the scriptwriter label. I was never a writer in elementary, high school and college. I was not a part of any school paper. I never attended any scriptwriting workshops. I’m also aware that my English vocabulary and grammar is very elementary. I think my calling is still doing production work.
4. I studied piano for 7 years. I reached Grade 3 but my piano skills are mediocre. I’m just good in reading notes but my weak fingers are not made for playing piano.
5. It’s my secret dream to become a rock star. Thanks to The Beatles and Eraserheads who played major influences not only in my taste of music but also in my life (shucks) when I was in high school.
6. I don’t know how to dance! It’s my greatest frustration.
7. They say I looked like 80’s child star Jaypee de Guzman when I was a kid.
8. I don’t take myself seriously. That’s why I’m also uncomfortable with praises. I don’t know why.
9. I’ve never had a lovelife nor have experienced dating. (LOL! :D Gad, this is embarrassing!)
10. Yeah, like I mentioned, I left home when I was 11 to study high school in another island. I never really got to see my younger sister grow up since she was only 6 when I left. In my 25 years of existence, I only spent 11 complete years living with my parents.
11. My family is not the expressive or intimate kind. We don’t say I Love You’s. We don’t go out together for an outing or dinner. Nevertheless, I know we love each other dearly. We’re just not the 7th Heaven kind of family.
12. Since I left home and became semi-independent at such a young age, I think I matured early. Right now, I’m tired of always being mature and responsible and it shows in my actions. So people perceive me now as “mababaw”. The fact that I’m always assigned to write mainstream light fare is a testament to this perception, I guess. I don’t want to correct them or make a “If only they know” statement though, because it would contradict # 8 of this list. :)
13. We are the only (insert my surname here) in my hometown. I’ve only met two relatives with the same surname in my entire life.
14. I was a “sakristan” and a devout Catholic in elementary. Then I studied in a protestant school in high school that taught me to question my earlier beliefs and thereby causing me to realize that faith ain’t that simple. Then I studied in a secular university and realized that faith is really that simple after all.
15. I cannot breathe in total darkness. They say I’m just afraid of the dark but no; it’s really just a simple case of not being able to breathe in total darkness! :)
16. I used to weigh 106 pounds. Then I started writing for soap and bloated my way to 140. It’s normal for my frame, though.
17. I have a very bad skin. It’s acne-prone and has an uneven tone. I’m insecure because of this. It’s only last week when I found the courage to go to a dermatologist.
18. You all know I want to play in Survivor or The Amazing Race, right? It’s my ultimate geek fantasy.
19. I don’t have any career goal. I just accept projects when offered and not accept any if I want to take a break. Thinking about it now, it’s stressing me out.
20. Of course, like all cineastes, I also dream of writing and directing a movie which I can call my own. But I don’t consider it a career goal. Or should I start considering it now?
21. I get attracted to people who are carefree, eccentric, unassuming, and geeky in a cute way that is. Looks matter, yes, but size don’t! Hahahahaha! :)
22. I don’t know how to swim. I’m planning to take swimming lessons within the year. I just got a number from an ad in Buy and Sell. :)
23. I enjoy reading other people’s blogs, especially the blogs that are linked in my 2 blogs. Reading other people’s blogs is a daily Internet routine.
24. My passport does not bear my real name.
25. I had a happy childhood and high school life and I thank God for it! :)

Whew! That was draining! And to think there’s still 25 more. Will just write and post them later. You know what I realized, though? I actually shared much personal info, which means, if we take into consideration my premise, I’m not totally happy.

But I’m happy! Writing down these random stuff was pure catharsis! Let’s just disregard my theory, okay? :)

October 22, 2005

Coming Out

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Maxie will be coming out big time via the release of his movie! Yes fellow geeks, the 2005 Montreal International Film Festival's Best Picture and Special Jury Prize Winner of the 1st Philippine Independent Film Festival finally gets a theater distribution. Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros will be shown in major theaters on November 30. Let's all support Maxie! Let's go indie!

Meanwhile, click here if you wanna "friendster" Maxie, or click here if you wanna read his blog! Show your love! ;)

October 13, 2005

House Party

Last night’s party was rather fun. Fun, because I didn’t expect it to be that fun. I didn’t even think it was gonna turn out to be a “real” party. When my housemates Rose and Michiko told me they’ll throw a despedida for our work friend Jo (she’s gonna go to the States for work), I thought it would just be a simple salo-salo. Thought there’ll be only 5 to 7 people who’ll come and we’ll just make chika. Boy, was I wrong, and it’s one of those rare moments when I’m actually happy that I was wrong.

I believe it was the first house party ever held in our apartment. Never expected that many people to fit inside the house. There were at least 30 guests who arrived and they are people whom I have met in various periods of my work life. Some are still workmates; while others have gone on to make a mark in the indie world. I also got to meet new peeps - a friend of a friend, a friend's indie workmate, folks from the Friendster era... It's fun meeting people in a non-work environment sometimes. Haha, dorky alert. :)

Marlon (my non-work friend who supposedly just passed by the house to borrow DVD but was eventually coaxed to join the party) commented that the crowd was definitely “bohemian”. I felt a sense of pride upon hearing his comment. So I guess I’m “bohemian” too. I guess that makes me cool like our guests. Haha, dorky alert part deux. :)

And what do bohemian peeps do when they party? I thought they do drugs, drink alcohol, and have orgy. But no! They party by playing this film-geeky DVD game called Scene It. They also party by watching a Steely Dan docu and analyzing their music after. Ah, they love the 80’s favorite Scrabble and play it using colloquial words with childish glee. Playing cards is also a staple. Those of course, aside from the usual sharing of cinematic dreams and lambasting of pretentious mainstream fare.

Party ended at dawn but I was so dead tired by 4am, I sneaked up to my room to sleep. Felt guilty upon finding out the following day that my housemates cleaned the mess by their twosome but certainly slept with a smile upon my face.

Oh, bon voyage, Jo and party on! :)

October 10, 2005

Happy Days Are Here Again

It’s that time of my life again when I have to document the happy days that come so rarely just to signify that I do have life outside work and I’m not as dorky as I want myself to believe.

Okay.

I guess the act of documenting your happy days is in itself dorky, which makes me dorky indeed so…okay I’m blabbing mindlessly, let’s go to the documentation.

Finally! After more than 1 week of writing another teenybopper movie (yeah, I’m the perennial mainstream teenybopper writer), I finally got the chance to unwind for a much, much needed break. Let’s just say writing the flick wasn’t that breezy. For one, I have a director whose wavelength I find hard to fathom. This is exactly the reason why I chose to be mum about the project because for all I know, after they read the first draft, they’ll forcibly drop me from the project. A big possibility, by the way.

Okay, no more negative thoughts! Back to the happy days documentation! Haha! :)

Had a blast (love the phrase “had a blast”, do you observe?) during the weekend. Friday night, I spent with my SCQ Reload friends Koyah Henry and Ritchie. First we went to Moomba to catch the gig of the band Soul Ground. Koyah’s friend is one of the vocalists. From their moniker, they obviously play soul music. Tried Moomba’s house specialty, grilled lamb steak with barbecue sauce. (Gad, I’m turning into one of those bloggers! You know, the ones who painstakingly document every detail of each restaurant visit, even taking pictures of the food they ate, and then passing the documentation as a blog entry?! Haha! :D) Didn’t take a picture of the grilled lamb steak with barbecue sauce though, damn! :) Food was yummy but the company was better. It’s been sometime since I last talked with these peeps.

Barhopped after to Friends in Ortigas to catch Tribe of Levi. One of its vocalists is also Koyah Henry’ friend. They played dance music and people were dancing wildly all around. Me, I don’t dance. I don’t know how to dance. Koyah Henry's a dork too, so we just watched Ritchie dancing like crazy, alone. :)

Ended the night in Iceberg, Metrowalk where we met Ross, one of Reload’s PA’s. She now works in a call center located in a building just in front of Metrowalk. We talked and talked till 4 o’clock in the morning, mostly about PBB where Koyah Henry and I had a blast aping the housemates. (I’m wondering why ABS-CBN’s gag shows still haven’t spoofed PBB. Shi Shay pa lang, andami nang materialsh for comedy. :D)

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Koyah and Beatlebum in Iceberg

Woke up Saturday just in time to attend the first of two birthday parties. The first was for the 1st birthday of the daughter of my former boss Tammy in Itallianis, Libis. Crowd was mostly Star Cinema peeps (the company bosses, the works! :D) but it was cool. Food was great and I also got to meet former workmates whom I haven’t seen lately like Dado (our headwriter in Pangako Sa ‘Yo), Henry (writer of Forevermore where I was the project CA) and Miss Elma (our line producer in All My Life). Surprisingly found myself enjoying the magic show. Never experienced that when I was a kid. Pity me, heh! :)

Ah! Also got to see again Ann Angala who’s coolness personified! Well, I think so. Ann was the manager of the Eraserheads before the release of the Fruitcake album. (Tammy, Ann and Ely Buendia were classmates in UP Film). She also managed Barbie’s Cradle before Barbie went born again. I first met Ann when I was still a CA for Star Cinema and she joined one of the brainstorm sessions. When I found out she was the Ann Angala, embarrassed myself by constantly gushing over how the Eraserheads’s music greatly influenced my high school life and by continuously asking her about life with the band. She was and still is cool with my being a vocal Eheads fan that’s why I lurve her.

After the children’s party, segued to Makati for the joint birthday party of work friends Tessa and Adolf in the penthouse where the former lives. Tessa is my co-writer in My First Romance and Adolf is my writer in Qpids. Started the night pretty normal, you know, singing videoke and stuff but when most of the guests have left, that for me was when the party really started. The 10 of us who survived, literally danced the night away (and I told you I don’t know how to dance so that was really something!). I was the only sober person that night I think, so I also had extra fun watching the drunken state of the others and the stupid things they did like dry humping each other and everyone going topless for that matter, haha! I can’t wait to see the pictures! They're really lewd. :D

Meanwhile, here are the wholesome pics of me from the party. (The lewd photos of the others will have to wait.:D)

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Went home 8am and woke up to write this entry. Here's hoping to document more happy days. Hoping.

October 02, 2005

TAR 8 Predictions

Stumbled upon a betting spoiler which I hate because betting spoilers are always right on the dot. Hated more because the two teams I predicted would win are not the betting spoiler winner. I'm zero again this season, ugh! That wouldn't stop me from sharing my first episode picks to win, though. After all, this has sorta become a tradition.

Aiello Family (Father and Sons-In-Law)

Weaver Family (Widow and Kids)