Suggest, Please!

Five days after I bought my notebook and frustrations are coming in. I mean, I do love my notebook and I appreciate the perks of having my own PC. For one, I won't have to go to the office or rent in computer shops for me to be able to write whatever's required for work. I come from a 3rd world hometown and believe me, owning a notebook is luxury. However, the Internet connection is a different matter. Dial-up is painstakingly slooow! What more, I'm ending up spending more than what I usually spend in cyber cafes. Our boarding house only has PLDT Teletipid phone so aside from paying for my PLDT Vibe card, I also pay for the prepaid phone card. The value of a P300 card only lasts for more than 3 hours. Argh!

Right now, I'm thinking of options to alleviate my "geeky" problem and I need your help fellow geeks!:) If you were I, what should I do? You have to realize that my job is unstable - meaning, this month I could be rich, the next day I could be penniless. (If you're a regular reader of my blog, you know what I mean.). Also, I just live in a temporary abode and while I have no plans of transferring to another house (or to another Philippine island, heh!) in the near future, I think this factor should still be considered. HELPPP! :)

Can I just say I really hate myself when I'm being trivial with my concerns like what I'm currently whining about? There's poverty around you Teddy, ugh! Okay, this is O.T. :)

ETA: I just realized the cheapest solution to this petty problem is just to have a regular phone line connected to the boarding house. Nuff said. :)

Techie Virgin

Guys, I finally have my own notebook! :) The end product of all the blood, sweat and tears from soap opera writing! I am a happy person right now. :) This is my first PC actually. I originally planned to buy the desktop (?) kind but I realized it wouldn't be convenient for a nomad like me. I mean, I don't have a permanent abode in the metro and at the same time, my job, well, my previous jobs require me to move around. A notebook is the only way to go.

Of course, being a techie-illiterate, I had to constantly annoy my friends Michiko, Paul and Dude asking for their recommendatons and tips in buying a notebook. Thank you guys! My notebook is not the high-end type but I focused more on the specs as they suggested. Plus it has a built in mic/webcam and WIFI (alright!) so it's more than okay. My only problem is that I have no idea how to use most of the computer programs. Would you believe it took me two days to figure out how to connect my notebook to the telephone line? And I still have to learn how to download music files from the net, use the Adobe stuff, and many more! Argh, I can't wait to learn them! Easy, Teddy, easy! :)

Okay, I'm blank now (didn't get enough sleep last night trying to decipher the computer manual) so I'll just leave you with this pic of me and my "baby". Eeew! :D

Telethon

I tried going back to normal sleeping habit by around 11a.m. last night. I thought it would work perfectly well considering I was able to sleep on time. (In the past, trying hard to sleep early only means half-awake nights. ) Alas, I woke up after 4 hours. Knowing that sleeping again would just be a futile attempt, I turned on the VCR and watched the TV programs I missed because of work. Must be because of the drizzling weather at dawn but I found myself shedding tears while watching the TV shows. What's weird is that I was actually watching my favorite sitcoms.

Okay, I did watch the season-ender of The O.C. first. Man, I love this show! The problems of the larger than life characters (euphemism for people who do not exist in real life) are indeed “soapish”, but the direction and the writing make it still interesting to watch. You know the same thing happens every week (there’s a cotillion, or a party, a concert or any big event) and you know problems will eventually be solved by the episode’s end (save for cliffhanger episodes) but I’m still hooked. Maybe it is because the show is able to come up with the right mix of formula that normally would not work in other shows. There is cheesiness but also tongue-in-cheek humor. There is unbelievable drama but also heartwarming moments. For every dumb character like Coop, there is a smart-ass nerd like Seth. Music used is always hip (ah, the Dawson’s Creek formula!). To be fair, what's unique about the show is that it gives equal POV to the parents. In fact, in some episodes, I find the storyline of the parents more endearing than that of the kids. It’s a smart decision actually to give equal billing to the parents because, in a way, it is telling the audience that the generation gap between the teenagers and the parents of today are getting narrower. Meaning, when kids say they do drugs, or premarital sex, or drink alcohol, or rebel against their parents, their parents who were teens in the hedonistic 70’s can rightfully tell them, "ditto, been there, done that."

The sitcoms I watched, on the other hand, are underrated sitcoms I would like to recommend you guys also watch. First, fuck Star Awards and Enpress! The Philippines’ best comedy series should be, hands down, The Misadventures of Maverick and Ariel (aired every Saturday night, 10 p.m. in ABC 5). Of course, the show is far from perfect. Some episodes can really be corny but when it’s funny, it is really funny. Even in it's corny episodes, I’d take this show anytime over those witless sitcoms by GMA and ABS-CBN! The premise of the show is simple. It supposedly documents the day-to-day travails of two media whores and “artista” wannabes by masking itself as a reality show. Nevertheless, the result is craziness and hilarity as the two titular characters find themselves in inane situations one could only imagine. Kudos mostly to writer-director Aleah Aliporo (alumnus of UP Film) for coming up with a breakthrough comedy that actually says a lot by making fun of our country’s adulation to anything “sosyal” and “sikat”. Of course, much kudos should also be given to the show’s comic gem Mommy Elvie (I’m a fan! Hehe :D)



Similarly, BBC’s The Office (Star World, Saturday, 10:30 p.m.) works on the same “reality show” premise. Supposedly, an unseen BBC documentary team shoots what goes on inside the office of a paper business - the characters who work there and their everyday lives. It sounds like an unfunny concept but it actually works because of the smart writing and direction by the show’s main actor Ricky Gervais, and the intelligent well-nuanced acting of the cast ensemble. What’s funny about The Office is that it is painfully real. You know you've met the characters and experienced the situations once in your office life. Gervais’ egocentric David Brent’s antics are also cringe-worthy, you’ll laugh hard in his shameful ways to whore himself out for camera. The heart of show for me though is Tim (Martin Freeman), the idealistic employee who secretly loves the secretary Dawn (Lucy Davis). If you’re a sucker for repressed love stories, their plot is one heck of a “kilig” plot.

I am still clueless as to why I cried while watching these shows. :)

The Sound of a Broken Record

It's early morning and I'm having some bout of depression (again, I'm already not excited getting depressed.) I miss my friends. I miss my freedom. I miss my family. I miss the cinema. I've been working nonstop this past week or so and my body clock has gone awry. I can't keep track what time I sleep and eat anymore. Headwriting and writing for a weekly soap is hard. Especially when you're not really a scriptwriter by heart. My co-writer Michiko is still in Amsterdam (or Spain?) attending festivals screening her opus Magnifico. Would you believe I was working last weekend when the whole town was in a holiday? I'm tired already. I still have to finish this sequence treatment before the production crew pulls out for taping. And my daily habit's getting predictably boring. I would sleep after this, wake up to hear Direk's comments, and then write again. I'm procrastinating not because I'm lazy but because I'm drained. Actually did nothing the first 2 hours I logged in but surfed random blogs and websites. I feel down. These blog writers seem to be having fun all the time. I hate listening to Launchcast's Adult Alternative radio station. The songs there make me all the more depressed. I want to go on whining but time's running out. The sun is about to rise. Reality strikes back and I don't think I can beat the deadline. I'm dead.

The Future of Philippine Cinema

I just want to say congrats to my friends Michiko, Emman and Byron for being three of the 10 finalists in the Cinemalaya Awards. Grabe, bow ako sa inyong tatlo! I am Patricia Clarkson in Six Feet Under right now. I'm a groupie of you, artists! I'm so proud to be your friend. Haha! :) Baka sila na ang magiging next Brocka at Bernal, kaya tandaan at panoorin ang entries nila February of 2005 sa First Philippine Independent Film Festival...

"Baryoke" by Ron Bryant
"Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros" by Michiko Yamamoto
"Sarong Bangi (One Night)" by Emman dela Cruz

Good luck sa shooting ng pelikula nyo guys, at kung kailangan nyo ng artista andito lang ako. Wink, wink! ;)

Answer The Phone

I've been working in the industry for 4 years already and I still find it surreal every time a star calls me on the phone. Back when I was still doing AD jobs, I made it a point just to get the phone numbers of the star's personal assistants so I wouldn't have to talk with them directly. My defense is that I wanted to project a "non-showbiz" image so that they would still look at me as some "sort of" authority. (You know some stars can really abuse the kindness of assistant directors when you're feeling close with them. I don't like that. I'm a "work is work, chika is chika" kind of person.) So when THE Aga Muhlach called me on my cell one time and asked me for his call time on the set of All My Life, I stammered in my reply and gasped after the call thinking, "Wow! I just talked to a movie ICON on the phone!" I'm jologs, I know. =)

Earlier tonight, while I was having dinner with my "network" friends, I got another call from a star. The conversation went something like this.

BEATLEBUM: Hello?
STAR: Hello, may I speak with beatlebum?
BEATLEBUM: Speaking. Sino to?
STAR: Marvin
BEATLEBUM: Sinong Marvin?
STAR: Marvin Agustin.
BEATLEBUM: (disbelieving) Marvin Agustin?
STAR: Oo. Yung artista.
BEATLEBUM: Yeah right, and I'm Rico Yan.
STAR: (laughs) Hindi nga. I got your number from Direk Joyce...

Napahiya ako. Sha nga.=) Marvin Agustin of the Marvin and Jolina fame. It turned out he's looking for writers for a TV project he's developing and Direk Joyce suggested my name. Since he was also in the ABS area, he went to where I and my friends were having dinner to talk to me personally. His TV show concept is actually good but I had to turn it down because for one, it's for a daily series (no more daily soaps for me!), two, it's a fast-track project, and three, I'm still writing for Reload. I gave him Masturmind and Byron's cell numbers, instead. I also believe those two are more suited to write the concept he has in mind than me.

Going back to Marvin, I actually got to work with him before in Dekada 70 where I was the script continuity trainee. I had a not-so-good experience with him then. I was assigned to wake him up because he'd be in the next sequence for shoot. So I gently slapped his hand for him to wake up. To my astonishment, he slapped back my hand, strongly, it hurt really bad. (But I was just doing my job! :( ) It seems like a petty thing now, but I disliked him for that.

Of course, he doesn't remember . =)

Starstruck

I still have no idea what happened to my orig entry, it suddenly vanished, so here goes. 2 days after and I'm still having a hang-over from meeting Jenna Morasca, Ethan Zohn and Shii Ann Huang of Survivor. Can I just shout again?! AAAAAAAAAAAAH! Hahahaha =) It was a memorable experience, to say the least. Got starstruck and it felt good. The last time I got starstruck was still back in high school when I attended my first Eraserheads concert. How did I meet them?! Olive (my workmate) and I gatecrashed lang naman the Wazzup Wazzup taping. LOL! :D It was a class A "jologs" act, I know, we even waited for more than an hour just to have our photo ops with them, but I didn't freakin care! =) It was worth the wait for a Survivor geek like me. It helped that they were also super nice and friendly to the fans. What more, Jenna remembers my nick in Sucks! Happiness! :D She asked me what my nick is after I told her that I read her posts in Sucks, and when she found out I'm beatlebum, she told me, "Hah! I remember youuu!" I HEART U JENNA! :D Whew! It was surreal - short but sweeet! =)



Ethan is my first Survivor Idol. With villain Richard and manipulative Tina winning the first two Survivors, it was a refresher to have a nice guy finishing first in Africa.



Honestly, I disliked Jenna in Amazon, was very disappointed that she won. I was rooting for fellow Survivor geek Rob C. But when I read her posts in Sucks, I realized she was really more of a victim of editing. Besides, she herself admitted that she still has a lot to learn about growing up. Don't worry Jenna, I heart you now! =)


Shii Ann was my favorite both in Thailand and in the All Stars. She provided drama in the otherwise dull Thailand season and she was the underdog to root for in the All Stars.




Some stolen pics from the Wazzup Wazzup taping. They were made to dance Totoy Bibo by Vhong. =)

SCQ Overload

That floor director of Star Circle Quest is a betch (to borrow Chona’s term :D)! The fag rudely told us (SCQ Reload staff) to leave the studio with his microphone ON for everyone to hear. To think we just went there because Direk told us so. (He couldn’t make it to the staff meeting because he’d be taping for the quest). I’m just so pissed off. The production values of their show are not even that good! Have you seen last Saturday’s episode?! It was badly edited, poorly scored and had no semblance of a storyline that’s essential for a reality show such as this. I regularly watch SCQ but in terms of aesthetics, yes, I think Starstruck is BETTER. Mr. Floor Director should just be thankful because the quest’s major saving graces are the jurors and their relatively good judgment, the contest’s nationwide scope, and the quality of the contestants themselves. I’m not really fond of spoilers but because of that floor director’s bitchiness, I’m going to tell you now that internet fan favorite Marvin and that Fil-Am guy from Bacolod (Mark?) are voted out of the Final 25 and they'll have a Circle of 12 (instead of 10). Grrrr. =)

***

Thank God we survived our premiere episode despite the fact that we lacked time to prepare. In fact, most of the supporting visuals of the flashbacks as suggested in our script weren’t followed because of time constraints. Kinarir ko pa naman ang pag-relyrics nung baduy na kantang yun for the Melissa-Joseph-Michelle flashback (Hahaha!). If you also noticed, some of the scenes weren’t musically scored. It’s because the latter gaps were still edited and scored while the earlier gaps were already being aired. Phew! =) All the hardships were forgotten though, once we received the feedback of the show’s viewers. The praises in the SCQ Reload thread in Pinoy Exchange are enough to inflate our egos. To the SCQ Reload fans, thank you very much and we promise we’ll do our best to deliver good episodes per week. =)

***

Prior to the show’s premiere, I had a meeting with the post-production people so they can get my inputs for editing (na hindi naman nasunod dahil sa time constraints, hay! :D ). The meeting was a surreal experience, what can I say! Seated next to me was 80’s wonder-kid Chuckie Dreyfuss. Haha! =) He’s the show’s musical scorer, would you believe?! =) I regretted not bringing my camera, though. Papa-picture pa sana ako. Hah! =) Baduy na kung baduy, but Chuckie is an 80’s icon. I still fondly remember his loveteam with Isabel Granada in those all-star Regal musical comedies.

***

Our AD JR is nasty! I was in my self-aware mode when I told him my re-lyrics of the theme song for the MJM subplot is uber-cheesy but it’s okay coz the masses love the cheese. Sabi ba naman sa akin, “Yeah right! We all tell that to ourselves!" Grrr! Atenista at mayaman ka kasi! Anyway, tinamaan ako kasi TAMA siya. HAHAHA! =)

***

At least nakapag-update ako ng blog dahil lang dun sa P.I. na floor director na yun! Hahaha! =)

Farewell, Chona!

And her saga has ended. The "blog" world is shedding a tear or two. :(

Sunday Afternoon

Hello fellow Reloaders (bwehehe), SCQ Reload will now be a one-hour weekly series starting this Sunday, October 17, 3PM. Mark the date, peeps! The series will run for a limited engagement only (depending on the ratings) so episodes are not to be missed. To those who weren't able to watch the series when it was still shown daily, don't fret because we made the transition pilot (entitled The End is the Beginning is the End) with new and old viewers in mind. Man, this is so hard sell! Haha. :D