Another Way To Say The Cliche

"I'm depressed!"

The Journey Goes On

It's almost sunrise and Pink Tianak and I are still inside a cyber café near the campus. We just came from our good friend Emman's birthday party. I'm still ever busy with work but Emman's birthday celebrations have been a yearly tradition for me so I have to sneak it in my daily schedule. I enjoy attending his parties because aside from the fact that I get to see all these artsy fartsy indie filmmaking peeps, there's also great food and the presence of pop videoke machine (a staple every year). As always, Yam and I lorded over the videoke this time happily chirping known jologs songs like "Sunod sa Galaw" by Jaboom Twins and "Simpleng Tao" by Gloc 9 in front of all the artsy fartsy peeps mind you. Hehe. :) (We did the same thing in another birthday party last year).

Truly, I had fun but I don't know why I'm nervous while I'm typing this entry. I feel like I would be punished soon because I had fun today. Haha. :) I'm anticipating a major revision in the script Michiko and I just submitted for Reload. I actually am also nervous because Michiko and I were house-hunting earlier in the day and we found a really good place that's actually affordable, thus, too good to disgregard the find. I know with my present job I can easily pay the monthly dues but I'm worried what will happen after February. SCQ Reload will end in February as you can see to give way to a new program for the new batch of questors. (Don't fret Batch 1 fans though, coz your idols will be distributed in different network programs.) This is one of the bigger risks that I'm going to take this year so good Lord help me please. :) (Ugh, I feel guilty now. I haven't been attending mass lately.)

There are still other exciting developments in my life. (I'm laughing right now over the non-irony of my pronouncement). Two to be exact but I don't want to preempt them coz nothing is sure yet. Rest assured I will blog about them once they become certain.

Amazing Predictions

I will be daring this time and make my predictions as to who's going to win the 6th installment of The Amazing Race based on the First Episode editing alone. To have a semblance of criteria, I based my picks on how a team is focused in the edit and storytelling. This means, did the editors invest in their characters for us to root for them in the long run? I also took note of how the past winners were edited and searched for the same winning elements on all the teams from their first episode edit. Of course, there's always that subjective gut feel - a special gift for reality TV geeks like me. Heh!

I predict the following will win TAR 6.

The professional wrestlers have the winning edit. They were the only teams (aside from the first finishers) to be given a post race confessional. They have the classic "we learn from our mistakes" story arch. These two factors are very similar as to how last season's winner's Chip and Kim were edited in the first episode. By the end of the first episode, we know that even if they yell at each other, they love each other. We also know that actors Aaron and Hayden view them as threats while they view obvious villains Jonathan and Victoria as threats. Bolo's "We have to beat the blue-haired guy!" quote in reference to annoying Jonathan might be one of the majors plots for the season. Plus any female racer who admits her "implants are frozen" is definitely high on my list and surgically enhanced Lori said just that!

They're annoying and they're obviously this season’s villains, which means... they're going to last till the end. From the get go, everybody's teaming up against them which could lead to the team being potential underdogs (yes!) in the future plots. You know how these reality shows love the classic turnaround storyline! Whether they continue to be annoying or not, it doesn't matter. The fact that Jonathan is obviously a camera whore means he's going to do everything to win this competition. Plus, almost every racer who yells "yeaah baaaby!" (Uh, Colin?) always makes it to the end.

Out of all the lovey-dovey couples this season, they're the ones whom the editors invested the most in showing their dynamics. We know they have a May-September affair. We know Kendra is not yet ready for a commitment. We know Freddy finds Kendra a tad childish most of the times. And we want to know if these differences will lead them to say "adieu" or "I do" by the end of the season. This is a classic TAR storyline that has been used in presenting Top 3 finishers of seasons past.

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. =)