whoas and woes

My 2011 Music List

2011-12-12T00:52:00.002+08:00

I still think I missed out on a lot of bands this year, as the 2011 list looks more pop than usual.

This is the first half of the list, and the Top 25 songs I will reveal slowly, before the year ends :)

26 One Republic Good Life
27 Atomic Tom Take Me Out
28 Kings of Leon Radioactive
29 Nicki Minaj featuring Drake Moment for Life
30 Alphabeat DJ (I Could Be Dancing)
31 Sara Bareilles Hold My Heart
32 Crystal Castles featuring Robert Smith Not In Love
33 Cut Copy Take Me Over
34 The Wombats Tokyo (Vampires and Wolves)
35 Rihanna and Calvin Harris We Found Love
36 The Script Science and Faith
37 The Naked And Famous Punching In A Dream
38 The Wombats Anti-D
39 Frankmusik featuring Far East Movement Do It In The AM
40 Gotye featuring Kimbra Somebody That I Used To Know
41 Selena Gomez Who Says
42 Kesha We R Who We R
43 The Downtown Fiction Thanks For Nothing
44 Calvin Harris Feel So Close
45 The Wombats Jump Into The Fog/1996
46 Tim Berg featuring Amanda Wilson Seek Bromance
47 Arcade Fire Ready To Start
48 Cut Copy Need You Now
49 Enrique Iglesias and Nicole Scherzinger Heartbeat
50 Martin Solveig The Night Out

A new blog!

2011-11-24T09:14:00.003+08:00

Yes, I have a new blog - Two Vacations A Year dedicated solely to travel. I haven't posted much here, as I have been quite the busy person lately. Shouldn't be calling it lately as I'm halfway through my postgrad program, but meh.

Soooo....I'll still be keeping this blog, though I foresee that this will only hold the year-end music countdowns (something I've kept (though not in blog form) since the late 90s). Which reminds me, that should be in a month's time.

See you guys at TVAY, it's a listing of pocket itineraries for the business traveler, or for that has no time and would like to modularise his/her trips.

China and Japan, Heads Up!

2011-03-04T00:54:00.006+08:00

Similar to what I did in 2007, I'm running a poll where you decide where I will be heading for a vacation. I've already booked Korea this year, plus pending trips to Indonesia, India, and wherever our team meeting will be in Europe. I'm no longer counting Singapore, Malaysia since I never do anything there anyway.

So. The last poll ended with Brisbane winning over Hobart (Queensland vs Tasmania). This time, the poll is China vs Japan. My friend's miles are expiring, and I'd like to use it. I've been to both, spending almost a month in each in total.

Option 1: Japan in January 2012.

The thing with Japan, is I spent almost a month there during Hanami and generally did the major highlights. However, since it's my favourite country to visit, why not do it all over again. The planned itinerary is:

Kyoto for 2 days (no shortage of temples to visit there), skiing, and a visit to Ghibli Museum (missed it the last time). Sapporo up north or Hiroshima down south is an excursion option.

Option2: China sometime in 2011.

Xian has always been on my list, pity that I didn't have the time during my last visit. So, time to work on that. Though the terracotta army is not really on my list of things to see, I might as well.

My itinerary will be a short Beijing-Xian-Chengde.

So, what will it be? Vote away at the top left of this blog - I need to decide by 20th March as the miles are expiring!

AO 2011: Quarterfinals

2011-01-24T22:12:00.003+08:00

Well looky here, a little chance to blog on how awesome the first Grand Slam of the year is. I can't believe that it's been 3 years already since I got to wander around Melbourne Park, and the landscape (of players) has changed immensely.

Just in case you haven't noticed. The ladies have been stealing the show all week in Melbourne: From Caroline's interview candor, Fran & Svetlana's epic match, Kim's dominance, and even Andrea's little jig. What Serena, you weren't there? I think we already forgot.

Men's QF
Nadal vs Ferrer
Dolgopolov vs Murray
Berdych vs Djokovic
Wawrinka vs Federer

Really nothing to worry for Nadal's SF spot, until he runs into Murray. That should be an interesting Friday match, too bad I'll miss it! Murray is in fine form, with no troubles winning a set, and so has been Nadal. We'll see how that goes.

I'll also miss out on the Federer-Djokovic showdown (no thank you night classes!). Hope Federer wins, but rooting for Djokovic. I want a new winner to Aussie Open 2011, but wins by the top 3 players are also welcome.

Women's QF
Caroline vs Francesca
Na vs Andrea
Agnieszka vs Kim
Petra vs Vera

At least by this time, we already know that a new Queen in Melbourne will be crowned Saturday. It would be a vindicating one for Caroline, a long-overdue one for Kim, a geographically-appropriate (and political statement) one for Na, and a surprise for the rest. My guess is a Na-Kim for the most Korean-sounding final in Melbourne.

#2 Forever and Ever, Amen by The Drums

2010-12-30T16:38:00.001+08:00

The CS Manila Edition!

The 2010 Music List

2010-12-10T08:34:00.003+08:00

Yeah, well so I haven't been blogging; but I'm not letting such a tradition be broken. Here's a rundown of the most played songs on my player for 2010, and the rest will be tweeted starting tomorrow. Hope your music list was as awesome as the year that has gone by.

21 Stornoway - Zorbing
22 Kesha featuring 3OH!3 - Blah Blah Blah
23 Justin Bieber and Sean Kingston - Eenie Meenie
24 The Drums - Let's Go Surfing
25 The Script - For The First Time
26 Kesha - Your Love Is My Drug
27 Neon Trees - Animal
29 Mike Posner - Cooler Than Me
30 Flo Rida and David Guetta - Club Can't Handle Me
31 Matisyahu - One Day
32 Alpha Rev - New Morning
33 Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg - California Gurls
34 Owl City - Vanilla Twilight
35 30 Seconds to Mars - Closer to the Edge
36 Toni Braxton featuring Sean Paul - Looking At Me
37 OneRepublic - Marching On
38 The Hoosiers - Choices
39 Timbaland featuring Katy Perry - If We Ever Meet Again
40 Forever The Sickest Kids - What Do You Want From Me
41 The Radio Dept - Heaven's On Fire
42 Taio Cruz featuring Ludacris - Break Your Heart
43 Ellie Goulding - Under the Sheets
44 The Avett Brothers - Kick Drum Heart
45 Kesha - Tik Tok
46 Daft Punk - Derezzed
47 John Legend featuring The Roots - Wake Up
48 Jay Sean featuring Sean Paul - Do You Remember
49 Shout Out Louds - Fall Hard
50 Delphic - Doubt
51 Disco Biscuits - On Time
52 Professor Green - Need You Tonight
53 The Futureheads - Heartbeat Song
54 Minus The Bear - Summer Angel
55 The Courteeners - Take Over The World
56 LCD Soundsystem - Can Change/Home
57 Stars - Fixed/Dead Hearts
58 Cee Lo Green - Forget (F^##) You
59 Minus The Bear - My Time
60 John Mayer - Heartbreak Warfare

Repost a Report

2010-09-01T13:40:00.002+08:00

Ive posted one before, so this is an update - the plan is to be A by next year at the latest. I think I'm close.

My Lakbayan grade is B+!

How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out at Lakbayan!

Created by Eugene Villar.

Chris Nolan, You've Just Overtaken David Fincher...

2010-07-31T23:59:00.005+08:00

...as my favorite director. Wait - let me just clear the cobwebs from this blog. There.

Yep, I'm alive. I've got several excuses (travel, work, no internet, zombie invasion, you know the drill), but none of it matters now. I've seen the deliriously good Inception by Christopher Nolan, and it is now confirmed: He is my favorite movie director.

As previously tweeted, Inception is the movie to see this summer: an arresting panorama of visuals, a sensational ensemble (always a gathering of acting heavyweights), but the core of it? A mind-blowing script. Franchise here, reboot there, a trilogy somewhere...it's about time someone came up with a devastatingly novel idea.

The idea of Inception is relatively complex, but you'd be surprised on how straightforward the stroytelling is. Then again, halfway through the movie, you realise that you're not there just to watch the film, you're there to admire it. It's like an elegantly dancing Rubik's cube or an infinitely changing Mandelbrot (forgive the nerd in me). However way you splice it, Inception is just intellectually gorgeous, in structure, in delivery, and in conception.

And if you look at Nolan's resume, his movies aren't too far off in formula: The reverse storyline coupled with short-term memory loss in Memento, one-upmanship and the (for lack of a better word) prestige in The Prestige, and the beautifully organised chaos in The Joker's mind in The Dark Knight. Where M Night has grabbed our attention in The Sixth Sense yet failed to deliver in consistency, Nolan has soared and kept on improving his craft.

Oh here's something not so original - remember that hotel fight scene with JGL? Though it's a definite shoo-in for MTV's Best Fight Award, I've seen it before. It's about time someone use this idea from 12 years ago!

Roland Garros 2010 Quarterfinals

2010-06-01T07:27:00.006+08:00

Oooh, long time. I don't even remember doing this for the Australian Open. I didn't even have enough time to write about that Japan trip, back-to-back summer shenanigans, but tennis. Yes, you, you've been nice to me, so time to pay back.

Women's Quarterfinals

Serena vs Sam
It's easy to go with Serena, here, but were talking clay. Apart from the fact that Slammin Sammy held her nerve to take out Henin in three sets. If this turns out to be a serving duel like what happened in Melbourne in January, this is a Serena show. I'm counting on the clay to boost Sam's chances, so I'll give it 3 sets, for an upset.

Yaroslava vs Jelena
Roland Garros is usually a good platform for surprise quarterfinalists, but hopefully this only becomes as a springboard for Shvedova. It was a convincing with for Jankovic over Hantuchova, and I really hope she pulls herself together, because to be honest, she is a contender for this title, apart from the fact that this may be the surface where she has the best chance to do so. Straight sets for the Serbian golden retriever (I'm talking about her game).

Francesca vs Caroline
While Caroline is a solid baseliner and can probably has more in the tank to propel herself to the semis, I'm a bit wary of the Italian veteran. She's got the skills, the guile, and the physique to see her through. 3 sets for Francesca?

Elena vs Nadia
A battle of veterans, is most likely going to be a battle of headcases as well. Rooting for Nadia, she's been doing well at the slams, but she defeated Venus with much conviction at the previous round. Having said that, a SF for Elena (or a probable final) isn't as bad as well. I'll go straight sets for Petrova.

Semis and Final
Long shot but hey, Jelena over Petrova in the final.

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Men's Quarterfinals

Federer vs Soderling
Tricky call this one. Apart from Federer and Nadal, no one has looked more daunting than Soderling. He's out to prove that his historical upset last year was no fluke, so, and he attempts to score another monumental upset this year. I would think that pity Sod, he could actually go deeper in the draw, but not with Federer polishiong his 14 straight win over the Swede.

Youzhny vs Berdych
Finally, a good GS showing for the tall Czech! It's been a genial claycourt season for him, but as always, it's been a mixed bag of results for him. Which provides no help in calling out this match. But this should be a good 5-set duel on Lenglen.

Melzer vs Djokovic
Again, Djokovic has been considered the sleeper hit in Paris. While the Roger-Rafa rivalry has been reignited, Nole has been quietly living up to his seeding, and nothing more. The draw gods have opened up his quuarter fairly well, and that should boost his chances if he wants to get past Nadal in the succeeding round. Good serving, and even better scrambling from the Serb should earn him a 3-set pass to the semis.

Almagro vs Nadal
Last time this happened, I thought it was going to be a good match. Almagro went home with three breadsticks that day. With the way Nadal has been dominating the red dirt all over Europe, don't expect anything to change this time around.

Semis and Final
This will mark Roger's 2819th straight GS final. Yes, we know. However, look at that mouthwatering Semis between Nole and Rafa. Friday night lights showdown! I'll catch that after class, and better be a good one.

Suunday, will be a rematch of 2008, but don't expect the result of 2009. It would be nice for Roger to claim (and retain) the Coupe de Mousquetaires at the expense of Nadal, but most unlikely. Sure hope I'm wrong (I love vendettas), but Nadal is king on clay, and with those knees running full steam ahead, there's no stopping the Spanish juggernaut for his 5th crown.

Manila Summer Scramble 2010

2010-04-04T12:18:00.001+08:00

This May. See you!

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

The Japan Soundtrack

2010-04-03T16:31:00.003+08:00

First things first, as usual, most trips have the sights, smells and feel; and it's always up to me to provide the sounds. This year's vacation is has been aurally brought to you by the BBC Sound of 2010 (see previous article below) plus some old goodies.

Recommended tracks for your summer listening pleasure:
1. Let's Go Surfing, Saddest Summer, and I Felt Stupid by The Drums.
2. I'll Hold My Breath, Under The Sheets, and Your Biggest Mistake by Ellie Goulding
3. Fireflies, Hot Air Balloon, and Vanilla Twilight by Owl City (just saw the concert before I left - an excellent way to spend a warm summer evening)
4. Giving Up The Gun, Run, Cousins by Vampire Weekend
5. Mountains, Bubbles and Many of Horror by Biffy Clyro
6. Remain, Doubt and Red Lights by Delphic
7. And I played pop hits from Jay-Z/ Alicia Keys, 5ive, Lady Gaga (featuring Marilyn Manson! Who knew that a collaboration might actually exist!), and Dominos by The Big Pink.

So that completes my summer soundtrack for 2010. As a parting shot, here's the happiest tune of them all for this year. To the basement people, so many surprises await you!

Where Have The Days Gone?!

2010-03-31T23:36:00.004+08:00

Crap - I may be travelling a bit too much for my own good. I ended with Paris, and forgot about the rest. Anyway, I'll just put it down as a summary: Belgium was nice, quick and lovely, but I still don't know what's the deal with the Manneken Pis. Though I miss those waffles though.

Then I went to the Netherlands. Delft is a great city! And Amsterdam had the prettiest girls in all of Europe - and that's not even counting the ones by the windows. Suffice to say, my most enjoyed moment was Amsterdam, and couldn't wipe that smile off my face for two straight days. Good thing I don't have to blog about it, it may not be print worthy, wink wink.

So...why have things been quiet the past month? Japan, baby! On the next update though.

Ahhhh, Paris.

2010-02-28T16:25:00.002+08:00

Yes, Paris aka the City of Lights, but more popularly known as the City of Love is over rated. When you're there, it's feels "just all right", but perhaps it's me expecting to be overwhelmed by grandeur and culture.

Maybe I guess I was spoiled being incognito in Asia, deadpanned in London, but I was harrased the moment I got out of Gare du Nord. I was still adjusting my bearings when someonone tried to sell me Metro tickets, even if I insisted on getting them from the booth. Moreover, I got caught between the Metro gates (totally my fault). Good thing my friend Marc lived near a Metro station, I didn't have to walk too much with my luggage. Running across St. Pancras and back with 40kg of luggage is not to be repeated again.

But having said that, it cannot be denied that Paris is gorgeous. Eiffel Tower is inspiring, both up close and at a distance, the subways are filled with performers and streets are littered with art. The photos are amazing, if I do say so myself, and it's definitely an experience to spend a week in Paris. So scratch that first paragraph I wrote.

A Halloween Pub Crawl

2010-02-24T20:41:00.004+08:00

So, where was I? Before getting interrupted by Aussie Open and holiday season, I was talking about how awesome London was. On top of the freebie museums, I happened to be there on Halloween, where people took it seriously. Plenty of Joker (Heath Ledger version 2008) and zombie wannabes, so I joined in the fun with some fake blood.

On top of celebrating Halloween, we did it Pub Crawl Style! No better way to enjoy 31 Oct than this; wait, we were the 2nd most fun activity that night in all of London, next to Halloween Costume Pub Crawl in Roller Blades, which I saw on the way to the pub.

So, nothing wrong with runner-up, but before I sound like one of those paid up PR schmaltz on the newspapers, I'll just post some photos instead.

Deric! Too bad the photos died on your camera, mine sucks!

She asked me what I thought her costume was. I said Liza Minelli. Look at my photo above, that's not fake blood; her costume was supposed to be a barfly.

There's the leader of the band all dressed up in his monkey costume, right beside Mr. Vorhees.

It's A Hot Day In Melbourne!

2010-01-24T16:00:00.007+08:00

I remember a ritual involving writing predictions for every tennis Grand Slam. But my, 2010 is shaping to be quite a busy year, and we're just in the first 20 days of it. Missed out on the prediction from the get go, but here's what I got right: breakthroughs for Vika, Marin and Jie; and what I did not get right: Kim's demolition, and Sharapova's flameout. Plus, Dementieva's spirited loss against Henin. It's shaping to be an excellent tourney yet again in Australia, so let's get the predictions on.

Federer vs Davydenko
I've never rooted for Davydenko, and I would've cheered for him (tout him as a favorite, even). Tough part of the draw as he meets Federer as early as the QF; this could've been a final, IMO.

While Davydenko showed chinks in his armor, Federer upped his game against Hewitt. Sure does pay to know each other's game very well. Same fate lies for Davydenko, but expect a fight. Four sets for Federer.

Djokovic vs Tsonga
Has anyone noticed that no one has noticed Djokovic? He's one of 3 ex-champs here in Melbourne, but all eyes have been on the comeback ladies and the question marks on Nadal (fitness) and Murray (when is that slam coming?). Nole takes on a rematch of his 2008 win against Tsonga, who looked demoralised fending off streaky Almagro in the previous round. A tired Tsonga will bounce his way out of the tournament thanks to a fine straight set win from Djokovic.

Roddick vs Cilic
If I'm going to call an upset, this would be it. While the tall lanky Croat stringed a mature win over US Open champ JMDP, Marin's method was still shaky and unconvincing at some points. Roddick's style has gone from one-sided to consistently explosive, and using maturity now as an added weapon.

Both players won their warmup tourneys in Brissy and Chennai, and someone will end his streak here. I call Marin to step up tp the plate, and defeat Roddick by out-acing and out-pacing him. Roddick, now faster than ever will catch up with some of them, but expect those backhand returns to be dealt with pain. Another 5 setter in the works.

Murray vs Nadal

This round's marquee match. A blazing Nadal will square off a bulked-up (yet again) Murray. Will Murray choke (Hopman Cup anyone), or have a repeat of his run to the final? Speed-wise, it's a pretty even match, but for power, the advantage belongs to the Spaniard. I would like to vote Nadal here in 4, but why do I get this sinking feeling that this'll end in straight sets for Andy?

Semis and Final
Federer. Djokovic. Grand Slam semifinal. Didn't we see this before? Yawn. Murray-Cilic? Well that's new. And so is this: Novak will make the finals, and so will Murray. Only because I've been waiting for this matchup for quite a while now. Maiden slam for Murray? Nah, Australia's not really his strongest suit.

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Serena vs Vika
This should be an explosive match. Serena is playing untouchable tennis, serving impeccably and demolishingly precise. Vika is a true firecracker, clawing her way out of a big hole to make it to the quarters.

We'll see a lot of rallies here, and a side to side wiping of both players. If Azarenka can manage to get past the Serena serve, she'll have a chance (like she did last year, before retiring due to food poisoning). However, from Serena form of late, everyone is just scrambling for that runner-up plate. I say straight sets. If Vika gets past Serena, then it's Azarenka FTW.

Na vs Venus
Venus could've tumbled earlier, but she didn't. Must be the wisdom of maturity that's anchoring her fantastic run in Oz. She never tends to do well here, but I'll give her a shot at the all-Williams clash by getting past China's Na in 3 tight sets.

Justine vs Nadia
With so many people to choose from this quarter, did we really end up with this match up? Drat, should've put my money on Justine instead of Elena for my FL picks.
I'd love to see Nadia breakthrough here. Anyone who humiliates the the last GS winner by surrendering only 1 game, deserves some praise. Nadia also took our reigning RG winner Sveta in the previous round. I want to see how that hot streak fares against this Grand Slam episode's comeback queen Justine. I'll vote on the Nadia train for 2 sets; if goes to a third expect Henin to squeak out of that.

Jie vs Maria
Wow, who would've thought it. China represent! No ide where this one will go, but I'm hoping that Jie makes a second SF appearance in a Grandslam. Besides, it's the slam of the Asia-Pacific; nice to see two Chinese players out there.

Semis and Final
Serena. There's no denying that she's head and shoulders above the pile, and enjoying it. And oh, welcome back Justine. I smell a rivalry revived.

More Lists! Music To Watch Out For in 2010

2010-01-24T15:54:00.000+08:00

Now that the rundown of 2009 is over, it's time to look ahead of what we should be looking forward to in 2010, music-wise. I'm a big fan of BBC's Sound Of... series, and judging from last year's list, it's quite obvious.

While the Sound of 2010 has stepped away from last year's electro-frenzy (Little Boots, Lady Gaga, Frankmusik), this year's mix is a bit more varied, though still with a bias for synth. You've heard about Two Door Cinema Club, and everyone has been rapt with Owl City, so let's proceed with artists that not a lot of people have heard of yet. From the long list of 15, here are my favorites.

1. Stornoway - This probably fits my kind of alternative. Clever lyrics, hints of folk, and a good ambient sound done live. They should - this ensemble features an ecologist, Russian lit specialist, and trumpets! Looking forward to see more of them this year.

2. Elie Goulding - Winner of the critics' list, radio-friendly and a continuation of the 2009 electro-princess trend.
3. The Drums - Summer soundtrack, get ready, it's the Beach Boys for Gen Z.
4. Delphic - This year's version of Temper Trap, or an updated New Order. Less cheery, and darker undertones, but definitely interesting still.

Look who's back, they're the follow up albums we might see this year:
1. LCD Soundsystem - A raving masterpiece that Sound of Silver was. The anthemic All My Friends needs an encore, so welcome back James Murphy.

http://lcdsoundsystem.com/main/

2. Vampire Weekend - Contra has already been released, and their Africa-tinged melodies are filling the airwaves once more.

3. Justin Timberlake - You got to admit, that FutureSex/Lovesounds album was groundbreaking, and established that JT has talent. Let's see what other tricks he's got on his sleeve.
4. Gorillaz - It's been quite a while Damon Albarn. Blur reunion take up mnost of your time?

The Best Tennis Matches Of The Aughts

2010-01-13T11:22:00.003+08:00

This is Sports Illustrated's best matches of the past decade. I have been fortunate enough to see 8 of them, and I do agree that they were truly the crowning glory of the sport. A bit of American bias though, Ivanisevic's championship win over Rafter at Wimbledon 2001 should've been here.

1. 2008 Wimbledon men's final
Rafael Nadal def. Roger Federer, 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-7(8), 9-7

Saw this in HK. There was strawberries and cream (thanks Mida!) for the duration of the whole match including rain delays. Phenomenal stuff, saw the crack of dawn to cap off the best match of all time. I probably won't be hearing a lot of disagreements with this one.

2. 2001 U.S. Open men's quarterfinals Pete Sampras def. Andre Agassi, 6-7(7), 7-6(2), 7-6(2), 7-6(5)

Four tiebreaks, and two legends battling it out. A carryover of the 90's, this was to usher in the new age of tennis.

3. 2005 Australian Open men's semifinals
Marat Safin def. Roger Federer, 5-7, 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(6), 9-7

I remember being in a party in BKK, and skipping out to watch this. Further proof that Safin is next to Federer as best natural ball striker out there. During Federer's prime, where no one could come close to his dominance, only one man stood out to steal a hardcourt major from him, the mercurial Marat Safin.

4. 2005 Wimbledon women's final
Venus Williams def. Lindsay Davenport, 4-6, 7-6(4), 9-7

Most heartbreaking match on the list. A spectacular 25-shot rally drained the life out of Lindsay costing her the match.

5. 2009 Wimbledon men's final
Roger Federer def. Andy Roddick, 5-7, 7-6(6), 7-6(5), 3-6, 16-14

Almost, almost. By 12-all in the fifth, I was saying 'ridiculous, shades of Aussie 03 again, Andy?". Wimbledon, though not as fan-friendly, never fails to disappoint turning out with the best matches.

6. 2002 Australian Open women's final
Jennifer Capriati def. Martina Hingis, 4-6, 7-6(7), 6-2

The match that transformed me from casual viewer to all-out addict. This will be the last time Hingis will contest a Grand Slam championship. I miss you Martina!

7. 2004 French Open men's first round
Fabrice Santoro def. Arnaud Clement, 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (7-5), 3-6, 16-14

No, I didn't see this, though I probably did see clips of it, since it went on for more than 6 hours and over 2 days.

8. 2006 Rome Masters men's final
Rafael Nadal def. Roger Federer, 6-7(0), 7-6(5), 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(5)

No, I don't remember this, but I know I saw it. I wonder why.

9. 2003 U.S. Open women's semifinals
Justine Henin-Hardenne def. Jennifer Capriati, 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(4)

The match the gave Hawkeye the critical mass to be implemented. JHH was gone by the end of the match, but still able to recompose herself and win the whole thing.

10. 2005 Tennis Masters Cup final
David Nalbandian def. Roger Federer, 6-7(4), 6-7(11), 6-2, 6-1, 7-6(3)

Ha, I was at this event! Yey. Though I did not see the final itself as I was in transit, at least I was able to attend most of the tennis.

See the match highlights compiled here.

Best Music List of 2009 Part 2

2009-12-29T15:26:00.004+08:00

The Top Ten

As previously mentioned, it's an almost all-British affair for the top 10, save for a new act from Melbourne. This list is updated once per day until 2010 comes in.

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10. Athlete - Superhuman Touch
Athlete leaves behind its melancholy wares and trades it in for a little playful synthesizer. Their 4th studio album, Black Swan Song, interestingly improves on their already rich discography.

9. Snow Patrol - Set Down Your Glass

and I'm shaken, and I'm still
when your eyes meet mine, I lose simple skills

Not an official single per se, but there is something calming, yet disarming about this song. I hope nobody steals this song for his/her wedding, I'm saving this one for mine.

8. Stars - 14 Forever

10000 drunken kids on field can't be wrong
the song must've been beautiful or they wouldn't sing along

This one played to my nostalgia of youth and one thing I missed out on: music festivals. Take me to Coachella, Glastonbury, Burning Man! Wish I had done that when I was young though, and as the song says, this song is indeed beautiful.

7. Coldplay - Lovers In Japan
This year's most spirited song; totally soaring Coldplay and salvaging an otherwise forgettable album. Brilliant seen live, with paper butterflies.

6. Temper Trap - Sweet Disposition
To be honest, the placement of the song in the movie didn't help, but they were fantastic taken independently. Best soundtrack of the year, and this is it's crown offering.

5. Frankmusik - Better Off As 2
This year's most deserving new artist, and one of the most played in my walkman. This song tells all the electro-pop ladies that men can sing-dance-remix this genre too.

4. Frankmusik - 3 Little Words
A little Tom Hanks tribute in the video, a little ode to A-Ha in the music, and whole lot of 80s lighted the major music trend of 2009. Check out the debut album - it comes in 3 flavors: orginal, remix and acoustic.

3. Johnny Foreigner - Salt, Peppa and Spinderella
Rockout/headbang song of the year. Starts quiet, finishes with a bang. Remember being all heady for a night out in town? This is the anthem to start your night right.

2. Snow Patrol - Crack The Shutters
The powerful yet comforting voice from Snow Patrol is complemented by their awesome songwriting skills. Here, they paint a heartwarming picture of being in bed, waking up beside the one you love.

1. Friendly Fires - Skeleton Boy
A gooey beat, a strange electro-shoegaze feel, and an kickass performance seen at Battersea Power Station. Most played and most loved song of the year indeed!

Best Music List of 2009 Part 1

2009-12-28T17:53:00.002+08:00

This year has been one of the strongest years in music by a considerable margin. 2009's crop was definitely littered with powerful performances with the following highlights: strong 80s revival, neon techno, and a lot of emphasis on indie and well crafted lyrics.

Something in it for everyone, whether it's reliable Athlete or Jack's Mannequin, or emo favorites Dashboard Confessional, pop favorites Katy Perry (heck there's even Lady Gaga on this list!), I'm sure you're going to love this rundown.

Top ten recap to be released tomorrow, and let it be known, that no US artist made it to elite status.

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11 Asher Roth - I Love College
12 Cobra Starship featuring Leighton Meester - Good Girls Go Bad
13 Black Eyed Peas - I Got A Feeling
14 Owl City - The Saltwater Room
15 Florence And The Machine - Dog Days Are Over
16 Kids In Glass Houses - Easy Tiger
17 Alphabeat - Fascination
18 Passion Pit - Little Secrets
19 Red Light Company - Arts And Crafts
20 Calvin Harris - I'm Not Alone
21 The Limousines - Very Busy People
22 Anberlin - Retrace
23 Jack's Mannequin - The Resolution
24 Hockey - Song Away
25 Pez - The Festival Song
26 Dashboard Confessional - Belle Of The Boulevard
27 Empire Of The Sun - Walking On A Dream
28 Phoenix - 1901
29 Just Jack - The Day I Died
30 Ladyhawke - Back Of The Van
31 La Roux - Bulletproof
32 Matt Nathanson - Come On Get Higher
33 Kids In Glass Houses - Give Me What I Want
34 Jack's Mannequin - Spinning
35 Passion Pit - Sleepyhead
36 FM Static - Take Me As I Am
37 Katy Perry - Waking Up In Vegas
38 Sam Sparro - 21st Century Life
39 Phoenix - Lisztomania
40 James Morrison - Please Don't Stop The Rain
41 The Raveonettes - Last Dance
42 All American Rejects - I Wanna
43 Little Boots - Remedy
44 Army Navy - Silvery Sleds
45 Paramore - I Caught Myself
46 The Fray - Never Say Never
47 We Are Scientists - After Hours
48 Athlete - Rubik's Cube
49 Train - Hey Soul Sister
50 Friendly Fires - Relationships
51 Lady Gaga - Just Dance
52 Shakira - She Wolf
53 Empire Of The Sun - Half Mast
54 The Virgins - Rich Girls/Teen Lovers
55 Imogen Heap - First Train Home
56 Howie Day - Be There
57 Arctic Monkeys - Crying Lightning
58 Jesse McCartney featuring Ludacris - How Do You Sleep
59 Yeah Yeah Yeah - Zero
60 Two Door Cinema Club - Something Good Can Work

The Holy Grail Of Tennis

2009-12-08T00:35:00.002+08:00

Yup, after a long rainy day, frustrating train rides (the London undergound has routine maintenance service on the weekends, upgrading their facilities in time for 2012 - the Olympics, not the end of the world), I made it to SW19. In more simple terms, I finally got my arse over to Wimbledon.

Warning - Wimbledon is some 30+ minutes southwest of central London, and do not get off the Wimbledon stations. You hop off Southfields, and take a long-ish walk to The All England Lawn Tennis Club. It's a bit of a walk, and you can only imagine how massive the queues here during competition week.

The visit was a short one, as I spent the morning coasting around rainy London, and daylight was definitely fading. AELTC upped their tennis museum, showing the winners' trophies and the apparel worn during the tournaments. There's not a lot on offer with the museum, but there's a 200-degree theatre showcasing the science of tennis (Sharapova is athlete specimen), a 3d rendition of McEnroe, and video highlights from the singles finals from the last 30 years or so, with matching Rolex-style display boards.

To cap that little trip, here's a not so awesome view of Centre Court, with the roof.

The British Museum

2009-12-04T14:55:00.003+08:00

My first reaction upon entering the British Museum was: Aha, Norman Foster! In reference to the brocaded circular roof radiating from the center court of the museum.

The second? "Ah, no wonder Egypt and Greece are so mad at the British Museum" The exhibits on displays were massive - as big as houses, and makes me wonder on how the transported and installed them. Starting off from walls and walls of Assyrian statues (got to love the beard), the gigantic bust of Ramesses, the Parthenon marbles, and ruins from the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus.

This is my favorite museum so far - whilst antiquities and ancient civilisations are definitely not my strongest suit, this vast array on display is meant to wow any regular museum goer. Did I mention that this museum is free?

London Museums

2009-12-01T13:44:00.005+08:00

Everybody says it, London is expensive. However, people fail to highlight that most of London's museums are free. Bundle that with the abundance of parks (London is the greenest city on the planet - more space dedicated to parks and trees than anywhere else), you can fill in itinerary for three full days on the cheap.

Since my days were limited, I had to play my cards right and skip the Science Museum, the Natural History Museum, and the Victoria and Albert Museum as they were on the other side of town. Same fate went to Tate Gallery , as most of the sights I focused on were on the eastern bit.

A slapdash tour of The National Gallery on my last night in London was greeted by street performers, and the gallery I first entered hit the spot: Impressionism. At least half a day is needed to appreciate the masterpieces of Degas, Renoir, and Monet. There's a whole section for Titian, Italian Renaissance paintings, and other vast artworks in the massive building located on Trafalgar Square.

I also managed to go into the Tate Modern, which houses the best collection of modern art I've seen so far. Beating out GOMA in Brisbane, Powerhouse in Sydney and Centre Pompidou in Paris (MOMA NYC, your fate will have to wait). Picasso, Lichtenstein, Mondrian are some of the work you'll find inside.

Last for this entry is the Westminster Abbey, which isn't technically a museum (duh, it's an abbey), but it's actually closer to a crypt. It's not free, but for 15 GBP, you get the tombs of English royalty while being assisted by Sir Jeremy Irons on the audio guide. Tombs of Elizabeth I sit side by side with her sister Mary I, and right across is her main rival, Mary Queen of Scots, her cousin. Also of note is the Poet's Corner, where tombs of Charles Dickens, Geofrrey Chaucer, Robert Browning, among others lay.

Skipped The London Eye To Go To Work

2009-11-30T12:31:00.003+08:00

After the wallet-rollercoaster ride incident, it's back to work for me. Work had kidnapped my boss into a meeting out of town, leaving me alone in the afternoon to write up my annual performance review.

Writing it should be easy (unlike to some folks who had to add a little sizzle in their steak, if you know what I mean), but with sweeping views from my desk like these, its very, very easy to be distracted.

With long queues at the London Eye, the choice was clear to stay in the office and ahem, work.

Thanks Moazzam!

2009-11-25T15:49:00.004+08:00

-continued from previous post-

First things first - cancel the credit card. Firefighting mode done, let's look for
that wallet.

Called the airline, nothing. Called the airport, still nothing. Slight glimmer of hope, they said that it takes 24 hours for a clean sweep of their satellite offices, but to me, that's just prolonging the agony.

I called the Heathrow office 2 days later, and, by Jove, someone had registered my wallet as found! A certain Mr. Khawaja had left his phone number with the airport authorities, and said that he had my wallet. So I immediately called the number, had a good talk with Moazzam Khawaja, and agreed to meet him in one of the tube stations outside the city.

After verifying that it was indeed I trying to claim my wallet, he handed everything to me, without a single cent lost! He works at the airport running a private car service, and he picked up the wallet in the parking lot dedicated to private carhires, where I must have dropped it as I boarded my car ride.

Trying to keep a grown man from crying in one of the busy streets of West London, I had to switch gears and gave Moazzam my standard CS hospitality gift: a replica jeepney. He said thanks, and simply requested to pray for his family.

I would like to think that I had racked up good karma points while in CouchSurfing but to have something like this happen to me is wildly unimaginable. So much gratitude, much thanks to Moazzam, and most of my trip wouldn't have been such an awesome experience if it weren't for him.

There is much to celebrate - that in this day and age, little acts of kindness steers our faith back to the human side of humanity. I'm normally overwhelmed by kindness by the end of my trip, but to start a trip with such a rollercoaster experience, I was sure that the next three weeks would be beyond awesome.

I Lost My Wallet In Heathrow

2009-11-22T10:27:00.002+08:00

Yes. That's how my 3-week, first-ever trip to Europe started. The busiest airport in the world (let's talk international arrivals). I was about to complain about how I did not sleep at all on the 20-hour journey (accumulating some 48 hours of no sleep), but this seems a bit more sensible to rag about, and definitely woke up my senses.

I've never lost anything in any of my travels, either by theft or by simply misplacing them, and this was the first one (Save for that shirt I "accidentally" left on Bondi Beach). However, I always try to play it smart - my wallet contains minimal cash, my credit card and my ATM card for emergency purchases. My company card, my backup credit card, and the rest of my money are stowed away in a difficult-to-steal and difficult-to-pickpocket bag.

Sadly, my wallet, like I said, had my ATM - so no more additional cash for me, and with the USD is treated like trash in UK+EU countries, I was good as broke. Worse, I had just drawn out some three hundred quid for the trip. It also had my driver's license and my office ID. And keys to my luggage. Drat.

I have this OCD-like habit of checking my pockets frequently, and I detected that something was missing halfway through the car ride into the city. I had assumed that I chucked my wallet inside one of my bags, and immediately checked them as soon as the car stopped in front of the hotel. With each bag that I rifle through, and empty, there was this sinking feeling in your gut that was saying, "It's gone!" As the last bag was searched and closed, I knew I was done.

A Preview Of Things To Come

2009-11-16T06:47:00.002+08:00

5 GBs of photos, 4 rolls of film (yes, film!), 40 kgs of luggage carried for 1km in rainy Amsterdam bundled with a bad hangover, and 29 hours of continuous travel just to get home, I'll be all right.

This blog will be updated soon.

This Year's Best Movie

2009-10-25T22:42:00.007+08:00

I've been waiting for 500 Days Of Summer since I caught wind of The Temper Trap's new single, Sweet Disposition. After hearing the song, and seeing the movie trailer, I knew that this was one movie I couldn't pass up.

The film scores perfect marks on all fronts: charming, and offbeatly-romantic leads, am a fan of JGL, but was completely enamored by Zooey's lovely eyes and wondrous personality; a rocking and lifting soundtrack, featuring Regina Spektor, The Smiths, Feist; a non-linear narrative, set out in giving the viewer pieces of a puzzle meant to be put together. Director Marc Webb put out all stops in his narrative device, and even throws in a Sliding Doors-split screen style. Even the little touches in the movie connected with me on a personal level - architecture, and an IKEA date :)

The movie was released at Sundance, and gathered enough momentum to be fit for a limited release. It was supposed to have arrived last June, but since robots, wizards and other sequels were ruling the box office, it was only wise to move it to a later date.

No spoilers to be said here - but if you're looking for a great indie flick that mixes clever with cute; spirited with emo, then this movie if for you. This movie just made my all-time list (see a couple of articles prior to this), and is competing with Garden State in that genre.

Renewing Your Passport

2009-10-06T13:08:00.004+08:00

My passport is about to expire, and from this blog alone, you can tell that I've been busy stamping them pages away. The passport has a shelf life of about five years, and my time to renew has arrived. I wanted to play it safe, and have a travel agent apply for me, and I have one piece of advice. Don't bother!

Renewing the passport will require at least one personal appearance at your local Department Of Foreign Affairs office. Here are some tips that will help you minimise the frustration, and make your visit hassle-free.

1. Download the renewal form at www.dfa.gov.ph . Fill it out before heading to the DFA, that way, you don't have to scramble looking for a flat surface to write on when you're there. This also means to have your requirements ready before trooping it to the office.

2. Lots of people trying to herd you to their stalls just outside the DFA. Some are agressive (too agressive) that they'll tug at you. Very strange. Ignore them, you have everything that you need listed out in the form anyway.

3. Secure an appointment slip, have your records verified, and a helpful DFA officer will assist you, and lead you to the proper venues.

4. When your appointment time has come, you will be led to the cashier where you will pay the processing fee (500 PHP for 14 days, and 750 for 7 days).

5. You will now have your details checked and inputted into the computer.

Total time spent at DFA? 1 hour and 30 minutes. I arrived 1230, in the middle of lunch time, and finished at 2pm.

After this, you can either pick up your processed passport on the given date, or have it delivered to you (the following day) for 99 PHP. I picked up my passport - arrived 1245, queued my pickup slip, and was done by 115. Very easy.

Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close

2009-09-16T22:04:00.003+08:00

I never really noticed it, but I was reading Jonathan Safran Foer's Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close on the week of 9/11. It's been a good 8 years since I saw that event covered live on TV, and I don't have to live in NYC to know how heart wrenching it must've been.

Foer's follow up to the successful and witty (in a broken English kind of way) Everything Is Illuminated, is a conversation between 3 persons who has lost someone they love in 9/11. Two parents and a son. You'd smile as how a 9-year old would invent things and ask silly questions, then probably be saddened on how a father would grieve to leave his son.

It's a quest, a diary, and a vivid monologue packed in 300 pages of imagery and text. Claims have been made, lauding it as one of the great 9/11 stories. Haven't really read much books about the tragedy, but, in capturing the heartache borne by people at such a young age, this novel comes, as it says, incredibly close.

Parting Shots From Mountain Province

2009-09-12T10:13:00.005+08:00

Here's the fantastic view fom Kiltepan Ridge just in time for sunrise. It's worth taking at 5 in the morning!

By the way, once your bus crosses the Mountain Province border, they immediately start playing country hits. I do not understand why. All the shops in Sagada? They play country music. Were they trying to give the place a certain ambience to match with the mountain breeze? Of they have developed a certain fondness for Kenny Rogers? Or...country music is 'in' and I didn't know it? Regardless, I seem to have found the culprit:

Speaking of soundtrack, this trip has been brought to you by the following songs:
First Train Home by Imogen Heap
Fader by The Temper Trap
Love Is Colder Than Death by The Virgins
Rain Song by Calvin Harris
21st Century Life by Sam Sparro
Remedy by Little Boots

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Finally, this Sagada will be best summarised by this now-infamous photo. Happy Sliding in Sagada!

Caving, Or Spelunking If You Want It Fancy

2009-09-08T22:07:00.004+08:00

The five guys on the trip were mostly newbies, save for visitsagada.com expert Benj, but that shouldn't have stopped us from doing the Cave Connection. Wait, I think it was the torrential rains that prevented us from doing so. There, a legitimate excuse. We opted for the regular cave exploration, and it definitely goes down on the list of "Best Hundred Pesos I Ever Spent."

Going down the caves were dead on slippery, but after the initial 20 minute descent, you reach the non-slippery sedimentary rocks double as a very relaxing foot jacuzzi.

Though not a fan of rock formations hidden in the dark, Sumaging Caves in Sagada provided us with a rappel, lots of rock hugging, and plenty of interaction with the cavern. There was even a point where the guide had to lodge himself on the wall, then fling you down like a human vine (and you would be Tarzan).

Runner up reasons why this cave was more enjoyable than Palawan's Underground Cave: 1) it did not smell of bat crap; 2) the jokes about the rock formations were bad, but our guide was admittedly deadpan and honest at the cheesiness of it, we partially forgive him; 3) I did not have to carry the torch and the matching car battery to go with it!

A Trekking Reunion

2009-09-08T20:27:00.003+08:00

To be honest, I can not remember when the last time I did a mountain/nature trek. Was it the infamous 10k Club up Makiling in 2001? Does the Great Wall count? Oh wait, there was that punishing set of wooden stairs in Sabang from a couple of years back. Either way, that Sagada weekend reminded me that nature trekking is fun; and being several pounds lighter makes it a bit easier for me doing the ascends.

Sagada is blessed with reasonable trailheads, you can do a warm up by following a cemented path leading to Small Falls, or cut your way through the rice fields to get there.

Echo Valley, home of the most accessible coffins (too easy I must add, the coffins within reach have been vandalised and ransacked) is a 15-minute walk from town center. You'll pass through a quaint cemetery, but small town burial grounds have a certain air of eerieness to them and a natural viewdeck to appreciate the area.

The most rewarding trek so far has been the 45-minute stroll on the way to Marlboro Country. Initially branded as an opportunity to see wild horses, but don't expect to see one, there are only 3 left roaming the area. Horses or not, this is the ticket to go when in Sagada. This panoramic shot below does not do justice to the sublime 360 degree views.

City Boy Boards A Bus To The Mountains

2009-09-06T21:50:00.005+08:00

Fourteen hour buses normally suck the fun out packing your bags for the weekend. Good thing on me, I had a bit of experience, as I've survived 24-hour bus rides twice already. Besides, I miss-scheduled my leave by a week, and had nothing to do since I was transitioning from old to new job.

Going to Sagada isn't much of a hassle - take the 11pm bus from Manila, land in Baguio between 3 and 4 am, then wait out the remaining 2 hours for the first bus to Sagada.

Apprehensive folk worried about landslides and below par roads might be surprised that Benguet roads are well paved, and the Mountain Province section is not that bad, with lots of improvements happening. Plus, GT Lizardo Lines have buses that are in better condition to regular (no AC) buses here in the Metro.

Arrival time: 1230pm with 3 stops, Baguio, and 2 small towns in Benguet. Payoff? fantastic mountain views left and right.

My Top 15 Movies Tag

2009-09-06T12:16:00.002+08:00

Top 15 Movies as tagged from Facebook

1. Se7en by David Fincher
Greed, Gluttony, Envy, Lust, Pride, Sloth and Wrath take center stage in a series of serial killings.

2. Atonement by Joe Wright
Kiera Knightly and James McAvoy act up a storm of lies and romance in war-ravaged Britain.

3. Gosford Park by Robert Altman
A English acting royalty in a dry and witty whodunit set in the countryside.

4. Finding Nemo by Andrew Stanton
Dory steals the show as a forgetful fish on an ocean quest.

5. Garden State by Zach Braff
A quant story enhanced by a stellar soundtrack. Frou Frou, The Shins and Thievery Corporation in a handsomely (and Grammy-winning) album.

6. Amelie by Jean Pierre Jeunet
Lovable Audrey Tautou takes you on a whimsical and hearty tour of Paris in one of the best feel-good movies.

7. Moulin Rouge by Baz Luhrmann
Polarizing with an in-your-face attitude of showmanship, this movie ushered a renaissance for the musical genre.

8. Starter for Ten by Tom Vaughan
Jeopardy geeks unite in a fun romp of quiz-show anxiety and college awkwardness.

9. Elizabeth by Shekhar Kapur
Anything with Cate Blanchett works for me - but this takes the cake for a strong potrayal of the woman behind England's Golden Age.

10. Ratatouille by Brad Bird
Learn from an animated rat how to cook, and strike a balance between your dreams, and familial ties in another Pixar hit.

11. Eurotrip by Jeff Schaffer
Scotty surely doesn't know in this hilarous teenage odyssey around Europe.

12. Wanted by Timur Bekmambetov
Sleek, sexy and just plain badass action movie that's leagues apart from their American counterparts.

13. Shakespeare In Love by Tom Stoppard
Three of The Bard's finest work rolled into joyous tribute to the playwright contribution to literature. The breathtaking beach scene at the end remains as one of the best closing shots I've seen.

14. The Sixth Sense by M. Night Shyamalan
The movie that launched high expectations for the director never to be matched again. Absolute tearjerker in the final car scene.

15. The Lord Of The Rings by Peter Jackson
Epic movie and the start of a trilogy that will keep you glued to your fantasy seats.

US Open 2009 Predictions

2009-08-31T16:39:00.003+08:00

Too short to be a blog post, but too long for a tweet. Curse you Twitter!

Since I was out for a couple of days with no net access (more on that later), and I'm still catching up with my mails, here's a quick run down of the predictions I meant to do:

Men's
Federer vs Davydenko
Djokovic vs Roddick
Berdych vs Nadal
Del Potro vs Murray

Of note is Nadal's opening matchup with Gasquet.

Women's
Dinara vs Jelena
Elena D vs Caroline
Victoria vs Venus
Flavia vs Serena

Kim has a good chance of making it to the quarters, all hinged on how godd Venus will play. Same goes for Demebtieva's run to the final - it all depends on that 3R match up with Sharapova.

Two Rallies

2009-08-24T17:33:00.007+08:00

First of all, I must say that it's been quite a while since I posted - more than a month! It's been a tremendously busy month, but no excuses. No travels, but here are some major gatherings that I attended recently.

One thing that I would let pass was to pay my last respects to Cory Aquino. The feeling of sadness was minute compare to the sense of gratitude and pride brought by a singular person. We have much to be thankful to her for these past decades: and it was truly felt on her last parade through the grateful city of Makati. That bright sunny day, enveloped in yellow confetti? We seem to have taken it for granted, but I'd like to call that freedom.

Was definitely in a great spot to say my "Thanks Cory!". But I guess you don't have to stand so close to her monument to appreciate her enduring legacy for our country. She may not have been the best president that our country has had, but it will take another generation to see someone as loved.

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In weird news, I attended an El Shaddai rally, their 25th anniversary celebration. I've always been curious to check that out, and the view surprised me:

It was more Woodstock than I thought. Tents and campers, plenty of waving flags (that ubiquitous "ES panyo"), revelers in jeeploads and truckloads, and of course, plenty of singing and dancing. I remember complaining about (not having) Glastonbury or Coachella here, but if you're searching for atmosphere, maybe this will be an interesting substitute.

2009 Half Time Music Report

2009-07-15T22:34:00.003+08:00

We're halfway through the year, and I'm just sharing the most interesting records I've managed for the last six months.

Forget that the group Passion Pit looks like the cast of Beauty and the Geek, it's the music that counts. Selected early this year as one of the breakthrough genre from BBC's Sound Of 2009, the album Manners delivers on the promise their EP Chunk of Change has made.

Synth-clap beats, a strangely innocuous falsetto, together with affable percussions; what not to like? Of course, an import from last year's EP, Sleepyhead is a catch, their first single The Reeling is an enjoyable hit, but my favorite is Little Secret. It's not a summer song (see previous lists), but it does stoke the happy fire on pouring afternoons.

French band Phoenix returns with a tribute to the classics, Frank Liszt and Mozart, and surely with references as good as the masters, expectations will be set high. I'm definitely impressed in the total feel on the album, it steps back from a Eurocentric exclusiveness, and opens its doors to a more global appeal. Lyrics are crafted as teasingly addictive (repetition abounds!), and an orchestration (sorry pun intended) of its beats to be sublimely catchy. Listen to the mysterious crescendo in Love Like a Sunset, the lovable singles 1901 and Lisztomania. Bonus points: Fences sounds oddly familiar. Anyone knows why?

Not really this year's release, but Friendly fires manages to bring the pulsating disco back into indietronica land. Listen to Strobe, Skeleton Boy, On Board and Photobooth.

I Miss Blogging

2009-07-15T21:24:00.003+08:00

I'm just too busy, and held up in anxiety. A new chapter awaits...give it a few days.

But in the meantime, I raide both middle fingers up to that jerk that stole my side mirrors again; it's the second time in 2 months.

Wimbledon 2009: Gentlemen's Quarterfinals

2009-07-01T17:30:00.003+08:00

Hewitt, Ferrero, Federer, Haas and Roddick in the quarters? Suddenly, it feels like 2003.

Just when we're all ready to hail the new kids Monfils, Tsonga, and much newer players Tomic, Cilic and Gulbis, my generation of players stepped on the brakes to say that they're not quite finished. The first week of Wimbledon has definitely been interesting: Andymonium, the debut of the retractable roof, Federer's military jacket (fancy) and waistcoat (ridiculous), the resurrection of Hewitt, the merit of Ferrero's wildcard, and the news that there is no news about Djokovic.

Hewitt vs Roddick

Yowzah, flashback to the early 2000s! Hewitt has summoned back his speed, the sting of the simplicity of his strokes, and found himself back into the quarters of a slam after three years. However, Roddick will see that solid ball striking, and raise Hewitt an improved backhand, faster movement on the court, possible dropshots, and a crisper volley. Roddick version 2009 in 4 sets.

Ferrero vs Murray

Murray expected a match against a Spaniard in SW19, but not against Ferrero in the quarters. It's been a great run for JCF, stringing deep runs in grass. Alas, he goes against the tournament favorite, and a loss of the hometown hero will not be treated fondly by the campers at Murray Mound. Save for his erratic scrape by Wawrinka, a dominating performance by Murray should come alive again on Centre Court. Straight sets still.

Djokovic vs Haas

Rematch of the Halle final. Though I feel that the Serb should've won that won, it's a perfect time to serve revenge here in London. Djokovic in an efficient 3 sets.

Karlovic vs Federer

It's a surprise that Karlovic hasn't maximised his booming serve, especially on a court that favors him. However, he's playing Federer, who can read service motions like no other (Roddick's power serve doesn't really help their H2H record). A comprehensive win, I predict, with impressive variety of volleys, passing shots and slices. Four sets to the Swiss. And please, I don't want to see that spanking robot dance anymore.

Semis and Final

Three of the top 4 seeds will make the grade, with Roddick crashing that party. Andy vs Andy should result in a thriller, and so will Novak vs Roger. It's another delightful men's semis this Friday, but I'll put my money on Murray vs Federer. I must say that I was definitely impressed by Murray's Wimbly performance, but he got wounded by the Swiss #2, what more from the Swiss #1? Still, history is ripe, and Murray has definitely shown his laurels (and not just Fred Perry's) that he is a worthy successor. It will be a monumental fortnight, a new roof, and a new champion, a new #1, and a bright future for British tennis. Ten thousand pound tickets for Centre Court will be on offer this Sunday.

Wimbledon 2009: Ladies' Quarterfinals

2009-06-30T16:19:00.003+08:00

Dinara vs Sabine

Let's call this a match of surprises. A fragile Dinara surprised everyone by getting the the quarters on her least favorite surface. Sabine makes good on her potential and surprises tournament favorite (at least behind the Williams sisters), Caroline. I'll play this one safe and go for the top seed in 3 sets.

Agnieszka vs Venus

Venus has been moving immaculately on beloved grass. There is no denying her a stroll to the final. Straight sets of course.

Francesca vs Elena

Well, call me fickle, and now root for Elena. She's cleaned up her act, and as a defending semifinalist, she should be able to follow that up with another final 4 appearance. Depends on which Dementieva shows up, but I'm hoping it's the same one that crushed Vesnina yesterday. Straight sets.

Vika vs Serena

I know I shouldn't - Serena hasn't been tested this fortnight at all - bet Victoria. But. Vika has a winning streak against the younger Williams (I'll consider Vika's retirment in Melbs as a win, hehehe) and even if Wimbledon is a favored surface for the Williams, I'm going to go all out and pick Vika. Two tight sets. If it lasts to a deciding one, Serena should prevail.

Semis and Final

There will be no stopping of Venus for a hat trick of her beloved Rosewater dish, but Vika will put up a fight in the semis before folding in her Grand Slam final debut. Expect more of her this coming hardcourt season.

Wimbledon 2009: Gentlemen's Singles

2009-06-22T14:21:00.001+08:00

Gentlemen's Singles
Defending Champion: Rafael Nadal

Such disheartening news that a repeat of last year's monumental match will not happen with defending champion Nadal saying 'pass' due to his knees. I hope that this is not the start of the end for the promising Nadal, a GOAT contender himself, but can't say that nobody saw this coming.

Quarter I

Replacing Nadal in his Q1 position is Del Potro, who's been showing pretty decent results over the Slams. A semifinal over at Roland Garros actually came as a surprise since he's more attuned to faster surfaces. Expect him to flourish here, and though he's been bumped up to avoid a Murray/Djokovic/Federer in the semis, his path getting there is very difficult. An opener with the clever Clement, ex-champ Hewitt, recent grass court titlist Tursunov, before the quarters.

The renaissance of Andy Roddick has been one of this season's underrated stories. Even his career-best 4R placing in Paris is a testament that he's willing to grind it out for the long haul. Save for that retirement in Queen's, mark your betting sheets for a shoutout to the American. If the injury isn't as bothersome, a run to the final may not be too far off.

QF Match: Tursunov vs Roddick

Quarter II

A soft draw for homecouurt favorite Murray - and the Brit press will be holding their breath for two, intense weeks. The local favorite has a chance to walk away with the title here (having taken home the trophy at Queen's Club last week), and pole position. The tabloids will be working over-overtime as the nation goes into a frenzy. Except for a swan song test from Safin, anything less than a final 2 showdown with Federer will be considered as a disappointing heartbreak. Can you just imagine the euphoria when Murray wins?

QF Match: Murray vs Simon

Quarter III

It's been an up-and-down 8 months for Novak Djokovic, with a win in the year-ender in Shanghai, a failed defense in Melbs, a sensation claycourt season, only to end in an early exit in Paris. A good placing, together with a reasonable draw in London should do the trick. After an upset loss last year, expect a rebound to form here on grass.

Over Blake and Cilic, I hope that the lanky Croat pulls through, paging Ivanesevic and Ancic.

QF Match: Cilic vs Djokovic

Quarter IV

A relaxed Federer (wouldn't he be?) was also gifted an easy draw. Expect an upset of Verdasco though.

QF Match: Tsonga vs Federer

Wimbledon 2009: Ladies First

2009-06-22T11:19:00.002+08:00

Ladies Singles
Defending Champion: Venus Williams

It's a mad scramble in London as the ladies try the quick turnaround from clay to grass. With the field blown wide open, and after a much ballyhooed upset season last year, don't expect thing to change just yet: The Williams sisters are headed for a collision course on the last Saturday of the tournament

Quarter I

After the meltdown in Paris, and one of the ugliest finals I've seen in quite a while, Dinara comes in as the top seed, yet with very little expectation. Her draw has not been friendly either, she faces Nicole, Agnes, Alona and/or Amelie. And that's before the quarters. Me thinks that she won't survive all of that.

Caroline has been on a roll this year, but still coming up short in the big ones. Her title run last week should provide her a good footing on the lawns, but she will face sentimental favorite Kimiko Date twice her age). The great Dane won this tournament as a junior, and expect her to make a breakthrough here.

Side note for Roland Garros Champion Svetlana, she's got a great game to succeed on the grass, but why are the results not there? Let's see on where this one goes though.

QF Match: Amelie vs Caroline

Quarter II

As mentioned in the intro, Venus stands out from an inconsistent field, she may have spotty results through the year, but doesn't she just stroll along the courts of Wimbledon, and take the title, which is her namesake?

The Serbian slump is fully represented yet, but expect one of them to put up a fight, Jelena, you've been quiet all year.

QF Match: Venus vs Jelena

Quarter III

Any news on Vera's ankle? Hopefully it holds up, she's got a pretty draw, and has the game to go deep. However, the lack of match play, might impair her. On the upside, her draw is relatively easy, with no real contenders. Sorry Elena D, that star seems to have fizzled out, as it was a stellar run indeed for the first quarter of the year. An upset from Alisa Kleybanova might be in the works.

QF Match: Vera vs Dominika

Quarter IV

Previously, on the last Grand Slam ... contenders were filled on the last quarter of the draw, and Serena Williams to come out blasting full force. Expect a continuation here, Maria, despite a recovering shoulder, still willed herself to the quarters, and my pick for the quarter, Victoria Azarenka, looking forward to a making an impression.

It's a such a temptation to put my money on Vika - her aggressive game, and feisty play suits the lawns of SW19, but her path to the semis is to have back-to-back wins over Serena and Maria. That's a lot to ask, but just in case she does surprise us all (including herself), she's the favorite to win the title. I'm going to go safe though, and count on Serena to bring home the whole thing - it's been a while, since she took home the title here.

QF Match: Victoria vs Serena

Greatest Of All Time

2009-06-13T18:58:00.004+08:00

So I've been a bit delinquent in updating this blog - so much that I missed my QF predictions for Roland Garros (never missed one, even when I was backpacking). I blame my busy sched, combined with the stringent internet filters in the office (BOO!).

Anyway, I popped the bubbly (Coca Cola) after Roger Federer's historic, record-match 14th Grand Slam win. It finally happened, too bad that Nadal wasn't across the net when that happened. Many will label Roger as the best ever, but I feel a bit irked for those who immediately labelled his win in Paris as an empty victory.

Retorts such as "he has a losing record against Nadal", "I don't wanna call him best ever until Nadal calls it a career" right Roger winning match point resounded with nothing but sourgraping. Nothing wrong with the statements mentioned - they are all valid, and definitely make a point,Rafael Nadal is definitely GOAT candidate. What annoys me is the immediacy of it. Federer finally won the title missing in his resume, after being stopped by Nadal for 4 straight years, and that is the congratulations he gets. I give the man props for being consistent, and being a beauty to watch the sport. Fed has made tennis look elegant and rhythmic, and perhaps that's his strongest case yet.

A Post-Mortem to CS Manila's Summer Scramble

2009-06-04T22:11:00.006+08:00

Just before the summer ends, and exactly just before the rains come pouring in, CS Manila had its first Summer Scramble. I've always wanted to be in the Amazing Race, but this time, I had to step back and organise one for my beloved travel group.

Since I was a TAR fan, and had a pretty good idea of sights in the city, druming up ideas for the race was not as difficult as most people would thin it would be. Plus having the experience of running a virtual The Amazing Race isn't so bad in creating challenging tasks.

I'm sure people have blogged about the event, and it's really great hearing it from the racer's point of view. We've got
AJ, whose narrative was the most comprehensive I've seen yet; Greg, whose photos were just gorgeous; and Ryan, whose video blog was just hilarious.

So let's give it a different outlook - let's take it from the organiser's perspective. I must say, my photos are the worst ones, good thing my friend tagged along to be the semi-official photographer.

----------------------------

Creating the challenges were easy, took me about 3 hours to write them all up in an Excel file after Lilliane mentioned the idea to me. The difficult part was testing it. Though we tested the race in parts, a full dry run never managed to be squeezed into my schedule.

* to be continued *

CS Summer Scramble: The Final Task

2009-05-25T20:18:00.007+08:00

Your Final Task:

There are seven photos here. Arrange them chronologically, the way you visited them. You will come up with a 7-letter code (ie. BDCAFGE). Use that as a password to the file you will download below (use capital letters). Good luck!

http://rapidshare.de/files/47357918/Your_Final_Clue.xls.html

-----------------------------------

Photo A

Photo B

Photo C

Photo D

Photo E

Photo F

Photo G

Roland Garros 2009

2009-05-24T14:36:00.002+08:00

Women's Draw
Defending Champion: Ana Ivanovic

Quarter 1

Debuting as the top seed in a Slam, Lil Sis Dinara has made great strides the past couple of weeks in claycourt tuneups. She is definitely ripe for a major win, with two finals appearances in the past 12 months. However, the 'can-she-do-it?'' mentality can not be ignored. Her draw is littered with the dangerous Jie, Indian Wells winner Vika, and defending champion Ana. I'm betting once she survives these two tests, another final show is in the offing.

QF Match: Dinara vs Vika

Quarter 2

I would like to call this section the 'free-for-all' part of the draw. Venus' path to the final 8 is brutally difficult, plus we're playing on clay, which has never really been her strong point. She opens with Bethanie, then potentially takes on Sabine, followed by specialist Gisela, a resurgent Amelie, or last week's finalist, Alona. Either way, it's a grind through and through.

Nadia, also in a renaissance, while compatriot Vera looks like she has fully recovered from that ankle injury of hers. And did I mention someone named Maria Sharapova is unseeded in the draw? Two QF spots definitely up for grabs here with no clear favorites.

QF Match: Alona vs Nadia

Quarter 3

It would've been so easy to pick Jelena Jankovic here, if only her recent results were good. Her grinding and retrieving skills would have been fit for the red dirt, but her coach gave up all of those skills for muscle an power instead. She will be facing Caroline, my favorite rising player of the moment. Clean striker plus an excellent cross-corut drop volley. She's a looker too :)

The lower section of the draw features players I can't just reliably put my betting horse on. Daniela, Elena D, Marion and Francesca. Depends on breakfast, but it's hard to predict if any of these talented players will bring their A-game to Paris. I'll pick Elena (again!) just for sheer favoritism.

QF: Caroline vs Elena

Quarter 4

Serena hobbles into Paris, but don't let that stop her from trying to capture the title here - it's the only Slam she has won once (4xAO, 2xW, 3x US). She believes she's the best player on tour, and rankings don't really matter. It's a less humble Nadal-fortitude, but the right one. She doesn't play for show, but plays to win. She'll have to summon up all her magic to create a fantastic run in the City Of Lights, and her draw is far from easy. Flavia lurks in 4R, and perhaps an upset by Chinese Shuai is not too improbable.

My pick for RG 2009? Svetlana Kuznetsova. It's hard to put money on here (see reference to the rest of the Russian Squadron), but it's about time to pay respect to her excellent claycourt skills, plus she finally won a title in Stuttgart. That should count for something.

QF Match: Svetlana vs Flavia

-----------------------------

Men's Draw
Defending Champion: Rafael Nadal

Quarter 1

The introductions should sound like this: In the red corner, undefeated in Paris, with only 5 losses on clay, stands Rafael Nadal. His quest for 5 straight wins is definitely the talk of this season. He however, was not gifted with an easy draw. He gets Ferrer and Verdasco in the quarters. Then again, this is clay, and he is Nadal. Should be an easy pass into the second week.

Lone unseeded 2008 QFinalist Gulbis has had a trashy year following, and though I will be cheering for him, I don't expect that he'll get past the second round yet again.

QF Match: Nadal vs Verdasco

Quarter 2

Murray has go to be the biggest question mark to tennis quadrumvirate this Grand Slam. Nadal and Djokovic have turned out consistent results, and Federer comes from a spirited win in Madrid. Murray, whose been the star to watch since late last year, was nowhere to be found. So, where does that place him in Paris? In a really dodgy part of the draw - he faces claycourter Chela in the opening round, then Tipsarevic in or Montanes further on. It could be the on/off Gonzalez or usually off Safin later on, or French favorite Simon. Murray shouldn't really worry about the 4R/QF, it's either he goes home early, or he makes it to the semis, where Nadal awaits.

QF Match: Cilic vs Youzhny

Quarter 3

In the light of Murray's rise to #3, and Federer's slump *at* #2, it was DJokovic who was forgotten. Lo and behold who has put up a consistent (runner-up) charge this summer. Two RUs, 1 title and 1 SF. I'mm definitely impressed on how he's built up the endurance and resistance to last that long on the dirt, plus his very close SF loss in Madrid puts him in this Slam's short list. His draw is relatively easy, and wait for the fireworks to come on the second week.

QF Match: Monaco vs Djokovic

Quarter 4

As mentioned above, what does Federer's win in Madrid do? It puts the rivalry back into full swing, it puts Roger as part of the contender's list, but it doesn't change the fact that Nadal is heads-and-shoulders above the competition. Federer better save energy for that SF clash with Djokovic, and his relatively easy draw makes tennis fans salivate for that encounter. Hopefully that winner of the duel wins the whole tournament.

Oh by the way, given Roddick's good form on clay recently, I expect him to win 2 matches on clay - something he's never done since 2001.

QF Match: Melzer vs Federer

Summer Music MMIX

2009-05-19T23:11:00.003+08:00

No, not a typo, but if you were listening to your Grade IV math teacher, that's Roman numerals for this year. What's burning up my portable music player?

1. Skeleton Boy by Friendly Fires
2. The Festival Song by Pez
3. I Love College by Asher Roth
4. Better Off As 2 by Frankmusik
5. Lovers In Japan by Coldplay
6. The Saltwater Room by Owl City
7. Fascination by Alphabeat

Suzhou In A Day

2009-05-17T13:50:00.002+08:00

My Suzhou visit was a bit annoying on many fronts - the weather was ridiculously wet (and very cold at that) therefore making my walks in the park turn into galoshing through puddles. However, walking from the train station towards the city center I was offered a refuge from the rain - the SUzhou Museum. What was supposed to be a ten-minute toweling off turned into a two-hour stroll in their quaintly distinct museum.

Did I mention that the entrance was free? The beautiful museum was design by the renowned IM Pei, creator of Bank of China in HK, and that glass pyramid in front of the Louvre. What I liked about the building was it had empty little corridors that let light in, those pockets of water that characterise the city it represents, yet all in a modern IM Pei-kind of presentation.

I wasn't able to see much of Suzhou that day, but a rundown of the museum definitely made this section of the trip worthwhile.

Hutong Mania and the Great Duck Quest

2009-05-07T09:24:00.002+08:00

Something must be said of the distinctive hutongs or courtyard complexes that fill Beijing. A whole lot of them are being demolished to give way to new, more dazzling complexes.

There's a whole lot of them north of the Forbidden City, just nearby HouHai Park and Drum and Bell Towers. The area has been developed to a commercial area where you can have dinner some drinks, while nestled in the hutong district. Though this may effort may sound contrived, let me point you to a more authentic hutong district that's a bit harder to find.

Searching for the best Peking Duck in town may be in the famed Quanjude Restaurant south of the Arrow Tower but there were three signs that made me veer away from the store:

1. A Lonely Planet un-recommendation for being overly hyped and frantically busy
2. It's ridiculously poncy facade
3. A McDonald's delivering food to the store - through the front entrance nonetheless

We followed hutong lanes not found in the map, but eventually found Li Qun Duck Restaurant. Why we didn't hesitate entering the restaurant despite its rather homely surroundings:

1. Well it was homely and most probably authentic.
2. In typical asian fashion, your success is measured by the photos of important visitors hanging on your wall. I saw a former Philippine ambassador and Jet Li. I'm in!

3. We were greeted by these duck drawings. Nothing says "top notch" other than having kids graffiti your neighbourhood with duck doodles.

Post duck review? It was excellent and oh-soo-hearty (dripping in fat and oil). Yaiks!

Temple Of Heaven

2009-04-26T14:14:00.001+08:00

The Temple of Heaven obviously was held in the highest regard - with the tallest building during their days and its lavish park. Other elements Earth (where I went during the first day - see first Beijing post), Sun, were relegated to 'smaller' venues.

There's a good exhibition of how the blue temple was built and rebuilt, and rebuilt. The building was destroyed by two lightning strikes already, and since the all-wood structure further lures electricity with its golden tip, lighning is bound to strike that same place again in the future.

Looking For The Last Emperor

2009-04-13T07:58:00.002+08:00

It's huge! The Forbidden City, or Imperial Palace as they would like to call it now (in an effort to give China an impression of being more "open") is simply massive. While I don't want this to sound like a tourist brochure (read all about it in Wikipedia!), let me just give you ample warning that the whole structure is city-like indeed. Unless you want a rough-shod sprint across the grounds, set out more than a half day for this.

The entrance of 40 CNY does not cover the side galleries, but don't forget to take a look - there are plenty of great artifacts hidden in the labyrinthine eastern grounds. Jade carvings aplenty, the finest porcelain, and other curios are on display in the grounds. I skipped the clocks display, but found this piece interesting: a golden globe, not of the earth, but of the astronomical sky with pearls as the stars. Just look at the excitement on the patrons.

If you don't like red, well, China is not the place for you, and and its centerpiece landmark is just fully cloaked in it. The Forbidden City is elegantly splashed in Chinese red, from its walls to its alleyways and hidden corners. It's great for a photo shoot that requires a red background.

There is a permanent exhibition on the western galleries with artifacts, but I would like to recommend the eastern corridors instead - they're 9 sections depicting life in the Forbidden City, on how the guards were distributed, their defense arrangements, meal preparations during festivals, and even how the concubines were, errm, housed. Plus details on how the North-South axis is important in a city laid out on a grid.

My host told me that in order to fully appreciate the purpose and significance of the grounds, I must watch Bernardo Bertolucci's epic The Last Emperor. Anybody got a copy? I couldn't find one anywhere. Anywhere cheap that is.

Beijing's Modern Playground

2009-04-02T16:19:00.003+08:00

I wouldn't say Beijing is a very cosmopolitan city (it's almost there though), but I would like to note on how famous architects were wont to put their stamp on the reimagining of the city. While Shanghai is mostly Art Deco and Hong Kong is distinctively Norman Foster's sandbox, Beijing opened its doors to a gaggle of architects that makes the city a clever pastiche of shining new buildings.

My favorite would be Rem Koolhas' insanely playful CCTV Building. It looks like something I would've created with my Lego playset. I was pretty much fascinated by it that I think I dropped by the Guomao area thrice. Twice by chance, once by necessity.

Most tourists wouldn't probably go out of their way to drop by the CBD, so I would recommend Paul Andreu's egg-shaped building, the National Performing Arts Centre. Apart from his numerous works of gleaming glass and steel, Andreu hits closer to home as one of his early works included NAIA Terminal 1. (Just as an aside, I personally like T1 as it has a good architectural character, discounting the fact that it's quite old).

You may also chance upon the nice artsy-fartsy district up north in San Litun. They've got this quirkily colored glass compound called The Village. It's like a cathedral-inspired shopping mall.

Maybe I should do more research - I didn't chance upon an IM Pei work in Beijing...

Murdering Your Legs With Greatness

2009-03-30T07:31:00.004+08:00

My only mistake with booking that Great Wall Hike is doing it on the first full day of my trip. I had underestimated on how taxing the trip would be, with its steep inclines, and continuous slopes. That, or I had overestimated my level of fitness (insert witty, sarcastic remark here). My BMI may not be ideal (yet), but I'm not frail nor lampa, so I expected a good workout. So, having said that, be prepared for the Jinshaling-Simatai trek, it's a tortuous ride, but an fantastic exhilarating one.

With that out of the way, here's how the trip went. I signed up a group trip in CouchSurfing and that effort netted 9 participants, including my 2 roommates. Transportation cost 115 CNY and entrance fees to the park totalled 85 CNY for Jinshaling, Simatai and the Simatai suspension bridge. Our driver dropped us off at Jinshaling, and picked us up at Simatai 5 hours later. Some things that you need prior to the climb: it's a 12km walkathon, so bring good shoes. There aren't any food stops, so make sure you have enough sustenance. Vendors will hound you as usual, and the prices aren't so bad to be honest. 40 Pesos for a bottle of mineral water may be expensive, but it'll save the 67-year old lady (and her knees) from following you. I didn't buy, as I brought 1.5 liters of water.

There will be 32 awesome towers on the trip spread across some 12 kilometers. The weather was fantastic when I got there, the wind was breezy, sun was shining, and the temperature was a reasonable 3 degrees. It was a nice crisp walk, but I was sweating buckets due to the physical exertion of climbing the steps.

So enough of the chatter, I'll just let the photos do the talking. Don't forget, this is the Jinshaling/Simatai portion, which is different from the touristy Badaling section, replete with *I Survived The Great Wall* shirts. Don't go there if you want an intimate, rustic memory of the Great Wall. The sore hamstrings, quads, knees, ankles and calves are truly worth it.

Day 1: Starting With Temples

2009-03-24T13:50:00.004+08:00

Tropical Manila has yet to taste the wonders of a single digit climate, but don't deny it - you can barely take a bath at 6am two months ago without shivering. I liked that. I must say that I like the cold far more that the hot and humid climate we have, and not because I'm suffering from a 'grass-is-greener-on-the-other-side' syndrome. That brought me to Beijing, China where according to Google, has max/min temperatures were 8/-3. Yahoo, freezertime! If I had written this while I was in Beijing, my fingers would've fallen off, and pieces of my chapped lips would've been littering the keyboard. Yuck.

Before I gross most of the readers out (apart from showing my self-shot photos, all 174 of them), Day 1 started with an early flight to Beijing, landing at around noon time, then I proceeded to meet my host Aaron. I must say that Beijing exceeded my expectation in terms of ease of navigation. The road signs are easy to read, the city is laid out on a perfect grid, and the orientations uses the NEWS standard. Directions are absolute - bei, nan, dong, and xi. You'd never get lost as long as you now which direction you're headed. Street names are descriptive too, so that helps.

Having said that, English speakers for locals are still scarce. Good thing that I played a lot of Charades when I was in high school. I knew those board games were worth cutting class for.

More on Day 1, I decided to take it easy and just drop by the Yonghegong Lama Temple, a Tibetan lamasery (it's a real word, seriously) in NE Beijing. There were pretty cool corners in the sprawling courtyards, and I ended up taking quite a lot of solo photos. I'll spare you the agony of that, but I'll be posting some photos at the Temple Of Earth. The park may not be as impressive as the others that waited for me, but it surely gave a good preview of sights that await.

No Time To Blog Yet...

2009-03-23T09:38:00.004+08:00

But here's what's going to be large this summer on my music player:

Frankmusik's debut album fighting off the return of Calvin Harris and Just Jack. Rounded out by indie-altronica from Owl City. That Saltwater Room is just darned cute!

In the next issue: Breaking a promise, then breaking legs.

If Anything, 2009 Will Sound Like The 80s

2009-02-20T09:26:00.004+08:00

It's two months late, but I stumbled upon BBC's Sound Of 2009 where the pick on what critics (in the UK at least) will be this year's landmark songs/artist. They haven't been very wrong - previous choices were Bloc Party, 50 Cent, Mika, Just Jack, Corrine Bailey Rae, and last year, Adele and Duffy.

So, what will 2009 sound like? It'll sound like the 80s. It will look like the 80s, feel like the 80, and it'll be absolutely enjoyable. They've shortlisted 15 artists for the poll, and my favorites the following:

1. Florence and the Machine - She's like Feist, but her music sounds like it was raised by horses - wild, primal, stormingly powerful. She opens the year with "Dog Days Are Over"

2. Frankmusik - I'm guessing he's going to be this year's Linus Loves/Calvin Harris/Axwell, but with a throwback from two and a half decades ago. He plays frivolous electro-pop, and is working with Stuart Price. Check out "3 Little Words" on YouTube and feel the Tom Hanks love.

3. Lady Gaga and Little Boots - Actually, I found both artists quite annoying at first, but embraced it eventually for all its pop-tooth goodness. Check out how Little Boots plays a 16x16 LED instrument called a Tenori-on. That one won me over.

4. Mumford and Sons - A folksy approach to this year's playset; a little The Shins, a little The Kooks all wrapped in an 80s Everything But The Girl package.

5. Empire Of The Sun - Ever heard of fantasy pop? Well, I never. It's a concoction of synth, xylophones, and percussions that give it a dreamlike atmosphere. Plus the videos help in creating that aura. Check out their George Lucas homage in the album cover.

Lastly, they may not be new, but have a listen to Stars (remember them from The OC?). It's not a full album, but Sad Robots continues the whimsy, escapist story telling from before. Their song "14 Forever" stands out with a vividly painted picture of a field swarmed by teens at a music festival. This soundtrack is the prelude to a seemingly nostalgic year.

Australian Open 2009 - Men's Quarterfinals

2009-01-27T00:13:00.002+08:00

Almost - for the first time ever, all Top 8 seeds make it in the final 8 of a Grand Slam. Yeah, that would've been nice, if top pick Andy Murray hadn't crashed out in the 4R against Verdasco. Oh well.

Nadal vs Simon
It has to be said - Nadal did not enter the competition as the favorite, which is a true disgrace as he is the top seed. As all eyes were heavily focused on his rivals, Nadal was quietly going through, nay, razing through his section of the draw. Time to make a U-turn, as he is most likely to wind up in the final.

Expect this encounter with Simon to be a marathon of sorts. Lots of baseline rallies from both players, and Simon risking a little bit more to out manouver Nadal. Still, the Frenchman will not have all the answers in his Grand Slam QF debut, and will fold in four sets.

Verdasco vs Tsonga
Tsonga is out there to prove his finish last year was no one-hit wonder. And Verdasco is suddenly gaining attention for slapping pundits and Andy Murray out of the tournament. I'm favoring Muhammad Ali here for a strong finish.

Roddick vs Djokovic
Hey, everyone seems to have forgotten poor Andy Roddick as a GS contender. He's been coasting like Nadal through his draw, but the draw gods were not kind to Roddick as he faces the defending champion in the QF. Nole will get through by utilising his complete game and off-balancing Andy with superior shot placement. I'd say 4 sets.

Del Potro vs Federer
That near-miss from Federer must still sting by now. When Tipsarevic tried to tug at Federer last year, King Roger was maimed and fell by the semis. This year, Roger fell behind 2 sets down but managed a glorious comeback. I think that if Del Potro nabs a set off him - Roger will go crash and burn. Not just yet, not in this round yet.

Semis and Final
Nadal over Tsonga in 5 stellar sets. I want to see Nadal win over Tsonga as revenge for last year's loss. It was so bad for Nadal that I actually had to use 'helpless' to describe him. How often does that happen?

Hopefully, another replay of 2008 semis, both with different results. No time to wast for Federer in surpassing Pete's record, but Nadal is a major threat. I'm going for Nadal to win his first hardcourt major, and Federer left following the sport's pecking order as #2.

Australian Open 2009 - Women's Quarterfinals

2009-01-26T23:52:00.001+08:00

Women's Quarterfinals

Vera vs Marion
There's plenty to like with Marion - the quick smile, the quirky dance before serving that adoration for James Bond...but it's her tennis that stand from all of is. A weird looking double-handed forehand that produces so much spin that left two world #1s dazzled with her returns. Expect her to use these shots against an average Zvonareva, and return to the semifinal 4 in 3 long sets.

Jelena vs Dinara
Marquee match of this round. Jelena has been the darling of the crowd for the past week, after donning the Aussie flag and carrying the sentimental vote. I'd vote for her, but she's physically exhausted already from her grueling win over Kleybanova. It wasn't just the lengthy match, but the extensive amount of running done. A steady Safina who learned her lesson last year in digging dip, and creating turnaround matches will prevail in two.

Elena vs Carla
Giant-killer Carla's dream run will end here. A dominating Elena cooled off red hot winner Dominika in relentless fashion in the previous round. Just what Elena needed, a calming match just before the final barrage of matches. Dementieva in 2.

Svetlana vs Serena
Serena will out power and outplay with confidence in straight sets.

Semi finals and Final
I smell an all-Russian affair for the final, but an all-Russian affair at the semis? Quite possible, and that's with Sharapova by the sidelines. Though I picked Serena to ruin the Russian parade at the semis, a win is due for Elena Dementieva (my pick again!) with compatriot Dinara as runner-up in a replay of the Beijing Olympics.

Australian Open 2009 Fantasy League 4th Round Updates

2009-01-26T16:56:00.002+08:00

Hot favorite Andy Murray was outgunned in the 4th round. Top seed Jankovic also dumped. Federer almost a casualty. Some of the headlines this first four rounds in Melbourne. Quarterfinal predictions to follow.

2009 Australian Open

2009-01-16T21:20:00.005+08:00

It feels like so long ago when I watched some Grand Slam action; moreover, I'm not reporting courtside this year (It's been that long!) But tradition still calls and here's the predictions for the first week and a half of what going on in Melbourne.

Men's Draw
Defending Champion: Novak Djokovic

Quarter I
Surely Nadal is the top star in this quarter, but may not necessarily be the top draw. Watch out as local favorite Hewitt start his campaign against fellow runner up Fernando Gonzalez; definitely people will be flocking in Rod Laver Arena, or camping out in Federation Square. It doesn't get any easier for him after that, as potential foes include Gasquet, Canas, and finally the top seed.

QF Match: Nadal vs Monfils

Quarter II
All eyes are on Murray even if he trails the ranking games, he's the one blazing through the ATP Tour these past 4 months. Plus, he's put on a less surly outlook that made the crowd appreciate him. It's a fairly easy draw for him, until the quarters. Saw Murray got trashed by eventual runner up in the opening day of AO 08, and hopefully the results will be different in the round of 8.

QF Match: Murray vs Tsonga

Quarter III
Djokovic and his complete clan came in N-O-L-E shirts, and it was indeed a fairytale story for them and their home country (I'm sure some part of those proceeds went to fund Serbia's first ATP tournament). Though his hard court season was been so-so, it looks like an easy four rounds for Novak who can face Roddick in the quarters. However, Roddick's set is a mish-mash of his contemporaries (Ferrero, Nalbandian, Robredo) and throw in his conqueror last year (Kohlschreiber), it's a fairly open draw.

QF Match: Roddick vs Djokovic

Quarter IV
It's really hard to imagine the finalists not come from the quadrumvirate (I propose to use tetrumvirate, but it may mislead more than highlight the number "4"), and also hard to imagine that Federer will not be a contender for it. It's time to meet Sampras' record Roger!
Do pay attetion to Marin Cilic as he may put up a good run here - he played well last year, and a QF appearance (following his win in Chennai) is just about due.

QF Match: Cilic vs Federer

----------------------------

Women's Singles
Defending Champion: Maria Sharapova

Melbourne lost a lot of star power this year with Sharapova's withdrawal. Sure, she's missed out a lot of tournaments due to that bum shoulder of hers, but it's a bit more pressure when you're the defending champion. She ascended to the championship in a fashion similar to her 06 Flushing Meadows win, let's see if someone will stamp their dominance from the opening rounds.

Quarter I
This could be the tournament that will save Jelena from all the doubts plaguing her "Slamless #1" curse. Her draw is the softest one in either men's and women's and even her QF might be easy. Anything less than last year's show might be considered as a letdown.

QF Match: Jelena vs Vera

Quarter II
Heavily stacked section of the draw, but no other contenders spring up apart from Dinara and Ana. Too bad they're slated to meet at the QF stage.

QF Match: Dinara vs Ana

Quarter III
I'll save a lot on space and replay what I predicted (hoped) for US Open 2008. Elena Dementieva. Save for a potential date with Venus Williams, she should get by this draw easily. However, 2 tournament wins will do make you a bit exhausted.

QF Match: Venus vs Elena

Quarter IV
Every other year, Serena roosts down under to pick up her Grand Slam. Not too far fetched from happening, as the sisters just stroll onto tennis majors and pick up a prize. Now that Serena is pumped, ready and on a roll, it's only a matter of time before she grabs the top ranking and reign once again as the best female player.

QF Match: Agnieszka vs Serena

So Early, So Broke and a New Year Resolution

2009-01-07T06:49:00.005+08:00

I landed on my desk at 5 in the morning, hence this useless post. I'm actually panicking as I am broke. Broke, broke, broke and can not travel, tsk! I'll show why in a couple of days, but I'm a wee bit panicky right now.

On a lighter note, I've sworn of those useless New Year resolutions, but seem to have landed one myself. On 1/1/09, I finally gotten an earful of The Resolution by Jack's Mannequin. Now, if anyone can point me to a copy of The Glass Passenger, I'd be most grateful. It's been a very long time for me and me buddy Andrew McMahon.

The Best Music of 2008 - The Top 10

2009-01-01T00:10:00.007+08:00

It's the last few days of the year, and it's time to give this list a wrap. I'll be posting videos/song of my favorite songs of the year, and will be updating this page everyday. Not exactly sure how it feeds into my Multiply account, so just click on this link to see the updated list.

10. Breakeven - The Script

Love it much more than TMWCBM, especially when it goes 'what am I supposed to do when the best of me has always been you?' Breakups are never mutually fair, and never fully equitable. You got that part right, mate.

9. Wow - Kylie Minogue

It's catchy, it's summery, and I can't stop bopping my head to it. Too bad I can't find the rap remix of it.

8. Mariah Carey - I Stay In Love

There's a specific memory from this song - I remember hearing it after an adreline rush of a concert called Lifehouse. It was a calming, yet interesting song that convinced me that the new album was worth a listen.

7. Calvin Harris - The Girls

Calvin Harris lands as the breakthrough dance artist this year, marginally beating Justice in the process. His 80s inspired beats is probably something we may need to hear less of, but that was a good decade for music still. Check out his video blog and find out how to make those fly shades.

6. Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova - Falling Slowly

Quietly went through unnoticed, until that suprise victory at the Oscars. Poignant, sweet, and understated, it's a great movie, with a heartwarming soundtrack. Thank Ireland for producing a high ratio of wounded, broken singers per capita.

5. Taken By Cars - A Weekend Memoir (In High Definition) - Don't call it the token OPM in the list, because this one totally earned it. First heard the song at Octoberfest (in September), and then I knew, I found the best local act for the year. Bring on the shoegaze!

4. Jason Mraz featuring James Morrison - Details In The Fabric
The song is as intricate as the melody it weaves, and the fading in/out voices of the gentlemen. Morrison's raspy voice texture provides an excellent contrast to Mraz's solid voice. It's brilliant, and once again, Jason delivers another solid record.

3. Metro Station - Shake It
It's so catchy II can't take it out of my head. Forget the commercial that featured it (or the kids singing it look like mini Marilyn Manson), but you won't be able to stop moving to this song. Perfect to lift your spirits, whenever, wherever you are.

2. One Republic - All We Are
It was the year of Ryan Tedder and friends - he wrote almost every other song that was released this year, and I wonder where he gets all the energy to write all of them. This song stands out particularly in that album, as they funnel all that catharsis in one screamingly good song.

1. Lifehouse - Broken
A much much awaited concert with a heartbreaking finale all on top of a great radio remix, and a 6th Sense video. They replaced their finale song Everything, with this, and it was absolutely deserving. That alone speaks heaps. The crowning glory of my music year.

The Best Music of 2008 Part 4

2008-12-26T09:48:00.003+08:00

The last part before the Top 10. 'Woohoo's for summer anthems from Boys Like Girls and Scouting For Girls (no relation, but they seem to have an affinity for the season). A little tribute to the poptastic songs played on Gossip Girl, and a slight note to Dashboard Confessional - two years late!

11. Dashboard Confessional - So Long, So Long
12. Boys Like Girls - The Great Escape
13. One Republic - Come Home
14. The Script - The Man Who Can't Be Moved
15. Vanessa Carlton - Nolita Fairytale
16. Timbaland featuring Keri Hilson - The Way I Are
17. Taken By Cars - Uh Oh
18. Jason Mraz - Make It Mine
19. Arctic Monkeys - Flourescent Adolescent
20. Scouting For Girls - Heartbeat

The Best Music of 2008 Part 3

2008-12-24T13:09:00.002+08:00

21 Dizzee Rascal featuring Calvin Harris and Chrome - Dance Wiv Me
22 The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - Your Guardian Angel
23 Kings Of Leon - Use Somebody
24 Boys Like Girls - Minutes To Midnight
25 Sara Bareilles - Love Song
26 Jesse McCartney - Leavin
27 Mariah Carey - I'll Be Loving U Long Time/Bye Bye
28 David Archuleta - Crush
29 Maroon 5 - Goodnight Goodnight
30 Athlete - Hurricane

Lots of late cather-uppers here. Glad to see that Kings Of Leon made it. Johnny Foreigner, and All American Rejects will have to wait for next year.

That Twilight Book

2008-12-21T08:33:00.004+08:00

I'm honest enough to say that the Twilight movie was pretty decent, apart from the fact I watched it in a Makati cinema late in the evening. (Still, that didn't stop Trish from guffawing madly at the pale figures on screen). The soundtrack though was pretty awesome - yey Iron and Wine!

The next step was for me to check out the novel. A boring family reunion plus a boring road trip minus no other book on hand equals a twilight opportunity. What was the book like? It was dripping in swoon. I'm worried that at every page the book will gasp-faint-then-shriek.

Every other paragraph was peppered with "dazzling," "perfect," or "flawless". We get it Meyer, you love the vampire - I just don't get it that he has to be described everytime. I'm starting to imagine how she wrote the book - oops. I'm supposed to be writing GP here, hehehe. But it's not a bad thought...

Our Christmas Tree Screams "Ho Ho Ho!"

2008-12-09T08:10:00.004+08:00

How does you christmas tree look like? The rest of the family spent a good day at Trinoma running through the usual holiday chores. While dear Mom shot down my suggestion of getting a new tree, she went with new, untraditional (at least for us) trimmings.

So, Mom filled her basket with red lights, red poinsettias, red christmas balls, and to top them all, a red ribbon with a bow. Mom had a field day with it, and came up with this:

My sister gasped: "Cabaret much?"
My initial reaction: "Ma, our tree looks like a hooker!"

I'm buying a new tree next year.

The Best Music of 2008 Part 2

2008-12-08T10:34:00.004+08:00

Second installment for the list, and this batch features a very visual palette that accompanies the music. Of note is the extremely sensual heist featuring 2 lovely ladies, and a tesselation of sorts with The Ting Tings.

31 Scouting For Girls - Keep On Walking
32 One Republic - Prodigal
33 Boys Like Girls - Thunder
34 The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - Cat And Mouse
35 Colbie Caillat - Bubbly
36 Angels and Airwaves- Everything's Magic
37 Timbaland featuring Keri Hilson and Nicole Scherzinger - Scream
38 The Ting Tings - Shut Up And Let Me Go
39 Mary J. Blige - Just Fine
40 MGMT - Kids

The Best Music of 2008 Part 1

2008-12-04T16:53:00.002+08:00

In order to fill my blog with posts (I may have missed the 2008 quota), I'm doing an installment of my favorite songs from here until the end of the year. Two songs per day, for twenty days.

It's been more of a homogenuous year, and it gets a bit harder as I don't listen to radio. Don't worry, no High School Musical songs here. The songs that didn't make it:

41 Maroon 5 - Won't Go Home Without You
42 John Butler Trio - Better Than
43 The Maine - I Wanna Love You
44 Secret Handshake - I Wish
45 Feist - I Feel It All
46 Until June - Sleepless
47 Mute Math - Control
48 Emmy Rossum - Slow Me Down
49 Mariah Carey - Touch My Body
50 John Mayer - Say

A Vegan Weekend

2008-11-14T11:38:00.001+08:00

It's really hard to go vegetarian in the Philippines, as the options her are a bit limited (plus peer pressure can bea bit overbearing at times), yet I managed this weekend of 48 hours to be absolutely meat-free.

Being fully stuffed by glorious puto from Friday afternoon, I decided to skip the meat and just have salad for dinner. Inspired by the vegan meal, I spent Saturday morning picking up random vegetables from the supermarket. Just sharing the weekend menu, you might want to cook up a veggie meal one of these days.

Zucchini and Eggplant Fusilli in Cream
Pseudo Roka Salata
Chili Tomato and Oyster Mushroom Pasta Soup
Nachos with Jalapenos
Peanut Butter and Banana Toast
Apple and Nori Salad
Stir Fried Soft Tofu and Broccoli

Sounds actually yummy. Any suggestions on what to do this weekend?

Twin CDs

2008-11-03T13:00:00.002+08:00

Hi everyone. I think I've composed myself and this entry (Pun. Glee.)- It's interesting how I picked up 2 CDs, born 14 years apart, and they look the same save for the color:

In case you can't figure out the doodling, it's Dookie by Green Day and We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. by Jason Mraz. It's Billie Joe Armstrong and friends when they were young, just stepping out of the indie scene and into mainstream success. It's Green Day's debut album, a poppier, spunkier, neurotic sound and it definitely reflects the atttude of the early 90s (Compare that with today's kids in skinny pants, emo glasses and incessant screaming in the radio). Green Day back then was the rowdier, schizophrenic brother of the blooming alternative scene, and a tribute to the Slackers vibe of the grunge generation. I love it. And if you can remember the large noses going around the Basketcase video, then give me a high-five - you're definitely in my age group.

You know the songs in the album already, but I think I got so enticed by this album (a decade and a half late, I know), ergo, American Idiot is getting a nomination to join my album shelf.

Contrast Dookie with Jason's new album, where he trades his bebops (well, at least most of it), retreats into the cabana, and puts on his flip flops. Watch out Jack Johnson. Mraz relaxes with his latest songbook, and does away with the overture he created in Mr. A-Z, and strips it down to some fancy guitar strumming, easy melodies, and, well, a bit of the scatman thing. Did not like the collaboration with Colbie Caillat, but the subtle harmony created with James Morrison was indeed haunting. Interestingly, their voices are similar, with Mraz carrying a more fluid veneer to his melodies, and Morrison providing the coarseness to highlight the differences.

----

More music news - it's November already, and the race is on for this year's most loved song. Justin Timberlake walked away with the trophy last year, and I knew it by September. This time, I can honestly say, I don't know; I don't even know what my favorite top 10 songs of 2008 will be. Any suggestions?

Pinoy Backpack Festival 2008

2008-10-19T15:19:00.005+08:00

Would like to invite all of you to the Pinoy Backpack Festival at Alabang Town Center this 25-26 October. I wish we had one of these earlier, I think that this is the first one that's being held in the country.

If you've always wanted to travel, but don't know what the first step is (cost? where to go? how long? safety?), this 101 course suits you perfectly well. There are workshops on photography, sketching, how to pack, and other useful information. I was particulary amused by the backpacker's starter kit that they sold - it had an expense tracker, a calculator, a bandana, and a Philippine flag button. Cool.

As one of the highlights (for me of course), I'll be a resource speaker, and I'm going to talk about the CouchSurfing experience. What is it? Come over, will be happy to share the experience with you.

Formore details on the festival, drop by ROX Philippines.

New Radicals All Over!

2008-10-17T17:43:00.005+08:00

So you've been brainwashed too - New Radicals has disbanded and will never be heard of again. I was so surprised to learn a few moments ago that Gregg Alexander has been writing all this time, and won a Grammy in the process.

My favorite songs from Texas, and Sophie Ellis-Bextor were actually written by Gregg Alexander. That's Inner Smile and Music Gets The Best Of Me. No wonder...they have that anthemic feel to it. As an added bonus, he also wrote songs for Ronan Keating, which made the former boyband member a bit more bearable. Hehe.

So, New Radicals lives! I've been mourning for 7 years already. Pop quiz: Any idea which the Grammy winnning duet is?

Random Blogging

2008-10-14T22:17:00.001+08:00

Yup, there has been quite a lull in this blog. But for crying out loud - how was I
supposed to be blogging when I spend my days at work, and the rest of my nights still at work? The rest of my free time was spent downloading watching Tina Fey impersonate, nay, copy Sarah Palin.There was enough time to catch a movie at this year's Spanish Film Festival, where I saw La Orfanata (The Orphanage), which I did not know was a horror movie. Good thing Ididn't, and was pleasantly surprised and impressed at the storytelling capabilities of the Spanish. The downside of which, I was creeped out driving alone from Alabang to QC. Yaiks. More on this in a separate entry.

Onwards I say. I picked up two CDs last weekend, to make amends for my recent downloading spree. Not my fault the CDs I've been looking for are not available here - but I downloaded Graduation by Kanye West just to spite him (All bias aside, that record is truly meritorious of all the praises it reaped).

Still, I can't get to my point - I'm so scatterbrained lately, I can't even compose a decent, cohesive blog post. So I think I'll just stop and do this another day.

Slick OPM

2008-09-15T20:47:00.004+08:00

It's already September, but I still haven't found a landmark Filipino song for 2008. Since I don't listen to radio, all the good music I catch on are from word of mouth. Last year's crop included Julianne and Up Dharma Down. It took a while, but this year, I finally caught on Taken By Cars. Late, but not too late. Thanks to the first of 120 Days of Octoberfest, a rekindling of local act burns once more.

----------------

(Looks up)

I had initially planned to write a snippet of a blog post, but I was completely enamored by the sound of Taken by Cars that I had to rush to the nearest record bar to get a copy of their album. So here's a review:

My Malaysian friend would probably call the album "another suprising, polished effort from the crafty Filipinos," but I don't think it's not just polished. I think the sound is slick and glossy, which reminds me of The Gossip and The Myriad. I think it's just phenomenal, to have a indietronic attitude in the rather drab battle-of-the-bands OPM atmosphere. Finally, local music that will give Sneaky Soundsystem, Simian Mobile Disco and Bloc Party a run for their money. I'm so proud right now. And grateful that I attended that Octoberfest party.

ps. I wonder what bonus track I'll receive when I log in with the audio CD. That track remix by Funk Avy is truly ear candy.

Blinded By Memories

2008-09-08T08:46:00.005+08:00

I would like to believe that I have good music memory. The first record (cassette tape!) I ever bought was Vanilla Ice's To The Extreme. Yes, I have no shame saying that. The second CD I got, was Third Eye Blind - and it sits wonderfully in my music library, getting the distinction as one of my favorite albums ever. The year was 1997, and Semi-Charmed Life was my high school graduation song (see related music list here). And as with all my Favorite Song Of The Year Awardees, the nostalgia just flows when you hear your song. It's one of those few remaining songs that I can sing from memory.

Just when I thought my music year couldn't get any better (Lifehouse anyone?), I am presented with media passes to 3EB. Blogging, I love you even more. So, before I relapse in to total fanboy mode, let me just say that I had given up seeing them live. I honestly thought that there wouldn't be a chance in hell that they'd come over and perform here. Never say never I guess.

The great thing with the concert? They sang a lot of stuff from the first album, including Jumper, Narcolepsy, How's It Gonna Be, apparent cult favorite Motorcycle Drive By and God Of Wine for the encore. Missing from the list was Blinded, which was perfectly fine by me, and a personal favorite of mine, I Want You (also known as my favorite *ahemahem* song). That's all right, the set ended with the band performing SCL; even though I was dehydrated from all the sweat, and hungry for passing up the buffet dinner, it was one final chance to rock out to one of my favorite songs of all time.

Just to wrap up a wonderful night of memories, it felt like graduation day for me all over again: the sky was gold, it was rose, I was taking sips of it through my nose, and I wish I could get back there.

World Record Breaking

2008-09-07T19:24:00.003+08:00

Here's something to add to your "distinctly Filipino quirks" list. It's not a party if there's no world record to break. File it right beside "Giant Wooden Spoon and Fork".

Remember all those kissers some Valentines Day ago? What about those fish roasters in Dagupan City and General Santos? So, throwing a grand event? Make sure you plan to break a world record to make it count; no matter how ludicrous it may sound.

I really thought last night was the "Most People Wearing A Scarf in 80% Humidity, 35 C Weather In An 8-Person Per Square Meter Area" world-record breaking activity. Close, but San Miguel made sure we were aware of what claim to fame we were gunning for: World's Longest Bar. Spoiler alert - we did bag the record, with a length of over 600 meters. Great job for the organisers, but couldn't they tie it up with "Longest Octoberfest Celebration"? This year's Octoberfest starts in September, but ends in January. Wow, more world mysteries as we roll this blog.

But the biggest mystery would be, how come Third Eye Blind wasn't too publicized? Thanks to Benj and the rest of the blogging community, I was able to catch wind of the event, and get inside the venue.

US Open 2008: Men's Quarterfinals

2008-09-03T18:55:00.003+08:00

Nadal vs Fish
In a rematch of Indian Wells, expect a change of coasts, but not of outcome. Nadal has been unstoppable since the start of the clay season, and his quest to end the year with a flourishwill not stop here. Fish will try to outserve the Spaniard, and he probably will, but he will most probably be out-returned as well. With Fish throwing piercing winners, expect Nadal to return most of them wil interest. Four sets should do the trick.

Del Potro vs Murray
Sorry, I thought this was the "Most Improved Haircut" category. But hey, look up their old photos, JMDP's Frankenstein look will give Murray's Krusty The Klown hair. Oh yeah, we were talking tennis. Finally. Murray's guile is now matched with his sense of balance, and you can see that shine through in Cincinnati. With 4 straight tournaments in tow, he's definitely this season's breakout star. This will be decided by a coin flip, and should this go the distance of 5 sets, expect the Scot to fire up his campaign for a first Slam. I think it will, but it will not save us from the bicep pumping exercise please.

Roddick vs Djokovic
Include me to the group of people who's actually written off Andy to win another major. He's proven me wrong, with a stellar first week then capping it off with a sensational win of hard hitter Gonzalez. He's been playing grounded tennis, less of the fancy powershots, and more of the patient slice backhand game. Honestly, I'm bored, but if it takes him a step further, then New York and the rest of the US will have something to celebrate. Djokovic, on the other hand had a slight blip against up and comer Cilic, and turned into a nightmare with Robredo. Hopefully the Serb will pick up the pieces there, and peak right in time for another final in Flushing.

Muller vs Federer
I would've chosen Nole or Roger to take the title, but their 4R challengers took away their mantle of invincibility. This section of the draw is stacked, and Federer still may salvage his worst season in 5 years with a title run. He probably won't lose to a qualifier, and he should be able to save enough energy to face the withered winner of the Andy-Nole encounter.

Semis and Final
I'd choose Federer and Nadal. It's going to be another thrilling final match up, and I'm crossing fingers that the Swiss will not end the year Slamless.

US Open 2008: Women's Quarterfinals

2008-09-02T18:16:00.003+08:00

Flavia vs Dinara
Looks like a winnable match for Lil Sister - with rising confidence and falling champions in her draw this should be a walk in the park for her to reach another Slam semifinal. Given that it's the hardcourts, expect Dinara to shine in straight sets.

Venus vs Serena
A very joyous occassion for American tennis fans. What they missed out in Beijing and an awful schedule in London, they will gladly make up on primetime. Both sisters have been cruising since W, but I would gladly give the edge to sister Serena. It's payback time, and has anyone noticed, she's World # 3 already? For all that popcorn factor, let's see this one stretch into the morning with 3 sets.

Elena vs Patty
Nice to see the remaining Swiss Miss to sneak in quietly in the draw. However, I don't think she'll be contesting for the title, and with a bonafide contender in Dementieva, consider her hopes dashed. I've seen 3 matches by Elena, and I've noticed that people have stopped picking on her serve. The signs are coming true! Two long sets here.

Sybille vs Jelena
She's the highest seed left, yet she hardly looks the part. She's lucky that Sybille is new to the big stage, and given the rowdy NY crowd and night lights, the Austrian might crumble to pressure. She should draw up her previous matches, and come out blazing - Jelena, show em you're in the mix to win the competition.

Semis and Final
I wanted a Jelena-Elena final, to guarantee that one of them will finally graduate from kiddie table onto the Slam Winners elite. If I was to choose which one of them is ripe to hold that trophy and 1.4 Mn USD booty, I'd side by the Russian. By this time, the Serb would've wilted from all that match play. To make her win credible, a final test with Serena Williams should to the trick.

US Open 2008: Men's Draw

2008-08-25T19:02:00.002+08:00

Men's Draw
Defending Champion: Roger Federer

First Quarter
It's been a golden run so far for Nadal, and what an exclamation point would it be to end the year in electric NYC? Given his stellar gameplay in the past months, it's hard to imagine that he'll coast through the draw, Berydch in R16. His opponent, is a bit of a toss up. Nalbandian, Fish and Monfils might show, but based on past performance expect Blake to bring the noise, and put on a fight in Flushing Meadows.

QF Match: Nadal vs Blake

Second Quarter
After winning four straight tournaments in a row, the obvious summer pick is Del Potro. He's got a breakthrough draw, whose major threat is Ferrer, who ended up playing on clay after Wimbledon. On the bottom section of this quadrant, choices come around aplenty. Fireplace Stan (sorry, I didn't get the joke in Beijing), Youzhny, and Lopez have equal chances to go beyond the final 16, but I would pick on Murray (despite his Olympic flop) after his win in Cincinnati.

QF Match: Del Potro vs Murray

Third Quarter
Comparing with the past section, this one is completely stacked. You've already got Djokovic in Federer's half, but Nole has a lot more things to take care of before getting to the final 4. He's up against recent winner Cilic, or Safin, then will move on to the winner of the Gulbis-Roddick match. Perhaps Olympic medalist Gonzalez? Keep your eyes peeled for this section, as fireworks are sure to come on.

QF Match: Gonzalez vs Djokovic

Fourth Quarter
The good news is Federer has the easiest draw of them all. The bad news is, this hasn't been his year. It's his last chance to salvage a Slamless season, and with Nadal's star burning so brightly, Roger will need to have an amazing two weeks to get past Djokovic and Nadal. It's not that he's been having a bad year, it's just he hasn't been playing up to standard as of late. Can Sampras sleep better now that his Slam record is safe?

QF Match: Gasquet vs Federer

Some matches to watch:
Clement vs Djokovic in 1R
Roddick vs Santoro - Who will turn up to be the better showman?
Johansson vs Gulbis - A battle of the Baltics
Safin vs Moya in 3R - Former #1s chasing past glory, one may be too late, one had a dream run in Wimbledon

US Open 2008: Women's Draw

2008-08-25T18:56:00.003+08:00

Women's Draw
Defending Champion: Justine Henin

First Quarter
Though top seed and current World #1 Ana Ivanovic has had spotty results post-Roland Garros, her consistency is still the buoyant force in her game. I actually like this quadrant, and here's to hoping that Daniela to get some sort of resuscitation in her clump of late. Still, one wouldn't expect her to get far, as this year's biggest (and most consistent) revelation in the women's tour Dinara lurks in R16.

QF Match: Ana vs Dinara

Second Quarter
Really, nothing happening in the section of the draw, except for a Williams sisters showdown. Of all the Eastern European ladies threatening to rain on that party, I would choose the lanky Agnieszka to have the best chance of ruining a repeat of this year's Wimbledon final.

QF Match: Serena vs Venus

Third Quarter
When Elena landed that silver in Athens, she was also able to bag 2 Grand Slam finals. Now with a gold in tow, it's her best chance to graduate from the Non-Slam Winners club. It's reasonably, soft, and mostly a Russian army in the wings (8 out of 32 in that quarter alone).

QF Match: Elena vs Svetlana

Fourth Quarter
I'm not sure whether former world #1 Jelena (so what if it's a 1 week reign) still has gas in the tank, but hopefully she has one final spurt to run up to a Grand Slam. Still, her time is running out, and without a finals appearance to show, she'd better cut down on those tourneys and get herself some rest.

QF Match: Vera vs Jelena

Some matches to watch:

Na vs Shahar in 1R - Na missed bagging a medal in her home Olympics, but expect her to carry the momentum here. Compatriot Jie had a wonderful run in London, so why can't she?
Lindsay vs Vera in 4R - If Davenport gets past young Canadian Wozniak in the opening round, treat this as a final song in the American's encore year.

Sssh!

2008-08-20T19:51:00.003+08:00

This blog has mostly been quiet the past few days. Before I get a close with the Olympics and dust up for the US Open, I'm filling this blog with a boring entry. Yaaaawn. Next week?

Lifehouse In Concert

2008-07-30T17:50:00.004+08:00

Sneaky me, I collapsed my trusty 400D, and smuggled it into the venue. There are a lot of blurry photos, but, I tried my best.

So, life goal attained. Good thing they didn't sing "Everything", I wasn't ready with my wedding proposal yet. Until then. Yup, it's that big.

Scratch Two Things From My Life Goals

2008-07-28T16:11:00.002+08:00

It's looking like 2008 is my year. It's only the seventh month, and I've already completed not one, but two of my life goals. Granted that my life goals aren't really held 'high and lofty', but the fact that I can take them out of my list is achievement already.

Attend a tennis Grand Slam. Check - you've read all about it last February. And just this weekend, I had just finished 'See one of your favorite music artists in concert'. The list of people I have to see perform live isn't exactly a long one, so the chances of completing this life task isn't as easy as you'd think.

Who made it to that list? Garbage, but since they broke up, a reunion tour wouldn't be in the works anytime soon. Daft Punk - they hold their concerts every 10 years, and I missed Alive 2007 in Sydney by only a couple of days. Last on the list, lo and behold, Lifehouse.

I had promised myself 2 years ago that if Lifehouse were to perform in SE Asia, and skip the Philippines, I would definitely pick up plane tickets to watch them, wherever that may be. Luckily, Jason Wade and the boys decided to go to Manila - and nowhere else. Someone must've pulled some major strings to have them break their North American roadshow and cross the Pacific and 12 time zones to perform here.

So, whoever did that, mucho thanks! That's one life goal completed last weekend!

Portuguese Chicken Saved My Macau

2008-07-18T19:49:00.003+08:00

Despite my conflicting schedule, I still managed to squeeze a Macau visit. By squeeze, I mean 2 hours in Macau - 3 if you count the time I wasted queueing for immigration. If being harried so bad from trying to catch my return ferry to HK was miserable enough, it rained hard when I was in Macau. I love my quirky city walks, and believe me, it's no fun when you don't have an umbrella, or when you're galoshing through puddles.

However, all was washed away when I had lunch. I literally stumbled into a Macanese eatery (called Cidade on Rua de Sao Laurenco), and fortunately, someone knew how to speak English. The kind fellow recommended Portuguese Chicken and here's what it looks like.

It may look like curry, but it's kind of far from that taste. The sauce is a buttery concoction, plus the oven-burnt chicken skin adds a yummy smoky taste to the chicken. Apart from those delectable custard pies, now I have something to look forward to my next Macau visit. Apart from seeing the city other than the ferry terminal.

Hongkong My Love

2008-07-17T16:18:00.003+08:00

Going back few blog posts earlier, what did I do in HK? I walked, battled 95% humidity, and had a fantastic time. Sorry Singapore, but Hongkong kicks your ass big time. Despite having terrible, terrible humidity (as if you're being slapped by a warm, damp piece of cloth as you emerge from an airconditioned room), my HK experience was definitely awesome.

Let me count the ways Hongkong trumps Singapore's bum. The battle of an amazing skyline goes hands down to where IM Pei, Norman Foster, and Pelli have laid their works. And with HK tearing down more heritage buildings as we speak (or type), expect more shiny high rises to sprout in the future.

Transport is their well-machine. The airport has a convenient check-in counter right at the heart of the city, the ferries are numerous, plus Chek Lap Kok is absolutely gorgeous. They link nearby locales such as Shenzhen, Macau and the rest of China so easily.

To be fair to Singapore, Changi is chock-full of amenities, so despite the carpeted, stuffy interior, it wins the "Most Useful Airport". Plus, the cultural diversity around the city (Little India, Arab Street, Peranakan lane) is much to be envied.

Still, HK gets my two thumbs up as my favorite SE Asian city (if it counts as SEA), trumping Bangkok, Hanoi, Saigon, Phnom Penh, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur. Manila, my love, you are exempt, of course.

A Protege in the Making

2008-07-15T22:17:00.002+08:00

I've been in love with my DSLR since last year, but was trumped when I handed it to Sophia, a 6-year old (belated happy birthday!) prodigy. Her shots put mine to shame, and she definitely has an eye for color and placement. Well, at least I'll be one of the few to lay claim that I handed her my camera first.

The Greatest Match Of All Time

2008-07-14T07:37:00.003+08:00

After a long-standing (7-years!) invitation to visit a place that's only 2 hours away, I finally made it to Hongkong. Yup, there may be a lot of pictures right here of other places, but the perennial Filipino favorite, HK, has not been tread by yours truly. Until now.

However, let me start with the things that I did not do:
I did not go to Disneyland.
I did not go to Ocean Park.
I did not take a side trip to Shenzhen.
I did not go shopping at the night markets.
I did not even have Cantonese food.

So, what did I actually do there? As agreed with Mida, we went on to watch tennis history. Not just a match, but HISTORY. We saw, until dawn, the Roger-Rafa Wimbledon final. Through rain, darkness, there was an electric magic through Centre Court that day. Pure genius from both ends of the court. Though the result is not what I had wanted, it was such a pity that someone had to lose that epic battle. If last year's final was hailed to be a titanic match, 2008's culminating match was for the ages.

Enough tennis for now. More on my trip. Later.

The Jump

2008-07-10T22:05:00.003+08:00

Like I was saying before I got interrupted by Wimbledon, I jumped off a cliff, literally. Whee.

Wimbledon 2008: Gentlemen's Quarterfinals

2008-07-02T09:51:00.002+08:00

In an upset-filled 2-weeks, and bright, bright sunshine, could it be that a British winner be the final surprise?

QF Match: Federer vs Ancic
The last man to defeat Federer on grass is back, and hopefully in full health. Attorney Ancic must've been weathered from his 8-6 win in the 5th in the previous round, but with a day of rest, we're ready to see him in full force. Federer's performance has been downplayed but make no mistake, he's still the one to beat in this competition. Even Borg has called him out, but it's definitely time to turn up the volume and claim what is rightfully his. Federer in four sets.

QF Match: Safin vs Lopez
Who would've thought that the real Marat Safin would show up and defeat, err, shame the pompous Djokovic? Throw all recent results away, because we're talking about the mercurial Russian. It's also nice to see Lopez (the only other Spanish player that thrives on grass, imho) make it this far, but I'm crossing my fingers for Safin to re-emerge as one of the titans of the game. Straight sets for Safin.

QF Match: Schuettler vs Clement
In a battle of former Aussie Open finalists (both losing to Agassi), it's pretty hard to pick which one of them will have the advantage on this surface. Just based on previous results, I would have to pick Clement to squeeze a win.

QF Match: Murray vs Nadal
Looking for a high-octane match? This one will have an electric crowd, a fiery competitor, and a tantrum throwing home favorite all for show on Centre Court. After his from-the-grave turnaround against Gasquet, Andy Murray is finally putting himself together and giving the very hard-to-please British crowd a real battle. Nadal's routine demolition of Youzhny in R16 did hit one snag - an impending injury. It's hard to let down 15,000 spectators on the bleachers (and hundreds more on Murray Mound), so I'm going to root for Murray to get past grass season's hottest pick and let the British fans rejoice for one more day.

Semis and Final
The last time Federer and Safin met at a Slam semifinal, we all knew what happened, and can we expect to see the same here? I'm still rooting for Wimby #6 and Slam #12, but I bet on Murray a long time ago to be a contender for the majors, and a final appearance has been long overdue. Safin to win it all? That should be a good story, because of all his batchmates (Hewitt, Roddick, Ferrero, etc), he's the only one that really threaten the players of today and the upcoming ones.

Wimbledon 2008: Ladies Quarterfinals

2008-07-01T00:48:00.003+08:00

So, all top 4 seeds are gone, just one of them making it to the second week to actually contest the #1 spot. Then again, Wimbledon has always been a Williams affair, and this year, the show is about to continue.

QF Match: Jie vs Nicole
It was luck that saved a sloppy Ivanovic in 2R, but that wasn't enough to escape the doubles specialist Zheng in the round of 32. Steady groundstrokes make up her game, but with a revived Vaidisova, perhaps she should be ready for some heavy running. Speaking of Nicole, it's nice to see her finally string back to back wins this year. Hope she can put it together and go one past her 2007 result. The Czech in 3 sets.

QF Match: Agnieszka vs Serena
Like I said, it's one-way street here at Centre Court for the sisters, but if there was one to derail that train, it would be this teenager. Save for the drubbing in one set, she played courageous tennis attacking a tentative kuznetsova in the previous round. Which leads to calling myself out for shelving Serena; she won 3 titles on the trot, but lacked inspiration in Paris. It looks like she's back on track but here I go crossing fingers gain to root for the happy-looking Pole to eke out a 3-set win.

QF Match: Elena vs Nadia
What is a Grand Slam QF without an all-Russian match? I'm just crossing my fingers that the new and improved Dementieva comes out here to finally breakthrough on grass. Good serving an consistent baseline play will deliver Elena to the SF in straight sets.

QF Match: Venus vs Tamarine
Two asians in the QF, yey! It's a battle of 2 veterans here, one who's reached the 4th round six times already, while the other has won it four times. Though it's pretty obvious who's going on top with this one, just would like to highlight that grass seems to be Tammy's surface of choice. Remember when she defeated Hantuchova, and celebrated prematurely? That one's a classic.

Semis and Final
It's going to be a tough road for Radwanska, but she's won this one before, but she didn't face two Williams. One is wishful thinking at this stage of her young career, but two (at Wimbledon at that) might be stretching it. I'm going to play it safe and anticipate that the star of Venus will shine on final Saturday.

A Hundred Islands of No Rain

2008-06-30T23:27:00.003+08:00

So, not to be oblivious and insensitive, but when Typhoon Frank tore apart Manila, we were busy with an impromptu adieu to summer. I've never been Pangasinan for more than 4 hours (just passing through!), and reaching one of the westernmost points of Luzon was indeed an interesting sight.

I've been meaning to return to Hanoi and take a boat at Halong Bay, but a day at Hundred Islands suited me just fine. So as a mini-review, the place was awesome not just because of the great natural wonders surrounding you; but I loved it because I felt that it was an easy thing to do. Let me explain, if I was backpacking across SE Asia, and wanted to see Hundred Islands, it's such a breeze to take a bus to Alaminos, hire a trike to Lucap (the seaside barangay), then hire a boat for the whole day. All rates are fixed and posted at the tourist center, so you don't have to worry being ripped off. Rates for the boats go lower if you stay at one of the nearby lodges. Total expenses for the 2-day trip? 2.1k, very reasonable.

There are a bunch of (developed) islands to choose from, but the pic above was where we had our packed lunch: we had it half-swimming in the water, and under this cove. It's really one of the more unique, local, and most enjoyable vacations I've had in recent memory. The summary? See below:

ps. As a parting shot, we jumped of a cliff into the water in one of the islands. Good thing a friend was sissy enough to chicken out and take the video.

Juuuump!

Wimbledon 2008

2008-06-23T23:28:00.001+08:00

Gentlemen's Singles
Defending Champion: Roger Federer

First Quarter
It's the Federer Show Season Six! This year's ensemble (at least in this quarter) of the draw is played by returning guests (Ancic, Hewitt, Hrbaty), cast additions (Haase and Nishikori), and possible cameos (Berdych, Ferrer). We've seen a harder path before, but mowing through the draw should be very easy for Federer. I'm hoping that the slump with Berdych has already stopped, and he turns in a better performance for 2008.

QF Match: Federer vs Berdych

Second Quarter
With a triad as a rivalry platform in tennis, the excitement is built up starting from the draws. Which half would Djokovic land on this year? Federer's. But that still a far 10 days away. His game against Marat Safin beckons to be a thriller of a 2nd round match.
A lot of complains with the seedings this year, and Baghdatis is one of the few benficiaries - still his draw opens to Johansson, Karlovic, and possibly Nalbandian before putting up shop against Nole in the quarters. However, I think it's high time that the tall Karlovic benefit from the surface, and snag a quarterfinal appearance.

QF Match: Djokovic vs Karlovic

Third Quarter
Though he wasn't able to defend his Queen's Club title, Roddick's semifinal made people remember that he is still very much part of the Top10 of the ATP. We suddenly forget him, come clay season. His draw is pretty interesting, as he could meet compatriot James Blake in the R16.

Instead of adjusting his game to grass, Davydenko preferred to nurse his claycourt hangover by sweating it out in Warsaw. He's never really done well here, so I'm picking someone else.

QF Match: Roddick vs Niemenen

Fourth Quarter
The most interesting quarter so far. Nadal is ready to usurp Federer crown on the grass, and his title at Queens Club was a breakthrough for all the dirtballers of Spain. Watch out though, as my bet Ernests Gulbis might face him in the second round, and that should be a pretty good test.
There's the injured Gasquet that should be readily upset by Fish in the opening round, and a Haas-Murray clash in the third round. With on-court antics a-plenty - worm-dancing (Stepanek), head-bleeding (Youzhny) and racket-shooting (Kiefer), this quarter is the definite source of entertainment for the fortnight.

QF Match: Fish-Nadal

------

Ladies' Singles
Defending Champion: Venus Williams

Ooops, ran out of time.... so:

QF Match: Ana vs Anna
QF Match: Svetlana vs Serena
QF Match: Lindsay vs Maria
QF Match: Venus vs Jelena

Summer Mix 2008

2008-06-14T17:38:00.003+08:00

It's a bit late, but here's what my MP3 player was playing during the past couple of months; it my Summer 2008 mix.

1. Gavin DeGraw - His sophomore, eponymous outing, sadly feels like some showpieces from American Idol, a swagger here, then a belt-out finale. Gone are his self-righteous declarations, enter an angrier, slighted singer. Yet, the album is still catchy, almost like the debut, but some riffs just sound like taken from a hillbilly roadhouse. Anyway, I like the album enough to keep it on rotation.

2. Arctic Monkeys/Favourite Worst Nightmare - Admittedly, the first one took quite a while for it to grow on me. After several repeats of Put on your dancing shoes, you dirty little swine!, it was a headbanging, awkward-dancing affair. Their second album didn't take much acclimatisation, this one caught on fast. Teddy Picker, D Is For Dangerous and Flourescent Adolescent stand out to be really listenable. Full credit to Arctic Monkeys for bringing the pop into indie; and like their swipe at Brian in Brianstorm, top marks for not even trying.

3. Scouting For Girls - This year's summer anthem is brought to you by this UK act. I'm always on the hunt for for a zippity, skippity, boppity (I'll stop now) song that defines the energy, and carefree attitude of summer. Summery. (I have got to stop inventing words.) They sound like Counting Crows, with more piano that feels like taken from a stage musical. There's even a quirky tribute to Sean, Roger, George, Timmy, Pierce and Daniel at the end of the album. The entire album is pieced with short happy tunes that you'll enjoy walking under the crisp yellow sun while listening to it.

4. Red Jumpsuit Apparatus/Don't You Fake It - I don't like the emo-shouting at all. However, their slower pieces Your Guardian Angel and Cat & Mouse warrant some airplay. Probably some self-emoting in the car. But no shouting! Kids in America, tsk, tsk, tsk.

5. OneRepublic - Don't let Timbaland's popular remix of their hit Apologize throw you off. There's a lot more on offer from the band, and I am reminded of the time I used to listen to The Calling, matchbox20, and the sort. The music is way different, but alternative rock nonetheless. The falsettos aren't exactly my cup of tea, but hey, the melodies work out all right.

Overexposed!

2008-06-11T07:33:00.005+08:00

I may have mentioned somewhere that I have had a book published. Whoops, how immodest! Screw that, that 's why I have a blog anyway.

So, I signed up for Flickr - that explains that badge of little photos moving around to your right. They have a tie up with Blurb (www.blurb.com), that lets you download a software, and create a book with your uploaded photos. It's easy as peanuts, and there are lots of photo layouts to choose from. It took me quite a while to put together my favorite photos, it's actually because my other laptop is so old, at it emits this faint hum when operational.

Plus, I had to carefully select the photos I want to include, since extra pages cost extra bucks. The end result is a coffee-book looking hardbound masterpiece that has some of the best things I've seen during my travels. Total cost is somewhere around 25 USD plus shipping. One word of advise though, Blurb ships to the Philippines, but it'll cost you around 60 USD. Best if you send it to someone in the US; shipping will be one-tenth the overseas price.

So here's my little book, doesn't the cover look familiar? (Scroll down this page, you'll see the same exact photo).

The exhibit you say? AFP Theater. Two of my photos were on display as part of my in-work Photography class. Really, no biggie, but hey, I got published and my works were on public display. Not bad at all.

Roland Garros 2008: Quarterfinal Predictions

2008-06-03T07:45:00.003+08:00

Women's Quarterfinals
Defending Champion: Justine Henin

With former champion Serena Williams and sister Venus leaving the tournament early, and title holder and top-ranked Justine Henin surprisingly bidding the game adieu, the women's field is ready to crown a new winner on the terre battue. The game is wide open, and with minimal shockers in the first week, we're all in for a treat once the tournament reaches the final eight.

QF Match: Dinara vs Elena
Back to back all-Russian encounters ate up my evening last night. It was a truly delightful match, though I was expecting to see Maria and Vera here instead. However, I was cheeering for these two; Dinara's steady performance against the top seed was definitely a showcase of maturity - she was never ahead of Sharapova, and was ready to be swept away in straight sets. Still, that patient shot making and clever shot selection of hers pulled through. Dementieva on the other hand, has steadily worked her way into the second week. I'm likely to choose Little Sis on this account, her Tier I win in Berlin included scrapes against Justine, Serena, and yes, even Dementieva in the final. Another entertaining three sets here.

QF Match: Svetlana va Kaia
Since both matches aren't finished yet as of press time, let's keep this short - I just might jinx both of them. I'm looking for Kuzzie to reach the final 2, but another compatriot needs to be taken out before that happens. We'll see.

QF Match: Carla va Jelena
The only seed that Jelena has met was Polish teenager Aggie R, and that turned out to be a rather impressive affair for her. And with all the chips falling her way (facing an unseeded opponent), except for one - injury. Still, it's expected that she wins this match, in straight sets, but not enough to go beyond the semis.

QF Match: Patty vs Ana
Claycourt veteran and lefty Patty might give last year's runner up some trouble, but the blooming Ivanovic has the side of youth and fitness on her side. She may not have the stellar warn-up tournaments results, but her double bagel trumping prior to this round looks very ominous. Straight sets for the ravaging beauty Ivanovic.

--------------------------------------

Men's Quarterfinals
Defending Champion: Rafael Nadal

"Oh no!" you say, not another Rafa-frustrating-Federer final! This year, there's a twist, an emerging Djokovic is ready to spoil these plans, and the quartefinal lineup is interesting enough to keep us all glued to our TV sets all week.

QF Match: Federer vs Gonzalez
Not seeing any surprises - it's Federer to show up on the last day of the tournament. Hopefully, he won't be a bridesmaid this time to Nadal's 4th crown.

QF Match: Monfils vs Ferrer
About time that the former French junior #1 perform well in slams - at his home tournament at that. I must admit that I wasn't able to follow his matches, so I can't make a good call on his battle with David Ferrer. I'm going to pick Ferrer, just because he eliminated the possibility of seeing worm-dancing on courts.

QF Match: Gulbis vs Djokovic
If I was to choose an unseeded player, I would've chosen the Latvian in the Fantasy League. In his US Open debut, he made it all the way to the 4th round, and in his 2nd RG, a QF appearance (darn, he crashed out early in Melbourne, would've had a chance to see him in person). Folks, look at a player of the future, just hoping he doesn't turn out to be a total nutcase like my last pick, Andy Murray.

Sorry, back to the game. Though Novak does have a steadier game, and hordes of experience, I wouldn't count Gulbis out - the Latvian plays a patient, composed and well-measure type of tennis, not typical of someone who is just in his 5th Grand Slam event. Him winning might be a long shot, but not impossible. I'm going on a whim here and say he's going to pull through in 4.

QF Match: Almagro vs Nadal
This matchup took forever, but here it is. The King of Clay meets the King of Smaller Claycourt Tournaments. Almagro has been long picked to breakthrough in the big stage, but always comes up short. Here he is to prove his mettle against the game's true heavyweight. Alas, this will be short-lived, 3-time winner has yet to lose a match here and most likely won't lose this one. Straight sets.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of Cliches

2008-05-31T15:59:00.001+08:00

Me, my couchsurfer, and a friend went off to see Harrison Ford reprise his role as Indiana Jones. I just couldn't resist Cate Blanchett, that's why. However, we were gravely (pun alert!) disappointed with the movie - it was an exercise of cliche counting for me and my friends. Spoilers beware, but here's the list, in random order:

1. Falling off waterfalls
2. Plastic wigs
3. Long lost son
4. Mayans
5. Aliens
6. Roswell
7. Love angles
8. Raving lunatic of an oracle
9. Groundhogs
10. A spiffy outfit (that's never wrinkled)
11. Weddings
12. Distracting accents

We're still figuring out if everything was done tongue-in-cheek but don't think so. If you've got more cliches to add, please do!

A Floating Market

2008-05-13T07:15:00.008+08:00

One of Bangkok's touristy spots that I've never experienced yet is a visit to the floating markets. We made good on that this trip, thanks to our new super best best friend Mary. That leaves a trip to Ko Kret and Lopburi for the next Bangkok expedition.

So anyway, it was another overpriced market (save all your shopping for Chatuchak, always has been my guideline). It was a good thing that we came to the floating markets quite early, when the sun provided gentle lighting, and there weren't too many tourists running around and getting on/off the boats. It was nice to join a group tour, where you don't have to worry about connections etc. However, it gets a bit annoying if you keep going to places you don't want to go. I remember going to The Greatest Show On Earth - a cobra show. Yaiks. No, I didn't go in, I hate snakes and I loved the last remaining 200 baht in my wallet.

Back In Bangkok

2008-05-10T17:15:00.005+08:00

While I was happily hopping around Australia last January, my best buddies bought me a ticket to Bangkok. So, for our traditional summer outing (so far we've had Baguio, EK, Anilao, Galera, Nasugbu/Iloilo-Guimaras), our 7th Annual Summer Let's-Play-Cards-Somewhere-Else Bonding event, we went international.

The Land of Smiles was, well, less smiling when we got there, but hey, with a more humid, more dank, weather, who can blame them. Oh, the traffic (as viewed from their BTS) looked more pitiful than ours.

Since it was my 3rd visit already in 4 years, I made the itinerary, and became tour guide (I was handsomely rewarded with elephant allusions and unflattering photos), we just did the touristy bit. Grand Palace! Reclining Buddha! Wat Arun!

7 out of 10 people who had cameras were using DSLR camera. Wow, they made DSLR cameras look "normal". Oh well. Everybody wants to have good photos, and with a backdrop as stunning as Bangkok, who can blame them? *raises guilty hand*

All these photos were taken from The Grand Palace++ Complex, and I was careful not to repeat a photo I took a couple of years ago. Anyway, I love the Angkor Wat replica, and having seen the real deal myself, I couldn't help but smile, and stand in awe. Here's a nice tunnel shot from that replica.

All right, that was Day One of the trip - by the end of our day, our pants were sweaty as hell that flies won't even come near.

Happy Summer!

2008-05-09T14:28:00.003+08:00

It took a month coupled with a week-long bout with a bacterial infection for me to conjure this blog entry. Oh well. Thanks to Benj, his diagnosis was close. I'm feeling a bit better, and should be in full recovery by the weekend.

I have news -blockbuster movie season, my published book, my latest trip, a book blowout, and this summer's music mix. Lots, I know, and I promise to blog more often. But hold your horses, not just now.

Playing on my W910i: Wow by Kylie Minogue. Nice to see Kylie back in the dancefloor. This song has summer written all over it, less of the sultry stuff, more of the bobbing-your-head, and tapping-your-feet sunshine feel.

Happy Summer everyone!

An Emo Shirt

2008-04-14T10:26:00.003+08:00

Funny I saw a shirt that featured "Emo Pickup Lines." One totally floored me. It says, "Do you blog here often?"

Well, I'm on the hunt for a Psych shirt. Paging Joey.