Highlights of my P1,500-worth Josh Groban Concert Experience

- P1,500 is cheap if you know that in high street, the ticket costs P3,000 (the cheapest from a price that summits at a whopping P20k!). I got the ticket from Zarah whose dad backed out on the last minute. She, by the way, got her tickets from a friend in Smart (clever!);

- The concert started at exactly 20 minutes past eight in the evening. PICC-ing was last done ages ago;

- I was wearing my office get-up (black tops with pinstripes, gray pants). My peeps observed that I was too formal (for code reviewing and internal designs?). I gladly confirmed that, yeah, I was too formal and, yes, I will be watching Josh Groban that night. I intended not to share the ticket price for them to keep on guessing that maybe I bought an expensive ticket but was too shy to admit (ha-ha!);

- Josh is as tall as the geeky-looking guy from his album covers. Manila cheered and screamed for him even before the opening song which I didn’t know the title;

- Most songs are from the latest album “Awake”. I realized that I was watching Josh Groban live when he sang “You’re Still You” and other hits;

- "The Prayer" was beautifully sung with our very own Lani Misalucha;

- Lucia Micarelli is one hot violinist. She stole my attention. Sexy dress, bare feet, a rocker attitude and a violin solo of Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir”. Now I’m jealous of Josh Groban;

- We were seated in the balcony’s Row A (which could be misleading since it’s at the front row located in the left most part of the hall). It’s a relief though when Josh played the piano from time to time and he had to face our side;

- T-shirts cost P800 to a grand, depending on the length of the sleeves. I got the black one with Josh Groban on it, sitting on a corner of what seems like a cheap motel bed with the word “Awake” on his feet. The list of the concert stops for this leg is printed on the back (Australia and Philippines only);

- His last song was Michael Jackson’s “She’s Out of my Life”;

- The show’s almost smooth except for a scene with a mom and her little daughter. In between staged encores, the mom in red dress put her hija on the stage’s edge and was joined by Josh out of politeness. The kiddo gave Josh a bunch of flowers but she was not smiling and was not overwhelmed at all by what was happening. It was obvious that the cute girl was forced to do this act as the mom captured the moment with a digital cam. The mom later on single-handedly took another photograph, this time only with her and Josh. This part of the show ended when a Caucasian security staff gently put the kiddo down (while the mom was perhaps checking if the photos that she took were OK);

- I spotted Julius Babao, Tintin Bersola, Joel Lamangan and Manny Valera. The other night, I read from PDI, had Rufa Mae Quinto, Erik Santos, Imelda Marcos and Cory Aquino;

- I particularly like the live version of “You Raise Me Up” though I was expecting some bagpipes and that too Irish intro (which always makes the Westlife version authentic);

- Four nights after, I am still dreaming of buying a Lucia Micarelli CD which I won’t be getting until next payday.

Isang Bukas na Liham mula sa Libingan ng mga Oso

Mahal ko,

Pasensya na kung nagte-text ko nang wala sa oras. Hindi ibig sabihin nito ay nami-miss kita at namamalimos ako ng pagtingin at panahon mo. Nagte-text ako at nagpaparamdam minsan dahil nalulungkot ako sa buhay at iba pang walang kinalaman sa ‘yo. Nagte-text ako dahil kailangan ko ng inspirasyon sa pamamagitan ng reply mong text. Kailangan ko ng salvation mula sa ‘yo.

Ikaw ang napili kong i-text dahil may kakaibang bigat ang mga text mo. Pinapalutang ako nito papalaot nang malayo sa mga problema. Sa pampang ay masisilayan ko ang kapanatagan. Ikaw lang ang may kakayahang lumikha n’yan. At bawiin. Meron din ang iba pero ang isang titik ng text mo ay katumbas ng ‘sanlibong titik ng text mula sa kanila. Iba ka dahil mahal kita.

Pero pinili mong hindi mag-reply. Karapatan (at karangyaan) mo namang hindi mag-reply. Baka wala ka sa mood o pinaparusahan mo lang ako dahil nag-aanyong kakulitan ang aking panaghoy. Pasensya na kung ginawa kong mawala ka sa mood. Pasensya na kung nagmukha akong makulit at hindi halatang nangangailangan ng pampang.

Namatay ako kamakailan lamang. Pero ‘wag mong sisihin ang sarili mo. Wala ka namang kasalanan dito. Hindi ko na nakuha pang pahabain ang pag-asa kong makakatanggap pa ng reply mula sa ‘yo. Hanggang d’un lang ang kinaya ng power nito. Ang puntod na ito ay walang halong paghuhusga. Ganun talaga ang buhay. At kamatayan. Lahat ay may sariling buhay at sariling kamatayan. Walang sinulid na nagdudugtong sa bawat isa kahit na lahat tayo ay nanabik na maiangkla sa ibang isla.

Ang liham na ito ay liham-pasasalamat. Salamat sa pagiging ikaw. Salamat sa buhay at kamatayan. Salamat sa iniambag mo sa kaakuhan ko. Ang kaluluwa ko, kung meron man kaming mga oso, ay patuloy na magbabantay sa ‘yo sa ayaw mo’t hindi. Salamat sa tapang na sa kabila ng kamatayan ay nakukuha ko pa ring magbantay sa ‘yo.

Paalam at text you later, alligator.

Nagmamahal,
Oso Camacho

A Pretentious Take on Pelicula 2007

One of the things that I love being here in the metro is watching film festivals sponsored by some foreign cultural centers like Instituo Cervantes, Japan Foundation, Alliance Francaise and Goethe Institut for a minimal fare if not for free. I haven’t been to a weeklong German Film Fest here yet but I had my share of adventures with Eiga Sai (at one point, they were screening films at PCI/Equitable’s basement auditorium), French Film Fest (even before Ayala Center has THX cinemas, there was Louie’s THX Cinema in Milelong Building) and Spanish Film Fest (always conveniently screened here in Makati).

As for the latter, below are some peliculas that I have seen at Greenbelt 3 (film fest schedule was from October 1 to 14) for P65 each:

1. Los Ultimos de Filipinas/The Last from the Philippines – A good way for me to start the festival, a sumptuous appetizer for what was about to come. The film was done in 1945 and in B&W. There’s something good about this war film. It tackles the struggles of the last Spaniard troop in the country specifically in a town called Baler. That time, they were already mutinied by Filipino townsfolk and were trapped inside a chapel. This happened roughly six months after the implementation of a treaty that all the troops from Spain should be pulled out from the Philippines and the Spaniards were clueless and doubtful. “Los Ultimos de Filipinas” deals with paranoia, hypocrisy, lost love and patriotism.

2. Ciudad en Celo/City in Heat – Don’t be misled by its title. It isn’t an R18-rated film comparable to “Sex and Lucia” or “Y Tu Mama Tambien”. The film undertakes a couple of characters intertwined by a tragic death of a friend. For sure, you’ve seen at least French film of the same genre: non-climactic, talky and reflective. The film ends with an event that reunites the characters, sideswept by love, betrayal, moving on and enjoying life as it is.

3. Salvador – This one’s based on true events. Salvador is our version perhaps of Lean Alejandro, a student activitist who was gunned down during the Martial Law era. Salvador, on the other hand, was killed during the 70’s through a “garote” (their “silya elektrika”), the same machine that killed our Gomburza. The film documents his struggles partly with the underground movement, his fight for the rights and his face-off with death. Salvador became an icon, as he was the last person to be executed for a political crime (he accidentally shot a policeman during a bust for an underground movement).

4. El Proximo Oriente/The Near East – Very fast-paced and too mainstream, a pleaser for Filipino moviegoers who are not yet immersed to European cinema. The film tells a not-so-new story of two brothers and their beautiful Asian neighbor. The superior one, a family man, got the woman pregnant but the inferior one was the one who married her. The cultural and personality clashes are presented in a funny and lighthearted way.

5. El Aura/The Aura – If I remember it right, this film is not really a Spanish film but an Argentinian film in Spanish language. Among the lot, this film is surprisingly good for a heist/crime film. It tells a story of the protagonist who accidentally shot an old man in the forest while deer hunting and eventually took on the shoes left by the departed. What follows is a story similar to a Coen Brothers plot with less humor and speaking lines. This is a fete for the filmmaker as I, its audience, tried to decypher the lead character’s psyche. “Aura”, by the way, is medical term connected to epilepsy. It is described as “a distinctive feeling or some other warning sign when a seizure is coming” (www.epilepsy.com).

6. Secret Life of Words – This film won this year’s Audience Choice Award and the screening that I attended was just an encore. It tells a story of an Eastern European woman with impaired hearing who is forced to take a leave from work. The place is probably in England or Ireland. During vacation, she out of the blue volunteered to nurse a patient whose body was severely burned in an accident. The place was an oilrig in the middle of the sea. It was so remote that even the female lead character has to be transported through a helicopter. Given the location and an astonishing cinematography, I was instantly shipped to a port of melancholy (very effective indeed). The film is in English language and starring a big name fish Tim Robbins as one of the main characters (no wonder it got the audience’s nod). He played the patient who has his own ghosts to haunt. The two lead characters eventually tranced into a passage of healing and recovery. A risk that they took and had won over. In some awkward scenes, a narrator with a voice like a child reads somebody else’s thoughts (probably the woman’s). As the film ends, the voice bades farewell as she realizes that the woman has already a fulfilled life of her own.

SIDE TRIP: I didn’t win in the raffle where the prize is a three-in-one package of a night’s stay at Hotel Sofitel, dinner at Alba’s and a language course at Instituto. Better luck next year, amigo.

Movie Digest # 025

SHOOT ‘EM UP
Glorietta 4, Cinema 2, September 25, 8:30pm

Campy! I am very biased when it comes to campy films and I got what I expected from this one. Of course, you have to leave your logic at home. Just bring in some style and a loud laugh. Swell fun.

Friends who might appreciate it: those who have watched some early Lito Lapid films.

EVENING
Glorietta 4, Cinema 7, October 4, 8:00pm

Very book-ish but I love this film. It’s well made, actually, too well made that it might get some nods at the Oscars. It’s one of those films that tackle the intricate world of a female psyche. The screenplay is co-written by Michael Cunningham, the guy behind the highly successful and critically acclaimed “The Hours”. So expect something like a multi-layered characterization and storytelling.

Friends who might appreciate it: evening and morning persons alike.

DECEMBER BOYS
Glorietta 4, Cinema 4, October 4, 10:30pm

If not for the film being predictable, “December Boys” is OK. For sure, I’ve seen something like that before. The finale scene, wherein two boys are about to drown and are later on apparitioned by an image of Virgin Mary, reminds me of a Jericho Rosales scene in “Tanging Yaman”. Feel good but predictable.

Friends who might appreciate it: Harry Potter (the movie) fans.

STARDUST
Greenbelt 3, Cinema 2, October 12, 4:15pm

It's very rare that a film adaptation surpasses the achievements realized from a book. "Stardust", I can say, is one of them. But I have nothing against the fantasy novel authored by THE Neil Gaiman (my signed paperback copy of "American Gods" is a cherished possession). It's just that the book isn't that eventfully cinematic. Let me confess: when I was reading the book, I was imagining scenes as big as the ones that I've seen from the film. It would be better if you read the book first then watch the film and not the other way around. "Stardust", the film, is very entertaining, a perfect popcorn film to cap the weekend.

Friends who might appreciate it: starstruck (not the show) mortals.

APAT DAPAT, DAPAT APAT
Glorietta 4, Cinema 6, October 13, 3:10pm

In a nutshell, I love this film. It's a nice and brave attempt for the filmmakers to try a Pinoy black comedy made specially for the mainstream market. You can still smell slapstick comedy but that's easily forgiven. Not perfect yet for its genre but it's almost there. I like the idea on how film documents friendship as it transcends time, life and death. The four lead characters definitely deliver but kudos should be given to its director, Wenn Deramas, who did an unpretentious take on dark humor. At Pinoy na Pinoy ang pagkakagawa. All the ingredients are there: melodrama, oppression, family issues and more.

Friends who might appreciate it: Kapamilyas with puso.

11th Hour
Glorietta 4, Cinema 5, October 13, 8:30pm

Another important documentary about the environment that is a must-see. Forget that it's narrated and produced by Leo Di Caprio but think of how we can help help ourselves. Kung meron mang drawback 'yung film, ito na siguro 'yung nag-uumapaw na kaalaman na nais ibahagi n'ung pelikula. It takes a broad and academic mind to absorb everything. Pang-Discovery Channel ang ilang treatment but it's worth watching just the same.

Friends who might appreciate it: those who have seen "An Inconvenient Truth".

Things 005: Manny Pacquiao Nike Shirt

Just in time for the Pacquiao - Barrera rematch on October 7 (which I will be watching live through a via satellite programming at Powerplant Cinemas), Nike Philippines launched a shirt with a print inspired by Manny Pacquiao's contribution as Pinoy sportsman. I've read an article from PDI explaining back-of-the-shirt's emblem but I'm too lazy to surf now. I scored the shirt (red and white colors only, intending to remind us with "sa pula, sa puti" thing?) for P895. It's a good buy though. I'll be wearing it during the fight. Go, go, tukayo! Let Barrera eat dust!

Weekend in One Paragraph

Evening of Friday was spent with office lunchmates watching Fall Out Boy concert at the Araneta Coliseum. The experience was far from falling out, no pun intended, except for the long queue courtesy of a thorough bag inspection. We only caught front act band Chicosci's last song and the most important yell of the segment, "Give your hands to Joel!". Hot calamansi juice and some sizzling pica-pica followed after at Grilla in Libis. 1am bedtime, 5:15am wake-up call. Saturday morning and most of the afternoon were bestowed building homes at Habitat for Humanity in Taguig. Tiring. But fulfilling. It was my first time to do something like that. Power nap came after and woke up at 6pm just in time for an event at Titus Brandsma along Rosario Drive. There was a jubilee celebration for the Carmelites. Poetry, food and music from Noel Cabangon. Hearing "Kanlungan" live for the first time was indeed a big deal. Late night was exhausted buying Robbie Williams' last two albums ("Rudebox" and "Intensive Care") at Greenbelt 3's Music One. I slept dreaming to get a copy of Rob's first two albums ("Life Thru a Lens" and "The Ego Has Landed"). Sunday morning started at noon mass followed by a Reposo walk to remember along with paintings on the wall. It was fun. Late lunch at Yellow Cab in the People Support building in Ayala corner Buendia. It was raining hard for 30 good minutes. 3pm, Avenue Q redux. The rest of the afternoon was coughed up buying a Bella Flores shirt for my landlady (a clever birthday gift) and Jessica Hagedorn's "Dogeaters" (soon to be staged by Atlantis Productions). Rested for roughly three hours. At 11pm, my roommate and I were at Blush Bar in Burgos trying to catch the Man U vs Chelsea game. It was comforting that we didn't catch the via satallite match because Chelsea lost, 2-0. There was a problem with the signal, informed by the girl in two-piece leading the pack of a dozen other GROs gyrating in an Akon song. Midnight and an SMB Light, a perfect concoction for a nice week ahead.

Flu Weekend and Beyond

This blog could be entitled "How to Bring a Roommate in your Hometown" but no, the flu and slight fever are too overwhelming not to pass for a subject.

All right. That weekend started with a morning breakfast at Goldilocks in the corner of Taft Avenue and Buendia. Hurriedly we were off to Lucena through Jac Liner.

At 11am-ish, we were already at SM Lucena. There was a mall-wide sale and it was a bit crowded. When we went to supermarket's baggage counter (the other counter's at the department store), we were asked by the staff where are we heading. It was odd but I understand what the guy was hitting at. We were carrying two big bags with retiring CDs and some clothes that are garage sale-ready. I lied by saying that we're getting something from the supermarket. The next 30 minutes were spent shopping for a pair of walkings shorts, some VCDs (Gaiman's "Mirrormask", Solito's "Tuli" and Topel Lee's debut film "Dilim") and a box of Red Ribbon goodies for my folks. What followed was a long waiting game with the FX that would bring us to Lopez. It was hot and energy zapping.

But I guess Saturday wasn't that bad because we met and got to know a BS Bio student from SLPC (in Lucban, Quezon) named Thessa. She's cute and smart and just fun to talk with. We came from the same highschool but the age gap is like "gaaaaaaaaaaaaaap". We ended the conversation upon entering the Quezon National Park. That's the time that I had to wear my tourist guide hat to my roommate. Zigzag is definitely the highlight of any road trip in Quezon when you're taking the National Highway.

The rest of the weekend was spent with hearty food, lambingan moment with my folks, testing my DVD player (too bad that it stopped creating stereo sound and had to be brought to a repair center), attending the mass in English (this one is new in our parish), taking pictures of my highschool and reaching the part of the campus called "hill" where a statue of Manuel Luis Quezon is kept.

Only on our way back to Manila that I started coughing heavily. No good. Along SLEX, there was a minor mishap with a drunk guy asking for his bus ticket (which he accidentally lost). He demanded the bus to stop and this irked the rest of the passengers. This was punctuated by an untimely military check-up. Maybe it was just me but it's annoying to see a bunch of men in uniform inspecting your bags as if you're hiding a deadly weapon or something. Experiences like that are deadly enough, thanks to Erap for being guilty on plunder.

Oh well, Joel (of Chicosci, of course). Monday came and it was the most painful working day I ever had in years (misery loves exaggeration, hehehe). I was coughing hard and my words were difficult to debug due to colds. My way back to the apartment was a struggle. Sometimes being high with alcohol and having fever are synonimous to each other.

Tuesday morning came. I was feeling OK but my mind was protesting. Right there and then, I decided to take my very first SL for the year. Rest, rest, rest. At past noon, I was A-OK. I was already sweating and I felt ready to get my ass back to work. My roommate who wished me well asked me if I wanted to visit the Books for Less branch in Salcedo where Gaiman's "Neverwhere" was waiting for us to be brought home. I said yes.

On our way back to the apartment, a Quiapo-bound bus passed by. Three hours later, Gaiman's "Neverwhere" was already joined by a bootleg DVD copy of "Sicko", "The Lives of Others", "Sweeney Todd", "Duck Soup" and "Deathproof" (plus Robbie Williams 9-in-1 concert DVD and "Goal 2" on my roommate's stash).

Wednesday, I was already back to work. Healing is indeed relative. SL, overrated.

Movie Digest # 024

FOSTER CHILD
Glorietta 1, Cinema 1, September 12, 8:30pm

I am not sure if I love this film. Very “Kubrador” when it comes to delivery. It could have been different if I haven’t seen that other film written by Jover. But then, this film is still well made. The script alone is worthy of a cinema ticket. It is just that it’s very “Kubrador”.

Friends who might appreciate it: those who adore the Cannes Film Festival.

THE BRAVE ONE
Glorietta 4, Cinema 3, September 14, 11:10pm

One good film! I love films that reside in the borderline between being artsy or mainstream and “The Brave One” is definitely one of them. Acting is good. It is so good that I was reminded of our very own Nora Aunor. Don’t get me wrong. Jodie Foster is not Nora Aunor. The thing is, if ever ate Guy is tapped to interpret the role, her approach could be similar to the one done by Miss Foster. Script is simple and not as substantial as other moviegoers might be expecting but it has some kicks. I enjoyed this one.

Friends who might appreciate it: same peeps who want to “kill bill”.

31 Ways to Spend Your 31st Birthday

1. Wake up as early as 5:30 in the morning;
2. Thank God for waking you up that early;
3. Complete your spiritual exercise by attending the 6am-ish mass in the church near you;
4. Have a good breakfast at Filling Station with yummy eggs benedict;
5. Buy a souvenir shirt from Filling Station;
6. Take a cab going to Net Square;
7. Ready your birthday look upon entering your office;
8. Thank every greeter with a warm smile;
9. Work hard;
10. Surprise yourself by surprising your lunch buddies with a lunch treat;
11. Mingle;
12. Outwit those asking for a pizza or pansit;
13. Be ready for a cake surprise from friends at the office;
14. Act as if you’re surprised for the cake thing;
15. Slice the cake with grace;
16. Thank everybody who contributed for the cake with presumably P50 each (hehehe);
17. Stamp the event with Kodak moment;
18. Work hard, afternoon edition;
19. Exhaust your birthday luck by getting a cab driven by an honest, God-fearing and no-nonsense taxi driver;
20. Be at Greenbelt 3 15 minutes before the film showing;
21. Beg for a ticket that is selling like hotcakes;
22. Get in the cinema five minutes before the screening and relax;
23. Annoy the one seated beside you who keeps on distracting you with her celfone;
24. Enjoy the 1925 Japanese silent film;
25. Rush to Krocodile Grill to meet old friends and housemates;
26. Apologize for being 13-minute late;
27. Enjoy the late dinner with Filipino dishes;
28. Laugh hard;
29. Bottom’s up a bottle of SMB Light;
30. Ask everybody in the table if they’re OK and having a good time; and
31. Kiss the day goodnight with hope that tomorrow will just be another day.

Tuesday 911

Lunchtime. When my lunchmates were about to food hunt, I chose to get my ass out of the office and grab a cab to Glorietta. Maybe I wanted some air. Is this another pre-birthday anxiety attack? I wasn't sure. It's a good thing though that I was welcomed by Glorietta's activity center with an early Christmas décor. Yuletide is indeed coming (and always comes early on this side of the planet). But for now, I don't have business with that yet (along with Santa and the underrated Christmas morning). It was lunchtime and it should be spent with, well, eating lunch. I passed by an old favorite, the Food Choices (one of the first food courts in any Ayala mall), particularly the World Chicken stall where queue is always kilometric. I got a plate of standard boneless grilled chicken plus tuna carbonara and fried bananas as side dishes. It was filling.

Thoughts while having lunch:

1) I'm going to watch Avenue Q for the second time;
2) Where to get a cab back to the office;
3) Things that I need to accomplish before leaving at 6:30pm;
4) The possibility of playing badminton tomorrow; and
5) What cake to request on my birthday.