Goodbye for a short while, Multiply friends (and enemies). Bid me a reprieve from the addictive postings and the non-sequitur commentary because in roughly 6 hours, this woman will walk out of a 16-hour plane ride and straight into my arms, after having been geographically separated from me for one and a half years. Of course if she looks like this picture when she arrives, someone better alert the bomb squad.

My lovely wife Agnes returns to Manila for a month-long vacation. Which means less time for Multiply comments and more time for ... eating inihaw Pinoy foods! MWAHAHAHAH!!!! So be quiet, children. Maglalaba si Batman.

In other fantazmik news, apparently my interview with the U.S. Embassy for my petition case has been set for February 6, 2007 at 6:30 AM. (And just who the hell sets appointments for 6:30 AM? These cruel cruel people!!!!)  Which means, if all goes well, I could get my immigrant visa by mid February, and could just be joining Agnes in the States by end of February. WAHOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! Can anyone say: "At last"?


Which also means: watch out for the list of stuff I will be selling at rock bottom prices! (To be posted by end of January.) And for those lucky few who've already reserved/claimed certain items... Agnes and I are always open to being fed in exchange for goods. HAHAHA!

Happy happy new year to all!

So, here's the thing: my music ministry band, the Sold Out Band, has been invited every New Year's Eve to play retro and ballroom dance music at the Pearl Of The Pacific Resort in Boracay. So in roughly 8 hours, I will be onboard a plane headed for Kalibo, and the sunny, sky-kissed shores of everybody's paradise island.

So, if you're in the general vicinity, come on down. If you see a 35-year old Acid42 bouncing around onstage behind 2 keyboards, and playing rock n' roll or cha-cha music with a band of senior-looking dudes almost all old enough to be his dad's barkada, you'll know you're in the right place. We play pretty good 50's rock n roll in case you're wondering, hehehe.

SOLDOUT BAND at Pearl Of The Pacific, Dec 30 and 31. Set starts after dinner.

Dapat by the time I come back to Manila on January 1, I should be sunburned, hahahaha!

Happy new year, everyone!
And don't play with firecrackers.

This message has been brought to you by Artists Concerned About The Loss Of Their Hands Foundation. (aka Mahirap Magphotoshop pag Wala Kang Kamay Kooperatiba.)

Mag:net Cafe Katipunan proudly presents:
CAMPUSITION 2007:
WHO: Saffron Speedway, The Lights of 1964, Nyctinasty, and Hymn of Siren!
WHEN: December 9, 2006 Saturday. 8pm

With Guest Performers: Reborn, Humble Sauce, Bestidas,

and Acid42 (with the help of One Lone Clone)

ENTRANCE FEE: at 150 PhP (with free drink)
WHERE: Mag:Net Cafe, Katipunan, located beside Rustans Fresh, across Miriam College, Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City.

If my information is correct, I get to start the show as opening act. Which means only one thing: COME EARLY! See you there!






*





So apparently, going to other people's gigs is one way of inadvertently networking.

Because at last Saturday's Undying Symphonies II gig in Timog, Laura of Saffron Speedway (my current favorite indie band) ended up inviting me to play some music at an event this coming Saturday at Katipunan. Out of the blue. Not having anything set in stone for that day, I said I could probably wing it. And so here is the official announcement.


Come on down, and come early, because Mag:Net is such a small place it can only fit about 50 people max. But it's cozy and it's near my house and it's supportive of new artists and the sound system is cool. So there it is!

Come one, come all! Help support the indie underground!


UPDATE: I contacted my music partner, Karlo Samson (Didipusrex), a.k.a. One Lone Clone to ask if he could help me out at the gig by providing some beats and he gladly accepted. Which means, I am more free to conduct digital chaos on keyboard onstage. ATTACK OF THE KILER CLONES!!!!!

So, November angst is over, and there is much to rejoice about, young turks and turkeys.
But before any rejoicing begins, let me expound on one of the core tenets of my personality.

I am of the firm belief that as a teacher and educator, one shares what one knows and what one is to one's students, but even after that, one must also show support for the students' efforts. Which is why I tell my students I am always free to answer questions even after our classes are through. I promise tech support as long as I am able. Because the job doesn't end at the sound of the bell.

Which is also why when exhibit time in College of Saint Benilde rolls around, I try to mark it out on my calendar as early as possible so I can ensure I attend the exhibits of the people who passed through the doors of my classroom. Take note: I am not always successful in doing so, but I DO try.



1. MOA for the EXHIBIT

Which is how I ended up in Mall Of Asia yesterday, Saturday, December 2, 2006. To have lunch with co-teacher Elvert and then head on over to the "Creative Zone" exhibit of some of my former students, including Andie Tesorero, April Garcia, Sheila Chi, and Jaja Angaco. Good thing, Andie and Jaja were there when we dropped by to see the works in a circular formation, hanging without identification tags (they came later daw?). At least the stuff was organized by type of output. Some interesting graphic output that's for sure. But no matter what, it still makes me feel proud to have been part of their formation, even if I'm sure some of them hated my Sound Design class, hehehe.

The Graphika Manila Multimedia Conference was happening at the same time, a few meters away in the Premiere movie theater. But I never really planned on attending, which is why I didn't ask for tickets. And didn't take any even if co-teacher Vanny was saying there were extra tickets for faculty. Instead, Elvert and I ended up being paparazzi photogs at the corridors around the conference. Until we grew tired of that and ended up telling stories over coffee, eventually, ending up watching some Jiu Jitsu competition in the central area (trust me, I wasn't the one interested in the competition, hehehe).



2. EDSA SHRINE for the CHOIR

Later that afternoon I went to Edsa Shrine to attend my weekly Saturday 7PM anticipated mass. Since it was the first Sunday of advent, we had to quickly review last year's Advent repertoire and prepare it for that night's mass. A bunch of people were late, which irritated me no end. And then, those who were present were not singing to their full ability, which made me crankier than usual. And you can ask my co-teachers exactly HOW CRANKY I can get hehehe. Still, we did sing okay. Just not at peak performance. Confidence level was lacking. And truly, how can one be confident if one misses the practice or is late?

Anyway, next week, they have to review the Christmas carol arrangements with our other choir conductor. Why not me? They already know me well enough to know that Christmas carols depress the hell out of me, and having to teach these songs only serves to bring my crankiness up TWO WHOLE NOTCHES in the scale of irritability, especially if they don't get the notes right away. I'm more forgiving during the other times of the year, but Xmas carols? Dude, I don't want to have to keep repeating sugar-coated lyrics of happiness and joy when I can't feel it myself. Wait, I'm ranting. Hehehe. Enough na!



3. TIMOG for UNDYING SYMPHONIES

After mass, I went to Timog to the Center for Arts venue -- which is a misnomer if ever there was one. If they wanted a more truthful name for the venue they should have named it: "Crappy Outhole of a Place Where Gigs are Held" but then that would be too mean and cranky of me wouldn't it? Oh wait. I said that aloud. (No I didn't, I wrote it.) Hahaha. If I ever end up playing there, I will probably have to eat this blog entry for breakfast.

What brought me to this dive? Once again, support for an artist. The gig was entitled UNDYING SYMPHONIES II, and was a who's who of the goth and doom rock world in Metro Manila.

One of my fellow electronic music practitioners, Myke Madriaga a.k.a. Evo Evolver, was opening for the show, and his band Project Spurious was playing after him. Also Nono a.k.a. Names Are For Tombstones was slated to play some angsty goth rock.

Present to show artist moral support were the entire crew who came to watch me at my recent Cubao X goth gig... hence my turn to return the favor. Roll call: Kurlie, Tyna, myself and even writer /editor Karl De Mesa, who is as funny and cranky as myself, which was enjoyable, hahahaha!

The band Scarlet Tears was complete this time, and I finally got to see them strut their full stuff onstage. Precise and powerful are adjectives that come to mind. Napakahusay.

Nono's gig was somber as always. But his last song "Swan Song (Farewell)" was a joy to behold live, especially after having repeated his mp3s ad infinitum for the past few weeks.

Myke's opening salvo as Evo Evolver was fine. Although his laptop was jumping from time to time, chugging along on only 256 MB of RAM.

Unfortunately Myke's gig WITH his band was riddled with technical difficulties which seemed to flatten his enthusiasm. He seemed really depressed by the mistakes. I simply told him: "Learning experience lang yan. Use it to your advantage. So what if your bandmates blame you? Shrug it off and keep going. It's the only way to grow. Just remember: PUNKS NOT DIE."



4. Homily For Struggling Artists Everywhere

Of course, I know exactly how it feels to mess up a gig. But if an artist lets one mistake dampen his output and make him stop creating art, he isn't an artist anymore but an ex-artist. A weakling. A giver-upper. And there are graveyards out there for ex-artists, weaklings and giver-upper artists. You know what the graveyards are called? The corporate world. So, hey, if you wanna hang up your coveralls and your paint-spattered dungarees and say art hurts too much, then go ahead. Because it is YOUR LOSS.

Harsh words? Probably.
True words? Definitely.

In the end, director Khavn De La Cruz's words of advice ring in my ears like an anthem to all artists and creators everywhere: "Art lang nang art!"



[ Accompanying photo album for this blog entry is here. ]

Last Tuesday, November 28, 2006, I finally met up with Cebu-based Multiply "celebrity" (naks naman!) Mike Machacon, who was in Metro Manila again after a long absence of 10 years, because he (*cough) had a gig at his relative's birthday party in Manila Hotel. Talaga namang celebrity ito!

Anyway, the minute he had his trip set, he started contacting people on his network to spread the news and I told him we should get together at my house and record something, do a musical coillaboration of sorts. Game naman siya. So one month before he even hit Manila soil, our recording sked was set in my planner and filed away.

Tuesday arrived and I picked him up from Gateway Mall in Cubao, (yet another addition to his list of malls visited in Metro Manila) and proceeded to my house in Marikina where he dug up some lyrics from a tiny notebook, and after I laid down some basic guide tracks (piano, bass, drums) for 2 of his songs, we recorded him on vocals. He was shy about belting like Regine Velasquez, but we were able to get some usable materials. After that, I let him listen to a whole lot of stuff that I've recorded/composed over the years, including some pop songs which I haven't sung for ages. (And which I now intend to record. Sayang naman di ba?)

After, we moved back out to a nearby Starbucks where we traded stories on music, art, love, livelihood and fulfillment, and I brought him to where he could take a jeep back to his relatives' house in QC. All in all a lovely fun afternoon.

More power to you, Mike, in your music, and especially in your music ministry. God knows we need more people like you infecting others with their passion for faith, music and prayer.

Abangan ang remix!

Well well well. This quiz is the latest in a long line of quickly passed around URLs which is soon to hit the contact nearest you. But I must admit it was fun to answer.
Too bad the result is sooooo predictable. Di ba, Agnes? .
I'm so bloody nice aren't I? Hehehehe!

Cuddles = Love.

Last Thursday Nov 23, 2006, I was in a small 200-seat theater in U.P. called Aldaba Hall for a concert with the SOLD OUT BAND, the Couples for Christ- Servants of The Lord music ministry that I play with. And it was probably one of the most painful gigs I've ever played with them. Painful not because of anything done to me directly, but rather, because, well.... let me explain.

The title of the concert was The Father's Gift. The idea was a brainstorm because we wanted to (1) put up a christmas show and do it early and (2) we needed to raise a bit of funds to pay off the musical instruments and equipment (mics, speakers, mixer) which we bought in order to serve our community better.

The entire concert was thematic in that it was a thanksgiving for the Father's gift to us every Christmas, but also that children are gifts to fathers as well.

So during one of the segments of the concert, most everyone else onstage (my bandmates are all fathers) went down to hug their kids or give them a token as a way of saying thanks for coming into their lives. It was sweet and sentimental, and actually quite stirring.

But guess who was stuck onstage keeping the music going while all the dramatics went on around him? That's right, the guy without children (unless you count 60 SONDESN students every term), whose wife is continents away, whose life is at a standstill while all others around him continue. The guy who SHOULD be in California right now if only the embassy would hurry up his papers. The guy who COULD be off in the States creating a family right now were it not for some greater plan which is indecipherable to mere mortals.

So, I was surrounded by beaming, happy people, gushing away at their families in the audience. In fairness, my parents were there naman as well, and I did honor them before singing one of my compositions. But I just felt so empty. And sad.

Don't get me wrong. I performed well. I was joyful, and lively onstage. Because if there's anything that a theater background teaches you it's that the show must go on. You have a job to do, and you do it to the best of your ability when the time comes. But I could not bear to socialize before the concert started or even afterwards.

And in the last section of the concert, when we did a mini praisefest, we came to the song I taught the band, Hillsong's "Made me Glad" and I just couldn't keep singing because the lyrics hurt. The chorus went: "You are my shield, my strength, my portion, deliverer, my shelter, strong tower, my very present help in time of need." And it stirred something within me. Because shelter and solace are things I cannot find right now.

A quote from St.Augustine came to mind in the middle of the song: "Restless is the heart, until it comes to rest in You."



Novermber is the month of angst. And angsty concerts. And videoke. And misery.
And pure emo solo digicam shots taken backstage under a blue light, using the 10-second self timer.

Happy thanksgiving.

overheard Oct 26, 2006



Onboard the MRT2 eastbound to Marikina:

Student: "Ano mas gusto mo? Masagasaan ng tren, o makagat ng shark?"

Classmate: "Depende kung anong parte ng katawan."

Student: "Sabihin na natin parehong paa mawawala. Tren o shark?"

Classmate: "Shark na lang. Ay hindi. Tren na lang pala."

Student: "Bakit? Dahil masakit ang kagat ng pating?"

Classmate: "Hinde. Dahil pag kinagat ka ng pating, mahapdi ang tubig sa dagat, pare!"





Onboard the Markina Bayan jeep:

Jeepney Driver: (speaking to kids na sumasabit sa likod ng jip nya) "Bawal diyan mga pogi. Wag kayo sasabit! Mahirap palitan ang mga mukha ninyo pag nadisgrasya!"

Passenger: "Ok lang yan manong. Malapit na Halloween sa November 1. "

So it turns out it is possible pala to get drunk on too much coffee.

Had about 3 cups (or was it more) yesterday evening, as I talked with friends, and ended up clammy with cold sweat, and slightly dizzy on the way home. Of course, that could've also been due to the fact that many roads are being asphalted at night throughout the entire metro and the blast of heat from those asphalting machines is enough to send one scampering for cover. For shelter. For solace.

Apparently November is the month of angst.

November 17, 2006. Friday. 6:30PM:
After my late afternoon class and showing students their midterm grades, I grabbed a bite to eat at Jollibee with Ms.Lai, and discovered this: the new Arroz Ala Cubana dish is yummy, and is better LARGE!

I left Taft for Cubao by 7:30PM in order to make it for the 8 PM start of the event (of course nothing starts on time in the indie music world), so I was still early when I got there at 8:15.

In fact, while walking to Marikina Shoe Expo from the MRT station, I thought I saw one of my quiet, over-achieving students (from my Monday class) in one of the various ukay-ukay places near Aurora Boulevard. I made a u-turn and went back to the place. True enough it WAS who I thought it was. Turns out this student lives all the way in Cainta? Holy crap. And I thought *I* lived far away?

Anyway, I got to Cubao-X (formerly the Marikina Shoe Expo in Cubao) and started chatting with The Late Isabel's guitarist Allan Hernandez, who is one of the editors in FHM magazine, and whom I worked with back when he was a writer for the Manila Times and I was an editor in some old, dead magazine. We started talking about the publishing industry and all our common friends. Funny how time has flown, and it's still the same names in the magazine business.

THE ACID42 GIG

The sound system finally got things up and running by 8:45 or so, at which point I took the initiative of setting up and beginning to play as more people started coming in, and hanging out.

I traditionally enjoy playing in the opening slot. Usually because people are just coming in and aren't expecting anything yet. Also, because this means not all performers are present yet, I usually end up playing longer than anyone else ... at least until someone signals me to wind down. And finally because I get to set up my gear (laptop, keyboard, various cables) without any pressure that people are waiting for the performer to get his act together and start playing already, demmit!

I actually tried something new tonight, and constructed a few on-the-spot loops for the event. Since the night was primarily a gathering of goths and goth-music lovers, I tried my hand at crafting some moody atmospheres on-the-fly. And some of it worked. When the rest of it was starting to suck, I had to start playing my pre-constructed slow songs. They were still a bit too hip-hoppish and funky for the goth crowd, I felt, but what the hell. I never said I was goth naman di ba? Hehehe.

Turns out there were several listmembers from ElectronicaManila present in the audience. They approached me as I was packing up my gear. And so, I was hugely entertained for the rest of the night, by the presence of Kurlie (aka DemoLee), Michael (aka Evo Evolver) and his girlfriend Tyna --all three of them musicians and independent music producers in their own right. Their having come to watch the gig meant a lot, since I was expecting to have no one to hang out with, and I was expecting to probably head home early.Apparently it was not meant to be.


SURPRISES OF THE BLACK, GOTHIC NIGHT

Indie film director Khavn dela Cruz showed up with a band composed of writers Karl de Mesa and Norman Wilwayco. They banged out a set of impromptu noise which sent the neighborhood salesladies scurrying home in fear!

Finally met Tengal, one of our local noise artists, whom I've been conversing with over email and mailing lists regarding music and process. He uses digital software and noise loops to craft ear-splitting sonic assaults that horrify and please at the same time. And true enough, he let 'er rip tonight. The sound crew were actually covering their ears at one point-- which pleased me. Don't ask why.

Since I so rarely get to go out and watch bands, I FINALLY got to watch a live set by The Late Isabel and I enjoyed their lovely, goth-pop music. Allan Hernandez' guitar playing was crystalline -- every note perfect and bright. Lead singer Wawi Navarroza's singing was compelling-- rough at the edges, yes, but at least, honest. (Unlike so much pop music on radio, I might add.) Galing ng tunog nila.

Another goth group Scarlet Tears, graced the makeshift stage, though unfortunately they weren't complete being only 2 out of 5 members. Still, vocalist Katrina and keyboardist Sam did a lovely job especially on their cover of "Love Moves In Strange Ways" by Blue Zoo. I had to stop myself from rushing to the microphone to sing the 2nd voice, hahahah! 80s new-wavers rejoice!  

Our host for the evening, and the reason for the party, Nono Acosta, aka Names Are For Tombstones, was another interesting act to watch. First he played 2nd guitars with Isolation Ward, which is a band that, for all purposes of easy exposition, is a CURE soundalike. Their set made me want to go digging through my 120 GB mp3 library for all my Cure files. Isolation Ward clothed us all in multiple layers of guitar effects to create a swirling atmosphere. Cure na Cure na Cure.

And then, Nono ended the night as a solo act, playing live guitar and singing his compositions and a cover of a Clan Of Xymox tune, over pre-sequenced tracks on his laptop. Intense! I never knew working an I.T.-related dayjob could give you that much angst, haha!

At the end of the gig, he gave all of us still present a free copy of his 5-track EP SWANS, (hence the title of the gig, Swan Song Listening Party) which was recorded and reproduced at home, and given as a gift to the members of his Names Are for Tombstones mailing list. Yay! I loves freebies which is why I (heart) the net.

But, by and far, my biggest surprise of the night was discovering a rocktronica band called Saffron Speedway and hearing them play for the first time. WHOAH! All-girl band with a fantastic sings-her-heart-out vocalist, interesting original songs and band members who know how to play from pianissimo till forte (though fortissimo is not in their repertoire), and to top it all off, they have a member on laptop using Fruity Loops to provide the beats, which IMMEDIATELY impresses me? What is there NOT to like? The minute they started playing I wanted to pull everyone onto their feet to dance so I wouldn't look silly swaying in place alone. Saya!

A quick googling reveals their yahoogroups. Two not-very good live recordings of theirs on Soundclick (they sounded so much better tonight). Their MySpace page and Friendster page which I can't visit because I'm behind this firewall. And of course their multiply page.

Ganda ng kanta nila, and even though they have miles to go before perfecting their onstage presence, when they do get there (which they will within a year's time maximum, with constant gigging), watch them become the Philippines' answer to Garbage. Astig sila! Tangkilikin ang gig nila. Teka, tangkilikin din ang gigs ko, pwede ba?


MUSIC TO DRIVE BY

After the gig, I rode with Kurlie, Michael and Tyna, and we ended up having lomi and goto at a pares house along Anonas, before bringing Tyna home to Pasig, and then bringing me home. (Nanood na nga ng gig ko, hinatid pa ako sa bahay. Talagang laki ng utang na loob ko sa mga ito ah. Well, mas malaki sana if they stopped calling me "sir," demmit!)

And as we rode and talked about music software, sound recording, and production techniques (yes, musician geeks are the worst kind of geeks), they started playing me finished and unfinished tracks from the iPod in the car.

Kurlie had a song called "Corona Borealis" which Tyna made lyrics for and eventually sang. And it was a painful shade of beautiful. A chillout song with heart-wrenching lyrics and a melody to die for. I told Kurlie he better finalize the song and submit it to one of the foreign compilation albums... like Cafe Del Mar or Hed Kandi, because this song was much better than some of the dreck on the latest albums.

Then Michael started playing some of the tracks that his band recorded. They use live guitars, a female vocalist and REASON software for the drums. If you've heard of the band God Lives Underwater, then Michael and his band will probably do much much better than GLU. Firstly because they have a wider range of musical interests. Second because they're younger.

And so I was dropped off at my doorstep at about 3 AM or so, by newfound friends (not just anonymous email addresses anymore), filled with a profound certainty that the independent music of the next decade is already in such fine, talented hands.


UPDATE: LINK to some pics from last night's gig on Laura's Multiply page.

WHAT: SWAN SONG LISTENING PARTY
A night of poetry, song and the weird and dinky.

WHEN: Nov 17, 2006, 8:00 PM onwards
WHERE: Chunky Far Flung Gallery, Cubao X
(Marikina Shoe Expo, Araneta Center, Cubao)

RATIONALE: An open invitation from the listmembers of the Names Are For Tombstones groups to attend their POETRY READING, LIVE MUSIC, & OPEN MIC night.

SWOT ANALYSIS: The night will start with poetry readings and stories about LIFE, LOVE, LOSS, LONELINESS, LUST & LECHERY. And from there, live music will be played. It's open mic after that and "jamming" is assured, so bring those lyric sheets with chords hahaha.

LIVE PERFORMANCES BY:
The Late Isabel
Scarlet Tears
The Jesus Mafia
Saffron Speedway
Switch
and Acid42

See you there, unless of course, you have better things to do?
Tara na!  What's not to enjoy? Beer, poetry reading, more live bands, and lots and lots of weird, artsy, talented weirdoes like myself to gawk at? Perfect.


RELATED LITERATURE:
LINK to Cubao-X article in Manila Times, 2005
LINK to not-oft updated Cubao-X events website on Blogspot

Forwarding this message from my friends at Filmless Films, (the production outfit of director Khavn Dela Cruz):

NOTE: The short filmmaking workshop is for FREE. Interested Production Teams need to apply and undergo the SELECTION PROCESS.

Ordinary People:
A short-filmmaking workshop for creating solid character-driven stories through documentary and fictional techniques

with Jean-Michel Dissard
New York University Lecturer, Director, Writer, Producer, Distributor, & Curator





THE WORKSHOP

The Greek philosopher Aristotle described character as 'Habitual behavior" - You are what you ordinarily do – That is until something leads you to do something you would not ordinarily do.

The workshop aims to:

A) Find a character that breathes - who does what he ordinarily does. A real person in flesh and blood with faults, virtues, and its own unique qualities.

B) Document and Film that person

C) Turn the information accumulated into a fictionalized treatment.

The workshop will give birth to Four 10 minutes documentaries (or visual portraits), a written character profile and a story in the form of a written treatment. It is a perfect platform from which the participants can start writing a solid and focused short film.


THE WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS

Four Production Teams with Five members composed of: a Director, Cinematographer, Soundman, Producer and an Editor

THE SELECTION PROCESS

1. The Four Production Teams will be selected from different colleges and universities nationwide. Each team should have five members with the following designation:

a. Director

b. Director of Photography (DOP)

c. Soundman

d. Producer

e. Editor

2. Application for the workshop should be by Production Team and not individually.

3. The Production Team applicants should submit at least one short film (not less than 10 mins. but not exceeding 20 mins.) that they have made as a team. (The team can also submit more than one short film.)

4. The short film/s should be sent together with the Application Form, (signed by all the members) and individual Curriculum Vitae of the Production Team members to the following address:


5. The designated DOP should be familiar with 3ccd Panasonic 24P DVX 100B; the soundman should be able to operate a sound mixer and the editor should be able to work on Adobe Premiere.

6. Deadline for submission of short film and curriculum vitae is on Oct. 30, 2006.

7. Five jury members from diverse industry background will select the Production Teams based on the strength of the short film submitted that showcase the team's filmmaking skills and technical knowledge.

8. Announcement of selected Production Teams is Nov. 3, 2006. Each production team will be notified thru email, official letter from the French Embassy and mobile text message.

9. If the Production Team selected to participate in this workshop resides outside Metro Manila, the team members shall shoulder the airfare, hotel accommodations and meals during the workshop.

10. The workshop organizer will provide digital camera, basic sound and editing equipment for the Four Production Teams.

11. For details about the workshop, please e-mail chits.jimenez@gmail.com


REVISED RULES BY ORGANIZER:

We have received numerous requests from interested applicants to modify some of the guidelines.

In response, we are revising the following selection process guidelines:

1) Students can now form a production team specifically for this workshop.

2) The sample works to be submitted shall be per team member and not per production team. The selection committee would need an individual sample work that will ensure of the technical skills of the members.

3) As long as they are students, a production team doesn't have to be from one college or university only,

4) Graduates of 2005 are still qualified to join the workshop.

5) Deadline for submission of individual sample works of the team members and their CV is Nov. 1, 2006.

6) Kindly indicate in your CV your position in the production team.


Thanks!
Cheers,
Chits Jimenez

• In order to make art, we must first make an artful life, a life rich enough and diverse enough to give us fuel.
  
  
• At bottom, cynicism is a cheap and shoddy response to a life we are afraid to love because it might, for a time, be painful.

Both quotes by Julia Cameron in The Sound Of Paper

Found the book at BookSale Farmers Plaza for P175. I'm currently reading it. But taking my sweet time to finish. Because it's just too rich to be taken in one sitting (unlike potato-chip novels which were made for 12-hour plane or bus rides).

And just like the book that made Julia Cameron famous (The Artist's Way), this one is a set of bite-sized reflections on life, love, and creativity, but written with a more tender tone, and from a wiser perspective. A wonderful read that never fails to fill you with hope.

I heard about your story today. You told me about it calmly over coffee, as if nothing mattered. And I went home troubled, angry, and outraged that you are being persecuted by ignorant co-workers who know nothing about how you work. That you are being caught in a political struggle by people who want your position now that you've been able to streamline your duties. That these persecutors, supposed Christians each of them, are sneaking around behind your back, lobbying to get you out. It pains me and saddens me and frustrates me.

Because I have seen you at work, tending to your flock more like a parent to his children, than a supervisor to those under him. I have seen the way you treat each person as someone with a valid perspective, how you coax people to communicate and to perform, how you nurture your people to fruition.

I have seen you turn your work into an act of loving... and have caught myself wishing I could exhibit the same compassion and self-giving to my students.

And your persecutors do not see this. They only see the streamlined tasks and assume it is easier. They only see the lure of the salary and assume it is higher. They only see the position and assume that it entails glory. They have not seen you at work, beyond common hours, sacrificing time and energy to keep things rolling.

You are being maligned and backstabbed by colleagues who are supposedly doing what's best for the organization, but who are really only doing it for themselves. They don't see this? They think they can bully you?

The Gospel this weekend reads: "Whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant, whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all."[Mark 10:43-44] It is this spirit of suffering service which your persecutors cannot see right now. They do not realize that leadership means sacrifice and service. Leadership does not mean perks and benefits and glory and power.


But how do you react?

Expecting a response of sadness or anger, I am surprised by the tone of your voice: "I believe with the outcome of the whole event that God is telling me that I am where I'm supposed to be, and it's from support from friends like you that I draw my strength."


Stay strong.

You are indeed on the right path. Because those heading down a path of destruction are not hounded by demons. They don't need demons pursuing them, because they do it to themselves. Only those like you, who are on the path of the right and the good and the true, are tested and refined by fire.

The truth will prevail.
God will care for you, as He cares for all His servants.

Stay strong and know that many believe in you, and more importantly, the flock you lead and serve have benefited from your sacrifices. And it is for THEM that you do this.




written October 21, 2006

My shoulders ache. I have been up since 4:05AM, most of that time spent at the computer, and at my (musical) keyboard controller, banging away at the longest, most exhausting musical arrangment I have EVER attempted to assemble. To date, this is my fourth (or fifth?) day on this project, and in three words, it can be described as: BLOODY, BLISSFUL. HELL.

The project name:
The Longest Moment You're Not Here.

The proponent:
Indie film director Khavn Dela Cruz, who is known for never walking down the common artistic path, but rather, barreling down circuitous, sometimes vicious routes to the objective.

What it's about:
He's filmed a series of images mostly concerned with the aftermath of Typhoon Milenyo and is turning it into a 70-90 minute film.

How I got reeled into it:
So he called me up and asked if I wanted to do the musical score/ musical arrangement. As usual, I said yes without remembering to ask about budget (good thing I can trust him to take care of me, hehehe).(Do you know of any other artist who's willing to publicly admit that he forgets to ask about budget? If so, please tell me, I need role models hahahaha!!! I would so flunk the MULBIS Multimedia Business subject in College of St.Benilde.) So...anyway... he tells me he will record himself playing the acoustic piano and singing snatches of melody for 90 minutes straight. Then he will send me the files for me to assemble, edit and mangle in any way I wanted. I told him to make sure the vocals were a separate track from the piano track so I could be more flexible. And as much as possible, to record with a click track set to a fixed speed, so that I would have a basis for my arrangement.

What it should sound like:
He then told me to use the Icelandic post-rock band SIGUR ROS as my musical peg, and make sure the music sounds "WAZAK," to use his favorite new term.

What the movie looks like:
I honestly have NO freaking idea. He just told me it was a lot of post-Milenyo footage, and that the pace of the edits would be slow, like Wong Kar Wai. What this amounts to is the longest music video ever. And that's all I know.



The process:
I got three .WAV files: 1 vocal track and 1 piano track, each lasting the aforementioned 90 minutes, and then 1 click track which lasts for about a minute then loops, which he used as his basis for the tempo of the music.

So I popped the files into a musical program called Tracktion, which allows me to edit audio and MIDI data at the same time, then opened my favorite music sequencer program Reason, and started cutting the piano and vocal tracks into bite-sized pieces, making sure most of it fit snugly within the fixed rhythm of 90 beats per minute (BPM).

On the first day of the project, I tried arranging around his melodic structures. It took me roughly 4-5 hours to come up with a suitable WAZAK arrangement consisting of drums, bass, strings, lots of synth layers and loads of effects. I checked the TIME WINDOW and saw that I had finished arranging .... (gasp)..... only 5 minutes of a supposedly 90-minute piece. I texted him right away, asking what the deadliest deadline was, because I knew I would NEVER be able to make it. I also asked what the minimun length was. He said, minimum 70 minutes, maximum 90 minutes. Fine, I'll take the 70 minutes, I said.

Which brings me to today:
I'm on the home stretch. I am on 59:23, which leaves me with a little over 10 minutes worth of material left to arrange. I SHOULD be finished by tonight, probably past midnight, so that I can go to class tomorrow and do my teacherly duties. In fact I am so glad that my class on Monday got cancelled because of the end of Ramadan-- it gave me a little more time to get this thing done.

It's been bloody hell, because I haven't pushed myself creatively like this in a very very long time. And it's been frustrating to face the project and at times, not know how to continue.

But at the same time, it's been blissful as well. Because when you're doing something creative, something that fits your skills EXACTLY, then you are doing a task that you've been preparing for your entire life. You're doing what you're meant to be doing. And enjoying it so much that you lose track of time.

So I'm almost through with this project, and I intend to celebrate this by heading to the Dairy Queen at Shangri-La Mall and treating myself to the largest, most delicious Choco-PEANUT BUTTER milkshake in the whole world...assuming they stil have it on their menu, that is. Can I have another day's vacation, please?

I recently got an email from a DJ in Papua New Guinea, who was telling me that he loves all the music I've released on my humble netlabel, QED Records, and that he plays some of it at his gigs in Port Moresby, where it's gotten good reviews by the people who attend. That in itself is a wonderful affirmation that I'm doing the right thing with QED-- releasing music for free on the web under Creative Commons licenses, so that more people can enjoy it.

And he added that he checked out my blog, saw all the other activities I was involved in -- teaching, playing for church, being a family man -- and was amazed at how much stuff I get done in the same 24-hour period that he has.

I could take the easy way out and say that it's a lot easier to fill up my life with activities because being busy is my coping mechanism. This is how I deal with being several continents away from my wife, and this is how I survive the ordeal of a long-distance relationship. But the truth is, even when we were together geographically, my schedule was just as hectic.

NO TIME TO WASTE

Why do I cram my schedule with activities?
Because I don't want to waste time. Or the talents given me.

Because I believe the lesson in the Parable of the Talents in the Gospel Of Matthew: that "to everyone who has, more will be given" --in other words, that more is expected from those who have been blessed with much.

In all humility, I understand that much has been given to me. And for me to do nothing with it, is to waste this blessing, and even more, to go against the will of the Great Creator. What some people fail to realize is that God WANTS you to sing, to dance, to skateboard, to create websites, to take photos, to layout posters, to basically have fun with your talents-- or else, why'd He give it to you in the first place? And this is why I push myself to get things done, because I am a steward of these blessings and must ensure I make use of all that's been given to me, within this short time frame that is my life.


THE GIFTS THAT I MUST STEWARD

• I was given the gift to communicate verbally, so I stand in front of my Sound Design classes and share with them who I am, and what little I know about audio. I try to infect my students with the joy I get from living and loving. Hopefully, I am able to impart to them some kind of work ethic, and teach them how to capture good sound. But I'll settle for them coming out of my classes remembering that we started every activity with a prayer.
  
  
• I was given the gift to write clearly, and so I tried writing for advertising and later on, magazines, but quickly realized that those materialistic environments weren't for me. So now? I blog furiously and relentlessly, sharing what I know and what I love with the network of friends I've found online. I've even introduced my classes to the blogging practice in the hopes that they see it as an avenue in which to process and communicate what they're going through, as well as what they've learned. Because that's what writing has done for me-- it's given me an avenue to articulate where I am and what I am. And in expressing this, has freed me from keeping all of this chaos inside. Freed me to do my other duties with a clear heart.
  
  
• I was given the gift of music, so I play my instruments, sing, and produce songs, communicating through melody and rhythm. I also make sure that I get to play for the Church at least once a week, and actively seek out musical projects that are spiritual in nature.

Because I wasn't given all of this so that I can make a name for myself and become famous, and win one of those Idol contests, and make oodles of cash. No, sir. I now know enough to say confidently: I was given this so that I can serve His people through music. And writing. And words.



THE CHALLENGE TO ALL OF US

"To everyone who has, more will be given."

To everyone who's been given blessings and talents, expect the responsibilities. Expect the call to serve. Expect your world view to be challenged once you realize that your talents can and SHOULD be used to serve His people.

• That your ability to produce compelling documentaries will be needed by an orphanage raising funds.
• That your beautiful singing voice will be needed to lead worshippers into prayer.
• That your photography skills will be needed to expose to the world the cruelty happening in prisons.
• That your web design prowess will be essential to a non-profit organization selling products made by indigenous people in Luzon.

HE WILL CARE FOR HIS SERVANTS

I can see you arching your eyebrows. You're thinking: "But there's no money in working for NGOs, or volunteering to spend time in a home for the aged!" I know you're thinking this because I used to think that way too.

And you know what I learned? That if you do His work, He will NEVER leave you wanting. I am not a rich man, because let's face it, no one makes millions as an educator. (Unless you're talking about making millions of friends, that is.) But I do not lack. I can still afford to pay the telephone bill every month, or treat my co-teachers to a pizza every now and then without asking my wife for dollars.

The birds in the sky do not sow or reap and still God cares for them. Do you doubt that He will care for you? He will make things work so that you get paid, or so that you get a comfortable job that will allow you to serve Him during weekends, or weeknights. Things will fall into place and you will know it is His hand doing the moving. Because if you are asked to devote your life to doing His work, He will be the best superior and supervisor and employer that you can ever have. With benefits and stock options that are literally out of this world. No downsizing, no layoffs, no red tape, no forms. And the job satisfaction is indescribable. It is the bliss of knowing you are doing what you were created for.


THE CHOICE IS YOURS

Because in the end, we were created for His glory, not our own. The talents we've been given are sacred gifts to be used for His glory, not our own. We ought to use them and enjoy them, and utilize them in the service of the Creator as our way of thanking Him for this chance to exist. Because all that we have is His, and not our own.

What can we call our own, then?

Our response to this call to serve is our own.

Do we serve, or do we turn away?
Do we answer the call, or play deaf?
Do we love, or choose not to care?

Everything else is His. But this choice is our own.





October 19, 2006

For the past year or so, I've been trying to follow the GTD system in order to organize my files, systems and workflows. And out of curiosity, some people have been asking how to get organized. I am not the right person to ask, since I still struggle with clutter. But what I can do is introduce you to the system I am trying to use.

The system I am using is from the book Getting Things Done by David Allen, (a book which is not available locally after months of searching, so I asked my wife to buy it for me in California) which is abbreviated as GTD. Run a search on the web and you will find scores of websites with wonderful articles and software which can help. Let me give you a few links.

WHAT IS GTD?

GTD is essentially an action management method, espoused by David Allen. GTD rests on the principle that a person needs to move tasks out of their mind and get them recorded somewhere. That way, the mind is freed from the job of remembering everything that needs to be done, and can concentrate fully on actually performing those tasks.

Allen contends that our mental 'reminder system' is rather inefficient and seldom reminds us what we need to do at the time and place that we can do it. Consequently, the 'next actions' stored by context in the 'trusted system' act as an external support which ensures that we are presented with the right reminders at the right time. There are many associated personal management tips and tricks detailed in Getting Things Done which can be useful for implementing the workflow described by Allen.

A capsule description of GTD from Allen's book Ready for Anything:

“Get everything out of your head. Make decisions about actions required on stuff when it shows up — not when it blows up. Organize reminders of your projects and the next actions on them in appropriate categories. Keep your system current, complete, and reviewed sufficiently to trust your intuitive choices about what you're doing (and not doing) at any time.”

A diagram of the decision process and workflow involved in GTD (click to enlarge):




OTHER OVERVIEWS:

LINK to GTD overview on Wikipedia.

LINK to another wonderful overview of GTD on 43Folders.com

LINK to Merlin Mann's 5 "no-duh" tips to immediately improving your life


THE ACID42 GTD IMPLEMENTATION:
What happpens? Everytime I think of something that needs doing, I write it on an index card. And place in my inbox or my tickler file. At the end of the day, or start of the day, I review the inbox for stuff i can do within 2 minutes. If it can't be done within 2 minutes, I defer it for a later date. If it's do-able, I do it right away.

Also, since I organize the tasks by context, I know immediately what I can do if, say, I am in front of the computer, because I will have a bunch of tasks filed under AT COMPUTER. Or I know what things I need to buy if I am going out to the mall, because I have a bunch of index cards filed under AT ERRANDS.

Every task is either a standalone action, or is part of a larger PROJECT which contains multiple actions. Therefore something like FIXING MY ROOM, may involve several subtasks such as: (a) throwing out the unuseable crap, (b) filing my music pieces, (c) buying folders, etc.

The point to keep in mind is: I cannot do a WHOLE PROJECT, I can only do the NEXT PHYSICAL ACTION. So, if I have my list of actions for a specific project in order, I know what action needs to follow, once something is done.

Get everything down on paper or on computer. And trust your system so that you don't hold the entire list of actions in your head. This frees me up to do more creative things because I'm not bogged down by endless details.


ACID42's GTD ACCESORIES:

1. CAPTURE VIA INDEX CARDS:
I capture all thoughts and reminders down on 3x5" index cards, which I carry around everywhere. People have started calling this the Hipster PDA or the hPDA. Feast your eyes on this flickrset of his personal index cards system by JazzMasterson:


2. HOLD IN A TICKLER FILE:
I store these index cards in a very portable, expandable folder with 13 pockets and is check size. This allows me to create a separate pocket for each context at which I need to get my work done. Currently, the contexts I use are the following: At School, At Home, At Computer-phone, At Errands (mall, post office, etc), Reference, and Maybe Someday.




3. REFERENCE FOLDERS:
All stuff that I decide to keep for reference, I put in a general reference file folder, stored alphabetically by topic. I have a separate file system for my music files, since there are so many of them.


4. NEXT ACTION FREEWARE [to-do list manager]
I am also testing out a freeware to-do manager called NEXT ACTION, which currently supplements the index card system. Since I am at my computer most of the day anyway, I can log my tasks and actions using NEXT ACTION and not have to worry about not having enough index cards ever.

LINK to NEXT ACTION freeware


5. KEYNOTE FREEWARE [note-taking software in lieu of Index Cards]
Also, if I am at the computer and suddenly have a thought in mind, instead of traditionally booting up a Notepad document to capture it, and eventually having to deal with hundreds of tiny TXT files, I am now using KEYNOTE so that it's all in one place, in one database. Freeware rocks.

LINK TO KEYNOTE



GTD SUPPORT GROUPS:
If you want to learn more via email lists and message boards, then join up with these groups:

• Getting Things Done Yahoogroup
• 43Folders GoogleGroups

And good luck!

USING CREATIVE COMMONS MATERIALS FOR SCHOOL PROJECTS
(dedicated to the students slaving away at their Multim Projects, and their Multim teachers, patiently coaching these students to full blossom)


BACKGROUND
One of the biggest problems a lot of you Multi-Media Arts students face is finding the proper music to use in your projects, especially once you start assembling your thesis (otherwise known as the Multim Project), or if you're submitting a multimedia entry to a major contest.

A rarely-used alternative is to seek out musicians and commission them to record music for your thesis. But several problems arise here: (a) where will you find musicians? (b) do you have the budget to pay them? and (c) often the output won't be as well-recorded as you want.

Up to now, many of you have been forced to make do with existing music from CDs and MP3s. We rationalize this practice by claiming that "it's for educational purposes anyway," but this should not be the case in our current bid to fight for intellectual property rights. Plus, it sets a bad precedent for you students... After all, we're training you to go out into the workplace and practice proper ethics.

What then is a possible solution?

The answer lies in Creative Commons.


CREATIVE COMMONS (CC) : EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
There is an untold wealth of materials available online, for free, usually released under a Creative Commons (CC) license.

In simplest terms, this means that the creators of these CC works retain their original copyright but choose to release the work under a CC license so that anyone may use and enjoy their works without the problems that current copyright law has with sharing of information.

All you need to do is look at the type of CC license used, and respect the terms of the license.


You download a song from the Internet Archive and see that it is released under the CC license "Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs." This means several things:

1. You can download and enjoy it on your iPod, for free.
2. You can share it on a filesharing network like Limewire, or even the school's FTP site, or burn a copy for your friends on a CDR, as long as you don't make money by doing this. (Hence, NON COMMERCIAL.)
3. You can use it in any NON COMMERCIAL project (like your MULTIM project) as long as...
4. You ATTRIBUTE the creator/copyright holder in your opening or closing credits, and...
5. You don't change the original form of the song in any way (NO DERIVATIVES).

There are several different types of licenses, each with its own set of rules. See below "CC may refer to CC LICENSES."

So, finding music for projects is now just a matter of you searching for the right piece of music from the millions of CC-licensed files available on the Internet.

One last thing: CC works aren't limited to music. There are CC-licensed photographs, videos, games, movies, books, poems, podcasts, videoblogs, law proceedings, and even lectures , course materials and syllabi.

So, what are you waiting for? Start searching for those amazing treasures awaiting you in the wonderful world of CREATIVE COMMONS!






MORE DETAILS FOR THE OVERACHIEVERS AMONG YOU


CREATIVE COMMONS (CC) DEFINITION

CC may refer to the ORGANIZATION:
The Creative Commons (CC) is a non-profit organization devoted to expanding the range of creative work available for others legally to build upon and share. The organization has released several copyright licenses known as Creative Commons Licenses. [source]


CC may refer to CC LICENSES:
[source] CC licenses all grant certain baseline rights, such as the right to distribute the copyrighted work on file-sharing networks. The rest of the license depends on the version, and is comprised of a selection of four conditions:

• Attribution (by): Permit others to copy, distribute, display, and perform the work and derivative works based upon it only if they give you credit.
• Noncommercial or NonCommercial (nc): Permit others to copy, distribute, display, and perform the work and derivative works based upon it only for noncommercial purposes.
• No Derivative Works or NoDerivs (nd): Permit others to copy, distribute, display and perform only verbatim copies of the work, not derivative works based upon it.
• ShareAlike (sa): Permit others to distribute derivative works only under a license identical to the license that governs your work. (See also copyleft.)

Mixing and matching these conditions produces sixteen possible combinations, of which eleven are valid Creative Commons licenses. This gets sort of complicated, but not really, since we're all intelligent, articulate people. Di ba?


WHERE CAN WE FIND CC MATERIALS?

CREATIVE COMMONS.ORG: the parent of them all.
Provides an explanation of the organization, the different licenses, and links to CC materials
http://creativecommons.org/

SEARCH CREATIVE COMMONS
Direct link to the CC search page.
http://search.creativecommons.org/

ARCHIVE.ORG : a.k.a. The Internet Archive
This site is a storehouse for CC and public domain materials. And by storehouse, I mean it has everything.
http://www.archive.org/

FREESOUND
CC-licensed audio snippets, samples, recordings, bleeps, ... around 20,000 sounds.
http://freesound.iua.upf.edu/

CCMIXTER.ORG
Lots of audio samples for remixing music. Remixes made by members, are then shared alike to other users, for further possible remixing.
http://ccmixter.org/

Berklee Shares
Music lessons from the premier institution for the study of contemporary music
http://www.berkleeshares.com/

MIT OpenCourseWare
Selected course notes, assignments, and syllabi from MIT courses
http://ocw.mit.edu/

So, while taking a crap, I tend to read David Allen's organizational books to help me structure my life in productive ways. (Yes, even poop-time can be used for self-education.) And tonight, this quote screams at me from the pages of READY FOR ANYTHING, with much meaning:

Get your beingness perfected so that the routine of your life does not distract you or disturb you and so you can maintain a state of loving in everything you do. Then you can expand the scope of your activity, moving your loving heart out to others in a natural, ordinary way.
--- John-Roger

In short, if you organize, you can forget about the details and concentrate on loving. Or conversely, a "state of loving" is not possible when you have to keep remembering mundane tasks like taking out the garbage, or paying your Globe telecoms bills.

The funniest thing is: as I exit from the bathroom, I see our cat, Metaphor pooping in his kittylitter sandbox. I guess 1:30 AM is the hour of good quotes and .... crap.





Photo from: http://www.ncaction.org.uk/creativity

Just released on my free netlabel, QED RECORDS: [QD-4233] : BRIAN CUA : Brain (EP) Producer and arranger Brian Cua puts together an 11-minute journey through the cosmos of the brain using samples of cellphone ring tones, modem noise, and whalesong. This is intelligent electronica that speaks of moving horizons, expansive mysteries, and calm, introspective reflections. 4 MP3s, encoded at: 192 kbps. 44.1kHz stereo. Released: October 12, 2006. Right click the MP3 links and choose "save link as." Or, preview the tracks here.

TRACKNAME	LENGTH	FILE SIZE
01. Communication Begins In Bytes	4:20	4.0 MB
02. Rocket the Neu Sky	4:12	4.0 MB
03. Whale Nebula	3:51	3.9 MB
04. The Only Constant Is Disconnection	3:15	4.1 MB
ALBUM COVER	--	2.7 MB

Fantazmo Cover Design by 2 former students
who make up Disenyo Media Solutions