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Feels Great to be Pinoy

Published in the early evening of June 26, 2007

Rico tagged me exactly a month ago and I made sure I waited long enough before writing my share, in the great tradition of this weblog. I can’t just break my history of writing stale entries, I need to respect my readers’ expectations on how my content is delivered — sweet, crammed, and very late.

Now to get on with this meme started by Marc and driven by Anton’s inspiring entry, here’s three reasons why I continue to be proud being a Filipino:

1. 1986 EDSA Revolution. We invented people power to inspire the world. We showed others how to provoke change through non–violent means. We reinvented the word “revolution” to not necessarily mean a bloody uprising, leading to peaceful revolts in other parts of the world after 1986.
2. Rock Ed Philippines. Just like how vaes9 commended Gawad Kalinga, Rock Ed Philippines is another local NGO that aims to make a difference. Uniquely, it promotes educating the youth through rock culture — beyond the context of a typical classroom. Those who dare, like Rock Ed volunteers as well as those from other NGOs, make me proud of today’s Filipino — catalysts of change and progress, never accepting mediocrity and always striving for a better Philippines.
3. Philippine Tourism. Having been to Boracay, the Hundred Islands, and Palawan in just the past few months, I’ve seen how beautiful our country is. We Filipinos are blessed with such scenic destinations (I’m now a C+!) that people from all over the world go to great lengths just to experience what we have to offer. Despite neglect of some of our prominent tourist destinations, we still have a wealth of travel haunts that proudly puts us in the worldwide tourism map. Add to that the fact that we Filipinos are known for being hospitable, a quality that makes us very appealing to our foreign counterparts. The Philippines makes us proud Filipinos.

Sarap maging Pinoy, di ba?

11 Replies· 2007.06.26

Free food!

Published in the wee hours of June 20, 2007

This entry will not be longer than it needs to be: Aileen is looking for bloggers who wouldn’t say no to free food. A dinner and gimik of sorts, sponsored by SM Hypermart. July 3, 2007 at the SM Mall of Asia.

Photo above from Juned’s “cultured” birthday dinner at his house that could pass as a Philippine heritage spot.

7 Replies· 2007.06.20

Five on Friday: Why take the freelancing plunge?

Published in the wee hours of June 18, 2007

I’ve been pondering on dumping my day job to be a full–time freelancer on anything under the sun. Seriously, problogging while taking web development and design plus the occasional photography project should be enough to get me by, while enjoying the other wonderful things in life. I’ve come to a point where I think I don’t need all of life’s luxuries, just a few comforts and I should be fine. Seriously.

But let’s see, what’s in store for everyone with the freedom from corporate slavery?

1. Sleep all you want. As Abe would always tease me, full–time problogging buys you more time to sleep whenever you crave for it, or at least when you’re done with your tasks for the day. Now who wouldn’t want more sleep?
2. Earn as much as you’d want to work for. By taking the freelance route, you can earn more than your usual pay by taking on more projects and business ventures. Having more available hours instead of staring at a Makati office desk until the sun sets, you can get more done. It’s up to you if you use it for financially–rewarding endeavors, or for more of your passion–driven advocacies.
3. Take vacations any time of the year. Or at least when you have no more pending work. Freelancing liberates you from someone’s idea of a calendar and allows you to schedule your work the exact way you want it instead. And you can start your workday anytime without a tardiness deduction! At times, you might need to actually work more hours than there scientifically are in a day, but it also means you can take a break at the most wonderful months of the year. Now think Boracay during the off season, or even outside the Philippines when airfares are discounted and amazingly low. Lots of travel opportunities!
4. Do the work that you love doing. Since you will be your own boss, no one can force you to work on something you hate. There may be times when you have to compromise your “creative freedom” and take on generic projects just to fill the void and pay the bills, but you’re never obliged to actually work on doomed–to–death projects from bad clients. Unless they’re paying sinfully huge.
5. Work in your pajamas. Well, I’m not literally a pajama kind of guy, but I abhor corporate clothing especially in companies that have no practical need for it. The type of work as well as the conditions should dictate how workers should dress, and not some excuse for a corporate policy. Please.

I decided to write my thoughts on freelancing since getting cited in Freelance Switch’s The Massive Freelancing Linkswitch. I left out the negatives for now, it doesn’t take much to be aware of them anyway. I’m sure the band of bloggers and local freelancers have a lot to share, so please leave comments.

10 Replies· 2007.06.18

Only in the Philippines!

Published just before lunchtime of June 12, 2007

Got this postcard from Juned when we were at his house last Saturday, a somewhat disturbing gag/parody photo of what the Philippines really was, about a hundred years ago. Shouldn’t we be thankful for the independence and liberty that we have today?

Sadly, the practice of moving holidays to lengthen weekends and promote domestic spending has dampened our celebration for some of our most important milestones as a nation. Though sometimes beneficial, our June 12 Independence Day shouldn’t be among those relegated to become just another extra day for weekend shopping. I guess it’s a clear manifestation of how our current leaders respect and value our great history. Sad.

But instead of whining about this, let’s have a meme instead! This one’s starting from six blogs (here, Juned’s, Joey’s, Jayvee’s, Gail’s, Marc’s), let’s see where it takes us. So here’s how it works:

1. Download the scanned front (@800px, @500px) and back (@800px, @500px) of this postcard and resize to fit your blog.
2. Put some sense into this very old postcard by adding some text. It can be serious, it can be funny. Anything goes!
3. Title of the entry should be Only in the Philippines!
4. Share the love and tag five other proud Filipinos.

So I’m tagging: Diong, Karla, Anton, Mic, and BryMac. While you’re at it, why don’t you do a “who tagged who” tree? Just so we could see how many generations this meme could hold. Multi–level marketing? Just a thought though, not a requirement.

Happy Independence Day!

9 Replies· 2007.06.12

Five on Friday: Photography quotes

Published late at night of June 11, 2007

Yeah, I know it’s now Monday.

As you may already know, taking photos is one of my passions, one I’d do without any financial or material gains. Photography is a convenient artistic escape; at its purest, you need only please yourself. You need not conform to irrational “artistic rules” or subcultures imposed by society, your own self is your foremost critic and more importantly, your primary audience.

This explains why you can’t produce great work that lives up to the expectations of others without first satisfying your desires and standards. Here are five quotes on photography I’ve found essential in this artistic pursuit:

1. There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs. Ansel Adams

   Perhaps this is the strongest quote on photography I’ve ever encountered. It puts sense into the artwork that a photographer strives to perfect, without taking it down to the technical level where art no longer meets the soul. Some photos we take are technical nightmares, compositional flops, some just happy accidents, but in the end, it is still the final photo that matters.

2. Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still. Dorothea Lange

   One click is all you need to forever immortalize an infinitesimal moment, and as you do so, you catalog that event for reference. Like a history book, a picture allows you to walk back in time and live in days long gone, even for just a brief imaginary while.

3. It is one thing to photograph people. It is another to make others care about them by revealing the core of their humanness. Paul Strand

   This is a phenomenon in portrait photography that’s rarely seen: how an artist can take a simple photo that tells the story of the subject and bares the inner being beyond the bounds of paper and ink. Personally, I strive to achieve this to a certain degee. When one day I’m informed to have told a person’s story simply through a photo or a small set of images, then I know my photography (and all the gear that came with it?) has justified itself.

4. When I say I want to photograph someone, what it really means is that I’d like to know them. Anyone I know I photograph. Annie Leibovitz

   Among photographers cited in this list, Annie Leibovitz is the most inspiring in a contemporary commercial sense considering her work for Vanity Fair. One of the more popular portrait photographers, she’s known for her close relationship with the subjects she works with, producing photographs uniquely her own. Same as the quote before this, Leibovitz’s work makes me yearn to photograph people while knowing them in a deep personal sense, to produce images that transcend physical/emotional/spiritual boundaries.

5. All photos are accurate. None of them is the truth. Richard Avedon

   At first, I simply couldn’t understand this quote from the famous fashion photographer. Reading more on it, it boils down to this: A photograph can only show what is in the frame. It will always be an expression, a slice of life or the truth that we choose to believe or immortalize. But beyond the image, you will never see the reality that comes with it, both good and bad. The truth in a photo is limited to what is shows, making it inaccurate. But it will always be an incomplete truth.

Any quotes you’d like to share? Or new sets of photos perhaps?

· 2007.06.11

Video killed the radio star…

Published terribly early in the morning of June 6, 2007

But I’d still take my fifteen minutes of radio fame.

This Sunday, you will hear my *ehem* frenulum linguae–limited voice over the airwaves as I talk about a topic I supposedly know nothing about. Or so they say.

Almost expectedly, I will be with the legendary Jobarclix (yes, that jobarclix!) and two of my Pop Ratio bandmates, Jonas and Don. Yes, the subjects in those entries’ images are the two doctors caught in a rather rare state of peace. Somehow, we’re so close to living our radio dream that we feel like taking an acoustic guitar to the NU107 booth to hijack the show. Remember Airheads? You know we can’t be serious, of course.

Alright, we will be talking about sex and everything that comes with it, not necessarily in the typical way Joey talks about them. We’ll try to make our Pisay ‘96 batchmates proud, and all our families and friends as well, bloggers and cavemen alike. This hopefully through a healthy and engaging discussion, but we’d have the guitar ready just when desperate times call for desperate measures — a single song perhaps, just for you?

Rocked Radio, NU107. June 10, Sunday, 8PM. Proudly by RockEd Philippines.

11 Replies· 2007.06.06

Five on Friday: Rivermaya Pinoy Rock Anthems

Published in the early evening of June 1, 2007

It seems Rico Blanco has indeed left Rivermaya and will be on his own from now on, so here’s a list of five rock anthems we’ll always sing as we remember Rivermaya, Ang Banda ng Bayan.

1. Awit Ng Kabataan
   Hindi niyo kami mabibilang,
   at hindi rin maikakahon
   Marami kami ngunit iisa lamang
   ang aming pasyon.

2. Liwanag Sa Dilim
   Ituring ang iyong sariling
   Tagahawi ng ulap
   Sa kalangitang kulimlim
   Kampanang yayanig
   Sa bawat nilalang
   Magigising ang lupang
   Kulang sa dilig.

3. Umaaraw, Umuulan
   Wag kang maawa sa iyong sarili
   Isipin na wala ka nang silbi
   ‘Sang dambuhalang kalokohan.

   Bukas sisikat ding muli ang araw
   Ngunit para lang sa may tiyagang
   Maghintay.

4. Isang Bandila
   Wag kang mabahala sa kahol ng mga aso
   Ligtas ang pag-asang nakasakay sa ating mga palad at balikat
   ‘Wag mong patulan, ‘wag mong sakyan ang mga talangka
   Panis ang angas sa respeto’t pagpapakumbaba
   Walang matayog na pangarap
   Sa bayang may sipag at t’yaga.

5. Alab Ng Puso
   Ika’y matutumba
   Ika’y masasawi
   Mabibilangan ka ngunit babangon kang muli.

   Walang maniniwala
   Walang makikinig
   Wala na raw pag-asa’ng daigdig mong tagilid
   Padadala ka ba sa agos o hindi?

Inspiring music, isn’t it? And that’s just the rock anthems, not the love–inspired hits the band and Rico does just as well. I guess this is how we want to remember Rivermaya from now on, let the name just burn out, not fade away. Salamat, Rivermaya!

12 Replies· 2007.06.01