FRANKly Speaking

I’m not a frequenter but I could say that the number of cars parked outside The Outpost was one indication that it was going to be an unusual Saturday. Though none of the bands had started playing, already the place was packed with people who were early enough to get themselves tables to occupy and those latecomers who had to content themselves to sit on the steps leading to the place’s main entrance lest they get tired even before the gig started.

Another indication was the lineup. Would you believe that as big as Urban Dub is in the local scene, they were just one of the front acts? And here are other local biggies playing as front acts: Smooth Friction and Power Spoonz. It wouldn’t be something I’d ponder on had it been Red Hot Chili Peppers who were playing but since RHCP and not even one of them famous Pinoy Bands was the main act, I could not help but wonder just how great Frank is.

I first heard of the band from an officemate. If I remember correctly, the adjectives he used to describe them were: kuyaw kaayo, maayo kaayo and nindot kaayo. Not really enough to convince me to search for their songs in You Tube. But hearing them play last night made me understand why The Outpost was so packed with eager fans and why when it was Frank’s turn to play, the fanatics so crowded the minute stage that if you were brave enough to stand amidst them, you’d sweat profusely within minutes and you’d have difficulty breathing, or more so, moving. And since we were brave enough to get in front, we lost bodily fluids faster than we took them in and near-crazed fans pushed us from every direction. But did I care? I didn’t mind at all! Despite the heat, the thirst, the dampness of my clothes, and the not-so-pleasant odor that surrounded me, I screamed, I jumped, I danced, and I head-banged (with eyes closed and arms raised) my way throughout Frank’s performance. Quite unexpectedly, I was blown away.

Last night was one of the best gigs I’ve been to. Both the bands and the amazing crowd (who seemed to know the lyrics of every song being played!) were testaments to how great Cebu’s music scene is. UBEC rocks!

DVDx

Last month, I went through a personal battle and in an effort to ward off emotional demons the economy way, I bought a pirated 54-in-1 Brad Pitt movie collection in Blu-ray (just 17 full movies, actually) from one of the 2nd floor stalls of Traveler's Inn located in the notoriously perilous Carbon. **After seeing most of the movies in it (I refuse to watch Legends of the Fall), I swapped it with Sher Butter's 2009 Hot New Movies collection. I have about seen more movies than the previous two years combined. To prove that this is not an exaggeration, I will give you a list of the movies I've watched in less than three weeks' time: Contact, Interview with the Vampire, Spy Game, Snatch, Babel, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Ocean's 12, Ocean's 13, The Devil's Own, Se7en, The Fight Club, 24:Redemption, Eagle Eye, Vicky Christina Barcelona, Wanted, Juno, Dan in Real Life, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, Taken, and Vantage Point. For somebody who is not a movie-goer, I say these are a lot.

While some of these were watched with only half the attention because the other half was focused on either nail cleaning or brow plucking, most were watched with an expression conveying enjoyment, and some even, with creased eyebrows and mouth ajar associated with total involvement and intense concentration. And where there's attention and/or concentration, there's also realization and/or observation, profound or not. I am sharing mine. Let me warn you though; they belong to the second category mentioned.

• I am adding Brad Pitt to my list of deities. I used to be in the opinion that he's all good looks and no substance. I was so wrong.

• Kevin Spacey has made it to my list of Creepiest Actors. So far, it's just him and Anthony Hopkins on that list.

• The Fight Club and Babel are really good movies. Go watch them if you haven't yet.

• Snatch is Pulp Fiction-ish. Benicio Del Toro is John Travolta and Brad Pitt is Bruce Willis. Pulp Fiction is, in my opinion, the better movie.

• Benicio Del Toro looks a bit like Kevin Roy of Razorback. Here's a picture. This was taken by Kid A during the Villains Tour concert last Dec 12.

• In Spy Game, a severely beaten Brad Pitt looked like Marc Abaya, former frontman of Sandwich and now of Kjwan.

• I developed a certain respect for Shia LaBeouf having had seen Eagle Eye. Still, I am not watching Transformers.

• Juno is a cool, cool movie with a great soundtrack. I'm pretty sure my parents, especially me ma (Snatch's Mickey), would react violently to it, though.

• I am so looking forward to the new season of 24. Kiefer Sutherland is god. He is my *John Clark of the Clancy novels.

• Lastly, I am still undecided as to whether Christian Bale is good-looking or not.

**I would have preferred traveling every weekend but that would have completely depleted my meager savings.

*I originally wrote Jack Ryan. Then I realized I like Mr. Clark better.

Toilet

I thought I was a fool for no one
But oh, baby, I'm a fool for you

Muse, "Supermassive Black Hole"


This is a formal admission. I am a Twilight-er.

I go against the flow most of the time. I lose interest on something that's liked by the major population. Considering the hype surrounding Stephenie Meyer's books and the Twilight movie, my normal reaction was to be uninterested. I refused to read the books even though my sister's been bugging me to death into doing so. I did not have plans of watching the movie in the big screen either, despite my officemates' persistent invitations.

But fate has it's ways. My landlady, who's in her early sixties, has one of those 36-in-1 movie collection, which was, of course, pirated. One Sunday last December, she knocked on my door and said "Jo, kabalo ka mu-operate aning DVD player? Gusto mi mutan-aw ni tatay nimo ug Twilight unya lahi man ang mu-salida." Oh, ok. So even THEY know Twilight. I assisted them and with time to kill, I decided to watch the movie along with them just to see what the fuss is all about. The copy was bad, the color was awful, and I sometimes couldn't understand what the characters were saying because my landlady would, every now and then, give a recap of the previous scene. With that being said, I don't know why I stayed until it was time for me to start preparing fpr work. It's maybe because I was busy deciding whether Rob Pattinson was good looking or not, or, it could be because I was finding it hard to understand why Kirsten Stewart got picked for the role and so I got occupied with convincing myself that surely, there must be something to her. Nevertheless, I found myself enjoying the movie and getting "kilig". Rob looked more handsome by the minute and I decided that, yes, Kirsten was fit for the role. By the time I heard Supermassive Black Hole during the scene where the vampires played baseball, I was already a dead fish.

So here I am, done reading all five e-books (including Midnight Sun--thank goodness for e-books!) and not getting enough of the soundtrack. My favorites are Collective Soul's Tremble for my Beloved and Blue Foundation's Eyes on Fire, aside from Muse's SBH. I've seen the movie quite a few times already (not once in the big screen, hehe) and I'm a sucker for anything Twilight. I am swimming with the current this time but, hey, what can I say? I'm just a girl and that's about everything you're gonna get.

***Toilet is how we refer to Twilight at the office. By the way, my landlady was sleepy halfway through the movie. Before she entered her room, she said "Boring man na uy. Wala may action!" I wondered what "action" she wanted to see.

Contact

"If the universe is composed of just us, it would be an awful waste of space.

"With all things equal, the simplest explanation tends to be the correct one."

These are unforgettable lines from the movie Contact which stars Jodie Foster and one of my personal deities, Matthew McConaughey (the list includes Bono, Sting, and David Duchovny, among others). For years now, I've heard from friends how great it is but I never got around to watching it until today. The movie is thought-provoking, as how Kid A would put it. The plot is ambitious but unlike Signs, I think they pulled off a good ending.

Harboring no illusions of being a movie critic, I will end this by saying that Contact is now one of my all-time favorites and that if you haven't seen this classic yet, then it's time to go to Carbon, Colon, or wherever and buy yourself a copy.

Run Buddy Run

I am not into any physical sport. If you'd ask why, my answer would be is that I lack the physical and mental coordination needed to play effectively. I'm not sure which field of intelligence coordination belongs to but I sure was not gifted with it. This also explains why I have difficulty following, memorizing, and executing dance moves. I really don't mind however, there have been quite a few times when my inabilities have frustrated me enough to make me wish I were good in sports and in dancing.

Despite my shortcomings, I found myself joining the 3rd Seminary Fund Run last November 30. So how did I get myself into it? It was Yogi Hen who introduced me to the idea. I thought, "Why not?" I can run. It's not complex. Plus, I already own running shoes. There was one thing that was bothering me though. Can I make it to the finish line? When I told Yogi Hen about this, he invited me and Pretty Pidz, who was also a first-timer, to practice with him. He gave us an advice on how to ensure we finish the 5K run: jog for 1 minute and then walk for 2 minutes. We did this in Abellana for 12 rounds which was roughly equal to 5 kilometers. The total time it took us to finish was 49 minutes. Who cares? I wasn't joining to compete. I was joining so I could prove to myself that I can finish a 5K run and so I could shoot one duck down. Joining a marathon is part of my Things-to-Do-Before-I-Die list. There was no point in wasting an opportunity.

I am now officially a loud and proud member of Team RUBU. The founders of the team are Jam Master Yogi Hen, Baller Coyote, and Doraemond. The name, coined by the Jam Master himself, stands for Running Buddies. It makes you think of things-better-left-unsaid which was why I was at first hesitant to use it. But RUBU is pretty catchy and it got to me eventually.

There were about 20 of us who joined the Fund Run and we are looking to increase our number. We don't require you to be a pro runner. In fact, bums (like me) are much welcome. If you think you have what it takes to make it to the finish line, then i dare you to run, buddy!

The Hand That Holds No More

This is our last goodbye
I hate to feel the love between us die
But it's over
Just hear this and then I'll go
You gave me more to live for
More than you'll ever know

Last Goodbye, Jeff Buckley


November 27, 2008. With the aid of Vodka Ice and SanMig Light, I finally had the courage to tell The Tamblot that I want to discontinue whatever it is that we have. These were the words I said: This will be the last time that we'll be together. Please don't contact me again. I want to move on and I can't do that if we keep on seeing each other.

I was holding his face and I was looking into his eyes while saying these. It took so much effort to control my voice so the raging emotions inside wouldn't show. I kissed him, then I closed my eyes and basked in the scent that I've come to love these past three years. When he hugged me, I took to memory even the littlest details of how it felt like having him so close. I didn't look back as I left. How could I? I was desperately fighting the tears that were threatening to fall. I didn't want him to see me crying lest he see just how affected I was.

Darn. I hate goodbyes.

I'll miss The Tamblot, that's for sure. I'll miss his hugs, his kisses, his corny jokes, his laughter, and the scent that's uniquely his. I'll miss touching his oily face and his equally oily hair. I'll miss talking to him and I'll miss the feel of his hand holding mine.

Nonetheless, I will stand by my decision. I love him but it's high time I love myself more.