Livin high and takin it easy

Going out these days to hang out with my friends in such places as Mogwai or to such events as gigs in Genre Bar, I realize how big my world is. I know a lot of people from college days. I know a lot of people from those days when I was still very much in the entertainment scene. I have friends who play in bands, friends who make independent and even mainstream films, friends who write for TV and film as well as for stage, friends who act in movies, television and theatre, friends who do production design, lights design, stage design, friends who make animations, friends who are professional photographers, friends who direct television shows, movies and plays, friends who teach, friends involved in science and are involved in environmental concerns, friends who are doctors, friends who are into travel, and friends who are in the corporate world. I have been around. Sometimes I think I am everywhere.

There was a time when I thought my world was becoming too big and too fast for me to handle. A time when I thought I was not mature enough to be living my life. A time when I withdrew into my own shell simply because I thought I was not prepared to live the life I was living or where it was heading.

Now years later, my world is coming back to me and I am coming back to it. One evening last week, I took a step back , like I sometimes do, to look at how my life is and where it is heading. Years, careers, a wedding, a dog, four to five homes, a child, many islands, many friends and a whole lot of experiences later, I think I have grown enough to live this life and it is time I do.

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Note:

This blog entry was scheduled for publish. Who would’ve thought we would be hit with a storm over the weekend?

The very supportive friends we are, Nick, Kalai, Ktin, Ktin’s sister, Jma, Ryan and I headed out to Genre Bar in Cubao X for Roma, Amrei and John’s.. basically the band called Flush and the Toilets, gig one Saturday night.

Roma said they were going to be the first band to play at nine-thirty, but we found ourselves still hanging out at Mogwai until almost eleven. We went up to Genre Bar, which is basically the second floor of Alan’s Grill. We met Alan one time, a humid clear evening that was I remember. I was absolutely dressed down in a loose red shirt, a pair of shorts and lavender-painted toenails sticking out on my brown Havaianas (that my sister gave me for Christmas by the way, not something I bought myself because I only buy cheap stuff because I’m cheap like that). We were hanging out, sitting on these little chairs at a little table at that little place next to Alan’s Grill with a nice vibe and the ugliest menu I ever did see and the name of which I actually do not know, when Alan saw Ewok who was sitting in one of those little chairs with us. Alan who is apparently a dog-lover, spent like thirty minutes chatting with us about dogs and even showing us a video of his two shih-tzus.

Anyway, we came up to Genre Bar, and were basically the first people to arrive and thereby, of course, occupied the front table. The usual sound-check, the usual orders around the table and the usual photo-ops. It wasn’t long before the band started swinging.

Flush and the Toilets: Amrei Dizon (vocals), Che Santos (guitar/drums), Roma Regala (bass) and John Villareal (guitar). Genre: Glam rock/90s

Check out Flush and the Toilet’s Multiply page and be a fan on Facebook.

When people started coming in, one of the first people to arrive, after us of course, was Meh, lead guitarist for the band Matilda. Nick, Kalai, Roma, Ktin, Jma and I met Meryl (Meh to us) back in the first semester of 2000, when we were all applicants for the organization that is the U.P. Repertory Company. Though the rest of us went on to become inducted members, Meh deferred on the second interview. She would always be the best applicant in our eyes though, with her always showing up with the best costumes during Hell Week. The last time I think I saw Meh was at her birthday celebration in 70s Bistro. Now almost nine years later, Meh and I are proud moms, but we are still the same – looking like we used to, acting like we used to. Ahh, always nice to see old friends!

Matilda: Charms Tianzon (vox) Meryl Antonio-Reyes (guitars) Jovi Reyes (drums) Maricor Reyes (violin) Yvette Tunguia (bass)

For band info, check them out on Blogspot. (This is the only website I was able to find.) Though you may wanna check out Charms’s Multiply page for some info.

By this time, the batteries on the camera were already failing us so we decided not to take anymore pictures. Until this band came onstage, with the coolest-looking girl with the nicest eyes and teeth (that is just my opinion because I am biased like that) and started playing this music that Ryan hated but I liked. Hahaha. Then I noticed that there was a crowd of photographers around the small stage. So I scooted over to where Meh was sitting and asked, “Who is this band? Why the sudden clamor of photographers around the stage?” and Meh said, “The Late Isabel. Wawi Navarozza, famous artist and photographer, on vocals.” And so I went, “Oh okay,” and scooted back to where I was sitting, gave the camera to Ryan and said, “Makiuso tayo. Kuha ka rin!” Hahahahaha!

The Late Isabel: WAWI NAVARROZA, vox ALLAN HERNANDEZ, guitars ROVAL BACALE, bass J.P. AGCAOILI, drums Genre: Rock/Post-punk

And so that is how we ended up with photos of this band. Also, that is how we ended up exhausting all the batteries and no more pictures of the bands playing after.

Check them out on their old Geocities site, on their Myspace page and on their Multiply page. You can also be a fan on Facebook. It is also quite interesting to check out Wawi Navarozza’s Flickr.

Here is the event’s official poster I suppose, which I got from Charms’s Multiply page. I don’t remember seeing Sugar Hiccup though.

Random Lunacy Productions Presents Feed the ID! A Tribute to Struggling Artists

So sadly, we don’t have any photos of The Brew, Chubibo and The Discoball.

Doc Urbino of The Brew and Chubibo did the music with the U.P. Underground Community for U.P. Rep’s Damas de Noche The Musical back in 2006 and 2007. It is indeed fun to see old and familiar faces.

We were supposed to leave early to go meet up Ryan’s friends from high school somewhere in Timog but Nick said, Dan was coming. It has been quite some time since I last saw Dan. I think I saw him last back in 2007, when we did Ogie Braga’s Sa Pagdating ng Barbaro for Virgin Labfest 3 (Scroll to the very end of the article for the photo hahaha). So we stayed. They were the last band to play too. But it was well worth it. Bheng Densing on vocals is crazily funny and Dan is just too cute! I love you Dan Geromo! Hahaha!

Click here to be a fan of The Discoball on Facebook.

And here are the photos from another wonderful night out of music with friends.

Some days you just miss your friends and the good old days. Though in the old days, when we all were students, it was Sarah’s at Krus na Ligas. Or Lime Post in Maginhawa St. in U.P. Village. In the not-so old days when we were students no more, when Cubao X was still the Marikina Shoe Expo, we hung out at Starbucks or The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf over at Gateway.

I suppose what is nice about Facebook, aside from all those applications like Farmville and Mafia Wars, is that you get to hang out with your friends, even if virtually. But there just isn’t any substitute for simply hanging out at some cozy place with your friends talking about everything and nothing all at the same time.

These days we can be found hanging out at Mogwai at Cubao X because we all live relatively close by. Though I miss hanging out at Bonifacio High Street, I have never hung out in there with my friends. Taguig was just so far away for them. Now we live at the border of Pasig and Quezon City, and Taguig is now so far away for me too.

Stairs to the second floor where screenings are held

I don’t drink. Most people do not or are unable to believe that about me. It is not that I have never. In fact, there was a time when my alcohol tolerance was high. That was a long time ago too. So, when we hang out at Mogwai, all I ever get to have is iced tea… and the reason I keep coming back there, dark molten lava cake. Yummm! I love desserts.

Saw Marcus there and I dare say he has not changed a bit. It’s been five years since we last saw each other though, come to think of it. It’s been five years since I hung out with the indie movie people, since we hung out at Joel Torre’s place at San Juan, since I was at Mowelfund a lot, since we did Roxlee’s Juana in Antipolo with Joie, Ray, Marcus and all the others. There was a time when I went out a lot and hung out with a lot of different people. When the hours went by fast and things were always fun, fun, fun. Those I think was when I was still quite young. These days I am just all about sitting quietly in relatively obscure places like that little place in New York St. inside the village.. or Bonjour cafe at the Total gas station along Calle Industria.. or maybe just the hammock in our garage. Or making official dates to hang out with friends.

Sipping coffee quietly at a birthday party

…Or hanging out at some friend’s house for another friend’s birthday party. By the way, Happy birthday Rex Literato. Hope you love spending your birthdays with us. It’s been two years.. Cheers to more birthdays and more years of travel and friendship. Yes, we love you.