WAITING FOR THIRD

Doesn't luck always strike thrice? And as I have experienced, it does the same way for bad luck.

This month we have had two deaths already in the family-- an uncle and a cousin. Barely two weeks away from each other and both with the same cause as my mother had-- heart disease. I'm not sure if we should take this as a warning, but then if it does strike thrice as it had before, then there is really nothing to stop it. The family is bracing for the worst, anyhow, but I say accept anything as fate would have it. We sure can do everything we can to avoid such fate, and that's about it.

It's bleak, I know, to look at it this way. The truth is that I really am not a superstitious person; it's just that I am basing this from my own experience-- LUCK BE IT GOOD OR OTHERWISE ALWAYS COMES IN THREES. And then again, they only come in threes.... and nothing more.

URADIO 107.9 FM

For sometime now, an underground radio station has been operating here in Metro Manila. It's location is undisclosed, just the same as the owners and the operators. There are no DJs; they utilize automated playlist from a computer with mix sets of popular DJs, both local and abroad, and they operate 24/7 (or so I think). I'm not sure if it is unlicensed to broadcast, or if it's just a gimmick. But then they also do not air commercials save for station ID and regular stingers about upcoming clubbing events in the metro or also warnings about drunk driving and driving while using a cellphone.

They play underground club music, ranging from house to techno, even drum n bass some of the times. The playlist can be so underground that many of the tracks being played are unrecognized. This doesn't mean, however, that the music is not good-- believe me, they will blow you away even if you are not a clubber. I also am not sure whether they do play live mix sets sometimes, but surely what they play most often are mix sets.

uRadio broadcasts on 107.9 mHz and may not be available in some locations as their transmitter is only 500 watts. And then they also have a live streaming site from where you can listen anywhere in the world. You can find the link here. You also can see more info about the staion here.

UPDATE:
Apparently, uRadio (or UnderGround Radio) 107.9mHz is operated by Brainstone Broadcasting Inc., with studio in Pasig and transmitter in Tagaytay city. Circa 2000, it was known as Power 108FM and was owned then by ConAmor Broadcasting Systems, they played then mostly urban music. The station closed in 2004 as it was then speculated to be a pirate station. It opened again in 2006, and this time with the trademark underground club music playlist, but also then shortly shut down due to complaints by licensed FM stations. They returned on air in April 2007, shifting frequencies to 108, 107.1, and 107.9mHz (so, that's why it comes and goes on our radio back home those times), but also had to close again after some months. Then, in October 2007, armed with newly acquired NTC permit, it went back on the air and this time with live broadcasts of mix sets from two of the most popular bars/clubs in Metro Manila. And then again, late September of 2008, it was closed down by NTC due to expired permit. It resumed broadcasting October 12, 2008 and remained on the air up to this writing.

Meaty Eggplant Torta

This recipe is quite common, and this is a variation of the regular eggplant torta. My brother, whom we consider as the one who inherited my mother's skills in the kitchen, taught me this recipe sometime ago.

You will need the following ingredients- 5 pcs medium length eggplants, 1 clove finely chopped garlic, 1 finely chopped onion, 1/4 kilo ground beef (or pork), 5 pcs tomatoes chopped,
a dash of ground black pepper, 1 pkt of coarsely ground crackers, 3 whole eggs, 1/4 cup cornstarch, 4 bell peppers cut into strips, 1/2 cup of button mushrooms cut diagonally, a dash of MSG (optional), juice of 3 pcs calamansi, and salt to taste.

Boil or roast the eggplant and then peel off the skin. Flatten the skinned eggplant, letting the excess liquid drain. In a bowl, mix all the other ingredient together to make a thick paste.

In a pan, heat 3 tbsp cooking oil, then spread one of the eggplants in the pan. Put in a liberal thickness of the filling, then cook until the underside browns. Turnover with spatula to cook the other side with the filling.

Serve with hot sauce, ketchup, or mayonaise as dip. Ground beef or pork can be substituted with bits of cooked bacon, ham, or sausages.

UP CLOSE

On my way to work today, I chanced upon this old bus from a transport company that I have for so long avoided for being the cause of all occasions I have been late for work. But knowing buses going my route is hard to come by this time of the night, I boarded this one as I presume rush hour is a few hours past and it doesn't have anymore excuses to keep on stopping waiting for passengers.

Every thing's well, if only for the hint of stink owing to the fact that the bus is already old and its passenger must have not given a thought of cleaning things up after themselves. Food wrappers are on the floor and some have been slipped into crevices or gaps between seats. I kept my mind off these and instead turned up the music on my headset.

Indeed, unlike my past experiences with buses of this company, the driver ignored minor bus stops and went on to speed ahead and stopped only on major loading/unloading stations. One of such stations was Ortigas, and a few passengers boarded the bus as we shortly stopped. With the seats in front of me recently vacated, two new passengers, both males, readily took the seats. I didn't mind them at first, as they seem no more than office personnel coming home late. However, I did notice that both are blessed with things I unfortunately didn't have-- good looks and gym-fit bodies.

As we continued on, I opted to play the new game I have just installed on my PSP. Then I suddenly heard the lady beside me blurting cuss words. I lifted my head and turned to her; she was looking at the seats in front of us and so I turned to look also. And there, up close and right in our faces, two gym-fit men passionately kissing! Yeeeccchhhh! I have never seen such a thing. It may have been less shocking if one of them was really effeminate. I guess my mind is still not sensitized for such a thing eventhough we now are living an era when tolerance and acceptance is very much alive.

NEW TEMPLATE

If you have noticed, I have this new template on the blog. Well, this is not the one my friend gave me, which I wrote about a couple of posts back. This is just to test how the template copying works.

REPOST: REDISCOVERING PURARAN

This is a repost of a story I contributed to one of my previous online communities-- http://www.catanduanes.net/.

Because of my job, I have to reschedule my Valentine's date a week after the red day itself. My date and I agreed we'll spend it in a beach; but until the day came, we have not decided on where to go. We have spent almost all weekends of both our lifetime in beaches here in Virac and San Andres, I figured we have to go somewhere else.

The first thing that came into my mind was Puraran. I have been there only twice and the last one was like eons ago. I have forgotten what the place looked like; all I can remember is that it is a beautiful cove.

The trouble with Puraran is it's too far. Not quite remote, but too far. You'll be too spent with the trip to enjoy the place when you get there. Then a question popped up in my head, " Where did your sense of adventure go?". Oh yeah, I have spent too much time mixing dance music for Virac clubbers that I have forgotten my former life as an avid nature tripper. When I was in college, my batch (Batch 99) started the tradition of weekly trek by BS Biology students at Catanduanes State Colleges. I have since been hooked to nature treks and mountain climbing. That was until I took my place in Virac Clublife.

Late for almost half an hour already, I rushed to my motorcycle and pumped up Disturbed's "Stupify" into my headphones. My girlfriend has been complaining of my always being late and surely I am again this time. I could almost see her fuming mad and pacing furiously in front of their house.

My girlfriend did not talk to me on our way. I spent the whole time listening to Portishead and Massive Attack on my mp3 jukebox. Of course with occasional gasps at the sight of the beautiful seaside scenery of Baras town. This town is truly blessed with miles of stretches of fine white sand beaches. Perhaps much more extensive that either Virac or San Andres or both of them combined.

After about an hour and a half of rough roads and pot holes, I steered right into a paved downhill, I mean very downhill road that leads to the beach. My jaw dropped in pure awe with the paradise of a place that was before us. My girlfriend exclaimed, "Ung gayun palan dindi!" (I had no idea how breathtaking this would be). That was all it took to get her to talk to me again, and I teased her for it. The raw beauty of Puraran brings out raw emotions out of anybody who beholds it for the first time. We both could not take the smiles out of our faces, with us now is the opportunity to share a day we might never forget in our lives, be it we end up together or not. And at the center of it is the awesome wonder that is Puraran.

We approached the man on the resort and asked about the rates for the cottages. Suspecting we were there only to get laid, he said it was P150 for a short time-- three hours maximum. Yes, we were there to do that, but that was aside from enjoying the place. We were told the overnight rate is P250, and I gave the man that before I even realized how much affordable it was. It's official now, paradise is affordable. Paradise Beach Resort is on the other side of the island in San Andres; I have been there too and I say Puraran deserves the name much more than the other.

While our cottage was being prepared, we sat on the grass and filled our eyes with the scenes going about. It was nearly three o' clock in the afternoon. A few people were cleaning out the beach of washed up sea grass and algae. There is a group of Caucasians combing the beach, and a couple of Japanese-looking couple were swimming.

It's no wonder surfers from all over the world flock here. The waves are not quite perfect, but at leas it is consistently of good height. I am not an expert surfer to ever have an authority to say this; I have only learned to surf a beaten up old short board the summer of last year. However, I have enough experience to say the least.

The cottage is basically furnished. With a cushioned bed, an electric fan, running water and toilet, and electricity. It was made with wood, bamboo, and thatched roof. All three cottages owned by our host were nestled at the foot of the hill we descended from earlier. The only thing I didn't quite like was that there is no chair inside the cottage, there are only fixed benches on the porch; and the steps leading up to the porch are too thin, you could break your neck with one false step. All in all though, it's livable. There are another two resorts operating in the cove. One located after another.

We rested for about an hour or two, and then we combed the beach until the sunset. The fading lights did not at all lessen the beauty of the place. In fact it even enhanced it-- making the sight from the beach very romantic. What amazed us most is that it is very clean everywhere, even as the lights increasingly dimmed, the water is still quite clear-- from the beach you still can see the grassy bottom of the sea.

We had our dinner of freshly caught fish and newly milled rice. The smell of the broiled fish and the steamy rice made us very hungry that we probably ate like horses. We were so full afterwards we had a hard time burping. Upon learning we were first timers, our host did not make us pay for our meal. Before leaving for our cottage, we bought a bottle of punch, bags of potato chips, and a pack of something to make sure we do not develop a problem nine months from now.

After having our baths and slipping into something comfortable, we cuddled on the porch wrapped in blankets while consuming the punch and potato chips. The breeze gently blows, but with almost freezing chill. Along with the rhythmic breaking of the waves were the different sounds of nocturnal animals and crickets. It was very dark around, but I know the quarter moon will shine a few hours later from the mountain edges of the cove. The whole thing provided a feeling of utmost serenity, like the whole world is not coming into a verge of a war, like we were innocent children talking about whimsical things. The soft rhythmic thump of trance music from the small powered speakers I connected to my mp3 player is the only reminder of every single night I had for the past seven months as one of the resident DJs of Pacific Wave Disco in Virac.

Around eleven, the moon began to creep from the mountains; draping the whole cove, the rocky islet, and the ocean with its silvery rays. It was almost magical. We can feel each other's sighs coming after another. The only night lights I have known for the past few months were the neons, lasers, strobes, halogens, and scanners from the club I'm working for. This is a very radical but pleasant change in atmosphere. I turned off all the lights from the cottage and let in the moonlight. An idea hit me like a speeding bullet train from Tokyo. I closed my eyes and with the playing trance music, I imagined myself spinning for a beach party-- with hundreds of sweaty bodies gyrating, bonfires burning, and the moonlight is the only dancing light on. We should have that here in Catanduanes sometime.

I pulled the sheets and the pillows from the bed and laid them on the porch. Then I programmed my mp3 jukebox to repeat play all 89 songs in my acoustic selection folder. With half-dazed minds over the punch, tiredness and sleepiness, the endless sighs, the beautiful sights, the thought of having only a few hours left before our one day vacation is over, and our raging hormones, we laid and bathed our half-naked bodies with the magical rays of the moon.

Early before sunrise, we have to leave for Virac. We may not have another glimpse of Puraran's cove for a long time after this. So we took a last long look at the nature's masterpiece that is Puraran, making sure it sticks in our minds forever.

TRAFFIC

As you probably can see, there is not much traffic in this blog according to the real-time traffic feed I have recently installed. I have decided to install it as the hit counter on top of the page was reporting hits of more than 100,000 a week. I am not sure how the counter works, or how the live traffic feed works, but certainly it is nice to know some people are interested on what I pour on this blog.

A friend of mine sent me some weeks ago a template for Blogger, and forgive me but I am not really knowledgeable on HTML so I still am figuring out on how to use the template. I am planning to overhaul the blog and use a better layout and template, also put in more things, but then I'm holding it for now as I want to be able to work on the blog in just one big sitting. I also am awaiting consents from owners of the blogs I frequent to add their URLs on my links, and I am planning to setup a sub-blog accessible through this one showcasing sketches that I have done over the years.

It is funny how I started this blog some four months ago thinking it may meet the same fate as other blogs I have started before, that is abandoned. Not that I have not gotten enough traffic in my previous blogs, but I really first thought blogging was just a passing trend and will quickly go away in the same manner as it came. My very first blog was way back in 1999, using Lycos owned Tripod services, which really is not a blogging service but rather a webpage hosting service. I favored using Tripod then because of the extent of customization it allows. I later have migrated to Yahoo's Geocities and several other hosting services.

Probably, the widest read blog I have had was during my employment as an internet cafe manager from 2004-2006. I created the blog around mid-year of 2004 and have maintained it up until mid-year 2006. It was with a flash-based hosting service, which allowed for fancy flash animations to hold the contents. It basically was part of the website I created for the club I was also working for then, and it had real-time audio/video streaming every night from the DJ booth of the club, which is owned by the same people as the internet cafe. We also had real-time chat, streaming exclusive mix set of house and urban music, a substantial gallery of events we have hosted, and a separate gallery for my drawings. The streaming contents though were hosted on another site as web 2.0 I think was not that popular then.

Some of the entries that have garnered much attention from my previous blogs mostly were about destinations in my island home- Catanduanes. I have a motorcycle then, which allowed me to go to most places within the island. Other contents my blogs before that had so much traffic were posts containing my sketches in pencils. The sketches may have not been tastefully done, nor it may not be artistic, yet I usually include with them lengthy descriptions or stories related to the sketches. I didn't have digital camera then, and the way I was able to digitize the contents/pictures was through scanners.

I have closed my last blog before this one some two years ago, immediately after my wife and I have decided to try our luck here in Metro Manila. I have contributed contents to other people's blogs or communities in between, but I have never setup another for myself until this one. With still only a handful of entries to count, I look forward into making this grow further. The fact is that I have still a handful of unpublished posts I am not ready to share as of yet. I really do not proof-read my contents so you may find some typo errors here and there, but it is important for me that it could be of use to somebody somewhere, so I make sure the information I post are correct and are up to date.

picture from: thisisbroken.com

LOST GROOVE

It has been more than two years since I last had my hands on decks. I'm afraid I'm rusty by now and will need to refine my skills if I ever want to go back to spinning. I miss the nightly gigs I used to have back in Bicol as a resident DJ of a club there. I miss the feel of vinyl grooves in my fingers, and having to scratch on the first beat of the bar before starting the mix even though it is not necessary.

On the bus on my way to work tonight, I was listening to my playlist of house music on my phone. Although I brought along my PSP, I opted to just listen to the music instead and daydream (or nightdream) about the past years.

The crowd took a break and there are only a few on the floor. It was a few more hours before the club closes, and most are already tired dancing to my previous sets of RnB and HipHop. It is strange that I specialize in house music, yet it seem so hard to me to push for acceptance from my crowd, as they more prefer urban music than real club music.

I pushed the playing track into a backward spin, while slowly introducing the other deck as I scratch the first beat of Kaskade's remix of Here I Am by David Morales. The people on the floor turned to look at me, as if asking what the hell I was doing it for. Throwing them a smile, I killed the upfader on the outgoing and let the vinyl go on the other deck.

Some people got up from their tables and soon after the floor filled up. The perfect house pattern of the song makes me jump to it, as my wife beside me dances with me. We each have on the booth a bottle of SanMig Light, from friends of us in the crowd. Good tracks, despite the crowd not knowing it, always have the effect that makes them go wild.

From my crate, I took the vinyl for Robyn's Be Mine, and laid it on the other deck. I set the tonearm to the beginning of the track and then put on the headphone and pressed the PFL (pre-fader listening) button. I took the tonearm back to the beginning of the track and then scratched the first beat in sync with the beat of the current song playing. Then I let go of it to be able to adjust the BPM. I took one ear off the headphone to hear the playing track from the monitor on the booth, while still being able to hear the incoming track on the other ear.

Shortly after the first few beats, the incoming song goes a bit faster than the other, and I have to tap a bit on the pitch bend button and adjust two notches below on the pitch slider. I let the incoming song playing, and making adjustments accordingly as it goes off-sync. Stopped the incoming deck and returned the tonearm to the beginning of the track, again scratching to the beat of the outgoing song waiting for the first beat of a bar. I have let the incoming ride the beat of the outgoing on my headphone to check if it is perfectly in sync for at least 32 beats.

Went back to enjoying the currently playing song, while the next song is cued on the other deck. As the outgoing song nears the end, breaking down to just the music, I let the incoming track go and then adjusted the channel's low EQ to just half (I don't know with other DJs, I always adjust the bass of the incoming as I do the mix mostly when there still is substantial music instruments on the song). Slowly, I push the upfader on the incoming's channel to blend with the outgoing. While doing this, I also am adjusting the high EQ of the outgoing by small increments.

Kaskade's Big Room Remix of Here I Am by David Morales has this perfect house beat pattern, while Robyn's Be Mine has this off-beat snare where supposedly the hihat cymbal should be. It is a joy to introduce the off-beat snare into the typical house beat. AS the mix progresses, the two tracks are always in perfect sync and the melodies from the two are blending very nicely. I have started to introduce the bassline of the incoming by slowly turning up its low EQ, and I started to slowly slide down the upfader for the outgoing. Then suddenly both the track goes into a breakdown where the outgoing will be shifting to just drums, while the incoming goes into full swing. I killed the upfader for the outgoing and let the incoming take the main feed.

Just another perfect mix. And the crowd went wilder.

I wish I have my own decks. So I don't have to dream about mixing ever again.

PHANTOM MENACE

I got an email from somebody named John Leroy sent under the email address helpagent01@gmail.com. I received the email as our distribution list in our company was included in the recipients it was sent to. The email is as follows, copied and pasted directly from the message body:

To ****** Team,

We are group of agents who represent integrity and have in the past refused to let up on bad practises on the floor. Although it seems that our leadership team is determined to make us hollow by allowing practises on the floor which are against human values. The conversion pressure is so high that we have been asked to split itinearies for room nights , we are constantly asked to drop calls which have potentially no sale oppurtunities and focus more with others so that our conversion looks better.

In the past we have tried bringing up these issues with our management but they have warned us for such behaviour and have asked us to continue practising these or else get out. One of us tried blogging independently in the web regarding this issue but we were shunned down( you can check with Mr *** or Mr **** ****** about these issues).We agree being competetive with other call centers but not to an extent where our values are sold.

Hope this can be fixed soon after escalation ,someone needs to audit the floor and people to understand what s going on.

Thank you.

Although I agree with what they represent, I am not part of any group and never has been. I still have my loyalty to my company and would not do anything to the effect of damaging its image. The entry from which this sender seem to be referring to has been deleted from this blog not just to protect myself but foremostly my company. It can be clearly seen that the sender have a different style of writing, which more leans on the technical side while mine is on creative side.

THE TRUTH SHALL PREVAIL!

I was supposed to have this entry posted some two days ago, and I had a picture on my phone to back it up. My memory card has this bad habit of corrupting files every now and then and it just did that yesterday when I was trying to back up its content on my computer. The lone casualty was the very image I was to include with this post.

I got into trouble for something I have posted on this blog last weekend. The post have to be deleted after three days of publishing it online, otherwise it would cost me dear.

This happened as I was on my way to work early evening Wednesday. That night and the whole day before, I was weighing some options on whatever is the best thing for me to do. I have consulted my lawyer cousin with regards to my problem, and in turn she consulted her husband who runs with his brothers a law firm catering mostly to labor cases, and whose client includes a labor union of one of the biggest companies in the country. Apparently, the current cyber-crime law couldn't hold me liable for that blog entry, even if I have a contract with the entity I had sort of put into bad light in that post. Still, the resolution I have in mind leans more on moving away from trouble and sparing people of having to go through the whole process of an inquiry.

As the bus I was on stopped for the light in the corner of Ayala and Paseo De Roxas, the electronic marquee (or is it a billboard) on the corner building that usually flashes news and stock exchange indeces, flashed the following words in all capital letters-- "THE TRUTH SHALL PREVAIL!" with the label national news and later on international news. It should have flashed instead headline news, but there it was, as if a message from Above, and it stayed during the whole time the light was red. I hurriedly took a picture of it with my camera phone to make sure I was not hallucinating, and surely enough it registered on the camera.

Nothing for me to do but smile. Coincidence has always been a good friend to me.

THEY HAVE

big time bore
over the hill sinking its feet in grass
underneath the grass the soft clay
the paved road below lights up with traffic
and siren wails from the nearby hospital
tethered to the avaya
unrelenting murmurs
and they talk about me
how i'm such a useless asset
so full of passion yet so dulled with bore
routine have sunk to my nerves
the faith gone and beyond repair
this blog should
we took turns
sana me vto ngayon
kung ano-ano pinagsusulat ko, e

MY NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS

These are more of goals I hope to achieve than resolutions. I have been idling and have been too lazy about my career the past two years. Although I value being with the company I am working for now, I didn't really care much about my performance. So, here they are and shoot me in the head if I didn't live up to it.

1. Meet all the requirements on the metrics for my account for at least a few months.
2. Be more open to my customers to be able to get their trust.
3. Be more friendly to my team mates than I am now, and make sure to come to each and every team building.
4. Opt for a promotion to at least half a step in the ladder.
5. Now that I have at my disposal a portable way to produce music, be more productive on making remixes and original works on house music.
6. Be more agressive on networking in the DJing industry here in the city to gain clout with the right persons, and work on at least being invited to gigs or try out for auditions.
7. Save, save, and save.

And that's my list. Wish me luck.

SMOKIN' NEW YEAR!

Was just off to get a bottle of Coke from the convinience store outside our office and was taken aback by this thick smoke from fireworks blanketing the whole of Ayala. Indeed many are trying to be positive about the new year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Here in the Philippines, it is currently 12:28AM January 1, 2009 as I'm writing this post. Everyone in the world, Happy New Year and may we all have a properous year ahead of us!