Marian Exhibit

Attending Centrum’s Multi-Me Lifestyle Fair was certainly a blast and we were already tired from all the fun activities we had when we passed by the exhibit, but we still gave it a shot.

Here are some of the photos I took. Enjoy! 

 

The Virgin Marys were from the different parts of the country. Some of them are really old. As you can see from the photo above, there were a lot of people looking.  The exhibit was reminiscent of old-world beauty. And for a time, I’ve found myself ogling to some of the Mama Marys. I can’t help but get fascinated with all the intricate details and the history that goes with them especially the vintage ones. 

It was a long day for us but the event and the exhibit were all worth it. :)

Centrum Multi-Me Fest

It’s been a while since I attended an event that I genuinely enjoyed that’s why I’m very ecstatic the other day. I’m talking about Centrum’s Multi-Me Lifestyle Fair which I attended with none other than my sister. The event was held at SM Mall of Asia Music Hall last October 17.

I learned this event from the radio and it caters activities on recreation and personal developments such as: Barre3 Exercise Workshops which is basically a combination of Yoga and Pilates; Culinary demonstration by Center for Culinary Arts Manila; Photography with Team Manila Lifestyle; Streetdance lessons with Groovejacks; Fashion Highlights with Freeway, Solo, and John Robert Powers. In other words, it is a sports, hobby and lifestyle fest.

Among the said activities, I’m really excited about the photography one. Unfortunately that one thing I’m looking forward wasn’t there. There was no photography lecture though they raffled a lomo camera but didn’t get lucky unlike sis who won twice on the raffle. :( Nonetheless, I still enjoyed the event. Oh, enough talking, I’ll let the pictures do that (and some caption won’t hurt) in three, two one.

When we were about to go home, we passed by an exhibit of different Virgin Mary’s statues, altars and the likes. More of it on my next post.

Nell: Healing Process and Mini-Album Review

As I’ve mentioned on my last post, my next blog would be about my favorite K-rock band ever, Nell.

There is no denying that K-Pop is a hit in the country today and I admit I also appreciate this genre. Then, I started to wonder if there is such thing as K-Rock since I’m fond of listening to rock music and J-Rock stuff. I researched and my instinct is right, K-Rock does exist. According to my research, there are only few K-Rock bands in Korea because K-pop and ballad are the ones dominating their airwaves. I researched further and I stumbled upon a K-Rock band called Nell. I listened to one of their songs which is A.S., and I immediately fell in love with their music.

Okay, for some backgrounder, the band’s name was taken from Jodie Foster’s 1994 film of the same title. Nell started out in 1999 as an indie rock band and was composed of Kim Jong-Wan on vocals, guitar and keyboard, Lee Jae-Kyung on lead guitar, Lee Jung-Hoon on bass guitar and Jung Jae-Won on drums. They were discovered by the famous Korean musician, Soo Tai-Ji while performing in a club in Hongdae. In 2002, they were signed in Goesoo Indegene and in 2006, WOOLLIM Entertainment. They made a total of nine albums and their recent one is The Trace which was released in late 2008.

Fortunately, I was able to download all of their albums as well as their collaborations and covers. As I listened to their every song, I witnessed how their music progressed from one album to another. I noticed that in their first album, the tracks sounded a bit of pop-rock (and a sort of electro pop if you may) while others have upbeat tracks. 

 

I think their best album is Separation Anxiety (2008) which also landed on the number one spot in Korea’s album charts. One of my favorite songs is Gieogeul Geotneun Sigan a.k.a.Time Spent Walking in Memories (actually, there are a lot of English translations out there but I settled for this one). Though it’s quite a sad song, I can listen to it to the nth time!

 

I also enjoyed their covers and collaborations with Epik High, a Korean hip hop indie group. Although their genres are different, it’s surprising that they are able to meet halfway. Thanks to Kim Jong-wan’s unique vocal prowess, they made such a lovely music. I really love their rendition of I’ll be missing you, (originally done by The Police). I think it’s one of the best covers that I heard. I also watched their music videos and one music video that I super adore is Stay. I like the eerie feel it gives and it has an interesting concept too.

 

Nell is such a jewel though I’m not sure if they were already disbanded, I hope not because they make such enticing music. I’m really looking forward for their next album if there is one and I want to be optimistic about it. 

As of the moment, I’m still researching on other Korean bands. I’m sure there are others that are worth listening to just like Nell.

And before I end this post, let me leave you with Gieogeul Geotneun Sigan’s official MV. Enjoy! 

The Beginning is the End is the Beginning

Alas! My first post ever.

I have this account for quite some time now and this is the first time I’m posting something. Don’t ask. I’ve been really busy for the longest time.

Enough talk. Let’s get started.

It has been almost seven months since I graduated and I’m still unemployed. It’s a good thing my parents are understanding. It’s not that I’m lazy or whatsoever finding a job, I just want to take my time, now that hectic and overwhelming college days were over. And because of this, I can finally do the things I enjoy such as photography, drawing, learning new things, fixing my stuff, watching movies, art films, music videos, theater plays, anime, reading books and graphic novels, going to exhibits, ukay shopping, playing with pets and a lot more of random stuff.

Actually, it kind of scares me that once I start working I cannot find time to do these things. I’m scared that I will lose my creative process which is very important to me. 

Anyway, I already applied for a broadcasting network. It would be a little sad if I don’t get accepted because two of my close friends were already working there. But since we spent most of our college days together, maybe a time off with them would be just fine.

If I don’t make it, I’ll apply for an advertising agency as a copy writer. I’ve been always fascinated by witty advertisements especially TVCs. I often dream of making one. One more thing I like in advertising is the constant exercise of creativity. Some say that working in advertising burns you out, but I think if you really enjoy what you’re doing, then it won’t feel like work at all. 

But, even though I have plans for living my life the way I want, still, I don’t know what kind of life I would be leading because we can never be too sure. Sometimes, things just don’t go the way we want them but I truly believe that there is a reason for everything. For instance, even before graduation, I have this feeling that my future job has nothing to do with my course and it would be either related to music or art. And the funny thing about it is that I can’t even sing decently and I don’t know how to play any musical instrument but I love listening to different kinds of music. As for art, well, I’ve been reading art stuff lately. Actually, it’s kind of too late when I realized that I want to pursue it. I can draw but there are lots of improvements to be done. See, I’m not quite sure why I’m pre-occupied by these things, but who knows? I’ll cross the bridge when I get there.   

Moving on, these are some of the things I did while having a “vacation.”

Dashboard Confessional Meet and Greet

Sorry for the crappy quality but this is the most decent picture (above) that I had because I couldn’t find the right angle due to the crowd. This one is a still shot actually.

 

This picture was taken from the screen while they were being interviewed on stage. Hence, the blurred quality. Too bad I wasn’t able to watch their concert or buy their latest album but seeing them in person especially Chris Carraba was already enough. I think Chris is more attractive on screen than in person but I love him just the same. <3

El Dia del Español at Instituto Cervantes

Me and sis attended the second El día del Español (The Spanish Language Day) at Instituto Cervates last June. It’s an open house event. There are lots of games, photo exhibit, free Spanish demo class, freebies and so much more. It was a nice experience; I hope there will be another one next year.

Mythology Class 

Alas! I finally read it. I’ve been searching for this book for a while. Fortunately, Naj, my friend lent it to me. She was supposed to sell it to me but she changed her mind. Anyway, Mythology Class never failed to entertain me as expected. The idea of adventure and injecting it with Philippine folklore is very interesting. Arnold  Arre is surely one of the talented storytellers of the country. I’m looking forward to read more of his works.

Eiga Sai 2010

                      

Eiga Sai literally means Movie Festival. It was in 2008 when I first watched it. I was so enthralled that I promised myself to see it every year as long as I have the time. Now on my third year of watching it, I decided to watch the ones with interesting titles, but I ended up watching all of them. Haha!  It was all free but you should have a ticket which was distributed an hour before the screening. 

TIP: You have to be very early because the line was very long especially during weekends. As for me, I fell in line for two hours within six consecutive days but it was all worth it.   

There were a total of ten films and here are my top three favorites: 

My top three is Always Sunset on Third Street 2 (Always zoku San-chome no yuhi)  is one of the films that I really looked forward to since I watched the first  part last year. It was set in Tokyo in the late 1950s and tells a story about love, friendship, striving and moving forward. The film’s balance between drama and comedy makes it more interesting. This movie can definitely make you laugh and cry at the same time.

 

Next is Franz Kafka’s A Country Doctor (Kafka Inaka isha). Well, I’m not really familiar with the original story but the unusual and dark animation just blew my mind.

 

And my top one is drum roll...Fourteen (Juyon-sai). I’ll definitely understand if most people put it last on their list or not at all. The slow pacing, dragging scenes and sometimes confusing plot explains it all. Another thing is that, most characters are twisted (which is very intriguing to me) and that’s the very reason why I love it. You might be wondering why but it’s just that I understand what the characters are all going through. Perhaps I’m as twisted as them or maybe even more. Okay, enough psycho talk.

Cinemalaya 6 

                

As for Cinemalaya, it has been my fourth year of attendance. Actually, I did not intend to go at all since I just finished my Eiga Sai marathon but that’s the only time I can return Mythology Class to Naj. I watched two films. The first one was Limbunan, under the new breed category and the other was Brother from Another Planet, a foreign exhibition film.

I also attended the awards night with my sister. As expected, PLM Masscom peeps were there. I was glad I bonded with my former classmates and friends. I also had a picture with two of my favorite actresses, Ina Feleo and Tetchie Agbayani.

Out of the Ordinary/Extraordinary: Japanese Contemporary Photography Exhibit

Maybe, I was Japanese in my past life because there are many things that always fascinate me about Japanese stuff; anime, manga, sushi, geisha, kimono, yukata, cosplays, their culture, music, fashion, art, movies, technology and even the way they speak and so much more. That’s why I couldn’t wait to see this exhibit when I first learned about it.

I went with my sis and as expected the photos are remarkable and eye-catching. Some even had an eerie feel to it. Some works are utterly amazing, particularly the collage-like newspaper pictures. (Sorry, I forgot the Artist). There was also a tribute exhibit to Vicente “Manong Enteng” Manansala. God, he’s one hell of an Artist!

Indeed, it was definitely worth our time, money and effort. I learned more about the arts, the artists, new techniques and possible materials and not to mention, it gave me doses of inspiration. Too bad you can’t take pictures inside the museum.

There was also a follow-up exhibit of selected Filipino artists which is about their reactions to this one which is also in the Met Museum. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to see it.

Flapjacks

   

After the exhibit, we went to Flapjacks since we had discount coupons there. It’s our first time eating there and the food was good but I think their Mango Exotica is the best. Eating it makes me thankful I’m alive! We’ll definitely go back there.

You’re Beautiful 

 

I finished watching the entire series months ago but I still can’t get it over with. I even watched its tagalized version every afternoon. =)

Jang Geun Seok is ♥.

Cats Now and Forever

I’ve been dying to watch it with our very own Leah Salonga. Too bad tickets were all sold out. Sobs. So I just compensate by watching its DVD starring the original cast. It’s a superb performance. I really love the song Memory. Kudos to you Andrew Webber.

Chalk Makeover

I was teary-eyed when I first found out through email that I was chosen to have a makeover with Chalk. I was not expecting it because I sent my email three months ago. It was an unforgettable experience. I just hate myself because I didn’t talk to the other winners that much. In any case, it was fun. I felt like a model for a day. I love the make-up and clothes. I also had a straight hair for a day.

Five Centimeters per Second 

I discovered this through the blog of Pinuna.

It’s my favorite anime at the moment. It is about a love story from three people’s point of view. It also tackles friendship, first love and unrequited love. The film has very stunning visuals and a realistic story though I find the pacing pretty fast. It has a beautiful soundtrack too.

I’ve always been a fan of love stories especially tragic ones and it is exactly like that. This film made me nostalgic and had burst me into tears on the last part. It reminds me of the sad reality of life that we can’t always have what we want all the time.

Basic Nihongo Lessons

I’ve always been drawn on how Japanese speaks. I think they speak very enthusiastically and spontaneously and that’s one reason why I want to learn Nihongo. I’m taking basic lessons now and I’m halfway through my self-study. Hopefully I can make it. I’m also learning basic Japanese writing and God help me. Kanji is quite challenging.

Nell 

I’ve been listening to their albums for weeks now. There is just something in their music that makes me listen to it over and over and over. Nell is one of the best K-rock bands ever. I’ll blog about them next time. =)

Man, it’s such a long entry. I’ll try to minimize it next time. 

BTW, Halloween is just around the corner, my favorite holiday of the year. I’m more excited about it than Christmas. I’m really praying (closes eyes and crosses fingers) that I will be able to attend a gothic event this year.

I can feel that something good is about to happen. As if a life changing event is about to come and I will kiss, embrace and welcome it with open arms.

Ciao!