Nocturnata

As a trained nocturnal being, I was accustomed to seeing my cellphone's inbox exploding everytime I wake up. Just like this 3PM when I learned that I received 15+ messages from my peers while I'm in deep slumber. Yup, I'm working in a night shift for an outsourcing company as a writer, and it's been three months now. And despite the cacophonies of remarks of my supposed adjustment to the work lifestyle, I just want to raise my middle finger on them and scream to make them understand that my body isn't accustomed to working in an office at night unless it's a shoot, an editing spree or a creative writing work (in short, if it's related to filmmaking and academics). Blame me for accepting this setup, but who knows that I can't do this until I tried it anyway? At least now I know.

Imagine the tremendous consequences of night shift. While your friends are having their dinner, you're just having your breakfast; and their midnight snack is lunch for you. And you can't come with them for the typical night life (Translation: bar, booze, trip, last full show, etc) because the night life is set for you to earn money in the office (not in the streets).

But I have to thank Ma'am Len, Miles, Mr. COO and Sania for giving me my most awaited post-birthday gift. I'm going back to morning shift this March and I'm very excited to win my life back. Welcome back sun!

***

Thanks for all the greetings! I have to commend Rency for being the first person to greet me: one hour before my birthday. Thanks to Brian for greeting me at exactly 12:00 AM; I won't forget that. Thanks to Balarns for taking too much time and waiting for the last minutes of February 27 before calling me so that she would become the last person to greet me on my birthday. For all those who remembered, I am very happy to have friends like you who will exert such effort to see that I'm OK and still breathing on my birthday. Thank you a million times!

Short Film Share

Browsing through Youtube does wonders. I stumbled upon these two short clips. The first is a great combination of animation, scoring and knock-out storytelling that will leave you bleeding in the end. The second is a technical wonder, an innovation of the stop-motion animation.

Short Film: The Piano



Music Video: Ci Ji 2006 by 2Moro

I Waited For This For Long

I think you have a natural talent. I'm glad that you knew the path you're going through. I believe that everything you do will go far. I love your way of viewing images and I'm impressed that in your attempt to make a first experimental film, you're really pushing your limits by not staying in your comfort zone. I know that the concept is a burden in terms of technicals but I was at my highest awe after hearing it that I can't let you trash it just to pass my subject. If you can't finish it for my class, please submit it for the film festival. I totally believe that you have what it takes. You can do it.

AM de Guzman,

Prof. Anne,

You don't know how important these words are to me and I just want to hug you after hearing you talking. And the weird thing is, I never expected that words to come out from you. I've already equipped myself for the worst, but received the best in the end. At first I thought that something robbed me off the passion that I almost gave up and almost dropped (Yeah, you don't know this) and I even came to a point of relinquishing the idea of having a 5.00 because i didn't drop. Oh boy, I was wrong.

You just give me the reason to keep on going, not just on this but the other aspects of my life. You have no idea what I have gone through for the past months but this time I have the strength to stand tall and proud and tell the world that I won't fail myself. Life keeps on going and I will continue on doing the things that will make my world happy.

Above all, I won't fail you ma'am. That's a promise.

David

Human Zoo

The pictures stored in the Photo Albums Folder in my computer has broken its an almost three months of silence after I've started browsing them again this morning. The feeling of memories rushing back gave me catatonia. Pictures, like songs, never fail to reverberate you to your past and hit you straight to the heart. It's not on the fact that you're getting older why you're feeling emotional, it's more on the stories of each single image is trying to tell you.

Oh well, while most of the pictures that I have unearthen has caused my world to stop, some images are so effective that it even caused the noodles that are on their way to my entrails for digestion almost flew out of my nose. I believe every single one of us has his own list of crazy pictures in his photo albums. Those funny, silly, stupid moments immortalized in still images.
So here I am, sharing the Top Ten Craziest Pictures in my Photo Album.

10.

It seems that one of the angel sculptures has been mixed with excessive clay and cement that it became 10 times the size of the other two sculptures! That's actually Joboy, a college classmate. This image was shot during our retreat in Don Bosco Batulao back September 2004.

9.

Another story of resemblance. It seems that Stephen has finally met his long lost brother, Crazy Frog. Oh God, I know they're both happy. They can finally sing Axel F in duet. Let's sing with them! "A ring ding ding ding ding/ A Ring Ding Ding Dingdemgdemg/ A ring ding ding ding ding/ Ring ding/ Baa-Baa"

8.

That's Michael (publicly known as Mike Tan) struggling for his life while being harassed by the "Octopus", an insanely disturbing ride in Star City. What's with the face by the way? Ahahaha. This shot that perfectly displayed emotions of terror and anguish probably catapulted his way to gloriously bag the grand Ultimate Male Survivor of Starstruck 2. Just joking. Hahaha. This was shot circa October 2003 in Star City.

7.

Preventing the Star City events hiatus is this Rency's overly well-made face while getting bumped by rubber boats in the (Sorry, I forgot the name of the ride but it's bumper cars in the water). I remember that I told him to smile for the camera when suddenly an immaculate rider bumped him big time, causing his supposedly smiling face to be distorted in that manner. So sad, that moment was immortalized in memory sticks. This image was shot the same day Michael's pic was taken.

6.

So here's a picture of five men (L-to-R: Cliff, me, Benbag, David G., Maurice) violating the rule of matter: that two objects can't occupy the same space at the same time. The image clearly shows that we are defying the rule four-folds. Let's have a guessing game this time. What type of transportation vehicle are we riding in this image?

a. taxi
b. FX/SUV
c. tricycle

If your answer is either a or b, you're dead wrong. Actually, eight of us are riding this tricycle: the five of us who are in the pic, two other friends (Angelo and Tiu) and of course, the driver. This pic was shot in Tanay, Rizal (January 2004) when Cliff invited us to celebrate with them on their town fiesta.

5.

That's Kath balancing a giant banana using none other than her pointer finger! And it seems like she has no hard time doing it at all! On the other hand, Gail, deep inside her consciousness, is crying, "Oh Dear Lord, keep my friend away from the evil banana." Of course everything's an optical illusion. But it took as nine trials to get this one shot.
This image was taken last October 2005, on Beryl's debut at the Makati Shangrila Hotel.

4.

Call Tyra Banks. We need to acquire her permission to setup a franchise of America's Next Top Model here in the Philippines, only that we need to admit males in the competition for this pic to make it. I think this iconographic showpiece will make the cut for Philippines Next Top Male Model Season 74. This pic reminds me of movies that have references to plants like, "Kapag ang Palay Naging Bigas, May Bumayo (If the Seeds Become Boiled Rice, Someone Pounded Them)." "Patikim ng Pinya (Taste the Pineapple)" and "Talong (Eggplant)."
This pic was taken on May 2004. I told Maurice to pose with the plants. He really posed.

3.

That's my friend - Mike's authentic hairdo. He is a Chinese Afro. Of course I'm kidding, click here to see his real hair.
This pic was taken last June 2006 at Glorietta 3 (I forgot the specific store).

2.

If you are responsible for the make-up of my youngest sister in this picture, run for your life because I've hired ten assassins to track you. This is supposedly my sister's most awaited moment, to be crowned as Ms. Joyful Angels Learning Center (that's the name of her kindergarten school), and you turned her face into a cake!

1.

This picture was taken when I was just in first year high school (1998). Here, we, the honor studes, are waiting for the Recognition Rites to begin. I am the one in blue and white checkered polo shirt (the boy in the right). Just look how mature my other classmates look like compare to me. I was the youngest in class then and I look like an owl with those very big eyeglasses and bunot hairstyle! Aargh! I never thought that I look totally different before.

Moving On

I've dealt with my ghosts and I've faced all my demons
Finally content with a past I regret
I've found you find strength in your moments of weakness
For once I'm at peace with myself
I've been burdened with blame, trapped in the past for too long

I've lived in this place and I know all the faces
Each one is different but they're always the same
They mean me no harm but it's time that I face it
They'll never allow me to change
But I never dreamed home would end up where I don't belong

I'm movin' on
At last I can see life has been patiently waiting for me
And I know there's no guarantees, but I'm not alone
There comes a time in everyone's life
When all you can see are the years passing by
And I have made up my mind that those days are gone

I sold what I could and packed what I couldn't
Stopped to fill up on my way out of town
I've loved like I should but lived like I shouldn't
I had to lose everything to find out
Maybe forgiveness will find me somewhere down this road

Take 896

I wish that life isn't as complicated as filmmaking. Of course, filmmaking in itself is complicated: preproduction is nerve-cracking, shooting is physically exhausting and postproduction is pain in the ass, but there are no revisions of your words when it was used to hurt someone, no re-shoots of actions when you did something wrong and no editing and selecting of good takes to be screened in this life. In this life, what you said is final, what happened already happened and you have no choice but to stand by it and let time pass of you with the hopes of making yourself and the people around you move on with it.

I ponder that despite all the imperfections of taking a single shot, no matter how if it goes up to take 78, the good take is all that matters, and the other 77 shots can easily be discarded. Life isn't like that. Every action you make affects the people around you and despite the fact that you know that you have rooms for mistakes, you will always feel hurt for yourself and other people along your journey in this life.

After all, you are just waiting for the right time when your film is already completed and for fun, you will decide to sort along those wrong takes and present them into bloopers. It's soothing how can you make fun of those seemingly nasty shots before. And there will always be that time in the future where you can just easily look back on how much you screwed in this life and laugh about it.

***

Deciphering why should everyone has to experience their downest moment is a mystery in itself but in this stage of my life, I am already convinced that pain always comes first before happiness in whatever I do. Life isn't a box of chocolates just like what Forrest Gump has said but it is a vast septic tank. And the biggest irony in it is that, despite the stench, the garbage, the decomposing matters, here is where I will find my jewels.