keep on keepin' on...

My uncle is ok. He had a incident with his heart rate going up. But his blood tests are all negative. It's probably his consumption of energy drinks and his tendency to over react at a lot of thing. He just needs to relax, work out and eat healthy foods... which is exactly what I need to be doing. Except for the relax part, because it seems I'm always on the go lately... But I do feel a lot more energetic lately. All this activity is paying off though. I seem to be dropping weight at a faster rate and old clothes are starting to feel loose again. I just need to keep it up.

I finally got my ticket... $150 dollars! Damn... oh wells, I'm not goin to to traffic school though. Forget that!

Ogie's show was really good. I wish Milo was there to see his dad. Ogie would be a really happy and I'm sure Milo would be proud. Before and after the show, was an added bonus. Whoever was there got to see a Bobby Banduria reunion. It was great. Brought back a lot of memories, and reminded me of the first time I went to Bindlestiff. I saw them play and I instantly fell in love with the place. The art. The music. The people. This past weekend was a Bindlestiff packed event for me. It's the most I've spent there the past couple months. Even though there's alot of new faces, I felt at home. Especially with Max, Rup, Angelica, Lian, Ogie, Julius and Marcius there. Even Charlie was there...

Friday was music day. everyone was great. Nomi of Power Struggle rocked it... even though he was sick, he still pulled off a great set. He has a lot of stage presence, which is good to have especially when you're an MC. It's something I really respect about MC's who can spit a good game. Quick witted-ness and being able to free flow along with presence and ability to rock the crowd is must. He has all these things.

Next was Pedro Gil. First it was Chris from the C-hills, now its Czara of Pedro Gil... My rock 'n roll crush. tee hee. I feel like a little girl. ok back to the review. Pedro Gil keeps on sounding tighter and tighter every time I see them. Czara's voice is beautiful and their sound... It's hard to pin them down. They have well crafted brit-pop style songs and even hints of some punk. Definitely some ska. Which is surprising, this time around they had a trumpet player! A nice addition. More depth and fun for whoever's listening. At least it was for me. I felt like skankin' across the floor like I would be at a La Plebe show.

Tsubibo. Part Charmin, Part Rey Valera, Part Pinoy Folk, Part Angry Punk. What brought me to Bindlestiff in the first place. It was good hearing all the old hits. The new songs, were great too. They also did a nice rendition of Mankind, in memory of Bruce. A song that he wrote for Eskapo back in the days. You wouldn't recognize the songs unless you knew the lyrics to the song. But its funny, this is the first time I could fully make out the words. I missed Alex' vocals the whole time while Charmin was gone, and with Tsubibo arising from the ashes, all is good in the world once again. Marcius is coming along well as the new bassist. He is also a very cool guy and great artist. He's also very popular with the ladies... And lastly, the Gonzales bros. What more can be said? 'nuff said. these guys are my heroes. And I'm happy to call them friends.

Eskapo. Fast. Hard. They will kill you. I was sore the day after. It was because of the mosh pit. It was everything you expect after watching Eskapo play. V-town represent! It's great for them to be back...

Day 3 at Bindlestiff

Since I was so sore for the beating yesterday, I hitched a ride from Angelica and Max. They brought their nephew Angelo along for the day. When we got to the 'stiff, there wasn't alot of people there. So this was the day I could really pay attention to the art. England and Mel's paintings really are shocking, thought-provoking and explicit and all in a rebellious and political manner. What I found interesting was one of Mel's pieces with the religious icons and the phalluses. What I saw was the statement of the Spanish colonialization of a tribal, polytheistic society using religion as a means of control. Also, you can draw conclusions from a sexual perspective, whereas the church is/was a male dominated machine with many egocentric men strutting like "cocks". I'm sure some bad decisions were made due to men in high positioned ranks competing in pissing contests of some sorts. Most wars are fought over religious matters. 'Nuff said... Bottom line, their art is insured to illicit a response. More negative I would think... But in my opinion, only open minded people should be able to form opinions... good ones at least. But stupid people have the right to form their own as well... But this is what art is. This it what it does. No matter how contraversial. Either to make a statement, or for the person who is viewing to interpret it however they may see it. But Marcius' paintings... they are very detailed. And very cryptic. I still haven't figured it out. One has objects having me wondering what they are or whether they are even real objects. A real puzzle. Another painting had cryptics written all over it. Numbers: 555, 666, 777, objects, a blank sign... a belt of bullets. Something that looks like cactus? A upside down basket with eye wholes. With a backdrop of clouds. Three paintings forming a arrow facing up. I have to ask Marcius about this one...

Julius had some prints and photos up. He had a black shadowy figure that appears smoky on a white background. There were lit candles emitting a black smoke. I didn't realize something until Marcius brought up a point. The smoke from the candles make the illusion that the figure is formed from the smoke. Like a miracle. Or a apparition appearing in front of your eyes. Maybe it's the reaper... (I saw Silent Hill a day earlier... by self... I refuse to speak any more on that since it highly disturbed me and I want to sleep tonight...) He also had some photos of the manang dancing. He gave me a copy to keep. Thanks Julius for your most gracious gift.

Angelica had a exhibit with chairs with pictures of the P.I. with travel guides, digital photos and little props, displaying the exploitation of our home through tourism. At least this is what I got from what I saw. Well done Angelica.

Lastly, there was the films. The first one, made by Boondok Arts and Lian, was very good and funny. I want to get a copy of it... And it featured little Angelo! He's now a movie star!

The last film is a rare treat. A independent film made by a Filipino countryman named Kidlat Tahimik. Made in 1977, the writer was very concious of his country being exploited for its resources and questioning whether modernization is beneficial. One of those films that asks the question, "Is bigger always better?" At the same time, is different, ahead of its time, funny and definitely experimental. I need to find a copy of this...

To celebrate Charlie's departure, it was time 16:20 pm.

The night ended on a bad note though. Max and Angelica's car got broken into and all that was taken was a cd player... freakin crack heads. Well, that's 6th st. for ya...

Sunday was rest day and later, I had softball practice with my team, the Loan Rangers... hehe... We got sponsored. Maybe they'll buy us cups to protect the assets. haha. Afterwards, I was sore even more. I had dinner with Rob, Jos, Carl and Rich at Napoli's. Had the half spag and ravioli. sarap... garlic bread was good. time to work out again.

This weekend:

LA Clippers advanced (Warriors So-cal)
LA LAKERS eliminated... YEAH!
Bonds hit 713,I hope he hits 715 at the game I go to against the LA DODGERS! Beat LA!
Giants still lost...
I'm still last place the pay fantasy league =(
I'm first place in the free league! =)
Sharks won game 1 of the second rd. of the NHL playoffs Go Sharks!