To tell you honestly, I’m not much of a book person.  Really.  I mean, I read a few stories compiled in “Chicken Soup for the Soul” and the like… but only to that extent.  I seem to have a pretty short attention span when it comes to novels and such.

That was then, I guess.  Because I’m actually starting to enjoy deep reading and reflecting after every few paragraphs.  I notice myself staring into a blank wall or into nothingness just letting the words sink in… letting my whole being absorb the teachings on each chapter.

I believe the Holy Spirit has somehow ignited my inner desire to learn more about God.  It’s as if I thirst and quench for more teachings… it’s like I thrive in discussions about the Lord.

This book is currently the topic of the next two weeks of our KG (Koinonia Group) gatherings.  And though we are only supposed to tackle certain chapters from it, it looks like I’ll be going through it from cover to cover.

I pray for more of this unquenchable desire to know more about the Lord.

(Note:  This particular entry can also be read on my spiritual blog)

The song I composed for her is entitled, “Sige… Paalam Na”, which talks about a person whose been hurt one too many times by someone and ultimately realizes that the relationship he/she’s in isn’t worth saving anymore… and moving on is the only option.

Well, a few months back I posted a remake of their hit single, performed by “Candles”… a band I used to co-manage till they disbanded (creative differences).  This particular remake was included in the group’s debut album which came out during the last quarter of 2006 under Viva Records.  Long before 6CycleMind’s version was ever released.

When I first featured the song here on my blog months back, I got a surprise visit by Two Minds Crack band member, Kevin Jones!  He actually left a short comment below my post commending the band on how well he thought the remake was done.  His message was as follows:

“Hi, I was the lead singer/guitarist in Two Minds Crack and I wrote Upside Down – I really enjoyed the Candles version – keep up the good work!!”

Earlier today, I got another message on the same post… but this time it came from Two Minds Crack co-member, Pete Martin!  His message:

“Greetings Candles…loved the version of Upside Down.Don’t listen to Kevin Jones…. I wrote upside down…. I was guitarist and keyboard player in Two Minds Crack… that Jones fella gets everywhere!Joking aside, we wrote that and first recorded it back in 1983 ish, the finished version being released on The Victory Parade album in 1986. We didn’t find out until the 90’s that it was a big hit over there which was a shame cos to be sure we would have come out and played some gigs. It’s a big thrill to hear someone cover one of your tracks believe me. Keep rocking in the free world son…..and at least you got Kev’s words correct !!! Pete.”

Hahaha… I was particularly amused by his last words (“and at least you got Kev’s words correct!!!”) coz I also found out that Pete is aware of 6CycleMind’s version.  And listening closely to their own rendition of the 80s New Wave classic, you’ll notice that there is quite a number of wrong lyrics in it.

Well, it’s a shame Candles disbanded so early in their careers… but things like these do happen.  Oh well… I guess that’s that.

I suppose it’s only appropriate that I feature Candles’ version of “Upside Down” for everyone to enjoy.  So… without further ado…

UPSIDE DOWN by Candles

Funny thing is… I don’t have a video of this movie… nor can I clearly recall the plot/story of this film anymore.  Hahaha!  If I remember right, this was filmed way back in 1988… and the location where that image was taken is somewhere along Ortigas (actually Granada St.), one of the houses situated in front of JT’s Manukan.  I think.  Hay… feeling nostalgic again… LOL!  Lotsa memories… good times… fun times.  Oh well…!

Basically, you get an idea of how the area looks like. Normally, the workstation has more clutter than it does on the pic… mostly pens, CD-Rs, lyric and chord sheets… stuff like that…!

Okay… tag time!!! This time I tag: PAO, JIM, JUN (I’d sure like to see your clinic!), TAROOGS & SELVO

You’re IT! Hehehe!

So, last Thursday, Boy Abunda came over to record a few voice overs for a radio ad that’ll be aired probably this week. I am not allowed to mention the product yet but for those thinking that it might be Argentina Corned Beef… it isn’t.

My little girl, Isabella, stayed up late knowing that Boy would be coming over… she kept on doing the rounds… coming in and going out of the studio pretending to look busy though she was well aware that it was way past her bedtime. I even noticed her shiny lips when she sat beside me by the workstation. I even asked her, “Huy… gabing-gabi na…! Naka-lipstick ka ba?!” She replied, “Lipgloss!” I answered back, “Eh bakit ka naka-lipgloss pa?”… “Eh, kasi dry ang lips ko kanina pa.”, she said. But actually I felt she wanted to look pretty when our visitor arrived so she wanted to be all made up.

So, Boy arrived and stayed for about an hour and a half. We finished our recording with no snags and wrapped up soon after. I had a few shots taken and of course, my little girl had her own pic taken as well. So as promised, below are some pics from that night…

I used to have a Sun Cellular line a few years back… thinking, “Hey!  This 24/7 Call and Text Unlimited Promo is one great way for the family to keep in touch without actually spending a whole lot!”… WRONG!  The frustration and anger I went through due to hours of disconnections and calls not getting through from one party to another took it’s toll…!

Fast-Forward to present.  Since my wife is being sent by her office to Baguio (for a MONTH) to train personnel there, I figured Sun Cellular must’ve at least improved their services by now, right?  Right?!  So, me and the wifey decided to get prepaid simcards from Sun to help us “bridge the gap” so to speak while she’s up north.

Well, seems like Sun Cellular hasn’t changed a bit… text messages give you error displays such as “Message not sent this time” or “Message sending failed”… especially during rush hour (late afternoon)… calling one another is just a frustrating and equally tiresome!  You’d think these Gokongweis would try to at least stay on the heels of Globe and Smart and try to be similarly competitive… but no matter how competitive you are in terms of call rates (FREE, in fact!)… it doesn’t make any sense if you cannot actually call, let alone text the other party.

And if it DOES go through… we still have the problem of message delays.  And I’m not just talking about 5 minute delays especially during the afternoon… some of your messages take forever to come in.  10, 20, 30 minutes… even more!

The 24/7 Call and Text Unlimited promo was a good idea… WAS.  I had friends here and there scurrying to purchase prepaid and postpaid Sun sims and using it as a secondary lines…!  Sun could’ve sustained the hype by improving their signal and strengthening their infrastructure.  Their excuse then was that since Sun was still new to the game, they still had to put up more cellsites in and around Manila and eventually a substantial amount of coverage all over the Philippines.

2-3 years after, you still get the sucky signal in Metro Manila which you’d expect to be “at par” already with their more successful and reliable counterparts.

So, in conclusion… after trying Sun Cell years back, going into exodus from their service, and coming back again… I only have this to say… “Up yours!  Shove your services and promos up where the SUN don’t shine!”.  Pun intended you, losers!

Anyways, there is more work ahead… Boy Abunda will be coming over to the house/recording studio tonight to record a few voice over spiels for an upcoming radio commercial of a product that he is an exclusive endorser of.  I am unable to disclose the brand name or type of product for now.  I’ll be sure to post some pics of the recording session soon after.

I’m pretty sure it’ll be short, fun and sweet!  He’s probably used to all the voice over recordings he usually does at ABS-CBN for “The Buzz” so this particular session should merely be a cinch for him.

So there…  guess that’s it for now.  I’ve finally updated my blog after a long while, but I hope to increase my blogging frequency soon… Tata for now!

Cheers!