Ablaze for God

I am currently reading a book called, “Ablaze for God”, authored by Wesley L. Duewel.  Only recently have I started reading it and I’m practically glued to it.

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)

Sige… Paalam Na

I recently wrote a song for one of Viva Record’s new talents.  Her name is Mocha.  I blogged about this months back when her album was still in mid-production… well, the album is out now and is available in your favorite record bars.

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.

Opposite!

A little video we took of my little Isabella playing a little game she invented with her mom called, “Opposite”… The game is simple:  Just say something negative to each other and then say, “Opposite”, at the end… hahaha… well, it’s cuter than it sounds… just watch, you see what I mean.  LOL!

[livevideo id=FB4DCEB090D64D579A19A75476D5C6C9]

Two Minds Crack

Some of you probably still remember the group, “Two Minds Crack”… the band that performed the New Wave hit song, “Upside Down”, back in the early 80s.

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

Penoy Balut!

I recently stumbled upon an image floating around the net which I haven’t seen in ages!  I was pleasantly surprised to discover an image cap of an old old film entitled, “Penoy Balut”.  This film featured Nora Aunor, Roderick Paulate, Me and Isabel Granada.

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…!

My Workplace (Another Tag Game)

This time it’s Az’s turn to tag me and all the rest of the guys listed on his blogroll… (that’s a lot of peeps!). So, the game is like this… you take a snap shot of your workplace and post it as an entry on your blog. It’s that simple! So without further ado… here is how my workplace looks (at least most of it):

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!

Oh, Boy! (Part 2)

Well, I know I should’ve posted this update a few days earlier but work and chores have prevented me to do so… so, only now am I able to update my blog. I feel kinda bad not being able to update and post articles as often as I want lately but I guess that’s just how it is… for now.

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… 🙂

Sun Burned!

Okay… this is just more of a rant for me than it actually is a “blog entry” but since it’s here… let’s just chalk it up as another post.

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!

Oh, Boy!

Haven’t been able to blog so much the past few days even if wanted to… various activities have prevented me to actually sit down and really just “blog away” to my heart’s content.  So to my avid readers, my apologies for not being able to update as frequently as I used to.  Family… work… errands… chores… work again… family time… it goes on and on.

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!

A Photo Interview

Leave Britney Alone!

Okay… not to mock or make fun of anyone… but this guy (err… gay) is just asking, rather, “begging” to be ridiculed…! Talk about conviction! This person has just magically turned the word “avid” into “rabid”!

All for one simple cause: “LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE”!

8 Million Hits in You Tube in a matter of days… an instant (ridiculed) sensation… hilarious!

Ok… I’ll shut up now… just watch the vid if you haven’t stumbled upon it on YouTube yet… (giggle!)

My WordPress T-Shirt! (Thanks Matt and Maya!)

Earlier this week a “claiming slip” was delivered to our house by our friendly neighborhood postman.  The slip stated that there was a package for me just waiting to be picked up at local post office.

This actually boggled me since I don’t recall ordering anything over the net… but, nevertheless… I went to check it out.

I headed over to “Window 1” as instructed by the claim stub and waited for the clerk to retrieve my package.  She came out of a room with a small plastic package and handed it over to me.  As soon as I felt it… I already knew what it was… it was only then that I remembered that Matt Mullenweg (Co-Founder of WordPress/Automattic) and Maya (Desai) promised to send me their official WordPress T-Shirt and asked for my postal address two weeks ago.  Images below:

I have been in close correspondence with Matt and Maya, coordinating stuff about our newly founded “WordPress Pinoys” Community… also since Matt and Maya said that officially sanctioned WordPress events here in the Philippines organized and facilitated by our group would be a great idea.

We are also sending them (as promised also) a couple of our official “WordPress Pinoys” T-Shirt as soon as everything has been finalized (design and manufacturing).

So… THANK YOU, Matt and Maya!  I simply LOVE the shirt! Thank you also for all the speedy replies to my emails.  The shirt fits me to a tee!  The size I asked from you guys was just right!  Hope to see pics of you guys wearing our “WordPress Pinoys” tees soon when we send them over!

I’ll be posting some images of myself as well wearing the WordPress shirt soon…!

Game 1!

I recently signed up to participate in our Community’s friendly basketball game competition and Game 1 was held at last Sunday.  I was part of the Gold Team and we were scheduled to play against the Green Team.

I figured I could use a little more cardio other than what I was already getting at my gym… it’ll help hasten my weight loss program (Oh, I’m already down to 150 LBS).

My wife and kids came along and watched the festivities… they had lots of fun as well!  I could hear them shouting and screaming everytime I held the ball or made a score.  “Iba na ang may pala!”  Hahaha!

At the end of the day, Gold Team (my team!) won by 11 points… a convincing win!  We are scheduled to challenge the White Team next week (I think…).

Some fun images were taken during the event by my wife which you could view below.  As you can see, we obviously didn’t have any official uniform yet since due to the short time given… but we’ll have real uniforms for our next game and I’ll be sure to post new images here as well.

Nice game, guys!

Emergency @ Home

It’s been a while since I last posted… give or take a few days.  2 nights ago, my little boy got into an accident at home while I was away taking my wife to work.

Apparently, he was taking a bath and he stooped down to soap his feet.  What he didn’t realize was that he was too close to the wall and the soap dish’s water drain (a little pointed spout) was just above him.  This wasn’t the type of soap holder that’s usually seen with 2 suction caps sticking to the wall.  This one was ceramic and installed “into” the wall.

After soaping up his legs and feet, he stood up… so quick that he didn’t realize how close he was to the pointed object.  BUMP!!!  Right on the top of his noggin!

And as with all head cuts, these usually tend to be very bloody.  So, with all the water from his hair that came from the shower together with the gush of blood from his injury, it flowed all over his face… and down his body.

According to my dad (who was at my place and saw the incident), my little girl was freaking out and crying… scared and filled with concern that her big brother’s condition might get worse.  So, they immediately applied first aid, they cut the hair around the affected area and placed medication for the wound.  They called me up as well as my wife via cellphone… I was on my way home then and my misis just arrived at work.

I rushed home and checked if everything was ok… the situation was handled competently and my little boy was already getting ready for bed.  A few minutes after I arrived, I got a text message from my wife informing me that she was told  (ordered, actually) to head back home due to what had just happened.

Next day we took our kid to the hospital to have his wound cleaned properly and for a routine checkup just so we know that “we’re in the clear” with regards to complications that may arise due to the sensitive area wherein my boy had been hit.

He underwent a “skull series” to make sure there were no fractures (Thank, God!).

I just hope it doesn’t happen again… although we know that accidents ARE indeed accidents.  They occur unexpectedly.  But to the best of our abilities, we can somehow minimize the probabilities by taking all necessary precautions and preparations.

The New IRON MAN Teaser!

It’s finally out! As promised by director Jon Favreau, a new IRON MAN teaser has been very recently released due to insistent public clamor…

Similar to the one they presented over at Comic Con 2007, but with additional footage and modified editing.

Enough with the introduction! Watch the new IRON MAN teaser below in all its awesomeness!