STOP & SMELL THE ROSES / SEPT. 30,2008 =)

Today, I woke up to a perfect, perfect start. The Hubby laid beside me, still asleep, lightly breathing down my neck as he hugged me. Buster J--who in the middle of the night asked to come up onto the bed--slowly got up from his sleep, stretched front, then back, before carefully ambling towards me on the other side and promptly rested his face in the crook of my arm. I laid still, eyes open, as Buster gently licked my face.

It was a scene straight out of a good-morning-milk-commercial-opening-frame.

Then, the blasted alarm clock rang. It was time to get up. Time to get ready.

I got to the office, and started my usual routine. I turned on my laptop and measured the number of coffee scoops I would be needing for the day. I entered my password and as my laptop was working itself up, I walked over to the water dispenser and filled my coffee carafe with cold water.

I got back in time to see my personal screen now up (perfect!) and clicked on the Outlook button for my office e-mail inbox, and clicked on the internet explorer button four times. As I was waiting for all five windows to go up, I poured the cold water onto the brewer and clicked on the coffeemaker's power button.

As my coffee was brewing, I checked on the internet explorer pages. On the first, I clicked on to activate my yahoo mail. On the second, I clicked onto the Inquirer website. On the third, I clicked onto the pep website. On the fourth, I clicked onto multiply. This would allow me to check the info on one site as I waited for the others to download. Later on, after going through the first four, I would run down my Favorites list and click on the others.

As I was waiting for all four sites to go up (and as my office inbox downloaded all the mails I need to read), I would place one teaspoon of brown sugar and one packet of creamer onto my cup.

Soon after I finished all these, the coffeemaker would finish its brewing, and the carafe would be filled with dark, aromatic liquid.

All these done in no more than 10 minutes. No time wasted. Woopee! =D

Then, I sat down, cup of coffee in hand. As I sipped, I activated the Inquirer website, ran down the headlines and found this.

Read.

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DO YOU HAVE THE HURRIED WOMAN SYNDROME?
By Margie David Collins
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 21:09:00 09/29/2008

MANILA, Philippines—In recent butt-clenching days, we have seen the humbling of masters of the universe on Wall Street, the deracination of venerable banking institutions, the transfer of unspeakable sums of money around the world to stave off financial Armageddon— all in warp-speed nanoseconds.“We should take a few days off and do nothing, try and make sense of it,” said a pinstriped colossus.The law of unintended consequences strikes again. The financial meltdown will reverberate for years, but has already ushered in a new age of austerity, freighted with anxiety about the way we live, our acquisitive lifestyles lived in fast-forward.

As we wrestle with these, we might find ourselves slowing down, connecting with others in ways we haven’t done, being kind and gentle. Even God, who created us in record time, rested on the seventh day.But we are what we are, it’s said, for on the eighth day, He lost interest and we have been running fast ever since.

Jet-Speed Lives

The think tank OTX found that typical urbanites cram into 24 hours what would have taken 31 hours to do a decade ago. Time-saving gadgets have given rise to multitasking: watching TV while surfing the net, e-mailing or texting friends and holding a conversation. And still we want more things to do, go faster: broadband, DVD players, IMs, e-mails, BlackBerry, iPhones, games consoles. Brain overloaded, you have to feel pixelated.

“Speed has become an addiction. Falling behind at work? Get a quicker Internet connection. No time for that novel you were given at Christmas? Learn to speed read. Diet not working? Try liposuction. Too busy to cook? Get a microwave. Trouble getting a date? Try speed-dating,” said Carl Honore, high priest of fast-growing Slow Movement, who has taken a stand against the cult of speed, to prove that slow is better.

“Our obsession with going fast and saving time leads to road rage, office rage. Thanks to speed, we live in the age of rage.”

Neuroscience studies suggest the human brain is not a great multitasking organ: To do a task well, it needs focus, not a pile-up of distractions. But with new, fast technology encroaching upon the quotidian, distraction has become a fact of life, part of the human condition.

Studies have found that many of us are suffering from continued partially interrupted state, an inability to focus, reflect and process tasks and information. Sucked into the vortex of speed and haste, we have also lost the ability to enjoy the simple things in life. We killed joy.

Heavy Cost

We have become wretched, burnt-out slaves to time. Our breakneck pace in a “roadrunner culture” is extorting a heavy human cost. Some turn to drink, others to drugs, food, work—addictions that anesthetize fracture and pain.

At 26 years old, Kamei Shuji died of karoshi—death by overwork. He worked 90-hour weeks during Japan’s stock market boom; when the market crashed, he put in even longer hours.

Women who try to do too many things at once—juggling work with hectic home life—complain of chronic stress, tiredness, weight gain, sleep problems, guilt, knackered self-esteem.They suffer, according to Dr. Brent Bost, from hurried woman syndrome. No guessing their offspring, pulled from one relentless activity to another, suffer from hurried child syndrome.

If you can scarf a burger lunch in under 10 minutes, nothing is sacred. A recent study shows that an average adult devotes half an hour a week to making love; one estimate puts 75 percent of men reaching climax within 2 minutes of penetration.Speed kills romance, relationships, your heart. Slow down.

In 1986, Carlo Petrini, a foodie from Bra in Italy, took umbrage when a McDonalds opened at the foot of the Spanish Steps in Rome. Pazza! In the land of dolce vita! He founded Slow Food to promote food that is cultivated, cooked and consumed at a civilized pace.

“Being slow means you control the rhythms of your life,” he said. Like-minded souls in hundreds of countries have heeded his call. Today we have similar movements—Take Back Your Time, Slow Travel, Slow Sex, Slow Cities—addressing time famine and poverty, and time sickness, which is the same thing as sickness of the soul.

“It’s not about doing things at a snail’s pace; it’s savoring the hours and minutes rather than counting them, doing everything as well as possible, instead of as fast as possible,” said Honore, who wrote “In Praise of Slow.”

Pleasures That Last

Andante—like two lovers’ first slow dance. Smelling the sweetness of flowers in the air after a cloudburst. The ecclesiastical glow of an evening, drinking the last of the summer wine. Listening to a tender hush, the peal of church bells, the beating of a tranquil heart. As the day departs, a hymn of thanks for pleasures that last. Standing still, watching Vermeer clouds float past the sky. Lingering. Doing nothing. In the here and now, not hurrying toward a fast-receding future.

“By going slow you might achieve less, but you will achieve better. So much of modern life is about getting the job done rather than doing it well,” said Satish Kumar, a former Jain monk.

No longer disconcerted that time is hurtling by without us, slow is resolutely gaining ground. Urban warriors seek work-life balance by reducing hours of work or working from home. Deleting unread e-mails. Leaving gaps of time in diaries. Downshifting from a life of hurry to a life of slow, connecting with people we love, rediscovering our place and meaning in the universe.Taking a gap year out of the treadmill to regain humor and perspective, far from clamorous company, madding crowds, the din of a thunderous clock. Away from the tyranny of “to-do” lists. Learning to say “no.” Taming brute nature with kindness. Soothing a bruised spirit with Zen. Breathing easy, living serenely.

“A poor life this, if full of care, we have no time to stand and stare,” wrote the poet WH Davies. So, let the hours fly. Unplug. Save yourself. Slow down.

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Quite ironically, after reading this, what exactly did I do? I opened up another window and started blogging. Ack!

MUST.

SLOW.

DOWN.

=(

CHECKLIST! / AS OF SEPTEMBER 22,2008

In June 2007, I posted this blog in my old, now inactive friendster blogsite. I thought it's about time I did some checking. You know, just to see how far I've gone--and just how far I would still need to go to get things done. =)

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TO-DO LIST

I’ve always had this philosophy about getting things done. If I want to make sure I WILL DO AS I SAID I WOULD, I tell other people about it. I know my ego enough to know that once I tell other people that I will achieve something by a certain time, my ego will not allow me to slack off lest I don’t deliver. Hahaha! It has worked well in the past. The other day, I was reading through my past blogs and was quite happy to note that everything seems to be on track, and that the only thing posted in a past list that was really delayed and generally left undone was the installation of the shelves in the kitchen cabinets. (For the record, it’s not because of any lack of effort on my part. It’s about not finding the right ones. Ack! Hahaha. =))

In any case, I figured, if I post this List-of-Things-to-Do-Before-the-Year-is-Over, I will find that by December 2007, I have accomplished all of them.

Here goes:

1. I want to be able to save enough money to pay for AT LEAST 50% of the cost of this townhouse in Loyola Heights that we’ve been eyeing. Blame it on Robert Kiyosaki. We want to start building our source of passive income. This townhouse will only be the first in the series of properties that we will acquire. I want to be able to at least acquire it by December this year.
2. I want to be able to get this business that I’ve been tinkering with in my head off the ground. I want to be able to complete the business plan by July. Do the soft launch / trial run by August. Use all of September for any adjustments and getting all the business registrations completed. Go full-blast by October. No, I don’t intend to resign while doing this. By December, I hope to have a clearer idea of the full potential of this business idea. I need to know if, push comes to shove, it could be successful enough to be called a decent Plan B–if and when I decide to leave the corporate world for a set-up where I have more control of my time.
3. I want to be accredited as a "contributing writer" for one of the magazines out there. I have always fancied being a writer. I just never pursued it because, well, because I know brand management pays more money. Hahaha! At this point in time though, I crave to be part of something creative. So there. I will send out samples of my work (do blogs count? hehe) in the vain hope that some editor will take notice. I am even willing to work for peanuts. Hahaha! At this point in time, I just want to be able to do something different and something totally unrelated to my line of work.
   

I’ll stop at three to keep the list manageable. I promise to post an update by January 1,2008. Hold me accountable if I don’t deliver. =)

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Hmmmmnnnnnn....This checklist is even more delayed than I thought! Haha! 'D

On #1....Hmmmmnnnn...'Got sidetracked. Totally forgot about Robert Kiyosaki and bought a bigger place instead. Haha! 'D Uh....does it count that after we move into House Royal next year, we will put House Pioneer up for rent? Haha! =D Sya, sya. I'm cheating, I know. =D The Kiyosaki Agenda will find its way back to the top of our list eventually. Right after we finish paying for the Royal (both in the figurative and literal sense) amortizations. Ack! *Sheepish grin...=D*

On #2....Hmmmmmnnnn....business plan.....business plan....uh....can business reviews and marketing plans count instead? ACK! Hopeless. Hopeless! Must really get back on track. Hmp. *Eyes rolling with tongue sticking out, followed by an exasperated BAH!...=/*

On #3....Hmmmmmnnnn....let me pose the question again.....uh......do blogs count? HAHAHAHAHAHA...hay....=(

I have quite obviously been remiss. Hmp! >:[

Must get going now.

*Deep, deep, sigh....=(*

TIME FLIES WHEN YOU'RE HAVING FUN!, PART 2 / SEPT. 18,2008 =D

A few weeks ago, K sent me photos that instantly had me waxing sentimental. Earlier, as I was browsing through the book on mini-schnauzers that Father bought, I found myself wondering (with a slight tinge of melancholy) just how Buster J looked like as a pup. I don’t have to wonder anymore! Yey! ^_^ (Thanks, K. =))

This is Buster J, at 3-1/2 weeks.

This is Buster J, at less than 2 months old.


This is Buster J, a few days after we got him from Chicopoms. (He is the one on the left. Haha! ;p) He was so tiny then, he can actually comfortably curl up on my lap and sleep during the trips from House Pioneer to House Better and vice-versa. So tiny, I could actually pick him up with one arm. So tiny, I didn’t mind having him sleep on my chest as I laid down on the sofa watching TV.


These days, I find that I now have to struggle every time I pick him up—even when I use both hands and one leg to prop him up. These days, he is already “tall enough” to see out the window so he never really sleeps during car rides anymore. These days, I find that I am barely able to breathe every time he climbs up on my chest to sleep. He’s quite heavy for his size—as most schnauzers are. He’s not fat. He is, as they say in the vernacular, siksik. =D Thing is, he seems to think that he is still tiny. So he still expects to be picked up every time he makes lambing. He still expects to sit on my lap—no matter how uncomfortable he is—during drives. He even looks at me quite accusingly (a mixture of irritation and wonder glinting in his eyes) every time I try to move him from my chest to my side before he falls asleep.

That’s because, these days, this is the face that greets us every time we walk through the front door. It is the face that bugs us every time our full attention is required. Meet Buster J at 7 months. Long-haired Buster J. (Because we’re still waiting for his “poodle-foot-fur” to grow back just a weeeeeeee bit longer. Haha! =D)


Just the other night, as I watched him with Ragdoll, I came to a surprising realization. I should stop buying Buster J puppy food. He is now a dog.

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! =(

Hahaha. =P


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Who is Ragdoll?

Ragdoll is Buster J’s best friend.

NOT! =D

Ragdoll is actually MY bestfriend. Hehe. Ever since I got Ragdoll for Buster J, he has stopped pulling and ngawing on all the rugs and floor mats at home. Haha! =D Now, I just have to figure out a way to keep Buster J off Father's new cushions--which, quite coincidentally (and unfortunately), all look like big, plump, square cousins of Ragdoll. Ngyah. =D

THE STOCK MARKET / SEPTEMBER 18,2008 =D

Nope, this is not about the Lehman Brothers collapse that has resulted in major market downturns across the globe--which in turn has probably resulted in Bro I-gue hyperventilating to the wee hours of the morning. This is about the new restaurant on Bonifacio High Street, which was originally meant to be the lifestyle store of the pineapple and tomato company, but has since evolved into a Hamptons-inspired bunk.

THE STOCK MARKET. Now, only the pineapple remains. ;p (Thanks to Thelmy for the pic of the store exterior and interior. All other pics were taken from my cell camera. Haha. =)

This week is dry run week for employees (and their families and friends) with the primary intention of revving up the waiters and restaurant personnel in time for the public soft launch next week (rumor has it they will be giving a 20% discount whole of next week, but 'am not really sure).

Hubby Sweet and I tried out the menu for dinner last Monday with Buster J in tow so we had to sit outside. We were asked by The Boss and Jo-P to pretend to be demanding customers so the waiters can be trained to handle demanding patrons in the future. The Hubby and I, however, have made a promise never to be masungit to the waiters IN ANY RESTAURANT before the food is served, lest we end up eating more than we bargained for. Haha. =) So we ended up being demanding, but nice. Hehe. =D Quite coincidentally, BPI ended up calling me about reinstating my "invalid" internet password just as we were about to order. (Long, stupid story about how my password was rendered invalid when their website timed-out which resulted in me being blocked out just when I needed to double-check if the account had funds enough to support some post-dated checks I issued a few months ago. HMP! >:/) The blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-complete-with-raised-eyebrows-and-sharp-tongue discussion took a bit so that should probably count as test #1. (For the record, I was being masungit to BPI, not the waiter. Hehe.) While I was blabbering over the line, the Hubby noticed that Buster J was thirsty as hell so he asked the waiter if he can have a plastic cup that we can use as his makeshift dog dish. Waiter came out with a small, round plastic/disposable microwaveable dish filled to the brim with water. Complements of the house. Bravo! Haha! 'D

Jo-P soon arrived--probably to check on how things were going--and panicked when she saw us sitting outside. "You're not allowed to eat out! Go inside!" I countered, "Jo-P, I have my dog. Unless you're OK with me bringing him inside..." As it usually is with Jo-P, she had a 180 degree shift in temperament, looked at Buster J and went, "Well, hello there, little cutie!". Doing another 180-degree shift, she then turned to me before going inside, "OK. You can be practice na lang for all future customers who will eat outside because they have their pets with them." Hahaha! OK.... =D

Now, being on a serious-fish-only-during-weekdays-mode, Hubby Sweet ordered the healthiest dish on the menu: the Spice-Crusted Sea Bass. (The full recipe names are actually longer, but I can't remember them because they are kilometric. Haha! =D) According to the Hubby, the pricey fish was worth it. Buti na lang! =) Now, I am not a fan of Sea Bass. I think it's a little bland, but I'm plebian. I actually like Tilapia better. Haha! Still, I did try Hubby Sweet's dish just for the heck of it and found it to be light, but mildly tasty (because of the spice crust and the aioli lace). I also liked the bed of salad it was on; the dressing tasted peanut-y. The Hubby, overall, was satisfied. =)

Being a serious karne-vore (;p), I went for the Cobbler Pie "of cut-up steak, etc., etc.". (I only retained "cut-up steak". Haha!) It was highly recommended by officemates who decided to take their turn at the dry run earlier that day over lunch. It was good, but I suppose I really like my steak just grilled and juicy. The Cobbler Pie--as the name suggests--is actually a stew with the filo pastry creatively plated as triangle-shaped flaky bread instead of being used as topping to seal off a ramekin. Still, I wouldn't mind recommending it to others. It's serving size is actually big enough for two so if you share it with a friend, it will actually give you great value. =)

Hubby Sweet ate his meal with The Stockmarket Peach Soda. Very light and bubbly. Almost Shandy-ish. I like. =) Actually, I LOVE. =D I ate mine with a pick from the interesting Smoothie list. Pineapple-Lychee. I LIKE too. But I don't love. =D

We ended the meal with the Key Lime Pie which was good, but those who know my dessert preferences well (think Lola and friend Cheffy) would know that I like any lime- or lemon-based dessert to be REALLY tart, otherwise, what's the point? That said, however, I think The Stock Market's Key Lime Pie would be perfect for most who like their desserts sweet with only the slightest hint of tartness. For the record, I did like how the the crusty, sugar-laced lime rind blends with softness of the cream and pie. =)

Yesterday, The Boss asked the entire Fruit Team to eat at the restaurant for another round of dish trials, and I have come to the conclusion that there are sooooo many other dishes at The Stock Market that are much better than the dishes Hubby Sweet and I tried.

My new favorites from yesterday's food tasting: the Fancy Cheese Pizza and the Lamb Steak with Banana-Berry Smoothie. (Wine is also available on the menu, but I don't drink so....) The Chicken-Pesto Grilled Sandwich was great too. =)

By next week, I've been told that they would already have available the "famous" Porterhouse Steak from The Lodge @ the pineapple plantation high-up in the fertile plateaus of Bukidnon. ;p Those who have been lucky enough to have tried the steaks there would know that they are bigger than plates and juicy-marbled enough to send you to steak heaven. I can't wait! So, yes, I suppose, there are reasons enough for us to go back. =D

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Congratulations to Jo-P and The Boss for the birth of their baby (finally! =D) The Stock Market is on B1/B3 Bonifacio High Street. It's right next to Friday's.

I've been told that it opens to the public on soft-launch basis next week. It goes full blast on the 1st week of October.

Call 8566300 or 8566301 for details and reservations. =)

SYNOPSIS / AUGUST 30,2008 =D

I’m posting this to end the series. I don’t know Ana, but I suppose among all the videos posted on You Tube, hers best encapsulates what transpired that night.

15 songs.

Alapaap. Ligaya. Sembreak. Hey Jay. Harana. Fruitcake. Toyang. Kama Supra. Kailan. Wag Kang Matakot. Kaliwete. With A Smile. Shake Yer Head. Huwag Mo Nang Itanong Sa Akin. Lightyears.

And we were just getting started! I suppose it says a lot that despite the cancelled second set (and third if I understood it correctly from Marcus’ blogsite), each and every song in the first was enough to bring us back to “our times”. As the Eraserheads played and sang, we sang along with them. Word for word. Jumping. Headbanging. Screaming. Just like we used to. When they were still together. When they still talked to each other.

Rumors abound that there will be a Part II in December, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up just yet.

In the meantime, a borrowed line from one of my favorite movies of all time says everything I need to say after 15 songs, following six long years of waiting.

“Enough. Enough now.”

Yes.

For now, this would have to be enough.

ALAPAAP!!! / AUGUST 30,2008 =D

This was the opening number. There are countless more on You Tube if you care to surf. Enough said. =)

Time for me to relive the moment. If you had been there, you'd be screaming your head off too. WOOOHOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! 'D

ULTRAMAGNETIC POPPED! / AUG.30,2008 =D

We woke up on this particular Saturday fully-charged. With the E-heads concert and a habol for friend Nikolodeon’s belated birthday party at Biltmore after, we woke up earlier than we usually do and trooped to House Better with Buster J in tow. We arrived in time for breakfast with Buster immediately running to Lola (haha), the entire time jumping around like a jackrabbit. I suspect that like my nieces, Patita and Ray*-B, he also sees House Better as his comfy-land, having free reign to roam the garden and bug Madonna (Mother’s talking bird) until he gets bored and sleepy. Just as well. He’d at least have company while Hubby Sweet and I partied. Haha! =D

Hubby Sweet and I stayed until lunch, after which I had to go to the office (yes =() for last minute meetings with The Boss in time for the Monday presentation of the CY09 Operating Targets to our President. Hubby Sweet dropped me off (the office was one block away from the concert grounds, yey!). At 1:00 p.m., Fort Bonifacio was beginning to buzz. There were more cars than usual. There were more people milling about. This was no ordinary Saturday and several simple, plain, black signs on white tarpaulin said it all. ERASERHEAD REUNION CONCERT ->. The lack of "S" notwithstanding, I still say, WOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! Hahaha! 'D (Thanks to BJ, BTW, for the pic of the sign. I got it from his multiply site. Hehe. *Sheepish grin* =))

After dropping me off, Hubby Sweet set out to run several errands. I told him to be back by 5:00 p.m. though, in anticipation of the heavy traffic and the full restaurants. (I had previously dealt with Christina and Beyonce, and I suspected that the E-Heads reunion concert would be much, much, MUCH (!) bigger than both—COMBINED.) Thankfully, we did not have to deal with the parking nightmare that everyone else had to go through. We used my office parking slot. Yey! =D

I finally finished my meeting at 6:30 p.m. The Hubby Sweet passed time milling about Boni High. By the time I got down, every single restaurant within the vicinity was packed. Pancake House, Friday’s, Texas Roadhouse, etc., etc.! All were practically bursting at the seams with people eating and with people waiting for their turn to eat. I was just telling the Hubby that maybe we should just do take-out and eat in my office (how sad!) when I had a eureka moment. I whispered to Hubby Sweet and asked him to follow me to Landes & Hobbes. (Futile, I know, because no one else was really listening to me. Haha!) He looked at me curiously. It was a fact not too many people know. Right there in the middle of all those overpriced toys, Landes & Hobbes actually serve more-than-decent, and reasonably-priced pasta, turnover pies and sandwiches. There used to be caramel apples for dessert. Now, there’s only Haagen Daaz. Despite the busy-ness inside the store, we found a free table! YEY!!! ,D

Our E-heads Reunion Concert dinner? A gigantic Hungarian Sausage sandwich and potato chips for me; a chicken spinach lasagna and pepperoni roll for Hubby Sweet. Yum! ^_^ No pictures though. I was too excited, I forgot to take pics. Haha! Still, I do remember drowning my Hungarian Sausage under tons of mayo, tomato ketchup AND mustard. Diets be damned! This night was a night for celebration. OK, so maybe it ought to count that I gulped everything down with a can of Coke Light. Haha. =D

We decided to head to the concert grounds a little after seven. The walk only heightened our excitement. There was undeniable electricity in the air. The air was so charged, there could’ve been lightning and thunder, except that on this particular night—this night of all nights—there was, thankfully, no rain. After an entire week of afternoon showers, even the heavens seemed to have bestowed its special blessing and ordered the clouds not to release a single drop. On this night of all nights, Fort Bonifacio was A.L.I.V.E. WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

The traffic jam was mad. Vacant lots were converted to temporary parking lots. People were walking to and fro. A good number were sitting on the sidewalks. Hubby Sweet and I suspected they were the die-hard E-heads fans who were inevitably “left out” when the organizers decided to sell the tickets for P1,300 and P800 a pop. May mga jologs. May mga sosyal. May mga naka-shorts. May mga naka-miniskirt at heels (My personal thought balloon: BAKET???!!!). May bata. May matanda. May mga pawis na pawis. May mga mukhang "amoy cologne". Hahah! May isang grupo pa ng mga trentang tao yata na naka-customized black Eraserheads t-shirt complete with Ely Buendia prints. Nakatambay sa harap ng Honda Fort. Nagtatawanan. Nagyayayaan. Kala ko nagbebenta ng t-shirt, di pala. Muntik pa naman ako bumili. Haha! =D

Hubby Sweet and I walked to the entrance nearest Boni High, but were told to line up at the entrance on the other side instead because the lines near Boni High were getting ridiculously long. No biggie. The long walk to the other side allowed us to take in the entire scene. I was practically skipping and hopping the entire time. So were a few other people who walked alongside us. Hubby Sweet--who was just released from hospital confinement after popping his lung--was not allowed to. I suspect though that, deep inside, he was skipping and hopping along with me. Haha. =D

Right outside the entrance, a huge vacant lot (next to the newly-built South of Market condo) has already been converted into a huge picnic ground of sorts. Blankets were strewn everywhere; jackets were converted into makeshift picnic mats. As with the folks who contentedly sat down on the sidewalks on the Boni High side, I suspect, these folks were just happy to hear the Eraserheads play one more time without having to pay for the admittedly steep ticket price (for the average masa). Nonetheless, the same level of excitement that was stamped on the faces of the ticket-buyers were also quite evident in theirs. Considering that the organizers only had two days to release changes in concert details and two days to sell tickets, Fort Bonifacio (yes, beyond the actual concert venue) was SOLD-OUT. =D Official reports placed the crowd within the concert venue at 60,000. Those who partied outside were estimated to be at 10,000. 70,000 people trooped to Fort Bonifacio for the one thing they never thought would happen again. For one night only, the Eraserheads would once again take centerstage and rock.

Inside the concert venue, people patiently waited for 8:00 p.m. Some sat on solid ground. This was no time for kaartehan. Hubby Sweet and I stood the entire time. I took in the scene. I suppose it was perfect that the sole major sponsor pulled out at the last minute. Being in brand management, I found the experience quite surreal, and yet, admittedly, I also found it extremely refreshing. Despite the short notice, I refuse to believe that no other sponsor was willing to step in. Maybe things were really the way they were because the E-heads wanted it to be so. After all, the Eraserheads Reunion Concert was the biggest event of the year, and yet the entire place was practically a blank canvass. The signs that directed folks to the concert venue were unbranded and printed using simple Arial Bold Black letters on white tarpaulin. Inside the concert venue, there were no gigantic streamers. No gigantic Globe (or Smart) tarpaulins hanging from the stage and the scaffoldings. No perimeter walls painted with advertising. No gigantic Coke (or Pepsi), Pizza Hut (or Shakeys or KFC) booths! No personal care company giving samples of shampoo / soap / moisturizer / etc., etc. at the entrance. No merchandising whatsoever. Even the sole McDonald's booth did not have a gigantic sign with the familiar Golden Arches. It was more of a tent with set-up tables and a mound of burgers and rows of paper cups being filled with ice and softdrinks. (Think Sunday picnic set-up as opposed to the usual high-tech mobile booths that they usually send to events like these). The only other food booth was a burger place whose name escapes me now (I have not heard of it before). The only drinks being sold in the venue aside from bottled water was Sunkist Iced Tea and some neon-colored vitamin water. (Yes, drinks that no one has probably even heard of nor tried until then.) It was the early/mid-1990s again--before the telecom giants and below-the-line brand activations took over our lives.

Everyone was betting that the concert will start at 9:00 p.m. as most concerts in Manila are wont to do. (They start one hour after the declared time; 'am not too sure if it was to make room for the concept of Filipino time.) Everyone was wrong.

A little after 8:00 p.m., the gigantic video-wall flashed 10:00.00. The 10-minute countdown has begun. The crowd went wild at the 10-minute, 5-minute, 3-minute, and 1-minute marks. Eyes stayed glued to the screen, until finally, the real countdown began. As the numbers flashed on screen, the crowd screamed along like some weird extra New Year's Eve in August.

TEN!!!!!!

NINE!!!!!!!

EIGHT!!!!!!!

SEVEN!!!!!!!!

SIX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FOUR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TWO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The crowd went wild. The screen blacked out only to come back alive with two simple words, printed in simple fonts, white against a totally black screen. Those two words said it all for the 60,000 people within the venue and the 10,000 more outside.

SA WAKAS.

The Eraserheads were back, and I couldn't stop screaming.

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More in the next post. Time to work now. =)

THE ROAD TO THE E-HEADS REUNION CONCERT / ALL DAYS BEFORE AUG. 30,2008! =D

I first knew about the possibility of an Eraserheads Reunion Concert from the PEP site. That’s the Philippine Entertainment Portal for the uninformed, and for the record, I only check it because I want to track changes in the weekly NUTAM TV ratings for work. Haha. Yeah, right. ;p But seriously, I find that these days, I can no longer sit through an entire episode of The Buzz without developing a serious headache from listening to the travails of a series of mindless mini-starlets. The PEP site provides a great alternative for those who want to follow local showbiz biggies without having to sit through the irritating fillers (I mean, who wants to know about the latest in the lovelives of Mystica and Madam Auring?!).

So there I was, reading through the right column where all the headlines are listed when I almost had a minor heart attack as I stumbled upon one particular headline: ERASERHEADS TO REUNITE FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY. (Click on the link to read the article.) Amidst everything I had to do that day (I forgot now what they were), I texted Hubby Sweet to solicit his cooperation in finding more about how to score tickets.

From mid-July to D-Day, August 30, I monitored every single article on the web, hoping to find out more abut the concert. With personal issues not yet resolved between some of the band members, a big part of me thought the concert may not actually push through. Everytime, I would click on each headline with dread only to heave a sigh of relief after each one confirms that, yes, the One-Night-Only-No-Band-Reunion-No-New-CD-After-Concert will indeed push through. (Click here if you want to read the article.)

Still, with D-Day fast approaching, and with no official announcement on how tickets can be had (word-of-mouth though suggest that the key to getting in lies in the Marlboro website), I walked around like an E-head zombie, trying to get through business reviews and CY09 budget preparations at work, while asking around and scheming for ways to unlock the secret to getting inside the reunion concert.

Finally, on August 27 (three days before), organizers announced that Marlboro (which has rightly been tagged as the official solo sponsor) had pulled out because of threats from the DOH resulting from the ban on any form of advertising (including sponsorships) for cigarette manufacturers. Sony-BMG (the band's old label) announced that it was stepping in, that the concert would push through as scheduled on the 30th but that it will now be held at the Fort Bonifacion Open Field (instead of the original CCP grounds). In addition to the change in venue, the tickets will now be sold (instead of being given for free upon registration at the Marlboro site) at P1,300 for Patrons, P800 for General Admission. Tickets will be sold @ all Ticketworld outlets beginning August 28, two days before the concert.

Unfortunately, I had wall-to-wall meetings the following day, but officemates who decided to try and brave the mob reported that lines at all Ticketworlds were snaking like there was no end in sight. (Mas mahaba pa daw ang pila sa Ticketworld kesa sa For the First Time ni KC and Richard! Haha! ‘D) Darn. DARN!!! I felt my chance at scoring tickets slowly fade away when the Hubby texted @ way past 9:00 p.m. (I was still in the office) that someone told him the Cebu Pacific site had a Ticketworld link where we can possibly buy tickets online. WOOOOOOOHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOO!!! It was definitely worth a try. =)

Hubby Sweet and I decided that we will both try (him from our laptop at home, me from the office) to increase our chances. We figured if we end up with two extra tickets, it would be easy enough for us to sell them to someone else. =)

After several attempts, I finally got hold of adjoining seats. (The website kept giving me available seats that were far from one another, and I stupidly believed that because we were paying for the more expensive Patron tickets, we would be provided with actual chairs, hahaha!) In any case.... WOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! G3715 - G3716. *Grin, grin, grin from ear-to-ear-with-matching-yes-and-fist-in-the-air! =D*

After clicking on the "purchase now" button, I then belatedly realized that for me to buy the tickets, I had to create an account with Cebu Pacific. This automatically heightened the stress level even more as the countdown on the left side of the screen indicated that I have only 10 minutes to complete the transaction after which they will free up the seats to someone else. It was literally a race against time. WAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! *Huff, huff, huff, complete-concentration-with-matching-furrowed-eyebrows-must-do-this-type-of-expression-on-face. >:/*

After wheezing my way through the registration process (it actually left me breathless, because I think I put off breathing the entire time, haha), the ticket purchase was FINALLY a done deal. All that was left for the Hubby and I to do was to go to the nearest Ticketworld outlet to pick up the tickets.

WOOOOOOOOOHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOO!!! 'D

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More in the next post! Right now, I have to work. =D