I started the weekend with a hangover, because I closed Friday night drinking with Boojie and his friend Amado at the Ten 02, my favorite watering hole. When they left, I moved on to the back of Faustino’s and had a nightcap and a tapsilog, which was very good.
Read More »World Press Freedom Day
On the invitation of Joe, the NUJP chairman, Neil and I did two songs at Freedom Bar last Saturday (May 3). So with just a quick one-hour rehearsal we did two songs. Neil sang CSNY’s “Long Time Gone” and I sang the Eraserheads’ “Ang Huling El Bimbo.”
I didn’t realize while on stage that LeAnne had been taking pictures, one of which appears here. And I guess Joe was taking a video of all the performers, but I haven’t seen it.
After that gig, at around midnight, I went over to Ten 02, a new bar owned by Myra Ruaro, who also goes by stage name Skarlet. It’s where I hang out a lot now after work. And Myra is usually there to chat with customers.
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Jamming at Newsdesk
I like to jam, and Newsdesk Cafe allows customers to do that every Friday. Its regular performer is Melvin, a member of Bagong Dugo.
During his break, Boy D got up on stage to do some songs, after which I just had to take my turn.
I did the Eraserheads’ “Huling El Bimbo,” followed by Kamikazee’s “Narda,” during which Leanne J started snapping away with his camera.
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Taking it slowly
Whenever I have time, I like doing the things I enjoy slowly, like eating. And I learned this while doing restaurant reviews when I was a lifestyle writer for the old Daily Globe.
Read More »Happy New Year!
For the second time in a row, I ended one year and started another one working at the office.
I watched the fireworks display going all around the GMA Network Center from the main entrance.
Boss Joe and I then cruised around the area in his car.
Most of the streets were quiet just 20 minutes past midnight. It used to be that the fireworks fun lasted more than half an hour on either side of midnight.
Hard times.
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From amateur to professional bystander
In my grade school years, I would sometimes hear an aunt of mine call me anti-social and aloof. She didn’t mean it in a bad way. What she meant was that most of the time I preferred to keep to myself, usually reading or drawing or watching TV, even though I did spend a fair share of time playing with my brothers and cousins and the neighborhood kids.
Read More »Risky road
Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City is still the most accident-prone road in the Philippines.
I live near that road and I’ve seen some bad accidents happen there, like these two guys who were run over by a speeding van, whose driver never stopped.
Read More »Watching my own life
“My God, it’s almost like you’re an innocent bystander in your own life,” a friend of mine once said, after I told her about some romantic incidents, mostly happy, that had happened to me.
She was right, and it struck me just then how right she was: I’ve been content to be a bystander sometimes, though not always an innocent one.
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Now it’s the con-con game
A lot of writers are going to say this, but it’s hard to resist: House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. and other cha-cha solons have kissed their beloved con-ass goodbye. So now they’re moving on to the con-con game.
Read More »Winning team
GMANews.TV was named at the Philippine Web Awards last Thursday as Best Media Website, and editor in chief Malou Mangahas got an award for her 10-word acceptance speech: “Sa Pilipino sa buong mundo, GMANews.TV, serbisyong totoo, bente-kwatro oras.”
[Translation: To Filipinos all over the world, GMANews.TV, true service 24 hours daily.]
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