Aug 25, 2004

Being iN a bAnD...

memories of my band occured to me instantly when i see my guitar.the hardships, the short comings, the love stories, the gigs and every person we've met in the world of underground music. from the underground artist back then, to the rockstars of today.

we've been together for almost 5 years. still no manager, quite a little gigs, havent had a demo yet but we got a lot of original songs.there are alot to tell about my band. not to mention the story behind our name and the "before gigs experiences".

in the beginning:

we're all grade school friends in aquinas school(a catholic school exclusive for boys). who would have thought that 4 guyz from a very innocent school that teaches strict catholicsm could end up having a band worth telling for? coincidence? maybe. we started to form the group in 3rd year highschool and the rest was history.

...and what's your band name again?

actually, we named the band "twelve" in our first 8months i think. why twelve? well i thought of a name out of a common number that has been used and noted from all the books i've read. like for instance, the 12 gates of heaven and the 12 angels from the bible, the 12 systems of the human body, 12 days of christmas and 12 eggs that makes it a dozen. and its really coincidental that our drummer's surname is "Labindalawa". later on we add up the words "dirty finger" and eventually eliminates the vowels. (parang sa text message)let me tell you first a little about the "dirty finger" on how we decided to add it up to the previous and common "twelve".

...and what's your band name again? (part 2)

jijaw(on vocals) have a p.e. of ice skating in megamall. jijaw and his classmate were practicing sort of a stunt. when their about to execute it, jijaw went off balanced and fell. then his classmate accidentally stepped over jijaw's middle finger with his ice skates. (oooohhhh.. thats gotta hurt!) luckily, jijaws nail bed on his middle finger was the only organ that had been cut (horizontally) instantly by the ice skates blade. he retorted.. "duguan yung daliri ko nun nung dinala ako sa clinic!" he went on with his life at u.p. with a little bandage on his right hand middle finger. then evry time a common friend sees him, they greet him with a finger-up-in-the-air sign as hello. thats when the time we all add it up to the band's name. funny? hell yeah!

funny antics?

there was this barangay band contest we've joined last 3 years ago. the crowd wasnt enjoying the first few bands before us. in other words- theyre so bored. we're slightly drunk that night and we played 2 songs(both originals). when we're highly enjoying our song, jijaw(vocalist) attemps to jump but he didnt noticed that the wire of his microphone tangled on his left foot. this stopped him to jump high and fell off- back first! as in! sobra! ouch dude!!! instead of humiliation, jijaw stands up and raised his fist up and shouted "YEAH!!! ALRIGHT!!!" the bored crowd stands up and clapped their hands. there were huge shouts and laughter.. so hard. hehehe.. the 3 of us at jijaw's back cant resist to laugh too. unfortunately, we didnt win. but atleast we're perfect 10 in Audience impact! Since then, it's been the laughing stock of the band every practices and meetings...

Lessons learned in experiences:

we've experienced the times we had no money when we went to our gigs. we havent even had the bread to buy a bottle of san migz and pulutans. at ang masakit, kahit may binenta kaming tikets, kahit pamasahe man lang wala kaming nakuha every after the gig. minsan kasi, pag di namin na bebenta yung mga tix, we end up kami yung sumasalo. then at the end of the night, even if our pockets had no money left but for ride fares, naka ngiti kaming umuwi sa aming mga tahanan. sometimes pa nga... we experienced eating only skyflakes and drinking pepsi in an 8 oz. bottle before the show starts. hati hati na kami ng ganun at busog na kami. its hard being in a band like we have, but it makes us proud everytime we reminisce. these all made us to become better persons.

...and the music goes on and on and on...

we've been together for almost 5 years. with the spirits we have, the endless hungry stomachs every gig, and the friendship that makes us more than brothers, i think i'll chose to be with them again for another 5 decades or more... success? yes i think we're successful enough despite the fact that we havent had a demo yet. because for us, success doesnt depend on albums we can produce and make millionsof copies sold. its the time you've spent countless days on a band that taught you great lessons in life... its more than fulfilling just to have friends like them and make a band out of that friendship.



"We were young, and we played
But we never, ever grew tired.
We’re so happy and so gayAnd you never heard me cry…"

-an excerpt from the song "Tootles" by 12 drtyfngrs

Aug 15, 2004

The Videoke Challenge!

after a successful 1st attempt on Videoke Trip of my barkadas in GCX last 5months ago(i think), calculus and i decided to make it a challenge evry saturday! here are the action packed challenge experience with calculus in 3 places where videoke's are available! then lately, we tabulate a score sheet witnessed and tabulated by our guest. so far.. paganda ng paganda yung laban! hehehe.. ewan ko ba.... nakaka addict! try nyo minsan... hehehe...



this was taken on SM north 2 months ago. Birit baby!!!


calculus moves while singing... "reasons by earth, wind & fire"


kahit sa 8waves bulacan hindi pinatawad ang videoke slots!


these next set of pictures was taken in RedBox Greenbelt! (thanks venice!)



calculus and your one and only. Side By Side!!! san ka pah!



mainit ang labanan! sa Galawan nagkasubukan!


"...right down through the wire... even through the fire..." -calculus


the picture says it all!


"Blue Print" Trios!!! and The Green Mangoes!

more pictures!


The Culprits of the "Blue Print" book! mga tsong!!! ...for the book mga pare!!!!
me,jeffcrazy,ralph6 and Mr. Green Mangoes




chubby and me
the book will not be printed kung wla c chubby..



At last!!!!

after a long self study on how to post a blog here with pics! finally....



this was taken from route seventeen event Aug.1

ASTEEEEEEEEEG si KItchie Nadal!



sino ako?

Aug 11, 2004

the parable of the cockroach!

(siguraduhing nakakain na ng hapunan at ng tanghalian bago basahin)

ever been finding hope to someone? or unto something? heres a great story for all of us who needs to find a little light to the most unlikely beings on earth...

i was so bored that sunday night and decides to watch legally blonde featured on sunday special of channel 2. when the program starts, a cockroach was climbing up 9 feet fom the ceiling down to the floor. then unexpectedly, it flew straight from my head but luckily i managed to dodge and picks up my slippers ready to spank down the little guy. the cockroach crawled again to the floor straight again to the door below. it started to climb up again, but this time i was ready to give it a shot. but since the roach attempts to climb through the edge of the back door, i only manage to hit it half. it fell down from where he/she climbs. i was aware for the fact that it was still alive. i was so annoyed but went on to sit and relax to watch tv. after a few minutes, the roach climbs again as though it never had been half hitted by my slippers. i reached out again my terror slipper and spank again the discusting roach. this time i was aware already that it will never climb up again. i managed to look the cockroach down where it fell and from the looks of it, all of its insides splurts out... from then on i went back to my seat and tried to finish the featured movie from the tv.... i was wrong from my second thought that i killed the enemy of our house. i was surprised. maybe "nearly killed" will be the appropriate words to discribe it. much to my amazement, the roach climbed up slowly. even for the thought that danger awaits the roach, the crippled insect never gives up despite the fact that it was almost hopeless to climb up.
...believe me, the little guy climbed until he reached our ceiling and tried to flew. but since he/she was devasted physically, he fell down slowly to the floor. i still managed to expectate his/her final act of survival... he crawled away slowly below to the cabinet. i set it free... because i dont have the right to take away an insects life except when self defense was at stake.
that night, i contemplated on things like hope and giving-up... these where....
(in no particular order)

*gcx's unexpected off the air phenomenon - i mean.. it was like a part of you was missing everyday.

*academics - i am aware of this. sometimes i lose hope... i just cant grab the spark but im workin on it.

* love life - i mean... being alone and lonely makes you feel your a loser sometimes... may mga times naman na hindi ko ito naiisip pero pilit na ipapakita sayo sa pang araw araw na buhay na bigyan pansin daw! like when i walk home or when im at school.... almost everybody's holding hands with each other and displaying their affection publicly.

* blank minded - i dont know, i cought myself sometimes na "tulala" kahit wala naman akong iniisip.


but because of what i learned to the roach... these are now marks of my hoplessness i life.
every day will be a new one to live. a new back door to climb and a new slippers to be spanked. no matter how devastated we are or how much destruction we fill up every time a problem strikes, surrender will never be an option.


"...pag natulog ka mamaya at bukas buhay ka pa, ibig sabihin may solusyon pa ang problema mo. pag 'di ka na nagising, yun na yun! wala ng solusyon yan..." -calculus

"...ganyan talaga pag umuulan, sabay sabay..." -calculus

Aug 1, 2004

Lolo Manloloko.

it was this last morning of friday that i experienced something unfair.And the most unusual is to a member of a citizen of our country.
i was in the office of "the chronicles" and apparently, i was writing an article for the school paper when an associate editor decides to eat breakfast. he puts out a stock of instant cup noodles from the cabinet stock and offered me.. "pare, kain ka muna... mahirap mag sulat ng walang laman ang tiyan!" oo nga naman.. before i went to school i only drank coffee and ate 1 piece of pandesal. i took what he gaved and started to open the wrap. but as soon as our stomach's started to crumble for hunger, i immediately said... "teka, san tayo kukuha ng mainit na tubig?" "atsaka kutsara't tinidor!" added by my good friend. "ah alam ko na! kay lolo jan sa hospital lobby.." i said. then my friend retorted "oo tama! dun na lang, mas malapit kesa sa mini stop." (which is somewhat several walks away from the schools entrance..)
we decided to go to the lobbyshop of the hospital's ground floor. from there, we saw lolo and his alalay. lolo sits were the cash drawer was in place and the alalay is on the shelves where candies are sold. lolo's age from the looks of him would be like.... 81 and i've never seen him stand up from where he sits.
we asked lolo if they sold plastic forks & spoons. "oo. meron.." matching a grumpy and very old voice. i asked "magkano po?" "two fifty..." so ako naman, bili lang. kasi talagang gutom na kami! when the time i pumped for hot water from their thermos, sabi agad ni lolo... "oi... may bayad yan! bale P6.00 kayong dalawa..." "ano?! ayus ah.." i said. muntik ko na talagang ibalik yung mainit na tibig na yun sa loob ng termos. i was shocked. for 3 pesos.... it really proves that anything in this country is for sale. i paid for it para wala ng gulo at umalis akong mainit ang ulo at hindi pa rin makapaniwala. at hindi lang yun, when we were already eating our noodles at the office, halos half-empty ko nang kinakain yung noodles ko, napansin ko na yung binenta samin na spoon ay may tatak ng "Mc Donalds".
....and as soon as i examined our spoons, i remembered lolo sometime last monday when i had a breaktime coming out from my duty, i remembered seeing him eating his fave food....
Mc Donalds crispy chicken. hanep! naisahan kami ni lolo... syet! oh well... for the experience sake na lang.