Just like a true Eraserheads fanatic, I came earlier than the early birds (hahaha) to get one of the hailed spots in Eraserheads concert in Dubai Media City Ampitheatre.

Thanks to the organizers of Du World Music Fest for lining up Eraserheads this year with Guns n Roses, Andrea Bocelli and other great artists.

After the long chase, i.e. after missing their reunion concerts in the Philippines being miles away, I finally met them by the front row. I finally shouted told Ely “I love yahhhhh, Ely” hahahaha, as he approached my spot as he sang “Pare Ko”.

Just when I thought they would kick off with “Alapaap”, they did “Walang Nagbago”. I knew it hit most of the audience infinitely especially with the lyrics “At ngayong may edad ka na at lunod sa problema nangangarap na ibalik ang kahapon na di mo malaman…..”

They sounded a hundred times better in person.

They performed (surprisingly) for 2.5 hours. It has been worth the drive from Abu Dhabi to Dubai, almost losing my voice from singing along (blast from the past), exposing myself to the wide screens (hence, receiving SMS from friends that they have seen me several times; never mind how I looked like with my probably ecstatic ear-to-ear smile look that night) and to the photographers of dailies (the risk of being by the front row).

(Setlist: Walang Nagbago, Maling Akala, Back 2 Me, Kaliwete, Sembreak, Ligaya, Huwag Mo Nang Itanong, Kailan, Spoliarium, Overdrive, With A Smile, Poorman’s Grave, Huwag Kang Matakot, Julie Tearjerky, Lightyears, Harana, Waiting For The Bus, Paru-Parong Ningning, Torpedo, Minsan, Super Proxy, Kama Supra, Magasin, Ang Huling El Bimbo, Pare Ko, Toyang, Alapaap)

The photo booth was busy the entire night. We have seen/ have been entertained by all the unimaginable poses.

Watching Eraserheads up close while watching Ely Buendia, Raymund Marasigan (with a surreal shakehands opportunity), Marcus Adoro, Buddy Zabala, with Sancho Sanchez (trivially introduced as their 5th member) in beaming energy  was like reminiscing about my younger, crazy, interesting, silly and the indescribable years… onto concluding that nothing much has changed. And I am glad. I think I will have a concert hangover forever.

We were amongst the many who joined the observance of Earth Hour in Abu Dhabi. Apparently, that coincided with Winello’s 2nd birthday. We have lighted three electric candles (i.e. battery-operated/ used by Little J in her “pandanggo sa ilaw” dance recently) and randomly took photos of the cats.

It was not surprising that their photos turned out to have that “Blair witch project” appeal, remember that film?

My goodness, this screenshot of Perdita’s many faces from the video where she played with the electric candle was eerily funny. Better to remember how charming they are (read/ see this post), or else I might have a nightmare. Haha.

How did you observe Earth Hour from your end?

The first two months of 2013 unfolded like a roller coaster ride.

I am just too pleased that I ventured/ re-engaged with some activities wherein I am time and courage-incapacitated. Who knew I would ever do the following in this lifetime:

Formula Rossa in Ferrari World. I finally tried the fastest roller coaster ride in the world. It was a heart and mind twisting event and fat-shaking moment hahaha. I still remember how just the thought of queueing for it in 2011 made me want to collapse.

It is interesting that there are several Tagalog words which have the (almost the) same meaning with Arabic, e.g. baqaraah (or baka) for cow.

Learning Arabic. I re-joined my Arabic class (held thrice a week at early morning) and although I need to improve a lot I am happy that I can now read, write and speak decently to a certain extent. I also appreciate that my classmates-officemates are humbly competitive that whenever we cross paths outside the ‘classroom’ we try to chat with each other in Arabic with our funny accents/ pronounciation.

Here is where I swim twice a week; attending the ladies session in one of the sports club in Abu Dhabi.

Yasbah! (That’s an Arabic word for ‘swimming’). It has been a long overdue plan to learn to swim properly. I am one of those who prefer a coach-based approach when it comes to swimming. In my over 30 years of existence I have been bravely doing the banana boat ride, snorkeling and other aqua activities although what I only know is to float when my head’s down the water. My goal is to learn the proper breast and dolphin strokes by end of March. Goal this weekend is to do the 50-metre backstroke non-stop. I am also pleased how my twice a week of swimming lesson/ practice has improved my health.

And more.

Some people (and even myself) at times asked where I find the time and drive to try new things. I think that there should not be a justification for everything. But nothing is impossible and never too late if you really want it… and of course, there is the ‘out of nothing’ moment that happens in between.

I am pleased that Eraserheads will be performing along with Guns n’ Roses, Boccelli and other brilliant artists in this year’s Du World Music Festival which is happening in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

(This was me on a drama queen mode when I first learned via twitter of the concert. Hahaha.) >>> I have waited long enough. You can imagine how jealous I was of those who have experienced ‘it’ for the longest time… from that day they had the first reunion concert in Manila and another reunion concerts which never coincided where I am.

I have never been to any concert last year although technically I was in the New Year’s Eve (year 2011 going 2012) concert of Coldplay; surprisingly I lost interest or that no one really grabbed my interest. Well, it is true… good things come to those who wait and (reasonably) rest. Finally, I can watch them perform outside the DVD.

My day started happier than the usual because I finally completed again an 8-hour sleep.  Thanks to the Islamic holiday (i.e. Prophet Muhammad’s birthday), it saved my (and everybody else’s) longings whatever those are. While we planned to visit the recently opened humongous Yas Waterworld today, we postponed it for things that matter more as of the moment — sleep, listening to Morning Rush podcasts (particularly listening to the Badtrip sa School babbler) while  munching on home cooked barbecue and sisig, random chats, and more.

The weather has also discouraged the driver in me. In my 5th year in the UAE (wow,  imagine that!), this is the first time we have braced this much of fog weeklong. Like yesterday, the traffic lights can hardly be seen as I drove little J to school and then to work. While in the office parking (the one in the open area), it was eerily funny that we were startled by people waving/ walking towards us. We practically looked like angels bursting out from the clouds-like fog. At work, some colleagues impossibly lost their way to the office due to wrong turns, some preferred not to drive.

With this kind of weather, why go out when you are surrounded by the people and things that you really need in life.

EndDanger will feature mixed media artworks from the group Artists for Nature and performances from Flying Ipis, Extrapolation, and other music bands. This calls attention to the growing problem of annual endangerment in the Philippines and encourage the community to get involved in conservation and protection efforts.

The artists and organizers behind EndDanger seek to raise funds for the monitoring of one the Philippines’ most threatened species, the pawikan. All proceeds from the event’s ticket sales will go to the Pawikan Watchers training program, which Save Philippine Seas (SPS) – an independent movement that fights abuse of aquatic resources through legal discourse and social media – launched in cooperation with Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWE).

Pawikan Watchers aims to educate volunteers from different parts of the Philippines on the ecology and biology of, and PAWB-approved guidelines for handling sea turtles. Apart from raising funds, Artists for Nature sees the exhibit as an opportunity to broaden public awareness of the urgent need to preserve our wildlife.

EndDanger is sponsored by Numa the Organic and Eco Baby Store and Ministry of Mushrooms and is in partnership with WhenInManila.com, Clean Up Philippines, Eco-Sys Foundation, Green Fins, Society for Sustainable Tourism and Development, Inc., Sea News Network, Butanding Network, UP Green League and Earth UST.

The art exhibit runs from January 19 to February 8, 2013 at Conspiracy Garden Cafe in 59 Visayas Avenue, Project 6, Quezon City.

For opening night tickets or more information, please contact Wendi Garcia at +639162742859 or via artistsfornature@gmail.com. [Facebook page] [Twitter account]

Photo credits: Wiki, Rotten Tomatoes

Being crazily busy will stay longer and even magnify at some phases, but I love myself so I decided that I will re-engage with the things that I enjoy which took the back seat for almost two years. Like blogging. Taking photos. A lot more. And of course, having the eyes feast through movies.

I am just so pleased and shocked by how much I have seen so far. Thanks to human’s multi-tasking abilities.

Pitch Perfect (2012): Since this year kicked off, I have seen this movie four times already! I actually thought that it was just a teeny musical blah blah. I just put it on the player to keep me company while doing other tasks/ projects. Then I found myself totally engrossed with this from beginning to end. I particularly liked the rip-off and relatable scenes of assertiveness, dealing with pressures, and of course, that tender/ cute love story. Please watch this, I am sure you will thank me for the recommendation. Hahaha.

The Breakfast Club (1985): I had to watch this movie because of that scene in “Pitch Perfect” when Skylar Astin (Jesse) told Ana Kendrick (Becca) that the movie’s ending was the best. Had I seen this one when I was in high school, I probably had cried buckets. It is true that the best part is the ending with that powerful song “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” by Simple Minds. The movie’s title is so catchy but I hardly got why was that so, aside from that Anthony Michael Hall (Brian Johnson) signs “The Breakfast Club” at the end of their group’s essay as part of their punishment in the detention. It turned out that detention begins at 7:00 A.M., well, breakfast time.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012): It did not hit me the way I expected it; the way I liked “Juno” and “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist”. But it is charming because it appealed as a timeless movie. The journey of friendship and the situation and characters are relatable. Emma Watson is so refreshing with her fake American accent in this movie.

The Help (2011): It is a good preview how it is like to be a writer during 1960s and the topics typically written by females. While it is a melodrama, you would be engaged by the cinematography, the funny, silly and witty characters especially of Emma Stone (Skeeter). I guess that racism in house help still exists in many different forms and parts of the world.

Diary of A Wimpy Kid Dog Days (2012): I read a few from the Diary of A Wimpy kid books and I have seen the movie adaptations as well. This installment is the most enjoyable/ interesting to me. Regardless of age, it speaks a lot of wisdom on friendship and other important elements of any relationship. The best part, it gave me very good laughs and a bunch of stress balls combined.

Sinister (2012): I read from Twitter that some of those who watched this supernatural horror movie had to level off their fear by watching Disney Channel afterwards. Curiosity killed me. I watched it then I was so scared to go to the toilet alone for the next two days. Hahaha. The scenes lingered on me like the first time I was embraced by Sadako errr “The Ring”. Go watch as it is a nice and “real” horror story. Lights off as you watch. But do not forget to watch cartoons afterwards. Just like I did.

Few weeks ago I read about “starting 2013 off with an empty jar and filling it with notes about good things that happen”. But I thought of making use of the gift box I received (let us support re-using and re-cycling whenever we can!) instead of a jar.  I know that random note-jotting is not a breaking concept, it is the thought of another medium of counting my blessings, focusing on good things, re-kindling the old school/re-claiming a nice handwriting (ehem) through scribbling on post-its, tissue paper or any paper and dropping it in the box that excites me.

And the quote further says that ” On new year’s eve, empty the jar box and see what awesome stuff happened that year”.

It looks like that I am not the only one who is excited about this idea and/ or the use of red box.

Happy 2013 everyone!

We’re savouring the last 2.5 hours of 2012. Wishing everyone a more fruitful new year.