Bonehead and yonder some rock stereotypes

Before continuing on to my main blah,  allow me to state that this post is not of a single musical experience, nor a study on rhythm and musicality. Rather, it  is an exploration of memories - beyond a time when everything seemed to be associated with a certain groove.  

In the 1990's, yours truly was a huge follower of  Pinoy Rock music, a preference, perhaps, that indulged my instinct of taking the side of the underdog.  Those of us who were true to our angst, then, only had to tune into LA 105.9 to get a load of hard and heavy metal sounds that mainstream listeners scoffed at.  Thanks to the station, emerging local bands were given a platform to share their music. The ones that were good got signed, while those not up to par were given the opportunity to grab their "15minutes of fame". All the bands had airtime.

Kargado by Bonehead

Being the second child of a pair of baby boomers, I was blown away by the local artists' astronomical manifestations of talent, creativity and passion.  Suffice to say, such principles which elevate the concsiousness of the human race drew me in uncompromisingly, that my inclinations still lean towards raw undertones of social commentaries. At that time, the music was pure, unadulterated, loud and reverberating woeful cries. Parodies and ironies were contradictions to the cadence of the hopeful youth.  All or nothing. No compromise. That was the rocker's unwritten testament. It was a culture spawned with - and by - a  principle that was buried along with the underground scene in 1998, when LA 105.9 shifted to the electronic dance genre.

Despair, we did.  We held on to our cassette tapes and cd's, treated them with care and planned on purchasing copies of recordings that were difficult to find.  Some threw away unsent demos as if throwing away a dream, and tried to find alternatives to that rich Pinoy sound.  And over shots of the local brew, we strummed our guitars and toasted about songs of our eternal youth. The rest is history.

Tonight, July 28, 2012, from 8 p.m onwards, such music would again come alive for one nostalgic, hard-rockin' party. At the Craft Pub and Grill, Fort Bonifacio Taguig, Tour de Force features Renegades of Rock.  Hosted by Bianca  Saldua and the legendary Pinoy Rock Music Icon, Ramon "The Doctor" Zialcita,  it shall be a trackback to the early '90s  head-bangin'  line-up - a recall for pure Pinoy Rock Music, to make way for the Megadeth Live in Manila Concert. 

Performing bands include Gnash, Dahong Palay, Erectus, Death by Stereo, Charlie Ysmael of the Breed, Thy Holy Water, Loungee and the Cherry Bums, Revelation with Darwin Aguilar, and, after more than a decade and a half of hibernation, the "kings of variety", Bonehead is out to play!

Zalora: Fashion Online Plus Plus!

photo courtesy of
 http://www.facebook.com/ZaloraPH 

Not long ago, I was commissioned to write an article that was quite conceptual, as the focus was 'blogging as a fashion'. It was a quick read, with a bit more than a thousand words. I ended it with what I believed was a graceful sigh. Anyways, I do think that with the advent of the internet came trend after trend of expressions more personal than a diary. Thus, EVERYTHING these days seem to provoke a thought, as well as a question of “correctness”. Whether it's a statement on Twitter, or a status update on Facebook, being “social” is a term that has developed into a more fashionable meaning, instead of simply being a fad.

With so much ado about being “social fashionistas” comes Zalora. An online shopping site that caters to each person screaming a fashion statement. From shoes, clothes, bags, accessories, and – soon - home decors, it spells E-D-E-N to practically every style hunter there is. Browsing through the selection available, it is apparent that Zalora does best in understanding individuality, that “correctness” is given value by having choices for different tastes.

Just like any shopping center, the prize tags on the items available range depending on the quality of goods, which made looking through the collection more private. Points should also be awarded to having (Manila-wide ) same-day free shipping, cash-on-delivery, a 30-day return policy. and phone-in customer assistance. So, for someone like me, who absolutely loves finding classy lines without having to dive into a busy mall, it is downright brilliant and fantastically “correct!”

Oh! And did I mention that newsletter sign-ups are also rewarded with Php 250 vouchers each? The thought of hunting for bargains may perhaps seem shabby. But truly, Zalora knows that shabby-chic is never shabby, and being trendy shall never go out of style!

Check it out! Visit www.zalora.com.ph!

Of Children and Adaptations

The other day, I received my son's report card, with his teacher's comments in black ink stating “follow-through with more efforts in school-work to fulfill utmost potential.” We never go through school stuff together – we had to call a truce to our incessant arguing, a few years back. As I looked at his grades, I asked myself how much of his accomplishments are mine and how much of his? A parent, proud of a child but not of oneself, quite reasonably would ask such a question; while, a parent who takes credit for a child's achievements would not. Obviously, I am no stage mother and, indeed, maybe even a strange one.

In this modern era of technology and “new age” thinking, I find it more difficult to digest that the old has no more place where fast and functional seem to be the norm. Culture is a funny thing. More often, it tells us how to behave, against which we rebel without realizing that the choice is not for the choosing. Evolution, however, tells us that the way is not usually paved with great intentions. Thus, we choose to believe that culture “evolves”. But each time I hear a parent talk about a child's unreasonable objections, I flash back to my younger years. Did I ever listen to what my mother was saying when she said so and so? Did I ever hear my father complain about this and that? Was there actually a time when I listened to my parents?

My Choice

 The rest of the house is quiet this evening, just like at bed-time when I was 12. Somehow, I couldn't help but smile at the little voice in my head, “He is so much like you at that age. Reading fairy tales from Childcraft Volume 2 in bed, while your mother punched on the keys of her typewriter.”

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS: A matter of 'interesting' dialogues

About a month ago, my partner required me to see the latest Woody Allen offering, Midnight in Paris.  He said, “It is theeeeeeee best movie of its genre in the last 10 years!” A few days later, when he asked whether I'd seen the film – !to which the answer was negative, of course - he exclaimed, “It is an absolute deeeelight, Darling! I'm telling you! It's a MUST-seeeeeee!” Enthusiasm still freshly brewed, I thought. It must be pretty special.

Now my brush-off did not mean that I was not at all intrigued. Words are, to this couple, as holding-hands is to most, and the last three years has been about learning to take his comments in stride. During countless occasions through-out our relationship, I have been, perpetually, a victim of rich sarcasms and saucy superlatives. So, call it a tact to build up the suspense towards the thrilling and lengthy discourse after the fact, or the inevitable moral debate – for whilst both conscious of our similarity in tastes and views on most relevant subject matters, my partner is a prodigal follower of his own faith.

Midnight in Paris turned out to be not a matter of discussion or quotes, however, but a matter of dialogues. As true as our inclinations lean towards the artistic, I gather my limited technical knowledge of the arts will not give justice to the surprising juxtapositions in the plot, that writing a review would simply be pretentious and unconvincing. Furthermore, I have no wish to be branded as one who blasphemes against Ernest, Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, Salvador Dali, and all of the 1920's iconic players. And to say that it is an intelligently thought-of screenplay would further defeat the writers graceful and insightful tone.