Let the Fire bounce

He’ll eat you with his beats, and drown you with his rapid lyrics. And that will feel good.

Presenting the second single from LEO37, one of my top followed artists on the web (since I can’t watch his show live), from his upcoming EP. He’s back with some electrifying-con-jazzy words and sounds, things that has caught my attention since hearing his song Icarus and Morning. This fascination I once wrote on a blog post last year. Now with Fire Dance, he brings back the same energy, something that will fascinate your ear if you’re not a usual listener to his genre. But hey, it’s all good, it’s all cool, and moments later you’ll never know that you’ll be head-bobbing to his music. That’s how this song reached me after I fed it into my system.

Bakit kaya ang hirap magsulat sa sariling wika?

image via Philboxing.com

Bakit ang hirap magsulat sa Tagalog?

Ilang linggo kong pinag-isipan kung ano ang sunod kong ilalagay sa blog na to. Nagkataon kasi na dahil buwan ng Agosto ngayon, at kung huli ka na sa balita, ay Buwan rin ng Wika, at napagkasunduan na sa Filipino nakasulat ang mga ilalagay na post. Kaya para sakin, nadalian lang ako. Tagalog, diba? Sariling wika. Madaling magsulat gamit ang sariling wika.

Yun nga lang, mali pala ako. Inabot ako ng lagpas ng tatlong linggo kaka-isip ng magiging topic ng isusulat ko. At nang maka-isip nga, parang hindi ko masyadong ma-isulat sa Tagalog. Para bang masyado na akong nag-iisip ng Ingles kaya ngayon di ko mailabas sa sarili kong wika ang gusto kong sabihin.

Kahit ngayon, nahihirapan pa rin akong buuin ang artikulong ito. Masyado akong nag-aalala. Tama ba ang ginagawa ko? Ewan. Teka ano nga ba ang gusto kong sabihin?

Bakit ang hirap magsulat sa Tagalog?

O siguro kulang lang ako sa praktis. Sa tingin ko rin, hindi lang ako ang nagkakaganito. Malamang marami rin ang dumadaan sa ganitong pagsubok. Nung bata pa ko, madali lang magsulat pag sinabi ng guro ng Filipino. Sus, kayang kaya. Pero ngayon, patay. Mukhang babagsak ako sa asignatura. Kasi naman, sa kakaisip ko at kakawika sa Ingles, natabunan ang pagiging natural na Filipino-speaking ko. Or writer. Minsan din kasi kapag sinabi sakin na magsulat ako sa sariling wika, hindi ko alam kung papano. “Pwede po bang pagsalitain nyo na lang ako?” Isa pang nagiging problema kapag nagsusulat ako sa wikang Tagalog, di ko maiwasang gumamit ng malalim na mga salita. Dahil pa sa tubong Batangas ako at ang pag-bigkas at pagwika namin doon ay talaga namang kalalim, ah ah. Kapag nagsimula akong magsulat ay mga malalalim na salita ang mailalagay ko, na kahit sarili ko’y hindi ko maiintindihan. Kaya rin siguro marami ang nawili nang lumabas ang mga libro ni Bob Ong dahil bukod sa nakakatawa ito ay simple lang ang mga nakalagay na salita. Hindi pang-zarzuela level. Pero papano na siguro sa hinaharap? Mawawala kaya ang pagkalalim ng mga salita natin? Hindi naman siguro. Marami pa rin ang magtatanggol para mabuhay ito.

Let Darna fly once again!

Darna Lives! via darnalives.blogspot.com

Darna Lives!
darnalives.blogspot.com

It was only last week that I came across this blog about a one-shot resurrection comic for the iconic Darna, the Philippines' famous classic super heroine. At first, I was hesitant to look into the fan fiction since media had already given me a bad impression of Darna through the recent years (will talk about this in a while). But knowing that it's a project by two of these generations' comic foundations, Gerry Alanguilan and Arnold Arre, one must not ignore the treasure they are digging and bringing back to us.

A quick rundown on its history: Darna is a fictional character popular in Filipino comics, created by komiks legend Mars Ravelo. It is a story of a girl named Narda who, after swallowing a magical stone from outer space, becomes  the amazon-like super heroine Darna. Along with her sidekick Ding, she fought numerous evil embodiments including the serpent-headed Valentina, some aliens and some bad guys. She first appeared in print in 1950. Since then, it was adapted into new forms of media, from comics to television series and movies. Notable actresses that played the super heroine were Vilma Santos, Lorna Tolentino, Sharon Cuneta and Anjanette Abayari.

7 Tips to Having a Hangover-free Morning After a Party

Tagay na mga brad! via bargainmugs.com

For the party-lovers out there like me, how typical is this scenario: You and your friends attended a party where there was loads of booze which you drank the entire night, and also hit on those nachos and pizzas served on the table while playing around. Indeed it was a fun night, everyone got drunk, and everyone had a blast. You were so happy you eagerly slept already to preserve the memory. Turns out, you woke up in the morning not recalling what happened the night before, and instead ended up with a throbbing ache running around your head. You’ll then recognize you’re under the punishment of the hangover.

Everyone probably must have experienced the agony of a hangover scene (or if you haven’t and want to see the major consequences, watch the Hangover movie). We know it’s a headache (figuratively and literally), but we still want to enjoy and have fun when there’s alcohol around. I too have the same dilemma, so what I did was to ask around for the best tips to lessen or even not to get any hangover by the morning. I’ve collected a handful of tips to bust that hangover before it even hit you. See if it can help you deal with it.

Drinking lots of water. This was the most suggested answer from the survey I made. In case you haven’t noticed, drinking beer and alcohol will leave you totally dehydrated. And thus, the best way to keep hydrated is to drink plain water. It smoothens your throat, keeps the oxygen pumped up inside your body, and your blood circulating. This is your best bet to a hangover-free morning the day after. I drink 2-3 glasses of water before dozing off.

How to: Be Inspired and Where to Get Ideas

Finding inspiration to sky dive! (image via flickr)

We can’t deny to ourselves that every once in a while, we need to find some inspiration to jumpstart our boring moments. Some people rely on finding an extraordinary feat before having some fuel to work, while others need little amazing things to keep them awake. As for me, being a designer, I need to look for things that can make a good element or basis for my craft. And so for a long time, I found different ways to get my creative mind running. I weren’t a firm believer of the “1% inspiration, 99% perspiration” policy since back then. Keeping it balance was, and still my killer formula.

I compiled a small list sharing all the best and the craziest (take note, craziest, so expect something unlikely included in this) activities to get my ideas and inspirations from. Hopefully, some of you might be getting yours the same way I do!

Every Guitar Has A Story

It Might Get Loud (2010)
Music Documentary

Every guitar has a name, and every name has a story behind it. Stories of adventure through music land, of clashing notes and sweet riffs. What’s more amazing are the musicians behind them, their masters, the geniuses that make the guitar moan and cry. It doesn’t matter how loud it gets, because that’s not the sole purpose of it. Just music and music alone.

One day in January of 2008, three of the greatest rock guitarists of this modern time came together to discuss the electric guitar. One came from Dublin, one from Tennessee, and the most veteran came from London. The Edge from U2, Mr. Jack White of White Stripes and The Raconteurs, and Mr. Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin and the Yardbirds, respectively. When this kind of men come together to talk about the one passion they all share, you know stories of inspiration and motivation will surface and amaze you. I know, because that’s how it turned out for me.