In Mad Lair

We are all witnesses

2009-08-05T13:31:00.002+08:00

Thank you, President Cory! Ipagpapatuloy namin!

Test!

2008-09-06T01:08:00.001+08:00

I'm publishing this drivel piece from Microsoft Word 2007.

stupid what it looks like...

2007-11-02T12:09:00.000+08:00

Glorietta Bombing

2007-10-19T22:15:00.000+08:00

As of 10:52 PM, at least 8 people died and 129 were injured in the Glorietta explosion today at around 1 PM. It left a wide crater on the ground floor, blew a hole through the roof of the second floor, blown out concrete walls, damaged several shops and cars parked outside. (full story here - http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=96408)

I got the news from a client, seconded by a text message from my gf. Initial report had attributed the destruction to a busted LPG tank, but that theory was soon discounted.

My gf and her officemates was supposed to station their car at Park Square 2 and take their lunch at Glorietta, but opted to go to SM instead and park near Glorietta 4. Thank God.

All those innocent people. Sickening.

JI's bombing season? Abus? NPA? MILF? Arroyo's smokescreen? How do these people who did this selfish horror sleep at night?

Trillanes, Jamby, Maceda? Shut your big stinky fat mouths, do your jobs and stop politicking!

Pro Wrestling 101

2007-09-20T00:43:00.000+08:00

Basic Terms

If you're new to the world of professional wrestling, here is a very basic guide to terms you'll want to be familiar with about wrestling, the matches, and more. These are for newcomers but may also be helpful for current fans, who may have heard a term but not known what it referred to:

A "face" refers to a good guy in wrestling, usually a fan favorite. Examples from the past would be Hulk Hogan, The Rock and John Cena. A wrestler is said to "turn face" when they go from bad to good.

A "heel" refers to a wrestler who is considered a bad guy or not liked by the crowd/fans. A character is said to "turn heel" when they make a turn from good (face) to bad (heel).

"Finishing move" or "Finisher" refers to a wrestler's unique move he/she uses to "finish off" an opponent for the victory. Examples of this were Hulk Hogan's "Leg drop", Bret the Hitman Hart's "Sharpshooter" and Stone Cold Steve Austin's "Stone Cold Stunner".

"Foreign object" refers to any object not included in the match (steel chair, brass knuckles, chain). Usually a wrestler will try to cheat and use an object to knockout his/her opponent without the referee seeing in order to gain a victory.

"Roster" refers to the list of active wrestlers on a pro wrestling show.

"Card" refers to the matches scheduled for an event.

In pro wrestling, the ring is also referred to as "the squared circle". The normal ring has 4 sides, with 3 ropes on each side of the ring. The bottom part of a wrestling ring is the mat, and the side parts of the ring are referred to as the apron(s).

"Turnbuckle" is the metal coupling device which fastens the ring's ropes together at the ring corners and keeps the proper tension for the ropes around the ring. There are four turnbuckles in most pro wrestling rings, and 3 ropes on each of the sides of the ring.

"Dark match" is a match you see at a live television event that is not part of the taping for the televised show.

Ways to Win

"Pinfall" - A wrestler pins his opponent for a 3 count by the referee. There have also been unusual matches where the outcome was both wrestlers pinned each others' shoulders to the mat at the same time, meaning both wrestlers win.

"Submission" - A wrestler puts his opponent in a special hold which causes the opponent to tap out (hit his hand on the mat to stop the match), or the referee determines the opponent is unable to continue wrestling.

"Countout" - The referee counts 1 or both wrestlers involved in a match out of the ring for a count of 10. A double countout results in no winner and is basically a draw.

"Disqualification" - The referee determines foul play in the match in one wrestler's advantage. Examples are another wrestler interferes in the match, or 1 of the wrestlers in the match uses a foreign object to strike his opponent.

"Referee's Decision" - the referee can also choose to stop a match if one of the wrestlers can not continue to wrestle. Example would be a wrestler becomes knocked out and/or ref determines he needs medical assistance.

"Failure to answer a ref's 10 count" - Also, the referee can count either or both wrestler down on the mat for a count of 10 and award the match to 1 or as a draw accordingly.

Examples of Common Matches

"Handicap match" - refers to a match where there is more opponents on 1 side. An example is 1 wrestler vs 2 opponents or 2 wrestlers vs 3 opponents. The lesser side is considered "handicapped" in the match.

"Cage match" - this refers to a match done in the ring with a high wall steel cage surrounding the ring. A wrestler can win this match by either climbing out up the cage wall and then dropping out to the outside (both feet must hit floor). A wrestler can also win by pinfall or submission inside the cage, or by exiting the cage door near one side of the ring.

"Battle Royal" - this match usually involves anywhere from 5 to 30 or so wrestlers who all start in the ring together. In this match it is usually every man for himself. Wrestlers eliminate their opponents by throwing them over the top rope of the ring. The last wrestler in the ring is declared the winner.

"Lumberjack match" - This match has wrestlers in the ring and then a bunch more wrestlers surrounding the ring. The people surrounding the ring are there to toss back in wrestlers who go out of the ring, or in some cases attack them.

"Street Fight" - this match allows wrestlers to use weapons and objects around the ring, arena, backstage or wherever the fight spills out to. A pin can be made anywhere.

"Falls Count Anywhere" - this match allows a wrestler to pin his opponent anywhere the match goes to (the ring, outside of it, outside the arena, backstage, in the crowd..etc)

"Last Man Standing Match" - in this situation, the wrestlers compete until one man is standing and his opponent is down for a 10 count by the referee.

Now you have some basic professional wrestling terms, and if you're new to pro wrestling these are a good starting guide to get you familiar as you enjoy the matches and shows!

Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matt_C

Essential Grunge Albums

2007-09-12T22:50:00.000+08:00

Nevermind (1991)
Nirvana

Full of angst and catchy as hell. Obliterated Jacko and ended the reign of cheese metal. Made me wanna be like Kurt. Arguably the most influential album of all time. Classic as it represents the whole genre.

Superunknown (1994)
Soundgarden

Brought Soundgarden their commercial success. Black Hole Sun won the 1995 Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance, and Spoonman won the Grammy for Best Metal Performance.

I hope ten years from now, kids will discover Superunknown, the way the kids of my generation discovered Sabbath in the 90s.

Dirt (1992)
Alice in Chains

One of the most powerful, genuinely harrowing, intense, depressing albums of all-time.

Drugs, self-loathing, loss, come across here and they don't try to cover any of it up. No euphemisms, no suggestions in Layne Staley & Jerry Cantrell's lyrics.

Ten (1991)
Pearl Jam

One of the greatest debuts of all time. Best PJ Album.

Made many people copied Eddie Vedder's singing style.

Badmotorfinger (1991)
Soundgarden

Heavy. Dirty. Grunge. This is Soundgarden unfiltered.

Cornell shreds his voice with some of the most impressive wails this side of Robert Plant, Thayil is just insane, and the rhythm duo of Shepard and Cameron is fast and focused. One of the heaviest albums that I have ever heard.

Facelift (1990)
Alice in Chains

AIC's debut release. Slam bang, grungy, metal rock.

In Utero (1993)
Nirvana

Nevermind was awesome, but this is better. This is Nirvana back in thier raw form and at their most beautiful. In my opinion, the best Nirvana album.

Core (1992)
Stone Temple Pilots

Awesome debut album from the boys of California.

Plush is the best PJ song ever! Just kidding.

Bleach (1989)
Nirvana

Primal. Earthy. Organic. Gritty.

A tuneful approximation of what grunge rock in the Northwest United States was supposed to sound like. A genre defining album.

Singles OST (1992)
Various Artist

Not just the perfect soundtrack to the movie, but to the time and place the movie was made in. This is a snapshot of the angst-ridden rock that was pervading the airwaves of the rest of the world.

Screaming Trees, Mudhoney, PJ, AIC, Mother Love Bone, Soundgarden, Pumpkins, Paul Westerberg, Led Zep & Hendrix! What more can you ask for?

Teen Spirit: The Grunge Years (1988 - 1995)

2007-09-09T15:45:00.000+08:00

Roots and Development
Punk, hardcore, metal and indie rock would be an important stepping stone to Grunge rock with such artists as Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Black Flag, Minor Threat, The Minutemen, The Germs, Bad Religion, Social Distortion, REM, Bad Brains, Fugazi, Dinosaur Jr., Sonic Youth etc.

By the mid 80's the first wave of grunge was born in the US concentrating on the west coast (particularly Seattle - the cauldron of Grunge Music) and in sparse scenes across the country. Bands like Bundle of Hiss, Beat Happening, Green River, The Pixies, Jane's Addiction, Soundgarden, Screaming Trees, Soul Asylum, Skin Yard, The Melvins, Tad, The Replacements and many more would be born.

These bands would later reform other bands and/or influence others to pick up guitars. Out of the ashes of Green River formed Mother Love Bone and Mudhoney. Nirvana was signed to Subpop in 1988, Soundgarden to A&M in 1989 and Alice in Chains, a heavy metal post punk band would sign to Columbia in 1989.

Territorial Pissings
By 1991, momentum and buzz was building finally exploding in Jan. 1992 when Nirvana's major label debut Nevermind hit number one, knocking off Jacko's Dangerous. The occurrence was seen as a symbolic one for the fact a scruffy garage band that the media didn't know how to classify knocked off the King of Pop. For a brief few months the good guys won and music was pure and important. Along with Nirvana, bands like Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Smashing Pumpkins, Stone Temple Pilots started making waves. The days of hair metal and glam were over and hair spray bands were dropped immediately destined to break up or become novelty acts for the rest of time.

With greatness comes imitation and the marketing monster went into effect. Record companies found less raw, safer bands to populate the TV and airwaves. Bands like Collective Soul, Candle Box, Bush, and Veruca Salt began popping up saturating the networks and stations. It was all over before it began.

With the Lights Out
In 1994, some say the death blow to grunge occurred when it's leader, Kurt Cobain killed himself in April. No one moment in the history of rock evokes such emotions as Cobain's suicide. He hated the mantle he was placed upon but he was an important figure and symbol of a generation.

By 1995, Smashing Pumpkins, STP, Alice in Chains and Soundgarden were all coming off successful releases but their futures would be less positive. Grunge was on it's last legs and music was heading into a new direction (for the worse- Fred Durst and Limpbizkit was still to come).

Radio Friendly Unit Shifter
1995 was a year where things were ending and other types of music were emerging. The shift had been gradual but by 1993, 1994, 1995 and so on the new force in music would be hip hop. I was in high school in the early to mid 90's and it was a great time in music when grunge ruled. It was the last time and will probably be the last time rock had a definitive hold on our generation and musical conscience.

Oblivion Forever

2005-12-08T00:11:00.000+08:00

1994 - The band was formed. Several names were considered including Juniper Jellies, Daddy's Home and Led's suggestion - Unconditional Wisdom, but no way on earth we'll gonna use that one.

March 1995 - Marlboro band was formed, jammed for the first time at a band rehearsal studio at Camp Crame. Henry Ubico and Darwin Sales handled the guitars, I'm on bass, Marlon Hipolito on Drums. Vocals? Everyone's excited so all of us. We also had our first groupie - Scottie Acosta.

June - September 1995 - Marlboro was a one-time stint, we went seperate ways. I veddered and ozzied with Poch and Allen in Loadstone. Henry formed Skull Intro Boys with Audie and Dimebag Yanga. Darwin went on to praise E. Buendia and Marlon went to Agora on AMs and Gale on PMs.

January 1996 - Henry, Darwin and Marlon reunited to form Oblivion. They we're joined by Aaron Mondonedo. Henry was now hitting Green Day's Basketcase, except for that mid-chorus thumps. Darwin still on guitars, feels his Wolf Gemora touch. Marlon says he's Billy Joe while Aaron practices his Laklak bassline.

I, on the other hand, joined Hilamos Boys whose ritual is to wash our faces from time to time then tambay in front of Domincan's main gate.

My Cobain songwriting meets Barry Manilow.

I was kicked out of Loadstone. Brex de la Cruz took over.

July 1996 - I rejoined Oblivion replacing Marlon on vocals. Studio Musica became our jamming pad. Aaron was now hitting Candlebox. Darwin, still with dead strings on adlibs. Henry just mastered Laklak's drum rolls. Marlon? Jumping over the cementery walls.

January 1997 - We found a new pad at Havit Sta. Ana. Jammed for the Battle of the Bands but backed out hours before the event. Loadstone won.

February 1997 - Wroted One.

March 1997 - Last time we saw Allen. He died last year of a car accident in Pangasinan. Last time we saw Led before seeing him with Kamikazee throwing spartans on TV. Marlon disappeared after his bday treat promise.

April 1998 - Reunion jamming at Havit's. Played impromptu originals - Magulo and Mcdo. Our last gig together.

Oblivion '04

December 2005 - Henry, now a Registered Nurse at UK following Gaylord Focker's footsteps. Darwin, working at a cruise ship resto travelling the Carribean and Americas, ****ing Latinas. Aaron, leaving for Dubai to join his fellow Arabos. Marlon, in Thailand, teaching kids to smoke pot. Me, in Pinas doing bumbay stuffs, a virtuoso wannabee.

AGA in CHK

2005-09-06T23:53:00.000+08:00

(Alfredo, Gari and Author in China and HK)

After my zombie cum ping-pong ball stint from Luzon to Mindanao last August, we left for our long overdue trip to China and HK. Here are some of our pics -

(At Canton Airport - L - R: Lady Lee, Larry "Pipoy" Silva, the Author and E. Kabisote)

(Avenue of Stars, L- R, clockwise: Katya Santos, me, Kapitan Larry, Aubrey Miles, Lady Lee and Boss Vic. Bottom: at Victoria Shh... Peak)

(Top: Jet Li's right hand. Bottom: L - R, Maui Taylor, Vic, Katya, me and Ka Larry)

(Top: Aubrey, Lady, me and Katya. Bottom: At Shenzen with the rest of the Viva Hotbabes and Chaingang)

25 at Singapore

2005-08-08T23:15:00.000+08:00

A day after a gruelling wrestling match with Guildwars in Davao, I'm finally at my most awaited day... we're headed to Singapore! Well it's planned since May, but I haven't really felt the excitement 'til that day. I'm with my gf and Ann with her friends, Gigi and Lala.

Day 1
Arrived at Changi Airport past 10 pm. We we're fetched by Ann's cousin, Jackie and his bf, Jeff, who was celebrating his bday that day. We got some maps and guides on our way out. First rule I learned - no chewing gum, uhhh... I was chewing a gum and still have 2 packs of Orbitz in my bag.

We took a cab on our way to Jackie's place. Putik ang mahal ng taxi, S$24.00, that's almost Php 800.00! As Pinoys, we know what we should expect in Singapore... calculator, convert... mahal. After our late dinner, Jeff introduced us to Beer College, a beer board game na walang nalalasing, consequence is to drink a beer... in a shot glass.

Hawkers and Pinoys
Singapore was just as I expected it to be - modern, efficient and very clean. For a Pinoy tourist, everything's amazing. Malls are everywhere, public transpo - so damn organized, everything... Lee Kuan Yew really did a good job. Also for Pinoy visitors, everything's costly. An average Mcdo meal will cost you S$6 - 7 (PhP200 - 233). So as practical na Pinoy, look for mura. We discovered the Hawker Centers. Hawkers are their local food courts, mostly situated beside or in front of a mall. They serve a large variety of Asian Dishes. Average meal is S$4 - 5.

Truly Asia
As planned, we went to Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday. We rode a Transtar Coach, the best bus ride experience I ever had. Wide, reclinable seats with massage. We arrived in KL lunchtime with no ringgit in our pockets. So from the terminal we walked several blocks to Times Square Mall for food and forex.

After our lunch, we went to check-in the hotel. By the way, kinontrata kami ng taxi driver dun, RM15 (PhP 225) for a distance na parang RCBC Plaza to Glorietta lang. That concludes, Malay race talaga tayo. Anyway, good thing our hotel is along Jalan Bukit Bintang, parang within Ayala Ave., walking distance lang to the malls. If you're in Malaysia pala you shouldn't point at something using your index finger, instead use your thumb. Dito sa tin kasama pati nguso pag nagtuturo.

We never really roamed around Malaysia. My girl companions just went shopping. The only tourist attraction that we went to was the Petronas Towers. We went back to Singapore on Thursday.

25 at Singapore
My birthday eve. My gf Annette did a lot of surprise for me and i appreciate it, thought no one remembered my day. Before we left for Singapore, she gathered my friends' voice messages to greet me on my birthday. Along with my officemates, she also awarded me my most wonderful person award, her last surprise installment, among others. I really appreciate it. I love you so much!

We went for dinner at Amalfi, Clarke Quay. Then walked to Esplanade, passing along Fullerton Hotel, the Merlion and Boat Quay. At 12 moon, we're at Top Ten bar at Orchard Tower - Uncle Hans' fave hang out. I'm blowing my cake candles, waving goodbye to the 24 me and drinking my Coronas. Hey I'm 25! We transferred to Insomia at Chijmes and jammed with a Filipino band.

Back to reality
Back in Manila, Sunday afternoon. Went to Megamall and ate at my week-long-craving Pizza Hut. Got home around 6 pm. Back to reality, back to AMDG, back to Guildwars. By the way my boss texted me to attend Monday's 9 am meeting... darn...

Happiness is a Warm Gun

2005-07-13T18:18:00.000+08:00

I feel great!
I'm cool!
Happiness is all in the mind
So glad to be living
I feel fine, yes i'm so fine

CDO

2005-07-12T17:50:00.000+08:00

First time in CDO 2 Saturdays ago for a sales call. I'm with my client, Roger Chiu, a monopolizing local tycoon. Series of meetings til it ended around 10 pm. Was really surprised at CDO, it ain't what i expected. It looks like a smaller version of Cebu - big malls, sosy gimik spots, lechon and whew...

OIC

Walking distance from my hotel is Divisoria. Yes, the same thing - bargains, banketas, food stands and live bands in the streets? I've read an article about CDO's DV before but I was surprised that it was really... Divisoria. Difference is, it is also a popular weekend gimik spot in the city.

Another unique thing in CDO is the Motorila. Not a phone but a modified trike, CDO's version of a tricycle (moto = motorcycle + rila = dunno what the hell it is, maybe the trike's body). It is actually a motorcyle with a body that's similar to a PUJ, only smaller, and can accomodate up to 8 passengers. It also has a route signboard.

After a hefty meal at OIC (Only in Cagayan) we went to Punch Bowl for a bottle of beer. It's actually their local version of Mayric's, where amateur bands have their chance to prove their talents and prays not to get ganged by those who might get irritated by them. We hurried our second bottle cause we might become part of the gang after "pucha siakol na susunod niyan!". On our way back to the hotel, we saw a food signage and got intrigued by it - TEMPURA - P3.50. So I tried it, it taste like the real thing, fish ball sauce lang. Reminds me of the pirated Hot Shots in Pateros.

Korean Showdown

2005-07-12T17:31:00.000+08:00

We had our game press launch last June 30 at Quisine 6750. After the event, we rushed to meet my VisMin clients at Manila Pen. Then rushed again to join our bosses and Korean guests for Dinner at Kamayan. One by one Filipino foods are served on our table, well, for our alien partners. Sisig - everything went well til they found out that it was the face and ears of a pig. Kuhol, lechon then the famous balut. As expected they eliminated themselves from the contest. Next stop Music 21 Jupiter, it was a great racial showdown of talents, siyempre pinoy, di nagpatalo.

Busy days coming...