Best Music Videos of 2007

“1, 2, 3, 4″ by Feist

“Bird on Your Grave” by Marissa Nadler

“Declare Independence” by Bjork

“Indian Giver” by Tourist

” Love Don’t Let Me Go” – David Guetta vs The Egg

“Knife” by Grizzly Bear

Paano Mahalin ang Katulad Mo

Di ko maikakaila ang pag-aalala
Na sa tuwi-tuwina’y dala-dala
Nangangamba, nangangamba
Na baka mapahamak ka

Dapat sarilinin ko na lang
Kayrami-rami mong pasan-pasan
Baka lalo ka pang mabibigatan

Itatago ko ang aking kaba
At ikukubli ang pangangamba
Ngunit sa dilim

Ay napapansin mo ang takot ko

Ang dinadaing koy para sa iyo
Ang unti-unting matutunan ko
Paano mahalin

Paano mahalin ang katulad mo

Di ko maikakaila ang pag-aalala
Ngunit di ba mas mahalaga
Ang dinggin ka, intindihin ka,
Samahan ka sa bawat pasya

Paano ba ako makakagaang
Paano ba ako makakatuwang
Paano kung ako ay nasasaktan

Itatago ko ang aking kaba
At ikukubli ang pangangamba
Ngunit sa dilim

Ay napapansin mo ang takot ko

Ang dinadaing koy para sa iyo
Ang unti-unting matutunan ko

Paano ba ako makakagaang
Paano ba ako makakatuwang

Paano mahalin ang katulad mo

from Lean Musical, sung by Cooky Chua

Tayo Tayo Rin

Being one of the top ten students of my graduating class (Naks!) I was invited to be a delegate for the League of Extraordinary Admired Pilipinos (LEAP 2006). It’s one of the most worthy congregation that I’ve been into and I felt honored to take part in this activity. Big minds are all in that day and idealism is in the air. I remembered what I wrote in the manifesto. I told them that I’m going to stay in the country and study more so that I could become a filmmaker. I’ve always believed then that what I can contribute in my own land is the art that I’ve never known I could ever try.

Before we part, this music video was played. I was surprised that it was in YouTube. It shows the Millennium Development Goals. Enjoy!

Taciturn

Perfect is boring. When you lived this life without experiencing pain, grief, sorrow, anger or anything that wandered through negativeness, life is boring. When life bombards you with pure bliss, when the world introduce you to nowhere but the idea of happiness and glee, life is never lived. And I’m even thinking that life of pure happiness is sorrow in itself because happiness without the concept of sorrow destroys the concept of happiness. Pure happiness is blank because there’s no point of comparison. How will you know that you’re happy when you haven’t experience sorrow at all? Or grief? or pain?

It pays to be masochist to live this life. Life is painful and embracing pain is the only way to survive. It pays to be intellectual but to be intellectual tends you to overanalyze things so much that thinking is in itself painful. Controlling emotions is much painful, especially in this life where people command you to have composure, to have control and when you have the ability to control, you are good because you know how to hide yourself. You have to be delighted if you experience pain because that makes you human and being human is all that you can embrace. Being human makes us, and our unpredictability is something that we can enjoy. Or at least, cherish.

To be human is accepting the complications and accepting that these complications will lead you to more complications. It’s a never ending cycle until we are planted in the soils of this world. Life is a very mysterious piece and accepting its mystery is mystery in itself. Choosing to live the pain is the greatest mystery of all.

Something Ideal

A man in a slim-fit shirt with printed bold letters “PINOY” in the middle, is seen walking in a mall. The shirt is adorned with simplicity, with no designs other than the letters screaming in his chest. The man traversed along the air-conditioned paths, pulled his mobile phone and went straight to a Starbucks coffee shop nearby, to meet up with friends whom he hasn’t met probably one or two days ago. Their conversation seems to raise interest among the group as indicated on their incessant laughter and faces of approval. However what put them in the limelight are their loud, excessive twangs. It would produce a mix of reactions: some would look up at them, label them as intelligent set of human beings who can talk a topic in a language which a lot of people is struggling to learn. On the other hand, some would irk at them, accuse them as if they are trying hard to blend themselves into the Western culture.

It’s just sad to learn how other nations have been striving very hard to preserve their identity, while we, Filipinos, are willingly, or even proudly, to throw our own. It’s even sadder that even the thought of advocating Filipino Pride is bound to truckloads of contradictions with the proliferation of foreign elements almost permanently revolving around us from what the media is showing us to the nature of work we are in. Possibly, the thought of veering ourselves away from our own identity prevails that it delivers us from economic hardship. Thus, one would resort limited in the showcasing of Filipino pride by wearing it as slogans in his/her wardrobes.

What I’m reading

 

Two books that I bought last Monday at the Powerbooks Megamall:

My third Kikomachine Komix comic book! And I finished it one sitting with my mouth wide open. Reading this book is the best workout ever. I laughed so hard that I developed abs. I believe this is the best among the Mannix Abrera’s three collections and I’ll be reading it again. I only read it twice. And I want my books to be signed! Calling Mannix…

Rest in Pieces

A lot has happened for the past three months that I haven’t had the chance to blog them.

I resigned from my first job where my heart has been attached very badly. I vowed not to work for an office for a certain period of time.

I entered a Korean film production as propsmaster and set decorator, entered a relationship, but left myself torn between two persons, ended one relationship in very good terms then entered a new one. I am happy now.

I wrote a full length screenplay about a story set in Siquijor as a final project for my Film Scriptwriting class under Mr. (“The”) Armando Lao. Struggled for three months to squeeze out the juices of my brain to write a story to a place where I haven’t set my foot into. I got a 1.00.

November One

One drink
Will shrink you ’til you’re underground
And living down
But it’s not going to stop
‘Til you wise up

– Aimee Mann’s “Wise Up” from Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia

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TRIBU is Best Picture in Cinemalaya 2007

Congratulations to the winners of Cinemalaya!

Best Picture – Jim Libiran (Tribu)*

Jury Prize – Jade Lopez, Ned Trespeces, Michiko Yamamoto (Endo)

Best Actor – Tribu’s ensemble of non-professional actors
Best Actress – Ina Feleo (Endo)
Best Sound – Marc Laccay (Tribu )
Best Cinematography – Rodolfo Aves (Kadin)
Best Screenplay – Dennis Marasigan, Nikki Torres and Mara Marasigan (Tukso)
Best Editing – JD Domingo (Endo)
Best Musical Score – Jerrold Tarog (Kadin)
Best Production Design – Martin Masadao, Regie Regalado, Dante Garcia, Endi “Hai” Balbuena (Pisay)
Best Director - Aureus Solito (Pisay)

SHORTS

Best Short Feature – Alvin Yapan (Rolyo)
Special Jury Prize – Enrico Aragon (Nineball)
Best Direction – Emmanuel dela Cruz (Gabon)
Best Screenplay – Vic Acedillo (To Ni)

* Congratulations to Jim Libiran and the producers of Tribu for bagging the Best Picture award. Tribu is actually Libiran’s thesis for the Master of Arts in Film program at the UP Film Institute. He is yet to defend it to receive the degree. As a fellow MA Film student (also in UP), Jim gave me the boost. I’m really looking forward to my thesis.

This is an article about Jim Libiran: