Eraserheads. Ultraelectromagneticpop. Toyang. That was the most visible memory of my early childhood when I and my cousins used to sing “Bahay namin maliit lamang. Pero pero pero pero malinis ‘to pati sa kusinaaaa” Right after school I’d hear those tunes from loud pedicab speakers and then I’d sing with my classmates to show that I was also a “hip” music-lover. Eraserheads yata yan. Haha! It was the period when my musical ears and heart were learning baby steps and the most popular Pinoy band of the 90’s was a big part of it.

On August 30, the Eraserheads will reunite for a one-night-only concert at the CCP Open Grounds. No fan of the band would not want to go (just imagine a live performance of the ever-so-popular emo song “With a Smile” by its original performers after a decade of silence) until he hears that the concert is free. Yes, love. It’s FREE. You only have to register at a still-to-be-announced website to get tickets. I’ve been to a free concert before and I know the scenes. And I’m not a fan of mosh pits and body-slamming. So as much as I REALLY wanna go, I’ll just stay home and listen to their old albums - thank you very much.

In this time when has-been bands/singing-groups bank on staging high-profile reunions, I did not believe it at first that the producers would give the concert for free. A lot of Eraserheads’ fans back in the 90’s are, most probably, successful professionals now. They can surely afford front-row seats (if there will be seats) and must be looking forward to this event too so it’s just weird that they’ll give this away. I feel for those who aren’t willing to pay to watch concerts, but let’s admit that the crowd of free [pop/rock] concerts can get totally rowdy.

Well anyway, for the sentiment of seeing the band together singing their old songs, I’m very happy. But it sucks that I choose not to go even if I really want to.

This is why we should stop war and violence.

Pfc. Joseph Dwyer, a real-life sad story of an American soldier who fought in Iraq and came back home but was never able to get over the memories of the violent scenes. He suffered post-traumatic stress disorder and addiction (just like Flippy in Happy Tree Friends - but this one’s real and serious) for years. He died last month feeling trapped in endless paranoia about war, pursuit and violence. Read the story here .

That’s the newest addition to our family, our new baby, Shelob. She’s my second dog - you know Arwen of course - and it was quite an exhausting ride fetching her from Las Piñas this afternoon. She’s so cute. And based from what I read, Boston Terriers are intelligent dogs and does random funny things to the owners’ delight. I hope she’ll bring me smiles and warm fuzzies everyday when I get home. Right now she’s asleep and snoring quite loudly. Haha! Welcome to the family, girl.

That’s Piglet and I after hours of enjoying the waters of Ace Water Spa last night. I took him there cos I knew he’d like it - but instead of going for the hydrotherapy services that really does some work on the body, he enjoyed the lazy river most. Haha! He was so cute lying on the board floating around the area. After three rounds, I decided to leave him there cos I really find that one boring but he just went on and on. I just settled alone in those bubble beds.

Since he moved in to his unit in Pasig, we only see each other once or twice a week. And it’s working for us. I miss him a lot and I miss talking to him about stuff. I also now find him suddenly different at times - which is good because there’s still something to discover about us even after almost three years of being together. Back then, I felt we’re kind of getting tired of always doing the same things everyday. Now, this space that we have gives us the chance to grow on our own and then share it with each other. So, until next weekend… It was fun spending the day/night with you Babuy.

When I saw Vern last Thursday in front of my office building, he invited me to go to Alchemy with Lhen and the guys. At first I wasn’t sure because all-night drinking is no longer my preferred way to spend my precious weekend. But then, it’s been a while since I last got drunk so I thought it was about time.

Pictures after the jump.

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Last night Piglet and I watched “Wanted” in Greenbelt 3. It was a full house. Nobody usually wants to take the front row seats but because it was the first night of showing, a Friday, and payday too, everyone wanted to go. Good thing I remembered to make reservations early so we got the best seats.

Sadly, Piglet did not like it because he plainly is not interested in action movies. Well, I am and this one got me hooked the first time I saw its trailer. Aside from Angelina Jolie, the zero-to-hero twist of fate for Wesley may be the thing that attracted the audience. The vindication of his taunted-geek persona is just something most people can easily relate to and we all want to slam an ergonomically designed keyboard onto an office jerk’s face, don’t we? Hehe. But there are questionable scenes that challenges the mortality of the characters (remember asking how the three girls in Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle survived after being thrown off a fast car and rolling down the subway stairs or hitting/shattering the glass wall of a boutique) and really, a bullet “may” be able to curve but can it really make one revolution inside a circular room? Well, that’s why they’re called movies. But I still liked it. Two hours of action and blood. And the story’s twist was unexpected but I knew from the start that the story couldn’t be that straightforward. SPOILER: Angelina’s character died in the end. How? Who killed her? Do you really want me to say it? Hehe…

Wanted is a nice action movie but the story is unbelievable. How could the Loom of Fate precisely weave an existent evil person’s full name? Anyway, I enjoyed the hours of being rattled in my seat by the gunshots and explosions. There was one time when I looked at Piglet and I saw him yawning. Haha! I couldn’t even mind that I really needed to go to the bathroom because of how excited I was and there he was almost falling asleep? Maybe we really aren’t for action movies so I know now I can’t take him to The Dark Knight. Wall-E will be our next movie time together, I guess.

You all know who that is! Hehe. I’m a fan of Doraemon and his very witty antics. Early this evening, Piglet and I were watching a marathon of Doraemon episodes that I bought the other day. It’s a nice way to spend a stormy Saturday afternoon and he phoned-in sick a couple of hours ago. He learned to love that blue cat too since that morning he saw me watching it on GMA - and that was the day he stopped hating “oriental” cartoons. Haha!

In the past, I never really cared about its production. It was really old (you can actually see its old-fashioned animation) but the way it was written was very smart. Even adults will love how humor and  moral lessons are weaved into situations calling for Doraemon’s gadgets and I think that kept the series interesting. Doraemon’s famous among Asians and just this year, he was made Japan’s first Anime Ambassador so people will know more about the Japanese culture. Sosyal na pusa!

I wish we Pinoys can have something like Doraemon that the government will support. This way, we Filipinos will be kept aware of our roots and see the good things in us. I hate it when I hear my kapwa Pinoys say “Pilipino nga naman!”  when scrutinizing wrong actions as if he himself wasn’t a Filipino. I also wish our government will start supporting our talented fellowmen who have no choice but to lend their skills to other countries’ development because they aren’t given proper attention. As I see it, our government only cares for the Manny Pacquiaos of the nation who have been winning and raking in publicity for the country. If he were to lose, will they still give them a hero’s welcome? I hope so.

When I was at the beach in Olongapo yesterday, there were kids/babies in the cottage and I only recognized one. The rest were introduced to me to my surprise that my playmate when I was a little boy already has his own little boy. Weird. This question has been boggling my mind for so long: am I really old?! Are we in the having-a-family stage already?! Well, I refuse to be part of it!

Whenever I hear about a batchmate getting married or having a kid, it freaks me out. I can’t fathom how they can let go of that reason to not take things seriously - we’re still young! So just imagine me sitting there with my cousins and their little babies running around and sometimes being grilled on the hotseat on when I’ll show them my own. In those moments, I experience a jolt that blasts my mind out of its stable state and everything around me just goes fast and I feel myself slowly sinking in my seat - that unexplainable sensation that saves me from giving out an answer - and while all this is happening inside me, the physical equivalent is just a faint smile that reads “ask me again and I’ll walk out on you” between the lines. Fortunately, they get it. And they never bother me again until our next reunion.

I like kids. They’re fun to watch when they play. But I personally feel like it’s not yet time for me, or anybody of my age who still hasn’t established their careers, to get married and start a family. I’ve seen people do that so early on and they lose the chance to experience life better or experience singlehood with career and power in their hands. Well, that’s just me and don’t take my word for it. No matter how many times they ask me about when I’ll produce a child, I don’t care. I can give them a dose of that sarcastic smile whenever they need one.