quarternotes

After almost a month of planning, finally, we did it!
It was like a reunion or something... or whatever you wish to call it. But for me (and my friends), it's really a celebration of MUSIC!

COMPOSITION: Lyrics (The first letter dated 22 April 2009.)
It started out with one simple chat over YM... and after nearly two weeks the series of emails began. With the subject "hoy! musikero ka ba?" we were able to accumulate 49 entries discussing the logistics and other details. Thank God for Gmail, it was easy for me to track these emails down. Haha.

COMPOSITION: Notes (What's a song without the Melody?)
I'd like to call it, "The Guest List" (of the Red Carpet), lol! I believe that each one in this list has a note to play in our song of friendship. Keeping this in mind, we were able to widen our circle... creating the best song there is! The band.

THE SONG
Finally, May 9 came. I actually had to work first before meeting up with them. When we entered the realm we'd like to call Noisecurb, the magic started. Hearing the first hit of the snare and the cymbals, creating this unpredictable beat... the first strum of the guitar, with rhythm that flows naturally... the first heart-pumping thud of the bass, pounding here and there... even the feedback from the microphones, that pretty much was all over the four corners of the room... My soul can't bear the excitement! Our hearts started to beat as one. It felt like we weren't there as individuals... We became one with the music.

Here's our line up: (in no particular order)
Alanis M. - Perfect
Sugarcult - Memory
Paramita - Carousel
Session Road - Eager Angels
Moonstar88 - Migraine
Cranberries - Linger
Parokya Ni Edgar - Silvertoes
Eraserheads - Superproxy
...and a few more I couldn't remember...

It was one of the best three hours in my life. No Par Value lives for music!

Just a little history...
No Par Value was born during the first quarter of 2007 (guys, am I right?) to join the college battle of the bands, with original members Alex, Topeng, Fed and Arnold. (Did I miss anyone?) NPV won first place, of course. For the rest of the story.. just let them narrate :P

For No Par Value covers, please visit the following pages:
http://www.youtube.com/user/ramonfelipe2004
http://www.youtube.com/user/watashiwa19
http://www.youtube.com/user/NoParValueGroup

Moving on...

THE AFTER PARTY
Centerstage was the next stop to meet up with the rest of the gang. It was six full hours of KTV! No wonder our bill ... ah never mind, too painful, huh? But it was all worth it... who's with me?! =)
What was amusing here was there were no stereotyping sh*t whatsoever. The selected songs varied from classics to OPM, from duets to rock bands, from boy bands to RnB... basically, everything under the sun (or the KTV's collection, no pun!)

CURTAINS CLOSED
From one of our favorites; a few lines from the song Memory by Sugarcult:
So get back, back, back to where we lasted.
Just like I imagine.
I could never feel this way.
So get back, back, back to the disaster.
My heart's beating faster.
Holding on to feel the same.

I closed my curtain, smiling at each memory of that night. When hearts beat as one. When souls collide. When one song was sung by those I love. This friendship is certainly bonded with different melodies, building up to one beautiful harmony... til the very last note.

I bought this caramel syrup from Starbucks today to have my very own caramel macchiato at home and at work. Yippe. So after the show, Mom and I tried it. Ahh.. I so love it! So the effect of coffee was to get me hyper. And so I was. This is good because I intend to write and do a couple of things first over the night. But now that I'm starting to get the move on (work, more writing and all those stuff), I suddenly felt sleepy and tired. The effect of coffee on me is really... poor? lame? undefined? It's not even decaf! Oh my. Will I ever trust coffee again? *sighs*

(hehe, ang laki ng probema ko, kape lang pala. tsss!)

Peace!

Mr. Chris Lowney, motivational speaker, renowned author of “Heroic Leadership” and former Managing Director of JP Morgan, is once again coming over to the Philippines to launch his new book, “Heroic Living”. He will also be giving talks and workshops on leadership.

In this connection, we would like to invite everyone to be part of his talk slated on March 26, 2009, Thursday, 5:00pm to 7:00pm and on March 28, 2009, Saturday, 9:00am to 12:00nn at the Auditorium of the Ateneo Graduate School for Business at Rockwell, Makati City. This scheduled talk on heroic living is specially tailored for public officials, government executives, and leaders alike.

To defray cost, we will be charging Six Hundred Pesos (P600.00) per participant; that includes a copy of his new book (Heroic Living) which we are selling at Three Hundred Pesos (P300.00).

We hope you can join us and find the way forward through HEROIC LIVING!

For further inquiries, please call us at the Jesuit Communications office at 426-5971 to 72 local 114 or 112.

Deep Sigh.

Some months ago, when Papa (my grandfather) was still with us, I would visit him in the hospital and hear his stories. Then came August when he was brought to the ICU in the state of coma. When he had awaken and regained his strength, I can once more hear his stories.

One of them was one of a kind. He was lying sick in bed. Someone came in to take care of him. It was Francis Magalona, he said. I found it bizarre that Papa dreamed of Francis M (of all people) until I heard the news that he was diagnosed with Leukemia. I believe that somewhere in the oblivion, they bumped in to each other. Papa narrates then that Francis even helped him clean up his mess.

Papa joined our Creator last September 2008. Francis brought tears to the country this March. In my prayers, I would talk to Papa and tell him, "Papa, magkasama na ba kayo diyan ni Kiko? Pakisabi naman po 'Salamat.' Mula sa mga nagmamahal sa kanya."

So I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Francis M - even in the midst of oblivion, he is still a one-of-a-kind Filipino, full of compassion for his countrymen. To dear Francis Magalona, for being an inspiration to all Filipinos, I salute to you and your Pinoy art. Astig maging Pinoy.

Good job, Kiko. Well done.

Once there was a famous flag of three kingdoms that laid on the moon that faces the sky; and four princes that stand side by side who wanted to reach the moon that faces the sky.

But the four princes had to defeat the three kingdoms first!

So they did.

The first kingdom was the weakest; and it was easy for the four princes to get pass through it.

The second kingdom was the widest, yet pale and feeble; the four princes just glided smoothly through it.

The third kingdom was not as weak as the first and not as wide as the second, but the toughest. The four princes didn’t mind so they crushed its rocky surface… until they finally reached the moon that faces the sky.

But the four princes that stand side by side weren’t content just by reaching the moon that faces the sky. Every chance they get, they travel through the three kingdoms of the famous flag… until they had the moon that faces the sky all to themselves.

***A short story (or whatever you wish to call it) while devouring my Chicago Cheesecake at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Trinoma branch. Dated 28 February 2009, 11:20 AM.

Last week, my sister's friend asked me to participate in a survey by coming up with a one-par essay carrying the theme: thinking before falling in love. Without really thinking, here's what I've written: