This is Halloween

Oh well, it’s been a while since I last wrote here. It feels awesome to be back after a long slumber! I miss blogspot, I miss my friends who read my post and I miss sharing my thoughts. I was just so overwhelmed by working at home that for a few months I prefer to spend my idle time doing chores instead of sitting in front of the computer and writing about anything and everything under the sun, as I used to do back in the old office. Well of course I kinda miss the office, too. I miss how we used to eat dinner together and those Angel’s foodtrip, shake, sandwich and whatnots.

And of course, what better timing to be back than Halloween. It has always been Siouxsie’s favourite time of the year! It is somehow the start of holiday festivities.

For this year, Siouxsie chose to be Joker. Ironically, she has always regarded Batman as her best superhero. She has been dressing up as Batman for the longest time and has more Batman figures than any other toys she owns.

I guess due to her fascination of Batman that his arch enemy would be the perfect villain, thus making a wonderful Halloween character. As we can see, she’s really in character as she stepped on the stage to present her costume.

As parents, we’ve been so excited and it took us a long time to come up with the Joker theme. Though we thought about it a few months ago, we’re hesitant whether our little Batman would agree to be Joker. Another thing is her long hair, unlike her previous characters that have long hair; Joker should have hair no longer than shoulder length. A haircut is not an option as Siouxsie’s long straight hair is the only girly thing that she likes. So we initially ditched the Joker idea but thought about Ricky dressing up as Joker instead. Two days before Halloween we still can’t think of something, then one afternoon while walking inside a mall, Ricky noticed the small plastic switchblade knife similar to that of Joker’s. We bought the toy and that’s when we decided to make her Joker.

Preparation time is too short as well as the budget. So just as what we always do for the past three Halloweens, we made a costume out of whatever resources that we have.

Good thing Siouxsie owns a collared shirt, purple pants and black boots. Then I have to reverse one of my purple tank tops and put some cardboard buttons to make it look like a vest. Julius, my brother, has a Batman tie, and I find it funny and cool for Joker to wear that tie. And what completes the look is the plastic switchblade knife similar to what Joker uses.

The tricky part is the hair do. I have to tease Siouxsie’s hair and tie it in a loose pony tail so that it will appear shorter. And because there isn't much time, I cannot go to the supermarket to purchase a spray-on green hair color. I bought a colored hair gel instead. The same one that I used to style her hair so that it will somehow resemble 

Joker’s side swept locks. Not satisfied with the result of the applied gel, I dust her hair with bright green eyeshadow powder. Oh I guess, I made a wonderful job at that.

Siouxsie enjoyed her villain look while trick-or-treating with the other kids. She just loved her costume! It took a while to convince her to go home and change her clothes.

I can say that Siouxsie is a Halloween kinda kid. She’s always excited to join the neighbourhood trick-or-treat, not just because of the candies and treats she can have but more because of the costumes that she wears.

I wish I could dig up some old photos but they are saved in my now broken laptop. Siouxsie’s first trick or treat was 2006 when she was just a year and two months old, she wore a bumble bee costume. It was actually a Pikachu romper, a black bonnet with two tiny plastic antennas, and a pair of bee wings out of worn stockings and some wire. She wore them with her leggings and black shoes. She’s just so lovely on those!

       On the next year she wore a Chuckie (from Child’s Play) inspired outfit. Denim jumper paired with red and white striped long sleeves shirt. When she’s three we bought her a skeleton suit, however she still refused to be made-up. But the following year, she used the same suit only she agreed to be face-painted. That is when she fully appreciated wearing a costume and dressing up for Halloween. She was so happy at the attention she and her costume is getting. It was a delightful experience for her and from then on, she’s uber excited for Halloween.

On her 5^th Halloween, we decided to dress her up as Captain Jack Sparrow that is because that time she’s really crazy about Pirates of the Caribbean and she has a few pirate stuff that we can use for her costume. As always, we improvised the costume with whatever’s available. That’s when she became very popular among kids and grown-ups in our village. Then last year we dressed her up as Edward Scissorhands using cardboard boxes and aluminium foil to make her scissor fingers. My dear friend Cherish Marasigan, who’s a free lance makeup artist, did a wonderful job on her makeup.

She’s just so into costumes! So, even if she doesn’t feel like dressing up girly, we convinced her to join the church presentation for Easter Sunday and a school presentation for United Nations.

I guess her fascination with Halloween is natural and also influenced by her dad. She’s a big fan of the movie The Nightmare Before Christmas, and is always fascinated with anything with skull patterns. On the other hand, her dad has been active with the community activities regarding Halloween. For a few years he’s been leading a team of young people decorate the vacant lots of our subdivision every Halloween. They use junk and recycled items. And I try to be supportive by donating some clothes or stuff that they may use for the dummies and props. Not to mention that I don an exaggerated makeup as well.

Eat Bulaga: Giving hope and inspiration to Filipino families

It’s been a while and I haven’t written anything. There’s just so many reasons to and to not to. I don’t have much inspiration, I don’t take pictures of events that I go to and I don’t have much time to spare. And whenever I’m free or I have something in mind, I’m not in front of the computer or in a place with internet connection.

          I have to write though. And what better inspiration than the longest running noontime show in Philippine TV. I gotta admit, however upset or sad or mad I am, Eat Bulaga never failed to cheer me up.

          I remember as a child, whenever I ask mom about the time I was born, she would always answer: “Pinanganak ka mga bandang alas dose, Eat Bulaga pinapanuod namin nun”, well that was almost 31 years ago. August 28, 1981, in the humble home of my Aunt in a small barrio of Sabang in Dasmariñas, Cavite.

          I grew up watching EB in our then black and white TV. The song goes like “Sina Tito, Vic and Joey, kasama pa si Connie”.

classic EB cast photo including the very pretty Miss Cristine Jacobs and Lady Lee

I only have a vague memory of the late president Marcos but as I have observed, the TV program is the only good thing that has survived since his regime. Everyone was aware that the Philippine economy has since then plunged and plummeted into an abyss of dismay, but the noontime show proved to be strong and stable all through the years.

And just like wine, it grows even better as it ages. As a proof, SCTV Indonesia even bought a franchise of the show. How cool was that? For the longest time, Philippine TV has been paying tons of money to get franchises of international TV shows to be adapted onto our own. This is HISTORY, my dear countrymen.

Photo from GMA news FB page

 Anyway, the show can only get better, up until now it has been a lunchtime staple at our home. My daughter who is in first grade knows the dabarkads names by heart and is always looking forward to the Mr. Pogi segment. She thought it is some kind of a stand up comedy ;)

My husband on the other hand, well, enjoys the good looks of Solenn and the EB Babes.

I, being the nerd in my family, like Pinoy Henyo a lot. It has been something to look forward to. It is played in almost all the parties we Filipinos have, family and class reunions, office and school Christmas parties, drinking sessions, name it!

it's my one of my fave foods, it's a shame I didn't get it

my girl, Siouxsie

me, as game master of our high school reunion

From kids to grown-ups, everyone’s trying to guess something silly or something naughty. And it never failed to bring some good laugh! Thanks to our Henyo dabarkads who popularized this game.

Another one of my favourite segments and one of the main reasons I chose to write about EB, is Juan for All, All for Juan.

Juanito Camacho, winner of the Amaia townhouse, a very funny guy.

There’s nothing that can match the concept, the fun and the warmth of this segment. In every family they visit, you can feel love hope and happiness. Here are some things that I especially like about the segment:

Arm chairs from the collected plastic bottles.

They care for our environment. Plastic ni Juan, for instance, EB is such a big shot that if they want to donate arm chairs to schools they can just shelf out a lot of money, buy a bunch of chairs and distribute. But hey, they find a way wherein Filipinos will have awareness about environment protection and garbage disposal. That is indeed a great idea.

They help families start over a new life. They don’t just give away some goods they teach them to enrich their lives. As one proverb say, “Don't give a man a fish. Teach him how to fish instead”. Of course they give away awesome prizes amounting to more or less than a hundred thousand in cash and goods per lucky family, but what’s more is that they teach them how to improve their lives by giving advice about starting a small business and giving them a savings account. And they have this special way of rewarding those who had made profit of what they initially had, what a good way to motivate diligence and perseverance.

  They are hilarious. The comic trio of Jose, Wally and Paolo is the new face of the masses. They bring, together with their surprises, laughter and joy to the families they visit and those watching TV at home as well. They don’t make fun of the poor families but instead they make life a little easier for them by incorporating a kind of humor that everyone can relate to. Well some TV shows already tried that approach but ended up degrading the poor. Theirs is neither harsh nor offensive. It’s just pure fun, really.

I hope that Eat Bulaga will continue to bring happiness to Filipino families for a few decades more. Thirty three years and I believe they still  have a long way to go.

Mabuhay kayo Dabarkads! Tsup tsup mwah mwah!!!!

Tito Sen, Bossing Vic and Henyo Master Joey

Bitoy, Anjo, Belle, Pauline, Julia, Ciara, Ryan and Keempee

Jimmy and Ruby

More pictures and promos at the Official Facebook fan page of Eat Bulaga.

Click on thislink and like their page :)

Mr. Mojo Risin'

Today, July 3^rd marks the 41^st death anniversary of the legend Jim Morrison, lead singer and lyricist of The Doors.

Photo from The Doors' facebook page

For those who doesn’t know who the hell is this hunk of a man flashing his bare chest and flowing mane in a classic black and white pose, here’s a few things about him.

Of course I am not that old to have lived during his time and be a witness of his genius and overflowing charisma. But as I have mentioned earlier, he is a legend. And anyone who is interested in the past can dig up a few things about legends.

Born James Douglas Morrison, Mr. Mojo Risin’ (an anagram of his name) has influenced generations of rock stars and fans. His songs and poetry lived so much longer than his 27 year existence.

      He is the man behind the classics Break on Through, People are Strange, Riders on the Storm and of course Light My Fire.

He is so much ahead of his time. He lived in an era where music should follow a certain pattern which he so refused to conform to. He sings/performs in a manner and attitude that he appears possessed by an entity or something. His poetry is deep and meaningful but very modern and sensual. Who would have thought that time that such an artistic take on expression will be the trend for rock musicians after three four decades? He is a f****** genius I tell you.

And he is goddamn hot! He has slept with a handful of groupies, had short lived flings with celebrities and graced several steamy photo sessions. He has a wife Pam (common-law marriage) but they didn’t have any child, but soon after his death there are twenty or so claims of paternity though none of them were proven. I wonder where his offspring are and whatever happened to them, if there are any.

He is part of what rock culture considers “27 club” or the “forever 27” like other rock icons such as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain and last year Amy Winehouse joined. Like him, they all died at 27.

His death was reported as a cardiac arrest but most speculate that it may be associated with substance overdose. An autopsy was not performed hence up until now, nobody knows the real reason of his death.

He lies forever remembered in a grave in France, which later became a tourist attraction. Too bad the bust made by a Croatian sculptor was stolen in 1988.

     

I have dug a treasure!

Last Saturday, I attended a rock event in Dasmariñas, Cavite. One of the sponsors was Paper Monster Press, an indie transgenre publishing outfit based in Cavite. They set up a booth of for sale whatnots. This includes some artworks, a few CDs and some old books on various literary works. Being the bookworm of a person that I am, I browsed through the books and found a vintage one: Jim Morrison’s poetry book, The Lords and The New Creatures Poems. Here's a snap of the book from my office computer.

I have yet to read the book, maybe set this week but I have previewed some verses. They are modern and realistic. Poetry can be really boring to read but not his. They are expressive as well as entertaining. Poems usually have meaning hidden somewhere in the outer space and you have had to have a rocket brain just to understand them, but his works aren’t those kind.

They are not shallow, they are deep and meaningful but wouldn’t stress your brain out.

In short, they aren’t for nerds.

I found out that The Lords and the New Creatures Poems is his first published poetry book and was published just before he died. Making it the only book of his poetry ever printed during his lifetime. And I am so goddamned lucky to have a vintage copy!

Actually, what really happened is that I don’t have any money for the book that night ‘cause I only have enough for a liter of beer. Miss Ayn of Paper Monster Press had been so kind to trust me and let me pay it the next time we see each other.

Independencia : Masining na paggunita sa Araw ng Kalayaan

This is my second post about a music event. Well, as I said earlier am not a musician, am just a fan and I know nothing about technical stuff. All I care for is the vibes the music sends me. More often, than not, in gigs like this it is really easy for me to appreciate such music because of the ambiance and the camaraderie.

The event:

INDEPENDENCIA

"isang gabi ng malayang musika at sining"

 The event is Cavite rock music scene's way to celebrate Philippine Independence Day (June 12th) by gathering some of the best Cavite rock bands of different genres.


Here are the event's hosts, Allen who is Carnophage's front man, and another one whom I don't know personally.

Photo credit: Byron Caldo

Venue:

Most people upon receiving the invitation are a bit pessimist on the venue of the event, which is situated amidst the local public market.

But to our surprise, the place is really cozy and cool and well maintained with good facilities, including restrooms that only ended up untidy at the later part of the event, an occurrence which is inevitable due to the number of attendees.

 

A group of artist, cvty or Cavity Collective, worked together to create a very colorful mural for the event. Where most of the attendees take turns to have a few snap shots.

Photo credit: Bryron Caldo

Food and beverage is pretty reasonable. Red Horse beer is sold by the pitcher for PhP80, a glass for like PhP15 and a variety of finger foods like French fries, tokwa’t baboy, hotdog and other fried whatnots.

People:

Due to some festivities in our place (Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary) that coincides with the event, I cannot go there in time. I arrived at the venue just a few minutes before midnight but the place is jam packed. Someone said that it was more crowded earlier that night.

Photo credit: Byron Caldo

Photo credit: Byron Caldo

I saw friends, acquaintances, familiar faces and strangers. Band members, supporters, artists and of course hot chicks are jammed in the roof deck venue.

Among those who are present are Cavite rock’s first lady Diwata Misa and hottie Cai Arboleda. Cai asked someone to take our pictures but unfortunately it turned out blurred, but I gotta post it as it's the only one we've got together.
Most of her other snaps on the event are impressive though.


click here to view the entire album on her facebook account 


and visit her blog as well 

Janis, Diwata, Cai. photo by: Cai Arboleda

And of course there’s my good friend, Fherrond frontman Kads, who has passed around a cigarette dipped in something that I cannot disclose here ;)

Kads. Photo by: Byron Caldo

Dude, that felt awesome! I never had that kinda high in my life! It’s the first time that I ever headbanged in a gig. Too bad that nobody snapped me while doing so, I don’t have any remembrance of how hard I’d rocked while Katoliko played on stage.

I’m not a druggie, not even a smoker. But that night, I had my first real ‘high’. That sonuvabitch of an oil is superb!

Another attention-grabbing personality is Anak Dalita guitarist Gookie, better known to supporters and FB friends as Makabuluhan Malaya. He dons a barong tagalog while playing.

Gookie. Photo by: Byron Caldo

Bands:

As I have told earlier, I arrived late for the gig. Just in time to see the last 4 bands. Though I have missed a few, still watching these four is still worth it.

ANAK DALITA Photo by: Cai Arboleda

ANAK DALITA
They call themselves mga rebelde ng Imus Kabite. They, as far as I know, are the ones responsible for this momentous event. They live up to the image of being nationalistic and radical. I kinda dig their cause, and their music as well.

APPM Photo by: Byron Caldo

AXEL PINPIN PROPAGANDA MACHINE

It's my first time to see them perform. Their style is somewhat similar to Radioactive Sago Project, only less charismatic and rhythmic(of course there is only one Lourd de Veyra).

KATOLIKO Photo by: Cai Arboleda

KATOLIKO
Need I say more? Katoliko rocked the audience with three of their songs. I banged my head so damn hard while others formed some kind of mosh pit. Yeng of Tigdas and Erwin of Anak Dalita revved up the crowd when they climbed the amplifiers, while Kads jammed with them chanting something about Maria Clara. He effin' rocked!

LAKBAY LAHI Photo by: Byron Caldo

LAKBAY LAHI
 A group playing ethnic musical instruments. They don't only play music they also perform some kind of ethnic dance. One of them did a fire dance.

LAKBAY LAHI Photo by: Byron Caldo

 
Their music is like weed, you'll definitely feel good in a natural way. They are a good finale as everyone listened to their soothing music as a way to shake off and relax all those heavy headbanging through the night.


This post is poorly written and isn't enough to express the good experience that I had. I hope that Produksyong Kabitenyo and other productions will continue to have gigs like this.


Kudos to the organizers! Great job!

The event wouldn't be possible if not for the support of the following sponsors:

and my post wouldn't have any pictures if not for Byron and Cai.

Thank you so much Byron Nas Caldo for the wonderful snaps. 

I just posted here a few of his photographs in the event, it is a painstaking task choosing which ones to post as his 600 or so photos are all awesome. 

So just click on this link to view the entire album from Byron’s Facebook account.

Random

Who is Janis? Those who know me well can only expect one thing from me: randomness. 

At one point I want to write, the next I want to read. In some pictures I’m a nerd, in most I’m a rocker and in others a vamp. I frequent rock gigs and sometimes I go there wearing something very girly, sometimes very hip and punk, often very laid back everyday wear like t-shirt and shorts and a pair of flip flops. I go to the office in an unpredictable wardrobe, too. I like to dress-up and dress down. And very seldom do I appreciate safe and simple.

When it comes to my interests, I have a short attention span about things. Here are some of the random interests that I’m into:

Books. I am in love with books all my life. Nowadays my passion for them was awakened by these two marvellous finds: a new friend lend me these fascinating Anne Rice books. I have finished ‘The Mummy’ and I’m now on the third chapter of ‘Blood and Gold’.

A few weeks ago, I tried some nail art. I bought a few special polishes and searched the internet for cool themes. I still have a lot of ideas in mind like doing the Jubilee themed manicure and the storm trooper inspired cuties. Here are some of the nail designs that I’ve done.

Another seasonal hobby that I have is crochet. I started the multi-colored top last year when I am not yet a teacher here. I used to bring my crochet stuff to Siouxsie’s school and do my craft while waiting for her. When I got this job, well I don’t have much time to finish it, I only resumed working on it last summer just after finishing my violet and green bikini top.

 

I have seen this skirt in my drawer, they are from worn out short pants, I have placed paisley printed cloth as details. A few years ago I'm also into sewing. I've taken basic courses but that was a very long time ago, I forgot almost all of the basics of cutting that is why I'm down into modifying my old clothes instead. I have had made several pieces but I can't seem to find them in my closet now. I remember when I was pregnant, I have to make my own pregnancy pants out of regular slacks because I can't find affordable but good ones. There was also a time when bubble skirts became very popular (and overrated), I cannot afford to buy one so I decided to convert my regular balloon skirts to those cute wonders. Sad that I didn't keep pictures of those little creations.

Well then, these are just some of my hobbies. On make-up I can say that I’m pretty experimental and unpredictable, too. I can range from nude to bright, Goth to shimmery and everything in between.