Planet of the Nuts: May 2007

Wednesday, May 30, 2007 at Wednesday, May 30, 2007 | 2 comments

It's official. It's now bye-bye to dry, sunny days. After all these sunburns and heat strokes we endured in the last barbecue days, we can now look forward to a relatively cool, wet, cloudy days. I have already taken a small dose of what the rainy season could unleash for the next months. Last night, I went to Megamall to meet Kuchi. I got caught in the rain on my way and my bought-from-the-sidewalk umbrella looked completely useless at the time. Afterward, I got stranded in Cubao on my way home. There were like hundreds of passengers like me (could be thousand) waiting for PUVs in every corner, and there were not enough PUVs to accommodate them. Curiously, when I managed to get on a jeep, I noticed the passengers inside we're all male. I thought of women stranded in Cubao. I felt uneasiness.

In the next couple of days we're all gonna be worrying about floods and brownouts. Not to mention the difficulty of drying clothes. Anyway, it seems we just need to put up with this weather for two to three months and capitalize on whatever good things this season could throw us (water, new fashion look, cool weather, etc). Appetite adjustment seems unavoidable, too.

Posted by Nutty Boy Labels: flood in the philippines, stranded in cubao

Is Music Dead?

Friday, May 18, 2007 at Friday, May 18, 2007 | 0 comments

Have you noticed the frequency of cover versions or remakes of old songs nowadays? People are turning an old rock song into a ballad, an iconic soul into a pop, a defiant punk into a jazz and many more. Even the familiar "noisy" songs have been turned into a bossa nova. Yes, it's sprouting like mushrooms.

I'd like to make it clear that I'm not against people who do cover songs. The history of music is marked with many artists, foreign and local alike, covering songs after songs. The last time I know it was periodical, and only established artists were given the privilege to do so. But now it's becoming a trend and it's quite alarming. Can't our musicians strike some new chords?

I get a chill up my spine when I hear "Your Love" version of Eric Santos. I think he should stick to singing ballad songs in ballad ways, and avoid rock song as much as possible. And there is this Radio Active Sago Project who made a pigpen out of the song "Alcohol" of the EraserHeads (too bad I like RASP's before). Kichie Nadal, Rico J. Puno and Barbie Almabis did the same thing. I'm not surprised why Eli Buendia nurses a grudge against the anthology/tribute.

There are some bands, thank heaven, who did some nice covers. I like Bamboo's rendition of "Tatsulok," a song originally played by the activist-folk-rock group Buklod in the 80s. I also like the cover by 6CycleMind of the song "Upside Down" by 2 Minds Crack and the version of Shamrock of the song "Hold On" by NeoColours.

I don't know until when this trend of covering songs is going to stop. The local industry will do us a huge favor if they put an end to it and make some original music instead. There have been lots of ripped offs and watered down versions of old songs lately. They are actually spawning a new breed of shallow music-lovers who are under the impression that some over-avant garde genre they called "jazz-rock-bossa-pop-soul-in-one fusion is going to revive the ailing local music industry. It's not.

If our artists can't really make a good, original material, they should just keep their guitars in the corner and stop touching other people's song, much more make a piggery out of it. Their covers just reflect the jokes the scene has become.

Posted by Nutty Boy Labels: OPM, Pinoy Rock

Fight fraud and violence. Protect our democracy. Join VforCE!

Wednesday, May 9, 2007 at Wednesday, May 09, 2007 | 0 comments

VforCE (1 Million Volunteers for Clean Elections), a nationwide movement of volunteer individuals and organizations, is in need of a MILLION volunteers (or more) to cover about 300,000 precincts and 1,600 canvassing points in the country. The volunteers will work on the following fronts:

1) Voter Education and Involvement
2) Pollwatching
3) Operation Quick Count
4) Canvassing Watch

If you still believe that what is at stake in the May 2007 elections is the credibility of our insitutions and the viability of our hard-earned democracy, join this movement.

We can still claim our place in our country's democratic life, by ensuring that the May 2007 elections are honest and credible, and that candidates who have the people's interests at heart get a fair shot at winning.

Text: 0922-8600-SLB
Call: 10149 (toll-free on PLDT phone)

Posted by Nutty Boy

Too much heat

Monday, May 7, 2007 at Monday, May 07, 2007 | 1 comments

Old school thermometer. We used this in gradeschool

Just right on time, I was recently asked to write about the big difference a person can make in doing small things for the environment. Like other people, I'm beginning to become a believer of the future environmental scenario which Al Gore and Leonardo Di Caprio have been so vocal about to address in public. Global Warming is really a serious issue. Doing small things like recycling stuffs, using bikes and avoiding the use of hazardous chemicals (like hairspray) can spawn a big difference (just imagine a million people doing that). Besides, you don't need to be a person of political power or wealth to do that. Think of this — huge icebergs in the Arctic Ocean are melting! This is an obvious sign that Earth is really warming. It's like we are being toasted alive in a big oven.

And that's the reason why I hardly slept yesterday. The temperature must have been swinging up and down, between 34 and 36 degree Celsius. I turned on the electric fan all day long to chill myself (we don't have air-conditioner yet). I took a bath thrice yesterday. The heat was just unbearable. I forced myself to watch TV later on to chill out because I was pissed and the temperature was completely getting on my nerves. Luckily, a TV show entitled "Isang Tanong, Isang Sagot - Senatoriable Forums" was being aired, somehow appeasing the freaking demons inside of me. It sounded like a formal exchange of platforms among candidates at first, but it was far from that. It was more like a comedy. I got a good laugh when has-been singer Victor Wood barely answered the questions hurled at him. I'm not surprised now why he lost the mayoralty race in Antipolo City last election. Also in the show was actor Richard Gomez who looked stupidly nervous in the face of an unscripted show; Cesar Montano was no different. On the other hand, Koko Pimentel didn't appear like the 1990 bar topnocher while answering questions. The big blast however came from Senator Tessie "Dancing Queen" Aquino-Oreta who was asked by reporter Howie Severino about who she believes is the better president between GMA and Erap. She gave an open-ended answer, as expected from a cunning, traditional politician.

I didn't know how I drifted off but I think I hit the sack around 3am. I looked like a zombie when I woke up in the morning. My eyelids were too heavy and I wanted to collapse back to bed. I wanted to take a vacation leave! I'm hoping that climate will cool down a bit later this evening. I just want to have a sound, log-like sleep.

Posted by Nutty Boy Labels: heatstroke, howie severino, philippine election, trapo, victor wood