Laslas Convention

So this is what I look like as an EMONG. Disclaimer: Mae Dei put me up to this.

My Pain is Self Chosen

The whole tattooing experience was surreal. I knew there was going to be pain. As a matter of fact, I talked to a lot of people about the pain.

Some said that you get so psyched about the pain that when you first get "poked," you'll just be saying to yourself "Nah, it ain't that bad.."

Some said that it felt like tiny cutter blades scraping and actually peeling your skin, and then imagine that happening over and over again for more than an hour. Ouch.

The tattoo artist started with the outline of the characters and he used a needle with I think just one or two needle points. He started at the bottom character then worked his way up. It wasn't really that painful at first, however, I wasn't prepared for the shock that my body had to endure. When he was already outlining the second character from the bottom, I felt really lightheaded, my fingers and toes were going numb, my vision was blurring, and although I could still hear what they were saying, I felt my sense of hearing drop off a little. I was this close to passing out. I think that in about 5 seconds or more, I would have. Thankfully, I was able to call time out and asked for a break. They said that I looked extremely pale at that time - my skin was already porcelain white and my lips had absolutely no color. I can laugh about it right now, but that time was almost traumatic. (Actually, Mae Dei was laughing at me the entire time.) Anyway, I before I could totally pass out, I was able to lie down and rest for about 5 to 10 minutes. After I my head cleared up, I went at it again. He finished the outline for all four characters and then proceeded with shading inside the outlines. It is common belief that the tattooing of the outline is actually more painful than the shading. In my case, it was the exact opposite, the shading part was more painful. Way more painful. This time, he was using a needle with like 5 or 6 sharp needle points for the shading. The tattoo artist actually said: "More muscle less pain. More fat more pain." That was so true for me. I felt like the pain was everywhere. I guess one of the things I could be proud of was the reality that I did not pass out. I endured.

I was actually able to finish the entire session with just two more breaks - I had to pick up Seiichi from school and I had to eat something. He asked me at the beginning if I ate a full meal. And I did, just hours before. What I didn't realize was that all my strength will be sapped from my entire being because of the enduring pain. I actually felt hungry just after a few minutes of starting. So I ate bread and pasta in between.

After everything was done, I looked at my tattoo in the mirror and I was so hyped up. I couldn't believe that FINALLY I got a tattoo. I couldn't help myself from doing rockstar hand signs to myself in the mirror. It turned out to be awesome. I like my design. I like the fact that Seiichi's name will be forever part of my body. I like everything about it.

I paid the artist his fee which was 2,500 Pesos and I said to him "Pinakamasayang bayad ko 'to ng 2-5 sa buong buhay ko. Sobrang astig 'eh." We were both happy with how the tattoo turned out and I thanked him for the quality service.

In the end, I was so glad that I paid 2,500 pesos for the tattoo and 800 pesos for our car's tint - and not the other way around.

SE-I-CHI-KO Tats

A week ago, I was talking about the idea that sometimes cheap products are okay, but cheap services are often not. Little did I know that I would be going through this exact line of thought just a few days after. I mean, what better way to prove this point than to get a permanent skin tattoo. (I think I'm the first person to show an analogy between cheap car tints and permanent skin art.)

Anyway, I wanted to get a tattoo as early as college, but I just didn't have the right design in mind that would ultimately tell the story or at least an idea of who and what I am. And quite frankly, the thought of going through an hour or two of excruciating pain scared me.

A couple of months ago I decided on getting a tattoo of Seiichi's name on my arm. Thanks to Roy Rebong and Tara Enrile for their help on the Japanese Katakana symbols - I consider them trusted sources because they've been living in Japan for a good part of their life and they can read and write katakana.

I got my tattoo at the comfort of my own home. The tattoo artist, Engel Lucas, was referred by my good friend, Jobo Cataluna. Jobo had his first tattoo from Engel a few weeks back. This is the part where products versus services come in. The artist's service fee was relatively higher that other tattoo artists. I've seen Jobo's tattoo and I liked it. The black Alibata was very vivid and the way it was drawn was very good. I actually had a lot of choices when it came to whom and from what shop I will get my tattoo from. I was even quoted cheaper services by other shops, but since this is a major, major decision in one's life, I really wanted to be worked on by an artist whose work I have seen first hand and one who is recommended very strongly by his clients. It took almost a month of scheduling and rescheduling between me and the artist. And finally, yesterday, Monday October 6, we both had our schedules free up. The deed was to be done at around afternoon in our house at Village East. He arrived with his friend shortly after 1:00 PM. When I met him, I completely understood what Jobo was saying when he meant: "Okey gumawa ng trabaho yan." and "Madali kausap 'yan." He put me at ease right away and he shared stories of people passing out and peeing in their pants while getting a tattoo. I realize that last sentence may be paradoxical but I got the feeling from this person that he "understood it." He understood the feelings and decisions and spirituality involved in giving something as permanent as a tattoo. (I say "giving" because Engel does not have a single tattoo on himself! He says he has not yet fully visualized the tattoo that will describe him fully as a person. As for me, I totally get that - I liken that to the story about the town with only two barbers. One has a bad haircut and one has a nice haircut. Guess who you'll be choosing to get your haircut from? Exactly.) He also

He had a whole lot of stuff he brought with him - his big tattoo case with different colored inks (I think there may have been around 20 to 30 different color bottles), his two coil tattoo machine with a sort of like voltage regulator and a foot pedal connected to the whole contraption (probably to control the stick and poke of the needles), his needles were in clear plastic containers (that was opened in front of me), he had a lot of tissue paper, a lot of cotton balls, a lot of disposable gloves (for changing in between breaks), and a few liquid sprays that I did not get to ask what they were (he sprayed it on tissue paper he used to clean the skin while doing the tattoo). He also brought a few of his tattoo designs which were pretty amazing by the way.

So anyway, I started with me showing the design I wanted. He asked me beforehand if I already had a design or not. He was probably relieved to find out that I already had one and that I was already decided on it. He said that it usually takes 3 to 4 hours for a person to choose the design and even longer if the client needs to research a design. We printed out different sizes of the 4-character Katakana. After choosing the right scale, he stenciled it on what was probably carbon paper. He cleaned part of my arm with Betadine and alcohol, wiped deodorant material on it (for the outlined stencil to stick), asked me to stand up on my natural pose, pressed the paper on my arm, and "parang magic" the outline of my design was on my arm. The artist told me to look at the mirror and check if the position, scale, and everything else is right before the actual tattooing takes place. He said that we can redo the stencil if necessary. Anyway, I looked at it through the mirror for a couple of minutes, I was checking if everything is in the right place, and it was exactly where I wanted it to be.

Next Up: PAIN

Recent Movies Watched

Eagle Eye - It had a few references to I, Robot but the overall theme was masterfully crafted to something new and fresh, the action sequences were breathtaking, and had more than one of those "holy s#!t" moments, which is enough to make it one of the top ten movies of the year.

War, Inc. - Same old semi-futuristic theme of corporations taking over countries and funding wars for the weapons race. Nothing really worth noting here other than Hillary Duff dancing sexy on a table trying to seduce John Cusack.

Martian Child - I guess since we all have that "loner" gene inside of us and at one time or another we felt no one understood us as kids, most of us can probably relate to this movie. A sobering look at a father and child relationship but really nothing extravagant or more than that.

Nim's Island - An adventure story from two points of view (Jodie Foster and that Little Miss Sunshine kid) with their struggle to meet at Nim's Island and save each other. I was surprised I finished this movie in its entirety. I didn't really expect much so I guess the plot and the script were engaging.

Righteous Killed

SAGWA. You can't blame anyone for being excited about this movie. De Niro and Pacino. That's Vito and Michael Corleone for alla youse! I was thinking that at best this movie could almost reach Godfather levels, at worst it'd be Michael Mann's Heat. Besides, I thought that these two wouldn't sign up for a bad script let alone a bad movie.
I was so wrong. Yes, they still had the presence of acclaimed greatness and they brought "it." But that was about it. Everything fell apart. It was badly written. It was predictable. It was below average. Turns out that even the Heat comparison was a stretch. SAYANG. It seemed like they used up most of the budget for the two actors. There was absolutely nothing about the script, cinematography, and directing that was worthy to be tagged as the next De Niro and Pacino flick. The sad thing is: they could have used different actors and maybe it wouldn't have sucked as much because you weren't going to expect anything. Sagwa because they could have made the movie much better although not by much; Sayang because we know a lot of other movie ideas and scripts out there are better than this.

Super Black The Exception

I had PLU (or Knight Rider: K.I.T.T. as RyanA calls it) tinted. In the same lines as my Brand X post last march, I looked around briefly for an affordable car tinting shop that could offer a relatively good service. There was one such shop within the grounds of Makro Cainta that offered a "Tint Promo" for only Php 800. This was only for a generic tint (no brand) and the place seemed reputable and the tint men were very accomodating.

I considered a branded Solargard tint from this place as well, but they didn't have it in "Super Black" and it was more than 3 times as pricey than the generic one. I really wanted a Super Black tint anyway because I didn't want my passengers to be seen inside, I don't like the heat/sun, and Super Black matched my car's jet black finish. My friend, Ian Tecson, also advised me to go with scratch-proof tint so that it won't break down after years of closing and opening windows. So ultimately, with the help of MaeDei and Drei, I decided to go the Tint Promo route for 800 pesos for a generic-semi-scratch-proof-Super-Black tint at the sides and back. No tint for the windshield (yet) as it is unadvisable to tint it black for safety reasons. (You wouldn't see shit even if you had HIDs and branded tints.)

I realize now that my affinity for cheap working products does not always turn out to be sunny, so to speak. The finished product turned out HIDEOUS. The tint had a lot of those "dreaded bubbles" at the sides and top part of the windows and at the back there were even a few hints of peeling. I guess my fault was that I brought the car around 5:00 in the afternoon and it was already dark when they finished; plus it rained around the time they were finishing up.

So I brought it back the very next day, and since they were working on another car they advised me to return the next day. I had assurances from the tint men and the owner of the shop that they will work on it first thing. So the day after that, I returned and they did a do-over on the back windows and they tried to "hagod" all the bubbles out of existence. Well, the tint job improved but not a whole lot. It improved only on the do-overs and not the hagods. The freakin' bubbles were still there. My windows had like these constellations of small bubbles everywhere. I felt like an astronomer trying to look for the Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.

After the tint men were done, I asked "Wala na ba magagawa diyan sa mga bubbles na yan? Ang dami eh. Sayang pa-tint ko kung ganyan kalalabasan." In the end, I heard phrases from the tint men along the lines of "Wala na, sir" and "Ganyan talaga ang tinting hindi perpekto" and "Kahit mga brand new na sasakyan may mga bubbles talaga, kahit tignan niyo pang mabuti sa iba." Okay, so I went off pissed and I guess being upset and disappointed are a few ways of putting it lightly.

But to tell you honestly, this experience enlightened me. There was still a silver lining around the time and money lost. I analyzed this situation and then it dawned on me. I was ready to give up on Brand X products, but then I realized: There is nothing wrong with Brand X products, it is Brand X services that you have to worry about.

I'm sure a whole lot of other tinting shops could have done way better with the exact same Super Black tint than what these guys did. Yeah sure, you get what you pay for in terms of the quality of the product. But a little research and effort could help you with decisions on different Brand X products and you are not limited with just choosing the expensive brands. With cheap services, however, it maybe an entirely different story. You KNOW you are not getting anything nearly as good. And more often than not, your expectations will not be met.

So I have a new lesson to learn and impart: Brand X products = sometimes okay. Brand X services = often not okay.

Pack Everything!

I didn't know we brought that with us.

We recently moved from Marikina to Cainta and we asked our yayas to help out with packing our things. I told them to put a label on the plastic bags and boxes so that it will be easier to transport and organize over at the new house. Guess what? Click on the picture for a better view of the plastic bag label.

Death Chart

Pending other preseason transactions, this is what Miami's depth chart will probably look like at the beginning of the season:

C - Blount / Magloire / Anthony / Mourning*
PF - Haslem / Beasley / Padgett
SF - Marion / J. Jones / Wright
SG - Wade / Cook / Diawara
PG - Quinn / Chalmers / Banks

With the recent signing of Magloire, it seems that Riles will be playing the center position by committee. It is not necessarily a bad thing, sometimes that approach works. But given that most of the Eastern Conference contenders had strengthened their 4 and 5 positions, and the fact that Miami will be pinning its postseason hopes on Blount's offense, Magloire's defense, and Mourning's health - the season will certainly look bleak.

Now, what about point guards? I can't even begin to imagine that Pat Riley is done dealing. He has been able to get quality point guards in the free agency in the past, so yes, I trust him. Its just that all the guards are getting signed by other teams. Who is left anyway? Livingston? Stoudamire? Gordon?? Urrghh.. I hope that Miami does the right thing or signs the "right" guard - whoever that may be.
In Riles We Trust.

Of course, its not all bad. The two, three, and four positions are loaded with talent. They can score on anybody and defend anyone.
We got shooters to spread the floor: Cook and Jones;
Defensive stoppers: Marion, Diawara, Wright, and Haslem (add Wade if he's not spent on offense);
Slashers: Wade and Marion,
Natural scorers: Wade and Cook, and;
Young legs, a ton of potential, and a lot of rebounds: Beasley.

My prediction? 8th or even 7th in the East. But it will mainly boil down to health and chemistry - two things that seemed to lack last season's heinous regular season run.

I Wantss It

The Angas-Factor of this ride is off the hook! I want a 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer. I WANT a 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer. I'd sell my left nut for one of these.

After VRUSKO, I promised I'd swear off of Mitsubishi cars. (Not that I can afford a new car anyway.) But check this motherfucker out. It's like a poor man's Dodge Charger SRT8!

Shake Yer Head (In Disappointment)

By now, you must have heard the news that the Eraserheads Reunion Concert did not finish because mister big shot Ely Buendia happened to have chest pains that made him unable to finish the rest of the set. When his sister was delivering the message to the crowd that his brother is on his way to the hospital and that the concert will not continue, I was thinking to myself, "So... they decided that THIS would be the best possible ending." I think that this is a conspiracy, I mean think about it, what better way for the band to end it? Keep the crowd hanging for more.. Go out with a bang (of sorts).. Be the story of the month.. Be the story of the year.. Possibly.

Even if it wasn't a conspiracy, and even if it did happen according to fate and not some human deus ex machina, I left disappointed.

(UPDATE: When the organizers asked for a minute of silence for prayers about Ely's condition. Everyone was silent. Everyone. Which may indicate that I am in the minority regarding this conspiracy thing. Okay, I knew that I was going to be in the minority about this thing. But I'm not writing this just to stand out and be against the flow (like this). I'm writing this for myself and because this is what I felt and this is what I thought probably happened.)

Also, about the organizers, I was half-hoping that they'd announce that they would return the half of the ticket price or something like that. Naive. Haha. I even heard a few people commenting that: "Humingi kasi ng group-hug eh, ayan, inatake tuloy."

Before I am judged, I want you guys to know that I really, really wanted this to work out. I really wanted this to be an amazing night. (For the should-have-been-first-half, it was.) Please keep in mind that I have a number of things invested in this concert. Aside from the money that we spent for the tickets, there's this little thing to note that one of the band members is the biological father of my eldest daughter. (Syd is 6 years old, and yes, we are open about it.) And to add to that, I am truly a FAN of the Eraserheads. Probably 8 out of the first 10 songs that Andrei, Robert, and I learned to play together as band was an E-Heads song -probably like most other bands of our generation. Anyway, during the concert, I was singing my heart out and I absolutely enjoyed myself. My wife and I were with great people (Drei, Chel, Gail, and Che). I was constantly teasing my wife about her "past love." Hehe. We rocked out. We were absolutely eager and excited for the next set. Then came the message...

UPDATE: What made me more disappointed was this e-mail I received from my good buddy, Ken, who was at the concert as well. The following may or may not be true, it was quoted from a blog (here is the link). It will make you wonder though, what we could have missed if there really was a second part. Here is an excerpt:

We were all supposed to dance the Huling El Bimbo with a fantastic fireworks display. It was going to be the perfect song to end a perfect concert.I know because my sister said so. She was one of the band's PAs (guess which one!) and was there during the production meetings. On Sunday morning, as we gathered for our family lunch, she told us what was supposed to go down during the Eheads concert.The first set went exactly as planned, except of course for Ely's collapse. To refresh your memory, these are the songs we heard:

1. Alapaap

2. Ligaya

3. Sembreak

4. Hey Jay

5. Harana

6. Fruitcake

7. Toyang

8. Kama Supra

9. Kailan

10. Wag Kang Matakot

11. Kaliwete

12. With A Smile

13. Shake Yer Head

14. Wag Mo Nang Itanong

15. Lightyears

During the second set, the band was to sing ten more songs, in this order:

1. Maskara

2. Poor Man's Grave

3. Torpedo

4. Trip to Jerusalem

5. Back To Me

6. walang Nagbago

7. Maling Akala

8. Tikman

9. Spoliarium

10.Magasin

When Magasin was to be played, the screen behind them would have montages of various news and magazine clippings of them. It would flash alternately with shots of the band and audience until the song reached the coda where Ely sings "...ay centerfold ka naaaa...woo hoo-hoo, haaa-haaa" part of the song. Then there would be fire works and a fountain of sparks, going on til the last note of the song. Then the hydraulic stage would be lowered and the band would make a "fake ending". The lights would then go out. My sister said the band would wait til the crowd chanted "more". "It would take two beers' worth of chanting "more" she said. Then in the darkness, a very dramatic keyboard solo would be heard, and it would be the opening chords of Para Sa Masa.The hydraulic stage would rise again and there they would be.After Para Sa Masa, they'd switch into Overdrive. With the crowd pumped within an inch of insanity they were to hit us with Pare Ko. And then we would slow down and reminisce with Minsan.Finally, they would perform Huling El Bimbo. Again, after the last refrain, at the coda (la la la laaa...) the grand fireworks display would go off, fountains of light surrounding the stage. The next la-la-la parts would see fireworks from behind the general admissions section, and as the song ended there would be a burst of confetti all over the audience. Then the hydraulic stage would be lowered for the final exit.

Those were the plans for the Ultraelectromagnetic night. It may not have happened as planned but at least we knew they were going to give us a show we would never forget!We asked my sister if the band knew about all these plans and she said they did. In fact they were so excited about all the gimmicks and couldn't wait to party with the audience. "Nag-usap pa nga sila kung may mga kailangang saluhin na kanta just in case (di na kaya ni Ely)," she said. "And Ely said, hindi, Kakanta ako!"

I'm putting out an order to the Universe that we all get to watch the second set!

So what do I make of this? Do we hope for a "free" concert like originally reported? Probably. But I wouldn't want me and Mae Dei in the middle of that crowd. She being pregnant and all. Sobrang dami na nga ng tao last concert eh, dun pa kaya sa libre. But on the other hand, would I pay for another concert that I was already supposed to have paid for already?

Will Marcus, Raimund, Buddy, and Ely do it again? Will we ever get to see them play El Bimbo and Magasin together? Will there ever be another band as iconic as Eraserheads?

Will they treat us to a group hug?