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The Maldives were sinkiiiiiiinnnnggg!!!

And with that image, I managed to capture the sheer insanity of being a part of SPIT’s first-ever Rookie Night. It was a night to remember, and certainly something I am exceedingly proud of.

Last Tuesday, we had a pretty intensive crash course to get the hang of the basics for improv, and I have to say, it really made me realize a lot of things about improv that I previously never got.

So there I was with Jay-R, my fellow Rookie, and the first thing we realized while we were sitting in Quantum Cafe last night was: plan? What plan? The scripts are thrown out, and the only thing standing between a good and a horrible improv performance for the both of us was our willingness to make it up as we went along.

So I sat there about an hour and a half early for the whole thing. I looked like a deer staring blankly at the headlights of the ATV that was about to run me over as the German film festival went on in Quantum, which was going to precede SPIT. Jay-R arrived shortly past 8 PM, and then the SPIT members asked us to join them for a few last-minute tips and a bit of warm-up exercises. When it comes to rhythm-based exercises, yes, I am still way off-beat.

In any case, things started off easily enough. They did a reggae song, then proceeded to the first game the Rookies were going to take part in: What Are You Doing? This game scared me back in the day, when me and my co-nuffies were playing it at random times of the day, and I actually won the game, although they did give a lot of extra consideration for us Rookies.

From there, we had several more games, and Jay-R got to demonstrate his skill at a murder mystery game called LCD. Needless to say, a lot of stuff was lost in translation, especially the part where Barney had to be played by Chal, who would never have understood that Barney was strangled by his own… member.

By halftime, Jonas was there, but Chino and Xeres actually came in and watched the second half of the performances. The next full-cast game came into play, and we did Eh Di, which was a joke-making game. Surprisingly, Jay-R and I managed to make a couple of solid contributions. Then came the Add-On Story, which is pictured above.

The Add-On Story is one of my favorite improv games, because it’s a story built line by line from four different players, with each new line being preceded by the player actually repeating the whole story first. The comedy comes in how people forget details or actually create impossible situations then let the next person come in and pick up from there. Our story was entitled “Sticky Maldives”, and we managed to spin a pretty interesting story that inadvertently turned into an Aladdin commercial because Happy saying “afar” reminded me of “Jafar”.

At the end of the show, Gabe gave us some sage advice, and we eagerly await to see the next few rookies in the coming months. This should be an exciting time for improv comedy, if you ask me.

Xeres and I ended up having dinner at Behrouz in Metrowalk after the whole thing, though, and we even ran into Rendhl. What a small world.

All things considered, this was a night to be happy about, even if a lot of people flaked out on me at the last moment. Hey, at least, I had three friends actually show up to support me, and I was very honored that SPIT graciously took me and Jay-R under their wing last Tuesday and gamely encouraged and constructively critiqued our output last night in a way that encourages us to keep at it and improve as performers.

Thank you, SPIT, and thank you to everyone who watched a couple of people make fools of ourselves with the best of ‘em - because we’ve been dreaming of doing just that for years.

One guess why there were no bondage jokes that night.

I had a show Monday night as well, but inasmuch as that was fun, there was still nothing quite like performing in Don Bosco Sta. Mesa once again after approximately eighteen years since I last performed there.

You see, years ago, one of the first people who ever taught me magic was a lovely human being named Sister Angie, FMA (That’s Figle Maria Ausilatrice, not Full Metal Alchemist, or Fixed Martial Arts.). It was the most unlikely mentor ever, but Sister Angie really got things started for me, and as you can see to this very day, it never really stopped, did it?

So when I performed last Sunday night in Don Bosco, that was as real a homecoming as can be for my magical career. It was just amazing, and the people were, in a word, entertained, which is the whole point of getting into magic the first place.

It was quite a moment, really, even if I had to be extra careful about my words and my jokes, since I was surrounded by nuns throughout the night, and I knew my liberal ways (LOL) were not going to go over very well there.

On a tangent, by the way, I’m still amused the last time someone referred to me as a liberal, considering how I actually am in practice. Not to mention that said person is apparently one of the least gracious people I have ever met, considering how said person has the temerity to still grouse and whine after being apologized to.

Stay classy, yo.

Anyways, where was I? Oh, yeah. The show. I think Apol and Iza had the idea to get me that night, and when I obliged them, I was overjoyed to see that it went over just fine, considering I had to follow a TV celebrity, which just intimidated me to no end. In any case, it was all good, really. This was a great return to my roots, although the next time I talk about doing a “back to basics,” it had better be a post about me finally meeting Sister Angie after all these years. She was, unfortunately, not at the celebration that night.

Much thanks to Kcat for this picture, by the way!

                                                                                    otakufridge.com

Ang hair ko, umabot hanggang dooooon sa haba!

Yes, this is hardly related to magic, but the moment was, for lack of a better word, magical. Last Saturday night, I was tasked to do voice over duties for the Philippine Blog Awards, as hosted by Ms. Gang Badoy herself. It was pretty amusing when I was asked, because while I graciously accepted the invitation to do so, I jokingly asked Juned if this was his hint that I had no chance of winning that night for either nomination. Juned just smiled and said he’s not allowed to comment on stuff like that.

What was very different about this year’s program was the fact that there were actually acceptance speeches this time around, which Arbet reminded me about while going over the program. I just casually noted that being the VO guy for the evening meant I wasn’t going to win, shrugged, and moved on.

The evening was great, seeing as I met awesome people like the aforementioned Gang Badoy and the Christopher Lao! He seemed a lot shorter than I thought he would, and oddly enough, without his glasses on, he reminded me of Mr. Fu. Nonetheless, it was fun running into him, and to be referred to as the “voice of God” by Gang throughout the evening.

Pretty soon, they got to the part of the awarding ceremonies where my blog was nominated in two different categories. When I didn’t win the Personal Category, I kinda assumed that was the end of it already, since that was the one I’ve been gunning for since 2009, I believe (I was off the grid in 2007 and was the host in 2008, after all.).

Next thing I knew, I was announced as the winner for the best blog in the Society, History, and Politics category.

                                                                                    otakufridge.com

This is how you feel so big and so small at the same time.

I haphazardly went onstage, still shocked (Hades, I still am to this very moment!), joked about loving all 20 of my loyal readers, joked about the fact that I was the disembodied voice throughout the evening, then quietly shuffled to backstage immediately afterwards. Yep, I pretty much didn’t have an acceptance speech at all, but that’s okay. This is my blog, so I get to do that here.

First of all, I’d like to thank the judges of the Philippine Blog Awards for the recognition of this blog. I’ve been blogging since 2002, so winning something like this, without a doubt, is truly a great honor for me. I still cannot contain my joy over this great recognition, and it never gets old. I’ve won best Philippine Blog in the Flying Chair Asian Blog Awards in 2003, then won one of the top 10 best blog posts in the Philippine Blog Awards in 2009, and yet, this honor couldn’t have come at a better time, for me.

I am very honored that despite splitting my writing between this blog, The POC, Filipino Freethinkers, and, for a while, Filipino Voices, my blog still managed to strike a chord with the people who have read it in ways that I didn’t quite expect. I’ve always been an autobiographical blogger, so it comes a bit surprising to me that my life has taken a turn towards the societal, historical, or political aspects of this nation. Sure, I do political satire here and there even in my blog, but I realized that with no active desire to stay relevant via my blog, my life itself has given me the opportunity to do and say something relevant that I can only hope brings, aside from the lulz, some measure of knowledge or dare I say enlightenment, no matter how unenlightened my position may or may not get.

To the people who do read this, know that I can only be grateful that you like what you see. I really can’t please everyone, so I only ever write for my own sake, because I’m pretty much the only person I have any business representing in an official capacity, even if I do try my best to put forth a great picture of the Philippine Magic Industry in my blog every now and then.

I guess what I hope people take away from my blog is that I am a multi-faceted person with something to say. Whether or not you agree or even find what I have to say interesting, at the very least, I hope you can see where I am coming from and how I have come to form the opinions or even convictions I hold onto.

I have no illusions that this win would bring me to the upper echelon of recognized bloggers whose every word people wait on with bated breath. I have no illusions that my writing will directly engender changes in this nation, unless I myself take a direct, pro-active stand offline as well. I have no illusions that my writing would magically become more prolific and more enticing for consumption for the general public. Hades, I’m even shy about showing my own mother my own blog, despite the fact that I don’t really write anything embarrassing about myself here.

What I do know, though, is that I will keep writing because I have something to say. I have always believed that is the first reason someone would want to blog, and that is reason enough for me to keep on doing what I have been doing for the past nine years in my own little corner in the web, ever since I realized I can’t read my old diaries anymore because of my atrocious handwriting.

I’d like to thank Cracked because their sense of humor has influenced my writing immensely, and hopefully for the better. I’d like to thank the POC and the Freethinkers for having faith (I use that word very loosely, Freethinkers!) in my writing as well. Of course, I’d also like to thank everyone who has touched my life and been a part of this blog, really. It’s hard to name all of you, but you know who you are. Obviously, without you, there’d have been at least one less entry for me to write, and as an archivist by nature, that would’ve been a travesty.

And the only thing I regret not having said onstage would be… I’d like to dedicate this win to someone who was, without a doubt, someone who did effect change in society, whether within the blogosphere or through his personal advocacies. Thank you, AJ Matela. I miss you, and I think that it is fitting for me to dedicate this honor to you, because you have, in your own way, sparked a revolution of minds and hearts, in life and in death.

Thank you, one and all, and I hope that my life continues to intersect with what is relevant and important to this nation, even if what I personally have to say about it doesn’t always live up to the same standard.

                                                                                                                                             azraelcoladilla.com

Congratulations, one and all!

Yes! Yes! This pleases me greatly.

I decided to write and do my JAMM’s whenever I feel like it, but yeah, don’t expect a religious weekly update from yours truly for now.

Anyways, last Friday, the Itchyworms celebrated their 15th anniversary, and I was invited to be a part of it. To say I was honored would be the understatement of the year.

I’ve been a huge fan of the Itchyworms ever since their first album came out. Whether it was “Happy Birthday” or “Antipara”, I was immediately captivated by their music, seeing as they were a great alternative to the kupaw rockers of their era.

The scene of the crime was in Metro Bar. Jampacked to the rafters with fans, friends, and everyone in between, the Itchyworms went in to play fifteen of their songs, and everyone was just hype the whole night! Special guests abounded, including…

… Marcus Adoro, alumnus of the Eraserheads.

And even…

… the man you least expect standing beside the Straight Edge Comedy Magician, Mr. Pepe Smith himself!

I also ran into Ebe Dancel, Ronnie Dizon, Francis Brew, and Chris of “Ako Si Chris” fame. It was star-studded, and every single person out there definitely raised the sheer energy for the night. Conspicuously missing was Lourd De Veyra, though. We were hoping we’d find him doing the spoken word part of “Freak Out Baby” for old time’s sake.

Lemme share my moment onstage, though, as they asked me to perform during their rendition of “Antipara”…

I’m blind! Blind as a bat! How blind is a bat?

The challenge was simple: I was going to solve a Rubik’s cube blindfolded, but the time limit was the song. If I couldn’t solve the cube by the time the song ended, I was going to have to get hit upside the head with one of their guitars, and that put a spring in my step, or fingers, if you will.

It was hilarious, because thanks to my sheer terror, I actually finished the cube a full minute before the song ended. I was so nervous that I was solving the cube significantly faster than I expected to, and I misheard the cue for the song, as I mistook the bridge for the ending, which made me finish well before the final chorus of the song actually played.

Nonetheless, I managed to pull it off just fine, and finally, I got to enjoy the rest of the show. It was, without a doubt, one of the best nights to be a Philippine magician with friends in the music industry. You just never know what crazy stuff you could end up collaborating on.

In this picture: two Kels!

It was a great night, and capping it off with some Mr. Kebab immediately afterwards was just icing on the cake, albeit I was very annoyed they didn’t have Ox Brain again.

Here’s hoping to find myself performing with the bad boys of Pogi rock again in the near future! Congratulations, Jugs, Jazz, Kelvin, and Chino! You guys are just the best!

And the world can’t erase this fantasy…

So yeah, aside from treating myself to an X-Box Kinect, I had a working weekend, hosting for the Alodia’s Fantasy pre-screening event, and then Kathy’s wedding. Overall, a pretty crazy hectic weekend, but one thing recently turned up that I’m pretty happy about…

… My De Ring is improving ever since I bought that awesome ring from Cosmania a week ago.

I haven’t really been doing De Ring much beyond the normal ring-on moves, but now, with the new ring I got, I feel more and more inclined to show off, and I’ve been improving by leaps and bounds in that department.

I know, I know. Not much of a JAMM update, but really, it’s been a crazy weekend, and magic isn’t that high up on my priority list at the moment, I’m just glad I still managed to figure out how to talk about magic today, in fact. :P