Good Life : The 2-day P.A. Lessons

'When you're happy like a fool, let it take you over.' - Good Life by One Republic

It started last saturday morning when i woke up in our Baguio home's comfy couch (haha. yes, i love sleeping here) and i saw my bestfriend, ever engrossed with his laptop. He kept playing 'Good Life by One Republic' and I didn't really paid attention. I was too hungry for that. So, while preparing breakfast, he made me watch this video and then, BOOM! We suddenly ended up filming ourselves and reheating the poor 220mL hot choco (which was eventually reduced to half after being reheated for several times) just so we can take a good film of a 'smokin' hot drink'.

and so, the shoot for the Good Life started.

Well actually, i was just the Production Assistant AKA PA-for-a-day for this project. I really had no idea what i was doing nor did i even give it a thought that I'd include myself in it. i look hideous in videos (see: dead and bloated blow fish right there). But, it was after all a new thing for me and it's my best friend's moment of eerie-ness so, who am I to say no?

The 2-Day P.A. LESSONS:

1. When you have an idea, write it and act on it! This is actually very true because most of the best ideas come from sudden burst of thoughts or plain impulsiveness. You may think it's actually weird/stupid/impossible/lame/freakish at first but, if you put a little more thought into it, it's actually the best idea ever. You can share it to people and they will most likely laugh at you BUT, if they see you doing it and really putting yourself into it, they'll probably see your point. But, in this weekend's case, we're just too impulsive to let the idea go so, even if i blurted out countless 'Are you really serious about this? I mean, REAAAAALLY serious?'... i was actually just too excited, and i didn't want any 'sorry-to-burst-your-bubble' moments. i can kill.

Things is, moments like this are too great to be let go. Ideas could change the whole world. Besides, no matter how uncanny you think your idea is, always remember that a few years ago, people we're too amazed with the idea that a little box could communicate with the world and they thought it was impossible- and now, we call them celfones.

2. Grab every opportunity to learn something new- even if it's waaaaaay beyond your box. I've always been a fan of making short clips for birthday celebrations OR end-of-the-review/training/workshop thingies by using Windows Movie Maker just because it's just too easy to use. Though there are, after all, a lot of limitations with this software, i kind of just sucked it up because it's the only thing i'm familiar with. But, after this weekend, I finally gathered enough guts to try the Power Director software- it's AHHHHMAZING. It's a little more complicated that WMM but, it can let me do a lot more.

Mart&Me at the Bar, Kahuna Beach Resort

'Ayan, pag-aralan mo yan para makapag-edit ka din ng music video mo.' -MDVC, the boss

And, i've always been the trying-hard-photographer. Like, I'd try to take a shot of things and do the 3/4s thingy that photographers try to do and i'd always end up showing my best friend something he'd react to with a deliecious 'uh, anu yan?'. What's really amazing with some phtographers I know is that they have this talent of turning rocks into ROOOOCCCCKKKKKS and sand in SAAAANNNNDDDDD. Know what i mean? Well, i think I'm a creative person but, i'm still trying to learn this photo-creativity stuff. (list of things to learn growing longer and longer everyday) So, when Martin told me he needed my help to do this video, i immediately said yes. I left no time for him to think if I'm really gonna be of help for him. HAHA (mahirap na q:) And with that, i really took it as an opportunity to learn about the right angles, views and all that saturation stuff.

Actually, i still didn't learn that much (because i was busy looking for a hunky surfer while we were shooting at the shores of KAHUNA Beach Resort located at San Juan, La Union) but, the activity really helped me understand some concepts and got me more interested with filming and photography.

3. No matter how sh*tty your situation right now is, it won't matter at the end. Actually, the suckier the situation is right now, the more you'll learn to appreciate the end product of all your efforts. Take it from us. The sun was actually so hot, we felt like we're being baked alive while filming around San Juan. The sand felt like burning coal against our skin. We drove around town, looking for nice places to film and the wind blowing against us felt warm. We had to re-shoot/re-film/re-take and end up discarding a lot of films. I was countlessly told to re-shoot because I didn't know what views/angles/whatever i had to consider or take because I'm a moron at this AND, i was probably taking Martin's patience at the edge.

So, how do i get this thing started again?

But, when he finished editing the video earlier, we smiled like kids and shut our mouths up while watching. IT WAS HILARIOUS to imagine how we looked like. The video wasn't perfect, it had flaws- but it was actually better than most videos aired on television. It was a great video. And i'm not saying this because we're best friends and/or because i was a part of it. It really exceeded my expectations. And no matter how disgusting i felt with all the sweat/sand/humidity/baked-feeling i experienced all day, it was all worth it. And i'm just too proud not to boast. haha Hello, Humility.

4. Love the people. Just gotta love them. For the past 2 nights and 2 days i spent with a whole bunch of old and new faces (and spending it at hotels and beach resorts located just a few meters away from Martin's home... really weird) I've come to realize that in this world, hating is just too easy to do and yet, it takes a lot of toll in your soul. It's easy at the start, but leaves you dead in the long run. Loving people, on the other hand, is a little harder to do. For some people, it just happens and for some, it feels like looking for a needle in a haystack. But, knowing how to love people eventually feels easier to do. It makes you feel lighter and alive. Some people may talk about insecurities and all that cliquishness that girls usually do but, real confidence DOESN'T talk about insecurities AT ALL. Cool people just talk about goodness of other people, and then it reciprocates without effort.
Love people and people will love you. If they don't, they're bound to be useless.

Breakfast at Costa Villa Beach Resort, San Juan, La Union

the CAST: Behind: Karla, Allan, Front: Me, Mart and Tian

 5. FOCUS on your VISION. As a young entrepreneur, we have been told that it's actually a little normal to be discouraged at times because we're too emotional. We involve a lot of feelings in everything we do. It's one reason why although we're too tempted to work with out closest friends, we tend to mix our relationships with out business and then POOP! everything becomes soggy cereal with milk.

Knowing such instances, we have to set rules. We have to learn ourselves more- to determine which can motivate us more to do it whatever it takes, as well as what could discourage us.

After all, to know the antidote, we have to determine the poison.

I know i haven't really been through as much crap as others have (i'm actually lucky and i'm thankful about it. VERY thankful indeed.) but i can say that I've also had my fair shares of hell-holes, as well. But the greatest mistake a person will ever do is to take this hell-hole and use it as an excuse to not do something. That hell-hole is the exact reason why you should do it.

There's no excuse big enough to keep you from you vision... that is, if your vision is worth all that.

It's just amazing that every time I go to trips like this, i end up knowing so much more that what i intended to discover. I came here for fun and yet, I learned something I could really use for my life. I was the P.A./student of photography/filming/life/entrepreneurship. I could only put so many slashes and yet i couldn't probably put enough.

After 2 days of filming for the video, i was really able to dissect the song and until now, it's still playing in my head. So much for LSS. But still, during my weekend, i met a lot of amazing people, saw a lot of amazing views, experienced a lot of moments I'm not sure I'll ever experience again- i saw a little piece of the Good Life that people dream of having. I grew up the in farms of my province, and I'm not the kind of person who would be going gaga over shopping, partying, jewels and gadgets. But the feeling of being on top of the world, and knowing there's so much more you can have without stepping on anyone was one of the best feelings one could ever have. I felt something i'd die for to have my loved ones experience the very same feeling i had. And this is probably the reason I'm striving for more no matter how hard.

Because I've realized that some people will never have dreams as big as mine, which is probably the reason it's that easy for them to leave and give up. The thing is, a lot of people have left me because they had reasons; my dream is too big to listen to their excuses. And even if they leave, I will be more than willing to start over again.

I am not a charity-builder kind of person. I actually run away from filthy street urchins and adults (because i'm SERIOUSLY scared). Sure, I pity them but not the kind of pity that I'd be giving coins to give them a chance to survive the day. If i'd be given a chance to help these people, it would be by inspiring them that people can have something out of nothing; and that if other people were able to do it, they can do it too. I want it to be just like that.

Well anyway, i would loooooooove to present to you the video we worked hard for. Better search up the lyrics... we've successfully passed the LSS-experience to countless people...like 5 people. haha  i really hope you like it. <3

Director/Producer/VideoEditor/MASTERMIND: Martin Casiano 

Alfred: the Truth Behind the Name

Situation:
Random person: Who made the light bulb again?
Me: Alfred.
RP: Sino yun? (who's that?)
Me: *shrugs shoulders*

My friends have always been so curious (and puzzled) about Alfred. And every time i mention his name, my coworkers give me this flat-faced-monster look then, hit me with a bag, jotter pad, pen, or anything they get a hold of. And i'm starting to think that I've been using his name too much that it's irritating me already. So what's the truth behind Alfred? Who is Alfred?

A lot of my co-workers think that the Alfred I'm talking about is the fictional anime character from Ghost Fighter which features 4 amazing guys (including Alfred) who have amazing super powers and uses 'em to fight off spirits from the other side of the world. I grew up watching this! i actually memorized the opening song, in Japanese--- though i never really understood the lyrics. 
*i'm actually singing in my thoughts now.

dennis, vincent, eugene and alfred of GHOST FIGHTER.

this is alfred.

photos from: http://animeholicph.wordpress.com/category/monthly-special/ 

Anyway, Alfred (not my favorite from the bunch) has this spiritual sword. Hmm. So why am i telling you this? Is he the Alfred I'm talking about?

Definitely...not.

...
Back in college, my weirdest room mate, Paola, and I always have this...uh, weirdness. We pretend that have a house helper named Elsa and then, ask her to do chores for us (which is probably the reason why our pad always looked like crap back then). Of course, Elsa never got any job done...simply because she doesn't exist at all. So why this fictional character? Who is Elsa? Where did we ever get this concept? Do you like the color 'red'?

Okay. So the last question didn't have anything to do with Elsa. But the truth is, we're just weird like that. AND it's probably because we miss home where everything's just given and done for us. Oh, the perks of being home.
*like this morning, i woke up and breakfast is all set. I missed real food. been eating cereals since tuesday. I know, i know. I'm too lazy to prepare breakfast. it's like a sin or something.
College is like this world with solicited and unsolicited independence- sometimes you feel lucky for it, sometimes it just sucks. We actually went on as if we're serious that some of our friends believed that a certain Elsa really existed as our helper... until a friend told us that their helper is named Elsa. So we stopped.
Would you believe that? A real Elsa exists? When we found out, you could only imagine our faces... and the laughter we couldn't contain... which went on for days. This isn't exaggeration AT ALL.
...
So what has this story got to do with Alfred? Is he real? Where'd i ever get this concept? Do you really like the color red?

ARE YOU READY FOR THE TRUTH? Do you know where this is going?

So here's the bomb.
Honestly, i haven't met Alfred at all. I mean, i don't even know any existing Alfred in my circle of friends.

So why do i keep mentioning (and using) his name?
It's actually part of the weirdness and random-nity (if such a word exists) of mine. There's either a need to say something I'm totally clueless of or i just enjoy being a bully. AND this isn't the first time. Before, i used to mention 'Bembol Rocco' like crazy as my 'Alfred' until another weird friend of mine made me realize that i have to use a name without a face- literally. So now, it's just Alfred. And probably, the fact that i haven't met any person named Alfred makes it easier for me to use it over and over- there's no face to blame, after all- which makes it perfect.
But i'm actually starting to annoy myself that i think i'm over using his name already. I know, i know it's weird and i gotta stop. I've already figured out how to stop myself. Since i haven't met any existing Alfred, i'm just going to buy me one, one of these days. (But if someone would give me....i'd be more than willing to take it :D) I'm planning to buy myself a puppy and just name him Alfred just to stop this weirdness! Oh I'm gonna miss this.

LESSON?
I don't really know. Fact is, the reason i like being weird is that i get the chance to be different. People think it's easy to just blend in and follow the society's rules. I've tried it, believe me and it was one of the hardest things i've ever done. It's like doing something weirder than weird- this time against my will. So i think it's easier to just be different and feel good about it. HAHA is my argument even valid? whatever. i just needed an excuse for my 'Alfred' usage. I think i pulled it off...or did i?

okay. whos' weird?

-end-

*anyway, i looove red. but it's not my favorite color.

Grey Skies that Laugh- a random first.

'Sky is grey, sky is grey but i'm dancing in the rain.' -The Story, by Zee Avi

Around ten to twelve years rewind, i grew up throwing dried up rice stalks or what we call 'dayami' to my older sisters and cousins, running around mud and rain, shooting up with spit-wetted-paper and cooking slugs for playtime. I must say i had a great childhood. Shallow as a lot of kids nowadays may see this, but this environment was probably the reason why it's hard to choose what i'd want to be as an adult; not because the society would hate me (like the dramatic and already typical 'me against the world thing' ) but because, there's just a lot of possibilities to choose from.

...as a JOURNALIST.

Neighbors are scared of our home because, well, technically, it's an old spanish-y-renovated home which looks scary especially at dawn. :D As a little kid, i never really saw their point. The only scary thing about our home for me back then was the wooden stairway because upstairs, it's full of all things old- books, clothes, chairs, beds, closets- i mean, you get it, right? But a curious little tomboy like me couldn't resist old things, especially the thought of using the old lamp shade that clicks. So i gathered enough guts to climb alone and look at the old world secured upstairs.

well actually, it wasn't that scary for me. i started reading those weird pocketbooks my sisters used to read which i didn't understand at first. The pocketbooks consisted of old cook books, sweet valley high pocketbooks (oh, highschool...so that's why it's weird), nancy drew stuff, old bibles, magazines and books from othello, shakespeare and all those authors i never really knew. (i'm an eight year old, for pete's sake!)

But, my fascination for old things gave me this bright idea- that i could still savor what history had even if i wasn't there first hand. AND for this same reason, i can  do the same thing for the people in the future through writing and through pictures.

.

so, when i reached gradeschool, i never really understood what i was doing but i went to journalism contests (just because my bestfriend was there too, no other reason :p) and wrote articles. But, believe it or not, for years 'til highschool, the contest concept was always about our moms. Well, there was one time when the contest required us to write about our hero but i still wrote about mom and i won. again. Not that i'm fed up or anything, but it's just weird. But then again, i continued writing essays and articles 'til i reached highschool. *During our english and filipino writing classes, i'm the only student who says YAY! when the teacher asks us to write essays.

me at powerbooks (my paradise) before the guards caught me. haha kidding.

 When i reached college, i only had time to write when we were required to write essays for Filipino and english subjects. One time, i wrote an essay for our psychology class and it was my first time to recieve a score of 3 out of ten! (i usually get perfect scores for essays) It was devastating. I had to drink coffee alone because i was too sore to talk about it to anyone. It was a little OA, well, i have to admit that, but it's so heartbreaking to suck at something you're supposed to be good at. (but later on, i had to admit to myself that my flair for writing couldn't cover for the fact that i didn't study my psych notes so i didn't know what i was supposed to write.)

But then again, this love for writing about the past and things that'll soon be part of the past could not be tamed. I may not be part of history, but i'll write about it- that way, i'll be part of it. 

...as a MUSICIAN.

I remember weekend mornings where i'd wake up with my grandpa's old stereo playing cassette tapes from James Taylor, The Carpenters, Abba, The Eagles...which is just mostly the music of 60's to 80's. I remember one particular day where my sisters and I started dancing and singing along a song and i had no idea what i was saying because the lyrics...well...i didn't understand a thing. But, i grew up with such good and old songs that 'til now, i just can't learn to love new songs the way i loved the old songs i grew up with. (talk about dwelling. haha)

So, i started singing along old songs (using my own lyrics which mostly consisted of babbles and a lot of lalala) and people at home would clap and say stuff that was supposed to make my self esteem better. But the thing is, it's just not like the usual 'my mom heard me sing and from then on she knew i'd be a great singer'- no it wasn't like that at all. I don't think they really saw me as a singer. Then one day, a classmate in gradeschool told me i have this nice voice. I was pretty much flattered that i started imitating lea salonga (which sucked, by the way. my voice just didn't sound like her. i sounded like a dying goat) and she was like, 'why do you sound and look like that when you're singing? it's different'. well, she should've just said 'you look and sound weird. please stop.'

but hey, that didn't stop me from singing my heart out. actually, my family didn't know i could sing until my gradeschool teacher told them i could.

My favorite memory would be me singing Perhaps love by Jose Mari Chan and dad playing his guitar. Mom and my sibs would be silently listening (and my youngest sibling would be teasing me about looking weird while singing and i'd burst out of laughter) i wonder when that'll happen again...

.

*now, i sing in the shower on a daily basis. when i was about 8 years old, i tried singing in the tiolet- 

and i realized 2 things 1) it's a good thing i didn't get suffocated, 2) it's just weird.

I've always wondered how things would turn out if i just became a musician, playing my guitar a la Zee Avi or Sara Bareilles or Regina Spektor. AHHHHHHMAZING. But still, i have my reasons. I'm still developing my confidence. Whenever my friends ask me to sing at a particular coffee shop in Baguio (which i'm so inlove with, btw), it still takes them half an hour to convince me to sing on the stage with the band. This happens all the time.

me singing at kaffee klatsch

anyway, back in college, my prof would ask the whole class to stare at me 'til i turn beet red and just start singing. (i hate being stared at, it's like you're killing me!) ah, memories. gotta love 'em, right? But it was college where i really developed this dream of becoming a musician. And though unintentional, i kept looking for old songs and artists with old-soul-ish and eclectic music which are just easy on the ears (and not the kind where i have to slit my throat just to sing it)- probably the kind of music which reminds people of road trips, summer sun and rain. (say, awww)

songs i listen to recently are from the three artists i mentioned earlier (Regina Spektor,etc.) , plus Sitti, John Legend, Nora Jones and Justin Beiber. HAHAHA kidding. I love the script...it's the script, not justin beiber. q: My all time favorite will still be The Carpenters, Beatles (for the timeless, Black Bird), Stevie Wonder and ABBA.

.

 i must admit i've always dreamed of singing infront of a crowd not to wow them with my awesomeness (Uh, yay?) but because i want to see people get inspired because of my music. And, I want people to love jazz. They just have to. I don't even know why when the only people i know of Jazz are Nora Jones and John McLaughlin.

...as an ECO PERSON/TRAVELER.

When they ask me what i want for my birthday or an any-occasion-gift, they make me choose between iPads, celfones, clothes and all those stuff, and people would hit me in the head when they hear me say no.

But, growing up in the fields, i never really found myself yearning for gadgets. Hey, i'm not saying i don't need them, right? We need them. (i'm sort of the 'athiest' of gadgets q: if there's anything like that) Gadgets are afterall, made because people saw the need to have them. But as a kid, i'd always choose get-aways and road-trips over new toys, probably because when i ask for something, my dad (the genius) would always find a way to make me want the get-away more than the toy. at first, i thought he was just trying to be money-savvy but now, i realize it's actually more grand...and definitely worth the money.

a family we helped back in college.

at Bolinao Beach.

a shot from the mountains of Buguias.

the 2nd guy from left is the guy i'll be talking about later.

I've scene places I can never ever trade for anything- thinking about it gives me the chills. I remember our family trip to Banawe Rice terraces and it was breath taking. But looking at a recent photograph taken by my dad, it's just not the same anymore. Which is alarming because this means i have to start travelling now before every good spot becomes a parking space or a building.

In college, we'd go to mountains to give health assistance and education to remote areas and i'd always hit my guy-classmate in the head (sorry) for throwing plastic/foils of his chips and candies (see above picture). it's downright annoying. People complain of floods and all sorts of disasters and yet, they keep doing what they're doing when they're very aware and obvious that polluting this earth causes it. #killmenow

My bestfriend would always complain about me having all sorts of papers, packets, foils, etc. in my bag. he says it's 1) disgusting and 2) weird. But i'd always defend myself that it's better to throw 'em in my bag and empty it later at home than to throw everything in streets.

*my bestfriend. yes, we pretty much argue like this.

There are people who are clean with themselves and yet, trash the rest of the world- i think they're the dirtiest creatures on earth.

But anyway, let's just love the world and travel. God made the world beautiful to be seen first hand, not just on pictures. He wouldn't have made such a marvel just to be kept on one side of the earth, right? nor to be polluted by as*holes.

...as a COFFEE SHOP OWNER.
I started drinking coffee in the year 2007 (yes, i know what you're thinking...laaaate.) and it was such a discovery. Well, honestly, the first coffee i had was an instant coffee- not really the kind of coffee you'll love. But the bitter-sweet taste started a little frenzy and the moment i took a sip from a freshly brewed coffee, it was like SNAP! and i'm addicted.
*But as a little kid, my dad and i used to have this 'table-tradition' where he'd pour some of his sweet coffee over  my steamy rice. and until i grew up, i never knew it was coffee. For me back then, everything brown was hot chocolate/malt.
In Baguio City, our favorite coffee shop would be Kaffee Klatsch (the same coffee shop where my friends and i push each other to sing).

(photo from http://www.facebook.com/kaffeeklatsch.baguio)

They have amazing (and strong) brews and the place is a real bonus: cozy and it has collections of old cups and old stuff. The bands are amazing too! And i mean, really amazing. At one point, it became a niche for us that it's weird not to go there every night. It inspired me to start something i'm really in love with- Coffee.

According to a book by John Maxwell, i have to focus on a particular gift that gives me more returns. It took me time to really absorb what he said. I was actually devastated first because i thought i had to choose one among the dreams i wanted to pursue.

But the real idea is that, i had to choose what would give me my maximum potential. It's not a limit of dreams, but to focus on something that could give me all my dreams. After all, we were all given so much- why give back so little? I've always believed that we were given something for a purpose- so that we can give them back. And currently, i'm working on something that'll definitely help me pursue all these dreams while helping other people achieve theirs too. I'm just so happy with what i have now, but not happy enough to be complacent. Life is just amazing. God is amazing.

Isn't it just weird that it keeps raining and yet, it's summer?
I'm not really sure but, i guess there's nothing else to do but just dance under what circumstance life's uncertainty brings. We can always question it, but the answer may not always be for us to know. And if that matters, well, all i know is that life matters- and when we dance under the rain, the grey skies laugh too.

-end-

*did i just end this right? haha. i think i ended it weird.