I was very lucky to be part of the annual UP Fair when I was in college. I was one of the hosts/emcees every year since 2002-2008. My last hosting was on the UP Fair Centennial Finale, at 12MN – 2AM, which was a very good way to say goodbye, right?

UP Fair 2008 - Centennial Finale

I was even luckier that my hosting slots were always on the main time slots where the more famous bands would play. It was fun every year, though I was never able to chat with the big bands there. While backstage, I would always mingle with my band-friends who either came from our school, or were already my friends before. I was starstruck only twice — by Sugarfree and Orange and Lemons. Those were the “Mariposa” and “Just Like a Splendid Love Song” days! Maybe because they were relatively “new” compared to Bamboo, Rivermaya or Parokya ni Edgar. I even had the chance to introduce ONL personally on a UP Fair gig (I think it was their first in the UP Fair).

UP Fair 2008 - Centennial Finale - Raffle

UP Fair 2008 - Centennial Finale - with Co-host Bidz

The UP Fair is not only for the music lovers. It also has hundreds of booths that sell food, drinks, trinkets, accessories, jewelry, clothes and other fun items. There’s also the Climbing Wall from mountaineering organizations. Some fun rides and games. The UP Fair is held yearly at the week of Valentines day! Here’s the schedule for this year.

UP FAIR 2010 - feb 09 - tues

Tuesday February 9 – SISFIRE – Juan, Vote! UP Sigma Beta Sorority and UP Economics Society bring you Sisfire7: Juan, Vote! on February 9, the first day of the UP Fair 2010… Kamikazee, 6cyclemind, Kjwan, Sandwich, Sugarfree, Itchyworms, Moonstar88, Silent Sanctuary, Typecast, Paraluman, Pedicab, DeLara, Soapdish, Markus Hiway, Protein Shake, Franco, Paramita, Giniling Festival. This event will surely take entertainment and social awareness to a new level.

UP FAIR 2010 - feb 10 - wednesday

Wednesday, February 10 – WARFAIR – Alert The Armory UP Alpha Sigma Fraternity presents Alert The Armory on February 10… Urbandub, Greyhoundz, Chicosci, Slapshock, Stonefree, Salamin, Hilera, Giniling Festival, Blue Boy Bites Back, December Avenue, Valley of Chrome, April Morning Skies, Cog, Imbue No Kudos, Even, Subscapular, The Ambassadors, Inday Bote.

UP FAIR 2010 - feb 11 - thursday

Thursday, February 11 YESTHURSDAY UP Circle of Entrepreneurs presents a concert advocating peace and paying tribute to the 90’s music… Parokya nI Edgar, Kamikazee, Typecast, Sandwich, Itchyworms, Sugarfree, Silent Sanctuary, Moonstar88, Chicosci, Spongecola, Hilera, Stonefree, 6cyclemind, Mayonnaise.

UP FAIR 2010 - feb 12 - friday

Friday, February 12 – RAKESTRA – Harmony Amidst Chaos UP Beta Epsilon presents Harmony Amidst Chaos on February 12… Sugarfree and Silent Sanctuary accompanied by Manila Symphony Orchestra… Kamikazee, Slapshock, Sponge Cola, Typecast, Chicosci, Valley of Chrome, 6cyclemind, Queso, Sandwich, Zelle, Mayonnaise, Moonstar 88, Itchyworms, Soapdish, Rocksteddy, Up Dharma Down, Boy Elroy, Franco, Pitik, April Morning Skies, Danita, Imbue No Kudos, Imago, Syato, Bloodsheed, Cog, Pink Painted Sky, Sin.

UP FAIR 2010 - feb 13 - saturday

Saturday, February 13 – YOUTHSTOCK – Rock, Role, Rights! UP Diliman University Student Council along with the EMC² Fraternity presents Rock, Role, Rights on February 13… Sandwitch, Gloc-9, 6cyclemind, Chicosci, Pedicab, Imago, Itchyworms, Soapdish.

UP FAIR 2010 - feb 14 - sunday

Sunday, February 14 – LOVERAGE – Illumine Nation Adelfe Enu Crea Sorority, Pan Xenia Fraternity, UP Circuit, and UP 49ers presents Illumine Nation on February 14… Rico Blanco, Sugarfree, Sandwich, 6cyclemind, Imago, Itchyworms, Callalily, Silent Sanctuary, DeLara, Paraluman, Pedicab, Blue Ketchup, Soapdish, Markus Highway, Ciudad, Aurora, Tanya, Ernville, Up Dharma Down, Chicosci, Kjwan, Giniling Festival, Moonstar88, Zelle, Stonefree, Top Junk, Brownman Revival, Rocksteddy.

So enjoy your Valentine’s week, see you at the UP Fair. It’s a date!

New year is always a big event all over the world. In the Philippines, it’s always a feast.

Fireworks, sparklers and firecrackers are a must!

Box of a hundred Lusis / Luces

Fireworks

My 5 year old nephew

My Dad’s birthday happens to be on December 31, so aside from the usual Media Noche feast, we also have some of our favorite foods:

Chicharong Bulaklak

Kare Kare

Crispy Pata

Pansit Palabok

Lengua

Ham - staple Christmas and New Year food

Tuna Sashimi

And sweets for desert:

Leche Flan from Contis

Chocolates

Of course, there were fruits, wine, loaf of bread and other yummy food. My mom usually prepares the best buko salad but she did not make it this year, but it’s ok. The important this is that the family welcomed the New Year together!

How did you celebrate your new year?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Get a chance to win two (2) GOLD tickets worth Php 2,200 each to Katy Perry Rocks for Relief Concert when you book and buy one (1) flight on the PAL website! Book from October 28 to November 09, 2009. (see poster below)

Check out www.philippineairlines.com or see the advertisement on the sidebar for the full promo mechanics.

Katy Perry Rocks for Relief

Lemon Quench was a success when friends and supporters joined Lunduyan ng Sining for last Lemonites’ donation drive (see story here). Friday night, I packed more relief goods as Anne Lim of Galang Network and my officemate Al Rio donated more food items.

Yesterday, Peach, Amrei and I went to Muntinlupa with Lea, our coordinator from the area, to bring 130 bags of relief goods, all containing food items, toiletry items and clothes. From a Muntinlupa barangay hall, we went to a rented house in the RMT community to drop off the relief goods.

There were already a mountain of relief goods there waiting to be deployed.

The deployment to Barangay Lawa was supposed to happen yesterday but they postponed it due to meetings and organization for the operations. Barangay Lawa is still submerged in almost waist-high water and boats were needed to get there. Distribution happened today instead but we were not able to join the organizers because of conflicts in our schedules. They wanted us to join them to introduce us to the recipients and the chance to talk about Lunduyan ng Sining and friends as donors. Nonetheless, we’re all very happy to be able to give help to at leat 130 recipients, even for a just a short period of time.

Related Posts:

Lemon Quench: A Success Story
Please Help Typhoon Ondoy Victims!
Ondoy Update: Missing Persons Database Online

Lunduyan ng Sining (LNS) is an organization of women-loving-women that promotes lesbian, and generally, women arts. Lunduyan ng Sining means Sanctuary of Art.

Every second Monday of the Month, LNS holds Lemonites or Lesbian Monday Nights in Mag:net Cafe in Katipunan, Quezon City. Every Lemonite, LNS presents different lesbian or female-fronted bands, poets, and filmmakers, sometimes comedy acts.

Last night, LNS held a relief drive for the victims of consecutive calamities in Luzon. The event was entitled Lemon Quench: An LNS Donation and Repacking Drive for Ondoy Victims.

Lemon Quench

Although the attendance was obviously lower than the usual event night, the relief goods gathered were more than what’s expected.  Generously filling one bag with two canned sardines, two canned corned beef, two noodles, four toothpaste sachets, two shampoo and/or conditioner sachets, one soap, one small bottled alcohol, two 500ml bottled water, 1 tetrapacked juice and two biscuits (for the kids), a pair of clothes each for a mother, a father and a child, we were able to make roughly 60 bags with the complete contents. But to sum up everything including the bags that were not full (we ran out of clothes and noodles easily), we were able to make around 200 bags of relief goods! Donations came from only less than 30 guests and organizers. Some of the guests were very generous to be donating boxes of canned goods (more than a hundred cans), water and juice!

A few people still pledged to bring more relief goods within the week to complete the bags that did not have clothes and noodles. The relief goods are at our office in Kalayaan Avenue, Quezon City. Those who would like to send their donations, please leave a message here, or send a message to lunduyanngsining@gmail.com and we will be happy to coordinate with you.

The relief goods will be distributed to small communities that do not receive help as much as needed. LNS is finalizing the game plan and we will update you!

To the LGBT Community and supporters who have been very generous last night, thank you very, very much!

Related Posts:

Please Help Typhoon Ondoy Victims!
Ondoy Update: Missing Persons Database Online

Lunduyan ng Sining

In full support last night, although some of them have their houses badly hit by Ondoy:

Lesfriendly
Maica Tok
Pop Max Now
Creative Manki
Toasted Shop

The UP Repertory Company Alumni Association and The UP Repertory Company presents its first joint offering for 2009: Hello Philippines!

Hello Philippines

Hello Philippines, a one act musical, is a humorous take on call center culture. Team leader Tiffany tells five agents from his team that one of them is going to get axed. The twist, however, is that he will leave that decision to the five agents. So now, it’s up to ex-tibak Anton, clueless rich girl Berni, the slutty Toni, the probinsyanong Brichi, and the overly religious Elsa to do whatever it takes to keep their jobs. Whatever it takes.

Hello Philippines is viciously funny and holds nothing sacred as it skewers the “call center lifestyle”, a life cycle born out of fast money and desperation, shifting body clocks, and too much coffee, beer, and cigarettes. It attempts to put into perspective all the sacrifices one makes to stay in such an environment, albeit in an entertaining manner.

Watch it:

Media Center, College of Mass Communications, UP Diliman Quezon City on the following playdates:

August 21: 3pm and 7pm

August 22: 3pm and 7pm

August 23: 3pm and 7pm

Hello Philippines!

Here’s a video i found from youtube.com with a guy starting to party and getting everyone in the crowd all up on their feet and dancing. This guy danced to the tune of Unstoppable by Santogold now Santigold. I bet the crowd could not resist his moves, though at first, they seemed reluctant, they still gave in.

This video is taken from Sasquatch Music Festival 2009 last month, I did a little background check and according to the ever reliable Wikipedia, Sasquatch! Music Festival is a music festival held annually at the Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Washington. It is presented by the House of Blues. There is an emphasis on indie rock bands and singer-songwriters, although there are also alternative rock and hip hop acts. The festival features three separate stages (Sasquatch! Main Stage, Wookie Stage, & Yeti Stage). Headliners from past festivals include Beastie Boys, Beck, Björk, Kings of Leon, Jane’s Addiction, Coldplay, Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals, Nine Inch Nails, Pixies, The Postal Service, M.I.A., Death Cab for Cutie, Modest Mouse, R.E.M and String Cheese Incident.

He really is Unstoppable.

Indigo Girls @ the Esplanade

I am in Simei St. 3, Singapore at this very moment, thinking of what to do, or where to go to. I arrived 12 hours ago and haven’t left the unit yet. I want to go visit temples and markets — what I wasn’t really able to do last time I was here in December.

Today is the 3rd day of the IT Fair aka IT Show, where affordable gadgets and freebies abound. But everyone’s telling us that there will be a lot of visitors to the IT fair so I’m not that interested in going. Anyway, I don’t really need to buy anything right now. But oh, I though I need a portable external drive, so yeah. I bought myself a 320g WD White My Passport hard drive (edited 11PM).

I will watch the Indigo Girls Concert on Monday at the Esplanade as part of the Mosaic Music Festival Singapore. I got myself a second row ticket, so I shall see the Indigo Girls very up close and personal. I’d probably get high singing along!

I am excited for Monday. Just need to decide where to go to today.

I have always loved traveling.

When I was younger, I wished I was I Traveler, remember that show on Discovery Channel?

And now that I am older, I work my arse off in OTs, save up, and well, travel. I thought I’ve been to a lot of places. But hey, the Philippines has more than 7000 beautiful islands. Who am I to say that I have traveled?