REIvolution

Wishing I Was Bad...

2012-01-25T15:41:00.001+08:00

Be careful what you wish for. They do come true.

It's EASIER to FACEBOOK

2010-03-19T15:13:00.001+08:00

That's why this blog hasn't been updated for the longest time.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/reinard.santos?ref=nf

Wheels of gLORIE

2007-09-24T16:15:00.000+08:00

Time and time again, my parents would tell me... kung hindi ka sasali, hindi ka talaga mananalo. My wife Lorie, proved once again, na malayo ang nararating ng mga malakas ang loob.

Last September 8, we celebrated Grandparent's day at Robinson's Galeria. May HotWheels event, siyempre yung anak ko gustong mag-race dun sa mahabang race track na inassemble nila. In order to participate in the activities, you have to purchase P200 worth of HotWheels item. So bumili ang wifey ko ng dalawang kotse. Unfortunately, Rohan (anak ko) can't join because he's only 4 years old and only kids 6 years and above can join. Sayang naman. Pero sabi nung mga organizers na puwedeng sumali si mommy sa seniors division.

And so it came to pass, sumali si wifey sa seniors division. The object of the race is to survive the multi-looped track and get the fastest time. Fortunately that day, only 3 seniors joined and they need 5 contestants for that leg of the race. So kahit kulelat si Lorie that day, pasok pa rin siya sa final round that will be held on Trinoma on the 23rd of September. Maraming goodies si Lorie that day, giftpacks from McCormick, Leslie's and 5 hot wheels cars - astig!

There are 3 legs of the race, the 1st is at Robinson's Galeria, 2nd is Robinson's MetroEast, and the last is at Trinoma. The event is sponsored by Hotwheels and Toys 'R Us. The grand prize is P10,000, a trophy + hotwheels goodies + bragging rights. Siyempre, excited si Lorie dahil pasok siya sa finals! We asked people what's a good car to use in these races. And majority told us to look for a PHARODOX HotWheel car. It's common, kaya madaling hanapin.

September 23 came, and there are 13 finalists in the seniors division. Lorie was the ONLY female contestant. Unfortunately she lost the preliminary elimination and didn't reach the final 5. She got a time of 1 minute and 45 seconds, 9th place (that means she kicked the shite out of 4 other men). Nevertheless, may P500 gift certificate siya + a HotWheels car + McCormick goodies. Not bad for a P200 HotWheels purchase.

While we were driving home, I kept thinking that I should've joined :)
There's no harm in joining (unless it's a fraternity or something illegal). Who knows, you might win.

Miss Na Kita Morning Motivation# 1

2007-08-22T19:03:00.000+08:00

Ever since I filed a one month vacation leave last May - June 2007, I haven't seen morning motivation# 1.

Here's a lame celfone picture pic of morning motivation# 1

How lame could it get? A friggin' picture of the back of her head.
Ok, tagalog language in the third person perspective story coming up... sorry for my international fans (naks, as if.)

"Si morning motivation# 1 or Miss Imperial (hango sa dating gusali na kinatatayuan ng Shopwise Antipolo) ang babaeng muling nagpatibok ng puso ni Reinard. Hindi kilala ni Reinard ang babaeng ito, ngunit kilala niya lang ito sa kanyang pagmumukha. Dati ay madalas silang nagkakasabay sa sakayan ng FX patungong Ayala tuwing 8:30 hanggang 9:15 ng umaga. Kilig na kilig si Reinard tuwing nagkakasabay sila, lalo na pag nagtatabi sila sa upuan. Sa PBCOM Ayala siya bumababa, pero kung hihinto ang shuttle sa Tower One Ayala, dun siya bababa para sumakay pa ng jeep (Washington ata sinasakyan niya o 'di kaya'y Zapote). Ilang beses na rin silang nagkakangitian ni Reinard tuwing sabay nilang sinasabi: "Sa PBCOM lang po!"

May kasintahan si Morning Motivation# 1 (nakita na ni Reinard sa pilahan ng valley golf terminal sa Ayala). Si Reinard naman ay may asawa (hindi lang niya alam kung alam ito ni morning motivation). So talagang hindi puwede, may sabit na pala ang gagong si Reinard. Isa lang ang pinagtataka ni Reinard, bakit kaya hindi sumasakay si Morning Motivation ng diretsong Antipolo pauwi? Laging bumababa si Morning Motivation#1 sa Valley Golf. Madalas din silang magkita sa Shopwise Antipolo tuwing nag-go-grocery. Mahilig mag-grocery si Reinard ng nag-iisa, therapy ito para sa kanya.

Isang araw ay pinayagang mag-leave si Reinard ng isang buwan. Nung pagkabalik niya sa kanyang mahabang bakasyon ay 'di na sila muling nagkasabay ni morning motivation# 1. Kamakailan lang ay nag-iisang nakasakay si Reinard sa service ni Donald Sibaca (isa sa mga driver ng shuttle sa Antipolo). Siyempre nagkuwentuhan sila tungkol sa trabaho ni Reinard, at nabanggit ng binata (naks) na advertising ang linya ng kanyang trabaho. Biglang naalala ni Donald ang isa pang babaeng pasahero na ang linya rin ng trabaho ay sa advertising, at madalas din daw kaming magkasabay. Nabanggit din ni Donald na hindi na niya naisasakay ang babaeng ito. Pagkakaalam niya ay nagdadalangtao na daw ang babaeng kinukuwento niya.

Si Morning Motivation# 1 na kaya ang babaeng iyon? Nag-asawa na pala siya? Siya ba talaga ang babaeng tinutukoy ni Donald? Hay. Napahanap tuloy si Reinard sa listahan ng mga bloggers na taga-antipolo. Marami siyang natuklasang nagba-blog na taga-antipolo. May mga kakilala pa nga siya na dati'y mga school mates niya noong hayskul pa lang siya. At maraming magagandang antipolo girls na nagba-blog, sayang lang at hindi ito updated.

Miss na kita Morning Motivation# 1.
(oo alam ito ng misis ko)
siyempre pag may #1, may number 2 motivation din, pero yun... ibang kuwento na.

TonTon Kariton!

2007-08-21T15:37:00.000+08:00

Some pics from the Legendary Comicbook Heroes Toy Launch last Saturday (August 18, 2007) at Toy Palace Farmers Cubao. Direk Avid Liongoren and I have no plan to join the art contest, but when they said that the raffle would resume in a while, we just decided to join for the fun of it. Pamatay oras nga ika nga.

Tonton Kariton was drawn in a span of 30 minutes or less. Everyone knows that I'm obsessed with Iron Man and this character is my tribute to him. Tonton is a mix of TONy Stark and Calvin & Hobbes. There's no backstory about this kid, it's just something I drew to kill some time. I only thought about this character after seeing Avid's photo of him in his MULTIPLY.

Si TonTon Kariton

Si Tonton ay isang batang mahirap. Hindi siya makabili ng sarili niyang laruan dahil kapos sa pera ang mga magulang niya. Lagi siyang pinagtatawanan ng mga kalaro niya dahil, ang mga laruan niya ay gawa lamang sa ginupit na kahon. Lingid sa kaalaman ng lahat, si Tonton ay isang batang malikhain na mahilig gumawa ng kung anu-anong bagay mula sa basura. Ang kanyang obra maestra ay isang malaking robot na gawa sa kahon. Napapagalaw niya ito sa pamamagitan ng mga pusa, insekto at dagang nakatira sa loob nito. Isang gabi ay sinakyan ni Tonton ang ang kanyang Robot Kariton. Tamang-tama nakita ito ng mga akyat bahay sa kanilang kalye na may masamang balak. Natakot ang mga kumag at kumaripas ng takbo dahil ang laki laki ng robot. Simula noon ay nagro-ronda gabi-gabi si Tonton sakay ng kanyang Robot Kariton upang ipagtanggol ang parokya nila sa mga masasamang loob.

pics courtesy of www.afhub.com and Avid

by the way, after someone won the major price in the raffle, we left without knowing the fate of our artworks.

Diyaryo! Bakal! Booty!!!

2007-08-16T21:39:00.000+08:00

Bakal Booty

Eventually, I know I would come up with something like this. Sounds geeky. But doctors say that Iron is good for the blood.

Medical Shitty +

2007-07-19T15:50:00.000+08:00

Long time, no post. That means I've been real busy the past few weeks.

Medical Shitty

Rohan was confined yesterday at the Medical City Ortigas. He was suffering from "fluctuating fever" since July 12, 2007. Fluctuating fever means, he'll get a fever, and it will be gone the next day, then come back again. We thought that he fully recovered last week Saturday and Sunday. But Lolo Ric and Lola Remy took him out for his cousin Leeyan's 1st birthday in Manila. I also let him have an extended bath that Sunday morning. We decided to have him confined come Wednesday morning, June 18 - because he's suffering from high fever (40c) + Stomach Ache and Vomitting. His Lola Remy suggested that we admit him to PCMC (Philippine Children's Medical Center), but they don't accept Medicard, so we decided to confine him in Medical City. It would be easier for me to confine him there since it's on the way to my office (unlike St. Lukes and FEU Hospital).

We arrived at Medical City around 5:30 in the morning. There are no available rooms, we had to wait. My dad called St. Luke's but they were also full. The nurses told us it's peak season for them since the weather is constantly shifting. Since this may be the same scenario for other hospitals. We decided to wait, hoping that there will be available rooms come lunch time.

Medical City's waiting rooms look fantastic. They have nice "closeable" dividers, that make your cubicle appear like a room with it's own aircon and lights. You can have your lights turned off and not affect the other cubicles. The only problem in the waiting area is that you don't get attended to very often, they won't even inform you that there are available rooms, unless you constantly visit the admitting department. The "intern" who also handled Rohan is not as efficient, especially when he placed a dextrose on him. Good thing, a senior supervisor arrived and did the work properly.

We only got a room come 3:00PM - thanks to my wife who persevered looking for a room in the admitting section. From thereon it was smooth sailing. The room we got is very nice (costs P2,100), they have a personal ref and my favorite, hot and cold shower. The staff is also very attentive, in fact even the Medicard Health Officer in there even assisted us on how to pay using our Medicard. :) I hope Rohan gets well soon.

+

This PostSecret postcard came in at a perfect time. On the other hand, what I felt was opposite.
It's really weird whenever it happens.

Corbis In Da Haus

2007-05-09T16:27:00.000+08:00

The lovely Alison Tham from Corbis visited Harrison today. And this is the loot I got:
• Calendar
• Notepad box
• Image CD
• 3 postcards

Sucks that I didn't win the Spiderman 3 lunchbox. :(

Hell Hath No Fury Like An Angry Lorie

2007-05-04T17:29:00.000+08:00

Once again, my wife (Lorie) has proven who's the big boss in our house. It's her, she's got guts, balls, tenacity, rage, courage. If we go toe to toe, chances are she'll wipe my ass on the floor.

May 4, 2007 started like any other day in the Santos Household. We usually wake up around 7:30 in the morning. Lorie's routine is usually to go to the dirty kitchen to heat some water and cook food. That is, until a rat surprised her. As expected, she did her calm panic attitude. She grabbed her trusty floor mop (a weapon she used before when she killed one of their kind) and told me to shut the door and remove all obstacles (like Rohan's bike, water buckets) in the Kitchen. She asked me to help her get rid of the rats, but dude, rats are one of my weaknesses, I go GAY when a rat runs along the path I'm about to cross. Lorie told me to buy some "sticky rat trap", you know, those flypaper thingies, the damn rats are too fast, a trap will slow them up a bit. Shopwise, was still closed at that time, so I had to rush to EastMart (a local grocery near our market). The darn thing is, the only sticky traps Eastmart has are 4x5 inches. That'll do, I guess. I bought a couple. When I got home, the deed is done, Lorie has killed not just one, but two big rats. Judging from the crime scene, I think they entered through the kitchen ceiling.

When I asked her how she killed the two, she just told me that they both kept running around the kitchen and when they bumped each other in the corner, they started fighting. That's the moment she needed to strike the fatal blow. By the way, that slipper in the pic is about 9 inches long. Imagine how big those boogers are.

These are the moments when I realize why I married her. While I am all about planning and imagining. Lorie is all about action. She invested some of our money in a car aircon business (which is doing ok), and celfone loading business. While I keep thinking about morning jogging to shape up, she actually did some jogging for 3 consecutive mornings but find it boring so she quit. I'm afraid of rats and frogs. She's afraid of cockroaches. Yin and Yang. We fill each other's weaknesses.

I love you hon, advanced happy mother's day. :)

Crying Out Love, in the Center of the World

2007-04-24T14:56:00.000+08:00

Thank you Wowow channel. For the live feed Oscars and Boxing Events. For some wonderful Japanese films without any english subtitle. Brilliant Japanese Anime. And most especially for the Saturday Midnight skin flicks. Aaah, those were the days. It really sucks that Antipolo Sky Cable has removed it from the channel list a couple of years ago.

I first saw "Crying Out Love, in the Center of the World" at the Wowow channel. I came in halfway, but I was captivated by the wonderful cinematography and the beautiful Masami Nagasawa. I stuck through the film expecting to see some skin from the said actress. But alas, there was none (she had a scene where she was wearing a one piece swimsuit though). I stuck through at the end despite the lack of subtitles and trying to make out what they are saying. Since I came in halfway, I had to do some internet research just to find out the title of this movie. Crying Out... is a tale of youthful first love (ah, almost everyone has experienced that). The simplicity and thrill of courtship, the promise of forever, defying the odds, even death. And like most first loves, why it was destined to fail. Crying Out was also adapted into a Korean movie, "My Girl and I" (starring that guy in Sassy Girl and Jenny of Endless Love fame). The adaptation was not fateful to the original Japanese movie, but the geist remains the same.

I've been searching for "Crying Out..." since I saw it. I even thought of ordering the DVD online. But like love, it just comes to you when you are not expecting it. Last Sunday, we took Rohan out. Luckily my dad passed by his DVD suki at Metrowalk. I saw a couple of HMV and Meifu DVDs across dad's suki. And there it was, one of my Holy Grails. I watched the movie last night... and now that I have english subtitles to aid me in my journey, I was able to appreciate the greatness of this film.

It's as beautiful as the first time I saw it.
Even better.
But that's my cup of tea, not everyone might like it.

Monthly Paramdam

2007-04-20T15:59:00.000+08:00

I've been busy and lazy lately (how is that possible?) I just thought I'd drop by and give a rundown on what happened the past few weeks after I lost my celfone.

• I GOT A NEW CELFONE!

After a week of extensive research in the net and scouring for the lowest possible price... I finally got a new celfone! The winner: Motorola V3x. Why Motorola and not Nokia? First, it's brand new cheap, it has bluetooth, expandable memory (I got 128mb at the moment), it is 3g capable, it's a clamshell phone (no more accidental button press), it has a 2 megapixel camera, big keypads, and I already got used to the Motorola Keypad orientation. It's a bit bulky though. My old celfone easily fits in my right pocket along with my wallet. With the new phone, there's only a select pair of pants that can accomodate this kind of setup (the iPOD usually takes up the whole left pocket). But, heck, I love my new phone! I love the sound it makes whenever I close the clamshell.

• I GOT 1 MONTH OF LEAVE APPROVED!

Budjette approved my 1 month leave! Which means I'll be gone the whole month of May. Woohooo! I don't know if I get to use it though, there are still some projects in my plate which will probably extend until May. Sigh. What to do on the 1 month leave?
- watch Spiderman 3
- get a driver's license
- draw like there's no tomorrow and do that Super Boboy Graphic Novel
- go to the beach or out of town (I don't know where)
- shape up, jog every morning (I have to get a good running shoe first)
... and more! Exciting!

Kurecolor Quickie

2007-03-06T16:39:00.000+08:00

I'm feeling "unCREATIVE" for the past few weeks. Don't know why. It feels like I lost the desire to be an art director. Maybe I do need a vacation. A long one. Or maybe do something different, maybe I'll be a writer or accounts trainee :). I've been working nonstop for almost 3 years. I recall leaving or being absent at least a day or two. There's a lot of stuff I want to do, and I started none of them. The "man-maid" thing, a new book, early morning jogging - haaaay. If only I could take the first step. That's always the toughest part.

DespeBIBA And The Real Single Parent Experience

2007-03-02T17:23:00.000+08:00

DespeBIBA

February 28 was Biba's last day in Harrison. The whole cast of Bahay Ni Budjette (that's the name of our team) paid tribute by taking her out to dinner. We ate at CRU, located in Makati Avenue (near Next Door). A cozy little place, with excellent dishes at a slightly expensive price range, great for dates and formal dining. Strange enough, we were the only people eating there, plus an expat and his catch of the day. I was in charge of Biba's going away present. I thought about making a video (just like the one I did for Teeny), but it would be unoriginal. With time running out, I just decided to make a BIBA action figure. I used a BARKADA TRIP figure for the body and just modified her face a bit, and customized the packaging. I included the jpeg of the action figure packaging just in case you're curious what it looks like. I hope Biba likes our gift :) - something we cooked up in less than 3 hours. There were no tears shed that night for the passing of the only girl in our team. But I'm sure we'll miss her feisty attitude. Biba Cabuquit - the AE Killer. Fashionista extraordinaire. Corn Muncher when we want to eat our Squiddy Balls. Supreme Copywriter who usually turns my trashy ideas into gems. And of course a sister who'll listen to your woes and stories.

Reinard's favorite CRU dishes (dunno the exact name)
• Italian Sausage with mashed potatoes (yummmeeee)
• Cru Pizza (the appetizer)

The REAL Single Parent Experience

Last February 25, Sunday - was the first time Rohan and I went to the mall (without his mom or lolo and lola). We were supposed to celebrate Lolo Ric's birthday, but Lola Remy wasn't feeling well so we cancelled the shindig. Rohan was depressed, he hasn't stepped on a mall for several weeks. So I told him that when he wakes up from his afternoon siesta, we'll go malling. True enough, we did. We went to Sta. Lucia East Mall, and then Robinsons. Actually, my real agenda is to get a Face-Off Daredevil action figure, whose price has gone down to P500 (originally at P1000). I just took the little runt for the ride. We weren't able to find a Daredevil figure (fortunately I was able to get it later via trade).
Here's our loot:
• GI Joe Sigma 6: Firefly
• GI Joe Sigma 6: Spirit Iron Knife (for Arjun, my officemate)
• Batman Mini Fan
• SpongeBob SquarePants Lunchbox
• Light Saber (Rohan's favorite loot)
• Marvel Legends: Hulk / Leader Face Off (which I traded for a daredevil figure)
• Gummy Candies
It was a fun experience. Absolute father / son bonding. The toughest part is feeding him and tracking him whenever he goes ballistic. During the whole trip, my wife and my parents keep calling me just to make sure that their unico hijo is safe. Sheesh, talk about trusting the father taking care of the child by his lonesome. I hope to go out with my little boy again sometime. This will go down as one of the most memorable days of my miserable existence.

Turn Left, Turn Right

2007-02-21T11:57:00.000+08:00

Remember that book I was talking about a few months ago, "A Chance Of Sunshine"? I lost the book. I also mentioned that the book was adapted into the big screen, under the title "Turn Left, Turn Right". Guess what? After a few months, I managed to find a DVD copy of the movie in www.ebay.ph. Woooohoooo!!! It cost me P135 (shipping included), but hey, the feeling of finding your holy grail: Priceless! Major thanks to Jovie Lim... a very amazing ebay seller with lots of good korean/ asian titles.

Sigh, now I have to find a copy of the book again.

Chasing Cars

2007-02-16T13:42:00.000+08:00

Snow Patrol's chasing cars is on my playlist lately. Here's a tribute image and the lyrics. :)

Chasing Cars

We'll do it all
Everything
On our own

We don't need
Anything
Or anyone
If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

I don't quite know
How to say
How I feel

Those three words
Are said too much
they're not enough

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Forget what we're told
Before we get too old
Show me a garden that's bursting into life

Let's waste time
Chasing cars
Around our heads

I need your grace
To remind me
To find my own

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Forget what we're told
Before we get too old
Show me a garden that's bursting into life

All that I am
All that I ever was
Is here in your perfect eyes, they're all I can see

I don't know where
Confused about how as well
Just know that these things will never change for us at all

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

The February 2007 Playlist

2007-02-12T11:17:00.000+08:00

Lots of music in my iPod uploaded last January, thanks to Ronnie! Here's the list in order!

1. Cattski - Obviously Blind (brilliant band, amazing song, if I had a credit card, I'll order their EP on their website)
2. Narda - Kusina (KaTwo is hot, I want to be her stalker - request niya yun in the pages of FHM)
3. Narda - Pantalon (great song from the Formica album)
4. Texas - Carnival Girl (heard this song on MTV, hunted it, found it after a long time)
5. SinoSikat? - Turning My Safety Off (major thanks to Ronnie, for finding this song)
6. Kasabian - Processed Beats (Their sound is a mix of U2 with a dash of Kula Shaker)
7. Artful Dodger - TwentyFourSeven (cool lounge music, we used it as a peg for one of our TV ads)
8. Shifting Sands - Siya Ay 'Di Ang Iyong Lahat (baduy yung song, pero 'di sikat)
9. Juana - Pansinin Mo (ok pala 'to, harhar)
10. ChiliTees - Sama Na (perpetually in my playlist, para kang kinakantahan ng mapang-akit na babae)

Guilty Pleasure of the Month: Someday by Nina.
Baduy, baduy, baduy, bakla, bading, and yet it found its way on my playlist. I'm such a softie.
Food Addiction of the Month: Sumo Wafer Stick Peanut Butter Flavor
Ang sarap! How could a non-URC food be so delicious and addicting? Other Sumo flavors suck though (IMO, don't let it affect you from trying it)
Addiction of the Month, kahit January Pokemon Ruby
Ang sarap ng POKE! POKEMON! Gotta catch them all! Napupuyat ako sa kapipindot ng POKEmon! Argh - kailangang makuha ko si RayQuaza tsaka yung mga fossils. Argh! Nadelete ng anak ko yung saved game ko! Nyargh! Back to square 1! Sayang yung level 98 namin na Blaziken!

...And the Globe Bashing Begins.

2007-02-02T14:15:00.000+08:00

Just in case you're wondering (whoever is reading this), I do read other people's blogs. Just yesterday (Feb. 1, 2007), the new Globe Unlimited Text rates came out - and boy, did it make waves. But not in a positive way. People were complaining, my wife was shocked, my Globe friends were furious, the whole texting community was rattled and sent out text barrages to stop patronizing Globe and whatever service they came. Heck, even my wife's suki (because she has this loading station business) were astonished because of this sudden move from Globe.

Of course, I was not surprised with the new rates because we knew it beforehand, after all, we, the ad agency are tasked to break the news (whether good or bad) to the masses. And we have to deliver the news in good taste. Even during the production of the print ad, people who were using Unlimitxt regularly were already at dismay (most of them are the Unlimitxt50 subscribers). I don't really use Unlimitxt service regularly. I just use it, whenever I would be on a "texting marathon" which only lasts for about 3 or 4 hours. Therefore, I fall on the Unlimitxt15 category - the one day Unlimitxters.

In a way, this NightShift and Dayshift gig might work. Most advantageous would probably be the NightShift, where you'll only pay 10 bucks for a 10pm to 7:59 am chat. I only wish Globe made the Nightshift time slot earlier, starting from at least 7pm. Oh, well, there'll alway be Unlimited Text All Day for 20 bucks, just a P5 increase from the P15 I got used to. If you think about it, no one can really text 24 hours straight, you'll have to rest in between. Unless you're a TEXTAHOLIC (if such person exists).

Of course, my only real despair is that some of the chickens I designed for the print ad were removed. Bah, I spent hours just drawing them, and they were scrapped. Also scrapped are his sunglasses and the sun from the original compre. On the brighter side, at least I can use those extra chickens in the pages of Saranggola Magazine.

Just my 2 pesos. I don't think you need to boycott something just because their pricing scheme increased. If we do boycott everything that raised their price, we probably would'nt be commuting, putting gas in our cars, or even texting. Texting used to be free you know.

Then again, you can't really please anyone.

The January 2007 Playlist

2007-01-15T16:45:00.000+08:00

Ah, new year, new music. Here's what's heavily played in my Ipod, in no particular order.

1. Azure Ray - Sleep (I watched, the Devil Wears Prada and found this nice song)
2. ChiliTees - Bumalik (from the ultra-amazing Pamana soundtrack)
3. Up Dharma Down - Flickr (again from the Pamana soundtrack)
4. Drip - The Arrival (Pamana soundtrack rules, need I say more)
5. Session Road - Outerspace
6. John Legend - Save Room
7. Titiyo - Come Along (from The Urban Lounge collection)
8. ChiliTees - Sama Na
9. Alanis Morissette - You Oughta Know (both acoustic and regular version)
10. Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars

Feeling 13 at 31

2007-01-03T13:20:00.000+08:00

December 28, 2006 - Thursday.

After Work.
We ate at Burgoo.
Peed at a hospital.
Jammed at Baywalk.
Cruised at Manila Bay.
Nearly got into a fight on the way home.

Yes I'm 31 - but that day, I felt 13.
Thanks to the people who made this day possible.
One of the best days of my life.

Wishing we could do this again before our hairs turn white.

When It's Fate...

2007-01-03T12:03:00.000+08:00

When it's fate, there's a lot of stories to tell.
How you met, separated, and met again.
You notice the littlest things and coincidences
and think...
these are the signs that we are soulmates.

On behalf of the reivolution blog
I would like to congratulate Mr. and Mrs. Russell and Lou Molina
for an amazing wedding, fit for two perfect souls who found each other.

How I envy them.
The day I was married was a total disaster, I'm still trying to erase it from my mind. If we entered it on Guinness, we have a big chance of winning the worst wedding award. My son would ask what the vcd is - and I would tell him... "Rohan, that's the scariest movie in the world, don't let it happen to you." That marriage is the stuff Urban legends are made of. Don't ever ask me about it, or I'll be forced to kill you.

Seriously, I would want to get married to my wife again and do it right. Maybe this coming year on our 5th wedding anniversary. Or the 10th, just to make sure we got all bases covered.

Some highlight on the Molina-Ignacio wedding we attended last December 27, 2006
- Our friend Lot Eligio was the cause of delay before going to Tagaytay
- There were 2 vehicular accidents that we passed by on our way back to manila, one was a motorcyle at tagaytay, another was a vehicle crushed by a meralco post on Sta. Rosa which made us go back and take another route
- Again, our friend Lot was the cause of delay going home to Manila
- Norman's Vitara rocks - 4x4 vs rough terrains

Soooooo Drunk... Soooooo Good.

2006-12-21T17:40:00.000+08:00

Tagalog post ito. Sorry sa mga English readers ng blog ko (kung meron)

I rarely get drunk... because I don't really drink heavily in the first place.
Amazingly, I can "program" my persona when I get drunk. If I wanted to be "super drunk" it happens. Kung gusto ko ng super lasing, but still sane (yes, nagamit ko na ito dati sa isang date, I drank about 10 bottles of SanMig Light + other Beer + hard liquor) puwede rin. Then there's the "single parent mode drunk" who made an appearance at the Christmas Party. Make no mistake even though my officemate, Ceres, slapped me hard in the face and I barely felt a thing - I was still under control - just a little stupid.

Ano ba ang nainom ko nung McCann Worldgroup/ Harrison Christmas Party at the Fiamma 2006 (oha, kumpleto)?

1 Coke Regular
4 SanMig Light
3 SanMig PalePilsen

Nabilang ko. Ibig sabihin kaya ko pang magsaksak ng alcohol sa tiyan ko. If I wanted to. Our theme for this year's party is Black American characters. I wasn't planning to wear any costume (just plain me) - but the one I had in mind is easy, puwedeng tapusin in an hour. My costume is Russel from the Gorillaz. Astig 'di ba? Pero mas cute yung costume ni Bos Budjette - si Chef ng Southpark! Atsaka si Ronnie - Lionel Richie! Mainit yung costume ko - naka-jacket ako at dalawang layers ng t-shirt, tapos may unan pa sa loob. Buti na lang magaling ang Rexona. The party was okay - but more enjoyable when drunk.

Highlight of the night: I was looking for Jon Cordero, his car is blocking Ceres' car in the parking lot. When 2 girls asked me where the CR is, I told them there's one at the first floor, but the second floor CR is better because it's not jam-packed. Felt good escorting the 2 girls upstairs, at one time, I held one of the ladies' hand dahil siksikan, binabraso ko yung mga nakaharang. Yes I'm tipsy but sober - I should've given her my business card - then again, a sober Reinard wouldn't do that. Not right for a married man. Or I just don't have the balls to do it. Biba (opismeyt) is right, I'm all bark and no bite. I'm just afraid of what will happen if I "bite". On the way home, the whole scenario is playing on my head - a lot of what ifs - and possible words to use. I had a lot of fun.

Married men go home to their wives. No matter how tempting it is to sleep on another bed.

A Chance of Sunshine

2006-12-14T11:17:00.000+08:00

The first time I saw this book was months ago, when our CD Budjette came from Thailand. It was during our BPI TVC shoot that he showed me this little picture book that is written in Thai. Although I can't understand the words, the painted illustrations are so clear and precise, the text doesn't matter anymore. Actually I would like to know what the words are saying, I've been scouring the net for translation to no avail. So if you're reading this blog and you have the english translated version, please post it and give me the link (you could also email it to me). Budjette returned to Thailand and got me my own copy (of course I have to pay him back) - I'm a happy trooper and I'm inspired to illustrate some books again. By the way, "A Chance of Sunshine" was made into a movie titled: "Turn Left, Turn Right" directed by Johnny To and Ka-Fai Wai. I remember seeing a bootleg DVD of this in Quiapo during one of my runs, I'm hitting my head hard right now for not picking it up.

NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: UrgenCEE

Someone was handing this out for free in the MRT. I was reluctant to get one, the first time I saw it, I thought it was a shampoo sachet or a condom. Upon thorough inspection, it's an energy drink fortified with vitamin C (kinda like EXTRA JOSS). What's funny is the packaging illustration, instincts tell me that the artist who rendered this is a green minded fellow like me (the girl in bathing suit inside the monitor is a cue). Curious, I opened up a sachet and tasted it. And it tastes like Sunny Orange combined with Tang and baking soda - for short, it tastes like crap. I give 1.5 stars out of 5.

My December Playlist (most heavily played)

I'm in Bossa mode, thanks to Ronnie.

1. Scubba - Paradise City (Bossa n' Roses)
2. Gheto Blaster Ltd - November Rain (Bossa n' Roses)
3. Ari Hest - A Fond Farewell
4. Howie Day - Collide
5. Ituana - Waiting In Vain (Bossa n' Marley)
6. Nelly Furtado - All Good Things
7. The Pernice Brothers - Weakest Shade Of Blue
8. Narda - AltaPresyon
9. Sixth Finger - Patience (Bossa n' Roses)
10. Paris Hilton - Stars Are Blind (ambaduyko)

Guilty Pleasure of the month: Red Ribbon Taisan Slice - P15 lang!
Cool People of the month: LKG Tower's Red Ribbon Girls - because they know what I want, and I want TAISAN!!!

My November Playlist (most heavily played)

2006-11-07T14:54:00.000+08:00

I love my IPOD video. Rohan loves it too. He loves watching cartoons on the small screen. I watched "Little Manhattan" (runs about an hour and 30 minutes) on my Ipod last night and I only drained near half of my battery. Before viewing the film, I listened to some songs on the FX for about 2 hours, and Rohan watched 30 minutes worth of videos when I got home. Extended battery life indeed! Here's my Ipod favorite tunes:

1. Narda - Alta Presyon
2. Standfast - Car Crashes
3. Kala - Jeepney
4. Narda - Kay Lab
5. ChiliTees - Sandali Lang
6. GavinDeGraw - Follow Through (stripped version)
7. Nerina Pallot - Sophia
8. The Magic Numbers - Love's A Game
9. Stars - Heart
10. Catfish Haven - Crazy For Leaving

Guilty Pleasure of the month: Hale - Kung Wala Ka
Obsession of the month: Quake Overload and Ipod

The Picture Says It All

2006-10-31T17:23:00.000+08:00

Happy Halloween indeed!

My October Playlist (most heavily played)

2006-10-27T17:54:00.002+08:00

I love Itunes. I'm crossing my fingers that I'll get an Ipod soon (I have the money to buy one, pero I'm stalling for reasons I don't know). Here's my top ten playlist.

1. Craig David - Just Let Her Go
2. ChiliTees - Ex
3. Nerina Pallot - Sophia
4. Kala - Jeepney
5. Regina Spektor - Fidelity
6. Anna Nalick - In The Rough
7. Corrine Bailey Rae - Trouble Sleeping
8. Kings Of Convenience - Failure
9. Damien Jurado - What Were The Chances
10. Mano Mano - Bigay Na Bigay

Guilty Pleasure of the month: Yeng Constantino - Hawak Kamay

Cool Person of the month: Auntie Fely
A woman who just opened up a conversation with me on the Antipolo Shuttle going to Ayala. She also forced me to use my hidden english speaking skills. How cool is that? Total strangers whose only thing in common is a ride going to work. She's not a total stranger actually, but she's one of the people I usually bump with during the morning ride. It's just weird that she started talking. Come to think of it, there are some people na nakakasabay ko that I also want to strike up a conversation with - it's just tough for a guy to start the conversation (especially if you want to talk to a woman, fear of being rejected siguro). I wish women would initiate the conversations, tutal, guys are obliged to listen naman. Para mas madali 'di ba? Auntie Fely is in her 40s to 50s I think, one rule of conversations is not to ask the age lalo na kung first time niyo pa lang mag-usap.

Today is also Trick or Treat day at Harrison and my son and his cousin went to the office! My little boy is happy with his Superman costume. Ang kulit ni Rohan grabe.

AmiSTUD sa Cainta!

2006-10-06T17:20:00.000+08:00

Just when I thought that walking far distances and going through the eye of the needle just to get home is over… comes another epic adventure in the life of Reinard Santos!

October 2, 2006 started just like any ordinary office day for me. Sunny sky… slightly traffic morning, doing the usual work and petiks. Morning at the office was filled with Milenyo stories and how some of my officemates still have no electricity and water.

October 2, 2006 ended with a twist. The rain in Makati was not that strong (honestly I wouldn’t have noticed it since I was busy and did not even bother looking at the window). 8:00 PM, time to go home. I always catch a ride at the Antipolo-Ayala FX terminal in front of LKG tower. On the way there, I already noticed the long queue on the Ayala-ValleyGolf terminal. I was about to reach the Antipolo-Ayala terminal, when I bumped into some Antipolonians (tama ba?) who told me that no more Antipolo bound vehicles will arrive due to the heavy flood in the Cainta area. With my previous adventure, I already know what that means – DO NOT GO INTO THAT AREA! Since my alternate route ValleyGolf still has that long queue, my officemates and me decided to eat at Jollibee first and waste some time.

True enough, after eating, the long line at the ValleyGolf terminal is gone and I was able catch a ride. The driver was listening to AM radio – on the news is a blow by blow update of the Cainta Flashflood and Antipolo Landslide. The news also told motorists to stay away from that area or suffer the wrath of… heavy non-moving traffic. I thought that our FX driver has the smarts and went through all these shortcuts avoiding traffic, thanks to the radio updates. But NOOOOOO… wasn’t he listening to the radio (tagalog naman yung balita, madaling maintindihan)? He went to the Ortigas extension in the last minute and got caught in superdupercalitraffic. STOOPID!!! He should’ve taken the Floodway route to avoid the flood and all.

After almost an hour inside the FX, I decided to call it quits, and I walked from EVER Ortigas to Brookside. I could’ve walked all the way to Antipolo – except for one problem… from Brookside going to Valleygolf is a waist deep ocean, impassable if you have an ordinary car, FX, or jeep. The buses (which saved me from the last time) are jam-packed, and there are more cars who just decided to camp near the flood and wait for it to subside. I grabbed myself 2 bottles of C2 at the nearest 7-11 – ready for another epic battle. I would’ve walked that flood, except that I’m wearing my funky white adidas shoes. My only hope lies on hitching a ride at the back of trucks. What truck should I choose? The SanMiguel Beer Truck? Cement truck? Hmmm… an Elf Truck without any gravel and a few hitchers at the back. My instincts tell me to go for the Elf Truck. The back of the truck is about 5 feet high, and I have no problems climbing over it (thank my athlete foot). Other people saw what I did, and decided to hop on the truck. Next thing I know, I was helping women, men, and children of all ages and sizes aboard the truck. Heck, I even saw one of my “morning motivations” who was stranded, but I still feel helpless because I’m already on top of the truck and it was full of people (+ I don’t know her name). Anong gagawin ko? Sisigaw ako ng ANTIPOLO GIIRLLL!!! Or MISS IMPERIAL FXXXX!!! The Elf truck (which now feels like Amistad) easily breezed through the waist deep flood. The experience of hitching a ride at the back of the truck is priceless. Once a vehicle goes past the flood – it’s a smooth ride from thereon. I was lucky that the truck was Antipolo bound. I love the rush of wind and soft drizzle running in my face – at the back of the truck, everything was so simple. There was power outage at some parts of my route and everything is quiet. I am shoulder to shoulder with people I don’t know, and I believe we have something in common – the feeling of coming home safe despite the odds. When the truck reached Antipolo, there are a few people onboard. I was able to get down from the truck easily… and found myself helping women of all ages and sizes get down. It was weird, I’m not that buff or tall, or strong – but at that moment, I can carry a 200+ pound woman with ease. Adrenaline? Or just that feeling again – that nothing is impossible.

I got home 2:00 AM.
Kissed my wife and kid.
My adidas still white.

Not Bad At All!

2006-10-04T16:17:00.000+08:00

You Are 50% Evil

You are evil, but you haven't yet mastered the dark side.

Fear not though - you are on your way to world domination.

How Evil Are You?

Adventures for the new Milenyo!

2006-10-03T16:11:00.000+08:00

Whaaat a weeek!!! My will and determination to go home daily was tested to its limits. It’s tough to be a commuter – but during stormy days when flood covers the streets, I thank God I don’t have a car to worry about.

Reinard’s Milenyo Odyssey

September 27: it was already announced in the office emails that a storm will hit Metro Manila the next day. Classes on all levels are canceled and everyone was expected to bring rain gear – to anticipate the heavy downpour. It was also on this day, Alex asked me to do some sort of AVP (a compilation of Harrison’s work for 2006). I usually do my AVPs using Flash, but said program couldn’t handle mpeg videos, so I have to compose the thing on Imovie. Imovie is addictive – it’s like Adobe Premiere or Final Cut Pro (yuck, geek software talk), but only easier. Since the AVP will also be presented to some higher-up regional executive ek-ek, I also have to add some English subtitles on some of our commercials. I had fun translating and adding subtitles. Unfortunately, I couldn’t finish it on that day. Guess I just have to brave the storm the next day.

September28: there’s a heavy downpour in the morning. I usually leave the house at 8:30 am to get to work (because of the morning motivation). I brought with me my super-duper powerful heavy duty FILMEX umbrella (best Christmas gift ever) to protect me from the rain. The Van that took me to work that day left the FX station without filling all seats, one of the “morning motivations” was there – so all is fine. As my ride was cruising through the Taytay floodway shortcut, Budj, texted me that work was suspended that day. Can’t turn back now, it’s hard to catch a ride going back to Antipolo at that area. So I made up my mind to go to work and finish that AVP. The winds are getting stronger and I already saw some fallen trees on my way to the office. I was able to finish the AVP that day and I even learned how to make DVDs using iDVD (another cool program). All is well at the office – but the fun starts on the way home. I left the office at 3:00pm. As I stepped out of the building, there are a lot of commuters trying to catch a cab, jeep, bus or fx. But there was none. Instead of waiting – I just decided to use the Ayala walkway to get to EDSA and hopefully, catch a bus there. As I was walking – I saw the damage wreaked by the storm – a lot of trees and debris littered the streets of Makati and there’s a total blackout. Some shops on the Ayala Mall area are closed – the only ones open I think are Landmark and SM Makati. After some few stopovers, I finally reached EDSA… lo and behold… there’s a heavy non-moving traffic. To sit on a car or bus or any vehicle would mean sore butts. The flow was so slow, walking would be faster. And walk down Edsa I did. I stopped by Select first and got me a box of Mentos fruits and C2 Green Tea (my power drink). The trek to the north of EDSA was difficult since it’s drizzling and there are a lot of uprooted trees and debris blocking the sidewalk. Otherwise, it was a fun walk – I got to share my big umbrella with some women whose umbrellas were destroyed by the strong winds. The biggest highlight of the EDSA walk is the fallen billboard along Estrella-EDSA. The billboard crushed a bus and some vehicles. I couldn’t get extremely close to the accident scene since there’s a rescue operation going on. Good thing my phone has a camera to capture the event. Once you get past Estrella, it’s smooth sailing – the only problem is, the buses who managed to pass through are already full. Luckily, there’s an empty bus who made a detour along Guadalupe and I was able to grab a seat. But the ordeal didn’t end there. I knew it would be hard to catch a ride at Crossing, so I decided to stop at Ortigas. The rain started to pour heavily again, and after 30 minutes, I was able to ride a bus. There was no traffic from Robinson’s Galleria Ortigas up to Junction, but things become hell beyond that. The stretch from Junction going to Valley Golf is flooded and small vehicles can’t pass – and those that can’t pass have to stay there, or turn back which caused heavy traffic. Since the bus is big enough – I just decided to stay there. It took almost 2 hours just for the bus I was riding to get through Tikling – and my bladder is killing me. There’s a nationwide blackout, so everything is in darkness – and even in Tikling, everyone is waiting for a ride to get to Antipolo. I decided not to go with the crowd and walked up a bit to Palmera II. There, I managed to catch a jeep and everything went smoothly from there. I got home 8:00 PM, with no power, no water, no food. I usually sleep a bit late and I need to play Super Collapse in the PC or watch DVD so I can rest easily. I slept around 1:00 am – just staring at the darkness… thinking …thinking… thinking that after this… I can do anything. Just when it seems impossible to come home, I managed to do it.

AGAust update

2006-08-16T12:44:00.000+08:00

Busy, busy, busy week. I don't have much to say, but I got pictures to share!

Wait, I hate it when my hair gets really long. My hair is a bit on the curly side, so whenever I don't get a haircut for a span of weeks - it grows into a bush-like afro hair. The pictures were taken from one of our Globe Habit shoots. Here I am with Mr. Aga Muhlach and this girl from Globe call center, Taj Mahal (nice name). Taj is from Mindanao.

The Tribe

2006-07-27T14:41:00.000+08:00

Our ECD, Teeny Gonzales announced her resignation a week ago and the whole office is in a state of mourning, sadness and depression. She's moving to another ad agency. One of our secretaries, Amy, asked me to do a video (something I usually do to people who leave Harrison, especially if they stayed a long time, or made quite an impact over his/her stay). The night before I did the video, one of our CDs (Creative Director), Alex, treated our team to dinner to answer some burning questions about work and about Teeny. Being the good listener that I always am... Alex's words lingered even when I got home and 'til the next morning ride going to work. I already had a plan on how to do the video - but I don't have a script to follow... well, there was a script, but it was all in my mind. I did the whole video in a span of 6 to 7 hours, writing and improvising the story as I do the whole thing. The animation was very simple - usually it's just 2 or 3 frames shuffled to create an effect of movement. The story was also very simple - it's about a leader leaving his tribe - and one of his people questioning his motives. The very first cut I did was... BRUTAL. It did'nt hold back anything. I needed a second opinion on how to end it and asked my teammate extraordinaire, Biba Cabuquit to watch the animation and see what she thinks. She told me it was a very good story but there are some risque words - that need to be cut. And trim it down we did. Biba added the "call of the wild" part in the story. At first I thought it was corny, but I also managed to put it in the story without interuptting the drama. I think it really came out well. The acoustic song in the background is a Jack Johnson song (forgot the title) suggested by art director par excellence, Ronnie TresReyes (who's really good especially in print stuff). When Teeny watched the whole thing... I was really happy when she told me "you took the words right out of my mouth" (or something to that effect). Of course we did mention to Teeny that there was this more brutal original cut. And during one her last TV shoot with Harrison, she was still bugging me that she wanted to watch the original cut. She probably won't see it because I trashed the whole thing already.
The Tribe is how I personally feel for her when she left Harrison. She has always been my boss when I started to work for advertising, and the moment I returned after an absence of 4 years. I'm usually silent at the office, but whenever someone leaves, although he/she won't mention it... I can read their minds and see the real reason why they'll leave. A friend of mine "M" once pointed that out, and could'nt believe how I was able to think what she was thinking. It's simple really... listen and observe.

Here's the link to the animated video tribute:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nH7HXVSM9EY
Copy paste na lang.
After you watch it, feel free to comment.
Pass it on to someone who's leaving your office or company.

Cyrano De Bitoy link

2006-06-30T09:21:00.000+08:00

And eventually... Budjette uploaded our latest Bitoy ad in his Youtube account.
Here's the link... if it's not clickable, you might have to copy and paste it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBBHXRyQ894

REIturn

2006-06-26T18:51:00.000+08:00

I got nothing to say, but I got pictures to show... lots of them. Let's see... a lot of things happened...

• I'm once again active with Saranggola Magazine (probably because the schoolyear has started)
• I went to the 5th Philippine Toycon last June 17 and 18... a real money drainer if you ask me. I got (geeky drool): Mignola's Wolverine Jungle Adventure comic, McFarlane Collectors Club Hicks Exclusive, McFarlane AvP series 2 Alien Queen, Megahouse Tekken 5 Yoshimitsu Gashapon... that's it. And after the Toycon I picked up more Alien and Predator stuff... what's happening to me? I'm in AvP frenzy! During the Toycon, Chris, Melchor and Me, made sure we took some pictures of the female cosplayers. That's me with a hot asian chick who sells her custom dolls.
• June 25 is also the launch of our Globe Super Sulit Offers campaign - whose TV campaign I was a part of. That girl wearing pink is our lead talent. And that girl... doing her hair, is Kaye (who has been a real inspiration for me during the shoot - cute siya eh), and that other girl is Bambi (a really funny girl). I hope Budjette uploads the video on YouTUbe soon.
• That suspension bridge seen was shot in Tanay Rizal - for a project... which I was tapped on on the last minute.
• Lately I've been slimming down and wearing medium sized T-Shirt, as opposed to XL and Large tees I usually wear. And people are noticing... hehehe. I might start with a no-rice diet soon... hahaha, why am I doing it? I dunno... it just feels great when people compliment that you look good on what you wear.

OO

2006-04-20T13:03:00.000+08:00

'di mo lang alam
Naiiisip kita
Baka sakali lang maisip mo ako
'di mo lang alam
Hanggang sa aking inaasam makita kang muli
Nagtapos ang lahat sa di inaasahang pahanon
At ngayon ako ay iyong iniwan
Luhaan, sugatan, 'di mapakinabangan
Sana nagtanong ka lang
Kung 'di mo lang alam
Sana'y nagtanong ka lang
Kung 'di mo lang alam
Ako'y iyong nasaktan
Baka sakali lang maisip mo naman
Hindi mo lang alam
Kay tagal na panahon
Ako'y nandirito pa rin hanggang ngayon para sa'yo
Lumipas mga araw na ubod ng saya
'di pa rin nagbabago ang aking pagsinta
Kung ako'y nagkasala patawad na sana
Puso kong pagal ngayon lang nagmahal
'di mo lang alam
Ako'y iyong nasaktan
Baka sakali lang maisip mo naman
Puro s'ya na lang
Sana'y ako naman
'di mo lang alam
Ika'y minamasdan
Sana'y iyong mamalayang hindi mo lang pala alam
'di mo lang alam
Kahit tayo'y magkaibigan lang
Napapaligaya lang sa tuwing nagkukulitan
Baka sakali lang maisip mo naman
Ako'y nandito lang
Hindi mo lang alam
Matalino ka naman
Kung ikaw at ako
Ay tunay na bigo sa laro na ito
Ay dapat bang sumuko
Sana hindi ka lang pala aking nakilala
Kung alam ko lang ako'y masasaktan ng ganito
Sana'y nakinig na lang ako sa nanay ko
'di mo lang alam
Ako'y iyong nasaktan
Baka sakali lang maisip mo naman
Puro s'ya na lang
Sana'y ako naman
Isang kindat man lang
'di mo lang alam
O, ika'y minamasdan
Sana iyo'y mamalayang di mo lang pala alam
Oooooooo
Malas mo
Ikaw ang natipuhan ko
Di mo lang alam
Ako'y iyong nasaktan

Great song. Thanks Budjette for letting me rip the CD (imsocheep!)

Edsa - Whatthef#$knumber??

2006-02-24T16:13:00.000+08:00

Police brutality!!! The Harrison (starbucks) boys take the streets and take no prisoners. We were supposed to have a major presentation today, but because of the EMERGENCY POWERS by our friggin' president - it was moved to Tuesday next week!

Things are pretty light today... I should be working on some stuff like... the Neil Gaiman 12 page comic, or that sample artwork which I should be submitting to Tahanan right now (I swear Fran Ong, I have started but yet to finish!) But after 2 very hectic weeks, I think it would be fun to let the guard down and have some fun! :)

unVideos

2006-02-24T16:11:00.000+08:00

I'm in a rush I was'nt able to pick them up. Even if I picked them up, I don't think I'd be able to watch them.

Escape From Hongkong

2006-02-13T20:15:00.000+08:00

Okay, okay, I should have posted these weeks ago, because I actually came back from Hongkong last February 6 (evening). I just could'nt post this blog without a pic of me in HK, but lazy me is too stubborn from downloading pics in my digicam.

In a nutshell:
• I left for Hongkong last February 2, why? Just because :)
• We stayed in Marco Polo Gateway Hotel and I shared room with Merv (my officemate)
• It was the week long celebration of Chinese New Year and it was SALE all over Hongkong
• I received 2 ampaos and got a total of $30HK in loot
• On our first night, my celfone batteries got drained and I could'nt find a decent adaptor for my charger. (HK has standard 3 hole sockets - after 2 requests from the housekeep, I just gave up and decided to buy my own adaptor in the streets).
• Surprise, surprise, I could'nt find the adaptor I was looking for and all that was being sold is this standard adaptor that could'nt fit the hotel socket. In my desperation, I almost bought a voltage regulator.
• Because this is Merv's first time in HK, he hanged out with me, since my celfone is down, I would usually wait for him in a certain are just to hook up with him again. Merv's celfone functions perfectly. At one point we were supposed to meet in this area at Causeway Bay, I thought we were supposed to meet at 4:30PM, but it was actually 5:30 PM... I waited until 5:20, they waited until 6:00. And so our paths were broken. I moved and went to Mongkok.
• After going to Mongkok, I went back to the hotel and received a phonecall telling me to go to this certain place at LanKwaiFong to meet up with the rest of the crew. I remembered the directions to their wereabout 24karat and Goodtime Cafe. After hours of walking in LanKwaiFong (heh, can't find the place), I bumped into Jho who was out to smoke and found out where they were hanging out: Goodluck Cafe and 24 (damn brain ain't functioning properly).
• After showing my charger to the housekeep, they finally gave me an adaptor and I was able to charge. Only to be bombarded by text messages which made me lose my prepaid load on the day I charged. So all my companions could do is text me (I can't even receive calls), and I would be informed of their whereabouts.
• I did'nt go to DISNEYLAND, but wanted to, but the place was so jam-packed - it says in the MTR ticketing that they can't accomodate anymore people.
• While I was going around (alone) in Mongkok on our fourth day, without load in my celfone, I actually bumped into Majo and Merv in the crowded streets! Awesome coincidence and luck, especially after I bought the stuff I was looking for at a certain shop in Mongkok (loose X-Men boxed set). After that we just ate at Mcdo (yehey).
• This is my 3rd Hongkong trip and I'm still loving it! Toys! Toys! Toys!
• Unfortunately, there was no more porn in Sino Centre
• Kanto Hobby is closed (I got a lot of stuff there the last time I was in HK)
• I know Hongkong like the back of my hand (or as long as there is MTR)

That's it. So if you were calling or texting me from Feb. 2 to 6 - chances are I received your text and I could'nt reply or my battery is dead! Until the next HongKong trip! :)

A Great Day For the Filipino Nation

2006-01-23T20:28:00.000+08:00

Went to Batanes last January 20 to 22. That's all I have to say... saying more could cost me my life. Oh, what the hell... Batanes is a wonderful place, not a tourist spot - but it reminds me of New Zealand (I haven't been to New Zealand, but we all have seen the magnificent landscape in LOTR Trilogy). Pacquiao wins over Morales - TKO'ed him in the 10th round. Someone won P105 million in the local lotto - and we won the BPI pitch. I don't know if it's my idea that the client liked - but winning feels great. A great day for the Filipino indeed.

The Answer

2005-12-05T18:14:00.000+08:00

I had a weird dream today.
I can't tell the exact details.
It's something I dream of rarely nowadays.
It's a scene that's probably unavoidable.
Something that I should'nt care to know.
But if it happens, there's nothing I can do.

And the answer to that dream is...
momentary pain, hidden by desire for action figures.
Not in this lifetime, maybe the next.

Komikon Aftermath

2005-10-24T12:33:00.000+08:00

Because of my hectic work schedule, I thought I would'nt make it to the first ever KOMIKON. Komikon 2005 was held yesterday, October 22 at the UP Bahay ng Alumni. I did not tell my wife about this, because uttering the word U.P. or anything related to it brings back memories of her mortal enemy who used to study in that famed university. She found out eventually because the wonderful Syeri Baet gave me a free Komikon T-shirt. Of course there was some explaining done to questions like: how did you meet Syeri? Who referred you? Why U.P.? What did you do there? Did you see my enemy?

I was invited to be a guest at the Komikon months before the event, and it's very unprofessional (acheche) of me if I could'nt attend. It's also the first Komikon - who would'nt want to be a part of history in the making? Anyways, I had a GREAT time, the people were friendly and accomodating, and if there was'nt work later that day, I would'nt leave the event and mingle with these creative and spirited people. Despite UP Bahay ng Alumni's distance, a lot of people showed up. There's a lot of comics for sale from graphic novels to xeroxed mini comics done by independent artists. Because this is KOMIKON, emphasis on the "K", I made sure I picked up work from the local talents.

Here's some stuff I picked up:
• 2 Komikon T-shirts
• Atomic Underground# 2
• Kubori Kikiam# 5
• KikoMachine by Manix Abrera
• Beerkada Kuwatro by Lyndon Gregorio
• Ka-Jo's NWA B-comics# 1 to 7
• Minsan sa Panaginip: Digmaang Salinlahi
• Psigns of the Season
• Komix (October 2005 issue)
• Satan High
• Break-Out Comics
• Komikon Stickers
• Sketches in my sketchbook from various artists at the Kon

Here's an interesting tidbit. I have an entry in Komix (big thanks to Orvy Jundis for giving me a free copy). It says:
- Reinard Santos: is one of the most original of the new generation of cartoonists
- Superboboy: is Reinard Santos' well known character
Neat eh? I never really considered myself as a comics cartoonist, I see myself more as a children's book illustrator. I really felt honored for the support people have shown for my creation: Super Boboy. A lot of the people are asking when will the next Super Boboy come out - and all I can say is - when I'm done... or hopefully, in the next KOMIKON!

• drawing above is by Manix Abrera
• photo from www.beerkada.tk site - ninakaw ko! Mwahahaha!

Soooooo Busy...

2005-10-03T19:39:00.000+08:00

Wow! Lots of work for the past few weeks! I haven't posted anything for September! Nothing interesting happened to me that is worth posting. I bought a lot of toys though... I got a Hellboy Comic set and a Goon action figure. I made a list of toys to buy this year and posted it in my office desk - so far I have crossed out one (Hellboy series 1). The weird thing is, I still keep buying some stuff that isn't in my list. Think of it as a reward for a hectic work week or day. Instead of spending this money on women (mwahahaha), or gimik (I hate booze), or drugs (which I never tried) - I might as well spend it on toys. Sigh. Childish.

19 days to go before KOMIKON 2005 - and I still don't know what to do. I told Syeri B, I'd do a mini comic and I still haven't compiled the comic stuff I did. Talk about special guest! Budjette Tan (Alamatmeister) told me to just put word balloons on all the storyboards that I did for TV commercials and it could pass as comicbook material. Honesty, I still don't know why these guys invited me to this shindig - heck, these guys are more talented than me! Anyways, just pray that I finish something for the Komikon. I did some MIND SKETCHES on how my mini comic will appear and it looks promising. I was thinking of including excerpts from the 2 versions of the Super Boboy origin I made (yes, comics po yun)! I actually wrote and draw Super Boboy's origin - one was finished, and one was not, the latter being the better version.

Here's some more info on Komikon:
http://komikon.blogspot.com/
Syeri B's site (nice site):
http://www.syeri.tk/

Blast from the Past: Rivermaya

2005-08-30T21:10:00.000+08:00

Here's a little compre of the Gentxt PowerLink ad with Rivermaya. This print ad never came out, but got adapted as a billboard a few months backs. These guys are professionals and are a blast to work with. I wasn't in the print ad shoot but I did jam with the guys when we were doing the TV commercial. Honestly, I liked my drawing better than their actual photographs. I hope one day they'll ask me to do some drawings and designs for them (like Gorillaz) - I'll gladly do it for free.

Extra! Extra!

2005-08-30T09:58:00.000+08:00

I've been the art director for the Intensity G ads for a long time now (about 1 year). Intensity G is Globe's effort to spread the word that they have a lot of cellsites nationwide. What they do is usually bring the Globe Caravan to the provinces, especially during fiestas. And one such fiesta is the Kagay-An festival, held in Cagayan de Oro . Kagay-an is CDO's version of Mardi Gras. Ah yes, due to some budget constraints - we can only use one talent for the ad. So the other 3 extra people in the ad are: Sonny (our make-up artist - extreme left), Ian (art director), and me (the guy in the extreme right).

My Little Heartbreaker

2005-08-10T04:14:00.000+08:00

I haven't posted for a long time. So busy at work and home + I got sick last week (diarrhea). Last Saturday, August 6, was my brother-in-law's wedding. The highlight for me is my son in his first role as a ringbearer. He walked the aisle successfully and without any direct assistance from me or my wife. Such small feat from a two year old makes me proud. Rohan really looks great in his barong - too bad we did'nt buy him pants to go along with it, but it looks great on the little runt. The picture I posted is Rohan with this flower girl we were matching him with - the girl was really cute and their pose - innocently romantic. The following day August 7, we went to Megamall to celebrate me and my wife's 3rd year wedding anniversary (we were actually married August 3) - we ate at SuperBowl, where my son met this little girl who was trying to kiss him. Ah, my little heartbreaker - don't grow old yet - I'm still having the best time of my life.

The Great Rush

2005-07-19T12:10:00.000+08:00

What a week. I was rushing an interactive module for PTA (Philippine Tourism Authority) for the past couple of days and I haven't got a decent sleep (just 30 minute naps). My contact person (and ninong), Ahwel is going to present it at 2PM in the afternoon and I need to drop by the office quickly and add some more images that I forgot to take home. It is 5:30 am in the morning and I'm ready to transfer some files from my MAC to the PC (because my MAC does'nt have a USB port and my CDWriter isn't working) when the unthinkable happens... my zip drive went nuts and acted weird on the decent zip disks I put in it. You know that sound... kaklak-kaklak-kaklak, then you see a message that the files are corrupted or the mac can't read the zip disk. I was in a great panic - the sleepless nights and the effort have been put to waste by a non-cooperating zip drive. Luckily, one of the compressed files I did managed to make it through the zip disk (just one). I copied it to my PC, then copied it into a USB portable minidrive. All my hopes lie on one file - which I hope did not get corrupted or will work in my MAC in the office. I left my apartment in Antipolo around 6:30, hoping to evade the people rushing to the office. And when I got to the FX station - there were no FXs in site, the jeeps were jam packed, and there was a long queue of people. My God, the traffic is even against me! Luckily I just took a jeepney ride (managed to catch a not so packed one) - and dropped by Valley Golf, which unluckily has no FX available too. It took around 25 minutes before I caught an FX and reached the office at 9:10 am. I don't know how I did it, but I managed to churn out the project in a nick of time and into the hands of the PTA people. It really is weird - that whenever you rush things - it seems that all odds are against you.
The image I posted here is a result of last Friday's creative test. The challenge is to make an ad for the Singapore Zoo, it will be judged by this McCann honcho from Singapore. I really thought the ad was witty. He did'nt get it at first, but got the whole idea after I explained it. His input is: I should craft a better copy or sub-copy to explain the image. I just have to face it - I'm not a good copywiter :)

View from 34

2005-07-14T09:10:00.000+08:00

Ayala avenue in Makati was closed the whole day today. I go to work daily via the Tamaraw FXs that are stationed a few blocks from my apartment at Antipolo. The fare costs P45. Everyday I look at the people I travel with in this short ride (looking for a nice looking chic). Sometimes I sleep, very often I listen to their wonderful stories. I wish our politicians would commute with them even for a day, listen to their woes, and see our country in the eyes of the ordinary people. Our country is in crisis because of POLITICS. I wish that a vigilante would wipe them all off and their political families. And to make things worse, the PEOPLE go on rallies where they really don't know what they're fighting for. These rallies are the reason why Ayala is closed today and I have to walk the distance just to get to work. On the way to work, I passed by these rallyists, and there are merchandise for sale (mostly GMA resign t-shirt and stuff). It was like a little flea market - with people selling food, drinks and whatever items of worth. Funny... even in times of crisis, Filipino ingenuity still shines through. And now here I am in the 34th floor of LKG tower... at this distance, I don't see their faces, even if they shout or do something ridiculous. Perhaps this is how God views the world. We are all little fleas, we say our prayers, and there is a slim chance of it getting through. But sometimes, God comes down from the 34th floor and mingles with the crowd. Looking for someone worthy of his notice.

No hope for this

2005-07-13T02:20:00.000+08:00

I love drawing. Whenever I do a compre (how a print ad would look), I would rather draw it than rely on the web for pictures. But sometimes after I draw it, and we have to do a photo shoot - there's a 75% chance that the talents we're using for the ad can't pull the look and expression I want (our photographer Jeanne keeps mentioning that only my face is flexible enough to capture the right expression). This ad here is supposed to be a part of a bigger campaign. I would like to do a print ad utilizing a photo collage illustrated style and look... but alas... our ECD (Executive Creative Director) did'nt like it. Way too off for the look she was looking for. So I guess this would never see the light of newspapers or magazines, only in my BLOG.

Calm after the storm

2005-07-12T09:16:00.000+08:00

Yesterday was very chaotic. Although we don't have office hours on Saturday and Sunday, I had to drop by for a freakin' print ad's publication deadline. I dropped by Greenhills earlier yesterday to buy a set of Trigun Maximum Story Image Figures and a set of Steamboy Gashapons... which was yesterdays highlight. On the picture is Rai-Dei the Blade, my favorite gashapon from the bunch. Which leads us to today... a very relaxing day. I'm not doing much, but I managed to create this BLOG. I wonder if people will be reading this. I live a boring life. I better wear that dino-suit tonight and spice things up.