The big move is this coming Saturday.
After a two-month waiting period, the transfer to a new, and hopefully better, apartment is this coming Saturday with a pre-transfer of some smaller items starting this Friday evening.
This week will be a busy one as we are preparing all the household stuff that needs packing like ceramic-ware, silverware, cook-ware and yes, even a majority of the clothes have been stuffed into boxes leaving only the necessities unpacked like those that will get worn to the office this entire week.
But there’s still a lot of packing to do and the rush-rush will most probably hit us this coming Friday and Saturday (until noon). After lunch, my wife and baby along with the yaya and the in-laws will be going on ahead to the new apartment and leave me with the moving crew who will come in later in the early evening.
The only problem I have is the transfer of my cable internet connection which entails a payment of Php 1,500 which I can’t spare right now. I already wrote MyDestiny about this problem and hopefully they can solve this one for me.
The transfer will also mean that we will be switching cable TV service from the current SkyCable one to the Global-Destiny one as it is the best cable TV service we can afford. So, bye-bye Animax and Hero Channels. Bye-bye Lifestyle Channel, NatGeo, AXN and Cinemax. But welcome back Discovery Travel & Living which is one of my favourite cable channels along with Discovery, AXN and CNN. I’m still hoping that Solar Sports and ESPN are indeed available already on Global Destiny as advertised on their website.
Dredd is Back
Hey, hey, hey Club Dredd is back!
Unfortunately, it’s in Eastwood Libis, QC which makes it suspect – sosyal na ang Club Dredd!
According to the PDI website article, it’s now located a floor below Gweilos in Libis and now boasts improved amenities like a working CR, real air-conditioning and adequate parking.
The return of the Dredd will be very much welcomed by old-timers and younger rakistas alike. This is the same Dredd who gave rise to now legendary names such as the Eraserheads, Teeth, Wolfgang, and Parokya ni Edgar as well as to some now almost forgotten ones like the Youth, Yano, Tungaw, and Fatal Posporos (although from the Club Dredd site it was mentioned that Fatal performed last Friday, July 13).
This is the third incarnation of the popular rock joint. It had its birth along Timog Avenue QC (never had the chance to be there) before closing and reopening along EDSA in Cubao (the place is now a firing range/ shooting gallery). It’s latest version, according to owner Patrick Riedenbach, is new and improved as he and the rest of the owners have already learned from lessons brought about by the earlier two Dredds.
The new Club Dredd, aside from the aforementioned amenities, now features a better sound system and food and drinks are to be operated by the Gweilos Group. I expect the Dredd to sport Gweilos prices as well.
But the philosophy of Club Dredd is maintained, meaning that it will still be a haven for rock n’ roll especially for up-and-coming groups. The owners expect to load the club with a mix of old and new talents and will continue to advocate “originals” as opposed to “covers”.
As a once-upon-a-time rocker in college, I did manage to have 15-minutes of fame (so to speak) at the Dredd twice. As vocalist and rhythm guitarist for Hampas Dugo, my band-mates and I shared a couple of nights with the likes of Tungaw, Fatal Posporos, Agnus Dei and then cheeky and musically-challenged Parokya ni Edgar. More than 10 years later, Parokya ni Edgar is now one of the country’s most successful bands, Fatal Posporos are still here then and now, Tungaw is a fond memory, while Agnus Dei and my band are no-heards.
8 Months and Counting
Today, my baby daughter, Ikai, celebrates her 8th month.
She now is able to crawl, dance, sing, giggle, laugh, squeal, tumble, stand up (by hanging onto something or someone), walk (with help, of course), sit, drum the table, drum the wall, shout, grin, close-open her hands, kick, squirm (from someone’s grasp), lunge, do a jump-like motion, say “mama” and “papa”, appreciate TV commercials, grasp objects, turn her stuffed-toy caterpillar into a teether, finish 6 ounces of milk, strike a pa-cute pose with her hand on her cheek, put her foot in her mouth, and lots of other things some of which are quite advanced for someone of her age.
World-Building
Watching a portion of a National Geographic show about planets fuelled an idea for a new fantasy world that I hope to build and develop as preparation for my (hopefully) upcoming venture into fantasy fiction-writing.
Instead of starting on work this morning in the office, I allocated about three quarters of my first office hour to jotting down and sketching the rough ideas that came suddenly as a result of the NatGeo show last night.
Once I get my “world” made up and done, I can begin the writing process which begins with fulfilling the regular formula for epic fantasy as penned by one of my favourite fantasy authors, David Eddings, in his book the Rivan Codex:
• the underlying Theology
• the Quest
• the Magic “Thingamajigger”
• the Hero
• the Resident Wizard
• the Heroine
• the Villain, usually with some diabolical agenda
• the Companions, generally a multi-cultural crew who can protect the hero until he is old enough to do the killing himself
• the Romantic Interests for the Companions wherein both Companions and their Romantic Interests must be well-rounded groups, with individualized personalities and flaws
• the kings, queens, generals, courtiers and such, who make up the governments of the world
Read Wikipedia’s page about Eddings here.
Becoming Lost
In another addictive frenzy attack, my wife and I finished all the remaining episodes of Lost: Season 3 in a marathon 6-hour stretch which began on a Saturday evening at 10pm and ended at 4am the next day.
And as the reviews have touted, the third season picked up in pace and action and more questions as the episodes progressed, ending in an unusual twist of an ending – instead of a flashback, the series ended in a flash-forward!
Yes, more questions arose beginning with “What the @#$% happened?”
Now, we can’t await for the return of Lost for its fourth season.
