The Fanboy

I was a freshman then when I watched the first Skechers StreetDance Battle at the World Trade Center, December 2005. It was for free then until Skechers realized that they can make big bucks out of it.

That night started what was to become the biggest and most coveted streetdance competition title in the country.

I was a basic streetdance student under Prof. Jerome Dimalanta then, and I remember him telling the class that the Club's piece would make us, mga Iskoand Iska, proud.

The UP StreetDance Club of UP Diliman won that night. And I went home, a proud Isko, never knowing that those people would later become my family.

Auditioning for the UP StreetDance Club was tremendously scary. Let's leave it at that. Haha.

Soon after, I was on the same stage with the same people I was screaming for, six months back. And dancing with them just feels so surreal. I used the present tense because until now, I am in awe that I get to dance with people of such great talent. And our relationship does not end on the dance floor.

Skechers 2 and 3 happened. And in both occasions, I lost my voice.

It's one thing cheering for people representing your school. It's a different story when they're your friends.

It's been three days, and yet I'm still ecstatic.

Armed with a new team with a different swagger, you guys conquered Araneta with much gusto.

I thank God for blessing the Club with Skechers 5.

Congratulation UP StreetDance Club!

I will always be a fan. Always.

Pause #2

haven't been blogging lately. No excuses. But Imma update this at least twice a week from now on :) ciao!

this is IT!

This turned me into an MJ fan!

Not a Love Story

This is a story of boy meets girl. But you should know up front, this is not a love story.

I'm a sucker for chick flicks.

And (500) Days of Summer has been on "YOU SHOULD WATCH" list since forever.

It's one of those films that, as my friend Abi Fernan wrote, "hits the men hard. Yes, the man gets hurt this time and I find it rare for movies to make men feel so hurt they actually TALK about the movie after and express the sadness that they feel.

And talk about the movie I did.

Obviously, the storyline was non-linear as it would jump from day 300something to day 22. But what I liked most was the French Impressionist treatment of the film. Think Amelie and you'd know what I mean. The play of cinematography and mise-en-scene was just amazing. Sorry, the Maskom in me is something I can't live without.

And the film comes with such a kick-ass soundtrack!

Vice Ganda's en-pointe Impersonation of the Mother

Battle for Terra

Donning 3D glasses, four friends and I watched the premiere of Battle for Terra at the SM Digital Theater last night.

It is very reminiscent of Wall-E as it explores how humanity itself is the reason of its demise - making Earth uninhabitable.

The film is a direct commentary to the effects of pollution, war and industrialization that is rapidly happening all over the globe.

Despite having a good theory behind the movie, the movie did lack depth in story.

Generally, the movie was good and entertaining way of disseminating the possible effects of the continuing abuse to the environment.

Maybe, we could've shown this one waaaaay before Ondoy and Pepeng?

The Online Helper

The Ondoy Chapter is far from over. A lot of things are yet to be done. And online, the campaign to raise awareness about what happened and to rally the Filipino youth was overwhelming. Platforms such as Tumlbr, Twitter and Facebook proved to be such powerful tools in mobilizing the Filipino people to help out and volunteer.

Here are some tools used during the campaign that circulated all over Tumblr and Facebook:

A poster urging people to donate goods at the Ateneo campus for their relief operations.

A poster asking people to help out and volunteer since celebrities from other countries are doing so. Why not us, Filipinos too?

A poster of the UP Sagip Isko relief ops campaign. Go Isko!

A poster encouraging Filipinos to help out in restoring, rebuilding and recreating the country.

A poster asking people to help and volunteer for those who are in evacuation centers.

A poster of the Raise the Roof benefit concert for Ondoy victims held at the Megatent along Meralco Ave.

On Twitter, a lot of Filipino personalities, politicians and celebrities utilized its powers by coordinating and updating volunteers through its micro-blogging capability. Spot.ph's article on the 10 Virtual Volunteers: helping out in the time of tweeting gave a list of ten people who were of great help while using Twitter. And I do have to give credit to Gilbert Teodoro for keeping the people updated with current situations all over the metro regarding NDCC matters and answering people's queries. (He directly replied to my Tweet regarding the supposed loose crocs scare in Pasig and Cainta).

The internet isn't just for porn as Avenue Q would argue. And during the past week, it has proved that it is such a powerful to rouse a nation's consciousness for their fellow countrymen.

Pause

Sorry for the lack of updates. Been very busy lately due to Typhoon Ondoy. But I do hope to post something soon. :)

Feeling Sick

As I write this, my head is throbbing. My eyes are hurting too. I just want to sleep.

Tiresome Saturday

I haven't been blogging lately since my brain refuses to work. But today, my brain declared war against stupidity and required me to write.

Saturday, September 19, 2009
Day was pretty jam-packed. My usual Saturday would entail waking up really late. Watching an episode or two of a recently downloaded TV show. Going to GCF for volleyball and youth worship service. And eating dinner with friends. But this particular Saturday wanted me to wake up by 8-ish in the morning and battle through the ACET traffic along Katipunan. Spent most the whole morning and afternoon with the awesome people of AComm as they prepared for the upcoming Rhythm in Blue (RiB) inter-org competition sposored by the Ateneo's very own Company of Ateneo Dancers (CADS).

I left around 2:30 to go to SM Mall of Asia to watch the Skechers Streetdance Battle 5 Kick-Off Party. Good thing I was able to catch a ride with Justin F., Jared, Peter and Rapha. We were a little bit late but it's all good. We got to bond with fellow UP Streetdance Club members as we weaved through the labyrinth that is the department store. We purchased a Von? shirt for Kuya Von.

I soon left the group because the AS1 - Gary Valenciano and Martin Nievera cocnert was just around the corner - literally. I got free tickets for the concert because of Facebook. Yes, Facebook! So I met up with my siblings, Nathan, Eki and Lai. And watched one very historic concert. In my mind, it's like Justin Timberlake and Neyo in one concert.

The concert was really REALLY awesome! One of the dancers was Kuya Sherwin and I kept screaming his name, people stared at me but I didn't really care. It was kuya Sher! He's an orgmate!! Gary and Martin didn't fail to deliver the best in Philippine vocals and they were Robin and Gabb's rendition of BEP's "I Gotta Feeling". Although the concert was great, standing for 2-3 hours was not as fun.

Talk about a tiring day. :|

The Club

Dear UP StreetDance Club,

Everything started in June 22, 2006. I was number 3. Chris Brown was playing. The room was full of kids aspiring to become part of your seemingly exclusive group. You'd actually have to audition first just to become an applicant! An hour and a half later, the auditions were over and I was on my way back home.

I've always wanted become a part of your group. Ever since I saw you perform during my sister's graduation in April 2003. When I got into UP, I was a week late when I learned about the auditions. After taking Basic StreetDance, screaming during 1st Skechers Streetdance Battle and watching Street Fuzion 6, I stood in front of a panel. Clueless as to what I'll do for the freestyle part of the auditions.

June 26, 2006 I went to the gym to check the list of students who passed. There was none yet. I went home, still hoping that I got in. I was alone, eating dinner when I got the message. "Congratulations..." was the first word that I read and my phone fell into pieces.

Before I knew it, I was training with 34 other people in a room covered with blue mats. Fast forward to March 3, 2007 some of us survived the application process and our first concert as members beckoned. The feeling felt surreal. Exactly a year ago, I was part of the humongous audience watching and screaming in awe. A year later, I was a part of the family on stage.

It wasn't always a walk in the park for us. I know I was one of those kids that took a lot of patience from your end. I'm very sorry for the all the headaches I've caused. I'm sure that at one point my name was synonymous to trouble during conversations. You taught me a lot about character. Thank you for never giving up on me, even if I was just too hard to handle; for allowing me to grow.

Temperature, So Excited, Ching-a-Ling, Go Dumb and Imma Shine are songs I probably wouldn't want to hear again. But you wanted me to dance to those songs week after week.

Batch 06 - Barbie, MJgirl, Noelie, Iya, David, Toki, Joan, Sam, Malco, Jolo, Kel, etc. You guys rock!

Blue Team - Micx, Trizza, Em, Kevin, Rev, Peter, Lian, Malco, Danya, Roz, Rapha, Aylene and Nikki = AWESOME TEAM! =)

Chosen Ground 4

Chosen Ground 5: Reboot

Street Fuzion 7: Homecoming

Street Fuzion 8: Ministry of Dance

Street Fuzion 9: Crossroads

Thank you for these five concerts. It was such a privilege sharing the stage with you.

And now I make my final bow. Good bye for now.

Thank you for the most rockin', kick-ass, awesome three and a half years.

The experiences I shared with you will always be incomparable. Will never exchange them for anything.

For the mean-time, I'll again be part of the crowd in front of you. :)

Regards,

Dan

Trouble!

If you could, would you?

Mason (lower right) and Sam (upper right) is in a relationship. An open-relationship. And in case you're wondering what that is, it's the type where in both people involved acknowledge that they love each other and are committed to each other YET they consent the other to sleep with other people. Twisted right? Well, people who are in such, would tell you that it works for them. At least it "prevents" them from "cheating" on each other cause both are aware with what each is doing.

Fling is a modern love story. Mason and Sam's love story. But things did get complicated. What started out as innocent flirting between Sam and her college boyfriend, James (upper left); and Mason and 18-year old Olivia (lower left) just spell disaster. I won't be spilling the beans here cause I think it's worth one and a half hours of your time. It's a lot like Closer with Jude Law, Clive Owen, Julia Roberts and Natalie Portman - all those twisted relationships and sex but with far younger people.

But my point is this, I think the idea of open relationships is not a good thing. How can you say that you love someone when you're out screwing somebody else? How can one not be jealous if the one they love is out with another person? It just reeks trouble from the get go. But then again, if it suits other people, I guess it works for them. But I don't think I'm one to enter such a volatile nature.

And I realized how we treat our relationship with God as an open one. And a one-sided one at that.

Just in Case

You're wondering where all my political brain farts are, I transferred all of them to my new blog site danjosephramos.blogspot.com that would be solely dedicated to anything and everything related to politics. :) please feel free to visit that blog site and comment on the blog entries :)

Lie to Me

When I was in grade 4, my mom caught me lying about a school project.

During my juvenile years, I would lie to save myself from trouble.

"No, I wasn't the one who broke the glass."

"I wasn't the one who started the fight."

"I swear I didn't know it was yours."

Lies. Lies. Lies.

And now that I'm 21 (and yes, I'm old since I will be turning 22 in three months time) such lies are just plain ridiculous. Oftentimes, telling the truth would keep you out of trouble more than lying. And I learned that the hard way. Ask my parents how.

---

Our generation is very familiar with a lot prominent people both here and overseas who have lied in more ways than one.

Who can forget Sen. Miriam Santiago's infamous admission of lying combined with her laughter during the Erap years?

US Pres. Bill Clinton and the whole Monica Lewinsky brouhaha. "I did not have sexual relations with that woman."

And then there's Erap and GMA. 'nuff said.

---

One of the shows that I am currently obsessed with watching is Lie to Me. And this show is just made of awesome. Its premise is that, even if people desperately try to hide emotions, their micro-expressions (errr facial and gestural and even tone of voice) can give them away.

Dr. Cal Lightman (played Tim Roth) is the world's leading deception expert who studies facial expressions and involuntary body language to discover not only if someone is lying, but why. When someone shrugs one shoulder, rotates a hand or raises the lower lip, Lightman knows he's lying. Based on the real-life scientific discoveries of Paul Ekman, the series follows Lightman and his team of deception experts as they assist law enforcement and government agencies to expose the truth behind the lies.

Watch it!!! Errr, well download it first haha :p

Undignified

Copyright 2009 JesusBranded

A List

Make a list of 10 types of people that you don't like and tag people to do the same.

1. Alcohol-driven dads who can buy booze but not proper education for their kids.

2. School bullies who can do nothing but bully intelligent kids to do their homework. Airheads!

3. Reckless jeepney drivers who snake their way through traffic but can only say sorry if they bump a private car since they can't afford to pay for the repair.

4. Spoiled brats. Those who throw tantrums to get what they want.

5. Friendster-using, black-donning jumping jologs who live to emo themselves out.

6. Number 5's hiphop counterparts. Salbakuta-loving kids. They call themselves "ghetto" but I don't think they'd survive the real thing. Apparently numbers 5 and 6 have an on-going online war on Friendster.

7. Mocha frappe-drinking, eighth-floor dwellers. But then, I have really close friends in that category. Ooooops.

8. Twilight fans :p

9. Number 2's variation, those who can turn a school's hall into a fashion runway. But are still airheads anyway.

10. Random people inviting you on Facebook and when you ask who they are because nyou don't normally add people you do not know, they tell you that you're an elitist.

Nearsighted Blindness

Copyright 2009 JesusBranded

Rice Chronicles #1

Photo Credit: betterhealth.vic.gov.au

I'm on a journey towards losing weight. I used to say that I don't really care if the "daddy-tummy" is starting to develop. (no, I ain't a dad yet, I promised to keep the crib empty remember? hehe) Since I think that despite having one, I'd still get paid with what I do anyway. I don't use my flabs to think and write in the first place. And so, I continued with my day to day living without caring on the amount of food I eat (and my officemates would tell you that I've been eating a lot) But I realized very recently that the "daddy-tummy" development has to stop. And here I am, embarking on a road that I've taken before - I ain't gonna eat rice at least until our concert day on September 6.

Yesterday was my first day for the no-rice diet and I was successful! For breakfast, I ate Cream-O and coffee. For lunch, we ate at Chowking and I ate pancit bihon and siopao. And for dinner, I ate pancit canton and fried eggs. Yeah yeah, you'll tell me that what I ate aren't so healthy either. But then again, they're not carbs from rice so it's all good for me :p

Until when will I last? I don't know. The rice grains' pull is strong, but I'm the one with the brain. So I guess it's all up to me.

UP, up and away!

Watched Disney/Pixar's UP with my growth group last night.

And it's just awesome! Sans the effort to rationalize the amount of realism the film has - talking dogs and multi-colored cross-breed dodo bird and ostrich - the massive amount of scientific inconsistencies just makes the animated feature more fun and entertaining. Talking dogs? You get the picture.

Some scenes are tear-jerkers - at least to the awesome girl two seats away from me - and some have LOLs written all over it.

Carl, Ellie, Russell, Dug and Kevin prove that an adventure despite the inevitable danger along the way, is still an adventure worth taking. And in Carl's case, it was an adventure he had to do with a crossed heart.

As always, the Disney/Pixar partnership delivers an animated film that is not just for kids but for adults with juvenile hearts.

So far, all of the films that they have made that I've watched - Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Cars, Ratatouille, WALL-E and Up (I have not watched both Toy Stories and A Bug's Life, I'm a loser that way) - I always get the same feeling after.

I'm not sure what it is, but others call it "heart-warming".

Rescue

Copyright 2009 JesusBranded

Let's see how this improves over the year :)

My Lakbayan grade is C!

How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out at Lakbayan!

Created by Eugene Villar.

Two Parties and a Night

Sounds fun? Not really. Especially if the other party is actually not work.

While everybody else around you is gyrating to the thumping sounds of house and trance, your truly walked around with a pen and notebook in hand.

My job? To write down the names of every person that the photographer would take a picture of. Sounds fun? To some extent, yes it was. But at some point, I was aching to dance already. :)

The event was Big Fish's GodsKitchen Worldwide with DJ Sander Van Doorn and it was awesome. This is my second Big Fish event and i can't wait for the next.

Was never a fan of house music until I went to Big Fish's Innovation White party which I then wrote about for Spot.ph. And I am a fan since.

The second party was a walk away from Big Fish since it was also at a.Venue but this was at Attica Bar. It is RX 93.1's 90's party.

This time, I didn't have to walk around taking down people's names. I was just there, chillin' with Kat Cruz and Gabb Agapito. We soon left the party and settled to just sit and talk inside a.Venue.

Got home by 4am. And boy was I sleepy the day after.

Two parties in one night was fun. But heck, I'd give anything to catch the ZzZzZzZzZzs lost. :D