One Off My Bucket List - Smashing Pumpkins In Manila

At the risk of being branded insensitive and apathetic (considering the tragedy caused by Habagat to our country), I would like to report that last night was just a BLAST! Yes, I got the chance to cross one off my bucket list.

I reckon if melodrama was human we are probably twins. I live for it. I write better when I'm at my saddest. I get more inspiration listening to sad songs. This is probably why I am drawn to Smashing Pumpkins. Billy Corgan writes the saddest (and some angriest) songs I've ever listened to. They reek of emotions and spot on honesty. Any teenager carrying a bucketful of angst with him would easily relate to their songs. 

The minute I got the hubby's permission to go and see them, I set out to familiarize myself with the band's latest album - Oceania.  I thought maybe Billy wouldn't play much of our old favorites plus I listened to this video interview that a friend shared. I just wanted to be armed and ready. And well, enjoy the concert as well. The album was on heavy rotation on my music player the weeks prior to the concert schedule. I ran with it often. I didn't stop till the melodies were playing in my head. 

Unfortunately, most of the people who came didn't think like me (or rather that's how I perceived the audience's reaction when the band started playing songs from the recent album). None of the songs elicited the same wild reactions from the audience as the second set when they played old favorites although I personally think a lot of the new songs were just as equally good as the band's previous hits. I didn't let that get to me though, I still stood up and sang at the top of my lungs when they played my favorite tracks in the new album (Violet rays, The Celestials, Pinwheels, One Diamond One Heart, Inkless). 

Here's a copy of the playlist (I can't say if it's really the original copy but this was the same sequence of the songs the band played at the SPPH concert if my memory serves me right):

PHOTO SOURCE

We were supposed to go to this concert with 3 other couple friends but in the end, it was just us who made it. Everyone else had difficulty getting to Araneta that day because of the floods caused by heavy rains brought by the monsoon (hello there Habagat). While I was making my way towards the MRT, I had this strong feeling that the odds are going our way that day. Since I couldn't miss work anymore, I had to come from Cavite that day. I was already prepared to miss the first few songs being aware that the show starts at 830 and I might not get lucky enough lining up at the MRT. But lo and behold, the train station was almost empty that day. No long lines and the riders didn't look like sardines in a can. I was in Araneta 15 minutes after and the hubs and I were still able to grab a quick bite at KFC before heading off to the biggest concert I will witness in this lifetime. (Come here, U2 and I will rephrase this and call it the 2nd biggest instead! haha balimbing). 

We got in around 815 and was expecting the coliseum to be half-empty. It was. But 830 passed and there was nary a sign of the band coming out of the backstage. Several soundchecks were made but there wasn't any indication that the show is starting anytime soon. I would later find out that the bassist, Nicole Fiorentino, had announced in Twitter that they decided to push the show 30 minutes later to give way for others who would have difficulty getting to Araneta (read: wade thru flooded streets and fight through torrential rains). And yes, by 9pm the show was almost packed. People made it!!! And nobody minded the waiting. All for the love of music, eh!

stage (photo by mark terence sy grabbed from facebook)

I am not a concert reviewer/critique so I will leave the commentaries to the experts. What I can say though was this was ALL worth it. Had our budget permitted a VIP ticket, I wouldn't have regretted getting it. It was a 3-hour show 95% of which was just with the band play nothing but beautiful nostalgic music. Billy appeared to have no fondness on interacting with the audience but who cares, he played great music. And to me that's all that mattered really.

I didn't bring anything with me that time. Tibs accidentally left the flip at home. And I didn't have a camera with me. Not even a point and shoot. I took a few photos using my phone but they were not good enough to share anyways so I'm saving them for personal viewing. And I stopped thinking about documenting the entire concert as soon as the band starting playing. I didn't care anymore if I didn't have pictures to show. I have the entire concert saved in my internal memory (hahaha memory plus gold lang ang katapat nyan). After the 3-hour show was over, I lost my voice. But I was in very high spirits. I had a BIG smile plastered on my face. You wouldn't dare wipe it because I doubt you could at that point anyways. I listened to sad songs but I was at my happiest. Couldn't get anymore confusing that that, eh? But that's me. I love sad music and I'm complicated.

i forgot where i grabbed this photo but thank you whoever you are for sharing it!

I sure hope the band will decide to come back. I still have a lot of friends who are hoping they would. And I will willingly watch with them again. In a heartbeat.

Are You A Smashing Pumpkins Fan Too?

I am a BIG Smashing Pumpkins fan. In fact, I fell for my husband because he had a complete record collection then (am I cheap or what? Lolz).

But really, when I listen to Smashing Pumpkins, I am always transported back (without fail) to that time of my life when music was my primary fuel - that time when alternative music ruled the airwaves. And I can say, without shame, that I am stuck in that period musically-wise (remember my power songs?). Although admittedly, I am highly adaptable to the sounds of the times however when I need some comforting, it's always this type of music that I go back to listen to. 

And so the minute I read  that Manila in included in the Pumpkins' latest album tour itinerary, I was ecstatic. The Pumpkins comes third on my must-see-performing-live-list next to Foo Fighters. U2 (although not from that genre) will always be at the top of my list (this one deserves a separate blog post of course) although I'm finally come to accept that getting them to come over and play in this part of the world seems next to impossible. 

I would have been totally awesome if the original band line up could play. It was after all not only Billy Corgan's musical genius that got me hooked to their music but James Iha's as well (and maybe also D'Arcy and Jimmy Chamberlin). I would probably move mountains just to get my hands on the patron seats. I could listen to the albums (Siamese Dream and MCIS in particular) that these 4 produced all day long and not get bored. 

But yes, wishing for an all-original Pumpkins' maybe shooting for the stars right now so I'm going to content  myself with Corgan and his new bandmates. The new album, Oceania, turned out to be a good one surprisingly. The minute I decided to give it a try, I played press with no expectations whatsoever. I'm  not a record reviewer/critic anyways so I'm leaving that to the experts. What I can say though is that it is one of those albums where I relished the first track to the last and never fought the temptation to press the forward button. Pinwheels is a big favorite. Then One Diamond, One Heart and Celestials. I listened to the entire album several times. The first week I confirmed their concert's pushing through the entire album was actually on heavy rotation in my music player. I don't think there was one song that I didn't like. So yes, I didn't notice Corgan was playing with an entirely different band at all.

photo from the Smashing Pumpkins' Facebook page)

I read somewhere that they're going to play the entire album. Ain't that super?

So despite the forecast of rain for the next few days more, yes I'm braving EDSA tomorrow just to hear this band play. AND I AM GOING TO HAVE A GREAT, GRAND TIME.

this is as far as our budget permitted but yes, we came for the music so i don't think it really matters where we're seated right?
(thanks to my friend Raiz for the photo!)

Hello August!

I am an accountant by day. The end and the beginning of any given month is always the busiest for me at the workfront. So right now, I got my hands full. I have A LOT to do, A LOT that the mere thought of them makes my brain freeze and in turn awakens my lazy bones to the point of me ending up with these on my desk:

For my loved ones. Tibs and Maia, most especially
I know I have the worst wire bending art skills (I don't even think what I did could pass up as a skill)

The incessant patter of thick, rain pellets (yes pellets because that's how they really appear from where I'm sitting) on the glass wall in front of me isn't helping at all. Now all I want to do is to go home, slip under warm bed covers and cuddle with my adorable-curious-little-but-growing-up-so-quickly-little-miss.

This is how I welcome August. By being LAZY and opting to take a mental vacation. When I was younger, my lolas would tell me that August is the leanest of all the months of the calendar year. This is apparently the time when you take out/make use of all the bounties that you've saved up during the early part of the year because it's taghirap. I come from an agricultural family and I guess the primary explanation to that belief of my elders is the reality that the rainy season is not the best time to plant your crops. And agricultural families foregoing the planting on this season of course would lead to the lack of harvest. 

So where am I heading with this? I don't know. Haha. I guess what I'm really trying to do is find an excuse for all this laziness. August has always been a so-so for me. Will that remain to be the same this year? I want to think that I can change it. But right now my mind and body is telling me to just CHILL. And embrace all the laziness around me. Haha. 

What's Your Power Song?

I've been running for almost 3 years now but my power songs have remained the same. They just revolve around these two:

Ash's BURN BABY BURN



and GOO GOO DOLLS' BIG MACHINE



Do you run with music too? What are your power songs?

Thank God For Trees

The Milo Marathon elims in Manila is nearing close and having decided (sort of) last minute to sign up for the half-marathon, we had to follow a tight schedule on our long runs if we wanted to be confident enough to make it to the 2.5hr cut off.

Unfortunately for me, having gone through a really rough week at work and being sleep deprived to boot after tending to a sick little girl this past 4 days (thank God she's better now), my body just sort of crashed last night. I had a bad asthma attack. But despite that, all I could think of was losing another training day. And we only have 2 more weekends to prepare hard so I badly needed this weekend run. I slept early and was praying hard I'd be better in the morning.

Come morning, guess what? My prayers were answered. I was better with nary a trace of that asthma bout. Tibs and I got ready at 5am hoping to start by 530 in the hopes that we could avoid the torturous heat. I took a few more puffs of my dear lifesaving inhaler (which I named Symbi wahaha I really suck at giving names) before we left but yes when we got to Daang Hari at 545, Mr Sun was already up and shining. No choice but to go on anyways.

We were aiming to cover at least 12km today. Two kilometers into the run and going through 2 hilly climbs I had to stop, catch my breath and rehydrate as I was sweating profusely. I let Tibs run ahead of me since he was looking good and pacing well. I walked for 30 seconds and felt there's no way I could cover 12km today. Not in this hot day. But a nagging thought told me I might as well try anyways. I'm here. And I'm still breathing well.

So I started running again. When I checked my speed, I was surprised to see I was running quite fast (paced at 5.30/km) for my normal pace (of usually 6.30/km). After about 5 mins, I could already see Tibs running ahead and in no time I caught up.

one of the lower climbs (but longer) we had to pass through while running this course

This route used to be hellish for us. With all the steep climbs on every kilometer. But today, the terrain didn't seem to bother us at all. We were running easy and light. Although we had to take a couple of water breaks (sooooooo hot, i tell ya), our pace didn't fall behind 6.30/km for which I was very very happy. I am now confident I can make a better finish than my previous half-marathon. 

We decided not to take our usual route when we got to the Daang Hari-Daang Reyna intersection. We chose to go straight through Daang Hari and just make a turnaround once we hit 6km. The nearest turn was short of 300m but I decided to make the turn anyway since I didn't want to strain myself hard (I reckon the next u-turn slot is probably more than a kilometer away).

Tibs and I took another water break at this point. And paused to enjoy the breeze in this area. I took a deep breath and whispered a prayer of thanks.

"thank you God for these trees."

thank you for the shade. thank you for filtering the air so they're cleaner on this side of our running route. 

When I usually reach my final turnaround point, I am always confident I can finish a race. It's probably the familiarity of the road that makes me feel like the route back is always easier. It was extremely hot at almost 7am when we headed back to our starting point. It took me longer to go back but it wasn't because of breathing problems or leg cramps or just lazy bones. It was for the lack of hydration (our 4 water containers were drained dry after the 9th km). And again, I'm pretty confident I could go even faster than today. Next week, we're up for 16km then we'll be tapering off for the 2 weeks prior to the race. We'll be ready.

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I used to take birthday celebrations for granted. I don't even take a minute to thank God for it. But all that changed after my PT diagnosis. Now on every birthday, I never forget to give thanks. For another year to spend with my loved ones. For another year to play Mommy to my adorable daughter. For one more year to show (and not just say) my husband how much I love him. 

It's always in my birthday month that we experience being financially strapped the most (used to be due to our summer spending and now because of school season. I know we can do better. We do need help to be financially wiser). But these past few years, I didn't seem to feel like we are. And we always try our hardest to celebrate. Even in the simplest way. 

This year (thank God for group buying sites I was able to get us vouchers for Cyma), we celebrated by dining out. It's a rare treat for us since to my husband's discriminating palate nothing will ever beat my homecooking so what's the point really of spending much on dining when we can actually enjoy it in the comforts of our home. But then again, I tell him, sometimes it does help to change the ambiance. So once in awhile we do indulge (albeit, only on very special occasions). It was timely that my Mom was also over for a visit and was able to celebrate with us. My birthday was a wet and stormy one but I felt the warmth by having the people I love the most around to celebrate it with.

rare photo of tibs and me. thanks to my mom for taking this photo

Maia and Lola hamming it up (a rare photo op too for these two)

enjoying their food with great gusto!

she loves resto trips now that she thinks she already has the authority to order food for everyone (and she did that day lolz)

Hello July!

I planned to clean up my drafts folder this week. But a sick little miss didn't give me the excuse to do that this weekend. So those post will have to sit there for quite awhile again. No issue there really. I know where my priority lies.

Yesterday the little miss went to my office to get her annual flu shot. She never had any side effects on the flu shots she got in the past 3 years so I had a lot of things planned for us this weekend. I never expected the side effects will show up this time around. But unfortunately for me and Maia, they did. At first I felt like someone was out to ruin my pre-birthday weekend, but I was quick to realize that it's a reality that I have to learn to accept. Without question. Life's little humps and bumps are just of the inevitable nature. And I will just have to DEAL with it. And with that, I shall end that negativity here.

Moving on, despite all my planning efforts going to waste, it still turned out to be great weekend after all. I have been wishing for more and more lazy weekends at home and that's exactly what I ended up with. I was in a win-win situation after all. And even in Maia's feverish state, she made sure we had our day-long supply of laughable quotes for entertainment. 

In the end, it's always the simple joys that matter. Little pockets of happiness that create lasting impressions on our memory.

Sharing you some photos of how we spent the first day of July:

started the day with a breakfast of yummy chicken arroz caldo c/o the hubby

made some review materials for maia's math quiz this coming tuesday

After a long siesta, we went out to the garden to check our plants and take some weeds out. 

my dad thought this tamarind tree was already dying after it got submerged in water for weeks.
but thanks to tibs' green thumb, it was 'revived' back to life. it has even started to flower!

it's nice to see these tiny pepper seedlings sprouting too. we've been waiting for them to come out for a week now.
and these by the way weren't store bought. they just came from a rotting red bell pepper that ate inday decided to put on this pot instead of throwing away :)

After saying hi to our plants, Maia also did a story telling session with a caterpillar that we found on our Calamansi tree/shrub. We capped the day with an actual bedtime story session that lead to an early bedtime for me and Tibs too. Our weekend turned out to be one restful one instead of the originally planned busy one but I'll take that over anything fancy anytime, everytime!

How did YOU welcome July?