A lot has happened over the past year. Some have been noted on these pages, and others have appeared elsewhere. Friendships were made and lost, relations frayed and strengthened. A lot has changed both in the world, and to some extent in myself.
After all that has happened, it remains for me to wonder at all those tokens of grace that have kept me going. And then, at least, be grateful.
And of course, pay it forward.
I would like to highlight a couple of events that came to my attention:
1. The Dakila collective, who helped sponsor one of the most memorable Geek Fights I ever attended (actually, I did help with that one), is organizing an event at six PM, called “Rock for a Fully Abled Nation.” Persons with disabilities do deserve the same political rights as the rest of us, and this event will, I hope, educate most of us as to how this can be done.
2. I’m looking forward to this new band called Farewell Fair Weather launch their EP this week. I understand it will be at a new sports bar next to MC Home Depot, at nine PM. (Will post more details when I get them.)
Of course, I will be noting details on an event that I am actually going to help with, which will be announced tomorrow.
This is the time of year I sometimes ask whether everything was all worth it.
In the past it has led to moments of unease. In a way, I still feel uneasy, if only because there is more to be done. Suffice to say, it is not as sad as it once was. I cannot say why right now.
For the moment, I think it matters that I am still here.
My quote for this week comes from Anselm of Canterbury, who died on 21 April 1109.
“I do not seek to understand so that I may believe; but I believe so that I may understand.” – Proslogion, chap. 1.
Have a good week, dear readers.
I was considering writing about the events of yesterday here, and my own impressions of them. Suffice to say that over the space of fourteen hours, I visited a book-related event, an artist’s place (for an interview), a party near a furniture shop (the second in a month), and an album launch. It was definitely draining, but fun.
I will not write about them, though, but only because these will be part of a number of published pieces I am working on after today.
Rather, all I can say is that perhaps after yesterday, as I mentioned to an acquaintance, such days should no longer happen. Fortunately, though, I think these days are quite rare to begin with, and given that I am moving away from one field in particular, it is going to be a more interesting, though slower, time in the next few months.
My review of the new play Sa Wakas appeared today on GMA News Online. It was begun at exactly 1 AM, roughly two hours after the play’s preview was finished. This is a new record for me; the fastest one before that was for PETA’s ‘D Wonder Twins of Boac, which was composed the morning after I saw the play.
For previous reportage, here is my piece for pindiemusic.com, which was written after the press event at Route 196.
However, I noted three things that did not make it to the review. I will address them briefly here.
1. One question that was raised in the run-up to the play was how the very idea of such a play would be received by Sugarfree fans. I have heard some expressions of unease with the idea. I understand that the music of the band still resonates with some people that the thought of them being done by other voices in another context would be difficult to accept. It is a view I would respect; it arises from the very way music forms part of narratives, a point I alluded to in the review and on which I hope to elaborate in another essay after the run is over. But there are two things that would balance this: one is that there are indeed fans who welcome this, and who are open to the possibility; the other is that this musical is as much a Sondheim homage as a Sugarfree one, and the usual theater crowds may be drawn to this for that reason.
2. The other question is whether, ultimately, the choice to take on Merrily We Roll Along‘s story-telling strategy (a choice mimicked by, among others, the romantic comedic film (500) Days of Summer, for which I thank a writer/acquaintance for reminding me) was the right one in the light of perceived audience sophistication or lack thereof. I have nothing to say about the plot itself, and the “mild spoiler” the producers caught is all I will give away. But I will say that it counted that the dialogue bore the weight of sign-posting, giving us clues as to where we are in the flow back in time. I am aware that theater is a dialogue-driven medium. I am sure that some discerning audiences, whether or not they are regular theater-goers, have figured that out.
3. On a less serious note, I am glad that the producers, who are connected to a most interesting cultural development called Fringe Manila, decided to make a few carefully placed plugs for fringe festivals in Act I. I am personally curious about how this idea, which has taken root in cities across the world, will be worked out in the Philippine context. So I look forward to the first Manila Fringe Festival in 2014.
And a bonus item:
4. Today marks not only the Summer Komikon, but also a couple of music events. At Big Bad Wolf on 5th Avenue near the Bonifacio Global City’s entrance, there will be a preview gig for the Summer Peace Festival being held in two Mindanao cities later this month. The other, and perhaps more exciting event for me, will be the monthly Attraction! Reaction! gig at Route 196. All I can say is, it will be an interesting night, Deo volunt.
Have a good weekend, dear readers.
I am writing this as a power outage caused by a blown-up transformer is mercifully keeping us in the dark, when most are asleep. Fortunately, the utility company had said they would send a crew in, but I worry that this summer may be a busy time for them.
A lot of things have happened this past week. I was forced to reconsider, among others, where I would be writing and even if I should be doing it at all. The former has since been resolved, and it goes without saying that the latter still has to receive a clear answer.
I told an acquaintance earlier that it is another time of transition, and I must add now that it is a hopeful time. I hope it will result in something much better than even I expected.
In the meantime, we are in the dark, but it is no longer as dark as it once was.
After all, everything has changed.
Next post will be up around Easter Day–there’s something I am planning to write, but for now, I must say that the last few weeks were times for figuring out where things stand and that, as of yesterday, I may as well say that it was definitely fun while it lasted but it may be time to move on.
Anything else that will be, I am looking forward to it.
For now, though, enjoy my most recent piece for the music site pindiemusic.com, with photos by Kris Sebastian, who graduated just a day after my mother did.
UPDATE: Well, I am going to apologize for not posting anything on Easter Day. I do have something to post sometime this Easter Week.
Sometimes I wonder why I keep on not updating. This time, I do have a reason. A lot has happened, but it takes time for me to make sense of them before my thoughts on the subject can be reduced to writing.
However, a few things can be said from this distillation:
1. I met a friend from the film world more than once over the past ten days. The story of this person and the project is one I have been following since a year ago, when filming of that project began.
In a bit of a full circle that sometimes tends to happen, I met the person who was responsible for evaluating the project for a funding agency.
2. I watched a play that was not a musical for the second time this year–after The King of the Birds, done by a student theater company, I got to see Red by John Logan, which won the 2010 Tony Award for Best Play. The play, which is about the modern artist Mark Rothko, starred Bart Guingona as the visual artist whose work and life-philosophy are brought into question by a young assistant. It was a “what-if” based on an incident late in his life in which a series of commissions for a new restaurant were unexpectedly withdrawn.
I found the play interesting, but more importantly very meaningful, as I have been thinking about the local visual arts scene and the transitions it is undergoing. One curator likened Rothko to the artist Lee Aguinaldo, whose work was the subject of a recent retrospective show; I find the resemblance much closer to someone else I know. But the issues it raises are issues very much of our time; the play was written as the art world saw new record highs on the auction market.
3. Finally, I am awaiting the coming month with some interest. After Easter, there are all the record launches I am expecting. And there are a number of other things too. Perhaps I can think about something to write about in the interim.
We’re still here! Sorry for the lack of updates. I do have something to add tomorrow.
