Musicals Share

For the longest time, all Yul Brynner was to me was the imposing pharaoh Rameses in The Ten Commandments. He who inspired Holy Week fear.


That is, until I saw The King and I last weekend during a thon sponsored by my geek friends in an effort to educate me in the ways of classic musicals.
See, it started like this. Last December, Dante gave me an assignment to cover Feel Harmonic Encore at the Powerplant Mall for Playboy magazine. It was a Yuletide-themed mini-concert featuring veteran theater performers Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo and Michael Williams, among others. I agreed to cover the event mainly because the cast of 9 Works Theatrical's Rent was also going to be there.


Since I already knew that I wasn't gonna be familiar with some of the songs they were gonna sing (there are tons of musicals out there after all), I set my phone to record audio. The plan was to transcribe the lyrics and google them later so I can name the performances for my article.

In the course of that process, I discovered that the reason why I'm not familiar with some of the songs they performed was because they were from popular classic musicals and that I HAVEN'T SEEN THEM! If I have seen them before, it's must've been a way, way back because both time and memory are fleeting.


We're talking songs like Something Good from The Sound of Music and We Kiss in Shadow from The King and I. I realized then that apart from these two productions, I also haven't haven't seen West Side Story, among other classics.


I mean, I grew up listening to the Disney soundtracks and doing straight plays and musicals in grade school and high school, but I was never exposed to these productions. I also did a few musical revues and workshops back in the day, but I never really knew where the songs came from. I admit my active promotion and following of musical theater is only a few years old.

Realizing these things became the angle to which I anchored my eventual article (please get your copy of last April's Playboy 2nd anniversary issue). A few friends sought to remedy this by organizing the thon.


We screened three movies last weekend: A Sound of Music, The King and I and West Side Story.
My general impression of the movies is that music, lyrics and dance back then are what CGI is now: padding. They serve to bloat up the movie and give audiences a spectacular experience seemingly without moving the narrative forward. All the dancing in West Side Story became unnecessary and distracting after a time.
I realize it was the norm at the time, but the movies tend to get really dragging. I don't know if I can bring myself to sit through three hours of each again. However, The King and I made it bearable because it had humor (Yul Brynner FTW) and it was more spectacular than the other two. The movie felt more like a theatrical performance (hello, soundstage!)
The songs were not as memorable as the other two though.
Speaking of songs, I took a lot of heat for saying "I don't like Sondheim" after snoozing through Repertory Phils.' production of Sweeney Todd last year. The OST of Into the Woods bore me as well. I do find the West Side Story songs far more memorable though than Sound or King. This is probably because compared to Sound, King, even Todd and Woods, the West Side Story songs were more contemporary than classical.


This makes sense for me because my taste for musicals hinges on those infused with pop, soul and rock (In the Heights, Spring Awakening, Aida, Wicked, Once on this Island, Hairspray, RENT!). I even like the Broadway versions of The Little Mermaid and The Lion King, but Beauty and the Beast is just hard to swallow.
The thing is I need my songs to pull me in and not push me away, which I'm afraid to say is how certain classic musicals and even the Phantom of the Opera make me feel. 


I guess that just makes me more Top 40 and less rhythm-and-blues.

These Are Just Some of My Favorite Things

While preparing for work this morning, my train of thought somehow led me to mentally list down my favorite everything.

And I noticed a pattern.

See if you can find it.

My favorite comic book characters.

My favorite musical.

My favorite TV show.

My favorite RPG/console game.

My favorite Strategy/PC game.

My favorite fantasy book series.

What I've come to realize is that they are all ensembles.

Even if Wheel of Time and Final Fantasy IV have primary characters, the stories played out with a large cast of protagonists.

My musical taste also reflects this trend.

I seem to like bands and soundtracks more than individual artists.

I guess my preferences suit my personality well.

I enjoy plurality.

I like options and the opportunity to try new things and combinations.

I like being able to try my hand at different skills, ultimately being a jack of all trades but a master of none.

'Cause Everything Is RENT!

Another long overdue blog.

That's me with three of my closest college friends - Krystal, Lyca and Gen. We got to see the very last show of the 2010 Manila run on Feb. 28.

This after about 4 years of professing undying love and devotion to Jonathan Larson's masterpiece.

My first real memory of Rent was sometime in early 2001 when I was doing theater and my group wanted to do 'Seasons of Love'. I borrowed someone's cassette copy of the soundtrack and listened to it once. I didn't know what the musical was about and I don't remember being fascinated then.

Then the movie version came out in 2005 and was released here early 2006 exclusively to Ayala malls. I remember finally being curious about the story and decided to watch it - sadly not in the cinema. Let's leave it at that.

I was hooked. Been a Rent-head since then.
I now have a copy of both the movie and original Broadway soundtracks. I've memorized all the songs and I'm just not getting sick of them even after all this time.

One of my goals in life was to one day watch the show live on Broadway but that was crushed when the show closed last September 2008.
Thankfully, Sony filmed the last show and released it on DVD. Thanks to Tobie, I also got to see that - but sadly not on DVD. Let's leave it at that.

So imagine my surprise late last year when Jon plurked about auditions for a new Rent production to be staged here by 9 Works Theatrical! I may not have had plans of auditioning, but it was exciting because it meant that a company is staging it and I was finally gonna see it live!

Last December, mere weeks after the cast was announced, Dante sent me on an assignment to cover Feel Harmonic Encore.Having followed 9 Works on Twitter & Facebook, I knew that the cast was gonna be there. So I went but I felt that their performance Seasons of Love and Finale B at the time was sorely lacking. I don't know. I just wasn't wowed.

The cast then went on to make an appearance on the now-defunct SOP. My friends who got to see them were a tad disappointed. Based on these and reviews from friends from within and without local theater, I knew I had to lower my expectations just a bit when I finally get to see it with the geeks and my college friends.
Speaking of the geeks, it turns out one of the the producers was Oneal's classmate in grade school (or was it high school? Can't remember).

Then I finally got to see it. It took all of my energies to refrain from singing along but I managed to lip sync at least. The moment Fred Lo as Mark Cohen began his dialog, part of me was already teary-eyed. I can't believe I was finally seeing it live. It was epic for me all the way through.

So now, I've experienced the original Broadway cast, the movie cast, the final cast and the Manila 2010 cast. I couldn't help myself. I just had to do this:

Angel Dumott Schunard

*This is actually Job's first role in professional theater. He did great.

Benjamin "Benny" Coffin III

*Rodney Hicks was Taye Diggs' understudy in the original production.

I first saw Noel Rayos on Atlantis' 'Hairspray' and 'The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee'.

Joanne Jefferson

*I thought Jenny Villegas lacked that spunk that made Joanne as a character stand out.

Mark Cohen

*Adam Kantor and Fred Lo have something in common: They were both still in college when they got the role -  Adam in Northwestern University and Fred in De La Salle University.

Maureen Johnson

*This is the second time Eden Espinosa took over a role originated by Idina Menzel - the first was when we she performed as Elphaba in Wicked.

I first saw Carla Guevara-Laforteza on Atlantis' 'Avenue Q' and 'The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee'.

Mimi Marquez

*I thought Nicole Asensio's version of Mimi was much closer to Daphne Rubin Vega's while Rosario Dawson and Renee Elise Goldsberry mirrored each other.

Roger Davis

*I don't know what it is but Gian Magdangal failed to move me!

Boy, was he oh-so-hoarse after two performances prior to the one I saw.

Tom Collins

*Surprisingly, I first saw OJ Mariano when he was a 'celebrity speller' the second time I saw Spelling Bee. I was like 'Who? How is he a celebrity?!"
He did a memorable Tom Collins though.

So there. Here's me with the rest of the geeks. That's Shey's scarf around my neck, which I borrowed just for the night.

Oh, and last Wednesday, I snagged a copy of Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway DVD at 50% off to boot. So here's everything RENT that I now own:

Souvenir program and ticket to the left.
DVDs to the right: Rent movie on top and Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway at the bottom.
Not in picture: Rent souvenir shirt.

Backstreet's Back. Alright!

Obviously, this is a long overdue blog post.

Yes, the group was here for a concert last Feb. 27 sans Kevin Richardson who had already retired.

Yes, I was there in Gen. Ad. with Mark, Jay-r, Icheb, Shey and Jovan.

Yes, I once followed their career and liked their songs. I was 15 and clearly not so cool. Sue me but I will not make excuses. What? Bubble gum pop was all the rage back then!

I actually still have their first album on cassette. I once had a CD of their second album but I gave it to my cousin Monique who was so into them back in the day. I think she still is. I should go ask.


The thing was that my copy was the Asian edition and it came with bonus tracks that the North American edition didn't have. The time I went to Canda to stay with Monique and her family was around the same time that the appeal of BSB pop was beginning to wane on me. I didn't follow the group anymore after the second album.

So I gave my copy to Monique as a parting and thank you gift when I went back home in late 1999.

Ironically, the first time I saw the group perform live was in Seattle with Monique and my cousins. I still remember the ocean of cheering fan girls surrounding. I think my ears are still ringing. I don't having as much fun watching them though (what with the whole declining interest thing).

Flash forward to about a month ago and there I was dancing and singing along to Quit Playing Games With My Heart and As Long As You Love Me, among others. The concert itself wasn't as spectacular as the one in Seattle ten years ago - prolly cause they're not as big now as they were before. Still, the crowd was just as shrilling and I actually had more fun - maybe because of the novelty of it all.

More than anything, what I realize though is that being in that venue with that crowd and that boy band, I can pretend like I was 15 again. Good times, good times.

My cassette and my ticket.

Judgment Day for Tikbalang and KaCASA

Before the clock strikes 12 tonight, I would know two things:

1. Whether Neil Gaiman and whoever the other judges are would name our movie, Anak ng Tikbalang, the Best Short Film in the Fully Booked Neil Gaiman Graphic/Fiction Awards.

2. Whether resident members of the Communication Arts Students Association (CASA) have elected the candidates of my party, Partido KaCASA, to any or all seven posts in the CASA Executive Board for next year.

ON TIKBALANG
The movie was written and directed by my good friend Dek. When she asked me to manage its production sometime in mid-2008, I immediately agreed. The concept was fun and to be part of it was just something I couldn't pass up.

We made the movie specifically as an entry to the upcoming Fully Booked Neil Gaiman Awards, which opened the Best Short Film Category up only that year. More than a year passed from shooting and submitting Tikbalang to being notified that we made the short-list of nominees. Being short-listed meant that our movie had a one-in-ten chance of being best film by Neil himself. It also made Tikbalang eligible for the People's Choice Awards, which I've been actively campaigning for in the last few days on various media platforms - mostly thru text and Internet.

ON KACASA
I went back to the den of tigers, UST, early last week to meet with our candidates. As it turned out, we've encountered a major bump in the road when our President and PRO were idiotically disqualified by the AB COMELEC. A petition to the university-wide COMELEC yielded favorable results when our candidates were finally allowed to run.

Anyway, my real purpose on coming back and meeting with our candidates was to train them in their speeches and give them advice, having been in their situation twice. I actually ran twice during my junior year - in June when I ran for VP-Internal and in March when I aimed for the Presidency. I won on both occasions.

The campaign was held late last week and the elections were done the past two days. Canvasing would be tonight and the results to be announced later.

So I'm excited and nervous but nonetheless calm about both results. After all, we've done our best. The rest is up to fate now and I can only hope that it would be so kind.

Thank you to everyone who supported our movie and our candidates.

 
Almost every KaCASA candidate from '04 to '07.
Photo from Lester.

Relaunching Fandom Live

Late last year, Dek, Tobie and Paolo came to me with a proposition to revamp Fandom Live for this year.

One of the most important changes was to favor quality over convenience. That meant taking the extra long route from shooting an episode to doing post-production.

Another change was to streamline the segments. That entailed lessening the number of hosts and maintaining regular and consistent segments. As opposed to having different styles, color schemes and whatnot for almost every episode.
One of those regular segments turned out to be We:View, which was ultimately assigned to me to produce, direct and edit.

One last important change was to finally settle on a home where the episodes would be hosted. After ustream and youtube, we've finally come home to Fandom Cafe.

At first, the idea seemed fantastic. It would mean I get to play with equipment, software and do what I've always loved to do: production.
Until the real world sets in, of course, and our audio won't sync with our video, footage get magically lost and ultimately our episodes (mine, in particular) get delayed. That doesn't even include taking the time to take the trip to Fandom Cafe and actually edit the videos because I don't have the proper equipment at home. Or the fact that we have to constantly sync our skeds so we don't burden each other.

So there are these problems that we're incessantly looking to avoid with each new episode that we do, even those that aren't assigned to me (Dek handles the non-we:view episodes).
Of course, all these setbacks get blown in the wind the moment we see the final product. Case in point: our We:View episodes for Avatar and 2012.

2012 was shot first as the supposed season opening because we couldn't shoot Avatar without Rocky who had more to say about the James Cameron flick. However, I felt that Avatar was a better opener because of all the gimmicks involved. So despite already having introduced 2012 as the first episode of the new season, I worked on and finished Avatar first. Despite the delays and spending almost a day on it, the result was just amazing. Not Avatar-amazing but it was definitely worth the effort and it deserved to usher in the new era for Fandom Live.

Behind the scenes, I'm thankful our current creative team hasn't gotten to the point of arguing and bickering with each other over details. At least, not on set, which, most often than not, is the Fandon Cafe mezzanine.

We actually argue our creative differences through emails but never to the point of taking things personally. By the time we start rolling, all of us are clear and united about what we want to achieve. Maybe because we have respect for each other's role in the production. During We:View shoots, Tobie acts as our headwriter and Dek is my second cam and cinematographer, and I let them do whatever. They certainly didn't question me when I decided not to release 2012 as the premiere episode nor when I asked for a certain shot to be done for Sherlock Holmes.

So that has been the experience so far with the first quarter of the new Fandom Live. We got more plans for upcoming episodes, so stay tuned.

From weBLOG to BackLOG

When I started blogging, it was because I wanted to share my stories, opinions and ideas. I had this delusion people cared about what I had to write about. I still do.

It's just that I don't know if people got busier or blogs just got cumbersome. Everybody seems to have migrated to the microblogging platforms of Plurk, Twitter, Facebook (to a certain extent) and Multiply (ironically enough). Even myself.

So I pretty much unraveled everything that I consider important and worth sharing these past few weeks in 140 or so characters (including spaces). Even me.

Having an EDGE-capable phone and a ping.fm account help me keep everyone abreast of what's going on in my life - not only in real time but on all my networks. That was certainly useful when I was stranded in Ermita during Ondoy.

Yet I feel that my new life stories still deserve the 250-word treatment. Why? Because while plurks, tweets, stat messages, notes, wallposts, shoutouts and quicknotes let people know I'm still alive, they make for less than ideal writing practice.

So now I have a list of blog topics that stretch back as far as January. Some of the things I'd like to cover are:

1. The Fandom Live relaunch

2. A certain wedding you may have heard of

3. A certain boyband concert

4. A certain musical recently staged locally

5. That whole career thing.

Whodathunkit?

I'm blogging about blogging or lack thereof.

We Don't Need Numbers To Tell Us We're Screwed

About a month ago, I was invited by a friend to the launching of their popdev initiative - 'MulatPinoy'. Now what exactly is popdev? No, it's not population development. It's 'population AND development'.


It refers to how population growth affects a nation's key socio-economic indicators. For example, what does it mean for the country when our numbers grow exponentially?


The good news is that there are nearly enough Filipinos to keep the world running. The bad news is that there isn't enough of the Philippines for the Filipinos to run around in. I remember that during the launch, I struggled with all the facts and figures the speakers were presenting. Yeah, they were compelling. Yeah, they were staggering. Yet, how do I put all that in a blog? How do I explain GDP, GNP and all these high-faluting acronyms?
Then I realized the sad truth that I don't need numerical statistics to confirm the facts. Let's play a game. I'll throw in a few keywords and see how many of you would feel optimistic.

Education.
Employment.
Environment.
Well? How many of you thought we had enough of those to go around? None? Thought so. That list didn't even cover the basic needs of food, shelter and clothing. 


In progressive countries, the trend is different. The more controlled the population growth, the higher the standard of living. The issue, of course, is bigger than population control.
I doubt that we'll adopt China's one-child policy anytime soon. Our lawmakers can't even get family planning off the ground, for Christ's sake. Speaking of Christ, the crap should we care about supposed Catholic doctrines when our people are suffering?


MulatPinoy wants presidential aspirants and other candidates in this May's elections to be answerable to these questions. What policies do they intend to espouse to address these issues? Where do they even stand on these matters, if at all?
To that end, MulatPinoy had been holding Kapihan sessions for the past two weekends now and will continue to do so for two more weeks. The sessions raise these very issues to political aspirants with each weekend bearing a different theme - from education in one to environment in the next.
The MulatPinoy website itself is very informative. Aside from containing links to websites of presidential candidates, the site also tracks each candidate's statement about the issues surrounding popdev.


As for the launch itself, I learned that in order to get to the truth of things, I really have to do the math. The irony is that I took up Communication Arts in college because of the minimal math requirements. Heres's a few numbers that was shocking enough to commit to memory: 
There's only one policeman for every 700+ people.
There are only 4% of the country's forests remaining.
We are the 12th most overpopulated country in the world. By 2050, we would be on the top 10.
Crap.


In the end, the initiative aims to tap our net generation to bring about the message that we are in big trouble and we want our future leaders to figure out how to solve them. Personally, I believe that citizens should also be held responsible for whatever problems we are facing now. Let's begin by taking the right to vote seriously. Listen to the candidates. They may not be likable. They may not be popular. Their ads and endorsers maybe annoying. Still, who knows? Maybe at least one of them would have a solid platform to address these issues.

PopCity is an online simulation game that attempts to teach young people the relevance of popdev. The game was developed by local studio Flipside Games and can be found on their official website.

2009: The List

So I finally decided to activate my Blogger / Blogspot account and I decided to start things off with the things that made my 2009 - both good and bad. Celebrity deaths and other current events that didn't have anything to do with me were not included.

I wanted to make a list of 100 things but I couldn't populate it, so I went with the next best thing: a list of 75 things!

1.Dark Reign
2.Yale New Year's Party 2009
3.Welcome Back, Kathy Repol
4.Goodbye, my dog Queenie
5.Invasion of Malaysia – Jovan's Birthday
6.Goodbye, Hec / Welcome Back, Hec / Goodbye, Hec / Welcome Back Again, Hec / Goodbye Again, Hec!
7.Joon's “Wala Lang” Party at Joon's
8.Iana's Graduation Party at Iana's
9.Singles Poker at Jovan's on Valentine's Day
10.Pirate Mardi Gras at Il Pirata – Oneal proposed to Rej
11.Victorian Valentine's
12.Aids' Prom Birthday Party at Club Dredd
13.Jihan and Albert's Birthday Gimik at 77
14.Lynn's Birthday Party in Makati
15.TAGCOM – got a lot of Avengers goodies here!
16.Welcome Home, Papa
17.The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
18.Rockeoke – this was when the Big Bang Gang was first formed
19.Broadwayoke – sang “Out There”, among other things, and got an applause from the pianist
20.COLF '99 10th Anniversary Reunion at Metrowalk
21.Fandom Live Star Trek Shoot
22.SDP Thanksgiving Party - Majority win, except the top 3 positions.
23.The Original Avengers Minimates
24.Sir Joel Birthday Gimik – my last before finally exiting Pageshop
25.Slimerrun and Swimming
26.Ricky's 2nd Death Anniversary Picnic
27.Jon's Birthday Party at Yale
28.Goodbye, Pageshop - after two years!
29.Hello, Swiftworks
30.Shey's Coffee Party at Bona BF
31.Free Comic Book Day 2009 – another Big Bang Gang formed here.
32.Karen's Birthday Rockeoke!
33.Cameron Crowe Thon at Roseroland
34.Komik Kon Summer Fiesta – got loads of Avengers back issues, including A-Next
35.Fully Booked FCBD / Geeks On Ice – Happy Birthday, Oneal
36.Legally Blonde
37.ToyCon 2009
38.Bianca's Party at Metrowalk
39.Paul's Birthday Party at Yale
40.Iana's Birthday Party at Big Sky Mind
41.VA Anniversary Party at Fandom Cafe
42.Metro Comic Con – got a complete Avengers Infinity set
43.Paolo's Birthday Party at Fandom Cafe
44.Anya's Birthday Lunch in Anya's place in Taytay
45.Shopping Spree – got to get rid of old stuff!
46.Avengers Forever HC
47.Ninay's Birthday Party in Cavite
48.Hank's Surprise Party at Big Sky Mind
49.Getting A New Phone – Nokia 3110 Classic Baby!
50.Talk Like A Pirate Day 2009
51.CosplayMania – there's a reason this was memorable!
52.The Hunger Games LARP / Manila International Book Fair
53.Ondoy
54.Spring Awakening
55.Goodbye, Swiftworks – I got fired, then re-hired, then resigned!
56.Happy Birthday To Me! - no Octoberian Birthday Bash but that's okay. Had fun with friends anyway.
57.The Gathering Storm
58.Planet X 1st Year Anniversary – I got Avengers Domination Factor sans 1 issue!
59.Dante's Birthday Dinner
60.Komik Kon – got loads of back issues, including the complete runs of The Good Guys and The Crusaders
61.Starbucks with CA4 Friends – We had four editions already
62.Goodbye, my dog Dino!
63.BORACAY! - 5 days of Paradise
64.Fizzer Launch Party
65.Thanksgiving Dinner at Adam's
66.Sweeney Todd
67.COLF '99 X-mas Reunion at Gerardo's
68.Welcome Back, Lady
69.Welcome Back, Inggak
70.College Friends X-mas Party
71.Finishing Golden Sun & Golden Sun: The Lost Age on the Gameboy Micro
72.Baul Photos – Thanks, CA4!
73.Troopings
74.OGM's
75.Kaladkarans

Now, for something fun, here are my personal favorites of everything I've experienced this year.

Movies:
Watchmen
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Star Trek
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
GI Joe
Amelia
Avatar – MOVIE OF THE YEAR!
Wapakman – WORST MOVIE EVER! EVER!

TV:
Glee - SHOW OF THE YEAR!
Community

Books:
The Gathering Storm - BOOK OF THE YEAR!
Got a copy of Brida (Paulo Coelho)
Finished Sword of Truth Books 5 & 6, A Song of Ice and Fire 4

Music:
Discovered The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Once On This Island
Tried Out Jersey Boys but didn't like it
SONGS OF THE YEAR: BEP's “I Got A Feeling” and 30 Seconds to Mars' “Kings and Queens”

Comics:
Trese - COMICS OF THE YEAR!
Bayan Knights
Sanduguan

Theater:
Spring Awakening
Sweeney Todd
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee - PLAY OF THE YEAR!

Events:
CinExpo – I did a lot of the marketing / advertising collaterals for this!
Feel Harmonic – I saw the cast of “Rent Manila 2010” for the first time!
ToyCon 2009
Komik Kon Summer Fiesta 2009
Komik Kon - EVENT OF THE YEAR!
CosplayMania
TAGCOM

So, I guess that was my 2009. I've learned to be more trusting and that has been rewarded dutifully with trust as well. Despite all the trials, I laughed and I cried in 2009. It was all worth it.
For my 2010, I think I will continue on the same path I'm already taking now. I'm learning to take more risks and improving on my relationships with people. My personal goal though is improving on my skills and talents.

(*This isn't my traditional obligatory look back for 2009 because there were some pretty personal stuff there that I'd rather not share with everyone at the moment.*)

The Ballad of the Phone

The following entry used to be on my old Multiply blog.

I thought I'd share this here in light of some recent events (story to follow).

    My dad got me my first phone a few months before college. It was a yellow Alcatel unit with only two lines of CAPS locked text, which I was embarrassed to be seen with that I let it die a few months into freshman year.
    Aside from my dad's business going down around that time and I couldn't afford a new one, I decided  that I didn't like the phone culture developing at the time - the status symbol, the dependency. So a cellphone wasn't a priority for me even as I became one of the more active, most wanted students in the next few yeas.
    On my senior year, when I was president of CASA, my co-officer lent me his old Nokia 5110, which I had  broken before the 1st semester was even over. Come December, three months before graduation, my dad left for the U.S. and I inherited his 3310.
    Then, I started working for events. In one event, I broke that phone's LCD. Two weeks before a major event, I was held up and the phone was taken from me - broken LCD, my sponsors and suppliers' numbers and all. That was hell.
    In early 2006, Dre lent me her old Motorola unit. All I had to do was get a SIM card for it.
    With the phone nearing the end of its life, and with phones and loads getting cheaper, I finally bought my first phone that summer: an 1100. The monochromatic phone and its  flashlight served me for two years until last year when its LCD broke.
    To replace the aging 1100, I got a 1208,  my first colored phone, which  had a flashlight as well. Just last month, my phone laid on the floor as flood waters entered our house.
    Clearly I'm not a phone person. I prefer basic models and I'm careless with them. For me, phones shouldn't cost you an arm and a leg.
    So, for my next cellphone, my criteria was that it should have an MP3 player (to also replace the Zen Stone Plus I lost) and can be connected to a PC so I can back up contacts. My budget was P2k and I didn't care if it was a Nokia or other known brands.
    At last month's OGM, I decided to look around SM Marikina. What I found was a Korean brand called eTouch whose phones met my criteria, was discounted at the time, and included a 2gb microSD card. My only issues were that I won't find protective casings for it and there was no way to back contacts up on PC.
    So, I went around more and discovered the Nokia 3110 Classic. When I held it and saw the infra red, the USB connector, and the specs, I knew I found my perfect phone. Except it was beyond budget. It retailed at P4.5k, excluding a microSD card, which would easily swell the price up to P5k.
    The next day, I went to Greenhills to look for more options and forget about the 3110 Classic. I couldn't do it. Finally, I decided "Screw it," and looked for the best price instead. My experience with my Aiptek camera and Blue netbook taught me that I need gadgets with extensive user support.
    I eventually got my Nokia 3110 Classic at P4.4k, inclusive of a 2gb SD card, and I am happier for it. It is now protectively covered in silicon with the plastic film covering the screen, camera and IR intact. I back my numbers up, transfer data between my phone and PDA, and enjoy mobile internet.
    Yes, evolution is nice. That reminds me: There is an eco-friendly variant of my phone called  Nokia 3110 Evolve. Crap.

09/9/21 3:55 pm