notes from the underground...

Ok, just to set things straight, I would like to set all hypocrisy aside by merely admitting that, YES, yes I grew up listening to the era of girls on high-heeled rubber shoes and boys with an uncanny obsession of hair gel and un-sexy baggy shirts and jeans. I'm a 90s kid (technically born in the late 80s), what d'you expect? But, hell, I am proud of it! Being a 90s kid, I mean.

That utterly embarrassing fandom has met its doom. I don't know and I cannot remember how. Probably started when the rumors of the Spice Girls being a bunch of lady dude drag queens came out or perhaps when news spread that Stephen from Boyzone was in fact, gay. Not that I am against their sexuality really, but perhaps I have been straying away from my audio destiny far too long.

You see my dad would repeatedly tell me that when I was young, one of his rituals of putting me to sleep (literally and I don't mean murder), was to put Sting or Genesis on his old gramophone. Thus, I (actually) grew up listening to my dad's audio dubs. From the above-mentioned to Dylan, The Beatles,  Pink Floyd, Tears for Fears, Toto, DuranDuran, Queen, Hendrix, The Doors, and sometimes even The Black Sabbath. So I guess it's safe to say that I INITIALLY had good, no, AWESOME taste in music. Heck I even grew up believing that Phil Collins was one of my Dad's best friends. So I told everybody in school (kindergarten) that I had a famous uncle. Didn't really matter back then. No one knew Uncle Phil! Can you believe that? Those losers! hihihihi!

Some 7/8 years after my boy/girl band fandom, I fell in love with the underground.

Cebu City has a lot to offer. Really! I mean that dude from ChannelFix can bash the city (come one! it was obviously us!) any way he can, but I do not know whether to call him shallow or plain stupid, he's only been at the tip of the iceberg. Cebu City is all about "the underground". And by underground, I don't mean the literal or the illegal. This site features Cebu City's heart. Heart! That's it! Cebu City's underground is Cebu City's heart. And though the above-mentioned site has already probed on A LOT of Cebu City's secrets, from food, to awesome spots, the people, crafts, I would like to keep this entry consistent (and hopefully, original) by presenting something that the site has still yet to cover and further probe,  Cebu City's underground music scene… or at least, a gist of it.

I understand that every band started from the underground (scene, that is), and so below are just a few of my personal favorites. Though some may not even be considered as "Underground" since they've made quite a name in the local industry, but underground still, thus, they've NOT YET penetrated the mainstream picture.

Gardo, One Man Down, Queen City Crew - I had to place these guys first (collectively) for the very obvious reason that they're literally The Kings of Cebu's hardcore-punk scene. There's not a gig when these guys aren't surrounded by a significant number of kids in the mosh pits, two-stepping their way to eventual tooth loss and that utter epiphany of hardcore nirvana... whatever that is.

Tiger pussy - Deemed as one of the very few (if not, only) Riot punk band in the city, Tiger Pussy has indeed brought the role of the female in a very male dominated punk scene into another level. Setting aside the "vagina dentata"-ish band name, this band has indeed lived up to its principle, that is to deviate from the norms with good ol' punk spirit. I mean, how often do you have a punk band with a female vocalist and bass player in a city where punk is definitely (don't even try to deny it!) subdued by the the so-called "emo" and "Korean wannabes", and still be prominent? Only Tiger's Pussy can answer that! Wait, did I just say?.. naaaah!

False Graveyard - The self-proclaimed sex gods of the city's metal scene who, collectively, just wants to be loved. These guys have been in the scene for quite some time now and despite the fact that the spectrum of the "metal" genre is basically ruled by guitar shredding, mathematically calculated drum beats and a vocals that sounds just like a pig on the brink being slaughtered, these guys are actually VERY good at it! They've practically been my favorite local metal band since I first saw them live some 4 years ago.

NeverEnding Weekend - Bound by everyone's known wish to never end the weekends, this band has, ironically, never made that universal wish come true, BUT, they've certainly made weekend gigs memorable. A crowd favorite, this band has finally placed electronic rock + softcore on its rightful place in the local scene, in front of moshing kids who are either swooning over the band's female vocalist or grabbing her mic to sing the songs themselves. Initially influenced by AvA this band has practically written a significant number of songs relating to love, friendship, life, and soon (hopefully), moonshine hangovers.

Capetown Claims - One of my boyfriend's favorite local bands, he only has a few, and that is saying a lot! *cough* Rage-Against-The-Machine-ish *cough*

Short 56 - Claiming to have been the spawn of random explicit things which blew up and turned into little golden butterflies, Short 56 has indeed placed the FU in FU... N! Reminds me a lot of Blink182 and NFG in their prime years. These guys can write the most random things about being dumped to holiday gatherings to reminiscing.

Free For All - One of the many underrated bands in the city, this punk Christian band is the very epitome of "awesomeness regardless of age". Having perhaps one of the most powerful vocals in the scene these guys can definitely put on an awesome show. Very promising!

Cross the Devil - Have you read their facebook info already? Still gave me goosepimples after my second read. These guys are literally Hardcore Christians (and proud! Amen!) playing electronic metalcore music. Though their Devil Wears Prada influence cannot be denied, these guys are still giving everyone awe deviating from the norms of metalcore in the city by adding electronic drum machines and synthesizers.

Save the Queen - Is  a proud University band initially gaining prominence after winning a competition. Though there's not much information as to who, what, or where this "Queen" is, it does not really matter, with talents like theirs, you would not care how they're named and why such.

Shuffled - The official soundtrack band of the city. Though these guys have been around for quite some time, their music, literally, never gets old!

Catch all theirs gigs and shows on their respective band pages and always remember: If you are what you eat then I guess it's safe to say, You are what you're listening to too.

And right now, I'm listening to Queen. \m/

Other notable Cebuano talents are noted here as well. But then again, I guess you've already read that.

Who is the Walruskukukachoo? (now, Geez Curls)

A Cebuano's guide to earthquake relief and tsunami mass hysteria

Note: I AM a PROUD Cebuana. The following entry is meant to humor. If you can't take the sarcasm then I suggest you look up for its meaning in the dictionary. Enjoy. :)

It's all over the news. Cebu City gets hit by a 6.8 magnitude earthquake. The epicenter being somewhere in the seas of Negros (Tayasan). Just a few hours after the unprecedented phenomenon, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PhilVolcS) issued a tsunami warning on the western parts of the region. Thus, Western towns of Cebu island (Cebu City being on the East side) were to be prepared for an impending (though minor) tidal action on its coast lines. 

How do I describe this... hmmmm. Ok. So basic Philippine geography teaches us that Philippines is an archipelagic country. Thus, islands and islets are scattered forming the legally collective republic. Major islands are Mindanao and Luzon (respectively), Visayas being the "very archipelagic " region. Cebu and   Tayasan   are in Visayas.   Tayasan   just West from Cebu Island. Cebu City being very much East from  Tayasan  (since Cebu City is also on the Eastern part of Cebu island). And so, the funniest part of the day was the mass hysteria and panic of Cebu City's general population. People downtown running to the higher elevated barangays to avoid the impending "deluge". Pfft!  Really? This just goes to show that (at least) most (or some) of us are not at all familiar with our basic geography.

So here are eight of my personal Cebuano guide to utter mass hysteria. Because, you know what they say, if you can't beat the senses out of them, you might as well join them:

1. Give us about a minute to fully accept the fact that "Oh my Gandalf! THAT really was an earthquake!"
2. Grab your MOST valued possession (meaning, your 4-feet high fridge, your multi-breed askal dog, your whole wardrobe closet, your CPU and monitor, and yes, you can even carry that 2-week old third-hand bike if you want to) and run for safety
3. When at home, DO NOT listen to the radio or watch the news. INSTEAD! Spread that utterly hilarious text message that the downtown area is already on waist-high sea waters due to the tsunami attack! Holy mother of Midi-chlorians! *face palm until black and blue
4. Run for the mountains. YES! Run and be hasty because of the Tsunami WARNING!!! I REPEAT! TSUNAMI W-A-R-N-I-N-G!
5. Because the tsunami is predicted to start in  G Tayasan   (just across the Western side of Cebu island), PANIC especially when you're in Cebu City (Eastern part of Cebu island).
6. Be relieved and confident that an impending tsunami is in fact, impossible... one hour after PhilVolcS cancelled the tsunami warning.
7. Aftershocks are normal. Yeap, norma--- "Oh my Gandaalf!!! We're dooooooooooooomed!!!"
8. Pray (and NO, I'm not being sarcastic) because I know Prayers can save. Always!

In culmination, the whole ruckos might have leveled-up our general sense of panic and the automatic run for safety, but Cebuanos also proved to be masters of another thing during the whole event, Faith. One that is unshaken by even the strongest of tremors. Stronger Faith, renewed Faith and new Faith. 

The death toll of the quake has reached 43. If our Faith has never failed us before then I'm sure it will NOT fail us now. God NEVER fails. Pray for Cebu. PRAY especially for Negros. God Bless and Good Night.

6.8 magnitude hits ubeC and all I thought of was...

February 6, 2012 GMT +8 (Philippines). About 1130 to 12nn. A 6.8 magnitude quake hits the city. Initially I thought the mere shaking of my desk top was but the usual habit of my office-mate's (uncanny) shaking of the knees (the type that hits the desk). Did not react at first because ALG does the same exact thing every time but when the rest of the guys in the office started running for the door, it hit me... Mom!

You see, being (literally) at the center of the archipelago, Cebu City is not really used to quakes. In a year, the most that would hit us is probably about 2 (one of which is not even worth the magnitude charts). I'll probably leave the scientific statistics to the experts but to us, the general mass, the initial priority will always be safety.

The flight or fight response, an innate capability common to all sentient beings. To run for safety during an hour of distress is basically human but to look after the safety of others is beyond the normalcy of being human. Super Human even. The super human capability of looking after other people's safety was magnified today. When strangers actively instructed others what to do when an aftershock hits, and yes, especially through the very act of calling the people we loved to ask if they too are safe. 

As I said, we are not really used to phenomena like these, typhoons yes but tectonic movement of a greater magnitude (quakes and tsunamis), no. For a brief second there, I even thought the whole rockus was a premature warning of the virally feared 2012 Armageddon. I was afraid (hell yes!). Prayed my Christian heart out for the people I loved and myself. But the very moment I called my mom and she told she was alright, my relief level exceeded the anxiety. And just like that, when all my prayers were answered with such haste, I was not afraid anymore.

This is not the end of the world, I know it. A test of Faith, maybe. But if our Maker decides such then I pray for strength. I am not ready for anything catastrophic (heck, just this morning, I was not even ready to face a new research partner on a meeting) but as long as I'm with my mom, I will do anything for us to survive. Anything.