I'm Sure I'll Post Often During the School Year

I have been trying, in vain, to get an update onto this blog. In reality, there hasn't really been a whole lot going on during these past couple months. Well there have been, but I think I have a problem when it comes to writing about some things.

I write way too damn much.

It's a habit that I 'm really trying to quell. I am currently working on some Olympics posts, especially after that spectacular opening ceremony. The problem is, I found myself writing so much that I decided to leave it off for later and I never got back to it. I'll finish it eventually - such is my dilemna.

In any case, I can say that tomorrow will be a good day in my gaming life. My favorite game of all time, Bionic Commando, is finally getting its next-generation due, A remake, dubbed "Bionic Command: Rearmed", will be digitally released tomorrow morning.

I played the Game Boy version to death, getting so good at it that a run-through could possibly take just half an hour. I totally mastered the HELL out of that game, and to this day it still is one of the funnest gaming experiences ever. It's good to finally be able to play an updated classic.

By the way, one thing I always loved about the game was its music. In "Rearmed", the themes have all been redone and are excellent tunes.

"Go, go, BIONIC!"

06/10: 'Journey's Revelation'

I've had a real obsession in the past week or so. Don't worry, it's a healthy one. Normally, an obsession of this kind wouldn't be (more on that later). But I have some faith.

My obsession has to do with the five guys in this picture that have been making some great music lately and are currently breaking new ground:


If you don't know who they are, then you're probably not a fan. And if you're Filipino and you don't know who they are, then you must have been living under a rock for the past few months or so (or more realistically, you somehow haven't made contact with another one of our people in a while).

However, everyone in the above categories has one thing in common: they have heard a song from this band at least once in their lives. I am talking, of course, about Journey; and their new lead singer, Arnel Pineda. He is the reason why so many Filipinos - I mean, people - have been opening their eyes, their ears, and their wallets for this band that has been around for close to three decades. And he has been the catalyst for what could be the group's biggest revival in years.

Arnel Pineda, 40, steps into the shoes of once lead singer Steve Perry to revive the band's iconic sound. However, his beginnings were very humble; his discovery, even more so. When the band needed to get back on the road in hopes of rising up again, it had to find a lead singer. The previous two attempts didn't last, either because of a failure to live up to the Perry legacy or a failure to bring in fans. So, in a move that really reflected our current technology-based generation, band member Neal Schon searched for that voice - on Youtube.

Soon enough, he found Pineda and his cover band 'The Zoo' rocking out to various songs by famous acts like Sting and Led Zeppelin. The one thing that Journey couldn't deny this long haired Filipino was his voice, and it sounded every bit as good as the original Steve Perry wailing of yesteryear. In fact, Pineda's voice had its own unique and palpable quality.

A few phone calls, some voice samples, and one long flight to America later, Pineda auditioned for the band. Journey's stamp of approval was given just as quickly. That was about half a year ago, and in the first week of June, the band release its album 'Revelation', debuting Arnel Pineda as a full member of the band.

The album features a re-recording of the band's greatest hits compilation, a DVD of its first large-scale concert with Pineda, and a CD of new songs. It was also only found exclusively at Wal-Mart (which I still don't understand why). I am putting all these details down for one reason - people should buy this album.


And this doesn't come from a Filipino that is high off another one of his own people's 15 minutes of fame. This is coming from a new fan of the music - not the identity. The new, original songs, shine with a quality that rivals that of the band's former glories, and many of them are sure to be hits. The original band members before Pineda haven't lost a beat - they still strum and drum with the best of them. However, when you add in this man's voice, everything falls into place. The passion and the soul of every song resonates out of the speakers, into your ears, and into your heart. It's like listening to Journey on KOST 103.5 all over again, complete with all of the 'oohs' and 'aahs' and 'awww I love this song!' - only this time, the music is all new. Pineda has brought a lot to this band, and in a lot of ways it's a great thing; but this is a band, and altogether, this band has created a quality piece of work.

However, I will admit that this is the first Filipino bandwagon (would it be Jeepney for us?) that I think I can get on. Think about all the Fil-Am acts that have made it in the limelight. Most of them were on American Idol, some may know a few from Youtube, and then there's, of course, Manny Pacquiao. All of these people, excluding Pacquiao, have not managed to break the mainstream market in a big way. Support for the American Idol contestants basically stopped after those people were booted off the show, and support for Youtube stars remains exclusive towards very small online audiences.

But this is the first time that the fame is actually legit. Journey is such a popular band already, and both it and Pineda will benefit from this partnership. Pineda will rack in - and already has - new Filipino fans, and Journey has themselves a singer that brings both new and old to the sound. Old, because he still gives justice to the Steve Perry legacy. New, because he changes the culture of the band. Literally. And should Pineda get through the world-wide tour over the coming months, his place in Journey will be solidified. A platinum album will add to that, as well. And finally the Filipino community can really say that one of its own is making a splash in mainstream music.

The story, the band, the man, the songs - they are all stellar and deserve to be listened to. I have bought this album (I know, go figure) and I thoroughly recommend it. Try it, love it, buy it, and then love it some more.

Check out:
Pineda's Interview on CBS
First Gig, in Chile! Performance of 'Open Arms'

06/10, 2:15PM: At Starbucks; Living the Dream

I suppose from now on I will be putting the time and date that I type my posts, despite the times that they are actually posted. At least in this case, I do not have any internet access at Starbucks. Oh well, this is when something like Tomboy Notes comes in handy. (Funny, when I typed 'internet', my computer told me I typed it wrong. Apparently, it's supposed to be 'Internet' with a capital letter. Interesting.)

I always wanted to just come to Starbucks and be like one of those people that are hanging around on their laptops, sipping on coffee. Well, here I am, but instead of coffee, I'm sipping on some iced green tea (obviously). And now I'm one of the many people trying to feel like they're in a metropolis-style cafe in this small, primarily lower-middle class town. It's not all that bad though.

On the other hand, I feel like I'm back in Aromas again at the University, trying to do homework and trying to escape the confinements of my apartment. That's a feeling I actually like, when compared to the other one. I miss San Diego a lot; most of all, the people.

It's kind of weird seeing all of these new black labels at this Starbucks. All around the world the popular chain has changed their labels from the usual green-on-black-and-white to a fully black and white circle. The depiction of a queen inside of that circle has changed too. It sparked a little bit of controversy here and there, as depicted below:



Well, if they can't stand to see a woman cover her breasts, they can still find the original, no-breasts label on the plastic cups made for cold drinks, like:



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Yes, that is my laptop. A wonderful System76 laptop fully equipped with Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron, running Compiz Fusion and finally customized with a black motif and a 'manyoshu'-style background.
< /geek_moment>

I just don't see what the fuss is about. If you're that riled up about a woman covering her breasts and you can't bear to look at your hot drink, then just buy a cold one. It's summer, anyway - chill out!

"I Give My Peace to You... Except the Gays"

Whenever there was a homily said at my elementary parish that I thought was very moving and captivating, I always thought people should applaud him. This usually applied to my Father Cassidy's homilies about the importance of the 'heart and the mind'. He would speak about how too many people focus on the intellect, and forget how important the heart is. 'Remember to separate the intellect from the heart, my dear friends, and to follow the heart.'

Well, on Sunday night, I went to mass, and something extraordinary happened. After the homily that was given, the congregation gave a rousing applause. What was really extraordinary, however, was what the applause was for.

I already knew what was going to happen when the priest said at the beginning of mass that his homily was going to be about the recent legislation that was passed which lifted the ban on same sex marriages in California. After the readings went on, it was time for his homily. If you could even call it that.

As we all know, about a couple weeks ago the Supreme Court lifted the ban on same sex marriage that was put in place a while ago by our state government. The Court ruled that the ban itself was discriminatory, and was contradictory to the laws of protection that all people (including those of the LGBT community) are entitled to.

I would have been fine with everything this priest had to say, because I understand how different kinds of people (especially those of the religious persuasion) might feel about this subject, but after an introduction such as in the paragraph above, the first line he just HAD to say was: "This is wrong."

From then on, the 'homily' continued as a continual bashing of this legislation. It was the usual spiel: the Bible states that no man shall sleep in the same bed as a man, and the same goes for women; preventing this kind of thing from happening is a 'moral obligation'; and, perhaps most importantly to him, knowing that gay and lesbian couples are 'not qualified' to marry is basic 'common sense.' To make matters worse, his interjections were coupled with comments that were obviously focused on a slippery slope mentality. For example, he made the qualification that if something like same sex marriage were supposed to happen, "then what would happen next? A man will try to marry his daughter? Will we have to allow that as well?" Another argument made was that "having two mommies and two daddies actually hurts children. So we must fight against this for the children, so they do not grow up being confused about what marriage really is."


Wow. For all the talk about common sense, it was interesting to see how easily slippery slope comments were being used by this priest. While I had (and still have) much respect for this man, the words of other pastor that I mentioned before kept ringing in my head. For years I had come to this church, and especially through the words of Father Cassidy, homilies rang true. He would say, "the heart is longing to love, and to be loved; but we let the intellect get in our way, and we let it cloud our judgment. We let it cloud our faith. We let it stop us from loving with our whole being. So we must break the connection between the intellect and the mind."

Those kinds of homilies are why I came to mass, for those words would be with me as I left the church doors. But on this night, this was not the case. In a group of people that usually idly sit and listen to the words that we should be hearing, we now see how they awaken with fire because of such a topic. What they clapped for wasn't a homily. It was as if this priest was running for some political position; his SPEECH, not sermon, was indicative of that.

To end, he called for the congregation to help him rally against the legislation, and to bring support for the amendment that could be passed soon which adds to the Constitution the definition of marriage. One man, one woman. As if we needed a definition, as if we've all gotten stupid somehow and needed it in writing.

I understand that your stance as a priest makes you feel this way; but please, do not use your time as a community leader as a stark opportunity to shove some Catholic propaganda into each church-goer's ear. Most importantly, don't call it a homily. Homilies are not supposed to have an agenda, no matter how you put it.

I've grown up learning from my faith background. I've learned about life and love from people like Father Cassidy, who would teach through his words that we must love all with our whole hearts. I'm sure that he would probably have a similar stance against same sex marriage, but at the very least, he wouldn't be so gung-ho about it and he would likely let the congregation members have some room to make their own decisions on the matter.

But now I'm being taught - no, being TOLD - that some people can't have those ideals of love. Slippery slope comments like those regarding a man and his daughter or a woman and her son can be made, but if he really believes that those things will happen because of this legislation, then perhaps he doesn't have much faith in people like the church tries to teach us all to have. So instead of giving each person a chance to learn, it's better to just tell them blatantly. So THAT'S how you get applause for a homily.

Father and daughter, mother and son - going against THOSE kinds of relationships is common sense. But we live in a different world now. I have known people of the LGBT community that show love on a level that some married couples can't even get close to reaching. I come from a school with a PRIDE community that has been too often discriminated against.

I understand where this fight is coming from, but I can also understand the pain that gay couples might go through knowing that they cannot express their love in a way that so many can. And I can't help but question: do they really not deserve it?

Well, despite all that, the main argument is about 'separation of church and state.' This issue on same sex marriage has blurred the line between both, and now church and state are striking at each other. How was this homily different from many political speeches given on both sides of the issue? Maybe that's the first thing that should be looked at. This legislation was about 'civil unions', not religious marriages, was it not? Despite the bashes occurring between both sides, state to government or vice versa, are they not at least entitled to some sort of official recognized union?



I, personally, am trying to remember the words I learned in homilies of yesteryear - to separate the intellect from the mind and to follow my heart. I can only wonder if other people may go the same route, despite the destinations ending up different.