My Jonas Brothers Manila Concert 2012 Experience

Oct. 17, 2012. After only two hours of sleep, I suddenly woke up, alert and no longer sleepy. To think that I badly needed some beauty rest because as usual, I haven't been taking care of myself. But I couldn't sleep anymore and my baboo Peter was still asleep beside me. Not wanting to get out of bed yet, I remained under the covers and I did what I usually do --- text my bessy Hanz about the latest in my life, that I just woke up all so suddenly and I couldn't sleep anymore. He's worried about me but what can he do? I'm so stubborn sometimes... okay, all the time! Hehehe. :p

After about 5 minutes, my baboo Peter's phone rang. He got a text message. He was awaken by it and excitedly told me that his client was asking for a suggestion how to give away Jonas Brothers' concert tickets (general admission). I suddenly sat up straight and shrieked "The Jonas Brothers are here???!!! OMG! OMG! OMG!" Was this why I suddenly woke up? Did my subconscious know that they are in the Philippines??? So I ran to my office in the next room and went online! True enough, the Jonas Brothers were having their first major Philippine concert on October 19, 2012! OH MY GOD!!!

Joe Jonas Visits Alabang Town Center 2012 - Fastlife Ayala Mall Tour

I grew up only having a few celebrity idols in my life. I mean, I do like a ton of 'em but there were only a few that really made my heart skip a beat. The first of which was Jolina during the heydays of Ang TV back in the 90's. That afternoon TV show was the only thing that made me wanna go home before 4:30 pm back in high school just so I can watch her. I lived in Cagayan de Oro then so when Ang TV visited my grandfather's hometown, I dragged my best friend, Mer, to come watch their concert with me. There I met Jane, Jao Mapa and most of the gang. I even went on stage and talked to Jane. 

Kamikazee Romantico Album Launch @ B-Side

***This post has tons of pictures and they're best enjoyed if you read the story behind them.***

I don't normally listen to rock or alternative music. If and when I do, I only listen to Parokya ni Edgar (and Eraserheads a loooong time ago), well, coz the famous guitarist (Gabriel Cheekee) of the touted Philippine National Band (Parokya ni Edgar), is my cousin-in-law and from time to time, we do watch him play (and he gives me free cd copies.. okay fine, there was just that one time, teehee) plus, Parokya ni Edgar has always been my brother's favorite Filipino band since I was in high school and their music kind of grew on me. In fact, whenever I hear them play Buloy or Picha Pie, it makes my heart skip a beat, making me reminisce my teen years full of puppy love and shallow romance like it was just yesterday. 

So one afternoon, I texted my dear cousin-in-law, Gab, and told him that I'm back in Manila and I'm looking for gigs to go to. He texted me back the dates they'd be playing here in Manila and I figured why not go? It could be fun. It's always fun to listen to Parokya. Then I checked my facebook for other events. Kamikazee's update caught my attention. They're having an album launch of their new cd "Romantico" at B-side in Makati and Parokya ni Edgar will be there too. I thought, perfect! Just perfect! There'll be other renowned bands too like Hilera, Franco and Typecast. I've met Franco before in one of Parokya's gigs here in Festival Mall but I've never heard of Typecast. I'm not really a rock n' roll or alternative music fan but I'm open to new possibilities. After all, I've always vowed to do things that scare me... things that I don't normally do (like living alone for 33 days in Boracay, braving the surf in Siargao after 5 long years since my near-death experience,  falling in crush with Kean Cipriano (LOL!), etc.) and learning to like other type of music aside from reggae and the typical love songs I listen to is one of them. If I get to kiss or have my pictures taken with the band members, I guess that'll be the icing on top of my sweet chocolate cake. ^_^

Parokya ni Edgar Encounter

Parokya ni Edgar, named as the Pambansang Banda ng Pilipinas, graced my town last month and performed at Greens and Grills outside Festival Mall. It’s been years since I last saw them play live and I’m just amazed at how they can still wow the crowd like they did before.

I started listening to Parokya ni Edgar back in college (basically half my life ago..haha!)  because I had no choice. Buloy was repeatedly played in the airwaves and in the casettes of wild jeepneys that ply the Montalban - Cubao route which I rode every time I went to Ateneo. It had a catchy tune and listening to the lyrics made me both sad and hopeful. Listening to their songs also made me forget how fast those Montalban jeepneys were flying! Haha! Little did I know that I would someday be related to one of its band members and songwriters, Gab Chee Kee (my then boyfriend’s first cousin). Small world!

The Last Time I Watched Brownman Revival Play

watching Dino Concepcion sing on stage still makes my heart skip a beat. ^_^

I was thinking of happy things to do when I realized I haven't organized my BMR photos yet nor blogged about the last time I saw Brownman Revival play. It was on Nov. 18, during their 16th anniversary. Wow! I can't believe I've kind of followed them since the first year they were just one of those Ateneo bands I first heard during orientation day in freshman year. Anyway, I wanna keep this post short since I still have a lot of photo organizing to do. I'd just like to share here my fave photos for that evening...

L-R: Princess, me, Dino & Ces

The Thrill of KAOS @ Newport Performing Arts Theater, Resorts World Manila

I am feeling a bit torn about November 27. You see, on that day, KAOS will be having its advance screening and I have 4 complimentary tickets with me. I already gave away two of them to my friends and I still have two with me. Why you may ask. We'll be leaving for Dumaguete on Nov. 26, therefore, we won't be able to watch the Nov. 27 show. On the other hand, regular showing at Newport Performing Arts Theater starts on Dec. 1. Hopefully, we'll still have some funds left by then so we can buy our own tickets and watch this never-before seen-in-the-Philippines theater show. Check the schedule and ticket rates of KAOS here:KAOS: Las Vegas Meets Broadway @ Resorts World Manila


Look at some of the videos I took from my phone when we watched the live preview of KAOS recently.

Another Reggae Night with Brownman Revival

eBefore I head off to Baguio in a few hours, where I'll be with my fellow bloggers for the next two days, let me share here first another night that I spent with Dino... and Brownman Revival. (Haha... you thought... yeah... I wish! LOL!)

Brownman Revival and The 700 Club

Anyway, on Sept. 16, 2010, my favorite reggae band once again played at 70's Bistro. We were there early and we caught The 700 Club interviewing the band. I was like ... whut? Well, come to think of it, their songs do convey good values. Jah bless and Jah rules!


I must admit I thought I won't be able to make it. But because I was a bit sad the last time we saw them coz our friends weren't with us and there was this lady who danced with Dino on stage, I promised myself that I'd go see them, that I'd be early so I can get seats for my friends, and that I WOULD DANCE with DINO ON STAGE no matter what! Hehehe.

Me and My Friends

Me and My Girls... why do they look more wasted than me?

My boys (L-R): Brian, Peter and Dino

Merry Christmas girls! (L-R: me, Claire, Mau & Koryn)

Cheers! (L-R: Koryn, Mau, Brian, Tin, me)

It won't be my usual "pa-cute" antic where I'd go on stage, hug Dino and have my photos taken for a few seconds. This time, I will dance, if not a whole song, then at least from the chorus to the end of one reggae song. And that's what I did!

Suffice it to say that by the time I did this, I had already downed 2 bottles of Tanduay Ice and 2 glasses of Kamikazee. I ordered pizza but I didn't eat much. My head was spinning but I didn't care! I was having a great time! Hahaha!

Resident Evil Afterlife 3D: Movie Date with my Best Friend

I was so happy to know that my best friend, Mer, is here in Manila. So when I got a chance to watch Resident Evil Afterlife 3D which I know she also loves, I grabbed the opportunity and invited her (thanks to SM Cinema and Az!).

Brownman Revival, Alcohol, Friends and UNO Open Bar

Sept. 2, 2010, exactly a week from today, right after attending the CashCashPinoy launch, Peter and I headed to 70's Bistro to watch Brownman Revival play. Unfortunately, that particularly week has been very hectic and rainy that some of our friends got sick. It's a good thing then that we just replenished our stocks of Vita Plus so I was able to bring a box to one of our dearest friends, Koryn, who works at ABS-CBN and lives a stressful career life.

So that night, it was just Peter and I who went and watched Brownman Revival. We came in late and there were a few tables and chairs left. I wasn't in a very happy and partying mood. I missed my girlfriends! Especially my photographer girlfriends! Who will take my picture with Dino now? LOL.

Eleven Years of Togetherness and Going Strong

The Mafia couple, taken at 70's Bistro

On Aug. 14, 1999, after 12 days of courtship, I said my sweet yes to one of my best guy friends, Peter. I figured, we already know a lot about each other so why make the courtship long?

Before him, my ex courted me for twelve long years, had a relationship with him for four years and everything just went down the drain ...after college.

Then Peter came into the picture. He was my first crush back in freshman year. But I never thought he liked me too, until the day I broke up with my then long time boyfriend. Since then, we vowed to always stay true to each other in a non-conformist, non-traditional kind of way. Few people really understand the dynamic of our relationship. But we don't care. As long as we understand each other, as long as we love each other the way we do, there will always be us, just us two.

Finding Balance In Our Marriage

Our Saturday started out a bit rocky. We woke up that morning and as what usually happens, Peter would beg for a few more minutes to lie in bed while I get up and start my day with chores like cleaning around the house, sweeping the floor, preparing laundry, etc. When he's up, he starts watching TV while I slave away around the house. It's been the melody of our marriage for as long as I can remember. And many times this year, this stark difference in the way we do things really started bothering me. I used to think I do everything around the house while Peter just lazes around doing nothing. If he did something, it's because I told him to. I felt like a mother nagging her son and I didn't feel good about it.

Until... we had this really serious talk and Peter pointed out all the things he didn't like about me. Like why everything has to be on my schedule or my way, why I get to be so mean to him, why I don't appreciate him, etc. etc. Naturally, this put me on a defensive stance but I learned how to keep my cool and really listen. He told me that it's not that he doesn't know what to do around the house because he does. Unlike me, he just needs time to get his system going at the start of the day. Unlike me, he's not an energizer bunny. Unlike me, he needs to feel loved and appreciated in order for him to be more productive (as for me, the more negativity I feel, the more empowered I am to do more than I have or need to). He wants to be able to work on his own time. And if I do remind him about his assignments at home, I shouldn't get mad about the fact that I am reminding him. Ahhh... the joys of marriage. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to marry someone who is more like me.

Party Weekend with Brownman Revival and Gab

What can I say? The month of July really paved the way for my old party habits. It's a good thing then that Brownman Revival does not charge high fees for entrance, otherwise, I might just find myself broke for attending their gigs 4 times in July! ^_^ And this August, they will be playing every Thursday at 70's Bistro. I just hope and pray that I'd have the energy and budget to see them regularly. They're one of the things that keeps me sane and happy whenever I feel so burnt out from everything. So anyway, the last time I saw them with Peter, our gf Koryn, our bf Joaqui and our new party friends Tin and Mau, I did something really... nice. LOL! But I think I won't ever do it again. Not in that kind of setting anyway. Hahaha!

Here are some of my fave photos from that last gig...

with Dino Concepcion

Music, Movies, Friends and Alcohol Make the World Go Round

I had my weekend all planned out. I was supposed to work for at least 32 hours to compensate for those days I was offline due to my intermittent internet connection all throughout the week. But then my body was crying for rest and I wanted to spend some quality time with my husband too. So come Friday evening, we attended the 2nd Banana Gangbang Rock Festival held at Mooters Bar beside Ortigas Home Depot.

Six things made me so happy that evening:

One - Cecille and Dino (vocalist of Brownman Revival) were able to make it. If it weren't for them, I'd still probably enjoy the music that night (I loved Giniling Festival, Mike Test 123, Lose Your Beer Belly and Marco Palinar's solo guitar act), but it wouldn't be 100x more awesome! It's really great when I can spend fun times with good friends (and my crush of all time! LOL!). So guys, thanks for taking the time out from your busy schedule and being with me that night. It was great catching up and having tons of laughter with you guys! Labyah mare't pare!

L-R: Me,Ces, Dino
Yes, I was in such a hurry that evening, I grabbed a white bra to wear instead of a black one.

At the background L-R: Mel,Bim and Mikey; In front L-R: Ces, Dino, Me and Peter

Good times with good friends: Ces, Dino,me

Two - Peter's cousin, Gab (guitarist of Parokya ni Edgar), was able to make it! Karen was with him and it was just so good to see them again and catch up.

Weekend with Dino and Brownman Revival

Thanks to Brownman Revival, I realized that the old Jen is still alive... somewhere here inside of my being. I really thought I was over my groupie days. I thought I have become the kind of person who only thinks about work, biz, house chores and blogging all the time. Thank God for Dennis' (BMR's drummer) and Jotay's (BMR's manager) frequent invitations and text messages, I finally gave in and since that fateful weekend, I started watching Brownman Revival live once again! In short, I was revived! Hahaha!

Hearing them sing their songs brought back old memories. I miss the good old days when we used to frequent Xaymaca (the reggae hub in QC) and jeggaed with the reggae crowd despite the multitude of people who were always present, the suffocating smoke that filled the air and the drunken antics of people around. In fact, I was tripping down memory lane when I thought of uploading our 2006 and 2007 BMR photos on Facebook. I plan to upload 2005, 2008 and 2009 as well.

So, anyway, it was another fun reggae weekend for me, my hubby Peter, and my girlfriends Ninette and Koryn. Brownman Revival played at Ten02 bar in Timog, Quezon City. I promised myself not to get drunk and true enough, I only had 3 shots of vodka, not enough to get me up on stage and harass my favorite band. Mwehehehe. But I was a bit tipsy though... just enough to let me have my fun while I try to be there for my girlfriends in their moment of need. ^_^

I also decided to be a little more conservative with my getup. If you remember the weekend before this one, my boobs seemed to be popping out of my dress. So, I changed tactic and bought one of the clothes I was selling and wore this beautiful Venus chiffon dress I like. ^_^

Missing Dino and Brownman Revival

Peter and I attended Cherry's wedding at Shangri-la last Saturday. Unfortunately, due to my busy schedule with work and with my online clothes business, I forgot my SD card in my pc at home and therefore, our Nikon D40 had no use for us that night. I was devastated! We even had a little fight about it in the car. My logic? Of all nights that I was set to watch Brownman Revival after 100000 years of not seeing them, this would be the night that I would have no photos with them. Arrghh! Can I just die?

Kidding aside, it was such a blessing when our friend Ninette brought her camera with her. Yahoooooo!!!! It was manna from heaven! You see, when "important moments" in my life are not documented, it's as if they never happened at all. Twisted, yeah. But that's just me.

Nah, actually, it was okay. I was even telling myself "At least I'm no longer crushing over Dino". BUT, the moment I saw him from outside the TEN02 bar in Timog, my heart started beating so fast, my knees became so weak and I couldn't get out of the car coz I was hyperventilating! I was transported back to 2o06 once again! I need alcohol, fast!!!

So without further a do, let me just show you how much I missed Dino and Brownman Revival. And yes, after all these years, when I saw him sing on stage, he still has the same effect on me. Take note, I'm not usually like this under normal circumstances, like when Dino visited us at home last October. I am usually very well behaved. But desperate times call for desperate measure. Add alcohol to the equation and this is the Jen Adams you get...

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Opens June 18

OMG! OMG! OMG!!!

If only I have my visa and enough money, I will go to Orlando, Florida A.S.A.P. !!!

Any willing sponsors out there????

I am a die hard fan of Harry Potter and everything magical! I may not be a geek who memorized all those characters and plots and twists and turns all throughout these years, but every time I am sad or depressed, I watch all the Harry Potter movies in one sitting! If that's not enough, I also listen to the soundtrack until I fall asleep! Then the next day, all my troubles no longer matter.

Anyhoo, suffice it to say that I've watched Harry grow up from when he was but a young boy, up to when he became a man. I've always wondered what it would be like to live like a true blooded witch and have all those surreal, magical and deadly powers!

Lucky for those who can get to Florida. Because come June 18, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park in Orlando will open its gates for everyone to enjoy! See this video here:

Lee DeWyze Wonderfully Sings "Hallelujah" American Idol Season 9 Top 3 5/18/10

I find myself listening to Lee Dewyze's rendition of Hallelujah in American Idol on May 18 as I go about doing my work. He has such an amazing and powerful voice, not to mention the charm which will most probably make him sell a lot of records in the future! The crowd loves him so much and so do I! Rock on Lee DeWyze!!!

Laiya Batangas - Les Caraibes Resort

Peter spent his birthday weekend by the beach of Les Caraibes Resort

It's been a long, stressful & tiring week and I'm so glad it's almost over. For those of you who are yearning for a beach trip anytime soon, (I know I am) may I recommend this quiet, peaceful, serene and beautiful piece of paradise located in Laiya, Batangas --- LES CARAIBES BEACH RESORT.

Les Caraibes Beach Resort is managed by Ms. Len Congco Haddadin and Ms. Corrie Pumarada Menez. Resort operations began on January 2008 as they pursue their dream of offering Filipinos and Tourists a place with an atmosphere much different from the atmosphere of everyday life. A place where one would sit back and let nature take its course making you feel as if you were never apart from it. Here in Les Caraibes Beach Resort, we believe that each and everyone of us deserves to have a good time...but only our guests deserve the best. Our resort offers Carribean-inspired cottages and rooms, a restaurant with a wide variety of intercontinental cuisine by Mr. Philippe-our French Chef, a bar lounge, water activites such as boating, fishing and kayaking, day-trip picnic tables, tent areas, and other facilites. Come visit us and you'll soon realize that nature is your real home." ----- LES CARAIBES

We were supposed to kayak (only Php200/hr) but I fell asleep!

Pundaquit Falls and Weekend Tales of a Wandering Soul

It started out as a story-telling of a funny cartoon I saw over the internet, which I told Peter one morning when he drove me off to work. This story is something which I can very much relate with coz it has a sensible message to it. So I shared it with Peter that fateful morning. It goes like this:

"There's this balut that was accidentally thrown with the rest of the penoys. As time passed by, he kept on wondering why he always feels different from his friends and peers to think that he looks exactly like everyone else.. He tried his best to fit in, to do what they do, play what they play, but there's always this uneasiness and restlessness inside of him that he can't place. He feels like he's destined to do other things. Things which are very much different from how his friends live their lives. Then one day, he began to crack... and he realized that all this time, he wasn't a chick after all. Duck pala siya. I feel the same way. Baby,balut yata ako..."

After a dramatic pause, waiting for Peter to say something profound, he burst into fits of laughter! He found my story soooo funny to think that I wasn't even making patawiwi (patawa). And he said: "Awwww baby, you're my patoling (duckling)." And I joined him in his laughter. Anyway, I'm sure you get the point of the balut-penoy story. And since then, Peter calls me his patoling, if only to make me laugh. And what do you know... while I was fixing my pictures for my next supposed blog post, I found a video of myself looking and acting like a duckling. This was taken during the Zambapalooza with Brownman Revival (BMR) last August 2006, when I jumped off the Pundaquit falls, followed by most of the other band members. It's been an hour since Jao (BMR's bass guitarist) swore he'd jump off the damned thing. I got impatient that I went up to the cliff myself to show him how easy it was. But I got scared when I reached the top coz the cliff had very rocky edges. But it was then or never. And when I finally jumped, the whole band, locals included, couldn't contain their excited glee! See and hear for yourself...