Year: 2008

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Mostly Everything

Eraserheads Reunion Opens with Alapaap


Eraserheads Reunion Concert Opening from jayvee Fernandez on Vimeo.

Before the second set began, Ely Buendia was rushed to the hospital. I had left the venue with Phoebe minutes before this happened because we were both suffering from a relapse of a cough and colds epidemic that’s been going on for days. Hence, the early post. Today, Saturday, was particularly humid. Hope he’s OK.

This was what was supposed to happen during the second set, according to Jen’s blog:

When Magasin was to be played, the screen behind them would have montages of various news and magazine clippings of them. It would flash alternately with shots of the band and audience until the song reached the coda where Ely sings “…ay centerfold ka naaaa…woo hoo-hoo, haaa-haaa” part of the song. Then there would be fire works and a fountain of sparks, going on til the last note of the song. Then the hydraulic stage would be lowered and the band would make a “fake ending”. [read more here]

We were standing at the Patrons area and waited for the 10 minute countdown to begin. The video I have is of the last few seconds of the countdown and the first song, Alapaap (with fireworks!).

Despite the bad volume leveling with the instruments and vocals, the feedback, the out of tune singing (you could really tell that during their latter 2 songs, Huwag Mo Nang Itanong and Fruitcake – Ely was having a hard time as he was somewhat already out of tune and out of sync at guitar), the crowd had no qualms. These are the Eraserheads. They were never known for stellar showmanship or awesome guitar riffs. But they will always be known as probably the best Pinoy band in this generation because they brought together a mixed social strata of Filipinos who were able to survive high school because of their music. That same generation is here tonight, ten years older, a bit wiser, a bit less frivolous, but wanting to celebrate a piece of pubescent nostalgia.

The Eraserheads reunion was at its best, nostalgic. It wasn’t trying to be something more than this, and this is what made them remarkable.

P.S. The guy screaming in the video is Markku 🙂

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Mostly Everything

Nikon D90 DSLR does Video Recording with D-Movie

The new Nikon D90 is a REMARKABLE product

Why? Because even without the new HD video recording capability, it is still a fantastic camera. The new Nikon D90 hails from the D300’s family of revolutionary low light shooting modes. This means that even at ISO 3200 (HI 6400) you still get low noise photo exhibit quality printable images!

Nikon is throwing in a bonus. The new D90 can now do video. Nikon calls this the D-Movie feature that takes the live view on a DSLR a step further: allowing you to take HD quality videos. Don’t believe me? Here are some samples!

A new idea for D-SLRs, the D90 offers a movie function, allowing you to shoot movies in three different motion JPEG formats: 320 x 216 pixels, 640 x 424 pixels and 1,280 x 720 pixels. Now you can capture life’s moving moments with added drama by using many of Nikon’s NIKKOR lenses, including the AF DX Fisheye 10.5mm f/2.8G ED and the Micro-NIKKOR lenses. The shallow depth of field can give your movies a more creative and emotional impact. An additional benefit is the D90 image sensor, which is much larger than a typical camcorder for higher image quality and exceptional high ISO performance during low-light shooting.

So all in all you’re getting (1) the most affordable high end camera of Nikon, (2) Live View with D-Movie recording (note: HD720), (3) an HDMI terminal for viewing movies on HD television, and many more. The 12MP Nikon D90 costs $999.00 from Amazon without the kit lens (AF-S DX Zoom-NIKKOR 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G). See, very cheap!

The quality of D-Movie technology is stunning and brilliant. I’m not sure how movie makers will react to this – I’m sure it’s still a far shot from the pros – but what a scary thought! The sample movies presented allow for a lot of creative expression by simply playing with the manual focus and high aperture settings. It also adds a new brand of depth to buying lenses because even the worn out ones from moss or grime can still contribute some artistic interpretation of your subjects. Chase Jarvis had this to say:


Trust me, I played with this feature at length…all of us on location did, for that matter. It’s going to be a powerful tool. You can control your own depth of field so beautifully using the manual focus ring, the audio capture is solid, the high ISO capabilities in video?! Way cool… Long lenses, fisheyes, zoom lenses…versatility. I’m a BIG fan of the D-Movie.

I haven’t read through the fine print, but I’m assuming that D-Movie, although it doesn’t do autofocus, will accept legacy lenses. And hey, thanks to Rico for the tip!

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Mostly Everything

New San Miguel Premium Beer: It’s good!

Monday night had me and Phoebe at Manong’s for her 25th birthday countdown. Perhaps the highlight of the evening was our discovery of San Miguel’s new Premium beer for domestic shipment only. Well, I myself am not a connoisseur of beer so all I have to say is that, it’s good! Goes down easy and leaves a slightly nutty taste afterward. At Manong’s this cost P50.00 so it shouldn’t be too expensive as well in regular bars. We tried ordering the same yesterday at Murphy’s in VA Rufino, Makati but it was sadly sold out. The bottle is green, with white “Premium label” wrapping on the neck and the body.

Have you tried SMB’s new beer offering? Do you like the new bottle? Do you like the taste?

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Mostly Everything

Warhammer Online Collectors Edition in the Philippines

This is probably the most valuable piece of paper in my room right now. It’s been an incessant habit – me checking DataBlitz for anything new even if I very well know that Warhammer Online isn’t coming out till mid September. So I was, after at least visiting the store twice a week for the past month and a half, flabbergasted to see DataBlitz accepting advanced copy reservations of the Collector’s Edition for Warhammer Online.

I was telling Rico how different this would be from Age of Conan, and not trying to justify as to why I bought that game in the first place. Truth is, even if AOC introduced an innovative combat system and a fantastic early game narrative, the game broke where the first island, Tortage, ended. It became clear that AOC was just another MMO with a unique combat system.

Warhammer Online isn’t about interacting with environments, or solo-ing, or role playing. It’s war and conflict all throughout and I guess what makes this appealing to me is that, once I step into the world, everything just falls into place. Here are a few quotes from the Ask the Beta Tester Series:

The Open Group system, along with the much-vaunted Public Quests, seeks to have players collaborating from the earliest levels. Simply by setting foot on the battleground of a Public Quest, a player learns the importance of participating in gameplay with others.

Players who jump in-game from WoW or Age of Conan are going to find a title filled to the brim with fun gameplay and constant WAR. PvP players are going to be ‘coming home’. This is the game you’ve always wanted. Lore nerds and story fans will find plenty to love, and those of us who actually enjoy grouping will see our style of play lauded from fairly early on.

So yeah, Warhammer Online seems to be that Player vs Player oriented MMO that doesn’t promise to be something it’s not.

Warhammer Online Collector’s Edition

The Collector’s Ed for WAR (Warhammer: Age of Reckoning) is pretty kick ass. This is the package I ordered, arriving mid September. One of the biggest advantages of the collector’s ed is that I get to participate in open beta without having to apply, XP multiplier tomes, bonus quests, plus a wider library of exclusive titles for my avatar and in game ite– ok I’m rambling.

Spending on Gaming?

The truth about these purchases (and people like Kiven very well know this) is that these games actually become cash cows for gamers like us because even though we spend for these, we easily liquidate them by writing reviews and FAQs for local computer game magazines like Game! from Hinge Inquirer and Playground by October 80.

Thus, the advice I have for people who have expensive hobbies — LEARN HOW TO LIQUIDATE YOUR HOBBY!

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Mostly Everything

The Hype

I’ve owned two Macintosh portables. The first I bought back in 2004. It was second hand. But it didn’t matter. It was, in most ways better than the other laptop offerings at that time. It didn’t have viruses, I never needed to turn it off, and it opened native Windows office files pretty well.

The second Mac I bought in 2007. I stuck to the brand because this time, I could record audio and video podcasts on the fly. It didn’t just run native Windows files, it ran Windows. And it retained all the neat things I loved about the previous Mac, but lighter, and in sexy black.

When I bought these two computers I never recalled a clause that said I had to be tied with a specific wireless Internet provider for WiFi. I also never recalled having to go to a Macintosh reseller just to perform a System Update or activate my operating system. And yeah, I remember also paying a fair price for it.

I want to recall those memories when Apple was all about being remarkable and different from the status quo.

I want to recall those memories when an Apple product meant so much more than the hype.

Thus ends an age, I guess.