No sweet romance

I WANT LOVE
Elton John
Songs From the West Coast
Robert Downey, Jr. is featured in the video directed by Sam Tyler-Wood


I want love, but it's impossible
A man like me, so irresponsible
A man like me is dead in places
Other men feel liberated

I can't love, shot full of holes
Don't feel nothing, I just feel cold
Don't feel nothing, just old scars
Toughening up around my heart

But I want love, just a different kind
I want love, won't break me down
Won't brick me up, won't fence me in
I want a love, that don't mean a thing
That's the love I want, I want love

I want love on my own terms
After everything I've ever learned
Me, I carry too much baggage
Oh man I've seen so much traffic

So bring it on, I've been bruised
Don't give me love that's clean and smooth
I'm ready for the rougher stuff
No sweet romance, I've had enough

Luna, Venus and Heart

Oh bright star, oh bright moon
You've seen me over and heard me awake.

Oh bright star, oh bright moon
Give me a sign that this person is just around.

Oh bright star, oh bright moon
Shine on my way
and lead my steps so this heart won't go astray.



-redmark photos taken in Antipolo City at 7:10pm (GMT+8), May 16, 2010

(for a more scientific appreciation of this set of photos, see http://earthsky.org/es-tonight/crescent-moon-venus-after-sunset-may-15)

The Green Dancing Machine of Pahiyas

tgssh tgssh tgssh tgssh :D

Instead of a riot of colorful leaf-shaped rice wafer, fresh produce and other indigenous materials embellishing this house in Lucban, Quezon, an old man does the job and entertains tourists with a jab of lambanog-powered tgssh tgssh tgssh and with advocacy for sustainable development to boot during the San Isidro Lucban Pahiyas Festival recently.

- a redmark video, Lucban, Quezon Province, Philippines. May 15, 2010

Aling Lita's Pansiiiiiit Hab-hab

When in Lucban, the town in Quezon Province, experiencing the famous Pahiyas festival is not complete without having a dose of delicious pansit hab-hab and hearing Aling Lita's unique and endearing trademark of promoting the town's signature noodle cuisine in kiping-adorned streets.


-redmark video, Lucban, Quezon Province, Philippines. May 15, 2010.

Jealousy jam

Director: Avid Liongoren
Associate Directors: Luis Buenaventura & Manny Angeles
Cinematographer: JA Tadena
Make Up Artist: Butch Coo
Styling: Anne Poblador
Editor: Manny Angele
Label: Warner Music Philippines
Song written by: Brett Laurence and Shelly Peiken



"JEALOUS"
Nina

Jealous of the girl who caught your eye
One of my darker days
When you looked at her where was I?
Shoulda been in her place
Here I am
All alone imagining what could have been
If I had been there

[Chorus:]
Jealous of the one who's arms are around you
If she's keeping you satisfied
Jealous of the one who finally found you
Made your sun and your stars collide
La la la la la la la
She's a very very lucky girl
La la la la la la la

Jealous of the one who won your heart
They say it's a perfect match
She's gonna get to be where you are
And I don't get better than that
She'll say you're fine
Whisper words I wish were mine
And they might have been
If I had been there

[Repeat Chorus]

You know I'd fight the good fight
If I thought I'd change your mind
But if she makes you happy
I would leave that dream behind
Man, she better treat you right
And give you everything
Cause at the moment she doesn't
I'll be waiting in the wings

[Repeat Chorus]


redmark notes: In a cover article for the Sunday Inquirer Magazine featuring the then rising soul siren, Eric Caruncho wrote that the song was made several years before it was released in 2002 album "Heaven." The song was kept in the archives of Warner Music, a global music empire, until came the petite singer from the Philippines.

Something old, something new

After PCOS, this wall should be updated to modern times.

Finally, automated elections, Pilipinas circa May 10, 2010.

As summer and discontentment sizzle up the nation, voters are greeted by the same old ways of overzealous politicos and their supporters, missing names and discrepancies in tattered voters' list, long and slow moving queues, uncomfortble precints and for those in isolated areas and election hotspots, the herculean task of casting their votes.

Then came 21st century technology. The Commission on Elections (Comelec) had brought in the Precinct-Count Optical Scan (PCOS) to town to speed up validation and counting of our votes.. All 76,000 of them with lots of spare units in case of snafus. Its partner in poll automation, Venezuelan tech firm Smartmatic, promises to dash post-election blues by having the results known in three days. That's something unheard of in this side of democracy.

In a few days, a new set - or old as the case maybe - of leaders will be known. People may dispute. People may not. As if we're not used to endless mudslinging.

But the next question is: will they deliver the goods?


- redmark

"Pwede namang maiba, paminsan minsan ay baguhin"

Sarsi (Cosmos Bottlers) TVC, circa 1989

"ANGAT SA IBA!"

Hindi ka ba natatawa o nagtataka
Ganun ba talaga pareho na lang ba
Minsan ako nagtatanong bakit nagkakaganoon
Umurong man o sumulong
Ang nasa harapan mo'y iyon at yun.

Uulan, aaraw
Lulubog, lilitaw
Isipin mo mang maiba, yun pala'y katulad rin nila
Huwag na nating piliting tumulad sa ating katabi
Pwede namang maiiba, paminsan-minsan ay baguhin

Mag-Sarsi ka para maiba
Pagkakataong umangat sa iba
Mag-Sarsi ka para maiba
Dahil may pagpipilian ka
Di ba magandang isipin
and di mo pagsasawaan
Di ba magandang isipin na di ka pipilitin

Mag-Sarsi ka psra maiba
Pagkakataong umangat sa iba
Mag-Sarsi ka para maiiba
Dahil may pagpipilian ka
Sarsi, angat sa iba!


-corrections sa lyrics and other information about this much-loved TVC are highly appreciated

Where Are You?

This month of May, aside from names to fill out your ballots, what else do you have in mind? Do you even know the person's name?

This song is back on my playlist with a bottle of San Mig Light on one hand.


"WHERE ARE YOU?"

There's someone out there for me
I know she's waiting so patiently


Can you tell me her name?
This life long search is gonna drive me insane
How does she laugh
How does she cry
What's the color of her eyes
Does she even realize I'm here
Where is she
where is she
where is she
where is this beautiful girl
Who is she
who is she
who's gonna complete my world
la da da da da da da
la da da da da
la da da da da da da


I'm staring out of the sky
praying that he will walk in my life
Where is the man of my dreams yeah yeah
I'll wait forever how silly it seems
How does he laugh
How does he cry
What's the color of his eyes
Does he even realize im here
Where is he
where is he
where is he
Where is this beautiful guy
who is he
who is he
Who's gonna take me so high
where is he
where is he
where is he
Where is this beautiful guy
who is he
who is he
Who's gonna take me so high
la da da da da da da
la da da da da
la da da da da da da


There's someone out there for me


There's someone out there for me


I know she's waiting so patienly


so patiently


Can you tell me her name


Can you tell me his name


This life long search is gonna drive me insane


How does he laugh
How does he cry
What's the color of his eyes
Does he even realize im here


Where is she
where is she
where is she
Where is this beautiful girl
who is she
who is she
Who's gonna complete my world


Where is he
where is he
where is he
Where is this beautiful guy
who is he
who is he
who's gonna take me so high


La da da da da da da
la da da da da
la da da da da da da
la da da da da
la da da da da da da



- Cover by Youtube's Guitarboy702; Originally recorded by J. Roman and Jessica from the group Soluna, 2004, USA

Camera phone hike

With my main DSLR camera under repair, I maximized my 1 megapixel W660i Sony Ericsson camera phone in scaling Mt. Tagapo, all of 438 meters above sea level of it, in a dagger-shape island called Talim in Laguna de Bai.

Climbing the island mountain entailed just the basics in order to survive my third summit: enough water, food and determination to see the night, so that I would still be around for the next climb with Julz and Rod.

Producing this set, on the other hand, brought me back to the basics of photography. Timing and composition. And it's almost two years na pala this bunch of photos have been lying idle in my dearly missed Multiply page.

April 25, 2010