Wanderland 2013: You Can Never Have Too Much Music

May 18. Circuit Makati.



Wanderland 2013

Being the first of its kind, Wanderland promised to be the "ultimate sonic playground for summer". An annual music and arts festival that debuted last Saturday, Wanderland featured several indie pop/rock bands, both local and foreign, plus known acts such as Up Dharma Down, Neon Trees, Nada Surf and The Temper Trap.

First Impression

The line-up reeks awesomeness but I'll be honest, I thought the price was a bit too expensive. But after a few days of thinking about it, for the number of great bands playing, it's all worth it. There's Up Dharma Down, Taken By Cars, Yolanda Moon and The Temper Trap!

The Venue

Wanderland 2013 was held at Circuit Makati, formerly the Sta. Ana racetrack. The place itself is not done yet. It seems that it's still on its early stage of construction. But the event grounds itself looked awesome. The half-dome stage is painted white and looks pleasing to the eye. The ground was covered with grass. It looked like a locally held Woodstock. Or something like that.



















The Lows

Wanderland 2013 is Wanderland's debut. It's bound to have some flaws and upsets.

The gates were supposed to be open at 11AM. We went there at around 10AM to be able to get the tickets and hoped to grab at least a decent view of the bands. We were allowed to get in at around 12.30PM, if I'm not mistaken. A lot of people did not bring food and water and so many ended up hungry and thirsty.

The bands did not start playing until around 2.30PM. It was all cool at first because we were able to walk around, check the stores, grab some food, drinks and merch. However, Taken By Cars only played three songs. Were they under time pressure because the event started late? Are they really set to play just three songs? Who knows. They're one of the bands that we came for and it's disappointing for them to be cut so short. Same goes for Pulso.



The Highs

One of the best things that I like about the production is the placement of the stalls. Portalets were scattered around the grounds to be able to cover large areas. Stalls were aplenty and were placed such that each side would be able to cater food, drinks, beer, merch etc. Too bad we were not able to check the artsy stuff.

Security was a bit laxed but understandable. The Bouncers seem to enjoy the event as well. I saw one of them head banging to Up Dharma Down LOL!



The Crowd

Hands down one of the best crowds I have seen. It's good to see them cheer for the band and join the others even if they do not know the song. Almost everyone in the VIP section were dancing, jumping, clapping and singing. It was a wild, wild crowd!

Final Thoughts

Aside from a few hiccups, it was a blast to be a part of the first Wanderland. There were so much emotions that it's impossible not to be overwhelmed. It promised to be the "ultimate sonic playground" and it delivered. It delivered in a spectacular fashion. Fuck the heat. Fuck aching arms and legs. Fuck trembling knees. It was all worth it. Wanderland 2013 was a wonderful event that celebrated music, art, love and friendship. It gathered people across the city in a single sphere and united them with probably the strongest force in the universe, music.

Wanderland 2014

Hoping to see Phoenix, Of Monsters and Men and The Hush Sound next year!

Fear not Hell. For if it exists, you shall find yourself in good company.

Got the image from the Facebook Group, We Fucking Love Atheism. Uploaded it here for safekeeping :)

No Ordinary Summer... Last Night

There was a lingering thought in my mind since last night: I wish I had known more Queso songs.

I wish I had known more Queso songs then I would have been able to sing along when Ian points his mic towards the crowd. I wish I had known Insekta then I would have been able to chant "Mokhamiyasaymokameh!".

Last night was one of the best concerts I've been to.

No Ordinary Summer: A Cross Fade Initiative featuring Urbandub, Queso and Franco was held on April 13, 2013 at B-Side, The Collective.

Me and my girlfriend were stoked when we learned that Franco will be having a performance on that date, April 13. She was informed about it by a colleague and I saw it from philippineconcerts.com. It was a perfect day for us as I had taken a leave off of work to go to Komikon which was held at an earlier time.

We came at around 9pm. We were a bit worried that tickets will be sold out but was relieved to see that they're still selling. When we came in, I was surprised to see that there were fewer people than I expected. B-Side was not even crowded. Not sure, maybe they took a break or maybe just ninjas lurking in the dark. Anyway, Salamin was playing, making it obvious that Dhruva Tara was the first band to perform. After a few more songs from Salamin, I decided to claim our free beer. All of sudden, the crowd went wild. It became apparent why the crowd suddenly got fired up; Franco will be playing next.The crowd now starts to get thicker and thicker as the rest of Franco tests their gear. The ninjas are now coming out of the shadows.

I forgot the first song, I think it was Renewal off of their latest album, Soul Adventurer. A few more songs from Soul Adventurer followed such as Muse, A Beautiful Diversion, Better Days, Moonset and To Survive. Few are singing along but majority of the crowd is just banging their heads slightly. It's apparent that they're not that familiar with the new album. The people then got pumped up when Franco started to play a bit of the familiar tunes from their first album such as Next Train Out and Song for the Suspect. More and more people are now raising their hands in tune to the songs. 

Franco's performance was superb. His voice is great as usual. It's solid and sustained. Also, I was impressed by the drum tracks. I felt it was more powerful compared to the album. Or maybe everything just gets better when performed live. It was a treat for us to finally see Franco play again. It was great. It was an awesome night.

It's still hot and we were sweating like some Tae Bo instructor. But... doesn't matter, had Franco. I grabbed some more beer as we wait for the next band to play.

I said it was an awesome night. But then it got better when the next set came.

Flashed on the wall from a projector was "Next Band is Queso". My girlfriend was a bit apprehensive because, well, it's Queso. Who knows, some fans might get carried away and start a pit or some crazy shit that hardcore fans do. But I assured her that it will not happen. I noticed that there were a lot of couples, like us, gathered on the left side of the open ground and it seems that the "more hardcore fans" were gathered on the other side. There were even some people that wanted to go to the back of the area to avoid a possible "islaman".

It's been a while since I listened to Queso. The last song that I listened to is Mottaka, when they're still known as Cheese. Then some other bands came and went into my life and they were thrown into the dark corners of my brain, forgotten. But not for long.

They played songs that I'm not familiar with. Still, I banged my head, bent my knees and raised my fist. I'm enjoying it. Ian's stage presence is something that I began to love, in a manly way of course. I really don't know how to explain it exactly but seeing him sing, dance and do some weird and crazy things is very contagious. His antics, facial expressions and mannerisms will make you appreciate the man and the music. That was one of the best performances I have seen.

And here's one of the things that I will never forget about that night: Ian's infamous flip!

Note: I do not own this. This amazing photo was taken from Roxanne Nebres Photography.

Why I Stopped Foruming

Online forums can be a great place provided the members are as awesome as you would think you are (and should be fairly moderated IMO). You can find friends and learn lots of things. You can share ideas and discuss topics about anything, from the most mundane of things to the craziest ones, from online games to zombie apocalypse survival. But just like life, it has its bad parts, maybe even harsher.

Backtrack to around 2005, I found a great online forum. Moderators are respected. Members interact with each other as if they're brothers. The number of members online at any given time is big. Debates and healthy discussions are aplenty. In short, it's a lively community. I even made some friends. Of course, there would be those occasional trolls but none that would destroy the harmony of the forum. But to job and access issues, I lost access to that forum (which is now offline, may it rest in peace).

Forward to 2011, with my new job allowing me to access the internet, I was able to frequent the internet world. I learned new memes, watched new YouTube videos and got hooked to competitive Dota 2 tournaments. I decided to, maybe, start checking some forums again. Playdota was out of the question. I no longer follow the DotA 1 scene and as far as I know, the dota-allstars.com trolls and nazis live there. I decided to check out joinDota.com. It's forum seems to be a bit small, with threads mainly dedicated to Dota 2. I tried to reply to some of the interesting threads but holy shit, the level of trolling is ridiculous. Several unnecessary threads are being opened everyday. The level of rage and hate against players and against each other is painful to see. Plus, the moderators are not getting the love they deserve. Little by little my interest in interacting with other netizens are diminishing and I find it troublesome to reply already.

I tried interacting with the YouTube community but damn, it's much much worse. Everyone there seems to have god complex. And what's funny is that most of them already fucked either your sister, your girlfriend or your mother. Even a simple comment will be responded with "Fuck you! I hope you have cancer and die!" Seriously.

I thought that during the days when I was at the peak of my internet life, everything was way better compared to the level of trolling these days. It's possible that somewhere in the other corners of the internet world, it's already like this. But it's hard for me to accept what has become of the internet today. Everyone seems to be hating and raging. Everyone acts like a teenager with some behavioral issues. Not to mention Facebook is becoming a breeding ground for idiots and attention whores, but that's a different story.

I've mostly given up on forums. I still check the joinDota website for updates about the team's matches and scores but I rarely look at the forums. Sometimes I would see an interesting thread and I try to reply with a few inputs but that's just it. I would still see its usual dose of trolls, hate, rage, flames etc., but I don't respond anymore. I guess I'm tired of all this foruming bullshit. Or maybe I'm just more matured now.

I still visit Facebook and play Candy Crush, the manliest game ever. I also read a few twitter feeds, some occasional tumblr and instagram. The place that I enjoy the most these days is 9gag. Yeah, yeah, it's 9fag and the funny posts are diminishing but still, one does not simply visit it without scrolling down a bit further. No matter how fail a post is, you will still scroll down hoping to see a gem. And a few more. And a bit further.

Nyan!

I am Satan, bitches! I will eat your soul tonight!

One of my Facebook friends posted this video and described it as "kinda scary". The title is a bit interesting "Beyonce, The Super Bowl, Sasha & Satan". With the "kinda scary" in mind, I immediately thought that it's one of those videos talking about celebrities worshiping Satan. It's not the first time it happened. Lady Gaga was once a trending topic in twitter-verse. So I decided to watch it and... I was not wrong.

At first, I thought it was a satire. I mean the narrator does not really sound like he's serious about it and is obvious that he's reading it from a script. But I looked at the description and the name of the uploader and I was like "okay, that explains a lot". And because this video is in YouTube, one does not simply watch a YouTube video without checking the comments section. It's freakin' hilarious. It's like they are all rejoicing that this "revelation" was made but at the same time it seems that their "victory" is so volatile that one small blasphemy would trigger them to panic. If you look at the comments, the ratio of rational people to blind bible freaks is probably 10:1. One critical comment would be bombarded by several other comments about Jesus, god and some verses from the Bible. If you're not in the mood for some lulz, then you will surely facepalm.

Now, let's see these so-called symbols that made Beyonce a "satanist". These symbols are originally not intended to be symbols of evil but as we all know, the Church smeared them in order to gain more followers and to "defeat" those who dare stand against them.

First, the Eye of Horus. The Eye of Horus or Udjat or Wedjat is oftentimes attributed to the All-Seeing Eye. The All-Seeing Eye is supposedly the eye of Lucifer and the symbol of the Illuminati. But, the Eye of Horus is an Egyptian symbol for power, health and protection. The All-Seeing Eye or the Eye of Providence on the other hand means that "god watches over mankind". So now they are saying that the ancient Egyptians are also worshipers of Satan. LMFAO!

Second, the Inverted Pentagram. The Inverted Pentagram is supposedly the symbol of Satan, with the two points representing the horns. It is also regarded as the symbol of Baphomet, a figure of Satanism. However, Baphomet is intended to be the symbol of divine perfection, a union of all the things that exists in the cosmos. And the Inverted Pentagram is a symbol of male and female, with the point on the bottom symbolizing the male penis and the two points up symbolizing the female vulva. The female symbol is at the top giving respect to women with their roles of being a mother.

Third, the Hindu Goddess, Kali and the Hindu Supreme God, Shiva. Supposedly, they represent death (Kali) and destruction (Shiva). Modern retelling of their story seemed to have confused them with the other gods, Agni and Rudra, giving them their ferocious and fierce persona. But they symbolize Mother Earth (Kali) and the Universe (Shiva). Oftentimes, they are depicted with Kali stepping on Shiva's body. It is said that it means nature is above everything for if there's no nature, the universe will not exist.

And lastly, the Gemini. The video obviously gave it their own meaning, with the Gemini supposedly symbolizing "full-blown demonic possession". Gemini is Latin for "twins". And as we all know, they are widely used in astrology, being the third sign. Not much can be said about the Gemini really, except they are for "full-blown demonic possession". LMFAO!

There are more hilarious content in the video such as Beyonce' costume, all these edited quotations from her and Jay-Z, Beyonce being possessed on stage by her alter ego Sasha Fierce and Beyonce "looking like a man". I'm sure the last one will make the internet community laugh. Beyonce's Super Bowl pics went viral in Facebook, Twitter and humor sites such as 9gag.

Regarding the video itself, I'm not really a fan of Beyonce. I know she can sing really well and she can dance really well but that's just it for me. The problem is these kind of people that made this video is not really doing public service. They are scaring people by spreading fallacious information like this. I mean, let's say that Beyonce is really a Satanist. Is Satan real in the first place? And they didn't even made any effort to contact Beyonce and clarify these things. What can she say about this? Is it true that she worships Satan? Really? Seriously?

The only real problem I have about her (Beyonce) and most of the mainstream female performers is their skimpy outfit and it's effect to teenagers and kids. Not that I'm complaining because I don't like them. Hey, I can have a few minutes of my life get spent just to see Katy Perry's boobs. Well, I guess it's a marketing strategy or showmanship. Buuuuuut.... it's an entirely different topic.

So yeah, we have other problems in the world yet we find the time to criticize Beyonce's "Baphomet-inspired outfit". We, as humans, always ask what is the purpose of life yet we waste our time worrying about trivial things such as this. Maybe there's no purpose. Maybe we just need to enjoy it, who knows. I enjoy my life. I am happy with my life. Are you?

I am Satan, bitches! I will eat your soul tonight!

Reminiscing The International 2

Arguably the biggest Dota tournament to date, The International 2 was one of the most anticipated tournaments of 2012. With a huge prize pool, it's expected to see the world's top teams bring out their A-game to get the grand prize of $1M. And it did not disappoint. The whole tournament was filled with tension, drama and excitement.

I have started following the EU competitive Dota 2 scene right after The International 1 concluded, having watched Na'Vi versus EHOME. I have loved Na'Vi ever since.

Na'Vi didn't have a good early run. Seeing them get crushed through the group stages made me feel a bit sad. They are the defending champions and it would be shameful if they didn't reach at least top 4. Of course, no one can deny that the top Chinese juggernauts like iG and LGD will dominate but I didn't expect to see Na'Vi to play bad during these early parts of the tournament.

Then lo and behold, coming out of a 2-6 slump, they managed to make it to the upper bracket with a record of 8-6. And the excitement didn't end there.

During the eliminations, they were to face DK in the winner's bracket. DK is a strong team as well and I had bad feelings about the match-up. I was not watching it live because I'm at work so I just check joinDota from time to time to verify what the results are. Na'Vi defeated DK 2-1. It was a good day.

Their next opponent is Invictus Gaming. One of the top 2 teams in China, the other one being LGD. The streams are live and I was checking the comments of the viewers. Game 1, 16-min GG from Na'Vi. It looked bad, really bad. A few hours had passed and I checked the game results. I thought that even if Na'Vi lose, they can still make it up to the grand finals via loser's bracket. Albeit a harder path but there's still hope. The results were out, Na'Vi defeated iG 2-1. They made a comeback and won the last 2 games. I literally slammed the table in celebration. I took my lunch with a big smile on my face.

So it is time for the winner's bracket grand finals. Standing in their way is LGD with 0 losses. They have not dropped a single game. At the back of my mind, I was thinking that it seems impossible for Na'Vi to defeat them and I was trying to cheer myself up by thinking that they still have the loser's bracket. Again I was checking the comments and LGD won the first game. I was sad. Again, after a few hours, I checked the results. Na'Vi defeated LGD 2-1. They did it again, winning the last 2 games. They fucking did it again, I said to myself. They're going to the Grand Finals! It was a glorious day.

Grand Finals came. iG managed to beat LGD and grabbed the final slot. I was hoping that Na'Vi wins again but at the back of my mind, I said they've done enough. I was pretty sure iG will not let Na'Vi defeat them again. iG won the $1M and defeated Na'Vi 3-1.

I was happy that Na'Vi managed to defeat the Chinese teams. They were the last hope for the western teams and seeing them bring the challenge to the Chinese teams is already a big achievement. And I thought that getting to the grand finals is one hell of an achievement already. It was enough and it's time to take a rest.

After the tournament was done, I still go back and watch the matches. Haters will hate and fans will rejoice, but they can't deny that Na'Vi brought the drama and excitement that made TI2 the best tournament of 2012. They were the last hope for the EU scene and they had to carry that scene on their backs. It's not just the outcomes that made it memorable, it was the plays as well. The teams are so determined to win and become world champion that they had to push their limits. LGD against Na'Vi Game 2 is so fun to watch because of lots of epic plays, especially LightofHeaveN's Enigma. And who would forget Na'Vi's counter to iG's Song of the Siren + Vacuum + Ravage combo.

I have followed Na'Vi's path from the group stages to the grand finals and it's like watching your favorite superhero get beaten up only to become stronger. Na'Vi definitely shown that when they're on top form, they can take on the Chinese giants.

Up until now, when I don't see any match that interests me, I either watch the International 2 Documentary or re-watch the other TI2 matches that I missed. And when I watch Na'Vi's matches, I still get excited. The commentators, the plays, the crowd, everything is just epic and overwhelming. Even though I was not part of it, I felt a certain type of connection with them. And like what they said, I am with them in spirit. LOL!

And at the same time, I felt this huge and overwhelming happiness inside me. I feel that eSports can be as big as this. Yeah, it's not like The Olympics but it can be as an awesome event that a fan could ask for.

There are a lot of good tournaments for Dota 2 but The International 2 will always have a special place in my heart.

Emma Watson is Windrunner

If ever there would be a Dota movie, then we know who will play as Windrunner.