Pamparo in Toronto

I am in the process of writing a new song but it is still in its very early inception. An I would like to stress that it is in the very early stage. The samples that you will hear here are very rough and a little sloppy. The sound may not sound the same on the final version. But I thought it would be fun to keep track of this. I do not know when will I complete it but I already have some things in mind. Here are some MP3 sample of the song without lyrics (yet)

May 21, 2008: Anatomy

July 06, 2008: Anatomy v1

These were recorded via GarageBand using Les Paul Studio, Fender Mustang Bass & Takamine Acoustic.

I have been blessed to see Marcus Miller live last night at the Opera House as part of the annual Toronto Jazz Festival. The man is a beast! Marcus did not only show us how technical and melodic he can be on his solo lines, but how he also put emphasis on the importance of keeping a tight groove. The rest of the band were all great. The stand-out for me is the harmonica player. I have never heard harmonica in a different context than country-style music. It was an ear-opener!

Marcus played a few bars in the keyboard and a song using a bass clarinet. What can I say, the man is gifted! It was one memorable night!

I had a chance to go to Las Vegas to attend the Symantec Vision 2008 Conference. It was quite an experience! There are lots of things to do and see in Vegas depending on your entertainment preference. I, for one, did not really enjoy myself that much. I am not a gambler and I am not for adult entertainment which are predominant across town. I did enjoy the food and the many eye-candies that the different hotels have to offer. Here are some of the pictures that I have taken while I was there.

Pictures of Las Vegas

Today would have been his 53rd birthday. But alas, there is no one on the other line when I tried to call him. And this will be the case every year for the rest of my days. But this is in no way a hindrance for me and everyone who loves him to celebrate his birthday, his life & his legacy.

Happy Birthday Tatay!

I finally had the chance to look into my Tascam US-122L’s issue with Leopard last night. It suddenly stopped working after I upgraded to Leopard due to the driver. Tascam has finally released a new version for Leopard and also a new firmware. While installing the driver was easy, getting the firmware updater is a bit of a challenge. I have to get it from the German site, as the english site’s file is corrupt. Oh well, in the end it is working again and I am a happy camper!

I cooked up a simple progression on Garageband and did a little bit of testing with Audicity as well. So far so good!

Thanks to this site for the link from AwkwardDog.com to the German site.

Em Progression

Disco Fever

I am sure that most of us have seen the animated movie from Pixar, Cars. There is this little-known character that I have come to love. He’s name is Fred. Fred is the rusty-old truck that keeps dropping his bumper whenever he gets so excited. But what really gets me is what he is excited about. He was so excited when Lightning McQueen called his name without realizing that it was actually written right on his plate. He goes into hysteria while shouting, “He knows my name! Lightning McQueen knows my name”! Then the bumber falls. Then there was another incident when Mario Andretti said hello to him and he went hysterical again yelling, “He knows my name, Mario Andretti knows my name”! The bumber falls again. This is very very hilarious stuff but it also makes me wonder …

I wonder what would Fred do if I was there to tell him, “Fred, God knows your name”! Oh man, I can just see him falling apart with excitement! How about you, I wonder how excited will you be if tell you, “God knows your name”! Will you be as excited and hysterical as our rusty-old friend Fred?

Well, there’s only one way to find out. Here we go …

God knows your name!

Updated my gear page today. I will start calling it GP 1.0. Every time there is an update to it, I will start increasing the version. Minor edits will get a minor sub-version update and major ones (like adding something new, read: acquired something new) it will be a major version update. This way, I can keep track of my spending

Here’s the direct link: My Gear Page

I’ve been watching the NBA playoffs recently and I was shocked to see that San Antonio Spurs, the most team-oriented team ever built this decade, is using the Hack-a-Shaq tactic. And to make matters worst, it is being done in the middle of game while there were numerous lead-changes.

Read more …

After 5 yrs of dating Rhoy and almost 4 years of being married with him, i would have never imagined myself being on a date with someone else. I always see myself doing things and having fun with him, go out on a dinner, watch a movie, or just plain breeze walking. However, things changed, after 2 years six months and 16 days i never expected to be on a date with a younger male. Last night April 16, 2008 at 6:30 p.m. I found myself in a movie house sitting beside with a different person, i was not unfaithful to my dearest husband but things changed. There i realize i no longer commit to one person but to two. However, the level of love are both strong and yet different. As i carefully reached the popcorn close to him a blaze of joy came to me and amazed on how i could fall in-love and enjoy the moment with a whole different person aside from my husband. As the Coke commercial in the movie house started, the person beside me loudly spoke and said “Daddy’s juice!” then i came to my senses that the person i carried in my womb for nine whole months is now sitting beside me in a movie house. Tears of joy dropped to my eyes as i watch him innocently indulged with his Popcorn, fries and juice and said “tehn you Mamie!” :)! and that other person is our son, Gabby! “I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. An elephant’s faithful, 100-percent!” “After all… a person is a person no matter how small they are” famous line from Dr. Seuss “Horton’s hears Who” , Gabby’s first Movie House trip! Treasure every minute of your time with your child! It’s worth it! Blessings to all!

It’s amazing how God uses the small things to remind us of His love. Whenever I feel burdened with the constant pressure of coping up with life, he leads me to a place that I would never expect: to the pantry. God reminds me how blessed I am that I have something in my pantry to last a whole week, maybe more, while others have nothing to eat. He reminds me that a lot of people do not have financial support of any kind. Some are infirmed physically and emotionally. But not me, my pantry is full. And I should be thankful for that. God reminds me of this particular verse:

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

He knows my needs even before I ask! And He knows your needs, too! If you are feeling down and out, don’t worry. God works in mysterious ways, His ways and not ours. Count your blessings, name them one by one!

Praise the Lord, Amen!