I’ve always dreamed of going to Coachella and when i heard that we will be having an arts and music festival here in Manila, i can’t help but get sooooo excited!

I was hired for the first time as a freelance photographer and though i had feelings of fear and uncertainty, i enjoyed listening to good music with hipster-eque vibe and the sunset as the backdrop.

With comfort, style and bonafide bad-assery in mind, it doesn’t matter whether you’re a true bohemian spirit, an indie-inspired rocker chic or casual cool city hipster. And this was my chance to be a poser-hippie with my “im too cool to shower” look. Maybe i’ll switch my laidback style to boho!

The event won’t be amazing without my sister Look she was at VIP/Media section with posh seating. There were also the famous portable (port-a-potties or portalets) toilets for that music festival feel.

Hundreds flocked to the desert (or let’s just say Alphaland Bay City, Aseana Avenue) on Labor Day to brave the heat, show some skin and to celebrate art and music from local and international scene!

I’m loving the live action graffiti wall painting, silkscreen and tie-dye booth floating in between the two stages.

The weather went from sunny to cloudy then to drizzling. We spotted Erwan Heaussaff, Solenn Heussaff and Mike Concepcion! Other celebrities like Raymond Gutierrez, Georgina Wilson and Nicole Anderson were also there

Water guns and soakers beat the heat! The vibe on MMF? That bold, balls-to-the-wall bravado that comes when people aren’t afraid to look ludicrous and be silly in the name of fun. It’s an up-for-anything attitude!

The Meg team! I was with ate La (Fashion Assistant), Klara (Associate Editor) and Ning Hilario (Beauty Assistant). I missed Lea that day

Everyone killed the event with their sense of style and spirit! Some festivals like Bestivaland T in the Park in the UK and Ultra in the US, revelers are encouraged to come in costume to hike up that crazy celebratory mood! Filipinos at MMF came in carnival-inspired outfits. Finally, my tank tops and cut offs are De rigueur in such events

The drinks were unbelievably overpriced (P100 bucks for a small bottle of water and P200 for a can of beer) so it’s either you have an instant pick-up party at the parking lot with the drinks you brought or you use the mini jeepneys to bring you outside. Haha.

Philippine All-Stars grooved that night in the background with dance-worthy beats. They were the ones taking a photo of themselves.

Music festivals don’t exactly offer the most comfortable experience on the planet. Imagine the scorching heat. The sticky crowd. The standing for hours on end. The lack of a decent restroom. But you have to suck it up and throw you hygiene with the wind. Perfect for my sister. Hahaha. Just kidding! After all it was all about that music festival appeal.

In addition, food stalls, ice cream carts, and mobile bars littered the festival grounds. Sand and dust were all over us! In our drinks, food, hair, face, shoes and eyes! Who would have thought that there is a desert here in the Phils?

My sister and i literally ran from one place to another as both stages played live music continuously and simultaneously. We were drenched in a mix of rock, hiphop, reggae dancehall and house all at once! Coolio!

On the right stage, rockers and cult followers enjoyed the live acts of homegrown performers that thrusted the stage such as Nameless Heroes, Razorback, Kjwan, Wilabaliw, Sinosikat, Lady I and June Marieezy and more!

On the left, partyphiles were energized as DJ sets of Similarobjects, Noodles, Katsunami, DJ Kristian Hernandez, DJ Skratchmark and DJ Nix Damn P! brought the house down in the Red Bull stage. The music was diverse and eclectic!

Local favorite Shinichi Osawa, A Tribe Called Quest’s Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Zulu Nation’s Afrika Bambaataa (Father of Electro Funk/ Amen Ra of Universal Hip-Hop) headlined the show. From ambient electronic, to afro funk, to deep tech to hip-hop, the good music was infectious!

Host Sarah Meier kept warning us about the sandstorm. Haha. Manila Music Festival was hatched by the same team behind the Malasimbo Music & Arts Festival in Puerto Galera. Plus they were supported by Department of Tourism. Good job guys! You pulled it off!

This is the jumpstart of a musical event that will indeed carve its name in Philippine Music History. And i’m lucky to be part of it and i survived the heat, rain, hunger, thirst and exhaustion. It was an amazing wet-and-wild experience

From those who were dressed in Coachella swag to the rock-soul-reggae-and-hip-hop heads coming together for the love of music, the festival became the crown of culture, fashion (for festival-goers) and talent (for artists and musicians).

I can’t wait for the next year’s MMF or maybe my Coachella pie in the sky would happen by then. But for now being a photographer at this Manila Music Festival, was actually a dream come true Thank you Lord so much

Mother’s day is a special day where we honor the woman who brought us to this world

And last May 13, Sunday, we treated mum and lola out at Eastwood City

When mommy was still a teen, she said i looked like her.

With our crazy cousin, kuya Mykee!

I love my sister’s cutie patootie outfit!

Do i look pretty with my hair on my face? :>

My blog entry won’t be complete without a daily collage of my sister’s funny and weird face!

And we’re silly like that! Like woah! Haaha. Like i don’t make any sense at all. Hahaha!

Then we went to Alabang Town Center Ina bought her mint green bikini for our wishful thinking beach.

We brought mommy to our latest yummy pasta discovery, at Mary Grace! We had Mushroom Cream Pasta, Pasta Amatriciana with Italian Meatballs and Seafood Pasta.

Mom last received a flower from dad when they were still in courting stage (ewww)

So my sister and i hav decided to buy her a rose and carnation to make her feel loved

We spent our last hours of Mother’s Day at Krispy Kreme where the staff and security guards were happily watching us as we surprised mommy

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA I love the first photo!

Night before this, my sister and i have decided to bake a cake for mom. We were so excited from hopping to making the cake batter from the box. Then challenge came, we had to make the frosting from scratch! We don’t have confectioner’s sugar (or baking powder or enough milk or other ingredients you can’t find in our pantry) so i tried putting the granulated one in the blender but it failed. Hahaha. I found a recipe online that says “Best Buttercream Icing” and we tried it. My sister and i were screaming our lungs out to which who’s right or wrong. It was like hell’s kitchen. Hahaha. The best buttercream icing full of butter, milk, sugar, melted choco chips and flour turned out to be a lumpy hotcake mix. So instead of throwing it, my sister have decided to bake it as cupcakes. We failed again and it was past midnight already!

Second attempt, we just mixed egg whites and sugar at high speed. We had a glimmer of hope seeing that the mix is actually rising like a frosting. I tried sprinkling semi-sweet chocolate kisses to add to the frosting and boy, i shouldn’t have done that! My sister accidentally over-mixed the frosting and the kisses didn’t add flavor nor coloring to the mix! Double whammy! We were so pissed at each other i decided to give up and take a bath instead. Hahahaha. Third try and we made the frosting, finally! It was tasteless (hahaha) but thick enough to cover the cake. We let it set at the fridge and slept with smiles (and exhaustion) in our faces.

The following day, after we got home from Alabang, we had to set everything up. My sister brought out the ingredients and the chocolate cake so we could decorate it. When we turned the cake over to put it in a plate, the middle had a big hole!! The cake became a humongous doughnut! We thought the chocolate cake was the only right thing we’ve made but it was under-cooked. So we tried to fill the hole with the white icing we’ve made. Then we topped it with dress strawberries. Much to our horror, the strawberries sank like the people from titanic! Hahahaha. We were just literally rolling on the floor laughing because it was a disaster! We even want to make an “Expetation vs. Reality” photo to show how it was a complete wreck.

Th experience was so hilarious and stupefying that on father’s day, we have decided to buy a cake instead! Hahaha! Don’t be deceived by the photo above because our final output (Devil’s Chocolate Cake with White Frosting Cream topped wit Fresh Strawberries and Semi-Sweet Chocolate Ganache) might look yummy, but it was under-cooked and it went through a lot. Hahaha.

And now i know where my sister inherited her funny faces! Hahaha my mommy’s gonna kill me for this!

To the coolest, super makulit, facebook-freak, oc, good chef, amazing teacher, loving wife and the best mum in the world! Thank you for taking care of us two as if you have six children because of our kakulitan hahaha!

I wish everyday’s a mother’s day because we have to show and say how much we love our mother’s before it’s too late. Love you mum!

Since i have blogged about my other Australian favorite band, Temper Trap, maybe it’s time to roll out the red carpet to The Script. I repeatedly listen to their songs for over a year especially when i travel (for that it-feels-like-im-in-a-movie vibe), when i eat, when i make art and even when i sleep.

It’s been a rags to riches glory ride, an emotional rollercoaster, an all action, all-star blockbuster. Three young Dubliners took on the world, with music fashioned from the emotional detritus of their own hard lives raised up by a love of pop, rock, hip hop and soul.

The Script is an Irish rock band from Dublin and their first debut self-titled album was released last August 2008 notching a handful of hit singles “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved” and “Breakeven”. And last September 2010, they scored fresh chart success with their second album, Science and Faith. Forging a unique sound based on a diverse list of influences including U2, Coldplay, The Police, The Neptunes, Timbaland, and Van Morrison.

The scene is a recording studio in London. Two young Irishmen are listening to playback. Handsome, dark haired Danny O’Donoghue is The Script’s charismatic vocalist and keyboard player. Shaven headed Mark Sheehan is their intense, loquacious guitarist. Third member, friendly but taciturn drummer and multi-instrumentalist Glen Power is in an adjoining studio, laying down a beat. Danny and Mark cannot sit still. They are leaping about to the music blasting from huge speakers, an addictive blend of hip hop rhythms, flowing melodies, sparkling hooks and emotive, story-spinning lyrics, with Danny’s mellifluous soulful vocals riding high over huge, anthemic choruses.

They say you’ll never know if you don’t try. Well, it’s better to try and fail than to regret in the future the chances you didn’t take. So be brave and be bold because you’ve got only one life to live. Risk, by nature, is scary because of uncertainty and you likely plunge into humiliation when you lose. You might lose everything by giving up some things or accepting challenges. But these choices will give you more confidence and you’ll soon discover yourself. Take risks and chances because nothing worth having comes easy. Why play safe when you can make things happen?

“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.”

1. Quit your job – If you feel that you are not advancing your career and there’s no growth anymore in what you are doing, cut the rope. If you have been treated disrespectfully or unfairly, resign because you don’t deserve that. If you want to change your career path and want to start a brighter future with no setbacks, go for it! Quitting your job will open new doors for you where you’ll be free and more successful.

2. Go after your dreams - There are never any real good reasons to put your dreams on hold. Whether it’s love for cooking or your skill in architecture, life is filled with opportunities and potential. Think through what you really want in life to do and what you envision yourself to be, and you might be living that dream soon enough. Pursue that passion!

3. Travel or Live in another country - It will literally take you out of your comfort zone. Explore other people’s culture and religion and expand your palate. You will be meeting wonderful people from different backgrounds and all walks of life. So buy that plane ticket and you might end up finding yourself by getting lost in a new city.

4. Makeover- That hairstyle you’ve been wanting to sport that will totally revamp your look but you’re too scared to consider? Come on it’ll grow back! Trim those tresses into a pixie cut or bangs for a full-blown makeover. Or you can also dip-dye your locks with ombre or multi-colored.

5. Quirky style- You play by the rules? Break those fashion trends and defy the conventional so you won’t look like everyone else. If you’re afraid to mix prints together, keep the colors in the same tonal family for a monochromatic look. You won’t end up having a clashing print on print outfit but more of a clean and well-balanced look. Denim on denim? Go ahead and make a statement!

6. Fall in love - Take a leap of faith and with a great amount of trust and communication, you’ll soon be living that LTR happy ever after. Enter a new relationship with honest and respectful partner who will accept and love you for who you are. But if you’re not ready for any commitment yet, date someone outside of your race or religion at least once in your life.

Meg magazine’s May issue is about dreaming big and making it all happen. And for me, i cut the rope and i just made the biggest (and maybe the best) decision ever! It would drastically change my life in a positive way, hopefully, and open new doors for my real dream job. I will write more about that soon You can also e-mail me for the password if you wish to read my “Devil Wears Prada” private post.

I had to accept my strengths and weaknesses to be able to grow and succeed. I had to accept and love myself, because if i won’t then no one will. I love my thunder thighs!

Say hello to my office and its hallway!

The editorial department on a Saturday morning. This was my first time to work on a weekend. Hahaha.

Me and my three favorite girls at Meg (Ning, L.A. and Lea) who kept me sane by understanding and believing in me

I will flood you with behind-the-scenes photos from Julia’s covershoot!

Makeup by Denise Go, hair by Jaime Sy and Photography by Paolo Pineda. Plus Ega Rivera being all hard-working, patient and passionate in what he does best, styling.

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