Every year, I usually feel like fast-forwarding through December. Yes, apparently even decades of TV specials and indoctrination through advertising have failed to instill in me an appropriately wide-eyed enthusiasm for the season or should I say re-instill, since, of course, as a child I had plenty of enthusiasm, and my innocent little heart was filled to bursting with what could only be described as “greed.” These days, with no classes to enjoy a respite from and with my advancing age signifying that I should be a giver rather than a rapacious recipient of gifts galore, the childlike thrills are a little harder to come by. Happily, I am also old enough now to drink.
I also find that, traffic aside, I seem to enjoy going out more these days. Either the parties and events have gotten better, or I have gotten less self-conscious (one of the great things about leaving teenhood behind... way, way, behind), or likeliest of all I have just managed to accumulate, over the years, enough friends that I am actually happy to go out of my way to see. (It could also be due to a heightened sense of my mortality resulting in a tragicomic flail at making the most of the years I have left.)
The other Thursday (Dec. 15) makes for a good example I ended up going to four events, each one worthwhile. I started with the launch of Unscripted, a book by Sarah Meier and Vicky Herrera based on interviews they did for their radio show “The Dollhouse.” I’ve known for some time that Sarah is a fine writer, from working with her at MTV and having persuaded her to write for various publications, and am glad she’s finally come out with a book. Props to her co-writer Vicky as well, and to publisher (and launch venue) Fully Booked for backing this ambitious (and eye-catchingly designed) project.
Afterwards I was off to N/WSK, a gig at saGuijo put together by Number Line Records in cooperation with “experimental/alternative music festival” Fete dela WSK. Aside from Number Line Records artists Similar Objects, Outerhope, Slow Hello, and Manuel Nicolas Alvero, the gig featured Gentle Universe, The Strangeness, Wilderness, and Indonesian electropop outfit, Bottlesmoker. Similar Objects launched his new album, “Finding Astral Lovers,” and Number Line released a brand new sampler, full of good, original, and occasionally unusual music, which is also now downloadable at their site, and has art by Poklong Anading, Louie Cordero, Nicole Coson, Dan Matutina and Luis Antonio Santos. Very nice.
Then I was off to the Power Plant mall at 1 a.m., to catch one of my all-time favorite hip-hop acts live. Thank you, Smart, for bringing American rapper Lupe Fiasco here to play at your iPhone 4S launch; I never thought I would get to watch him, much less stand just a few feet away while he rapped and danced and gave frequent shout-outs to Manila and the Philippines, acknowledging the ties of some of his most successful music to this country (a sample from a Celeste Legaspi song and a collaboration with Matthew Santos marking two of his biggest hit singles). It was an event both awesome and strange, which I plan to write a bit more about in the near future.
Finally, we headed to Cubao X, to chase the last part of an event featuring DJ sets by The Diegos, Major Chi, and Reuben Wu of Ladytron fame. It was good to see Cubao X lively again; it hasn’t been the same since Mogwai closed down and Meidays stopped being held there. By this time it was around 3 a.m., but we still managed to catch The Diegos’ shamelessly catchy set, and dance ourselves silly ‘til almost-daybreak.
So yeah, despite my Scrooge-ific tendencies, this particular season has been fun so far, largely thanks to good music and good friends. But of course, we all know that the meaning of Christmas has less to do with gyration and inebriation and more to do with giving, helping others, and a certain miraculous infant in a manger. Partying aside, do something to help out (if you haven’t already) various resources online and off have made it very easy indeed to help out those made bereft by Bagyong Sendong, for a start and have yourself a merry little Christmas. Yes, I am corny, but so what.