Friday, May 20, 2011

Rock concert to mark Rizal's 150th birthday - posted by GMA News Online

Rock concert to mark Rizal's 150th birthday

CARMELA LAPEÑA, GMA News

05/18/2011 | 06:10 PM

A series of national and school-based activities is set to be held in connection with the celebration of the 150th birth anniversary of Dr. Jose Rizal, the Philippines’ national hero, on June 19.

The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) will spearhead commemorative programs in three areas: Calamba, Laguna; Dapitan; and Manila.

“Jose Rizal is a very interesting character in Philippine history — he loved our country with a passion, wrote both fiction and poetry, practiced sports, and had his share of adventures from his extensive travels," said NHCP chairperson Maria Serena I. Diokno.

The activities, which will begin on June 19, include theatrical presentations, fora, film screenings and art exhibits.

Rock Rizal

A rock concert is also in the offing courtesy of Rock Ed Philippines.

Nine of the country’s biggest artists are also working together to produce an album that will feature songs covering the life and works of Rizal.

“It will focus more on his ideas, and how they can move us forward today," said Pepe Diokno, executive director of Rock Ed Philippines and also the NHCP chair’s nephew.

Rock Rizal will feature Ely Buendia, Sandwich, Gloc-9, Ebe Dancel, Jett Pangan, Peryodiko, Hijo, Aiza Seguerra and Radioactive Sago Project. All songs will be released online for free, and a collaborative single will come out on June 19.

The Rock Rizal concert will be held in September at the Quirino Grandstand.

"Our goal is to take Rizal from the classroom and into radio stations, music video channels, and MP3 players," said Rock Ed’s Diokno.

The younger Diokno added that the NHCP, which is partnering with Rock Ed Philippines, has the same objective. “NHCP aims to inspire a re-reading of his (Rizal) life, a little beyond what we have learned in our required Rizal courses in high school and college."

Rizal stamps

Already, students have participated in some activities, like the Jose Rizal Postage Stamp Design Contest held in partnership with the Philippine Postal Corporation.

FEU’s Lex Kempo Lacar, Deanne Fernandez, and Marc Aran Reyes are the winners for the student category, and Team Manila’s Heinritzh Sales and Ramon Vismonte are the winners for the Open Category.

The contest was held last March 1 with the aim of portraying the ideals and the significant role of Rizal as a national hero.

Asked about Rizal’s relevance today, Rock Ed’s Diokno said Rizal’s works continue to resonate with the present generation despite having been written in a different time. “Every time I read his work, at any time in my life, I learn something. He is an inspiration," he said.

Fittingly, the commemorative activities of his 150th birth anniversary are held both here and abroad. A marker will be unveiled in Barcelona, a Sarsuwela will be staged in Michigan, a traveling museum will move from New York to Germany, Belgium and Spain, and Ambeth Ocampo will give lectures in Germany. - KBK, GMA News

Original post HERE

When asked.

What is Rock Ed Philippines?
Rock Ed started in the Philippines . It was not patterned from any existing organization. It took its shape as the people started to join. And as more young Filipinos participate, we predict that its form will still continue to change.

Rock Ed is not a traditional NGO.  Although it is a duly-registered non-stock, non-profit organization, Rock Ed as a social movement ends in the year 2015. Come 2015, we disband. But our projects can be continued by the people who started them. (bookdrives, vaccination drives, dental missions, music camps for streetkids, etc)
We are a ten-year campaign.  It was designed to be that way because without a deadline, people don’t feel the urgency to move.  Other than that, to date, Rock Ed is run by sheer volunteers, no paid staff. No money is paid to rent an office. We have never printed a business card, no flyer, no brochure.  We have never paid a publication to cover us. We have never paid media for publicity or exposure.  All photographers donate their services for free. All film-makers, the best in the country document us as their volunteer work. We have no equipment, save for our personal cellphones, cars, laptops, borrowed projectors. Even our workshop materials are personal donations. All the occasional funding from the UN went straight to staging projects or books.
No administrative funding goes to Rock Ed as an overhead. All the people in the administrative core group are volunteers as well. This is not our job. All our cars are over-used for delivery of books and transportation. All campaign materials like shirts and buttons are donated. All commercial sponsors paid for the rented equipment for every gig and event. We rarely ask for cash except for vaccines and load allowances for volunteers who coordinate the projects via phone.  Our website is designed, maintained and updated by a volunteer without a single cent ever paid to him. None. We started with no cash. Just guts, creativity, sweat, insomnia, and the will to party for a cause. All projects are funded by the people participating in the said projects. Minimum talent fees are usually donated by other institutions that request for our participation. We still have no cash.

We don’t have official celebrity endorsers even if our volunteers are mostly famous musicians. We have never appeared on any commercial tarp on any street lamp, town plaza or gas station. We have never claimed to change the system nor declared God to be on our side. We’re not even boy scouts or girl scouts. Many of us are not even nice. Salbahe karamihan dito. Our volunteers don’t help out for fame either, they already have that.
We do not report to a foreign funder. We are not bound to support any foreign agency’s objectives because they do not fund our administration.  We have never paid a full fee for artists. Their generosity has been the backbone of this campaign.  We never solicit from politicians. Only one politician has donated to us and stuck by our policy of not endorsing him nor even acknowledging his donation in public.  We are not bound by any creed.
We do not take money from obviously corrupt officials because this only abates their own guilt (if any).  It gives the corrupt official a justification. A feeling that what he’s doing is okay because ‘he helps an NGO anyway.’ He donates to build houses on the side when he’s not stealing or carousing with women, alcohol and guns. We are not officially with any government agency. We are just a group of Filipinos who believe that there is no more excuse not to help our nation lift its chin against all the violence that bad governance in the past has caused us. Bad governance from incompetent dynasties who win because of apelyido-driven machineries. Or old fashioned cheating.

We don’t have MTV aspirations, so we don’t try to shock you on youtube, because most of the volunteers are already on MTV. We can’t claim much, actually, but one thing we can do — we have grown exponentially, nationally, without meaning to. No media strat-plan. No expert financers. No blue print on the board room. No board room. No council of elders. We grew because the young ones listen. We grew because we got the issues out to the usually deafened ears of the young. We got through because of our music. And because we don’t intimidate the younger ones with titles or an org chart, nor an office in Ortigas, Mandaluyong or RCBC Tower. We’re not underground, nor flying over it. We just do what we do. And we stand our ground. We weren’t appointed by relatives to do this, we don’t need our last names or patrons to do what we do best. We just do it.

We are just a group of artists, teachers, musicians, poets, photographers, entrepreneurs, private citizens who want to say ENOUGH. We are a collective of creative organizations who believe that the madness of being impoverished should end now. Our most concrete task is to make the Filipino teen-ager ask more questions.  And we will do it on our own. And we will do it with integrity. And we will do it now. No More Excuses, Philippines . Enough.

And, again, we never claimed to be the one group that will change the system —that’s everyone’s job.
(www.rockedphilippines.org)

Words by Gang Badoy.

I am Gerhard Bandiola. I will frustrate the cynics. I am a Rock Ed Volunteer.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

The Adventures of Super Normal Girl: Burger Joint Fans

Original Link - The Adventures of Super Normal Girl: Burger Joint Fans:

Burger Joint Fans

Spilled by Super Normal Girl at 8:04 PM

After bringing the 10-yr old nephew (who was staying at our house for a couple of days) to the barber shop to have his overgrown 'shroom-cloud-like hair shaved off, we decided we wanted to go someplace for dinner.

Nephew is a big fan of burgers (or anything with meat in it), so they wanted to go to H.I.D (Check older post) but we were already past the shop when they suggested it. I remembered another burger joint near where my best friend lives: the Burger Joint. Something new to try out.

The Burger Joint is at the second floor of Rublou Market Place, just by the gate of Brookside Hills Subdivision (incidentally, across Saunterfield Building where Meidolls Cafe is at).

It's a small, but comfy place, though I say this not having experienced a full-packed house. Dunno yet how it is if all the tables were full. One wall had an interesting collection of footwear drawings, and a collection of old cameras on another, which the kids busied themselves with while waiting for our order.

Nephew ordered the Beef Burger, I, the Chicken Burger.


Beef and chicken burgers look alike of course, patty and fresh lettuce and tomato on wheat bread (Beef PhP80 and Chicken PhP75)

Daughter had the hotdawg and cheesy fries

Really big, she had to take home half (PhP100)

PhP60

We also took home some fish and chips for mom

Liked this a lot, PhP100

Nephew seemed to like it; he ordered a second burger after devouring the first one in a couple of minutes. Growing boy, how can I refuse?

Worth the short trip for us. Delish and affordable.

How to get there:
From Cainta Junction, go straight along Ortigas Avenue Extension, going toward Tikling, Taytay. Look out for Saunterfield Building on your right (not too many buildings here, so you cant miss it). Right across is Rublou Market Place. Free parking right in front of the building.

FEU Highschool Batch 1990 Section Emerald Reunion at The Burger Joint.

Kami Nga! Bente na!
From ALL corners of the compass - Nueva York, Abu Dhabi, BBB Balle Berde Billage, QC, Manila at Cainta-key!

Sunday, May 8, 2011

TASTE TEST: Burger Joint

TASTE TEST: Burger Joint: "Burger Joint is a restaurant that serves good food, good services and good presentations. The first time I went to the place, a friend and I..."