Maturity

For the past years of experimenting between colors and lines for my graphic projects- now, i am certain that natural and earth colours never get out of fashion. Normal colors for the eyes. Acceptance isn't that hard regarding individual imagination. Colors-

"The science of color is sometimes called chromatics. It includes the perception of color by the human eye and brain, the origin of color in materials, color theory in art, and the physics of electromagnetic radiation in the visible range (that is, what we commonly refer to simply as light)."

Artwork

"Beyond Sunset, Hopes And Dreams"
artist - drillö
done with Photoshop 7


Pop Art "Self Portrait"
artist - drillo
medium : Photoshop 7

Moved South

I stayed in Zamboanga City for some time and Last June was the very chance I get to be. The place developed rapidly with tall buildings and more malls in the city. Old cinemas torn down and are now new structures of great interests. One thing is quite developed too. More traffic in the City. Maybe it’s a great part of developing places anywhere, globally.

In spite of the city’s glaring lights at night, I am thinking of people and friends who once with me back then. Some had traveled in their respective home places and some even go abroad. Most have their families now while I stayed single and there are few who simply just got lost (no contact) for no reason. Or maybe they buried themselves working too much in a corporate world. This place doesn’t feel the same.

I decided going to Basilan. An hour boat ride from Zamboanga City (20Php) with ordinary vessel. I don’t know with fast craft vessel, never got the chance to embarked in it. My nephew goes with me. As for some, going to Mindanao is a thing that needs a lot of nerves to decide.

Garden With A Natural Rock Formation

Camp Isawad, Isabela, Basilan

That’s what they’ve gained watching only local news.

News and more news.

I heard from a bus driver going to Bataan that the only thing that’s absolutely true in the news is its date.

There, I told the tricycle driver to give us a ride in the heart of one of Isabela’s barangay. As we arrived at friends place, their house wasn’t even existed in the area. Good grief, they transferred to a new place not too far from the former.

Actually it’s a serene place where you could hear cicadas screaming in gloriousness. Wind blows as the coconut tree leaves dances, fresh air hit your nostrils to rejuvenate the lungs’ oxygen and dry leaves scattered not as an eyesore but a part of good ecosystem.

Santol Tree House

{ On A Cliff }

Higher Than A Rooftop Of A 3rd Floor Building

Isabela has evolved in its new state since the last time I visited. They have now a newly developed plaza with a colored fountain at night. A fast-food emerge in-front of the Capitol building. Some resorts and camp sites are all in its good state. Nightlife is alive and well. It’s one heck of experience being there once more. Good friends, bottle of beer and hi-hos. Truly, it is a place of a real Republican.

In the heart of those terrain lies a magnificent view overlooking a nearby island, Malamawi. drillö

The General Santos City

May 1st of this year 2008 was my sked of flight to Gensan. I wanted to experience a different culture in a place I’d never been… I’m always excited by that. From the window pane I looked down, there it is; a huge area of green meadows from birds’ eye view. The General Santos Airport located in a center of a great savannah. Good thing there’s someone who’ll pick me at the airport. Jay Borja, brother of a friend (Joeven) who’s now in Titay, Zamboaga Sibugay. It would cost you 300 to 500 pesos from airport to mainland when you ride via taxi or habal-habal (a ‘single’ motorcycle used for commercial purposes- particularly common in Mindanao area). Gensan is a home of our boxing champ Manny Pacquiao. I reside near their resident home in Lagao. Only, I never got the chance to make a visit or is it allowed to do so for ordinary individuals. Cannot even make a glance, the fence is too high. Can barely see the window located on their second floor from the outside. It is widely known too for pineapple and tuna. They have a sandy soil even kilometers away from shore. A typical place as it may be, only there’s plenty of commercial factories and processing for canned foods. We’ve visited houses of friends and as expected, they offer us to drink tuba served with sugba and kilawin. It’s a common thing when having such time to visit every once in a while and a chance to do lots of conversation.

We’ve also visited Saranggani Province. Not too far from Gensan, a place of local fisherman and along the national highway you can see fishes and seashells on talipapa.
Some individuals simply display their catch for the travelers too see. A meter long octopus cost only a hundred (Php) and fish that are served only in big restaurants in Manila are for sale just along the road.

Moved forward. Kiamba. And there we go, another kin’s place to stay. They have a rice farm and their problem is an opposite problem in my province. In the field, the water don’t stop from emerging on surface even crops are about to harvest. And we, in Mindoro Occidental- water won’t emerge and it will never be. Rainfall is the only hope for most of the local farmers. We have this NIA (National Irrigations Association) but the water supply won’t suffice the hundreds of hectares farmland. So, I just shrugged in awe.

The opposite of Saranggani bay is Glan, located on the eastern side of its shore. Glan, they said is a mountainous area filled with breathtaking view from the top. A friend was inviting us to go to Glan but we don’t have enough time and budget. Hmmnnn… next time.

Summer Heat
Children Take a Dive at Local Shore
Tukuran, Zamboanga Del Sur

• The next morning, we find ourselves in van terminal going Pagadian City. Last trip is 10 in the morning. Travel lasts seven hours without any misfortune in our vehicle. Thank God. You can see different places reminding of what culture they have along every municipality. National Highway is cemented all across the region. Only the newly opened road in Cotabato is under construction. Van traveled via Polomolok, Koronadal, Tacurong, Midsayap, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao, Lanao Del Norte, South Cotabato. drillö

Vacation

Vacation trips can be so enthusiastic. Whenever possible, spending time with friends in Mindanao (southern part of the Philippines) is my virtue. Excitement, happiness, things shared, ideas and plannings comes in a set of the distance between us. Still remembered the time- i was invited by a friend to attend (with) in their Family Reunion. It was held on Dapitan City (It is historically significant as being the place where the national hero, Jose Rizal was exiled by the Spaniards and is known as the "Shrine City in the Philippines".) A small town, and almost every family knows their neighbors up to the end blocks of their respective streets. Old Houses are still abundant. For some reasons, both ups and downs- some are being reconstructed in a new state (that's bad i think) and other families who lived in ancestral homes liked the looks of Century Old House (?) so they preferred the old and original architecture with new materials available. Dapitan has many to offer inspite of being an island at far end of Dipolog City. They have their good beaches which are open to public with cottages accross the shore with enough space and are good for simple occations. Dakak, widely known beach and hotels are just on the other side with a white sand and has many to offer: boatrides, reataurants, diving, etc. Our National Hero- Jose Rizal had a small museum and replica of some houses that he once used when in Dapitan. Trekking is also one good thing to stay fit when i stayed there- it's just my body can't comprehend. ...And one thing enthralled me. Across the beach at night, we're walking ang talking like a normal thing for a friend that's long gone- there !!! A place in a middle of a small typical town- a fenced theme park (and it's not southpark i guess). There's the rides, Automated Teller Machines, Videoke, Restaurants, Bars, i don't know if there's a Disco House in there too, and in a perfect center of those is a masterpiece... Cockpit Arena. Filipino's are fond of watching sabong. It is one part of Philippine History. Truly, my stay in Dapitan makes me think of possibilities that old thing and new ones can be mixed, lived, enjoyed together in a way that they cannot interfere each progress or deter progress (for the common good) due to cultural difference and preservations. If You Have Enough Time, Find A Way To Experience Dapitan- drillö

After All These Years

• It's been quite sometime since the last time i visited my blog. A couple of years or so- Making updates and Spending time in-front of the monitor seemed so difficult by that time. Made myself busy on things that i usually can't define. Hoping that this time around, it'll be more progressive- Good thing i listened once again to music that made my mind to rediscover my treasured past. If you want to try if it has a positive effect on you: click here.

Photography

One of my obsession is photography.
For so many reasons, it can express a whole lot of things in a very complex and yet so simple detail. As usual, I devoted time to make some research and watch streaming videos to learn some basics.

One Of My Early Works + Childlike Imagination

Two of my favorite characters.
Spiderman and Doraemon spend time to play under the sun.
done with Corel Photo Paint

My brother in-law and niece.
Enjoying time together at Palakol (Pampanga) waters.
done with Photoshop Elements

Art As A Life

My Love for the Arts never stop by just spending time home composing music and doing some sketches on paper. I even enrolled: for me to learn how to paint on canvass. Western Mindanao State University (Zamboanga City) offers a one semester lecture and hands-on for Visual Arts enthusiasts. It's a Non-Formal Education, I enrolled. I learned a lot, and made some paintings on canvass. My works was left in our house in Zamboanga. And by the time working at Star Appliance Inc., computer generated imagery (CGI) was slowly introduced and used by photographers and visual artists alike. I spent most of my time to learn how to and read some materials about computer graphics. The last time i was in front of a personal computer was in college; using pascal and autocad 2DB in 1998. Whew! I have this friend who worked at one PC Store in Megamall. Mr. Francis Fantone. I asked him if he could introduce me once again to use PC as medium for music and arts, and he agreed. Since then, i explore every free tutorials and hands-on from friends to rediscover myself using new medium for new millenium.

One Of My Early Writings (lyric)

“QUESTIONS”

Music and Words : Dante R.

Since my childhood days

I always wonder about how God let it be

That there will also be bad instead of just good ones

Now it clings to me

So many questions, lost of thinking

When will I realize and understand all of these?

Can’t we be let live in a perfect world?

Why, Oh why, Oh why, Oh…

My sweet God

You know what we don’t

Send us you guiding light

Untie our blindfolded minds

Let us see through the darkness ^3x

Sun slit these black clouds

My eyes, then- get wider and made me understand

We truly are, living in a world of no questions

Just our instincts falls down maybe

Why do we always seek an example

For example is not a proof

Do we need to watch in awe before Jesus

Oh hear that robber ask for penance-

(Oh! God I pray, things will soon be changed)*

CCP Backdoor

Sun is shining, the weather is sweet...

At the bay. Tanghalang Francisco Balagtas (Folk Arts Theater).

It's a fine time Sunday. A blessed Sunday. Good thing to unwind and feel the breeze. The water though can't compare with those in our province, Occidental Mindoro. But it's good-

Filipino Heritage Walk

Tanghalang Francisco Balagtas -

After KALOOB - Filipino Heritage Walk at Folk Arts Theater. Long gone years and friends find time in each others presence. Decades of finding the real purpose of life in its existence and still, nothing much changed yet. So little time for so long years. Decade of decadence- maybe has been a part of my Youth. Look, i smiled a lot now. Distance that makes me feel alone sometimes is so melancholy: laughter, stayin' together and simply hanging around- (i don't feel no more). Nothing really compares when being around with people you knew for some time. And nothing can compare when you're in your homeland. Sentiments of being alone and alienated are all flushed away. Feel like a newborn once more. So many thoughts and ideas, dreams and longings, plans and schemes... i am much more excited now. Like a stone in a deserted land, there it lays. So many fragmented pieces, torn away from boulders, scattered. But as the wind pass thru, i am thankful that i am becoming more finer than ever and has more freedom to move along- drillö

A Place To Stay

This is where we planned to put up and venture for a supposedly PC Shop.Located just across Occidental Mindoro National College, it's Mervin's place actually. We cleaned and painted it. Enough time and money is the only thing that we're not sure about. And because of the sharing of power meter consumption is common, I consider it a li'l difficult to handle. Suggestion? We've decided that i will be the one who stay at the store and Mervin as part of it, he owns the place as his capital. Later on, something changed and it becomes more hazy than zero chance. Maybe because he can't decide for the place because it is part of the house for the family.

I was just thinking... Where would we be right now if we pursued that PC Shop kind o' thing. The location is good. In-front of a National College is an advantage and boarding houses are all just across the street. Students and individuals are more likely to spend some time to drop-by. And so... I made an affirmation, it's not the right time for me. "Time and Chance Happeneth To Them All" drillö

My Music

Rockfest -

Being an artist as a musician is one of my big dream. 10 years of developing my craft and haven't perfected it yet. I started writing in college as a past time for having a half-day sked at school. It's my scapegoat to freed from boredom and forget things like being away from home. As a newbie in songwriting, I made myself be fond of local bands as part of my influence. Local FM stations back in '95 plays music that has no boundaries. Regardless of how anger or immoral the lyrics would be. And these sorts of things were not my preference. So, I looked back at my brothers’ cassette tape collection and found one of the great bands ever: Pink Floyd. I reviewed and listen to their music. Awesome! But I hardly play guitar and those king of performance is somewhat way too far. As a youth grown in early 90's, Axl Rose lyrics are a great way to start. But my mind has a little experience and was not exploited yet by that time. I find it difficult to compose a lyric that tells a good story and a fact of life that I dreamed. Someone told me, don't force myself to attain as such in a blink of an eye. I think of it for a very long time, until I remember Ramones. They are the band that uses three (3) or even (2) chords in whole song and yet still sounds so great. And as a guitar player who knew nothing about tablatures and notes, and the what they call "musician by ear"- in craziness, I push my best to the limit. And now, I already have 20 or more songs that I can say I owned. drillö

Tracy

Tracy Chapman -

My Most endeared Artist Since High School. The simplicity of reality in her Lyrical Poetry makes me feel connected in a way. Melodies that remains in my heart and the thought of it-