Musically Inclined

9 - Musically Inclined

" I always wanted to ___."

     Do you play an instrument? Did you ever want to learn how to play one? Well, I did. Currently I can play three different kinds of instruments; the guitar, the drums, the bass guitar and I can also play a little bit of the piano and the violin, but i'm not really that good. . . yet. I have been playing instruments since I was 14 years old. 

     I wasn't always that interested in learning how to play an instrument though. When I was in third grade, my parents enrolled me in a summer guitar class. All of my older brothers and my dad, know how to play the guitar, that's why they put me in that class. Well at first, I was a little excited about it because a part of me wanted to play the guitar, but when I got there, it did not interest me at all. I easily got bored. At the end of the day, I always forget what the instructor taught us. I didn't even go to the recital. I didn't even join because I didn't like it. I tried to play though, I did, but I just wasn't that interested that time. After that summer, I still couldn't play the guitar. When I was a sophomore in high school though, I found a guitar in our attic. It was old and dusty. It only had four strings, it was missing the two bottom strings. I picked it up, cleaned it and started tinkering with it. Eventually, I learned how to play the guitar. And ever since then I always wanted to play more instruments. 

     Right now, I am trying to learn how to play the ukulele. I just started playing it today. I think the ukulele is the underdog of all instruments. A lot of people think that the ukulele is not cool or something like that. I feel like it is under-appreciated. If you think about it, the ukulele is actually pretty cool. It has it's own unique and distinct sound that makes it incomparable to any other instrument, I guess. The ukulele is becoming more and more popular though. These days the Ukulele is experiencing a revolution, both as a valid instrument that can sweetly transform pop music and rock and roll, and as the focus of dozens of clubs springing up across the world. I saw this video of this one guy, who actually inspired to play the Ukulele, just as Victor Wooten inspired me to play the bass guitar and Travis Barker with the drums and there's a lot for the guitar like John Mayer, Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton, to name a few. Here, check him out, his name is Jake Shimabukuro.

     Music is just awesome, isn't it? I think once you get in to it, you just keep on going. It's another form of self-expression that's why you can really feel the different type of emotions when you listen to different kinds of songs.

     I'm not that good in playing instruments. I mean, there is always room for improvement. There are a lot of great musicians out there, and I know it wasn't a breeze for them to get to where they are now. They had to work hard for it. Hopefully, with a lot, like seriously a lot of practice, I will master the Ukulele and the other instruments that I play and play like those other great musicians out there.

The Ice Cream Quest

8 - The Ice Cream Quest

" Write about an outdoor experience."

      I really like going outside to play. Just staying under the sun, feeling the breeze, the sound of the trees as the wind blows its leaves and just having fun. I haven't been going out much lately though. Ever since I got here in the big city, I haven't really gone out as much as I used to. I stay in the house all the time, always in front of my laptop. I rarely get any sun, unless I go to school though. That's why I take every opportunity to go out.

     Last February 13, I was with Kim, since class finished early, I took her home. I was supposed to take her to her house, but it was still kind of early, so she suggested to stop by the park over there. And so we did. When we got there, everything was calm. It was only the both of us there. There was a playground there. We put our bags down and sat on the swings to rest our feet and we just talked. After a while, we started fooling around and decided to make a video of all the random stuff we were doing. In the video, I did parkour and other stuff. We talked about random things that we saw there, and made it like a t.v. show. It was pretty hilarious. Then, the video was already about 20 minutes long, so we stopped. After that, the craziest thing happened. Kim accidentally deleted the video. I was like, "What the hell? Noooooo." 20 minutes of random stuff, gone. But I wasn't mad at her though, I was just tired from doing all those things, I still had fun though. After that, we just sat down on this tiny hill under the shade of the trees. It was still just the both of us there. We were just talking. It was very relaxing. You can feel the warmth of the sun, just the right amount of warmth, enough to moisten your skin a bit, and the breeze that blew through the branches and leaves of the trees was very cool. The place felt so serene. The sound of the birds on the trees and the wind blowing. It was just awesome. Not to mention, Kim was there. She completed it. She made it perfect. Just the two of us, under the shade of the trees, sitting, talking, feeling the breeze. I wouldn't want to spent that day any other way.

     Kim told me, that not much people see that park as something special or something. That they just pass by it like it was something neutral to the. I told her that they just don't notice. It depends on the person I guess. For me though, I like those kind of places. It's places like those that just makes you so happy that you're in this world. It was just beautiful. For some people it may just have been an ordinary park, but me and Kim made it 10 times better. It actually just depends on the person to make something so ordinary, like a park that's been there since ever, into something special.

     Anyway, back to my story. After a while, we were craving for ice cream. She said we could buy some at this one street. So we got up and walked there. On the way there, we decided to take another video of US walking to that ice cream place. This time, she didn't delete it. THANK GOD. The video was pretty hilarious and awesome. We posted part 1 of the  video on facebook. I doubt that you could see it, but if you want to try, click this link Benedict and Hannah: Ice Cream Quest. If you can't here are some screen shots instead. :D

me talking to a smiling tree

the swings

beautiful as always

I found a butt tree

there's only one way not to P. lol

      To sum that day all up into one word, AMAZING. It was just awesome, how the day turned out. I guess, things really are better unplanned. It was kind of like a mini vacation from the normal, hectic, fast-pacing city life. The both of us really needed that break.

Comedic Genius

6 - Comedic Genius

"Who is the person alive today that you would most like to meet and talk to? "

     Rowan Sebastian Atkinson, an English actor, comedian and screenwriter who is best known for his works on the sitcoms, Mr. Bean and Blackadder.

Rowan Atkinson as Edmund Blackadder

     I have been watching Rowan Atkinson for as long as I could remember. This guy is a freaking genius. I mean, to be able to make three generations laugh their pants off without even uttering a single word, is surely something to be proud of. Unfortunately, some people think that he is actually dumb or stupid, because of his role as Mr. Bean, though they still find it funny, which is kind of sad, because, they're clouded by this judgement to see how much of a genius Rowan actually is. He doesn't really get much respect from other people, they don't even know his real name, a lot of people just know him as Mr. Bean. Though Mr. Bean, was one of his greatest works that made him famous, some misunderstood the humor it conveyed by thinking that the guy is actually dumb. He is not dumb, he just has a different way in solving his problems. Mr. Bean, is not the only thing he has done though, he has done a lot of acts and performances that are actually pretty funny and awesome. To name a few, there's, Blackadder, Not the Nine 'o Clock News, Canned laughter and some live stand up comedy shows. He is pretty good at portraying vicars in his acts. One of my favorites is his performance in "We are most amused", check it out. 

     To be able to talk to him, would be such a great honor. I mean, Rowan Atkinson is one of the greatest comedic geniuses of all time, to meet him in person would already be a great honor. I have been a big fan ever since I watched more of his performances, old and new. 

     If I could talk to him and ask him anything, I'd probably ask him the following, "What is it like to be one of the greatest comedic genius of all time? How do most people react when they see you on the street? Which performance made a huge impact on your life? Will you make me your apprentice and teach me your ways? (I'm already asking questions, I'll ask this that one just for the heck of it. Who knows, he might say YES? LOL)

   To talk to the voluptuous Rowan Atkinson would be such a great honor. That would be awesome. Maybe someday, I hope

Sloppy Cravings

5 - Sloppy Cravings

"Describe sloppy."

     Sloppy. It is often defined as something wet or pasty so as to spatter easily or marked as something with a lack of neatness or order and lack of care or precision. Now, when it comes to food, sloppy can not always mean something negative. Sometimes, sloppy could be good, I guess. I mean, sometimes, I have the weirdest cravings. It's like i don't even care how it turns out. As long as it tastes good then I'm okay with it.

the awesome tasting gummy worm sandwich
 i made. OM NOM NOM! :3

     A couple of nights ago, I was staying up late because of homework. I've been having a lot of homework lately. Usually, when this happens, I have these weird cravings for random combinations of food. Mostly, unlikely combinations. I remember this one time, I took a Black Forest Loaf and some Gummy worms. Then I made a Gummy Worm Sandwich. It actually turned out pretty good. A lot of people thought it was weird and would rather eat them separately. Well, it tasted good to me, so whatever. I have weird taste buds. Anyways, as I was saying, a couple of nights ago, I had one of these weird cravings again. This time it was for Peanutbutter and Mayonnaise. It was pretty funny, because I was just working on my laptop, then i just had this urge to eat, so, I opened the fridge. I was looking for something to eat. Then i saw a loaf of bread. After that, I thought of just making a sandwich, since it was easy and fast to make. Then I saw some peanutbutter and some mayonnaise. The moment I saw them, I suddenly had a craving for them. It was pretty weird or maybe I was just hungry. So, I made about more than three Peanutbutter and Mayonnaise Sandwiches. They were AWESOME. I kept eating, while working of course until I ran out of bread but I was still craving for more. I checked the fridge and looked for stuff that i can put peanutbutter and mayonnaise on. When, I looked in the freezer, i saw a pack of hotdogs. I took the pack and opened it. I got a couple of hotdogs and just dipped it in peanutbutter and mayonnaise. The hotdogs were still frozen, by the way. There were tiny ice crystals in the core of the hotdog. It had this very interesting taste. IT TASTED AWESOME. Surprisingly, it was a good combination. It's taste is definitely like no other. I will surely make and eat one again.

     Maybe I was just hungry or sleepy. If that's the case, Sleep Deprivation has weird effects on me. Ever since I was a little kid though, I always had an interest in unusual food, experimenting with different flavors and such. I remember making a sandwich when I was a kid, I made a sandwich if Nacho chips, peanutbutter, mayonnaise, pork barbecue and chocolate syrup. I know, it may sound weird bu as I recall, it tasted pretty good. I wonder what sort of unusual sandwiches I'm gonna make next.

Under the Winter Sun

4 - Under the Winter Sun

"Describe a day at the beach."

     The beach is an awesome place to be at. The cool breeze, the sand between your toes, the scent of the ocean, the sun in your face, and you're just chilling out with a cool drink and some good friends. It doesn't get any better than that.

     The last time I was at the beach was during the holidays, last December 26, 2012. I know, for some it's kinda unusual to go to the beach during Christmas Season, but for me, the beach is timeless. It is not seasonal, though most people go there during the summer to cool off. For me, I feel like I can go there anytime of the year.

     I went back to Negros during the holidays. I met up with my friends the day after Christmas. Then, for some random random reason, I suggested that we go to the beach, i don't even know why. I just felt like going to the beach since I rarely get to go to one here in Manila. Anyways, the day started off with my friends picking me up form my place. We drove in my friends car for 20 minutes. ROAD TRIP!!! Just like the old days. It was really fun. I haven't seen my friends for more than six months, so we had a lot of catching up to do. When we got to the beach, we just sat down and ate first, since it was already noon. Then after a few conversations, we started having some drinks, like we usually do. We put on some music. And after a while, we went for a swim. It was pretty awesome because the sea, wasn't really as calm as it is during summer when because there was a storm coming in by the time we went in the water. The waves were huge and it started to drizzle but we still kept on swimming. Eventually, we went out of the water. Since it was getting dark, we just went home because it was also starting to rain harder.

     Nothing much really happened that day. We just went to the beach, ate, had a couple of drinks, swam in the ocean, sat, talked, laughed and played. It was still pretty fun and awesome though. It was very relaxing and I got to be with my friends. I needed that break from the hectic and stressful city life.