2 Years of Video Blogging! w00t!

Summer is almost over! You wanna go to the beach like all your friends have but you can’t. Maybe because of bad weather? No money? No time? Here are cheap and alternative ways to experience the beach life in the comforts of your own home.

Check out new video blogger Doctor Dude as he launch his new blog with this awesome vlog – Life’s a Beach!

Animation – Jet Caballes, Camerawork – Howi Ramallosa, Eva “Punda” – My awesome cousin Lara Caballes
Beaches in the video: Boracay, Moal Boal (Cebu) and Baler!

I shall officially call these kind of posts as part of the Singlehood Chronicles Series. If you remember by this time last year, I was in the same predicament. Only this year, I’m not too Bitter Ocampo about it. Rather than gloating and whining, last Saturday I actually did something about the situation. Although it wasn’t really part of any of my plans, Speed Dating is a welcome new hobby distraction while looking for that *ehem* special someone. So what is Speed Dating? Check out this awesome feature by ABS-CBN’s Probe featuring awesome Arete events organizer Poyt, event host/”chix” Kring, camery shy rockstar Fritz, “spontaneous lover” BillyCoy and yours truly:

Just last night, I got into this heated discussion with friends about the reasons why people go to speed dates. A friend said – people who know what they want and know how to get it should not be part of these “superficial” activities. First dates are bad enough since we know that we only get to see their best foot forward but 3 minutes? That’s just the tip of a large, cold, scary iceberg.

But I disagree. Forget about meeting the ONE. Am I the only person who thinks I have to meet as much people as I can? It’s not really about what I might be missing out but it’s more on what I can learn from these new acquaintances – you get to discover certain aspects of who you are, how you wanna grow and what you really want. Everyone is different. And each person will touch affect you in a different way.

But if I’m lucky enough to actually meet her – that person who’s not necessarily the perfect match but the right one, like what one of my close friends said, “Huwag mo nang pakawalan.”

Arete Events
Galileo Enoteca Italian Restaurant and Deli, Makati
Graphic tees from Solo
Freeway
Stylebible

Awesome photography by http://certainkindofhue.multiply.com/

Each and every one of us is a gold mine; but like any other of its kind, you have to dig out the good substance.The Gold Mine Theory – this is what stuck to me upon finishing last Saturday’s PETA Tour. This principle states that every person has this infinite potential to excel on any activity as long as they get the proper education and have the very determination to do so.

The blogging group included Arpee, Martin, Kai, Jun, Diego, Melissa, Carla, Benj, Cielo, Jeff , Joe, Coy, Chris, Faith, Karla, and Gibbs.

With this thought I just realized, I can be whoever I want to be. Just like playing a character in a play, you can be anyone if you just put your mind to it. You can be Juliet, Plato, or even Rizal if you only internalize that character – which requires not only knowledge of the material but also the passion to believe that you can be.

So just like what Mrs. Cecille Garrucho explained, anybody can do theater. And from a similar point of view of Pepe, from PETA’s “Batang Rizal”, anybody can be a hero too.

“Kung walang pinagbago ang panahon mo sa panahon ko, bakit kailangan ko pang mamatay?” A daunting question made by our young national hero. I almost teared up that moment when he left the stage leaving everybody wondering the same thing. Did he indeed die for nothing? Does our present condition reflect what he was fighting against?

Silence waved through the place as Pepe’s question kept lingering in my mind. Honestly, as I was sitting there, dumbfounded by the query, I didn’t really know the answer. And I was scared to believe that it was, in reality, all for nothing.

But as the play neared its end, I got to realize that it was not really about what he died for, but how he lived his life. And if one boy had this one great vision for our country and brought it to realization, then what stops today’s youth of achieving the same greatness? With enough will and persistence, you and I can be a hero in our own right. And with that in mind, we can be our nation’s gold mine.

“…Sino ka sa kanila, sino ka?
Kahit bata ka pa dapat alam mo na.
Piliin ang landas hangga’t maaga
Tayong kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan
Ika’y Pilipino ‘wag kalilimutan
Talino at lakas ialay mo sa bayan.”

Photos by: Gibbs Cadiz, Arpee Lazaro

Music by: Bamboo

Special Thanks to: Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA), PinoyCentric, and Gibbs Cadiz

I’ve been vlogging for 4 months now and you might have noticed a constant face in all of my videos and photos. He’s got more exposure than I do in most of my episodes. I’ve featured my Mom and Dad here in CokskiBlue; it’s about time to give (part of) the spotlight to the fourth and last member of the family. Yup. He’s Jet – my (not so) little brother. He’ll kill me once he sees this. Ha!It’s not really hard to have fun with this guy. He thinks of the corniest jokes and belches out very funny stories every now and then about his friends, misadventures and UP. He’s a very shy and laid-back person but he comes up with the quirkiest comments that everybody loves.

Kids (?) our age usually bond over basketball or over bottles of beer and pulutan. We bond over this:

Oh, did I mention I sang in this video?

Man, I’ve got the worst hangover.

Of summer, that is. Since classes started this June, can’t seem to fully adjust to the new schedule I have to put up with. Maybe I miss the super hot days when I have no reason to leave the house or even get out of bed, the events we have to organize, or staring at the computer ’til dawn. It’s hard to focus on academics when Wifi can reach you almost everywhere and blog hopping could be as easy as a sit in the park. I need to let go.

So now, on the turn of a new month, I will firmly stand by my decision to leave behind (temporarily) some “luxuries” I had back then. Looking back, it’s been fun but I just have to think– Dude, you’re graduating dammit! — and that should shake me up and put my priorities in place.

Huling hirit na ‘to.

CLICK HERE FOR GOOGLE VIDEO

Photos by: Ching, Pao, Justin, Coy and Shari

Music by: Jason Mraz

Want more details about Coy’s summer? Check-out CokskiBlue‘s Summer ’07 Video Collection!

FINAL VERSION: I added some text, effects and thanked my sponsors in the end of the video. Hehe.

Coy hosting an annual choral competition in Trece Martires City, Cavite.

Music By: Lit

Photos By: Chingy, Justin & Pao

A fun event we organized last May 1! You’ll enjoy it!

Music by: Number One Gun

If this doesn’t work, just go straight to this link: YouTube