A final salute to NU107.5

Last night, at about 9 or 10 in the evening, my partner and I tuned in to the radio station NU107.5, which had billed itself as the home of Pinoy [Philippine] rock and roll.

The live video feed showed a shit-ton of people crammed inside the booth, a huge crowd outside the windows. The broadcast booth being on the ground floor of a building, and the building being on a corner, you can imagine how it was - the DJs could look out in two directions and see people in black, drinking, holding candles, holding cameras.

Last night was the last night in existence of this major and important radio station.

Adding poignancy to our tuning in was the fact that one of the DJs was a friend of ours. She joined many of the station's key personnel in playing final songs and giving final speeches.

I had to cry because the song she picked was this:


"Don't You [Forget About Me]", Simple Minds. From the soundtrack to The Breakfast Club.

As the clock's hands crept toward midnight, my Twitter started flooding with emotions over the radio station. Knowing that the station was mandated to play the Philippine National Anthem at the very end of its final sign-off, there was much speculation on what the final song would be.

The livestream, unfortunately, cut off just before 12 midnight. Luckily, my mobile phone had an FM radio function - so I hurriedly plugged us in, just as DJ Francis Brew cued up the last song the station would ever play.


"Ang Huling El Bimbo" [The Last El Bimbo], Eraserheads. From the album "Cutterpillow".

And at THAT, well, there was nothing for it but to turn away and start sniffling. Had to cling on to my partner for dear life. I think I won't be alone now in saying that I will never listen to this song the same way again.

I look forward to hearing the news that NU107 lives again, maybe as a pirate radio station, maybe as an Internet outfit. Stations come and go, technology marches on, but the music lives forever.

Rakenrol, dudes. \m/

Music to NaNo to

The special live performance of "Mombasa", a track from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to the movie Inception. Hans Zimmer and Johnny Marr lead the performers.

If that's not music to write to, well, hell, I must be deaf, mute, and a moron.

I'm really not NaNo'ing this year, I swear, although I've been writing nonstop for the past few days.

It occurs to me, though, that with the amount of words I've chalked up I should probably have crossed my fingers and done one of those "rebel" NaNo things, you know, signed up to write a bunch of related short stories with the goal of eventually creating a 'verse in 50,000 words. I'd hardly be the only person who'd tried to do something like a novel in a series of short stories.....

I've just had my paycheck, so I think it's time for me to rejig the personal budget a bit and try to see if I can pitch in for my now-going-to-be-a-November-habit of a donation to the Office of Letters and Light. They're the folks behind NaNoWriMo and Script Frenzy [and their respective Young Writers' Programs]. Ten dollars a year is not too much to give to a wonderful organization that keeps the spirit of writing and creating alive.

Turning "japonais": kimono dreams

Because these days I've been writing out this entire universe of stories that are set in a fantastical swords-and-sorcery Japanese setting - you know, people in hakama casting magical spells or wielding traditional weaponry in epic duels - I've had kimono on the brain lately.

I have actually had the pleasure of wearing one of these very stately garments, but admittedly it was more like a yukata-type. It's been something like 11 years. I really would like to repeat the experience some time.

Anyway, here are some reference photos I've dug up from around the web. This first kimono has a gorgeous flower-and-tree motif. Aren't the colors just magnificent?



And this next one seems to be a compilation image of modern-day furisode kimono. If any one of the girls in the photo held out her arms to the sides, the sleeves would hang nearly all the way to the ground.

Granted, I'm a bit too old to wear furisode. These kimono are only suited for young women, and anyone over the age of 20, except a bride, is probably supposed to switch over to the tomesode type [of which the previous kimono is an example].

But I love the colors and patterns in these kimono and were I able to commission a tomesode kimono for myself, I would probably go for the pattern shown in the first / upper "furisode de invierno" [winter furisode].



Kirei na~, as the Japanese would say....

Chronicle of fandom work

I think I've mentioned the idea of a fandom exchange here before, but having achieved something of a minor Crowning Moment of Awesome in my fandom life, I hope you don't mind if I take you through it again....

Fandom Gift Exchange Fest
When a participant signs up for one of these, he or she agrees to create a piece of fanfiction or fanart for someone else who has signed up for the fest. In return, the participant will also receive a piece of fanfiction or fanart from another participant. As the key word is EXCHANGE, participants who drop out or fail to turn in their pieces will not get any gifts.

To make sure that everyone gets a gift that they will like, each participant fills in a form that details what they like and don't like in fanfiction or fanart in that fandom. Usually the form will ask for preferred or vetoed pairings, some prompts, things that the participant likes and doesn't like, etc. The form thus serves as a sort of blueprint for the person who's creating a gift for them.

Many fests are anonymous and reveals are scheduled for after the time when the gifts have been posted, in order to increase anticipation, participation, and excitement. Also, I think it's really fun that way.

Some exchange fests are limited to one fandom only: every piece of fanfiction or fanart is keyed to characters/situations from that fandom. Crossovers are allowed as long as the main fandom is the featured exchange fest fandom.

On the other hand, some exchange fests are geared specifically towards crossovers of all kinds.

Fandom Big Bang Challenge
I'll take the definition here straight from the FAQs of the one I signed up for:

A big bang challenge is a collaborative project between authors and artists. Authors sign up to write long fanfiction within a predetermined time frame, and artists sign up to create art based on these stories.

The idea of the fandom big bang challenge apparently originated in a specific challenge that grew out of a specific branch of Harry Potter fandom.

Now back to the aforementioned very minor CMoA.

For all my years in various fandoms I'd never even heard of these terms until 2010. Since it turned out that people liked how I wrote in my current fandom, I decided, okay, to hell with it, never know till I try - and thus I signed up to write three stories: one for a one-fandom gift exchange fest, a crossover fandom gift exchange fest, and a fandom big bang challenge.

As of yesterday I've just turned in all the completed drafts to the three challenges.

And now I am keyed up for posting and reveals over the holidays.

You guys. Like I said. FIRST TIME EVER. And now I know I CAN DO THIS SORT OF THING. I took on three successive challenges and didn't flake out, didn't drop out, and didn't quit.

Each challenge had a specific word count: the first one I completed had to meet a minimum of 2000 words, the second a minimum of 1500 words, and the big bang had a minimum of 15,000 words. I'm happy to say I went over every one of those deadlines. [Wow, self, overcompensating much....]

I almost feel like I should have enough time to actually tackle National Novel Writing Month next, but, as I am grossly NOT prepared at all for that this year, I will wait until November 2011 for my next attempt. That will not stop me from mailing in a donation to the Office of Letters and Light, though!

Woo hoo!

This year, I am carrying two swords

Previous Halloween entry: Trick/Treat/Trip



The first picture taken of me tonight, as the office braces for its Halloween party. I am carrying two types of swords and I intend to run around and pose some more with the damn things, as I am quite happy with them and I have never had a chance to do something like this. XD

There should be more later, or I will try to get someone to take other photos, I don't know.....