The Abandoned Child Of Zeus

CHANCE...OR CHOICE?
 
When we meet the right person to love when we're at the right place at the right time. That's chance. When you meet someone you you're attracted to, that's not a choice.  That's chance.  Being caught up in a moment (and there's a lot of couples who get together because of this) is not a choice.  That's also a chance.

The difference is what happens afterward. When will you take that infatuation, that crush, that mind-blowing attraction to the next level? That's when all sanity goes back, you sit down and contemplate whether you want to make this into a concrete relationship or just a fling.

If you decide to love a person, even with his faults, that's not a chance.  That's choice. When you choose to be with a person, no matter what, that's choice. Even if you know there are many people out there who are more attractive, smarter, and richer than your mate, and yet, you decide to love your mate just the same, that's choice.

Infatuation, crushes, attraction comes to us by chance. But true love that lasts is truly a choice. A choice that we make.

Regarding soul mates, there's a beautiful movie quote that I believe is so true about this: "Fate brings you together, but it's still up to you to make it happen."

I do believe that soul mates do exist. That there is truly someone made for you. But it's still up to you to make the choice if you're going to do something about it or not. We may meet our soul mates by chance, but loving and staying with our soul mate is still a choice we have to make.

TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY
 
On being Twenty-Something to Thirty-Something. They call it the "Quarter-life Crisis." It is when you stop going along with the crowd and start realizing that there are a lot of things about yourself that you didn't know and may not like.

You start feeling insecure and wonder where you will be in a year or two, but then get scared because you barely know where you are now.

You start realizing that people are selfish and that, maybe, those friends that you thought you were so close to aren't exactly the greatest people you have ever met and the people you have lost touch with are some of the most important ones. What you do not realize is that they are realizing that too and are not really cold or catty or mean or insincere, but that they are as confused as you.

You look at your job. It is not even close to what you thought you would be doing or maybe you are looking for one and realizing that you are going to have to start at the bottom and are scared.

You miss the comforts of college, of groups, of socializing with the same people on a constant basis. But then you realize that maybe they weren't so great after all.

You are beginning to understand yourself and what you want and do not want. Your opinions have gotten stronger. You see what others are doing and find yourself judging a bit more than usual because suddenly you realize that you have certain boundaries in your life and add things to your list of what is acceptable and what is not.

You are insecure and then secure. You laugh and cry with the greatest force of your life. You feel alone and scared and confused. Suddenly change is the enemy and you try and cling on to the past with dear life but soon realize that the past is drifting further and further away and there is nothing to do but stay where you are or move forward.

You get your heart broken and wonder how someone you loved could do such damage to you or you lie in bed and wonder why you can't meet anyone decent enough to get to know better.

You love someone but maybe love someone else too and cannot figure out why you are doing this because you are not a bad person.

One night stands and random hook ups start to look cheap and getting wasted and acting like an idiot starts to look pathetic.

You go through the same emotions and questions over and over and talk with your friends about the same topics because you cannot seem to make a decision.

You worry about loans and money and the future and making a life for yourself and while winning the race would be great, right now you'd just like to be a contender!

What you may not realize is that everyone reading this relates to it.  We are in our best of times and our worst of times, trying as hard as we can to figure this whole thing out.

Life should not be measured by the number of breaths you take BUT by the moments that take your breath away.

My first band, The Reverb(2003). All of us have the first taste and feel of what it is in a band. But this band lasted only for nine months. The time came that we need to split up because some members need to continue their studies and focus on some personal matters. The members of the group are (Standing from left to right): Mailyn Yu(Star for a Night 2003 Grand Finalist), Humphrey Dakoykoy(now in a band Next Stage), Me, Randy Suazo(MTV Superstar finalist) and Richard Gutang(currently working in Japan); (seated) Jag Gonzales and Lee Carlo Silva.

The Firstep Band(2003 - 2006). Right after Reverb was disbanded, I was offered by our manager, Mr. Ilde Carillo, a transfer to Firstep. This was the year that many were disbanded and regrouped but with different members. The group is composed of Ted Enoc(Q27 Band), Daggie Salvador(Replica Band), Cleofe Ebcas(Soundbytes Band), Me, Cecille Cotiamco(Q27 Band), Gernie Bustamante and Joel Ampoon(both originally from Firstep Band). The band has a total of four generations because of the changes of members. I was in the second up to the last generation. I had paired up with different vocalists since the time Cleofe left for a band related work in South Korea. There was a time that I had with me a male and a female vocalist, times that we don't have a female vocalist and times that i sing alone in an SMB function or a gig in Ratsky Cebu, for example. The band's run was almost three years before it came to an end. But the members, specifically the rhythm section, moved on and had a name of its own.

I joined the Crosswise Band in May 2007. I got a call from my former band mate, Jag, saying that they're looking for one more vocalist and so i willingly accepted the offer. The band's members are (from left to right) Charles Sagarino, Jag Gonzales, Gypsy Valle, Maya Benihagan, Me, Glenn Navarro and Harry Navarro. July of 2007, the band received an offer to work in Malaysia. So we discussed the matter and negotiated with our agent, Mr. Paul Fernandez.

Crosswise Band

(Taken during the GMA Kapuso Day 2007 at SM City Trade Hall)

The Hyperzone Band (First generation August 2007 - May 2008). With the addition of Jennifer Romero in Crosswise, we then named our group The Hyperzone Band. The band had its debut in Mardi Gras Restaurant and Bistro located in One Utama Damansara. After four months in Mardi Gras, the group traveled to Dhaka in Bangladesh for a concert-for-a-cause. We performed in Radisson Hotel Garden during the New Year's Eve 2008 to raise funds for the benefit of the victims of the cyclone that affected the country. After the successful concert in Dhaka, we moved on to our next destination which is in Penang, Malaysia. Slippery Señoritas is one of the famous clubs in Penang. The band had its three-month contract in the said club. So it's vacation time for the group after the nine-month stay in Malaysia.

The Second generation of Hyperzone Band, back again in Malaysia and just finished bookings in Aloha Kuala Lumpur and Hyatt Regency in Kuantan. The group is currently playing in Hilton Hotel's Uncle Chilli in Petaling Jaya. The new members are Dongs Medida Jr.(skin-head) and Nevo Hatamosa(third from the left - seated). The group will soon have its vacation on June 2009. See you in Cebu guys!!! We miss our motherland so much and the lechon baboy!!!

You can take a look at the attached repertoire of Hyperzone:

Taken during the opening day of the Springville World Folkfest. The parade of colors and national flags together with all the participants of the said annual event. These small delegation was so proud to sing the USA national anthem "The Star Spangled Banner" in one of our performances, first time in the history of the Springville World Folkfest!

The USJ-R Dramatics and Cultural Ensemble has been performing locally and internationally and this was one of the major travels of the group. I was with the group for five years and I really learned a lot, grew and enjoyed a lot. So many memories to treasure and some, you just want to forget. It's like a chamber of different personalities and attitudes. But, somehow, I learned how to get along with these people and they, too, have learned to find chemistry with each other.

Striking a pose with a Belgian friend, (From left to right) Ms. Cinbeth Orellano of ABS - CBN Cebu, Jimmy Marquez(making waves in the local and international scene), that's me holding a patched guitar, Ann Marie Laborte(currently teaching in the United States) and Melchor Castellano(working in a Business - Processing Outsourcing Company).

Our dear foster parents, Grammy Rose and Pop Floyd(may his soul rest in peace) Shepherd. They were the ones who took care of us in our 10-day stay in Springville, Utah. They drive us to the festival site everyday, to the malls, took us to Salt Lake City, etc. One memorable experience was the day they brought us to a house of the old time fiddlers. They, too, can sing and play instruments. They performed there while we were joyfully watching and listening to them. One thing i love about Pop and Grammy is their courage and love for each other. I say courage because they are not afraid of facing the reality that all of us will soon die, we just don't know when, unlike most of us do. There was one day that they took us to a churchyard and to our surprise, their names were engraved in the tomb tablet. They already prepared a place for both of them beside the grave of their beloved son. Such a sweet and loving couple who are both sworn to love one another in God's grace until the eternal life. We love them so much. Until now we still communicate with Grammy Rose through e-mails and often call her.