Philippines June 2-15

I arrived at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport late Saturday night, June 2. I was immediately stunned by the overwhelming heat of the Philippines, as always.

My folks picked me up at the airport with my Uncle Norman, whose nickname is Ibe (you’ll discover that Filipinos all have nicknames, most of them not even close to their real names. My given name is Zaldie but I inherited Jess from my paternal grandfather Jesus.)

I crashed at my uncle’s place in the provincial town of Santa Rosa, Laguna, and then went even more provincial when I went to Luciana, Laguna to stay at my step-grandmother’s house. On the way, while riding in a Jeepney on a mountain in the middle of nowhere, my beloved straw cowboy hat flew right of my head and out the window.

After four days of doing absolutely nothing and haging out with my folks and grandfather, a whole bunch of my mother’s clan went to my uncle Ibe’s island on Lake Caliraya in Laguna for a day of vegging out on the lake and drinking the San Miguel beer. My mom and I got sun burnt after spending too much time on the inner-tubes with my cousins’ kids.

Man-made island on Lake Caliraya, Laguna

I then ventured the excruciating 4-hour commute to Manila with my father on the Thursday. We stopped by to the Santa Mesa area in the heart of Manila to catch up with my cousin Jong (whose given name is, ironically enough, Jess Zalameda.) I haven’t seen Jong since he was a teenager in 1994. Now he’s got a wife and two kids.

I finally got to my destination in the city of Marikina, where my usual digs were waiting for me at my cousin Judy’s place. I set up a meeting with my friend Raymund Marasigan at a club called Saguijo in trendy Makati. It turns out 80’s Pinoy rock legends The Dawn were playing and I got to catch up with bassist Buddy Zabala and guitarist Francis Reyes. I had brought Jong along and he was freaking out because he grew up listening to The Dawn and got to meet the band.

The following two days were also spent at Saguijo. Friday was a private party for a musician/producer named Dan, and almost everyone I knew in the music scene was out for the party. I met up with members of the Itchyworms, Sandwich, Imago and film director Quark Henares. It was great, although, the night’s blistering heat limited me to 1 drink and a case of bottled water.

To make the night even stranger, one of the party’s caterers was my cousin Danny Zalameda. He was in charge of the lechon, which is a whole roasted pig, or as Tom Waits so eloquently puts it, a Filipino Box-Spring Hog. When I arrived at the party, Danny saw me and told his co-workers that I was his cousin. As they scoffed him, he tapped me on the shoulder and called me Andrew (my twin brother’s name.) Even in Manila, where my brother hasn’t been in 8 years, people are still calling me Andrew.

My cousin Danny, the lechon guy

The next night, my good friend Ene Lagunzad asked me to take photos of her cover band The Ronnies, also at Saguijo. This time I took my second-cousin Veca Saldana with me.
The Ronnies covered Soft Cell, The Romantics, John Cougar, Patty Smyth & Scandal, Blondie and Kim Carnes, getting every Saguijo patron out of their seat and shaking their ass.

Ene Lagunzad singing for cover band The Ronnies

I also got to see one of Raymund’s other bands (he’s in three full-time bands) called Pedicab. They are a dance, post-punk outfit with Mike Dizon on drums, Rayms on bass synth, Monsterbot vocalist Diego Mapa, and Jason Caballa on guitar. Luckily, Sandwich guitarist Diego Castillo was drunk and bored enough to join them for an intense set that kicked my ass and wrecked a few things along the way.

Pedicab's Deigo Mapa, vocals and Mike Dizon, drums

Raymund Marasigan playing bass synth for Pedicab

I think three days in a row of Makati partying and the extremely hot weather was beginning to take its toll, so I spent a couple of days babysitting for Judy’s daughter (and my goddaughter) Anjali. I spent two days watching Finding Nemo five times and Lion King six times. Veca also took me shopping for T-shirts.

The results of a rainy day spent T-shirt shopping with Veca

After a day catching up with little drummer girl and video director Marie Jamora for a day, I went to Mayric’s, the enduring hole-in-the-wall Manila rock club, to see Duster, my latest favourite Pinoy band. They are an all-girl band that play dance-y and catchy songs featuring the bass synth played by Sandwich bassist Myrene and hooky guitars by Kris from Fatal Posporos.

The lovely ladies of Duster

My last day in Manila was spent shopping with Judy, finally getting three pairs of shoes at rock bottom prices. The evening was spent watching Pedicab play at Mayrics, then herbal refreshments and movie trivia with Marie.

I had to be at the airport at 5:30 am, so I didn’t sleep after Raymund dropped me off at home at 3:30.

Top 5 reasons the doods is looking forward to me coming home

1. someone asking me "how's Andrew doing?"

2. all night NHL trivia tests of strength

3. road trips

4. the doods' dvds/cds going missing

5. shirts, pants, shoes all the right size...

Birfday celebration #2

Saturday, May 19 was a busy day. After a full day of teaching English, I headed over to my farewell party – which was organized by Ranie Bowers and Misato Okada – at an Indonesian-themed restaurant called Camoo, in Yoshida, near Bowers English School. It was a great party, with a theme: a wig and hat party.

So I put my cowboy hat onto my freshly shaved head and hit the party...”We’re in for the duration, baby!”

Many of the Bowers English and Yoga students and staff came dressed in their wigs and hats to say goodbye, as well as to welcome new English teacher Jack and the Yoga teacher Praveen.

Tonnes of food, good vibes and big smiles were all around. They ended the party with a cake, candles and a rendition of Happy Birthday.

Even though my birfday was May 14, the very strict Zalameda family rules governing birthday revelry state that birthday celebrations can last from a day up to a month (try being around my sister Cheryl during the month of September….by Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, you’ll need to enter rehab)

In addition, a farewell/birthday party was also happening later that same night at my regular bar POT in Fujieda. We had POT booked from 11pm to 5am for the festivities, so the forty or so people were all there for our party and it was rockin’.

Literally translated: “Today, it’s Jess’s POT”

About ten or twelve refugees from the wig/hat party headed to the POT party, along with some friends that traveled a wee bit to be with me that evening. Masayuki and Yusuke came from Nagoya, while Nanase and two of her friends came from Gifu. Hiro came from Hamamatsu. Kotaro came from Yokohama and Ryoko came from Chiba. Also thanks to a couple of my Business English students who mixed right in.

Nanase and her friends from Gifu

The coup for me, though, was getting my old pal Araya Solomon out of Tokyo and into the countryside with us.

Special thanks go to Mariko Okayama who worked the door for the party and also brought her very cute friends.

We hit the dance floor and took the chance to get nasty and dirty with house and soul DJ's, DJ Katsu Mix, DJ XS and DJ Wura.

The POT staff then presented me with yet another birfday cake.

The very lively rendition of Happy Birthday almost brought a tear to my eye. Right after that, Jack asked me: “How could you leave a place where you are so loved?” Indeed

Miyuki and me

Me and Yusuke

Mika, me and Takako

We continued dancing, eating and drinking until the sun came up, ending a very long, but fantastic day. It was definitely one of the more memorable moments I’ve had in quite some time… thank you very much.

I’m Coming Home

For those of you who don’t know, I’ll finish up my gig here in Japan at the end of May. And then after visiting my family and friends in the Philippines for a couple of weeks, I’ll be heading home at the end of June. And in the immortal words of Klaus Maine: “I’m Coming Home!” To commemorate this, I will go on a final Japan road trip once I get back from the Philippines. Lots of plans – stay tuned for more words and photos.

Third indication that it is the month of May: My birthday

Birthday celebration #1

I spent the evening of Saturday May 12 and the morning of May 13 at the annual POT camping trip with around 30 people. Twenty hours of tents, beer, grilled food and DJs is a great way to celebrate my birfday, despite not having my twin brother with me. Because of a variety of substances, no one can really remember singing happy birthday, but they did!

In lieu of not hanging with many musicians during my time here in Japan (as per my usual modus operandi when living in a new place), many of the people I’m meeting are DJs. And lately, they’ve been crazy hard-house, techno, rare groove and soul DJ’s.

DJ XS and his prized Marvin Gaye picture disc

DJ Marcy announcing the that the bar is open again...at 7am

Speaking of crazy, what some of these Japanese women wear while camping just boggles the mind. During this camping trip, there were at least four of these ladies.

Two Japanese girls going for a hike

They all packed either a Hello Kitty or Little Mermaid suitcase full of cosmetics, hair products, hair dryers, crimping irons and spiked high-heeled shoes. They were really roughing it.

It was a great time, and unlike last year's party, when I drank so much gin that I ralphed all over myself and my tent, I could remember this time around.

Our host Tsutomu Ando (bottom right), me, and the dancing girls.

Ranie Bowers dancing in the campfire light

Akihiro Tanaka after three bottles of wine

An extremely stoned DJ

Second indication that it is the month of May: Mother’s Day

Happy Mother’s Day to my mommy Solita Ramos Zalameda.

First indication that it is the month of May: the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Anyone who knows me will know that hockey is the closest thing I got to an organized religion. But for the first time in three years, (2005’s NHL lockout and then last year being here in Japan) I’ve been keeping close tabs on the Stanley Cup playoffs. And in the immortal words of Raj Binder: “Is it me or is it getting Dany Heatley in here?” It looks like the Ottawa Senators might bring the Cup back to the Motherland.

God Bless You, Mr. Vonnegut

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007)

Tokyo Wedding

Former KGIC Toronto student and THE man, Masato “Mark” Takahashi got marriaged to the very lovely Sayaka on April 7 in the Ikebukuro area of Tokyo.

In the Japanese nuptial tradition, the couple has at least two wedding receptions: the first one a rather stiff gathering for the family members with early bedtimes, and the final one being less formal for drunkard friends, lasting until the sun comes up. It was the latter, organized by Yuuki Imamura and Kyoko Inoue, which I attended.

Back Row: Sadatomo, Tomoko, Masayuki, Masumi, Me, Michio,
Middle Row: Hiro, Junko, Ryoko, Nanase, Kohei, Kyoko, Yuuki
Bottom: Yusuke

We all ate, drank, played darts and sang karaoke until the wee hours to celebrate Masato and Sayaka’s new life together. Not since my first night in Japan in November 2005 have I seen this many former KGIC students all together. Some of them hadn’t seen each other since leaving Toronto.

The groom was surprised by his Canadian friend Stefano (far left with his Korean friend Lisa), who was travelling through Asia when Kyoko invited him to the wedding.

Lovely, lovely, lovely…

Singing 80’s Japanese anime theme songs…with their spoons as microphones.

The groom’s older brother getting down

The karaoke getting a little out of hand

Smile!

Spring is in the air

To be perfectly honest, the past winter was pretty boring. I hadn’t been inspired to take any pictures, nor write anything, so my blog had practically come to grinding halt. But great joy…Spring has arrived! Which means three things in this part of Japan… the surfing season has opened; the Cherry Blossoms have bloomed and there are weddings to attend!

April Fools Day started with a surf sighting out my front window. The small waves brought the long-boarders and the die-hards trying to maximize their time during the busy spring months. I usually see surfers outside my window during typhoon season between July-October, so I was a little surprised to see them out there.

This is the view of surfers from my front window… On a clear day, if you turn about 45° to the left, you can see Mount Fuji.

I met up with Akihito Tanaka and Ranie Bowers, and we made our way to POT, our regular bar in Fujieda, to join the caravan of cars heading for the POT Hanami Party in the nearby town of Shimada. Hanami (Cherry Blossom) Parties are a Japanese tradition, which happen in the first couple of weeks in April. Groups of friends gather in parks where cherry blossoms bloom, under the pretense of celebrating nature and spring. But the parties are actually just an excuse to drink their faces off.

Cherry Blossoms

Kampai! We’re getting lubed up.

The POT staff set up a sound system in the park using a portable generator; brought endless amounts of hand drums and percussions; supplied tons of food, a keg of beer and of course, a lot of cool and creative folks.

The DJs spun breakbeats and rare grooves and almost immediately attracted breakdancers from many of the other parties in the park. Our area became party central. At one point, our infectious drum jam attracted a very cute and precocious little 10-month old girl who wanted to get in on the fun.

An extremely stoned DJ

Little drummer girl

“I wonder what Smokey’s gonna sound like with no percussion”

One of the most surreal moments happened when a small-time politician named Toshio Yamamura, who is running for Prefectural Government, ran in and started shaking hands with everyone in the park. By the time he got to our party, we were all hyped up, only half-mockingly chanting his name and making all kinds of noise, as if we were at an election rally. We offered him a beer, but I think he quickly realized he was a bit out of his element. It was fantastico!

…little does he know that he’s shaking the hand of an extremely stoned DJ!

We continued well into the night, even hours after everyone else had left the park; not even a rain shower deterring us from continuing on. The POT staff simply set up a tent and moved all the DJ equipment into it. Easy peasy, Japanesy. We spent our evening climbing trees, eating barbecue, and playing with the dogs that have become regular POT picnic guests. It was an incredibly long, but enjoyable day.

I am gearing up to go to the Ikebukuro area of Tokyo to attend Masato Takehashi (better known as Dancer Mark to the KGIC folks) next Saturday, April 7. I bought a couple of new suits last week with the help of my friend Misato Okada, because she always gives me good advice when it comes to clothes. Nowadays, I only go clothes shopping with women, because they can advise on and define my style much better than I can. But most importantly, I can ask the imperative question: “Would sleep with a guy who wore this…?”

In the parlance of WKRP’s Herb Tarlek and Lester Nessman, I’m a dungaree who happens to like wearing a suit from time to time.

Stay tuned for pictures and words from Mark’s wedding party.