Music: Photo series: Autotelic: Papunta Pabalik

When Autotelic's "Papunta Pabalik" was launched last week, there was reliable information going around cyberspace that copies will be available at Astroplus stores on September 30, a day before the actual launch on October 1. 

So Paul and I headed to the nearest Astroplus only to be told by staff that it the album will only be available after the official launch on Saturday. 

With heavy hearts We went home but all was not lost as we could still enjoy the album on Spotify :) 

The team (naks-just Paul and I actually) was scheduled to cover another music event on Saturday October 1, although we could have gone to the album launch after, I was actually "afraid", yes we were "afraid" of the crowd, which was surely going to be HUGE, like overwhelmingly HUGE and well, Paul and I aren't as young as we were and I also came from work so we weren't really a 100% and the thought of fighting for breathing space had our 30 year old (30+ for Paul hahaha) knees shaking. 

A week later. 

We were at SM Megamall to pick up a gift for my godaughter and we swung by the Astroplus branch to (finally) get a copy of "Papunta, Pabalik" and this is what happened. 

Me: (To the Sales Lady) Ate - meron po ba kayong Autotelic? 

Sales Lady: (Enthusiastically) Ay mam meron po! Marami! 

Goes to the display where there are 3 copies visible. 

Sales Lady: Malakas po sila mam, dapat hangang dito ang display, indicates a spot which was now occupied by another album instead of Autotelic's. 

Me: Oo nga po, nag kaka ubusan nga po sa ibang mga Astroplus stores. 

Sales Lady: Ano po bang tunog nila mam? 

Me: Hmm..parang electro-pop po. 
(Phew, I don't have my music reviewer hat on). 

Sales Lady: Para ba sila ung isa pang indie na banda na sumikat? Ano nga un? Ah! Up Dharma Down! Parang ganun ba? 

Paul: Ay ndi po. Ibang iba po. 

Me: Mas up-beat po ung tunog nila (Autotelic). 

Sales Lady: Ndi po kc namin pweding buksan ung CD, she was obviously curious. 

Me: Ay nasa Spotify po sila, pasok nga po ung mga kanta nila sa mga Top lists sa Spotify.

While this was going on, Paul and I were trying to take a photo of the CD. 

Sales Lady: Suddenly has a stern face. Mam, taga MCA po ba kayo? 

Me: Ay, ndi po. 

Sales Lady: Kasi po bawal picturan ung CD. 

Paul: Ay - bayaran mo na yan dali! (Jokingly). Para pwedi na picturan.

So we went to the counter to pay for the CD. Good thing the Sales lady didn't ask me to erase the photo. :P 

Ate Sales Lady asked the girl at the counter, "Ilan pa ung Autotelic?" After punching something in the computer she responds "Seven." (So much for "maraming copies") but then as a fan, I'm happy that the album sales are doing so well. 

I wasn't originally planning on doing a post for this but we had such an interesting encounter at the record store, we decided to do a photo series of sorts. It's funny that, that one photo had so much going on in the background. 

And then there were two. 

We have been following Autotelic for some time now, just as they were about to break though the mainstream scene and I'm really glad that we have a copy of their first LP. (Review here.) It would probably be hard to get a copy of the first LP, I don't know if the band has any plans on reproducing copies, given their success and huge following. (Hello Telic friends!) I'm just glad that we have ours. I remember Josh still had long hair when we got this copy in 2014. Signatures for the two CDs are not yet complete - I still have to work on that.  

#CDsNotDead


-is something that I've been trying to promote and try to post whenever I can. I don't know, maybe it's got something to do with being born in the 80's and being a kid in the 90's. Paul and I really still do prefer physical copies of the music that we listen to. I have a humble collection of vinyl and CD at home, when we get to fix it up I can probably start taking photos, doing features and what not. 

I do have a Spotify account and listen to songs there as well but you know, you can have the best of both worlds. Easily access songs on Spotify and still have that tangible CD in your hands. Just pop it in the player, whether in the car or at home to just let it play. Without you having to think about what song should be next on a playlist. 

There is a lot of work that goes on behind an album, it's not just the music but the packaging and the album art as well and Paul and I like looking into that and appreciating what goes into it. 

+Plus you can have it signed by your favorite artists after a show! 

As I said earlier, this was an accidental post but then when "inspiration strikes" right? I will definitely be doing an album review for "Papunta Pabalik" soon but for now it's currently playing in our CD player at home and in the car for when we go out for the weekend.

Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno DVD Launch

Fandoms represent! Fans of Rurouni Kenshin, Takeru Satoh and One Ok Rock gather for the DVD Launch of Ruruoni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno 

We were fortunate enough to have been able to cover the DVD launch of the first Rurouni Kenshin movie back in March of 2013. Now two years later and following a successful screening and box office earnings of the last two installments in the trilogy; we once again find ourselves celebrating the DVD launch of Kyoto Inferno -the second movie in the trilogy. You might want to read my movie review here.

And as if there was a high supply of nostalgia, fans at the launch once again celebrated lead actor Takeru Sato's birthday-just as they did in 2013. I already mentioned this in the blog post in 2013 but I think it's worth mentioning again that I really admire the dedication of the fans from Amusehilippines, Sato Takeru Philippines and One Ok Rock Philippines who work hard in order to gather fellow fans and have fun during events like this DVD launch.

This cutie pie stole the show and she's happy with her Kyoto Inferno DVD. Jin approves :) 

Looking across the fans gathered you can see that they all come from different ages and belong to different demographics, there were fans of the Rurouni Kenshin manga/ anime series (we belong to that category), fans of the actor Sato Takeru and fans of the Japanese Rock band One Ok Rock. It's amusing to see mom's and tita's answer trivia questions during the games. Truly Rurouni Kenshin has transcended generations and is enjoyed by dads, your elder brothers and the younger generation are getting to know him too because of the movies. (^^x 

The DVD launch was like getting to see old friends and making new ones. There was music, games and cake! Yes even cake! As local cosplayer and special guest Jin Joson had the honor of blowing out the candles and cutting the cake :) While fans sang Happy Birthday Takeru. Jin and other local Cosplayers made headlines last year when director Keishi Otomo and the stars of the movie came to Manila for the premiere. It was just right that she also be present during the DVD launch which delighted fans :)

Local Japanese Cover Band Asterysk performed songs from One Ok Rock 

Japanese Rock cover band Astersyk performed songs from One Ok Rock including all songs in the movies and fans sang along to their impressive covers. In case you guys didn't know there have been a couple of One Ok Rock tribute nights where fans gather for a night of One Ok Rock songs from local bands. We were at the last tribute night you can check out the blog post here --> be sure to keep an eye out for the next tribute night :p 

Fans present had fun with the games prepared by Amuse PH, awesome Rurouni Kenshin merchandise such as theatrical posters (drools) and super cool Katana Umbrellas were given away as prizes! Manga and DVDs were also raffled out. 

So if you guys missed out on this super fun event fear not because The Legend Ends will surely be available on DVD soon and while we all wait for that we can sit back and enjoy Kyoto Inferno on DVD. You can grab your copies at Astroplus for only P550.00 :) DVD feature up on the blog soon!

Click HERE for More Photos! 

Back To The Future DVD Box Set

Who says that collecting DVDs is an expensive hobby ? Paul and I got a great deal when we scored a Back To The Future DVD Box Set for only P300.00!

Yup! You read that right we only spent P300.00 (at Astroplus) for an original box set of the entire trilogy - that of course came with awesome bonus features for each movie. Special documentaries, deleted scenes, storyboards, music videos, you name it they were all in the Extra Bonus segment and that is a big plus for us!

I was born in 1986 and the first movie came out in  1985 so you can say it's pretty close to me as a kid, especially since it was also another favorite of my Dad's. I could remember the premise of the movie but the movie and the story in its entirety.

In case you guys didn't know, Back To The Future became the most successful film of the year (1985) it grossed more than $383 million worldwide and received widespread critical acclaim. It holds a number of awards and nominations. Then President Ronald Reagan quoted the film in his 1986 State Of The Union Address.

In 2007 the Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the National Film Registry and in June 2008 the American Film Institute's special AFI's designated the film as the 10th-best film in the science fiction genre. --> All the more reason for it to be a great addition to the collection!

It was great to be able to reconnect to the movies and I really did enjoy them and I think I can say that I enjoyed it more than I did more contemporary movies.

I'm still on the hunt for the first Terminator movie though so if anyone knows where I can get a copy that would definitely be appreciated. The Indiana Jones Box Set for P700+ is also next in line :)

Upcoming Movies: The Mortal Instruments: The City of Bones

For this upcoming movies blog post I did a special assignment first before blogging about the upcoming movie (showing in theaters on August 21) The Mortal Instruments: The City of Bones and that was to read the book. 

For Novels turned to Movies, my general rule is to read the book first and this is what I did in this case. 

This blog post would be a mixture of a book review, upcoming movie blog post and event post. Well first off, I did enjoy the book - it was an easy read. I found the book to be a mixture of Harry Potter, a bit of Twilight and a bit of Angels and Demons (not the book, just you know Angels and Demons) 

The story escalates quickly in the life of seemingly mundane (pun intended) Clary who sees things - strange things - and she's the only one who can see them. 

A world within our own world is a theme that The Mortal Instruments play with throughout the novel. A world of demons, vampires, werewolves, fairies and probably every other magical creature out there and the Shadowhunters of course.  

Based on the first book from Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments series, The City of Bones takes an unlikely heroine into a journey to discover her true nature as a Shadowhunter and uncovers some old family secrets. 

Considered as one of the Novel turned Movies that will bring about big buzz among fans throughout the world. The Mortal Instruments: The City of Bones will be hitting cinemas on August 21 and is distributed by Movie Punch- Pioneer Films. 

You can check out the trailer of the movie below: 

I'm excited for the movie - I love Lilly Collins - ever since I saw her in The Blind Side - Yup! Phil Collins' daughter (Yes! She is Phil Collins' daughter - ugh! I hate it - my age is showing) was in the award winning movie with Sandra Bullock. Although I am not a fan of her not red hair in The City of Bones. For me its not red enough but that's just my opinion. 

I'm also excited to see Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister in Game of Thrones) play Clary's mom - Jocelyn Fray. 

Aside from these actresses, I think the movie did a pretty good casting for the rest of the characters from Simon, to Alec and Izzy and Magnus Bane. Not so much a fan of the casting choice for Jace - but that's just me - no hating please :P Who knows I might get used to him. 

The book had a pretty fast twist and turn on the plot of the story so I'm really looking forward to a fast paced and exciting delivery on the screen also! Plus the CGI work on the demons, werewolves seem very impressive - based on the trailer.  

The Mortal Instruments fan base in the Philippines had a string of activities last Saturday to celebrate the upcoming release of the movie, this August 21, distributed by Pioneer Films and Movie Punch. 

Now, we were supposed to also cover the event but Friday shift was brutal and as you all know we work the night shift so it was really hard for us to go and Paul had work on Saturday soo- apologies we couldn't make it to the event Yes - work can suck a lot of times (which was probably why I was depressed enough to write about this blog post) but here I am still blogging about it since I really admire and believe in the Pinoy Shadowhunters who attended the event which was held in Powerbooks in Glorietta. 

It was a 2 in 1 event - The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones Soundtrack Pre-launch which was held in Astrovision - (you can get copies of the official soudntrack of the movie from Astrovision and I have a blog post and a preview of some songs in the Soundtrack here) and Two Words Collide: Shadowhunter and Mundane gathering. 

Movie Posters to Giveaway!!!