Luis Azcona @luisazconacom - Tumblr Blog

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May 15, 2017 | Mon | #Basketball for Casual Fans. Let's begin. The NBA has 30 teams and they are sorted according to the geographic location of the cities that they represent - whether they are located in the West of the USA/Canada or the East (OKC and MEM are exceptions to the rule). "Playoffs" basically means "eliminations", and now, only two teams remain in the West - the San Antonio Spurs and the Golden State Warriors. The first team to win four games moves on to The Finals to compete with whoever wins in the East. Game 1 Western Conference Finals. I waited for illegal streams of the game since Basketball TV does not carry NBA anymore. They should change their name to No Basketball TV. Anyway, Many things happened but let's cut straight to the big story: Kawhi Leonard the Mighty Dam. When he went down, it flooded. The Warriors were down 25 points at the first half. But when the second half opened, Leonard landed on Zaza Pachulia's foot causing Kawhi a game-ending injury. Right on cue, the Warriors scored 18 unanswered points. The Warriors will ultimately win by two points. Facebook erupted with opinions about the unfortunate injury. It looked dirty to some, it looked inadvertent to some. Some veterans have admitted throwing around dirty antics, that’s why I can’t look at Pachulia like he’s a saint who’s incapable of such dirt. Did Zaza Pachulia intentionally place a foot under Kawhi Leonard's landing space? Videos are not conclusive, but Zaza's track record is not clean enough to provide salvation either. So, did he pull a Bruce Bowen on Kawhi? I think only Zaza Pachulia would know for sure. But I guess Zaza’s intentions are not as important as what the NBA plans to do about players placing a foot under a shooter. Greg Popovich’s manslaughter analogy hits the bull’s eye. Texting while driving is wrong even if there were no intentions to kill. Amidst the debates, there's one thing that I'm absolutely certain about - the Warriors needed that much luck to win the first game. I think Britney Spears was pertaining to Kevin Durant when she sang 'Isn't she lucky? That Hollywood girl.' She's so lucky. She's a star.

#basketball

May 14, 2017 | Sun | #Musings | If you're not a fan of random thoughts jumbled around aimlessly, scroll on. I just bought another long plastic pot for four plants. I had one some few months ago but It got stolen. How does a plastic pot get stolen? Why is it too valuable to some people that they'd risk getting smashed with a crowbar in the head? Billboard just posted a story about Terno bands performing in Singapore this August. UDD as the main event, while Maude, Giniling Festival, and AOUI as undercards. My chance to redeem myself. I've performed in Singapore four times. Once with Maude, one in an open jam, and twice as a proper solo performer - in Blu Jaz and Hard Rock Cafe. I feel like I just bored people in all of those venues. It's a good motivation. I think we're okay live, but there's simply not enough audience members who know our original songs. Which is a bigger problem when you're a pop-rock band that relies heavily on songwriting. Hence my plan for the rest of the year and onward - make more content to promote the hell out of Maude.

#musings

May 13, 2017 | Sat | #DD #Musings | No Pun Intended, but A Subway is Underway Developments about Manila's trains excite me. As a lifelong resident of Manila, I grew believing that the transportation situation in the nation's capital is a hopeless one. I actually quit my former day job because I've grown sick of the daily train ride. The sad thing is that I'm pretty sure that I'm not the only one who goes through these dark thoughts. Hence the shimmer in my eyes every time I read developments about Manila's first subway system. With no pun intended, it is finally underway. This project will be summoned through the ODA platform - or the Official Development Assistance from Japan. Money and expertise from Japan will be put to use in this project. The future subway will span Mindanao Ave to NAIA. Needless to say, a subway is a unique solution to Manila's problem. Not only because it will be a first, but because once the tunnels get dug, there will be minimal obstruction to the traffic above ground - unlike flyovers that usually thin the roads to maddening extent. Can't wait til they start boring those tunnels. They make boring exciting.

#musings #dd

May 12, 2017 | Fri | 3rd #Vape juice line Still under the same mother company - Vape Hive. This new line actually carries the mother name, but as you can see in the package design, there are more emphasis on their nicknames. Great packaging design. I wonder who designed them. Must be made by a handsome lad from Sta Cruz, Manila. Going back to reality, this is yet another masterpiece by boss Yves Morales who came up with the names, and the formula for the new flavors. This is Vape Hive's first answer to the vape industry’s shift to gorilla bottles. Just the first. We're coming up with a second, and third answers. Which brings me to the past. I remember so well when I had doubts about Yves wanting to launch a second juice line, which was Squeeze. I thought it might take away focus from Martian Drops (first). But then, Squeeze turned out to be key to big breaks like distributing to SM branches of Green Puff, and a vape shop in Saint Denis, France, which will lead to another one in Belgium. I'm hoping that this third line would bring home some bacon too. Anyway, Martian Drops and Squeeze E-Liquid are available in SM Malls that have Green Puff outlets. Meanwhile, Vape Hive is available in, well, we just placed its stickers and is not yet for sale until tomorrow (Sunday) at Megatent. But if you're interested in carrying Vape Hive, (come on, please buy our products, I have not eaten in 6 months), contact Yves Morales 09167083033

#vape

May 11, 2016 | Thu | #Maude | Why we haven't followed up Maudecast 8 yet. Simple: because if we're going to spend significant amount of time producing anything for Maude, it better be for the album which is now overdue. That, plus real life elements like non-music projects and social life get in the way. But I have an idea on how Maudecast 9 would probably look like. It will involve one drunk person, a crying girlfriend, two Japanese bands, and newlyweds. A human train. I might also sneak in a footage of Ellen Adarna in there. I used to call Maudecast a video podcast, then I called it a VLOG, but now I'm looking forward to making it look like a Michael Moore documentary. Whatever. Maudecast is Maude's 20-minute thingy. There are 8 episodes so far. I have seen new subscribers get aboard our social media pages lately, and so I would like to give tips on how to binge watch Maudecast - start with the latest episode (Ep 8 - Taiwan) and work your way in reverse. Episode 9 coming soon!

#maude

May 10, 2017 | Wed | Dollar to peso today is at around P50. #Bitcoin to Peso today is at P92,000. In 2013, bitcoin to peso was at P50. If you bought 10 bitcoins that year and never withdraw (P500), you'd have P920,000 today. Almost a million. But it wasn't until early 2017 that I took bitcoin seriously. When I bought my first bitcoins, it was priced at P35,000 pesos already. I treated it like a savings account. Until I thought about buying piglets in Jimenez. I almost exhausted my bitcoin wallet - the fact that it was crashing violently contributed to this decision. from being valued at P60k, it dropped to about 45. Around the same value as when I bought it. I thought I had nothing to lose if I convert my bitcoins to baboy. And then boom. As if someone placed a rocket engine on it, it shot to 70, and then 80, and now P92 and it is not showing signs of slowing down. I fucking missed the ride. But not everything is lost. I still have my girlfriend Sharlene. I told her to buy bitcoins when we were in Bohol (valued at P40k), and she kept it clean with no hands touching it. She's enjoying this big wave right now and I think I deserve at least a bowl of KFC sisig for the encouragement. However, she wants to use the gains to help renovate her house. I'm going on these daily posts to strongly object: Use that FREE MONEY to buy stocks from the Philippine Stock Exchange. The goal is to learn more about passive income. Do not turn your Bitcoin wins into plywood. Now, look at this baboy's face.

#bitcoin

May 9, 2017 | Tue | Musings | Exactly 14 days later, my transfer to a new computer is complete. I may be adept with software usage, but consider me dumb when it comes to computer installation - be it Mac or PC. And everytime I transfer to a new computer, It is usually as long and as painstaking as moving to a new city. I'm lucky to have friends that can handle my barrage of questions and favors. Really, one of the secrets to surviving Earth is good friends. But it wasn't only the installations and file transfers that slowed me down - I had ongoing projects that can't afford to pause for two weeks. I also had videos uploaded just to test this new rig. It's pretty much like building a Skyway over Makati. Normal day-to-day operations will continue but expect a major road-thinning. Similarly, my slow production might have angered some people. But my workstation transfer is now complete. I now face a bunch of almost-finished tasks. A cocktail of content for DD, the 9th episode of Maudecast, the 2nd episode of Rough Mix, the rebrand of Martian Drops, some more music here and there, and the granddaddy of them all - Maude's second album. I'm as motivated as a cat ready to kill a laser-pointer dot.

May 8, 2017 | Mon | That night, I looked like the owner of Mister Kabab, West Ave. Not because I looked rich - wearing a fanny pack does not make anyone look rich - but because I transferred between two tables many times to catch up with two groups of friends. Apparently, Mister Kabab doesn't allow moving tables to form a long one. It's not a place to look like a Last Supper painting. First group were Hector, Chantal, and her sisters. Hector and Chantal were Alvin and Ainah's housemates in Singapore. When #Sharlene and I went there, that Anchorville gang treated us like real housemates, now, they're hiring Sharlene to style their upcoming wedding. I knocked down a bottle of Mountain Dew when I extended to shake their hands. The dinner was off to a great start. And then the usual (noisy) suspects - the vape guys. Yves, Allie, Paolo Saw (badass surname), and Jona. We transferred to a nearby Starbucks later to complete a packaging design for the #vape juice rebrand, and to geek out about stuff. Then the coffee shop turned the lights off on us. I did not feel like I was owner of Starbucks. (at Mister Kabab)

#sharlene #vape

May 7, 2017 | Sun | Musings: To Pull a Lazarus on Manila I don't shy away from engaging in meaningful conversations with my taxi, or Grab driver. Specially with those that are willing to listen. I say that because most taxi drivers have that I-am-never-wrong tone. My latest taxi driver was not one of those. He was the first to notice that we were passing by what seems to be the very first materials to line up the soon-to-be MRT 7, which will connect the metro to Bulacan. Speaking of trains, the site sparked a train of thought in my head. First thing I noticed was the speed by which the project moved from plan to action. Sadly, I'm pretty sure that the next move is the cutting of trees, which worries me a bit. Will they make up for the lost trees? I hope so. Are we overlooking the lack of greens in NCR? I hope not. As heard in the video, I told my taxi driver about how I used to wake up to little brown Mayas hanging about in our living room window. I was in grade 1 back then. I'm pretty sure that they are not extinct, but I never see them in Manila in anymore. Must be because of combination of reasons. Lack of trees? Too much noise or air pollution? Or all of the above? Come to think of it, birds breathe oxygen too. If they're smart enough to leave Manila because of its air, should we leave Manila too? Yes, and no. (Post too long for Instagram. Continuation is on my fb)

May 6, 2017 | Sat | I left my gimbal in Sharlene's trunk. The poor man's gimbal that I just talked about in one of these daily posts. Too bad because I think I know how to make up for the missing axis that is supposed to stabilize sideways movement. It's a 2-axis gimbal. Do not buy 2-axis gimbals. I think manufacturers just committed a serious disservice to the public when they decided to make 2-axis gimbals. Just put some more money and buy a 3-axis gimbal. Unless you're like me who enjoys playing McGyver. I think I know how to solve the sideways shake. I need something like a shockmount. Since gravity is the enemy here - why not try and be friends with it. Will post a video of the results.

May 5, 2017 | Fri | In a far away land, #Maude played its SM Fairview gig I was supposed to go there via Grab car, but the price of a journey from Manila to Fairview was at 900 pesos that time. No way. Nope nope nope. I went to catch a traditional taxi instead. The very first one declined, until I offered 500 pesos. Twice the normal meter, but half the Grab price. It's still a win. LTFRB wouldn't like this story. Could have been cheaper and easier to catch a bus in UST. But I got a backpack, a luggage, and a guitar to carry. It's not smart to ride a public bus to Fairview while carrying that much. If something gets snatched, I wouldn't be able to chase the thief. Why does Fairview have to be that far anyway. On to SM Fairview's parking lot. We played Potion during the soundcheck. The main performance was good, the crowd was good. Sharlene kidnapped me after that. We went to Tri Mo - i bet Fairviewers know that place. And then to Nuat Thai, in Tomas Morato. Don't get a swedish massage before a long drive. You might fall asleep on the wheel. Sharlene calls it ‘swidis masads’ (at SM City Fairview)

#maude

May 4, 2017 | Thu | I was planning on recording Bimbo Canayon on video as he adjusts the parts of my guitar. As part of my other plan to make a montage of Manila, I shot some scenes along Tayuman street too. And then my action cam gave me a weird blinking light. Right there, I realized that the camera that I brought wasn't carrying an SD card. That has got to be the saddest story in the history of motion picture. well, heck. It's a good time to detach myself from technology and engage in a good old brain-picking. Everytime I visit Guitar Harbour, I learn something new. And sure enough, I learned more things about my own Korean Squier II. Bimbo says it's only the second time that he has seen one. He also admitted that he rapes the replay button on Sikreto - Maude's song. And so I found it to be the perfect time to practice playing that song. We have not played Sikreto in a long while. I played it. In front of Bimbo, his friend, and his uncle who also said that he was close to burning that CD - sick of hearing it again and again. My luthier time became a rehearsal time. After that, Bimbo asked "sir time na, extend pa?". Awesome job by Guitar Harbour as usual. Just in time for Maude's Fairview gig. Bimbo saved me again. (at Guitar Harbour)

Hi guys! Everybody begin their vlogs with 'hi guys'. May 3, 2017 | Wed | Mounted a 'time lapse' station in a wall. I got two years before the next batch of students live in this house. Until then, I will renovate in super slow pace. And so I placed a 'time lapse altar' for motivation. It would take months before I finish this video and home project. Months to come up with what I fear would only amount to a 3-minute video. Oh well. Thing is, I've been experimenting with videos lately. I was thinking of a way to create something that is interesting without starting the video with 'hi guys'. Everybody says 'hi guys' on camera nowadays. The fruition of the plans that I've set out for during my college years gave me this much confidence to experiment with important things - things like my own method to renovate an old house. It's not as difficult as I made it sound. I have access to an oracle of wisdom. It's called Google. See you in a future time lapse video.

May 2, 2017 | Tue | Uploaded a basketball movie and called it Random Jennings It is named after Brandon Jennings. I feel the need to explain since he's not a household name. Basta, he's an NBA player, period. Also, he's the guy who scored 50 points after being scoreless in the first quarter, which in this post, is irrelevant. Shot in my parents' home in Jimenez, Misamis Occidental where I feel like I'm the only reason why they never renovate that basketball corner. I believe there's an audience for this - aside from myself. Those that get satisfaction from the sound of 'swish bombs'

May 1, 2017 | Mon | I call this the 'poor man's gimbal' Mounted to it is what I call 'the poor man's action camera'. Properly, a Xiaomi Yi Action Cam, and a Sight X-Cam 2-Axis Gimbal. Right there I gave away this gimbal's very serious limitation. It doesn't stabilize the sideways movements, but then it is only priced at less than P3,000. The complete 3-axis stabilizer would mean more than 10k for me. Since I do not directly make direct money out of videos, and since I just spent heavily on other stuff, it's a luxury that I'm not willing to spend on. Not yet. Mean time, I'm stuck with these potatoes. I added counterweights because it's not meant to be used for light action cams. Now it looks like something that would prompt airport guards to put me in quarantine. But remember what they say... great things start from small potatoes.

Apr 30, 2017 | Sun | #Maude opens stage 1 of Bangusan Festival at Dagupan. Travelling by land to upward Luzon is like sleeping. There are phases. The bad traffic, the tollgate to infinity, and the infinite grass. Until I saw a sign that said Urdaneta. The feeling was similar to how Magellan finally found an island in the Pacific Ocean. My old soul finds this nostalgic. Someone from Manila has to pass through Urdaneta to get to Dagupan. We ate, we performed, and then we ate. Our performance was okay, but the stars of the night were the people that I met there. A group that calls itself #TeamMIK was there again, as they were during the Tagaytay and Nuvali gigs. My college buddy Cet, and her cousins, Bel Lantin and finally, JM Casupang. My former pseudo housemate, the guy I spent wasting my college years with. We did nothing but tinker with useless stuff, like music. Until he disappeared and was never to be found. Not even on Facebook. This has a happy ending. He's a doctor now. Still as nice as ever.

#maude #teammik

Apr 29, 2017 | Sat | #Maude's Cinema One Gig at Nuvali. The first of the two-day van-life, band life. Exactly one week before we headed out to Nuvali, we also needed a van to get to the venue which was in Tagaytay. Basically, a little taste of what UDD has to go through on a regular basis. That include the members, the manager, and the road team. They also perform twice the length of our sets, a much longer sound check, while carrying heavier pieces of equipment. Hence they arrive at venues way earlier. I think they're heading out to Canada later this month to appear in four cities. And... I'm supposed to talk about my own band. But when you see something cool, you talk about it. Professionalism is cool.

#maude

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