Kitsune Dreams

PB art, music, and other mind-boggling shenanigans] contact: [email protected]

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Paradise International Music Festival

Full report on Kanye West’s set is up on Bandwagon

Check some clips I uploaded here

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Matthew Gray Gubler

I’ve always loved this guy from his iconic role as Dr. Spencer Reid from Criminal Minds (and a whole lot of nerdy characters he has portrayed). A few days ago, I watched Band Of Robbers and all this awe made me create this. Thanks, Gubler.

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“A lot of movies are about life, mine are like a slice of cake.” (Alfred Hitchcock)

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This Is The Good Life

Nothing gets better than bundling up your favorite artists into one giant ball of a festival. Despite the unforeseen trail of events that canceled Passion Pit’s concert here last year, the show still went on this time. I can still count the concerts and music festivals that I’ve been to with all of my fingers. But then, having my eyes peeled for the day we get on an international level has me clutched to the edge of every lineup announcement so I’d have a word with my bank account and inner demons.

GoodVybes Fest happened on February 20, 2016 at Aseana City Open Grounds, Paranaque. It is the brainchild of VybeMNL that has brought artists such as cut/copy, Disclosure, Charli XCX, and more familiar voices to the warm grounds of Manila. This festival has brought in all sorts of artists from far corners of the world that had more than a set that would kick a fan right through their teeth. Local acts shared the big stage to show how they could throw a party.

Growing up from the Northern area of the metro has tied me in knots whenever I’m anywhere in the South. My friends and I almost got lost while commuting from SM Mall Of Asia. Luckily, we found out that it was all a not-so long walk away.

(top: Tenderfist, bottom: Brisom)

As the event started fashionably late (or Filipino time kind of late), Tenderfist kicked off at the Main Stage with tracks that set the mood for everyone to get on their feet than lie on their mats on the sandy grounds. Afterwards, Brisom played tracks that had us with our arms up and singing to Waking Lives even in our heads (in case we were too out of tune to bother)

One of the sought-after local hip-hop acts set foot on stage to gather all the people from all sections of the venue. Assembly Generals spread the love and energy throughout the veins of the people with tracks such as In The Glass, and a classic crowd-pleaser: Kontrabida.

To think I was confused with the festival schedule I had downloaded online, there was some tweaking done as Kjwan started their set at the Beat Tent. As the sun was set, Stars was beginning to be the spotlight on stage to bring an entire constellation right before our eyes. From a sour expression to describe Donald Trump to wrapping fans up to Hold On When You Get Love and Let Go When You Give It, the moon couldn’t have shone brighter than it did.

For an act that has only been together for a year, Oh Wonder had my soul locked to the trail of their sound from the first beat. I’ve never heard of them before besides from my friends that claim they’re a “chill version of [this certain band]”. They live up to the hype, and Josephine resembles Lauren Mayberry from the distinct hairstyle.

CHVRCHES is one of the electronica acts I’ve been itching to watch live, and after 2 years since their last visit, I could say that this was worth the long wait. A banner was raised presenting the art of their latest album Every Open Eye, but then was taken down and not shown any longer during their set. It was pretty tacky since the lights already decorated the set in a subtle manner. Lauren shared that her hair would only straight down for most of the time, but it all went to different directions during their GoodVybes Fest set. A fair spread of tracks from both of their albums were played, and it was refreshing to hear most of my favorite songs (Gun, Recover, Tether, Lies, etc.) being sung and spun around with by the band. Martin even danced his way through Under The Tide.

1000 words can’t suffice how spectacular Passion Pit’s set was.  You know an artist is a legend when you’re in a pile of songs they made that you all consider a classic. All I had in my head at that time was “I hope the lights turn out pink as the smoke machine lays on the fog so Gossamer could be fully relived visually”. People were screaming, lifting signs and vinyl record sleeves. The crowd was having a great time from whichever view anyone would look with. Sleepyhead, To Kingdom Come, and other tracks from Manners was performed and they took all the energy my friends and I had right to every word we sang. We even witnessed Michael cry in the middle of his set at our spot. If only we could give him a hug from a meter away, right? Regardless, we took a walk and got carried away by the spectacle that is Passion Pit’s performance.

It wasn’t right that CHVRCHES’ set overlapped with BP Valenzuela’s. Neither was it a good idea that the Beat Tent faced away from the crowd that have their eyes on the Main Stage. PayMaya was a convenient mode of payment, ‘til a concessionaire declined accepting it. It surely disappointed me that the design of the promotional materials weren’t stretched out enough to be evident at even the venue itself (the incomplete map, too)

On the bright side, Moonwlk’s Nick Lazaro proposed to his long-term girlfriend during their set. I hung out with friends from high school, college, and even work. My patience gave me a spot very close to the stage enough to catch a good whiff of the acts. And lastly, I won’t forget how grateful I am that Vybe came up with this event to continue showing how music is more than ear candy, it’s an experience.

For a first from Vybe, it wasn’t exactly superb but it had highlights that will be relived by fans for years. Even I replayed the videos I took, I would close my eyes to relive the moment over and over again. Like what Michael said in the middle of their set, “We should throw parties more often.”

Cheers to the organizers, you gave more than that one night full of good vibes.

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You give me s’more reasons to smile

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Red Clothes & A Tune For Two: #SatchmiFeels

Last weekend was the best and worst time of the year for Cupid. He must have brought a huge thermos filled up with freshly brewed non-sponsored coffee along the entire time. On another view, Valentine’s day turned into a long weekend. Rather than staying at home in my pajamas and watching rom-com movies with a pint of ice cream, I made plans with friends.

This is my 2nd time to attend a Valentines-themed event at Satchmi, a local shop that caters to music fans (especially vinyl record enthusiasts). Despite the lack of space in the shop to accommodate a crowd more than 40 people, the ambiance seals the deal every time.

(Sugar cookies and stickers from Satchmi)

I arrived with Sam surprisingly early at the venue then got some neat freebies to for being the early birds that we (well, I am) rarely are.

We went back to the shop with Jodie after having dinner and was welcomed by the soothing aura of Over October. For an all-acoustic set, the welcome mat was neatly prepped with a voice I’ve heard before. When they covered The Scientist by Coldplay, that’s when I knew who the vocalist sounded like. Chris Martin. Josh Buizon’s (vocalist) voice is as smooth and heavenly with each weave the rhythm makes as he sings along. They’ll be releasing an EP soon entitled Free, but it ain’t free for anyone!

Baihana went up next and took us by a breeze. Acapella groups that sync into 1 voice with the pitch perfect blending are always a treat to watch or listen to. This is especially when they sing a medley of classic 70s-80s that are definitely in your Thank God It’s Friday playlist on Spotify. Nothing beats jazz on a slow-paced Saturday evening.

Remember Us The Duo? I definitely recalled them in an instant as The Dreamists stepped on the stage, consisting of Dearest,’s Andrew De Pano and Erika Cruz. They started off with No Matter Where You Are by Us The Duo, which is also one of my top favorite soundtracks from The Book Of Life. They also covered Fix You by Coldplay especially for a friend that has passed away. Their song Tightrope has tangled up in my mind, leaving all traces of emotional shards made.

Hannah + Gabi swept all of us off our feet with a tune that would even make a lullaby fall asleep in a millisecond. His sound was calm, serene, and enough silence to distort any trouble with thinking anyone has developed lately. The venue was wrapped around his music so much that even the sound of the coffee machine seemed like it was all part of the great plan for this set. I felt sleepy, but I guess that’s what an entire day out does to you when the clock strikes at 10:30PM.

Besides music, coffee, and great company, Satchmi also offered a promo called Blind Date With A Vinyl. For at least 500 pesos, you get to pick a neatly-wrapped record that only has a short description written about it on the packaging. One of my friends was lucky enough to get an EP/album from Santana. I got a double-disc Genesis album last year and still keep it in my collection.

Check out all these artists on their links below:

Over October: Facebook || Soundcloud

Baihana: Facebook || Soundcloud

The Dreamists: Facebook || Soundcloud

Hannah + Gabi: Facebook || Bandcamp

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In Case You Come Back

by Marla Miniano and Reese Lansangan

Illustrations by Jamie Catt

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Happy National Pizza Day! 🍕

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Tangled: To Dye For

Remember the feeling of coming back home after being away for so long? Or rather, the feeling of fitting in a pair of jeans after an intense weight loss program?

That is exactly how I felt about dyeing my hair back to its natural color.

There are people I know that are shocked or waving an LED sign with “Why?” on it upon knowing the news. It is quite a surprise too for me, since I’ve dedicated the past five consecutive years of my life to the wonders of henna, bleach, my occasional trips to Hortaleza, and binge shopping through Rainbow Head online.

Let’s acknowledge that I have done every color that's on the rainbow, and I am finally graduating from this colorful journey. As we go down a trip to memory lane, let me share lessons I’ve learned and tips that others might find helpful.

FOREWORD: I am not a dermatologist, or an expert of any sort. All the information I share here is based on personal experiences, and of course, the power of the internet.

This timeline is as precise as I could make of it, from the time my mom helped me dye my hair for the first time (2011) to my most recent experiment (2015)

Hot oil and hair conditioner are great friends to keep

Even if you’re Rapunzel or the president of America, dyeing will damage your hair. It makes it sound less fun to do, but this is where our friends (hot oil and hair conditioner) come in. It’s recommended not to wash your hair every day, so that the natural oils have time to go all over your locks. When you do wash, hot oil pampers your hair and gives it a day off from being dry and dirty. Shampoo however only cleans your hair, while conditioner locks in all the good you’ve given to your hair and tames it to the best outlook it could have. After dyeing or bleaching, instead of bathing with shampoo, conditioner is the only thing you’ll need for the first few days to a week just so your hair would get used to its new “clothing”.

Always start with a primary color

It saves money, and gives a good gradient effect every wash you give to your hair. The thing is that, we are all born with a natural hair color that effects the result of any hair coloring process. Dye fades into a color close to its original hue, and blends in with whichever your natural hair color is. My natural hair color is dark brown. When I dyed my hair red, it transitioned into a red brown color that had a kick of orange due to how bright the dye was. I didn’t have to dye my hair again to get a lighter brown color, the dye did its magic along with my hair to fade into colors that still matched hair that I wanted to have.

Be prepared for the attention

“Having pink hair is so... unnatural!”, says an old conservative lady I met on the train station. Some people have even accused me of being an “attention wh0r3” for changing my hair color. There’s good feedback, and bad feedback. What I stand for every time is that I want to look different, for myself. I am my own canvas, and painter, so it’s not supposed to make me feel bad with the palettes I choose to paint on my canvas with. Plus, it’s an interesting experience. It goes to show that life isn’t all black and white if you choose to kick in another color. Or, you can ignore all these people and pretend no one is giving you the side eye while you’re paying the bus fare.

It feels great to have achieved so much and learned all these for the past years. Hair coloring indeed isn’t made for everyone, but that is what wigs, temporary dyes, and hair chalk is for (suck on that, people that tell me I’d go bald soon enough!)

Thank you to the following for for staying close to me and giving me the best results:

Rainbow Head PH

Hortaleza

Revlon

Manic Panic

La Riche Directions

Pantene

Watsons Hair Spa Treats 

Best of luck to anyone that is still on this path, or has yet to start! 

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Brain Food For Dummies

This is probably my nth “hello, world!” blog post in my entire life.

Hello, stranger! My name is PB. People call me by that nickname, or Phoebe sometimes. It makes me cringe whenever I try to review previous first blog posts I made so I tend to not finish them, and completely forget how I actually make them.

To start things off formally, let me share some facts about myself: (yes, PB. That’s the point of making a blog)

My hair hasn’t been fully on its natural hair color for 5 years

A question or reaction I often get is “hasn’t your hair died?” and the typical answer I’d give is “yes, it has been... dyed for 5 years!”

I’m vegetarian!

Ovo lacto vegetarian, to be exact. It means that I don’t eat <b>any meat</b> but I do drink milk from cows and eat eggs from chickens, plus an entire surplus of vegetables.

Music makes my world go round

Even though I don’t know anyone (yet) that doesn’t love music, I like admitting how much I love it and can’t live without it. I have wrapped myself so much into it that I’ve even worked on music-related projects (shoutout to Amplify.ph!). Also, I’ve probably spent 90% of my days feeling anxious about how unorganized my music library is even if I’ve tried to stack things up. Go figure.

That’s enough info, for now. Watch out for more things in this space! I’ll try to keep up with this, to suffice my 2016 by spending my free time wisely.

All photos are also a shameless plug to follow me on Instagram for more eye candy or more photos that have been poorly edited but shot with love.