Redoble Family

This past weekend, we rocked with Hastang in Maru Bar, joined a leftist rally on the streets of Makati, frolicked in Ayala Avenue, relived (and reenacted) our insanity at the Centennial UP Fair, shivered in the unbelievably cold breeze of Tagaytay, gaped in awe at the elegance of Sonya’s garden, discovered the perfect venue for our wedding, and basically just slept the rest of the time.

All in all, it was an amazing weekend.

Thanks, Mom and Dad, for your hospitality. And thank you, Hastang, for the great music.

Note: I’m posting only a few pictures here. Mark will be uploading the bulk of his shots in (ahem) his photo blog soon. Photos of Hastang in action will, of course, be published later in the band’s blog. But I think you’d have to wait a bit longer to view those photos. This is not to build anticipation or anything of the sort. Unfortunately, Mark’s PC just went bonkers. He can’t even access Windows. Grrr. So, stay tuned for more updates later. Abangan…

Day 1: Valentine’s Day

At Mom and Dad’s condo in Makati: Guile and Tessa chilling while waiting for Phoebe and Gaw to show up

Outside BSA Tower: The band waiting for their ride to 19 East, where they were scheduled to perform live as well as tape an interview with NU 107’s Dylan for an episode of Jack TV’s Boom Box

Outside Greenbelt 5: The band unwinding with some friends after a long day of playing music and getting grilled on air

Outside Greenbelt 2: Phoebe, Gaw, Gen, Yan, and Tessa

Day 2: Friday, Feb. 15, 2008

Just for the heck of it, we decided to check out the ruckus in Ayala Av. All morning, the news channels were abuzz with the Makati rally, and Mark somehow convinced me to walk the few kilometers to the venue. MoiMoi, Guile, and Mark eagerly plunged head on. Meanwhile, Gen and I (both jaded Diliman alumni) stood in the sidelines to rant. The next morning, the papers reported a turnout of thousands of people. Wtf!?!? The rally was only at least a few hundred strong, not the swarms that the broadsheets erroneously reported. Oh, well. So much for accurate journalism. Anyway, Mark has some great shots of the so-called chaos (the “uprising” closed off the main streets and side alleys, allowing Mark to snap like crazy from the middle of no less than Ayala Av).

As promised, Mom and Dad showed up at Maru Bar with Ate Milka in tow. I realized soon enough that it was a huge mistake to invite them. The place is a hard core underground rock hub, and the first few bands nearly broke mom’s ear drums.

Unfortunately, they couldn’t stay past midnight because Dad had an early meeting the following morning. Hastang, the main featured band, was the last to perform, and Mom and Dad missed the band’s performance.

Yan and Gen: So happy together after more than a month of being apart.

After the gig, the band posed for some wacky shots.

Check out MoiMoi’s facial expression.

We only had a couple of bottles each. Seriously.

And this is my post-gig face. Kapooooy!

Day 3: Saturday, Feb. 16, 2008

While waiting for our ride to Quezon City, where Hastang was scheduled to perform for the UP Fair crowd that night, we decided to head to the rooftop of Mom and Dad’s condo to pose for Mark. Who can resist a photo op?

(just because we can…heheheh)

We posed for a gazillion shots before our ride finally arrived.

aboard the band’s tour van on our way to QC

Hastang waiting for their turn on stage. (It was a really long wait)

Groupies keeping vigil with the band.

Star struck with The Dawn’s Francis Brew.

Live performance photos coming soon…

Day 4: Sunday, Feb. 17, 2008

Dad on the wheel.

Mark and I couldn’t keep up with all the chit-chat and chismiss that was going on in the vehicle. We dozed for most of the 2-hour ride. (The previous night’s gig ended at around 5am, and Dad picked us up from our hotel at 8am. We barely had 3 hours of sleep.)

See how tired we look?

Dad impatiently waiting for us to finish bargain hunting.

Ate Milka, Karing, Mark, and I braved the cold winds and trekked up to the top of the park. All the time, I was shivering from the cold. The icy wind was sharp and biting. Brrr. Never again.

Mark was so disappointed when we reached the top. The visibility was close to zero. He couldn’t get a decent shot of the view (which was nonexistent at the time).

Finally! Lunch at Sonya’s Garden. It was worth getting out of bed for.

The food was superb. For a few hundred pesos per head, we got a sumptuous array of salads and pasta with infinite choices of dressings, sauces, and sidings — all served to our table.

“Healthy and organic” being Dad’s mantra, we had no choice but to eat a sickeningly green lunch. But we enjoyed every bite. Everything was yum, yum, yummy.

*burp*

Ate Milka and Caring.

Mom and Dad checking out the venue of our wedding. (Seriously)

I’d get married here in a heartbeat. Seriously.

Exhausted from half a day’s trek, I kicked off my flip flops and rested on the bathroom tiles of one of the cottages at Sonya’s Garden.

When I’m with my parents, I still feel like I’m 12.

And I look 12, too, don’t you think?

We found the perfect venue for our wedding.

On our way back, the skies finally cleared - but not enough to get a decent shot of Taal.

Thanks for the trip, Mom and Dad!

Happy birthday, Daddy!

Balik na sad ta next month.

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