I am Moving....

I am moving and posting newer, but still crappy stuff at The Pencil Pushing Area for now and for all those still interested do check it out. There's not much posted, not yet, its a start. Something new to tinker with. I was always interested in using wordpress to power my blog and finally I get to do it there. So thanks for all the fish and see you there. :)

For archival and sentimental purposes I am not going to delete this blog, its better that way I think.

The Week in a bun

I have'nt been idling really for this past week, the usual suspects such as work and personal stuff that needed to be done all added up to my time as usual and made me not have some time to post something. Anyways, that doesn't sound like a good reason for the absence of post here. Nuff said.

During those times, other than the usual, me and my wife last Friday went on an island hopping trip via Alona, Bohol. Sorta like a romantic get up and stuff courtesy of my attorney bro as a gift of sorts. We went dolphin watching and Balicasag fish sanctuary snorkeling. We stayed at some resort which was way out of our price range and we have to find some reasonably priced place to eat out, luckily there were some but still steeply, however. The fish sanctuary I think was the highly of all the trips, unfortunately we were unable to do underwater photo shots with our meager camera. It was like swimming inside a huge marine aquarium. Lots of thriving colorful fishes in them coral communities. I even got the chance to feed them which was awesomer, them fishes nibbling at me hands. Dolphin watching was kinda like hide-and-seek though but lucky for us we had many moments where them elusive dolphin pack (are dolphins in a collective called packs?)would show their fins or even glide near our boat. It was a relaxing and unique experience for us city dwellers.

The Thursday before that me and a friend of mine recorded at the House of Indies recording studio(@ Mango Avenue, Cebu)a couple of industrial laden songs that were originally composed and released ages ago by the infamous Sodom and the Gahd Machine, a local avant garde-industrial laden progenitors of the Cebu local scene. It was our rendition their songs, "Then You'll Die" and "Christianity Syndrome". A tribute to the progenitors of this brand of music, Industrial Metal (from Wikipedia: a musical genre that draws from industrial music and heavy metal. It is usually centered around repeating metal guitar riffs, sampling, synthesizer or sequencer lines, and distorted vocals.Founding industrial metal groups include Ministry,Godflesh,and KMFDM)). An homage even. We haven't got a name to our outfit yet so I can't download the songs here or on Myspace music just yet, maybe these coming days when we finalize things, planning on making an E.P. as soon as we record some original material which my friend will be cooking up. I am actually just a hired hand, my friend, we'll all just call him ECPFlesh for reasons undisclosed just yet, does everything else except for the bass parts which is what I'm asked to do. It was his idea in the first place. I have my own industrial laden tunes but are put on hold as usual, uhmmm..heheh...nuff said.

MySpace Music

Wow, how cool is that?! I've decided and finally accepted the potentials of MySpace for my band. Almost all of my friends who happen to have bands have a MySpace Music accounts and so I was tempted to give it a view and all I can say is that its way cooler than Friendster (I rarely visit my Friendster accounts, sometimes its just out of habit to check it once or twice in a week) and its really tailored for the bands be it international, local, indie, unreleased or bigwig metalgods. I have had a MySpace account before, way back before Friendster but got bored with it. Now I'm viewing it with renewed interest. Hope I can update it from time to time though if theres band related events and such, aside from updating this blog and my Multiply, geez, I think I've got my hands full now. A place where bands can really connect and stuff.  You can even download our song from there. RakenRol!!! I've updated this blogs sidebar so you can click and have a visit there if you'd like or just click here.

My PILL Zine Contribution

Hey everyone. Just wanna post this short article that I did as a contribution to the Pill Zine Issue No. 3. It's an independently produced, photocopied and free for all supporters of gigs organized by Harikiri Mosh Productions headed by Jan Sunday here in Cebu and from what my friends in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan told me, they've gotten hold of a copy of it too there distributed by supporters as well. Like CEMP, their outfit promotes up and coming hardcore/punk bands. The article I did was about CEMP's current influence and a somewhat retrospection of the Cebu metal music scene from my point of view of course. I'm no authority when it comes to the still thriving metal scene here and all views, opinions and perspective and even errors which may or may not appear evident within the article are all mine and to the best interest as I could and as usual, comments and suggestions for improvement are fairly welcomed. Nuff said, heres the article:

CEMP and the Cebu Metal Scene : A Retrospective
by Chummy “Mangtas” Bertulfo

Cebu Extreme Metal Production or CEMP as it is better known just recently launched the fourth installment of Hellfest last April 11-12, 2008 at the ever accessible Zzubu Rock Bar. It is a yearly gig comprising of bands hailing from different localities in the Visayas region but mostly Cebuano based extreme metal music bands with other guest bands hailing from Bacolod, Dumaguete and Bohol. The participating bands played cover tunes and even their own compositions throughout the two day event. Day 1 and day 2 proved to be successful, as always, there is still a thriving metal fan base here in Cebu and this vindicated that the Cebu Metal Scene is very much alive and kicking some serious ass.

Metal music has always been an integral part of me. When I first heard of Slayer’s Reign In Blood blaring out of my neighbors speaker system, it was piercing and loud and full of raw emotion, Tom Araya spewing forth lashing words and the rest of the gang impaling their instruments to reek ordered chaos. I was intrigued and hooked instantly. From there and a box full of cassette tapes later, me and my high school buddies decided to form a band and profusely jammed and covered the songs from the bands we like and eventually we took part of the 2nd wave of Cebuano extreme metal acts. The proverbial Sodom and his Signos spearheaded the way. Gigs then were meager with little or no support for all things metal. I can only recall being a part of Scream of Cebu Underground Music (SCUM) which was organizing gigs for bands heavily influenced on the alternative and grunge music scene and my band was the only partial to death metal to be a part of it. Extreme metal bands then were only relegated to play on barangay fiesta gigs. Fast forward to 2005 and we have CEMP to thank for for having been conceived and come to being to help the bands out and make metal music formidable again. I have to assume that the year CEMP was conceived was the year that the 3rd wave of Cebuano extreme metal acts started and since then we are still playing great metal music today.

Since CEMPs inception 3 or so years ago by LD Lee and Jerry Reyes, it almost single-handedly revived the metal scene of Cebu whose followers were starting to get jaded and/or shifting to other genres by producing the first ever Hellfest in 2005 and to the grand undertaking of producing the Visayan Metalfest which included bands from Manila (Bloodshedd), Dumaguete (Cookie Monster) and Bacolod (Onslaughter). From minor club gigs to open air major events, the CEMP horde keeps spewing out more and more and it intends to keep it that way. As long as there are supporters and bands with the vision of producing uncompromising, extreme and non-conforming metal music, CEMP will always help usher the flock of the chosen and celebrate the durability and diversity of metal music. It is the bastion of the ever prolific Cebu metal underground scene. There are other music productions and organizations to date but it simply has the largest and consistent stable among others. Masters Jerry Reyes (CEMP Manager) and Bawit Caballes (CEMP Organizer) and a slew of dedicated crew members are really striving and dedicating there time and effort in promoting the local metal bands that need the break and exposure they need to harness there metal prowess. By way of organizing 4 to 6 gigs on average and promoting the songs these bands spit forth from their website to their online communities (i.e. Friendster, MySpace and Forum sites). CEMP gave these bands a niche and an outlet and to help them to connect to the masses.

This jaded metalist is very much proud to be a part of CEMP and will continue in what ever take or form to participate and support the ever eager arms of the local metal music community.

Batman ala Looney sketch

Just another chicken scratch doodle I did today of a cartoony dark knight

Self Portrait on a Sunday

Got nothing better to do today so I've decided to do a little chicken scratch drawing and what better subject than myself (pathetic isn't it)..hehehe..

a little self Promotion here

Hello nothingness...

Relative to my on going quest, interest, whatever regarding digital photography and digital editing, a friend of mine and I decided to make a yahoo group site where we can possibly exchange views, critic photos and what nots and hopefully gain a little (?) insight on our ever growing hobby. Its my first try to make a Yahoo Group  (it wouldve been nifty and cool if Google has this feature, or am I living in a rock that I didnt know they have one) and I AM HUMBLY INVITING ALL BISAYA ENTHUSIAST, HOBBYIST and AMATEUR PHOTOGeeks out there to come and join the commotion and make the group fruitful.

And before I forget, click on the add link logo below, bottom right corner of this here blog.

And yes, I almost forgot,...its Mga Bisayang Maniniyot (in rough translation, "The Visayan Photographers") Yahoo Groups....pathetic?hope not...ehehheheheh....

my stab at Digital photo/editing 1

Hello nothingness...

From here on en, I'll be posting some of my attempts at digital photography and editing in this here blog. Last post I showcased some and decided to showcase some more, if all of u in cyberspace dont mind me doing so, anyways, this is my sight and a care too little if it were a sight for cyber sore eyes for some. Its just another bean to my many beans spilled here. hahahaha..(insert generic thriller audio FX here) besides, I dont have anything interesting to post. These things make good addition to this site..hmmmm

Ok, just a quick info on the composition above. I shot it with my humble digicam and its the volume knob of my bass guitar Stormbringer in macro focus and edited afterwards with a very subtle orton effect and slight lens flare filter in the middle. As usual, I cant really tell for sure if I got it right because, as I mentioned a couple of post back, I have yet to replace my aging defective and color impaired monitor.

Enjoy.

digital photos and my pathetic editing endeavours

Supermutt Earth1

Supermutt Earth2

Sinulog 2008

Digital Cloning1

Hello nothingness...

It has been awhile, yeah, I know. hehehe...Just an update. I've been busy with the usuals such as work and stuff that usually take most of my time. I've recently finished reading a good book by Terry Brooks (fantasist extraordinaire) about writing which hopefully be stored in my coconut shell for good use someday (and the futility carries on...hmmmm).

Well, I recently got interested in digital photography and thinking of adding it up to my pile of know hows and what nots. You'll never know when this might come in handy someday. Anyways, it actually helped in propagating my FLICKR account (check it out, why dont ya) with uploads from what I took with my humble digital camera (a Sony DSC-S650 and I'm terribly contemplating on purchasing a more capable point and shoot digicam that will suit my ever growing interest on the field). I got to read and learn a wee bit about focusing, exposures and techniques that I have yet to apply and get a first hand experience. All of these led me to brush up my meager Photoshop skills and apply whatever appropriate tweaks that I can handle, being an amateur and all. Things like filtering to maximize focus, sharpening, blurring and digitally cloning and changing the levels and such to make a passable photo product. All in all editing the pictures on a banged up and defective computer monitor, so I can’t really maximize the potential editing and possibilities and just guess what its final outcome only. I have a new found respect to digital photography, hope my interest doesn’t wane and I can make good out of it.

As an added update. Hellfest IV will be up and coming this March 15 and 16 and my band is in slow gear as of the moment with a possible new drummer on the helm. So, things are looking up and hopefully we will take part of this yearly metalfest gig.Nuff said.

My other blogsite

hello nothingness...

Just wanna let you know that I've just recently added a blogsite dedicated to my softer, more intimate side, the poetic side that is but its not really limited to poetry altogether. Maybe some short story or vignette thrown in if I have the material or some artistic photo shots that I have done and stuff or anything art related so to speak. So, prepare to get bored (or better blown) away. Having this site updated is hard enough, now I'm putting up with this other one, sort of like adding insult to injury, haha. Well, as much as I can handle and take. I just want to make a home for my artistic works and maybe somehow connect to an audience (yah, right!). This blogsite is a mixed bag and kinda like a journal of my boring existence, thus the blogsite name, Chummy’s Beans, beans being my life events and thoughts on something. So, I’ve decided to make another one to represent my artistic side. Hope I made the right decision. Regarding copyright to all the things that will posted into that site, well, I don’t mind if someone uses it for something as long as one would ask permission from me via email and make a deal or two.

Heres the link to my additional blogsite…. http://frompoetry2obliteration.blogspot.com …check it out, alright.

The title is partly inspired from a Napalm Death album “From Enslavement to Obliteration”. A kick-ass album, mind you.

I haven't really written anything new so mostly I'll be posting early works that I can manage to encode and dig up in my box (my box filer, not my head, unfortunately). Maybe something interesting here and there. Hope you enjoy it. Comments are really appreciated and welcomed.

And yes, I've been busy of late. Its our Annual Report making at the office, keeps me tied up and shit. Meaning fewer post than already is.

My embarrasing take on Nightscourge

Hello nothingness...

Just wanna post something I did this morning. Its my terrible take on our pet project character Nightscourge. Just a rough sketch and inking on a .2 calligraphy pen. You'll be sure to notice the embarrasing colors,  these were done on photoshop. Worse thing is that my PC  monitor is somewhat fickle. It changes color tones ever now and then, I haven't had the luxury and time to have it repaired. I'm not really sure if its the right coloring to apply to this drawing coz I'm viewing it differently. Well, this adds new levels to making the roughs. Helps me make excuses for my terrible lineart. All the more reason and better judgement to letting my buddy do the lineart. Makes me think that I'd be better off doing comicbook scripting and writing than doing the actual drawing. Nuff said... Hey, comments and suggestions are always welcomed.

Zerulean works - part 1

Hello nothingness...

I have mentioned my artist friend from my previews post and I'm posting two of his earlier lineart here. Its the only two works he gave to me to scan and post here as for the time being. He requested me to post some of his stuff on my blog since I'm always eager to post something interesting and anyway, I'm happy to help out. We go way back in college and we both have the same taste and hobbies. We used to cook up stories and comic book heroes alongside our usual drinking spree binges with other friends. We are currently collaborating on a comic book project. An excercise in futility of sorts but hopefully something will come out of it. All we have to do is wait and bleed. hmmmm.

I've got nothing concrete, I'll just babble some more.

Hello nothingness...

Well, like my previous entries here, I always almost mention that fact that I'm busy of late from work and my personal life and that my surf and net time is almost compromise, eventhough I usually have the privilege to boot up my PC and have access to the net and can somehow update or post something for this blog. I would end up just checking my emails and read the updates on the forum that I am currently joining in or reading the latest gadget and gizmo news or downloading MP3 songs or to some horrible extent, update my friendster account (hehehehe). Putting something in this blog journal would always come in last because I feel that I have nothing interesting to say or share with the whole cyber-community (provided that theres somebody reading this blog aside from my GF who is ever my loyal viewer). My life's a Bore. Nuff said.

As an update, me and tha band jammed late this afternoon and we were rehearsing our old composition for us to re-record it hopefully by the end of the week for the CEMP music compilation. We are terribly delayed, as usual, as far as CEMP told us, we are the only ones left who haven't submitted a song for the compilation which will be due next week and for release this coming November 11, 2007 via launching at Kasadja Bar @ Lahug Cebu (the bill is posted below).

As for me and my artist friend Elton (long time collaborator on all things sequential and lineart), things are looking up, the six page plot and script are already done by yours truly and Elton would be starting with the pencils and layout of the story within the week and hopefully he can send me some pages for me to ink (traditionally) on and do the letters (digitally) . And by the way, after much wrestling with the name game on the character we are working on we finally chose to name him the NIGHTSCOURGE, pretty nifty huh. Hope we don’t come across the comics universe with someone similarly named. The chances of which are pretty huge and for that we apologize beforehand. Nuff said.  Below is a makeshift logo of the comicbook character we are creating.

A possible Comicbook contribution

Hello nothingness...

Just a quick update. I'm terribly excited, me and E.J. Espinosa had a meeting and we collaborated on a comicbook which I did the story and the scripts and will hopefully ink on and him doing the pencils and possible greytones. The tentative title would be a story on the plights of the Reaper, tentatively called because my friend told me that a Reaper character already appeared in the pages of Popcorn Comics here in Cebu and we're gonna change his identity soon after we come up with a better name for the character. The story is kinda like the Crow meets Buffy thing. So, its gonna be with aswangs, spirits and the like. Hope we will be a part of the anthology of sorts of comicbook creators here in Cebu, I already posted a message in Istorya dot Net on our enthusiasm in contributing a story on that soon to be anthology, hope Suede well hook us up soon. I'll keep posting updates. Nuff said. (a sketch of a headshot of the Reaper above if you haven't noticed, a full body shot will soon follow).

Life in General (No. 1)

Hello nothingness...

Just doodling around PhotoShop and I came up with this amatuerish thingee, I'm a newbie when it comes to digital art manipulation via PS and hope to get better at doing it (now all I need is a pen tablet of sorts to get the ball rolling, its hard drawing via the mouse geeeez).

I've always loved single-paneled comic strips like Gary Larson's Farside and heres my lame take on it.

From the past comes the storm (part III)

Hello nothingness...

This drawing inspired me from the Ghostrider series, she is my take on Lilith, Hells Mistress, one bad mother.

I'm feeling recharged and ready to draw again for fun now that I've decided halfheartedly to put on hold the band and do this more often (not much of a hassle than a band because drawing and sketching is a lonely thing, you only get to blame yourself for your inability and the best thing is that the possibilities are endless). And my futility ever goes on.

From the past comes the storm (part II)

Hello nothingness...

Well, heres yet another drawing I did way back, I'm planning on scanning more of them in the future post to come, after I learn the basics of Photoshop to make these images look more publishable unlike this which is basically scan and load. :)

I called this one Loadrunner, not to say that he has the powers to load you up with free GSM credits with his mind, hmmm, that would be one cool power don't you think..hehehe...

I've recently been planning to go back to drawing again and hopefully make some kinda storyline going, hopefully again (I do have a day job still which takes up most of my time). The futility goes on and on....

From the past comes the storm (part I)

Hello nothingness...

It was 1999, I had lots of spare time. A bum for almost a year after graduation. I occasionally draw for fun and cook up ideas in my mind most of of the time with a friend of mine back then amidst the usual beer in hand, I was constantly egging myself to do something productive and this was one of the results, I have lots of sketches on file but this and some few others were the only ones I have scanned. So, what the heck, I better post it in here, maybe some good will come out of it.

This one I called Captain Courageous, the reason of which eludes me now. He looks courageous enough don't you think.