Bound And Gagged!

.:Comedy Cartel Roundup Yet Again:.

A poster of their Spicy Fingers show…

I had a great time last Thursday night at Mag:Net Cafe Bonifacio High Street, just chilling and enjoying top-notch comedy from the Comedy Cartel yet again. If you’re wondering if I’m getting tired of hearing the same jokes again and again, well, you have to understand that I don’t hear the same jokes again and again. These guys constantly hone their craft, get better and better at delivering jokes, and often even come up with an entirely new and different routine each and every time.

While I was there and talking to the relatively new additions to the Cartel, Noel and Richie, one of the guests who were watching the Comedy Cartel for the first time engaged me in conversation about magic and comedy. I enjoyed the conversation, as I really am a huge fan of stand-up comedy in general, and these guys are, in my humble opinion, the best line-up in the country, hands down. I’ve seen a lot of comedians, but the winning combination you can get from the Cartel is just unbeatable.

With a lineup including Tim Tayag, Mike Unson, Alex Calleja, and Stanley Chi, any given Comedy Cartel performance is definitely a keeper. The crowd was definitely pumped for the performances, what with some people from Maxim, and even several bloggers in the audience.

Last Monday, I was also at their Spicy Fingers show, and I ended up with a front row seat with Stanley’s friend, Andre, and this meant that I ended up becoming picked on by some of the comedians who already knew me. From being told to put my food in the blender if I’m having a hard time eating, to relating a wee bit too much to the statement, “Ang babae, naiihi sa sobrang kilig; ang lalake, kinikilig sa sobrang ihi…” it was quite an amusing night for me, to say the least.

I mean, I’ve already seen Alex Calleja several times, but the minute he directly referred to me and cracked jokes at my expense, I was starstruck. He even asked me a few questions in the middle of his routine (“Kung sumweldo ang lalake ng 15,000 tapos hindi niya ginastos, magkano ang natipid niya?”), and afterwards, said:

“Ibalik nga ang 150 nito! Ang galing, eh. Kabatuhan ko na, mukhang nakikinig talaga sa show ko!”

After the show, the Cartel’s manager, an awesome guy named Patrick, thanked me for being at the show again, and joked that considering how often I go to Cartel shows, he’s making me an “Honorary Member” of the Comedy Cartel. I found the gesture very touching, because it only goes to show that the Cartel is very appreciative of people who support them. As a professional performer like them albeit in a different field, that mutual respect for each other’s craft is something I treasure and appreciate. Note that this simply meant I was on their guestlist, but no, this does not translate into me becoming a part of the Cartel lineup anytime soon. =P Let’s make that clear. Hehe.

In any case, I’ve been encouraged by a lot of people to try out open mic nights just for fun, so I’ll give it a shot. I don’t have any plans of being a profesisonal standup comedian (I have my work really cut out for me.), but there’s no harm in having fun and developing my skills at delivery and timing, which can only further enhance my persona as a mental magician comedian. I have nothing but respect for standup comedians and what they do, and will never underestimate the sheer difficulty of being able to go up there and be funny on cue.

If you wanna see the Cartel, they’re performing around 8PM or so, this May 11, at Spicy Fingers in Greenbelt 2. That’s near Italianni’s, so you can’t miss it. They’ll also be performing this coming May 16 at Conspiracy Bar. For more information, feel free to check out E Circle Entertainment’s website for details. There are few better sources for alternative entertainment that come to mind other than Stand-up Comedy… or Professional Magic and Mentalism.

News and Updates comedy, comedy cartel

.:Magikel @ Newmedia.com.ph:.

Yours truly found the rare opportunity to be interviewed by Mr. Carlo Ople on his blog regarding how I managed to pay my bills for a whole year through magic. I made use of the online tools available to me, from a blog to a social networking site, and everything in between.

As most people know, a lot of the inquiries I get about my services come from online. They see my magic videos or find me via Google, and it has really snowballed for me. A lot of my shows were booked via Magikel, and it has certainly been quite an experience for me, relying solely on my gigs for income since I had to do my thesis, which prevented me from taking a full-time job for that entire year.

I know I have a long way to go, but it’s a good start, and it gives my colleagues the opportunity to market themselves even further via blogging or social networking. I would never begrudge a fellow magician their chance to earn more via shows, if it means raising the image of magic as an art form as a whole, so more power to the magicians, hosts, and mentalists who would find more success in going online.

Nonetheless, given the many ideas I have for my upcoming show this October 23 in PETA Theater with Jay Mata, Ony Carcamo, and a few other surprise guests (for now), you can be sure that there’s a lot to look forward to from this particular performer.

See you guys around, and much thanks to Carlo for featuring me. These are but baby steps in the journey of magicians to make their mark in the online world in ways most people can only dream of for now.

News and Updates hosting, magic, magikel, mentalism

It was my first week with Nuffnang, and each day, I found myself doing something after work hours. I’m hoping this doesn’t become a trend for me. Heh.

Anyways, lemme get some of the unimportant stuff out of the way…

The Cat Killer: He needs help, not ridicule.

Ted Failon: Innocent until proven guilty, gais. Tell that to the cops, too.

.:Wednesday, 15 April, 2009:.

I ended up hanging out with Jen and Eloisa while watching the Bloomfields. Not much there, since we kinda thought this was going to be their last show there for a while. Imagine our surprise when it turned out that wasn’t the case. Arbet hath fooled us. Boooo!!!

.:Thursday, 16 April, 2009:.

Was I going to check out Silly People’s Improv Theater, or go to Route 196 instead to catch Chillitees, The Ronnies, Sugarfree, Itchyworms, Radioactive Sago Project, and the Bagetsafoniks? Well, it wasn’t an easy decision, but being able to hang out with one of my closest online buddies, Ms. Sarah Cada, was the hand that tipped the scales.

So I went, and had the time of my life, to say the least. The bands were all awesome, each one giving us something to really get excited about, from the oldies but goodies courtesy of the Ronnies, to the insanely hot performance by the Chillitees, to “Mariposa” from Sugarfree, a superb live performance of “Freak Out Baby” by Itchyworms, the unparalleled sounds of Radioactive Sago Project, and the sheer energy of Bagetsafoniks, it was quite an entertaining night, to say the least.

So I had a celebrity picture phail that night, though, because I approached this guy and asked for his picture, thinking he was Lourd, the leadsinger for Radioactive Sago Project…

At least, he was nice enough to have a pic with me…

It must’ve been pretty dark though, because that was not sir Lourd. The minute I saw him perform during “Freak Out Baby”, I realized my hilarious mistake. Sarah was laughing her head off at me, and I was thinking how nice that guy must’ve been if he posed for a picture and he wasn’t even a celebrity or something.

Thankfully, for the more knowledgeable among us, that guy was sir Lourd’s brother, and he was the bassist of the band, so it was all good.

Now, after Radioactive Sago Project performed, though, I mustered up the courage to approach sir Lourd, but luck was on my side because he was with Mr. Jugs Jugueta of the Itchyworms. I asked them for a picture, and I was surprised when Jugs told me he would do it if I bent the fork.

I had to stop for a while there because I had no idea how he knew that I do that stuff.

Turns out, his girlfriend, Andy, was my co-host during the Oktoberfest Bloggers’ Party at Mall of Asia last year, and she saw me perform. This only occurred to me after they already left, but whaddaheck, I performed anyways, and sir Lourd’s reactions were priceless. He was almost freaking out!

After I performed, they obliged me with a picture, but it was clear they wanted to know how I did it…

Halp! My idols are threatening me with bodily harm!

After Bagetsafonik’s set, I left for home, and was more than pleased with how I spent my money that night. I even got to talk to one of the members of Project 2, and he’s interested in performing for “Bound And Gagged” this October… hee!

.:Friday, 17 April, 2009:.

As a way to end the week for us, I ended up watching T2 with my co-workers from Nuffnang this night. I won’t review it anymore, but it was scary enough and I don’t regret watching it. It was also a great opportunity to bond with my co-workers. They were awesome people.

After they had late dinner at Gerry’s Grill near Banchetto (I only had bottomless sago-gulaman.), I ended up hanging out with blogger/plurker friends at Banchetto where we talked about people who should come out of the closet, the Bebigerls, the Ted Failon issue, some fail tidbits in blogging and otherwise, and a ton of other stuff.

Speaking of fail, lookie here… the PGB has been mentioned. But I digress.

It was great meeting these people, to be honest. There was great food (Ate a pound worth of burgers.), great company, and it was just so funny talking about how Helga is jousting with this plurker named Eric(a), who thinks calling someone “no longer virgin” counts an insult. Lol. Weird.

Days like these, I long for the 2006 era where blogging events were few and far in between, and everyone who went had something worthwhile to say about an event… sigh.

.:Saturday, 18 April, 2009:.

I had quite an interesting gig last Saturday in Marquinton, as I performed two very awesome sets that resulted in quite a lot of good reactions from the audiences who were thrilled to no end with the stuff we pulled off. I did magic, I did comedy, I did mentalism, and I was very happy that I really had a crowd that appreciated my stuff.

After that, I headed off to Conspiracy Bar to watch Stanley Chi, Mike Unson, and the rest of the Comedy Cartel for a night of awesome comedy from the best luminaries in point of view observational style comedy. Stanley’s new jokes referencing his recent life experiences were really awesome, and Mike just went off for over an hour with his best material, simply flooring all of us with his sheer genius and comedy. Some new guys, Richie and Ryan, namely, were also amazing revelations. I’m extremely glad to have run into them, and to even share a few conversations after their performances for the night. It was definitely an enlightening experience.

I’m proud to be friends with the people of Comedy Cartel. Stanley Chi’s come a long way, in particular. He’s definitely kept at it and improved his craft at an impressive and consistent rate.

And by the way, they’re going to be performing again this Thursday at Mag:Net Cafe Bonifacio High Street. That should be a load of fun. Maybe you guys should drop by.

.:Sunday, 19 April, 2009:.

It was a family day, since my mom is home from Thailand for until tomorrow. Awesome times!

News and Updates blogging, comedy, comedy cartel, family, friends, magic, music, plurkfiesta, randomicity

.:So Yesterday, While Doing Magic At Market!Market!:.

… guess who I performed my rope routine on?

Charice Pempengco was awfully nice and friendly and such a good sport!

News and Updates, Personal Commentary brush with celebrity, charice pempengco, magikel

.:Magikel @Market!Market! This Easter!:.

Drop on in and say “hi”, people! I’ll be performing at the Market!Market! fountain area around 4-6 PM as a host and magician/mentalist for the Easter celebration here. Hope to see you guys!

This will be my second show for the day after hosting and performing for Hotel Intercon’s Easter celebration as well…

A happy Easter to everyone!

News and Updates magikel

.:Reminder…:.

If you can swing by, do drop in on my Market!Market! show where i’ll be hosting and doing magic. =)

My show is gonna be this Sunday, around 4-6 PM, at Market! Market! Hope to see you guys there. Do drop in and say “hi”!

News and Updates magic, magikel, mentalism

.:A Quick Plug:.

Hey, guys! I’ll be doing hosting and magic this coming Easter Sunday at Market!Market! around the fountain area from 4-6PM. Drop in, watch the show, and say “hi” if you can! I’d definitely appreciate it.

.:4 Years Of Bringing Smiles And Magic To Everyone:.

Last Saturday night, I was the host for the 4th Anniversary of The Story Circle. It was a fun celebration of magic and camaraderie, replete with side comments and a geek magic showdown that resulted in a bloody nose for one competitor, something involving lots of spit, and a magician who ended up worshiping the porcelain god… except the porcelain god wasn’t there to worship.

Aside from the geek magic showdown, many performers were on hand for the night, from some rappers in Carl, Sam, and Dark Madien, to Nomer and David’s comedy mentalism act, to yours truly, to Andres’s coin penetration set, and of course, to Darwin the magician. It was a great night for everyone, and people were really happy for the most part. The after-party spent with BK was mostly entertaining all the same, and I can’t thank them enough for being kind enough to welcome straight-edge ol’ me into a drinking session, of all things.

Kudos to Nomer as well for receiving quite a pummeling from me as he became the butt of a lot of my jokes, but good sport that he is, he always takes it in stride, and casually shot back some equally good barbs at me afterwards. It was definitely awesome going from “The Roderick Paulate of the Philippines”. =P

In any case, allow me to share with you The Story Circle music video celebrating the 4th Anniversary Celebration. Hope you enjoy it!

Congratulations to The Story Circle, and more power to ya!

News and Updates, Personal Commentary magic, mentalism, occasions, tsc