reformat

I decided to reformat my PC at work today, which is taking longer than I thought (have commandeered another workstation for now). There was just too many things going on in my system, plus the partitions placed by my former sys ad was just fucking off the damn thing, refusing to allow me to install needed programs for no reason other than to annoy me.

I was amazed at all the junk I’d accumulated in my computer (and all the games I loved, played and abandoned, the inevitable cache of porn, videos, flash clips, comics artwork and stuff from the internet).

Anyway, I had to choose what files to backup and save, so that’s everything I’ve written, all the mail in Outlook, plus a ton of stuff I feel is absolutely integral to my business life.

Funny how it has gotten harder for me to throw anything away. A business colleague’s email from last year just might be a necessary reference, the electronic trail of how a campaign developed could prove useful, blah blah blah.

Perhaps I should be more ruthless and pretend these digital files are physical objects. Would I file them away? Would I save them, keep them, preserve them? Probably not. So why do I keep them? Because the path of least resistance is not to act, and rereading each email or file to determine their ultimate fate would be too tedious, too time-consuming, too mind-flattening?

In meantime, while waiting, I’m reduced to squatting and find myself unable to work although everything is networked and just several clicks away.


beauty = death?

Over 250 people have died in riots in Nigeria, triggered by an editorial claiming that the Prophet Mohammed would choose one of the Miss World contestants as his wife. The newspaper published retractions and apologies to no avail. Violence swept through and the contest moved to the UK.

Frightening how people take religion seriously. How often has religion been a cause of bloodshed? Too often.


paradise lost

For 10 years, the William J. Shaw Theatre at the Shangri-la Plaza was the home of Repertory Philippines (the premiere English-language theatre company in the Philippines). I worked for Rep for a couple of years, shortly after they moved in and remember how much we all loved the new theatre, despite some very obvious flaws. We launched the Children’s Theatre there (with “Sleeping Beauty”) and it was home for a huge number of straight plays and musicals.

Well, the administration of Shangri-la decided not to allow Rep to renew their lease, leaving the company without a home. Farewell to Shangri-la, indeed. For next year, only one season of 4 plays has been announced – to be performed at the RCBC building in Makati. The latter part of next year will see only 2 productions, including a musical, to be staged who-knows-where.

I’m certain that my ex-bosses Zeneida Amador, Joy Virata and Baby Barredo have definite plans as to where to house the company, but I can’t help but be affected by this turn of events.

Rep holds a special place in my heart. When the stage bug bit me, I acted with Rep (my wife even remembers me playing an old man, before we met). I worked as their Marketing Manager. I wrote, directed and edited episodes for their TV show.

It was only when I felt that the company had lost its drive (as well as its best actors) that I ceased to be a regular theatre-goer. But I would still watch the occasional big musical (like their production of “Les Miserables”). I found myself attracted by the other, newer, “edgier” companies who put up shows like “Ms. Saigon”, “Jesus Christ Susperstar”, “Rent” and “The Vagina Monologues”. But I’ve always had a tender spot for the original company which most probably trained all the newer ones.

So where to now, Rep?