u/Plus-Mix-3147

Linkin Park had an art contest in 2023 for the 20th anniv of their album Meteora. I am a huge fan of them, they greatly influenced my arts and music tastes. This was my submission but was not chosen.

Rest in power, Chester Bennington. You are forever missed.

I have the same guitar that Chester had.

Gusto ko lang magkwento ng ilang saloobin tungkol sa kasalukuyang usapin about sa isang school na nagpa-AI poster making contest. Long post ahead.

Taong 1994 (yeah I am that old) nung una akong nakatikim ng papuri. Isang batang paslit na walang inatupag kundi maglaro at mag-drawing habang nag-aaral (daycare center).

Sariwa pa rin sa ala-ala ko ang ilan sa mga eksena noong isinali ako ng teacher ko sa drawing contest hanggang sa pagka-panalo ko ng 1st place. Sariwa pa rin sa ala-ala ko yung moment na mismong teacher ko ang nagsabi sa akin at sa aking nanay na dapat ako daw ang CHAMPION kung hindi daw sana ako naging mahiyain sa pagsagot during question and answer.

Sariwa pa rin sa ala-ala ko yung eksaktong moment na tinanong ako ng judges kung ano ang dinrawing ko. Hindi ako makasagot sa sobrang hiya dahil andaming tao, nakasubsob lang yung microphone sa bibig ko.

Unfortunately, may percentage ang Q&A and that was the part I failed. Nevertheless, masaya pa rin ako sa nalaman ko, looking back it was like an ego boost to know that many people agreed that my drawing was superior than the kid who were hailed as champion.

6 years later, I was in 6th grade, I was again voluntold to join the poster making contest headed by my own class adviser. Hirap na hirap ang adviser ko na humanap ng isa pang contestant kasi ang lagi na lang daw nasa competition ay mga taga Section 1 (star section). Kaso, kahit alam kong naghahanap sya ay hindi ko pa rin iprinisinta ang sarili ko bilang mahiyain pa rin ako at that time. Section 3 ako, at naaalala ko pa na Section 1 held the top spot for poster making contest for many years... until I came into the scene and beat them.

Yes, it was one of my proudest moments knowing that I was able beat our star section. This one was more significant than 1994 kasi noong sinali ako ng adviser ko halos pudpod na ang oil pastel ko and even my pencils. Medyo nakatulong kahit paano na may pentel pen pa ako, still mukha akong kawawa noon dahil di naman ako makahingi kay mama ng pera pambili ng bagong oil pastel at kung ano pang gamit sa pagdrawing kaya I had no choice but to utilize whatever resources I had available at that very moment. And of course, significant talaga kasi this time ako ang nag-champion while the rest were expecting na star section nanaman ang mananalo. Para akong underdog looking back.

The common denominator of these two events is that my reputation preceded me - my daycare teacher noticed that my drawing was truly ahead of other kids during our drawing activity, and my classmates in 6th grade knew that I knew how to draw animes which I just randomly giving away so they pitched me to our class adviser during the contest time. I never volunteered myself, people around do the talking for me.

Back then I just do things without even thinking of a goal like "I have to do this", "I have to create this so they would like me" or "I have to beat them", no. I was just simply passionate about creating and the idea that I made something that genuinely came out of me. Every stroke, curve, line, color, object, planes, color combinations etc., all these came out of my own brain realized by my hands.

I never became successful in life doing what I do best but one thing is for sure - that ability of mine to create something out of my own imagination is still with me as we speak and it will never be taken out of me even after I die. In fact, that same ability helped me navigate other unrelated aspects of my life and had it applied on things I thought I couldn't survive.

Now, is this how bankrupt our souls nowadays that we don't aim to carry anymore some individuality and uniqueness of character among ourselves? Don't you like that feeling of people knowing you for your uniqueness? That you have your own passion? The feeling that people associate you with something because you are known for it uniquely? The feeling that you have made something out of your own imagination? A drawing contest naturally brings out a little glimpse of what you are as an individual and now we are just willingly outsourcing that ability to a fucking machine? And what's even funnier is that after you do that you still have the guts to say you own what it produced for you? Then all of you will compete those results among yourselves? Results that came from a single source? YOU OWN NO SHIT WITH AI just an FYI, and THERE IS NO COMPETITION IF EVERYONE USES IT. It's like telling the other person the paint on your brush is red and his is not while both of you took the same paint from the same bucket at the same time.

The thing about AI is this: mabuti itong alipin ngunit masamang panginoon. At dito tayo sa huli nagkakaproblema dahil ginagawa nating panginoon ang AI tech na nawawalan na tayo ng pakialam kung mawalan man tayo ng indibidwalidad at abilidad dahil halos lahat ng aspect ng modernong buhay natin ay inaasa natin sa makina, na kahit POSTER MAKING CONTEST ay hindi pinatawad ng mga tupang ina at ang masaklap nito ay may mga supporters pa ito na supposedly mga "educators" pa man din na matatawag.

Stupidity indeed knows no bounds dahil hindi alam ng karamihan sa atin kung kailan lang natin dapat ginagamit ang isang bagay. Lahat inaabuso natin sa paggamit.

If modernity means losing values and critical thinking then f*ck you and your f*cking modernity.

Story time.

Attached is the outro part of an original song that I wrote with a female friend about 11 years ago. Ginitara ko lang itong part na ito nung isang araw while I was taking a break from a cover song I was working on. Personally this is my favorite of the entire song kasi I was the one who wrote that solo part, the rest of the song kasi was written by her including the lyrics and I just happened to had everyrhing re-arranged which she loved so much.

Back then I had no proper recording and mixing software etc until around late 2016, since then I tried reconstructing the music attempting to polish it better resulting to about 4 different versions...none of those did not do any justice for both of us after all. The only version she sang on was the very first arrangement I made.

Then life happened to us, problems here and there, and then she suddenly shifted her focus to worshipping stuff aside from her own married life, she told me back then that she is giving me the song for me to do whatever I want with it with her out of the equation forever. While I believed her and knowing that she is a kind person, I never doubted her words. However, the real problem is that i already had an emotional attachment to her vocal quality, to me she is the only one who can give justice to the song. So I decided to just bury the song as I don't really feel like reworking it somebody else.

2018 was the last year we talked, and that was it. We both became busy with something else and I never felt the need reconnecting with her anymore until I changed contacts including social media etc. We never got a chance to pitch our song to some recording company despite the fact we both know it had potential.

I just remembered my life in general. There are many aspects of my life where I only get to taste a little bit of something but not the whole thing. It's like you are being offered a free taste of a newly promoted food item at the grcoery store and tasting that small portion of the sample is the only thing you can do.

Kung umabot ka dito, salamat sa pagbabasa.

Iba talaga nagagawa ng malamig at maulan na panahon. 🌧️🌩️

Dati pa-flewt flewt lang ako, ngayon may orchestra na ako.

(This is my original work I made today with a little Beethoven tribute at the intro)

I wanna call this "Non Amplius" (Not Anymore).

Requested by a redditor.

...with me

Actually, no. I mean, first time ko ulit mag-play using an electric guitar since 2022. I had 2 electric guitars back then and an acoustic guitar na binenta ko lahat. Ang hirap talaga kapag pang mayaman ang skill or passion mo but your status in life and bank account can barely keep up. I stopped playing in 2022, I usually play heavy stuff either covers or original compositions.

Now I have a lot of time in the world dahil bum na ako since I just got laid off last month, I realized that I owe myself a lot sa mga times na dapat lumilikha ako ng musika pero mas pinipili ko na lang magpahinga kapag rest day sa work dahil kahit may pahinga naman ako hindi ito naging sapat to accommodate artistic efforts because my mental battery back then was depleting.

I bought a new guitar earlier today and then tested it. Sulit ar solid!

Now, i can play heavy stuff again after 4 years. Antagal kong hindi nagplay so I may need a little more practice to get used to it again.

It's been a month since I got laid off from work and first time ko makatikim ng layoff, and I see an opportunity to do some payback to myself - the artistic version of myself that is real, not the one who subjected himself to unsavory labor just to live decently snatching my soul of its true spark.

Now that I am a bum, it's time to wake up that old sleeping dragon in me then I'll figure out the rest later.

In the meantime, I dedicate this piece to all of you. This tune is the symbol of my strength and perserverance!! /s