Several months ago, I made this entry in February...

While sitting on a couch yesterday at Starbucks with a bunch of other friends, we actually managed to think of a brand new play concept to write. It's a challenge, but it would be interesting. And it also takes place at a coffee shop.

It's funny how we manage to think a lot while in Starbucks.

It all started with how we were all trying to nab the couches in the coffee shop, and I insisted sitting on one particular couch because I like sitting by the window. Eventually, what I had simply said had become a whole new idea...

Kopihaus # 8.

Hahaha, and then it became a thesis film production by Nicco, Drei, Blonski, Alvin and Mervin. They started shooting last Thursday, and I got to taste the kopihaus experience this entire weekend.


Friday, November 4

I met up with Nicco and Drei at Nicco's house early Friday morning. Drei was our designated driver, and the rest who joined us to the venue (somewhere in Pasong Tamo) were Carla, Rianne, Miko and Cris P (ahehe, there are two people named Cris in this cast; one's male and one's female.)

Anyway, I got to meet the rest of the people involved when we got to the venue. I already knew some of them, though, but it was amusing meeting some other people I've seen around school and even in a couple of plays and stuff.

Take Rianne, for instance. She was in my Trumpets Playshop class in 2002. She was one of the students, and I was assistant to their teacher, Myles. I never got to see much of her in action then, because she was always with her group of friends, who were probably the eldest in the class. They hardly participated, which was probably part of their kikay facade. And now, she's playing the lead girl in this film. So Myles, you gotta watch this one, hehehe.

I only knew Carla as this petite girl from the fashion design department in school. She was the only one I found cute (literally, mostly) in one of the fashion shows I saw in the theater, so she stood out in my mind.

Aside from those people, there was also Cris M (my right hand girl in my own thesis), Drew (this guy I saw in Greenstage's Salome), Bryce (from DF's Macbeth and Salome), Jessica (title role from Salome), Naomi (I only knew her then, and heard of once from Cris M)... my goodness, there's too many people to keep track of.

Hahaha, sometime that day, someone asked if the venue reminded us of something. Of course! The bright colors on the walls and counters matched with the couches looked like it was part of the Pinoy Big Brother house, hahahahahaha!

I was mostly a spectator that day, but sometime in the evening, we were told that Blonski's girlfriend Denise (who did the script continuity) wouldn't be able to be around the next day. So I was given the job then. Nyak, I'm not really into film, so I had no idea what to do with the continuity. I just sort of copied what was written in some parts of the script, ahehehe.

I rode home in Drei's van along with the south people. So that would be Drei, Nicco, Carla, Rianne, and Drew. Hahaha, what was that they keep saying? "Southside (Paranaque) represent!" Hehe, kinda reminds me of the SBC (South Bound Crew) during my Narnia days, right, Chevy? They kept raving about this place called Sinangag Express, that serves the best tapa they know. Drew called it "SEx," and eventually we got around to joking around and saying it ourselves, even though Carla would call it "CSI" (I don't know what that means, though). Anyway, when we wrapped up pretty late in the evening, we stopped over and had a late dinner there. My goodness, the tapsilog there really is scrumptious! And even though it was already midnight, the place was still packed. I even saw some of my old high school track and field friends there. What's more, when they had left, the ones who had occupied their table was Memey and his girlfriend Karen (introduced to me as Star), and along with another guy friend.

Saturday, November 5

As usual, first stop was Nicco's house at 8am. Unlike the day before, I got there before Drei did. So there was some time to kill to wait for him. I got to see Baby Colyn for the first time and she was so adorable! We even saw her sort of laughing that I melted just seeing her smile.

So I got to experience doing script continuity for the first time then. Like I said, I'm not a film person, so I got a little confused at first, and it didn't help when Drei wouldn't refer to the script and started switching things around, so I got even more confused, not less, hahahaha.

One scene that I particularly enjoyed that day was during the evening. It was the scene with Miko (as Jerry, the Kopihaus manager) and the fashionistas (Carla, Cris M, Jessica and Rosch). Nicco had used theatrical lighting for this scene, and it worked pretty well. It was pretty funny, really.

As usual, we went to "SEx" (hahahaha!), but it was just Carla, Drei, Nicco and me, because Rianne had left the set early, and Drew was dropped off before we got there. Yummm...

Sunday, November 6

We were supposed to start shooting early, but I was one of the guilty people who woke up late (gak).

That day, aside from script continuity, I had to get together with Nicco and Drei so I can figure the whole script out. Ever since I touched the master script, I never got to read the whole thing through because there wasn't enough time. Heck, by the time I get home, I just sleep. Nicco and I put our heads together in the office and tried to make a shot list. Mind you, this should've been made before everything else. But well, you know, everything got switched around, the cast's scedules didn't really match, all that stuff.

So I spent most of the afternoon working on that, and into the evening as well. Nicco and I first wrote them down on paper, then I typed it up on Drei's laptop. We ended early that day, though. At around 8pm, we had wrapped up and cleaned the entire place of everything, because they wouldn't be shooting again until later this month, due to prioritizing Rian's thesis.

There was a whole bunch of us sitting around after everything and the rest of the people had left. There was the Southside people, along with Blonski, Arman and Alvin. We were all just sitting around on the couches, talking about random stuff while waiting for Blonski's stuff to be picked up. It all started with the simplest of things, like revealing each other's nicknames... to old games we used to play as kids in grade school. And when you looked at the entire place, it totally reminded me of a Pinoy Big Brother moment when everyone was just doing the same thing, sitting around and talking, hahaha.

Funny quip when we reached Paranaque. Drei was driving, and we were all talking, when we suddenly just passed by Sinangag Express. Drew then asked, "Magse-SEx pa pala tayo?" and all 3 of us girls replied with a loud "Yes!" HAHAHAHAHA! If there were other people listening to us, they would've thought we were crazy.

I swear, these Southside people crack my up. From the car ride, to Sinangag Express, my sides were aching from laughing too much, especially with Drew's quips, my goodness.

I miss doing productions.


My hands are tired. I've been typing since yesterday. Plus I'm hungry. I'm out for now.