Archive for June, 2008

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Video Follow-up: Lunapop’s “50 Special” (Lingua Inglese)

June 25, 2008

There are a number of song about riding a Vespa, but my favorite, hands down, is LùnaPop’s (link auto-translated to English) “50 Special” which they released back in 1999. I call it “The anthem for Vespa riders!“

The song is in Italian but it has gotten so popular back then that the band made another version in Spanish. I’ve also read before that they later made an English version for the UK market but I wasn’t able to hear that one. That was the case until I stumbled upon this…

The verses sounded weird for me. The English lines seem forced to fit the melody, and in some instances, it felt like words didn’t even rhyme. But the refrain sounds alright to me.

I still prefer the Italian version though. For me, it felt more… ITALIAN! :P

And that’s just how it should be. :)

-o-
{▫}
J0HNRANA

john[dot]rana[at]gmail[dot]com


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Posted in Celebrities, Music, Videos | 6 Comments »

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Video Follow-up: The Sweet Life - Bloggers’ Episode

June 23, 2008

This one’s the actual episode I was talking about in this post: “This blogger will guest on TV!” Special thanks to Vexel9 for giving me a DVD copy.

I have to warn you though that this video may take forever to load. The files are so large that youtube won’t even accept them for uploading! :D hehehehe I don’t know how to make the size of the videos smaller. Instead, I divided our interview into two parts.

Here’s the first part.

Second half of the Bloggers’ segment here. Read the rest of this entry ?

Posted in Television, Topic Off-Vespa, Videos | 4 Comments »

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Video Follow-up: Vespeeps join a music video shoot!

June 20, 2008

In the coming days, I’ll try to make some follow-up posts related to items I have posted previously. These have been in my to-do list since forever and I figured I might as well get ‘em over with.

The music video below is related to the “Vespeeps join a music video shoot!” which I posted sometime in March 2007. It’s the song “To The…” by Juan Pablo Dream and directed by Jon “Sponky” Villarin.

Was finally able to track this down via youtube only recently and I imported it in my multiply page. Vespas, Beetles and Combis abound in the 2nd half of this music video! Too bad the audio of this particular clip is not in-sync with the video. Well, better than nothing! :P

I saw Pyke & me appear for a split second! bwahaha

For a behind-the-scene account regarding this shoot, you may re-vist this post.

I want my MTV! :D

-o-
{▫}
J0HNRANA

john[dot]rana[at]gmail[dot]com


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Posted in Local Scene, Music, Videos | No Comments »

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How to bring your scoot/bike from Caticlan to Boracay?

June 17, 2008

Prior to the ride, we asked several contacts in Bora if we could actually bring in our scoots to the island resort. All said it’s not easy or it was close to impossible with the strict regulations. Details on how-to were sketchy so our group settled to just leave our reliable steeds at Caticlan. But deep inside, I still wanted to give it a shot. We’ve gone all the way there, so how hard is it really to bring the scoots along on a 15-minute boat ride? But who do we talk to? The coast guards? The boatmen? The porters? We were totally clueless. I admit I was also concerned of about how much that extra trip would cost or if it was even safe to do so. On a personal level, bringing my scooter there will be a validation that this ride is indeed a Boracay Ride. I wanted it so much that I had to at least try. Read the rest of this entry ?

Posted in Local Scene, Photos, Rider's Tips, Rides & Travels, Uncategorized | 12 Comments »

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An Epic Ride to Boracay!

June 13, 2008

The tropical beach of Boracay lies in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines and about 315 kms. away from Manila. It’s a very popular tourist destination and is considered one of the top 10 beaches in the world.

After tackling the North Luzon Loop, the Vespa Club’s Ride Director (Adrian/Rastaman) suggested that we ride to Bora. It took months of planning as logistics were critical for this ride as it involved scoots being ferried twice in two RoRo (Roll On-Roll Off) stations before we could reach our intended destination. We wanted to actually bring our scoots in the island. But after asking around, we learned it was close to impossible with the strict environmental regulations plus the fact that we don’t know which riding club has ever done so before, that is, if there is already. So, we agreed to go on with the ride and settled to just bring the scoots up to Caticlan then try our luck once we get there.

Soon as this ride was confirmed, my wife & daughter booked a flight to Bora to meet us there. Here’s a route map how we got there.

Air travel takes just a little over an hour and with the cheap airfare for advance bookings, the cost comes out just the same compared to RoRo. But riding isn’t just about getting to the destination, it’s also about experiencing the sights and enjoying the journey every step of the way.

Here’s our travelogue. Read the rest of this entry ?

Posted in Local Scene, Photos, Rides & Travels | 22 Comments »

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Philippine Independence Day Ride!

June 11, 2008

Before I start talking about the Independence Ride we had in our club, let me first share with you this clip of a poignant and reflective rendition of our national anthem “Lupang Hinirang” (Chosen Land) which is traditionally played as a march.

The version below was sung acapella by the Loboc Boys Choir. Created by advertising director Mae Paner, I first saw this via the PAGASA community which my wife & I have been privileged to be a part of through the invitation of Dale, another Vespa buddy.

Here’s the video:

For more details about the above clip, just click ‘more info’ in this YouTube page.

Now about our ride… Read the rest of this entry ?

Posted in Local Scene, Music, Photos, Rides & Travels, Videos | 2 Comments »

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Ton & Kitty’s 6.7.8 Wedding!

June 6, 2008

Tomorrow, June 7, 2008 ( 6.7.8 ) will be the wedding of our friends Tonton & Kitty. The groom is my Vespa buddy while the bride is a W@Wie who’s been exchanging emails and text messages with my wife for their wedding concerns (special thanks to management & staff of Fernbrook Gardens and Josiah’s Catering for extending valuable assistance to our friends!)

Due to some equally important occasions within my family, Benz & I will have to miss witnessing this couple exchange their ‘I dos.’ :(

But I would not let the event pass without posting these great pictures of them. I don’t really know if they’ve seen it already. I went straight to Parc Cruz, their photographer for their pre-nup/engagement pictorial, to specially ask for these. Special thanks to him & Apot for bearing with my pangungulit just to have these amazing shots in my inbox. :)

Here’s my favorite:

Here’s another shot, this time a closeup of the soon-to-weds. :) Read the rest of this entry ?

Posted in Art Vespa, Photos, Pinoy Iskuterista | 8 Comments »