OPM MUSIC…. WHAT’S IT REALLY WORTH?

I have always wondered why OPM CD’s (filipino music) are priced cheaper than the foreign artists’ CDs. OPM is usually priced around PHP250, while their foreign counterpart is priced at around PHP 450.

I’ve spoken to several people in the music industry from the management of major labels to the artist’s managers to artists themselves and they all seem to subscribe to the notion that filipinos will not pay the same amount for a local artist as compared to a foreign artist. Another explanation given is that pinoy artists cannot charge as much as foreign artists because we are local artists and not imported.

I think that this reasoning has been embedded in the Filipino psyche from years of being under the rule of the Americans from as early as 1898, and we never really gained independence until 1945. I remember as a kid growing up in the late 1970’s to 1980’s, we would always assume that products from the states were better than Filipino products and this was a sentiment shared by ALL filipinos. This idea was instilled by our parents who were born in the 1940’s, whose parents, our grandparents, in turn have instilled in them. So, it will take a few more generations before we begin to be proud of our own products. Slowly but surely, the filipino mindset is changing. I sense it in my daily conversations with people, but we still have a long way to go. Well, at least we are getting there.

So, let me address the explanations given by my friends in the music industry. First of all, music is a matter of personal preference, not price, so it boils down to this basic idea,

If you go to a music store and listen to two albums, Album #1 is a so-so album and is priced at PHP250, and Album #2 is an awesome kick-ass album from your favorite band and it was priced at PHP450. Which would you buy?

Another analogy that is a perfect parallel is something that a friend of mine told me a few years ago.

Would you pay for an item on sale for $10 that you DON’T need at all, or would you pay $20 for an item that you REALLY REALLY NEED? What would you do? when i asked that question to people, most, if not all, answered, “of course i would get the $20 item that i need.”

Let me give you several scenarios and you tell me what you will do…

SCENARIO #1

You go to an Odyssey Record store and see 2 albums being sold. One is an OPM album and the other a foreign artist. You are a fan of the OPM band and you really couldn’t care much about the foreign artist. Both are sold for the exact same price. What would you buy?
SCENARIO #2

You go to an Odyssey Record Store and see 2 albums being sold. One is an OPM album of an artist that you don’t really like, but its priced at PHP250, and the other is a foreign artist that you really like, and it is priced at PHP450. Would you actually say, “oh, i really love that foreign album, but its PHP450, so i’ll just buy the PHP250, even if i really wont enjoy listening to it.” Do you get my point? So, What would you buy?

So, my point is that by even if OPM is cheaper, if the music is not good, no one will buy it. At the end of the day, it comes down to the basic premise that if the music is good, people are willing to pay for it, if it is bad, even if you gave it for PHP100, no one would buy it.

FACT: There are so many OPMs that suck and are priced cheaper than other OPM artists and they still do not sell. While other OPM artists that sell at a higher price still sell more.

FACT: At one point, Foreign artists sold more than OPMs even if OPMs were selling at a cheaper price. If price was really the main point of consideration for purchase, then OPM should’ve sold more from day 1.

It was not until around 2004 to 2006 that OPM artists outsold foreign artists, and it is not because it was cheaper. It was due to the resurgence of amazing OPM artists such as Kitchie Nadal, Rivermaya, Hale, Sugarfree, Christian Bautista, Bamboo, Parokya ni Edgar, to name a few. People bought the music because they liked the music now and not because it was cheaper.

I know that most people’s knee jerk reaction is to disagree with me, but if you study this in a purely logical realm, my argument is sound and has merit. Therefore, record labels should stop undercutting OPM artists, believe in OPM music, and believe that people will pay the same price for any music if it is good, whether foreign or local.

PAY UP, JINGAI!!!!

Because of Brian Gorrell, i have been inspired to write this blog to tell everyone to about my ordeal with a person not paying me. Although the money she owes me is not as much as what DJ Montano owes Brian, the point is that it still has to be paid.

I bumped into a friend of my Ex , Jingai Feliciano, early 2006 and we started talking. It turns out that she is managing a bar called MUGEN in Metrowalk. I was asking her to book a band that i was managing for a gig in their bar, and she said she will do so. We were also coordinating to hold a party at Mugen for my show, “its a guy thing” on studio23. During one of our conversations, she asked me if she could borrow money. She needed to borrow PHP10,000. Since she was a friend of my Ex and we were working together on a couple of projects, i figured i could trust her. So, i lent her the PHP10,000. She paid me in installments within a few months.

Soonafter, she asked to borrow money again. This time, she wanted to borrow around PHP20,000. So, i obliged. WHAT A STUPID IDIOT I AM FOR LENDING HER THE MONEY. And i didnt even charge her interest. AAARRRGHHH!!!!!

She gave me post dated cheques to hold onto, but she promised to pay me in cash, and she did pay me for most of it. She had a balance of PHP5,000 and she kept saying she will pay me. Her last text to me was on February 22, 2007, 5:14pm, using cellphone number +639164752822, which read,

“Chris, last favor, il pay u next wk, sori nagkarun me ng problema wt my last client and financial constraint. Sori, sori talaga. I mean it! patawad. Jingai”

I would text and call her every week, but i think her phone was disconnected. I went to her work but she is never there. I deposited the post dated cheque and to my surprise, the account was closed.

Its been over a year and she has not gotten a hold of me to pay me back. I dont know where she is now. if you ever bump into her, please be careful and do not lend her money. I wouldnt want anyone else to have to go through this crap with her.

If you know her, please tell her to pay me back what she owes. HER NAME IS JINGAI FELICIANO.

SICK TO MY STOMACH

You know what really makes me sick…

When i see these rallies for truth, honesty, and integrity, in the news and the people heading it or are involved in it are the likes of ERAP, BINAY, JINGGOY, to name a few. If these are the people leading us to morality and righteousness, then we are all doomed.

Do we have such short memories to forget that ERAP was convicted of plunder due to his involvement with the GSIS and SSS purchase of Belle Corporation, in which he demanded, received, and deposited a cut of PHP189 Million into his Jose Velarde account. And lets not forget the disappearances of Dacer, and Bentain, who leaked the ERAP video gambling in the casino. I wonder what happened to them? Who would have motive to make them disappear from the face of this earth?

And then there is Binay, who is one of the most corrupt people in the Philippines. He was appointed by no less than Cory Aquino to be the Mayor of Makati in 1986, and has since ruled over Makati. Tell me something… How does a person obtain so much wealth and property by being the Mayor of Makati. Charges of anomalous overpriced contracts, ghost employees, unremmitted employee tax payments amounting to PHP1 Billion, and many more dubious activities hound Binay.

And there is none other than Jinggoy Estrada, who sits in the senate proclaiming to fight corruption when he himself is undeniably corrupt. Like Father, Like Son.

Honestly, although I believe that there is truth to Lozada’s expose, and i do believe that FG and Abalos are extremely corrupt, i hate it that the people pointing the finger are also just as corrupt and they are just doing this and using the masses as pawn for their own political and financial gain. I hope they all go to jail and live the rest of their lives there.

As for PGMA, i believe that she is dying to tell the world that she and her husband are already separated and that she thinks he is a crook too, but since we live in a country with strong Catholic upbringings, she cannot do that. So, now she has to try to bite her tongue and take the heat for her Husband.

The fact is that you will never see me in any of those rallies anytime soon. I hope more Filipinos open their eyes and realize that for change to really happen, they must start the change in themselves.

One of the worst restaurants

This weekend, i was at Ocean Adventure in Subic. We were so excited to check out the dolphins and whales. We got there around lunch time and decided to eat first before watching the shows.

I went to their restaurant, which looks more like a cafeteria, since there was nowhere else to eat within 20kms. As soon as i walk in, I immediately noticed the cafeteria style layout of the restaurant. So we got a tray and started lining up. I didn’t know what they were serving so i looked up at the menu board at the lined up across the entire serving counter. basically, i could only see the menu item that was directly in front of me. The other items that were at the end of the serving counter so you wouldnt know to order those items unless you walk through the entire front and check it out before you line up.

If that wasn’t bad enough; i noticed the prices were a bit steep for the type of food that they were serving. Imagine paying an average of PHP 190.00 for cafeteria food.

I figured that if the food was good and they gave hearty servings, then it would be worth it. I was so hungry i didnt really have a choice. I ordered the spaghetti. When it arrived, i was shocked at what i saw….

The spaghetti sauce looked like it came straight out of the can, and then to make matters worse, they added brocolli and cauliflower on top of the spaghetti sauce and noodles. I have never seen brocolli and cauliflowers on spaghetti.

I was afraid to try it but i was so hungry, i was willing to eat anything at that point. So, i bravely ate the spaghetti and YES…. it tastes as bad as it looks!!!!

Why is it that resorts, such as ocean adventure think that because they specialize in aquatic shows that they don’t need to serve good food. They should invest in good food since people that go usually have to wait for the shows and if the food is good, they will spend more.

Oh well… next time i go back… i’ll just eat first before going into the park.

GOOGLE: New Age vs. New Technology

Deepak and other new age thinkers mentioned that there is an Infinite Knowledge that exists in this universe. It is a type of knowledge that exists in the world of pure consciousness and that any of us can tap into. But to tap it, you would need to reach out to the the world of pure consciousness, a world before the physical world manifests. Tapping into this infinite knowledge is also referred to as, “inspiration” or “divine intervention”.

Nowadays, we call it “GOOGLE”. Google has become the physical manifestation of that infinite knowledge that Deepak is talking about. With Google, you do not need to transcend to a higher level to reach into its potential, you merely have to access it online by typing the word and searching for it.

Before, you have to passively wait for inspiration to come to you; With Google, you can now actively look for it. I find that simply incredible. Technology has allowed all of us to now utilize the infinite knowledge that is out there and use it to our heart’s delight.

Before, you would have to be inspired to come up with an idea. With Google, the idea comes to you. All you need is the patience and commitment to search for it. I think it is fascinating that at one time in our recent history, only a select few can reach this state of enlightment, or even transcend to tap into the pure consciousness and be inspired; but now, it is available to everyone, without prejudice. All you have to do now is want it, and it is yours.

I’m not sure if anyone understands how fascinating this is, but if you follow all the new age thinkers theories, you will see how Google is simply physical manifestation of pure desire and intent, and is a product of that infinite knowledge. In turn, this has allowed us to now use Google to tap into that infinite knowledge. Well, technically, Google is not yet infinite, but the information in cyberspace is the closest we can get to infinite, but then again, infinity is all relative to time, and with time, there is a finality, so therefore, in the presence of time and space, the information on Google can be called INFINITE KNOWLEDGE!!!!

MY POKER GOAL FOR 2008

I am setting my POKER GOAL and announcing it to the world!!!!

I WILL HAVE A TOTAL BANKROLL OF $10,000 before 2008 is over!!!!

BAD BEAT #2

what is wrong with Full Tilt? i played really good hands and i trap people and they catch something on the turn or river. There is this DONK that was on my table that i trapped him with QQ and he went all-in with AQ after the flop when he didn’t hit, and when i called and was ahead, he hit his Ace. Then when i already had top pair, he raise all in again with only Ace high and i called and he hit his Ace again on the turn. What idiots.

BAD BEAT #1

You know that you play alot of poker when you get to see a lot of BAD BEATS. For the newbies, a Bad Beat is when you have the best hand and some idiot decides to call/raise you with an inferior hand and he/she hits their hand and beats your superior hand because of pure luck and stupidity.

This is my BAD BEAT blog series so i can vent out about all my “Bad Beats”.

I just lost in a $20 9-player SNG. And how i lost all my chips started with me having Pocket 1o. I raise preflop and 1 player calls, and the next player goes all-in with a relatively shortstack. I call his all-in to find out he has 88. I have him way dominated. I was laughing at his desperate action; long and behold, he hits a set on the flop and full house on the river.

I became a relative shortstack but managed my money wisely. stayed in the game and built up my chips again to an average stack. I was on the button and i had A10 suited. I raised and the small blind calls me with K10. I made top pair on the flop with top kicker. Stupid idiot decides to bet and i called it. the turn comes and he goes all-in. I knew i had him and so i called. Lucky Donk hits two pairs on the river, and i was out of the game.

TOO MANY DONKS playing poker and getting lucky. as Scotty Nguyen would say, “That’s Poker, baby!!!”

MY POKER STATS

idealminds stats (sept 26, ‘07 - feb 6, ‘0

idealmind stats from June 19, 2007 to Nov. 4, 2007

 

Online Poker - In The Beginning

I’ve been playing poker for a few years now. I learned how to play at a home game and fell in love with the game. I started playing online on pokerroom.com with play money. I chose pokerroom because that was the only site with a mac interface. i found myself starting with $1000 in play money and the winning enough to reach $350,000 in a few month. i did this for about a year or so and when i got bored of play money. i decided to finally start playing with real money. I made my first deposit using my credit card thru click2pay. I deposited $200. I figured that i am willing to lose that much to play online poker.

My deposit went thru and i started my online poker career. My first game was in the $5 SNG’s with 10 players. I was so nervous and excited on my first game. But from what i recall, i think i lost…. but what a rush it was. From that first game, my online poker career was born!!!!

My user name on pokerroom is idealmind. After about 6 to 8 months on pokerroom, i started having alot of problems with my connection to their site. I kept getting disconnected in the middle of a game and thus i would lose. It was very frustrating. I emailed customer support several times and i only got an apology at best. When your losing money because of problems with the site, it gets very frustrating. And for the people that are thinking that it was my internet connection, i assure you that it was working fine. Since i could download stuff and even chat online while playing poker.

My poker career on pokerroom was flourishing. i had was winning more than i was losing. my first 100 games set me back about $120. But by the next 100 games, i was in the black by $400. I kept playing and i eventually hit $800. Not bad!!!!

due to my connection problems on pokerroom. i decided to try out fulltiltpoker.com. I downloaded their software and transferred$200 from pokerroom.com to fulltiltpoker.com. I was playing on two sites simultaneously. I started winning on full tilt and was really happy. The colorful site and the funky avatars took some getting used to. I started on the $10 SNG’s immediately. My user id is idealminds.

After a few months playing on both sites, i still kept getting disconnected on pokerroom. i tried complaining to pokerroom one more time, and again, i get an apology. So, i decided to pullout the remaining $460 out of the site, and started playing exclusively on FULL TILT POKER. Its been over 6 months and i have been happy with full tilt so far. My initial $200 is hovering around $1200. Not bad.

I staked two of my poker buddies to go on Full Tilt. Ton Gatmaitan and Genghis Khan. I tranferred $100 each. and our deal is that whatever they win, we split 50/50. I think Genghis has lost all my money. But Ton is still up. nothing substantial, but as long as he is up, i am happy.

About a month ago, i went on this awful downward spiral of bad beat after bad beat, and my $1300 went down to $900. it was frustrating. I started to question my skills. I started to doubt myself. I couldn’t do anything right. But i kept at it and persevered. I played a consistent game based on the fundamentals, and i soon found myself back on the winning path. I am now back up to $1200. but it has been and up and down trend. I yet have to break the $1400 barrier to go to the next level.

I am starting this blog to document my poker stories, bad beats, streaks, tilts, and all other stuff. So, i hope all of you enjoy and learn from my experience on line.

SEE YOU AT THE TABLES!!!!

idealminds

full tilt poker player