MASTERING THE BASICS (PABLO'S SECOND VLOG)

 ALWAYS GO BACK TO THE BASICS

In life, there are many things we will learn, and the more we learn, the more we become confident about ourselves. It is very common for people to develop what professionals call as superiority complex, especially when we've been through so much. We think we already know everything that we tend to forget the basic things. With PABLO's second vlog, he reminded us about the things we normally neglect. Mastering The Basic. It sounds easy enough, right? But what are the basics? These are the things that don't require talent, and they don't require much brain, just common sense.

Sadly, because they are the basics, they tend to become unimportant as we progress in life. As the competition gets tougher, we are expected to evolve and step up. The truth is, advanced skills all came from the basics. A mixture or developed version, but all the same. Now, lets tackle the things our PINUNO mentioned in the vlog.

First off the list is PUNCTUALITY, which is very important. He said when you are on time, it shows that you care about the people around you. You value and respect their time. This is the easiest to set aside, especially when someone becomes important in any way, shape, or form. When the treatment of you suddenly change, it would make you feel like you are more valuable than everybody else, and no one, other than you, matters. This could easily lead to arriving late to any scheduled commitment. In PABLO's world, time is one of the most important things for everyone.

As the celebrity becomes known and in demand, projects will pile up. More and more people will be involved with the celebrity, which means if he or she arrives late, more people's time will be wasted. It creates a domino effect, too. If the main person of an activity is late, everything else will be on hold, which means people can't do their jobs. It is similar to a doctor arriving late for a surgery. No one else can do their job but them. The only difference is that when a doctor is late, the hospital can try to find a replacement. Well, if someone would be available to take the job, unlike with celebrities like PABLO, who couldn't be replaced that easily, even if the people involved in the project wants to.

The next topic he tackled is WORK ETHIC, which involves character and personality. Anyone can do a good job, but that doesn't mean everyone has good work ethics. This involve honesty, dedication, effort, consistency, passion, balanced mind and character, and preparedness. This is what guides an employee to be the best that he or she can be. Just like what PABLO said, having talent or a skill is not enough to succeed. Without proper work ethic, people will not be happy to work with you, and most of them will surely have no problem telling people about you. Having good work ethics help people stay focused on their responsibilities and have discipline. They know what to do, why they should do it, and how.

Another thing he discussed was EFFORT. Everything in life takes effort, especially those worth keeping and celebrating. Nothing that comes easy or free is worth a space in our life. Effort is when doing good or simply finishing the task is not enough. We drive to give our best and exceed expectations. It is when we see things that needs improvement, and we work on it. The typical Filipino mindset of "pwde na" will never be enough. Mediocrity is the enemy of greatness, and we should all fight it. He even shared that out of everyone in the group, he is the slowest to pick up a choreography, so he has to put in extra effort to execute the steps. He knew what he lack and continuously work on it. Taking shortcuts is never the answer for people who knows the meaning of the word. They love to work for the things they want, and when they achieve their goals, they will be the most fulfilled and happiest.

Consistency is probably one of the hardest one to perfect and master. This is different from muscle memory, which means remembering or memorizing things that we always do. The more we do it, the more it becomes a part of our routine. Things we do because of muscle memory can be done just because we have to do it, which tends to lose the same drive or dedication we once had. Consistency, on the hand, is doing something with the same level of passion, drive, and dedication every single time. It's about always, always being on time, no matter what. In romantic relationships, it's when taking you home after a date don't just happen at the early stages, or sending you a greeting every morning and night on your first month. It's the always, never changing habit.

The Willingness To Learn is also one of the basic things people tend to forget. Age is commonly the cause of it because as we grow older, we tend to experience a lot of things in life. We learn things we never thought we would know, which makes us oblivious of the things we still don't. Knowing something about something doesn't make us an expert, yet it is common for people to disregard other people's opinion because for us, we already know what works. This kill innovation, improvement, and development because people who are not willing to learn can't accept feedback. Their minds are close to what they need to hear, and they will never accept anyone's opinion that doesn't align with theirs.

Another thing that he mentioned was Dedication. Not because you are working on something doesn't mean you're dedicated. This speaks about your commitment to something—the devotion you have to see it through the end. It takes passion to pour your dedication on to something and do it with pride and heart. Let's go back to what PABLO admitted. He's not a natural dancer, but since he chose to enter the world of entertainment and become an idol, he knew he had to step up. He is a good example of a dedicated person. He wants to give his fans and viewers the best he could give, so he constantly work on his talent and skills. 

Body Language is also one of the basic things we should remember. The way we interact with people shows them who we are, and it will help them decide if we are someone they would want to work or be associated with. The way we talk to people will show them if we are smart or just full of ourselves. How we approach them will set the tone of our entire interaction with them. If we show them a light vibe, they will most likely open up to us, but if we show aggressiveness, people will surely be taken aback and see it as a red flag. Always remember that first impression lasts until proven otherwise, and most of the times, people won't give you a second chance. What they saw or felt from you would be the last thing they will be remember about you.

Our Energy is also one of the things that will help people judge us. This is our aura, the vibe we emanate around people. We may be able to fool people with our fake smile, but many won't buy it, not even if our jaw hurts. This is a natural feeling we give out to people that will be a basis of their treatment and interaction with us. We could invite them into our circle or scare them away based on our energy. As what PABLO said, having a good energy, as well as the right body language will also invite people to trust you. It will make it easier for you to lead them because they are confident about you. Sometimes, people will talk to us even when we seem too quiet or timid, and that is because of the energy we give them. Keeping a positive outlook will help lighten up our energy, which will invite more people to gravitate towards us.

Passion is having the heart for something. We do something because we love it, not because we are required to. It is being happy while doing our job or taking care of someone. This is when you feel the excitement whenever you are about to start your day at work or hold a paint brush. You feel your blood pumping, and you do what you do with a smile. In romance, sex without passion is like a house painted in white with no accent or contrast, bland and uneventful. It's like looking at a Christmas tree with no lights because passion is what gives our life color. 

Going The Extra Mile is not a responsibility. It is a privilege to do because more than the satisfaction it gives to the people around us, it affects us the most. What people fail to see is that when we go the extra mile, it is ourselves that we satisfy. When we receive praises for an excellent job, or when we receive a heartfelt thanks from someone we helped, it boosts our self worth and gives us genuine happiness. Going the extra mile also allows us to learn more and better things. It helps us catch up on things we have to improve or simply don't know yet. Those who go the extra mile to learn are the ones who succeed the most because they don't stop at just barely knowing. They do the work to understand.

Trust The Process is a phrase we've probably heard many times, yet we might not have understood what it truly means. When you trust the process, it's not about following blindly, but still recognizing the benefits. It is when you have a balanced outlook in life, and you do not expect immediate results. You know that it will take time, possibly a very long time, but you wait patiently and work hard. Trusting the process is not about holding on to hope that one day, you will succeed. It's about knowing that you could fail, but you are willing to gamble and learn along the way. A process will never be perfect. There will be loopholes, disadvantages, and aspects that we will never agree on, but the entirety of a process is there to guide us and create order. We may not like it, but it's always necessary.

Be Prepared in everything, even to fail. That is not to say you should expect to fail or be okay with it. Preparedness is a basic aspect of life that will allow us to minimize expectations, disappointments, and unrealism. If you are prepared for anything, nothing will ever terrify you, and in a world like ours, fear is our greatest enemy. It can paralyze and imprison us in our own world, but if you are prepared, there's nothing much that can surprise you. In any career, preparedness is the most essential characteristic a person should have. It's the act of never being okay with just one solution. If they can, they will have plan A to plan Z. They won't settle with knowing that they came up with one resolution. There's always a backup plan in case things don't work out the way they hoped.

Be A Listener even to the things you don't want to hear, because it's often from those things that we will learn a lot. We can't just listen to the things we like or praises from people because what's the benefit of hearing about the things we're good at? We already know, and then what? Being a listener also applies to the things that people tell us, the stories they share about others, and how they react on certain situation. Without truly knowing a person, you can easily know them just by listening to them. Sincerity is something that nobody can fake if you are a good listener. The rise and fall of their tone, the slight pauses, and how they say certain words with more force or conviction. It all have meanings that only good listeners can decipher. Both aspects of being a good listener is important to succeed. Knowing who to listen to and who to trust is a must, because not everyone wants to see you succeed.

Active Listening is a skill that many people don't truly understands. Oftentimes, we think that when heard what the other person said, we already listened. It's the same as understanding is different from comprehending. In Filipino: "Iba ang nakakaintindi sa nakakaunawa." because understanding is like you knew the language, so you knew what the person. Comprehension, on the hand, is grasping what was said wholeheartedly and with open mind. It's when you listen to someone and you understood not just what they said, but why they said it. You hear the reason and meaning behind their every word and not simply reacting based on how we heard them. This skill can prevent us from making decisions impulsively.

Be Coachable. This sound so easy, yet not many people can practice this. It's natural for anyone to feel annoyed when someone is trying to teach us. It makes us feel incompetent and stupid, like we can't do anything right, but that shouldn't be the case. Sometimes, people can't accept that they don't know everything. The rebuttals of respecting people's opinion will be thrown out of the blue to silence others. We don't want people telling us what to do, and we can't accept that our way may not be as effective as we thought. In any environment, people who couldn't accept feedback and are not willing to be coached are the ones who always have somebody else to blame.  It is never their fault, they did everything they could, if only things went their way. But the thing is, things don't always go our away. It is important to listen and observe other people's strategies, especially when our way have already been proven insufficient.

You should always Do Your Research and Fact Check about anything and everything. This must be the standard, yet it is easy for people to just believe whatever fits their fantasies and preferences, or whichever sounds more fancy. This is one of the things that we, people, have to change. In the old days, when someone calls you a witch, you can be hunted down by your own people and be burned alive. No matter how good of a person you are, so long as the claim was convincing enough, you are guilty. Given, there were not enough means to verify such claims, but still, imagine how terrifying it must be for anyone. In today's day and age, one would expect such atrocity can no longer happen, but it only gotten worse. Despite all the available means to do research and verify information, we still refuse to do it. It's as if being biased is part of human nature. Maybe, it is, but we can change that, and I am certain that the world will be a better place if we do.

Allow Yourself To be Challenged because it will allow to see your flaws and improve on them. When a person began to train, let's say, in martial arts, training rigorously is a good thing. How would know if you truly learned something? It won't happen by doing shadow boxing or punching every available bag in the gym. You will be able to test yourself by fighting others. In Science, a theory will not be recognized as truth or a fact without being challenged by peers. After they challenged the theory, they will collect all the data they've acquired and do comparison. If more data proved the theory to be false, it will discredited or disregarded until such time that it can finally be proven. If you don't allow yourself to be challenged, you allow yourself to see things you need to improve and become better. Don't be afraid to be wrong because it is only when proven wrong that you can learn.

Think Critically, always. Critical thinking is an acquired skill through having an open mind and looking at things with unbiased opinion. This is when we listen to both sides of an argument before making our judgement or conclusion. It's when you hear bad stories about a person, and you won't believe any of it without concrete proof. This is easier said than done, but we all  must learn this. Without critical thinking, we tend to react irrationally, believe lies, and dismiss people without second thought. One doesn't need to be a genius to practice critical thinking, just common sense.

Stay Away From Lazy People because they will drag you down with them. Lazy people don't like work. All they want to do is to wait for things to fall into places. They don't like exerting effort and laziness is like a disease. If you surround yourself with this type of people, you will surely become one. Another thing is that lazy people have this kind of energy that will suck you dry until you have nothing left for yourself. I feel like laziness should be considered as a mental illness, because even if a lazy person knows what he or she has to do, laziness will still keep him or her from doing what needs to be done. It's like a compulsion that cannot be broken, no matter what we do. People who are not lazy and can recognize people that are such, must stay away, or you can get infected.

Attitude is how we react to every given situation. It is how we portray ourselves in front of others, and how we interact with people. It also includes our MINDSET, or the way we think in general. It is important to have the right attitude and mindset to conquer every trials that life would throw at you. We will face a lot of hardship throughout our lives, and having these two will help keep you grounded and sane.

Love What You Do. This is probably the most important for me. Despite all that's been said, if you don't love what you do, true happiness is the one thing you will never achieve. Putting your heart in everything makes the experience even more special. Whether you succeed or not, you will still appreciate the journey and all the lessons you've learn. Loving the things you do is not because you benefit from them. It is because your heart said so. No matter how hard or complicated it is, no matter tiring it might be, you still feel happy and contented.

Can you imagine getting all these in just one vlog, and from a beginner nonetheless? PABLO is truly a man full of wisdom. His heart is in the right place, and genuinely selfless. He could've focused on releasing contents that would lure more fans in by looking sexy, cute, or adorable, but instead, he gave us two vlogs that can teach us some of the most important lessons in life. He is a selfless man who always think about other people more than himself. This is evident in all that he do on or off cam. We are lucky to be living in the same timeline as him be bear witness as his journey progress. No one can predict the future, but I would not be surprised if ten years from now, we will see receive a recognition for his works as a legend in the Philippine Music Industry.

UNA SHORT FILM - REVIEW AND THEORY

"An imperfectly perfect short film"

disclaimer: this review is of the author's opinion and no one else's.

Once again, Pablo proved to us that he is more than just a PPOP artist. His ability and talent go beyond the expectations of people, yet it feels like we haven't even scratched the surface.  In addition to his many titles, he gave us the actor PABLO. We all know how brilliant his mind works, but watching this film gave us another side of him that we've only seen once, a few years ago. Before we begin to dive into the story of the film, let us first analyze the cinematography and production of PABLO'S UNA FILM.

After watching the short film at ROBINSONS GALLERIA with its high quality screen, the first thing I noticed was the color grading. It fits with the background sounds and instrumentals of the entire film, which gives a somehow dramatic ambiance to the movie. The camera motion and angles, though not perfect were just right to showcase the intended feelings and visuals to help narrate the story. There was no grand effects or settings for the scenes, but the places they used were effective to bring the film's story to life. Lastly, the background sounds allowed the emotion of every scene to radiate, helping the viewers connect to the film better.

PABLO is not a professional actor, yet throughout this short film, he showcased his hidden ability. A few more acting gigs, some proper training, and he will be able to turn himself into a full-pledge actor. He never once spoke in the entire film, but his eyes did the talking for him. He was effective in showing the emotions required from him. In fact, in my opinion, not giving him lines in this movie was the right move. It added to the mystery of his character and encouraged the viewers to use their imagination.

As a complete feedback about our PINUNO'S UNA FILM, here is what I have to say.

The film is imperfect. there are rooms for improvement, of course, but for a debut film of both PABLO and 1Z ENTERTAINMENT, it did not disappoint me. The movie has the perfect amount of vagueness that tickled my imagination. It encouraged me to understand the scenes better and do my own interpretation. It invited me to put myself into the main character's place and see the things he might have seen, feel what he might have felt, and fill in the blanks left for me. This is why I enjoy supporting him and his brothers so much. I am not spoon fed. They allow me to use my mind and understand the clues they left for their consumers. They trust that we are intelligent enough to see through the smoke and understand the message they want to deliver.

As a rookie in the entertainment industry, 1z entertainment has already proven itself a force to be reckoned with. Every music video they released since the company was established were top tier. Their decision to be self-managed was indeed the right call. They now have the freedom to pursue any project they want and decide in every aspect of it. Seeing these three names on the big screen is truly a special moment for A'TIN. They still have a long way to go, but they've already come so far. This short film made me excited for 1Z Entertainment's future projects.

Now, let's dive into the story of the movie itself.

PABLO released LA LUNA in 2022. A song that showcased both his rapping and composing skills. It was the introduction of the ALPHA to the world. In its music video, the character was caged and shackled, debating against himself if he should be out in the world. He recognized that he's dangerous, yet the world is dangerous, too. He is angry and terrified at the same time. As the music video progressed, his werewolf side won and freed him from imprisonment. 

This year, PABLO released a twin album, ALON and LAON. It was interesting that all the songs in the ALON album were about life struggles, while the LAON album was all about positivity, self-love, courage, and perseverance, and standing one's ground. He showed both sides of a human psyche, the good and the bad, but what if there's so much more to it?

During the film's premiere night, PABLO revealed that the move is the prequel of LA LUNA and the two albums. Apparently, the character's anger in LA LUNA will be explained by the film, and for me, it definitely did. I finally understood the anger and fear of the music video's character. If Pablo's artistry is a full-length movie, I can say that LA Luna was the inside thoughts of UNA film's character. It was about how he was judged by everyone who saw him because of how he looked.

In my perspective, when PABLO woke up in the shore, covered in bruises after the town's people said something happened in the neighboring town, it was about his family or pack. They may have been attacked and wiped out leaving him as the sole survivor. His family would have saved him before they were slaughtered, which is why he was swept away by the sea. I also think that his head piece was his protection from the cruelty of the world. He would have been a playful child who experienced so much trauma that stopped him from talking altogether.

When he woke up and realized that he wasn't in his home anymore, I could imagine the fear he must have felt. Nothing around him was familiar and he must have remembered what happened to his family. I could see the fear in his eyes, and I somehow understood. When he reached the town and the people judged him, he might have remembered everything he went through, so he ran back into the forest where he can feel safe and in control.

Meeting a child in the forest who has the same affliction as him was fate. What exactly? I wasn't sure at first, but when the grandma said the kid used to be so isolated and sad before the film's main character arrived, it gave a hint of what might have happened to the kid. The way the kid became so attached to him was a give away, and the comfort he showed was a beautiful touch. Then the grandma died and the townspeople blamed the character for it. He ran for his life, silently blamed himself, and felt anger like never before, then it was revealed.

The kid and the main character were the same. They were like the two ends of the story, the beginning and the end, which was SB19's next ep. Gino, the kid's name, might have been found by the old couple as well. He might have been left somewhere to keep him safe. The main character watched the people hunt him angrily with the intent to end him to protect themselves. They were ready to commit a horrendous act without even giving him a chance. They blamed him for something he didn't do just because he was different.

In life, everybody experience the same thing. We get blamed for something we didn't do or judged because people don't know us. They see us differently and that instantly makes us the bad one. No one ever gave the character a chance except for the old lady who cared for him despite his looks, and that is all it would take. We only need one person to believe in us, to care for us, somebody to give us a chance, and it would be enough.

In the end, the man talking to a kid outside a private property was the kid, Gino. He was all grown up, and it looked like he was talking to his grandson. This part could mean one of three things, 1. the main character and the kid stayed together until the end, and they helped each other heal, which was how he managed to talk again. 2. The main character was caught and killed by the townspeople, but before that, the two managed to bond, and the main character helped the kid find his courage. Or it could be 3. The main character took care of the kid for a while and helped him prepare, then once he was old enough, the main character then let him get out to the world to live a normal life.

This is where the two albums come in. ALON is the film's main character's story. The songs in the album were his struggles, his pain and heartaches, his fears and his anger. LAON on the other hand was the kid's story. It was all about his hopes and the positive outlook in life he acquired. He finally found peace and learned to accept and love himself.  For me, this is why the LAON album was the brighter side despite it having the darker promotional cover.

The two important characters in the movie were represented by the two albums, and they both represent the good and bad in all of us. They were the light and darkness within us, the YIN and YANG. If we will follow PABLO's lore and personality, as well as the way he carries himself, you would understand that he's always been an advocate of self acceptance. He never hid the truth about his strict and sassy attitude. In fact, he had always been comfortable showing it. The way he always say choose to be kind, not always be kind, is a reminder that everything is a choice.

We all have the capacity to do evil, but we can choose not to. It is all up to us. If we will translate PABLO's lore, we will understand that he has always been promoting self-awareness and our capacity to make choices. He has always been honest about his imperfections, which makes him even more relatable. He is each one of us. Terrified, insecure, hurting, but despite all that, still fighting to be better. Truthfully? That is all we can do. We can never be perfect. We will do or say the wrong things, hurt people one way or another, but as long as we are trying, then we still have hope.

HOPE

It is all that matters . the hope for a better future, not perfect, but better. You can get the same message if you listen to all the songs from the ALON and LAON album. Each of them tells us that our imperfections, our pain, and everything we fear about don't have to destroy us. They can be our fuel to be a stronger, better version of ourselves. I truly hope we can all learn from our PINUNO's wisdom.

 

SILABAN NA ANG MICHA! (PABLO'S FIRST VLOG)

SILABAN NA'NG MICHA! (PABLO'S FIRST VLOG) 

If Jack Of All Trade is a person, that would be PABLO. Leader of the supergroup, SB19, songwriter, composer, singer, rapper, dancer, CEO, and now, a vlogger. It's very common for people nowadays to create contents for the sake of views. They'd do the most stupid things, even reckless things just to get that view they crave so much, but not our Pinuno. We all know him as a man full of wisdom, stories to share, and lessons to teach. For the longest time, he'd always wanted to upload his own vlogs, but him being a perfectionist hindered him from doing so.

Finally, he uploaded his first vlog titled Silaban Na'ng Micha!, which revolved around the first step in achieving anything, STARTING NOW.

He's right. No matter how many dreams we have or plans we make, if we don't start, we will never reach our destination. Life is a gamble. There is no way for us to predict the future, so all we can do is wing it. Every time we make a decision, the only thing we can do is try our best to do what we think is right. Falling in love is gamble because we wouldn't know if that person will be our forever or they'll just end up hurting us. Nowadays, even stepping out of our houses is already a gamble because we wouldn't know if something terrible would happen to us. When we close our eyes at night, we don't know if we will still wake up in the morning.

Looking for certainty and assurance in life is futile because every day is unpredictable. Instead of dwelling in the past, it can't be changed anymore, or obsessing about the future, it hasn't come yet, focus on the now. Look at today and think about what you want to do, then start doing it. Stop making excuses, or looking for reasons to set it aside. According to PABLO, if you don't do the things you truly want, it will haunt you for the rest of your life, and I couldn't agree more. In all the places I've been to, I've met people who regretted not doing the things they wanted or trying to achieve their dreams before they ran out of time. These people became miserable no matter how hard they tried to live a happy life. So, don't let yourself be another victim of regret.

PABLO's topic choice for his first vlog was very timely. The world now offers endless opportunities. It's up to us to chase those opportunities and make something out of our lives. Fear is truly paralyzing. It can destroy your self-confidence and cage you in darkness, but only if you allow it. We are the authors of our own story, and we have the power to create the greatest story ever told. OUR SUCCESS. So, you better get up and gear up, and START NOW.