Chapter 161: 161
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September 15, 2012 – 11 PM, Saturday - Montecito, Santa Barbara
"Gary! I got somethin'." Xiao Song immediately barges in the living room after he was let in the mansion by Gary's housekeeper.
"Whoah. Good afternoon to you too." Gary who just came from his kitchen almost drops his freshly opened bottle of beer.
"You look like sh*t." Gary says as he notices Xiao Song's sweat – soaked windbreaker jacket.
"Anyway. We haven't seen each other in a while. You didn't even let me know you're coming. Sit your ass down." Gary calms Xiao Song down.
This made Xiao Song freeze before plopping himself down on Gary's couch. Gary then joins Xiao Song.
"So. How's home? I thought I scared you away?" Gary chuckles as he takes a sip from his bottle.
"Aida, sugar, get this man a drink, please. Oh. Is there anything left from the take-out? Grab this man something to eat. He looks skinny." Gary ordered. "
Just the drink, Aida. Thanks." Xiao Song says, wary of Gary's greasy food.
"Sure thing." The housekeeper obliges and excuses herself to the kitchen.
"Well, home. Catching up with family. Going out with friends." Xiao Song replies as he catches his breath.
"That's good, that's good." Gary nods. Aida then comes back with a bottle of iced red tea and hands it to Xiao Song.
"Thank you, Aida. You remembered." Xiao Song says and downs his favorite drink.
"Hey, you weren't busy with something, right? I hope I wasn't intruding." Xiao Song just realizes his presumptuous actions of barging in someone's home.
"Nah. I was about to watch the game anyway. You said you got something? Something what?" Gary asked.
"Man, don't tell me you forgot? Finding a good script? Making a film together? Or was that just a passing thought?" Xiao Song feels anxious as he asks Gary.
"Oh! That. Right …" Gary says in realization.
"Wait. You haven't been looking for a script?" Xiao Song asks.
"No." Gary chuckles as he admits shamelessly. "I was still studying the film until a few days ago. I guess time just passed me by." Gary shrugs.
"Jeez. So, you're serious about us co-directing, right?" Xiao Song asks.
"Yeah. Don't worry. I think I've seen enough of 'September Ninth'. I can't wait to try what we learned." Gary assures. "So, you found a screenplay then?" Gary asks.
"Well. Not a screenplay exactly, but a novel." Xiao Song says as he pulls out a book from his jacket's inside pocket, and hands it to Gary.
"Hmm. 'Australia'… Helena Paddington." Gary studies the cover before reading the synopsis in the back.
"Yeah. It's a boring read, but it's great and uhh... it has depth. It won an Outcault Prize, too." Xiao Song reports.
"Really? Would it be as explorative as 'September Ninth'?" Gary asks.
"More. It has three stories in it that explore human experience. It's less attractive than the premise of that movie, but it's more grounded." Xiao Song replies.
"Hm. It's a good start." Gary says. "Hey. Have you seen Isaac's interview on TV?" Gary switches topic.
"Nah. I was home in Hengdian, so no US talk shows there. When was it? How was he on TV?" Xiao Song asks, curious.
"Oh. He looked great. But he said some things… Hehe." Gary contemplates in amus.e.m.e.nt.
"Anyway. He probably offended a LOT of people." Gary says.
"Yeah? What did he say?" Xiao Song asks.
"Well. To summarize. He wasn't inspired by any director, ever. If you look at it another way, he kinda thinks that the way the industry make films is crap. And. Oh! He shat on the romance genre too." Gary chuckles.
"So, you agree?" Xiao Song was dumbfounded at Gary's report and reaction.
"Well, not entirely, of course. Still, he's mostly right. I mean, just look at the guy's film. I especially like one thing he said. 'I care more about the art more than the artist.' which really means that he has no respect for the current filmmakers." Gary says.
"Hm. '… more about the art than the artist…' I like it." Xiao Song nods.
"Yeah… Aida! Sugar, grab my reading glasses for me, please. It's in the theater room. Thank you." Gary requests to the housekeeper.
"How's your knees, by the way?" Xiao Song asks.
"They're fine. Doc said I should prevent wear and tear if I don't want a surgery anytime soon." Gary says as he rubs his knees.
"Hmm. Why not just have a full knee replacement now? You're just delaying. Your knees will give out eventually. After you recover from the surgery, you can walk again without a cane." Xiao Song suggests.
"Hah. Young man, I never visited a hospital for treatment for anything. I'd like it that way as long as possible." Gary scoffs.
"Hey. You know my brother is a surgeon, right? So, I asked him about your thing. He said it's better to have a surgery while you're younger as you will recover faster. Less risks during the surgery too." Xiao Song suggests, again. This gets Gary thinking until Aida came back with his glasses.
"Thank you, Aida. Xiao Song, Thanks for your concern. I'll think about it after we finish our film." Gary said. Xiao Song could only nod. Over the many months he spent with Gary studying, he learned and rubbed off of Gary's incredible concentration and focus.
"Oh. That's right." Xiao song interjects after something crossed his mind.
"The budget. Do you have anyone in mind we can ask?" Xiao Song asks.
"Budget? Hmm… I think I'll use my own money." Gary says, to Xiao Song's surprise.
"Damn. I know you're rich, but are you sure?" Xiao Song chuckled.
"Yeah. Looking at the synopsis of this book alone, how much could the budget be? I don't use my house in the Hamptons, so I think I'll sell that and we'll use the money." Gary shrugs.
"Man, your name has enough star power to get rich people invest blindly on you. Why must you do this?" Xiao Song shakes his head.
"Heh. Thanks. But, come on. You know all the bullsh*t. Just because they give us money, they can say whatever they want even if it will ruin the film. They…"
"Alright, alright. I get it. Control. We're trying something new, so you don't want us to be restricted. I get it" Xiao Song interrupts Gary, finishing Gary's thought for him.
"Exactly." Gary nods. Gary's tirade is now making Xiao Song think, however.
"Alright. I'll chip in too, then." Xiao Song finally says after a short consideration. This makes Gary raise his brows.
"You sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure! I'm rich too, you know. Heh. Asia is a huge film market and unlike y'all's, my films are very digestible there. I can blow off some cash." Xiao Song chuckles.
"Alright then…" Gary simply accepts and proceeds to start reading 'Australia'.
Before Gary could immerse himself with the novel, *Ring Ring Ring* he is distracted by Xiao Song's phone ringing.
"Hey. What's up?" Xiao Song immediately answers.
"Uhuh.. uhuh.. Alright. Well, good for her. Really? Are you sure? Alright then. Hang out some time? Sure. Okay. Bye." The call soon ended.
"Well, shit." Xiao Song sighs as he pockets his phone.
"Something wrong?" Gary asks in curiosity, seeing Xiao Song's expression.
"Yeah. Well, uhhh. A friend of a friend. She just got casted for a film." Xiao Song says.
"Well, good for her… So? What's with the face?" Gary asks.
"Well. That film? It's Isaac's. He's making another one." Xiao Song reports.
"What?! Already? 'Well, shit' indeed."
O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O
September 16, 2012 – 6AM Sunday – Ironstone, East Ouigab
"*yaawwnn* Good morning guys." Payew greets the members of the Percussive Corrections as he enters the living room, smelling the fragrance of coffee wafting through the air.
"Good Morning." They all reply, each of them having a cup of coffee on their hands, each of them sporting the St. Louis Cardinals baseball uniform gifted by Tayaw.
"Good morning to you too. Sorry, did we wake you?" Inson greets Payew.
"Yeah. But my alarm goes off in a few minutes anyway. So, excited, huh?" Payew asks as he points at the various instruments packed and scattered on the living room floor.
"Hell yeah, we are." Inson chuckles.
"Maybe too excited. I can't sleep last night, which is a b*tch." Ramil says.
"Yeah. Me too. Thank goodness it's Sunday, I'll crash immediately once we come back." Ike groans.
"Uh-huh." Payew notices that the rest of the band also looks like they need more sleep.
"Well. You just missed Tayaw. He called, wishing us luck, telling us what to expect." Bay-an says.
"Ah, I had a long video conference with him yesterday. Man, I wish I could go with you at the OBC. I would love to see what's in there. Tayaw told me how it was filming that American talk show." Payew says as he walks to the kitchen to grab himself a cup of coffee.
"Hey, you want to go to the TV station for their production, and not to support us for our TV debut?" Jenna staggers at Payew's comment.
"What? Well. Come on. It's a morning show. It's hardly a debut, man." Payew simply shrugs in response, his casualness seemingly unempathetic to Jenna. "AND. I've seen you guys perform many times. I'm sure y'all can nail your TV performance later as long as you do just what you've been doing." Payew continues.
"Meh. He's right." Hoon shrugs in reply.
As Payew sips on his coffee, he notices that Hoon seems to be the most relaxed.
"We've done this many times, just a different venue." Hoon continues, his calmness reassuring the band.
"By the way. Tayaw said that you guys sound better singing your own songs than your covers." Payew says, adding another calming reassurance.
"Really? Huh. That's good then." Jenna sighs.
*Ding* *Dong* The group's chat is interrupted by the doorbell ringing.
"Whoah. People from OBC?" Payew asks excitedly.
"I don't think so." Ramil says as he walks over to the intercom by the main door.
The next moment, "It's Chala." Ramil smiles as he buzzes Chala in.
A minute later, Chala is in the house, joining the band in the living room.
"Hey guys! Good morning. Huh. I thought you would all look like wrecks but, y'all look better than I expected." Chala says as he notices the band's crisp looking baseball uniforms.
"Chala! A man of his words!" Ike says as he suddenly gives Chala a bear hug.
"Whoa… Okay. You must be nervous huh." Chala chuckles at Ike's actions.
"Yeah." Ike pats Chala's back before letting him go.
Before Chala could recover from his surprise at Ike's hug, "Oof-"
"Thank you for coming." Jenna substitutes in Ike's place immediately.
"Heh. Young gal, I'd look like an ass if I don't come. I promised after all." Chala is almost overwhelmed at the warm welcome.
"Okay. Okay." Chala pried Jenna off of him. "While I like the attention, where are your parents?" Chala asks the band. His question makes the band look at each other.
After few seconds of exchanging looks, "Ahem. Well, we didn't tell them. Just in case we mess up, we won't embarrass ourselves in front of them." Ramil explains on behalf of the band.
"Huh… people my age should be the one thinking like that, not you guys." Chala shakes his head.
"It's too late to call them here anyway. Well, it looks like you guys are really ready. So, focus on getting your mind ready for the show, I'll deal with the bullcrap of the TV people." Chala says to the band, his words being the final charge to the confidence that the band needs.
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
September 15, 2012 – 11 PM, Saturday - Montecito, Santa Barbara
"Gary! I got somethin'." Xiao Song immediately barges in the living room after he was let in the mansion by Gary's housekeeper.
"Whoah. Good afternoon to you too." Gary who just came from his kitchen almost drops his freshly opened bottle of beer.
"You look like sh*t." Gary says as he notices Xiao Song's sweat – soaked windbreaker jacket.
"Anyway. We haven't seen each other in a while. You didn't even let me know you're coming. Sit your ass down." Gary calms Xiao Song down.
This made Xiao Song freeze before plopping himself down on Gary's couch. Gary then joins Xiao Song.
"So. How's home? I thought I scared you away?" Gary chuckles as he takes a sip from his bottle.
"Aida, sugar, get this man a drink, please. Oh. Is there anything left from the take-out? Grab this man something to eat. He looks skinny." Gary ordered. "
Just the drink, Aida. Thanks." Xiao Song says, wary of Gary's greasy food.
"Sure thing." The housekeeper obliges and excuses herself to the kitchen.
"Well, home. Catching up with family. Going out with friends." Xiao Song replies as he catches his breath.
"That's good, that's good." Gary nods. Aida then comes back with a bottle of iced red tea and hands it to Xiao Song.
"Thank you, Aida. You remembered." Xiao Song says and downs his favorite drink.
"Hey, you weren't busy with something, right? I hope I wasn't intruding." Xiao Song just realizes his presumptuous actions of barging in someone's home.
"Nah. I was about to watch the game anyway. You said you got something? Something what?" Gary asked.
"Man, don't tell me you forgot? Finding a good script? Making a film together? Or was that just a passing thought?" Xiao Song feels anxious as he asks Gary.
"Oh! That. Right …" Gary says in realization.
"Wait. You haven't been looking for a script?" Xiao Song asks.
"No." Gary chuckles as he admits shamelessly. "I was still studying the film until a few days ago. I guess time just passed me by." Gary shrugs.
"Jeez. So, you're serious about us co-directing, right?" Xiao Song asks.
"Yeah. Don't worry. I think I've seen enough of 'September Ninth'. I can't wait to try what we learned." Gary assures. "So, you found a screenplay then?" Gary asks.
"Well. Not a screenplay exactly, but a novel." Xiao Song says as he pulls out a book from his jacket's inside pocket, and hands it to Gary.
"Hmm. 'Australia'… Helena Paddington." Gary studies the cover before reading the synopsis in the back.
"Yeah. It's a boring read, but it's great and uhh... it has depth. It won an Outcault Prize, too." Xiao Song reports.
"Really? Would it be as explorative as 'September Ninth'?" Gary asks.
"More. It has three stories in it that explore human experience. It's less attractive than the premise of that movie, but it's more grounded." Xiao Song replies.
"Hm. It's a good start." Gary says. "Hey. Have you seen Isaac's interview on TV?" Gary switches topic.
"Nah. I was home in Hengdian, so no US talk shows there. When was it? How was he on TV?" Xiao Song asks, curious.
"Oh. He looked great. But he said some things… Hehe." Gary contemplates in amus.e.m.e.nt.
"Anyway. He probably offended a LOT of people." Gary says.
"Yeah? What did he say?" Xiao Song asks.
"Well. To summarize. He wasn't inspired by any director, ever. If you look at it another way, he kinda thinks that the way the industry make films is crap. And. Oh! He shat on the romance genre too." Gary chuckles.
"So, you agree?" Xiao Song was dumbfounded at Gary's report and reaction.
"Well, not entirely, of course. Still, he's mostly right. I mean, just look at the guy's film. I especially like one thing he said. 'I care more about the art more than the artist.' which really means that he has no respect for the current filmmakers." Gary says.
"Hm. '… more about the art than the artist…' I like it." Xiao Song nods.
"Yeah… Aida! Sugar, grab my reading glasses for me, please. It's in the theater room. Thank you." Gary requests to the housekeeper.
"How's your knees, by the way?" Xiao Song asks.
"They're fine. Doc said I should prevent wear and tear if I don't want a surgery anytime soon." Gary says as he rubs his knees.
"Hmm. Why not just have a full knee replacement now? You're just delaying. Your knees will give out eventually. After you recover from the surgery, you can walk again without a cane." Xiao Song suggests.
"Hah. Young man, I never visited a hospital for treatment for anything. I'd like it that way as long as possible." Gary scoffs.
"Hey. You know my brother is a surgeon, right? So, I asked him about your thing. He said it's better to have a surgery while you're younger as you will recover faster. Less risks during the surgery too." Xiao Song suggests, again. This gets Gary thinking until Aida came back with his glasses.
"Thank you, Aida. Xiao Song, Thanks for your concern. I'll think about it after we finish our film." Gary said. Xiao Song could only nod. Over the many months he spent with Gary studying, he learned and rubbed off of Gary's incredible concentration and focus.
"Oh. That's right." Xiao song interjects after something crossed his mind.
"The budget. Do you have anyone in mind we can ask?" Xiao Song asks.
"Budget? Hmm… I think I'll use my own money." Gary says, to Xiao Song's surprise.
"Damn. I know you're rich, but are you sure?" Xiao Song chuckled.
"Yeah. Looking at the synopsis of this book alone, how much could the budget be? I don't use my house in the Hamptons, so I think I'll sell that and we'll use the money." Gary shrugs.
"Man, your name has enough star power to get rich people invest blindly on you. Why must you do this?" Xiao Song shakes his head.
"Heh. Thanks. But, come on. You know all the bullsh*t. Just because they give us money, they can say whatever they want even if it will ruin the film. They…"
"Alright, alright. I get it. Control. We're trying something new, so you don't want us to be restricted. I get it" Xiao Song interrupts Gary, finishing Gary's thought for him.
"Exactly." Gary nods. Gary's tirade is now making Xiao Song think, however.
"Alright. I'll chip in too, then." Xiao Song finally says after a short consideration. This makes Gary raise his brows.
"You sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure! I'm rich too, you know. Heh. Asia is a huge film market and unlike y'all's, my films are very digestible there. I can blow off some cash." Xiao Song chuckles.
"Alright then…" Gary simply accepts and proceeds to start reading 'Australia'.
Before Gary could immerse himself with the novel, *Ring Ring Ring* he is distracted by Xiao Song's phone ringing.
"Hey. What's up?" Xiao Song immediately answers.
"Uhuh.. uhuh.. Alright. Well, good for her. Really? Are you sure? Alright then. Hang out some time? Sure. Okay. Bye." The call soon ended.
"Well, shit." Xiao Song sighs as he pockets his phone.
"Something wrong?" Gary asks in curiosity, seeing Xiao Song's expression.
"Yeah. Well, uhhh. A friend of a friend. She just got casted for a film." Xiao Song says.
"Well, good for her… So? What's with the face?" Gary asks.
"Well. That film? It's Isaac's. He's making another one." Xiao Song reports.
"What?! Already? 'Well, shit' indeed."
O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O
September 16, 2012 – 6AM Sunday – Ironstone, East Ouigab
"*yaawwnn* Good morning guys." Payew greets the members of the Percussive Corrections as he enters the living room, smelling the fragrance of coffee wafting through the air.
"Good Morning." They all reply, each of them having a cup of coffee on their hands, each of them sporting the St. Louis Cardinals baseball uniform gifted by Tayaw.
"Good morning to you too. Sorry, did we wake you?" Inson greets Payew.
"Yeah. But my alarm goes off in a few minutes anyway. So, excited, huh?" Payew asks as he points at the various instruments packed and scattered on the living room floor.
"Hell yeah, we are." Inson chuckles.
"Maybe too excited. I can't sleep last night, which is a b*tch." Ramil says.
"Yeah. Me too. Thank goodness it's Sunday, I'll crash immediately once we come back." Ike groans.
"Uh-huh." Payew notices that the rest of the band also looks like they need more sleep.
"Well. You just missed Tayaw. He called, wishing us luck, telling us what to expect." Bay-an says.
"Ah, I had a long video conference with him yesterday. Man, I wish I could go with you at the OBC. I would love to see what's in there. Tayaw told me how it was filming that American talk show." Payew says as he walks to the kitchen to grab himself a cup of coffee.
"Hey, you want to go to the TV station for their production, and not to support us for our TV debut?" Jenna staggers at Payew's comment.
"What? Well. Come on. It's a morning show. It's hardly a debut, man." Payew simply shrugs in response, his casualness seemingly unempathetic to Jenna. "AND. I've seen you guys perform many times. I'm sure y'all can nail your TV performance later as long as you do just what you've been doing." Payew continues.
"Meh. He's right." Hoon shrugs in reply.
As Payew sips on his coffee, he notices that Hoon seems to be the most relaxed.
"We've done this many times, just a different venue." Hoon continues, his calmness reassuring the band.
"By the way. Tayaw said that you guys sound better singing your own songs than your covers." Payew says, adding another calming reassurance.
"Really? Huh. That's good then." Jenna sighs.
*Ding* *Dong* The group's chat is interrupted by the doorbell ringing.
"Whoah. People from OBC?" Payew asks excitedly.
"I don't think so." Ramil says as he walks over to the intercom by the main door.
The next moment, "It's Chala." Ramil smiles as he buzzes Chala in.
A minute later, Chala is in the house, joining the band in the living room.
"Hey guys! Good morning. Huh. I thought you would all look like wrecks but, y'all look better than I expected." Chala says as he notices the band's crisp looking baseball uniforms.
"Chala! A man of his words!" Ike says as he suddenly gives Chala a bear hug.
"Whoa… Okay. You must be nervous huh." Chala chuckles at Ike's actions.
"Yeah." Ike pats Chala's back before letting him go.
Before Chala could recover from his surprise at Ike's hug, "Oof-"
"Thank you for coming." Jenna substitutes in Ike's place immediately.
"Heh. Young gal, I'd look like an ass if I don't come. I promised after all." Chala is almost overwhelmed at the warm welcome.
"Okay. Okay." Chala pried Jenna off of him. "While I like the attention, where are your parents?" Chala asks the band. His question makes the band look at each other.
After few seconds of exchanging looks, "Ahem. Well, we didn't tell them. Just in case we mess up, we won't embarrass ourselves in front of them." Ramil explains on behalf of the band.
"Huh… people my age should be the one thinking like that, not you guys." Chala shakes his head.
"It's too late to call them here anyway. Well, it looks like you guys are really ready. So, focus on getting your mind ready for the show, I'll deal with the bullcrap of the TV people." Chala says to the band, his words being the final charge to the confidence that the band needs.
September 15, 2012 11 PM, Saturday - Montecito, Santa Barbara "Gary! I got somethin'." Xiao Song immediately barges in the living room after he was let in the mansion by Gary's housekeeper. "Whoah. Good afternoon to you too." Gary who just came from his kitchen almost drops his freshly opened bottle of beer. "You look like sh*t." Gary says as he notices Xiao Song's sweat soaked windbreaker jacket. "Anyway. We haven't seen each other in a while. You didn't even let me know you're coming. Sit your ass down." Gary calms Xiao Song down. This made Xiao Song freeze before plopping himself down on Gary's couch. Gary then joins Xiao Song. "So. How's home? I thought I scared you away?" Gary chuckles as he takes a sip from his bottle. "Aida, sugar, get this man a drink, please. Oh. Is there anything left from the take-out? Grab this man something to eat. He looks skinny." Gary ordered. " Just the drink, Aida. Thanks." Xiao Song says, wary of Gary's greasy food. "Sure thing." The housekeeper obliges and excuses herself to the kitchen. "Well, home. Catching up with family. Going out with friends." Xiao Song replies as he catches his breath. "That's good, that's good." Gary nods. Aida then comes back with a bottle of iced red tea and hands it to Xiao Song. "Thank you, Aida. You remembered." Xiao Song says and downs his favorite drink. "Hey, you weren't busy with something, right? I hope I wasn't intruding." Xiao Song just realizes his presumptuous actions of barging in someone's home. "Nah. I was about to watch the game anyway. You said you got something? Something what?" Gary asked. "Man, don't tell me you forgot? Finding a good script? Making a film together? Or was that just a passing thought?" Xiao Song feels anxious as he asks Gary. "Oh! That. Right " Gary says in realization. "Wait. You haven't been looking for a script?" Xiao Song asks. "No." Gary chuckles as he admits shamelessly. "I was still studying the film until a few days ago. I guess time just passed me by." Gary shrugs. "Jeez. So, you're serious about us co-directing, right?" Xiao Song asks. "Yeah. Don't worry. I think I've seen enough of 'September Ninth'. I can't wait to try what we learned." Gary assures. "So, you found a screenplay then?" Gary asks. "Well. Not a screenplay exactly, but a novel." Xiao Song says as he pulls out a book from his jacket's inside pocket, and hands it to Gary. "Hmm. 'Australia' Helena Paddington." Gary studies the cover before reading the synopsis in the back. "Yeah. It's a boring read, but it's great and uhh... it has depth. It won an Outcault Prize, too." Xiao Song reports. "Really? Would it be as explorative as 'September Ninth'?" Gary asks. "More. It has three stories in it that explore human experience. It's less attractive than the premise of that movie, but it's more grounded." Xiao Song replies. "Hm. It's a good start." Gary says. "Hey. Have you seen Isaac's interview on TV?" Gary switches topic. "Nah. I was home in Hengdian, so no US talk shows there. When was it? How was he on TV?" Xiao Song asks, curious. "Oh. He looked great. But he said some things Hehe." Gary contemplates in amus.e.m.e.nt. "Anyway. He probably offended a LOT of people." Gary says. "Yeah? What did he say?" Xiao Song asks. "Well. To summarize. He wasn't inspired by any director, ever. If you look at it another way, he kinda thinks that the way the industry make films is crap. And. Oh! He shat on the romance genre too." Gary chuckles. "So, you agree?" Xiao Song was dumbfounded at Gary's report and reaction. "Well, not entirely, of course. Still, he's mostly right. I mean, just look at the guy's film. I especially like one thing he said. 'I care more about the art more than the artist.' which really means that he has no respect for the current filmmakers." Gary says. "Hm. ' more about the art than the artist' I like it." Xiao Song nods. "Yeah Aida! Sugar, grab my reading glasses for me, please. It's in the theater room. Thank you." Gary requests to the housekeeper. "How's your knees, by the way?" Xiao Song asks. "They're fine. Doc said I should prevent wear and tear if I don't want a surgery anytime soon." Gary says as he rubs his knees. "Hmm. Why not just have a full knee replacement now? You're just delaying. Your knees will give out eventually. After you recover from the surgery, you can walk again without a cane." Xiao Song suggests. "Hah. Young man, I never visited a hospital for treatment for anything. I'd like it that way as long as possible." Gary scoffs. "Hey. You know my brother is a surgeon, right? So, I asked him about your thing. He said it's better to have a surgery while you're younger as you will recover faster. Less risks during the surgery too." Xiao Song suggests, again. This gets Gary thinking until Aida came back with his glasses. "Thank you, Aida. Xiao Song, Thanks for your concern. I'll think about it after we finish our film." Gary said. Xiao Song could only nod. Over the many months he spent with Gary studying, he learned and rubbed off of Gary's incredible concentration and focus. "Oh. That's right." Xiao song interjects after something crossed his mind. "The budget. Do you have anyone in mind we can ask?" Xiao Song asks. "Budget? Hmm I think I'll use my own money." Gary says, to Xiao Song's surprise. "Damn. I know you're rich, but are you sure?" Xiao Song chuckled. "Yeah. Looking at the synopsis of this book alone, how much could the budget be? I don't use my house in the Hamptons, so I think I'll sell that and we'll use the money." Gary shrugs. "Man, your name has enough star power to get rich people invest blindly on you. Why must you do this?" Xiao Song shakes his head. "Heh. Thanks. But, come on. You know all the bullsh*t. Just because they give us money, they can say whatever they want even if it will ruin the film. They" "Alright, alright. I get it. Control. We're trying something new, so you don't want us to be restricted. I get it" Xiao Song interrupts Gary, finishing Gary's thought for him. "Exactly." Gary nods. Gary's tirade is now making Xiao Song think, however. "Alright. I'll chip in too, then." Xiao Song finally says after a short consideration. This makes Gary raise his brows. "You sure?" "Yeah, I'm sure! I'm rich too, you know. Heh. Asia is a huge film market and unlike y'all's, my films are very digestible there. I can blow off some cash." Xiao Song chuckles. "Alright then" Gary simply accepts and proceeds to start reading 'Australia'. Before Gary could immerse himself with the novel, *Ring Ring Ring* he is distracted by Xiao Song's phone ringing. "Hey. What's up?" Xiao Song immediately answers. "Uhuh.. uhuh.. Alright. Well, good for her. Really? Are you sure? Alright then. Hang out some time? Sure. Okay. Bye." The call soon ended. "Well, shit." Xiao Song sighs as he pockets his phone. "Something wrong?" Gary asks in curiosity, seeing Xiao Song's expression. "Yeah. Well, uhhh. A friend of a friend. She just got casted for a film." Xiao Song says. "Well, good for her So? What's with the face?" Gary asks. "Well. That film? It's Isaac's. He's making another one." Xiao Song reports. "What?! Already? 'Well, shit' indeed." O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O September 16, 2012 6AM Sunday Ironstone, East Ouigab "*yaawwnn* Good morning guys." Payew greets the members of the Percussive Corrections as he enters the living room, smelling the fragrance of coffee wafting through the air. "Good Morning." They all reply, each of them having a cup of coffee on their hands, each of them sporting the St. Louis Cardinals baseball uniform gifted by Tayaw. "Good morning to you too. Sorry, did we wake you?" Inson greets Payew. "Yeah. But my alarm goes off in a few minutes anyway. So, excited, huh?" Payew asks as he points at the various instruments packed and scattered on the living room floor. "Hell yeah, we are." Inson chuckles. "Maybe too excited. I can't sleep last night, which is a b*tch." Ramil says. "Yeah. Me too. Thank goodness it's Sunday, I'll crash immediately once we come back." Ike groans. "Uh-huh." Payew notices that the rest of the band also looks like they need more sleep. "Well. You just missed Tayaw. He called, wishing us luck, telling us what to expect." Bay-an says. "Ah, I had a long video conference with him yesterday. Man, I wish I could go with you at the OBC. I would love to see what's in there. Tayaw told me how it was filming that American talk show." Payew says as he walks to the kitchen to grab himself a cup of coffee. "Hey, you want to go to the TV station for their production, and not to support us for our TV debut?" Jenna staggers at Payew's comment. "What? Well. Come on. It's a morning show. It's hardly a debut, man." Payew simply shrugs in response, his casualness seemingly unempathetic to Jenna. "AND. I've seen you guys perform many times. I'm sure y'all can nail your TV performance later as long as you do just what you've been doing." Payew continues. "Meh. He's right." Hoon shrugs in reply. As Payew sips on his coffee, he notices that Hoon seems to be the most relaxed. "We've done this many times, just a different venue." Hoon continues, his calmness reassuring the band. "By the way. Tayaw said that you guys sound better singing your own songs than your covers." Payew says, adding another calming reassurance. "Really? Huh. That's good then." Jenna sighs. *Ding* *Dong* The group's chat is interrupted by the doorbell ringing. "Whoah. People from OBC?" Payew asks excitedly. "I don't think so." Ramil says as he walks over to the intercom by the main door. The next moment, "It's Chala." Ramil smiles as he buzzes Chala in. A minute later, Chala is in the house, joining the band in the living room. "Hey guys! Good morning. Huh. I thought you would all look like wrecks but, y'all look better than I expected." Chala says as he notices the band's crisp looking baseball uniforms. "Chala! A man of his words!" Ike says as he suddenly gives Chala a bear hug. "Whoa Okay. You must be nervous huh." Chala chuckles at Ike's actions. "Yeah." Ike pats Chala's back before letting him go. Before Chala could recover from his surprise at Ike's hug, "Oof-" "Thank you for coming." Jenna substitutes in Ike's place immediately. "Heh. Young gal, I'd look like an ass if I don't come. I promised after all." Chala is almost overwhelmed at the warm welcome. "Okay. Okay." Chala pried Jenna off of him. "While I like the attention, where are your parents?" Chala asks the band. His question makes the band look at each other. After few seconds of exchanging looks, "Ahem. Well, we didn't tell them. Just in case we mess up, we won't embarrass ourselves in front of them." Ramil explains on behalf of the band. "Huh people my age should be the one thinking like that, not you guys." Chala shakes his head. "It's too late to call them here anyway. Well, it looks like you guys are really ready. So, focus on getting your mind ready for the show, I'll deal with the bullcrap of the TV people." Chala says to the band, his words being the final charge to the confidence that the band needs.
