Sessions

Given a choice, on a boring Saturday evening? I'd rather have my own Saturday sessions.

Here's what I'm gonna do:

Clean up the living room; retain three stool chairs

Do the lighting technique; go for the mood lighting, play with blue, orange and red bulbs.

Invite two guitarist; acoustically talented is a must!

Roll out the carpet for the jamming session.Turn on the microphone
then...

I'd belt and show the world my lungs of steel.

Remember the saying: 'Sing as if no one's listening?'

So what's the repertoire?

I'd open the session by singing a cover version of Stevie Nick's 'Landslide'.

Then my end song would be Sting's 'Fields of Gold', i'd borrow the arrangement done by Emi Fujita.

All I gotta do now is send out the invitation.

Wine would be definitely served. But I'd ban smokers. My lungs wouldn't like it.

the bitterwurst pilgrim

I usually leave the office at past 6PM everyday and as a routine, I normally clean my table and organize everything before calling it a day. Yesterday, (Friday) was different. I decided to stay a little longer, and made thoughts to myself deeply. The day was fully loaded with a lot of meetings to different people and it even demanded long walks from my workplace. I never had the time to rest, my mind was at lost and I failed to think about personal things. Time was slipping slowly and I had trouble keeping up.

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Gone are the days that I could even think of coffee breaks. Life is now on the fast lane that I have somehow neglected other's feelings. People now have this impression that I'm cold to everyone, with lukewarm emotions.

These people must have forgotten that I am in fact, human too. Equipped with a beating heart and has the capacity to love, without mercy of asking love in return. People should think deeper, for they lack depth. It's hard to accept, but these people lost my trust. They are mere poor hollow living souls born with superficial looks.

It breaks my heart that no matter how much kindness you project everyday, you're being taken for granted. Likewise, with the same amount of concern towards others, it would never be appreciated. I pity for such impression for having developed a deep and binding relationship with friends and soon you discovered that it's nothing but shallow.

Bitterness? Not really. I only speak about my hurt feelings, which has been with me for years that I never considered sharing to friends that are permanently indisposed.

This is just a way of relieving myself from anger that no matter what I say, the world will keep on turning. I've been told a hundred times that life is unfair, and there's nothing I can do about it.

Karaniwang Tao (Normal Folks)

Okay, I'm a sucker for 'feel-good' music. And 'feel-good' as they say is equal to nice driving music. Anyways, after that nice encounter with 'Saranggola ni Pepe' where I had trouble looking for lyrics, I went to limewire again and downloaded a nice song about nature with a nice feel-good blend of certified Pinoy instruments.

Enter Joey Ayala and his song called, 'Karaniwang Tao'.

Haay, hearing it makes me proud of being Pinoy. I like how the kulingtang and the pinoy guitar (ano nga uli ang tawag dun? *sabay kamot sa ulo*) produced a nice music for everyone else to appreciate. Mind you, aside from it's title, it has a better message talking how people neglect their environment.

Just check what happened with the recent landslide incident in Leyte. Maybe it's high time to play this song again to remind everyone how we take things for granted.

let's reminisce kaya?

Wala akong magawa. Just to do something I downloaded a few OPM mp3s from Limewire. And my selections? 'Saranggola ni Pepe' by Celeste Legaspi and 'Halik' by the Aegis group. Sorry, pero 'di po ako baduy. Hehehe. Maybe, there was something in my coffee?

Ok, the first time I heard the intro of 'Saranggola', all I can say to myself was wow! As in W-O-W! I knew I had the nicest smile and again I was transported back in time. Circa--------?
Just imagine the summer heat of Manila during March or April and you had to look for ice candies, ice buko (with mongo) and op kors, the ever classic dirty ice creams with Mamang Sorbetero with the straw hat?

Teka, diba I'm talking about 'Mamang Sorbetero'? Ngek, 'Saranggola' pala! Hek, hek, hek! Anyways, ang saya talaga! Feeling ko bata ulit ako, walking along the streets wearing a shirt and a colorful shorts, complete with the 'chinelas' footwear getup. Sayang wala pang havaianas at that time but spartan was also a classic diba? Hindi sya marupok unlike everyone else.
Then there's tumbang-preso? Syato (can u still belt that long shout?) and the komiks. Sorry no playstation at that time, kapag may atari ka, sosyal ka na! And all you can play was that tennis game, the whole day!

So what happens with your 'Saranggola'? I'm blessed because our house was actually a few meters from the ricefields. Everyone was there during noon to let their kites flyaway including the hair of those of your ugly kalaro with kuto! Kadiri! Di ba there's this saying that with the kuto community sprawling your hair, pwede ka ilipad sa kawayanan???

Hay, to be kid again. And remember how life was simple then? That you just wait for merienda and eat halo-halo or banana con hielo? Grabe, miss ko na yun! Kaya lang when you grow older, you realize, it's fattening. Hehehe. Pwede ba maging 'sugar-free' ang arnibal? Ok, caramel syrup daw! Tse!

Masarap talaga mag-reminisce! Lalo na kapag nasa abroad ka! Pero wala ako sa abroad. O sya. for those who wants to sample the complete mp3 track of Celeste Legaspi's 'Saranggola ni Pepe', all you gotta do is ask. *wink*

Matayog ang lipad ng saranggola ni Pepe!

Matayog ang pangarap ng matandang bingi (gusto kasi pumarada kasama ang limang-rekwang bungol!)

Nay, nay, naaaay, naaaaaay......

i welcome myself to the year of the pooch

It's been a year. Rollercoaster it may be, I'm still blessed. Being alive is the most wonderful blessing of all, to feel pain, to love someone else and by just being true....to myself.
Ask me my present state and definitely, my answer: FAR from being happy. But I'm going there, just a few exercises more on the face and my priceless smile would appear. Here 'ya go, my special delivery of a smiley :-)

just one of those things

Without any topic to write, I decided to jot down the things I plan to do before the year ends:

1. go to Caliraya and see the man-made lake once again.

2. go back working in Alabang, damn I really miss the place!

3. sip that nice and soothing jasmine tea at Cafe Breton (hey it's been a while).

4. drive by myself to Petron pitstop in San Pedro Tollway and buy myself a nice 'misto' coffee in Starbucks and enjoy the coffee.

5. write something on my trusted journal.

6. meet old friends and catch up.

7. buy a nice book in Powerbooks.

8. splurge on some new perfumes I've never tried wearing.

9. visit 'The Spa' and pamper myself with a nice one-hour massage.

10. take a one-day leave and take a day trip to Tagaytay all by myself.

11. use my credit card to bring home a new portable CD player.

12. sing my heart out by inviting friends for a date in a videoke bar.

13. write a very nice e-mail to a distant friend I no longer see.

14. clean my room and dispose garbage.

15. stop thinking about dieting for a day and sample that luscious dessert in Bizu.

16. make new friends.

17. file for a 10-day vacation leave and trek to Sagada.

18. go back to Photography and writing.

19. try and purchase something on the internet.

20. listen to old CDs and enjoy the music trip.

21. go on a blind date.

22. stop drinking coffee (which I am actually doing, mind you)

23. dispose people that I don't need and those that I consider as my hindrance for success.

24. go back in doing yoga?

25. never worry......

My Anthem

If I would be asked, point blank, if I have a favorite song? Certainly, my straight answer would be (although it's not actually a song) the famous classical piece we call, 'Pachelbel's Canon in D'.

Bar none.

With more than three decades of being a self-confessed music lover, that varies from Enya, Eva Cassidy and the Beatles, I confess that I've never been addicted to classical music until I listened to Pachelbel's Canon in D.

I had the pleasure of hearing Pachelbel's Canon for the first time when a fellow worker from my former company lent me her classical CD collection. Feeling hesitant of borrowing, because I tend to feel sleepy whenever I hear William Tell's Overture, I decided to give in and immediately played the infamous CD on my PC.

She was busy telling me about the background of each classical piece when she paused for a while and started to speak about this particular track on the CD. She told me, 'this one definitely makes it as my wedding march music', she was talking proudly about Pachelbel's Canon.

And I asked her, 'what's so special about Canon?'.

'Just listen to it, and you'll know'. That's the last thing she said before going back to her desk. And damn well, she's right.

I never had the idea that it's one of the overused classical piece in the world. Being played countless times on every wedding, I just can't explain the feeling when I listened to it for the first time. It spells magic, I was mesmerized, and fell in love instantly.

If a person tends to become addicted to opium, without a doubt this is my opium.

With the introduction of 'peer to peer', file-sharing websites I was fortunate enough to download Canon in D in different versions and arrangements. Before Napster and Audiogalaxy bid goodbye to its users, I already made myself a compilation with the likes of Vanessa Mae's version including George Winston's trumpet aria. I was even surprised that a version done in 'A Capella' exists but nothing compares to the 'Continuo' and 'Japanese Koto' versions.

Now I know how Amy Tan (the famous author of 'Joy Luck Club') feels before doing her writing ritual. I read somewhere that she cannot start writing unless she hears her favorite music. Likewise, I practice the same thing. Canon in D works very well as my anchor, my writing prompt, stressbuster and best of all, my constant travel companion.

I will forever be grateful to Johann Pachelbel for his gift and talent. I may never have the skill to play his piece but being able to listen to it makes me appreciate more and proud of his music.

Sure, life can be hard, but Pachelbel's Canon makes it easier.

The Search for the Miserable

How do you feel when the item you've been looking for is now finally available? Hmm, we call it as the 'natural high'.

Just last Monday, amidst the traffic and the ever-complaining heat, I decided to go to Manila to do some errands. It proved to be such a tiring experience. I even managed to jump from one place to another, imagine me covering three municipalities namely Makati, Manila and lastly Pasay respectively.

What I did would probably put Spiderman to shame.

But the biggest surprise of all is finding a treasure within the busy streets of Quiapo, where all the pirated DVDs are scattered everywhere. My goal? To buy the complete set of Roswell episodes and that darn farewell season of Sex in the City. Unfortunately they're nowhere to be found.

I was about to call it quits when I decided to lounge around the area and check for other interesting titles. I even saw copies of 'My Sassy Girl' DVD (The Korean megahit) displayed from one corner making it widely available to everyone. A few months back, it was relatively unknown, making it (Sassy Girl) hard to find in these areas.

Continuing with my journey, I checked this new wing called, 'the concert department'. This is where DVDs from Taiwan is sold, mostly concert DVDs with the likes of Madonna's Music tour, Michael Buble and even Led Zeppelin. I decided to browse for a few titles when a familiar picture caught my eye. I gasped in excitement when all of a sudden I realized that the search for this damn DVD is finally over!

There on the cover of the DVD proudly displays the picture of Cosette, the official logo of Les Miserables-The Musical. For the first time in my life, I was holding a copy of my most favorite musical of all time, the 2-disc DVD of The Les Miserables 10th Anniversary Concert. The dream cast, with Lea Salonga playing the part of Eponine.

Enough of the superlatives? No way!

This DVD which is priced at around $20 (check with Amazon) has been around the world since 1996. At that time human beings around the world are totally clueless about DVD. If my memory serves me right, I only own a copy of this on VHS, I was able to record the concert during its Philippine telecast. After a few more years, born after the VCDs, the DVD was finally invented. MOst of the best-loved movies and musicals are now readily available on DVD format.

I prayed that somehow, Cameron Mackintosh (famed producer of Les Miserables and Miss Saigon) would release Les Miserables on DVD. Thank God because he answered my prayer. LOL! The DVD was released finally in Amazon.com. And the rest is what they call history.

I am now the proud owner of the Les Miz concert DVD and the long wait is finally over.

My Stressbusters

About a year ago, I decided to reward myself by buying a PDA. No, its not a 'Public Display of Affection' but it actually means, 'Personal Digital Assistant'. Yup, I know you got it. But we need to be clear as a crystal here. (Chuckles)

Anyways, to continue, I even asked opinions from a few friends if this would become a wise decision since I'm beginning to feel less organized. I can't keep up with those darn deadlines!

So the search for the PDA has begun. The PDA should at least boast itself with good features and above all--a better bargain price. This search led me to purchase my palm zire with cool features, aside from making yourself organized, it also has a digital camera and best of all, it plays MP3s.

But that's not my topic right? I need to talk about my stressbusters, so here it is.....

After a year of owning my PDA, feeling somehow organized and a little updated, the best part of it is the MP3 player(yup, I mentioned it for a couple of times). Being a self-confessed music lover that ranges selection from Beatles to Classical, I can't wait to load lots of MP3s on its memory card. Next thing I knew, I'm making myself the first 'soundtrack of my life', which I proudly called, 'stressbusters'.

Oh well, selecting songs for the compilation ain't than easy. More like a madman, I scheduled a day to do the inventory of songs which would make it for my compilation. You can just imagine how I rummaged my existing CD collection, as well as MP3s saved on my hard drive.

Afterwhich, 'stressbusters' was born. The ever infamous 'soundtrack of my life', that proudly carries combined music from happy sounds to 'make me sleepy' tunes.

These are the official selection of songs that make up 'Stressbusters Circa 2005':
(In no particular random order)

Pachelbel's Canon in D (Continuo version)
For me, this is one of the best Canon in D version ever arranged. I play this song whenever the plane is about to take off and before retiring to bed. This tune works as my 'anchor', to make me feel inspired if there's a need to write something or just plain daily journal reflection moment.

Home by Michael Buble
Just got this song from my sister's collection. I'm not a big fan of Michael Buble but I was hooked on how he sang this song. Perfect lyrics, perfect music. And I need a perfect place. Do I need to say more?

Blackbird by Sarah Mclachlan (from I am Sam OST)
This is for the Beatles fan in me. I have been planning to buy this damn OST since its a collection of the best Beatles songs covered by great musicians. Sarah (as always) never fails to amaze me likewise with the nice rendition of this song.

Fields of Gold by Eva Cassidy
This is best song in the list, bar none! Eva Cassidy certainly did justice to this song of Sting by mixing heartfelt emotions and a good acoustic music.The moment she starts humming the intro, there's a magical feeling that makes me stop what I am doing and rest for a while. I consider this as a classic piece because its ageless.

Shoot the Moon by Norah Jones
I always imagine myself experiencing a long afternoon walk during autumn season, where beautiful burst of colors can be seen. Maroon, brown, orange and yellows of leaves are scattered everywhere. I've never experienced autumn yet and we don't experience it in Manila but who knows, I might settle to a nice place somewhere that has four seasons.

Sunrise by Norah Jones
If Kevyn Lettau has 'Sunlight' then definitely, Ms. Jones's 'Sunrise' is my morning song.

Buffalo Soldier by Bob Marley
Another showcase of myself as a latebloomer. If not for the experience in Boracay, I wouldn't encounter Reggae music. There's this nice bar in Boracay called 'Summerplace' where it plays endless Reggae music. After that Bora experience, I was itching myself to come home and start downloading Bob Marley songs, and this is one of them.

The list would grow more in the future as my memory card only limits itself to 64 MB. Maybe a few more years and I would be having difficulty in filling up a 10 GB memory or worse, a 40GB IPOD! Now, that leaves me to my wishlist.