Seven Songs

I was tagged by Rachel on these seven songs. I appreciate it and I will take this opportunity to discuss a bit my musical genealogy. :)

Music, my family loves music - listening to various collections that is. My uncle and my mom loves The Beatles and its contemporaries. My father loves Frank Sinatra and the rest in his league. My eldest cousin loved anything disco, jazz, the Manila sound. That was mid-70s.

I grew up in the 80s listening to New Wave, Punk and pop songs - Michael Jackson, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Top 40 by Casey Kasem. 99.5 RT was the station to beat. And the alternative music were played over at XB. Side by side U2, I was a Duran Duran die hard. Those who can still recall - there was a rivalry between Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet. Funny, that was only here in the Philippines. The rest of the world, Duran Duran was lording it over. That was called the British invasion via America, shades of Beatles' popularity.

My husband loves music too. And I have to say he got my attention because he was singing something from The Thompson Twins which is one of my favored bands then.

90s was R&B for me, grunge music and the resurgence of Pinoy bands - Eraser Heads, Rivermaya, Bamboo. Y2K came in. I was lost but I still listen to a lot of them - Incubus, Googoo Dolls, Third Eye Blind, Maroon 5, Stephen Speaks, etcetera. Boy bands did not appeal much to me except for Blue.

Now we're on the last few legs of 2000, sometimes I already ask my daughter who sings what. And there are already a lot of remakes of the most popular songs during my teenage and college days. Geez.

So you see, I have come a long way with my kind of music and I haven't mentioned here all the other genres and obscure musicians I have discovered along the way and continuously discovering.

These are seven songs on my playlist as I type this post. :)

1. Soft Melody by John Kaizan Neptune
I prefer this rather than Sitti's version. More melodic. Funny
thing is one day it just popped on my mind to play this song from
one of my CDs I neatly keep in our collection of audio files. And
when I was playing it, my daughter said Sitti also has a version
of it. That's how I came to know she has a remake of this pala.


2. Bella Luna by Jason Mraz
My husband and I watched his concert last year. Boy were we
mesmerized by his voice. His stage presence is superb! I love
the soothing melody of this particular song of his.

3. Tattooed on My Mind by D'Sound
This song is not even popular yet when my husband and I
fell in love with it. Sexy. Until now, it's in our collection
of our all-time favorite songs.

4. Stay by Lisa Loeb
More than anything it's the movie Reality Bites which made me
love this song to bits. Ethan Hawke was the 'ideal man'
during my time. Angsty, intelligent, non-conformist, good looking.

5. Don't Speak by No Doubt
I just love the way Gwen Stefani gave out so much style singing
this song.

6. Torn by Natalie Imbruglia
Again, I just love the style.

7. Linger by Cranberries
Dolores is a wonderful singer. She makes me want to sing over
and over again.

Thanks again Rach for this. :)

Monday Madness on Vacation

This is my first entry for Monday Madness. I like participating in memes like these because they give me something to start writing on. Not that I don't have anything on mind what to post about. As a matter of fact there are so many but these memes give me some kind of organization of thought. :) So let me start with my Monday Madness.

1. Where did you go on your last vacation?
Right timing for all these questions. My family and I just had our mini vacation in Baguio City, the Philippines' official summer capital. I said official since there are so many places here to go (and for some, places to be seen) during summer.

2. Would you go there again? Why or why not?
Of course! It's one of our favorite destinations, summer or not. The weather is nice for one.

3. How many vacations do you take in one year?
Two to three though they aren't really grand, grand vacations. We just like to have some time off away from the city.

4. Where would you REALLY like to go on your next vacation, if money was no issue, and how long would you stay?
If money is no issue, I'd like us to have a European tour, a month will do. :)

5. Do you put a little money aside each week (or month) to save up for your vacation?
Uh-oh. Not really but it's like we do budget our money when the planned vacation date is near already, three weeks to a month thereabouts. But then again saving some money for it on a monthly basis or twice a month is better. Will start on that.

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How was my day today? It ended better than it started. Not that it started bad. But early in the evening I was sort of recharged and inspired. Thanks to my professor for being a good motivator. He's not big in words but he's the "walk the talk" type of person. He lives what he "preaches" so to speak.

Lesson for the day is something really obvious: surround yourself with positive people. Their enthusiasm is contagious.

Have a great week ahead!

Photo Hunt 4: Water

I've been out of town for several days. Will be sharing about it on succeeding posts. Meanwhile, here's my photo for this week's theme, Water. Right timing since it's summer time here in the Philippines. Here are some of my water pictures taken one summer day not so long ago. :)



This picture was taken while on a boat going to Dos Palmas Resort, Puerto Princesa, Palawan. This is quite an experience for me. Our boat stopped for about ten minutes in the middle of Honda Bay. The water is kind of greenish gray which, according to fellow passengers, means we were in the deepest part of the sea. But everything went well as the motorized boat just needed some lubricant for propelling.



And this one's taken at Club Manila East. My hubby and daughter are both water persons and enjoys kayaking even on a pool. :) Since I'm the less adventurous among us, I'm often the one assigned to do some picture taking. I don't really mind since I love capturing special moments with my family. :)

Photo Hunt 3: Empty

This is a hallway of Caleruega Church in Tagaytay City. This church is famous for its serenity and nice landscape. Most dream weddings are held here. About two hours away from Manila, it's a frequent destination for Catholics and non-Catholics for some contemplation and sightseeing.



An empty bench. I can feel its emptiness. Taken from the balcony of my colleagues' house in Tagaytay. You can tell that I'm a frequent visitor of that city. :)

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The clock just hit 12:00 midnight, March 24. It's supposed to be a 'world shutdown of computers day'. It's an experiment to see if we can do that and what will happen if we do that. I'm not 100% sure I can do that since mostly, it's only during weekends that I get to go online. But I have an appointment with my orthodontist-bestfriend in the morning and will have a tooth extraction. So I have to rest in the afternoon and will probably catch up on my movie backlogs.

So far from the survey in the site, "I can" is a lot, lot higher than "I cannot". Let's see what we will get from this experiment. :)

Friday's Feast No. 3

Appetizer
Who is your favorite news anchor/reporter? Why?
Larry King because he is credible. I can feel his sincerity whoever he is interviewing. Anderson Cooper for his intelligence. Rob Marciano simply because he looks good. Is Ryan Seacrest qualified here? :)

On the local scene, Angelo Castro looks dignified. I like his accent. But he seems detached with the news he is delivering. I don't think I really like any reporter or anchor from any networks here. Documentarists/magazine show hosts interest me more - Howie Severino, Abner Mercado and his partner during the first few years of The Correspondents whose name escapes me now, and Atom Araullo. Atom? Yes, the 5 and Up kid who is all grown up now. He's a good role model. The other guys, they are all passionate being broadcast journalists.

Okay, I'll stop. I overdid this. :)

Soup
Name 3 foods that are currently in your freezer.
Fish (tilapia), ground pork, shrimp.

Salad
If you were to have the opportunity to name a new town or city, what would you call it?
Utopia maybe.

Main Course
What will most likely be the next book you read?

Me, Talk Pretty One Day, I bought this a long time ago but have been bumped off by all the Murakami books I bought. Before Da Vinci Code, there's already Holy Blood, Holy Grail. My husband read this years ago, I haven't yet. The next five books are gifts from friends which I have browsed on but not actually read. Their time will come. :) From the line-up, Blink by Malcolm Gladwell will come first.

Dessert
What's the first thing you notice about the opposite gender?
Aside from the face, it's the general personality - the way he speaks and how he carries himself.

My VisualDNA

Before anything else, congratulations to Hubby G! His email was chosen as "Letter of the Month" by the Top Gear guys. Haha! :) Big deal. But it was fun seeing his short and 'cute' note published in his favorite car magazine. And for that he got summer goodies - sunscreen, sunblock and dark tanning. Haha! But the better give away is the gift certificate worth P2,000 of gasoline from Total. That will save us a week's budget of gasoline. Good enough.

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This is my VisualDNA. I got the link from Rach. I had a good time making my choices. *Though I meant kid as in my daughter instead of "kids" in one of the slides. Will edit as soon as. :)

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

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Internet connection is acting up on me. I had my laptop configured yesterday in my school so I can have access to their wifi. I guess the librarian at the computer room did something I don't know (obviously) because at home now, I cannot connect I am connected through our router but I cannot browse. :( There are times I cannot work or post if it's not my laptop I am using. And then our DSL connection gets cut every 20 minutes or so. And Blogger is having some glitches. Hmmm. This means I better sleep before I get disconnected again. Sweet dreams! :)

Photo Hunt 2: Drink

The family that drinks together, stays together.
Drink fresh buko juice, Daddy.
Iced tea drink for the dear daughter.
And ripe mango juice for the Mommy.

This picture was taken at Leslie's in Tagaytay City, the home of great bulalo (bone marrow soup) and tawilis (freshwater sardine). The resto is open air and it is overlooking the scenic Taal Volcano. A quick drive if you want to have an eat out somewhere outside but near the metro.

Friday's Feast No. 2

Appetizer
Name two things that made you smile this week.
One, a very good career opportunity. Two, my professor's "street smart" approach to teaching. Let me make it three, my daughter's hugs and kisses.

Soup
Fill in the blank: Don't you hate it when ________?
When people save their own necks at the expense of others especially those who seem 'powerless'. Hmmmm.

Salad
When you can't go to sleep, what is your personal remedy to help yourself drift into Lullabyland?
Honestly, I love reading but one thing that makes me put to sleep is when I read while on our bed.

Main Course
What is something about which you've always wondered but have not yet found a good answer?
Is my best good enough to be a great mother to my daughter?

Dessert
What is your favorite pasta dish?
Arabiatta! And of all the restos I tried, Figaro offers the best Arabiatta in my own
unbiased opinion.

Photo Hunt 1: Architecture

This is my first post for the Photo Hunt. The theme for this Saturday, March 10, is Architecture. The photos above were taken a few weeks back during a workgroup with my classmates. We met at my classmate's office in RCBC Plaza. I took part of Makati Central Business District's landscape while we were having a break.

City landscapes fascinates me sometimes. Offhand, they speak of progress, a fast paced life, a concrete jungle as they say. Oftentimes, for no specific reason, I just love looking at them especially the city lights at night.

Friday's Feast No.1

Appetizer
What is your usual bedtime? Do you like that, or would you rather it be different?

Around 11 pm to 12 midnight. I do a lot of things during the night. I check my daughter's school works, I watch tv, I read, I blog and surf the net, etcetera. Well, eleven in the evening is fine by me since I'm able to do the things I've mentioned before getting really sleepy.

Soup
When it comes to advice, do you give more or receive more?

I give more. I'm naturally interested with what one has to say. I guess they sense that in me. Most just tell their stories on and on and I find myself giving an advice or two.

Salad
Describe a memorable meal you've had.

One of the memorable meals I've had was when we had our breakfast in a hotel after spending New Year's eve (2005) on the 22nd floor. What a good morning, feeling so refreshed. It was, and still is, special because it gives me that great feeling of being so bonded with my family.

Main Course
Name a work of fiction that affected the way you think about something.

I have not just one but three works of fiction. One, a book, The Little Prince. I took to heart the quotable quotes that I am able to relate to in this book. Another book, Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist, if you want something so much, the universe will conspire for you to achieve it. The other one's a movie, one of my all time favorites, Cinema Paradiso. Reflections on one's young life, one's youth and adulthood.

Dessert
What is your favorite type of fruit juice?

No, not avocado. Ripe mango juice! Quenches my thirst so easily. And I like the color, the presentation in a clear tall glass with a bended straw, and a tiny slice of ripe mango fruit on the side.