A Thousand Thoughts (And Not The Time To Explain)

Farewell 2010!

2011-01-02T20:38:00.003+08:00

The year I turned 25 started out like one big, extended party - great friends, great travels, great memories. I suppose it was a great way to close my early 20's:

Almost a quarter has passed into the year I turn a quarter of a century old, and it's been going well so far, actually. Life is pretty good. Not much has changed, except there's a feeling amongst me and my friends (a lot of whom are also turning the big 2-5 this year) of always wanting to do more, of not being so reserved, of not easily saying "no". The weekends seem more precious, so much more precious we're willing to give up sleep to spend more time in them awake. Maybe in the back of our heads, we know we'll need to grow up pretty soon.

The future doesn't look so bad though, and I think I've seen it, in the lives of my older friends. Posh, kid-friendly condos; playing host and hostess to friends and having them over for dinner; long talks about children and businesses and real estate over pasta and wine, instead of pizza and beer; saying goodbye at a little past 11, driving fully sober and not in the least bit tipsy, and home before midnight. I think I could get used to that kind of life, too.

It will have to wait another year, though. Another year at least.

The "growing up" part unexpectedly happened sooner than I expected, however. Halfway through the year, on our way back from an amazing backpacking trip with friends, it happened. It might've been a quarter life crisis, or a stirring in my soul, as John Mayer put it. I asked some tough questions, and needed to give tough answers.

I really love to travel, no question about that. I don't find it at all difficult to pack my bags, book a flight, and just go. I enjoy spending days when my life is contained in a few bags in a strange new place that's so different from what I'm used to, but somehow manages to remind me of home too. It's a strange kind of freedom that I embrace wholeheartedly every chance I get - it scares me sometimes, how I'm so attracted to this kind of freedom, how I don't fear it at all. Because then, what of the days when I go back to my real life? What does this say about how I feel about most of my days and weeks and months, all spent trying to build a "life" - being able to buy a nice comfortable home, sticking to a daily routine that works so I can keep my schedule organized and all my tasks done, building a steady career to keep me financially stable? And which is my real life to begin with? Or are both versions of my life real? In which case, will I need to pick one? Or can I keep doing this, moving back and forth, because I think it's pretty clear to me now that traveling for me isn't just what it is for most people - it's not just about being able to get away for a couple of days to have a good time. Even if I don't know how or why it is the case, I think it's pretty obvious that the art of travel has so much more meaning to me. It's both a gift and a curse I guess, and most days I think it's the former, but today...today is strange.

Maybe I was a wandering free spirit in a past life, who lived La Vie Boheme in a time and a place in the world when that didn't mean running the risk of death by starvation. Maybe, as John Mayer aptly puts it, "It might be a quarter life crisis, or just a stirring in my soul". Maybe I shouldn't have listened to Fiona Apple's "Tidal" today (I didn't have the benefit of emo culture growing up, so I survived my teen years listening to Fiona Apple's poetry in "Tidal", among other things).

I'm flying home tonight, and maybe I should have just stuck to my cheesy, forever-happy KPop playlist.

As 2010 approached its home stretch, I realized that I needed to call the shots on my life. This was it. I couldn't live like a college student with a big allowance anymore, coasting through life, seeing where it would take me. Coincidentally, I moved into my new place. It was one of the most memorable moments of my year. I finally had a place I could make a home! It was a big responsibility, and one I was more than willing to take.

Then I made an even bigger decision. I quit my job, and started another one.

Enter 2011. A new year, a new phase in my life. I have nine months left of the year I turn 25, and I plan to make it a good one. So here's to a great, life-changing 2011, to grabbing life by the balls and to living it the way you want. And yes, I can't believe I'm actually saying this - cheers to growing up, finally.

Up Dharma Down - Tadhana

2010-10-01T00:47:00.000+08:00

Gorgeous, gorgeous song. I just love Up Dharma Down. I want to catch a gig but have no one to go with! :(

I know you better than you do, so put out your cigarette, and kiss me on the lips tonight.

2010-09-25T20:48:00.002+08:00

What's with the year 1983?

Neon Trees - 1983

I love driving to this song (while singing along with it). The video's pretty cool too - girl drummers are boss. And I love the homage (at least I think it is anyway) to A-HA's "Take On Me" video.

John Mayer - 83

He's coming to Manila this freaking Friday! I'm watching with Bea, but we haven't bought the tickets yet! This is one of my favorite songs of his. I just love the lyrics and my twenty-something self can totally relate to what it says, especially during bad bouts of the Quarter Life Crisis.

And LOL at the "Let's Hear It For The Boy" bit on this version.

Quarter Life Birthday Song

2010-09-09T00:00:00.001+08:00

This could be the very minute
I'm aware i'm alive
All these places feel like home
With a name I'd never chosen
I can make my first steps
As a child of 25.

- Snow Patrol, "Chocolate"

A quarter of a century old today. Very very surreal.

Let's Run Away And Don't Ever Look Back.

2010-08-30T16:43:00.006+08:00

Katy Perry's back!

This song makes me want to go on a random road trip with a cute boy, drive to the beach with the windows down and this song playing over and over again. :)

Ris, Angel and I had so much fun at her concert in Manila last year, and with this new song, I got to reminiscing about that EPIC night:

Rissee's homemade fangirl headband was a hit!

The Katies!

Money Shot!

Rissee, the awesome girl that she is, wrote about our epic girls' night out in hilarious detail here - read if you dare. :)

You Can Call Me Dangerous But These Are The Sins Of My Youth

2010-08-15T15:08:00.006+08:00

Like most girls in Manila, lately I've been crazy about Forever21. And living in Ortigas and being very close to Megamall, it's so easy for me to go on a whim and check out their stuff whenever I want to - not very good for my credit card though.

So anyway, I was trolling around the store last weekend and this song came on, and I just loved it. I Googled it right after and now it's on heavy rotation on my iPod (and in the car - it's an awesome driving song!).

Call me crazy, I was born to make a mess / Would you love me still if I were to confess / That I had a little too much fun, back when I was young?

I'd love to hear this one at a concert - it's just that kind of song, you know? The kind that would have everyone singing along and going all crazy with energy. Definitely an awesome Youth Anthem.

I have so much new songs I wanna post about. Maybe in the next few weeks. :)

I Don't Wanna Jump In Unless This Music's Thumping.

2010-06-19T13:37:00.003+08:00

So I had my iPod on shuffle last night and this song came on. It's called "Love You Madly" by Cake, and it's just awesome! I fell in love with it last night like I was hearing it for the first time, because I honestly have no memory of when or where I got it. Musical serendipity.

More Than A Little Willing To Keep Moving.

2010-05-09T15:20:00.005+08:00

Spending a lazy Sunday in a coffee shop in the unglamorous side of Kuala Lumpur (nope, no Petronas Tower in sight from where we are). It's the last day of our trip, and we're just killing (a lot of) time before our flight back to Manila at 11 pm later. It's cloudy today, and the gloomy weather coupled with the gray concrete-ness of our surroundings remind me of many of my Sundays from when I still went to university. Pearl Drive, the street where my school and dorm were located, would be a virtual ghost town on Sundays. I'd spend hours at one of the neighborhood coffee shops studying, reading a book or listening to music. It sounds like sad memories, but they weren't really. Living alone in the city teaches you a lot of things.

I really love to travel, no question about that. I don't find it at all difficult to pack my bags, book a flight, and just go. I enjoy spending days when my life is contained in a few bags in a strange new place that's so different from what I'm used to, but somehow manages to remind me of home too. It's a strange kind of freedom that I embrace wholeheartedly every chance I get - it scares me sometimes, how I'm so attracted to this kind of freedom, how I don't fear it at all. Because then, what of the days when I go back to my real life? What does this say about how I feel about most of my days and weeks and months, all spent trying to build a "life" - being able to buy a nice comfortable home, sticking to a daily routine that works so I can keep my schedule organized and all my tasks done, building a steady career to keep me financially stable? And which is my real life to begin with? Or are both versions of my life real? In which case, will I need to pick one? Or can I keep doing this, moving back and forth, because I think it's pretty clear to me now that traveling for me isn't just what it is for most people - it's not just about being able to get away for a couple of days to have a good time. Even if I don't know how or why it is the case, I think it's pretty obvious that the art of travel has so much more meaning to me. It's both a gift and a curse I guess, and most days I think it's the former, but today...today is strange.

Maybe I was a wandering free spirit in a past life, who lived La Vie Boheme in a time and a place in the world when that didn't mean running the risk of death by starvation. Maybe, as John Mayer aptly puts it, "It might be a quarter life crisis, or just a stirring in my soul". Maybe I shouldn't have listened to Fiona Apple's "Tidal" today (I didn't have the benefit of emo culture growing up, so I survived my teen years listening to Fiona Apple's poetry in "Tidal", among other things).

I'm flying home tonight, and maybe I should have just stuck to my cheesy, forever-happy KPop playlist.

This life is nothing but a song without no rhyme.

2010-04-28T05:37:00.000+08:00

Meet Tiago Iorc, classic case of Gorgeous Guy with Guitar, my ultimate and absolute weakness (yes, both those adjectives need to be there for emphasis).

Tiago Iorc - "Nothing But A Song"

And this totally made my fangirl heart flutter:

It's silly, but whatever. He plays the guitar and has an amazing voice. Nuff said.

Have I Read Too Much Fiction? / One Week To Bali, Baby!

2010-04-24T17:05:00.002+08:00

The Sundays - "Summertime"

This song NEVER gets old. Songs like this make me very thankful that I was a kid of the 90's. It was an awesome time for music (sans the bubblegum pop era i.e. the Spice Girls and the Backstreet Boys and Hanson - although even I have to admit that their songs were pretty damn catchy too!).

And take a look at these lyrics! Brilliant! Freaking poetry, man!

Do some people wind up
With the one that they adore
In a heart-shaped hotel room?
It's what a heart is for
The bubble floats so madly
Will it stay sky-high?
Hello, partner
Kiss your name bye-bye
Oh, sometimes...

Romantic Piscean
Seeks angel in disguise
Chinese speaking girlfriend
Big brown eyes
Liverpudlian lady
Sophisticated male
Hello, partner
Tell me love can't fail

And it's you and me in the summertime
We'll be hand in hand down in the park
With a squeeze and a sigh
And that twinkle in your eye
And all the sunshine banishes the dark

Do some people wind up
With the one that they abhor
In a distant hell-hole room?
The third world war
But all I see is films
Where colorless despair
Meant angry young men
With immaculate hair
Oh, sometimes...

Get up, a voice inside says
There's no time for looking down
Only a pound, a word
And you're talking to the town
But how do you coin the phrase, though
That will set your soul apart?
Just to touch a lonely heart

And it's you and me in the summertime
And we'll be hand in hand down in the park.
With a squeeze and a sigh
And that twinkle in your eye
And all the sunshine banishes the dark

And it's you I need in the summertime
As I turn my white skin red
Two peas from the same pod, yes we are!
Or have I read too much fiction?
Is this how it happens?
How does it happen?
(Now, right now...)

----

In other news, ONE MORE WEEK AND I'M BALI-BOUND BABY! With side trips to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore! How exciting. Work will be hell this week but it's all good - I will work my ass off to have a worry-free vacation! Can't wait!

Kickin' it old school with "Room for Squares" today.

2010-04-17T12:55:00.005+08:00

People (myself included, I guess) think John Mayer's a douche and a player and an attention whore (insert more evil words here), and he probably is, or he probably isn't, whatever - let's leave that out of this and judge him solely on his music.

"Room for Squares" never gets old. And it's probably one of the best Quarter Life Crisis soundtracks you could find out there. I don't know, it speaks to my twenty-something sentiments. It's got enough emotion and relatable circumstances to make you want to grab a drink and wallow in your sorrows for just a little bit (we all know it's healthy to do every so often), but the songs aren't too sappy that they make you roll your eyes in distaste because they seem so fake. Anyway, I think Bjork sums up how I feel about this record perfectly:

"There are certain emotions in your body that not even your best friend can sympathize with, but you will find the right film or the right book, and it will understand you." - Bjork

In this case, it's the right record.

I still don't have tickets to his concert next month. Sad.

Super Junior Super Show 2 in Manila, Philippines - 10 Apr 2010 (Part 3)

2010-04-16T18:30:00.015+08:00

More pictures under the cut (heaps more, I kid you not!)

Please take out with credits, hope you can link back to my blog! Thanks :)

Super Junior Super Show 2 in Manila, Philippines - 10 Apr 2010 (Part 2)

2010-04-13T21:35:00.003+08:00

More pictures under the cut!

Please take out with credits, hope you can link back to my blog! Thanks :)

Super Junior Super Show 2 in Manila, Philippines - 10 Apr 2010 (Part 1)

2010-04-12T22:30:00.002+08:00

More pictures under the cut!

Donghae

Heechul

Henry! (One of my favorite photos)

Siwon!

Siwon looks funny in this photo...I love it. :D

Please take out with credits, hope you can link back to my blog! Thanks :)

You're A Disgrace To The Human Race With Your Pretty Face.

2010-04-09T17:52:00.000+08:00

As Mabz aptly put it, Chocolate Abs have landed in Manila.

I shall see you tomorrow.

If people were rain, I was drizzle and he was hurricane.

2010-04-07T22:44:00.000+08:00

I think I need to read this book. I have "An Abundance of Katherines" from the same author, but I haven't gotten to reading it yet along with many others - stories stacked in a sad heap of longing for time that I don't have. It's irrational and won't do me any good, but sometimes I really wish there were more hours in a day, or more days in a week (that's a better option I think), so I could just sit down and lose myself in a good book every once in a while.

The other way to go around it is to unclutter* my life, but I'm having so much fun in this mess of things that is my twenty-something years, these last years of reckless youth. So the mess is necessary. The sad heap of books will be read someday, but not just yet, I guess.

*Apparently, "unclutter" is not a word, and only "uncluttered" is? The long and glaring red line under it is in my peripheral vision as I type this, and you have no idea how much it's bothering me right now.

I'm Not Who I Was Last Summer...

2010-04-04T22:07:00.000+08:00

The Noisettes - Wild Young Hearts

If now is forever, then what's to prove?
Cause it won't be the same next summer
And I guess I'll see you in the spring
Somebody tell me, tell me, tell me, when will I learn?
I love it and I leave it and I watch it burn
Damn this wild young heart
I told you damn this wild young heart
Damn this wild young
Tell me, tell me, tell me when will I learn?
Damn this wild young heart

Love this song. Love this version. I think I saw them on David Letterman one night, that's how I found out about them. Finding good music takes serendipity. And serendipity makes the music even more special, doesn't it?

Have you ever heard a song for the first time in a random, ordinary slice of your life, and it just totally blows you away? I love when that happens.

I must've been a minstrel or a poet in a past life. because words and music move me in extraordinary ways. Maybe I'm just weird like that.

Oh, and Happy Easter! :)

The Magic Numbers - I See You, You See Me

2010-04-01T21:51:00.002+08:00

The Magic Numbers - I See You, You See Me

Pongy, the older sister I never had who has AWESOME taste in music, got me listening to this song when we were in Tagaytay this week. I absolutely love it! The lyrics are amazing - I think it's about two friends who are starting to fall for each other, but both are too afraid, awkward and unsure, so they don't say anything. Oh, the drama!

Girl: You always looked like you had something else on your mind
Boy: But when I try to tell you, you'd tell me never mind
Boy & Girl: But darling when I see you, you see me

Girl: I wanna tell you that I'll never love anyone else
Boy: You wanna tell me that you're better off by yourself
Boy & Girl: But darling when I see you, you see me

This one's definitely going on my Summer Soundtrack this year. Their song "Love is a Game" is pretty good too.

I'm back in Batangas for Holy Week. Had a really good drive from Manila this afternoon - near-empty roads, a new driving playlist, and a full tank of gas, it was awesome. I could really use some quiet time this weekend, so it's good that my family's off to the beach tomorrow on our annual trip! Thinking about bringing my laptop, but maybe I shouldn't? I never do, but I'm strangely compelled to do so this year.

Anyway, hope everyone's having a relaxing extra-long weekend! :)

Friday night is never awesome until it spills into Saturday morning.

2010-03-27T03:45:00.000+08:00

Actually, that's all I wanted to say.

Bring Out The Summer Playlists: Clazziquai Project

2010-03-20T01:30:00.000+08:00

Summer is here! I can totally feel it. I'm itching to take a couple of days off from work, go back on the road again, and travel. And one just absolutely cannot travel without some good music, so I've got a few recommendations, starting with a band that's going to be on heavy rotation on my iPod this season - Clazziquai Project.

They're the first KPop band I liked, if I remember correctly. It all began in a tiny tin can of a hostel in Mongkok, Hong Kong last year. The TV was on some random Chinese channel and they were playing videos from all over Asia. The Japanese version of this song came on, and I thought it was a pretty cool track - cool enough that I actually Googled them and a got a hold of their song when we came back to Manila. Here's the original Korean version (because I couldn't find the Japanese one anywhere):

Clazziquai Project - Tell Yourself

This one is another favorite of mine, which has been on repeat on my iPod for days on end now. It reminds me of summer, and makes me want to wear a sundress and put flowers on my hair. Seriously. Listen to it! It's lovely. And the rap part is awesome. I have this thing about rap songs in foreign languages - I only think rapping is sexy when it's in a language I don't understand. In fact,I have a handful of French, Spanish, and Korean rap songs that I just love to listen to, and I don't know why. Maybe I'm just weird like that. Am I alone on this? Please tell me I'm not alone on this. Anyway, this one doesn't have an official video, and this is the most decent one I could find. The sound quality's pretty good though:

Clazziquai Project - Romeo and Juliet
I'll be posting about my summer soundtrack on my travel blog in a couple of days, so if you're on the hunt for some new music for the summer (a few of the summer classics will be creeping up on that list too, I'm sure of it), go check it out!

Also, I was looking through my archives, and it turns out that four years ago, I had already written a post about my summer soundtrack. Four freaking years ago! Can't believe I've been blogging for that long. Anyway, some of the songs on that list are still on my iPod now and will probably never go away - that's timeless music right there. (It also turns out that I indeed happen to like a rap song that's actually in English - err, just read the post if you're interested to know what song it is.)

Sand and the Sea, Meet In Between.

2010-03-17T04:35:00.002+08:00

Fire and Ice, You and I.

- "We Give In Sometimes", Up Dharma Down

This song is beautiful, and the video is amazing and perfect for the song. I really like Up Dharma Down - it's been years since they released their first album (I remember I was attending my internship in Makati back then, and I would listen to their record during my commute) and I still play it on my iPod every so often.

I'm feeling rough, I'm feeling raw, I'm in the prime of my life.

2010-03-13T04:15:00.000+08:00

So sang MGMT in my personal youth anthem, “Time to Pretend”. I play this song when I’m feeling young, crazy and rebellious. I know it’s really a rather depressing song, but I don’t read into the tragedy in its lyrics.

Almost a quarter has passed into the year I turn a quarter of a century old, and it's been going well so far, actually. Life is pretty good. Not much has changed, except there's a feeling amongst me and my friends (a lot of whom are also turning the big 2-5 this year) of always wanting to do more, of not being so reserved, of not easily saying "no". The weekends seem more precious, so much more precious we're willing to give up sleep to spend more time in them awake. Maybe in the back of our heads, we know we'll need to grow up pretty soon.

The future doesn't look so bad though, and I think I've seen it, in the lives of my older friends. Posh, kid-friendly condos; playing host and hostess to friends and having them over for dinner; long talks about children and businesses and real estate over pasta and wine, instead of pizza and beer; saying goodbye at a little past 11, driving fully sober and not in the least bit tipsy, and home before midnight. I think I could get used to that kind of life, too.

It will have to wait another year, though. Another year at least.

Jump out the window if you are the object of passion.

2010-03-10T04:10:00.000+08:00

Flee it if you feel it. Passion goes, boredom remains.

- Coco Chanel

Replay, Replay, Replay.

2010-03-06T22:25:00.006+08:00

"Replay (Noona, You're So Pretty)" - SHINee

They don't make boybands like they used to.

I've been playing this song over and over since the holidays, when I first heard it (it's a relatively old song though, released in '08, but I got into the whole Kpop thing pretty late). And I love the choreography on this video! Apparently it was done by Rina Nakasone, one of the Harajuku Girls. And SHINee's probably one of the most talented KPop groups out there with like, real talent. Hehe.

And yes, they're not bad to look at either. They're very young though, so for the noonas out there, don't get any ideas. Although with a song called "Noona, You're So Pretty", you'd think these boys wanted you to do exactly that. Tsk tsk tsk. Haha.

I'm not making any sense - just listen to the song! It's got a really nice R&B feel to it. I wish they had English lyrics for this so I could sing along (incidentally, there was one fan who wrote English lyrics to this song's melody, but it wasn't for the whole song, and it was done acoustic, and a little slower).

A Thousand Things.

2010-03-06T03:56:00.000+08:00

Well I've seen a thousand things in one place, but I stopped my counting when I saw your face.

...Suddenly the thousand things I'd seen were nothing more than dreams of you and me.

- "1,000 Things", Jason Mraz

I love the lyrics on this.

Vagabond Dreams

2010-03-03T00:03:00.000+08:00

Someday. But for now, I'm happy with cube-dwelling and quarter-life flashpacking.

Photo from a tweet by Twenty-Something Travel.

Quarter of a Century, Baby!

2010-02-27T00:01:00.000+08:00

Happy 25th birthday Edz! Woot!

This was a picture from that awesome birthday party you threw a few years back. I remember playing a lot of poker and getting really wasted. It was awesome.

Remember when we celebrated our birthdays the year most of us turned 18? It's been seven freaking years since! That's crazy. I can't imagine what it'd be like when we all turn 30 (Carlo's getting a headstart, of course, and will be there in three years. Talk about old. Haha!).

Oh, and I also have your party to thank for this LEGENDARY photo:

One of the many reasons why I'm really glad you were born into this world. Haha!

These Fickle, Fuddled Words Confuse Me.

2010-02-24T04:50:00.000+08:00

...Like "Will it rain today?"

You cannot quit me so quickly
Is no hope in you for me?
No corner you could squeeze me
But I got all the time for you, love
The Space Between
The tears we cry
Is the laughter keeps us coming back for more
The Space Between
The wicked lies we tell
And hope to keep us safe from the pain

- Dave Matthews Band, "The Space Between"

Recipe For An Awesome Weekend.

2010-02-21T15:11:00.003+08:00

Pancakes, bacon and eggs (what do you call Sunday brunch at three o'clock in the afternoon?) with a side of an awesome Friday and Saturday Night (KPop Night at Alchemy on Friday, Waff and Ruben's birthday party on Saturday). A weekend well spent.

Live Like This.

2010-02-20T03:11:00.000+08:00

I've been missing the beach lately. Need to take that road trip to San Juan really really soon.

Photo from The Sartorialist.

Rocking the Samurai Pony.

2010-02-17T10:49:00.002+08:00

SHINee's Minho rocking the Samurai Pony, yeah.

Because he's 19 years old, I'm stopping my commentary right here.

...And maybe ending with this?

Too freaking cute. And he's old enough to be the father of your children, girls, so it's all good.

The Beatles Had It All Figured Out.

2010-02-13T22:02:00.004+08:00

"Look, other bands, they want to make it about sex or pain. But The Beatles, they had it all figured out: I wanna hold your hand. Cause that's what everyone wants. They don't want a 24-hour hump session, they don't wanna marry you for a hundred years. They just wanna hold your hand."

Best piece of love advice if I ever heard one.

Happy Valentine's everyone!

(Not.)

Haha. Kidding. Seriously, have a good one!

Me, spazzing.

2010-01-31T00:40:00.003+08:00

Apparently all knowledge of proper punctuation goes out the window when one spazzes. Exhibit A:

Me to Mabz*: OMG my eyes are tearing up because I so wanna scream and giggle but I can't and I'm holding my breath and I'm just hating how cute these boys are and how gay but incredibly sexy this is and OMG they are actually being paired up and Nichkhun** actually gave Minho*** a flower and chose him like in The Bachelor**** WTF! And there are about a hundred tiny little things that I wanna spaz about in this video but my brain is having a hard time processing all of them and I need to catch my breath. OMG Kpop is totally gonna be the end of me. I will never be sane again!

*Mabz - deceivingly walks, talks, and acts like a sarcastic, man-hating Miranda (Hobbes) clone, but is really a hopeless romantic deep inside. I should've known from her fascination for romance novels. Half of the dreaded duo (Edz makes up the other half) who got me into this mess in the first place. I kind of love them for it.

**Nichkhun - American-born Thai member of South Korean boyband 2PM (international much?). You might've seen him from those Thai Tourism ads as he's their current spokesperson. The hair on the back of his head is always in a mess, like someone's fingers ran through them, and it's the cutest thing. His eyes droop on the side when he smiles and he has a surname I cannot pronounce.

***Minho - member of South Korean boyband SHINee. Is very good with kids, or at least, this particular one. Very very cute boy. Especially cute when his hair is in a messy samurai-esque ponytail, which I firmly believe only Asian guys can pull off. Unfortunately, I cannot find a picture of him in a ponytail, but you can check this out.

****I don't even like The Bachelor, in fact I kind of hate it with a passion, but it came up. So there you go.

Any Given Friday.

2010-01-22T21:36:00.013+08:00

"This is a song about talking to the person that you haven't even met yet. And maybe they're rolling around the hay with someone else but...they're not as good as you'll be. You just gotta wait your turn. She's out there, he's out there, they're just learning what to contrast you against."

- John Mayer, intro to "Love Song For No One"

A friend gave me this version of "Love Song For No One" in college. I can't remember which friend it was - to be honest, I'm not even sure I really got it from a friend. I don't know where I got it. I have songs on my iPod that play randomly and I fall in love with them like I'm hearing them for the first time, and then I realize that I can't even remember how or where I got them. It's actually kind of nice.

But I digress, as I always do. Sorry about that.

Anyway, it's a Friday night, and this song is perfect for Friday nights, and John Mayer's intro on this version is just...poetry, man, so here you go.

(I could've met you in the sandbox, I could've passed you on the sidewalk...)

Photo Credit

On Children.

2010-01-09T01:14:00.002+08:00

Most days, I'm really really fond of them. I like being the "cool ate / tita" they think is all fun and games (to discipline them is for parents, and Lord knows I can't even discipline myself most of the time, so that will have to wait).

And how can you not be fond of them? Meet Jaime and Amelie, two of my favorite kids in the world ever:

They are just so absolutely cute and adorable, I love them!
There are days, however, when I just can't stand them. Or maybe it's not days, but specific children. Case in point, Christmas day 2009. I won't go into details because I have a general rule of not dissing people on the internet (that's only for close friends to hear over beer or some other alcoholic drink), but seriously, I wanted to die. I learned the hard way that ill-behaved kids do not know the meaning of "personal space". I think I blame their parents.

And then there's this video. I was reading through Jason Mraz's blog and found it there. I think it had been going around Facebook prior, but I never bothered to click. I'm glad I did this time, however:

You cannot not find this little boy adorable (sorry for the double negative, but you get what I mean). Anyone with a uterus will agree.

AND THEN THERE'S THIS:

In relation to this.

So the scores remain as such:

I hate kids: 1

I love kids: 89,943

Way to tip the scales, Choi "I Wanna Have Your Babies" Siwon.

And yeah, I wrote this in large part because I needed an excuse to fangirl about him. But seriously - how can anyone not fangirl about him?

Okay, I've run out of excuses. Until next time, then!

The Movie Of Our Lives. My 2009 In Photos.

2010-01-01T09:28:00.001+08:00

In a film, anything’s possible. It’s just a film after all. Everything’s made up. So I hope you’re making up something saucy for your own scenes. Be a “I’m glad I did” instead of an “I wish I had.” Cause from what I’ve seen of it so far, the reviews are worth every bit of the rave.

May love be your wave,
Jason Mraz

I'm doing my year-end post a little differently this year. To everyone who made my 2009 a LEGEN-wait for it-DARY year, cheers to you! And here's to an EPIC 2010!

The Aldous Special!

(Occupational Hazard. Haha.)

The Superficial Decade-Ender List For The 2000s

2009-12-30T20:28:00.031+08:00

I realized rather late (only last week, to be embarrassingly honest and exact) that 2009 marks the end of yet another decade in history. A decade that, as it nears its final hours, is still unfortunately without a name. There was the 70's, the 80's, the 90's - but what of the years from 2000 to 2009? It seems this first decade of the 21st Century (okay, that name obviously isn't going to catch on) has come and gone so quickly that as it ends, mankind still hasn't figured out what to call it.

Perhaps mankind is too busy watching videos on Youtube, or unfriending people on Facebook, or updating their status message with either of those on Twitter. It's insanely difficult to get a consensus when people are on different social networks.

In any case, a decade without a name is still a decade, and thankfully there are other ways to commemorate and remember the years 2000 to 2009 as a collective, such as the list below. I use the rather formal word "commemorate" loosely (and rather misleadingly), because to be quite honest, there is nothing formal and very serious about the following list. This is a personal blog, after all. So I'll leave the serious commemoration and evaluation of this unnamed decade to the likes of Wikipedia or Time magazine, and (hopefully) entertain you with a list for the 2000s inspired by the likes of this. I told you this wouldn't be very serious.

Is it too early to be nostalgic? In any case, I hope you enjoy this random list of superficial things that remind me of the 2000s. What would be on your list?

1. The iPod

I grew up with portable music players - I wasn't old enough to appreciate the boombox when it became popular (although this kind of makes me wish I did), but in the mid-90's I was gifted with a Walkman by a doting aunt. In the late 90's, I had a discman. And so far, at the end of 2009, I've had a handful of iPod units of various kinds and models, not unlike a lot of people from my generation. Yup, I'm definitely going to need a hearing aid when I get older (hopefully though, they would've already discovered a treatment to loss of hearing when that time comes - that's what I always tell myself whenever I turn the volume up on my iPod).

Of course, an iPod is never an iPod without the white earphones:

I also studied and now work in the field of marketing, and the story of the iPod has become a classic case study on innovation based on strong consumer insight. You can just Google that to learn more, if you're interested.

2. Revenge of the Nerds

Geeks are the new rockstars - it's just the way it is (and am I ever so thankful for it!). Bill Gates must have started it in the mid-90's, and the wave just continued on into the following decade. With previously geeks-only franchises like Star Trek and Lord of the Rings invading mainstream consciousness, you were probably living under a rock if you didn't notice or experience some aspect of this - phenomenon? - in the past decade.

These cool geeks even leveled up (geek pun intended) the "sexy" with "smexy" - yes, smexy, as in smart and sexy. I guess in the 2000s, people realized a person could be both.

Of course, this list is about the superficial only (or mostly), so at some point, you had to know that "Revenge of the Nerds" would also end up referring to some very cute and very geeky boys (oh, and a girl too. I don't want the guys reading this to be left out of all the geeky fun):

Adam Brody, aka Seth Cohen! He was probably my first geeky crush.

Shia LaBeouf, post Even Stevens. Yes. It was pretty cool though that he was still very geeky in Transformers.

Michael Cera is probably one of, if not the geekiest leading man of all time, which is why we all love him.

I've noticed a pattern here: promising geeky boy + preppy clothing = WIN.

Geekiness is all the rage nowadays that there's even a hit sitcom about it!
Yey for Big Bang Theory!

And seriously, who can forget this? Chicka Chicka Yeah!

And then there's Tina Fey, Queen of Geeks, in my opinion. She's awesome!

3. The Status Message.

I guess it started with blogging, didn't it? And then everyone just got too lazy or busy and decided using 140 characters would be enough to tell the world what they were thinking or doing.

Here's a random list of my status messages this year:

4. Skinny Jeans

I'm not sure which (cruel) fashion god thought of this one up, but it really caught on. It got so popular that even boys wear them (and it seems the motto is the tighter they are, the better!):

So I could've used pictures of other guys who wear skinny jeans that are much, much tighter than the ones these boys are wearing in order to drive my point further, but Choi Siwon in tight, baby pink pants...I couldn't resist.

(Honestly though, if I were a dude, I'd feel really...exposed, wearing these things. I mean, they reveal so much! Aaaah! It baffles me - although I'm really not complaining. =P)

5. Emo-ness.

Err, yeah, you'll need a teenager to tell you about this one. I never did get into the whole dark eyeliner, "I hate the world so I'll always wear black and write dark poetry" phase. We 90's kids expressed our teen angst in other ways.

I do know the emo bands though! I like Panic! at the Disco (yes I like the exclamation point and it will stay there forever if it were up to me - and yeah, all four of them would still be in one band together too) and Fall Out Boy.

------

So there are plenty more superficial things that remind me of the 2000s, but it's almost 2010 already and I'd really like to get this posted before that happens, so I won't elaborate on them as much, but I'll list them down below:

6. Social Networks.

Need I say more, really?
7. The Youtube Star, or any real-person-turned-celebrity kind of star.

In the 80's/90's, Video Killed the Radio Star. In the 2000s, the internet killed the video star (or something like that). From Susan Boyle to Paris Hilton, in the 2000s the term "celebrity" had a much wider spectrum to cover, with great thanks to the internet, where all the world's a stage indeed, and anyone can be a star in the making.

(That screencap, by the way, is from a music video by Justice for their song "D.A.N.C.E". The video is so awesome - check it out here!)

8. (Digital) Pictures or It Never Happened, i.e. The Art of Camwhoring.

We said goodbye to negatives this decade, and thanks to the digital camera, it's never been easier to take pictures. Add Photoshop or any other editing software into the mix, plus social networks like Facebook for a platform to showcase one's photos in, and it's not difficult to see how conducive this decade was to the art of camwhoring.

I'll make an ironic statement here and not post a picture for this number. Just because. :P

9. Urban Dictionary

With terms like "ROFL", "LOL", "LMAO" (all of which pretty much refer to the same thing), "smexy", "unfriend", "Chrismukkah", "fo shizzle" (yeah I really can't do ghetto, even in writing), one can say that Urban Dictionary played an important role in keeping communication during the 2000s understandable for even the most "out of it" individual.

10. WiFi!

God's gift to every netizen - especially if it's free.

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But wait, there's more! I just had to put these random superficial things on my list as well:

11. Acoustic Nights

This is a trend that lived and (sort of) died on this decade. I remember being a freshman in college, during the first few weeks of school. I'd hear Paolo Santos performing at the restaurant on the ground floor of the building where my dorm was. There were even acoustic nights held on the roofdeck of one of our university's buildings. These days there are still a lot of acoustic gigs everywhere, but they don't get as much attention as they used to, like back in the day - unless of course, you're Jason Mraz. :)

12. Flip Flops / Havaianas

13. Budget airfare in the Philippines (YES!)

14. The rebirth of Chuck Taylors

15. Leggings / Tights

16. The Blair Band

17. The Comeback of Aging (Western) Boybands (this is just too hilarious, and...odd, I just had to put this in here somewhere)

18. DVDs

19. Sex and the City. If the 90's = Girl Power = The Spice Girls, then 2000's = Girl Power = Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha.

20. The continuously shrinking mobile phone. This is so painfully obvious, but I was running out of things to include, so it gets the last spot on this list.

---------

If somehow you're still in need of more lists to commemorate the decade that was (don't worry, you're not alone - making and looking into lists is apparently a human survival instinct, or something like that), here are some other (superficial) ones that I stumbled upon:

Rotten Tomatoes has a pretty comprehensive list of the decade's best movies (props to "High Fidelity" - it was one of the best R-rated movies of the decade!)

Paste Magazine also has an insanely extensive archive of "best of the decade" lists here.

A Boy Named Squall and FFVIII, Ten Years On

2009-12-28T15:32:00.004+08:00

You know you were a teen in the late 90's-early 2000 if you played (and loved) Final Fantasy VIII.

A friend got me reminiscing about Final Fantasy VIII today. I spent many a summer day playing that game, attempting to level up and acquire all the Guardian Forces I could (in the end I cheated and used a friend's Gameshark to get it done, haha).

Of course, the single definitive driving force behind me playing the game was a boy named Squall Leonhart.

Incidentally, crushing on Squall and consequently playing FFVIII got me close to a number of boys in real life, too. Whereas video games made guys nerdy and awkward around girls in real life (this was Pre-Seth Cohen, i.e., geeks didn't have the status and awesomeness they have now), it seemed that video games made the girls who played them pretty approachable, and maybe a little cool (I was also pretty damn skilled in CounterStrike, fyi). Haha.

I Wiki-ed Final Fantasy VIII today and realized it's been ten years since it came out. FFVIII is a decade old! Unbelievable. I can't say I don't feel a little older at the thought. I also never knew that it was actually first released on September 9, 1999, which is also my birthday! Serendipitous and awesome, if I say so myself.

Random Snippets of (Chat) Conversation.

2009-12-28T00:30:00.003+08:00

Me: there seem to be none around though huhu (referring to decent, likable-enough, boyfriend-material guys)
Edell: oo nga
Edell: asan ba cla?
Edell: i bet with the wrong girls
Me: I BET!
Edell: or the right gays.

I nearly fell off my chair laughing. This is why I love my friends (among many other reasons).

Merry Jolly Holidays!

2009-12-25T00:01:00.002+08:00

This one's from last year, but I didn't get to post it then, so I'm using it this year. Funniest, dorkiest holiday greeting video ever, in my opinion. Happy holidays everyone! :)

The Last Harvest.

2009-12-19T01:43:00.000+08:00

"My grandfather was born and raised on our New Zealand farm. He and my grandmother were married nearly 60 years. Preparing for a photo in the barley, my grandmother lovingly reached up to adjust his hat. This was his last harvest."

From here

Excuse My Fangirling (Part Two).

2009-12-15T01:49:00.001+08:00

Meet Choi Siwon.

In this fan video, he becomes Choi "I Wanna Have Your Babies" Siwon.

The best part? Apparently he's a devout Christian. Some boys just have it all.

Oh, and I still blame Mabz and Edz for all this.

Buddha Knows Best.

2009-12-12T05:00:00.000+08:00

From here

You go, girl. Z Snap

2009-12-11T01:22:00.000+08:00

Me: Hey, so if I date someone who probably won't be as hot as Kibum but will "reek of playah" as much, you'd tell me right?
Mabz: Of course I will
Me: Awww :)
Mabz: Well siguro if it gets serious saka ko na sasabihin
Me: Haha oo nga tama yan, let me have my fun :P

Like I said, I may be an awesome wingman, but you, Mabz, are a true friend. Haha! :P

A Murderess In A Million-Dollar Dress.

2009-12-09T10:18:00.000+08:00

Excuse My Fangirling.

2009-12-05T21:46:00.004+08:00

An open letter to two of my best friends and their worst influence:

Dear Mabz and Edz,

I still maintain that this here is all your fault. You've made a fangirl out of me. I am losing my awesomeness by the minute.

To be fair though, I got you into Twilight. So I guess I deserve this. I guess now we're even.

I propose a night of drinks and partying to bury these fangirling tendencies and keep them back on lock and key, at least for the foreseeable future. A viewing of "Fight Club" or "Kill Bill Vol. 1" will bring back the lost awesomeness too. How is Saturday for you? Holler back.

Sincerely,
Daene, newly-inducted KPop fangirl. I don't know who I am anymore. Help.

More Than A Two-Tag Generation Full Of Regret.

2009-11-14T05:00:00.001+08:00

"Fingerprints" - Katy Perry

Today is Katy Perry day, woot!

Inspire Me Monday: Color.

2009-08-31T00:02:00.002+08:00

Mondays are always a drag. But seeing as there's no work today, I thought I'd add to the happiness of this special Monday with vibrant colors:

From Here.

Paris Je T'aime

"When The Sun Comes Up" By Steve Appleton Drops Today!

www.steveappletonmusic.com

From Here

From Here

A Change Is Gonna Come.

2009-08-21T15:24:00.003+08:00

Watch this space! :)

Fell In Love With A Boy...

2009-08-14T08:07:00.000+08:00

...named Steve Appleton. Posting some new music for the weekend!

What's with guys who play guitar? Girls are just suckers for that I think. And with that, meet dirty-blonde, guitar-wielding British boy Steve Appleton.

I was driving to Manila really early Monday morning and heard this song on the radio, and I've been listening to it since. I reckon it'll be on repeat on my stereo right into the weekend. It's my new driving song!

His album drops August 31. Best to love him now before he gets really popular...which he probably will! Tween girls will be all over him I'm sure - hopefully not the way they are with the Jonas Brothers, though, because that'll ruin him for everybody else! Haha.

Real Men Wear Nice Clothes

2009-08-10T05:00:00.002+08:00

Here's a post for a bit of inspiration on a Monday morning.

Above pictures from The Sartorialist, who lives his life, it seems, in a world where everyone is beautiful and dresses impeccably. If only we should all be so lucky.

(500) Days of Summer

2009-08-08T18:58:00.003+08:00

Looks cute! I wanna watch it. :)

Paper Heart

2009-08-08T14:08:00.003+08:00

Prince of Geek Michael Cera and the stoned girl in Knocked Up? I wanna watch baaad!

Farewell, President Corazon Aquino

2009-08-05T18:28:00.003+08:00

Remembering a Filipino Icon

2009-08-01T14:03:00.003+08:00

That's me in the picture, a baby in yellow and sporting an "I Love Ninoy" bandana - I guess my mom got me into the activism spirit very early in life (that's her carrying me in the picture. Unfortunately, I didn't quite grow up to be a social activist, but that is perhaps for a whole other post).

I grew up being told of the victory and the memory of the People Power Revolution, and about the woman who has been the living symbol of that revolution. Now that Cory Aquino has passed on, the Philippines mourns the loss of an extraordinary woman, a quiet yet brave and resolute heroine of democracy and the Filipino people. But I think I would like to remember her as a devout, God-fearing human being who was given an opportunity to change her country for the better - and this after a painful loss to her family - which she took unwaveringly, knowing it would be difficult, knowing it would post a danger to her life, knowing she could easily turn the opportunity down to live a comfortable, quiet life in the shadows and out of the spotlight.

I guess the question we have to ask ourselves now is, when have we ever made a choice that would've entailed a huge personal sacrifice for the benefit of others? And for every Filipino to have an answer to that question is probably the best way we as a people could remember a true Filipino icon. RIP Corazon Aquino.

Post-It Love

2009-07-28T21:17:00.003+08:00

Cute office romance :)

Tan Hong Ming In Love

2009-07-24T20:17:00.004+08:00

Quite possibly the cutest, most adorable, most genuine ad ever. And it sends a very powerful message!

Before This Gets Overplayed: Cobra Starship feat. Leighton Meester - "Good Girls Go Bad"

2009-07-24T19:28:00.003+08:00

Pretty bitchin' song. Haha. The whole rap/cheer thing towards the end kind of sucks though. But otherwise, Gabe Saporta + Leighton Meester = Win.

Siem Reap, Cambodia (Day 2)

2009-07-22T21:18:00.006+08:00

My second post about the Siem Reap, Cambodia leg of our Vietnam-Cambodia trip is up, hope you can head on over to Filipina on Flip Flops to check it out!

I've been neglecting this blog, I know, but to be perfectly honest, I haven't been doing much of late apart from corporate marketing stuff (that I wouldn't want to talk about and I'm probably not allowed to talk about so publicly as well), trying to fix my travel blog, and the occasional drinking and seeing friends (in that order, haha!). Updates to come when I'm back on the road and my life gets interesting again, promise!

Siem Reap, Cambodia, Day 1 (April 5, 2009)

2009-07-12T14:28:00.003+08:00

My second post about our epic summer trip to Vietnam and Cambodia is up! Hope you can check it out at Filipina on Flip Flops.

Before This Gets Overplayed: Katy Perry - "Waking Up In Vegas"

2009-05-09T08:33:00.003+08:00

Back from the craziness of summer! I love driving to this song.

I'm working on my Cambodia-Vietnam blog post, will publish when ready. 'Till then!

Blogging From Vietnam

2009-04-10T08:03:00.004+08:00

Waiting for Jen and Tiff to get ready so we can have breakfast and explore Hoi An in Vietnam (a place that has been a very pleasant surprise - but more on that next time). I don't have a lot of time so I'll make this short and sweet.

So the Cambodia-Vietnam trip is going pretty darn well, I must say! I really could get used to this traveling thing - since last Friday when we flew out from Manila to Ho Chi Minh City, we have so far stayed in four different hotels in four different cities, crossed over a border and back, had two flights and countless bus rides, eaten in easily a dozen restaurants, met up with two college friends, racked up so many kilometers by land, air, and a bit of water - and we're not even halfway through the entire trip! I've gotten so used to being constantly on the go, have gotten the hang of how to lug around my luggage quickly and efficiently over airports and bus stops and scanning machines at immigration. Our three-day sojourn into Siem Reap has been the longest we've stayed in any one place - after that, we have yet to stay in the same hotel in two consecutive nights. And I strangely like this feeling - does that make me weird? I don't know what that says about me, but I really could get used to this traveling thing. I enjoy the constant change in scenery, the come and go from one place to another. It's refreshing.

I'd love to post pictures but I'm using the hotel computer and I don't want to plug in my memory card for fear of getting it infected by a virus. Strange computers and memories on flimsy memory cards do not mix, so I'll wait until I get back to Manila to upload the pictures.

Jen is already here and we're going to have breakfast, so until my next post, wherever I may be by then!

Sometimes I Just Want To Get Inspired: Jason Mraz - Live High

2009-03-19T19:35:00.004+08:00

Just take it easy
And celebrate the malleable reality
See, nothing is ever as it seems
This life is but a dream

If Jason Mraz could be summed up in just one song, I think this would be it. Beautiful and inspiring lyrics, awesome vocals = a great song to listen to if you need a quick pick-me-up.

Jason Mraz - "Live High"

Sometimes I Just Want To Get Inspired: The Venn Diagram of Life.

2009-03-14T07:20:00.000+08:00

How often do you stray from the intersection?

Picture from Flickr.

I think there's merit in staying in the part of the "Things That Make Life More Worthwhile and Interesting" circle that doesn't overlap with the "Comfort Zone" every now and then. Bungee jumping in Macau by end August, anyone? :)

Geek for Geek on American Late Night

2009-03-12T06:00:00.002+08:00

I've always had a thing for Conan O'Brien and his brand of self-deprecating humor. He's a very attractive and funny kind of geek - the kind I like, hehe. Last week, "Late Night" said goodbye to Conan and welcomed another geek to host the show. Enter Jimmy Fallon of SNL fame - geeky in an awkward, endearing and funny kind of way. Tiff and I both love these guys (we're geek-lovers that way), and it really sucks that Late Night with Conan / Jimmy is only available on Jack TV in the Philippines, which Sky Cable doesn't have. Boo. I guess I have to resort to YouTube now. So for starters, here are Jimmy's and Conan's first ever opening intros for Late Night. Ah, geek love. :)

Talk Shop For Two Minutes.

2009-03-10T06:06:00.000+08:00

I work for a company that made it to the top ten of Fortune Magazine's List of the World's Most Admired Companies. I think my company deserves it, and I feel very fortunate and immensely thankful to be working for a company that takes care of its people and lives by a strong credo. This reaffirms my belief that you don't have to become a sell-out to be in corporate. And that is the best realization of all.

These are the things I've thought about, silly boy, you're often thought about in waves.

2009-03-07T16:21:00.005+08:00

Summer is here, I can totally feel it.

At Bo's in Bonifacio High Street, taking advantage of the free WiFi, conferencing with Tiff and Jen and making plans for our Vietnam-Cambodia trip, which is LESS THAN A MONTH AWAY! I'm freaking excited. We're almost done with the planning and just need to book all our packages, transpo and accommodations. I was worried 15 days would be too long a trip, but as it turns out, it's not nearly long enough to explore two countries! To think we were even planning to visit Laos too! Alas, there will be other trips in the future.

I stepped out of the house this morning and almost immediately felt the scorching heat. It's so hot out today it's insane! I realize now that Edell's random invite to go to the beach yesterday would've been a really good idea, because today seems like a great day to be at the beach, but I promised myself I would not make plans this weekend on account of the million and one "extracurricular" things I have to do and all the rest I need. I guess I can save the beach trips for the coming weeks, when I finally get my car! Yay!

I had my iPod on shuffle this morning and this song came on. It was very timely too since this is one of my favorite summer songs. Sometimes I think my iPod is smart enough to a) know how I'm feeling and b) play songs that would match those feelings. I'm just weird like that.

I'm not fond of this music video though. Maybe after my trips this summer I'll make a video collage of the nice pictures I took and make my very own "Waves" video. That would be nice, for me anyway. But do watch the video so you can listen to the song and fall in love with it like I have!

Marjorie Fair - 'Waves'

In other news, my friend Edell's online store, Love Me Vintage, has been featured in the Philippine Daily Inquirer! You can check out the online article here or visit the store here. Congrats dude!

Girl Be Mine - Francis Magalona (RIP)

2009-03-07T11:44:00.005+08:00

Master Rapper Francis Magalona Passes Away at 44

This is my favorite song of his. I have it on my iPod, and I remember having a difficult time finding a version of it on mp3, because I think this song came out way before CDs.

I saw one of his other videos earlier today on MTV. They have a subtle tribute to him with the MTV logo - a simple reminder of what the Philippine music scene lost yesterday. He will be missed.

100 Best Music Videos #1: Video Killed The Radio Star (The Buggles)

2009-03-06T23:37:00.001+08:00

A few years back I started a blog called 100 Best Music Videos, but my commitment issues and ADHD kept me from pushing through with it. Besides, managing too many blogs can become a pain. It doesn't change the fact, however, that I do enjoy watching music videos and I have a pretty long list of the ones I really like. So I thought I'd start over and post my favorite videos here. I don't know if the list will reach a hundred - so why don't we find out? Let's start with this one (and since this was also the first video I posted on that 100BMV blog, I'm copying and pasting the description I had written for it here):

"Video Killed The Radio Star"
The Buggles
The Age of Plastic

We jumpstart the 100 Best Music Videos blog with the first video ever aired on MTV, ironically titled "Video Killed the Radio Star". First shown on MTV when the channel debuted on August 01, 1981, the song's catchy melody and the video's quirky and "futuristic" elements make for a memorable music video and a fitting forefather to all music videos aired thereafter.

A bit of trivia: when it was aired on February 27, 2000, "Video Killed The Radio Star" also became the millionth video to be shown on MTV.

You've Got Mail And Being A Geek This Week

2009-03-05T18:14:00.006+08:00

A random post on the commonplace (ir)responsibilities of a so-called "grown-up" and my plans to become a Geek This Week. Hey that rhymes!

I forgot to check my mailbox for like two months. When I finally got to doing it a few days back, I found a stack of mail, envelope upon envelope just waiting to be opened. Mostly they were bills waiting to be paid. I also got two notices from the post office telling me to pick up a parcel (not sure if both referred to the same parcel or to two different ones). I don't know about anyone from anywhere who has sent me anything recently. And I haven't the time to actually go to the post office (Where is the post office to begin with?). Free time's a bitch when you don't have any.

In other news, I'm super excited to get my car! It will take 22 days apparently. Working or non-working? I'm not sure. I promise to take care of it as if it were my baby. Regular car washes and no scratches if I can help it!

Need to play tennis tomorrow, I haven't worked out in ages!

I will not go out this weekend. Unless someone invites me. But I will not initiate it. I will not make plans. Must keep myself from text-blasting friends! I think I need a break, just to rest. I could use a good 12 hours of sleep. I've got Slumdog Millionaire and The Big Bang Theory to keep me company.

You're Just A Line In A Song.

2009-03-03T06:44:00.002+08:00

I really love to hate this
Love-hate, hate-love
Relationships are overrated

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

Sunday Morning Stories

2009-03-01T11:32:00.005+08:00

Breakfast is best served at 11 o'clock on a lazy (and late) Sunday morning, when you're feeling sleepy and giddy at the same time, and you don't know how that's even possible, but that's how you feel. Your hair still smells faintly of cigarette smoke (even if you already washed it twice that morning) but you take it as a worthy trade-off for a lot of fun and dancing, so you aren't in the least bit irritated, and get over it quickly. You're in your casual Sunday best but your feet hurt and you know it's because of the heels you wore (and danced with) just a few hours prior. Most important of all, you've yet to get over the crazy Saturday night you just had with your girlfriends.

Over a plate of pancakes, bacon and eggs and a cup of hot chocolate, I would love to write about the really funny (note that it was "funny" and not just "fun") Saturday night I had with Mabz and Edell this week in detail, but a) I've got work to do so I don't have a lot of time to blog; and b) to write in detail would mean giving out, obviously, a lot of details, and I don't want to get into trouble :). The following are as much as I can say for now:

- We got all dressed up and tried to look our cultured and artistic best and watched "I Love You Because" by Repertory Philippines at OnStage Greenbelt, and it was a lot of fun! You should go see it, they only have shows until next week! (Also, we ran into Trisha and Zyra, who watched the play as well. Talk about random!)
- Promotion dinner and a round of drinks at Fez (yay for cocolychee!)
- A couple more rounds of drinks and dancing at Piedra
- The perks of Edell's newly banged hair (I'm so proud of you Edz you sure know how to work it!)
- Running into random people: a highschool classmate, a highschool teacher (inside Piedra!), a college classmate and schoolmates!
- Meeting new people. ROFL.
- NOT meeting new people. Well, just that one person really.
- I only knew what this word meant in theory, until last night. I guess it's not easy being a guy sometimes. That moment was hilarious.

The best part was when the world stopped when "Single Ladies" came on. I mean, seriously - you're on the dancefloor with two fabulous girlfriends, it's a Saturday night, and "Single Ladies" comes on. What else can you do? It would be a shame if you didn't drop everything (or everyone else) in order to put your hands up and dance with your girlfriends! And we're just funny and single like that. Hahaha.

Someday when I'm old and mature I will read this post and laugh at how silly my twenty-something self was. Until then, I will revel in the twisted abandon of youth for as long as I feel like it.

Also, the pancakes at Bo's Coffee are awesome!

Sometimes I Just Want To Get Inspired: The Excuse For Your Company.

2009-03-01T07:45:00.001+08:00

The Excuse for Your Company

I was wondering if you had a second. To talk about anything at all.
------

I love the site where I got this from. His writing and photos are just vague enough that one is able to read whatever he may like into them. His entries can be interpreted in a spectrum of ways and therein lies their magic - it's amazing how ambiguity can spark such definite emotions in people.

Now I want to write.

(I'm think I'm going to regularly post things that inspire me, starting with this one.)

In The Wake of Saturday

2009-02-27T22:43:00.000+08:00

- Work-related event, call time 7 am (I know right? *dies* But hey, I just got promoted and just got my bonus so I really shouldn't complain!)

- A little retail therapy. I haven't done this in ages, or at least it feels that way. I'm not much of a shopper to begin with but I'm really running out of nice clothes and shoes to wear.

- Watching a play called "I Love You Because..." with Mabz and Edell, which is supposed to be a modern twist of sorts to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Should be interesting!

- Dinner and drinks with the girls and Aldous!

I need to find a way to sneak in a bit of writing time in there too. I just can't figure out how to do it...

I miss waking up on a Saturday, drumming my fingers on my chin and just thinking to myself, "Hmmm...what can I do today?" My life has been so freaking structured of late that the Free Spirit version of myself is getting a little rattled. I'll need to let her loose one of these days.

And yes, I'm just schizo like that.

Oh, the wait was so worth it...

2009-02-27T00:17:00.000+08:00

Jason Mraz - Beautiful Mess (Nobel Peace Prize Concert 2008)

This one's for Edell, friend and fellow Jason Mraz fan, on her 24th birthday! Happy birthday dude! :)

And this song is just...wow. The lyrics on this are just amazing.

And through timeless words and priceless pictures
We'll fly like birds not of this earth
And tides they turn and hearts disfigure
But that's no concern when we're wounded together
And we tore our dresses and stained our shirts
But it's nice today...oh, the wait was so worth it...

No freaking way.

2009-02-25T21:37:00.002+08:00

I've been thinking about that song all day today and yesterday!

So Long, Sneaky Chatbox Pop-Up Ad.

2009-02-24T20:23:00.003+08:00

Another geeky post.

I was really getting annoyed at the Travian pop-up ad that would show up every freaking time I refreshed my blog. The worst part was that I couldn't find the script it belonged to amidst all the third party scripts installed on my blog. I finally found the very sneaky widget that caused it, though - it was the freaking chatbox! So I had to get rid of that. Good riddance.

Where the chatbox used to be there is now a new playlist widget. I used MyFlashFetish before but it didn't have a lot of the songs I wanted. Grooveshark seems to be way better, with a bigger song database - if anything, it has the "Love Is Colder Than Death" version of The Virgins that I couldn't find anywhere else online. Click "play" on the sidebar and give some songs a listen - the prized Virgins song is track 2, but don't skip on track 1 - "You and Me Song" by The Wannadies was going to be my wedding song, until Tori Spelling used it on her awful reality show. The song's not completely off the list yet considering it'll surely be a few more years before my wedding day (granted I need to find a boyfriend first, lol) - by then I'm pretty sure everyone would have forgotten about that hideous TV show already, and "You And Me Song" would be quirky-cool again.

Oh gosh, and track 3, "Maps" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs....oh my goodness. Beautiful song. I love it.

Shuffle Me A Love Song

2009-02-23T23:40:00.002+08:00

A few days ago I was working and listening to my iPod on shuffle mode. This beautiful song came on, and I couldn't for the life of me remember when I heard it first or where I got it from:

William Tell - Just For You

I kind of like it when that happens. Serendipitously awesome.

We Are Living In Exponential Times

2009-02-20T20:45:00.002+08:00

"Did You Know?", end-2008 version

Geeky post! A friend sent me this video a few weeks back. I thought it was very interesting, and slightly disturbing, especially the one about the supercomputer that will exceed the computational capabilities of the human brain and the USD1,000 computer that will exceed the computational capabilities of the entire human species. Makes you wonder if the technology the human race builds will one day be too smart to be bossed around by its maker. Talk about crossing the realm of science fiction. Do you think we need to evolve as quickly as technology's evolving?

Which fact/s in this video did you find most interesting?

Rockville, CA Premieres March 17, 2009

2009-02-17T20:15:00.002+08:00

Josh Schwartz is at it again - and after The OC and Gossip Girl, I'm still up for his teen television drama antics. After all, he's always had good taste in music (Rooney and The Virgins, anyone?), even if his TV shows start out really awesome and interesting, but wind up with all these twisted and messed up plots, as if they were cheesy soap operas - which they kind of are, if you think about it. Cheesy soap operas with younger, better looking actors, better cinematography, realistic sets, and awesome music.

This show's bound to be a treasure trove of awesome bands and artists, starting off with this list:

* Kaiser Chiefs
* Phantom Planet
* Travis
* The Duke Spirit
* Eagles of Death Metal
* Earlimart
* Frightened Rabbit
* The Kooks
* The Little Ones
* Lykke Li
* Nico Stai
* Passion Pit
* White Lies
* Anya Marina
* Bishop Allen
* The Broken West
* Cass McCombs
* Lights
* Oppenheimer
* The Republic Tigers

Beta site for the show here. The Douche. I'm already laughing. Hope this show doesn't turn out to be an epic fail, because other than How I Met Your Mother, there hasn't been much good television of late.

D Is For Dazed And Confused

2009-02-17T19:15:00.001+08:00

Tagged by Echo!

Rules: It's harder than it looks! Copy to your own note, erase my answers, enter yours, and tag 10 people. Use the first letter of your name to answer each of the following questions. They have to be real. . .nothing made up! If the person before you had the same first initial, you must use different answers. You cannot use any word twice and you can't use your name for the boy/girl name question.

1. What is your name: Daene (I googled "Dane" a long time ago - that's how my nickname used to be spelled, as dictated by my parents, but I opted for the real spelling by the time I went to college...anyway that wasn't my point! - and apparently it means "God Will Judge" in Hebrew. When I google "Daene", on the other hand, I get heaps of results on this vineyard, which is pretty awesome)

2. A four Letter Word: Dork!

3. A boy's Name: Dane (No kidding, it really is a boy's name!)

4. A girl's Name: Dina

5. An occupation: Dodgeball Player (lol)

6. A color: errr...Dark Orange? Orange you glad you're reading this meme right now?

7. Something (you) to wear: Dainty Loafers (I changed the "you" to "to" because I haven't got a pair of dainty loafers...it would be nice to be given a pair though)

8. A food: Dairy Queen Blizzard!

9. Something found in the bathroom: Don't-Ask-Where-Your-Roommate-Uses-This Shaver (rofl I couldn't think of anything okay and it's more fun this way!)

10. A place: Darfur (you may not have George Clooney's good looks, but you can have the same cause by visiting this site)

11. A reason for being late: Dog ate my homework! (I miss school sometimes); Don't reprimand my tardiness so that I don't tell the boss about you stealing office supplies (that's the jackass reason that's really not a reason lol)

12. Something you shout: Damn the man! Save the Empire! (who knows where this is from?)

13. A movie title: Dazed and Confused (awesome, awesome movie by Richard Linklater! Also check out "Before Sunrise" and "Before Sunset" and "School of Rock" - all from the same director - hey that's another D!)

14. Something you drink: Dirty Silk Panties (I'm not kidding, it exists!)

15. A musical group: Dandy Warhols

16. An animal: Duckling

17. A street name: Dainty Street (again, I'm not making this up)

18. A type of car: (Lamborghini) Diablo

19. A song title: DISLOYAL ORDER OF WATER BUFFALOES Baby! Detox Just to Retox!

20. A verb: Disarm (The Smashing Pumpkins have a nice song of the same name, too)

I've Seen 84 Out Of 239 Films

2009-02-17T19:05:00.000+08:00

Tagged by Echo! How this one goes is simple - you just need to check off the movies you've seen from the list. I thought I'd make this more fun (for myself) by putting random side comments to some of the movies I've seen. :)

Onward then! To be honest, I thought I'd get a higher number - there was a point in college when Edell and I, fellow dormers, would have movie night every week.

Oh, and I tag camp brat on this one! :)

() Rocky Horror Picture Show

() Grease

() Pirates of the Caribbean

(X) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest

() Boondock Saints

(X) Fight Club (Waaaaah! One of my favourite movies EVERRRRR! Read the book too and it was also awesome. For months I've had "Invisible Monsters" on my book lineup but I haven't had the time to get to reading again...will do so soon though!)

() Starsky and Hutch

(X) Neverending Story (OMG the big flying dog. LOL)

() Blazing Saddles

() Airplane

Total: 3

() The Princess Bride (I have the DVD upon recommendation of a friend but I haven't seen it yet in full!)

() Anchorman

() Napoleon Dynamite

() Labyrinth

() Saw

() Saw II

() White Noise

()White Oleander

() Anger Management

(X) 50 First Dates

() The Princess Diaries

(X) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement

Total so far: 5

(X) Scream

(X) Scream 2

(X) Scream 3

() Scary Movie

() Scary Movie 2

() Scary Movie 3

() Scary Movie 4

() American Pie

() American Pie 2

() American Wedding

() American Pie Band Camp

Total so far: 8

(X) Harry Potter 1

(X) Harry Potter 2

(X) Harry Potter 3

(X) Harry Potter 4

(X) Resident Evil 1

() Resident Evil 2

(X) The Wedding Singer

() Little Black Book

(X) The Village (I wouldn't have wanted to watch this to be honest, but it was one of those movie nights with the family and it was my little brother's turn to choose the movie. Gah)

(X) Lilo & Stitch

Total so far: 16

(X) Finding Nemo (This movie is soooo adorable! Well, everybody knows that.)

() Finding Neverland

() Signs

() The Grinch

() Texas Chainsaw Massacre

() Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning

(X) White Chicks (Totally changed my opinion of "A Thousand Miles". Hahaha).

() Butterfly Effect

(X) 13 Going on 30

(X) I, Robot

() Robots

Total so far: 20

(X) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (one good no-brainer movie, hehe)

() Universal Soldier

(X) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events

(X) Along Came Polly

(X) Deep Impact

() KingPin

(X) Never Been Kissed

(X) Meet The Parents

(X) Meet the Fockers

() Eight Crazy Nights

() Joe Dirt

() KING KONG

Total so far: 27

(X) A Cinderella Story (I remember, this was a movie I watched with my girlfriends in college. Cheesy as hell, but I was with good company so it was okay.)

(X) The Terminal

() The Lizzie McGuire Movie

() Passport to Paris

() Dumb & Dumber

() Dumber & Dumberer

(X) Final Destination

(X) Final Destination 2

(X) Final Destination 3

() Halloween

(X) The Ring

(X) The Ring 2

() Surviving X -MAS

() Flubber

Total so far: 34

() Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle (as much as I have a crush on "Harold", I've yet to actually see this movie in full! I only saw bits and pieces at different times)

(X) Practical Magic

(X) Chicago (love this movie!)

(X) Ghost Ship (Goodness. I can't believe I wasted 1+ hours on this movie. It was one of those night outs with other dormers and one of them picked this out. If only I could turn back time!)

() From Hell

() Hellboy

() Secret Window

() I Am Sam

() The Whole Nine Yards

() The Whole Ten Yards

Total so far: 37

(X) The Day After Tomorrow (watched this with my mom - she's a huge Dennis Quaid fan)

() Child's Play

() Seed of Chucky

(X) Bride of Chucky (this was the one with Jennifer Tilly right? I don't know what we were thinking seeing this movie. It was just weird and gross.)

(X) Ten Things I Hate About You (One of my two favorite teen movies, the other is Mean Girls! I just thought the humour on this movie was very smart, esp. for a teen movie. Oh Heath!)

() Just Married

() Gothika

() Nightmare on Elm Street

() Sixteen Candles (I have a copy of this but I still haven't seen it in full! Will do so soon though I promise)

() Remember the Titans

() Coach Carter

() The Grudge

() The Grudge 2

() The Mask

() Son Of The Mask

Total so far: 40

(X) Bad Boys (hell yeah, Will Smith baby!)

(X) Bad Boys 2

() Joy Ride

() Lucky Number Sevin

(x) Ocean's Eleven (I loooooove the Ocean's movies! Totally cool.)

(x) Ocean's Twelve

() Bourne Identity

() Bourne Supremacy

() Lone Star

() Bedazzled

() Predator I

() Predator II

() The Fog

(X) Ice Age

(X) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown

() Curious George

Total so far: 46

(X) Independence Day

() Cujo

() A Bronx Tale

() Darkness Falls

() Christine

(X) ET

() Children of the Corn

(X) My Bosses Daughter

(X) Maid in Manhattan

(X) War of the Worlds

(X) Rush Hour ("Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?" I used to have trouble figuring out Chris Tucker from Chris Rock)

() Rush Hour 2

Total so far: 52

() Best Bet

(X) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

() She's All That

() Calendar Girls

() Sideways

(X) Mars Attacks

() Event Horizon

(X) Ever After

() Wizard of Oz

(X) Forrest Gump

() Big Trouble in Little China

() The Terminator

() The Terminator 2

() The Terminator 3

Total so far: 56

() X-Men

(X) X-2

(X) X-3

(X) Spider-Man

(X) Spider-Man 2

() Sky High

() Jeepers Creepers

() Jeepers Creepers 2

(X) Catch Me If You Can

(X) The Little Mermaid

(X) Freaky Friday

() Reign of Fire

() The Skulls

(X) Cruel Intentions (I thought this movie was very very cool, albeit very naughty. Fell in love with Ryan Philippe.)

() Cruel Intentions 2

() The Hot Chick

(X) Shrek

(X) Shrek 2

Total so far: 66

() Swimfan

() Miracle on 34th street

() Old School

() The Notebook

() K-Pax

() Krippendorf's Tribe

(X) A Walk to Remember

() Ice Castles

() Boogeyman

(X) The 40-year-old Virgin

Total so far: 68

(X) Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring

(X) Lord of the Rings The Two Towers

(X) Lord of the Rings Return Of the King

() Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark

() Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

() Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Total so far: 71

() Baseketball

() Hostel

() Waiting for Guffman

() House of 1000 Corpses

() Devils Rejects

() Elf

() Highlander

() Mothman Prophecies

() American History X (This is the one with Ed Norton right? I want to see this!)

() Thor

Total so Far: 71

() The Jacket

() Kung Fu Hustle

() Shaolin Soccer

() Night Watch

(X) Monsters Inc.

(X) Titanic

() Monty Python and the Holy Grail

() Shaun Of the Dead

() Willard

Total so far: 73

() High Tension

() Club Dread

() Hulk

(X) Dawn Of the Dead

() Hook

(X) Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe

() 28 days later

() Orgazmo

() Phantasm

() Waterworld

Total so far: 75

(X) Kill Bill vol 1 (I think I saw this movie 5 times at the cinema. I LOVE this one!)

(X) Kill Bill vol 2

(X) Mortal Kombat

() Wolf Creek

() Kingdom of Heaven

() The Hills Have Eyes

() I Spit on Your Grave aka the Day of the Woman

() The Last House on the Left

() Re-Animator

() Army of Darkness

Total so far: 78

(X) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace

(X) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones

(X) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith

() Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope

() Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back

() Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi

() Ewoks Caravan Of Courage

() Ewoks The Battle For Endor

Total so far: 81

(X) The Matrix

(X) The Matrix Reloaded

(X) The Matrix Revolutions

() Animatrix

() Evil Dead

() Evil Dead 2

() Team America: World Police

() Red Dragon

() Silence of the Lambs

() Hannibal

Total so far: 84

Will Write For The Right To Travel: The Last Weekend, Part 1!

2009-02-15T23:51:00.002+08:00

My roadtrip to Pampanga and back with Mabz and Edz last year. We went to a church half-buried in lahar and another one that's known as "The Sistine Chapel of the Philippines". Read about it here and catch Part 2 soon!

Hung Up On The Wentz Much? / What's Your W.A.M.S.?

2009-02-15T22:36:00.006+08:00

So I still can't get over the Fall Out Boy concert last Friday, and tonight, taking a break from my freelance frenzy, I sent a text message to Mazie, fellow concert-goer:

Me: I'm hung up on Fall Out Boy. Let's make guesses at what "w.a.m.s." stands for. Hurry, hurry! You put my head in such a flurry, flurry! Hahaha.

Maze: Me too! Hmm...What A Miserable Sadist. Bwahaha!

Me: That was fast, and insanely random! I love it! I can't even think of anything! Haha!

Maze: Well, all their titles are random and do not have any relation whatsoever to the lyrics. Haha! Hmm...Wonderfully Awesome Mood for Suicide. Wahaha!

Me: Omg! What A Morbid Sentiment. Haha!

Maze: Haha! Random nga. What are your guesses?

Me: We Are Mournful Sluts! (obviously not "we" as in us, and totally not referring to anyone! hehe)

I actually read somewhere that it actually means "We All Mean Something". In any case, I think it's more fun to make up your own meaning! So what's yours? :)

So Long Live The Car-Crash Heart! Cry On The Couch 'Till The Poets Come To Life.

2009-02-14T17:54:00.007+08:00

Here's a pretty awesome feeling: it's the day of the concert you've been waiting to see for weeks, possibly even months. The opening act has done its job - it's played its songs to warm up the crowd, in the hopes that one day another up-and-coming band will do this same job for them, and they in turn will be the ones the crowd actually pays to see. There's a buzz of anticipation going around, and you're unconsciously tapping your feet to the random music that's being played as the stage is being set up, or biting your nails, or singing your favorite songs of the band with your seatmate who's also a friend and fellow fan, but deep inside you're just really dying for the whole damn thing to start already.

Then the lights go out. The crowd swells with excitement, everyone's screaming, including you, and you're thinking to yourself, this is it, this is it, this is happening! Your heart's racing and you can't control the smile that's managed to plaster itself on your face. And then it really happens: a pulsating beat starts as the drummer gets going, while lights from the stage go on and off in time to the beat. Then guitars. Then the lead singer comes on, and he's singing lines to a song you know by heart, lines you've listened and sung to countless times, over and over again, and it's strange that you know these lines so well and you're singing along to every word, but at that moment, to you the song is brand new again, and you feel the way you felt when you heard it for the very first time. The crowd is on its feet and it feels like every single soul in that arena is singing to every single line of the song and jumping and dancing to its every beat.

And you get the strangest, most amazing feeling of elation at that very moment, a moment of all moments, because at that point, nothing else matters - not the job you left early today because you had to get to the concert in time, not the errands you'll be running tomorrow, not the job you have to come back to after this weekend. There's no science or logic behind the feeling and the moment, there is nothing else but music, ordinary words strung together with a melody to make an extraordinary song that's made even more extraordinary by the thousands of people that's scream-singing every line to it along with the band who actually started it all.

In an hour or so it ends, and it's all over, but you know it will take at least a week for you to get over the whole experience. And even after that, it's an experience you won't soon forget, and the thought of it - actually, the thought of the feeling you had at that moment - will always manage to put a smile on your face.

-----------

So, Fall Out Boy's concert last night was awesome, even if it was already my second time to catch them live. It's Valentine's Day, but for me at this point a rockin' concert trumps this over-commercialized holiday, so I'm going to leave you with one of the lines Mazie and I scream-sang to the most last night:

I'm a loose bolt, of a complete machine. What a match, I'm half-doomed and you're semi-sweet. So boycott love! Detox just to retox! And I'd promise you anything for another shot at life. Imperfect boys with their perfect ploys - nobody wants to hear you sing about tragedy.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! :)

The Infinite Playlist: Unconventional Love Songs

2009-02-14T11:00:00.004+08:00

Seeing as it's Valentine's Day, I thought I'd kick off The Infinite Playlist with three love songs you won't be hearing at restaurants decorated with paper hearts and cupids on this cursed day. But they're love songs nonetheless - and love songs that I personally like. Give them a listen and lemme know what you think!

The Infinite Playlist: Unconventional Love Songs (listen here)

Better than Ezra - "Extraordinary"
"Just like that Barenaked Ladies song, 'I'm hot like wasabi when I'm next to your body'". Hilariously cute.

The Wannadies - "You And Me Song"
From the Romeo & Juliet soundtrack back in the late 90's. I've been listening to this ever since.

The Virgins - "Love is Colder than Death"
I think I've pimped this song a million times over on this blog. Just give it a listen if you haven't yet, it's lovely!

Happy Valentine's Day! :)

Will & Grace: Love Will Keep Us Together

2009-02-13T10:10:00.003+08:00

I'm off to the Fall Out Boy concert tonight! But before that, a pre-Valentine's Day post:

This is probably the cutest moment on Will & Grace ever. A perfect video for tomorrow, and one that won't make you roll your eyes or bring out the sarcastic side of you. This one goes out to my friends - my girlfriends in particular. Because Valentine's Day doesn't always have to be about smitten couples - it can be about friends too! Enjoy! :)

Vampire Weekend - Oxford Comma

2009-02-11T00:59:00.002+08:00

Who gives a f*** about an Oxford comma?

When a group of Ivy League boys graduate and start a band, good music is made and fun is had by all. I'm still trying to figure out what this song means (this site is a bit of help but I can't figure out who to believe), but it sure is fun to listen to. And this video is WEIRD. Enjoy! :)

Fall Out Boy Manila Concert Setlist (13 Feb 2009)

2009-02-10T05:00:00.005+08:00

Edit, 14 Feb '09: their concert last night was AWESOME! OMG. I think I gave my lungs a pretty thorough workout with all the scream-singing. Boycott love! Detox just to retox! I nearly died when they sang "Disloyal Order". Yay! Here's the setlist:

- Thanks Fr The Mmrs
- Thriller
- A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More "Touch Me"
- American Boy (Estelle cover)
- Sugar, We're Going Down
- This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race
- I Don't Care (with the awesome glowing guitars!)
- Beat It
- Headfirst Slide Into Cooperstown On A Bad Bet
- Nobody Puts Baby In The Corner
- The Take Over, The Break's Over
- I Slept With Someone In Fall Out Boy And All I Got Was This Stupid Song Written About Me
- Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes
- Grand Theft Autumn
- America's Suitehearts
- Dance, Dance
- Saturday

---------------------------------------------
...this assumes they use the same list for all their stops in the tour. This was the one they had for their Japan concerts last week, in no particular order:

- Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes
- I Don't Care
- America's Suitehearts
- Headfirst Slide Into Cooperstown On A Bad Bet
- A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More "Touch Me"
- Sugar, We're Going Down
- Thriller
- The Take Over, The Break's Over
- This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race
- Thanks Fr The Mmrs
- Beat It
- Grand Theft Autumn
- I Slept With Someone In Fall Out Boy And All I Got Was This Stupid Song Written About Me
- Saturday
- Dance, Dance

"Grand Theft Autumn" yey! All their hits (kind of a given) plus 3 out of 13, I can live with that.

Epic Trip of the Year!

2009-02-09T00:01:00.000+08:00

Kicking off the year's travels with a bang.

Vietnam and Cambodia, April 3-18, 2009.
It's gonna be LEGEN- wait for it - DARY!

25 Insanely Random Things About Me

2009-02-07T23:22:00.005+08:00

This one's been going around Facebook, so here I am jumping on the bandwagon.

For Earl, Angel, Shara, Sam, Karen, tRuth, Katt, Jun, and Nadez, who tagged me from their 25 things, and to Mabz, Aldous, Edell, Mazie (who never checks her Facebook, it seems, but I'm tagging her anyway!), Alex, J-Anne, Ayi, Gerry, Ris, Tiff, Gabe, Missy, Pongy, Therese (I miss you calling me "intern"! Haha!), Irene, and Ronald - I probably already know 25 random things about you guys, but I sure could use another 25. :)

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

1. On my mother's side, I was the only grandchild and niece for about 10 years. Yes, all my cousins and my brother are currently in their early teens or younger. And they might all be taller than me. Which sucks, needless to say.

2. As a kid, I hated afternoon naps. In hot summer afternoons everyone in our house would be asleep, and I'd be the only one up and about, nearly bored to tears. Nowadays, I would do just about anything for an afternoon nap. Go figure.

3. Only grandchild + only one awake at siesta time = it was inevitable that I'd get an imaginary friend. S/he (I can't remember the gender now) wasn't particularly interesting or creative though - nothing like a dancing baby or a fancy looking woodland creature. I kind of wish s/he was.

4. Shameless plug: I have a blog. http://lostluna.blogspot.com - please click on the ads when you visit, okay? Help me fund my travels! :)

5. I say "spinach" in a funny way, or so my Echo friends say. :)

6. Ultimate dream: to backpack across Europe!

7. Favorite song of the moment: "Love Is Colder Than Death", by The Virgins (has been for quite some time now!)

8. Current favorite fictional character: Barney Stinson, from How I Met Your Mother. It's gonna be legen - wait for it - dary!

9. I was the one who began Twilight Coven Philippines on April 1, 2008. No kidding.

10. I like cute, dorky, geeky boys, e.g. Michael Cera, Seth Cohen, Ted Mosby, Chandler Bing, Shia LaBeouf, John Cusack in "Say Anything" as Lloyd Dobbler, Jason Mraz...the list goes on and on. Haven't met one in real life though :(

11. I love the water. Beaches are the best. Swimming pools are okay too. And if I could, I'd spend more time in the water than on land.

12. I play tennis! For my first ever tennis lesson I had to use my lolo's insanely old wooden tennis racquet because my parents hadn't been able to buy me a decent, modern one yet. It was incredibly heavy and difficult to use, and the experience was a little embarrassing! But I kept playing anyway - and nearly ten years later, with a decent racquet now, I still play tennis!

13. My favorite TV channels: Nat Geo Adventure and Discovery Travel & Living. In Nat Geo Adventure I have this favorite show called "Bondi Rescue", which chronicles the lives of Bondi lifeguards. It's like Baywatch for girls. Haha.

14. I'm all for RyDen, i.e. Ryan Ross hooking up with Brendon Urie. It's just that I'd rather they end up with each other than with dumb slutty blondes, you know?

15. Favorite chick flicks: Sleepless in Seattle (absolute number one fave, and probably one of the main causes of my romantic delusions as a teenager), While You Were Sleeping, The American President, Say Anything. There are a few more I think, but I can't remember them now.

16. Favorite guy films: Fight Club, The Departed, Kill Bill Vol. 1.

17. I love the 80's! Of course, I was too young to actually remember living through that decade, but the music and the movies just seemed like a lot of fun then. A party is never complete until everyone is wasted and dancing to "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go" or some other 80's anthem. And who wouldn't enjoy watching the brat pack movies?

18. Favorite family memory: a lazy Sunday afternoon when I was in my early teens, at my grandparents' house. My lolo and lola were listening to this station that played oldies music - Nat King Cole, Sinatra, the works - and this "dance" song came on. My lolo stood in the center of the living room and casually held out his hand to my lola, and they started dancing. Graceful, nonchalant dancing, as if they'd been dancing for years (which they had, and still do!). Everyone was silent, watching them. If I get to have at least half of what my grandparents have in one of my future relationships, I’d be extremely grateful and happy. I love that they love each other so much after decades of being together, and not in an "ewww" but in an "awww" kind of way. I'm sure you know what I mean. :)

19. Lyrics in my head at this very moment: "Oh baby, you're a classic, like a little black dress..."

20. What I was doing before I started this: downloading chapter 1 of "The Shoebox Project", a love story between Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. Should be interesting!

21. Jason Mraz = love. I love his free spirit, his creativity, his art. What I wouldn't give for the life he has!

22. Songs I wish I wrote: "A Beautiful Mess", Jason Mraz; "Time to Dance", Panic at the Disco; "Under Pressure", Queen; "You and I Both", Jason Mraz

23. My favorite food in the entire universe: my lola's homemade, Filipino-style lasagna. It's my favorite midnight snack on Christmas Eve, after all the festivities and everyone else at home is asleep, and I'm the only one awake watching Christmas episodes of Friends with Beaumont (our golden retriever).

24. Last Saturday, I had dinner with Mazie, Carlo and Mabz, and we ended up reminiscing about college and all the crazy things we did back then - a lot of them involving alcohol and the rooftop of Carlo's building. They are friends for keeps, along with Edell, Carmz and Aldous, and I look forward to all of us having kids one day (not with each other, but maybe Maze and Carlo?) and us telling them about the crazy things we did "in our youth". Not looking forward to using that term though, "in our youth". Scary!

25. I make playlists for everything. It's because songs help me remember things. For instance, "Insomnio" by Cafe Tacuba and "Put Your Records On" By Corrine Bailey Rae remind me of orange sky and sunshine and how they make the scenery picture-perfect when we'd be driving down empty roads lined with wildflowers along stretches of green fields, in late afternoons from a day trip to the beach with the family.

A Madness Shared By Two, In 13 Songs (A Fall Out Boy Mixtape)

2009-02-07T20:51:00.001+08:00

Fall Out Boy Live in Manila, 13 February 2009!

Psyching myself up for Fall Out Boy, the second time around. Their first concert was insane - hope this one turns out to be just as awesome - and on Friday the 13th too! Haha.

Fall Out Boy's songs are the kind that make me wish I were in a band. They make you want to get up and sing (or scream) to all of the lyrics (if you manage to figure them out and know them by heart - which is quite a feat!) They are also best enjoyed with the volume turned up.

Here's my dream set list, with 13 of my favorite songs from the band (listen to the songs here):

1. Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes (Folie A Deux)- fresh from the new album, this one would be a great concert opener!

I'm a loose bolt of a complete machine
What a match--
I'm half-doomed and you're semi-sweet
So boycott love
Detox just to retox
And I'd promise you anything
For another shot at life.
Perfect boys with their perfect lives
Nobody wants to hear you sing about tragedy

2. Grand Theft Autumn (Take This To Your Grave)

Where is your boy tonight?
I hope, he is a gentleman..
And maybe he won't find out what I know:
You were the last good thing about this part of town..

3. 7 Minutes in Heaven (Atavan Halen) (From Under The Cork Tree) - the epitome of a rock concert anthem. I love this song!

4. The Pros and Cons of Breathing (Take This To Your Grave) - very punk and very angsty. Old school classic Fall Out Boy.

5. Chicago is So Two Years Ago (Take This To Your Grave) - this one too!

6. Sophomore Slump or Comeback of the Year (From Under The Cork Tree)

'Cause I'll keep singing this lie
If you'll keep believing it
I'll keep singing this lie
I'll keep singing this lie

Are we growing up
Or just going down?
It's just a matter of time
Until we're all found out
Take our tears, put them on ice
I swear I'd burn this city down
To show you the light

7. I've Got A Dark Alley and a Bad Idea That Says You Should Shut Your Mouth (Summer Song) (From Under The Cork Tree) - One of their saddest songs I think, and one of their best lyrics.

Joke me something awful just like kisses on the necks of "best friends"*
We're the kids who feel like dead ends
And I want to be known for my hits, not just my misses
I took a shot and didn't even come close
At trust and love and hope
And the poets are just kids who didn't make it
And never had it at all

And the record won't stop skipping
And the lies just won't stop slipping
And besides my reputation's on the line
We can fake it for the airwaves
Force our smiles, baby, half dead
From comparing myself to everyone else around me

Please put the doctor on the phone 'cause I'm not making any sense
Blame everyone but me for this mess
And my back has been breaking from this heavy heart
We never seemed so far
I'm hopelessly hopeful, you're just hopeless enough
But we never had it at all

8. A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More "Touch Me" (From Under The Cork Tree)

9. Hum Hallelujah (Infinity On High)

10. Of All The Gin Joints in All The World (From Under The Cork Tree)

11. Tiffany Blews (Folie a Deux)

3, 2, 1...we go live.

OH BABY, YOU'RE A CLASSIC, LIKE A LITTLE BLACK DRESS!

12. 20 Dollar Nosebleed (Folie a Deux) - with Brendon Urie!

13. What a Catch, Donnie (Folie a Deux) - with like, every vocalist of every band signed to Fueled by Ramen, plus Elvis Costello! Love the last part with snippets of their past songs, a perfect ending. Classic!

Kings of Leon - Use Somebody

2009-02-07T12:43:00.003+08:00

I really liked their song "Taper Jean Girl" from the Disturbia soundtrack. Then Tiff got me into "Sex on Fire". That doesn't sound right, hehe. Anyway, this one rocks too.

"Off in the night / While you live it up, i'm off to sleep / Waging war to shake the poet and the beat / I hope it's gonna make you notice / Someone like me"

Sneak Peak - Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Superbowl Spot)

2009-02-06T19:49:00.002+08:00

I am SO looking forward to watching this! Shia LaBeouf is love, even if I cannot for the life of me remember how to spell his surname properly and I always have to cross-check it. I'm just OC like that. :)

It's Official: All The Good Ones Are Taken.

2009-02-05T22:40:00.001+08:00

...Or with child, apparently. Even friggin' William Beckett. I thought he was gay, or at least bi? I would've gladly given him up to Gabe Saporta, but...to another girl? That just kills. My little broken heart needs a shot of tequila to get over this.

Haha, I'm just weird like that.

Fangirling For My Inner Gay Man

2009-02-04T22:27:00.001+08:00

Ryan Ross just updated his blog with this, his cutest entry yet:

"It’s been a while since I’ve seen, or played music with the guys so we had quite a glorious reunion. Jon filled me in on snow-football in the backyard while Brendon, Spencer and I filled him in on 75 degree sun and fun in California. As of now I live in Brendon’s guest room on a very small and uncomfortable air mattress. So does Spence but I think he has some sort of deluxe model, very nice. Right now all three of Brendon’s dogs are climbing on me and my laptop. Soon Hobo will be over for many play-dates and bbq’s.This one is called Bogart. I’m not sure where anyone is, and they don’t answer their phones much so the dogs and I are holding down the fort today."

Ryan living with Brendon and his three dogs? This is so cute it's killing me. I can't wait for all the fan fiction. As if I need more fuel to light the fire of my inner gay man. Listen to the Valentine's episode of our podcast and you'll understand.

May The Best Man Win.

2009-02-02T21:00:00.001+08:00

The 2009 Australian Open Men's Final? EPIC. A match like that always reminds me of why I love tennis.

I first got into tennis when I was 14. It was the summer before my sophomore year in high school, and my mom on a whim enrolled me into the tennis clinic at school. She probably wanted to get me out of the house, wanted me to have a productive summer. My parents liked the idea of extra-curricular activities - as a kid, I took art classes (when I was four or five I even had a painting of mine make it into a catalog of awardees in some Polish art contest), piano lessons, guitar lessons, sang in a church choir - but the one that stuck was tennis. After that summer, I was hooked. I made the tennis varsity team and found a great set of friends. Some days I'd be in the classroom but my mind would wander off to the tennis courts. Our team even got to go to Palawan for two weeks to compete, and it made for some great memories with my teammates.

And while I never dreamt of becoming a tennis pro (and was really never remotely good enough to believe it could happen), I loved the game. I loved being on the court on a hot sunny day. I loved the sound the ball made when it hit the racquet - that solid popping sound that meant you hit the ball on the right spot. I loved watching tennis on television and seeing the greats play. I loved changing the grip on my racquet and having it restrung every so often. And I loved shopping for tennis outfits!

Most of all, I love that a tennis match, when played by two great players, really becomes more than a game, more than a sport - the word "epic" really comes to mind. Oh, the drama of an intense tennis match! It probably has a lot to do with tennis being a one-man sport (sometimes two, but we all know singles tennis trumps doubles most of the time). Imagine being at center court in a grand slam final - yes, there are thousands of people watching you, but you are unable to speak to anyone, not even to your coach, who at best can only throw you knowing glances of motivation. The crowd can cheer for you, but they are fickle - they will cheer for the other guy too, and will applaud every amazing shot, every break point saved, every point won. Ultimately, you are alone with your thoughts and your nerves, with nothing but a racquet in your hand. What could be the most defining moment of your career, and you are alone - and that is probably the greatest challenge of tennis, that the journey to victory is one you take all by yourself, a lonely, lonely road.

Victory in tennis, however, is victory that a player shares with the world, and that is probably why winning a grand slam brings the sweetest victory of all. You've seen how players react, year on year, grand slam upon grand slam - when that final point is won, a wave of emotion takes over the court. The victor falls to his knees, breaks down in tears, and the crowd is with him in his moment of victory.

But what makes a tennis match even more special, what makes it one for the history books, is when it's between two amazing players both deserving of victory. My favorite match of all time would have to be the Wimbledon Final between Pat Rafter and Goran Ivanisevic. To begin with, there was an underdog slant to it - Goran Ivanisevic was a wildcard - a wildcard! And Pat Rafter, while still relatively young, was in the brink of retirement. They were both underdogs in their own right, and both had somehow managed to make it into the final of the most prized of the grand slams. They put on an epic five-setter - towards the end of it, you knew they weren't just playing for that trophy anymore. They were playing for a place in history. They were playing for all the years they devoted to the sport. They were playing for love of the game. They were playing their best and giving their all because they believed that in tennis, the best man won. At the heat of a tennis match, who wins or loses is not dependent on the training and preparation prior to the tournament. It's not dependent on the line calls and the umpire's decisions. A player wins a tennis match because at that moment, he plays his best, gives his all, pushes his limits and pushes himself to breaking point. And whoever pushes himself just a little bit more than the other is the victor. At some point in an intensely fought tennis match, it's really not about how well prepared you are or how skilled you are - at some point, it all really comes down to how much heart you have and how much you want it, that makes a winner.

The Australian Open final between Nadal and Federer was one of the most intense, most dramatic matches I've ever seen. It's right up there with that Ivanisevic-Rafter match. I wish I could've been there live! That would've been insane to watch.

And the best part about it was the sportsmanship between the two players - Nadal's humility in victory, Federer's nobility and honest show of emotion in defeat, and in a strange way, the camaraderie they share within their rivaly. Because while in tennis and in most other sports, there is only one winner, it takes two people to make history with an amazing, unforgettable match, and an unforgettable tennis match bears not one, never one, but always, always, two heroes.

A Single Girl’s Guide to Friday Night

2009-01-30T00:00:00.003+08:00

(A story in an as of yet undetermined number of parts)

A note - I thought I'd start writing again, and came up with this. My attention span was never long enough to allow me to finish a story, but seeing as I'm in my 20's and more mature now, I thought I'd give it another try. To be safe, I'm doing it in parts, so I don't lose interest quickly. I have ADHD like that. Hehe.

Friday, 8:00 PM

Saturday nights are for friends. Sunday mornings are for curing hangovers from Saturday nights with friends. It’s not difficult to fill up a weekend itinerary if you’re a twenty-something living in the city. There’s so much to do, so much to see, so many other twenty-somethings to hang out with. But what I could never figure out, is what to do on a Friday night. Correction – make that what to do when you’re single on a Friday night.

It’s the end of another workweek, and I arrive home from the office, home being a tiny studio apartment I rent from an old lady who lives next door to me. We live in a modest, moderately sized building, a mere four floors amidst towering skyscrapers at the heart of the city. A cozy, homely brick building amidst a sea of impersonal, often pretentious, level upon level of metal and glass. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else in the world. Well, except maybe back in my family’s house that’s unfortunately an inconvenient, traffic-laden two hours away from my workplace. Or maybe in a remote island, in a hut on a white sand beach, where it’s summer forever and everyday is a Saturday. Or maybe in Paris, in a tiny room in the attic of a 19th century bookstore right beside the coffee shop where I work as a waitress. Okay, so I could think of plenty other places where I’d rather live, but whatever. This tiny apartment is home, and has been for a year now, ever since I started working.

I plop my things on the kitchen table and sit on the beanbag in front of the television (the former being a prized antique from my college dorm era, the latter a major purchase from my very first month’s salary). Remote in hand, I surf through fifty or so channels, hoping for at least one that could keep me occupied for the rest of the night. To my utter horror, there isn’t a single channel airing anything remotely decent.

Fine, then. Watching Bad TV it is - What To Do When You’re Single on a Friday Night, Item #1.

Friday, 10:14 PM

I’m not one for preaching, but here’s a lesson I think every human being should learn – when it seems there is nothing else to do but watch bad TV, have the courage to grab the remote and turn…off…the…television. It’s not as easy as one would think. Tonight it took me a good two hours to veer my eyes away from mud wrestling, fake slapping in telenovelas and celebrity gossip. Watching bad TV is a lot like super sizing a fast food meal or eating one too many slices of pizza – you know you shouldn’t do it, but you do it anyway, and by the time it’s over you feel nothing else but regret. Curse bad TV that’s inexplicably fun to watch on a Friday night – that’s two years of my life I’ll never get back.

In any case, the night is young. And I refuse to believe there is nothing worthy to do on a Friday night. I decide to bug Em, friend and fellow single, by giving her a call.

Friday, 11:02 PM

So despite my efforts, I still ended up not leaving the house tonight, but at least Em, ever the entertainer, managed to keep me company over the phone for almost an hour. I had called to ask if she wanted to go out and maybe have a few drinks, but she turned my offer down on account of respecting the Friday Night Curse on the Single Twenty-Something. And for pretty much our entire conversation, she lectured me on just that.

What is the Friday Night Curse on the Single Twenty-Something? Well, since you asked…

In order to explain her point, Em had to first narrate a preamble. “Trin, if I were to describe you and the life you’re living now, what would I say?” she asked me. Of course, as with most of Em’s questions, this is rhetorical. “You’re a twenty-something living in a nice apartment in the city,” she continued. “You’re a yuppie or a corporate sellout, depending on who you talk to, how many episodes of “Globe Trekker” you’ve watched, or the amount of alcohol in your system.” As an aside, the whole issue of my work and my real passion is one Em and I often discuss – over a couple of drinks, as you might have already surmised. “You’re intelligent, fairly good-looking…” I had to interject a cuss word in there matched with a rolling of the eyes. It’s not like she was a freaking supermodel. “…independent, and hilarious. You are fabulous, except you have been Single Since Birth. With a few exceptions over sem break ’03 in Boracay and the summer after we graduated from college.” She managed to hastily interject the last sentence before I could cuss some more and defend my relationship status.

“My point is,” she continued. “These are all the criteria that make you a perfect victim of the Friday Night Curse.” Silence from my end of the line.

“Think of it this way, Trin. It’s Friday and you and your colleagues are starting to leave the office. You ask what their plans are for the night. The committed ones would say they’ll be out with their boyfriend or husband, which you already expect. The single ones would say they haven’t thought of it yet. They proceed to make a rundown of possible options – go to this party a friend of a friend’s having, watch a movie with someone they haven’t seen in years, go for some retail therapy, or give themselves a treat by going to the spa. The list can go on and on. But notice that after they’ve completed the rundown of their list, they don’t proceed to invite you or anyone else to join them on their plans.

“Now I’m going to sound like a jerk of a boyfriend, but unlike those guys, I mean it when I say it’s not you, Trin. It doesn’t mean that your officemates don’t like you if they don’t invite you to hang out with them on a Friday night. More than anything, it’s self-preservation.”

“Em, have you been drinking?” I asked, completely lost in the (one-sided) conversation now.

Em sounded annoyed, in a funny kind of way. I think she thought I wasn’t taking her seriously. “As a matter of fact, Trin, I was enjoying a nice glass of wine while reading ‘Invisible Monsters’ before you called, and I could easily go back to doing that. So do you want to hear about the curse or not?”

I had to stifle my laugh by attempting to convert it into a cough, and Em seemed to buy it. She continued with her theory.

“As I was saying, the Friday Night Curse does not allow singles to hang out with other single officemates on a Friday night. Corporate people want other people in their office to believe they have a life outside of work, you see. And some people really do have a life outside of work, while others really don’t – either way, it has to appear to their other colleagues that there is more to their existence than their stable nine-to-five jobs. So if you’re a single girl who invites your other single officemates to go out with you on a Friday night, you are giving the impression that you have no other friends, and that, is a no-no.

“The Friday Night Curse doesn’t end there, of course. Its potency lies on this second angle – it keeps you from hanging out with your real friends as well.”

“Em, I think that tonight, it’s not the Friday Night Curse that’s keeping me from going out with one of my friends. I think it’s you, saying ‘no’ to my offer that’s keeping me from having a great time,” I reason with her. Really, Em is a bit eccentric and all, but she had never been this…weird. I was almost compelled to drop by her place and pry that bottle of wine from her hands and check it for other substances.

“Oh Trin, you just don’t get it! If I go out with you tonight, and we go out again tomorrow night, it means I’m the only one you have in your life. And that’s…”

“Pathetic?” I finished the sentence for her. “But Em, tonight, you are the only one I have in my life. TJ is out on a date and Pam is probably making out inside a cramp restroom with Evan or whoever is her boyfriend for the week. And if I had to choose between you and Jinky, I’d definitely choose you.” (As an aside, those are just people that make up our “Saturday Night Party Gang”. We’re all friends from college, but I won’t dwell on them here – you’ll meet them soon enough).

“Besides,” I added. “You’re all alone in your flat tonight, too.” I imagine her sitting on her fancy recliner (stolen from her dad), glass of wine on one hand and one of Chuck Palahniuk’s books on the other. I was merely stating a fact and not trying to insult her, really. I knew she knew that.

“True,” Em answered, unemotional. “But I intend for it to stay that way. Unlike you. You can’t break the Friday Night Curse, Trin, believe me. Many have tried, and they have all failed. A single girl going out on a Friday night spells drama.”

Em and I talked some more about other things, like plans for tomorrow night and movies we want to see and the usual round of gossip, before we finally said goodbye.

Friday, 11:25 PM

Now I’m left to think about the supposed Friday Night Curse on the Single Girl. I can’t say Em’s theory about it is completely untrue or without basis, which kind of sucks. So a single girl can’t have fun on a Friday night? That’s bollocks! A single woman can vote, can have an amazing career, can play sports against men, and she can’t have fun on a Friday night? It just didn’t add up.

Next Friday, I will break that curse. Next Friday, I will show Em that her theory on the Friday Night Curse is inaccurate. Next week, on Friday night, I’m going to have me some fun.

For tonight, however, the fun would have to be confined within the four walls of my tiny apartment. The thought of Em having a glass of wine reminded me that I still had a bottle left over from my birthday dinner a few weeks back. I check the cupboard and find not a bottle of wine, however, but instead, a bottle of tequila. No problem, then, tequila it is – What To Do When You’re Single on a Friday Night, Item #2.

Friday Night, 11:47 PM

I’ve plugged my iPod to a pair of speakers and have started a listening party for two – and by two, I mean me and Jose Cuervo, or at least the minute portion that’s left of the tequila. So far the songlist has included:

“Are You Gonna Be My Girl?” – Jet
“Whoo! Alright – Yeah…Uh Huh” – The Rapture
“Lovefool” – The Cardigans

I now find myself swaying indiscriminately to “Love is Colder than Death” by The Virgins. And before I end up singing along to “All By Myself” like in Bridget Jones’s Diary, I think I better go to bed now. A fairly good time for a fabulous single girl on a Friday Night, wouldn't you agree?

If The Past Is The Problem, My Future Can Solve 'Em, Baby.

2009-01-23T07:00:00.000+08:00

There's more to her than kissing girls (and liking it) and outing ex-boyfriends. The girl can really write, really sing, and she isn't bad with a guitar!

Katy Perry - "Mannequin"

When Whimsical Meets Disturbing

2009-01-21T00:00:00.003+08:00

It makes for awe-inspiring, pop surrealist art.

From Blood: Miniature Paintings of Sorrow and Fear

I saw one of Mark Ryden's paintings on television and felt compelled to Google him and his other paintings, and I loved them. Not sure I'd want them on my bedroom wall because some are quite disturbing, but maybe therein lies their magic - his paintings are inexplicably, hauntingly beautiful.

His work is also a sort of social commentary...

And they're all whimsical, strange, and beautiful.

What do you guys think?

A Thousand Thoughts (And Not The Time To Explain)

Farewell 2010!

Up Dharma Down - Tadhana

I know you better than you do, so put out your cigarette, and kiss me on the lips tonight.

Quarter Life Birthday Song

Let's Run Away And Don't Ever Look Back.

You Can Call Me Dangerous But These Are The Sins Of My Youth

I Don't Wanna Jump In Unless This Music's Thumping.

More Than A Little Willing To Keep Moving.

This life is nothing but a song without no rhyme.

Have I Read Too Much Fiction? / One Week To Bali, Baby!

Kickin' it old school with "Room for Squares" today.

Super Junior Super Show 2 in Manila, Philippines - 10 Apr 2010 (Part 3)

Super Junior Super Show 2 in Manila, Philippines - 10 Apr 2010 (Part 2)

Super Junior Super Show 2 in Manila, Philippines - 10 Apr 2010 (Part 1)

You're A Disgrace To The Human Race With Your Pretty Face.

If people were rain, I was drizzle and he was hurricane.

I'm Not Who I Was Last Summer...

The Magic Numbers - I See You, You See Me

Friday night is never awesome until it spills into Saturday morning.

Bring Out The Summer Playlists: Clazziquai Project

Sand and the Sea, Meet In Between.

I'm feeling rough, I'm feeling raw, I'm in the prime of my life.

Jump out the window if you are the object of passion.

Replay, Replay, Replay.

A Thousand Things.

Vagabond Dreams

Quarter of a Century, Baby!

These Fickle, Fuddled Words Confuse Me.

Recipe For An Awesome Weekend.

Live Like This.

Rocking the Samurai Pony.

The Beatles Had It All Figured Out.

Me, spazzing.

Any Given Friday.

On Children.

The Movie Of Our Lives. My 2009 In Photos.

The Superficial Decade-Ender List For The 2000s

A Boy Named Squall and FFVIII, Ten Years On

Random Snippets of (Chat) Conversation.

Merry Jolly Holidays!

The Last Harvest.

Excuse My Fangirling (Part Two).

Buddha Knows Best.

You go, girl. *Z Snap*

A Murderess In A Million-Dollar Dress.

Excuse My Fangirling.

More Than A Two-Tag Generation Full Of Regret.

Inspire Me Monday: Color.

A Change Is Gonna Come.

Fell In Love With A Boy...

Real Men Wear Nice Clothes

(500) Days of Summer

Paper Heart

Farewell, President Corazon Aquino

Remembering a Filipino Icon

Post-It Love

Tan Hong Ming In Love

Before This Gets Overplayed: Cobra Starship feat. Leighton Meester - "Good Girls Go Bad"

Siem Reap, Cambodia (Day 2)

Siem Reap, Cambodia, Day 1 (April 5, 2009)

Before This Gets Overplayed: Katy Perry - "Waking Up In Vegas"

Blogging From Vietnam

Sometimes I Just Want To Get Inspired: Jason Mraz - Live High

Sometimes I Just Want To Get Inspired: The Venn Diagram of Life.

Geek for Geek on American Late Night

Talk Shop For Two Minutes.

These are the things I've thought about, silly boy, you're often thought about in waves.

Girl Be Mine - Francis Magalona (RIP)

100 Best Music Videos #1: Video Killed The Radio Star (The Buggles)

You've Got Mail And Being A Geek This Week

You're Just A Line In A Song.

Sunday Morning Stories

Sometimes I Just Want To Get Inspired: The Excuse For Your Company.

In The Wake of Saturday

Oh, the wait was so worth it...

No freaking way.

So Long, Sneaky Chatbox Pop-Up Ad.

Shuffle Me A Love Song

We Are Living In Exponential Times

You go, girl. Z Snap