Christmas Playlist

The Christmas countdown begins as the months ends with BER. I am in a mood to create a Christmas Playlist. I usually listen to Christmas songs when it is not Christmas. Anyway, this list contains mostly OPM rock alternative renditions or original Christmas songs, so don't expect the usual Jose Mari Chan songs. I have Urbandub in my list! Yeah! You will never expect a Christmas song or upbeat happy song from them, but yes they did cover a Christmas song and so furious that I just learned it now. So here is my list.. Hope you like it.

1) Let it Snow by Imago from Closeup album

2) The Christmas Song by Rico Blanco from My Kind of Christmas album

3) Last Christmas by Urbandub

4) Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Ebe Dancel or She and Him

5) Santa Baby by General Luna

6) Silver Bells- She and Him

7) Season of Smiles by Itchyworms

8) So this is Christmas by John Lennon

9) Christmas Morning by Eraserheads

10) Christmas Party by Eraserheads

11) Simbang Gabi by Parokya ni Edgar

12)  I won't be home for Christmas by Blink 182

13) Christmastime by Smashing Pumpkins

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Issues

If you want me to treat you the way you want to be treated, then do the following:

1. Don’t overuse your power. You are like a traditional politician—good with flowery, highfalutin words, but lacking when it comes to showing concrete actions. You use your power like there is no tomorrow, and you ridicule the little guy.

2. Don’t act like Vice Ganda. You think you are funny, but sorry to say, you are not. Your humor belongs in comedy bars, not here. We are in a professional environment, but the word "professional" is clearly not in your vocabulary.

3. Learn English. Your English is as bad as your soul.

4. Accept that you don’t know everything. Ask first before answering a question you don’t know the answer to. Stop acting like a know-it-all. There is no harm in saying, “I don’t know.”

5. Don’t make an issue out of everything. Asking for your permission just to go out and watch a movie? We are not your children. Don’t be ridiculous.

We don’t like you. We are not happy when you are around. Please accept that fact. I have three words for you: I HATE YOU.

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Rico Blanco Playlist

While I wait for Rico Blanco to release new album, I will bombard you with LSS worthy songs. They are not as popular as "Your Universe", "You'll be Safe Here" and "Balisong", but you should take time to listen to these underrated or less popular songs.

Time for you- This is my current LSS. The simple music video matches this masterpiece.




Come Closer- This is used for a tooth paste commercial. If all commercials are made by Rico Blanco, then I will watch commercials all day.



Imbecilesque and A Little Sorry Should make everything all right - You can choose which one is appropriate for you. If are the one who hurt your loved one, then listen to Imbecilesque. A simple song but with a hard to pronounce title. It says "Hey sorry dear, I know I've hurt you, I won't do it again." If your loved one hurt you, let him/her listen to A Little Sorry.  Another simple song that just sums up "Hey you know that you are wrong say sorry to me".





This is a bonus track. For all of teenagers right there who might not know that Rico Blanco wrote this song and yes, Bamboo was the vocalist of Rivermaya in the 90s. What are you doing when you were 18 years old? Probably not writing an epic song like this. Rico in this video downplayed this song a little bit using styrofoam ice box as a percussion instrument.

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The Break-up Playlist

While using Spotify, I came across The Breakup Playlist OST. There was a cover of "With a Smile" by Piolo Pascual. Of course I didn’t love it, but label anything with the Eraserheads or just mention them in a movie or TV show, and it will immediately catch my attention.

So, I watched it with low expectations since I heard it was a rip-off of the music-centered movie Begin Again.

Like Begin Again, the first few scenes show the protagonist in a bar singing with a guitar, right after a heartbreak. Then it shows Sarah (Trixie) and Piolo (Gino) breaking up inside a car with the line, "Do me a favor, umalis ka na rin sa buhay ko." Later, they are reunited years after their breakup and are offered a reunion concert alongside the latest "IT" love team. Leave it to a Pinoy film to infuse the story with our local obsession with love teams! After that, the movie shifts to the backstory of Trixie and Gino’s romance.

They first meet at a music camp, which immediately held my interest. I’ve always daydreamed about attending the Elements Music Camp, where respected vocalists, guitarists, bassists, and songwriters gather to mentor aspiring artists. Gabby Alipe of Urbandub even makes a cameo as one of the mentors.

One of the best parts of the movie takes place in a record store, where the main characters answer each other's questions using album covers. I don't know if this was an original concept or if other movies have done it before, but I loved the idea. When Trixie asks Gino how he's currently feeling, he picks the Eraserheads' Sticker Happy, covering the "Sticker" part. When Trixie answers the same question, she picks Cynthia Alexander's Insomnia and Lullabies and points to "Comfort in Your Strangeness." It was awesome seeing these classic and underground albums highlighted in a mainstream film.

During a party scene, several familiar faces from the local music scene pop up: Yael Yuzon, Ebe Dancel, Tedmark Cruz, Quark Henares, and Pochoy Labog. I literally said, "OMG, is this for real?" when Pochoy appeared, and said it again when Basti Artardi sang with Sarah Geronimo! In another moment while they were just hanging out, I think only a few people in the theater caught the joke when Quark called her "Tracy" instead of Trixie—a fun nod to his real-life partner, radio jock Tracy Abad.

Looking at more comparisons: Much like Mark Ruffalo’s character in Begin Again, Gino is arrogant and aggressive. Keira's and Sarah’s hairstyles are also pretty similar, and both feature unusual pairings where the male lead pushes the female lead to form a band and write music together.

Sarah’s acting feels very natural, though she tends to get typecast as the shy, good-natured non-drinker. Piolo, on the other hand, is a bit hard to buy as a rockstar—his polished good looks just clash with the typical rock aesthetic, even when he tries hard to act maangas or astig.

I didn't like their song interpretations of my former favorite songs, "With a Smile" and "Huwag na Huwag mong Sasabihin". Unlike Begin Again were the theme song "Lost Stars"is really catchy and LSS worthy, I didn't like the original songs of The Break-Up Playlist.

In the end, I think I liked it. Not the best, but they infused it with elements that I really like, rockstars and music. The scenes in movie are the exact scenes that goes in my head when I day dream, just take out  the heart break part.

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Come Together - When Rockstars Unite

  Ok. This may be a year old  video, but I just want to share this epic, history in the making video where not one but 2 rock icons in a stage singing "Come Together" a Beatles classic.

No, I won't comment on who is better, I will leave it on the youtube commenter. The two are different in so many levels.I hope there will be another MDR event.

Now, to make things more epic, Ely Buendia, Rico Blanco and Raimund Marasigan singing "Laklak"



Ely and Dong Abay




Bamboo and Rivermaya


So enjoy watching the videos.OPM rocks!!

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Unique Voice

Aside from Kai from Team Bamboo, I also like Sassa Dagdag from The Voice Season 2 of Kids edition. Her unique voice is a rare for her age. Check out her rendition of my favorite song, "La Vi En Rose"

 

Her Almost Is Never Enough cover is so good I converted her youtube video to mp3 file so I can put it on my Ipod.




She had few questionable song choices at the live show of The Voice. I hope she stick singing feel good songs and not birit songs. Since she can play guitar, I wish that she write her own songs. I am really looking forward on her future albums. Oh and please buy her "If I were A boy" single on Itunes (coz I already did!)

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Almost is never enough

Please check out my first work in Wattpad titled Almost is Never Enough. The story is not yet finished. Hoping to update it as much as possible. This is the story about a rockstar falling in love with a college student. A love story infused with song lyrics, this May-December love affair will make you think how love can cross all sorts of boundaries.

Side note: I am planning to make other story, this time from the point of view of the female protagonist and the female supporting character. :)

Please check my story out.

Thank you.

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In your face and other songs about other faces

She may not have won The Voice of the Philippines Season 2—heck, she was bashed tremendously—but with her debut album, she proves she is far more than just the three-chair turner playing the ukulele or the senator's daughter.

She doesn't have the birit voice that typical singing contests look for. Instead, she has a sweet voice paired with blunt, in-your-face songs.

Her tracklist is ridiculously catchy. I love listening to it in the morning when I'm riding a packed MRT and feel like singing her song "In Your Face" out loud:

"Hey, hey, hey You need to get out of my way, hey, hey 'Cause if you don't turn around this is gonna make a sound 'Cause I'm about to slap you in your face"

This City can be played during long trips or just walking around the city, maybe job hunting.. haha



In the afternoon while working, I like to listen to "Tongue Tied." It takes you right back to those times when you saw your crush in the hallway and tried to speak when they came up to make conversation with you.





In the evening while heading home, I can't help but sing "Ngayong Gabi." I love listening to it while walking down a dark street, my hair blowing in the breeze, daydreaming that someday a guy will walk me home.

"I Should Have Left" — a song about heartbreak and the lessons you should remember when entering a new relationship (naks!).

I love her album so much that I'm inspired to write my own songs and learn to play the ukulele! I really believe she isn't meant for cover songs—she is meant to sing her own material. So screw the bashers; she is a true artist, not just another birit singer.

She may not have won The Voice, but who needs that title when you have the wit and creativity to build a real career?

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Things I learned when school ended...

Hello there, graduates of 2015! Are you done printing your resumes? Are you preparing for job interviews?

I graduated back in 2010. I can’t believe it’s almost five years already. I’ve been working for a couple of years now, and to tell you honestly, I can’t wait for my retirement. Haha. Sure, it’s fun to receive a salary. It’s even more fun when you get 13th and 14th-month pay... but working is really exhausting. Sometimes you just wish you were a college student again, back when everything seemed so much simpler.

I must tell you: you only use less than 10% of what you learned in school once you enter the corporate world. Well, unless you're in the medical field, a lawyer, or in any profession with a board exam. To be completely honest, I can’t really use the things I learned in college in my current line of work. My course and my field are a bit of a mismatch—I'm a Commerce graduate majoring in Information Systems, currently working in HR (payroll).

Anyway, here are the things I learned outside of school that I really think they should start teaching:

1. Kissing ass really works. Maybe not all the time, but it will definitely have an effect on your career.

2. You must learn how to use VLOOKUP. Is it just me, or was I absent during the computer class where they were supposed to teach it? It is ridiculously useful to me (or maybe just to me!).

3. If you think you've already met every type of person in school, wait until you step into the corporate world. You will meet thieves, whores, ass-kissers, drama queens, and whole new levels of personalities.

4. Even if you stay until 4:00 AM, if your boss doesn’t like you, you won’t get a raise, a ₱200 Starbucks gift certificate, or even a simple "Good job."

5. Managers are not necessarily the best at what they do. I don’t want to elaborate... (wink, wink).

6. Just find a couple of coworkers you can actually trust, and you’ll be fine.

There... I said it! Just enjoy the unemployed life while it lasts... because I certainly did. I was unemployed for a year and a half—well, almost two!

But if you want some real advice, please read this: http://thoughtcatalog.com/brianna-wiest/2014/01/18-things-we-should-have-been-taught-as-teenagers/

SO HAPPY GRADUATION, BATCH 2015! :)

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Heaven knows I’m miserable now

“In my life why do Ismile to people I much rather kick in the eye?”

I am an introvert since birth. When the doctor slapped mybutt I didn’t react. They thought I am not alive. They slapped my butt again,but this time it was more painful.  So of course I cried. I gave what they want.

Anyway, fast forward to today, who would have thought that I am now working in HR Department as a payroll assistant. How the hell did I land the job? I didn’t apply that’s for sure.

I applied for Data Analyst position around 2011. I stayed for 3 months since my manager said I am not fit for that position. If you will think about it, that position really fits an introvert like me. You will just surf the net, cut, copy, paste… that’s it. You will do that for around 5 to 6 hours since 3 hours is allotted for lunch, morning and afternoon breaks and day dreaming.

Upon checking my resume and my perfect math test, she suggested that I can transfer to the Payroll Department or IT Dept. (since  in my resume I put that I made a Payroll System). So yeah, I was transferred to Payroll Dept. as a Payroll Processor. Another job that really fits an introvert like me. I stayed in that position for 3 months and then I was the “lucky”(?)  among others  to be sent to the client. They need a Payroll Support because their Payroll Processing is crumbling. So I was sent to save their payroll and timekeeping dilemma.

I didn’t know that they are sending me to HR Department of an American IT Company. The worst idea ever. Well of course at first. Being an HR practitioner is the last position in my “What do you want to be when you grow up?” list.  Being in HR means talking to people a lot. I mean a lot. I  diagnose myself having social phobia, social anxiety , asocial or even being autistic.

Too much human interaction is really hard for me.  Who would have thought that introverts and shy type  like me will find a niche in a department where talking and being around stranger is a must.

Today, I am working for almost 3 years as Payroll Assistant in the HR Department. Just recently, I am tasked to orient new hires about our Bi—weekly Payroll schedule and using our Timekeeping system.   I must say my first try was so bad. But when I did it again last week, I think it was better.

So hello there introverts! you can take a job that’s ultimately for extroverts or people person. You just have to try.

PS. My subject doesn’t connect with this post. I just used it since my opening line is from The Smiths song. This post is about the irony of life. (naks!)

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Old and New Favorites

This post is still related to the H&M Close the Loop event.
My brother and I went to Megamall to watch the H&M Close the Loop event, mainly to see Up Dharma Down. The last time we went to Megamall was to see—who else?—UDD. But back then, we were late. We arrived around 5 PM when they were scheduled to perform at 4 PM. Buti na lang we still caught “Oo.”

Anyway, we left earlier this time, afraid that we might be late again. We left around 3 PM for a 4 PM gig. Lo and behold, when we were already inside the MRT, the train lost power/signal so we had to wait for a while before operations resumed. Of course, we couldn’t wait. Damn you, MRT! Why now? So we decided to get a refund on my stored value card and walked a few meters to catch a bus instead. We rode an ordinary (non-aircon) bus because, well, we had no choice.
To make a long story short, we arrived around 4:30 PM, just as they were performing their second song. Our goal was to be right in front, but since we were late, we couldn’t pull it off.

Up Dharma Down never fails to amaze me. Their sound was very clear, not distorted or muffled like a typical band's audio. I think that’s because they have their own sound engineer on the side handling the technical stuff. Other bands didn’t have that kind of sound control, so their audio wasn’t as crystal clear as UDD’s.

They sang “Oo”, “Tadhana”, “Indak”, “All the Good things” and “Sana”. Armi was funny in between songs. She was making jokes.

I will never, ever get tired of watching UDD. I just can’t.

Maybe the biggest surprise of the night—well, one of them—was The Cheats. Prior to this event, I had never heard their music. Because, well, as I mentioned before, I’m old, stuck with 2004–2010 bands, and have no energy to listen to new ones. Thanks to H&M, I was able to see and discover The Cheats. As of this writing, their debut album is on repeat on my iPod and Spotify.

The downside was that, unlike UDD, whose sound was so clear, The Cheats' guitars and other instruments overpowered the sweet voices of Candy and Saab, as well as Jim’s rocking vocals. I couldn’t understand the lyrics. But on the bright side, their energy was great! They were so engaging, and I could tell the songs were good. After all, Ely Buendia is their album producer, so they must be really solid. They kept moving around the stage, headbanging, and just—well, rocking out, for lack of a better term!

As you can see in the pictures, they are moving around or closing their eyes like they really feel the song they were singing.

In between songs, they were doing their spiels in a coño way, but it was actually quite cute and funny. Even though I couldn’t understand the lyrics during their live gig, I downloaded their songs (legally!) afterward, and they are actually so good. I’m currently loving “Summer” and “Newspaper Girl.” I’m just hoping that next time I see them live, the sound will be better because their songs are definitely worth listening to.

So if you have time, please give The Cheats a listen! They are worth the memory space on your iPod and will definitely unleash your headbanging skills.

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Pupil version 2015

I’m getting old. The last concert I went to was the New Year Countdown at Resorts World Manila, where Ely Buendia was so close to us—approximately half a meter away on a 3-foot stage.

I never thought I’d ever get closer than that. But thanks to H&M, the distance this time was shockingly about half a ruler’s length, on maybe a 12-inch stage. As Ely put it, this was the closest they’ve ever been to the crowd while performing. I was so close I could count his white hairs… so close I could even read their setlist.

To be honest, I was a little bit disappointed when I saw the setlist. Most of the songs were from their new album, Zilch. If they had released this when I was still in college, I would have already bought it and been able to sing along with the band. But no, I’m at an age where the quarter-life crisis is hitting hard. Sayang, I couldn’t show him that I knew the songs—and we even made eye contact!

The first two songs were “Firewall” and “Why.” The third song was “20/20” from Limitless of the Infinity Pool. Finally, I knew the song and was able to sing along! Next was “Resonate.” Then a group of teenage boys requested “Monobloc” from the Wildlife album. Ely joked that Jerome Velasco (their new guitarist replacing Yan Yuzon) was still learning their songs. So I blurted out “Nasaan Ka” from Beautiful Machines. He said, “'Yun. 'Yung mas madali na lang.” Haaay… it was surreal. It was beautifully sung. I sang along, and surprisingly, almost everyone knew the song. Ely seemed happy to see that people still knew songs by Pupil (and not just his old band).

Since he was so close and it was my first time using my Canon S140 to take concert photos, I was practicing with the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO (or whatever, haha). Anyway, some people were requesting “Hey Jude” and “Hey Jay,” and Ely gamely played the intro riffs of those songs. Then they started requesting other songs from his old band. I wanted to say, “Please stop!” since Ely was in such a good mood and I didn't want them to ruin it. He had already played “Magasin,” and I could tell he was in a genuinely great mood.

I think every time he's with Pupil, he feels more comfortable. Unlike when he performs as a solo artist (where he projects a completely different vibe) or with The Oktaves, I can really see his passion and happiness when he's with Pupil. It’s his comfort zone.

After those nostalgic songs, they played new tracks like “Cheap Tricks” and “Out of Control.” At the end, he threw his guitar pick into the crowd while saying, “Sa inyo na lang.” I don’t know if I was just imagining it, but he looked right at me! Sayang! I almost caught it, pero there was a taller guy. So yeah, like I said, his vibe that day was just different. It was the happiest performance I’ve ever seen him give at a gig.

Wendell Garcia, the happiest drummer boy... but not seen in this picture.

                                Dok Sergio fixing his effects

                                           his signature pose

Ely wearing polka dot polo while showing his white hair…still looks good.

The disadvantage of being close is not getting a complete band shot 

Haaay… with this gig I rekindled my love affair with the band music and scene.
Thank you H&M for the giving us literal  “CLOSE” the loop experience.

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