Livin high and takin it easy

I missed Top Junk’s performance in Ten02 Bar last year during Roma’s birthday party so this was the first time I got to see them perform… and boy did I love them! They got themselves one more fan (so much so that we are going to see them perform this coming Saturday, Sept 3 at 70s Bistro. Flush and the Toilets are also playing so that’s one more reason to go!)

I have uploaded the videos of the Top Junk performances from Amrei’s 30th birthday celebration at Route 196 last Saturday videos on the youtube account that I had to make just so I can have a place to upload videos to and share them. I’m new to this video-taking/video-making (like I’m new to “fashion photography” or the semblance of it), so it took me a while to make the videos brighter on iMovie. I re-uploaded the videos. They are now brighter but they are less sharp (which makes me a wee bit sad). It took me at least 3 hours each to upload the videos. I already took down the previously uploaded original videos.
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I’ve been watching these videos ever since I saw them on my Facebook news feed, posted by Nick in his attempt to distract people from the fact that Boy Abunda plugged him on SNN. Hahaha. Also, this song always makes me think of my friend Lizzie.

Lizzie, Tin and Angku at Angku's bridal shower, October 2006

She sang it on videoke on that night we had a get-together in Discovery Suites.

OBLADI OBLADA

The Trapeze Swinger
Around the Well (2009)

Please, remember me happily
By the rosebush laughing
With bruises on my chin, the time when
We counted every black car passing
Your house beneath the hill
And up until someone caught us in the kitchen
With maps, a mountain range, a piggy bank
A vision too removed to mention

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“Here Comes Your Man”
A remake of the song by the Pixies
Meaghan Smith
(500) Days of Summer OST

outside there’s a box car waiting
outside the family stew
out by the fire breathing
outside we wait ’til face turns blue
i know the nervous walking
i know the dirty beard hangs
out by the box car waiting
take me away to nowhere plains
there is a wait so long
here comes your man

big shake on the box car moving
big shake to the land that’s falling down
is a wind makes a palm stop blowing
a big, big stone fall and break my crown
there is a wait so long
you’ll never wait so long
here comes your man
there is a wait so long
you’ll never wait so long
here comes your man

Yesterday’s stress levels were an all-time high. It was the only day in this week that I was gonna go to work, having failed to show up for work on Monday as I was picking up the baby from in-laws, and dog from sister’s, and just unpacking stuff. As opposed to the healthy happy baby we left last Friday evening, we got one back who was running a fever, had watery eyes and runny nose. I spent all afternoon trying to get in touch with her pediatrician and all evening giving her medicine.

We went to the pedia very early in the morning, 7AM actually, and was informed our daughter had a viral infection, got prescription for 5 medicines and got advise and certificates for our travel for today. I was supposed to go to work all day. I did not get to leave the house as I could not leave my poor sick daughter like that.

I posted a status on Facebook and got a whole hullabaloo because of it. I was dumbfounded. I spent the rest of the day crying my eyes out, not only because I was tired from taking care of my baby, I was frustrated that I did not get to go to work, I did not know what to do anymore as my daughter kept crying at the simplest things and I got all kinds of flak on my own Facebook and from the person whom I least expected it from. No, erase that. I did not expect any flak at all from anyone. I had no intention to inflame, incense, offend – to make such a big deal to put it simply, with the status I posted. It was just a status. What a horrendously big deal that status turned out to be! I am still dumbfounded as of the moment. Maybe staying dumbfounded is best.

I made an unexpected S.O.S. to the husband who was at work so he could join me in a pity party I badly needed. Actually, that was not a pity party. It was a mature conversation about the whole thing because I was there, totally lost, and caught up in something that got out of hand before I knew it. Wow. Again, maybe staying dumbfounded is best.

That whole shebang actually led me to thinking I should stop posting Facebook statuses, making tweets and blogging in general. That’s of course understandable if you talked about social networking with someone who works on internet security for a living.

What a learning experience the past 5 days has been for me (I’m counting from Friday last week), and oddly enough, that whole experience reminded me I have not posted any music in a long time.

It’s time for some music. When your own words fail you, use someone else’s. I love you Green Day.

21 Guns
Songwriters: Armstrong, Billie Joe; Bowie, David;
Pritchard, Michael; Wright, Frank E.

Do you know what’s worth fighting for?
When it’s not worth dying for?
Does it take your breath away
And you feel yourself suffocating?

Does the pain weigh out the pride?
And you look for a place to hide?
Did someone break your heart inside?
You’re in ruins

One, 21 guns
Lay down your arms, give up the fight
One, 21 guns
Throw up your arms into the sky, you and I

When you’re at the end of the road
And you lost all sense of control
And your thoughts have taken their toll
When your mind breaks the spirit of your soul

Your faith walks on broken glass
And the hangover doesn’t pass
Nothing’s ever built to last
You’re in ruins

One, 21 guns
Lay down your arms, give up the fight
One, 21 guns
Throw up your arms into the sky, you and I

Did you try to live on your own
When you burned down the house and home?
Did you stand too close to the fire
Like a liar looking for forgiveness from a stone?

When it’s time to live and let die
And you can’t get another try
Something inside this heart has died
You’re in ruins

One, 21 guns
Lay down your arms, give up the fight
One, 21 guns
Throw up your arms into the sky

One, 21 guns
Lay down your arms, give up the fight
One, 21 guns
Throw up your arms into the sky, you and I

I have been totally pre-occupied with de-cluttering my life, err, my house lately. I have taken to ripping all my cds into mp3s and hoping to get rid of the actual cds one way or another.

We have been pre-occupied with house-hunting too the past two weeks and that has made me think that I should not have a lot of stuff to pack and move, that I should not fill up the new house with stuff and that it would totally be awesome if I could adopt a zen theme or at least a zen attitude towards the new life, err, new house.

So anyway, I dug up all the cds, at least the ones that are here in the Pasig apartment (not counting the ones that were left in the Taguig condo) and have been ripping all day today and maybe until tomorrow and found my old, old Jewel cd – the first album!

I like this little bit of poetry from the cd sleeve.

Upon Moving Into My Van

Joy. Pure Joy. I am
What I always wanted
to grow up and be
Things are becoming
more of a dream with
each waking day -
The heavy brows of Daily Life
are becoming encrusted
with glitter and the shaking finger
of consequence is
beginning to giggle
Grumpy old men
have wings
Bums sport halos
and everyday dullness
has begun to breathe
as I remember the
incredible lightness
of living

I love Jewel. I listened to this first album for what seemed like forever in my old walkman until someone gave me her second album as a birthday present. I listened to that too for what seemed like endless hours that involved me drifting in and out of sleep. Hahaha! The last Jewel album I bought though was This Way and have not bought any of the others. Maybe I will think about getting the rest.. Maybe.

I remember we used to pass around her book of poetry in the U.P. Rep tambayan, back when it was still in Vinzons Hill. Maybe I will think about getting that book of poetry for myself too.. Maybe.

For now, I will listen to her old music, ponder on her little bits of poetry and watch her old videos. I miss the old Jewel.

I was watching Channel V earlier today and they have this Double Shot thing. Incidentally, two videos from two different artists with sort of the same theme was played one after the other. I just found that interesting.

Also, it’s interesting when by pure chance you find something that reflects your random thought of the moment. I am quite lacking in energy these days and I am looking and waiting for my Prometheus…

The album’s title means “Kings Fire”. Sean Paul commented on the title saying,

“I’m not the king. I’m the fire, I’m the flame, I’m the energy.”

Sourced from Wikipedia

—

Sean Paul‘s third single from the album Imperial Blaze, released in the U.S. September 2009, Hold My Hand.

I can’t find a full video of Lifehouse‘s First Time on Youtube, but for the purposes of illustrating a point, here is a clip.

***

Again, thanks Glee. 80s…. good days no?

To all the kids and teens of the 80s…

I came home from a great Christmas party last night with TF friends and was not bursting with energy this morning so I thought about watching an episode or two of Glee just to perk up my day. The house is still clean so a perk-me-up bit of housework was not an option.

Oh, Glee is just pure love…

I have always loved this song… Truly one of the greatest songs of all time. It always touches my heart in little ways. Glee numbers have always made me smile.. until this..

… I just could not help but cry. Oh, love… love… love.

Across the Universe did a montage on it but it did not touch me as much as this one did.

As a side note, can’t wait to see Idina Menzel from Rent and Wicked do a guesting on this show.

Radio edit version here. Album version is so so much better though. Official videos of Jewel not available on youtube. Her label prohibits it.