caterpillar talk

I feel stunning
And entrancing,
Feel like running and dancing for joy,
For I’m loved
By a pretty wonderful boy!

– I Feel Pretty, West Side Story

"We cross our bridges when we come to them and burn them behind us, with nothing to show for our progress except a memory of the smell of smoke, and a presumption that once our eyes watered."
–Tom Stoppard

1. drats. i should stop listening to love songs. sad love songs.

2. aha, diving! i want to try scuba diving. i will try scuba diving. i am interested in sky diving. i am willing to try sky diving. oh, can you picture the thrill?! if it weren't for air resistance, sky diving wouldn't be a sport. it would only be plain suicide… and quite an expensive one at that. plus… plus… as they say, when it comes to sky diving, if at first you don't succeed, there's no next time. wehehehe.

3. can feel, can tell. can hear, can see. can live, can thrive. i swear, i'll bear. can't hurt, can't risk. can't want, can't have. too numb, too tired. i commit, i surrender. hmpf! noooooooo… that's it! i believe i have low EQ. i think i am emotionally unstable. duh, so much for trying to be rational.

4. i am determined to reach batanes before i turn 24. uhm, we'll see what happens to this determination.

5. i am still confused — very, very confused — and somewhat depressed. it doesn't show in my everyday though. see, i am h.a.p.p.y. (and my fingers are crossed behind my back. bleh.)

6. this blog will turn two years old on may 28. weeeeeeeeee… happy birthday, my bloggy! mwah.

7. i am going to watch the movie version of dan brown's the da vinci code. i've read the book a long time ago and i am interested to see tom hanks as robert langdon and audrey tautou as sophie.

8. i think i wanna be clarice starling, if only to get the chance of being face to face with (and earning the favor of) the brilliant and very cunning dr. hannibal lecter.

9. OMG, it's may! yes, i am aware that it's may.

10. i ought to eat yellow cab pizza again soon. i think i'm already suffering from withdrawal syndrome. my trips to sbarro didn't help. ack! patay, adik na talaga.

11. i need another vacation. as in. sun, sea, sand, and open air here i come! waaaaaaa, teka… ba't bumabagyo na?

12. what's up with the philippine political scene lately? same picture? same people? same problems?

13. i almost forgot that it was just last night when i watched mission: impossible iii. i didn't have expectations when i entered the movie house, so i did not have disappointments. i agree that the lamborghini's such a nice car.

14. no day but today. i still hear it in my head: RENT's roger is singing, who do you think you are? barging in on me and my guitar? little girl - hey, the door is that way… and mimi sings out her heart-tugging reply. whew! were you able to watch RENT?

15. i still have to learn how to drive a car on a busy road. bump cars and karts are different. i want to drive the real thing. i want speeeeeeeeeeeed. aws, busy road and speed don't really go together. ha ha.

16. i just learned a few hours ago that my campus in iligan is already a wifi zone. in fact, it has been since mid-march. whoa, how come i found out late?

17. i am currently craving for fruitshakes. i haven't eaten halo-halo nor ice cream this month, and that is quite unusual.

18. how are you doing, people? i'm curious.

19. i want to read another work of carl sagan. i gotta find another sagan book.

20. who me? no, not me. i break but i won't fall apart.

Ikaw ba'y nalulungkot
Naiinip, nababagot?
Ikaw ba'y napapagod
Araw gabi'y puro kayod?

Buhay mo ba'y walang saysay
Walang sigla, walang kulay?
Bawa't araw ba'y pareho
Parang walang pagbabago?

Tara na, biyahe tayo
Kasama ang pamilya
Barkada at buong grupo
Para mag-enjoy nang todo.

Halika, biyahe tayo,
Nang ating makita
Ang ganda ng Pilipinas
Ang galing ng Pilipino.

i first saw the video of biyahe tayo! in 2004. the first time i saw it, i instantly fell in love with it! to this day, it's my favorite pinoy music video. more than the video, i like the song. it's catchy and it makes me really want to sing along, grab a bag and go off to wherever in the country to see things for myself!

no, no, no… i don't want regine velasquez's version playing in the malls. her mariah-nic version does not hold a candle to this powerhouse version!

a collage of biyahe tayo! video grabs

Nagpasyal ka na ba
Sa Intramuros at Luneta
Palawan, Vigan at Batanes
Subic, Baguio at Rice Terraces?

Namasdan mo na ba
Ang mga vinta ng Zamboanga
Bulkang Taal, Bulkang Mayon
Beach ng Boracay at La Union?

Tara na, biyahe tayo
Mula Basco hanggang Jolo
Nang makilala ng husto
Ang ating kapwa-Pilipino.

Halika, biyahe tayo,
Nang ating makita
Ang ganda ng Pilipinas
Ang galing ng Pilipino.

the opening sequence of the video has this to say: 21 top filipino artists. 5 exciting recording days. 1 song. about one great country. oh, maybe i don't quite agree with the use of the word 'great' there given the current state of the country, but, hey, it's a wonderful video about a beautiful country with beautiful people (grandstanders, crooks, traditional politicians and corrupt officials are definitely not counted).

From city to city,
Seven thousand and a hundred plus islas
Sa mahal kong Pilipinas
Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao ating puntahan.
Huwag maging dayuhan sa sariling bayan!

Nasubukan mo na bang
Mag-rapids sa Pagsanjan
Mag-diving sa Anilao
Mag-surfing sa Siargao?

Natikman mo na ba
Ang sisig ng Pampanga
Duriang Davao, Bangus Dagupan
Bicol Express at Lechong Balayan?

Tara na, biyahe tayo,
Nang makatulong kahit pano
Sa pag-unlad ng kabuhayan
Ng ating mga kababayan.

Halika, biyahe tayo,
Nang ating makita
Ang ganda ng Pilipinas
Ang galing ng Pilipino.

the video is a product of the “WOW Philippines Biyahe Tayo” program of the department of tourism and bonamine (meclizine hci) of pfizer consumer healthcare. the artists who appeared in it are members of the artists for philippine tourism. they shared their talents and extended their support without remuneration. wow!

another collage of biyahe tayo! video grabs

Nakisaya ka na ba
Sa Pahiyas at Maskara
Moriones at Ati-Atihan
Sinulog at Kadayawan?

Namiesta ka na ba
Sa Penafrancia sa Naga
Umakyat sa Antipolo
Nagsayaw sa Obando?

Tara na, biyahe tayo
Upang ating matamo
Ligaya at pagkakaibigan
Kaunlaran, kapayapaan.

Halika, biyahe tayo,
Nang ating makita
Ang ganda ng Pilipinas
Ang galing ng Pilipino.

the lyrics of biyahe tayo! was penned by rene nieva and those who lent their voices and musical talents are (according to their sequence of appearance in the video) freddie aguilar, sharon cuneta, janno gibbs, ogie alcasid, jolina magdangal, violinist john lesaca, flutist jong cuenco, rey valera, joey ayala, apo hiking society, rapper francis magalona, april boy 'idol' regino, jessa zaragoza, rico j. puno, nina, paolo santos, rico blanco and lea salonga. quite a lineup, don't you think?

Tara na, biyahe tayo
Upang ating matamo
Ligaya at pagkakaibigan
Kaunlaran, kapayapaan.

Halika, biyahe tayo
Nang ating makita
Ang ganda ng Pilipinas
Ang galing ng Pilipino.

Halika, biyahe tayo…
WOW Philippines…

watching the video, particularly its last few shots, always makes me feel good and proud. the artists are enjoying what they're doing and are having fun… and the places are beckoning to be visited! it's an upper that makes one forget, even just for a few minutes, the big mess on this part of the planet.

how i wish the major philippine tv networks will do more public service by airing biyahe tayo! for free (even just once a day) instead of making us endure those sickening doses of round-the-clock hair care and skin care commercials. hey, summer days are here. tara let's, biyahe tayo! (…kahit sa panaginip lang, kung walang pera. hehehe.)

note: listen to the biyahe tayo! song by various OPM artists here. the music video can be downloaded here.

SWEPT AWAY
Words by Christopher Cross/John Bettis
Music by Christopher Cross/Steve Dorff

I never had anything happen so fast
Took one look and I shattered like glass
I guess I let it show ’cause your smile told me you knew
That you’re everythin’ I ever wanted at once
There’s no holding this heart when it knows what it wants
And I never wanted anything more than to know you

CHORUS
I was swept away
No one in the world but you and I
Gotta find a way to make you feel the way that I do
I was swept away
Without a warning
Like night when the morning begins the day
I was swept away

And so it begins, this journey of love
The summer wind carries us to places all our own
The words of a look, the language of touch
The way that you want me means so much
And I never wanted anything more than to love you

CHORUS
I am swept away
No one in the world but you and I
Gotta find a way to make you feel the way that I do
I am swept away
Without a warning
Like night when the morning begins the day
I was swept away… away

Seeing my tomorrows in your eyes
I was swept away

BRIDGE
Ooh, I hope I wake up soon
Ooh, I’m a victim of that crazy moon

The very first time you said my name
I knew it would never sound the same
Somethin’ about me was changed forever

CHORUS
I am swept away
No one in the world but you and I
Gotta find a way to make you feel the way that I do
I am swept away
Without a warning
Like night when the morning begins the day
I was swept away… away
Seeing my tomorrows in your eyes
Gotta find the way to make you feel the way that I do
I was swept away
Without a warning
Like night when the morning begins the day
I was swept away

We were swept away
Dreaming of you
Swept away

do you get the feeling?

she made me do this:

List seven of your favorite songs of the moment and force seven other people to repeat this process or a puppy/kitten somewhere in the world will be sad!

simple things
jim brickman featuring rebecca

listening to (and singing) this song gives me that “i’m home” feeling. it reminds me of the good things — my happy doses, basically. it makes me appreciate how blessed i am. it fuels my optimism and definitely saves me from depression. it’s a feel-good song that, for me, deserves ‘repeat-mode status.’

iris
goo goo dolls

i once locked myself inside my kuya’s bedroom just so i could play this song with the volume of the speakers set to max and not earn my mother’s ire for doing so. given that i don’t really fully understand its underlying message, i honestly don’t know how i got crazy over it. i don’t even know the real reason why the title is ‘iris.’ nevertheless, i really like listening to the song — especially the ‘bang-bang’ of the drums… there’s just something about it.

side story: yesterday, my labmates and i trooped to gateway to watch a history of violence starring viggo mortensen a.k.a. lord of the rings’ aragorn. after that, we spent sometime in fully-booked and then later, we went to padi’s point for a spur-of-the-moment inuman-slash-celebration session. one of the bands there made my night by playing this song. wait, was it really hearing this song or seeing some band’s semi-kal drummer…? hmmm.

kiss from a rose
seal

i love this song and i have great admiration for people who can sing it so well. the song has a life of its own and comes more alive with excellent vocals. i’m convinced this is one of the best songs ever.

listening to this song reminds me of the god of small things. it’s as gloomy, as enigmatic, and as sweeping… i could imagine velutha singing this for ammu.

baby, i love your way
peter frampton

a few years back, one kind guy sent me a note with this song’s title penned on it. it was the song that got me, not him… although, i admit, he’s likeable.

whenever i get to hear this song, i can’t help but sing along. it’s good (simple yet has this profound effect) and, as i’ve already said before, it would take a very lousy singer/band to ruin it.

this song is part of the soundtrack of that 1994 movie, reality bites starring winona ryder and ethan hawke. i heard brownman revival’s rendition of this song and i can still play it in my head, with sax and all. mig ayesa’s version is swabe and nakakatindig-balahibo. reportedly, even frampton himself was very impressed. shucks, pardon the taglish!

the scientist
coldplay

i like the title! hahaha. i’m obviously biased. aside from this song, i also like coldplay’s yellow. there’s just something about these songs that makes me like listening to them despite the fact that i find their melodies dragging.

hand in my pocket
alanis morissette

i lump this song with green day’s basket case and matchbox 20’s unwell. all three songs can pretty much capture the state i’m in whenever i’m in one of my ‘crazy-slash-defiant’ moods.

kanlungan
noel cabangon/buklod

i like listening to this song because it reminds me of days gone by. the emotions the song can evoke in me make me respect what happened in the past and think about what the future holds. its melody can easily cause LSS a.k.a. last song syndrome.

no thanks to jimmy bondoc who tortured my ears with his ala-”pinalaking LA lopez” rendition of this buklod ‘classic’. i just had to let that out — my apologies to jimmy bondoc and LA lopez fans who might happen to pass by this blog.

because i’m not in the mood to force people, i’ll just close this post by encouraging anyone who wants to share his/her list of seven songs to DO SHARE and do spare a “puppy/kitten somewhere in the world” from impending sadness. =)