I Blog, Therefore I Am.

I love bang-for-your-buck shopping. I fulfilled my two budget shopping wishes last night and I am so happy about it! Wasteland Wonderland, indeed!

UNIVERSAL RECORDS CD SALE
Our operations in Quezon City are just floors away from the Universal Records HQ. I noticed a few months ago some Big CD Weekend Sale announcement of Universal. I got curious because it says that they sell Buy One, Take Ones and some CDs are even 90% off. What a steal!

Fortunately, I had a meeting yesterday with some of our Call Center leads and it coincided with one these famous CD Sales. I made sure that all my meetings and commitments are done by 6:30pm so I can browse and buy to my heart's desire. The sale usually starts at 9:00 am and ends at 7:00 pm.



I was able to buy two Jazz compilations, one Hale album, and an OPM love song compilation (Yeah, I am all for cheesiness) for only P200! That's basically P50 per CD. The cheapest they have there are the P2 casette tapes and the P40 Country Music CDs. They also have P100 or P200 Buy One, Take One CDs. It's really a joy to go there if you're a music lover or collector.

Universal Records
Universal Towers, Quezon Ave., Quezon City
(Just above Smart Wireless Center)
Remaining Sale Dates: May 31, June 5, 6 & 7

~*oOo*~

SAIZEN (DAISO) JAPANESE STORE
I've been hearing and reading about the Saizen Store at Robinson's Galleria in the last couple of months. Saizen is a Japanese Discount Shop brought by the original Daiso All For 100 Yen Shop of Japan. It's a dry goods shop where you can buy everything for P85! The one you see all over the malls - Japan Home Depot or something - is a fake one. THIS is the real deal.


My Loot! Not much but I'll be back again!

I am a sucker for stores like this. I love the thrill of buying seemingly unnecessary things at a budget price. The stuff in the store are all made in Japan (obviously) and are usually specially made for the Daiso/Saizen stores. They have everything from Housewares, Cosmetics to Office Supplies.



I love the row of plastic containers and the Japanese bowls and plates are just perfect for my brother & sis-in-law who loves Japanses cooking. I initially bought them a rolling container to perfect their maki-making.



My favorite sections: Office Supplies & Notebooks! I was able to buy two File Folders (I love filing!) and will come back for the Colored Staple Wires and the Cushion Notepads.



They also have all kinds of CD/DVD racks and cases; and there was also a row for all types of laptop sleeves. I was able to buy a small blue one for our HP Mini Note.



I love the Saizen shop and I can't wait to go back. This is going to be an ideal Christmas Shopping store. There's truly something for everyone!

Saizen / Daiso Japanese Store
East Wing, Robinson's Galleria
Ortigas, Pasig

Like most people in my generation, we grew up listening and singing to the great music and raps of The Man From Manila, Francis Magalona. March 6, Friday, was indeed a lonely day for Filipinos when we all learned the demise of this great musician, rapper, and songwriter after battling with leukemia for 7 months.



I found a great line he wrote on one of his blogs that I would like to share with all of you. It's a testament of how he loved his craft and how he wanted to be remembered through his musical legacy.

"I still hear the voices of Elvis Presley, John Lennon, Tupac Shakur, Kurt Cobain, The Notorious B.I.G. and Frank Sinatra to name a few. And their voices rise from their graves.

I am lucky to have been a recording artist and one day when I leave this world, just like the names I mentioned, my voice will be heard. Always. At a touch of a button or switch, I am "alive" again."

- Francis M., Happybattle.net, November 15, 2008

You will be missed, Kiko! Thank you for the music!

The American Idol Tour will come to a close by September so the Idols of Season 7 are now booking left and right for their concerts, tours and albums. So it's no wonder that Filipina Idol, Ramiele Malubay, will be coming home in December for a Manila concert. Coming with her is one of her best buddies in the show, Danny Noriega.

Here's the interview where she mentioned the Philippine concert:



I don't know if I heard it right but she said that she might stay here for a long time. Is she going to be at the David Cook Manila Concert also? With David, Ramiele and Danny coming over, I wonder when we will see Carly Smithson, Jason Castro and Archey? Hopefully SOON!

I got a tag from Marj to make a post on 10 Random Things About Me. Unfortunately, I've already wrote about that one recently so I just decided to post a random thing about me that might surprise most of you.

I Googled my name earlier and found some "incriminating evidence" about me that might cost me my fantabulous job at TEH ONE. Is it a sex scandal video? Nah, too Paris Hilton. Is it a blog entry where I posted some juicy corporate news? Nope, too geeky for me. Think again.

It actually involved a contest where I became an accidental winner.

Note that this happened in November 2003 when I was still a staffer at Honda and far, far far away from where I am now. It was a time when I was still learning how to blog amidst my quarter-life crisis. Just want to point out that one in case my bosses read this. :)

Here's the article which I found here. Read on.



Funny, right?

Yep, I won some concert tickets and scored a meet & greet with Mariah from Globe on her Charmbracelet World Tour in 2003. How weird is that? I was actually just an "accidental winner" because I did not intentionally joined the contest. It was really the F4 songs I downloaded (can this post be more cheesy?) which made me a winner via Globe's electronic raffle. Should DTI be warned and involved on the screwed mechanics? Hah!

There's more.

Since I was not really a Mariah fan and not so into concerts, I gave my two (2) Gold tickets to my brother and sis-in-law. They watched and enjoyed the concert while I went to Shangri-La to meet and greet the diva.

I also remembered being interviewed but I cannot remember saying that Mariah's "a true vision of love" like what the article above said. I know myself well and I don't say stuff like that. I was misquoted by Globe for their PR cr*p! They did not even send our lone picture with Mariah like they promised! I only learned about it when it came out in the papers two months after the concert and friends SMSd me. One friend even sent me a scanned copy of the paper which I cannot find as of the moment.

I don't want this blog to be known as another fan-worship fan site of David Cook BUT I just can't help but blog about him and his fantabulous music!



Here's my li'l gift to all Cookies who supported David!

"The Time of My Life", otherwise known as David Cook's first single, is current #1 over-all song at iTunes followed by his other Finale Songs.

For those who can, please, please BUY Cookie's songs from iTunes and let us continue to support our David! :)



THE TIME OF MY LIFE
David Cook

I’ve been waiting for my dreams
To turn into something
I could believe in
And looking for that
Magic rainbow
On the horizon
I couldn’t see it
Until I let go
Gave into love and watched all the bitterness burn
Now I’m coming alive
Body and soul
And feelin’ my world start to turn

And I’ll taste every moment
And live it out loud
I know this is the time,
This is the time
To be more than a name
Or a face in the crowd
I know this is the time
This is the time of my life
Time of my life

Holding onto things that vanished
Into the air
Left me in pieces
But now I’m rising from the ashes
Finding my wings
And all that I needed
Was there all along
Within my reach
As close as the beat of my heart

So I’ll taste every moment
And live it out loud
I know this is the time,
This is the time to be
More than a name
Or a face in the crowd
I know this is the time
This is the time of my life
Time of my life

And I’m out on the edge of forever
Ready to run
I’m keeping my feet on the ground
My arms open wide
My face to the sun

I’ll taste every moment
And live it out loud
I know this is the time,
This is the time to be
More than a name
Or a face in the crowd
I know this is the time
This is the time of my life
Time of my life
More than a name
Or a face in the crowd
This is the time
This is the time of my life.
This is the time of my life.

This is a delayed post. I was supposed to post this after watching the Mariah Carey night of American Idol last Tuesday (Wednesday evening re-run here in the Philippines) but stuff for work came first. I am really really happy that KLC finally got the boot. I was in a meeting when I got the news from Jang via SMS. Finally!

Anyway, here's my take on the Mariah Carey Week and the Top 7's performances. This was written evening of April 16, Manila Time.



I am supposed to be working on some proposals and communication plans for work but here I am blogging. I am actually multi-tasking. I am working, surfing the Internet and watching American Idol all at the same time.

I’ve been excitedly waiting for the Mariah Carey Week for days so I might as well blog about my thoughts on the actual outcome of the show and my take on it.

On Mariah
I am not really a fan of Mariah but I have some of her songs in my iPod. I like some of her songs and I hate some of them. But I am really looking forward for tonight's show since I am familiar with most of her music. Mariah was actually a good mentor for the Idols unlike Dolly Parton who complimented all performers and never said a bad thing on anyone. Mariah actually suggested some stuff to them on how they can perform better. I am actually impressed by Mariah’s “achievement” which I did not know until now. I am surprised to learn that she surpassed Elvis Presley in having the most #1 hits in the charts.

On The Outfit & The Styling
The girls all looked nice! It’s nice to see them all dolled up for a Diva’s night. Everyone's in dress and had good styling! Kristy Lee Cook was uber-beautiful and she can already start appearing in cover pages of magazines because of her stunning good looks.

On The Idols
I think that they all did well but of course the performance that stood-out was David Cook’s version of “Always Be My Baby”. I got a lot of SMS from my friends and family all gushing on his original rendition and arrangement of one of my favorite Mariah songs. The tears at the end of his performance and the back story on his brother’s AI visit will surely convince America that he’s truly destined to be on the top.

David Archuleta’s performance of “If I Believe” was also good but I’ve expected an "emo ballad" from him so no surprises here. His Archy Angels will make sure that he will be saved week after week until the finals. His child-like charms and his great vocals (whatever his song choice may be) is a guarantee of making it. I am not a big fan though.

I bet it's going to be David vs. David in the finals...and my money is on Cook. Archy is one-dimensional while Cookie is exciting!

Jason’s all good this week. Not too great but not too blah. It’s not as good as his “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” last week. He’s one of the underdogs but I hope that he would be able to pull through until Top 4 or 5.

The girls’ performances were quite forgettable. I really don’t like Brooke’s unplugged version of “Hero”, which I believe is one of Mariah’s hard-hitting-high-notes signature songs. It was a real letdown compared to the Carey original. But Brooke has always been the nice and genuine girl of the show so her personality might save her. I cannot forget the look on her face when Simon told her his “hamburger and bun” analogy on her performance. Priceless!

Syesha was good but she’s not a very popular Idol (ever since!) so it might be “stool time” again for her despite the glowing remarks of the judges of her "Vanishing" rendition.

Kristy Lee Cook was actually good *groan* (she sang "Forever") but I still don’t like her singing and I want her to go home! She’s getting better lately but I don’t think that she deserves where she is now. She’s better suited in the movies, modelling or something. Hah! To quote my friend Jang: “KLC got nine lives!.”

I am really really really afraid for Carly for she might be sent home tomorrow. Her performance was okay but she could have done better. Simon and the others really have high expectations and they think that she’s not delivering too much. I was actually surprised that “Without You” was sang/covered by Mariah. I am more familiar with the original male version of the song.

Who I want to be at the bottom three: Kristy, Syesha, Brooke
Who I think will be at the bottom three: Syesha, Brooke, Carly

Who I want to go: Syesha or Kristy
Who I think will go: Syesha or Carly

Carly is one of my favorites on this season of American Idol. I see her going until Top 3 or 4. She's definitely the best female performer on this batch! Now...if she can only pull a thing or two on those two awesome and unbeatable Davids, then she can actually be this year's Idol.



Here are three of my favorite Carly songs. All are studio recordings! Just click on the links below (from Jamglue) OR be re-directed to my Carly Multiply page.

Here You Come Again - Dolly Parton Week / Top 9
Blackbird - Beatles Week / Top 11
Total Eclipse of The Heart - Birth Year Week / Top 10

EDIT: I've added two (2) of Carly's other tracks in her Top 12 stint. The second on the list got an actual praise from Simon BUT I personally hate it. It sounds like a TV advertisement.

The Show Must Go On - Inspirational (IGB Week) / Top 8
Come Together - Lennon-McCartney Songbook / Top 12

SPOILER: Carly will be singing "Without You" for Mariah Carey week. The song was suggested by none other than Simon Cowell in a TV interview. Simon also expects Carly to outshine everyone on this week's contest. Talk about pressure! More on this at Rickey.org.

~*oOo*~

I am still disappointed over Michael Johns elimination last Thursday (what is America thinking?!) so here's my current AI ranking: 1/2 David C. or David A., 3 - Carly, 4 - Brooke, 5 - Jason, 6 - Syesha and 7 - Kristy.

Let's give KLC her much needed rest in the upcoming Mariah Carey Week (please!).

I was so surprised when I learned that Carly Smithson was one of the bottom three in the Top 11 Beatles Night at American Idol last night. She sang "Blackbird" soooo beautifully and I cannot believe that she was one of the Idols who got the lowest votes (America, there's still Chikizee & his harmonica! What are you thinking?).

Good thing she was not the one who was booted out. That honor was reserved for Amanda Overmyer...who's "back in the USSR" (finally!).

Here's the Beatles' Blackbird rendition of Carly. What do you think? What an injustice for her after this beautiful performance! She's such an amazing singer and you've gotta love that accent! Go, Carly!

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise.

Blackbird fly Blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night.

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to be free.

Blackbird fly Blackbird fly

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to be free.

Blackbird fly Blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night.

Of course I want Ramiele Malubay to win this season's American Idol but I think that this will be the order for the Top 10: David A., Brooke, Carly, Michael, David C., Ramiele, Jason, Chikizee, Syesha and Kristy.

Okay...I am definitely a convert.

I noticed David Archuleta in the auditions but I was not exactly one of his gazillion fans. BUT his Tuesday's performance of John Lennon's "Imagine" was one of the best I've seen. He's definitely a force to reckoned with.

I am a 70's fan but I got bored with the song selections of the Top 10 Male in AI last night. I only like David's song and Danny Noriega's version of "Superstar" by the Carpenters. I was also a bit disappointed by Michael Johns' performance but happy with David Hernandez's.

Here's a recap of David's version of Lennon's "Imagine":

My bet remains on David Archuleta, David Hernandez, Michael Johns, Danny Noriega (his surname is so Filipino like Malubay's but it's not the reason why I love him), Ramiele Malubay and Carly Smithson.

"I'll give my soul to hold you once again..."

Oh, Josh Groban! Truly Fantastique!

I will never forgive myself if I will not blog about my Josh Groban experience. I was one of the fortunate few who was able to watch Josh live at his Gala Night Concert at the PICC Plenary Hall last October 17. Josh Groban's first ever live performance here in Manila is part of his World Tour 2007 to promote his third and latest album, Awake.

Josh truly did not disappoint the crowd (which majority is from Manila's creme de la creme) with his great baritone voice, entertaining spiels between songs, and hunky-handsome looks. He's such a multi-talented darling who is so engaging and articulate.

When I learned a couple of months ago that Josh Groban will be performing live here in Manila, I was so excited and eager to get tickets to his concert. I fell in love with him ever since I heard Broken Vow years back. Good thing that Smart Infinity was the presentor of the event so I was able to score some awesome priced limited tickets. What I paid for is a real steal compared to the premiere P20,000 ($455) tickets that were sold.



I felt the excitement of the night as soon as my date and I arrived at the steps of PICC to join Manila's fashionable society to queue to the entrance hall. The show was about to start when we arrived so we hurriedly went to our seats so as not to miss a single note from Josh. The stage was very simple and with no fuss. There were two drum sets, a piano, guitars, several violinists, a couple of cellists and a grand piano in the middle for Josh. The show promptly started at 8:30 pm with no front acts (but of course!). Josh's first song was "You are Loved (Don't Give Up)" which I think is very appropriate as an opening number. It's a "PopOpera" and is also the second single on his Awake album.



One of the most memorable and unforgettable performances of the night was the duet of Josh with our very own Lani Misalucha of "The Prayer". Lani was a special request of Josh and she flew from Las Vegas just for the two-day concert. One of the other songs which received many cheers was "To Where You Are" which Josh described as an obscure little song which is very important to him. For Grobanites and McBeal fans, you will remember that this was one of the songs he sang when he guested at Ally McBeal years ago. Josh played Malcolm, the student-client of Ally, who asked her to his prom. He also first sang there one of my favorites, "You're Still You" (which he did not sing at the Manila concert, much to my disappointment).





Josh had three encores and was truly overwhelmed by the reception he got. He said that he was expecting a stiff and conservative audience based on the profile of the crowd but was so surprised when people continuously cheered for him with blue light sticks. The encores were also delightful! He sang old favorites like "Broken Vow", "You Raised Me Up" and Michael Jackson's "He's Out of My Life". Since he's totally enamored by Manila, he promised that he will definitely come back for a benefit concert! Yey!

Josh Groban's is truly the best concert I've been to. He was really and truly magnificent!

Click here for more of Josh's wonderful music.

Barely a week before the much-awaited Season Four premiere of Grey's Anatomy, ABC featured this new music video dedicated for it (just like The Fray's How To Save A Life last year). This time it's Mat Kearney's Breathe In, Breathe Out. It's nice, upbeat and very Grey's Anatomy. It's also featured as one of the tracks at Grey's Anatomy Soundtrack, Volume 3 which was released a few days ago. Mat is no stranger to Grey's since it already featured four of his songs on several past episodes. One of them is my favorite, Where We Gonna Go From Here.

Here's the the MTV with some snippets from last season and next week's premiere. Credits to Grey's Anatomy Insider, as usual.



BREATHE IN, BREATHE OUT
Mat Kearney
Grey's Antomy Soundtrack, Volume 3

Breathe in, breathe out
Tell me all of your doubts
Everybody bleeds this way, just the same
Breathe in, breathe out
Move on and break down
If everyone goes away, I will stay
We push and pull
And I fall down sometimes
And I’m not letting go
You hold the other line
Cause there is a light in your eyes, in your eyes

Hold on, hold tight
If I’m out of your sight
And everything keeps moving on, moving on
Hold on, hold tight
Make it through another night
In every day there comes a song with the dawn
We push and pull
And I fall down sometimes
And I’m not letting go
You hold the other line
Cause there is a light in your eyes, in your eyes
There is a light in your eyes, in your eyes

Breathe in and breathe out
Breathe in and breathe out
Breathe in and breathe out
Breathe in and breathe out

Look left, look right
To the moon and the night
Everything under the stars is in your arms

Cause there is a light in your eyes, in your eyes
There is a light in your eyes, in your eyes
There is a light in your eyes, in your eyes

Here's also the primer on Grey's Season Four premiere episode:

A Change is Gonna Come
Thursday, Sep 27 at 9/8c

Having just returned from her honeymoon with Meredith, Cristina searches for Burke, but he's nowhere to be found. Meredith, Cristina, Izzie and Alex spend their first day as residents with their own groups of interns - among the interns are George, repeating his intern year after failing his exams, and Lexie Grey, Meredith's half-sister whom she has never met. Now that Derek's relationship with Meredith has reached an emotional impasse, he looks to his fellow doctors for friendship; Bailey wrestles with her place within the hospital now that her former interns report to new Chief Resident Callie; and Richard resumes his position as Chief of Surgery.

Fall's Premiere Week starts on Monday, September 23. Private Practice, Grey's spin-off with Addison leaving for LA and signing up at her friend's Oceanside Wellness Center, will start on Wednesday but I am already downloading its never-before-aired Pilot episode which I learned from Mindy's site.

Can't wait, can't wait! :)

This is a funny game. My friends did this a long time ago and I decided to try it.

Rules:
1. Put your iPod/music player in shuffle mode.
2. Answer the questions below through the song being played.
3. Click the forward button as you move along the questions.

Some answers are close to accurate! You will also see that I have a lot of OPMs in my collection.

How are you feeling today?
Where We Gonna Go From Here (Mat Kearney)
*So true! I am really clueless lately.*

Will you get far in life?
Alapaap (Eraserheads)

How do your friends see you?
Live and Learn (The Cardigans)

Will you get married?
Kissing a Fool (Michael Buble)

What is your best friend's theme song?
Di Na Natuto (Sound)
*Hahaha! Just great!*

What is the story of your life?
Miracle (Christian Bautista)

What was high school like?
Panakip Butas (Haji Alejandro)
*I beg to disagree! Highschool is super great!*

How can you get ahead in life?
What I’ve Been Looking For (Highschool Musical)

What is the best thing about your friends?
Heaven (Los Lonely Boys)

What is today going to be like?
Yakap Sa Dilim (Orange and Lemons)
*Highly unlikely!*

What is in store for this weekend?
Wating (Eraserheads)

What song describes you?
Accidentally In Love (Counting Crows)

To describe your grandparents?
I Won’t Cry (Profyl)

How is your life going?
I’ll Be There (Martin Nievera)

What song will they play at your funeral?
Never Had A Dream Come True (S Club 7)
*Geeez! Please...NO!!!!*

How does the world see you?
My Girl, My Woman, My Friend (Jose Mari Chan)
*Nice one!!!*

Will you have a happy life?
Moonriver – Bossa Version (Sonia)

What do your friends really think of you?
Kiss Me (Six Spence None The Richer)

Do people secretly lust after you?
Nakapagtataka (Sponge Cola)
*Grrrrr! Hahaha! One of the best answers ever!*

How can I make myself happy?
Always Be There (Lou Pardini)
*Very symbolic! And its a Lou Pardini song!*

What should you do with your life?
Hey Jude (The Beatles)

Will you ever have children?
Beauty & Madness (Fra Lippo Lippi)

Whew! How long since the last update? Two months??? I've been a very very bad blogger. December has always been a heavy month for me. So many events to prepare, gifts to wrap and parties to attend to. That's basically my excuse. A lot happened to me. Good, bad, joyous, disappointments, stress, happiness, illness, good health, cool gadgets, vacations, non-stop-non-sleep work, etc, etc. How I wish I can write them all and share it with you. :) Well, I hope...in due time.

For the meantime, you may visit my other space in the 'net. Wherelse but at the picture-heavy (must for picture crazy people), music-heavy (nirvana for iPod junkies) MULTIPLY!

Here's my link: http://abbiereal.multiply.com

My latest picture uploads: snaps and shots from our great Baguio get-away, Jeff & Tine's Wedding, Dealer Conference and Bayani Ng Kalsada Awarding.

On the music front, I uploaded some Coldplay and some LSS I've been having in the last months. It's still a work in progress and I intend to upload more stuff. Of course my Multiply music section is aptly called 'abbielyrics.com' in honor of an old favorite joke. : )

Happy 2007! : )

When I say "I am into something"...I mean "I am really INTO something in a crazy-passionate way". It used to be Sweet Valley High Senior Year books, Eraserheads, The Internet and blogging, cellphones & gadgets, Sidney Sheldon and her novels, my work (yeah, better believe it), US Ivy League colleges, spa & massages, DVD marathons, the one who broke my heart the baddest, MBA applications, Havaianas, and Japanese food.

Guess who's keeping me crazy-happy and passionate lately? None other than Derek-Meredith-Cristina-Burke-Izzie-The Nazi-George-Alex! Life has never been the same since Grey's Anatomy. :) I am so in love!

The vid below is one of the reasons why NOT living in The US is a total letdown! Someone better TiVo and send 'em to me! All Thursdays! :)




Smile Thursdays. Feel Thursdays. Love Thursdays.
Where TV Goes To Feel Better. )

The video is Grey's Anatomy's promo plug for Season 3's premiere on the 21st of September. The scenes and snippets used were taken from last season's explosive finale which was aired last May. The background song is The Fray's "How To Save A Life" which I also like - "I would have stayed up with you all night had I known how to save a life" - simply right.

Step one you say we need to talk
He walks you say sit down it's just a talk
He smiles politely back at you
You stare politely right on through

Lay down a list of what is wrong
The things you've told him all along
And pray to God he hears you
And pray to God he hears you

Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life


P.S.
"Seriously?" is the most abused word in the series. The characters say them at least 20x each episode. Seriously???

I was nursing a badly broken-heart almost a year ago when I bought a CD compilation titled The Art of Letting Go. I chanced upon this CD while I was miserably passing time at Music One at Greenbelt 3 and instantly fell in love with it (quite ironic!). It was newly-released and the timing was just perfect since I was exploding with all kinds of emotions inside. All the songs are too damn right for what I was feeling! By the time I got into Glorietta (on that same solitary walk), I immediately went to Tower Records to buy it! The title of the CD was inspired with Mikaila's song of the same title (the one that you are currently hearing on this blog).

Since I was so pathetically broken then, I even started some thread in one of the message boards I go to about the CD, the song and the concept behind "the art" of letting go. It was such a good topic and I convinced so many people to buy copies. Though some el cheapo friends just asked me to burn it for them. I burned around 4-5 including one for the guy who broke my heart - as per his request. Huhu. Though I have long recovered from the ache and pain, the CD compilation remains to be one of my ultimate favorites among my music collection. There was even a friend of mine who borrowed it early this year to aid in her "recuperation days". I lent it to her together with my other CD - Songs For The Wounded Heart which I bought in college. I am truly "armed" when it comes to wallowing, ain't I?

To all the injured people out there...

THE ART OF LETTING GO
by Mikaila

Put away the pictures
Put away the memories
I put over and over
Through my tears
I've held them till I'm blind
They kept my hope alive
As if somehow that I'd keep you here

Once you believe in a love forever more
How do you leave it in a drawer
Now here comes the hardest part of all
Unchain my heart that's holding on
How do I start to live my life alone
Guess I'm just learning
Learning the art of letting go

Try to say it's over
Say the word goodbye
But each time it catches in me
And I can't set you free
So I hold on to what I wanted most

Maybe someday we'll be friends forevermore
Wish I could open up that door
Now here it comes the hardest part of all
Unchain my heart that's holding on
How do I start to live my life alone
Guess I'm just learning
Learning the art of letting go

Watching us fade
What can I do
But try to make it through
The pain of one more day
Without you

Where do I start to live my life alone
I guess I'm learning
Only learning
Learning the art of letting go

Other songs in the compilation:
Tattooed On My Mind - D' Sound
Stranded - Jennifer Paige
I'll Never Get Over You Getting Over Me - Expose
Without Me - Clair Marlo
Separate Lives (Acoustic) - Stephen Bishop
The Day You Went Away - Wendy Matthews
Stay - Lisa Loeb
Out of Reach - Gabrielle
In This Life - Ronan Keating
Until I Get Over You - Christina Milian
One Last Cry - Brian Mcknight
Insensitive - Jann Arden
You're In Love - Wilson Philips
Seasons of Loneliness - Boyz II Men
Steep - Lauren Christy



The guy who broke my heart is still a very dear friend of mine. He's now in a serious relationship and is planning to get married next year (Hmmm...I am doubtful though. Ha!). He calls me once or twice a week just to chat and to update each other on our lives. Though it did not work for us, I found in him a true friend who cares for me deeply and who doesn't mind calling me for hours just to hear my latest tirades. He's one of the few people who believes in me 101% and who supports me whatever it takes. We are so sayang but it proved to be better in the end. After all...how can you lose someone you never had? HAH! Kidding, Hippo! I know you are reading this. *grins*

[Beware: I'm a senti at heart! You will never see any metal or reggae thingy here. It's Easy Listening all the way!]

I'm a sucker for Song(s) of the Moment and LSS / Last Song Syndrome! I'm not really crazy about music (but who's canvassing for a new iPod mini, huh?! haha!) unlike my other friends. But if there are some tunes that I want...naku...kahit paulit-ulit pa yan, I'll never get tired of it.

My iTunes Playlist has a category that I call "Songs of the Moment", I want to share with you one of 'em (Hey Aileen! Can we put some music here in the blog?). It's actually a pretty "gutsy-against-all-odds" song.

THROUGH THE FIRE
by Chaka Khan

I look in your eyes and i can see
We've loved so dangerously
You're not trusting your heart to anyone
You tell me you're gonna play it smart
We're through before we start
But i believe that we've only just begun

When it's this good, there's no saying no
I want you so, i'm ready to go

Chorus:
Through the fire
To the limit, to the wall
For a chance to be with you
I'd gladly risk it all
Through the fire
Through whatever, come what may
For a chance at loving you
I'd take it all the way
Right down to the wire
Even through the fire

I know you're afraid of what you feel
You still need time to heal
And i can help if you'll only let me try
You touch me and something in me knew
What i could have with you
Well i'm not ready to kiss that dream goodbye

When it's this sweet, there's no saying no
I need you so, i'm ready to go

Chorus
Through the test of time

Chorus

Through the fire, to the limit
Through the fire, through whatever
Through the fire, to the limit
Through the fire, through whatever