A Bed of Songs & Stories

"Ikaw" (You) - Sharon Cuneta This song is the song of all songs. It is how I love and how I would want to be loved in return. It is the song that pops into mind whenever I feel like singing in Tagalog. All of the songs that Sharon sings inspire me. And I could use a lot more of this right now. It starts with me. Lyrics: Ikaw ang bigay ng Maykapal* (You are a gift from God*) Tugon sa aking dasal (As an answer to my prayer) Upang sa lahat ng panahon (So that all through time) Bawat pagkakataon (Every moment) ang ibigin ko'y ikaw (You'd be the one I'll love) Ikaw ang tanglaw sa 'king mundo (You are the light of my world) Kabiyak nitong puso ko (Half of my heart) Wala ni kahati mang saglit Na sa iyo'y may papalit (No one could replace you even for a second) Ngayo't kailanma'y ikaw (There is only you, now and forever) Ang lahat ng aking galaw Ang sanhi ay ikaw (Everything I do, I do it for you) Kung may bukas mang tinatanaw (If there is a future to lo...

"Now and Forever" - Richard Marx I thought this song could speak for itself so originally I didn't plan on writing anything, but you noticed. I don't want you to think that everything you've done thus far is going unnoticed. So, let me just take a moment to tell you this. Your serenade gave me tingles and at first it was too much. I'm still not sure how to react because I don't want to be misunderstood. Your compilation (both new and old) has hit me in so many ways. You probably don't even know do you? I feel overwhelmed by all of this. By your sweetness and even more so with your attention to detail. The fact that you stayed up late just to make sure everything was "perfect" is beyond amazing to me. I almost forgot what it felt like to have someone show so much effort to express how they feel. It's a little unnerving to think that maybe this time you'll have the upper-hand because I don't even know where to begin. How do I show...

"Kung Malaya Lang Ako (If Only I Were Free)" - Kris Lawrence I don't know why, but I chose to put this song on repeat all day today. I guess it's been a while since a song popped into my mind right when I wake up and this morning this one did. It's been in my head ever since. Sadly, as fluent as I think I am in Tagalog, I have to admit I needed some help with this one. The word "malaya" threw me off. Funny how the word "free" was beyond my recognition. I just don't hear it said a lot. Maybe it's because I haven't been free or should I say felt free in so long... What's even more interesting is how free I feel now in this new or should I say rekindled relationship. But not free in the sense that I want to continue seeing other people. Just free from stress. From trying to please someone who doesn't deserve it or knows how to make me feel worthy of it. From fixing everything except myself. From doing everything exc...

"My Grown Up Christmas List" - Kelly Clarkson I'm not so sure I even know where to begin on this Christmas day. In less than 24 hours, I felt every emotion imaginable. But before I get into mine, let me start by telling other people's stories. A fairly new couple who have only been dating for about a year got engaged. He is a pretty successful guy, confident in his profession and stable in his home. She is a carefree spirit with a steady career. On Christmas Eve in front of his family and their friends, she sat unwrapping present after present until finally reaching a big box carefully placed in the center of the room. Distracted with all the commotion, she opens it only to discover another box after another box after yet another. She rummaged through the tissue paper, pulling out the box not even realizing he was kneeling before her. "Here let me help you with that," he said. But she was too quick and opened it. Stunned beyond belief, she immediately burst...

"Last Christmas" - Wham That was then and it hurt like all Hell. It was over and I thought I was too. But I'm not in pain anymore. So thank you for leaving me. You made me realize that I do deserve someone special and now he has my heart. Lyrics: Last Christmas I gave you my heart But the very next day you gave it away This year To save me from tears I'll give it to someone special Last Christmas I gave you my heart But the very next day you gave it away This year To save me from tears I'll give it to someone special Once bitten and twice shy I keep my distance But you still catch my eye Tell me baby Do you recognize me? Well It's been a year It doesn't surprise me I wrapped it up and sent it With a note saying "I love you" I meant it Now I know what a fool I've been But if you kissed me now I know you'd fool me again Last Christmas I gave you my heart But the very next day you gave it away This year To save me from tears I'll give it...

"Like A G6 & Bass Down Low" - Far East Movement, The Cataracs, & Dev I promised every week at the least. For Me. This is me keeping my promise. For Me. Cuz it's what I've been doing. For Me. And it's what I'll always do. For Me. Lyrics: If you wanna get with me There's some things you gotta know I like my beats fast And my bass down low (Drop it to the floor) Ba-ba-bass, bass, bass down low (to the floor) Bass, bass, bass down low (Drop it to the floor) I, I, I like my beats fast (to the floor) And my bass down low (to the floor) Bass, bass down low (Drop it to the floor) Bass, bass, bass down low (to the floor) I, I, I like my beats fast (Drop it to the floor) And my bass down low (to the floor) Popping bottles in the ice, like a blizzard When we drink we do it right gettin slizzard Sippin sizzurp in my ride, like Three 6 Now I'm feeling so fly like a G6 (808) Like a G6, Like a G6 Now I'm feeling so fly like a G6 Like a G6, Like a G6 Now I...

"Blow" - Kesha I just don't want to be sentimental right now. I'm in the mood to put the kind of mainstream music on here that makes me want to dance. Can you believe the last time I went out dancing with my "girls" was in July? That was my clubbing month, my party month, the unplanned-last-minute-every-weekend, awesome month. But then I got "old" again. I don't want to be old anymore. So, I need to put something up. Cuz for now this girl definitely wants to have more fun. Dance. Back door cracked, we don't need a key We get in for free, no V.I.P. sleaze, Drink that Kool-Aid follow my lead, Now you're one of us, you're coming with me It's time to kill the lights and shut the DJ down (This place's about to) Tonight we're taking over, no one's getting out This place's about to blow-oh-oh-oh! Blow-oh-oh-oh (This place about to) Now what? What? We're taking control We get what we want We do what you don't Dir...

"Dance A$$" - Big Sean feat. Nikki Minaj "B*tches Ain't Sh*t" - YG feat. Tyga & Nipsey Hussle "Money on the Floor" - Too Short feat. E40 "Good F@$king Night" - Roscoe Dash So, I was told I curse too much during my trainings. Again. Hell, I know I have a muthaf@$Kin' bad mouth in and outside of work so let me address this right quick. Oh, and just so I can show some kind of reservation, I'll censor my words for now. Let's get one thing clear here. I train about sex, drugs, and how to talk to someone about very taboo things no matter what age, background, or culture they identify with. I shock my participants with the language they'll hear in the field because it will happen and it is what I do. Now if this offends you, well then f@$k you! Ok, now that that's out of the way I do have two questions for the tiny few of you that have an issue with my approach. (1) Why are you even considering this kind of work? and (2) W...

"Someday We'll Be Together" - The Supremes "I can have the busiest day and all I have to do is hit 'home screen' on my phone. Your face pops up and not only does it put a smile on my face, but it reminds me what I'm doing it all for. Thank you for being you and for returning to me. I'm dizzy, but don't let this feeling stop me from spinning. I feel like flying! I will be in a few more days and the anxiety of it is overwhelming. Not because I fear planes, but because I know that it'll quickly lead me back to you. Yes, I'm a corny freakin' cliche, but I'm smiling all the time and I've been told I'm quite good at it so why ruin a good thing? I look at my phone for a minute and know that soon I'll be talking to you and everything will work itself out. And for that I just want to say I so very much thank you too. This isn't puppy love. We've passed that in junior high, didn't we? But it's the same sensation a...

"Last Dance" - Donna Summer I'm here again Dear Blog, but I'm not really sure where "here" is anymore. I wish I had an epiphany where everything just made sense and I knew what to do so that I won't get hurt, disappointed, frustrated, careless, and clueless. I wish I could be in the mindset where I don't mistaken a whirlwind of emotions to be a bad thing and give it time to settle before popping in a couple of Advils. I wish that when someone says, "I'll take care of it...of you," that I could truly believe that this will actually happen for the long run... maybe even after then . I wish I could believe that there's weight in their words and that the excitement of having this staring at me in the face is all I could...I would focus on. But I'm just shell-shocked all over again. It's only been a few days. Then again it's been years... It's like we're still kids, but we're all grown up. We've changed....

"Without You" - David Guetta feat. Usher I wonder what the theme song on New Year's Eve will be this year? My baby sis said it's going to definitely be something mainstream and this fits the category. I have a feeling it may be in the running to be the next "2012." Why? Well, when a year is coming to an end and another one begins, people often reflect. With reflection comes bountiful feelings of... Relief Wonderment Accomplishment Regret Loneliness Togetherness Connection Realization Contemplation Plan of Action Insecurities Certainty Guilt Love Euphoria Metamorphosis Sense of direction Or a continuation of a lack thereof Whatever the emotion or case may be, an end to something leads to a beginning of another. And almost always, it means another person to share it with. Whether it's family, friends, or a special someone...whether it's a big group, a small group, or just the one. We tend to flock together vs. drift apart. This song does just that. So ...

"Come Home" - One Republic feat. Sara Bareilles Almost a week rolled by Dear Blog and it's only half-way done. I'm sitting here, alone in a very quaint hotel room, right across the street from a pretigious college campus. I'm typing away on my laptop that's on a small wooden desk against a tiny balcony overlooking a cafe filled with anxious students cramming for finals in front of a laptop of their own. I'm so close that I could see their ceramic mugs need some refilling. As I sit and stare out, I somehow find myself feeling what it must've felt like to be in a dorm far away from home. I'm stuck in so many ways and yet at this moment, in this historical building that smells like a dusty library book, I feel free. This space is welcoming to me. I miss my family and have no friends here, but rather than sulk about it I shared my Chinese take-out with a cool chic at the front desk. I don't have my car, but without it I'm allowing myself...

24 songs got dropped from Playlist. 24. 14 from Part II and 10 from the Archives. What's worse is that most of these are from my favorite blogs. Like the one about the bankrupt bookstore and the other about the free-spirited peddlers on the street. There's the one about the time I felt like a real adult and plenty others that really sang out to you...and you too. There's the ones about turning a new leaf (with how I see myself) and turning the page (with where I need to move to now). Now, the idea of having to look up all of these songs in the middle of this mess of packing for a mere week away is too much...I just wanted to hear music to help relieve the anxiety of being on a plane again, especially by myself. And now all I'm reliving is the memory of writing these posts and the memories that inspired them. I need a break in the worst way, but sh*t like this just makes me want to quit. What's the point...really, wtf is the point in all this? I seriously wan...

"Paradise" - Coldplay It took a while for this song to affect me, but I guess a windy drive home through an obstacle course of devastating proportions and the sudden panic of having a "State of Emergency" warning flash within my quiet hometown can change things. A lot. I didn't sleep a single minute last night. Although this isn't anything new, it's new to me to want to sleep and not get it. It was unbelievably frightening to be alone in my room with the nite-lite busted and the wind at full speed...even worse when half the roof over my head flew to the ground with a thunderous thud bringing the rest of the sleepless city to its feet. We've seen the Santa Ana winds, but never at this magnitude. It moved cars and busted windows. It rattled fences and ripped gates apart. It knocked over trashcans and picked up patio furniture like it weighed nothing. In the morning when the dust settled just enough for the hazy sun to bring some light to the mayhem, w...