* Creating Enchantment *

Finally, I was able to hear the new song by Rico Blanco, Yugto. Since I don’t get to listen to the radio that often, I’m very grateful that a lot of other fans asked for him to post the song on the net. I only even knew about it because I visited his site. So in case you haven’t heard it either, it’s in here: http://www.myspace.com/ricoblancomusic

Anyway, I’m not a music critic, so what I say probably won’t matter much, but having been a Rivermaya fan for most of my life (I realize just this instant that I’ve been a Rivermaya fan longer than I haven’t been one, because I became their fan when I was just 10 years old. Hehehe.), I just can’t not say anything about it.

I won’t say too much about Rico Blanco’s having left the band. There’s too much drama in that to combine my opinion on that with my opinion on this new song. Perhaps in another entry. But it is relevant to mention, because this is the first song he’s come out with as a solo performer. (I’m not including the ones he wrote for various artists, i.e. Tayo Tayo Rin and Biyahe Tayo because although he did them independently, he was still a part of Rivermaya when he wrote them.)

What I can say is this: Yugto is definitely different from the ones I’m used to hearing from Rico Blanco. Or, not just him, but anyone really. It’s something I’ve never heard before (at least not in the OPM scene), it’s like a fusion of so many unrelated music influences that it’s really hard to describe. Well, I told you I wasn’t a music critic. But I really want to try to say what I think about it. I like it. I like it better than a lot of the new songs I’ve heard recently. If I heard it on the radio, I’d probably smile because it’s a good song. But here comes the negative part: It’s actually not as good as I expected it to be. And because Rico Blanco has been one of my favorite songwriters in the whole wide world, I guess I’m a bit disappointed. Then again, maybe I expected too much. Or maybe two heads are better than one, even if that one is a genius. So maybe the song would’ve been better if there were other people who contributed to it. But then, it’s just the first song from his new album (No, I won’t talk about the controversy surrounding that either). And maybe I’ll like the other songs that will be released in the future. However at the moment, I’m still not fully satisfied with his “comeback”.

To be completely honest, I liked the Happy New Year composition better. You can hear that in the MySpace music account, too. It’s not an official composition. I think he just did it for fun, and uploaded it in his Multiply, just like anyone else who dabbles in music. Although I think you’ll all agree when I say that he’s not the kind of person who just “dabbles” in music. Wait, I’m losing the focus of this entry again.

I’ll just tell you the reason why I can’t focus: It’s still hard for me to talk about Rico Blanco. I guess it’s because I liked Rivermaya so much. When they were just starting and Bamboo was still their lead singer, I already liked Rico Blanco more than the rest of the members. So unlike most people I know who no longer liked Rivermaya when Bamboo left, my support for the band never wavered. (And I’ve never really warmed up to Bamboo’s new band.) I guess I never thought that I would be torn between Rico Blanco and Rivermaya. I like the present Rivermaya still, but I like Rico Blanco as well. And I feel guilty for liking the other, because I don’t think they’re in good terms. And neither are their fans. Gosh, it’s hard to appreciate art when you’re considering artists’ humanity, isn’t it?

Does that make sense? What I mean is, sometimes, I wish artists weren’t so human. That’s a bit of a cruel thought, but it just makes me a bit sad when personal problems, or reality, I should say, gets in the way of art. For instance, I cannot blame the producers of Harry Potter for changing the actor for Dumbledore because the original actor died. And I cannot blame the new actor for not being exactly like the previous one, because he’s a different person who would of course have a different style. And I can’t blame the world for not having two actors who are exactly alike, because if that happened, then the uniqueness of each actor wouldn’t be anything remarkable (more accurately, the actor wouldn’t be unique at all).

I am confusing myself with all these words. I wish my mind were more orderly. Sorry if this entry confused you as well. If you really want to know, just leave me a set of comments with specific questions so I’ll know which points I need to explain again. Ahehe. See you in the next blog entry!

I said I wouldn’t post anything about this topic, because it’s just too mainstream and it’s not like I’m a fan of the thing. But it is kind of interesting to be able to relate to what the people around me are talking about, for once.

I’m not an American Idol fan. I’m really not. Truth is, this is the first time I’ve watched episodes of it. It has to do with my being not really a music fan. Or maybe I’m a music fan, but I’m definitely not a singer fan. I don’t care much about vocal range and all that technical stuff. For me, as long as a person can sing in tune, it’s really the quality of the song writing that’s the basis on whether it’s a good song or not. I think that even if a person can sing really well, if the song he/she is singing sucks, then the whole thing will suck, in the same way that when a movie has a bad story, then no matter how good its technical aspect is, it will ultimately be forgettable.

I actually only watched an episode of this because they had a Beatles week, and I’m kind of a Beatles fan. Of course, after that episode, I didn’t watch any more episodes, but I’ve found that you can find out what happens just by listening to the people around you. So I found out that the final 2 contestants are the 2 Davids. Good for them. I think they’re both really good. Then again, you have to be really good to be able to reach one of the final 2 slots. So there’s no question about whether they’re good singers or not. I think, at this point in the show, it will ultimately boil down to who’s got the bigger fan base.

Personally, I think it’s unfair. Or if not, then it’s still not accurate to say that one David is a better singer than the other. Because they’re just too different. They have different images, they sing different song genres. I mean, if they always sang the same song, then maybe you’ll be able to really compare them, but since they don’t (because if they did then people will get sick of the songs they sing), then the competition isn’t really just between the two Davids, but between Rock music and Pop music.

I’m going to be honest. I like Rock better. Pop songs are just too shallow for me, too commercial, even. I think they’re made deliberately to make money, to become popular, and not really to send a message to the audience, or change the world. I know, it’s too idealistic to think that music can change the world, but you never know. Music is a powerful force. I think it’s a waste of the art if you’ll just use it to make yourself rich (I’m talking about the producers/marketers, not the singers). I even think it’s a wrong use of the medium. But that’s me. I’m not saying Pop music is bad. I’ve been known to enjoy shallow pop songs from time to time (Proof: I own Hillary Duff’s album. Both of them.) But it’s just fun to listen to, it’s nothing I think I’ll learn anything from. It’s nothing that I think can change or even affect my life, even for a little while.

Obviously, since I like Rock better than Pop, then I guess it’s not hard to guess that I like David Cook better. No offense to David Archuleta, he’s really good, too. But I honestly think that David Cook is more consistent. I mean, David Archuleta so murdered We Can Work It Out by The Beatles. Well, I can forgive him for that. Everybody gets bad days. And I honestly think that the only reason I don’t like David A that much is because I don’t like the songs he sings. Because they’re always Pop songs. And I don’t really like Pop. But anyway, the point of this post is really that I don’t really care who wins, even if I prefer one contestant over the other. I think they’re both really really good. I’m glad they won over the rest of the contestants. Although even if I like David Cook more, I think it’s David Archuleta who’s going to win. Because the deciding factor will be the number of votes, right? And we all know that Pop music is way more popular than Rock. Hello, it’s the very reason it’s called Pop music. So:

Pop > Rock ergo David A > David C

I don’t really mind. Like I said, I don’t care who wins. I think the other will have a good career after the contest, no matter what happens anyway. But it is interesting for me because it’s the first time I can relate to all the American Idol chatter around me. It’s the first time I actually have an opinion about it, and I’m quite proud of myself for trying to find out about things I’m normally not interested in. I just hope people won’t start talking to me about R&B, or Pinoy Big Brother*, because those things, no matter what, I’m never going to be interested in.

[edit: 22-May-08 10:12 AM] Well, David Cook just won, making my prediction incorrect. I guess I’m not psychic after all, hehe. I like him better, but I’m kind of disappointed he won. Haha! I just don’t think American Idol is the right venue for someone like him. I’d like it better if he was an independent artist whose claim to fame isn’t through a “reality” show. Not to mention, I think there would be more fans sourgraping about David A’s loss because he has the younger fan base, ergo their opinions would be more immature. Not that I’d go looking for their sourgraping comments.

This is a little weird. This is the first time that the optimistic side of me has won (yes, I’ve secretly been hoping for David Cook to win, but my realistic side kept telling me that David A has more mass appeal), and I guess I’m not used to it. Hehe. Although I do kind of feel bad that Rock has really gone mainstream now. Well, it went mainstream in the 90’s, but still… Wait, I’m really confused. Am I disappointed because the contestant that I like is the one who won the contest?!?! Something must be wrong with me! /: )

*Disclaimer, just in case you think I don’t like Pinoy Big Brother because it’s a local show: I don’t like the Big Brother franchise. I think the whole thing is a pointless invasion of people’s privacy. I personally can’t care less about the personal lives of people I don’t know and am not likely to meet or be friends with. And it’s not reality TV in my opinion. The camera distorts any semblance of anything to reality. Hello? Haven’t these people ever heard of the Observer Effect?!

Thanks to my brother who’s home from Japan, for the summer, the gadgets in our house (my computer included) didn’t just (finally) work the way they’re supposed to, but I had a pretty eventful week/weekend as well. So, this will probably be a long post.

Short background: My brother works for a Japanese Company, so that’s (Japan) where he’s been living for the past year or so. He gets to come back home sometimes, but it’s usually just for a week, which is why a lot of stuff happens within the week he’s around.

(Note: It’s the same case with my sister who’s currently living in New Zealand, and gets to visit us only once or twice a year, and also only for a short period of time.)

Let’s start at the beginning then, shall we?

Nintendo DS Lite

My brother bought me one from Japan! (This has a somewhat funny background story on it, click here to find out.) He already installed the Japanese-English Dictionary I wanted (Wahoo! I actually have a denshi jishou (電子辞書)! I’ve always wanted one of these.) and some other cool games (e.g. Elite Beat Agents). I’m really enjoying myself, even if the games are still few. One problem though: I said before that I didn’t want to buy any game consoles because I wanted to spend my free time reading books (because that’s the way to improve one’s writing!), but weh, I guess my geeky side got the better of me. Besides (and yes, this is my excuse, which I consider to be valid) it’s not just a game console, it’s a dictionary, too! It’s educational!

The best part really, is the fact that it’s the Crimson & Black Model, which I just really really love! Mostly because I love red and black, but also because I don’t see many DS Lites that are of that color here in the Philippines. That does pose a bit of a problem though–I can’t find a nice case for it! All the ones I see are light blue, silver or pink. I can’t find any red ones, and I really really want one right away because I’m afraid it’ll have scratch marks on it (and I hate scratch marks ). I know, I can always choose a black cover, or a white one, but… but… Black and white are boring. I want red! XD

Summer Outing #2

Me and My Family (sans sister) at the Patapat Bridge, Ilocos Norte

This summer, my mom wanted to go see the Blue Lagoon (in Maira-Ira, near Pagudpud in Ilocos Norte), so she booked us some rooms in Fort Ilocandia Hotel in Laoag City. We were there from April 30 until May 3, and it was great!

What I like most about taking trips/vacations with my parents is that they can plan a really balanced vacation–what I mean is, they plan the itinerary such that there’s enough time to see the sights, and relax, I mean, really relax, as in, the type of relaxation that borders on boredom. Hehehe. No, seriously, what we did was to stay at the hotel for the entire first day that we were there. We did nothing but sit at the cafe, and stare at the beach. And then on the next day, we hired a van to take us to the Blue Lagoon and some other famous tourist spots in the area (e.g. Bangui Windmills, Patapat Bridge, etc.). By the 3rd day, we again, had nothing planned but the flight back to Manila later in the evening, so we were able to rest from the tiring trip of the day before, and do whatever else we wanted to do again, i.e. swim in the beach/pool of the resort, order more room service, etc.

It was a really fun trip, never mind that it wasn’t exactly a new and exotic place (We went to Ilocos in 2000 too.), I don’t think there’s anything wrong with repeating going to a place anyway, especially when your main objective is to relax.

Party! Party!

My aunt, nephew and brother, tossing around a balloon outside our house.
(I’m somewhere in the background, eating cake. Ahehe.)

Although my mom and brother’s birthday’s been long past, we celebrated it anyway yesterday (because that’s just how we are–we celebrated New Year on January 15 this year even, because we were in Japan on January 1), by having our relatives visit our house for dinner.

No, I didn’t help that much with the preparation, but I was the one who bought the gifts for my nephews (It’s their birthdays too–there’s 2 of ‘em), and the dessert (Braso de Mercedes galore!).

The food was great (as always–my aunts love to cook), and it was actually quite fun. Don’t tell my relatives, but I like it better when we’re the ones who host the get-togethers, because 1) there’s a bigger chance that the relatives I don’t like won’t be there, and 2) if there are people who I don’t like who come, my room where I can hide out in is nearby :P.

It’s kind of funny how my brother was really the “life of the party”, though. Everyone wanted to talk to him, and they asked him about a variety of stuff too–his life in Japan, his work, his new hobby of photography, his experience in the Tokyo marathon, his recent snowboarding injury, etc. I mean, it’s supposed to be natural since he is the birthday celebrant (and a “balikabayan” at that), but I can’t help but remember that when my sister was home last January and we were also celebrating her birthday (this time, it was an advance celebration because her birthday is technically during February), our relatives didn’t ask her that many questions. Sure, they asked her how she likes New Zealand, but other than that and a couple basic of questions about work, the only other thing they asked about was if she had a boyfriend already.

Personally, I think it’s unfair, and I’m beginning to think that maybe people have double-standards about migration too. Of course it could be that it’s only applicable to my family (although I’ve observed this from some other families as well), but it seems that if a single woman migrates to another country, people assume that she’s there to find herself a husband. But if a single man goes to another country, they think he’s there for fun, or for work.

Then again, it could also be that because my brother’s always been more friendly than my sister, maybe my relatives just feel more comfortable asking my brother about various things. I really don’t know since I’m their sibling, and since I get to talk to them more often than our other relatives, I don’t ask so many questions myself.

(Note: I do like something other than the food whenever our family has get-togethers though, when we sing Happy Birthday, we’re always in tune! Hooray for not having anyone tone-deaf in the family! Hehehe. )

Back to the Routine

What I hate most about vacations really, is how it’s so hard to go back to the routine you had before you took your vacation. I go back to work tomorrow (technically later but I haven’t slept yet, so it’s still tomorrow to me), and as excited as I am to see my officemates again and find out what’s happened in the days that I was gone, I can’t help but think that I’d still prefer a nice lazy day to a busy work day any day. (This is a sign that I’m getting tired, I just used the word “day” 3 times in the same sentence.)

One thing I do like about my old routine though, is that I’ll get to watch J-Dramas again! Yes, I’m aware that this isn’t work-related, but I don’t really like watching TV during vacations because to me, TV is the way to unwind after a hard day at work. If I’m watching TV while I’m on vacation, then instead of feeling like it’s a vacation, I’d feel more like I’m just killing time ’til I have to go to work again the next day.

I’ve just finished watching Dragon Zakura, actually. (I finished it just when my cousins arrived at our house for the birthday party. Okay, no, that’s a lie. They got here before I finished it, but I didn’t leave my room until the last episode finished. Yeah, I’m a lousy host. XP) I might post something about it later on. In case you’re curious, the next drama in line is Orange Days. Another old one, but it’s also another one that I’ve had many friends recommend to me, so… I do feel a bit sad that it’s not a Yamapi drama, but it does star Tsumabaki Satoshi–another face I miss, so it shouldn’t be too bad.

Just in case though, here’s something that’ll help me remember Yamapi, and it’s quite timely for us in the Philippines, too.

Summer Time by NewS

Fun! One of the reasons I don’t research too many JRock/JPop music on my own (aside from the fact that I’m too lazy to find really good sources for them), is because I really love how it feels when I stumble upon some great stuff accidentally.

Take Orange Range, for example. I first encountered this group (some years ago) as I was researching the HipHop (they’re hiphop, right?) group RIZE, because I heard that Takeshi Yasutoko liked them. Anyway, in the site where you can listen to RIZE songs, there were some Orange Range songs as well. So I listened to them, thought they were pretty good, but didn’t research any more on them, partly because I was preoccupied with RIZE, and also partly because I didn’t think I would find them in any other website.

So when my friend told me about this movie she saw which had “a really cool theme song”, I really wasn’t expecting anything other than the usual famous Japanese band (like L’Arc en Ciel). But then she said Orange Range, and my heart skipped a beat. “You mean, famous movies use their songs as their theme songs?” I’d asked. It was really great, having a friend telling me about a group I didn’t think I would hear (about) again.

At the time, the song was Hana, used as the ending theme of Ima, Ai Ni Yukimasu. I liked it a lot and even memorized it, despite not understanding the lyrics. I liked it so much even, that when I got the chance to go to a record store (HMV Singapore!) that I knew might be selling Japanese Artists CDs, I immediately looked for them. I nearly bought the album with Hana in it (MusiQ), but the saleslady working at the store convinced me to buy their then latest album, Natural. I hadn’t heard any songs from that album yet, but figured it was worth the risk since I haven’t been disappointed by any of the songs from them that I’ve heard so far.

As soon as I got home, I listened to it and immediately decided that the songs Asterisk and Natural Pop were my favorites. Again, I’d memorized their lyrics (without understanding them :P), so again, it was such a pleasant surprise when one day my brother brought home a DVD of the anime BLEACH and I recognized the opening theme. “They have songs that are soundtracks to anime, too?!?”

I was really happy because that meant the group was becoming more and more popular (and therefore more available). And I got even happier because I didn’t even have to look that hard for them, their songs eventually just fell into my lap. Just like now, a few weeks after I finished watching the J-Drama Hana Kimi, I found out that the opening theme to it is actually also an Orange Range song (Ikenai Taiyou!).

Now that I think about it, I guess I should’ve recognized their style since I’ve been listening to them for quite some time now, but I could also have just been preoccupied by looking at the cute boys in the series, and that’s why I didn’t get to pay too much attention to the music. Hehehe. Anyways, I’m just happy (I seem to be saying this every after paragraph! Hehe!) because now “They’re doing themes for J-Dramas, too!?”

Hooray for Orange Range!

****

Ikenai Taiyou
Orange Range
Hanazakari no Kimitachi e Opening Theme

Ikenai taiyou Na Na

Chotto de ii kara Misete kurenai ka
Omae no sekushii feromon de Ore Meromero

Ah furechaisou Demo Ikenai no!
Jojo ni takanaru kodou Tomerarenai wa

Kawasu kotoba no Kioku tooku Kuchimoto no ugoki ni yureugoku
Nureta kami wo nadeta Soshite Ah

ABC Tsuzukanai Sonnan ja Dame ja nai
Datte Kokoro no oku wa chigaun ja nai?
Ore no seishun Sonna mon ja nai Atsuku oku de hatetai yo
Kitto Kimi ja nakya Ya da yo Ore wa Ikenai taiyou Na Na

“Akai ito” nante esoragoto Demo shitagokoro de sae shinjitai no
Ore wa tadashii Kimi mo tadashii Tonikaku mou sayuu sarenai ze

Damashi damasare mune uzuku Heta na shibai ga Yori moriageru yoru
Iki ga mimi ni fureta futari Ah

ABC Tsuzukanai Sonnan ja Dame ja nai
Datte Kokoro no oku wa chigaun ja nai?
Atashi no seishun Sonna mon ja nai Atsuku oku de hatetai yo
Kitto Kimi ja nakya Ya da yo Atashi Ikenai taiyou

Kawasu kotoba no Kioku tooku Kuchimoto no ugoki ni yureugoku
Nureta kami wo nadeta Soshite Ah

ABC (ABC) Tsuzukanai Sonnan ja Dame ja nai
Datte Kokoro no oku wa chigaun ja nai?
Ore no seishun Sonna mon ja nai Atsuku oku de hatetai yo
Kitto Kimi ja nakya Ya da yo Ore wa Ikenai taiyou
Karamiau ito wa Kimi to ore wo musubu akai ito
Na Na

You can view the video* here: http://www.jpopasia.com/play/3567/orange-range/ikenai-taiyo.html

*I actually felt a bit nostalgic when I saw this video because it includes clips from their previous music videos. It reminds me that they’ve really come a long way (which means that I’ve been their fangirl for a long time, too. Hehe!).