Insightful, Hopeful - music

Children and Childhood Memories

noreply@blogspirit.com (Ner Ris) — Sun, 22 Oct 2006 09:55:00 +0200

I'm writing this entry to update my sis, Cat about the concert. This is the first time we are not watching a Lea concert together. She'll be going the US this Oct. 25 and I'll be missing her badly. But I do wish that she'll have a great future ahead in the land of milk and honey, and that she won't forget her friends here. We were classmates in elementary and high school, but we only became close in high school because of our fondness for anime. It's nice that through the years we have remained friends. And I hope even if she'll be away, our friendship will remain. Read on sis :)

Last Friday, October 20, I had the privilege to watch the concert "Tomorrow: A Concert For the Future" with of course no other than Ms. Lea Salonga. This is her first major concert after giving birth to Nicole. It is apt that this concert is about children. The proceeds will go to the CCP arts program for children and youth, especially to the funding of the CCP-Unicef Arts Therapy Program. This will help children that are traumatized due to armed conflicts and natural disasters.

It feels good to be able to watch a concert, at the same time help in programs like these. I am fond of children, and it was wonderful seeing Lea with children onstage. These children are part of two chorales: the Hail Mary the Queen Children's Choir and Kilyawan Boy's Choir. Also part of the show were the Philippine Madrigal Singers, Calvin Millado and renowed child singer Julia Abueva. Most of the songs from the repertoire were sung by Lea in her previous concerts. But it was nice hearing them again, and some were performed with the children like "Galawgaw".

I especially liked Lea's rendition of "Stand Up for Love". This was one of the new songs in her repertoire. It was the theme in the 2005 World's Children's Day Anthem by Destiny's Child (or was it just Beyonce?). I heard this first when it was sung by Rita Iringan, the 1st champion of Pop Star Kids. Then I heard it again being sung by the "Little Big Star" finalists in the Handog ng Pasasalamat concert (aka the Bituing Walang Ningning finale concert). Lea must have really felt the song especially now that she has a daughter. The lyrics of the song is inspiring. It asks everyone of us, to make a stand so the children, who are tomorrow's hope, may have a chance of living better lives.

Destiny's Child - Stand Up For Love Lyrics

[Beyonce]

There are times I find it hard to sleep at night
We are living through such troubled times
And every child that reaches out for someone to hold
For one moment they become my own

And how can I pretend that I don't know what's going on?
When every second with every minute another soul is gone

And I believe that in my life I will see
An end to hopelessness
Of giving up
Of suffering

Then we all stand together this one time
Then no one will get left behind
And stand up for life
Stand up for love

[Kelly]
I'm inspired and hopeful each and everyday
That's how I know that things are gonna change

So how can I pretend that I don't know what's going on?
When every second with every minute
Another soul is gone

And I believe that in my life I will see
An end to hopelessness
Of giving up
Of suffering

If we all stand together this one time
Then no one will get left behind
Stand up for life
Stand up for love

[Michelle]
And it all starts right here
And it starts right now
One person stand up
And the rest will follow

For all the forgotten
For all the unloved
I'm gonna sing this song

And I believe that in my life I will see
An end to hopelessness
Of giving up
Of suffering

If we all stand together this one time
Then no one will get left behind
Stand up for life [Kelly]
Stand up and sing [Michelle]
Stand up for love [Beyonce]
For love
For love

Random OPM news

noreply@blogspirit.com (Ner Ris) — Sun, 20 Aug 2006 20:40:00 +0200

It was only today, that I was able to fully watch ASAP and SOP, the two Sunday variety shows on Philippine tv. During the last months, I just watched one or two segments because there was really nothing new to watch.

But today, I was excited because in ASAP, the album tribute for APO entitled "Kami nAPO muna", was featured. This album was similar to the Eraserheads Anthology album, wherein different bands and solo artists recorded their own rendition of the songs popularized by e-heads. Now, it's time to pay tribute to APO.

I've always liked APO's music. I was always contemplating on buying the Best of Apo album, but never did. Perhaps because I had mp3s of the ones I liked. My favorites are: Batang-bata Ka Pa, Paano and When I Met You.

When I saw them on tv awhile ago singing "Sa'n Na Nga Bang Barkada", I remembered my high school barkada because of our recent mini reunion (see previous post).

Some of the bands featured in the album played in ASAP. I was again disappointed why the resident talents of ASAP had to sing along the guests (SOP does this too). This affects the performance especially because the resident host/singer most of the time, fails to blend with the band. Anyway, I still liked the renditions of some songs especially the one by Imago, Spongecola and Barbie. Kamikazee's Dobeedoo was really fun, the lead singer gave it his all. But he seemed drunk hehe. I guess that's their style of music.

I thought of buying the album today, but they showed the other album which contains the cover versions and the original version on another cd but these will be in one package. I think I'll wait for that one which they said will be out next week.

While surfing, I found a good review of the album by J Panganiban, and an article on Inq7. There's also a tribute concert with the same title on Aug. 22, and APO will have a concert on Sept. 2.

Some weeks ago, I also saw a link to Jim Paredes' blog. It was exciting to read the blog of someone famous, and who is admirable. In here, you can read Jim's own thoughts on the album, and his return to Manila.

Meanwhile, on SOP, I found out that Jonalyn Viray and Brenan Espartinez won in the World Championships of the Performing Arts (WCOPA). This was the same contest where Jed Madella won last year. I'm really happy for these two singers especially for Jonalyn. I was rooting for her in the Pinoy Pop Superstar grand finals because I watched her as a contender, and liked her version of "Run to You". I knew her physical features are not the typical star-quality features that Filipino fans are looking for, that is why I was worried she wouldn't make it big. But because of these awards she got, she showed everyone that she is very talented.

The list of awards they won are in this article (note: the article is written in Tagalog).

I was also elated to know that the Cercado sisters, who were contestants in QTV11's FamJam, also won in the World Championships. I learned it from the article written by Ms. Armida Siguion-Reyna. This group of sisters were like professionals as they belted away songs like "Emotions" during their stay at FamJam. But unfortunately, they did not win the contest. Good thing, they were given opportunities like this, joining the World Championships, to showcase their extraordinary talent.

While surfing, I also came upon an article on South Border's US tour. It also told that one of their songs was being played in a radio station in the USA. The article was written early this year, on a site called Carousel Pinoy. I think this is one of the Filipino online newspapers based in the US. Well, the band is back in the Philippines because Vince and Jay celebrated their birthdays on SOP. I so admire Jay Durias because he's such a great songwriter.

Extra:

I was surprised to see that my blog was accessed through the femalenetwork website. Turns out, someone read my thoughts on Philippine Idol and posted a link to that entry. Too bad that entry was not even solely dedicated to Philippine Idol, and now people will be reading it. Oh well.

It's also unfortunate that I have not been able to watch the show recently because of my trip and today because I had some guests. Today was supposed to be the announcement of the 24 contestants.

I saw the link to Francis M's blog on femalenetwork forum.

Movie Musicals

noreply@blogspirit.com (Ner Ris) — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 06:05:00 +0200

Two weeks ago, me and my sis watched the movie "High School Musical". I first heard this from Mimay, then I was surprised that my nephew Jonel asked me if I watched it. My sister and I were curious so we bought a DVD.

(warning: spoilers ahead)
It was a teenybopper movie, about a basketball captain ball who met a smart girl at a party, and they shared their love for singing on stage. They met again in school, the girl being a new student at the guy's school. The story evolved about the two of them auditioning for the school's musical. This created some conflict because the guy, being a basketball player, broke the stereotype by auditioning.
The movie was as expected, very light, but had some good lessons to share to youngsters. It tackles the pressure of being in high school, of belonging to a certain crowd. It encourage young people to be themselves, to pursue what they want despite of what other people say. This a lesson everyone should learn and apply.
My niece Janella also likes the film, and said she watches it when she comes home from school. My nephew and niece are movie freaks. If they like a certain film, they watch it over and over. The songs are good, adding to the appeal of the film. It is a Disney film, so the best is expected. I'm glad they have continued to create films for kids, which is their target audience, and for kids at heart as well.
I remembered in my time, their movies were cartoons with great soundtracks as well. My favorites of those being: Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid, Aladdin and Lion King.
My sis and I also knew the reason why my nephew liked the movie so much. Perhaps he can relate to it coz he likes basketball and singing. I do hope he would be able to do well in both, and enjoy it as much as Troy (the movie's leading role).
I love musicals in general, live musicals are quite expensive, good thing there are movie musicals I can watch over and over.

Broadway Spell and Lea stories

noreply@blogspirit.com (Ner Ris) — Tue, 18 Apr 2006 07:02:48 +0200

On our northern Luzon trip, Mimay played Broadway musical soundtracks on their car stereo. Thanks to that, Broadway songs are now playing on my head which are mostly from "Wicked" and "Miss Saigon". I was bitten by the Broadway bug when I became a fan of no other than Ms. Lea Salonga (winner of Tony Awards for her role of Kim in Miss Saigon) in 2000. I was awed by her talent when I watched her Millenium Concert at the CCP together with my friend Cat, her mom and my sister.
That same year, Lea also starred in a musical, They're Playing Our Song, which was the first musical I ever saw. It was a romantic comedy, and I absolutely loved it, and it still is my favorite musical! :)
I loved the songs too - especially Fallin', I Still Believe in Love, Right and If He Really Knew Me. Too bad, the Manila production was not allowed to have a cast recording. But Lea was able to include two of the songs from the musical in her "By Heart" album.
Lea also reprised her role as Kim here in Manila, and I was lucky to have been able to witness her performance. Compared to They're Playing our Song, the set was much more extravagant, and the whole time, the performers had to sing. It was really a world-class musical.
Aside from those two, I was also able to watch "Baby the Musical", "Rent", and "Tick Tick Boom" all from Atlantis Productions. I was also able to see the Blue Rep (Ateneo's theater company) production of "Into the Woods", and Mimay's theater recital in Repertory - West Side Story.
For a while, I have stopped watching musicals, and had no news about what's playing on Broadway. But one of my "Lea" friends, Tin, introduced us to "Wicked". It is a comedy about the Wicked witch of Oz. It shows her life before she became wicked, and also shows her college friend, Glinda, a good witch. It stars Idina Menzel in the original Broadway cast, who is now Mimay's current idol hehe.
Musicals are great because they tell stories through songs. And don't we all have a theme song for special moments in our lives? I hope one day I can watch a musical in Broadway, and hope that Lea's in it too :)

Fave Movie Themes

noreply@blogspirit.com (Ner Ris) — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 17:50:00 +0100

Inspired by Minh's* blog entry, I am listing my favorite movie themes here. For me, the music in a film, adds to its appeal and important in defining a story, and creating a beautiful scene. Too bad it is not utilized much in Filipino movies, perhaps one of the reasons why the Philippine movie industry is struggling.

Personally, I have liked movies because of it's catchy theme songs - "Change the World" (Phenomenon), "It Might Be You" (Tootsie), "A Whole New World" (Aladdin), to name a few. Here are the other songs I have loved that were used as movie themes:

American/International

"If I Never Knew You" (Pocahontas) - I have to confess, I haven't watched Pocahontas. But this song caught my attention when it was played on the radio. I was surprised when the DJ announced it was from the movie Pocahontas. Such lovely lyrics.

"Go the Distance" (Hercules) - I didn't get to appreciate the movie because I watched in on VHS and the copy I borrowed was so blurry. But the song is so moving because Michael Bolton sang it with so much emotion.

"Something There" (Beauty and the Beast) - This was played while Beast and Belle were throwing snowballs at each other and were started to feel something for each other. A true "kilig" moment. It's a very light song with a nice Christmassy intro.

"I Will Follow Him" (Sister Act) - This is just one of my favorite songs from the soundtrack. It is one of my favorite soundtracks of all time. Some good motown music with gospel songs that start slow and increases tempo at the middle. I didn't know it was called "Motown" back then, I just knew it was good music :)

"Looking Through the Eyes of Love" (Ice Castles) - One of the best songs I know. I even learned to play this piece on the piano (the one I learned was arranged for a beginner), that's how I loved it. Truly, a romantic melody.

"Theme from Color Purple" (Color Purple) - An instrumental piece. The movie stars Oprah. I do not own the original soundtrack but I heard this from a compilation album. Such a moving piece.

Filipino

"You Are My Song" (Wanted: Perfect Mother) - The movie was fun, but is not one of my favorites. The song, however, is one of those I don't mind hearing over and over again.

"Kailangan Kita" (from the movie of the same title) - This song for me is applicable to all kinds of all, most especially the Unconditional love from above.

"Pangarap na Bituin" (Bukas Luluhod ang Mga Tala) - Ok, I didn't like it upon watching Sharon Cuneta's movie, maybe because I was still too young then, but I appreciated it because it is played as the theme of the Korean drama "Jewel in the Palace". It's a very inspiring song, full of hope, that dreams can come true.

Other songs include Rainbow (Crying Ladies) and Reflections (Mulan) which I posted some time ago here. I actually mentioned "If I Never Knew You" in that post too, but I like the song too much that I don't mind posting it twice :)

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*I don't really know Minh personally, but his blog is one of those I read. We have the same interest - computers and music, the type of music I like. In a way he's sort of my internet "crush", I can't think of any other way to describe it. Maybe because he's such an achiever and he is nationalistic (to Vietnam), in a way that I hope many Filipinos should be.

Weekend TV Singing Contests

noreply@blogspirit.com (Ner Ris) — Tue, 17 Jan 2006 21:30:00 +0100

During weekends, when I just bum around the house, I usually watch singing contests on tv. On Saturdays,
there is Fam Jam on QTV Channel 11; Little Big Star on ABS-CBN Channel 2; and Pinoy Pop Superstar on GMA 7.
On Sundays, there is Pop Star Kids on QTV Channel 11 and Search for a Star in a Million on ABS-CBN Channel
2.
These contests obviously highlight the singing prowess of Filipinos, but lately, I have been more impressed with kiddie contestants. Maybe it has to do with kids having no inhibitions especially with Little Big Star where parents are shown to be cheering on their kids on the sofas situated near the stage, thus, for me gives added boost or sometimes pressure on the kids. As for Pop Star Kids, it follows the same format as Pinoy Pop Superstar but I have not been able to watch it frequently,though the host is one of my favorite singers, as it coincides with the time I go to mass.
Fam Jam is a new concept for the QTV channel and is promising. It showcases the Filipino family's musical talent. I have only watched it about twice, but I really like the Cercado (not sure of the spelling), composed of 4 pre-teen and teenage girls that are super talented. I also liked the father and son group but last time I saw, they were no longer in the competition. This a very good show because it promotes unity among families, and makes them enjoy as well.
Pinoy Pop Superstar and Search for a Star in a Million had its own set of questionable contestants. Questionable in the sense that you may wonder, "how could they allow such contestants to appear on TV? Was there ever a screening process?". Call me mean, but for us viewers, we want entertainment and not headaches. But admittedly, I was more disappointed with Search for a Star in a Million, because some of the grand finalists (final 12) were not really that competent. Good thing the Final 4 are really deserving.
Only the final 4 really had talent. Unlike in Pinoy Pop Superstar where most of the finalists can sport his/her own style. Last Saturday, I was touched seeing a new grand finalist, Denver Regencia, performing teary-eyed. This guy is good, and has a jazz-style in singing. He is from Davao, and he sent money for his grandma to see him perform. He seems reserved, like a typical lad from a province who comes to Manila with big dreams. It was his 4th week, and if he won, he would qualify for the grand finals. It was indeed his night, and I was so happy for him. :)
These contests represents a Filipino dream - to perform, to shine, to live his dream somehow. We'll
always be one in music as a people. Salamat musika!

Bands of Yesteryears

noreply@blogspirit.com (Ner Ris) — Thu, 29 Dec 2005 13:25:00 +0100

This Christmas, I requested cds from my sis as gifts. These are: "Eraserheads Anthology" and "Rivermaya the Greatest Hits". An added bonus was a gift from my friend Rai, who is a certified E-heads fan. His gift was the cd "UltraElectroMagneticJam: Music of the Eraserheads" which features rendition of Eraserhead songs by current popular bands and other artists.

Since I did not have to go to work this holiday after Christmas up to New Year, because we offset the working days on previous holidays, I listened to these cds. I really missed the music of the Eraserheads especially songs from their first album, "Pare Ko" and "Ligaya". I owned a casette tape of "UltraElectroMagneticPop", their first album, but unfortunately someone borrowed it and did not return it :( I also discovered other hits which I did not get to listen to before like "Hard to Believe" and "Huwag kang Matakot" which I really liked.
As for the album "UltraElectroMagneticJam", it was nice listening to different renditions of their songs. Even though it was sung by different artists, it did sound good meaning the songs really are good. But of course, Ely's rendition would always be unique since he wrote most of the songs. My favorites from this album are "With a Smile" by Southborder, and "Huwag Mo nang Itanong" by MYMP. I am quite biased since I like these bands, but it really did give a different flavor to the songs.
I also found out that the Eraserheads yahoogroup is very much active. I guess too many people are nostalgic of this great band of the 90s.

While listening to Rivermaya's greatest hits cd (not the 2006 edition), I suddenly missed Bamboo's voice. I also have the 2006 edition that I bought myself as a Christmas gift, but I have not listened to it. I might buy Bamboo's album if I do have extra money.

Summing up, I think OPM rocks. Though I wrote of bands of the past (Rivermaya's still alive though sans Bamboo), it's great OPM is alive once again with new bands and rising stars. Let's all support our artists. Tangkilikin ang sariling atin. :)

Fallin' with Teri de Sario

noreply@blogspirit.com (Ner Ris) — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 05:21:31 +0100

Fallin' with Teri de Sario

I have always been a fan of the song, Fallin'. This song was originally sung in the musical production of "They're Playing our Song" and the original singer was Robert Klein, whose version is also very popular. But the female version is just as popular and is getting more airplay in local sentimental-centric radio stations like 94.7 Mellow Touch and 96.3 W-Rock.
I was happy to find out that Ms. Teri de Sario, the singer of the female version, recorded the song again in a special album released just in the Philippines. This was to promote her concert with Joe Pizzulo. Unfortunately, I was not able to watch the said event, though some of my friends were able to watch it at the Araneta Coliseum. They were even able to sit slightly closer to the stage as their ticket of General Admission was converted to Upper Box B.
The new album consists of 5 songs. 4 of the songs are old hits of Ms. de Sario while the 5th song, "I'll Always Love You", is a new song dedicated to her husband. The album is such a delight to listen to. The new Fallin' version reveals a more mature voice of Ms. de Sario, but the same power of her voice, and magic of the song is there. My mom became an instant of fan of Teri de Sario, as she listens to the album before retiring to bed.

For sentimental reasons, I am including the lyrics of the song :

Fallin'

I'm afraid to fly
And I don't know why
I'm jealous of the people who
are not afraid to die

It's just that I recall
Back when I was small
Someone promised that they'd catch me
and then they let me fall

And now I'm fallin'
fallin' fast again
Why do I always take a fall
when I fall in love

You'd think by now I'd learned
Play with fire you get burned
But fire can be also warm
that's why I return

Turn and walk away
That's what I should do
My head says go and find the door
My heart says I found you

And now I'm fallin'
fallin' fast again
Why do I always take a fall
when I fall in love

It always turns out the same
Loving someone losing myself
Only got me to blame

Help me, I'm fallin', fallin'
catch me if you can
Maybe this time I'll have it all
Maybe I'll make it after all
maybe this time i won't fall
when i fall in love ...oooh...ooh

(Note: picture of the album taken from Ebay)

Turning Alto

noreply@blogspirit.com (Ner Ris) — Sun, 06 Nov 2005 17:25:00 +0100

Between tech blogging and work, a large portion of October was spent by me in choir practice. A concert was held in our church, the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Sta. Mesa as a fundraising event. The title of the concert was "Tulong
Pagpapala sa Aliw Ng Musika para kay Maria". The proceeds would be for additional musical instruments of our church.

It was a wonderful opportunity for me to be able to sing in a group again. The last time was in UST when I was part of ChoralISMo, the ISM chorale. I also got to know my fellow Single for Christ members. Even though most of us were not part of the SFC choir who sing in church every Sunday, we enjoyed the experience and gave it our all.

It was also like a first for me, since I was singing an alto part this time. Before I was classified as soprano. I must say, singing an alto part was not that easy because the notes seem off-key. But it was nice to experience it too, and seeing it from my sister who also went from soprano to alto, the alto voice trains you to sing the 2nd voice or accompaniment of a song.

I also commend our choir master, Mr. Edwin Tan, for being so patient in teaching us. And who serves the Lord wholeheartedly. This was a pro-bono act for him. Thanks sir, and hope to work with you again sometime.

This is the ticket to the said event.

Care to Share

noreply@blogspirit.com (Ner Ris) — Wed, 19 Oct 2005 12:55:27 +0200

Finally got new mp3s :) Thanks to Mims for downloading my requests and sending it to me via YouSendIt . This was a file sharing site she was fond of, despite my prodding that she send the files to my gmail account. Instead of sending files as email attachments, file sharers would upload the files and an email would be sent to the file recipient containing a link where the file could be downloaded. The link is active for 7 days, enough time to download a file.

The site brought into mind a similar service I used some time ago: Streamload. I used it to swap anime mp3s, back when I was addicted to anime soundtracks. The difference is I had to download a Windows application for me to be able to upload and download files. I also had to create an account to be able to share files with other streamload users. It can also be used as a backup storage for your files. I found this review from PC World which gives the pros and cons of this service.