(Still A) Sweet November

I was looking forward to this month because with the many concerts and trips and convention and work-related stuff that is ahead....November promises a lot of things.

But nobody can foresee a disaster except the One that is above. And we don't know about His plans.
Due to the many re-scheduling and availability problems, the One Republic date with the friends did not push through. Then because of the super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), the Matchbox 20 concert of which my best friend has initially bought me a ticket has been cancelled. But that is the least of the things that would worry me for the disastrous typhoon has left millions of people homeless, thousands of casualties. The whole place (Tacloban City, Leyte being one of the most destroyed places) was a mess it felt like it is being eradicated from the map. For the first time in years I don't feel like watching the news anymore because it is so heartbreaking seeing our fellow Filipinos suffering like that. For the first time in the longest while that complaining for anything seemed so wrong.

How do we move on after this catastrophic event?

Help has been offered and sent from all over the world and it warms my heart to see the extent of how people actually wanted to help, from the volunteering to the repacking of goods and organizing donation drives and stuff. Although it bothers me a bit when people post stuff like when they are donating like money is something to be bragged about but it doesn't matter, any kind of help is still help to those who are badly in need.

A rainbow is spotted this week in Tacloban and it felt like a sign. A good sign. It may take a long. while but recovery is not impossible.

I am glad the company where I was employed decided to cancel this year's company-wide and department-wide Christmas party celebration and decided to donate the alloted budget to the ones in need instead.

As for me, November isn't over yet and there's the Kerygma Conference and the Potipot island trip that I can look forward to. As for my share in helping, I have donated too, see, but I don't think I should elaborate on that anymore.

I encourage everyone to help in any way that you can, in small or big heaps, it doesn't really matter. Show the love and give to those in need.

For inquiries regarding volunteering schedules, you may contact the following:

GMA Kapuso Foundation - 981-1950
ABS-CBN - 411-4995

And check the Philippine National Red Cross site in here -
http://t.co/CjDWsUNmn0

We're going to get through with all of this...together. God bless the Philippines! X

BOOK REVIEW (Kind Of.): The House of Hades

I have finished reading The House of Hades after some four days (I know, it took me quite a long time because I only get to read it during breaks and before I sleep at night) and I felt the urge to blog everything but I am afraid that it will be such a spoiler to everyone. 

I'm glad my friend Abby has reacted to my comment to her Goodreads rating for the said book, this was before I even get to start (She has finished it early on) and I could not agree more to everything that she has said, without having to spoil a lot. (Kudos, Abby!)



 Let the countdown to the last book begin. =)

OneRepublic LIVE in Manila #OneRepublicMNL

It's been a long time coming since I've seen your face
I've been everywhere and back trying to replace
Everything that I had 'til my feet went numb
Praying like a fool that's been on the run...

I could listen to the same old song all day and feel good about it. Seeing and cuddling with my cats after a week of work makes my heart swell with joy. Eating ice cream after a very long day. Having random encounters with friends you have not seen for a long time, no matter how short it was. Getting your milk teas and donuts without having to queue for hours. When you get a smile and a "hello" from your crush. The list could go on and on and it all comes down to this fact: I find joy in little things. And my friends could attest to that. 

Which is also probably one of the reasons why as much of a concert-goer that I am, I don't mind getting the farthest seat even when I can afford (savings!) the higher-priced tickets (heh.) just to be with my friends (Ever heard of #TeamGenAd? Well, hey, it is not so bad.) I just want to live in the moment and be there as it unfolds. I just want to sing along with the songs that has helped me through most of my days, in various points of my life. I just want to experience it as it happens and catalog it in my mind and my heart all throughout my Earth-ly existence. Try new things (I found out recently that concert mosh pits are fun!) every once in a while (like joining contests, like this one.)

And then I heard OneRepublic is coming for a show.


Who can say NO to Ryan Tedder, really? I feel like the gates of heaven has opened up and is now giving me a chance. Admittedly, I am not their biggest fan. I even knew someone who knows Tedder and still listen to Tedder's old EPs way before OneRepublic, the band, even existed up to now! (she's totes cool and there is no way I could beat that!)  But I have heard more than enough of their music to say that they are talented and awesome especially during live performances.

TOP 5 songs? Hard. Let me tell you a story. More like history.

It has started with (5) All The Right Moves and of course, (4) Apologize (the trademark song. Being covered a lot, yeah?). But it was (3? Kind of.) Come Home that has made me fall in love with their music. It is that collaboration with Sara Bareilles, with lines that goes "Right now there's a war between the vanities / But all I see is you and me / The fight for you is all I’ve ever known.. / Everything I can’t be is everything you should be / And that’s why I need you here.." so heartfelt you just cannot help but admire. Plus they both sounded so well you just cannot help but listen to them over and over. 

There is no way that they would sing this in Manila, I know, but just the thought that they will be visiting in Manila soon....We Filipinos are so musically-inclined and appreciative that for them it would feel like they are coming home. They would feel at home that they would want to come back. I just hope I do not have to wait for them to come back because I will get to see them that first time next month. *winks* Plus there still (3) Can't Stop (the sexy runs, the voice, the feels. Stop.), (2) If I Lose Myself (hashtag forever in love) and (1) Feel Again (seriously? If the multiple blog references is not much of a proof then I don't know anymore) from their latest offering, Native to look forward to.

Crossing fingers into that.

I'm feeling better ever since you know me
I was a lonely soul but that's the old me
A little wiser now from what you've shown me
Yeah....I feel again.


Song lyrics credit from: Well if it is not apparent enough, Feel Again, by OneRepublic. ;-)

Truth.


Meeting RadioDriveBy

"What's RadioDriveBy, anyway? They don't even have a Wiki page."


I don't even know what to expect. Admittedly, I have never heard of half of the BRF bands line up and because of real-life commitments (also read as: day job) I was not able to check them all until a few days before the show itself.

Thanks to Caren's constant bugging and showing of adoration of the band that I decided to check them out. And heck yes, I liked them.

In the age of auto-tuned and electronic-driven kind of music, what's heightened up my curiosity is to discover whether they are one of "those" bands. Turned out, they were not. They were even more.

Bazooka Rocks 2013: The Fangirl Edition

I usually do realtime blogs but the thing with this one is that there are just so much to share about the whole BRF experience that I do not know how and where to start, what to include and what's not. So I decided to put up three. This is the second of those three with the first being, let's just say, the polished one; The brief (although quite long) summary of events that has taken place on the day/night of the fest itself. The third one to be solely dedicated to one of the bands that has performed. You'll figure that one out later on.

In here, I'd tackle the side stories, the fun banters..the crazy experiences on and before the show, the meet and greet activities and stuff, and the aftermath in a sort of a Top 10 Bazooka Rocks memories (this is quite hard to do, to be honest). May I also remind you that this is a lonnnnnnnnng post (so welcome the blogger in me back).

Of Flying Skulls, Mosh Pits and Brassiere Drop: Bazooka Rock-ed 2013


Pulp Live World's Bazooka Rocks 2013 might have to be one, if not the best gigs that I have ever attended this year. It is this fifteen hours of pure rock and roll madness which has showcased some of the best bands that is out there in the past few years. I knew my hearing is going to suffer for days but it is all worth it.
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What's Inside....

xx


Me Before You
November 9
P.S. I Still Love You
To All the Boys I've Loved Before
These Inconvenient Fireworks
Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes
Six Earlier Days
Are We There Yet?
Confess


April Ann's favorite books »

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.”
- George R.R Martin