Saturday, May 5, 2012
New Favorites From Old Eras
It's been a while since I wrote about my new discoveries in long-time-ago music. I found myself jumping back through time and digging a little bit deeper into the creative past decades that I have musically visited a couple of times before. So, what picks from the '70s, '80s, and '90s am I currently (repeatedly) playing on my playlist right now? And what new album from an old favorite am I loving this week?
The 1970s
The brother-sister duo of Richard and Karen Carpenter produced some of the biggest love songs of all time during their heydays in the '70s. I took time checking out some songs from The Carpenters' catalog and considering my love for simple melodies, I found their music very much to my liking. It is not, however, their songs that made me love this musical act --- it was Karen's sweet, full voice that's charged with emotion. I don't think there's a voice out there that can bring out the full beauty of a passionate love song the same way Ms. Carpenter's voice does.
The 1980s
Yet another sibling duo made it big in the '80s. Ann and Nancy Wilson formed a strong, rocking pair when they sang together and joined the band Heart. The band's most popular track is the karaoke/talent-show/'80s-rock-theme staple, "Alone". But I love Heart not just for "Alone". I also love them for making the dreamlike track, "These Dreams".
The 1990s
A lot of Disney's staple soundtrack songs were released during the "Disney Renaissance" period. This was the decade when Broadway-like music returned to animated motion pictures. Classic fairy tales retained their old, once-upon-a-time-in-a-land-far-away feel but the modernism was injected in the character development and the music solidified their statuses as classics. Famous products of this era are Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, Hercules, Tarzan, Mulan, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Popular tracks from these films had their own pop and showtunes versions. There are a lot of tracks to highlight but I'm going to pick one that's very close to me right now, Michael Bolton's "Go the Distance" from Hercules --- our high school batch's graduation song.
Blown Away Right Now
I missed Carrie Underwood over the past few months. Her old tracks always find a way to pop up on my playlist but I've been looking forward to hearing some new material from her. Sure enough, she came with a new album this week and damn, the music blows me away just as much as the cover blew me away. "Blown Away" is a special country record that displays Carrie's versatility and growth as a vocalist. If anything more, this album's one of the countless proofs that she's one of the best artists we've got in this century.
6:29 AM
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
The Avengers
Considering all the hype and the flashy marketing of this star-studded superhero film, it's no doubt that 'Avengers' was set to be the superhero film highlight of the year (only rivaled by the soon-to-be-released 'The Dark Knight Rises').
Well, it's all that and more.
'Avengers' is a cleverly done superhero movie that combines everything you want from a superhero film and more. With seven big stars to balance on-screen, the film brings in that element of neutrality that makes all the characters scene-stealing in their own rights. There was no weak hero or stronger hero --- all of them were as powerful as the other. Achieving such balance with that number of protagonists is an achievement in itself.
The actors who are involved also gave five-star performances that highlighted their characters in depths that let audiences look into their vulnerability, strengths, and innate humor. They didn't act the heroes out as the comic book staples that they were. They openly channeled a bit of themselves and a lot of modern sass to make the heroes relatable, funny, and clever enough for modern audiences to enjoy. This successful mesh-up of the actors' acting styles injected more life to an already solid script.
In a lot of ways, 'Avengers' has given us more than the hype promised us. It's given us a humorous action-packed film that features some of Hollywood's finest talents. It assembles an ensemble cast but it didn't rely on the cast's screen power alone to create a passable film. In fact, it's beyond passable and it certainly crushed all stereotypes that this might just be another effects-and-cast film. It proved to be more than that. It displayed the grandness and depth of how great Hollywood can be when its creative juices are presented in their best form.
'Avengers' was definitely worth the wait and worth lining up for in the cinemas. And you'd be missing out on one of the best superhero spectacles of all time if you don't catch on this one soon.
6:34 AM
Monday, April 16, 2012
Congratulations, Batch 2012!
Graduation is the day that's marked as the last curtain call for the students who worked hard to attain excellence in academics and talent-based activities. Here, we have the gathering of the brilliant minds, the talented athletes, the witty entertainers, and those who simply wandered, learned, and are waiting for their chance to shine on the next step.
On my high school graduation, I looked at all those faces around the crowd --- all those wide-eyed batchmates of mine whose eyes reflected hard work, stress, and triumph. They were all there: people who later became my best friends; people who I had the pleasure of working with for an activity or a major school project; classmates who I exchanged notes with; people I spent time with in Journalism class; and people I had disagreements with but made up with in the end. I saw the people who achieved feats that brought Masci more glory. I saw the people who rocked prom and played music like there's no tomorrow. I saw the people who were part of a team I was in and were right beside me when I accomplished something extraordinary. I looked at all of them and thought, "This is it".
Throughout my stay in the Manila Science High School, I learned a lot of things that changed the way I saw the world. Here are some of the important lessons that high school has taught me:
- Everyone is gifted and everyone has the capability to excel. The key is finding the right skill and dedicating ourselves to improving that craft.
- A brilliant mind is nothing without hard work.
- Not everything you'll learn in the classroom is applicable in real life. So what's the one thing you learn in every classroom that WILL be applicable? The perseverance.
- The best way to survive high school without being turned into someone you don't want to be is by keeping a strong hold on what you believe is right.
- Don't hesitate to laugh out loud when you're with your friends. The innocent, youthful, and vibrant laugh you shared with your friends in high school will always set a distinction from the loud laughs you'll share in the future.
- You'll meet your true friends in times of despair.
- It's good to listen but sometimes it's better to let loose. The best way to present your best self in every endeavor you engage in is by letting go of the stress and pressure.
- High school teaches us about love's various faces: love for friends, love for our craft, love for our family, love for our school.
- Cramming's tough. Really really tough.
- Compete only with yourself.
I have always believed in these words: It's one thing to be a high school graduate. But it's another to be a graduate of the Manila Science High School. Masci has solidified my personality and nothing, nothing more than a Mascian education, is enough to get me across the deep waters of College and the stinging heat of reality. And for that, I am forever grateful.
Now, I can proudly say, "Indeed, I went to Manila Science High School. And I had a freaking good time there."
6:12 AM
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Mirror Mirror
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| Mirror Mirror |
For my first film review of the year, I'm writing about the fairy tale movie Mirror Mirror. The film brings to life the classic Snow White story, with The Blind Side's Lily Collins playing the kind and pretty princess Snow White. Playing the vain evil queen is box office goddess Julia Roberts.
The great thing about Mirror Mirror is that it used the modern Hollywood wizardry wisely. The fairy tale setting wasn't exaggerated and the focus was on the characters. Ms. Roberts stood out as the scene-stealing character in the film. She channels the queen's vanity and diva attitude with ease. Lily Collins also did a good job portraying Snow White as the ideal sweet and innocent princess. But Snow White's I'm-not-a-damsel-in-distress attitude made her a likeable character. Nobody wants a boring good girl anyway.
The film also fires up on humor. It doesn't focus on how unhappy the queen's subjects are nor does it leave out the fact that they are. The movie lightened up because of this. It's a fairy tale film with the evil queen, the pretty princess, and the hot prince. But it doesn't spin the story around on cliche moments and bland lines. Here we have a fairy tale movie that's shaped up for modern audiences, removing any childish elements, while retaining the spirit of the traditional fairy tale we grew up listening to before bed time.
8:32 AM
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
My College Choice
I have made my college decision over a month ago. So, really, this post is very very late.
I decided that for my College years, I'll be entering the University of Asia and the Pacific.
On the day that the UPCAT results were released, I was two days away from my scholarship confirmation deadline for UA&P. I weighed out all my five options and battled with some heavy questions. The internal battle turned out to be a crossroad decision between UP and UA&P. UP is still offering me a chance to be a journalist if I take OrComm. Do I really want to exit the option of Journalism as a career and head on to the corporate world? UP is offering me a safe option because I won't be required to maintain a high average and the tuition won't be a burden to my parents. Am I really ready to take the risk of maintaining a 1.75 average for a scholarship? UP is considered as the best university in the Philippines. Ever since I was young, I've always thought that UP is the school that will measure my intellect. Really, am I ready to let go of UP?
I reflected on my life in Masci to help me decide. Journalism played a major role in my senior life. And it made me change the way I viewed certain things, some for the better, some for the worse. For the most part, Journ brought me more pain than I thought it would this year. But pain has its lessons. And that kind of pain made me think of so many things I haven't thought of before. I've committed myself to Journalism in the first place because I always considered it as a profession bound in truth and impartiality, something I want to apply in my life. Journalism gave me a way to express my ideas and my skill with words. I wanted to write and Journ became the vehicle that introduced me to a larger reading audience. Yes, in many ways it stretched my skills in communication and made me realize my capabilities.
But I also knew that my capability to communicate is not restricted to Journalism. And while I do not fully intend to let go of it, I want to stretch my communication skills farther. I want to learn the ways of business, economy, and corporate communications. I want to learn how to deal with money and explore the fields that shape our economy and trends. And the Integrated Marketing Communications program of UA&P is offering me is giving me all that and more.
I do not intend to let go of Journalism despite the switch. The rough Journalism training I got in Masci has drilled the values of Journalism in me and in many ways, I know I will still continue searching for the truth and using the power of the pen in spreading news. But the beauty of that is that I'll get to do this while learning something new. It may not be the career I'll be headed for but Journalism has always been something I do for pleasure. And I believe that I will have a much more broad view of the world if I study another field that shapes society. That will give me more to write and create opinions about.
Another thing that made me favor UA&P is their strong liberal arts curriculum. I have always been passionate about the arts, history, and the humanities. College is my chance to study all these and more and I find UA&P's program promising and exciting.
With all these in mind, I signed the scholarship papers and my dad passed them to UA&P last January 19, 2012. So far, I am proud of my decision and have no regrets.
This June, I'll blazing a trail with the UA&P Dragons. Wish me luck, everyone!
7:55 AM
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
"Love on Top" by Beyonce
Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!
I have no amazing love story to share today so I'll just post this current favorite song of mine as a tribute to the day of love. I find this Beyonce song special because it's a modern mix of the great Motown tunes and the progressive dance beats of the 21st century. Enjoy!
4:58 AM
Sunday, January 22, 2012
The Good Fortune Goes On
In all my four years of high school life, I don't think I've ever felt more contented with my efforts than last Wednesday. After spending four tough hours answering the first set of periodic exams for the Third Quarter, I marched out of the classroom to excited and nervous screams from my fellow seniors. When I asked what the commotion was all about, a friend of mine told me that the University of the Philippines finally released its list of qualified applicants.
That sent a shock through my brain. UP releases results six months after the UPCAT, which makes January a pretty tough month for fourth year high school students all around the archipelago. Since the first week of January, parents and students have been making phone calls to the University's admissions office, hoping for information regarding the release of results.
For weeks, we couldn't get an exact date of when the results will be released. Then finally, on that gray Wednesday afternoon, we got the surprise of our lives. I ran around the school lobby, looking for a friend whose phone can tap through the lobby's wi-fi connection. I found a classmate of mine, crying over joy when she found out that she'll be admitted to the Los Baños campus. She was kind enough to browse my name on the results' website and I screamed with joy when I found this concentrated on that tiny cellphone screen:
In all my four years in the Manila Science High School, I have never felt as rewarded and fortunate. All the exhaustion, the late nights, and the endless exercises for my brain all felt worth it. And I couldn't thank the Lord better for this great blessing He has given me.
Five universities passed. I'm glad that by this feat, I can say that I have contributed to sustaining the tradition of excellence my school takes pride in.
4:47 AM
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