I wrote this on my phone a few months back intending to post it here but never got to finish it. Until I heard a song earlier tonight, which prompted me to search for this particular note on my phone. And the rest, as they say, is history. Or is blogged. ;)
I accompanied S, a very dear friend and part mentor, one night to bring home G, a brilliant public servant friend, to the south suburbs after a night of shop talk over bottles of our favorite Chilean red wine. S tuned in to a local station and this classic song with hauntingly familiar lyrics serenaded us during the quick trip over the then newly-opened skyway.
G asked me if I know the song (the title and artist just escapes me now and my Google skills haven't been cooperative either) and I answered affirmatively after a few seconds of hesitation. It reminds me of D, a favorite older cousin and kuya, who "disappeared" a few years back. It was his favorite song. The details are too complicated and heartbreaking to go into but our family thrives on the unverified sightings of him . Whatever reasons he might have for choosing a path so totally different from what was expected of him and fighting for an unpopular cause are his own but I still hope to see him again one day. He was Papa's protege and and that is reason enough to cling on to the hope that someday, somehow he'll come back.
I don't know if it's because of Filipino sentimentality or my own dramatic tendencies but somehow, songs are like my personal bookmarks.
One Little Candle and Lea Salonga's Someone's Waiting For You calmed my childhood fears and the latter is especially meaningful as I used to sing it to Yoah when he was still a baby. Totally opposite my adolescent years anthem of the Eraserheads' iconic Pare Ko. It was probably the barkada concept of the song that I related to more than anything else. And thank God, those people are still are my very good friends to this day.
Alison Kraus' Baby, Now That I Found You was a sort of theme song between my high school crush and I, courtesy of a game we played aboard the Super Ferry one fun and educational summer (by educational, I mean we were on a school trip). Another teenage puppy love-induced ditty was Stephen Bishop's karaoke fave - It Might Be You. Take note of the operative word "might" so you know how it ended. And mind you, it wasn't my song of choice. ;)
College got me into reggae, ska, blues, and world music and a guy I met reinforced my life-long love affair with these genre of music. He took me to my first Fete dela Musique and started my unforgettable romance with the then popular Xaymaca Bar and Brownman Revival.
The most significant song, top of mind, is probably the cheesy (yes, I admit it) Somewhere Down The Road; M used to say it was our song. It was so telling at that time and I should have known. But, it doesn't matter now. What's more important is we are slowly rebuilding the friendship we once enjoyed and doing our best to be good parents to Yoah. :)
So, what inspired me to finish this post? Earlier I heard Kalapana's Real Thing and it brought back fond memories of City Jam along Katipunan Extension during U.P. days. My friends, sorority sisters, and I used to go there a lot and this really good acoustic band always had this song on their repertoire. It made me think of a conversation I had with a guy friend a couple of days ago; he was telling me I should learn how to read and understand the male psyche and know how to play games when needed. I told him I don't have the patience for either. I just want the REAL THING, no games, no complications. So, sue me. :D
And to wrap this up, I told my former officemates if and when I get married I would want The Company and Richard Poon to sing at my wedding, as mushy and cheesy as it may sound. This was after listening to my former boss play Richard Poon's CD over and over again for how many days. Still, I fell in love with his covers of For You and I'll Take Care of You and I definitely want those two songs on my big day. But I've always had eclectic taste in music so expect some rock and even good ol' Manila sound too. ;)
How about you? What songs are your personal bookmarks? :)
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