ERIC’S SONGBOOK

Ever since school started, I can only relate my life to one year: 1994.  Lately, I feel like I am back to my 15 year-old self.  Readers may think that here goes Eric again, living in the past.  To my defense, I don’t live in the past, I live for the future but just like what I have said, there are times when the past just tugs along no matter how far I have come. 

In 1994, I was a Sophomore in high school busy fighting acne and insecurity.  Of course, when one is 15, no one knows what he really wants from life (just yet).  But man only reacts to the stimulus provided by his environment.  Never have I felt the language of rejection.  It was a hard-hitting reality that I had to learn in a hard-hitting way.  It was a time in my life that I have learned the language of falling short of one’s goals no matter how hard I try.  It was also a time when I learned the pain of letting go some ideals I held so dear.  I guess, I can call it a brief period of awakening for the following year would be characterized by teenage angst.  It was also the same year when I battled my very first case of the flu.  My body ached so badly that I felt like my heart was being ripped apart physically.  My joints felt like being torn from my torso, limb first.  I also knew the language of misery when one is forced to hang-out with people armed with nasty habits, for the sake of pakikisama.  I learned how to deal with classmates who were a pain in the neck.  But now, I have learned my lesson to choose my friends wisely for they mirror my own character.  It was also a time in my life when I felt like I was so damn poor, I had to live with P50 or so a day–it is either you eat recess and skip lunch or vice-versa.  Thank God for that experience for I learned the value of hard work and thrift.  Money is never easy and I have to labor to eat and should there be any extra, it goes to the luxuries.  For the first time in my highschool life, I was scrapped out of the Third Honors List because of unsatisfactory grades in Christian Living and Typing because I had teachers who took the liberty of guessing grades.  Due to that experience, I learned how the sheer of importance of transparency when it comes to grades, now that I am a professor.  In August of the same year, I lost my grandmother to complications brought about by diabetes. 

Despite the rottenness of that year, I was able to find solace in the following:

Boyz II Men’s II album is one of my favorites (but listening too much On Bended Knee make me glum, the DJ in the 16th Foundation Anniversary of DLSZ played this CD too often).   also remember seeing a lot of Charlene Gonzalez pictures in the recently concluded Miss Universe competition.  I think I was infatuated with her at some point in my life.  I rooted for her in that competition.  She was, by far, the most competitive Filipina ever sent to the Miss Universe pageant.  Her features are a bit Latina and the Miss Universe organizers always had an eye for candidates from the South Americas.  I also recall Sheryl Crow’s All I Wanna Do and too much All-4-One’s I Swear.  I swear that I SWEAR really wore me out.  A local version even came out, Sumpa’ko.  I guess it was a time when we just can’t get enough of Tagalized American hits.  Mabuhay ang Pinoy R&B!  Jesus, what am I saying?!?  Too much Ace Of Base made me see The Sign (whatever that could be).  This band was Sweden’s biggest export since The Abba.

Lisa Loeb and Nine Stories’ Stay (I Missed You) (and watching Reality Bites at that time when I was too young to understand it never really made sense to me just yet…now that I’m older I can now tell that I understand the story in Ben Stiller’s directorial debut); laughing my heart out when Ate Yeth and I catched a screening of Naked Gun 33 1/3 in Greenbelt.  It was pure luxury on my part just to catch a movie in Greenbelt at that time…I felt like a one-day millionaire! 

When ATC added 3 new cinemas, Ate Yeth and I baptized it by watching Speed in a standing room only screening.  I am fascinated by the high-octane, high-adrenaline chase that I didn’t mind standing for 2 hours or so.  It was such a fine time when a movie costs only P25 a ticket.  If only the economy were as stable as it was.  I also remember wearing out Luther Vandross’ Songs album.  I enjoy playing his version of Endless Love over and over again until I can’t play the tape anymore.  I also remember attending my godsister’s wedding in the Century Park Hotel in Manila.  I was sulking througout the ceremony since I was just dragged along that out of sulking I accidentally ripped the seam of my black pants.  I had to untuck my shirt throughout the rest of the reception. 

I can also recall myself religiously watching Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman every Thursday evening in ABC5.  It is a shame that the producers toyed with the idea of Lois and Clark getting married come the 3rd season, marking its decline in ratings.  I honestly thought I had the makings of a Clark Kent at that time that it actually inspired to join The Counterpoint and start off a career in campus journalism. It worked and come Senior year, I was Features Editor.  Too bad, I’m no superman.  Neither am I at least 6′ tall.  No regrets.  I like the way I am. 

I also remember watching The Lion King with Mama and Dondon.  We love the movie so much and Simba too.  We used to have a bob-tailed ticked tabby who looks a lot like Simba!  This Disney flick made everyone in the family cat-lovers (well, except my dad).  There even came a time when our pet cat count even went beyond a dozen!  The Lion King is one of the last best movies Disney ever made before the advent of CGI and 3-D animation.  I belong to an old school of thought.  I like my cartoon characters…er, flat!  By the way, if only I weren’t that serious in my life, I wish I could Hakuna Matata all day long!

Being 15 year olds, my friends tried sneaking inside an R-18 movie.  We were successful with out attempt though.  It was my friend’s birthday and we decided to catch a Sharon Stone-Sylvester Stallone flick.  Anything with Sharon Stone in it, at that time, was barely wholesome (for 15 year olds).  The film was the action-packed The Specialist.  We even dressed up maturely to convince the theatre staff that we were indeed 18!  Surprisingly, we were never interrogated.  Whoever said that Eric Halcon has no sense of adventure must be crazy!!!  If I remember correctly, we ate dinner at the old Shakey’s in Alabang Town Center.

And among the different things I would cherish from that rotten year would be watching With Honors in Greenbelt with my dear Ate Yeth.  I would never understand why she adored Brendan Fraser and Patrick Dempsey so much in that movie but I can say that it was one of those rare flicks that inspired me to do well in school.  Maybe, the film made an impact too huge in my life that it actually made me choose a career in the academe than in the corporate world.  On top of all these, the excellent soundtrack gives justice to the theme of the movie.  The soundtrack, under Madonna’s Maverick label (home to Alanis Morissette), features excellent selections from country singer Lyle Lovett to rock group Candlebox.  True learning can never be confined within the four walls of a learning institution alone.  The world is the genuine classroom!  And life is the greatest teacher of all!

This next song is something I would like to dedicate to my dad.  Though I never really knew him that well since he is always preoccupied with work, one thing I learned from him is that regular verbs can be written in simple past tense by adding -d or -ed to the word.  It was a first grade English lesson that he tutored me on when my mom, who just gave birth to my kid brother, was recuperating in the hospital.  I don’t think I will ever forget that…

I’ll Remember - Madonna

Mmmm, mmmm
Say good-bye to not knowing when
The truth in my whole life began
Say good-bye to not knowing how to cry
You taught me that

No I’ve never been afraid to cry
AND I finally have a reason why
I’ll remember [I'll remember]
No I’ve never been afraid to cry
And I finally have a reason why
I’ll remember [I'll remember]
No I’ve never been afraid to cry
And I finally have a reason why
I’ll remember [I'll remember]

As a child raised in the 80s and 90s, I have always been keen to listening to ballads in FM radio.  As such, I have grown to love Michael Bolton’s music.  My mom even confessed that he is one of his favorite contemporary performers.  My dad, when he was still alive, would even play his albums when driving his red Toyota Corolla.  When I was about 10 years old, my ears were fixated everytime I hear How Am I Supposed To Live Without You, a ballad Bolton wrote for the late Laura Branigan.  Branigan’s version stalled in the charts in the 80s while Bolton’s rendition of his own composition gave him his 1st #1 in the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1990.

Yesterday, I was able to reward myself with a 2 CD compilation of Michael Bolton The Ultimate Collection.  A rare collection of his hits chronicling 1987’s The Hunger all the way to 1997’s All That Matters.  One will never know how much I am thrilled everytime I find something rare, having enough money to buy it adds fuel to the fire of frenzy.  I was able to purchase the CD in a very unlikely place, in SM Sucat’s Department Store.  Pressed in 2002, The Ultimate Collection was something I missed since it never got any media mileage. At that time, Bolton already left his Columbia label and settled for Jive Records. 

From 6th grade onwards, Michael Bolton’s albums were a staple in my cassette player.  I had to wear out three copies of Time, Love and Tenderness (1991) until his Greatest Hits 1985-1995 was released.  I wore out two copies of Timeless The Classics (1992) because of his remake of the Bee Gees classic, To Love Somebody.  I also wore out two copies of The One Thing (1993), which featured the Bill Withers hit, Lean On Me.  My classmates and I in Junior year highschool even made this song a part of our oral production in English class, which I directed.  If memory serves me right, it was an interpretative song and dance number.  I even got exempted in the 4th Quarterly Exams in the said subject.

Even in college, Bolton’s music proved to have longevity.  I was a Freshman when Disney commissioned him to sing the theme to the animated film Hercules (1997) called Go The Distance, one of my personal anthems in life, a guiding principle, so to speak. 

If ever I get to tie the knot, I want the orchestra of the church to play Now That I Found You and Once In A Lifetime (from the Columbia Tristar movie Only You, starring Marisa Tomei and Robert Downey) on my wedding day as I wait for her to walk down the aisle.  All of which are Michael Bolton staples.  When I have kids of my own, I will dedicate Soul of my Soul to them on the day of their christening.

Hats off to Mr. Bolton for providing me and my family a great array of memories!  Thanks to his music!  Truly, a great music influence.

Go The Distance - Michael Bolton

I have often dream of a far off place
Where a hero’s welcomed would be waiting for me
Where the crown’s would cheer when they see my face
And the voice keep saying this is where I meant to be

I will search a world, I will face its haunts
‘Till I find my hero’s welcomed waiting in your arms

Now That I Found You - Michael Bolton

I can still remember
When all I had was time
A time when I had nothin’
But this empty heart of mine
When I needed inspiration
When the night was all I knew
You were the light shinin’ into my life
The reason for all the love I’m feelin’

And every step of the way
Gonna dedicate my heart to you
Promise you my world forever
Pledgin’ my love my whole life through

TGIF.  The past week was so hectic, I can’t find the right words to describe it.  Eight working hours in a day is not even enough to get everything done.  Last Thursday, I started answering our take home Midterm Examination in Mathematical Economics I in the PhD class, though I am pretty confident with my answers, there are two items I didn’t quite figure out.  Meetings here and there, tons of mail flooding my inbox, phone calls almost every twenty minutes, they almost drive me nuts!  So, this is how it feels like when you spearhead an office, eh?  I might as well enjoy it as it lasts, what makes life in DLSU exciting is that every term of every schoolyear has its distinct story, scent, flavor, from the rest.  No two terms are the same.  The appointment is for one year, and my contract is due for renewal next term.  At least, this is one sign that DLSU is still interested in my services.  Unlike before when I was a student, I have joined various school organizations where in people would really rub it in your face that they don’t like you, nor are they least interested in what you have to offer them.  In my opinion, it would be better to hear the truth outright than having them hang you by a thread. Yet, I still keep diplomatic relationships with them.  You’ll never know when you’ll need them.  It is a shame that some people treat you as a source of utility (hmmm, another mathematical economic concept).  Everything in life is transient.  The only permanent thing in this world is change.  The change may not feel good, most of the times, it doesn’t feel right, in my case and in my life.  But learning to accept it with open arms is something I am proud of.  I have very unstable comfort zones, people may say. 

In addition, thank God for a payday weekend.  It is that time of the month again when I settle obligations at home.  Whatever is left will be for my weekend getaway.  No school tomorrow since it is going to be Manila Day.  Tomorrow, I will just wake up and go wherever my two feet would lead me.  It will be some form of an unplanned gimmick with me, myself and I.  I practically need some time alone to recharge without the ghastly sight of scientific calculators, yellow pads and textbooks.  Though I love my profession, I don’t want it to burn me out.  I have my saturation point too.  Just like the behavior of a parabola concave downward, the vertex represents its maximum point, and beyond that, it is all downhill from there.  To be honest, I don’t aspite to be the best because there is nowhere to go from there.  I want to be some form of a limit. I want to approach my maximum through infinitesimally small increases of my efforts (this is becoming too mathematical…hahahahahaha).  As of the moment, I enjoy the climb to my vertex, it is not that easy but I would like to think of myself as "slowly getting there, maybe someday, somehow". 

I hope planning something that is supposedly "unplanned" for tomorrow doesn’t defeat its purpose.  Well, unless I just decide to hit the sheets and doze off.  Yup, my bedroom is also a weekend getaway.  I still have dozens of unseen VCDs and DVDs.  My latest purchase is An Unfinished Life starring Jennifer Lopez, Morgan Freeman and Robert Redford.  This masterpiece is another potential Lasse Hallstrom classic, the same bright mind behind the artistic Chocolat (a tempting must-see) and The Cider House Rules.  As of the moment, I see mine as One Unfinished Life.  So many things that remain unsaid and undone, which is essentially the same predicament faced by the characters in the film.  I salute all characters Morgan Freeman portrays, all of them are full of hope, wisdom, understanding and forgiveness.  He is one actor that commands respect from his audience, something that I really aspire to be if ever I become one. 

Something bright from my childhood…this next song never fails to put a smile on my face.  Being a denizen of www.youtube.com lately made me rediscover the video and realize that weekends, no matter how simple or ordinary, can still be fun.  Two days of fun, fun, fun…

Janet Jackson - Escapade

As I was walkin by
Saw you standin there
With a smile
Lookin’ shy
You caught my eye
Thought you’d want to hang
For a while
Well I’d like to be with you
And you know it’s Friday too
I hope you can find the time
This weekend to relax and unwind

My mind’s tired I’ve worked
Worked so hard all week
I just got paid, we’ve got it made
Ready to go
I promise you I’ll show you
Such a good time
Come on baby let’s get away
Let’s save your troubles for another day
Come go with me we’ve got it made
Let me take you on an escapade (let’s go)

Today, I have had the privilege of attending the commencement exercises of the school the 2nd time this year.  It was an event that was supposed to call for all sorts of enjoyment and merriment, after all, it is the culmination of one’s academic life.  Seeing my students graduate brought me pride and joy, I never thought that somehow I was a part of their lives.  But at the same time, I never thought it would also bring me an alienating feeling of sadness.  Sadness, cause I slowly learned to accept, that I should yield to old age (sooner or later).  Next, it reminded me that exactly the same weekend 5 years ago (June 16, 2001), I walked down the same aisle and savored the fruits of my hard work, which will never come again.  Lastly, it reminded me that 2 years ago (June 19, 2004), I got my Masters Degree in Applied Economics at a time when my dad’s health was failing and he was just biding his time to say goodbye.  What’s even worse, tomorrow will be Father’s Day, and I just don’t know what to do or what to feel.  My dad left some big shoes to fill (though my feet are larger than his).  I hate to say this but there are days when I wish I weren’t the eldest in the family.  Being ahead of the game made me discover that there are no footsteps to follow and I have to lead the way with utmost care.  Though God may have his reasons why, I just hope He would just give me the grace to go through this with flying colors.

I never thought that going back to school to pursue further studies would even sadden me.  I thought it would give me a clearer of view of where I will be heading for the next four years since my target is to earn the Ph.D. in Business on or before I turn 30.  So far, I can handle the lessons as they are still familiar to me but the thought of the long road ahead makes me weary.  And weariness, more often than not, dampens my spirits.  I just wish that God would bless me with the strength to take each day one at a time.  I feel like I am stuck in limbo when I think of starting all over again, laying down the foundations, placing brick over brick.

Just to clear my mind after taking a hefty lunch at the reception, I boarded a bus headed to Alabang Town Center.  Sometimes, a quick shuteye along the road energizes me.  I called my mom to meet me there so that we can pick some groceries up as well.  Of course, spending an hour or two (plus five hundred bucks) in Tower Records momentarily and temporarily cheers me up.  I was delighted to find Nelly Furtado’s Loose is out already, several days ahead of its U.S. streetdate which is June 20.  Furtado trades her ethereal and folksy sound for something upbeat as she teams up with Timbaland (of Aaliyah and Missy Elliott) fame in her new album.  The current single Promiscuous is now perched at #2 in this week’s Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart.  Another track called Maneater (not the Hall & Oates classic) has enough potential to be another hit single if ever. 

The next time I attend the commencement exercises (which will be next term), I will be citing the names of the first batch of graduates of the Interdisciplinary Business Studies.  It is an added feather to the university’s cap and to everyone else who supported the program.  I hope that this hardwork will payoff handsomely.  It is my first time to sink my teeth into administrative matters and I am still in the adjustment period.  Being the director of the program is no joking matter, and to see something bear fruit gives me enough reason to keep on going and doing the best that I could.

Beautiful ballads do put me in a pensive mood.  Hearing Fra Lippo Lippi (and a lot of Rick Astley) being played by highschool students in my school bus when I was nine years old (and a lot of times in the office lately) somewhat stayed with me.  It is only now that I have come to realize that I can truly empathize with the lyrics to one of their songs called Beauty and Madness.  Everytime I hear this song, I just space out and I tend to drift to another dimension where everything just makes sense in my tiny universe.  I can attest that the chorus really cuts deep down my soul at this point in my life.

Beauty and Madness - Fra Lippo Lippi

Over there, just beneath the moon,
There’s a man with a burden to keep,
Now sleep will fall, washouts, rags and paperbags
Homes and lives passing by.

Repeat Chorus

Thank God for long weekends.  Rarely do I get these rare instances just for relaxation.  The first three weeks at work was so hectic that I can barely find enough time just to breathe and clear my head.  Other schools are just about to start their classes on Tuesday and I am almost a quarter done with the contents of the QUATECH syllabus. 

Yesterday, I had the rare liberty to stroll around Greenbelt 3 alone to clear the thoughts of Lagrangean functions and partial derivatives out of my head.  Since my mom had some form of reunion with her friends somewhere in Cubao, I thought that I might as well wait for her in Makati.  I caught a 3:45 p.m. screening of The Inside Man and had a Tuna Wrapwich while seeing it.  Denzel Washington’s role as a police officer reminded me that of his corrupt character in Training Day.  Jodie Foster was pretty good too.  I was just a bit surprised that her character is quite undermined it terms of exposure.  She appeared too briefly.  After the movie, I trekked to Tower Records in Glorietta and I saw 2 R.E.M. albums on sale for P290 only: Automatic for the People and Out of Time.  R.E.M. is one of the definitive bands that graced the rock scene with hits like Losing My Religion and my favorite, Everybody Hurts.  I might as well find some free time to go back and purchase them.  After all, they are on bargain!  I settled for the last copy of the movie Iris, which showcases the acting talents of Judi Dench and Kate Winslet, for P50.  Both actresses were nominated for an Academy Award several years ago for their portrayal of Iris Murdoch, an esteemed educator in England who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease.  It was a good catch despite its tragic ending.

I see a tight schedule ahead this coming week.  The good thing is that tomorrow will be a holiday, a day shorter than the usual working week.  With the gargantuan tasks at work and at home, I might as well post some of them here just to keep track of them while my mind is still capable of storing them.

MY AGENDA FOR THIS WEEK

• Monday:  Get a haircut and rest.
• Tuesday:  Streamline the Practicum program of the IBS Students minoring in MFI.
• Wednesday:  Discuss Economic Production Quantity (EPQ) Models in QUATECH.  Appear in the IBS General Assembly for Marketing Minors.  Catch an afternoon screening of Garfield 2 or The Lake House.
• Thursday:  Attend the College Graduation Rites in the afternoon and attend Graduate school in the evening.
• Friday:  Discuss Inventory Decision Problems Involving Limited Storage Space and Quantity Discounts in QUATECH.
• Saturday:  Attend the Graduation Rites in PICC in the morning.  Attend Graduate School in the afternoon.

Whew!  May God bless me with the needed energy to get through a hectic week! For some Jamaican fanfare, let me share with you the lyrics to the hottest reggae song on top of the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart 3 years ago.  After this busy week, I’ll be getting irie, irie, irie, ei mon?!?

Get Busy - Sean Paul

Shake that thing miss kana kana
Shake that thing miss annabella
Shake that thing yan donna donna
Jodi and rebecca

Let’s get it on ’til a early morning
Girl it’s all good just turn me on

Long before my aspiration of becoming a teacher/professor, I always had plans of entering the music business.  Music has always been a part of my life ever since childhood and I can’t imagine myself living a day without it.  Back in highschool, I had dreams of recording my own album.  I even have my journal where I would write poetry and lyrics and even the list of producers and songwriters I would love to work with.

Performing arts never appeared in my cards.  But nonetheless, I would like to share with you my tracklisting for my first album if ever I would be blessed enough with the opportunity to make one.  After all, dreaming comes with no price to pay, it is free!  At this point, you may say that I am disillusioned or demented.  But I don’t blame anyone.  And since everyone in the industry is so keen in making remakes, let me join The Bandwagon, a fitting title for a debut album.  If only I were to have my ridiculous way, I would entitle it The Loga-rhythm!!!  To name a few, I dream of meeting David Foster, Babyface, Kenny G, Diane Warren, Glen Ballard, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, and a lot more of critically-acclaimed songwriters and producers.  I would like to make an album that crossbreeds pop and jazz, with the musical stylings of the power ballads of the 80s and 90s (God, I love those decades!).  I need to take some voice lessons, I used to sing bass, then tenor, but that was nearly 10 years ago.  Right now, I could only imagine how short my vocal range is.

And since my kid brother is really exceptional in sketching and animation, I would even commission him to make the multimedia component of the CD and my album cover.  Hahahahaha!

Below are some of the songs I would like to cover for The Bandwagon.

You’ve Got A Friend - Carole King/James Taylor

Six years ago, when I was young, foolish and naive, hopeful to crack a record deal while juggling part-time modelling and Senior Year college, I made a demo tape with my voice in a cappella singing this Carole King classic.  Originally from the 1971 Columbia release, Tapestry, You’ve Got A Friend became a landmark tune for Carole King and eventually for James Taylor.  Also, it was fairly easy to sing.

Beauty and the Beast - Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson

Okay, this is the song that started it all!  When I was 12 or 13, I sang this as an audition piece to the High School Chorale and that kept the ball rolling.   This song was one of the earliest pop tunes I learned to play in piano and it started my so-called musical career in high school.  I am fortunate enough to come from a time when Disney made real good animated films.  Hmmm, I wonder who would my duet partner be?

Moon River (from Breakfast At Tiffany’s) - Andy Williams

In the 50s and 60s, songs were plain and honest, qualities that are missing from all the music of today.  This classic was requested by my late Auntie Fe when I was child, hoping I could play it in piano.  Only now did I realize that despite the simplicity of lyrics, it transcends a very powerful message of fulfilling one’s destiny.  I even had to buy a VCD of Breakfast at Tiffany’s just to fully appreciate the song. 

Yesterday - The Beatles

My tribute to the fab four!  On Sunday mornings, I would wake up and hear my dad’s time machine playing The Beatles or Elvis Presley in his Tamaraw FX while giving it a good wash.  When I was a kid, my dad bought me a music sheet of this classic from National Bookstore.  With its simple arrangement and timeless appeal, this song is indeed a treasure.  I know my voice will never do justice but nonetheless, it is worth a shot.  I want to give it a more acoustic touch accompanied by a piano and a longer intro.

Beauty and Madness - Fra Lippo Lippi

One will never know how much I can empathize to the lyrics of this song.  Everytime I hear this song, it drives me near to tears only to realize that no one has ever witnessed the beauty and madness of my life.  What even hurts the most is that no one will catch me when I fall…  Gosh, I am a sucker for such lonely love songs.  Unknown to the rest of the world, Fra Lippo Lippi remains such new wave gods in their native Norway and in the Philippines.  I remember they were surprised when they had a concert here in 1989.

Love Is - Brian McKnight & Vanessa Williams

Culled from the soundtrack of Beverly Hills 90210, this song features the pairing of two beautiful voices in pop as of 1992–McKnight and Williams.  Love Is philosophically defines love in all its incomprehensible facets.  My favorite lines: "Love breaks your heart, love takes no less than everything, love makes it hard, and it fades away so easily".  The piano arrangement even made it more beautiful including the simple video in black and white.

Drift Away - Dobie Gray

The first time I heard this song was when it was recorded by Michael Bolton as a track for his Timeless: The Classics album.  The genius of producer Walter Afanasieff and Bolton’s tenor voice made this one of my favorite songs ever.  Everytime I hear it, it makes me want to literally drift away as it cuts through my mind and frees soul.  It is indeed great to feel emancipated by great music.  As the song goes, "Give me the beat boys, and free my soul, I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away…"

When I See You Smile - Bad English

I love rock ballads.  Growing up in the 80s and 90s remind me of rock stars sport big hair and tight leather pants as if they were the coolest thing pop culture ever produced.  Bad English’s #1 single in the fall of 1989, When I See You Smile, became a staple in radio and even in adult contemporary FM.  Written by Diane Warren, this song was remade as a mellow R&B track for Uncle Sam in 1998.  The lyrics to this song is very inspiring, one of those rare tracks that tug at heartstrings.  I just can’t believe that those who ever danced to this song in their Junior-Senior Prom are now in their 40s.  Gee, how time flies!  It must be so cool to have older siblings who were in their teens in this era. 

Your Heart Will Lead You Home - Kenny Loggins

Kenny Loggins, of Footloose fame, recorded a song intended for the sequel to his Return to Pooh Corner album.  This track ended up as a theme song to The Tigger Movie: Adventures of Winnie The Pooh, one of my favorite Disney films.  Life can get so weary at times, all it takes is for one to look inside his heart and there he will find the comfort of home. 

as a finale…

Man In The Mirror - Michael Jackson

And as an encore, what better way would there be but impart a message of hope to the world.  Being an honest to goodness Michael Jackson fan, this song always has and will always have a special place in my heart.  Seldom do we hear pop songs that speak of truth that the world is faced with pressing issues, but Jackson says it best, "If you wanna make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make a change".  Ditto to that!

At the age of 27, I attended my 1st LPEP in 4 years.  Ladies and gentlemen, I am a frosh once more.  Today, I was blessed with the opportunity to attend such an event for the 3rd time throughout my stay in DLSU.  I was informed that should I skip it, I will be charged with an Orientation Fee next term.  Well, waking up a little too early on a Saturday won’t hurt a bit.  With the influx of technology and all, I can say it was a major improvement from that of nine years ago (when I was indeed a Frosh).  In the last part of the program, Bro. Ceci Hojilla gave a very inspirational talk on how the school makes a difference in the lives of students, and it is best summarized by a very familiar four-letter word: LOVE.  According to him, the fact that one is studying in LaSalle is no accident, it is by providence.  I can still remember that Bro. Ceci facilitated our retreat in Batangas when I was in 7th Grade.  It was sometime in November 1992.  He even took my picture while drinking a Magnolia Mango Juice in tetra-pack.  Time flies so fast that it is good to rekindle these memories and remind myself that not too long ago I was a kid too naive to understand the ways of the world.  And to my surprise, there is a part of me that is still a kid and I am still trying to understand the ways of the world as time passes.  Attending the LPEP really cheered me up.  Lately, I am carrying a weary heart.  Hearing some inspirational words jettisoned some emotional baggage.

On the lighter side of things, I won a movie poster of The DaVinci Code from clickthecity.com.  Being a sucker for online contests, I always win at least once a year.  After my class, I went to SurfShop Inc. to claim my prize.  Though I have seen the movie twice, such supposed Ron Howard masterpiece lacks the intensity of the literary blockbuster.  I didn’t feel the slightest excitement of the chase, the film was more of a chatterfest.  As a form of an exercise, I walked the entire stretch of Ayala to burn some unwanted calories.  Ayala Avenue seemed like a ghost town on Saturday afternoons.  Then, I went to Greenbelt 1 to check out some CDs in O.  Consequently, I walked all the way to MusicOne.  There, I was able to get a rare Anthony Hopkins Oscar-nominated movie from 1980, called The Elephant Man, which was on sale for P75.  I have complete reverence for this actor’s versatility.  I am very much in awe of his performance as Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs.  Though I was planning to get The Goo Goo Dolls latest release called Let Love In, I thought it would be a bit too foolish to overspend given the fact that payday is still a week away.  Let me save that for next week as part of my agenda.  I also discovered that not acquiring some of my wants brings excitement and purpose in my life. 

As my take on new beginnings, let me leave you with the lyrics to Sting’s Brand New Day.  There is nothing like the hope of brought about by the rising sun.

Brand New Day - Sting

How many of you people out there
Been hurt in some kind of love affair?
And how many times did you swear
That you’d never love again?
How many lonely, sleepless nights?
How many lies, how many fights?
And why would you want to
Put yourself through all of that again?

It could happen to you
Just like it happened to me
There is simply no immunity
There’s no guarantee
I say love is such a force if you find yourself in it
You need some time for reflection
You say, baby wait a minute, wait a minute
Wait a minute, wait a minute
Wait a minute, wait a minute