The problem with songs is how they tend to be firmly associated with memories, no matter whether they're good or bad. When it's the former, what a rush it brings when you're within earshot. When it's the latter, well, run. Or act like nothing's happening.
Nine years ago, I had precisely eight songs on my phone. Well, it was a feature phone - one of those sliding Nokia things that made you feel cool at the risk of breaking your device early - so it could only store as much music as your 64MB micro SD card can handle. (We didn't take a lot of photos back then, either.) Of course, I also wasn't able to stream radio stations from around the world, so, when I was lazy to pick up my iPod, I was stuck with those eight songs.
One of those songs is Fyfe Dangerfield's "She Needs Me". That song's... let me check... twelve years old this year. I was keen because Fyfe was the vocalist to one of my favorite bands back in college, back when I was discovering British indie and unfortunately felt cooler for it. (I have a distinct memory of listening to NU 107's rebroadcast of Selector Radio while waiting for biology lab class. Yes, our phones had FM radios in it.) And this song would tick all the boxes in my informal list of things I that my favorite songs have in common: a good hook, a sweeping feel, and the potential to overwhelm. The last two minutes of this song definitely overwhelmed, and if it catches you in the wrong moment, you could shed a tear or two. As far as I know, that didn't happen to me.
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In the past couple of weeks - during my busiest weeks of the year, incidentally - I got two messages from people I haven't talked to in eons.
No, they weren't asking to meet over coffee while secretly plotting to sell me a pyramid scheme. We can't do that still. That, and as far as I know, they're both not in the Philippines, which means, yes, lucky them for not being here at this particular time. But I digress.
I haven't talked to them in eons. I don't find this weird. I would've, but I'll say I've pretty much accepted the fact that the people I considered friends all those years ago won't have me on top of their list of people to talk to for no reason. I went to school with one. I had heartfelt conversations with another, although we never really met. I don't feel bad, for life, unfortunately, goes on. It just is awkward, momentarily. When they ask "how are you?" from out of the blue, what exactly do you say?
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There you go. Leni Robredo is running for president - a non-surprise for the most part, but considering how limp and disorganized the opposition has been in light of the dominating style of Rodrigo Duterte, the fact that they finally convinced the highest-ranking elected official to not be under the fistbump umbrella to seek even higher office must be a sigh of relief for her acolytes and supporters.
And so it was that today, in a piece of political theater that should be effective but really isn't, our social media feeds were filled with pink. Celebrities of a certain income class - of a certain level of civility? - had the same message as a downtrodden people who are suddenly filled with hope that, on an immediate level, there will be an end to the past five years of self-serving incompetence and despotic-in-all-but-name attitudes. Leni is running, and therefore Leni will win.
Oh, yes, I did say it's ineffective political theater, right?
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I'm going to say it happened on the 22nd of November.
Shalla and I weren't dating yet then. Well, not officially. We just went out and hung out far more often than a pair usually would. As in, I would step out of the office and, rather than go straight home, I would go to some mall in Makati, or in some cases, walk from one end of Ayala Avenue to the other to meet her near her office. It's something I wouldn't otherwise do, so, yeah, I guess it's safe to say I really liked her then.
The 22nd was one of those days. It was a Thursday, and we were at Greenbelt, I think to have dinner at Toast Box or something. I think it's Toast Box because we were at the higher floors and there really aren't that many options in the immediate vicinity at the time if you didn't want to eat too fancy. And yes, Toast Box isn't that cheap either, but it felt cheap, in a good way. It's a shame it got replaced by Nanyang, which is the same thing - Singapore kopitiam fare - but somehow both more limited and more premium.
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