Artist: Bosques de Mi Mente (Forests of My Mind)
Title: LO-FI
Released: 2007
Genre: Minimalism, Lo-Fi
Download: http://www.archive.org/details/ca104_bdmm
Favorite Tracks:  Paseo 1, primavera (Walk 1, Spring), Los titanicos esfuerzos de una bicicleta oxidada por avanzar (The titanic efforts of a rusty bicycle to move), Un nino que ya no existe jugando con el viejo piano (A boy who no longer exists playing with the old piano), Paseo 2, verano [la nina de Hiroshima] (Walk 2, Summer [the girl of Hiroshima]), Tormenta de verano (Summer Storm), El amanecer reflejado en tus ojos, Parte 1 (The dawn reflected in your eyes, Part 1), Paseo 3, otono (Walk 3, Fall), El mensaje de las ballenas (The Message of the Whales), El amanecer reflejado en tus ojos, Parte 2 (The dawn reflected in your eyes, Part 2), Paseo 4, invierno [el largo y tedioso camino a casa] (Walk 4, winter [the long and tedious way home]), Cuando se hayan ido todos, tan solo quedara el crujir de sus columpios al viento (When all are gone, only the crunch of the swing in the wind remains)

Whew! Sorry had to yahoo!translate the titles because they’re really lovely. Really, few artists can capture such perfect melancholy so be sure to check out his other albums “Trenes de Juguete”, “Ruido Blanco”,  and “Inocencia” which he shares for free in the internet, because in his words:

Music is art, a subjective expression of reality, and as such it enriches everyone that listen, so I think each form of art should be available for everyone, and that’s why my music is under Creative Commons licenses, allowing you to download, share, copy and distribute it.

Another reason to love Bosques de mi mente.

Listen:

Artist: Lantern
Title: Clogs
Released: 2006
Genre: Post-Rock, Instrumental
Download: hxxp://www.mediafire.com/?adxirbcoxmz
Favorite Tracks: Kapsburger, Canon, 5/4, 2:3:5, Death and the Maiden, Lantern, Tides of Washington Bridge, The Song of the Cricket, Fiddlegree, Compass, Voisins, Tides

Yes, I put everything on favorite tracks because everything is beautiful in its own way. In fact, I fell in love as soon as I pressed play and something like Philip Glass on a guitar emerged. In fact the whole album sounds like all my favorite film scores rolled into one (some tracks remind me of Clint Mansell) but is still uniquely itself.

Listen:

Artist: Lykke Li
Title: Youth Novels
Released: Jan 2008
Genre: Pop/Electronica
Download: hxxp://www.mediafire.com/?vjhuwx4vz1i
Favorite Tracks: Little Bit, I’m Good I’m Gone, Dance Dance Dance, Let it Fall, Breaking it Up, Time Flies

There are three things from Sweden that I absolutely adore: Alexander Skarsgard, that “There’s a party in Sweden pants and you’re all invited” tourism video (search it in youtube…hysterical!) and Lykke Li. Just listen to her sing in the bathroom here, she’s amazing:

Listen:

Artist: Ez3kiel
Title: Barb4ry
Released: 2004
Genre: Experimental / Trip-hop
Download: hxxp://www.mediafire.com/?lucset2e0gb
Favorite Tracks: Kika, Akik, Phantom Land, 3 Rue Monplaisir

If you love music that mixes the classical with electronic (like me) this is one band to listen to. On another note, Sufjan Stevens who I discovered after I began this list does it perfectly so discover him too, if you haven’t.

Listen:

Sorry for the long delay but I can finally use my computer again so the list can continue…

Artist: Sigur Ros
Title: Takk…
Released: Sept 2005
Genre: Post Rock
Download: hxxp://www.mediafire.com/?ntxszftt1nz
Favorite Tracks: Hoppípolla, Sæglópur, Glósóli, Gong, Heysátan

It was hard to choose between this and ( ) but I veered to this mainly because of Hoppipolla. I just can’t not listen to it and not feel…everything (sorry that’s a lot of nots, did it make sense? haha.)

Listen:

• Woody Allen
• Pedro Almodovar
• Wes Anderson
• Fanny Ardant
• Darren Aronofsky
• Monica Bellucci
• Gael Garcia Bernal
• Bernardo Bertolucci
• Adrien Brody
• Penelope Cruz
• Alfonso Cuaron
• Guillermo del Toro
• Jonathan Demme
• Alexandre Desplat
• Stephen Frears
• Alejandro Gonzalez inarritu
• Wong Kar Wai
• David Lynch
• Martin Scorsese
• Tom Tykwer
• Isabelle Adjani
• Harrison Ford
• Louis Garrel
• Isabelle Huppert
• Jeremy Irons
• Neil Jordan
• Milan Kundera
• Sam Mendes
• Mike Nichols
• Natalie Portman
• Salman Rushdie
• Kristin Scott Thomas
• Steven Soderbergh
• Diane von Furstenberg
• Tilda Swinton
• Wim Wenders
• Terry Gilliam

It’s a list of filmmakers who signed the Free Polanski petition. Bolded are the ones that hit me hardest. Why, Wong Kar Wai, Why? (longer list)

On the other hand, here’s a list of celebrities who spoke/are speaking against Polanski:

• Kevin Smith
• Greg Grunberg
• Luc Besson
• Bill Maher
• Kirstie Alley
• Noel Clarke
• Jewel
• Neil Gaiman
• Sherri Shepherd
• Hart Hanson
• Lisa Kudrow
• Kristin Cashore
• Jimmy Kimmel
• Arnold Schwarzenegger
• Christopher Gorham
• Jon Stewart
• Chris Rock
• Salma Hayek
• Jamie Lee Curtis
• Jimmy Fallon
• Jamie Foxx

Bolded are the ones that fill me with <3. Oh Neil Gaiman, you’re never gonna disappoint me are you? (longer list)

And just because I love this article:  Reminder: Roman Polanski raped a child

You had no name but you were mine. The piano I used when I began composing, all those years ago when I didn’t even think I could. Most, perhaps all, of the music I made was made on you. And still, there is so much I’ve left unfinished–that I let myself not finish because I was too lazy or scared or whatever. I’m sorry, piano, I had meant to do so much with you. Perhaps it’s still possible and there’s a way to restore you. But for now, thank you for the music and the memories. I will miss you.

The day started like any other day. I woke up at around lunchtime, put on my computer and checked my facebook and livejournal. It had been raining the whole night so when the electricity started to fluctuate, I wasn’t really surprised. Just a little disappointed because I had planned to spend the day making livejournal icons (my recent obsession). After a while, it seemed like the electricity wasn’t going back so I told my sister we might as well eat.

I had just finished my first plate of spaghetti when I felt that the floor was wet. I commented on it and we looked up to see water rushing through the kitchen floor. Our housekeeper went in saying that she couldn’t stop the canal outside from overflowing. The water now reached the living room. I immediately went to save my CD collection that was on one of the bottom shelves and some important documents also on bottom shelves. The last time it flooded in the house, I was a kid and barely remember it. So I didn’t really think it would be bad. I placed the stuff on the stairs for the meantime. Sometime during, after, before, I forget, the electricity came back. We were joking that Meralco had such bad timing. I spent a couple of minutes unplugging stuff but the water just kept on rising. It was obvious we had to move the stuff from the stairs into higher ground.

We began with the stuff at the bottom. Tisha’s precious rom-com VCD collection, my love stories and romance novel keeper shelf. We started saving electronics, the DVD players, etc… The water was rising to knee-deep. I didn’t think it would get higher and I spent a few moments hovering but my sister told me to start saving my computer stuff so I did. I underestimated the flood that by the time I thought of my original DVD collection they were slightly wet. It was the only second I panicked but I told myself that these things could be bought again, if somewhat expensive. Then it was time to save the books.

For those who’ve seen the house, I have 4 bookshelves filled with books. I told my sister she should save what she could of hers first then help me with mine.  The housekeeper started saving the paintings. By this time, the water was around hip high and the sofas were floating. I knew carrying all the books  so I grabbed one, put as many books as I could on it and pushed the sofa towards the stairs where the housekeeper would help bring them upstairs. Some books still got wet in the journey but as long as I got them to higher ground, I didn’t care. By the time I saved all my books, the water was chest high. I remembered my Neil Gaiman signed  notebook I had in the drawer of the cabinet under the stairs. I managed to pry the drawer away, getting tangled in some wires. I handed the drawer to the housekeeper and untangled myself. I remembered the other piano pieces I had in another drawer which was now under water. I decided to leave it behind. I was really really tempted to play the piano one last time (for cinematic value, you know, haha) but I also really really wanted a bath. I decided on the bath. When I finally went upstairs, it was just 3pm and the house looked like this:

The next few hours were spend praying, wishing that the rain would stop and the flood would stop rising. If it reached the 2nd floor, we’d have nowhere to go. But when God floods the first floor of your house, and traps you on the 2nd floor, he also opens a window. Of course, you’d have to jump out of said window and swim to the roof. I’m not a good swimmer but I knew I could do it if it came to that. We started tying bedsheets together just in case. I kept thinking, if I say that my crisis of faith is over, if I say I truly believed now, would the rain just stop? It didn’t. A friend texted to ask if I could record her score over the weekend. I replied that I planned to but my piano was now underwater and I didn’t know the damage. Could I just survive this day first? I remembered another friend who lived fairly close in an area that always floods. He was still on his way home from Makati. The water was neck deep. He asked if we wanted him to come and help. I told him not to because the water was too high. And still rising.

At around 5pm we started to move the electronics into higher ground. We moved all the junk out of the storage space on top of cabinets and put all the important stuff there instead. I packed the most expensive books into a bag and put it up with my computer. Then I had to decide which other books I would “save.” Graphic novels went first, of course, and then most of my fairy tale collection. Then I thought, whatever, and just stacked whatever books I could.

By nighttime, water was still slowly crawling up the stairs but I was thankful that it started flooding during daylight else we wouldn’t have been able to save much. I was also thankful that our housekeeper saved that bottle of Coke because I really really needed a glass (and thanks Tish for taking a picture while my mouth was full of leftover spaghetti. haha.)

Finally, the water stopped rising. Only 3 steps were left to the 2nd floor. It was still raining though. Worse case would be if the flood water didn’t subside and we’d be trapped upstairs for a while with just Koko Krunch and Reese’s Pieces for food (it was probably the easiest stuff to grab, haha) But there was nothing left to do really but wait and maybe sleep.

It was 2am when I heard people starting their cars outside. I couldn’t go to sleep so I went down to see the damage.

Tisha’s bedroom and the study room were hit the hardest. The doors were wedged closed, I had to squeeze in and move some furniture to get inside.

I spent Sunday afternoon mopping the floor while singing Disney, Broadway, Jazz, whatever I could remember. Which is why I now have a sore throat. But you know what? Things could have been worse and they weren’t.

I’m going to write about the piano now. sniff sniff.

Sorry, life’s been half busy with work and half busy getting distracted with other stuff like sleep and icon-making in livejournal and trying to finish cataloging my library and sleep. So yes, I’ll continue the list next week. For now, here’s a few thoughts on what I’ve been obsessing over the past few weeks.

On True Blood: duh. haha. Although I’m feeling a bit antsy after the season finale. I mean, I still love it and the crazy things that happen but with all the wonderful characters they’ve given us (Jason/Andy/Jessica/Lafayette/Hoyt/Terry) I feel that they’ve somehow ruined the main triangle that is Bill/Sookie/Eric. And I’m not just saying this because I’m an Eric fangirl. Bill and Sookie did nothing but argue over silly things then make up and have sex. Which is tiring and shallow. I wish Alan Ball would explore the complexities of their relationship more and not just make it into this OMG! IT”S TRUE LOVE! IT’S HAPPILY EVER AFTER [EXCEPT FOR THAT EVIL GUY WHO'S TRYING TO GET IN BETWEEN THEM] thing. And Sookie, Sookie just doesn’t think anymore. She just rushes headlong into danger. It’s irritating because Book!Sookie was not a TSTL damsel in distress. And for goodness sake, stop making Anna Paquin scream unnaturally.

And and and I just hate the proposal scene. Not because he proposed but because the way she *kinda* accepted it. First she was all confused like but I don’t know who I am, what I am blah blah blah and what happens when I get old and ugly blah blah blah. I can forgive that, she has the right to be insecure. But it was when she went to the bathroom and went OOH PRETTY RING!  OOH PRETTY RING LOOKS PRETTY ON MY FINGER! YES! YES! YES! like women lose all their reservations when confronted with pretty jewelry. Whatever, TV!Sookie.

I’m still looking forward to season 3 though. /end rant. haha.

On Music: there are two artists I can’t stop listening to right now because they’re omfg amazing! just listen

Sufjan Stevens, You are the Blood (Dark was the Night)

you are the solitude that goes against me
you are the choir in which I dream
in which I sleep in which I wander

sorry, it’s not the full track.

Dayna Kurtz, Somebody Leave a Light On (Postcards from Downtown)

i know love is everywhere
whatever ground you stand on
i’ll take what sight is offered me
whatever lights you turn on
somebody leave a light on

…I was 13, in love for the first time and writing sappy songs and sappy poems and sappy stories [sorry, no link to that]. The books I saved for to buy were Sweet Valley High and Love Stories.  I was still a hopelessly hopeful romantic [obviously]. The celluloid-love-of-my-life was Keanu Reeves [you can't deny he's pretty]. I shipped Joey and Dawson . Britney Spears’s …Baby One More Time was probably the album I constantly listened to. I didn’t call myself a feminist. I had no idea who Neil Gaiman was. And I believed that 23 was the age I would meet the one [apparently not].

If you’re wondering why I’m suddenly nostalgic, this is for Avalon.ph’s 10th anniversary celebration where they’re giving away a SIGNED copy of Neil Gaiman’s Adventures in the Dream Trade, a book I’ve been crushing on their site for years and years now but still can’t afford to buy. If you’re also a fan, head over to their blog and find out how to join.

And just for the sake of contrast…I’m now 23 and currently not in love. My library is more varied and I save up to buy fairy tale/poetry books. I’m a cynical romantic. The celluloid-love-of-my-life is Alain Delon. I ship Joey and Pacey. Florence + The Machine’s Lungs is the album I constantly listen to at the moment. My friends sometimes teasingly call me Gabriela. I will do anything for Neil Gaiman because he rocks. And there’s still around 3 months left for me to meet the one [you never know, but I'm not holding my breath. haha].

[not 10 years ago but <3!]