My Life according to Barry Manilow

Using only song names from ONE ARTIST or GROUP, cleverly answer these questions. Pass it on to people you like and include me (presuming I’m someone you like). You can’t use the band or artist I used. Try not to repeat a song title. It’s a lot harder than you think! Re-post as “My life according to (band or artist name)”…

Pick your Artist:
Barry Manilow

 (Click on the song title to watch video or read the lyrics)

Are you a male or female:
Shadow Man

Describe yourself:
One Voice


How do you feel:
Ready to Take a Chance Again







Describe where you currently live:
Somewhere Down the Road

If you could go anywhere, where would you go?   
New York City Rhythm



Your favorite form of transportation?
A Little Travelling Music Please

Your best friend?
Can't Smile Without You

Favorite time of the day:
Weekend in New England

You and your best friend are…



Old Friends 

What’s the weather like?
When October Goes

If your life were a TV show what would it be called?
The Best of Me 

What is life to you?
If I Should Love Again

Your Relationship:
Could It Be Magic?

Your fear:
Some Good Things Never Last

What is the best advice you have to give?
I Made It Through the Rain

Thought for the Day:
Look to the Rainbow

My motto:
If We Only Have Love

Thanks to Orman Manansala for the tag! 

What Air Supply Song am I? - I Simply Want to Give it All

Avel Manansala's GenSan News Online Mag once again launches another blog contest and outdoes the previous ones on Side A and David Pomeranz!

This time it's the What Air Supply Song Are You? Blog Contest sponsored by Concert Producer Michael Wee and his Dreamworks Ventures, Inc. which brings in quality entertainment to Gensan like the Air Supply Concert in GenSan. Michael Wee also owns the Grab A Crab Restaurant and Coffee Club 101.The said contest was launched in connection with the Air Supply Live in Gensan Concert on October 2. The Air Supply in GenSan Concert is a major production of Dreamwork Ventures Inc.’s Platinum Concert Series 2009, in cooperation with the City Government of GenSan, the GenSan City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc., ABS-CBN. Other partners are Grab A Crab Restaurant, MISO Hardware, San Miguel Corporation, Coca Cola Bottlers Inc., East Asia Royale Hotel, Coffee Dream, Giacominos, NY Fries and Dips, Giacominos, Gaisano Mall of GenSan and Gregoria Printing Press.

Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock of Air Supply
What Air Supply Song Am I?

Here I am again, I've come to see you smile
I know you understand
I have to say again, it's only for a while.

I didn't immediately take a liking to Air Supply's debut album Lost in Love. That much I'll admit. But when I heard I Want to Give It All, a cut from their second album, I ran out of the house and bought myself a copy of The One that You Love cassette tape. That tape finally lost its sound fidelity from having it played countless of times and was eventually replaced by a CD.

It doesn't happen every day
But it happened to me once before
Those early years I threw away
Now I only have to hear your voice
To make me feel so sure that your love is why I want to give it all.

Unrequited love is bittersweet as it brings exquisite joy and pain. My love story is of the unrequited kind. Unrequited because my beloved does not have an inkling at all of being loved by me. You see, I met my beloved in high school. Our friendship lasted even after college but my beloved never knew my feelings transcended friendship.

My beloved left for abroad and never knew about the love letters I wrote for every year that we were apart. After losing touch with my beloved for almost two decades, imagine my pleasant surprise when my beloved rang me up through an overseas call. And at that moment, all the longing I felt for my beloved simply vanished and I realized that I only have to hear the voice of my beloved to make me feel so sure that my love is why I want to give it all.

Don't the minutes fly
And hours just seem so few with days apart so long
It's hard to spend my time
When I'm so far from you.

These days are made complete by seeing my beloved's smile while we are chatting through webcam, feeling the chasm between us closing in and erasing the thousands of miles separating us. These days are made complete just by hearing my beloved's voice, reassuring me of the friendship between us. My happiness is complete just loving my beloved, albeit unrequited, from afar.

An Air Supply song does that to you. Every song they sing is personal. And hits you where it matters - the heart. No wonder, in every Filipino life, there is an Air Supply theme song playing in the background. And in my life, I Want to Give It All will be playing as long as I live and continue to love my beloved.

Dave Pomeranz - the consummate artist, singer and composer

David Pomeranz & his guitar, Jack

For my first concert by a foreign artist, I would have wanted to attend the Manila gig of the Carpenters scheduled in 1982. They had a highway vehicular accident in LA so their concert was canceled; much to my regret since I had saved up for the plane and concert tickets from my meager income as a teacher in a private college here. The following year, Karen had a heart attack brought on by anorexia nervosa.

Twenty seven years later, I finally attended my first concert by a foreign artist, David Pomeranz and it was nostalgically exhilarating for someone like me who had his last valentine date 23 years ago.

This year, my valentine's date with four of my closest female friends went as I envisioned it in my previous blogpost which won me concert tickets and a complimentary dinner at Grab-a-Crab.

We had an early dinner at Grab-a-Crab and enjoyed the generous spread of Grab-a-Crab rice, calamares, minced meat with crunchy sotanghon noodles (Jinky was right, this was really delicious!), sauteed three kinds mushrooms and pata tim. The restaurant was filled with valentine customers and the waiters had their hands full. So full, that we had to remind them to give us the promised valentine's give-away.

So, we went up to the upper box and chose seats near the stage. But to out dismay, we couldn't understand anything from the two hosting the pre-concert quiz show-game. So we changed seats near the end of the gym facing the concert stage to hear better.

I noticed many of the upper box audience are teeners (I guessed many of them won their tickets from a local FM radio station). Many of them perked up when David sang his pop songs, but were noisy and boisterous in some unfamiliar numbers. Someone even had the gall to shout "David Garcia Jr!" (shared name of two male leads in a local TV soap opera) while David was singing.

When David sang excerpts from his musicals (in which he sang different parts), I was one of the handful in the audience who appreciated it. I just love musicals, that's why. The rest (who I surmise were raised on fads and trends and riddled with pop culture) couldn't care less.

At one point in the program, David jokingly bade the audience goodbye/goodnight because he wasn't getting the reaction he wanted. Many of his in-between-songs spiels went unappreciated because the audience was clueless about what he was talking about. He even had to impersonate Charlie Chaplin (from whose life David based his musical Little Tramp) before the audience understood what he meant (although some probably thought it was Dolphy or Mr. Bean. Hahaha!). I could sense his frustration because the Generals are not that exposed to anything beyond pop culture. Even the songs he composed (Trying to get the feeling again, The old songs) but popularized by Barry Manilow and The Carpenters were less applauded compared to the songs he composed and sang (King & Queen of Hearts, Got to believe in magic, On this day, Born for you). As an encore, David sang his version of Joey Albert's original Tell me, which again went unnoticed because most were eager to go home. Going down after the concert, I wondered if anybody else knew David had recorded his own version of Pasko na Sinta Ko.

I sighed with the realization that a lot of David's immense talents and artistry as a tunesmith and singer were lost to most of the Gensan audience. His repertoire fairly represented his impressive works, yet we were willing only to acknowledge his pop songs (I say, there are a lot more to love about David than his love songs). I gave out an even deeper sigh at what the others in the audience were missing by dwelling on what is pop, faddish and trendy (if concerts featured only an artist's pop songs, why not listen to an FM station instead?). All they cared about was rushing to the stage with their cellphones and cameras to get Dave's pictures and lining up to get autographs or a photo opportunity with him backstage (for bragging rights to say they went to a David Pomeranz's concert? And after the autographs have faded, the pictures deleted to make for new ones, what?).

At the risk of being accused as sourgraping, let me state this clearly: I came away from the concert awed by and respectful of David, the artist, the singer and composer who has touched my life with his compositions, pop or not. A heartfelt thanks to David for giving us the best valentine's date at this point in our (I and my dates) lives.

[Update: I heard from a very reliable source that another artist who had a valentine show in another venue was disappointed by the audience reaction. Classically trained, his compositions, mostly instrumental, which he played went largely unappreciated by the pop-culture-drenched crowd. The audience was noisy (egging him to sing, heckling him, shouting their pop song requests). The artist conceded by playing one Beatles song to which the audience sang along. But that's about it. The rest of his repertoire was ignored. ]

(Thanks to Kyawster for the concert photos)

Now I can uncross my fingers! Pomeranz's concert Part 2

Proudly holding the major prizes of two VIP concert tickets & Grab-a-crab complimentary dinner while Avel (SocCSKSarGen Bloggers' top honcho & Bariles Republic blogger)
and Mark of High Frequency Productions (Pomeranz's concert organizer) look on.With three of the major winners: Rammyboi, Tanchi & Jes. Not in the picture are two other major winners Sheng and Rosilie.

Yes, I can now uncross my fingers as the five major and 11 minor winners were awarded their prizes in the afternoon of February10 at Coffee Club 101 beside Grab-a-Crab. Major winners each get 2 VIP concert tickets and a Grab-a-crab complimentary P1000-dinner while minor winners each get 2 general admission tickets.

On hand to present the VIP and general admission concert tickets was Mark (who judged the blogposts) of High Frequency Productions while Michael Wee gave out the complimentary Grab-a-Crab dinner tickets.

After getting my prizes, I promptly traded the VIP tickets with Jes' general admission tickets for me & my group dates. This will be the first valentine's date I will be having in more than 20 years and my dates (four, count them!) are the closest friends I have.

Mark and Michael, the two people responsible for bringing David Pomeranz here in Gensan were profuse in thanking the bloggers for the effective promotional boost they gave to the concert.

Proudly hosting the awards ceremony is the SocCSKSarGen Bloggers' top honcho, Avel Manansala.

(Photos courtesy of Kyawster)

My winning blogpost follows.

Being single at this age is no joke and with Valentine's Day fast approaching, I'm sure to be lining up (again!) for the yearly "firing squad" at the Oval Plaza (Joke: Singles sans lovelife on Valentine's are to be shot by a firing squad). :D

Unless (crossing my fingers) I get the chance to watch David Pomeranz's Valentine's Day Concert at the City Gym in Gensan (as announced in Bariles' blog). Then maybe I can keep trying to get the feeling again. :)

As a composer, David composed songs like Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again and The Old Songs for Barry Manilow and The Carpenters. It is easy to understand why David is a favorite singer of Pinoys - his songs are extremely hummable and its lyrics strike the right chords in our romantic hearts.
But David became popular with Pinoys when the film Zapped was shown in local cinemas and featured two of his songs which became huge hits and the theme songs of Pinoys lovers - Got to believe in magic and King & Queen of Hearts.

He also collaborated with Pinoy artists like a duet with Sharon Cuneta in If You Walk Away and recording with Lea Salonga in the Broadway musical Little Tramp the songs for which he composed.

With that in mind, I'm crossing my fingers (again!) in hoping to win this blogpost writing contest because I intend to request that the VIP pass worth P1500 be converted to 5 Upper box tickets so I can see the concert with my four high school batchmates who are more than sisters to me. For the duration of David's concert, I am hoping the wondrous Pomeranz words and music can rekindle in us the magic of finding love all over again.

I already have our foursome Valentine's date planned out: an early dinner courtesy of Grab-a-Crab and on to the concert. During the concert, I'll be giving them copies of David's songs (although I'm sure we have already memorized many of them) so we can sing along. And then after the concert, we will go back to Coffee Club 101 for some cups of coffee (and iced tea).

[Free concert tickets and gift certificates from Grab-a-Crab will be given to 5 lucky winners in a blogpost writing contest featured in Bariles' blog.]

Crossing my fingers in trying to get the feeling again in David Pomeranz's Valentine's Concert in Gensan

Being single at this age is no joke and with Valentine's Day fast approaching, I'm sure to be lining up (again!) for the yearly "firing squad" at the Oval Plaza (Joke: Singles sans lovelife on Valentine's are to be shot by a firing squad). :D

Unless (crossing my fingers) I get the chance to watch David Pomeranz's Valentine's Day Concert at the City Gym in Gensan (as announced in Bariles' blog). Then maybe I can keep trying to get the feeling again. :)

As a composer, David composed songs like Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again and The Old Songs for Barry Manilow and The Carpenters. It is easy to understand why David is a favorite singer of Pinoys - his songs are extremely hummable and its lyrics strike the right chords in our romantic hearts.
But David became popular with Pinoys when the film Zapped was shown in local cinemas and featured two of his songs which became huge hits and the theme songs of Pinoys lovers - Got to believe in magic and King & Queen of Hearts.

He also collaborated with Pinoy artists like a duet with Sharon Cuneta in If You Walk Away and recording with Lea Salonga in the Broadway musical Little Tramp the songs for which he composed.

With that in mind, I'm crossing my fingers (again!) in hoping to win this blogpost writing contest because I intend to request that the VIP pass worth P1500 be converted to 5 Upper box tickets so I can see the concert with my four high school batchmates who are more than sisters to me. For the duration of David's concert, I am hoping the wondrous Pomeranz words and music can rekindle in us the magic of finding love all over again.

I already have our foursome Valentine's date planned out: an early dinner courtesy of Grab-a-Crab and on to the concert. During the concert, I'll be giving them copies of David's songs (although I'm sure we have already memorized many of them) so we can sing along. And then after the concert, we will go back to Coffee Club 101 for some cups of coffee (and iced tea).

[Free concert tickets and gift certificates from Grab-a-Crab will be given to 5 lucky winners in a blogpost writing contest featured in Bariles' blog.]

Reflection on the autumn years of my life

Reflection
(Theme from Mulan)
performed by Michael Crawford

Look at me you may think you see
Who I really am but you'll never know me
Every day it's as if I play a part
Now I see if I wear a mask
I can fool the world but I cannot fool my heart

Who is that man I see staring straight back at me?
When will my reflection show who I am inside?

I am now in a world where I
Have to hide my heart and what I believe in
But somehow I will show the world
What's inside my heart and be loved for who I am

Who is that man I see staring straight back at me?
Why is my reflection someone I don't know?

Must I pretend that I'm someone else for all time?
When will my reflection show who I am inside?

There's a heart that must be free to fly
That burns with a need to know the reason why

I won't pretend that I'm someone else for all time
When will my reflection show who I am inside?
When will my reflection show who I am inside?

New Independence Day Song (Call Center Version)

From Frank Cimatu's blog:

HANG BY YOUNG CORN PEEL LEE PEA NOSH
LOU PA INN NONE GIN TOTE BOO LACK LUCK
PUDGY BIG HANG SAY CAN YOUNG PAL ADD
NAG A LIE NONE GUN THAT THEE LOG.

AT SACK ANNE YOUNG YOU ME AT GUN DUH
THE YUAN EYE NAH HAIL LEE NAH
BYE YOUNG CORN BEE KNEE HUG CAR
NAH SAD LOCK SAY DEW SIGH.

EEW BONE MAN MAY LIE YOUNG LOU ME PAD
KUH LONG INN MOE AT OOOH ME EEH YUCK
BYE YOUNG PAW KEY YOUNG SACK DOLL THE LOG
HANG THEE MAG NAH SUNG MAKE-UP ALL PASS.

PEEL LEE PEA NOSH CONG MEAN GNU MOOT YEAH
POOH GAWD NONE LOU HUH COT DOLL EAT AH
AT THING PUG SCENE THE MAKE KEY THE CAN SUCK DOLL LIE, YEAH!


HOP PEA IN THE PEN DENSE THEY!!!

Tell My Father

Fatherhood is so underrated these days. For some, fathers are just sperm donors. For many, fathers are just providers of food, clothing and shelter. For some, fathers mean as much as mothers.

So a toast to fathers! Here's a song on youtube and the lyrics of Tell My Father from the Broadway musical Civil War:

Tell my father that his son
Didn't run, or surrender
That I bore his name with pride
As I tried to remember
You are judged by what you do
While passing through
As I rest 'neath fields of green
Let him lean on your shoulder
Tell him how I spent my youth
So the truth could grow older
Tell my father when you can
I was a man
Tell him we will meet again
Where the angels learn to fly
Tell him we will meet as men
For with honor did I die
Tell him how I wore the Blue
Proud and true through the fire
Tell my father so he'll know
I love him so
Tell him how we wore the blue
Proud and true like he taught us
Tell my father not to cry
Then say goodbye

Summer Playlist for Your MP3 Player

Imagine yourself swinging on a hammock, sipping from a tall glass of ice tea or getting a tan on the beach, listening to these songs:

• Summer Breeze by Seals & Croft - Summer breeze makes me feel fine, blowin’ through the jasmine in my mind
• You've Got a Friend by Carole King & James Taylor - Winter, spring, summer or fall, all you have to do is call and I'll be there, you've got a friend
• 99 Red Balloons by Nena - Floating in the summer sky 99 red balloons go by
• Here Comes the Sun by the Beatles - Little darling, it seems like years since it's been clear; here comes the sun, here comes the sun, and I say it's all right, it's all right
• The Things We did Last Summer by the Beach Boys - The boat rides we would take, the moonlight on the lake, the way we danced and hummed our fav’rite song, the things we did last summer I’ll remember all winter long
• Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer by Nat King Cole - You'll wish that summer could always be here, roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer, those days of soda and pretzels and beer, roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer, dust off the sun and moon and sing a song of cheer
• The Summer Wind by Frank Sinatra - The summer wind, came blowin’ in from across the sea, it lingered there, so warm and fair to walk with me, all summer long, we sang a song and strolled on golden sand, two sweethearts, and the summer wind
• Indian Summer by the Doors - I love you the best, better than all the rest that I meet in the summer
• Summer Holiday by Cliff Richard - We’re all going on a summer holiday, no more working for a week or two, fun and laughter on a summer holiday, no more worries for me and you for a week or two, we’re going where the sun shines brightly, we’re going where the sea is blue, we’ve seen it in the movies, now let’s see if it’s true
• A Summer Song by Chad & Jeremy - Trees swayin' in the summer breeze, showin' off their silver leaves as we walked by, soft kisses on a summer's day, laughing all our cares away just you and I
• Summer Me, Winter Me by Johnny Mathis - Summer me, winter me, and with your kisses morning me, evening me, and as the world slips far away, star away, forever me with love
• San Francisco by Scott Mackenzie - If you're going to San Francisco be sure to wear some flowers in your hair, if you're goin' to San Francisco you're gonna meet some gentle people there, for those who come to San Francisco summer time will be a love-in there
• Green Leaves of Summer by the Brothers Four - A time to be reaping, a time to be sowing, the green leaves of summer are calling me home, 'twas so good to be young then in the season of plenty when the catfish were jumping as high as the sky
  
• On the Beach by Cliff Richard - I can think of nothin' better than dancin' on the beach, see a girl, you can go and get her, all your troubles will be out of reach on the beach, you can dance to a rock 'n' roll on the beach, here the Basanova played with soul on the beach, you can dance and twist and shout
• Summertime by Billie Holiday - Summertime, and the livin' is easy, fish are jumpin' and the cotton is high, your daddy's rich and your mamma's good lookin', so hush little baby don't you cry, one of these mornings you're going to rise up singing then you'll spread your wings and you'll take to the sky
• Theme from A Summer Place by the Lettermen - There's a summer place where it may rain or storm yet I'm safe and warm, for within that summer place your arms reach out to me and my heart is free from all care
• Summer Nights by John Travolta & Olivia Newton John - Summer lovin' had me a blast, summer lovin', happened so fast, I met a girl crazy for me, I met a boy, cute as can be, summer days driftin' away, to uh-oh those summer nights