2015 Mixtape, Part 1 of 3

When December rolled around, I started writing some of my recap posts for 2015 in a notebook because I’m pretty sure I would forget things, and I didn’t really want to struggle to remember them while writing the post. Then as I was writing them, I realized that if I follow the format of the previous years’ posts, I’m going to end up with really long posts that people probably would just glaze over. So I decided to break them up into several parts, which makes it also a way for me to pay for all those days I was too busy to post anything.

So first on the recap posts is the first part of the 2015 soundtrack! I’m trying to figure out a theme for each year’s soundtrack, and I think this year is the most…theme-less, I guess? 2012 was pretty sweet, 2013 hurts, and 2014 was all challenges. This year, most of these songs are just songs I happen to like listening to over and over again. Some of them may mean a bit something, but it wasn’t as…I dunno, heavy as 2013. Not less feelings, but maybe more detached? Could be I’m just getting older. :)

1. Fall Like Rain by Courtney Cole

[youtube 1yFkTobR5wQ]

My heart on my sleeve but now it’s stained red
It’s too late to hold back now
Gonna open up the clouds and let it fall like rain
Fall like rain

Only because the song shares a title with my book. :) This doesn’t relate much to Rain’s story, though, but I’m putting it here for 2015 anyway because Fall Like Rain was the only book I released this year (and I promise to catch up next year)!

2. Dahil Mahal na Mahal Kita by Roselle Nava

[youtube wKiH0pi9rSI]

Dahil mahal mahal na mahal kita
Hindi ako matatakot, mahihiya
Anuman ang sabihin nila

Again, not because I can relate to this (good God, no), but because my friends and I attended a Juan Miguel Severo event last February and we played this game Bingo ng Tanga. This song was featured there, and we had a ton of laughs while playing the game (and guess who ended up being the most tanga for love in our little group?).

Power Rangers vs. Pag-Ibig: Hulaan sino ang pinaka-tanga XD #intersections

A photo posted by Tina Matanguihan (@storiestotell) on

3. Don’t Forget Where You Belong by One Direction

[youtube 4LXzCtPQVVA]

Don’t forget where you belong–home.
If you ever feel alone–don’t.
You were never on your own.
And the proof is in this song.

Possibly my most favorite song in their concert in Manila. I didn’t appreciate it until that night. And yeah, my friend and I watched the concert, but as I always told people – it was the second night, I didn’t even have to line up to get the tickets. We just decided to watch, I bought online and there we go. We got rained on, we were surrounded by youth(s), but we had a really great time singing along. And we totally understood why everyone was screaming for Harry. :P

4. Rather Be by Clean Bandit feat Jess Glynne

[youtube m-M1AtrxztU]

If you gave me a chance I would take it
It’s a shot in the dark but I’ll make it
Know with all of your heart, you can’t shake me
When I am with you, there’s no place I’d rather be

I’ve heard this song several times in the gym, I think, but of course I didn’t know the title until I decided to listen to Spotify’s Mood Booster playlist. What a fun, fun song to listen to! A real mood booster. :) Plus it reminds me of my other (more popular) character, Meah!

5. Break Free by Ariana Grande

[youtube L8eRzOYhLuw]

I only wanna die alive
Never by the hands of a broken heart

Okay, who would have thought that I’d actually like an Ariana Grande song. I didn’t even know anything from her until I found a jogging playlist in Spotify. This was so catchy, and also a bit right at a certain part of this year (Heh). I now selectively listen to Ariana Grande’s songs, especially when I exercise, because they’re pretty good workout music.

* * *

Next five songs in the next post tomorrow (maybe)! :)

Let The Music Play

(Image credit.)

And it’s time for the mid-year playlist, aka the 2015 EP! It’s kind of crazy how it’s already July, isn’t it? The first half of 2015 has been something, really, and sometimes I get a bit frightened that everything’s whizzing by, and I don’t get to enjoy every moment that I get to live this year. Do you feel that, too? Like the days just blend into each other? 

I’m writing this post not just to share a song list, but as a reminder for me to take it slow, sometimes. I think, as we grow older, we should learn to start picking what’s worth our time, what’s worth our attention. It can be picking which friends to meet, what things to do, and even what food to eat so your body will take care of you as you take care of it. I haven’t quite mastered that, but I want to learn that, before 2015 ends. (Because hello, I’m almost 30.)

So here’s the first half of 2015, in 7 songs.

(Title credit: Let The Music Play by Chris August)

1. Tell The World of His Love by Trina Belamide

[youtube L8zwiiSckQM]

Let us tell the world of His love
The greatest Love the world has known
Search the world for those who have walked astray
And lead them home

The start of 2015 was highlighted by one event: Pope Francis’ Papal Visit to the Philippines. I still haven’t written about this, I know, but this was the most perfect start of my year. It was like a World Youth Day experience at my home city, but I was behind the scenes – writing articles,  doing interviews, losing sleep, and walking in the rain just to be with the Vicar of Christ. What an exhausting weekend, but I will do it all over again. This song is not the official song of the Papal Visit, but this was sung over and over again during the visit, and I kept on crying to this song. That weekend, and this song, was a reminder of how blessed I was to be a part of the Catholic Church, and that I would do anything for His love.

2. Stockholm Syndrome by One Direction

[youtube nGYyTw9RIa8]

Oh, baby, look what you’ve done to me
Oh, baby, look what you’ve done now

I heard that One Direction was going here last year, but of course I didn’t try to get tickets because everything’s crazy there. Then they opened another night, and one day while I was at Mall of Asia Arena, I sent a text to my friend Grace, and ten minutes later, we have tickets to their second night’s show. It was my birthday concert, and it was absolutely worth it. The rain, the cold was sort of forgotten because the boys (4/5 of them, anyway, because Zayn hasn’t quit the group yet) were amazing. 

Yes, I’m a Directioner, and I am not ashamed. :P

3. Tuloy Pa Rin by Flip Music All Stars

[youtube HK2742L-De8]

Para lang nawala ang dala dala kong payong
Mauulanan pero muling makakasilong

My friend Alona played this song while we were hanging out at the beach that night at La Union, the birthday beach trip that we had been planning for years (long story why it only happened now). This song was already included in my 2013 playlist, but this version is really cute, plus the rap at the bridge was a nice touch. This is still such a feel-good song, and it’s part of my next novel’s playlist. :)

4. Undeniably You by Avalon

[youtube Pk4BV1xlCzg]

It’s unbelievable, all the things that You do
It’s unexplainable, how Your love pulls me through
And I can’t question, the one thing I’ve found to be true
It’s undeniably You

I loved Avalon when I was in college, but I kind of stopped listening to them for a while. Thanks to Spotify, I found them again, and realized that I actually still know most of their songs. This song is sort of a hidden gem from the album that I really loved, and I found myself humming this truth over and over again in the next days.

5. Set It Off by J. Williams

[youtube gk5jG941Tdg]

In this club
Feeling good
We here to set it off

I’m trying to dance more again, now that I actually had time from work, and I loved it so much that I decided to build a Dance Dance Dance playlist. I found a  bunch of Body Jam playlists in Spotify and started hunting for my favorite tracks. This is one of my favorite tracks ever from an old mix, and I love, love, love dancing to this.

6. Lunatic by Andy Grammer

[youtube t8ArzDCV-6I]

You can do this, you can do this
You are not a lunatic
Crazy would be changing your mind
You can do this, you can do this
You are not a lunatic
Crazy would be leaving it behind

Ah, Andy Grammer. Such a feel-good artist. ♥ I love this entire first album, but this song had me singing and humming it over and over again. It’s such a nice song, too, with doing what is closest to your heart. This song also makes it into one of my future novel’s soundtracks. :)

7. Level Up by Vienna Teng

[youtube U4n_8R5lKnw]

call it any name you need.
call it your 2.0, your rebirth, whatever –
so long as you can feel it all,
so long as all your doors are flung wide.
call it your day #1 in the rest of forever.

This is actually a song from 2014 that I forgot to include in my 2014 soundtrack.  A friend sent me this song, and I had this on repeat especially when I changed roles at work and faced several difficult challenges. This song still applies now, especially since I started the year with a new job with bigger responsibilities, and also because there’s so many new things in 2015 that requires me to step up and be more. It’s scary exciting, but what’s life without a bit of that? :)

* * *

Based on my last.fm listening history, I realized that I’ve been stuck with my novel playlists for a while. So for the next half of 2015, I want to discover new artists and songs – so here: recommend new artists and songs, please? :)

Here’s to the 2nd half of 2015! :)

2014 Mixtape

So I meant to write this annual mix tape post last 12-13-14, but again, work and other things ate up my time. That has been my constant excuse in the latter half of the year, but I hope that that will change as the year turns. Since I do not want to break tradition, I told myself I’d write a post during the holiday break, so I wrote some songs in my notebook…

…and found that I actually had a hard time filling up the 14 slots for this year.

It’s not that I had so many songs. It’s really more that I didn’t really have a lot of songs to choose from because I realized that I didn’t listen to so many songs this year because I was so busy. Too busy.

So annoying.

But I still made it, anyway – much thanks to my last.fm account for keeping track of all my music. Then I realized how different this year’s mixtape will be from 2013 and 2012…but it’s okay. It’s the good kind of different. :) I’ve been thinking of putting one together for my father for his birthday. Last year I got him some cool gadgets and he was really happy, CLICK HERE to see where I got them. Still working on his mix tape though, but may post it later this week!

1. Delight by Robin Nievera

[youtube YLHrxHfzFdM]

Things could change or rearrange
But I will delight in Your song

I wanted to include this in my half-year soundtrack, but I realized this fits better at the end of the year because the title of the song is my word of the year. :) I heard this during the Jars of Clay concert last year and I liked it a lot, and I listened to it over and over again back then, especially during the hard moments. I realized that I didn’t really listen to this recently, so I played it again as I was writing this and I smiled because yeah, I will delight in Your song. :)

2. Sink My Feet by Jillian Edwards

[youtube 5VgXiFKwJ3E]

I wanna sink my feet down in security
Unmoved by changing tides and
Shadow shifting lines
Then I’d see the stars, see the sun
And I’d see all that has been done

This song, like Audrey Assad’s Good to Me, came at the right time this year. It was the time when I was experiencing several changes in my life, coming from the things that happened in the previous year. There were so many things at this time in this year that was hard that I knew all I had to do was to sink my feet in His grace, because of all that He has done. :) This song still calms me down whenever I hear it.

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