Certified Orange County (source: Vintagraph)

My mom used to know a man who grew oranges in his back yard. According to her, his oranges made the phrase Orange county meaningful. Paul was a world war II veteran. He was especially proud of the fact that he was a navy seal. Even when random young men were carted away to the war, only the brilliant ones were picked out to join the seals and he was one of them.

In the war, he served as an accountant. Not a typical soldier out in the front line. After all anything for the war effort was appreciated. He was really good at what he did. In his time, he topped the board for the whole state of California. That’s how good he was.

After a year in the service, the war was over. Paul worked for the government for a number of years until he decided to start his own business selling car parts. He was a hard working businessman and was unabashedly republican. He holds hard work in high regard.

Years later, he met my mom in a ballroom at Placentia. He learned that my mom had been living in San Francisco for a year until people at work started ganging up on her because they were envious of the job offers she had been getting. You see, ma is a hard worker. She then moved to Los Angeles and dabbled with work opportunities there, but her landlord didn’t like the fact she was getting a lot of calls. They were calls for job offers and sometimes suitors. For this reason, she got called a hussy. In just two months, she decided to move from LA to Orange.

Paul offered her a job as an assistant. Tax season was coming and Paul did consultations and tax audits on the side – for fun. My mom took the job right away. She’s also the kind of girl who has fun with numbers.

Paul helped my mom settle in to Orange. It was a symbiotic relationship. From the stories, I’d say he must have had an Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder. He wanted everything neat and in a certain order otherwise, he’d be irritable. My mom found a kindred spirit. Here was this old man who was as sharp and meticulous as she was.

But it was this meticulousness that created a tension between Paul and his only son. It doesn’t hurt to mention that his son is a democrat. Regardless, Paul couldn’t accept the fact that his son squandered Paul’s hard earned money and that, despite all his investment in his son’s education, the man couldn’t find himself a decent job. He grew bitter and cold toward him.

On the other hand, Paul grew soft with my mom. One day, he offered to marry my mom to free her of her woes. Her time was running out and her status was tenuous. She accepted the offer. It wasn’t a fake marriage. They truly cared for each other for two years. But they drove each other crazy. They were both too meticulous. So, they divorced.

A year later, it was revealed that Paul had cancer and it was terminal. They learned that he got himself a young Filipina girlfriend and even visited her in the Philippines. A few months later, he died and left a lump sum of money to the girlfriend he’d only known for a few months. This lump sum was worth 240,000 USD, released as 30,000 USD annually.

In his will, he stated that his son will only inherit his home and his other real estate investments by the time he is 60. If his son wanted to live there, he’d have to rent it out until he was 60.

As for my mom, he left her a note. My mom never told me what was in that note.

I guess, this is turning out to be a very personal post but I wanted to share the story of Paul, who I never met but will never be forgotten. Without him, I would never taste the sweet oranges of Orange.

Also, I used to think myself so handy when it comes to hardware. I got dizzy just trying to set up the television to my liking (what with four remote controls to work with). FINALLY, I figured it out after a couple of hours reading manuals and randomly pushing buttons.

A bunch of tech idiots

In the US, television is a big thing here, which is frankly one part of acculturation I try to resist. It’s not that easy, mind you. With over 500 cable channels to choose from and being able to instantly stream shows and films. I have to admit, the streaming really impressed me. Because the internet speed is just ridiculously fast over here compared to the Philippines, you can stream films on to your TV almost instantly without all the freezes. Wow. What really blew my mind is how I was able to find supposedly hard to find films and in just seconds they were there on the screen, playing seamlessly.

Okay, enough TV drone talk.

What I really wanted to mention was the fact that since I’ve moved here, I’ve had trouble with my FTP server. I can’t seem to connect to the damn thing. Could it be that I’m being blocked by my own firewall? I’ve been trying to read up on it but to my dismay, I could not figure out what’s wrong. So as much as I’d like to share more music, the way I usually do…I can’t.

Although, I have this to share: a really fantastic video by the artist, Lissie. Frankly, I love this song played live better than the studio record. So check this one out. For those of you back home, just wait it out to buffer for uninterrupted viewing. Yep, I know. First world internet speed rocks my socks.

Oh and to my ignorant compatriots: Here, you can watch YouTube videos on TV. Aha! Fancy that?

Pretty much what it LA looks like from the plane (c/o: TG Daily)

About forty minutes flying in to Los Angeles, you are greeted by an aerial view of rocky terrains, deserts, (what looked to me as) solar farms and block after block of gray little boxes. Trees are spaced every few blocks, unlike back home where there are lush landscapes covered in green not too far from the city. If they say the Philippines is in bad shape in terms of forest cover, I think this part of the states will clearly put up a stiff competition. It is instead a sprawl of concrete from coast to in-land. The good thing though is that every thing seems a lot cleaner, a lot more organized… But then again, these are just first impressions.

I live about 45 minutes away from LAX. The drive was seamless, freeway after freeway. On the road, my mom put the radio on at KIIS FM, which is not a surprise. I suddenly remembered my good old days as a disc jock and getting samplers from the station – music imports of hits. In fact, stations like KIIS make hits which trickle down to the rest of the world. Somehow it came full circle, being in the place of the hit maker. I then asked my mom what she considers driving music. Apart from listening to KIIS, she was in to a lot of old stuff, not surprisingly. But that’s cool.

When I put on my mom’s CD, her friend who accompanied her was surprised that I didn’t mind the music. According to her, I wasn’t even born at the time. True. I explained I have a WIDE taste in music and didn’t mind listening to some oldies when I’m in the mood.

Welcome to America, Kim.

Here’s the soundtrack of my ride to my new home. I have to say, yesterday’s weather was perfect. It’s true what they say, it’s always sunny in…you know where I am.

Window seats are the best! (Source: Click-through)

So I admit: I have been stalling lingering but I’m slowly being coaxed to the thought of being on a plane to a lalaland. The best part of my mental picture of this trip is the actual plane ride. I love riding planes despite the crappy airplane food in some trips I’ve been on and the even crappier music they have on-flight. But for now, let me emphasize on the latter. SERIOUSLY. If you are a point person from any particular airline – especially a certain flag carrier I’m quite familiar with – please, please, PLEASE consult someone on the music you play on board. Including but not limited to the choice of channels for your in-flight music “radio”, I’m not sure what you call it. What is up with all the eighties jazz music? I don’t mean to be an elitist, but honestly, have y’all not heard of music from at least the likes of Buddha Bar? Come on. Or even more tasteful post-rock alternative music NOT adult radio for the young and hip like moi. Consider that in-flight you are not allowed to use your ipod or any electronic device which carries one’s music of choice. That could be 13 hours on the plane in my case. Acceptable. But please, please, PLEASE care to accommodate different demographics when it comes to music and films.

Okay, so now I’m done with my rant.

What kind of music would I want to hear on a plane anyway? Naturally the kind of music that convinces me I’m going to live through the flight!

Anyway, this playlist is in no way my recommendation on what constitutes I’m-gonna-live-after-this-flight music. But I sure would be pleasantly surprised if I hear this music on the plane.

MGMT – Time to pretend [ Download ]

La Roux – In for the kill [ Download ]

Hooverphonic – Mad about you [ Download ]

Jonsi – Tornado [ Download ]

Hey Ocean – California [ Download ]

I’m just surprised that my passion for music – which I’ve taken for granted for some time – is still in me and has in fact grown stronger. Plus, living and breathing music has helped me deal with the separation anxiety that’s been creeping up on me lately.

Swedes are so flexible! (c/o: Beatsperminute)

Now, for the good part of this post. I found a gem in YouTube just by checking some other stuff by Lykke Li, an artist Kat got me in to. And boy, am I in to this artist. A bit of context: Last week I grew ecstatic when I found out that she’s from Sweden. I’ve written here before about how totally gaga I am about music imports from Sweden namely The Knife, The Cardigans, Fever Ray and Robyn. All over the world, the Swedes are especially known for the most impressive metal music to ever grace the ears of metalheads everywhere. What people fail to realize is that Sweden is likewise on the cutting edge of pop, electro-pop, electro-clash-pop and other permutations of this particular genre. A music genre which frankly, the rest of the world attributes to the whole of EUROPE as though it is a big chunk of land with no musical diversity whatsoever. YES, all of these great electro bands do come from Europe but not ALL OF THEM from the same country. And I’m sure a lot of you do not care, but once you can tell the nuances then you get to appreciate that each country has a distinct flavor to offer.

It just so happens that of all the music that came out of Europe, it was Sweden’s music which captivated me the most. Therefore, I stand by my statement back in 2010 that Sweden is my Music MECCA! It is an absolute must in my lifetime for me to embark on a music pilgrimage to Sweden. And I hope by the time that materializes, the bands I adore are still playing – I don’t CARE if they play in a big stadium or a small pub. I DON’T GIVE A DAMN. I want to bask in Robyn’s ringing voice live. I want to hear The Cardigans play a set, regardless if I don’t understand a word they say in between. If I could just watch the Dreijer twins of The Knife perform just one show – ONE SHOW – then I will die HAPPY.

I have to admit that today’s fill is a bit on the strong end but I can’t help it, all thanks to Lykke Li.

So back to Lykke Li.

You know this video I’m about to share is not the best quality I could find but it has caught my imagination.

I can imagine myself in the crowd of Lykke Li’s concert, feeling the anticipation of the next song. Then the riff of The Knife’s “Silent Shout” comes on. I go mental. My delirious scream will be drowned out by an army of music minions clinging on to every beat, every bass line, every fucking synth!

And then the decrescendo. Lykke Li’s haunting voice emerges and sings, “Until we bleed”.

Magic.

I look forward to watching concerts like this in the first world! Geez, I have trouble containing myself. Over and out.

To which he agreed, before realizing the consequence. He later realized that we had roughly about 12 hours to kill.

“So where are we going?” I asked him.

“I don’t know…” he said, as panic crept up in his expression.

“But you’re supposed to know this city better than I do!”

He looked dumbfounded.

I got up and went to the counter of the coffee shop. Shortly after I asked a few questions, I went back to our table and started packing up.

“Uh…where are we going?” he asked me.

“Trust me.”

“Do you know where we’re going?”

“I think so.”

In the jeep, my friend looked uncomfortable.

“Looks like I’m taking you out of your comfort zone.” I said to him.

He nods.

We finally reached our destination. It is a quaint place in the other side of town called, “The Strip”. Literally. There’s a sign that says so.

We found a place where we could have a warm cheap-ass meal and we decided to have a few drinks.

Over drinks the man could barely hold his alcohol. And then he said, “This is so new to me and yet you do this all the time…these spontaneous trips. My life, on the other hand, is summarized like this: work and home…” After a few more drinks and some issues sorted, he drawls, “You know, I haven’t talked like this with anyone in eight months!”

I just smiled. Mission accomplished.

We capped the night in a corner store with a videoke coin-slot machine. He dedicated the songs, “Puff the magic dragon” and “Leaving on a Jet plane” to me. I understood why he picked the latter song…but PUFF THE MAGIC FRIGGIN DRAGON?! The former on the hand, if taken literally, is a fucked up song about this dragon who eventually lost his friend which prompted him to become a recluse. Gee.

Never too old for videoke.

We exited when the table next to us started singing Aegis. On our way out he said to me, “Let’s meet here five years later. Same place.”

I’m writing this down to remember and also because he snores like an ox. Damn it. I guess I’m going to have to sleep it off in the bus.

Note to self: Tomorrow is my last pitstop before I head back to homebase. I think it’s just about the right time.

For tonight’s playlist, I thought I’d pepper it with a bit of nostalgia. As I always say, things are a lot more memorable when you experience them in a new place. If you happen to have a listen, try doing so somewhere new, somewhere outside your comfort zone. Take your laptop outdoors or load the song in your player and listen to it while you drive your way to work or school. Hopefully…hopefully, you’ll remember this post even after five years.

Eva Cassidy – Fields Of Gold [ Download ]

Adele – Hometown Glory (Hotel Cafe Live) [ Download ]

Peter, Paul & Mary – Puff The Magic Dragon [ Download ]

Paul Simon – Love And Hard Times [ Download ]

Sean Lennon – Tomorrow [ Download ]

If you want to search yourself look for inspiration. Simply, travel.

On the road. Where the heck am I?

On the road I’ve been listening to some tunes that are completely off-tangent from what people usually find me listening to. It’s a mix of post-punk with classic bass licks, dubstep, electro-pop, post-punk, and a few…chipmunks?! No, seriously. It has upped my mood tremendously so have a listen if you want some cheer. Traveling is supposed to refresh your perspective…revitalize you. Today’s playlist sort of represents that.

Recommendation: For ideal listening, grab all the songs by right clicking and save target/link as an mp3 file. Play in the order suggested here and if you know how to set up crossfade on your music player, set it at 8. Enjoy!

Starfucker – Girls just want to have fun (cover) [ Download ]

League – Golden Maps [ Download ]

Get People – Away [ Download ]

Kastle – I know [ Download ]

Cassius – I love you so [ Download ]

I love the rain and it always puts me in a pensive if not sedate mood. It never fails to relax me. Unfortunately, for some of us it doesn’t. I realized this when I was talking to a friend who was one of the survivors of the flash floods that occured last month in Northern Mindanao. The sound of rain makes her nervous and keeps her from getting any shut eye. What more now that the rainy season kicked off early this year?

Our environment will always have a hand in activating emotions in our brain. It varies in each person, depending on their experience of such stimulus. Sometimes we just can’t help it. Memories make fleeting moments permanent. We often find ourselves slaves to our good and bad memories of things.

Everything is perspective. This is how we become resilient. There is hope. Donate NOW.

Walking in the rain will never be the same again for the survivors of Typhoon Sendong. (Photo by: REUTERS)

Giselle Rosselli – Small People [ Download ]

The Honey Trees – To be with you [ Download ]

Blondfire – Oceans [ Download ]

Ashley Chambliss – A little more of you [ Download ]

Gnarls Barkley – Crazy (Basement Jam) [ Download ]

Speaking of maturity, this blog is going on six years. That’s more than half a decade! I’ve had my ins and outs with the world of music. Wish I had the time and energy to tell you what it’s been like for me over the year (musically), but I’d much rather “look forward” to new happenings so to speak.

Though if I’d put the whole year 2011 in retrospect I have only this to say: it was the year of heartbreak for me.

An ironic piece of art which supposedly means "Fuck Love".

No, this won’t turn in to one of those sappy posts wherein I vent about my sorry romantic travails. After all I find that hardly necessary given that I’ve dumped most of my emotional garbage in my other blog. This blog is about music, so music it shall be.

Fact: Music saved my life in 2011. Every time something tragic happened, there would always be a soundtrack to lift my spirits. And vice-versa. Simply put, music was such a big part of my life last year.

I spent somber afternoons with Chet Baker crooning/trumpeting in my player while I wandered the city alone. 2011 was also the year I got in to artists like Crystal Castles, Kavinsky, M83, Thieves like us, to name but a few. Thanks to them, I began accomodating eighties-influenced synth-pop which turns out to be an acquired taste for a lot of us. While on facebook, I established a group named “Kim’s Music Party” which grew into a 100+ strong social network, allowing every member to share the music that they’re currently hooked to. AND thanks to this group, a few members got me in to a genre called “Chill wave”. For weeks on end I would not stop listening to bands like Washed Out and Toro Y Moi. Brilliant! Just what I needed to get in to a meditative mood.

Then toward the BER months of 2011 I found myself spontaneously belting Adele’s heart-wrenching ballad, “Someone like you” (harmonizing with my friend, Rodge, no less). I remember doing so in the shower, in random drunken nights and even in the morning IN a train WITH lots of people quietly making their way to daily business.

I just had to pick this photo of Adele smoking since I think she's cool like that.

I have a lot of tracks in mind right now, I feel like my head is exploding with ideas. This reminds me, I spent New Year’s eve checking out what was on the Best of 2011 in various charts. From The Rolling Stone, to Time, to Ryan Seacrest’s KIIS FM segment and finally the Billboard. I think I took a look at other minor charts and they differ in many ways. Overall, one thing is for sure: Adele dominated music this year. Let alone that my personal yardstick for musical greatness has something to do with the frequency I break in to the song.

At this point in the article, I’d like to share some of the most defining tracks of the year – from my point of view. It’s just a list of the songs that got me through 2011 and are pretty much the same songs that got me starting my year right.

Attention noobs: Feel free to right click on [Download] and scroll to save target/link as. I highly recommend that you play these songs in the order indicated below because I am OC with music like that. But whatever!

M83 – Midnight City [ Download ] – Imagine this song blaring loudly during a night out. It’ll give you a sense of being transported to some kind of musical high. It has a subtle sensuality to the sound, electro-synth clashing with Saxophone? They make it work and it makes me delirious! This song confirms that one, the French are undoubtedly topnotch when it comes to electro music and that two, M83 is one of those artists I ought to kick myself for not knowing about much earlier.

Washed Out – Feel it All Around [ Download ] – My friend Alex showed me a music video of Washed Out and it epitomized precisely what their music is about: chillfuckingwave. You couldn’t be more relaxed just listening to this tune whether you’re hitting the beach or off to a chill out party.

Mogwai – White Noise [ Download ] – This song is the first track off their 2011 album, “Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will”. I wonder how this (arguably) post-rock/core band come up with such immortal tunes. White Noise is self-effacing, unhurried and hands-down epic.

The Joy Formidable – Whirring [ Download ] – I absolutely cannot contain my eargasm when I listen to this song! Sonic guitars right off the bat, spunky vocals then finished off with a guitar ad lib that will literally ring in your ears – perfection! This is possibly one of my most favorite songs this year owing to the fact that it really speaks to my personality AND it’s fronted by one of the most amazing female musicians. You should look up a live version of this song and I dare you to come back and tell me they’re NOT absolutelyfuckingawesome. If you do, I’ll punch you anyway.

Adele – Someone Like You [ Download ] – I think I was Adele-ing through out 2011. ‘Nuff said.

Coldplay – Us Against the World [ Download ] – Although when the new sound first came out it was hard to place Coldplay in all of it. Honestly, I used to think it was their way of pretentiously dabbling in to the highly synthesized sound making a rise in the world of music. The technical tweaking of their sound was so blatant, I despised it. Little did I know… The album Mylo Xyloto would turn out to be one of the most played albums on my playlist. What the heck. Fine, I love it to bits. Down to the instrumental interludes that fill between the songs together. The stuff that make Coldplay concerts absolutely seamless. This song stuck out for me because it managed to retain Coldplay’s organic and melancholic sound while treating it with the new vibe.

Dawes – Time Spent in Los Angeles (KXT Live) [ Download ] – I love this track simply because it speaks to me in so many ways. It’s about finding new love in a new place. I sure need a lot of love to go around this coming year. I am migrating to the US, particularly California, this year. It’s nothing like the song “Rocketeer” by Far East Movement (LA Dreamer version) which at one point was my rough sketch of what the musical vibe of Los Angeles might sound like. Dawes sprinkles that idea with variety and gets me all excited to finally move there and check out the music on that side of the world.

Crystal Castles – Not in love (featuring Robert Smith) [ Download ] – It’s hyper, jerky, cold and modern. It’s hard to tell if the song speaks about someone who’s in denial or an asshole. While the studio version of this song has its own charm – it is muffled and almost indecipherable, it can’t be denied that this rendition with Robert Smith is simply stunning. Wait a minute…it’s THE Robert Smith of the legendary band The Smiths singing on a Crystal Castles single. That sealed the deal for me.

Roisin Murphy – Overpowered [ Download ] – “When I think that I’m over you, I’m overpowered.” Hook, line and sinker. So 2011 for me.

Temper Trap – Sweet Disposition [ Download ] – Not exactly what you’d expect as the cap for this end of year playlist. Let’s just say, this is the anthem I want to have for the rest of 2012. I’m still on the lookout for that fleeting/permanent Sweet Disposition.

Happy new year, loves!

Music has a way of evoking memories and emotions. Even sensations whether pleasant or otherwise. Depending on your emotional state, songs have a way of bringing you back to thoughts that you’d rather not think about. Arguably, all songs are sentimental when you let yourself.

This playlist in particular has sentimentality all over it But the intended effect is this: it’s nearly impossible not to think of someone when you’re trying not to think of them so you might as well invite emotions that will make the feeling go away. Hate is always a nice place to start, then you move on to anger, bitterness and indifference. The first song I thought of was this:

Just got to love how Joan Jett brings out all the stupid emotions and make that type of torture sound fun! I’m thinking of another classic now. Something from the late great Micheal Jackson and the Beatle that never dies, Paul McCartney.

Ah yes, nothing like a really dense girl/boy, eh? I’m sure some of you can relate. But what about those people who you are such a sucker for but are so hard to reach? You have to wonder really, like Peter Sarstedt did back in 1969. Where do you go to, my lovely, he asks.

But that was back in 1969 when he wrote this song. Now we have surveillance all around us! CCTV, GPS satellite…the works. One guy in my FB music group posted a song that makes us imagine what it must be like in the mind of a stalker. Because when you like someone you just get freakishly stalker-ish, you know? But not serial killer kind of stalking…just innocent clicking on FB or some other social network… Anyway, so you have Sting who makes this invasion of personal space sound oh too sexy.

Yeah, that was The Police right there. Why am I moving backwards? Backwards…further down that road to one of my guilty pleasures…

Tsk, tsk… Barbra Streisand knows how to go ape shit when it comes to that thing called “love”. Yes, it’s possible for it to escalate to an obsessive kind of feeling. The kind that makes you say “kill me now”. Let’s just go all the way on this roller coaster, eh? What if you actually shared something together? And you know that fucking moment is lost forever. (Sigh) Okay, this is the sad part…

Billie Holiday brings me to tears, yo. Okay, (sniff) enough. I digress. Yes, it gets pretty desperate sometimes. And you can’t help but think of this song from Divinyls. What the hell!

And it goes on and on and on…

And now you say, fuck it. You’ve lost all hope in the world. All that is beautiful. Love? Relationship? What the hell is that? LIES! Your brit sistah, Lily Allen gives you a dose of sarcasm. But of course she says it in a nice way.

But you still don’t listen to her! You hold on to your phone 24/7. You rationalize the stupid things you do. Sheryl Crow has only this say…

WHAT? You’re still thinking about that person? After all these songs? Damn it. How do you not think about a person anyway. Might as well shoot yourself. What can you do really? What do foreigners know anyway about how romantic Filipinos are? It’s a curse! And the Itchyworms know it.

And when nothing makes sense anymore, listen to the wisdom of your friends. The kind of people who say “Ayaw ko ng masasayang relasyon”. This is a song by Apo Hiking Society and I’d like to dedicate this to my friend Miko. Hahahaha!

Konbanwa, bitches!