Sesame Street Playlist 7

This playlist was suppose to be out on my birthday but things suddenly became busy and I wasn't able to finish it in time, but hey, better late than never! (Technically, my plan was to share this in May with no specific dates so I'm good!)

So, instead of a birthday playlist, I now present you my post-Wanderland playlist! Tada!!! A post about Wanderland 2013 will follow after this one I promise. Some photos though are already on my Instagram (Yeah, I'm now an #IGer) if you want to see them. Actually the album cover is from the said event.

My artist feature for this playlist is Parks, Squares and Alleys. (bandcamp, facebook, soundcloud, last.fm) and Magic Man (soundcloud, facebook, twitter, youtube). Also, since in my last playlist, I'm adding some songs from different genre than what I used to pick from and this time I added a couple of hip-hop songs as well. So here they are! ENJOY!

Credit to the artists for their wonderful music!!

(Links are a mix of youtube and soundcloud (and vimeo) pages. And some offer free downloads)

1. A Home. a Heart. Whatever - 1991
2. Editors - A Ton of Love
3. Bibio - A Tout a L'heure
4. Ra Ra Riot - All I Fear
5. Passion Pit - American Blood
6. Valley Dweller - Another Night
7. Tiger Tsunami - Antarctica (download)
8. COIN - Atlas (download)
9. Sticky Fingers - Australia Street
10. TV Girl & Monster Rally - Average Guy (Blame)
11. The Bicycles - Bandana Cat (download)
12. Club Smith - Beautiful & Useless (download)
13. Young Rival - Black Is Good
14. Hands - Brave Motion
15. Hey Marseilles  - Bright Stars Burning
16. Body Language - Charm (download) (music video)
17. Tea Leigh & Luke Reed - Color Theory (Pleasure Curses Remix) (download)
18. Pierre Mottron - Colorful
19. Nomadic Firs - Cover Bombs (ODESZA Edit) download
20. Thomas D'Arcy - Credit!
21. Lemaitre - Cut to Black
22. Is Tropical - Dancing Anymore
23. Real Magic - Dancing on My Own
24. Du Tonc - Darkness
25. London Grammar - Darling Are You Gonna Leave Me
26. Shy Nature - Deadly Sin (download)
27. Hockey - Defeat on the Double Bass Line (download)
28. Knocking Ghost - Distractions
29. Parks, Squares and Alleys - Don't Drop the Acid (download)
30. Atlas Genius - Don't Make a Scene
31. Smallpools - Dreaming (download)
32. CTM - Elsa Palma
33. Hunter Hunted - End of the World
34. Elementary Penguins - Everybody Knows My Name Especially on the Dance Floor
35. Enemies - Executive Cut (feat. Conor Adams)
36. Baywaves - Figures (download)
37. Louis Matteo - Finish Line (download)
38. The Ecstatics - Float
39. SULK - Flowers
40. I Said Yes - Follow On
41. Life & Limb - Fool's Nest
42. Gloss - Front Porch
43. Anna Wiebe & Jon Lawless - Go for Broke! (download)
44. Baywood - Gotta Get You
45. The Flight - Hangman
46. Devendra Banhart - Hatchet Wound
47. Thundercat - Heartbreaks + Setbacks
48. Get Cubs - Heartstrings
49. Colt Silvers - Hide and Seek
50. Dog & Panther - Home (download)
51. Valente - Human
52. Vydamo - Hurricane
53. White Arrows - I Can Go
54. Fort Frances - I Had Love
55. Kill Frenzy and Sacha Robotti - I Like It (B-Ju Remix)
56. Said the Whale - I Love You
57. Reversing Falls - I Think We've Got a Problem (download)
58. Eden Mulholland - I Will Echo
59. OK Go - I'm Not Through
60. Bend - I'm Taking Care of Him (download)
61. Lemaitre - Iron Pyrite (download)
62. Parks, Squares and Alleys - Is Anybody Wants Get Me Down (download)
63. Primal Scream - It's Alright, It's Ok
64. Andy Bull - Keep on Running
65. Giant Fang - Kingdom
66. Bunny's a Swine - Lasell
67. Glass Theory - Let Me Be Clear (download)
68. New Carnival - Let Me Shake You
69. Black Light Dinner Party - Lift Away
70. Kid Astray - Like You Care
71. The Colourist - Little Games
72. Cold War Kids - Loner Phase (live)
73. Since 1902 - Looper Jam
74. Tullycraft - Lost in Light Rotation
75. Leagues - Magic
76. Baths - Miasma Sky
77. The Fiery Piano - More Like a Tiger, Less Like a Dove (download)
78. Kid Runner - Move
79. Giraffage - Music Sounds Better With You (download)
80. Captain & the Princess - My Legs Are Electric
81. Parks, Squares and Alleys - Neurotic Part 1 (download)
82. Zack Moss - Nobody Lovin' Me (but You) (download)
83. Free Time - Nothin but Nice
84. Villagers - Nothing Arrived
85. Magic Man - Nova Scotia (download)
86. Born Ruffians - Ocean's Deep
87. Loon Lake - On Fire (download)
88. Fryars - On Your Own
89. Westward the Tide - Out of My Head
90. Prides - Out of the Blue
91. The Redwood Plan - Panic On (download)
92. Hollerado - Pick Me Up
93. Telekinesis - Power Lines 
94. The Postelles - Pretend It's Love
95. NONONO - Pumpin Blood
96. Cosmo Sheldrake - Rich
97. Vance Joy - Riptide
98. Clementine and the Galaxy - Robot (Galaxy Remix) (download)
99. Phoenix - S.O.S. in Bel Air (live, concert footage)
100. Pajama People - Shake Me Away
101. Alfred Hall - Safe & Sound
102. Youngblood Hawke - Say Say
103. Satellite Stories - Scandinavian Girls
104. Swim Deep - She Changes the Weather
105. Sean Nicholas Savage - She Looks Like You
106. Quadrilles - Shirtsleeves (download)
107. Astronauts, Etc. - Sideswiped (download)
108. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - So Good at Being in Trouble
109. Ghost Loft - So High
110. Neon Trees - Some Kind of Monster
111. Cloud Nothings - Stay Useless (download)
112. AM & Shawn Lee - Steppin' Out (download)
113. Canopy Climbers - Stuck
114. Lydia - Take Your Time
115. CRISTALLIN - Terranea
116. Magic Man - Texas (download)
117. Knocking Ghost - The Beginning
118. Wild Nothing - The Body in Rainfall
119. REaLMaGIC - The Trance
120. Wannabe Jalva - The Way
121. Jurassic 5 - Thin Line (Blue Version Remix) (download)
122. Wild Cub - Thunder Clatter
123. Baywaves - To the North (download)
124. The Thirst - Today
125. Thee Oh Sees - Toe Cutter - Thumb Buster
126. The XX - Together
127. Joywave - Tongues
128. Wampire - Trains (live)
129. Thumpers - Unkinder (a Tougher Love)
130. Hebronix - Unreal
131. Ace Reporter - Untouched and Arrived (live)
132. Ploy - VRDSNT
133. Futurebirds - Virginia Slims
134. Belgian Fog - Wait for Help
135. Shout Out Louds - Walking in Your Footsteps
136. Howler Jr. - Wasted Summer
137. Circle - We Can Play
138. Mikal Cronin - Weight
139. Elvis Depressedly - Weird Honey
140. Work Drugs - West Coast Slide
141. The All-About - Whatever, Happy Birthday
142. WILD PARTY - When I Get Older
143. Mesita - XYXY
144. Crystal Fighters - You & I
145. Steel Train - You Are Dangerous (RAC Mix)
146. Darwin Deez - You Can't Be My Girl
147. Altisko - You Know
148. Teenage Sweater - Young Glitter
149. Junip - Your Life, Your Call
150. Parks, Squares and Alleys - Youth

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Toe In Manila And They Are Amazing!

I was able to watch Toe last Friday and I am so glad that I was able to because they are even more amazing live as they sound in their songs. That's basically the gist of the whole night! It was such a great experience!

I wasn't a fan of them till the start of the year when my sister introduced them to me with a music video and I was instantly hooked. Then I introduced them to Petite, well she already heard them before but really that much, and we listened to their albums and we both agree that they really sound awesome! Then suddenly I saw a tweet saying that they are going to have a concert here and I know I have to watch them because I have  this idea in my head when I first listened/watched them that their gigs are quite something. So I went to Artwork and got myself the tickets and we're all set.

Only to find out on the night of the concert that they changed the venue from The Collective to Metro Tent. I seriously didn't know. We arrived in The Collective and there were no people and it was already 7 PM so I was freaking confused. Googled again and saw that they did changed venue. So we got a cab and braved the Friday traffic of the metro to Metro Tent. The show haven't started yet when we arrived, thank god, but there are already a lot of people outside and inside. So we went inside, got a couple of drinks, sat on the floor, and waited.

There were two stages, one at the back with a screen as a background for the opening acts and one stage in the center where Toe performed. Both are elevated and there were no seats, that's why we sat on the floor (I wish everyone sat on the floor so that everyone can easily see them). That's the basic setup.

Have I mentioned that it was an awesome performance? Because it really was! I would love to watch them again next year if they decide to visit. They were actually surprised to see the turn out and were very thankful to everyone watching. (I guess that's why they changed venue) Having no lyrics made their performance more intense as their facial expressions while they play adds a lot to the music. Closed eyes and sometimes opening their mouths as they hit the notes, it's like they are really immersed in their craft and we were all in this trance listening to them. Everyone was bobbing their heads to the music, bouncing, swaying. Then would clap and shout every time a song ends. The only song where everyone sang along even to the Japanese lyrics, well they don't have many songs with lyrics to begin with, was with their last song Goodbye (my favorite!). I wanted to record it all but I felt it's better to just listen to it while I sway and watch them perform it live in front of me.

Now I can envision them when I listen to their songs again on my iPod and enjoy their music even more. If you guys are into their kind of music then you guys should watch them perform when you have the chance. I promise you, you'll enjoy it!

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Sesame Street Playlist 6

Here is my latest list of songs for your listening pleasure and just in time for your summer road trips. Works wonders in your ears and adds calmness to the breeze by the beach. Have fun listening!

Oh, and speaking of summer, Wanderland 2013 is almost here! Really excited for it!

www.philippineconcerts.com

Now for the songs :) Enjoy!

1. nknwn - 021
2. The Capsules - Across The Sky
3. The Bilinda Butchers - All My Friends 
4. La Big Vic - All That Heaven Allows
5. Marching Band - And I've Never Seen
6. CAROUSEL - Another Day 
7. 90 Pounds of Pete - Arms
8. Skymarines - Baby I'm Not Sure If This Is Love [ Club 8 Cover ]
9. American Authors - Believer
10. Dutch Uncles - Bellio
11. The Dig - Break the Silence
12. *duplicate - sorry :( 
13. Broke For Free - Budding 
14. The Postelles - Caught By Surprise
15. The 1975 - Chocolate
16. The Grand Nationals - Come Home
17. Shining Bird - Distant Dreaming
18. Knocking Ghost - Distraction
19. Nova And The Experience - Dragonflies And Waterfalls
20. Phoenix - Drakkar Noir
21. brightener - Echoes
22. Foals - Electric Bloom (Redsparrow Remix)
23. Heyrocco - Elsewhere
24. Wintercoats - Everyone Seems to Be in on Something
25. Haim - Falling
26. Matthew Dear - Fighting Is Futile (Benoit & Sergio Remix)
27. The Little Ones - Forro
28. Beach Fossils - Generational Synthetic
29. Pillowfight - Get Down
30. Dead Young Friends - Going Away From Me
31. Bondax - Gold (Snakehips Bootleg)
32. King Dinosaur - Grow Up
33. Elen Never Sleeps - Hazel
34. YAST - Heart Of Steel
35. Shout Out Louds - Hermila
36. Tom Odell - Hold Me
37. Classixx - Holding On
38. Thao & The Get Down Stay Down - Holy Roller
39. Moddi - House By The Sea
40. GLISS - Hunting
41. Shout Out Louds - Illusions
42. Young Man - In A Sense
43. Strangeheart - In Another Life
44. The Hot Dark - In Retrospect
45. Caveman - In The City
46. Ducktails - Ivy Covered House
47. Atoms For Peace - Judge Jury And Executioner
48. Pacific Air - Lose My Mind
49. Starfucker - Malmo
50. M83 - Midnight City (from the Warm Bodies soundtrack. It's a really good collection.)
51. M83 - Midnight City (Wolf Saga Cover/Jam)
52. Au.Ra - Morning
53. Teen Commandments - No Burning Headlights
54. Windigo - Oh I Feel It
55. Basement Batman - On A Streak
56. Fitz & The Tantrums - Out Of My League
57. Magic Man - Paris
58. The Spell - Pieces of Me
59. Natasha Kmeto - Pleasure Delay (Jason Burns Remix)
60. Bastille - Pompeii
61. Generationals - Put A Light On
62. Guards - Ready to Go
63. Just Jack - Rims of Doom
64. The National - Runaway
65. Smashing Pumpkins - Shake Down 1979 (GOOD NIGHT KEATON REMAKE)
66. The Lion's Children - She Knows
67. Chad Valley - Shell Suite
68. Astronauts, etc. - Sideswiped
69. Benjamin Dunn & The Animal Orchestra - Sing
70. Mazes - Skulking
71. Night Lands - So Far So Long
72. Carousel - Stay Awake
73. Tera Melos - Sunburn
74. Work Drugs - Sunset on High Street
75. Goldroom - Sweetness Alive (feat. SLL)
76. Veronica Falls - Teenage
77. Alpaca Sports - Telephone
78. Middle Distance Runner - The Fury
79. Kisses - The Hardest Part
80. Kid Astray - The Mess
81. CYMBALS - The Natural World
82. Pure X - Things in My Head
83. The Lighthouse And The Whaler - This Is An Adventure
84. HAUS - Token
85. Everything Everything - Torso Of The Week
86. Atlas Genius - Trojans (Fred Falke Radio Edit)
87. Stars - Undertow
88. Deptford Goth - Union
89. Black Handed Kites - Up
90. Johnny Marr - Upstarts
91. Kurt Vile - Wakin on a Pretty Day
92. Black Light Dinner Party - We Are Golden
93. Urban Cone - We Should Go To France
94. For The Foxes - We're Coming Up
95. Go Tell The Eskimo - When The Lights Go Out
96. Starfucker - While I'm Alive
97. HAERTS - Wings
98. Local Natives - You & I
99. The Polyphonic Spree - You Don't Know Me
100. First Rate People - You Won't Get This Joke At All

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Bloc Party in Manila

I was able to watch Bloc Party's first concert here in the Philippines and it was awesome! The long lines outside (that made us miss UpDharma Down!!!) were worth the wait to see them perform. It was one heck of a concert! We're not in the front though but it was still rockin! Nothing else to say. Pictures.

I'm with Petite, James and Pam

Ah concert photography! I love the lights! I would really like to do this kind of gig.

Next stop, Toe then Wanderland 2013! Ooh yeah!

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I've finished Insanity... Sort of

Well, not really. I was able to do complete the 2 months BUT I have skipped around a week and a half worth of days because the following excuses:

• Body was too worn out from yesterday's exercise.
• OT at work.
• Social gathering that took a bit chunk of my evenings.

I know, excuses are just excuses but it's hard to do insanity when I'm mentally drained from work because in order to accomplish it, I need to focus a lot, something I can't do when I'm drained. I was doing the Insanity workouts every night because that's my only free time everyday, and the fact that it's suppose to be 6 days a week for 60 days is a really big commitment. From my experience, Insanity is best done by people who have some background in exercise and A LOT of motivation because it's one heck of a workout, really it is!

In the first half of the first week, I was struggling to keep up and I found out that my cardio that I've build up isn't enough. Then as the days progress, I was able to catch up to most of the circuits but I know that my knees are taking a beating from the jumps. The squats were also pushing my legs. In some days, I was hurting while walking, yes walking. Most of the exercises that I've done before this, the pain from my legs will only be noticeable when I walk down (or sometimes up) stairs or steps, but with this one, even simple walking triggers it. For the record, I'm not athletic and this is the first time I've done these kind of circuits in my life. If I was more active before then I assume that I wouldn't be this much affected because my muscles would be used to by now and that I know how to properly take care of myself.

Mostly they are leg exercises but another primary target of this workout are the abs. In every circuit, Shaun T reminds you to keep your core contracted. ALWAYS! But it's hard for someone like me to do that since I'm focusing to keep my form right (another thing Shaun T pounds on you every exercise) and trying to catch my breath and worrying if my muscles can last. Sadly, most of the time, I can't keep my core contracted. Things is, even if it's not, the exercises still hits the abs. That's how effective they are! The heart is pounding and muscles are hurting. That's the summary of Insanity. Stamp in No Pain, No Gain!

By the end of the first month, I'm accustomed to the exercises and now know the proper form. I can do the circuits with little worry and less unscheduled breaks in between. Then came the second month and then BOOM, the levels or the workouts skyrocketed and now I'm back to catching up with the circuits and boy were they hard! This is the time when I have to skip some days because my body is still broken from the previous day and I know I couldn't do even a single squat. I don't want to take pain relievers because I know that's not the right thing to do and I also wasn't able to drink the recovery formula because I don't have one plus the protein shake I was drinking brought back puberty to my face and I just have to stop because it became unmanageable. I thought of going to the dermatologist back then. That meant that my muscles aren't taking enough nutrients to repair themselves costing me exercises every other day.

Another thing that I wasn't able to follow is the 5-meals a day and a controlled diet. First, the meals are expensive. That's it mostly. I tried to find alternatives and it somehow worked but I assume not as effective if I had the right ingredients. My appetite doubled in just the first week of doing the exercise and actually when I had my follow-up checkup with my heart doctor, I gained a few pounds causing me to hit the overweight mark. He told me to lose weight. Yes, I'm physically fat according to my weight and now if I tell others that I'm fat and they tell me "what I'm talking about?", I'll tell them my doctor said it.

Insanity was still effective considering a lot of things that I've done wrong. I noticed my arms and legs were firmer after and my gut is more pronounced. Seriously, why wouldn't it just fall off? It's like the fats are already out there and it was just the skin that's holding it in. DAMN HARD TO BURN OFF!

In short, I wasn't able to get the results I wanted but I don't blame the workout, I blame myself for it. And I vow to do Insanity again soon! Now I know how the workout works and I know my limitations. Today I started going back to the gym, last week I started running again. I'll build up more body strength and a lot more cardio to take this challenge again! (Plus I need to burn the pounds I gained after the exercise.)

ps: I'm thinking of getting a bike again. Should I? Tern D8 or a roady bike. But I want a Fuji X20! #wants

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That "Vintage" Look

I'm sure you know what Instagram is. If you've been active on social websites and apps on mobile phones, you would know what Hipstamatic is too (was). But even before these whole faux-vintage photos became such a fad for mobile phones, I was already hooked to the look of vintage because some of my idol photographers would do this to their images on the web. But it's not like those over-saturated treatments that I mostly see from these apps rather the more less-contrast, sharp (or sometimes not), pale look with a slight tint on the overall. That's about when i discovered Lomography and in there I started to appreciate the vignettes, more saturated color tints and the other qualities of expired films. But other than the look, I didn't really understood why I like those kind of  photos. It's old, it's outdated, it's not correct as that's not what the eye can see, it may be what the past looks like but it's artificial, and it's not where the technology of photography is going to. Sensor technology is progressing to recreating that natural look, what you see is what you get. Not over saturated, not tinted, just the right colors. But I liked these "old" looks still. I find it creative in a way but that's it. I didn't try to find the answer as to really why I am in to faux-vintage images. I wonder but I didn't really bother.

Only recently I found my answer to this little question of mine after I read about an essay in The New Inquiry. It's titled Pics and It Didn't Happen by Nathan Jurgenson. Although the topic of his essay (which is really interesting) isn't really directed to this concern, the essay is talking about Snap Chat and how it affects our over photo-lated world by making photos scarce again. As in any other essays, there are links to his references and one of those is titled The Faux-Vintage Photo. In this one, he explained what this fad about vintage-look photos is all about, how it started, it's effects and even it's possible future. It's quite a read for me but one thing sticked to me more that the other points of the essay; he said that all this vintage-y photos offer nostalgia for the present as well as authenticity.

I've never really thought of it that way before. Old = authentic. All I know is that this image looks like it came from the 1980s although the subject of the photo is clearly modern. A portrait looks vintage in it's colors but I know it was shot a few months back based from the description of the photographer. I never thought that I looked in to these kind of treated images and felt, these are authentic. There is a point there, old images are regarded as authentic and real, because they stood the test of time, it captured a memory, all of those are the primary goals of photography, capturing a moment and preserving it. On top of my impression that such a photo looks creative, I may have viewed it as real and tactile like any printed photo even though I'm just looking at it from my laptop or my phone.

Before the Internet, DSLRs, and mobile phones, photos can only be seen three ways. First is when the photographer snaps a shot (in concept form), the other as a negative (during processing) and the last is as a print (the one we hold and share to others). All of these made photos during the old times physically real. Compare it to todays way of sharing pictures, they are mostly on the web, displayed by screens either through the computers or through smaller ones in mobile phones. Digital. It's not a bad thing, it's actually convenient, not bringing albums upon albums of photos from one's euro-trip or from a party by the beach. But there is something to things that can be touched that makes it more authentic even though the images seen from the screens are as authentic as they are captured (unless overly photoshopped, I'm talking about captured moments here).

I guess Nathan is right. The appeal of the faux-vintage images comes from nostalgia and the effect of making an image seem more real just like prints. Maybe I still haven't printed that many images to appreciate the "look" of modern day photography showing the right colors, but for now, the vintage-y look works for me. If I want to view the modern look, I go to 500px (this website hosts the best of photography in the web, IMO). If I want the old look, I visit the blogs of my idol photographers or browse through DeviantArt or look through my feed in Instagram (yes there are really good photos in there too, you just have to look). In the end, the images are successful. Photos should either convey a message or invoke an emotion from the viewer, in a way, vintage-y images does that even though I haven't realized it before.

Even if the fad fades, and people go back to horrible HDRs or whatever it is next in line, I think I'll stick with faux-vintage photos, but it's not like those over-saturated treatments that I mostly see from apps rather the more less-contrast, sharp (or sometimes not), pale look with a slight tint on the overall.

*Those photos are of my drooling nephew and my sister's new puppy. Ow, and read those articles/essays, they're really good.

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Sesame Street Playlist 5

My first playlist for 2013 is here with more genre of songs compared to the previous playlists! I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised when you hear them. All of them linked to their Youtube music videos and most of them to their respective band's page. Lots of fantastic artists and just beautiful music for your listening pleasure.  Enjoy!

1. How to Dress Well - & It Was U
2. The Kicks - 1984
3. Dent May - 2099
4. Little Comets - A Little Opus
5. Stars - A Song Is a Weapon
6. The Bewitched Hands - Ah!Ah!Ah!Ah!
7. GEMS - All I Ever
8. Mitzi - All I Heard
9. Shields - All I Know
10. Green!Eyes - Animal Suit
11. Crystal Bats - Arabella
12. Fairchild Republic - Arcadia
13. Little Comets - Bayonne
14. American Authors - Best Day of My Life
15. Ra Ra Riot - Beta Love
16. Work Drugs - Beyond Greenpoint
17. Dresses - Blew My Mind
18. Peace!! - Bloodshake
19. Wanderlust - Blow Away
20. Little Stella - Bluff
21. TRAILS and WAYS - Border Crosser
22. Letting Up Despite Great Faults - Bulletproof Girl
23. Mother Mother - Business Man
24. Teen Daze - By Love
25. Hey Geronimo - Carbon Affair
26. Inkships - Cassettes 
27. Restoring Poetry in Music - Catfish Blues
28. Chromatics - Ceremony (Ft. Ida No) (New Order Cover) 
29. Dems - Christabel
30. The Shades - Circles
31. Tegan & Sara - Closer
32. Fever Blanket - Colorado
33. Satellite Stories - Come Back Conversation
34. Passion Pit - Constant Conversation (St. Lucia Remix)
35. Mr. Carmack - Crash (Charms)
36. Free Energy - Dance All Night
37. Work Drugs - Delta
38. General Fiasco - Don't You Ever
39. Savoir Adore - Dreamers
40. Dragonette - Easy (Fabian Remix)
41. Swimwear - Easy High
42. Cider Sky - Fall
43. Chad Valley - Fall 4 U (Lissvik Remix)
44. Canopy Climbers - Far
45. Kid Runner - Flash Fashion
46. The Beth Edges - Follow Your Feet
47. San Cisco - Fred Astaire
48. The Kicks - Get Over You
49. Free Energy - Girls Want Rock
50. Free Energy - Hangin'
51. Local Natives - Heavy Feet
52. IAMDYNAMITE - Hi Lo
53. The Salvadors - Hola Nirvana
54. Woods - Impossible Sky
55. Theme Park - Jamaica
56. Ex Cops - James
57. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Jeremy (Magnetic Fields Cover)
58. Hunter Hunted - Keep Together
59. Last Lynx - Killing Switch
60. Ducktails - Letter of Intent
61. Junip - Line of Fire
62. Hot Chip - Look at Where We Are
63. Geographer - Lover's Game
64. SHIELDS - Mezzanine
65. The Killers - Miss Atomic Bomb
66. Oh Dear Vegas! - Modern Love
67. Cruiser - Moving to Neptune
68. Foals - My Number
69. Casablanca - Natalie
70. Limited - New Day Rising
71. Chloe Howl - No Strings
72. Mosaicc - O
73. Coasts - Oceans
74. The Sea and Cake - On and On
75. Stillwater Giants - One Night Away
76. Wayward - Only Flaw
77. Max and the Moon - Out of My Head
78. Piney Gir - Outta Sight
79. Liv Kristine - Paris Paris
80. Mazes - Peace Can Do No Wrong
81. In the Valley Below - Peaches
82. Tropics - Popup Cinema
83. The Killers - Prize Fighter
84. PAPA - Put Me to Work 
85. The Happy Hippo Family - R U Injured
86. Mansions on the Moon - Radio
87. New Navy - Regular Town
88. Citizens! - Reptile
89. Tempogeist - Romeo (Monitor 66 Remix)
90. Between Borders - Run Run Run
91. Arts Martial - Running
92. Bowmont - Ruphmiup
93. Wavves - Sail to the Sun
94. Flashlights - Scarves (Summer Occasion Remix)
95. Exsonvaldes - Seahorses
96. Disco Ensemble - Second Soul
97. School of Seven Bells - Secret Days
98. Kensington - Send Me Away
99. Reptile Young - Shooting Up Sunshine
100. Fun. - Sight of the Sun
101. Eye Emma Jedi - Sin
102. Two Door Cinema Club - Sleep Alone
103. Windsor Drive - Sleepwalking
104. Chris Malinchak - So Good to Me
105. Two Door Cinema Club - Someday
106. Future of Forestry - Someone
107. Paws - Sore Tummy
108. The Boxer Rebellion - Spitting Fire
109. Kilians - Start Again
110. Hallo...I Love You! - Stay the Night, Stay the Morning Too
111. The Plastics - Stereo Kids (Reprise)
112. Summer Heart - Stockholm
113. Wild Cub - Straight No Turns (Kisses Remix)
114. Ben Folds - Such Great Heights
115. Eugene McGuinness - Sugarplum
116. Kamp! - Sulk (Radio Edit)
117. Bahwee - Summer Nights
118. Two Door Cinema Club - Sun
119. Greyson Chance - Sunshine & City Lights
120. Ball Park Music - Surrender
121. Ghost Beach - Tear Us Apart
122. Kids of 88 - The Drug
123. Bloc Party - The Healing
124. CHVRCHES - The Mother We Share
125. Swim Deep - The Sea
126. Stars - The Theory of Relativity
127. Dwele vs Swivel Hips - The Truth (the Swivel Hips After Party)
128. Glass Towers - Tonight
129. Bloc Party - Truth
130. Up Dharma Down - Turn It Well
131. Bloc Party - V.A.L.I.S
132. Gardna - Vinyl Records (Medrea Remix)
133. Little Lapin - Waiting Room
134. Blondfire - Walking With Giants
135. AlunaGeorge - Watching Over You
136. The Jungle Giants - Way Back When
137. Tim Burgess - White
138. San Cisco - Wild Things
139. Tigerbeats - Work Drugs
140. The Royal Concept - World on Fire
141. Eye Emma Jedi - Wounded Eyes
142. Terraplane Sun - Ya Never Know
143. Frivolous Life - YesYou
144. Moon Pollen - You Don't Want to See Me
145. Satin Jackets - You Make Me Feel Good
146. Van She - You're My Rescue
147. The Jungle Giants - You've Got Something
148. Most People - Young and Wild
149. Digitalism - Zdarlight (Chopstick & Johnjon Remix)
150. Gypsy & the Cat - Zombie World
151. Last Dinosaurs - Zoom

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The Potted Potter Experience

I was able to watch Potted Potter with Petite last Wednesday and boy was it a show. It's their 2nd time here in the Philippines as signified by "Returns to Manila" based on the posters and I'm glad they decided to come back.  The show only lasts for 5 days starting Wednesday until Sunday with two shows on Friday and the weekends and it's showing on the Carlos P Romulo auditorium in RCBC.

Gary and Jesse

Potted Potter is a parody of all the 7 Harry Potter books under 70 minutes with only 2 actors, Jesse and Gary. Yes, only 2 actors. Before I watched it, I checked some Youtube clips first and saw that it will be a fun show. It was so fun that I was laughing most of the time and I know I'm not the only one because even the girl on my back was cracking up most of the show. The ad-libs and some modifications on the script to suit the country where they are performing was a good touch, it's a customized show! And that cake, which I'm sure is only on our show, (hahaha laughing as I type this) is something to remember.

Jesse talking to the audience before the show starts.

We arrived just in time as the seats are getting filled and saw Jesse talking to some of the audience as we all wait for the show to start. I wasn't able to take a lot of photos because I was laughing on my seat the whole time and we were not allowed to do so anyway but I managed to sneak a few. As any kind of parody, it's mostly comedy as the characters goof around the stage while they try to tell the story of Harry Potter books. They were able to summarize the whole story and managed to tell the plot twist on book 3 perfectly. Oh yeah, with comedy in between.

Garry as the snitch

There was also a Quiditch game that we all had a chance to participate in. Jesse divided the audience to two houses and we got to play with an inflatable ball as we try to shoot it through the hoops on the sides of the auditorium while the two chosen seekers dance on stage calling "where's the snitch. where's the snitch". One of those who volunteered, a small lady, whom I assume came from work, was shy because she can't do what Jesse was telling her to do, the jumping and bending and the voice. At one point, Jesse looks at her and tells her "Yes this is happening". (hahaha) Jesse was the referee and Garry was the snitch. This is the part where I enjoyed the most because Garry was all gold, since he was the snitch, and as he exits the scene, he decided to dance the "Single Ladies" moves while blowing on the whistle that makes him sound like a snitch. It was so unexpected for me, and somewhat related to imgur jokes, that it made me laugh out loud. Hahaha really funny!

oh yeah, the Forbidden Forest. :)

There were a lot of running jokes in the show and the more they use it, the more funnier it becomes. They poked fun at some of the characters from the book (even on the last movies) and had a couple of references from Les Miserables, Lord of the Rings and Twilight. All in good fun.

I highly recommend this show. If it comes to your place, be sure to catch it and have a fun time! You won't be disappointed, unless you're a super hardcore Harry Potter fan that don't like parodies. I won't mind watching it again because I'm sure there will be some new jokes in store for me.

Hahaha because I remembered some of the jokes. :)

image of Jesse and Gary from www.brisbanetimes.com.au

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0 1 2 3 [2013] +4 5s

Gadgets!!! That's the gist of this post. Starting the year with new toys just like when I was little. I know it feels kinda shallow but I'm due some upgrades anyway and I had to jump in to the opportunity. I won't say YOLO because it's not that, I had this calculated.

For starters, I got myself some awesome running shoes last December. A pair of Nike Lunarglide+ 4. It's my first purchase of rubber shoes ever! I haven't bought any rubber shoes when I was little because I always had someone buy me a pair, and I'm not really that sporty to follow the trends on shoe design, so I never really have any idea what to look for.

I must say, it really made a difference to my morning runs since the shoes are designed for it. I was able to use it for 3 weeks before I had to set it aside for now because they are not meant for Insanity. Good thing with this pair is that the color and design can also be worn with casual clothes. Though I don't really wear rubber shoes on casual days, at least now I have the option. The sole design is also on Lunargrands, just heard of these shoes the other week, though I really don't find it appealing. But hey, that kind of design is a one up for perfect casual shoes that can double as a quick running shoe. One more thing, it's already Nike+ ready so for any i-Product owners there, especially the iPod nanos, these shoes are good to monitor distance, speed, etc.

Meet my playlist maker, the iPod Touch! After a year, I finally got hold of another dedicated music player. I was actually having a hard time deciding on what iPod to get, between the iPod Nano or another iPod Touch. I was considering the Nano since it's cheaper and smaller. But the storage size isn't ideal for me, 16GB is too little for my songs. So I got myself the iPod Touch instead (32GB). First load of songs, I already ate half of it, and we're just midway to January. But it really helped making my playlists, I'm no longer limited to listening only on my computer. Camera is that of the iPhone 4S so it's good and the whole device feels really really light. The case I bought for it made it more holdable and it's a clear case so that I can enjoy the looks of this new iPod.

Cool bonus too are the Coloud earphones I got from Vincent. It sounds OK and has a button and mic making my music listening experience easier since I don't need to unlock the iPod or press anything on it. I just double click the button to play the next track, triple click to move back to previous track and single click to pause/play. I set the playlist I want to play in the morning, and viola, I can browse through the songs without hassle. I just unlock the iPod if I want to rate the current song playing, as a way for me to tag which songs goes to my playlist. White? Because I haven't owned a white iOS device.

After nearly half a decade, I'm retiring my (still functioning) Nokia phone and got myself an iPhone 5, my first smart phone. Well, technically not my first smart phone, but I didn't use my old phone that way anyway. I'm enjoying the new experience with having an iPhone even though I'm familiar with the iOS environment, having the call and messaging features plus the mobile Internet on one device is just awesome. Battery life sucks though. 8 hours or less while on 3G (LTE still not implemented here) with normal browsing and SMS. I really wish the next technology to progress is battery technology.

Well, what can I say about the phone? It's light, sexy, very responsive interface and a breeze to use. Though I wish there are some more customizable options but were talking about Apple here so you get the idea.  Syncs with iCloud so yeah, less hassle updating contacts and calendar schedules. I wanted it to be naked but decided to have a back cover. I'm now updating my contacts and will send a lot of PMs, DMs, and IMs this weekend. Care to share some apps that you like? Productivity, photography, games, etc? because I only have a few. Not that I play on my phone that much anyway.

Another change that happened on the start of the year is us moving to another building. Looks like a warehouse right? I like it BUT it doesn't have any windows! The building is nice, lots of food stalls on the first floor, but the way to get there is another story. Our office is good to look at as the outside is as bad to walk through. Traffic, jeeps, crowd, fly over, pollution, noise. It's crazy irritating. Plus EDSA-Shaw is a big CR! It's seriously disgusting! I wish WCC is the building in Ortigas. Longer walks but it's a more pleasant experience than what I have to pass through now every morning. (Makati I miss you so much!)

On the health front, I'm on day 11 of Insanity and all I can say is it's a really hard workout. I'm sweating A LOT! Good thing I really prepared for it but I'm in no shape to actually follow the time frame for the exercises and the breaks in between. I actually have to take a break every exercise when I'm suppose to be continuing since it's interval training. Also, the middle part on the bottom of my feet can't take the jumping and it's one of my limitations, then of course my body not able to handle the craziness of the routines. I think I'm doing OK and I'll know if I did come Monday when I need to do the Fit Test again. DIG DEPPER! PUSH HARDER! (That's what she said!)

So yeah, 2013, yey!

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