John Mayer – Born and Raised – still getting the hang of it but I have a soft spot in my heart for this douche bag so I’ll probably end up loving this album. Favorite song so far: Speak For Me. Here’s a live performance of that song

Jason Mraz – Love is a Four Letter Word – another guitar-wielding singer-songwriter I am in love with (no wonder I’m crazy for Philip Phillips) and on first listen, I already like this new one. Instant favorite is Be Honest featuring Inara George

Jack Johnson’s Best of Kokua Festival – I really am on an acoustic guitar guy streak. While most of the songs aren’t new, any live music album featuring my favorite singer/surfer/photographer/filmmaker/beach bum guy is worth a listen

Keane – Strangeland – good ole Keane, which, if you’re a fan, is a good thing, but if you’re looking for something groundbreaking, this isn’t it. But if you like your standard indie pop, this is a good listen. Silenced By the NIght is my first listen favorite.

Artists that might be unfamiliar

Spiritualized – Sweet Heart Sweet Light – One of those space rock bands that I love to trip on every once in a while. Their new album has been getting all kinds of buzz and I really got a musical buzz while listening to them

Sarah Jaffe – The Body Wins – I’m also a huge fan of acoustic girl rockers (I like to think I’m a frustrated one). And even though her new LP sounds more indie-rock than indie-folk, her voice is just as amazing

Music For My Soul

Planetshakers’ Heal Our Land – I still feel bad that I missed their amazing concert a few weeks ago, but thanks to Kaye, I’m at least able to imagine how soul-warming it was to be led in worship by this awesome awesome band

Kari Jobe’s Where I Find You – Again thanks so much Kaye for this! Find You On My Knees is my current soul song

Find you in the place I´m in
Find you when I´m at my end
Find you when there’s
Nothing left of me to offer you
Except for brokenness

So what’s new on your playlist?

This is about why I fell in love with coffee shops. Yes, most of them are over-priced, as some friends always like to point out. But the truth is, coffee shops have stopped being purely about coffee since the proliferation of Starbucks-es, Figaro-s and the likes. And personally, these are the reasons why I prefer to hang out there most of the time.

1. I go there when everything seems just too much. Don’t get me wrong, I love my life now, but there are just days and moments when you just need to get away and be alone and be anonymous and just be somwhere other than there. When I need to work, I bring along my trusty laptop. When I don’t need to work, I just bring a book or a notebook and pen. I sometimes don’t tell anyone where I’m going just so no one will bug me. Or sometimes, I just tell them because I know that after an hour or so, I will crave their company. Eventually

2. I go there when I want to people watch. The people who go to coffee shops are pretty interesting. There are those who devour frapuccinos like there’s no tomorrow. There are the beautiful people who parade in and out like stars in a music video about coffee. There are the ones who crave solitude ironically, in a public place, but in a corner with their books and mp3 players. There are those who meet up with long lost friends over coffee cups and pastries. There are the workaholics who can’t seem to let go of their laptops. And yes, I am sometimes all of those. Well, except for the frapuccinos and the beautiful people.

3. I go there when I want a good cup of coffee. I’m sorry, but I truly believe that instant coffee is not real coffee. Nothing beats Starbucks’ Sumatra or Figaro’s Amaretto or my new favorite, Slice’s Chocnut Coffee. The smell, the texture, the scalding hotness as it goes down my throat, and the eventual jolt as it enters my system. Those are things that instant coffee (no matter how “now” it is) can never give me. And yes, sometimes I do give in to the inevitable iced drinks and frapuccinos, but brewed coffee is still the real deal.

4. I go there when I want to meet up with long lost friends, or even everyday friends. It is quiet enough that you can hear each other talk, unlike if you meet up in a mall or that thing called a bar, which will never ever be conducive to intimate declarations. And yet, it is public enough that you can laugh out loud without incurring the wrath of the people sitting next to you, unless they are the kind that attempt to ‘study’ in coffee shops. (Honey, this isn’t a library, so better bring earphones or something)

5. Most coffeeshops offer free wifi (except for Starbucks boo) and for someone who breathes online, this is always a good thing.

6. Coffee + aircon + wifi + headphones = conducive to writing

7. Most coffeeshops have really good pastries to satisfy my always sweet tooth

8. A lot of my best ideas have come from just sitting in coffeeshops, staring blankly into space and waiting for eureka moments. Granted, not all of these ideas have borne fruit, but someday, that idea notebook will come in handy.

9. Coffeeshops always smell good. Enough said

10. And yes, the plan one day is to have my own coffee shop/library, where people can do all the things I mentioned above. So while that is still in the pipeline, I will continue to make the rounds of all the coffee shops in Manila and fortify that idea in my head

So why do you love coffee shops?

Yes, music is that big of a deal to me (and probably it is for you too, if we are friends). Here are some ways that music has kept me from going berzerk

On long commutes

…which for me, is a daily occurrence, since I live in the ‘mountains” of Laguna. And it cannot be just any kind of music. It has to be my own. And given the preference of bus drivers to tune in to the most annoying radio stations, I always make sure that all my gadgets are charged before I embark on the 1 1/2 hour ride (just in case one gadget runs out of juice). The last time I rode a bus alone without my music, I was almost tempted to beg the driver to please just turn the stupid radio off. I have no patience for DJs who talk too much, singers who should not be singing at all and pop songs played to death.

On short commutes

Even if I will probably hear just 2-3 songs on my short jeepney or MRT ride, I still need to drown in music. Otherwise, I will go crazy from the noise pollution, the really loud people who have no consideration for others and just the sounds of rush-hour metro that can really get to you.

Waiting at the bank

…which is one of the worst places to be stuck in, since you’re not allowed to bring out your gadgets of course. Music can keep you from counting all the stains on the ceiling or starting random conversations with strangers who will slowly inch themselves away from you

Working / Studying

Some people prefer complete quiet when working or studying to concentrate better, but that would just drive me bonkers. I am more inspired to write or go on Facebook (really, that’s part of my job) or send out emails when I have my 68 gig music collection on iTunes on random. You never know what song you’re gonna get next!

When I can’t sleep

Instead of counting sheep (which i don’t think I’ve ever done) or reading a book (which will actually keep me up more than making me sleepy), I just make a sleepy playlist, which may consist of songs that have the word sleep in them or the instrumental OSTs of my favorite movies or singers with sleepy voices. Sometimes the songs even bleed into my dreams so I sometimes choose weird songs to give me even weirder dreams

When I can’t find the right words

Have you ever experienced being so full of emotions (either good or bad or even mixed) that you can’t find the right words to properly express it? My own words fail me, I can’t write an original sentence to save my life, and so I just scroll through my songs until I find the right one to match what I’m feeling at the moment. And then I post the lyrics. Music becomes my mouthpiece when I have no words left.

When my soul is heavy

There are days when you just wake up and you feel so weary and your soul just cries out to God. And during those times when I groan or I rage or I just cry, the music of anointed people who have either gone through the same pains or have emerged victorious and joyful, have helped me figure out (along with prayer of course) what exactly ails my heart and soul

When my heart overflows

And then there are days when you wake up and you feel like bursting into song because you realize  how much you love Him and how blessed you are and how His grace has kept you alive. Music helps me go to a higher plane of worship and thanksgiving and love for my Creator.

How has music helped you keep sane? I’m sure you have a story to tell…

*image from Pinterest*

But as I grew older (and musically adventurous, I’d like to believe) all these pop, R&B power ballads that make most people squeal have the power to make me nauseous and it takes a huge effort for me not to roll my eyes, especially when the people around me seem to enjoy it.

As they say, different strokes for different folks.

But of course there are songs that make weak in the knees and make me long to actually be in love (as opposed to my almost always loveless state) just so I can really relate to the songs.

Here are 10 of those songs. Oh and yes, for the sake of disclosure, one of these is a Celine Dion Song

*click the song titles to go straight to the youtube video*

1. There Is a Light That Never Goes Out by The Smiths

For people who’ll say “Huh? What song is this?”, this is the song that Tom and Summer bonded over in the elevator. And for some reason, I just find the  idea of wanting to die with someone in a car crash, morbidly romantic

“And if a ten-ton truck kills the both of us, to die by your side, well the pleasure, the privilege is mine”

If I do get to see Morrisey live in May and he sings this song, I will probably bawl my eyes out while singing along to my heart’s content

2. Comfort In Your Strangeness by Cynthia Alexander

This for me is one of the most beautifully written and composed love songs ever. And if I do get married someday, i will probably insist on having this as my wedding march. And if the future groom will not agree, I will seriously re-think our engagement. Kidding. Or not. Anyways, he will probably be strange, so he would definitely agree.

“I have seen, I have been to places far and deep in my mind, only to find comfort in your strangeneness”

3. I Will Follow You Into the Dark by Death Cab for Cutie

Okay, does it say something about me, that 2 out of my 3 favorite love songs is about death? Okay, i will refuse to psycho-analyze myself and leave that to the psychology majors out there. But theological issues aside, this song really is the sweetest. And the fact that it’s just accompanied by an acoustic guitar makes it all the more poignant

“If there’s no one beside you
When your soul embarks
Then I’ll follow you into the dark”

4. Fly Farther by Jars of Clay

Okay, make that 3 out of 4 favorite love songs are about love and death. I’m now realizing that the two are intricately entwined in my head for some reason. But this lovely song is about a couple growing old together and gives me hope that there are still some people out there who can make it until the “till death do us part” of life

My time flies but we’ll fly farther
Into the night where the eyes of loneliness can never bother
All the dreams of together
Uneclipsed by never never
My time flies
I see it in your eyes
But we’ll fly farther

5. My Favorite Book by Stars

The first time I heard this song, I just immediately fell in love with the idea of comparing someone I love to something that I really love. And of course one of my non-negotiables when it comes to falling in love with someone is that he should be a bookworm like me. So yeah, this should be perfect for us.

How I know your face, all the ways you move, you come in, I can read you
You’re my favourite book
All the things you say, the way you shift your eyes
I never knew there was someone, to make me come alive

 6. Stay (Faraway, So Close) by U2

With or Without You will probably be on most people’s lists, but this U2 song is for me the most evocative of the romantic side of Bono and company. Although if you really listen to it, it’s more of a heartbreak song than a romantic one. But still swoony

And if you look, you look through me
And if you talk it’s not to me
And when I touch you, you don’t feel a thing

If I could stay.. then the night would give you up
Stay, and the day would keep it’s trust
Stay, and the night would be enough

7. Inevitable by Anberlin

Probably the cheesiest on this list, next to the inevitable Celine Dion song of course. But who wouldn’t swoon with lyrics like “i want to be the last first kiss that you’ll ever have” right? And it’s been proven that if you use this song on a wedding AVP, sighs will be heard all around

I wanna break every clock
The hands of time could never move again
We could stay in this moment (stay in this moment)
For the rest of our lives

8. As Time Goes By (the Billie Holiday version)

I first heard this song when I was a very little girl, and somehow, it’s stuck with me ever since. And it helps that it’s the theme song from one of my favorite love stories ever, Casablanca. I sincerely believe they don’t make love songs like this anymore

Moonlight and love songs – never out of date
Hearts full of passion – jealousy and hate
Woman needs man – and man must have his mate
That no one can deny

9. Two Of Us, I Wanna Hold Your Hand, I’m Happy Just to Dance With You, I Want You by The Beatles

Yeah, I know I cheated. But I equally love these four romantic Fab Four songs and so it’s hard to choose. So let’s just dub then my four favorite Beatles love songs, yes?

10. If You Asked Me To by Celine Dion

Yep, here it is, I admit it. This song is the current state of my heart. Enough said, Just listen to it. That is all.

How about you? What are your favorite love songs?

The videos for your listening and viewing pleasure

Oh, I’m not necessarily recommending them because you might blame me if you end up an insomniac like me. But, try at your own risk!

1. Twitter

Yup, it’s the number one culprit. Since people on the other side of the world are just starting to tweet and the night owls on our side are alive and active, it’s so hard to get away from conversations, interesting RT’s and breaking news tweets.

2. Guilty pleasure books

I usually like reading my thoughtful and deep books during the weekends or early in the morning while drinking coffee. But for bedtime reading, my go-to books are my guilty pleasure authors, meaning: Mary Higgins Clark, James Patterson, Sue Grafton, and the occasional Harlequin and Mills and Boons love stories. Because they’re very easy to flip through, I end up finishing a book in one night/dawn

3. Football

Whether it’s late night/early morning matches, browsing through the endless footie websites, tweeting with my footie friend, FIFA12 on the iPad, or going through the archives of my official fangirl footie site Kickette, this sport has taken hold of my life in a way that only fellow football fans would ever understand

4. Pinterest

If you follow me on Twitter and are friends with me on Facebook, you know that this is my newest addiction. It’s like a rabbit hole that I never want to emerge from. One picture will lead to another, which will lead to a new user that has a gazillion interesting pictures, and so on and so forth. If you haven’t tried it yet, careful or you will spaz like there’s no tomorrow

5. TV Shows

I seldom watch TV shows on an actual television. It’s more like I download 5 or so shows in one night, then watch them all the night after. I have an endless list of shows that I follow religiously, not to mention catching up on back episodes of shows I’ve neglected and yes, even watching episodes I’ve watched over and over again.

6. The games that have “with Friends”

Words With Friends. Hanging With Friends. Scramble With Friends. Occasionally, Chess With Friends. I very seldom win in any of these games (goes to show how smart my friends are) but I keep trying and trying and trying

7. Fixing my iTunes

Because I have around 70+ gigs worth of music on my hard drive alone, I keep deleting, adding, making playlists, manually putting album covers, etc. I am that OC about my music collection.

8. School stuff

Checking assignments, papers, researching for lessons, preparing lesson plans, answering students’ emails, blah blah blah. When I actually start studying for my Masters, I will be doing all these twice over, but this time I’ll be on the other side of the fence. I am both scared and excited for it!

9. Writing

I haven’t done this for a while now, but when I’m in the mood, I write up a storm. And not just typing in a computer writing, but actual, physical writing in a notebook. The downside is that when I’m actually trying to transfer my writing digitally, I can’t understand my own handwriting

10. Late night conversations with God

I dunno how you pray, but over the years, I’ve developed more of a conversation-type of prayer life. Not that i actually audibly hear God speak ha. It’s more like I “talk” to Him about all the things that happened during the day: the good, the bad, the trivial, the annoying, the happy parts. And then I keep silent then try to “listen” to His heart, mostly through His Word, the whispers to my heart that only He and I could understand and decipher.

So, what keeps you up at night?

(and yes, sometimes you keep me up at night. or rather, the imaginary conversations i have with you)

NPR Music (and its iPad app)

I’m always constantly on the look-out for new music and my constant source for everything non-pop and non-mainstream is NPR Music. Bob Boilen, Robin Hilton and Stephen Thompson are some of my favorite music pundits. I listen to the All Songs podcast weekly and check out their daily First Listen where you can stream the latest releases. I’m also currently enjoying their Austin 100, a mix of 100 songs from artists to watch out at SXSW. Oh and I recently discovered their awesome awesome iPad app!

Awake (new TV show)

The newest complicated TV show has aired just one episode but is already gaining critical momentum. The plot may be confusing at first. Lucius Malfoy, errr, I mean Jason Isaacs plays a detective who goes back to work after being in an accident with his wife and son, only to find out that every time he goes to sleep, he switches between realities, one where his wife died and the other where his son is the one who died. Whew. Did you get that? The pilot is exciting, intriguing, and yes, a tad bit confusing. But I’m gonna give this a chance and hope the US audience does too

 David Finch in Manila (not to be confused with the director David Fincher)

Graphic novel and Batman fans would know who David Finch is. But for those who are not, he is a comic book artist who is writing and drawing The Dark Knight Batman arc. He has also worked on The Ultimate X-Men and The New Avengers. He will be in town to do some talks and of course, a book signing. For more info you can go to the Fully Booked microsite here.

Batman Reel Time

Speaking of Batman and Fully Booked, they have  free (first come, first served) screenings of Batman animated and movie classics from Thursday to Friday at their Bonifacio High Street branch.Click here for the screening schedule While you’re there and if you have an iOs device, check out their augmented reality Imagine App. It’s hard to explain, so just download the app and go there to see for yourself.

Sari Sari Sounds

Internet radio is the new black. Well, at least if you have a decent internet connection and would like to listen to the radio format without all the commercials and annoying DJs. My favorite of the bunch is Sari Sari Sounds. They play all original pilipino music, and not the headache inducing kind. You have a good mix of indie, jazz, blues, r&b, electronica, every musical genre under the sun with just one common thread: proudly pinoy!

Chaos Walking Trilogy

Because I’m trying to read Dance With Dragons (the 5th and latest installment in the A Song of Ice and Fire saga) as slowly as possible, I take quick breaks from Westeros and visit a new universe. Patrick Ness’ award-winning saga is another dystopian young adult series in the tradition of Hunger Games. I’m still in the first book The Knife of Never Letting Go, but already I feel myself getting slowly pulled into the life of New World, Prentisstown and Todd Hewitt. I have to  read the trilogy before Hollywood turns it into a movie

Back Four Bums (a Pinoy football podcast)

If you are a Pinoy football fan, then this is a must! Probably the first Pinoy football podcast ever and I couldn’t be happier coz it features four of my favorite local pundits: Ebong Joson aka The Blue Haired Fan, Cedelf Tupas of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Rick Olivares an AKTV commentator and Bleachers Brew and Bob Guerrero, your resident ABS-CBN commentator. They have the latest Azkals and UFL news, analysis and just football hilarity all around

Game of Thrones goodies

Season 2 trailer with Florence + The Machine (two of my favorite things in the world)

And that epic GoT tribute in the opening sequence of The Simpsons

COMMUNITY IS COMING BACK ON MARCH 15!!!

Yes, I had to say that in all caps coz I’m that excited!!! We are still not 100% sure that this cult favorite will be back for a 4th season but there is hope since they didn’t cancel them mid-season. Seriously, if you haven’t started watching this, you only have 3 1/2 seasons to catch up and discover why we are that crazy about this show. They are releasing 3 animated shorts to promote the return, but unfortunately they will be released on Hulu only (which is unavailable here). I am hoping some kind individual will upload it on YouTube soon

Two more weeks till The Hunger Games

I still refuse to raise my expectations but it’s hard not to get caught up in Hunger Games fever. So yeah, I will be inwardly squealing until March 22. In the meantime,here are all three trailers in case you haven’t seen it yet

Some other pop culture tidbits

• They canceled Terra Nova. Not enough dinosaurs?
• Why is Fringe on a break? I am going into withdrawals
• A devotional based on The Hobbit? Why not!
• My AI bets are in the Top 13: Philip, Hee Jun, Jessica and Skylar
• But The Voice still beats AI in my book! Go Jordis!

• watch a concert alone
• see Death Cab for Cutie live in concert

A friend actually asked me why I would even consider watching a concert alone and I gave her the following reasons

1. Tickets are too expensive for me to treat a friend (which I occasionally do)
2. No one I knew well enough was going to the concert (I did know some people but they were with their friends and I don’t wanna be the odd duck)
3. I’m a loser
4. I’ve always wanted to try it

And most importantly
I LOVE THE BAND THAT MUCH

Of course I felt a bit silly and intimated by the numerous groups of hipsters once we were inside the venue. But the moment the band stepped on stage and played their first few notes, all self-consciousness fled my body and I started swaying, bobbing my head, singing gustily along and even dancing occasionally.

No matter how many concerts I’ve been to, I am always amazed at how music brings people together; that thousands of people, practically strangers can sing in unison and scream together for an encore; that each guitar riff or drum solo can sound so familiar and touch a deep part of our souls; that words written by one person can strike a chord in millions of people. I will never get tired at seeing the power of music.

Now after waxing lyrical about the beauty of music, here are my random thoughts:

• Even if they say that DCFC sold out for years now, you cannot deny their musicality. And live, it is even more evident. Each instrument, note, arrangement, was just close enough to perfect that night
• I cried twice: during What Sarah Said (love is watching someone die) and of course during….
• that moment when Ben picked up his guitar and launched into an earnest and simple rendition of I Will Follow You Into the Dark and the who,e venue sang with him through every freaking word of that beautiful song. Two cliche but true words: Epic and Infinite
• even if I didn’t know some of the songs, I couldn’t stop bobbing and trying to mouth lyrics I almost recognized
• I therefore conclude I am still not old enough to not like rock music. I did not once tell myself “Man, the music is too loud”
• this was one of the loudest crowds I’ve been with for a while now (with the exemption of football games). That clamor for an encore was soooo freaking loud, my ears rang for a few minutes afterwards (and not from the music)
• “This next song is a song about vampires” Ben drolly said before launching into Meet Me In The Equinox, which many consider their sell-out song (it was in the Twilight OST in case you didn’t know) but is actually a pretty good song
• OA na kung OA, but there were a lot of moments during the concert when I just had to close my eyes, sway blindly to the music just to breathe in the whole experience
• songs that they didn’t play but I wish they did: Your Heart is an Empty Room, Stay Young Go Dancing, Different Names for the Same Thing, Someday You Will Be Loved

Click here for the complete set list

And this is what Ben had to say afterwards

One more thing, I did not have a single picture or video from last night because
1. There were too many obstructions (tall people) in front of me
2. I’ve never made it a habit to take pics during concerts coz I feel like it takes me away from the whole concert experience

So here’s my only remembrance from that night

So yeah, for real concert photos, go to my favorite concert photographer’s site here

And for once, I’m glad some people captured this moment on video (thank you youtube user kikoat)

February 14-18 – UP Fair

I haven’t been to a UP Fair since I graduated which was ____ years ago. And this year, I’m making it my goal to go to at least one of the 5 concerts. Who’s with me UP peeps?

February 15- Toro Y Moi

Probably only a few people in my circle know of him, and those few seem to not be watching this, so most probably, i will go into it alone. Oh, and he (real name Chazwick Bundick) is of Filipino descent, in case you didn’t know (which I only found out a few weeks ago actually. Toinks)

February 16 – Avril Lavigne

Yes, I detest pop music, but when it comes to pop-rock quasi-punk, I’m totally in. And Avril was part of my angsty mid-20s musical soundtrack and I don’t care if my indie cred went down a few notches or if you think less of me after reading this. I wanna see my girl rock in pink! Unfortunately, I will probably miss this coz I’m helping out with a wedding the day after

February 19 – Bush Live in Manila

I refuse to acknowledge the fact that Bush is just the opening act for that other band which I loathe. So whoever likes that other band and have no idea who Bush is, maybe you’d like to split a ticket with me?

True story: Bush was the very first rock concert I watched when I was 17 and I told my parents I was going to a “school project”. Stupidly enough, I asked them to pick me up somewhere near ULTRA and so I was caught in that lie. Kids, don’t do this ever

February 29 – The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

Again, probably only 2 of my RLF (that’s Real Life Friends for you) listen to this band, so I will probably not watch or watch alone again. I’m just so happy that indie acts have been coming to the country the past few years and if you’re an indie music lover, you have to keep watching concerts like this to sustain these concert promoters

The whole of February – Philippine International Jazz Festival

It’s about time I rediscover my love for jazz music. I know I can’t watch all of these events, but at least 3 will do. Jazzheads, who’s with me

March 5 – Death Cab for Cutie 

THIS ONE IS A NON-NEGOTIABLE!!! DCFC is on my Top 10 bucket list bands so I absolutely have to watch them. And just thinking of them singing my favorite songs live (Your Heart Is an Empty Room, Translanticism, I Will Follow You Into the Dark, Stay Young, Go Dancing among others) makes me tear up already. SO I JUST HAVE TO BE THERE, KAY?

March 8 – The Smash Project (Dashboard Confessional, The Used, Cobra Starship, The Cab)

Yeah I know, you might say they’re a bunch of whiny emo dudes, but hey, Chris Carrabba (Dashboard) is one of my forever crushes so I don’t care. I might probably have to buy expensive tickets to avoid being stuck with the sweaty, whiny emo black (dress, not race) kids. Eeewww. I am half-kidding. Or not

April 21 – Planetshakers and Israel Houghton 

2012 seems to be another great year for international worship and CCM artists to be coming to Manila, thanks to awesome concert organizers like my good friends at Becca Music! There will be more announcements  as the year goes on, but trust me, it’s gonna be exciting! So April 21 is the earliest concert and it’s already a doozy!

I know I’m 12 days late in posting this, but it is still January so it doesn’t matter. And while my life goals (I still refuse to use the word resolution although we all know it’s the same banana) are still under construction (the umbrella words being MOVE and WRITE more), at least these things I’ve already formulated

1. Write (not just microblog) what I consume – If you know me, you know I consume pop culture like I consume chocolate, and yet, after I eat them, then what? I should put down what these things have contributed to my life and how it can help (or not) other people’s pop culture education. This one also means BLOG MORE!

2. Don’t just amass, but actually consume – Again, if you know me, I hoard books, music, TV shows, movies, comic books, links to stuff, etc. But most of them, I actually don’t read/listen to/watch. So this 2012 I should be able to:
- Read at least 20 books from my backlog of 2 bookshelves
- Listen to at least half of the 100 gigs of music on my Mac
- Watch at least 1/4 of the 300+ movies I’ve “acquired”
- Read all the links I’ve favorited on Twitter or put on Instapaper and Read Later

3. Try things out of my comfort zone – I always tell my students to do this, but I seldom do it because I’ve been so used to my kind of pop culture. But for my personal growth and to maybe discover new things to love, I will try to
- listen to hiphop (not r&b, tried that never liked it)
- watch local shows (not soap operas, i dont think that can contribute to my growth)
- watch documentaries that are not mainstream
- read Christian fiction (apparently there are really good ones out there)
- go to gigs of local indie bands i know nothing about

4. Finish the two remaining books of A Song of Ice and Fire so i can move on to other things – I think I purposely read it slowly because I’m so Invested in the world of Westeros that I cannot imagine life without me reading it to and from work and while drinking coffee after a hard day’s work. But I do have to explore other worlds eventually, so I have to end my love affair with Jon Snow eventually. Well, until the next book that is.

5. Lend stuff to other people so i can share my passions with them – but only to people I trust will give them back coz I’ve lost countless books, comic books, dvds to friends who either end up not being friends anymore or have gotten temporary amnesia with regards to stuff they borrow

6. Start on that pop culture scrapbook/magazine I’ve been planning – and I do mean an actual honest to goodness scrapbook, not an app. Why? Coz I’m a geek like that

7. Get out more - My gadgets should not be my world. There are movie theaters to go to, stage plays to see, concerts to watch, libraries and museums to explore, yadda yadda yadda. And that means talking to actual people too right? Sigh

So what are your pop culture resol….I mean goals this year?

*This is my first ever blog post that I typed on Arya Stark aka the ipad2

21, Adele

Even if you got nauseous just hearing the songs covered over and over again (in varying degrees of success), you cannot deny that this was the year of Adele. And why shouldn’t it be, this album was just plain pop genius. Remove your disdain for the various covers and the ubiquitous playing in radio stations and you are left with heartfelt songs, catchy riffs and her bombastic voice. And you should most definitely watch her concert at Royal Albert Hall and you will fall even more in love with her. She cackles like a witch, curses like a beeyatch but you will just love her honesty, her passion and her eyelashes, I mean, her music.

Favorite Songs: Rolling in the Deep (of course), Set Fire to the Rain, Rumor Has It

Bon Iver, Bon Iver

This was the year that I fell in love with folk and they, particularly founder/singer/songwriter Justin Vernon, were half of the reason why. The NPR folks dubbed it as a Bruce Hornsby-ish record and for once, that is not such a bad thing. The melodies are soft, the lyrics are painfully earnest and the good vibes just seep through your veins with every listen of this album

Favorite Songs: Holocene, Calgary

Barton Hollow, The Civil Wars

This duo were the other reason why I fell in love with folk (well, the indie hipster kind of folk anyways). A lot of people are always surprised to find out that John Paul White (a Johnny Depp doppleganger) and Joy Williams (a former CCM pop artist) are actually not married to each other because the chemistry they have both in the album and in live performances is just unbelievable. I had their album on loop for almost a week and I never got tired of them, even until now. They’ve gotten a big break lately by being featured in The Hunger Games OST in a duet with Taylor Swift. So stoked more people will get to discover them.

Fave songs: Barton Hollow, 20 Years

Mylo Xyloto, Coldplay

Critics and even some long-time fans (and long time detractors) were not very happy with this album. But Coldplay is in my personal list of bands that can do no wrong in my ears. First listen it was not that bad, in fact it was more than okay. But as I listened to it more, I grew to love it to bits. They’ve perfected a sound that they know fans will love, and they stick to it. They may not be as adventurous as other bands, but why change what works for them right? The only track that I hate? The one with Rihanna. I always skip over that track.

Fave songs: Us Against the World, Don’t Let It Break Your Heart

King of Limbs, Radiohead

Another one of the bands that I will always listen to no matter what. Critics and fans were very divided in their opinion of this album. But, as with any of their previous albums, I get totally lost when listening to it. Their songs are all about atmosphere and the experience of listening, more than the actual lyrics or hooks. No particular track really stands out, not because they’re not good but because it’s one whole listen for me. But critics, even those that panned the album, had to agree that Lotus Flower was brilliant

Fave songs: Lotus Flower, Morning Mr. Magpie

Ceremonials, Florence and the Machine

No one does baroque pop like Florence. And in just her 2nd studio album, she has mastered the art of creating anthemic songs that you just want to burst out singing to, except that you don’t have her vocal chops to give the song justice. So you’ll just lip-synch and dance along to it. Oh wait, that might just be me Shake It Out is my official theme song for 2011

Fave songs: Of course Shake It Out, Breaking Down

Metals, Feist

I’m not as crazy about this album unlike her previous ones where I would just devour each and every song. Her latest one is a slow burn, where you just have to quietly listen to them to fully appreciate the whole album. I haven’t put it on loop which may be one of the reasons why I’m not as fond of it as The Reminder or Let It Die. But it still makes the list because after all, she is Feist.

Fave songs: How Come You Never Go There, Undiscovered First

Strange Mercy, St. Vincent

Annie Clark is my Zooey Deschenel/Jenny Lewis of 2011, meaning she is my indie girl crush for this year. And her new album doesn’t disappoint. In fact, this may be my favorite of her 3 albums too date. Her songs are so cheery and fun that even if she is singing about abuse or dark heartbreak, you still feel joyous and peaceful. She is also an awesome guitarist which adds to her coolness factor.

Fave songs: Cheerleader, Dilettante

Cults, Cults

Another genre that I fell in love with this year is the retro-sounding indie rock, or bands that would have been right at home in the 60s and 70s, like Real Estate, Best Coast, Phantogram, The Drums, but Cults makes my list. Just like St Vincent, there is such pep and cheer in their songs that you don’t notice that they’re actually singing about really dark things (which is sometimes bad actually). This is just their debut album and I look forward to hearing more from them

Fave songs: Abducted, Never Heal Myself

I Have a Dream, The City Harmonic 

Hands down, my worship album of the year. They describe their music as ”nostalgic Brit-pop meets campfire sing-along mix that features raucous gang vocals along with agile, soaring anthems crafted to include the listener”. “Be Still O My Soul” was the soundtrack to my faith journey of 2011

Fave songs: Be Still O My Soul, Manifesto

Other albums in my list but I’m just too lazy to write about

The Decemberists’ The King is Dead

Fleet Foxes’ Helplessness Blues

James Blake

Yuck (yes, it’s a band)

Low’s Cmon

Real Estate’s Day