- Hold On, Wilson Phillips - Pleasant listening and good KTV fodder... nice harmonies, now that i think of it. Sadly, it never really left a mark in my psyche as something significant.
- It Must Have Been Love, Roxette - Liked this song. Excellent for KTV if you can belt the refrain out.
- Nothing Compares 2 U, Sinead O'Connor - Ah, another angsty song. Loved Sinead's voice and delivery. Written by Prince, I think. The "2 U" bit gives it away.
- Poison, Bell Biv Devoe - Good dance tune. Catchy.
- Vogue, Madonna - Catchy lyrics and hook, but never really liked it.
- Vision Of Love, Mariah Carey - Uh? I lost interest in Mariah when her vocal acrobatics erased any sense of soul in her songs.
- Another Day In Paradise, Phil Collins - a social commentary song, meant to tug at the heartstrings. Felt forced to me, and a little bit too catchy in the hook department.
- Hold On, En Vogue - 1990 will forever be known as the year to HOLD ON. Another girl group (with some serious diva factor) sings a song with the same title. Liked this one more though.
- Cradle Of Love, Billy Idol - Uh, no. Very pop, not punk or rock at all.
- Blaze Of Glory, Jon Bon Jovi - Ah, I think of the Young Guns movie when I hear this... and always sing the refrain when I have to "shot down" my PC. In a Blaze of Glory. I liked this song, but knowing it was made for the movie makes me wince.
- Do Me!, Bell Biv Devoe - REALLY? 11th place? How come I don't remember it? And no thank you Bell, Biv and Devoe.
- How Am I Supposed To Live Without You, Michael Bolton - Excellent KTV fodder. And I actually had his album. It fed my angst during those years. Oh, the shame.
- Pump Up The Jam, Technotronic - Haha! Dance music. I enjoyed this one.
- Opposites Attract, Paula Abdul - I think of the dancing animated cat here, and remember them raving about how great it was. Didn't really like the vid. Or the song, now that I think about it.
- Escapade, Janet Jackson - Catchy and fun. Like.
- All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You, Heart - I liked this song. Interesting refrain, given the context of the verses. I think that it caused a furor in the U.S. because of the storyline.
- Close To You, Maxi Priest - Uh? Was this a re-make of the "Why do birds" song?
- Black Velvet, Alannah Myles - I liked this song. She was a belter, and a sultry one at that.
- Release Me, Wilson Phillips - Similar reaction to the number 1 song.
- Don't Know Much, Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville - nice vocal performance, but the tsismis regarding something goin' on between the two singers was more intriguing.
- All Around The World, Lisa Stansfield - I don't remember this.
- l Wanna Be Rich, Calloway - I don't want to remember this.
- I Remember You, Skid Row - Well, I don't remember you.
- Rub You The Right Way, Johnny Gill - Er... no thanks, Johnny.
- She Ain't Worth It, Glenn Medeiros Featuring Bobby Brown - When did these songs play on the radio?
- If Wishes Came True, Sweet Sensation - "..."
- The Power, Snap - Double "..."
- (Can't Live Without Your) Love and Affection, Nelson - *scratches head*
- Love Will Lead You Back, Taylor Dayne - I know this one! Yehey! And it was one of those songs that sounded iffy on radio but probably rocked in person.
- Don't Wanna Fall In Love, Jane Child
- Two To Make It Right, Seduction
- Sending All My Love, Linear
- Unskinny Bop, Poison - I think Tom liked this one a lot. I don't remember it. Maybe if I heard the intro.
- Step By Step, New Kids On The Block - Corinne denies she ever liked them. I didn't like 'em at all. Thank god some of them tried their hands in other fields.
- Dangerous, Roxette - Not quite so memorable for me.
- We Didn't Start The Fire, Billy Joel - Yes, I liked the clever history lesson. I also liked the video.
- I Don't Have The Heart, James Ingram - You rock, James Ingram. Incredibly difficult to emulate the style and the soul of the singer.
- Downtown Train, Rod Stewart - I love the song, and I like the singer. Fed my angsty years too.
- Rhythm Nation, Janet Jackson - Enjoyed this era of Janet! Plus, my sister says the dancing & choreography rules!
- I'll Be Your Everything, Tommy Page - Hm. I'll pass.
- Roam, B-52's - Fun song. Half-funky and half-anthemic for parties.
- Everything, Jody Watley - nah.
- Back To Life, Soul II Soul - I loved this song! Go, Soul II Soul! I wish I still had a copy of this.
- Here and Now, Luther Vandross - I remember I did like this song. Sad, yet optimistic.
- Alright, Janet Jackson - Janet Jackson ruled in the video for this! Along with all the other dancers from bygone eras.
- Ice Ice Baby, Vanilla Ice - Stop! Collaborate and LISTEN! Or something like that. Should Karaoke this with Vinnie sometime.
- Blame It On The Rain, Milli Vanilli - catchy song, sad performers.
- Have You Seen Her, M.C. Hammer - the downward slide began here.
- With Every Beat Of My Heart, Taylor Dayne - Why isn't this higher up?
- Come Back To Me, Janet Jackson - uh... isn't this a church song?
Top 100 Songs Meme: 1990 [part 1]
CraftWatch: Another Open Call for Submissions
It's currently titled A Time for Dragons: An Anthology of Philippine Draconic Fiction.
Check out the link here.
I guess it's time to sharpen my pencils again.
It's currently titled A Time for Dragons: An Anthology of Philippine Draconic Fiction.
Check out the link here.
I guess it's time to sharpen my pencils again.
HobbyWatch: Keep your eyes peeled for... Shining Gold!
Ner has told me that he's just gotten copies of a comic book he did the art for.
From what I can piece together, it appears to be a story set in the comic book "Golden Age", and concerns a whole bunch of mystery men who fought in that era.
But no one remembers them.
Why?
I guess we'll find out when this comic book gets released.
Ner has told me that he's just gotten copies of a comic book he did the art for.From what I can piece together, it appears to be a story set in the comic book "Golden Age", and concerns a whole bunch of mystery men who fought in that era.
But no one remembers them.
Why?
I guess we'll find out when this comic book gets released.
I Think I Think, Therefore I Think I Am: An Evolution of Thought
I believe it was only in high school that I chose to "think my way through school". In grade school, I think I relied on my natural intelligence and what meager memory skills I had to get through school. I don't remember being particularly cunning during that time, and seemed to have been content with doing what I'd always done to get through school: paid attention in class, memorize what I could, anything that escaped me... well, tough.
When I had to study, I basically did more of the same. My parents started introducing me to other ways of studying of course, but I never really thought much about it. Drills and lists of stuff to memorize were cool.
I don't have recollection of consciously puzzling things out when I was younger. The closest I can remember was being pilosopo, and being fond of riddles. However, even these were examples of my fondness of the literal meanings of words and often exaggerated my inability to comprehend that conversations often held meanings beneath their literal topics of conversation.
Strangely enough, my hobbies excercised this "thinking" thing. Choose your own adventure books, figuring out how RPGs worked, games like chess, and puzzles like Rubik's Cube. I do seem to remember that I actually learned to reason things about by asking other people how they figured things out and then tried to follow similar paths of logic.
In high school, I took A.P. English, and the instruction and drills we endured in analyzing poetry and short stories really helped hone that critical factor in this brain of mine. However, I had already been prepared by Onofre Pagsanghan's method of reading... identify MP's (memorable passages) and be ready to quote and explain each one of them.
Around this time, I drifted into a group of gamers who were pretty sharp themselves. These guys were, on the whole, tactically sharp, had a wide range of interests that overlapped with mine, and were fond of wordplay, puzzles, political and social commentary.
I'm sure there were other factors, but I credit some of my current habits in thinking to these influences. It IS an evolution, because I can remember terrible habits that I acquired then dropped later on.
The worst of these was accepting that I couldn't figure something out without first figuring out why. I would give up without really trying. I would make excuses that a child could poke holes through. This habit still raises its terrible seven-headed visage from time to time.
THINK! THINK! THINK!
I believe it was only in high school that I chose to "think my way through school". In grade school, I think I relied on my natural intelligence and what meager memory skills I had to get through school. I don't remember being particularly cunning during that time, and seemed to have been content with doing what I'd always done to get through school: paid attention in class, memorize what I could, anything that escaped me... well, tough.
When I had to study, I basically did more of the same. My parents started introducing me to other ways of studying of course, but I never really thought much about it. Drills and lists of stuff to memorize were cool.
I don't have recollection of consciously puzzling things out when I was younger. The closest I can remember was being pilosopo, and being fond of riddles. However, even these were examples of my fondness of the literal meanings of words and often exaggerated my inability to comprehend that conversations often held meanings beneath their literal topics of conversation.
Strangely enough, my hobbies excercised this "thinking" thing. Choose your own adventure books, figuring out how RPGs worked, games like chess, and puzzles like Rubik's Cube. I do seem to remember that I actually learned to reason things about by asking other people how they figured things out and then tried to follow similar paths of logic.
In high school, I took A.P. English, and the instruction and drills we endured in analyzing poetry and short stories really helped hone that critical factor in this brain of mine. However, I had already been prepared by Onofre Pagsanghan's method of reading... identify MP's (memorable passages) and be ready to quote and explain each one of them.
Around this time, I drifted into a group of gamers who were pretty sharp themselves. These guys were, on the whole, tactically sharp, had a wide range of interests that overlapped with mine, and were fond of wordplay, puzzles, political and social commentary.
I'm sure there were other factors, but I credit some of my current habits in thinking to these influences. It IS an evolution, because I can remember terrible habits that I acquired then dropped later on.
The worst of these was accepting that I couldn't figure something out without first figuring out why. I would give up without really trying. I would make excuses that a child could poke holes through. This habit still raises its terrible seven-headed visage from time to time.
THINK! THINK! THINK!
Palanca Virgin
So that's what Palanca night is like.
Never been to one before, you see. Wow, it's a posh affair (sorta). It's got good food, bottomless drinks, and lots of literary people there.
I got to watch my friends Dean & Nikki Alfar get their awards. I got to listen to poetry and listen to a funny one-act play. I got to meet up with Chris Millado, an old acquaintance from San Francisco and the theater group I used to belong to there...
I got to wonder along with my beloved Kate what we'd have to do to get ourselves one of those neat awards next year.
Sadly, I don't know much about the local literary scene. Dean & Nikki and Andrew and Vinnie seemed to know everyone and their works, while I was in the dark as to who was being applauded and so on and so forth.
Time to start, I guess.
So that's what Palanca night is like.
Never been to one before, you see. Wow, it's a posh affair (sorta). It's got good food, bottomless drinks, and lots of literary people there.
I got to watch my friends Dean & Nikki Alfar get their awards. I got to listen to poetry and listen to a funny one-act play. I got to meet up with Chris Millado, an old acquaintance from San Francisco and the theater group I used to belong to there...
I got to wonder along with my beloved Kate what we'd have to do to get ourselves one of those neat awards next year.
Sadly, I don't know much about the local literary scene. Dean & Nikki and Andrew and Vinnie seemed to know everyone and their works, while I was in the dark as to who was being applauded and so on and so forth.
Time to start, I guess.
CraftWatch: Writing
I suddenly realized I'm writing a lot more than I used to. I write a semi-regular column for a news magazine, I've just written a short story for Dean's anthology (rejected, for being... ah... more than meets the eye), and I'm rewriting the script for a 10 page comic.
Techie that I am, I keep thinking about a way to systematize writing things up. I think that a notebook full of story ideas and storytelling techniques would be good thing to keep... just the thing when people say "write something... anything!" I think that a good archive of all written short stories would be good (rejected or not). You never know when you'll be called upon to rewrite your story into a given format.
Speaking of formats, I've found that for writing quick comic scripts, the following method works quite well:
I suddenly realized I'm writing a lot more than I used to. I write a semi-regular column for a news magazine, I've just written a short story for Dean's anthology (rejected, for being... ah... more than meets the eye), and I'm rewriting the script for a 10 page comic.
Techie that I am, I keep thinking about a way to systematize writing things up. I think that a notebook full of story ideas and storytelling techniques would be good thing to keep... just the thing when people say "write something... anything!" I think that a good archive of all written short stories would be good (rejected or not). You never know when you'll be called upon to rewrite your story into a given format.
Speaking of formats, I've found that for writing quick comic scripts, the following method works quite well:
- write a brief paragraph about the setting of the story, and note any visual elements you'd like the artist to make;
- write one brief paragraph about each major character in the story, especially the protagonist(s);
- write a short summary of the plot flow and any special flourishes you want in the story;
- go through the summary, and break it down by pages into a page summary;
- go through each page summary and modify it by breaking down the number of necessary panels without bothering with the actual panel layout on the page;
- go back through each page summary add captions, SFX and dialogue;
- read through the entire 1st draft of the comic script and check for EVERYTHING: plot holes, pages overcrowded with panels, panels overcrowded with captions / word balloons / sound effects, realistic dialogue, unrealistic expectations of the artist, and so on.
HobbyWatch Comics
HobbyWatch: Comics
DC Comics has been my favorite publisher for the past 10 or so years. I’ve always collected at least one DC comic series such as Legion of Superheroes or Teen Titans or some funky Elseworlds thing. They came out with the Swamp Thing and Sandman stuff that eventually become Vertigo, and they’ve shown they were willing to make major changes to the world for fairly lengthy amounts of time.
I’m very excited about the Infinite Crisis storyline, which seems to be revitalizing the universe. It seems that the Big Three (Supes, Bats and Wondy) will no longer be seeing eye to eye, and generations seem to play a role.
I really like the George Perez cover showing several generations for the different superhero “houses”. You have Superboy and Supergirl for the Superman clan, Robin and Nightwing for the Batman clan, and Wonder Girl and Troia for the Wonder Woman clan. I like the re-emergence of the Green Lantern Corps and the Rann-Thanagar War (with L.E.G.I.O.N. playing an important role). I like the Villains getting their act together and uniting (somewhat). I’m kinda iffy on the supernatural ‘verse, but I’m willing to see where it all goes.
DC Comics has been my favorite publisher for the past 10 or so years. I’ve always collected at least one DC comic series such as Legion of Superheroes or Teen Titans or some funky Elseworlds thing. They came out with the Swamp Thing and Sandman stuff that eventually become Vertigo, and they’ve shown they were willing to make major changes to the world for fairly lengthy amounts of time.
I’m very excited about the Infinite Crisis storyline, which seems to be revitalizing the universe. It seems that the Big Three (Supes, Bats and Wondy) will no longer be seeing eye to eye, and generations seem to play a role.
I really like the George Perez cover showing several generations for the different superhero “houses”. You have Superboy and Supergirl for the Superman clan, Robin and Nightwing for the Batman clan, and Wonder Girl and Troia for the Wonder Woman clan. I like the re-emergence of the Green Lantern Corps and the Rann-Thanagar War (with L.E.G.I.O.N. playing an important role). I like the Villains getting their act together and uniting (somewhat). I’m kinda iffy on the supernatural ‘verse, but I’m willing to see where it all goes.
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