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2015 Mixtape, Part 2 of 3

December 23, 2015December 22, 2015 Tina 1 Comment

This is a continuation of the 2015 Mixtape post, and here are the next 5 songs that I really liked/will remind me of 2015. :)Â I really like splitting this in several posts because I write them faster! Yay!

6. End of the DayÂ by Shawn McDonald

[youtube WYpmM6bWAZU]

I want my heart to beat with passion
I want my motive to be pure
I want the legacy that I leave
To affect the life You gave me
In everything I do, I wanna choose

I haven’t listened to Shawn McDonald since college! I found his album on Spotify and immediately listened to it because I love the title:Â We Are Brave. Â :) This is one of my favorite tracks (but I love almost all of them) in the album, and I love how this is all about choosing to be the person that God wants you to be. :)

7. Shut Up and Dance by Walk the Moon

[youtube 6JCLY0Rlx6Q]

“Oh don’t you dare look back.
Just keep your eyes on me.”
I said, “You’re holding back, “
She said, “Shut up and dance with me!”

Oh this song is so fun! I’ve been hearing this for a while, but it only really got to me during a friend’s wedding. This song never fails to make me smile when I listen to it. :)

8. Your Heart is a Muscle by Carly Rae Jepsen

[youtube VX3k9xwEMRc]

You say love’s a fragile thing
Made of glass
But I think
Your heart is a muscle
Your heart is a muscle
You gotta work it out
Make it stronger

This song reminds me a bit of 2012, and this post. I remember writing something about how some things can feel like an uphill climb, but these things are good for the heart. Like this song, I have to remember that my heart is a muscle, literally and figuratively, and for it to grow stronger, I have to use it. Good reminder. :)

9. Favorite Song by Ben Rector

[youtube lQXa51joR7E]

Well call me crazy or you can call me anytime you want
Or call me maybe cuz I kinda love that song
Be my Madonna or Steven Tyler in my dreams
Cuz when I’m with you yea, well I don’t wanna miss a thing

So, so happy that Ben released a new album this year! I really, really like this song, which is funny because it’s a song that has titles of all other songs in it! But it’s really catchy and it makes me smile while I hum along to “You feel like my favorite song!”Â part. Also, plot bunny!

10. Paano Ba Ang Magmahal by Sarah Geronimo and Piolo Pascual

[youtube Yl-CMUAzGBk]

Kailan ba, ang tamang panahon
Kailan ba, magkakataong malaya na
Ang puso mo, at puso ko.

This song is a part ofÂ The Breakup Playlist movie that I dragged my friends to watch with me. Haha. If you watched the movie, you’ll know how this song will be your LSS for the next days. But this is a pretty good song, and I didn’t mind listening to this over and over again after I watched the movie. :)

* * *

And that is it for this part! :) I should probably make a Spotify playlist for this, right?

All These Things (7): Currently, again

August 24, 2015August 25, 2015 Tina Leave a comment

The blogÂ has a new look, sort of. I’ve been looking for responsive themes just because I kind of want something new, so I combed through some WordPress themes and found this cute pink one. I remember those days when I had versions for my site, and I was coding everything on Notepad and then uploading them all on the free servers. I kind of miss the simplicity of that, but I doubt I can properly code a whole site anymore. Still, those were good times.

But on that note, I’ve been thinking about this blog lately, and what I really, exactly want to achieve with this. I kept the blog because I wanted to keep on blogging, and it seemed like something that I can’t stop doing. This is primarily an outlet for things, which served me well during the tumultuous years of 2012 to 2013 (heh). Right now I’m hardly blogging, partly because I’m busy, and partly because I’m not quite sure what I want to write about. Why do I write what I write, other than the simple fact of sharing things? At the risk of using work jargon, I must ask:Â is this adding value to my life, or to anyone’s life?Â What is this blog for? What’s my vision for this,Â where is this going?

I have to admit: goal setting isn’t my strongest suit. Sometimes it’s so easy to justÂ cruise, until something big pushes me, but I feel like I have to sort of take control over this, because this isÂ mine,Â and I kind of need to take responsibility for it. I make it sound so serious, but really – what’s the point of keeping this if it doesn’t contribute, or if it ends up being a waste of time?

But give me some timeÂ to figure that out. For now, here’s the Sunday Currently on a Monday!

Reading

I just finishedÂ Station ElevenÂ by Emily St. John Mandel, and whoa. What a lovely read.Â I startedÂ Ana of CaliforniaÂ by Andi Teran, a modern adaptationÂ ofÂ Anne of Green Gables.

Writing

Finally, that block seemed to be going away! I’m still not finished with the manuscript, but I am slowly making my way to the end. Unfortunately, IÂ have a ton of other things to write for work, but I’m going to make sure to leave the work stuff for work, period.

Listening

Ben Rector is releasing a new album this week, so I have his new singles on repeat. Can’t wait for the album! :)

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dx8ydn09zms]

Thinking

Where did my work day go?Â I got to work this morning and immediately got into this one project and spent the rest of the day trying to do HTML and stuff all over again. I haven’t done that in ages. Thank God the task was eventually passed on. Whew. Now I have other stuff to finish after I’m done with thisÂ post that I’m treating as a mental break.

Smelling

Kornets classic. Is that classic? The blue plastic!Â Nothing like snacks like this on a busy afternoon.

Wishing

ThatÂ tonight’s online class doesn’t go overtime.

Wearing

A green and black dress that my mom bought in an outlet store in Guam, my trusty black cardigan, and black flats. I realize that ever since I started working here, I have worn dresses 3 to 4x a week. It’s just easier to wear a dress now! I miss wearing heels though, but heels are terrible for commute.

Loving

Healthy You Trail Mix, for days when I get so caught up in work and I cannot be bothered to eat. I am also really loving the circuit workouts from Curves. I’ve only gone three times the past week, and I can’t go tonight because of class, but I will be there tomorrow. Endorphins, yay!

Wanting

New rain boots, because my old ones are really old and I’m afraid they’d break on me before I can get a new one. I saw some in Zalora a few weeks back. I haven’t bought anything, because I’m trying not to shop online so much because I might not stop! Especially now thatÂ Maybelline is now available on ZALORA Philippines, and just in time for me to get a new mascara.

Needing

More nephew time! I spent the weekend at my brother’s place to be with my sister-in-law and my nephew, and it was a weekend of baby laughter (and tears, because he seem to always forget who I was when I arrive there, haha!), and lots of drool and arms that ache because the boy is heavy for his age! Such a cutie pie.

Feeling

Just a tiny bit stressed because of work so I’m telling myself to calm down becauseÂ hey, it’s just work. There’s time to do all of these things.

2013 Mixtape

December 26, 2013July 5, 2014 Tina 10 Comments

You know that I don’t actually really make mix tapes, or recorded one in my life, ever? I mean the actual cassette tapes, because I made mix CDs as gifts to friends (and crushes), because it was fun and I was one of the first few who had CD burner before every household that had a computer had it. I remember making this a Valentine’s Day playlist in college (ooh, idea for next year) and gave it to several friends because why can’t I give a gift to my friends on Valentine’s Day?

While I haven’t made mix CDs / tapes for other people, I still make playlists for myself. Like I mentioned in previous related posts, you can tell my mood mostly from the music I listen to (or the lyrics I tweet).

So for my first 2013 recap, I present you my soundtrack for 2013. 13 songs for 2013, songs that aren’t included in the “EP” I listed earlier this year. :D

Warning:Â #feels all over.

(But perhaps not the kind of feels you are expecting.)

1. Start With Meby Meredith Andrews (Worth It All)

[youtube b4izl8DjGHQ]

My life is an empty cup
Fill it up, fill it up!
I wanna hear every rescued heart cry
You’re enough, You’re enough!
Break what needs breaking
‘Til You’re all we see
And start with me, start with me, yeah

I heard this song in one Boundless podcast and immediately bought it. I think it was one of those nights at work when I had a hard time sitting still, and this song helped me be still in so many ways. This also became my Lent song.

2. Not With Hasteby Mumford & Sons (Babel)

[youtube jIKE2_ZoUFE]

And I will love with urgency but not with haste

Funny thing: when I first tried to listen to a Mumford & Sons song during one road trip, I didn’t like them that much because I didn’t really like their sounds. And then, my favorite adopted brother gave me this song for my 27th birthday, and I learned to listen to their lyrics…and well, wow. That’s all I can say: wow.