Summer's Over, Keep The 'Sunscreen' On

Filed under Music Life


I have been meaning to write about this for some time now but somehow, never got to it until now. Well, as the end of this summer comes close to its end, I thought it would be a bit appropriate that I tell you about one of my most favorite songs ever...

Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen) by Baz Luhrmann.


The first time I heard this song, I thought it was the coolest and wittiest songs I've ever heard. And the more I listened to it, the more I realized how much it makes sense.

You see, the song contains a speech-like rap enumerating some of the guy's words of wisdom particularly for the young. I have read somewhere that this was originally a newspaper article that Baz Luhrmann (director of Moulin Rouge & William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet) decided to turn into a song hiring an actor to read over the song Everybody's Free from the Romeo & Juliet soundtrack.

Much like my favorite book (All I Really Need to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten), the 'Sunscreen Song' managed to dispense advices on pretty much everything under the sun through a series of simple statements and witty remarks and not sounding preachy at all.

Here are just some of the stuff the song contends (some profound, some so mundane it's funny!):

• Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth...
• Do one thing everyday that scares you...
• Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind…the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself...
• Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults...
• Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life…
• Whatever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either– your choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s...
• Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be gone for good...
• Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40,it will look 85....

And my two favorites...

• Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts,don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours...
• Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel UGLY...

I try to take these nuggets of wisdom to heart since I know I'll need them one way or the other, at one point or another...


Click image to listen/download and for the complete lyrics of this song...




Music
Baz Luhrmann

Exes, Why's & Zzzsss...

Filed under Self Sunshine Friends


Why the title?

Well, allow me to explain...


EXes

Last week, I had the chance to spend time with 2 of my exes... separately, of course!

Friday, I had a last minute invite from an ex to join him and our other friends for an overnight trip to Tagaytay. I hesitated a bit and initially wanted to take a rain check since I still had to come to work that evening. However, considering that he just got back from the USA and I haven't seen him in a long time (and he isn't exactly the type who takes 'No' for an answer), I eventually agreed.

We had a nice evening in Tagaytay when we checked out the nightlife there (we had a few drinks in Café Lupe) and spent a considerable and wacky time looking out for any signs of cruising activity in the area (call it research, if you will...hah!).

Little did we know that he had a surprise up his sleeves! When he previously said we already have a place to stay in, we thought that he reserved a room in one of the hotels there. But lo and behold, after checking out the area, he drove us to a nearby subdivision up to a beautiful house that turned out to be his! Apparently, part of his US earnings for the past three years had been spent on this cute little house. Enviable!

Fast forward to Sunday, I texted my most recent ex, my Sunshine, to watch Spiderman 3. Lucky for me, he agreed. And we did watch the movie that night and bought a couple of Spidey merchandise (1 for me & 1 for his nephew).

What was interesting about our movie 'date' was that we were a little quiet the whole time and an awkwardness was clearly felt. We did not have our usual chit-chat and non-sense exhange of words. It simply was like we were both on a blind date with a stranger. Well, I guess we still have to give ourselves a little more time to adjust to our new reality.

From friends to lovers to friends...

Incidentally, today would have marked our 3rd anniversary...aaaawwwww!

Which leads me to the 2nd part of this blog post...


WHY's

Since I announced my break-up with Sunshine, I was met with the expected universal question (with varied degrees of shock, surprise & disappointment) from our friends: WHY?

And like in my previous entry, the only reason I tell them is that we have reached that point where parting ways would be the best for both of us.

And sweet that they are, my friends also have that follow-up question to 'why' which is... How are you?... Are you okay?... How are you holding up?

And with all honesty, I have consistently assured them that I am doing just fine. Sure, I am sad and disappointed on what happened, but compared to the previous break-up's I had to go through, this is without a doubt the most okay I have been. I guess it helps that we ended up amicably and I saw no pressing reason to be bitter about it.

As I also have told a few of my friends, without me realizing it, I kinda knew that the end was bound to happen and I have somehow prepared for it. To quote a line from the Madonna documentary Truth or Dare: "It's like when someone is dying, I kinda have to make peace with it before it happens; so when it happens, I don't feel anything..."

Again, not that I did not feel anything, it's only that now when I look back at what we had, unlike in my previous relationships, I do not have tears in my eyes... only a smile on my face... aaawww!


ZZZssss

And for the last part of my entry, I just wanted share the fact that I haven't been able to have a good enough sleep for the past few days mainly because I have to take care of some requirements I need to get so I can finally realize my plans to work abroad.

Since late last year, I have been working on my application for a job that would take me to America to work as a Front Desk Agent in a cruise liner. I have put on hold my application process for a couple of months since I have health-related concerns I need to resolve before I leave (and also so I can have time to spend summer with my friends).

And now, I have resumed pursuing this job and since I am pretty much on the last leg of the process, things are turning out to be more hectic than I anticipated. This Friday, I'll start my 10-day Basic Safety Training which I will take in the afternoon while I still have to report for work in the evening. I will also be returning back to my university (UP Diliman) to finally get my academic records (which I filed for 2 months ago! Damn bureaucracy!). Right after that, I will have yet another pre-employment medical exams and then I will go through the process of getting my seaman's book/certificate. And then I'll be scheduled for an interview with the US Embassy for my working visa.

Much as I want to just resign from my current work so I can fully focus my time and energy on my application, I am just not in that opportune position yet. So I only have to toughen up for the meantime and just brace myself for more sleepless nights (or day for that matter)!

What I had to do to fulfill the American Dream...



Self
Sunshine