Stuff from 2010 to take with me to 2011
I’d like to share some finds I made this 2010 that I think will still be good to use for 2011. I came across these and I would like to say that they gave me a lot of joy and amazement throughout the year.
1) IPAD- Got this early when it came out and I really love it. My only regret is I should have gotten the top of the line model, the one with a micro sim for internet access anywhere. I hesitated to get it because I did not think Globe would come out with a micro sim. I also learned later on that even if Globe did not decide on coming out with it (which they did), one could easily cut a regular sim to the size of a micro sim. Damn.
2) Samsung Galaxy S phone— Wow. This is quite a phone. I had always been an Apple iphone guy but when I got this, i just decided to just drop the iphone. Android, though not as seamless as an iphone is exciting for two reasons: it is an open system with lots of free stuff, and one is freed from Apple’s monopoly. The Galaxy S is a big screen gadget with all the bells and whistles you can want. I just love it.
As I said, Apple OS may be more seamless for now, but once you get the hang of it, you will love Android. I imagine that in the next few months, Android’s OS will be so advanced that it may open a bigger world than Apple has.
3) Quincy Jones’ Q: Bossa Nostra Album— Listening to The Dude’s albums is like watching Cirque d’ Soleil. One is always amazed. This guy has been around forever and yet he can be comfortable in any kind of genre. This album has jazz, pop, hip hop, rap in ballad, dance, funk grooves and is laced with great harmony on top of really amazing arrangements. As a listener you can’t help but move your body or at the very least tap your feet.
4) Rediscovered Gary Granada this year in a Songwriting workshop and now I want ALL of his 21 CDs which I hear you can buy at a shop in UP Diliman for 1200 Pesos. Gary Granada, to me is the greatest Filipino lyricist alive. His lyrics affect you in many ways. They are beautiful, honest, searing, funny, smart, disturbing, amusing, amazing. In short, the guy is pure genius. He is the Shakespeare of OPM, no doubt. The guy can write about mathematics and put it in a song and it can turn out to be elegant, clear and poetic. Fantastic.
5) Got a tattoo this 2010. Ha ha.. I should have done it earlier but as they say, better late than never. If you want a good one, ask my daughter Ala (alamundo.tumblr.com) to make a design for you, then look for Marlon at Vice Ink at the Collective in Malugay St, San Antonio Village, Makati.
6) MBT shoes are something else. They admittedly do not look stylish. In fact they look kinda weird and bulky with the soles in a convex shape, like a smile. The wearer sort of swings forward and backward and it takes time getting used to them. I bought a pair early this year and it is GREAT. It corrects the wearer’s posture and exercises muscles that are not usually exercised with more normal shoes. It also takes away joint and back pain. Look it up on the net.
It takes some getting used to. Don’t wear one and jump straight into a running machine. You WILL most likely injure yourself. Once you get used to it, you won’t want to use anything else. A bit pricey though. There’s a much cheaper imitation of it done by Sketchers but I don’t know if it is as good as the original.
7) Lastly, This year, I rediscovered my idealism. I rediscovered my belief that we as a people can change the trajectory of our history. We CAN do great things. We CAN desire change and achieve it.
We have a new shot at redemption with a President who is not a thief and who clearly wants to change things. At the same time, the old empire still has resouces to strike back and we have seen some examples of this.
It will be hard. But it will be entirely up to us! This is our historic chance to get the momentum going for real reforms. It is now or never. We MUST win!
Have a good 2011!