For Ritchie

Today is Ritchie’s birthday. And for 21 days we will be the same age (not that it’s of any importance -- we just like teasing each other about it). We started out as, not even as “friends” but as concert and drinking buddies. I first met him outside of his high school alma mater, while we were both still in, well high school. It was just a brief hi, hello thing as I was then going out with one of his friends (and he with a batch mate of mine). The next time we met I was already in college and he and my best friend picked me up from school. The three of us then went to a mall to buy our Pearl Jam tickets. Outside of the Pearl Jam concert, we would see each other during drinking sessions. We were not friends yet, just people who drank with a bunch of other people, did crazy stuff, said “fuck you” and “ t*ng *na ka” to each other a lot. Those expletives were not out of anger of course, they were just a part of the normal rowdy conversations we often have with our friends and drinking buddies. My best friend then went to the US and my drinking session with him and our drinking “group” stopped. When my best friend came back home for a visit, the said group of course started seeing each other again. And that was when we all started to become good friends. Even after my best friend left, we all made it a point to see each other every once in a while not just to drink but to do other normal stuff like watch movies, eat dinner, go on out-of-town trips. Ritchie also introduced me to mountain climbing. He also helped me with a lot of other stuff like go to the mall to buy my first modem, my first hiking shoes, my first hiking bag etc. I started falling for him when he started calling me not just every night but sometimes twice or thrice a day, just to say things like “hey we should try rock-climbing” or “hey we should watch this or that.” Four things really cemented the “made-for-each-other” realization that we had – our love for adventure, for nature, for movies, and our love for music. We would talk endlessly over the phone about these things. He would make me listen to his favorite music and vice versa. We both listened and shared, and I found myself really falling for this guy. We “admitted” our feelings for each other while we were in Batad. A beautiful place, a seemingly magical time, but it was all real and amazing. One of the most unforgettable moments of my life. (Cheesy quota achieved?) I don’t really like sharing the music that means most to us as a couple because for me the strongest feelings are private. But since I know very few people read my blog (and thank you whoever you are reading this right now) let’s rock n’ roll – here are OUR top 15 songs or albums as a couple. Para sa aking kakampi, kadamay, mahal.

1) China Eyes - Alamid. When we were still just friends, during an exchange gift for Christmas, I had the fortune/misfortune of being Ritchie's "baby." He placed his gift for me inside a very big box and labeled it "To my China Eyes." During that time, everybody would tease me about my big eyes and they used to call me either "flashlight" or "bright". So him calling me China Eyes was him just being ironic and well, annoying. To top it off, the box was filled with crumpled newspaper. I failed to notice his very small gift, a moon and star pendant (again the moon because of my eyes and the star because of my surname) and ended up accidentally discarding his gift with the other crumpled paper. We spent half the night looking for that pendant. Anyway, I love this song. I miss Alamid.




2) Magandang Bituin/Maalaala Mo Kaya taken from Magandang Bituin CD - New Expressions In Filipino Music - Musical Concepts By Richard Tann. This was one of those CDs of Ritchie’s that I never thought he actually owned, and that I never thought I’d actually like as well. He made me listen to this while we were still just “friends” and listening to a different version of Kundiman songs was really so refreshing. It made me discover a whole new aspect of Ritchie and gave birth to a new facet of mine as well: one that was more open, more fearless when it comes to listening to music. That scene in Ang Nawawala where Gibson and Enid listened to Kundiman music while inside a vinyl store and while they were making “momol” inside the car really reminded me of that time Ritchie first made me listen to Magandang Bituin.

3) Friend of Mine, Odette Quesada. No explanation required right?

4) Tunay Na Ligaya, Basil Valdez. Again, when we were just friends, Ritchie and another good friend of ours went to Bataan with my family and me. We spent one night camped out on a beach and another night just drinking outside of my Tita’s house, under the stars. The three of us started talking about how nice it would be to have only Tagalog songs during one’s wedding and we started throwing in song titles that would be good for a bridal march, first dance etc. This was one of the songs that were thrown in. Years later Ritchie would admit to me that this was one of his songs for me. (Yup, way over the cheese quota I know, sorry)

5) Come Away With Me – Norah Jones. The first album of Norah Jones was also the first album that Ritchie and I bought and really loved as a couple.



6) The Wedding Singer Soundtrack - Various Artists. We both loved the movie and the music in the movie so for our first Valentine's Day together (1999), I gave him the soundtrack (two cassette tapes, yes TAPES!)

Track listing first album:

1. "Video Killed the Radio Star" (originally performed by The Buggles), performed by The Presidents of the United States of America
2. "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me", performed by Culture Club
3. "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic", performed by The Police
4. "How Soon Is Now?", performed by The Smiths
5. "Love My Way", performed by The Psychedelic Furs
6. "Hold Me Now", performed by Thompson Twins
7. "Everyday I Write the Book", performed by Elvis Costello
8. "White Wedding", performed by Billy Idol
9. "China Girl", performed by David Bowie
10. "Blue Monday", performed by New Order
11. "Pass the Dutchie", performed by Musical Youth
12. "Have You Written Anything Lately?"
13. "Somebody Kill Me", written by Adam Sandler and Tim Herlihy, performed by Adam Sandler
14. "Rapper's Delight" (medley), performed by Sugarhill Gang and Ellen Dow

Track listing second album:

1. "Too Shy", performed by Kajagoogoo
2. "It's All I Can Do", performed by The Cars
3. "True", performed by Spandau Ballet
4. "Space Age Love Song", performed by A Flock of Seagulls
5. "Private Idaho", performed by The B-52's
6. "Money (That's What I Want)", performed by Flying Lizards
7. "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)", performed by Dead or Alive
8. "Just Can't Get Enough", performed by Depeche Mode
9. "Love Stinks", performed by The J. Geils Band
10. "You Make My Dreams", performed by Hall & Oates
11. "Holiday", performed by Madonna
12. "Grow Old With You", written by Adam Sandler and Tim Herlihy, performed by Adam Sandler

7) Nine Million Bicycles - Katie Melua. There are nine million bicycles in Beijing That's a Fact, it's a thing we can't deny Like the fact that I will love you till I die



8) Drive - Incubus. Not really a love song but we would always play this during long drives, and we would always shout out the chorus: Whatever tomorrow brings I'll be there with open arms and open eyes yeah.



9) Danny's Song - Loggins and Messina. Ritchie and I have been through all kinds of shit and well, most of the time, we are driven down the financial pits of hell. So yes, the chorus really makes our heart swell and our eyes water.



10) Three Little Birds (Everything's gonna be alright) - Bob Marley and the Wailers.



11) Elevation - U2. High, higher than the sun You shoot me from a gun I need you to elevate me here At the corner of your lips As the orbit of your hips Eclipse, you elevate my soul ... I and I in the sky You make me feel like I can fly So high, elevation Love, lift me up out of these blues Won't you tell me something true? I believe in you



12) Tender - Blur. This is not really a happy song when you decipher the lyrics but just the same, this is our make-up song after a terrible fight. We love this song so much we always fall silent out of awe every time we hear it. Tender is the night Lying by your side Tender is the touch Of someone that you love too much Tender is the day The demons go away Lord I need to find Someone who can heal my mind



13) At My Most Beautiful - R.E.M. Another one of those songs that makes us go hush and makes our hearts fly. Beautiful beautiful song. I read bad poetry into your machine I save your messages just to hear your voice You always listen carefully to awkward rhymes. you always say your name. like I wouldn't know it's you, at your most beautiful.



14) Down By The Water - The Drums. MY PROMISE TO RITCHIE. if you fall asleep down by the water, baby i'll carry you, all the way home, you've gotta believe me when i say, when i say the word forever, and whatever comes your way oh we'll still be together



15) Praise You - Fat Boy Slim.

We've come a long long way together,

Through the hard times and the good,

I have to celebrate you baby,

I have to praise you like I should

Happy birthday LOVE!