paglabas ko kaninang umaga, binubulong ni John Lennon sa kanang tenga ko ang “a day in the life”. ang pinakamadangdang kanta ng BEATLES ang nagsimula sa aking paglalakad. i couldn’t ask for anything more.

“I read the news today oh boy
About a lucky man who made the grade
And though the news was rather sad
Well I just had to laugh
I saw the photograph.”

recorded in stereo by the great george martin during the 1960’s. dinig na dinig ko ang separation ng mga tracks sa headphone ko habang pababa sa elevator. instruments on my left ear, john lennon on my right.

i have my music to accompany me in my walks and measure distance in terms of songs. here we go…

i’m in the street now and make the first turn, Rod Stewart sings “have i told you lately”. i smile and remember my good friend mon, singing this song in a karaoke in manila many moons ago. i decide that van morrison does it much better.

nasa central market na ako by this time at kakalampas ko palang ng mcdo. bob seger sings … “we’ve got tonight”. a great song na binaduy ni kenny rogers at sheena easton. sino na nga ba yung pakingsheet na boy band na lumapastangan din nito? naalala ko rin, pinatugtog itong kantang tunkol sa infidelity nung kasal nang pareng boyet ko. papalapit na ako sa NTUC chalet at si bob seger pa rin with “still the same”. bumibilis ang lakad ko at sumasabay sa beat…

“You always won, everytime you placed a bet
You’re still damn good, no one’s gotten to you yet
Everytime they were sure they had you caught
You were quicker than they thought
You’d just turn your back and walk”

medyo ganada na ako by this time when muddy waters goes into high gear and sings “mannish boy”. i look back as i walk and remember watching him sing this song in Martin Scorsese’s The Last Waltz many years ago with my brothers and sisters. once again i am seven years old and am mezmerized by the blues. i also remember this is the first time i hear neil young sing “helpless”.

i am in the homestretch now on my last kilometer or so. in a fit of synchronicity, neil young sings “after the gold rush”.. his piano and his voice sounds like its coming from inside my head and i get goose bumps. an indian man is tending the front lawn of a housing block. i smell the smell of newly cut grass and automatically close my eyes. i am transported back to my little garden in antipolo.

malapit na ako sa blue mosque sa likod ng flat namin when i hear the intro of elton john’s “mona lisa’s and madhatters”. magandang kanta to end my morning walk. i go up the flat, peep inside and see jet. i remember the night we watched sir elton here in singapore.

it’s nearly lunch time at naaamoy ko na ang adobong pinapainit ni jet. lagot, isip isip ko. marami na naman akong makakain nito. gardemet, if this morning walk does not reduce my weight, at least it keeps me sane.

isang kanta para sa mga miyembro ng SMAP (samahan ng mga malalamig ang pasko). sana nawa eh gumanda ang mga lovelife nyo. ito’y rock and roll cover version ng “goodbye to love”, isang popular na kanta ng carpenters.

Shooting at the walls of heartache bang, bang
I am the warrior

tagalugin mo nga ito?

my best pinoy rock moment is very intimate. it was the time when pepe came to our house during my birthday many years ago. he came with my brother and his wife. after a few beers, we jammed and he sang an acoustic cover of the doors’ “riders on the storm”.

Riders on the storm
Riders on the storm
Into this house we’re born
Into this world we’re thrown
Like a dog without a bone
An actor out alone
Riders on the storm

many years later, my friends and i still talk about this great event that spiced up our rather boring lives. hehehe. and so, my great big wish before i move on to that great big gig in the sky: i want to spend one of my birthdays jamming with with the jerks, binky lampano, sampaguita and pepe smith.

FROM THE INSIDE BY ALICE COOPER, and the song i always hum when i’m on the outside

in 1978, alice cooper released an album called “from the inside”. it was the album he produced right after going into rehab for alcoholism. one of the songs there is a sweet ballad called “how you gonna see me now”. it tells about a man’s apprehensions about going back to his wife after screwing up both their lives. he’s wondering if he’ll be accepted and if it will still be the same again. been to hell and back, honey. fade to black?

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request sa karaoke: bossing, patugtugin nyo naman ang “starry, starry night” by vincent.

“Starry, starry night
Flaming flowers that brightly blaze
Swirling clouds and violet haze
Reflect in Vincent’s eyes of china blue
Colors changing Hoy”

Miron: “Colors Changing Hue. Hindi Hoy. BOBO!”

Habang nag-se-search ng mga artist na kasali sa “PHILIPPINE HITS – AROUND THE WORLD KARAOKE”, napadaan ako sa binebentang CD sa Pinoy Central na pinamagatang “Kukurutin Ko” ni Bert Dominic.

Sino si Bert Dominic? Naiintriga ako sa kanya. Bakit ganito ang title ng mga kanta niya?

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