Soft and Warm Continuing

    A few days from now, my subscription to a music streaming application will expire. For a couple of months, it served its purpose of helping me survive the day, one song at a time. At this uncertain time, i spend more time listening and rediscovering the power of songs to uplift, comfort and assure anyone listening that life's going to be alright.

    The other day, I was listening to a podcast episode about albums. Although the episode was about a different band, the host briefly shared how discovering The Beatles at an early age opened many doors  in terms of his musical preferences. I realised that we share the same sentiment towards the band. I consider the band as my springboard to artists and songs I never thought I'd love.

    Sometimes, I wonder if that's a good idea at all- the springboard thing.  As I discover new bands and songs, I'm starting to move away from my springboard and that's quite scary. Scary because it feels as if the expanding musical discovery keeps me away from the band which introduced me to a whole new world. I know that's the purpose of a springboard, but still it's daunting. 

    What's surprising is that, after all these years and new discoveries,  there are days when i would go back to my springboard and make new realisations about life. 

Lesson learned: You can never really move away from your springboard- you will always go back to it. What a relief!!  

Here's a personal experience that explains the power of springboard: 

"One breezy August afternoon,  the song With a Little Help from my Friends was playing when I saw an old friend.  We weren't the best of friends. We didn't even share the same secrets nor sentiments, but it was comforting to see a person from your teenage years after a very stressful day. It was as if someone is reminding you that things are going to be alright, and that worrying and whining about life are not really nice. I rarely associate people with songs, but that's one of the rare occasions I did. "

Notes from June

Prior to the pandemic, June meant preparing for the start of classes and buying school supplies. Although we can still buy school supplies through online shops, nothing really compares to the magic of sniffing papers and testing out pens.  

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I consider this month as "Bob Dylan Rediscovery Month" because I got to listen to his pre and post-electric songs. It's weird to imagine that it took me 2 years before I finally had the courage to explore his works.  This month,  I was able to listen to several of his albums including his latest release. I still can't believe that Bob Dylan released a new album. *squeals in Filipino*

• The Times They Are A-Changin' - My preference from his folk albums. 
• Nashville Skyline - I've been a fan of this since last year but it wasn't as intensified as this year. 
• Blood on the Tracks- Probably the best discovery of all the albums I've heard this month. I never really gave much attention to this one because, as I said earlier, I prefer his electric albums. As usual, Bob Dylan has the ability to convey the emotions of his songs through his voice. That's what made me appreciate his works when I first discovered him.
• Rough and Rowdy Ways- This is the new Bob Dylan album I was talking about. Although his recent works sound different from his 60s-70s albums, I enjoyed this one. 

MOVIES/ TV SERIES / DOCUMENTARIES

• Blues America- My recent rediscovery of Bob Dylan's materials encouraged me to learn more about blues. This documentary looks at the evolution of the genre right from its beginnings in the Mississippi Delta to its prominence in American culture. In line with the recent events related to the Black Lives Matter movement, this documentary offers a brief look at the lives of people who used music to express their experiences under unfavourable circumstances. I'd always be thankful for the power of music to educate because that's what helps me to develop social awareness and empathy to the plight of people. 

• Arena- Woody Gutherie- Another documentary inspired by Bob Dylan rediscovery. This one focuses on the life of Woody Gutherie, a prominent folk singer during the 1930s-1940s America. Watching this reminds me of  a scene from Robert Mulligan's 1962 adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird. There's a scene from that movie where Atticus' children wondered why a poor farmer paid him sacks of crops for his legal services. Atticus told his children that it was all the farmer could afford because he's poor.  That scene and Woody Gutherie's songs remind me that life during the old times wasn't as easy as most movies show.

• Happy Anniversary- I just saw this on Netflix and thought of giving it a try. I'm not really into this kind of romantic movies, but I'd say that I prefer this one than other Netflix  romantic movies (Hello, kissing booth and tall girl). 

• Toy Story 4- I almost forgot that Toy Story 4 exists until I saw this . I liked Toy Story 3 so much and I  thought that was the end of the franchise. Although I don't think another movie was necessary, it's good to see that the characters developed and that's what I root for. *Woody is such a precious toy*

MUSIC/ PODCASTS/ AUDIO DOCUMENTARY

• 25 Years of Rock- This documentary on BBC 6 Music discusses the major events from 1955-1980 through rock songs. It's an interesting way to discuss history since we usually associate the subject with names and dates. 
• Broken Greek- This is an audio book based from the experiences of a Greek boy living in Birmingham, England during the 1970s-1980s. Similar to the previous documentary, the author told his childhood experiences through the songs that made a lasting impact on his life. 
• Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow-  This documentary discusses the story and impact of the first girl groups during the late 1950s and early 1960s. 
• 1001 Album Club- This podcast talks about the different albums included in the book called 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die by Robert Dimery. 
• Pod Dylan- This podcast talks about Bob Dylan songs, one episode at a time. Every episode has a special guest who also shares the story of how they became a fan of Bob Dylan. I once heard  an interesting story of a man who became a Dylan fan thanks to his workmate. It's cool how people around us influence our preferences. 
• The Velvet Underground & Nico- I got into this album because I know someone who has a jacket that has a similar design as this one's album art. The songs on this album reminds me of hot summer afternoons when there's nothing to do nor to think about. 

BOOKS

• A Freewheelin' Time by Suze Rotolo- This is a memoir about Suze Rotolo's life during the first half of the 1960s in Greenwich Village in New York City. Although she's widely known as the girl on The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan album ,  her memoir tells her journey as she discovers herself beyond her association with a famous boyfriend. It's a reminder that just because you are someone's boyfriend or girlfriend doesn't mean you're not allowed to live a life beyond your partner's world. 
• Just My Type by Simon Garfield- This book tells the story of some of the famous typefaces that we see  everywhere. This book is a good add-on if you enjoyed watching Vox's video about Cooper Black. 
• Noli Me Tangere by Jose Rizal- I never really thought about reading the english version of this novel until i was reminded of its existence one afternoon while organising our bookshelf. Like Leonard Cohen's works and Sherlock Holmes stories, I just take my time and read this just when i want to. 

Journaling during the Pandemic

The pandemic changed how i journal and how i see journaling as part of my life. I spent the last 4 years decorating notebooks with stickers and pictures, and writing about the intriguing and the routinary bits of my life. I also wrote about the lives of the characters and people I've encountered through  movies, series, books and songs. 

The life-changing events of the last 2 months forced me to change how i see journaling. *Disclaimer: It wasn't dramatic at all.*

Initially, i created the usual journal entries. That lasted until I realised how boring it is to do the same things over and over. Familiarity breeds contempt, as they say.  The realisation coincided with my decision not to follow the restrictive path of documenting documenting. The constant pressure to do aesthetically pleasing journal entries is suffocating. Stimulating in the beginning, but it slowly limits the ability to innovate. 

What happened next was an experiment- I tried different ways that'll direct me to the same endpoint. I made playlists, spontaneous journal entires, digital journal entries, updated this blog, etc. Some were successful experiments, but others weren't.  I guess if there's a take-away from that experience, it's the ability of humans to always find ways to solve their problems.