Vocal Adrenaline..

Adrenaline rush. It’s very common you could Google it. Figuratively, the term adrenaline is used in speaking of a high state of excitement: “When the race began, the adrenaline really started pumping.” Physically & psychologically... but vocally?

There have been countless of times when out of nowhere I just sung out loud. Weirdest one yet: One really good morning, Sun is shining bright & birds a chirping... I awoke from a peaceful slumber, and then suddenly I just sung “It’s my life... It’s now or never. I ain’t gonna live forever. I just wanna live while I’m alive. ” as I sit up the bed. Then when I sobered up, “whoa. What was that?”

One time when a friend got busted and he would just continuously apologize with his ex and fail in his attempts to make up. I was all like “You look so dumb right now... And the award for the best liar goes to you.” and we all went laughing that one out.

I was asking out a pretty cool though goodie goodie girl for an afternoon drink. In the process of persuading her: “Just one night couldn’t be so wrong... You make me want to lose control.” Then when she said yes, I went back to my friends tuning gallantly “I make ‘em good girls go bad..” That day was LEGEN... (Wait for it) DARY!

The night we we’re planning for a surprise debut, we were asked to do a song number. As I walk the dark road home, it hit me. Alone in that long quiet road, I started singing: “Say it again for me.. coz I love the way it feels when you are telling me that I’m the only one who blows your mind. Say it again..” Unfortunately they don’t share my sympathy for the song so they went with another.

When I usually get psyched I would go invite my friends to go play Rockband and we’ll all have an awesome time. Playing it, you don’t just need to hit/press the right keys but you also have a good ear for the music. I get a really peculiar sense of high when I do the vocals. It’s like we’re drowning in our awesomeness.. haha, so to speak.

So if adrenaline for others is getting pumped up physically, for nerds getting all worked out for an exam, and for Bella hallucinating about Edward.. Guess mine’s busting into song. Music is something that can unite people of different cliques & genres. A fellow enthusiast once said: “I love singing so much; I don’t see why I have to stop just because I’m bad at it.” I’m proud of her, that’s a really great attitude. “Share your passion with the world.”

“But maybe not with the WHOLE world”, she said. xp

What's in the name..

Jonas.. It has been my name for as long as I can remember. It's what my parents gave me.. (more like labelled) for the past 16-something years. It has brought me perks and disadvantages.

Every time I meet some people on the road, in a party, or in a club.. “Hi. I am Jonas.” They would usually go like: “Wow. Really? Jonas Brother!” It attracts unwanted attention, and sometimes it gets troublesome. At first I was not cool with it, but as time pass by I got used to it. I can count the people in my hand that didn’t saw me that way in their 1^st impression. It can be an icebreaker or cool points when introducing myself.

I got really annoyed quite recently with the fact that I share my name with other people. My friends would go tell me: “Wow. I met someone in my school, his name is Jonas too,” I accounted similar encounters like 2-3 times. I would just joke: “This town has one too many Jonases..”. And freshmen year, I got to know a batch mate who’s a Jonas too. So the whole school had labelled us as the Jonas Brothers. Sometimes people see me as the much cooler one and top out better than the other because he’s gullible and geekier. And I would get to tease him for it. Besides Jonas is my one and only name while he got Jonas as a second name.

Years ago my Mother started one of the very first Drugstores in Taytay, Rizal.. So it got well-known and the people who ran it (with yours truly). Fun fact is, until today when I walk around town may it be day or night people still recognize me. “Hi. You’re Jonas right? The kid from Guadalupe Pharmacy? Wow.. You’re all grown up.”

One major disadvantage is with the face that goes with it. A lot of people say that my face is quite recognizable. Though I don’t know if it’s a good thing or not but mostly I take it as a compliment. Thus result; I am walking in a cool afternoon in the city. Some people would go up to me and say: “Oh. Hi Jonas. Fancy seeing you here.” I would panic for a sec, I don’t remember the person’s name. So I usually go with acknowledging him or her with a nod and a simple “Hey.” Then go about my business. Perk, it’s more of a 5-minute fame and get to know a lot of real people. Disadvantage, when I screw up they would tend to remember and spread it like wild fire. The last time a gossip bomb dropped, it was not a pretty sight.

The name bears the weight of the lyrics: “Live to party blah blah blah”. Usually I am that guy, but sometimes I am not. It’s hard to live up to society’s expectations. Acting up to what people think who you are. Sometimes you would just get caught up in it that you yourself would wonder: “Who am I gonna be?” I love the advantages of my best of both world thing going on, but sometimes it’s exhausting and hardest is the currency: As I gain new friendships, I also lose some old ones.

“Embrace your awesomeness.” My very compelling optimist of a friend used to say to me. We we’re on an open mic night, so we went for it. We just sung and for me were quite trembling to be there on stage in front of people. But afterwards, wow.. The audience’s applause was satisfying and inspiring. Just want to make me remember my childhood dream. (Be in a cool band and change the world thingy). All I know is: Music is in my soul, I can hear it everyday, every night.. It’s the one thing n my mind. I just want to play my music.

~ Yeap. From the looks of this (whatever you will call this thing I’ve been typing down) my head is a mess and my thoughts are disarranged. Right now been figuring out things, figuring out life. And trying to get there you know. (where you may ask) I’ll tell you when I get there..

Lost and Found..

When I was 13 - the new guy in secondary school - I understood that I would have to plan for friendship. I was not cool by by any stretch of the word. I worked the periphery, the empty space between the cliques. So I studied students at their lockers, tried on attitudes, sat in the front, back, middle of the bus. And I hoped that someone else was looking, too, and would be inspired by something about me..

When you take a stand on friendship, when, in rage, you make it clear - This friendship is over, get out - you are defining the rest of your life. I didn't realize then that you can't make old friends, that you can only lose them. And in losing them, you lose part of yourself.

My uncle who is into gardening, saws off branches to save his trees. "Here's my secret." he'll say. "It's all about caring. About shaving off the bad parts so that you can save the whole. You love something enough, you don't let it die."

Why is it that we need friendship, once we're free of schoolyard bullies, school cafeterias, adolescent identity crises? Once we're out on our own, why do we still yearn? I believe friends enclose us, like a pair of parentheses. Each one knows us in a different way. I am who I am because my friendships keep on growing. But there are limits on the number of friends a soul might have, and there are limits, especially, on best friendships.