"Every good thing is this world started with a dream; so hold on to yours."

-Wonka

"Even in science, faith plays a role. Each experiment done, each step on the path of knowledge, is achieved by striking out into the darkness. You can't know what you will find, or that you will find anything at all. It is faith that drives us -- faith in answers that must exist."

-Brandon Sanderson. The Sunlit Man.

"We can't fight against evil. That's the most unbearable thing about the world we have built. Evil can't be eradicated, can't be locked up, the more violence we use against it, the stronger it becomes..."

-Fredrik Backman. The Winners.

Caught In A Daze by Side A

About this time last year, I wrote about a song about being ghosted ("Clueless" incidentally just won Best Ballad Recording at the recent Awit Awards!). Now, I’m writing about a song about living the dream. It’s a total 180, I got whiplash.

One day you’re singing the national anthem of the broken-hearted, the next you’re the f’ing king of the land of rainbows and unicorns. 

But such is life, isn’t it? It’s full of ups and downs; it is one roller coaster ride after another; it’s one big jumble of emotions, maybe even sometimes all at the same time. And apparently, so are the fascinating brilliant mind of one Ned Esguerra and the musical genius of Side A. 

“I’m caught in a daze and it’s amazing
I’m lost in your gaze and I’m so crazy about you
And though life’s not the same as before
I wouldn’t want to change it
Coz I’m caught in a daze and I’m so amazed by you.”

It’s the “Happy Ever After” most of us spend our lives yearning for, but only the lucky few actually get. The song makes you appreciate your relationships even more... it makes you realize never to take things or each other for granted. At least I hope it does. 

“You are the air I breathe.
You are the song I sing.”

Lines so incredibly sweet, they should come with a Diabetes warning label. 😆 But music heals the soul, so they say, and with SideA music, you’re especially treated to musical harmony at its best, guaranteed to cure even the most stubborn diseases (FDA approval pending 😅).

It’s funny… for those who are not among the romantically fortunate, “Caught In A Daze” should make you want to hurl things at a wall or at somebody (or at smiling happy couples 😅😂); but the song is just so easy to listen to, it actually somehow soothes you like a warm bath after a long exhausting day or like you’re chilling at home with a good book or like you’re cruising alone on a highway where road rages never ever existed. It is just such a feel good song, you can’t help but smile and just gently sway to the music.

To a point, it offers one a glimmer of hope... something to dream about. After all, surely life is sadder without having dreams to live for.

"It's not really clear how we found each other here; maybe it’s magic."

Well, it’s not really clear how we find ourselves here, listening to another mesmerizing song by Side A. Maybe it’s the band’s chemistry. Maybe it’s pure talent. Maybe it’s resilience and hard work. Maybe it’s because they’re all just really wonderful human beings. Maybe it’s all of those. And yes, maybe it is also magic.

Do yourself a favor and listen to it on Spotify. You’re welcome!

"Never trust people who don't have something in their lives that they love beyond all reason."

-Fredrik Backman. Beartown.

Yumi and Nikaro

Some books just make you go "awww" and leave you completely satisfied once finished, heart perfectly warmed, everything wrapped up and tied with a charmingly delightful bow. Yumi and the Nightmare Painter (aka Secret Project #3) by Brandon Sanderson is exactly that. 

Sanderson says at the end of the book that this is his personal favorite of the Secret Projects. Though I do love Tress also, I would say this is my favorite as well. Of the three so far, at least. Maybe I do like my fantasy stories with a dash (just a dash, please) of romance in them.

 

Anyway here are some quotes from the book.

Yumi: Is sadness realistic?

Painter: I used to think so. And Yumi, many things in life are sad. So it's realistic at least to some experiences. It's good that some stories are happy, some are sad. That part is realistic. Sometimes, the more you think about it, the better an ending like this seems. It can be right, even if it's painful. 

"Yes, a person is more than their experiences, stacked up like stones. But our best moments are the foundations we use to reach for the sky."

"A kiss doesn't need to be good to be valuable. It doesn't serve any real purpose. It's valued solely because of the person you share it with. Things only have the value we give to them. And likewise, actions can be worth whatever we decide them to be worth."

every moment borrowed 

every touch a desperate plea

every kiss a heartbreaking goodbye.