SoundSessions Top Picks [November 2005]

It's once again time to take you back six years ago for the November 2005 chartography of the SoundSessions Top Picks, a chart that was based on my and my friends' preferences. Hale gained greatest, zooming in from #18 to #4 with this track called "Kahit Pa." Here's the song's official music video, followed by the month's Top 20 list:

SoundSessions Top Picks
November 2005

1. Orange and Lemons - Pinoy Ako [2ND MONTH AT #1]
2. Bonnie Bailey - Ever After (Eric's Beach Mix) [NON-MOVER]
3. Sponge Cola - Gemini [NON-MOVER]
4. Hale - Kahit Pa [PREVIOUSLY AT #18]
5. Cueshe - Sorry
6. Green Day - Wake Me Up When September Ends [PREVIOUSLY AT #14]
7. Yasmien Kurdi - I Know [PREVIOUSLY AT #8]
8. Kyla - Till They Take My Heart Away [PREVIOUSLY AT #6]
9. Crazy Frog - Axel F [PREVIOUSLY AT #7]
10. Nickelback - Photograph
11. Pussycat Dolls feat. Busta Rhymes - Don't Cha
12. James Blunt - You're Beautiful [PREVIOUSLY AT #4]
13. The Black Eyed Peas - Don't Lie [PREVIOUSLY AT #10]
14. Jimmy Bondoc - I Believe
15. Jasmine Trias - Lose Control
16. Sugababes - Push the Button
17. Michael Cruz - Crazy For You [PREVIOUSLY AT #5]
18. Rihanna - Pon de Replay
19. Mr. Vegas - Heads High
20. Daddy Yankee - Gasolina

I'd also like to congratulate Chelx for guessing the #1 song correctly; she's the winner of this blog's P100 Load on My 100th Post giveaway! Good job, Ms. Happy Young Mother! I'll be sending you a message on Facebook for details on how to claim your prize.

Chart list originally published on November 8, 2005 at The Talkthrough with Johnny Talker.

OPC Song Picks [2011.11.27]

Big Time Rush is now on its third week inside the Top 3! Here they are with "Music Sounds Better With U" featuring Mann, followed by this week's Overall and Pinoy Top 10 lists.

Overall Top 10
November 27-December 3, 2011

1. Jodi King - Happy
2. Westlife - Lighthouse
3. Big Time Rush - Music Sounds Better With U (feat. Mann)
4. One Direction - What Makes You Beautiful
5. BBS - Habang Buhay (feat. Kean Cipriano)
6. Kyla - How Deep Is Your Love
7. Stars Go Dim - Between Here and Now
8. Bamboo - Questions
9. Girls' Generation - The Boys
10. David Guetta - Without You (feat. Usher)

Overall Top 10
November 27-December 3, 2011

1. BBS - Habang Buhay (feat. Kean Cipriano)
2. Kyla - How Deep Is Your Love
3. Bamboo - Questions
4. Anne Curtis - Tinamaan Ako
5. Juris - Kahit Di Mo Sabihin
6. Parokya ni Edgar - One Hit Combo (feat. Gloc-9)
7. Erik Santos - Sana Ikaw
8. Ginoong Vitalis - Pilit
9. Sarah Geronimo - Bakit Pa Ba
10. Rivermaya - Nowhere to Run (feat. Julianne Tarroja)

Beach Rally

A few months ago, I blogged about Snake Xenzia. This time, I’m featuring another game on the Nokia X1-01, Beach Rally. It is a race-type game that actually reminds me of Road Fighter from the Nintendo Entertainment System (actually, I knew it as the Family Computer when I was a kid). You control a red sports car and try to go as far as possible.

Along the way, you’ll be able to pick up some power ups in the form of lightnings which boost your car’s speed for a short period of time, and flags which add five seconds to the game clock.

There are other cars in the course, but I consider these as just obstacles since the game is not really about getting to the finish line ahead and being ahead in the ranking. So you plainly have to overtake them and no longer worry about them catching up with you.

When you get to a checkpoint, more time will be added to your clock and the game goes on. But once you run out of time, then it’s game over for you! Your final score will then be assessed, with your final total multiplied depending on the level you have chosen (Easy is times one, Medium is times 1.5, and Hard times two).

The farthest I’ve gone: 4 checkpoints and a final score of 7926 on the hard level. Now I gotta play some more and master this game. If I do, I might just see “Superman” flying by. Just like Road Fighter, right?

OPC Song Picks [2011.11.20]

While Kyla debuts at #1 on the Pinoy category with her version of "How Deep Is Your Love," a new King (who is actually a queen) reigns on the Overall chart this week! And she's definitely "Happy" about it! Watch Jodi King's official music video for the latest single off her album Little Smile, then head on to her official website and sign up on the mailing list to get a copy of her song "Breathing In/Breathing Out" for free!

Overall Top 10
November 20-26, 2011

1. Jodi King - Happy
2. Westlife - Lighthouse
3. Big Time Rush - Music Sounds Better With U (feat. Mann)
4. One Direction - What Makes You Beautiful
5. Kyla - How Deep Is Your Love
6. Bamboo - Questions
7. Girls' Generation - The Boys
8. Beyoncé - Love on Top
9. David Guetta - Without You (feat. Usher)
10. We Are Leo - Live for Love

Pinoy Top 10
November 20-26, 2011

1. Kyla - How Deep Is Your Love
2. Bamboo - Questions
3. Anne Curtis - Tinamaan Ako
4. Juris - Kahit Di Mo Sabihin
5. Parokya ni Edgar - One Hit Combo (feat. Gloc-9)
6. Erik Santos - Sana Ikaw
7. Ginoong Vitalis - Pilit
8. Sarah Geronimo - Bakit Pa Ba
9. Rivermaya - Nowhere to Run (feat. Julianne Tarroja)
10. Maria Aragon - Born This Way

P100 Load on My 100th Post

Since it's my 100th post here on OPC, it's contest time! Up for grabs: P100 worth of cellphone load! I know it's not a lot, but it could still definitely help on your daily or weekly prepaid load budget. Just answer the question:

What was the #1 song on the SoundSessions Top Picks
six years ago (November 2005)?

Mechanics

1. Post your answer as a tweet on Twitter or as a status update on Facebook or Google+ in the following format:

   My answer: <title of the song>. Check out the question and have a chance to win P100 load at One Pebble Cab! http://bit.ly/OPC100

2. Make sure your answer is publicly visible.
3. Post the link (URL) to your answer as a comment to this blog entry.
   Note: You will be required to use your Google Account when you post a comment. Do not include your cellphone number.
4. Only one answer per person is allowed.

If you got the correct answer, then you're on your way to win! If nobody gets the correct answer, then I'll just have to raffle off a couple of minor load prizes. You have until November 28, 2011, Monday to qualify for this giveaway.

Getting it right maybe initially difficult, but once you've figured it out, you'll probably even say it's easy. So better do some digging and make some intelligent guessing because the P100 load is just waiting to be yours! 

Winner will be contacted on how the load shall be credited. Contest is available only to prepaid subscribers of Smart, Talk n' Text, Red Mobile, Globe, Touch Mobile and Sun Cellular. OPC reserves the right to modify mechanics as deemed necessary. In case of any inconsistencies, the decision of the blog author shall be considered final.

Baguio Been

Trip. The Victory Liner bus left the Cubao station on time, but it was only out of EDSA after about an hour. Traffic: very uncool. But what's cool is the bus had free wi-fi service, courtesy of Sun Broadband. I was able to test it out during one of the stop overs, and the verdict: Connection is good and the speed is fast enough. We finally reached Baguio at around 1:30am, or after seven and a half hours of being on the road.

Taxi. The taxis in Baguio don't have air conditioners, as these are very unnecessary. That makes the ride cheaper: flagdown is only at P35.00 with P2.00 increments. We took one to get to where we stayed for the night. We finally were able to doze off and rest at around 2:00am.

Been. After some setback, we were finally able to explore Baguio in the afternoon. It was still drizzling a bit, but the sky thankfully lit up soon after. With only limited hours in our hands, we were able to go to Burnham Park (where I learned that I suck at rowing), Mines View Park, the Mansion House, and Wright Park, as well as a quick stop at the front of the Baguio Botanical Garden. We then ended up at SM City Baguio, before we headed back to base. After a good night's sleep and a good breakfast, we headed early to the Victory Liner terminal for our 9:40am return trip to Manila.

OPC Song Picks [2011.11.13]

This week on the OPC Song Picks: MercyMe's "The Generous Mr. Lovewell" is still hanging around (it pays to be generous, doesn't it?), Bamboo has "Questions" on the OPM chart, and boybands take over on the top 3 of the Overall tally. Big Time Rush debuts at #2 with "Music Sounds Better With U" but it's Westlife taking the top honors with their new song called "Lighthouse." Here's its official music video, followed by this blog's latest Top 10 lists:

Overall Top 10
November 13-19, 2011

1. Westlife - Lighthouse
2. Big Time Rush - Music Sounds Better With U (feat. Mann)
3. One Direction - What Makes You Beautiful
4. Girls' Generation - The Boys
5. Beyoncé - Love on Top
6. David Guetta - Without You (feat. Usher)
7. We Are Leo - Live for Love
8. Simple Plan - Astronaut
9. Enrique Iglesias - I Like How It Feels (feat. Pitbull & The WAV.s)
10. MercyMe - The Generous Mr. Lovewell

Pinoy Top 10
November 13-19, 2011

1. Juris - Kahit Di Mo Sabihin
2. Anne Curtis - Tinamaan Ako
3. Bamboo - Questions
4. Parokya ni Edgar - One Hit Combo (feat. Gloc-9)
5. Erik Santos - Sana Ikaw
6. Rivermaya - Nowhere to Run (feat. Julianne Tarroja)
7. Ginoong Vitalis - Pilit
8. Sarah Geronimo - Bakit Pa Ba
9. Maria Aragon - Born This Way
10. Yeng Constantino - Paniwalaan Mo

Chokepoint

So one thing I learned on our trip to Baguio was that aside from checkpoints,

there are also what we call chokepoints. We passed this one on our way back

to Manila; I'm just unable to determine the exact place where it's located.

OPC Song Picks [2011.11.06]

This week on the OPC Song Picks: MercyMe survives the onslaught of four new entries, Anne Curtis hits #1 on the Pinoy chart, and One Direction takes the right direction to land at the top of the Overall chart. Here's the British-Irish boyband from The X Factor with the music video for their debut single "What Makes You Beautiful," followed by this blog's latest Top 10 lists.

Overall Top 10
November 6-12, 2011

1. One Direction - What Makes You Beautiful
2. Girls' Generation - The Boys
3. Beyoncé - Love on Top
4. David Guetta - Without You (feat. Usher)
5. Simple Plan - Astronaut
6. We Are Leo - Live for Love
7. Brokedown Cadillac - Can You Hear Me
8. Blush - Undivided (feat. Snoop Dogg)
9. Enrique Iglesias - I Like How It Feels (feat. Pitbull & The WAV.s)
10. MercyMe - The Generous Mr. Lovewell

Pinoy Top 10
November 6-12, 2011

1. Anne Curtis - Tinamaan Ako
2. Juris - Kahit Di Mo Sabihin
3. Parokya ni Edgar - One Hit Combo (feat. Gloc-9)
4. Erik Santos - Sana Ikaw
5. Ginoong Vitalis - Pilit
6. Rivermaya - Nowhere to Run (feat. Julianne Tarroja)
7. Sarah Geronimo - Bakit Pa Ba
8. Maria Aragon - Born This Way
9. Yeng Constantino - Paniwalaan Mo
10. Erik Santos - Kulang Ako Kung Wala Ka

Touchdown Manila!

Airplane. On the plane, I initially enjoyed looking at the window, seeing the city lights. But as we moved farther away from Cebu, all I could see was the dark night sky. So I decided to take out the book lent by Godsend Debbie and read some Freaky Fact or Fiction: World Records. I also actually kind-of anticipated for an in-flight game, but as I found out, not all flights have one.

Airport. At NAIA, while waiting for mom who was on a later flight. I decided to see if they got free wi-fi services. Well, there were two public networks I could connect to, but none could provide internet access. I wonder why that is. Once mom arrived, we stepped outside only to confirm that the immediate exit to the terminal only had fixed rate and yellow cab taxis. Since Mom was rather in a hurry (and hungry), she opted to just take the more expensive yellow taxi to get to our next destination. To find out how to get a regular white taxi, check out this post.

V. Luna. The V. Luna General Hospital is quite relaxed and peaceful, unlike most hospitals. Maybe because it's exclusive for military personnel and their families. We went there to see my uncle (who is confined, but now fine enough and on his way to recovery) and aunt. We had breakfast at the hospital's canteen before going up to my uncle's ward. Where I could say that some hospitals may give you a feel that you'll get sicker staying there, this really is a place where one could recuperate. I was even able to take a comfortable short nap on a reclining chair (not sure how it is called).

Bus Terminal. We went to the Victory Liner bus terminal in Cubao after lunch. There was a long queue! (It doesn't help that we are lining up along with fellow passengers who will be going home to their provinces for Undas.) After more than an hour, we were finally able to secure 6pm bus tickets for Baguio. Since we had time to kill, we spent it at SM Cubao, before heading back to the bus terminal at around 5pm.

OPC Monthly Tally [October 2011]

After topping the weekly chart twice in October (thrice including the previous month), Christian electro-pop rock band We Are Leo tops this blog's latest monthly top picks. Listen to "Live for Love" below, then say Hello to the quartet by liking them on Facebook!

Overall Top 10
October 2011

1. We Are Leo - Live for Love
2. Avril Lavigne - Wish You Were Here
3. Bruno Mars - It Will Rain
4. Brokedown Cadillac - Can You Hear Me
5. Girls' Generation - The Boys
6. Kelly Clarkson - Mr. Know It All
7. Beyoncé - Love on Top
8. MercyMe - The Generous Mr. Lovewell
9. Jennifer Lopez - Papi
10. Blush - Undivided (feat. Snoop Dogg)

Pinoy Top 10
October 2011

1. Sarah Geronimo - Bakit Pa Ba
2. Parokya ni Edgar - One Hit Combo (feat. Gloc-9)
3. Rivermaya - Nowhere to Run (feat. Julianne Tarroja)
4. Yeng Constantino - Paniwalaan Mo
5. Maria Aragon - Born This Way
6. Juris - Kahit Di Mo Sabihin
7. Rachelle Ann Go - Masasabi Mo Ba
8. Erik Santos - Sana Ikaw
9. Ginoong Vitalis - Pilit
10. BBS - Pawiin (feat. Kean Cipriano & Jay Durias)

Dear Jollibee (Part 2)

Thank you for happily holding my water container for me.
(Here's Part 1 if you want to see it.)

OPC Song Picks [2011.10.30]

Looks like “The Generous Mr. Lovewell” is on its way out as he dips to #10 this week on this blog’s Overall Top 10. So before he exits, let me give the spotlight to him and MercyMe. Enjoy this video!

Overall Top 10
October 30-November 5, 2011

1. Girls' Generation - The Boys
2. Beyoncé - Love on Top
3. We Are Leo - Live for Love
4. Avril Lavigne - Wish You Were Here
5. Brokedown Cadillac - Can You Hear Me
6. Blush - Undivided (feat. Snoop Dogg)
7. Kelly Clarkson - Mr. Know It All
8. Bruno Mars - It Will Rain
9. The Fray - Heartbeat
10. MercyMe - The Generous Mr. Lovewell

Pinoy Top 10
October 30-November 5, 2011

1. Juris - Kahit Di Mo Sabihin
2. Parokya ni Edgar - One Hit Combo (feat. Gloc-9)
3. Erik Santos - Sana Ikaw
4. Ginoong Vitalis - Pilit
5. Sarah Geronimo - Bakit Pa Ba
6. Rivermaya - Nowhere to Run (feat. Julianne Tarroja)
7. Maria Aragon - Born This Way
8. Yeng Constantino - Paniwalaan Mo
9. Erik Santos - Kulang Ako Kung Wala Ka
10. Rachelle Ann Go - Masasabi Mo Ba