https://3speak.tv/watch?v=chichi18/vspelcvm
I hadn't been playing my guitar regularly for quite some time. However, yesterday, as I was trying to avoid doing household chores, I ended up spending most of my morning playing music on my guitar. My fingers started to get sore again as the calluses I had developed before from consistent playing had disappeared. It's like going back to the beginner phase, which I feel I'm always in. LOL.

Anyway, here it is, @zehn34. My 'Ere' cover. Bahala ka na dian. Hahaha!

This song is by JK (Juan Karlos) and has been trending back home in the Philippines, especially on TikTok. What went viral the most was the bit where he swears and the part where he sang the words Tatlong Bilyon (three billion)... and I think that's really satisfying and honest. JK is a very talented singer. I've been a fan since I saw him perform on The Voice PH way back in 2014 if I am not mistaken. He's been a total performer from the very beginning, I must say!

Have a good one you all. 😊🎸🎶🇵🇭

♥️

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=chichi18/rkrgplcp
As the summer holidays of 2023 begin, the road trip began too. I've put a lot of effort into my career over the past few years, so I feel like it's essential to take a break from it to travel, relax, and simply breathe. And yes, as they say, we are on honeymoon considering the fact that my hub and I haven't seen each other in almost four years because of COVID. Technically. Whatever.

Even though traveling by car is more comfortable and less prone to accidents, I think I would still opt to travel by motorbike on this road trip. Why? Well, riding a motorbike gives me that close-up connection to the destination I was headed for, and every turn and curve in the road makes me feel incredibly alive. Long road motorbiking as well gives me that sense of being in the present and I find it calm and soul rejuvenating. The smell of the trees, the breathtaking, lush view of the mountains, the roar of the rivers, the sounds of the swaying trees, and the noises of the many birds and insects were an absolute joy.

And the Banaue Rice Terraces, Hagdan-Hagdang Palayan ng Banawe as we say in Filipino, was our first stop. The ancestors of the Igorot tribe in Banaue, Ifugao, Philippines, carved these terraces by hand into the mountains 2000 years ago and were used to grow rice up until the present. Banaue is a small town situated in the province of Ifugao in the northern part of the Philippines. It is one of the biggest tourist spots in the country as well and is known as the "Eight Wonder of the World."

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=chichi18/etncnuoi
“Hokey Pokey, please!”, most of our kids always would request when we do our lunch club at work. Lunch Club is a time wherein some of our special needs children who aren't quite ready to interact with their peers during playtime gather. Some of them find being in a large group overwhelming, and some are still learning how to "behave appropriately," therefore the tasks assigned to them focus on those prerequisite skills. Singing and dancing are two activities that can help kids improve their listening and imitation abilities as we get them ready to interact with their peers in the future.

Apart from it being popular in our lunch club group, Hokey Pokey is a joyful dance, classic song for children. It is a song perfect to help the kids improve their imitation, listening and following instructions skills as well as expanding their vocabulary of directions and body parts. Fitness and coordination’s a goal to think of too! The song has a distinct tune as well, and I like how it makes extensive use of repetition by using the same exact phrases for each verse. The name of the body part is the only item that varies from verse to verse, which is a great aid for teaching kids about body parts. It is an engaging song that really gets everyone involved.

The song's complexity surprised me when I went to look it up, so I'm not sure where it exactly originated. In any case, I'm sharing along this link since I think the information is interesting.

And Here ‘s how it’s done in action by the Wiggles of course in case you wanna dance along. 😁

Song Title: Hokey Pokey

Lyrics

You put one hand in, you put one hand out

Whoa, the hokey pokey (the hokey pokey)

You put two hands in, you put two hands out

Whoa, the hokey pokey (the hokey pokey)

You take one foot in, you take one foot out

Whoa, the hokey pokey (hokey pokey)

You put two feet in, you put two feet out

Whoa, the hokey pokey (the hokey pokey)

You put your elbow in, you put your elbow out

Whoa, the hokey pokey (the hokey pokey)

You put your head in, you put your head out

Whoa, the hokey pokey (the hokey pokey)

You put whole body in, you put whole body out

Whoa, the hokey pokey (the hokey pokey)

Thank you @aly.squid, our chosen Spotlight Artist for this week for choosing a wonderful theme of ‘Musica para Niños’ which translates to Music for children in English.

Thank you @hiveopenmic

Thank YOU for being here!

♥️

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=chichi18/tpjynnhu
Many nations celebrate their independence from colonial powers. One of those countries that achieved independence from Spain after four centuries of colonial domination is my home sweet home, the Philippines, which we celebrate 12th of June every year. We Filipinos recall and celebrate the nation's arduous struggle for freedom. We support our nation's independence by encouraging nationalism while also honoring our own culture and traditions.

This year, if you ever celebrated one, how did you spend yours?

Unlike the majority of us Filipinos back home who takes the day off, I was working of course. Being an OFW (Overseas Foreign Worker) we don't celebrate it down here. Well, I have always been working on that particular day, since the past ‘I lost count’ years, but I do make an effort to check online news and stuff relating to it. Just a thought though, would it be fantastic if all Filipinos anywhere in the world, were obligated to take the day off as well? Hmmmm. But yeah, that would be too much I supposed, as we do have the day off when we celebrate Brunei’s National Day down here. Well, it was just wishful thinking, because why not right?! Haha

Then, I was reminded of the reggae band Tropical Depression and their song "Kapayapaan" as soon as I saw the @hiveph [contest] (https://peakd.com/hive-188409/@hiveph/hive-ph-contest-we-want-to-hear-your-songs-about-independence). ‘Kapayapaan’ in English means peace. I looked up an easier guitar version on YouTube and was glad to see that there are only three repeating chords. It looked easy and so I thought. Eeeek. The struggle came with the strumming. It took me numerous times to practice until I had enough as my fingers were sore already. I tried to make it sound reggae ‘er but it just won’t do. I don't think I will ever perfect this song, well not that I have one that is. LOL. I've listened to other musicians' covers, and I'm always in awe of how brilliantly they can play their guitars—it's as if they can knock on it and strum at the same time. It's so cool!

Back to the music we go. "Kapayapaan," which made its debut in the 1990s—exactly in 1994, according to Google—was a success back home. It has a catchy, energetic song and an enthusiastic, endearing feel that I adore. The song's lyrics, which call for peace and unity and encouraging listeners to dance together while holding hands and singing "Kapayapaan" (Peace) out loud, were both beautiful. It highlights the fact that despite our differences in our origins, experiences and culture, we share the same world and ought to work for peace. It is everyone's responsibility to work toward bringing about that world peace despite the differences. I particularly like how the song ends, reiterating that the world will eventually get united as one no matter how divided we might be if we join together as one.

THANK YOU for listening & reading!

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=chichi18/yfjtvizf
I recently came across the cover of "Don't Dream It's Over" by Miley Cyrus and Arianna Grande on Tiktok, and I thought I'd give it a shot. I also find it fitting for this week's Hive Open Mic theme of "Never Give Up," and it brought back memories of listening to my uncle, my dad's brother, blasting New Wave Hits way back. I, myself then somehow grew to love the 80s New Wave hits as well.

The song's title, 'Don't Dream It's Over' might mean one of two things: either don't dream that it's over because there may still be hope, or don't dream or stop dreaming since it's over. For me, I think it’s the former as when you look up the rest of the lyrics the song is about not giving up. It basically tells us the value of being with that someone who can allow you the freedom to dream and ultimately support your success.

Song Title: Don’t Dream Its Over

Lyrics

There is freedom within, there is freedom without

[Chorus]

[Verse 2]

[Chorus]

Thank you @ksam for the amazing theme of ‘Never Give Up’ this week

Thank you @hiveopenmic

Thank YOU for being here!

♥️

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=chichi18/yuvrxvvb
As I watched the Netflix series "Beef," I grew to love this song by Keane, "Somewhere Only We Know," even more. It was played at the end of Episode 8 during that moment wherein one of the main characters, Danny, was finally able to keep his promise to his parents to bring them back to America. When I looked it up I did not realize it’s a 2004 hit as I thought It was released around 2010 ish. An amazing friend here on Hive, @anna-newkey, had covered this last month here at Hive Open Mic too and she did mention me having a go at it after commenting I love the song. I find mine slow though and I should have done it a bit faster but my fingers are sore already as I had a bit of a struggle with transitioning to the Bm chord. I had to practice numerous times and that’s the best I have. I think. 😅

I chose this song because it reminds me of how much I enjoy being in nature and how I often fantasize about having a private hideaway. An enchanted river and forest where you may simply enjoy life without worrying about anything. Wishful huh?! But yeah, every time I hear this lovely song, that is exactly how I feel.

Lyrics

I walked across an empty land

Oh, simple thing, where have you gone?

I came across a fallen tree

Oh, simple thing, where have you gone?

And if you have a minute, why don't we go

Oh, simple thing, where have you gone?

And if you have a minute, why don't we go

This could be the end of everything

Lyrics Source here

Thank you for the beautiful theme of ‘In Love with Nature and Mother Earth’ @wizj

Thank you @hiveopenmic

Thank YOU for being here!

♥️

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=chichi18/quveyjyo
Don't Worry, Be Happy by Bobby Mc Ferrin is a classic song that I am sure most of us are very much familiar with. If I'm not mistaken, the song's distinctive whistle and hum seem to be recognized by everyone. Do you not?

It’s straightforward yet very powerful. The song's lyrics bring up relevant ideas like how everyone faces difficulties at some point, eventually urging listeners to maintain an optimistic mindset and be joyful as worrying will only make matters worse.

On the other hand, being worry-free does not imply that one doesn't care about their life or that they will fail. It just means having a cheerful view of life and letting go of unnecessary concerns. It's crucial to shift your attention from what you can't control to what you can create, focus on what matters most, let go of the rest, be happy, and have hope that everything will turn out for the best.

[Lyrics & Lyrics Source] (https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=Don%27t+Worry+Be+happy+lyrics&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8)

Thank you @jmis101 for the beautiful ‘Hopeful’ theme this week.

Thank you @hiveopenmic

Thank YOU for being here!

♥️

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=chichi18/oqalehkq
“YOU OKAY?”

Almost every day, especially at work, I come across this question, and my response, of course, depends on who is asking. If it's a close friend/colleague, I either shrug my shoulders, roll my eyes, or don't say anything at all. If they're lucky, I'll offer them my biggest and sweetest smile. Naturally, if it comes from the bosses, the response will always be a cheerful "Yup, all good," even if it's not always the case. LOL.

Yes, there are instances when being okay may be overvalued or ignored, but of course, we get to choose how we want things to go. Although being okay is what we all aspire to, there are times when it's equally fine to not be okay. Life is not always filled with sunshine and butterflies anyway. Finding something to do to work on it, is crucial. Appreciating and giving thanks for the good times more, to be modest, and learning from the bad is a great way too since that's when we grow stronger.

COFFEE

Lyrics & Lyrics Source Here

I first heard this song on Tiktok during the pandemic. It gained popularity on the underground, particularly after Powfu sampled it for his song Death Bed, Coffee for your Head . It is a light acoustic ballad written by and performed by Beabadoobee .

'Coffee' is so simple and catchy, and I adore it. Although I am aware that not everyone like coffee, I do, especially in the morning. Coffee completes my day and helps me feel good even when everything else around isn't.

Wonderful theme this week @maryjacy. Thank you.

Thank you @hiveopenmic

Thank YOU for being here!

♥️

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=chichi18/yupdosyb
Brotherhood immediately comes to mind when the word "Fraternity" is brought up. Brings back memories of my school days, when my friends and I always stuck together, watched out for one another, and didn't want to be apart because we wanted to support and be with each other all the time. Back then, friendship was valued highly, and just going down memory lane makes me smile and miss my 'biatches'. LOL

Ok, going back to the theme, Google revealed that it originates from the Latin word "Frater," which means "brother." Contrary to fraternities, we women do have sororities, but I believe that the emphasis on unity and one love is what makes them so valuable.

And so, this week I've made the choice to have a go at the old but gold ‘Stand By Me’ by Ben E. King. It is a very popular song and I think almost everyone knows or at least is familiar with it.

Whilst looking it up I found a website sharing more details about the song. You can look it up here if it does interests you that is.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to have that someone by your side who would support and encourage you no matter what?

Lyrics/Lyrics Source HERE

Thank you @guitarmcy for the amazing theme.

Thank you always @hiveopenmic

Thank YOU for being here!

♥️

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=chichi18/isyirlaj
‘I’ll be there for You’ by The Rembrandts is an iconic theme song from Friends. Friends and this song are inseparable, thus it's impossible to discuss Friends without bringing it up. At least in my case.

A rather catchy, straightforward song that I've always liked and didn't skip when it plays at the beginning of the show. As a matter of fact, I would turn up the volume for every episode's intro and sing my heart out. Every time. LOL.

"Friends" is a popular TV comedy series that debuted in 1994 and ran for ten seasons. The song I'll be there for You was a perfect fit for the series' theme because it centres on friendship. Like the song claims, the series does show that a friend "will be there" as a shoulder to lean on no matter what struggles one endures. Unquestionably a very positive quality of a good friend. And I bet each of us had or still has that friend in our lives.

Lyrics/Lyrics SourceHERE

@jesus-son, Thank you for choosing the lovely theme and for always dropping by and leaving a smile and words of support. I appreciate you.

@hiveopenmic for your existence, I'm grateful. My not-so-great singing and guitar-playing skills are always FUN to showcase here, and this community has always been incredibly encouraging.I have, of course, made new friends down here too.

And YOU of course for being here. Thank YOU!

Thumbnail Image screenshotted from @hiveopenmic and edited thru Canva

♥️