aj's life.

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT! and my sincere apologies...

2010-04-02T13:22:00.000-07:00

i am so so sorry that i havent written in here in what, 3 months? ive just been so busy, one thing after another, and whatever little break i have whether it be 3 days or 5, its mostly me recovering and trying to make videos for yall. anyway QUICK RECAP of whats been goin on since i stopped writing.

My American Heart THE FINAL TOUR was AMAZING. dream come true. seriously, the inspiration that band has given me over the years, especially at the beginning when i was first starting to take my music seriously-- i'll just never be able to repay them. but being their main support for their tour helped me kinda give back to them. it was SO fun. the whole band played with me, well Shiori for 2 dates, and my friend Steven Cole subbed in for Andrew Rhim when he couldn't make it. anyway, the experience was surreal, and i thank Jesse, Larry, Nick, Jake, and the crazy Dustin Hooke for that.

The Philippines Mission Trip came literally right after that. the day before i left, i invited Jesse Barrera to a fundraiser for the trip-- Project: LOVE. Jennifer Chung, Passion, Jenny Suk, and Jesse Barrera were featured that night, with appearances by Leejay and WongFu. big thanks to Mama D for putting it on.

The trip was ridiculously life-changing, and i wanna write a blog on that soon. videos are still up on bakitwhy.com/lovewillheal i believe, so check that out if you missed that whole thing! thank God for Twitter and FB status updates. seriously. feeding villages, and the Ondoy victims was the very thing i needed at the time, ya'll know how much the Typhoon affected me even though none of my family was affected.

after this came the music video shoot for "When We Say (Juicebox)"... an awesome 3 days with one of my old friends from middle school who came all the way from Honolulu to be the main actress, and of course WongFu productions. Ted couldn't make it out, but Wes and Phil did an amazing job of capturing my vision and they are definitely pros at what they do. i regret not having much to plan it out so we could have legitimate behind-the-scenes footage and photos, but ya'll won't be disappointed with the final product. a teaser will be released soon.

the next big thing was Vegas-- we went for my 21st birthday. we got a huge penthouse suite for one night at Bellagio, had all my friends pitch in, and the next 2 nights my mom got us a penthouse suite at this resort called Cancun which is like 5 mins away from the strip. had a meet and greet on the last day, and everyone sang happy birthday to me. thanks to everyone who made that weekend special for me.

and of course, in-between ALL of this is me playing for my church in Moreno Valley when i'm in town helping my mom direct the choir, our bff ANDREW GARCIA being on AMERICAN IDOL, and of course, plenty of shows. and there's only been 2 weekends where i haven't had a show since April 2009, and that was Thanksgiving and Christmas. i am so thankful to these concert producers and student orgs who put the shows together and are able to fly me out to travel the world, i'm so blessed to be doing this at my age. this year so 2010 i've visited Boston, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, the Philippines, Hawaii, Nevada, and Northern California (many times). more to come! check out my MYSPACE and YouTube videos for upcoming shows.

arite, so ya'll ready for the big announcement?!

alright. thanks to the 2 of you who said yes.

haha

APRIL 21st is a BIG DAY for me, and hopefully for some of y'all!!! i'm releasing 3, yes THREE, songs on iTunes-- well ONE you already might have, so i guess i'm releasing 2, yes TWO songs on iTunes!

it's called the JUICEBOX EP

it contains full band versions of:

SHOWSTOPPER
WHEN WE SAY (JUICEBOX)
& I JUST WANT YOU

another big part of the announcement is that on April 21st, i will ALSO be releasing, along with WongFu productions, the "When We Say (Juicebox)" Music Video!

so happy & proud & blessed to be able to share all this with you. thank you.

ooo and i got a new camera, its the Canon Rebel T2i =] so expect some amazing quality videos haha. hopefully the content will be just as good as the picture quality.

love you guys so much,
AJ

#TeamAndrewGarcia

My Missions Trip to the Philippines

2010-01-25T17:20:00.000-08:00

Myself and the Mahal Foundation will be doing a missions excursion to the Philippines from February 1-8. This will be 7 days of serving the poor and the needy, learning about the filipino culture, and helping victims of the recent typhoon ondoy.

I raised over $1,500 for the Typhoon victims online via uStream, hope ya'll remember that broadcast #HealPhilippines, and instead of giving it to a huge organization, I have decided to directly use that money to give the victims of Ondoy items such as but not limited to water, blankets, and food.

help me raise money for my trip =]

the counter was not updating in realtime so i just put a donate button instead -- *all goes to the same place

thank you SO MUCH, from the bottom of my heart =]

means so much. i'm sorry i havent blogged in a while, i just have been so busy with shows, Music Speaks, and this Philippines trip. i love ya'll

AJ

happy new year...

2009-12-31T21:11:00.001-08:00

so i'm playing poker with my family right now. finding time to write my last blog of the year. not gonna be too epic... but just really wanted to thank you guys for everything this year. so much has happened... playing my first shows with my new band, shiori noah and andrew i love you so much, the release of my music video My Soldier with MOVeMEDIA productions-- scott thanks man, met so many people at Berklee that have continued to stay my close friends, leaving Berklee/Boston was one of the hardest decisions of my life but I'm glad i came back to California...

after my time at Berklee came summer 2009, pretty awesome-- i met Jenny Suk, played a show every weekend till last weekend actually but thats when it started (my first break was Thanksgiving and then last weekend for Gabe's one night only concert), and at the same time playing these shows i was cast the lead role in the musical Footloose at RCC, rehearsal every day from 3-9, it was pretty tiring. after that was done, i had to start promoting Music Speaks, 2 benefit concerts for Autism Speaks-- and had a month left to do it. but it came together, and during the month i was promoting, i recorded 3 tracks with my band-- Showstopper, I Just Want You, and When We Say which will be officially released Spring next year.

ever since Music Speaks, i said to myself i would take it easy on myself, but shows kept coming up and of course i wasn't saying no, i wanted to play as much as possible while i still could. during all these shows, i got closer to many other YT artists, and met some awesome people like Quest Crew, Fareast Movement, BarkadaInc, and MORE. though i was tired, i still kept going, and during this time of stressin out playing shows-- the Typhoon in the Philippines hit. i knew i had to do something, and though it was tough for me with everything going on at once, along with personal problems i was having with my family, i pushed through and knew that God wasn't gonna put anything on me that i couldn't handle. though i was physically and emotionally exhausted, i knew that i HAD to keep going... raising awareness, playing benefits, raising money, gathering artists, and just praying as much as i could for the victims of the Typhoon. and at the same time Music Speaks Arizona had just popped up in the itinerary and am so glad that i was able to help people in the Philippines AND help Autistic families at the same time. it's just such a blessing to have so many people supporting you and helping. i've learned to not just take the load myself, but to trust in others that want to help you achieve your goal.

with this year coming to an end, i'll say i have a lot to be thankful for. and i truly am grateful for all of it. of course i am open to many more blessings-- if God has more plans for me i will take them on. but if 2009 was the end of all the success that came my way-- honestly, i would say to God, "Thank you, and I'm so happy to have had the honor to serve you through music, and everything I've done was to serve others, and most especially You".

im not gonna sit here and wish 2010 was better. although i do have a feeling it will be a HUGE year ( ;] ), i'm just thankful for 2009 and what it has brought me.

love you all,

watch the WHOLE video! =]

ps here's the winning tweet to my contest.
@RIKUC0UTURE#MM "I Just Want You by #AJRAFAEL now avail on amazon/iTunes!I Support his music cuz he worked 4rm da ground up&made sumthing out of himself.

here are a couple that cathy jenny and jasmine helped me pick out that just stuck out =]

@koolerbeans#MM "I Just Want You by #AJRAFAEL now avail on Amazon/iTunes! i support his music bc he not only has talent, but has HEART, which is rare.

@Jer0meskee#MM "I Just Want U by #AJRAFAEL now avail on Amazon/iTunes!I support his music bc he's the person dat gives us da power 2 step out & try

@Amarith"I Just Want You" by #AJRAFAEL now avail on Amazon/iTunes! I support his music because HE HELPED CREATE "MUSIC 2.0"

@djaee#MM @ajrafael "I Just Want You by #AJRAFAEL now avail on Amazon/iTunes! i support his music because god gave it to him to make a difference.

@iRaeee#MM I Just Want You by #AJRAFAEL now avail on Amazon/iTunes! iSupport hisMUSIC cuz His Music Speaks For Those Who Cant Speak For Themselves.

@pamiloser#MM "I Just Want You by #AJRAFAEL now avail on Amazon/iTunes! i support his music bcause it helps reassure me that MUSIC IS LIFE's heartbeat

when your hard work is appreciated and noticed, you can't help but to be proud of yourself-- nothin' wrong with that =]

AJ

91st post...

2009-11-23T16:40:00.000-08:00

it has been a while. i apologize. there's a lot that's been going on and i haven't had a break in so long. i mean there was footloose, recording with my band, music speaks weekend, shows every weekend inbetween all this, trying to raise money for the walk for autism, trying to raise awareness for the typhoon that came unexpectedly, the walk for autism, and having a family troubles at home. this is my first weekend since summer without a show... im exhausted.

as of right now, i'm on a plane owned by Virgin America. they've teamed up with this company GoGo to put WiFi on planes (apparently it's not that new of a concept) and they are making it free on their planes for the holidays. so here i am in the window seat, watching 500 days of summer on the screen mounted on the seat in front of me, sitting with no one next to me in the middle seat and the smell of chex mix coming from a bigger dude sitting in the aisle seat. life is good right now in this moment. no distractions, just me spending time with myself, allowing my thoughts to finally settle and just relax.

next week i'll be in Arizona for ASU's MUSIC SPEAKS:ARIZONA on 12/4 (they decided to take on the name since they booked me to perform and half the proceeds are now going to Autism Speaks) and then UCBerkeley on 12/5 for a mission medical benefit concert. the week after that i'll be in Canada once again for a concert in Calgary on the 12th with Gabe Bondoc and Edmonton on the 13th for a solo show.

other than being busy with music, things are good. i met some amazing people these past 6 months through youtube, at shows, and out of state. God has blessed me with amazing friends and they've helped me so much on my journey towards my goal. and what is my goal you might ask? to share my music with the world, like the whole world. not even exaggerating.

if you'd like to help with my goal, i have this song MidKnight i just posted on YouTube and it'd be awesome if you could help me spread it around! word of mouth is still the best tool of promotion in the entertainment industry. =) also i have a big announcement...

"I JUST WANT YOU" the aj rafael band version [which is up on my myspace] is going to be on iTunes on November 27th (this friday, black friday). so please please tell everyone you know and especially people who don't know my music!

shoutouts to Tito Nonito "Pops" from the PnoyApparel Company up chillin with the big guy up above now. i just played piano for his funeral this morning and memorial service last night and it was touching to see how loved he was and the legacy he left on this earth.

love yall, and here are 3 new videos for you guys.

a special thank you to all who attended the Walk for Autism for TEAM MUSIC SPEAKS. my nephew nathan was very happy to be there and it was a lot of fun. thank you so much!

AJ

Two Is Better Than One - BLG ft Taylor Swift with my good friend Kina Grannis

IYAZ - Replay w JR Aquino & Andrew Garcia

MidKnight by AJ Rafael

WALK DAY!

2009-11-13T21:47:00.001-08:00

When:

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Where:
Angel Stadium of Anaheim
2000 Gene Autry Way
Anaheim, CA 92806

Walk Route Details:
The stage will be located between the "Two Big Hats" and our registration will be immediately to the right. Our Walk Route is one mile in distance; and you're invited to do 1, 2 or even 3 loops of the course. We'll have water and entertainment along the course. The course will give walkers the opportunity to view the inside ball field area of Angel Stadium. This walk is non-competitive – please come prepared to enjoy a casual day in the community for families, friends and children.

Schedule:
Registration Opens 8:00 AM
Opening Ceremonies 9:30 AM
Walk Begins 10:00 AM
Community Resource Fair Open 8:00 AM-1:00 PM

Parking:
Ample parking is free and available at Angel Stadium. Parking attendants will be on site. Please enter through the Orangewood gate.

Directions:

From Newport Beach and Costal Areas:
1. Take the I-5 North exit on the right towards Los Angeles Drive 0.7 miles
2. Merge onto I-5 North Drive 3.0 miles
3. Follow the signs to stay on I-5 North Drive 0.5 miles
4. Take the CA-57 North exit on the Right towards Pomona Drive 0.5 miles
5. Merge onto CA-57 North Drive 1.2 miles
6. Take the Orangewood Ave exit on the Right. Drive 0.2 miles
7. Turn Left onto Orangewood Ave Drive 0.3 miles and enter destination

From South Orange County
1. Take the I-805 North
2. Follow the signs to stay on I-805 North
3. I-805 North becomes I-5 North Drive 1.3 miles
4. Follow the signs to stay on I-5 North Drive 18.6 miles
5. Follow the signs to stay on I-5 North Drive 33.5 miles
6. Follow the signs to stay on I-5 North Drive 8.7 miles
7. Follow the signs to stay on I-5 North Drive 2.1 miles
8. Follow the signs to stay on I-5 North Drive 10.7 miles
9. Follow the signs to stay on I-5 North Drive 0.5 miles
10. Take the CA-57 North exit on the Right towards Pomona Drive 0.5 miles
11. Merge onto CA-57 North Drive 1.2 miles
12. Take the Orangewood Ave. exit on the Right. Drive 0.2 miles
13. Turn left onto Orangewood Ave. Drive 0.3 miles and enter destination.

FAQ – Walk Day

Are pets allowed at the walk?
Sorry, but pets are not allowed. The reason is two-fold. We are expecting on the upwards of 5,000 people on Walk day and need to maintain organization of space – this is also for the safety of your pet. In addition, many affected children have a fear of animals and even the sweetest pet could cause a meltdown for someone else’s child. Please be sensitive to this issue and leave your pets at home. Only service dogs are permitted into the walk.

Are strollers and wheelchairs allowed at the walk?
Yes. Strollers, wheelchairs and even wagons for the little ones are all welcome!

Are bikes, rollerblades, scooters or skateboards allowed at the walk?
For everyone's safety, we cannot allow any of these items.

I may not make it to the walk when Check-In/Registration opens, can I arrive late?
Sure, Check-in will be open until the walk concludes. We suggest that you check-in when first arriving. Please go directly to the Registration area when you arrive.

What happens if it rains on the day of the walk?
Our events take place rain or shine! We will still be at the venue to collect donations and thank our participants, and our Community Resource Fair vendors will be available. However, due to safety concerns, the Walk itself may not take place, always check our walk home page for any updated announcements www.walknowforautism.org/orangecounty.

What do I need to bring with me the morning of the walk?
If you have donations to turn in, there will be envelopes available. If you have not yet registered online, you can fill out a registration form and envelope at the Registration area on the day of the event. However, we encourage you to register online ahead of time! This not only helps us to get a better headcount for Walk Day, but will make check-in that much easier for you on the day of the Walk.

Also, plan to bring some money if you would like to purchase a plated lunch from Smokin’ Mo’s or if you plan to purchase items available for sale in our resource fair.

How does Check-In work?
We hope that you will find registration to be a smooth and easy process. Each of our 16 registration stations will be equipped to serve any type of registrant. Approach a station that is available and let them know if you are there to; turn in additional donations, collect your tee shirt ticket if you have raised over $150, collect your Grand Club wrist band if you have raised over $1,000, or if you are coming to register with us for the first time. You will find Registration conveniently located under one of the two “big red hats” that decorate the front of Angel Stadium. Please note that online registration will close on Friday, November 13th at 5:00pm, so that we have time to compile records for our registration personnel on the day of.

Do I need to check-in even if I am not turning in additional donations at the walk?
Yes, we want to make sure we have event waivers signed by all participants.

DONATE DONATE DONATE TO AUTISM!

2009-11-04T12:39:00.000-08:00

the funds from the ChipIn widget have now been transferred to the WALK FOR AUTISM website.
thank you for your donations=]

if you are donating more than $20 go here: WALK FOR AUTISM

thanks so much
AJ

Donate To TEAM MUSIC SPEAKS for AUTISM!

2009-10-25T16:15:00.000-07:00

Walk for Autism 2009

Angel Stadium of Anaheim 

2000 Gene Autry Way 

Anaheim, CA 92806

Check-In is at 8:00AM

Walk starts at 9:30AM

Event info at walknowforautism.org

JOIN OUR TEAM: TEAM MUSIC SPEAKS!

MUSIC SPEAKS: The Mission

By AJ Rafael & Jasmine Rafael

TEAM MUSIC SPEAKS has an important mission, aiming to spread awareness about Autism, and encourage action that would improve the conditions of the lives and families that it affects. A personal experience that inspired this goal is when my nephew, Nathan, was diagnosed with Autism when he was about two years old. Despite his condition, Nathan is a loving, fun, and active child who is very responsive to all of us, and is born with the love of music and dance. The more we love and watch over Nathan as he grows older, the more frustrating it can be knowing that his peers will never fully understand his situation, and these misunderstandings could lead to prejudice and pain for him throughout his life. "Music Speaks" means utilizing the gifts of Music and Dance to inspire those fortunate enough to be born without autism to speak out for those who were, by being aware of their condition and taking action towards improving their living conditions and perhaps even uncovering the mystery behind its cause.

Did you know…

• 1 in 150 children is diagnosed with autism

• 1 in 94 boys is on the autism spectrum

• 67 children are diagnosed per day

• A new case is diagnosed almost every 20 minutes

• Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the U.S.

• Autism receives less than 5% of the research funding of many less prevalent childhood

diseases

• Boys are four times more likely than girls to have autism

• There is no medical detection or cure for autism

(note: if you are donating less than $20 you cannot donate through the website, please donate using the widget above)

How to join TEAM MUSIC SPEAKS:

-visit www.walknowforautism.org/orangecounty

o click on “register”

o then click “join a team”

o select “Music Speaks

o follow on-screen instructions

How to donate to TEAM MUSIC SPEAKS:

-If you are a member

o Log in and donate online

-If you are not a member

o Donate through MySpace.com/AJRafael or ajrafael.blogspot.com using the “Walk for Autism” Widget

§ Use your PayPal account or Credit Card

o Mail your payment (make checks payable to Autism Speaks and make sure to write Team Music Speaks on memo line)

§ AJ Rafael – Team Music Speaks
12625 Frederick St
STE I-5 #303
Moreno Valley, CA

o Give cash donation to a member for them to bring to the walk and/or turn in online

-Any additional donations you can bring to the walk

Guideline to raising $250 for Team Music Speaks

Put in your own contribution of $25………… $25

Ask your significant other for $25…………… $50

Ask a friend for $25………………………..…. $75

Ask a neighbor for $25…………………….…. $100

Ask a relative for $25………………………… $125

Ask your boss or a coworker for $25………. $150

Ask your doctor for $25……………………… $175

Ask your hair stylist or barber for $25……… $200

Ask your local merchant for $25………….… $225

Ask your dentist for $25………………...…… $250

Thank you all so much. It means the a whole to me. God bless...

UPCOMING SHOWS!!!

2009-10-22T11:47:00.000-07:00

friendship games halftime show. 10/24 at 1PM w/Lydia Paek & more

MAKE MUSIC FOUNDATION T.U.N.E. 10/24 (same night):

Arcadia Presbyterian Church. It is located at:

121 Alice Ave

Arcadia, CA 91006

Doors will open at 7:00.

-Featuring local Arcadia talent

-Special guests: AJ Rafael, Jennifer Chung, Feats in Inches, Paige Stark, Sam Hart, Clara Chung, and Tom Ngo

-Ticket price: $10 presale/will call, $12 at the door

How will call works: FOR WILL CALL, the purchaser(s) can email us at MAKEMUSICFOUNDATION@GMAIL.COM, and leave their name, school, and birthdate so that we can identify them on the night of the concert.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=140473777818

OCTOBER 27th: SPAHM Showcase @ CalState Northridge

FREE EVENT ft.

zoo crew, jonathan bechere, tasha mendez, v.ent, & more

7PM to 11PM

CSU Northridge Performing Arts Center

October 29th: UCI w/Gabe Bondoc! Pilipino American History Month Closing Ceremony

Location: UC Irvine Student Center - Crystal Cove Auditorium
Date: Thursday, October 29th, 2009
Event start: 7:00pm
Event end: 10:00pm

NOVEMBER 1st: Fil-Am History Month's Closing Ceremony at University of Florida

7:00pm at the Reitz Union Amphitheatre at UF

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

more to come! thanks yall <3

Benefit Concert with Lea Salonga, Quest, & more!

2009-10-20T15:19:00.000-07:00

please come support! all ages event! ya'll already know there will be lots of old filipinos there so please come support all the artists and most especially the cause, we need to involve the youth!

“WE ARE ONE!” BENEFIT CONCERT FOR

TYPHOONS ONDOY & PARMA VICTIMS TO INCLUDE STAR-STUDDED LINEUP OF PERFORMERS RAISING FUNDS FOR ON-GOING DISASTER RELIEF

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Glendale , California – October, 2009 - “We Are One!”, a one-night only benefit concert to raise funds for typhoons Ondoy and Parma disaster relief in the Philippines, will be held on Thursday, October 22 at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, California beginning at 6:00pm. Typhoon Ondoy violently struck Manila and portions of neighboring provinces on September 25 causing massive flooding and more devastation than Hurricane Katrina. Hundreds of people have died with many more still missing and hundreds of thousands have been displaced by the destruction to homes and property. Just last week, typhoon Parma devastated the mountain regions of Northern Luzon , causing landslides and additional flooding and adding to the on-going fatality count.

The evening will include appearances by actress/singer NIA PEEPLES (“Fame”, “Walker Texas Ranger” “ North Shore ”) and actor MARK DACASCOS (ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars”, “The Crow”). Scheduled to perform are legendary singer and actress KUH LEDESMA, actors/singers/musicians THE BASCO BROTHERS, spoken word artist ARIANNA BASCO, singer TORI BERBA, actor/singer/comedian/director BERNARDO BERNARDO, jazz vocalist MON DAVID, LITO VILLAREAL and ANTOINE REYNALDO DIEL of the “Three Filipino Tenors”, R&B singer/songwriter J-RICZ, Pinoy pop/rock band THE INTROVOYS, singers BAMBI LOPEZ and MARICAR CABRERA, modern dance artist JOANNE MALLILLIN, acapella group PRIME NOTE ENSEMBLE, “YouTube” sensation singer/songwriter/musician AJ RAFAEL, heavy metal band SCARRED, rising singing sensation EDSEL GODWIN SOTIANGCO, singer/actress ANTOINETTE TAUS, performer LARA AVENGOZA ,student group USC TROY PHILIPPINES and contemporary Christian group BOCES.

“America’s Best Dance Crew” champions QUESTCREW (Season 3) and WE ARE HEROES (newly crowned champions of Season 4) will be on hand as well as Tony Award winning singer and actress LEA SALONGA, to perform a couple of songs. “So many artists contacted me when typhoon Ondoy hit asking if they could be a part of a benefit to raise monies for disaster relief,” said producer/director Ted Benito, “that the response from our Filipino and Filipino-American talent has been overwhelming. Thank goodness there have been and will continue to be many benefits and fundraisers for our talent to participate. Everyone has been so giving of their time and talent and Lea Salonga was so kind and gracious to take time from her current tour to be with us that evening.”

Hosts for “We Are One!” include KTLA News anchor CHER CALVIN, acclaimed Philippine director MICHAEL DE MESA and actress, singer, dancer, model GISELLE TONGI. “You can expect a few surprise guests,” hinted Benito, “but the main reason we are there is to raise funds for the victims of typhoons Ondoy and Parma .” JANNELLE SO, the host and producer of KSCI’s “Kababayan L.A.” who will emcee a part of the evening, is also organizing a silent auction at the Alex Theatre with all the proceeds going to the Kapuso Foundation. “So far, we have a wonderful creation from designer Oliver Tolentino, art pieces, fantastic jewelry and gift baskets,” said So, “and there are more items being donated everyday. Hopefully, we can add a lot more to the net proceeds from the concert.”

GMA Pinoy TV’s Jush Andowitt contacted Benito last week when he heard “We Are One!” was going to be produced and offered to tape the benefit for broadcast on GMA Pinoy TV. “We are excited about being a part of this concert,” said Andowitt “because we will have the opportunity to televise it, beginning first with our affiliate stations in the U.S. and Canada , and then afterwards, through our GMA Pinoy TV affiliates around the globe. We want to show the concert so we can solicit additional donations for direct disaster relief through GMA Pinoy TV’s Kapuso Foundation.” In addition, PNB-RCI (Philippine National Bank) Remittance Services will be on hand at the concert to process direct remittances of donations to the Philippines . “Audience members can remit donations to the Kapuso Foundation on the spot,” explained Andowitt, “and those who are not ready can just walk into any PNB branches and remit to the Kapuso Foundation with all charges waived until Saturday, October 31.” One hundred percent of the net proceeds from the concert and silent auction will be donated to the Kapuso Foundation for direct assistance for the victims.

Tickets will be available at the ALEX THEATRE BOX OFFICE on FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16 by calling 818-243-2539 , by visiting their website at WWW.ALEXTHEATRE.ORG or by visiting the Alex Theatre Box Office (Wednesdays through Sundays at 216 North Brand Boulevard, Glendale, California 91203). Mastercard, Visa and AmEx cards welcome. Additional tickets and information as well as reservations are available by calling the “We Are One!” ticket hotline at 818-433-6711.

###

WHAT: “We are One!” A concert to benefit victims of typhoons Ondoy and Parma

with Lea Salonga, Kuh Ledesma, Nia Peeples, Mon David, Bernardo Bernardo, ABDC Crews “QuestCrew” and “We Are Heroes”, The Basco Brothers, Arianna Basco, Antoinette Taus, Maricar Cabrera, The Introvoys, Bambi Lopez, J-Ricz, Edsel Godwin Sotiangco, Tori Berba, Prime Note Ensemble, Joanne Mallillin, Boses, USC Troy Philippines, Lito Villareal, Lara Avengoza, Scarred, Antoine Reynaldo Diel, AJ Rafael, Cher Calvin, Giselle Tongi, Michael de Mesa and Jannelle So.

WHEN: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2009 at 7:00pm

WHERE: The Alex Theatre

216 North Brand Boulevard , Glendale , CA. 91203

TICKETS: $25.00, $35.00, Limited $50.00 VIP

ON SALE , FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2009 at the ALEX THEATRE BOX OFFICE

818.243.ALEX or via website at WWW.ALEXTHEATRE.ORG

MASTERCARD, VISA, AMERICAN EXPRESS ACCEPTED

TICKET HOTLINE: 818.433.6711

DONATE!

2009-09-29T18:41:00.000-07:00

let's give a hand to the people in the philippines who have been affected by this terrible natural disaster, Typhoon Ondoy.

Thanks guys so much.
http://ustream.tv/channel/ajrafael

#HealPhilippines

we're trying to get it to trend!

AJ

it's been a while...

2009-09-23T21:58:00.000-07:00

a lot has happened since the last time i really sat down and blogged, and i apologize for not keeping ya'll updated. but you guys know ive been busy with footloose and music speaks since i've been back here in cali. now that i'm back in cali, i've been playing shows every weekend after music speaks and it's been real busy! i'll try to write as much as i can in this blogspot every so often. but for now i need your help.

WALK NOW FOR AUTISM

as you might know, i put on a concert last month called Music Speaks. it was a 2-day event with artists such as Gabe Bondoc, Passion, and Quest Crew, and my band! and many other talented people who also are some of my very close friends. to everyone that came through and donated to the cause: thank you SO much, you've helped us put up a successful concert and spread awareness about Autism to a great amount of people.

we're now going beyond just the concert. we're walking for Autism on November 14, 2009 at the Anaheim Angels Stadium. all the details are here at http://walknowforautism.org

i made a team called TEAM MUSIC SPEAKS. and i need your help. walk with us and/or donate to the cause by going to http://walknowforautism.org/orangecounty/musicspeaks

we need to recruit at least 100 walkers and are trying to raise 15,000 dollars for Autism! please help us raise more money for this cause, as you know is very personal to me because my older sister's son, Nathan, has Autism and we need to help to fund research into finding a cure for this disorder.

tell everyone you can please! through twitter, youtube, myspace, facebook, whatever you can think of!

--note--
on the website you cannot donate less than $20. if you want to donate less than $20 please send the check/money (payable to Autism Speaks) to my PO box and i'll make sure to donate it with our Team. write your name (if it happens to be your parents' check) on the bottom left hand corner of the check so i can write your name down on our list of contributors too!

here's the P.O. Box:
AJ Rafael
12625 Frederick St
Ste. I-5 #303
Moreno Valley, CA 92553

thanks SO MUCH ya'll!!! let's do this big!!!

-AJ

Happy Birthday Dad!

2009-09-05T23:18:00.000-07:00

i'm sorry i've been MIA. but today's a special day... well its about to be over but heres an email my Auntie Viol wrote about my father, her brother, that she sent to all our family. just so you guys have an idea about who he was, and how great of a legacy he left my family and i.

God’s blessings folks!,

Today is the Birthday of my beloved brother Arturo Sacramento Rafael, Jr. The name alone is great! King Arthur , .Sacramento, 7 Sacraments. which is very sacred, while Rafael, San Rafael, a saint, the archangel, the bearer of good news, the Healer in the Catholic faith.

Now, I fully understand why Junior was always surrounded by beautiful girls during his student days, because aside from his God-given musical talents, he had a gentle spirit and “muy caballero” and probably the girls looked at him as their knight like King Arthur, a 5th and 6th British Chieftain.

King Arthur. presided over the famous Round Table which assembled a band of “Chosen Knights.” The adventures of these knights form the subject-matter of numerous romances in the Arthurian Cycle. His court is the model court for the cultivation of every knight’s virtue.

Wherever he was, whether inside the classroom or outside, in the campus, pretty girls were flocking around him. Why?, aside from being the only male student of mine at that time, secondly he was oozing with God’s-given gifts. He was the Choir Director of almost every college in the University. Name it folks!, Conservatory of Music, Liberal Arts, Nursing, Optometry, etc. A beautiful student of mine, a sister of a popular actress showed her admiration by exclaiming: “If Arthur would only show me, even a little affection, I would be the one to make the marriage proposal.”

But despite the fact that numerous beautiful-talented girls were linked to him, (I should know, I was his confident, mentor and best friend (next to his wife Shirley, of course!) the one and only true love of him, whom he married in the Catholic Church is the mother of AJ (Arthur), a song-writer, producer, singer, composer, arranger, choir director, band leader, instrumentalist, etc.
“Sinakop ng lahat.” Jasmine, plays violin and a very good dancer, Justine does ballet dancing.
Shirley, the singing nurse, a very hard-working and dedicated mother, who is every child’s dream to be his/her mother. I am not surprised to be informed that one song of AJ has more than a million hits in “Youtube.com/ajrafael” also in myspace. AJ’s music is a permanent fixture in our place. Richard and Rommel, most especially Richard always listen and watch AJ’s video.
AJ could have written more songs than Michael Jackson! Everywhere here, be it in the car, inside the house, etc. it’s AJ you’ be seeing and hearing. I often get so nostalgic…wishing…I wish Junior were here, he would certainly be proud of his son. I was very proud of Junior, I still do, as he was of me.

Junior was everybody’s favorite, Lola Edang favorite grandchild, Dico Channing’s (ma’s brother who sent all his sisters Tita Juaning, Del, and Floring to school)., Ma’s favorite son, every nephew’s and niece ‘s favorite uncle.

I was so touched when Papa said that if he could only see Junior perform in public, professionally conducting a choir, he could afford to die the next day! Ate Zen was screaming: “Bakit hindi pa ako ang kinuha, si Junior pa! AJ was barely 10 years old then, Jasmine about 8 or 9 while Justine was 6 months old.

I kept on asking the Lord , Who is a Promise Maker and A Promise Keeper. …Why? up to the present time the same question…why, Lord? Why did you take him so early? He could still do a lot of things for you…, for mankind. I wasn’t prepared for his early and untimely demise. I had so many dreams, plans, aspirations for my beloved younger brother.

As if at a glance I saw the words: “He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6

Junior was given the honor to continue PAPA’s good work… now AJ will bring to completion/perfection the good work Jesus Christ began in Junior’s life. I am assured that Junior is somewhere up above there…waving, smiling, beaming, watching with pride the family he left behind, temporarily here on earth…commending Shirley…good work “der.” I love all of you!

To be continued.

Love, Peace and Prayers,

Ate/Tita Viol
Phil 4:13
5 Sept. 05

with love,
AJ

a new chapter...

2009-08-06T11:15:00.000-07:00

so footloose is over! those 6 weeks of hard work and learning to dance was one of the hardest things i've had to go through (performing wise) but it was all worth it in the end. if you didnt go you missed out! and i'm mad at you! haha jk.. no but foreal... you missed out.

so with my project "MUSIC SPEAKS" coming up, i got so much to do. my band is coming in today (minus andrew rhim) and we're gonna practice for next week cuz we're recording 3 tracks at a studio!!! =]] i'm excited. andrew's comin down with us monday morning cuz me noah and shiori and rb are going to the Bay to visit this weekend! =]

noah comes in in like an hour and shiori comes in at night around 1030pm. i'm excited! woow! also if you were wondering how FAP went.. it was great. so many talented people. and so many good memories.

hope you guys are excited about MUSIC SPEAKS. thanks for all your help so far, i'll have a donation button soon for you guys to donate to the cause. thanks yall.

heres the new flyer i designed.

love yall.
AJ

Footloose! The Musical

2009-07-28T22:14:00.001-07:00

so i got the lead role at a production of Footloose! the Musical at Riverside City College. i've been workin super hard on my dancing and singing and dancing and singing at the same time... haha its been a long six weeks preparing for this show. it'd be awesome if you came out.

come see me as Ren McCormack!

Footloose The Musical
Riverside City College
Riverside, CA
Landis Performing Arts Theatre
951 222 8100 for tickets!

July 30, 31 at 7pm
August 1 at 2pm

Thanks yallllll!

quick synopsis
Footloose is a 1984 American musical film that tells the story of Ren McCormack, played by Kevin Bacon, a teenager who was raised in Chicago. McCormack moves to a small town where the local government has banned dancing and rock music. Ren and his classmates want to have a senior prom with music and dancing. They must figure out a way to get around the law and Reverend Shaw Moore, played by John Lithgow, who blames rock music's influence for the death of his first child.

that's the movie synopsis LOL

AJ

MUSIC SPEAKS!!!

2009-07-21T00:46:00.000-07:00

i need your help!

i'm producing a concert along with some of my friends RB, Dustin, & Krissy and we need help with sponsorships.

Here is the synopsis of the mission of MUSIC SPEAKS!

About MUSIC SPEAKS: The Mission
By AJ Rafael & Jasmine Rafael
"Music Speaks" has an important mission, aiming to spread awareness about Autism, and encourage action that would improve the conditions of the lives and families that it affects. A personal experience that inspired this goal is when my nephew, Nathan, was diagnosed with Autism when he was about two years old. Despite his condition, Nathan is a loving, fun, and active child who is very responsive to all of us, and is born with the love of music and dance. The more we love and watch over Nathan as he grows older, the more frustrating it can be knowing that his peers will never fully understand his situation, and these misunderstandings could lead to prejudice and pain for him throughout his life. "Music Speaks" means utilizing the gifts of Music and Dance to inspire those fortunate enough to be born without autism to speak out for those who were, by being aware of their condition and taking action towards improving their living conditions and perhaps even uncovering the mystery behind its cause.

this concert benefits Autism Speaks, a charity dedicated to funding global biomedical research into the causes, prevention, treatments, and cure for autism.

please spread the word.

The event is a 2-day event: August 28th and 29th, 2009.

August 28th will be the main event called MUSIC SPEAKS! featuring the AJ Rafael Band, MVCC, and other amazing acts! and the 29th will be a follow-up entitled MUSIC SPEAKS: unplugged (featuring acoustic performances by Melissa Polinar, Cathy Nguyen & More)

here's the Sponsorship Letter link!
http://glowing-vision.net/musicspeaks.doc

thanks so much! and if you need any other information or anything like that, message me on myspace or email ajrafaelmusic@gmail.com with "MUSIC SPEAKS" as the subject.

love you all,
AJ

fatherly love

2009-06-21T14:07:00.000-07:00

I do realize its been almost a month since I've updated. I do apologize.

Just a quick happy fathers day to all fathers. Esp my father up in heaven and andrew garcia, one of my best friends. Well... what's been up w me lately? I started a disney series on youtube. Check those vids out. There's 4 of them so far. I also started up my choir MVCC again. Love them. Were rehearsing for a HUGE concert in august.

August 28 and 29: MUSIC SPEAKS.
Ft. The AJ RAFAEL BAND.

Yep I'm bringin em in from boston. Its gonna be epic! official lineup will be announced soon. Let's hype it up. Heritage forum in anaheim, ca.

Anyway, also been chillin w jenny suk, great singer from youtube, this whole past week. She's been chillin in socal when she was supposed to be in norcal. Thanks jenny for comin out and sharing ur talent with us. We miss u already.

I'm driving with my family right now (moms driving) to a lunch party. I sang "dance with my father" at church before mass started today. Its been 9 fathers day's without him. To think my little sister justine just had one fathers day with my dad is what really breaks my heart. I wish justine was old enough to get to know him. But I'm sure she knows how much of a legacy he left with all of us. I love that jasmine still has music in her life... writing songs and singing. Justine sings in my moms childrens choir (the same one my dad left behind, altho there r new kids obviously) and both my sisters dance at a studio and they both were blessed with a great gift to dance. My mom still leads choir at church while I help her out by playing. Its been like this for the last 10 years without him and I'm glad it hasn't changed. Life is too short. Don't take it for granted. Live life with no regrets. Live life to the fullest. Live life with the music blasting and the windows down. Life = love, love = music.

Aj

we've all got our junk...

2009-05-27T10:17:00.000-07:00

and my junk is you.
-Spring Awakening

so my dog, kitchie (not the one who had the puppies), wakes me up every morning at 9am. regardless of how early or late i sleep; i wake up at 9 everyday and the day is forced upon me. so im starting this just like how i write most of my songs... without knowing where it's going. my sister, jasmine (killajamzz), is watching the Twilight bonus features on blu-ray right now and my other sister, justine, is at school at the moment. i just got my piano tuned by the way. expect more videos with just piano... that instrument is powerful, let me tell ya.

BAND[AID] was last friday. it was a benefit show featuring local talent. it was one crazy experience. the crowd was ridiculously supportive and it honestly was one of the best crowds i've played for. sold over 50 Peace, Love, and AJ shirts and received some pretty awesome gifts from some fans. from a stuffed koala bear to a batman easter egg. thank you to dusty and rb for always handling the merch so well. here's a video, i need to speak no longer about this show, the videos explain it all.

so im back in cali, and have seen pretty much everyone... although most people are still in school, we've all been chillin. got a gym pass, and am trying to look decent for the beach this summer haha. since i've been back, i watched kina live at UCLA, watched Star Trek with david choi and friends, said goodbye to a dear friend Randolph at the airport as he was leaving to the philippines, played piano for Lydia Paek again and it was so refreshing, and stayed up past 2am every single day. more to come. much love.

also spent this weekend with jesse barrera , gracienne, larry, and jamil, tin and alan from SD. heres a pic of my puppies jesse and grace took.

AJ

so let me say before we part...

2009-05-12T21:41:00.000-07:00

but because i knew you, i have been changed...
for good.
-stephen schwartz

i will never forget walking down from 85 park drive-- my first apartment-- and up boylston st back to berklee, my random adventures to the prudential center to kill time in between classes, the inspiration i gained watching awesome shows at the BPC, trotting down newbury street shopping without checking my balance in my account beforehand, bringing people to bodega (thinking its a convenience store) and johnny cupcakes (thinking its a bakery) for their first time, band rehearsals with my very own "band", going to domino's at 2:45AM just before it closes at 3, knowing when the Red Sox lost because of the expression on everyone's face as they walk in crowds going opposite of fenway, taking the T (subway/train) and holding in laughter as i see someone who's about to throw up on the stranger next to them because they're so wasted, falling and tripping in the T as i try to play it off even though everyone saw me while they don't offer to help me up, the first college dance i've been to-- "Snowball" (crazy times), donna's background vocals class, staying in classrooms jammin till 1:30AM or until the security kicks us out, eating at mcdonalds or wendys for days at a time because they're the only cheap food places around berklee, playing piano at st cecilia's and feeling the music in a totally different way than normal, being in the Bob Marley Ensemble with one of my best friends carly, waking up and looking at my phone seeing that i've missed my hip hop writing and production class for the 3rd time in a row, walking around in a LA Lakers hat and hearing a random voice say "F*** LA!", getting my haircut at Floyd's Barbershop next to the nasty chinese food place Nan Ling that everyone only eats at cuz its open till 3AM, going to Shaw's in the middle of the night, bugging andrew to sleepover at his place cuz me, kris, and angel are too lazy to walk home, making my first snow angels in my first northeastern winter, singing backups for singers night, trying out and getting called back and learning from failure, my teachers, blogTV sessions from berklee classrooms and/or andrew's apt, walking around northeastern's campus wishing that berklee had one, dance parties in the berklee classrooms (CLUB 208!), the library that had every music book ever printed, the heartwarming welcome cecily and jess gave me when i didn't have a place to stay, my roomates dwight/kels and pablo and our interesting and random moments, the musicians that have made me wanna practice the minute i was out of their presence, going outside during a full moon eating a banana for good luck, crossing the street that seemed to always have cars on it therefore having to run every single time, visitors who i brought around Boston to explore as i was doing as well, being with my family in a hotel all weekend, helping people with their MUSIC homework opposed to math and science and things like this, the first trip i made in boston to the aquarium, my last jam session with Ahmir at BU in the stairwell, seeing john mayer on the streets of boston-- and i will never forget the people that i have met during my stay here that will hold places in my heart until the end of time.

you kicked snow in my hi-tops, you blasted rain in my face at 20mph, you caught me outside without a jacket during a storm, you made me look at nature differently, you gave me fresh air and endless sky, you gave me the freedom to walk your streets with nothing but music on my mind, and you have made me a better person. i will miss you, Boston.

plane leaves at 6:40PM from Logan Airport. oh how i hate goodbyes. lets make this "goodbye" a "see ya later" k?
goin' home.
AJ

so this is it...

2009-05-09T09:46:00.000-07:00

the final curtain call. my time here is over.
-jesse barrera

well in 4 days. i'm almost outta here. and one thing that has been on my mind for a while is staying here at Berklee. it's so hard to think that i won't be around next fall, or spring, and i'm not sure how long it will take for me to come back, it could be never. but right now, i hope you guys understand that some places are not for everyone. as much as i enjoyed Berklee College of Music, i must bid my goodbye. for now at least. right now, what's important to me is being with my family and focusing solely on my career as an artist. it's almost been 5 years since i've written my first song, and since then i have worked so hard on songwriting, singing, and performing. i'm not saying i deserve anything because everything i have is a blessing and i wouldn't mind if this was as far as i got, but i long to spread my music to as many people possible, and i think right now the ball is rolling for me and it's all about timing. i hope you all support my decision, and know that i have had plenty of fights with my family about my decision. as far as my mom goes, she supports me 100% and i am very blessed to have her support because i know its hard to support someone trying to make a living off of music. while i'm out in California, i'll be taking a few classes at RCC (since i'm already enrolled and was attending a year prior) and just taking it slow for now. hope you guys know that i have thought long and hard about this, and right now i think i need to be in California. believe it or not, jam sessions till 4am happen more on the west coast. i love you guys. and i'll keep you guys posted with everything.

people at Berklee (and the rest of Boston); thank you for your friendship, and teachers too-- all of you are inspiring. i wish you all the best of luck. and for those i shared close friendships with; i will miss getting classrooms with you all and staying until security kicked us out at 1AM. thank you for believing in me, and for the good times. i will never forget them.

but im not gone yet, i got 4 more days. and my family is here with me until monday, but wednesday i go back to the west coast, stay at my house for a day, then fly up to Canada for a show in Winnipeg on the 15th (more info on my myspace), and im back home for good.

ps sorry its been a while, i was waiting for the right time to write about this. take care ya'll

AJ

great weekend...

2009-04-28T10:41:00.001-07:00

had so much fun this weekend. landed in Virginia on friday morning, and met Suzanne who is one of my really good friends now. Vince Lacsamana got me out for this show (check him out on youtube!) Jeremy (aka Passion) landed like 30 mins after me and we went to the house we stayed at. there were 4 mattresses set up for JR Aquino, me, Gabe Bondoc, and Jeremy. it was awesome. we had FIVE GUYS burger and fries which was freakin BOMB with JR after we picked him up from the bus station. we met plenty of people that night, jammed out till late in the morning with disney songs and old school R&B and boy band songs, and Gabe and Christina Luna arrived late at night, and we CONTINUED our jam session.

saturday was the conference and we had all woken up very early to attend. the first workshop was the asian american music industry workshop led by Christina Luna. she is the head of LunaCo and is an amazing business person and manages the likes of Gabe, Leejay, Legaci, and more. the conference was awesome because we all got to speak (the artists) on our views about the industry, our internet marketing, and music in general. i believe it was a successful workshop with all the students who attended learning something new. we went to georgetown later that night and ate at chipotle, and walked around and took pictures at these very nice fountains.

the show on sunday was definitely one of the most awesome experiences out-of-state i've ever had. ill literacy was there, a hip hop spoken word group, rick cordero was also there, a director and founder of 3/21 media, who has directed the likes of snoop dogg, nas, the roots, and many more. there were many great performances that day, and the show lasted 5 and a half hours!!! sounds long, but every act was good. i know you've probably been to those shows that were that long, waiting for your friend to go up or your favorite artist but inbetween were some really long and lame performances, just being honest. hahah. anyway this show was full of awesome talent and entertainment. jr went on and killed it, and later on gabe went on (whose guitar skills amaze me even more each time i see him perform, then jeremy (passion) went on and called me jr and gabe up to the stage to sing "something special" by usher with him. epic moment, def something i'll never forget. i went on last and played showstopper, starlit nights with turn your lights down low in place of the bridge, a disney medley, my soldier, she was mine ft jr aquino on the chorus hahah, and i just want you. i asked everyone to come to the front to come sing along right before the bridge, and it was so awesome. i didnt realize how many fans i had in this area they call the DMV. i was humbled.

pictures, signings, and cd sellings went great and lasted for an hour or more, then we all ate at honey pig (this bomb korean bbq place, SO BOMB) and said our goodbyes, went back to the house, said more goodbyes, slept very late in the morning, and was dropped off by timi, alan, and suzanne, and said my last goodbyes, while everyone was still sleeping at the house (jr, gabe and jeremy). i was pretty sad on the plane ride back to boston, but everyone's gotta go back to reality sometime.

i came home to a very stressful day to be honest, but that can come later.

heres a video i did with gabe at vince lacsamana's house.

love yall so much
AJ

ps "I JUST WANT YOU" the techno version is up for download for FREE on my myspace. read profile for details

the latest... my sincere apologies...

2009-04-22T17:44:00.000-07:00

wow its been a while. im so sorry. i owe you guys an update. to everyone who's been trying to contact me via internet, cell phone, whatever, im sorry its been so hard to contact me lately. i have been struggling with so much: music, love, family, and everything else.

since the last blog, you've probably been wondering about Dustin's status. his operation went well, but the after results are not the best news. his heart was transplanted correctly, but the heart doesn't pump blood fast enough, so complications will slowly start happening. the doctor told him that he only has 13 months to live.

this is the most tragic news anyone can get, especially for the fact that he is a 15-year-old kid who loves music and his family. please pray for him, and i hope the doctors are wrong. i pray to God that he gets better.

(read the previous blogpost and watch the video if you don't know what i am talking about)

anyway last weekend, i dedicated all my songs to him and shared his story with everyone back in california. everyone was touched by his story and his strength and the way that music has touched his soul. please continue to pray.

i have been talking to my friends and we are all discussing a possible fundraiser to get him and his mom out here in the US for a big show this summer. anyone down to help out for that?

anyway, my most recent video has been featured on YOUTUBE.COM on the main page and it's an awesome feeling, it almost feels like ur at the top of the world for a second. "Those Lips". this is all because of all of your support and love. you all deserve some cupcakes. LOVE YOU ALL!!! thank you for being my motivation to keep going and to keep playing. music is the only thing in this world right now that makes sense. keep it alive, and keep it in your life.

-aj

such great heights..

2009-04-09T00:38:00.001-07:00

this blog is overdue. and im sorry about that. i just wanted to take this time to tell you about whats goin on in my life.

just hit 6MILLION plays on my myspace. what the freak. #48 top unsigned artist on MYSPACE. #65 most subscribed all time musicians on youtube. thank you from the bottom of my heart.

but other than cyberspace, ive been chillin w good friends and awesome musicians lately. actually not chillin, but doin work, as in music and writing and practicing. sometimes i feel as if ive put too much on my plate. but i know God won't give me more than i can handle.

ive got a couple of shows coming up. tomorrow (friday) in UMass Boston at 6PM and the rest are on my calendar on my MYSPACE. PLEASE PLEASE check it out i might be going to a town near you.

anyway, this pretty much explains what ive been going through.

meet Jess Delgado (http://youtube.com/jessddelgado, http://myspace.com/jddelgado), & my amazing musician friends Andrew Rhim (http://youtube.com/sorreymusic, http://myspace.com/sorrey, http://twitter.com/andrewrhim) & Kris Collins (http://youtube.com/skuby08, http://twitter.com/kriswak)

i love you all as much as i love music. well, almost.

hehe jk.

crazy long weekend/adventures in FL & NY

2009-03-30T22:17:00.000-07:00

so thursday morning my band and i were off to florida. we took northwest airlines and it was hella early in the morning. 6am was our flight, so we had to be there by 5. noah, andrew, and i were at andrew's and shiori (shorty) met us there. the plane ride there was not too bad, we stopped in memphis, and once we got in florida, it was raining cats and dogs. first thing shorty said was, "the weather sucks". we were like damn. we got to the hotel cuz ian and nikki (asian american student union board members) picked us up. again, shorty had the first words when we got to the hotel room. seeing two queen-size beds, she quickly said "so hows this gonna work?" we briefly explained that we (as guys) talked about the bed placement and of course decided she was gonna have her own bed, so thats how it was. jr aquino arrived around the same time so we all went together from the airport to the hotel where we all stayed.

the show was later canceled and rescheduled till friday, the next day, which turned out to be the better choice because we hadn't had gotten a drumset yet. later this night, thursday, we all attended an open mic night called "black on black poetry". it was a mostly african-american based poetry night, but me, noah, and jr had enough guts to get up on stage and sing some tunes. instead of clapping, they gave out shakers and it was the most supportive audience ever. noah played for the first time in front of people, and me and andrew played "little piece of home", while jr aquino sang "oh mama" by justin nozuka. when we got home, me noah andrew and jr played bananagrams, while shorty was deep asleep after a long-ass day. me and jr took the floor, and noah and andrew had the bed for the night.

friday was awesome, we rented drums, and shorty chose the best set available (pearl exports) and it was 100 dollars to rent.. for the whole month! so our new friend Vu rented it for his apartment. the show was after a cooking workshop, and it included an awesome poet/spoken word artist by the name of Asia. he was on def jam poetry hosted by mos def on TV and has had many appearances everywhere. he was really inspiring. after him, my band and i played our first show. and it was freakin dope! everyone loved it, and of course i was feelin it. i could play with this band forever. the vibe is just there. after what, FOUR rehearsals altogether?! mannn i couldnt believe how powerful the connection felt that night.

me and jr played the 4 chord tribute at comedy zone later that night, and jr departed from us after that night so he could get some rest. shouts to jon cardona real fast! so jr played a show the net day at FSU while the band and i were OFF to NEW YORK in the AM!

this day was nuts. long story short- got on the plane to atlanta, a mechanic didn't come through till an hour later, so we had to get off the plane. this meant we missed our connecting flight to NY, so we had to reschedule. it changed airports on us, so our baggage wasn't at the new airport even tho it was supposed to be "re-checked". we waited an hour to see if it would come on the next flight from atlanta, but the baggage office guy (he was filipino) told us it was at JFK airport not Laguardia where we were at. we took a taxi to JFK ($35). got dropped off in the wrong place. had to walk up a long ass hill to the right terminal to get our baggage. took another taxi to the venue ($55) and didn't get to sound check because we arrived right at 6PM. which was when the meet&greet started for the show.

WOW.

the fans and the show made up for all that though. i didn't expect to see more than 10 people who knew who i was, but there we were overwhelmed by the love and support. i felt like i was at home. the show was unbelievable. all this talent. check out Stone Forest Ensemble & Magnetic North & Jay Legaspi by the way!!! shorty was feeling sick so she went back to boston on the Chinatown bus right after we played. me andrew and noah were sad, but we made the most of our time in new york, with angel and kris, and ryan bandong & crew. met a lot of new friends and fans, and now im just glad to be back in Boston.

"I Just Want You" - AJ Rafael Band

ps watch in High Quality (HQ) and listen to that MEAN hi-hat that shiori's playin. DAYUMM.

love yall so much. so tired now. gnite.
AJ

apologize...

2009-03-25T01:00:00.000-07:00

it's too late.

sorry i haven't been on this blogspot. after my birthday things got crazy a little bit. celebrated it 3 times. twice here in Boston, and once in California. Larry & Jesse from My American Heart came to my house so everyone felt "cool" and we made the most of the night on saturday. they stayed over and we all chilled on Sunday. the start of spring break was awesome. MUSIC.

it was so nice being home, almost too nice. no cold-ax wind, no below freezing weather, no walking around the whole dang town, and no school. i wanted to stay forever. andrew rhim (my guitarist) came down on wednesday, and we played a show at Diamond Bar HS which went better than i expected. we played a show the next day at my old middle school Vista Heights. Friday was the big show in San Diego at "It's Yogurt Time" and everyone loved andrew which was dope becuz i've never really had another guitarist play with me at a show, besides Steven Cole whom some of you probably remember.

me, dusty, and rb spent a lot of time in Chino (dustynaka and rbizzzle on twitter) during spring break. it was awesome. i chilled with a lot of old friends back home, but not everyone, which was kinda sad because i had a whole week opposed to just the weekend and i still didn't have time for everyone. next time for sure.

tomorrow i'm practicing with my band one last time before the shows this weekend. thursday at Florida State University @ the Union Green at 6PM and friday at Comedian Zone at FSU as well. JR Aquino is also performing. saturday is a show in NEW YORK at the American Red Cross Headquarters in New York on 49th St. show starts at 6 and Magnetic North is playing. can't wait.

this weekend is gonna be awesome with my band. we've named ourselves (after weeks and weeks of hard pondering) the AJ Rafael Band. short and sweet. we did have a couple of names in line. AJ Rafael and the: Loveless, Hi-Tops, Infinite Playlist, Nine Lives, just to name a few. glad we came to this decision tho. more profiles on them later. they are the dopest people.

school's getting better, but Boston's not. i realized how much of my heart i left in Cali this time around. Boston got nothin on the west coast. no offense.

to see videos from last weeks shows search "aj rafael yogurt time" "aj rafael diamond bar" on YOUTUBE.COM and you will find them.

love you all and sorry for the lag.

my newest video. don't forget to follow me on twitter.com. ya'll should all get one!!! aj rafael's twitter profile

AJ

the big 2-0

2009-03-11T19:40:00.001-07:00

sorry guys its been so long. a week and a day. its my birthday tomorrow. well in about 2 hours it will be. i am watching Hercules right now for the 5th time cuz i just got it on my computer. "go the distance" is one of my favorite songs. so i've been really busy lately, rehearsing with my band, getting ready for midterms, and this weekend i played scrabble till the middle of the morning with angel, kris collins, andrew rhim, and ryan bandong (visited from new york). im gonna have dinner with a couple of friends tomorrow and friday to celebrate my birthday =] tomorrow theres a concert in the Berklee Performance Center and my drummer, Shiori, is gonna play in it so im gonna watch that. also... PAUL SIMON will be at Berklee teaching a clinic tomorrow!!! i'm going!!!!! =]

if ya'll are wondering how my schooling is doing, its going well. i didnt really choose hard classes this semester, mostly labs. so our assignment every week is pretty much just to learn a song. i have 11 classes. hahaha.

Monday

4-6: adv. Vocal Techniques (with an awesome teacher; Donna McElroy)

Tuesday

10-12: Great American Songbook Lab

2-4: Stage Performance with Livingston Taylor (James Taylor's brother!)

Wednesday

9-11: Hip Hop Production & Writing

2-3: Vocal Skills for the Self-Accompanying Singer

3:30-4: Private Lesson

4-6: Flo-ology

6-8: Contemporary Christian Ensemble

Thursday

2-4: Lyric Writing

4-5: Vocal Styles Lab-Jazz/Blues

Friday

NO CLASS!!!

it is midterm week this week, and so far all my classes are worth going to. as you see i'm not taking Harmony and Ear Training (which is required to graduate) but for now im just trying to make the most of what i can while im here at Berklee. im trying to learn as much as possible, so with Harmony and Ear Training, i'm just pretty much reading the books and hoping to take those finals and get credit for the classes if i choose to continue here at Berklee.

turning 20 means i am no longer a teenager. which means i must start thinking about where my life is headed. as of right now-- i am going to be a professional musician. and i am going to spread my music to as many people possible. and i'm going to make it. i know i say that every time, but i mustn't give up, right?

love you all, and i just recently hit 5MILLION plays on myspace, thats just ridiculous. thanks to all of YOU.

please view my interview on YOUTRAX.TV, a nice guy by the name of michael boyce interviewed me for his show and did some awesome editing. thanks for checking it out if you have already!

upcoming shows: March 20th, in Chula Vista-San Diego at a yogurt place called "It's Yogurt Time". 6PM.

March 26th & 27th at Florida State University (more details TBA)

March 28th in New York at American Red Cross in Greater New York.

find all the addresses on my myspace! at http://myspace.com/ajrafael

thanks for everything. heres my favorite song by the man himself, Gabe Bondoc. "Gentlemen Don't"

raise the roof!

2009-03-03T22:37:00.000-08:00

so i'm on the plane right now and have no internet (obviously-- even though some flights have wi-fi now) therefore im going to copy and paste this blog.

so my trip back home this weekend was awesome once again. i flew in on friday and justin and dez (committee for the event Raise the Roof II) picked me up in an SUV with 2 guys by the name of Jeremy (aka passion) and Gabe Bondoc. haha. i was excited to have another show with them, and i was mostly looking forward to meeting the L to their GLP, Leejay . we got to the college (CalState Long Beach) and went into the green room, put our stuff down only to pick it back up when Justin announced we had dressing rooms. the dressing room that we had was pretty big and had mirrors and lights and a pretty big space to just chill. we chilled for a little, then we went to a mall close by to eat, and met up with Scott Yoshimoto there.

all my friends came through and we got them in with VIP passes, and we all chilled backstage till the show started. it was pretty crazy before the show, lots of kids running around since they were part of dance crews and things, and people interviewing people and it was pretty much chaos. right before the show started i was practicing on jeremy's keyboard and decided i wanted to do a Disney Medley for the show for fun. leejay helped me pick some songs and i created a quick medley to perform as the opener for my set.

i went on and i played the 'prologue' to Beauty and the Beast' and had Leejay come on stage to be that mysterious voice in the beginning of the movie, "Once upon a time, there was a beast.." etc etc. i also dedicated "Showstopper" to my friend Ramiele Malubay who i recognized as someone who has successfully represented us Filipino-Americans on national TV =] i played MidKnight during my set explaining the campaign i was starting to get it on the third Batman movie. i got an overwhelming positive response to that song, with guys from the fraternity that was hosting the event backstage telling me they respected my songwriting. i was humbled.

you can search for my set on youtube! just search raise the roof aj rafael etc keywords like that. GLP was up and i sat in the audience with a few of my friends. gabe leejay and passion did their own songs, and then a medley of old school 90's and some new stuff too. it was pretty dope and inspiring as always.

after the show was super crazy, almost as crazy as Feel The Beat last weekend. we were a little late coming down and i heard half the crowd had left, but it was chaos nonetheless. me gabe and passion were behind the counter that my boys set up for all of us to sell and sign cd's and shirts, or whatever else they were handing us to sign. i sold out of all my regular t-shirts-- i didn't expect that to happen. im glad you guys like the shirts, even if ya'll didn't end up getting the size you wanted. i can't thank you enough for the support and the love. you don't know how much it means to me. if God told me that this was the end of my career for some odd reason, i would be totally happy with what i have achieved presently. i can't really ask for more, inspiring people to keep music in their lives is enough to back up my meaning of "success", although i would love to share my music with as many people possible through however i can reach them-- TV, radio, iTunes, music videos, record deal... =]

it's currently 11:19 PM EST on this place and my heart and mind is still in California, as it always is. it's been hard living in 2 cities at once. i have only written 2 songs out in Boston, and have written 3 back home ever since i moved out here. i need inspiration. lately my weekends back home have been girl drama, shows, friends, lack of sleep, playing ps3, monster energy shooters, and playing at church. i need to start getting back into the songwriting mindset.

sorry for this long blog, just felt like passing the time on this 4 hour and 45 minute plane ride. i'm watching HSM3, AGAIN, (vanessa is just ridiculously attractive), and am gaining ideas for duets that i would like to start writing. i'll be collaborating with other musicians a lot more, and i can't wait for you all to hear what comes out of it.

my band, AJ Rafael and the ... (yet to be named) is currently practicing for 3 shows we have in a couple of weeks. march 26th and 27th at Florida State University and the 28th in New York at Martin Luther King HS. we are doing great, and everybody is just really excited to be in the band. it's really awesome to have musician friends who are on the same page as you musically, and are just looking to play and have a good time.

cheers,
AJ

feel the freakinBEAT

2009-02-24T20:26:00.001-08:00

this weekend was ridiculous. couldn't believe that the event was sold out. i arrived in california on thursday night and hung out for a while. thank you to carissa for picking me up. skip a day, then saturday morning i went to justine's dance competition (ENCORE) and i am just so proud of her. she got 3rd place overall with her solo piece to "luck be a lady".

FRIDAY though, was pretty crazy. sound check was good, i met all the dance crews. FANNY PAK was SO FREAKIN NICE. i had already met one of the members back in the day at someone's house, Glenda, she is awesome. kaba modern, super cr3w, and world famous were all chillin. do-knock from super cr3w (john cruz) has been a homie for a while, and its awesome to see his success with his dance crew. i arrived a little late, so jeremy (passion), gabe, cathy and randolph were already there among others. i brought like 2 cars filled with people with me haha. we pretty much invaded the backstage area. VIP's came in after a couple of hours and that's when it really began. we all began signing pictures that people used hella ink on and guitars and polaroids, and took pictures with a bunch of them. there were like 20 people who paid for the VIP tickets.

the show was about to start, and i heard 5 of my very close friends were outside the venue because it had been SOLD OUT. thats when my heart dropped. everyone kept telling me it would sell out, but when we actually did, i tripped out. i broke some rules and got my friends in, and the show started. Gabe has the most power with a crowd i swear, he was walking on stage and the whole crowd went NUTS. he made a little movement to show that he was anxious while setting up for his set, and crowd went even more crazy. as he was singing "Forever" by Chris Brown, everyone got their cell phones out and i looked at Randolph and said "Look at this bro, we're actually playing for 1300 people with people like Gabe & Super Cr3w"" and Randolph looked at me and said "dude i could really cry right now" and we weren't joking. it was overwhelming.

everyone's set was amazing. i was very proud of Cathy and Randolph because i remember their first show ever... i got them to play at Clark Magnet High School in Glendale with me, and ever since then they have been improving and creating a connection with the audience every time and its really awesome to see them grow as artists. i went on, and signed a ukulele first thing on stage. really overwhelming feeling with all the noise in the audience and flashing lights.

i played and i didn't want it to be over. i dedicated my performance to my father, telling everyone that i wish he was here to watch me in the crowd, and i thanked them for watching me for those 13 minutes that i was on stage. i closed my set with Showstopper and i was followed by Kaba Modern, Passion, and Super Cr3w.

after the show, all of us went to the front where they were selling tickets, and the amount of people in that space had me taken aback. i could barely hear Gabe as we were walking through trying to figure out where to go. i had shirts pressed with PNOYAPPAREL and the V-Necks SOLD OUT. 100 v necks gone in 25 minutes. i couldn't believe it. RB, Roland, Kris, & Dusty were helping me out, and Gabe and Jeremy were on the side and we were all trying to talk to the screaming crowd to back up from the tables and to calm down because little girls were getting pushed and people couldn't get out. the security guards were being wack and NOT helping us out. it was kind of disappointing. all of the artists soon got pulled into the back because the people wouldn't calm down and they would have to pay more for the venue if they all stayed in past 10:30.

i know i can't officially speak on Gabe's, cathy's, randolph's, and jeremy's behalf, but i know we were all overwhelmed and just in awe to the turn out of this show. although jeremy and gabe have played for bigger audiences, this crowd was just full of love and we were all feelin it in the deepest way possible.

we are humbled and thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your show of support and love for us as we try to spread our music to the world.

watch my performance here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYSG-Hlet1M and to watch the rest of the performances just search "feel the beat [artist name]" on youtube and a bunch will pop up.

i could cry thinking about "Feel the Beat". i am moved to "ASPIRE TO INSPIRE BEFORE I EXPIRE".

i just saw a mouse running around in the classroom i'm in. GREAT.

words can't express my gratitude. i am almost there-- representing all of us who were once on the bottom, for us who have had an experience that could have broken us but instead have let it MAKE US, for us who felt like they couldn't make a difference, for us who felt like our race would hold us back from being successful, for us who want to CHANGE THE WORLD.

i will get there.
AJ

2 more days...

2009-02-17T07:53:00.000-08:00

till i go back to California for the "Feel The Beat" concert in Anaheim. here's a flyer =]

this show will be fun. i also have a show in RANCHO CUCAMONGA, well its just a little thing at Starbucks and im gonna go just to chill and jam a little bit for the people at my friends school. Starbucks on Day Creek on saturday from 6-9PM.

lately, i've been pretty busy, so i'm really sorry i haven't written here in a while. from last tuesday til today a lot has happened but not TOO much. i had an audition for "Storyteller's Night" which is a show here that features mostly original songs. i got another callback. the only problem is that i'm gonna be in CA the night of the callbacks. this thursday night. haha. oh well, everything is what it is for a reason.

ok so i saw CORALINE yeterday... WOW... so creepy. hahah so freakin' creepy. i was thinkin' the whole time "how are these little kids not crying right now?" hahaha. i wish all of you have seen it so i can just talk about parts and you guys can go "OMG i KNOW that was RIDICULOUS" hahahah

Valentine's day was fun, went out to eat at the Prudential mall and then played Open Mic at Cafe 939, people really liked my song! i played "I Just Want You". and my friend Chris was joking around like "the only thing that was missing from your performance that i've seen in many performances on YouTube were the hundreds of girls singing along" hahah i was like bro that's in Cali. we're in Boston now... "where no one knows my naaaame, no one knows my name..."

i am currently listening to "In The Heights" which just won a grammy and late last year won so many tony's including Musical of the Year. it's an awesome soundtrack so i suggest all you musical theatre geeks out there to go out and buy this soundtrack. my friend Alex Lacamoire was the musical director, producer, arranger, & more for this show.

hope you guys have been loving my "Classics" series. if not, its alright, i'm going back to normal videos soon. just one more video for this series! it was a very fun series and i'll do another series soon. Disney Video Series MAYBE?!?! hahaha

i love ya'll. thanks so much for all the plays and support. i couldn't believe it i was #63 MySpace artist out of the whole world last night. 45,000 plays for the day yesterday?! WTH! ridiculous. i can't thank you all enough.. maybe soon someone will hear me and take me into their label. LOL. one can dream?

here's my valentines gift to yall. MY FUNNY VALENTINE. its a beautiful song. oh and i've been checking the insight to my videos, and it tells me what the average attention span is for each video. and lately for this series, people usually watch the first 45 seconds and then close the video out. please try and watch the whole video and listen to the whole song, i promise you won't be dissapointed! much love.

AJ

music is love, music is life, i love my life...

2009-02-10T15:52:00.000-08:00

thank you guys from the bottom of my heart for all your responses on my last blog. it was very overwhelming and i am so glad to have ur support. there was a comment that i appreciated but was a little taken aback because it stated that i had said something of great arrogance. i just wanted to apologize if i came off as arrogant or cocky about my music and talent through my last blog. frustration can make it hard for me to come out with what i really wanna say. but never have i thought i was the sh*t or been full of myself especially when it comes to my music. that is one thing that ticks me off the most when i see that in an artist or any musician... if i see this quality in them it shuts the door for me to listen to their music with an open mind. i know it should be ALL about the music, but one must be humble and thankful for the talents they have received and use them in a positive way. i definitely came into berklee knowing that i should realize who i'm better than, who is as good as me, and who is better than me.

anyway, after all that frustration from the last blog... i am beginning to feel better. other than finding out that i was the #1 acoustic artist in California on myspace (thanks to all of you guys!!!), i saw the song "Showstopper" becoming a hit on YouTube, with more than 17 covers already, one including hchsknights08... who is my good friend Alyssa Bernal... who also happens to be a YouTube celebrity with more than 93,000 subscribers and with one of her videos playing on CBS during the grammys. this video has helped this song become even more heard throughout the world, yes the world because youtube is a worldwide thing, and thus causing me to release the song on my myspace ASAP.

remember i told you guys that i recorded in San Diego with my friend Clint and Jesse Barrera? well, Clint just got done mixing the tracks and it sounds unbelievable. i dont know if you have ever felt this, but today before i walked to school i quickly downloaded the files that Clint sent me and put them on my iPod.... i listened on the way to school, and was almost in tears, and im being serious, no homo or anything, but really... it was overwhelming knowing i had created music that i know touches people's hearts... but i didn't wanna cry because i thought it was the BEST or anything like that, it was cuz it actually hit me that maybe one day soon-- i might be living my dream.

the other day i watched "Windstruck" with my friend Angel (fallenxangel) who lives about 10 minutes away. it was about a woman police officer who meets her true love in an odd way, and ends up losing him during a mission. he said, before he died that if ever he were to leave this Earth for any reason, to think of the wind as him and if she felt the wind, it would be his presence. now i know this sounds crazy but i feel like my dad (RIP) left me with nothing but music, and so every time i create a piece of music, i feel his presence. especially when i know i did my best and worked hard a song. and today i felt that. walking on the way to school today-- it was as if he were right there walking next to me telling me that it was awesome, and that showstopper was a fun track, and that my songwriting is getting better. and that he loves me, and that he's proud of me.

what an awesome gift he has left me. even though it's gonna be so hard in the road ahead to become a professional musician and to reach my goal, i started this whole music thing because it was given to me by my father. i practiced because i wanted to be better. now i create music not only to make him proud, but most of all to touch other people's lives-- just like how my father touched mine. i hope my music can inspire you, i can't even begin to tell you how touched i am reading the messages i get saying that they picked up a guitar because of me, or that they wrote a song after watching one of my videos, or that they wish they had friends like mine (my friends are awesome and are the ones who help keep me grounded). i can't thank you guys enough for all the support. it's finally coming true, all cuz of all of YOU.

i am humbled.

i decided to share my gift of music with a few people here at Berklee by making them a part of it-- here's my new band playing Showstopper. AJ Rafael and the ... (name in progress)

AJ

frustration..

2009-02-05T17:44:00.000-08:00

kicks in after only so much. it's hard to take in all this rejection. i mean, last semester i got called back to the biggest shows at berklee for vocalists, Singer's Showcase and Singer's Night... and didn't make the shows, but i was like its ok this is my first semester theres always next.

this semester i got called back again to both, and at the showcase callbacks i was like ok if i dont make it, its ok theres always singers night. and my accompanist for the showcase auditions, enrico, told me that showcase is pretty big, and i have a great chance to make it into singers night playing "little piece of home".

so i did it, and the 4 judges who were in there said they loved it. the main woman in charge was like "do you have that song recorded? we need to get you in the studio here and put some strings or somethin on that" and i was like havin a good vibe like yeah for sure im down! i'll see ya'll later!

i was feelin really good, went out to dinner with my friend loren who also got a callback (and later made the show) and i was havin a feeling about this callback. and now i didnt wanna get my hopes up too much, but there was definitely somethin in the back of my head that was like "aj, this is your time."

i checked the official LIST of the people who made it on the 3rd floor of the 1140 building with my friend Luis who had made it already. i wasn't on there. i looked at him and said 'represent for us cats who didnt make it, do ur thing bro' and went back downstairs.

now i know having a positive attitude about all this stuff is whats supposed to happen... but sometimes i can only handle so much... i mean i'm ALWAYS getting called back and i know ur probably thinking "at least you got a callback"... but damn its like, why do they keep calling me back and wasting my time when they say that it was really great and awesome but dont end up choosing me for some other factor.. like they already knew that they weren't putting me in the show... like 'hey maybe this kids got somethin! lets give him a callback.... *2 days later at callbacks*.. oh never mind'.

ok so maybe im just angry, but i came to BERKLEE in BOSTON to SHINE and STAND OUT because this was a place that didn't know my music... a place where i was not known at all and a place where i just was willing to start over and just spread my music and my name...

if berklee's not giving me a chance to shine, then damn i just need to move on... and make music for the WORLD instead of worrying about some show that doesn't even mean anything to the rest of the world...

california is lookin' like a really good place to be right now. i feel like im suffocating in this freezing, cold-ass weather just to be turned away by people who can't see the music in my eyes and in my performance... i just wanna make it already.

i will make it. i promise you...

a song that helps bring me up when i'm feelin down.

MUSIC IS THE UNIVERSE's WAY OF COMMUNICATING.
MUSIC IS THE ONLY THING THAT MAKES SENSE ANYMORE IN THIS WORLD.
MUSIC IS THE REASON WHY I AM HERE.
MUSIC IS
LOVE.

AJ

spreadin the music

2009-02-02T11:43:00.000-08:00

in every way possible. here's a tutorial for "I Just Want You"

i got bored last night (super bowl sunday) cuz i wasnt watching the super bowl so there's the end result. oh and i also made a chord sheet for Showstopper cuz Alyssa Bernal (hchsknights08) requested it among many others.

click here to download the .doc file

anyway, if you're wondering if i made Singer's Showcase or not.. i didn't =/ but its all good.. i did my best and i guess that's not what they wanted this year. i sang "Moving Too Fast" from the Last Five Years, a musical by Jason Robert Brown. performing on that stage of the Berklee Performance Center was like a dream come true. although it was only callbacks, i performed like it was the real thing. so i'm not gonna complain about not makin it, cuz i know i did what i could and i performed well =)

now tonight is Singer's Night callbacks... i NEED to make this show.. gahhh =[ i'm trying out with "Little Piece of Home"... i'll let you all know what happens.

this weekend was cool, i hung out with my homies Sid, Mik, Alex, and Jordan and i fell asleep at the dorms. dorm life is pretty cool, but i can see how someone can get tired of it. saturday i saw Notorious and it was SO DOPE! haha im not even kidding. very inspiring and i felt very informed at the end of the movie. so many things i didnt know about Biggie's life its crazy. hung out with my friend Angel from Northeastern, (FallenxAngel i think from blogtv!) haha she's super dope and so chill. church on Sunday all day, and today i got class at 4. callbacks proceed immediately after class. haha catch ya'll laterr...

i apologize for being almost absent for a week on this blogspot. blogtv was fun last night!

-AJ

good things...

2009-01-27T20:58:00.000-08:00

are comin'. =D i feel it.

but theres a storm happening tonight and early tomorrow.. a big snow storm.. we're supposed to get like 6-12 inches. crazy!!!

anyway, i joined a stage performance class today... and it was awesome. its taught by Livingston Taylor... and he's James Taylor's brother. crazy right?! he sings almost just like him, and he's the most interesting character i've met here at Berklee. it's ridiculous. his teaching method is awesome. he tells awesome stories, and just interacts with us in a unique way its so dope. im very excited. that was from 2-4.

4-6 is my bob marley ensemble. and i got lots of work to do. hahah. i mean i listen to bob marley a lot but always just in a playlist and only the choruses stick in my head. so the melody of the verses are hard to absorb. especially bobs crazy melody lines. he's freakin genius... so im gonna need to step up my game. the life of Bob Marley is so interesting and inspiring... Matt Jenson, our teacher, spoke about his beginnings and his family and everything like that... Bob Marley was the man... he still is the man. cant wait to learn more from that class.

but foreals what im excited about is the band i put together to start playing shows with me. we already got a gig in new york on march 7th, and hopefully we'll have some more in Boston. shiori, noah, and bobby, and andrew rhim even tho he couldnt make it today, are all awesome. we jammed to showstopper, i just want you, starlit nights, and midKnight. i wish ya'll could hear how everythings turning out. im really excited. we just jammed out, the music spoke for itself, and we all were on the same page which is a very good thing. shiori, the drummer girl =], was super nice and HELLA good at feelin' the vibe i was just puttin out with my hands on the piano... noah, ive played with him before in a classic rock ensemble and he's just an exciting person to play with.. and bobby is one of my best friends out here in Boston... he's just the clown of the band who happens to play really good guitar. hahah.

watch out for good things from us!

oh! and i got a callback for Singer's Showcase.. again... so hopefully this time i actually make the show. that's on thursday, and also on thursday is Singer's Night (there is a difference) auditions.. and then after that is my first acoustic show out here in Boston! at Bill's Bar!!! busy day... but all about the MUSIC..

always about the MUSIC.
much love ya'll...
-AJ

singers showcase..

2009-01-25T21:29:00.000-08:00

remember when i first started writing these blogs? i talked about an audition i had for 'singers showcase' one of the biggest most hyped up show at berklee?! and i was all bummed cuz i made the callbacks but never made the show.. well im trying out again.. and i hope this time i make it. its tomorrow around 630 if i dont, no sweat, i just know then for sure that they are not looking for someone like me and i can accept it easier. hahaha. i'll let yall know how it goes. =] thanks for all the support guys foreals tho...

ok random story. i walked my friend amanda home last nite, well not really just across the scary ass park directly across my apartment... and it was 230 am and the most random thing happened.. a guy on a unicycle rode past us rubbing his hands together cuz it was cold. we both looked at each other and 5 seconds later we busted out laughing. i told her "that was the most random thing i have ever seen in my entire life".

so weird.

hahahah a freakin unicycle! i didnt even know those existed really outside of the circus. thats talent right there i guess..

i have my first show in boston this thursday. unfortunately it wont be with the band, but it'll be acoustic and its gonna be dope! i hope. lets climb a rope. i want a cantaloupe.

wowww ok anyway heres the info. Bill's Bar. thursday the 29th. doors open at 9 and its 5 bucks before 10. come watch if ur in boston! thanks to Tim Luckow for gettin me this show. i play around 930-45.

woooo! anyway heres the newest video for the series.

-AJ

first week of spring semester..

2009-01-23T16:21:00.000-08:00

so things have been going well so far. havent had my monday class yet, but its only one class from 4-6. tuesday i had my bob marley performance studies ensemble class. it was awesome. wednesday i had my private lesson, an accompanying/singing class, and flo-ology which is so freakin awesome. thursday i had lyric writing and jazz/blues lab. my jazz/blues lab was amazing... its with this new teacher rhiannon, and she just made us improvise over a random musical language she made up. it was awesome. i will have to show you guys sometime her technique of teaching. it is awesome. and fridays i dont have any classes so far.

being back in boston is refreshing. i must say the snow hasn't bothered me too much, but enough for me to complain about it. first of all, most of the shortcuts are blocked from the snow so i must walk all the way around something i would have normally walked through. thats like an extra 4 minutes added to my total time of walking to school. ahaha. omg ok not too big of a deal. but damn there are so many puddles that look like that its powdered snow but end up soaking ur feet and getting ur socks wet. sucky.

i miss California weather right now, but not so much Cali i guess.. for NOW anyway... i know i'll be missing it dearly in about 2 weeks but for now im enjoying the vibe here in Boston. i'm liking it and thats rare so i'm trying not to screw it up. stepping in puddles still gets me kinda mad though.

OMG but WOW the other day i think it was wednesday.. i was walking thru a little thin passage that didnt have that much snow because it was where people walk through to get to the other side of the road... and i freakin SLIPPED and fell for a long time. like i couldnt get up. my hand kept slipping as i was trying to use it to get me up. and the whole time i was looking at the guy behind me who just turned and walked around the island. it was messed up. omg i laughed and made a scene for myself because nobody asked if i was okay. the people walking towards my direction started laughing out loud cuz they probably couldn't hold it in. how EMBARASSING. i am scarred for life. i step with dear care now, as if i might die if i step without thinking. i look at the ground with so much focus now its ridiculous. i hope this never happens to you.

heres the 2nd video of the series. my next one will be a beatles or carpenters one. i think. love yall
i know this is not that old but i would still consider it a classic.

-AJ

red, white, & Barack.

2009-01-21T16:50:00.001-08:00

inauguration was an awesome thing to watch. literally history in the making. although you can argue that every inauguration is history in the making, this one is very different and more significant. Obama has overcome so much to be where he's at. he is truly an inspiring person and not only because he's the first black president, but because of his ability to just BE. he graduated from Harvard, at the top of his class, and has achieved so much during his lifetime-- i am proud to say that he is our president.

i dont care if you're against him, but you can't really do anything now. he's been sworn in and its official. America has its first black president. and people are getting so upset because we are celebrating it like that. but i say, why not? it just shows how much America has done to overcome the barrier of RACE. and how much we've grown. racism hurts EVERYBODY. and racism has struck me too. and i'm tired of it. the story of Barack Obama has shown me that human beings are beginning to accept that it doesn't matter what color you are or who your parents were or whatever. if a black man can finally be president in this white-dominant country, i think an Filipino-American can finally top the billboard charts. what do you think?

before you argue with me, read about him, and read his story and i promise you'll be inspired. don't be close-minded just because he's something different from the norm. i believe that he's definitely going to change the world. and he will whether you agree with him being President of the United States or not.

sorry that i brought politics into this blog, its just that in my flo-ology class today, we were just flowing and talking about how we feel, and i just feel so good that somebody has overcome the idea that not everyone has to suck up to the white man in this world. we're our own people, but we all share one thing-- we're American. and i can definitely say that yesterday during the inauguration i was very Proud to be one. and hopefully now i can be everyday. because i know that America has come together to elect someone who they believed could bring change to this country, regardless of his race.

anyway, started a new video series. this one is 10 songs your parents probably know. "Classics" Video Series. 1 of 10. "As Time Goes By"

-AJ
-AJ

my soldier...

2009-01-16T18:41:00.000-08:00

my first music video.

hope you guys enjoy. thanks for watching me grow as an artist, and for supporting me, hopefully one day a music video of mine can end up on MTV. can't explain how fun this was, met lots of cool people, renewed friendships haha, and just had so much fun. i know its kinda corny sometimes (my acting! hahah) but yeah love you all. i'm leaving to Boston tomorrow... catch ya on the East Coast.

-AJ

tired and INSPIRED

2009-01-10T11:08:00.000-08:00

i told you guys about recording in SD, and it was awesome. im going back monday but i got most of the stuff done. staying at jesse barrera's house for a couple of days was an awesome experience. jammin in the middle of the mornin, having breakfast at hash house, meeting all the family and friends, it was awesome. so whats it like hangin out with a rockstar? the same as hangin with a brother or best friend. so chill, no cockiness, no arrogance, just the same ol' vibe i get with all my close friends, it was so humbling and just DOPE.

special thanks to clint for recording me, and thanks for letting me hit it up one more day on monday. jesse, (myspace), is a talented songwriter and singer who is also in the band My American Heart. him and larry soliman started the band back when they were like 15. those are two filipino-americans who have successfully broke the barrier for the rock music scene. the last night i was in SD i chilled with larry, jesse, our good homie alan, and the girls gracie, michelle, and tin cagayat!

anyway, i had a show last night at Ocean Java, a coffee shop that Jesse's mom owns. and it was just awesome. met a lot of BlogTV people, a lot of fans, and a lot of new faces. it was so dope seeing so many people crammed up in the coffee shop (even though at times i know it must have been uncomfortable) but thank you to everyone who came. the adrian william project opened it up with 3 awesome songs and me and jesse were screamin like girls for em hahah. then yultron, then the kneehighs (a dope rap group), then alan ladan, who plays sickk jazz piano and did an old school R&B jam set. jesse went up and i sang "Sweet Time" with him, an original he wrote, and he did his set with alan on the keys and me occasionally. we sang our new song that we wrote on monday "She Was Mine" at the end of his set and i messed up on the words but its all good! hahah

my set was up, and i played Starlit Nights with Jesse, So Quiet, Something Happens, MidKnight, then hopped on the guitar to play Showstopper, How's San Diego Pauli-Johnny Rocket's, My Soldier, and then I Just Want You =] and that feeling when everyone is singing your songs is just unexplainable. thank you so much for that. jesse and i convinced larry earlier to sing with us, so the last song of the night was like a freakin dream come true man. we sang TIRED AND UNINSPIRED by MY AMERICAN HEART. larry (lead singer), freakin jesse (lead guitarist), and me, aj, who has been a fan of them for years. i remember buying their ALBUM in best buy with RB because i saw their "Process" music video. i never thought i'd be playing and singing a song with them. it was truly an inspiring moment for me.

so many people from moval/riverside came down, including cathy nguyen and christine concepcion, two of my favorite people to sing with, and my sister among others. the car ride there was me, my best friend rb, and kris l and cathy. and another car followed us with my other best friends dusty kris and fred with christine and jasmine. adrian william project and tabitha came from the valley too, and nicole, caroline, serena, and kim also making long drives. but special thanks to kelvin, elissa, and friends for coming out from freakin LA!!! ya'll are so awesome. =)

shoutouts to the BLOGTV people, genesis, goshnicole, rheza mae, huskyboydrew, sweetserenade, and many others. ya'll rock.

heres a video of the surprise encore performance of "Tired and Uninspired"

-AJ

"search ocean java aj rafael" to look up all the videos from last night!

happiest place on Earth...

2009-01-04T21:37:00.000-08:00

went to Disneyland for 2 days in a row! =] my mom got us annual passes for an extra Christmas present so i'm really excited. we gotta get like a blogtv meetup or just a hang out day with EVERYONE in the summer! haha. even though it might be chaos.

my new years was great, chilled with family, so that's really all that matters. not too crazy like everyone else that i ask but yeah. haven't been up to much lately, but i have started shooting my music video for "My Soldier" =D im excited! scott yoshimoto of Movemediaproductions.com is directing and doing the camera work for it so it'll be really dope. (check him out on my top friends on myspace)

we're havin a little dillemma tho.. we need to shoot a "show" scene. so i need YOUR help. for NOW, the location is in Chino, at St. Margaret's, on MONDAY the 12th of January. i know its a monday, but we need to try to see if we can get enough people. but hopefully we can get FRIDAY the 16th instead of the 12th... because mondays dont really feel right to me.. something about friday is exciting and fulfilling. its like finishing the week off with a BOOM or a BAM hahaha. the 17th is the day i leave to Boston.. so that would be pretty cool. let me know what you think!

exciting news: also, i'm spending this week, 3 days to be exact, in San Diego to record my EP to put on iTunes! i'll be in the studio that My American Heart, one of my inspirations, record their demos at. my good friend Jesse Barrera, who's the lead guitarist of the band, is gonna be helpin me with the recording cuz he does his EP stuff there too, so thats gonna be awesome. we're gonna be practicing for our show on friday, the 9th. in national city - san diego. check out my myspace for more details. please try to make it out! i'd love you FOREVER! hahah

to everyone who is at For Your Soul right now, hope it was awesome and that ya'll had a good time! and hope you loved my video that i made for the event! hahaha. peace ya'll.

heres a throwback video.. with chris cendana and derek portea

AJ

christmas makes way for Spring...

2008-12-31T10:11:00.000-08:00

my last few days in Boston for the year of 2008 were pretty interesting. the snowstorm hit so hard, it was crazy. it was so hard to get my luggage across town to get to the train stop. i chilled (literally) with my friends carly, debbie, mike, brittney, and eric before i left for the airport. we even went ice skating at like 8 o clock at night while it was snowing. snow is beautiful, but sometimes it just gets annoying. hahaha. anyway, the day after i was supposed to leave, it was actually pretty damn sunny in Boston. so the plane departed and landed with no problems.

i must say i'm glad to be back home for a while. i'm here until the 17th. can you believe it? thats so long. my roommates that go to Northeastern are going back to Boston this friday sadly. because they start school next monday. yay for Berklee!

anyway, latest news: i'm shooting a music video with MoveMedia productions aka Scott Yoshimoto for my song "My Soldier". =) don't know when, but theres a scene where we want EVERYONE to be involved in, kind of like a show scene. so we'll actually have like a real show with like cathy and randolph and derek and all else fades, it'll be cool! =D i'll keep you guys updated.

2008 was an awesome year. word of mouth proved to be a great way of spreading my music, and it worked. thank you guys for your support, for subscribing, for watching, for listening, for doing your homework while listening, for chatting on blogTV with me, and for being my inspiration to keep my music going. i owe you all cupcakes. no joke.

for those who haven't seen my number 12 video.. my christmas present for you guys are the mp3's to my youtube holiday video series.
go here and download it.
glowing-vision.net/music.htm"

with love,
AJ

1 MILLION PLAYS!!!! =D

and Boxing Day Video... newest in the Holiday Vid Series.

i'll be home for christmas..

2008-12-21T10:08:00.000-08:00

but for now... im stuck in freakin Boston.

i was supposed to leave at 9AM this morning but the snowstorm cancelled all the flights going to houston where my layover was. i was in line at the airport for freakin 3 hours. the wackest part about this is that i was supposed to direct my choir MVCC in caroling tonight at my house tonight cuz my moms throwing a christmas party. and im not gonna be there. =\ i cant believe this...

tomorrow or tuesday i'll be home. depends on this weather. freakin boston.

miss you all.
-AJ

snowflakes in the air...

2008-12-19T20:19:00.001-08:00

snowstorm today. i must say it was one of the most beautiful things i have seen from Mother Nature. reminds me of Narnia. ahahaha. man, i am sure glad to have seen a blizzard before i left back to california. im leaving on sunday by the way. i saw Yes Man with one of my best friends at Berklee, Carly today. it was great. Zooey Deschanel (from elf) is freakin BOMB. omg. seriously. haha and then i walked her back and ended up at Andrew Rhim's house to record a new christmas video. then i walked over to Northeastern Univ to meet up with my friend Chris (who is in one of the pics up there, also his snow angel is up there too) and we took back some architectural stuff that Pablo left in the studio. it was hell! but worth it cuz he is our friend =)

let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

here are videos 6, 7, and 8!

much love,
AJ

baby, it's cold outside...

2008-12-16T19:17:00.000-08:00

it really is. its about 31 degrees Fahrenheit right now. and i hear its going to get 30 degrees colder real soon. hahaha. wow.

almost done with the first semester!!! Berklee has been a weird roller coaster ride for me. hopefully next semester will be 10x better. it really needs to be. hahah. no lie. but yeah i chose my own classes for next semester, including songwriting and lyric writing. and also flo-ology and hip hop production. hopefully those classes will help me love Berklee.

thanks for the requests by the way, i've listened to most of them and i think i have more ideas now for the next christmas videos. you guys are awesome!

quick update: cute drummer girl is in my band. =D

i didnt really talk about this but i've been looking around for members for my band to play my original music. my friend andrew smith from London hit me up first about it, asking me if i was gonna put a band together becuz he was one of the first people to check out my music here at Berklee. he's now my bass player. next i asked my good friend andrew rhim, which you guys might know from my "cascada" video and lydia's "i'm yours" video., to be a guitarist. then my friend bobby villareal had this big epiphany talk with me about starting to spread my music in Boston and thats what im here for. to show Boston and the East Coast what I'M about. he's my other guitarist. then i finally sucked it up, and talked to shiori (shorty) and asked her to be in my band as my drummer. i told her she was my first choice. the aj rafael band (name still in the process) is complete.

speaking of networking and meeting awesome musicians, this is Emily Elbert. check out her "Thriller" cover on her YouTube channel after watching my fifth holiday video =]

i go home on Sunday. finals this week (tomorrow, thurs, and fri) wish me luck! my proficiency test for the vocal department is tomorrow and im singing an Italian piece called "Se Tu Mami" and "Love Dance" by Quincy Jones. i'll tell ya'll how it goes! thanks for catching up with me!
-AJ

ps "Carol of the Bells" is now up on my MYSPACE!! recorded at Andrew Rhim's apartment, with Jourdan and Jade. thank you guys =]

i gave you my heart...

2008-12-12T18:03:00.000-08:00

but the very next day, you gave it away...

what a wonderful song. but very sad at the same time. hahaha. anyway... i thought i would take this time to tell you a little about my classes here at berklee. a lot of people have been asking about it, and since theyre all pretty much over, i thought i might reflect briefly on some of them. haha

that up there is my teacher, my favorite teacher, donna mcelroy. search for her on YouTube singing "America, the Beautiful". anyway shes probably the realest teacher out there, and its funny that i've learned SO MUCH stuff in this class becuz it is only a .5 credit class called "background vocals". she has taught us so much about the industry and just straight up how its all messed up right now. i think i remember telling you guys about her! anyway in this class, the first thing we had to do was teach everyone in the class a 3 part verse/and or chorus. so that was my favorite thing since ive been doing that for a while with my choir, MVCC! i probably loved this class so much becuz it reminded me of teaching choir. the final was to have a group, and have everyone teach everyone in the group a whole song and they would sing lead on it. there was one group that had only 2 people so i had to bite the bullet and be in 2 groups cuz no one else wanted to. hahah. i had to learn 7 songs. ay caramba. anyway, im gonna miss this class. our teacher said this was what she looked forward to during the week. wednesdays 4 o clock. ironic that the class that counted for the least credit taught me the most about music, and the life that comes along with choosing it as a career.

this is my arranging class. my teacher is so laid back its not even funny. i mean we learn stuff, but she just loves chillin and taking her time. its so awesome. the first day of class was awesome already. i was feeling like super anti social at first but then i started acting like myself and being super loud and outgoing haha cuz thats who i am. and the class became our teachers favorite class cuz we were just always being goofballs. those are the funnest times. we learn how to notate drums, guitars, bass, and piano on musical scores. most of the stuff we couldve learned straight out of the book. but the class was super fun so im not even trippin. she even lets us play in class as you see up there. most arranging teachers dont have their students do that. and this class is exactly what i imagined berklee to be. playing in every class, no matter the circumstance. and just having fun with music. but unfortunately, not all classes are this way.

k i'll post more about the classes in the next blog. its been raining so hard here. im trippin cuz i wish it were snowing. it only snowed that one day hahah. booooo! and im leaving next week already! i am so confusing. sometimes i wanna be in boston, sometimes i wanna be in cali... gahh.. the balance is not balanced. LOL.

hope you guys like my 4th video. i'd be happy to take ur suggestions for the next 8. =D

-aj

o come o come emmanuel...

2008-12-09T21:02:00.000-08:00

it is Advent. =D Christmas is just around the bend...

so i tried out for the Bob Marley band at my school (Berklee) and i just found out yesterday that i got in! im so excited. especially because i just walked over to see this semester's bob marley ensemble and they are freakin awesome! i actually made it into something this time =]

but dang, finals are comin' up. actually i've been through half of mine already. im not sure if i've told you guys, but Berklee College of Music is awesome because you can join ensembles which are pretty much bands that you join for CREDIT. i was placed into 4 ensembles this year, one was classic rock, another was a level 3 mixed styles band, one i played piano for, and another was a player/vocalist performance studies one. at the end of the semester we play a recital in one of the recital halls and i am exhausted from them all. freakin 4! usually first semester students are in just one, or not even in one. i had tested out of some classes so thats why i chose to do performance ensembles for electives. i love performing. so im glad i did it even tho it was quite stressful.

anyway, it's been a lot of people's birthday lately. special shoutouts to elissa, steph b, stephie, annalynn dy, krissy dabao, eric romulo, and others. which i shall mention later on. heres a video i just did today. wish me luck with finals guys! im stressin out!!! i have a big project due on thursday, which i have not done much for. its an arrangement project for which i have to write a score with 5 instruments on. i'm doing "MidKnight"... also im going to start a campaign to try and get that song on the next Batman movie. coming soon!

holiday video number 3 of 12!

share with your friends, and be merry this holiday season <3
thank you guys for all ur nice comments by the way.
i just made the top 100 most subscribed musicians list on YouTube!!!! yayyyy!
-AJ

let it snow...

2008-12-07T19:22:00.001-08:00

this is kind of old news but i got a digital camera like 3 weeks ago. my friend allyson called me this morning and told me to look outside. it was snowing. amazing feeling. i woke up my roommate pablo and he got up and looked too. =)

(these aren't the best pics in the world, but it'll do)

no words needed to explain =]

oh and new video. 2nd video in the 12 holiday video series. =D a rewrite of my original song, Starlit Nights.

much love,
AJ

here comes santa claus...

2008-12-04T19:39:00.000-08:00

holiday season is here. thanksgiving has passed us, now comes Christmas!!! i went to the Christmas tree lighting today at the Boston Commons and it was awesome. except for the fact that when Brian McKnight was performing with his 2 songs the freakin POWER WENT OUT. WTF!!!! i was so mad. they just bowed and got escorted off stage. one of his songs was about to play the guitar too. but damn Brian McKnight is freakin tall and freakin so good at singing. shoooot.

it was a cool little group we had goin'. pablo, his girlfriend allison, our friends chris amanda teague and my friend lijie from school. i saw some people there from berklee. but there were SO many people there it was crazy. we had new york pizza and then got some starbucks and walked home. we probably walked like 5 miles i would say today. well thats what pablo said.

i dont know about you, but i love the christmas spirit. and i know its all commercial and what not, but the christmas lights and decorations around the city make me so happy. and warm inside. haha wow. i am not ashamed! hahaha. and i've been listening to Christmas music non-stop on my ipod. i love that Jesus was born at such a nice time of year. haha =D

it hasn't snowed yet here in Boston, but i'm sure i'll love it for a day. after that i heard it just gets annoying and crappy. hahah but i can't wait either way. it hasn't been so cold the past few days. probably like 40 degrees. idk thats a really rough estimate. but yeah not too cold.

oh wow i didnt tell you guys on my way back from california to here i stopped in cleveland and was stuck for about 6 hours. i was the only standby passenger on a flight that wouldnt make me late for my performance final for my ensemble. WOW. i went straight to school with my luggage and even brushed my teeth in the bathroom at school. damn.

ok well thats enough of me babbling. i had a nice talk with my arranging teacher today about staying here at Berklee (and about leaving)... and my teacher Donna McElroy is just a big inspiration to me. we'll save that for another blog. love you guys. heres the first video of 12 for my christmas video series. ciao. =)

with Love,
AJ

PS
to those who regularly comment my blog; i really enjoy reading them. and i love that you guys follow my blogs, it really feels awesome and im thankful for YOU guys too. loved ur last comments, made me feel all warm inside, kinda like how christmas lights to. =D

thankful

2008-12-01T19:27:00.001-08:00

there's so much to be thankful for.

i'd like to thank God for.. (sounds like i'm accepting a grammy)

-being my strength when i am weak
-waking me up in the morning
-giving me the gift of music
-allowing me to have the courage to do what i love to do; perform
-blessing me with the most awesome family

-helping me find a new church here in Boston
-being accepted into Berklee College of Music
-allowing me to start a brand new life
-giving me my legs to walk to school everyday =p
-the cold weather; so i could wear a nice pea-coat everyday

-the piano
-the guitar
-ironman
-the beatles
-guitar hero

-myspace
-youtube
-facebook
-my laptop
-the wii

-friends who go to all my shows
-friends who don't go to my shows
-friends who have had my heart
-friends who have my back
-friends who are always there for me

-my roommates and their girlfriends
-umass filipino crew
-berklee friends
-allowing me to meet such wonderful musicians this year
-the most amazing and supportive fans ever

-the beautiful city of Boston
-the super chill vibe of California
-the awesome airport of Houston
-the snow i saw today in Cleveland
-my hometown where i leave my heart about every 2 weeks; Moreno Valley

-Change to come
-Peace to come
-Hope &
-LOVE.

i never thought i'd say that Gabe Bondoc covered MY song. well now i can. i love you Gabe. my homeboy. thankful for this guy too, he's helped me get through some tough times and homesickness. thanks again Bro-sef.

with love,
AJ Rafael

pinoy/pinay

2008-11-22T22:59:00.000-08:00

know your roots.

my friend marc from university of massachusetts (umass) hit me up on facebook and told me about an event at boston university called "kamayan 2008". it was a celebration of filipino culture to help unify the filipino community here at the different colleges in boston. i've been to so many PCN's (philippine culture night) that i'm not that excited to see filipino cultural dances too much anymore although they are awesome and i love tinikling haha... but every time im at a culture night/event like that it makes me proud to be who i am.

there was a spoken word piece in the middle of the event by Archipelag-a, a spoke word group from Brown University. they spoke of the struggle that filipinos have when they come from the philippines to america to start a new life. and how sometimes filipinos sacrifice their culture just to fit in with the "american ways". they spoke about how it hurts us 1st generation filipino-americans and how we lose our culture. we need to know where we came from, and not forget about the past and what filipinos have been through. one thing that stuck with me was when they were talking about their filipino moms and how they say "look ahead forget about the philippines forget about the revolution forget about all that just be a doctor, have money in one hand and a baby in the other", and their reaction was "sometimes to look ahead, we must look back".

"give me your philippines, give me your past, then i will give you your american dream"

no need to suck up to the white man to be successful. you can have success in so many different ways, why give up who you are just to live the "american dream". we're all immigrants, we are all from different places, we are all american. you can't lose that piece of where you came from, don't let ur culture be lost in the world where there is ignorance and racism and hatred.. you are who you are, be proud of it.

and in that case, i'm proud to be Filipino-American.

and speaking of which, it brought more thoughts to my mind about Filipino and Asian-Americans and how we have not broken into mainstream entertainment and media. but i believe we can do it. we just need to stick together, and we need to just keep getting better. i promise, this is our time-- if we truly believe in ourselves. like i said before, charice pempengco, arnold pineda (journey), jabbawockeez, ramiele malubay-- they're putting us on the map. hopefully you'll see us in the lights soon.

i must say i had a great day today. met 10 new friends at the Kamayan 2008 event including marc for the first time. we ate in downtown chinatown. they are awesome people. for some reason i've been super anti-social since i've been here, with only 20 or less friends that i would really consider my actual friends. but today made me happy, and i was actually smiling a whole lot tonight. these new friends made me like boston a little more in the short time i hung out with them. very welcoming and down-to-earth.

finally. =]

last night was interesting tho, pablo and some of our friends went to some party on symphony street. left after 30 mins but fun i guess walking over there and what not. love my roommate pabs.

shoutouts to andrew, sylvia, and jessica. jam sessions in the classrooms at berklee! love yall!
-AJ

been a little lazy...

2008-11-18T19:58:00.000-08:00

im sorry ya'll. i haven't blogged in a WEEK. and im sorry about the raffle video not being up yet, its taking a while to edit. i want it to be good and exciting and amazing. hahaha. anyway, tonight i participated in a show called "Singer's Night". it was my first experience here at a show, and it was at the BPC! (Berklee Performance Center) and as a first semester student, i was fortunate to have been in this production. i was only a background singer, but it was amazing anyway. i really felt like i was part of the show. from the long tuesday and wednesday nights, to the even longer dress rehearsal last night, it was well worth it. i gotta show you guys these singers man, they are PHENOMENAL. i was in an acappella group singing "where did my baby go" featuring this amazing singer dorian allen. there were 5 of us on stage and the crowd loved it. i also was in "superstar" featuring the homie quentin. i met a lot of people at this event and im glad to have done so.

the drummer girl i told you all about was one of the three drummers for the concert, and i was sooo nervous to even say hi. i just said "good job shiori" downstairs after the show. hahah. omg. embarassing.

but yeah it was an awesome experience, i hope you guys get to see me up on the stage singing one of my own songs one day. the BPC is like a dream come true if i ever get to sing in there. one day.

this weekend was awesome being in cali again, i must say, to be honest, the show was unorganized and didnt go as smoothly as planned, but it was a very talented lineup so the show went awesome anyway. seeing everybody, gabe, randolph, cathy, lydia, renabette, derek, all else fades, and the whole family from BLOGTV was pretty tight. met a lot of people by their "username" hahaha. of course, as tradition goes, we all ate in n out afterwards. the flight back home wasn't too bad. i fell asleep on a lady but she didnt tell me till after the flight was done. how nice of her right? i felt so bad, but i ended up talking to her about boston and about me being a musician. i always carry one cd in my backpack when i have a flight, and she was the person i gave it to this time =]

i just wanna thank fred kris marlon andrew frank dusty and rb for helping me make the exclusive cds (with 15 tracks) this weekend. we were literally up till 5AM making them and spraypainting them. hope you guys enjoyed them.

this is what happened the night after. i have no idea what i was thinking agreeing to do this.

and i sold a lot of "AJ Rafael" shirts (or Raphael lol) so thank you to those who actually came up to merch table and said whats up and bought them and wore them. truly means the world to me. without you all i would definitely be nothing.

loved seeing my family this weekend, its always very refreshing. im very fortunate to have been home so much since my leave from home. thanksgiving is almost here!!!

-AJ

food to my soul...

2008-11-11T08:53:00.001-08:00

mama! i love you!

hey everybody it was my mom's birthday yesterday, 11/10. just wanted to tell you all how proud i am to be her son.

she was born in the philippines, and has 4 sisters and 1 brother. while they all moved to australia along with their mom and dad, my mom moved to LA to be independent. she's a nurse, like most other filipino moms, but she's not just a nurse. she's the most hard-working mom in my universe. she's been widowed twice, and is one of the most STRONGEST people in this world, i know it. when my dad passed away she kept it strong, with my youngest sister being only 6 months, she quickly had to become both the mom AND the dad of the family. things were hard, and i remember every second of the crying, and the hardship, but through it all we had each other. you can really call us the fantastic four. with mom being our leader. i am telling you she is one of kind.

MOM! i know you're reading this because this is how you found out about my lip ring. and i'm sorry again for that. but i am happy you support my decisions. and thank you SO MUCH forgiving me the opportunity to live here in Boston on my own. i know every time i come home i complain about it, but i know you're letting me have this experience because i need it. i hope jasmine and justine are being good to you, because you only deserve the best. and they know that. and mom i know you miss dad as much as we all do, but i know that you are happy with joel too, so if you are happy i'm happy too. im sorry i bitch about him all the time, but i know that you would never try to replace dad. mom thank you for keeping the music alive within us! if it weren't for you, dad's music would never have lived on through us. justine, jasmine, and i have kept MUSIC in our lives because of YOU mom. and you are more talented than you give urself credit for. you are the music in our lives. dad gave us the foundation and the knowledge to know how to use it, and you are enforcing it in us, you have kept the spirit alive. i love you mom. happy birthday

Jasmine Rafae- my sister

can't wait to be back home this weekend.
-AJ

check out my new layout on myspace, and ramiele malubay's as well! i designed them both! =D

defying gravity...

2008-11-08T20:48:00.000-08:00

just came back from watching idina menzel in concert. very amazing and inspiring! i was walking on the way to the Berklee Performance Center thinking i was late cuz it was already 730, but i got there and she had an opening act. it was this guy named Chris Mann, this video below is the song that got me really interested in his performance. he's like a mix of jason mraz and like josh groban maybe.

after this, Idina came out of course. she sang songs from her albums, most of them i didn't know, but the band was amazing and her vocals were insane!!! and then she sang "Another Day" from rent, but acoustic, in the middle of the concert. i had chills the whole 3 or 4 minutes of the song. she had the crowd singing the words "no day but today" it was just amazing. i thought of my friend Flo, she was one of my best friends and was in the original MVCC (the choir i directed) and she left to the philippines to follow her vocation as a religious sister (nun-to-be). she always sang this song, and the part when she goes "theres only us..." always almost brought me to tears everytime she sang it. i can honestly say she changed my life and i will always remember her SOUL because it was pure and perfect. i know shes praying for me out there, i may never be able to speak to her again, but she has made a huge impact on my life.

the rest of the concert was amazing and energetic, and she kept the crowd interested with all her little jokes and inside information about her life, about taye, her dog, and how she came about writing some of the songs on her album. to close the concert she sang an upbeat song, followed by an acappella version of "For Good" from wicked. and she said goodnight.

after the goodnight, the crowd kept cheering for probably another 5 minutes, and she came back out and sang "kiss from a rose" with her band which was an amazing arrangement, and closed again with the pop version of "defying gravity" which everyone was screaming their lungs off for at the end. that part "ohh ohh ohh ohh" at the end, you know what im talkin about?

anyway, it was amazing, even though i dressed up to impress, and had no one to impress cuz i went alone, it was worth it. whats wrong with a straight guy liking musical theatre?

hope ya'll are doing amazing. oh and on my newest video, there is some hater who looked for something irrelevant to hate on, it was just so ridiculous. i laughed. read the comments and see for yourself. hahah.

If I Had You (Showstopper)

showstopper...

2008-11-07T16:54:00.000-08:00

yo so im chillin here at the apartment. and my roommate dwight and his girl kelsie are in the other room and kelsie cooked pasta for us all! so sweet =] it was so bomb. i am watching "the batman" season 3 cuz it was on sale at best buy. its the animated series that played on THE WB saturday mornings. amazing. haha im not gonna lie im a big batman fan. "midknight". oh and i never told you guys who i was for halloween. i'll show ya'll soon.

anyway, yesterday the weirdest and most insulting thing happened. i asked my friend in class (and note i have probably less than 15 friends here at berklee) to borrow his laptop. i went to check my email and then he asks for it back before i get the chance to log out. and he asks me "can you send files from this computer to ur email?" and i said yes its possible. and he goes WOW and starts looking thru all my emails. i was like WTF are you DOING? and my friend bobby next to him was like dude are you serious. and the guy was like "dude its a cut throat business, i have originals on this computer" i was very shocked and like laughed at first but then i was like WHAT THE, WHY WOULD I DO THAT? i was sooo mad you dont understand. why would i steal music from a friend first of all? and out of ALL the people in the whole school would i really choose some hick from texas (no offense i dont even know if he lives in texas) who plays BLUES, i mean i love blues but its not my career choice.

wow ok im done being an a-hole but damn that was effed up. how insulting. does he really think im that low of a person to be stealing files from his computer? how idiotic, seriously.

anyway, after that i just left class and cussed at him (bad example don't do it) pretty much saying you're an idiot. i went to the practice room to just let out my frustration. and luckily had a christmas book that i borrowed from the library earlier and just played and it was just awesome playing those tunes. felt relaxing. and then i thought of this song that i heard last christmas called "thankful" by josh groban. i found it on my ipod and just was learning how to play it by ear cuz it wasnt in the christmas book. that video is coming soon. an AMAZING song.

hope you guys are doing good, and hope this new video makes ur day! shoutouts to my new friend CARISSA RAE, shes an amazing artist, super talented-- trust me! she just performed at this show i did last weekend called "Expressions of Faith" and i fell in love with her voice. she's in commercials, music videos, and is seriously doing amazing in the industry! she's also a real good friend of mine now, we seriously became friends in 3 seconds or less. oh and she's super cute too. ;D please check her out at myspace.com/carissaraeofficial and youtube.com/heavenlystar2fly

k heres the video. new song =D
dedicated to my friend juicebox!

-AJ

08AMA

2008-11-04T20:19:00.000-08:00

the time has finally come for someone other than the WHITE MAN is in charge.

i love white people, i'm just saying... time for some CHANGE... honestly i wouldn't have minded mccain, just as long as that cowboy Bush is outta office... anyway thats enough about politics. all i know is that the world is gonna change. bad, good, somehow.

this weekend was awesome. saturday's show, expressions of faith 08, was amazing! i met some awesome and talented people. one singer i was glad to meet was Carissa Rae (myspace.com/carissaraeofficial) she's been in tv commercials, music videos, and is an amazing singer and dancer. she sang at expressions, and my favorite song that she played was "everywhere" by michelle branch. she sang it beautifully. carissa you are one talented lady <33

the show went kinda long to be honest, i played last and the crowd was already sleeping pretty much. so i had to wake them up. in the middle of my set i just pulled out 'sunrise to sunset' whiel marlon was on stage playing cajon with me. it turned out well, and hopefully that helped out the energy. i sold my shirts and cds at the end of the show, and it all went good after that. had some people over at my house and we just chilled like old times.

on sunday, after church, i visited the cemetery with my family to visit my dad and grandmas grave which are right next to each other, and my auntie * mama zeny who recently passed away this year... after the cemetery my family and all my family from la went to in n out. dusty drove the car to the burbank airport after that which is literally the smallest airport i've ever been to. its like a drive-thru.

on the plane i freakin accidentally slept on someone. i hope it wasnt for too long. when i woke up i grabbed her arm and said i'm so sorry. hahahah. omg. how embarassing.

got on the train home and went to sleep. after sleep i went to classes which are my bands that i'm in. talked to this girl in the class and we are going to do some r&b acoustic cover songs to jam out to, and then i went home, had dinner with amanda and pablo, and had a bad acid reflux trip that i thought i was going stop breathing on, and then woke up to SLEEP PARALYSIS and it sucked.

if anyone has read about SCISSORS or sleep paralysis, its a pretty scary thing. its when REM malfunctions and you wake up during the deepest part of ur sleep, while ur body is paralyzed. so ur minds awake but ur bodys not basically, and it causes you to hallucinate and you cant move. it happened to me twice and i literally thought someone was holding me down. pablo (my roommate) and chris our friend thought i was trippin so bad and they even laughed. i was like, that was not funny. hahahaha.

had singers night rehearsal tonight, and saw the drummer chick again, she was walking towards me at the end of rehearsal and i walked away cuz i didnt know what to say. hahah damn it im a wuss. but i ended up waving to her from far as i was leaving... haha woww i dont know what to do.

new video!

ohh... gotta get outta here...

2008-10-30T21:26:00.001-07:00

-relient k

this saturday is expressions of faith! i played this event last year and sang "be my escape" by relient k. and other songs too, but that song just gives me energy to go do something with mye life! haha.

expressions of faith is held at the first united methodist church in hacienda heights, ca. it will start at 6PM i believe. come out and support!

anyway, today was my lazy day. after class, i went to cambridge by myself. the T (the underground train) was ridiculously packed. the door closed on my backpack when i went on. i was like what the heezy. and theres like one pole by the door that everyone tries to grab. it was like whoever's hand is on top wins the prize. i felt like i knew everyone thats how close they were to me. quite disturbing actually. but i was warm. hahahah.

walking from the kendall stop to the garment district (this awesome clothing store) was very cold, but worth it. the garment district had a cape, and a mask, exactly what i needed for my costume. i'll show you guys pics later! im not gonna tell you who i am going to be. you'll see. haha. and when its not halloween, its a huge vintage clothing store where they sell clothing for $1 a pound. amazing.

i walked about another mile to harvard square just to hang out and chill. i love walking in cambridge, there are so many beautiful trees. i dont care how gay that sounds. but seriously there are some crazy trees. i walked thru harvard like the actual school and sat in a bench and pretended like i was a student. i looked pretty sophisticated with my coat, scarf, glasses, and backpack, like i was ready to learn some freakin LAW. =P

hung out in the dorms with carly, joelle, and lauren, and then walked back to the apartment and packed and cleaned so i can just pick up and GO tomorrow! well i leave in 7 hours. im skipping classes for tomorrow cuz i didnt wanna be on a plane during the peak horus of trick or treating. i wanna be with my little sister justine to trick or treat this halloween.

what are yall gonna be?!

Loris - can't wait to meet you, and everybody else on the 15th!
cheryl - new music coming soon, i promise
angel - remind me where you live again? snow doesnt sound so nice when its so freakin cold out here...
tere ann - "dont let anything stop you, even the weather" awesome quote, thank you for that <3

-AJ

heres a new video!

hope this one takes you back. to when it was GOOD with that ONE PERSON that will ALWAYS have a place in your heart...

half a week before the winter..

2008-10-29T11:05:00.000-07:00

(a vanessa carlton song)

its so damn cold. the wind is like 20 mph blowing in my face and my ears are gonna fall off. haha. but im at the apt now and it feels nice. anyway, so last night we had rehearsal for singer's night, which is this show that i'm in, im in an acappella group and we're singing "where did my baby go" by john legend. its gonna be awesome, cant wait to show it to yall, if it ends up on youtube or something.

we practiced the closing song called 'holiday season' written by my vocal teacher joey blake, hes amazing at singing. we do private lessons every tuesday and right now thats one of the classes that i feel i'm actually getting something out of here at this place they call berklee. the other class is ear training but lets not go there, im not doing too well. haha. but yeah remember the japanese drummer girl? shes the drummer for that particular tune and she seriously is amazing at drums. super legit. super cute. her style is so "fly".. can i say that word? fly. can you imagine me saying this to you right now? hahaha. i say hi every now and then like 'uhm, hey, shorty' (thats her name, well its actually shishorty or something) and she just smiles back. gahhh. hahaha.

anyway today was a busy day at school i guess cuz there are more ratings auditions. and i took one, and it didnt go so well. i sang 'i'm yours' and 'you dont know me'. well it was alright, i did very well on the performance part, but improvising was ok and sight reading didnt go so well this time. usually it goes well. this time was just ehhh. =( i think i am just tired of school right now just to be straight up honest. english class is so damn boring im beginning to get used to it being boring and i dont think thats a good thing. all we talk about is hemmingway.

my ear training midterm this morning was not the best thing i've done ever musically. actually its probably the worst i've done musically, ever. i'm not doin so hot. =\

but yeah i have a background vocals midterm today so i'll catch you guys later. thank you guys for everything, the donations, supporting me, listening to my music, watching my videos, EVERYTHING. i owe ya'll more MUSIC. is that a fair deal?

-aj

ps, heres a video of last sundays show at holy family grade school. i think its one of the best 'starlit nights' performances i've ever done. love you guys thanks for the inspiration.

i need your help...

2008-10-26T19:54:00.000-07:00

http://glowing-vision.net/donate.htm

THANK YOU SO MUCH. i pretty much got stuck with a ticket that i didn't have the money to pay for because a previous one interfered with my classes and it so happens that that ticket was NON-REFUNDABLE, and my mom has been getting on me for using the credit card that is connected to her account. i love you mom i will pay you back with help from this video! =)

for ever $2 you donate, you will have one "raffle ticket" which i will make personally and in another VIDEO i will choose the winner(s) for a free shirt and CD!

thank you from the bottom of my heart. i was freakin out when i found out that ish was non-refundable. i was like WHAT AM I TO DO?! (sweating and pacing and what not)

-aj

don't forget

2008-10-25T10:44:00.001-07:00

so this week has just been a little hectic. south park in concert rehearsals were every night this week, and we performed it last night! it went awesome. the voices and the characters and the whole orchestra pit was truly amazing. offensive or not, this was a great production. hopefully it will be on youtube soon.

i just came back from practicing for my background vocals class midterm. we are split in groups, and we have to make moves and sing a song with background vocals. we are doing debarge's "i like it". its going to be amazing! hahah. for those of you who've heard that song, you will probably giggle when you hear that i'm singing lead. yes im singing lead. go listen to that song its funny. hahah. in my group are 3 of some of my closest friends here at berklee, carly, laruren and TS. after carly and lauren left, TS stayed and i sang for her. and we jammed for a little bit.. and she told me some encouraging words. to stay focused and don't ever give up on my dream. along those lines anyway. it was really just what i needed. i know it sounds so cliche, but it was like the moment. haha. i love you TS!!!!

i just figured out the 'renting classrooms' deal. anytime you can reserve a classroom if they are available for 2 hours at a time. and EVERY classroom has a piano its awesome. uprights or grand pianos. love ittt =)

honestly, today is one of the nicer days in boston. im beginning to love this city. coming from california on tuesday into my apartment actually felt good. it was crazy. i was like hey, its my bed, im going to sleep in it. and then i slept.

hahah.

anyway, i have to study for my midterm for ear training. its gonna be so hard =\ its also my roommate dwights birthday, hes turning 20. i'll see you guys soon! with a new video. can't wait to be back in california though next weekend. =]] halloween will be fun! im dressing up with my friend. and then were gonna go see a show "rocky horror picture show" at fullerton college at the midnight showing. im going to get mexican food right now. hold on.

ok im back.

im watching forgetting sarah marshall. its pretty funny. anyway, yesterday i received two letters, one from that little man AJ that sang with me (read the previous blog =]) and the other from his parents. they sent me an awesome letter that basically thanked me for my music and for inspiring their kids. it was awesome =] it made me smile and i showed my roommates and theyre just happy for me. amazing, so inspiring. i can't stop now. im on my way... like i can feel it. does that sound corny? haha... well here's my newest video. demi lovato is also an inspiration to me. no homo. hope ya'll enjoy it.

-AJ

2 MILLION!!!!

2008-10-21T22:19:00.000-07:00

i am SO excited =) this is a big day for me, 2,000,000 plays on the MYSPACE. i am so thankful for all the blessings that god has given me lately. it is overwhelming at times. especially the show (from the previous blog) on saturday. SUNDAY was as touching to me. i love you guys so much, you dont even know.

sunday's show was awesome, the security and coordinators greeted me with open arms, took me to the back, and a parent came up to me and said 'my son watches ur videos everyday, and knows ALL ur music, his name is AJ too, may he sing with you?' i was kinda iffy at first but i said 'why not? get him in here!' a little man with a super crew shirt and a fitted DC hat came in, like seriously half my height. i asked him what song he would wanna sing, he said "when the sun sets on hawaii"

he sang it to me while i played and i was just so happy that he knew ALL my lyrics and even all the AD LIBS, i looked at my friends and they were smiling right back. during my set i brought him up, and his mom was in the audience: crying, and singing along, just proud of her little boy. because she knows how much he loves my music, i almost cried just looking at her crying at us. it was a good moment, and im glad i let him sing with me. here's a video (forgive the screaming girls):

i appreciate my fans so much, thats even an understatement. i cant even explain how much it keeps me going. my family was there at both shows this weekend, and they were just shocked. my auntie vicki (my dads sister) told me on the phone after, "i have been looking for the reason why the Lord took your dad and my sister (my auntie zenaida -mama zeny) away from us, and it is because YOU need to carry on the music for the family" and she began to cry, and i couldn't speak. i can honestly say that these 2 shows this weekend have changed my life.

i wanna do big things. im GOING to do big things because i have no other choice. it is written in the stars for me, and that sounds so totally cheesy, but i really do believe it. and the best thing about it is that i WANT to do this. its not like im being forced to pursue music... because honestly speaking my father didn't make that much money... and my mom knew that and she still loved him very much but i know that she didnt really want us to be musicians because it is one of the most unstable jobs out there. but she knows it is our passion and she supports us 200%. but i am determined to make this my career, my love, and my LIFE. music, that is.

i met this guy on the plane going back to boston, and he was a musician as well and told me that he knew i was a singer from the moment i spoke. he said it was 'edgy' hahah i was like thanks! anyway, i told him what aj stood for, and he was like 'wow, those are powerful names'. i was like why? he said 'well, arthur is like KING arthur (duh), but JOSEPH means "He who adds", not subtract'. i needed that. powerful right?

i arrived this morning by the way, my flight got delayed sunday nite so i was like screw this im going back home, so i called my mom and she turned around and picked me up. it was fun spending one more day in moval, but it was so chill. thank you to randolph and anne for coming out yesterday =) and bri and best friend dusty for eating with me and christy in the morning, and michi too for comin to hang out for like 30 minutes. and especially to my best friend RB and christy and randolph for going to the airport. oh and ramiele sorry i couldn't visit again, dont be mad at meee anymore!! =) i love you duude!

oh and SATURDAY we PARTIED at rb's house like there was no tomorrow! i had to celebrate my happiness after saturdays show hahaha. love every one of you who came!

here's a video of me and gabe covering "details in the fabric" by jason mraz and james morrison at St Genevieve's on saturday. thanks gabe, i can honestly call you one of my best friends man-- all music aside.

-aj

just.. AMAZING...

2008-10-18T21:53:00.000-07:00

today's show was insane. the flight was so crappy (6 hours straight) from boston to LA but damn this show made it so worth it. i wasn't feeling so good earlier today, but once i hit the stage... it was all amazing from there! i sang my first song with cathy nguyen (myspace.com/cathynguyenmusic) and i love her so much i just realized how much i miss her. we sang "lucky". i sang "little piece of home", then called up Gabe Bondoc (youtube.com/gabebondoc) and we sang "details in the fabric"... it was so good for us not practicing too much. i sang 'my soldier', invited my little niece up to sing (which was so cute by the way) and then i sang my last song, "i just want you".

"i just want you" will never be the same to me after today. i said this one is called 'i just want you' and the crowd totally SCREAMED so loud all at once that i got scared and was startled. hahaha. so i sang the first part, and couldn't sing anymore, cuz EVERYONE in the crowd was singing along and it was just so overwhelming... i cried for the first verse and chorus and was just playing guitar to everyone singing along. i'll show you guys pictures soon, and vids will be on youtube... but seriously how INSPIRING and MOTIVATING for me... i cried cuz YOU guys support me and sang to a song that I wrote. so loud i felt you guys were on stage with me. thank you so much. i cant explain how i felt. i was looking at my mom and she just looked so proud. and my aunties and everyone looking at me it was just amazing. thank you. so many of you there that i met and who bought CD's... thank you so much. i probably met all 400 of you i feel like. im not even sure how many people were there it was insane. man, it was CRAZY i love YOU guys!!! music is TRULY universal and i'm SO GLAD ya'll can relate.

i'm home now. gonna go party it up with my best friends!

-aj

just a day, just an-- ordinary day...

2008-10-15T21:33:00.000-07:00

so today in my background vocals class, my teacher donna mcelroy was telling us the realities of the music industries and how its a dark, corrupt place to be. but just from the perspective of the dark side of the moon as she put it. and was telling us about berklee and how it needs to guide students on where to go, cuz it was really true about this place-- it is purely self-motivation. now school should be like that, but its to the point where no student knows about the clinics that really matter and blah blah blahh i could go on for days. but anyway her speech was really helpful, there were even people crying in the class. i would go on in detail but i am tired. hahah.

"music is a vehicle... let it drive you to freedom, clarity, and beauty"
-donna

anyway, during that class, my friend brittney asked me if i wanted to be in the musical. and turned out it was South Park: The Musical. hahah. i went to practice from 9-10 and it was some crazy freakin songs. from mr hanky, to kyle's mom's a b*tch... and all these cursing songs and what not. haha. crazy. but yeah im in the chorus. should be fun. the shows next friday. =O crazy right?!

i try not to include a lot of my personal life here on these blogs, but what the heck, cares. so i've been looking around, and here in Boston... the girls here... well lets just say cali is the place to be! hahaha. no but really.. its hard enough meeting someone here at a music school esp cuz most of the girls are divas. but theres this girl who i always see around the halls, and shes an international student (from japan) and she plays the drums. cool factor #1. so i've seen her a couple of times and she's always wearing super dope kicks, supras. and wears a backpack, and has headphones on all the time. (wow i sound like a stalker but i swear i'm not its just cuz we pass by in the halls like every tuesday and wednesday ok anyway going on) and the headphones aren't just ear buds, they are those big headphones, the cool looking ones. so shes just a COOL dope looking chick. thats basically how i would put it. short hair, and asian. haha.

i never really had the courage to talk to her or anything, shes in Singer's Night with me (im a background vocalist for this huge concert here at berklee) she plays drums for one of the tunes but we never get to talk to the band. anyway i was chillin today in the voice department waiting for my vocal teacher and she came out of a classroom next to where i was sitting and we looked at each other and i couldnt just not say hi, so i said "hi" in like a startled voice cuz it just came out. hahaha. and i stood up and was like 'hi i'm aj' and i'm thinking to myself "wow i havent done this in forever"... and i was like "so uhm you play drums?" (even though i knew she played drums cuz we had rehearsal together for singers night) and shes like "yeah! do you sing?" i was like "yes i sing.. heh..." (awkward smile). and she was starting up convo and i was like relieved that she wasnt trying to leave right away or anything. i swear all the students who aren't american here are SO MUCH NICER than the americans. hahah. we, americans, are so rude and we don't even know it. all the italians, japanese, chinese, koreans, everyone else they are just so humble and kind-hearted its amazing. anyway im done with my story.

the one thing i forgot to do was say, "it was nice meeting you, we should jam some time!" damn it. i am going to be sad for a while cuz i didnt ask. hahaha.

ok random story im done. im a dork. gahh
new video. add my friend andrew rhim, guitar principle here on myspace CLICK =]

love, me

in my life...

2008-10-11T14:59:00.000-07:00

there are places i'll remember all my life, though some have changed... some forever not for better, some have gone and some remain.
-lennon

"as long as you did your best"
-my dad, arturo rafael [rip], after i failed my 3rd attempt of getting a black belt from my red/black belt... lol...
ps i am a black belt now. =)

so i've been having problems lately, just inner problems i guess. its been a great struggle moving here, i'm sure some of you can relate. but i've been talking to some people lately just randomly and i've gotten some great words of advice and different quotes and what not. i just emailed kina grannis (youtube.com/kinagrannis) just telling her about boston and what not and how its been hard not being in california and she told me, "just remember that that is a great thing-- to have a home worth missing."

so uplifting. then my good friend ramiele malubay (myspace.com/ramiele) has been helpin me out too because she also moved away from home to move to california from florida. we're kinda helpin each other out i guess since we've changed coasts. "you gotta do what you gotta do."

chadwick (m. meow, asian persuasion show, titan radio-CSUF) helped me realize something last night. in one of his many IM's to me there was something that stood out.. he said something like "you have so many people out here who want to see you make it..." and seriously thinking about that, i am so BLESSED to have you all, my family, my friends, having my back. it honestly helps me so much. just KNOWING that you all believe in me is a HUGE amount of inspiration. thanks chad for helping me realize that. i am so lucky. seriously...

my friend lijie (lijiemusic.com) here from berklee was talking to me today in the mall after we jammed in the practice room... she asked me, "what do you wanna do after berklee?" i said "i wanna be famous." why sugarcoat what i really want right? "i want to share my music with as many people as i possibly can." she said asked me what my backup plan was. i told her i didnt have one. she said, "good, cuz someone with as much drive and confidence as you had a backup plan, you would fall back." i smiled.

me being honest:

now don't go telling ur parents "AJ RAFAEL said not to have a backup plan!!!" it's always good to have one, but for me, i am just so infused with this idea that MUSIC believes in me as much as i believe in MUSIC, i really have no choice. and im not saying that you're not allowed to NOT have a back up plan. ah i dont know im just going to write. anyway, my father died in the name of MUSIC. like seriously. his hands were so sweaty when he played piano, like extremely sweaty, he wanted to fix it. so he got surgery, and it turned out to have complications, and he died 3 weeks later in the hospital from pneumonia. this was when i was 10. i took his place in the church playing piano, and here i am. it's in my DNA.

i would not be the person i am today if my father did not leave me with the strength and the music to cope with his loss. i am eternally grateful to him for providing me with a musical backbone so thick that nothing could break it. i'm here at Berklee because i feel like it's a stepping stone to my success in the music industry. and who knows how long i'll last here, but all i know is that i am finally thankful to be here. it's a great experience. and to be in a place so far away from home-- it's not as bad as I think it is. my friend christy the other week told me that she feels like i'm at peace. and its so true. i can walk around Boston by myself for hours without having to call someone to come walk with me or anything because i dont mind it. it's peaceful walking around by yourself sometimes, you should try it. moreno valley might not be the best place to do it though... hahaha.

God i hope i make it. representing all the asian-americans too who have not broken into mainstream yet, and not only asian-americans, but all the great unsigned artists who the world has not yet heard. i will make it.

here's a song i wrote back in 2005. this song means a lot to me because a lot of people relate to it. and for them to tell me 'thank you for writing this song' is the greatest reward.

-aj

john mayer... information/inspiration

2008-10-08T18:21:00.001-07:00

there was a songwriting clinic today. the berklee performance center was packed. the line was like 3 blocks long hahah. anyway, special thanks to my good friend lijie who got me a ticket to this thing, it was INSPIRING. let me tell you. he is so down to earth. cussed a couple of times which made me look at him as a regular person. haha. he's just an honest guy and i totally look up to him. he started off by talking about how he was at berklee and all this stuff and he sang a couple of songs on the guitar. he changed up 'waiting on the world to change' and it was amazing. he spoke about dynamic, and solo-ing, and then i started writing everything down. the name of his clinic was information inspiration. meaning that information comes first, ie knowing chords, and modes, and scales, and voicings, and then inspiration comes out from the information that you processed.

one thing that he said that stuck out to me is to trust that people will know that you're good. for example, i ALWAYS worry about playing the WHOLE 6 minutes of "here all alone pt 3" or all the verses of "my soldier" at a show cuz i feel like people get bored. or i always try to play my newest fresh hit just so i can prove to people that im good. but one thing he said was to trust the public, and know that they are smarter than i am. trust them in knowing that they will know a good song when they hear it, so just freakin play. and if they dont like it then what the hell, you were just being you, and thats all that you can be. he said to give people more credit for listening to your stuff.

he also talked about how rewarding it is when someone comes up to him after a show and says "thank you" or opens up to you just becuz ur music connected opposed to someone who comes up to you and asks what chords or modes you used in the song (calling that type of fan "predatorial"), and i realize that sometimes i take that for granted, and i just wanted to tell everyone who reads this blog, goes to shows, listens to my music, watches my video, chats with me on blogtv... THANK YOU. from the bottom of my heart. i am already successful in a sense that i have touched so many more people than i ever thought imaginable.

he played a new song for us that he was still working on for his last tune, and it was simply the epitome of music that comes from the heart. thank you John Mayer for inspiring me, because i needed that inspiration and that extra kick. there's so much more to say about the clinic, and i feel like everything he was saying was to me, and thats a great speaker right there. i can only dream of being at the top where he is. oh by the way he is buff and has some nice tattoos. no wonder he got jessica simpson and jennifer aniston. hahah. no homo.

i'll be here in Boston walking around. inspiration is coming at me, i can feel it.

-aj

back to boston...

2008-10-06T15:30:00.000-07:00

the weekend was awesome. my sister's debut was a great success. i only messed up once on the cotillion (waltz) which is REALLY good for not practicing it for a whole month! =) hahaha. but yeah my family was there and many friends, lots of friends i haven't seen in forever and it was just amazing. me and brian jones, peter martin, and joe martin, played dinner music. we are called the last minute quartet. and literally we were pulling out tunes we've never done and just did it. loved it. so good. can't wait to be in cali again. leaving wasn't as hard as leaving the first time, but it did bring me down a little bit. i'm happy to be in boston tho dont get me wrong.

chillin yesterday at my house with everyone was just really what i needed. we all played football/sniper. haha sniper is this game we made up where we have a nerf football and there is one sniper on one side and the other people are civilians. the civilians walk around and one the sniper throws the ball (aiming at the cilivians) the civilians must stop wherever they are and if they get hit they get to be a sniper. the catch to becoming a sniper is just that you never know where ur gonna get hit. hahah. it could be face, stomach, arm, crotch, hahaha. i got hit in the back by a bullet that dusty threw, it sucked. hahaha.

thank you to everyone who came thru to come see me before i left. i love you all =) it was fun while it lasted. i'll be back in 2 weeks dont even trip ;]

anyway, the flight wasnt too bad, i just woke up like once i think. waking up sucks on a redeye flight. but im glad i was tired. i went home, slept for a little, went to class, went back home, slept, went back to school and saw john mayer hanging out in the front of Berklee. i was like WTF WAKE UP CALL hahah it was so crazy. i took a pic with my phone but it was a crappy one. found out he was doing a clinic on wednesday that my friend got me a ticket for. can't wait! i then saw him around 6oclock cuz this guy was talking to my teacher saying 'i'm playing for john mayer right now but i cant find the practice room' and he was like A15 so i went straight there HAHAH and i just peeked in and saw him and a bunch of old people. hahah. but yeah then i walked home, called gabe and talked about my john mayer experience becuz thats his biggest influence, and now i'm here on my computer.

i had a talk with my teacher nancy morris before i walked home tho, and she told me some really inspiring things. she wants to get me to play and sing cuz she can tell thats what i love to do. she said my musicality is amazing, and that she hasn't seen someone like me in many years, i try not to think i'm the sh*t or anything, and you know that i always try to keep it humble, but she told me that i NEEDED to know my place as in: know who i'm better than, know who i'm as good as, and know who's better than I am. i told her that its hard for me to be here for all 4 years cuz of the cost, so i was just trying to take all the performance classes and other classes that i KNOW for sure i would learn something in as soon as possible, before my time here might run out. she wants to help me out. i'm really glad i talked to her. she's the only who's seen that in me while i've been here. i'm really working on trying to stand out. i need to, for me, and for you guys who listen to my music =)

i'll make a new video tonight probably, i'm kinda bored. haha. miss you all. haven't eaten all day =\ i found out i lost 10 pounds since i left. but i dont think its healthy cuz its not like i worked out or anything. gahh. freakin forgetting to eat sucks.

heres a video from jasmines debut:

-aj

one more day...

2008-10-02T18:30:00.000-07:00

till i come home to see my family and friends.

today i went to class, got offered to be in another ensemble (to play piano not just sing, yay!!!) and ate lunch by myself at the prudential mall. haha. i then studied with my friends Kofi and Bobby for the harmony I final since we're in harmony II... and i think i'm gonna be ok. pray for me, please. i'd love to pass this test. hahah. after that i went to staples with pablo and his friend amanda and we got a table (finally) for our "living room" which is really an awkward shaped hallway. hahah. its a banquet folding table. its all right, good enough i guess. we took it home and i felt like it was the longest walk ever my forearms are probably going to be strong as hell tomorrow. hahahah =P

ramiele malubay messaged me back on myspace!!! =) hopefully we get to collaborate. if you havent heard of her, shes one of the top 10 finalists on american idol this past season... look her up on youtube =) super talented filipino-american.

also, shouts to everyone who writes in my blog comment box thingy. i love you guys! also, blogtv is killing me, its keeping me up til like 2 AM every night. hahaha. anyway, i found this video, hope you guys enjoy, its of me and my friend heidi, who is now a rising superstar in the philippines =)

-aj

p.s. cali, im coming home, for a weekend, but i'm stoked, can't wait to be there. and eat some freakin IN n OUT!!!!!

little piece of home...

2008-10-01T10:40:00.000-07:00

so last night's chat was awesome! sorry i was kind of out of it. glad you enjoyed the new song, and the disney songs, and of course thank you to Gabe and Randolph for helpin me out. anyway, i had a test this morning in ear training.. failed =[ i guess i REALLY needed to study last night, but i was on blogtv all night!!! hahah freakin addicting man.

so i didnt think it was gonna rain today so i didnt bring an umbrella, and after 2 hours in the practice room after class i went outside and it was sprinkling... halfway thru my walk it started actually really raining. and then like 2 minutes before i got to my house i was thinkin 'yes, almost there', then BOOM thunder and it started raining like CRAZY. i just had a hood on and my hat under my hood backwards. gah.

now i'm home, waiting for class. i come home in 2 days! i cannot wait to see the california sun again. and all my friends.

loris-4 chord tribute is the ultimate jam session, foreals! =]

genesis-u crazy dawg. love u man.

jsmlove, janice, clariza, charlene-i'm glad u guys liked the mulan vid. hope it made ur day =]

mj-blogtv.com is so addicting right? thanks for watching

i leave you with my new song. very raw. love yall..

-aj

normal...

2008-09-29T17:36:00.000-07:00

feelin not so normal today. not happy, not sad. just in the middle somewhere. it's not weird either. but my normal is usually super happy and friendly, but today's a little different. but i'm content with it. i know i need this transition type of feeling. i was walking thru the park today and just was being optimistic about things i guess. i know it sounds really corny, but i was thinking to myself "damn, i'm in Boston, i can do whatever i want, and i need to make the most of this." i looked up and was just like, wow, this whole city is just waiting to be figured out. and i can do that. no distractions here, just me and music. chillin. i think i'm at peace.

had lunch at Chicken Lou's today or something like that next to Northeastern University. it was good and a good breath of fresh air to be at another college. especially after my Ear Training test, which was freakin me out all night last night, but i did well. i got an 80 on melody and 93 on rhythym. its alright i guess.

walked around with my roomie pablo, his friend chris, and andrew. also met a guy named Teague who went to berklee but transferred to northeastern. went to this hiphopunderground.com store which is a store but has its catalogue online and you order stuff and then the guy working gets it out for you in the back. bought this new hat.

went home, took a nap, and then walked back to class. this class is pop/rock player/vocalist. we play songs and each person has to sing and play. we only have 4 people in the band. i play piano. the teacher is awesome, shes really nice. she told me today that she knew i wasn't feelin so hot (even tho she has only known me for a week), so she said to just let it out with the music. i asked everyone if they could play the 4 chord tribute cuz i know it makes me happy when i sing and jam like that. so we did it. and i felt much better.

went home again, bought bread at 7eleven. ate 2 sandwhiches, and co-hosted randolph's show, and now i'm learning a few songs for my private lessons. Visions by Stevie Wonder, and Love Dance produced by Quincy Jones.

oh and i have a new video. also, my show is tomorrow on blogtv.com so please check it out!! thanks guys!!! ya'll are hittin up the mulan video like crazy! new disney medley tomorrow at the show! hahaha.

Honors for this video (9)

#71 - Most Discussed (Today)

#5 - Most Discussed (Today) - Music

#35 - Most Viewed (Today) - Music - Canada

#56 - Most Viewed (Today) - Music

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#78 - Top Rated (Today)

#5 - Top Rated (Today) - Music

#72 - Top Rated (This Week) - Music

-aj

weekend...

2008-09-28T11:37:00.000-07:00

yesterday was that wedding, and it went real well. i went to the mall after and chilled by myself, talked to a good friend on the phone for like 50 minutes and had a good vent, and called one of my good friends andrew rhim. he met up with me at the prudential center (the mall) and we ate, and i talked about all my problems, and im glad he was there to listen, cuz hes missin home too and girl problems or whateva, he relates esp cuz hes a songwriter like me hahah. were so emo sometimes. wowww!! but yeah then chilled at his house and jammed for like 5 hours.

the walk back home wasn't so bad, i called randolph, and talked to kristina and she kept me company for my walk home. it was like 12:30AM and i was walking alone on the phone, with an umbrella in one hand. i swear i could be on the new jonas brothers album cover HAHAHA

thats exactly how it looked. hahahah. except not so wanna be panic at the disco. went home, wrote a song that pablo inspired the title for, and finished another song i was writing on thursday... im excited for you guys to hear them. ill be introducing the newest one entitled "Little Piece of Home" on blogTV.com on TUESDAY! so check out my link http://blogtv.com/people/ajraf for the schedule.

can't wait to show you guys! the other one is a collabo with a very talented musician. more details to come! i also co-hosted RuSoul last night on blogtv, it was fun, thanks russ! today's a good day, the rain's not too bad, but it's not helping my current situation of the feelings i am having right now. hahah. tonight i play mass at the six o clock mass.

today at church, i really felt welcomed by the community. i sang "Here I Am To Worship" for meditation and people came up to me afterwards telling me they were crying and they were moved. see that's what music's about. and especially when its for the Glory of God, people can relate. to be honest, i think about leaving this city everyday, but being at church really makes me feel at home. playing music is my passion, ya'll know that right? but playing music straight up for the Lord is more rewarding than anything. forgive me for the sudden spiritual blog topic but im just being real here, feel me?

my mom texted me back this morning from a text i sent her yesterday telling her sorry for getting the lip piercing behind her back. she said it was ok and she supports my decisions. people, don't disobey your parents. hahah. im a bad example of that, but it truly did hurt when she was disappointed in me. im glad everythings ok now. love you momma. i know you read this. hahah.

anyway, hope you guys liked my new video. another video coming soon. shoutouts to everyone who comments my blogs regularly, i really do appreciate everything.

oh also! i went to COLLEGEFEST today. by myself. hahah. a bunch of booths like energy drinks banks websites, got a bunch of free ish, but it was 10 bucks to get in. the longest line was for the PLAYBOY lounge, didn't go, too many weirdos in line and not worth it probably. not that i WANTED to go in there. ok i'll shut up now.

-aj

"i think i'll go to Boston..."

2008-09-27T10:58:00.000-07:00

whasup guys. so as you know, lyddz and i have been collaborating on music and what not, so very soon you'll see more vids from us! we're so glad you enjoy them. anyway she left yesterday at around 1PM and walking her out to the taxi was hard, that "little piece of home" was going "back home" haha.

and a real quick PS, i know only some of you guys read this but: me and lyddz are JUST FRIENDS, please no gossipping! hahah.. no foreals. k thats all i have to say about that.

anyway, i'm coming back next week to visit my sister especially for her birthday but also family and friends thank God. i needed this break from Boston. and lydia being here was kinda my break from Boston, i'm real glad she came. who's next?! save me from my loner being. hahah

also: GOOD NEWS! i finally got a wedding gig out here, i'm playing piano for a wedding today cuz the pianist is sick (thats the bad news but its ok pray for him) and i'm getting paid! just like how it was back home.. finally some help with the bills. the wedding is in 2 hours and i'm excited. can't wait to start playing more weddings, they are seriously touching, and the fact that i was there for that couple's most important day is INSPIRING to me.

here's a video that pretty much explains my life right now. hahah. special dedication to lyddz who came ALL THE WAY out here, though we've had our problems, i know we'll get through it. miss you girrl! (sorry bout the emo-ness in the video)
click here to watch!

first visitor..

2008-09-25T18:28:00.000-07:00

just wanted to thank LYDIA PAEK haha for being here in Boston and being a familiar face. i really needed it.

we have just been doin videos, and last night we just hung out at harvard square and went shopping. we've just been catching up and what not, but most of all we have been makin music. thats whasup!

sorry this is such a short post, but just thought i should keep you guys updated with what's going on. she leaves tomorrow =( sucky! i cant wait to be back in California tho... next weekend (the 3rd) for my sisters birthday! but im goin back on sunday... ahhh sucky. school has been alright, i've missed a couple of classes but nothing drastic, miss you all and i will post soon. new videos, tonight!

check out our new video!

with love,

musiq soulchild

2008-09-23T20:45:00.000-07:00

ok so i have a special guest blogger for u. she went with me to the musiq soulchild concert tonight, which was totally INSPIRING, and she arrived last night around 11PM. ladies and gentlemen, here is lydia paek! =) yayyy

hellerrr :]

hey bloggers!! so tonight was freakin awsome! MUSIQ SOULCHILD is unbelievable.Too unbelievable that i cannot describe how unbelievable it was.You guys just have to expirience yourselves. The opening acts did pretty bad, out of tune and the audience booed :[ which was not nice at all,they looked nervous. So far Boston has been a stress reliever and a time for me to take a fresh breath of air. I have met really nice people and shopped around newbury st. and me and AJ both bought Supras! so much money! MINES is better though HAHA. More videos to come from AJ and LYDDZ. im so lucky to have talented musicians and singers to play instruments and sing with me. AJ is a great friend and you guys that have not met him yet will love it when u meet this dood. SHOUTOUT to RANDOLPH i love you nigguhh. YOU are an inspiration to me and keep doing what youre doing. me and aj were talking aboutt how you would bee jumping up and down at the concert and we really wish you were here. love and miss you..more videos from me and randolph too soon to come!! RB and DUSTY-i wuv you guys so much and thanks for being great friends to me.till we see eachother again wich will probably be like next week, miss you guys!checkout my dance crew-www.myspace.com/questdance.

-lyddz<33>

love yall mucho, lydias so sweeeet<3>

here's a video we did. more to come.

ohhh and i had another audition today... i sang here all alone pt 3 and got so into it and i literally choked up and like pretty much cried like for a millisecond.... booooo! pray for me tho =)

-aj

no more air bed stress...

2008-09-22T08:34:00.000-07:00

sleeping on this airbed for the last 3 weeks was hell. hahah. i mean it was okay for the first week. but after that its just a chore to sleep rather than it being a good thing i guess. hahaha. i'm getting my order in from iKEA!!! woo! that i placed 2 weeks ago! they lag so bad. wow. i am excited. i finally get to furnish the room and actually be comfortable being here. if im not in school im on this cheap kitchen stool with my computer on the kitchen counter or laying on the awkward mattress.

i ordered a bed, matress, bed base, matress cover, desk, and a side table with some drawers in it. i am too excited. my roommate dwight just got his stuff in right now, so pablo and i are just waiting. oh real quick, thank you to those who watched the last minute blogtv show. special thanks to the ops and all the other artists who were there.

and thank you to all my friends who still text me to see how i'm doing, or even on rare occasion-- call. haha. miss ya'll! i'm getting a visitor today! surprise! =]] this means videos to come. many videos i believe.

besides assembling all the stuff, i'm gonna be going to the airport at around 11pm and then come back to build some more. i do have class from 4-6 tho. sucks. =\ haven't got the results from the callback, but you KNOW i will let yall know!

**EDIT

here's an email i got about Singer's Night just right now.

Hello, and thank you for your exceptional audition and callback for  2008FA Singers' Night. I'm sorry to have to inform you that you were not  selected for the show this semester. But your performance was excellent,  and we hope you will audition again next semester.  Thanks so much for your efforts, Sean

damn it. =\

-aj

dj - "What doesn't kill you will only make you stronger right?" totally true.

genesis - of course aj rafael loves genesis

szue may - thank u for tuning in all the way from the UK =] and yes its tough, but we'll get thru it right?

janice - thank u for the pointless story, it wasnt pointless, i enjoyed it

living without family..

2008-09-20T13:07:00.000-07:00

sucks! hahaha. i mean its cool i guess.. but freakin today i had to do laundry so my roommates and i went to go do laundry at the laundr-o-mat.. freakin SCAM i tell you! 2.50 per load... so we were like WOW... ripoff. but then we saw the dryer and it had a little price thing that said .25 so we were like alright! only 25 cents for the dryer!

i got some mexican food around the corner and came back and my roommate pablo told me that it was not .25 per dryer load, it was .25 per 5 minutes!!! WTF!!! hahaha...

not sure if laundry is supposed to cost 9 dollars every time... but damn...

also grocery shopping is a hassle without a car. can't really buy too much...

sorry i complain a lot, but thats what blogging's for right? remember, if you have any questions or anything like that, leave a comment and i'll try to answer it for you in the next post!

oh and if ur wondering about the callbacks for Singer's Night... i did well i must say! i did "me" the best that i could... so if thats not what they want, then thats on them... i got called back for the accappella group as well... we'll see what happens! ill let you know updates ASAP. oh and i might be on blogtv today.. maybe?

blogtv.com/people/ajraf

love,

-aj

another audition...

2008-09-18T20:29:00.001-07:00

and another callback! yay =) but i'm thinkin that callbacks are all the same, well at least for me.. when i got called back for the Aladdin auditions for the broadway show at Disney California... when i got called back for Singer's Showcase.. when i got called back for Playhouse Disney Show at Disney California... Beauty and the Beast at RCC... etc etc... its like they always see something at the audition like "hey this kids got somethin, lets give him another chance" and then i go to the callback and theyre like "oh nevermind we thought he had something i guess not" hahaha..

but today im gonna walk in confident (as i have been) and just be me. cuz thats all that i can be. 630 tonight. i'll let yall know how it goes.

with love,

-aj

callbacks...

2008-09-18T20:29:00.000-07:00

callbacks went awesome i thought, well i did the best that i could, but i didnt make it... =\ i'm kinda bummed but then again i kept telling myself before 'it is what it is' haha... ahh.. but yeah it's all good... freshmen barely get in so i hear. i'll blog more later, tonight right after i found out i didn't make it i tried out for singer's night which is different from singer showcase. i sang "something happens" they seemed to like it, and my judge is my private lesson teacher. anyway, have a good night.

the walk back home wasn't so bad, i talked to a good friend, and it was cool from there.

-aj

nerves..

2008-09-17T19:31:00.000-07:00

are kicking in... well i auditioned for something else today. an acappella group called "Pitchslapped" (myspace.com/pitchslapped) and its here at berklee and i sang "I'm Yours" acappella. it was pretty cool... but the audition that i'm really nervous about is the callbacks for singer/showcase. i feel like theres so much pressure, and like the odds are against me. gahh..

anyway, this morning in ear training 4, i had an issue. i've always noticed it before, but it just started to annoy me. theres this girl in the class who has perfect pitch and she ALWAYS laughs at everyone when we dont get the pitches right on solfege. solfege technique is Do Re Mi all that but with like Ra and Me inbetween and all that jazz. the teacher points to random pitches on the board, and the whole class sings it. we mostly get it, but sometimes we go flat, and when we do, this girl in the front freakin looks around smiling and laughing and i know everyone is super annoyed cuz its like NINE O CLOCK in the freakin MORNING omg. we're all tired still and yall singers know in the morning its a little tough to get the right pitches. but damn what a cocky move. "i have the most amazing pitch in the world so whoever doesnt get it is stupid and im gonna laugh at them"

omg

anyway

sorry. haha. the blogTV.com live webchat was so fun! thank you guys. sorry bout the sound. but i figured it out. its like a gate effect on the volume for blogtv. i have to be at a certain db level for the mic to pick up and send it out on the web back to u guys. so sorry about the technical difficulties, and thanks to all the ops who helped keep the show going, and also to Gabe Bondoc for co-hosting with me.

hope u guys liked the new piano medley! =] honors!

#14 - Most Discussed (Today) - Music
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#54 - Top Rated (This Week) - Music

thank you so much. im so glad you enjoyed it. for there being some old school songs on there, i'm surprised a lot of you youtuber teens know these songs!! not that im not one, but yeah ya'll impressed me with ur songlists and what not.

anyway, tomorrows the big day, thank you for your prayers! i'll let you know how it goes seriously! i miss you guys. oh and dont forget to leave me comments on this blog letting me know that you read and what not, and if you have any questions at all, feel free to ask =] love yall.

-aj

oh happy day

2008-09-16T15:12:00.000-07:00

im chillin at my friends dorm room... and guess what? i got a call back for the singer's showcase. i asked my friend TS to go check for me cuz the results were posted at 1030 and thats kinda late to walk... haha.. i haven't been so super happy in this whole time ive been here. i was cheesin' for like an hour. haha. =D the audition went well, i sang Michael Buble's "Everything". i played piano and sang =] and didnt look at the piano and looked at the camera i was kinda nervous hahaha but i think it went good for the most part. they see something in me, im so happy that they do, becuz when i didnt get the scholarship i was soo confused because i just wanted another chance to shine. i hope this is my time. my dad was with me at that audition. i prayed for it.

anyway, callbacks are on thursday, and its all good if i dont get any further... out of at least 140 people that were there, there were 20 people who got called back.. and everyone kept saying to not accompany myself and that the odds were against me and bahh whatevaaa but i made it =) im glad i made it this far. thank you guys for all ur prayers. and for believin in me. seriously.

oh and my phone broke. stupid tilt. look at this crap. it never goes away. i turned off my phone once. and this crap happened. gahh

anyway, blogTV show tonight! 7PM PST, 10PM EST. please check it out! i love you all.

new video!

-aj

when the music fades...

2008-09-15T10:52:00.000-07:00

whasup everyone! =) sorry i didnt post last night... i was doin some homework, and also made a video with lydia over SKYPE video chat, "Lesson Learned" by Alicia Keys. also, i went grocery shopping and freakin i had to walk home like a good 10-15 minutes with so so so many groceries in my hands. omg that hurt like a biotch. my hands were so red when i got home, and i finally got a work out. so i guess thats a good thing.

Lesson Learned (Alicia Keys ft. John Mayer) - Lydia Paek

hope u liked the above video! anyway, church last night was what i really needed. i got to play piano for the whole mass as i always did back in moval, and i asked the lector to put my dad's name in the prayers of the faithful. today is his 9th death anniversary. i can't even believe how fast time has gone.

ya'll should know that my dad was the best musician i have ever known. i would hate going to sleep early when i was little cuz i knew he always practiced piano at around 9, and that time i would always have to go to sleep at 8. i think thats probably why i let my little sister justine stay up as long as she wants, so she can fall asleep to the music, cuz at my house we jam until the sunrise, seriously.

anyway, i have an audition tonight. i think i told you guys about it before. its for "Singer's Showcase"... its when berklee has a concert to show off the talent at the school. i'm not really expecting to get through cuz its only so often a freshman is chosen. i think i said that already too. but yeah im just doin it for the experience (i know ur thinkin in ur head --thats what they all say for fear of rejection) hahah. anyway, i posted a new video. i recorded it this morning super early like at 10 well thats not that early but yeah after my ear training 4 class which kicks my ass. its so hard. anyway, here it is. i also dedicated this video to my good friends aileen & val. i pretty much have spent all my teenage years growin up with them kinda.. i love em'.

Heart of Worship - Dedication Video

-aj

weekend...

2008-09-13T22:27:00.000-07:00

yesterday was fun for the most part i guess, i tested out of "intro to music tech" thank God, saved 2 credits, and now i get to choose classes to fill it up =) im thinking about 'spoken word/hip hop culture performance class' or 'music study on babyface' or 'jazz improv'. we'll see... i had a class called 'pop/rock/country lab' and pretty much we just perform songs within those genres. haha. its like being at a coffee shop watching people play. pretty cool that this is 'college'. haha.

today was pretty boring. woke up really late. attempted to go to the laundr-o-mat haha. saving that till tomorrow morning i guess. i NEED to go grocery shopping. eating out everyday is NOT a good idea. i went to this place called mr bartleys gourmet burgers today. it was AMAZING. wow. they were hella rude. but its whatevs. people over here on the east coast are more uptight (no offense), opposed to people in cali on the west coast SUPER chill. of course there are pros and cons to both, so im not even gonna go into this subject cuz i know many of you will be like WTFF shut up aj lets fight.

anyway! i checked out this tattoo parlor and piercing place called "Chameleon". i MIGHT get my lip pierced. my mom will KILL me i think. but i wanna feel independent. AHAHA. becuz rebelling is the best way to do it. haha jk. dont follow my bad example, please. i shouldn't even be talking about this cuz i know some of u little peoples read this blog. ahh =X anyway

i still miss home, but i think im homesick in a HOPEFUL way rather than a sad way. i was looking thru photos on my phone on purpose today to see if i was gonna be sad, but i was just smiling. miss you guys. a lot. but i think boston has some kind of purpose for me. i think i need to be here.

church tomorrow at 6PM at st cecilias. im playing a prelude song before mass to offer up to my dad. its his 9th death anniversary on monday.. crazy...

hope you guys are doing awesome. the weathers not so bad here, but its really ugly sometimes. humidity and rain. bleh. random thought: im super into hats now. haha weird. i used to hate hats. oh and did you guys check out my new video? i think im gonna start doing videos in the practice rooms. it'll be fun. =) more original stuff coming your way. oh another random thought. taking the train was crazy on friday. SOO many people going to parties. the train was PACKED hahah. we missed our stop cuz we couldnt get out becuz of the ridiculous amount of p

eople in the train. we had to literally push old ladies out of the way. ill let you guys know once i hit up a party. probably wont be for a while cuz im not really a party person. im not gonna force it on myself just because its "the college experience". eff the college experience. do what you want in college dont have to follow the crowd. anyway, enough blabbing. i love kathleen for calling me during the jason mraz concert. 'i'm yours'

-aj

PS im doing a live WEBCAST show that you can view ANYWHERE in the world... tuesday the 16th, on http://blogtv.com/people/ajraf dont forget to check it out! 7PM PST, and 10PM EST. please please check it out<3

PSS pick one that you think is better

boring old thursday...

2008-09-11T17:51:00.001-07:00

earlier today was much more interesting. woke up at 8 (as usual), started walking to school at 850. i got to class at 910 right on time and met this guy andrew from london on the way cuz he was in the same class. i wish i had a british accent. anyway. english was cool, has anybody read "a dog's tale" by mark twain? its an amazing short story.

after that, i had my first ensemble class. im so grateful to have been placed in an ensemble. basically its a band with other musicians who got around the same ratings as you. the musicians in my ensemble are great. there are 2 guitarists, 2 other vocalists, a bassist, and a drummer. the teacher is pretty cool. the band is more based off classic rock stuff though, im not that familiar with it, but it will be fun i know it. we perform in a recital at the end of the semester and we just learn new songs everyday. amazingly fun. having a class that you can perform in is just amazing.

after that i went to the meeting for the singer showcase... its like one of the biggest concerts here at berklee. there were about like 150 people at the meeting and more people are signing up. its gonan be crazy. auditions are on monday... callbacks are the top 20(ish) people, and the end result is only 8 people. 8 people are to showcase the best of berklee at the end of the semester (or year something like that i forgot) actually i think its in april. but it will be great. i'll let you know what happens... im not expecting much right now, cuz barely are freshmen picked to sing at such an event. but who knows. i went straight to the practice room after my arranging class from 210-4.

omg you know how there is always one douchebag in a class? well i have the same guy in 2 of my classes, and he thinks he is the SH*T! omg. he's one of those guys who freakin argues with the teacher at everything he thinks the teacher doesnt know.. and at the end of both of the classes ive been with him in he tells the teacher... 'the curriculum that is being covered here is something i know already can i test out of this class' in an annoying kind of way like he thinks hes so tight. he talks down on the teachers. please tell me you can relate to this. hahaha. and during class while everyones paying attention and listening to the teacher and listening to music and what not to analyze it he's over here blowing air onto his pencil, like super loud! WTF!!!

ok ok sorry im not usually like that but seriously... nothing gives you the right to be a douchebag in class like that and being rude to the teacher.

anyway.. my phone screen broke. i was playing soul caliber IV and i lost and i pounded my fist down next to me while saying a curse word and there goes my phone screen. thats what i get. i admit, thats one of my many flaws.. and im just being honest. i curse too much.

gahh. anyway, tomorrow i get to wake up at 9 instead of 8! yay!!! anthony green is playing right now here in boston.. but im here laying on my air matress... gahh =\ miss you guys. hope yall are doing greattt..

dont forget to say a prayer for those who died during the 9/11 attacks... f*ck the terrorists.

-aj

yes!

2008-09-10T19:25:00.000-07:00

a class where i get to sing and have fun... i finally got my ratings from my audition and got placed in some performance classes... my class today was 'vocal performance/background singing' it was so fun! first thing we did. no attendance. just stand up and the teacher taught us some background vocals, and we swayed and snapped and sang. it was AMAZING. thats pretty much the highlight of the day. plus there was like 5 people i knew in that class. yay!

finally excited to go to school. its been english, ear training. harmony, all boring stuff, well i love it, but its rather boring. i know i shouldnt be bragging about this but my ratings were 3, 3, 4, 3, on a 4 point scale! =]] it went like improvisation, musicality/instrumental kills, rhythym, and sight reading. im happy with those scores =)

i should be reading, but right now im watching chris cendana on blog TV, and writing this blog.. i just got back from JP licks which is an ice cream parlor that i wanna work at.. even though i have acid reflux and am allergic to milk. so i wouldn't get to have anything there. hahah.

im gonna start chillin instead of being ridiculously sad. i chilled at the cafe 939 which is in one of the berklee buildings, with my friends jordan and andrew. talked about a lot of stuff. i needed to just be with people and talk and hang out. thats what i need. haha. to cheska: thank you for that amazing quote. it inspires me.

new video by the way!

i miss you all. i have to read. sorry this post is short.

-ajrafael

2nd day..

2008-09-09T19:56:00.000-07:00

so i had english today. and thats it. i still have to find out what happened to my audition, i think berklee lost it =\ so i have to audition again most likely... thats why i have only 11 credits right now when i should have 16... college writing is what my english class is called.. we mostly just do free-writing which is pretty cool. i had wendy's today. its 1.20 for 5 piece nuggs and 1.20 for chicken sandwhich. in cali its only 99cents. what is the deal?!

walking back and forth to school which takes 15-20 mins (depending on how slow i wanna walk) gets me thinking so hard... about everything. so i think i get sad a little bit walking home and walking back to school and what not. today i was just feelin it. i felt lonely. i was singing to myself and humming some random songs to maybe try to cheer myself up, but i just feel alone. i have a lot of friends out here, but not many i can really turn to and talk about problems with. even tho i don't really have any problems. ehh, idk, its all in my head. i really miss california. and i know ur probably tired of hearing this, but im getting more and more homesick. i wish my mom was just like a block away so i could just come over and talk to her and take a nap or something. ahhh!

lol this is embarassing. anyway, i posted a new song on myspace! so please go check it out. click here!!! the song is called 'when the sun sets on hawaii'. i wrote it on the way back to honolulu from north shore back when i played a wedding in hawaii. wrote half of it on the beach, in hawaii. pretty sweet. =] thank you guys btw for the plays, it's amazing, it shows your support and i'm thankful you enjoy my music. it seriously makes my day. i'm on the computer like half the day. hahah.

also, i posted a new youtube video.

i'm trying to do homework right now. it's so difficult. being placed in a higher ear training class is cool, but i literally skipped 1 and 2 so i have no idea what is going on!!! hahaha... anyway, if any of you are gonna visit boston anytime soon, let me know =] i'll show you around. i've been walking around to random places, and its pretty cool. theres this crazy store bodega, i dont know if i've talked about it already, but its pretty cool. the prudential mall is pretty nice, and theres this mall in cambridge which is where harvard is, the mall reminds me of california. so taking the train is worth it. its like 2 dollars every time you get on the train. it's a nice system they got going here. i miss you guys.

to my close friends: don't hesitate to give me a call. i know you guys think i'm super busy, but really i'm less busy than i was back in cali. what i would do to be in cali right now. can't wait for the new england winter (sarcasm).

i bought soul caliber IV today for ps3, anyone played that game before? haven't played it yet but i will get on it. love you all. more to come soon.

-aj

first day of school..

2008-09-08T19:02:00.001-07:00

youtube is broken =[ hahah anyway.. started class today. i woke up at 8 and started walking at 9, got there on time for my 915 class =] my first class is ear training 4, from 915-10. i have a big break from that and then its intro to music tech. i'm trying to test out of that class tomorrow.. but yeah the ear training was just a bunch of stuff i never formally learned... i tested into the class, but that doesn't mean i know everything about ear training 1, 2, and 3.. ahh im screwed. haha we'll see what happens.. im just gonna study hard.

other than that, its at a stage where everyone is still super quiet in class so i didn't really meet anyone new today sadly... its ok i'll get in the hang of it. everyone texted me today saying good luck and meet lots of new people! haha.. i will tomorrow even tho i only have one class... berklee is super slow at everything formal. its cuz its a musician run school. admissions, loans, grades whatevaa, all musicians. hahaha. and you know us sometimes...

i then realized that having gigs back in california is gonna be super dangerous to my grade. =\ so i'm trying to change my flights to all direct so i can fly from sunday at 1030pm and arrive in boston at 6am and go to class.. haha ahhhh. love it tho.

i posted a new video of me singing here:

i was feelin kinda emo but in like a good, hopeful way. 2 days. i miss you guys a lot. oh and i saw the weirdest thing today... a man in a business suit doing tae chi in the park underneath some trees (again), followed by a man in a similar business suit riding a bicycle with a helmet on. what the eff..?

-aj

i will write more later, i promise<3

thanks derek for hitting me up today it was a nice surprise, i love you bro.

first Berklee concert... inspiration, finally.

2008-09-06T16:01:00.000-07:00

the convocation was amazing... first hour was the dean of students speaking, the president of the school, this filipino guy whose speech was off-the-hook inspiring, and the founder of CD Baby Derek Siver i think spoke as well... those speeches helped me realize that i need to not think about the past and my accomplishments or whatever, and that i shouldn't think about the future too much because the future only exists in our minds... i need to focus on NOW. because time is only a series of "Nows", am i right? does that make sense? haha..

before last nite, all i could think about was leaving this place, leaving to go back to Cali and try becoming famous and what not... but now i have realized that there's a reason why i'm here.. it's for me, to become a better artist.. to learn more about being creative... every single one of these people here eat, live, and breathe music... and that's why we're all here. because music has done something to us that nothing in this whole world can do.

the speeches took about an hour, and after that was the most amazing concert i have seen up-to-date. it was because it was all students from Berklee.. the finest contemporary music school in the world (that's what they said in the speech, kinda got me hyped)... there was a pianist who was a japanese girl.. her hands moved at like 50 miles per hour it was INSANE. as soon as she was done with her little solo in the middle of the first song everyone applauded SO LOUD as if it were the end of the concert.

a bunch of singers came out.. and they were beyond amazing. the musicians backing them up were even more amazing. the Berklee performance center is an amazing place for a concert.. Musiq Soulchild will be there in the end of september.. im going btw.. haha..

a singer came out and sang Defying Gravity as almost like a jazz chart but with the same drive as the broadway version.. it was inspiring to the max. by the end of the concert, i could have been in tears.. honestly i had chills the whole time.

i just walked home in the rain. bought an umbrella at walgreens. took the T from the aquarium. it was one of the most amazing aquariums ever. love Boston. still love Cali more though.

i'm finally excited to be here. this is my time, however selfish it may be, to be a better musician. to eat, live, and breath MORE music than ever. what a perfect day to have that convocation. i think it was my birthday present to my dad. to show him that his music can live on through me, and that i can make him proud.

-aj

orientation is ending...

2008-09-05T12:57:00.000-07:00

thank God. today's my dad's birthday... happy birthday dad! you're the reason i'm here.. i know ur watching over me and putting song ideas in my head. chillin with Jesus and what not. that's pretty cool to think about... =) i remember 10 days before he died, which was today 9 years ago, we sang songs around his hospital bed... can't wait to see him.

well, i FINALLY got internet at my apartment... but i'm at my friends dorm at Berklee right now. sorry i was MIA last nite. i took the T for the first time (the train) it's not that complicated, but you could easily end up somewhere where you don't wanna be. haha. went with my roommates to get a PS3 for our apartment. even tho its gonna be in his room. sall good. but yeah it was definitely an adventure. i bought a bunch of stuff at the apple store and johnny cupcakes and a hat and i had a laptop in my backpack so i was like pretty much dying walking more than a mile to get home hahah.

walking around at nite is pretty scary next to my apartment. i kinda wish i lived BEFORE the dark-ass park.

miss you guys so much. like foreals. my mom left yesterday morning, i was really sad. but i think i'll be okay. didn't have time to have a super sad goodbye, i guess thats a good thing, cuz the taxi was rushing her, but i did cry after. no homo.

i freakin MISS cali. its so hot and humid here its disgusting. but then the winter will come and i will be doomed... went to the berklee welcome bbq today. it was fun, there was a drum circle, and an awesome band. i signed up for an acappella group, asian student union, musical theatre club, and acting club. oh and songwriting club. of course not all of them have obliged me to join, but we'll see how it goes.

LOVE YOU ALL! your continuous support really makes me feel better. keep leaving love and everything on the myspace, youtube and on here. thanks ya'll =D

-aj

to Dad: love me. happy birthday.

placement audition day...

2008-09-02T20:07:00.000-07:00

finally i'm feeling excited about berklee. i'm stoked about my audition into the vocal department. i played "My Soldier" and "How Sweet It Is" by James Taylor... they loved it and made me improv on some jazz chords. it was pretty cool i just sang some random words and scatted (tried to scat) so that was fun. then i sight read and it was not as bad as i thought it was gonna be. i met a lot of people cuz i bring my ukulele around and everyones like oo can i play or can you play and stuff like that.

then i took the theory placement test and picked up my new macbook pro (which is mandatory thru the college).. the theory placement was long. there are 4 parts, and if you can do part 1 you move on and so on and so forth. i got to the last page and everyone in my classroom was gone, not even the teacher was there. i was there for 3 hours. the longest i've ever taken on any test in the world. i didnt take the SAT's or anything so yeah.

i'm still homesick. and even told my peer advisor about it cuz i can't really talk about it to anybody cuz everyones SUPER EXCITED LIKE GO BERKLEE OMG.. i'm almost there. and i'll be ok soon.

jammed with troy and jade a little today. you guys need to watch out for this jade girl. i'm gonna introduce her to you guys on a youtube video, she's amazing. she got a scholarship for piano/voice (piano and voice combined together as a principle instrument). can't wait to make vids with people over here! the talent is endless... every dorm you hear people jammin and making music or listening to music or other things. it's gonna be amazing.

miss you all. mom leaves tomorrow =( i'm shopping with her before she goes tho, yay. don't have a lotta time right now to write too much so i'll end it here. goodnight.

-aj

i'll tell you how the placement went as soon as i find out! shoutouts to renabette! thanks for your love every blog post.

3rd day... move-in...

2008-09-01T21:29:00.000-07:00

my apartment is... not what i expected it to be. it's small, old, creaky, squeaky, and the view is a crappy little alley thing. ahh.. it'll have to do. it was less than half the price of dorms, and it's a sacrifice im gonna have to make i guess! its only a mile away from the school... i just brought my stuff in as in clothes... we're going to iKea tomorrow tho..

didn't have to do much for the school this morning except for this student orientation... honestly, i'm not as excited as all the other freshmen.. everyone was like YEAH WOOO YEEE GO BERKLEE and i was just sitting there... i think i'm still sad about leaving. everyones so excited coming straight out of high school to the largest music school in the country... ooooOooOooo... ahh i dont know. i get super mad when people have that kind of attitude about things too.. and i'm acting like those people. i guess my attitude could be better.. cuz for those of you who know me, you know i'm super people person trying to meet everyone.. but right now... i figure i have more than a year to see these people, i just wanna think about cali and the people i miss right now.

check out my new video HERE please leave a comment and don't forget to subscribe =) it's a song called "You Belong To Me". it's like a song about being away from someone....

tomorrow is my placement audition... i'm changing my principle instrument from piano to piano/voice. doesn't seem like a difference, but it's a big one. please pray for me cuz i really need to get a scholarship and/or place high so i don't have to be here for 4 freakin years! i love you guys!!!! and miss you dearly...

-aj

2nd day..

2008-08-31T20:37:00.000-07:00

pretty crazy out here... love it though. woke up prety early since i went to sleepy early last night... but yeah checked out of our crappy hotel, like foreals it was a wannabe tight room it was NOT TIGHT! hahaha. but yes we are at the marriott now... but before we moved hotels we went to church at St. Cecilia's which is literally right across the street from Berklee.

i was mostly paying attention to the music, and i met the director of music at the church.. turns out he's a berklee graduate and i talked to him about how i played at St. Patrick's for 10 years and it was hard leaving... so i got an accompanist job there! i'm not sure if theyre paying me, but that really doesn't matter as long as i know what i'm doing it for. can't wait to start playing for mass again since i haven't really missed a Sunday in years... it was sad leaving St. Patrick's... im gonna miss it.

after mass, i met up with my friend Tim Woo.. checked in at Berklee... went to the mall and bought some souvenirs, met up with my friend Troy and mom went back to the hotel. i went to go visit the dorms.. they are pretty cool. troy and i helped my friend Jade settle in. can't wait to move in to my apartment.. i'm sharing a room with my friend from high school.

had dinner at some clam chowda (haha) place... and ate more food at a japanese teriyaki chinese food boba place right across the street from berklee. oh man.. its gonna be an interesting year. everyone that i know so far is a year younger than me... but same grade. i guess thats what i get for taking a year off..

i miss you guys more and more each day. everyone keeps wanting to hang out at night time but i just wanna chill. my mom says to go chill with them, but i just say i'm tired, cuz the truth is i just wanna spend more time with mom before she leaves on wednesday. i haven't been away from my mom.. like ever. i'm just kinda being anti-social which is really not like me, but being with mom is the best thing i can ask for. makes me think of home too and family, and friends. i'm going to miss you guys so much.. especially while i'm out here just walking around alone... all i do is think about being around my friends.

a new day awaits. see you tomorrow Boston.

come visit me soon.

-aj

1st day in Boston...

2008-08-31T04:15:00.000-07:00

arrived in Boston yesterday around 12PM est, had to chill at the airport for the longest time becuz mom forgot the name of the hotel we were staying at. hahahha. so that took like an hour calling every hotel in downtown Boston.

so my mom and i were getting super frustrated. we got lost for about 3 hours. hahah. we had to get directions like 5 times. each time we got directions we would end up somewhere else. the freeways are so freakin complicated here. damn it. haha. so finally we ended up at this McDonalds where this random guy let us know where we were at. Boston's kinda small cuz we ended up by Harvard which is on the other side of the river from where we were supposed to be.

anyway, we got to the Chandler's Inn. which is an overpriced wanna-be artsy hotel. so we're moving to the Marriott today. i walked to Newbury Street where i met up with my friend Andrew Rhim whom i met when i auditioned for Berklee last year at the Berklee in LA program. he showed me where the Best Buy was, and the Johnny Cupcakes store, and we found the Karmaloop store. so tight! newbury is so sick... walking along that street is amazing. ya'll gotta come over...

finally he showed me where the school was. it was like a dream come true. i saw the building that said Berklee College of Music and i was trippin. i couldn't believe that i was really here. theres a music store right across the street.. it's amazing. and the McDonalds and Wendy's are all decorated with music notes and what not. St. Cecilia's is right across the street from Berklee. what a trip.

we walked so much last night, my mom and i knocked out early... like 9PM est hahaha. i realized it was only 6PM pst when we went to sleep... i guess i'm used to the time already.

to everyone who saw me off at the airport & ate in n out with me for the last time since theres none on the east coast: rusoul, jen, stephie, preston, brandon, krissy, bj, nick, nigel, amanda, bri, josh, esther, eric, kris, sam, marlone, kris lumagi, kristina, nessa, christine, andrew, randolph, mike, stacey, anthony, rachel, franz, derek, lydia, lydia paek, roland, dusty, jasmine, rb, marilu, and justine. i love you guys so much. thank you all, it was like a freakin party at the airport. haha. i'm gonna miss you guys!!!! i can't even think about it without being sad. you guys better come visit soon.

i'm finally chillin.... today's just a chill day. tomorrow is the beginning... weird cuz its labor day. but yeah. more adventures coming up soon...

-aj

my last week in so cal...

2008-08-26T09:18:00.000-07:00

this is crazy.

last thursday we went to six flags! randolph permejo, derek portea, bryan keith, cathy nguyen, my best friend rb, marilu, mike isberto, gabe bondoc and a lot of my other good friends. i only went on two rides cuz i get really sick. haha sucks for me.

friday's show at otay ranch wasn't what i expected... i wanted a MOMENT with the people of OTAY!!! but they cut me off and i could only play one song... i was mad at the fact that we drove over 100 miles to get there and they weren't paying gas money... dusty, jasmine, me, rb, and lydia drove down... i'm so glad i met lydia, she's a super dope person who is very talented and isn't cocky about anything and doesn't let the attention get to her head... she's the real deal foreals...... haha

saturdays show was a different story though... chino hills @ the shoppes, with our host M-Meow from the asian persuasion show, was amazing. there was a pre-show and then andrew garcia opened up the night. christine concepcion delivered 3 songs for us, then marc, and then derek put it down! lydia paek, one of the most amazing singers i have ever met, went up after that. (look her up on youtube! she pwns!) randolph and cathy went up shortly after that, and then a special performance by GABE bondoc. i went on last to close the show, and that meant a lot to me seeing everybody sing along to "I Just Want You" and "My Soldier"... it's always a trip to see how many people actually know and follow my music. thank you all who came to the shoppes. i'll miss you all.

i'm getting flown out a couple weekends of october for shows and for my sisters birthday. so maybe i'll see you guys soon. i'll keep you updated on Berklee College of Music in Boston, and i'll make a mailing list so you guys can keep up with me via e-mail.

i fly out friday at ontario airport. let's hope this is my time to be up there with the rockstars and shiii.

-aj

CD CONTEST FINALISTS!!!

2008-07-30T16:29:00.000-07:00

sorry this took so long, i was contemplating for a while because there were SO many good videos. anyway, if you were wondering who the judges were...

judge #1: MVCC (my choir)

judge #2: Cathy Nguyen

judge #3: Jasmine Rafael (my sister)

judging based on Creativity and Content!

and i also decided that since there was an overwhelming response of videos entered in this contest, i've upped the prizes... kinda. all finalists get 15 free ajrafael mp3's, while the winning video gets signed CD's and a SPECIAL SURPRISE. ahahaha. nothing big, just something special.

here are the six finalists!!! (click to watch their video entry)

mcarreon89 & kathleenbadar

to the rest of the people who submitted their videos, thank you SO much. you have no idea how much you are helping this song get out there and how much support it shows! i love you all.

special honors:

cap0seven for amazing piano abilities, msmooshell & ieatyourflowers for making me SMILE super big with your cute vids, yoitsangelaa and panicpanicpanic for being amazing and dedicated supporters for local artists out here in the 626 and 951 area, gotRICEma for entertaining bloopers, and mourningsunshineband for some awesome editing.

the main thing to think about when voting: Entertainment Factor! choose the video you can't stop watching.

click HERE to vote!

VOTING ENDS AUGUST 8th!

thank you all for submitting your videos and especially to those who have never posted a cover of them singing or anything, thank you for taking a chance on an artist like me who's not very known but is trying to make it out there. one love.

-AJ

P.S. finalists, message me on myspace with special directions to receive the free mp3's!

hello people.

2008-07-28T09:37:00.000-07:00

first post. short post.