Bagyo Day

Bagyo is synonymous to childhood memories in Malabon...
no classes... ( mas maaga gumising nakatutok na sa transistor).
champorado with tuyo or lugaw with tokwa't baboy ....
laro ng "saksak puso" sa ulan... (balagoong ang taya)
huli ng kataba at tilapia sa baha...(the fishponds in malabon overflowed)
paper , styro or old chinelas bangka race...
bonding with mamang kase nagsasara ng maaga tindahan namin sa palengke kapag bagyo....
tv day and sabaw na ulam trip with the family....
at kapag may bagyo pa din hanggang gabi sigurado BROWNOUT. So multo stories na yan after dinner o kaya hand shadow wrestling na yan. Aso lang ang kaya kong gawin noon.

yes... BAGYO DAY...when my world was young. I miss those days...❤️🎶❤️🎶❤️🎶❤️

Credits to the owners of the photos

(English translation)

Storm is synonymous to childhood memories in Malabon for me....classes were suspended.....we were more excited to get up early, the household glued to the radio.

There's chocolate porridge with dried salted fish or plain porridge with chicken and tofu...we play 'stab the heart game (that's the closest translation I can think of) and losers are tagged "balagoong" or shrimp paste...we catch tilapia from the flood which means the fishpond in Malabon overflowed... paper, styro or old chinelas (flipflops) boat race...bonding with my Mamang because even our store in the market closes due to bad weather...it's TV day and soupy dish for lunch with the family...when there is a storm, usually there is no electricity in the evening...BROWNOUT as we call it...ghost stories time after dinner for sure or hand shadow games...dog is the only image i can do.

yes... BAGYO DAY...when my world was young. I miss those days...❤️🎶❤️🎶❤️🎶❤️

Storm

#skarletmusings #skarletmornings #skarletmemories #skarletbrown#skarletjazz #skarletska #skarletswingmachine

Dulce Amor

I finally met her at TEN02 when we were practicing for a show many years back. When Kuya Mel mentioned that we will back her up...I was like that food critic that went back to his childhood memories upon eating rattatouile (hay spelling...tamad ako i-google ang spelling )...ganun! 

Credits to the owner of the Photo

Those few moments before she arrived i said...gosh, she will be here. And sure enough, time ran out on me to practice in front of the mirror how to look like not so excited I tried my best to be cool in front of her. 

She stepped in. The familiar face that i saw on TV when i was younger was an understatement. What I saw was a Filipina beauty, very sisterly aura, no showbiz air ( you know...that thing about SOME showbiz people when you meet them they look at you and it is like they are not looking at You.... COLD , distant stance which I TOTALLY LAUGH AT, i cant stand it. Yep im evil but honest hehehehehe).  Going back...
She arrived we shook hands and exchanged besos.... one of the local vocalist Idols of my childhood, nerbiyos! She is beautiful, down to earth and much later i realized her aura is divine. And she gave me a gift, we just met... my gosh. Jahe ako! 

She stepped on the TEN02 stage to rehearse with AMP nonet.  The first few lyrics out of her blew me out of my seat. Grabe kapag live! The walls were blown away too! My SM stage drapes i bought buy 1 take 1 turned into heavy luscious black velvet opera drapes.... and it felt like being in Royal albert Hall. and that was because of that full bodied, rich-timbred beautiful, enigmatically powerful yet soft when needed kind of voice that is uniquely HERS...often imitated yet no one can come close to what her singing can do to your heart. Her voice is ahhhhhm..... aahhhhmmmm ..i don't know what to say BUT , that voice......that voice PUT BURNING TEARS IN MY EYES.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ATE Dulce Maritess Cruzata Dulce Maria Teresa Magdalena.

Peter Gabriel's In Your Eyes

Travellin feels like flying while watching the sun rises , casting her golden rays on the swaying ricefields and I, with headphones on full blast, am soaring with eyes closed.

Listening to Peter Gabriel's IN YOUR EYES over and over again on youtube and the beauty of Tarlac morning made me utter these words.... " My dear God, what a beautiful day you have made today. thank you ...thank you so much! " teary eyed and feeling oh so blessed, when all of a sudden ... dead spot! in your eyes, gone! and was drastically replaced by manong's soundtrip inside the van... (highest note , ending part) HERE I AM..THE ONE THAT YOU LOVE...ASKING FOR ANOTHER DE...HEHEHAY..................my eyes turned to desert.......... surreal .

Two Of The Most Precious and Priceless artworks I Own

I am very much honored to have portraits by some of the best VISUAL ARTISTS of our time... BENCAB, GIG de PIO, EGAI FERNANDEZ, HERMES ALEGRE, ALLAN COSIO, POPOY CUSI to name a few. Although i can never afford my portrait of maestro BENCAB , loooong sigh..., and maestro allan cosio hasn't given me one portrait (after so many years i am STILL waiting for that promise that he will give me one to happen, pls) the others are here in the house so that Maru could have all these GEMS someday. But today i want to show you two the most precious and priceless artworks of my life done in 2010 and 2017.

My Avayu...

A witch and a kapre are getting married , a local Superstition, when it is raining hard while the sun is shining. Well ... that is what's happening here with BAD PLUS' " smells like teen spirit " playing while i am in a lazy chair facing the beautiful beach of AVAYU.

Powder blue waters and grey sky sunrises ..... dark bluegrey, gold and red sunsets... and the majestic mountain range behind us, so picturesque.  These fotos come nowhere close to seeing the real thing... special if you have red wine , heinekens and uling roasters chicken all day. Plus the smell of brewing french vanilla coffee in the air... feels like heaven! SAN JUNIPERO for free! ❤️❤️❤️ I LOVE MY FAMILY SO MUCH!

In Avayu, i look forward to sunrises, i love cooking and having breakfast early, then swim or clean the beach area until 10am. then hang out under the tree , do a lil bit of construction work... a lil bit of planting of bounganvilleas... a lot of daydreaming of how our forever Home will look like there . i dream of winning the lotto so i could start building my dreamhome. i dream of having a two 40 footer tiny container home with 360 degrees view of the beach and the mountains. i hope a bank will allow me to loan, but i am a musician, i can't....

the whole day in Avayu is an experience. 

Memories of days passed

In our humble abode in Malabon, Mamang (that's what I call my mother) wakes up everyday at 4:30 a.m.  At this time, the radio is on and she is listening to a radio commentator named Paeng Yabut while preparing breakfast.  We are one of those families who eat Pan De Sal (bread buns) for breakfast instead of rice meals.  On a regular day, there's a scrambled egg, Dari Creme and hot Dari Gold Evap milk. Some days there were hotdogs bought from the market (it looks like hotdog but tastes like flour, really) or neighborhood-made peanut butter spread (yes..our neighbor makes peanut butter).

When sales of linen was good from the day before, I would know because there would be PUREFOODS hotdog for breakfast or Maling Luncheon Meat.  Or QUEENSLAND BUTTER and Nido Milk.   When there were Blue Bonnet butter  and SANKA coffee...wow!  It meant we have a relative from overseas who just arrived.

My Mamang prohibited me from drinking coffee.  I would end up very edgy she said.  Palpitations that's what she calls it.  I remember when the Olympic games is up, there would be free plastic toy soldiers inside a can of Milo (there was no refill pack back then).

Even if Pan De Sal was served for breakfast, there would be steamed white rice and one cooked meal.  But, we cannot touch it because that would be packed for lunch at school.  It would be put in a 3-tier tin container, she calls it PIMBRERA.  Water in our jugs come from the faucet.  We use that 1 liter family sized glass bottles...three, and we put them in big native bags we call Bayong.  We I was younger, we can drink tap water from faucets without fear of getting sick.

Back then, there was less plastic items.  Tupperwares was for the rich and plates were breakable if not stainless steel.  Our drinking glasses were containers of Nescafe and Liliy's Peanut Butter.  And whatever my Mamang wants for music in the morning would be the music for the day for all...songs of Mario Lanza "How much is that doggie in the window"... " Tenessee Waltz"... "Bobby, bobby, bobby"... and her favorite "My love will see you through".

Alas sais y media or 6:30 a.m... the house would be empty...I would be at school...while the rest would help my Mamang open her small store of linen in the market.  I really hate listening to Paeng Yabut back then because I really prefer songs of Leif Garret❤️.  

I miss those days... nakaka miss.

Reminiscing while eating maling, toasted bread, brewed coffee, sunny side up, peach halves leftover, kewpie mayo, strawberry marmalade, queensland butter while listening to stacey kent with my kids, Adrian Manaluz and Maru Ganeer. 

#skarletbrown #skarletmemories

My Mamang...

When I was a kid, JULY 4 was a holiday...Phil- Am Friendship day. But more importantly, Birthday ni Mamang ko. Maaga pa lamang luto na ang pansit at hotdog. At uso pa noon ang nagpapadala ng isang plato ng handa sa kapitbahay. Kailangan daw wag huhugasan yung plato pag isinoli para maswerte. 

Nasa tiyan pa lang ako super mahal niya ako... iniwasan niya umakyat sa hagdan at lagi niya daw tinitigan ang picture ni Charito Solis sa pelikulang Igorota na hanggang high school ako naka ipit sa salamin ng platera namin.

Maligayang kaarawan Mamang. Nawa' y sa langit kung nasan ka ngayun ay maalala mo kami. alam kong masayang masaya ka na sa kabilang buhay. mahal na mahal ka namin and we miss you so much. Pangako kong hindi ko kalilimutan ang bawat detalye ng iyong magandang mukha. malamang may date kayo ni Tatay mamaya kaya ipagdarasal ko na kung kayo pa din sa langit, mabuo niyo ulit ako jan. 😃😢😘😔🎂

❤️

Remembering Susan Fernandez...

July 2... i miss a dear friend and my ate, the late Susan Fernandez. There was a time many years ago when Brownbeat had gigs in bars like hobbit house and inner space when small groups of just three tables were watching us on a weeknight and one of those tables is ate Sansu , alone, just there to watch us.

Then we had memorable Friday night hangout at Balai Kalinao when i was starting to sing standards. We will talk about our relationships, music, and how her most beloved guitar got stolen by someone who entered their house posing as a relative. I remember she insisted that i should attend lamaze classes when i was pregnant. When i was about to give birth she also wanted to wait outside the delivery room just to make sure that my baby will not be given milk formula... that was ate Susan to me. 

When i asked her if i could make a rendition of the song BABAE KA, she was so ecstatic and introduced me to sir Ani Montano to ask for the final blessing to record it. A week before that she went to the doctor for a check up we were together driving around ateneo area, she mentioned that she was feeling a kind of heaviness in her tummy.  After that doctor visit she texted me that she will have an operation , a tumor needed to be removed for biopsy.  Two weeks later, the news came.... it was cancer. my jaw dropped but her voice on the fone was Cool, like there was nothing wrong.

While undergoing alternative therapy, she still went to ten 02 just to hang out and she requested that i come up with a kind of pasta without cheese just fresh tomatoes and fresh basil and olive oil. That is why we came out with TEN02 pasta which was then exclusively for ate Sansu. She had a show there for the bossa group of Al Juarez. but it was around that time that she needed to lay low. 

July 2, 2008 she sent me an email knowing that i assist some people via my Heart Of Music. A year after same day july 2, 2009... she joined the almighty.  Me and a lot more people , specially women, who look up to her as ate , a women's rights activist , a friend , a musician and our hero, were left with a hole in our hearts. 

i miss you ate Sansu... you are sorely missed. It' s been 8 years na pala..😔we love you...

Thank you, Universe!

The universe has a way of saying ...Ska, don't worry too much. Been worrying sick for months regarding the fate of my songs living inside a usb. Last night we did the music video of the carrier single of my EP, the 7 deadly sins, PANAGHOY.  Thank you so much Samuel Cruz Valdecantos of INDIE PINOY PRODUCTION, Jerome. Thanks to all the actors -- Jessica Fernando, Ryan Lindley Tan Lacano,Marben Romero, Maru Ganeer. Genesis Tabuzo thank you for the helping hand. Nolit Abanilla and Abet Umil, thanks for helping in the pre-production stage.  Too bad you guys didn't make it, but thanks anyways Alvin Cornista at Wam Molina...It would have been a blast if you guys where there, but I know you have a gig....

The Big Guy up there loves me..He puts people around me to make me feel that i am loved... aaaawM!  To my bff Muning Mona Nieva, LABYU , my guardian angel. Let's do the Dance of Life! 

I Am Skarlet

I'm Skarlet and I sing #Jazz #Ska #Standards sometimes with just my guitarist or keyboardist...othertimes  with a big band.

Started with Ardorn and Delirium then became the front woman of Put3ska from 1994- 1998.  I formed the Brownbeat All-stars in 1998.  We dropped about 2 albums and joined several compilations.

However, I have fallen in love with Jazz.  I went solo in 2007 and released my first solo album under Candid Records.  It's a full length album entitled Powder Room Stories.  

On the side, too, I sing for the those who are sick...We go from ward to ward to sing hoping it will bring some sunshine to the ailing...also because I believe that music heals...

In the process, I founded Heart Of Music, a non-profit organization that helps aging and ailing musicians with healthcare.  We try to organize a mass dental and physical consultation with the help of friends and those willing to donate. When I am not singing, I cook, and travel with my family.  We have a sanctuary in the province we call Avayu..I'll share my musings, my travels, my cooking and my music with you.