YouTube Video Watching, My Online Hobby

You got that right! YouTube Video Watching has become my hobby for the past few years. I found it to be an activity that gave me the kind of pleasure I want to experience when I have enough time on my hands. I simply go straight to the search box and type in the item I’d like to watch and voila, out comes the many choices I can take - right under my fingertips.

I know you know what I mean when I ask, you want to laugh? YouTube has hundreds of thousands of funny, humorous, hilarious and outrageous clips to choose from. You need some motivation? Hey, there’s a whole array of motivational speakers just passionately delivering their talks right straight at you. You want to know more about the different cultures around the world? YouTube can take you on a tour in seconds and you can choose to land on the page that catches you. You want to party? Put on your dancing shoes because Youtube will give you all the dance music and remix versions of your favorite tunes right there in your room. Oh, you what to know more about UFO’s? (Twilight theme plays up to background level) Amazing videos await you! As the little old cliche goes… you name it, YouTube has got it!

YouTube video watching brings me to different levels of pleasure which suites me just fine. After my usual days of dealing with a number of people in production work, I take delight in simply relaxing by watching videos online -- all for free. I’ve gathered some materials that serve as samples of the sort of videos I watch for certain occasions.

I love musicals and I love cartoons. You can just imagine the silly grin on my face when I watch videos of cartoon characters doing big production numbers. The “Suppertime” number of Snoopy in “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown” may pale in comparison to the more modern treatment of musical scenes in Disney movies. However, I still get the kick out of seeing my childhood cartoon character friends strut their stuff with gusto.

I adore Barbra Striesand. I had a great collection of her various albums and they kept me company during my early college years until they melted away in a fire that burned down our house two years after I graduated from college. I had to start my collection again which took quite a while. Nonetheless, they served me well in college during the mid-70’s period. It was this era when lip synching became popular in our country and I had a grand time using the songs of Barbra as my lip synching material. I got so good at it that schoolmates and teachers started dubbing me as the Barbra Striesand of the school.

I mostly did her novelty songs like I’m Five, Sweet Zoo, her version of Jingle Bells and my favorite, Minute Waltz. I even did a stint on a local TV show lip synching to that song. Can you imagine that?! I shudder in disbelief remembering that day. I actually enjoyed the experience though.

I never saw how Barbra actually performed the mentioned pieces. I interpreted them according to how I felt about her song. Thus, decades later, here I was hopping from one video to another when tadaaa…would YouTube have a clip on Barbra singing Minute Waltz.? My heart pumped a notch higher as I typed the words and then stopped as the page slowly unfolded to reveal --- one clip. Oh I went ballistic over finding that one and only clip.

This piece is one heck of a breathing exercise material for singers. If you can’t catch up with the words, here’s a link to the Minute Waltz lyrics. Pump up your volume and picture how my mouth looked like keeping in synch with the words delivered in fast motion.

This is the kind of material that fuels the artistry in me. It’s out of the box and effective for certain projects plus it’s in musical theater form. What more can I ask for?

Creating new ways of doing things is an important part of my personal and professional life. It is my desire to learn from others then develop my own style of treating things. And that is one pleasurable experience.

I need not say much about this video. It is better appreciated on its own because it speaks much to the viewer. Videos like these allow the viewer to become active participants in the creative process. It teases your imagination and then makes you reflect on what it is saying about the nature of life, in this case, the impact of one action affecting all other actions in the universe. Amazing.

I always take pride in what we Filipinos can do to make a mark in the world. This time I’d like to highlight on one that is taking place in our city called Cebu. Over 1,500  inmates belonging to  Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) , took the world by storm with a YouTube video that showed their dance routine using the late Michael Jackson’s Thriller song.

I’m posting the original video for those who may not have seen it yet. I also included the latest number they performed with  Michael Jacksons long-time choreographer Travis Payne and dancers Daniel Celebre and Dres Reid who came over to the city after Michael's death to teach the inmates some steps from THIS IS IT. I am proud  of what our countrymen can do to help inmates find therapy in the performing arts. As they dance, they get the chance to freely express their long suppressed emotions through the movements.

The first time I saw this video I could not help but shed tears. Only one phrase comes to mind to summarize the message of this video – Endless Possibilities. Videos of this nature allow me to appreciate all the things I have and motivates me to make full use of life. Now, every time I find myself starting to complain I just think of people like Nick and savor the blessings bestowed upon all of mankind. I am blessed. You are blessed. We are all blessed:)

I will not give you a lecture on how laughter keeps us healthy. Instead I present to you in bullet form the benefits of laughing if only to encourage you to choose laughter instead of fear and say (as my other hub calls out) LET’S BE GAY!

Laughter Benefits

• Lowers blood pressure
• Strengthens cardiovascular functions
• Reduces stress hormones
• Improves circulation
• Increases muscle flexion
• Oxygenates the body by boosting the respiratory system
• Boosts immune function by raising levels of infection-fighting T-cells, disease-fighting proteins called Gammainterferon and B-cells, which produce disease-destroying antibodies
• Triggers the release of endorphins, the body's natural painkillers
• Produces a general sense of well-being

Ripplemaker pointed me to this video and it put me in high spirits. What a great way to be grateful about things. We’ve used this video in our workshops and applied it in our productions to bring up the adrenalin to a performance level mode. Kudos to the young and creative guys who created ripples of gratitude around the world through this video.

Everyday I make sure to get mega doses of healing love through meditation, yoga, video or audio lectures from favorite spiritual masters and some soothing songs like the one I chose for this portion. It uses the song to clear one's self of negativity using Ho'oponopono. I have been using the Ho'oponopono method to heal wounds from the past and I find it very effective with manifestations coming easily and quickly.

I would encourage you to watch this video and embrace yourself as you repeat the four phrases:

1. I'm Sorry
2. Please Forgive Me
3. Thank You
   
4. I Love You.
   

The best thing about YouTube is the fact that it gives you what they promised in their slogan, BROADCAST YOURSELF. Ripplemaker and I took the opportunity to do just that by uploading our own version of an Affirmation Video. Before you click on the so called video link however, take note that it is actually a "Photoshopped" version of the actual video. Why? For two good and practical reasons. First, I wanted to hone my skills in Photoshop and second I thought it would be a good way for you to visit our site where we posted our Affirmation Video.

YouTube has a captured audience. We are still building ours. Now, why not participate in helping us build our audience.(Pretty please?) Click on to Loving Abundance where you finally get the chance to watch fellow hubber Ripplemaker and yours truly, in action, using YouTube to reach out to empower more people. It's our expression of loving all.

Whatever hobby you have I pray you include getting into the hobby of sending Hub Loving all over the place and watch the abundance of love flow into your life. Blessings to you!

Daisy Ba-ad