"There's no such thing as a perfect Christian. We are all in this world to learn about our Christian faith, and to live our faith in the best way possible. It is a life spanning struggle to search for the truth. And an even more daunting task to be able to live our lives for God. Christianity is not a religion for the ...perfect human being. It is for those who were humbled, for those who felt weakness, and for those who cry out for an inner peace." - Jasper Lloyd Tan, Thoughts And Notions

Jars Of Clay "Two Hands" [music video]

"There's no such thing as a perfect Christian. We are all in this world to learn about our Christian faith, and to live our faith in the best way possible. It is a life spanning struggle to search for the truth. And an even more daunting task to be able to live our lives for God. Christianity is not a religion for the perfect human being. It is for those who were humbled, for those who felt weakness, and for those who cry out for an inner peace."

Jasper Lloyd Tan
Thoughts And Notions

Two Hands lyrics

I’ve been living out of sanity
I’ve been splitting hairs and blurring lines
I am a house that is divided
In my heart and in my mind

I use one hand to pull closer
The other to push you away
If I had two hands doing the same thing
Lifted high, lifted high

I have a broken disposition
I’m a liar who thirsts for the truth
And while I ache for faith to hold me
I need to feel the scars and see the proof

And if we just keep digging we can reach the foundation
Of our souls
And if we just keep cutting all the chains from our hearts
We’ll lose control

And it feels like giving in
It feels like starting over
It feels like waking up, and you know it’s coming
It feels like a brand new day
Open your eyes

To our friends and supporters. We are sorry that we would be declining for gig bookings for the meantime, the band is under major reconstruction. Will post the latest news about us soon.

2009 NU Rock Awards

Old guys (the Sound Engineer and the Lyricist) representing the college band of the year nominee, Thoughts And Notions at the 2009 NU Rock Awards.

I think one of the high point of being a songwriter and a musician is to be recognized for the work that you have put in to your songs. For us, a band from far flung Mindanao, in the city of Cagayan de Oro. To be named as a nominee for College Band of the year for a prestigious Rock Awards spearheaded by the number one Rock and Alternative Radio in the Philippines, NU 107, is no small feat. I mean never in our wildest imaginations that we would be recognized for our work when we started this whole project. It was always about to honor GOD and share our experiences through our songs as we grew with our FAITH. So to be actually on the Rock Awards venue at the World Trade Center in Pasay City made us feel like a fish out of water. Or gatecrashers to a party (though we were invited actually). Why? Well for one, it was an awards show dominated by Manila based Bands (or from nearby Luzon). In our category, there were only two who got nominated that was from Mindanao, KEYK from Tagum, Davao, and us from Cagayan de Oro. In fact, looking at the list, KEYK and us were the only Mindanao based bands there. It also doesn't help that I just recently transferred to Manila, so this is basically my first exposure to a National Awards show that I attended live. That's why for NU 107 to include us on the list of nominees, that itself is already a huge honor for us and we are grateful for the opportunity. 

Secondly, we are a band that leans towards the Christian Contemporary Music genre. And while the genre is big in other countries, here in the Philippines, most Christian artists are Church based and mainly supported in the confines of their own Churches. Those that ventured outside their Churches did not enjoy that much success. And had to do it the traditional independent way, like other mainstream music artists. So the hard work that we have to put through for our songs to reach an audience is doubled. On one hand, we are utilizing the mainstream radio for our songs to reach an audience. And we are not even sure if the audience would accept our songs. On the other hand, Christian Radio stations are very meticulous in accepting songs for airplay. It has to strictly adhere to their Faith and belief to avoid misdirection and wrong messages to their listeners. And I entirely understand them for that. But Thoughts And Notions was never about preaching. We sing about our personal encounters with God's love and the experiential part of our Faith. What we write and sing about is a testament from our own testimonies of God's love. And maybe that's why RUNAWAY ANGEL, the song that put us on NU 107's list of nominees for College Band of the year resonated to our audience.    

The song Runaway Angel basically is about a person who thought to himself that he can venture on his own armed only by his confidence and belief in himself. And since all of us are God's special creation, perhaps even his Angels, our creator weeps for the misfortune that the person fell into as he trudged towards the wrong path. Now feeling broken and depressed, he lost his voice and belief in the positivity of life. But then, God has always been around to show him the way, the truth, and the life that he should live if he only turn to him. He fixes his broken wings, and gives him a new voice to be able to soldier on to that path of inconceivable hardships. With his spirit renewed, and with God's assurance that he is 100% behind him, the person manages to conquer his inner demons and that broken path before him. Armed with a new confidence backed by his Faith in God. That is basically the story of the song, and I believe that it resonates so well to that age of adolescence and the category we were nominated in because this has always been the age of uncertainties. When we are in the process of jumping on to the next phase in life (adulthood). And if not armed with the right mindset and the right confidence and Faith, the probability of not being able to handle setbacks and failures is bigger. This is where most of the depression age is rampant, as teen suicides is recognized as the third leading cause of death for age 15-24. So maybe Runaway Angel meant more to some of our listeners than just being another song.      

So anyway, we did not win the award. But that is not something to cry about. The nomination itself was already a big win for us. And it put us on the consciousness of Metro Manila listeners as Runaway Angel received a good amount of airplay in the NU University Rock program leading up to the awards show. So with that said, we are forever grateful to NU 107 for the opportunity to share our song to its listeners. To Maam Arci Catalan, Associate Producer of University Rock, for believing in us. You can't possibly fathom the joy that you have given us and for being an instrument to our mission to help "Uplift wounded souls." 

You can Pre-Save the song by clicking on this link (featuring a brand new 2022 Album Cover with National Ranked no. 1 in the 12 Under category for Archery, Chevy Lim as image model):

                                                    https://bfan.link/runaway-angel

Sharing the list of nominees below. Those in BOLD Letters were the declared WINNER for the category.   

ARTIST OF THE YEAR

UP DHARMA DOWN
SUGARFREE
KAMIKAZEE
HILERA
KJWAN

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

BIPOLAR – Up Dharma Down
LONG TIME NOISY – Kamikazee
13 SECONDS TO LOVE – Kjwan
FALL CRASH INFECT – Zach Lucero
NUT HOUSE – Hilera

VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

ARMI MILLARE – Up Dharma Down
BASTI ARTADI – Wolfgang
EBE DANCEL – Sugarfree
MARC ABAYA – Kjwan
CHRIS PADILLA – Hilera

GUITARIST OF THE YEAR

JOMAL LINAO – Kamikazee
KAKOY LEGASPI – Peryodiko
BOOGIE ROMERO – Kjwan
CHRIS PADILLA – Hilera
LED ZEPPELIN TUTAY – Kamikazee

BASSIST OF THE YEAR

PAUL YAP – Up Dharma Down
IVAN GARCIA – Hilera
KELLEY MANGAHAS – Kjwan
SIMON TAN – Peryodiko
KELVIN YU – Corporate Lo-Fi

DRUMMER OF THE YEAR

FRANCIS AQUINO – Wolfgang
VIC MERCADO – Bamboo
EAN MAYOR – Up Dharma Down
ALLAN “BORDS” BURDEOS – Kamikazee
BOBBY PADILLA – Hilera

BEST NEW ARTIST

PERYODIKO
ZACH LUCERO
CORPORATE LO-FI
DUSTER
THE LOWTECHS

SONG OF THE YEAR

ANTUKIN – Rico Blanco
TEACHER’S PET – Pupil
GUSTO KO LAMANG SA BUHAY – Itchyworms
DIAMOND SHOTGUN – Chicosci
LIFE LINE – Kjwan
MRI – Archipelago
AGAWAN BASE – Peryodiko

SMART / U-ROCK COLLEGE BAND OF THE YEAR

PARDS (UP Manila)
10 STORY FALL (UP Diliman, Ateneo, CSB & UST)
HYENA HARMONIES INC. (UPLB)
GO GREEN WITH ENVY (UE, UST, CSB & Our Lady Of Fatima University)
FALLING AT ZERO DEGREES ( FEU)
A.B.S. COMBO (Ateneo)
STUFFTOYS (UP Diliman)
KEYK (Tagum College of Institute, St. Mary’s College Tagum, Davao Merchant Marine Academy & TESDA davao
THE CHARMES (UST, PSBA & FEU)
THOUGHTS AND NOTIONS (Xavier University Ateneo de Cagayan de Oro)

BEST ALBUM PACKAGING

BIPOLAR of UP DHARMA DOWN by EAN MAYOR
KUNDIMAN of HALE by Eric David
LONG TIME NOISY of KAMIKAZEE by Allan Burdeos & Ace Enriquez
MORNINGS & AIRPORTS of SUGARFREE by Inksurge
NUTHOUSE of HILERA by Timothy Wong
PERYODIKO by PERYODIKO by Paulina Ortega

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR

ROBIN RIVERA for Peryodiko by Peryodiko
TOTI DALMACION & TERNO RECORDINGS for Bi-Polar by Up Dharma Down
ZACH LUCERO for Fall Crash Infect by Zach Lucero
ANGEE ROZUL, MONTY MACALINO & HALE for Kundiman by Hale
HILERA for Nut House by Hilera
BUDDY ZABALA & ROMEL SANCHEZ for Mornings & Airports by Sugarfree

IN THE RAW AWARD

CRUDE OZ
DIMMERSWITCH
DENINMAN
SINCO
MAYO BALUYOT
SQUEEZERS

VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Last Days On A Cruise Ship (Bamboo) Pancho Esguerra
Sana (Up Dharma Down) Pancho Esguerra
Life Line (Kjwan) Joaquin Valdez
Radical (Hilera) Treb Monteras
Murasaki Blue (The Dorques) Marie Vergara and Mihk Vergara

List of Nominees were taken from this site

16th NU 107 Rock Awards - 2009 Nominees ⋆ Starmometer