Uploaded December 2019 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
For the holiday season, Youtube Music invited me to sing at Kanlungan ni Maria - a home for the abandoned elderly. Iโm used to visiting orphanages, playing with kids of boundless energy, so I was pleasantly surprised by the mood shift. At 8am, the lolos and lolas filed in the living room quietly. They welcomed our team with performances of their own, of well-rehearsed songs and perfectly delivered jokes. At the front, I sat with Lolo Alex, Chris, and Jing as we started talking about their daily routine at the home: waking up at 5, saying the rosary, hearing mass, then welcoming the first round of visitors.
They get them every day, and I can only imagine how tiring it is for them to have to entertain two batches of visitors. Surely it gets repetitive. But they all sat and smiled patiently, and answered my questions sharply and eagerly. When Josh and I started to play our songs, they were appreciative, occasionally making a noise when they liked the song I was playing. I prepared a mix of originals and covers, but it became an impromptu jamming session towards the end, with the lolos and lolas requesting old songs from way before our time.
At one point, the room started howling as I played the opening chords to Elvis Presleyโs Canโt Help Falling in Love. They knew it too, before I even opened my mouth. Out of nowhere, Lolo Chris stood up with a mic, and unexpectedly sang along with me. So beautifully, too. At that moment, tears immediately welled up in my eyes, and I fought back my tears to harmonize as best as I can. Lolo had a strong vibrato, and he said that as a kid he used to sing on their local radio station in the province.
Come lunch, we gave out packed food and I offered to give everyone pancit on their plates. I sat beside Lolo Jing again, amazed by the clarity of his thoughts and the way he carried himself. Turns out, he was only a month in at Kanlungan ni Maria. He did an MBA in Economics, and he talked about the difficulty of getting a job in his time with that degree. He eventually went on to do sales, selling encyclopedia volumes and cooking wares, until settling to take care of his family.
These lolos and lolas were abandoned, yet they reflect joy in their shining eyes. I know this visit was supposed to give back to our elderly, but I think it honestly did more for me than the other way around. I donโt often get the chance to sit down with a person decades older and wiser than I am. I donโt often understand their worries and concerns in a world that has been overly simplified for them (no technology, no outings). Itโs a rare chance for me to get out of my own bubble (God knows Iโm comfortable in it), and share conversations from perspectives Iโve come to truly value.
Definitelt one of the best things I had to wake up at 4am for. Iโm thankful and forever changed. #AYoutubeMusicChristmas
๐ง S T R E A M / D O W N L O A D M Y M U S I C
โ SPOTIFY: http://bit.do/ReeseLansanganSpotify
โ BANDCAMP: bandcamp.com/reeselansangan
โ APPLE MUSIC: itunes.apple.com/ph/artist/reese-lansangan/id847459459
๐ฅMY ORIGINAL SONGS: youtube.com/watch?v=UHtLOEmcF8M&list=PLQ0og21yMecQN_mMLoFxrrm_DjOzjEX7T
๐ฅMY MUSIC VIDEOS: youtube.com/watch?v=hTJw6Llr21M&list=PLQ0og21yMecT8PiIxYWfFgpWd8l8Wli05
๐ฅVLOGS: youtube.com/watch?v=SckbdfwBcDM&list=PLQ0og21yMecQGXMAQDkDh_N1ZktZyDcN3
๐ฅSONGWRITING CHALLENGES: youtube.com/watch?v=-y-eOAT2v2c&list=PLQ0og21yMecRG4OeuslCDXQDuGrnp8uOT
๐ฅMY DISNEY COVERS: youtube.com/watch?v=pnBC64A2bm4&list=PLQ0og21yMecTrJ8sFDwzqrkd59tcvkfmd
๐ฅOPM COVERS: youtube.com/watch?v=Fwl8-K6PZwY&list=PLQ0og21yMecS-KoM1CglTXl5KMw3-723h
๐ S U P P O R T M Y P A T R E O N !
patreon.com/reeselansangan
(For exclusive song demos, recording sessions, BTS content, mini book club, etc.)
๐ฟ B U Y M Y A L B U M S !
โ Arigato, Internet! | reeselansangan.com/product/arigato-internet-album-repackage
โ Of Sound Mind & Memory (Cornflower version) | reeselansangan.com/product/osmm-ep-cornflower
โ Of Sound Mind & Memory (Scarlet version) | reeselansangan.com/product/osmm-ep-scarlet
๐ Buy my merch | reeselansangan.com/shop
โค๏ธ F O L L O W
โ WEBSITE / PORTFOLIO: reeselansangan.com
โ TWITTER: twitter.com/reeseypeasy
โ INSTAGRAM - instagram.com/reeseypeasy
โ FACEBOOK: fb.com/reeselansangan
----
๐ก AIRBNB (Visit my link to get a $40 credit!) : airbnb.com/c/reesel175
๐ SKILLSHARE (Get 2-month access to all lessons for FREE with my link) : https://skl.sh/reeseypeasy
๐ญ Send me mail / package
Reese Lansangan c/o
18T Miller Street, De Guzman Compound
Brgy. Bungad, San Francisco Del Monte
Quezon City
-----
๐น Filmed & Edited by Reese Lansangan unless stated otherwise
๐ Please don't forget to hit THUMBS UP + the SUBSCRIBE button!
For the holiday season, Youtube Music invited me to sing at Kanlungan ni Maria - a home for the abandoned elderly. Iโm used to visiting orphanages, playing with kids of boundless energy, so I was pleasantly surprised by the mood shift. At 8am, the lolos and lolas filed in the living room quietly. They welcomed our team with performances of their own, of well-rehearsed songs and perfectly delivered jokes. At the front, I sat with Lolo Alex, Chris, and Jing as we started talking about their daily routine at the home: waking up at 5, saying the rosary, hearing mass, then welcoming the first round of visitors.
They get them every day, and I can only imagine how tiring it is for them to have to entertain two batches of visitors. Surely it gets repetitive. But they all sat and smiled patiently, and answered my questions sharply and eagerly. When Josh and I started to play our songs, they were appreciative, occasionally making a noise when they liked the song I was playing. I prepared a mix of originals and covers, but it became an impromptu jamming session towards the end, with the lolos and lolas requesting old songs from way before our time.
At one point, the room started howling as I played the opening chords to Elvis Presleyโs Canโt Help Falling in Love. They knew it too, before I even opened my mouth. Out of nowhere, Lolo Chris stood up with a mic, and unexpectedly sang along with me. So beautifully, too. At that moment, tears immediately welled up in my eyes, and I fought back my tears to harmonize as best as I can. Lolo had a strong vibrato, and he said that as a kid he used to sing on their local radio station in the province.
Come lunch, we gave out packed food and I offered to give everyone pancit on their plates. I sat beside Lolo Jing again, amazed by the clarity of his thoughts and the way he carried himself. Turns out, he was only a month in at Kanlungan ni Maria. He did an MBA in Economics, and he talked about the difficulty of getting a job in his time with that degree. He eventually went on to do sales, selling encyclopedia volumes and cooking wares, until settling to take care of his family.
These lolos and lolas were abandoned, yet they reflect joy in their shining eyes. I know this visit was supposed to give back to our elderly, but I think it honestly did more for me than the other way around. I donโt often get the chance to sit down with a person decades older and wiser than I am. I donโt often understand their worries and concerns in a world that has been overly simplified for them (no technology, no outings). Itโs a rare chance for me to get out of my own bubble (God knows Iโm comfortable in it), and share conversations from perspectives Iโve come to truly value.
Definitelt one of the best things I had to wake up at 4am for. Iโm thankful and forever changed. #AYoutubeMusicChristmas
๐ง S T R E A M / D O W N L O A D M Y M U S I C
โ SPOTIFY: http://bit.do/ReeseLansanganSpotify
โ BANDCAMP: bandcamp.com/reeselansangan
โ APPLE MUSIC: itunes.apple.com/ph/artist/reese-lansangan/id847459459
๐ฅMY ORIGINAL SONGS: youtube.com/watch?v=UHtLOEmcF8M&list=PLQ0og21yMecQN_mMLoFxrrm_DjOzjEX7T
๐ฅMY MUSIC VIDEOS: youtube.com/watch?v=hTJw6Llr21M&list=PLQ0og21yMecT8PiIxYWfFgpWd8l8Wli05
๐ฅVLOGS: youtube.com/watch?v=SckbdfwBcDM&list=PLQ0og21yMecQGXMAQDkDh_N1ZktZyDcN3
๐ฅSONGWRITING CHALLENGES: youtube.com/watch?v=-y-eOAT2v2c&list=PLQ0og21yMecRG4OeuslCDXQDuGrnp8uOT
๐ฅMY DISNEY COVERS: youtube.com/watch?v=pnBC64A2bm4&list=PLQ0og21yMecTrJ8sFDwzqrkd59tcvkfmd
๐ฅOPM COVERS: youtube.com/watch?v=Fwl8-K6PZwY&list=PLQ0og21yMecS-KoM1CglTXl5KMw3-723h
๐ S U P P O R T M Y P A T R E O N !
patreon.com/reeselansangan
(For exclusive song demos, recording sessions, BTS content, mini book club, etc.)
๐ฟ B U Y M Y A L B U M S !
โ Arigato, Internet! | reeselansangan.com/product/arigato-internet-album-repackage
โ Of Sound Mind & Memory (Cornflower version) | reeselansangan.com/product/osmm-ep-cornflower
โ Of Sound Mind & Memory (Scarlet version) | reeselansangan.com/product/osmm-ep-scarlet
๐ Buy my merch | reeselansangan.com/shop
โค๏ธ F O L L O W
โ WEBSITE / PORTFOLIO: reeselansangan.com
โ TWITTER: twitter.com/reeseypeasy
โ INSTAGRAM - instagram.com/reeseypeasy
โ FACEBOOK: fb.com/reeselansangan
----
๐ก AIRBNB (Visit my link to get a $40 credit!) : airbnb.com/c/reesel175
๐ SKILLSHARE (Get 2-month access to all lessons for FREE with my link) : https://skl.sh/reeseypeasy
๐ญ Send me mail / package
Reese Lansangan c/o
18T Miller Street, De Guzman Compound
Brgy. Bungad, San Francisco Del Monte
Quezon City
-----
๐น Filmed & Edited by Reese Lansangan unless stated otherwise
๐ Please don't forget to hit THUMBS UP + the SUBSCRIBE button!
