3. Be Stronger (2008) – Relatives heard that I started writing songs. My paternal aunt, Maria Victoria Tolentino-Metcalf, requested that I write her a song about being strong despite her grave illness. She particularly wanted it to be an upbeat song with a message of hope. The following year, she passed away. Dad, who flew all the way to Texas from the Philippines and was about to spend his first day of visiting her, told me she was playing this song when she died.