Here comes the sun
the heroic attempt to stay sunshiny amidst the converging dark clouds

Jul
04

(note: work of fiction)

when every relationship you enter into always succeeds in failing

one cannot help thinking: is it me that has a problem?

if im going to string a bean for every attempt at a happy lovelife, i would already have made a bunch of rosaries,

prayer beads for the desperate.

i would like to think that im getting better after every failures,

that im learning a lesson from each fall, and rising up to become a better partner.

that i am more patient,

i am more understanding,

i am more willing to exert more effort to making it work.

but somehow, it doesnt seem to be the case.

there is always a snag, an imperfection.

yes i am patient, but i am not sweet.

yes i am understanding, but i do not have enough time.

i am like a child of a perfectionist parent.  i will never live up to the gold standard.

i am the factory defect, always getting pulled from the assembly line.

there is always something wrong.

but then maybe not.

maybe there is nothing that i need to change about me.

like a good pair of shoes,

i cannot be worn with just any kind of clothes,

i only match with certain outfits that one wears only in certain situations.

when flying a kite and eating popsicles.

while picking daisies on a hill.

during full moon nights with Fur Elise playing in the background.

i am a shoe that is waiting for the perfect feet.

for the right clothes.

for the right context.

and when these come.

i will be a smashing hit.

Jun
20

mom’s recent purchase:

mom's slingshot

mom's slingshot

me: bakit may tirador dito?

mom: binili ko

me: saan mo naman gagamitin?

mom: dun sa mga pusa. kaya nga di ko tinatapon mga buto ng sampaloc.

me: (speechless)

Jun
08

“Come on, say something to me,” Midori said, her face buried in my chest.

“What do you want me to say?”

“Anything. Something to make me feel good.”

“You’re really cute,” I said.

“- Midori,” she said, “Say my name”.

“You’re really cute, Midori,” I corrected myself.

“What do you mean really cute?”

“So cute the mountains crumble and the oceans dry up.”

Midori lifted her face and looked at me. “You have this way special way with words.”

“I can feel my heart softening when you say that,” I said, smiling.

“Say something even nicer”.

“I really like you, Midori. A lot.”

“How much is a lot?”

“Like a spring bear”, I said.

“A spring bear?” Midori looked up again. “What’s that all about? A spring bear”.

“You’re  walking through a field all by yourself one day in spring, and this sweet little bear cub with velvet fur and shiny little eyes comes walking along. And he says to you ‘Hi, there, little lady. Want to tumble with me?’ So you and the bear cub spend the whole day in each other’s arms, tumbling down this clover covered hill. Nice huh?”.

“Yeah. Really nice”.

“That’s how much I like you”.

- Norwegian Wood, Haruki Murakami

Jun
04

“Maraming tao dito ang mas malungkot pa sa taong nakatira sa buwan.

Saka hindi naman kailangan ang maraming tao para bumuo ng mundo e.

Minsan isang tao lang ang kasama mo, buo na ang mundong kailangan mo habambuhay.”

- Rogelio Manglicmot (Kapitan Sino ni Bob Ong)

May
23

(warning: highly subjective. violent reactions are not allowed)

1. Aegis- if music is the expression of the soul, then Aegis is highly articulate and eloquent in voicing out the soul’s anguish. Feel the pain as you listen to ‘Luha’ and sing ‘Halik’ while letting go of a past love. With their heart-piercing melodies and their soul-baring vocals, the songs of Aegis pierce one’s heart and make one realize that love, with all the joys and pains it harbors, is experienced and suffered by all. Moreoever, singing these songs out loud is the most recommended way of appreciating them. The pain is best felt by singing it at the top of your voice, tonsils visible, veins protesting.

This is the true measure of a song: when it makes you want to sing it.

2. Eraserheads- of course it would be on the list. They practically started the rebirth of the band during the 90’s when all we have on the radio are mushy love songs (note: Aegis is not mushy). They were able to toe the line of hip, masa, cool, sensible music without falling into the senseless, trying hard to be unique, almost cool but not quite, too masa line that some bands have fallen into (read: Parokya). Their sound is so unique and their messages so diverse that practically everyone became a fan. Years after they have disbanded, they remain relevant and appealing. Beat that.

3. Pinikpikan- well this is not a band in what to most is a ‘band’. But their good. And their unconvential. Their music is a welcome break from the usual pop songs polluting the radio. They offer us melodies and beats that are usually untouched by mainstream bands without sounding archaic and passe. And with their ‘Sarung Banggi’ song, they are the only band to ever make me listen to a song without me understanding the lyrics. That’s how good their melodies are.

4. Yano- who could sing about society’s ills without being preachy? Yano. From migration to failed movements, from hypocrisy to struggle against poverty, Yano was able to succesfully penetrate popular music without abandoning their commentaries on society. With catchy tunes and in your face lyrics (lyrics not about love), Yano remains to be one of the most original bands to ever come out of the woodwork.

5. Up dharma down- probably one of the most sophisticated band to ever make an appearance in the music charts, Up dharma down steps up the quality of band music by serving songs that are musically more complex and a whole lot different from the usual band fares currently being dished out. After breaking out with their single ‘Oo’, the band now needs to further push their music into the mainstream to be able to improve the quality of airplay music.

May
17

(refer to previous post: ayokong magka lablayf)

i take it back.

napuyat ako.

wala naman talaga ginawa.

kumain.

uminom.

gusto ko pala magkalablayf.

gustong gusto.

May
17

me: hindi pala ko nakabili ng sabon

mom: anong sabon?

me: sabon. sabon paligo

mom: eh ang dami-daming sabon dyan ah

me: anong sabon?

mom: irish spring

me: ako? papagamit mo ko ng irish spring?

mom: sabagay pangit naman balat mo, gumamit ka ng magpapaganda dyan

me: (walkout)

May
16

ayokong maglablayf kase ayokong napupuyat. ayokong nawawalan ng pagkakataon makatulog dahil palagi kayo magkasama pero wala naman kayo ginagawa.

ayokong nawawalan ng oras mag gym kasi yayayain ka nya  na manood na lang ng sine o kumain o mamasyal o kumain o magkape o kumain. ayokong tumaba.

ayokong nauubusan ng pera kasi palagi kayong may date. palagi kayong lumalabas. kailangan may regalo pag monthsary, anniversary, valentines, birthday. ilang sapatos at pantalon rin sana mabibili ko dun sa pera na pinanlalabas namin.

ayokong palaging absent sa picture pag may event ang barakada o ang pamilya kasi palaging busy sa kanya.  ayokong nawawala na lang bigla sa mga plano at di mahagilap ng mga kaibigan kasi nag-aadik sa isang tao. ayoko yung kelangan pa silang suyuin ulit at mag sorry na naging out of touch para lang may kainuman pag nag break kayo ng kinaadikan mo.

ayoko ang feeling na may naka-attach sa akin na heart monitor at kailangan ko itext kung ano ginagawa ko, asan ako, kamusta ako, sino kasama ko, kumain na ba ako at kung anu-ano pa on a regular basis. ayokong tumira sa big brother house.

ayokong palaging may consultation. saan tayo pupunta? ano gagawin natin? maganda ba to? bagay ba? san tayo kakain? ayokong palaging iconsider ang gusto nya at ibalance yun sa gusto ko para masabi na we compromise.

ayokong magkalablayf kase ayokong kabahan na baka matapos na agad. na baka ayaw na nya. na baka masanay ako sa mga gusto nya kainin, puntahan, panoorin, sa sleeping habits nya, sa mga trip nya, na kapag nawala sya yun pa rin ang gagawin ko, kakainin ko, pupuntahan ko- yun nga lang ako na lang mag-isa.

ayokong magkalablayf kase ayokong mag-invest ng oras, ng panahon, ng pera, ng tiwala, ng pag-asa sa isang bagay na maari din naman mawala.

at higit sa lahat, ayokong magkalablayf kase ang pangit naman tignan kung gustong-gusto kong maglablayf pero wala pa rin hanggan ngayon. mas ok na yung ayoko at least pag may nagtanong kung bakit wala akong kahawak ng kamay,  sasabihin ko ‘eh ayaw ko eh’. single na nga ako, mawawalan pa ko ng self-esteem sa inability ko na magkalablayf. wag na uy. ayaw ko naman talaga eh. ayaw ko. ayaw ko. ayaw ko. pramis.

May
03

susan boyle is the current toast of the talent show ‘Britain’s got talent’

the ordinary looking 47 year old woman from a ‘collection of villages’ in a certain area of Britain wowed the audience of the talent show with her near-amazing performance of ‘I dreamed a dream’ from the Les Miserables

but what makes her story stand out (and resulted to a 40 million plus hits in You tube) is how the people in the show ridiculed and disbelieved her while she was being interviewed by the judges. no one thought she was as good as she turned out to be. no one perceived a shred of talent in her. no one believed her.

and they were all wrong.

she sang. she awed. she shone.

she was everything they never thought she was.

we all encounter a susan boyle in our lives. someone we never thought could bring us so much awe and inspiration. someone unassuming. unremarkable. ordinary.

most of us dismiss a susan boyle outright. automatically turning our backs on them like an unappetizing buffet. immediately tuning off and wandering away.

only a few, a very few, choose to stay and give a susan boyle the chance to showcase what she can offer. only a few gets to be awed, inspired, and lifted up beyond their expectations.

these few are usually those who are colorblind to the grays of a person’s hair, whose eyesights are poor when it comes to the wrinkles of the face, and whose visions refuse to settle on the beauty of the body.

they chose to listen. and in listening, they see. they see the grace, they see the beauty, they see the happiness beyond the ordinary.

where is my susan boyle?

Apr
18

ikaw ang toothpaste na naiwan sa toothbrush after gamitin at kahit anong gawin eh ayaw maalis sa toothbrush.

ikaw ang cabinet na ayaw sumara ang parehong pinto, na sa tuwing isasara ang isa, bumubukas naman ang kabila.

ang buhok na tumitikwas at tumatayo kahit ganu karaming gel ang ilagay.

ang mga 5 and 10 centavo coins na sinusukli ng SM.

ang bpi atm machine na 1000 at 100 peso bills lang ang meron.

ang ayaw na lumabas na ketchup kahit anong gawin mong shake sa bote.

ang political ambition ni manny pacquiao.

ang diction ni marian rivera.

ikaw ang sobrang init na panahon.

ang mga corny na jokes sa love radio, lsfm, at iba pang suking radio station ng jeep at fx.

ang traffic sa c5.

ikaw ang ipis na lumilipad.

ikaw.

nakaka-irita at ayaw mawala.