Friday, February 24, 2006

Sand Spin

we just had our early summer this week. the timing was perfect.

while most people were heading back to the city (back to the usual boring day jobs, that is), we set off equipped with two backpacks, a 1.5 liter of bottled mineral water, a fully charged video camera, and a few vacation tips we had digged up from google. we cruised south riding blue pelican ferry boat for our next stop: white beach, puerto galera.

off-peak means an almost picture perfect vacation. clear and cool waters. fine sand. less people. way cheaper accommodation. fun snorkling. calming night shoreline stroll and full-body beachside massage. though there were some minor flaws, like the wrong choice of resto for our first lunch, which was relatively expensive for a chicken barbeque (or was it a kebab?) and stuffed squid, the manongs who doggedly invite you for banana boat rides or a snorkling to the nearby and not-so-nearby islands or island-hopping, the masseuses who persistently offer their hard and soft massage services, and losing his pair of sunglasses [that I like, by the way, because those specs looked good on him], we can't still deny that the stay was really one of a kind.

we've learned to love that beach. and the snorkling? that was the best part. too bad, our camera does not have enough technology to conquer the waters. and above all, his company-- nothing beat that. nothing can, really. aynaku...*kugos*

*****
4 out of 5 stars, sabi nya. =)
tips? learn to haggle. go on weekdays. want the sand. swim, no rush.

getting ready for our fifth road trip. anywhere.

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Mi Luv Yuh

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where,
I love you simply, without problems or pride;
I love you in this way because I don't know any other way of loving

but this, in which there is no I or you,
so intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand,
so intimate that when I fall asleep it is your eyes that close.


[excerpt, Neruda's Sonnet XVII. 100 Love Sonnets,1960.]
*****
basta...=)
hmm..coldplay's been eating up my playlist lately.

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Playing God

I've just learned that I killed someone last night. I stabbed him several times right through his chest. Then, I grabbed a gun and pointed it at him, aiming at his temple. But I changed my target and pulled the trigger, directing it closely towards his heart. I shot once..twice..thrice..until I lost my count and every bullet was consumed. But I didn't stop there. Using bare hands, I had pulled out his heart, crumpled it with my strongest grip. Then, I pinned it to my soles so that I can step on it when I walk away from him.

The crime I did.

My 4-page confession letter has had that effect on him-- tearing him a part, and leaving an excruciating pain and sympathy not only to him but also to those who had witnessed the way his heart collapsed.

I feel for him-- for making him feel that he has just died. I feel for those around him-- for struggling to help him breathe again. And I feel for me-- for letting my heart think for the past ten months and some months before that.

But my heart has been doing an excellent job. It has proven its worth.

I shouldn't plead guilty.

*****
but somehow i am. i feel you and i'm so sorry.

"And high up above or down below
When you're too in love to let it go
But if you never try you'll never know
Just what you're worth

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to

fix you..."

- Coldplay's Fix You.

Saturday, February 04, 2006

Track 12

I remember the TV ad you showed me last year. It starts with this little girl excitedly cutting off her hair like a young lady putting on her make up for a prom date. The girl is relentless, going back and forth, and checking her looks on the mirror until she's done and her head’s totally shaved. The door bell rings. Her eyes glow as she hurriedly runs toward the door and opens it. A skinny, bald young boy is in the front door, patiently waiting. It’s her brother accompanied by their parents.

I don't precisely recall how the ad ends. My idea is that she cuts off her hair so that her brother won't feel different and they'll share the experience of being bald. But yours is that she gives every strand of her hair to him unconditionally and with no hesitation probably to make him feel that nothing has changed and everything's alright.

At some point, our versions meant exactly the same thing.


[It is a TV ad for kids with cancer.]

*****
tough times. but you're tougher. you know why? well, i do.