to you naughty boy

I miss you. I hope you are here with us. I know you know that we love you and that no matter how “naughty” you are, we will never fail to be here for you.

You have always been the hyperactive one. You have always been the most jealous of others for attention. You always misbehave and bring trouble. Yet, you have always been sweet. You have always been thoughtful. You have always been so proud of me. I have always been proud of you.

You always have a special request on your birthday. When you left, it saddens me that I can no longer buy your Hot Wheels for you. Or your wallet. Or your shoes. Now, you want high-tech gadgets, electric guitars, and motorcycle and motorcycle covers. You look like a man already. You always talk about girls and bands. Yet, you still want my attention.

No matter what happens, you will always be a child in my eyes. Happy 15th birthday, Billy!

Billy Boy when he was 12. He liked the girl before him on the line to the ice skating rink.
He talked to her and asked that they have their pictures taken. Amazing!

(not) like college

Last Thursday felt like college again. Then again, it felt so “different.”

It felt like college for different reasons. We met in Katipunan, near our alma mater, where we have formed many memories together. It felt like not much have changed. Even our looks look the same to all of us, and the behaviors are still the same. There still are the teasing and the arguments and the “insults” to each other. haha. We still laugh at the same old jokes, or at the same person.

Deeper into the night, the conversations turned serious, not politics serious, but life serious. One already established a life abroad. A number of us already have a steady career path, whereas others are still pursuing a chosen profession. Some were already married. Some want to marry soon. Some already have children.

Two of my closest girl friends were not able to come, but marriage and baby announcements were made. I am so happy for both of them. The one pregnant was married last year, and I am so excited for her and his hubby that they are now expecting their firstborn. The one getting married is going to have the wedding bells in New York and live there. I am also very happy for her, but I will surely miss her.

If I have regrets, it is that I seldom see them because of various reasons. I know that things aren’t really like before. And last Thursday, I came face-to-face again with reality that time moves so fast. That much has changed. That we were no longer children. And that our future is already here. Or, for me, already coming.

the mutant generation

Finally. Something to take my mind off the “serious” stuff. Something to look forward to every Saturday and Sunday morning. MY kind of fun.

Oh, no. This is neither sports nor beer nor party. This is all about mutants. My favorite mutants—X-men. Wolverine and the X-men will be shown every weekend morning on a local channel. Unfortunately, it is the Tagalized version. Long before Heroes were these groups of people with mutant abilities, one against humans and one who protects the humans (albeit undeserving at times).

By this time, most of you know my passion for fantasy. I love all things magic and magical. I loved watching Uncanny X-men as a child, and since then, X-men never left my heart. I have watched X-men movies and read comics. I have played X-men video games both in PSP and PS2. X-men never ceased to amaze me—the fire power, the ravaging winds, the mind power, everything. (My favorite character, by the way, is Storm. Guess why? Because she can “fly”.)

Long ago, I have come to the realization that X-men IS serious stuff. These mutants are, really, the outcasts of society. They are the poor, the handicapped, the gays and lesbians, the nonwhites, the “different” people. They are like Ann Rice’s vampires. They are the marginalized in society, and marginalized for their “being.” They are the misunderstood, because society never tried to understand.

With the “liberalization” of the world, still, so many people are looked upon with disdain. We are still in the mutant generation. We can only choose from the two sides.

relaxing and running

No classes today! Whew!

It means I already have 2 days rest from school and 1 day rest from the office. I feel rejuvenated, though kinda worried about people who might have been deeply affected by the flood. I was stressed yesterday because classes were not cancelled in our school, and I really really want to go there to submit a requirement. I do not want a minus for something I worked hard on. Thankfully, the good professor said there would be no classes yesterday. I only relaxed at around 5 pm, and savored and ate the food prepared by mom every two hours at home, bordering on gluttony, I guess. I slouched and watched TV every after meal, not a bit worried about my bulging tummy. I thought of how it feels to have that lazy lifestyle everyday. Decaslim to maintain weight would be fine rather than to exercise; the latter is taxing. I want to have remote controls to all appliances and a cordless phone! I wanted to be like Shikamaru. Then again, maybe I like this always-occupied lifestyle. I kinda like always running.

the only way

I miss analyzing and reanalyzing life, the thing I used to do a lot because my life used to be just work. Now, I have more involvement in everyday life, encountering so many people every day. I like speaking to drivers and to vendors and to take a peek on their lives.

As I am seating beside the FX driver and perhaps he was bored that day, we had a conversation. Through his questions, he learned that I am both working and studying.

Filipino TV

     I should have been studying now that the flood prevented me from coming to work. But I couldn’t force myself to read, and I am not forcing myself. I have already decided not to read when I wake up, I have lost my mood because of the flood, and I am worried I cannot go to school today anyway. Instead, while writing something this simple and unexceptional to compensate for my absence from work and perhaps to relax, I am watching noontime shows with my parents.
     I remembered how as a child I enjoyed noontime shows very much, especially the one with Vic Sotto. I watch it then from start to finish. But now, I do not enjoy them as much, although there are portions that I find funny. Perhaps I have outgrown the hosts, or perhaps I can no longer relate to the new hosts. Or just perhaps their quality has deteriorated toward the years. The cash prizes have grown, though.
     My taste toward TV has been consistently leaning toward foreign TV. I’ve been watching TV series since high school: Charmed, Friends, CSIs, Numb3rs, House, 24, Will and Grace, and so many more. I like foreign talk shows, especially that of David Letterman, and other shows in Direct TV. For 5 years, I have no cable because I can move to another apartment anytime, and I thought it was not worth the monthly payment, considering the little time I spend at home. Satellite Directv may be a solution to my nomadic life, but I do not know if I can afford it. After 5 years, I was able to tap with my neighbor’s cable, and despite of my reasons not to have cable, I am so thankful I can finally watch foreign shows. With all my heart, I want to support the Philippine movie and TV industry, but there are so few good screenplays and so few believable plots (in case of soap operas). Maybe if the giants in the industry moved toward more quality films and shows, instead of overemphasis on selling, many people would find no need for a DirectTV.

Safety From Flood

    Today, I woke up startled. I realized I didn’t hear my phone’s alarm, probably due to lack of sleep the previous days. I was panicking because I still have numerous, very long cases to read, and I cannot miss work today. I was already absent once this week, and absences are very, very bad for the income. I rushed finishing the case digests for Persons, trying hard to write legibly without much success. I decided not to read the cases for Constitution anymore and just to try my luck today. I proceeded preparing to go to work.
    It has been raining hard since last night, but I didn’t think it was anything out of the ordinary. Upon reaching the main road, everything was flooded!!! The vastness seemed to be like that of Myrtle Beach Resorts, only the murky, blackish, and dirty water hardly compares to the clear water of a Myrtle Beach Resort.
    Trying to cross the street even with a car was pointless. The car wouldn’t make it, and it would have been more annoying to be trapped inside a car. Besides, the person I talked to said that the water was waist-deep further down the road. I thought of how difficult this day would be to so many Metro Manila residents: the students, the employees, the jeepney drivers, the street vendors, the beggars, and the homeless.
    I had no choice but to go back home. Lucky for me, I was not stranded, but there were so many people who were stranded so far from home. I hope everyone would be safe today, if not from accident, but from the sickness caused by the rain and the flood. I am now in my bed disheartened. But even if this place was not as grand as Myrtle Beach Accommodations, at least I am safe home, for now.

Busy Bee

Yep, I’m still here. I knew I’d be busy when law school starts, but I didn’t know I’d be this busy. Remember my first day in school? Well, that was easy. Remember the prof who said I’d lose weight (no need for top weight lost pills), it turned out she was one of the nicest among them. I missed reading all your posts, and I hope you also missed me, too. haha. My day was spent waking up very early to study, then go to work, then travel, travel, then school, then travel, travel, then home, then study, then sleep, and the clock starts again. I’ve never had this much perseverance before; even I was surprised. I’m hopingI could go on like this for years more.

An officemate told me I already looked like a walking zombie. I guess he was right. But the truth is, I’ve never felt this alive.