Monday, March 30, 2009
The Long Wait is Over
Yes.I have always wanted you.
I wasn't sure if I could handle you.
I wasn't sure if it was right to have you.
Now, you are here.
Everything feels right; I feel your weight around my neck and feel your gentle touch above my navel.
You are truly worth the wait.
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Saturday, March 14, 2009
The Show Must Go On
It's taken me more than a week to accept and write about FrancisM's death, but even a lifetime will not suffice to bury his legacy.
Life goes on. Let us continue with the memory that once there was someone who tried to make a difference. An artist, a musician, a true Pinoy in his heart and soul – let us not forget who he was and who we are. Mabuhay ka Kiko, at mabuhay ang Pilipino.
This next piece was written last
Forgive and Forget
What's done is done. Forgive and forget.
3 million Filipino people marched and mourned with Ninoy on his burial march; the same people, plus a few million more, marched on the streets of EDSA a few months after and showed the world how democracy is attained without bloodshed.
Where are they now?
Where are YOU now?
While you're busy doing what it is you do in your respective offices, I want you to remember that once upon a time, on this same day, we skipped work for a worthwhile cause.
Once upon a time, on this same day, we were heroes.
Once upon a time, on this same day, we were Filipinos.
Maybe, for once, we can be heroes again.
Maybe, for once, we can be Filipinos again. Now that – that is something I hope we don't ever forget.
Maybe MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando was right; People Power should not be celebrated in the middle of EDSA. Maybe it shouldn't be celebrated at all.
Forgive and forget.
Right?
Photo credit: A Free Mind (francismagalona.multiply.com)
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Friday, February 20, 2009
Philippine Actors Judy Ann Santos and Ryan Agoncillo: Finally Tying the Knot?
Who.
the fuck.
cares?
No one does.
NO ONE.
Please spare us.
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Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Standing Still
Sometimes we fail to see the beauty in everyday things; how a gentle breeze shakes off water from the trees after a refreshing drizzle, how the droplets of water fall into undisturbed puddles, how the morning sunlight dances gracefully on my bedroom floor.
Another morning.
Another day.
What's so special about today? What was so special about yesterday? If you can't give me one single reason why every day of your life is special, you're missing out; in fact, you're missing out on a lot of things. One of them being life itself. If your job is your life, if you spend every waking moment thinking about how to earn a living, there is something wrong with you. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing bad about trying to earn a living. If it is at the expense of living life itself, however, it's not worth it. Take my word for it.
People move so fast through life, they miss all the beauty that lies in life's simplicity. We work so hard so we can enjoy life that, in the process, we miss the small things that bring the most joy. Sometimes we fail to see anything at all – except a false sense of happiness and security brought about by our idea of how life should be lived and how every moment of it should be spent.
Stand still.
The world will not stop spinning, time will not slow down, people may or may not stop with you, but you will gain a better perspective of things. You will become aware of yourself amidst all the flurry and realize that you have been moving too fast.
When was the last time you laughed so hard, you cried? When was the last time you cried so hard, you laughed? When was the last time you really did anything that made you happy? If you think your life is at a standstill, you probably need it. Maybe you've been moving too fast for your own good. Take advantage of it and give yourself time to breathe. Everyone deserves a break once in a while – even you.
So take a break, skip the Kitkat and find something to do with your life which involves less of what you think you should be doing and more of what you should ACTUALLY be doing, enjoying life's every precious moment, that is.
I, for one, have found my own outlet in which I seem to see the world more clearly. The art of photography has helped me gain a better appreciation of life's simple yet precious moments. Each time i look through my viewfinder is another attempt to capture them, and what I'm doing now, writing about it, is another outlet of mine which helps me tap my creative side and gives me a way to express and store my thoughts for posterity. Through my writing and my photography, I AM IMMORTAL.
IMMORTAL.
So, take heed. Find your outlet. Seize the day. Live your life. One day, you'll thank me for it.
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Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Sumthin’ Sumthin’
After a long hiatus, NY-based Neosoul/R&B pioneer Maxwell is now back and ready to melt hearts and make knees buckle once again with his smooth, sexy voice and “almost gay” dancing on stage. I am not in any way saying Maxwell is gay; he’s androgynous to say the least, but he’s far from being gay – at least in my opinion.
It is not unthinkable for a rockstar or chart-topping musician to suddenly disappear from the music scene at the height of his career. Maxwell is unique, however, in that he took a break from the spotlight on his own volition. Why, you might ask? What is the reason behind leaving a multi-platinum music career? No, it wasn’t drugs, sex, or violence. It’s very stereotypical of you to think like that. I can’t blame you, though; most of the musicians who disappeared from the face of the earth, or at least from your TV screens, were either shot, arrested, institutionalized, or currently withering in rehab as you read this. Maxwell decided that he wanted to stop being Maxwell for a while and just be a regular guy. It sounds ridiculous, I know, but you and I haven’t experienced stardom as he did so our opinions don’t really have that much weight.
According to Maxwell, in order to experience real life and grow like a normal human being, one needs to look deep into himself and observe his surroundings – something he found impossible to do while enjoying the limelight. He says it’s difficult to talk about everyday stuff and connect with people on the same level when you have the spotlight on you. So he took some time off. That’s really the long and short of it. He took time off for himself, and for his music. In effect, he took time off for us.
After 7 years, Maxwell is back, more mature and more well-rounded but still with his sexy voice ready to mesmerize fans old and new – and maybe with a little more of that “almost gay” dancing. No new album yet, though. The tentative date of his new album’s release is still 2 months away. The man behind the music is already here, though, and I hope he’s here to stay.
A few parting words from the man himself:
"I'm confident in my intentions and why I'm making music. I'm not making music because I want to be on your TV screen or the cover of your magazine. I want you to make a baby to something I wrote. I want you to clean your kitchen on Sunday to this, ride in your car, go to work. That's my goal."
-Interview excerpt from Nekesa Mumbi Moody of Yahoo News
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Friday, October 10, 2008
A Matter Of Courtesy
I don't think I will, thank you very much.
I will flush for the sake of human decency, though.
It's unbelievable that in this day and age, in this so called “modern world”, you still see signs like this in many restrooms. This just goes to show how many morons there are in our midst. It's like seeing an open door with a sign that reads, “Keep this door closed at all times” or a stopped passenger bus in a “No loading and unloading zone”.
Seriously, if you use a toilet and still need to be reminded to flush or clean after yourself, you're a moron.
Period.
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Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Choices and Consequences
If my 30 years on this earth has taught me anything, it's that life is all about choices. I know now that if I'm to have any life at all, a life worth living through, I must choose my own path. Throughout my life, several paths have been laid before me. Some of them easy, some not so, but in the end it all boiled down to what path I chose and the kind of decisions I made along the way. I know that I have made some bad decisions in my journey through life, I'm no saint. The important thing is that I learned from them and took responsibility for them. I did not blame anybody – I knew that if there was really anybody to blame, it was me. I always had a choice. Let me tell you one thing about life and I want you to remember this: we can do whatever we want, anything at all, as long as we face the consequences of our actions. Choices and consequences. That's what life is all about.
By choosing to write for a living, I made one of the most important decisions in my life. It might seem like a menial career shift to some, but to me it was akin to deciding whether or not I should get married. Yes, to have someone by your side to share in your joys and pains is a good thing to have, but marrying that someone is an entirely different story altogether. However, at age 27 I found someone that I simply wanted to marry. No doubts, no hesitations – I knew deep inside that she was the one. Just like in late 2007 when I decided to become a writer, I was 29 then, there were no doubts, no hesitations, and my beloved wife supported me all the way. Choices and consequences. As a writer by heart, I was completely prepared to face the consequences of these life-changing decisions.
They say changing the world is no simple task. Few of us have the resources or the power to achieve such a feat. Apathy is our response to everyone's call – their desperate calls for help. We hide behind this apathy and the belief that we are all helpless pawns in this cycle we call life. However, the road to a brave new world is the path I boldly, and maybe blindly, choose to take. The day I was born was the first day I changed the world. You may say I'm talking about an entirely different thing altogether, but if we keep in mind that every little thing we do or say can change the world in one way or another, then we are halfway through our quest. I alone cannot hope to change the entire world in any substantial way, but I will start by changing the world I live in – the world I know. Let us all begin with ourselves and together start changing the world. Choices and consequences. That's where it will all depend on.
We have all, in our own way, made an impact in this world. Whether big or small, our mark will always remain in the timeline of history. The only question now is:
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Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Let's Play It By Ear – And Listen
Don't tell your girlfriend about me,'Cause your girlfriend won't like girls like me
If you know Julia Fordham, then you're familiar with her bittersweet style of storytelling through her music. Painfully blunt and yet so reassuringly subtle, her honesty has been met with a variety of responses: I fell in love with her music, others kept their distance not being used to hearing tales of bittersweet relationships, unrequited love, and illicit love affairs.
The excerpt above from one of Julia's songs, I'm quite sure, is just one of the reasons most people shy away from her and her music. From the song Girlfriend, these two lines give a clue on how bittersweet her music can be – but they cannot begin to show the whole experience. Some people are quick to judge artists and their music and, in this case, they are missing the big picture. To some, this song is about cheating on your partner; to me, it's about cheating on your partner AND love in general. Yes, I know cheating on your partner is as good as a punch in the gut just after dinner, but to say that the song is simply about that is to oversimplify it. It's so much more than that it's unfair to give it a bad rap just because you refuse to listen to the whole song.
The problem with most listeners is that they don't really care – and that's what bugs me. I hear lots of people express their “expert opinion” about this and that all the time. The truth is they're just waiting for the next song to be tagalized or to be used in a tagalized or recycled telenovela. What is with Pinoys and their telenovelas anyway? It seems most of us can't get enough of them. Pick any love song and make a telenovela or cinenovela or whatever the hell you call it out of it and you've got the next big hit. Another nail to the coffin of Philippine music and one of the main reasons the music industry itself continues to deteriorate.
People don't really understand what they listen to.
Case in point: The “Bakit Ngayon Ka Lang?” duet that everybody waxes romantic over at every concert and videoke bar. During videoke sessions, it's almost impossible not to sing this song – especially if you're looking for a “couple” song. What we don't realize is that this song is as good an homage to infidelity as any other. In fact, it isn't really the most subtle of songs; it directly refers to the concept of cheating to which, ironically, most of us show an aversion to – and with good reason. Nobody wants deception to be the gear that turns the cog wheels of their relationships, especially romantic ones. Still, we continue to sing “Bakit Ngayon Ka Lang?” as a celebration of our love and devotion.
Do people still care about the message a musical piece tries to express?Are we just waiting for the next “cool” pop beat or the next controversial piece?
I know most artists, the real ones, try very hard to express or evoke a certain kind of emotion from their listeners. Listeners SHOULD care. To get the best out of music, every listener should care to LISTEN. Listen to every word; listen to every note.
Music is the language of the world.Maybe the world is all fucked up today because we didn't care enough to listen.
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Monday, October 06, 2008
Ang Kuwadradong Bilog
Sabi nila bilog ang mundo. Ang buhay daw ay parang gulong -- gulong na tumitilapon sa gitna ng gabi at tumatama sa harap ng taxi habang bumabagtas sa kahabaan ng isa sa maraming flyover ng EDSA. Ang buhay daw ay puno ng mga di inaasahang pangyayari at sorpresang kung minsan ay puno ng kasiyahan o balot ng kalungkutan. Ngunit may isang katangiang taglay ang lahat ng pangyayari sa ating buhay, inaasahan man o hindi – ang lahat ng ito ay may leksyong nais ipamahagi o ituro sa atin. Maaaring isang panibagong leksyon, o isa sa mga leksyong nabalot sa limot dulot sa haba ng panahon na inilagi natin sa mundo.
Sabi nila bilog ang mundo. Bilog din ang gulong na nagpaalala sa akin na ang buhay sa mundong ito ay mahalaga at ang oras na nakalipas ay di na kailanman pang maibabalik. Sa isang panig, maaaring tayo minsan ay nakararamdam ng hapo sa ating araw-araw na pamumuhay: ang mga araw ay mistulang walang puknat sa pagpalit, ang mundo'y nakahihilo sa kanyang patuloy na pag-ikot, ang oras walang awang lumilipad nang walang pakundangan sa sinuman.
Noong gabi ng Setyembre 11, 2008, isang makahulugang araw para sa Estados Unidos at sa kanilang patuloy na pakikibaka laban sa terorismo, isang gulong ang tumilapon at isang paalala naman ang naipahayag sa Pilipinas.
Ang oras ay mahalaga at ito'y di titigil para sa sinuman.Ang orasan ay maaariing tumigil ngunit ang panahon ay patuloy na lilipas; ang gulong ay maaaring huminto sa pag-ikot ngunit ang bawat yugto ng buhay ay patuloy na iinog; ang taxi ay may preno, ang buhay wala. Tayo'y kinakailangang maging handa dahil sa anumang oras ay maaaring tumilapon sa atin ang gulong ng buhay – at di laging may taxing sasalo dito.
MENSAHE NG MAY-AKDA:
Para sa mga hindi nakaintindi ng kathang ito: ang buhay ay sadyang ganyan. Minsan nasa baba, minsan nasa taas naman – parang gulong.
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Thursday, October 02, 2008
Laugh & The World Will Laugh With You
Yes, I know I promised an update, but I've been really busy these past few weeks. Believe me, if there's something I want to do, it's to write in [square circles]. Anyway, for the time being, please bear and laugh with me with this webfind of mine.
I'm sorry, I just find this very funny. Simple yet funny. I hope you all do, too.
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