Teka.
Nung umuulan, tumayo ka sa may kantong paspasan
Pinapahid ang luha ng nagngangalit na langit
Ang sabi mo may hinihintay ka
Na isasama mong sumugod sa baha.
Nung mataas ang araw, umupo ka sa tabi ng daan
Kinikiliti ang gitarang di mo alam tugtugin
Ang sabi mo, naghahantay ka ng tiyempo
Para sa taong iyong haharanahin
Teka, anong oras nga ba iyon?
Ano bang ginagawa ko noon?
Ihinihimbing ko ba ang bilis
Ng nagdadaang pagkakataon?
Nung dakong liwayway, gumising kang hirap huminga
Tumingin ka sa gilid ng iyong kama
Ang sabi mo, di magtatagal at muli
May hihimlay sa iyong tabi
Nung magdadapit hapon, nakatitig ka sa nagtatagong liwanag
Sinusungkit ang dumadapong dilim
Ang sabi mo, walang mawawala
Kung maghihintay ka sa bagay na di darating
Teka, anong oras nga ba iyon?
Ano bang ginagawa ko noon?
Ihinihimbing ko ba ang bilis
Ng nagdadaang panahon?
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
METROWALK
From left to right: Karis, Cha, Jing, Nica, Ruby, Van
(Photo Courtesy of Brix)
Thanks for the fun. I missed you guys.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
Walang Pasok, No Student Discount
Oo nga sembreak na pala, bakit nga ba naman hindi ko namamalayan. Yan tuloy, on my way to the Pamantasan, nagkasagutan kami ni manong driver, who by the way, was really thoughtful to even think of talking back, when he could've just continued driving for the sake of his other passengers.
To manong driver, thank you so much; you have undeniably made my day. By the way, don't forget what I told you before I headed to PLM: "Ingat ka."
I know when to give respect. In fact, it has never been in my nature to bash older people just because of petty things that they do. Notwithstanding the fact that I bear innate kindness and courtesy, at times I know I tend to be rude; and today is a perfect day for showing everybody my cocky side. Read on.
I gave a twenty-peso bill to manong as transpo fare for me and my sister (now that I've mentioned it, she didn't even thank me).
Jing: Manong, bayad po. Round table po, dalawang studyante.
Manong: (gives the change) Walang studyante ngayon, walang pasok.
Jing: Talaga po? May ID kami, may enrolment kami, at lahat ng sinasakyan namin, may discount parin kami. (At the back of my mind I wanted to ask him: What makes you an exception?)
Manong: Nasa patakaran yan, husto mo samahan pa kita sa (mumble)...
[Note: I think he stated an office there]
[Note: I'm not sure if it is really stated in the law. Is it?]
Again, at the back of my mind I was telling him, wag na sayang pa kikitain niyo for a day. I stopped myself, because I wanted to give the remaining traces of respect that I had for him.
Jing: Bakit, tama naman sinukli niyo diba?
Manong: Oo, bakit? 6 Pisos. Di mo ba tinignan?
Jing: O yun naman pala eh, anu pang inaamok amok niyo? Di ko naman tinignan kung tama sukli niyo o hindi. Saka magmaneho na lang kayo, ang dami niyo pang sinasabi.
Manong: (Mumble mumble)
Jing: Oo, sige. Ok.
Then silence.
When my sister and I were about to go down, he bade farewell by saying things which I didn't really understand. So, I just said:
"Ingat ka!"
with the sweetest, most malambing voice I could come up with.
I don't wish people bad luck, you know.
I just didn't get it at first. He gave me 6 pesos as change for the 20-peso bill that I gave him. If he was confident that "no student discount during sembreak" is REALLY in the rules, why did he still hand me 6 pesos? I just laughed and said "oo, sige" while he talked all the way from avenida to round table. That sweetheart gave me a jumpstart, I swear.
Then I just told my sister, it's ok, he's old anyway.
To manong driver, thank you so much; you have undeniably made my day. By the way, don't forget what I told you before I headed to PLM: "Ingat ka."
I know when to give respect. In fact, it has never been in my nature to bash older people just because of petty things that they do. Notwithstanding the fact that I bear innate kindness and courtesy, at times I know I tend to be rude; and today is a perfect day for showing everybody my cocky side. Read on.
I gave a twenty-peso bill to manong as transpo fare for me and my sister (now that I've mentioned it, she didn't even thank me).
Jing: Manong, bayad po. Round table po, dalawang studyante.
Manong: (gives the change) Walang studyante ngayon, walang pasok.
Jing: Talaga po? May ID kami, may enrolment kami, at lahat ng sinasakyan namin, may discount parin kami. (At the back of my mind I wanted to ask him: What makes you an exception?)
Manong: Nasa patakaran yan, husto mo samahan pa kita sa (mumble)...
[Note: I think he stated an office there]
[Note: I'm not sure if it is really stated in the law. Is it?]
Again, at the back of my mind I was telling him, wag na sayang pa kikitain niyo for a day. I stopped myself, because I wanted to give the remaining traces of respect that I had for him.
Jing: Bakit, tama naman sinukli niyo diba?
Manong: Oo, bakit? 6 Pisos. Di mo ba tinignan?
Jing: O yun naman pala eh, anu pang inaamok amok niyo? Di ko naman tinignan kung tama sukli niyo o hindi. Saka magmaneho na lang kayo, ang dami niyo pang sinasabi.
Manong: (Mumble mumble)
Jing: Oo, sige. Ok.
Then silence.
When my sister and I were about to go down, he bade farewell by saying things which I didn't really understand. So, I just said:
"Ingat ka!"
with the sweetest, most malambing voice I could come up with.
I don't wish people bad luck, you know.
I just didn't get it at first. He gave me 6 pesos as change for the 20-peso bill that I gave him. If he was confident that "no student discount during sembreak" is REALLY in the rules, why did he still hand me 6 pesos? I just laughed and said "oo, sige" while he talked all the way from avenida to round table. That sweetheart gave me a jumpstart, I swear.
Then I just told my sister, it's ok, he's old anyway.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
He is my God
"Put your middle fingers in the air. Because everyone you know, and everyone around you is a liar. *pause* And so are you."
Bert McCracken - The Used
(in a concert and was about to perform Liar Liar - Burn in Hell)
Friday, October 24, 2008
Poverty
This entry didn't make it to the blog action day and for the life of me, it wasn't even an entry in an essay writing contest that I was supposed to be a part of. It's not important anyway. Special issues shouldn’t jut be acted upon only during days of blog festivities and literary competitions whatnot.
Beautiful is an adjectival understatement for a country like mine. As a country branded as Pearl of the Orient, it is undeniably blessed with countless tourist spots, extraordinary delicacies, lush resources and rather intelligent citizens. This is but a mask of the current financial crisis that every Filipino has to endure and witness in his daily life. He sits with his family during meals, and asks himself questions like "How can I feed my family tomorrow?" and "Will I still have enough money to support my children's education?"
Yes, today and for the past decades, we have been experiencing a crisis. Thousands or even millions of Filipinos are unemployed, more and more children are deprived of their bare necessities and the number of out-of-school children is constantly increasing. Everyday we see homeless people begging for money to other people who, just the same, are grabbing on for their dear jobs to provide needs to their own families. While unemployment and population statistics alarm us, the government and its branches are more focused on debates about "equally important" matters of consequence. What is more frightening than knowing that our nation is led by people who cannot see real everyday scenarios of starving Filipinos on the media and even on their way to their offices?
With everything that is happening, we probably ask ourselves. Who should we blame? Who should help us? Why do we suffer from poverty? Why can't we get up and recover from these difficulties?
There is no one to blame, not even the government, not even who we call god. We are all a part of this system that we constantly complain about and not all of us do something to address its problems. Why should we be stuck on pointing fingers when we can just move forward and work harder to experience better lives?
Most Filipinos would tell you, a lot of companies are closing down because of the economy and I say this isn't so. It's by constant determination that we realize there are more opportunities than we can ever imagine. If we would only seek further than what is in front of us, we know we can have what we need.
What we learn in school should not just stay in notebooks and exams. If we have really learned enough, we would know that we have no one to help us but ourselves. Poverty is a phenomenon which stays not because it is natural, but because people affected by it feel that it can't be helped. I have learned that depending on others for survival won't bring any good to my future. I have learned that when I depend on my parents for my wants, and on my friends for comfort, in the end I won't be able to act on my own. We need to become individuals who can act independently in order to bring about a unified change in the system. The government is there, but it cannot help all the Filipinos in buying a kilo of rice for a family of six. We need to help ourselves. By changing morals and negative habits and by instilling discipline and independence among children, we can make the country a more suitable place to live in, in the future if not today.
Suffering is a consequence. Our choices bring us to the effects that if we do not anticipate, will bring damage not only to the economic aspect of our nation but to all facets of being a Filipino. We suffer because we have flaws. It is not entirely inevitable but we have to accept that every once in a while, we need to suffer and experience having less. Nonetheless, its inevitability does not mean permanence. If a child does not persevere in finishing his studies, he will end up finding difficulties in raising his family's quality of living, if not his own. If a graduate does not practice the course that he studied for four or five years, he will end up wasting his parents' money for a choice which took too late a time to be made. If an official decides to hog the money to himself because it's the trend in the government, funds which should go to more Filipinos will only be wasted for personal gains. We suffer because we choose to suffer. Poverty is a choice.
It may not just reflect on the kind of lives that we have now, but we need a radical change. Education must be valued and applied. Children must realize their right to learn. People must know the worth and benefits of being able to study and train themselves to live and survive. Morals must never be forgotten and replacement of bad habits must be immediately applied. These things are easier said than done, but if we want to escape this long-term illness that slowly kills our right to enjoy life, why shouldn't we try?
Let me end this post with a saying that goes, “Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime.” We alone can break this vicious cycle. Poverty cannot be solved with a snap of a finger. It takes a while, but if we start now, we can and will wake up from this decade-long nightmare. Let us wake up.
Beautiful is an adjectival understatement for a country like mine. As a country branded as Pearl of the Orient, it is undeniably blessed with countless tourist spots, extraordinary delicacies, lush resources and rather intelligent citizens. This is but a mask of the current financial crisis that every Filipino has to endure and witness in his daily life. He sits with his family during meals, and asks himself questions like "How can I feed my family tomorrow?" and "Will I still have enough money to support my children's education?"
Yes, today and for the past decades, we have been experiencing a crisis. Thousands or even millions of Filipinos are unemployed, more and more children are deprived of their bare necessities and the number of out-of-school children is constantly increasing. Everyday we see homeless people begging for money to other people who, just the same, are grabbing on for their dear jobs to provide needs to their own families. While unemployment and population statistics alarm us, the government and its branches are more focused on debates about "equally important" matters of consequence. What is more frightening than knowing that our nation is led by people who cannot see real everyday scenarios of starving Filipinos on the media and even on their way to their offices?
With everything that is happening, we probably ask ourselves. Who should we blame? Who should help us? Why do we suffer from poverty? Why can't we get up and recover from these difficulties?
There is no one to blame, not even the government, not even who we call god. We are all a part of this system that we constantly complain about and not all of us do something to address its problems. Why should we be stuck on pointing fingers when we can just move forward and work harder to experience better lives?
Most Filipinos would tell you, a lot of companies are closing down because of the economy and I say this isn't so. It's by constant determination that we realize there are more opportunities than we can ever imagine. If we would only seek further than what is in front of us, we know we can have what we need.
What we learn in school should not just stay in notebooks and exams. If we have really learned enough, we would know that we have no one to help us but ourselves. Poverty is a phenomenon which stays not because it is natural, but because people affected by it feel that it can't be helped. I have learned that depending on others for survival won't bring any good to my future. I have learned that when I depend on my parents for my wants, and on my friends for comfort, in the end I won't be able to act on my own. We need to become individuals who can act independently in order to bring about a unified change in the system. The government is there, but it cannot help all the Filipinos in buying a kilo of rice for a family of six. We need to help ourselves. By changing morals and negative habits and by instilling discipline and independence among children, we can make the country a more suitable place to live in, in the future if not today.
Suffering is a consequence. Our choices bring us to the effects that if we do not anticipate, will bring damage not only to the economic aspect of our nation but to all facets of being a Filipino. We suffer because we have flaws. It is not entirely inevitable but we have to accept that every once in a while, we need to suffer and experience having less. Nonetheless, its inevitability does not mean permanence. If a child does not persevere in finishing his studies, he will end up finding difficulties in raising his family's quality of living, if not his own. If a graduate does not practice the course that he studied for four or five years, he will end up wasting his parents' money for a choice which took too late a time to be made. If an official decides to hog the money to himself because it's the trend in the government, funds which should go to more Filipinos will only be wasted for personal gains. We suffer because we choose to suffer. Poverty is a choice.
It may not just reflect on the kind of lives that we have now, but we need a radical change. Education must be valued and applied. Children must realize their right to learn. People must know the worth and benefits of being able to study and train themselves to live and survive. Morals must never be forgotten and replacement of bad habits must be immediately applied. These things are easier said than done, but if we want to escape this long-term illness that slowly kills our right to enjoy life, why shouldn't we try?
Let me end this post with a saying that goes, “Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime.” We alone can break this vicious cycle. Poverty cannot be solved with a snap of a finger. It takes a while, but if we start now, we can and will wake up from this decade-long nightmare. Let us wake up.
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