Salamat at Paalam

When life shuts down a door , God works in his ever mysterious ways and opens a window for you.

The choice is therefore up to you. It is your choice to sit idly behind the locked door or create new opportunities  through the small window that God has opened for you. 

There’s always a backdoor to a problem.  The only problem is if you refuse to find the backdoor.

People make mistakes. It’s human nature. When we make mistakes, we pick ourselves up and move on.  People who can’t admit they make  mistakes are doomed to fail.  It’s only when we humbly admit that we screwed up can we only move on to improve ourselves.

In the course of our work, we all make mistakes. Some mistakes are costly and may even be detrimental to our employment.  If given a second chance to prove our selves worthy to remain in our jobs, wouldn’t you rise to the occassion to redeem yourself?

I see this happen many times in the cycle of work.  People screw up in work, but most  are given a second chance. I just wonder how most people blow the opportunity to recover and instead prefer mediocrity. 

Si Ate Ron ay nilipat sa Tumana humigit kumulang dalawang taon na ang nakaraan,  Ang kanyang paglipat ay hindi boluntaryo,  Siya ay maituturing na ” fallen angel’ mula sa langit.  Sa kanyang pag kakamali na nag bunga ng di kanaisnais na resulta, bumaligtad ang mundo ni Ate Ron.

Ang trabaho sa Tumana ay walang kinikilalang “Piesta Opisyal” . Wala ring konsepto ng ” “Sabado at Linggo”. Pasok ka ng limang araw, diretso. Walang katiyakan kung kelan ang dalawang araw mong pahinga sa isang linggo. At ang pinaka malupit, maari kang matokang pumasok sa madaling araw, tanghaling-tapat, o pang-gabi. 

Nobody volunteers for this. This is a calling you apply for.  If you are transferred here, you must have fucked-up!

Pero si Ate Ron ay malakas ang pananalig sa Diyos at mayroon siyang  likas na kakayahan para bumangon muli.  Dahan-dahan niyang inangat ang kanyang sarili. Nakita ng lahat kung paano niya tinanggap ang hamon upang patunayan na karapatdapat pa siyang manatili sa trabaho. 

I was pleasantly surprised to see her improve herself.  She did it, by first  accepting her mistakes that got her into this jam.  She then opened her mind to learn new things.  Patiently, she applied her new knowledge under the watchful eyes of her supervisors and peers.  Just like a child , Ate Ron learned to crawl before she could walk again..

Pagkatapos ang halos dalawang  taon na pamamalagi sa Tumana, ibang-iba na si Ate Ron.  Buo na ult ang kanyang kompiyansa sa sarili at maasahan na siya sa kanyang mga tungkulin.

Given a second chance, Ate Ron  did not waste it. She saw the window that God has left open.

Dumating na ang panahon para ipakita kay Ate Ron na bukas na ulit ang pinto para sa kanya.

Iam glad to have had you on board, Ate Ron.  Remember the lessons you learned here.  It has been an honor and a privelege to have joined your journey.

Mayroon na namang bagong dadalaw sa Tumana bukas……abangan 

NAKAGAT NG ASO

O Panginoon ko, walang kasing-sakit ang makagat ng aso!. Lalo na’t askal ang nakadali sa yo. Sana man lang ay asong may papeles upang matiyak mo na walang rabbies.

Paano pa kaya kung ang Pusa mo ang makagat ng aso? Ay patawarin ako, mababaril ko ang aso!

Pero teka muna, tingnan mo yong pusa. Maka ilang araw tapos makagat ng aso, eh naka ngiti pa rin at parang bagong gising ang tindig. Aba, aba…di ata nasaktan, bagkus ay nasarapan sa kagat ng aso!

Naku, kayong mga pusa, ingat kayo sa mga asong gala! Ang aso, walang kaso pag kumakahol. Ang pusa, pag nagsimulang kumahol, mayroong tama sa utak. Pag nagkataon, di ka na aalagaan ng amo mo, Siopao ang kakahinatnan mo.

IF YOU SEEK AMY

I get panic attacks whenever I see MILF’s crossing my line of sight. Dont get me wrong, this MILF doesn’t stand for the radical islamic front. It’s a coy abbreviation we use to describe hot mature females as  “MOTHERS I LOVE TO FUKC “

There is a higher degree of adulation we give to MILFs versus certified single-chix.  The single-chix is expected to look her darned best. A MILF has to put in extra-effort to be a babe but will project an image that it’s really no effort at all. Imagine that, a mind game for the not so-single ladies out there.

MILFs come in different shapes and sizes. But generally, it’s the age and maturity that will first get your attention. Put it in another perspective, it’s like good wine. The more aged it is, the better it will taste. There’s no science to it. It’s more of an art, an appreciation if you will. The MILF has to arouse your senses, there’s no better MILF test than an aroused male.

We admire you MILFs because despite of age and obvious responsibilities in life, you have dared to maintain yourself in best form. You can kick-ass with the best of them.

MILFY-MILFY or a “Double Ten” is how one would describe Amy. If you seek Amy, better prepare yourself for a world of hurt. This is how Roy described Amy.

At 29 years of age, Amy is so slim you she would pass off as a 21 babe right out of college. Her “Coca-Cola 12 oz bottle body” belies that she already has a 9 year old child. There are no love handles, bulges, or any abdominal excesses on her!  She has  bronze-toned skin that will make you want to stay in a tropical island  forever.  Her heart-shaped face is symetrically proportionate that there is no bad angle when you take a snap shot of Amy. Whether it is the left or right profile, a picture always come out beautifully. Her ass and racks are tight and firm. She’s like every schoolboy’s wet dream  come true.

Roy was a casual acquaintance of Amy through their common friend,Dibbs. They were introduced via on-line chatting because of their work, internet web-construction.  While Roy worked in Saranggani Province, Amy was based in the heart of old Manila, Escolta.  A year of online consulting between the Amy and Roy transpired and they became cyber friends.  In between work related queries were friendly banter between the two.  During what is called “down time” the two would exchange stories about their lives. 

As fate would have it, a Manila conference on web-design would bring them face-to-face.  Roy was excited and at the same time nervous about meeting Amy. He had no idea how she looked like. He didn’t care, they were friends after all. He knew he shouldn’t be feeling this way, because they were both committed to other partners. “Snap the fuck out of it dreamer boy!”as Roy splashed cold water in his face. He fixed himself and registered at the hotel-lobby where the convention was about to begin.  He scanned the attendance list and saw Amy’s name already signed in. He moved his way into the main convention hall and found the table were Amy was designated to sit.

“Hello Amy..” and he see’s her face for the first time.  A radiant smile hits Roy and he doesn’t see that Amy already reached out her hand for him to shake.

“You better shake my hand now because I would look like I am reachin for your crotch!”.   Without saying it aloud, Roy echoes it in his mind : Amy is a confirmed MILF!  Roy profusely apologizes and grips her hand in a warm handshake.

Roy sits uncomfortably in his chair as he marvels at this gorgeous woman sitting beside him. His thoughts are filled with dirty things as his mind drifts from the speaker’s voice into the pants of Amy.  “Snap out of it,mother-fucker..” Roy tells himself as he battles the urge to ask Amy back to his hotel room after the seminar.

While half imaghining how a thong would fit nicely into her firm ass, he is nudged by Amy… “Roy, do you think you can invite me to your room? I have never seen Shangrila’s celebrated Taipan rooms “. Thank God for small miracles murmurs Roy as he happily agrees. He uses all of his inner strenght to control his urges and concentrate on the next round of speakers.  The minutes seem to turn agonizingly slow as Roy awaits for the adjournment of todays convention.

At half past six, the last speaker declared the session for the day is over.  The participants are asked to have cocktails at the mezzanine. Roy whisks Amy to an empty place at the bar.  “You look..like youself, in person” fumbles Roy. Darn it, I should have practiced before I met her in person. Amy just laughed and asked him why he was so tense. He blurted out, ” i think i just fell in love”.   Amy let out a hearty laugh. “I am dead-gorgeous as you have now seen, but I don’t sleep around”…says Amy as matter of factly.  Thank God that was already out of the way, Roy silently said to himself. 

“Let me order our wine now in that case, and by the way, that was a cute ice-breaker, Amy!”

The evening seemed to pass quickly as the two drank wine while confirming stories they have shared over cyber-space. It was like watching a game of 20 questions and the one with the wrong answer drank an extra glass of wine.  Maybe it was just the effect of the day’s activities of the convention but the couple seemed to get every question wrong.  They must have had consumed 3 liters of wine, give or take a few glasses, before they mutually declared a draw.

Roy was quite tipsy but mustered enough sense to go back to his room with Amy in tow. The milfy Amy appeared to glow as she walked or was it just a trick of light playing on Roy’s mind? Knowing that they were simply friends, Roy gave Amy a royal tour of the Taipan Room.

It was very cozy with a queen-sized bed. A full-bar and kitchen greet the visitors as they enter the spacious luxury room.  The bath had a raised tub, fit for a Taipan and his mistress!  It had a lounge with four pieces of furniture.  A 32 inch LCD TV adorned the center wall. Piped in music can softly be heard in the background if one prefers to meditate.

“This sure ain’t cheap, Roy”…

“Nope, I am glad the company is picking up the tab”….

“Can I get a glass of water? I’ll just re-touch my make-up in the bathroom while youré at the kitchen”….

“Sure Amy, just take your time and I’ll even brew coffee”…

Two hot mugs of coffee is the perfect ending to an otherwise “tense”afternoon, Roy thinks out loud. “It was stupid of me to think this milf would ever give me a second look.  Besides, better to have a friend than a lover right? What a loser!..”

Roy has 2 freshly brewed coffee which he gently places down at the center-table of the lounge.  He spins around as he hears Amy coming out of the comfort room. 

Without breaking her stride, Amy kisses Roy in the mouth and looks for his toungue!

“OMG! This is a dream. Perhaps even a wet-dream but certainly a dream”….  Roy opens his eyes and realizes it’s not a dream. Amy is still lip-locked to his his mouth.

By pure instinct they stagger to the comfort of the warm bed.  Roy undoes his shirt and caresses Amy so tenderly.  The lovely dress of Amy is now at the bottom of the floor as she nearly trips trying to kick of her wedge-heeled shoes. The glorious body of the milf is covered only by laced underwear.  The heat of passion rises to another level as Roy unhooks her bra-straps and does an “infant move” on her lovely, firm tits. 

Amy offers no further resistance at this point. She surrenders herself on the soft covers of the bed as Roy lies down beside her.  The two lock lips again and in a few minutes the lace-underwear of Amy is likewise a thing of the past.  The milf was now bare as the day she was born, in majestic glory!

No more pretentions, no more words, no more second-guessing. This is it.

The morning breaks softly as the two friends lie side by side. Amy is an fetal position as Roy slides out of bed quietly. He takes a cigarette and opens the balcony door of the Taipan room to take a glimpse of the new day.  He rewinds the details of the last 24 hours through is head. It was quite a surreal experience.  He does not notice that Amy is already awake and is taking a shower.

He enters the bedroom and sees Amy talking to a hotel-chambermaid. She ordered for simple casual clothes at the gift-shop. Motiff for the Second day of the convention was smart-casual.

As she put on her make-up she asks Roy….”honey, why didn’t you make love to me last night? Was it something I said? Was it something I did? “

“No Amy, it wasn’t you.  You told me you didn’t sleep around. I just didn’t want to make a liar out of you”.

Amy hugged Roy tightly and kissed him on the cheek then whispered …”You are one crazy mother-fucker and I am going to fall in love with you,honestly.”

NORTH VS. SOUTH

As the month of March enters it 3rd week, people here are excited about taking their leaves and going out of town. As far as I can tell, there are two groups headed in opposite directions of the Philippines by March 20.

The Northern Group will take a road trip of approximately 8 hours to the summer capital and hopefully enjoy the cooler temperature of Baguio City. The land trip will be an enjoyable journey of stories, food, and pit stops as they traverse NLEX and the winding roads of either Marcos Hi-Way or Naguillan Road. 

I simply love Baguio for its cool temperature even though it’s the middle of summer.  The city is so small that you can do the tourist-gig in one day! I hope they visit John Hay Recreational Park to enjoy the sight of majestic pine trees and the distinct smell of Potpourri on fallen pine cones!

The Baguio Staff House, where the northern group will stay, is a treat in self.  It is located in an exclusive village going to the oldest copper ore-mine of Benguet, the Itogon Mine Camp.  In this secluded area, they can pretty much roam the roads for themselves. The chance to capture nature in it’s finest with high-definition cameras are an opportunity they should not miss while in Baguio. 

Fresh fruits and veggies are bountiful if they should decide to hit the market-place.  I don’t know if there are still selling “Kalinga Oranges”at the public market.  You will definitely fall in love with them and say it does not even compare to your imported ponkan Oranges.

The Chinese Bell Towers should not be missed. Although this is a Buddhist temple, people from all types of faith can visit and pray to their God. This is also a good chance to make a wish to Buddha, just in case you luck out from your own god. 

In the afternoon, a trip to Trinidad Valley, the home of Strawberry Fields is a delight both to the eyes and the tongue. Again, pictures using an SLR would pit shades of Red and hues of Green when you harvest strawberries directly from the ground. 

Well, consider me old school, but I go for the traditional night-life instead of bars.  If Cafe Amapola along Session Road still exists, give it a visit.  It’s a traditional salon of old. Mostly working class men donning leather jackets, rawhide boots, and low cut jeans frequent Cafe Amapola. They generally serve hard liquor in favor of beer. They serve it in short “nescafe”bottles which is equivalent to a shot-glass. I hope they remember the old Benguet saying : “Basta’t  may chikas at alak, may balak!”

At around 6:00 am of March 20, the Southern Group take their plane ride to Bohol.  The jet-setting group cuts down on time in favor of sights to see in the island accross Cebu province. Basically a beach haven, they will enjoy the tropical weather. 

One of the more popular eco-tourism destinations today, Bohol offers fresh sea-foods and modern microtel accomodations. The island of Bohol gives you a chance to see the dwindling Tarsier population. It allows you to view the animal kingdom as part of God’s chain of creation and marvel at His handywork.

I hope the beach night-life holds many surprises for our young travellers. Its high time they kick back, relax, have cold tropical concoctions, and simply get wasted.  Pretty bikini-babes, bad-assed dudes, and all other sexes would surely converge when the sun sets at the beaches of Bohol. A whole subculture awakens as dusk settles on any beach paradise.  Better have the SLR camera handy. You wouldn’t want to miss a moment.  I foresee dirty dancing, tequila-body-shots, and henna tattoos to spring into action as the vampires of the beach rule the night scene.  I hope they are prepared with rubber and lubricants for unpredictable nights.

Whether they are Southern or Northern travellers, I wish them both a Happy Vacation! Hopefully some of you get lucky and get laid! You guys work so hard,this vacation is truly deserved.  Pasalubong would highly be anticipated, dito sa Tumana!

CALM BLUE WATERS

The long winding road going to Olanggapo awakened me as the Victory Liner bus approaches Magsaysay Avenue. It is still pitch dark as dawn wont break for another 3 to 4 hours. The ride from Manila to Subic was uneventful, thank God, on a Friday night.

As the bus creeps to a stop, the conductor hollers “habol pa kau sa goodtime …baba na po kau!!!”

I stow my backpack hurriedly and I excitedly get down from the bus. At 2:00 am in the morning, Magsaysay Avenue fronting Subic Naval Base is still kicking up quite a street party.  You can see drunken American sailors crossing from one bar to another, with exotic looking Pinay’s. My gosh, and they call themselves the best naval fleet in the world!

I follow the queue of other young men as they make their way towards Gate 01 of Subic Bay Naval Base.  My appointment card says–”report to gate 01 at 0430 hours”

I sit down on the cold dark pavement alongside about 150 other hopefuls who wish to join the mightiest naval force of the modern world.  Smokes are offered by other friendlies and I politely take a stick to make small talk. In the midst of amber glow and hazy smoke from shared cigarettes, you learn about other people quickly. Majority were motivated by the hope of being accepted by Uncle Sam as immigrants or citizens after serving their mandatory contracts. Others who are looking for better education see it as delayed-scholarship program courtesy of the US government. The more happy-go-lucky ones are lured by the US Navy’s tagline - “See the World, Join the Navy”…read as - (HAVE A GIRL AT EVERY PORT OF CALL).  There are only a few of us who have a different motivation in joining the US Navy. Become an Elite Warrior.  That has been the greatest motivation for me and a handful who right out of high school choose to enlist.

To be trained, disciplined, and exposed to the ways of an exclusive group of fighting men.  If the journey to that journey should start at the foot of Magsaysay Avenue, then so be it.

A few pimps stray into the waiting hopefuls and tries to negotiate quick-deals for a couple hundred pesos. Too bad, no takers. The young men know that the examination this morning will have a physical fitness component and it’s a suicide deal if they falter due to their libido. Hmmm perhaps business is not very good even for a dollar-rich environment that they can offer their “services” to their brown brothers.

I down my second mineral bottle at the clock nears 04:30 hrs.  I proceed to take a leak at a wall just like 150 others cleaning their bladders when the bullhorn sounds. It’s showtime. People scamper to the gate as an Ellis type  jeep approaches. It screeches to a halt and a burly black guy with a thick chart alights. We are all awed in silence.

“Today will start with a run of 2.5kms. Those who will not cross the designated end line after 15 minutes will get back on the bus. Good luck gentlemen”. We were handed a yellow card with a 4-digit number after surrendering our appointment cards.  They line us up ten men per column. We write down the time the black burly guys says and we start our run.  We follow the signs put up along the base to an unknown destination. It was a mad dash as some of the men sprint.  It was like the devil was chasing after you. I already know the folly of sprinting at the start only to lose your wind in the end. I do not go for speed but maintain a quick pace. Running track and playing football has conditioned me for long runs. Approximately 10 minutes into the run, I let it go with speed. With a raised heart-rate and warmed body temperature, it was all systems go as I race to the finish line.  I pass 4 of my run mates as I make it to the end-zone, they were already panting and walking. I reached the goal with at least 3 minutes to spare.  The late runners were herded by the burly black man into a waiting bus at the curb of the street. 15 teams of 10 mean each raced to the finish line. Approximately 40 percent or 60 men were cut at this stage.      

“In your next evolution, you will do 100 sit-ups in 60 seconds followed immediately by 50 push-ups in 120 seconds. Proceed in pairs and wait for your “orange-cards”.  The dark burly man collects the first card and hands us the orange markers labeled “Sit-ups, Push-ups “. We positioned on the ground as a partner holds down your legs in preparation for the sit-up test.  The bullhorn lashes a shrill and the test is on.  Your partner counts out your production as a verifier stands watch.  After three minutes, the test is over and another 30% were sent back to the bus.  

With less than 60 men left, we are herded into a single-storey building.  The dark burly man leads us into a spacious room with individual seats and tables.  He motions us to find our seats. “You will be tested in your written proficiency under a very stressful condition.This is an hour-long test”. As if on cue, the air condition blasts at full force.  The brightly written room with florescent lights were turned-off in favor of puny light-bulbs . Oh what the hell is this? The air conditioning is so cold and our backs are still sweaty from the physical tests that it will soon create a lot of discomfort. The bad lighting surely will affect your reading speed. But it gets better, a stack of paper, almost an inch thick is given to each applicant.  If they expect us to finish this within an hour, hell I can probably be a Navy Seal by the end of the day!

“You may begin!”boomed the dark burly man as we hurriedly flip the pages, frantically reading the instructions. I scan the first few pages and all are multiple choice questions.Ok,  at least a one of out of five choices mean a 20% chance of getting it right. I plunge right in and started answering the questions.

Jezzaz H Christ! The questions are about naval engineering, architecture, and what the fuck is pneumatics? Is this for fucking real? How do they expect Pinoy Brown Brother to pass this test when the questions are for geared towards those who have taken engineering subjects. Can’t we just swim 1.5Km in the open sea with Fins and Mask? I trained for that all year after reading the Navy Seals PT manual! The items I knew I answered as best as I could. The items which were from Mars, Venus, and Jupiter I let fate answer using the “ceiling approach”(you look at the ceiling and ask God to make your pencil land on the right choice)!!

An alarm bell goes off and the silence of the room is broken with a collective sigh of disbelief. I turn around and see a few faces shivering in the cold. Some fell asleep and hardly got passed the 1st chapter of the test.  I flipped the pages of my booklet and shake my head. Damn, I didn’t finish the whole set. I hope 75% will be good enough.

The dark burly man closes the light bulbs, lowers the air conditioning, and returns the lighting to fluorescent lamps. Our eyes took about a minute to adjust to re-glow of the room. “Gentlemen, you can proceed to the bathrooms on your left and take a 15 minutes break.Prepare for the interview “.  We hurriedly went to the bathrooms and were quite surprised to see how clean and orderly it was. The fixtures maybe old but they were all working. The plumbing had no leaks and the faucets were all neatly shined. I guess this is what they call ” in ship shape”. The hopefuls exchange stories on how they think they fared in the written test as we combed our hairs and washed our faces.  A short whistle was heard that signaled us to return to the testing room.

“When I call you name, you will proceed to front and center. Stand at attention before Staff Sergeant Éclair and receive your documents. You may proceed to your right marked Door 1254. Goodluck”…barked the dark burly man.

OMG! 2 candidates up and I haven’t been called. 6,7 more called and I feel the end is coming near. Ah finally, I am called under candidate number 0193! I walk pass the dark burly man who gives me a nod as I proceed to the desk were Staff Sgt Eclair sat. I bang at the table, make a snappy hand-salute, and say “candidate 0193 reporting as ordered, sir!”.  Staff Sgt Eclair, stands up. He says..”no need to salute Mac, you are a civilian here”..as he hands me a brown envelope. I turn around and march towards the door neatly marked as Door 1254.

The door leads to a tube, with grey carpeting much like the one’s you see in airports when boarding or alighting from a plane. The tube curves to the right and another steel door is at the end. I open the door and a bright flash of sunlight hit my face as I squint my eyes to recover my bearing.  Huh? The tube led to a steel downward ramp. The 3 flight of stairs leads down to a pavement on the road.

“Pogi, sakay na sa bus,uwi ka na”.  Crap! Door 1254 was the last cut for the whole examination.

The other young hopefuls who were cut before me were all jeering and laughing as I climbed into the bus. “Putang ina nila! Sasali tayo sa NPA!” shouted the other guys who were visibly irked at failing the exams as well. The bus trip out of the base was uneventful. Some us just hanged-out over night at cheap motels outside Subic Naval Base were we drank the blues away. Who would have known that six years later, in 1991, the mighty US Navy would finally ship out of Subic Bay after 50 years of imperialist  presence here in the Philippines.

PG

Daming pusa. Daming daga. Dami ring aso. Lahat sila pagala-gala. Gaya rin ng mga tao, marami ang naglalakbay. Mayroon mabilis sa biyahe, merun din namang mabagal. Mayroong naglalakabay na sigurado sa direksyon, pero marami din sa ating ay tila  paikot-ikot lang.  Pero kahit saang angulo mo sila tingnan, iisa ang kanilang ginagawa, pagala-gala lang.

Sabi nga nila, ang saya ng pag-gala ay wala sa destinasyon, kung hindi sa mga mararanasan mo habang ikaw ay naglalakbay. Dito sa aming bayan, daming pagala-gala ang iyong makikita. Merong bente, merong trenta, merung pang libre.hehehe

Taas mo lang ulo mo at mag masid, sari-sari ang matutunghayan mo.  Oh eto nga,pati PUK_NG  GALA, makakakita ka.

PUMP UP THE JAM

If dreams are electronic pulses of our  subconcious mind trying to send a submliminal message to the conscious part of our brain, how does one interpret dreams? I don’t think they are even meant to be interpreted. They are just there to tell us stories.  We pick up stories based on our experiences and through the experiences of others. They are stored in our brain and gets processed as fuzzy details as we sleep.  The sleep processes probably allows the expereinces, anxieties, and random thoughts to weave into a magical journey when we dream.

— Ken was again shouting at the top of his lungs! He was pissed-mad at something. Better get the hell out of his way. He was berrating a lady who looks so familiar too.  OMG, its Jam and she’s fired up as well from the barage of words that Ken is throwing her way. “Putang ina mo, tamad, pokpok!”fires Ken as he jabs his finger into Jam’s upper chest. “You’re a worthless piece of ass. It’s your responsibility to confirm what i left after my shift, you mother-fucking bitch!”

Jam counter’s back - “well am very sorry Sir, but your inaction is not my responsibility so back off”…

“or what the fuck are you going to do ?”retorts Ken.

Then, all hell breaks loose as Jam dives for Ken and starts choking him on the ground. “Die , little-man, die!!!”  At this point i enter the fray and try to pull them apart. Jam was so strong that her hooks were around Ken’s throat, trying to squeeze the air of out his brain. Ken starts to loose consciousness as I disengage Jam from her chokehold.

“You bitch, I will have you fired from your Job”says Ken as he struggles to his feet.  They again start moving towards each other, unmindful of my presence.

“Guys keep cool”, this can be talked about, I tell them both,  but Ken swings a right hand that hits Jam squarely on the jaw. I again try to intervene and I didn’t see the left arm take a swing right in front of my nose.  I did not feel pain, i felt blood on my hand as i reached for my nose.

My fight or flee instinct kicks in. Without looking, my hand goes for my pocket knife. I loose all control and let it go. The knife is a few inches away form Ken’s stomache. It suddenly stops as Jam goes for my wrist.  The knife gets loose and hits the floor. It has too much inertia as it bounces back sharply towards the three of us, much like a deflected bullet. We all duck for cover——–

I wake up. I realize the dream is over. Who got hit in the end? I don’t know. I say a silent prayer for Ken and Jam. I hope they are both alright. 

35degC

It was a scorching 35degC last Sunday, indoor temperature. Outside, between 11:00am to 4:00pm it was estimated to be at 39degC.  It still doesn’t compare to the hottest recorded temperature. In 1969, the record was at 42degC, registered in Cagayan Valley.  Cool down, stay in the shade, but don’t quit.

A lot of things might be getting to you this summer. It may be as simple as a bad hair day, receiving a stupid memo from your boss, or even disruption of  work because of the macro-economic conditions brought about local and foreign market forces. Whatever it is, I say to you, chillax, but don’t quit.

Face it, we love to whine but don’t do anyhting about it. Woe to you then, who think egocentrically. The world doesn’t revolve around you.  Put up or shut the fuck up. If you think youré getting the raw end of the deal, do something about it. Sitting in your chair, blaming other people and procastinating won’t help,honey. Before you sink deeper and lose yourself, turn around and see the world.  More people are lossing their jobs. More people are getting less water each day. More people don’t get to eat as much as you do because of spiralling poverty. You, on the other hand sit idly by, waiting for the day to pass. Can you not comprehend that you still have a job that enables you to buy your gadgets, have spare date-money, and buy all those nice clothes? 

Dont quit boy. Don’t quit on your job that got you where you are now. Some people would like to see you fall down, just to get your place.  If you think you’re indispensable, you got a fucked up mind-set.  No one is indespensable. So before the next high-wind comes to blow you away, remain steadfast,focused and DONT QUIT. I believe in man’s ability to adapt and overcome. My question is, what the fuck is happening to you?     

“DONT QUIT” - Author Unknown 

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow–
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor’s cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out–
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit–
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.

MOMMY LUZ

“Into Your hands, we commit our spirit,  O Lord”.

These are the final words that all of us would like to say on our dying day. Some of us might be as lucky as Mommy Luz to prepare for this wonderful journey into eternity.

At a ripe age of 85, Mommy Luz, passed away peacefully with her family at her side..

A housewife and mother, she is in my book, a success story.

Sucess in terms of the family she raised. Her husband was taken by God at an earlier age leaving Mommy Luz to fend for a brood of five children.

She was so successful in doing just that.  It is evident in how her children and grandchildren now live. They all share to other people they touch, the lessons of love and respect that Mommy Luz so earnestly taught them. 

I have seen the overflow of love coming back to Mommy Luz last night.  Old folks, young adults, and families trooped to her temporary resting place last night to give back the happiness that Mommy Luz shared in her lifetime.

“In restful pasture He leads us to refresh our souls”…and May eternal light shine upon you,Mommy Luz.  Thank you for sharing your love and family with us.