Defying Gravity

Something has changed within me 

Something is not the same

I'm through with playing by the rules

Of someone else's game

Too late for second-guessing 

Too late to go back to sleep 

It's time to trust my instincts

Close my eyes: and leap!

I'm through accepting limits
''cause someone says they're so

Some things I cannot change
But till I try, I'll never know!

Criminal Minds and Glee

From Criminal Minds to Glee, the shift isn't that obvious actually. And the titles are a bit deceiving too. The former, despite its title, speaks of forgiveness in the end, while the latter speaks of competition and betrayal too. A case of “Don’t judge the show by its title”.

“Criminal Minds” uses quotations to drive home the point. While the Glee cast breaks into a song and dance number …..because they’re in a Glee Club.

I love the quotations in Criminal Minds. I, in the apex of boredom, even memorized some of these lines. And when nobody’s listening or if only a select few are, I sing some lines in the songs showcased in Glee.

And both are my top flavors of the month. Well, do these flavors only follow what’s trending or what’s abuzz? Or do I really like them? Who knows?

For now, they provide a wonderful diversion from the reality of the moment.

Pacman Gobbles 'Em Up

Pacman eats Mexico + UK + Puerto Rico Artwork by: Ralph Reigner Esquivias

My brother Bob is in the middle of the Indian Ocean but he just had to call me (using a sat phone) to ask me how the fight went. He was not satisfied knowing Manny Pacquiao won. He wanted to know every detail of the 12-round fight.

Bob and I, before the Pacquaio-De La Hoya fight 

Manny won again. So what’s new? Well, he did it in a weight division, seven rungs higher than his first belt. From flyweight to welterweight, his feat is simply amazing.

Some call him the best pound for pound boxer in the world. Some tag him as the best fighter of this era.

For all his achievements, one that has greatest impact for me is the unifying and paralyzing effect his fight has on the entire nation. As I was walking the Bonifacio High Street on a sunny Sunday morning, the walkways are devoid of the usual throngs of people. I heard one foreigner quipped, “Where are the people?” And she immediately answered her own question, oh today is the fight! That explains the ghost-town look of Hi-street.

Oh Manny.

With his nakakalokong smile and his ultra-quick punches, Manny united us once again, albeit for a few hours only.

Thanks to the organizers of the TIMEX run who put up a wide screen monitor for those who don’t have access to a live telecast. And watched under a blazing sun, we did.

Once again, the southpaw boxer from Gen San (or is it Sarangani now?) united a nation hungry for something to bind its people together.

The Fall of the Wall

Today is the anniversary of the fall of the wall, a fall that resounded around the world. Today, Germany is commemorating the 20^th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall.

For me, the primary purpose of a wall is to protect, not to divide. Is division a consequence of an attempt to protect? Protecting means dividing. This wall divided Germany into East and West. I was still in Grade 2 when this happened. Back then, I didn’t fully comprehend the opposing ideologies represented by this structure and the significance of that event. Maybe until now, I’m still clueless.

During the commemoration, unified Germany will use domino boards as if to mimic the effect of the fall of this wall in the making of the history of the world as we know it.

I haven’t seen the wall yet but Gracie has.  

 Gracie in Berlin

Brandenburger Tor

Thanks for sharing your pictures Gracie (at kasama ka pa talaga!) 

Battered

It has been more than a month since Manila was ravaged by Ondoy. For most especially in the “dry”areas, it seems like a bad dream. But for others, it is still very much a part of their lives. There are still parts of Manila submerged in water where people use make-shift boats to navigate the streets. One of those areas is Pinagbuhatan, Pasig.

A photographer friend went there and what he captured through his lens, were reminders that Ondoy’s cruelty is still real for many of our fellowmen.

And Patricia Evangelista’s column in Inquirer reminded me that what happened wasn’t just a nightmare, it is as real as it can get.

http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view/20091025-232111/Yellow-river-red-balloon

Like Jars of Clay

I am the only one to blame for this
Somehow it all ends up the same
Soaring on the wings of selfish pride
I flew too high and like Icarus I collide
With a world I try so hard to leave behind
To rid myself of all but love
to give and die

To turn away and not become
Another nail to pierce the skin of one who loves
more deeply than the oceans,
more abundant than the tears
Of a world embracing every heartache

Amongst remains of a life I should not own
It takes all I am to believe
In the mercy that covers me

I look beyond the empty cross
forgetting what my life has cost
and wipe away the crimson stains
"dull the nails that still remain"

The battle between grace and pride
I gave up not so long ago

BAmmer

Last month, after seeing another stretch of a nice beach, I told myself I've had enough of sand and beach this year. My next stop would have to be something different. Whether be it mountains or buildings or rice fields, I told myself I've had my fill of beaches this year. But next year of course is a different story.

In anything, we are like that. Too much of something, however palatable to the senses, takes away the fun.

Pag sobra na, nakakasawa, kahit gaano ka ok ang isang bagay.

BAmmer.

Wala Lang

A friend once told me writing is good for the soul. At times, this corner has been my secret garden. Well, so much for the secrecy, but this space has been a repository of sorts.

At times, the words just flow freely. But there are moments when there’s nothing and yet I just feel the need to click on the keyboard. And this is one of those moments. I feel like randomly typing and who knows where this is headed.

My mind stopped functioning and yet my fingers seem to have a mind of its own. This may be a waste of cyberspace, but who’s policing anyway? Now, that’s abusive. Everyone feels like they can freely say whatever they want here. But not everyone who holds a paintbrush is a Monet.

The freedom that the Internet operates in, has given people like me an outlet. Whether it may be from a lack of a venue…..blogging has been therapeutic for me.

And this concludes one of my sessions.