Battery Not Included

Though I was feeling a bit under the weather, Franz and I still went to Rockwell for some Lomo loving. Hehe. I already had my mind set for this buy so delaying it for another day wasn't a welcome thought.

We took a bus to Guadalupe. From there, we hailed a cab to take us to Powerplant mall. When we reached the mall, we went straight to Team Manila. I was happy to see all these cute and colorful cameras on display. The Holga, ActionSampler, Pop9, and of course the camera that I came for, the Fisheye 2! Hehe. After shelling out a total of Php3850 for this lovely toy, we went to Kodak for my first roll of film. Actually, I'm still not familiar with the types and speeds of film and which to use under certain lighting conditions. To begin with, I bought the Kodak Gold 100 ISO. Hope my first roll wouldn't go into waste. Hehe.

Lifehouse: Who We Are

I was supposed to have my braces adjusted but laziness took hold of me, as it always does, so I just stayed in bed till noon. Hehe. Met up with Roxie and Chris at Gateway at around 5:30. Dinner at Taco Bell where we ordered a meal composed of cinammon twists, potato bites and beef burrito. I wasn't able to finish my burrito, though. Beans is a big no-no for me. Yak. Nweiz, after dinner, we headed to Araneta Coliseum. It was my first time at the Big Dome. Hmm, so that's how it looks like inside. Hehe.

At around 8:30pm, Lifehouse finally rocked the stage! Sooooo love most of the songs that they sang! Woohoo!!!

"I'm losing myself just to find a place in your mind, in your mind... Changing myself just to stand alone in your eyes, in your eyes... Pull me in, take me out, make me over!!!"

"When the world keeps spinning around... My world's upside down and I wouldn't change a thing!!!"

"I'm falling even more in love with you... Letting go of all I've held onto... I'm standing here until you make me move... I'm hanging by a moment here with you!!!"

"After all this time... I never thought we'd be here, never thought we'd be here... When my love for you was blind!!!"

"Coz it's you and me and all of the people with nothing to do, nothing to lose... And it's you and me and all other people and I dunno why, I can't keep my eyes off of you!!!"

"I'm feeling alive all over again... As deep as the sky under my skin... Like being in love, she says for the first time!!!"

"I'm falling apart... I'm barely breathing with a broken heart that's still beating... In the pain, there is healing... In your name, I find meaning... So I'm holding on!!!"

So sad they didn't sing "Sick Cycle Carousel" and "Breathing". :(

Nweiz, I received a text message from Kathy saying that they are already at the Patron section courtesy of her cousin. Wah, inggit! Huhu. Roxie and I were silently wishing that she would invite us to join them there. Too bad she only got 3 tickets. So the other ticket went to Jjaye. Huhu. Oh well. We may be seated at the Upperbox A section but we still had a pretty good view of the band naman. And good thing the couple in front of us were seated the whole time so we didn't have to be on our feet just to get a good view of Jason Wade. Ahihi.

After the concert, we met up with Kathy, Nerwin, and Jjaye. We wanted to invite them for a cup of ice cream at DQ but the place was packed! They eventually headed home while Chris, Roxie and I headed to Starbucks for a cup of coffee and a teaspoon of kwento. Hehe.

Love Is A Battlefield

As a little girl, I imagined myself as a damsel in distress trapped in an ivory tower, waiting for my very own knight to arrive. A knight who may be clad in a not-so-shining armour, but could still blind me as he passes by in a sunny day. I had my own dragons to slay and my own battles to fight. I believed in things like soulmates, and fate, and magic, and happily ever afters. Well apparently, I've read too much fairy tales as a kid. Hehe. I was young and naïve in so many ways. Until love started to hurt.

I rappeled my way down the tower and found myself standing in the middle of a battlefield. I built a surrounding wall and came up with every possible reason to prevent another person from breaking in and breaking me. I was constantly asked when will I give myself another chance in love and it's a question that I struggled to answer. Coz honestly, I was asking the same thing myself.

Me: "I'll cross the bridge when I get there..."
Boss Tuts: "nde ka naman nag ko-cross eh, lumalakad ka pabalik tapos naghahanap ka ng ibang daan patawid"
Boss Tuts: "natatakot ka yata tumawid"
Boss Tuts: "siguro minsan maalog yung bridge"
Boss Tuts: "o kaya parang madilim yung kabila ng bridge"
Boss Tuts: "o kaya matinik yung daanan ng bridge"

Very well said. Hehe.

True, I've always kept my emotions in check coz I was afraid of making the same mistakes again. I no longer wanted to subject myself to unnecessary pain and get my heart broken in the end. I no longer wanted to cry myself to sleep when things get bad. I've kept my feelings on a leash without realizing that my feelings were keeping me on a leash too.

As Jessica Zafra would put it, the term is "fall in love". Not glide, not gallop, not slide, not leap. Fall. And when you fall, you get hurt. So I guess that's pretty natural. And just when I thought I'd never be able to love anyone in a big way ever again...

Love is a battlefield. And I'm ready to get myself some scars.

Kalahati

First time I heard this painfully beautiful poem was when it was used in one of the entries in Cinemalomo 2007. The video though had a heavily edited version of the poem, so I was really thrilled when I came across its complete version here!

~oOo~

Kalahati.
Isang salitang kahit ang kahulugan ay bawas.
Hindi sapat.
Kulang-kulang.

Kalahati.
Isang salitang kahit ang kabuuan ay hindi hahantong
sa isang kumpletong rebolusyon ng gulong ng isang lumang bisikleta.
Isa siyang salitang sawi at minsa’y wala naman talagang laman.

Ako?
Matatawag akong taong kalahati.
Oo, merong ganong klase ng tao sa mundo.
Mga taong lumalakad sa ibabaw ng lupa na may sira,
naluluma at wala nang pag-asang mabuo.

Kalahating katawan.
Kalahating isip.
Kalahating kaluluwa.

Minsan sa paglalakad mo, may makakasalubong kang taong bawas.
Tumingin ka nga sa mga mata na wala roon?
Damhin mo nga ang pulso na wala namang tibok?
Subukan mo ngang ibalik ang ngiting minsa’y nagsayaw
sa hangganan ng kanyang mga labi?

Kapag bumalik na siya.
Ang nawawalang kalahati ng lahat
na pinanghahawakan kong banal at may buhay at may saysay.
Doon at doon lang ako mabubuong muli.

Sa mga mata niyang sumisingkit pag siya ay natatawa.
Sa mga paa niyang may mga payat na daliri at makukulay na kuko.
Sa paggising na nakadantay ang ulo niya
at nakapalibot ang mahabang buhok sa aking balikat at kamay.
Sa amoy ng pinakahilig niyang pagkain
na sumasabay sa saliw ng kanyang ngumunguyang bibig.
Sa halimuyak ng unan ko matapos ng isang gabing puno ng sabik.
Sa tanging lungkot na nakabalot sa kanya kahit pareho kaming masaya.

Dati kaming masaya.
Dati kaming masaya.

Kalahati.
Ang lahat ng bagay ay nahahati sa dalawa.
Masama at mabuti.
Itim at puti.
Tama at mali.
Saya at lungkot.

Kalahati.
Dalawa ang taong naninirahan sa aking kaluluwa.
Parehong nagpupumiglas at tila walang kapagurang
nakikipagpaligsahan sa isat isa.

Sila ang inaalagaan kong sugat,
Ang kirot na lumalangoy sa bawat ugat at kalamnan
Ang pilay na humahampas sa bawat buto
Ang maga na dumadapo sa bawat pulgada ng balat.

Kalahati ay nalulunod sa ligaya, samantalang
Kalahati ay gumagapang patungo sa hinahanap-hanap nitong dilim.
At sa dilim?
Hindi kita nais dalhin doon.
Hindi ko kayang makita ang mga mata mong nalilito, nagtatanong.

Kahit na
Sa yong mga mata ipinakita ang sariling kong impyerno
Sa yong mga balikat idinantay ang buo kong kabulukan
Sa unan mo inihabilin ang mga pangakong walang laman

Hanggang sa muli.
Hanggang sa muli.
Aking kalahati.

The Morning Rush II

My entry for the topic "The Top Ten Signs That You’re Not So Smart" may not have made it on air but somehow found its way into Chico's blog! Ahihi. ^_^

1. No name - My parents and my sister once visited the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican. After the visit, my mom went, "Nasaan na yung labing-lima pang chapels? Bakit isa lang yun? Akala ko ba 16 chapels?"



2. No name - We were dining in a plush restaurant in Vigan and when the waiter handed the take out order to our economist boss saying, "Here ma’am your one dozen vigan longanisa." Our boss asked, "Ilang piraso yan?"



3. No name - A friend was doing her 3-day diet. One of the requirements was to eat half a grapefruit. I told her, "Ha? Ang liit na nga ng ubas, hahatiin pa?"



4. BedBathed Mitch - One time, nag-rereklamo ang girlfriend ko dahil masakit ang ulo nya. Sabi ko, "Ganyan talaga, ang ulo parang tiyan, sumasakit kapag walang laman." Ang sagot niya, "Eh kumain naman ako ah..." Ayos.



5. Princess17 - My aunt and I were eating in I-hop restaurant in LA. As we ordered our food the waiter asked my aunt, "How would you like your eggs, ma’am?" My aunt replied, "Cooked, please."



6. Ian024 - Former officemate: "Ang pangit nung ‘Scary Movie’, hindi naman scary..."



7. XJ - My wife was having coffee with a friend and her boyfriend who is a programmer. My wife asked the guy what language he knows and he said, "Java" All of the sudden, the girl said, "Talaga? Sige nga, say something in Java!" After that... silence.



8. zero cool - Our company needed to send 3 employees to the US. Our boss asked us who has a visa. My officemate raised her hand... and brought out her credit card.



9. No name - Back in college, one of my friends mentioned the Ninja Turtles. Another friend blurted out, "Diba palaka yung mga Ninja Turtles?"



10. zero cool - My officemate said that her fave game is chess, just to look smart. So I asked her what is right beside the king and queen. She answered, "Eh di jack!"



11. Naky - Barker ng bus: "Ah Cubao, cubao, cubao, cubao, cubao, cubao, cubao, cubao, cubao, cubao, cubao, cubao!!!!" Pasahero: "Boss...Cubao?"



12. KissMyJudas - Me: "Sige nga, kung talagang fan ka ni Celine Dion, saang bansa siya galing?" Friend: "Canada!" Me: "Mali! Sa Quebec siya galing, noh!"



13. The Game - I actually witnessd this in a fastfood court. The lady asked the crew, "Meron kayong juice?" The crew replied, "Ay maam, ‘mountain juice’ na lang po..."



14. No name - Wife: "Gusto ko magpa-dagdag ng boobs!" Husband: "Bahala ka, pero ewan ko lang kung babagay sa ‘yo ang tatlong suso..."



15. Phoebechikay - One time, I tried to butt in my friends’ conversation. I heard one say, "Mae and I are going VEGAN." I blurted, "Ay, kelan kayo pupunta? Sama ako!" Akala ko kasi, VIGAN.



16. Eli Gonzales - When I was in grade 6, I thought "lesbian" was a nationality. One time, a friend saw a lesbian couple and said to me "look at those lesbians". I replied, "mukha naman silang pinoy..."



17. Louie - Friend: "Saan kayo pupunta?" Me: "Sa fort." Friend: "Alin, kung saan lumalafag yung airflane?"



18. The Real Curly - Yung friend ko pinabili ko ng "saging con yelo". Pagbalik niya, may dala siyang saging na dilaw.



19. Dad of Chickbiatch - My wife saw my son eating lunch and she asked, "O anak, kumain ka na ba?"



20. Skye - My friend once argued "Sabi sa Discovery Channel, ang babae na lion, eh tiger!" I told him that those were two different animals. The next day he conceded, "Tama ka, iba nga yung lion sa tiger. Ang babaeng lion pala...eh lioner."