... it’s hard to hold a candle in the cold November rain...
The above line is from the 1992 hit “November Rain” by Guns ‘N’ Roses; man, I love its music video as well.
Oktubre pa noong nakaraang taon ko nai-post dito ang St. Jude’s Novena (pakitunghayan sa October 2010 blog posts). Iyon ang aking tradisyon sa tuwing pinaghahandaan ko ang pagsali sa blood donation activity tulad nitong ika-12 ng Nobyembre lamang sa SM Manila, ang Dugong Bombo 2011, care of Bombo Radio and Philippine National Red Cross in different cities nationwide (taun-taon ito ginaganap). Napananatili ang status quo na istriktong pag-screen ng dugo. Nine days prior to that, kailangan kong mag-nobena. Nabanggit ko na ang tungkol dito sa aking (now defunct) Friendster blog; sana balang araw ay ma-integrate ko sa isa sa mga pages ng blog site na ito. Basta kailangang taimtim na nobena kundi ay lalabas lang na repetitive prayer ito. This is the solemn formula for each prayer said= meditate+dedicate. Like the mantras of Buddhists, transcend. The final formula, give thanks to God with a grateful heart.
Ang pag-donate ng dugo ay isang pagtulong sa kapwa. Involved ang lahat ng stakeholders- donors, recipients, media and medical personnel, the sponsors. Everyone’s connected. Masaya ako na naging qualified donor ako muli kasi noong nakaraang taon, hindi ako pwede at mababa ang blood pressure ko. Nice experience... kahit na kinaligtaan akong abutan man lang ng bottled water ng staff nila, walang ibinigay sa akin na biskwit o soup o t-shirt samantalang ang mga kasabayan ko meron at personal pa nilang kinukumusta! Well anyway, hindi naman ako nagpunta doon para sa mga iyon; pwede naman akong bumili sa food court pero sana hindi ito nangyari sa iba pang donors kasi nakakahiya, eh; di ba, Star FM DJs?
Mga ilang oras matapos i-post ang blog na ito ay nagkaroon ako ng isang quiet pilgrimage sa Malakanyang kung nasaan naroon ang St. Jude's Parish (at kung bakit ba naman kumaliwa pa ako tungong Mendiola!) at sa pangalawang pagkakataon ay nag-iwan ako doon ng mga novena copies. Mas maraming tao doon kapag Huwebes at Linggo. Kainaman naman ang maglakad-lakad sa may Arlegui, doon sa gilid ng Laperal Mansion na may malalaking puno. Tahimik doon, eh. Para bang hindi mo pansin na sa complex na iyon naroon naman palagi ang Pangulo.
***
Pulos pulitika na lang ang news headlines nitong mga nakaraang araw maliban na lang before and after the Pacquiao vs. Marquez fight. Si Pacquiao ay tulad ng paborito niyang tinola, mainit pero relaxing. At si Marquez naman, nagsimula bilang chili con carne na di-naglaon ay naging salsa at biglang naging umuusok na tabasco habang napagtatanto ang kinahinatnan ng huli niyang laban.
Back to politics. I mean the recent political news. Everybody’s talking about her and her health conditions. The judicial processes,legal matters and stuff, arrest warrant, and all the chuvanessence with its on and off steam in the Philippine news. At ako naman? Nag-channel surfing tuwing primetime news at may binalikan ako na minsan ay na-enjoy ko nang una ko pa lang itong napanood noong 1998 sa Studio 23 kung saan una rin itong lumabas on Philippine TV and dubbed in English pa. Oh yeah, I’m talking about that red-haired guy with his hitenmitsurugi technique and his reverse edge sword and his world set during the Meiji restoration (of course, no sweet chocolates there yet!). Uy, tamang-tama. The final battle between Kenshin Himura and the mummified, spontaneously combusting Shishio Makoto at sa mga susunod na episode ay aabangan ko si Shogo Amakusa at ang iba pa. Hehe, just for escapism. Preferring fictional politics brought about by a moving ukiyo-e to the real and exhausting politics inside the realms of the television.
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Kahit ano namang tugtog, basta trip. Pero interesting na sa akin yung nasa kategorya ng so-called New Age music na una akong na-familiarized dito dahil sa old issues ng PAL Mabuhay magazine kung saan kabilang sa playlist ng inflight music entertainment nito ang “Tranquil Traveller”. Mga not-the-usual instrumental music or recorded sounds from nature. Nakabili nga ako ng ilang CDs na ganito ang genre. Gusto ko rin ang jazzy, sexy tunes of saxophone (already heard the sax rendition of “Di Na Natuto” and “Yakap sa Dilim” na parang nakaka-imagine ako na nanonood ako ng isang pole dancing performance, hehehe!).
***
Kahit na ganoon ang reputasyon ng isang bahagi ng downtown district ng Maynila, ang bahagi ng Avenida Rizal sa pagitan ng Carriedo at Recto, para bang iba ang dating nito sa akin. Siguro nga na noon kasing early ‘90s at isinasama ako ng nanay sa pamimili ng second hand books sa Recto, fascinated na ako sa itsura ng lugar na iyon. Mausok, makalat, matao, maraming tindahan, may mga club pa rin kung saan sa entrance nito ay nakadispley yung ‘menu’ nila (Manila government, raid kayo nang raid tapos sila balik naman nang balik), mga lumang building, mga dyip na byaheng Pasay-Manila-Kalookan. Mga alaala ng diced hopia at storybooks. At yung Merriam Webster. Minsan ay nagtungo uli ako dito. Sa second floor nila, kahit na kinapitan ng alikabok ang mga kamay ko sa pamimili doon ng educational charts, natagpuan ko muli ang isang kakaibang pocketbook na for almost two decades ay hindi nawaglit sa alaala ko. Hindi ko akalain na makikita ko muli ang mga babasahing ito! Marami pa pala silang tinda nito, ang ilang manipis na pocketbooks na ang awtor ay si Thomas Sy lalo na yung “Chinese Sexy Verses” (published in 1991 pa) na may mga magagandang drowing ng Chinese courtesans na kinatuwaan ko pa noong tingnan habang hindi pa nakatingin ang mga sales ladies o yung ibang kostumer pero hindi ko pa rin mabili, eh. Hoy! Hoy! Hindi naman ganoong kalaswa ang nilalaman noon, a. At kamakailan lang nang nagbalik ako sa bookstore na iyon sa Avenida, hindi ko na pinalagpas ang pagkakataon. Binili ko na yun kasama ang “Chinese Analects” na pareho rin ang awtor. Iba ang feeling, eh. Kinakalawang na ang staple wire sa centerfold. Siguro ang tagal na nakatago ito sa storage room nila. Meron pa nga doon na lumang song hits magazine (ang benta ba naman nila ay 100 pesos pa rin!) featuring Guns ‘n’ Roses and Metallica. Tila mga hinango mula sa baul ng Dekada ’90. At may mga 1992-published romance pocketbooks pa na Valentine Romances ang titulo at ang kompanya ay ang Books For Pleasure, Inc. at kabilang pa sa writers nito ay si Gilda Olvidado (at hindi ko pinansin ang mga makabagong labas na pocketbooks, yung mga Precious, SGE, o Bookware na mga yan!). Bumili ako ng lima. Mga antigong babasahin na malamang ay hindi mo na mahahanap sa iba pa maliban na lang sa mga bodega ng mga printing shop kung saan unang inilimbag ang mga ito. Pag-uwi ko, binasa ko and I felt so nostalgic. Ang mga babasahing tila hinintay ako na bilhin ang mga ito at pakaingatan.
By the way, para sa akin ay mas maganda pa rin basahin ang mga lumang romance pocketbook (‘90s issues specifically) kaysa ang mga inilalathala ngayon nung mga kompanya na iyon. Iba talaga ang mga kwento kahit na naninilaw na ang mga pahina.
***
The following pictures are among those taken last October 4, 2011- the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi and the day of unforgetable nature trips to Subic. Field trip ng aming paaralan.
"Galunggong! Pahingi pa ng galunggong!"
Ang pogi nung nakaupo sa may gate ng Ocean Adventure. May madahon pang headdress.
***
Pictures taken last October 5, 2011 at the Teachers’ Day Celebration held at the Philippine Sports Commission (Ultra)
Vice President Jejomar Binay
Si Ogie Alcasid
At the Teachers' Day Celebration, the teacher and her pupil reunited after 6 decades
Si Ann Curtis, 'belting out' her rendition of "Alone". At least microphone ang hawak at hindi yosi, hehe... This was not Showtime... I don't watch that show either.
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SOLILOQUY According to Webster’s Dictionary, soliloquy (so-lil-o-kwi) n. /plural soliloquies/ is the act of speaking one’s thoughts aloud in solitude; a speech in a play through which a character reveals his/ her thoughts to the audience, but not to any of the other characters, by voicing them aloud , usually in solitude. (derived from Latin soliloquium “to speak alone”). Grolier International Dictionary defines soliloquy as a literary or dramatic form of discourse in which a character talks to himself/ herself or reveals his/her thoughts in the form of a monologue without addressing a listener; the act of speaking to oneself in or as in solitude.
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ALL PORN WEB ADDRESSES THAT WILL STUMBLE UPON THIS SITE WILL DEFINITELY BE DESTROYED!
Please note that any comment, tweet (Twitter @newweirdjtt) or e-mail containing unpleasant message, suspicious links, or received by the Spam folder will not be entertained. Just remember that I can be a good friend but a bitter enemy, get it?
Hey, I'm supposed to be an independent, self-publishing fiction writer through my Samizdat Publications and yet selling my first published books had became difficult despite the good story quality and affordability of these. I think that I'll be returning soon to that search for a publishing company like I did in the past and so I must lay down my "pride" for my other unpublished manuscripts. I hope that I'll find a just and humane publisher who is open-minded to give chance to aspiring fiction writers like me, support Philippine literature and renewed interest in reading books, and without the attitude of treating the publishing industry as just some business gamble.
SOLILOQUY According to Webster’s Dictionary, soliloquy (so-lil-o-kwi) n. /plural soliloquies/ is the act of speaking one’s thoughts aloud in solitude; a speech in a play through which a character reveals his/ her thoughts to the audience, but not to any of the other characters, by voicing them aloud , usually in solitude. (derived from Latin soliloquium “to speak alone”). Grolier International Dictionary defines soliloquy as a literary or dramatic form of discourse in which a character talks to himself/ herself or reveals his/her thoughts in the form of a monologue without addressing a listener; the act of speaking to oneself in or as in solitude.
ANNOUNCEMENT: PLEASE CHECK OUT MY WATTPAD SITE- https://www.wattpad.com/user/weirdjtt