Writing

People say I’m good at words and I ask
Is this a talent that will really last?
Or is it something just to pass the time
Something generic, something only mine

I was proven wrong through the years
As writing gives me life like nothing does
And I know this gift should not be wasted
Words are powerful, it gives power to the incapacitated

So now I ask myself what should I do
With this talent that simply joins words in the air
Is it something I should just do on the side
Or should I dwell on it, should I abide?

With the calling in my heart that I should
Make the most out of the phrases I compose
It’s not the words but it’s the meaning within
The message conveyed in and out a man’s realm

I believe I should not because I’m good at it
I should because it’s a passion that fuels itself
It only requires a little bit of motivation
And a whole lot of inspiration

But that’s not a problem because as you can see
We can get inspired with everything around and within
And maybe that’s why I was able to write this
Just thinking about it gives me bliss

When Every Red Rose Becomes More Red

I don’t mind waiting, I can wait
I know true love is never late
Even if the whole of life will separate me from you
Destiny is no match for us two

Time is already irrelevant when it comes to how I feel
It cuts across boundaries that are real
Can you be so in love like this?
Can you really find eternal bliss?

Yes you can and you made me believe
That love is so much more than a word indeed
It’s not just a feeling, an emotion, something you do
It’s that and everything that is about me and you

What is the ultimate sign?
How can I really define?
How much I cherish, how much I care
How gloomy I am when you’re not there

I guess there’s really no definition of terms
For whatever we have, we take it and make it into our own
A chair is never really just a chair
Love is never really just love when you are there

If my heart can speak it would have run out of words
If my head can feel it would have run out of emotions
You made me free, you made me fly
You made me touch the stars and the sky

You lift me up so high that I already don’t see
All the things that have limited me
And more so you have made me secure
My perpetual sickness, you are my cure

Do you know the feeling when your heart skips a beat?
Do you know the calmness you hear from nature’s creek?
I have always thought I already knew
But I was wrong, I should have waited for you

Before I told myself that I’m already happy
Before I thought my smile was really true
Now every red rose is more red, every blue sky is more blue
Everything I do, I just want to do it for you

Because you are the person I want to see
When I’m already old and wrinkly
I want to hold you forevermore
Because I know we won’t let go

Your Beauty Is Like Water

Your beauty is like water
Flowing, transparent, and clear
You give me life like nothing else
I can’t live without you

Nothing is as soft as the feeling you give
Every time you look at me with your eyes
You make me drown with your simple stare
And yet I live to drown some more

I can never define the way your smile makes me feel
Puts me in a trance, the electricity is so real
So is this the power you hold over me?
I am at your command before you can count to three

But I don’t mind at all, control me all you want
Because all I want is to indulge with your beauty
And I trust you
You’re too beautiful to be untrue

To your word not spoken but felt
That this is a special relationship between the two of us
Hearts, feelings, and emotions to be taken cared of
No strings attached but it’s a must

That we will cherish this forever
Because we’re only given too few chances to see
That some people in our lives are meant to make us happy
Then we’ll never be truly lonely

The Best Love Storytellers I’ve Ever Known

(picture from here)

We have this family habit of having lunch together every Sunday. The primary members of the family all get together in our ancestral house in Manila. We’ve been doing that since I was a baby and it has become a very healthy practice for the members of the family. That’s because everyone get to be in touch with one another constantly. Even though it’s just a simple lunch (but the food is awesome), being on the same table with all your family members at least once a week is one effective way of getting involved with everyone’s life.

Because of this practice, I’m always updated with how are my uncles and aunts doing. From something as big as leaving the country to something as small as having a new puppy. I get to know all those things.

Storytelling never ends during Sunday lunch. We talk about anything and to anyone. We talk about politics, showbiz, personal life, and even love life. And it’s actually one exciting topic every time we’re there in that house where I spent the first 15 years of my life.

Love.

Why? Because it’s a chance for us to hear how did my dad court my mom or how did my uncle court my aunt or how did my grandfather court my grandmother. The last is the best.

I usually ask my grandpa how many girlfriends he had before. His answer is always the same. Just one. And that’s my grandma. And at the moment my grandma hears that, she’ll look at my grandpa and lightly slap him, telling everyone listening that it isn’t true and that grandpa had a lot of girlfriends. This of course is done in a very sweet and cute way.

I usually ask my grandpa how long did it take him to win my grandma’s heart. His answer is always the same. 2 weeks. My grandma upon hearing this will then again slap my grandpa, a little harder this time as she tells everyone that it’s not true and that my grandpa had to work it to win my grandma’s heart. She will usually tell us that my grandpa needed to walk a pretty long distance just to visit my grandma. She will proudly say that she gave him a hard time and that she never showed any sign that she liked him before.

My grandpa will then disagree and will tell us that grandma was very obvious and that he was wondering why won’t grandma answer yes already when it’s very clear that she likes him.

And then you hear another slap and it’s harder than the last one

We have this everyday Sunday lunch and I won’t exchange it for anything. There are actually a lot of stories which have been told and every time you get to hear one, you get this sensation that the romance and love that is shared between my grandparents are true, real, and timeless.

It was through these stories that I realized that the best love stories you’ll hear are the ones from your grandparents. You can feel simply from how is it told that the love that started when they were still young grew bigger and bigger as they got together, had a family, and are now happy grandparents. There is something with their stories that lets you realize that it is possible for love to be real and true. That it’s possible for love to be timeless and never-changing. It makes you confident that you are capable of giving and embracing that kind of love. Not just because you are related to the people telling them by blood but because of the mere fact that they did it and they proved it.

How can you be different to a human being just wanting to love and be loved in return? You can’t be any different.

My grandparents have been married for 51 years already and you can still see them happily in love.

I guess that’s the exact reason why are they the best love storytellers I’ve ever known.

My Voting Experience

It was my first time to vote yesterday. I should have voted last time as I can now see the power of one single vote over the national elections.

I woke up around 5am because I wanted to vote early. I fell asleep again and woke up around 7am, still not too late. The voting area is very near my house. I wanted to leave as early as possible so I washed my face, put on some decent clothes, secured my registration acknowledgement slip with my precinct number and cluster, and took my 8th Habit book by Sean Covey. I know it’ll be a long wait.

So many cars were parked outside when I got to the voting station. It was actually the newly made basketball court in our village. Obviously, there were so many people. I started to line up then I realized that there were many lines. So I went to the help desk and asked the lady where the line for my precinct and cluster was. Good thing I asked. I was in the wrong line.

I transferred to the right line. It was starting to get hot and people were starting to get irritated because they needed to stand up for so long under the heat of the sun. I kept my cool. I just read my book. Thank you, Sean Covey. After around 30 minutes of lining up outside the basketball court, we were asked to go inside so we can sit on the bleachers. I observed the people around me. I saw some of my friends too. I was beside ‘poll watchers’ who didn’t vote yet. They were complaining that they haven’t received their allocated snacks and water yet. I asked them who will they vote for, one is for Noy Noy, one is for Erap. I didn’t tell them mine.

So finally it was my turn. I went to the area where you’ll get the ballot. They asked for my number. I asked them back, “What number?” Then they told me “Your number so we’ll know where to find your name.” I had no idea what she was talking about. They asked me to go out and look at the sheet of paper posted on the wall near the door to the basketball court. There’s a list of registered voters per cluster. I looked for my name. Got it. Number 105.

I went back inside. Thank god they didn’t ask me to line up again. I told them my number then they searched for my name in the folder for my precinct and cluster. They found it! Yes!

I was then given the ballot. I took it and went to the area where the armchairs are. I already knew who I will vote for so it didn’t take me so long. It was just 5 minutes I think. I spent my time making sure that I shaded the circles the right way. I would want my vote to be counted.

I went to the PCOS machine and I put my ballot. I saw some people whose ballots got rejected. I was hoping that I won’t have a problem with mine. After all, so many people were waiting. I wanted to finish everything fast. The heat was horrible.

Fortunately, I didn’t have problems. The people assisting me there were actually nice even though so many people kept on bugging them. I guess it’s because it’s still early and they were not hungry yet. They asked me for my thumbprint then they put indelible ink on my pointer finger. I thought they’ll put it on the thumb.

I went home praying that we won’t have any problems within the next 48 hours, and within 6 years, after we know the results of the elections.

Stage Boyfriend

I was able to attend a wonderful concert where the choir which my girlfriend is part of  (Chorus Paulinus) performed. I’m such a stage boyfriend, I’m sharing their performance to the whole world through my blog hehe

I’m very musically inclined and even if I don’t sing very well (I was part of a choir before though, weird huh? hehe), I appreciate music very much. It’s like an avenue for me to be in a complete trance, where there only exists you and all the feelings you want to associate with. Being able to hear these songs touched my heart in a special kind of way. It’s like the universe brought me to a different dimension where all you need to do is feel. You don’t have to worry about anything and you don’t have to  be concerned with anything. You just have to indulge yourself. Listen. Just listen. And see. And feel through the words and the music the love and the laughter that is hidden within the songs.

You will never miss it.

That is a promise.

A lot of choirs performed, but of course, being the unbiased person that I am, I believe Chorus Paulinus performed the best

They performed 3 songs. All of them will touch your heart but their last performance, Hasta La Eterninad, swept me off my feet. I’ll write more about these songs next time. For now, just indulge yourself. Pardon the side comments though. That’s just me

*I’m having problems embedding the videos here so I just placed a thumbnail link to the videos for now. Enjoy!

Nata Lux

Chili Con Carne

Hasta La Eternidad

Piattos Malfunction

One nice thing here in the office is that they give chips to all employees every Friday. I really don’t eat chips but I do appreciate being given some. I eat it sometimes when I’m really hungry anyway haha.

So today, we got Piattos in the chips menu. I decided to eat it so I opened the foil and started munching. After I ate several six-sided Piattos chips, I saw something weird inside the wrapper so I took it out.

I saw a Piattos chip that looked like a rock.

I just thought of sharing it – the new form of the Piattos chip haha

It’s supposed to look like the chip on the left. The rock-looking Piattos chip is on the right.

I didn’t eat it

Parenting 101 by a Shih Tzu

I guess I can’t write enough about it. I already wrote two entries about our Shih Tzu, Bob, before and now I’m doing it again. Maybe that’s because I’m new to this feeling of being affected by a pet, in a positive way of course. Or maybe it’s because I envy Bob, because he is always smiling and is never stressed. I actually want to set up a camera at home so I would know what he is doing every time no one is there. Hmmmmm my imagination can really go crazy sometimes. Sometimes I imagine that when no one is home, he talks to the cats and fishes there, with a tiny voice like Justin Bieber. Why not right? Haha.

I ‘m actually waiting for the day when Bob will answer back every time I call his name, that would be the most awesome thing.

My mom is actually hurt because every time I get home, I always look for Bob first. Maybe that’s because I know that when I call his name, he’ll really approach me and he’ll share the positive vibes he always carries. It’s almost a year now since we got him and he has gotten fatter since that time. And that’s because of me feeding him so much. I’m spoiling our dog and I like it. There are times when I don’t mind having a haircut even if my hair is kind of long already, but when it’s time to give Bob a haircut, I don’t mind spending money to have him groomed. Not to mention that it costs more than twice the price of my haircut and I really have to go out of my way to do that. I don’t mind, I really don’t. And I also won’t deny that I give him a bath sometimes as well, all complete with shampoo, conditioner, drying, and combing.

Man I’m a great pet owner.

Does that mean I’ll be a great parent as well?

I was able to hear an advertisement while I was in the train before saying that having pets in the house is healthy for children. It helps children develop their emotions better. I’m not really sure why but I’m not surprised and shocked. Having a pet makes someone involved in a certain kind of level. It lets you feel concerned towards a living thing and it invites you, in a very effective way, to be caring and loving. I’m not sure with other animals but I think that dogs are very effective in reciprocating that care and love. They don’t talk and they won’t write you a thank you note, but they show appreciation in their own way. And you’ll feel it, you really will.

These are all coming from the perspective of someone who didn’t have a pet when he was a kid. As I said during my previous entries about Bob, this is the first time I felt attached towards a pet. We have several dogs, fishes, and birds at home but I was never really attached to them. It was just really Bob. And if I think about the experience I’m having now being experienced by a younger person, I find it plainly amazing. I always wondered why some people cry when their pets die. Now I know and I fully understand.

Do you think I’ll be a better dad because of my experience with Bob? If I’m capable of being caring and loving to a dog who does not speak, write, or even hug you, how much more with a child who does not just speak, write, or hugs you back, but is someone who came from you and who shares the same blood as you? If I’m capable of spoiling a dog, what more can I do for my child? If I go out of my way and spend my money for a dog, what more for my child?

This only means one thing. I’m ready to be a father.

Haha kidding. In a couple of years maybe

Jottings

I was in grade school when we had this subject called ‘Jottings’. It’s the subject I love the most because all it requires you to do is write. I was not able to keep my Jottings notebooks but I do remember that I was able to write a lot of good compositions there. In class, the teacher will just give the students a topic then the students will write about it.

I can clearly remember that I was always in my element every time I was holding my pen and writing. It was second nature for me and I didn’t really need to exert any effort in expressing my ideas through words, phrases, and sentences. As a grade school student, I would usually write over the number of pages required. There was even a time when my teacher thought that I was not the one who wrote the entry in my notebook. My mom was so mad about that and the teacher needed to apologize to me because I was really the one who wrote it, no one else.

As time passed, I gained more exposure in writing. I was able to expand my horizon as more challenging tasks were asked as I progressed in school. I even challenged myself to write for an educational publication and they took my entry. It felt so good.

Then the words that were once only written because of academic requirements have become integrated in my daily life. I started to have a journal and was able to make 4 volumes all kept in our house. I let special people read my entries there. I was also quite a poet when it came to courting girls. Man oh man I was so mushy back then (well, I’m still mushy now, just in a different way:D ). I write poems and letters and notes hoping to have the girls fall for me. I was successful. Even though they didn’t all fall for me (because they’re not meant to fall for me I guess, hehe), they were all touched by my poems which is proven every time I talk to those people today.

I usually tell the people I give poems to that these poems are like wine. The longer it is from the time you first read it, the more intense the feeling it’ll give you when you read it again. I’m not sure if other writers will agree but I find it amazing that when I read the poems I composed 10-15 years ago, I’m brought back to that moment when I first read it and it triggers an emotion inside me, that kind of emotion that is cherished through time, pretty much what you feel when you look back at all the good memories you had with a person and then look at that person now. All the stories attached to the person, or in my case, the poem are then remembered and you sum it up in your heart to come up with this ultimate emotion that is incomparable to any other.

I wanted to take Journalism in college and be a professional writer. It was my dream course and my dream job. It didn’t push through though. I ended up having a Business Management degree and a job that is very relevant to my course. I don’t have regrets or anything. It’s just that there are really moments when I wonder how it will be like when I did push through being a journalist. I don’t waste the drive though. I still write now. I still compose poems and write about stuff I find amazing whether it’s from the internet, across the street, or outside my window. Most importantly, I still write about myself, my emotions,and my dreams and aspirations. I can write about anything. I will write about anything as there’s a feeling of achievement attached to it. I don’t get paid or anything and I’m sure only a selected few are able to read my compositions but still, it makes me feel complete. I even write to feel better sometimes. There are really these moments when I can only discover what’s inside of me when I write.

So that’s how significant writing is in my life and it’s all because of the Jottings subject I had when I was in grade school.

I started young and the drive will last forever.

For The Nintendo® Fan In All Of Us

I played my first Nintendo game when I was 8 years old I think. Super Mario brothers in a ‘Good Boy’ console. Then we had the SNES. Then the Ninetendo 64. Then the Wii.

Nintendo boy right here people

I found a very interesting picture full of Nintendo facts. I have 15 years of Nintendo gaming experience but I never knew these facts.

You should check it out.

Got the picture here