Tig-sulat pud baya ko…

Having coffee on a lazy afternoon is gratification. Luxury even, when you have the sip at a posh coffee shop in trade of a public market "kapehan."  Well, even when you just enjoy the pleasure of caffeine, there is this caste system.  But for now, let me indulge in apathy–let my be brahmin. I choose to be posh.

While I savour every drop of this luxuriated drink, I realized that even for the heck of experience, there is a tendency to yield to extravagance.

As I looked at these gathering of caffeine addicts that flooded the cafe, the cynic in me started to question motives.  Why are we here? 

Is it for the love of coffee?

Is it for the olfactory pleasure arabica brings?

Is it for the sense of pride it gives you when people see you come out of the posh kapehan, or when they see you sip from the cylinder that bears the status symbol? Sometimes, it is. (Disclaimer: It’s the cynic in me.)

Well, maybe it’s just me.  Introspection would tell me I came here for class. I won’t deny that.

When I go out of this place drenched in pretension and pride (Disclaimer: It’s the cynic in me), I am sure I will be full of regrets for having to spend so much just for giving in to the urge.

Stupid realization.

Here I am enjoying the expensively-tagged kape, while outside the comfy is a grim reality of pain and poverty.

Coffee, anyone?

15:31, 16 July 2005| Starbucks, Ayala-Cebu

Note: The author has ended his two weeks of "No Caffeine" campaign. He just can’t help it.

Ako, ninong.

As ninong today, I’ve stood for two kids.

Awkward indeed, the feeling is.

To be called "pare," "kumpadre," that is.

To more of these. I am looking forward.

Ako, Ninong.

22 reasons for living:

1)      

God – author of one of the greatest biographies: mine.  There are  6,507,889,865 others… and the library is growing by the minute.

2)      

Tatay – pastor to God’s flock, teacher to most of them, father to four amazing kids, friend to me.

3)      

Nanay – help-meet of my tatay. My voice teacher.  My mother (on-stage and off-stage).  My physical mold.

4)      

Joselle – my definition of girlfriend, my mate on the “bus ride.” 

5)      

Siblings – can’t ask for more—three is too crowded.

6)      

Friends – of all sorts, of different categories, of various levels.

7)      

The Pact 2001 – the greatest FBC batch (well, this is my blog, and I’m part of that batch, so no one should dare question this fact).  Founding members of Campus Friends, actors guild of “The Scar,” source of sports icons, musicians, stage artists, technocrats, health care practitioners, entrepreneurs.  Should I add here “producer of good-looking babies?”

      

SUITS 2005 – Father ATA’s pride.  Honed to be the best, and proving it. 

9)      

Checklist for Life – for the rebuke and encouragement.

10) 

Cinnamon bread – for the fill.

11) 

Dove Fresh Moisture – olfactory (and skin-sational) pleasures.

12) 

Adobe Photoshop 6.0 and CS – it’s always fun to colour outside the lines.

13) 

PORTAL 2005 – where creative juices are squeezed to the limit.

14) 

Cassava – the source of my favourites: pudding, alupi, palagsing.

15) 

Kuppa – for the Tisanes and the Raspberry Frost. And oh, Very Berry Soda, too.

16) 

Bob Ong – awakening the Filipino in me.

17) 

Moles – bringing abstract beauty without the pain of tattoo.

18) 

White hairs – no need to spend on highlights.

19) 

The great outdoors – white-water rafting, hikes…soon, I’ll hop on my mountain bike—all I need is 10,000 bucks.

20) 

Beaches – white, black, fecal brown, sandy, rocky, pebble-y.  It’s the salinity that counts. Add to that, breathing exercise that’s good for holding seven whole notes.

21) 

Il Divo, Josh Groban, Amici, Michael Buble, Souled-Out Singers, Jaja Vicuna, Steve Green, Loboc Children’s Choir – thank you for the music.

22) 

Principles and philosophies – worth clinging on to: “Learn. Live. Love. Leave a legacy.” “ The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.”

‘Twas 5:42 am on the fourth day of April, 2006 Anno Domini, and I turned 22.

I took the ride. 

A long time ago, I rode the bus, bringing with me someone naïve enough to know my real intentions.  For her, it was simply a ride.  For me it was something else.  She is left in this barrage of childish ills while I took a serious position of feeling every bump, swaying at every curve, knowing each stop.

Well, she got bored and got off the bus.  I was there left all alone hoping she’d take the bus again.  I never got off the bus no matter how insistent the conductor was, asking me to at least get off the bus at the terminal.  One terminal after the other, I refused.  Stubborn as I am, I hope to see her take the bus ride again.

Well, let’s just say the insistence won over my stubbornness.  I got off the bus.

Every time the bus would pass me by, I tried to see if she’s back riding the bus.   No, not even her shadow’s on the bus.

I just shrugged my shoulders and let that memory be a thing of the past.  I enjoyed every moment of having her on the bus, and that’s it. Nada.

So here comes a recent time.  I’ve tried looking for someone who’d take the bus ride with me—other “someones.”  But I am reluctant.  I never took courage to ask the others I eyed to be good mates on the bus.  Maybe she bevelled an image of her on my mind and I just can’t erase it.

Well, time went on it’s course and I seemed to have outgrown the bus ride obsession.  Que sera, sera.

Out of fun–more of out of missing–I tried waiting for the bus at the stops, still hopeful of seeing a familiar face from the past. 

By Divine Providence, there she was.  I can’t believe it but she’s there.  I approached her and we said our “hellos.”  I was thrilled seeing the bus coming, and the yearning within me to ask her to take the ride with me is getting stronger. 

I just can’t help it. I asked her to take the bus ride.  I know she is reluctant but she smiled and took the ride with me.  We enjoyed every bit of the ride but when I asked her where we are headed, she’d evade the issue.

So here we are in this bus ride.  I am willing to go to a certain destination, she’s not.  I can picture the beautiful destination, she can’t.

I don’t want to lose sight of her.  I don’t want that day to happen where she’d get off the bus again and I am left with the hope she’d take the ride again.  I don’t want to look for her at every bus stop and persuade her to take the ride that I am in.  I want her by my side as we go together to that destination.  I have loved, and still love this mate on the bus and the mere thought of her getting off makes me feel blue.

I don’t want to think of a time where when she’d finally decided where to go and took the bus ride again, I have taken my time off the ride, worse, reached my destination.

Ibang klaseng ang pagka-sulat! Ako’y namangha sa katotohanang pinapahiwatig nito.

Ako ay isang middle class pinoy, isang officer sa isang malaking
korporasyon at may asawa…dalawa anak. Di na importante pangalan ko kasi
parepareho naman tayong mga middle-class….trabaho 9-5, inom konti tapos
uwi sa pamilya, laruin si baby, itutor si ate/kuya tapos tulog na, pag wala
na pera intay nalang ng sweldo.

Sa nangyayari ngayon sa ating bansa, lahat nalang ng sector ay maingay at
naririnig, tayo! lang mga middle-class, tax paying at productive Pinoys ang
di naririnig. Subalit, buwis natin ang nagpapaikot sa bansang ito. Pag
may mga gulo na nangyayari, tayo ang tinatamaan. Kaya eto ang liham ko sa
lahat ng maiingay na sector na sana makagising sa inyong bulag na
pag-iisip.

Sa Mga Politiko:

- diyos ko naman, sa dami na nang nakurakot ninyo di na ba kayo makuntento
kelangan nyo pa ba manggulo.

Sa Administrasyon:

- hayan ayus na ha pinatawad na namin ang pandaraya nyo sa eleksyon,
pruweba dito e di kami umaatend sa mga panawagan ng people power, kaya sana
naman gantihan nyo kami ng magandang serbisyo at magaling na pamumuno at
malaking bawas sa kurakot naman please para kahit papano maramdaman naman
namin na may napupuntahan ang binabayad naming buwis.
- saka Madam GMA, step down ka na pag parliamentary na tayo sa 2007, tignan
mo, i-announce mo mag-step down ka kapag parliamentary na tayo, resounding
Y! ES yan sa plebiscite at tigil pa ang mga coup at people power laban sayo.
Try mo lang………

Sa Oposisyon:

- di nyo pa ba nakikita na dalawang klase lang ng tao ang nakikinig sa
inyo….isa ay bayaran na mahihirap kungdi man ay tangang mga excited na
reporter na parang naka-shabu lagi. …mga praning e at naghahallucinate.

- Bago ! man lang kayo maglunsad ng kilos laban sa administrasyon, pumili
muna kayo ng magiting at nararapat na ipapalit sa liderato ngayon. Hirap
sa inyo paresign kayo ng paresign wala naman kayo ipapalit na maayos.
Advise lang galing sa isang middle-class na syang tunay na puwersa sa likod
ng lahat ng matagumpay na People Power, magpakita muna kayo ng galing bago
nyo batuhin ang administrasyon. Wala na kaming narinig sa inyo kundi
reklamo, e wala naman kayong ginagawa kundi magreklamo….para kayong
batang lagi na lang naaagawan ng laruan…..GROW UP naman…sa isip sa
salita at sa gawa.

- please lang ! gasgas na rin ang pagrarally nyo na katabi nyo ay mga bayaran
na mahihirap, magtayo nalang kayo ng negosyo at iempleyo ang mga rallyista
para maging productive silang mamamayan. Sige nga, pag nagrarally kayo
yakapin nyo nga at halikan yang mga kasama nyong nagrarally!! Nung People
Power namin nagyayakapan kami lahat nuon.

- Wala naman mangyaya! ri sa mga rally nyo nakakatraffic lang, kami pang
middle-class ang napeperwisyo. Di nyo kayang paghintayin ng 3 araw ang mga
rallyista nyo kasi kelangan nyo pakainin at swelduhan ang mga yan. Kung
gusto nyo tagumpay na People Power kami ang isama nyo….pero pagod na kami
e, sori ha.

Sa Military:

Alam nyo lahat tayo may problema, pati US Army may problema, 2,000 plus na
patay sa kanila sa Iraq na parang walang rason naman, pero nakita nyo ba
sila nagreklamo? Wala diba kasi professional sila na sundalo…..yan dapat
ang sundalo di nagtatanong sumusunod lang. Kasi may mga bagay na di kayang
maintindihan ng indibidwal lamang, at ang mga nakatataas lang ang
nakakaintindi ng kabuuan, kaya ito ang panuntunan ng lahat ng military ng
lahat ng bansa. Pero parang military natin yata ang pinaka-mareklamo.
Sabi nga sa Spiderman "with great power comes great
responsibility"…..k aya maging spiderman kayo lahat at protektahan ang
mamamayan. Sa t! otoo lang natatakot kami kapag nagrereklamo kayo, kasi may
baril kayo at tangke, kami wala.

Wala ako comment sa mga mahihirap, di naman kasi sila maingay na kusa e,
may bayad ang ingay nila. Saka wala rin naman sila email.

Kaya paano na tayong mga middle-class?? Eto hanggang email nalang tayo kaya
ikalat nyo na ito at magdasal tayo na umabot ito sa mga dapat makabasa nito
at makiliti naman ang kanilang mga konsyensya.

Signed,

Isang Middle-Class pinoy na walang puknat na binabawasan ang sweldo ng
Buwis!