Stories

November 1. All Saint's Day but in the Philippines it is the day that we go to cemetery and visit and give some prayers to our loved ones who passed away. An occasion that is embedded in our culture and to pay respect and to remember all the memories that we have when our loved ones are still alive. To my Tatay, my Tiyas and Tiyos, Lolos and Lolas- I am offering some prayers to you this day since I am very far away from home.

Some days are really just fun and exciting and some days are just normal and unexpected things happen. Sometimes we have to be prepared to all circumstances. We must be just like that wires and switch that anytime can be turned off or on depending on a situation in life. But is it really like that in real life? We hope so. A couple of nights ago we went to a hospital here in Dammam to see my friend and elementary classmate Gerry. We have to seek his assistance for a medical check-up of one of my fellow Filipino here in Dammam. Thanks God Gerry was there in that big Mouwasat Hospital. He was a supervisor of general services of that big government hospital here in our place. He almost ran the "show" for all the cleanliness and order of the whole hospital. It was so big we were lost in maze of hallways and floors. The medical check up did not last that long because Gerry made it clear that we will be prioritized. And he did. Then we went to his house just a walk away from...

At first I do not know what it is. And then someone lit a cigarette and put it in such metal thing. An ash tray. Designed to be that way as it is used in industrial spaces like in our power plant. Design. Our life. Our surroundings. Everything is according to the Grand Design? I get it from a philosophy book. But sometimes I don't care about design. We are the one designing our life. Of course with the guidance from Above if you believe. Or sometimes our very own existence designed someone else's.

At dahil buwan ng Agosto ngayon pipilitin kong magsulat ng isang artikulo sa purong Tagalog. Pagmamahal sa buwan ng wika. Isang pagpupugay sa mga taong pinanindigan ang pakikipaglaban sa kalayaan para magamit natin ang sariling diyalekto. Ano ba itong Boses? siyempre isa itong pelikula. Isang sine na kalahok sa Cinemalaya hindi ko lang malaman kung sa kasalukuyan o sa mga nakaraang taon. Ang mahalaga isa itong hindi komersyalismong pelikula. Isang sine na naglalaman ng simpleng tema. Isang palabas na hindi ginastusan. Isang pelikulang kayang gawin ng estudyante sa kolehiyo. Pero siyempre ang gumawa nito ay isang batikang manggagawa na din siguro. Maraming artistang sikat. Chery Pie. Teka siya lang ata ang kilala ko. Nakita ko nuong nakaraang linggo sa sinehan sa SM na nagpopromote si Boy Abunda ng nasabing pelikula. Naakit ang aking pansin at tiningnan ko ang poster ng sine. Mukang maganda. At kahapon napanood ko nga. Isang palabas na may halo halong emosyon. Halo halong sigaw...