raphael was my favorite

ninja turtle.

i don't know much about the artist except that he died of complications brought about by excessive sex with his mistress.

(google it if you don't believe me.)


now that i think of it, the moody, hot-tempered, wise-ass loner (the turtle, the turtle) was kinda like my younger self. oh, i didn't change much. i still burst into fits of (blab) sometimes. hahaha.

images

sometimes i regret not bringing a camera (breaking the lomo rule 'take your lomo everywhere you go'), even a digital one, because there are days when i see the most interesting things, or things i don't usually see everyday. there are times i wish my eyes could function like a polaroid camera, capturing the image, and seconds later i would stretch out my hand with a printed photograph and i would give it to you, and show how beautiful the world is.

what i saw this morning, on my way to work:

the fairview wet market being dismantled. the gi sheets being peeled off, exposing the beams underneath. the color of rust. i did a mini-ethnography among the flower ladies there. i learned about mums, buttons, stargazers, and the kindness of five-six moneylenders. a new puregold branch would stand in its place.

a construction crane, close-up. something new is being constructed on the corner of edsa and quezon avenue. i like cranes. they make you look up high, and are very fun to watch.

a dilapidated jeepney interior. the one i was riding in had holes on the floor, and i imagined a great big stomp on it would send us all crashing down on the highway pavement. the ceiling's panel was gaping, giving a big open-mouthed smile to the vehicles behind us.

leaves falling with the wind. maybe this is what autumn feels like, only warmer, much warmer. (i told my family i'd like a golden shower tree and a fire tree in the garden, but my mom said it's a pain to keep the terrace tidy with all the falling leaves and flowers. i think it's a small price to pay for something so pretty.) anyway the tree i saw this morning was the one near the ust p. noval gate, and when i passed through i got caught in the falling leaves, and it felt like a nice dream.

a football game. i looked at the scoreboard and saw it was the whitecoats playing, the therapists and aspiring doctors. they were in uniforms of blue, yellow, and green. i'd like to play football someday; something about running on the grass.

security guards wearing really cool, really colorful summer shades. manong japorms with a ready "good morning!" in the bright sun could make anybody, even this rain lover, smile.

why walk ...

...when you can dance?

i live in a subdivision on one of the many hills of quezon city, where the view is still pretty fair. going out of it, the road slopes downwards, making hurrying to work a breeze. going home, though, it's another story. though our street is only three 'blocks' away from the guard house, it's a pain to trudge up sometimes, especially if i'm tired from the day. i don't take the tricycle nor the service because it would just be a waste of money (and calorie-burning opportunity!). so, i find ways to enjoy the short walk:

1. i sing (making sure no one else is around or behind me);
2. i recite poetry (the ones i know by heart, but usually it's that poem by dimalanta); and
3. i dance.

okay, not really dance, but i keep a beat. enter my trusty tiny mp3 player and the following sixties, motown, alternative, neo-classical, and indie hits, and i'm good to go:

top choice: september - earth wind and fire
trust me, following the beat of this song makes the walk a lot shorter, and adds oomph to the 'walk'--i sashay up the street, like a disco girl slash cat on a runway. plus, i grew up with that song. hahaha.

other picks:

• the way you make me feel - michael jackson. this one makes me wanna do some serious twirling while walking.
• crazy little thing called love - queen. ever seen me boogie home?
  
• we're from barcelona - i'm from barcelona. makes me feel like i have a slew of friends going arm-in-arm with me.
• variations - julian lloyd webber. i do a wicked jazz routine in my head with that cello.
• i'm a cuckoo - belle & sebastian. side-to-side, some quickstep, and i imagine having a partner, just because.
• build me up buttercup - the foundations. okay do i really have to explain this?
• el scorcho - weezer. okay, not really dancing with this one. more like stomp-yer-feet, raise-yer-hands and sing-shout with me because you agree!

so there. this is my playlist for now. i haven't updated my player; i remember martin gave me some jamiroquai tracks (ohno i think i misplaced the cd!) i plan to twirl to.

oh, i am so in the mood.

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and the story continues to unfold.


i'll end this post (and this day) with another geek cartoon from xkcd:



yes, smileys a-plenty.

good night and the sweetest dreams, folks. see you in the morning.

today's bus ride

featured an unknown luggage.

every morning i almost always take the bus on my way to work. i go for a seat by the right-side window (when seated), because even if the sun is initially on that side, east is really on the other side. and i like sitting by the window. period. for this morning, all of the right-side window seats have already been occupied, except for the last row. so i went to the back. a big black and yellow sports bag sat at the floor of the last row behind the right-side window. i sat at the center seat. it had a nice view of the bus. hahaha. as more people started coming in, i edged myself closer to the window, avoiding the luggage. the bus started to fill up, standing-room only. someone noticed the bag and told me to give it to him so he could put it at the space behind us. i said it wasn't mine; must be the driver's. he took it anyway, and placed it behind the last-row seats. the freed-up foot space allowed a mid-aged lady to sit beside me. all good.

now, every time i ride the bus, when i pay for my fare,the conductor usually asks if i'm a student. i say i'm not--but only when he/she asks. i don't really know the standard/regular fare, as bus companies differ (which is weird, really) in charging passengers (my fare can go from twenty-five to thirty pesos). if i were a student, i'd be sure to say so, for the discount. anyway. as the conductor reached our part of the bus, she asked the other passengers near us for help in passing our fare. i handed over mine, "ust galing don jose", and the guy who took my money added "student" to the conductor, and i said "hindi na po." "ay, di raw estudyante." i was charged twenty-five pesos. then, the lady beside me gave hers. "malvar, estudyante." HUH? okay, i thought, maybe she is still a student, but, erm, she looked like she was well on her way through her third (if not fourth) five-year course. really. she looks like an old auntie, only she had a wedding ring (i checked). dang. mygulay.

oh, and the luggage belonged to a guy from the second to the last row to the left. how nice of him to inconvenience others, right? i wanted to say "ser, muntik na pagkamalan naming bomba ang laman niyan."

what's good about all this? i'm charmed they think i'm still a student.

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in a few minutes i'll be taking a written exam for hr purposes. uh-huh.

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i've been thinking about what to do for my birthday. i want to have friends over the house again. game night maybe. hahaha.

may ganun!

palitan nga ng john lloyd ang vanilla ice na 'yan. hahaha. pero wag galawin 'yung nasa gitna.

basta.

sa ganun eh.