the space between

The Space Between 
The bullets in our firefight 
Is where I’ll be hiding, waiting for you
  
The Space Between 
Our wicked lies 
Is where we hope to keep safe from pain

- - - - - - - - - - -

Excerpts from the lyrics of “Space Between” by Dave Matthews Band
Perhaps the most romantic and realistic song I’ve heard  

pathetic

Define pathetic…

It’s about that guy who just won’t take his eyes off the girl sitting beside him in a jeepney ride from Buendia to Monumento. Its his lurking eyes, scanning her face down to the bulges in her chest that he doesn’t have, further down to her smooth white legs as if he wants to touch every inch of it. Its his mind thickly clouded with the smokes of Taft Avenue. Its his desperate, sexually-driven intent to start a conversation of just about nothing while painstakingly zooming his eyeballs to every detail of the prey breathing next to him, short of tearing all her clothes apart. Its his persistence to catch her attention, when all he gets is a not-so-patient look from someone who’s trying so hard not to be hostile. Its his machismo stinking heavily in open air.

Define pathetic…

Its that boy who moved to the seat beside her when the first pathetic guy went off the jeep in Manila City Hall. Its his Joker-like smile flashed to that girl who just received an indirect sexual harrasment. Its his playful moves trying to lure the girl into a conversation about that man who raped her in his mind just a few meters ago. Its his lame intent to take advantage of what just happened to make her into a prey for himself, while painstakingly zooming his eyeballs to every detail of her just the same.

I commend the girl for keeping her ground, whatever that means. She could have avoided that though by adding extra inches to her clothes.

Define pathetic…

Its that man sitting at the end of the jeep, who witnessed all of it… who just sat there and watch them rape her indirectly. Its him who knew a very good hint of what’s actually going on in their heads, up and down. Its him who actually hated them but quite understood them just the same at those moments. Its that man who is also a man trying not to be a man in that perspective.

Define pathetic…

Its the deadlock amongst at least four of them in that jeepney ride from Buendia to Monumento.
Its that deadlock which perpetuates the status quo.

maynilad

Please welcome the recipient of my first temper slip this year: Maynilad.

Imagine waking up at around 10am being alarmed by your neighbors because your water supply will be cut by Maynilad agents. The past months’ due is P0 - none, nada, nothing! - and the current balance due not earlier than next week is just P98. And people from Maynilad will come here and boastfully announce that they’re gonna cut off the water supply? Ridiculous. That’s water man. The river of life. Water that you need to cook. Water that you’ll use so that you won’t stink in the office. Water that is worth wasting if thrown to people like GMA to flood her away, together with some of her lame allies.

And for a balance, regardless of the amount, that is not due until next week? Wake up man. If my good neighbor didn’t bang our door to warn us, I might be on my way to the gym just to take a bath before I go to the office.

Mix-up? There’s no room for mistakes in these kinds of issues. Again, its water dude.

I promised myself I will be more patient, understanding, and accomodating this year; and I broke that this morning. I could have been sorry later on for boiling my temper up and lecturing around with an unfriendly tone of voice. But why would I if they didn’t even bother to apologize for the confusion (if that really is confusion, or if it just so happen they woke up on the other side of the bed or if the tooth fairy didn’t visit them overnight) after my mom handed them the bill. Not even an explanation - they just turned around and left.

I heard another neighbor commented, “Naghahanap lang yan ng pananghalian”. Welcome to the Philippines.

benta

…that was what i thought while watching the Pacquiao - dela Hoya ‘Dream Match’. Worst box-office boxing match I’ve seen in years. It was like watching the memorable fight between Ultimate Warrior against Hulk Hogan, only that now I’m already 25, and the amusement of a 10 year old has long gone.

No counter punches while cornered by the ropes? No decent trace of a real fight from a boxer who had 10 world titles? Not a single round seemingly won by dela Hoya? It was definitely a Pacquiao show, with the Golden Boy allowing himself to be a breathing punching bag. Err, what’s golden in that?

I am a proud Filipino with every Pacquiao match, win or lose. But I just can’t believe that ‘Dream Match’ ; it was a very easy win like what happens only in dreams.

mountaintop weekend

 I just had my most relaxing Baguio vacation last weekend. The trip was not as tiring as it used to be, and we got to stay in one of the city’s finest hotels. Not to mention Sizzling Steak’s great Australian Beef Porterhouse and a great breakfast in Cafe by the Ruins. Also, be sure to try Benguet and Arabica coffee from Baguio’s coffee shops. Between Starbucks and the local coffee blends, I’ll take the latter any day (except maybe if I’m just a sticker short of the 2009 planner, which by the way isn’t special at all - makes me rethink what I just said. lol. So I guess I’ll go for the local blends again. Ü)

Some nice experiences and thoughts over the weekend:

1. You can enjoy walking outdoors without being sweaty and stinky. A walk from People’s Park to SM Baguio is much like a walk from Washington (Makati) to RCBC Plaza and back, except that you won’t suffer the heat of the sun or the dirt of the roads.

2. There are more local blends of coffee than just Kapeng Barako. Equally aromatic and strong, you should try the Sagada and Benguet blends. One tall Starbucks Caramel Macchiato will get you three addictive cups of the local ones.

3. Night market in Session Road is different than what we have in Divisoria; I was not worried about pick pockets and overly persistent tinderas last weekend.

4. The wet and dry market is another story; you’ll get bugged persistently by boys and girls less than half your age to carry your sack of ube, peanut brittle and choco flakes for you, which by the way you yourself had a very hard time carrying. At least they’re not in the streets.

5. With less than 15 degrees at around 5am, a blanket or a warmer won’t work for me. Not that I’m freezing; I was actually perspiring with the blankets on. My body handles low temperatures well; could be a good thing or a bad thing, depends on your perspective.

6. Carpets are so nice. I love carpets.

7. You can get a cab anywhere, and the drivers won’t ask for additional P20 or complain about how oil prices are too high even if the flagdown is just at P25 and the next 400 meters is only for P1.50.

8. More on the cab drivers: if the meter reads P47 and you hand him P50, he will still get hold of his coins to get you the P3 change. Amazing.

9. When you say ‘thank you’ to people, they’ll say it back. How nice. Not something you see and hear everyday.