Love Trilogy*

"Anything less than mad, passionate, extraordinary love is a waste of time. There are too many mediocre things in life and love shouldn't be one of them." - from the movie, Dream For An Insomniac

Two of my closest guy friends are in love. And I mean disgustingly smitten, down and dirty, turned into a cheese ball in love. Imagine two macho guys who back in college who would be so astig in their own way, the other guys who weren't their friends just hated their guts. Come to think of it, they hated each other's guts. I was the wide-eyed girl (space) friend who would hear about their exploits and be witness to their dramas. They'd tell it to me straight like I was one of the guys. They'd send me green text joke messages that made me cringe (my boyfriend that time read one of them and launched into a great fit of jealousy saying no guy friend would send a friend a message like that if they weren't into them. Duh). But it was all in good fun; an honest to goodness clean friendship. Hanging out with them was always hilarious and with them around in that strange jungle called college, I felt safe cause I know they got my back. So this blog entry really is a tribute. To Superman and Crash, my two great friends who are in love. I am happy for them.

Superman is getting married end of this month to the girl of his dreams. In college, I met him in 2nd year when we became classmates for a subject. We were in the same group and we had to come up with a product or service to sell and make a marketing campaign for. The final presentation would take up a big portion of our grades in that subject. On to our first meeting, he was this really aggressive guy who spoke in a loud voice and started dominating the discussion like he was the leader. I hated his guts. When we started working on the project it was a surprise to me that we got along well and he agreed with all of my ideas (and made the rest of the group agree too, haha). The project was a success and our friendship went from then on and we would take the same subjects and scheds so we could hang out. That time he was sort of dating this girl named Cindy who was always half with him and half with her ex. Superman was pissed but was also into this girl so it went on for months (all this time he would be complaining about it but still be with her). He finally got tired of it and split up with her and cut cleanly even after her usual attempt to win him back. I heaved a huge sigh of relief and told him "Good decision" to which he retorts smugly, "I'm da man." He would then be in a series of infatuated moments with numerous girls and then we graduated from college and would get in touch every now and then. He was single for years and loving it. Until sometime ago when I saw him in friendster looking happy and in love. With this girl I also knew from college; they had met again after a few years and realized they were meant to be together forever. I wish I could be in his wedding; it would have been a great "full circle" moment to his life and our friendship. I can't wait to hear about his life in the next few years where I am sure it will be all good. To Superman, I wish you your happy ever after.

Now Crash, my friend, is a more complicated story. I remember clearly how he made himself known to me. Our teacher in this really hard subject called on him to recite(this teacher was known for emptying a class halfway to the term; students just preferred to wait for the summer term when she wouldn't be the teacher to retake that subject). See, Crash was never into studying. He looked at himself as an artiste-gamer-punk who was too cool for school. He stood up and tried to answer our teacher's questions, struggling until she told him he can look at the textbook if he needed a guide anyway hr questions weren't t be easily found. Which he did, and in his nervousness managed to tear the book and the class could hear the sound echoing in the room. I could hardly control laughing and that did not escape him. We were friends from then on. Our friendship wasn't always smooth - Crash was prone to drama and I had little patience for it. We would argue sometimes and I wouldn't be able to take his in-your-face angsty take on life and many times I'd walk out and not speak to him for days. We would make up effortlessly though and our friendship would be on track until a new argument would come up. It didn't help that we were both Virgos, both critical of ourselves and of others. He didn't like a lot of people and would be at odds with different characters back then. He got along better with girls because girls would somehow allow his dramatic inclinations. Crash to his own credit and in his own rough way I know cared for our friendship a lot. Through the years I have understood that his being crass, loud, and "mean" was just a shell. He really is soft inside and would stand by you at the worst of times. We would lose touch for some years entirely because of my fault (which he hasn't made me forget) as my boyfriend at that time was insanely jealous of him so that time I felt I "had" to keep my distance. I would come running back when that relationship ended, but because we had graduated and his shifts in the call center were erratic we didn't see each other a lot. We would keep the friendship going through YM, text, and phone. Shortly after I had started to date Lem, I met up with him and told him I may be in love and I think this is the one. He was his usual jovial and "mean" self, teasing me and not taking me seriously. Anyway I told him I won't disappear again to which he gave me a smirk (how typical). Crash would go out with a girl for 6 years, consider marrying her, but back out of it.I always felt 50-50 about that relationship as I didn't see so much passion spewing from him because of her(and he always was passionate). He dabbled at the thought of proposing to her but would take the excuse that he didn't have a ring yet to get out of it. Early this year (I think), he finally ended it and has since met the love of his life. The one who made him into a cheese ball, dedicating love songs and declaring in his blog notes to himself that say "love her, marry her, die for her". He has a different energy about him and he is not at all afraid to hear any ribbing or teasing from me when he sent me an email that says "crash is happy". To Crash, keep her, love her, make it last. I know you would.


They say love makes the world go round. The world has since turned cynical and jaded, and sometimes I can't help but be caught up in that cynicism too. Never mind that I have found my own warm place - on some occasions the rest of the world can make you question that all may be well now, but what about in the future? But when I hear of stories like these, it makes me believe again. That true love happens and stays, that there exists a warm place where one can rest and be loved passionately, faithfully and constantly.

*Title borrowed from a Red Hot Chili Pepper song of the same.

For Sale

I read this today in the news about a disgruntled citizen who tried to sell his country in ebay.

It's funny, but when you think of it, it strikes how deep a point he's making and how disgusted he must be.

"I wanted to attract attention," said Gerrit Six, the teacher and former journalist who posted the ad. "You almost have to throw rock through a window to get attention for Belgium."

I can imagine Flipinos collectively throwing a rock now in Malacanang and still not be given any attention by the one who sits there.

The Philippines for sale? Perhaps no disgruntled citizen will ever sell it on ebay (though you never know)but the government sure has been peddling it for years. From the time of Marcos (or way back!) until the present sticky and shameless president we now have.

It's saddening but really increasingly angering after all these years. When will it stop? Sale season is so over.

I Rode a Cab and it Was Rocking

"Sunshine in the rain, love is still the same, sunshine in the rain..." so goes the song inside the cab I took this morning. If I closed my eyes I could imagine myself in 1) a bus in EDSA listening to 90.7 Love Radio For Life 2)Lush in Ly Tu Trong St. surrounded by writhing bodies in red light dancing to "Lousy Songs Night". On this same night they will probably play that awful version of the Happy Birthday song; and 3) a jeep in EDSA listening to 90.7 Love Radio For Life. But so goes the music scene in Saigon and I'm not going to complain about it anymore.

The star in this blog entry is actually the cab driver. Many times I would catch him looking at me in the rear view mirror as though gauging my reaction about his music choice. From time to time he would press the CD player forward or backward (by the way, the CD was made up of maybe two other songs and the rest are a handful of remixes of the sushine in the rain song), adjusting the volume louder and still a little bit louder then looking at my reaction. Napaisip tuloy ko: should I keep fix an annoyed look so that he'd get the message and stop the song (kasi annoying naman talaga yung song)? Or should I humor him and bob my head to communicate that I'm so into it? I decided to bob my head ever so slightly just to test, but I couldn't go through with it without laughing. In Manila, cab drivers like to debate about politics and showbiz; in Singapore, they say cab drivers talk wayyy too much it's annoying, New York cabbies - we all know about them as they have been portrayed in so many movies as the aggressive, curse-a-minute, interesting, all-knowing creatures; in Vietnam, will cabbies here soon be known as cool dudes who listen to techno music and double up as Sirs-Mix-A-Lot? I highly doubt it, which makes this cab driver quite memorable. Is it a global requirement to possess some kind of stamp of character to become a cab driver? (Come to think of it, maybe cab drivers are a microcosm of the society they belong to. Filipinos in general like talking about politics and showbiz (especially their own), Singaporeans in general talk a lot and are very opinionated, New Yorkers, well we know about them, and Vietnamese - I am still learning everyday what they really are like and what sets them apart. It's worth thinking about I guess).

So far my experience with cab drivers in Saigon have been made up of 3 kinds: the one who cannot for the life of him understand the name of the street I am saying (even if I've said it many times to other people and they've understood me), the one who plays tricks with the meter OR tours you around, and the one who does his job quietly and decently as he (and everyone for that matter) should. This cab driver today was a first. And as for the song he picked? It was playing in my head the whole day.

Survivor: Vietnam

To survive the daily grind of Saigon life a girl just needs three main things: guts, tawad powers and survivor Tieng Viet (Vietnamese). Of the three, the most challenging is probably the last one. I like learning new languages and have dabbled with Japanese and Spanish sometime back in college when I first took up International Studies. But dammit, Tieng Viet is HARD! The words are easy enough to remember, but the language is tonal so if you don't get the pronunciation right, you'll know soon enough from the blank stares you'll be getting. But be patient, you will probably get it after 5 tries or so (and there's a chance that it's just me).

So here I am writing a post, of the select Vietnamese phrases you need to learn in case you swing this way sometime in the future (or swing again if you've been here already). Tieng Viet 101 anyone? Trust me, my kodigo is very much within reach. Hah.

1. "Xin Chao" - Hello, or can also double as goodbye; equivalent to 'Kamusta?' in Tagalog or in more popular and hip swardspeak, 'Heller!'. Say it with zest.

2. "Cam On" or "Xin Cam On" - means 'Thank You'; you may go further and say "Cam On nhieu" with nhieu translating to 'a lot' or 'very much'. Say it with a smile on your face.

3. "Xin Loi" - Sorry or Excuse me. Used if you want to pass by and someone is blocking your way or if you want to ask for permission to say something (no need to start with 'Your Honor' :p). On a grander scale, if you have offended someone use this phrase too. Works on many levels. Say it like you mean it.

4. "Khong heo" - 'I don't understand'. If you're Asian (and look like one), you will at one point or another be mistaken by the locals as one of their own. So this phrase comes in handy. Say it like you really regret not being able to understand.

5. "Toi La (your name/adjective here)" - Toi la means 'I am' so add your name afterwards or be creative and fill in with your choice adjective. Some suggestions: "dep" (beautiful), "khieu dam" (sexy), "dien khung" (crazy). Throw in some english words over it too, if the vietnamese word escapes you at that time. Chances are, they'll get your humor (or at least humor you). Say it with style ("loai").

6. "Sau!" - Liar, but meant in a teasing manner (unless you say it angrily of course). You may use it with people to whom you have some sort of friendly relationship already. Not quite appropriate to use with a client, but you can try if you really want to. Say it teasingly.

7. "Dung Lai" - means "Stop". When a waiter puts too much chili in your soup, or an overeager tindera tries to sell you stuff... or simply when your stop is there and you need to get out of the cab/bike, say 'Dung lai!' and say it commandingly.


Disclaimer:
These seven phrases will probably last you half a day and is not in any way suggested as strong enough to let you survive a trip to the doctor, the bank, the postal office, participate in discussions about politics, law or business. If you're a flirt, I'm sorry but this may still be limiting for you too (but I'm sure you'll find a way to up your ante, you expert). At best, you will survive a stroll in Pham Ngu Lao street. Other phrases for another day, overload never helped anyone. Notice how I say that to mask the very limited phrases I actually know. In short, naubusan na ako ng Vietnamese. :D

Xin Chao!

Reklamo ng Reklamo

By The Jerks



"Reklamo ng reklamo, sa hirap ng buhay dito
Kapwa pilipino, ikinahihiya mo
Masakit sa pandinig ko ang sinasabi mo
SIguro'y gusto mong maging Amerikano... reklamo ng reklamo,
tatay mong kalbo!"


The video quality is grainy and you can see the 70's Bistro logo behind them, proof that this is just another casual gig in that place "where you can be who you are". Sometime this year, the QC court upheld the complaints from residents along Anonas Street that filed a case to limit bands that play in 70's to play up to a certain decibel only (I forget, but why remember these things). Thus the place has now turned "acoustic" and no hard rock music is played. Not Paolo Santos-acoustic (thank god!) but that ruling takes away something from the place that has made it what it is for years. Thankfully, it has enough history to keep its charm.

Enjoy this, the message is still true today anyway. The perfect song to sing to that most infamous Manila Standard/People Asia "columnist" with bad writing and let's not even talk about her bigoted views.

As for me, it's nice music to listen to in this rainy day in Saigon. Brings me back to home. These Jerks are the only ones who rock (plugging: Rey-who-has-same-surname-as-me-but-is-way-greater, plays keyboards.)

P.S.
If you liked that, you'll probabaly like "Sayaw sa Bubog" too, here.