The Other King.

It's a small world.

ABOVE, It's a Small World attraction at Disneyland, California, taken with a Canon A580.

I kiss, you kiss
But the spell is not broken,
It's in me
The poison stays potent
in the stomach, in the heart
In the brain it creates a seizure.

I laugh, you laugh
But the dryness in the mouth
signals unfulfilled drink of lust
Be it in a jug, a keg, a barrel
I see the shadow
Not in the mirror but in your eyes.

Wish me a star, a moon
A shooting gallery of endless creatures of universe
My princess of day and night,
In you I dwell
as you should too
For others lie and bequeath promises of gold
That turn into leaping pests of the earth.

It ain't beer.

I bought bamboos in Bulacan so I could finish my project in the bathroom. But before I could do that, I had to redo two old furniture, a divan and a mobile bar.

Loading the furniture into a pick up truck my cousin lent us was a big problem. The mobile bar is huge so is the divan. On top of that, we were warned that security might stop us at the NLEX. So, we unscrewed the top part of the mobile bar, and covered the furniture with "trapal."

There was no major hassle on the way home, except for the two times we stopped to secure the cover.

Next day, we cleaned, sanded and applied new varnish on the furniture. Voila, they looked new old. On Saturday, we hosted dinner for some friends and they actually liked the "new old" bar.

It ain't butter.

People suffering from high cholesterol knows that butter is a no no. So, they use margarine, oleo, and other substitutes.

But it ain't butter!

I use butter on my toast. I also put grape jelly on my peanut butter sandwich, although the Doc told me to say no to these stuff. I also drink coffee (another No from Doc), and occasionally sip wine or a cocktail.

It's good family physicians don't go into more private parts of lives, like personal. If they do, my internist would admonish me not to write any short stories, scripts, etc. because they could be hazardous to other lives.

"It's pure shit," others say.

The Second Coming.

It's two days before the first anniversary of Typhoon Ondoy, which struck suddenly last year, and devastated a big part of the country.

Personally, it brought both tragedy and bliss into my life. Today, it looks like a repeat of Ondoy. Dark clouds, no moon.

And the story ends in the garbage, or burned in the urn.

Ancient Memories. Still funny.

Because I'm flying back to Toronto soon, and after I heard that the E.D. of the place I used to work at was leaving, I thought of posting this old picture taken in one of those office events.

It's in the public gallery, anyways, so it's very public.

Memories of working 9 to 5 are so ancient to me. But waking up early and working/writing are so fresh that I look forward enthusiastically to each new day.

I read a funny story in one of the popular blogs this afternoon. It is so eerily familiar that I thought I was reading my story. It's one of those moments when you think everything is about you, and you hear yourself say, not everything is about you.

Imagination brings happy feeling.

Derby.

What's the prize? Everything nowadays command a pot. Money.

Beauty contests, quiz shows, talent shows, game shows, even pre-paid cell phones' got promo for loading. . And even bloggers offer prizes for contests they put on-line. Most of all, love.

Loving someone, or in an earlier stage, wooing someone requires spending money and time. Lots of them, if the object of your affection is what's called "high maintenance."

I remember joining a contest at an early age. This was for a product promo asking people to give names to two cartoon characters. I don't recall what the prize was but I didn't win.

That episode shows how effective promos could be, if even primary schoolers could be enticed to join.

One time Oprah Winfrey raffled cars for her audience; then Ellen De Generes regulary gives out appliances on her Holiday shows/episodes. These are talk shows not game shows but then the producers know the value of gifts and prizes on their ratings.

For suitors showering gifts on loved ones, the priciest prize is receiving back affection. Even the contrived lines uttered by Rogelio de la Rosa on Mameng or of Luis Gonzales on Gloria would count as gifts, " ibibigay ko sa iyo ang bituin at buwan."

"The unreachable star," is how Don Quixote, Man of La Mancha described his dream.

My name is..

English as a second language (ESL) is a popular course in Toronto, Canada. That's because Canada welcomes about 260,000 immigrants a year.

For a lot of immigrants, an ESL class is the stepping stone to a successful assimilation into Canadian economy and society.

Immigrants needing ESL go through a language assessment where their proficiency/knowledge of English is tested; then they are assigned a level. Next, they are referred to a school, a not-for-profit or an organization where they would attend an ESL class. Some individuals attend private ESL schools, (e.g Hansa), more specifically foreign students from all over the globe.

The lowest level of ESL is 1(basic), the highest or advanced level is 10.

Learning how to read, write and speak English is a big hurdle, more so is the learning of correct pronunciation and of the Canadian accent.

I have a Russian friend who would get irritated every time her Canadian boyfriend corrected her pronunciation of English words; they broke up later.

This friend is already a financial officer yet she still has difficulty writing in English, and her accent still shows a lot of Russian. So, she hasn't stopped and still takes courses to improve her English.

I've observed through the years of living abroad that Pinoys who didn't speak any English to start with are the ones who learned the language and the accent much quicker. How could this be?

Let me clarify that. These types of Pinoys usually live with people who speak English as a first language, and they live with them 7/24 hours. So, they hear English being spoken even in their dreams, perhaps.

I can recall several acquaintances, some married to Americans and Canadians, who speak beautiful English now as opposed to when they were in the Philippines, where they tell me they spoke little or no English at all.

Once, when I still lived in Ohio, we had Filipino friends visiting from Australia. The kids' parents were Ilocanos and they called their daughter, Vanessa.

It was a revelation to hear the parents pronounced their daughter's name, and a friend calling her, (this friend spoke no English and only learned it in the U.S.), because my friend's "Vanessa," sounded better and softer, as in "V-en-ess-ae," as contrasted with the parents' "Ban-essaaa."

"My name is," is the first phrase any ESL student would learn.

It's in my head.

Years ago while still working in a research group, a colleague sort of felt cheated that her suitor was listening to Carpenter songs. To her it was "bakya."

Later on, while living in the U.S., I found out that some people considered Barry Manilow's songs quite pedestrian, or also " bakya," despite his record breaking album sales.

I write about this because my Magic Sing (karaoke) chip has songs by both Carpenters and Manilow, and last Friday while driving to Bulacan, we listened to a CD of Carpenter songs as sung by Siti, and discussed about how some young people of today (nephews and nieces) discover old songs and love them, through the Magic Sing.

Sometimes, a Carpenter song would just play in my head, without me calling for it. Or I would automatically pick a Manilow out of hundreds of song selection. My favorite among 'em is "Even Now and Ready to Take a Chance Again, " the theme song in the movie, "Foul Play."

While Manilow's songs seem simple, they're difficult to sing. Carpenter's songs do not require a good voice, they're so "sing-aeble," like the songs of the Cascades.

Bunkers.

I was doing the crosswords yesterday and there was a question, "Mom of Gloria Bunker." Answer: Edith.

I love "All in the Family," a popular sitcom of the 70's, starring the characters of Archie Bunker, Edith, daughter Gloria and son-in-law, Michael. I've enjoyed watching this show on reruns.

Archie Bunker, the commy-hating, bigoted, Republican-inclined blue collar guy is the highly opinionated head of the Bunker family, who abuses everyone in sight. From his wife, to son-in-law, and neighbour George Jefferson, who became the star of another 70's sitcom, the spin-off (The Jeffersons).

Archie hated the liberal views of wife and husband team of Gloria and Michael. He hated Edith's shrilly singing and her low-key opinions, which are opposite to his. He hated the government.

The title of the show should have been "Bonkers."

In most people's lives, there are episodes of getting bonkers. "This is crazy, I'm getting mad, You belong in the sanitarium, etc," are normal conversations in households and among couples.

And then there's the insanity-driving local news coverage of shrieking, gasping field reporters and anchormen who tend to use a "similar" voice tone and level that a listener would think he's listening to just one person.

And then there are neighbours who only talk to you to show off new purchases, or to inquire where your next vacation will be.

Next are the pretenders which include the so-called "plastics," who deliberately or unconsciously lead and mislead lovers, people. Pensive, expensive, expansive. What characters!

And there are also those who get insanely in love, believing only in themselves and getting delusional in the process. Unilateral?

There, I sound like Archie. Where's Edith?

Hard Day's Night.

On the way to the mall, I saw this huge billboard announcing the Beatlesfest 2010 which features the original drummer of the Beatles, Peter Best. The fest takes place on Sept. 11 at the Aliw Theatre and also features Ely Buendia of the Pupil, Rene Garcia of the Hotdogs and RJ Jacinto.

I'm sure the song "A Hard Day's Night" will be featured in the fest.  "It's been a hard day's night and I've been working like a dog..."

If you go to the mall any day of the week, you'd find thousands of people at work. Of course, one has to work in order to earn his keep and stripe, or any object he's got in mind.  And it would be nice if the boss doesn't change his/her mind or mood, or else the work spirit might collapse.

A Hard Day's Night is the third studio album by The Beatles, released in July 1964 as the soundtrack to their film A Hard Day's Night.  It is one of my favorites of all Beatles' songs.

My fave of all the Fab 4 songs is "Till There Was You,"  the only Broadway tune that the Beatles ever recorded. 

"Till There Was You," is a song written by Meredith Willson for his 1957 musical play The Music Man, and which also appeared in the 1962 movie version.  It was recorded by the Beatles in 1963.

"The Music Man is a 1962 musical film which starred Robert Preston as Harold Hill and Shirley Jones as Marian Paroo. The film is based on the 1957 Broadway musical of the same name by Meredith Willson. The film was one of the biggest hits of the year and highly acclaimed critically.

In 2005, The Music Man was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

TILL THERE WAS YOU

There were bells on a hill
But I never heard them ringing
No I never heard them at all
Till there was you

There were birds in the sky
But I never saw them winging
No I never saw them at all
Till there was you

Then there was music and wonderful roses
They tell me in sweet fragrant meadows of dawn and dew

There was love all around
But I never heard it singing
No I never heard it at all
Till there was you

Then there was music and wonderful roses
They tell me in sweet fragrant meadows of dawn and dew

There was love all around
But I never heard it singing
No I never heard it at all
Till there was you

Till there was you

Tumbang Preso.

LEFT - Some schools try to revive and include "tumbang preso" in their sports curriculum.

When we were kids we played a game called "tumbang preso."  

The object of the game was to tag opponents so that they wouldn't be able to get to the home plate where a tin can stood and guarded by the IT, or

defender.  The opponents used  "pamatos" (stone, slippers, piece of wood, etc) to knock down the tin can.  If a player had been tagged by the "IT," (defender) while the tin can was still upright, he became the new IT.

My team, composed of older siblings, competed against the team composed of our second cousins. When our playtime extended beyond the "oracion," or Angelus, or when one of my cousins had been summoned by our Lola or Tia and didn't answer the call, my cousins would all get a "palo," or belt whipping, while our Team watched in fear. 

Children's games played physically were in abundance during my childhood.  Now, kids play bad guy, good guy, warrior, etc using two hands, either on a  PSP or a Nintendo. 

At parties, grown ups play parlour games.  Pictionary and Charade are the more popular ones. 

In social networks, young and adults play FarmVille.

In other settings, people play games to spice up drab lives.  Housewives hide from husbands, using spas or dermatological clinics as hideaways while husbands use the team-building meeting as excuse to hop into a karaoke bar or a date with the extra missus. 

Some lovers-to-be play the hard-to-get game, or create intricate maze. But the object of the game is to still get into the lover's arms. 

The sorry game playing now is the blame game over the Quirino Grandstand hostage taking.

Finally, it's open season - new season for football, hockey, television. I love that very much.

Saving It.

There's a soon-to-be-released movie titled "You Again," which stars among others, Sigourney Weaver, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kristen Bell and yes, Betty White.

I saw the trailer yesterday and from the looks of it, it would be a blast to watch. The reason I'd see it: Jamie Lee. 

There's a line that Betty White delivers when a guy asks Kristen Bell's character her phone number, 

" it's 555.... I also have a facebook account and I'm on Twitter."

The signs of the times.  Today, you see ancient people just like me,  texting, shouting out, and tweeting all over the place.

Five years ago who would have imagined that parents and grandparents would also be all over the place googling, chatting, and posting like the young people and those still actively in the workplace. 

My bro-in-law, a retired gynecologist, spends time in his computer when he wakes up at odd hours in the morning.  A sister who's out of the country "facebooks" to tell about her new "apo's" growing up antics. Colleagues and friends comment at none and sundry I sometimes post in my own fb account.

Social Network.  There's another movie of the same title showing soon.

Certain times I've posted my comment to some friends/relatives' shout out, especially if they sounded "troubled."  

But are there any rules or etiquette for shouting out or commenting in these social networks? 

Recently, I advised a niece to refrain from posting negatives about a former employer; I don't know how she took the pubic counsel, but she thanked me anyway. 

I guess these public social networks are much like eavesdropping on a party line conversation, except you can butt in anytime. 

But how do you tell friends or friends of friends to wake up and smell the coffee when it comes to their personal relationships as aired over these public venues? Or do you even tell them? Is MYOB the safest route? Some don't just get it; simply clueless. 

Social networkers, bloggers and blog readers are new species of the digital age; they share their lives and thoughts with everyone and encroach upon territories upon territories. Like the dinosaurs of millions years ago, these species' creations, opus and stratagems are ways to enlarge the boundaries of existence, to seek ways to multiply and save their kind.

Bamboo-zle.

There's an annual festival in New Jersey called "Bamboozle," a rain-or-shine, two-day music festival. Every year, new bands compete

 for spots during the two days. The event evolved out of the "Skate and Surf Festival."

The Bamboozle has many different characters within the festival planning. Some of these characters are real people with false identities, who work to plan and operate the festival, while others are completely fictional, and serve as a means to give the public clues as to who may be playing at The Bamboozle.

The definition of bamboozle, as a verb, is: To cause to accept what is false, especially by trickery or misrepresentation: beguile, betray, bluff, cozen, deceive,delude, double-cross, dupe, fool, hoodwink, humbug, mislead, take in, trick. Informal have. Slang four-flush.  Idioms: lead astray, play false, pull the wool over someone's eyes, put something over on, take for a ride. 

How many times have you been taken for a ride in your lifetime?

There are many con artists in the world; they operate nonchalantly.  There are the pros and the neophytes, and then there are those who don't really think that their action is "bamboozle".  In "street romance " parlance, "someone promises you the moon and the stars," and then just disappears like a cat.

BELOW- A Typical Bamboo cottage.

But let me talk about a different kind of bamboo.

It is the type of wood we see in the countryside. There are plenty of it in Cavite and also in our hometown in Nueva Ecija.  

The lowly bamboo used to be a popular construction piece of a house in rural areas. First, it was readily available - people just went to the woods and chopped down the bamboo trees.  Second, it was easy to use - folks just bound them together.  Third, it was aesthetically pleasing, and fourth, it was easy to maintain.  No need to paint, just wipe them wet and let dry.

Nowadays, the bamboo has become expensive.  Trees had been chopped down permanently because houses had been built in vacant wooded areas.  

Now that bamboos are expensive, they've become favorites of interior designers and homeowners. You see them used as room dividers, decor in sala or lanai, as extension fences, in spas, and inboth indoor and outdoor gardens. And beach resorts in Palawan and Bohol feature bamboo cottages and cabanas. 

My present project at home involves putting bamboo as wall finishing in a bathroom. I am not touching the tiles from the floor up to where the shower is, so basically the bamboo won't feel water. 

My initial problem was how to install the bamboo into concrete wall. If I drilled and put on grill or a semi-iron/plastic rod and tied the bamboo to it, the whole contraption of bamboo tied together may collapse en masse later.

So, I glued two pieces of narrow wooden slats, one near the ceiling and the second, mid-way, and glued each piece of bamboo onto it.  So, if a piece collapses, I'd just glue it back.

This project has just begun, and it takes time. I could have asked a pro to do it, but why?  The fee is high and I have enough time in my hands.