With my lil sister.

Madalas ko ka-jammin sina Vic at Emily twing 7:15 ng gabi. Dyan sa may Kalikasan Vigilante. Avid fan nila ako. Kaso last Friday na-late ako makasama sila. Katatapos lang basahin ni Vic ang isang madamdaming tula. Ang tulang yun ang topic of discussion for the night. Liham ng isang ama sa kanyang anak. Hindi tuloy ako naka-relate. Syempre hindi ko naman napakinggan. Kaya nung Lunes, sumulat ako ng liham kay Vic requesting for a copy of the poem. Pag pindot ko ng send, ilang minuto lang may reply na. Buti na lang pareho pala kami tambay sa cyberspace.

Here’s what he sent:

Here’s something to touch our hearts…

Sa aking pagtanda, unawain mo sana ako at pagpasensyahan. Kapag dala ng kalabuan ng mata ay nakabasag ako ng pinggan o nakatapon ng sabaw sa hapag kainan, huwag mo sana akong kagagalitan. Maramdamin ang isang matanda. Nagse-self-pity ako sa tuwing sisigawan mo ako.

Kapag mahina na ang tenga ko at hindi ko maintindihan ang sinasabi mo, huwag mo naman sana akong sabihan ng “bingi!” Paki-ulit nalang ang sinabi mo o pakisulat na lang. Pasensya ka na, anak. Matanda na talaga ako.

Kapag mahina na tuhod ko, pagtiyagaan mo sana akong tulungang tumayo, katulad ng pag-aalalay ko sa iyo noong nag-aaral ka pa lamang lumakad.

Pagpasensyahan mo sana ako kung ako man ay nagiging makulit at paulit ulit na parang sirang plaka. Basta pakinggan mo na lang ako. Huwag mo sana akong pagtatawanan o pagsasawaang pakinggan. Natatandaan mo anak noong bata ka pa, kapag gusto mo ng lobo, paulit- ulit mo yong sasabihin? Maghapon kang mangungulit hangga’t hindi mo nakukuha ang gusto mo. Pinagtyagaan ko ang kakulitan mo.

Pagpasensyahan mo na rin sana ang aking amoy. Amoy matanda, amoy lupa. Huwag mo sana akong piliting maligo. Mahina na ang katawan ko. Madaling magkasakit kapag nalamigan, huwag mo sana akong pandirihan. Natatandaan mo noong bata ka pa? Pinagtyagaan kitang habulin sa ilalim ng kama kapag ayaw mong maligo.

Pagpasensyahan mo sana kung madalas, ako’y masungit, dala na marahil ito ng katandaan. Pagtanda mo, maiintindihan mo rin.

Kapag may konti kang panahon, magkwentuhan naman tayo, kahit sandali lang. Inip na ako sa bahay, maghapong nag-iisa. Walang kausap. Alam kong busy ka sa trabaho, subalit nais kong malaman mo na sabik na sabik na akong makakwentuhan ka, kahit alam kong hindi ka interesado sa mga kwento ko. Natatandaan mo anak, noong bata ka pa? Pinagtyagaan kong pakinggan at intindihin ang pautal-utal mong kwento tungkol sa iyong teddy bear.

At kapag dumating ang sandali na ako’y magkakasakit at maratay sa banig ng karamdaman, huwag mo sana akong pagsawaang alagaan. Pagpasensyahan mo na sana kung ako man ay maihi o madumi sa higaan, pagtyagaan mo sana akong alagaan sa mga huling sandali ng aking buhay. Tutal hindi na naman ako magtatagal.

At kapag dumating ang sandali ng aking pagpanaw, hawakan mo sana ang aking kamay at bigyan mo ako ng lakas ng loob na harapin ang kamatayan. At huwag kang mag-alala, kapag kaharap ko na ang Diyos na lumikha, ibubulong ko sa kanya na pagpalain ka sana, dahil naging mapagmahal ka sa iyong ama at ina.

Written by Rev. Fr. Ariel F. Robles, CWL Spiritual Director, St. Augustine Parish, Baliuag, Bulacan

But really sometimes… it takes a lot of holding on to master the art of letting go…

Hers was a name…

of love…

of memory…

She was love a memory gently holds on to.

It flashes over a small boy holding his grandmother’s hand.

A hand soft and warm… vaguely resembling the freshly-baked monay he was holding in his other hand.

It was summer. And he was smiling like the sun.

His grandmother has taken him by the seaside.

It had become their morning rituals.

She will buy fresh crabs and shrimps… from the fisherfolks who were already up with their nets even before dawn.

And he will go swimming with the sun-tanned kids who live nearby.   

It was so easy to make friends then, he fondly remembers.

All he had to do was sail together with the kids on their make-believe ship – a coconut log found abandoned along the coastline. Paddle. And shout together in glee every time a soft wave steers their ship away in farther direction… as if pulling them towards the sea’s navel.

For the boy, it was a summer almost extending to endless playing and innocent laughter…

Its echoes… until now, he could still distinctly hear.

And her grandmother, watching him from afar… constantly waving at him… reminding his time was up. Until the boy got tired immersing in the waters, would he take his grandmother’s hand again. And they would go hand-in-hand. She, carrying fresh seafoods… and he, dripping wet, forever carrying a happy memory of that day. 

Before they reach home, they would cross a bridge. And the boy would beg her to let him watch the water underneath.

“Is the water down there deep?” he would ask.

And before she could answer he would holler in pure excitement “Look… fishes!”

That bridge… now long gone… replaced by a sturdier one. That bridge which has now withered into a memory. Like his grandmother. They could never cross that bridge hand-in-hand now. Because like their bridge, she too was already long gone. Akin to the fate of this quaint place’s folklore gradually submerging in the depths.

And though he felt he was robbed of time, the boy never let go of the happy moments he tucked so lovingly in the deepest recesses of his mind. The beachwalk… the shrimps… the crabs… the afternoon visits in the mangroves… the love… and the fable about the monkey and the turtle she repeatedly told him more than a thousand times… it was the boy’s favorite story, you know.

The boy rarely visited the place ever since then.

Until one day.

He came back. With his mom.

The boy had become taller by an inch than their young pasaw tree.

They walked by the seaside where he used to have so much fun.

The place, he noticed… is rapidly donning a new garb.

And he couldn’t even see children splashing each other with thrill and saltwater anymore.

“Do you have friends when you were my age?” he asked.

“You remember your auntie Kusing?

She was my best friend.”

And she recounted about the time when they were little… the two of them almost drowned because they had swum so far from the shore. That they floated and floated, scared to death, hanging on to each other.

He never told her… but it was actually his favorite among his mom’s real-life stories.

After the lull, she added “Your grandfather grew up in these shores. Too bad… you never had the chance to meet him.”

The boy was still cocooned in her womb when his grandfather passed away.

Not only did this place gave them memories…

It gave them something to cling on to.

In their own time…

In their own different time.

But he guessed, on that day… in that place… they were tied by one special woman who played a part in their lives.

But what’s bound to happen is bound to happen… not only for a reason but for far greater purpose only He Up There could justify and true wisdom could ever discern.

A soft breeze passed in confirmation.

It was as if the boy grasped something he is still not supposed to understand. But many, many years later he would. That the woman who sat by his side then… was not only the woman he calls mom.  She was someone who knew him… who really knew him. From his first heartbeat. From his very beginnings.         

And despite their differences… the two shared something.

Maybe only they would ever understand.

In a place which cradled a part of their pasts.

But she’s no place like the one she once were.

Because like the boy, she too grew up.

Though one thing about her never changed.

And he thinks never would.

Her waves.

Not a single second did it ever get tired.

Returning…

Embracing the shore.

And carrying with it a promise.

That tomorrow carries with it another one more time. 

True… there’s one more kiss to fly…

And another one to catch.

(For mom who is celebrating her birthday today… and her mom, wherever she is…)

Hindi ito kanta, pero iilan ito sa mga ginintuang aral na natutunan ko mula sa pinakamagaling at joker kong patnubay – ang buhay:

a. You can’t force others to like you kahit ampalaya ka pa. To put simply, hindi lahat ng tao mapipilit mo sa gusto mo. Proven na yan. So get over it.

b. Huwag masyado magpapaniwala sa pangako. Binibitawan lang ito either tuparin or to shut you up.

c. Mother knows best… so makinig. It doesn’t mean naman na pag nakinig ka ay susundin mo na. Makinig lang. Pero kung ang nanay mo ay si Bakekang, ibang usapan na ito.

d. Wag makipagtalo. Hindi ko naman sinasabi na huwag ka nang mag-law. Sa akin lang, we don’t have to always agree. Kasi nga, we may be looking at the same sky yet see different stars.

e. Learn from the mistakes of others. Kasi hindi ka pagbibigyan ni Tadhana na tikman lahat ng kasalanan. Otherwise, lucky you. And luckier you if you got away with all your sins.

f. Walang sigurado sa buhay… pero siguradong in the end malalagutan ka ng hininga. Kaya habang may buhay, wear smile often. Eto lang ang kasuotang hindi naluluma o namamantsahan.

g. Hindi mo naman pala talaga kailangan gumamit ng earbuds para linisan ang tenga. Kailangan ng ear mo ang wax. Hoy! Narinig mo ba ako!?

h. Wag maging assuming. Ano feeling mo? Siniswerte ka.

i. Kahit wala ka namang urgent na trabaho, magbusy-busyhan pa rin lalo’t naandyan ang boss mo. Ganyan talaga ang buhay. Parang gulong. Minsan nasa itaas, minsan nafa-flat. Aba para rin palang kanta.

j. Kung niloko ka na once, ang laki mo namang tanga kung magpapaloko ka pa twice. Isipin mo, hindi lahat ng matitikman mong maasim mayaman sa vitamin C. Take for example, kili-kili.

k. Love conquers all except toothache. Ouch!

l. Wag mahiya tumawa because laughter lowers levels of cortisol, isang stress hormone. In addition, surround yourself with good people. Pag na-e-expose kasi ang body mo sa sunshine, it makes its own vitamin D.

m. Marami ka pang pipilahang pila sa buhay na ito habang naririnig mo sa background and kantang "It’s the waiting that’s driving me out of my mind." Kaya laging magdala ng libro o anumang mapagkakaabalahan lalo na’t hindi ka naman ganun ka-sociable para makipagkwentuhan sa mga katabi mo. Pero isaksak mo sa kukote mo, wag i-memorize, intindihin.

n. When making choices, weigh the consequences. Like kaligayan ko ba o ni World? Ulitin natin. Kaligayan ko ba? O ni World? Medyo mahirap nga mamili pero may mga sandali talagang isang beses ka lang pagbibigyan ni Pagkakataon. Pampalubag loob – pag nawala man lahat sa iyo, at least nalaman mo kung ano talaga ang mahalaga o nagbigay kahulugan sa buhay mo.

o. Ang lumakad ng matulin pag natinik, mapapa-aray sa sakit. Lalo na’t kung naka-paa lang.

p. Cream Brulee could never be Jell-O. And vice-versa.

q. You can actually be in two places at one time. Minsan. Wag na makipagtalo. Sinabi nang pwede.

r. Hindi na maibabalik ang nakaraan… because just like the words you uttered, they’re already dead. Kaya give importance to Now and Tomorrow bago pa sila kunin ni Lord sa iyo.

s. Sa pagmamahal, laging kakambal ni Kasiyahan si Kalungkutan. It’s a package na kasi eh. You don’t get the one without getting the other. Ika nga love, like life, is a box of chocolates. Minsan makukuha mo Cadbury, minsan Tsoke-Tsoke.

t. Hindi lang ikaw ang may mabigat na problema dud. Kaya stop bitching! Gusto mo kwentahan tayo ng utang, utang na loob and such. Kaya payo ko lang, habang may sasakyan pa, sumakay na! Malay mo, last trip na yun. Ikaw rin, baka matagal pa ang dating ng susunod na biyahe.

u. Pahalagahan ang pamilya at mga kaibigan. Sila lang ang pupulot sa iyo pag nasa kangkungan ka na. Ipagluluto ka pa nila ng adobong kangkong. Pustahan tayo, friends and family last longer than lovers. Di ba nga there are moments when you miss them so much that you just want to pick them like flowers and hug them for real. Pero take note, no matter how close they had been there for us, the furthest they can go with us is up to our grave. Only.

v. Sama ng loob? Let go… masama kay Heart na pagsamahin sila. Like pag nagkasala ka, mag-sorry ka. Hindi naman ganun kahirap bigkasin yun. Para rin lang yan Hi. O Hello. Na taos puso.

w. Be honest. But you don’t have to tell them all. Bakit sino ba sila? Si DJ Mo? And if you still feel repressed, sumakay sa Flying Carpet sa Star City at sumigaw to death non-stop. Don’t worry hindi ka mapagkakamalang baliw.

x. Matuto lumangoy. You’ll never know when the next Great Flood will be. Kaya minsan naman have a date with your own artist. Pero kahit date ng date, wag pahuhuli sa balita. Manood ng CNN. Kung walang cable, TV Patrol. O 24 Oras. Whatever.

y. Love like you’ve never loved before. Mata nya lang naman ang walang latay pag sinaktan ka. Sinaktan ka? Hambalusin mo! Pero once lang gagawin. And if you can’t beat them… arrange to have them beaten. Figuratively, I mean.

z. Afford to get lost. Exciting yun. At eto tandaan mo. Ng Mabuti. Mawala ka man, hindi titigil ang pag-ikot ng mundo. So habang nawawala ka, mag-enjoy ka lang. Sabi nga nila life is short. Totoo yun. Kaya gawin mo na lahat ng gusto at kaya mong gawin habang bata ka pa. Basta yung good lang ha. Aba’y mahirap na atang madi-virginize kung setenta y anyos ka na. Di ba? Haha, joke lang. Kaya ever, don’t live as if you’ll never die, and die as though you had never lived.

Okey now… let’s sing the real ABC…

How do you mend a star with a broken foot?

I found myself scanning the family/cartoons section of Video City late Saturday night. I had just returned a war movie of Bruce Willis and that critically acclaimed adult film of Katherine Luna, so I decided to get a breather and go wholesome for the moment instead. Of the thousand titles sleeping in racks, there was this one which grabbed me by my shoulders. It was adapted from the (un)popular children’s series by Klaus Baumgart. I haven’t heard of it (simply maybe because I’m too grown-up now) but according to BILD, it is “one of the most beautiful and most imaginative kid movies in many years”. I seconded the opinion three hours later.

The story started with seven year old Laura and her family moving to the city from their dearly loved country home. Laura finds it hard to make new friends, she feels lost and misses the apple tree which she used to see from her window bed every waking hours back at their old place. Until one night, Laura sees a radiant little star plummet from the sky, breaking one of its feet in the fall. Laura rescues the fallen star, nurses it back to health, and an extraordinary friendship begins. In a whole new world where they feel they were strangers, the two kindred souls found each other. But soon, Laura realizes the star is dying – it is longing to go back home, just like she was. Difficult as it seems, now Laura is about to learn one of life’s hardest lessons – setting free something you love, coping with the lost, and moving on. Indeed, be captivated by the beauty of light and it may leave you blinded forever. Yet somehow, through its radiance, it leads you to a realization that home is wherever the people you truly love are. Because no matter how hard and how much it hurts to let go, there are some things meant to shine their best only once they found their rightful place in the universe.

Sniff. Somebody pass me a tissue.

Hiding had always been fun. More than ever if someone is passionate in seeking you. You see… this whole game of hide and seek somehow gives flavor to mystery. It drives you to run fast as a wind in search of that one perfect hiding place – a place to momentarily shelter you until you’re ready to come out and face the reality of the game. It is in this intimate little space that you waited praying that the seeker never finds you. It is in here where you waited counting time, at times stealing an innocent glance until you see the area is cleared. You run back to the home base just the way a snitch swiftly eludes it eager catchers. What a triumph and delight that you were able to return safe.  The seeker passed you by. Time flies and the moment lingers to the sweetness of bygone days hiding and waiting in that one place which concealed all that you are. This place has been the one there for you in your need for safety and comfort. But on this day, you realized you wanted something new. Dressed in excitement with eyes painted in fear, you waited in the shadows. You still don’t want to be caught yet you left traces… hoping in the end you will be found. You hide and waited. It was a talent you have perfected all your life. Eventually, you got tired and realized that you can’t hide forever. Slowly, silently you came out only to realize that it was already dark. Nobody has come and searched for you. The game is over. You walk back to the home base – a sturdy tree which is already deserted. You sat under its shade and found the distant shadow of a long-time familiar presence. You still think hiding is fun. So long as there’s someone eager in seeking you. It wouldn’t be called hide and seek in the first place if the seeker gave up on seeking you, right? In hiding, you really are seeking for that armor fit to protect you. But the armor doesn’t fit you now. Not a star in sight, everybody seems hiding. It’s still the same game, same playing field, same rules… it’s just that the players have changed. You are the seeker now. You count from one to 10 and began that solitary search.             

dear reader,

bored ka ba? nais mo bang kahit saglit lang maiba naman ang takbo ng iyong buhay? pwes, tara samahan nyo ako at tayo’y maglakbay sa isang naiibang paraiso sa bayang aking kinalakhan! pero teka, para lang to dun sa matitibay ang sikmura, mga naghihikahos na may konting pera, at sanay sa isang mahabang paglalakbay. in short, adventurous ba.

takot sumakay sa eroplano? hindi nakakaabot sa p99 airfare promo ng cebu pacific? para talaga to sa yo. 

una. tumungo sa buendia o cubao at sumakay ng bus papuntang batangas pier ng alas-nwebe ng gabi (o kahit na anong oras mo naisin). wag ka na pumunta sa bltb dun sa pasay dahil matagal na yun nasunog. bus fare: p185.00. paalala – magbaon ng windbreaker o kumot dahil parang freezer sa lamig ang mga aircon bus. magbaon na rin ng pagkain, preferably burger, donuts o yung mga kutkutin, dyahe naman pag kanin (mahahalata talagang mahirap ka!).

pangalawa. makakarating ka ng batangas pier ng alas dose ng hating-gabi (assuming hindi tumirik ang inyong gulong). kung busilak ang puso mo, bumili ka naman kahit mani o uraro sa mga tindero at tindera na pagkakaguluhan at hahabulin ka para bilhin ang kanilang paninda sa entrance ng pier. stand-by sila dun 24 hours. pero kung walang-wala ka na talaga, i-dedma mo na lang. kasalanan mo ba kung hindi ka ipinanganak na mayaman? bumili ka na lang tiket papuntang calapan. p160.00 regular boat fare. bilisan mo! dahil every hour ang alis ng barko (assuming na may pasahero. hindi umaalis ang barko kung lilima lang kayong tatawid ng mindoro). pag sa barko, umidlip, i’m sure inaantok ka na. halos dalawang oras din ang biyahe. pero kung daytrip ka, kaya yan ni supercat ng isang oras.

pangatlo. pagdating ng calapan ng alas tres (assuming na ala-una nakaalis ang barko sa batangas), tumakbo agad dun sa mga nakaabang na van papuntang roxas. pag sinabi ko takbo, huwag ka naman tumakbo, baka pagkamalan ka magnanakaw, mabugbog ka pa. mapupurnada lang bakasyon mo. pero mabuti nang mauna ka dahil aalis agad ang van pag ito ay napuno. van fare: p180.00. apat na oras ang byahe kaya matulog habang nasa van.

pang-apat. makakarating ka ng roxas roro port ng alas syete. yehey may araw na. bumili agad ng tiket papuntang caticlan. boat fare ay p320.00. aalis pa ang barko ng alas otso o alas nwebe, kaya mag-almusal ka muna. warning: medyo hindi masarap ang pagkakaluto ng mga pagkain dun sa mga nakahilerang restaurants sa may pier pero may burger stand dun sa may gate, at least dun mapagtyatyagaan pa. sa kin okey na ang bacon and egg sandwich tsaka chukie. sa yo okey ba yun? and take note nga pala, tatlong barko lang ang umaalis kada araw, so kung hindi ka umabot sa alas-otso, ang next two trips ay sa hapon pa at alas-dos ng madaling araw. pag sumakay ng barko, humanap agad ng upuan at higaan mo na (kahit na pang-apatan). sometimes, maging selfish ka naman. pero kung wala nang maupuan ang ibang tao, mahiya ka naman and share the seat with others. apat na oras din ang byahe. nagbaon ka ba ng bonamine? may chewables na. medyo kabahan ka na kung maalon. hehe tinatakot lang kita.

panglima. ala-una y medya ka na makakadaong sa caticlan jetty port. tumitirik na ba ang mga mata mo sa hilo o gutom? dumiretso muna sa andoks. last leg na to ng biyahe mo kid, bumalik sa port at bumili ng tiket papuntang boracay. kung aklanon ka, p19.00 lang ang babayaran mong boat fare pero pag hindi ka aklanon p80.00. o wag tataas ang kilay. yan ay alituntunin sa ordinansang kapapasa lang. nagdagdag na kasi ng environmental fee sa pamasahe. syempre boracay is our no. 1 tourist destination in the country. tama lang na pangalagaan ito di ba? halos 10 minutes lang ang boat ride. at kada minuto may umaalis. at sya nga pala, hindi na dun dumadaong ang mga bankga sa white beach. wala nang stations 1, 2, and 3. they don’t exist anymore. may bagong port na dun sa manoc-manoc.

pang-anim. congratulations! sa wakes, nasa boracay ka na! kung first time, wag magsisigaw sa tuwa. hindi mo lang alam, lahat ng tao excited, hindi lang ikaw. maghire ng tricycle. p15.00 – p20.00 lang ang pamasahe up to white beach kaya wag padudugas sa mga drivers. alam ko, wala ka pa ligo at nais mo na magcheck-in sa resort, pero hindi ko na problema yun. kelangan marating na ang destinasyon.

pang-pito. yang nasa picture – yan ang fairways and bluewater. yan ang pupuntahan natin. medyo lampas yan ng white beach and diniwid beach kaya medyo kelangan mo mag-arkila ng tricycle o motor papunta dun. pwede na ang p60.00. kung lampas pa dun, no deal. tawagan mo ako o si banker. wag na mag-rent ng kabayo papunta dun dahil para sa mga may-kaya lang yun. pero kun trip mo naman maglakad, nasa sa yo rin yun. pag nasa entrance ka na ng fairways, tatanungin ka ng guard “saan po kayo?” syempre hindi mo naman pwede sabihin “mag-go-golf lang po.” malakas ata pang-amoy ng mga guards. mabubuking ka lang. trained k9 ang mga yan. sabihin mo na lang “dyan lang kuya sa butterfly garden.” ayan. papasok ka na sa fairways. dumaan ka muna sa butterfly garden at pagkatapos mo laruin ang mga butterflies dumiretso ka na sa pool area. take note: it is the biggest resort with golf-course (18-hole par 72 world-class golf course) sa isla. pag sa pool area ka na, pwede ka na magsenti dahil overlooking dun ang two beaches: the east and west part. mahangin at picturesque ang lugar dahil situated sya along the cliffs. konti rin ang mga tao dahil yung nasa class a ng society lang ang tumutungo dito. ikaw, naligaw lang. hehe. andun din banda sa may dulong ibaba ang lapuz-lapuz point, considered the heaven’s mouth ng isla. make sure na bumaba ka dun. habang maluha-luha ka sa tuwa, tawagan mo na ang mga kaibigan mo na nakatira sa tondo, singalong o lardizabal at inggitin. at habang nasa fairways ka, magstock ka na ng super-sariwang hangin. punuin mo na ang iyong baga dahil kakailanganin mo lahat ng ito pabalik ng maynila.

maligayang paglalakbay.

I was on my way home (after more than 17 hours of sleepless travel ) when I spotted this not so amazing sight of footprints. It was a little after sunset (which means I’ll be spending noche buena in the streets if I didn’t get the last boat and van trip home. Alam mo naman sa Aklan hindi uso ang 24-hour public transportation service, takot lang ng mga drivers sa aswang pag kumagat ang dilim. Hehe.) And to borrow my most favorite poet’s words: 

We met.

But all we did that day

was mingle great and small
footprints in summer dust

as if we drew
the figure of our being

less than two
but more than one

as yet.

In layman’s term: Who knows… from these thousand footprints, maybe you’re bound to meet the destiny of your feet…

1. I was born midnight of August 23rd in 1981.

2. So it’s safe to assume that on that day, on that very particular day, I was the first to come out in the world. Unless someone had overtook me by a nanosecond.

3. When asked what I want to be when I grow up, I answered “Doctor.”

4. “Or lawyer.”

5. I became neither.

6. I am not that good in photography as people claim.

7. I am super good.

8. Haha! Kidding!

9. I can play the violin.

10. I won first place in a regional proofreading and copywriting contest when I was 15.

11. My classmates pulled my hair in frenzied joy when my name was being called so I was a little groggy when I accepted the award.

12. I often won in “the most fragrant hair” competition versus my best friend Kuri. We compete every morning during our senior year in high school.

13. But I often cheated by putting perfume on my hair before judgment.

14. She gave me a simple personalized mug on our graduation day. It is the most wonderful present I have received. So far.

15. My all-time favorite fictional character is Holden Caulfield.

16. One of my teachers commented that I have a beautiful handwriting.

17. I can drive a motorcycle.

18. But not a car.

19. I have seen all the Presidents from Cory to Gloria, in person.

20. And Marcos too. As corpse. In Batac.

21. I have first been to Boracay when I was 8.

22. I don’t like riding in airplanes, taxis, FX, air con buses, elevators, or any closed automobiles. I easily get drowsy.

23. I used to collect Marvel super heroes cards.

24. I had a yaya named Marilyn until I was 5.

25. I had a suking barbero when I was still a child.

26. I also had a suking magxe-xerox in Public Ad.

27. The three reminds me that change is the only constant thing in the world. Excluding stupidity.

28. I have already seen the largest fish underwater.

29. I was a member of the Super Kids Club.

30. I have seen a falling star… fall right in front of me.

31. I don’t drink coffee anymore. I won’t drink coffee anymore.

32. Unless its coffee Alamid.

33. I love dining al fresco. But please not in turo-turo. 

34. The first mountain I conquered was Mt. Makiling.

35. My first real job was being a coder of human ailment and diseases.

36. I’m not fond of my surname.

37. It was always the butt of jokes.

38. And don’t try to crack any jokes about it because I’ve heard all of them.

39. I worked as a student volunteer in the Foreign Affairs and Bilibid.

40. I had my first accident when I was 8.

41. I was hit by a motorcycle.

42. I had asthma when I was still a baby.

43. I don’t have it now.

44. But I still am lanky.

45. My favorite games when I was still a child were patintero, taguan and syato.

46. When she was still alive, my grandmother used to take me to the beach.

47. I used to steal money from mom.

48. But not that much.

49. Only enough to buy me books. Lots of books.

50. I have a collection of books and toys. Under lock and key.

51. I was a CAT officer.

52. I almost didn’t graduate because of ROTC.

53. I used to have a skateboard.

54. I’m 5’8 tall.

55. I can swim.

56. I can sing.

57. But not that good.

58. I don’t smoke.

59. I don’t drink.

60. I don’t wear any accessory.

61. You got the picture - pretty bland and boring.

62. I’m a registered voter.

63. But I never voted since I registered.

64. I am the eldest.

65. I usually eat the dessert before the main dish.

66. I had my first operation when I was 12.

67. It wasn’t fatal.

68. All boys willing to be man undergo it.

69. I ran for vice president in my last year in high school.

70. I didn’t win.

71. I wish I haven’t collected Sidney Sheldon books.

72. It was a little too late I realized they’re full of craps.

73. My first story was published in Funny Komiks.

74. I have visited the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Philippines except the Subterranean River and Tubbataha.

75. I love crabs and shrimps. My siblings don’t.

76. I don’t like dinuguan or any dish with atay or balun-balunan. My siblings do.

77. I never liked dogs.

78. I was bitten once.

79. But I didn’t get rabies.

80. I have milked a cow.

81. I get claustrophobic when I’m wearing goggles.

82. I don’t look at the clock after 11 pm.

83. I got exempted from taking the civil service exam.

84. But I took it anyway.

85. And got 89%. I was second placer in our batch.

86. I can speak Tagalog, Aklanon, Ilonggo and a little bit (little bit here means very basic words like hello and goodbye) of Spanish, French and Bahasa.

87. I passed the qualifying exam for German class at FSI.

88. But I didn’t pursue it.

89. Because I got accepted in my Masters.

90. I used to fly kites, cross the river and wander in the forest with my childhood friends.

91. The only thing my sister and I say to shut my brother up amidst a fight when we were still young was “You are adopted!”

92. But of course, he isn’t. I could still remember the day he was born.

93. I love spelunking.

94. I went to Corregidor all by myself on my 22nd birthday.

95. I was almost incarcerated in a prison bus for jaywalking in Cubao exactly a year after.

96. I have already appeared in a Japanese cable TV show.

97. It’s not porno.

98. I thought I would never finish this list.

99. But I did.

100. I might write a sequel to this titled “102 More Things About Me.”

101. Or maybe not.