From someone courting...

I used to know a lovely lady who had a killer smile. I wonder where she's gone. I surely miss her.

A poem for that special lady...

BECAUSE YOU SMILED
I raised my head and saw you there
Across the room from me.
A smile had started in your eyes
And it was - good - to see.
One moment, then it reached your lips
And lingered for awhile,
I wonder - "Do you know the joy
That traveled with your smile?"
A smile is such a little thing,
And used so sparingly.
Sometimes - it's awfully hard to do,
But - Oh - it's good to see.
When I feel tired, or low within
As I often do,
It's good to look across the room
And have a smile - from you.

Pinoy Movie Titles

Sana magkaroon tayo nang mga mahuhusay na pamagat ng pelikula, tulad ng mga ito noon...

"Kung mahawi man ang ulap"
"Nagalit ang buwan sa haba ng gabi"
"Kakabakaba ka ba?"
"Tinimbang ka ngunit kulang"
"Ganito kami noon, paano kayo ngayon?"


Hindi tulad nang mga karamihan ngayon na hango lang sa kanta. La kwenta.
Maigi pa ang "Patikim ng pinya," medyo pinag-isipan.

Reluctance

Reluctance
by Robert Frost.

Out through the fields and the woods
And over the walls I have wended;
I have climbed the hills of view
And looked at the world, and descended;
I have come by the highway home,
And lo, it is ended.

The leaves are all dead on the ground,
Save those that the oak is keeping
To ravel them one by one
And let them go scraping and creeping
Out over the crusted snow,
When others are sleeping.

And the dead leaves lie huddled and still,
No longer blown hither and thither;
The last long aster is gone;
The flowers of the witch-hazel wither;
The heart is still aching to seek,
But the feet question 'Whither?'

Ah, when to the heart of man
Was it ever less than a treason
To go with the drift of things,
To yield with a grace to reason,
And bow and accept the end
Of a love or a season?


**************
The last four lines are the killer. Who would yield with a grace to reason? If the reason is leading to someone/something not in your favor? Who would go with the drift of things, when that drift leads to your own sadness? Then, except in the movies or books, all endings are sad. No exemptions.

Small point: tungkol sa pagsakay sa siksikan na jeep o bus

Ayaw ko nang katabing dumadagan sayo pag biglang kadyot o andar and sasakyan, imbis na humawak sa estribo.

Tignan mo pag sumakay ka ng dyip, sa routine ng pagkokomyut, karamihan ng tao ay nasa kanilang pribadong oras para magmuni-muni. Sa umaga, malamang iniisip nang lahat ang kanilang suliranin sa eskwela (halimbawa pag may eksamen, mga topic na kulang pa sa rebyu) o sa trabaho (mga nakalimutang gawin at kailangan nang tapusin).

Ngayon, pag bigla ibibigay sayo sa iyo ng katabi mo ang bigat nya dahil sa katamarang humawak sa estribo, hindi ba masasayang o ang iyong "train of thought?" Istorbo sa pinakamababawa. Mas nakakabwisit ito kapag nakatayo sa siksikang bus.

Posibleng pasintabi lang siguro kapag ang tao ay maliit at hindi talaga abot ang estribo, may bitbit ang dalawang kamay na di talaga kayang maibaba. o kababaihang iniiwasan naman ang matsansingan. O ang pinakamamahal mo ang dadagan sayo. Dabest yun.

A quote to refer to when about to explode at work..

"There is only one sure means in life of ensuring that you are not ground into paste by disappointment, futility, and disillusion. And that is always to ensure, to the utmost of your ability, that you are doing it solely for the money." -- from The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay.

Hudapak: Lino Cayetano

Hudapak is Lino Cayetano?, a friend asked.

Found some answers in an article...

"For the past months, everybody’s been hearing and talking about how hard
the intense and goodlooking young director has been working on his first film
project, “I've Fallen For You.”

Star Cinema is quite happy with the results. “We are very happy that Direk Lino came on board for this project. He is very meticulous, hardworking and it showed in this endeavor,” this according to producer Marizel Samson-Martinez.
The movie is very close to Direk Lino’s heart as he injected family values into the film. Direk’s only wish was, “Sana noon pa ako gumawa ng pelikula para napanood ng Daddy ko.”

[as if everyone can just borrow a cybershot and film a feature length!] Then the movie reportedly sucked big time. Did he get to direct because of connections and his tabloid-fodder good life?

small point: sports vs. work

One good thing about sports is you dont have to advertise and gloat much on what you do in the playfield, at work, you have to understand the politics and art of advertising your achievements so the people who promote you and give you bonus knows...

I heard that call centers have established clear metrics, but, most of us who work in plants in Laguna, Cavite, Batangas... have to understand how to use email, powerpoint, table meetings to lift the personal chair.

Sports as work (e.g. NBA players), including Singing, Acting... are among the few trades that can naturally be loved. I dont believe at face value anyone who says "I love my work!" if he/she does this 8 to 5 (even up to 10pm!) toiling with metals, automotive, semiconductors.

But I can only imagine the attached pressure in pro sports at a certain level. What level? One quick indicator is if the play is televised. Play to win the game; if you lose; how many sleepless nights is it equivalent to erase the pain? Office work, if you fail, even through a major-major personal screw-up, a colleague, you, or your boss can still stand by and defend.

So, along the line of many other conclusions, it all depends on the person in the end. Competitive spirit and natural disdain for office politics? Go boxing. That is if you have the punching talent... if not, wont hurt to understand how to advertise yourself now.

Tungkol sa Cebu

Kung hinahanap mo ang iyong sarili sa pagpunta sa Cebu, pero di mo pa rin makita makalipas ang araw… hanapin mo na lang ang pinakamasarap at pinakarasonable ang presyo na fruit salad and shake stand sa buong Pilipinas. “Thirsty?...” ang pangalan ng istol. Sa maynila, kasing laki lang ang pwesto nila ng Fruitas… pero ibang-iba ang syeyks na di tinipid sa lagay ng prutas. Subukan din ang fruit salad nila na tinitimbang. May pakwan, mangga, melon, buko, lychee...pero wag na magpalagay ng lychee, damihan ng malalambot na buko para mabuo ang tamang timbang. Tapos lalagayan na sya ng matamis at ma-cremang sabaw. Hmmmmnnnmnmn.

Meron sya sa Esem at Ayala Mall duon sa siyudad ng Cebu. Walang-wala ang Big Chill o Fruitas. At kalahati pa yata ang presyo. Ewan lang kung mag-i-istol din sila sa kamaynilaan--baka di na ganon kamura. Pero hmmmmnnnmnmn pa rin.

I would never tire waking up beside you...

It is a world of impulse. it is a world of sincerity. It is a world in which every word spoken speaks just to that moment, every glance given has only one meaning, each kiss is a kiss of immediacy.

--from Einstein's Dreams

Reading lined-up

....that in a recent three-week buying frenzy of books from Amazon and Powerbooks. which brought me back 155 USD + 3335 PhP, the most that ive spent in one month for books, have now me saddled with reading materials, which I cannot finish in two years!

Id like to comment on some, and hope to check back this blog entry in one year to check, which one Ive read...

1. god is not great by christopher hitchens--saw this cited first in an esquire article, entitled "thank god for christopher hitchens." then a couple of other reviews somehow, in divine providence, got to me in succession. It appears that this is cited as the best among the recent deluge of "anti-god" lit. i hope to god it's really an interesting read.

2. nobody's perfect by anthony lane--a good writer. best reviewer of movies that has to be deservingly dissed. i'll put a quote in the next edit.

3. batman. the dark knight returns--when in college, i was already hearing about this. It was supposed to be the basis of the first batman (tim burton) movie. then i saw it at national bookstore branch in cubao again during that same week ive heard about it. But i know i cant afford it. also too big to pilfer. only thought of buying it at amazon again upon knowing that christopher nolan is directing the next batman movie. niwey, was a fantastic feeling when i finally opened, and smell its the pages recently.

4. insanity defense by woody allen--been a fan of woody allen ever since seeing his movies in succession in wowow (that fantastic japanese channel which shows boobies, but now nowhere on air here in the phils now). i think it was mighty aphrodite then annie hall then bullets over broadway in succession that got me... what a line up in one weekend. But the first time i've read him in print was only a year ago. it was "the kugelmass episode" from a collection of love stories (called nothing but you) from the new yorker (which i consider inside my top 3 magazines of all). that short story staggered me. he also knows how to write 'em in real prose (not just screenplay). there is one recent tribute that he wrote for ingmar bergman (not included in the book)... "I learned from his example to try to turn out the best work I'm capable of at that given moment."

5. mere anarchy by woody allen--latest collection. picked up in singapore and charged to the company (daily trip allowance) :-)
i wanna quote one more from his bergman article... "But I did manage to absorb one thing from him, a thing not dependent on genius or even talent but something that can actually be learned and developed. I am talking about what is often very loosely called a work ethic but is really plain discipline."

6. einstein: his life and universe by walter isaacson almost finished. interesting initially... but seems to wane in the last chapters. will quote a memo he served his wife after a fight...

7. stories by t.c. boyle pilfered from national cubao his short story collection "if the river was whiskey," because that store priced that thin book unconscionably.

8. the complete polysyllabic spree by nick hornby read some of hornby;s book review. oks lang.

9. curious incident of a dog in a night time by mark haddon 3/4 read might not be able to finish after all, but i think i got the fantastic impact of empathy from the novel's half

10. america: democracy inaction by daily show was attracted by the textbook-approach cum parody. wondered if we can adapt to a local setting. "philippines: democracy in small portions"?

11. Naked by sedaris. tried three essays. Good but if youve read dress your familyand me talk pretty already, you might feel short changed. pieces in those last two collections, I think, are way better.

12. god delusion by richard dawkins was intending to follow up with this after finishing hitchens. read the new material for this paperback. compelling.

13. this is my best by various bought this thick collection of authors who supposed to have contributed what they think was their best. havent tried anything yet except the one from sedaris (already included in me talk pretty).

14. iv by chuck klosterman bought also at bargain. been reading him at esquire. liked his profile of steve nash there (also included in this collection). tried his 80's cruise piece... great writing style (can it be more a technique?). but i think all essays must not be consumed in straight. the style appears too a smartass-sy. you seem to expect it (the smart turn) too much, loses it's surprise and magic

15. i also finished the last harry potter book--appeal is similar to the satisfaction give by Dragonball Z. was bought by talampunay my love.

anyone who wants to borrow must have something interesting to offer in exchange.