Visual and sound gravity

Mark Helprin described "color gravity" with much detail in his book, Winter's Tale, through the eyes and mind of Pearly Soames.

I came close to that sort of gravity when we watched WICKED, the untold story of the witches of Oz, last March 8. It was my first time to watch a Broadway musical, and every moment of it was magical.

It was also fitting that the day ended with a pyromusical show at Mall of Asia. We were lucky to catch the delegation from China, last year's finalist in the Philippine International PyroMusical Competition. Their routine was solid -- just wave after wave of exploding colors timed to a collection of popular music.

Truly a celebration of visuals and sounds.

ME time

Haircut.

Window shopping at the electronics section.

Pacific Rim.

Jollibbee Ultimate Burger Steak and Jolli Hotdog Classic.

This is ME time. ^^

Simple Truths: On Love -- by Kent Nerburn

It breaks my heart to see this wonderful article being mercilessly ripped off and plagiarized by so many who have no decency of properly citing its author.

This article is at pages 63-66 of Kent Nerburn's book, Simple Truths: Clear and Gentle Guidance on the Big Issues in Life, first printed in March 1996 by New World Library, 14 Pamaron Way, Novato, California 94949. As per the author's note, much of Simple Truths' materials were excepted from his book, Letters to My Son,© 1993 Kent Nerburn.

My wife bought her copy of Simple Truths at National Bookstore Katipunan, Quezon City, Philippines (Filipinas?? hehe), in 1997. It came as a shock to her, and most likely anyone owning this book, when a then university student got profusely credited for an essay he submitted to his professor, and passed the said essay as his own, when in fact his work was a heavily re-worded and re-phrased version of Nerburn's piece. That story and the alleged original piece done by this student went viral for a while via email. There was no fezbuk yet back then, and I imagine though it would have been so much easier to rectify the situation -- had that student posted his work on his wall.

But like all else that goes awry in social media, that incident was also forgotten.

This is the single most important work on love that I hold close to my heart, and it is only fitting that I put it here verbatim with proper citations.

  

***

On Love

It is a mystery why we fall in love. It is a mystery how it happens. It is a mystery when it comes. It is a mystery why some loves grow and it is a mystery why some loves fail.You can analyze this mystery and look for reasons and causes, but you will never do any more than take the life out of the experience. 

Love is more than the sum of the interests and attractions and  commonalities that two people share. And just as life itself is a gift that comes and goes in its own time, the coming of love must be taken as an unfathomable gift that cannot be questioned in its ways.


Too often, when love comes to people, they try to grasp the  love and hold it to them, refusing to see that is a gift freely given and a gift that just as freely moves away. When they fall out of love, or the person they love feels the spirit of love leaving, they try desperately to reclaim the love that is lost rather than accepting the gift for what it was.

They want answers where there are no answers. They want to know what is wrong with them, or they try to get their lover to change, thinking that if some small things were different love would bloom again. They blame their circumstances. They blame each other. They try anything to give meaning to what has happened. But there is no meaning beyond the love itself, and until they accept its own mysterious way they live in a sea of misery.


You need to treat what love brings you with kindness. If you find yourself in love with someone who does not love you, be gentle with yourself. There is nothing wrong with you. Love just didn't choose to rest in the other person's heart.

If you find someone else in love with you toward whom you feel no love, feel honored that love came and called at your door, but gently refuse the gift you cannot return. Do not take advantage, do not cause pain. How you deal with love is how love will deal with you, and all our hearts feel the same pains and joys, even if our lives and ways are very different.

If you fall in love with another who falls in love with you, and then love chooses to leave, do not try to reclaim it or to assess blame. Let it go. There is a reason and there is a meaning. You will know it in time, but time itself will choose the moment.


Remember this and keep it in your heart. You don't choose love. Love chooses you. All you can really do is accept it for all its mystery when it come into your life. Feel the way it fills you to overflowing, then reach out and give it away. Give it back to the person who brought it to you. Give it to others who seem poor in spirit. Give it to the world around you in any way you can.

Love has its own time, its own season, and its own reasons for coming and going. You cannot bribe it or coerce it or reason it into staying. If it chooses to leave, from your heart or from the heart of your lover, there is nothing you can do and nothing you should do. Be glad that it came to live for a moment in your life. If you keep your heart open, it will surely come again.

#

Farewell, Mang Dolphy

July 25, 1928 - July 10, 2012

Photo shared by https://www.facebook.com/beerbelowzerodegrees.

Wa-Pac!

Congratulations to Pacquiao! And congrats to Marquez for that splendid fight.

As Uchiha Itachi said, every jutsu has a weakness, and clearly Marquez has found (or rather, refined) a way to cancel out Pacquiao's.

I'm a Pacman fan, but I believe Marquez deserves another rematch.

And cheers to Maria Aragon for her beautiful rendition of the national anthem. ^^

Rock Lee!

If life be kind and Naruto Shippuden makes it to the big screen as a live-action movie, I pray that Rock Lee be as good as Brendon Huor in this fan-video. ^^

Robot!

Since my exposure to Mazinger Z and Voltes V, this has been the only thing I have in mind every time my parents asked me what I wanted for my birthday.

Robot.

By the time I reached high school, my parents stopped asking and took it upon themselves to give me more useful stuffs on my birthday.

At that point I already succeeded in making two toy robots out of recycled rubber slippers: a Voltes V replica (lost during elementary), and an original design which I called K-OS (nicely preserved in the province; photos to follow).

My mom wholeheartedly supported this little fascination of mine, and at some point almost push me to stardom. In a loving gesture, she even gave me a toy robot on my 21st birthday. ^^

And thanks to Atom of Real Steel, I'm all inspired and ready to make my third recycled robot. ^^

Awesome

"I have loved you for five thousand years."

With that last line, Frank Herbert left me again -- this time with finality. Cheers to Brian Herbert and co-author Kevin J. Anderson for closing the original Dune series. I can finally move on.

I will forever marvel at the awesomeness of Herbert's works. Without a doubt, he and many others have made my stay in this world so imaginatively wonderful.

Indeed, great works live on.

And while I have yet to own any of his products, I'm sure Steve Jobs will be the stuff of legends in many years to come.

Such a wonderful time and age we live in. Thanks to visionaries like Jobs, the world is closer to the future as I dream it would be.

We're almost there. If life be kind, I still want to see flying cars, infinite, environment-friendly power source, thinking machines, biomechs, inter-galactic travel, solution to poverty and war, and maybe the cure to common cold.

I can only imagine how thrilling the times are to our parents' generation -- they who started out with typewriters and telegrams.

Awesome times, indeed.

***

Speaking of parents, last September my mother celebrated her 65th birthday, and her retirement from the teaching profession after 44 years in service.

She is awesome -- always has been, and always will be.

It was a great weekend, and we are so proud of you, Mamidir!

Dune addiction (again)

While I search for a copy of the Sandworms of Dune, I might as well check out the second series of Dune, beginning with Dune: House Corrino (yeah, this is not following the sequence of the trilogy, but what the heck).

***

Speaking of beginning something, my wife's need to overhaul her diet spurred me to re-learn three very simple dishes: apan-apan (adobong kangkong), pinamal-han (paksiw?), and laswa (sinabawan).

Thanks to Nanay for the quick review on the last two dishes. ^^

Culmination

Almost ten years since I finished Frank Herbert's Chapterhouse: Dune, today I turned the first few pages of Hunters of Dune, the first of two books by Brian Herbert, Frank Herbert's son, and Kevin J. Anderson that will end the Dune series.

I guess I've held back long enough. After the exhilarating ride I had from the original six Dune novels, I used to think that no other Dune novel is worth reading if isn't by Frank Herbert.

But surely the years would have washed any fear of disappointment I had. I'm re-entering the world of Dune with fresh imagination.

It's time to end it. ^^

***

Today, mother stations is finally at the culmination of its Silver Jubilee. I feel sooo effing tired, and strangely so drained.

Just a few more days. I pray I have enough strength left for a good show on August 26.

There is something else with this fatigue, though. Something troublesome.

Very soon I will have to deal with it.

X-Men: First Class

Because I know just enough to agree, and not too much to complain, X-Men: First Class was a perfect movie experience for me. ^^

It was everything I imagined it to be, at least for the characters that I know of.

*Thumbs up!*

And oh, this time, a LOT of people stayed on for (possible) post-credits scenes.

The viewing public is learning. ^^

Inner... peace...

Yeah, Master Shifu's mantra is stuck in my head like a severe case of last song syndrome.

But unlike him and Po, I have yet to achieve this -- if at all it's remotely possible in my lifetime.

With questions about the past that I still have (most with no hope of resolution), the things I ought to do, nature's wrath, and the very society we live in, achieving inner peace would probably be as hard as getting my lifelong dream of six-pack abs nyahaha.

Every now and then, however, something or someone comes along that makes it possible, bringing me a tad closer to that inner peace.

And for you all, I am forever grateful. ^^

***

For the past four months since I took an alternate route on my way to work, I've been seeing the man exactly the way he is everyday: unkempt, dressed in dirty clothes, and constantly wearing an angry -- almost mad -- look on his face.

I've watched him wipe windshields during the red light, all the while muttering menacingly at no one in particular.

Last week he finally chanced upon me, and proceeded with his routine -- including the usual glaring eyes and angry snarl.

I rolled down the window, handed him the coins I found on the dashboard, and finally saw something different.

It was a peaceful face.

The end

Harold Camping's May 21, 2011 end of the world prediction would probably be the nth doomsday forecast I've heard in my lifetime.

From a tidal wave that will cleanse a little town in Aklan called Batan (heard this when I was little), to one with wider scope such as the sinking of Metro Manila under water, to a more global, horrific scale involving extraterrestrial bodies. It would be lucky if a new year enters without some sort of prophecy involving loss of lives on a massive scale.

Whatever the method of ending -- whether by flaming God's wrath, planets forming into cosmic weapons of destruction, or alien invasion -- if you know it, then it's not the end.

Oh well. This world, my world, could end anytime -- as it will eventually. If Camping was right and it did happen, I'd be at peace because I was with wifey -- we watched Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, had pesto pasta and pizza for lunch, played bowling, had pancit luglug and halo-halo at Razon's, had our teeth cleaned, had full-body massage, and passed by the place where we got married (Paco Park).

There's much yet to be done, of course. But just making each day count. ^^

And as Jack Sparrow said, "better to not know which moment may be your last, every morsel of your entire being alive to the infinite mystery of it all."

***

Speaking of endings, I thought that -- after a slew of new movies from the Disney and Marvel Studios -- moviegoers would already have developed that instinct of staying on for the possible post-credit scenes.

But still, both in the Thor and The Pirates... movies, hardly anyone stayed on, thus missing that precious peek at what's to come.

Oh well, thanks maybe to YouTube, most moviegoers need not stick around for the post-credit scenes while the guards and cleaning crew scurry around to clean up and search for any stuffs that were left behind the moviehouse.

So you see...

With so many good movies ahead (Harrryyyy Poootteeeeeerrrrr!), the world cannot end just yet haha! ^^

Naruto weekend

It's a Naruto marathon weekend for me and Joan.

I'm not a die-hard fan, but there will come a time when I must watch the series again in their undubbed, subtitled version. It's a different experience hearing the emotions in the original voices.

And my wife agree that that time is now.

***

And because of Naruto, I totally forgot about the scheduled Territorial War in Perfect World.

Congratulations, Sanctius, new ruler of Great Wall, Dragon server!

Good times

It’s almost closing time for year 2009. I’d love to review my year that was, but I don’t think I have the mental and emotional fortitude for that.

Offhand, let me say that is it’s been an extremely tough year for most of us.

Life, however, has ways of balancing things to tolerable levels, especially during the past two months.

***

I’ve always associated November with birthdays. There seem to be a lot of cool people celebrating their birthdays this month – including my wife haha.

Joan and I celebrated her birthday at Enchanted Kingdom. It was her first time to visit EK, and it was something we’ve been trying to do since our friends Cez and Euge gave us EK tickets as wedding gifts.

That visit was far from ideal, though. At the entrance, we were advised by staffs that there were already an estimated three thousand guests inside the park.

Weeew! (Note to self: when planning an EK outing, check ahead if there are scheduled, massive group tours like the one by the DepEd that day.)

Anyway, good thing Joan’s more of a Grand Carousel, Rialto, Log Jam, Science Fair, and Magic Show type – she’s more than happy to forego the mind-blowing rides like Anchors Away and Flying Fiesta (the Space Shuttle was still out of commission at that time).

Such a fun place. It deserves another visit.

***

It's been almost a decade since we last saw couple Cez and Euge. These are old friends that go waaaay back.

Their visit was unplanned, and their time to meet up with friends so limited. Thanks to the impeccable planning and gimmick ideas from our former sempai James, we went boating and shot at each other in a paintball showdown at La Mesa Ecopark, played badminton somewhere in Kalayaan Ave., danced to Jill’s 80’s music at The Fort, got together with more old friends over scrumptious seafood feast at Dampa Metrowalk, and bumped cars at Fun Ranch, Libis.

It’s amazing how the fun never changed with old friends, even after all these years.

Scratch that. It did change.

I believe it got better.

I wish I can say the same to my driving and navigation skills. Har har!

***

Avatar wasn’t in my list of to-watch movies. It had minimal fanfare with promotions and shared only the barest of details in its trailers.

This is going to be just like Surrogates, I thought.

It was, but the idea was taken to a level that captured one of my deepest fascinations – role-playing in a different world.

I was not expecting it, but I enjoyed the entire 166 minutes of it.

***

Speaking of avatars, it was over a year ago when I first mentioned in this blog the clan in Perfect World where my most active and longest-surviving avatar belongs to -- Sanctius.

Since then, like any other, Sanctius went through changes typical of a group: new officers get drafted, relationships change, and members come and go.

Life goes on.

There were times, however, when the changes were a tad too big – big enough to make a perennial in-game lurker like myself wonder, “What the heck is happening?”

Lots of goodbyes and letters of resignation were posted in the forum. Members that I’ve come to know as the clan’s brain, heart, muscle, and teeth (oh the last one I love and fear at the same time. *shudder* You know who you are haha!) became more scarce from the clan chat, if not entirely gone from the list of members.

But change is good. It’s what gives us butterflies, sabi nga nila.

And what splendid butterflies the next-gen Sanctius officers turned out to be. While it crushed my heart to see Master Raz, Mama Gem, Maharet, Alamar, and others before them relinquish their posts, the clan is, without a doubt, in good hands.

By October 2009, demands of work prompted me to formally inform the clan of my intention to take my in-game lurker status to the next level – hibernation.

Sometime end of November, however, something wonderful happened.

More than the Territorial Wars and the new Elemental Faeries, something in PW slowly pulled me out of hibernation.

It started when an all-star cast of Sanctius officers and high-level members dragged my sorry ass through the Mahayana and Treasure Grotto quests, and eventually pushing me to level 80 (finally).

That moment reminded me of my old aspiration for playing the game in the first place: I want to be just like them *starry-eyed*. So strong, so cool, and so helpful.

Then suddenly the clan chat had that familiar "sound" again. People who've either left the clan or were inactive for so long are coming back! And along this slew of homecomings, our Marshall and his beloved decided to stay.

Things are looking good -- the familiar voices are back, with new ones that are making the Sanctius clan chat livelier than ever.

Like what Maharet said, "It's just like the old times."

Yup. Good times.


Happy New Year to all!

Love the drama

I've been wearing smart casuals/semi formal for three straight days now. This is unusual considering our workplace requires us to be in smart casuals only twice a week.

My extra day of looking a bit less of an NGO staffer this week was because of an interview appointment for a TV network that got re-scheduled.

This morning it finally pushed through.

When I entered the studio where the interview was going to be conducted, I was like "Whoa!" O_o

I won't tell exactly what the theme is just yet. The producer immediately explained the reason for the studio setup, how the interview will proceed, and what the overall tone will be.

"We have to make it more interesting for the people."

I agree. I do hope a little drama would make surveys and numbers a little more palatable to the viewing public.

We'll find out sometime before New Year.

Cheers!

Reveal

The management of this Malate mall should review the admission price of their relatively older cinemas. Despite the shabby appearance, they charge the same admission as the newer and fresher cinemas of Glorietta and Greenbelt.

But I can forget the old seats, the poor airconditioning, and the dusty-looking walls and ceilings if the cinema is featuring one of the biggest collaborations in recent movie history.

Righteous Kill features Robert de Niro and Al Pacino -- two of my favorite actors who have in their disposal the finest devils I've seen in the movies.

These men played their roles flawlessly. De Niro as Turk was the transparent, angry, and righteous devil all throughout, while Pacino the cool yet sinister and more dangerous Rooster, playing the good guy until he reveals Mr. Hyde in the end.

Yet another great movie to remind us that appearance can be deceiving.

***

Sometimes it takes time for questions to be answered, if at all such questions deserve this oh-so-ideal conclusion.

Perhaps triggered by paranoia over my hereditary tendencies, lately I've been keeping a watchful eye at my memory.

I seem to be forgetting a lot of things in the past. While I still could remember the What, it's the Why that seems to be fading so quickly.

So now I have been asking... again.

And the marvelous thing about this is that it somehow reveals more than what you knew before. Subjected to a different kind of light, the past could bring forth a whole new perspective.

Some things really do take time.

And though whatever I learn or understand now may not even be a fraction of the so-called truth, I am forever grateful to all who've taken time out to answer my questions.

Cheers and praise

While over a month has passed since Typhoon Frank and public attention to news has shifted to other matters, relief and rehabilitation of Aklan would take much, much longer.

Aklan still needs help more than ever. Please visit BULIG AKLAN, BANGON AKLAN! and "An Open Letter for Help" from Gov. Carlito Marquez for the ways how we could help and the things needed, such as:
1. Safe drinking water
2. Food/Canned goods
3. Rice
4. Noodles
5. Medicines
6. Clothes
7. Shoes/Slippers
8. Sleeping Mats
9. Blankets
10. Towels
11. Katol or insect repellant
12. Candles and matches
13. Soap, shampoo, tooth paste & tooth brush
14. Old toys
15. Books

In the meantime, it’s never too early to say thanks to the good things that came our way.

Cheers to all who generously gave their time and resources to help rebuild the lives affected by Typhoon Frank.

Praise to the many online residents who reached out and helped bring attention and aid to Aklan, among them, to name a few, fellow Aklanons Cheryl Joy (American Living, Filipina Thinking), who carried on with what she started despite almost giving up blogging, Joanne Tupas-Parsons of Kids Ahoy and the people behind Akeanon ag Proud, who’re up and running and organizing from the very start, and our friend Cez (Vanilla Caramel), who's got a longer list of those who helped (plus a good serving of happy, happy news).

Again, there are many others who made every post, every forwarded email, every bulletin, etc, count. Cheers to you all!

***

Speaking of cheers and praise, it’s been a while since I’ve watched a movie that had people standing and clapping in the end (I can’t even remember what movie it was).

Two of the last three movies I’ve seen this month had that effect on people.

The first one even had some people quietly singing and dancing in their seats from the start.

Mamma Mia! the film is a real treat for my generation (ubo-ubo). It's good ole’ ABBA music wrapped in a feel-good comedy about restless hearts, finding peace with yourself and the one you love, and that elusive fountain of Aphrodite.

Thanks to this movie, I'm adding ABBA songs to my list of driving music. Heehee!

The second movie is as dark and gloomy as Mamma Mia! is light and bubbly -- and the applause from moviegoers was just as loud and long.

Maybe the sheer complexity of his thought-provoking script, coupled by the fact that he's played by a late actor that has been showered with much accolades by his peers, made the Joker of The Dark Knight one of the most cerebral characters I've watched (mababaw lang ako eh).


One thing is for sure: at the end of the movie, people are applauding and talking more about Joker than Batman.

***

A few hours from now, the President will deliver her 8th State of the Nation Address (SONA).

Let's see how many times her audience at Batasang Pambansa will applaud this year.

Let's listen up...

What's happening?

When Joan and I chose The Happening over The Incredible Hulk last week (she likes Mark Wahlberg more than Edward Norton), we knew we're in for another brain-rubbing rollercoaster ride typical of films by M. Night Shyamalan.

And true enough, halfway through the film till the end, we were wide-eyed in utter disbelief and silently asking "What the **** is happening?!"

It's not about the story, however. While it has the quality of creatively weaving common, everyday elements into bizaare, chilling scenarios, the movie pretty much revealed its plot early on and ushers the viewers almost gently into a grinding conclusion (there was no BAM! moment, unlike The Sixth Sense or, to some extent, The Village).

What caught us off-guard was that The Happening left a very petty detail hanging, literally.

What in the world is that microphone doing there?

Maybe 20th Century Fox Manila office got the unedited version of the movie. Otherwise, that microphone hanging over the actors' heads during some of the movie's conversation scenes was either a simple post-production mishap that their editors chose to ignore, or a cinematic ploy aimed at pulling a fast one to leave the viewers wondering.

I don't know.

***

Happy Fathers' Day! My father will also be celebrating his birthday this month.

So cheers to the man who taught me much of life's lesson by how he is living his.

Happy, happy birthday, Dad.

Everybody loves kung fu fighting!

My wife had to nudge me several times throughout this movie because I was laughing too hard and a bit too loudly.

I couldn't help it. Nacho Libre was still fresh in my memory, and the similarities between Po the panda and the luchador Nacho somehow doubled the laugh-factor of Kung Fu Panda (the brief shot of the clenched butt really did it for me).

***

One of my former martial arts orgmate, who I haven't heard from for quite some time, made his presence felt by sharing a video of his first arnis tournament held recently in his province.

I feel happy for him because he just had what he aptly described as his "second wind" for martial arts (Way to go, JC!) -- something I have been wanting too for myself.