LiveSTRONG…Floating Shrimp Shells…Walking down all the way to 7/11…

Today nalimutan ko dalhin ang aking dakilang ID. Napansin ko lamang ito nung nasa Ateneo na kami. In desperation, naghiram ako ng strap sa ate ko just in case para naman meron akong props. The way I see it… bagay dahil meron pa akong baller band na suot suot at ang nakasulat pa ay LIVESTRONG. So I took it literally, I tried to live strong by avoiding the guards as much as I can, and natutuwa akong sabihin na hindi ako nahuli. But hindi ko pa rin matatalo ang record ng friend ko… 1 month walang ID at once lang nahuli, now that is living strong!!!
Habang naglalakad na ako papunta sa Gate 1 ng Ateneo, dahil sabi ng mga friend ko na uulan ng malakas at baka maabutan ako, napansin ko kung gaano kainit today. Nagdududa na ako kung uulan ba talaga and it was at that moment na nakakita ako ng mga balat ng hipon na lumulutang sa puno. Naaliw ako grabe, ang tigas nung mga langgam, binubuhat nila yung balat pataas. Medyo nakakakilabot pero aliw pa rin tingnan…
Pagkadating ko sa station, inisip ko kung gagana pa ba ang aking card dahil for some reason na switch ko ata. Pagkasaksak sa machine *beep* bad trip nag error… ibig sabihin na switch ko nga at hindi miracle ang nangyari tulad ng inaakala ko. Kinailangan ko pang magbili ng bago, but that’s that. On my way home, napag-isipan kong maglakad pauwi, wala lang, trip lang. Ok naman ang daanan, hindi ganiyan ka dangerous tulad ng naglalakad ng mga 1am at sa tapat ng tulay ay may mga taong nakatitig sayo at may hawak-hawak na crowbar at machete(to be explained next time). Habang naglalakad ako, for the first time napansin ko ng mabuti yung worn down, mukhang haunted house sa kanto ng broadway at 11th street. Grabe first time ko napansin na meron pa pala yun art ng mga priest sa taas ng pinto, may guard outpost (yung kamukha ng sa castle) at may gargoyles sa side ng roof… so after walking for around 20 min. nakarating rin ako sa amin. Medyo pissed ako na ang init ng journey ko pauwi but later I realized na maswerte pala ako. After a few minutes as in iilang saglit lamang it started to rain at sumilang kumidlat at kumulog… nonstop. Para dun sa mga nagbabala sa akin na umuwi na, maraming salamat… kahit ako hindi ko kayang i LIVESTRONG ang ulan na ganon ka lakas.

Quote of the Day:
God makes things happen for a reason, maybe that is the reason why I met you.

Kwentong XS: The Boy Who Lived

*Note: Kung sino man tinutukoy ko dito, walang personalan, i'm just telling what happened*

Nalimutan ko na kung pang-ilang quarter nagkaroon kami ng swimming sa PE. Since feeling strong nanaman ako, sinadya ko na mapunta ako sa advance na swimming, kung alam ko lang gano ka hirap hindi na ako sana pumunta sa advanced group ng class. But ang kwento na ito ay hindi tungkol sa akin, its about one of my classmate na palaging minamalas. Hindi rin clear ang entire story na ito sa akin dahil nung time na iyon naiwan ko ata PE bag ko or nagloloko ako sa deep pool. Kung tutuusin hindi ko nakita ang nangyari, nakwento lang sa akin ng isang kasama namin. This is how it happened:
Habang naglalangoy siya, nagsisid siya... and since maiksi lang ang width ng pool kaya ito gawin sa isang breathing. for some reason habang naka sisid siya nakapikit ang kaniyang mga mata, so nung malapit na siya sa kabila *poof* nabangga siya sa gutter ng swimming pool. minutes later nadala na siya sa infirmary ata para makita yung injury.

The next day, may malaking bandage siya sa bibig and a few days later tinanggal na niya iyon. nung nakita ko yung sugat or "mark" sa bibig niya medyo familiar itsura sabi ko sa sarili. then it struck me, kamukha nung kay Harry Potter, as in mukhang lightning talaga.

A few weeks later, pakiramdam ko nakarma ako sa ginawa ko. since tapos na ang practical test namin, free time kaya pwede namin gawin kahit ano gusto namin sa pool wala lang "rough games". at first everything was going ok, pero later naghahabulan na ang mga kaklase ko. nung time na iyon, nakaupo lang ako sa may gutter area dahil pagod na ako sa kakalangoy then bigla akong tinulak. napaikot ako once, tumama sideways sa gutter at nahulog sa pool. at first hindi ako makalangoy sa sakit at akala nila malulunod na ako, so they jumped to the rescue kaagad. pagtingin ko sa tama, nagmukhang hinampas ako ng arnis stick sa rib area as in parang merong internal bleeding. being the good friend hindi ako chu-chu so its alright, no biggie.

Quote of the Day:
there is always beauty in simplicity.

Kwentong XS: Hindi Ako Tanga!

Nangyari ito nung 4th year na kami. tendency, ang tambayan namin either nasa MPC banda or nasa "alley". one day dahil wala kaming magawa napatitig kami sa bush na nakahilera sa alley. for some strange reason, at hindi ko na talaga maalala kung paano namin ito naisip, napag-isipan naming tumalon sa bush. not the typical jump pero yung parang stunt na meron pang tumbling. as usual nauna sa amin si glenn, also known as the boy who lived(malalaman ninyo why in the succeeding stories), and yes successful siya with his jump and tumbling. sumunod sa amin si gar and yes successful rin siya. nung time na yun apat lang kami nasa alley, si glenn, gar, ako at si sanvic. since feeling strong ako, ginawa ko rin ang ginawa nila. ngunit there is always a difference between strong and feeling strong. so nung tumalon ako at first ang cool ng feeling pero pagkalanding ko hindi ko nagawa yung tumbling kaya nagasgas ako sa lupa... to help you visualize think of a jet ski, sa tulin ng jet ski medyo tumatalon yun sa tubig, parang ako nung naglanding ako. at first ok lang ako, but after 10 mins pakiramdam ko na gut punch ako ng ilang tao. with 3 of us done with our stunt, iisang tao na lang ang natitira.. si sanvic na lang ang hindi tumatalon. nung lahat kami nakatitig na sa kaniya, humihintay sa gagawin niyang talon ito ang mga famous words niya na hindi ko talaga malilimutan.. "hindi ako tanga". with that statement, nakatakas siya sa kaniyang stunt and now nagagamit ko na ang statement niya each time alam kong:
1. may hamon na hindi ko kaya panalunin.
2. may gagawing katarantaduhan na ayoko madamay.
3. and lastly kung may nalinlang sa isang kalokohan.

Quote of the Day:
life is like a wave of dream.. so soon they come gushing into the shore, so soon they gush out back into the abyss.

Kwentong XS: Ang Panimula

Dahil wala ako lately magawa... naalala ko ang mga kalokohan ko at ng mga kabarkada ko noong nasa XS pa kami.
*Note: ang mga ilalahad ko ay walang ganap na order. kung ano ang pumasok sa utak o naalala ko, iyon na rin ang ikekwento ko.*
Sa edition na ito, intro muna. sasabihin ko lang sino mga palagi kong kasama para naman pag nabanggit ko mga pangalan nila hindi malabuan ang mga mambabasa(kayo yun).
more or less lahat ng kaibigan ko may litrato, so refer na lang sa friendster kung gusto niyo sila makita. ito na ang line up ng mga kasama ko usually nung HS:
Gar
Wilson
Madrid
Derv
Edrich
Sanvic(Jonty)
Glenn
Myron

Sa pagkaalam ko sila na ang usually kasama ko. kung nay nakalimutan idadagdag ko na lang sasunod.

Quote of the Day:
memories are always there to remind you who you once were.

Living in an Empty Husk that Keeps on Growing

Last night i happen to watch Brother Bear on Disney Channel. Then while i was watching i could not help but realize that tears were slowly forming in my eyes. No matter how much i tried to hold back, i could no longer keep it inside me. Then just awhile ago, a kid selling sampaguita approached me and tried to sales talk me into buying one. i for one do not usually buy those kind of things anymore, but deep inside i felt pity for the kid. So on the way home, i took a ride on memory lane trying to recall who i was.

The memories kept gushing like a tide, slowly consuming me.

The memories started to appear one by one. When i was in high school i tried to be the person who would sort out my friends problems. i was the one who would try to convince them not to do something or something is wrong. it was i who would always have to pay the price in the end. after the problem has long gone, i would start feeling that the outcome was my fault. what if i had not meddled in their affair, would everything be alright?

Not everything lasts forever...

Eventually who i have been started to fade. my decisions, my actions and my values were no longer the same as it had been when i was in High School or even in Grade School where i first felt betrayal and loneliness.

I'm fading into the darkness, slowly getting lost but suddenly a sparkle of light shines

It was only recently that i am slowly recalling who i really am. Remembering how my ethics would try to find the right answer. Remembering how in the end, i would feel lonely inside but at the same time happy because i know that i am fulfilling my duty to my friends.

Even butterfiles were once ugly...

So, now i have reason to believe that i am returning to who i was before, at the same time growing into someone new. No longer am i the same person who would sit back and watch everybody enjoy. No longer am i the same person who could keep everything inside. This time i have learned how to grow, how to change, how to be who i really am. Just like the tides that come and go, with each passing tide something new adds up the once empty sands.

Quote of the Day:
even a rock knows how to cry if the pain inside is too much to bear.