Thursday, October 30, 2003
anos dourados.
i walked out of the office in the midday sun to a pleasant discovery: it wasn't scorching hot, despite the glare. not only that, i was able to sit in a black car and not feel uncomfortable at all, despite it sitting in the sun the whole morning.
yup, nippy days are here again.
you know it's going to be the holiday season as you see (and experience) the subtle and not-so changes. traffic starts piling up a bit faster and lasts longer during the weekends. it's getting harder to park in malls. the air just has that decidedly different bite upon your face. i'm now developing third (and fourth) points in my writing. well, the last one isn't valid, but you get the drift.
it reminds me of sensations that i think about and 'make senti' upon. like there's a certain smell that reminds me of my HS. it's the smell of newly trimmed grass mixed with the smell of gas from the lawn mower. whoa. don't ask me how that stuck in my head. and i'm not being figurative. i really mean 'trimmed', 'grass', and 'gas'.
it reminds me of the school fair, held every november. you know, this is another wonderful study in human dynamics. when you put up a food or gimmick booth, there's always a sense of entrepeneurship. when you set-up a gimmick booth, it's likely one that has been established for years- like you pass the baton on from the previous booth owners of the 'marriage' or 'stamp' booth to the new owners. nobody knows why hardly anyone establishes a 'new' gimmick. if you don't have a booth, you hang around your friends who have one, just so that you avoid getting caught by any of the others.
speaking of 'getting caught'. that's a whole new study altogether. everyone tries to act nonchalant, but you can definitely feel the tension in the air. you don't want to get caught (at least you pretend to, since you give a pretty good chase), but then you want to get caught as many times as possible, since, as the primary and secondary education society dictates, the more you get caught, the more popular you get (or probably are in the first place.) why so? possibly because of the 'requests'. requests are made with a choice, either with or without bail. if you're kinda sadistic (and want to REALLY get back at someone), or if you want to make your money worth it, you go for the no-bail request. if you go for the with bail request, it's probably because you wanna 'bail' the person you requested, in the hopes of hitting on them, or you because you're too soft and want to let your 'victim' bail out easily. sissy.
and it's loads of food at the fair. loads and loads. from the morning until into the night, when you've eaten nothing but some red sauce pasta and barbecue with a softdrink for breakfast, lunch and dinner. shucks. those WERE the days.
man, and all this just because i needed some air in the middle of the day.
i walked out of the office in the midday sun to a pleasant discovery: it wasn't scorching hot, despite the glare. not only that, i was able to sit in a black car and not feel uncomfortable at all, despite it sitting in the sun the whole morning.
yup, nippy days are here again.
you know it's going to be the holiday season as you see (and experience) the subtle and not-so changes. traffic starts piling up a bit faster and lasts longer during the weekends. it's getting harder to park in malls. the air just has that decidedly different bite upon your face. i'm now developing third (and fourth) points in my writing. well, the last one isn't valid, but you get the drift.
it reminds me of sensations that i think about and 'make senti' upon. like there's a certain smell that reminds me of my HS. it's the smell of newly trimmed grass mixed with the smell of gas from the lawn mower. whoa. don't ask me how that stuck in my head. and i'm not being figurative. i really mean 'trimmed', 'grass', and 'gas'.
it reminds me of the school fair, held every november. you know, this is another wonderful study in human dynamics. when you put up a food or gimmick booth, there's always a sense of entrepeneurship. when you set-up a gimmick booth, it's likely one that has been established for years- like you pass the baton on from the previous booth owners of the 'marriage' or 'stamp' booth to the new owners. nobody knows why hardly anyone establishes a 'new' gimmick. if you don't have a booth, you hang around your friends who have one, just so that you avoid getting caught by any of the others.
speaking of 'getting caught'. that's a whole new study altogether. everyone tries to act nonchalant, but you can definitely feel the tension in the air. you don't want to get caught (at least you pretend to, since you give a pretty good chase), but then you want to get caught as many times as possible, since, as the primary and secondary education society dictates, the more you get caught, the more popular you get (or probably are in the first place.) why so? possibly because of the 'requests'. requests are made with a choice, either with or without bail. if you're kinda sadistic (and want to REALLY get back at someone), or if you want to make your money worth it, you go for the no-bail request. if you go for the with bail request, it's probably because you wanna 'bail' the person you requested, in the hopes of hitting on them, or you because you're too soft and want to let your 'victim' bail out easily. sissy.
and it's loads of food at the fair. loads and loads. from the morning until into the night, when you've eaten nothing but some red sauce pasta and barbecue with a softdrink for breakfast, lunch and dinner. shucks. those WERE the days.
man, and all this just because i needed some air in the middle of the day.
Thursday, October 23, 2003
here it is! my random musing on random musings!
random musing: something written by somebody else that relates a situation, feeling, or experience that you feel you can completely, or at least mostly, relate to, so much so that it should be included as an entry in the chicken soup for the early-to mid-twenties-in-a-multinational-corporation-just-registered-this-month-still-idealistic-has-read-the-alchemist-listens-to-john-mayer-and-sarah-mclachlan soul.
btw, as a side note, i think that the most read book among my peers (at least based on friendster) is the alchemist. never have read it myself, though. sorta like my book version of titanic (which i have not seen yet.)
now that you know what a random musing is, my question is: do people REALLY feel enamored to these things? have you ever been so affected by one that you almost adapted it as a personal mantra, a piece that captures your own life, or at least a fragment of it, even though you didn't write it? have you ever read one so profound it actually made an impact to you, that you carried it long after you've read it? okay, enough with the versions, you get the point. well?
the reason why i took so long to write about this is because i had mixed feelings about it. because no, i personally have never felt that way towards a musing i didn't write. why? well, i don't know, never saw one that did. maybe i haven't read enough around blogspot. hehehe. but i figured that it must happen. you hear stories of singers with notes from fans telling them, 'your music got me through this, blah, blah, blah.' but i also dismissed these as overzealous fans who just needed to say anything to their idols.
'your music speaks to me!!' yikes. sorry.
so i thought that, no, random musings are really for the benefit of the author- to release and make tangible emotions that are still raw, vulnerable, and need to be vented. actually, i still believe that the better works (be it songs, poetry, random musings) are those that are more personal. ones that cut deep. not ones made for the sake that you can churn out another 'masterpiece.' that's either shallow, or a sham. ultimately, i think these things should be self-serving...
'i did it for the fans!' hmm. err.
anyway, for my opinion already (whew! finally!), i never thought that it was possible, that something someone wrote could be deeply profound to somebody else. but it is. i think divine intervention played a part here, because in my October 7 post, i planned to write something on this, but i had not formed my opinions yet. enter friendster (this friendster thing, talaga...). just this week i had two 'confessions' from old friends that they had kept 'random musings' i had written back when we were high school (ah, yes, the years that start 'em all...) one of them even mentioned having 'adapted' one to be his own work, and that he had fooled a coupla people into thinking he had written it (here we go again with blogger power). ANYWAY, this person proceeded to tell me that my work had such a big impact on his life and that it means a lot more to him now than when he first read it (which, considering that was when he 'adapted' it, well... you get it.)
so i was amazed (okay, i admit it, i was proud first. but i still got amazed anyway). it was actually possible. i think the unseen forces instigated this, so that i could write something already for this blog. hahaha! but it's funny for me, 'cuz i never thought it possible, 'til... wait a minute, before i slip into a cliche, let's just put it at, 'i never thought it was possible, but it is', aight?
random musing: something written by somebody else that relates a situation, feeling, or experience that you feel you can completely, or at least mostly, relate to, so much so that it should be included as an entry in the chicken soup for the early-to mid-twenties-in-a-multinational-corporation-just-registered-this-month-still-idealistic-has-read-the-alchemist-listens-to-john-mayer-and-sarah-mclachlan soul.
btw, as a side note, i think that the most read book among my peers (at least based on friendster) is the alchemist. never have read it myself, though. sorta like my book version of titanic (which i have not seen yet.)
now that you know what a random musing is, my question is: do people REALLY feel enamored to these things? have you ever been so affected by one that you almost adapted it as a personal mantra, a piece that captures your own life, or at least a fragment of it, even though you didn't write it? have you ever read one so profound it actually made an impact to you, that you carried it long after you've read it? okay, enough with the versions, you get the point. well?
the reason why i took so long to write about this is because i had mixed feelings about it. because no, i personally have never felt that way towards a musing i didn't write. why? well, i don't know, never saw one that did. maybe i haven't read enough around blogspot. hehehe. but i figured that it must happen. you hear stories of singers with notes from fans telling them, 'your music got me through this, blah, blah, blah.' but i also dismissed these as overzealous fans who just needed to say anything to their idols.
'your music speaks to me!!' yikes. sorry.
so i thought that, no, random musings are really for the benefit of the author- to release and make tangible emotions that are still raw, vulnerable, and need to be vented. actually, i still believe that the better works (be it songs, poetry, random musings) are those that are more personal. ones that cut deep. not ones made for the sake that you can churn out another 'masterpiece.' that's either shallow, or a sham. ultimately, i think these things should be self-serving...
'i did it for the fans!' hmm. err.
anyway, for my opinion already (whew! finally!), i never thought that it was possible, that something someone wrote could be deeply profound to somebody else. but it is. i think divine intervention played a part here, because in my October 7 post, i planned to write something on this, but i had not formed my opinions yet. enter friendster (this friendster thing, talaga...). just this week i had two 'confessions' from old friends that they had kept 'random musings' i had written back when we were high school (ah, yes, the years that start 'em all...) one of them even mentioned having 'adapted' one to be his own work, and that he had fooled a coupla people into thinking he had written it (here we go again with blogger power). ANYWAY, this person proceeded to tell me that my work had such a big impact on his life and that it means a lot more to him now than when he first read it (which, considering that was when he 'adapted' it, well... you get it.)
so i was amazed (okay, i admit it, i was proud first. but i still got amazed anyway). it was actually possible. i think the unseen forces instigated this, so that i could write something already for this blog. hahaha! but it's funny for me, 'cuz i never thought it possible, 'til... wait a minute, before i slip into a cliche, let's just put it at, 'i never thought it was possible, but it is', aight?
Tuesday, October 21, 2003
*sigh* it's good to be back!
it's been so long since i last posted something here (so much so that the log-in page wasn't in my browser address autocomplete anymore), and so much has happened since then...
globally: Japan's economy is now on the uptrend, Bolivia has a new president, and STILL no WMD.
sports: Kobe goes on trial, the Mavs get Antoine, and Schumi wins (again... durr... i was for Kimi)
personal: CDs i am scrambling to get: Do Make Say Think's new album and The Central Park Concert. i joined friendster (and found a lot of old acquaintances- nice to have heard from them), and, most importantly, i celebrated my 5th year anniversary with my best friend =) it's just like wine and adobo... aahahahaha!!!
so there's a lot to talk about. not to mention my pending post on random musings (which i keep forgetting to post. but it's going to be in there soon... heheh...)
for now, click here for a beautiful example of human dynamics. it's all here- the revolution, the good, the bad, the ugly, the dissent... excellent.
it's been so long since i last posted something here (so much so that the log-in page wasn't in my browser address autocomplete anymore), and so much has happened since then...
globally: Japan's economy is now on the uptrend, Bolivia has a new president, and STILL no WMD.
sports: Kobe goes on trial, the Mavs get Antoine, and Schumi wins (again... durr... i was for Kimi)
personal: CDs i am scrambling to get: Do Make Say Think's new album and The Central Park Concert. i joined friendster (and found a lot of old acquaintances- nice to have heard from them), and, most importantly, i celebrated my 5th year anniversary with my best friend =) it's just like wine and adobo... aahahahaha!!!
so there's a lot to talk about. not to mention my pending post on random musings (which i keep forgetting to post. but it's going to be in there soon... heheh...)
for now, click here for a beautiful example of human dynamics. it's all here- the revolution, the good, the bad, the ugly, the dissent... excellent.
Thursday, October 09, 2003
Every 14 seconds a person between 15 and 24 is infected with HIV.
Ponder.
Ponder.
Tuesday, October 07, 2003
okay. before we go further let's answer the probable FAQs:
who are you?
my name is ren. like the moonpools and caterpillars song. like the annoying nickelodeon dog (that's a DOG??!), like... well, you get the picture.
why durr?
i wish i could retort a 'snappy answer to a stupid question', but since you actually asked, i would assume that you are naively asking. it's after an expression of bridget jones. of what, you ask? well, read the books, then.
why blog?
read my post just below this one!
what do you like doing? do you read books? listen to music?
why, how nice of you to ask! (WTF i'm talking to myself here-- bad sign of my mental state) but to give you an idea off the top of my head i'm listening to (now): the dave matthews band, bill frisell, daniel lanois, the roots, and pete yorn. i am reading harlan ellison's dangerous visions (but will not finish it as it's getting way too weird) and want to finish LoEG Vol. 2 but i haven't gotten around to reading #6 yet. i am also waiting for Filbar's to deliver an ordered copy of Neil Gaiman's Murder Mysteries (and kinda got irritated when the counterperson insisted it was a Sandman volume.) Durr. basically that's what i do with my time, aside from work, sleep eat and other daily routines. boring, eh? i apparently get by...
okay that's it for now. my next post will be a random musing on the best topic of all blogs: random musings. 'til then, eat your vegetables and drink your glass of milk. (yes! no third point once again!)
who are you?
my name is ren. like the moonpools and caterpillars song. like the annoying nickelodeon dog (that's a DOG??!), like... well, you get the picture.
why durr?
i wish i could retort a 'snappy answer to a stupid question', but since you actually asked, i would assume that you are naively asking. it's after an expression of bridget jones. of what, you ask? well, read the books, then.
why blog?
read my post just below this one!
what do you like doing? do you read books? listen to music?
why, how nice of you to ask! (WTF i'm talking to myself here-- bad sign of my mental state) but to give you an idea off the top of my head i'm listening to (now): the dave matthews band, bill frisell, daniel lanois, the roots, and pete yorn. i am reading harlan ellison's dangerous visions (but will not finish it as it's getting way too weird) and want to finish LoEG Vol. 2 but i haven't gotten around to reading #6 yet. i am also waiting for Filbar's to deliver an ordered copy of Neil Gaiman's Murder Mysteries (and kinda got irritated when the counterperson insisted it was a Sandman volume.) Durr. basically that's what i do with my time, aside from work, sleep eat and other daily routines. boring, eh? i apparently get by...
okay that's it for now. my next post will be a random musing on the best topic of all blogs: random musings. 'til then, eat your vegetables and drink your glass of milk. (yes! no third point once again!)
Sunday, October 05, 2003
started this blog, as i have seen people i know (and people i don't but do somewhat indirectly) create similar (much more professional looking) weblogs, or 'blogs', as they are commonly known. i do not intend to let this 'control' or take over most of my free time, but instead, will go through the motions just to have 'experienced' writing a 'blog'.
some of the more experienced 'bloggers' out there are probably snickering, as they realize that this greenhorn has no idea what he's talking about. well, true. i don't. they have seen the line hundreds of times before, broken by bloggers past, and this fool is about the join the ranks. also probably true. if you think there's a third point that will finish the spiel, as is wont by 'proper' writing technique, well, sorry there isn't. or have i just made it?
i said just 2 days ago that i would be afraid of creating a blog for fear that my personal life would be an integral subject of this. of course, i already knew in opening this pandora's box that it will. no matter. like people will actually be reading this blog on a regular basis.
so for my first 'personal' entry i just wanted to tell you about having bought 2 CDs in tower alabang yesterday, daniel lanois' 'acadie' and earthrise 2, a compilation with songs by u2, seal, peter gabriel, and others. it was nice hearing the original version of 'the maker'. fter having heard it on DMB's live in chicago disc, i was curious to buy daniel lanois' disc, also knowing that he has been brian eno's right-hand man producing u2's albums since the unforgettable fire (steve lillywhite being the left- but that's another story). i have to admit i found his 'country' stylings and english-french hybrid songwriting rather odd (the maker was phenomenal- easily better than DMB any day), but it's slowly beginning to grow- 'acadie' is the album Sting has been trying to make since he got married (but since he still has to make his rock stuff, he's been failing everytime. but now he's gone over mushy with sacred love- wtf?)
i admit i got earthrise 2 almost for sentimental reasons, having bought the tape in 2nd year HS and wearing it thin ever since. however, i now have the acoustic 'MTV' version of u2's 'who's gonna ride your wild horses', which, along with seal's 'prayer for the dying' are in itself worth the 150.
so that's all for now i hope i have not bored you with my first blog. if any of you need to say anything to me, react or what-have-you, feel free to... i don't know, find a way to reach me, i guess.
some of the more experienced 'bloggers' out there are probably snickering, as they realize that this greenhorn has no idea what he's talking about. well, true. i don't. they have seen the line hundreds of times before, broken by bloggers past, and this fool is about the join the ranks. also probably true. if you think there's a third point that will finish the spiel, as is wont by 'proper' writing technique, well, sorry there isn't. or have i just made it?
i said just 2 days ago that i would be afraid of creating a blog for fear that my personal life would be an integral subject of this. of course, i already knew in opening this pandora's box that it will. no matter. like people will actually be reading this blog on a regular basis.
so for my first 'personal' entry i just wanted to tell you about having bought 2 CDs in tower alabang yesterday, daniel lanois' 'acadie' and earthrise 2, a compilation with songs by u2, seal, peter gabriel, and others. it was nice hearing the original version of 'the maker'. fter having heard it on DMB's live in chicago disc, i was curious to buy daniel lanois' disc, also knowing that he has been brian eno's right-hand man producing u2's albums since the unforgettable fire (steve lillywhite being the left- but that's another story). i have to admit i found his 'country' stylings and english-french hybrid songwriting rather odd (the maker was phenomenal- easily better than DMB any day), but it's slowly beginning to grow- 'acadie' is the album Sting has been trying to make since he got married (but since he still has to make his rock stuff, he's been failing everytime. but now he's gone over mushy with sacred love- wtf?)
i admit i got earthrise 2 almost for sentimental reasons, having bought the tape in 2nd year HS and wearing it thin ever since. however, i now have the acoustic 'MTV' version of u2's 'who's gonna ride your wild horses', which, along with seal's 'prayer for the dying' are in itself worth the 150.
so that's all for now i hope i have not bored you with my first blog. if any of you need to say anything to me, react or what-have-you, feel free to... i don't know, find a way to reach me, i guess.
