Ikaw na? Ako na kaya.

Two friends separately shared similar tales with me out of unease and concern. After hearing them both out, their stories seemed more than déjà vu. It turned out, they were talking about the same reaction to the same person only at different times and situations. All I could say about the person my friends were talking about after was…

IKAW NA.

(A more sarcastic and less gendered translation of “you’re the man”)

I hope you catch this disease.

A simple chat today with Ate Alma, one of the Loyola Schools’ humble icons, Ate Alma, our ever-charming, bubbly and loving photocopy lady near Sec B Foyer, reminded me of an often overlooked yet simple trick to remain happy.

Kaya Itigil mo na ang iyong Pagmamaganda.

A recent conversation about an issue that’s supposedly bothering me has left my friend irritated. The reason? I told her that there isn’t any issue and I’m just piecing up an illusory puzzle whose pieces don’t even actually fit. In short, nagmamaganda lang.

We all have issues with ourselves and with other people. However, the reality is, some if not most of the issues we have are non-issues in the first place. 

The Thirst for Love

Happy birthday Brian Chanyungco! Thank you for the many years of friendship! I wouldn’t have lasted through BMH without you. Stay awesome and model-thin!

Speaking of Aragorn err Brian, I reblogged a tumblr photo from him which contained the following:

“Unless it’s mad, passionate, extraordinary love, it is a waste of time. There are too many mediocre things in life. Love shouldn’t be one of them.”

I will be my own savior.

I absolutely love Adele. Her beyond soulful music soothes and empowers me at the same time if ever that’s possible. I’ve actually been aching to write entries about her and her songs for so long but just couldn’t find the right time. So look out for more entries based on her songs which serve as a symbol of my eternal Adele adoration.

If you watched the latest Glee episode, you’ve probably heard Turning Tables, the one Gwyneth Paltrow sang for intermission. Though Gwyneth did a decent job, I’d still like you to listen to the original by Adele. In my opinion, the song’s silent aches and breakthroughs are amplified to a level which breaks yet also frees the weary heart.

One of the lines I remember the most is I’ll be my own savior, standing on my own two feet which could be found in the song’s bridge. I found it quite appropriate for Easter today when the Lord fulfills His promise of being our savior.

This is just a mundane and ordinary entry about my Lent.

One can say that I haven’t been as religious as I’ve been this Lent as with the past years. Aside from joining the procession yesterday, I’ve primarily used my break to rest, relax and catch up on Mula sa Puso. But of course, I’ve still used parts of this break to reflect.

Despite the short time, I have actually come up with a personal challenge that you might want to try out as well!

God knows Hudas not pay.

When I first heard that Judas would be Lady Gaga’s second single off from her sophomore album, the title of this entry immediately popped in my head. For those who are not familiar with this witty Filipino wordplay, it’s usually found in jeepneys as a friendly reminder/threat for commuters to pay the fare.

Anyway, I personally found the song quite disturbing especially tackling a rather controversial biblical character. However, I promised myself a while back to appreciate the good even in the most disturbing of things. And aside from the catchy tune, I’ve had the time to reflect on what the song could mean for us.

The Black Spot and the Snake Bite

We see what we want to see.

The blackest black spot wouldn’t even be black if we see it as whitest white. Heck, even seeing it as just plain white or any other hue. Though the truth may reveal itself as a simple black spot, our own thoughts and feelings color it however we’d want to see the spot. Hopefully, we get to call black as black.

We don’t see what we don’t want to see.

And the sadder thing is, sometimes, even though the blackest black spot comes with sparkling neon lights, loud music and whatever aids for one to see it just the way it’s supposed to be, we still perceive it the way we’d want to see it. In spite of every glaring sign that we should see things in a different light.

At such point, you’d probably have been told Kung ahas lang iyan, natuklaw ka na. (If it was a snake, you would have been already bitten.) And if we let our perceptions rule us, then surely we’re really bound to suffer the bite. Only when the venom seeps and spreads would we realize that we should have seen black as black all along.

Thus, hopefully, we see things as they should be seen or else, we’ll suffer the snake bite that has figuratively wounded millions.

When Everything you have is Nothing

When All You Have is Nothing was supposed to be the title of my nanowrimo entry for 2009. Inspired by Steve Berry novels, it was a suspense thriller about a woman seeking to find nothing but the man who raped her a week before her wedding. She embarks on a vicious voyage where she oft finds herself having nothing as her everything. The novel ends with a revelation that leaves nothing unturned…

Of course, word count = nothing since all of these wrote out perfectly in my head. But I promise flesh it out hopefully in the next few years.

We hate the idea of nothing.