04
Nov

the ghost who wouldn’t move

Almost two weeks had passed since that fateful evening. Until now, I’m still reliving and replaying the scenes over and over in my mind. Its one of those unforgettable moments that I know may never happen again. Again, this is me holding on to nothing but memories; just like a kid wants the candy in his mouth to never melt.

The moment I stepped off from the jeep I rode to get to the meeting point, I knew the evening was going to be exceptional. The atmosphere had a dreamlike quality with it, I noticed.

I was walking along the sidewalk when you passed me by and purposely ignored me. A brief moment of eye contact was all it took for me to understand. There could be people watching.

I watched you from afar while you smoked your cigarette. Amazingly, you seemed to have not lost a notch of class with your movements. Many times, I thought of you as a queen in your past life. You still have that uncanny ability to make heads turn, and you still have the same flair and nonchalant demeanor.

So we smoked away the minutes. And the minutes became hours. As expected, no one mentioned anything about the past. Perhaps it was because we were both afraid of unearthing the corpse of a dead concept. The conversations centered mostly on the present, which was something I found difficult to focus on. Small talk has never been my cup of tea. But yeah, I guess I just had to go with the flow that night. Your presence was enough to make up for everything, and seeing you again was the oasis I’ve been searching for in this long desert I’ve been traveling on.

The one thing I’m glad to hear about is you surviving everything and moving on with your life. I wish I could say the same thing for myself but unfortunately, I’m far from the state you’re in now.

As we bid each other goodbye that night, I felt the same set of pins pricking my chest hundreds of nights ago. It was a feeling reminiscent of false hopes and wilting Valentine ’s Day roses. But still I can say that that night was nothing less than stellar. And I’m thankful for it.

’cause if one day you wake up and find that you’re missing me/
And your heart starts to wonder where on this earth I could be/
Thinkin maybe you’ll come back here to the place that we’d meet/
And you’ll see me waiting for you on our corner of the street

- The man who can’t be moved. The script.

16
Sep

Drifter

This is me in the most fucked up stage of my life.

A couple of weeks ago, I resigned from my job because I thought I should be doing something else. I thought of going back to my idealistic state of mind 5 years ago. I tried my best, really. I’m not making this up.

Its amazing how letting go of yourself can bring up a lot of stupid questions. At first, it felt good – being free and all that. But then you’ll realize that you just stumbled upon a fork in the road. The most disturbing question I had for myself was, “Is this what I really want?”

For days, I wasted time playing Mafia wars, Farmville, Vampire wars, Kung fu Pets, and Restaurant city on Facebook. I’d do anything to get my mind off of that stupid question. I distracted myself by watching movies and TV shows for hours on the couch. I made myself believe that I’m doing some serious soul-searching; but in reality, I’m just procrastinating. I’m putting off the homework that I’m supposed to be doing, and that I should have done years ago.

Its stupid, really; This homework that I’m talking about. It just has something to do with what I want; what I desire; what my goals are. I envy people who know what they want; however great or small it is. At least they have something to aspire for, no matter how impossible it may be.

So, yeah. I resigned from my job hoping that I would get the enlightenment I was hoping for. I was keen on hitting the target. The only problem was, I don’t know what my target is supposed to be.

I spent long hours in the night tossing and turning on my bed. The stupid questions kept bothering me. What do I want? How come I don’t know what I want? Am I too satisfied with my crazy little world that I don’t have the desire to want something? Or is it that I’m too scared to go after what I want and I refuse to acknowledge that I’m missing something?

If you’ve been reading my past blogs, (like this one -> Stranger than fiction and sky cable) you would, by now know that I believe in predestination. This may be too much to take in just one reading, I know. I personally think that a single blog entry cannot convey my thoughts (especially when I’m half-drunk and my mind is free-flowing, just like right now). I believe that everything has been written. We are all actors following the script that some omnipotent being has created. You think you did really great on that quiz? Well, think again. Maybe it was written in the book of fate that you should get those questions because you know the answers to them. So you think you’re this smart-ass, big-shot dude that your company is raving about? Hold that thought for a moment. Maybe you we’re destined to get those achievements. Maybe you were also destined to get screwed no matter how much you prayed to your God. Maybe I’m supposed to be writing this blog at 6:55AM on a fucking wonderful Thursday morning. Do you get what I’m saying? I’m just saying that maybe, just maybe, you are made to believe that you are the ones doing these things. Maybe you are made to think that you are in control of your life, when in fact, you’re just following the fate that has been assigned for you. No matter how much you struggle, its all been written. Maybe its been written that you’d realize this, but then again, there is nothing you can do.

This fucked up belief is probably one of the reasons why I don’t know what I want. I was content on living like a drifter. I just let myself be blown by the winds of fate like some useless piece of plastic bag. If I hit a dead end, well at least I know it wasn’t my fault because I’m just following where the wind takes me. I am indifferent to the current events because I know that’s how its supposed to be. I actually hate reading and watching the news because its like reading some tragic novel. And what makes it worse is the fact that it really is happening in reality. I pick up things that come along my way and go wherever my fate brings me. Then suddenly, when I was stuck in home for a few days, I just realized that that sort of living is such a cowardly way to live. I felt sick knowing that all this time, I’ve been letting myself float to wherever the opportunities take me. For the first time, in a very long time, I wanted to be in control again, or at least feel that I am in control. And sadly, I failed.

To be in control of your life, first of all (well, this is my opinion), you need to know what you want. How on Earth can a ship captain control a boat if he doesn’t know his destination? So there. I was stuck on that question. What do I really want? I, sure as hell, don’t know. I’ve been asking myself that question for the longest time. I’m 26 fucking years old now and I need to know where I’m supposed to go. Should I go this way or that?

This may sound corny but I thought of this, and it has also been suggested by my friends, that I should go on a retreat. Yeah. That’s right, and maybe after a few days I may realize that I really want to run for President (no offense to supporters of Noynoy). I also wished that a meteorite would suddenly hit my head and make me realize what I want.

Well, enough of that. I know that deep within my subconscious lies my treasured goals. Brush away the insecurities, erase the fears, clear out the apprehensions, and dig deep within the layers of disillusionment and jadedness, I shall find in my core, whatever it is that I want to achieve and whatever it is that I want to become. The mere thought of doing all those excruciating tasks is enough to discourage me and let myself fall back to the state of being a drifter. Its such a cowardly and spineless way of living, I know. But at least it stops me from slashing my wrists. And I’m still trying to be positive, hoping that someday, I will find out what it is that I want. When that day comes, I will be the happiest creature in the universe.

23
Aug

Jump

This is it. I’ve reached the edge of the cliff. The climb was well worth the exhaustion. I learned a lot from every rock that tripped me and every slip I encountered along the way.

This is the end of this journey for me. As I stood on the edge, I pondered on how far I have gone. This isn’t the peak of this mountain, but I cannot carry on anymore. It would be foolish to try and climb higher. I’m so tired.

I looked down the cliff and felt a searing pain in my chest. My heart started beating three times faster. I stood there thinking of what I should do. I normally don’t have a fear of heights, but this one is just too high for me.

Looking back, I found my friends trudging along the path. Some were really determined to carry on. Nobody noticed that I have strayed from the trail. Even I, myself, didn’t notice that my feet were taking me somewhere else.

Tears started flowing from my eyes. I moved one step backward. Suddenly, my power animal appeared beside me. It’s a Lion. His majestic golden locks swayed with the wind. He brings with him a distinguished air of confidence and optimism.

“Jump!” he roars at me.

“This is crazy!”, I yelled back at him but he completely ignored my statement.

“Your salvation lies in rising after you’ve completely fallen” he says calmly this time.

Hmm…

I don’t understand what he’s telling me. What I do know is that I need to jump off this cliff. There are no other options left for me.

Salvation. That’s such a promising word.

“Let yourself go” my lion says.

I thought of my friends and how oblivious they are of my plight. I can’t blame them. The world is too busy to empathize. We all have our own yokes to carry.

None of this makes sense. I am trying my best to delay the situation but I know that this won’t solve the problem.

Its time to face the challenge.

I closed my eyes and thought of my mantra – “Breathe in. Breathe out. Let go.” I said this over and over to myself.

“Okay” I said finally, with the calm conviction of a Zen master.

My lion looked pleased after I said this. “Very well, then” he replied.

I dropped my baggage and took off all my clothes. I’m taking nothing but memories with me.

I started with a small shaky step and I followed it with another. The next one was more relaxed. As if I have humbly resigned to my fate.

This is it.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Let go.

I jumped off the cliff with open arms.

My lion jumped with me and we are now falling down the dark abyss. Fast and without a trace of uncertainty that we are going down. I forced my eyes open. Here I am now. I am embracing the force of gravity.

He gave off one loud roar.

And as we continued falling down, I heard music.

♪♫ Blackbird singing in the dead of night. Take these broken wings and learn to fly…All your life…You were only waiting for this moment to arrive

Black bird singing in the dead of night. Take these sunken eyes and learn to see…all your life… you were only waiting for this moment to be free

Blackbird fly, Blackbird fly…Into the light of the dark black night. ♪♫

10
Aug

the sobering truth

26. Yep. That’s my age now. Believe it or not.

I celebrated my birthday the usual way. Just got drunk over the weekend. Nothing fancy or wild, I should add. I spent Saturday drinking with my friends from the office. Then, Sunday was videoke day/night with my cousins and friends from home. Of course there was drinking involved in there too.

I am writing this now with a screaming hangover and lots of unanswered questions. I hope you excuse me if this blog seems incoherent. When I’m disoriented like this, I tend to digress from one topic to another. Well, I don’t even have a main topic to start with so I guess this should be fine. Let me ramble on and hopefully, we’ll get somewhere.

Ok. First of all, thank you to everyone who greeted me and wished me well on my birthday. Thank you for remembering. I didn’t expect that much people to know it was my birthday and it was quite surprising that some people suddenly greeted me out of the blue. Thank you for the heartwarming messages from all types of communication. – SMS, Facebook comments, Friendster testi, email, verbal greeting, body language, facial expression, and so on and so forth. Your greetings made up for the awful weather on my actual birthday. August 6 was the rainiest day of the year for me, and with the country mourning over a beloved former president who passed away, it only added another shade of melancholy. Nevertheless, all is well and I was able to convince myself that the rain was, in a way, purging me from all the sad stories of last year. Its time for a fresh start, it seemed to say to me.

Since we got to the topic of fresh starts, I viewed my blog entry for last year. I was reading through my birthday blog of 2008 and some sort of chill started going up my spine. Its not the good kind, I should say.

I had this terrifying realization that nothing much has changed. I’m still running around in circles. It was so surreal reading my past blog and feeling as if I’d written it just yesterday. Something’s not quite right and I can’t, for the life of me, point out what it is. Its like being a character in a Haruki Murakami novel. (You could probably tell I’ve been reading too much Murakami lately. I realized that I’m now a fan.) For how long I’ve been chasing my own tail, I have no idea. 3 years? Or maybe more than that. I’m getting tired of it, really. I can’t help but ask myself –‘Is this it?’ Is this the adult life that I so coveted when I was a little kid? Is this the freedom that I’ve been dreaming of? Am I who I wished to be when I was in the stage of planning for my future? The answer scares me.

Not a day goes by that I don’t think of running away from it all. I’d like to go to some far-away place where nobody knows me, some obscure place in the corner of this planet where I could learn a new language, recreate myself, and just be someone different, someone free from disillusionment. I wish that people’s lives had a reboot button so that you can just restart yourself when you’re stuck in a loop.

I guess you can say that its human nature to want. No matter how much you have, you can never be satisfied. Some of my friends say I’m lucky to be me. Maybe they’re right. Maybe they’re wrong. One thing is certain though (in my point of view at least) - I’m not yet there. And that, is the sobering truth I have come to realize.

Ω

18
Jul

A letter to my lost sense of humor

Hey, so how’s it going? Where have you been all this time? Its been a long time since I last saw you. In fact, I couldn’t even remember the last time I was with you.

If you want to know how I am right now, well, let’s just say I miss you a lot. Here I am, on the verge of losing my sanity. Just look at me. I am writing a letter to an intangible abstract concept (which is you, by the way).

You’re probably wondering why on Earth I’m writing to you. I mean, why not write to my lost faith, my lost hope, my lost confidence, or maybe other things I have lost along the way?!

I think you should know the answer to that already. I need you. Especially now, that I’m going through one of life’s biggest practical jokes.

I know I will be able to regain everything I have lost as soon as I get you back on my side. How else can I get my faith back if I can’t even laugh at the silliest tragedy that happens to me? I can’t just spend the rest of my life in despair can I? Without you, my jokes fall flat and I can’t even drive myself to laugh at all. I’m tired of the fake laughter I had diligently mastered. I need something genuine.

Remember how you used to pep me up when I was sulking in my crazy little world? Or how you made me laugh at myself when I tripped on something? You made me see things in a lighter way and you helped me overcome the greatest obstacles I’ve been through.

You probably left because I fell in love with the beauty of anger and sadness. Honestly, I think it was just a phase I had to go through. Everyone has probably been emo at some point. I’m done with that now and I want you back.

Come on. You knew all along that I couldn’t live without you right? We had good times together. Please come back.

Ω

…cause even the impossible is easy
When we got each other
One day we’re gonna get so high

- High. Lighthouse family

30
Jun

anger @ 33°C

I’ll try to make this as cryptic as possible. My previous blogs were pretty much wide open for everyone to read and it left me defenseless and vulnerable; if you know what I mean. In as much as I don’t want to write this, I just can’t stand it anymore. I did my best to silence myself for, how long was that? – 3 months? 6 months? Or maybe more than that. Hell, its longer than that! Its time I gave myself a chance to let the shit out.

Ok. Here goes.

You make me sick.

Hold on. Before you go on thinking that I’m talking about you in particular, think again. Maybe its not you. Maybe you just happened to read this. Maybe the person I’m offering that statement to, is not even reading my blogs. Maybe I’m referring to more than one person. Whatever the case may be, I just needed to write this.

You. Make. Me. Sick.

You and your perverted relationships. I hate the way you smooth-talk everyone into thinking that you’re helpless against the scenarios you’re getting into. Its just hard to believe that some people are gullible enough to believe you. Talk about a devil’s tongue. Maybe your ‘friends’ are just as perverted as you are. I don’t care where you get your perverted friends or wherever shithole you spend your perverted ‘parties’ at.

Humor me all you want. Bring me down if that makes you happy, but please, stay away from my friends. I can’t stand seeing them being corrupted by your perverted ways. Don’t you have enough perverted playmates you can play around with?

You make me sick.

You and your fraudulent flamboyance. I hate how you swagger around the place as if you’re God’s gift to the universe. You represent everything that I am against. I can see the fake smile, the fake confidence, the fake compliments, the fake apologies, and just about everything about you that’s fake.

I can see right through you and I really wish that I couldn’t, because it only makes me feel sorry for you. You’re the biggest fraud I’ve ever known and I can’t believe you’re even proud of it.

So, yeah. I hope you’re happy with your life.

Thanks, by the way. Because of you, I’m starting to learn how to tolerate people like you. And yes, there are a lot of people like you, if you want to know.

Ω

15
Mar

Brainbench Personality Assessment Results

My mind is all dried up. I am not hearing my inner voice anymore. He’s probably muted temporarily because of all the ego-bashing he got from the universe. I know he’s still lurking underneath. The tension is starting to build up and it may soon burst out in one massive mental ejaculation of ideas.

In the meantime, while I can’t think of crappy things to write about, let me share with you the result of my personality assessment by Brainbench.com.

The test results were a bit too accurate and I had second thoughts about posting it here. But then again, what the heck… who would bother to read this anyway?!

Dear Sherwin Delos Santos:

Here are your Brainbench Personality Assessment Results.

Your Social Boldness: Introverted VS Extraverted
————————————————————
You are quite introverted. Socially, you prefer a more
relaxed, low-key environment, rather than the hustle and
bustle of a wild night in the city. You tend not to talk a
lot, but when you do people listen, because when you say
something it has meaning. You are not seeking the
limelight, usually you prefer to let the attention-mongers
do their thing while you observe. In an unfamiliar setting,
you tend to be cautious and shy while you evaluate the
circumstances. You prefer to avoid conflict, so you do not
put yourself into a threatening situation. Your shyness may
be perceived as unfriendly, but that could not be further
from the truth. People need to be patient with you and take
the time to get to know the complex, private you.

Your Agreeableness: Candid VS Considerate
————————————————————
You are slightly candid. Social harmony is important to
you, as is evidenced by your cooperative, generous, and
helpful nature. If someone asks you what you want to do,
you may reply, “whatever you want”. That is not because you
are indecisive, rather you genuinely want the other person
to be happy, and so whatever they want to do is fine with
you. In general, you are straightforward and sincere with
others, which makes you very likeable. People always know
where you stand. You regard others positively - you trust
people and feel they are honest, so you have no problem
responding in kind. No one will accuse you of being
arrogant. Your self-esteem is just fine, but you do not
think you are better than anyone else. Your desire to help
others is seen in your altruistic nature. You enjoy helping
others and you do not expect anything in return.

Your Self-Control: Impulsive VS Cautious
————————————————————
You are moderately impulsive. At times you can be
impulsive, but not to the point where you are jeopardizing
work or relationships. You know when to follow rules, but
you also know when to bend rules that are not set in stone.
If your home or work space gets a little messy, you do not
get upset or feel compelled to tidy up. You do not have to
have perfect order in your life to feel good about yourself
or your environment. You tend to be more on the fun side of
spontaneity, and enjoy being flexible with your plans and
your life. In general, you prefer to make short-term goals
rather than long-term goals.

Your Anxiety Level: Excitable VS Relaxed
————————————————————
You are very excitable. You do not like stressful
situations. You tend to react emotionally to stress, which
can lead to bad moods, or even anxiety, anger, or
depression. You like to be treated fairly, and may become
upset if you sense that someone is trying to cheat you. You
may find urges and cravings irresistible to the point that
you are giving into them even if you know you will regret
it or feel guilty later. Sometimes you may feel
uncomfortable in social situations, even thinking that
others are judging you. This self-consciousness may show
through as shyness, because you do not want people to think
poorly of you. You tend to worry and are apprehensive in
unfamiliar circumstances.

Your Openness to Change: Practical VS Imaginative
————————————————————
You are very practical. You want just the facts - keep it
plain and simple. You are practical, pragmatic and well
grounded. You have no time for carelessness and
impracticality. You prefer to keep your emotions to
yourself, rather than exposing your feelings to the world.
Life moves along much better for you when you can maintain
a schedule and have routine in your life. Unexpected
surprises and chaos are a major inconvenience to you.  You
tend to be conservative and are somewhat resistant to
change. Others respect your ability to act properly in your
everyday life.

The way you Think/Reason: Concrete VS Abstract
————————————————————
You are very concrete in your thinking. You tend to prefer
the plain, straightforward, and obvious to the complex,
ambiguous, and subtle. You might even regard the arts and
sciences with suspicion, regarding these endeavors as
abstruse or of no practical use.  You believe that
intellect should not be equated with intelligence, as
intellect is an intellectual style, not an intellectual
ability.

14
Feb

a plea for help

Posting this to help a friend out.

Please take the time to read and understand.

I, Maricel M. Cabarloc,writing this appeal for financial assistance
for my three-year old nephew Chris John who was confined at the
Intensive Care Unit of Dr. Victor Potenciano Medical Center. He is
suffering from “biliary atresia” and needs a liver transplant the
soonest time possible. The transplant has an estimate cost of 3.5
million pesos and is to be performed at Taiwan.

Likewise, requesting you to please visit his blog,
http://www.chrisjoh napostol. blogspot. com/ and pass it to your friends
and relatives.

My family and I thoroughly pray that you’ll consider this request.
We would appreciate the every cent you’ll contribute for the medical
needs of my nephew, CJ.

Thank you very much. God bless!

Very truly yours,

MARICEL M. CABARLOC
0916 368 6651

07
Feb

Languid

It’s another lazy Sunday morning. I am sitting in front of my home computer, with my just-got-out-of-bed look (crusty eyes, disheveled hair and all that). Nothing much to write about, I guess. Well, honestly, there are a lot but they’re just too personal for blogs and I don’t really feel like writing.

I was actually browsing my old folders in this home computer and I found a link to my first blog. Amazingly, the blog is still active. My last post there was November 2004. I haven’t updated nor visited it since then. I found myself laughing at my old naïve self. I was transported to my state of mind, 4 hazy years ago.

You can read it at:

http://newbieontheloose.blogspot.com/

.

.

And it wears me out, it wears me out.

- Fake plastic trees. Radiohead.

03
Jan

One step forward, two steps back

That’s the story of 2008. ‘Twas a sad ending to what was supposed to be a promising year.

I started last year brimming with positive energy. I guess I must have used it all up before the year ended. I can’t blame myself. I needed to have fun. And I really did have fun. For the most part, I think.

Last year, I made the effort of reaching out to people in ways deeper than superficial. And I failed miserably. In the end, I found myself back behind the lonely walls of insecurity that I built around myself. The failed attempts only added another shade of jadedness to my distorted view of everything.

And as you can see, I am now reduced to vague and worthless generalizations.

Not in the mood to write. Not in the mood to talk. Not in the mood to socialize.

I don’t know what I want.

It sucks to be sober.

Happy freaking new year, by the way.




 

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