[The above image is taken from the 1960 movie Chance Meeting. The use of the said image is mainly for purposes of this blog and no other. Copyright over the same belongs to the rightful owners thereof.] IT WAS EARLY evening and the bus terminal along Avenida near Recto Avenue was jam-packed with people. But he easily noticed her. For, she stood out among the crowd: she with her tall, slim and curvaceous figure, perfectly matched by her long, straight black hair cascading down her back, and of course, her pretty face: she was easily an eye-catcher. No wonder a... Continue reading

[The above image is courtesy of http://www.goavoyage.com/sunset-scenery-gallery-9.html] THE SUN IS now hurling a bright orange shine. It has begun its descent earlier; by now, the heat of its rays has diminished. Though a little change in the mountain breeze can now be felt, the waves of heat rising from the earth are still assailing the air. In the area in the nearby grove of trees, the weather is fresher. The thick green tree tops have formed a great canopy that shields the grassy area from the afternoon sun’s solar blasts. The path leading to the grove is a trail of... Continue reading

[Above image is courtesy of Wikipedia] THE RED DOME is topped by a short spire pointed heavenward. Below it are scarlet clocks that hung on three sides of the hexagonal-shaped tower. The structure at the base of the tower is massive, occupying at least 15 square miles of the dagger-shaped area of land locked in by three roads. The building, however, does not entirely cover the land; there is a wide open space in the middle that serves as an inner courtyard and also as parking lots. Neither does the edifice take up the ends of the entire area; there... Continue reading

[Note: The above image is taken from the URL: http://www.examiner.com/fight-sports-in-pittsburgh/oscar-de-la-hoya-cotto-will-stop-pacquiao-the-later-rounds] “Hello?” “Hi, Honey!” “Hi, Sweetie! I’m about to shower.” “Good news, Pete! I was able to get a discount from the wedding coordinator. Imagine, they reduced their fee by twenty percent!” “Hey, hey, Sweetie! That’s great!” “So, that’s one down. Five more things to go. Whew! This is kinda tiring.” “So what are you to do next?” “I’ll be meeting the couturier later. I’ll try to ask for a discount too.” “Is she a good one? Better be sure you’ll look splendid in your wedding gown, Janice.” “Don’t worry, Honey!... Continue reading

[Note: The above image is the theatrical poster of the 1984 film, "Electric Dreams."] In this electronic age, almost everything comes with just one push of a button. You see and experience this in various fields of human activity: in communication, in commerce and transportation, even in warfare (“computer-guided missiles,” etc.), in space exploration (“unmanned automated spacecraft,” etc.) and in medicine (“computer-assisted or robot-assisted surgery,” etc.). The technological wonders all around us have practically changed the world we now lived in. A world with convenience and comfort. And a world made smaller with the ease with which we can get... Continue reading

[The above image is the theatrical poster of the 1982 film, Class Reunion] ONE WEEK. NO, one week was not enough to consider it an affair. What was it then? What simply happened was, well, actually, it all began when they met again. Something happened. Something was sprung. Fierce feelings. Pristine fervor. Instense excitement. A gravitational force was unleashed. It drew them together. They got close. By the time they realized it, passion had gotten in the way. It was unstoppable. Like a snowball rolling down the hill. BACK THEN. IT was the time of innocence. Of purity. Of discovery... Continue reading

[Note: The above image is courtesy of Wikipedia] HE DOES NOT feel well, he thinks. His arms, his legs, there is some weakness in every move that he makes. But no, he just cannot take a leave of absence from his work, he has told himself right after waking up. Nobody’s gonna sub for me. And so, after wolfing down his breakfast, consisting of a 3-piece pandesal and hot of steaming coffee, he leaves his dilapidated house somewhere in Manila’s Tondo district. It is a half-hour ride, reaching the park, his workstation, at exactly 8:00 A.M. As he has expected,... Continue reading

[Note: The above image is courtesy of Wikipedia] It is said that the park got its name—Luneta—from the word “lunette” since the park resembles the shape of a half-moon. During the 19th century Spanish Philippines, the area, then known as Bagumbayan (“new town”), was the place where public executions of felons convicted of rebellion against the Spanish authorities were held. At the turn of the 20th century with the onset of the American colonial rule, the place was expanded; this included the areas reclaimed from the nearby bay just across it. Careful and elaborate planning was done by the American... Continue reading

[Note: The above image is courtesy of Wikipedia] THE SUN IS at its zenith. Down below, the city’s inhabitants fight the persistent heat by staying indoors, in the comfort of their air-conditioned enclaves. If ever they venture out, they do so only when dusk approaches, at which time the great celestial body is already orange hued, receding on the horizon, about to touch the line where the sea meets the sky. But here he is. Braving the sun’s rays at the height of the daytime heat. Though at times he seeks the soothing shade of the canopy of leaves nearby,... Continue reading

ALONG THE STRETCH of Claro M. Recto avenue, not only the shops and stores on the aging, dilapidated buildings bustle with activity. For, apart from the scores of establishments that line the avenue, like banks, bookstores, fast food restaurants, pawnshops, and shops or stores that sell electronic gadgets (like mobile phones and their accessories, mp3 players, calculators, PSP players, etc.) or personal accessories or college uniforms, there is an assortment of vendors or merchants that have become regular fixtures on the sidewalk. A number of energetic shopkeepers fight against each other to get their usual daily quota of customers, mostly... Continue reading

In the distance, you can make out the modern edifices that spread before your eyes. The enchanting skyline exhibits a glorious sight, which is evidence of the city’s progress through the years. From where you are standing, your view likewise captures the dozen ships or vessels—mammoth sea creatures that are a confirmation of the economic liveliness that permeates throughout the metropolis—that are moored or anchored in the calm waters of the bay. The huge formless clouds on the horizon, their immaculateness emphasized to the fullest by the illuminance of the blinding rays of the sun, complete the panoramic scene. A... Continue reading

“YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE told them that,” he said. She looked at him. “What?” Silence. He waited until the car neared the traffic light, which had turned red. He put the stick shift in neutral, then spoke. “About my ex-girlfriend.” A bitter smile on her face flashed. Then she looked ahead, through the front windshield. “What’s wrong? It’s the truth anyway.” “Damn right it’s the truth. But it’s been ages ago! When will you stop your motor mouth?” he demanded. The light went green. He shifted to first gear, then stepped on the gas. She gave out a mocking laugh, then... Continue reading

A LONG TIME ago in a far away land there once lived a tree. It was not just an ordinary tree; it was “a tree of wonder.” It was, in fact, considered as “the tree of life” for it yielded produce that proved beneficial to almost all creatures in the forest. Bountiful sweet-tasting, delicious-smelling fruits that grew from it provided nutrients to whoever ate them. Its roots were medicinal; once they grew and protruded to the ground, they could be used to cure all kinds of ailments. Not only that; it likewise bore plentiful fragrant flowers that shone with strikingly... Continue reading

AT A CORNER Starbucks. Somewhere along Makati Avenue. They arrived there an hour earlier after they had left a posh Greenbelt restaurant where a mutual friend had treated them to a sumptuous dinner meal. It was there, their favorite hang-out, where they decided to spend the rest of the evening facebooking their friends. After a while, feeling somewhat tired and sleepy, he told her it was time for them to leave. It was half past eleven in the evening, already quite late. She said he could go ahead as she was waiting for someone. He looked at her, telling her... Continue reading

“HERE HE COMES,” she says as she immediately stands up. “The Boss!” She leaves her son who remains sprawled in the corner. The Boss has just come in. He shuts the steel gate behind him and walks across on his way toward the house. He notices her; she was approaching, her feet making delicate, graceful steps. “Boss? Boss? You have some food to give to us?” she says, her voice mellow and sweet. “We’re hungry! Boss, oh please, can you spare us some food? Please?” she looks up at the Boss with pleading eyes. There is a grumbling voice that... Continue reading

A portion of the narrow street, from one corner block to another, runs a distance of almost one-third of a kilometer. It is actually a two-way street; vehicles can travel in both directions. What, however, happens is that the residents in the area occupy the space along the edge of the street; they park their cars there as if they own the area: this makes this part of the narrow street even narrower. It thus becomes a one-direction-way street---allowing only one vehicle going in one direction. When cars from opposite directions happen to meet in the street, the yielding driver... Continue reading

HE LAY STILL. He just lay down on his bed the whole afternoon. He rose only when nature called. He barely touched his meals. He felt he was sick. He turned to his side, his hand reaching for the blanket to cover himself. He felt it was unusually cold. From somewhere, he heard some noise, some music, a festive song. A Christmas carol. He hummed. He loved that song. Ang Pasko ay sumapit Tayo nang mangagsi-awit Ng Magagandang Himig Dahil sa Diyos ay pag-ibig [Christmas has come Let us all sing Festive songs For God is love] It brought back... Continue reading

SHE COULDN’T TAKE it. Just couldn’t. It was as if her life itself had already ended. Her world blew up, disintegrated into pieces. She cried her heart out when the realization hit her. A savage realization. Her husband, her true love. He’s now gone. Suddenly, a black hole of the past swallowed her up. The first time she saw him. She fell in love right away. Madly in love. No, not only her; rather, almost all the girls in school did, too. They wanted to get a piece of him. Well, just who wouldn’t be? Tall, dark, handsome. Dashing, debonair.... Continue reading

THERE SHE WAS. He saw her, there, she was standing at the corner stop light, waiting to cross the street. That’s her, he could not be mistaken. He pulled up at the edge of the road, leapt out of the car and dashed to where she was. It took him only five or so minutes. When he got there, she was gone. He got back to the car and sped away. He couldn’t believe it. Just how fast she disappeared. He decided to grab a snack at a nearest 7-11 convenience store. As he was about to go inside, he... Continue reading

Facebook. She met him there. Or rather, she stumbled upon him, there, that social networking site ranked nowadays as the most used worldwide. It was more like serendipity, she liked to think it that way. It happened around the time when she was exchanging some posts on Facebook with a friend, about a guy her friend had met days before. “OMG, diz iz it!” her friend had posted on her wall. “Gud 4 u, sis,” she had replied, adding, “Gud luck, Gurl!” It was already midnight, another late night sleep for her. She was about to shut down her laptop... Continue reading

[Note: Image is from the theatrical release poster of the 1999 film "The Love Letter".] IT WAS THE first day in school: the first time he saw her. He was floored. He hadn’t seen such a beautiful face, such face that mesmerized him the moment he laid his eyes on her. He got disoriented or something, he just didn’t know what to do. What his instincts told him, though, were to just stick his eyes on her, to follow her every movement, to study even the smallest detail he could see in her. She was seated in the front row,... Continue reading

The area was somewhere within the least trodden part of the city. Except for the residents there, no one would dare venture going to the area. Some said the area’s residents were “squatters”; the residents, however, claimed that they had been given permission by the local authorities to live there. The area’s first generation dwellers, back in the ‘70s, had now improved their abodes: sturdy-looking concrete structures that boasted of terraces on their second floors. Late comers’ houses consisted of crudely built wooden structures that would leak and sway and dance during strong typhoons. Several dirt roads connected the blocks... Continue reading

Jojo. A great guy. Really tough. He had this knack of doing difficult things too easy. Facing tough problems? Ah, Jojo was the guy to run to. Some time ago, I almost figured in a vehicular collision in one of the traffic-clogged streets of Manila. The driver in the other car just wouldn’t budge. As I had the right of way, I refused to yield and held on to my place. The other driver went out of his battered Toyota Pick Up truck and stood just beside the driver’s door of my car. He was bawling at me, with the... Continue reading

Martin was trading some MP3 tunes with another crew member at the entrance when a couple got in. “Good evening, Sir, Ma’am. Table for two?” he asked. “Yes, ah,” the man replied, adding, “you have a table near a corner?” “Sir,” Martin was pointing to a table at the far end near the corner wall, “this way, Sir.” Friday’s bar and restaurant at the Glorietta Mall in Makati on Monday evenings usually attracted only a trickle of customers. Were it not for the couple, Martin and the rest of the crew would have spent the whole evening “bluetoothing” MP3 tunes... Continue reading