A Short Wish

I wish you more years, better life, strong and happy relationships, longer understanding for our unbecoming, see us grow, see our own family, watch your grandchildren grow, see the indefinite boundaries of life, walk with new people, be more closer to God, appreciate every day and every night, go to places and seek self fulfillment and the hardest wish of all…to say Our THANK YOU could define how much we LOVE YOU after all the times that we’ve been through.

Blessed by the Storm

The Inception of this year has become a milestone of my life when a new wave finally disturbed the sand to reveal something. It was the first time that I ever occupied a room of a hospital. Bedridden and helpless caused by Dengue, there was nothing I can do but to stare at the corners of the haunted space. At that time, my parents were always at my side to take care of me. How can I forget everything they did? They look after me, provided what I need and want, fed me like a toddler, wakes up late night to help me go to the bathroom. I feel like a child again. Perhaps it was the time given to make some realizations because lately I’ve busy with my studies and taken for granted the things that count the most. I even forget to pray at night to thank Him that another day is extended for my existence. On the otherhand, the situation took the opportunity for my family to reunite since they were having conflicts last year. It was overwhelming to see them talking with each other again. Indeed, the days were heartwarming experience to look another perspective of life when you thought invincibility has taken your way. I was reminded how blessed I am when I kept on asking for more then. Although I didn’t have much to spend, I have got more than priceless.

It Ends Where it Began

One of the best Saturday nights, I, together with my peers gathered for one celebration of nearly five years of friendship. Sitio Lucia has been a place for our milestones since the day twenty four different roads have met a single path. As I remember that first day, we were all here just boys ang girls with faces new to each other. For unknown reason, we just have a good time enough to peek what’s inside everyone’s lunchbox. With each toss of beer and the loud beat of the sound, I grasped myself with a sigh. “It’s good to be here” I said. Bonded by the name we were entitled (as politically acclaimed youth), our league is strengthened as we go with time. Hardships at work, never-ending meetings, laughters from talkshits, weep of broken heart and sometimes mind, wasted adventure island trips, overnight drinking sessions and unanticipated turns of circumstances from personal inclination. We have grown enough I think and we knew each other as well. That’s enough to throw a celebration that we are having for the last night that we have gathered again. But this time we knew the reason---a dereliction I guess. Parting ways are just sweet sorrows. The freshmen few years ago are now tracking their separate lives with a spirit of a brave heart now. Some were parents, breadwinners, political movers, some left the country and some are still on their way of striving hard for fulfillment like me. Time become short when you know you’re taking it good. How I wish that memories wouldn’t abandon our reason for seeing each other just for a short talk or even just a lift of an eyebrow. How I wish that we could still have late night never ending drunk-talk, jamming and road trips. How I wish we just don’t know the reason for a celebration and I say—“it’s good to be here.”

An Open Exhibit of the Past

Houses have stories to tell especially when it existed for so many years and witnessed a lot of events. In the town of San Miguel Bulacan, I’ve visited different ancestral houses that were built during the Spanish Era. These were the houses of the rich and influential people in the history of the Philippines. The spaces inside every house reflects the culture of its inhabitants in terms of how their lifestyle, social status, attitude towards visitors and perception of privacy.

One of the remarkable ancestral houses is the Lipana House.

The main door is usually large to accommodate the Caroza (wheeled vehicle being used to carry the Poon or figure of Saint during a parade or prusisyon)

The ground floor is not occupied for daily living. It is only used as storage or area for the Caroza. Walls are really thick and the windows have iron grills.

The Stairway is considered as a transition point. Consisting of two flights, each part indicates your intimacy to the owner. You’re lucky when the owner invites you to go upstairs.

The second floor is where everything happens. It is very spacious since there were no visible partitions between the ante-sala and the living area. This is where they throw parties and special events. Parties and dancing were a total entertainment for people then. It is also a status symbol. Meaning, the more events in your house, them more famous you will be.

Wide windows with transom and ventanillas are not only for air-conditioning purposes but for connection to the streetlife too. If you could stare at the window, you will realize how simple the life before. Take the cold breeze inside the house and say hi to your neighbor.

The Twelve Apostles. Something very unique and historical about the house is the figures of Saints. These have made significant contributions to the life of the owner. The Lipana’s stored and hide their riches inside the saints’ body during the Japanese occupation.

Beep Beep Beep Beep

One the best rides for me is the Jeepney. The utility vehicle GP(general purpose) used during the American occupation that has marked as the icon of a true Filipino transport. This vehicle has to say a lot of stories on the road. I usually travel less than an hour inside Jeepneys going to school. For an architecture student like me who usually consumes the rest of the sleepnights for drawing, it has already been a daily routine for me to take a nap (or sometimes a deep sleep) before the jeep finally arrives on the destination. For so many times, I’ve been popular to the passengers because of this habit. While the jeep is on its way, unknowingly I felt asleep (of course you wouldn’t know you’re asleep) caused by the exhausting night of drawing and I’m about to beat the submission deadline again. On the otherhand, the innocent people sitting beside me will be the victims of my unconscious acts. My upper limb use to sway when I’m sleeping and it just annoys my seatmates. Some were really kind towards me(because they know I’m bigger than them), but others try to initiate something to make me conscious about my stupid acts like hitting my chest with their elbows, moving their knees to disturb me and stabbing with a knife (but haven’t really happened to me yet) There were times that they go mad at me and scream their emotions. Suddenly, I run out of words, maybe my illustrations could explain better.

Are You Who You Want to be?

It’s the first week of November and it marks as the start of my final semester. Hopefully, in God’s time by the next year I would be earning my degree. And after two more years of diversified training for me to be able to take the licensure examination for Architecture. Here comes another season of decision. When I was about to enter college, I wasn’t really sure about the course I will be taking after high school. There are lots of good sounding courses like business administration and engineering courses that I thought would fit my vague mind but I was still not in the mood of choosing one. After several ways of thinking and long hours of decision-making that took me a bottle of beer to finish, here I am today standing in front of people with t-square and messy pens that I got from nowhere. By the time I am writing this article, I’m still uncertain that I’m going to be an architect someday. I really don’t know why I am standing still. Perhaps there is a good reason why I woke up one day on this side of the road. The song “This is your life” by Switchfoot always reminds me of the things that I should be thinking right now.

Don't close your eyes, don't close your eyes
This is your life and today is all you've got now
Yeah, and today is all you'll ever have
Don't close your eyes
Don't close your eyes

This is your life, are you who you want to be
This is your life, are you who you want to be
This is your life, is it everything you dreamed it would be
When the world was younger and you had everything to lose

Are you who you want to be? Is this the life I am dreaming of? Is this sum of all my sacrifices? When I was writing my book for thesis, my adviser always asks me to revise my goals and objectives of my study. He said “stick with your goals. The objectives must be coherent to the goal you want to achieve.” The goal setting is similar to building bridges leading to your ultimate dream. We may not know what lies ahead of us, but important is that we succeeded in fulfilling our dreams not by the reputation given by the people but the heart and mind that reached self-actualization. Nobody measures real success but us. I realized then that this life is too short; we have to do what we have to. I don’t want to see myself someday acting the role of someone who I’m not used to be.