Meat pie and the Enigma of Nature

I went home early yesterday hoping to get some much needed rest after spending a few sleepless nights working on my new hobby. I'm a die-hard toy collector and my friend Mokie got me hooked on 1:6 scale action figures that you get to dress up as little combat-accurate soldiers ( and soldiering has always been one of my unfulfilled dreams in life). So I walked towards where I usually get my ride home, and I happened to pass by one Goldilocks Bakery so I thought I'd grab me some grub along the way. I bought a meat pie and settled on a table outside of the shop. As I was eating I noticed people passing by and staring at my far-seeing look, noting my calmness as I ate my pie. What they didn't know was that I was really wondering where the hell the world is coming to, because lately mother nature hasn't been behaving as normal as it should.last week Manila was at the receiving end of a
powerful storm that rocked its infrastructure to the core, and though it was over
in a few hours, it made me realize that after the tragedy of storm Ondoy the worst is yet to come. Luckily I was brought up in a religious family, and ever since I was a toddler we where taught that the world will eventually come to an end, and that Christ would finally come back to judge the living and the dead. But before all that stuff comes to pass things will get worse for everyone, and I think that part is starting to happen. So what does one ordinary human being do when the very planet that he's living on decides to erase his very existence? Well, aside from dropping to our knees and praying to God to spare us from harm, I think it's about time we use our heads and learn to adapt to the ever-changing climate to survive. So its always good to prepare yourself from the bad that might happen by creating your very own 'survival kit' (I have one that consists of a lighter, pocket knife, and mini flashlight which I always bring with me). Also, try to stock up on food, water, and whatever it is that you will need in case the proverbial shit hits the fan and all your daily necessities run out, so as not to be caught off guard. With all the post-apocalyptic movies and books that have been coming out lately, I think it's enough warning that sooner or later one of them is gonna end up happening to us(especially a zombie apocalypse, which is really bad). My doomsday thoughts aside, I finished my meal and went on my way, above me the dark skies threatening rain again.

Mall Thrall

Every one of us has his or her own way of coping with the daily stress of life in the big city. We here in Manila also know that stress-related problems are no match for that looming, omnipresent structure that is the mall. Whether it be window shopping,shopping,family gatherings, friendly get-together, or just plain hanging out, we all need to stop pretending to be the energizer bunny for awhile and start unwinding the way overworked people should. Malls of all shapes and sizes have spread in time like concrete mushrooms and thrive the way they do because of one thing: they are the Mecca of our city's dead-tired and uninspired inhabitants hungry for much needed R and R (and a value meal or two). I myself am one of those 'mindless zombies' out there who gravitate towards the lights, the sounds, and the air-conditioned bliss that malls are known for. Sadly, I've been like that for as long as I can remember, and though the appeal of rampant consumerism for me has faded with time, I still go to the mall sometimes for the occasional window shopping session as well as to get some supplies. Clearly, all that ever really remains of my love affair with the department store are fond memories. probably my favorite memory ( one that I have kept in a toolbox in my mind that says 'for emergency use only') was from way back in high school. My younger brother Jet and I had this weekend escapade to Robinson's Galleria in ortigas every time we got money to spare. Those days we didn't really have much personally, so what we did was we solicited money from anyone in the house willing to be a good samaritan until we raised enough to get the wheels going. We then head to the mall and spend all of our dough like the kids we were. half of the money went to Rino's Arcade where we usually play shoot em' up zombie games and the fighting games till our eyes and hands hurt. We then spend the rest of our cash eating like shipwreck survivors at Wendy's Hamburgers. It was the good ole' times, indeed, and whenever my brother comes home from Dubai he gets a kick out of remembering those carefree times we had when we where young. And me? Well, I just keep them memories alive and always available in my head. That way, when the bad times come (and they do, all the time), there's always those good memories that will pull me through the dark roads that I walk on. So the next time you folks pass by the local mall, why not come in? You might find one of them fond memories just waiting to be made.

One-two

I was watching TV last night after a long day of working on client revisions at the office when I came upon a martial arts event in singapore called Martial Combat. A big fan of MMA myself, I decided to stick with the current channel for awhile as I wait for my sister to finish using the toilet. I was actually already preparing to go to bed and was just killing some time, but was a bit intrigued by the current matchup on TV because it was between two up-and-coming fighters who look to put up a great fight. Unfortunately I couldn't remember their names (not really good at that), but to make it short the fight was between an american muay thai fighter and a brazilian jujitsu practitioner. The Muay thai fighter, who comes from Tiger Muay Thai Academy (apparently a training camp successful for churning out good MMA fighters), looked really calm despite the fact that he was up against a brazilian jujitsu black belt and former jujitsu mundials champion. As the two were being introduced, I can't help but feel some pity for the american as it looks like he's gonna be on the recieving end of some serious ass-kicking. Finally they were called to the center and the american was even polite enough to shake hands and make a muay thai bow to his brazilian opponent, who cockily aknowledged him but obviously was already very eager to get it over and done with. I was also a bit excited at what looked to be an exciting fight, so I held my bladder for a little while more as I watched the announcer signal the two warriors to 'get it on'. And get it on they did: only it didn't happen the way I thought it would. Clearly one of the fighters already had the outcome of the fight etched in his mind even before they ever stepped into the octagon, because what followed was a classic example of 'warrior spirit vs. experience'. As the bell rang, the two fighters walked towards each other, and as the more experienced brazilian sized up his opponent, the american kickboxer clearly felt that the time was now, and unleashed a form-perfect one-two punch combination that sent the jujitsu champion down like a sack of potatoes. It was over in less than a minute, and as the fight physicians attended to the still unconscious brazilian, the american kickboxer calmy went back to his corner amidst the deafening cheers of the crowd. It was clear what he was there for: he was there to win. And win he did. He just had to get over the fact that he was gonna be fighting a goliath in the form of the brazilian champion, and had to win the fight in his mind before he could do it for real, hence his calmness before the inevitable storm. And all it took was a good old 'one-two' punch straight out of the book. The brazilian champion was still down as I turned the TV off and went to sleep.

Insomnia

What does a man do when it is late and he couldn't sleep? That's a question that I have been asking myself lately. It seems as though the peace that is slumber has disappeared and has left me lying in bed with my brainwaves fluttering like a firefly deep into the night. I guess this is what happens when people get a little older: their minds couldn't stop thinking about what the distant future might be for them. Sometimes I try to tell myself to stop worrying because everything will be alright, but everytime I look out the window all I see is grief and sorrow. I think it's about time a savior comes along to give us a little assurance and tuck us all in every night. And I think He already passed this way once, a very long time ago. We were all just too preoccupied with ourselves back then to ever really notice Him, or confirm that He was who He claimed to be. But we killed Him for being different, and now we realize that His teachings were right, after all. And in this dying world that we live in, He is the only thing that stands between us and the hell that we deserve to be in. If I were you, I'd go look for Him before it's too late. Christ, I'd better go to sleep now. It's 3AM.

(Written a few months ago when I was still taking Sleepasil every night and doing the sandman a big favor.)

WTF?!

This is just to welcome anyone curious enough to have strayed into my new and otherwise very empty blog spot. Strangely, I write this in the middle of a rather gray week at work. Gray because I went to work last monday, sat down on my desk, and wondered ' What the f@#%k am I doing here?' as I turned my PC on and realized I wasn't in the mood for anything. My mind just simply refused to work, and decided to take a day off without informing me. I guess that's just how it is sometimes: we go out into the world with all our energy and hoping to make a better life for ourselves, when suddenly we realize that we're lost...all dressed up but nowhere to go. Like zombies we walk the streets pretending to still be human but in reality we are just husks trying to get somewhere, and doing a poor job at it. We're freaking zombies, people; and unless we snap out of this miserable daily routine and decide to go and do something better, we will probably end up more dead to the world at the end of our day. Today is Wednesday, and I can't wait to get home and shoot zombies on my laptop.