I love this one. It’s like the Pinoy version of the song Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen) by Baz Luhrmann. Read on and hope this enlightens you too like it did me.

From the Album “Pop Lola”
As interpreted by Armida Siguion Reyna

TAGUBILIN AT HABILIN
Text by Jose F. Lacaba

Mabuhay ka, kaibigan!

Iyan ang una’t huli kong
Tagubilin at habilin: Mabuhay ka!

Sa edad kong ito, marami akong maibibigay na payo.
Mayaman ako sa payo.
Maghugas ka ng kamay bago kumain.
Maghugas ka ng kamay pagkatapos kumain.
Pero huwag kang maghuhugas ng kamay para lang makaiwas sa sisi.
Huwag kang maghuhugas ng kamay kung may inaapi
Na kaya mong tulungan.

Paupuin sa bus ang matatanda at ang mga may kalong na sanggol.
Magpasalamat sa nagmamagandang-loob.
Matuto sa karanasan ng matatanda
Pero huwag magpatali sa kaisipang makaluma.

Huwag piliting matulog kung ayaw kang dalawin ng antok.
Huwag pag-aksayahan ng panahon ang walang utang na loob.
Huwag makipagtalo sa bobo at baka ka mapagkamalang bobo.
Huwag bubulong-bulong sa mga panahong kailangang sumigaw.

Huwag kang manalig sa bulung-bulungan.
Huwag kang papatay-patay sa ilalim ng pabitin.
Huwag kang tutulog-tulog sa pansitan.

Umawit ka kung nag-iisa sa banyo.
Umawit ka sa piling ng barkada.
Umawit ka kung nalulungkot.
Umawit ka kung masaya.

Ingat lang.

Huwag kang aawit ng “My Way” sa videoke bar at baka ka mabaril.
Huwag kang magsindi ng sigarilyo sa gasolinahan.
Dahan-dahan sa matatarik na landas.
Dahan-dahan sa malulubak na daan.

Higit sa lahat, inuulit ko: Mabuhay ka!

Maraming bagay sa mundo na nakakadismaya.
Mabuhay ka.
Maraming problema ang mundo na wala na yatang lunas.
Mabuhay ka.

Sa hirap ng panahon, sa harap ng kabiguan,
Kung minsan ay gusto mo nang mamatay.
Gusto mong maglaslas ng pulso kung sawi sa pag-ibig.
Gusto mong uminom ng lason kung wala nang makain.
Gusto mong magbigti kung napakabigat ng mga pasanin.
Gusto mong pasabugin ang bungo mo kung maraming gumugulo sa utak.

Huwag kang patatalo. Huwag kang susuko.

Narinig mo ang sinasabi ng awitin:
“Gising at magbangon sa pagkagupiling,
Sa pagkakatulog na lubhang mahimbing.”
Gumising ka kung hinaharana ka ng pag-ibig.
Bumangon ka kung nananawagan ang kapuspalad.

Ang sabi ng iba: “Ang matapang ay walang-takot lumaban.”
Ang sabi ko naman: Ang tunay na matapang ay lumalaban
Kahit natatakot.

Lumaban ka kung inginungodngod ang nguso mo sa putik.
Bumalikwas ka kung tinatapak-tapakan ka.
Buong-tapang mong ipaglaban ang iyong mga prinsipyo

Kahit hindi ka sigurado na agad-agad kang mananalo.

Mabuhay ka, kaibigan. Mabuhay ka.

Popularity: 12% [?]

Bebot Yen has this meme on her blog called Questions of the Week. I think that this is a fun idea for people to get to know each other better so I’ll be joining her every now and then. Here are my answers to my first set of questions…

1. What was the last movie you bought/rented?
I bought a lot when I last went to Quiapo. Haha! Into the Wild, La Vie En Rose, Love in the Time of Cholera, Rendition, Michael Clayton, etc…

2. Have you ever gone too far on a dare?
Nope. Kung ano lang yung dare and that’s it.

3. Can you sing the alphabet backwards?
Nope. And don’t give my niece the idea, she once asked my dad to count 500 backwards. Haha!

4. Are you allergic to anything? What?
Yes, I’m allergic to Aspirin and Paracetamol.

5. Do you cry at weddings?
Once yes.

6. Name one person you want to hug right now. Why?
Haha! If you’re reading this blog then you’d know who I want to hug right now and all the time. Hahaha!

7. Hair….natural or colored?
Natural. Never tried dyeing my hair.
8. Do you like camping?
Yes! I love camping!

9. Most annoying TV commercial?
The most recent that I’ve seen is the one about breastmilk… the one where the mom said na cow’s milk is not for her baby because her baby is not a cow. Yes it has a very good message but I’m pretty sure they could think of a better concept to imply their message.

10. Favorite place to shop?
I don’t really shop a lot IRL. So, I guess my favorite place to shop right now is in digital scrapbooking stores. Haha!

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So, I’ve been thinking… a lot lately, especially last night… about him. I actually had a hard time going to sleep last night. Sabi ko pa naman I’ll go to sleep early so I won’t think anymore, yun pala lalo lang lang akong mag-iisip. Hay buhay! But, I remember he told me he wants us to be friends, nothing more, nothing less, because friends are forever daw. And he can’t see why love is forever. And with that, titigilan ko na tong kalokohan na ‘to!

Seriously, I don’t get it! I don’t get him! It’s like doesn’t he have enough friends already? Parang what’s with me ba? Sabi nga niya parang inggitero daw pala dating niya because when we were drinking last weekend he told me that he wanted to be close like how DA, OC and CO are to me. From I see right now, we can’t have a platonic friendship, and that would be really very difficult for me. Right now pa lang, we’ve been together twice pa lang ulit after a loooooonngg time and I can feel myself getting hopelessly addicted to him already. And maybe he is too. Makapal na kung makapal pero I can tell that he is. Kse hindi niya papatulan yung idea to meet last Tuesday if he didn’t want to be with me. Then on Wednesday afternoon (he went home that morning), I told him that I finnished na the album that I was doing for our friends and he suggested pa he’d get it that night. Imagine, he’d be coming from Las Pinas then go to my place her ein QC and then go to our friend’s place in Cainta, tapos the next day they’re leaving early to go to Pangasinan. Parang parusa naman yon, right? Am I reading too much through all of this?

I guess then CO is right! Gago talaga kami! Mismo! Or maybe, ako lang. Siguro nga it’s about time na tigilan ko na talaga tong kalokohan na to!

Popularity: 5% [?]

by The Commodores

I want you to want me
I’m going crazy knowing she will be your lover tonight
And when she comes I’ll let you go
I’ll just pretend that you walked out of the door
Oh no I can’t sleep
Oh no I’m going crazy with love over you

I need you to need me
I wanna hold you but you’re holding someone else in your arms
When I close my eyes I see your face
I’m just not sure how much my heart can erase
Oh no I can’t think
Oh no I’m going crazy with love over you

Oh no I can’t sleep anymore baby
Oh no I can’t think anymore baby
Oh no I’m going crazy with love over you

——————–

Here’s another song for the week. This can’t wait na for next week so two songs for the whole week. Malay natin kung madagdagan pa! Haha! This is my theme song for today and tomorrow and all the times he’ll be with her. My friends are in Pangasinan right now. AA is there with them with his girlfriend. He said he can’t anything about it anymore because my friends invited her. But like what I’ve said nga, there’s nothing to resolve. Our friends can’t find out kung ano na nangyayari sa min. I can’t even imagine how they’ll react if they do find out. But they know that AA is seeing me. I don’t know nga din what they’re thinking eh, kse nga I don’t go with them anymore pero AA and CO are seeing me. Niloloko pa sila ni AA na galit ako sa kanila. Haha! So anyway, I have two versions of the song, one is the original and one naman is instrumental para if you feel like singing.

Popularity: 11% [?]

Yep that’s me… or as what CO called me and AA “mga sira ulo kayo!”

After the really crazy weekend, AA and I met again on Tuesday night to “test” if we could still be alone together with alcohol. I asked him kung hindi na kami iinom together and he said hindi na muna then he changed his mind and said na i-test daw namin. As in we reconstructed the situation last Saturday. Same environment, same ambiance, same crazy amount of Red Horse (this time pa nga yata mas marami yung Happy Horse), minus lang CO and the webcam. Haha! Everything went okay naman. I actually was provoking him to see if he would give in. Mabait ang loko! But when he woke up the next day, I felt that he was in deep thought. Siempre I didn’t let him know na gising na ko. I just watched him sitting quietly beside me. Then I woke up, sobrang gigil na gigil siya sa akin. As in para kong isang malaking teddy bear na pinang-gigilan ng kid. He kept pinching me, tickling me, tapos he kissed me all over my face tapos dinadaganan niya ko. I wanted so much to ask him what’s on his mind pero next time na lang siguro… one step at a time. Gago din ako eh, provoking him. I really wanna see kse if he’ll give in because if I really mean a lot to him, like what he’s telling me, then he shouldn’t. I feel like I’m torturing him. And gago din ako, I should know better. I’ve been through a lot before because of him and no it’s like I’m willing to go through all those pain just to be close to him. I know this won’t lead to nothing more than friendship but there’s still this part of me that’s hoping and wishing that we would be together. I really wanted to get angry but I just couldn’t.

We, AA and I, had a long conversation on Monday in YM. As in I asked him a lot of questions and andami kong nalaman and na-clear. Some of his reasons are still the same when we talked more than 10 years ago and some have changed. He said we’re better of as friends because he doesn’t want to lose me and he is a bad boyfriend. So, kung naging kami noon daw then baka by now eh wala na kami. That’s what we decided on our talk long time ago, we didn’t want to lose each other so friends na lang. Here’s what he told me “honestly, there is this heavy feeling in me talaga if I’m gonna lose you.” And he can’t understand it, that feeling. Sabi ko nga baka naman he feels guilty lang, pero hindi daw because dati pa andon na yung feeling na yon. He said pa I seem like an immortal being that can’t be changed. Feeling ko isa kong anghel na walang pakpak at may sungay. Haha! When we were still in college there were times na biglang hindi na lang niya ko papansinin. I’d always think that I did something wrong so I kept my distance. Nagiging okay na lang lahat pag pinansin niya na ko, then I’d think that maybe it was all just a figment of my imagination. Yun pala it was really like that. He told me that sometimes he got tired of people talking about us, why couldn’t they let us be daw. Parang that time kse almost everyone we knew always associated us with each other. Parang wala ako kung wala siya and vice versa. And some even thought that we’re an item and those who didn’t wished that we were and hoped that we’d be. I want him to sort out his feelings sobra! Feeling ko he can’t or won’t admit to himself that he likes me, you know, more than just a friend.

Another thing pala… he has a girlfriend. O diba para kong isang mistress? Haha! I don’t think he’s serious about her kse if he is then he should be with her most of the time. Pero weekdays he’s in the province, working then weekends naman he’s out with his friends and recently with me. Bad nga talaga siyang boyfriend. Our barkada invites her sa mga get-together namin and I can’t bear seeing them together so ako na lang yung lumalayo. She’s nice naman eh kaya lang feeling ko ang plastic plastic ko. And I don’t like that feeling kaya pass na lang ako parati pag may get-together. Then yesterday, I told him that… na one of the reasons why hindi ako sumasama sa barkada is because of him and his girlfriend. He’s willing to resolve it for me. Pero I told him there’s nothing to resolve. I don’t want to be the reason why people can’t be together.

I’m thinking nga, I’m doing this photobook to set me free from him. I thought our story has ended na. Yun pala chapter one pa lang yon. Haha! Now I have to make a new one pero wala pang ending, hahaha! to those reading my blog… tama ba tong ginagawa ko? Am I insane? What do you think of him? Should I stay or should I go? Any comments, suggestions and violent reactions are welcome.

Popularity: 5% [?]

by Jann Arden

how do you cool your lips after a summer’s kiss
how do you rid the sweat after the body bliss
how do you turn your eyes from the romantic glare
how do you block the sound of a voice you’d know anywhere

i really should have known by the time you drove me home
by the vagueness in your eyes, your casual good-byes
by the chill in your embrace and the expression on your face
that told me you might have some advice to give on how to be insensitive

how do you numb your skin after the warmest touch
how do you slow your blood after the body rush
how do you free your soul after you’ve found a friend
how do you teach your heart it’s a crime to fall in love again

you probably won’t remember me, it’s probably ancient history
i’m one of the chosen few who went ahead and fell for you
i’m out of vogue, i’m out of touch, i fell too fast, i feel too much
i thought that you might have some advice to give on how to be insensitive

——————-

Went to Tayuman again last Saturday to get my client’s album. As always, the girl did not follow my directions. Hay nacoo! After that we had lunch at Don Henrico’s in Tomas Morato. Nothing beats Don Henrico’s Buffalo Wings! Yum-O!!! And then I waited for AA to arrive. When he got here, kwento-kwento muna with my sis then he played a little with the kids, then I did his franchise primer while he napped. Around 12mn, we went out to buy some beer. We bought 2 bottles of the Red Horse Litro and two small ones (Happy Horse). CO was online that time so we chatted with him in YM. It was fun, it’s like the three of us hanging out together again, except that CO is really miles away. We bought beer again, two more bottles of Red Horse Litro and one Happy Horse. I remember punching him on his left arm lots of times and we even played bunong braso. Haha! I think he was trying to prove that he’s strong and he is. Funny thing, parati akong nagrereklamo na tinutulugan niya ko pag lasingan and that night he didn’t sleep. We ditched CO and we had a serious drunk talk. I don’t know how many times ko siyang minura. Basta I remember telling him “T@#$&%^ mo AA” or “F#&$ you AA!” lots of times. Parang he desperately wanted to be close to me, like how I am with my other close guy friends, three in particular, DA, OC and CO. He told me he loves me a number of times but every time he did dinudugtungan ko ng “but only as a friend.” I really can’t remember what we talked about but our conversation left me feeling more depressed and frustrated. And then…

The following day (Sunday) he was supposed to go home early so he could watch Pacquiao’s game at a friend’s house who has pay-per-view. But he chose to stay and kept me company the whole day. He asked me a couple of times if I wanted to talk about last night but I declined, telling him that there’s no point in talking about it anymore. I don’t know if he wanted to hear something from or if he’s really concerned or if he’s just worried that I might not do his primer. I could tell he was a little worried because I was quiet the whole day and wouldn’t answer his questions. He went home around 7pm. I finished his primer and emailed it to him last night, along with another email telling him how I really feel after last night.

Drunk Tales: I learned something new this weekend. In every case of Red Horse Beer, there’s this one bottle which they call Happy Horse. It’s said to be much stronger than the regular Red Horse bottles. AA showed me how to look for it… with the regular bottles, the print at the back is color yellow, on the Happy Horse, the print is color red.

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Yesterday was a busy Monday for me, busier than my usual Monday, that is. I woke up around lunch time and I didn’t have the time to eat lunch anymore. My BIL drove me to the album supplier in Tayuman but before going there we passed by the party supplier first to get the down payment for my clients’ albums. My dad and the two kiddos were with us also and after going to Tayuman, we headed off to Quiapo. After Quiapo, we went to Luneta Park to look if the kite fliers were there. Unfortunately they weren’t so we just went to get a bite at the Harbor View Restaurant so that the kids could enjoy the view of the bay.

After eating merienda, we decided to pass by the Manila Ocean Park. There was no line on the ticket booth so we decided to go in. I was hugely disappointed with it. It still isn’t finish and it looked like they’re not even halfway of the whole project. Wondered why they already opened it to the public. I don’t know about other people who had been there already but for me, the entrance fee is definitely not worth it. I’ve been to the Ocean Park in Hong Kong and ours definitely compete with it, what more with other similar and but more famous attractions across the globe? They have an aquarium full of starfish which you can’t pet. It is a great idea for kids to learn but the aquarium is a bit deep for kids and you can’t even lift the starfish, you’re only allowed to touch it and they won’t even move it close to you. Then when you go inside, I think that the hallways are too narrow to accommodate all the people. And you can’t even use the flash of your camera when taking pictures. The aircon also can’t keep up with the number of people and it’s not even summer yet. I can just imagine how hot it’ll be in there when the season officially changes to summer.

For you to be able to exit the area, you have to go up on the second and walk around to other side of the building. The second is not yet finish, nothing in there except for a couple of small pools with schools of fish where you can dip your feet in (Imagine if someone with athlete’s foot is there with you at the same time, gross! Haha!), a restaurant which isn’t functional yet, and the souvenir shop which is filled with overpriced goodies.

The flooring on the entrance is not even beautiful, I mean it looks old and dirty already and it hasn’t been open for a month. And I find the water in the aquariums a bit cloudy and the big aquariums looked dull to me. I mean, I’ve seen better than those when I’m snorkeling, cleaner and clearer water and more colorful fish. They could add more colorful fish there and they could bring out the colors by being dramatic with the lights. They could the whole place dimmer and use more spotlights, or something like that, on the aquariums, kwim? Is it just me or anyone thinks the same as I am? Anyway, if you’ve been there already too, you can share your stories and insights and maybe try to enlighten me. And I’ll definitely go back but only when the whole place is already fully functional.

Popularity: 5% [?]

by Bob Marley

Old pirates, yes, they rob I
Sold I to the merchant ships
Minutes after they took I
From the bottomless pit
But my hand was made strong
By the hand of the almighty
We forward in this generation
Triumphantly
Wont you help to sing
These songs of freedom
Cause all I ever have
Redemption songs
Redemption songs

Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery
None but ourselves can free our minds
Have no fear for atomic energy
Cause none of them can stop the time
How long shall they kill our prophets
While we stand aside and look
Some say its just a part of it
We’ve got to fulfill the book
Wont you help to sing
These songs of freedom
Cause all I ever have
Redemption songs
Redemption songs

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It’s been a bit crazy this weekend in my house. The people are not getting along well, I wasn’t able to go to my album supplier and my nephew just got a minor operation on his arm. I just busied myself with cleaning my room (yep, its’ never-ending) and I actually was tempted to contact AA to ask him out (just a friendly thing and he offered anyway).

Friday afternoon, my BIL and I brought my nephew to the ER because he had this insect bite which developed into a huge open wound. It was infected, just as I had suspected, and the nurse scheduled him an appointment with a surgeon the next day.

Saturday morning, someone was supposed to drive me to the album supplier but no one did. My mom and dad went out with my tita and my sister and BIL brought my nephew to the surgeon. They got back around 4:30 pm and it was already too late for me to go cause the supplier closes at 5pm. So, I just spent most of the day cleaning my room.

Sunday, my sister didn’t go with my mom to the birthday party where they were invited and my mom was a bit angry with my sister because my sister didn’t even allow the kids to go with my mom, it was a children’s party after all. I wasn’t able to clean my room because my nephew was playing in the computer and I felt a little tired from yesterday, so I just spent the rest of the day watching TV. I also spent a couple of hours playing and finger painting with the two kiddos.

And I think I ate too much today, my tummy feels weird and I just couldn’t go to sleep.

Tomorrow, my BIL will be driving me to the album supplier. And I’m actually looking forward to another chat session with AA. Haha!

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I watched the movie Benny & Joon yesterday. I love that movie! It’s so funny and heartwarming. Plus Johnny Depp is so cute there too! There was this part where they were eating and Sam noticed Joon was removing all the raisins on her tapioca and asked her if she doesn’t like raisins. Joon said something about a raisin commercial, making the raisins sing and dance so people will eat them! Haha! I’m not a big fan of raisins too. I avoid it as much as people and would remove it from my food if I could. Anyway, here’s the rest of what Joon said about raisins…

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