GO AWAY. COME AGAIN ANOTHER DAY.

This blog is under renovation. See you when it's done. Don't hold your breath.

Filled, but not yet to the brim

I've managed to fill my day.

I met my students from the only class I have today and I'm happy to report that they did not succeed in jumping on me with their brown rubber iguana. HAHAHA!

I met and tortured, I mean tutored Kim, Kring's second-grade little brother, after lunch for his Reading and Language periodical exams, and we enjoyed lots of snacks. Tita even brought Mc snacks later in the afternoon. I'm such a sucker for food. Gawd!

And at five, Jackie, my co-adviser and I met with the II-Amorsolo parents (only nine of 23, I'm disappointed to say) and we discussed some matters. It's sad that we only managed to resolve half of what we planned on accomplishing. I hope that eventually everything will be settled soon.

And so far, that's it. We also got our delayed salary today, and we all were upset to learn of the increase in our witholding taxes. I'm not really familiar with all these tax talk, but I do hope that this raise in the witholding tax would eventually be for the good of all the Filipinos, and of our nation as well. Haay...

Umnggthz...

...

Nakakainip.
Nakakainis.
Nakakabadtrip.

What is?

To wake up to an empty day.

But I'm hopeful that today will turn out fine.

Umnggthz...

How dads can be so supportive

Gregorio del Pilar has a boyfriend.
Gregorio del Pilar used to be eye candy for a thirteen-year old girl. He still is even when she is already twenty-three.
But the eye-candy turned out to like lollipops, too. No more hope for that girl; otherwise called "Me."
I sort of ran into dear old Gregorio recently. And about him are vines, vines that brought me news of his true identity. My young wards (etch, governess?), who were with me, were shocked. Our common friends were incredulous for a second (yes, for only a second). It's not surprising, that's what most of them assured me.
"Ahay," is all they could say.
My dad was less sympathetic. I told him, "Dad, remember Gregorio del Pilar? He has a boyfriend. (Sniffles, sniffles.)"
If daddy was sitting on a stool instead of a chair with a backrest, he could've toppled over with laughter. So much about filial love. (Sniffles, sniffles).

Ode to my Yosi Boy

For people who hurt there is one thing that they reach for to ease the pain that they feel.

Some people reach for the phone and talk or text to their friends, telling them they are okay when they actually aren't, perhaps only saying so to assure not their friends but themselves.

Some people reach out more personally, like going home to curl up in daddy's arms or cry buckets on mommy's breasts.

Some tend to be less vegetative and rather let out the [party] animal in them--perhaps they would reach out for that bottle of Red Horse or that videoke microphone and belt out "I Will Survive" or "I Did it My Way."

Still, for some other people they reach for a variety of things--some opt for the steering wheel and the welcoming wide stretch of the orange-lighted highway at 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning, for some who believe in God, they reach for the rosary or the Bible, and let themselves be comforted by the Holy Word.

Some, on the other hand, instead of drowning their tears in beer or sending up prayers into the Heavens, or letting whoever is in Heaven take pity on their road-racing souls, like to simply fog out reality in a blanket of cigarette smoke. Smothering themselves in intoxicating tar and nicotine is a way for some people to breathe freely.

But what happens when that single thing that you always reach for when you want to breathe suddenly turns out to be a reminder of the allergen that had set off your asthma? What do you do when everytime you inhale the sweet, menthol taste of tobacco and everytime you let that taste take over you, you remember how somebody used to do the same thing to you? What do you do when instead of smoke rising above your head, you see his face and instead of the cigarette smell, you smell his hair?

What do you do?