Midnight Run: A New Beginning

Seeing the yellow figure up ahead, he began to accelerate and sped past various vehicles. Catching up with her, he matched her speed until he was running side-by-side with her and then flashed his lights as an invitation. Pleasantly surprised at the Red Wind's appearance, the Yellow Damsel flashed her lights in reply as an acceptance of his invitation. Together, they accelerated into the night.

For the Red Wind, it was an entirely different feeling. It was surreal. For the first time after a long while, he was comfortably happy running the streets beside someone whom he has grown to like and admire. For the Yellow Damsel, it seemed to be nothing more than a simple joyride, enjoying the company of people whom she is happy to be with... But for the Red Wind, it was more than that... Maybe it wasn't time yet but he knew what he wants and he also realized that he has grown to need her in his life.

Exchanging lines every so often, they navigated corners and chicanes as if they nothing more than gentle curves. And every so often, the Red Wind willingly puts himself on the outside of a turn as if to protect his companion from hitting the walls. Coming out of a corner, they both saw a fork on the road. Far into the left lane, the Red Wind saw a lone white figure whom he adored so much when he was once a Red Knight. While he knew that they are just friends, there were times that he longed for the days gone by. The right lane was open, filled with gentle curves and sudden turns. It was as if it was inviting  him to take a challenge of sorts. The Yellow Damsel signaled that she would be taking the right lane.

As they approached the fork on the road, the Red Wind briefly reminisced and reflected on his decisions, his actions and their consequences. He then made his decision. It was time for him to move forward with his life. The lane that he chose may be full of uncertainties but he too deserved a fresh start. Taking the Yellow Damsel's cue, they took the right lane and sped together into the night...

And for the Red Wind, a new life...

Imponderables

I got another one from a very good friend. Courtesy of "Mommy" Cris Bayani

Ponder on these imponderables for a minute:

1. If you take an Oriental person and spin him around several times, does he become disoriented?

2. If people from?Poland? are called Poles, why aren't people from Holland?called Holes?

3. Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery?

4. If a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled?

5. If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?

6. Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?

7. When cheese gets its picture taken, what does it say?

8. Why is a person who plays the piano called a pianist but a person who drives a racing car not called a racist?

9. Why are a wise man and a wise guy opposites?

10. Why do overlook and oversee mean opposite things?

11. Why isn't the number 11 pronounced onety one?

12. "I am" is reportedly the shortest sentence in the English language. Could it be that "I do" is the longest sentence?

13. If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked, and dry cleaners depressed?

14. What hair colour do they put on the driver's licences of bald men?

15. I thought about how mothers feed their babies with tiny little spoons and forks so I wondered what do Chinese mothers use? Toothpicks?

16. Why do they put pictures of criminals up in the Post Office? What are we supposed to do, write to them? Why don't they just put their pictures on the postage stamps so the postmen can look for them while they deliver the mail?

17. You never really learn to swear until you learn to drive. (Amen)

18. No one ever says, "It's only a game" when their team is winning.

19. Ever wonder about those people who spend $2.00 apiece on those little bottles of Evian water? Try spelling Evian backwards: NAIVE

20. Isn't making a smoking section in a restaurant like making a peeing section in a swimming pool?

22. OK ... so if the Jacksonville Jaguars are known as the "Jags" and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are known as the "Bucs," what does that make the Tennessee? Titans?

23. If 4 out of 5 people SUFFER from diarrhoea, does that mean that one enjoys it?

24. Why if you send something by road it is called a shipment, but when you send it by sea it is called cargo?

25. If a convenience store is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, why are there locks on the door?

Think about it...

Nightbeat: Reconciliation

He was back on the street again... Lamposts looking like blurrs of light... Weaving unseen and intricate lines in and out in between moving obstacles that, in relation to his pace, are virtually in a standstill... His mount had it final transformation: visually, it now sports a pair of white stripes in contrast to the vibrant shining red. It no longer carries a clean look that it once had. Performance-wise it was now far from what it was as a replacement for his old mount. It was nowhere as grippy and it slides just right. And just as his mount had changed, so had he. No longer the angry and sullen knight, his smooth and gentle maneuvers clearly reflecting his temperament.

Smoothly clearing a corner, he spotted a familiar sight: the former queen. As always, still pretty and still as white as he once saw her. Physically speaking, she still looked the same. But by the way she moved, one can tell that she too has changed. She then flashed her tail lights as a sign of invitation. Seeing that, he knew that the former queen had seen him. Setting his ride beside hers, he gave her a short glance and she signaled him for a short run. He replied in kind and they accelerated together into the night..

Together, they once again did the dance that they used to, making their way past traffic, navigating corners and exchanging and crossing each other's lines in the process. They were both smiling yet somehow knew that they could no longer return to a time gone by. Clearing a corner together, the scarlet wind was on the left side of the road while his former queen on the right. From afar, they saw a fork on the road - the very same fork where they made their respective decisions a long time ago. As they approached the incoming division, the former queen flashed her lights as if to talk. And for a brief period, both of them were transported to a time gone by:

Will you still be my friend even after we part ways?

Of course, I will always be your friend no matter what.

Promise?

Promise.

Returning back to reality, the former red knight smiled and flashed his lights in return. It looks as though he will be able to keep that promise after all. Stealing a glance once more at his former queen, he also saw her smiling. They both knew that they would meet again but no longer as the enemies that they once saw in each other after that fateful night all those days and months ago... Taking his respective lane, he parted ways with his former queen as she took hers. He then sped away down his chosen path into the night and once again smiled as he saw a yellow figure not too far away...

The Wonder Years

"Growing up is never easy. You hold on to things that were. You wonder what's to come. But that night, I think we knew it was time to let go of what had been, and look ahead to what would be. Other days. New days. Days to come. The thing is, we didn't have to hate each other for getting older. We just had to forgive ourselves... for growing up."
                                                                                                    - The Wonder Years

I came across the above quotation a few days ago. Had it not been for the mentioned source of the quote, I would have definitely discarded it as another statement... Who knew that such a statement from an old TV series could carry that much weight?

It somehow woke a sense of nostalgia in me... It made me wonder how were the people who I used to study and grow up with are doing now. Questions such as "Where are they?" or "How do they look like now?" came to the fore. Yes, social network sites such as friendster and multiply are sprouting all over the internet like mushrooms, letting a person know how his friends, classmates and acquiantances are doing... But somehow, its different when you get to see them again face to face. Add to that the news of the death of the father of one of my former classmates in college, not to mention the demise of one of my batchmates from high school made me think about my mortality and how short life is. Funny, I'm still in my early twenties and I'm already acknowledging my own mortality and already wondering what am I doing with life right now...

As you can see dear reader, I just uploaded another photo album... this time filled with pictures of good old UST. Some of the places there are still familiar while some of the landmarks that me and many of my college batchmates grew up with are no longer there... Initially, I was one of the many who thought that many of the changes are no longer needed or that there could be a better way. Sadly, the price of moving forward is to let go of some of these landmarks. Places such as the Colayco Park and the UST canteen has given way to the Millenium Park (UST people, please correct me on that) and other such changes. The UST canteen's spiritual successor is the car park building in front of the UST Hospital. When I re-visited UST last Saturday and started my little photography project, I began to realize that some of the changes really are for the better (in a sense). I wouldn't have been able to get a rather good (relatively) shot of either AB Building or the Main Building had it not been for the spanish-era styled lamp posts to add some flavor to the scenery...

Taking those pictures helped me relax from the stress and crap of the "real" world. Yes, I know that its rather odd to visit a school during the summer break when you know that you're not going to chance upon anyone familiar there but something inside me was nudging or begging me to visit the old school again and just reflect. Every shot, every photo of a building or a place in UST reminded me of a lot of pleasant and not so pleasant memories. It was also strangely surreal because while I was taking pictures, I could almost hear the voices of either my college classmates or batchmates... A part of me was half-expecting to see them walking around, chatting, minding their own businesses the second I turn towards the sounds of their voices... At one point, my nostalgia got the better of me and I somehow saw images of me and my UST batchmates... Again, more memories... of cramming for exams... quarreling over projects and petty things... the gimicks... the laughter and chatter... Those were carefree days... In a sense, those were really the wonder years...

Well, time to park my so-called pen for now... Time to face the new day and the days to come... Come to think of it, all that came from just one statement from an old TV show...

Small World (Scene 1)

A detailed (?) recap of the drinking session at Alan's Grill last May 16, 2008... And now, for the characters:

What the Hec (WTH): an office worker and career man but has not yet let go of his interest in animation, television and such... But in a more subtle manner than before...

Smart Alec: A witty and good natured guy...

SWIPE: another office worker and career man...

Little Nicky: the... topic of the night...

Scene 1: WTH, Smart Alec and Little Nicky are having a few drinks at Alan's Grill.

[fade in] Nursery song "Its a Small World" [fade out}

Smart Alec: Ei Nick, where's you're imaginary friend?

Little Nicky: Don't worry, he'll come. He just came from work.

SWIPE arrives.

Smart Alec: So this is your imaginary friend, Nick?

SWIPE: Yep, the imaginary friend has materialized.

Handshakes were exchanged.

Little Nicky: Hey SWIPE, did you know that me, Smart Alec and WTH have a common friend who knows your ex-gf?

[fade in] Nursery song "Its a Small World" [fade out]

Slideshow of several pics showing drinks and food. Little Nick ends his story of seeing a nice BMW.

Smart Alec: Nick, your reaction to that BMW reminds me of how a deer reacts when flashed with a cars headlights: clueless and awestruck in the middle of the road.

Little Nicky: Really?

SWIPE takes a photo of a clueless Little Nicky.

Little Nicky: DAMN YOU SWIPE!

SWIPE: [snickers]  This will look good on friendster and multiply...

Little Nicky: SWIPE...

Smart Alec: Your world just got smaller, Nick.. hehehe....

SWIPE: [looks at Little Nicky] You're screwed man... [flashes evil smile]

WTH: Oh yes...

Little Nicky: What have I done?...

[fade in] Nursery song "Its a Small World" [fade out]

*End of Scene 1*

 

*pics of Little Nicky emulating a dumbfounded deer will be posted later this week...

Anemic Bar & Grill

Yes dear reader, Club Insomnia now has a partner joint where its patrons can go after spending a couple of hours at the club.

Its called: ANEMIC BAR & GRILL

It serves you a weakened state of mind and body throughout the day that you'll be practically begging for sleep at the most inappropriate times of the day... Its also open to guests that Club Insomnia can no longer accommodate...

So what are you waiting for? The night is still young and sleep will always be hard to come by when you need it most.

ANEMIC BAR & GRILL, where sleep is always a luxury.

Summer Dash: Interlude

Rain. There was something about it that makes people stop, think and relax. For some, it is also a time to reflect. From her seat by the coffee shop's window, she looked at her sunny yellow mount parked outside as she listened to the falling rain's rhyme.

Accompanying that rhythm, were the questions that were occupying her mind:

Who was that?

Where did he come from?

How did he do that?

And with each question, she recalled every aspect of her encounter with the scarlet wind: the place, the time and the characters involved. Reclining on her chair, she closed her eyes and began to wonder if she will ever come across him again...

The gentle ringing of chimes attached to the door signaled the entrance of another customer. Following the sound of the newcomer's footsteps, she saw the back a young man walking near the coffee shop's bar. Looking back out to where her car was parked, she was surprised to find the red wind parked behind her sunny mount. She then looked back to where she last saw the newly arrived guest but couldn't find him among the seated customers.

How on earth did he disappear?

And she found herself looking again at the scarlet wind in wonder and curiousity.

 

*edited cliffhanger part of story...

Summer Dash: Chance Encounter

Dawn. The sun is just about to peek over the horizon. Save for a few trucks here and there, there was hardly any activity at all. Except for a solitary figure running at speeds normally found and heard of in the middle of the night..

She made her way down the road, gently weaving and smoothly avoiding trucks here and there. To the vehicles that she had passed, she was nothing more than another sports car... Yet, there was still something about her ride that caught their attention: Her ride's vibrant yellow made a subtle impression of a light and bubbly personality, quiet as she may be.

As she approached an intersection, she decided to turn left. And with that, she slid her car in anticipation of the turn that she was about to make...   But nothing prepared her for a surprise as a red blur slid in front of her, so that it may be able to enter the road that she just left...

As the red blur disappeared into the road that she came from, she quickly slowed down the pace of her ride as she entered the lane that she was aiming for earlier... Relishing the sweetness of being alive after a near-miss, she suddenly realized that there she has much pondering to do... So many questions... All of them pointing towards the red blur that she saw earlier. Who was that?

Little did she know, that she left an mark on the mind of the red blur as well...

An Afternoon Nap

I closed my eyes... Finally, a chance to catch up with my sleep... And then it starts to feel strange... a thin mist covers everything that I could see.. I don't recall dreamland to look like this... Then again, dreamland does change its appearance from time to time... The mist clears... and I find myself in a sepia colored environmnet of my old grade school building...

The Pilot

I saw a kid run past me... He was wearing a pair of khaki shorts, a white polo shirt and leather shoes... He was... laughing... full of dreams... and he was holding a toy airplane in his hand... He turned around and waved at me...

"Who are you, mister?" he asked. I couldn't help but smile... Such innocent and naive nature... too gentle... and too trusting..

"A friend." I replied. I couldn't help but to think that this was who I was so long ago... all those long years ago... "Let me guess... you want to be a pilot?"

The boy nodded his head and showed me his toy airplane, built with love and care. Again, I couldn't help but smile... I started to walk with him around the school grounds.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I don't know yet.."

A mist then engulfed me again. And it disappeared as quickly as it had seperated me from the little boy... The environment is now colored... akin to an old photograph from the 80s... And now I'm walking down the halls of my old high school building... nearby, I see a lone figure standing by the windows, staring at the clouds...

 

The Dreamer

Approaching him, I noticed that he was wearing almost the same uniform as the kid... only this time, the khaki shorts was replaced by a pair of black pants. And he was wearing glasses. While he has a faint smile on his face, one could sense the air of sadness around him... One could sense that he had just been through a mental and emotional torment of sorts.. And then he spoke: "Where have you been?"

I choked on my reply: "I beg your pardon?"

"Where did you run off to when I was a little kid? I was about to ask you another question when you suddenly disappeared." I realized that this was the kid that I met earlier. I was speechless... and he continued speaking.

"The second you left me, a group of boys showed up and stole my plane. They threw it and crushed it. And they have done so to every last one of my endeavors... Ridiculing them... Belittling them..."

With his true friends far and few in between, it was evident that his dreams were the only form of escape that he has... And as I sought for words to console him, I was surrounded yet again by a mist... Moments later, the mist disappeared... and I found myself in the familiar environment of my college school grounds...

 

The Romantic

I saw him from afar... He was smiling... he was with friends... and a love that stirred in him a fire and an urge to live on and not just survive the challenges... They were holding hands... Exchanging sweet glances... I was tempted to approach him and say hi but I stopped myself... It wouldn't be nice to disturb him in his moments of joy... And as the mist envelopes me again... I couldn't help but smile at the scene... And as the mist gave way again... I found myself in the middle of an urban environment at night...

 

The Wanderer

I was standing face to face with him... An older, more mature version of the first three people that I encountered... His soft and gentle features have hardened a bit... He was wearing a pair of slacks and a long-sleeved midnight blue polo that was rolled or folded up to his elbows. The smile that he used to have was already gone...

"It's been a while..." he spoke...

"I couldn't agree with you more.." I replied... "What happened? Why are you alone now?"

"I came, I saw and I got my backside kicked a couple of times." was the reply.

"It must've been rough."

"It is..."

"So what are you up to now?"

"Wandering around... Looking for my dreams that had disappeared..." There was a tinge of bitterness in his voice... I couldn't really fault him after being forced to give up many of his dreams...

"You sound like you've almost given up." I said.

"Almost," he replied "is right... But I don't buy the idea of just wandering around aimlessly... Yes, I am a wanderer... But I am wandering around, looking for my dreams..."

"How sure are you that you will find them?"

"From the way things are looking up, I'd say that I'm pretty sure about it." A gentle smile formed on his face as he saw something far away. I turned to looked at the source of his smile and I saw a woman with a charming smile approaching us. And then a rather heavy hand tapped on my shoulder. It was the young man that I was talking to. Standing right beside me, it was evident that he was trying to keep his poker face on.

"Do me and the three other fellows a favor, will you?" He began "When you wake up, don't forget to continue fulfilling the dreams that we reminded you of. We grudgingly gave up ours so that you may eventually fulfill the dreams that are really meant for you... for us..."

And with that, he walked towards the lady and I slowly found myself waking up back in reality... with a gentle smile formed on my face...

Club Insomnia

A friend and I coined a name for this kind of situation wherein you stay awake well into the wee hours of the morning for no reason at all. We called it Club Insomnia. Come to think of it, I think I already used this title for one of my posts a while back...

Anyway, I'm about to become a certified insomniac... Granted, my work load in the office has slightly "improved" (better time management) but for some reason, my mind just can't seem to adjust... Its as if its always on the go, never letting me sleep... and to think I haven't even had a cup of coffee in a while...

Tonight, I became desperate. Desperate for sleep. Desperate to do something that will put me or send me to a lovely trip to a place called dreamland: added some new pics into my Matchbox album, turned myself into a lurker (stalker/idiot) of sorts by checking into the profiles and pictures/albums of people that I know, adding a new blog... all in the hopes that I would eventually get sleepy and start having a good night's rest... which unfortunately, is not the case...

Looks like I have to go to my last resort of counting sheep just to get some sleep...