Friday, November 7, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
emotions
I woke up at 4:30 this morning. Since I didn't feel sleepy anymore [Iwent to bed at 8 last night], I went to the sala intending to finally view Prison Break 3 on dvd, but when I saw the laptop, I changed my mind. I opened it and went to limewire and started to download christmas songs by the carpenters. When the first song 'merry Christmas darling' was completed, I played it while continuing to download. Completed next was 'I'll be home for Christmas'. I then played it next. When it started playing, I suddenly felt nostalgic and thought about my daughter who is studying in Manila. I imagined how she would feel hearing this song. I know she's homesick. I read about it in her blog which I saw last night just before going to bed. I couldn't help it, tears fell down my eyes. I feel the homesickness of my daughter, and I miss her.
I last saw her in August in Manila just before I went back to Cebu after my training there. We were also together going home to Cebu for his Lolo's birthday, August 24, for a surprise visit by her, and were also together going back to Manila, me to continue my training and her to go back to UP for her studies.
I don't know why, but since the time both of my daughters left home, this was last year, to pursue their studies, one going to Silliman for her pgi, and the other to UP for her master's, I easily feel nostalgia. Tears are very easy to come by. Their going away simultaneously sort of shocked me. I was fully aware that one day they will have to live their own lives, but still I was not really fully prepared for it. The realization that both of them are now away from us was slow to sink in, and, together with it, the feeling of loneliness, the feeling of having lost precious possessions slowly creeped in also. I know they're just away, and not gone. I know that this was just temporary, but the feeling of missing them is hard to control. Emotions sometimes gets the better of you, and you can't help it but give away few drops of tears.
Now, Ligaya is back home after completing her stint at Silliman, but Lani is still in Manila, for how long, I am not sure, but she'll be back home soon.
She's coming home this Christmas, December 17 to be exact, and that's only a few days more. We eagerly await that day, and who knows, she may even have a chance to come home before that date. I am keeping my fingers crossed.
We will all be together again, that's a fact, and until then, blogs and cellphones will ease and release the emotions.
I last saw her in August in Manila just before I went back to Cebu after my training there. We were also together going home to Cebu for his Lolo's birthday, August 24, for a surprise visit by her, and were also together going back to Manila, me to continue my training and her to go back to UP for her studies.
I don't know why, but since the time both of my daughters left home, this was last year, to pursue their studies, one going to Silliman for her pgi, and the other to UP for her master's, I easily feel nostalgia. Tears are very easy to come by. Their going away simultaneously sort of shocked me. I was fully aware that one day they will have to live their own lives, but still I was not really fully prepared for it. The realization that both of them are now away from us was slow to sink in, and, together with it, the feeling of loneliness, the feeling of having lost precious possessions slowly creeped in also. I know they're just away, and not gone. I know that this was just temporary, but the feeling of missing them is hard to control. Emotions sometimes gets the better of you, and you can't help it but give away few drops of tears.
Now, Ligaya is back home after completing her stint at Silliman, but Lani is still in Manila, for how long, I am not sure, but she'll be back home soon.
She's coming home this Christmas, December 17 to be exact, and that's only a few days more. We eagerly await that day, and who knows, she may even have a chance to come home before that date. I am keeping my fingers crossed.
We will all be together again, that's a fact, and until then, blogs and cellphones will ease and release the emotions.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
The Dream
The Oktoberfest Cebu celebration of our company, LTP, held last October 10 2008, gave me a chance to do one of my student day dreams: play for a band.
I got interested in playing the guitar in the latter part of my elementary school years. It all started when I found an old guitar, owned by my father but which he didn't use anymore, in the attic, or bolada of our small house. If I remember right, it was cracked, had only 2 or 3 strings left, and the string tensioners or tuners, where the string is wound ,were made of wood which were forced fit into 5 holes in the guitar head [it was a five string only guitar]. I told myself then - I will buy a guitar one day. I didn't have any allowance at that time because school was walking distance from our house, so there was nothing to save from to buy a guitar.
In high school, I was able to start saving from my baon and before the end of first year high, I was able to buy a guitar. I borrowed a guitar chords booklet from a classmate and slowly learned the basic chords: majors, minors and sevens. Some friends gave me songs on paper with guitar chords written, but my major source of chorded songs were borrowed songhits which had one or two of this. I was very excited to watch people play the guitar. During novenas for our fiesta, I would go to the chapel just to watch the magduduyog or guitar acccompaniests of the cantores. My excitement rose highest when in one of the school events, a combo, as it was called then, composed of students from our school, played. I remember distinctly one of the songs, Hurting Inside, by Dave Clark 5. It started in me the dream to be a combo member. During fiestas, when a combo plays, I watched even if I had to walk home from a neighboring barrio. Transpo in the late evening was almost nil at that time. I didn't mind because there was this dream. I continued practicing to learn to play the guitar even into college. I accompanied singers during some presentations, but I never really got to joining a band as the combo metamorphed into. The most that I got into was when I was one of the guitarists of the SVD Brothers of USC when they did a 'concert' at the USC-TC auditorium and at the USC Main gym. That was about it then. When I started working at PAL, my affairs with my guitar slowly waned, and because of non use, the glue on some parts of it started to fail. I repaired it myself, but its sound was no longer like it was before. I hold and play it once in a while, but this seldom happened.
Then, in the last days of September this year, Rico, a junior colleague who is still very much into guitar, broached the idea of substitute playing for the band, which will be invited to perform in the Oktoberfest, originally scheduled for October 24. The idea got me excited and I immediately said, "why not, sige". So together with Jimmy, another colleague, we decided to do it. Rico knew of one OJT who plays the drums, we got him. Problem was, who will handle the base guitar. I volunteered. I knew deep in my heart I could do it, despite nil experience with it.
I have never played a base guitar in my life, but I had once held the base guitar of the accompaniests of the cantores for our chapel's fiesta way back in high school or was it college na, I don't remember anymore, just to know how the base strings were tuned, plucked it a few times, then returned it to the owner. That was my only experience with a base guitar. But knowing how the base strings were tuned, I sometimes did on my own, base accompaniments of songs played on the radio, just to experience playing base.
Rico, had been slowly building up on his band equipment; guitars, amplifiers, drums, a guitar sound processor or synthesizer, tuner, etc. What was lacking at that time then were cymbals.
We scheduled practice every Monday afternoon, 12 to 4. First practice was set for September 29. Rico bought cymbals in the morning of that day, and we practiced the songs we intended to do in the afternoon. I was introduced to the electric base. And I think I just did fine. We sort of accomplished the accompaniment of two songs. We thought of doing about eight songs, just enough for the four weeks of practice. Other singers would join us in the next practice sessions. We called it a day a little past 4pm. Next practice would be October 6.
When I reported for duty in Wednesday, from day off, I learned that the affair was rescheduled to October 10, to coincide with the ground breaking ceremony of a joint project between LTP, PAL and Airphil in Mactan airport. That left us with only one more Monday to practice. Because of this development, we agreed to finalize the songs to sing and just individually practice on our own our parts but synchronize and polish evereything during practice.
In the morning of our next scheduled day of practice, October 6, I received a text from Rico that our practice was rescheduled the following day because he wanted to have his snare drum replaced due to some defects which showed after our first practice. He said he will just bring all his quipment to the office so that we can practice also during slacks in our duty hours on the two days that follow before October 10. That, we did. We practiced several songs, more than ten total and kept our fingers crossed.
Came October 10. By three pm, all the equipment of the band were set up. We decided earlier that we will use Rico's guitars because we already had the feel of these. We listed eight songs to do for the first set, and had reserve of six more for the second set if there was need to. The hired band started playing after dinner. After their thing, games were scheduled while we connected our equipment. Then the games ended.
We were introduced as the LTP band. First piece was an instrumental-Faithful Love. It was done well and the audience applauded also well. I dont know if they did so because we were co-employees. The next song was 'When You Say Nothing at All'. David sang it ala Ronan Keating, and he received claps and whistles after. Next was Lido with 'Have You Ever Seen the Rain'. Then Rudy did 'You'll Never Walk Alone', followed by Noe's 'High' of the Speaks. Then, Lido came back to do 'Proud Mary'. Before he sang, he urged everyone to dance. When he started to sing, the audience filled the floor and danced. Among them were the LTP president, two vps, and many guests. The locals were also there. After the piece, the people stayed on the floor and asked for more. Since the next scheduled piece was slow rock, we called on Nestor, who was supposed to be a second setter, to perform. He did 'Totoy Bibo', to the delight of everybody, and they continued to dance. After the piece, there was a loud ovation. Next to sing was Maxi who received a loud applause just as he came to the front, maybe because he was not known as a singer. When he started to sing 'Skyline Pegion', another loud applause was heared. When he raised his hands and waved to the rhythm of the song, everyone also did in unison. When his song ended, there was another loud applause. Maxi received handshakes as he walked back into the crowd. Our last piece for the set was "Hotel California' which Rico himself sang. Rico, being the lead guitarist, did the instrumentals and as he did it with such finesse, everybody was staring at him with such awe. Even the hired band members were awed at his performance, this we learned later. When the performance ended with a synchronized end strum, everybody broke into a long and loud applause. We disconnected our equipment and noting that we had ended our performance, the officers of LTP came up front and shook our hands and congratulated us and said we were very good.
It felt like being on cloud nine when the president and the vice presidents of LTP came up to us and showed real appreciation at what we did. More so when co-employees told us that they could not believe that we just did what we did. It filled our hearts.
We did another set of songs but the officers of LTP had already left by then. These were practiced songs and some imprumpto ones from co-employees who volunteered to sing.
That was one night that I will never forget, for the rest of my life. It was a fulfillment of a dream and a passion that had been put in the backseat for quite a time already. It made my years, not just day.
I got interested in playing the guitar in the latter part of my elementary school years. It all started when I found an old guitar, owned by my father but which he didn't use anymore, in the attic, or bolada of our small house. If I remember right, it was cracked, had only 2 or 3 strings left, and the string tensioners or tuners, where the string is wound ,were made of wood which were forced fit into 5 holes in the guitar head [it was a five string only guitar]. I told myself then - I will buy a guitar one day. I didn't have any allowance at that time because school was walking distance from our house, so there was nothing to save from to buy a guitar.
In high school, I was able to start saving from my baon and before the end of first year high, I was able to buy a guitar. I borrowed a guitar chords booklet from a classmate and slowly learned the basic chords: majors, minors and sevens. Some friends gave me songs on paper with guitar chords written, but my major source of chorded songs were borrowed songhits which had one or two of this. I was very excited to watch people play the guitar. During novenas for our fiesta, I would go to the chapel just to watch the magduduyog or guitar acccompaniests of the cantores. My excitement rose highest when in one of the school events, a combo, as it was called then, composed of students from our school, played. I remember distinctly one of the songs, Hurting Inside, by Dave Clark 5. It started in me the dream to be a combo member. During fiestas, when a combo plays, I watched even if I had to walk home from a neighboring barrio. Transpo in the late evening was almost nil at that time. I didn't mind because there was this dream. I continued practicing to learn to play the guitar even into college. I accompanied singers during some presentations, but I never really got to joining a band as the combo metamorphed into. The most that I got into was when I was one of the guitarists of the SVD Brothers of USC when they did a 'concert' at the USC-TC auditorium and at the USC Main gym. That was about it then. When I started working at PAL, my affairs with my guitar slowly waned, and because of non use, the glue on some parts of it started to fail. I repaired it myself, but its sound was no longer like it was before. I hold and play it once in a while, but this seldom happened.
Then, in the last days of September this year, Rico, a junior colleague who is still very much into guitar, broached the idea of substitute playing for the band, which will be invited to perform in the Oktoberfest, originally scheduled for October 24. The idea got me excited and I immediately said, "why not, sige". So together with Jimmy, another colleague, we decided to do it. Rico knew of one OJT who plays the drums, we got him. Problem was, who will handle the base guitar. I volunteered. I knew deep in my heart I could do it, despite nil experience with it.
I have never played a base guitar in my life, but I had once held the base guitar of the accompaniests of the cantores for our chapel's fiesta way back in high school or was it college na, I don't remember anymore, just to know how the base strings were tuned, plucked it a few times, then returned it to the owner. That was my only experience with a base guitar. But knowing how the base strings were tuned, I sometimes did on my own, base accompaniments of songs played on the radio, just to experience playing base.
Rico, had been slowly building up on his band equipment; guitars, amplifiers, drums, a guitar sound processor or synthesizer, tuner, etc. What was lacking at that time then were cymbals.
We scheduled practice every Monday afternoon, 12 to 4. First practice was set for September 29. Rico bought cymbals in the morning of that day, and we practiced the songs we intended to do in the afternoon. I was introduced to the electric base. And I think I just did fine. We sort of accomplished the accompaniment of two songs. We thought of doing about eight songs, just enough for the four weeks of practice. Other singers would join us in the next practice sessions. We called it a day a little past 4pm. Next practice would be October 6.
When I reported for duty in Wednesday, from day off, I learned that the affair was rescheduled to October 10, to coincide with the ground breaking ceremony of a joint project between LTP, PAL and Airphil in Mactan airport. That left us with only one more Monday to practice. Because of this development, we agreed to finalize the songs to sing and just individually practice on our own our parts but synchronize and polish evereything during practice.
In the morning of our next scheduled day of practice, October 6, I received a text from Rico that our practice was rescheduled the following day because he wanted to have his snare drum replaced due to some defects which showed after our first practice. He said he will just bring all his quipment to the office so that we can practice also during slacks in our duty hours on the two days that follow before October 10. That, we did. We practiced several songs, more than ten total and kept our fingers crossed.
Came October 10. By three pm, all the equipment of the band were set up. We decided earlier that we will use Rico's guitars because we already had the feel of these. We listed eight songs to do for the first set, and had reserve of six more for the second set if there was need to. The hired band started playing after dinner. After their thing, games were scheduled while we connected our equipment. Then the games ended.
We were introduced as the LTP band. First piece was an instrumental-Faithful Love. It was done well and the audience applauded also well. I dont know if they did so because we were co-employees. The next song was 'When You Say Nothing at All'. David sang it ala Ronan Keating, and he received claps and whistles after. Next was Lido with 'Have You Ever Seen the Rain'. Then Rudy did 'You'll Never Walk Alone', followed by Noe's 'High' of the Speaks. Then, Lido came back to do 'Proud Mary'. Before he sang, he urged everyone to dance. When he started to sing, the audience filled the floor and danced. Among them were the LTP president, two vps, and many guests. The locals were also there. After the piece, the people stayed on the floor and asked for more. Since the next scheduled piece was slow rock, we called on Nestor, who was supposed to be a second setter, to perform. He did 'Totoy Bibo', to the delight of everybody, and they continued to dance. After the piece, there was a loud ovation. Next to sing was Maxi who received a loud applause just as he came to the front, maybe because he was not known as a singer. When he started to sing 'Skyline Pegion', another loud applause was heared. When he raised his hands and waved to the rhythm of the song, everyone also did in unison. When his song ended, there was another loud applause. Maxi received handshakes as he walked back into the crowd. Our last piece for the set was "Hotel California' which Rico himself sang. Rico, being the lead guitarist, did the instrumentals and as he did it with such finesse, everybody was staring at him with such awe. Even the hired band members were awed at his performance, this we learned later. When the performance ended with a synchronized end strum, everybody broke into a long and loud applause. We disconnected our equipment and noting that we had ended our performance, the officers of LTP came up front and shook our hands and congratulated us and said we were very good.
It felt like being on cloud nine when the president and the vice presidents of LTP came up to us and showed real appreciation at what we did. More so when co-employees told us that they could not believe that we just did what we did. It filled our hearts.
We did another set of songs but the officers of LTP had already left by then. These were practiced songs and some imprumpto ones from co-employees who volunteered to sing.
That was one night that I will never forget, for the rest of my life. It was a fulfillment of a dream and a passion that had been put in the backseat for quite a time already. It made my years, not just day.
oktoberfest invocation
Last October 10, our company, held the annual Oktoberfest Cebu celebration. I was tasked to do the invocation. To really have a good grasp of what an invocation is, I searched the internet. What I came across that caught my attention was the controversy generated by the invocation given by Fr. Stephen Cuyos in the Philippine Bloggers Awards night. With this in mind, and knowing the diversity of people invited to the occasion, and the knowledge that at least one atheist may be attending the event, I was carefull not to create another controversy, without shying away from what I intended to convey; giving thanks and doing good. Here’s my short invocation:
Good evening. Please, let us bow our heards, close our eyes, listen to our hearts beating, think about the blessings we have received, and say : thank you. There is so much to be thankful for; this occasion, the food among others, but most of all, we give thanks for the people who have touched our lives – family, friends, benefactors, people who we work for and people who work for us.
Again, feel your heart beat, and say to yourself : I will be a source of goodness, happiness and love for the people I have been thankful for, and for others who may come my way – Amen!
Good evening. Please, let us bow our heards, close our eyes, listen to our hearts beating, think about the blessings we have received, and say : thank you. There is so much to be thankful for; this occasion, the food among others, but most of all, we give thanks for the people who have touched our lives – family, friends, benefactors, people who we work for and people who work for us.
Again, feel your heart beat, and say to yourself : I will be a source of goodness, happiness and love for the people I have been thankful for, and for others who may come my way – Amen!
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
I used to mark milestones and important occasions of my life and those of my loved ones by planting trees, fruit trees most often. Why?, because I want to do my little share in keeping the air fresh and I want to eat fruits which I produce myself. Moreover, planting fruit trees which are not traditionally grown in Cebu like mangossteen, durian, magallanes pomelo, longkong, rambutan, longgan, chokanan mango, menzi oranges and even the so called kiatkiat, the small seedless orange from china-pose a challenge which I like to face. All these fruits, I have either planted already or have seedlings in plastic bags of varying sizes, ready for planting.
Yesterday was my birthday, however I was unable to plant anything. The locations around our house marked for planting are not yet ready for such. One still has the big felled talisay tree which I intended to be sawed into lumber which sawer I could not find yet, another has a still standing but already dead long ago ten foot tall, two feet diameter jackfruit stump. There is one place where I can dig out a yet small longgan for replacement with a longkong because the other mature longgans I have (more than ten years old already) haven't born fruits ever since and I wonder if they ever will because they are from seeds of fruits I bought in Malaysia which could have come from china, temperate varieties, hence may not readily fruit in the philippines. I could not do digging yet because i still feel pain in my right elbow (tennis elbow) which hasn't healed yet, hopefully it will soon, because this has prevented me from doing some things which might aggravate it.
I can not postpone july 15, so I just have to postpone planting another fruit tree and plant I will do for sure. That just has to wait a little while. In the meantime, I will enjoy listening to the birds which have slowly come back to our place, check on the small fruits of the two pomelo trees that have started to fruit already and watch out for emerging flowers on the other trees around, and in the mornings, whenever I can, smell the fragrance of the champaca and sampaguita blooms.
Yesterday was my birthday, however I was unable to plant anything. The locations around our house marked for planting are not yet ready for such. One still has the big felled talisay tree which I intended to be sawed into lumber which sawer I could not find yet, another has a still standing but already dead long ago ten foot tall, two feet diameter jackfruit stump. There is one place where I can dig out a yet small longgan for replacement with a longkong because the other mature longgans I have (more than ten years old already) haven't born fruits ever since and I wonder if they ever will because they are from seeds of fruits I bought in Malaysia which could have come from china, temperate varieties, hence may not readily fruit in the philippines. I could not do digging yet because i still feel pain in my right elbow (tennis elbow) which hasn't healed yet, hopefully it will soon, because this has prevented me from doing some things which might aggravate it.
I can not postpone july 15, so I just have to postpone planting another fruit tree and plant I will do for sure. That just has to wait a little while. In the meantime, I will enjoy listening to the birds which have slowly come back to our place, check on the small fruits of the two pomelo trees that have started to fruit already and watch out for emerging flowers on the other trees around, and in the mornings, whenever I can, smell the fragrance of the champaca and sampaguita blooms.
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