So finally, here I am. In a self-quarantined mode.

I arrived in Ilocos a couple of weeks ago, in the hopes of finding what I really want, and hopefully who I really am. Hehe.

Just burning my eyelids, finishing series like Battlestar Galactica and Rome II.

Planning to functionalize a radio station.

Doing an album.

Writing a book.

In my own demented way, yes, I am having a bit of fun.

 

Goodbye Xerek,

You taught me how to ride, you taught me how to fly. The magical bonding the we had will always be treasured in  the deepest recesses of my forgetful mind. You taught me patience, and you taught me how to go the flow, and sometimes the counterflow. That silvery and shapely body of yours will forever be in my memory.

Hello Taz,

With you, I am learning how to manage time and how to value worth. With you I can be myself. I also learned that nothing will come to one that is slow. I learned speed. Speeding like a greased lightning pulled by a thousand horses, you rose above all. You will be my partner for life and I'm thankful that I've found you.

Goodbye XRK-217, hello TAZ-905.

   

A few hours from now, I'd be gone from where I live. A few days from now, I'd be gone from Manila. A few months from now, I'd be gone from the Philippines. And a few years from now, I'd be gone.

 

It was a very beautiful rollercoaster ride. I may not have much in terms of depth of field but yes, I have succeeded to be a bit of something of everything. I can say that I've lived my life to the fullest and I am content about it. I might be here in my corporate cubicle, typing corporate reports but soon I will be free. All I want to be in right now is a quiet place, with my laptop, games and DVDs.

 

Let my words from now on be reflective of what I was. I guess when you are near the end, you have a yearning to return to innocence. J

 

 

 

Naks.. ang drama!

Isn’t it funny when you remember people you’ve come to forget (or at times, want to forget) by songs that suddenly plays on the radio? The principle of mnemonics, they say, is taken from Mnemosyne, the titaness of memory. It’s about associating with someone, or another thing, an object or a mental note. A mnemonic trigger can be just a mark or a certain passing sign, or in our case, a song.

 
One look and I’m mesmerized by your eyes. Just a simple object may trigger an ocean of memories associated with it.

 
For the first part of our mnemonic songs exercise, let me dwell much deeper into memory lane. So the friends that I’ve just known recently may take a backseat first, and let me enjoy my nostalgia. Here are some songs that passed my scanner and the people that I remember them with.

BTW, you should try making your own list too.

Time after time                          -   April Ong

Journey                                     -   Jona Martin

In the end                                  -   Super Lolo

Never had a dream come true   -   Jamie Tacata

All I have is what I've got           -    Ely Duka

Lose yourself                            -    Noriel Servano

Miss you like crazy                    -    Hesa Castro

Wag na sana                            -     Rodel Dellosa

Salamat                                    -     Tranquilino Bondoc

Well, that's it for now. I now return the rest of my memories to the pensieve.

Here are the 3 dishes that I remember my mom with.

1. Nilagang Bangus

2. Chicken Rice

3. McDo Big Breakfast

I don't know but I have vivid memories when I encounter these dishes. Later on in your life these memories haunt you like a dog (or cat) and you have a mnemonical reverie when you encounter them.

1, I remember when my mom takes off the "pisngi" of the Bangus (the one covering the eyes) and then put it on my plate. It was so yummy, rivalling another favorite part of mine, the belly. Is it fat? I'm not sure. As long as it is yummy, life goes on.

2. Chicken Rice became to be my staple food when I was in Singapore. When we got here, every time my friends drop by, my mom serves it. It's cooking the rice in chicken broth. So watery and sumptuous as you get to eat a lot of rice.

3. When I was little, my mom takes me to Harrison Plaza a lot. She shops, sees her friends, and everything else. Now, there's this Mickey Dees near that place. And so we go there a lot too. She orders Big Breakfast to me, puts the jam on the muffins and teaces me hos to properly eat a pancake (you fold it with your fork).

 

Just woke up.  It's been a whole day that  I was asleep. The reason? It's  Christine's debut  last night.  I was  the  coordinator. It was a theme party. I named it Gypsy Park and then fusing it with my boss' set idea of a bohemian arrangement, I renamed it then to Bohemian Gypsy Park.

Imagine a near-middle eastern setting fused with south-east asian and indian elements. From the food, to the decors. But then, there were no belly dancing. Instead, there were Yoyo Boys Jaime and Jeb  from the Duncan group. There was also a magician (Darwin) and the renowned acoustic band Spamenegz.

My C3 team did it right. For a first time event coordination, it was a blast. It's normal to have boo boos but then overall, the impact was great, it was esoteric. Thank you to Mr. Johnny Chan, Ms Lily, kuya Boy and the C3 team.

And happy birthday Christine! <hugs>

If you want me to do your party, just give me an email at spider.rodas@gmail.com. I will post pics of the event as soon as I can.

Holy Camowlee! Life in Ortigas is a bit of a culture shock for me. Parking fee at 60 bucks? What the hell. And then there's the lunch of let's just say a hundred bucks per meal. Plus of course, I get hungry at times too, so I'll have merienda at around 30 bucks each, times two (am and pm).

Holy Baloney! Let me compute.

per day

60        parking
100      meal
60        meryenda

that's 220 times 25 working days so that's 5,500

plus my house share of 4,000

plus gas at around 2,000 per month.

So that's 11,500? Plus groceries of around 1,500 per month. 13,000.

I'm gonna faint. I am barely living. I'm not allowed to party. I tried commuting, but it is to the same effect. Same goes with eating at home, still.

What will I do? Waah!

Remember when we were kids? When we were oblivious to deeper meanings of love and lust. When we drown by the mere presence of testosterone and estrogen. Holding one's hand was equivalent to doing the deed and a simple hi, I like you, meant deeper things. In the short vernacular, mabilis tayong kiligin.

It was my first day in high school. The place is Philippine Union College Academy. Now, it is known as the Adventist University of the Philippines. Somewhere in Tagaytay, well, Putingkahoy, Silang, Cavite in actuality. The place is serene, enclosed by nature, and is literally on top of a mountain.

I first noticed that her hair was different. It had a blondish but not too goldish color. She has a very fair complexion. That first day in the classroom, I was lucky enough to sit beside her. She got her nickname from the color of her hair, Rusty. Frances was a half-American half-Filipina who grew up in Florida and decided to stay in the country.

The memorable event that happened, now will I tell (although I'm not really 100% of all the details that transpired, due to, duh, it happened like more than a decade ago.) You know in school when it was uso teasing people together. Our classmates were adjoining her first name and my last name together. At first, we laughed about it. One time, the teasing got too much and in front of the whole gang, i blurted out "Eh hindi naman ako gusto niyan eh (She doesn't give a damn thing about me)" 

It was the first time that I got slapped by a girl. By Rusty. I went straight to my boarding house and tried crying it all out. After an hour, my landlady knocked at my door, telling me that I have a visitor. Rusty was standing outside, telling me she was very sorry. And from that simple sorry, it became history.

Past forward to the present. You know when you check out friendter or myspace to see old friends? Who knows, she might have a family now, or kids or something. I just wanna know where she is right now. But to no avail. I couldn't find her. Well, the memory has eluded me completely, or so I think. But wherever she is, I hope she's happy too, and keeping on smiling.

Rusty, my friend, Thnks fr th Mmrs.

CURRENT FAVORITE SONG - When we die, from Bowling for Soup, shit I just saw the video and I cried...

 

Okay, here we go again. Starting anew. Again.

Just graduated from college. Well, that's after working for almost a decade now. I actually tried to veer away from the corporate world for a while and finish my studies. I did, but corporate angels are a tad too persuasive and had me plunging into that job again (more on THAT job as we move along)

Right now, I live in Pasig. Yup, Shangri-La and Megamall are my sari-sari stores. Not to forget Robinson's Galeria, which happens to be just beside where I work.

By the way, I am a Public Relations consultant. Yup, I'm a spin doctor. But we're not just focusing on that. As the company says, we are the leading PR firm in the country (more on this too, as we move along). We also focus on advertising and marketing and blah blah blah... you get the idea.

I do events. In fact there's a lot lined up for the year.. Hohum.. I'm in bands by the way (really more on this soon too) and we make songs. Hope you'll hear them someday.

I hope to hear from you someday..

Ok, let me just categorize what I will be putting here...

Bittersweet MEMOIRS
-are stuff about the past that got out of the pensieve, it does not necessarily reflect what the Spider is now.

Heat QUIPS
-are random thoughts and comments about current events and other quips.

Neo LITERATURE
-are new stuff from the scrupulous mind of the Spider.

Nuff said.

Enjoy. Ciao!