My favorite subject in elementary and High school was English (it was called reading during my time).

I enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed making sentences. I remember watching all American canned shows so that I can master the American English language. I read encyclopedias, dictionaries and all those other door stopping books. I pretended I was a DJ, a Pilot, a race track announcer, a host or a politician delivering a speech. I would always raise my hands when the teacher wants a student to read anything in front. I joined school plays, essay writing contests and Oral interpretation contests (although I wasnt as good back then as I am now).

My mom always told me to be good in english so that when we go to the states we wont have problems.

WE actually had friends from the states when I was a kid. We would usually go to their house in Clark Air Base (the closest place we had to america back then - I thought it was really america) and played with our friends. We spoke english, had pinics, played all day and ate american food. Ive always tried to imagine how I sounded when I spoke english 15 years ago.

I now live here in LA. Its a melting pot for cultures. There are other races that populate this great city. I've also lived in New York, one of my favorite places in the world. I never thought living here in the States can be both difficult and sometimes utterly dull.

First time we walked into a Grocery - thats Albertsons in Eagle Rock - I thought to myself - "wow - puro imported..." Then, 5 minutes into savoring the Chips ahoys and Hersheys chocolates that abound the shelves, I suddenly heard a familiar remark from the other Isle.

"Tang Ina - ang Mahal naman..."

AFter that experience, I suddenly realized that people in america dont speak as good as the people on Sesame's street.
Ive lived in Texas as well and travelled to many other states here.
Ive also worked in alot of establishments that has exposed me to many cultures and race.

Its funny, now that Im here, I find myself reverse engineering my English skills. I talk to Persian, Latino's, Koreans, Japanese and even other Filipinos. What are the phrases that I use?

"where you go?"
"You left aqui (here)"
"No, me no fax that company"
"Amigo, how much?"
"Yes Boss, I telephone them - they say no"
"Where you stay?"
"Buenas Diaz my friend..."
"You want in big cup or little cup?"
"no english?"
"No spanish..."

and this is what they tell me sometimes...

"Sup brah (bro-made slang-er)"
"Howzitgoin?" At first I thought it was German.
"so shizzle mah nizzle" (Anuzzle sabimozzle?)
"Holla 2 mah hommies..." (Hallerrrr - Holla daw?)
"Si Papi Yes!!! Right thurrrrr....Mas Papi, por favor...hmmm..." - Im kidding of course.

"Hi! Kumusta?" (to an obvious pinoy) he/she would say:
"Am Aaayt..."

Next time you want to practice your English... Call your friend from La Salle, Benilde, Assumption, or Arr-neo (hey Cathy!)... But I beg you, dont practice it here.

Driving to work this morning, My Mom and I were
talking about her sister - my aunt. After discussing
several things about her, the conversation ended
when I said, "Madami palang Manliligaw si Auntie
Babe dati?" My Mom only said "Madami nga..."

I realized that people will be talking about other
people as long as their is a means of conversation.
You can't just talk about the weather or politics the
whole day, right?right?

How will people give us our own life in a phrase?

Will it be like:

Dr. Edelwina P. Legaspi - "The Professor Emeritus
who has a heart of a 21 year old..."

Prof. Gene S. Navera - "The one with the most
passion..."

Prof. Elmer Rufo "The underestimated and
misunderstood artist that paints his masterpiece
on stage..."

Ian Castillo - "The athlete that never outgrew his
sense of fun..."

Ian Dwight P. Abejo - "The grand founder of the UP
Badgers Club - he was a quiet young man..." (OK
thats two phrases, but you know what I mean)

Sheryll Bano - "The teacher that... uhm... hehe"

Ive heard it before and it's irony always strikes me -
"...that youth is wasted on the young..."

At our age (Im assuming your around my
generation coz your reading this...) do we even
think how other people will speak of us? How they
will tell their own version of our own life? How, after
months or years since they last saw us, they still
see us as and tell our story if it was just yesterday
when they last saw us(Even if we have changed as
persons after time and experience)?

I understand that most of us will not be able to
fathom the idea. I understand that some people will
say "Eh ano namang paki elam ko sa sasabihin ng
ibang tao tungkol sakin?"

But, wouldnt it be nice if alot of us wanted to leave
a good impression on other people? Woudnt our
lives be filled with smiling people, positive
outlooks? Wouldnt we be filled with warmth and
concern rahter than angst and/or hatred?

Yeah, we cant please everyone. Sure we can't all
be "The Saint" but isn't there that voice in all of us
that would say, it wouldnt hurt being nice
compared to going through all the effort being hard-
headed and stubborn just to have your way?

I dont know... I guess I'm just an idealist. There is
a possibility that this outlook of mine may change
by tomorrow. This will depend on how I sleep or If
I'll sleep at all.

How will the younger batches speak of you when
you leave your school? How will your teachers tell
your life story when you become famous? How will
your friend tell your life story to his children when
you he bumps in to you in the mall 15 years from
now? How will you brods and sisses tell the story
of that Alumni that visited and said hello in 2012?
How will your brother or sister describe you as the
Tito or Tita to their children - your pamankins?

I guess we can say that thats alot of questions to
be answered. But if you think about it, you need
not make a ton of effort to give those questions a
nice answer. I guess one just starts with himself.

Smile. Have fun. Be open. be caring. be an
answered prayer. an angel in disguise. a blesssing.
a good friend. a helpfull classmate. a friendly
neighbor. a positive soul. Forgive.

or plainly not be an asshole. a prick. a dickhead. a
jerk. a bitch. kupal and the like.

love life - squeeze this world of what it can offer.
Let lose of the inhibitions the insecurities and be
free of all headaches and heart aches.

Life isnt all that bad. At least we have one, right?

La lang - Im now moving out of this trance and
goind back to my abnormal life.

Friendster entry in main message board March 7, 2005
3p.m. PST

***My Aunt is an old maid. She has supported me and my siblings and my mom. We assume her wealth is in the millions. She rents a room in Forrest hills, New York. She does not have a family of her own. We love her so much and it's obvious she loves us too.

please visit this - - a tribute to my fallen comrades from the council - -

may the force be with you all

click me - - 

http://stompbox.mobilehive.com/swp/downloads/star-wars-ep3-trailer-640x360.mov

 

here's an interesting bit of information I have come accross during my boredome moments at work.

This is for US virgins - at heart.

I work in a textile company on 15th street in Downtown Los Angeles. This is as boring as it could get. There are only a number of us in the building, and you barely see people outside that you can interact with.

I have always wondered what the the second sign on our building means. It says "Entertainium".

There was one time when I started seeing people going up to the second floor. So, out of curiosity, I looked up entertainum on the net. Or, better yet - go to Yahoo.com and search for Entertainium. My curiosity grew after seeing what I saw on the website.

I started having lunch with the other people in the warehouse to see if they would tell me something about the mysterious second floor. Their spanish was a little difficult to undertstand. Probably because I cant fully understand spanish. But, I was able to find out that the second floor is a studio. A place where productions can rent the set up studios and sound booths for filiming, well, films.

After that, I would only see the same 2, 3 or 4 people going up and down the stairs of the "studio". I also later found out that the same "studio" gives massages, full body? I dont know, but It was said that It costs around $100.00. hmmm...

In the morning, when I'm in my car, waiting for my office to open, I would see people going out of the building. Some attractive looking ladies would be leving the building at around 8 a.m.. My curiosity is building.

Today is a different day.

No, I didnt go up or inquire. I just saw the longest line of porn star wannabees in my whole life.  Nicely shaped, overdressed, underdressed, nasty looking ladies and men are lined outside the building. A big pimped out black dude guards the door. His decked out suburban is parked right in front of the building.

Yes, the studio upstairs from where I work is an adult film studio. Legend has it, there are some days that they would film in the parking lot right beside the building.

I dont think I will ever ever have the courage to actually go upsairs. They tell me that all the action happens at night - after office hours.

If you see me on a porn video while you're having sex with your, uh, partner, thats not me. You know how it is, the world is full of fakers. It may look like me, but that ain't me. sabi nga ni Lucky Manzano when his alleged "sex video" came out, kung kilala nyo ako - you'd know that's not me - sa Nunal (mole) nalang eh."

 

Im excited to see everyone again - (can you hear the excitement?)

I dont know whats new about this "going back trip". I know I'll see my friends, my orgmates and everyone else. It might be surreal - going back for ony a couple of weeks. And then going back home to Los Angeles and start the rest of my life.

There's something different. Something life changing. I can feel it in my bones.

The possible life changing things that might happen when Jab goes back to Manila this April:

 

- "Sorry - hindi ka umabot" my math teacher - after the finals exams

- "Joke lang! pasado ka!" my math teacher - before I beat the hell out of him/her

- "I am your Fhaather" from Erap Estrada

- "I am your mothaaaa" from GMA

- I am wathcing the UPLB graduation on the sidelines (april 23) and suddenly my name gets called... what tha? serve the people!!!

- A very old and distant relative dies and I am the only descendant - well thanks to my Dad that is not a possibility, I cannot  be the ONLY descendant

- While snorkling in Puerto Gallera I see something shining, simmering splendid - a Spanish treasure chest!

- While hiking in Makiling I discoverd a plan that will cure the common cold and AIDS

- Be abducted by aliens during one of those nights I fall asleep at the Freedom park

- And then realize they were just the UP Police Force and that I was just drunk

- Get raped by Aubrey Miles

- "Anak nyo po ako" -  a 4 year old kid that comes knocking on my door

See you soon!

One thing that bothers me is that from time to time I can still smell the "old dusty wooden structure" of DL Umali even if I am hundreds or thousands of miles away from it. When I begin to remember the times I had in that Mammoth structure, something triggers my brain to make me remember the smell of the backstage.

The scent of make-up and the warm air from the number of warm bodies and even newly dried paint on the set lingers in my mind up to now.

I miss the tense feeling of the technical dress rehearsals.

I miss the tension in the air when the PM calls for Open house in 10 minutes.

Going up into the structures roof to fix the backdrops, lighting and special effects - the feeling of the floor giving way with your weight on it - the vertigo feeling when looking down on 50 feet of sheer drop.

I miss the payer that we offer before every performance.

The "pabili ng Bugong" between performances.

The feeling of as if we can go on with five shows a day.

The camaraderie, the bond built between the actors and stage hand and the stage managers.

I miss the endless pat on each others back after a great performance.

I miss leaving the audience in awe after giving a stellar act.

I miss making the audience burst in laughter after doing an adlib or two.

I miss impressing the audience even if I made a mistake or two with my lines.

I miss delivering ten even fifteen pages of lines in one show and not miss an exclamation point.

I miss the curtain call - when you feel that your months of work is rewarded by the audience's claps, cheers and applause.

I miss running with the cast and calling in the Director.

I miss the silence, the echoes that shatter the calm after everyone has left the hall.

I miss packing the auditorium floor with people.

I miss performing onstage. It was a part of my life that I didnt think I would do - that I didnt think I would love.

The stage is life - theatre is an expression of one's soul.

Hail all the artists that make the stage alive!

Hail all the artists that paints their masterpiece on stage!

Hail all the patrons that appreciate the art!

Hail theatre!

Bring me back home to where the wood is dirty, old and dusty, where the cieling fans are heavy and are ready to fall on you, where the memories are born, legends are made, friendships bonded and stories are told.

 

A coffeeholic, sweet toothed, paranoid - an adrenalin junky
I drink - but not too much to get drunk.
I dont smoke, never tried - -

I like sunsets and sunrise, the rain, basking in the sun, I love the beach, mountain tops, the dark-damp-forrest, my loveseat, my bed, I love driving and bumming around. I like walking alone at night, in the city (any city),on the sand and when I wake up early in the morning, I like that too. I'm into concerts, Museums, Parks, Science centers, poetry and book reading, China Town and pets. I like the SUN, SAND AND SEA!!!
Photography is my favorite Hobby...
I've tried acting on stage (and loved it), rappelling off bridges, buildings and cliffs (which I still enjoy doing)... Id like to someday be a covert agent, or a beach bum...

My ex-girlfriends say that Im not a good boyfriend even though Im an over-all good guy.This makes it more difficult for me to get into a relationship. Karma has set in on me. When you find that "one" person you think is the Neo of your Morpheus, she turns out to be Agent Smith - insensetive to your feelings and reason for existence and would look for you just to make your life more miserable. ~~Bitter~~ haha
As far as I know, Im in very good terms with my ex-Girlfriends... They are very very wonderful ladies, and sensible - sometimes.

I can be a bastard sometimes - other people would disagree, they'd say "sometimes lang?". Pero Im nice, as far as I know I've never really put into action any harm that I would want to come to people... not yet though...muwahahaha (evil laugh)they're still alive aren't they?

I've got wonderful, beautiful, intelligent, eclectic, caring and the best FRIENDS in the world... That's you...yes, you...