Tapon

Itim na nagkalat
Sa puting papel
Di kumikinang, di nangingintab,
Kahit anong anggulo
Kahit anong tapat sa sinag na sumisilip sa pawid.
Kaya ipinasyang lukutin,
Hinagis sa kawalan. Tinalikdan.
Namamasa ang palad.
Ikinuyom, ipinunas ang mga daliri
Sa mga guhit ng kapalaran
Sa ilalim ng sinag'y sinipat
Halo ang pawis't tintang madilim
Gulat sa kinitang ginintuang pulbo
Parang usok, pumupormang
Ipo-ipo.

Maya-maya pa'y umuulan na't
Humihiyaw ang mga tawo sa
Pagkabulag.

Regalo ng Gitarista-Bokalista-Soloista sa Edsa

Mga yapak na bumabaon sa malapot na mutang tunaw
Sumisilid patungong ugat ng dyaryong kalat na ang tintang
Mas binubutas ng mabigat na pwetang
Sinasalo ng putim at marupok na
Karsursilyo.
Karsursilyong tastas ang bulsa
Sa talas ng kalawangi't putol-putol
Na kwerdas.
Musikerong asul,
Beinte tres anyos.
Balot ng simpleng sandong dilaw,
Malinis ang kuko't
Walang sapot ang buhok.
Boses'y may gintong halaga
Ngunit piniling ibahagi ng libre
Sa mga pusong uhaw sa pag-asa't saya.
Sandata niya'y musika.
Di siya mapili.
Kahit anong makaaaliw, makaaantig
Sa tengang antigo ng mga biyaherong
Sigeng baybay sa kahabaan
Ng Edsa.

Ito'y regalo nya sa mundo.
Pati sa sariling maagang binawian ng abilidad duminig,
Nabubuhay sa pagramdam ng katal-katal.

Wew

Saan naman tayo titira pagkatapos mo mag-college?

Susunod lang tayo kung saan ka maka-trabaho.

Yan ang sabi-sabi.

Umasa. Oo.

Nabigo.

Nanghihinayang. Gustong kumawala.

Gustong umunlad.

Ngunit nasa bangin ang espasyo ng oportunidad.

Ace It!

Tomorrow is the day.

Need not put color on you smooth face,

Need not spray scent on your pulses.

Just be yourself, be you!

You're brilliant.

You're beautiful.

You can ace it!

Whatever happens, remember that you already aced my heart.

I hope I aced yours, too. It would be the greatest victory :)

You Are Gold

I saw you onstage!
Golds hang on your neck.
Clapping sounds covered the smoky auditorium.

See?! All the waiting is worth it.
You are worth it.

Congratulations!

Crutches Away (Card Content Entry)

You're crutches away from me,
Yet you sat down and put your
Crutches over the waters,
Providing me a bridge.
You're just too strong to make a way.

You're sick, I am not, but you're
Stronger. Your spirit, your soul, your love..

Thank you for being that strong for me.
Get well, my Endurance Sensei!

A Jog to a Weak YET Beautiful Friend (Card Content Entry)

Clock ticks
Time to jog again
But I'll be alone on the road today
For you're sick :(
I wish I could help ease your pain.
I wish I could heal you on a snap.

For now, my plan?
Drink a cup of coffee,
Buy a frappe,
Jog to your house,
Let you drool seeing me take a sip on my frappe,

And sing you a, "Get Well Soon!"

No. "Get Well Now!"

Laughing On Fever Heat (Card Content Entry)

We played on a stormy weather.
We got fever. We're crazy.
We're the happiest sick on Earth.
I just hope we don't die early.
We'll have more storms to conquer.

Hey! I can hear you laugh!
You're still alive, I bet. But, if ever you
Die today of fever,
I wish to die too.
We'll happily die together. 'Coz, we're crazy.

But 'til this point in my letter, I had a good penmanship.
This just means I'm perfectly immortal.
And, if I am, you are.

Get well, Bestfriend!

Get well soon, Love! (Recycled; Card Content Entry)

I got something for your pale skin, darling! I was practicing to use the word 'Commiserate' (my English teacher asked me to). I multi-tasked: I practice as I think of you. Here it goes:

As his commiserate hands hold the cup of tea
Towards his sister's lips to drink
An equally commiserate flower bowed down its petals
'Til one fell detached each day
This has long been the form of hourglass of life and death.
But, the boy won't allow it
So every commiserate day of breathing given
His commiserate hands hold the cup of water
Towards the pot's lips to drink
An equally commiserate flower slowly chins up
And grows its petals healthily attached each day
This has long been the form of hourglass of hope and love
And not-giving-up.

Like it? Your pale skin will soon glow, buddy.
Just remember, you're beautiful whichever way.

Sana lang'y Nasa Tamang Kamay Sila Ngayon (Feelingera Post Re Teaching Job Application)

2025 Okt 5, linisin din natin tong kalat na 'to!

I had my reasons why I wanted to be employed already, wherever possible. 'Lam ko na sa callouses to.

It's been three months already, but nobody from my starred emails has asked me for interview appointments. A friend, O, encouraged me to apply where she applied—MNOP. The position? Social Science instructor. I do want to be a teacher... of children, or those younger than my age. But why not? I'm more than ready for anything today (again, I have my reasons why). P, MNOP's HR Assistant, told me that some existing instructors were struggling to balance their master's theses and teaching. They didn't want to leave their students hanging in the middle of the semester. I wanted to be part of that goal. Who wants to be left without a teacher mid-semester? Hindi naman palaging masaya 'pag "No Classes". Students would eventually crave real learning from an engaged classroom, not just an empty room and a silent blackboard. Another thing, Mr. Q, my initial interviewer, also your demo assessor (pasado ka pa dito sa part na to e HAHA)! Bless his soul. He believed in me! Di ko kaya sya inaunfriend kahit sumalangit na sya. Senyor. told me that the campus wanted to have accreditation. I don't know why, but my heart for that university gets growing an inch. I felt the need to contribute to its plans and actions for accreditation.

Another thing: Mr. Q, my initial interviewer and demo assessor (pasado ka pa dito sa mga parts na to e HAHA)—bless his soul for he believed in me! Di ko sya inunfriend kahit sumalangit na si senyor. He told me that the campus wanted accreditation. I don't know why, but as the days passed, my heart for that university kept growing. I felt the need to contribute to its plans and actions for accreditation. LUH FEELING HAHAHA

Mr. Q asked me if I could teach any subjects other than Social Science. He recommended I hold a class for an English course. Lol no. Di ko nga alam kung paano gamitin ang "live in", "live on", at "live at" eh. Literature nalang po. Sige po, pati Physics. Lol. Bagsak ka kasi sa Physics. Ay! Scary ang naging separation ko sa subject na to (o sa guro? HAHAHA). These are the subjects he wrote on my evaluation paper: Social Science, Psychology, NSTP Literacy, and others I've already forgotten.

I hate how I passed the three stages (initial interview, teaching demo, and psychological exam) but failed the last one (panel interview). Was it how I dressed? How I fixed my hair? Tututsang tutsang Was it about choosing between the two of us from the same university? Talong talo ako sa credentials kung ganon. Why would they choose an ordinary graduate over a Cum Laude? I don't really know. I have no regrets about how I answered their questions, because I know I spoke from my heart and told the truth. I know I defended my answers with compassion. E BAKA MALDITA MAG REBUT KAYA LIGWAK HAHAHA

Funny that among the three of us in line for the panel interview that day, I was the one who felt comfortable and somewhat sure about getting the job (well, of course, I kept that quietly to myself). Back at the HR Department, P called us one by one. That's when I learned I wasn't accepted, while the other two, including O, were.

There might be something wrong with me. Whatever that is, I wish my system SYYSTEEEM?! can change.

I felt sad, yes. Sobra akong nanghihinayang. That was because of the plans, suggestions, and strategies running on my mind for the school as mentioned above. I even felt a tear crumpled on my eyelid remembering how O spoke her mind, when she was with me and my mom, [NV: Hindi naman sa ano.. pero diba.. MNOP.. yung mga estudyante nila hindi naman ganon ka ano.. Kaya -magsuspoonfeed talaga tayo.] WAAAT Strong phrases. Nagulat talaga ako sa sinabi niyang yun. Ramdam kong matatalino at may ibubuga yung mga estudyanteng yun (at sinabi ko to kay Mama FR FR?!).

Sabi na DBTK talaga ako e.

Teka. May ganon palang side ang kabaitan ni O. Oh, how I love people. May ganto ka ring sarcasmasmisms sa gustong magpatutor sayo for cse e!

I am happy for O, yes! I just hate how she thinks about her soon students that way. WTH. She hadn't been with them even for an hour that day (though teaching demo niya nun, hindi students ang kaharap nya, mga evaluators). Lakas manghusga. OMG Hala may ganyan palaaa noon! Sana lang magbago ang perception niya, lalo pa't isa na syang guro, guro ng mga estudyanteng minsan ko nang ninais na makasama at makapalitan ng opinyon.