♫ ♪Ika’y paru-parong nangahas lumipad
Sa dilim ng gabi pilit na umalpas
Pagkat hanap mo’y ningning at laya ng bukas
Sa aking mundo’y napadpad♫ ♪

Ilang beses na kitang nakita. Sa daan, sa rally, at ilang eskinita. Nakita kitang nakataas ang iyong kamao, nagsasalita sa megaphone.Humihimok sa mga mangagawang ipaglaban ang kanilang karapatan.
Nagkasama na rin tayo sa pagkilos na nawagan sa isang klaro at maayos na pamamahala (transparent governance), para sa pagsasabatas nang mabilis na pagbibigay ng dokumento sa publiko.

Ngunit hindi pa kita lubusang kilala. Akala ko isa ka lamang sa kabataaang nasa hanay.

♫ ♪Katulad ng iba ay nagmamahal din
Kahit malayo ay liliparin
Upang pag-ibig mo’y iparating
Sa rosas ng iyong paningin♫ ♪

Tatahakin mo sana ang landas tungo kabanalan. Ngunit mas pinili mo ang "mas malawak na pakikipagtunggali at pakikibaka ng masang sawi". Ayaw mong tawaging Father. 'Mas komportable ako sa pag-oorganisa. Sa pagpapaintindi nang nakakarami." Kung magsalita ka parang antanda mo na. Akala ko isa ka sa estudyante. Natawa na lang ako nang malamang magkaedad lang pala tayo.

Mas nakilala kita nung nagkasabay sa isang pagsasanay.Ibang klase rin ang istilo mo ng 'pagkilala sa isang dalaga'. :) At nag-umpisa ang di matapus-tapos na pagpapalitan ng mensahe. Na aasundan ng lingo-linggong pagtambay.

"Gusto kita." sabi mo minsang isang gabing maliwanag ang buwan. "Hindi ko pa ito naramdaman kahit kanino. Pasensiya ka na hindi ako marunong manligaw. Kahit nga sa pagtetext hindi pa akon kasanay."

Isang halik. Pagdadampi ng labing imbes na magpapatibay ng nararamdaman ay naging sanhi ng pagkalito.

Magkasundo naman tayo sa iba’t ibang panlipunang usapin. Klaro ka kung mag-isip. Ngunit ng ika’y tanungin “Gusto mo ako. Ano ngayon ang gusto mong mangyari?”

Ikaw ay nasamid. Mas mahirap pala tahakin ang landas ng pag-ibig. Mas madaling sumigaw para sa pagbabago sa lipunan. Samantalang sa usaping pag-ibig eh walang blueprint na pwedeng sundan.

Hindi kasal ang aking hiniling. Hiling ko lamang ay isang pangakong kailangan mong tupdin. Hiling ko naman ay isang pagpapaklaro ngunit hindi mo kayang gawin.

Parang ang sarap gayahin ang linya ni Claudine sa Milan. "Mahal mo ba ako dahil kailangan mo ako? O Kailangan mo ako dahil mahal mo ako?"

Nakakatawa. Hindi naman ito isang pelikula. Kaya mas ninais na sa iyo sana magmula.


"hindi ko alam." Umiiling ka habang ito ay tinuturan. "Marami pa akong problemang kinahakaharap."


“Mas maraming pagsubok ang masa. Kahit ako din ay may mga problema."


masa. masa. masa. paulit-ulit mong sinasambit.


Mas matimbang ang masang gusto mong paglingkuran. Iyan ay aking naiintindihan. Hindi ako nakikipagkompetensiya. Sa sinabi ko pa. Hindi mo kayang ibigay ang bagay na wala ka.

At hindi mo maibibigay ang buong pagmamahal sa iba kung sarili mo ay hinahanap mo pa.

♫ ♪Ako’y nangangarap na ika’y makasama
Taglay ang pangakong iingatan kita
Ang ganda mong nahubog sa piling ng masa
Hinding hindi kukupas, di malalanta ♫ ♪

Tayo man ay nagkahiwalay sa bagay na tila walang saysay. Maliit na bagay ngunit hindi mo maisagot nang deterso. Marahil mas maayos ang ganito.

Sa wika mo pa, Patuloy ang kontradiksyon ng buhay. Patuloy ang pakikibaka



…..para sa iyong sarili, sa masa at sa sistema.



Ang pagkamit nito ay marahil matatagalan pa.

♫ ♪ Gaya ng pag-ibig na alay ko sinta ♫ ♪

♫ ♪ Kahit ngayon
Ngayon lang nagkakillala
Ay alam kong matagal na tayong magkasama ♫ ♪

Sa ilalim nang maliwanag na buwan, kinanta mo ang mga kundiman, mga kanta ng pakikibaka- musikang paborito ng mga aktibista. Tinawanan kita. Hindi mo ako madadala sa ganyang istilo, ulol!

Napahinto ka sa pagtapik ng iyong mahigit isang dekada ng gitara. Natawa din. At iyong ibinahagi ang pagkakataong ginamit mo ang kanta sa panliligaw. Walang kamuwang-muwang na kolehiyala, kinilig sa ideyang ginawan siya ng isang kanta, hindi naisip na ito ay komposisyon noong panahon ng Martial Law pa. Magandang dalaga, dagdag mo pa. Pero madaling utuin, isip ko.

Kaya iniisip mo mas madaling ligawan ang babaeng walang muwang sa pakikibaka?

Hindi naman. Pero mas madaling basahin ang utak nila.

Kilay ko ay napataas. At kelan ba nagkaroon ng ganung basehan?

♫ ♪Kahit sa’nman may tunggalian at paglaban
Nagtatagpo lakas natin at paninindigan
Sa bisig na nagpapanday
Sa bisig na nagbubungkal
Ng isang bagong kaisipan
Ng isang malayang lipunan♫ ♪

At tayo'y patuloy na nagdiskusyon sa walang katapusang debate ng hiwalayan ng kaliwang bloke, ng peace talks na hindi matapus-tapos at kung bakit nahuhumaling ang mga babae sa magkapatid na Younghusband.

Nakakatawa ang kanilang apelyido. Turan mong nakaismid pa.

Gwapo sila at napakatalentado. Passionate. We want our man to be passionate. At tsaka, Youngwife ako forever! With emphasis sa Young talaga.

Kalebel din ng pagpapantasya niyo sa napakalamig na bampirang si Edward Cullen? Yan ang hirap sa inyong mga babae, you fantasize and want that qualities of a man. Sobrang taas na ng standards ninyo.

Napahagalpak ako ng tawa. As if hindi naman kayo ngapapantasya. Marahil hindi sa isang fictional character like Edward but some 'it' girls like Anne Curits or Solenn Heussaff.


At nauwi na naman ang usapan sa gender equality; ng mga sinasabi mong feministang may 'misplaced ideology”. Gusto ng equality pero gusto rin ng gentleman who would sweep them off their feet daw. Mga lalakeng tatayo at ibigay ang upuan, yung tipong magiging sunud-sunuran.

“Teka malayo naman ata yan! Equality. Pagkakapantay-pantay. Sa haba nang panahon naiwan ang babae kaya kailangan mo siyang iangat pero hindi ibig sabihin aawayin mo ang lalake. Kailangan ding mapaintindi ang lalake. Wala na ang feministang Amazona.May pagkakamali sa naunang pagkilos sa pag-angat ng kababaihan. Kailngang isipin na magkaagapay sa kaunlaran ang kababaihan at kalalakihan.

Oh teka, mukha ka namang nasa rally eh.


Tawa. Kanta. Inom. Ganito tayo parati. Hindi matapus-tapos na kuro-kuro. Nagdedebate sa mga walang kwentang bagay. Parating nagbabangayan pero hindi kumpleto ang araw kung wala ka.


Hindi ko alam kung ano pa ang posible sanang mangyari. Naduwag ka ata. O mas ninais mong tahakin ang mas simpleng paraan- ang paglisan.

♫ ♪At kung sakaling magkalayo man sa gawain
Bawat oras ito ay lagi kong kapiling
Sa piling ng bawat pantig
Singtamis mong ngumiti
Sa bawat pagpupunyagi
Kasama sa layang mithi♫ ♪

I love birthdays. Your natal day is something to look forward to. A day when your mother was busy puffing air to get you out of this world, and as you celebrate another year, you commemorate that maternal sacrifice. And you could not help but think of a better way to celebrate life. Partying, eating, and praying. That's one of the best ways to celebrate your day.

Haruki Murakami, one of my favorite authors edited one novel entitled Birthday Stories chronicling strange birthday experiences. As James Urquhart wrote, "Birthdays are the one day when one might expect to be made a bit of a fuss of, and the best stories catch the awkward tension that surrounds wanting to be noticed."

Well, I do want to be noticed, to be surprised and to chronicle my life this year. My birthday is something not to be noticed, falling on Friday the 13th- one of the day some people avoid. 13th being an unlucky number. But no. I don't believe in it. Nothing bizarre happened on that day. For one, I am sure one lucky lady- celebrating THE day not just for 24 hours but for a week! Can you get any luckier than that? :D

To show you how lucky and blessed I am, let this be a visual treat for my year.

YOU ARE LUCKY ....

....when your kasiopao's mom tells you look young and beautiful on your dress.
Her exact words, "Hala day, mura lagi kag bata ug gwapa kaayo sa imohang suot."
and thinks you are thin (!) and famished. She still has good eyes, mind you. :))




...when your colleagues call you Bunsoy, pamper you and feed you yearly with the traditional pancit and bihon for long life. :D




...when your girlfriends decided to have a band, Happy Freaks and have your first semi- public concert.☺
♫ ♪ We are family, I got all my sisters with me, We are family
Get up everybody and sing ♫ ♪



...when your girl friends are the epitome of craziness.



...when your group decided to reenact The Beatles' Abbey Road walk at midnight and the taxi drivers just stopped.



...when the hands of the person taking the pictures are shaking yet your smiles are like sunshine emanating.



...when you go home and your sister makes you a nanny.
Hey I'm not complaining. I love these chikitings! :))



...when your birthday becomes a children's party!



...when your birthday becomes a reunion of sort. The iGATs, elementary and highschool buddies reunited.


...when you are with your loved ones.



...when you meet new friends with the same passion.
Trekking to Hubo and Sandig Falls at Brgy. Linan, Tupi, South Cotabato for Walk for Earth 2, a post-Earth Day celebration



....when being one of the boys inspires you to be more physically healthy! :)





...when you are one with Nature and mesmerized by God's handiwork.



...when you have someone who understands and supports your fanaticism to football.
Got my darling Ronaldo Cristiano (from my brother-in-law) and Andrei Arshavin (from a common friend. whoooohoo!) jerseys, Arsenal banner (from my hunk brotha Hernan) and Manchester United's banner (upcoming promised gift from my poging tito Amor).




...when your ULTIMATE CRUSHES made your day extra special.
Jimbolicious (will be proposing next time. haha!) and Surfer Dude hottie Luke Skywater surprising me (i'm the only person he tweeted that day! paimportanmte ako eh. CHOS!) :D
and your super friends' efforts to surprise you is really heartwarming! To Manins and Ate Fetus, labsyooou both to pieces! You made me so giddy, feeling like a high school swooning teenager. haha!




...when you live life as if you just turned 18!



yeeehaaa! La vita e bella. Life is beautiful.
THANK YOU LORD FOR THESE BLESSINGS! :D

------

"Count your life by smiles, not tears,
Count your age by friends, not years."

"The secret to staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age." - Lucille Ball

Davao City- Big beads of sweat are streaming down from striker Ian Araneta’s temple as multitude of girls and young children are lining up for his autograph. But he didn’t mind. The Smiling Assassin is certainly enjoying the experience. As it was our turn to have our picture taken with him, one of the mom of the young football players told us the light is not good. So we dragged Manong Ian for a better lighting. My friend from the media got our pic blurry. The second time we are with a group. I want a pic with him badly. Solo! So we go back again for another picture taking. Manong Ian noticed me lining again. “Daw kapila mo na ni ah?! he remarked shaking his head and smiling. Sorry naman Manong. Crush na kita eh.
One fangirl shouted, “Kuya pakissss!” Now that's one damoves. *wink*



(Oh di ba kasabay ko lang si Madonna. host of regional GMA. Echosera ako eh! haha) :))

FYI: Before their Cinderella-like win in Vietnam, the team had a 10-day training camp in Davao. Never did they expect to be an overnight celebrities. But they are not complaining. Certainly, our mixed breed national team and Ilonggo putbolistas deserve all the limelight they have worked hard for.

Yanti Barsales and Roel Gener are not spared from the mob of high school and college girls trying to have their pictures taken. These two, considered one of the most senior members of the national football team just shook their heads, even still amazed at the attention. They are very supportive Kuyas giving way to the new breeds, young and single Azkals. :)


Chieffy Caligdong has a different charm. He’s surrounded by the older women members of Lion’s Club. They hugged and talked with him for a couple of minutes and Manong seems to enjoy their company. Ibang level ang kamandag mo manong! 




But nothing compares to the fans swarming the youngest member of the team, the goalie from Cebu, Admin J’s Batman Paolo Pascual. We are competing with hordes so I called, “Papa P, Pooooopeea Peee” He looked up and laughed. Fangirl Rule Number 1: get his attention. Check!





My kasiopao Krizzy, an Azkal fan-convert


Good thing the fil-fors are not here. I can’t imagine the crowd and People’s Park might not be able to stand the mob.

ooh, another fangirl moves. To have an excuse to talk with them longer? Act as a reporter! Haha. I got a short interview with Manong Ian and Roel.

Here's Azkal Striker number 23 thanking their Dabawenyo fans. LISTEN

Same with other fangirls' experience, I proved how approachable and funny these guys are. While having their pictures at the stage, Kuya Chieffy and Roel pointed to the sky ala- F4 pose. Sense of humor, down-to-earth attitude and passion. That’s what these guys we root for, in and out of the pitch.




---------------
PS. I was mum regarding my early out at the office for this encounter. But I wasn’t able to hide for long. Yesterday, early in the morning my former officemate texted me: “Kita kayo imong dakung ngisi sa Una ka Bai nagpapiktyur sa Azkals. Hahahaha!”

Translation: I saw your big smiling face in Una Ka Bai (GMA regional channel) having your picture taken with the Azkals.

Nyeeeeeek! Naulaw ko da. (@_@)

Azkals Ian Araneta, Yanti Barsales, Roel Gener, Chieffy Caligdong and Paolo Pascual helped local 2010 K1 kickboxing world champ Steve Grandeza in lighting the torch for the opening of the Davao 1st Summer festival last April 29.



City government of Davao in cooperation with the Private sector- Small Hotels Association of Davao, Davao Association of Tour Operators and Davao Tourism Association, Davao Travel Agency Association, GUIDE- Davao, Davao Cooperative Center for Visitors and Convention, and Davao Airline Operators Association, led the organizing of the first summer festival. The month-long festival highlights different sports like Frisbee tournament, motocross, adventure race, marathon, golf, horse show, and football. Sports tourism is one avenue, Davao City is developing for promoting the city and Mindanao.

“Let us make develop Davao City’s sports and show that having healthy lifestyle is one way to promote our place.” Inday Sarah Duterte said in her welcome remarks.


Azkals, Steve Grandeza and Summerfest organizers with Davao City Mayor Sarah Z. Duterte

Sports tourism is viewed as another come-on for enthusiasts and locals. Beating the summer heat with healthy body and encouraging future athletes. For the schedule of activities click this.Local government units (LGUs) support are very crucial for sports development. The Cinderella-like story of our national football team shows we can truly excel in an area we are good at despite the odds. Local athletes, sports enthusiasts and young football players of Ateneo in their jerseys gathered in the fields of People’s Park to witness the event and to have their pictures and autographs by our own Azkals.

With the under-23 PFF Suzuki Cup qualifiers held last April 28-30, the national team hopes to find the future Azkals all over the country. Here's the complete list of the U-23 Quarterfinals