sometime sunshine

don't know about your place, but there's been some respite from the rains in quezon city over the weekend. last sunday afternoon, i overheard the neighborhood kids talking about a rainbow in the sky. didn't get to see it when i got outside, but the number of kids playing outside, even in the still wet streets, is a testament that they've been cooped up for so long. a bit of sunshine, no school next day ( national heroes day ) and a friend or two to play with - a perfect day for a kid.

well, like i said i didn't get to catch a view of the rainbow. despite my rush to finish my chore, it was gone when i went outside. guess that seems to be the story of my life. i've always been chasing 'rainbows'. my sister once told me to learn how to temper my dreams with reality. and i guess i've learned to do that over the years. BUT there are still dreams that i still strive for, which some people may consider need a miracle ( or a series of miracles ), to achieve or come true. it's the occasional ray of sunlight, a glimpse of the rare rainbow that gives me hope from whatever path my life takes me.

like they said, God is good to fools and little children.

amazing grace

a month or so ago, i happen to pass by megamall and found my friend carol and her band ( pinikpikan ) performing at the lobby. it's been years since i last saw her. carol bello is a small woman, but once she gets behind the microphone and sing, her voice exudes so much energy and power that you'll only notice her height once she steps off stage.




there was a time when we had bible study at our home. we were sitting just inside our gate and during the closing prayer, a friend started playing the intro of 'amazing grace' on the guitar. carol started singing the melody and the rest of my friends began humming the tune in the background. we got caught up so much on the hymn that when we opened our eyes at the end of the song, we were surprised to find a passerby standing on our gate and clapping his hands. it came about that he was on his way to one of the houses in our neighborhood when he heard carol singing and was compelled to seek where it was coming from. from then on, we have a nickname for carol - amazing grace.

so in case you ever meet her in person, and there is a guitarist near at hand, ask her to sing 'amazing grace' for you. the lyrics, the clean acoustic sound of the guitar strings and the power of carol's voice that evoke equal parts longing and passion will surely blow you away.

formula tech

i used to assemble plastic model cars by tamiya. there was a time when i spend hard earned money buying car magazines for reference in detailling my models. i can't say that i got good on making models. but i sure wish i found this site. back when i was still into plastic models.

hmmm...then again, i think i still have an unopened box or two of formula1 model kit at home. he,he.

hello...i'm austin powers

i was at the counter at mcdonald's this morning, waiting for the staff to fill my orders. looked around and saw a familiar face on the line next to mine. smiled at her thinking that i seldom see people from our music dept. outside the office. she smiled back and a beat later i realized...she's a stranger! to cover my embarrassment, i turned back to the counter guy and ordered a lemonade in addition to my order of coffee ( two sugars no creamer ) and sausage mcmuffin. walked away with as much panache as i could muster. hey i'm cool, it was not that bad...at least she smiled...

found myself a table, arranged my breakfast before me. took the cover off my coffee and lemonade. took a sip of my lemonade, the coffee still hot. the girl and her companions arrived and sat on the table diagonally across mine, the girl facing my way. she looked my way, and trying to be cool i held her gaze, opened the packets of sugar with a flourish and promptly dumped the contents...on my lemonade!

rainy days

like?

do you like role playing games? do you like reading comics? check out this site. or click the 'order of the stick' on my 'surf sites'.

college

Palma Hall during UPCAT, afternoon of august 7, 2005.
several hours before, the traffic on this road could be compared to that of edsa.

last sunday, i drove my nephew to UP diliman to take his UPCAT ( U.P. college admission test ). due to my work in alabang, i seldom have the chance to jog there anymore. a fact that my belly fat could attest to. one of the things that strike me during that day is the proliferation of vendors lining the academic oval. the occassion ( at least outside the test rooms ) seems more like a fiesta or fair. i think i even saw a globe or smart telecom booth there, which made me wonder if they allow celphones inside the test rooms. that is something we don't have to consider during the time i took my UPCAT...which was a looong time ago. what stuck to my mind all these years is the fact that my test room was in the second floor of UP integrated school and that the english essay test was taken from an old issue of readers' digest ( karate: weapon of the empty hand...naks ) that i read the day before by chance. aside from that, i don't recollect anything else from that day.


the kiosks in front of the B.A. college and Vinzons hall

3 months to crunch time

ahhh, i somehow managed to give myself sometime to post a blog after several weeks of silence. it's not that i am no longer busy, in fact if anything, i think i just got more things to do now. we have this 3d modelling exercises in the office and my scheduled one man show is getting nearer.

but i need to take stock of my progress ( or lack of it ) or i might have a breakdown while running in place. lately i've been doing color research for my paintings. i have this tendency to use the same set of colors in a series of paintings that even i myself get bored with it. i've also been making studies for the paintings. i am not lacking in subject matter. but i do need to make it diverse enough to be interesting while at the same time conveying a common underlying thought. ha,ha, am i making sense here? that previous sentence reminds of those exhibit notes that takes three or four paragraphs to clearly explain nothing.

in other news...finally found the courage(?) to join a discipleship group. we usually meet during fridays. i don't know what is in store for me on that front but hey, am glad that i've joined.