-          Bingit (Atienza, 2009)

Maraming gumugunita ngayon sa araw na sinalanta tayo ng bagyong Ondoy. Hindi ko alam kung dapat ba itong gunitain. Sa araw na ito ipinapaalala ang paglubog ng buong bahay namin sa tubig-baha at putik, ang paglipat namin mula isang bubong papunta sa isa pa upang hindi abutan ng pataas nang pataas na tubig, ang pagtira namin sa bubong ng kapitbahay (na hindi namin kilala) buong magdamag – walang pagkain, walang tubig, walang kasuotang panlaban sa matinding lamig.

Gusto kong alalahanin. At oo, gusto kong gunitain.

Sa araw na ‘yon, nalaman ko ang kakayahan kong umangat sa sariling takot at pangamba. Maaari akong mamatay sa mga oras na tumatawid kami sa mga bubong na lubog na rin sa baha. Maaari akong makuryete sa tubig na bumabad sa mga paa ko dahil hindi pinutol ng Meralco ang linya ng kuryente sa lugar namin. Pwede rin akong mamatay sa lamig. Pero hindi. Sa mga oras na ‘yon, isa lang ang tumatakbo sa isip ko: “Matatapos din ‘to. Bukas, maayos na ulit ang kalagayan ko at ng pamilya ko.” Wala akong ibang inisip noon kundi ang bukas.

Pag-asa. Kapag nawalan ka ng pag-asa, wala na’ng lahat.

Pinatunayan din ng bagyong Ondoy kung ano para sa akin ang pinakamahalaga. Sa mga oras na umaabot na sa ikalawang palapag ang tubig, inisip ko nang lulubog ang lahat ng bagay na nasa kwarto ko – mga gamit na inipon ko ng ilang taon: mga libro, tula, sulat, litrato; mga palatandaan ng mga pinagdaanan ko sa loob ng dalawampung taon. Iniwan ko silang lahat. Darating at darating ang panahon na kailangan mong bumitaw sa mga alaala upang makausad sa buhay.

Kapag pinalaya mo ang sarili mo sa kahapon, mas gagaan ang ngayon at ang darating na bukas.

Hindi ako nagpapasalamat kay Ondoy. Hindi naman dapat. At kung may kapangyarihan akong bumalik dalawang taon mula ngayon at harangan siya mula sa pagdaan sa bansa natin, gagawin ko iyon. Ngunit nangyari na. Ang mahalaga ay hindi ko hinayaang kunin lang niya ang maraming bagay mula sa akin – may pinulot din ako mula sa kanya.

“Charoterang sprikitik, umappear ka vakler. Magpafeel, magpasense, ditey sa baler. Witiz shokoley ang udangchi ditey. Sa fezlaboom mo mars na super kalurkhey!”

Started my day by [finally] watching Zombadings. I was with two of my charoterang cousins. Gaad, that staircase scene. Nakakakilig amputa.

Award talaga.

Zombadings Part I: Patayin Sa Shokot Si Remington, ironic as it may sound, depicts what real manhood is.

———————————

BINGIT
Arleen C. Atienza

Humupa na’t natuyo ang burak
dala ng lagaslas ng luha ni Ina
ngunit ang panaghoy at pag-iimbot tungkol sa pag-asa’y
patuloy sa pagdaloy at pagbulwak.

Kasinlakas ng hangin ang paghampas ng panghihinayang
sa bawat nasadlak na tahanan.
Kasinlalim ng tubig ang iniwang sugat
dala ng mga inanod na alaala.

Sa likod ng makapal na ulap ng trahedya
ang pag-asa ng bagong simula,
sapagkat katatagan ang hatid
ng buhay na hindi inadyang mapatid.

First Sunrise

I will make this blog as informative as possible since we ourselves relied on travel blogs alone. It’s a way of spreading the word. I do believe it’s worth it.

HOW TO GET THERE:

We took a Victory Liner bus headed to Iba – Sta. Cruz  from the Caloocan terminal. I think both Caloocan and Sampaloc terminals have this trip. Bus fare is around P400. Buses leave the terminal on time so you have to be there 30 minutes before the schedule so your slot won’t be given away to chance passengers. Our bus trip took around 5 hours.

You can just ask the driver to drop you at Dawal. When you get to Dawal, take the street just across the waiting shed where you’ve been dropped off and walk your way until you see the shore. At the right side of the street you’ll see a house owned by our contact person, Ate Minda*. Her husband is a boatman who can take you to the island and have you pay P400 (roundtrip, for 5-6 persons). The boat ride will only take 5 to 10 minutes. 

SUN BATH

When we got off the boat, we were greeted by the fine white sand. The sand felt like foam under our cold feet. It was perfect.

RATES: An overnight stay in the island costs P300/head, while a day-stay costs P100/head.

While they already have nipa hunts for rent on the island, we chose to pitch a tent by the beach.  This made our whole stay more fun and intimate; and, of course, our expenses much minimized. We brought food, water and drinks (liquor, of course) that we need for our three-day stay.

This is Jay, pitching our tadpole tent by the beach.

It’s a good thing our tent is tadpole-type so it stood still even if the wind was so strong the whole three days we were there. It was just windy, though, there was not the slightest sign of rain.

Beer + Beach = HEAVEN

Potipot sand is perfect for skimboarding and the waves are just right for the activity.

Jay's new skimboard

Skiiiiiiim!

A meal plan is very important. In our case, we spent a couple of weeks planning our meals for our three-day stay in the island. This is to make sure we bring food and drinks just enough for the two of us to avoid excess baggage. Of course we would want to finally relieve our backs from the weight of our packs on our trip home.

Meal Plan for Day 1

We made sure to eat “real” food despite the inconvenience of cooking. We had fried tilapia for lunch and chicken adobo for dinner on our first day.

Kinawawang, este Adobong Manok

Jay cooked his special spaghetti on our second day in the island. Yum!

Chef Jay

I love you, Chef!

We had porkchop soaked earlier in a special marinade.

Nothing beats the feeling of chilling out by the beach, beer in hand, listening to the wind, the waves and the buzzing of bees. ( On our first day, though, a group was insensitive enough to play tracks from their iPod too loud using battery-powered speakers. KIDS, while people like you enjoy loud music at the beach, others travelled for five hours to prefer the serenity of the sounds of the waves over songs they hear in patok jeepneys in Manila everyday.)

Had the privelege to be bathed by Haring Araw

The beach is a perfect place to talk about the smallest of things you are too busy to even think about when you’re in the forest called Manila. It is indeed a perfect place to recharge.

The necessary jumpshot. Can't leave a place without doing this shot.

I must say that we really found the perfect place to pitch our tent. The place was well-shaded and two trees were perfectly positioned to put up a hammock.

Our humble abode

Siesta never felt this good.

SUNSET

We have to admit that the sunset is one of the highlights of a day at the beach. We love to take pictures of the scenery. Indeed, the sunset in Potipot is worth the wait and the precious camera battery.

Taken at the other side of the island where we went to catch the King as he sets.

The following shots were taken at the side of the island facing west. The place is perfect for photoshoots.

We took advantage of the great scenery and took pictures of ourselves with it.

Jay's signature pose

My staple jumpshot

Kissed the sun

Nightlife

Our two nights in the island were both fun-filled. We set up a bonfire and drank the night out. Who needs loud club music when you have the sound of the waves in the background?

Party mode

Sweet-sorrowful Last Day

This is the best getaway we’ve ever had so far. We will definitely go back to Potipot Island and we’ll sure tag lots of friends along.

Bye for now, Potipot.

We'll see you later.

 We were fetched by Mang Nunoy at around 4:00 PM. Buses headed to Caloocan, Cubao and Pasay actually pass by the main road in Dawal. In our case, new-found friends invited us to go to a nearby town to go for a swim in a lake so we took a bus from there going to Olongapo.

Boat ride back to Dawal

*For those who are interested to camp out in Potipot and rent Mang Nunoy’s boat, you can contact Ate Minda through 0939-3233459.

Hindi ko namalayang ikaw na lang ang naririnig ko
sa loob ng apat na minutong iyon
Namaos ang mga busina ng sasakyan,
ang boses ng tsuper na nagtatawag ng pasahero,
ng mga pasaherong pumapara sa kanto.
Nakaupo ka, kalung-kalong ang tatatlong pirasong tubo
na binalot mo ng balat ng tsitsirya.

Malayo ang tingin mo.
Parang wala ka ring ibang naririnig, nakikita, nararamdaman
kundi ang sarili mong musika
ang kalawakan ng nasasakupan ng malamlam at malalim mong paningin
at ang dagling kirot sa bawat pagtapik sa manipis na plastik.

Walang tigil ang pagtapik mo
na para bang ayaw mong pasingitin ang kahit anong kaisipang
maaring makagulo sa iyong isip:
maaaring ang naiwang pamilya sa bangketa
maaaring ang takot na mahulog ang kakaunting barya sa bulsa
o kung magsisilid ba ako ng sentimo sa sobreng iniwan mo sa aking kanlungan

Hanggang magising ang ating diwa sa boses ni mamang drayber:
“Hanggang dito na lang. “
Sabay ng paglundag mo pabalik sa kinagisnang kagubatan
at ako patuloy sa aking nagisisimula pa lamang na araw –
Hanggang sa susunod na tugtugan.
Arleen C. Atienza

Ang daming naiinis. Ang daming agad-agad nag-online at “Jumoin” sa grupong tinawag ang sarili nilang Jejebusters na para bang maaapula nila ang lahat ng Jejemons sa Pilipinas pag “kinlick” nila ang Join button. Naiinis din ako sa mga Jejemons pero aaminin kong hindi ko alam ang eksaktong dahilan kung bakit.

Maraming pwedeng dahilan, tulad ng pag-aalternate nila ng mga letra pag nagtetext sila. Pero malamang naiinis din sila sa pag-aalternate natin ng tagalog at english words sa mga pangungusap natin. Malamang pinagtatawanan nila tayo kapag imbes na “pakisara ang pinto” eh “paki-close yung door” ang sasabihin. At hahagalpak ng tawa sa tuwing naririnig nila sa atin ang napakatinis na “Oh. My. God.” at yung mga hirit nating “Can you like make urong or something?” sa siksikang jeep.

Maaring naiinis ako sa kanila dahil sa porma nila. Jejecap na nakapatong sa ulo? Malaking T-shirt? Pero baka nagmumukha rin tayong ewan sa kanila pag nakikita nila tayong naka-leather boots habang tirik na tirik ang araw sa EDSA. Alam ko ang nasa isip mo, (Duh, it’s called fashion.) Malamang yun din ang tawag nila sa sarili nilang estilo.

O baka naman naiinis ako dahil sa iisa nilang pose sa pictures (baliktad na peace sign). Hmm. Teka, may mga kaibigan akong ganon din mag-pose pero di naman sila Jejemon. So mukhang hindi lang mga Jejemon ang gumagawa nun. At kung ikaw, mahal na mambabasa, ay ganun din mag-pose at nag-iisip na magpalit na lang ibang pose dahil ayaw ma-associate sa mga Jejemons, think twice. Maaaring makwestyon ang seguridad mo sa sarili mong pagkatao.

Wala nga siguro akong eksaktong dahilan kung bakit naiinis din ako sa kanila. Gusto ko na ngang isiping wala akong sapat na dahilan na kainisan sila dahil tulad ko, tulad nating lahat, naghahanap sila ng sariling pagkakakilanlan sa pamamagitan ng mga grupong sasalihan, damit na isusuot, paraan ng pagtetext, etc. At wala akong nakikitang pagkakaiba sa pangangailangan nating lahat na makamit ang sariling pagkakakilanlan na ito. Hindi ko sila pinagtatanggol, I’m just like, you know, like trying to look at the, like, the bigger picture, cuz I don’t wanna stay naman inside the box all the time, or something. Right?

Ang ikinababahala ko lang ay ang unti-unting pag-upos ng kapuruhan ng wika natin. Oo, buhay na wika ang Filipino pero kung sa ganitong paraan ito yayabong, mukhang may mga hakbang tayong dapat gawin para maituwid ito. At kasama sa isyung ito hindi lang ang Jejetext, kundi pati and pagiging natural na sa atin ang paggamit ng Taglish. Sana dahil nabansagan na rin naman natin ang mga ito (Jejetext at Taglish), ang sumunod naman na mauso ay ang pagbalik ng dunong natin sa tamang gamit ng wika (at ako mismo gustong matutunan iyon).

Long before I trudge along Smith Ranch Road
while munching on Deli Market’s turkey sandwich
on my way to work,
I had hours with sweaty napes and armpits in jeepneys
filled to the estribo with heavy heads
and rolling eyes for the untimely stop-over at Petron.
Days with soy sauce-scented kitchen are over
and until fried fish’s whiff becomes bearable for Mrs. Wendorf’s tenants,
crispy tilapia skin will never again touch my tastebuds.

At late-night log-ins, I have random thoughts:
Those graduation pictures and diplomas
covering the living room wall,
that tight embrace and saline kiss at the airport,
that nipa hut-tree-mountain-cornfield-sun combo
I draw in Mrs. Atal’s class when she asks for a landscape.
And as I gorge this bacon bagel
I bought in a store along Cresta Way,
my blood misses  the soy sauce rings
on table linens back home.

Arleen C. Atienza

Baguio mist pins us to the couch all day
It was not like this before, though.
Wedding night, rings a bell?
Not the slightest ding.
It’s not the mist after all.

You put the cup down and looks out the window
to watch two lovebirds swinging
on a fragile stem.
Had they not wings, you surmise,
they will fall in a quiver of a foot.

They fly away as smoke comes out
the chimney of the house next to ours.
You stare at the thick smoke
while I glance at the clock above
our cold, empty fireplace,

a fireplace too damp to burn wood
a chimney too grubby to pass smoke
When your palms feel cold
You dream of a fireplace
Not your own.

It was Thursday and the front seat was empty
She skipped class for the first time.
Good, said the others, no teacher’s pet today.
Meanwhile, a mob in the comfort room
stood dumbfounded at the sight
of our dear achiever,
cold and hanging.
Why did she do that?
Oh, don’t ask me, I skipped class that day too.
I had complete rest at home
She was too heavy I broke a bone.

You sank too soon.
I looked for you, and for years I have been making
paper boats, letting them float on gutters during heavy rains
Temporary, indeed.
Each floating, happiness
Each sinking, letting go.