Baby Talk

Child, at this age, is in developing stage in all aspects. Talking to a child is never easy to do especially when you need something from them. When you are talking to a child, with an age from after birth to five, you actually do some changes. You change those things to communicate in child world in which they treat you like you belong with them, like you are really a child. But, you don’t obviously do these things when talking to an adult that seems to be obvious that it was an embarrassing act for any of them. Here are some things you do when talking to a child, but not when talking to an adult:

1.       Change Pitch. Here is the basic thing you can do if you want them to reply to your speech. People have different voice pitches and few of them have scary voices as of Frankenstein, Dracula, Scary clown, and some other big voices that really scare a child. A child don’t want to be yell of, so when you are talking to a child, try to change your voice pitch to match their voices so you can communicate with them nicely. Lowering your voice is effective to deal with a child but not to an adult. Try to talk with someone ahead of you with your voice likely to be a dwarf’s. Obviously, it is a funny act, so don’t talk to someone, except to a child, with your voice pitch changed.

2.       Speak Slowly. If you want to understand your words when you are talking to a child, you have to speak slowly. When you act this thing, a child might understand what you are saying and it will help you to communicate more with them. Children will response when they understand the topic or the title, and barely pardon something they don’t understand. They always ask for anything, as their curiosity is very high at their age so you need to explain many things with them. Basically, you need to repeat and repeat some things to a child until they learned them. But if you explain something slowly to them, they might learn them quickly. Unlike to a child, adults are faster learner but rarely there are cases that need some special treatment just like a child, repeat and repeat until they got it.

3.       Bend Down. When talking to someone smaller than you, you actually do bend down to them for better communication and to further the conversation. It is actually the usual thing but some of us don’t really bend down when talking to an adult, even if they are too small for us. We don’t do this to them, we do this to a child when talking. Obviously, because of their height, we just bend down ourselves but sometimes we do sit on our feet and level to their height. It is better to have a conversation with someone if you talk straight to each other with the level of your faces. If you bend down yourself when talking to someone not a child, you better have a face to face act if you want to lengthen the tine.

4.       Use small Words. Shortening the words, like having a shortcut, will be difficult for someone to understand. For a child who needs a lot of guidance in many things, shortening the words will help them get it quickly. Root words or key words are the first thing they should learn to keep those things in their mind. Remember they don’t have enough knowledge in speaking so it is better also to shorten your sentences. Detailed sentences can be understand by an adult but don’t use any small words, that it will cause misunderstanding. When you command a child with a single word they know, they will do it. But when you command an adult with a single word, the reply will, “What?!” and “Pardon?!”.

5.   Make Faces. This is actually the weirdest thing you could ever do to a child. You actually do this thing when you feed a child with something. You don’t want to try it when talking to an adult, it is very funny act, promise. If you don’t want to be popular on youtube, don’t make those faces. For a child who is not yet talking, you make faces to allow them to follow your acts and moves. These help them to remember the things they don’t know yet when doing something.

Robbery Punishment

I love cats but lately, I have been robbed here in our house. The suspect was as professional as he doesn’t leave any traces and noises while doing this crime. He was so fast that I didn’t get through him when I caught him in his act. It was a cat, a very pitiful house pet that you didn’t think he would do such things like that. He robbed me face to face but I didn’t catch him when he quickly dodges the entire hit from a bamboo stick. He escaped again from me for how many times and he always gets me pissed.

Apparently, when I’m guarding some of our meals, I remember a story from a friend about this wanted criminal. He told me that his brother and his brother’s friend are having a trip with a cat. He asks them what they are doing with the cat when he saw this cat jumps really high up. He noticed that they have some paddles on their hands so he thought that they were just punishing the cat for a crime, you know, robbery. So when he saw one of his brother’s friends hit the cat on its head, the cat rolls to the ground like an epileptic animal and they laugh. It was great act for my friend when he acted what the cat did.

That cat was nearly dead from the hand of another abusive person. They say that it was just a trick from that cat. When you hit them on their head with such a force, they will lose their mind and gone crazy. Rolling like an epileptic, high jumpers and many more. These were the tricks my friend told me about the case. It was a funny for a while, but it doesn’t funny anymore when you thought you were killing an innocent animal and taking their lives. Animals always have their rights, just like a human in its need to take in foods when hungry. They are also part of our nature so we must understand its role in our environment.

It was a good punishment for their crime but once is enough. You always get pissed when you don’t have any meals for lunch knowing that that suspect stole again your food. They were bad, really bad but you can’t teach them not to steal foods; it’s a wrong act, a bad act. Maybe it’s better if you teach them how to open a refrigerator and get their foods in the freezer. And when you feed them, they really go for your deal. That is another case, when you feed cats twice or more, they will think that you always have a food for them so they always sit at you front their saying meeeeeeeooooowww and wait for the food. But when you don’t have any foods for them they will go for it by themselves, such a bastard. They simply enter the house and run quickly when they were done. One hit for them is enough I think. They will not steal foods anymore but sometimes they repeat their crime again and again. But you don’t have to kill a cat just to stop them from their act.

I do love cats from their unique way of expressing their sweetness on us. If you want to feed them, just give them a food. If you want to punish them, don’t get serious to them. Just give them what they want and they will pay you back. They pay no food, but they kill and eat one of the dangerous pests in our house, a mouse. 

Inside a Wallet

Many own a wallet with different designs and for different purposes. Teenagers do have their own, especially for the boys. They using it for restoring different cards and money, but somehow there are other things you can find inside their wallets. Here are some things you didn’t expect to find inside a teenager’s wallet:

1.       Condom. A lot of boys put their condoms in their wallet just in case of emergency. But some of them are just storing them because they say that it was a lucky charm. I don’t know why they called it and I don’t have any condom in my wallet. My friend told me that thing, and he says that was true. But I don’t believe that condoms can be a lucky charm that can grow your money. Maybe some of them just told about it that it was a lucky charm but the truth is, they’re just preparing for some scene, you know. So if someone told you that they stored a condom in their wallet before, you know the reason already. I’m telling it’s not a lucky charm.

2.       Cigarette. Cigars are one of addictive habits in some of the teenagers aside from alcohols. But smokers don’t store their cigars inside their wallet; you know they’re dying for it. But we all know that some cigars came from flavours. Before, there are only menthol flavours inside a cigar, but now I can see a lot of flavours like chocolate, strawberry etc. These good-smelling cigars are not really pain on your nose. So some teens have thought that they could use it as a perfume in there wallet. I don’t know who’s the first one who did this but I have a friend who stores one cigar, with chocolate flavour, inside his wallet. It really smells like a chocolate, very effective for those who own an old purse.

3.       Ex-girlfriend’s Pic. They say first love never dies and some really can’t move from their past. Boys do cry and hurt too, so if you found some girls picture, excluding his mother’s pic, you already know that she includes on his past. I do know some of my friends who lost their heart with someone keep their picture on their wallet. They’re keeping them because they still feel something, just as they don’t want to move on. But some of teens keep their present partners’ pic inside their wallets. I don’t have any picture because I’m using a coin purse, a gift from my one and only.

4.       Foreign Currency. When I’m looking at someone’s wallet, there is a foreign currency separated in there wallet. Usually it is a dollar and a riyal, and some are rupee, ringgit, yen etc. If you saw some foreign currency in someone’s wallet, definitely the owner’s relatives are working abroad, for different currency in different and each country. Some of these currencies really came from their parents that they sent or they personally give when they come back here in their home country. But there are cases that these currencies came from their relatives, tito or tita, ninong or ninang, or even they friends abroad. Usually, these owners really don’t change these currencies even if it costs money if you change it.

Expired cards. Many teens own their personal cards, usually credit cards. They are using it in different purposes and usually, in different ways. Teens always want their wallet thick, with lots of money, cards etc. But if they don’t have any money yet, cards fill the spaces even though they were already expired some months ago or even a year. They kept it just to be proud that they have a master card, visa or a bank card not concerning about the amount inside or its expiration. I experienced a lot of these cases that when they’re opening there wallet, cards always first to come out. But when you ask if it is a valid card, come honestly told me they were just collecting them but I don’t about the rest of them. 

Road Accidents

In a busy road just like as a city highway, many road accidents and cases happen. The worst cases are mostly death of car crashes, hit and run, etc. These cases may happen in a busy highway somewhere else even if it’s not in the city. People where so careless and not to worry about road accidents. But there are also animals just like humans that are really careless. They’re innocent in their own but people really don’t care about them when they’re in their wheels. As I thought, there may be a bigger percentage of road accidents involving people than accidents that animals are involve.

Here in a rural place, people live the simplest modern way of living. As a progressing community, roads and highways are present even in isolated areas. There were no road accidents around involving people who lives around this community but animals do. When I’m walking along some roads around our residence, people don’t care about animal accidents across the roads and highways. Usually, these animals are frogs, cat and kittens. Once they hit by a car, without getting any help by the people, roads and highways become their grave.

Frogs don’t really go cross the roads without reasons, but I don’t know their reasons. Frogs don’t have any knowledge unlike us. They have four legs though they are slow jumpers and can’t walk nor run. They are always become a victim and getting involved in a road accident. I always see them lying in their grave just like a paper, a thin paper, no more bones, no more organs, just their skin, just like a paper. Poor frog, people really don’t care about them. You can see their corpse around here when you walk and when you walk further there is another more and when you go further there is another fresh victim. Frogs say “Riiibbbiiitt riiibbbiiitt” but they’re too low to hear of and when a driver saw them, they rev the engine and go to hit them. For any human nature, it was an accident, but how about their nature.

They are just too innocent to travel cross road with hasting wheels. Cats are faster than frogs and obviously, much bigger than them. But, they are also one of the victims of those reckless drivers here though there are fewer cats that became a victim of a deadly road unlike frogs. Same as frogs, the highway serves as graveyard once they dead caused by a hit of a car. Poor cats, lying helplessly on the ground.  Kittens are closely similar to frogs, if their on the top of the list of victims kittens maybe of number two. They are not safe from hasting wheels though they are fast runner and much knowledgeable than frogs. Nevertheless, no one is safe in highways and roads.

There are other lucky animals around here that were not ended up like those from above lying on the road, dismembered. Goats and dogs are more hasty and bigger than them. When they are crossing the roads, drivers blow their horn and let them cross. But unlike reckless drivers, they sometimes hit them but not so fatal.

Humans have rights, all of us have rights. If only they can demand and file a case against those drivers, but they can’t. Yes, they’re only animals but they have also the right just like every people in town. These victims are not in the list of endangered species but do we have to wait ‘til they’re totally non-existing? People must care about the nature, everyone in this nature. But are they’re the one to blame of? Or the reckless people who don’t have any care about the others? They are just crossing the roads. We cross roads.  

Kodigo

Many know what kodigo is, especially in every student. A kodigo, or tseke (check) in its slang name, is a piece of paper with lots of lessons and lectures written on it; a list of formulas and keywords that was used in previous lesson or lecture; a small note with a written summary of a lesson or lectures or even books and formula; a compilation of formulas; sometimes written in any parts of a body or anything you can write on. It is usually used when cheating on exams, quizzes, tests etc. A kodigo contains everything you need in an exam. For some student, it is a help for studies and a good source of answers in exams. It is said to be better than stretching your head side by side just to copy answers from you seatmates. Nevertheless, it is a wrong doing.

I have heard many funny stories from different students were they are using kodigo in their exams. Some of them were very close to caught by their teachers and most of them were successful cheating. I saw many of my classmates done using kodigo, some just confessed their wrong act. “Dapat alam mo kung saan mo itatago iyan. Dapat magaling kang magtago. At syempre magaling magpalusot. Alam mo na if ever ‘di ba?”, said one of friend who always used kodigo in his exams.

For a first grader student, they usually write their kodigo in their palms. Basically, it includes formulas and keywords were there the only one who understands it, a secret code for them so that if ever they caught they can appeal that it was just a doodle. They sometimes write their kodigo in their feet, where they hide them using their socks. They just turned their socks down and they have it. For higher degree students, some don’t use it anymore but the old school thing is just the simplest and basic. For some of them who cheat, your palm is not enough. As you go up in your school, you also taking up a lot of lessons and cheater’s palm is not enough to write their lessons when cheating. So, they tear some piece of paper in the back of their notebooks and write down all words and formulas that might come up in their exams. Students who cheat in math subjects, I’m sure their kodigo hides in the back of their calculator. There you can find a lot of formulas needed to solve problems in there exams. But sometimes, teachers are really smart to know who among his/her students are cheating and they tries to catch them in the act. But some students are smarter than their teachers so they know to hide their kodigos in many things. They hide their kodigos, written in a pice of paper, under their shirts or uniform; lying beneath their hand watch; in the back of their IDs; under their scratch papers and test papers; hiding in the cover of the ballpen etc. Some uses the technology and write their kodigos in cellphones. Teachers can’t catch a student who is cheating but his/her classmate might know who among their classmates are cheating.

Students really learn a lot in school, when you said “lot”, it means many things. They are prone to many wrong acts that they soon become a habit. A kodigo is just one of these wrong acts they know, but we should remind them what should be the effect of it. Cheating makes your grades high but it doesn’t really make your knowledge high. If you learn something without cheating, if you win something without cheating, that what you calls a success. Kodigo is a wrong way of learning things, they should be written on your mind not a piece of paper or scratch. They say “It is better to cheat than to repeat” which is a wrong phrase and is always misunderstood by the students. “Cheat for a higher grade, and regret if your future failed” this is the better phrase. If you really want to become successful someday, you must study hard and learn many things. 

How to stop an argumentation?

Many people don’t want to express their feelings in a peaceful way but in a violent way and in their own worst cases. They are trying to win over argues and if there opponent resist, temper arises. They don’t know how to control their emotions and ended up with a trouble with someone. But there are few who could stand alone these cases.

If you wanted to control your temper you should make your own strategies to overcome it. These may help you ease the anger you feels with someone or something. Releasing the steam in your head may help you get over from that temper but there is a big possibility that will cause another worst argues and never-ending fight if you express it in a violent way.

Listen with your partner. Listening to each other’s cases will help end up the fight early. A clear exchange of argues without any interruptions will benefit the conversation. It will cure each other’s hard feelings and let each other explain their sides. People with hard feelings find persons who can let their shoulder to cry on.

Make your voice a little bit sweeter. If you are arguing with a full loaded person with plenty of reasons, better to lower your voice tone. Try to point out some things to him/her and say it with a slower and with low pitch voice, just like a sweet song in your music list. This will help clear things up with your partner.

Leave if you can’t. If you really don’t want to lengthen the debate and make a quick end from that argumentation, it is better not to talk and leave your partner behind. This may cause different cases with your opponent or partner. He/she might get angrier because of the feeling of being ignored. That may be the worst case if ever but leaving the arguments hanged will help each other’s side to calm.

People find their own unique ways to overcome the hard feelings they felt with someone or something. But most people do ignore these problems because they don’t want to add another mind-blogging case in their own list of problems. They just ignore it and hoping that their opponent or partner might forget about those things. This may be effective but you should know how to take the risk if ever worst things happen between you. In some cases, during an argumentation, they tried to think many good things in their mind just to ignore the hard debate and they pretend to be deaf. This is their way to ease some anger they felt over his/her enemy or partner though it doesn’t resolve their problem.

There is a little percentage of people getting involve with these cases were praying to resolve these problems. These people really don’t want themselves getting involved with a fight. They believe that one should be calm and relax to end a fight peacefully. They were praying that each of them will be enlightened and that will resolve their problems. This happens on few people though much better than to express their feelings physically.

Controlling your emotions over things will make your life less worries and enemies. Things don’t always come through your way but in God’s way. As you build your attitudes on yourself, you are also building respect from other people. You make friends out of your enemies and make your partner not just a partner. Learn how to listen to anyone, and learn how to make friends. Learn to lend your ears to and let God make His move to your life.

February 27, 2011, Sunday

            3:16 AM. Mainit ang pakiramdam ko ng gabing iyon. Parang nagaapoy pero walang lagnat. Masikip ang dibdib pero walang nakabara o nakadagan. Ginising ako ni Mama, “Gumising ka. . .nanaginip ka. . .hindi ko maintindihan sinasabi mo. . .binabangungot ka”. Hindi ko maintindihan kung bakit isang bangungot ang panaginip na iyon. Pero natatakot ako sa susunod na mangyayari kung nagpatuloy pa ang pangyayaring iyon sa aking panaginip.

            

            Gabi na sa labas kaya’t nasa loob kami nila Mama. Bukas ang ilaw sa may sala. Maayos ang lahat ng biglang may ingay na nagmumula sa bubong, “Anak ng! May gusto atang sumira sa bubong ah!”. Lumabas ako at tiningnan. Si Carlo tumatakbo sa bubong. . .hindi, nagdadabog sya sa bubong parang galit. May parang malaking ibon na nakakapit sa kanya mula sa balikat. Hindi ko na tiningnan kung ano yon, basta nakaktakot at kulay itim kaya si Carlo lang ang naaninag ko. Sinigawan ko pero hindi tumigil. Bumalik ako sa loob at ayan na naman sya. Mas malalakas pang dabog at mas mabili. Kitang-kita ng dalawang mata ko kung paano bumabakat sa bubong mula sa sala ang mga paa ng galit kong kapatid. Hindi ko alam kung bakit nya ginagawa iyon, wala akong pakialam ng mga oras na iyon. Nakakatok ang pagdadabog nya sa bubong. Naglalakad. Mabilis. Mabigat ang mga paa. Lumabas ako sa huling pagkakataon. Sinigawan ko sya. Bumaba sya sa bubong nang hindi dumadaan sa akyatan. Tumalon siya diretso sa harap namin. Pagharap nya sa amin, tulog sya. Nakayuko. Wala na yung ibon sa kanyang mga balikat. Naisip ko nag-sleepwalk lang siguro pero nung tanungin namin. . .tumingin sya sakin na animoy galit na galit. .nangninisik ang mga mata. At biglang ngumiti. Hindi ko alam ang pakiramdam ko. Nakakatakot. Manhid, hindi makapagsalita, hindi makatakbo.

            

           Hindi gaanong nakamulat ang mga mata ko nang ako ay magising sa bangungot na iyon. Mula sa aking hinihigaan, may naaninag akong kulay puti na nasa korte ng isang babae. Kinabahan ako kahit hindi pa tuluyang nakadilat ang mga mata ko. Hindi gumagalaw ang nakaputi. Lumapit sya bigla sa akin. Dahan-dahan. Hawak na nya ang leeg ko. Ayoko syang tingnan, pero kahit nakapikit na ang mga mata ko’y kitang-kita ko parin sya. Gusto kong sumigaw. Walang nakakarinig kahit katabi ko na ang kapatid ko sa kama. Sinasakal na nya ako. Hindi na ako makahinga.

            Pagmulat ko ng mga mata ko ay ginigising na pala ko ni Mama. Binabangungot ako ang sabi nya. Hingal na hingal at hindi makahinga. Masikip ang dibdib ko. Hindi ko alam pero parang binangungot ako ng dalawang beses. Bangungot sa isa pang bangungot. Parang patuloy kang pinapatay. Nakakatakot. Hindi na kaya ng mga mata kong pumikit uli. Hindi na ako nakatulog. Maghihintay nalang ako ng umaga.

Sa ilalim ng kama

Masarap mahiga sa kama. Isang hugis parihaba. Malambot, minsan matigas. Makinis, minsan magaspang. Masarap matulog dito lalot kailangan mo ng isang mahaba at mahimbing na pagtulog. I-partner mo pa ang unan at sobrang himbing na nang tulog mo. Pero ano nga ba ang nasa ilalim nito? Agiw? Kapag may agiw may gagamba? Multo? Daga? Laruan? Lumang gamit? Hindi ko alam kung anong nasa ilalim ng kama mo. Isa lang meron dyan. Dilim.

Kung magtatanong ka sa mga batang maliliit, yung mga katatapos lang mag pre-school, kung ano ang makikita sa ilalim ng kama, sasabihin nila multo. May multo nga ba sa ilalim nga kama? Kung ako ang tatanungin, masikip na mundo ang lugar na ito para pagbahayan ng mga multo o kahit anung monster. Pero sa mga horror movies kadalasan ang set-up nila ay palaging may kababalaghan sa ilalim ng kama. Kunwari ay may gumagalaw o nagiingay sa ilalim ng kama tapos sisilipin ng bida at ayun, nagulat sa kanya yung multo. Ang mga multong tinutukoy ko dito ay mga white ladies, mga kaluluwang naaksidente, basta masasabi mong multo. Hanggang sa ginaya ng ginaya ang konseptong ito kaya’t tumatak na rin sa isipan ng mga bata pati na ng mga matatanda. Kahit ako naman natatakot din kung ako ang susubok. Ikaw ba kaya mong tingnan ang ilalim ng kama mo sa hating gabi? Dapat walang ilaw at ingay sa kwarto mo at dapat malamig. Matatakot kadin sigurado.

Sa ibang bata naman, sasagutin nila na may daga doon o kaya may ipis. Siguro ito, may malaking posibilidad pa na totoo, kung ang ilalim ng kama mo ay masahol pa sa poso negro ng manila zoo. Dito sa loob ng bahay naman ganyan ang sitwasyon. Sa umaga makakakita ka nalang ng mga pinaglaruan ng makukulit matapos mong mawalis ang ilalim ng kama. Hindi nga kami pinapatulog sa ingay minsan maglaro. Namamahay na pala sya sa ilalim. Tinapalan na yung bahay nya kaya hindi na nagingay at nagabroad na sa ibang bahay. Nakakapagtaka lang kung bakit itong lugar na ito ay gusto din pagtaguan ng mga bata kapag naglalaro sila. Dito din siguro nauso na may daga o ipis sa ilalim ng kama kahit wala naman. Panakot lang sa mga batang makukulit na nagsusumiksik sa ilalim ng kama kahit masikip. Gusto yata nilang kaibiganin ang mga daga at ipis.

Kung iisipin mo yung mga kama ng mga batang mayayaman, siguro ang nasa ilalim nun mga sirang laruan, mga sapatos, medyas na bulok, punit na coloring books at iba pa. Mas makalat pa ata sila kahit na may yaya na. May ibang bata nagsisiksik ng mga laruan sa ilalim ng kama, para paghinanap daw nila madaling makikita. Pero kadalasan, kabaliktaran ang nangyayare, si yaya tuloy ang nasisisi kung bakit nawala daw ang laruan niya. Hindi rin naman nila mapaglalaruan ang mga nasa ilalim na ito. Kadalasan putol na paa o kamay ng manika o robot ang makikita mo. Karamihan naman mga lego pieces ang nandon, mga jigsaw pieces na hindi na nasagutan at inabanduna nalang. Napansin ko din na taguan ito ng bola, hindi lang sa mga bata kahit sa mga matatanda dito tinatago ang bola. Pero sa mga burarang batang mayayaman, may makikita ka pang medyas na halos isang buwan na contaminated sa ilalim ng kama nya. Tapos magrereklamo kay yaya, may patay na daga raw sa kuwarto nya, ang baho daw. Kung hindi ka naman ba naghahagis ng medyas sa ilalim pagkatapos maghubad ng sapatos. Nasasama pa nga minsan pati mga hanger at ipit ng damit. Kawawa naman yung likod ng hinihigaan mo.

Sa mga masisinop naman na bata, sigurado may hilera ng sapatos, sandals at iba pang footwears sa ilalim nyan. Yung iba may koleksyon na agad na mga sapatos. Ang mga sapatos na ito karamihan mga branded, yung minsan mo lang susuutin at pangdisplay nalang sa ilalim ng kama. Pero karamihan, inuupod muna ang ilalim bago itambak sa ilalim ng kama, ihehelera para kunwari maayos tingnan. Hindi na koleksyon tawag dun, dapat dun koreksyon. Maganda siguro kung turuan na natin ang mga bata ng kaayusan habang mura pa ang kanilang kaisipan.

Hindi ko alam kung ano nga ba ang nasa ilalim ng kama ko, pakiramdam ko may hiwaga ang mga gagambang namahay dito. Kailangan ko na siguro silang i-relocate at i-renovate ang lugar na ito para kahit papaano, malinis sa ilalim kahit hindi ganun kalinis sa ibabaw.

The Pot of Naughty Henry

Summer days are a playful time for every child in the house of Mrs. Charles. Children run through the wet garden and then haste to the garage and come to the backdoor and make dirt around the kitchen. Manny and Brando made a really mess around their grandmother’s house.

“Manny! Brando!” a loud noise coming from the second floor was howling the whole house.

“Time for another bicycle ride Brando”, Manny grinned. They rush through the backdoor and grab each handle bars and start to rush down the street.

 “What do we do next? I am sure she will scold us again and locked us to the warehouse”, Brando appealed.

 “You’re so scared Brando. We can still find our way out of it”, said Manny.

 “I trust you, but she’s sick with us. Maybe we’ll stop this things on”, Brando.

 “You know I just wanted to have some fun this summer, and found the fun in this stuffs”, Manny.

 “I should find my own fun Manny, I don’t want you doings and I don’t find any fun of it”, Brando stopped the bike and take a turn to go back home.

 “Hey wait! I’ll stop it Brando. Wait for me”.

Mrs. Charles is still mopping the mess they made around the kitchen. It made her irritate for a moment and now she thinks for another punishment for them. They were as naughty as wild cats fighting around. “I should place this thing here”, Mrs. Martha make a smile around his lips.

It was dark when the two wild cats arrive. “We’re home!”, Manny shouted.

“Dinner’s ready!”, Mrs. Martha called the children in a sweet voice. The two naughty child stares at each other as they felt the change from their Grandma.

“You’ll not scold us, are you?”, ask Brando.

“Of course not, why do I scold you? Taste this steak. I made it for you two. I know you’re tired of playing this day”, Mrs. Martha seems to be hiding her anger to them. She knew this will be the last thing when she moved it from her room.

“What’s that thing above that shelf Manny?”, Brando simply ask him in a low voice.

“I don’t know. Maybe some of her stuffs here”, Manny replied.

“That is the pot of naughty Henry. A once naughty boy that always wants to play things around, beat the other children and made every people in this place his victim from his naughtiness. The naughtiest boy ever had in this place”, Mrs. Martha interrupts.

“Another story telling eh?”, Manny tries to cover his ears.

“Grandma’s telling your story Manny”, Brando laughs.

“And when a beggar crossed this place, he beat him with some clay. He didn’t wonder the things gonna happen next. The beggar got angry and told naughty Henry, ‘You will soon end up of what you’re throwing on me’.  Henry just kept on throwing on clays to the beggar until it went away in this place. But when the beggar crossed this place, there comes a heavy rain. It rained harder and harder that day. And when the rain ends, they found Henry’s bike in the middle of the road, full of clays but he’s not around”, she continued.

“Did they found him after?”, Brando ask but his voice is cold.

“They didn’t found him anymore. No one see Henry since. They believe that the beggar cursed him for his doings and he was melted by the heavy rain and turned himself into clay. Then they gathered the clay in his bike and put it in a pot”, she explained.

“They say that if the pot of naughty Henry breaks, his soul will take revenge and take another naughty child inside a pot”, Mrs. Martha told with a tone in her voice.

“I’m not scared from those folktales and I’m not a naughty boy Grandma”, said Manny. A lightning flashed just as he said those words.

“Looks like there will be a heavy rain tonight. Finished your plate and prepare to wash the dishes”, Mrs. Martha told the two boys. “And don’t sleep on your rooms. I locked them and you two will be sleeping here for this night. No more replies. No more appeals. That is your punishment”, she added.

The boys draw their own sad faces, and turn to their plates. It was a heavy rain that night. Mrs. Martha already finished eating and preparing herself to sleep. “Don’t try to unlock you rooms. You’ll waste your time. I prepared you a blanket and some pillows. Sweet dreams boys”, Mrs. Martha grinned.

The two boys just finished washing the dishes when a lightning strike not far from their house. The lights went off the house and turned to be a hunted place. They scream so loud and run through there blankets. They race to the dining room but Brando accidentally pushed the cabinet where the pot of naughty Henry lies.

“Plaaaaaaaank!”, a sound of a broken pot.

“What was that Brando?”, Manny stopped and looked back at Brando. “Something fell off the shelf Manny, I didn’t intend to but I can’t see anything here. It’s too dark. Help me!”, Brando response. “Ok. I’m walking on you. Don’t move”, said Manny.

It was so dark that time and he didn’t see where that pot lies. Mrs. Martha had a lot of cabinets in her dining room so you won’t definitely see anything as they are blocking the lights from the windows.

Manny track him down from the dark. He stopped when he felt something under his feet. It was clay, wet clay. “What did you do? What is this? I’ll tell Grandma for this!”, said Manny with a tone in his voice. “I’m just following you Manny, I’m sorry please don’t tell Grandma”, Brando explained. Manny grabbed something from his pocket and scratch it from his watch. The fire on the match lightens the two of them and the broken pot on the floor.

Manny was shocked from what he saw. Brando screamed and the light from the match disappeared. They were all screaming down the floor. They run through the dark and take their blankets on the table and make a cover to themselves.

“Did you see that?”, Manny ask Brando with fear. “It’s the pot of naughty Henry right? It’s an accident Manny, it was so dark there”, Brando explained. Another lightning flashed from behind and they screamed again.

“Maybe we must stay here for this night and wait for the sun to shine”, said Brando.

“I’m not staying here if that pot is still open. We don’t know if Henry will take us to his pot and sealed us forever”, Manny seemed to be scared.

“Don’t tell me you believe those folks from Grandma”, Brando started to laugh. He believes that it was just a folk. He uncovers himself from the blanket and pretends to be a brave hero for Manny. “I’m gonna knock down that Henry for you Manny”, he added and laughed.

He was just half his way on the broken pot when a flash of thunder lights up the dining room. There he saw some silhouette, a boy with the same height. It is naughty Henry covered with wet clays. Brando stood in shock and tries to move back to Manny but it looks like the terror paralyzed his feet and neck.

“Aaaaaaaahhhhhh!”, the brave hero shouts. Manny reveals himself from the blanket and turn his self to Brando. “What was that you saw?”, Manny asked. Brando couldn’t tell any words but he tries to point out to the dining room.

Another flash of lightning lightened the room. Naughty Henry was three meters far from the boys. “It’s Naughty Henry Manny. It’s him”, said Brando. Manny shocked from what he saw. He grabbed Brando’s arm and run back under their blankets.

“I don’t want to believe those folks from Grandma but that thing out there makes all my hair stood up. Brando what do we do now? I don’t want to be jailed in that stupid jar. I’m not a bad boy. I’m not a naughty boy Brando” Manny pleased.

“I don’t know what to do Manny, maybe we should ask Grandma for a help. She may know how to get rid of this mud-monster right their”, Brando explained. Another lightning flushed and they saw naughty Henry’s figure just standing in front of them. The two boys screamed to death. They were running all around the kitchen.

The heavy rain went calm and a laughter volume up and covers the whole kitchen. It was Mrs. Charles wearing his Halloween costume, a mud monster. She fitted the character of naughty Henry as she is just a small old woman just like a young boy. He wears off her mask and switched on the lights to lighten the kitchen. The two boys stopped from screaming and looked at Mrs. Charles.

“You boys shouldn’t have believed those old stories of mine. It was just hoax. There is no pot of naughty Henry here in this place. Go back to sleep and tomorrow you’ll be cleaning your mess here. There will be no child’s play around. Naughty Henry is watching you”, Mrs. Martha laughs.

Mrs. Martha went up to her room and the two boys were really pissed about what happened. “I’m gonna make it a hard stuff on her this time”, Manny drove angry. “Don’t do that Manny. The worst we made those stuffs the worst she may scold us. Don’t you think of it Manny? I’m tired of doing these things. I want to enjoy my summer”, said Brando.

“If you don’t want to stand with me I’ll do it alone. Now and alone”, he stood up from the comforter and walks through the stares up. The rain continues to raze.

“I’m gonna show you what’s the meaning of naughty”, Manny stood up in her Grandma’s room door. He slowly opens the door and look at the bed where the old woman is sleeping. He grabbed some pot from the shelf and points it to the old woman. He wants to pour all clays on the pot into the bed. He wants to make a real mud monster, a real naughty Henry.

“This is called naughtiness!”, Manny raise the pot but someone stopped his arms.

He looked back to see who stopped him and he screamed.

“Raaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrhahahahahahahahahaha”, a roar from naughty Henry just turned into a laughter when Manny dropped the pot and run with a haste down the stairs screaming.

Brando take off the mask and silently laughed.

RAIN, RAIN GO AWAY, COME AGAIN NEXT TIME

Friday morning seems to be not as shiny as these last few days. Following the routine, I pick some hose to water the orchids dying from an old broken body of a tree. That was one of my chores early morning before going to work. I just notice that the soil on the ground was somewhat wet, but the leaves of some trees dried up. I just thought that it was because of the fog over last night or maybe it was because of some little rain last night. I felt a little bit colder that time from the water flow from the hose then I thought it maybe the end of the hot summer days here. Too early from this month of May, I already heard news about some rains around the capital province. The clouds over the dirty sky seem to be not so blue but it blends in with its dirty colour. Some hours past, just before the noon, the sun came up but not too bright from this day. Nevertheless it eases the coldness I felt that morning ‘til lunch. The afternoon nap gone cold and the sky turn onto a dirty one. Clouds are scattered around the dirty one making it a little bit dim here around. There were no signs of droplets anywhere and the wind doesn’t change in any rate until it gone dark that night.

My night seemed to be great that kept me asleep ‘til seven in the morning. My body likes the temperature I guess. The next moment was still the same as yesterday. Wet ground, some leaves also and there are less birds tweeting. The clouds and the sky do not seem to be change either. There are no work hours today so I have to fix some things and do a lot of household chores around. After some hours, the weather change and the sky is starting to darken again. That would be a warning for a rain but I can’t see some heavy dark clouds roaming around the sky. Early afternoon it started to drop some rain. But it was just a commercial though the sky is still dark. Summer days will end sooner I thought. Hot days lasted just as two weeks and this could be a warning for a long rainy season this year.

Summer days slowly fades away these recent days. It can be a wet summer but I think this is the start of the rainy season, too early for this year as unexpected. The PAGASA calls that there is a typhoon named “Bebeng” around Luzon area and calls for another LPA (Low Pressure Area) that might be stronger than “Bebeng”. That was the news yesterday and our province got a Signal No. 1 so there will be some rains all day. The news was right that the rain kept me inside the house watching TV. I can’t leave the house to walk around like I do after workdays. It will be an adjustment for me now that the rainy season has come. I think rainy season may starts from the mid of May, and will end surely before the Semester break this coming school year. It could be a help out there in some people but I know it’s not really a beneficial thing for the others, just like me. But I really know that this season will be a great start for new opportunities and change and it’s always been a blessing from God.

TIP OF THE ICEBERG

I wonder how it feels like to be in a snow. Maybe it feels so cold as if you are inside a big freezer or cooler, maybe much colder like you are wearing a zero degree clothes and you are just waiting to have a hypothermia. I only saw pictures and videos of snows and ices around the web or a TV but not yet experiencing any of these. Maybe owning just a tip of an iceberg can really make me happy, despite of this tropical country just around the equator, oh really hot just like this summer though I heard from the news yesterday that there were some rain in some areas around our province. I badly want some coolness this summer. Just a tip of an iceberg.

 Temperature is dominating now. People go to beach or some cool places. But I’m lucky I am staying and wasting my time in an air-conditioned place. But I still feel warm so I have to drink some cold water, but it gets warm just a second because of the season. My bottle of cold water slowly sweats itself already. That’s what my time goes, watching a drop of sweat around my bottle, such a waste of time for an employee like me, maybe twelve times it drops some water per minute. I counted it every other time. While staring at the bottle, I just notice the logo of the drinking bottle. I want them. I really want them. A tip of an iceberg.
People walking under the sun with their umbrellas, beautiful colour combinations, just like a rainbow. More sip from my bottle and the water will done. An electric fan may not enough to cool you. A strong wind breeze under a tree is still not enough to cool you. Oh the view may do some coolness, a mountain. I look again to the logo of my drinking water and look back again to the mountain. It looks like a snow mountain. Oh I want some piece of those. Just a tip of an iceberg.

Here goes my imagination. . .I woke up lying in a snow. Without any waste of time, I gladly made some angel silhouette from the snow ground. Getting up from lying, I watched the angel and it flew up in the blue sky. That was the time I notice I was in an island, an island of snow, but it was a small island, rather Iceland because it covered with snows. Ah! A tip of an iceberg. And then, I started to shiver, and feels cold. Somebody calls my name. . .It was a dream! I was just dreaming. And what makes me feel cold is that I was fall asleep at the front of an air conditioner. It really makes me shiver though I felt my dream was all true. It was fun there, in the tip of the iceberg.

The work hours are done. People getting their way home and I was still here standing and waiting for a ride to take me home. All ride was full so it leave me no choice to take sit around those loads. Ah! At last the ride dropped me off near our home. Oh and there is someone waiting for me, and she was my love, my life, my everything. It is just a stolen time so we just take some snacks and she will leave after. So we eat some icebergtogether, a halo-halo. Oh it was a nice time in a tip of an iceberg, with the one you love most. Oh I really love to know that love makes me shiver. I really love the tip of the iceberg.

Start of Summer

Ang init ng panahon, mukhang hindi ako nagising ng araw na ito ng dahil sa alarm clock ng cellphone ko (madalas naman kasi akong nauunang magising kesa sa alarm eh kapag maaga). Nagising ako sa init ng hinihigaan ko, maybe because of the season narin naman kasi "Summer na!". Ganun parin nangyari sa umaga ko, bumangon, nagdilig ng halaman, nag-exercise, kumain ng almusal. May nakalimutan pala ako, magmumumog ako pagkabangon ko kaya dali-dali kong pumunta sa lababo para uminom ng tubig sa gripo (malinis naman iyong tubig sa amin galing sa gripo). Nakainom na ko, mga limang lagok na ng tubig tapos may nagsabi, "Madumi yang tubig, bakit mo ininom?". Aba ang aga-aga madumi na kagad ang tubig? Paano ako maliligo? Check ko yung tubig ang itim, parang tinamaan ng 1st plague of Egypt, itim nga lang, teka, anong susunod dito mga palaka? Yak! Pero ok lang un nakainom naman ako kaya ok lang, galing lang din naman sa gripo yan eh. Naghanap ako ng tela para masala yung maruming tbig sa gripo. Wa epek! takte male-late ako sa work kakasala lang dito ah. Maya-maya sa asar ko hinayaan kong nakabukas nalang, ayun naawa ang mga palaka (blap) nawala yung maruming tubig, makakaligo narin ako.

Ang bango ko naman, iba talaga kapag nakaligo ka, presko! (yung kasama namin sa bahay naghilamos nalang bago pumasok ahahaha hindi na naligo!). Abang-abang sa jeepney, pihikan ako gusto kong sumakay sa triangle ang gulong (joke), sakay agad kung meron  baka malate pa eh. Nasa kalagitnaan na ko papuntang work may sumakay yung dati kong classmate noong Elementary, as usual kilala pa pala ako, mukhang asensado na, nakastockings daw eh, black nga lang, terno daw sa uniform nya, may work nadin pala sya, alang pinagbago yung girl na ito, hahaha, syempre hindi mo kilala kaya ako lang ang tumawa, bakit kasi binasa mo yung hahahaha, ang kulit binasa pa ulit, hahaha. Makababa na nga ng sasakyan.
Kanina pa ako dito sa loob ng office nilalamig nako, nakakatamad, mag-init sana ang ulo ko para wala nang talab yung aircon. After an hour, bored padin pero may gala na naman daw, hindi ko alam kung saan basta sama nalang ako, baka may mirienda ulit. Nakarating kami mga 7 km yung layo, binaba lang yung ladder na dala tapos alis ulit, iba na naman destination, mukhang mas malayo. Magsusukat pala ng computer room, malayo pa kaya idlip muna. On our way, ganito yung music sa loob:


ANTUKIN
By: Rico Blanco

Iniwan ka na ng eroplano
Ok lang baby
Wag kang magbago
Dito ka lang
Humimbing
Sa aking piling
Antukin

Kukupkupin nalang kita
Sorry wala ka nang magagawa
Mahalin mo nalang ako
Ng sobra sobra
Para patas naman tayo
Diba?

chorus:
Sasalubungin natin ang kinabukasan
Ng walang takot at walang pangamba
Tadhana’y merong tip na makapangyarihan
Kung ayaw may dahilan
Kung gusto palaging merong paraan

Pinaiyak ka ng manghuhula
Hindi na raw tayo magkasamang tatanda
Buti nalang
Merong langit na nagtatanggol sa
Pag ibig na pursigido’t matyaga

bridge:
Long as we stand as one
Ano man ang ating makabangga
Nothing will ever break us
Wala talaga
As in wala

coda:
Hahalikan nalang natin ang kinabukasan
Ng buong loob at yayakapin pa
Tadhana’y medyo overrated kung minsan
Kung ayaw may dahilan
Kung gusto palaging merong paraan

Gumawa nalang tayo ng paraan
Gumawa nalang tayo ng…
Baby, gumawa nalang tayo ng paraan

Ayan lang yung natandaan kong kanta eh. Andito na kami, sukat saglit, drawing ng floor plan, tapos, batsi na agad. Oo nga pala, babalikan muna yung ladder baka bumalik office. Sakto magla-lunch na anu kayang ulam? Chapsoy! ahaha naalala ko yung kanta ng Parokya ni Edgar at kamikazee: Hoy! wala na bang ma oh! haha. Hindi mo alam? hanapin mo nalang katamad mag-paste eh. Katatapos lang ng lunch balik sa pagtingala at tumutok sa TV. "I do, I die, Diyos Ko Day!" ang show. Comedy ha, masakit na nga tiyan ko sa busog baka sumakit pa tiyan ko sa kakatawa hahaha.

Nakatulog ako ng almost 2 hours! takte anjan pa si Boss ai, buti hindi nahalata, tapos na yung pinapalabas eh, haha. Pagkagising ko may merienda na agad, yummy spaghetti ahaha. Buuuuuuuuurrrrrrrppppp!! sumabog yung carbon content sa tiyan ko galing sa softdrink, bigat sa tiyan. Uwian na.

Kaharap na naman sa desktop, takatak takatak, ingay ng keyboard parang typewriter yung nakakabit sa monitor ah. Matatapos na naman ito, may namimiss ako. . .si girlfriend lalo na si Mama ko. Kamusta na kaya siya? Lord sana successful yung another operation.

First Monday

Mula sa pagbangon at paghigop ng kape, sa paghaplos ng sabon hanggang sa pagpunas ng tuwalya, sa pagabot ng pamasahe hanggang sa pagpasok sa pintuan ng trabaho. Nakatunganga, nakatingala sa harap ng TV, basketball na naman ang boring, panalo Heat versus Celtics. Buong araw nakatanga sa tv, buti nalang wala si manang(kusinera) walang lunch, kaya bili nalang sa Bubuyog(kay Jollibee). Sarap ng lunch kahit papano, pero namiss ko din yung luto ni Manang ah. Natapos na ung lunch balik na naman sa trono ng katamaran, as usual wala padin kaming ginagawa. Teka trabaho ba 'tong pinasok ko? Ang pogi naman, sarap sa buhay. Sige na nga, palubog na yung araw out nako kahit wala pa sa time. Mula sa pagabot ng pamasahe nakarating ako sa harap ng computer. Ang bilis ano? 'wag kana magtaka isipin mo nalang ung byahe.