Fragments of the Quiet Mind

I remember walking home that night, keys in my pocket, but my mind somewhere else. Not on the usual routine, not on the streets or the streetlights — but on a hashtag I’d been seeing everywhere: #YesAllWomen. It caught me off guard. Because I’d never really stopped to think about what it was like to carry fear like a second skin. I’m a man. I don’t have to walk faster. I don’t have to rehearse rejection in my head. I don’t have to dodge the way a stranger’s glance can weigh heavy, or how a joke can sting deeper than it seems. But the stories poured out—millions of them—carried on the backs of women I know and don’t know, stories of exhaustion, of rage, of invisible wounds. Stories about the daily calculus of safety that no one should have to learn. I had thought I understood. But #YesAllWomen taught me how much I hadn’t. It’s easy to think violence is only in the news, or in the shadows—something far away, someone else’s problem. But it’s woven into the ordinary—the classrooms, t...

Sa 4 na araw na ako’y nagbakasyon sa probinsya upang mag proxy sa kasal ng nakababata kong kapatid, ako’y walang ginawa doon kundi makipag ‘stag party’ gabi gabi. OO, pinasosyal ko lang pero ang totoo, stag party sa lingwahe ko ay walang iba kundi inuman.  Sa mahigit 25 years ko ng nakikipag inuman (bata pa po ako ha? walang kwentahan ng edad), narealize kong madami dami palang unwritten rules pagdating dito.  Kung kaya’t ang topic ko ngayo’y about these rules. Bago makipag shot, mas magandang basahin ito dahil di natin alam, this can be useful to you. :) 1. Matutong makisama sa nagyayaya            Kapag ika’y niyaya ng mga tambay na tumagay, Hindi maaaring sa bawat yaya nila ay puro hindi na lang ang iyong sagot. Minsan, kelangan magpabigay upang maiwasan din ang samaan ng loob sa mga kapitbahay (at minsan eh aakalain nilang sa paningin mo eh mas nakakataas ka sa kanila). Di naman necessary na mag stay ka dun pero dapat matuto kang makisama...

1.  Hindi ang pagsisimba kada Linggo o ang pagdarasal kada oras ang basehan ng pagiging mabuting tao kundi kung papaano ang aplikasyon ng pananalig at pananampalataya ng tao sa kanyang pamumuhay. Ang pananalig ay di nakikita kung gaano kalaki ang loyalty mo sa religion mo kundi kung gaano kalalim ang connection mo sa pinaniniwalaan mo . Hindi lamang sa simbahan maaring makita ang Maykapal kundi ito’y makikita rin sa atin kalooban. Minsan kailangan lang nating manahimik saglit at makinig, eventually, mararamdaman din natin yung connection. 2. " The universe is not made up of atoms, it is made up of tiny stories " ika nga ni Joseph Gordon-Levitt  sa kanyang children's book na the Tiny book of Tiny Stories, sabayan pa natin ng "The world is made up of facts, not of things" na sinabi ng pilosopong si Wittgenstein sa kanyang Tractatus. Napaka radikal na sabihing ang pisikal na anyo ng mundo ay walang katotohanan, di naman yan ang punto. Maganda ding pagisipan na s...

Amidst the depths... When life has scraped the marrow of your being,   and hardships outnumber the stars in the night sky. Yet, in that abyss, there lies a flicker, a spark of resilience refusing to be extinguished. For it is in the darkest moments,   where the strength to endure is forged with every breath,   and the embers of hope persist against the odds. Amidst the depths,  a transformation takes hold,   where wounds become scars,  and vulnerability turns into fortitude. With each trial endured,  a fragment of wisdom is gained,   a lesson etched deep within the dark crevices of the soul. And as the weight of the world threatens to suffocate,   the spirit within rises,  defying the gravity of despair. For even amidst the depths,   there exists an unwavering belief,   t hat the human spirit is indomitable,   and from the depths,  it shall ascend,   t o pierce the night with a beacon of resilience.

Tutal normal na lang ata ang humilata pag weekend at mag surf, manood or magdownload sa phone no? isang sabado, habang nagsusurf I decided to download some android games ( babala: wag magdodownload ng pirata– suportahan natin ang mga mukhang perang mga kapitalistang manufacturers at game programmers sa over priced games nila ) so pumunta ako sa isang sikat na forum para sa mga hackers.  Pagkatapos nakakita ng games , shift to super download mode at salamat sa PLDT dahil PAGKABILIS BILIS ng connection nila 😑😑😑.  While waiting, nag browse at napadpad ako dun sa literati section. Dahil wala namang magawa, inaliw ang utak sa pagbabasa ng original pieces na gawa ng mga tao dun sa forum. May mga poems, short stories at talaga namang mawawala ka sa realidad habang binabasa yung mga gawa nila. Ang nakakatuwa pa ay yung mga comments ng mga netizens at narealize kong sa comment pa lang pala, maaari mo ng masilip ang part ng personality at kung paano ang takbo ng utak ng bawat for...

May bahid kabaliwang pumapasok sa isipan sa tuwing ang tulog sa gabi ay di nakakamit.  Madalas, inaalala ang napanaginipan sa katatapos na gabi habang pinapakiramdaman ang malamyang ihip ng hangin na dumadampi sa mga pisngi. Di maiiwasan na ang kaabikat nito ay ang kalungkutang makikita sa mahinahong sayaw ng mga dahon sa awiting mapangaraping kaluluwa lang ang nakakasaksi. Sa pangarap sila’y padipang naipako –Pilit inaabot ang panaginip subalit lumulutang sa kawalan ang pag-asang masilayan pa ito… dahil sa pangangarap, pikit kanilang mga mata. Sa pagkakapikit, idinuduyan sila palayo sa realidad at patungo sa kapayapaang dulot ng kahimbingan… Kabaliwan… At lango sa katahimikang Kadiliman lang ang makapag bibigay.

Over rated na ang relationships…   As usual, nakatambay nanaman ako dito sa isang tahimik na coffee shop/bar na hilig kong tambayan pag nais kong magsulat. Mag iisang oras na din ako sa kinauupuan ko nung narinig kong nasabi ito nung babae dun sa katabing table. Isang grupo sila ng mga college students (I think) na mukhang inumaga na sa celebration. Alas 7:00 palang and either it’s too early or too late depending on how you see it, the point is, nag iinuman padin sila. Madami dami din ang boteng nakahilera sa kanilang table at madami na din ang naipong walang laman dun sa ilalim ng table kasama ng mga upos ng sigarilyong kung saan saan na lang itinapon. Hindi naman sa chismoso ako at nakikinig sa kanilang usapan, pero kung ang mga katabi mo ay nakainom na, di maiiwasang di marinig kanilang pinagsasabi. Ganyan siguro mga lasing, akala mo nakalunok ng megaphone at kung magsalita animo’y nasa kabilang bundok yung mga kausap nila. Tatlong babae at dalawang lalaki ang nasa kabil...

I went to the mall one sunny-rainy-sunny afternoon (if you are from Baguio, you will definitely understand what I mean by this) with one goal in mind: PAY THE BILLS. I did not expect the number of people pressed along an unbelievably long line from the cashier. I seriously hate long lines and at that moment, I felt trapped. I wanted to go away but I can't. I have no choice but wait.  While standing and being on queue, I can't help but wonder and dwell inside the confines of my thoughts. This practically is my way of surviving this impatience building up. Once more, I started looking at faces, movements and reactions of people with me at the line. I was looking at how they deal with boredom. Most of them were busy with their cell phones, some were taking selfies, others were checking their social media accounts and some talking with their companions as they fall in line. Anyway, what tickles my attention is when people are already at the counter, I notice that everyt...

The world is a vast and mysterious place, and sometimes it can seem overwhelmingly dark. At 2am, when the world is still and quiet, and the only sound is the beating of your own heart, it's easy to get lost in your thoughts. It's a time when the mind is free to wander, and most often than not, it's during these moments that our most profound ideas emerge. 2am is the most intriguing hour (at least for me). It is the time when the world is at its quietest, the mind is at its loudest. It's in these moments of solitude that the darkness of the world comes creeping in, and my thoughts dwell with the problems that plague humanity. Yet, even within the profound darkness, the promise of dawn lingers; even in the depths of despair, there is hope. It is the first glimmer of light on the horizon, a gentle whisper that speaks of new beginnings. Hope is the light that shines through the darkness, illuminating a path towards a better tomorrow. Just as the night cannot hold back the...