Sweet Ga

Pangga

The silent breaths of summer breeze
That float beside an unmarked hour
Nudge softly by and doth require
Sweet thoughts of thee they but inspire;

Each touch of aether that flows by
Builds up the litany of sighs
Of seconds spent shorn of thee nigh;
Each counted since we said goodbye.

I long to take thee by the palm
And cherish the respite and calm
Brought by thy touch so soft and warm
That doth my poor heart joy inform.

I long to take thee by the cheek
And find what holy palmers seek
In dreamy eyes that make men weak
And leave me with no words to speak...

I long to take thee in my arms
Where I can shelter thee from harm
And keep thee near me, safe and warm,
Through any dire straights or storm.

My ga, to thee, I must confess
I suffer from prolong'd distress
The only cure is this, no less,
The promise of thy sweet caress.

Unwelcome guest...

Hookay...who let this guy in....?

Okay, like, I opened my window on this sweltering summer night for just a sec, and an entire branch of the insect family just happned to barge in and made themselves at home...this ugly bugger came crawling too near the innards of my beloved Scipio, and earned himself a nasty no-thank-you-off-you-go-sir farewell into the velvet darkness just outside my window. Hopes he makes a safe landing though, he's got wings flapping and stuff... oh, well...

Silent grounds...

The soft blue buzz of the parking lot light is the only sound...

Dead crickets litter the walkway, death by summer heat...

Is this the home that I knew...?

This place is full of ghosts; everywhere I turn, I can hear the laughter and sense the smiles of friends that have left hardly a month ago. For those wishing that they were back in IUJ, know this: this is not the place they left behind. No, not really. Setty and Channa are no longer around to sit around a bonfire and play Uno with. Valerie's no longer reachable by a yell from the parking lot, which would be greeted by Chad sticking out his bearded face from the neighbouring window. Mike is no longer grabbing a beer with his girlfriend(s?), ready to terrorize the campus guard with some firecrackers. Samantha is no longer scheming one of her pranks, and Eiei no longer secretly munching Meidy's food while the latter is busy chatting on the laptop with her soon-to-be husband. Trang, Pema and Jip are no longer seriously discussing various strategies in their forays into the realm of internet shopping, and Farzana is no longer running away from her generous homestay family who are determined to make her eat every last morsel of sushi since she politely told them that it was delicious (Farzana's been accepted to do her PhD. in Malaysia, btw, congratulations). Yulia is no longer plotting to scribble a variety of abstract patterns unto the face of Uno losers, bless her soul. Jorge is no longer jamming acoustic on his guitar, Rey is no longer working hard to maintain his serious image (or maybe he still is?), and Boris, dear Boris, is no longer hanging about with me to endure my wailings, ready to make me laugh, ready to make me smile, and still planning to set up a partnership in Leyte with the words "owned by a Malaysian" on the signboard.

And my Pangga is no longer here.

This place is full of ghosts. And I love them all.

Cold, empty halls on warm summer nights...

My beautiful Ga, having her pre-flight lunch at Narita yesterday...

It's still a bit too early to believe it was yesterday that my Pangga left Japan for Cebu, leaving her alien registration card behind - that chapter of her life has ended, and a new one is about to begin. I hope to have her near me again as soon as possible, but we both know that a little patience is required that respect. Although I gave her a short ring this evening while she was having dinner with some of her friends in Cebu, but you know it's not the same as walking down to SD2-414 or making a call to Yokohama. No, for now we'll be apart for a while, and the pain and longing will be harsh and definite, but it is something that has to be endured. I love my Ga, and nothing gives me greater joy than to see her smile before me or to hold her tightly within my arms, but I'll just have to wait a little longer. We'll be meeting again for a short while in Malaysia, but as much joy as that will bring to me, I'm already taking stock of the sorrow that will follow after. Sigh.

I have so many things to do, actually. The start of my new life in Tokyo is coming up soon, which is going to be a bit of a shock after lazily sauntering through the tranquility of Urasa. It's going to be harder for me still, since most of the people I know have left the scene, back to their own countries to jump-start their lives back into order, while I'm the only one left behind. I have to find a new place, make new friends, and get used to city life again come the end of September. And all this with the South China Sea standing between me and my Ga. Sigh. Did I mention that I love my Ga? I miss our dinners together, waiting to call on Boris for one thing or the other. I miss the walks we use to take through the different seasons, enjoying the natural beauty that readily embraces the campus of IUJ. I miss our drive to Ikazawa to teach the kids English, of coming up crazy lesson plans just to get through the hour, and the mysterious air of tension that surrounded those Friday nights. I miss our outings with our classmates, with Samantha, Trang, Valerie, Yulia, Eiei, among others, as well as hanging out with the Pinoys for gatherings and such. I miss our life together in IUJ. IUJ is still here, but it is cold, empty, and not the IUJ that I remembered, the IUJ with my Ga. I love my Ga!

In any case, the heat of the summer is starting to bare its teeth - it's getting harder to sleep now, my room temperature sweltering the life out of me as I stare outside into the empty darkness of my window. But I have to get things into order soon. Once everything is under way, I'll be way too busy spending my time on research to mope about. But, I guess, for now, a little moping is acceptable... nay, actually called for, so soon after the parting. Mope about for a while, and then get to work. Yes, to work, for there is much to be done...

Holding the world together...

Gar and Bors discussing about the fine art of Cuisine Photography


I am beginning to understand the frustration held by Durkheim and Weber when they pursued their then fledgeling discipline within the sphere of the social sciences. How do you approach conceptual facts that lack physical manifestations deemed requisite for an empirical inquiry? The utilitarian foundations of traditional approaches seem quick to dismiss ideational factors in their pursuit of methodological rigor, not fully grasping the vast chasm of distinction that divided the natural from the social, the relational from the substantial, the transcendant from the immanent. Take for example, the social fact of treats. It is a fact irrefutable that Bors has treated Gar, Lea and me to dinner tonight. Simply because there is no physical manifestation of the phenomenon of the treat doesn't mean that it did not happen. Ask Bors, who is several thousand yen poorer, whether the treat happened or not, and you might get punched. Tell Bors that he has no absolute, measurable, and specific proof that such a treat had occured, and you may not survive to see the light of day. But the social fact, intangible as it is, survives through the significance imprinted upon the canvas of consciousness interwoven between four souls who dined at Darjeeling Cafe a few hours ago, not to mentioned the stinging wrath of a proprieter indignant at the wanton flashes during dinner time. As such, as immaterial as the social fact of the treat was (except, perhaps, for Boris' wallet), it is something that will live forever through the social fabric interspersing four individuals tonight.
Thanks, Bors! Appreciate it!

Angel on Earth

Here in snow country, everyday life may turn a bit more difficult when winter comes around, but the beauty of the landscape makes it all worth while; seeing pristine whiteness stretch for miles around in all directions under the majestic stature of the Echigo range, with the cool blue sky just hanging around for somebody with a camera to come along. But my Pangga is so much more beautiful than even that - she's the radiant angel sent down to Earth to make dark things a little brighter, and it's just my luck to bump into her while doing my graduate studies in this little place called Urasa. She has been the light of my life ever since, and she always keeps me warm with her gorgeous smile...

Bye, Sweetie! (moblog)

The two of us right before Leah boards United Air 881 for Singapore...

Money, money, money! (moblog)

Leah exchanging money at Narita, Terminal 1...

Geek in Ikebukuro (moblog)

Strike a pose...

Ikebukuro! (moblog)

My sweet Leah having lunch in one of Ikebukuro's McD's before heading for Narita - my love is flying off to Singapore for a week-long vacation with her cousin...

First Kitchen Shinjuku! (moblog)

Yulia (Turkmeinistan) and Leah (The Philippines) having breakfast at my most favourite spot in the entire world - First Kitchen Shinjuku!