...and the rest of what's left

incomprehensible how are you's

the other week, while i was cleaning my humble room, which by the way is the attic of a homey 100-plus year old four-storey apartment in brussels, i accidentally tipped over a figurine that sherwin gave me almost 4 years ago for christmas. if he still remembers it, the figurine is a scorpion (Class Arachnida, Order Scorpiones), made of glass, as big as my thumb probably. i bring it to places i call home for the meantime, like alvin's crucifix and rosary and the cigarette box from thess, along with everyone's pictures.

so going back, the figure fell and broke two of its eight legs, adding to the already lost pinchers that i broke when i shook the box that contained it when he first gave it to me during one of our christmas parties where we used to give gifts to each other up until the time joseilito gave pansit and alvin gave panyo. hahahaha! this year i don't know what my friends got! so now, i am looking for the lost legs, trying to put them back together in the same way that i am trying to pick up some pieces of myself that i left somewhere in this old town.

before i get more incomprehensible, all i wanted to say is: "how are you?"

and least i forget, happy birthday mozart!


in my ears: it's mozart's bday today but i'm listening to his student, beethoven!
in my head: reading for exams!

this is marc's version of the truth, sometime at 7:37 PM 0 comments if you can't live with it, he can.

enough of allende for the meantime

i concede to andy's coverage of brokeback mountain for whetting my appetite to this movie. last week at the gay film festival i mentioned in my previous post, i grabbed a book copy of the short story by pulitzer-winner annie proulx.

tough luck though: it's a translated version from the original english to french, which means now i will have to translate it back to english again. anyhow, i have read the original version and it's a good incentive to attend my french class. what can be more fun to learn the language but to read a story about american cowboys galloping on their saddles!

ah bon?

still, nothing beats a good english book. enough of allende for the meantime, her south american revolutions need some rest. i tried, but bill bryson did not work for me. the dalai lama is way done a month ago and i am supposed to be 'happier' by this time.

blah. blah.

so now that you know i'm looking for a new book to read, if you can't recommend a good one

...can you just please get me a new anne lamott ?

...or maybe a john irving?

yes, i mean YOU. the guy in blue.





state of mind: i have to sleep
listening to: bach

this is marc's version of the truth, sometime at 1:21 AM 0 comments if you can't live with it, he can.

your turn to tell the joke

"... and that's why they had high foreheads and small ears!" bram said laughing, beating isabel for the pun.

we were hanging out at joey's cafe, which by the way is a name that i think is quite odd for a beer pub in a medieval city like brugge.

as we cracked up at each other's jokes, our laughs were drowned by the song playing in the pub. if it was dolly parton singing again, i swear it was her third song that day. i pretended not to hear, humming another song instead in my head. then when i thought that nothing can be more cheesier than the pasta we had for dinner, i realized it REALLY was old dolly singing.

darn.

"who has another one?" i asked, looking at rosien and wim's direction. they both said "pass" and hid behind their half-filled glasses, a rosé for her and a beer for him.

"i already joked about the baboons!" snapped wim. he smiled and gave his girl a nod. i thought i saw the unlit candles melting behind them.



"my turn!" lebo said, ready to keep the banter going.

she takes a swig of beer and starts "so, there was a hitchiker... " and delivered the funniest punchline ever since the french said "non" to the eu constitution, only to be met by blank stares from the two couples from antwerp.

"pfft..." lebo pretending to gas out, muffling the sound just a little bit.

at both ends of the table, stephen and i were having a roll. i couldn't keep myself from stomping my feet and snorting (yes, i snort when i laugh).

"uhm, ok, we'll act this out!" stephen excitedly suggested, his chinky eyes still welling up from laughing. "you guys might get the pun from this. ok i'll be the driver..."

"...i'm the passenger" flipped lebo, readying for her role.

"and i'm the hitchiker..." while sticking out my right thumb.

the three of us went on with the gag, completely enjoying ourselves.

and then we got to the punchline. this time with much gusto.

but still there was silence.

and if you were there with us, you could have heard me fart for real (it was part of the joke!). our audience of four were more confused and maybe even bothered.

***

"son," i remember a good uncle told me once, "nothing kills a good joke but a bad translation."

uncle, may i add,"...telling it twice in a one night is even worse."





state of mind: kapag minamalas ka ba naman....
in between my ears: julia fordham

this is marc's version of the truth, sometime at 11:45 PM 0 comments if you can't live with it, he can.

and i laughed at myself

i got the idea to post this song when i saw the playlist of my friend, thess. she was playing collective soul's 'shine'.

then i remembered that i liked this other song so much more:

THE WORLD I KNOW (Collective Soul)

so click if you want to watch and listen to the video.

this is the song that i'm going to play in front of 10,000 screaming fans.

it played during lazy afternoons that i spent at the back of the college library with bing and joy.

how i wished that my friends alvin, piwi, bill and patrick played it during their sessions way back in highschool.

back then i still did not know how to play the guitar. and i thought i was a dork.

whenever i'm stressed and want to bail myself out, i hear this song playing in my mind.

like the other day. it played and saved my sanity.
i don't know if i'll say this ever in this blog, but let me just say it.

gago ka.



whew, ang sarap.

this is marc's version of the truth, sometime at 12:20 AM 0 comments if you can't live with it, he can.

golden globe says yes to gay spit!

this is marc's version of the truth, sometime at 6:01 AM 0 comments if you can't live with it, he can.

nothing much to say today but this.





.

this is marc's version of the truth, sometime at 10:09 PM 0 comments if you can't live with it, he can.

they're not showing brokeback mountain

you know you're starting to like where you live when you try to regularly attend community events. starting this friday, to continue the tradition i started last year, i am watching three films at the XXe festival du film gay et lesbien de bruxelles (20th brussels gay and lesbian film festival). the festival will be held from 12-21 january at the cinemas of the lovely centre culturel du botanique (botanique cultural centre). visit their site to know more about the festival (in french). and yes as the title said, they are not showing brokeback mountain. tough luck.

films from non-english speaking countries will be subtitled in french which is unfortunate for me because my knowledge of the language is as good as my swahili. instead, i'll console myself to watch films from the US or the UK.

darn, i wanted so much to watch summerstorm.

lucky they're showing transamerica which i read is good. i am also watching 29 ans et gay (29 and gay) because for a gay man who's 27, i want to see what's in store for me in the future (not!). for the dyke in me, i'm going for mrs. stevens hears the mermaids sing. i heard it's artsy without being too fartsy.

tomorow, i'm off to the festival. and no, i'm not even trying to hook up with someone there. i will be definitely going just for the films. yeah. i will. believe me. i promise.


listening to: brand new heavies

this is marc's version of the truth, sometime at 12:36 PM 0 comments if you can't live with it, he can.

the geek is at it again...

until the first week of february, it's exam period here in my university. my head is now in between thick readings about the johannesburg plan of implementation, economics and globalization, sustainable tourism, and sustainable energy use and transport. wish me luck!

in the meantime, you might want to visit phd comic strip (where i borrowed this image, thanks!) for its funny and irreverent take on the life (if you can call it one!) of grad students.

trust me, the strip is a welcome break.

go and procrastinate!



this week's mantra: study...study...study..stu...zzz..zzz

image courtesy of "Piled Higher and Deeper" by Jorge Cham www.phdcomics.com

this is marc's version of the truth, sometime at 12:46 PM 2 comments if you can't live with it, he can.

thank you, helmut lotti

"...i listened to a helmut lotti CD last week, and i think..."

"oh, he's awful, marc!" isabel remarked candidly, stopping me in mid-sentence as we entered a second-hand shop in antwerp as part of my city tour. bram looked at me and thought maybe i was saying something else and not helmut lotti's name.

"i'm glad you said that," i told isabel, "because i think he is, well in that CD in particular. but i probably need to hear another one, he may not be that bad."

"nah, it's all the same," isabel said quite frankly. "he sings in different languages, in russian, in spanish, in german, and he's big over there like in france..."

"...and he probably doesn't understand what he's saying," continued bram in jest.

there's something about lovers that make them finish each other's sentences.

cute, i thought.

"want me to look for a lotti CD for you, marc?" bram jokingly asked as he disappeared behind an aisle full of second-hand CDs.

why not, i thought.

browsing through the collections under 'L' as i looked for lotti, something very familiar caught my eye. "hey girl, visit my blog some time," i mentioned to isabel while pointing at a sarah mclachlan CD displayed in the stacks of artists under 'M', "i have a web link of the video for the song 'world on fire'. you might like it after watching 'the constant gardener' tonight." at the back of my mind i was still puzzeld why my favorite singer-musician isn't stacked under 'S'.

"do you like that CD, marc?" asked isabel.

"huh?" i said, giving her a poker-face, pretending not to know what will come after i answer that question.

isabel's eyes were now crinkling behind her shellac-rimmed glasses. "i can get that as a gift for you. come on, it will make me happy."

cool, i thought.

bram came back with no CDs that fancied him. "so, did you find lotti?" trying to bring back the fodder joke.

"i'm glad i didn't," i replied as i happily hugged isabel, "because i got this instead," thankfully swishing the afterglow CD in the air.




between my ears: AFTERGLOW by sarah mclachlan

this is marc's version of the truth, sometime at 8:38 PM 0 comments if you can't live with it, he can.

say hi to coco...

...the family's newest bundle of joy!
he is a month and four days old today.
doesn't he look so adorable?!

this is marc's version of the truth, sometime at 1:17 PM 1 comments if you can't live with it, he can.

and more smiles

more pics from friends partying back home to celebrate the holidays. this year they said they went easy on the tequila.

whatda?! i can't believe it.

i am so lucky to be blessed with lovely friends! and did i mention that their hearts are as wonderful as their smiles?

don't forget to drink for me everytime you go partying!


(L-R: Ces, Sher, Mhayee, Alvin, Ogay, Jaymee, Thess, Rhea, Ayi, Piwi)

this is marc's version of the truth, sometime at 3:25 PM 4 comments if you can't live with it, he can.

smiles that warm the heart

nope, they're not modelling for a toothpaste ad.
they're just so happy to be my friends!
hehehehe!

kidding aside, they came together to watch the annual lantern parade in diliman last month and to renew ties bonded here in brussels. thanks, christine for sending the original pic. hope you guys liked how i deconstructed your faces (:*)

i love you guys!


(L-R: yanni, rhia, christine, alexie, al, ando)

this is marc's version of the truth, sometime at 11:41 AM 2 comments if you can't live with it, he can.

oh my, what big hands you got....

just trying out the new lay-out...

thanks becca!

this is marc's version of the truth, sometime at 3:00 AM 0 comments if you can't live with it, he can.

to be laid back this year

about the same time last year, i lamented spending christmas and new year by my lonesome. this year, however, was different. way way different. so, compared to the somewhat sad post i had last year, this time i am more positive. why? it's because of the wonderful people i met this year and our wonderful experience of how it is to be ourselves far from home. i miss them already since most of them are now back in the philippines. so a shout out of hello's are for alexie, al, ando, lea, rhia, and christine.

moving out of the student dorm was also a good decision for me this year. i remember what one belarussian friend remarked about the dorm where i used to live as she summed it up, "kamer is russian for prison cell." don't get me wrong though, the place is not that bad, it's just isolated. like alcatraz.

ok, i also fell in love this year. i didn't expect that i will, but i did. and it hit me hard when the love was not returned back. what do you say when you hear these: "i thought we were having fun?" and "i did try to say that we keep it light"? it's almost six months now after we said our goodbyes but i am still reeling from the pangs of the 'what-happened-along-the-way?' questions. only time will tell.

apart from this, what else did i learn last year? i have reviewed the things that i have blogged for the past year to help me remember my hits and misses. so here goes:

*people are good. really. they are. believe me.

*people can love. and hurt. and hurt even if they don't mean to.

*but it's how you deal with them that matters.

*there are bad days. really. there are.

*so don't sweat the small stuff. things will take care of themselves as long as you do your part.

*smile. that's all there is to it (even if your missing some of your teeth).

*seasons come and go and come and go and go again, and my emotions follow their pattern (it's but natural).

*life ups and downs are ok. but remember to pull yourself together always.

*pray. say thank you and i love you and mean it. love your family and friends. call or email them often. that's the least you can do.

*and of course, be gentle to yourself despite the world.

as for my new year resolution, which is something that i don't usually do since i forget about it by the third week of january, i promised myself to be more laid-back. whatever it means and entails for me to do is part of the resolution. i can't wait for what this new year will bring!



dancing to: massive attack
state-of-mind: woozy
mantra: i-have-to-study

this is marc's version of the truth, sometime at 12:29 PM 0 comments if you can't live with it, he can.

welcome 2006!

this is marc's version of the truth, sometime at 4:13 AM 1 comments if you can't live with it, he can.