what you read may deceive

     i had a nice chat with the man who brought me here.. Okay, aside from the Great man up there.. it was with my dad. Before the previous year came to its end, we had a thing we can’t compromise on. I just feel happy we were at ease with each other again.

     You see, we don’t usually ‘talk’ about ’something’. But on the FIRST day of this year, we talked. And it was fun. I think it was a good way to start this year.

     He was witty, smart, nice, and mature. He had a lot to say and none of those nonsense and gutfeel. All were logical and by oido. He respects other people and understands why they behave in such a way.

     The conversation was triggered by the sight of a carnival or an amusement park specifically a cable car in a park. He mentioned a cable car used to transport construction supplies which lead to the discussion of how a small percent of less than half the whole hundred of your education was actually put into application. We usually complain how we would use trigonometric equations when we buy a shampoo. And why we still need to know how World War II started and how it ended when we are pursuing medicine or engineering. He made me realize that we need to learn more than half of what we would actually use just for the sake of gaining more knowledge about the world. Just so we would not be ignorant. It would be a pity to be a wealthy businessman when you don’t have any idea how the cloud forms or why we see a rainbow after some rain.

     I’m starting to see my dad as someone who knows everything. Technically, not everything–just the things that matter. A big yawn reminded me of a little car accident he had a few weeks earlier. The accident happened when he was driving and sleepy. And we were driving home when we had this chat. So I asked him what it taught him. He showed me the seatbelt he never put on which was now securely embracing him to his seat.

     We concluded how powerful fear is. One of mine was fire. Electric shock follows. I almost burnt down our house-okay, not the house, just the refrigerator-when I was a kid-and that was when I was below six yrs old. And i was almost burnt by our school oven. I said ‘almost’. It just reduced the length of my eyelashes to an embarrasing length of nearly half of it. Staring at an alcohol lamp, I can see it drowning my chemistry class laboratory on fire. I can’t get near the burner let alone touch it.

     I shared him my conquering of one of my biggest fears–the Space Shuttle, not the real one, just the roller coaster at the Enchanted Kingdom. Once you’ve tried it and learned that it was not so bad, you’ll feel the pride and do it again. He shared a similar story where he had to ride the roller coaster with his guy friends who insisted. And yes, he was shaking with terror. He delivered the story with a great sense of wit and we were laughing so hard but now I can see our gate. We just arrived home. I am looking forward to another dose of sensible coversation with the first guy in my life.

According to the news, some people steal copper wires from electric cables. Are the silver linings of clouds made for theft, too? Why does every cloud have a silver lining? Did God draw it with a silver pen? Or is it just because the sun is there shining from behind those thick clouds?

I do not want to be referred to as somebody’s girlfriend neither do I feel like calling my significant other as my boyfriend. The aforementioned terms for me are abused. Teenagers carelessly use them as an attractiveness-meter. So, can I just address you as my pangga instead?

An angel came up to me and gave me his halo. He said it was to complement my ability to see the goodness in other people’s hearts. I was hesitant to accept it because I do not know how I should wear it but I accepted it anyway.

This angel was not your Adonis like the Mulawin Agiluz who still looks sexy even with his wings. This angel was, from the point of view of the spherical planet inhabiting wrongdoing and egocentric desires, a loser. The only non-achiever in a family line of successful businessmen. A varsity team reject. An artist who fashions with paint on his pants. A school council candidate who did not get the chance to give a speech in front of the voters who would definitely refuse to trade their votes for a piece of handmade bookmark. A college student who battles with his tongue when called to recite in World Literature. People would lose interest in other people’s personal lives but still I would not finish.

What the world could not see is that he is also a companion who can make your walk home a thing to look forward to. A listener whose eyes do not wander when you speak. A learner who reads the manual written by the divine Creator. A photographer who always captures the best angle. A poet who speaks of the world as a beautiful piece of broken glass. And yes, people would stop complaining about the world but still I would not finish.