Hugging home this holiday break ~ah yes! It’s a long-extended weekend! The break we all had been longing for. But we gentlebuds will spend it in our homes. I couldn’t enumerate the hassle of going out of town or even out of the country for it might ruin the whole idea – but then go ahead (and not to mention the spending). As long as I’m staying IN. Meanwhile, I have been decluttering for months and enjoying how to maintain the house. Call me the handyman, I don’t mind. Having exposed to home depots and builders shops makes me curiouser and curiouser when it gets to building and home making. How to make things easier around the house with things found around the house and other practical stuff that can be a good buy and not feel guilty after, unlike shopping and spending for clothes. I guess, it comes with the age 🙂 But no, in fact, I put some sea creatures in the bathroom a while ago for my nephew to look at while he’s in the happy room. The Playful in me.

And it’s not that just because we’re on stay-cation, we’ll all be lazy lying around. But we’re on our tootsies making new melodies. Best time to relax and bring out the beastly beats pending for a long time now. The captain (Monch) had been sitting on the keys for half day. And as for me, I am for wordplay. Write right? So for now, random thoughts, blues and moods storms my paper.

“Some music makes us sadly mindful of a loved one who is no longer with us. Even in the sadness, don’t be afraid to hum along, for in so doing we realize that their song continues in us.”

2 years ago, my aunt was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer – at stage 4, I couldn’t believe at that time since she seemed to look normal and cheery as she always were. She would laugh out loud over a thrown joke, in her signature laugh. And everytime we go to her house in Bulacan, she would offer us cheese curls in cans or chocolates, for her husband, my uncle, works in a cruise ship and you know how balikbayans bring for treats or in Filipino “pasalubong”. I also loved going to their house because it’s so cozy, minimalist and neat ~ and my favourite! They loved dogs! I remember them having a cocker spaniel named “Duke”, and another spaniel which name, if I remember right, started with the letter M, and lastly a big labrador retriever. On summer vacation during holy week, we would go to Baliuag (her home town) to watch the famous procession of big saint statues after a long day of food feast.

It was a tough fight auntie, but I know you are resting in peace now. Thank you for the times we had, even the shortest moment.

“Worms and Angels” by Echobelly

“Here and now,
For you and I know,
True love is deathless,
These crumbling days are ending,
By my side,
Let’s walk in the garden,
We’ll sleep in the ivy,
We’ll be with the worms and angels.”

I grew up in the early 80’s. I remember playing with my brothers with toy guns and wrestling and in school, ask my girl schoolmates where they bought their pink bags and shoes. That’s because I always had my stuff in blue. A Tuxedo-Sam backpack and my favorite blue Tuesday rubber shoes. (That is P.E. day on Tuesdays!) Maybe that’s why until now, Tuesday had become my favorite day ever since. Boyish, yes. My idols, and heroes – my brothers.

My Kuya had been a deejay since his teenage years. And I always watch him spin. He also always taught me the artist he was playing on the turntable. There was this song about Harry Houdini and that a woman telling “I’m your Venus”. His favorite was the White Horse. (Danze!) Hehe, he wasn’t home quite every night hustling & cutting rugs at famous discos. His drawer was always filled with Equinox tickets!) I learned feeling, listening and tasting music – well dance music in this case.

Find something interesting yet? 🙂

My Diko, (Hey doc!) can be described and summed that character of Dexter, remember “Dexter’s Laboratory”. Well, our age gap wasn’t that long so we got along well. He taught me the world of science. Everyday I remember he’d mold little creatures with Dad’s wax or “pagkit”. That’s his substitute for clay when ran out. Pagkit is used to hold diamonds and gems for jewelries. Dad always had one on his working table and his work shop is like our place for playing “mystery adventures” – finding stuff we can play with. One crazy thing I’d never forget was this instance, on a quiet afternoon, he comes yelling “Fire! Fire! Water! Water!” (He was a bit inglisero already back then). Experimenting in the backyard with flammables, and whatever that was I wouldn’t know. But he was laughing after that burst of flame. Like, discovering a wonder.

When I was 9, I found myself fond of the karaoke. Daddy had this 2-deck cassette player with an amplifier built in. His beer buds during sprees would plug in as I recall a sunburst stratocaster electric guitar on that singing machine. Mommy always told me, even in these days, that I’d always play on cassette and sing along with “Blue Kiss” by Jane Wiedlin. Well, until now I sing along with it and have it on my player. I guess some things never change at all. And I guess there I found the kind of music I’d prefer since then, at a tender age.

To be continued…

So I was out for field work today. Skin went to a blush cause of the scorching sun… Traffic was everywhere cause of mall to mall sale around the metro, aside from the traffic enforcers, who’s I guess, enforcing the traffic themselves and the usual suspects – the violators. It was a hard day indeed from south to north. A/c wasn’t helping after all so I had to open the car’s window half way for air. I condition myself for this monthly trip cause it’s routine work for me. So I load up my player with the staples and add up some tracks craved by the ear from time to time to help me through the day.

This picture was taken during my last destination to a branch in Pampanga. But this was taken just along NLEX. (You can see my reflection in the dusty side mirror.) The long green fields caught my eyes where usually on this stretch I just find myself asleep passing along. There were plenty of white herons flying freely, in Tagalog they’re called “tagak”. I enjoyed my trip to the last stop I was headed. You can also feel the breeze cooling compared to the scorch sunrays in the city. And the smell of burnt dried grass or “sigâ” made me feel like I am home. Just appreciating the north, where I live and grew up in. When the school ends this March, I’m sure the traffic will move on this “Northern Portrait”. Have a great weekend everyone! ♥

Hello gentle reader, so this is my first post for “Writhing Writings”. I’m no wordsmith so I hope you could spare a ♥ while reading on my pristine entry…

Let’s see, today is February 28th. Weather (as per weather.com) is partly cloudy and feels like 92°C. Yes, it’s summer and I’m already hearing plans (and some had gone already) on trips to the beaches and vacay spots. As for me, I’m staying in. I do love going out, especially with my family and friends, but ~ I just happen to come in this period when I’m totally appreciating the indoors. Not that I’ll be busy lurking around brag books and wit tweets (a little maybe) but there’s a lot to do around the house recently. I wanted to paint the living room all white and then accent with cornices in Mahogany, and that is when Dad will help me move all the old appliances, and I mean they’re old. Then the bathroom needs a little pipe fixing and the bidet, is again, working like a fountain. My room, well I needed a little storage for all my archived stuff but should be needed not too soon.

There… And to start working on this list in the house means spending it of course, at home. Which is roughly consumed by office work and spending the nights out. I just hope I could accomplish at least one of them before the season ends.