Tribute to Beyonce

Dear Tristan, if you want to know about poetry, read Byron, Neruda; listen to Sting, Bon Jovi, Bamboo; and last but not the least... watch Beyonce's Butt in the MTV Single Ladies. It's simply Poetry in Motion.


Single Ladies

All the single ladies (7x)

Now put your hands up
Up in the club, we just broke up
I’m doing my own little thing
you Decided to dip but now you wanna trip
Cuz another brother noticed me
I’m up on him, he up on me
dont pay him any attention
cuz i cried my tears, for three good years
Ya can’t be mad at me

[Chorus]
Cuz if you liked it then you should have put a ring on it
If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it
Don’t be mad once you see that he want it
If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it

wo oh ooh oh oh ooh oh oh ooh oh oh oh x2


(Chorus)Cuz if you liked it then you should have put a ring on it
If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it
Don’t be mad once you see that he want it
If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it


I got gloss on my lips, a man on my hips
hold me tighter than my Dereon jeans
acting up, drink in my cup
I could care less what you think
I need no permission, did I mention
Dont pay him any attention
Cuz you had your turn
But now you gonna learn
What it really feels like to miss me

(Chorus)

Cuz if you liked it then you should have put a ring on it
If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it
Don’t be mad once you see that he want it
If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it

woo oh ooh oh oh ooh oh oh ooh oh oh ohx2

Don’t treat me to the things of this world
I’m not that kind of girl
Your love is what I prefer, what I deserve
Is a man that makes me, then takes me
And delivers me to destiny, to infinity and beyond
Pull me into your arms
Say I’m the one you own
If you don’t, you’ll be alone
And like a ghost I’ll be gone

All the single ladies (7x)
Now put your hands up


Cuz if you liked it then you should have put a ring on it
If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it
Don’t be mad once you see that he want it
If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it

Only reminds me of you

I am jailed by your memory.
these bars of sunlight
and walls of scented smoke,
and brown woods with picture frames,
of evening coffee stains



Dear Sage, this morning while watching TV we came across this Video. We sang along. The poem above was read by an actress in one of the scenes there. it was hauntingly beautiful.

80's rampa

Yesterday, Sage sashayed on Miriam's catwalk. But I wasn't able to attend her 80's Fashion show. everybody was there except for me and Tristan. I came by to pick them up around 4pm but unfortunately, it rained very hard. That's why I got stuck in Katipunan traffic.

For PrettyOne, FW, M.

Cool poster, eh? Yummiest muffins. or are they cakes?... whatever.

kung magagawi kayo ulit sa LB try nyo nga kung masarap ang cappuccino nila.

from www.cafeantonioelbi.blogspot.com

You Deserve Much Better Than Me

Dear Kids, When Michael "Magic" Johnson was asked to speak to the graduating class of his HS alma mater, he told those African American kids something profound. Back then he was the idol of each and everyone who watched the NBA. But he told the graduating class that his deepest wish is that they do not follow his lead and instead he hoped that they will become doctors, lawyers, engineers instead of being NBA players. He is practically telling them, "Hey, hit the books instead of just shooting hoops. Education is more important than winning championships." It's like he's telling them that they deserve to be much better than him.

Ask the average african american pupil nowadays, they will only give you a puzzled stare when you ask them if they idolize Michael Johnson (they will think you got the name wrong since they are more familiar with Michael Jordan). and who is their idol these days? Who do they want to be when they grow up? They want to be like Barack Obama.

They are way past idolising hs graduate nba players. They've grown up.

When you ask filipino kids nowadays who their Idol is, I bet 9 in 10 will say they idolize Manny Pacquiao and would like to be like him when they grow up.

surely, our kids deserve somebody much better.

Ba-ROCK!

January 18, 1999. San Agustin Church, Intramuros

Was it just last night?
has it been that long?
I can never tell.
Maybe because
The more I have you
The more I need you
Like a caged beast
crazed by hunger,
craving flesh

I LOVE...
I WANT...
I LUST...

Not even you can end
What even I can't stop.

January 15, 2009. Tristan is 1 month old

Ideal Pets for My Kids

Dear Kids, when our neighbor's pet gave birth to a litter of thick haired puppies (d ko alam ang tawag sa breed na yon) I held my breath kasi baka bigyan tayo. Buti nalang, they just asked Sage to be a Ninang.

Kung magaalaga tayo ng pet sa house, ito sana ang ibigay sa atin...

Jaguar

a Mustang

and a Falcon

December 27

Dear Kids, December 27, 2005 I blogged about seedsofpeace.org I'm reprinting the entry here with some modifications...

Dear Sage, About a decade ago I saw a very beautiful picture in a news magazine. It showed red haired kids, who were probably your age, shouting excitedly while watching a sporting event (probably football.) It was taken in Northern Ireland, a country bitterly divided between catholics and protestants fighting a bloody civil war. The magazine pointed out that The Kids in the crowd were both Irish Catholics AND Protestants. Theirs was a generation untouched, unsoiled, unbloodied by the violence of the previous ones.

A decade later, Ireland is relatively peaceful (compared to Afghanistan and Iraq.) I can't help but think that those kids have something to do with it.

SeedsOfPeace.Org is an organization whose ideal is to bring Peace to the generations to come. Maybe peace will come slowly, every generation realizing a piece of that dream. Hopefully in yours, there will be more children playing and watching soccer games without caring whether they have red hairs or black, Protestants or Moslems, Children of Southern Developing Countries or Scions of the Northern States.



Exactly 3 years after I've written this entry, on December 27, 2008, Israel started bombing Gaza strip. It has been going on since then and the end is nowhere in sight.

This means that another generation of Palestinians and Israelis are growing up and are seeing each other as Enemies that need to be wiped out from the face of the Earth. This is what their elders are teaching them. It is a lesson that they learn every single day, especially since December 27.

Another tragic footnote to this affair is that when the lameduck president of the US, EX-PRESIDENT W. Bush, was asked to comment about the deaths in Gaza strip, he laid all the blame on the Palestinians. This was taken by Israel as a signal to raise the level of their attack on Gaza with little regard for women and children who are caught in the crossfire.

In all his 8 years in the whitehouse, he only made one speech that is close to being memorable. He said a few years back (in the Rose Garden one sunny afternoon after the news finally reached him about a Palestinian teenager who strapped on a bomb and committed suicide deep inside Israel) these words:

"When an 18-year-old Palestinian girl is induced to blow herself up, and in the process kills a 17-year-old Israeli girl, THE FUTURE ITSELF IS DYING."

With EX-PRESIDENT W. Bush's careless comment, he made sure that the FUTURE ITSELF CAN NOT BE RAISED FROM THE DEAD.

Please Pray for Palestine and Israel and all the victims of his failed foreign policies.

Ninong ni Sabine

Dear Sabine, you were baptized on our wedding Anniversary (January 18) back in 2004. one of your Ninongs is Dr. Basel El-Sawalhi. He is our classmate back in medical school. I usually spend my free time at the library because unlike your Mom, I had to actually STUDY hard to pass the exams (She on the other hand pass those exams easily sometimes even without studying.) and whenever I need somebody to explain complex biochemical principles, I usually ask Basel. He can easily explain those principles to Dodo's like me. It's a gift. He was kind enough to agree to be your God Father despite of the fact that he is a Moslem.

He is also a Palestinian. After graduation he went back to his country to serve his people in Gaza Strip, Palestine.

We haven't seen him for a long time.

Pareng Basel, Our Prayers are with You, Your Family and all the People of the Book living in Palestine and Israel.

Hasalamu alaikum...

Shalom...

Daughtry Cover

Dear Kids, this was taken this morning. First part of the video below was taken last night that's why it's dark. The second part was recorded after we took your picture above. Notice how you change the lyrics of the song to piss me off.

Hondagua, Quezon Province

TEAM HOYT

Dear Kids, it's 2009. This will be my first blog entry for this year. Let me begin it with a good measure of Hope.

On our way to Hondagua, Quezon, I heard about this amazing story about a Father and Son Triathlon Team. The Father was 40 years old when he started training. That's the LEAST incredible part of the story. What's more incredible is that he had to literally carry his son along in all three events of the Triathlon. His son has Cerebral Palsy.

Theirs is a very inspiring story. I'll let you read about them here.

and you can also watch their youtube video above.

Forgiveness

College of the Immaculate Conception Alumni Homecoming

Sorry Y'all, I can't come. But Noel will be there and Ate is the PRO. Hope you all have fun!

Look at this photograph
Every time I do it makes me laugh
how did our eyes get so red?
And what the hell is on Joey’s head?

This is where I grew up
I think the present owner fixed it up
I never knew we ever went without
The second floor is hard for sneakin’ out

This is where I went to school
Most of the time had better things to do
Criminal record says I broke in twice
I must’ve done it half a dozen times

I wonder if it’s too late
Should I go back and try to graduate?
Life’s better now than it was back then
If I was them, I wouldn’t let me in
Oh oh oh
Oh god I, I

Every memory of looking out the back door
I had the photo album spread out on my bedroom floor
It’s hard to say it
Time to say it
Goodbye, goodbye
Every memory of walking out the front door
I found the photo of the friend that I was looking for
It's hard to say it
Time to say it
Goodbye, goodbye

Goodbye

Remember the old arcade
Blew every dollar that we ever made
The cops see us hanging out
They said somebody went and burned it down

We used to listen to the radio
And sing along with every song we know
We said someday we’d find out how it feels
To sing to more than just the steering wheel

Kim's the first girl I kissed
I was so nervous that I nearly missed
She’s had a couple of kids since then
I haven’t seen her since God knows when
Oh oh oh
Oh god I, I

Every memory of looking out the back door
I had the photo album spread out on the bedroom floor
It’s hard to say it
Time to say it
Goodbye, goodbye
Every memory of walking out the front door
I found the photo of the friend that I was looking for
It's hard to say it
Time to say it
Goodbye, goodbye

I miss that town
I miss the faces
You can't erase
You can't replace it
I miss it now
I can't believe it
So hard to stay
Too hard to leave it

If I could relive those days
I know the one thing that would never change

Every memory of looking out the back door
I had the photo album spread out on my bedroom floor
It’s hard to say it
Time to say it
Goodbye, goodbye
Every memory of walking out the front door
I found the photo of the friend that I was looking for
It's hard to say it
Time to say it
Goodbye, goodbye

Look at this photograph
Every time I do it makes me laugh
Every time I do it makes me...

Kite Flying Days (December 26-27)

Dear God

Thank you very much!

The ATEs

Dear Tristan

These are some of my wishes for you and your sisters:

May you be surrounded by overwhelming love all your life...
May you have every gift, especially length of years...

Tristan, May you see the breathtaking beauty in every woman's eyes.
and may you find the one who will keep you in her heart... as you
keep her safe in your arms, never let yourself hurt her.

WELCOME! TRISTAN IMMANUEL

DECEMBER 15, 2008 (3:50 P.M.)


"Well I just heard the news today
It seems my life is going to change
I closed my eyes, begin to pray.
Then tears of joy stream down my face.
With arms wide open
Under the sunlight
Welcome to this place
I'll show you everything.
With arms wide open
With arms wide open
Well I don't know if I'm ready
To be the man I have to be
I'll take a breath,
I'll take her by my side
We stand in awe, we've created life.
With arms wide open,
Under the sunlight
Welcome to this place I'll show you everything
With arms wide open
Now everything has changed
I'll show you love
I'll show you everything
With arms wide open
With arms wide open
I'll show you everything
...oh yeah
With arms wide open
..wide open..."

--With Arms Wide Open by Creed

Pacquiao: Against All Odds

"And you coming back to me
is against all odds
it's the chance I've got to take..."

Dear Kids, Who would have thought that he'd win the fight convincingly? Not me. I actually prayed that he won't get hurt too much. I figured Oscar can only lose if the businessman part of his brain clicks and he takes a fall to set up a rematch with a bigger purse. I must have over-prayed too much (I'm kidding).

I watched the fight on the silver screen with Dad and your Ninong Noey. I cautioned them not to get their hopes too high. Dad even said that we could be watching Manny's funeral. I figured, "what the heck, it's gonna be my first time to watch a fight with a crowd so I shouldn't let this opportunity pass."

While in the queue for a ticket, I noticed that everything in the cinema complex makes your testosterone level pump higher. The deodorant sponsors of the fight brought in skimpilly clad models distributing their products. Because of the macho atmosphere I felt like spoiling for a fight too when the burly guy in the snack counter asked for a smaller bill from me and made a snide remark that made my grip on the soda can really, really tight. I guess he noticed my grip and imagined it colliding with his face. so he just shut up and gave me my change which he counted carefully as he averted my murderous stare.

There are so many things going against Manny Pacquiao. I'll let the experts elaborate. He came into the fight as an underdog. That status didn't last long. Especially when we noticed Oscar closely talking to Pacquiao's gloves-- and nodding in agreement to whatever it is telling him. That was just the first round.

By the 7th round, when Manny caught the golden boy in the corner several times, I was already shouting "No mas, No mas!" in a vain attempt to stop the bloodbath (In the other welterweight title bout of my youth, I remember Roberto Duran shouting those same words when he decided to prematurely end his fight with Sugar Ray Leonard after getting out-classed for several rounds).

Nobody thought Pacquiao would win. Right after the match, I overheard the chick beside me and her boylet ruing the fact that they did not bet any money on Manny. And while making the beeline for the john, some guy was cheerfully talking with somebody on his phone telling him that he lost a thousand bucks because he placed his bet on Dela Hoya. That he was grinning from ear to ear was a clear sign that Manny's win made his being a stupid gambler forgiveable.

When the fight was over, Dela Hoya looked even uglier than king kong Manny. I couldn't help but say "Nice Job, Manny." It's one win for the Ugly Men of the world like me (and the ones reading this blog. umamin ka na Snglguy) against the Good looking golden boys who always get the girls. As I've said in the beginning of this entry, the place was full of Testosterone pumping decorations, but the organizers forgot one detail that was clearly, inappropriately present. When I looked up the ceiling I saw posters of the movie "Twilight" festooned all around the area-- It's A movie featuring a fictional character that will make the girls of all generations swoon. A character that no mortal guy could possibly compete against. Maybe Manny should forget about welterweight champion Hatton and concentrate instead on rearranging the face of that guy who played the lead character in Twilight: Edward Cullen.

Sweet Science

Dear Tristan, Today could be your Birthday, Son. But just in case You decide to choose a date later than Pearl Harbor day, your Mom and I will be spending the day watching the fight between Dela Hoya and Pacquiao.

Just in case Dela Hoya decides to give it his best, I just pray that Pacquiao doesn’t get a career ending injury. Because it’s obvious that Pacquiao can not possibly win without Oscar taking a fall or selling out the fight. Dela Hoya is a shrewd businessman. A rematch can earn them even bigger purses.

But I don’t think Oscar is cheap. He will be a handful. And Pacquiao is in for the fight of his life.

And despite of the fact that he is destined to lose, I will be cheering for him just like all the other suckers out there. Because he will be facing overwhelming odds. But after this fight, I’ll be rooting for Pacquiao's next opponents.

Connected

Dear Sabine, while Sadie and I were surfing YouTube for Chris Daughtry songs, you begged to listen to the Disney Song "Connected" from the Diamond Castle Movie. When the list of videos popped out, I was surprised when you didn't choose the ones with the cartoon characters on it but instead you pointed at the one with Katherine McPhee.

Windsurfing Moves

Dear Sabine, Yesterday, we went to the grocery. I noticed you hanging on to the side of the cart since you are too big to sit on the slot for toddlers. your daredevil moves reminded me of windsurfers.

Since it's December 1 today,  I made an attempt this morning to look like santa claus. I ended up looking like Hemingway instead.