Things Chinese

(with my journal entry dated January 23, 2012, a Monday)

I was going to write yesterday, but then the morning wore on and I kept putting it off for later that late evening came and we had our karaoke session, and I completely forgot about it.

Today being Chinese New Year’s day, we are having tikoy for breakfast. I had also asked whoever was going to be up early today to prepare pancit (the instant kind, at least), so we’ll have pancit today, just to be in the spirit of things.

I have good vibes for this year, unlike last year. When people were celebrating the entry of the year of the rabbit last year, I was not so “hopeful” (albeit not dejected). I didn’t know why.

As I said, we had karaoke yesterday. My cousin Kuya Jing and I were experimenting on singing from the diaphragm (which means inhaling air and storing it in your abdomen, and then releasing it slowly as you sing, thereby minimizing the movement of the Adam’s apple in singing).

It’s hard at first, because we’ve been “mis-trained” by pop music singing all these years. I was not so into it at first. But after taking a bath (yes, the magical bath—so trivial yet so important), I put on some Platters songs (“Twilight Time,” “Only You,” etc.), and it was just amazing because my voice flowed out naturally using the technique, and I felt like I could sing anything.

But then, I put on some Michael Jackson songs (“Rock With You” “She’s Out of My Life”), and yes, I managed it, but it being karaoke, the habit of trying to sound “just like Michael” (tone-wise, that is) got in the way, and it somehow caused my voice to tire out easily, so when I was getting back to singing other songs (“Bridge Over Troubled Water”), I barely managed it. The ipit effect had taken its toll, although I could still hit the high notes. Good thing my sisters were with us, and they sang to their hearts’ content while cousin and I took a break.

Around 10 p.m., we got to our Beatles repertoire, and with my voice already hoarse and all, we just had fun with them. I was singing “Get Back” and an idea for a Youtube video came to me. Or rather, a Youtube Channel: Beatles Karaoke, with characters here and there horsing around to the music. Oh well.

After midnight, I helped myself to the tikoy that’s been sitting on the round table since Saturday. It was sooo sweet, sweeter than usual, I don’t know if I liked it better. I have a sweet tooth, but this was not the regular tikoy we ate in the past that I guess it takes getting used to.

Okay, we’re not Chinese, but Nanay used to tell us that our great grandparents on Nanay’s side were very Chinese-looking, so that is subject for investigation. But ever since I was young, I get sentimental about Chinese classical music or old Chinese structures and architecture.

When I was growing up, not too many people cared about these things. If I remember it right, people then even looked down on the Chinese. I guess that’s the Spanish influence on us Filipinos. The Spaniards then did not trust the Chinese much and even looked down on them—as a form of defense mechanism, I suppose. Unfortunately, previous generations of Filipinos adopted this kind of attitude. Up until recently, I didn’t know that the terms intsik, beho, chekwa, etc. are all derogatory.

By the time I could explore Maynila all by myself, I would go to Chinatown, just taking in the scene and food and music (or bits and pieces of “Chinese sounds” here and there).

When the Philippines had not yet heard of cable TV, Sundays were Chinese on local TV—early morning TV, that is. Chinese drama, variety shows, cooking shows. They weren’t even subtitled; but for lack of anything to watch, I sometimes contented myself watching those shows—unwittingly “making memories” of those images and sounds. Again, I suppose that’s what accounts for my being sentimental about things Chinese.

I once bought a Chinese classical music CD in Binondo, and one vendor there who saw me said it’s interesting that I take an interest in such things when many people don’t even bother, and then she added, I must have been a Chinese emperor in my past life. Hehe. Who am I to disagree, right? I mean, it’s not every day that people have this notion that you might have been royalty in your “past life.” It’s just interesting, that’s all.

There are rainy days when I’m outside the house, and I could see the drizzle of the rain and the trees gently swaying with the wind. In my mind, I can hear Chinese music.

Oldies

(my journal entry dated May 1, 2012, a Tuesday)

For a long time, I’ve been thinking about growing old and how much of the things we dearly hold on to do we compromise in the process, and last night, the urge to write it down was drummed on me when we were watching the Ugat concert on TV. It featured classic Pinoy rock bands from the 1970s to early 1980s era, and it felt weird in a way, watching them aging rock stars “rock” the stage and how “compromised” they have become (because of their age?) and yet “uncompromising” they remain.

Pepe Smith, Sampaguita, Wally Gonzales…. I asked Kuya Jing if he ever fantasized about having Sampaguita or Pepe Smith for a grandparent, and all he said was it would probably be cool, and I thought so, too. I mean, there’s probably an extra dimension to them that would make their grandparenting way way different from that of most grandparents.

And then I wondered how they live these days. Do they wear regular grandparent clothes around the house? I mean, this is the Philippines. They probably wear regular clothes most of the time now that they’ve yielded the spotlight to younger rock artists…unlike Steven Tyler, I guess. But then you think, Steven Tyler is on American Idol and listening and critiquing pop (read: conformist) music, which I doubt he would have done in his younger days and at the height of his rockstardom.

Come to think of it, just how have life and growing old made them compromise on things? I mean, one minute you’re blasting everyone away on the electric guitar, and then the next, you’re changing diapers or preparing milk bottles for your babies, or any of those “uncool” stuff that ordinary mortals do (or are pictured to do).

Metallica’s James Hetfield admitted to changing the diapers of his kids. And just the other night, on Youtube, Metallica and Guns n’ Roses (on separate occasions) were jamming with Fergie (of the Black Eyed Peas), and down in the comments section below the videos, you could read diehard fans disappointed over the “compromise.”

But then, time has a way of toning things down, and listening to Metallica and Guns n’ Roses over and over again all these years has somehow made them less shocking, less rebellious, more mainstream and more and more belonging to the era of the “oldies” stuff which young people of every generation (not everyone, though) think baduy.

Just now, I remember a classmate of mine related to us how much he hated this teacher back in graduate school, and he got into an argument with the teacher who told him how he (our classmate) was talking out of his hat, and our classmate retorted with a “Yeah? Well, you’re old and you’re dying.” And I thought it was funny because…what was he thinking? Did he think he wouldn’t grow old? Did he think he was not going to die someday?

At the height of their youth and power and life, most young people think that way. Or at least, they are inclined to. No thought of death. No thought of compromising. No thought of ever needing others to get on with this world. Notwithstanding aging relatives who, upon seeing you again after a long time, exclaim, “Well, I remember you when you were still this small and I used to wash you after you made poo-poo all over the place!” Just imagine, you, the uncompromising “immortal,” at one time needing someone to wash you, and—you made poo-poo all over the place? How sooo NOT cool was that?

I guess the lesson here is not to be that overreaching when it comes to being uncompromising inasmuch as public image is concerned. With all our frailties, us being human, to think otherwise all the time is sheer folly.

By all means, have strength of will. By all means, have strength of character. But as to the physicality of this life, why hold on too much? Whether we like it or not, it gets taken away. We get weary. Slowly but surely, we are outran.

Very few people these days get to grow up with grace, AND grow old with grace. Perhaps a period of rebelliousness every now and then should suffice, but always and ever, there should be a willingness to accept and embrace the responsibilities and consequences thereof. THAT is grace, I think.

Snap!

(excerpt from my journal entry dated September 27, 2010, a Monday)

Nagbabasa ako ngayon ng libro ni Robert Kiyosaki. Guide to Investing. Naisip ko mag-start ng isang komiks magazine tungkol sa financial independence, pagpapayaman, etc. Pwede rin tungkol sa pangangalaga sa kalikasan, o kahit na ano may maitutulong sa kaalaman ng mas maraming tao, partikular na sa masang Pinoy.

Isip ko, karamihan sa mga Pinoy hindi mahilig magbasa kasi more visually inclined sila. Pagkagising ba naman sa umaga, TV kaagad ang kaharap, ano pa aasahan mo? Sobrang TV. Nakakainis, kasi puro mga nakakabobong palabas lang ang kadalasan napapanood sa local TV. Sabi ko dati sa mga kaibigan ko sa training, malaki ang papel ng media sa pagpapabobo o pagpapatalino ng mga Pilipino. Up to now, ‘yun pa rin ang paniniwala ko.

Tapos, nangyari nga yung August 23, 2010 tragedy. Isang dating pulis ang nang-hostage ng mga turistang Chinese from Hong Kong. Tapos napatay niya ang ilan sa mga iyon.

Nag-snap daw kasi yung hostage-taker sa loob ng tourist bus matapos niya mapanood yung mga nangyayari sa labas. Yung kapatid niya kasi, umeksena pa. Nag-drama. Wala na ngang naitulong sa sitwasyon, parang sinusulsulan pa 'yung kapatid niya. Hinuli tuloy ng mga pulis.

E lahat ng nangyayari, napapanood pala ng kapatid niyang hostage-taker sa loob ng bus. Dahil na rin sa media na halos lahat ata ng detalye ng nagaganap sa labas, ibinuyangyang sa publiko. Ultimo yung planong pag-atake ng SWAT at yung posisyon ng mga snipers, ibinuking. Ampota.

Tapos ngayon nga na may mga napatay na hostages at nagalit na nga ang mga taga-HK, isip ng media maaari daw na may pagkukulang sila. Pagkukulang lang ba? Sa araw-araw na nagpapalabas sila ng kabobohan at kaartehan ng mga artista nila, pagkukulang lang ‘yon? I say media companies are remiss in their responsibilities when they distract people from the more important things in life. Kelan kaya sila magigising?

Balak ko pala sumulat sa kongresman namin at kay Pnoy sa website niya. Gusto kong mag-lobby ng batas na magkakaroon ng universal classification of consumer wastes as produced by manufacturers. Simpleng klasipikasyon lang: A, B, C, D, etc. “A” para sa nabubulok; “B” para sa di nabubulok; etc. Mas madali tandaan. Parang traffic lights lang na red, green at yellow.

Pero ang pagka-klasipika ng basura, hindi publiko ang gagawa. Mismong mga product manufacturers na ang gagawa nun. Ilalagay nila sa packaging ng mga produkto nila: “Ang pambalot ng produktong ito ay klaseng 'A' at dapat na itapon sa mga 'A' na basurahan lamang.”

Manufacturers na dapat ang gumawa ng pagka-classify, sa sobrang dami ba naman ng packaging na pinambabalot nila sa mga produkto nila, tapos hindi naman pangmatagalan ang gamit—pagkabukas ng produkto, tapon agad yung balot.

E, kung may label na yung packaging na “A” or “B,” etc., hindi na mag-iisip yung magtatapon kung sa aling basurahan ba niya dapat itapon yung basura niya. Segregation na agad bale.

Responsibilidad ito ng mga manufacturers na produce nang produce ng basura kaya dapat lang, sa lebel pa lang nila, responsable na sila. Chapter!

After the Gold Rush (Neil Young) - Patti Smith

Tungkulin ng Malalakas

(excerpt from my journal entry dated October 5, 2012, a Friday)

Kahapon, noong pinaliliguan ko si Tatay, habang inaalalayan ko siya sa pagtayo, siguro na-insecure siya sa tayo niya kaya bigla niyang nasabi na baka matumba daw siya. Sa isip ko, walang dahilan para mag-isip siya nang ganun kasi inaalalayan ko naman siya.

Pero naisip ko rin, siya naman kasi ang nakakaramdam noon—kung tutumba ba siya o hindi. Pero naisip ko rin, kung siya man ang nakakaramdam noon, ako naman na mas malakas sa kaniya ang magdi-determine kung matutuloy nga ba ang pagtumba niya o hindi.

From this incident, may mga realizations na dumating sa akin:

·         Na sa buhay natin, may mga taong mahihina at malalakas, at sila ay nagtutulungan (kahit hindi nila alam);

·         Na walang iisang paraan ng tamang pagtanaw sa buhay;

·         Na ang takot ng isang mahinang tao ay hindi dapat manaig kung may masasandigan naman siyang tao na may malakas na katawan at isipan sa pagharap sa buhay;

·         Na kapag may maaasahan kang tao na may malakas na katawan at isipan upang mapunuan ang iyong kahinaan, ang takot ay pagsasayang ng panahon lamang;

·         Na ang mga taong may malakas na katawan at isipan ay dapat na manaig sa takot ng mga mahihina at matatakutin;

·         Na madaling kumalat ang takot, madali itong makahawa, at sa bandang huli, maaari itong makapagpabagsak ng isang pamilya, komunidad o bayan;

·         Na tungkulin ng malalakas ang tulungan ang mga mahihina sapagkat iyon, higit sa anupaman, ang siyang nagbibigay sa mga malalakas ng karapatan upang manaig (o kahit mamuno pa) sa isang lipunan;

·         Na kapag hindi tumupad ang mga malalakas sa tungkulin nilang tumulong sa mahihina, nawawalan ng saysay ang pagiging malakas nila; sila ay dumadagdag lamang sa takot at mga pasaning umaalipin sa isang bayan.

Physics Talk: Read at Your Own Risk

(my journal entry dated November 6, 2011, a Sunday)

Yes! Almost everyone’s left for Church. Si Tatay lang at ako sa bahay. I have time to write and be alone with my thoughts for at least an hour. I’ve been meaning to write this speculation that came to me regarding gravity—or the lack thereof.

A couple of days ago, I wrote that there’s (probably) no such thing as gravity. There’s only friction. I searched the internet about friction and so far, I’m becoming more and more convinced that there’s only friction working to keep all particles in the universe in stable motion.

If I were to re-state Newton’s universal law of gravitation*, I’d probably go:

“Every particle in the universe is in constant contact with every other particle in the universe, and these particles are in constant and perpetual motion kept that way by the force of friction that particles exert upon each other, keeping the balance among them.”

I guess it needs a little finetuning. An equation of some sort.

At first glance, it seems implausible (naks!) to go beyond Newton’s concepts and principles. But Einstein did that, and on a larger scale, he is right. I think that the force of friction is the one measure that we can establish as a constant, just as the speed of light is held constant throughout the universe.

Specifically, the constant I’m talking about would be atomic friction (unless there’s a smaller, more basic, more consistently dense element out there whose frictional force should replace Newton’s universal gravitational constant). Yabang e, ‘no?

This frictional constant could be multiplied to the masses (m1 and m2?) of the particles involved. Medyo nonlinear nga lang ang computation nito (naks! May pa-nonlinear-nonlinear pa akong nalalaman, e, hehe!), but somehow it gives us a hint on how our world (or our universe) is a self-stabilizing, self-organizing system (SOS), as Dr. Nancy Andreasen used the term in her book “The Creative Brain”—love that book!

It means that when something happens to one particle in the universe, there is a chain reaction triggered as the shift in frictional force among the rest of the particles takes effect.

Now, the question of gravity being nonexistent, or rather explained away by friction: The constant motion and friction involved between the Earth and the moon and the Sun, etc.—is it what keeps us “stuck” or “grounded,” since the resulting force between, say, the Earth and the moon keeps us in check?

I’m not sure yet if this can be proved, but from this assumption, can we say that one’s weight varies when he’s on different surfaces of the planet? Are areas where there’s direct contact between the Earth and the moon affect an Earthling’s weight that is heavier (or lighter)? Hmm….

Frankly, as much as I’m excited about this, I don’t find the urgency to prove it. I mean, I’m not that enthusiastic about coming up with mathematical proof of it. I still have a lot to learn about Physics and forces, etc. Besides, people won’t even take a second glance at this because I’m not even a Physics grad. I’ll just relax a bit here and probably read some more. Chapter!

*Newton’s Universal Law of Gravitational Constant: Every particle in the universe tends to attract every other particle in the universe with a force that is directly proportional to the product of the masses of the two particles involved and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.