Oh, unholy day, if I leave now I might get away.
Oh but this weighs on me, as heavy as stone and as blue as I go.
I was just wondering if you'd come along.
Hold up my head when my head wont hold on.
I'll do the same if the same's what you want,
If not I'll go, I will go along...
..Long way, ah, from that fools mistake.
And now forever pay, no run, I will run and I'll be ok.
I was just wondering if you'd come along.
Hold up my head when my head wont hold on.
I'll do the same if the sames what you want,
But if not I'll go, I will go along...
I need so, to stay in your arms, see you smile, hold you close.
And now it weighs on me, as heavy as stone and of bone chilling cold.
I was just wondering if you'd come along.
click here if you want to listen to this song, its the second in the playlist. lyrics by dave matthews -- i wonder what happened to him...what was his mistake that he had to run away from? how much longer did he have to linger before going along? how long did he have to run alone...did he ever thought about turning back?
listen to it...it aches but its beautiful. best part is towards the end, an outro wherein he sang a few lines from that famous elvis prestley song, 'cant help falling inlove'. dont miss that.
9.30.2006
this is my official date of return to manila. three months na ako dito. still have four months more to go. have a few things i hope i can do while im here:
1. visit oakpark where ernest hemingway owned a house
2. visit the museum of science and industry
3. go to the adler planetarium
4. revisit the field museum -- didn't have enough time the first time i was there
5. explore the chicago cultural center here at the downtown
6. get a state id and get discount cards at the gap store, etc.
7. visit the botanical garden
8. go to the wrigley field -- watch a baseball game, with the Cubs playing
9. pasyal around little italy
10. taste of chicago
11. museum of contemporary art
12. gino's east pizza -- try the deep dish pizza there
13. try a chicago style hotdog -- they said i can get some in navy pier
14. watch movie in grant park during summer -- hehe :)
15. visit the oprah studio -- better yet, try getting tickets & watch an episode!
16. go to the viewing deck of the sears tower -- after all, its the tallest in US
17. eat a mcgriddle for breakfast -- done already, but no pictures
18. eat krispy kremes -- done with picture, but wouldnt hurt if i get another one :)
19. watch a theater play -- wicked! this play is about the witches in the land of Oz before Dorothy came into the picture. happening in july.
20. go biking or swimming at the lake shore -- hopefully this month!
21. kain sa hooters -- not sure why because i dont love chickens
22. watch more concerts -- i just came back from indiana to watch the dave matthews band concert and i cant wait for the next one -- two actually: goo goo dolls & counting crows and then, kelly clarkson. both concerts will be in july.
23. shop :)
24. continue to do volunteer work -- there's one coming up next weekend, sponsored by the Chicago Cares Foundation: it's the 13th annual serve-a-thon in which we would be painting public schools/offices for one day. looking forward.
25. formula one -- must be exciting, right?
don't really know what's in store for me when i get back to manila... i trust though that im good hands so no need to worry. living in the present, and planning for the weekends :)
here's one that might actually cheer you guys up: a video taken while we were on a water ride at the six flags amusement park. equivalent ng jungle log jam sa enchanted kingdom: enjoy!
1. visit oakpark where ernest hemingway owned a house
2. visit the museum of science and industry
3. go to the adler planetarium
4. revisit the field museum -- didn't have enough time the first time i was there
5. explore the chicago cultural center here at the downtown
6. get a state id and get discount cards at the gap store, etc.
7. visit the botanical garden
8. go to the wrigley field -- watch a baseball game, with the Cubs playing
9. pasyal around little italy
10. taste of chicago
11. museum of contemporary art
12. gino's east pizza -- try the deep dish pizza there
13. try a chicago style hotdog -- they said i can get some in navy pier
14. watch movie in grant park during summer -- hehe :)
15. visit the oprah studio -- better yet, try getting tickets & watch an episode!
16. go to the viewing deck of the sears tower -- after all, its the tallest in US
17. eat a mcgriddle for breakfast -- done already, but no pictures
18. eat krispy kremes -- done with picture, but wouldnt hurt if i get another one :)
19. watch a theater play -- wicked! this play is about the witches in the land of Oz before Dorothy came into the picture. happening in july.
20. go biking or swimming at the lake shore -- hopefully this month!
21. kain sa hooters -- not sure why because i dont love chickens
22. watch more concerts -- i just came back from indiana to watch the dave matthews band concert and i cant wait for the next one -- two actually: goo goo dolls & counting crows and then, kelly clarkson. both concerts will be in july.
23. shop :)
24. continue to do volunteer work -- there's one coming up next weekend, sponsored by the Chicago Cares Foundation: it's the 13th annual serve-a-thon in which we would be painting public schools/offices for one day. looking forward.
25. formula one -- must be exciting, right?
don't really know what's in store for me when i get back to manila... i trust though that im good hands so no need to worry. living in the present, and planning for the weekends :)
-ooo-
here's one that might actually cheer you guys up: a video taken while we were on a water ride at the six flags amusement park. equivalent ng jungle log jam sa enchanted kingdom: enjoy!
walk and roll chicago
volunteers come in different shapes, sizes and species!
this photo was taken last May, at the hutchinson field here in downtown chicago, near the lake shore. my friends (shellane and christine) and i volunteered for the walk and roll chicago event sponsored by the American Cancer Society as individuals and as part of the Accenture group -- this way, dalawa ang lunch namin :) the event started at around 10am, a little late than scheduled because there's another walk and roll event sponsored by a different organization naman. we were just supposed to be marshals that day, cheering the crowd in a designated station and making sure they are going the right way. we were stationed at the starting point so we can cheer the participants as they start off on their 5 mile walk, 10 mile skate, or 15 mile bike journey. while waiting for the actual walk & roll to begin, i was going around and taking pictures of the participants and found many toddlers, children, senior citizens, families eagerly awaiting their turn in the start line. ang saya, they really go out of their way to not just walk or bike and skate -- they bring tents, food, tables and chairs to sit on, their entire families and many friends (and pets!) to become part of it. i can not estimate how many people volunteered, pero ang dami and it was a good feeling to be one of them. i guess most people do it in memory of their departed loved ones who did not survive the cancer disease, some would do it in support for their loved ones who are still battling against it. to me, its because somehow i want to do something worthwhile during the weekend, be able to see how these things happen here in the US so I can compare it to how we do it back home and I guess I just want to make my stay here in the US more meaningful. syempre, to be able to take photos na rin :)
so as ive said we were just supposed to cheer the crowd, pero what shellane and i actually did was to go with them. to be marshals as we walk with them. it was not very hot that day, but there were few clouds and the sun managed to burn our faces after a while. we started walking at around 1030am and finished at about lunchtime i think. inabot na ng 1030am yung simula dahil nauna kasi yung mga bikers and skaters, 15 minutes ang interval per batch.
as we walked with the crowd, i saw pictures of people printed or pinned on the shirts and captioned with "in loving memory of" then followed with the names of their aunt, dad, son or daughter... i guess to these volunteers, though you see them cheer and smile most of the time, the event could not be entirely fun. its not easy remembering a departed loved one no matter how far back in the past losing them has been. but im sure they found it worthwhile, as I did, and will hope to be part of it again next year.
self-portrait
this is how i want to be remembered i guess. medyo payat-looking, and serious about my craft. o di ba, i have a craft and its somewhat artistic! nice to know, hehe!
i took this photo yesterday, when we visited a friend's clinic in minneapolis. there was an empty room beside his clinic, which has a mirror placed against the wall of what would soon be a beauty salon. i just had to take a photo of myself, out of instinct i guess. im usually alone when i go around and take photos, and when i lack a subject, ginagawa ko na lang subject ang sarili ko. hehe. makes sense, di ba? :)
did you notice the camera im holding? its no longer the old kodak camera i have. this one's a digital slr :) pinag-ipunan ko talaga yan at pinangarap ng matagal-tagal. im really excited about having this camera and can't wait to learn more about photography and be able to use it to take much better photos -- ones that i could actually be truly proud of and put in nice frames and sell to people, not just to make money but to be able to prove to myself that my work can be good enough that people would seek them out and be moved or affected enough and want the photos to be part of their own spaces (at home, the office or virtually, in websites). sana one day it will happen to me :)
click here or the photo above to view my Flickr homepage and see more photos I have recently uploaded from my trips to 6 Flags (an amusement park here in Illinois), Wisconsin Dells, Texas and Minneapolis in Minnesotta. i haven't uploaded that many pics yet, but i hope you will take a look at what's already in there na rin. let me know your thoughts, you can actually post comments in there if you have a Yahoo! account :)
cheers!
here's the root of the root, the bud of the bud
i carry your heart with me
i am never without it
anywhere i go, you go
and whatever is done by only me is your doing
(adopted from e.e. cumming's poem)
To My Mom:
To My Mom:
hi mom. i already greeted you but what i didn't tell you was that i miss being around you so much. i miss your kwento about your co-teachers, your co-teachers' daughters, and your co-teacher's daughters' daughters... i miss having our daing-with-kamatis breakfast with you while we listen to your favorite AM radio station...i miss your kwento regarding your students which is usually about how you would discipline them for being noisy and loitering around while you went to the comfort room....how you would teach them to write neatly using ballpens...On weekends, i miss watching The Buzz with you -- which you pretend to not enjoy watching -- and reading the Sunday papers with you. I remember how you love to read the Sunday Inquirer magazine and mark the pages for me, so I wouldn't miss the good articles there.
but what i miss the most is this (when i would stay at lola's or at my Makati dorm): the warmest hugs and kisses you give me when i go home each weekend -- you would open the door at usually 1am or 2am and tell me how you have been worried a little about me going home so late and how much you have prayed that i'll get home safe. you will wait for me to change into my house clothes then knock on my door to see if i still want to have dinner. if i did, you would help prepare the table and sit across me and ask how my week has been...it's late and you have things to do early in the morning but you still sit there, excited that i have come home at last. i appreciate that so much and look forward to coming to our home each week.
i don't suppose you will read this anytime soon, but someday i will let you know that i wrote something about you in my blog -- i will of course explain to you what a blog is. sorry for posting your picture, i know how you hate having your picture taken, you will probably hate this even more... but this is a good photo, and i think you are beautiful in it -- so don't be angry at me :)
happy mother's day, nanay -- thank you for being the mom that i can be so proud of. thank you for the countless, continuous prayers -- i suspect that this is probably the MAIN reason why i continue to be blessed in ways that i think i do not deserve. thank you for loving me the way you do, selflessly and unconditionally. i understand what God's grace means because of you and i consider my life blessed and beautiful just because you are a part of it. thank you for showing me the person i want to become. thank you for everything.
i love you, mom -- this is something i still find hard to say in person so please learn how to use text messaging in cellphones so i can say it more often :)
-Your Chinggay
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