Ethan Marcus

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. ~ Maya Angelou

Yesterday, I was at St. Therese to be one of the godparents of my 11th godchild. Both his parents are my friends from the office. His mother was my schoolmate, my orgmate, my cubicle mate and has been a colleague of mine for more than five years now.

As we were attending the christening, two striped butterflies were hovering over us. They made their presence so visible that I was looking at them all the time. One of them would alight at a woman's skirt, at a man's shoulder while the other would hover on someone's head. The two butterflies stayed until the long and winding ceremony ended.

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never too young to start photography

Pardon the poor quality of the photo. I had to use my handphone to take this shot because Fiona, my four-year old niece, was just too busy exploring her new toy, my camera. It's heavy for her tiny fingers but I taught her how to handle it properly and she's learning fast. She takes decent photos as well. I would love to show them to you but she has this annoying habit of making me, her sole subject, which would practically bore anyone who would see it. Next time, I'll teach her how to take a steady shot coupled with an appropriate framing. =)

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Oct 23, LB -- Let me take this wonderful opportunity to greet a very special friend, CRIM, a happy birthday! I know you've deleted your blog already which now officially cuts me off from the "mainstream" of your profound and (sometimes) loony whereabouts, but rest assured that I am always there for you, be your shock absorber, secret keeper, drinking buddy, videoke mistress, I could be anyone you want me to be. I hope to see you soon. happy beerday!

Stealing my time to be with you

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I caught my niece, Fiona, having the time of her life with her neighbor, playmate, friend Nicole. And then I realized, it's nice to be a kid again. But then again, I knew I can't steal back the time.

That sleek-looking, carbon bronze thing

When I came home last weekend at LB, I was greeted by this sleek-looking, carbon bronze Honda City in front of our house. There was no plate yet except a tag that says which branch the car was bought. So after years of longing and wanting, my brother had finally bought a new car. Did I say new?

So anyway I immediately checked the stance. I don’t know anything about cars but by the looks of it, I loved what I was seeing. I love the color too. I thought it was all rustic and brown but my brother said it is “carbon bronze”. I checked it in the Honda website and he was right. That is what they call it.

My brother is a seaman and most of the time he is out of the country so my mother had often argued with him on the idea of buying a car. “Who will drive that when you’re not around?” she scowled. “A second hand is not a bad idea.” I was just listening to them. But at the back of my mind I was screaming out loud: “Me, me, me! I will drive it!” But then again, I don’t even know how to drive. Geezus.

Except for my brother, the only one in the family who knows how to drive a car and has a license is my younger sister. But she’s all bucolic. She took driving lessons two years ago and got her license there after but because she doesn’t own a car, she could not practice what she knew. Besides, I don’t trust her driving skill yet. But compared to me, she's an A-minus.

So finally, I had the guts to tell them what’s on my mind. “I will take driving lessons!” They all gave me the weird look. And I don’t blame them. First of all, I am not good with directions; I get lost easily. Second, I am clumsy most of the time. Third of all, I am far from being vigilant. Fourth of all, I am easily rattled. There are more of that but I could not think right now. So what I am basically saying here is that, I have all it takes NOT to be a good driver and they knew it.

I learned early on that one of the main reasons why my brother bought a new car was because he hates waiting and riding a taxi from the airport to the bus terminal going to Laguna. He usually takes the late flight (sometimes, a red eye even) so it’s but natural that he is pissed when he had to commute all the way to LB from the airport and he’s all but tired and suffering from a jet lag. He would yank at my mother saying, “Look we’ve been waiting here forever. This is why I wanted a car! So what my mother would usually do is to rent the van of our neighbor (including the driver) for 2000 pesos just to fetch my dear brother to the airport. So that he wouldn’t get pissed. :-D

“So Kuya, I will take driving lessons and get a license so that I could send and fetch you to the airport anytime that you like!” He was in a good mood. I was excited. We both get our ends that way.

Driving lessons will start…March. (*crossing my fingers*)

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I was hunting for the moon, romanticizing its image in my head

I sigh...

and say: "Hell, what could be better than this?"

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Have you really looked at the moon lately?

Full moon taken in front of our house in Los Baños, Laguna.

Full moon taken from the rooftop of our office in Diliman, Quezon City.

I took these shots during different occasions, in places that are closest to my heart. I wished I could have gotten a shot of the moon in Virac, Catanduanes so that the three places in my life would have been completed. I was born in Virac, raised and grew in Los Baños, and is working in Diliman.

Last night, Crim sent me an SMS saying: "The moon is pretty!" Then, a few minutes later another text came in. It was from Oki saying the same thing. I was already at the rooftop of our office enjoying the darkness, enjoying the same piece of joy--the full moon!

Patay ang buwan at walang pakialam
kung pinahihiram ng liwanag ng araw.
Hindi niya ito kailanman hiningi.
Lagi nating tinitingala ang buwan
na humihila sa tubig sa ating katawan.
Kilala natin ang kaniyang mga mukha:
ang siklo ng damdaming pinamumukha
o sinasalamin natin sa kaniyang mukha.
Bagamat hindi tayo iniinda ng buwan.

~ mula sa isa sa pinaka-paborito kong tula ni Allan Popa, Buwan Buwan~

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Trendy Hat

I attended an event last Sunday. The project was sponsored by the office so we had to be there. So anyway, the boss was not able to make it so he sent a representative (not me). I was there merely to document the event. The word "merely" has becoming an overstated term these days. "I was merely there to shoot photos and take notes!" I was working on a Sunday! Yahoo.

So anyway, I won't tell you much about the event as it's the usual guests-go-to-stage-to-make-boring-speeches type of event. I wrote the speech for my boss which is to be read by his rep so, why bother listening? Okay, I did listen and take notes. The Chancellor was there. Our Mayor was there and some other local personalities from the academe and the local government. There's really nothing much to take notes as most of what they were saying are the stuff that we already know. (I could be alone on this one).

What took my attention really was the trendy hats that were given out to the VIPs. It looks like an octupus with those coconut sheaths hanging in front of your face. What do you think?

I asked Eve to wear and pose for me. Well, as far as I am concern, she looks pretty in it.

Eve decided not to take home the hat because she's got loads of stuff to bring home so I asked for it. At home, I asked Milve, my cousin to wear and pose for me. She hates posing for me but, well, I am older than her so she has no other choice but to obey.

She's turning a year older on the 26th of October by the way.

I did try the hat myself. I had the guts to wear it while walking on the street. No kidding. I get THE look of course. Someone even approached me and said: "Haneps, ganda ng sumbrero natin ah!" (Geez, what a beautiful hat you've got there!).

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My night turned into a huge pouch of seemingly "nonsensical" dreams. What am I doing inside a pool of mud while eating a humburger? Or how did a butterfly come out from my heel?

Hanging out at My Crib

After I finished covering the event at UPLB, I texted Crim and asked her if we could grab a cup of coffee somewhere before I go back to Manila. It was was around 10am and the weather was already scorching hot. Not really a good time for a sip but well, it is coffee we're talkin' about here so I really don't care.

We went to My Crib, a nice and cosy coffeeshop, a few walks away from the main campus. I've heard it from a fellow coffeeaddict and she's been recommending me to go there if ever I passed by the campus again. This trip made it possible. Love the place and the ambiance.

I immediately spotted their little signage on my way from the main road (Grove).

That's the mother of the owner-manager of the shop talking to Crim. She's been getting our orders since we got there. She's friendly and accomodating too.

That's the friendly barista preparing our coffees. I love how the place was designed. If My Crib was already near the area during my college days, this would have my favorite hangout.

This is one of their sample menus. Their coffee blends look really promising. But Crim and I ordered the classic cappuccino (tall of course!). I am a cappuccino addict. Yeba!

The inside interior of My Crib. It looks and feels very homey. And since it is airconditioned, even the carpeted floor is conducive for a quick nap.

This is their TALL cappuccino. I call this JUMBO cappuccino. It feels like sipping from a soup bowl. Nyarr!

The room is filled with these soft, orangey bean bags and huggable pillows.

This is Crim getting ready to go online. She wants to show me a video presentation of their Bring Your Own Bag (BYOB) project campain which is a part of her MS study.

I decide to go online myself. I love their flat screen. At the left side, there's a viewing room wherein you can watch dvds all day long.

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Little shy girl

She is a 13-year old kid who's never fond of reading but likes watching a lot of tv. She knows Jim Morrison and has becoming utterly familiar with Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam but could not understand why I like listening to them. She hates it when I take her pictures but I am one persistent human being. She could not stop me.

I brought her once to a bookstore in LB and asked her to choose any book title she likes. Anything. I gave her a few hints on what to get, but well, she doesn't fancy going through a bunch of thick bonded papers with nothing but texts written on it. Maybe when she goes to college.

She's turning 14 this October. I am going to give her a book as a gift. :-)

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Born to be wild...

...wild as in the wildflowers, which I've spotted between and along the trail gaps in my father's garden. This puffy-looking plant is really small and very easy to miss. In some places, I believe this is ubiquitous. I've seen them before but my camera then was not apt to get shots as close as this so they always ended up blurred and dull.

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I attended a staff meeting a moment ago, and I swear to god I feel like getting a catnap right then and then. Ahh, I just feel so sluggish today! Coffee isn't working anymore. zzzzzz

Colorful compost

Even trash becomes colorful. A day or two before they uniformly turn into brown and return to earth, I am giving them the best shot.

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Summer Dew

All i wanted was to be invinsible.
But being invinsible isn't worth it in the end, because when you're invinsible, othere people may not see you, but you can't help seeing other people.

- (The Quiet, 2005)

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From Being Friends to Enemies

SO HAPPY TOGETHER

Nana shares her mum's umbrella with Nicole (right) . Nicole lives in the neighborhood and would often play with my niece. Nana seems okay with the idea of sharing the umbrella at first but she wanted to be the one holding it.

CRYING TIME

Later, the little fella got all flushed on the face and hated the idea of someone holding the umbrella other than herself so she started crying. I love it when my niece gets all red up in the face, she would really cry her hearts out. And no one can stop her when she started belting. Nicole on the other hand, was just playing cool about it. She knows we're watching (me, my sister, her hubby, my mother)

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You know I don't play tennis but with the coming 2007 Thailand Open, I am all being perked up. Ha!

What was it?

It was a breezy evening
when finally, I decided to talk
had a one on one meeting with myself
the most natural thing in the world
me and myself
alone in the world.

- (me being nonchalant at 3am)

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Argh. I (think) I am losing my focus (once) again.

Ang sipit at ang langgam [The clip and the ants]

The clip and the ant. Both have the capabilities of hurting. But we can't blame them. Can we?They were created that way.

I’ve been bitten. Twice, thrice… and for the nth time the pain of being bitten has always been a discovery. Sometimes I cry for letting myself bitten. Self-reproach could be an indulging routine. Most of the time, I cry because I need a vent. Whatever the case, crying is a good thing. Especially when there’s nobody to hear.

My apathy have put me into a lot of troubles. Ignorance is never an excuse. I tend to hurt people nonetheless.

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Tending the sari-sari store

I don't need to explain this, do I?

With the popularity of Sidney's My Sari-Sari Store, and the almost (always) featuring it in Mike's The Fiery Scotsman, I have no doubt that most bloggers already know what sari-sari store essentially and culturally means to us, Filipinos.

Sari-sari literally means "various kinds". So, in essence, it is a store that sells various kinds of goods, mostly food items and other basic necessities (sugar, salt, candles, matches, detergent, etc.) and others (cigarettes, alchohol, etc.).

Economic importance: instead of buying the whole pack, you can buy in units (tingi system) therefore it's much cheaper!

Social and cultural importance: a place to socialize and meet people, better than staying inside the house, cheaper than hanging out inside Starbucks (the store sells instant coffee too!).

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Come on baby light my fire...

This is cooking rice the old-fashioned way. Smile and giggle included.

The pole is used to stir up the fire. You blow air from your mouth into the pole. You can always use the fan if you hate blowing some "life" into the fire but it's a bit of a trouble since the air is not directed and concentrated onto one area only unlike using the pole. Also, you're sure to get some free face powder from the ashes, not to mention a stiffing arm. So it's better to use the pole.

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Admiring from afar

Either fallen or grown
The leaves cover secrets
And the pedals are shown
We're like a flower
(-free faller)

Engaging, conspicuous, a real head-turner. These perhaps abridge a complete flower. But most certainly, its sweet scent, almost a faint -- completes its true essence. Exactly like this one.

Don’t pick it if you meant to ruin its beauty. We can always admire from afar. That is what we are, "admirers from afar". As they say, for every beauty there is an eye somewhere to see it whether the beauty itself is hidden elsewhere.

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Been raining a lot the past few days. Today, I woke up following the sun streaks.

A beautiful sunset that was mistaken for a dawn

Happiness is a Filipino sunset. It is there for all but most of us look the other way and lose it. Maybe because it’s always within our reach. This one came just at the back of the old house. It always tries to get my attention by bathing my face with its yellow, subtle streaks.

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A muggle shutdown...

I would have guessed that every muggle afficionado have already read the last installment of JK Rowling's Harry Potter after its release in July 21. I claim to be a fan, but I have only finished the 7th book last weekend. I bought the book on a Friday, before I headed to Cinemanila International Festival to see Thailand’s entry, The Unseeable. My professor dismissed us early after an hour of lecture so I decided to see at least one entry film. It was a Friday after all.

When I got home in LB on a Saturday, I told my parents not to bug me for two days as I was going to lock myself up. My mother was in a weary mood. She sometimes hates the words that are coming out from my mouth. I went up to the old house to read. No one lives there, so no one would dare bother me. (There are of course the 'unseeable creatures' but we've become friends and acquiantance already). My sister who was persistent that I purchase the book immediately wanted to borrow it that same week so I decided to finish it in two days. Besides, I hate bringing it back to QC because my backpack (with my dslr and my laundry clothes and bedsheet) was already heavy to bear.

I spent my hours in this window grill, which practically made my ass sore so I needed to change positions and places from time to time. Like the sofa, rocking chair, stairways, etc. I love this window. It feels old and homey. I never noticed the bougainvillea before. My father was of course responsible for it.

The couch was old and dusty, nonetheless soft and comfortable for a long and enduring reading. It made me sleep for awhile.

The rocking chair of course which was so comfortable it made me feel sleepy also. By noon time, I was already behind my schedule. The first few chapters were drills.

And so alas, I made it through the Epilogue. I hate being a spoiler but the last few paragraphs in the photo are least of a give away since this comes after 19 years already. When Harry and Ginny, Ron and Hermione have their own children already. The name Albus Severus didn't seem to be a good combination in my opinion. But I love Snape! I never hated him since the first few books...

My niece wanted to read it next but she's too young to even lift the book. Haha! Her mother would have to steal it away from her using an Elder wand. But then again, I've placed some spells in the book so my niece is protected from her mother. Engorgio!