Speculations

"Let's make a story," I told Darfie. He was downing his third bottle of Tanduay Ice when O-Bar's show girls took the small stage."Once upon a time, when O-Bar Ortigas was just an experiment - a doomed experiment I used to say." I paused to watch a tranny lip sync a Rihanna anthem. "These ladies were asked if they like to be assigned there." "Or they'll stick with O-Malate."At that time, every gay

Every Vice Has A Price

O Bar, OrtigasStrange how stage lights and full-blast speakers take your life a little, and yet, when mixed with high doses of booze and unnumbered sticks of nicotine, they keep you going when smoke-screened nights become a bitter aftertaste.Do it again and again, and in no time your words will be laced with electronic dance music that speaks nothing but the emptiness that comes after a feel-good

An Angry God

"Hala ka, magagalit si Papa God niyan!" An elder used to say to make us behave when we were kids. The warning always worked, as it reinforces the belief of a higher being, more supreme than the adults who used to take hold of our lives.It is an instinctive response that never fails to sway blind obedience, as each generation gets to know the Almighty by his wrath. How unfortunate that those more

Noises From The Blue Planet

Headline. n. a 200-character online status which features heavily on dating websites like Planet Romeo. Headlines appear with the profiles of members on the site's search results. Mainly used to draw attention or sum a person's state of mind, (for those who don't bother to read personal descriptions) a sharp observer can sketch impressions simply by reading them.For those who are good with ice

Shades of Lust

I was waiting for a new-found friend to go online - there - when a kid sent me a private message."Where in Santa Mesa?"A polite question required a polite answer."Near Altura. Ikaw?"He gave his location and because of the affable tone of our exchange, the conversation went on. We traded face pictures, asked what we're doing on Romeo's World (said I was listening to my mp3s at the moment) and when

The Clicktivist

I don't mind the hacktivists taking over government websites. After all, their intentions are clear. They are sending a message the netizens approve. There too, is a pattern to their incursions. They take over websites at past midnight, and the portals they assault - like the Bangko Sentral and the IPO hardly affect the lives of ordinary people. I am so amazed of their advocacy that I "liked"

Anonymous

"The Philippine Government has just passed a bill that effectively ends the Freedom of Expression in the Philippines," the message read."But some parts of the bill basically says it can imprison anyone who commits libel either by written messages, comments, blogs or posts in sites such as Facebook, Twitter or any other comment spaces of other social media in the Internet."To make a stand has yet

Kind and Generous

I can be very nice to people.Despite my tendency to be aloof, I can be very accommodating to those who see beyond the impression. I can bend rules if reasons justify. And I can be very patient, when it comes to loved ones, to colleagues, or to fellow travelers who got heavy burdens to carry on their back.I try to be considerate and non-confrontational. I won't raise issues and shake

Good Vibes

I went to Katipunan to shake off these pallid thoughts. I succeeded, for a moment, because the memory of the monasterio fills me with unmistakable joy. Then off I went to the bank, to let the two week's worth of salary sink into my savings account. And then at last. For the very reason I left the house this afternoon, I went to Trinoma to buy a present for my godson. He will join the flock this

Just Plain Stupid

If I were earning - say - a hundred thousand pesos a month. And I get to keep the money all to myself, there is no doubt I will spend a portion of it for home improvement at Muji.I have been to their store - twice - with my partner. One is in Greenbelt, and the other in Rockwell. They sell stuff ranging from hangers to bookshelves and pillows. Their line of products are all imported from Japan.

Dream Of Stars

"It is their fate to fail." Chan Cho said while sipping a small bowl of omija cha. He was kneeling in front of a small writing desk with his eyes closed when Park Hyeung arrived."How do you know?""A young bird will never fly long without his mother around." The old man said. "Ask where our brothers to the north learned to send firecrackers flying to the moon?""From the west?" Chan Cho smiled."A

Pain

Trees ready to be cut down in SM BaguioAsk not, why cities simmer; lowlands get flooded and why people die when mud tumbles down from the mountain. Whine as long as we want about the hellish weather or the insane monsoon, but the thing that keeps the ground cooled and the earth from churning is the very thing we cut down with impunity. The next time the planet strikes back, I'd embrace the pain

The Uninformed

A few minutes ago, a credit investigator from China Bank dropped by the office. He explained that he will conduct a background check. An ex-colleague applied for a car loan. Instructors were already given days before by the said employee and a spiel has been made. If I'm not mistaken, the ex-colleague didn't speak to me directly. Being the only officer who meets with the director to discuss

Bipolar

It was raining yesterdaywhile it was scorching hot the other day.The weather bureau said it was the hotteston record this year.Daybreaks are chillyHad to turn off the fan and cover myself with a blanket.And when I woke up a while ago,the sun was up. And it hints of another polarity again.So it is no surprise that a lot of people at work got sickAnd I too had a near miss.It's the weather, I saytoo

Peace In Our Time

Disclaimer: A reply to Shane's letter to Manila Gay Guy.A year before my homosexual urges were recognized, a group of curious and closeted men banded together on MIRC. At a time when there was no real concept of "straight-acting gay men," they drew the line between the effeminates and masculines. The common belief then was that the effeminates turn discreets into fairies, and the only way to stop

Tolerance

A museum official said that a group of five to six men stormed into the building twice, deliberately targeted the Buddhist relics and ruins of monasteries exhibited in the pre- Islamic collection, destroying most items 'beyond repair'.According to a source, a coral stone head of Lord Buddha, an 11th century piece recovered from Thoddoo in Alifu Atoll, was smashed up by the attackers, one of the

Protocols Of First Contact

pexer: hi bro. just wanna make friends. is it okay?Instincts tell that I should refrain from entertaining such kind of proposals. Not because I don't intend to make friends, but because the approach is inappropriate. The intention seems dubious since the first thing I would ask is how did he know me? What piqued his interest?If I were to make friends, say for example in Pinoyexchange, I'd engage

Killing Marquis De Sade

It was perversion of epic proportions.A young couple possessed with boundless lust had decided to videotape themselves in their moment of heat. For posterity perhaps, or even maybe to fulfill their juvenile fantasies of playing the role of adult entertainment celebrities. The setting is in the bathroom. The pretty lady faces sideways in front of the mirror as her lover, her knight in shining

Insensitive

Most certainly, the mood wouldn't be this festiveif the deluge happened in Imperial Manila.For the first time,I am beginning to question the leaderI voted into office.

Hoarder

I will not deny that I sometimes see my house like this:Yes, a little close to that.Unfortunately, I am in a rush since it is time for my general cleaning tradition.Stories can wait for another time.I just want to tell that if there is one soul who has the audacity to draw the line, it's me. And the more trash the hoarders bring, they can expect a reaction so brutal that thoughts of