Secretly

It must have been Bon Ivler's Stacks that first caught my attention, or the playlist where the song used to be a part of. It might have been the pictures of the city we both love (and loathe). Maybe it is our passion for history, our shared cat personality, the joy we get from sunsets and breathtaking urban landscapes, or our intimate knowledge of trivial facts. It is his interests that kept me

Specter

He was sitting at the far end of the table. He was wearing a grey shirt and a pair of jeans I must have held in the past - when he stayed home for sleep-overs. I looked at his direction, briefly, and there he was, drinking his beer while his eyes cast downward. He was browsing his phone.I dropped by, unannounced at the party when a friend asked for intervention. He was having troubles wrestling

Parting Gift

She wakes up in the morning when everyone upstairs is still asleep. As the guardian of the little one, she gets out of the sofa, washes her face, and takes the baby from the sleeping parents. The little tyke closes his eyes before everyone does at night. But his sound slumber doesn't mean the end of her work. Sometimes she stays up until midnight to pacify the tantrums of the older one. Some late

Between Exes

Yet you still value the things you've lost the most. Because the things you've lost are still perfect in your head. They never rusted. They never broke. They are made of the memories you once had, which only grow rosier and brighter, day by day. They are made of the dreams of how wonderful things could have been and must never suffer the indignity of actually still existing. Of being real. Of

Traffic Jam Moment

I was doing some gift wrapping in the living room this morning when my nephew appeared in front of me. In his hands were toy vehicles he took out from the toy box. My nephew carefully arranged the toys on the coffee table to simulate a rush hour traffic. A truck and a bus, longer than his arm lead the queue while plastic cars smaller than his fist line behind. The other half of the table is

Mercedes Benz

W 115The boss drives a red Mercedes Benz W 123 to work. Hailing from the late 70's, the sedan is honored as the best of its time. The boss also has a large poster adjacent to his table. Framed in old wood, and with words Gut Getroffen below the three-pointed star, there is no mistake that the wall decor refers to Karl Benz' early creation.I do not know what other Benz stuff my superior collects.

Happy Little Camper

Eve.The director approved my two-day vacation leave early this week. It will start in a few hours, but the excuse I gave was just a ruse. Sabi ko sa e-mail, "I will attend to some personal things," which he replied "ok" after I gave my assurance that I will still look after my shift. Buti na lang, he didn't pry into the details of my absence. He won't get an honest answer. -After four straight

Into The Barakos

"May gagawin ka? Wanna meet later?" A stocky guy with a headless display picture asked. His invitation filtered through a private message."Yup. I have work, dude."The guy and I got acquainted on Twitter the night before. Ayos lang. I was the one who trailed first so I was grateful for the follow-back. However, things got uneasy when he invited me for coffee. I read his direct message just hours

The Weatherman

3:50 amIt was 2 in the morning when he showed up at the front door. Exhaustion covered his face. His faint smile, soft, crackling voice and sleepy eyes made it look like he had just been pulled from the battlefield. Only hours before Pablo's landfall, he had decided to call it a night. His watch began at twilight the day before, and way past daybreak, he was still sending weather advisories only

Unfair Assessment

A conversation.5. Mugen 23. Nov. 2012 - 04:08by the way, you spoke to the boy?6. X  23. Nov. 2012 - 04:11we're friends. do you know him?7. Mugen 23. Nov. 2012 - 04:13yeah, I owe him an apology.8. X 23. Nov. 2012 - 04:14what for?9. Mugen 23. Nov. 2012 - 04:15For suddenly stopped texting.10. X 23. Nov. 2012 - 04:19why?11. Mugen 23. Nov. 2012 - 04:21He got too close.12. X 23. Nov. 2012 - 04:22too

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

Collateral Damage (Finale)

Previously on Souljacker"So ano ang gagawin mo kapag bigla akong nagtanggal ng damit at tumabi sa iyo?" "Yayakapin kita at hahalikan." I sms-ed back. Earlier, the boy asked what I was doing. I said I'm in bed, writing notes on my journal."Nice... Palaban ka talaga ha?" "Ako pa..." I replied with a naughty emoticon. "Kala mo sa akin, masisindak sa iyo ser?" He went on to create sexy scenes that

Utol

Someday, Baby Lenin will look back and say."Yaaaaaak, I kissed you on the cheek!?!"Your uncle told you so.So that when you both get into trouble, and we're no longer there to fight your battles, you'll know you have no one else to lean to but your brother.

Collateral Damage (Second Part)

Previously on SouljackerThe intense glow of city lights faded as the night passed into daylight. But the early morning lull didn't stop me and the boy from learning the lives we lead behind the skin full and teasing profiles on Romeo's world.He was five years my junior. An only child, who pursued another shot at the academe to chase his dream of becoming a doctor. Wounded, he too was a returning

Collateral Damage (First Part)

He could have been someone worth knowing. A friend, a confidant, a regular drinking buddy that I could one day introduce to the Encantos. Ours is a story like no other, even when our narrative ran like everyone's gay tale.A week ago, Mugen decides to once again taunt the self who still holds control of the body. One click of the mouse button, while floating above the blue skies of Planet Romeo,

Kindred

Pahintulutan mo akong dumapo sa ating tagpuan;doon sa iyong panaginip na lagi mong sambitsa ating paghimbing.Sapagkat ngayong gabi, habang ako ay pumapaibabawsa itim na mantel ng langit;sa kabila ng nagyeyelong damdamin at mgasalitang dinadagang ibulong sa hangin,Pinagmamasdan ko pa rin ang iyong liwanag na yumayapos sa lupaat pikit-matang dumadalangin:Na sanaSa pagsikat ng araw at muling

Compassion

An SMS Conversation:October 27Hello Mugs. Salamat sa pag-allow s akin ng homebased ha malaking tulong sa pakiramdam ng mami ko pag andito ako sa haus dont worry ndi ko naman napapabayan mga trabaho saka alam nman ng mami ko ndi ako pwd istorbohin basta kampante lng cya na andito ako sa haus.Masaya na ako na nakikita mo siya habang nagwowork ka. You owe your team mates part of the credit as

Fortitude

You may call it an affair - I mean, me and my plants. I water them late at night. When no one would catch my Martha Stewart humming, as steady drops of water go on a free-fall from my window. It is a matter of self-sacrifice as well. The pots keep the same window from getting shut. So when rain passes and a shear blows water towards my room's direction, it can soak everything - including the

In Transit

"At talagang kinunan mo ng picture ha?"I said while we stood at the bend, on a bridge gutting out of the reclaimed land. In front of us was the other face of the famed bay, seldom seen in postcards but breathtaking and inspiring nonetheless. To the fisher folks who live in ramshackle houses, the bay remains a fulcrum in their see-saw lives. They flocked its shores to mark the passing of another

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