Friday, September 19, 2008

Unloved

I wrote this poem a year ago... and I can't believe that it's been more than a year since that day... since that lonesome day... I never thought I would be able to compose something like this. But, of course, when you had a broken heart, all the emotions just spill out. And you will be able to do a lot of things that you never thought you could.

Unloved
by: Firestarter
No more sweetness, no more pain
No more heartaches, no more shame
No more love to cross my mind
I cross my heart til end of time
I vow to side on what is safe
And avoid this love that I so crave
I pray not to be led by my heart
For it feel so bad when it's torn apart
A broken heart, that's what I own
That can never be mended by a broken song
A broken promise is all that's left
Please take away all the pain I kept
I cried a river, even a sea
But all my tears still can't drown me
I see your face and I see the love
That can only be mine, maybe... in another lifetime.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

LIL: Liquor Is Life

Warning: If you are under 18 years of age and not allowed to take alcoholic beverages, please do not continue reading for you may be encouraged to try them... and start loving them. You have been warned!

When was the first time I have tasted one of the most enticing things in life?

Ah, I remember now. It was an ordinary August night in a simple little town. I was on my second year of high school then, when I had first tasted one of the best things life has to offer... alcoholic drinks.

Ah, yes. We were young back then. A group of 12-, 13-year olds. Puberty has started to kick in and we are very eager to try out some of the things that are forbidden.

It was in that August night, when our group decided to purchase the first fermented beverage that will bring a very unusual, yet, extravagant sensation to my palate.

Being in a very small town in the province and being sons and daughters of common folks, we are delighted by the simplest of things. Also, we can only afford the simplest of things. Our group dedided to go to the nearby 24-hour convenience store and buy a bottle of alcoholic beverage that our money, combined, can afford. We bought "Lambanog", bubble gum flavor, and we bought two bottles of it. Lambanog is a wine native to the Philippines. It's a very strong wine, yet, we did not dare have the pure one. We settled buying the flavored one, for we know that we're not accustomed to the taste of alcohol. The flavored one is very light, but it still possesses some of the spirit of the pure Lambanog. After finishing the two bottles, we all agreed... that it was one of the finest moments in our life. And so it begins...

Then, I tried beer. Ah, beer... nothing beats the classic. Beer. At first, I did not like its taste. It's bitter, and quite unpleasant. But as time passed by, as I grew accustomed to its flavor, beer has become an ordinary drink with an exquisite feel for me. A lot of my female companions do not understand the exciting taste and feeling that this drink gives. They do not understand the delight that beer delivers. I can't blame them. For you see, beer doesn't have the same charisma to girls as it has to boys.

There are different brands of this malt beverage, local and international, with prices ranging from a mere 20 pesos to 200 pesos a bottle. There are also different amounts of alcohol in different brands. There are light, ordinary, strong, and very strong. I don't like the light ones. I guess they just don't have enough alcohol in them to satisfy my thirst. I usually have the ordinary and the strong ones. They're just, perfect. Just recently, I have tasted Leffe, sold for more or less 200 pesos a bottle. It was very smooth. So smooth that when it reaches your stomach it delivers a tingling sensation to your core. I've tasted this wonderful beer because of Joy, Raz, Augs, and Don. Kudos to you!

Next... brandy and tequila. I completed my college years in a school mostly inhabited by the male species. And as everybody knows, where boys go, alcohol will follow. I have been to different occasions where beer is overflowing. A bottle here, a pitcher there, a barrel here, a keg there. Oh what a sight. But, it was not enough. Our thirst for alcohol is insatiable. We wanted more. And so, we bought four bottles of brandy.

In our native gatherings, when a hard drink is being consumed, a ritual is conducted. The "Tagay". All of us gathered around in a circle, and using a single shot glass, and another glass for the chaser, the bottles of brandy fell. The succeeding sessions were never complete without the bottles of brandy and the ritual. Then, the brandy wasn't enough. And so, tequila was brought to our attention. We emptied bottles of tequila the same way we did the bottles of brandy. Only this time, instead of a glass of chaser, salt and a sour fruit are its pair. And so it goes, and so it continued...

Wine has also been part of our alcoholic diet. However, we did not consume wine the way we consumed brandy and tequila. It was reserved for a bit formal occasion. I never liked the taste of white wine. The red wine, on the other hand, is the one I favored more. Its rich taste complements the taste of cooked meat, especially, steaks.

When we felt that we are ready to try something new, scotch came to us. Johnnie Walker, red and black label. Ah, one of the best we ever had. Fantastic drink, scotch is. Strong, aromatic, and simply, heavenly. Just like the wine, scotch is also reserved for special occasions, for we could not afford a bottle every now and then.

After my college years, it was the dawn of vodka and the shooters. Vodka instantly became my favorite of all alcoholic drinks. I fell in love with its taste. It's wonderful. I never tasted any fermented beverage as good as Vodka. As compared to scotch, I can afford to have the delightful taste of Vodka whenever I want. Then came the shooters. Shooters are more like a combination of different alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks in one small shot glass. I've known the Screaming Orgasm, Slippery Nipple, Blowjob, and Brain Hemorrhage. Though their names are quite unusual, their tastes live up to those names. Added to their unique names is a variety on which you can enjoy them. Flaming shooters! You could take them through the shot glass itself or through a straw. I was not able to experience the flaming shooter through the glass itself, but I did enjoy taking the flaming shooter through a straw. Usually, a single shooter, costs roughly 150 to 250 pesos depending on which type.

As the years go by, I have been introduced to different alcoholic beverages, martini, margarita, and more. I have also been exposed to their different brands, each having its distinctive taste. I have tried much, and I will try more... and this I will tell you... I will love and cherish every moment of each shot of hard drinks... I will love and cherish every moment of each bottle of beer.

To those who love liquors... Cheers!!! To those who don't love liquors... DROOL YOU SOCIAL OUTCASTS!!! Ha ha ha ha ha...

Sunday, September 7, 2008

The Sun Sign... Leo

Being six thousand miles away from home really takes a toll out of anyone, especially if you have very limited budget. It makes you do stuff that you don't normally do. Like me, I don't like to write or blog. But look at me now, writing my second post a minute after I published my first post. Fantastic, isn't it?

Having not much to do, I turned to my laptop and browse through my friendster account. You can add me to your list of friends. Just search for lovo_empire@yahoo.com. Anyways, since I have nothing to do on a saturday night, I read all the comments and testimonials left by my friends for me. While reading, I came across one short comment from a long-time friend. I'm not gonna say that it's from Kathleen "Kate" Tosco. No, I'm not gonna say that.

Her comment was something that is really, really special. Why? Because, I can't believe that after more than ten years, she still remembers those stuffs that we did together. Maybe she has a crush on me, huh? Just kidding Kate... Going back... she said, that I used to show off my canine teeth because I dream of being a vampire. It was quite shocking because I did do that way back then and I did dream of being a vampire. I still do... Vampires are like my favorite creatures of the night. That's why I love Ann Rice's collection. She also mentioned that we used to draw something on our pad papers after copying the notes on the chalkboard. I was really amazed. We used to do that. And the one thing that really made me smile was that she still remembers that I was born under "THE SUN SIGN, LEO". She said that I was a Leo stereotype... and, I really am.

A typical Leo. Yes, I am. Ambitious, dominant, independent, bossy, and pompous (I would say arrogant, but pompous sounds a little better). Leo, being the sign of the sun, being the king of the beasts, is born to lead. According to http://www.astrology-online.com/, Leonians (as what we are called in that website), are born leaders with a strong personal magnetism and innate courtesy of mind being able to bring out the best of loyalty from subordinates. Personally, I would call it charisma but that would be too much. Hahahaha. A lot of my friends say that I do have quite a personality. I am used to leading people, in projects, activities,assignments, plays, teams, committees, etc (I love that word, etcetera.).

Ambitious. Affirmative. Suffice to say, I do have a lot of ambitions far greater than anyone I know. I wanted more out of life. I wanted to have everything and anything that my heart desires. I want to reach farther than anyone else has. I want to be Somebody, not just anybody who'll never be a great part of this world's history.

Dominant. Definitely. I wanted to be on top. I don't want to be bossed around. Especially not by those who have no right to boss me around. I want to be in control.

Independent. I am. I can live by my own. I can do things on my own. I can solve problems on my own. I can deal with problems on my own.

Bossy. Bulls-eye. I am the top guy. In my dominion, what I say, goes.

Pompous. Positively. I am arrogant by nature. Haughty, self-centered, proud, and egomaniacal. If you want to hurt me, strike me where it hurts the most... my ego. If you want to please me, feed what is most hungry in me... my ego.

So, I say to you... Hear my voice for I am a Leo. Heed my words for I am a Leo. Kneel before me for I am a Leo.... OOOOKKKK, this is way getting over my head. It's a bit too much. Kneeling, come on... bowing will do ha ha ha ha... Just kidding.

Why I Hate Birds

One of the things that makes me different from most people is my unconditional fear of birds. Yes, birds, those creatures with beaks, wings, and feathers. And yes, it's weird. Why do I call it unconditional? Because, regardless of what type of birds, whether small, medium, large, chickens, chicks, ducks, eagles, peacocks, doves, love birds, parrots, cockatoos, turkeys, ostriches, emus, penguins, stuffed, alive, dying, flying, swimming, whatever, I don't like them. Period.

I've been teased a lot lately because of that fear. Some actually laughed really hard because of it. And I've also been asked numerous times as to why am I so damn scared of birds. Of all creatures, why birds?

There have been many speculations that tried to explain my fear of birds. One said that I might have been pecked when I was a kid. Another said that I might have had a pet bird that I love so much that flew away. Someone said that a flock of birds might have chased me. Well, to answer that million dollar question, read on...

First of, let me tell you what I think of phobia. Phobia is a condition of extreme fear of something, whatever that something is.

I categorize phobia into two: psychological phobia and physical phobia. Yes, I just made up those two terms. Weren't you paying attention? I said "I categorize". I didn't say I read it in a book or got it from an expert... sheesh. Anyways, physical phobia is based on a person's experience. A person might have had a very nasty experience about something that led to the development of a phobia. For example, a person may have an extreme fear of blood because that person may have witnessed a bloody death of a loved one (like Tsunade Sama of Naruto). A person may develop claustrophobia (fear of enclosed and narrow spaces) because that person might have fallen into a well when he was a kid and had something like a near-death experience (like Robert Langdon of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code). Psychological phobia, on the other hand, does not require having a bad experience of something. It could be as simple as being creeped out of something, like mice and spiders. A lot of people are so afraid of mice and/or spiders not because they've been bitten by mice and/or spiders but because mice and/or spiders creep them out. And that is exactly what I feel about birds. They creep me out... a lot.

I don't like their wings. I don't like their feathers. I don't like their big round eyes. I don't like their beaks. I don't like their feet. And I most certainly don't like the fact that there are millions of them in this planet (No offense to all bird-lovers, environmentalists, ecological scientists, nature lovers, bird-breeders, and so on and so forth). They are so icky, freaky, creepy, nasty, disgusting (I ran out of adjectives) creatures. Don't get me wrong, I do eat chickens... as long as they're fried or roasted or whatever type of dish you can come up with chickens, and as long as they don't have their heads and feet with them. I could also touch feather dusters. What I could not stand is if it already resembles an anatomically complete bird. They (birds) really creep me out.

Happy with my explanation? Of course you are... So, whenever you see me or whenever you're planning something to surprise me, here are some big No-No's: Aviaries, Stuffed Birds, Bird Figurines, Pictures of Birds, Videos of Birds, Petting Zoos with Birds, Actual Birds, and/or anything that closely resembles a bird. Got it? Good.

Well, got to go. I have to plot my revenge on my officemates who placed a creepy Kiwi decoration on top of my workstation and on top of my seat... Vengeance!!!