09.10.07
2007 September
"Not a Day Without a Line"
The Daily Pliny
will be an attempt to discipline my writing
habits the Older Pliny way.
As you may have surmised, the title is
a nutty variant of The Daily Planet.
Until I reach another inevitable writing fermata,
I shall do my best to update this post everyday.
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September 14, 2007
General cleaning. Achoo!
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September 13, 2007
One of today’s happiness…
was chatting with Franz. =)
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September 12, 2007
Not a Photograph
You are not a photograph,
Not an infantile idea of eternal youth.
You will grow old, too.
You are not a photograph.
I cannot show you off,
Despite the times I’m tempted to.
You are not a photograph.
You have ideas.
Rare, yet symbiotic with mine.
You are not a photograph,
And I cannot add a caption.
No, not even a line.
You are not a photograph.
You cannot be kept under my pillow,
Lest you suffocate.
You are not a photograph.
You are most real,
And a lonely wall is not your fate.
You are not a photograph,
Obliged to forever don a smile.
You are allowed to cry.
You are not a photograph.
You move and breathe.
On you I can’t constantly keep an eye.
You are not a photograph.
Not an object,
that you should merely be an icon of reassurance.
You are not a photograph.
Although at flimsy intervals I wish you were
So I could hold you in a glance.
But you are not a photograph
Meant to be possessed,
Or be displayed.
You are not a photograph,
You are not a photograph,
And you will nevermore fade…
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Not a Photograph
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September 11, 2007
Schizophrenia
Hear ye, hear ye! I
have discovered another genesis of schizophrenia or MPD! It is called “boyfriend.” Now, this may not be pertinent to everyone,
but I have observed that many girls fashion a different personality around
their boyfriends - a very deviating personality from the one they were naturally
born with. Observe. Take a look around you.
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September 10, 2007
Bach with the Guitar
Transposing Bach after cleaning the bathroom.
Hehe I am living my life. Are you living yours? =P
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Playhouse
Remember how we used to pile pillows, hang blankets over our
heads, or dwell under any four-post furniture for hours just to imagine and create
playhouses? Yes, there was a time in our
lives when everyone was so eager about order and “chores.” I even recall arguments over who gets to cook
or who gets to sweep and scrub the floor, who gets to be the “mama” or who gets
to do the groceries.
Then something inevitable happens… we grow up… and as adults,
we suddenly lose that eagerness towards household tasks… and I’m wondering why…
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September 9, 2007
Loving Demian
"Indeed the time seems even longer, so much has happened meanwhile…
far removed from each other in space, so far that at times no
communication was possible, yet always together, always in each other’s
thoughts. Our paths in general take clearly separate courses through
the land of spirit, at a formal distance one from the other. And yet in
some sense the course is the same, in some sense we are indeed fellow
pilgrims…"
Thomas Mann’s introduction to Herman Hesse’s Demian. Loving Demian.
Loving Hesse. Loving the person who gave me the book. Missing him just
as much.
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Happy Birthday, Tolstoy!
Count Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy
(Leo Tolstoy 1828-1910)
One of MY Russians.
“A writer is dear and necessary for us only in the measure of which he reveals to us the inner workings of his very soul.”
“Art is not a handicraft, it is the transmission of feeling the artist has experienced.”
“Woman, you see, is an object of such a kind that study it as much as you will, it is always quite new.”
“Don’t seek God in temples. He is close to you. He is
within you. Only you should surrender to Him and you will rise above
happiness and unhappiness.”
“If you want to be happy, be.”
“All, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love.”
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September 8, 2007
Aroma Therapy
“Humota nimu ma’am uy,”
a voice said from behind.
I turned around ready to reduce whoever it was to kebabs
with a skewing stare.
“Gwapa pa
jud,” he added,
and went away with an adoring smile and a hint of a bow.
Not ogling, nor mocking. No sign of disrespect.
It was a simple smile of admiration…and
this time I wasn’t annoyed. In fact, I
even relished his remarks because I found them devoid of vile
intentions. It’s normal for a man to pay attention to any woman on the
street –
but rarely in such a decent way.
If only everyone could look at strangers on the street that way and utter
a line of sincere admiration for each other’s qualities… the world would be a
less hostile place. Yet, how is that possible when most of us are incapable of appreciating even our own acquaintances?
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September 7, 2007
Lizard Tails & Human Hearts
Before anything else, let me declare that I am not about to
divulge an arcane concoction for witches’ brew, even though this entry may be a trifle
too graphic for some.
I was just gazing at a lizard infested galaxy – our ceiling
– and no, it’s not as bad as you think it is. Anyway, there was a lizard with an odd tail that was slightly
zigzagged on one side. Instinctively, I
knew that this particular lizard lost its original tail and had grown a new
one. Perhaps he lost it in a fight for
the lizard-girl he loved, or maybe a naughty little boy simply found pleasure
in detaching the tail and watched with glee as the tail wriggled a few inches
away from the lizard’s body like a completely new creature with a bloody head. Who knows what caused it… but with two
brothers around, I have my suspicions. Hah!
Gory, huh? But having a tendency of connecting thoughts
strangely, this prompted me to think of human hearts. Sometimes, we lose our
hearts to pain in the event of fighting for someone we love, or simply because
a person had cruel delight in torturing it… but it grows back. It will bleed…
and it could get ugly at times…but it grows back… it may be slightly zigzagged
on one side… but it always grows back…
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Several friends were surprised with this information.
For those who were shocked that lizards have this ability, this manner of tail
regeneration is called "autotomy." Not all lizards are capable
of this, but the common tropical species in our house are. While studies
prove that having their tails detached do not endanger their lives, this
process is still said to be extremely traumatic for them.
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Lizard Tails and Human Hearts
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September 6, 2007
Friendster
Friendster… this extraordinary abode of acquaintances,
friends - fake and true,
a birthplace of love - real and unreal, a habitat for
scandal and inspiration, a nest of profundity and sciolism, flummery and wit, and
a melting pot for every peculiar character. Dear me!
It sounds just like the real world!
Three highly esteemed people in my life have abandoned or
eliminated their Friendster accounts, and there are times when I admit of
considering the same decision.
Yet, whenever I take a peek inside this microcosm, I see
Franz – a constant sharer of who I am,
Reji – an immutable uplifter of spirits,
Tonet – a sweet soul,
Mae – a loyal friend,
Vinz – a wonderful mnemonic of childhood,
MarieVic – a stinkin’ thinkin’ spinster like myself
(although superior in the thinkin’ sense),
Michelle (strangefits) – a partaker of my life,
Ohna – a person who considers me,
Gilmarck – who cares to look my way from up above and not
down under,
and I’ll include Nigell – who unceasingly brings out the
biggest laugh in me,
and a myriad of friends who are far away from me in the
real world but are capable of touching my heart through this community.
The moment I see these people, I say, “If I can have them in
two worlds, why settle with one?”
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September 5, 2007
Obloquy
Every time I
use that word, I raise eyebrows or am demanded a definition. A simpleton like me wouldn’t have started
utilizing such a term if not for the wonderful vocabulary lessons that John
Fowles provides betwixt intricate narratives.
Nevertheless, I chanced upon a story that portrays two
people in a state of obloquy. I’ll just
summarize the tale.
There was a man who had a girlfriend. Unfortunately, a communication fracture came
upon them when the girlfriend had to live somewhere else. Of course, the silence made the man think
their relationship was over.
At the same time, there was also a woman who was going
through a heartbreaking experience as she watched the man she loved stray from
her.
These two met – the man and woman. When finally they realized that having each
other was enough to forget their former throes, they fell in love.
All of a sudden, the girlfriend resurfaced in the man’s life
and the woman found out that there was no formal break-up, and that the man was
still officially committed to the girlfriend.
This is where obloquy comes in. The woman’s
friends thought evil of the man for deceiving the woman while the
girlfriend and her friends thought it loathsome of the woman to steal
her boyfriend.
Even though the woman did not deem it as deceit, and the man
never considered himself being stolen, the public never bothered to investigate
the intentions and feelings of both, thus leaving the man and woman in a state
of obloquy.
This is obloquy – the condition of being generally
ill-spoken of.
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September 4, 2007
Across the Universe
Despite being across islands and seas, Franz is still
capable of involving me in another craze. Beatlemania? Perhaps. Last night he told me about this upcoming musical, Across the Universe, that features Beatles songs. That caused us to rummage through YouTube for
trailers and clips.
Along with the previews that won me over, here’s what I
found out:
It is a musical directed by Julie Taymor (director of Frida and Titus). It will be accentuated with 30 Beatles songs. Set on the 1960’s, it tells the story of Jude
- an Englishman and an artist who travels to America. There he befriends Max and falls in love with Max’s sister, Lucy. The premiere is set on the 28th of this month – and
yes, much too far away!
Quoted from an anonymous writer, “Across The Universe is an original musical film - a fictional love
story set in the 1960s amid the turbulent years of anti-war protest, the
struggle for free speech and civil rights, mind exploration and rock and roll.
At once gritty, whimsical and highly theatrical, the story moves from high
schools and universities in Massachusetts, Princeton and Ohio to the Lower East
Side of Manhattan, the Detroit riots, Vietnam and the dockyards of Liverpool. A
combination of live action and painted and three-dimensional animation, the
film is paired with many Beatles songs that defined the time.”
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September 3, 2007
Wringer
“You make me want to be a better person,”
or “You made me a
better person.”
I’m musing over these phrases.
They are bromides in wooing and
amongst
lovers – sweet clichés, nevertheless.
I’m wondering… do the majority of people
who say these lines
remain better beings
even when the particular person they’ve addressed went out of their lives?
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September 2, 2007
Thoughts of Strings
Thanks
to Haidee, I am currently absorbed in another issue of Strings
Magazine. "Slava" is in here! Ah, I skim across the faces of Sol
Gabetta, Baiba Skride, Ilya Kaler, Sarah Chang, Anne-Sophie Mutter…
ohhhh… and a recovered Strad in Vienna! Not to mention a prolix list
of music conservatories and universities… hmmmm… dream on, Meewa.
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September 1, 2007
Strings of Thought
Last night I liberated the guitar from its dusty corner. Somehow
I had the urge to pluck on its strings because a certain piece kept strumming
repeatedly on my mind. I had not paid attention to this guitar in months – or
perhaps years. The aftermath of this impulse?
Fingertip sores.
Maybe I was subconsciously aware that this would happen… but
I allowed myself to be in subjection to the music on my mind and that unstoppable
driving obsession to make music.
It’s much like laughing until your sides ache.
It’s a lot like falling in love…
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Strings of Thought
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