I’m really looking forward to watching “A Hard Day’s Night”!

Grabe. The Beatles’ songs were the staples I heard as a child between the age of 6 - 12, sung by older cousins, uncles, and aunts while hanging out at the cool wood-and-bamboo waiting sheds that dotted the small mountain barrio of Catmon, St. Bernard, Southern Leyte.

I would sigh with envy as the sound of their voices floated to our house - they were old enough to be allowed to stay out later than 8 pm (my Leyte curfew then), and chat, play the guitar, and sing to the stars.

I’d hear the sounds of laughter, the first few soft strains of a guitar, and then a clear, plaintive voice going up to heaven with these lyrics:

“Yestirdiii
Ol my trabols sim so par awiii
Now it luks as dow der here to stiii
Owai bilib in yestirdiii…”

The lone voice would sing through the song’s stanzas until others joined in a swelling chorus:

“Waiii she had to gu
I dunt nu
She wouldn’t siii

I did
Sumting wrong
Naway luung
For yestirdii - iii - iii”

Those were the great old days, when the dollar was less the P20, and “Hotel California” was, to my young mind, the only tape my cousins ever played inside our fire-engine-red jeep (jeepy? jiffy? I never could figure out what it’s called).

Yes, indeed, those wonderful days seem to have been just yestirdi…er, yesterday.

Posted under Navel-Gazing

My personal recipe for the fine art of staring into space, in 10 easy steps.

Ingredients:
1 nice cool morning
1 medium-sized room with walls
1 kettle for heating water
1 mug
1 tea bag (I find Jasmine tea very nice)
1 table
1 chair

Procedure:
1. Wake up and open eyes really s-l-o-o-o-w-l-y…
2. Decide that it is not yet really time to wake up, and doze off again…
3. Open eyes again, and jump out of bed, thinking that it must be midmorning.
4. Check celfone for time. Check wristwatch beside celfone to verify time. Sigh in relief.
5. Heat water. Lie down on bed again while waiting for water to boil.
6. Once water boils, pour into mug.
7. Drop tea bag into mug.
8. Place mug on table. Sit on chair beside table. Inhale the refreshing scent of hot jasmine tea.
9. Stare at a point on the wall.
10. Continue to stare until the wall blurs, and the room blurs, and there is only you and the scent of jasmine tea.

Posted under Navel-Gazing