Writer’s Block

I have been waiting for it to happen and it came to like a self-fulfilling prophecy. I’ve experienced the so-called writer’s block. Depression and distress does take toll on productivity.

And so to end this nothingness, I present to you this poem on the topic of writer’s block albeit with a bit of revenge.

Sinabi ng papel sa panulat:
walang kathang mabubuo;
salita’y kalat kalat;
isipa’y buhol buhol;
kawala’y itatakwil.

Sinabi ng panulat sa papel:
Tinta’t guhit ay kathang
kalat kalat na salita.
Buhol buhol na isipa’y
itinatakwil na kawalan.

2:04 AM 7/14/2006

Mrs. Byrne’s Dictionary

If you believe that you have a deep vocabulary (and if you are ready for a humbling experience), then I urge you to try to define at least 5 of the 26 words contained here. According to Mrs. Bryne, “…English isn’t much of a language for swearing.” This is quite intriguing. Can languages really offer accurate accounts on the characteristics of its collective users?

Another insight, this time on the Filipino language, can be found in the latest Lonely Planet Philippines book. Chris Rowthorn describes the Filipinos based on the absence of English-word equivalents in Philippine dialects:

“Filipinos speak some 70 dialects, yet in none of them are the words for depression, anxiety, anguish or even boredom.”–”The Happiest People on Earth.”

Can this be accurate or even be possible? Isn’t it that depression, anxiety, anguish and boredom are universal experiences of humanity? Could it be that Filipinos just avoid talking about these experiences?

All in all, Mrs. Bryne’s Dictionary is a good find and it would make a fine addition to my home library. I’m adding this to my wish list.

Tirang Adobo (Revision 1)

Many thanks to Jenn’s comments, I present to you my first revision of “Tirang Adobo”:

Akin na lang ang tirang
adobo at supot ng
kaning bahaw. Ang limang
anak ay nag-aabang.

2:47 AM 7/4/2006

English translation:

Spare me this left-over
adobo and parcel of
stale rice. My five
children are waiting.

Playwriting 101

I found this interesting site about playwriting. I'll write a play someday.

A Tribute To My Camera

I wrote this today while commuting to work. It is a tribute to my much appreciated digital camera.

A Tribute To My Camera

Dumb old camera, you cannot zoom!
  For enough pictures, there is no room!

Sorry my dear, the image is queer
  when the cat ran away with a peer.

If a great picture lies,
  the battery dies!

Thus, I must bid you goodbye.

10:10 AM 6/26/2006

On The Death Penalty

Here’s another tanaga now directed at current affairs:

Ang parusa na higit
Kamataya’y ginupit
Sa kasalanang bitbit
Buhay walang kapalit

1:00 AM 6/26/2006 (Last Saturday, June 24, 2006, the president signed act Republic Act 9346 abolishing the death penalty)

Godot Where Is You?

Last Sunday, I had a chance to watch an act of Samuel Beckett's Filipino adoptation of Waiting for Godot (courtesy of Grace and AF). The play is part of the Virgin Labfest 2 (Untried, Undested, Unpublished, Unstaged Works) at the Tanghalang Huseng Batute at CCP.

To quote one of the postcard they handed out as invitations, the play is a "… philosophical masterpiece about the senselessness (or purposefulness) of human existence."

Waiting for Godot was first published in French and translated by the author himself into English. The Filipino adoptation is enjoyable complete with Filipino street slang!

The play will run under the following dates:

• Sep 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23, 29, 30, 2006 at 8:00 PM
• Sep 9, 20, 16, 17, 23, 24, 30, Oct 1, 2006 at 3:00 PM

If you are interested in reading the English script you can find them here:

• Waiting for Godot – Act 1
• Waiting for Godot – Act 2

You can also download the complete script in Filipino (translated by Rolando Tinio) from CCP's website here.

You should watch the play on stage! The cast were very effective in their respective roles and each rendered a very solid performance.

Here's a picture of my friends and I with some of the cast:

Finally, here's a tip: If you plan to watch several plays this theater season, then you should consider getting a subscription where you can watch 4 plays for the price of 3.

Tirang Adobo

Okay, I thought I'm done for today. But wait! My notebook tells me, "Shouldn't you write one of those tanaga that you recently discovered?" And I responded, "Oh yeah! Darn, you're right!"

To those of you wondering what a tanaga is, please refer to the following websites:

• Buhayin ang Tanaga!
• Wikipedia – Tanaga

Let me quote the following from Buhayin ang Tanaga:

The tanaga is a type of short Filipino poem, consisting of four lines with seven syllables each with the same rhyme at the end of each line – that is to say a 7777 syllable form, with an AAAA rhyme pattern. It's almost a dying art!

Why should we let something as beautiful as a tanaga die? So, here it is, my first tanaga poem.

Tirang Adobo

Akin na lang ang tirang
adobo na may bawang
at kaning bahaw. Pitong
anak ay nag-aabang.

9:20 PM 6/24/2006

To those of you who don't speak Tagalog, here is an English translation:

Spare me this left-over
adobo with garlic
and stale rice. My seven
children are waiting.

I just thought I'd write about social issues like poverty, malnutrition, diet, food supply and family planning. My inspiration for this one is an imaginary beggar asking a carinderia attendant/owner for left-over food before the store closes so that the beggar can bring food to her family. I alternately imagined the beggar to be male then female before finally deciding that the beggar is female. It does'nt really matter.

So much drama, eh? Here are the lesser dramatic facts:

1. There is a carinderia at the end of our street where I pass daily going to work.
2. There is a unique old lady beggar who wakes up the entire neighborhood every morning by her loud swearing in order to get attention. She never fails to wake me up.
3. Cooking adobo is easy. Click here to learn.

Battling the Fall

Today, I had the luxury of lying in bed all day! I thought I won't write today but I felt restless not being able to write! I have so many concepts and topics in mind and I couldn't resist my pen and paper. A voice in my head tells me to write at least one poem a day! A bit demanding but I believe this is doable especially now that I'm enjoing it.

Thus, I find myself counting syllables and finding rhymes at any idle moment. I have renewed appreciation for my little notebook and my pencil.

This time, I'm taking a break from writing haiku-poems. This poem in particular is very close to real-life events. My friend has a rare muscle condition that has similar characteristics to aging people. The medical field as we know it today does not have an answer yet 1. as to the origin of my friend's condition and 2. the cure.

This is for you my Erwin. I hope you continue to strive on despite the difficulties. You can expect my prayer and moral support to be always with you.

Battling the Fall

My friend tripped by the sidewalk
in blood-drenched lips sustaining
minor bruises.

One grave day he fell once
more: tooth broken, blood spilling
and unconscious.

By the road – you guessed it right -
he fell again with lesser
might leaving only scratches.

Though muscles fail, his mind is
firm in stern resolve to rise
from every fall.

8:10 PM 6/24/2006

Pagtataksil (Betrayal)

Nananaghoy ang
  puso kong iyong lubhang
    pinagtaksilan.