By Kikit: He Snores

Kikit, a good friend and former officemate who now lives in Japan shares her thoughts and thinks loud with this entry:

He snores. She has probably heard all types of snoring - loud, soft, funny, disturbing and even alarming. But all these sounds have the same outcome - an agony in her sleep. It makes her restless and uncomfortable. She changes her sleeping positions until she gets exhausted with her own actions and falls asleep eventually. Without complaints, she experiences this every night in their ten years of marriage.

One day, he gets home with a news that he'll be sent to another city on a business trip for three days. A discreet sigh of relief came out as it means complete freedom in the bedroom. He readies his luggage and wishes her safety while he's away. As soon as he's gone, she leaps out of excitement for a peaceful deep sleep tonight. It's too childish but she feels that way.

After a hot shower that night, she lies down on the soft bed and closes her eyes. Yet, things seem unusual. She's still restless, she's still uncomfortable and she can't lie still in one position. She hears no snoring echoes, only the anticipated silence. It goes on for three nights. Something's wrong.

He arrives and knocks the door. When she opens it and sees his smile, she realizes one thing: the delight of silence is nothing compared to the agony from snoring.

Thinking About You

Have you ever been so reminded of something by a song? I have been for quite a lot of times. The Bangles hit Eternal Flame always brings me to my younger years when we used to live near a cockpit, a rice mill and a tinsmith (imagine the noise we have to bear on any given Sunday). What does a cockpit, a rice mill or a tinsmith have to do with a love song? You will have to guess that the song, among other hits of the time, was played in between cockfights.

***

I realized that being exposed to hit songs at a young age can cause fixation to them. With all the happy memories of tumbling on stairways, crying over a banana cue, disassembling sister's precious watch, and losing a couple of cards from brother's super tramp collection, there is always a reverberating hit song associated to every significant childhood event. Michael Jackson's One Day in Your Life for some time did make me cry whenever I remember that I lost mother's potted flower at school after an event.

***

Just recently, while having a shower, a song occured to me -- Thinking About You. It was not a particularly popular song as it was a track from the album Pablo Honey, the same album that contained the smashing hit Creep. Radiohead struck the airwaves among the grunge tinged hits by Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, etc. It was during this time that the news about Kurt Cobain's suicide shocked us, grunge fanatics (self-declared), while undergoing our PMT officer training in high school. It was also during those "uto-an" training days that I was randomly asked to sing in front of fellow cadets/cadettes during a break. I could remember that I sang Creep in front of the cheering and jeering crowd. It was a shameful experience especially when what they are cheering or jeering about was my supposed affection for a girl in the corner with her head bowed down. While I try to forget the so-called Creep incident, Thinking About You still makes me recall.

Been thinking about you
Your record's a hit
Your eyes are on my wall
Your teeth are over there
But I'm still no one
And you're my star
What do you care?

Been thinking about you
And there's no rest
Should I still love you
Still see you in bed
But I'm playing with myself
What do you care?
When the other men are far far better

All the things you've got
All the things you need
Who bought you cigarettes
Who bribed the company to come and see you honey?

I've been thinking about you
So how can you sleep
These people aren't your friends
They're paid to kiss your feet
They don't know what I know
And why should you care
When I'm not there

Been thinking about you
And there's no rest
Should I still love you
Still see you in bed
But I'm playing with myself
What do you care?
When I'm not there.

All the things you've got
That you'll never need
All the things you've got
I've bled and I'd bleed to please you
... honey

Been thinking about you..

What do you care about Barack?

While watching at a recap of the US elections at BBC last night, i was amazed to notice how the people reacted to Obama's victory. Many of them cried or were just so ecstatic when he made his victory speech. I later realized that the hope they were putting on Obama's shoulders is so enormous considering the economic situation the US is in right now. Some analysts said that the present economic slump ironically swung potential McCain voters to the other side and did pull off the win for Obama.

What's more amazing are the celebrations happening around the world in the eve of the victory. A holiday was declared in Kenya to celebrate the event. Wide screens were installed on parks in France. In Canada, a hockey game broke into cheers as the declaration of Obama was shown at the game's scoreboard. Kenyans obviously have the reason to celebrate as Barack Obama Sr. is a native. The French and Canadians also have their own reasons. I myself cannot deny that somehow the win or, to put it impartially, the election result had its effect on me. Do you also feel the same?

What do we care about the win? Erap does not care about it. Other politicians are interested on how campaigns were being run and what technologies were being utilized. For a common Filipino like me, the perspective is easy to share as most of us see it the same way. Most likely we ask: "Would there be a better chance for an exodus with the Obama presidency?" As hopes for a better living here dwindle, we pass our hopes on to Barack's shoulders. Good for Erap, he does not have to go. After all he has everything to do here. "Anak ng jueteng".