Eclecticism of Cubaoboy

Mahirap pala talaga mag pa pasok ng iba, pag may tao paring umuukopa sa puso mo. Kahit gustong gusto mo nang palayasin e pilit paring na nanatili kahit nasa isang madilim na sulok lang siya tumatambay.

Ang problema kasi e yun din yung sulok na madalas kong linisan at tanggalan ng mga agiw. Kaya siguro gusto din niyang manatili dun kasi pinapanatili ko rin itong malinis. Kahit na anong pigil ko sa sarili ko, maya maya heto na naman ako, may dala-dalang malinis na basahan para tanggalan ng alikabok ang sulok ng puso kong iyon.

Alam ko darating din yung araw na tatamarin na rin akong linisan ang sulok na iyon. Pagkatapos siguro, gagawin ko nalang itong bodega ng mga ala-alang dapat manatiling ala-ala na lamang. O kaya siguro tatanggalin ko na ang madilim na sulok na iyon at papa lagyan ko nalang ng isang pintuan.

At pag pintuan na ang dating madilim na sulok, sana may kumatok at pumasok at mag pasyang manatili, hindi lang sa isang madilim na sulok, kung hindi sa maaliwalas na salas, sa masaganang kusina at sa komportableng kwarto ng puso ko.

“Sheeeeet! Lunes na naman!” Ito ang usual na linya ni cubaoboy pag patapus na ang araw ng Linggo. Medyo nag sasawa na kasi sya sa work nya kaya medyo hate nya ang Lunes. Tatlong taon at kalahati na kasi nyang ginagawa ang paulit-ulit na routine nya sa trabaho kya medyo nabuburyong na sya.

Masaya naman sana yung trabaho nya. Marami syang nakaka salamuhang ibat-ibang klaseng tao at marami rin syang nagiging kaibigan. Kaso minsan inaabot lang talaga ng sobrang katamaran itong si cubaoboy kya madalas e nag da-drama ito na kesyo may sakit para ma excuse lang at makapag absent. Magaling na dramatista si cubaoboy kaya laging pasok sa banga pag nag dadahilan sya sa boss nya.

Madalas nga e iniisip nalang nya na mag resign nalang tas mag pahinga kahit isang buwan lang para makapag re-charge kahit sandali. Kaso maiisip nya ung mga bayarin nyang bills. E pano ba naman kasi apat ang credit card nya at dalawa pa yung linya ng telepono na binabayaran nya. Tapos yung monthly dues pa nya sa gym, ung koryente nya, yung cable at dsl subscription nya at kung anik-anik pang ka-ek-ekan na kailangan nyang bayaran.

Napapa “hayssss!” nalang si cubaoboy.

Pero medyo na buhayan si cubaoboy sa trabaho nya lately. E kasi naman may cutie pie na trainee si cubaoboy. Kung hindi nyo pala na itatanong. Trainer po itong si cubaoboy sa isa sa malalaking BPO companies dito sa Manila.

Tawagin nalang nating “Chunky” ang silay ni cubaoboy. Anak naman kasi ng potato! E napaka cute naman kasi nitong si chunky kaya trip na trip ni cubaoboy. Anong itsura ni Chunky? Hmmm… Maputi, di naman masyado katangkaran, makinis ang kutis, ala Martin Nievera ang hair style, ala Bong revilla ang mga mata, ala Rico Yan ang dimples, at ala Gerald Anderson ang smile, at higit sa lahat Wendell Ramos chunkyness… Potaaaaaah panalo!

Ang kaso mo hanggang tingin lang si cubaoboy. Kasi mag kakamatayan na muna bago may makalam ng lihim ni cubaoboy. Hindi tuloy maka porma si cubaoboy kahit minsan nahuhuli nyang naka tingin sa kanya si chunky. Pero ayus lang yun kay cubaoboy kasi at least medyo ganado na sya pumasok sa work. Insperasyon baga?

Kaya pag dating ng Lunes “Sheeeeeet Lunes na naman yehey!” ang linya na ngayon ni cubaoboy. At least for now tee-hee.

Cubaoboy will not yield to misery. So what if the two awesome dates he had with the “date” was just that, a date and then followed by a period. Probably the “date” was just being polite so as not to hurt cubaoboy’s feelings.

You see cubaoboy really tried his best. After several failed attempts to see him again by asking him out, he reverted to just sending text messages to the "date" just to keep in touch.

Cubaoboy does his everyday routinary text to the “date” like “hope you had a wonderful day” or “hope you had dinner already” or “goodnight and pleasant dreams” hoping that he would be able to coax the “date” to spend sometime with him, but alas after several minutes, cubaoboy will receive a reply from him like “thank you (mentions cubaoboys name)” every time and that’s it.

Cubaoboy is not that dense you know? Cubaoboy can take a hint. Cubaoboy knows that it is time to move on. What irritates cubaoboy is that he keeps on hoping. Hoping that those wonderful dates he had with this person were somehow real and that they really bonded and that they reciprocally enjoyed each other’s company.

Cubaoboy is guessing that probably the “date” did enjoy it even a little but not enough to want to experience it again.

Being miserable is the last thing in cubaoboy’s agenda right now. Cubaoboy honestly enjoyed those two dates and he knows he will experience it again with somebody else.

Cubaoboy thanks his date for his time and wishes him well. It may not have worked out as cubaoboy would have liked it but who knows what’s in store for him. Fate may have a different plan that’s why it didn’t work out, and all cubaoboy has to do is to keep on looking and maybe somewhere out there, that person is looking for him too.

-oOo-

Cubaoboy wanted to write something nice about his recent dating exploit...currently ahhh....hmmm.. He can't seem to write anything.

1996 Paranaque

I would never forget that day. We were there at around 3 pm under the scorching heat of the afternoon sun. There were no chairs to sit on just heaps upon heaps of people patiently waiting just like us.

It was the first day of the two-day concert tour of MJ's – HIStory. I was never really a fan of MJ. I was just there to witness the hi-tech concert. Though I wasn't really forced to watch it, it was more out of curiosity on my part and the 3k ticket was free, so what the heck! It's one of those things you do once in a lifetime anyways.

3 pm turned to 6 pm I was getting impatient not to mention tired. I said to myself “it’s okay, it’s MJ and its not everyday you would see the king of pop perform live, even if you’re not a fan."

6 pm turned to 9 pm, my legs were just about to give out. Then the organizers of the concert announced that there was a slight delay, and the concert will be underway in 30 minutes. "What slight delay? Nyeta! Namamaga na hinlalaki ko!" I said to myself.

And then just like that, the concert started. There was a countdown on the wide screen. Then I heard a female voice (like the ones you hear in airports) announcing the ETA of the starship that MJ was piloting. On the big screen you see the solar system and MJ’s starship cruising through all the planets until it reaches Earth. The countdown ends 3..2..1…. From beneath the stage the Starship bursts forth accompanied by smoke and hi-tech lighting. Everybody held their breaths until the starship revealed its passenger. The starship finally opened and MJ was there standing still with his signature pose. The crowd roared with delight. I myself (a non-fan) was a little awed by it too. "Galing hi-tech!"

It was a visual delight seconded only by MJ himself (I was just there for the hi-tech show remember?). The show lasted for two hours with MJ singing or lip-synching his famous hits. And then the show ended with fireworks of course.

After the concert, I remember how incredibly hard it was for us to go home, because there were about 50 thousand of us who were doing exactly the same thing.

Cubao 2009

Thirteen years after that grand concert, I was really saddened when I heard the news that he is gone. As an 80’s kid MJ was part of my growing up years and I thought that he would just be there forever. I remember seeing Moonwalker and Captain EO in Alimall, both short films were the opening features before the full-length movie begins. I remember singing “Thriller”(eew) and “Man in the Mirror” and I remember “Say Say Say”(a duet with Paul Mcartney), probably because of Ate Lud’s “Eye to Eye” (a showbiz talk show back in the 80’s). His incredible dance moves like the gravity defying lean in the “Smooth Criminal” video. And who would ever forget his savvy Pepsi commercials and his scandals?

Why do I remember all these things about MJ even though I’m not a fan? Probably because MJ was not just another celebrity, but he was an icon, and even in death his popularity will live on. He truly was not only the King of Pop, but one of the royals of pop culture as well. He becomes another Marilyn Monroe. All hail to you MJ! Thank you for the music. May you rest in peace. But I’m sorry MJ, I’m still not a fan.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Cubaoboy always falls into this trap. You see whenever he dates someone, and the date really turns out well, he becomes clueless on what to do next. It’s just hard for him to guess what comes after a great date.

As of the moment cubaoboy thinks that his date really likes him, hence the second date right? But how much his date likes him? He has no idea.

Cubaoboy is asking himself how to properly handle his date. He thought if only there is an etiquette book regarding male-to-male dating it would surely answer some of his questions like:

Is it okay for him to send text messages to his date often? Or should he wait for his date to text him first?

Is it ok to ask his dates’ agenda for the day? Or is it too FC (feeling close)?

Is it ok to ask where his date lives? Or is it too stalker-ish?

Is it ok to talk about compromises already even if they’re not officially a couple yet? Or is it too forward?

Is it ok to be exclusive and expect his date to be exclusive as well? Or is it too assuming?

Is it ok to buy his date gifts? Or is it too ADP (azucarera de papa)?

And finally when is it ok to tell his date that he has fallen in love with him and that they should be a couple already? Or would it just scare his date away?

Currently cubaoboy is just playing it by ear and he is not even sure if his ear is giving him the right tune. Or is he just being paranoid?

Or is he even making any sense?

Noon:

Nung bata pa ako, nung wala pa akong alam sa kamunduhan. Pag nakaka kita ako ng dalawang taong nag hahalikan, sa tv man o yung kapatid kong dalaga noong mag bf pa lang sila ng asawa nya. Sabi ko paano kung di nag brush ng teeth yung isa dun? Parang kadirs yata.

Ngayon:

Minsan kahit bagong gising nyeta halik agad sa partner.

Noon:

Naalala ko pa noon pag hapon na, tapos Sabado, tatawagin na kami ng nanay ko para matulog. Diba pag Sabado tas walang school ang sarap mag laro o kaya mag babad sa tv? Kaya ang sama ng loob ko sa nanay ko pag pinatutulog na ko sa hapon. Pero syempre pag kagising ko naka handa na yung merienda ko.

Ngayon:

Matutulog ako hanggat gusto ko. Lalo na pag sabado!

Noon:

Pag sinabing mag sisimba kasi Linggo. Naalala ko excited ako kasi maisusuot ko nanaman yung paborito kong shoes. Tapos after ng Mass, direcho shopping at kain sa labas.

Ngayon:

Daming excuse. Kesho may work na kailangan tapusin or masama yung pakiramdam or just plain tinatamad mag simba.

Noon:

Sa school, pag may pinapagawang assignment o project yung teacher namen, takbo agad ako sa ate ko o sa kuya ko para mag patulong sa assignment o kaya sa tatay ko kung medyo mahirap yung project.

Ngayon:

Kelangan kong habulin yung deadline ko sa office. Kahit bente kwatro oras na akong gising. Patay na kung patay basta ma i-submit ko lang report ko.

Noon:

Nung bata pa ako maarte ako sa pang bahay na damit, ayaw ko ng na papawisan kahit medyo basa lang ng konte yung t-shirt ko, palit agad sabay tambak sa labahan ng nanay ko yung hinubad ko.

Ngayon:

Kung pwedeng lagi nalang akong naka hubad para wala na akong masyadong lalabhan gagawin ko.

Noon:

Noon pag may crush ako sa school man o sa isang kalaro. Grabe tameme ako. Super tsope ako noong araw.

Ngayon:

Leche ganon pa din ako. Walang pag babago!

Noon:

Noon pag inaaway ako ng mga kalaro ko o ng mga kapatid ko. Sorry lang yung katapat noon, tapos ayus nanaman. Parang walang nangyari.

Ngayon:

Minsan taon na muna ang bibilangin bago kami mag usap ulet.

Noon:

Kapag may problema sa bahay. Malalaman ko nalang pag tapos na ito at na solve na ng mga magulang ko yung problema. Minsan nga di ko na malalaman na nag ka problema pala.

Ngayon:

Nasa gitna lagi ako ng mga problema. Madalas ako pa ang toka na humanap ng solusyon.


Masarap siguro maging bata ulet. Pero hindi naman nawawala ang pagiging bata sa puso ko.
Paminsan minsan kailangan ko lang mag isip ng parang isang bata para maalala ko na minsan ganon lang pala kasimple ang buhay.