Duhaylungsod, JC

4 BAE

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It was just another ordinary day if only I woke up at the right place and at the right body.

Early that morning, it was still 8:00am, I had a terrible urge to get up because my kidneys wanted to be unloaded. My body felt surprisingly heavy and I was wondering why the hell I was having a head ache. It seemed that I just swam in a pool full of beer last night and swallowed everything inside it because I always feel like this every morning when I just had a drink the night before.

The problem was, I did not drink last night. I stood up and went to the comfort room. I was about to go to the cabinet for a towel when I realized that my cabinet was not in its place. It was already at the other side of the room. Another problem was that it was not my cabinet. And only then did I realize that I was not at my room. But the room was familiar. Not that I had already been in to it. I was thinking that it looked like… a room in the Manoa Apartment which was an apartment next to my boarding house. Now, how the hell did I get here?

I looked around and on the bed was a naked body of a woman with her back against me. The lower half of her body was covered with a blanket, with another person’s blanket. Her hair was long and she had freckles on her back. She was definitely not my girlfriend. I was astounded that I suddenly became horny and was extremely horrified to see that I had an erection. The last time I checked my body out, that was last night when I changed my clothes, I still had a pussy. And pussies do not and cannot have an erection. I ran to the CR and saw for myself the most terrible experience that could occur in a person’s life: to be in James Paclibar’s body.

I did not wait for whoever-that-girl-is to wake up. I hurriedly took a bath – it was creepy I was seeing his penis (it was really small just what a friend told me when she recounted an “experience” with him) – and put on his clothes: I looked up for clothes that would fit my taste expecting that he had one and realized that we do not have the same preference for clothing. So I ended up wearing his jeans (maong na medyo fitting) and his shirt (black na medyo alanganing loose). I looked around for shoes but there was none. I stood in front of the mirror and suddenly felt how miserable it was to be literally in his place every morning, with a mirror to remind him how he looks like every time he dresses up for school. Does he have enough courage to look at his reflection every morning? Beats me! But if I continue to be in his place, I wouldn’t have.

It was a good thing that when whoever-that-girl-is woke up, I was already ready to go out and leave the room.

“Asa man ka?” she asked. But I just went out without answering. I brought his cell phone and his wallet along with me. The good thing about being James is that I would not have to worry about what to spend for the day. I heard from someone that he always have money.

I went directly to my boarding house. If I was at James’ body, it could be that, he was in mine. Where the hell would his soul go if I was placed inside his body? Mine! And god-knows-what he would do with it. I was surprised to see that a crowd had gathered just outside my boarding house. Alexis, who was my board mate and James’ brod, was outside waiting for a habal-habal.

“Mes, adto na ka ug UP?” Alexis asked James/me.

Now, how does James inter-act with his brods? In the atrium, where they usually congregate, he would throw a punch line regarding something he saw (a fashion disaster or a rumored easy-to-get-girl, or just the ordinary “gay” men in the campus) or heard or experienced the night or days before. Everybody would listen attentively to him, and then afterwards, they would all roar out with laughter. But in times like this, he would not, or any other person, make a punch line out of that simple question. Maybe I would just answer him straight.

“O, admin ko. Ikaw?”

“Sige, sabay na lang ta,” Alexis answered.

While in the habal-habal, I asked Alexis what was happening in their boarding house, in my boarding house.

“Ay, naa man gud mi boardmate na wala ka mata. Mura daw ug na comma,” he answered.

I was completely relieved by what I’ve heard. At least he will not be able to do anything with my body and with my girlfriend.

“Mes, asa day mo ato gabii?” the habal-habal driver asked.

“Hoy, Mes, gipangutana ka sa driver,” Alexis informed me. I have really forgotten that I was in James’ body.

“Uhmm…,” where does James, the overlord of all chauvinist dragons in UP Mindanao would spend his Sunday night?

“Naa man kay kauban. Chiks to nimo? Hamisa ato uy!” the habal-habal driver asked.

Maybe James was with whoever-that-girl-is last night. Now, how does the overlord of all chauvinist dragons in UP Mindanao would react with that kind of statement, which for me, is a very derogatory term used to refer to a woman. How would James see or understand that kind of statement referring to his girlfriend? Will he be a perfect gentleman and just pass the question off without answering it, in respect to his girlfriend?

But he’s a chauvinist dragon, right? Will he tell the habal-habal driver that they fucked each other last night? What word will he use? - iyot, romansa, lolo, made love, fucked –

“Naunsa man ka Mes na wala man ka katubag?” and then the habal-habal driver laughed.

“Lain akong paminaw ron bay,” I answered thinking that it would divert his attention to another topic, let us say, about my/James’ health.

“Hahahaha! Ikaw jud dong, hinay-hinay lang,” the driver gave a green connotation to a very innocent statement that I carelessly muttered.

It was a good thing that we already reached the Admin and I have gotten rid of that conversation with the driver.

When I was nearing the Admin, somebody from behind called me, and when I turned my head to see who it was, I realized that it was AJ, another of his brods. He invited me/James for a computer game, which he said that I/James promised the day before.

Putang ina, unsaon man ni pagdula ning animala ni!

I muttered to myself while I watched the screen of the computer displayed a match between two rugged looking men.

I cussed and ranted but to no avail, I just sucked up, together with my computer image and James.

“Na-unsa man ka Mes?” asked AJ.

“Lain akong paminaw,” I answered, still feeling uncanny hearing my voice sound so awful. “Adto sa ko ug Admin, magklase,” I continued to get away from playing with the computer.

Then AJ laughed at me. And then I gave him a questioning looked.

“Nag LOA man ka Mes,” and then he snickered. “Natingala gani ko nganong naa ka diri,” he continued.

“Asa man day ko dapat karon,” I asked him.

“Ambot nimo uy!”

I asked myself where would a chauvinist, super senior dragon like James, would stay during a week day? How will I spend the day being in James’ body? No, the proper question would be, how does James spend his day? Well, maybe like all of the other chauvinist dragons in the world.

The problem is, though I know how a chauvinist dragon usually act – be very arrogant when “chicks” are around, always think about how it would be like fucking them, add words in their Chauvinist Dragon Derogatory Words Dictionary, squeal about their own one night stands and sexcapades to their fellow chauvinist dragons, etc – I was really not sure if I can manage to be like that for a day, even if, given the circumstance that I am in the body of one.

But this soundtrack gave a twist to the romantic-sentimental mood of songs that spoke of love.

The soundtrack was released two months before the movie came out, and I was curious of how good could this album be, to induce the audience to watch another love story, retold in another hopefully-exciting version.

50 First Dates is a romantic movie starring Adam Sandler as Henry Roth and the beautiful Drew Barrymore as Lucy Whitmore. It tells the story of a Hawaiian Veterinarian who shuns commitments in every way he can. He instead dates girls who are tourists so it would last only as long as they're there. But he then finds his match when in a small restaurant, he sees Lucy Whitmore, who has everything he was looking for, including a short-term memory loss, which makes commitment a no issue. Maybe it is the fact that she cannot remember him the next day or the day after that since she suffers from short-term memory loss from a car accident.

The soundtrack features songs from the 80’s, reinterpretations by modern artists with a twist of reggae beat. The album has twelve tracks; eleven revivals of the 80's hits and the last track sung my Adam Sandler in such a romantic mood. The lyrics of “Forgetful Lucy” is what is interesting than the way he sung it. Some music critics say that the album is a cover album, I guess to prove them wrong, the last track was included. A song was recorded as if it was directly taken out of the movie. But the husky voice of Sandler gave way to my appreciation of a simple love song.

The opening track is a version of Wayne Wonder of Thompson Twins classic ‘Hold me now’. I think it has one of the better renditions in the entire album. Not soppy and sentimental for a remake.

To name a few of the songs that captured the ears of someone who is not appreciative of music are “Lips like Sugar” by SEAL featuring Mickey Dread who, according to a critic, adds fun to the track. Ziggy Marley's version of the classic “Drive” made me smile.

But the track that convinced me to buy the album in the version of “Melt with You” by Jason Mraz. I heard of Mraz from a friend who introduced me to his music when we were in Diliman for summer class. I like the rhythm of his music, light and easy to the ears. “Sleep Allday” is my favorite song of his, but in this album he did outstand the other artists that were featured with his version of Modern English's hit song. The lyrics itself meant much and the repetition of the line made it all the more romantic. The rhythm is upbeat and soulful and it gave me a different drive to sing with the radio.

The storyline is unique and so is the soundtrack. It features a great line up of classic 80's songs and the overall reggae theme paved way to the good collection worth buying.

One thing that made the soundtrack attract a non-lover of music is the heart behind it. It is truly remarkable that it did not slipped into something cheesy or mushy.

With all the hype that surrounded the movie Catch Me If You Can (Dreamworks 2002), I watched it for only two reasons: Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. Leonardo DiCaprio was flushed right down the drain, and I didn’t even notice. So when I first saw the teaser for The Terminal in the movie house, I knew I had to watch it – like hell! The teaser was conservative, but enough to beckon me to the cinema house over and over. Hell, I even watched that watery soup of a movie Princess Diaries 2 just to see the trailer for The Terminal. It was sick-o to the highest degree, but I was glad enough to catch Tom Hanks, even if it was just a 2-minute-teaser.

It is quite obvious that I am a Spielberg fan. I am forever in love with his movies and TV specials. Let me rephrase that: I am forever in love with most of his movies and TV specials. Those blasted movies A.I. (2001) and Minority Report (2002) are still giving me blasted headaches.

Speaking of Minority Report, who cares for Tom Cruise anyway? His movies The Last Samurai (2003) and Vanilla Sky (2001) are flipping, flopping and dying of ghastly deaths at the box office, not to mention at DVD sales. Remove the special effects and blood baths from the Mission Impossible movies and Tom Cruise stinks. I am still totally sore at this guy. He leaves Nicole Kidman for Penelope Cruz.

Did they ever think, ever, that if they had gotten married, her name would have been Penelope Cruz Cruise? Sheesh…

Anyway, Tom Hanks is also my favorite actor. His recent movies are like, “Hell, man!” and “Well, yeah. For a few million dollars, I’d lose that much pounds too…” But not all his movies are good. I still manage to sleep through the movie Castaway (2000) every time we watch it on VCD.

The Terminal, however, is something else. It is a movie that makes me laugh, smile, feel sad, and basically makes me want to be more patient and persevering. It is hard to imagine that this movie is actually based on a real life story. As Viktor Navorski, Tom Hanks is infinitely lovable. He gains a few kilos for the role of a middle-aged man, a carpenter by trade, who ends up “unacceptable” to enter American soil. He lives in the airport (Area 67) for nine months! If that does not translate to patience and perseverance than hell, I don’t know what does. Tom Hanks delivers a very funny, yet smart and compassionate Navorski. He plays match-maker between a very good-looking-but-with-a-thick-moustache Diego Luna (Y Tu Mama Tambien 2002) and a very dark beauty Zoe Saldana (Center Stage, Get Over It, Crossroads). He makes friends and eventually becomes a hero to the people in the terminal. But eventually, he waits and waits for the fulfillment of a life long promise. And what is that promise that Navorski has to fulfill that he insists on staying at the airport for that long time? And what’s with the can of peanuts? Hah! I’m not about to ruin the movie for you. Watch it, dopey. It’s worth the cash.

Catherine Zeta-Jones plays Amelia, and hell, is she really pretty in this film. Well, I guess not as pretty as her character Elena in the movie The Mask of Zorro (1998). But that does not make her less pretty. There is a part in the movie when she confesses that she is (supposedly) 39 years old. She looks marvelous for her age, but her acting in The Terminal is very Meg Ryan. The way she nods her head is so Meg Ryan. The way she casts her hands in the air is so Meg Ryan. Even her smile is so Meg Ryan. But I still like Catherine Zeta-Jones in this movie. She’s neurotic, but she too has a compassionate soul – sort of like a misguided being with a generous heart – oh you know, that sort of crap. But in the movie, Amelia and Navorski’s relationship is definitely crap, and I like their constant allusion to Napoleon and Josephine.

There is also Kumar Pallana, an 85-year-old actor from India who plays Gupta, an Indian national who has a shady history. He speaks in his clipped manner and evokes more laughter when he doesn’t speak at all. He spins and juggles plates and walks away without so much of a break in his face. He sacrifices his security in the USA to give Navorski a chance to visit New York City – and hell, the way he does it too, is something so funny, so outrageous, so cinematic that I think only Steven Spielberg and Kumar Pallana can pull it off.

The movie has wonderful effects, and is also picturesque. Most of the scenes in the movie are in the airport lounge anyway, but still, there are some special scenes where Spielberg shows mastery of film making. For instance, in showing loneliness, he takes a close-up of Tom Hanks while he is in the middle of a very busy airport and then pulls the camera away, showing Hanks to be merely a speck in the sea of people. And of course, I cannot resist Hanks’ tearful realization that his homeland Krakhouzia is under a blanket of hostilities. I had to smile to myself too in that scene where Navorski finishes reconstructing a wall and is dancing in his undershirt.

I had a toe-curling moment when Navorski’s lifelong dream was almost fulfilled when he was asked to wait for a few more minutes. Ano ba? If I were in his position, I would’ve sat down on the floor, kicked my feet repeatedly and tore my hair in clumps.

But Navorski waits, oh ever so patiently. And that is when I figure out why the movie’s tagline is “Life is waiting.”

It’s a great movie really. And although I know this will ruin your movie viewing, I think it’s wonderful that in the end, the hero doesn’t get the girl. Yep. Navorski doesn’t get Amelia – but the audience is given this distinct feeling that Navorski is willing to wait for Amelia, no matter what.

Although I have doubts about Polar Express, I think I’ll still be waiting in line for the next Tom Hanks flick. The Terminal just makes my life so worthwhile right now.

Music Review

Heavenly Places (Un Lugar Celestial) is the debut album of one of today’s most popular contemporary Christian artist, Jaci Velasquez. This Mexican-born singer was then sixteen when this album came out in the market. Heavenly Places was released by Myrrh Records on May 1996. Produced by Mark Heimermann, this album includes the songwriting talents of Chris Eaton, Wayne Kirkpatrick, Dann Huff and Heimermann, among others.

This album is a total makeover of the Christian Music. It is totally different from most of the gospel songs that everyone knows, like “Alive, Alive” and “This is the Day”. Although the album mostly contains classic pop songs, Heavenly Places manages to display plenty of musical variation while still preserving its continuity. It is obviously influenced by (non-Christian) contemporary pop music. The conservative Christian denominations, especially the “solemn churches”, may not like the way Jaci’s kind of music. However, when one would just consider the message that each song brings, it would certainly make one feel the soul of the music.

 Moreover, most songs are personal and intimate prayers for the Lord in pop beat. The songs “Baptize Me” and “We Can Make a Difference” reminded me of the kind of music that M2M and Mandy Moore sing. The title cut, ”Un Lugar Celestial “ (Heavenly Places), has a delightful Spanish/Latin beat which is almost same with J. Lo’s. The percussions-acoustic guitar ensemble would make one tap his/her foot with the beat.  This song reveals Jaci’s regard for her Latin heritage.

The emotion of Jaci’s smooth, powerful voice gives her listener a different kind of meditation. One doesn’t have to be solemn when he/she listens the rhythm and message of her songs. The music itself would remind one of God’s unfading love to His people. The album seems to trend away from overtly Christian lyrics. One can’t find much direct quotations from the scriptures. The scripture or spiritual content is woven through every fiber of the songs.   

Heavenly Places could have been better if it was a live-recorded concert like those produced by Integrity Music and Hillsong Australia. Christian music albums are bought mostly for Praise and Worship reference. The buyers listen to songs which they could teach and sing in church services. It would be an advantage for this album if the songs are appropriate to be sung in church services and not just for personal meditation.

Charisse Mae T. Ampo

4 BAE

HUMOR DAW!

Usa ka hapon, samtang nag ukuy0ukoy ako sa kwarto sa akong lola, nadunggan ko siya na nag istorya mahitungod sa tulo ka bungtod na iyang nakita sa usa ka lihit ug layo na dapit sa Mindanao. Ana siya na ang pinaka dako sa tulo kay astang gamaya na mura kini ug gamay na totoy sa dalaga. Ang misunod na mas gamay kay sama sa kinagamyang totoy. Ug ang ika tulo, ang pinakagamay na mura na lang ug mibugdo sa yuta kay maalaan na hubag sa panit. Ana akong lola na ginganlan kani sa mga nagpuyo dapit sa bungtod sama sa unsa ang dagway sa mga bungtod. Ug kay mahilig man tang mga Pilipino ug shrt cut, ug kay Pilipino man pud tong nagpuyo diadto, ang mga pangalan sa mga bungtod kay nahimong Gatoy - gamay na totoy , Kitoy - kinagamyang totoy, ug Hunit - hubag sa panit.

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Pagkatao sa akong ig-agaw, tungod kay mahilig man ang iyang inahan ug mga Istayt Sayd na mga pangalan, ginganlan siya ug John Smith (dili tinuod nga pangalan), sama sa iyang ate na ginganlan ug Amy Smith (dili pud tinuod nga pangalan). Hastang lipaya sa akong anti kay ang bata na si Johnny, gi-anggaan niya ug John, kay mura man gyud ug Amerikano. Taas ang ilong, nipis ang ngabil ug medyo naay pagka puti.

¨Maalaan gyud ning bataa ni ug anak sa Amerikano kay Amerikano na ang nawong (kusi sa aping), Amerikano pa gyud ug pangalan!¨ pirminti nako madunggan ang akong anti mag istorya sa iyang kaugalingon samtang ginakugos ang bata na si John.

Samtang naga dako si John, ang among unkol na si Patrio kay na-addict sa usa ka uso na timbura. Ambot unsay naa atong timburaha to na gilamian man gyud pagmaayo ang among unkol. Kining unkola pud ni kay pirminti na ginalaag ang bata na si John. Uban sila muadto ug Plaza, sa palengke, sa tindahan, sa pagpanguyab sa akong unkol sa iyang mga kras.

Usa ka adlaw, kabalo na si John mudagan ug magdula-dula, mibagting ang dalunggan ni anti ug nagdilaab ang iyang nawong sa kasuko atong nadunggan niya ang akong unkol na misampit sa pangalan sa timbura. Wala man untay problema sa pagsampit sa akong unkol apan nakita ni anti na dili ang timbura ang ginatawag sa akong unkol. And pinaka sakit kay milingi ang bata na si John.

¨Inatay kang Patriyuha ka! Bantog ra na mura na ug bungol tawagon nang bataa na ug John! gi-angaan naman diay nimo ug Timburantoy!¨

Basig unsa pa ang gibuhat ni anti, wala na siyay mabuhat kay nahimatngon na man si Timburantoy sa iyang pangalan. Pagkadako ni Timburantoy, nahimo man kini ug patulon. Mao, ang Timburantoy, naapelyiduhan ug ang pangalan sa akong ig-agaw kay nahimong Timburantoy Patulon ug wala na gyud nakaila kay John Smith.

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Natural na sa tao na naay depekto sa kalawasan. Ingon pa nila sa Inggles, no one is perfect.

¨Uy! Bebe! Kumusta na man ka?¨ pagpangutana sa usa ka babaye na nakasugat namo sa dalan pa-ingon sa balay sa akong lola.

¨Maayo man,¨ tubag ni mama na ang ngisi halos gisi-on na ang iyang nawong.

¨Mao ning kinugos ni Marlon na akong bana?¨¨pagpangutana niya sabay susi sa akong nawong na mura bag naay mugawas na letra sa akong panagway na mutubag sa iyaha.

¨Dili uy! Ako man tong kamagulangan. Kadtong lalaki, ¨ tubag ni mama na nakasabot na naalaan na pud ko na laki tungod sa akong buhok ug pamisti.

¨Ay! Kay kinsa man diay ning kinugos?¨ sabay kun-ot sa iyahang nawong.

¨Inyo nila Inday¨

¨Kinsa bang Indaya? ug misamot mi kun-ot ang iyahang panagway.

¨Inday ba na pahak!¨

¨Asawa ni Dodong Kamagong?¨

¨Si Inday man to na Pangag ang asawa ni Kamagong! Inday ba na Tata Butod!¨

¨Ay tuod! Wala man diay to ka-intir si Inday Pahak kay didto man siya mi-adto sa kasal sa anak ni Noli Bungi.¨

¨O! Kamo man lang to nila Inday sali...

Ug mikunot na pud ang panagway sa babaye kay wala na pud siya ka-ila sa gisampit na ngalan ni mama.

¨Inday ba, anak ni Sali Buang! Na-unsa na man ka Sara uy!?¨ sulti ni mama na mura bag hapit na siya masuya sa pagka kalimtanon sa iyang ka storya.

¨Ay o, tuod, tuod. Karon nakahinumdom na ko. Kami to ni Inday Sali ug Dodong Muklo,¨ ug mitan-aw ang babaye sa ako. ¨Amin didi day kay Ninang man diay ko nimo,¨ ug miduol ko sa iyaha ug mi-amin.¨Pasensyahi na ni imong Ninang Sara day ha kay kalimtanon na gyud kaayo ko,¨ pagpangatarungan niya sa ako.

¨Kalisod ba diay tun-on ning balay ninyo Sara,¨ pagreklamo ni mama. ¨Wala may nakaila nimo diri.

¨Ay, uy, Bebe. Pag muadto ka diri, pangitaa ang balay ni Sara, asawa ni Marlon Bungoton.¨

“ Nalingaw na man sab ko sa akong trabaho. Dili gyud nako ni ipagpalit sa uban. Mingawon man gani ko sa ako trabaho kung maka-absent ko maski’g usa ra ka adlaw.” ( “I already enjoyed my job. I would not trade this even for anything more. I even miss my work when I couldn’t make it to work even for just a day.) Manang Tinay answered earlier, smiling as she continued mopping the aisle of the dormitory, which she considered her second home already. Armela Gertos: Profile Article

Every after taking a bath, it is already my ritual to apply whitening products on my body such as lotion for my arms and legs, cream for my face and neck, and deodorant for my armpits. And my soap, by the way, is a whitening soap and of course, my toothpaste is a whitening product as well. The only non-whitening product that I have is my shampoo, of course.

For almost ten years of using these whitening products nothing has change. I still have this brown skin, yellowish teeth, and dark armpits. But, I still buy these products because I still believe that there is still hope for my dark skin and teeth to whiten. I made Michael Jackson as my example. I can’t afford for bleaching treatment yet so I will use these products first. That is why every time a new whitening product is introduced, I immediately run to the stores to buy it. Take whitening soaps for example, I already tried different variety of them. From avocadoes to orange papaya to the green papaya soaps and take note, I tried different brands such as Hiyas, Likas, Silka, Kissa and my latest is Biolink. I bought the Kissa papaya soap because Kris Aquino’s line that was “Mas maputi, mas kissable” struck me. When I heard that line, I really felt insulted because I am not “maputi” therefore I am not kissable. So, I used the product but still I am not kissable, if I’m going to use Kris Aquino’s punch line.Then here comes Biolink but still nothing changes. The same with my lotions, I tried different brands from Skin White to Silka then to Block and White to Vaseline to Nivea then to Biolink again but still I have a dark skin. At first, I thought that the reason why those whitening products had no effects on my skin because I didn’t follow the instructions so to make it sure, I diligently followed the instructions but sad to say there was no effect. Then I told myself, “it’s in the genes” but when I saw the Biolink commercial, I felt that there’s still hope but again nothing has changed. I just wasted my money. Maybe if I’m going to count the money that I wasted in the name of whitening, maybe I can already afford to undergo bleaching treatment (not sure of the term).

But until now, I still buy these products and I am sure that I will be going to buy more in the future. This vanity of mine will just stop, maybe, if it is already my hair that will turn white.

Sometimes I blame myself for being so vain but I can’t help it. I tried myself ones to stop using these products but every time I look at the magazines, and watch television, I felt so ugly so I continued buying those products. I don’t know why I am not satisfied on the color of my skin, that whatever I do, nothing will happen because it’s in the genes pare. But still I want to have a fair white skin.

I know that many people share the same sentiment with me. There are people, in fact, whom I know who tried everything just to acquire fair white skin but sad to say, nothing happen. But still they buy these things.

It’s a Saturday night and I’m alone with everybody. The place was hazy with cigarette smoke and glasses full of ice cold beer had been passed from person to person; people I barely knew. And a punk-ska band was doing a cover of early No Doubt.

Saturday nights the world over (then again, everyday of the week), people style their hair, spray on deodorant and rinse their mouths with mouthwash. They would fumble through their clothes and then check themselves in the mirror over and over again. Species of all kinds exhibit some kind of social behavior—they interact with each other in a wide variety of courtship rituals. Animals and humans who “fall in love” share more traits in common than ever believed.

If you check the articles listed in the “A” section of your encyclopedia (whether Compton’s, Book of Knowledge or the Encyclopedia Americana) you would read about Mark Anthony, how he fell in love with Cleopatra, got defeated in the naval battle at Actium in 31 B.C. and took his own life (Cleopatra also took hers), or Aphrodite, about how a sea foam raised by The Hours became a goddess who punishes those who resisted the call of love and how she helped Paris of Troy win the beautiful Helen of Greece, or Astronomy, and read about revolving chunks of rock and hot balls of gases and how their gravitational pull affects everything in the universe.

There’s also an entry about Animals--if you peruse further, you would find an interesting read--animal courtship rituals. You would be able to read how male Bowerbirds make bowers and decorate them with shiny objects (tin foils, coins etc.), feathers and other things and if a female Bowerbird likes the interior design, they would frolic and fornicate inside, or the Peacock who would try to make all those tail feathers vibrate so as to catch the attention of the Peahen. There’s also the female gypsy moth which manufactures her own kind of “perfume” to attract males and could waft as far as seven miles. The dating game could also get nasty. Female mantises are known to bite the head off of male mantises while in the act of copulation and female black widow spiders must be serenaded by males by strumming the web as not to be mistaken as a prey caught on the sticky snare.

Research shows that some animals release hormones (a string of hydrocarbons that directs body functions) like those of humans “falling in –love”. In the encyclopedia entries, we learned that most species flirt like teens overflowing with hormones: they dance, sing, offer gifts and spray perfume. Sometimes they fight (male elephant seals fight other males to claim a harem of 50 females), and die in search of a mate. Humans and animals have something in common; it’s the fact that both go on great strides to look for a mate—either for an evening or for a lifetime.

Now, what is romance then? Why does love transcend all other possible experiences and a curse to those seized by its clutches?

It was a heartbreaking moment, I wonder where she is now, and if she remembers. She waved a hand and I smiled. She smiles back (then again, it was more of a smirk). Romance is something that goes by; a fleeting moment, someone waving a hand, smiling, singing “I’m just a Girl” and “Sunday Morning” and leaves after the fifth song, someone whom you would never meet again.

--Romel Villaflor