Mexico Misadventures Part 1

So the past few days saw me living on the road since Monday night when I took the night bus from Mexico DF TAPO to Villahermosa in the South. It was a 12-hour bus ride by ADO bus and I was tired from spending time climbing pyramids in Teotihuacan.

From thereon, I have had many misadventures. I had a hard time in Villahermosa because people were not so good at giving directions. I did find my way to La Venta, backpack with me and all. It weighed around 10kg but anyway all I thought of was that I survived Pulag twice and I could certainly survive backpacking for a few days in Mexico.

this friendly fellow has grown accustomed to human presence!

La Venta is a lovely place where one can see the famous Olmec sculptures, in particular the giant heads. There is an aviary and a small zoo, plus you get to see squirrel-like animals with long snouts and they seem to have grown accustomed to humans.

Just one of the many Olmec sculptures

After La Venta, I visited the Museum of Natural History which is just beside the park. It's actually for kids but I enjoyed the place. I hope we have something like that in the Philippines to get more kids to like the natural sciences.

the view from outside La Venta

This is my favorite in the Museum of Natural History

Taking the combi, a local public transport vehicle, I ended up in the historic town, the equivalent of Vigan. Here I visited the Casa de Azulejos which is an eclectic style mansion. The museum shows the history of Tabasco.

neoclassical Palacio de Gobierno in Plaza de Armas, Villahermosa

I traveled at night again to save time and accommodation. My target was to arrive in Escarcega on the morrow but bad luck seemed to be with me. When I bought a ticket to Constitucion, I never thought there were two towns of that name, one in Tabasco, one in Campeche. My target was Campeche, but at 10:30 PM I was dropped off at Constitucion, Tabasco, much to my horror upon my discovery. There were consecutive lightning flashes and anytime it might rain so I decided to walk despite the darkness. A car passed by but it probably did not see me waving.

So the hiker in me won and I walked all the way to town. Good thing I had flashlight with me. I was nervous of course because I had been hearing stories about crimes in Mexico but I had no choice. I felt it was more dangerous to stay near the highway. Plus I badly needed a bath to freshen up myself.

Imagine how I almost panicked when I realized I was still in Tabasco! This must be the result of my love affair with hot sauce!

The small town had many dogs which began their consecutive barking when I finally arrived. For a while I was looking around for a house that could accommodate me but people seemed to have slept already. Fortunately I saw a young man about to go home and I asked if I could temporarily stay in his house, explaining my situation to him. He woke up the entire family and they adopted me for a night. And I got my bath, too. It was my first time to sleep in a hammock, which is a BIG bonus.

The following day they offered me coffee and crackers for breakfast. The young man even walked with me to the highway. A car passed by and we got on. Jose made sure I hopped on the right bus going to Candelaria.

Then transfer to El Sur bus going to Escarcega. The conductor of that bus seemed to have taken a liking for me and seemed bent on seducing me. I told him I have a boyfriend back home but he still persisted though a bit politely, acknowledging my "commitnent". I was glad when we finally reached Escarcega. From there I took the combi to Constitucion where a friend was waiting (and who was very much worried for me when I told her about the misadventures the night before).

I cooked lunch for them! :)

But anyway, I arrived safely and cooked late lunch for her and for her friend. There were cucumbers, carrots, onions, and garlic so I cooked them all up together with salsa picante. Good thing it's exactly what I usually cook for my packed lunch. There were only two of them in the cabin, which was good because I can only socialize with very few people.

enjoying the sunset after an afternoon's work cleaning bone artifacts

Anyway, the reason why I would risk everything to get there was because my friend is an archaeologist who volunteered to excavate in a site there. She was telling me we'd visit archaeological sites together and we did. But that is another story of misadventures... We did get to Calakmul to see the pyramids.

To be continued...

Le Concert (2009)

Le Concert is a French comedy film where my favorite composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's music plays a major role. It is about a world-renowned Bolshoi Orchestra conductor named Andrey Simonovich Filipov whose musical career ended because he employed Jewish musicians. This was during Leonid Brezhnev's rule when political dissidents were persecuted and when anti-semitic acts were tolerated.

Now working as a janitor in the theater where he once was conductor, Filipov has become a drunkard much to the dismay of his wife. An opportunity opens for him when one day he saw a printed invitation from the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. He persuades his former orchestra musicians to join him together with ex-KGB agent Ivan Gavrilov as manager. They demanded a lot from Théâtre du Châtelet and one of these is that the solo violinist should be Anne-Marie Jacquet. Anne-Marie almost didn't agree to play for the rowdy group who couldn't even allot time for practice because each was busy doing his or her own business while in Paris, but she was persuaded by Sasha who told her that the key to knowing the truth about her parents is in performing with them.

On the night of the performance, the musicians are told to play for Leia, a former violinist who spoke against Brezhnev following the dismissal of Filipov as orchestra conductor. Leia was Anne-Marie's mother who was sent to and died in the Siberian labor camp together with her husband as punishment under the repressive regime. The scene was a comic one, as two members came in late, making the audience chuckle. The beginning of the performance betrayed the fact that the musicians didn't have enough practice, in fact they didn't even have one decent practice for the performance! It wasn't until Anne-Marie played her solo part so beautifully that everyone else levelled up almost instantly and played beautifully until the end, where they are met with a standing ovation, pretty much reminiscent of Nodame Cantabile movie 1.

While the music in this film is without a doubt excellent, I have a few problems in the storyline. Filipov is well known in the world of classical music and yet he didn't get out of his country to join other orchestra and establish himself once again as a Tchaikovsky genius. Instead he works as a lowly janitor! I also don't understand why they should lie to Anne-Marie about her parentage when her parents died a tragic but noble death.

Watch the full movie.
Note: The film is dubbed in Spanish and has no English subtitles.

25 Songs for 25 Years of Solitude (Part 1 of 3)

This 2014, I want to make Valentine's Day extra special by celebrating my 25 years of romantic solitude. I initially planned to pen poems but due to my frequent travels the month prior, I found myself having started nothing. So instead, I will share 25 songs with themes ranging from the forlorn lover to the rejected lover, to the celebration of freedom from being single and to the disdain for settling down too soon. I will also include very nice songs with a hopeful message.

1. Nymphea- Malaikatmu (Your Angel)

This song is about declaring one's identity as separated from being a docile lover. It reminds a partner not to be controlling and that one's freedom is of paramount importance.

Aku bukan malaikatmu

Yang akan selalu ada

Disampingmu sepanjang waktu

Ingin bebas

2. Lương Bích Hữu ft. Tam Hổ- Duyên Phận Ý Trời (Fated)

This song is about star-crossed lovers as dictated by tragic fate. Even the music video is enough to make one cry even though one doesn't understand the lyrics.

C yêu sao phải xa nhau, phải quên bao kí ức một thời
Chắc tại trời không muốn mình được gần nhau yêu nhau mà thôi

3. Zivilia- Setia (Faithful)

Like a wedding vow turned into a lovely song with nice lyrics, Setia is a song about promising to be faithful despite life's ups and downs until the very end.

Bersama dalam suka dan duka

Bersama dalam tangis dan tawa

Bersama dalam susah dan senang

Bersama melangkah seiring sejalan

Sampai hari ini ku masih setia

4. X-Japan- Endless Rain

This superb ballad about a broken heart with lyrics so depressing that one can definitely say that there is beauty in sadness. Watch the band perform live (below) before their breakup. It's one of the most passionate performances I have ever seen.

Click here for the PV.

It's a dream, I'm in love with you
まどろみ抱きしぬて

5. X-Japan- Say Anything

Again from X-Japan is another brilliant ballad about disillusionment from ideal love, a desperate plea after a separation. Also figuring in the song is madness and bitterness at being left behind.

明かりの消えたon the stage一人見つめて

通り過ぎた日々に抱かれる

壊してくれ何もかまかざった愛も

時の砂に消えるまで

6. Saint Ex- Je Pense à Toi

This is a sweet song about a girl who sings to her distant paramour of her promises to him.

Je pense à toi, égaré,

que tes pas soient plus légers

7. Jay Chou- 白色風車 (White Windmills)

The song is about parting after a very brief encounter, with the man persuading the girl not to think too much and to stay.

你說我若一個人會比較自由

我不懂妳說什麽反正不會鬆手

8. Baek Ah Yeon- 사랑학개론 (Introduction to Love)

I'm not a fan of anything Korean but if there is one thing I like, it's their ballads, most of which are sappy to the extreme. "Introduction to Love" explores a woman's awakened feelings of love for a special someone who taught her what love is.

난 두근 두근거려-요

사랑앞에서

9. MDO- Te quise olvidar
This song by boy band Menudo is about the inability to forget a girl even though he is already with another girl.

sigo noches frias buscandote en mi cuarto 
y no encuentro mas que un alma hecha pedazos 

Next: 25 Songs for 25 Years of Solitude (Part 2 of 3)

From Multiply 052: Arde el cielo- Maná

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zcG2ZXRCcw&feature=fvw

Nos fue tragando la rutina
Fue llenando de vacios
Fuimos ahogando la palabra
Y explotando en puros líos

Te deseo suerte amor
Ya me voy al olvido
Solo le pido a dios,
Darte alivio

Arde
Arde el cielo y el dolor
Arde mi espiritu
Arde el amor y la luz
Arde el cielo amor

Salio el halcon
Salio el demonio
Un infierno, un manicomio
Gritos, violencia, platos rotos
Como ciega la demencia

Solo yo te pido amor
Que nunca te abandones
Solo le pido a dios
Darte alivio

Arde
Arde el cielo y el dolor (ehhh)
Arde mí espiritu
Arde el amor y la luz
Arde el cielo amor

Sangra
Sangra el cielo y la luz
Sangra mí espiritu
Arde el amor y la luz
Arde el cielo amor

Arde
Arde el cielo y el dolor (ehhh)
Arde mí espiritu
Arde el amor y la luz
Arde el cielo amor

Sangra
Sangra el cielo, el dolor (yeah)
Sangra mi espiritu
Arde y se quema la luz
Arde el cielo amor

Trozos del cielo en ardor
Trozos del cielo en ardor
Se esta quemando el cielo yaaa....

Aug 13, '09 12:01 PM
for Miracle's network

From Multiply 046: Eres mi religion- Maná

Because tomorrow's Friday and I don't think we have any homework, I take my time listening to music. My pick: Eres mi religion (You are My Religion) by Maná..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-_suV3GCOQ&feature=PlayList&p=3C52D3BE8EA2FE35&index=1

lyrics:

Iba caminando por las calles empapadas en olvido.
Iba por los parques con fantasmas y con ángeles caídos.
Iba sin luz, iba sin sol,
iba sin un sentido, iba muriéndome.
Iba volando sobre el mar
con las alas rotas.

Ay amor apareciste en mi vida
y me curaste las heridas.
Ay amor eres mi luna, eres mi sol,
eres mi pan de cada día

Apareciste con tu luz.
No, nunca te vayas,
oh, no te vayas, no
Tú eres la gloria de los dos
hasta la muerte.

En un mundo de ilusión,
yo estaba desahuciado,
yo estaba abandonado.
Vivía sin sentido,
pero llegaste tú.

Ay, amor tú eres mi religión.
Tú eres luz, tú eres mi sol.
Abre el corazón, abre el corazón.

Hace tanto tiempo corazón,
vivía en el dolor, en el olvido.
Ay, amor eres mi bendición, mi religión,
eres mi sol que cura el frío.

Apareciste con tu luz,
no, no, no me abandones.
No, nunca mi amor.
Gloria de los dos,
tú eres sol, tu eres mi todo
toda tú eres bendición.

En un mundo de ilusión
yo estaba desahuciado,
yo estaba abandonado.
Vivía sin sentido, pero llegaste tú.

Ay, amor tú eres mi religión.
Tú eres luz, tú eres mi sol.
Abre el corazón, abre el corazón.

Ay, amor tú eres mi bendición.
Tú eres luz, tú eres mi sol.
Abre el corazón, abre abre el corazón.

Viviré siempre a tu lado con tu luz.
oh, oh, oh
Moriré estando a tu lado,
eres gloria y bendición,

oh, oh, oh
Eres tu mi bendición.
Eres tú mi religión, yee.
oh, oh, oh

Eres tú mi eternidad,
y hasta eres salvación.
oh, oh, oh

No tenia nada.
Y hoy te tengo con la gloria,
con la gloria, con la gloria.
amor, amor, amor, amor, amor

Eres tú mi bendición.
Eres mi luz, eres mi sol. \
\

Aug 13, '09 10:26 AM
for Miracle's network

From Multiply 025: La primera tristeza

Todas las noches, la luna

Vive en mis ojos, mas sobre

Todo es él.



Todas las noches, me doy

Yo, pero ¡qué pocas noches

Me doy yo!



Todas las noches le hablo

Mas ¡qué pocas veces me oye

Mi voz!

Mar 9, '09 7:03 AM
for Miracle's contacts

07232012: Día del Español

This is another late post about the Día del Español, an annual event celebrating the Spanish language as one of the widely used languages of the world with approximately 500 million speakers. In addition, the event hopes to promote Spanish culture through live music, food, and games.

This year, said event was held in Shangrila Mall in Mandaluyong City last June 23. Yours truly participated in the event and got four awesome books as prizes. How cool is that???

Tribute to MDO

If there's one boy band that I have chanced upon and never let go since, it would have to be the Puerto Rican boy band  MDO. In the 90s, almost all girls my age were big fans of boy bands like Westlife, A1, etc. Before reaching the year 2000 though I converted to being a rock music fan, mainly due to Linkin Park and Aerosmith. Since then I seem to find boy band music shallow and too sugary cute.

But then I cam across "Me huele a soledad" on youtube one day while searching for some rock ballads in Spanish. I immediately liked the song, though to be honest, I find the video repulsive.

But anyway never mind the video, I told myself. I can always opt to just listen to the song anyway. And then I found myself searching MDO's other songs. My search bore good fruits. I found catchy emo songs by MDO:

"Te quise olvidar" (catchy and full of angst)

"Sin Ti" (the song that can easily put me to emo mode)

"Mi amor tu vas a extranar" (a song that I can relate to very well)

 

"Donde esta tu amor"

Fue su cumpleaños y…

El 10 de junio (domingo)

Tal vez celebra su cumpleaños con su familia. Tal vez incluye su novia.

Toda la tarde me quedo en la casa, leyendo algunas noticias en la Red mientras bajando algunas canciones cuyas cantantes me han captado la atención. Por ejemplo, a estos días escucho a la música de Andrés de León, MDO, y Sin Bandera. Sobre todo me gustan las que reflejan los fracasos de amor, con temas de separación y amor ignorado.

Toda la tarde mientras escuchando a las canciones siguientes, yo pienso en él. Él que ha roto mi corazón muchas veces ya. Él que es capaz de hacerme daño sin hacer nada. Él que me ha dado un fragmento de inspiración que me ha acompañado en los cuatro años en la universidad. Él que me ha dado un fragmento de esperanza sin saberlo, una esperanza de tener un novio después mis estudios universitarios.

Él sabe por cierto que aún le quiero. Tal vez… por cierto. No sé. Le he querido desde el año en el que trasladé en su escuela y era una nueva estudiante allí. Le he querido toda vez más después de graduarnos en la escuela secundaria. Y a veces me encontraba con él en la universidad. Él comportaba como si fuera un sueño la confesión de amor que había hecho yo antes. Algunas veces hablábamos de la vida universitaria, nos reíamos de nuestra estupidez, hablábamos de nuestros sueños y planos en la vida. Para mi significaba algo. Me sentía feliz cuando estaba con él.

En mi año final en la universidad, todo cambió. De repente no me prestaba atención. De repente su propio perfil en Multiply y vi allí que tal vez ya haya tenido una novia. Era un sospecho que no había prestado ninguna atención porque pensaba que compréndase a él perfectamente.

Este año, tres meses antes,  mientras escribiendo un ensayo académico para una clase, recibí la noticia de él mismo, que ya tiene una vida amorosa.  Me sentía como si un golpe de aguas frías me haya atacado. Me sentía como si los cielos chocan de repente con mi corazón. No sabía cómo expresar los sentimientos mezclados que estaban dentro de mí en aquellos momentos.

Y este día pienso en él. No se ha curado todavía el corazón…

Las letras de “Sin ti” (MDO) reflejan los sentimientos en mi ser al recibir las malas noticias:

“Dime que hice mal 
para merecer tu desprecio cariño
tanta soledad
me tiene al borde de un profundo abismo
me quiero morir”

Y mi cuerpo de verdad se debilita…

“Sin ti amor
todo es un desastre 
me siento vacío
la vida no es vida ya nada es lo mismo
Sin ti
salir a la calle no tiene sentido
hay tanto recuerdos que le dan muy duro
a mi corazón”

El tiempo había parado de andar. Sólo quería ir a donde estaba para saber lo que pasó. Quería saber la verdad, si en los años que le he querido, también sentía él algo para mí. Y las letras de “A puro dolor” (Sin Bandera) se quedan en la mente:

“Estoy muriendo, muriendo por verte

Agonizando muy lento y muy fuerte”

Hasta estos días esta canción de Sin Bandera siempre juega en mi mente, como un himno de alguien cuya corazón solo sabe el dolor de amar a alguien tan profundamente. Hasta ahora no he ganado el entusiasmo para la vida, perdí la gana de hacer cosas como de costumbre. Los días grises han llegado a ser mis amigos. Ni siquiera la luna me puede hacer sonreír.

El coro de “A puro dolor” repite sin cesar:

“Vida, devuélveme mis fantasías

Mis ganas de vivir la vida

Devuélveme el aire...

Cariño mio, sin ti yo me siento vació

Las tardes son un laberinto

Y las noches me saben

A puro dolor...”

Gradualmente me doy cuenta de que la vida sin él en mi futuro no debe ser un problema. En primer lugar, jamás he tenido su corazón, jamás me percibe interesante. Y estas últimas letras de “Mi amor tú vas a extrañar” (MDO) casi rompen todo mi ser:

“Sé que no te importa hacerme daño

Que te da igual saber que aun te amo

Para ti, nunca existí”

“Para ti, nunca existí”--- no se ha escapado estas palabras del corazón y de la mente. Y cada vez que escucho estas palabras, peleo contra el impulso de llorar.

¡Feliz cumpleaños!

Sé feliz con ella.

La inconsolable,

Diosa de la Luna

Sin Amor

Estos días escucho a la música rock. He descubierto MDO, una banda de Puerto Rico. Su música me recuerda de A1, una banda que me interesó mucho hace poco años. Ahora escucho a las canciones “Sin ti”, “Me huele a soledad”, y “Te quise olvidar”. Se tratan de la tragedia del amor, y eso me gusta mucho aunque en realidad no hay ninguna conexión en mi vida personal porque todavía no he tenido novio.

El día de los amantes va a venir. Ya tengo muchos años pero las Parcas todavía no me han dado ninguna oportunidad para gozar de una vida amorosa. Algunas veces me pregunto si los hombres son tan ciegos, no me miran como una mujer sino como una niña perdida en esta selva de la civilización. Pero tienen ellos razón. Ya he llegado a ser como la luna en su soltera eterna.

He calificado los exámenes de mis estudiantes queridos. Me duele mucho el corazón porque muchos no aprueban. Dentro de mí, sé que el examen no es tan fácil. Pero tengo mucha confianza en mis estudiantes. Como una madre, yo darles animo pero clandestinamente. No quiero que sepan que en verdad, les quiero. Sobre todo, no quiero que sepa que le quiero. (¿Quién es él? Es un secreto. Lo que puedo decir es, cuando miré a su cuaderno una vez, ví allí se escribe “gusto Srta. Melodina” y me dio un vuelco el corazón.)

Y hoy lo he descubierto en Facebook. Me parece que es muy guapo. Pues, es guapo y muy bondadoso a mi parecer. También es muy serio. De hecho, no sé mucho de él. Me recuerdo una vez en la clase, yo llamé a él para recitar y se puso muy nervioso. No sé por qué. Tal vez me mira como si fuera un monstruo, como si fuera Medusa. 

Y hay muchos estudiantes que me dicen que me quieren pero no lo creo. Pienso que solo lo hacen para que sea yo generosa en dar sus notas. Y no necesito palabras vacías. Lo que necesito es la verdad. Lo que necesito es AMOR. (íAy de mi!)

Ahora me enamoro de él. En mi vida muchas veces ya me he enamorado, y muchas veces ya el corazón se ha roto. Muchas veces ya he soñado que un día mi príncipe viene. Muchas veces ya ruego a los cielos que haya amor profundo en mi vida. Muchas veces ya que sólo hay fracasos y desastres. ¿Habrá una oportunidad para compartir aun un porciento de mi vida con alguien especial? 

Me estoy muriendo de amor.

Here Comes the Month of Love

Here comes the month of love. Here comes again one of the most highly commercialized month. And it is depressing to see stuffed toys, flowers, and chocolates all over the newspapers and on display in malls and stores. Yes, it is a bit depressing because I don't have a decent romantic love life. But yes, love exists in my life in the form of filial love, love for my passions, love for the important people in my life. It's just that I hate the idea of giving flowers and gifts on Valentine's Day. It encourages consumerism. It encourages a materialistic view of love. Being an old-fashioned girl, I'd rather get well written letters or poems.

So anyway, at this moment, I am taking a break from preparing exams. A few numbers and I'm good to go. While doing it, I am listening to songs by Sin Bandera, one of my favorite bands ever for their soulful and mellow music. In particular, I am listening to "Entra en mi vida" over and over again. It is one of the most romantic songs I have ever heard. It's about falling in love with someone one has just met.

I guess this month will see me listening to Sin Bandera more than ever.