Impressions of the Grand Marian Procession 2010 Part Deux

Before I continue, let me respond to one comment about the way I write. I do understand that it takes some getting used to, and the way I use words -big words to some- isn't the usual brand of writing the majority of you want to read, but the Barefoot Baklesa is not here to write for anyone's approval nor is this blog here to titillate gay sensibilities. There are other blogs that cater to that. Furthermore, I'm not being an elitist about this. Ah well, there goes being unapologetic...

Looking at the members of the Cofradia [Confraternity] seated at the top steps of the Manila Cathedral with their view of the "carrozas" passing before them, I can't help but wonder what was going through their their heads as each of the Marian images went past them.

In typical Filipino festive fashion, the Grand Marian procession is not without its dose of the theatrical; and by theatrical, I do mean beyond the Baroque sensibility that already dominates the folk religious art in this archipelago. Aside from the ubiquitous religious heralds, and escorts, and ladies in attendance, some images of the Virgin Mary are accompanied by a cotery of performers: street dancers, if you may call them such. Dressed in their native and pastoral best, these troupes of dancers come in all ages representing the local festivities associated with the virgin. If the entourage of Our Lady of Turumba was any indication of what is to be expected of others, by the time the image of the Divina Pastor [Divine Shepherdess] emerges from the gate, you will surely get the sense that these people have been waiting for the GMP all year. Thus waiting four hours to emerge from the gate of the fort, isn't really that big a deal.

As we went around the left side of the Cathedral, past the gaze of the Cofradia, and the army of photographers clicking away, the streets of old Manila seemed to give way to the solemnity that was always associated with a procession. And then by some irony which I have often associated with my view of the world, the marching band before us played tune currently familiar. And by the chorus, I knew what it was. I guess it did not hurt that it had been one of the most well received songs from a previous episode of GLEE: "Just The Way You Are". And I could not help but look up behind me and smile at Nuestra Señora de la Salud and thinking, "Yeah, she loves you just the way you are."

I know some of you that know me will go like, "There goes Niki with his spiritual epiphanies while in the middle of any religious ceremony." But whatever anyone may have to say about it, at least I'm glad I still have that connection with my spirituality.

And whoah will I be on my high horse on this one- Yet looking at some people living the alternative lifestyle who think that getting into clubs, partying all night, bouncing from one co-dependent relationship to another, and worse -being self destructive in whatever they will- I'm glad I still have experiences like this: knowing some higher power is still up there, and i'm better for it.

But I'm getting sidetracked here...

Moving on; I really admired Trina for being such a sport, the black high heeled pumps she wore throughout the procession would give the cilice [that freaky thing the Opus Dei like to use? just google it.] a run for its penitential value. I remember humorously having to count the meters leading to the cathedral as I assisted her with her "bara alta" which by manner of keeping appearances would challenge one's poise and bearing with those pumps -especially at the cobblestone streets adjacent to San Agustin church. Applause goes out to her for having graciously seen it through.

By the time we reached the vicinity of the Manila Cathdral, the "carrozas" that went before us were already parked by the piazza. And as expected, the crowds that gathered were asking for the flowers that decorated the "carroza" -which by local belief, was blessed by the presence of the Virgin and is considered by some as a talisman of sorts. Trust me, if you are an image owner and have been taking out religious images for procession, you will dread this moment the most. Trying to control devotees from grabbing what they will from the floral displays would also run the risk of breaking the light fixtures and damaging the carroza -or worse- the image itself.

But thankfully, even with the barrage of devotees waiting to get those white flowers, Djaja's "carroza" survived and found a place to park by the piazza. And to my surprise, the image of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, was yet to emerge from the gate. Trina found a convenient place to sit and rest her feet while with "bara alta" on hand, I tried to catch glimpses of some of the many Marian images that have come to rest in the vicinity with camera on hand attempting to capture those that I had missed.

I was glad to catch another friend, Becco [Benjamin Concepcion Esquirres Empleo -you see, I'm not the first to have such a long name] who was to be my company until the end of the evening. As we saw to it that Trina had settled herself in the car and returned the "bara alta" to Djaja's custody, Becco and I went to the gate which the remaining images of the Blessed Mother waited to emerge. It was almost past 7:30 in the evening and the "Festejada" image of the Virgin was still biding her time.

And typical of me and a fellow enthusiast in the local religious arts, we went into our usual discussions about silver "carrozas", gold thread embroidery, ivory carving, and the list goes on. And in doing so, we seem to have lost Djaja and the others. Understandably tired, I knew they had to go ahead and get their rest. So Becco and I decided to catch what was left of the GMP in front of the cathedral. We found a place to sit and chanced upon a fellow Flickr member, Ohmel, who was in town after being abroad for work.

Of all the questions that came from Becco that evening, this struck me the most: "If you had the resources and an image of the Virgin to spare, would you join the Grand Marian Procession?"

And I replied objectively, "It would be nice, but that would be one logistical nightmare for me. Knowing how I get during holy week processions obsessing over the tiniest detail, I don't think I'll be able to survive a GMP. I'll just be happy to see friends take out their images, and help out when given the chance." Ehem, paging Tito Jojo Canlas!!! Hehehehehe.

Remember the commentary I made about the Cofradia a little earlier, about the GMP becoming sort of becoming their amusement, Becco thought the same too. In the vernacular he said, " Alam ko na sila ang Cofradia at nagpapakain sila ng mga kababayan natin, pero alam mo isa lang ito sa mga aliwan nila." I hope I got that right... Roughly translated for my readers from Thailand and the UK [Oh yes, I do...] "I know they are the Confraternity and they have their charity work, but this is only one of their amusements." Having said that, and whatever the GMP may seem or mean to anyone, it's the Virgin Mary that is queen, and her glory in all of this is all that matters. [Oh look, that last one was cannon fodder for the fundamentalist sects out there.]

After the Festejada image of the Immaculate Conception had passed, and the other images have made their way back to the piazza, Becco and I started going around to take photographs of the icons that still had their lights on. It's nice to have shared this experience with friends... Congratulations to Djaja for the "primera salida" of the Nuestra Señora de la Salud, and my profoundest thanks for letting me be part of it. And here's to Becco, I'm praying for thy intentions as well.

Viva La Virgen!!!


Thus spake the Barefoot Baklesa

Impressions of the Grand Marian Procession 2010

I have been a Marian devotee for some time now, but my devotion is very specific and limited. And as much as I love the artistry that comes with Roman Catholic devotion, I was unable to attend the Grand Marian Procession within old Manila's historical quarter called Intramuros [thus named for being “within the walls”] until this year. And considering that every Roman Catholic educational institutional I have attended since time immemorial have always declared the Feast of Immaculate Conception on December 8th school free, I can't really explain why I never bothered attending the GMP.

I have read about it in some book and would always participate in discussions of Marian Iconography, yet somehow people would always seem aghast when I would declare my non-attendance to what they regard as the jewel of all Marian Processions in the country. But by saying that, it would be unfair of me not to mention the side commentary that has always been associated with the GMP at Intramuros; that it was -by default- a fashion show. Upon asking a friend of mine a day before if he was attending, he responded nonchalant, “I don't attend that Fashion show.”

Yes, I know that some of us in the ranks of those that own religious images are often guilty of being “over the top” when it comes to processions in general to the point that we can make finials of ostrich feathers and cherry blossoms from twigs and spangles, I am one that stands by and believes in self-control and constant editing lest I find myself in the throes of the “overkill”.

But it is kind of different for me these past two years, for I have made a few friends that have been immersed in Marian devotions long before that life changing experience I had around four years ago when I could say for certain -for a brief moment in time, in those sacred seconds- that I felt God had walked the earth. Therefore, I opted to attend this year. A good friend of mine, Sonny Djajakusuma, who is also responsible for helping with the repairs of my processional image of Saint Mary of Bethany will be taking out his new image of the Nuestra Señora de la Salud for this year's GMP. However, this will not be the first time he will be joining for he hath taken out another image of the Virgin, the Nuestra Señora de Alta Gracia -which he opted not to take out this year. Also, Djaja was the one who took me to my first La Naval procession last October which I endured with a sprained back supported by a cane. To those of you that know me, I am averse to anything of the Dominican order that I avoided them. But it was an enlightening experience.

But before I proceed any further, I would like to give those of you who are unfamiliar, a brief backgrounder on what the Grand Marian Procession is all about. You see, every year on December 8th, the traditional date of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, The Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception has been organizing a yearly procession of images of the Virgin Mary in the infinite variety of her titles and the many devotions associated with her in the Philippine Archipelago since about two or so decades ago. Marian Images from all over the country are brought to the walls of the historic quarter for an annual procession with the image of the Immaculate Conception as the last to come out in celebration of the Feast. Through the years, aside from the traditional Marian images that are venerated all over the country, many other titles and incarnations of her have joined the procession thus making it a grander display in the years that followed. And this year, I believe that the total images that came out already reached a hundred.

I arrived about 55 minutes late that cloudy December afternoon. They said it would start at exactly 4:00pm, which to my surprise it did considering the cliché of Filipino time not starting on the dot. By the time I made my way to the street that led to Fort Santiago where the procession started from, it was already the 50th image of the Virgin Mary that I beheld. Part of me was wondering if my friend Djaja's image of the blessed mother already passed or was still about to emerge from the gates of Real Fuerza de Santiago blaming myself for moving too slow that day.

Then I felt this energy emanating from the processional line; from afar my eyes could make out an image of the blessed mother encased in a silver baldacchine borne on the shoulders of her devotees locally called an “andas”, being danced and swayed left and right to the music of a marching band. Behind her, a youthful crowd of more than a hundred enticing revelry as they went past us. It was the Nuestra Señora de Turumba of Pakil, a town in Laguna about three hours drive away from Manila. She was a relatively small image of the Sorrowful Mother, that gained the title Turumba which was derived from the local word “tumba” which translates to topple or tumble by the way she is danced as by those who bear her on their shoulders. With digital camera on hand, the hairs on the back of my neck did stand like that time years ago when I stood at some corner of the Quiapo district of Manila during the biggest procession celebrating the feast of the image of the Black Nazarene.

There was something about that congregation from Pakil that kept me mesmerized. There I was recalling the legend why the locals had to dance and incite cheers for the grieving image of the Blessed Mother. It is said that centuries ago, faithful of Pakil began dancing and cheering so that the Dolorous image of the Blessed Mother shall shed tears no more. And in doing so, they attributed many a miracle to this devotional activity. And some people ca take this with a grain of salt, but of all the artistic incarnations of the Blessed Mother there, this was the only one that made me feel she was there with me, at that very moment. I guess it's different for other people...

And true to my luck -which one has attested to be unfair to the rest of the world- my friend Djaja's image of Nuestra Señora de la Salud emerged from the gate of the fort in her stunning tiered “carroza” [processional carriage/platform] bedecked with white flowers. Her visage of carved ivory and hands of the same precious material bore in her hands the Christ child also with head and hands carved of the same; both dressed in rich fabrics exquisitely embroidered in gold thread. I expected nothing less of Djaja who knew the ins and outs of composing religious images from scratch. His knowledge of carvers, suppliers, gold thread embroiderers and other related ateliers would produce no less than excellently finished images that reflected his unfailing devotion to the Virgin Mary.

I would not miss this for the world, so I cut my way into the crowd and made it to the processional line just in time to join Djaja's processional party. Before them was a marching band and altar boys who bore the standard of the Virgin, one burned incense on a censer, and some others lit her way; and just after them the young lady that accompanied the Blessed Virgin Mary, Trina Ballesteros wore a Traje de Mestiza [traditional formal Filipina female dress made famous by Imelda Marcos during her time] in iridescent green and black with a classic faux tortoise shell comb sans the soft mantolin as that of the Spanish fashion; on her right hand, she held a “bara alta” -a metal staff with a finial of pressed or worked metal that held the image of the Virgin she accompanied.

As we turned the corner to the front the Manila Cathedral, each image of the Virgin Mary was introduced to the crowd, recalling the history of the devotion to a particular title of hers, which town or family the image comes from, and the sponsors that have helped them in this year's procession. Kind of like a candidate at a beauty pageant in the simplest sense. Upon the steps of the cathedral sat the members of the confraternity in their formal traditional best and blue and white sashes. They were composed of society's elite, a majority of them with their hyphenated family names so familiar to me in the many times I have been in the same room with them or have heard mentioned in conversation. As we went past them, I could not help but feel as if this was all for their sheer delight and entertainment...

I shall continue this next post...


thus spake The Barefoot Baklesa

I'm Curating FOR YOUR EYES ONLY

Hie Thee Hither!!!

I'm inviting you guys to Ian Felix Alquiros' FIRST ever NUDE Photography exhibition entitled FOR YOUR EYES ONLY on the 10th of December at 6:00pm and the 11th of December at 12:00pm at THE ROOM, 88 Panay Avenue Quezon City

Exhibition Curated by Niki de los Reyes-Torres, PATDAT aka The Barefoot Baklesa



thus spake The Barefoot Baklesa

posting drought is that you?

Lately, i don't know if it's a combination of being busy with sudden bouts of procrastination that has been hindering me from posting anything new or maybe i have nothing with any sense to go on about; But trust me, my readership rates at google analytics have been dipping -not that it's much but i do enjoy the clicks... come on, we're not out here blogging just for our personal pleasure to read -that would be too absurd even to the vainest of all of us.

So I leave you with something to think about today, because I have been stuck with certain pages of my book and it's taking a while to write/move on:

"Like are we writing for Art?
And is Art a springboard for fame?
And will fame give us a paycheck?
And will a paycheck mean that we're sellouts?
And if we sellout, will they yell out me and you?"

-Title of Show




thus spake the Barefoot Baklesa

I must be making sense to someone out there...

Remember how I often refer to my postings as "the swirling mist in my head"? Well, i often wonder if what i'm going on about here makes sense to some, or if I seem to be blabbering on about random things that catch my fancy, or getting emotional and passionate about -well, just about anything...

Just now, I found a curious message in my inbox... it was a long read, and a juicy one at that. Before I actually make a response to his dilemma, I'm going to ask him if I can feature it in The Barefoot Baklesa blog. I think what he went through and what I have to say about it I reckon is something we can all learn from.

Until then, i leave you with Bernadette Peters singing "Not A Day Goes By" from Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along




thus spake the Barefoot Baklesa

Happiness, the Shallow Side of Me, and Super Junior

I will have to admit, there are days when I can be undeniably shallow... Next to great food, eye candy and the continuous sight thereof keeps a smile on my face longer than the balance of my bank account. Maybe that's why I enjoy 'people watching' from the odd corners of cafes and lounges which i frequent.

Back when we were in training to be writers, we taught the skill of observation: to see what stories people's actions tell. But I'm getting way off topic here, I need to be shallow.

I woke up today, considering the obvious lack of sleep, with what one calls "a spring in my step"... There was something in the air, I sensed.

As i was checking stuff online, I was reminded that five years ago today, a Korean boyband of 13 members strong was launched: SUPER JUNIOR.


[oh yeah, this was from years ago... look at the hair on these boys!]

I have to admit, I became a fan very late in Super Junior's existence. How late? Well, only early this year... That gives me four years I need to catch up on. Trust me, the pretty boy overload wasn't something I came to regret.



So, even with the racist slurs actress Lee Da Hae has thrown my people's way by poking fun at how Filipino teachers speak/teach the Koreans the English language, the very fact that Super Junior still keeps a smile on my face when I watch them trumps the latest uncouth comment from a second rate actress. Thank you, Super Junior [*sigh*]

You see, there's something about SUJU that appeals to me [Siwon and Donghae perhaps? Hehehehe] which I can't really find with the guys from U-kiss, Beast, or 2PM. Although 2PM's Nichkun would make for the cutest cuddle-mate, and I could stare at Eli of U-Kiss for hours on end, they don't have that "lift my spirits" kind of vibe that SUJU has on me.



These guys [SUJU] look like they're having fun all the time. Which is evident when I look at their performance concepts that they have a sense of humor about themselves with the cross dressing and the antics.

The Barefoot Baklesa wishes SUPER JUNIOR a happy five years in the biz; and here's wishing they keep making me -I meant- more people happy.

I leave you with the very first SUPER JUNIOR song I ever saw, "Haengbok" or "Happiness"



Have a great weekend, everyone!


thus spake the Barefoot Baklesa

Don't Bother, He's Here

Quoting someone very dear to me just now, "Ngayon older but much much stupider things we do for love."

Sooo True... and nothing defines this midnight's epiphany better than this Sondheim song.

"Don't you love farce?
My fault I fear
I thought that you'd want what I want
Sorry, my dear...
But where are the clowns?
Quick, send in the clowns!
Don't bother, they're here"

Thank you, Glenn... I needed that; feeling a bit more recharged.


thus spake the Barefoot Baklesa

i left my heart in Pila

I had a great time during the feast of Saint Anthony of Padua in Pila Laguna this past weekend... I was babysitting my friend's Santa Clara de Asis for her primera salida procession... Pila is such a place that inspires the romance of days gone by, and I fell in love with Pila long before i knew the people that lived within those century-old homes.

I think I left my heart in Pila Laguna


thus spake the Barefoot Baklesa

Vice Ganda to Tado: "Bakit, anong problema mo sa mga bakla?"

Well, it's bound to happen soon anyway...

I never found Vice Ganda remotely entertaining. And as proud as he is during an interview with Boy Abunda in last Sunday's The Buzz that there may be those opposed to him but is happy there are more that are entertained with him, I find his brand of humor very guttersnipe and cheap. I have been to comedy bars and the culture of embarrassing guests at the guests expense too much. Then again, that is not my brand of entertainment anyway. It's an acquired taste, or no taste at all. [insert condescending laughter here]

It's not as if Tado is without any fault here, but Vice Ganda has been too quick to interrupt the guest judge who is put there to voice his own opinion of the performances. I am the barefoot baklesa after all and i will be quick to raise the rainbow flag when hurled slurs at, but the vernacular has evolved to a point that saying "para kayong mga bakla" is not as heavy to me as it once was. For I even use that sometimes...

I think Vice Ganda has been trying to see how far he can push his brand of wit and humor on live television... and he seems to be getting away with it, and that kind of got to his head somehow.

I'm looking forward to more Tado versus Vice Ganda... Hehehehe



thus spake the Barefoot Baklesa

Baking in the National Library

IF I HAVE TAGGED YOU, PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO READ THIS…AND SERIOUSLY TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK… AND IF IT MAKES SENSE, PASS IT ON


I have just finished watching this little known movie entitled AGORA about the siege the early Christians laid upon the Great Library of Alexandria at the fourth century when the Roman Empire had recognized Christianity as the official religion of the empire. And how the female philosopher, Hipatia, struggled to keep the knowledge of the ancient world alive amidst the zealous acts that leave such chaos at its wake.

BUT THIS IS NOT ABOUT RELIGION, THIS IS ABOUT IRONY

Just a few hours ago, I had spent almost a day at the National Library of the Philippines. To those of you who have known me through Jesuit University and that other school across that university along Taft Avenue, if you can’t find me anywhere else, I usually am at the library not to catch a snooze but to explore the stacks and read the rest of the day away.

As I entered that Bauhaus structure along T.M. Kalaw Avenue at probably one of the hottest days of this summer, the sparse lobby gave no impression that within these walls, the people of this nation will behold before them such wonders found only in printed bound parchment that those who have dared contain them there laboured that we may know the tangible and intangible world by ways never revealed to us before.

Truth be told, that last sentence had more in it than what that place could have offered me. As I applied for my reading card which cost me only 50 pesos [almost $1 US], the insufferable heat in that place could not ruin my resolve to gain access to a few books that I needed which were currently out of circulation.

In my quest for reference books for the research on this book I’m developing with another writer, I was led to the online catalogue of the National Library since the rare books I was looking for cost an arm and a leg for $300 on the internet. I’m not a cheapskate, but the contents I needed from pages those books are all up here in the swirling primordial mist that is my mind -I just needed them for footnoting.

As I went into the reading rooms, and through the stacks to look for what I needed, I could not help but stare at the state that place was in. The place was clean as libraries go, but the disrepair, the poorly maintained stacks, and the general atmosphere of the place akin to that of a backwater town that government funding forgot.

As I walked those halls, It did not seem to me that this was the place that held almost everything about the world since the first movable type. What is this place to be for some impressionable youth seeking to fuel himself in the arts and sciences? One could argue that what really matters is what is inside those books and not the place that hold them. But if the place lacks the very books that can take them onto this journey -No, that the one that sends Bastian into Fantasia but you get my drift- then what?

BUT IS NOT THE STATE OF A COUNTRY’S BIBLIOTEQUE A REFLECTION OF WHAT IT IS?

Is this neglect associated with the priorities of every government that came and went? In the middle of my research I composed a text message that I sent to my mentors in the hopes that they may at least help me make sense of the experience.

“Sitting here at the National Library, a week after elections and just before the new come to take office, I wonder what will a new president really do for the Arts? To be specific, what does it matter to my art now that the people seem to have found hope and change in a man who is also of the old order?”

And this was the most disturbing reply

“Anak, ano ba naman ang alam niya sa Sining natin? The Arts have always been the least of any leader’s priorities since I can’t remember. If anything, the Arts to him may be just like tonight’s latest “gossip” that would be replaced with another juicier one by tomorrow. Palibhasa gossip rin lang naman ang alam ng kapatid niyan and I’m afraid they may play the Arts card when it is to their advantage like a badly acted teleserye”

And there I was, sitting on one of the wooden tables at the end of the Filipiniana section telling myself once again, that a place such as this should be the beacon for those wide-eyed youth seeking to be inspired, seeking to understand the world, and be fueled to contribute to the Sciences and most especially the Arts. No matter how disheartening that text message was.

That place must contain the infinite variety of the world as it is seen not by just one eye. For how are we to flourish if we do not at least leave a generation of new thinkers and even madmen that would challenge the way we see the world.

In our little corners, we [the few who still dare] try to keep the Arts alive. But what is Art without the interdisciplinary understanding of it? Are we to entrust that to the fantaseryes and teleseryes on recent vintage? When the fame of our world class performers are all limited to talent within the framework of western material, where is the emergence Filipino Identity in this global melting pot? It’s not there because there is nothing to catalyse it.

A few new computers with LCD screens does not a state of the art facility make.

I fear we are just fostering a wikipedia and “cut & paste” next generation if the very places that should contain the world for them only contain an island; leaving the rest of it to be googled away.

When forced to abandon her quest to keep teaching, Hipatia then says, “Sinesias, you do not question what you believe, or cannot… I MUST.”

I THEN QUESTION THIS HOPE AND CHANGE PEOPLE ARE NOW INEBRIATED WITH.

Because, what is that to me who struggles to create illusion within a proscenium frame to suspend any disbelief? Because what is that to me who seeks to add to that ISBN list with something that I see as uniquely Filipino?

If the mandate of the people is indeed for the good of everyone, what does that vote translate to us? Are they expecting us to be the sacrificed so that the many may be prioritized? Or are they expecting us to run for Party List seats in congress so we may finally be heard?

I may not see the National Library to be the like the Biblioteque of Alexndria any time soon. As it currently fails to deliver that brand of awe that a place where knowledge and things in their infinite variety may be discovered anew. The only saving grace of that place, are its employees. The people working there, under the dismal circumstances, are testaments to the resilience that we Filipinos are known for. That petite lady with the glasses at the special collections gives me a better appreciation of what a civil servant has to endure.

The change that you have been promised is not something that can come overnight. But if you don’t really voice out what needs to be changed, then the priorities just won’t get listed.

I remember something important about the Dark Ages, when the rest of the world falls into this hype of change that often results in chaos, there are those that retreat to the halls of learning and chambers of knowledge translating the knowledge of the old world so that there would be enough of them to spark the Renaissance.

Maybe I’m thinking of gloom and doom too much too soon… But if in six years, that structure along T.M. Kalaw remains as it is, then corruption is really the least of this nation’s concerns.

Go ahead, ask the average Filipino teenager who Idianale, Magwayen, Tungkung-Langit, Alunsina or Lakampati are, and you would not be surprised that they know more about Aphrodite and Apollo. Maybe even you who are reading this won’t even know off the bat.

I will be announcing “eating my piece of humble pie” if anything is bound to change at all.



thus spake the barefoot baklesa

the song that goes like this: You and Me Song by the Wannadies

I woke up and this song was playing in my head...Hahahahaha!!! Enjoy thy weekend, folks...

You and Me Song

Always when we fight
I try to make you laugh
Until everything's forgotten
I know you hate that

Ba ba ra ra ba ba ba ba
Ba ba ra ra ba ba ba ba

Always when we fight
I kiss you once or twice
And everything's forgotten
I know you hate that

I love you Sunday sun
The week's not yet begun
And everything is quiet

And it's always
You and me - always - and forever
You and me - always - and forever
Ba ba ba ba ba
It was always
You and me - always

You tell me I'm a real man
And try to look impressed
Not very convincing
But you know I love it

Then we watch TV
Until we fall asleep
Not very exciting
But it's you and me
And we'll always be together

You and me - always - and forever
You and me - always - and forever
Ba ba ba ba ba
It was always
You and me - always - and forever
You and me - always - and forever
Ba ba ba ba ba
It was always
You and me - always - and forever
You and me - always - and forever
Ba ba ba ba ba
Babaroah



thus spake The Barefoot Baklesa

Ivan or Mario? [the battle of the multi-racial cuties in the barefoot baklesa's heart]

Lately I could not fathom why I am drawn to this teen boy currently residing as one of the housemates in the Pinoy Big Brother Teen Clash 2010 House...

Then I remembered this guy...



Not since Mario Maurer have i paid this much attention to a multi-racial boy... And i can sense Mario Maurer's photos staring back at me with a stare that goes, "You have betrayed me..."



But can you blame me? Just look at that smile...



It's that same innocence that Mario Maurer used to have that I seem to have found in this boy all over again.



See?



I'm feeling Mario Maurer hanging by an artery at the edge of my heart...


*SIGH*



Thus spoke The Barefoot Baklesa.

Oh gods oh gods, are you there? [text message banter during an unexpected april shower]

I just had to share these exchanges through text... It lifted my mood a little -considering the the week i have been having [having being the operative word], and give or take that the person on the other end was located in central luzon for that matter. Here goes:

Drake: Yehey! Mahal talaga ako ni Bro, ang lakas ng ulan, migs!

Niki: Teka lang, tatawagan ko si Bro ha, baka kasi si Shiva o si Vishnu ang may gawa.

Drake: Si Hades daw. Hehehe!

Niki: Mali, si Horus daw may gawa. Nadapa at nadali yung pitsel ni Santa Martha kaya bumuhos ang ulan.

Drake: Nabitawan nga ni Horus yung jug sa Pampanga. Lakas ulan may bits of ice pa o.

Niki: Nagalit si Santa Martha, best pitcher daw niya yon... Hahatawin yata si Horus ng basket of grapes.

Drake: Ako heto, sobrang tuwa. Sarap pakinggan ng mga kulog at makita Thunder bolts ni Tatay Zeus.



Well, primera lluve de mayo [the first rain of May] is hopefully around the corner... Here's praying to the heavens that this insufferable heat will pass... Soon.



Thus spake the Barefoot Baklesa

Can i just Say?

I slept in rather late, my body was a little worse for wear from the day before -unusually cold summer day that went all humid on me- But i woke up a while ago feeling as if the world is going my way. And that nothing, not even Uncle FreUd with a few lose screws in his head, can ruin this day...

I'd like to share this wallpaper from Bon Bon Underwear which pretty much sums up what I feel today...Enjoy!!!



Thus spake the Barefoot Baklesa

when you think the gods are playing games with you...

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

I chanced upon Javvy at the computer the other day watching this...
I found this quite hilarious and I want to share this with you guys.
This is for the days when you think the gods above are messing with you, and hopefully they aren't.

So, if you feel like it's not your day, just laugh it off like I did with this one.


Thus spake, The Barefoot Baklesa

TEN THINGS IN MY GAY MIND: end of year special

I obviously have not done this in a while; ergo I found it fitting that as the year draws to a close, that the Barefoot Baklesa posts one before the new year...

10. The Travesty that comes with Suffrage or should we call it SuffERage is upon us once again. The claws are out and the fangs are bared, as the monsters that are every Politician and Political Wannabe with enough spending power hath made their presence felt.

From the screeching of Regine Velasquez singing a worn out slogan ["Hindi Ka Nag-iisa"] that was better left in the 80s; to Erap Estrada's gloom and doom television ad signalling his return and the bad things that come with him; to Villar's sing-along videos that teaches us that former fish vendors must marry rich women with two episodes of Maala-ala Mo Kaya to support it; and special mention goes to Eddie Villanueva which summarizes to "Eddie Ako ang Nahihibang" [Dude, nobody made you president last time. Get a clue] "Eddie Ako and Walang Originality [What's with wearing color yellow? The last I checked, the Aquinos have worn that as a political color since the 80s... You don't know who you're messing with. Don't you know that Kris Aquino can throw you into media purgatory?]; all these are but signs that the dark cloud of National Elections are hovering over the islands.

And my latest pet peeve, I saw a tarpaulin ad of some local councilman that goes like this: "NINOY BIG BROTHER DOUBLE UP" -complete with the house and logo of the popular reality television show. Can anyone spell COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT? If the elect politicians themselves have/display a blatant disregard for basic laws, then we should think twice about what else he has no regard for.



Oh heaven help us... For I think we have not seen the last of Mar Roxas' constipated acting.

9. I'm thinking of recommending to have someone submitted for psychiatric evaluation or better yet, admitted to a psychiatric institution... will blog about this more soon... I think the United States Immigration Bureau takes the mental health of their people coming into their country seriously. Hahahahahaha!!!

8. Truly, someone like Efren Penaflorida deserves the honor of a CNN Hero and CNN Hero of the Year. There's much to be said about Filipino creativity and ingenuity with what he was able to come up with and continue to do. Hats off to you, brother!



However, this is my take on this: During one of my Sociology classes at the Ateneo long ago, our professor once said that, "We must never use education as the ready answer to society's problems." It seems easy to say, "Get them educated and they'll know better" but education doesn't really do much if the system and socio-dynamic to which they exist is not conducive to any kind of solution to the problem. Damned if you do, damned if you don't...

It's not easy what you do, Efren... I'm praying that you have enough strength to go on.

7. There is much to be appreciated with crisp starched sheets... I have to admit, that at this day and age, it is quite a luxury to have your sheets and pillowcases starched the old fashioned way and not the starch spray that comes in a can; but it just feels so good to sleep in starched bed linens.

That's one for the Barefoot Baklesa's Luxury List

6. To anyone who has seen him before, Jarrett Moreland is just the hottest!!! I reckon in this case, a picture's worth a thousand words, so I'll give you three...





5. "We put up a theatre company at the most difficult time, and here we are, three years later. Still surviving, still able to sell seats and shows, still able to do what we set out to do on day one."

-quoting Michael Williams, Artistic Director for Theater Down South



Here's one for gratitude [first to the Divine Maker]; for Theater Down South's third year in the theater scene. We'd like to thank our family, friends, sponsors, little supporters, and dare I say it -FANS- who bought tickets to our shows, applauded our performances, and asked us "What's next?"

YOU GUYS MAKE LOVING/DOING WHAT WE DO SO WORTH IT

click here Theater Down South to learn more about us...

4. Believe it or not, ubiquitous as it is with Christmas Ham, I actually missed Christmas Fruitcake. I just could not stop munching on it! And the ones we got were homemade; which made it all the more addicting!!!

3. I can say that the last quarter of this year was the time in my life that I used up enough glitter to last a craft hobbyist three lifetimes... Crazy-cut, Regular, Fine, Glass Dust, Opaque, Translucent -name it, I have used kilograms of it. I'm sure somewhere out there, Martha Stewart is very proud of me...



2. To my dearest Kenneth, you already know this, but its worth saying it over and over: "Sometimes, people who argue over the stupidest things are those that care about each other the most."

You know how I feel about you, ergo like you said, there's no need to be cheesy about it. Hehehehehe....

1. Whoever it is that invented the "hot-melt glue gun" should receive the recognition he/she deserves for making all our crafting lives easier.

HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!


...thus spake the Barefoot Baklesa

On the Sixth Day of Christmas: Looking Back at the Chris_MESS

Before anything else, allow me to greet you a Happy Christmas and wish you the warmest this most joyous of holidays.

If the infrequency of my Blog Posts are any indication of the current state of schedule juggling I had to deal with, then permit me to do and Uncle Scar and go, "You have no idea..."


Week after week since the middle of October, deadline after deadline seemed to have just replaced the previous one that I seem to have faced the Holiday Rush-slash-Crunch quite unprepared. Those who know me personally, can attest to the fact that Christmas is such a big deal for me... And by big deal, I mean "Put-on-your-Martha-Stewart-apron-and-Better-Homes-&-Gardens-rubber-gloves". I have exhausted every Christmas issue of every home magazine I could find to plan the theme and treatments for the coming Christmas. It's usually after I take down my Halloween stuff that I start working on sections of the house in the weeks that would lead to December 1st.


However this year, such was not the case. It was already December 8th when I had the chance to start on some parts of the house and not until the 17th that we had some cohesive Christmas look -left to be finished. Case in point, twas by December 24th around 7:00pm that I was able to hang the last wreath at the cathedral window at our stairway. Oh yeah, that's really cutting it close. Consider then, the fact that I had just come from setting-up three venues the night before for the three mall shows we had come Christmas Day.


Yup, you read it right...three mall shows on Christmas Day...and two of those three malls had two performances each.We literally were tasked to bring joy and cheer then.


On the days leading to that, you could hear people in the company going, "Good luck sa atin, Kapatid!" or "Double-Dead Rehearsals today." or "Life? What Life?"

Sidebar: As I type away, I noticed how I can't seem to get into my blogging pace or call it groove...


But the point is, we survived. And I am thankful for the people that were with us during those days when we just had to push to get things done.

You gotta love what you're doing to be able to do the impossible.

So there, enjoy the rest of the Holidays!


...thus spake the Barefoot Baklesa

it may seem broken to you, but for me, it's perfect... [stopping a brittle heart from breaking]

"It isn't easy here without you
why did you leave me?
What am I supposed to do
without you?

What if the world were a little more perfect
would you stop crying?
would you take the lead?
and what if the world were a little more perfect
would you open your eyes?"


I don't know if this matters at this time, if these are just words to you, if all of that was for nothing...

at this point, I'm a little numb.... things seem so unreal... fighting for you isn't.


thus spake the Barefoot Baklesa

God Help the Outcasts...

"I ask for nothing, I can get by
But I know so many less lucky than I
Please help my people, the poor and downtrod
I thought we all were the children of God
God help the outcasts, children of God..."


I've been thinking about this song a lot lately...

I was watching the early evening news when I saw this feature about a teenage boy who came back to school after having experienced the flooding that came with typhoon Ondoy - he had nothing on him but the clothes he had saved to wear that day- his school bag and things were washed away with the flood waters as well as two sets of his school uniforms [the only ones he had]...

My heart just could not take it... there are more stories after the storm; some worth more tears than that already shed.

This song is also a prayer for those who survived the storm... I ask that you play it in the hopes that it sends good energy across the karmic/dharmaic highway...


...thus spake the Barefoot Baklesa

Thoughts of You...

"Once upon a time, I wanted to know what love was. Love is there if you want it to be. You just have to see that it's wrapped in beauty and hidden away between the seconds of your life. If you don't stop for a minute, you just might miss it."

~quoted from the movie CASHBACK

I think in the current state of things, I'm beginning to think that I keep doubting things too much, that I seem to not live in the moment, that I have certain fears about where this takes me...

But don't get me wrong, I'm in a very happy place -I have not been in a place remotely near there in like five years- thus the jaded and cynical shell of Barefoot Baklesa isn't one to shake off so easily.

There's really no such thing as a normal state of anything when it comes to love or loving -we are all weaklings and the wisest of us would not know better. Maybe that's why Shakespeare went as far as saying that "Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, And therefore is winged Cupid's eyes painted blind." [A Midsumer Night's Dream]

Frailty, flaws, and futile-fruitless-fits of infatuation all seem funny to some but as we know, some people spend an enormous amount of energy just to be normal and be above these.

Here's me, trying to shake off this undesirable shell of fear and doubt.

Bawal na talaga ang aning-aning...Hahahaha!!!

[oh yeah, the video above is for emphasis...]


thus spake the Barefoot Baklesa