Muscle Uncontrolled

12:00 o’ clock midnight: Tokyo.

Train stations were abuzz with people on the rush, all trying to catch the final trip. Most of these harried commuters came from some good time somewhere, their tummies filled with beer or whatever concoctions imaginable.

I was on my last station. Before the exit, I’d have to take a very long escalator, from the drop-off point submerged in the deepest dungeons of the Metro subway.

I queued on the left side of the moving staircase (the right side is for moving traffic), and just took a lazy ride. In front of me was a girl with her boyfriend.

As the escalator rose, so did she in my view. She wore green shorts – the shortest possible type. Her killer shoe heels were silver -coated, and a pair of almost invisible stockings hugged her long, slender, unblemished legs.

I tried not to put microscopic looks on her exposed limbs, but something suddenly caught my attention: small streams of water started to flow down her legs!

I had to pinch my eyes to confirm what was unfolding right in front of me, but truly, my eyes have remained 20/20 all these years. The girl was indeed peeing in her pants!

The escalator’s end is yet far out. I know there was a toilet somewhere near the exit.

But she just stood there. Relaxed and poised like a model unperturbed.

And then came a sudden gush of pee that could send Noah’s Ark ashore. She just poured it all! From our vantage point, it seemed like rain shower in stormy July, or better yet, an unsightly leak from broken gutter pipe.

I almost leaped off the stairs to avoid the deluge. But I was just too shocked to move. All of us, including those riding the escalator on the opposite side could only manage wry smiles.

The agony (for us, captured audience, actually) ended just as she casually sauntered to the welcoming arms of the now-useless CR. And she, honestly, didn't seem to mind at all.

Yaikks!!

When Flowers Bloom

"Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers today; And give us not to think so far away As the uncertain harvest; keep us here All simply in the springing of the year."-- Robert Frost

Silent Night

Took this pic last Holy Friday evening in our little island-town. While in some parts of the Philippines wild parties were on the upswing that very moment, I on the contrary, had one peaceful spiritual communion with nature. I liked it.

Battle of the Bands, Literally

Visualize being in a park teeming with people. You try to saunter around but you get continuously stalled. The park-goers simply stop almost every after a few meters.

Why? Because they regularly halt to check out the groups lined on the side of the promenade. Beggars? No.

These ……………

That’s the scene at the Yoyogi Park last Sunday. There were about twenty amateur bands lined up at the pavement, spaced by only a few meters. It was like a bazaar of bands, each one trying to outdo each other’s antics to invite attention. I guess you could imagine the resulting cacophony when they all belt out whatever they call their music. Think Raon, five times noisier.

But the people don’t seem to mind. In fact, many of them enjoy the festive mood. To show appreciation, some of them would actually dance in front of their chosen band. I’m not sure though if those zealous fans were not the band-members’ relatives and friends.

It’s easy to conclude it was a crazy idea. How would invading an entire stretch of sidewalk to showcase sounds that overlap each other be a venue for musical appreciation? But on second thought, maybe this crazy act gets the job done. First, the band gets to test the acceptability of their music. If only a handful stops to listen, it would be a signal to change the repertoire. But if they attract a crowd, then it would be time to think big. Who knows, the exposure in the street just might get them the break that they dream of.

Ganun talaga. Kanya-kanyang raket lang tayo para mapansin. :-)

Parang mga ito na pakalat-kalat din sa park. Ako naman si engot, nakisali din sa mga kumuha ng picture… hehehe

Waiting For My "Hanami"

It’s cherry-blossom time in Japan.

It’s the time of the year when the bland, monochromatic winter bows out of the scenery, to usher in a colorful spring. Out of the bald stems of trees would sprout millions of flowers (mostly Sakura) – all celebrating the beauty that nature brings. The Japanese can’t thus be blamed if they get crazy when this season unfolds; for the scenery is indeed such a magnificent view to hold. Until today, you can see them camping beneath the trees … drinking, singing, chatting; an activity they call "hanami" or cherry blossom viewing.

But there's something more philosophical about this event. At this time of the every year, one gets reminded of the circle of life. It restates the fact that life, at one point, could get very beautiful. At a certain point, it could be very bountiful, very successful, very promising…

But not for long though. The flowers that bloomed like popcorns from nowhere, will all fall to the ground in a matter of days – ravaged by the greater forces of rain and wind. These spoilers come without falter; they come immediately after spring breathes its first. After that, most of the trees will simply be green, living normal, unexciting plant lives. Then, the inevitable winter will come again and rob them of whatever color is left of them.

Life.

A cycle.

But why does mine seem more like a see-saw? High once, low next. Nothing in between. No long lulls of relative calm and peace.

I wish to be no exception to the vicissitudes of life. All I want is for my life to at least follow a circle. And I hope that circle stops long enough when I'm on top. That's when I reach my “hanami” stage – that phase where one simply sits back to appreciate the bounty he has gathered with the turning of time.

As it is, with the misfortunes that befall me, almost in succession (not that I don’t have major successes), I surely hope there’s more out there awaiting me. There I expect a blanket of flowers that respect no seasons, not just a bouquet of ephemeral beauties.

*****

Someone once said: “birds sing immediately after the passage of every storm; why can't people delight with every little sunshine that’s left of them?”

My take:

First: Are we sure they're singing?

Second: People don’t live by little sunshine alone.