this is what night shift is all about...

indios, poker and comebacks

as recommended by j, i am listening to tracks from the forthcoming play, los indios bravos and if the play is as good as it sounds, i can't wait to watch it.
the music alone could evoke a myriad of emotions and the lyrics, the words are aptly chosen that they could very well be a timeless metaphor of anyone’s struggle with claiming an identity and a heritage that is not bound by space. hundreds of years later and aren’t we still struggling against various forms of oppressors and trying to find out who we are and reconcile them with who we want to be.

these are some of the lines that still resonate in my mind…

punit na ang mga along naghihintay sa akin

ang kaluluwang ligaw ay laging uuwi pagkat nananahan sa kilalang bisig
mundong estranghero, banyagang puso, kayhirap matanto, mailap sa pagsuyo

hindi matatamo sa propaganda ang katubusan, di malilimos minimithing bayan

i have always been in awe of filipino writers and their works because every word, phrase and sentence seems to be charged with more emotion, more meaning. it's as if every word has its origins rooted in our history, in our culture, in our identity. hay. one of the things i regret not doing in college is watching more plays and getting myself involved more actively in theater. if you don’t make a career of theater, writing or any of the creative arts, school is one of the more ideal places to acquire and develop a discerning and discriminating from what’s really good and what’s really junk. i am just fortunate i guess that i have met people who remind me that the same exhilaration i find in debugging a program can also be derived from a well-written poem or a powerful play. i have a sneaking suspicion these songs will remain in my playlist for a long time.

*****
a weekend with teammates in tagaytay after and i have contracted three wounds on my left leg (no skirts for me in 2 weeks!) and a newfound addiction for poker. along with learning that poker is just a variation of pusoy, i also learned that chess pieces, billiard balls and sungka shells could also be used as poker chips. today i was suggesting we use food as poker chips – samba, boy bawang and chocnut. now when i skim through channels, i actually watch the celebrity poker games and understand what they’re doing. sometimes, i even dream of the different card combinations. i've already downloaded a trial version of casino island to go from gamehouse but the trial license has expired and i was unable to find a serial key or crack. if anyone would be kind enough to give me a serial key or crack for this game, i promise to give a box of delicious samba chocolate covered strawberry candies. or if you could suggest a free poker game, that would also be good. i’d give you a pack of boy bawang.

*****
and once again, i am confused. i find myself fending off questions i thought would never be asked again and doubts i wasn’t prepared to confront again.