Mitsuru

my old acoustic guitar,  the sole witness  during those rare  times where i can  wear  my heart on  my sleeve.

How can one do something of substance when your mind is in a state of complete disarray? It's an exercise in futility although one now realized that spontaneity is not equal to our sense of judgment and direction. How can one unclutter his mind of impure thoughts, crazy ideas and magical impulses without being punched in the gut in return? One can try as he must but until hell freezes over it will not matter. Why can't we just purge the remnants of the past and just shove them deep in our sorry asses, then? Who really cares whether one is lonely or happy? Who gives a fuck on how and what one feels or thinks? Who cares whether one is right or wrong? How can one pour his soul onto something and regret it in the end? Nobody but the damned themselves but who gives a fuck. ^^Photo @ the ledge of the '103 floors, 1,353 feet in the air' Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) Skydeck .

I was up late the other night doing my usual stuff when I decided to drive into the nearby Taco Bell for the so-called fourth meal. I got there in less than 5 minutes and waited for another five in the drive thru before my orders were taken. I bought a steak burrito and some nachos and proceeded to pay my bill which made me laugh upon seeing the devil’s number printed on the receipt- $6.66! The number of the beast, my a** and laughed my heart out. I drove back to my flat like the devil and got there in 3 minutes flat. I climbed the stairs in slow motion and made sure that I did not make a sound lest I might disturb the old man downstairs who was probably deep in slumber. I opened the door and went straight to the kitchen. I popped a caffeine-free Diet Pepsi from the fridge, settled myself on the couch and watched a re-run of Cold Case on the TV while partaking of the meal in front of me. The burrito was really good while the nachos were a bit soggy already but who cares, the best part ...

I came across a home video by Sara Hickman while lurking YouTube today. Although I am not that familiar with her career as a singer, her song, Simply, touches me in a very special way. I have not heard this song in more than a decade and hearing it again is like a breath of fresh air for me. Actually, it was really bittersweet. You see, the song is a favorite of somebody dear to me and the melody is simply beautiful… Beth, my college buddy used to sing the song in our ’tambayan.’ On some occasions, I would end up accompanying her on my old acoustic guitar while she would fill the air with her hauntingly soft beautiful voice. I even remember now of composing a short instrumental piece based on the song in her honor while under the influence of the spirit of the great San Miguel. We became friends during the second year of our Pre- Med-- dissected cats together, goofed around in chemistry lab, fooled our geriatric professor not once but twice, good-naturedly embarrassed one another coun...

Guilty as charged. Yes, I have not updated my blog for a month and a day. I have been remiss with my bloghopping, too… I guess I am just in hibernation mode (okay, lazy mood) ever since I saw the mole lazily crawling out of his hole while walking around Elizabeth Park in Trenton early in Autumn. I took a picture of his fat ass but I forgot to ask the gray mammal about his predictions for the season. But the way I see it and based on the events that occurred the past weeks, it will be a long nasty winter. The gray mornings, gloomy afternoons and long nights probably further contributed to the situation too. The mood is just somber and sometimes when that evil idiot box possesses you as soon as your butt touches the couch after a long hard day, you can bet that it will be glued there for hours and hours until you fall asleep, snoring and snugly fitting into its bosom until the alarm clock wakes you up at six the next day. It has become a cycle for me that I decided to exorcise the demon...

In my mind, I’m back in the place I love the most, a place where whenever I think of, brings a lot of memories. Of sweet memories that will forever be a part of me no matter where this vagabond life will take me. Back in the day, I never even thought of being in this cold, cold place that’s been my home for the last 5 years, most of all, of packing my bags, of leaving the old country for good and of being thousands of miles away from “home”. I guess I am/was just a simple man, more at home in the simple life. I am/was a man with simple dreams wherein deep inside abhor the bright lights of the great country. That’s why for the longest time, I tried to shy away from its pull. But like the nymph dangling her magic potion to her unsuspecting victim, I finally succumbed to her allure. And if you ask me now that if I could turn back the hands of time and do it all over again, would I still do it the same way? Yeah, sure. I don’t know. Maybe. Who knows? Who cares? I had my reasons back then ...

Although autumn officially begins tomorrow, I felt its welcome presence as early as a week or two ago when I went out for my early morning jog (okay, walk) around Heritage Park in nearby Taylor. The leaves are beginning to change their hues, the mornings becoming mistier and the dews more pronounced on grasses. Yes, the chill is here, complete with that smoke in your breath and the endless flocks of birds stopping by on their journey to a place that is far, safe and warm. Although Fall is very conducive for writing, I am not inclined to start anything. No, not yet. My pen is still in hibernation while my mind is elsewhere, somewhere… I am just in escapist’s mood lately-- I have been watching a lot of movies whether it was from the DVDs that I borrowed from the local library or in the nearby Dollar Theater in Allen Park. Just yesterday morning, I went to watch Righteous Kill , the new De Niro/ Pacino movie for $4 at the MJR Digital Cinema. I availed myself of the Super Saver promo whe...

I am now officially a nocturnal animal. I’ve never been the early- to- bed type of guy though since I am usually up late at night. I mean really late when it comes to catching those precious winks. My normal bed time is actually between 1-2 early morns. But nowadays I am up until 8- 10 in the morning depending on what’s up on my menu. In another world, you can consider that as early, not late. For the record I have not ventured outside my hideaway in the daytime and have never felt the sun shine on my skin. For the past two weeks, I was in another world. My sun became the moon and the moon became my sun. And I am positive that it will remain this way in the next several days or so. I have evolved into a creature of darkness. I am a night owl. No, make that a vampire sans the blood thirst. In my case, my elixir is quite different from these abominable creatures. In my case, you can make that either an ice- cold lager or an equally ice- cold Coca- cola. And throw in some mixed nuts and ...

The Blogger is on a self- imposed sabbatical from blogging to recharge his batteries. He'll be back on the second Monday of June 2008.

Hmmm, after months of blog inactivity which could be blamed partly to the cold, cold Michigan winter, I’m now trying to find my way back into Blogspot again and resume my writing chores at least on this particular blog since I’ve been writing and updating my other sites regularly. I’m no Rip van Winkle but I surely did sleep the winter away and finally woke up to the colors and aromas of Spring which is quite a big relief to my frost-weary body. I can now hear Vivaldi’s strings in the air as the tulips and hyacinths and such are slowly emerging from the once snowy ground. Don’t get me wrong but I love Winter for I like walking deep into the woods covered with snow where I could commune with nature; feel the cold breeze on my hair, the gentle touch of the snowflakes on my face and listen to the howling of the winds as well as the occasional chirpings of some wayward robins and cardinals in the air. It’s an uplifting experience, I tell you just walking in silence along a narrow trail am...

Bad Weather. Snow Storm. Blizzard Condition. Snow: 5 - 10 inches. 3-4 feet in open areas. Temp: 17 degrees F. Windchill: 0 to minus 10. Movie Marathon- Lions for Lambs & 3:10 To Yuma. Longganisa and Tinapa chased by Caffeine- free Diet Coca Cola. Charlie Wilson's War & Love in the Time of Cholera. Bagoong Balayan, Kare- kare and Fried Tilapia. Pistons Basketball, Pistachio and Michelob Pale Ale... Across the Universe & The Kite Runner. Drove to Burger King for a Double Whopper & Onion rings at 4 a.m. de Palma's Redacted plus Franz + Polina. Gotta catch a wink by 9 a.m.

Having been out of the blog loop for a time, this one’s taking me a long time to start. But what the heck, I’m back and that’s all that matters. So, to all my blog pals out there who never fail to visit this site even if I have posted a lot of inane and insignificant material in the past months or have never posted at all, thank you very much for bearing with me. You know who you are. Peace. It’s 12:51 in the afternoon and having just woke up a few minutes ago after another night of staying up late until the wee hours of the morning which was really the norm for me rather than the exception in this hot, hot summer of ‘07. My mind is still foggy and I am still groggy not just because of that never-ending booze and plenty of that three-letter word (ha-ha) but rather more so of my disrupted circadian rhythm. To put it simply, I am still dazed and confused in my bed and have no desire to get out of it. Anyway, in the next couple of posts I’ll be doing some re-programming and reformatting o...

Since I am still on the recovery mode “mojo-wise” I’ll just post here some old published poems that I have written in the past while I am laboring for my latest post for this blog that I have been neglecting lately. Actually I’ve been working on some stuffs that I have set aside for a long time. Just some old crazy stories from way back. I’ll let you take a peek of some of them here in the near future. But for now bear with me and my 'makata' side. I have written these poems nearly after more than a decade of self- imposed hiatus which lasted from 1991 to 2002 when I finally emerged from my funk and got my groove again and began submitting poems for publication. Come to think of it, I lost more than a decade writing- wise, beat that! Now, I thank the geeks and the Mighty One up above for the internet and computers for without them, I will not be able to write again ‘coz every time I try to put my thoughts on paper, my mind is running so fast that my hand can’t keep up with all ...

Spring is here… And the trees are turning evergreen and the flowers are all in bloom. Yet for the past four days, I can’t will myself to spring into action. I am just too lazy these days… Too lazy to cook-- For four straight days now, I’ve been on a very unhealthy diet-- I've been gorging on McDo McGriddles or Burger King Angus meal for Breakfast, the $5 Chinese Buffet for lunch and Applebees New York Strip for dinner. Yes, I am gaining some weight and my belly is growing on a daily basis. But what can I do? I am just a sloth nowadays too crazy to go on a diet, holding on to the false belief that I can get rid of the love handles faster than I could swallow a piece of a hot Burrito. Well, maybe I’ll start pumping some iron again and do that Navy SEAL workout that I’ve been planning to do for the longest time and maybe succeed in having rows of "pandesals" in my lousy abs. Too lazy to get out of bed-- The early bird gets the worm? Nah, I’d rather...

I got this pair from a Finish Line sale for $69.99. These Nike 360's used to sell for more than $120+ if my memory serves me right and the moment I saw them on the shelf with a sale price tag, I immediately asked for a pair of size 9’s and tried it on and the next thing I knew I was paying the cashier with my hard- earned money, my budget be damned to add to my ever growing collection of shoes. Don’t get me wrong, though, but there’s not a single trace of the Imeldific blood in me but I surely have a collection of rubber shoes, but many of them were "finds" on various sales (e.g. Thanksgiving, Day- after Christmas, etc.). I am a conscientious bargain hunter you know or akala ko lang yata. LOL The only time I bought a pair of shoes which was not on sale was when I got a black Jordan XXI for $119.00 which I have been using lately for basketball scrimmages in a local school gym with Pinoy friends every Monday and Wednesday nights here. Anyway, I got the “new” one with the in...

After a relatively mild December and a milder January, mother nature had turned this side of the world into a winter wonderland even for just a day or two with just a couple of inches of snow in my place in Southeast Michigan compared to what the northern part of the state where at least 8- 10 inches deep of soft and white snow have marked the landscape. But this is not Colorado, that skier’s paradise were the cold and the snow were at its best for a real winter blast. This is Michigan where the weather could turn nasty at any time of the day. The dreaded Michigan weather is now rearing its ugly head; there is very little snow but the wind chill is deadly hovering at minus 3 to minus 12 degrees centigrade where the cold wind would caress you and make you feel the thousand needles pricking your skin, boring deep down inside your body and gnawing into your bones. That’s how cold Michigan is, nowadays. People would rather stay inside the comforts of their homes and warm themselves in the...

I just got back from sickbay where I missed a lot of workdays that only leads to a lot of bills to pay. It’s the flu season here my friends and this is the first time in years that I have been KO’d by the bug. Yeah, I had a flu of the very virulent kind that had my body reeling from its onslaught for more than a week now. Times like these could make you stop and ponder for it only mean one thing---- that my days of invincibility are over. And I am still human after all… I am writing this stuff while in the comforts of my bedroom (where else?) while lying down on my bed with my head propped up by two giant pillows to guard against straining my neck while the beautiful arias of Andrea Bocelli soaring in the background that are lulling me to sleep- talk err in this case sleep- type every now and then, a sacrifice on my part so that I could update my often neglected blog. I promised myself though that I will try to keep this blog current. If I can help it, that is. Today is January 26, ...

If a picture can paint a thousand words….. --then you can have a picture of how I celebrated the coming of the New Year… But the hangover of the party has nothing to do with how late I am writing for my very first post for 2007. By the way, a friend once asked me why I have a lot of blogs on the internet. I told her that it’s just one of my hobbies in order to pass the time or the boredom one encounters while living in a foreign country where after the novelty of the perks and comforts of the place, you grow tired of everything and the next thing you know, you're in front of the monitor typing some insignificant stuff on the computer keyboard and dishing out some sane and crooked views on everything and in the process, bill blahs was born and is now the home site of all my blogs & sites in the vast expanse of the World Wide Web. All the websites that I have created or have a hand in its creation is in the Perfect Circle Group which you can find on the right side of this blog-...

I was about to punch in to start my day at the Emergency Room of Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital in Michigan when my cell phone buzzed. I could feel the heat of my blood rushing under my skin when I heard what the person on the other line have to say. It took me a moment or two before I summoned the courage to ask the Clinical Coordinator for the day to allow me to go home and check the news online myself-- And there it was on the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Philippines Star, ABS- CBNNews and other news websites the grim reality and horrific pictures of the devastation brought by the super typhoon Reming (International codename: Durian) to Albay Province and Legaspi City , places that I am very familiar with and known like the palms of my hands. I scanned the pages and my eyes caught the heart-rending, gut-wrenching stories of tragedy and despair of the people; my people, of whom I am very much familiar with their way of life and customs but you could only take a deep breath to relieve t...

Today is the 62nd year anniversary of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the greatest battle in the history of naval warfare. It occurred in the Philippines in the closing months of the Pacific War in a desperate effort by the Japanese Imperial Forces to draw the US Navy’s Seventh and Third Fleets into one final engagement hoping to annihilate them in the process that will result in the isolation of the Allied Invasion Force in Leyte from its lifeline and prolong the war and the survival of Imperial Japan with the knowledge that once the Philippines is lost, the war is over. I am a self- confessed history buff and ever since I was a young boy I was always fascinated by the men in uniform and their exploits-- --Blame it on the proliferation of war movies at that time. I can say that I watched a lot of war flicks ( “Tora! Tora! Tora!” “A Bridge Too Far,” “The Longest Day”, “Force 10 from Navarone,” etc.) with my Mom and Dad in the movie houses of Tabaco (Jojo Cinema) in Albay Province as well as ...