Shanghai 2006

Some photos from my R&R trip (Research and Relaxation) last weekend

Always on your side - Sheryl Crow and Sting

My yesterdays are all boxed up and neatly put away


But every now and then you come to mind


Cause you were always waiting to be picked to play the game


But when your name was called, you found a place to hide


When you knew that I was always on your side





Well everything was easy then, so sweet and innocent


my demons and my angels reappeared


Leavin' only traces of the man you thought I'd be


Too afraid to hear the words i always fear


leaving you with only questions all these years





Is there someplace far away, someplace where all is clear


Easy to start over with the ones you hold so dear


Or are you left to wander, all alone, eternally


This isn't how it's really meant to be


No it isn't how it's really meant to be





Well they say that love is in the air, but never is it clear,


How to pull it close and make it stay


Butterflies are free to fly, and so they fly away


And I'm left to carry on and wonder why


Even through it all, I'm always on your side





But is there someplace far away, someplace where all is clear


Easy to start over with the ones you hold so dear


Or are you left to wander, all alone, eternally


But this isn't how it's really meant to be


Oh it isn't how it's really meant to be





Well if they say that love is in the air, never is it clear


How to pull it close and make it stay


If butterflies are free to fly, why do they fly away


Leavin' me to carry on and wonder why


Was it you that kept me wondering through this life


When you know that I was always on your side

Ready

For every nameless

and faceless

fond memory

I smile and ask

why did I have to

practice and learn

from you?



Why did I have to

stumble through

each moment?

and fumble my way

around so many

awkward silences,

stutter or articulately

say the wrong things?

Be shackled by

circumstance,

beaten by others

and by myself?



When all I ever

wanted was for

it to be good,

great, and perfect?



Each nameless void

brings her lessons

to bear onto my

consciousness,

each one God's

teacher, weaving

steel into my fabric.



For the faceless

and nameless,

known or unknown,

you stalk me

from the rooms

and the sidewalks.

as I wind through

the crowd and

soldier on.



I know its the same

for each of these

voids, and so it will

be for her.

At some point,

all the scarring

lessons will not

be for

naught.



For without these,

both would never

be ready for the

other.



Until that point,

may you continue

to grow and

be what God

meant you to be.



And when we finally

cross, I guarantee

I'll be ready.

Workplace romance, Extinction of the Boy/Girl-next-door, Acting my age and counter-culture

I've been searching for topics to post about, but I can't seem to come
up with something coherent/unified. I'll just try to stitch some random
thoughts together:



1. I was walking in Glorietta one day (just as every day) on my
way to my only employee perk... free parking... I decided to stray from
my usual route and browse around one of the bookstores. I saw a very
familiar-looking girl, with a very familiar-looking guy tagging along
with her. And being a visual person, I'm pretty sure I've seen her
(hehe I tend to remember aesthetic landmarks). So anyway, I was trying
to recall where I saw them before, and they saw me glancing, and
immediately they quickly bowed their heads and walked out of the store.




Hmmm... that's odd! This afternoon, while I was lined up at the bank to
do some routine transfers and payments, lo and behold... The girl
happens to be one of the tellers that served me before, and the guy...
the bank manager. Hahahaha No Wonder!
Tapos, tugma pa na I ended up going to her station for my transaction.
She was smiling and whispered good afternoon sir... tapos... she
said... quiet lang po kayo ah!



Sure! no problem!



2. One of the daily problems that plague Manilenos, and virtually every
suburbanite in the world is the daily commute. It fractures your sense
of community with your immediate neighborhood, to the extent that you
may end up knowing more people at school or work than in your own
block. So what does this mean... the boy/girl next door is actually no
longer next door... but in the next suburb. Or heck, the opposite side
of the metro.



3. What is it with people? I've been meeting a couple of new faces and
they usually end up saying that they think I'm around 28-32 years old?!
Maybe its the glasses, my disposition, the barong? Whatever it is, I
think its a good thing that I end up surprising quite a few people when
they find out na may pagka-sira-ulo/kengkoy din pala ako.



4. Now... to another slightly related topic... age and lifestyle. Yes,
at times I don't act my age. Maybe because I'm used to being surrounded
with people older and more serious than me. Or maybe because I've found something to be genuinely happy and passionate about.
Yeah sure I enjoy the beach and going out and hanging out with friends,
but my life doesn't revolve solely around these. Someone asked me, how
come you don't post more fun things on your blog? Well... pardon me, I
can, I have a few crazy things to write about and a few pix showing
several indiscretions to post, pero how would that set me apart
from everyone else? If you go blog-hopping... everyone tries to paint a
picture of their lives as one huge beach party. But seriously? Ganun
nga ba talaga?



I think that a lot of people have been enamored by media, movies and
pop-culture, that if you're not doing something bohemian or artsy, or
being care-free/adventurous, or making crazy love... you're not having
a life. Oo nga naman, you can't sell stories talking about the true
nitty-gritty of life... you know... making ends meet, doing your
laundry, solving problems, raising a family, etc. Its not cool! People
don't want to see their problems on screen.



Call me baduy or corny, I think I'm blessed, because I don't have to go
to great lengths just to say that I'm having a great time. Siguro nga
mababaw ang kaligayahan ko. I'm a meat-and-potatoes, or in a local
context... ulam-and-kanin kind of a guy. And I believe at thats what
matters. And thats what gets things done. An even keel gets you where
you need to go.



Everyone goes gaga over the rebel/bad-boy/artsy/bohemian girl, but if
everyone is trying to be a hip/bohemian/rebel, doesn't that redefine it
as the new status-quo? Then what sets you from everyone else? I'm all
for pluralism and individualism... but you set yourself apart by
emphasizing your core. Not by adopting what everyone else is doing.

Planned Unit Development - Santolan Station, Marikina

This is a Land Development project with a residential and retail components separated, mainly because of the need to sell/develop the retail lots separately. It integrates light urban design (the retail plaza) and a play of heights and layers to create a strong streetscape.

Planned Unit Development - Libis

Ayala Greenfield Estates

The project where I'm assigned =)