Baby and I

[WARNING: SPOILER CONTENTS] (Don’t say I didn’t warn you!)

A happy and prosperous new year for everyone! Thank God I finally emerged from a turbulent emotional state. It's been two months since I last talked to my keyboard. This past week, I decided to hunt for Asian movies to watch for the holidays.

The finest movie I've seen so far, and perhaps one of the best I've ever seen, is the 2008 Korean light comedy film 'Baby and I' starring ultimate heartthrob Jang Geun Suk, Moon Mason, and Kim Byeol.

The movie revolves around Han Joon Soo (Jang), a rebellious 18-year old high school whose too-cool-for-school attitude and striking good looks makes him a star campus crush with throngs of girl admirers who follows his every step. At the same time he's also a known troublemaker who is often involved in gang brawls and gets reprimanded by his school.

One day, he found himself home-alone. His parents left a video message for him saying that they ran away from home so that their recalcitrant son can change his life and learn his lessons the hard way. Joon Soo’s credit card has been suspended.

Sensing his newfound freedom, away from his parents’ prying eyes, he decides to throw-out a party at home. But while he was shopping at a local supermarket, he was shocked to find a baby boy in his pushcart! The rebellious teenager suddenly becomes a father to an unknown baby boy. He must change himself so that he can do his best to raise baby Woo Ram (Moon) and be the finest dad that the boy ever has. Fortunately, Joon Soo isn’t alone in raising Woo Ram. School topnotch and his not-so-secret admirer Kim Byeol (Kim) will help him in proper child care and also serves as his conscience. But somewhere along the way, something happened between Joon Soo and Woo Ram.

I can’t help but watch this movie all over again. Kind of weird, but I can definitely, emotionally, relate to this movie. How can I feel so much about it when I don’t even have the slightest, vaguest recollection of having fathered a child (or so do I think)? Watching it for the first time brought a sense of awakening. It woke up the father in me.

Seeing this wayward teenager stumble into a sudden, life-changing course to become a father to a baby whom he even doesn’t know where it came from, is simply dramatic. He tries his best to become a good father and give everything that his son needs even though he himself is broke. After attempting to give the baby away, he was awakened by the moral thought that you couldn’t put a little bundle of joy into hell. He’s still young. There’s nothing he can’t do to make sure the baby is fed.

This movie reflects a growing social issue on which teenage parents are on the rise. From what I’ve seen in the movie, I think teenage parents are just a new trend in this highly conservative country which is South Korea. There in the Land of the Morning Calm, parents of teens with children are regarded as lacking in discipline and thus, ineffective as parents. And the young teen parents themselves are often stigmatized just because they had a child at a young age. In much of Asia however, teen parents are already stealing the limelight for social cause. But it is highly noticeable that about nearly a hundred percent of the time devoted to the issue is devoted to single moms. Single dads, however, are only given a fraction of a percent. Just imagine how little time is given for single dads. It isn’t only the teen mothers that are undergoing hardships but teen dads also, and often they carry the heaviest burdens on their backs.

Joon Soo, although stubborn at taking care of Woo Ram at first, eventually gives in and pours his heart for the baby. Even though Joon Soo tried to abandon Woo Ram at the garbage heap and the orphanage and tried to leave him in the subway, at the end his love as a father to his son prevailed and never will he let go of Woo Ram again. Never will he let them be parted again.

He didn’t mind independence at all, not after Woo Ram was delivered to his doorstep. His parents would only return home after he has changed his attitudes. But the parents never had any idea that their son needs them badly. Joon Soo cries out desperately to his parents who don’t have an inkling of how hard their son has been going through, just because he wants to be a good father to his parents’ grandson.

He tried to find jobs but nobody would hire him because he has to carry Woo Ram all the time. Woo Ram is now hungry and Joon Soo tries to share his milk with his son. Upon seeing a drunken man collapse, he seized an opportunity to pick the man’s wallet. The man chased him and Joon Soo hailed a taxi. But instead of taking a taxi, he mistakenly hops onboard a police car. He was carted away to the police station. Luckily, his homeroom adviser colloquially known of her alias “Tyson” is always there to save her beleaguered student. Joon Soo learned his mistake and he won’t resort into pick pocketing again, but he has just no choice on how to feed his son. Tyson eventually gave him money to buy formula milk. Sincerely repenting his wrongdoings, he asks forgiveness from Woo Ram for putting him into so much trouble; that daddy shouldn’t be like this. At the store, instead of buying a carton of cigarettes he bought instead another can of formula milk, showing how he really has become of a father.

Eventually, his parents caught him red-handed with the baby and it took them all by surprise. It was heartbreaking too hear what Joon Soo told his parents that he can never turn his back on the baby and how he tried his best to raise Woo Ram properly. His parents, ever understanding, embraced their now enlightened son and welcomed their first grandson.

Woo Ram got a spike of fever and was rushed to hospital. Joon Soo felt angry to his mum when she insisted on baby sitting Woo Ram when she has a cold. His father slapped him and on that evening they had a father-and-son talk. It is natural for Joon Soo to feel that way. Parents, young or old, are all the same. If the child is in pain, the parent feels it too. Sometimes, the parent feels it more. You’ll wish that you were the one in pain instead of your child. We shall not foster anger towards our parents. Our parents may always manage to smile and make us happy, but they’ve been through a lot. Unconsciously, we gave them so much grief because they’ve been through many ups and downs.

Nothing is more painful to a parent than being parted away from the child. The latter part of the movie is truly heart-wrenching and emotional. “Daddy is right here, Woo Ram! You’re going nowhere!” as Joon Soo tried to reach for Woo Ram who was being sent for adoption overseas. A father’s heart is torn into pieces. In the middle part of the movie, he was worried that Woo Ram wouldn’t have any parents if he abandoned him. Later, he’ll be struggling for the custody of his son.

A light, heart-warming film, its mild nature is what it makes the movie emphatic to its viewers and personally, I sympathize for Joon Soo. Never been a father myself yet, Joon Soo made me realize how it feels to be a father. Though he may not be the typical dad we all know of, his love for Woo Ram is enough to prove how strong his fatherly love is. He may be a toughie and troublemaker but he grows vulnerable and mild when his son is being talked about.

This film has now been included in my very short list of films that made a lasting impression on me. One of the few films that, though may be shallow for some, left an indelible imprint in my heart. This is another unforgettable film that must be seen by all. (Written by JM Reyes, Manila)

Sunlight

Sunlight
sung by Kevyn Lettau
lyric by Bill Cantos & Ricky Lawson


I watch the world go by in silence
deep in the night in silence
time goin’ by so slow

I think about the morning
and it warms by heart
because tonight I’m going back
to the one I love
and by tomorrow with the dawn
I’ll be there and he’ll be beside me

Sunlight, oh sunlight
bring me the love I need to guide me
shine it deep inside of me
sunlight, oh sunlight show me the way

I look at the stars and I pray for morning
counting the hours till morning
thinking about his smile, his sweet smile

I’m standing on the promise of a brand new day
I couldn’t face another night
staying all alone
I know he needs me just as much as I need him

Chorus

And when I hold him
I won’t let him let me go, no, no, no
no more running far and wide
I’m gonna stay right by his side
he’s my laughter, my lover, my life
he’s my sunlight
oh, sunlight, oh, sunlight
show me the way

Chorus

Tadaima!

Hi everyone!

I'm back after a couple of weeks. School work and depression ate me up and I spit it all out. I guess I won't do any rantings for now. I feel uplifted and positive today. I'm currently on my vacation now so stay tuned for more stories to come! ^-^

Transportation Delusion - Part 1

"Nagalit pa ang driver, at ang ulo'y uminit... Kumukulo na ang dugo ko. Kaya't sundan mo'ng aking payo..."

That's a line from a song of DJ Alvaro titled "Cool Ka Lang". It's a hit song from the mid-90s about the daily blunders and debacle that the ordinary Juan De La Cruz encounters as he does his daily routines. That particular line is about her misadventures with a jeepney driver who growled and snarled like a lion even if the passenger has done nothing wrong.

The Philippines, particularly here in the Orient Pearl's bustling capital, has one of the most vibrant, eccentric, and chaotic transportation systems on Earth. Public vehicles multiply like Gremlins when spilt with water. The vehicles keep on increasing but roads and infrastructure are not. Add to that the poor driver education and Band-Aid solutions by the MMDA which are ineffective in the long term.

Tonight I will begin a series of personal transportation stories and anecdotes. This is the first part.

As a commuter-from-birth person, I have countless memories about commuting both good and bad. Different experiences on different kinds of transportation. Let's enumerate them one after the other.

JEEPNEY - Long before the days of the Toyota Tamaraw FX share taxis, jeepneys were the real kings of the road. Developed after World War II from surplus American military jeeps, it answered the immediate needs of a new public transportation system that was virtually destroyed by the war.

My earliest recollections with the king of the road was when mum, dad, and I frequent Cubao and Makati. Until a few years before the debut of the FX, we go to Shangri-La by jeepney then later on cross to SM Megamall. My first solo jeepney ride was when I was in the fourth grade. Back then, the minimum fare was PHP3.50.

Fares have constantly risen in the past few years, with only some snippets of a fare rollback. When I became a regular jeepney commuter on the sixth grade, it was at PHP4. Then to PHP5 about only a year later. On my third year high school, it has risen to PHP6 and a new discount scheme was introduced for students, senior citizens, and disabled persons so my fare remained at PHP5. And on my first year college, it has risen to PHP7. It rose again to PHP7.50 just a year later and dipped back to PHP7 but the rollback was short-lived. Just a few months ago it has risen to an all-time high of PHP8.50. Thanks to the continuing reduction of oil prices, a petition to rollback PHP2.50 has been submitted for review to the LTFRB.

In the past 18 years or so as a passenger, I can't help but observe and remember what's happening in and out of the jeepney.

There are problems of grumpy drivers, sardine-tight overcapacity, hunger for passengers, corruption by the traffic police, blaring speakers, to name a few.

Poor driver education is the main reason why so many drivers don't know how to behave and deal properly with their passengers. They get angry at small things even if the passenger hasn't done anything wrong. That's biting the hand that feeds you. Only last week, I sat in front of a jeepney with a driver that wants to be a preacher because he can't stop his fucking shit-filled mouth that kept on blaring cuss words because he was stuck in traffic and that his passengers were mostly students who only paid discounted fares. When I handed him my pay, he blurted out "Tang'na estudyante na naman. Sa inyo na lang pera niyo." (Fucking bitch, another student. Keep your money to yourselves.). He was heard by all the passengers and from the look of the passengers, it seems that they want to bludgeon that son-of-a-bitch driver right on spot.

I hate taking the jeepney from the EDSA Central Terminal. Yes, there are queues of commuters waiting their for turn to ride. However, the scrupulous barkers fill the normally 8-passenger jeep to nine. They keep on shouting "One more! One more!" to force those who are in a hurry to ride the jeepney that already has an atmosphere denser than that of Venus.

Jeepney drivers are also known to eat up more time picking up passengers and filling the jeepney at the expense of their passengers' valuable time.

This one is a bit sensitive though. I have seen blatant corruption of traffic cops right in front of my eyes. The most notorious scallawags are from the city midway between home and school. They would hail innocent drivers and try to make-out a violation even if there was none. But the most disturbing of it all is when I saw one of those alligators accepting bribe to let the driver pass through. The alligator knew I saw the whole thing and he can see the concerned look on my face but as we left, he had a menacing grin as if he's being proud of being a greedy reptile.


Transportation in the Philippines can both be fun and bad, depending on the circumstances of fate. The blind government keeps on having illussions of an excellent transport system when in truth, everything are just delusions.

Watch out for the upcoming parts in the next few days. (Written by JM Reyes, Manila)

Sending Up Kites That Won't Go Back

Hi everyone, I'm writing this post unplanned. Butterflies kept on fluttering in my stomach and it seems to get worse by the minute. A few minutes of inspirational music and some news clips may have soothed me a bit but I'm still restless. Nah, this isn't about love. There is something wrong within my circle of friends...

I thought I've already found the answer... and I thought I've already accepted it. The whole world would've just lied, but the truth scared me. I'm not usually vocal about my personal emotional problems. I don't broadcast it to an audience of thousands. All I do is get a good friend who can lend me an ear and a comforting heart but even that is difficult; Because people tend to shun me off whenever I go with my rantings.

Do you know the feeling of being left out? I'm tired and sick of getting the same old treatment. Everyone recedes away as if I have a contagious, deadly disease. They say we should not take everyone for granted. Very easy to say, just takes about a second or two. But very difficult to execute. Yeah, we really should not. Because we can't have someone for eternity. A twist of fate or a prank joke of destiny gone wrong, that someone may be taken away from us without prior notice. Might be for the good, might be for worse.

They say people come and go. We all pass by our temporary lives. We meet different people for different reasons. Some come to teach us and some come to learn from us.

Perhaps that's the very reason why people nowadays tend to dismiss most that they meet as merely a part of a train of people that will pass by their platforms and stop for a while before heading somewhere else. They will ask you for directions, for advisories, for everything. But if it's time for them to go, their doors would simply slide back in and their wheels slowly chug away.

I kept on saying to myself that I should not expect anything in return. From the words of St. Therese, "When one loves, one does not calculate". I kept on thinking that everything I do is a labor of love, and for believing so I expect no remuneration.

I don't keep up scores, I don't want them to give me the much craved-for golden stars, but what I only ask them is to be them; If that's not asking too much. But do I really ask something in return, unconsciously?

There maybe some episodes in our life when we are being taken granted by someone. Oftentimes, we just ignore it. But if the same episodes keeps on repeating and repeating and that it has turned into a routine cycle, it really hurts a lot. And that's what I'm feeling at this very moment. I'm furious and very much hurt. No one seems to notice me when I beg for an ear that will listen, even if I pull their sleeves for attention.

I can't decipher the difference of being taken for granted and being taken advantage of. Perhaps it's the same thing after all.

It really hurts so bad when I feel like I'm invisible for most of the time only to re-appear when someone needs me and vanishes again when my purpose has been fulfilled. I thought I've already accepted my purpose in life as a walking confessional. People come and tell me their problems one after the other and sometimes it does take a toll on my health, both physically and emotionally. It could be draining at times. But I feel rewarded every time I know that I was able to be some help; That I guided someone to shore when I acted as their beacon of light.

But when a time comes when I become the ship in distress, the lighthouses seem to go dark and never will have will to find me back to shore. The mayday calls are unanswered. The radio of my spirit only receives hash. The ship is sinking fast and the waves become rougher. Yet, no signs of any rescue on the way. I have to wrestle with the waves for the night and work it out all alone till the following morning.

(NB: I was interrupted by my uncle at around 2:20am who scolded me for using the PC so late at night, not knowing how heavy and weary I feel now. It's now 7:24am on my PC clock. I can't sleep at all. There's really this gut-wrenching feeling.)

I've been wondering why do the people around me can easily get the help and ear they need while I'm left out begging for the same things from the same people. Those who I really don't expect to come are even the first, and often only ones, to rescue me.

Sometimes thoughts of being cold to others come across me but no matter what I do, I really can't get cold. I can't show them that what they do to me really hurts. I wish I wasn't empathic at all so all of this are just nothing.

At this time I'm thinking if I should stop being my old self; If I should say goodbye to my guardian angel, friend-to-run-to, and shoulder-you-can-cry-on image.

But my conscience kept on telling me that I should continue to help others no matter what. Well, I won't get tired of helping but I'm already sick and tired of the treatment that I get. Sometimes I hear good compliments from them, while they're "at my back". So I really wonder if I'm really something special for them.

Others say the best answer to get rid of being taken for granted is not to pursue any kind of relationship anymore with people who can't give you value and those who can't allot even a little of their time for you and for those who can't make any effort to show you that you're one of the best things that happened to them.

But still I can't explain why do I want to forge better, stronger relationships with the wrong people. I know that I don't hold anyone. That their lives don't just revolve around me. That they are currently busy. But even so, why I don't I receive anything? I send messages at times but to no avail. Not even a simple 'hi', 'hello', or 'how are you?'. They don't know how happy I feel whenever I hear from them.

As of now, I'm talking to one of my very few true friends who always lends me an ear and gives me value. I'm still so thankful for having those people around me. What they gave to me, I return to them in whole.

I hope there's someone out there who can untangle my nerves. I feel so helpless...

A Very Aromatic Birthday

Though this maybe already late, I can't resist not to share what happened on my happiest birthday yet. JM Reyes in Manila.

August 16, 2008, a Saturday. A day like no other in my history. It was a gregarious, tiring, but all the while fun day.

Mum cooked up Italian-style spaghetti and pickled chicken the night before to satisfy the "anacondic" cravings of my neighborhood barkada. I told mum repeatedly on the days leading to my birthday that I want her to cook Italian spaghetti since I'm already sick and tired of the very sweet, almost ketchup-like, Filipino spaghetti.

On the big day, I was no longer barely legal. The reality that I'm already a grown adult has finally seeped-in. I'm not getting any younger and the childish boo-hoo days are gone. I woke up at around 10 am, preparing for a meet-up and party set-up by a hobby group where I'm one of the longest members, joining them a few months after the group was founded.

The meeting was set in a classroom on a small technology school on Timog corner Tomas Morato Avenue in Quezon City. There were only 8 of us who were there but I tell you, it was the most numerous we ever had. Perhaps our hobby of collecting diecast metal airplane models aren't that popular yet in RP. It was also the first time a foreign hobbyist joined us. Nassir from Pakistan was with his son and brought a box of donuts for all of us to munch. Model airplanes were raffled at the end of the party and I got a very sexy TWA Lockheed L-1049G Super Constellation; the real Queen of the Skies.

However, while on the final stages of the party, a friend of mine texted me that he'll have a night shift at the cafe from 8pm to 1am on that very night. Jed and I have been planning to meet at the cafe where he works but his very erratic schedule made it impossible at first. Finally, he has a fixed schedule and I won't let this chance slip out of my hands. I held a tight grip on this chance and replied to him quickly that yes, I'm coming and we shall meet tonight. I thought everything was going to plan. I'll just spend a few hours in a nearby mall before meeting Jed at the cafe. But a logistic nightmare emerged as soon as the party has ended. I have to bring tons of food first home before heading to the likewise, relatively nearby cafe. And so with tons of food at hand, I quickly head back home at 6pm. As soon as arriving at home, I just placed the food on the table and hastily headed back to Quezon City. It was already past 7pm when I arrived at Shangri-La Mall where I bought a cheeseburger meal first to convert my PHP500 bill to smaller bills. At 7:40pm, I started waiting for the MRT at the platform. It took 15 minutes before a train arrived. The long waiting intervals is a sickness of the MRT eversince immense overcapacity became a problem.

Inside, it was like being in a Japanese subway train. It was a lot worse than a can of sardines. Breathable air finally circulated the train when the throng of people alighted at Cubao Station. I arrived at Quezon Avenue station at around 8:25pm. At last, I saw the cafe down at the street below. As I was walking towards the cafe, I had butterflies in the stomach. Mixed feelings of excitement and tension wobbled in my tummy as I neared the cafe.

Upon arriving, I thought the cafe has its own entrance but I found out that I have to enter the adjacent McDonald's to get into the cafe. I finally had a glimpse of him, busy preparing coffee. I had to wipe off all my sweat first before I enter the cafe. I quietly walked in to the counter and Jed recognized me instantly and gave me a warm and welcoming smile, as if we've already known each other for a long time. I sat on a table beside the window, right next to the counter and the newspapers. That table would come to be my favorite spot and sit there everytime I visit him at the cafe. We talked immediately as soon as I was seated. He wants to treat me coffee as promised but I wasn't sure what to order. He recommended me the blended drinks and told him I want a mocca frappe. I just ordered a medium one and it was so sweet of him to upgrade it to a large one. I sipped it all out up to the very last drop. His frappe tasted better than Starbucks'. The right blend of bittersweetness and creaminess made the difference. Kudos!

For the next six hours, we had a merry chit-chat and the bonding experience overwhelmed me. There wasn't much customers on that night and I think to myself, fate laid down a very good path for us to meet and bond. It was raining heavily outside and that even added to the relaxing, cozy mood inside. Throughout that time, I keenly observed him on how he do his work. He was on a one-man show that night and he did everything, from the cash register, to the coffeemaker, to mopping the floor, cleaning the tables, serving coffee, cleaning the kitchenware, replacing the supplies, to name a few. That was further aggravated by having a few gaffes like a missing customer, a cold drink that won't get out of the blender, a leaking ceiling, and a small burn blister after accidentally bumping his arm on the steamer. I found out later on that all of his co-baristas also have small burn blisters as well from the steamer. Sort of like an initiation rite (Congratulations! You're now a real barista!).

I was supposed to be staying for only about an hour or so since I just want to visit him. So I said to myself, I'll leave at 9. 9pm has passed so I extended my stay for another two hours. But after 11, I decided to stay with him throughout the night until he closes down the cafe. It was so heartwarming to hear that his shift on that night wasn't boring because of me. He played songs of Morning Musume even the mono sound of the speakers. He was told by his boss to close down at 12 midnight, an hour earlier than usual and from then we had the cafe all by ourselves. We continued on talking and laughing even as he is busy writing down inventories and arranging the pastries. Last minute duties, logged-out his time card, and we even shared his free meal.

When he was finally done, we had our picture taken at the counter and I gave him a bottle of ramune and a sushi mold. Simple, yet meaningful tokens of goodwill. I thought he knew that it was my birthday that night that's why he treated me some coffee. He was surprised to know that my birthday has just passed. I put my arm over his shoulders and patted his back and told that it was okay. What counts to me is that we've finally met and I'm so glad to know that I gave him a cup of joy on an otherwise boring night. We stepped out of the cafe and parted ways at 2:40am. Though what happened was just simple, it was the happiest birthday I ever had. I really enjoyed the night and time simply wasn't in my vocabulary. (Written by JM Reyes, Manila)

And So They Went

What do you get between a loss of interest in Japan and a search that was destined to put you back on track? The answer; Japinoy. com. That is if your surname is Reyes.

The old school says "we're still better", the new school says "you're most welcome".

If you kept up with the news this Thursday, there's every reason to believe that everything will be back to normal. But if you thought of it over, there's every reason that it won't be.

And if you understood what that means, you may be receptive beyond comprehension. Or just a reader of my blog, even if there's nothing new to read. JM Reyes in Manila.


For two months, I lost my self and was lured once again by Thailand. My fascination of Thailand can be traced back to around 12 years ago, just a year or two shy of my Japanology madness. It was the first time my dad worked in Thailand and continued on for about four more years.

I flipped the pages of Thai Airways' "Sawasdee" inflight magazine. On the cover was their first Boeing 777 jet, in celebration of their 35th anniversary as the Kingdom's flag carrier. I was awed by the beauty, diversity, eccentricity, and modernity of Thailand. And that continued as more Sawasdee magazines landed on our magazine racks.

But just a year later, Mojacko was fired by a galactic sling shot to Earth and landed on our TV sets. The fluffy, cuddly, adorable, and oh-so-sweet fur ball alien opened me up to the Japanese culture and way of life. Everything that was shown, I want to try. I had my first taste of sushi, my first Japanese shopping spree, and the beginning of a strong desire to get there.

Oh!Tokyo on WINS Channel further propelled my craziness for Japan. The ever-happy and bubbly reporter Ellen Nishiumi provided televised tours of Tokyo and nearby provinces and islands for those without the time and money to go to Japan. I think she has the best job on Earth.

But fast forward, April 2008, TLOS came into my life and made me crave for Thailand once again. For two months, Japan was shunned off my list even though I still work for a Japanese news organization. That made my easy work harder and I have to make stitches just to accomplish my job.

Hoping for the worst, I accepted the fact that probably I'm not into Japan anymore. But a stork from heaven dropped Japinoy.com on my doorstep. The new baby smiled at me, wanting me to adopt him. And so Japinoy Boy saved my love for Japan from the brink of death.

There, I was welcomed by like-minded people and not by some selfish members of the otaku clan. I've been with them for about 3 months now and still enjoying their company. Two of my friends there are already my close buddies. One is a quirky teacher, and the other one is a girl-magnet, but very friendly barista. Right now, I'm very serious on getting the same job on the same branch where he works.


On the other story, I've packed my bags and moved to my new university after two years of living in a teeny-bopper and coño university. Though there are bad reasons on why I left that university, I'm still very thankful to be friends with a bunch of the truest people that I can find in that university. The guidance counselor that debriefed me on my last day as a student of the university pissed me off and she doesn't fit that job. How dare she tells me things as if she really knows me. My politics also contradicts the way of life there. Unequality and elitism is totally unacceptable and that is a hindrance towards a freer and more prosperous world. The arrogant bourgeois people who just go to school to flaunt their beauty, money, and possessions but possesses no brain are thankfully now out of my way.

Now I can freely express my thoughts and views in my new university. Back in the old one, there was nothing on the school journals but pure propaganda and right-wing stuff. In the new one, issues, no matter how sensitive can be discussed freely and objectively. No more gag orders, no more dead air.

So much has happened during my three-month hiatus. Too many too tell and too long to be written. But from now on, I'll keep you regularly on tabs on what's new and what's about to be thrown away. (Written by JM Reyes, Manila)