Wednesday, December 17, 2008

161208 Timbre and Us


me, maddy and joe - 3 pints of erdinger, kilkenny and my seafood platter.
Dear Anonymous,

Knowing you is like learning that I have lived my life wrong from the start. If more words are going to be contained here,I am afraid these words will cut us up into pieces like a ribbon.

Today I send you bright red for the festive season and new year.

From: Anonymous's

Monday, December 15, 2008

Dear Anonymous,

I have been thinking. Such preoccupations explain the nightmares I had the previous nights. Your last memory in my mind has not faded much and the raindrops did not yet, carry it away. Although I wish to see you soon, I know the misery like a friend. It lingers on. Far from beautiful, for many reasons, I could only catch sight of you in my thoughts. Where is the magnetic affinity we used to possess? Has it been inadvertently hidden under your pillow or beneath my tears? This separation was, or is, amicable. At least we choose to believe it so.

Those days of us were cloaked with uninhibited exchanges. Sometimes, you were the composer and I, the audience. Often, the roles were exchanged. There was a kind of nonchalance about you that was silly and endearing. Your idiosyncrasy could hardly be replaced. I am smiling when I write about this. I feel so teased by you. When I heard that song, I stammered a disengaged thanks in my breath. So I presume those words sung were a proof of your thoughts. Alas, they smashed hopes like crushing stones.

I don’t desire just a dream. You are perhaps, something wonderful to which my faith clings. But for now, I wish a kind hand will wipe my pain away. If one lifetime is not enough for two human beings to explore the cosmos between them, then it is so unfortunate that we had only one sunrise and dusk with us. It was those moments which had enveloped us. This feeling – allied with a great sense of regret, is enclosed within this letter.

I send you a tinge of quiet pink today to commemorate a silence. You have entered and disappeared into my life. And it could only be anonymous.

Signing off,
Anonymous’s friend

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Honey in the Moon



Cebu, Philippines, 2nd to 7th Dec 2008

Once again, I was on Philippines land. This time, it was the honeymoon mood that takes over. No rush for things, or to be busy looking out for possible sites and materials. The honeymoon was needed to take my mind off many many things. It could make me burst into rapturous emotions, just being able to be away from Singapore, even for a little while. Shutter-happy was the usual, I could snap everything just to preserve these memories. And sleep dominated the beginning of the trip, perhaps we were too tired from the wedding and the body was crying out for some kind of rest. We figured it might be the bed in Maribago - the sleep-induced mattress. But it was funny how the bed creaked each time we lie on it.

Security was tight in every corner of Cebu, our Maribago resort was an enclosed one with tall gates and guards with shotguns and pistols were on-duty 24 7. It at least, made us feel saf-er. Eventually, we gave in to signing up for a day tour in Mactan city as there were not much we could do within the resort except to wine and make merry. So the day came when we went to the guitar and ukulele factories and saw a wide array of these instruments that were handmade by the people. I took delight in just filming them in a factory production line, handcrafting the guitars.
After which, we went through a little history about Mactan- Cebu –between Lapu Lapu and Magellan in the battle of Mactan in 1521. Like what tourists should do, we visited Lapu Lapu’s shrine. The rest of the days were filled with the spa that we promised to reward ourselves with, shopping and walking around before we packed up for the last 2 days at Cebu city where we booked into Crown Regency Hotel.

Upon reaching the city, to our dismay, the hotel was still U.C. (under construction), so you can imagine the lack of facilities and so on. But, the good thing was that it REALLY was right smacked in the centre of town. And we could from the map, worked out exactly where we wanted to go for the remaining 2 days. The big joy to me was when we walked all the way to the Carbon Market which is near Ermita. I love the colours and the life over there. Pushcart peddlers and fishmongers who travelled on foot, selling their ware. It was a fresh insight into life in the Philippines, although there was some similarity with the market I went to in Baguio last year.

With the shopping and photo-taking, the trip ended and we returned with satisfied hearts. Of course, the reality of married life will slowly unfold and there are moments which we can call a blast.