i once knew a boy. 
now i know him like not before.
ciggies. booze. and all avenues of hidden agendas. 
is where i found him. 
snippets of your past glory still clouds around 
next time around 
stare hard at the puddle of booze 
and tell me 
are these what you want to lose 
no fixed agendas. 
yes 24 hours. 
no must dos. 
yes 60 minutes. 
yes. life is still rolling in action. 
framed by breaths. 
sweet retardation. 
bodies jostling in the crowds. 
where do i stand. 
whilst we all seek others to blame. 
for the yet to surface sinners. 
fingers pointing in all directions. 
the usher directed me to you. 
he said you are the answer. 
i tried to build bridges. 
i tried to build a relation. 
but you are on another realm. 
at least, thats what they told me 
yesterday outside the church. 
maybe. you might have guessed who you are. maybe you know, its you i am searching for. to lead and light the path. to thread on the right paths again. crouching in the corner. crumbling by the booze. aging by the ciggies. is not for you. those talents you own, might not shine just yet. but why stop them from glistening, when the sun shines through at times. why dig a hole, and fall right through it. i remembered, you telling me, a long while ago, that you still dreamt of golden pyramids and azure waters of the amazon. why now, this then? 
    
Sunday, November 30, 2003
Thursday, November 27, 2003
      here i sit. 
thinking what you are doing. 
hopelessly desiring. 
maybe i should have been. 
there. here. everywhere. 
except the places i been. the places i am in. 
this insatiable want. 
this locked up circle. 
simply a vicious cycle. 
when i see you again. 
let me know. 
what you did. 
when i wasnt there with you. 
    
      when the clock strikes 75.
what will i , where will i, 
be when these tresses grey 
maybe without a lapse of luxury 
maybe richly endowed with material possessions 
one thing's for sure 
these muscles & skin 
would desire for manual work 
whilst voices would yelp 
whilst eyes would stare 
this body of mine 
would crave. an insatiable want. 
for movements. for sweat. work i cant do without. 
let me justify my existence 
before i lie beneath these red soils 
in a cold wooden box.
time for rest. for some. time for transitions. 
time to breathe in slow. time to hum to life. 
time to slumber more. time to watch the clouds glide past. 
for me. time to hear more voices.  
i just have to learn. to live like a kid once again. 
the real world. has sadly made me. 
think. act. dream in ways i choose not too. 
i want to waddle in the mud. bake in the sun. 
i want to not ponder about this world. 
i want to befriend the old. not the young. 
whose hearts are hardened. ears are shut. and eyes see nothing.  
i want to renew my ties. with this life. 
    
Monday, November 24, 2003
      life used to be lived in minutes, 
life is now lived in seconds. 
soon nano seconds. 
yesterday i cried 
a hundred billon tears
on every channel of thought
yesterday i cried 
for all the plans i made 
but never found the time 
 
so many places we crawl around 
so little places we explore around 
down on fours 
but never realising 
kissed the ground 
never really breathing 
life. just breathing to stay alive. 
instant indication, maximum appeal 
it dawned on me like a child 
everyday is passing by 
moments past me by
didnt feel a thing 
could almost hear me sigh 
time to change, make it past 
those days go by 
at the speed of life 
the weaning brain. these helpless thoughts. those fallen dreams. watch the incessant tears. taste the bittersweet regrets. i sort of see this coming, i sort of see myself lamenting. excrutiating. lying in the pool of stagnation. the refusal of moving a limb. the refusal of thinking straight. the conduciveness of free time. to entertain foolish vices. to entertain huge bubbles of day dreamings. with eyes wide opened. i continue harbouring these thoughts. knowing that time turns no back. 
    
Sunday, November 23, 2003
      i stared at the mirror. to see myself blinking
 
the path ahead. sees no end. 
the road up next. sees no bend. 
yet once i am on it. potholes. bends. and humps thrive.
everytime i clicked on my inbox. 
i await. i anticipate. i reinterate. 
in my head. it arent your character. 
and so i rub those falling tears. 
and so i stroke that thumping heart. 
to pull those high hopes down. 
to gravitise. to de-imaginise. 
to burst the soap bubble. 
bubbling and jostling. 
with common sense.  
is god your puppeteer. or is he your puppet. 
weather's too conducive for deep ponderous thinking. i am imposing a severe censorship on my thoughts. 
    
Saturday, November 22, 2003
      5 seconds, playing the electronic god 
the advent of technology 
the fallen of mankind 
the new mode of relational 
the new search for lost 
the new meaning of serendipity 
i log on. i surf on. i pounce on. 
i savour on. i drool on. 
the glitsy. glam shots. 
the juicy. the savoury. 
i am indeed the voyeur. 
like we all are. 
after the voyeuristic journey. 
shower me, with sweet testimonials. 
entice me, with diverse interests. 
allure me, with circles and circles 
of varied faces. 
i am taking a hiatus. 
playing the electronic god. 
i see the familiar.
i taste the unknown. 
i open the pandora. 
i saw the you-s. 
i wake up. 
to know. 
i still have. 
the same relationship circle. 
regardless. of this technology tentacles. 
the octopus of oddity. 
insightful. you say. 
insidious. i loudly proclaim. 
    
Sunday, November 16, 2003
      i remember 
the sharp dressing 
the eloquent speaking 
the crowd pleasing
the glam looking 
the extravagent spending 
to look the best 
to show the rest 
the beauty i digress. 
the morsel of belief. the growth of faith. 
the sprouting of love. the speading of the word. 
the journey of truth. 
do brothers and sisters in christ, need that much of constant support. 
have we in our tunnelled view of the world 
turn blind eyed to the real world 
i see, beneath the well pressed suits 
i see, beneath the leather bounded bibles 
i see, beneath it all. 
the futilities. of a good cause. 
leather shoes $119
well pressed suit $535 
leather bound bible $99 
thinking out of the tunnel. priceless. 
the above are simply and solely personal views. they might not go down well in your throats. but last i know, this was still a free country. instead of fighting my words, why dont we sit down and ponder. the cause of this all, the cost of it all. 
*peace*
    
      we mirror ourselves 
after biblical characters 
the marks, the johns and the peters 
the sarahs, the esthers, the ruths 
either we gave ourselves such names 
or our parents bestowed them to us 
in lieu, that life would be 
lived like them.
how many of us do 
well. lest you say, at least 
we tried. 
i saw you again. 
this time around in a skimpy red number. 
when you burst through the iron gates 
and emerged in public 
showered in glam & glitz 
i murmured nothing. 
i question some things. 
when i saw you again. 
i thought our relationship 
was over. 
it arent. when you feel a thing. 
for the things you see, experience & hear. 
of the past. 
so many times, we say and bid farewells. to people, to good or bad relationships. to path changes. to changes in desires, aims and wants. my belief system has indeed changed. some say i have back sliden from the One. some say, i have succumbed to the pulls of the world. and what have i done. left the church, concentrated on my studies whilst peppering my speech with non god spewing phrases. no room for regrets, no cause for digress. but free speech still rules.
so many times, we say that once we bid farewell, that road ends. but many a times, the new road you are on, offer glimpses on the old path. at times, the old and new routes join, you get pulled, compelled, should i stay with the new or stick with the old. i never was taught how to use the reverse gears. if i f**ked something up, then, it got f**ked in my hands, i take full responsibility. from the day, i told dad, i didnt want to stick by his ways, to see life through his eyes, i knew, even if i fell, i had to get band aids myself. sometimes i lie in puddles of blood, evidence of life i tumbled through. sometimes i soar in cloud nine, evidence of life, i glided past. there are no regrets. only consequences. 
i should be writing on how appalled i am on reading a certain article.but i think, i should chew on my thoughts more, before, i begin, talking about Others. i sometimes think, people oriented blogs, tells alot on the blogger. simply shallow. language, and strings of words, should be a celebration of the experiences of life, the nature of objects and not polluted, by people oriented bitching. and so, i remain, 
silent. 
    
Thursday, November 13, 2003
      when the silence 
gets punctured 
will we appreciate 
what good we used to own
what strange dream will i fall slumber to 
what strange words will i mumble to 
what strange lands will i fall rumble to 
wondering while crumbling 
+peace+ 
god* bless me n my paper. 
gesundheit trent. 
how i constantly brand it, how i hope it really manifests right now.
take care nigel. 
cant kill much of ur boredom, but i was told to be all sugar & spice n everything nice. 
maybe silence from me is more than sheer golden, it is me being the 'bestest'! 
stay stinky nichk.
got ur latest msg! check ur mail. enjoy! 
    
Wednesday, November 12, 2003
      i should really get going, 
although i see myself 
staring at the skies 
scratching my eyes 
seeking for answers 
whilst pondering 
why do i even try 
for a good night's slumber. 
good night world. 
dream on, i retire early. 
    
      passionate on living 
to surpass sheer mere existence 
making turns on the wrong bends 
experiencing all the better 
days stayed longer 
hours crawled past slower 
whilst memories lingered 
slowly peeling like an age old bark
years they take 
how much reminiscing you do 
whilst supposedly studying
i have certainly indeed 
lost the drive. lost the need. 
forgotten and forsaken 
the desires to excel for exams 
maybe at least for the things i do 
what really counts 
arent exam smartness 
a fusion of creativity & passion 
works for me 
sorry mom. 
they dont do assessment books here. 
i should be blanketed by notes. yellow ones to be precise. amongst laws, regulation and clauses, i find a bore. architecture, afterall, minus the glitz, glam and geekness, still involves gambling with the public. the you. so, i fully comprehend the need for my exam: architectural practice. brought up in an environment, where grades, schools, family backgrounds, took precedence over, ingenuity. this is what the machines of education churn out, fantastic regurgitation devices. now available in a wide selection of colours and sizes, and the regurgition speeds have increased.whilst creativity & individuality dipped to the pits. 
this year's memories log would be over whelming. i certainly crawled and dragged myself past the pits. reluctantly, i swallowed reality au natural, albeit still being choked by the burpings of truth once awhile. maybe, like everyone said, i am better off, soaking myself, in sour reality. in lonely serenity. i always ring nana from the airport. i always pop by nana's no matter how late i land. i always. i always. i always. i always drown myself in sweet denial. i always fail to accept this facet of truth. life and death, part and parcel of life. only some know, why i am still questioning. still not accepting. 
i was about to start my 'if's. sometimes i wonder if, 'if' is a vulgarity.and so, i choose to stop. 
    
      passionate on living
to surpass sheer mere existence 
felt like i was going somewhere with this, might get back to it after lunch. 
    
Monday, November 10, 2003
      awwwww* look nichk! i finally found this piece! 
Calle con almacén rosad
Jorge Luis Borges 
Luna de Enfrente, 1925 
Ya se le van los ojos a la noche en cada bocacalle 
y es como una sequía husmeando lluvia. 
Ya todos los caminos están cerca, 
y hasta el camino del milagro. 
EL viento trae el alba entorpecida. 
El alba es nuestro miedo de hacer cosas distintas y se nos viene encima.. 
Toda la santa noche he caminado 
y su inquietud me deja 
en esta calle que es cualquiera. 
Aquí otra vez la seguridad de la llanura 
en el horizonte 
y el terreno baldío que se deshace en yuyos y alambres 
y el almacén tan claro como la luna nueva de ayer tarde. 
Es familiar como un recuerdo la esquina 
con esos largos zócalos y la promesa de un patio. 
¡Qué lindo atestiguarte, calle de siempre, ya que miraron tan pocas cosas mis días! 
Ya la luz raya el aire. 
Mis años recorrieron los caminos de la tierra y del agua 
y solo a vos te siento, calle dura y rosada. 
Pienso si tus paredes concibieron la aurora, 
almacén que en la punta de la noche eres claro. 
Pienso y se me hace voz ante las casas 
la confesión de mi pobreza: 
no he mirado los ríos ni la mar ni la sierra, 
pero intimó conmigo la luz de Buenos Aires 
y yo forjo los versos de mi vida y mi muerte con esa luz de calle. 
Calle grande y sufrida 
eres la única de que sabe mi vida. 
had a vocal translated version of this. and i could easily have made it my favorite spanish poetry. i just need to get hold of a translated collection of Jorge Luis Borges works. but as with every piece of original, a translated version will never quite make a mark. but still a good read no doubt. 
    
      talking to god*
or talking godly 
any difference. thousand oblivions. 
did i used to speak strange 
did i used to speak in lingos 
jargons. fervents faith uprising. 
did i even make sense. 
do they speak like you in moses* age
do they challenge like you in jesus* time 
did they ask for faith and blessings 
in monetary terms 
in biblical days 
he* never let me down. 
he* never did me wrong. 
i never walked astray from his* path. 
i merely took a curtail 
that turned into a retirement 
from the company of the faithful. the god spewing. the faith uprising. 
punctutions of faith. 
punctuations of god lovingness. 
i knew i was never cut out for godly fame. 
my insatiable desire for good. 
is the more immediate &  visible torments & hurts 
in the third world country
yes. i heard. you got a bible for musar. 
last i heard. he cant read. 
last i heard, he asked if he could eat. 
the bible. 
but what could i say. 
desires. goals. and wants are different. 
individuals to individuals. 
even as i write. 
10 bibles get delivered. 
5 babies got delivered in africa. 
15 living went deceased. 
whats the deal? 
who, and whats near?
*caps to be added where indicated 
p.s: get well soon nigel. nichk & i got u a  - - - ! shld b reaching you soon!  
    
Saturday, November 08, 2003
      i cant remember dates well. 
big days. small hours. 
birthdays. anniversaries. 
not even of close family members. 
come last week 
or even weeks back 
impressions were etched 
somehow it feels like an important date was approaching
minus the current stress and work pilings 
really am in doubt 
to whats brewing 
went down the road 
past the witchdoctors 
the the psychics 
consulted the stars 
searched the almanac 
nothing. everything futile. 
till someone whispered. 
it was your birthday. 
what will i be without your existence 
who will i morph into without your love 
so much for medical science 
so much for prayers 
so much for taking care of you 
so much for reassurances 
if anyone was reading this 
let them hear my disappointment 
in their duties 
in their promises 
that i will be able 
to greet you in person 
cos i flew back 
only to see an ice cold body 
regrets rolled in 
remorsefulness sunk in 
days will go by without you 
but nights toil by without you 
being a manifestation of your struggles 
thats my desire 
happy birthday nana. 
i will see you round the bend, in a while. 
while writing the above, i do realise that for the one great regret i have, when one takes a step backwards, one gets a clearer picture of the entire scene. i never cease to be thankful for who i am blessed to hang around. i needed a major distraction, needed a change of focus, a sharpening of lens, a shift of apertures. thank you for entering my life. in as much as i keep saying, it started with a crawl, then a walk, and now a run. dont know where these feet will take us, but the support and pull ups are nice. thanks t.
while writing the above, i do realise that i would be hunted down n shot if i didnt mention a particular individual. you know who you are, know what you have done, and i will always be thankful for you just merely being you. thanks nichk. 
    
Thursday, November 06, 2003
      for everything i do 
for everything i lay my eyes on 
i desire to do, watch and act with passion 
for the choices i made
for the moves i exercised 
for the words i said 
i desire to be the most transparent 
many a times 
i place others before me 
tearing for them before their own tears even trickled
drowning for them before they even reach open waters 
in the course of doing so 
i do. break down. 
and in times like those 
you realise that you are never a sole entity. 
limbs. heart. eyes may be yours. 
but sometimes you move with others. 
almost many times, you see through others. 
and how could i not feel from others.
the next week seems unsurmountable for myself. 
in terms of work loads and duties i have to perform as an individual. 
you who know me, knows i wouldnt do anything without interest. 
and without passion, i refused to embark on a journey. 
chose the path. got the map. missed the train. 
and at this moment, it seems like a trek on the barren red land 
in search for my oasis. 
relief would come. soon enough. 
for now. i am living by 
that which does not kill us, maketh us stronger 
i bite on this often 
and hope this blesses you who reads 
and thank you for simply being you 
 
    
Monday, November 03, 2003
      :a letter to you:
dear you,
cackles of dissension 
greets the tyrant's return 
from an incorrigable voyage 
into the pitholes of 
human nature 
your appeal is short lived
your vulnerability has ceased attraction
now lets preserve all good memories
from the ravages of time 
promise me. 
live. not lead. 
    
      you know.
i yearn. 
for sweet nothings.
i desire. 
lotsa dreaming.
i prey.
on intelligence. 
i never learnt to walk 
backwards 
i never desired to return 
to the start 
i never realised 
that you were waiting 
picking while waiting 
munching while waiting 
caring while waiting 
all along the way 
choosing to be clothed 
under invisibility 
said, and i will say again.
it all arent worth the wait. 
counting down to singapore.
1.5 years. 0 yearning. 0 desire. 0 memories.
point blank. 
maybe sweet denial is the answer. 
maybe i may be greeted by the usual on touchdown. 
foolish fantasy.
fantasy fibs. 
far from faint.
and so, 
i took a balance. 
and tried to find an answer. 
cant balance. no tally. 
i couldnt even find the counterweight.  
no reasons not to return. 
one reason to repel the return. 
realisation. 
    
