em_em_chan

Okay so this would be my very first entry of dream journal (so just I could add a new entry in my livejournal account *shrug*).

Last night, I dreamed that I was always inside our house. I always hide because it said that my face was cursed. People hate to see me, and whenever they see me, they would shoo me away in disgust. Even my parents hate me because of my face. Beside being so ugly, they said that I had a mark of hideous monster in my left temple, and they said that that thing is alive.

Knowing that, I became scared of myself as well. I hated me. Then one day, I decided to look at myself through the mirror. It was said that I haven’t looked at myself in the mirror for a very long time because I was scared. But now, I decided to face the truth.

I faced the mirror and saw the hideous thing on my right temple. I was really scared. It does have a face of a monster. But then, suddenly, something fell. The monstrous emblem was no longer on my face. It went off just like that. (Talk about the weird of the weird).

My dream had a second part. It said that I was stuck in an isolated island with people I don’t know. I wanted to leave the island but the only way was through an old airplane which could only carry two people. A blonde woman who looked like Christina Aguillera has a daughter and she insisted to let her teenage daughter use it to escape alone. I wished I could ride the plane, too, since there was still an available seat but the plane already left.

It was later then that I discovered that I could fly. (^_^). I didn’t immediately notice that I had a pair of brown wings. So, I flew out of the island searching the plane, so I could have a guide.

Later, I landed on a land where I saw the plane took off. I saw the blonde woman’s daughter making bon fire by the river shore. I approached her and asked if I could share some food from her. She nodded yes. When I sat beside her, suddenly, she embraced me tight and carried me into the river. She wanted to drown me! Knowing that she’s going to throw me into the middle of the river where it was the deepest part, before my body fell into the water, I snap my wings open and hovered in the mid air.

I was shocked to see when the girl suddenly changed her appearance!

To be continued…..

“My gulay!!!” I told myself with terrified anxious mental voice, “The water was rising! It’s getting bigger and stronger! And it’s heading to our house!”

I’ve never witnessed how water could be so terrifying. I couldn’t see the pavement of our street anymore. The water kept on rising up until I couldn’t see my ankles any longer. The water had risen. I was drenched under the heavy rain outside our house. My legs were already strained holding down the wooden bench my mother and I lay in front of our entrance to block the raging flood from surging directly in our front door.

My mother was already exhausted shoveling wet earth to deepen the ground to prevent the flood from overflowing to our porch. No men in our family were present to help. They’re all away from home because of work.

The rain seemed to be taking forever. It wouldn’t stop. At first, I thought that playing under the rain was fun, like others who passed in front of me, running and splashing, floundering their feet on the shallow flood rushing down from the mountains. Except that, I was not playing or splashing like them. I was stuck holding down the bench in our front yard and kept on watching, for the flood heading to our house was stronger and bigger. However, gradually I started to realize that it wasn’t fun anymore. I was already freezing. I couldn’t leave my place. Seconds later, my body did not only felt the chill of the weather, but the icy alarm that crawled into my spine when suddenly the flood got terrifyingly bigger!

My eyes went wide when I witness how the brim of the sewer beside the street disappeared under the flood, so as the road. The street turned into a river of brown water. This never happen before!

The bench! No matter how I weight under it the water was pushing it away. My strength was no match from the strength of the flood’s current. I tried to push it back to place because my mother was screaming already behind me. The flood had already invaded our house. I couldn’t do it alone, so my mother rushed towards me to help, but it was vain. I told her to let it go ‘coz even if we succeed to put the bench back, the water was too high already that it will only overflow over the bench. We couldn’t do anything anymore.

My mother rushed inside the house trying to save any important things from the floor, while I was still on the same spot where I stood, feeling utterly hopeless while watching how our front yard which used to be a flowery garden I endeavored to built turned into an raging river.

Fortunately, there wasn’t any much damage inside our house. We got rid of the mud as soon as the water subsided and while the mud was fresh and soft. However, the garden in our front yard was utterly washed out. Especially the flowering plants I’ve been looking forward to bloom. And as I thought that that colorful day comes, it did not took long when it suddenly washed out by the typhoon. But it’s okay. I was thankful enough that we’re all safe.

Indeed, we were much fortunate than those in other areas of our town. We heard that there were places where water rose up above human height and that many had died. More tragic stories reached our ears about family’s who struggled to escaped from the deadly flood which invaded their home, but did not make it. Some of our acquaintance’s acquaintances suffered such fate---they lost their family and livelihood, they almost loose their mind, unable to accept what had happened. Stories who tried to save their livelihood but eventually causes their lives.....

First time in history, this happened in Rizal province. My family and the rest of the people in our place, experienced and survived several storms that passed on our region, but never as terrifying as storm Ondoy.

Since then though, we seemed to be frightened whenever another storm or typhoon would hit our country.

Actually, this happened a week ago. But it would be a shame if I’m not going to take a record of it in here.

My father arrived home from his work as a security guard in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. He would always return home twice a month, and would stay two-three days each. He made a promise to mother that he’s going to fix our stove bench, since he knows something about carpentry skills

The next morning after he arrived yesterday, he started doing it beside the house. When mother went off for a moment, he stopped working and told me that he’s going to take a bath before he proceed again.

I was cleaning the house that moment when I saw him walked behind me, already taken a bath and dressed up. I thought he’s heading beside our house to continue what he should be doing so I didn’t pay much attention to him since I have work of my own to do. It did not took half an hour before I finish and I decided to visit check how my father was doing, but he’s nowhere to be found! The tools and materials were left sprawling messily in the working place. It dawned on me, perhaps he left for a moment to buy some nails because I heard him told mother that he need new ones.

So I waited. But after two hours, mother finally arrived home and quite devastated to see no stove bench was built yet. I was working on my portfolio that time that’s why I didn’t notice that two hours had passed and father didn’t come back yet. Mother was furious! She was expecting that the bench was finished before she arrive so she could cook comfortably.

Unfortunately, that afternoon, rain began to shower mildly, and it seemed that it going to fell heavily soon, so I presented to volunteer on searching for father. I went to the deepest part of our street, which, until now, there’s no much houses built around and still quite woody. I asked some people if they saw my father since they know him until I reached almost the farthest end of the road! Let say, I walked almost more than 400 meters from our house.

I returned home with the bad news but one of those people I asked told me that my father must be drinking with his buddies in kubo, near the putol na kalsada in palayan. My uncle also recommend to me to go to highway, because he must be gambling there. So off I went, determined to find him, because if he didn’t come back until 3:00 p.m., it would be impossible for him to finish what he’s supposed to finish. I’ll be going to the highway first, then, if he’s not there, to the kubo near the putol na kalsada.

He was not in highway, which almost more than 300 meters walk from our house and so I decided to go to kubo which would be almost more than 700 meters walk!

It was almost three years past since I went to kubo through the putol na kalsada. At least, it was the easiest yet the farthest way to get there, and I thought I could still remember where the kubo was located, though it stood almost in the middle of thick woods in center of the rice field on the other side of the creek.

Walking on the putol na kalsada, one would always find the Paseo de Rizal. Putol na kalsada was there because of it. But I felt really embarrassed when unexpectedly, as I headed to the end of the road, there was a tricycle parked there. I didn’t mean to see a couple making something there. I pretended I didn’t see anything.

There were two unpaved trails splitting on the end of the putol na kalsada and there were also very few small huts built around them. I took the trail on the right side first. I felt really stupid because I ventured to walked on the muddy trail peering in the thick woods on the other side of the creek. But I didn’t really care what those people were thinking while they stared at me. That time, I began to realized that I was lost. I thought I could still remember the way to the kubo, but a lot of things had changed! So I walked back and went to the other trail which was much longer. When I was almost in the very end of it, rain began to fell heavily and strong wind blew furiously in every direction, soaking my pants and the umbrella I brought was not enough to prevent me from getting wet. I felt stupider!

I did not stir yet to go back home. I wanted to make sure whether my father was in the kubo or not. Fortunately, a boy was walking towards my direction and I asked him if there was a creek on the farthest end of this trail. He answered yes. I aso asked him if there’s a narrow bridge connecting to the other side. He replied yes again but he added that the bridge was just made of bamboo and thin planks. Well, that was it! The sign where the kubo is! But to confirm it, I asked him if there’s a small hut on the other side of the creek after the bridge. He said he don’t know. I thank him and off he went. I walked farther but already loosing my hope because it’s getting dangerous if I still go on.

Finally I gave up and decided to go back home. Feeling really stupid as the rain fell harder than ever and wind blew the rain drenching the lower half of my body and almost carried my umbrella away. Especially when I reached the paved part of the putol na kalsada and the tricycle parked in there. I was getting more drenched while the rain kept falling hard.

I felt stupider and stupider as I walked on the national highway. Vehicles passing by seeing a girl walking alone beside the road, wet! While walking, though I felt utterly stupid, I also felt awesome. This was one in a lifetime experience indeed! It felt quite adventurous. A part of me was saying that I should do this again, because, I was able to make quite an exercise, and at least I was able to see what the outside world was like when the sky was falling. Somehow, I perceived how wonderful it was.

Thank goodness though, there’s no lightning and thunder.

When I reached home, I feel upset and exhausted. I wasn’t able to continue working on my portfolio that day because I was really tired. I changed my clothes and rest.

Then, my mother went to search for my father herself. She found him! She found him to the very first place I made my search. Some people lied to me!

When father went home and I told him what I’ve been through, he hooted with laughter and he was able to finish our stove bench.

I named him Kyo, inspired from Fruits Basket anime character who is a guy with orange hair, and turns into an orange cat when hug by an opposite sex. He looks exactly just like him when he was in a cat form, thus I named him Kyo.

I like his eyes a lot. They always inspire me to draw/design anime/manga characters. Actually, the eyes of the characters I usually draw in my DA account (www.count-altenburg.deviantart.com) were always based on cats. Here’s a latest sample:

When I was still a little kid, the time before I step into kinder garden, my pupo used tell us horror stories to scare us not to leave the house when it’s already dark.

The famous among those stories is the Sanrurugo. Our pupo said that when the clock strikes 6:00 in the afternoon, the Sanrurugo starts to wander in the street, looking for children to kidnap. It was also said that the Sanrurugo brings a sack with him where he puts the children he captured. He put stitches on the children’s lips to keep them from shouting. Then, he would go to the bridge, hang the children upside down there, and let their blood bath the foundation of the bridge. It said that children’s blood would strengthen the bridge.

My classmate who lives in the same town as me verified that the story was true. It was stated in the book about our town entitled: “100 years of Morong”. It happened around during the Japanese occupation. Some also said that it did not only happen in Morong, Rizal but also somewhere around Pampanga and Manila.

In other province though, Sanrurugo refers to aswang---the mythical creatures in the Philippines famous in the archipelago of Visayas. It was a creature that shape-shifts as a human (sometimes a beautiful lady, sometimes an old hag) and as various animals (oftentimes a wild boar or a black dog or a black cat or an enormous bird).

Kwentong aswang verified to me by my uncle’s wife who used to live in there province in Bicol. She told me one of her uncle’s experiences when he was walking home alone very late at night where he took the path abundantly planted with coconut trees. She said that her uncle saw it with his very eyes up on one of the coconut trees. An aswang which they called tik-tik in their province looked like a hag with a very long tongue dangling from her mouth and she had a pair of bat wings. Her waist was severed down to her feet, so only her head and torso were present. She was resting on one of the coconut trees and upon seeing it by my uncle’s wife’s uncle, because he was somehow a coward, he couldn’t do anything but embraced the trunk of the coconut tree and wined there until sunrise.

My unle’s wife also told us that in her province, it was believed that to be able to avoid being carried by tik-tik, you should carry lots of coins in your pocket or when you think you saw a tik-tik passing by, you should lay on the ground face down.

There are still lots of related stories like this to share. I might post it in the next entry. =)

The pictures here were captured through a cell phone’s camera, so the photos are not much of a quality.

Anyway, here are some of the things I quite marvel inside our little garden were I usually found lots of inspirations of art.

We usually called this building “Bahay ni Kuya” but it is actually the SDC (Student Development Center). It is located beside the gymnasium.

This is the gymnasium. We weren’t able to take some photos of its inside because there were half-naked male students playing basketball in there on that time. We’re too afraid that they might mistaken us that we were taking there pictures. :P

This is the Shop Extension Building. This is where we held our Drafting Major lessons.

Here are some of the old outputs of the past students:

This is one of the Drafting Rooms. The photo is kind’a blurry, it’s because we took the picture through the steel railings of the window. The room was actually closed you see.

This is the famous building of URSM known as EARTS (Efepanio Amang Rodriguez Tanghalang Sining, errr.... hope I spelled this correctly), where most of the on-stage event  was conducted such as graduation ceremony, stage plays, programs, etc.

If you walk directly to the administration building through the quadrangle, you’ll see this entrance, there’s a lobby there adjacent to the cashier.

Now, turning right is the building consisting of laboratory rooms, more precisely, they are located at the second and third floor. In the first floor are the chancellor’s office, cashier and, if I’m not mistaken, the engineering office.

This is the registrar’s office. The time this picture was taken, it was just the beginning of summer vacation; it seems though that there were freshmen who were early for admition.

Anyway, this is the park where you would quickly find right after you enter URS main gate. (Unfortunately, we weren’t able to capture the URS entrance, we forgot =P)

This was the newly built Function Hall adjacent to the park next to the main entrance. Above it is the library.

This is the Graduate library. Actually, each college has its own library as well.

This is the Techno Park of College of Industrial Technology, and here you’ll find these:

This is where I graduated in college, University of Rizal System, Morong Campus formerly, Rizal Polytechnic College (RPC). Admittedly, it is pretty old school. Before, it has five colleges, namely the College of Education, College of Industrial Technology, College of Engineering, College of Science, and College of Information Technology and Management, but the CITM was merged to CIT. For the courses offered, please visit: http://www.urs.edu.ph/

This is the Administration Building. The office of the chancellor and other exalted personnel of the campus are in there. Once you entered the gate and you walked further to the quadrangle, this is what you’ll see.

Mostly, during school days, this bench is full of students. But since this picture was taken just after the graduation, and currently it was the start of summer vacation, this is what it was now.

These are the pictures of quadrangle, where most outdoor programs and activities are conducted such as Flag Ceremony. Most sport activities are conducted in here, too, though the campus has its own Gym.

It took several days before I finally came up with my first entry here in my live journal. Well, actually, I was planning to turn this into a Live Dream Journal, but since after having much thought about it, I realized I could not venture to publish all the records of my dreams in here. I already wrote some of them in my dream journal on a notebook, though.

But...... perhaps... I could allow myself to put few in here to make my journal more interesting.

Our professor taught us that in a journal, you could put anything as much as possible. A journal could serve as a conversation with yourself, a scrapbook, a photo album, a container where all your collections of everything that interests you or anything with sentimental value of the owner, etc.

However, this one is a live journal in a computer internet. I cannot stick anything here other than photos and write-ups.

So.... let’s see what I could come up with next........