A (Somewhat) Unusual Valentine's Day

Far from the throngs of people trooping to the malls, amusement parks, moviehouses, and swanky restaurants, I found myself here, leaving a bouquet of white flowers, lighting candles, sending my thoughts and prayers to someone in another dimension ...


... and here, dining on a plateful of lechon, taking photographs of the native delicacy, with the intention of sending my thoughts and sharing my part-existentialist part-surreal experiences with someone halfway around the world.


It was a well-spent day.

Happy Valentine's Day to all!

Also, it is the start of the new year in the Chinese calendar ... make way for the tiger :)

Amusing Myself With Duran Duran

No one in his right mind, as far as I know, would want to be depressed all the time, not even those who are clinically diagnosed with major depression. Sulking and feeling sorry for oneself at all times can be one major drag. I was only a little worried that I was wallowing too much in depression until I read all my posts of late (here and in Trash Radio Manila) and realised that my worries about sounding too morose and bleak do have some bases after all. So I thought I should exert extra effort to regain the usual smiley, sarcastic, self-deprecating mood that I have always had prior to Je's demise.

I sorely miss being happy, really.

So last weekend, one sunny Sunday afternoon, in an effort to humour myself, I sat beside our turntable and the crates that held our modest collection of records. I dug deeper into the less played portions of the crates, did not find much to make me smile, until, in one crate, I found a copy of Duran Duran's Seven And The Ragged Tiger LP.

What?! Duran Duran?

I was never a fan of Duran Duran, and I picked up this album during one of my trips only because it cost a whistle. It was the 80s, and Duran Duran, the hottest boy band of that era, was raking in cash via their lust-fueled songs and highly suggestive videos enjoying heavy rotation on MTV. I actually hated Duran because I thought they were just using their good looks as an excuse to write and play stupid songs. In fact, here in Manila, local radio created a corny "rivalry" of sorts among the fans: Durannies and Spandau Ballet fans were oftentimes pitted against one another in the process. I even declared once that I'd rather be a Spandau Ballet fan that become a Duran devotee. That is how I used to hate them.

But I was young, and when you're an opinionated youngster living in the 80s, it was either you loved or loathed Duran Duran. No grey area there. Which was why I was not able to get past the boys' good looks. It took me a couple of years to find out that, hey, not only is John Taylor good-looking, he actually plays decent funky bass lines. That the androgynous Nick Rhodes does know his synths pretty well. That Simon le Bon, oh never mind his icky voice, can actually give an electric show onstage. I admit that I have been a bit unfair.

I recall my friends getting crazy over Duran Duran and how they chided me for not liking the boys. Little did they know that "Hungry Like A Wolf" (which is NOT in Seven And The Ragged Tiger by the way) is one of my favorite songs from the band that I hated so much: it was my guilty pleasure (of which I had a few). I do not hate Duran Duran anymore. Is this a sign of age or of a slackening taste in music? I am not too sure, but I am certainly amused, smiling to myself as I was listening to "The Reflex" which was playing on the turntable. If you are a jaded middle-aged woman living in the new millennium and who has just lost a partner to myocardial infarction, amusement does count a lot at this point.

(I still do not like Duran Duran though, and I still think they wrote silly songs. That is why I am not putting any Duran song on my player. But, who knows, I might change my mind.)