the truth about shooting stars

for the briefest moment possible, it catches our attention. after all, "movement" is the second variable that attracts our eyes. a shooting star, by scientific viewpoint, is no more than a piece of space debris that experiences combustion due to the velocity and multitude of gaseous elements in the earth's atmosphere upon entry. also called a meteor or meteoroid, it is not to be confused with other heavenly bodies such as comets and asteroids. if a meteor survives its transit in the atmosphere and comes to rest on the ground, the resulting object is called a meteorite; whether it produces an impact crater or not, is subject to the amount of force it strikes the earth with.

so, what is the big fuss about shooting stars (or falling stars)?

subject for consideration, is the frequency that such atmospheric phenomenon is witnessed by the human eye; other than that, frequency alone of such entries are well over a hundred per day.

once again, literature has infused a pure scientific phenomenon with emotions and allegory enough to last 'til the earth itself is no more. at the risk of sounding anti-romantic, shooting stars (henceforth) will never make anyone’s wish come true. don’t get me wrong though… i have had my own share of uttering the first thing i could think of whenever i see a shooting star, and usually it comes out as “wow”, “look”, or “waaa”, so there’s not much to expect from there. but, i just got the thinking the other night… why oh why do people almost always use the phrase, “wish upon a falling star”?

people… ordinary people… wish for something extraordinary to happen in their lives. whether it be a dream getaway, a million dollars, or being swept off their feet by their perfect someone, the longing is there… in each and every person’s heart. so, why am i yapping about shooting/falling stars in the first place? point… frequency. it is (an almost) rare opportunity to see a shooting star… and i have this conviction that the earliest of men (and women) decided to wish upon them because they want a piece of that rarity in their lives to happen. life’s hard enough as it is… wishing is for free. not everyone gets to fulfill their dreams… not everyone ends up with a happily ever after in their lives. (almost) rare is it that we come to see, hear, or even experience our ultimate dreams come to reality. wishing for that earthbound rarity to come into our lives whenever we see a shooting star, we are reminded that it is not impossible for our dreams to come true… rare but not impossible. the human spirit may be unbreakable… but its resolve is not firm. the wonderment of that single streak of light racing across the velvet sky is, at most, enough to awaken one’s inner child and in the process, make one’s resolve a little more firm.

When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires will come to you

If your heart is in your dreams, no request is too extreme
When you wish upon a star as dreamers do

(Fate is kind, she brings to those who love
The sweet fulfillment of their secret longing)

Like a bolt out of the blue, fate steps in and sees you thru
When you wish upon a star, your dreams come true

so, the next time a shooting star catches your eye, don’t feel bad if you don’t get to make a wish… after all, the power to make that wish come true is within you and not out there in space.

-- for all who wished with all their heart

another excerpt

"Someday, look in Akbar's library for what i wrote for you. It's called The Manual of the Warrior of Light."

"Am I a warrior of light?" replied the boy.

"Do you know what my name is?" asked Elijah.

"Liberation."

"Sit here beside me," said Elijah, pointing to a rock. "I cannot forget my name. I must continue with my task, even if at this moment all I desire is to be at your side. That was why Akbar was rebuilt, to teach us that it is necessary to go onward, however difficult it may appear."

"You're going away."

"How do you know?" he asked, surprised.

"I wrote it on a tablet, last night. Something told me; it may have been my mother, or an angel. But I already felt it in my heart."

Elijah caressed the boy's head.

"You have learned to react to God's will," he said contentedly. "So there's nothing that I need to explain to you."

"What I read was the sadness in your eyes. It wasn't difficult. Other friends of mine noticed it too."

"This sadness you read in my eyes is a part of my story. Only a small part that will last but a few days. Tomorrow, when I depart for Jerusalem, it will not have the strength it had before, and little by little it will disappear. Sadness does not last forever when we walk in the direction that we always desired."

"Is it always necessary to leave?"

"It's always necessary to know when a stage of one's life has ended. If you cling on to it after the need has passed, you will lose the joy and the meaning of the rest. And you risk being shaken to your senses by God."

"The Lord is stern."

"Only with those He has chosen."

-- The Fifth Mountain
by Paulo Coelho

an excerpt

that night, a man entered Jacob's tent and wrestled with him until the break of day.
and he saw that he prevailed not against him, he said, "Let me go."

Jacob answered, "I will not let thee go, except thou bless me."

then the man said to him: "As a prince, hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. What is thy name?"
and he said, Jacob.

and the man answered: "Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel."

Elijah awoke with a a start and looked at the firmament. that was the story that was missing!

long ago, the patriarch Jacob had encamped, and during the night, someone had entered his tent and wrestled with him until daybreak. Jacob accepted the combat, even knowing that his adversary was the Lord. at morning, he had still not been defeated; and the combat ceased only when God agreed to bless him.

the story had been transmitted from generation to generation so that no one could forget: sometimes it was necessary to struggle with God. every human being at some time had tragedy enter his life; it might be the destruction of a city, the death of a son, an unproved accusation, a sickness that left one lame forever. at that moment, God challenged one to confront Him and to answer His question: "Why dost thou cling fast to an existence so short and so filled with suffering? What is the meaning of thy struggle?"

-- The Fifth Mountain
by Paulo Coelho

early April fool's

we never did play cards
nor did we break other’s hearts
we had our chances
and our own romances
but none of them were ever heartless dances

it’s said, “let he who has not erred cast the first stone”
i am not that person, nor am i alone
but words are all i have, even if they be all to myself
to beg the question that needs no answer
i’d hope to find in the books on my shelf

we’re both too old to be stupid, my friend
and we never did see this’d happen in the end
we thought we’re learned, experienced, not naïve
save the wildest things our minds could achieve

i guess…
destiny thought it’d be funny,
eagle-eye vision and all, stealth, and a jamboree.
but it’s not. it will not. not ever be.
my friend…
the joke was on you and me.

for the geek goddess' mentor

gone with the wind

and one by one, the autumn leaves have now gone...
sweeped are the cares of olden days,
this playground is silent- an empty space.

the hills still sing at sunset, all my sad songs and a sonnet...
between the hours of sleep and wakefulness,
i await only in the din of stillness.

Fab.Fame.Fortune

grudge match...

you fight... why?

because, i want to protect something.

shouldn't you fight only for yourself?

that's selfish!

stupid fool!!! you have to fight for yourself! because if you don't, you will not grow. and you can't protect someone if you don't grow... it will be like a knife without an edge. do not indulge yourself in the ideals of fighting for someone, because that will only get them killed. let yourself grow with each victory, with each battle won... it is the only way that you can continue to protect what you chose to protect.

then draw your sword!

rants...

... and old man Zangetsu said, "Find me before this world fully crumbles."

how do you find a solution to the world's problems? ambitious decadent philistine!!! you cannot! do not be so full of yourself! for there exists no such thing... no matter what you do or what you say, no matter how you try, no matter how many lives sacrificed... it's impossible! you cannot save the world! you are just trying to be a hero in everyone's eyes! you cannot say that you'll save the world even if it kills you, because that is just plain selfish! you are not thinking of those you will be leaving behind!!! you don't have to save the world! but you can protect just one thing! just one thing... and that will be enough. protect... and live, so you can continue to protect that which you have chosen to protect.

(i seriously have to lay off the animés for a while... i'm beginning to sound like a whiny supporting character)

below utopia

terra firma is such a promise
to those who seek the land of milk and honey
whence man rules flora and fauna

it is...

the machinations have cometh
the cogwheels have turned
born is this freedom of the knowledge to yearn

it sails...

the fairest of days bid and invite
for one to breathe in all that can be
the tapestry on the wall has been set

so shall it be written,
so shall it be done...

wendy walks the plank.

Song Of The Week

the Queen of Reinvention has at her service... funky beats just seem to ooze from her majesty. this one just has me breaking into a series of gyrations... good exercise!

Sorry
Madonna
from Confessions On A Dancefloor

why do people cry?

"Maybe... maybe emotion becomes so intense your body just can't contain it. Your mind and your feelings become too powerful... and your body weeps."

-City Of Angels

baywatch in motion

if mitch bucannon were gay,
he'd prance along the beach instead of running...
for a lifesaver, an arm would suffice.

if mitch bucannon were gay,
he'd be you...
sporting technicolor trunks,
in place of boring, red, board shorts.

if mitch bucannon were gay,
he'd wear white on a thursday...
a scarf belt and stretch pants,
for good music he'll stay.

finally...
if mitch bucannon were gay,
he'd teach yoga...
do cartwheels by the bay,
walk from glorietta to ayala...
he'd make things happen like disney magic,
or show up on such short notice...
take you to building tops and bus stops,
and kiss you with no malice.

by jove!
a lifeguard lives in you!


for joel

life and you

you remind me of spring's first day...
life blooming...
sun shining...
your smile glistening.

of the wildebeest migration...
adrenaline rush...
the sight of you...
alive.

i am a captive, your willing prisoner...
keep me under lock and key,
detain me forever,
for all of eternity.

extra-terrestrial input

from the father of the most potent force

take me for a ride.
set your sight
to where blue meets green,
where silence sings louder
than the world's mindless chatter.

engulf me in your solitude.
i am not here...
and yet, closer than you fear;
accept it.

unlock your door,
let me sit beside you.
my hand is yours to hold.

golden rays bounce on smooth curves
and these deceiving eyes, blind.
ahhh... my senses finally unshackled,
the low purring a balm
to my distraught mind.

let your yellow murcielago take flight
leave everything, but me, behind.


by a Kryptonian

omni vervae liberant

i live...
by picking locks for a living,
throwing away the key and leaving.
with vaults wide open...

most secrets unsealed...
fears and future in the light, cast...
with every realization, a blast from the past.
for the whole world to see...

i live...
with vaults wide open...
most secrets unsealed...
for the whole world to see...

interpellation

what comes before a deep plunge?
... a deep breath.
what happens during free fall?
... absence of gravity.
what replaces gravity?
... nothing. a vacuum.
is there even air in the vacuum?
... there is none.
will you die when you suffocate?
... not necessarily.
what is this?
... hidden quintessence.

i rest, the wicked one...
but, for how long?

separate compartments

go ahead and cry now,
just give in to the madness...
the only way to feel your joy is first to feel your sadness.

go ahead and sail now,
just give in to the ocean...
the only way to tame your fear is to feel her rocky motion.

all of the hapiness you seek,
all of the joy for which you pray,
is closer than you think...
it's just a hundred tears away.

-- 100 tears away


chances are i'll see you
somewhere in my dreams tonight...
you'll be smiling like the night we met.

chances are i'll hold you
and i'll offer all i have...
you're the only one i can't forget.

baby, you're the best i've ever met...

-- chances are


when your day is long,
and the night...
and the night is yours alone.

when you think you've had enough
of this life...
hang on.

don't let yourself go,
'cause everybody cries
and everybody hurts...
sometimes.

-- everybody hurts


well, excuse me,
'cause i've mistaken you for somebody else...
somebody who gave a damn,
somebody more like myself...

-- foolish games


there's a secret path i follow
to a place no one could find...
where i meet my perfect someone
i've kept hidden in my mind...

well, my heart makes my decisions
'til my dream becomes a vision...
and the love i feel
makes him real, someday...

'cause i know he's out there somewhere
just beyond my reach...
though i've never really touched him
or ever heard him speak...
though we've never been together,
we've never been apart...
no, we've never met,
haven't found him yet...
but i know him by heart.

-- i know him by heart


sometimes, some people get me wrong
when it's something i've said or done...
sometimes, you feel there is no fun
that's why you turn and run...
but now i truly realize,
some people don't wanna compromise.
well, i saw them with my own eyes
spreading those lies...
well, i don't wanna live my life,
too many sleepless nights,
not mentioning the fights...

i'm walking away,
from the troubles in my life.
i'm walking away,
to find a better day.

-- walking away


if your hopes scatter like the dust across your track
i'll be the moon that shines on your path
the sun may blind your eyes,
i'll pray the skies above
for snow to fall on the sahara

if that's the only place where you can leave your doubts
i'll hold you up and be a way out
and if we burn our way,
i'll pray the skies above
for snow to fall on the sahara

-- snow on the sahara


i've been thinking...
i've been thinking, i've been thinking too much,
i just wanna live now for a little while
and cast my dreams to the wind.

don't wanna wonder...
don't wanna wonder what it's all about,
i'm just working for a living, singing with my friends
as i cast my dreams to the wind.

i wanna fly...
i wanna fly down the highway to my home away from home,
this funky, funky club on fairfax avenue,
and see you.

and i'll never give up,
because what is there to give up anyway?
i'm just workin' for a living, workin' for my pay...
in maryland it's raining somewhere in some cafe.

maryland i'm coming home,
never worry about what i did wrong...
and i'll never be what my daddy wanted me to be,
i'll never see what my mama's dreams were.

but, i can sing...

-- maryland

amnesia complex

i have forgotten...
how a new bath soap delights me, like it were gold.
how shower gels and body scrubs were always considered sold.

i have forgotten...
the joys of sleeping-- boundless hours into the night and day.
how reading a novel in my room on my bed, can transport me to a beach in mid-May.

i have forgotten...
how cleaning white shoes can be quite daunting.
a bit of cinderella and aurora but all self-rewarding.

i have forgotten...
how refreshing and light, neat shins felt.
like the aroma of a tray of baked macaroni topped with a lott'a quickmelt.

and i have forgotten how and why i've lost faith in people...
i have forgotten why i chose solitude to be my trusted friend.
forgotten why i walked this road alone with my shadow.
cannot remember why i longed to be dead...

but now, i am reminded.
i am reminded...

this fall (for strawberries)

i would play the fool to hide a warrior's pain...
for that one smile to grace your lips again.

i will brave this rain-- hold your umbrella to every sway...
even if i had to do it on a sunny spring day.

i'm not yours nor you mine, but i am here...
to assist you in this crossing as if i were near.

to stay with you from miles away...
even if i have no real words to say.

your wisdom is beyond mine, so i have no advice to offer...
just attention and distraction and if possible, laughter.

no one can tell you, when to move on-- when to let go of intangible things...
but i'll be here... we'll all be.
just waiting in the wings.

genie on the dancefloor

i have but one plea made,
and all at once you mixed and played...

cannot forget when the tune started...
like a star is born and i'm all excited.

i wonder how you are... outside looking in and inside out.
how you sleep at night or in the day and about.

i will probably never know, so it's just wishful thinking.
just... smile for me mister.
it's enough to make me king.

to the father of the most potent force

light years part us... both in literature and flesh alike.

your summons, i have answered...
your waters test; and my school girl takes flight.

i am to you-- indebted...
for reasons more than many, you and i could find.

'neath your wisdom is a child that i am...
tears, we share and an open mind.

my yellow sun grants you strength and beyond... then amaze me, kryptonian!

sanctuary in your arms, adopt me!
just like my own green beast once did...

fly me elsewhere! this unbroken spirit pleads...
show me wonders that in the night you alone see...

and yet...

i take my leave with you.
for to you, i am more...
yet to me, you are less...

and one day i will fly too...
fly away with another's wings.

but for now, hold my hand...
not a word from you...
none of your rantings.

a longing

it has been forever...
since your presence last graced me.
and i speak for many, as i profess a "thirst" for thee.

this craving inside me escalates, as weekday 5 draws ever near.
to be commanded by the armada that is your groove...
succumbing to every minuscule beat in fast-paced rhythm that i hear.

i slumber during the day, in earnest...
that when the waning crescent arises, i am your soldier of love.

my heart jumps,
and my blood pumps...

recalling you and the music in me, as eve and feast are one.

yes, every encounter entails parting.
and every parting beckons distaste.

so christen me once more and set the embers ablaze...

just one gaze...
amidst this body maze.

kid in toy kingdom

let me in to your playground...
if only 'til the dark hours would allow.

tell me to shine brighter than these laser lights...
for within these walls, you are God!

stretch this moment to octaves beyond time...
drench me in the music that is your soul.

spare me a smile, flash me a grin...
damn braces!

release me! sweet captor!
and please play my song!

ode to friends

you'd be surprised at how people grow on you.
not that it's bad... just a bit new.

no conscious intentions to rhyme here...
but when words ring true, all's just clear.

like the imposing crystals on our trophies...
and the welcome influx of chat room newbies.

sure you don't see 'em often...
but that doesn't matter right?
even if all you get to share with them is one giant Bluefrog and a night.

friends like these are like gemstone necklaces born of modern art...
and what does one do with these gemstone necklaces?
he keeps them close... to his heart.

twilight eyes

it was a starless night...
i wanted to howl like the Yukon wolves...
the moon was nowhere either,
hence, howling wouldn'ta made sense...
this wave may have hit you as well...
but where others come through...
becomes sweet surrender to you...
there is such a point as abasement...

an alchemist's prayer

seek the truth.
befriend those who quest alike, but avoid those who have found it...

maktub.
answers that beg questions are aired for ears that affirm yet yield...

turn thyself into the wind.
all that is for one to learn has been given, forthright;
child, look inside and be the one capable of all...

the treasure in the desert is underneath the tree.
you'd never have seen and learned of what you now possess,
had you not journeyed only to come back...

now, turn base metal into gold.
ponder past the task and behold another reality--
this gold is but gold until value has been placed...

kiss this land by the feet whence you call home...
the prairie, brooks, and flowers have never been as kind.

Bianca Arresto

emotions at rest... like the river of serenity... the moon's face... a reprieve.

let me crash upon your jagged shores, embrace me once with earthen hands

let me drift upon the ocean's floors, and slumber upon her silken sands

amongst the sunken treasures of past... corals blue... and pearls ethereal...

in the ocean's arms, let me slumber.

teach me a peace i sought but never found, never knew;

then i shall want no longer and never again will i hunger

when once i sought to run, and soar, and flee from points unknown...

hold me back with love's arrest... that i be content... and whole with only but myself.

and smashed upon the rocks your scorn has sown

i slip under the waves, and sleep upon the abyssal shelf

when once lost in the surface blue; beneath i am found...

there is no tears but saltwater; all yearning is drowned

by joel and jason

baptized by the earth herself

"First Morning"

i see... this morning's light colors anew... as i look and feel the beauty of you.
while the purple bruises of night
blushes into a shy morning alight
and every sweet second melts into memories of yore...

my gaze, the sheets, my heart, they fall to the floor
just like the first moment i met you...
and i was like a child in a candy store.
dying with the want but could not dare to open the door

with wide eyed wonderment, i am but a spec in your sweet majesty...
then you pull my gaze up with a brush of a hand, "look at me"
right then and there i knew...
i am the care taker of you... and you are the life giver of me...

by jason and joel
a collaborative

to love

The most comforting thing that should keep you going
is the fact that you will still be loved
even if you just give up,
even for a few seconds,
just to remember who you are...

by joel

impromptu lit

i have to lie down and rest...
as i await for my prayers to be carried into the west...

to face the sun... standing still amidst the barren, sandy plains...
my hopes have been diminished by someone else's pains...

i am forlorn, to see that everything has gone this way...
as the seeds of my happiness flutter and fly away...

i yield... and yearn... and yonder, what is this i see?
could it be... the one that God has prepared for me?

alas... an illusion. a mirage. manifested sound...
sush is the fate as my heart ceases to pound.

by a pastry

be to her persephone
all the things i cannot be
take her head upon your knee
she that was so proud and wild
flippant arrogant and free
she that had no need of me
is a little lonely child
lost in hell - persephone
take her head upon your knee
say to her, my dear my dear
it's not so dreadful here

by edna st. vincent millay
as told by joel