there were no nano ipods, apple iphones and mp3s in those days.
nor even videokes and karaokes.
but we had fun.
we were content to strum second-hand guitars aping the voices of the beatles, spiral staircase and the falsetto voices of the beegees. of course, to sing the songs of eddie peregrina was too much and too "baduy".
impromptu concerts were held under the agoho trees during class breaks by our music freaks. of course, in school programs, one is expected to belt out the latest tunes and beats. thus, the proliferation of song hits and guitar chordbooks.
but, we, too were not oblivious of the songs of the time. times were a'changing. "cruel war", "blowing with the wind", "where have all the flowers gone", "eve of destruction" and many others continued to haunt our consciousness and idealism. the woodstock festival, three days of peace, music and love solidified our commitment that we have do something for our country even through our songs.
we loved the beatles but so were our protest songs. they have become for us lasting memories and legacies of what we are now today.
this high school musical of many decades ago.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
BEGINNING MEMORIES
in high school, my school was not my first choice.
nor was it my second. i dreamt of hitting it big. it was not selfishness and vanity that made me long for manila schools. rather, it was pure idealism. in a quarter storm that offered sacrifices of pure nationalism and patriotism, i wanted the best that education can offer me to serve the best for my beleagered country.
i thought my school would never offer me that.
but dreams are not always clothed in silver and gold. oftentimes, the path is a constant cycle of emptying and filling, of dying and rising, of accepting and letting go. there's a part of me that always wants to be filled, to feel good, to have life go well and to have any pain and discomfort. yet, i know that how noble my dreams are, a cup that is always full does not have room to receive, as joyce krupp once said. it would never have a space to contain anything more than what it already has.
emptying asks that we have a willingness to try and go. to trust.
if you trust absolutely, you will always be receptive enough to the signals that life and god and yourself - your deep self - will be giving you. you will always be given the clue, the information, and the inspiration to carry you through (a. harvey).
i have never lost my faith in all those years.
true, it has carried me through.
nor was it my second. i dreamt of hitting it big. it was not selfishness and vanity that made me long for manila schools. rather, it was pure idealism. in a quarter storm that offered sacrifices of pure nationalism and patriotism, i wanted the best that education can offer me to serve the best for my beleagered country.
i thought my school would never offer me that.
but dreams are not always clothed in silver and gold. oftentimes, the path is a constant cycle of emptying and filling, of dying and rising, of accepting and letting go. there's a part of me that always wants to be filled, to feel good, to have life go well and to have any pain and discomfort. yet, i know that how noble my dreams are, a cup that is always full does not have room to receive, as joyce krupp once said. it would never have a space to contain anything more than what it already has.
emptying asks that we have a willingness to try and go. to trust.
if you trust absolutely, you will always be receptive enough to the signals that life and god and yourself - your deep self - will be giving you. you will always be given the clue, the information, and the inspiration to carry you through (a. harvey).
i have never lost my faith in all those years.
true, it has carried me through.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
