True Philippine Ghost Stories 31: Maikling Rebyu

Lumabas na nga sa merkado ang pinakahihintay kong serye ng True Philippine Ghost Stories 31. Kabilang ang dalawa kong maiikling kwento sa pagtitipon ng makatutuhanang kwentong isinakatuparang mailimbag ng PSICOM Publishing. 

Natuwa ako sa kinalabasan ng pagtitipong ito. Magaling ang mga hurado sa pagpili ng mga kwentong hindi eksaherada, makatutuhanan, matino at Pilipinong-pilipino.

Isa sa mga akda ko, na pinamagatang Engkwentro Sa Amamayong, ang nanalo ng ikatlong gantimpala kaya isa ako sa mga unang nagkaroon ng kopya nito. Nakakatuwa ring basahin sa kabila ng katatakotang inihatid ng isa ko pang kwentong may pamagat na Don't Call My Name.

Maliban sa aking mga kwento, inabangan ko rin ang mga kwento ng iba pang kalahok. At basi sa aking pagbabasa at panlasa, tatlo sa mga kwentong iyon ang  gumimbal sa aking pagkakaupo habang ginagalugad ang mga salitang nagbabadya ng katatakutan.

A. Ancestral House ni Charlotte Cano: Malapelikula, parang serye sa telebisyon, o di kaya'y serye sa Okatokat ni Agot Isidro. Maaaring mapataas ka ng kilay at sabihin mong, Ows, talagang bang nangyari 'to? Pero, makatutuhanan man o hindi, ang mahalaga ay nakakatakot ang kwento at naramdaman ko ang panininindig ng aking balahibo dahil dito. Yun na!

B. Aklatan ni Ariston R. Dela Cruz: Nakakaintriga. Ang galing ng pagsusulat ni Ariston. Alam niya kong kailan dapat magkwento at kailan dapat manakot. Medyo open ended at hypothetical ang ending pero may mga linyang talagang di  makakalimutan kaya swak siya sa librong ito!

C. Hunyango ni Joy Anne Cruz Fabre- Ortiz: Di ko alam pero sa una'y nakukyutan ako sa kwentong ito sa halip na matakot. Ang 'cute' niya kasi nakakaloko ang plot. Matapos mo itong mabasa ay unti-unti ka ng magdadalawang isip. Paano kong mangyari 'to sa akin? Hiyaaaay!


Sa halagang P100, tiyak na magkakaroon ka ng kakaibang karansan sa pagpasok sa mga kwento ng iyong mga kaibigan at kapwa kabataan ng makabagong panahon. Tara na, malay mo ang kwentong iyong binabasa ay kwento mo rin. Baka tumambling ka.

The Melody In His White Guitar

Poem for Jaime

This white bench witnessed how I linger
For someone to intrude my empty patch.
I need something or someone who’s stranger
That will help me liven up all these scratch.
These white pieces of papers
Hold empty promises and cares
Flaunt my memoirs and prayers
That love will suddenly appear!
But white lyrics will always be dull
Like this prairie without flowers.
I need the melody in his white guitar
Like drizzles in a midst of a summer.
How will this garden be lovely?
How will my songs be sung?
If like the sultry air never be felt
His white guitar in no way is heard.
- Ryan Labana

How Could You Edit My Love Story

LaBana Pages (for revision)

The greenest meadow on earth

The most vibrant love birds in liberty

made my love story in its sweetest possibility.

“You must parent your work,” you said.

“Good writer makes several mistakes…”

                as if I was a kid when you coached me.

“…not including the mistake to correct it!”

                I was so blessed to have an editor like you

                In my emotional tidal waves you are in a rescue.

I indulged myself into writing my love story

                - You suggested it, I followed.

Until I’m done and all the smiles are in my system

And the melody of life sings with my heart’s content.

                “Good job!” you said.

As a writer I need to submit my final draft

And let you maneuver every characters and plot.

You were in a silent room in front of a monitor.

You thought I wasn’t observing you behind your unlocked doors.

I witnessed how you keenly read every line of my story.

                You laughed, I smiled

                You lifted your brows, I groaned

                You looked at the ceiling with glow in your eyes

                So I looked down the floor with my furtive tears.

I never imagined that everything will turn grey

as you edit my work so ruthlessly.

And now every scene is a puzzle to me

So I can’t recognize my pen but you

And the grandeur of my story became yours.

And what makes me sad is when you changed its title.

I have your consent to name it “The Melody In His White Guitar”

But you altered every word to “Brokeback Mountain: In Its Par”

I thought I’ve created the best fairy-tale

                But when you had a chance you seized it.

And now the sweetest love story I imagined

Became the biggest joke in history.

Ito ang librong ibinigay sa akin ng espesyal kong kaibigan nitong nakaraang pasko. Ito rin yata ang nais niyang sabihin sa akin dahil minsan nga naman annoying ang nalilink sa isang taong di mo naman gusto- ang malink sa akin, hahaha. Hindi ito self pity ha! Face the truth na lang, hehehe. Hindi ko natapos basahin ang librong ito nang isang upuan lang. Mga tatlong higa yata habang nakakuyakoy, hehehe. Maganda naman ang plot at ang mensaheng nais nitong ipabatid sa mga mambabasa pero medyo nakulangan ako sa mga sahog nito. May nais akong mabasa na hindi ibinigay ng librong ito. Mataas yata ang pananabik ko kaya medyo nabitin rin ako. Pero isa lang magandang dulot nito sa akin- bigay ito ng espesyal na tao at ito ang mensaheng kailangan ko mula sa kanya para maipagpatuloy ko na ang buhay na meron ako noong wala pa siya. Haizt!

25 Years!

DANGPANAN (After 5ive Incredible Years!)

[Repost from Facebook Group administered by Ryan Labana]

DANGPANAN is a local (visayan) term for destination. Destination, per se, is the place to where someone is going. But how really infinite our destinations are? We pause in a single corner, meet tons of friends; enter someone else's life and leave. I believe that we really don't have destination here on Earth. We only gain memoirs from the people and place we have been to. Everybody wants to cherish those meaningful memories shared by those important people around. If there's one group of Homo Sapiens who really let me realize what existence is all about, then no one can deny that it's my folks in college years.


It's been 5ive years now from the time we've been away from Tan5inco. We had 5ive years that we spent our lives with other group of people. 5ive years had passed but every single reminiscence from that room called BSED-BEED QUADRANGLE OF LIFE is still thriving in our minds. Haaay! I don't want to start enumerating those unforgettable scenes and surely, we will end up with a very loooooooong list!


As DANGPANAN reminds us to relish those memories, it will also be timely and fitting to shout this word during the MINI- REUNION of BSED Batch 2007 of TTMIST. This (FaceBook) group was created as a COMMUNICATION CENTER for plans and step-actions, for suggestions and voting, for memoirs and greetings and for our little DANGPANAN

Nakakatulalang Putukan!

From google.com

Aba'y January 3, 2012 na nang buksan kong muli ang blog na ito pero di pa rin ako makaget-over sa mga putukan noong New Year! Parang mga kanyon noong panahon ng mga Hapon (as if I was in that place noh). Di ko pa rin talaga maintidihan ang isang tanong na di ko masagut-sagot simula pa noong ako'y grade one. Bakit may mga taong walang takot na imumumog ang watosi sa bunganga (exxage lang) samantalang ako, ni tumitig sa nag-aalburutong plapla (three miles away from me, exxage ulit, LOL) ay di ko magawa.