Unlimited Texting

Human nature being what it is, we only realize how valuable a thing is once we lose it. And these past few days, what that thing that is so valuable for me is: Peace.

One thing you have to say for competition in the free market is that, ceteris parebus (all things equal), the competing firms try to trump each other so that they can increase their market share. One innovation that the major cellular firms have introduced is the unlimited text.

Unlimited texting works by subscription. You pay a fixed rate per period (in number of days). Once the system acknowledges your subscription, you can text anyone with the same provider for even a million times without incurring charges, so long as you send these messages within the period of your subscription. Problem is, this set-up makes you vulnerable to… Harassment.

During the weekend, this psycho texted me three hundred times for a period of 16 hours. The text messages were all abrasive. I asked him to stop. He didn’t. He kept on sending more messages.

How do you stop these things from happening? Can you call the provider and tell them to bar the sender from sending you messages? What is my recourse?

I couldn’t take it anymore. I wasn’t able to sleep. The text messages were using my memory space. So I rushed to the mall and bought a new sim card.

God! I had that number for ten years now. I resisted all pressure to change it. But if I wanted some peace of mind and privacy_ I had to “buy” Peace of Mind and some Privacy for Php80- the price of a new sim card- and sacrifice a number I’ve had for a decade. Okay.

If you have experiences like this where you’re harangued by some psychotic person, you can probably file a criminal complaint against him for Unjust Vexation. Or maybe even a civil case for a violation of your privacy (under article 26 of the Civil Code). I don’t know if anything like this has already been done, but if the phone companies don’t do anything to stop this kind of thing from happening, there Will be cases that will find their way to court. You can bet your ass they will.

Panaginip ng Dukhang Nasasakdal

"nasa'n ka nu'ng pinatay si policarpio? sagot!"

nakakatakut naman 'to. ganito ba'ng mga abugado? di na tuloy ako magtataka kung kinasusuklaman sila ng mga tao.

mga abugado! diyosko. heto't ginugulat ako ng isa sa kanilang kapatid. pilit pinipiga sa akin ang isang pag-aming wala namang kinalaman sa'kin. "nasa bahay po ako ni onyong nu'ng gabing 'yun, your highness." automatic na'ng sagot ko. ayoko nang makahulan pa ng asong ito.

abugado? abugago? asogado? asonggago? naku, paumanhin sa mga aso. wala silang ginawang mali upang ihambing ko sila dito sa hayup sa harap ko.

"nasa bahay ka ni onyong, 'ka mo? eh, way das it isteyt inda apidavit op yor pillow akyus dat yu wer wid jeprox wen yu kild policarpio?"

ano daw?

"objection, misleading."

aba, nag-object ang abugado ko! may silbi din pala'ng mokong na'to! si atty mokong- oo, Mokong talaga'ng apelyido niya- ay ang aking walang kuwentang PAO lawyer. ewan ko ba kung bakit pa'to binabayaran ng estado para tumulong sa mga inaapi. eh, mas lalo yata kaming naaapi, lalo ang mga dukhang tulad namin. tignan mo nga naman si mokong, nung i_assign sa'kin, ang unang sambit ba naman ay, "aminin mo na kasi na ikaw ang pumatay, para di na tayo mahirapan."

kung hindi lang ako hilo sa bugbog ng mga parak nu'n, eh binatukan ko na siya.

'tsaka, nangungulit pa ng delihensiya sa'kin si mokong! kasalanan ko ba kung pinanganak akong mahirap at hot monay na may keso lang ang maiaabot ko sa kanya. (dati, dinalhan ko siya ng 'sang lapad ng tanduay kaso, may prublema na daw sa atay niya. atay tayo diyan.)

"sustained. will the prosecutor please change the question." lumingon si judge sa clerk of court, "strike the question off the records."

salamat, judge. napangiti ako ng bigla. pag-asa ba'ng natatanaw ko? bumubuka yata'ng langit.

itong si judge, mukhang matalino. baka taga_UP. matitindi ang mga inggles niya. malupit. bilib ako. pero, sayang ang talino niya kung hahatulan ng mali ang isang inosenteng nasasakdal. sana mapansin niyang lokohan lang ang lahat ng ito. at sana, matalino man siya, sana hindi mas matalino ang bulsa niya keysa sa utak niya.

kinindatan ako ni atty mokong. ngunimiti. ayos ka, tsong. na_sustain nga'ng objection mo- aba, tiyakin mo na makakalaya ako.

"mr santos?' tinawag ako ni judge.

tatayo ba ako?

tutungo?

luluhod?

pa'no ba'ko sasagot? inggles? Filipino?

tumayo ako, "Yesser...?"

"gumising ka na."

ano daw?

"wake yourself up." malutong na inggles. malupit. "panaginip ito lahat, gumising ka!"

humalakhak si judge. pati si mokong, humahalakhak. lumalakas. mabibingi ako. tinakpan ko'ng mga tenga ko. nahuhulog ako. pumapaimbulog sa lupa. madilim. dumidilim.

minulat ko'ng aking mga mata. balot ako sa malamig na pawis. wala na ako sa sala ni judge. panaginip lang pala. nandito na ako- sa selda ko- bibitayin bukas.

Diyosko, alagaan mo'ng pamilya ko.

Flowers

how do you pay your respects to a figurative grave?
give figurative flowers.
how do they differ from the real ones?
the real ones rot.

Live

I’ve never really gotten why two people will go and sign a marriage contract. I mean, what’s the use of signing the contract and then, several years and kids later, after having tired of the other’s kinks and faults, after having gotten wind of the other’s secret vices and hitherto unknown bad habits, those same two people will suddenly wake up and realize that they hate each other’s guts and that they can’t stand one another.

Then, what either or both of them will do is look for happiness somewhere else, probably scarring their children emotionally in the process.

It happens to most everyone; everyone knows it. It’s like people have been handed a formula for disaster, but they go ahead and go through the process anyway.


And yet, having said all that- when, as in the movies, the hero will cross enemy lines and, braving the enemy, bullets whizzing by, with reckless disregard as to his own safety, rescue the one he loves- I’ll still go and shed a tear over it.


I’ll borrow a line from Flyboys (James Franco)- though the line is more an aphorism than it is an original, “You go and find your own meaning in war.” So with life.

When all of it seems senseless, the reality being that we are really only marching to our deaths, what we do is define what life is and what it should be about, to avoid pulling the trigger on our heads. Life is love. Or life is service. Or life is living.

Sigh.

For centuries, men have tried to figure out what life is. And yet the answer to that riddle, of what the meaning of life is, is as countless as there have been those of us who have lived and are living on this planet. We’re supposed to figure things out for ourselves and live.

Requiem. Have a meaningful life.