all we need is love

"there is always something left to love," gabriel garcia marquez, one hundred years of solitude.

in a few hours, we will all be bidding farewell to the year two thousand thirteen -- the year of the black snake. for most of us, it was not such a good year. in fact, before it ended, two disasters hit the country that claimed thousands of lives, destroyed homes and public infrastructure, damaged crops, and nearly darkened our celebration of the holidays: the earthquake in cebu and bohol; and the super typhoon yolanda that hammered leyte, samar and other parts of the visayas.

but trust the tenacity of the filipinos -- who waged wars against imperialists and tyrants, survived several disasters whether natural or man-made, faced tanks and guns for the sake of freedom  -- to keep their spirits alive despite nature's wrath. for what else can we do? if we are driven to despair, then everything is lost, gone and over before we are even able to stand up and wipe the dusts off.

then there is love.

whether love of family, friends, god, self, nature. love will always lead the way, as the song or  is it a poem goes. anyway, you know what i mean.

*************

with nothing but gratitude in my heart, i am so glad that i am ending the year with a couple of posts about love. the one yesterday (click here please to view that post) was about my good friend and sister donna's wedding. it was a celebration of the different faces of love.

this time, it's about the love of friends.

i was lucky to be invited by best friends, the always youthful tito mon and the affable tito joey, to visit artist and writer tito ed at his residence in the south (sorry, i can't divulge the exact location. tito ed is a very, very private person and wants to be left alone in his old age. chos!!)

at his homely bungalow, i have seen how an artist lives -- surrounded by books, old photos, antique collections and his own works of art, whether finished or still in progress. then there are the memories of his youthful exploits, adventures and dalliances. oh i love listening to his stories.

tito ed truly embodies the life savored in solitude. blissfully. beautifully.

he tends the garden (tomatoes, mostly), paints a portrait of his mother and other muses, creates lovely calendars featuring photos of him, tito mon and tito joey, writes a memoir or two, a poem, an essay, stores old photographs into his computer. i can see myself growing up like him. happy on his own company, but always welcoming people who want to share his luminous presence.

oh and what a presence.

tito ed and his two best friends can string witty lines after witty lines that will keep you laughing till the wee hours of the morning. listening to them exchange humorous quips is enough to make me forget my own troubles for a while. it's better, i tell you, than watching the movies by eugene, aiai and that horse-looking faggot with a swollen head. their humour is not only intelligent, but elegant as well.

to give you an idea how funny they are, here's a sample of their conversations:

(between tito ed and tito joey who were both seated at the back, at the passenger seat. i was seated beside tito mon who was driving.)

ed : kailan kayo nagkita nina xxxxxx. noong christmas?

joey : before.

ed : before? as in noong two thousand twelve or two thousand eleven?

joey : hindi, noong nineteen forty one. bago mag-second world war.

&&&&&&&&&

ed : bakit tahimik ka joey?

joey : paano ang ingay-ingay mo.

ed : baka gutom ka na?

joey : hindi. kailangan ko ng debriefing dahil sa stress sa ingay mo.

mon : parang yolanda survivor?

joey : ganon na nga.

&&&&&&&&&&&

mon : anong kalye na nga ang josephine (the restaurant where we were supposed to have dinner) ed?

ed : naku hindi ko na alam. ang tagal ko ng hindi nagpupunta doon eh. akala ko alam mo.

mon : ay naku ang tagal ko na ring hindi nagpupunta doon. nakalimutan ko na.

ed : sige diretso ka lang hanggang umabot tayo ng romblon. doon tayo kumain. masarap ang mga marmol doon. (romblon is famous for its mable products)

&&&&&&&&&&&&&

(after asking a tindero along the highway where josephine restaurant was. the man said we should turn left at the street where a huge billboard of water camp resorts is posted.)

ed  : ah alam ko na kung nasaan yan. katabi ng water camp. yong may-ari kasi ng resort, sila rin ang may-ari ng josephine.

mon : hmmmmm..kanina hindi mo alam. echosera ka. ngayong sigurado na kung nasaan dahil sinabi na ng mama, alam mo na din.

ed  : madilim kasi ang kalye kaya medyo nalito ako.

(when we reached water camp, there was a sign that josephine restaurant was already closed. not just for the night but a few months ago.)

me   : dapat tinanong din natin kung bukas pa ang josephine.

ed   : eh paano malalaman ng mga tinanong natin kung bukas pa ang restaurant eh hindi naman sila kumakain doon. sa palengke lang. sa mga turo-turo.

me  : sa macdonald's na lang tayo kumain.

mon  : nagpunta tayo dito sa cavite para lang kumain sa macdonald's.

ed     : sige may alam akong korean restaurant.

mon   : baka maligaw na naman tayo nyan.

joey   : ang sabihin mo, baka sarado na rin yon.

(true enough, the korean restaurant was also closed already, like josephine.)

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&


ed : (who gifted tito mon and tito joey with 2014 calenders that he himself made featuring pictures of the three of them through the years) naku yong calendars pala na ibinigay ko may mga correction yan.

mon : bakit, mali-mali ang dates. ang pasko naging february 14? at ang new year eh december 25. at ang valentine eh naging holy week.

ed : (laughing loudly) oo. pero wag kayong mag-alala. ipapadala ko via (snail) mail ang mga correction.

mon : baka next year na dumating yon.


&&&&&&&&&&&&&&


the following is a classic. the exchange of text messages between tito ed and tito joey.

ed   : pahiram naman nung mga kuha natin sa davao. please ha dalhin mo mamaya pagpunta nyo dito. or else sasabihin ko kay hermana mayor monchang wag kang isali sa santacruzan mamaya. bahala ka. hihihihi.

joey : huli ka na. nasa boarding na ng plane kami. next time na lang.

ed  :  pwes ipapasara ko ang buong cavite mula coastal hanggang maragondon at uutusan ko ang buong  pnp (philippine national police)  na hulihin lahat ng mga dadaang baklush. hmp! :)

joey : huli ka na uli. inutusan na namin ang headquarters na igapos ka sa narra tree at gawin kang gapangan ng orchids.


&&&&&&&&&&&&&

these are just samples of how funny their conversations are. that's why i always look forward to meeting and being with them.

not only do i learn a lot from their experiences, but i also get a stomach ache from laughing too much.

no wonder the three of them look youthful, glowing and healthy.

they exemplify a life lived well, with no regrets.

to tito joey, tito ed and tito mon -- here's to more years of friendship, togetherness.

and love!

&&&&&&&&&&&&

let me end this post and say goodbye to two thousand and thirteen with another quote from the master story teller, poet and journalist gabriel garcia marquez:

"the only regret i will have in dying is if it's not for love." from love in the time of cholera.


&&&&&&&&

by the way, tito ed had done several exhibits of his paintings in famous galleries in manille. he had been featured in several newspapers too. some of his works are in the possession of famous personalities in the country. i am not an art expert, but his works are soulful, very vivid, intimate and full of life and love. they always touch a part of me that appreciates beauty.

his avid collectors are always waiting for his new pieces.

here are some of his works. (as well as those from above)

if i were rich, i will buy all his paintings.