Grey Skies | Silver Linings

Wanted to write this since Leaving Neverland came out more than a year ago, but couldn't find the time to finish it properly. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the shelter-in-place mandate from the city and state government, however, I suddenly have all the time in the world. Plus, my perspective on this topic has been reinforced because the Season Two premiere of the Dark Side of the Ring docu-series was recently released on YouTube in stunning fashion (i.e. free, unannounced and days before it was actually premiering on television). So, for your reading pleasure, here goes an attempt to connect two seemingly unrelated subjects to frame one central argument: should we still celebrate our heroes when they do unheroic deeds? (Spoiler alert: No, we shouldn't.) Photo credits: deadline.com . . . I never thought I'd say pro wrestling is an entertaining product to watch in this day and age but, well, here we are. I arrived at this conclusion as I left...

I've been meaning to write about (finally!) seeing one of my favorite bands in concert. But, as is the case with several other posts in this space, I tend not to talk about one thing specifically. So I decided in the end that I would use the experience as a framing device for some other things I wish to touch on. Hopefully this exercise produces a seamless output. Credits t o this brilliant article in Commonweal Magazine for the style I attempted to emulate. I. It was fifteen minutes or so past eight o'clock when the lights in the hall dimmed one Friday evening in downtown San Francisco, as four beautiful ladies walked onstage to begin their performance. This night was eight long years in the making, years filled with admiration for their body of work coupled by a wishful thinking that, some day soon, my own eyes will witness their talents showcased live. Never could I have guessed that this moment will arrive two years into my new living ...

dis·con·nect \ ˌdis-k ə -ˈnekt \ transitive verb 1 : to sever the connection of or between 2 : dissociate · "are disconnected from meaningful relationships" intransitive verb 1 : to terminate a connection 2 : to become detached or withdrawn · " disconnects into dark moods" Around the same time last year, I deactivated all my social media accounts for a whole month. To most, this idea may seem silly (downright stupid, even) given the fact that practically everything happening around one's own universe now involves some form of social media. Whose birthday is it today? Facebook will help you remember. What's going on with the world lately? Twitter has the breaking news covered. What are your friends up to? Look no further than their Instagram stories and Snaps. There is no reason, really, for you to be ignorant or indifferent in this "golden age" of information and technology. That being said, I still willingly chose ...

Completing an old draft.   (April 7, 2017) Walking and eating by one's self allow a person to reflect deeply about... well, a lot of things.  Case in point: I found myself one afternoon, in the midst of my routine hike around town, entering a Burmese diner three miles from where we live in Daly City. I could use a little rest, I thought; besides, I hadn't eaten lunch yet. The dim interior was also a welcome break from the outdoors, which was particularly hot and sunny that day. I went inside and sat near the back, facing away from the rest of the customers who were already enjoying their meals. I didn't mind that I came in alone, nor did I find awkward that I occupied a table for four people while a family of five and a young couple on a date were seated closely by. All I kept thinking about was one thing: I am going to try something new today. I ordered  mohinga -- catfish soup with vermicelli noodles (misua) topped with slices of boiled egg, co...

Originally from my old Multiply blog.  A hopeless romantic's amateurish ode to a lost love, written when I fell head over heels for someone.  I rediscovered  it in my Blogger drafts lately and got a pretty good laugh out of it -- mostly because I sounded so foolishly in love back then. Posting it here so you can laugh along, too. I won't mind, I promise. Modified from the original text. Because, you know, we'd only just revisited the Subject/Verb Agreement rules in English class when this was first written. Trust me, that older version was horrible. (September 1, 2008, 8:57 PM PHT) I was afraid of waking up today, yet I did. I was afraid of many other things when I did wake up: afraid of how today will turn out, afraid of how she'll respond, afraid of her not showing up, afraid of her going away... As I restlessly waited for her in the middle of a sea of people, my train of thought was headed for a crash. What if she changed her mind? ...

(A personal reflection on the Fourth Word of Jesus from the Cross, guided by a meditative reading of Venerable Fulton J. Sheen's Life of Christ  throughout the season of Lent.) “And about three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice,  ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’  which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ ”  (Matthew 27:46) Imagine, for a brief moment, someone you hold dear to your heart, a person you trust with your very life suddenly abandon you – your parent, your sibling, your best friend, your loved one, your child. In your time of great agony, in your darkest hour, just when you needed them the most… alas, they are nowhere to be found. They left you high and dry, without any apologies or explanations. A ton of different emotions begin to well up: loneliness, helplessness, disappointment, disgust, rage, all while still bearing the pain that prompted you to seek relief in the first place. These remain bottled up inside of ...