numberoneclouddreamer

[numberoneclouddreamer]

Hi! To be honest (0:26-0:29 I.F.L.Y), but my mind never failed to think of you. (0:38-0:49 ILYSB). (0:54-0:57 Statue). (0:20-0:27 It’s You) and now (0:26-0:32 Medicine).

I’m was always thinking if (0:41-1:00 Lover) but for the mean time (0:27-0:38 For now).

You’re different baby, (1:30-1:37 Falling). (0:24-0:32 On my mind). (3:38-3:45 Crazier).

Remember when I told you that I don’t want to be in a relationship? Then you came, I thought you can be the (0:42-0:52 At my worst).

(0:55-1:01 With a smile) (0:52-1:02 Worst)

Many people think that this relationship won’t last long but it’s (0:41-1:00 Just the two of us). (0:26-0:43 Day 1).

(0:22-0:42 Glad you exist). (0:48-1:08 Make it with you). Happy monthsary!!!

[numberoneclouddreamer]

The Sick Rose

 BY WILLIAM BLAKE

O Rose thou art sick. The invisible worm, That flies in the night In the howling storm: Has found out thy bedOf crimson joy:And his dark secret loveDoes thy life destroy.

[numberoneclouddreamer]

“Be Beautiful, Noble, Like the Antique Ant”

 By Jose Garcia Villa

Be beautiful, noble, like the antique ant,

Who bore the storms as he bore the sun,

Wearing neither gown nor helmet,

though he was archbishop and soldier:

Wore only his own flesh

Salute characters with gracious dignity:

Though what these are is left to

Your own terms. Exact: the universe is

Not so small but these will be found

Somewhere. Exact: they will be found

Speak with great moderation: but think

With great fierceness, burning passion:

Though what the ant thought

No annuals reveal, no his descendants

Break the seal.

Trace the tracelessness of the ant,

Every ant has reached this perfection.

As he comes, so he goes,

Flowing as water flows,

Essential but secret like a rose.

[numberoneclouddreamer]

“Lyric 17”

 By Jose Garcia Villa

First, a poem must be magical,

Then musical as a seagull.

It must be a brightness moving

And hold secret a bird’s flowering

It must be slender as a bell,

And it must hold fire as well.

It must have the wisdom of bows

And it must kneel like a rose.

It must be able to hear

The luminance of dove and deer.

It must be able to hide

What it seeks, like a bride.

And over all I would like to hover

God, smiling from the poem’s cover.

[numberoneclouddreamer]

He wishes for the Cloths of Heaven

 by William Butler Yeats

Had I the heavens’ embroidered cloths,

Enwrought with golden and silver light,

The blue and the dim and the dark cloths

Willing to give all I have;

Of night and light and the half-light,

I would spread the cloths under your feet:

But I, being poor, have only my dreams;

I have spread my dreams under your feet;

Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

[numberoneclouddreamer]

Moonlight on Manila Bayf

 by Fernando M. Maramag

A light, serene, ethereal glory rests

Its beams effulgent on each crestling wave;

The silver touches of the moonlight wave

The deep bare bosom that the breeze molests;

While lingering whispers deepen as the wavy crests

Roll with weird rhythm, now gay, now gently grave;

And floods of lambent light appear the sea to pave-

All cast a spell that heeds not time‘s behests.

Not always such the scene; the din of fight

Has swelled the murmur of the peaceful air;

Here East and West have oft displayed their might;

Dark battle clouds have dimmed this scene so fair;

Here bold Olympia, one historic night,

Presaging freedom, claimed a people‘s care.

[numberoneclouddreamer]

Deception

 by Antonio Soria de Veyra

ten floors up

a lizard

its ancient

body clock

punctual

at sun

set crawls

down

stopping

every now

and then

along the

slender

tree trunk

then kisses

the ground

nitrified

loam of the

arboretum

ten floors

up.

[numberoneclouddreamer]

Day on the Farm

 By Luis G. Dato

I’ve found you fruits of sweetest taste and found you

Bunches of duhat growing by the hill,

I’ve bound your arms and hair with vine and bound you

With rare wildflowers but you are crying still.

I’ve brought you all the forest ferns and brought you

Wrapped in green leaves cicadas singing sweet,

I’ve caught you in my arms an hour and taught you

Love’s secret where the mountain spirits meet.

Your smiles have died and there is no replying

To all endearment and my gifts are vain;

Come with me, love, you are too old for crying,

The church bells ring and I hear drops of rain.

[numberoneclouddreamer]

Kape

Nagising ako sa halik ng aking asawa, pati na rin sa amoy ng dala niyang kape para sa akin. Nakatulog pala ako kaagad kahapon dahil sa pagod. Ginabi na kasi ako sa trabaho. Ang sarap gumising nang walang iniindang problema. Ilang taon narin kaming nagsasama ni Berto at hanggang ngayon ay wala pa kaming pagkakatampuhan. Biniyayaan din kami ng dalawang anak na si Ana at Carlo. Agad ding bumaba ang aking asawa. Bumangon na rin ako at pinuntahan sila sa kusina, naabutan ko silang masayang nag uumagahan. Kinuha ng mister ko ang bitbit kong tasa, hinalikan ko naman sa pisngi ang aming mga anak. Habang tinitingnan ko sila ay punong puno ng saya ang puso ko. Sana ganito nalang palagi. Sabay sabay kaming lumabas sa bahay upang pumasok sa trabaho at pumasok sa paaralan ang mga bata. Nagtatawanan kaming lumabas ng bahay at napansin kong nakatingin sa amin ang mga kapitbhay na parang nagtataka. Hindi na ito bago samin at lagi naman silang ganyan kung tumingin, marahil ay hindi sila natutuwa sa aking pamilya. Ihahatid namin ni Berto ang mga bata, kami'y masayang nagku-kuwentuhan sa sasakyan nang may biglang bumanggang sasakyan sa amin. Nagising nalang ako sa ospital na wala ang aking mag a-ama. Pilit akong bumangon upang hanapin sila. Nag iiyak na ako sa takot na baka wala na sila dahil sa nangyaring aksidente. Nagpunta naman ako agad sa nurse station at binanggit ko agad ang kanilang mga pangalan ngunit tiningnan lang ako ng nurse na punong puno ng pagtataka. Paikot ikot ako sa ospital ngunit hindi ko talaga sila makita, bumalik nalang muli ako sa kwarto at inantay ang aking doctor. Napabalikwas ako sa pagdating ng doctor at agarang sinalubong ito nang maraming tanong tungkol saking mag a-ama. Ngunit tila ba ito ay natakot at naawa. Nagulat ako sa kaniyang sinabi. "Mrs. Cruz, matagal na pong wala ang inyong asawa at anak, hindi nyo po ba naaalala? isang taon na rin simula noong magkasunog sainyo at kayo lang ang nakaligtas." Parang gumuho ang mundo ko dahil sa narinig ko at ayokong maniwala dahil kanina lang ay masaya ko silang kasama. Dumating ang aking magulang at ako ay agad na niyakap at umiyak. Nagtataka ako kung bakit sila iyak ng iyak. Natatakot ako na baka dahil totoo ang sinabi ng doctor pero ayoko maniwala. Ngunit mas gumuho ang mundo ko sa sinabi ng aking ina. "Anak, pasensya kana pero ilang araw ka nang hindi nakakainom ng gamot mo. Akala namin ayos kana ngunit tumawag ang kapitbahay at sinabing nakita ka raw na tila may kausap at tumatawang mag isa sa luma niyong bahay." Lumuluha siyang nagkuwento at nakita ko ang awa sa mata ng aking ina. Biglang sumakit ang ulo ko at bumalik sakin ang mga alaala ng nakaraan. Napaluha nalang ako dahil sa sakit. Bakit ako pa ang nabuhay sa insidenteng iyon? Bakit ako pa ang unang nailigtas noong panahon na iyon? puno ako ng pagsisisi dahil sa wala akong nagawa noon. Ako ang may sanhi ng sunog. Ako ang pumatay sa aking pamilya. Ginabi na ako sa trabaho. Pagkauwi ko sa bahay ay may inabutan akong tasa na may kape ngunit walang tubig, alam ng mister ko na mahilig ako sa kape. Agad akong nagsalang ng tubig upang pakuluin. Dinamihan ko na dahil ilalagay ko rin sa tubig na ipaliligo ko. Umakyat muna ako upang tingnan ang aking asawa at mga anak na mahimbing na natutulog. Kukuha rin ako ng tuwalya at damit, ngunit naisipan ko munang humiga saglit dahil sa sobrang pagod.

[numberoneclouddreamer]

Breathe by Alessandra G.L. Gonzales

Why would the author titled it breathe? A lot of factors affected the relationship of the protagonist in the story. Some common factors are family, culture, standards, and maybe beliefs. But in this story, Katherine considered her family in her decisions. She loves her family more than him.  Her family doesn't like Isaak, so they just ended up just like that.

The time setting of their story was in the modern age where any communication can happen. They send letters and call each other all the time, and this works, but they still broke up. This story shows us that even if we love a person, we still have lots of things we can't let go of. A lot of things we must consider too. But I just thought that she should choose for herself. It's not her family who'll live with the guy she'll choose. It's her.

The story started with the line, "The trick is to keep breathing." We do that all the time. We need to keep breathing for us to live, but this line is different from that. When do we always say the line "Breathe"? We say it to the person who's nervous, scared, exhausted, and chained to something to calm them, for them to feel better. The last line, "I reach for the wet sponge to scrub the tiles once more," gives us a deeper meaning.  In the middle part of the story, Katherine mentioned that she scrubbed these tiles before, and it hurt her hand. She's referring to another thing this time. Maybe it's about her family, but we can also conclude that she's referring to her relationship with Isaak that just ended. She's not okay.

[numberoneclouddreamer]

Of Fish, Flies, Dogs and Women by Timothy R. Montes

The story "Oh Fish, Flies, Dogs and Women" by Timothy R. Montes was simple, but it will catch your interest and attention. It may bore you at first, but I'm sure that you'll keep going. This story reminds me of some vendors on a wet market that always talks with each other when there are no customers. In the Philippines, we call it "Chismisan." The author uses figurative language to evoke a sensory experience in the reader’s mind, and the words used were easy to understand. Some do not have to be limited to a single meaning that makes you keep reading the story and the best part of this is the lesson it intends to give the audience. The story started with a woman communicating with Mana Biben about her journey from a fish vendor to the biggest fish dealer in their town. [Flies, flies, flies.] "So, Mana Biben, you want to know how I turned my life around? You think I became the biggest fish dealer in this town by crying on my sleeves? Look at me— you think it's all that easy? Here you see me spending my day watching over the fish, raking in money just by swatting away flies while my good-for-nothing husband drowns himself in tuba. You think that is fair? Should I blame the cruel world and jump off a cliff? Ah, Mana Biben, life's unfair, indeed. It's a useless piece of stone you can't get rid of. One day you will have to pick up that stone and decide what to do with it: smash it against your head or throw it at the crazy world. Before you know it, you will have made a choice that will change your life. The important thing is that you did something to that stone." In this part, she just told us that her husband is nothing but useless, and she has no choice but to sell fish for her family. She must do something to survive because if she doesn’t, then no one else would. "I must admit that I led a miserable life before this thing happened. Misery, however, has a way of blinding our eyes in a beautiful way. You know, you can see rainbows through your tears. Small consolation, I say, but when you are a woman fighting for survival you can't afford to indulge in self-pity." These lines softened my heart, and it breaks me while reading them. This woman is indeed a fighter, and I feel so proud of her. At the same time, I pity her. Imagine her need to be strong to fight for survival to the point that she didn’t have any time left to check if she’s still okay because she needs to focus significantly on her family’s survival.

As she continues telling Mana Biden her life in 5 years, you'll realize why the story's title includes flies. The flies symbolize the "chismosa" in their town and everything that brings toxicity to others. One morning, when she's selling her fish. She passed by to a rusty gate that was owned by Attorney Sabate. After a brief hesitation, she dared herself to enter despite knowing big dogs were guarding the house. She had a basketful of fish on her head, and when those black dogs appeared, she stiffened in in her fear that these dogs might eat her fish. "No, the fish was my life. A dirt-poor wife who had to feed five small children would understand the real value of a basketful of fish. Facing those dogs, I told myself I would rather die of rabies than of hunger." If you reread these lines, these dogs are not just dogs. The dogs symbolize her fears, struggles, problem, and gossips. A fish is not only a fish. It's her life that she has already devoted to giving to her family. And at this point, all she thinks about is the safety of the fish in her basket.

"And so I stood there on Attorney Sabate's driveway while those big dogs formed a ring around me. Fresh fish! Fresh fish! I had to shout above the barking din. Fresh fish! Fresh fish! Some of those dogs were so close, their hairy muzzles were tickling my legs. Fresh fish! Fresh fish! I was shouting not only for money but for dear life, too." At this part, she's taking a step in facing her fears and problems because she thinks it's the only way for her to survive. Here, we can conclude that the author was trying to send a message that we must risk ourselves to survive. Then she met Angelica disgrasyada, who came out from Att. Sabate's house, and she was carrying a baby in her arms. Everyone in town had been talking about her for months about her pregnancy. And that reminded her of herself because she also was a hot topic on the town’s gossips. Everyone was talking and laughing about her situation, telling her that she’s stupid. But, she’s not. She believed that stupidity is far way different than sacrificing herself for her children’s sake. The flies had been noisy flying around, spreading toxic things to the helpless fish. Angelica disgrasya opened her eyes. " I stood there trembling, finally aware of being trapped for life. There was only one way out of my misery. I could choose to just let go and lose my mind. The dark chasm beckoned to me: jump. Death and insanity seemed to have converged at that moment. But before I could take the plunge, I heard the dogs again." She fights these dogs fiercely, without any hesitations, to save her fish. "Ha-ha! Would you believe me if I tell you I got all my fish back? Yes, snatched them from the fangs of those dogs. Five fierce dogs I beat back with these bare hands. And the dogs, as if sensing my crazy anger, ran back whimpering to the other side of the house." she said happily. I see the light mood in this line, she overcomes her fears and problems, and she stood there being proud of it. She was bleeding, full of bruises, and all she can think is how cam she remove the dust on the fish. Then Angelica apologizes to her, but she kept saying not to be sorry. These two women light each other's path. Sometimes unexpected events will lead you to your right destination. It's been a long journey for her, but she has no regrets. The important thing is that you did something to that stone. And she smashed it in her head for her to realize her situation, and now she throws it away finally. There are still many problems and a long journey to face, but don't let them destroy you again. So why does fish attracts many flies? Lifeless fish attracts many flies, especially if it's not in the water or their safe zone. But not all the time you can be in your safe place, so flies try to eat you slowly, so don't let it consume you, dry you. Save your fish, and don't let your fears and problems stop you from fighting.

[numberoneclouddreamer]

Touchmove by Peter Mayshle

The title of this story makes me conclude that the story itself has something to do chess. That this might be like the "Queen's Gambit" story, but it’s not. Peter Mayshle's "Touchmove" starts with two young men, Peter and Roman playing chess. While playing chess, Peter began telling a story to Roman about the chic he encountered one night in August. That night, the storm was beating all over their city, then this chic came soaked in the rain. She was wearing a red blouse and skirt while clutching her shoes to her chest. At this part, you'll already know that there's something off with this girl.

No one will run in the middle of the stormy night, plus why would she run to a massage parlor? What may be her reasons? And this was a gay massage parlor. In the line "We never get any woman customers in the place, you know, so we straightened ourselves up as we had been taught and puffed our chests out and smiled broadly than necessary." it shocked them, and they are all boys that are necessary to a gays massage parlor. As I continue reading the story, this woman chooses Peter to assist her and give her the service she wanted. I actually thought that there would be a sexual part for the way that the story was told was very bold and the characters seems to be sensual people, what a dirty mind, but no. The chic seems to be really mysterious, and I was right, there’s something wrong with her.

Peter continued his story, "Her stomach had cuts all over; some of them were fresh and clotting. The skin above her bush was marked with what looked like a dozen cigarette burns. One of her breasts had a dark bruise, the color of purple. It was a terrible sight; I wanted to get out of there." This made me build conclusions and also made me answer the questions I have on the first part of the story. This chic was maybe beaten in her home or anywhere, and because of too much pain, she runs to the nearest massage parlor in the middle of the night to ease her pain. But it's just my conclusion. Anyway, Peter was so uneasy after seeing the situation of the chic. Still, he continues massaging the chic's thighs, kneaded her stomach, and pressed areas around her breast, carefully avoiding to hurt her. She held Peter's hands and, gazing at them as if they were made of precious stone, and she said, “Your hands, they were beautiful.” but Peter never thought it that way. I remember someone told me that "The way you see yourself is different from what I see in you".  This is because we all have different views and experiences in life. This chic sees this man as a good person maybe because he never met one or his husband perhaps is not treating her right. But Peter views himself to be someone that wasn’t that good and that his hands belonged to a monster. He has his reasons to why have said that. He works in a gay parlor, and we all know that sometimes there's an "extra service”.

I firmly believe that people will never look at themselves and see the exact same thing that other people sees in them. There might be similarities, but the perspectives were different. I have known myself to be good yet I know there are a lot of things that are unlikeable in me specially in my personality, I am really straight-forward and I don’t filter my words. Well, other people told me the same thing about me and that made them think of me as a not so nice person, that’s fine for me though because that’s right. For them, it’s because I am not that nice, for me, it’s just being me. I kept on thinking that it’s the reality everyone will think the same way towards me, I don’t like that personality of mine but I will never change it just to be likeable. Until I met someone with different mindset and thinking a few months ago. I have shown my personality and told maybe most of my darkest secrets, and I got surprised for that person doesn’t even think that it’s bad. In fact, just like me, that person also thinks that my personality was just me being me. That those “unlikeable” things about me are still “likeable” for those are still part of me. In short, that person’s perceptions about me is far way different from mine. That person sees and identifies my flaws yet considers all of it to be likeable. Thus, proves that no one will have the exact same perception about things.

In the last part of the story, this chic took Peter's hands and placed one on her pussy and one on her breast with the purple bruise. Nothing happened, and that irritates Roman. The chic leaves after that.  After a moment, Roman says, Check! Threatening Peter's king and trying to capture his queen. The last line of the story from Peter was, "And I see that Roman doesn’t understand. As I rescue my queen from his dogged pursuit, I see that he is just a kid, untaught in the ploys of the heart."

In this story, Peter was a role model for a man, though he was not perfect, but he treats a woman with respect and treasures them that not all man nowadays would do. People must respect everyone, but men’s higher respect towards women is necessary. This is a very huge argument nowadays for it seems that men today are seeking for attention, respect and equality too. For me, respect is a must and everyone should have and give it. But as I’ve said, women should get higher respects. As if men would lose their name, image, family, friends, dignity, respect from others and towards themselves if they got disrespected and harassed by women. Well, men could actually lose those things, but not as much as women does. We must support men too, but we should protect women for men has the capability to get or restore their image and dignity much easier and faster than women.

[numberoneclouddreamer]

The use of Force

Reading the story “The use of force” by William C. Williams doesn't interest me that much. I see it just as a normal scenario of a doctor and uncooperative patient. I ignored the small details of the story but digging deeper, it really got my interest. It’s not just it, the conflict between the doctor and the patient was different. It somehow made me think that the doctor has possessions and that’s bothering me.

 In this story, the doctor was called by a mother asking him to check her daughter up. They suspected that the child was suffering from a certain disease. The doctor came and saw the child sitting on his father’s lap while looking at him like he’s unwelcome. In the next part of the story, the doctor just does what a doctor should do, approach the patient, making her trust him but everything he does seems to not work, he attempted to make the young girl obey him too many times but nothing works. The patient doesn't like him and she keeps lying about what she really feels. Then the mother told her daughter that “Look how kind he is to you. Come on, do what he tells you to. He won't hurt you.” as assurance to her daughter but this doesn't change the situation.

The doctor thought that the girl has a more serious illness but he first need to see the throat of his patient to be sure. After several failed tries to get some diagnosis, the doctor starts losing his patience, “For Heaven's sake, I broke in. Don't call me a nice man to her. I'm here to look at her throat on the chance that she might have diptheria and possibly die of it. But that's nothing to her. Look here I said to the child, we are going to look at your throat. You're old enough to understand what I'm saying. Will you open it now by yourself or shall we have to open it for you?” 

At this part, it’s just normal to feel irritated after doing your best and getting nothing in return. The patient's expression doesn't change, not moved by what he says. The doctor decided to use force for him to finish his diagnosis. He must see the patient’s throat for a reason and the doctor discussing it with the parents was a good move for me and explaining what harm may occur if they failed to do it. I really thought that there’s nothing wrong with this story but the next line of the doctor made me bothered.

“I had to smile to myself. After all, I had already fallen in love with the savage brat, the parents were contemptible to me. In the ensuing struggle they grew more and more abject, crushed, exhausted while she surely rose to magnificent heights of insane fury of effort bred from her terror of me.” the doctor’s thought.

This thinking was not right for a professional doctor. The way he praises the beauty of the child creeps me out. There’s a hidden desire on this line and that was really inappropriate. This line might also bring the possibility that the doctor has possessions to patients who are very hard to please. Like, being challenged to get what he wants triggers his inner obsessions. Other way, both of my ideas about the doctor’s thought was unlikeable.

Then this thoughts of the doctor follows “I could have torn the child apart in my own fury and enjoyed it. It was a pleasure to attack her. My face was burning with it. The damned little brat must be protected against her own idiocy, one says to one's self at such times.” 

This thought was the creepiest, this was pure violence. We can think that was just normal because the doctor was just irritated but digging deeper may give us another message. The thoughts of this doctor can be similar to the way of thinking of a murderer or a rapist. Pleasure on attacking her shows that this doctor may be having a sadistic condition. Having satisfaction on other people’s suffering will never be normal.

As I continued reading the story, I pity the young girl for the fact that she was suffering from an illness and still being hurt by placing force on her while getting the diagnosis. The parents helped the doctor out of desperation because their child may be showing the symptoms of the illness diphtheria. I can’t completely say that the force was bad for it can be the only thing that will help the doctor gather the information needed, the thought on the doctor’s mind is the thing I consider to be purely bad and inappropriate.

When the doctor finally got the wooden spatula behind the last teeth and just the point of it into the mouth cavity, the patient opened up for an instant but before the doctor could see anything she came down again and gripping the wooden blade between her molars she reduced it to splinters before the doctor could get it out.The doctor asked the mother to get him a smooth-handled spoon. The child's mouth was already bleeding. Her tongue was cut and she was screaming in wild hysterical shrieks. At this part, I pity this patient, obviously this child really doesn't like the doctor but the parents don’t have any choice.

We can relate this story on what’s happening in the public hospitals right now, the quality of care is diminished due to stress plus the status of life really affects how the doctor will approach the patient. The family in this story was just an average family who’s not rich but not poor. How can I say that they’re not rich? Most of the people who are rich gets regular check-ups and they have their own doctor but this family called an unknown doctor. The fact that the doctor said that the girl’s parent will pay him three dollars leads me to assuring that he only came for work.

Life was really unfair. Humans are really complicated. You earn lots of money, you earn more respect. You earn respect, others will think you deserve money. You have all the advantages if you’re rich and respected. This society right now can be described in 3 words, MONEY, POWER and RESPECT. Some may be against that this society is just about “money” but let’s not be hypocrites, because it really is about money. The ones who can say that money doesn’t rule the world are the ones who have it. You can’t hear a starving and suffering person begging for respect only, because money is everything now. I came to this thinking for status and way of living of people was shown in the story. The way that the doctor thinks was also questionable for me. This proves that being a professional won’t make you a professional, I know everyone will get what I wanted to say there.

Going back to the story alone, the doctor forced the heavy silver spoon back of her teeth and down her throat till she gagged. And there it was - both tonsils covered with membrane. She had fought valiantly to keep the doctor from knowing her secret. She had been hiding that sore throat for three days at least and lying to her parents in order to escape just such an outcome as this.

The intention of the doctor was good, but the action he have done in order to get his diagnosis wasn’t. Human thinking was indeed very complex, it is normal to have things that makes us interested. But, having obsessions and satisfaction in seeing other people suffer was not normal and it never will.

[numberoneclouddreamer]

;)