Me and My Jekyll and Hydeness

Two Stars for Arms Like Orion

Arms hurt. I think I went overboard with lifting weights yesterday. John and I had complimentary gym passes, and we were quite satisfied with about three hours of workout time in that classy enough place. Treadmilled and used a few of the lats-arms exercisers, so I now feel muscle pain every time I move or raise my arms. Yowtch. He enjoyed the sauna; wish I tried that too.

Last Saturday was Toycon at Megamall. Got me a classic Donna Troy figure (from the Infinite Crisis set, series 2), and a Tim Drake Robin (from the DC Superheroes line). Later in the evening, Dicky won People’s Choice and Fudge’s Favorite awards for his transforming Brawn costume, so congrats, you. Thanks also for this pic above with the life-sized Justice Leaguers.

Five and Up

If I traveled back in time and met up with you, I wonder how much of what I’ll tell you you’ll believe. I know that you don’t care about the future, not yet anyway, but if I tell you things about it now, how differently would your life end up?

Well, I’ll tell you what I know about you, anyway. You’re only concerned with very few things, like your robot cartoons--Voltes V, UFO Grendaizer and Mazinger Z—but they’ll be gone in a few months. Not to worry. You’ll forget about them and follow other cartoon adventures, especially Paul in Fantasyland. You’ll be playing with Lego for the first time next year, and you’ll want to study more because you just love asking for--and getting--toy rewards. Not long after that, your mom will buy you your first comic books from National Bookstore’s Edsa Central branch. But for now, you’re happy with just running around and playing in that big pile of sand outside your house.

Oh, by the way, you’ll be leaving that all-boys school in three years. How different would things have been if you stayed there? Many of your classmates will be studying there until they’re 16. That’s old for you, I know, but you will grow and change, too. It’s not that big a deal. You’ll leave that school and you’ll forget about your life there. You’ll think about the kids you considered friends and imagine how they turned out, many years later.

But there will be other friends. One of those is chasing the priests’ pet sheep at his school’s garden right now, while another of your future confidants had just been born. It’ll be a long time before you meet them. The others, well, you’ll be crossing the street, or walking in the supermarket, and they’re there. You don’t know it, and neither do they, but years later, you’ll meet them for real and you’ll be drawn to them. You may’ve met some of ‘em already.

There will be times when you’ll be sad, but when you’re much, much older, you’ll accept that the world isn’t perfect. You already know that it’s not. People will fail you; you won’t know what to believe. But that won’t last. When you’re older, there’ll be others like you. You’ll be talking and asking a lot about life. You don’t believe that now, because you’re a shy boy. Well, get back to whatever it was you were doing, kid. You don’t understand English that well, yet, so keep watching Sesame Street. And be a good boy. You sure won’t be when you grow up.

Fifteen, There’s Still Time for You

So much for my time jaunt. It seems like you’ve grown the same way, so I’m invading your dream, instead. I know you’re wondering what the hell I’m talking about. I’m a stranger and all, but I know you, oh, yes indeedy. Right now, you’re a fan of Fra Lippo Lippi, When In Rome and Debbie Gibson… should I go on? But there’s nothing wrong with that. You’re okay, you know? A bit overeager, but at your age, that’s understandable. You’re not one of the hip, fornicating, gin-guzzling athlete types or cool hunky boys, but you’re immersed in what you like. By this time, I’d say you’re already an individual; some people look up to you and some despise you for your newfound confidence. Oh, teenage drama. You and your friends only think you know what’s in store for you. You have no damn idea.

You thought you wanted to play the drums to impress some girl, but you decided not to pursue that because you feel that it’s too much hard work. You wanna be a radio deejay, but really, you only want to play stacks of vinyl records, and for people to listen to your playlist. But, you know your strengths. You can do other things well. Still, you’re doing a barely decent job as Art Club president, and that moderator’s getting paid for not doing anything! You’re okay with the responsibilities he’s given you, though, and you want to experience how leadership feels. Well, good luck with that, you naïve twink.

You still have to study for your NCEE, and fill up some college applications on top of that. But don’t worry; you’ll get into the university that’s right for you. You’ll love that first year of college, let me tell you that, your initial anxieties about the change of pace and environment notwithstanding.

It’s good that you’ve come out of your shell and are communicating more. You’re a normal kid. You’re already starting to think about those questions during Bible study and Mass. You know what I’m talking about. But you can’t speak out just yet. You’re at that stage, maybe a necessary one, to help make you more discerning someday. But yeah, I believe now that you’re going to understand more from experience. There will be times you’ll feel duped, but you’ll get better. You’ll also feel lost, ignored, and confused, and not always in that order. But I promise you, there will be clarity.

You’ve yet to meet people who’ll profoundly and drastically alter and influence your life. You’ll find yourself at odds with a few of them sometimes, but the storms pass. And there will be those who’ll stand by you even when you’re not feeling worth anything.

In the meantime, enjoy that full head of hair. The clock will start ticking on it when you’re 22. But fret not. You’ll get action when you least expect it, so don’t be an idiot during those times. You’ll meet interesting people through your job, and also with the help of the computer. No, it’s not just for Lotus 123 or playing Digger anymore. You’ll be changing radically, but I’d rather not say how, for now. There will be those persons to whom you’ll surrender yourself, but not always completely. Some of them will break your heart, and you’ll do the same to them too. I’d suggest that you avoid certain people, but you have to know mistakes firsthand and learn from them. You’re going to want everything, and you’ll discover that that’s the kind of person you are.

You’ll forget all these, I know, but I hope they’ll stick to your subconscious. Be brave, young man. It’s going to be nuts, but you’ll survive.