Colors of the Night

I see us together in different ways, like in this shot at Road 3, corner Tandang Sora, where shades of blue and red, our favorite colors, mingle in the night.

Yours has the wholesome scene of a corner store with kids, while mine is a bunch of topless men drinking the night away.

Two completely normal street scenes by the way.

Oh, We used to hang out at Tandang Sora a lot. When there was a Wendy's Hamburger joint there, a 24 hour grocery store, and a Lugawan at the corner with five bucks getting you lugaw (rice porridge) with sahog (err, inards?). The tricycle ride from UP to Tandang Sora was something too. The speed, the bumps, and the curves made it your midnight carnival ride.

Jordan
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My blurred sight

I wish you were with me, too, when I saw this couple holding hands in a museum. This is an accidentally blurred shot, taken quickly as I was walking through. I like the blur, though, because it makes the couple less distinct and reminds me of us together, looking at exhibits. And somehow, those in the background, could also be us, more child-like, playing with light and shadows.

Jo
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*At the MOMA

In these crowded streets

True, I was hurt when you deleted my last post. It's the reason why I haven't posted since. Like a thorn in my side, I accept that it's the kind of hurt only a loved one can give you.

And I miss you too. I wish you were there when I saw this ray of sunlight over the passengers of the LRT2 at Cubao.

Jordan
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Thorn and blossom

Missing you.

Jo
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Missing

When I think of loneliness, I think of that song "Eleanor Rigby". I grew up listening to the Beatles and as a kid, this particular song would fill me with sadness, even though I couldn't quite grasp all the words and meanings. I did begin to notice lonely people in the world around me -- from ordinary "respectable-looking" folks to street people wandering from place to place.

Like this man sleeping on a thin mat on Quiapo bridge, with a sign about a missing woman named Tomasita Chin posted above him. Where do they all come from and where do they belong?

Jo
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alone, naturally

It was only late in my life (College, haha) when I found—written in words, crisp and succinct—what I have been trying to grasp ever since I started watching movies on my own. I forgot if it was in a book, a magazine, or even a TV show at that time. All I know was that it was a manifesto I felt vindicated with:

There is a difference between solitude and loneliness.

Jordan
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*Boyet, the most trusted messenger from Adarna House (Well, he was only one, but still...)

In my solitude

As Tolstoy once wrote, “What counts in making a happy marriage is not so much how compatible you are, but how you deal with incompatibility.” But if those incompatibilities are too much to take, it sure can be hell for the partners involved.

For some reason, I have very few street photos of couples but many photos of people alone -- like this photo of a man who was sitting at a table next to us. Why people alone seem more interesting to me, I'm not sure. Well, this image makes me recall the song by Duke Ellington (which Billie Holiday sang unforgettably):

In my solitude you haunt me
With reveries of days gone by
In my solitude you taunt me
With memories that never die
I sit in my chair
Filled with despair
There's no one could be so sad
With gloom everywhere
I sit and I stare
I know that I'll soon go mad
In my solitude
I'm praying
Dear Lord above
Send back my love
I sit in my chair
Filled with despair
There's no one could be so sad
With gloom everywhere
I sit and I stare
I know that I'll soon go mad
In my solitude
I'm praying
Dear Lord above
Send me back my love

During this long weekend of Undas, when many honored and remembered those who have passed away, I also thought of those who have lost their love and are left in solitude.

Jo
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heavenly reds

Your post was based on your favorite color, so I'll reply with mine.

I remember going out of our apartment then at UP Village and seeing this red sky. I had to go back and get the camera.

The kids, on the other hand, were part of Manley and Michelle's wedding entourage. I believe the small kid was the ring bearer. Here he is, being a kid, catching bubbles, regardless of the formal attire.

For these children, marriages are considered happy endings, heaven in the lives of two people. Only upon growing up will they realize that, depending on the two parties concerned, marriages could be heaven OR hell.

Jordan
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P.S.
Or limbo too :)

Heavenly blues

An escalator, a stairway... these ways to heaven sure do vary. At the Manila North Cemetery, however, where urban poor families have little choice but to live amidst thousands of graves, I'd say that heaven and hell (and everything in between) are in pretty close proximity.

For these children, the cemetery during the daytime is a cheerful yet macabre playground full of colorful cherubs and religious figures. During the night, though, I suspect that ghost stories abound, the dreamworld takes hold, and nightmares seep into an already harsh reality.

Jo
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*Scenes at the Manila North cemetery during the long weekend of "Undas" or Day of the Dead.

going up

Will they be buying an escalator to heaven?

It makes you wonder.

Jordan
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*Escalator at MOA.