no regrets

pacman

wala naman talaga akong pakialam sa boksing. ito ang isa sa mga isports na di ko inaabangan at di talaga pinapansin. maski na nga si manny pacquiao pa ang may laban. para kasi sa akin, 'pag may laban si pacquiao… may mahabang parada ng patalastas sa TV, may pelikula itong katapat sa kalabang istasyon at napakaluwag ng mga kalsada. sabi pa nga ng iba, wala raw krimen. kaya kung para lang sa dalawang huli, sige na nga... sana'y laging may laban si pacman.

di nga kasi ako fan. sangkatutak pang mga pagmemenos sa sarili ang ginawa ni manny. sumabak sa pelikula kahit di marunong umarte. nagpulitika kahit walang karanasan dito. at siyempre, naki-PBA pa kahit di magaling sa basketbol. para sa akin, di naman niya kailangang gawin pa ang mga ito. sementado na ang kanyang pangalan sa liga ng mga pinoy na panghabambuhay na ang dangal dahil sa karangalang inihatid sa bansa mula sa kanyang mga panalo sa boksing. ok na 'yun. kung bakit ba kasi nagsusumiksik pa kasi sa kung anu-anong kabaduyan.

pero sa kabila ng mga ito, nais kong manalo si pacman sa kanyang laban sa hambog na si floyd mayweather jr. gusto kong makitang bugbog ang kano at kay pacman ang itataas na mga kamao sa ere. 47-1 na dapat ang rekord ng kano pagkaraan ng laban. suntok at panalo para kay manny!

ab exercises

flat stomach, please!

fast and furious 7

walang puwang ang lohika. di ka dapat maghanap ng tuwirang katwiran o anumang rason. ni di ka dapat umasang may reyalismo kapag pinanood mo ang alin mang patak ng fast and furious 7.

abalang-abala ang mga gumawa nito sa pagpapasabog ng mga kotse at makapigil-hiningang mga habulan at aksyon. ok lang ito. siyempre ito naman talaga ang pambenta. pero binahiran man lang sana ito ng konting katumpakan. kahit kaunti lang. pero wala talaga eh. biglang naging martial arts expert si ludacris at ang buong grupo ay pinagkatiwalaan bilang mga super agent. napuruhan si the rock, sinemento ang braso pero isang banat lang pala ang kailangan para wasakin ang bendang may semento. nakorner si vin diesel sa gilid ng talampas, bumuwelta lang ito at pinatalon ang kotse sa bangin… pagbagsak ng kotse, lumabas ito at ni wala man lang galos! kung ang isang makapangyarihang istari na tulad ni gandalf ay di basta-basta lumilitaw para makarating sa isang lokasyon, si jason statham ay hindi. may kakayahan itong bigla na lang lumitaw sa anumang lokasyon, anumang oras o saan mang panig ng mundo. sa haba ng pakikipaglaban ng grupo kay statham, di pa rin ito napatay at ikinulong na parang si magneto. ipinarachute ang mga kotse at himalang nakalanding ang mga ito nang walang anumang wasak.

ang tanging magandang idinagdag ay si kurt russell at ang kanyang mr. nobody, bilang lider ng undercover team ang pinaka-cool na karakter dito. bukod sa madamdaming pagpapaalam kay paul walker, wala nang ibang positibong iiwan ang pelikulang ito.

nanghinayang ako sa napanalunan kong libreng tiket. kung bakit ba kasi dito ko pa ginamit 'yung tiket eh… pang-bus na pelikula lang naman ang fast and furious 7.  

serena the great

infographic on why serena williams is one of the greatest ever!

shangri-la boracay

what a fun weekend that was! 

 banyugan beach, shangri-la boracay. 

aparisyon

with all its silence and stillness, i was already preparing myself to see intimations of ghostly creatures while watching the first quarter of aparisyon. imagine that feeling when you're watching a horror film, anticipating that the evil ghost will be shown anytime so that you won't get the jolt of your life. or at least just a little shock. that was how i felt. but when it ended, the combined force of all pinoy horror films (except shake rattle and roll 1, hehe!) ever produced was no match to the emotional tremor aparisyon provided. after all, it was all about guilt and sin contrasting with the supposedly sinless setting of a convent.

adorasyon is a cloistered convent set somewhere in rizal. headed by mother superior (fides cuyugan-asensio), the nuns are tasked to do a particular chore and are expected to be in deep silence and unbroken meditation and praying. sr. vera (raquel villavicencio) takes care of administrative duties while sr. remy (mylene dizon) goes out to sell the convent's herbal products. one day, sr. lourdes (jodi sta. maria), a novice was downed by severe toothache so remy was asked to accompany the novice nun to the town's dentist. this after remy knew of his brother's disappearance after a visit from her mother and younger brother. from then on, she attended regular meetings of activists in the town center with lourdes in tow. one night, on their way back to the convent, a group of bandits stopped the two nuns and raped lourdes.

the strength of aparisyon is in its haunting contrast of binary oppositions… a cloistered convent kept from any outside influences but was still affected by the milieu the bigger society was in; a nun devoid of any earthly desires being raped and getting pregnant in the process and the same nun thinking of having an abortion. the very convent the nuns were in should have shielded them from violence but the exact cloister prevented them from "doing the right thing" when that single act of violence happened. first, remy was able to escape but left lourdes in the hands of the rapists. this even when she was the reason why they were not able to go back right on time. as it was told, both mother superior and vera witnessed the incident but chose to remain silent throughout lourdes' ordeal. maybe because of self-preservation but one would initially felt that both senior nuns might have stopped the bandits from succeeding but eventually decided not to act on it. mother superior event went as far as preventing any investigation to take place reasoning that opening the convent would break the monastic routine. vincent sandoval, the director, was successful in leaving a mark of contrasting themes. the convent was supposed to be invulnerable from sins but the ordeal lourdes was in proved that even the most prayerful individuals are not immune from committing grave indiscretions.

redemption was especially hard to achieve. even when prayers are said many times over, the nuns seemed not to find peace and atonement. in one of the powerful scenes, remy allowed lourdes to slap her over and over. no words were ever said between the two but this scene was one of the film's strongest points. jodi sta. maria and mylene dizon are two competent actresses who deserve more important roles than playing fidgety characters on TV. vera (villavicencio also did a wonderful job here) did the traditional penitensya route by wounding herself to atone for her sins, sins of omission. but it was mother superior, despite her never-ending composure, who seemed not to have found inner peace even when she was deep in her meditation. cuyugan-asensio inhabited the self-control and self-assured mother superior but was intensely ruined by her guilt. when she was mistakenly seen as the devil by the previous mother superior now suffering from alzheimer's disease, her fragility became apparent.

       

guilt. aparisyon is all about guilt and the choices one makes in order to repent or atone for their so-called sins... or in some individuals, the choices they did not make. a silently potent film, a great work from sandoval and the cast.  

kutsinta

lots of options are out there when it comes to merienda or snacks. cupcake, donuts, muffins, burger and a whole lot of full-filling treats. but there's nothing like this jelly-like steamed rice cake, a true pinoy invention called kutsinta. it goes well with just about anything, whether coffee, coke or even fruit juices. 

a little grated coconut meat on top and it would definitely bring you back to those good old days when you were playing on the streets and thinking of nothing but to play all day. yup, more than filling your tummy with energy-giving carbohydrates, kutsinta and other pinoy rice cakes will always remind anyone of their childhood days... i guess that would always be the case with anything native, especially with delicacies. happy week ahead!

97

97
47

what's your number?

brain brain

brain, brain go away

come again another day

little tangerks wants to play

her favorite nursery rhyme.


happy sunday!

solo travel

earlier this year, i went to catanduanes. all alone. and just like my solo travels in in the past, the question i get is always… "are you alone?". some even go overboard by blurting lines like "don't you have any friends" or "i can't imagine traveling all by myself". others ask "aren't you afraid traveling solo" or "why travel alone". well, the simple answer is why not. many writers have already noted the joys and advantages of traveling solo. i follow solotraveler.org and this community has provided not only travel itineraries for solo travelers but more importantly, wrote many articles on travel safety and do's and don’t's when traveling all by yourself.

for me, what solo travel gives is that true sense of freedom and independence. during my weekend in virac, i didn't feel like going back to the hotel right after a tricycle tour of the town of bato. so what i did was to check out the small but packed catanduanes provincial museum since i still have 30 minutes before it closes. the following day, i didn't feel like having breakfast so had my head shaved first before heading to the carinderia right beside the hotel. one can easily tweak the itinerary during a solo trip, no one to argue with, especially if you're travel companion is a "queasy" or itinerary-nazi one and striking a compromise is not even  needed.

a solo traveler has the freedom to think of no one but himself. i long wanted to see borobodur ever since my asian civilization subject during second year high school. so when i was given the chance to be in jakarta for a business trip, i grabbed the opportunity to book an airasia flight to yogyakarta and spent 2 days to see borobodur and nearby prambanan. again, i didn't have to consider factors such as your companion having no enough budget or that someone wants to cut the trip short. i'm pretty flexible when it comes to accommodation so there was no need to deliberate over prices or even location. it was an easy breezy affair.

on the subject of food, a solo traveler has the wild abandon of eating what you want, when to eat main meals and where to eat. from nong khai to vientiane, the bus ride was about 2.5 hours. the only hassle is the long line in the immigration counter entering laos. i only had cupcake provided by the bus company so i didn't have anything to eat. good thing, lunch can come in bamboo tubes courtesy of a nice lady selling rice cakes cooked and packed in a bamboo tube. while waiting for the rest of the passengers to come back to the bus, she offered me 2 options, 1 sweet and the other one a bit spicy. i of course went with the sweet one but didn't have any clue on how to get the sweet treat inside. she took back both bamboo tubes and broke them in one swoosh. i had my early lunch ala pinoy's inangit.

  

you have all the time to dilly-dally when you're on a solo travel. on my last late afternoon in virac, i felt like doing nothing but to just walk around the town center and that was what i exactly did. i realized that i haven't seen the newly built pier yet so off i went there and spent a good 40 minutes watching the waves and young kids practicing their dive tricks. early in the evening, there was a program in front of the town hall so i sat there watching the province's named personalities dance the night away. sometimes it's also a good thing to be a bit indecisive and veer away from your schedule because that leads you to some nice discoveries such as a very nice lugawan/mamihan right across the one and only fastfood joint (jollibee) in catanduanes or a crowd-free temple in bangkok.

solo traveling also gives you the choice to not conform or to somewhat change someone else's view. if you feel like not talking to anyone, you can keep your mouth shut and only talk when asking for directions or placing an order. but if you feel like striking a conversation, you have all the time to do so. of course, oldies have long said that we should not talk to strangers but solo trips provide a venue for free expression of one's thoughts to complete strangers. in vientiane, i went to check out the happening scene near the river. many foreigners were already having their beers but i wanted a good laotian dinner. so i chose an al fresco restaurant and ordered grilled fish and salad (yes, very un-pinoy!). while waiting for my order, a mid-40s european lady sat on the next table. i thought she was waiting for a friend but it turned out that she was also traveling alone. some few smiles here and there and in no time, we were already chatting about travel. she said that she's already in her 4th week of travel in indochina but is afraid to travel eastward to the philippines because of security concerns and manila has a lot of touts and con artists. but the pinoy in me said that a tourist can get conned anywhere in the world, even in a quaint city like vientiane or moreso in cosmopolitan and so-called romantic cities like paris or rome. after downing our 2nd bottle of beer, we waved goodbye and she said that she'll be in manila soon.

of course, there's that feeling of uncertainty when traveling alone. after all, you're exploring all by yourself and you do not really know how the trip will turn out. but i must say that my solo trips were some of the best decisions i made. i booked a trip to cebu in december 2013 and up to the point that i already got to cebu city's south bus terminal, i still haven't decided where to go. i opted to stay in the city for a night and took to the bus station to go to argao the following day. that turned out to be a wonderful decision as it signaled a fun-tastic 3-day tour of southern cebu. historical walk in argao, quiet time, rock climbing and centuries-old church in boljoon, culminating in whaleshark watching, tumalog falls all to myself and heritage trail in oslob… superb trip!

        

in more ways, traveling solo is more relaxing. aside from having no one to bicker or compromise with, one would have a lot of quiet time. quiet time that you can use to look within yourself and examine your long-term plans. clichés put it well… "colors are more vivid and sounds are more meaningful" when traveling alone. one gets to appreciate the beauty all around you because you can have all the time in the world to stare at an artwork or a beautiful landscape. a forumer even said that solo travel allows for individuals to hear and appreciate history even more. during solo travel, one does not have to sit through incessant chatting especially with a talkative companion.

   

worry not… there will be a lot of interpersonal conversations as well. traveling solo will allow for tête-à-tête with random individuals, who by the way are not always after your money. aside from getting me to a nice, comfy and cheap accommodation in oslob, kuya mike (the trike driver) and i talked about how the bohol earthquake destroyed heritage trail in bohol as well as re-aligned cebu's eastern shore. in my chiang mai trip last october, the sawngthaew driver and i talked about life choices and how we are lucky to have our own families. 

   

with all the joys of solo travel, i'm not saying that all people should do is to go traveling solo all the time. we still need to connect with our own kind. travel is a shared experience that reinforces bond between family members and friends and according to cheche lazaro, keeps a marriage intact. but once in a while, it's always good to be on your own… your own travel all by yourself. every men and women must travel solo even just once in their lives. solo travel is an investment that never grows old, can never be taken away and actually enriches you as a person. 

so what are you waiting?! travel pa more and travel solo. as henry david thoreau said, "the man who goes alone can start today, but he who travels with another must wait till that other is ready."

sa 'yo lamang

madali ngang mahulaan ang sa 'yo lamang ni laurice guillen. masayang pamilyang sinira ng pangangaliwa… muling bumalik ang amang nang-iwan at sumambulat ang lahat ng isyu sa pagitan ng lahat. at siyempre, mananaig ang kapatawaran at happy ending din ito. prediktable at di na kailangan pang mag-isip ng sinuman. simple at gaya ng maraming pelikulang pinoy, pinansitan ito ng mga eksenang araw-araw mong matutunghayan sa mga teleserye. 'yun na nga siguro ang isang malaking problema ng pelikulang pinoy ngayon dahil sa araw-araw, isang dosena o higit pa ang mga teleseryeng dati nang nagreresaykel sa tema ng sa 'yo lamang. kaya wala nang bago. wala nang sorpresa sa konsepto nito.

isang malaking problema ng pelikula ay nagsimula ito sa paghahanap ng behikulo para sa ilang malalaking pangalan sa bakuran ng abs-cbn. ok naman si bea alonzo, nakakarte naman. pero masyado itong nakakahon, wala nang ginawa kundi magalit at laging nakaangil, 'yung angil na pangteleserye ulit. maski sa mga sandaling nagpapakita ng kanyang karupukan ay mahirap makagaanan ng loob o matanggap ang kanyang diane. puno siya ng galit sa kanyang ama, nandoon na tayo. pero masaya naman ang kanilang pamilya kahit ganoon ang nangyari di ba? kaya dapat ay nagkaroon ito ng ibang dimensyon bukod sa kanyang pagiging istrikto. mahirap ding ma-imagine na mas matanda siya kay coco martin pero siyempre kailangang ipilit ito dahil para nga kay bea ang proyekto. oo nga't sa totoong buhay ay may isang naiiba sa magkakapatid pero sobrang layo ng coby ni coco sa mga kapatid nito. para itong asong inampon lang at maniniwala pa akong siya ang naging anak ni amanda (lorna tolentino) na lumaki sa ibang tahanan. mahusay na aktor si coco pero dito, labis-labis ang kanyang poot… para siguro tapatan ang angil ni bea! siyempre kailangan ding bigyang panahon ang pagsuporta ni diether ocampo kahit di naman talaga kailangang ganoon karami ang kanyang eksena.

may mga punto ring di natahi nang maayos. una na riyan ang bigla-biglang pagtanggap ni coco kay shaina magdayao gayong kulang na lang ay tadyakan niya ito nang patirahin ni lorna sa kanilang bahay. dahil ba sa presyur ng nagkakagulong pamilya kaya bigla na lang ding bumagsak ang mga grado ng karakter ni enchong dee? o di rin talaga siya magaling na estudyante at umaasa sa kanyang pagiging varsity player kaya nagkaroon ng scholarship. bukod dito, maraming negatibong palaisipan ang iiwan ng pelikula sa iyo. kailangan ba talagang maski si miles ocampo ay may kauuwiang ka-loveteam sa huling eksena? o bakit ganoon na lamang ang laki ng impluwensya ng pari (dominic ochoa) sa pamilya? maraming eksenang tila isiningit lang pero di talaga kailangan tulad ng flashback nina lorna at christopher de leon o mga eksena ni enchong at lauren young.

ang nagsilbing tagapagligtas ng sa 'yo lamang mula sa tuluyang pagiging palpak nito ay si lorna tolentino at ang simpleng mensahe nito. ang tahimik na presensya ng amanda ni lorna tolentino ang nagsilbing angkla ng istorya. matatag sa kabila ng tila pagiging bakgrawnd lamang sa kagaspangan ni bea lalo na sa unang kalahati ng pelikula. kahit na nga gusto niyang maging bida-kontrabida paminsan-minsan, ang mga ganitong papel ang tunay na forte ni lorna. siya rin ang may pinakamagandang character sketch dahil na rin siguro si amanda naman talaga ang sentro ng pelikula, hindi si diane. tamang timpla ang ibinigay ni lorna bilang isang nagdurusang maybahay pero may lihim din palang pagkakamali. sa kanya ang karakter na katanggap-tanggap.

sa haba ng sa 'yo lamang, ang mensahe talaga nito ay simple lang. ang kamatayan ay bahagi ng buhay at di maiiwasan. pagtanggap at pagpapatawad ay mahirap ibigay ngunit ang lahat ay nakakamit sa tamang panahon. walang imposible lalo na nga kung nasa sentro ang pananampalataya sa anumang porma nito.

may panghihinayang dahil produkto ito ni laurice guillen pero ok na rin na pampalipas-oras habang naglilinis ka ng bahay.

recommend

isa na namang nakaluluoy na sesyon sa ika-25 palapag. kung di siya tumigil, di rin ako titigil… ito lamang ang tumatakbo sa isip ko. ang mga taong hirap sa komprehensyon ay kailangang ilagay sa tamang kalagyan.

nagsulat na ako tungkol sa taong mahirap makaintindi at nakapalimitado ng bokabularyo. pero nitong huling sesyon, para itong pigsang bigla na lang naputok… 'yung wala sa oras at bigla na lang napusing parang lobo. naghasik ito ng nana… di raw siya ang nagrekomenda ng paksang 'yun. kung hindi ikaw ang nagrekomenda, kanino manggagaling ang ideya ng nakaraang mga kumbensyon? di naman ako tagaloob kaya sa kanya lamang manggagaling ang nangyari sa dating event at ideya ng tungkol sa mga pasimula pa lang na teknolohiya na may kinalaman sa pinakamahusay na gawain para sa kumpetitib na negosyo, ang paksa ng kumbensyon nila dati. sa kanya galing ang ideyang baka maaaring tahiin ang teknolohiya bilang bahagi ng pangkalahatang paksa ng pambansang pangungumpetensya.

pero hindi raw siya ang nag-"recommend"! adamanto ito mukhang 'yung terminong "recommend" ang problema niya. kung di ka nag-recommend, ano ang tawag sa pagbibigay mo ng ideya? suggestion lang? uy tiyang, kapag pinindot mo ang shift f7 sa pagitan ng mga letra ng "suggest", sasabihin ng microsoft word na magsingkahulugan ang dalawang termino. puwede rin ang propose, put forward, hint, imply, call to mind at isang dosena pang mga pampalit na termino.  ni-recommend mo man o hindi pero nag-suggest at nagbigay ka ng ideya… ganoon din 'yun. walang kaibahan.

    

at kung hindi ba naman tunggak ang isang ito, hindi ito ang sinuggest kong topic sa simula ng diskusyon sa kumbensyon noong marso. ginawa na raw 'yung suggestion ko dati at baka mayroon pa raw na ibang paksa. sa anumang sitwasyon, kapag tinanong ka kung "meron pa bang iba?", ibig sabihin nito'y di nagustuhan… hindi ba? kaya isip tayo ulit… pero iba ang audience dito, di maaaring masyadong teknikal. kaya ang sabi ko, sabihin mo sa akin kung ano ang napipisil mo at maaaring dito tayo humukay ng alternatibo. dito na nga niya binanggit ang tungkol sa pasimulang teknolohiya, na siyempre'y ginawa kong "nakagugulong" teknolohiya dahil ito ang terminong ginagamit sa amin. at ito ang kinauwian ng kabuuang approach at tema.

   

hindi ka ba masaya na maski minsan sa buhay mo ay may naisip kang ideya at nirekomenda mo ito? ariin mo ang rekomendasyon at dapat mo itong ipagbunyi, tiyang… ibig sabihin maski paano'y gumagana pa rin naman ang kalamnan sa bungo. at uulitin ko, hindi magkaiba ang recommend at suggest.

mumunting lihim

saktong habi ng mara clara ang mga mumunting lihim. lahat ng lihim na mayroon sa pagitan ng apat na magkakaibigan ay itinala ni mariel sa kanyang bolyum-bolyum na mga talaarawan. wala itong pinagkaiba sa order ng mara clara kung saan ang diary ni kardo ang ikatlong karakter… ang kay mariel (judy ann santos) naman ang susi sa pagkakaungkat ng mga isyu sa pagitan niya at kanyang 3 kaibigang sina carly o carla (iza calzado), sandra o sandy (agot isidro) at olive o olivia (janice de belen). naiba lang ang pelikula sa teleserye dahil sadyang ibinigay ni mariel ang kanyang mga diary kay carly… di na kailangan pang tumakbo ang istorya ng 5 taon.

ok naman ang pelikula. sakto sa sikmura ang mga birada ng apat. malapit sa nangyayari sa totoong buhay. di nga naman lahat ng magkakaibigan, kahit na ilang taon na silang may ugnayan, ay may malalim na salidahan ng tagung-tagong mga lihim ng isa't isa. may mga sitwasyong ang pinakamatalik mo pang kaibigan ang pinakamalaki mong katunggali, gaya ng kina mariel at carly. ang mga mumunting lihim ay di naman talaga tungkol sa pagkakaibigan ng apat kundi ng malalim na lumbay at inggit ni mariel sa kanyang mga kaibigan lalo na kay carly. ginamit niya ang kanyang mga kaibigan upang makadama ng tagumpay (kumpara kay olive), tagatanggap ng patalikod na mga pamimintas (para kay sandra) at patunay na mali ang kanyang mga naging pasya sa buhay kaya't kailangan din niya itong bawian (kay carly). nagkataon lang na may 2 pang karakter na bubuo sa kanyang balaking isiwalat ang lahat sa kanyang pagkamatay. inggit at pagkahabag sa sarili ang puno't dulo ng kanyang mapanglaw na pamumuhay. tanging diary lang ang kanyang naging katuwang sa madawag na kanyang buhay na buti na lang ay pinutol agad.

  

flashback ang atake ni reyes na ok naman pero kitang-kita ang inspirasyong galing sa sex and the city sa mga eksenang nagsisikain at lakad nang lakad ang mga karakter. maayos naman bakgrawnd ng bawat karakter at ang muling pag-ikot ng kuwento sa simula ay naihatid. sa huli, ang mga mumunting lihim ay naging matagumpay dahil sa krispong mga hirit at talento ng apat na aktres. si iza calzado ang nasa gitna ng tunggalian. bagamat kaunting hamon lamang ang ibinigay sa kanya bilang carly, saktong timpla ng matapang na babae at kaibigang nasaktan ang aking nasaksihan. bagay kay agot isidro ang kanyang sandra na matapobre at biglang yaman. di siya bumitiw sa karakter maging sa mga eksenang di niya kailangang magsalita.

     

sinadya ni reyes na si judy ann santos ang mariel ng pelikulang ito. siyempre komersyal ang bakgrawnd niya kaya kailangan ng isang malaking pangalan. ang kaibahan lang, hindi siya ang api-apihan dito. ang kanyang mariel ang pinagmulan ng mga isyung di naman talaga isyu kung tutuusin at nagawa niya ito ng buong husay. malkontentado sa buhay, puno ng hinagpis at malapit nang mamatay, mahusay si juday. pero ang agaw-eksena ay si janice de belen. alam na ng lahat na magaling na aktres pero sa mga mumunting lihim, nalimot kong si janice ang nakikita ko at naglaho sa likod ni olive ang personalidad. ok lang na talunan siya sa kanilang apat pero kwidaw sa kanyang mga sinasabi at swak na swak ang pagganap ni de belen.

maaaring mas naging matagumpay ang pelikulang ito kung hindi si joey reyes ang direktor. maganda kasi ang tema. pero magandang simula para sa kanya. ok na rin na pampalipas ng nakababagot na biyernes santo.     

harvest

such a harvest. harvest it was. as austin o'malley puts it, "happiness is the harvest of a quiet eye." :)

“A Corymbus for Autumn"

by Francis Thompson

How are the veins of thee, Autumn, laden?

Umbered juices,

And pulpèd oozes

Pappy out of the cherry-bruises,

Froth the veins of thee, wild, wild maiden.

With hair that musters

In globèd clusters,

In tumbling clusters, like swarthy grapes,

Round thy brow and thine ears o'ershaden;

With the burning darkness of eyes like pansies,

Like velvet pansies

Where through escapes

The splendid might of thy conflagrate fancies;

With robe gold-tawny not hiding the shapes

Of the feet whereunto it falleth down,

Thy naked feet unsandalled;

With robe gold-tawny that does not veil

Feet where the red

Is meshed in the brown,

Like a rubied sun in a Venice-sail.