Hatinggabi na, pero heto gising pa rin. Sadyang ayaw lang talaga ako patulugin ng isip ko. Mahirap talaga makalimutan ang aking naging mga paglalakbay, ngunit tandang-tanda ko pa rin ang mga ito na parang kahapon lang nangyari. Nagsimula ang lahat sa dalawang pangungusap. Mahirap paniwalaan, pero oo, nagsimula ito sa kwentong dalawang pangungusap lamang. Sinundan naman ito ng mahaba-habang sagutan tungkol sa Wild World. Bigla tuloy akong napatanong ng Kailan Kaya? Na hindi pa rin nasasagot kaya pwede bang pakisabi na lang.

Sabi nila ang paglalakbay daw ay ang pagtulak sa sarili mo sa extreme at pagtuklas sa iyong mga kakayahan. Bilang mga kabataan, oo dapat natin gawin ito. Ngunit siguraduhin lang natin na tama ang ating ipinaglalaban dahil tayo ang pag-asa ng bayan, Kabataan Tayo. Pero ano nga ba ang paglalakbay kung hindi ka sasakay ng eroplano. Alam ko medyo nakakatakot lalo na ‘pag naalala mo ang mga trahedya tulad ng Tres-Setenta. Pero paano kung maiiwasan mo ito? Paano kung mayro’n kang relo na nagsasabi kung kailan ka mamamatay? Literal na Hour of Death ang malalaman mo, alam ko medyo surreal na ideya pero paano nga ba talaga?

Sa paglalakbay, dapat laging pairalin ang utak at puso, pero paano nalang Kapag Nag-Isip ang Puso? Sasabihin kaya nito ang mga tunay na nararamdaman? Siguradong ipapakita nito ang ating paraiso, My Dreams at Experiencing Fantasy. Pero minsan talaga mapapasabi ka na lang ng Ganun Talaga ‘pag hindi mo alam ang sagot. Ganoon pa ‘man, naging Panunumpa Ko sa bawat buwan ang ipagpatuloy ang paglalakbay kahit maraming hadlang at para bang walang katapusan ang problema, kung kayo’y nagtataka kung anong mga pagsubok ito, It’s a Mystery for the Best. Basta may kinalaman ito sa ating bansa, yun bang The Best and the Brightest daw sila pero hindi naman talaga.

Ewan ko na, basta ang importante maraming natutunan sa paglalakbay. Mga aral na magagamit sa mga susunod pang paglalakbay upang mas maging maayos ang daanang tatahakin. Ako nga pala si Edgewright, nawa’y natuwa kayo sa pagbabasa ng aking mga paglalakbay. Hatinggabi na pala, kailangan ko nang magpahinga upang maghanda sa panibagong biyahe, hanggang sa muli!

Born and raised in the slums

Just like most of us here

Perhaps we need someone who understands

Someone just like him

The bearer of change, that’s what he’ll be

We’re all desperate for a new system now, aren’t we?

All we hear is the good news!

All we see is progress!

He’s promised us a better life

He’s done all sorts of things we didn’t know we even needed

He’s solved so many problems we didn’t even know we had

He knows how to run a country indeed

When I was young, my grandmother would always tell me this short story.

It was about her; how back when she was a child, she would always play by the sand in her old house every afternoon, and it always made her happy despite it being messy. One day, while playing in the sand, she found something buried there, something so special and nice that she has kept it since then.

And just like that the story ends. As a kid, I always wanted to know what that special thing was, but she would always say, “You’ll find out, when you sleep.” I would even ask my mom and my aunts about it, but they say that grandma never told them that story before and have no idea whatever that thing is.

Unfortunately, I never got to truly know what that thing was. Even after Grandma passed away when I was 8 years old, I did not stop wondering about it.

While rummaging through grandma’s old stuff, I found a few trinkets and jewelry that I thought could be the special “thing” she was talking about. Mom told me, however, that she only had those when she was dating Grandpa.

For many nights, I hypothesized and created my own endings to that story, but it just never felt right. Until I realized something.

Maybe it’s best that I don’t know whatever that “thing” was. Maybe Grandma really wanted me to be on the edge of my seat every time she would put me to bed. Whatever her reason might have been, or whatever that “thing” actually is, I guess it’s best to say that, Grandm, at least I know in my heart that her story will never end for me.

“Ako ay Pilipino”

Ipinanganak at pinalaki sa Pilipinas, at kahit ako’y mapunta sa ibang bansa

o kahit saan man ako mapunta, ito’y nasa aking isip at puso.

“Buong katapatang nanunumpa sa watawat ng Pilipinas,

at sa bansang kaniyang sinasagisag”

Madalas nating sabihin, pero kadalasa’y hindi natin naisasabuhay at naisasapuso,

Maging ang ating pinuno mismo ay dayuhang bansa ang ipinaglalaban

Dayuhang bansa kung saan siya’y tapat, dayuhang bansa na sa atin ay maaring bumihag

“Na may dangal, katarungan at kalayaan”

Tatlong bagay na sa panahon ngayon ay naipagkakait at unti-unting nawawala

Nawa’y tayo ay kumilos, manindigan at patuloy na lumaban

“Na ipinapakilos ng sambayanang Maka-Diyos…”

Magkakaiba man ang ating paniniwala

Huwag mawalan ng pag-asa, tayo’y magkaisa at tanggalin ang mga gapos

“Makakalikasan, Makatao at Makabansa ”

Tatlong bagay na hindi na rin nabibigyang halaga sa kasalukuyan,

ating patuloy na isabuhay at ipaglaban

At higit sa lahat, huwag natin hayaan na tuluyang mawala

21 hours has past, and I'm still not falling asleep

The surroundings are dark and my thoughts have gone deep

My mind keeps going through all the secrets I keep

Why is this even happening? I only had a few drinks

Or maybe too much, I don’t know, I can’t properly think

But for some reason, my eyes slowly blink

10 minutes pass and I still don’t feel the need for slumber

It's the end of April but it feels cold like December

Is this what it feels like to be awake forever

A few hours pass and I'm just staring at the ceiling

When all of a sudden, I hear roosters sounding

I look through the window, the darkness is fading

As every slow minute passes, the black abyss that's in my room disappears

As if each gleaming ray that hits my wall clears all of my fears

In just one minute, the sun fully rises and everything that was unseen before, appears

What an experience

A rollercoaster of emotions

I want this to happen again

Sa panahon natin ngayon

Sa internet na matatagpuan ang bilyon-bilyong impormasyon

Na makikita lamang sa iba’t ibang libro noon

Pero sa dami man ng impormasyon dito

Limitado lamang ang kakayahan nito

Na kahit isang makina, hindi nito laging makikita ang hinahanap mo

Di’ ko lang talaga kasi maintindihan

Lahat ng kailangan mo, sa internet na daw matatagpuan

At kahit nga personal na impormasyon ko’y nalalaman

Pero malalaman ko ba sa pag-Google kung may pag-asa pa ako sa kaniya?

Mapapanood ko ba sa YouTube ang dahilan kung bakit ako’y iniwan niya?

O di kaya, nakasulat ba sa Wikipedia na hanggang kaibigan lang kami pala?

Sa lahat ng tanong na ‘yan, “hindi” ang sagot

Pero okay lang naman ito sa ‘kin

May mga bagay talaga sigurong hindi ko na malalaman ang sagot

Kahit napakaraming tanong sa isip ko’y bumabalot

Walking while listening to music

In a place surrounded by tall and bright buildings

Feeling the cold breeze of a calm night

I am free, I am happy

I then stumble upon a rooftop

Looking at a majestic skyline accompanied by a bright moon

A somber and smooth jazz song plays in the background

I am relaxed, I’m filled with glee

A second passes and I find myself relaxing by the beach

Quiet and alone as I hear the waves hitting the shore

Enjoying the sunny but windy weather

I am calm, I hope for more to see

A snap of a finger leads me to be driving fast

Open road with no other cars and no rules

Shifting through gears and stepping on the gas

I am unstoppable, I feel time moving quickly

Everything goes dark, I end up in a bed

In a familiar room as the sun rises

With my phone repeatedly ringing loud

I gain consciousness, sigh, and look at a nearby clock

I was free, I was happy

Parating na naman ang isang natatanging araw sa Pebrero

Isang araw na naging espesyal para sa ‘kin noong nakaraang dalawang taon

Pero hindi na ngayon,

Marami na din kasing nagbago

Edad, panahon, klima, at damdamin ko para sa' yo

Okey lang, naka-move on na ako

Kahit naman hindi naging tayo

Ganon pa man, di naging madali na kalimutan ang naramdaman ko sa’yo

Lalo na kung nakikita kong magkasama kayo

Ano ba talaga kasing nangyari?

Magdamag tayo laging nag-uusap noong Disyembre

Palagi tayong magkasamang umuuwi

Pagsapit ng Enero, iniwan mo na ako sa ere

Hanggang kaibigan lang tayo, iyong sinabi

Pero masaya na ako ngayon, basta't masaya ka

Kahit iba na ang iyong kasama

Kasamang tumawa, kasamang gumawa ng alaala

Kasamang sasabihan ka lagi ng "Mahal kita"

Ewan ko ba kung anong pinagsasabi ko

Ganito ba talaga, pag malapit na ang araw ng mga puso?

Hindi ko na alam, ang gulo na ng isip ko

Mahirap lang talaga siguro dahil may pinagsamahan tayo

Pero ibang landas na ngayon ang tinatahak ko

Basta kung kailangan mo ng kausap, nandito lang ako

Ang maasahang kaibigan mo.

The year is 2045, it's the 25th of October, this is the day Tuckresoft releases its most ambitious product ever, the Lifewatch. Unlike any ordinary smartwatch, the Lifewatch is a watch that tells you how much time you have left in this world. Critics say it's impossible and nonsensical, but hey, there's no loss in trying.

Two days later, here I am queuing to get my hands on the said watch. Never really expected a lot of people to also get it, but waiting isn't so bad since I already pre-ordered it. A few hours passed and I got mine. As I got home, I eagerly wore it, didn't even have to configure stuff, it automatically displayed my remaining time. It said "Remaining Time: 70 Y: 45 D: 38 M" apparently, I die at age 92, but here's the thing, Tuckresoft said that this can be longer or shorter, depending on my lifestyle and stuff I do.

I then turned on the TV, only to be horrified of the chaos and madness the watch has caused. People left and right, injuring and even killing themselves seeing if the watch actually works. Tuckresoft immediately halted sales and requested owners of the watch to return it to them. I quickly went to bed and lay there, contemplating if I should return the watch or not. I suddenly get a text from my friend, saying we should drive south the next day to stay away from the urban chaos for a while. I said yes and went on to sleep worryingly. The next morning, I prepared the stuff I'm going to bring for this impromptu road trip. Some clothes, snacks, and some essential outdoor stuff. I then stared at the Lifewatch, debating whether I should bring it. A few hours passed and my friend finally arrived. As I was packing inside the car, I then decided to wear the Lifewatch, when suddenly, the Lifewatch ticked and decreased to 65 years from the original 70. My friend then argued that I take it off just until we get back home later. So I did, and placed it on the dashboard of the car, bewildered about it suddenly ticking.

Many miles later, we stopped for gas, while waiting inside the car I just couldn't resist looking at the watch, so I did and to my shock it said "120 minutes remaining". I didn't know what to do, so I just placed it back and ignored it. As my friend got back, I told him to just slow down and cruise on the way. He ignored what I said, assuring me that there's nothing to worry about. As we entered the highway, I felt my heart rate raise, I started to sweat and tremble. With loud music playing, him singing along, and driving very fast. There was no way he's going to hear me, but I tried anyways "maybe we should slow down a bit," I nervously said. "What!?" he replied, "I think maybe you should slow down a bit!" I said, louder than before, he then replied with the same thing. I started to panic inside, this is when I realized that he's been looking at me all throughout our exchange–

A large truck was losing control and loudly skidding on the road was heading towards us. My life flashed before my eyes. Everything suddenly went black, and all I could hear is a high-pitched white noise and the tires’ squeal getting louder and louder. Heavy pieces of metal crushed my legs, shards of glass pierced through my skin, and my body gets tossed around the car. As I felt heat surrounding the car, I slowly opened my eyes, still hearing the white noise, I was trapped inside the car and the smell of gasoline was prominent. As I fully opened my eyes, I was faced by the Lifewatch, partially broken but still working, unable to read with a blurry vision, all I see is a red number counting down. That's when I came to my senses and tried to escape, not being able to move as my legs are broken, I then hear liquid pouring behind me, I kept looking at the Lifewatch to see what it read. Then I saw it 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... And as it hits one I braced myself and pitch black, a muted explosion occurs, flames surround me – Zero.

Wild World

In this world, we humans can never say that we are truly alone

We live amongst beings and creatures that we have not yet known

With this our curiosity ensues

And because of this, sacrificing other beings is what we choose

In order for us to answer our questions, we often make sacrifices

And we do this by a merciless process

One might say, that we are beasts for doing so

But why only humans, what about creatures that do this also?

What makes us different from these non-human creatures?

When anatomically, we almost share the same features

Is it because we have a more advanced mind?

Or are we truly just a different kind

Yes, we humans often have conflicts with each other

…just like how a fly is to a spider

Yes, we humans also discriminate

…just like mammals to their fellow primate

We humans are different, that’s very true

It’s shown by the things we do

But with this, are we truly the monsters of the earth?

Just because our lives have more worth?

We humans do things our own way

The humane way

…but so do these creatures

Pero tunay ba tayong magkakilala?

Pero bakit tingin natin sa isa’t isa’y estranghero?

Kailan kaya matatapos ang aking pagtatago?

Pero bihira magtagpo ang ating mga mata.

O senyales na ng katotohanan? Ay gumising ka!

Tama na ang biro!