World, meet my friend Melvin...

If there's one person in the world who knows what lies in the deepest recesses of my heart and mind, I'd say it's him, Melvin. There simply are things that I can comfortably drop in front of him without having to feel the fear of being judged and rejected. I love the startled look all over his face when I let a bombshell explode and the hearty laugh that ensues.

Our paths first crossed some 13 years ago. We were classmates in the entire duration of our high school days in The Sisters of Mary School. We were never really close buddies back then perhaps owing to the fact that we dispersed into different families (more on this set-up in a future post) after classes were over. Today, though, in our frequent trips to memory lane, we are able to single out several instances that involve us both, try to relive and make a good, cathartic laugh about them. Yes, we have a knack of glossing over the embarrassment and uneasiness of those past experiences and turn them into one big, boisterous laugh.

Let me tell you some interesting tidbits you might want to know about him. But before you howl and condemn me as a gossip-monger who'll squeal at every opportunity, Melvin has given me the rights of full disclosure as I see fit and becoming. I'm here to tell the stories of the people who helped shape my perspectives but definitely not at the expense of mutual trust based on confidentiality. For the record, when I texted him that I'll write about him here and that it may involve some issues he might want to keep silent about, this was the exact reply and I quote, " Go! Il give d freedom to write anything. Hehe" - 11:02:37 AM 06/09/2008. He's probably not aware of the dangers of absolute freedom but I'm honored at the unconditional trust. I promise not to betray that confidence in me. So, here it spills...

• Melvin had the most celebrated love team with Lord Jim during our high school days. Batchmates, straight or otherwise, could not help but turn green with envy at the sight of the seemingly perfectly-tailored pair. Melvin was especially renowned for his kissable, red lips then and Lord Jim was the cute, boy-next-door guy whose disarming smile was more than enough to sweep you off your feet. Today, though, word has it that Lord Jim is now irretrievably married and with kids to boot, gone was the charm of those enchanting eyes and the magic of his bewitching smile. On the other hand, Melvin's lips may have remained red but I don't know if they're still kissable. Also, he has misty eyes turned to someone he codenamed "W" but I encrypted it to be someone initialled "M."

• Melvin's physique, which now borders on obesity (hahaha!) is never indicative of his build way back in high school. He was lean and short then. His now-imposing presence doesn't fail to surprise our batchmates who haven't seen him in years, having outgrown everyone, even the tallest perhaps in the batch (I don't wanna know his secret!). And with his monstrous appetite, I'm seeing a BIG future for him. Good luck!

• Melvin is a fully-stuffed 160 G iPod. Play a song and chances are, he'll sing with it uncut from start to finish. I don't know where he got all the time to put them all in his head but he's the man to beat when it comes to memorizing songs. And his choice transcends international borders and language barriers, too. Last I heard, he was singing some I-don't-know-if-it's-a-Greek song by an Israeli singer. On an unfortunate note, though, he doesn't sing very well. Clearly, there is a distinction between knowing a song by heart and being on the right key when vocalizing it.

• Melvin is a hard-to-please movie critic. His reviews make you want to watch the movie yourself 'cause his opinion is always full of command and conviction. In the end, you may find yourself disagreeing with him but you'll always admire his choice which, like his songs, breaks geographical boundaries as well. I will always be thankful for him introducing me to a plethora of Asian flicks at http://www.crunchyroll.com/. Now, I have an unlimited(?) resource of online movies and have picked for myself my own favorites.

• Melvin was the igniting force that pushed me to write my own web log (okay, blog!). Like I mentioned in my first-ever entry here, I first heard of blogs in 2003 but never got the patience or perhaps, the interest in reading other people's online journal, let alone write my own. Then, Melvin came into the picture. He started talking about interesting people through his constant bloghopping. Which made me nose around and eventually start my own. Trivia: This blogspot account was set-up first than his, although he already maintained one in Friendster.

You see, I can lengthen this post to an endless descriptive notes about Melvin but I better stop here. I guess I have just shown one clear point and it is this: we allowed the free influence in each other's lives and decided to afford a full, no-holds-barred acceptance. I cannot claim that I know him like the back of my hand but I know him well enough to tell what he's thinking by the look in his eyes. More than anything else, he's a friend whom I can freely share just about anything--from my loftiest of aspirations to my darkest of secrets. Like they said, he can swallow them all hook, line, and sinker.

Cheers to a lifetime of friendship, Melvin!

There's a lot of sex in the city

After a movie-length bout of fighting off lethargy, all I got from watching Sex and the City was a sore heart.

I can't nail it in the head but I don't know why. Perhaps, it's because the movie was depicted so close to home that it either reopened some old wounds caused by heartbreaks or magnified the fact that I love but has no one to share it with. Perhaps, this was what Tiggah meant when he said "lugubrious," and frankly, I'd rather not feel anything than nurse lugubriousness inside me. I don't like the hollow it creates especially when I wake up from a disturbed sleep, 'cause it is during these times when the emptiness seems the deepest.

Foremost, it must be known that I am a staunch believer of love. No amount of heartbreak and pain can ever shake that belief. I fell, got bruised and scarred but the risk of taking my chance at love was worth it all. No regrets! The possession of that beautiful memory that's forever etched in my heart far outweigh the searing pain of the heartbreak and the long struggle that went with it. So, after everything has been said and done, when the pain and even anger has subsided, one can choose to either put one's guard against further damage or continue believing the beauty of a perfectly imperfect love. I choose the latter.

And I don't think I'm alone in that decision. The string of events that transpired over the weekend was a foolproof testament to that fact. Only that it is guised in its other subtle forms--one of them, promiscuity.

I, and two other office mates (names withheld until permission is granted), decided to take a firsthand look at the city's nightlife and confirmed it unquestionable implications to the throbbing sexual activities behind what meets the eye.

First stop was a male sports and entertainment club (Tarzan Boy) where dancers showed a lot of skin (read: all skin) for patrons to feast on while performing those provocative gyrations. As the night wore on, we noticed the seemingly patterned clothing economy: from tight-fitting jeans, to briefs that almost did not hide anything anymore, to thin and scant cloths that make you wonder why they're there in the first place, to nothing at all.

As if such display of bodies was not the way to cap the night, we proceeded to the heart of the city, to a place called "Numero Doce" where the crowd was just as aggressive. An almost-all-gay (alright, others call themselves bisexuals) music and dance bar, the sight of two guys kissing, oblivious of the people around, qualifies for the ordinary. And the chance of finding one of those guys necking with another guy is not at all flabbergasting. Gosh, that's how networking is defined in this place! When my friend whispered, "This is Sodom and Gomorrah," I could not agree more.

Indeed, there's a lot of sex in the city.

Whether this is a result of that interminable search for love or just plain promiscuity, I really cannot tell. Nor do I think it is for me to know.

As for me, the relentless quest is not yet over. Methinks that it won't stop until I find somebody who combines sex with love. 'Til then, I'll never say that my heart has found its home.

Anyone? lol