All for equality I ramble

Because we're all human.

Credit to A Bicycle Built for Two

Marriage is a man-made institution, that much we know. And yet many still yearn for the stability and the sense of safety brought about by having someone, a spouse and a partner, who's got your back, to put it mildly. To some, marriage, represents the pinnacle of their love's consummation. To bind yourself to another person for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, in toothpaste caps left open, and in soiled clothes dumped in a messy heap by the hamper, takes a lot of courage and devotion.

To take the plunge of marriage is to set off to seas of contingencies unknown. Both parties realize it's not going to be a walk in the park and the opportunities to stop and smell the roses will be few and far in between. And yet, we still hunger to be part of an institution so fragile. It's a human need to love and be loved. And marriage, the binding, the promise, the vow to be together come hell or high water, seems to be the next natural thing to do. So what's all the fuss? Love is love regardless of who is loving who.

To hamper an individual's right to marriage because of his or her sexual preference is similar to a DOS attack. In a denial-of-service attack, an attacker attempts to prevent legitimate users from accessing information or services. By targeting your computer and its network connection, or the computers and network of the sites you are trying use, an attacker may be able to prevent you from accessing e-mail, websites, online accounts or other services that rely on the affected computer. Pardon the comparison but the parallelism, for me, is uncanny. Denial of service. Denial of access. Denial of the right to express our love. To deny a person her right to happiness is the ultimate oppression, deprived of access to love, to care, to the right to be by her partner's side in times of sickness, and a myriad of things that heterosexual partnerships enjoy. How can another human being be so cruel as to deprive another of the most basic need to feel and express that feeling?

When we fight for our right to marry or strike a domestic partnership to the one we love, we are merely expressing our devotion. In no way are we trying to taint the sanctity of your own heterosexual union. In fact, we are happy you've found a love so special some people only dream of having and one that people fight long and hard for. Simply put, and as cheesy as it may seem, we just want to be happy with the woman in our life. To live and to let live.

Bear this in mind: Just because we are women who love women or men who love men does not make us subhuman, it does not make our love less legitimate, less pure, unfit to be recognized.

En pointe

When the white feet of dancers beat across the stage

the sound is like the wings of birds at dawn; fluttering,

and when the feathery light bodies rise en pointe, spinning

like the wind across a lake

the sight is romance, uttering.

Variation on a Theme

D.H. Lawrence

David Ira Rottenberg from Soldiers of Beauty

I haven't watched a good ballet performance in a long time (none of my friends don't ever seem to want to go with me!), so when Ballet Philippines delighted audiences with its performance of Crisostomo Ibarra, I was one happy clam. During the show, I played around with our Nikon D90 and snapped the photos included.

Crisotomo Ibarra was a contemporary dance retelling of Dr. Jose Rizal's pivotal novel Noli Me Tangere. The dance performance was part of SGV's 65th anniversary celebrations and Mr. Washington SyCip's 90th birthday. Atty. Minney Reyes, Dr. Rizal's great grandniece through his sister Saturnina, was also present to lend her support. She noted that it was a timely staging, as 2011 is also the year of the 150th birth anniversary of our national hero. She encouraged the audience to remember what Rizal died for and to live out those same heroic values everyday. The one-and-a-half hour show featured music by Jed Balsamo and choreography by Paul Alexander Morales, who also directed the performance.

Utawutaw

sa dagat sang paghigugma

alugaynay nga ikaw naga-utawutaw

puno sang ining balatian

nga pakalisud sang isang wal'ay balatiagon

sa gilayon ako nagahulat

sa pagbukas sang imu mga palad

nabinhod, nga pilit nagtiklop dala sang kasakit

palangga, kung ako imu tugtan

gilayon ko ikaw nga kup-an

para ang hapdi, ga, imu mautwasan

Stilettista's note: What joy it is to discover that Hiligaynon may very well be an able dialect for love and all its musings. 

Confessions of a stiletto addict

So we veer away from sensible blogging to indulge in one of my vices: SHOES.

Presenting this red, hot wonder from Balenciaga's 2011 Fall Collection. I die.

Credit to Tommy Ton

Commercial Break

It's 4:15 p.m. in my part of the world and aside from the occassional trips to the ladies room, I have been chained to my desk for most of the day. Safe to say, this bondage will continue on until close of business this rainy Monday. Ok, I refuse to wave the proverbial white flag today at work, kahit pa pagod na pagod na ang mga mata ko sa pag-eedit at parang walang bukas ang pagdating ng trabaho. Why not, you ask? There are words that keep me going. These words are welcome distractions, beautifully written, so much so that they temporarily take my mind away from all the technical writing I am paid to read and edit. Oh, I am not complaining about work but I'm human and I get tired. I'm going to let you in on a little secret -- I actually like editing technical documents. I learn a lot and I feel it's valuable knowledge.

Aside from these words, there is another reason for my renewed vigor in work and life. Early this year, I made a few resolutions to myself. Now, I don't normally go about making resolutions. For the longest time, I've cruised through life taking it all in, riding the waves and leaving the shore when I feel like it, only to come back when and as necessary. But this year, dahil tao lamang, I got tired. Bulag sa maling akala, I thought I could go on loving and loving and loving. Haha! Wala pa lang Energizer Bunny for love. I fell in love for the first time. And yes, it was beautiful. Yet, like most things in life, it, too, had to end.

When it ended, (for good, mind you) I made some resolutions I am hell bent on seeing through. One of these resolutions is to awaken a renewed enthusiasm for work. Ambisyosa ako and I want another promotion yun lang. Anyway, back to regular programming and I have about less than a hundred pages to go. Yes, that's how long these documents can be. Sometimes more.

More than happy to oblige

Ang pag-abot

Kaladlawan kag kakilibut

Ang imu pag-abot

Dala ang pag-amigohay

Nabuhian ako sang paglaum

Sa imu pag-abot

Akon nalimtan ang kapait sang kahapon

Naging masidnadyahon

Wal'ay dulonan nga pagpangalipay ang akon naagum

Gani sa imu pag-abot

Kag sa sunod naton nga pag-kitaay

Ang matam-is mo nga yuhum

Ang mainit mo nga hakus

Akon taguon sa dalamguhanon.

Stilettista's note: 
Grappled for a while and edited it a bit. Forgive me but after all, writing is essentially rewriting and rewriting and rewriting. I've never tried my hand at a binalaybay before until a beautiful soul came along and wisely told me, Filipino is such wonderful language, in whatever dialect. It captures feelings and emotions more heartfelt. She should know and so I humbly follow and explore. This is my first foray.


A binalaybay is Hiligaynon poetry. Hiligaynon is the dialect of Iloilo City, a small yet bustling southern town in the Western Visayas. The writer is a bona fide Ilongga, born, bred and raised, recently having discovered the beauty of a dialect she so abhorred in school. Her Hiligaynon professor would be so proud.

Back story

Because I'm such a girly girl and because I can't resist an outfit post (ok, there will be many!).

The one time I totally went out and dolled up for an event was during our 65th Staff Anniversary at the SMX SM Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City. I couldn't believe how I was able to find this dress and have it fit perfectly, like a glove, off the rack. It still hangs in my closet, a reminder of a fun, glamorous night.

The In-between

A spontaneous combustion...
A languid caress...
A deepening understanding...
Exploring, delving, discovering something amazing
Tucked in an in-between.