sweat

yesterday, i went to the mall to try and do some christmas shopping. it's ten days or so before x-mas and the place was packed. i had trouble finding a space to park but after less than an hour, i found one near the entrance to the department store.

i had no idea what to buy, so i ended up buying things for myself, some car stuff, a lemonheads cd, an allred comic book, and a ghoulish mr.t t-shirt.

before going back to the carpark, i passed by the toy section of the department store, and saw some nice miniature dinosaurs. i bought some and hoped it'd do as a gift, and bought a few for myself. i also got a couple of toys for two of my nieces. then i grabbed some diapers and checked-out.

i went to the townhouse to secure some items and some unassigned gifts from last year. i got all sweaty loading the stuff into the car, and had to change shirts. i noticed this before, but i guess i expand a lot more these days whenever i sweat. my large sized t-shirt, which fits perfectly in a normal physical condition, seemingly shrinks when my body temperature rises and i perspire. driving back to the temporary residence that very hospitably houses me, my wife and son, i had this feeling of being contained because i was snugly hugged by this fitted shirt.

sweat is triggered when the temperature is hot, but not all the time (sometimes fear and anxiety can be a factor). in this case, the relatively strenuous activity i embarked on where i labored to lift paperbags and somewhat exerted force to carry them from the living room to the parked automobile, was the main culprit for my wet condition.

the fluids i release trickle down all over my skin, then they pick a spot along the garments i wear, and wait to be absorbed. they are salty because sweat is not composed purely of water, they contain chlorides and minerals like sodium and potassium, and many others. sometimes when i sweat from my eyebrows, my eyes get irritated from from the tiny droplets washing my eyeballs.

while it is unfair that men sweat more than women, it is also quite nice to know that the male population can provide other liquids of use, specially when the world runs out due to excessive heat from the sun. however, after thinking about what i just wrote, i'd reconclude that as the water supply of the world evaporates in this apocalyptic setting i'm suggesting, so will we dry up like prunes and raisins. so, there is no point after all to this post except to admit that i got fatter, and some of my shirts don't fit anymore.

the necessary vacation

almost a year ago, i received a text message that changed a part of my life that till then, seemed permanent and easy-going to the point it was easily taken for granted. it's an sms sent to the three auxiliary members of the "sando" band: to me, to mike lagman, and to jp cruz.

it's a message from the "sando" band frontman sal reyes. a stern and seemingly irrevocable message that says he was quitting: leaving the band for personal reasons. he needed to focus his energy on his work, family and wedding preparations, which we all agreed was very important.

i tried to reason with him, and convinced him not to "quit" the band because of everything that led to what we have done, and because that would technically reduce the band to a headless chicken if we ever go ahead without him. he agreed, and we both called the situation a temporary hiatus -- to keep our hopes up, in case he'll be available at some point in the future.

towards the end of 2009, we already were starting to feel limited; we had to pass on some shows and opportunities because of schedule conflicts. at that time (before he sent the message), we were enjoying a cozy reception from several small groups of people and even new audiences, and we very much appreciated such warm support. we hesitated to let go of that small stake in the underground scene so after the "cool off" we tried to continue as a three-piece "sando" cover band, we called ourselves "multiplex". we had played as a trio before whenever sal wasn't available, but never as an official outfit sans sal.

we played once, at dayo bar, (kermit productions' last show (probably, for now)). but after a performance that didn't strike a chord within our hearts, we didn't try any other "multiplex" performances.

needless to say, i probably had the most difficult time accepting the hiatus. for a project we (somewhat) worked hard on, to end at a snap of a finger, was kinda hard to swallow (eventhough it was "temporary"); moreso since i co-founded this group, and i never missed a gig (i think).

together with my bandmates, i've endured early struggles, labored through adversities, and ironed out the kinks and wrinkles. but of course, there were good times, and there were more than a handful. that's why it was sad to see this house of cards crumbling down, it was sad because we haven't even scratched the ceiling yet. the time off may have been "temporary" but we all knew this was probably it.

a month passed after the "cool-off" and everyone was (not surprisingly) being more productive with our own stuff. everyone had a breather. aside from the itch to grab our guitars and drumsticks, to play to our heart's content, nothing really bothered us away from our stuff.

another month passed and we (or i maybe speaking for myself) started to admit that this was a necessary vacation. jp's business slowly but surely got going, then he met the love of his life, and it was smooth sailing from then on. mike set up his own business with his wife, and also got a new guitar later this year. as for myself, i started taking things more seriously at work, spent more time with family, but more importantly got my wife pregnant who gave birth recently to matthew rohan on december 2 -- the same date sal tied the knot with his then-girlfriend and now-wife (kudos buddy).

everything worked out the way it should, we even played several times this year at a new bar, headstock, near sal's family's place along quezon avenue.

things definitely changed but our bond remains strong, it was probably an end of an era, but i have to admit it was for the better. this vacation was necessary, and if i can go back in time, i definitely won't change a thing.