Guhit Kamay

Paikot, Pahaba, Kanan, Kaliwa

Saan man dalhin ng gabay ang aking pluma

Panimula’y tila yata walang saysay

Nang maglaon ay makikita gandang taglay

Ihambing ito sa buhay na kinabibilangan.

Mga pinagdaraanan natin parang walang patutunguhan.

Bungkos-bungkos na tanong at pagaalinlangan,

ating ibinabato sa may Kapangyarihan.

Pero ika nga nila, lahat talaga ay may kadahilanan.

Pananalig sa Maykapal lamang ang kailangan.

Sa bawat liko at pangyayaring sa atin nagaganap,

ay mabubuo ang plano ng Diyos sa hinaharap.

Tiwala lang sa Kanya ang paniwalaan ng higit,

Sapagkat may rason ang lahat ng kanyang iginuguhit.

Sa papel mong buhay, kamay ay pasikot-sikot

Di magtatagal and tunay na ganda nito ay iyo ring mapupulot.

photos and words by: jeklog

@ Morayta, Manila

Have you ever felt this sudden urge to ask God what the hell is He doing in your life? That you want to cut the chase to see what really is bound to happen to you? Is what you are doing now, something essential to your destination? Or you are just shilly-shallying instead of being the next best thing? When is your time to be on top? Are the twists and turns that you are feeling going to lead you somewhere or at the end they are just going to make you throw up? That you want to pirate a copy of your life’s walkthrough so that you can get everything that is fated to be yours? So many questions about our life and our Guide fill our minds. As of this moment, I too do not have the answers to these queries. Perhaps the thing that will de-clutter our minds with these schemes will only be Trust in the Him, the Guide.

Silid Aralan

Nene, Totoy, Tinay, Nonoy

Maupo na ang lahat, andito na si kuya Buboy

Naihanda niyo ba ang inyong takdang aralin?

Mga bagong leksyon ngayon ang ating tatalakayin.

Makinig at itatak sa utak niyong kuwaderno

Mga mumunting aral at maikling mga kwento,

Na sana’y mamalagi sa mga kukote ninyo,

At magbigay dunong sa gutom na ulo

Magkaroon sana ng saysay aking krusada,

Maghatid karunungan aking adbokasiya.

Kapos man sa gamit at teknolohiya,

Aking tinig na lang ang gawing pisara.

Ang amin mang silid ay mismong kalsada,

Ang aming napag-aralan ang siyang mahalaga.

Pormal na edukasyon man kami ay pagkaitan,

Ay may mga puso paring may dalang paraan.

photos and words by: jeklog
@ P.Noval St., España, Manila

Class Room

As I was navigating my way through River Espana in the hunt of the elusive “Belly of the Beast” (Isaw), my comrade pointed towards an unlikely vista. With high hopes that we can finally harpoon this monster of a street meal, I saw something else. A flock of juvenile Juans and Marias seated contentedly along the outskirts of the boulevard has stolen my sight. I approached them as I took blurred shots of the group. I sparked a conversation with their mentor named “Buboy” and asked permission to have better shots of them. I luckily had a few subpar shots, enough to hotwire my imagination and tell their story my way. These are the moments that I am constantly reminded of how privileged I am to have formal education. I keep on wining about hardships in schools before well in fact, I was fortunate enough to be in one. Comparing myself to these children, I suddenly realized that they are not that ill-fated as I thought. They had their Kuya Buboy to be their “Master Splinter” that will guide them through the things that matter in life. Short stories and essential lessons that will make a kid survive through adulthood are transferred in this fractional encounter. I cannot help but give my thumbs up to the “Efrens” of the street, more so, the “Buboys” who have yet to be even noticed and commended to accomplish a noble job well done. As long as we have them, classrooms will not just be a term described in terms of being a room where classes are held, they will be turned in to places that have enough room to have a class.

Larawan ng Palaruan

Bata, Matanda, Dalaga, Binata

sa lugar na ito lahat ay nakikita,

tipunan ng samu't saring tao

hiyawan sa bawat pukol at bato.

paligsahan sa lansangan ng halo-halong kabataan

samahan mo pa ng magugulang na may katandaan,

kadalasang kinararatnan ay hamunan at pustahan

pakatandaan na ito'y isang laro lamang at di seryosohan.

Simpleng saya ng tao ay di matatawaran

pagiging mababaw ay di' dapat pulaaan

kung minsan nga ay mas ramdam pa ang ligayang totoo,

sa mga bagay na payak at di komplikado.

Kung tutuusin ay ganito dapat ang larawan,

ng tunay na pook palaruan

lugar para magpakabata at makipag tawanan

ng walang pag-iimbot at alinlangan.

photos and words by: jeklog
@ San Ildefonso, Bulacan

It will always be a common thing to see “half courts” or half of a basketball court installed ingeniously in every corner of a typical Flip alley. People gather around these places not primarily to show their ball handling or shooting prowess, but most of the time, it is all about having fun. The spirit of competition is a given in street culture but beyond this, is the genuine aim to have pure and uncomplicated fun. This is the kind of enjoyment that the “now” generation fails to appreciate. Everything seems to be so governed by the online armada of social networkers that we forgot how real social networking ticks. Gone are the days that the bliss of being physically in a group and spending time with each other in the streets is the way to go. Now, the information super highway that is The Internet, is our street. Back then, “shout outs” literally mean “to shout out” and the perfect place to experience this is the Half Court. The sudden gush of emotion to up your team’s morale or to destroy the opposition’s ego is the meaning of “shout out”. As a street-eye, I would like to take more photos of these subjects. Is it just me being of age? Or do I just miss the good old days when the perfect picture of fun is to play ball with a bottle of “Pop Cola” on the line?