Dahil isa akong FBI (full blooded Ilongga), minsan kailangan kong liwanagin ang mga salitang Tagalog, katulad ng "kabalintunaan" (irony) o "sapantaha" (presumption, hunch). Gusto kong makasigurado sa "payak"---kaya tinanong ko si Sally, na taga-Bulacan, kung ano ba talaga ang ibig sabihin ng "payak". At ang kanyang sagot: ang "payak" ay "thin in English". Noon ko nalaman na ang pagpapa-sexy pala ay nakakabingi!:DBecause I'm an FBI, sometimes I needed to clarify certain Tagalog words. I wanted to make sure what "payak" (simple, plain) really means, so I asked Sally who comes from Bulacan. And her answer was---"payak" is "thin in English". It dawned on me that dieting and exercise have certain side-effects, like hearing impairment!:DLahat ay payak---ito ang kadalasan nating ninanais lalo na kung nagiging masalimuot ang ating buhay. Sana ganon lang kadali magpapayak, este magpapayat (hehe). May mga sandali na hangad kong bumalik sa panahon ng aking kamusmusan, noong ako'y wala pang muwang sa mundo at konti lang ang aking kailangan para lumigaya.
No'ng aking kabataan, ang bahay kubo ay tila palasyo na. Payak lang ang aking mga pangarap. Bahay-bahayan, drama sa radyo at pagbabasa ng komiks ang aming libangan kapag walang pasok sa eskwela. Pamaypay na gawa sa dahon ng anahaw at buko juice lang ang katapat ng mainit na panahon. Di ko pino-problema ang bangayan ng mga senador, global warming at polusyon, di ko iniisip ang kinabukasan, o kung may ulam ba o wala. Mahimbing pa ang tulog ko noon...hindi ko iniisip ang mga batang natutulog sa kalye, o ang mga nagpapalimos para lang may makain. Hindi ko naiintindihan ang kahirapan at ang kawalan ng panlipunang katarungan. Wala akong takot sumakay sa truck na humahakot ng tubo kapag napag-iwanan ako ng huling byahe ng bus. At higit sa lahat, hindi ko pino-problema ang aking kalusugan lalo na ang aking timbang. Payak na payak pa kasi ako noon.:DWhen things get complicated, we usually wish everything is simple. I wish it's that easy and simple to lose weight.:D There are times when I wish I could return to my childhood and reclaim my innocence, go back to a time when it took so little to make me happy.
As a child, a nipa hut was my whole world, it was a palace. My dreams were simple. We kept ourselves busy by playing house, listening to radio soaps, and reading comics during summer breaks. An anahaw fan and buko juice were our answer to hot and humid weather. I didn't pay attention to politics, didn't worry about global warming and pollution; I was not anxious of the future, or if there was food on the table or none. I slept like a log back then---didn't worry about street kids, didn't feel the pain of poverty and the lack of social justice. I was unafraid of strangers because I was taught that people are basically good. And most of all, I didn't worry about my health or my weight. Life was simple then, and yeah, I was thinner.:DAnd this is the calesa---a horse-drawn carriage, that in my mind, symbolizes an elegant and gentler life of our grandparents. It was an era when life was unhurried, and there were no over-speeding jeepneys and tricycles on the streets.At itong kalesa nga pala...isang simbolo rin ng payak na pamumuhay noon, kahit di ko naman ito naabutan. Pero kapag nakakakita ako ng kalesa, naiisip ko ang payak ngunit eleganteng panahon ng ating mga lolo't lola---wala pang humaharurot na mga jeepney at tricycle noon sa ating kalsada.
