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I’m still in college, enjoying the carefree lifestyle of a Fine Arts student. Honestly, all of the art that we did, I don’t know if you would classify that as “studying”, because it seemed easy. But I did learn something from those countless hours of sitting on the cold tile floor, sketching a human model in front of us. It was also easy to spot an “inspiration” on my class because there’s a fellow student that seemed like a “crush ng bayan” that I also tried to woo…pero parang iba ang gusto nya. She will be named Bulacan.

Bulacan is small, almost 5’3 in height. She has short hair and wore braces. She has brown complexion and likes normal girl things more than my girl classmates, y’know, being “iba-ang-trip-ko-kaysa-sa-ibang-kurso-sa-college-dahil-art-student-ako”. She’s with a different group from Las Pinas but they stayed in the same dormitory so they got into the best of friends. But more on that later.
I mentioned that Bulacan was a “crush ng bayan” because madami ang nanligaw sa kanya. At isa ako dun sa pumila. I mean, she’s pretty and is very matured in thinking, which are what we as teenagers want, running solely on hormones. Looking back, we want a girl who understands our interests but does not really know it by heart. So that we can educate them to stroke our ego. Hehehe. Ngayon as a working-class male employee, we still want a very, very attractive girl and someone who can support us financially. Admit it, we all want to be slackers and just watch TV or dabble in hobbies. Like beer-brewing.
Anyway, I came last in line in trying to Bulacan. The first guy, whom I dub as “Art dude” tried his best by being with her and her group and also on drawing sessions. But him being skilled on everything art made him a bit weird for Bulacan to fall in love with. The second, “Air Man” is a friend of mine. He really became close with Bulacan and her group. I call him “Air Man” because he’s really full of it. Mayabang. I don’t know how I manage to tolerate him because his pagyayabang was so unkind and unfunny. He would insult the recent famous network games and would prefer to play a basketball game on PS2. He makes fun of music choices, people and even my favorite show at the time, Justice League cartoon as kid’s drawings. But we got along on some aspects like music and women.
I remember that he told me his “strategy” on Bulacan. They were all alone on one part ofWhich now brings to me. I was able to somehow make my “moves” on her because of a simple offer: since she spends her school days on a dormitory, she would go home to Bulacan on weekends or during the last day of school to meet her folks when she has the time. And she knew that I go home everyday via the LRT, or Light Railway Transit. So one day she approached me and:

Me: Ah ok, sige.
In a way, she was the one who gave me the opportunity. It was a bit of luck. Now all I got to do is influence her mind to like me. But that didn’t work. But I did try. We would walk from our building to outside the University premises and take the jeepney to LRT, ride the LRT up to Monumento and accompany her on a makeshift FX terminal going to Bulacan. Our last class was in the early evening, so the LRT is packed because of people going home. Speaking of that blasted transportation, back then there were times that the LRT would have the air-conditioning on the fritz, so sobrang init sa loob. Para kang niluluto sa singaw ng mga kasama mo. So I used the power of observation to my advantage. When the LRT is approaching I would check the people inside first to see if they are fanning themselves, wiping their brow and anything that would say na naiinitan sila. It’s very useful. I sometimes wonder why people never use that in their everyday activities. Up to now I still do that, like checking the shadows and such for any sign of danger or anything that would be an advantage for me from other people.
Anyway, during that time I was with Bulacan I was able to talk to her. We talked about our subjects, what happened during the week, her so-called male “friend” from her hometown and the mind of men/women. The latter part was like a debate of sorts, but not like the almost-grueling kind with Las Pinas. In our “debate” I can always defend myself well. She always asks me about why men do this, why men do that, etc. I also ask her the same thing with her gender’s culture. I remember that she was saying that she was so confused about her feelings from her close friend and I replied with a burly voice:
Me: You women don’t know what you want. ( hand pointing to my chest ) We, we men know what we want…
I was really trying my best to keep my composure during that time because I felt that if I was smiling or acted like I was fooling around she would not believe what I was saying. I was able to hold it and somehow won the “debate”. Although there are times I would lose it when we would ride the LRT with the broken air-conditioning and I sweat a lot. I always sense that she perceives me as a very smart and mature, and hope that in the process of being with her when we are traveling together would make her forget that guy and be with me instead. Hey, stranger things have happened.
News traveled fast about our “pagsasama” and we got teased by our friends.“Air Man” kept on singing the then-famous song of singer/actress Nikki Gil’s “Sakayan ng Jeep” and changed it to “Sakayan ng FX” because that’s where we would part. In a way “Air Man n a way “Air Man” has already moved on with Bulacan and supports my pagpo-porma with Bulacan. Las Pinas (see last “Road” post ) also heard the news as well and she was the one who made me forget about her. It happened when we were talking on the phone at night.
Las Pinas: (my name), may gusto ka kay Bulacan noh?Me: Bakit mo naman nasabi yun (at this point I was trying to be cool and try to lie out of it )
Las Pinas: Umamin ka na, alam ko na may gusto ka sa kanya…
Me: ( in my faintest voice ) Siguro…
Las Pinas: ‘Wag mo na ituloy, nakausap ko na sya nung wala kaming magawa sa dorm at nabanggit kita sa kanya na kung paano kung ikaw yung manligaw sa kanya, sabi nya parang kaibigan lang tingin nya sa ‘yo…
When I heard that from her I felt like nabagsakan ako ng mundo. Parang shet, basted nanaman ako. Wala na ba akong pag-asa?? Mga ganun But I also thought na baka niloloko lang ako ni Las Pinas dahil naseselos sya pero kapni-paniwala naman nun. Basta naniniwala naman ako sa kanya. It was that moment that I mentioned in my last “Road” post that I made a leap of faith and proposed that I and Las Pinas be together. After what I have heard I tried my best to still accompany her on our rides but Thesis came up so di na sya nakakauwi sa kanila masyado. So I traveled alone. It’s better that way. Yeah, I was “emo” before “emo” became famous.
Due to our “closeness” and as a way to make her less suspicious that I knew what she thought of me I accepted her invite to her birthday party in her hometown. Few actually went there because of how far the place is. A handful of my friends also came with me and we met up with her in a spot in North Luzon Expressway, or NLEX. She met us on her parent’s van and she was the one who drove it. I was impressed by her driving skills. The party? Not so much. I can’t
remember what we ate and entertainment was in the form ofGraduation came and she pulled off the weirdest action ever that up to now I still think about it pero di ko pa rin maintindihan. She chose not to have a picture taken wearing a toga and to attend the Graduation practices. Dun talaga ako na-weird-duhan sa kanya. Was it traumatic for her? Is she one of those people who doesn’t give a crap about Graduation? Up to now I still think about that and wonder what she was thinking. Maybe she’s the kind who is closer with her Elementary / High school friends. Ah well.
Years gone by and judging from what I’ve seen from her Friendster and Facebook profiles, she is already married with that guy friend, has a child, working as an Animator and sidelines as a Photographer for wedding events. I believe she set up her own Photo studio with her husband on her hometown. She hardly ever shows up on reunions and small gatherings, so I still believe in my current theory. I wish her well, and thank that brief time when I was traveling, I was happy, and not alone. Yes, there would be times that you didn’t get the girl, but you’re happy with what she gave you even if it’s not what you wanted. She taught me that.

-rainy days are here again, although not sure if this is relevant to what I'm posting here.


- don't know if this is true, but it feels like what the country China would do.

- you think you got a BIGGER collection??? wala ka dito.


- To the followers of this blog or to someone who knows my quirks, I'm guessing they really expect this hiatus from me.
- Hahaha, 57 Chevy fo' Life!!!!





- Saw them on eBay and the net, but I'd prefer finding one in person on GreenHills or any upcoming Toy Convention held this May ( there are a few, actually)


Welcome back to the “Road”!!! Granted, it took a while for me to write again, but we do have our conflicts. And besides, admit it or not, sometimes it’s a lot better to slack around than do something strenuous. We always hold off on things that we can do immediately. That’s the power of procrastination. It almost has the same influence as a grade school or High school kid discovering that he/she has no classes due to the weather. I miss the feeling
Now that I am working, those things are already a memory. You could still choose not to go to work if you know how to make an excuse or even make some fever-like mannerisms, but you could get sanctioned. That’s why there is Sabado Nights. At least you could still slack around a bit. Maybe hook up with a chick if you can. Ahhh, chicks. In high school we were given few options since our school was an exclusive all-boys before and when it became co-ed there were few women to ogle at. In college they were everywhere. It was like a carinderia. Madaming magpipilian. And so during that time I had a hand with a woman, who was all over me, but I refused. She will be named Las Pinas.
It was college. Luckily, I just spent the standard years there without taking summer classes or becoming an irregular student, or irreg for short. An irregular student is, by definition, a student that is taking few classes one seminar at a time. There are people like those because some are already working or kulang sa pera. It’s hard being an irreg because you feel left out with the younger classmates. Either way, on college there was a lot of freedom given.

I was playing my PS2, Counter-Strike, Battle Realms and DotA. I never really like DotA and Battle Realms since they take a while for the battles to heat up, but I had no choice since my barkada plays them. Wala akong choice kungdi laruin din yun at pag-tyagaan yung pag-le-level up. We were able to do those a lot since classes were pretty hassle-free. I took Fine Arts major in Painting at the time because I wanted to learn something new and explore my “artistic license”, so to speak. I mean, an ordinary school day is 5 hours of painting or drawing a human figure then 3-4 hours of either English, Mathematics or Theology class. Super-petix mode kami nun. Nahirapan lang kami nung last year na namin because we had to make and defend our Thesis. It was a solo work compared to a group effort so puyatan talaga. I would remember making a 12-ft. tall painting along with a 150-200 page book detailing the painting and my research. Man, it was tough.
Anyway, going back to my “endeavors”, in our University there were a lot of chicks nga, especially in Commerce course. There was even a place near the chapel and open field where we would sit on the stone benches and ogle at the fine women. I dubbed it the “Chick Road” and it clicked with my barkada. We would usually text “Uy, meet tayo sa Chick Road mamaya.” That was my biggest contribution to my group. Unfortunately, most of my barkada were also torpe. Puro sa tingin lang kami. Although I tried to court nursing student Qatar ( check Part 3 for more details ) I never summoned enough courage to approach or talk to someone outside our class. I should note that only a few of us were pretty shy withwomen. Some of mybarkada were matinik sa babae. But my closest friends? Wala, we were not Jersey Shore material.
But given the experiences that I had with the women in my High school and a way to start a new leaf because of a new set of people, friends and women, I’ve decided then to be more confident and befriend the opposite sex. I figure doing that will go a long way. Maybe someone will fall for me, or refer me to her friend. I was really ambitious, but it worked. I managed to talk to our female classmates and get close to some of them.
It was also during that time that I really became close to a female body. No, not a strip club, but I did went to one (but that’s another story) I became close in a way that I saw breasts, butts and curves thanks to FHM Magazine Philippines edition. Granted, I already saw nakedness in print form when I stumbled into my dad’s old Playboy Magazines but I was young. I wasn’t aware much of the female body and its workaround. I mean, I thought that kissing someone
in the lips is already sex. I fondly remember buying my first FHM: it was the June 2002 with the Sexbomb Girls on the cover. I bought that because there is the accompanying leaflet of the 100 sexiest women in the world. So besides the titillating pictures on the main magazine, there are also lots of pictures of different women on the leaflet. I remember skimming through the content and I masturbated to images of the still-new Jen Rosendahl. I mean, she had huge knockers. I originally plan on buying just the January (for the free calendar) and June (for the 100 sexiest supplement) of FHM, but I got hooked. I would always look for the new issue and buy it if the cover girl is attractive. Man, everybody fondly remembers the first time they bought an FHM.Hot chicks aside, one of the classmates I got close to was Las Pinas. She was a few inches shorter than me, short hair, a little plump and has dark skin. She’s a little strange sometimes (more on that later) but nonetheless she was very nice to me and my barkada. She can be vocal at times. There was one time where we were waiting for our Professor to arrive at the studio that we did a little “debate”: to see who is better, the man or the woman. Of course, me and a couple of friends represented the man, she and a couple of friends represented the woman. I pointed out that women can be indecisive and moody. On the other hand they pointed out that men are so quiet and would prefer to be with his friends than his girlfriend. The “debate” almost got ugly but it was fun. I learned a lot on how women think. Most especially on how Las Pinas thinks. I mean, she’s really smart and can paint well.
There were times that I would separate myself from my group while we were sketching a live model and get to her set of friends and talk to her. That, and also borrow an eraser or a pencil from her. We talk a lot about stuff, like men being jerks, our family and TV shows. We would then laugh about everything and I felt content that I was talking to girls and I have removed my shyness. Las Pinas helped me with that. One of my professors noticed us and teased us as well as our class. It can be awkward at times pero nararamdaman ko na may feelings sya sa akin. I mean, we clicked together. I even called her my soul mate. I remember in a comic strip that this guy’s definition of a soul mate is someone who can finish the other’s sentences and knows what the other is thinking. Even though there are other ways to define a soul mate, I pondered on that comic strip and accepted that artist’s definition. She liked, for me, the fact I called her my soul mate. But, she’s not my type.
I know that beggars cannot be choosers, but I just accepted her as a friend. She can be weird at times. When I would text her sometimes she would reply “Hehehehehehe…” and parang lahat ng ginagawa mo may ibig sabihin sa kanya. I fear that if I would court her and we would go steady she would always bother me with nonsensical texts and kung anu-ano iisipan nya. At di sya sexy. I know it’s really unfair, pero I had a philosophy na “lagi ko na ngang nakikita sa bahay nanay at ate ko na mataba, pati ba naman girlfriend ko mataba??? ” which I still follow up to this day. It’s like if your vital stats are not those of a beauty queen, or at least close to it, wala, “Hi friend” na lang tawag ko sa yo. Yeah, I’m a beggar that chooses. Pake mo?
But even if I have no interest on her whatsoever, she helped me, and in turn I helped her too. There was this time that she had a feud with one of her best friends and she gave Las Pinas a crumpled letter. The letter read that she doesn’t want to be her friend anymore. Girls can be cruel. I comforted her and she was able to vent out her frustrations on me. There was also one time that I wanted to talk to her on the phone so I called her up and a family member
answered it and he called Las Pinas. I was shocked that she talked to me and it’s like she was panicking. Heck, it seems like she was hyperventilating. Parang madami syang gustong sabihin sa akin. I calmed her down and she was able to speak at a normal pace. Then at our annual University Christmas celebration she gave me a letter. Some parts of it read:Ei… soulm8! Hello poh! Ok na poh me… di naman halata na di ako ok kc taba pa rinakoh… hehe. Thanks for being there…thank you poh talaga…Flash back lahat ng nangyari pus bigla mong nahulaan problema koh…kaya pala soulm8 kita lam mo lahat! Hehehe… Nga pala pasensia ka na kung medjo tinatago ko pa sayo pati pag-iyak ko kahit obvious… nahihiya lang me… tulad ngayon… nahihiya ako sayo…pasencia na ha…medyo magulo at ang daming iniisip ng utak koh. Minsan nga parang bigla na lang sasabog…hay…nahihiya lang ako kc baka isipin mo mahina ako, tanga…etc…pasencia na talaga. Gusto ko pang makipagkwentuhan sayo pero ikaw naman magkwento. Thanks for the time ha. Sana lagi kang andyan para kung gusto kong umiyak ulet…may magsesermon sakin. Hehehe…Enjoy ko pohmakipagkwentuhan sayo…Salamat poh talaga ng marami…ingatz lage…ditto lang poh me if you need me… God Bless
It was nice to be cherished by an opposite sex. I mean, I rarely get that, save my mother, of course. The same cannot be said for this one girl that I wanted to court (which I will give a name on the next “Road”) where I learned from Las Pinas that she has no interest on me. I mean, she just looked at me as a “friend” lang. I heard this from her over the phone that night. I was on our living room and everybody on our house retired on their beds. I was so aggravated at the world that I made a leap of faith:
Me: Las Pinas, bakit di na lang maging tayo?
Las Pinas: Ha?? Anong pinagsasabi mo?
Me: Wala, bakit di natin subukan?
Las Pinas: Ano ba yang pinagsasabi mo, (my name), gulo lang utak mo, itulog mo na lang yan.
You know, I thought during that time that she would say yes. Magulo lang talaga utak ko nun, di ko lang lubos na matanggap na magiging single ako forever. I guess she thought it would be a bad idea ( which it really is) to put together a relationship based on a spur-of-the-moment. After a few days I shrugged off of what happened that night and became distracted with DotA and making paintings (or what we would call “plates”).
But count it to old faith as it was the Holy Week that time and me and my family went out to a one-of-a-kind Visita Iglesia where we went to different Churches on the outskirts of the Philippines. We were going home then when she texted me. At first it was just small talk until she replied:
Las Pinas: ( my name ), naalaala mo pa ba yung tinanong mo sa akin dati?
Me: Oo, bakit?
Las Pinas: Oh, try nga natin.
Me: Ha???
I chuckled out loud at what she texted me. It seems that she’s aggravated at the world. Throughout that time I had no interest in accepting her offer because I just wanted to finish my Thesis next semester and I’m preparing my body for all the workload I’ll go through. So women can wait. I’m looking ahead for work life since I would have some more free time and more money to buy things I wanted (which got me into a full-fledged spree collecting toys). Anyway, I declined her offer and we graduated not as a couple, but as a fellow classmate.
Years have gone by and we went on our separate ways. I worked at a call center (I would like to note that I still got in touch with my passion for the Arts by joining an Independent Comic group, which is my first Love, and blogging ) and she pursued her passion for the arts by becoming an Art teacher at her High School. She had a handful with the students because she is teaching First Year to Fourth Year sections. Siguro kulang sa pera yung Alumni nya to get more teachers. I remember that I saw her again at a small reunion in a famous mall and she had eye bags as black as a mole. But all
her hard work paid off as she passed her board exam and got her license to teach recently. Good for her, at least she gets a little bit more on her paycheck. From what I’ve seen on her FaceBook profile she is in a relationship with her childhood friend and occasionally meeting with her college barkada. Up to now we were still teased and I still feel up to now she has feelings for me. Kapal ng mukha ko, oo, pero we men have that intuition.So what have I learned here? It seems that there are people who chose to be single by choice. Even if there are some that fall for them, that person will still sift through the choices given to him/her and wait or pick someone they would much prefer. That person feels that life will give him/her something better if you just wait a little bit more. And if you just wait, you’ll get your just rewards. So wag mo na pakialaman mga ganun, di mo naman problema/buhay yun eh.
It's been a while since I've posted something here, but I am a writer, and I do have my moods (palusot!!)
