Mga Tanong. The Questions.

Bakit mo mahal (hilig) ang pagsusulat?

Sa totoo lang, di ko mahal ang pagsusulat, pero may hilig akong gawin ito. Naunawaan ko na ang pagsusulat ko pala'y isang ekstensyon ng aking pagkatao na kung saan ang mga bawat ideya't kaisipang ibinabahagi ko'y nangungusap sa diwa ng bawat indibidwal at tiyakang sumasalamin sa karunungang ipinapahayag ng buhay at realidad na aking kinamulata't kinabibilangan na maaring makapagbigay ng paalala, instruksyon, kaliwanagan at inspirasyon sa iba.

Naisasakatuparan ng aking pagsulat ang layunin kong ibahagi ang mga bagay na natuklasan ko sa buhay na ito at basagin ang ignoransiyang bumubulag sa mata ng nakararami. Isang beses lang akong mabubuhay at habang nabubuhay ay gumagawa ng sariling kasaysayan. Gusto ko pagdating ng panahon, kahit lumisan ako, meron akong iiwang yaman. Buti na lang, sinagot ng pagsusulat ang aking kagustuhan. Ito'y nagsisilbing tagapagtala din ng aking mga karanasan na tumatalakay sa mga pinagdaanan ko't napagtanto, mga pinagbulay-bulayang kaisipan na puro abstrak na nagiging buháy kapag isinulat na't isinisipi ko sa aking blog na parang isang libro. At gaya ng isang libro, ako'y kanilang mapagkukunan ng kaisipang may katuturan patungkol sa buhay na ito.

Bakit mo mahal (nakahiligan) ang pagmamaneho?

Simple lang. Ayoko magsayang ng oras. Nakakawili kasing mag-drayb at sumama sa pasada. At least naiuukol ko yung oras ko sa isang bagay na kapaki-pakinabang at isa na nga riyan ay ang pagmamaneho. Lumilibot ka na, kumikita ka pa. Isipin mo kung hindi ko natutunang magmaneho, marahil isa ako sa mga tambay ng computer shop na naglalaro ng counter strike, Dota o kung anumang computer games o kaya kain tulog ako sa bahay o marahil ay sa sobrang talino e baka mabaliw ako sa kakabasa ng napakaraming libro sa bahay. Mahirap maging parang isang maliit na batong nakalutang sa kawalan. Pinagtapos ako sa kolehiyo ng gawaing ito. Dito ko dati kinukuha yung baon ko pang-araw-araw. 

Maituturing man itong kalabisan pero kapag nasa manibela na ako't sinimulan ko na ang pagda-drayb, nakakalimutan ko yung mga iniisip ko panandalian kasi nakatuon na ang diwa ko sa pagmamaneho. Sa isang banda naman, kaya nanatili ako sa larangang ito ay dahil nabibigyan ako ng oportunidad na makapaglingkod. Isipin mo, labing-anim na tao ang umaasa sayo'ng maihahatid mo sila sa kanilang destinasyon, kung umaga man, sa kanilang mga papasukang trabaho, at kung gabi ay sa kanilang mga uuwian. Ang maihatid ko ng matiwasay at maingat ang mga pasaherong ipinagmamaneho ko ay fulfilling na para sa akin. Dito ko natatagpuan ang aking kasiyahan na magawa ang tungkuling dapat kong gampanan bilang isang drayber.

Anong nararamdaman mo kapag ginagawa mo mga to?

Sa pagsusulat, nararamdaman kong kapag may ideya ako na dapat maibahagi sa iba na nasa isip ko pa lang, di na ako mapakali, agad-agad akong gagawa ng isang sanaysay, at kapag nabuo ko na ay nagiging payapa ako. At pakiramdam ko'y nalilinang ko na din ang aking sarili. Kapag nagtitiyak ako ng wastong paggamit ng gramatika sa pamamagitan ng patuloy na pag-aaral at pagsasaliksik sa diksyunaryo ay nahahasa na rin ang isip ko at upang mapagbuti ko pa ang paraan ng aking pakikipagtalastas sa iba sa paraang pasulat.

Sa pagmamaneho naman, gaya nga ng una kong nasabi, nakakaramdam ako ng fulfillment at saka satisfaction. Kasi di ako guilty na hinahayaan kong palipasin ang araw ng walang ginagawa. Kasi nakapaglingkod ako ng mahusay sa iba. Kasi nagawa ko ang dapat kong gawin bilang isang matino at matalinong drayber para sa mga pasaherong nakasakay sa multicab na minamaneho ko. Ayun.

Ano ang inspirasyon mo sa pagsusulat at pagmamaneho?

Tao ba ito? Si crush. Joke. Haha. Kidding aside. 

Siyempre, una si Lord. Kung di niya ako binigyan ng gantong mga pananaw sa buhay, saan pa ako huhugot ng inspirasyon? Sawa na akong parating binibigo ng tao.

Pangalawa ay yung oras at panahon ng kalakasan ko bilang isang binata. Ito ang panahon na kung saan kailangan ko linangin ang aking sarili (dulot ng mga bagay na ibinahagi sa akin ng pagsulat) at pagtibayin ang aking determinasyon sa buhay (sa mga bagay na ibinahagi sa akin ng pagmamaneho) [upang lalo pa akong maging responsable].

Pinapasalamatan ko din ang pamilya ko lalo na si tatay. Siyempre, kung di niya ako pinasinayaan, di ko masusundan ang kanyang yapak. Pero nais ko pa siyang lampasan. Sisikapin kong abutin ang mga pangarap ko sa tulong ng Diyos at sa gabay nila bilang mga magulang ko sa akin. Sampung taon na akong nabubuhay sa kalsada. Gusto kong mag-iba na ang daang tatahakin ko. Yung daan na patungo sa buhay na pinagpala at kaalwanan sa ilalim ng kalooban at biyaya ng Diyos.

Gusto ko pagdating ng panahon, titingnan ko na lang ang mga karanasang pinagdaanan ko noon sa hinaharap ang mga istoryang ito na naganap sa akin ay magiging isang magandang alaalang mananatili sa akin habangbuhay.

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What sparks your art in your writing?

It comes from the gift of observing. This is a major element that makes me mandated to speak out what I see and calls to be known, the reason behind every invisible thought that I will consider that can be a candidate to be transformed into a visible form.

I have found out that many people have failed in this aspect. And because of that, they fail to receive the benefit (actually, the gift) of observing. The ability to understand. Worse, they assuume, judge, criticize, and insinuate yet they haven't applied the term, "watch and learn." I want to avoid that. Through observing, it has given me the desire to record things whenever I have learned or discovered insights from every situation. I have one life, a unique life to live and wanted to make it count. Counted not on ignorance but on purpose.

On the other hand, I don't want to let the lessons I've learned in life stay in me. I want to let it be known to others. Through writing, I can share my life to those readers who will read it and they can glean from it as well. When I have learned something as I see and understand things, reflect on it deeply and relating it in myself, then, there's this inner leading that tugs my heart to write everything that I will discover, let's say ranging from God's word, life's important lessons, society, politics, lovelife, up to those people who shares their life to me which gives me an idea not to repeat the same mistakes that they've gone through in life.

When a certain thought pops up into my mind, I can't help but I'll be looking for a pen and a paper if I'm on an office desk, or if I don't have it, I get my phone and write it on the "notes" section, and if there's this leading that this must be communicated to others, the topic from it will be finalized.

I don't follow any guidelines, but I see to it that I always have the right grammar and the correct flow of ideas. I just write the realities that I see and the experiences that I feel. I believe that nothing beats the original experience, and I could extend the intensity and the gravity of it through the words that I write.

To be honest, I don't have that enough good skills how to write an award-winning essay or the guts to be a professional writer for if you'll gonna take a peek on what kind of environment I am presently exposed with, you'll say that I'm just a typical teenage boy that's innocent in doing such a thing like writing. 

I thank God that he has given me this ability to write things about life and I will always use it, not only to enlighten people's minds, persuade them in the things that I share, and express my sentiment to whatever issues our society is facing today but utilize the major purpose of it as well to share how good, faithful, and real my God is to my life. The latter is much very important than the former.

We belong to a generation where most of them don't want to read. As a form of art, I don't do it to get the applause of men. I do it because I am mandated to give suggestions that are beneficial to the intelligent mind where wisdom and knowledge and perspective flows out in my works which readless persons will never have the beauty and the radiance of it. Never.

What sparks your art in driving? (and how you can relate it as an artist).

Just to give you a background.

Growing up in my teenage years, driving a public utility vehicle, specifically a multicab, was an occupation my dad chose to enter because it was a work in which he can earn fast money to supplant our family's needs. Being at his side as his aide collecting the fares being a small boy back then, going with my dad was a worthwhile leisure for myself aside from studying. I witnessed how driving changed his views and perspective in life which I didn't understand at first.

Until I learned how to drive. Being the observant person that I am, I began to realize that driving in the streets is not really easy as what I've assumed to be. I realize that it is a special kind of work that belongs to a skill that only a transport driver can possess (in our route) in order for him to ply in the same route for 15 to 18 hours a day.

An attentive mind, a strong body, a heart full of patience and understanding (as in, a truckload of it haha), an awareness to drive carefully for the safety of the passengers, controllable speed limits, and a disciplined conduct. Never mind the smokes that they're breathing the whole day, the deprivation of getting adequate sleeps, losing a thousand peso for fuel, degradation of their dignity, long lines of traffic. All these work together to reach an everyday goal for a life of a driver: that is to have a good profit (kita).

Going back to the question, I came to this thought.

I have noticed that driving a public utility vehicle conveying the passengers at their destination is a form of giving service to others. A driver is a driver regardless of what your status is, what course you have finished, what sucesses you have attained, what kind of life do you have, as long as you are in front of the steering wheel, and you receive a pay to make you convey them to where they go, you are a driver.

You are a servant to those who pay your service. Servants push for no options and assume no rights. And I give to this serving environment the credits as to why I delighted myself to have a servant heart. Driving has trained and taught me so much about how I should serve others with a right heart without any hidden interest.

As I've established the idea that driving is a special skill and relate it to the meaning of art, since art is an expression, I do driving because I want to express my fervent desire to serve in a humble yet dignified manner, not only for the sake of profit which is a given reward for my labor, but by doing so makes my life fulfilling and significant in this other side of my world.