A lot of people from different backgrounds converge in Jollibee. Talk about the universality of food, this one takes the cake I guess. Where the masses dine with the well-off. Big men and small Asian guys, old women and their beautiful apos. Tatay with his seven children. And the childless couple sharing an ice craze order.
Started with burger today. TLC. Tomato lettuce and cheese yum burger. Always had that home-cooked torta taste to it, no wonder pinoys go gaga over Jollibee burgers. The salad was another thing. Not normally found in the pinoy table but health-conscious people have been adding it to their diets. Pair it with Asian dressing and it’s a blast.
This is home.
Bought a pad of drawing paper. Hopefully I’ll get to sketching again. Miss doodling but now I gotta have reason for it. Haven’t done real traditional art pieces. I’d love to explore installation art. It’s kinetic, physical and involves time and space. Dynamic art. Every minute counts in a 3d piece. Sometimes the artwork changes in a heartbeat.
I’m having the birthday blues right now. Suddenly I’m feeling really old. That’s when you grow lonely and alone. Even crowds can’t dispel the feeling; you stand isolated amidst the throng of busy shoppers and Jollibee patrons. Called cousin a while back. It has become more important to me to connect to family now than ever. Somehow I feel it will justify me. Define me. Prove my existence is not a fluke. I think therefore I’m supposed to be. No longer.
The old man seated across me has left. He had Chickenjoy and a burger at the same time. The old lady before him had spaghetti and rice. Carbo plus carbo. No wonder she could kick. She got loads of excess Jollibee energy.
The high school basketball team on the other table is feasting on both regular Jollibee fare and gonuts donuts. Shouldn’t they be charged of corkage?
Perhaps I should run now. I can hang out in PowerBooks while waiting for the screening of masahista to start. It gets idle. And I’m restless again. The night falls.
benjamin padero 