"thank you for waiting, enjoy your coffee," said the lady behind the counter as she presented him with his order. "thank you," he replied back, took the tray and headed to the mezzanine. he had driven almost two hours uphill from the city to the coffee shop overlooking the most fantastic view he had ever seen. a gust of cool breeze welcomed him as he exited the staircase while scanning the area for a place to sit. the mezzanine was half-empty so he went to the far end to settle down so he can take a better look at the scenery. "nothing like inhaling fresh air," he said to himself as he inhaled some of the cool air surrounding him while surveying nature's glory before calmly sitting down. he then took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and started to look inside to see how many he has left. "this seems just about right," he uttered as he took one and lit it up. after making his first puff, he leaned back on the chair and held the cup of coffee in the other hand, as his thoughts began to wander.

"looks like you need some company," a female voice suddenly blurted, piercing the calm serenity he was in.

"no, not really, but i guess it wouldn't hurt," he replied as he motioned the lady to the chair opposite him.

"thanks," she said back as she took her seat. "great view, isn't it?" she added. "i always try to come up here when things get too rough back in the metro. it's kinda like a retreat for me." he still was looking at the view as her comments went by.

"i take it you often come up here?" he then asked, breaking the uneasy silence she didn't quite expect.

"at least i try to, with all the things going on in my life right now. i barely have time for myself," she said as she paused to sip on her ordered beverage. "how about you?" she asked.

he let out a soft, short chuckle as she ended her question. "i haven't been here for quite some time," he then answered. "at least i hoped i would be coming back after the last time i was here, but…" he trailed off, not wanting to reveal so much to the stranger in front of him.

she slowly nodded, realizing what he was talking about. she then reached for her purse and went through her things as if she was looking for something. "lost something here, too?" he jokingly asked, noticing her fidgeting among her things inside her purse.

"no, i think i may have run out of cigarettes," she answered back, frustrated as she kept looking inside.

"here, it's my last one," he said as he handed the pack with the last stick inside. "you can have it."

"are you sure?" she reluctantly asked. "yeah, go ahead," he insisted.

"thanks," she said, taking the pack. "don't worry, i won't ask for a light," she added as she took out her lighter.

another period of silence came. breaking the uneasy ambience again, she asked, "why are you here then?"

he did not answer immediately. it was either he wasn't sure of what to say, or if he would even answer the question at all. he surely wasn't about to reveal some things about himself to this woman, yet at the back of his mind, maybe this was something that he wanted. or, that he needed. after all, he was almost certain that nothing else would happen that would've made things a lot easier for him–or a lot simpler that it would have made complete sense. then, at that exact time, he wondered what was the real reason he came back to that place, though he told himself that the next time he would come back, it would be with that person whom he shared almost everything with, except that person took them and ran away with it, leaving him in the dust yet again.

"i came back here because of a promise, a promise made to me," he said as he tried to look her in the eye. he finished off his cigarette and added, "yet even though that promise wasn't fulfilled, i'd rather come back here, pretend that everything is the way they should have been, and then go back, leaving what was supposed to have been back here, with everything else i have inside for her."

she was taken aback with what he said. never before has she met someone with potentially everything she would want in a man. yet, at the back of her mind, she knew, that something special happening with this man is not right now. he was still hurting, that she understood. but part of her wanted so much to get to know this man who offered her a seat, a cigarette, and a small insight into his life.

"i see," she finally replied back as she bowed her head down, realizing that the conversation would go no further. "what then?" she asked, hoping that a slightest hint would come her way.

realizing what he had to do, and finally coming to terms with the inevitable, he finished his cup of coffee, calmly stood up, looked at her and told her before heading towards the exit, "now, it's a two-hour drive back home."

i got this off liz' blog and since i was tagged, i am obliged to answer. i normally consider myself a weird person, but be that as it may, it still took some time for me to look back and reveal the weird things about me. so, in no particular order, here goes:

1. i love the smell of gasoline – well, not as much as before, but i still enjoy the scent that fills the air as i stop to have gas pumped into my car. i would roll both front windows down and inhale (read: sniff) the aroma of unleaded gasoline. i guess i picked up this weird habit one day when i was still a kid while my dad pulled into a gas station.

2. i absolutely find spongebob squarepants creepy – i see him as a mascot for zombies. i mean c'mon, that f**ker has two enormously large eyes which match his huge front teeth… ugh! creepy, if you ask me. if you want me to throw things at you, give me anything spongebob for christmas or my birthday.

3. i sometimes don't consider professional wrestling as "scripted" – the thought never occurred to me that this form of "sports entertainment" could be just that, entertainment until the late 90s. nowadays, everyone in the world knows that it's just one big play, but for me, watching it doesn't stop to surprise me at times. i guess that's why i'm such a big fan.

4. i haven't watched a filipino movie inside a theater since herbert bautista's "puto" in the late 80s – weird but true. i catch most of filipino movies when it's aired on tv, yet i don't even finish it. basically, what i realized is that every plot is the same. and why do comedy filipino movies always have to have a song and dance segment? i mean, WTF? i promised myself that i won't be watching any, and i mean any filipino movie unless it's in english. meaning the script, dialogue, everything should be in english. if countries like singapore that have their native tongue produce films in english, why can't we? it all boils down to the sad truth–filipino actors can't speak–heck, even pronounce–english well.

5. i usually go out to the mall, watch movies, and eat alone – typical for a guy like me to solitarily wander out into the world, but i always get surprised reactions when i tell friends that i usually watch movies alone. i guess it's my way of enjoying the movie itself. my attention being glued to the big screen and not thinking whether my companion is enjoying the movie or not. don't get me wrong, i also like going to movies with friends or with a significant other (yeah, right, as if i have one!), but if i really want to enjoy a blockbuster, i'd rather watch it alone.

6. i sometimes still have the fear of cockroaches – i guess i haven't outgrown it ever since i was a kid. though would eventually end up getting rid of them critters by hitting them with my slippers, it would take a good five minutes for me to do so. i believe that's weird because for a big guy like me, i shouldn't be bothered by those things. hey, to each his own, right?

well, there you have it. hmmm, it would be interesting to know the six weird things about brew and erlyn. i guess this marks my first time to tag someone with an entry. i know there are more weird things about me, maybe i just can't separate being weird from odd. if you know something that i may have missed, let me know. =)

i never did pay much attention to the sport of tennis, mainly because it's one of my frustrations not having time–and the monetary resources–to properly learn the sport (even though i had–and still have–a wilson professional tennis racket collecting dust at home). unlike basketball where it's easy to pick up the game because it was part of physical education class in school, as with swimming; billiards where i basically taught myself how to hold a cue stick and hit the ball using the laws of physics; and bowling, where, for the most part, i guess i inherited the skill from my dad who used to play the game "semi-professionally" (in company-sponsored tournaments back when he was still employed here at home). well, maybe one exception is american football where i never played the game itself, but learned the basics and the rules just by watching espn–and ultimately, liking it. i would've done the same with tennis, yet at times, i found it too formal. no, wait, that's not the word i was looking for. i guess the right word i should be using is, the sport was too proper. except for one player who i followed, not too closely, but just enough to satisfy my frustration of playing the sport. andre agassi played his last professional tennis match today. though he lost, he'll be remembered as one of the greatest players ever.

andre broke into the tennis scene during the late 80s, a time when john mcenroe, boris becker and bjorn borg were masters of the court. but he didn't make headlines until the early 90s. yet what set him apart from the other players was his brash, cocky, image-first, and devil-may-cry attitude which raised the ire of tennis purists and the fans of a distant generation. fans who viewed tennis as one for the elites; the higher society where rules are synonymous with maintaining a social standing. yet he defied all these with his rock-star like hair, colored outfits (white is only color that should be worn by players) and a disrespect to the history of the sport. while most tennis fans became disgusted with his boorish behavior, others took notice and believed that he was put there to revolutionize the sport. soon, endorsement deals for sportswear and other products came knocking on his door. he appealed to the generation x of that era which stood for radical change, disrespect for authority and the youth movement. i started watching his games during the mid to late 90s as i saw him with that raw talent and energy, his desire to win in his eyes, and of course, that brash attitude he was known for and i instantly became a fan because of that. i then quietly started following his career and watched as he rose to greatness. as he won tournaments left and right and accumulated his titles, his fan base grew and other players slowly recognized the potential of this kid.

but not all change was towards the sport andre entered. he also made a name for himself outside of the tennis court which made him fall in the world rankings, most notably his marriage and divorce to actress brooke shields. i guess at the point towards the end of that marriage, he himself suddenly changed. he began taking tennis seriously and started the long road back to winning. gone were the long locks, the trash-talking and the chameleon outfits. he started to conform with the sport whose rules he once defied, which won more fans to his side. he also became an advocate to humanitarian missions and a crusader for underprivileged and disadvantaged children. to sum up all of these changes, he simply matured and grew up. yet his desire to win never faltered. battling injuries and age, he began competing at a higher level in his career of which the pinnacle was this year's US open. when he announced that this would be his final event, i tried to watch most of his games as possible. i was witness to the game between him and marcos baghdatis and it was, in my book, his greatest performance ever. i initially thought his match with benjamin becker (no relation to boris) would upstage his previous encounter as he showed flashes of that agassi flair of old as he tried to match experience with youth during the first two rounds. but after seeing him wince and grimace in pain while chasing shots during the latter half of the match, i then knew it would be impossible for him to overcome the odds. yet i endured the hope that he would beat his aging body and injuries that wore him down, but in the midst of the third set, it was clear: this was andre agassi's swan song. and as becker's final launched his final serve, andre, who had four cortisone injections given to him just to keep him playing, just stood there, didn't even move to chase and make the return, and accepted the end.

he was still standing, but the crowd stood with him as he walked to his seat. tears began to fill his eyes as he broke down amidst the roaring applause and cheers of the crowd at hand. a very long standing ovation was in effect, a worthy final send-off for arguably one of the greatest to ever play the game. his determination to keep playing was evident in his comments prior to the tournament, saying, "for me, it was never about winning and stopping. it was about getting the most out of myself as long as possible." and as he took the court one final time to address the fans at hand, he had this to say (transcript courtesy of the Associated Press):

"the scoreboard said i lost today, but what the scoreboard doesn't say is what i have found. and over the last 21 years, i have found loyalty. you have pulled for me on the court and also in life. i've found inspiration. you have willed me to succeed sometimes even in my lowest moments. and i've found generosity. you have given me your shoulders to stand on and reach for my dreams, dreams i could have never reached without you. over the last 21 years, i have found you. and i will take you and the memories of you with me for the rest of my life. thank you."

i'm proud to say that i'm an andre agassi fan. tennis will never be the same without him. as i saw him bid goodbye to the sport he shook to its very foundations, and to the crowd who faithfully followed his every move, that also sealed the fate of me at least following the sport itself. clearly, there will never, ever be quite another player like him.

these past few days, i found myself being in a state of "trance," meaning that i'm now listening more to trance music than my usual routine of alternative and contemporary music. in fact, over the weekend i just experimented with a new music mixing software i had on my pc. well, it's not exactly new, i had it installed all along, i just found the time to tinker with it after catching myself often bobbing my head up and down to beats running in my head. i actually finished my first running mix compilation of 90s trance and hard house music with artists ranging from underworld to alice deejay, robert miles to dj eion, js-16 to sash! and bonnie bailey to the warp brothers, and so forth. i could say that my first try at mixing these types of sounds are okay, considering the fact that i'm just feeling my way through the software i'm using. yet i obviously still have a lot to learn and i also still have to expand my knowledge and familiarity with this type of music genre.

i would very much appreciate it if anyone would suggest titles of songs, names of artists, or even albums of trance and/or hard house music to add to my limited collection. i'm trying to make the most out of my new musical infatuation and what better way to do it than to build up my array of tunes. honestly though, i may not be able to listen to it as often as i do with my other music, but at least expanding musical horizons doesn't hurt. having variety on my music collection is also a plus for a person like me who depend on music to relax after a rough day at work, or to keep me occupied on a lazy afternoon, or to get me through a traffic jam. any information would be highly appreciated.

september is almost upon us. start of the -ber months!! have a good week to all!! =)

as i was going through my usual stuff at work one very early tuesday morning:

liz (out of nowhere): darn it!!

markie (startled): darn what?

liz: "it!!"

markie: what is it that you need to "darn?"

liz: it… you know… stuff… things… "it!!"

markie: oh… okay… so, i guess it's "darn it" then.

liz: yes, darn it!!

markie: right.

i seriously need to take another vacation….