Author: Brian Dys
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In the Wee Hours of the Morning (Sa Madaling Araw)
June 29, 2005
It’s like near Christmas or having a field trip to Nayong Pilipino, I am brushing my eyes while yawning.
“Cocks are not crowing yet.”
I sat down by the foot of the bed to stare into space. After a while I began to scratch my head so I would fully awaken.
In these hours come topics only yourself could understand. Unlike those which are forced, this one flows smoothly.
“If you’re going to say something, say it now.”
“I’ll say it next year…”
That’s why it’s good to wake up in the wee hours of the morning.
A blind guitar man playing some tunes along the sidewalk. EDSA, Camp Aguinaldo, June 13, 2011 Original Text (Filipino)
Parang magpa-Pasko o kaya may field trip sa Nayong Pilipino, kinukusut-kusot pa ang mata sabay hikab.
“Wala pa ang tilaok ng mga manok.”
Umupo ako sa paanan ng papag para tumunganga. Kaunting saglit pa ay nagkamot na ako ng ulo para naman magising nang tuluyan.
Dito sa mga oras na ‘to lumalabas ang mga usaping sarili mo lang ang nakakaintindi. Hindi katulad ng napipiga, heto ay swabe lang ang daloy.
“Kung may sasabihin ka, ngayon na.”
“Next year na lang…”
Kaya masarap simulan ang paggising sa madaling araw.
Sa Madaling Araw Second Edition
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Colorizing Ansel Adams
I first saw this picture by Ansel Adams from Shorpy and thought of colorizing it in Photoshop. The colors, of course, are far from accurate; I only wanted to have a hand in coloring a black and white photograph and this one interested me.
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Loading bus, leaving Manzanar for relocation, Manzanar Relocation Center, California / Photograph by Ansel Adams
Created/Published [1943]
Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Ansel Adams, photographer, [reproduction number, e.g., LC-DIG-ppprs-00257]
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Life Reclaim (Reklamo Sa Buhay)
Bacteria-laden dry clothes
Since the laundry shop I frequent swindled me of my clothes (I went back to find out the clothes were still dirty-stacked), I switched to a cheap-looking laundry shop — only twenty-three per kilo compared to twenty-five. Beside a hair salon, it looked like it had no dryer that used LPG (liquefied petroleum gas); it is rainy season, seemed like I would be caught by not-properly-dried clothes. My hunch became true; a pair of pants were also missing. I planned to get back at them — I would send several pieces of clothes, I would insert packets of red and blue dye into the pockets so if they mix it with clothes of other customers (which they shouldn’t be doing), dead meat!
Filipino Translation:
Amoy-kulob na mga damit
Sapagkat ang labahan na lagi kong pinupuntahan ay winantutri ako nang pitong araw (bumalik ako at nakatambak pa rin ang mga damit), lumipat ako sa isang pipitsugin na labahan — bente-tres kada kilo lang kumpara sa bente-singko. Tabi ng parlor, mukhang walang pangtuyo na gumagamit ng gasul; tag-ulan pa naman, mukhang madadale ako ng amoy-kulob na damit. Tama ang hinala ko; kulang pa ng isang pantalon. Balak kong gumanti — magpapalaba ako ng ilang pirasong damit, sisiksikan ko ng jobus na pula at asul ang mga bulsa para kung maghalo sila ng damit ng ibang tao (na dapat ‘di nila ginagawa), patay!
Here are some unrelated photos of the morning:
A still-closed vulcanizing shop. 20th Ave., Cubao, Quezon City, 8:22 am 
A woman standing by the doorway of a house which is very near the road. B. Serrano Ave., Quezon City, 8:23am 
A vendor sounding his pot-pot horn to attract buyers. B. Serrano Ave., Quezon City, 8:24 am 
A vandalism on the wall of Camp Aguinaldo. B. Serrano Ave., Quezon City, 8:24 am 
A kid on his grandfather’s lap laughing. B. Serrano Ave., Quezon City, 8:25 am 
Fixed electric fans for sale hanging by an electrical shop. B. Serrano Ave., Quezon City, 8:25 am 
A man standing in the dark at a commercial complex. B. Serrano Ave., Quezon City, 8:26 am 
A rush passport ID service. B. Serrano Ave., Quezon City, 8:26 am 
A woman buying from a sari-sari store. B. Serrano Ave., Quezon City, 8:27 am 
A woman sitting/sleeping on a passenger jeepney. B. Serrano Ave., Quezon City, 8:28 am 
Nardo’s cart is used to gather junk and recyclable materials. B. Serrano Ave., Quezon City, 8:29 am 
A woman in duster walking by the sidewalk. B. Serrano Ave., Quezon City, 8:29 am 
A building near its completion. B. Serrano Ave., Quezon City near EDSA, 8:29 am 
A man carries several load on his head. Camp Crame, EDSA, 8:30 am 
A woman fixing her umbrella. Camp Crame, EDSA, 8:30 am 
An old man covers his nose with handkerchief to shield himself from vehicle pollution. MRT Santolan-Annapolis station, EDSA, 8:30 am 
People walking. EDSA near Annapolis St., Quezon City, 8:31 am 
A vendor beside an area being demolished. EDSA near Annapolist St., Quezon City, 8:31 am 
“Now Open” sign of Chevrolet. EDSA, 8:31 am 
An X-Men movie billboard. EDSA, 8:31 am 
Construction workers along the line of automotive shops. EDSA, 8:31 am 
People waiting by the curb. EDSA, 8:31 am 
A CEO apparel billboard. EDSA, 8:31 am 
A Victory Liner bus. EDSA, 8:32 am 
A motorcycle cruising with deadly buses. EDSA, 8:32 am 
A city bus. EDSA, 8:32 am 
The People Power monument. EDSA, 8:34 am 
A “Don’t Touch” sign telling passengers that the latch isn’t located there. Ortigas Ave., Quezon City near Robinsons Galleria, 8:37 am 
A jeepney decorated with metallic horses on its hood. Ortigas Ave., Quezon City near Robinsons Galleria, 8:37 am 
A shuttle service loaded with passengers going to work. Ortigas Ave., Quezon City, 8:38 am 
A passenger at the back of a public utility vehicle. F. Ortigas Jr. Ave., Ortigas Center, Pasig City, 8:40 am 
The AIC Gold Tower. F. Ortigas Jr. Ave., Ortigas Center, Pasig City, 8:40 am 
A pine tree scent hanging inside a taxi. F. Ortigas Jr. Ave., Ortigas Center, Pasig City, 8:40 am 
A flower and pot decoration on the dashboard of a taxi. F. Ortigas Jr. Ave., Ortigas Center, Pasig City, 8:41 am 
The reflection of the taxi I was riding. F. Ortigas Jr. Ave., Ortigas Center, Pasig City, 8:41 am 
A woman crossing the street. Ruby Rd., Ortigas Center, Pasig City, 8:41 am 
Two women walking. Ruby Rd., Ortigas Center, Pasig City, 8:42 am 
A man with a faraway look, resting against a coconut tree. Ruby Rd., Ortigas Center, Pasig City, 8:42 am 
A man painting the curb with alternate black and yellow. Ruby Rd., Ortigas Center, Pasig City, 8:42 am -
The Things the Camera Caught Today
I heard it’s graduation everywhere. It’s oblivious to me since I am neither schooling nor am I parent to a school kid. It must be swell to have several weeks of vacation. I miss it. We all do.
And so, our everyday life continues.
Here’s The Happy Mondays by The Innocence Mission:
The happy Mondays, we blow down alleyways
in our raincoats, in afternoons.
Exterior of a bakery. Katipunan Ave., Quezon City, 10:22 A.M. 
A boy cleaning a car for sale. Katipunan Ave., Quezon City, 10:24 A.M. The imaginary dogs beside us
are old friends, they will speak to you.
Dried leaves filled the sidewalk. Whiteplains Ave., Quezon City, 10:24 A.M. 
It is summer time. Whiteplains Ave., Quezon City, 10:24 A.M. 
The police waiting for violators. Whiteplains Ave. and Temple Drive, Quezon City, 10:25 A.M. Happy in the daylight.
Breathe out, breathe in the end of school time.
An ice cream vendor reads the news today. Temple Drive, Quezon City,10:25 A.M. 
I was riding a taxi going anywhere. Temple Drive, Quezon City, 10:26 A.M. Happy on the way home.
The west side also feels, and they know,
everything that I know.
A vendor catering to vehicles during stops. Green Meadows Ave., Quezon City, 10:28 A.M. 
A traffic enforcer taking shade under a tree. Ortigas Ave., Quezon City, 10:28 A.M. 
Construction workers resting for a while. Ortigas Ave., Quezon City, 10:28 A.M. The happy Mondays, we are blue-green
in the air, we are yellow, too.
A group of friends goofing around. Ortigas Ave., Quezon City, 10:28 A.M. 
A delivery truck which seems to be delivering chickens. Ortigas Ave., Quezon City, 10:28 A.M. The clouds of Pennsylvania break apart,
they move away from me and from you.
Sidewalk vendors stationed at the waiting shed. Ortigas Ave., Quezon City, 10:29 A.M. 
A sweeper in his morning duty. Ortigas Ave., Quezon City, 10:29 A.M. 
Motorists during a traffic stoplight. Ortigas Ave. and Meralco Ave., Pasig City, 10:31 A.M. Happy in the daylight.
Breathe out, breathe in the end of school time.
A painter suspended from a building. Onyx Rd., Ortigas Center, Pasig City, 10:31 A.M. 
A security guard striking a pose. Garnet Rd., Ortigas Center, Pasig City, 10:32 A.M. Happy on the way home.
The west side also feels, and they know,
A busy fast food. Robinsons Galleria, 8:28 P.M. everything that I know.
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If life is so purposeless, do you feel that it’s worth living?
The most terrifying fact about the universe is not that it is hostile but that it is indifferent. Stanley Kubrick
Playboy: If life is so purposeless, do you feel that it’s worth living?
Kubrick: Yes, for those of us who manage somehow to cope with our mortality. The very meaninglessness of life forces man to create his own meaning. Children, of course, begin life with an untarnished sense of wonder, a capacity to experience total joy at something as simple as the greenness of a leaf; but as they grow older, the awareness of death and decay begins to impinge on their consciousness and subtly erode their joie de vivre, their idealism – and their assumption of immortality. As a child matures, he sees death and pain everywhere around him, and begins to lose faith in the ultimate goodness of man. But if he’s reasonably strong – and lucky – he can emerge from this twilight of the soul into a rebirth of life’s élan. Both because and in spite of his awareness of the meaninglessness of life, he can forge a fresh sense of purpose and affirmation. He may not recapture the same pure sense of wonder he was born with, but he can shape something far more enduring and sustaining. The most terrifying fact about the universe is not that it is hostile but that it is indifferent; but if we can come to terms with this indifference and accept the challenges of life within the boundaries of death – however mutable man may be able to make them – our existence as a species can have genuine meaning and fulfillment. However vast the darkness, we must supply our own light.
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Months of 2010: May (Offshoot)
Somewhere along EDSA, May 1, 2010 
San Roque Parish Church, Cavite City, May 2, 2010 
Public Market, Cavite City, May 3, 2010 
Lopez Jaena St., Cavite City, May 3, 2010 
En route to Bantayan Island, Cebu, May 5, 2010 
Bantayan Island, Cebu, May 5, 2010 
Bantayan Island, Cebu, May 6, 2010 
En route to Cebu City, May 6, 2010 
A market in Cebu, May 8, 2010 
Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Terminal 3, May 8, 2010 
White House, Cavite City, May 9, 2010 
Canon Life Magazine, May 11, 2010 
Somewhere, May 14, 2010
Somewhere, May 14, 2010 
Shangri-La Plaza, view from its parking lot, March 14, 2010 
Our Awesome Planet and San Miguel Lifestyle Brews Ultimate Taste Test 4.0, NBC Tent, Fort Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, May 14, 2010 
Col. B. Serrano Ave., Quezon City, May 15, 2010 
White House, Cavite City, May 15, 2010 
White House, Cavite City, May 16, 2010 
White House, Cavite City, May 16, 2010 
Somewhere along EDSA, May 17, 2010 
Pasig City view from Philippine Stock Exchange Building, Ortigas Center, May 18, 2010 
Somewhere, May 18, 2010 
Mall of Asia, May 22, 2010 
Ferryboat en route to Cavite City, Manila Bay, May 22, 2010 
White House, Cavite City, May 24, 2010 
Beer Hotel, May 24, 2010 
Jade Drive, Ortigas Center, Pasig City, May 25, 2010 
Meralco Ave., May 27, 2010 
Asian Hospital and Medical Center, Civic Drive, Filinvest Corporate City, Alabang, Muntinlupa City, May 31, 2010
