Saturday, January 15, 2011

Another one writes on the dust

There are many things that car windows make people do.

1. It unleashes one's vanity---especially the well-tinted ones. Even for just a second, the person would glance at the car window to check how he/she looks for that moment. As one's hair flows with the polluted wind, the image that the car window reflects can give an immediate sense of satisfaction.

2. It urges one to commit temporary vandalism---especially the dusty ones. There is that excitement of being caught by the car owner and there is the relief that it will soon be washed off. People tend to get the urge to write and the popular ones include the male genitalia, their frat name or logo, and their own names.

In relation to the second item, I saw this dusty van parked in front of our office. And the one who committed the crime seems so angry yet utterly concerned. It seemed as if the van spoke to him and gave him the courage to send its message.


You can see that "AKO" is bigger, perhaps, stressing that the message came from the van and not from the person who wrote it. And it's anger is so obvious not only with the three exclamation points after the bad word but also with the follow-up "Ka".

Unlike drawing the male genitalia (for purposes that women like me will never understand), this temporary vandalism can yield to something good---an immediate car wash. Thus, giving car wash employees another customer which would yield to better income and a better economy.

Friday, January 7, 2011

The Legend of the Wild

This morning was different. The Clover lip inside me was resurrected when I saw this unique business sign of a shoe repair shop at the corner of Angel Linao and San Andres Streets.






I realized that there are still a lot of legends that we do not know of. For instance, do you know that there is a storybook entitled "Alamat ng Lamok?" And one of these legends is this: ALAMAT NI WILD KIKO!

Remember, he's not just an ordinary Kiko... He's a WILD KIKO!

I needed to know what that legend is all about but I was hesitant to ask the shoe repair boy. I had to keep in mind that people are very unpredictable in the place where I live---even if the streets' names are saintly (e.g.: Angel Linao---I'm not so sure about Linao, but I'm sure about the Angel Part---San Andres, Sta. Ana, San Marcelino). If he gets the feeling that I think his business name is "amusing," I might end up being in the watchlist of gangs in our side of town.

But I promise that I will ask soon. I guess I have to look for shoes that need repair so I can strike a conversation with this shoeshine boy who might be the key to the unraveling of the mysteries:

Who is Kiko? What happened to him? What is THE LEGEND OF WILD KIKO?
 
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