MOVING ON

I'm still somewhat affected by what I heard from a cousin told me while we were heading back from our trip upstate NY to New Jersey. Of course, he meant well but I'm still somewhat disturbed that certain people couldn't help but be prejudiced against gay people like myself. I won't repeat anymore the details here as they're still hurting. Suffice it to say that one of my cousin's friends shared him what she's thought of me as a person because she, most probably, couldn't stand my being a gay person. Of course, she added that she has her own share of gay friends, who apparently are not like me. And, of course, she didn't tell me directly---most Filipinos won't do that. They do it through channels, which was just like what she did when she told her husband who is also a friend of my cousin, on what she thought of me. I happened to have accepted their invite for me to sleep at their place in New Jersey, and she apparently doubted if my cousin and

I've written many times about my bad memories as well as the good ones I've collected on my late Father, who was not exactly the ideal one (at least, not even one of those types you read on stereotyped characterizations of fathers). I'm grateful he and I had managed to deliberately patch many of the issues we had on each other before he passed on in late 2006. It is an understatement to say that I've learned so much from these really bad experiences with my late Father. I'm just shaking my head over postings I've been reading from relatives and friends who have been expressing their salutations to their fathers on Father's Day . I'm really, genuinely, very happy for them. In my case, I know I won't be able to say something really similar to my late Father. I'll leave it at that, and I'm grateful that my father was very instrumental in turning me into someone I am right now. I would not take it any other way, or I'll be dishonest with my

While on the ferry to Manhattan, I browsed into my Facebook profile on my celfone, and curiously read a status update from one of my friends about what she wants to share online these days. She mentioned about "Kyle," who has turned grade 2 in school now, and has remarked about how time flies so fleetingly fast, without us even becoming aware of it. The bright upbeat of this day, and the breezy wind plus the movement of the waves against the ferry have got my mind into pondering. How could it be that I've not met this "Kyle" up to now that he's most probably 9 years old as indicated by his Mom's message? Then it dawned on me in a bright sparkle of a thought that he's actually my nephew, as I got myself reminded of this fact, he being the son of one of my brothers, in a former relationship. I think I can not take it against my friend, just like most Moms, if she would be always championing for her son, Kyle, who I just said happens to be my nephew. I