Si Ericson

I haven't seen him for a very, very long time. But somehow, I know he is just there.

Like with many others in the ND student movement of the 90's in UP, I lost touch with his comings and goings since I went here to Hong Kong in 1999. I am not even sure if he has a Facebook account and if he's in my friend's list.

But back then, he was one of the elders we kiddies looked up to when it came to activism especially cultural activism. He oozed with such. He wrote poems, he composed melodies, he played the guitar … and he joked around a lot. He'd belt out into songs – together with other members of Alay Sining – while hanging around the LFS tambayan.

I haven't seen him for a very long time. But I know he is just there.

Wala sya sa Cubao. He is being held by the military since February 13 somewhere in Samar.

Free Ericson Acosta!

(Below is a poem of Ericson I first read 11 years ago)

Walang Kalabaw sa Cubao

Walang kalabaw sa Cubao
Pero sa loob ng videokeng Fiesta carnival
May mga kabayong baby-blue
At isang kubang Tyrannosaurus Rex
Habang sa magkabilang dulo
Ng Goldilocks at showroom
Ng Automatic Center
Naroon naman ang mga Tamaraw
FX na ngayo'y pastul-pastol
Ng mga kolorum na dispatser:

Mga bastardong anak
Nina Aurora't Epifanio
Na ang langibang pusod
Ay kakabit pa rin
Ng matris ng estero;
Mga binatilyong binabansot
Sa lilim ng Big Dome
Sa anino ng kongkretong domino
Ng tinatayong tulay ng MRT-2;
Mga supot na sakristang simsim-
Simsim ang insenso ng tambutso,
Papak-papak ang beintesingko—
Ang ostiang kabayaran
Sa taimtim na pagkabisado
At paghiyaw sa mga litanya
Nina SANTA LUCIA, SANTA LUCIA
At SAN MATEO, SAN MATEO
At sa banal na amen ng Hoy, 'tang 'na kang
Hayop kang hindot ka, nauna 'ko sa 'yo dito!

At ngayon, kagat-kagat nila
Ang labi ng alas-dos
Pilit na tinitiklo ang antok
At nang 'di malimot
Ang inalmusal na rugby sa may 7-11
Ang tinanghaliang bilog
At idlip sa gilid ng Tiririt
Ang hinapunang jakol
Sa CR ng Ali-Mall

Walang kalabaw sa Cubao:
Ang Cubao mismo ang kalabaw
At sila ang nakadapong langaw.

Something old, something new

New post, new name, old blog, old self.

I decided to change my blog name not for any dramatic, life-changing reason. The truth is: the name doesn't really fit anymore. I still do drink coffee and I went back to smoking but the thing is, I do not do both of them when I write.

So now that the name change is out of the way, why this particular name?

Tibak is how usually activists call, well, activists. When I say activists, I mean of the ND line and not the ones posturing as activists and licking the yellowish ass of the current government.

Bakla is … you know what.

Lah is usually used by Hong Kong Chinese to end their sentences. It doesn't really mean anything. It just makes what you say so Chinese.

I am an activist. I am gay. I am in Hong Kong.

Thus I used the name.

Besides, kikomanhk is already taken.

I do thank him for the new masthead.