THERE is really no summer vacation for me. Not in the last four years of being a civil servant and one of those tasked to monitor and receive special guests and visitors during these kinds of breaks. In the last years, I have never filed any request for overtime for these occasions or in any other activity or event which should compensate the extra hours and days that were offered -- we worked until midnight, worked on weekends and holidays, worked beyond our pay grade. All these we did for the love of service: “Tuloy lang” we tell ourselves, hoping that our efforts and sacrifices will soon bear fruit.
This low-key grumble, however, is nothing compared to the day to day hustle and bustle of the people I meet at trading post on my way to work. The laborers; young and old, who carry or transport sacks of vegetables that are many times heavier than them; the ladies who are selling goods and at times, playing catch and mouse with our inspectors; the students who are washing carrots and potatoes for extra cash; the community of ambulant vendors who are offering food and wares until evening, the many people who are struggling every day. These people are my inspiration to keep moving forward -- “Tuloy lang.”
Sometimes, we fail to appreciate what we have. We ask for too much and simply fail to see the blessings that are already there. Perhaps for the often insatiable soul, we have to start learning how to enjoy the amazing abundance and beauty of what is already ours.
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Music is said to be supreme among other arts because of its quality of being owned and shared (aside from usually being a product of two arts; auditory and literary). A visual art may define humanist expressions but it cannot be owned by an audience -- it cannot be "covered" and shared, or played across generations like music. A tangible art may deteriorate and may be physically destroyed, but songs and music, they live in the hearts of people.
So, as a local musician, let me have this poorman’s copyright for a song which I made weeks ago and entitled “Tuloy Lang”, (or “Keep Moving”) -- inspired by a movement in support of mental health awareness in this chaotic, depressing, frustrating, and tiring world.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/iNI1riua5oA
The lyrics are as follows:
(I) Aanhin ang mga payo sa buhay/ Kung hindi rin susundin, diba tunay?/ Tatamarin ang panahon, ikay Bumangon/ Harapin at may pag-asa, ang pagkakataon /Ituloy lang ito.../ (II) Wag mong isipan ang problema, nakuha?/Matatapos ang dilim, payo ng tala. /Ang umaga’y harapin, ngumiti ka/ Yakapin natin ang pag-asa, ang pagkakataon,Ituloy lang ito!/ (Chorus:) Lusong, Lusob, Laban lang tayo,/Gapang, Lakad,Takbo, walang susuko!/ Ang pagod at pawis ay mawawala/ Sisikat ang araw, makikita mong bigla.Tuloy lang! / (III) Sa loob ng gunita ng, kahapon/ Naghihintay ng paraluman, sa unan./Lumikha ng iyong mundo at subukang, Ipinta ang mga pangarap, ang pagkakataon/ Ituloy lang ito! (Bridge) Dinggin and kundiman, haranang makulay/Ikaw ang siyang bida sa tunay mong buhay/ Sundin and habiling umibig, umawit/ Kasama ang hangin, bughaw ang iyong langit!