Today, I'm a Tech Guy, But

Back in the days,
I worked full-time
catching grasshoppers.

They were never hard
to catch. I wondered sometimes
what good it did them,
the power kicks that soared
them through the air,
only to have them slam
head-first into the
palm of my hand.

I would drop them
in clear plastic bags
then join my colleagues
for a late lunch
at the sapodilla forest
where we climbed trees
as high as our guts took us.

We could never enjoy
a full meal.
After a bite or two,
our neighbor would come
storming out of his house,
stick in hand.

One by one, we would
jump out onto the
naked ground, plastic
bags in our fists,
kicking hard on the
field of wet grass,
hopping, soaring,

summer wind against
our laughing faces.

The Rebecca Black Argument

This is the song that could beat Justin Bieber's "Baby" to a pulp. "Friday" by Rebecca Black has already reached over 3 million views on YouTube in just over a month. Everyone who's listened to the song and watched the video agree on one thing: it has kick-ass lyrics.

Perhaps reminiscent of how Alanis Morissette took the world by storm back in the '90s with a bold confession of going down on her boyfriend in a theater, Rebecca Black courageously expresses a personal indecision: "Kicking in the front seat, sitting in the back seat, gotta make my mind up: which seat can I take?" This is perhaps Black's way of flipping off "You Can't Always Get What You Want" by the Rolling Stones with the implication that you don't always know what you want.

But reaching a different kind of level that other artists could only wish for is the kind of mystery that Black presents. She sings: "I got this, you got this. My friend is by my right, eh!" On the video, there is another girl by her left. Who is she? Is she just an acquaintance? A distant cousin she just met?

That is not the only mysterious thing in her song, though. When she sings "Fun, fun, fun, fun," it is delivered in a such a way that makes you question: "Is she really having fun? Or is she giving us an entirely different message that only a few can decode?"

And then we get to the bridge. We are reminded of how James Blunt repeatedly argues "You're beautiful, you're beautiful, it's true." Well, Mr. Blunt, your argument is weak. We do not know who you're singing to. For all we know she could be ugly. But Ms. Rebecca Black here gives us an argument no one can refute: "Yesterday was Thursday, today is Friday. . .tomorrow is Saturday and Sunday comes afterwards." No matter how you look at it, that is the correct order of days.

"Win Our Hearts" Winner

This is two days belated but Lead Character would like to congratulate "me!" aka Timothy Flores for winning the "Win Our Hearts" contest with 50% of the votes for this magical entry:

Congratulations!

Since you're in Vancouver, you cannot really enjoy the prize of 2 movie tickets at SM Cinema, so feel free to award it to anyone in the Philippines. Just post in the comments section below who you want to transfer it to, and his/her Philippine mobile # (I will not publish it).

Of course, if you do not transfer it to anyone, you can enjoy it whenever you're here.

Congratulations again. You deserve it!

"Win Our Hearts" Contests - The Final Showdown

Lead Character would like to thank those who participated in this very inspired contest. Even with just four entries, Lead Character feels they're enough to make hearts skip a beat or two.

To read all four entries and to vote for your favorite, click here.