The Old Man And The Public Market

  

      Few days ago, I received an FB friend request from Tonton Young, yes, the Tonton Young, cartoonist of Pupung, which was serialized in Manila Bulletin. I found out that he was already friends with many komiks colleagues of mine. I wanted to send him a PM to tell him that I bought and used to own some of his The Best of Pupung Books, but I got shy.

     Future bubble wrap will no longer pop—yup, 2020 is such a cruel year.

     My long wait is over. Season 2 of The Boys will come this September. The Boys is about a group of vigilantes (composed of ordinary human beings) whose goal was to stop some superheroes who abuse their superpowers.

     I went to a public market a few mornings ago to buy some vegetables and sweet corn, and while I was in the process of buying (the vegetable stall was just on the side of the street so I didn’t need to get off my bike), a man in his sixties, also buying some vegetables, with his mask down, kept sidling up to me and engaging me in a small talk (how much is the bike, he’s been wanting to buy his son a bike, etc). I tried to keep a distance between us while I answered him but he just kept on inching towards me. The worst part was when I finally got my veggies and was about to pedal away, the man started to cough. Now, I’m just waiting for my COVID-19 symptoms to show. Lol.

     News about people selling their kidney to cope with the pandemic is truly sad.

     Yesterday, a male frontliner-nurse became a victim of hit-and-run and died while biking. This is why bike lanes are of utmost necessity.

     Last Sunday, I rewatched some of Manny Pacquiao’s fights (Barerra, Morales, Hatton, De La Hoya, Thurman, Cotto, Margarito) on YouTube, reminding myself of how super awesome as a fighter he is. The man’s one of a kind, a true legend, a genuine icon, an astonishing athlete, especially if you know that he started as an amazingly quick and powerful flyweight(108 pounds)  and moved up as an amazingly  quick and powerful welterweight(147 pounds) and that he had won eight belts. Pacman knocking out Hatton in the second round is simply breathtaking. And mauling Thurman while he's  already 40 years old, just unbelievable. And yes, they're right, there won't be another Pacquiao in probably 200 years.

     And lastly, watching someone you hold dear and miss on a big screen HDTV while she talks and deliberates on something feels surreal, especially when you’re watching at 2 AM and you’re alone in a dark living room holding a beer.

     Surreal, like the year 2020.