Pounding The Keyboard

      So you’re a freelance artist/writer who wants to pay taxes and get a BIR receipt. The first step you should take is go to your Revenue District Office (RDO), this is the BIR office that issued you your TIN. But you still don’t have TIN? Then, go to the RDO that has jurisdiction over your residence and apply for one ( I don’t think there are documents needed here, but just in case, bring a valid ID and some cash). Click HERE for a list of Revenue District Offices.       Once inside your RDO (this is assuming you already have TIN),   go to the counter for NEW REGISTRATION (tell the guard you’ll be registering as a new taxpayer so he could point you the right window). Tell the NEW REGISTRATION officer in the window that you want to register as a FREELANCER (Professional), tell him you’re a writer or an artist, and he’ll then give you a list of documents to procure (it will most likely include a barangay certificate, ...

      So we were inside this café and I was looking at my latte, wondering if there were three hearts there or four or more when one of my companions suddenly asked, “Do you still have contacts with (she mentioned a married former friend)? How is he? "               I don’t know, I thought, probably still fantasizing over a pretty single colleague of his who he thought was fair game (what an idiot!). But I just smirked and didn’t say anything and I looked back at my coffee, which was inviting and seemed delicious. I would allow no horrible thoughts to distract me from enjoying my coffee. Our form of relaxing after a grueling window-shopping (lol) at the mall was to have a cup of delicious coffee. Coffee’s known to alleviate depression (you’d be depressed after failing to buy the things you like) and protect the heart and liver, but drink too much of it and it will give you anxiety and insomnia. ...

Today is the day you kiss Something dear Not a pretty miss But a bottle of beer Today is the day you move closer Towards your grave And farther From your crib Today is the day you should count All your blessings Then flaunt All your misgivings Today is the day you both die And live a little And laugh and cry  And whittle

      So, just a few days ago, there’s this news about people who got infected with rabies after killing and eating a rabid dog…        Around ten years ago, I was inside a passenger jeepney and was on my way home from Intramuros when we (me and my fellow passengers) noticed something wasn’t right in the man seated on my immediate right: he had a bandaged right hand, he was sweating profusely and was moaning and groaning; he seemed having difficulty breathing and in a hell lot of pain. His wife (who was seated in front of him) grimly explained (while the jeepney was unloading passengers in front of Manila City Hall) that he was bitten by a dog a few days ago and that the dog exhibited signs of being infected (with rabies) before dying. They were on their way to San Lazaro Hospital ( a government hospital in Manila that specializes in rabies).        I didn’t know at that time if it was...

Gentle storm Rage my way Fall in love with me Fall in love with me Fall in love with me Every day...       I was listening to Elbow’s excellent new album, Little Fictions, when I decided to look for a video of my favorite track there, which was “Gentle Storm.” And guess who I saw there (see video above), it’s the smart-looking and brilliant British actor Teddybear Lumberchat, er,   Benedict Cumd—, Cubm—, Cumberbatch. The actor, he plays Doctor Strange and Sherlock Holmes , is simply everywhere. I saw him in a Sesame Street rerun and in a David Gilmour concert, singing Roger Waters' part in the song "Comfortably Numb" and in the photo below, you can see him photobombing U2.

      Exactly 45 years ago today, Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side Of The Moon (a prog rock concept album about madness and death) was released— and went on to become one of the best-selling albums of all time (it spent a mind-boggling 937 weeks on the Billboard album chart). It is often considered as one of the greatest albums of all time. Methinks it’s the greatest album of all time. But then, I’m always a bit biased when it comes to Pink Floyd. I even think that the double-album The Wall is the second greatest album of all time while Animals and Wish You Were Here are tied at third spot.       But back to the The Dark Side of the Moon , I remember being massively blown away when I first listened  to it. Everything in it was perfect and awesome--musically and lyrically, even its iconic cover (which didn't bear the band's name and the album's title; just the prism (see photo above)). It's a thoroughly creative and artisti...