People who are not so close to me are always confronted with curiousity and ignorance everytime they see the tattoo on my right hand.

Curiousity when they start to ask questions about the "meaning" of the print, which I often abort by telling them that it is like my chastity belt--meaning: I am still a virgin and that it means I am not lying. Curiousity when they start to ask what's the prominent number three standing for. And, curiousity when they ask whether it hurt me or not and why did I get the tattoo in the first place.

Ignorance comes when they start to ask "saang selda ka dati?"

This happened to me during the recent trip to Sibulan in Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur to witness a ritual not-so-often observed by the Bagobo-Tagabawa in Tudaya Falls.

While walking back to the village from the long exhausting trek, I opted to stop by a community tub for a quick bath with a number of friends.

Just before I could get myself in to the washing area, two villagers arrived, with them a torched dog--eyes void of anything but blood clots; mouth agape that exposed broken teeth an a swollen but hardened tongue; and a slashed, bloodstained neck.

One of the men, who was very much like the dog with his broken teeth, engaged us. He was kind of reeking of alcohol and that bizarre burnt flesh smell. Sure he smelled burnt because he was the one who physically carried the butchered dog to the washing area.

Sensing that something was kind of wrong with the man, I excused myself and headed straight to the tub for the quick wash, shirt off, another tattoo on the back exposed. Lorraine, one of my friends, followed--her breast proud against the gloomy afternoon--shirt on or the breast would be saying "hello".

After washing up and some very fast self-fixing, the man approached me. Grinning...eyes drooping.

Man: Pare, kami kahit taga-bundok lang, dapat nirerespeto. Bakit naman hindi ka nagpaalam at umalis ka kaagad kanina habang kinakausap ka pa namin?

Bananas: (Nairita) Ha? Kinakausap mo ba ako? Na-offend kita (syempre narealize ko agad na hindi naman niya naintindihan ang salitang 'offend'). Saka, bakit naman ako magpapaalam eh, maliligo lang naman ako.

Man: Kahit na. Pero, pare, anong trabaho mo?

Bananas: Nagsusulat.

Man: Eh, kasi kanina, nong nakita kita, nasabi ko na agad na baka kasama kita dati sa loob. Aling selda ka ba?

Bananas: (Nagulat. Naiinis. Natatawa. Sindi ng yosi) Hindi ako ex-convict. Journalist ako.

Man: Pahingi naman ng yosi. (Ngiti habang sinisindihan ang yosing bigay ni banana)

Bananas: (Sensing na nalansi ng kaunti ang lalaking ulol, biglang baling sa mga kasama at nagyayang umalis na.) Tara!


(Few minutes after. Few meters away)

Bananas: Ponyetang lalaki yon! Hindi ako kriminal! Nasan na ang alkohol ko...nangangamoy sunog na aso ako!!!


c(@_@)a .............................................................................

With that and a looming libel case to be filed agaisnt me and the loads and loads of reports needed to be finished, I just want to have a rest. And while I am grabbing life, you guys, those who have missed reading it on the paper, might as well want to read it here.