I came to work today, not with the usual dread that it’ll be another dreary, tiring duty, but rather, with a sigh of relief. Freedom is sweet.
I was packing my things when Daddy disclosed that he found out about my new camera. It’s a silly, mundane issue, actually, having bought a camera and not telling them about it. But you have to understand that, in a house where permissions have to be sought on just about everything, and at the same time, a season of money drought, buying a camera, an expensive one at that, is a big deal.
Dad said he found it when he was about to put some cash in my drawer (why he has to put it in my personal drawer and, at the same time, rummage in it, is already out of the question, in a house where a person’s privacy is almost non-existent. Particularly, an adult daughter’s privacy). I was able to keep it away from them for 2 weeks (which should be considered a feat) and for reasons that I do not want him to think I’ve got oodles of money (or at least, money to spend), I could have said that I only borrowed the camera or bought it on installment. But I didn’t.
“I bought it because you have a more than decent Canon camera lying around inside your cabinet, which you’d rather leave to rot than allow me to use it when I need it,” I said.
“Fine,” he replied. “But can you pay me now for the monthly credit card dues?”
“Sure.”
He didn’t say anything more. I guess he already realized that, even if I do spend on some costly stuff, I do so in consideration of my own financial status. I can manage myself without having to sacrifice what is essential.
I lugged my bag out of the house and went to work. If I could whistle, I would have done so while at it.
* * * * *
There’s this place nearby the clinic that I discovered to be a very satisfactory smoking area. It’s a place where, with one wrong flick of the hand holding a lighted cigarette, one could well set the whole place on fire in a second because of wooden doors, an uncovered trash bin, and a storage of paint and other tools. A few square meters squeezed in between tall buildings that hold offices of industrial companies and even a quaint salon. It smells of rain falling on asphalt (possibly, because it is raining).
I’m beginning to love the place, as it allows me to have some “nebs” in peace, away from the pesky preemployment patients. I love how I envelop myself in smoke and through it, I mold my thoughts (some of which do find their way into this blog). I follow it as it rises up, and make me realize there’s just so much to do but that it’s okay. We all have goals; even the smoke seemed to have one. And freedom.
I also discovered that some people who’re working in the building have also made this place their “quiet place”. For several times, I’ve caught up with a few as I’m about to start my “session”. And it’s a warm surprise that in such a contracted space, four or even five strangers can go about their own personal business without intruding upon the privacy of another. Seemed to me that everyone understood the concept of a “territorial bubble”.
Sometimes, it makes me think that strangers could be better housemates.
* * * * *
If there’s one thing that is mutually understood at home, it is that 6 p.m. meant “AI time on the big TV”. I have willingly given up my rights on the big TV except for the 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. of Wednesdays and Thursdays. I rarely watch TV nowadays, simply because I don’t find anything really interesting to watch these days except for AI. And besides, I’ve got my DVD player with LCD screen for my House, MD and Heroes marathons (which I’ve to watch repeatedly for the nth time because the next season of Heroes doesn’t begin until September this year, I think) and the laptop for surfing online for news.
So, it’s a David vs. David finale, as I’ve predicted. I was quite excited about the songs they’re going to perform, but I’ve to say that I’m somewhat disappointed with the turnout of the finale. But let me explain.
I don’t really agree with Simon when he said that David Cook chose the wrong songs for the night (except maybe perhaps for “Dream Big” which is full of cliche crap). I love his performance of U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” and “The World I Know” by Collective Soul. I always watch performances twice. At first, I watch intently and let the whole thing soak in. And the second time, I watch it on replay or through youtube and listen intently, to know whether they also sound as good when the visuals aren’t there. Between David Cook and David Archuleta, I find David Cook more interesting as an artist, compared to David Archuleta, simply because he’s tried different songs and were able to make it work for him. Haven’t anyone notice that everytime David Archuleta deviates from his well-known ballad style, he comes up short in performance? Even when I’ve listened to “Imagine”, which is supposedly his best song, after playing it for 2-3 times, I still don’t get it. Well, perhaps, maybe at first, I found it to be quite good. But after some time, I’ve gotten tired of it and eliminated it from my AI playlist while David Cook’s songs stayed.
David Archuleta may have hit all the right notes and made some original twists on the songs, but still, I just found him to be so plain. It’s as if he makes an album after this competition, he’ll be singing 10 different songs in the CD in the same way that it’s almost predictable what he’ll do in the verses, the bridge, and his closing notes. Every song will just sound all alike. And I don’t like that. David Cook, on the other hand, have exerted effort throughout the competition to show that he could do different stuff. His renditions of “Billie Jean”,”Hello”, “Always Be My Baby”, “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”, and “The World I Know” do show the different sides of him as an artist, which I’m sure, he’ll take into account when he makes his own record. It’ll be more interesting, for me, to listen to an artist who can experiment and play with the different aspects of his artistry than to simply excel in one.
So, I’m quite disappointed that the three judges obviously favored David Archuleta in their reviews of the performances. And I’ve to admit that I fear, tomorrow, David Archuleta will be declared the new AI winner.
Well, if that happens, I think it’s season 5 all over again. And we all know what happened back then and after it.
