Annual sit-down

Metung o mekad peka-malungkut dili atang kapagmasusyan ing lukas paldas karing sablang pagmasusyan tamu anting Kapampangan, at pati na ring aliwang lipi. Iti ing pangaras nang pabanwa ning pamaglako ring kekatamung pakamalang meyangu-bye at mamasa tamung miyuli la naman sana banwa reti. Iti ing pangadi tamu at itamung Katoliku— panyawad tamung misa— para king ikakabus da ring kaladwa king alang-anggang parusa, antimong atin namang antita.

Ing alang-angga ya pin ing lugud nang e Ya manayang kapalit ning Apung Ginu. Kaluguran Na katamu agyang e ta’Ya kaluguran dapot matula Ya nung luguran ta Ya mu namang alang panayang kapalit agpang karing turu ding Keyang dalise talasuyu o tubud at ing Ginung Yesukristu yang pekapasimunu kareti.

Ing senayan king lukas paldas kanita ya pin ing pamagtau kaybat ning pamisa at pamipangading mibansagang “Siete Palabras” o ing pamiganaka karing pitung tawling amanu nang Yesukristu bayu ya meyangu bye. Balang amanu, ating makatutuk a talapanaral agpang king binasa o tinungge nang amanu. Pilatan ding pamanungge karing balang amau ya pin ing pamigale karing mangalungkut a dalit dikil mu naman king Ginung Isya at ing pamanyawad tawad king Ibpa.

King tawling dake ning senayang iti, panalangin de ring talapangadi ing meyangu-bye at ing lagyu na sasambitlan de anting pakibat karing miyayaliwang sunis ning pamagdulap kapatawaran.

Kayari ding pangadi at pamamasa, mika-papuri king Santo Kristong makapaku king salapung o krus angga na king kapupusan niti ing larawan nang Yesukristu ipayuma de ngan bitis karing sablang pesitagun anting pamakidake king pamiganaka king pamilasa na.

Ing senayang iti malambat neng e mipapagmasusyan at mekad atin nang adwampulung-banwa ing milabas inyang tawling dili yang meganap. Agnan na namang makakalingwan na ya pin ding bulaklakan at ing ping pamisa karing meyangu-bye. Gagawan da namu ngeni alus deng kematen ya pin ing pamagtaung karagulan agpang king pibandyan ding magmasusi at ating samut lasingan nung e man pasugal kaybat ning pamamusni king datukanan ding bandi ning meyangu bye king datukanan.

*** Dake Talabaldugan: 1. kabá –(palagyu) –kutub, alinlangan balisa, pamigunamgunam, bagabag, tigatig. English – premonition, worry, foresight. Alimbawa king pamangamit: “Ing kaba king pusu ning indu maralas ing makatud at mipapaltutu.”

2. kababà – (panguri) – taung makaba o maragul baba, supapa. English – one who has prominent chin. Alimbawa king pamangamit:

IT WAS awfully quiet for a Christmas Eve. The din was conspicuous by its absence, until, that is, the clock struck midnight. And then the familiar sound of the season made its presence felt over the dark skies.

I was pretty sure the ruckus came from outside the village. Somehow, our neighbors retired early. Most of them anyway.

But while they were tucked snugly in their beds, I was making my way to a childhood friend’s house down the street for our annual— how shall I put it?— holiday drinking binge.

It’s a tradition that spans almost two decades.

There were some absences, but for the most part, we kept to the appointment either in their garage or our garage, although the last two years had been in theirs.

This year, our conversation kicked off with President Rodrigo Duterte and the first six months of his administration.

You see, his family packed their bags and moved to Davao in the early 1980s. So he experienced firsthand the chaos that was Davao until the then mayor cleaned it up, so to speak.

Suffice it to say, my friend is a fan of Duterte through and through, so there was no Duterte-bashing in the wee hours of that Christmas morning. There was, however, slight mention of the climbing death toll in the government’s war against illegal drugs, but that was almost in passing.

Anyway, we didn’t want to ruin the spirit of the moment with talks of wanton violence and the alleged impunity enjoyed by authorities, who have been implicated in the deaths of suspected drug personalities.

So we quickly changed topics and found ourselves discussing health issues.

You know you’re getting on in years when joint pains or failing eyesight become de rigueur during slightly inebriated exchanges. Then again, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise since it had been awhile since our age could be found in the calendar.

We both complained about the weight we gained in the last few months. He had trouble getting a good night’s sleep. I had gout for the first time in four years. So on and so forth.

In between comparing ailments and taking sips of scotch on the rocks, we ate bacon-wrapped embutido for our pulutan.

Our discussion drifted to music and how much we both love the current music scene. You see, in past gettogethers, my friend always brought out his 1980s New Wave mix and we and his younger brother bobbed our heads to the likes of Duran Duran, Depeche Mode, Tear for Fears and New Or der.

That was not the case last weekend. Although I hardly recognized any of the artists, at least I was familiar with the songs and could even sing a few bars. I have my two younger cousins who stayed in our house earlier in the year during their OJTs to thank for this new-found affinity and familiarity.

It wasn’t long before my friend decided we would have an impromptu videoke session. And so we greeted the daybreak with hushed renditions of Raymond Lauchengco’s “I Need You Back” and Marco Sison’s “Make Believe.”