Saturday 20 June 2015

An Old Man’s Longing for A “CANDY” Cane --- Zhayriel Mae Tabinas

                 Do you remember that exciting childhood feeling of seeing a candy store with lots and lots of mouth - watering candies… or do you still feel that right at your age? Isn’t it nice to be given chocolates on Valentines’ day, or to see a handful of gummy bears after long hours of work? Well for me, nothing beats the peppermint-flavored candy canes in delightful red, white and green throughout the Christmas season. The taste of candy is so youthful that sometimes, I’d wonder “Would I still meet this wonderful feeling as I climb up a ripe old age?” But on second thought, who says candy is only for kids?
Candy is for everyone! But, there are also exceptions like when you’re diabetic, you can’t have too much candy or when you’re just skin conscious, sweets would be bad. More like love, when you’re too young and immature, you might not find your true love yet, but when you’re too old, that would be too late for the norms of the society. Well, mixing different things together is a trend these days, what about letting cupid shoot his arrow to the hearts of the old and young? Nah… that would be crazy, but according to Philippine Music Legend; Freddie Aguilar, “…'Andun na, e. Ano pa ang magagawa ko?' Aatras ka ba noon, e, na-in love na, e?”
True. Love doesn’t look on age, the appearance nor the status of an individual; that’s why they say, you just fall in love, you don’t have to look for it. The question is, is it really love that’s between Aguilar and his 16 year old girlfriend? Maybe, maybe not, it’s just so hard to think that a 16 year old would fall in love with senior citizen 44 years older than she is… unless, if she wants money or fame, just like how Aguilar is getting attention to get back on track. This girl never spoke a word on interviews; it was all Freddie, Freddie, Freddie. And according to him “"Hindi ko alam na sixteen siya noong niligawan ko…” so, does that mean, the girl doesn’t look like she’s sixteen? Or maybe, your eyes are just too damaged already Grandpa Freddie.
Reality is there are a lot of people having this kind of relationship, and it’s not bad, they’re happy together and they’re not hurting anyone else. So, why make this a big issue? Yes, Aguilar is a legend, that could be a reason, but they’re still people, they have their own lives, their own feelings and they have their own preferences. When asked about the girl Aguilar said, “Actually, ang maganda sa kanya ay she's trying na bumagay sa akin. Ako naman, bumababa ako sa level niya. Halimbawa, gusto niyang mag-Jollibee, sasamahan ko siya doon. Minsan naman, gusto kong mag-fine dining, sasama naman siya sa akin.”
Isn’t it nice, feels like the sweetness of candy, but candy would be too boring if it was all sweet, its better with the sourness of the criticisms of the netizens and the relieving coolness of Aguilar’s replies when asked about the girl’s parents, “"Yung mga magulang niya, tanggap na rin siguro. Sabi lang daw sa kanya, 'Mag-ingat ka diyan, babaero daw 'yan! "Mag-iingat ako, kasi kung may magrereklamo, alam mo na, baka may magkatuwaan. Pero yung consent ng mga magulang, nasa akin."
Any old man can still long for a candy cane instead of an ordinary wooden cane. It might look awkward at first, but as we get to see that ripe old smile from those wrinkling lips, it feels like eating a candy for the very first time. Norms, are up to the society, but as long as we’re open-minded, these situations would seem like nothing to us.


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