saLAMAT

Gulong gulo ang isip ko

Hindi mapakali, natutuliro

Lalo na kapag iniisip kita

Na laging sumasagi...TAMA NA!!!

iniiwasan kita upang matapos na

Ang mga sakit na dulot mo'y mawala na

Ngunit hindi mabubura ang sugat

Na nagpapaalala na naging lamat

Na ang kahapon ay muling ipapadama

Na tayong dalawa ay bumitaw

Habang sa paglubog ng araw.

Sa bakas na iniwang lamat

Na nagpupumiglas hanggang sa naging sugat

Sugat na nagdurugo sa sobrang sakit...

Na handang tiniis ang pait

Na ang luha ay bumaha at dumaloy

Sa kailaliman ng puso

Salamat sa paalala sa sakit na dulot mo

Handa kong suungin ang bagyo

Upang ipakita sa iyo na kaya ko

kaya ko nang kalimutan ka..

Salamat sa iginuhit mong pangalan

Na bumuo sa parte ng puso ko'y inilaan

Pangalan na nakatatak upang ipaalala

Na ikaw ang dahilan kung bakit nakompleto

Itong kapiraso ng pusong may lamat

Na kahit anong alamat ay hindi na mapapalitan ng pamagat

sapagkat inukit ang mapait na kahapon na tayong dalawa ay nagkalamat.

kaya sinta, salamat sa...lamat.

® Poetry by Kryss Delos Santos

#submissions

#poetry

You Don't Need To Know All The Answers

Some days you feel like you’ve got it together.

Your outfit hits just right, your hair falls in place like the universe conspired to make it behave, and for once, the world feels like it’s listening.

Other days? You stare at your reflection and wonder, “Is this really me?” The mirror feels unkind. Your skin duller, your eyes tired. You pick at flaws that no one else notices, and suddenly the day feels heavier.

You are human.

It’s okay to feel ugly some days, and cute the next. You’re not inconsistent—you’re alive.

We live in an age that demands brand consistency, even in our personalities. Social media has conditioned us to believe we should always know what we want, always radiate confidence, always glow. But here’s the quiet truth no one posts about: It’s okay to change your mind about the things you once chased with fire. That job, that person, that dream version of yourself. Sometimes, when you arrive where you thought you’d find joy, you discover a kind of emptiness instead.

That’s not failure. That’s evolution.

You may feel lonely even in a room full of laughter. You scroll through your phone looking for something—but you’re not sure what. You smile at stories, heart a few reels, but your spirit is still somewhere else. You wonder, "What’s wrong with me?"

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Loneliness isn’t always about being alone. Sometimes it’s about not being understood, even when surrounded.

You might feel lost when your purpose doesn’t look like what you imagined. Maybe you spent years chasing something only to realize it doesn’t fit the way it once did. And now you’re stuck in the gap between what you’ve outgrown and what hasn’t found you yet.

But the gap is where growth lives.

It’s the quiet valley between mountains. It’s where you soften, and wonder, and learn how to sit with yourself. It’s uncomfortable, yes. But necessary.

You are not a brand. You are not an algorithm. You are not a flawless stream of curated thoughts and aesthetically pleasing routines.

You are a person.

You get to feel beautiful on Monday and unsure of yourself by Thursday. You get to change your mind, lose your way, find it again, and be uncertain the whole time.

And that doesn’t make you broken.

That makes you real.

So next time you feel out of place in your own life, remember: even the moon has phases. Even the ocean rises and recedes. And you—like them—are allowed to be different every day.

Because you are human. And that’s the whole point.

-QTPodcast

Sa Gitna ng aking Pagkabalisa

 

In the welter of my own concerns,

I built a fortress — brick by worry,

roofed with late-night prayers

and ceilings that echoed only my voice.

I wore my struggle like a badge,

thinking mine was the only storm.

But the world — quiet,

kept weeping beside me

and I didn't even hear it.

The woman on the jeep beside me?

Nagmamadali hindi dahil late —

kundi may tatlong anak na walang gatas.

The tricycle driver?

Nakangiti, oo — pero may notice na pala sa bahay.

And me?

Too busy counting my own cracks

to notice someone else breaking.

Forgive me.

I forgot that pain doesn’t compete —

it coexists.

That everyone is fighting their own unseen war.

That someone’s silence

might be louder than my complaint.

So today, I slow down.

Not because I’m cured —

but because maybe, just maybe,

someone else

needs their pain

seen, too.

--billymac © 2025

One Day on the Train...

 

The sky wore dusk like a secret,
heavy with smoke exhaled by metal beasts inching through the city’s veins.
I held out my palm—
coins clinking,
one peso too few
for a ride that might've led me home.

Then—
a smile.
Yours.
Or was it just the memory of it?
Soft.
Brief.
Uninvited, but welcome.
It hovered in the air like incense in an old chapel,
fading slow,
but refusing to leave.

And there—
in the rattle of the rails,
the hush between stations,
I saw you again.

Not in flesh.
But in the space where dreams and strangers
sometimes wear the same face.

Some moments arrive like ghosts,
and leave like poetry.

--billymac © 2025

Bitin Ka Pa? SB19’s “Simula at Wakas” Is More Than a Concert — It’s a Cultural Reset

(from the POV of a freshly converted A'TIN) 

Bitin kaba?

Isang linggo na ang lumipas mula nung pumutok ang Philippine Arena sa sigawan, iyakan, at sayawan. Pero sa puso ng maraming A’TIN, parang kahapon lang ang lahat.

Hindi lang ito basta concert.

Para itong panaginip na hindi mo gustong matapos. Isang pambihirang pagsasama ng talento, kultura, at pagmamalaki. At kahit tapos na ang opening ng SB19’s Simula at Wakas World Tour, tayong lahat—oo, pati ikaw na ilang beses nang na-replay ang fancams—ay parang tinamaan ng magic bug.

Bakit nga ba?

1. Ang Simula: From Practice Room to Global Stage

Hindi overnight success ang SB19. Mula sa matinding training under ShowBT Philippines hanggang sa iconic “Go Up” dance practice na nag-viral noong 2019, pinatunayan nilang kaya ng Pinoy makipagsabayan sa global stage—at hindi kailangan kopyahin ang iba. Kaya kung may nagsasabi pa rin sa’yo na “K-pop copycat” sila, ipanood mo nalang ‘yung 5-minute performance nila sa Wish Bus. Walang halong hype—talent lang talaga.

2. MAHALIMA, Bias, Wreckers at Iba Pa: Fan Culture na May Puso

Kung A’TIN ka, alam mong hindi lang music ang inaalok ng SB19. May sariling language ang fandom—mula sa salitang “MAHALIMA” (pinagsamang "mahal" at "lima") hanggang sa kilig sa bias at pagkalito sa bias wrecker. May pa-sticker, may fan chants, may fan-made MV cuts—lahat para lang mas mailapit ang fans sa bawat himig at hakbang ng grupo.

Ito yung fandom na may sariling mundo, pero bukas sa lahat. At ang pinakamasarap sa lahat? Walang gatekeeping. Kumbaga, kahit bago ka pa lang, “kasama ka na.”

3. P-Pop Na May Laman: Local Beats, Global Feels

P-Pop is no longer just a genre—it's a movement. Sa bawat kanta ng SB19 tulad ng “Dungka!”, mararamdaman mo ang amoy ng kalsada, ang tunog ng tambay, at ang ugat ng pagka-Pinoy. Hindi lang ito about being “inspired by K-pop.” Ito’y pagsasalin ng sariling kwento sa musika. Kaya kung napapansin mong may K-pop aura pero may tadyang ng Tondo o Taguig, hindi ka nagkakamali.

4. Beyond Charts: Ambassadors of Modern Filipino Identity

SB19 topped Billboard’s World Digital Song Sales multiple times, pero ang mas importante—dala nila ang boses ng Pinoy sa world stage. Sila ang una, pero hindi sila dapat maging huli. Dahil bawat tagumpay nila ay paalala na pwede pala. Pwede pala tayo.

5. Simula at Wakas: Trilogy ng Tagumpay

From “Pagsibol” to “Pagtatag!” at ngayong “Simula at Wakas,” SB19’s discography is like a diary of growth. Self-written, self-managed, self-made. Under their own label, 1Z Entertainment, hawak nila ang direksyon ng kanilang art—isang bagay na bihirang makamit kahit ng mainstream acts.

6. Bakit Tayo Tumatambay Dito?

• Dahil ang fandom nila ay hindi lang hype—it’s healing.

• Dahil sa kanila, may kwento ang bawat “NO” na nalampasan nila.

• Dahil kung kaya nilang umangat mula sa ghosting at rejection, bakit hindi tayo?

  
  

7. Para Sa Lahat: Fandom Na Hindi Kailangan ng Prerequisite

Hindi mo kailangang alam ang birthdate ni Stell o favorite food ni Pablo para matawag na fan. Kung naluha ka sa “MAPA,” napasigaw sa “GENTO,” o napangiti sa bagong “Liham,” you’re part of the story. Dahil ang fandom na ito, hindi elitista. Masaya kami sa bawat bagong ka-ride or die.

—

Bakit nga ba hindi pa rin tayo maka-get over? Simple lang.

Kasi hindi lang sila artista—sila ay repleksyon ng bawat Pilipino na lumalaban para sa pangarap. Sila ang paalala na sa bawat “Simula,” may “Wakas,” pero sa bawat “Wakas,” may bagong Simula.

Kung natamaan ka rin ng magic bug ng SB19, share mo naman ang bias mo o favorite SB19 moment mo sa comments. Tayo-tayo na rin ang magkwento ng success story na ito.

#SB19SimulaAtWakas #ATINMagic #PPopRise #SB19WorldTour #MahalimaForever #PinoyPride

-QTPodcast