#iamanear

[yeahsoinanutshell]

3.7 Water works

Sari-sari store -- It's been a long time since being able to just sit down, buy those tiny "tingi-tingi" junk food and drink coke in those glass bottles. People always start their lines with: "Pagbilan ho". Seldom do cars pass by, but when they do they only make light engine purrs. I hear the chirping of birds - mayas are my guess - along with the crackling sound of brittle leaves. What surprises me is the sound of running water from under my feet.  In the city, it's usually only during rainy season or flood season that we get to hear water that just flows. But in the province, it's easy to spot. Just like that time when we visited a friend of my tita's in Nueva Ecija. Their hospitality contrasted the cold breeze and water from the mountains. It was serene. We played in the running ice cold waters. It went on and on, until my eyes could see the horizon. I even slipped and my shoes got soaked. 

[yeahsoinanutshell]

3.6 Stallions

UP Oval -- The wind made the leaves swish, as I hear two types of birds: those that squawk and those that tweet. Bicycles whose wheels vroom-ed and zoomed past people of different ages jog by. The change in their pockets makes jingle-jangle beats with their strides, as their shoes made a clip-clop sound.  Even though their shoes don't make the sound similar to that of a horse, it was what I remembered first. Probably because a lot of people were running and jogging that their feet made different beats and I heard one like that of a horse's. I've always loved horses ever since I watched "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron". 

[yeahsoinanutshell]

3.5 Pirate Sword

Restaurant -- I couldn't tell if I was hungry or full, but my stomach ached and I craved for some mac and cheese. As I await my order, mellow music was being played but I couldn't make out the lyrics to what song. I can hear the clattering of plastic trays from around seven meters away, the ripping of aluminum foil probably for a take-out, and clanking of metal utensils.  My brother had this toy pirate sword that made the "tink tank" sound of metal colliding, which was a canned SFX that would activate whenever he pressed the tiny white button on the handle. I would even make my own sound effects as we battle.

[yeahsoinanutshell]

3.4 Pre-Christmas

Shoe store -- My mom takes her dear time checking out each design they had while I sat on the chairs in the middle of the store. I could hear her stomps as she tried them out, chitchat of the employees conversing amongst themselves, and a series of dance-able pop music playing outside. As we pay up front the counter, the techno-sounding receipt roll started beeping from the register and they pack up the shoes with the clonking of boxes and the rustling of Japanese paper. Usually a month before Christmas, we would start buying gifts already and personally wrap each present. Boxing, folding, taping and repeat. That was how it was. The crispy crackling of the Japanese paper always reminds me of this time of the year. 

[yeahsoinanutshell]

3.3 Action Trailer

Dentist's Clinic -- I sit still for my turn to go next in the waiting area. I could hear the singing from a TV commercial in the dentist's area of operation, a clinking and clanking of those tiny metal rods and a "hey-how-are-you" type of conversation among the patient and the practitioner. In the silence was the roaring of a split-type air conditioner, which suddenly breaks as a grinding, high-speed, high-pitched, air-driven whining of the dentist's favourite tool pierced my ears - the drill.  That sound is something I always associate with a the dentist. It's like a signature biz for pain. But then, I distinctly remember a time where we had a shoot for video production class. It was set in a house under construction. And every time we started rolling, the carpenters would pound away and begin drilling, which made it hard to hear the dialogue between the actors. It was funny how it was all coincidental, but then we got to talk to them into stopping for a while. It was a really fun shoot. In the end, even though it was a horrid sound for me, it was tied to a good memory - which balances things out.

[yeahsoinanutshell]

3.2 Hide-and-Seek

Salon -- I made myself comfortable on the reclining couch, brought out my tablet and started with my mani-pedi. The clinking of metal utensils, ticking of the nipper, and brushing of the brushes. The whur of the air conditioning was constant, being the only other sound. Until a woman suddenly yelps on her phone, through a loud speaker setting - I could hear everything as she fumes to a scared soul on the other end. She leaves the room with a noisy squeaking of the sliding door, and a crash at the end. This squeaking reminds me of that time I played hide-and-seek with my cousins at my Tita's house. Although, it was a modified version. In this game, I was the hostage tied up with blankets who tries to escape and look for the perpetrators who restrained her. I was there on the bed - immobile for a time - as I hear them running around. I could make out a squeaking of the sliding transparent door out that opened through the balcony. I hurriedly jumped as hard as I could to stand, and there I saw my my cousin on the other side. I hopped, bounced and jumped as hard as I could until "KABLAG" my head hits the glass and down I go with a thud.

[yeahsoinanutshell]

3.1 Automated Toy Machine

Train -- I rushed to get a seat near the hydraulic doors, where I could so clearly hear the guard shouting and puffing his whistle to long and short flute-like notes, as the whoosh of air synchronises with a high-pitched beeping of an alarm goes off, that seems to be saying: "tooot tooot tooot" just as the doors shut. There's a light roaring of thunder as the train soars, along with the rattling of tracks and howling of the wind. People begin to chatter.

This "toot" sound coming from above the doors reminds me of my ATM - toy machine as a kid. It looked like a real ATM, with the buttons and insert-card-here hole, but miniature. It comes with a playcard that I slide in, that's when it makes the same high-pitched notes. I input my desired pin, and it opens the little built-in vault. Until now, it still makes those sounds every time I make a withdrawal. 

[manaloshey]

3.7 The Drumline

People chattering

People walking

People shouting and cheering

Drum beats

Rain

Strong winds

The drumbeats from the pep squad always reminded me of the film Drumline. Back in third year high school, our music teacher made the entire batch watch the film in the auditorium in preparation for the annual competition for juniors—band marching.

It was the time when we showed our most competitive side. We trained and practiced for weeks and weeks to perfect a number. We had to master synchronized marching for hours and even sacrificed our lunch breaks to practice. We were one—the entire section. We were so focused to compete against the other seven sections from our batch. The day of the competition was nerve-wracking. We were all nervous, but after months of preparation, we were ready. A smooth performance of twenty minutes—just marching and lifting our feet at a constant level the entire time, and following the command of our drum major—it was fulfilling, but even after we won the first place, looking back through all the misunderstandings and trivial fights during our practices, that was more fulfilling. I was sure this was the same feeling the other sections felt—we all won if we all felt the same thing. The unity and deeper friendship shared with our classmates, those were the real prizes.