My name is John Vladimir Linatoc. JV Lin (javelin) for short. I have a deep fascination for weird coincidences, and I label them as phenomenon. Please remember my shortened name as you read this spooky story, or so I tease. And yes, I believe in magic.

A person named Regina Espiritu is what most people call my girlfriend. She has a deep fascination with weird people... like me. I'm sorry, that doesn't concern you at all, but the name should. It's imperative to this conception of my creativity based from my real life experience on the 2nd of July, 14 years after the year 2000.

It was a long, long time ago that I had a marvelous coincidence. The rest were just in its basic sense, coincidence.

Year 2008. I was one of the silly fools who got hooked by Jim Carry's movie, the Number 23. A stupid obsession to the esoteric number. I was young, and maybe a bit stupid. It was that stupidity that gave birth to one of my mathematical theorems, or quackery if you will say. I'm proud to say that I have grown into a very idealistic, sensible, ambitious, stupid person that I am today.

If you try to divide the logarithm of 32 (23 reverse) by the logarithm of 23 on a scientific calculator, you get a gibberish response except on numeric terms-- 1.105323647. But when you try to add all those digits, a concrete, yet wonderful, and probably a scary number will prompt to your face. Do the math. Yes, it is 23 in reverse.

You are probably thinking that I'm being such a Carl Jung now, a man of reason, of science, but also an open minded to the magical. Well, remembering it just put a smile on my face. We people chose what miracles we believe in. I happen to subscribe to my own.

But today was different. Today was the day I looked up to universe and like a madman, I pointed at it and say, "You silly fool."

As I was wandering around Batasan Hills area to look for a person for interview, this surprised me when I arrive at the place.

When I saw it, I was simply amused. It seems like universe is kind of reminding me that someone out there is thinking of me while I was out here being sweaty under the sun. It was as if some person who wants to be remembered deliberately built her own Ciudad and put her name on it so I can see it on one random afternoon. Stuff like this can never miss out to put a smile on your face.

As I've entered the subdivision, I asked the guard on desk where can I find the person I'm looking for. He told me there is no one of that last name on this subdivision. It made me sad, because if it's nonexistent, then I have no reason of lurking around the place--prowl her jungle. With a camera hanged around my neck, I am like a gumshoe on a different scene of the crime.
 

It captured my attention that from my standpoint, the gate, I saw these two houses who are practically neighbors, if only there isn't a salient concentration of grasses in between. I wonder if these two households are good friends at all. If not, would it be different without this soulless stretch of land?

My somewhat average slice of day with a funny cherry twist on top turned into something really, really odd, like 'The Shining' kind of odd when I tried to probe further the existence of the person I'm looking for. The fact that the person as said by the guard isn't on the vicinity, and therefore I have no further means in looking for him anymore, would be enough for my boss to say it's a job well done already didn't stop my wanting to stay--No!

And it's not because I have this deep concern for this job, i do, but I just want to stamp my feet all over the place and leave tiny pebbles of dust I acquired the entire day. If those dust represents that I was there, then my satiety is met.

"Manong, baka po may rekord kayo ng mga taong tumira dati rito?" I asked. The eager guard who visibly showed me that he wants to help, let me inside his small office. "Papatayin kita Insyong, ibalik mo sa akin si Ikang!" those were the words I remember hearing from that tiny radio inside the guard's haven, or probably the words I hallucinated in my head. That time, an image had successfully stolen my speech. What kind of map of plotted last names of people living on a subdivision could make me feel as bewitched as this? Probably this kind...




So, on a subdivision called Ciudad Regina, Regina, let that sink in for a moment, the very first house upon entering had to be owned by a family called Espirito. Espirito! Then, the next house, as if universe isn't contented on his prank, had to be owned by the Lins. And to add flavor to this phenomenon, according to universe, there had to be fucking meadow in between. Why is that so important? Well, Regina and I are, as google calculated, are 7332 miles apart--your so-called long distance relationship, I call it modern love story.

On this parallel universe called Ciudad Regina, which actually exist, there is a life-size model of our little magnificent encounter; the Espiritos at first sight, the Lin residence right after, and the ugly grasses that represents the distance between.

Phenomenal.