About

The Wind Beneath Itchywings

Thank you, I needed this space very badly to account for the countless blessings, the kindness of people that crossed path with me and the wonders of life that in bits and pieces crafted the Mitchel Lustre that I am today. I am doing this because I know that my children’s children would be reading about me.

So, why did the author opt for the domain, “itchywings”?

“Itchywings” tells so much about Mitch.

Before we go further, let the author clear himself of any skin disorder such as scabies and the likes. Let him also discount the anatomical anomaly or impossibility of him having the avian (preferable than the chiropterans) characteristic or any flight capabilities. Scary!

“Itchy” speaks of his eagerness and impatience to do something – to follow his dreams… to make a difference. “Wings” refers to his strong desire to “fly” to reach for his star in the heavens — his notion of boundless dreams. Nothing is impossible! Yeah, right! Sure. This is just the most convenient way to set the tone and to put this site in perspective but there a story behind all this concepts. He feels that it’s too soon to be talking about living the dreams. Not yet. He is still working on it.

Here’s the story. The author, in his childhood years in a typical provincial village in the Philippines, had a juvenile RLS (a.k.a., restless legs syndrome). Although this was never clinically diagnosed, his mother and the rest of the clan used to be madly worried every time he would sneak-out of the house instead of keeping the afternoon “siesta”. Yes, he hated it when he is forced to sleep so he would escape and ride his BMX with other kids in the neighborhood. Sometimes (or most of the time), he would ride the bike so far away that he would reach the other neighboring villages. At the time he remembers (which he forgot most of the time!) that it’s time to go back home for the 6 p.m. curfew just in time for (traditional family) dinner, it would be too late. You don’t want to know how he survived the constant crossfire of his entire clan’s piercing eyes and fuming anger while he slowly sneaked-in the house. His mother would remark in the vernacular, “Ang kati-kati ng pakpak mo!” (“You have very itchy wings!”), referring to his irritating habit of prison-break-style of skipping the mandatory nap and going nowhere that he cannot be found. (No pager or mobile phone for him growing up period. Shush! Stop right there…) The fun of his childhood adventures was central than the painful consequences. Yes, the pain of each whipping stick or belt landing his dried-sweat-stinky-sun-burned skin did not matter anymore. He just loved riding his bike to celebrate his escape from sleeping-awake-wondering-what-if-I-just-ride-the-bike… to follow his itchy wings. He remembers his favorite statement as an excuse for being late (or for missing) the family dinner – “I am not hungry!” But then gain, he would be forced to eat.

At the end of those myriad childhood days, the author slept like a baby with a big smile dreaming about resting in the middle of vast snow. That’s another story.

Follow your itch… Fly!

The Power Engine of Itchywings

On a not-so-different note…

This web-log (universally known as blog) will try to account for the non-renewable neurons stored in Mitch’s gray matter. The site morphed from the idea to keep the author away from the remote and to force him to “want to write”. A computer genius, Yuriy Nemtsov, who is the owner of the internet technologies company, vesone.com, provided all the necessary “cyberway” to the nativity of itchywings.com. The very generous offer from vesone.com made it impossible for the author to think of any excuses to remain planted on the couch. A best friend at vesone.com calls the offer an opportunity. The author looks through the same offer as a deliberate act of indirect bribery to force him to literary slavery. Ouch! (Smiles!)In the face of this challenge, the author accepted the offer and he is very grateful for the kindness of the great person at vesone.com.