Undertaker – The Dispatch of The Deranged Writer

IV: Happiest Birthday, Undertaker!

Today, March 24, 2023, is the 58th birthday of my favorite professional wrestler of all time, Mark Calaway AKA The Undertaker. In light of such an occasion, I was planning on writing a lengthy post covering his career and persona evolution. But then I decided to do the extensive post later (perhaps on November 22, Taker’s WWE anniversary), keep it simple, and say: Thank you, Undertaker.

Thank you, Undertaker, for making my childhood awesome. Before I became hooked on Batman, Power Rangers, and Kamen Rider Black, I was hooked when I saw you for the first time, donning the black hat, coat, purple gloves, and all, slowly walking to the purple-lit wrestling ring. You are a haunting yet cool comic book character that came to life, and at first glance, you became my favorite wrestler right away. You are the reason I started loving professional wrestling.

Thank you, Undertaker, for all the matches and memories you were a part of. Most of my favorite matches feature you and my other favorite wrestlers – notably Edge, CM Punk, Triple H, Kurt Angle, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, and Mankind, among others. And those favorite matches of mine show how powerful yet athletic you are even if you are a superheavyweight. And all of your entrances (especially that WrestleMania XX entrance) are my favorite wrestling moments. Even your simple entrances on either Raw or SmackDown with fog and purple lights are already epic.

And thank you, Undertaker, for showing me the light through your darkness. You are the definition of turning something negative into something positive. You, alongside Batman, are the very reason I don’t fear the dark. Thank you.

Happiest of birthdays, Undertaker! You deserve a nice retirement after 30 years of wrestling for the fans. You deserve all of your accomplishments. And you deserve to be in the WWE Hall of Fame. Enjoy your day, sir!

Header image: WWE. Edited in Adobe Photoshop 2022.

30-Minute Warning I

What can I say in this post in under 30 minutes?

Well, this is the 4th straight Minute Warning post and the 1st 30-Minute Warning post here on The Dispatch. That’s great because I have been blogging frequently as I promised. I’m planning to mix it up a bit though. I’m planning to publish more short poems soon and a birthday letter to The Undertaker this Friday, March 24. (Would you look at that… The Deadman has a birthday!) I hope you, my dear reader, can check that out this weekend.

Last night, I saw my younger brothers’ band perform in a bar in Marikina. They performed 2 original songs, and they killed it! The 1st song was released last June 2022, and they are recording the 2nd song recently. I’m pretty excited about the upcoming song because it will be the band’s 1st Filipino single and the lyrics are about resting after being so tired. (That’s a topic I can relate to.)

10-Minute Warning VIII

So, what can I type here in under 10 minutes?

Well, let me start with something related to work: today marks 2 months of being in the family business. And I got my salary this morning – a day after salary day! And no, I’m not complaining. At least I got paid. However, I do hope for earlier pay next time.

Speaking of the family business, maybe I should make a post about it soon? Maybe I should because I’m not planning on staying in the company for another month or 2, but it would be nice to look back at helping my family.

What else? Oh, right. I was planning on blogging today at my favorite cafe Satchmi after running errands. But now that I’m blogging right now at home, I’m not sure if I need to bring my laptop while doing my quick trips. I’ll make my final decision after having lunch and another cup of coffee or vanilla-flavored Energen.

Going back to my salary, I’m proud to say that since January 2023 I have spent less than PHP 1,000 or lower per week. Sometimes I spend nothing. Why am I so proud? Let me compare the 2023 version of myself to the 2014 version of myself: my old self would spend a lot of money on new Funko Pops per week. I’m so proud, man.

Speaking of Funko Pops, I pre-ordered this cool Undertaker/Paul Bearer two-pack set last December and I still haven’t received any updates from the store. That’s all right though. At least I’m on the pre-order list. I just have to wait. And when I pay for the set (in April, I think), that will mark my 1st big purchase for 2023. Lately, I have been saving more than spending less, so I think I deserve a reward.

And thank you, Funko, for making figures of the purple-gloved Undertaker (one of my favorite Taker eras) and Paul Bearer (my favorite pro wrestling manager)! I’m looking forward to picking up the item soon!

And time’s up.

Header image: lianasmithbautista of Pixabay. Edited in Adobe Photoshop 2022.