i can't believe i forgot.

25 years ago last december 8, mark chapman, a deranged fan, shot dead john lennon in front of his new york apartment. he was 40. the act left the world without one of it's more influential figures both in music and politics.

i grew up listening to the beatles. my grandfather, or "tatay" as i call him, used to play old, dusty cassette tapes of old artists in his room before he went to sleep, and the faint, cracked sounds would drift to my room. i remember lying in bed at night, listening to the then unfamiliar songs of nat king cole, frank sinatra and elvis presley.

one night, as i was about ta climb into bed, he called me to his room. i sat down on the bed, and he got out another of his numbered tapes. "pakinggan mo 'to", he said simply, and proceeded to put the tape in the deck. the song was "mr. moonlight", and the band was the BEATLES.

i went on a rampage after that. i craved more beatles stuff. i read magazines, newspapers that carried news of them. i borrowed tatay's tapes in the hopes of familiarizing myself with more of their songs. i learned about the yellow submarine. i got to know the walrus. i visited strawberry fields. i even got to hold her hand. and during those times, one name kept coming up:

john lennon. songwriter. singer. performer. activist. husband. father. my hero.

i got to know the man through his lyrics, which went from mildly nonsensical to confusingly profound as the beatles grew old. i grew to admire the man for his boldness, his slight cockiness, his love for love. even when they broke up and he went solo, he still found a way to spread his message across. he taught people to give peace a chance. he told us that all we needed was love. he taught us to dream and IMAGINE. that is his legacy. a legacy that lives on years even after he died.

sometimes friends and i discuss what might have been had john lennon survived the fatal shooting that day. he might still be active in the music industry nowadays.. the beatles could have reformed for one last album or concert.. he would have been a prominent political figure. so many maybes and would-have-beens. unlimited possibilities. i guess we'll never know.

once upon a time, john lennon sang.. "you may say i'm a dreamer.. but i'm not the only one." you were right john. you're not the only dreamer in this world.

even now, we continue to dream your dream.