nostalgia
Spamsilog
Monday, November 17th, 2008That is how it is called locally. For a little over $1.42 one is served up with slices of fried-pink Spam (the genuine, the original), egg over easy, and a cupful of garlic rice, and finally topped with a little refreshment of iced tea.For many Filipi…
Frustrations
Tuesday, July 8th, 2008I’ve always wanted to draw.One of my earlier childhood memories was of my brother raising a bet with a neighbor regarding how well I could draw. He was bragging that I could draw the exact likeness of Emilio Aguinaldo (with the now-defunct five peso b…
A Photo Essay: Cagayan de Oro From Atop
Sunday, April 13th, 2008Above the irritating din of both human and vehicular traffic, and the dank air at ground level cooked by a blistering sun, one can view a familiar city differently. Where the relative ages of building structures are clearly brought out by rusted GI sh…
halloween then
Wednesday, November 21st, 2007halloween is not really a Filipino tradition. the event just caught up in the last ten years or so, manufactured by malls and consumerist products. however, back when i was still living in angeles city in a village full of expats (since we were near …
Deathbed
Saturday, November 3rd, 2007After lighting the last candle and firmly placing it on the grassy edges of Mama’s tombstone, I sighed a sigh that knows no meaning. Not of tiredness for sure. I stared at her name and felt a sudden pang of inexplicable loss and melancholy. On the seco…
Spooky stories
Thursday, November 1st, 2007The last time I saw a ghostly apparition was last month — or something close to supernatural. One time, I came ten minutes early so naturally the lights on our side of the one-floor office was still switched off. I saw my colleague’s back about 2 mete…
What Differences Perspectives Make!
Tuesday, October 2nd, 2007My blogmate Phil over at PhilippinesPhil ponders on certain observations acquired with living life large in the country of his Filipina wife. Certain life experiences that are judged unique or different enough to merit a comparative look to life in hi…
The Boss
Monday, July 30th, 2007I picked up the phone after three missed calls. It was unregistered and I have an immediate withdrawal syndrome for unnamed callers. When I answered an enigmatic hello, the guy from the other line shouted “Bossing!”, a Tagalog derivative of boss or som…
A visit from Peeping Jane
Sunday, June 17th, 2007Sheila came over our place last Saturday night. The last time I saw her was five or six years ago. She used to work as a waitress cum GRO (not the GRO you’re thinking) when we still operated this videoke joint after father resigned from the company h…
If Walls Could Speak
Friday, June 1st, 2007It is often queried, what if walls could speak what would they reveal?And yes, they do speak, and most oft-times most eloquently. Because as a species we are wont to profusely flesh out the many walls of our homes, and those of our lives. We adorn th…
Film Appreciation 101
Thursday, April 26th, 2007Pan’s Labyrinth, Guillermo del Toro’s tale of the power of imagination in the midst of fascism, opened in Manila theaters today. Most prolly it will find its way to Davao after Spidey’s opening next week (my colleague told me that the tickets for the A…
Going back, after 15 yrs.
Tuesday, April 10th, 2007Game I was 7 years old the last time I went to Manay, Davao Oriental — the birthplace of my mother. That was when she was still alive. Last Thursday, at the crack of dawn, the quarter moon and the necklace of stars still hangi…
Anything Goes: On The Last Phases Of A Two-month Trip
Friday, April 6th, 2007I hate it when people obligatorily inquire what I have been doing on my extended vacation to the old homeland. For one thing, it was been everything but a vacation; it never was planned as one and all those trips back over these many years never were…
you got mail
Tuesday, March 20th, 2007Rowie posted about a letter writer in Vietnam, a man whose power over words have brought together many people. Reading through the article, I realized what a great service he gives to his people… to find and form the words that others can’t speak. W…
romancing baguio
Thursday, March 8th, 2007my heart is palpitating, probably from the caffeine and sugar rush from the cafe mocha and tiramisu i am eating slowly. am hoping to stretch it to two hours. the approximate time it will take jan to get here from pangasinan. mike and rowie shall be c…
in memoriam: 04 Mar Davao bombing
Monday, March 5th, 2007Last Sunday was the 4th anniversary of the Mar 4 Davao bombing at the old Davao International Airport. A month after, April 2, another bomb went off at the Sasa wharf. The airport bombing claimed many lives including that of our classmate and divisionm…
at bagets pa rin!
Thursday, February 1st, 2007it has been a while since there has been a buzz in my blog. thanks to bagets, there has been much activity both here and in my multiply site.adie and tonton, whoever you are, thank you for the link you posted. (wala bang ninja kids dyan?)come one, com…