Dandelion

A Dandelion for My Mother
by Jean Nordhaus

How I loved those spiky suns,
rooted stubborn as childhood
in the grass, tough as the farmer's
big-headed children--the mats
of yellow hair, the bowl-cut fringe.
How sturdy they were and how
slowly they turned themselves
into galaxies, domes of ghost stars
barely visible by day, pale
cerebrums clinging to life
on tough green stems. Like you.
Like you, in the end. If you were here,
I'd pluck this trembling globe to show
how beautiful a thing can be
a breath will tear away.

Noong Bata Tayo

Katatapos lang ang interview ko kay Tsing Tsong Tsai tungkol kay Ramon Zamora, FPJ, Erap (nagbigay ng break niya sa "Dragnet"), Mon del Rosario, Wengweng at Trobador Ramos. Siyempre nasa 50s Diner kami at pinapakinggan namin ang mga 50s at 60s music. Sabi niya, pag wala daw siya pinapalitan ng crew niya noong una ng hiphop yung music. Pinagalitan niya ang mga ito kasi nga dapat kasama iyan sa ambyans. At marami ding kustomer na iyan lang ang hangad. Yung bumabalik sa panahon nila. May mga bata rin na binabalikan ang tugtog ng mga magulang nila. Naalala ko tuloy noong bata ako. Noon akala ko ang fog (oo, kami lang sa Baguio ang nag-iisip niyan) ay ulap. Ang lupa at bundok ang umaangat para humalik sa alapaap.

Meron kaming kapitbahay na hippie, bigla siyang nawala. Martial Law noon. Sabi ng kalaro ko, sa dami ng kuto tinangay siya ng mga uwak.

Noong una akong nakita ang giraffe, unang pumasok sa utak ko: Paano ka naman kaya mananalo sa hide-and-seek dito?

How To Make Headlines

Decades ago, the New York Times wrote about the opponents of dead strongman Ferdinand Marcos fearing for their lives. But the esteemed NYT made the charge ludicrous with theis headline:

MARCOS' OPPONENTS CHARGE
AIM IS THEIR EXTERMINATION

NYT can also be damn simple with headlines like these:

DISCORD AMONG SIKHS
BLOCKS UNITY

FRIED CHICKEN
OFFICIAL IMPROVED

FIRST LADY LOOKS TO
PARENTS ON DRUGS

PRODUCER FINDS ART OF PRODUCING
LIES IN SHOWBUSINESS

MOON CHURCH TOLD
TO PRODUCE WOMAN

which is similar to The Indiana Evening Gazette: DR. TACKETT GIVES TALK ON MOON. In the first one, it was talking about the Moonist Church while Tackett was giving a talk about the moon.

or this announcement from The Wellesley Townsman:

CARNIVOROUS
PLANTS TALK
AT BROADMOOR

This classic from The New York Daily News (so Cubist):

PABLO PICASSO
IS DEAD AT 91
ROOF COLLAPSED AFTER WARNING

New York Post had this headline:

PONTIFF MUM ON
GAY HIRING

I got a text about not getting the joke. "Mum" here either the British mother or "mum" as in quiet about it. Another religious headline from The Brooklyn Daily News:

FRANCISCAN SISTERS
BALL TOMORROW
TO AID THE POOR

The Peoria Journal Star:

CHOU REMAINS
CREMATED

A Reuters story, ‘Indian village uploads itself onto Internet,’ was picked up by a lot of newspapers around the world. By ‘uploads,’ all that was meant was that Hansdehar: Pop. 1753, the north Indian village in question, got itself a Web site.

Then there are these headlines which have no citations so some may be faked:

Grandmother of eight makes hole in one

Deaf mute gets new hearing in killing

Police begin campaign to run down jaywalkers

House passes gas tax onto senate

Safety experts say school bus passengers should be belted

Quarter of a million Chinese live on water

Iraqi head seeks arms

Eye drops off shelf

Dealers will hear car talk at noon

Enraged cow injures farmer with ax

Lawmen from Mexico barbecue guests

Miners refuse to work after death

Two Soviet ships collide--one dies

Two sisters reunite after eighteen years at checkout counter

Plane Too Close To Ground, Crash Probe Told

Cold Wave Linked To Temperatures

New Study Of Obesity Looks For Larger Test Group

Red Tape Holds Up New Bridge

They say that "MAN BITES DOG" is a story but "Squad Helps Dog Bite Victim" is a headline mistake. Which makes it a story.

Alien

The US military finally decided that those who use MySpace are alien life forms with their strange language and acronyms.

Beer

“There are human epidemiological data of others indicating that mild [to] moderate drinking may paradoxically improve cognition in people compared to abstention,” says Maggie Kalev, a research fellow in molecular medicine and pathology at the University of Auckland in New Zealand and a co-author of an article in The Journal of Neuroscience describing results of a study she and other researchers performed on rats. “This is similar to a glass of wine protecting against heart disease, however the mechanism is different.”

If you said, Ha? That means you have not drank beer in a while. Because what it said was that a group of smart Kiwis found out that a glass of beer or two makes you more intelligent while if you decide to just watch TV, you are still stupid. Or something.

Kimchi

Once upon a time in Baguio, more specifically in our neighborhood in New Lucban, in front of the house of retired city fiscal Benny Carantes, there was a chapel ministered by a Korean couple. This was a time when you can count the number of Koreans in Baguio in less than a minute. Most of this Christian Korean couple’s parishioners then came from Bayabas in La Trinidad. One time, they decided that one particular October night is the end of the world. So they were all praying and crying so loud that Fiscal Carantes came out in his pajamas maybe saying, WTF? It was the eve of the end of the world, I told him. Then the next day, there was no end of the world. The parishioners from Bayabas were so angry that they took whatever they can from the chapel (which is now a billiard den) and destroyed what they could not. Read more

O Myanmar!

"And what did you hear, my darling young one?
I heard the sound of a thunder, it roared out a warnin'
heard the roar of a wave that could drown the whole world,
heard one hundred drummers whose hands were a-blazin"
Heard ten thousand whisperin' and nobody listenin'
heard one person starve, I heard many people laughin'
heard the song of a poet who died in the gutter,
heard the sound of a clown who died in the alley,
And it's hard, and it's hard, it's a hard, it's a hard,
And it's a hard rain's a-gonna fall."
Bob Dylan, A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall

Please wear red today in support of the monks of Myanmar

Cat Science

Here's a post on What makes a Post that draws the most comments.

Our Country's Motto

Paging Sam Manila, your friend E. Kulay is Waiting for you at the Intensive Care Unit

This is Jo King. She is a former striptease dancer and now heads the London School of Striptease. No joking.
Hey, aren’t you worried that there is a Sam Manila somewhere. It’s not a dirty name but very virulent.
Ginger Rayl is a business consultant of the Job Training Center in Red Bluff, California. No bluffing.

Dr. Sue Yu is a neurologist in Texas. Dr. Byron A. Bonebreak is an orthopedic.

Barb Dwyer is a folk musician doing mostly traditional Scottish and Irish music. She also sings but her voice is not as abrasive as Barb Dwyer.

Another musician is Dan Druff, born Daniel James Irving, a rocker.

I’ve seen “Constance Noring” but I don’t believe it is a real name.

There is, however, a Dr. Chuck Slaughter, an expert in watersheds. He doesn’t slaughter woodchucks. Dr. Leon Slaughter, Associate Dean for Academic Programs of the University of Maryland. Dr. Slaughter works with both graduate and undergraduate students. They are mere gazelles to the lion.

26-year-old Oren Jellow has a Myspace and insists that his name is real.

Ty Coon sings for the industrial band “Ministry.” Warren Peace is a pseudonym for Geoffrey A. MacCormack, an English vocalist, composer and dancer best known for his work with David Bowie in the 1970s.

Tad Pohl is the Matchday secretary of the Milton Keynes Dong which is supposed to be a community club. I hope he would outgrow his name and become a prince.

Tom Morrow was a safety for three years with the Oakland Raiders. He holds the record for the most consecutive games with an interception, with eight.

Travel Books

The 86 Greatest Travel Books of All Time by Conde Nast Traveler

Along the Ganges Ilija Trojanow (2006)
Arabian Sands Wilfred Thesiger (1959)

An Area of Darkness V. S. Naipaul (1965)
As They Were M.F.K. Fisher (1982)
A Barbarian in Asia Henri Michaux (1933)
The Bird Man and the Lap Dancer Eric Hansen (2004)
Bitter Lemons of Cyprus Lawrence Durrell (1957)
Black Lamb and Grey Falcon nRebecca West (1942)
Blue Highways William Least Heat-Moon (1982)
Captain John Smith: Writings (2007)
Chasing the Monsoon Alexander Frater (1993)
Chasing the Sea Tom Bissell (2003)
Cross Country Robert Sullivan (2006)
Dark Star Safari Paul Theroux (2003)
Democracy in America Alexis de Tocqueville (1835)
Down and Out in Paris and London George Orwell (1933)
Down the Nile: Alone in a Fisherman's Skiff Rosemary Mahoney (2007)
The Emperor Ryszard Kapuściński (1978; translated by William R. Brand and Katarzyna Mroczkowska-Brand)
Endurance Alfred Lansing (1959)
Eothen Alexander William Kinglake (1844)
"Exterminate All the Brutes" Sven Lindqvist(1996)
Farthest North: The Voyage and Exploration of the Fram, 1893–1896 Fridtjof Nansen (1898)
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas Hunter S. Thompson (1972)
The Fearful Void Geoffrey Moorhouse (1974)
From a Chinese City Gontran De Poncins (1957; translated by Bernard Frechtman)
Great Plains Ian Frazier (1989)
The Great Railway Bazaar Paul Theroux (1975)
Hindoo Holiday J. R. Ackerley (1932)
The Histories Herodotus (circa 440 b.c.)
The Impossible Country Brian Hall (1994)
In a Sunburned Country Bill Bryson (2000)
India: A Million Mutinies Now V. S. Naipaul (1991)
The Innocents Abroad Mark Twain (1869)
In Patagonia Bruce Chatwin (1977)
In the Country of Country Nicholas Dawidoff (1997)
In Trouble Again Redmond O'Hanlon (1988)
Iron & Silk Mark Salzman (1986)
I See by My Outfit Peter S. Beagle (1965)
The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Journey to Portugal José Saramago (1981)
Letters and Notes on the Manners, Customs and Condition of the North American Indians George Catlin (1841)
Letters from Egypt: A Journey on the Nile, 1849–1850 Florence Nightingale (1854; published 1987)
Life on the Mississippi Mark Twain (1883)
London Perceived V. S. Pritchett (1962)
The Long Walk Slavomir Rawicz (1956)
The Lycian Shore Freya Stark (1956)
Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found Suketu Mehta (2004)
The Muses Are Heard Truman Capote (1956)
The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Other Travel Sketches Matsuo Basho (1694)
News from Tartary Peter Fleming (1936)
The Nomad: Diaries of Isabelle Eberhardt (1987)
No Mercy: A Journey into the Heart of the Congo Redmond O'Hanlon (1997)
Notes from the Century Before Edward Hoagland (1969)
Old Glory Jonathan Raban (1981)
The Pillars of Hercules Paul Theroux (1995)
The Pine Barrens John McPhee (1968)
The Places in Between Rory Stewart (2006)
Riding the Iron Rooster Paul Theroux (1988)
The Rings of Saturn W. G. Sebald (1998)
The River War: An Historical Account of the Reconquest of the Sudan Winston Churchill (1899)
The Road to Oxiana Robert Byron (1937)
Rome and a Villa Eleanor Clark (1952)
Roughing It Mark Twain (1872)
Sandstorms: Days and Nights in Arabia Peter Theroux (1990)
Sea and Sardinia D. H. Lawrence (1921)
Shah of Shahs Ryszard Kapuściński (1982; translated by William R. Brand and Katarzyna Mroczkowska-Brand)
A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush Eric Newby (1958)
Siren Land Norman Douglas (1911)
Skating to Antarctica Jenny Diski (1997)
Slowly Down the Ganges Eric Newby (1966)
The Songlines Bruce Chatwin (1987)
Southern Baroque Art Sacheverell Sitwell (1924)
Their Heads Are Green and Their Hands Are Blue Paul Bowles (1963)
A Time of Gifts Patrick Leigh Fermor (1977)
To a Distant Island James McConkey (1984)
Travels in Arabia Deserta Charles M. Doughty (1888)
Travels in the Interior of Africa Mungo Park (1799)
The Travels of Sir John Mandeville (circa 1355)
Travels Through France and Italy Tobias Smollett (1766)
Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes R. L. Stevenson (1879)
Travels with Myself and Another Martha Gellhorn (1978)
Two Towns in Provence M.F.K. Fisher (1983)
A View of the World Norman Lewis (1986)
West with the Night Beryl Markham (1942)
The Worst Journey in the World Apsley Cherry-Garrard (1922)
Wrong About Japan Peter Carey (2004)

Yes, no word on the Philippines. Too many books on India and Arabia. Well, come to think of it, you just might write the best travel story on the Philippines. Blame this jury: André Aciman, Monica Ali, Julia Alvarez, Tom Bissell, Geraldine Brooks, Vikram Chandra, Jim Crace, Jared Diamond, Linh Dinh, Anthony Doerr, Jennifer Egan, Stephen Elliott, Nuruddin Farah, Nell Freudenberger, Peter Godwin, Peter Hessler, Uzodinma Iweala, Sebastian Junger, Robert D. Kaplan, Mary Karr, Erik Larson, Rosemary Mahoney, Peter Mayle, Tom McCarthy, John McPhee, Adrienne Miller, Jan Morris, Stewart O'Nan, Francine Prose, Jonathan Raban, Graham Robb, Akhil Sharma, Matthew Sharpe, Jim Shepard, Darin Strauss, Robert Sullivan, Manil Suri, Paul Theroux, Colin Thubron, Lynne Tillman, Luis Alberto Urrea, Gore Vidal, Sean Wilsey, John Wray, and Lawrence Wright.

Relax. Rushdie is on Our Side

From New York Observer: “It used to be much easier to start out as a young writer because you could be sure that a book would get review space all over the place.” These days, Mr. Rushdie said, it’s only the established ones who get any coverage. “The problem is: how do you draw attention to books by new writers who are not well known, who don’t have name recognition – who, you know, don’t look beautiful on the cover of a magazine? That’s 99 percent of all writers! That’s the reason why this is important.” Then Mr. Rushdie went off-message: “I think it’s rather unfortunate that some of the coverage tries to pitch print reviewing against the new media. I think they complement each other very well.” To those familiar with the ongoing debate in the book world about whether lit blogs are destroying western culture--as Rushdie's listeners were--his meaning could hardly have been clearer: Blogs aren't the enemy.As Mr. Rushdie finished, the room erupted in applause. Two minutes later, he was gone.

See Mutts 2

Baguio has brownout from 9 am to 5 pm today. The Yankees won, making it to the playoffs for the 13th straight time. Lucky? You bet. Take a bow, Cora Miao.

Nokia

Another useless thing I learned but will make you win bar bets as well. The Nokia tone was taken from Spanish composer Francisco T´rrega's Gran Vals. Yes, it was chopped to a few bars and now we have the Nokia default tone which annoys almost everyone. This I learned while reading about villagers in India were able to fool wayward leopards by attaching cheap Nokia phones with the Nokia tone to annoy them. No, they have ring tones of cow mooing or goats bleating and the leopards would get attracted and fall on a net trap and they would be brought to the jungles anew. Eventually the leopards would wisen up and attack those holders of phones with Nokia tones. I think that is the lesson.

Fugu

Not Fubu, Andy, but butete or pufferfish, the most expensive and dangerous sushi for kamikazes. Have not tasted it yet but saw dozens of stories from kamikaze fishermen and their families who die for eating them unbeknownst. Anyway, here's a YouTube from a sushi chef on how to prepare fugu sushi. Cris M, take notice:

Hey, They Used to Love Me in Vigan

Republic of the Philippines
Province of Ilocos Sur
MUNICIPALITY OF VIGAN
OFFICE OF THE SANGGUNIANG BAYAN
Resolution No. 16
Series of 1998
RESOLUTION DENOUNCING THE ARTICLE ENTITLED “REMEMBER, AND
SAVE, CIUDAD FERNANDINA” WRITTEN BY FRANK CIMATU PUBLISHED
IN THE PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER ON JUNE 28, 1998, FOR ITS BLATANT
DISREGARD, DISTORTION AND MUTATION OF FACTS BESMIRCHING THE
REPUTATION AND HONOR OF PUBLIC OFFICIALS OF VIGAN
PARTICULAR AND INSULTING THE PEOPLE OF VIGAN IN GENERAL; AND
DEMANDING AN APOLOGY AND RECTIFICATION OF FACTS BY MR.
CIMATU WITH EQUAL SPACE AND TREATMENT IN THE SAME
PUBLICATION.
WHEREAS, an article “Remember, and Save, Ciudad Fernandina” was
published in the June 28, 1998 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer particularly
under the Travel section written by Mr. Frank Cimatu;
WHEREAS, Mr. Frank Cimatu, writer of said article, never consulted or
interviewed any official of the Municipality of Vigan at least in an effort to verify
the veracity of facts he had gathered from one person; in the spirit of balanced or
impartial journalism;
WHEREAS, Mr. Frank Cimatu, obviously was misled by a single person with a
personal interest to gain recognition at the expense of the people of Vigan;
WHEREAS, the article “Remember, and Save, Ciudad Fernandina” describes the
history of our beloved town – Vigan, as well as plans for its preservation and
development as a major tourist destination in the world, particularly in our
application for inclusion in the World heritage List;
WHEREAS, the concluding paragraphs that follow the beautiful description and
plans for Vigan, particularly states “BUT VIGAN POLITICIANS HAVE OTHER
IDEAS”, thereby implying that Vigan politicians are irresponsible, unreliable,
unpatriotic and their ideas are contrary to the plans for Vigan’s greatness;
WHEREAS, plans and visions for Vigan is not for the credit of “ … one of the
handful Bigueños” as the article fondly describes its “heroine”; rather plans and
visions for Vigan is for the credit of each and every Bigueño who cooperates in
every efforts of the Municipal Government of Vigan and the Provincial
Government of Ilocos Sur;
WHEREAS, a member of the Sangguniang Bayan of Vigan, Councilor Steve
Javier has been portrayed as unpatriotic and a destroyer where he “….
Demolished the remnants of one of the first churches of the Iglesia
Independiente in the process”;
WHEREAS, Councilor Steve Javier never demolished the structure which Mr.
Cimatu refers to, rather such building was restored, and conserved through the
use of materials approved by the National Historical Institute and described as
reversible by experts from the National Historical Institute, the same national
agency that issued the permit for Councilor Steve Javier on his Supermarket
project;
WHEREAS, the article stated that other politicians, bought or owned houses
within the area and are “planning to go on with their own development”, which
further mentions our Honorable Governor Luis “Chavit” Singson with an “open
secret” in owning many of the houses in Vigan, exacerbates Mr. Cimatu’s
allusion that politicians in Vigan are irresponsible and unpatriotic and could go on
with ‘their own development” plans;
WHEREAS, our Honorable Governor Luis “Chavit” Singson is from Vigan and
belonged to the affluent Singson clan. Hence, there is no “open secret” implying
a personal interest or purpose as pictured in the article, for our Honorable
Governor to own houses in Vigan;
WHEREAS, our Honorable Governor Luis “Chavit” Singson is very supportive in
all efforts and programs of the Municipal Government of Ilocos Sur on
conservation and restoration of Vigan;
WHEREAS, the Provincial Government of Ilocos Sur and the Municipal
Government of Vigan with the cooperation of all concerned have been doing all
efforts to realize the dream to make Vigan a global tourist destination as part of
the North Western Luzon Growth Quadrangle Program;
WHEREAS, the article of Mr. Cimatu is an insult to the people of Vigan who
elected Vigan Politicians;
WHEREAS, the article of Mr. Frank Cimatu besmirched the reputation of elected
officials of Vigan and shall caused embarrassment and shame to the Municipality
of Vigan and to all Bigueños before our national and international community;
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED AS IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED, to
denounce the article entitled “Remember, and Save, Ciudad Fernandina” written
by Mr. Frank Cimatu published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer on June 28, 1998,
for its blatant disregard, distortion and mutation of facts besmirching the
reputation and honor of public officials of Vigan in particular and insulting the
people of Vigan in general; and demand an apology and rectification of facts by
Mr. Frank Cimatu with equal space and treatment in the same publication.
Approved on August 3, 1998.
(Sgd.) LIBORIO F. ARCA
Vice Mayor and Presiding Officer
(Sgd.) FRANCISCO P. RANCHES, JR.
(Sgd.) LOURDES G. BAQUIRAN
(Sgd.) DANILO ESTEBAN C. JAVIER
ALFREDO A. FIGUERRES, JR.
(Sgd.) CONSTANTE V. BENZON
(Sgd.) NICOMEDES R. RAMIREZ
(Sgd.) RANDOLF V. SINGSON
GEORGE J. VILLANUEVA
(Sgd.) BENEDICTO JOSE P.
VERZOSA
(Sgd.) ARISTOTLE F. ARDE
Attested:
(Sgd.) RAMIL A. ARCE
Secretary to the Sangguniang Bayan
Approved:
(Sgd.) EVA MARIE S. MEDINA
Mayor

Chinese Screen Names

I am cleaning my bag when I saw this list of names at the back of one concert ticket. These are the names of Chinese actors, actress and others in the HK and Taiwanese movies with nice names. Well, you know Run Run Shaw, how about:
Moon Lee
Casanova Wong
Ringo Lam
Noodle Cheng, who reminds you of:

Curry Lau, director of "Ultimate Vampire"
Season Ma, actress famous for "The First Time is The Last Time" and "Boat People" where she co-stars with Cora Miao (catty!!)
Tomato Chan

Well, you know Maggie Cheung but why do they always use the full name "Maggie Cheung Man-Yuk" which is not really good. Or Elvis Tsui who is more completely known as "Elvis Tsui Kam-Kong."
Well, at least Ridley Tsui is just that.

Mutts

I love "Mutts" the comicstrip which used to appear everyday in Inquirer until the newspaper decided to give "homage" to Filipino comics by reviving Carlo Caparas with his "To Have and To Hold." I have nothing against Filipino comics but I think Caparas, through the years, has not grown as a man. His regard for women is still the same mestiza-damsel-in-distress style. I miss Mutt and Inquirer can benefit by making their "Double TH" smaller. And I will be featuring Mutts everyday in protest.

Kanthoughts

Fellow Baguio blogger Nashman (ngem adda London) is starting a campaign to include the famous Filipino word "kanthought" in the OED. Not as dirty as you think, it comes from Immanuel Kant and thought. It was the great Kant who thought that we process perceptions otherwise all the things we sense just flow past us like water. Now, I'm lost in my Kantian thoughts because there was this woman who passed by. Hmm nice. What was I saying? Kant thoughts. Hmmm. Sex. Kant is a very unsexy person (he thinks that masturbation is worse that suicide) but it was him who thought that the test of morality for any form of conduct is whether it could be universalized. We seem to philosophize about our thoughts of sex all the time. That's universal. So kanthoughts should be in the OED.

A Parable for Baguio

This is the dream of Einstein on 26 April 1905:

"In this world it is instantly obvious that something is odd. No houses can be seen in the valleys or plains. Everyone lives in the mountains..."

This is part of Alan Lightman's Einstein's Dreams.
In this particular dream, it was said that scientists discovered that time flows more slowly the father from the center of the earth. It was a very small difference, measured only by really sensitive instruments but you try to bring that out in the newspapers and "sexy" it up so I guessed the headlines then was: Time Slower On The Mountains.
So people decide to leave the shores and went up the mountains. They built their houses on mountaintops.

"People most eager to live longest have built their houses on the highest stilts. Indeed, some houses rise half a mile high on their spindly wooden stilts. Height has become a status."

Those who live on high literally looked down on the people below. if they need to transact business in the lowlands, they do it as fast as they can so they will not lose time and age faster.
Of course, there would always be rebellious people who thought, What the heck! Let's go down the mountains and enjoy our lives while we can.

"In time, people have forgotten the reason why higher is better. Nonetheless, they continue to live on the mountains. to avoid sunken regions as much as they can, to teach their children to shun other children from low elevations. They tolerate the cold of the mountains by habit and enjoy the discomfort as part of their breeding. They have even convinced themselves that thin air is good for their bodies and, following that logic, have gone on spare diets, refusing all but the gossamer food. At length, the populace have become thin like the air, bony, old before their time."

Friends for Life. For Now.

These four are orphans staying in a zoo. Somehow they have become friends and inseparable. Of course, adulthood will mess up this friendship. But for now, savor the moment.

Litera Tour

The British Council-Philippines and the Department of Communication, College of Arts and Communication, University of the Philippines will co-sponsor the Animating Litera Tour. The project aims to develop the writing and performance skills of poets in East Asian countries through international collaboration and practical workshops on performance poetry.
It is a rare opportunity for members of the academe from Baguio City to participate in such an activity. This year, the British Council decided to bring this workshop to us. We are honoured to have the internationally known performance poet Francesca Beard who will facilitate the "Animating Litera Tour" in the University of the Philippines Baguio, Bulwagang Juan Luna on September 29 to October 1, 2007. Registration will start on September 29, 2007, 8:30 a.m. at the said venue. Workshop and lunch are free.

Numbers Name

I read yesterday the byline of Margie Cinco of the PDI Southern Luzon Bureau. She should write her name Margie 5. But you know what, there's a New York Times writer named Jennifer 8. Lee? Her middle name is a number. I think she is Taiwanese-American and you know how Taiwanese love numbers. Remember F4? I don't know why she has to have a period though. So should she be Jennifer Eight point Lee.

Printer

Computer ruined my otherwise beautiful handwriting (ask Pia) so I am now into rubber stamping everything I need to write. And with my meager rubber stamp collection, I need to go into rubber stamp art.

Chupa Chups

I let you on a sweet secret. The logo of Chupa-Chups was designed by a famous painter. It turned out that C.C. owner Enric Bernat Fontlladosa commissioned the great Salvador Dali for a logo and the great Surrealist came out with a daisy.

Onoda

Here is wickedpedia entry on the Japanese straggler in the Philippines:

Second Lieutenant Hiroo Onoda (小野田 寛郎 Onoda Hirō; born March 19, 1922) is a former Japanese army intelligence officer trained by the Nakano School who was stationed on Lubang Island in the Philippines. He was there when it was reclaimed by the Allies in February 1945, towards the conclusion of World War II. Most of the Japanese troops were slain or captured by Allied forces. Onoda and several other men, however, hid in the dense jungle.
Onoda continued his campaign, initially living in the mountains with three fellow soldiers, Akatsu, Shimada, and Kozuka. One of his comrades, Akatsu, eventually surrendered to Filipino forces, and the other two were killed in gun battles with local forces—one in 1954, the other in 1972—leaving Onoda alone in the mountains. For 29 years, he refused to surrender, dismissing every attempt to convince him that the war was over as a ruse. In 1959, Onoda was declared legally dead in Japan.
Found by a Japanese student, Norio Suzuki, Onoda still refused to accept that the war was over unless he received orders to lay down his arms from his superior officer. Suzuki offered his help, and returned to Japan with photographs of himself and Onoda as proof of their encounter. In 1974 the Japanese government located Onoda's commanding officer, Major Taniguchi, who had since become a bookseller. He flew to Lubang and informed Onoda of the defeat of Japan in WWII and ordered him to lay down his arms. Lieutenant Onoda emerged from the jungle 29 years after the end of World War II, and accepted the commanding officer's order of surrender in his dress uniform and sword, with his Arisaka Type 99 rifle still in operating condition, 500 rounds of ammunition and several hand grenades.
Though he had killed some thirty Philippine inhabitants of the island and engaged in several shootouts with the police, the circumstances of these events were taken into consideration, and Onoda received a pardon from President Ferdinand Marcos.
After his surrender, Onoda moved to Brazil, where he became a cattle farmer. He released an autobiography, No Surrender: My Thirty-Year War, shortly after his surrender, detailing his life as a guerrilla fighter in a war that was long over. He revisited Lubang Island in 1996, donating $10,000 for the local school on Lubang. He then married a Japanese woman and moved back to Japan where he established a nature camp for kids. At the camp Onoda shares what he learned about survival through resourcefulness and ingenuity. As of 2007, Onoda is still living in Japan.

The Infallible Bible

• The Blasphemous Comma Several editions: Part of Luke 23 reads "And there were also two other malefactors. [crucified with Jesus]" It should have read "And there were also two other, malefactors."
• "Judas Bible" 1611: This bible has Judas, not Jesus, saying "Sit ye here while I go yonder and pray." (Matthew 26:36)
• "Wicked Bible", "Adulterous Bible" or "Sinner's Bible" 1631: Barker and Lucas: Omits an important "not" from Exodus 20:14, making the seventh commandment read "Thou shalt commit adultery." The printers were fined £300 (a lifetime's wages) and most of the copies were recalled immediately. Only 11 copies are known to exist today.
• "More Sea Bible" 1641 "...the first heaven and the first earth were passed away and there was more sea." rather than "...the first heaven and the first earth were passed away and there was no more sea."
• "Unrighteous Bible" or "Wicked Bible" 1653: Cambridge Press: Another edition carrying this title omits a "not" before the word "inherit", making I Corinthians 6:9 read "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall inherit the kingdom of God?..." In addition, Romans 6:13 reads "Neither yield ye your members as instruments of righteousness into sin..." where it should read "unrighteousness". Also, in Exodus 20:14 it omits a "not" in the seventh commandment so it says, "thou shalt commit adultery."
• "Printers Bible" bef. 1702: Psalm 119:161 reads "Printers have persecuted me without cause." The first word was changed, possibly by a typesetter, from "Princes".
• "Sin On Bible": 1716: John 5:14 reads "Go and sin on more" rather than "Go and sin no more".
• "Vinegar Bible": 1717: J. Baskett, Clarendon Press: The chapter heading for Luke 20 reads "The Parable of the Vinegar" instead of "The Parable of the Vineyard." One reviewer called this particular edition "a Baskett full of errors," what with its being replete with numerous other specimens of typographical errata throughout.
• "The Fools Bible": 1763: Psalm 14:1 reads "the fool hath said in his heart there is a God", rather than "...there is no God". The printers were fined three thousand pounds and all copies ordered destroyed.
• "Denial Bible": 1792: The name Philip is substituted for Peter as the apostle who would deny Jesus in Luke 22:34.
• "Murderer's Bible" 1801: "Murmurers" is printed as "murderers", making Jude 16 read: "These are murderers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage."
• "Lions Bible" 1804: Kings 8:19 reads "thy son that shall come forth out of thy lions", rather than "loins". This edition had another error in Numbers 25:18 which read: "The murderer shall surely be put together" rather than "...put to death".
• "To-remain Bible" 1805: In Galatians 4:29 a proof-reader had written in "to remain" in the margin, as an answer to whether a comma should be deleted. The note inadvertently became part of the text, making the edition read "But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit to remain, even so it is now."
• "Discharge Bible" 1806: "Discharge" replaces "charge" making I Timothy 5:21 read "I discharge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality."
• "Standing Fishes Bible" 1806: "Fishes" replaced "fishers" making Ezekiel 47:10 read "And it shall come to pass, that the fishes shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many."
• "Idle Shepherd" 1809: Zechariah 11:17 reads "the idle shepherd" rather than "idol shepherd".
• "Ears To Ear Bible" 1810: Edition which makes Matthew 13:43 read: "...Who has ears to ear, let him hear." The correct phrase should be "ears to hear".
• "Wife-hater Bible" 1810: "Wife" replaces "life" in this edition, making Luke 14:26 redundantly read "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own wife also, he cannot be my disciple."
• "The Large Family Bible" 1820: Isaiah 66:9 reads: "Shall I bring to birth and not cease to bring forth?" rather than "Shall I bring to birth and not cause to bring forth?".
• "Rebecca's Camels Bible" 1823: "Camels" replaces "damsels" in one instance, making Genesis 24:61 read "And Rebecca arose, and her camels, and they rode upon the camels, and followed the man: and the servant took Rebecca and went his way."

Religious Name

Inquirer columnist Pam Pastor complained:

I was 10 years old when R.E.M. released the song “Losing My Religion. And because this was before I discovered the magic of reading between the lines and the horrors of people not saying what they actually mean, I found the song amusing. Here was this guy whining about losing his religion while I had one too many. I remember thinking about giving him one of mine to make both our lives easier. Yes, I grew up with two religions. My dad’s side of the family is Catholic while my maternal grandparents head a Born Again Christian church.

I say, Haller. Your name is Pam Pastor. You can't help it. I don't know about the hundreds of thousands of Delos Santoses and Dela Cruzes but my friends who have religious surnames are bound by religion. I used to have a classmate named Ethel Simbahan. Her father was I think already a priest but he was lured out of it. And then there's Marianne Catedral, PR extraordinaire, who almost became a nun. Now, she's a King. Married to a King in Texas. Hindi kami beso-beso ni Cardinal Sin but his surname also is a big factor on why he became a cardinal.

Top 100 Non-English Language Films

From respected movie bloggers in the US and other English-speaking countries (JZ and J Devera not included, otherwise puro Nora na sana iyan):
100 THE CRANES ARE FLYING (Directed by Mikhail Kalatozov and Written by Viktor Rozov)
99. DAY OF WRATH (Directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer)
98. THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW (Written and directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini)
97. SATANTANGO (Written and directed by Bela Tarr)
96. THE EXTERMINATING ANGEL (Written and directed by Luis Bunuel)
95. RUN LOLA RUN (Written and directed by Tom Tykwer)
94. ORPHEUS (Written and directed by Jean Cocteau)
93. THE BLUE ANGEL (Directed by Josef von Sternberg and written by Carl Zuckmayer, Karl Vollmoller and Robert Liebmann)
92. AMELIE (Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and written by Jeunet and Guillaume Laurant)
91. FORBIDDEN GAMES (Directed by Rene Clement and written by Clement, Jean Aurenche, Pierre Bost and Francois Boyer)
90. THE DOUBLE LIFE OF VERONIQUE (Directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski and written by Kieslowski and Krzysztof Piesiewicz)
89. CLEO FROM 5 TO 7 (Written and directed by Agnes Varda)
88. SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER (Directed by Francois Truffaut and written by Truffaut and Marcel Moussy)
87. PIERROT LE FOU (Written and directed by Jean-Luc Godard)
86. AMORES PERROS (Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and written by Guillermo Arriaga)
85. VIRIDIANA (Directed by Luis Bunuel and written by Bunuel and Julio Alejandro)
84. MASCULIN/FEMININ (Written and directed by Jean-Luc Godard)
83. WOMAN IN THE DUNES (Directed by Hiroshi Teshigahara and written by Kobo Abe)
82. Z (Directed by Costa-Gavras and written by Jorge Semprun)
81. COME AND SEE (Directed by Elem Klimov and written by Klimov and A. Adamovich)
80. SMILES OF A SUMMER NIGHT (Written and directed by Ingmar Bergman)
79. SUSPIRIA (Directed by Dario Argento and written by Argento and Daria Nicolodi)
78. OPEN CITY (Directed by Roberto Rossellini and written by Sergio Amidei and Federico Fellini)
77. SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE (Written and directed by Ingmar Bergman)
76. ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER (Written and directed by Pedro Almodovar)
75. MY NIGHT AT MAUD'S (Written and directed by Eric Rohmer)
74. EYES WITHOUT A FACE (Directed by Georges Franju and written by Pierre Boileau, Pierre Gascar, Thomas Narcejac, Jean Redon and Claude Sautet)
73. DAY FOR NIGHT (Directed by Francois Truffaut)
72. ALI: FEAR EATS THE SOUL (Written and directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder)
71. HIROSHIMA MON AMOUR (Directed by Alain Resnais and written by Marguerite Duras)
70. LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD (Directed by Alain Resnais and written by Alain Robbe-Grillet)
69. AMARCORD (Directed by Federico Fellini)
68. ARMY OF SHADOWS (Written and directed by Jean-Pierre Melville)
67. DAS BOOT (Written and directed by Wolfgang Peterson)
66. CELINE AND JULIE GO BOATING (Directed by Jacques Rivette)
65. THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG (Written and directed by Jacques Demy)
64. THRONE OF BLOOD (Directed by Akira Kurosawa)
63. CHUNGKING EXPRESS (Written and directed by Wong Kar-Wai)
62. BLUE (Directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski)
61. CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON (Directed by Ang Lee)
60. BAND OF OUTSIDERS (Written and directed by Jean-Luc Godard)
59. RIFIFI (Directed by Jules Dassin)
58. TALK TO HER (Written and directed by Pedro Almodovar)
57. L'ECLISSE (Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni)
56. YI YI: A ONE AND A TWO... (Written and directed by Edward Yang)
55. CINEMA PARADISO (Directed by Giuseppe Tornatore)
54. ORDET (Directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer)
53. Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN (Directed by Alfonso Cuaron)
52. UMBERTO D (Directed by Vittorio de Sica)
51. HIGH AND LOW(Directed by Akira Kurosawa)
50. RAISE THE RED LANTERN (Directed by Zhang Yimou)
49. MADAME DE... (Directed by Max Ophuls and written by Ophuls, Marcel Achard and Annette Wademant)
48. LATE SPRING (Directed by Yasujiro Ozu)
47. LA STRADA (Directed by Federico Fellini)
46. SANSHO THE BAILIFF (Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi)
45. PICKPOCKET (Written and directed by Robert Bresson)
44. YOJIMBO (Directed by Akira Kurosawa)
43. THE DECALOGUE (Directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski)
42. CRIES AND WHISPERS (Written and directed by Ingmar Bergman)
41. WINGS OF DESIRE (Directed by Wim Wenders)
40. THE WAGES OF FEAR (Directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot)
39. RED (Directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski)
38. NIGHTS OF CABIRIA (Directed by Federico Fellini)
37. L'ATALANTE (Directed by Jean Vigo)
36. THE DISCREET CHARM OF THE BOURGEOISIE (Directed by Luis Bunuel)
35. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (Written and directed by Jean Cocteau)
34. CHILDREN OF PARADISE (Directed by Marcel Carne and written by Jacques Prevert)
33. SPIRITED AWAY (Written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki)
32. BELLE DE JOUR (Directed by Luis Bunuel)
31. LE SAMOURAI (Directed by Jean-Pierre Melville)
30. WILD STRAWBERRIES (Written and directed by Ingmar Bergman)
29. L'AVVENTURA (Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni)
28. THE LEOPARD (Directed by Luchino Visconti)
27. IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (Written and directed by Wong Kar-Wai)
26. CITY OF GOD (Directed by Fernando Meirelles and Katia Lund)
25. ANDREI RUBLEV (Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky)
24. AU HASARD BALTHAZAR (Written and directed by Robert Bresson)
23. PLAYTIME (Directed by Jacques Tati)
22. UGETSU MONOGATARI (Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi)
21. BREATHLESS (Directed by Jean-Luc Godard)
20. CONTEMPT (Written and directed by Jean-Luc Godard)
19. LA DOLCE VITA (Directed by Federico Fellini)
18. THE CONFORMIST (Written and directed by Bernardo Bertolucci)
17. JULES AND JIM (Directed by Francois Truffaut)
16. RAN (Directed by Kurosawa)
15. THE SEVENTH SEAL (Directed by Bergman)
14. IKIRU (Kurosawa)
13. RASHOMON (Directed by Kurosawa)
12. TOKYO STORY (Directed by Yasujiro Ozu)
11. FANNY AND ALEXANDER (Written and directed by Ingmar Bergman)
10. THE 400 BLOWS (Directed by Francois Truffaut)
9. THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS (Directed by Gillo Pontecorvo)
8. AGUIRRE, THE WRATH OF GOD (Written and directed by Werner Herzog)
7. GRAND ILLUSION (Directed by Jean Renoir)
6. PERSONA (Written and directed by Ingmar Bergman)
5. BICYCLE THIEVES (Directed by Vittorio de Sica)
4. 8 1/2 (Directed by Fellini)
3. M (Directed by Fritz Lang)
2. THE SEVEN SAMURAI (Directed by Kurosawa)
1. THE RULES OF THE GAME (Directed by Jean Renoir)

The Human Flipbook

Martial Law

I was given an ultimatum by Karina. Deadline for the submission of the "Mondo Marcos" book is December. We already have submissions but if you have one. Give it now. Fiction and poetry in English or Filipino about being a martial law baby (those born 1965 to 1984). Give it now!!!!!

San Miguel

Why is San Miguel Beer so creative in their promos abroad but so lame in their home country?

OJ in Anagram

A Chronological Story of "Orenthal James Simpson" in Anagrams

OJ, He Seminal Sportsman
Host OJ, Primal Meanness
Mr. OJ, Meanness, Hospital
OJ, Immense Sharp Talons
Heisman Plot, Snare Ms. OJ
Moonlit James Sharpens
"Immense Harlot!" OJ Snaps
OJ Slashes Prominent Ma
Heisman Person Jolts Ma
Inept OJ Slashes Mom, Ran
She Enjoin Mortal Spasm
Ms. OJ's Ron, Lame Thespian
I'm OJ, Slashes Neat Ron, PM
Hapless Ron Join Tame Ms.
Patrolmen Hiss OJ's Name
Jam, Solemn Shapiro Sent
Ashen Patrolmen Miss OJ
Jam, Solemn Shapiro Sent
Ashen Patrolmen Miss OJ
Shapiro Menses Jolt Man
OJ's Solemn, Marsha Inept
Ron Set OJ, Heisman Plasm
OJ, Him Last Manson Spree
OJ, Less Mama, Then Prison
Orenthal James Simpson

This is from Internet Anagram Server. I humbly give my suggestion after OJ's latest heist

Jinn Steals Hammer. Oops.
Heist Planner Jams. Moos.

Boy Mummy

Where?

Here!

Ayayuh or You Are Not From Baguio (Hilltop Version)

Donald J sent this to me. Please feel free to add and I can give you the English version later.

Taga Baguio ka isu? 1. Taga-Baguio laeng iti makaammu iti original nga kulay ti pader iti Maharlika ken Marbay.... nu dayu, kuna da nga napinturan iti nalabbaga... .hehehe handa ammu ma-ma gayyam

2. Paboritong expression "WEN YA!!!"

3. Mahilig iti polo nga stripes and checkered (long sleeves pay) uray aglingling-it ket madi da nga ikkaten...

4. Uray pangkis iti medyas...ayos latta

5. Haan ka nga taga-Baguio nu haan mu nga ammu diay infamous nga "NOVA LODGE".

6. Haan ka nga taga-Baguio nu haan mu nga ammu nga adda iti outbreak...

7. Wash and wear style

8. Naangseg iti Burnham... kasatnu pagisbuan iti nababartek.. ..nu malpas ket pag-iddaan pay iti turista..hehehe

9. Hindi ka taga-Baguio kung nawala cellphone mo...

10. Lastly, sa mga taga Baguio na hindi pa nakakaalam na ang Session Road ay napalitan na ng pangalan, ang bagong pangalan ay "Muslim Road"

11. Haan ka nga tigadtoy nu han mu nga malagip ti "labus angels" or " Labo's angels" idyay pinagtakderan iti concrete x-mas tree idyay session

12. Basta naka "LEATHER JACKET, FRIENDS FOREVER!" ya!

13. Nu malpas ti shot ket awan ti pagtaxi ibaga da intayo ag-ghost hunting .. gayam magmagna agawid...

14. Awanin ti Session Theatre! santo haan nga inaldaw ti panag digus.. nyahaha! naglammin gamin!

15. Taga-Baguio ka nu nabilib ka ket ibagam nga "ay-yu ya! dayta ah!! gemays!!!" hehehe

16. Nu mangmangan ka strawberries. ....haan ka taga ditoy. ta haan mo ammu nagtubuan na ken ayna nangalaan da ti pinag-sibug da ijay.. wehehehe ---BALILI CREEK! TOINKS TOINKS

17. han ka taga baguio nu han mu ammu ti BATAWA nyahahahahaha. Intako mandance-dance id sidi ya!!!!! IJAY DANCE FLOOR PAYLANG KET NATENG TI TOPIC YO ENYA HEHEE

18. Haan ka nga taga-Baguio nu han mu ammu iti tawag da idyay ayan ti SM tatta... hehehe... intako agkibin- kibin idyay nasipnget nga parti...

19. Haan ka nga taga-Baguio nu han mu ammu nga kadwan dagiti jeep nga apan trinidad ken apan jay north nga ada terminal o nu sardengen tuy baguio ket COUNTRY, ken ti no.1 bars ditoy ket jay bokawkan han nga ijay Legarda. ken ti no.1 FM station ditoy Baguio ket 99.9

20. Kaaduan nga taga-Baguio ket chow da ti dogie.. intako man chow ed comiles hehehehe naimas den pulutan da isdi

21. Paboritong expression "WEN YA!!!"... "AW ADI" Y MAS D"

22. Han ka nga taga-Baguio nu han mu ammu jay TAM-AWAN Village... balay ti tam-awan u..hehehe

23. Han ka nga taga-Baguio nu sobra ka nga ag-ayat ti artista... uray samet agpapansin ti artista ditoy ket deadma da latta...

24. Han ka nga taga baguio nu han mo ammo daytoy.... URAY BUTBOT PANTALON KO BASTA LEVI'S...

25. Han ka nga taga baguio nu han mo amu nga jay dati nga nagtatakderan jay Centermall ita ket dati nga 'burn area'

26. Ti taga-Baguio kaaduwan nga nagapwan ti taraki nga badu da ket wag- wag nga selection.

27. Han ka nga taga-Baguio nu ti amum ket kayo ti pagbungaan ti Sayote..

28. Haan ka nga taga-Baguio nu apan ka diyay Burnham tapno agpapicture dagidyay photographers idyay... gusto mong magpakuha? may digicam na ngayon uy!

29. Han ka nga taga-Baguio nu madim amo ti usar na ti side A ken side B ti underwear. ayu ket nagbagyo garud!

30. Han ka nga taga-Baguio nu agpara ka ket ibagam "ma, dyan lang sa tabi". Weirdo, ket apay in-nam data driver?

31. Han ka nga taga-Baguio nu naka shorts ka ken nagpuskol ti jacket mo ken nakabonnet ka iti BAGUIO CITY. ayu data a!

32. Han kan nga taga-Baguio nu ibagam nga "kawawa naman" iti pinikpikan nga manok. naimas ti sabaw nga kadwa iti shot! hwahahaha... kawawa nga?!!!

33. Haan ka taga-Baguio nu madim amu nga ti number 1 nga in-inumin ti aartek ditoy ket gin latta ah ken 4x4 pay laeng..inggana maibusan..santu sigarilyo ket Hope nu saan ket Winston..haan kadi? This is my nayun

34. Haan ka taga-Baguio nu han mo nga amu nu ayan na idi jay Chapparal. Malagep mo pay jay sabon ken batya. Ken ti makitam iti kab-cabaret ket mga BHD inspektor nayunam pay ti pupulis wheehehee

35. Han ka nga taga-Baguio nu haan mo nga amo nga ti number 1 tambayan idi ti high school students ket jay Assumption Road ta ada pay idi jay FRB Building, Fires Place ken Girls High idi idjay

36. Han nga taga-Baguio nu han mo nga ammo ti Benedicts Place, nasukatanen ti Jet Bookstore idjay Session. Idjay ti naimas nga aginum idi, adan ti chicks ada pay ti gulo tatta ket jay Nevadas Square aminen, gulo ken chicks, hehehe

37. Han ka nga taga-Baguio nu haan mo nga ammo ti Hokkee ti paginuman ti medical students nga artek Di ba doc? Le Fondue ti paginuman ti artist kuno ken nahilig ti acoustic ken Ayuyang ti paginuman ti nahilig ti reggae tapos nu nabarbartek ka ket agpamawmaw ka jay 456 (Lomi adi) ken jay terminal (goto to the max!)

38. Han ka taga-Baguio nu haan mo nga ammo nga ti sayote ket maka-high blood. Inya, sayote manen ti sida tayo!!!! Inyametten!! ! Aahhhh!!!

39. Han ka nga taga-Baguio nu han mo nga ammo ti number 1 nga sports ket bilyar ken tong-its. Pustaan pay ket gin manen Hahahaha (i did it right??)

heyah... yuhooooo!!! --han ka nga taga-Baguio nu han mo nga i-repost daytoy tapos han mu pay manayunan..

Ha Long Has This Been Going On

The Baguio Writers Group last weekend came out with "To Be Or To Do" with the country's top poets talking about the birthing of their poems. Padma and I will be coming out with a full recount of that wonderful afternoon in the next entries. Maybe you will see some of the poems at padma's blog and also here. This is "Ha Long" by UP Baguio Chancellor Priscilla Macansantos who warned us of not wearing too many hats. She just won an award in mathematics. She has no image to accompany this poem and I remembered I have a photo in my laptop, "Ah, iyan pala yung grandeur of stone" was Luchie's remarque.

HA LONG ^*

I have forgotten how to
Unburden myself,
Find release
In vast spaces
And calm, deep waters,
Seek comfort
In the quiet grandeur of stone.
In airless rooms
And enclosed spaces,
Far from the sea
And other manner of living
I have spent my days
In habits and gestures
That have lost their meaning
From sheer repetition.
And the months and years
Have left me
No longer young, nor gladdened
By the setting of the sun.
Until Ha Long
Bay of a thousand stone islets
Rising from spent coral,
Its caves revealing secret sculptures
No human hand can fashion.
There is so much legend here,
Ha Long
Of battles fought, and won,
One can almost know hope again.
And my diminished spirit rises
As stone out of water;
It is as if, like this singular place
One can be old, yet young again,
And like the bay,
Let time’s patient hands
Shape the course of this, and every life.

-- Priscilla Supnet Macansantos

^* Ha Long Bay
Quang Ninh Province, Vietnam
UNESCO World Natural Heritage Area
(Philippines Free Press, July 4, 1998