Seneca Online

Learn How to Make Chicken Cordon Bleu

2012-01-23T21:46:00.003+08:00

It's a bit expensive to order a Chicken Cordon Bleu in a restaurant. Perhaps because aside from its exotic-sounding name, it also looks a bit complicated to make.

However, what most of us don't know is that making Chicken Cordon Bleau can be a bit cheap and also, it's really fun and EASY to make. The basic ingredients of the dish only include chicken breasts, cheese, and ham.

For the flavoring, you will need spanish paprika, beaten eggs, flour, and bread crumbs. Some kitchen tools you need in making Chicken Cordon Bleu are rolling pin and plastic wrap.

Here's how it is done:

Step 1: The Chicken Breast.

Being the primary ingredient, you should be able to find a large chicken breast for this dish. You can easily find a boneless chicken breast in the meat section.

Just be sure to find a huge, solid chicken breast to flawlessly seal the ham and cheese for Chicken Cordon Bleu.

Step 2: The Role of Rolling Pin

Rolling pin has many uses aside from flattening a dough. It can be used to flatten the chicken breast. Simply pound the chicken from center to the sides to soften and eventually flatten the chicken meat.

The picture below is the result of the pounding using the mighty rolling pin. I use a plastic wrap to cover the meat to "splash" all over the place.

You should remember that the flatter the meat, the better. It means you'll have more space to role in your filling.

Step 3: The Filling

Speaking of filling, we will use salt and paprika first to spice up the chicken. You would want to enhance the flavor of the meat by adding a little bit of spices on top of it.

Once you're done sprinkling paprika and salt on top of the flattened chicken meat, it is now time to add cooked ham and cheese. For this dish, I can attest that our very own EDEN cheese can be a great substitute for the original swiss cheese.

Step 4: Rolling the Chicken Meat

After adding the ham and cheese, your next task will be rolling them all together to form an elongated ball of chicken meat. What I usually do is cover it with plastic wrap to seal the ham and cheese inside.

You should refrigerate it for about 15 minutes before frying the entire cordon bleu meat.

Step 5: Frying the Chicken Cordon Bleu

Once the meat is ready, you need to take it out from the wrap and dip it in eggs and bread crumbs to make it crispy.

Then, you need to deep fry the chicken cordon bleu in high heat for 5 minutes. Once the meat has turned golden brown, then take out the meat.

The result??

As you can see below, the chicken cordon bleu looks amazing. I cut it into bite-sized pieces and you can just see how the cheese just oozes out of the meat.

Everything works perfectly for the palate: the taste of cooked ham, the meatiness of the chicken, and the milky flavor from the cheese -- everything blended really well!

Already now, I can attest that Chicken Cordon Bleu tastes uber good! Really, the dish is not as complicated as it looks.

That's why you should try it at home. Good luck!

How to Cook Lechon Manok without an Oven

2012-01-20T14:22:00.000+08:00

Okay, so I was a bit obsessed on finding out the English word equivalent of Filipino recipes and today, I learned that our own Lechon Manok is called Rotisserie Chicken in English.

Rotisserie is a style of roasting meat by skewering it on a steel rod and being cooked over the fire or roasted in an oven.

Now for those who doesn't have an oven at home, there is actually a way to cook a whole chicken and make it taste ahh-mazing, just like our own famous Filipino dish...the Lechon Manok.

Step #1: Marination Process

I first marinated the chicken overnight. It's your choice what kind of spices you'd want to infuse the flavor in the chicken. For this recipe, I chose the following: soy sauce, vinegar, spanish paprika, salt, and pepper.

I then placed crushed garlic and chopped onions inside the chicken cavity. It is also important to place some of the marinade between the skin and chicken meat.

Step #2: Steaming Process

After being thoroughly marinated, you need to steam the chicken. In the steam, you need to put some parsley in order to infuse the aroma into the chicken.

Then, you have to put fresh spices inside the chicken cavity. I added 5 cloves of crushed garlic, onions cut into half, and thin slices of ginger. Most importantly, I put lemon grass inside the chicken cavity.

Now I also used this lemon grass to tie the chicken legs, as shown above. Steaming the takes about one hour.

Step #3: Browning the Chicken

After steaming, you would want to make your chicken look brown. What you need to do is to fry the entire chicken.

Now you must be very careful in doing this. First, you take out the whole chicken from the steam and get the spices out. Leave it in a big bowl for a few minutes to let all the juices out.

Second, you need to make sure is a bit dry before you fry it. And so, what you need to is pat the surface of the chicken with a paper towel.

Next, you need to put generous amount of oil in the wok and SLOWLY fry the chicken on all sides for about 1-2 minutes.

The Result?

This is the result of my attempt to cook and replicate the taste of a lechon manok without using an oven. As you can see above, the skin looks very yummy.

The chicken is all brown and tastes really delicious because of the marinade infused in the chicken. Also, the chicken meat turned out to be very, very soft because of the steaming process.

And so, it is highly recommended that you try this cooking process to replicate the taste of the famous Filipino recipe without necessarily using an oven.

Let me know what you think.. good luck!

How to Make a healthy Filipino Lumpia Recipe

2012-01-14T23:38:00.002+08:00

Lumpia is an easy and popular Filipino recipe which can be made healthier using tuna and vegetable fillings. It's a very tasty dish which can be served with rice or eaten as a snack.

In all honesty, I did not know it's English word equivalent of Lumpia until recently. Haha! Okay, so our favorite Lumpia is called spring roll in English. (Gosh.)

I thought the term 'spring roll' is some kind of fresh and sweet pastry or something. But anyhow, what makes Filipino Lumpia different from spring rolls of other countries is its fillings and fresh Lumpia wrapper.

Today, I will share my secret in cooking the perfect and healthy Lumpia for all the Filipino food lovers out there.

The Lumpia Wrapper

As mentioned, what makes Lumpia a true Filipino delicacy is its wrapper -- which you can buy FRESH from the market. The yellow color in the wrapper makes Filipino Lumpia look golden brown in color when deep fried.

Yesterday, I was easily able to buy Lumpia wrapper in the wet market. I knew it was still fresh because the wrappers were still warm and the aroma was so rich when I bought them. It costs only 18 pesos to buy 50 Lumpia wrappers. Now that's insanely cheap for a delicious Filipino cuisine!

The Lumpia Filling

The filing for fried Lumpia is the key to a successful dish. In my healthy version of Lumpia, I chose four ingredients for the filling:

1.) Fresh carrots - rich in Vitamin A & beta-carotene

2.) Fried potatoes - rich in dietary fiber & protein

3.) Tuna - rich in omega 3

4.) Fresh onion - rich in phytochemicals

The manner by which I prepared all these four ingredients made the difference in the texture of the dish's filling. It was uber perfect for the palate.

Filling ingredient #1 - Fresh carrots

Because I had two sticks of medium sized carrots, what I did with them was to chop them in different forms. First, I diced one carrot finely in small squares so that one can munch and feel its crunchiness.

The other piece of carrot I shredded using the grater. This is done to blend the aroma and distinct taste of carrots into the filling. Now I left the carrots UNCOOKED because fresh carrots will give out a pure and strong taste to our filling.

Filling ingredient #2 - Diced Potatoes

For this recipe, I bought 1/4 kilo of potatoes. What I did was to peel and soak them in water with salt to prevent the discoloration of the potatoes.

After that, I diced them in small pieces and again, placed them in the salt water that I made earlier.

Now I cooked the potatoes separately because I wanted its taste to stand out also. As you can see in the photo above, half of the diced potato I fried and the other half I didn't.

I fried half of the potatoes to provide that meaty aroma and that crunchiness you get when eating French fries. I wanted that exact same taste in my filling.

On the other hand, I like the chewy flavor of regularly cooked potatoes. It's actually the counterpart of the diced carrots we chopped earlier that'll provide that munchy texture to the filling.

After cooking the potatoes, I immediately placed them on a paper towel to drain all the excess oil.

Filling ingredient #3 - Cooked Tuna

What you can see above is the diced tuna I used for the Filipino Lumpia recipe. Tuna is a great source of Omega 3 fatty acids which is good for the heart.

I used one kilo of tuna for this recipe because I wanted its meatiness to dominate the dish. Now it is important that you cut the tuna in the same size as your diced carrot and potato.

The moment I was done cutting the tuna into diced pieces, I seasoned it with salt and pepper. I also used just a little bit of Ajinomoto seasoning in the fresh tuna to enhance the flavor more.

The way I cooked the tuna was really simple. I put just a little bit of oil into the pan and let it cook for 8 minutes. What I liked about tuna is that it produces its own juice and this makes the fish meat really tender.

After tuna was cooked, I immediately drained the excess juice off the tuna meat. You would not want your filling to be gooey because of extra liquid inside the filling.

Filling ingredient #4 - Fresh Onions

Now this is the ultimate secret of my Filipino Lumpia recipe. I chopped the onion into fine pieces and set is aside. The secret is to mix the RAW chopped onion with the rest of the ingredients.

I tell you, if you do this technique, the entire filling will smell amazing. Raw onions, when combined with cooked tuna, fresh carrots, and fried potato will give out great aroma for the lumpia dish.

I prefer to use the small native onions than the white big ones. It has more flavor and it makes the dish authentically Filipino. The more fresh onions you put in the dish, the more that it gives out unique aroma into the Lumpia filling.

This is how the entire filling should look. As you can see it's filled with diced cooked tuna, fresh carrots, fresh onions, and fried potato. It is important that you taste the filling first before wrapping it.

Wrapping the Lumpia

Okay first, you need to know that the native Lumpia wrapper is hard to peel off individually because it's very delicate. I'd advice you to peel them off the night before you start cooking the Lumpia because it might take a long time to separate individual wrappers.

Wrapping the Lumpia is never tricky, just take a small amount of the filling on the side of the wrapper, then brush some beaten eggs on the side of the wrapper and roll it. The beaten eggs should seal the wrapper and keep the fillings inside.

Above is the sample on how you should wrap your Lumpia. You can wrap it in any way actually, as long as it's sealed well using the beaten egg.

Once this is done, you only have to deep fry the Lumpia in medium to high heat. In this way, the Lumpia will be more crispy. You can deep fry in 1-2 minutes and the Lumpia wrapper will turn into rich, golden brown color.

Filipino Lumpia Recipe

This is how the deep friend Lumpia should look. It should be golden brown in color and, most importantly, it should be crispy.

Make sure that you were able to place the fried Lumpia in a paper tower to remove the excess oil. You know you've made the perfect Filipino Lumpia when:

1.) you break the Lumpia into two and you'll hear the crispiness of the wrapper;

2.) you will instantly smell its great aroma of the filling;

3.) you'll taste its great flavor from all ingredients -- tuna, fresh carrots, potato, and fresh onion.

That's it! Our authentic Filipino Lumpia recipe is done. Trust me, this is so easy to make and it's very tasty too. Okay now, it's your turn to cook and share the delights of Filipino Lumpia recipe.

Good luck!

How to Add "It's More Fun in the Philippines" Slogan on your Travel Photo

2012-01-10T22:40:00.001+08:00

Here's the simplest instruction on how to add "its more fun in the Philippines" text to your travel photo.

First, you need to use a user-friendly photo editing software. Personally, I like to use GIMP because it's free and easy to manipulate.

Second, you need to download harabara font because it is the lettering style officially used in the #itsmorefuninthephilippines campaign as shown below.

Once you're done downloading the font and editing software, it's time to start adding "it's more fun in the Philippines" slogan.

The photo above is what we'll work on. What you need to do is to find a creative tag line to your travel photo.

In our sample photo taken from Siquijor pier, we figured to write "Dry docking. It's more fun in the Philippines" on the photo.

You need to open the photo via GIMP software and this is how it should appear. Now, GIMP might ask you to convert your photo, just click OK for more editing options.

To add the text, press the bold letter "A" and then drag the arrow to write the text. Place the text anywhere in the photo. Personally I like to place the text in the in the spacious part of the picture.

What we did above is to write the text and use the harabara font into your computer. We also used color white for our font and adjust the opacity of the text up to 66%. In that way, the letters will blend with the background picture.

Because the word "Philippines" is much bigger than the rest of the text, we wrote it in a separate text box. The same procedure is applied -- use harabara, use white colored text, and set to around 60% opacity.

Once you feel that you're done placing the text in the right position and size, it is now time to export photo from GIMP and convert it to Jpeg file. You need to click export and set the file into Jpeg. Then, presto, you're done with your picture promoting one of Philippine's tourist destination!

This is our final result of the travel photo taken at Siquijor Pier with "it's more fun in the Philippines" slogan in it.

It's very simple and easy to do this, so I highly encourage everyone to support the Philippines's tourism campaign by putting "it's more fun in the Philippines" tagline to their travel photos.

Check out other travel photos too, so you will have ideas on how to place the font in your picture. For more detailed instruction, check my YouTube instructional video below.

Pilipinas: #1 for fun! (My Contribution to DOT's Tourism Campaign)

2012-01-08T00:10:00.000+08:00

Here's my personal collection of photos that will showcase why it's more fun to travel in the Philippines.

This post features some of the places I had the chance to travel and live for the past few years together with family, friends, and loved ones. These places include Davao, Siquijor, South Cotabato, Tagum City, and Bohol. Enjoy!

I took this photo at a fishing village at Pasihagon bay in Siquijor. This side of the island showcases the most hellish sunset I've ever witnessed in my life. Take note, this sunset scene happens almost daily in this side of the island and so villagers treat this as an ordinary occurrence, while for visitors like myself, this is definitely a breathtaking sight. Imagine, I only used an ordinary digital camera to capture this scene, but look at the beauty. Hellfire, indeed!

I took this early morning shot using an ordinary digital camera at Lake Sebu. I could not help but be mesmerized when I woke up one morning and find out that the the world around me suddenly turned blue.

Dahican Beach at Mati, Davao Oriental is one of my favorite places in the country. For one, it's unspoiled. Spell virginity, it's Dahican beach. I loved how the shore is devoid of cottages and resorts infrastructure. I loved how, after playing with the waves, my friends and I can only go to the nearest deep well and rinse ourselves (wuhoo). I will always love Dahican's virgin beach with its mad waves and soft white sands. Because of its beaches, I could visit Mati forever.

At Hinagdanan Cave in Bohol, my brother, best friend, and I encountered one of the most hilarious tour guides ever. We forgot to get his name, but he was the one who made our visit to the cave really memorable. His jokes are very Pinoy and it made the entire caving experience really unforgettable. He made us realize that we simply do not know how to use our digital camera. He took amazing shots using my best friend's Canon camera and showed off how he could easily tinker with the ISO and other umm, weird camera features. We need more fun tour guides like him!

My university buddies always visit Lantaw Bukid when we were still studying at UP Mindanao. It is a very relaxing place for friends and family who want to have fun (e.g. praying together with statue and take numerous jumping shots). Most importantly, the place is CHEAP for those who want to enjoy nature and avail of the resort's amenities such as badminton and Videoke (wuhoo!).

One of the 'highlights' during my graduation at UP Mindanao was when a student rally 'disrupted' the celebration. It was memorable because UP is one of the few institutions where freedom of expression is greatly valued and well, exercised (todamax haha). Peace, people! Let's help the country move forward by doing our part in building the nation.

I'm a bit hesitant to post this photo because some conservative-politically-correct-and-hollier-than-thou individuals might find this picture 'blasphemous'. (I don't even know if blasphemy can also be applied when bastardizing historical figures, lol.) But what I'd like to say that my best friend and I made the most of our time visiting the cold, hard statues of Datu Sikatuna and Miguel Lopez De Legazpi at the Blood Compact Shrine because... well, we're just crazily in love with these guys! :-p

In front of Tagum City Hall, one can never go hungry at midnight. The street remains bustling because night vendors offer different kinds of street foods. I love the hot and tasty peanuts I get for only 10 pesos. What a great value for a fresh midnight snack!

In Siquijor, the moment you step at the island's Pier, you'll immediately know that you're visiting an amazingly beautiful place. Promise, you'll never go bored while waiting for your fastcraft to Dumaguete, because you can simply stroll by the beach and admire the white, powdery sands (where else!) right at their Pier.

Last picture will again feature the beauty of Siquijor beaches. This photo was taken at Coral Cay Resort in Solangon, San Juan, Siquijor. We enjoyed swinging from a rope, just like Tarzan in the tropics. Truly, Philippine beach at its finest.

_________________________________________________________________________

This is my personal contribution to DOT's #itsmorefuninthephilippines tourism campaign. I own all the pictures showcased in this blog. Do not hesitate to contact me if you want to use the photo for Philippine Tourism promotion.

More pictures coming soon, but for now, feel free to make YOUR OWN #itsmorefuninthephilippines photo. For a user-friendly photo editor, you can use GIMP and then download harabara font. Have fun! ;-)

Reflections of a Filipino Atheist

2011-12-17T01:51:00.001+08:00

The author of God is Not Great:
How Religion Poisons Everything

Yesterday, as I was mourning the loss of a great writer and pundit Christopher Hitchens, it occurred to me that his death, more than anything, awakened the consciousness and unity of Atheists around the world. This is an achievement for Hitchens -- to see that his influence transcends after his passing to the world in need of his words and enlightenment.

Death, for Hitchens, is certainty. It is the final moment of existence that replaces the "both the siren-song of Paradise and the dread of Hell". For us Atheists, the existence of death is what makes life more meaningful. Knowing that there is no afterlife compels us to give a deeper meaning to our fleeting existence.

Existence precedes essence. That is the existentialist way of putting it. Existence is here and now -- we make the most out of our life and give meaning to it because there is no afterlife, no, there is nothing more after death. As Hitchens eloquently puts it,

“Life on this earth, with all its mystery & beauty and pain, is then to be lived far more intensely: we stumble & get up, we are sad, confident, insecure, feel loneliness & joy & love. There is nothing more; but I want nothing more.”

― Christopher Hitchens from his 2007 book titled, The Portable Atheist: Essential Readings for the Non-believer

Being a Filipino Atheist

Living as an Atheist in a largely Catholic country presents both confusion and frustration for me. Confusion because while growing up, nobody taught me how and what to think. My parents never hinted anything about religion. They never labeled my siblings and I as non-Christian or Atheists children, no, not in the same way as religious parents instantly label their children as "Catholic or Muslim child". The important thing was I had the freedom to think for myself and make sense of my existence.

Devil's Kid? ^_^

While growing up, confusion started to kick in the moment I questioned my mom about heaven. I was six or seven when I started hearing my classmates talk about God and heaven. I remember I had this fascination to look at the sky and search for images in the clouds. I was with my mom one day and I pointed to the sky and said, "my classmate says God resides up there, in heaven".

My mom gave the most casual reply, "maybe so, but remember Astronauts have passed by the sky and found nothing". For years, I have lived with that puzzling reply. Little did I know that the phrase introduced me to the importance of reason and evidence before making a grand claim. Or as Hitchens eloquently puts it,

"That which can be asserted without evidence,

can be dismissed without evidence".

As a child, I learned to question the imposition of other people's belief, especially that I studied in public schools where classes were halted every Friday afternoon just so students could hear a Catholic mass. Yes, I became critical of religion -- but then it hit me: I was alone.

The Philippine Frustration

Embracing Atheism can be lonely in the Philippines. In a place where religion plays an integral role in society, I have to be careful not to be judged or feared by those who have yet to know me well. I think it's why I sometimes become defensive and simply hide the fact that yes, I am a religious non-believer. In job application, for instance, it was almost an instinct to lie about my being an atheist when I fill out application forms or go on an interview, fearing people might judge me for my belief.

"Isn't it enough to see that the garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?" (Douglas Williams, in The God Delusion)

It is this loneliness and frustration that led me to validate my belief by reading the works of Atheist authors such as Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens. I read both "The God Delusion" and "God is not Great". The ideas in the book validated my beliefs and encouraged me to accept and stand up for atheism. I will forever be grateful for both Dawkins and Hitchens for framing my views and answering my needs of belongingness as a Filipino atheist.

“Literature, not scripture, sustains the mind and --since there is no other metaphor--also the soul." (Hitchens, God is not Great)

Yesterday, I sadly lost one of my intellectual inspirations, but through Hitchens death, I regained a deeper appreciation and understanding of my non-belief. That is, being an Atheist in this largely Christian nation allows me to showcase how we: 1.) dare to reason and defend our position; and 2.) live meaningfully without belief.
There is nothing more.

On Voltaire's Candide: soon, I shall cultivate a garden

2011-08-11T16:53:00.009+08:00

Voltaire's novel, Candide, was surprisingly an easy read. I loved the fantastic plot and the humor I get in every chapter. Since my computer is not conspiring with my impulse to write, I'm gonna give a quick overview of the book.

Basically, it's a battle between optimism and pessimism as a world view. Dr. Pangloss embodied optimism through his philosophy that "all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds" -- that is, everything that happens in the world, even mankind's suffering, is part of God's "grand" plan.

But with the events witnessed by Candide -- rape, murder, disease, earthquake, betrayal -- he came to conclude that optimism is simply "a mania for insisting that everything is right when everything is going wrong."

On the other hand, pessimism is characterized in the person of Martin, an extremely cynical scholar who accompanied Candide is his travels. Martin believes that God has abandoned the world in his view that "man was born to live in either the convulsions of distress, or in the lethargy of idleness".

I admit, I am quite fond of this character, Martin, who was firmly convinced that "people are equally wretched everywhere so he bore everything with patience" summarizes how we are all bound to experience suffering. Though his views are extreme like Dr. Pangloss', I think his arguments hold a stronger sensibility in the novel's context.

In the end, the novel's message was simple -- so simple that I nearly cried how brilliant it was for Voltaire to suggest that "WE MUST CULTIVATE OUR GARDEN". This is how we should live life -- we must nurture something within our own capabilities and understanding. Candide insisted that we must work and Martin added, "let us work without theorizing... it's the only way to make life bearable".

I wish it's as simple as it sounds but that advice itself is very sound. A few days ago, I told someone how it was my dream to someday live in a small house in the middle of the forest, cultivating my own plants for cooking, as simple as that. But yes, perhaps soon, I shall cultivate my own little garden.

I ♥ Football.

2011-07-28T21:17:00.002+08:00

Really entertained with tonight's game: Philippines vs. Kuwait. Even if the country lost to a more experienced Kuwaiti team, we did give them a GOOD fight.

Philippine Azkals

My man for the night: Stephan Schröck!!

I keep on believing that someday our football team will be honed from these experiences.. and then we'll keep better and better. ^_^ Good night FIFA!

Unskyld! :-(

2011-07-17T01:12:00.053+08:00

Chirps

Running busy, you called
hoping to let me know why
tonight is an exception
I cannot see you.

So while you drive the talk
I stared blank into the night
Two cats passed carrying
cries in their mouth,

And perhaps it's the instinct
of death that led me
to understand the
chirping for life.

I leaped in an instant,
rattled, struggled, and saved
those frantic screeches --
Then you lost me

from the other line:

You called back, flooded
your messages of cries too --
Like these birds I heard
your terrified love.

:-( ♥ )-:

Solnedgang at Dumaguete...

2011-07-08T00:16:00.013+08:00

2010 shot at the Boulevard

og jeg savner min elskede...

my replica in charcoal

Tillykke med fødselsdagen. ^_^

The Davao Where I Dreamed and Dared.

2011-07-03T00:03:00.009+08:00

I never really admit this, but I really missed Davao so much. I think it's the best city in the Philippines. I've lived and studied in Davao for four years and really, I've never felt safer anywhere else in the Philippines than in Davao. Here's my story.

earlier days w/ Tymar (wow we're friends in 2006?=)

In 2004, I went to study in Iligan. It was too chaotic for me. I was surprised by the rampant crime I experienced during my one year stay in the city. In 2006, I decided to transfer and study in Davao. Having used to being vigilant from my Iligan City experience, I was too careful with my surrounding, especially when I travel from the city proper to UP Campus, which usually takes up to 30-45 minutes jeepney ride.

Now imagine my surprise when I hopped inside the jeepney, only to find all passengers texting inside, as if it was the safest place to display your latest cellphone and gadgets! But then, as weeks passed, it eventually occurred to me that it was the life there -- people walk around feeling safe and unharmed.

Christmas w/ Lisha (2008)

I missed Davao life really. I missed going out with my room mates in the middle of the night to buy minute burger, as if it was 9am morning. I missed walking alone from the UP Campus to my boarding house after classes. I missed the long rides from Mintal to city proper vice versa, as I dreamed a million thoughts over the long journey.

I missed drinking until 3am while still feeling safe to roam around the city. I missed doing projects in downtown area and finishing it until 5am, just ready for class two hours after. I missed sleeping inside the jeepney. I missed the city where I dream and dared. Sad also, that I missed the place where I failed.

Christmas with Chichi, 2009

Me, I always tell myself -- I want to experience a new environment and so I never opted to work in Davao. After graduation, I lived in Siquijor for three months. Then I went back to Tagum for a while and decided to live in Cagayan de Oro for some time. But I remain unimpressed with these places.

Now don't get me wrong. I loved Siquijor's nature and serenity, but Davao is just really more convenient & more livable. CDO was also a nice place with nice people and nice motorela ;-) -- but still it was not as "organized" as I had hoped. It was what it was -- a typical city in the country.

Davao Writers Workshop 2010

For now, I remain in Tagum, another "nice" place in this part of the Philippines. But soon, I plan to take off and live in the chaotic Manila... and really, the thought on safety freaks me out. But then again, I have to experience living in these places to love Davao more.

Once, a good friend told me, "your peace of mind cannot be found in places". I see his point, but I need to find where I really belong and for that to happen, it will take some time of getting lost too.

Last days in Davao, crazy UP graduation (2010)

But for sure, I know how I will always find my way back to Davao. And now that the city is on the spotlight for having a tough mayor with tough policies, I write this blog to offer my support to the kind of leadership the Philippines must have -- tough, strong, and incorruptible -- like that of Davao's first female mayor who punched an inconsiderate and hardheaded sheriff last friday.

Really, this scene is something that only people who have lived and experienced Davao could only understand. Mabuhay ka, Inday Sara. ^_^

Like a balloon with a broken string: Murakami's Wind Up Bird Chronicle

2011-06-27T12:10:00.009+08:00

After a month of reading this book (always before I get to sleep), I finally conquered Murakami. Conquering in the sense that many ideas from his other works became more familiar to me.

First, what I like about the author is that he understands women -- actions and overall psyche. The theme about the complexity in the mind of a woman appeared both in Norwegian Wood and The Wind-up Bird Chronicle. For instance, in one of the passages, May Kasahara pointed out how girls just like to be mean for no reason at all. Just like that: the mood for nothing. I know many women understand this and Murakami spelled it out for us.

Anyhow, I'm not going to give a review of the book. It would take me hours to summarize the plot of the 600-page novel. But what I need to say is that the feeling of loneliness never leaves me when I read Murakami's work. It's how he presents his characters as ordinary people -- so ordinary that it makes you ask if there's ever a meaning to our fleeting existence. This inner self is just too chaotic, too complex to understand.. and yet there's the outer world that demands order and normalcy from us.

I am sure there's Toru Okada or May Kasahara in any one of us. For instance, my understanding of the self was expounded by May Kasahara. I could relate about her grim views of the world and her preference to see ducks than people as they come "flapping through the air and land on the ice, but their feet slide and they fall over. It's like a TV comedy!". Ah, that happiness that arise not from being with people but from observing nature -- from seeing creatures who do not know us or couldn't care less about us! Like May Kasahara, I do wonder what ducks think "deep down inside, about ice and stuff."

But you can't know everything. You are placed in this world to know people which is almost impossible to do. As May Kasahara pointed in this question:

"Is it possible, in the final analysis, for one human being to achieve perfect understanding of another?
We can invest enormous time and energy in serious efforts to know another person, but in the end, how close can we come to that person's essence? We convince ourselves that we know the other person well, but do we really know anything important about anyone?"

I share her skepticism. I also share her confusions about the future:

"So you're going to stay here a while longer?", I asked

"I think so. I might want to go back to school after enough time goes by. Or I might not. I might just get married -- no not really" She smiled with a while puff of breath. "But anyhow, I'll stay for now. I need more time to think. About what I want to do, where I want to go. I want to take time and think about those things."

"Tell me, Mr. Wind Up Bird, did you think about those kind of things when you were my age?"

"Hmm. Maybe not. I must have thought about them a little bit, but I don't really remember thinking about things as seriously as you do. I guess I just figured if I went for a living in the usual way, things would kind of work themselves out all right. But they didn't, did they? Unfortunately."

It was a good one month read. I must admit that the middle chapter about historical parts bored me a bit. I also thought that the ending of the complex plot was not as "neat" as Marquez's (of course Murakami is never comparable to Marquez). BUT! I'd like to commend Murakami for bringing up that inexplicable loneliness n every one of us, even those who are "living in the usual way" like Toru Okada.

And so, I'll end this post with few of my favorite quotes from the book:

"I'd be smiling and chatting away, and my mind would be floating around somewhere else, like a balloon with a broken string."

"Here's what I think, Mr. Wind-Up Bird," said May Kasahara. "Everybody's born with some different thing at the core of their existence. And that thing, whatever it is, becomes like a heat source that runs each person from the inside. I have one too, of course. Like everybody else. But sometimes it gets out of hand. It swells or shrinks inside me, and it shakes me up. What I'd really like to do is find a way to communicate that feeling to another person. But I can't seem to do it. They just don't get it. Of course, the problem could be that I'm not explaining it very well, but I think it's because they're not listening very well. They pretend to be listening, but they're not, really. So I get worked up sometimes, and I do some crazy things."

"To know one’s own state is not a simple matter. One cannot look directly at one’s own face with one’s own eyes, for example. One has no choice but to look at one’s reflection in the mirror. Through experience, we come to believe that the image is correct, but that is all."

"It's not that either one is better," he said. After a brief coughing fit, he spat a glob of phlegm onto a tissue and studied it closely before crumpling the tissue and throwing it into a wastebasket. "It's not a question of better or worse. The point is, not to resist the flow. You go up when you're supposed to go up and down when you're supposed to go down. When you're supposed to go up, find the highest tower and climb to the top. When you're supposed to go down, find the deepest well and go down to the bottom. When there is no flow, stay still. If you resist the flow, everything dries up. If everything dries up, the world is darkness. 'I am he and/ He is me:/ Spring nightfall.' Abandon the self, and there you are."

Adele's Music: "Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead"

2011-06-04T11:47:00.006+08:00

It's not everyday that I get moved by a musical performance. The great thing about music is that it transcends emotions to any kind of listener.

I'm so touched with this performance by Adele.. so moved by the song.. coz.. i don't know..i think..i thought to myself, gosh I must have sung same song if.. if I wasn't too careless tsk... That fact I guess moved me.. and I wept with her.

Another Favorite Poem

2011-05-26T01:38:00.002+08:00

Nombrarte

No el poema de tu ausencia,
sólo un dibujo, una grieta en un muro,
algo en el viento, un sabor amargo.

Naming You

Not the poem of your absence,
just a sketch, just a crack on the wall,
something in the wind, a bitter aftertaste.

- Alejandra Pizarnik (Argentinian poet)

Retail Therapy @ BookSale

2011-05-04T23:36:00.005+08:00

It's almost a history that I spent 262 pesos on books today. Call it retail therapy: searching for cheap books at Booksale for hours and hours. The search-for-good-books-among-harlequin-crap-activity drained all my anxieties.. ah life!

I awarded myself -- for coming up with a Plan B on my career.. and my life.

Here are the "great-find" books that fixed my day:

37 php - John Irving's The Cider House Rules - apparently I loved the movie so I got to read the book!
37 php - Margaret Atwood's Bluebeard's Eggs and Other Stories - coz I thought I gotta learn her writing style.
37 php - John Le Carre's The Secret Pilgrim - I read from somewhere that it's a good book. Hope they're right.
37 php - Ernest Hemingway's For Whom The Bell Tolls - borrowed this last year & I deserve a copy, don't I?
32 php - Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet - I should know how to read a play!
37 php - Isabel Allende's The House of the Spirits - I loved the movie and how much more the book!
45 php - Haruki Murakami's The Wind-up Bird Chronicle - gotcha on booksale, Murakami!

Mabuhay ang BookSale!

A Good Song I ought to Share

2011-05-04T15:02:00.001+08:00

Great song from my favorite UK band, Keane.

Reminds me of the London Bombing.

Lyric's really poetic.
Tom's a total singer/performer.
I love how piano sound's so prominent in their songs.
Perfect song for a perfect morning.

Here's Perfect Symmetry

Soviet Kitsch, Regina Spektor, & the Unbearable Lightness of Being

2011-04-30T16:15:00.007+08:00

Just finished reading Milan Kundera’s The Unbearable Lightness of Being and I felt like praising the book by giving a short write-up. Because of the 50-peso book bought at Booksale, I became familiar with some concepts in philosophy and religion.

Here are the ideas I’ve learned from the book:

· 1.) Nietzsche’s argument of eternal return that everything recurs once we experienced it and that the recurrence itself recurs and ad infinitum! Das Schweste Gewitch (the great burden), as Nietzche puts it.

· 2.) the last movement of Beethoven’s last quartet wherein he inscribed “Muss es sein? Es muss sein! Es Muss sein!” (Must it be? It must be! It must be!). I thought that every time I’d be caught making major difficult decisions, I might as well just remember to utter these phrases.

· 3.) how the character Tomas used the story of Oedipus to criticize Czech communists. Communists claimed they didn't know what they were doing and thought that this absolved them of their guilt over the atrocities they’ve done to the people. But unlike them, Oedipus held himself responsible for his action and punished himself to suffer in the end.

· 4.) the rather funny idea of shit in religious discourse: does God have intestines? did Adam emptied his bowel on Eden? did they have intercourse in paradise? Lol. Or as Kundera puts it, “Either/or: either man was created in God’s image – and God has intestines – or God lacks intestines and man is not like Him."

The best chapter for me in the book was Part 6: The Grand March. I loved how Kundera defined the word kitsch as “the absolute denial of shit” as quoted in these lines:

“Kitsch is the absolute denial of shit, in both the literal and the figurative senses of the word; kitsch excludes everything from its purview which is essentially unacceptable in human existence.
Kitsch causes two tears to flow in quick succession. The first tear says: How nice to see children running on the grass! The second tear says: How nice to be moved, together with all mankind, by children running on the grass! It is the second tear that makes kitsch kitsch.”

From reading this chapter about kitsch, I now understand why Regina Spektor named her album as Soviet Kitsch. Like Sabina in the story, Regina moved to America wanting to escape kitsch – to hide the fact that she comes from the former Soviet Union. She perhaps feared that people might ‘over sensationalize’ her struggle as an artist persecuted back home. But the more rational explanation would be Regina Spektor’s approval of Kundera’s definition of soviet kitsch as “the vacuous aesthetics of communism".

I had the ‘eureka moment’ when I read that part because it was overwhelming to know that your favorite musician actually read the exact same book you’re reading and you realized that this may be the reason why you understood her way of thinking.

Lastly, I thought that the book Soviet Kitsch had a really beautiful ending. I was moved at how the couple, Tomas & Sabina, (now old) put their dog to "sleep" also because of old age. This is a beautiful passage from the book:

"She was experiencing the same odd happiness and odd sadness as then. The sadness meant: we are at the last station. The happiness meant: we are together. The sadness was form, the happiness was content."

It was perfect, the book's ending.. as when the couple was about to sleep, "a large nocturnal butterfly began circling around the room". Wow what beautiful read.

(For more information about Regina Spektor's take on Soviet Kitsch, visit this link.)

30 minute poem written inside XU library

2011-04-14T18:04:00.010+08:00

Palm Trees

To be swayed by the wind
and yet remain standing --
your grace is mending

my thoughts: how I have legs
of those size but are plagued
to take a step, to go
with the flow of gushing air

That invisible push
you resist from the roots
and you grip the earth
without mashing its crust.

The world is made of dust
and the wind sings the sound
about palm trees on the ground

blown to wander, lost
and without roots.

Since I'm into poetry lately, he asked me to unearth this.

2011-03-05T18:58:00.004+08:00

POEM

life

hurt

joy

missing

happiness

becoming one

airport

bedroom kissing

loving

listening

lost

finding

losing

cry

lost

crying in shower

crying in night

words

belief

flying

thoughts

words

belief

happiness

crying in our bed

jason sleeping

lending hubie

hugging hubie

tears

hoping

believing

dreaming

tears of joy

tears of despair

despair

coldness

cam kissing

crying

happiness

getting up

missing

hoping

despair

numb

june

1st kiss

touch

cry

belief

love

feeling

trust

disbelief

rain

laugh

touch

listening

respect

belief

one future

one truth

holding

disbelief

together

school

jason big

rain

cooking

kissing

- end -

"ive never written a poem before.. this is my try..
I dont know if it's even a poem.. just felt like writing because I miss you.. and ur phone is off.."

Wednesday, December 2, 2009 2:05:12

What I want for Myself.

2010-12-26T18:17:00.005+08:00

I missed her music so much. I wanna have her latest album. She's a great LIVE performer! I could save up one day and buy this album! Gosh. And she just posted a poem by Emily Dickinson:

I Died for Beauty, but was Scarce

I died for beauty, but was scarce
Adjusted in the tomb,
When one who died for truth was lain
In an adjoining room.

He questioned softly why I failed?
'For beauty,' I replied.
'And I for truth,-the two are one;
We brethren are,' he said.

And so, as kinsmen met a night,
We talked between the rooms,
Until the moss had reached our lips,
And covered up our names.

First Stanza of an Unfinished Poem

2010-12-24T01:20:00.006+08:00

Wrote this "poem" after I first got 70% of my teaching salary. I felt it's not yet done... or is it? I don't know.

In my Wallet

A pen that marks blood and love

to lined yellow surfaces

is crushing my paper bills

like stacked leaves lying below

the school pavement, creeping

for the color of the soil.

Ling-Ling's Grave.

2010-12-10T21:22:00.008+08:00

Ling-ling is dead. Let's forget about her. You could not sympathize with her. How unconvincing she was!

A post in memory of her character. . .

White, Brown, Old, Young

My name is Ling-Ling and I am speaking from inside a jar. My place is no ordinary piece of container. Back in 1993, when my husband won a small-time lottery in Australia, he backpacked to China and spent a fortune on antique porcelains. One of the precious things he shipped to Australia is this huge Chinese porcelain jar from the 16th century, painted with blue intricate scenes of ancient Chinese life. But I am Filipino inside a Chinese jar in Australia. Is this an instance of globalization? At least I know I have finally ended up in an exquisite and expensive place.

Back where I came from—you cannot imagine—cows are as thin as the people in our town. Do not fret as I tell you: I come from Siquijor, a place where perhaps the rest of the Philippines thinks we only produce potions for sorcery and Barang. But I say Siquijor offers very few mysteries. The mystery comes from the fact that while its neighboring towns (Tagbilaran, Dumaguete, and Cebu) continue to prosper, Siquijor remains a fourth class municipality. Isn’t that mystical?

I grew up in a small Barangay called Pasihagon. In all of Siquijor, I think we have the best view of the sunset. But when you grow up to see mundane sceneries such as the sunset, you tend to become apathetic to beauty. Most of the folks there assume that the play of red orange lights dominating the sky at around five or six in the afternoon happens all over the country. Perhaps historians got it all wrong. The Spaniards named our place Isla Del Fuego (Island of Fire) not because of swarming fireflies that make the island “glow”, but because of the raging sunset burning in the sky. Believe me, sunsets here look hellish. Are we cursed?

Not necessarily. Our place, though undeveloped, remains livable. You see, my father is a fisherman; he heads our village because, in all of Pasihagon, he’s got the most number of kids and relatives. Originally, there were eleven of us in the family. Two of my youngest siblings died during childbirth. Our youngest brother suffered from an unknown infection and died when he turned three. I have two other younger sisters—Tata and Mai. Tata is semi-retarded while Mai tries to be one. So I grew up mostly with my five elder brothers—Tito, Marlon, Jermaine, Jackie, and Michael. All named after the Jackson 5. Funny, my father never knew who those guys were. He only happened to pick up a glossy poster of them while he was once out at sea. That was precious.

My mother? I never knew what she was like. She never spoke anything—except to echo my father’s commands. But like any other woman in Siquijor, she works a lot harder than my father who only sets out at sea at late afternoon. She does all the chores by the way—cooking meals, feeding us, feeding the cocks, washing clothes, and selling my father’s catch. Sunset signals us to join her look for tuyom, suwake, and sasing for dinner. At night, she waits for my father to dock and pool his fresh catch near the shore. She’s the one who patiently takes out all basnig trapped from my father’s fishing net. She sells them to the night market after and comes home very late.

As a result, I sleep very late too. Insomniac, is that what it’s called? Mine was a result of suffocation. Inside our nipa hut, you can’t imagine, all eight of us squeeze ourselves on the floor, near the kitchen. Beside me is Tata who does not bathe for weeks. She is unimaginably polluted, but breathing. At night, the air is agonizingly thick and humid. We’re lucky with clear skies; we can force to close our eyes. Otherwise, we’d wrap ourselves with plastic so as not to wake up soaked from the rain. Hell, that’s poverty understated.

I’ll give you a true picture. My brothers and I started working as soon as we knew how to put white sands into sacks. I was about 8 years old. My elder brothers carry these sacks of sands into trucks of a construction company. Imagine five truckloads daily. Fifteen pesos per sack. The entire village at work. My brother Marlon’s classic question was, “What if we’ve reached the bottom of these sands?”

I don’t know. Then we would all have to be fishermen? No, back then, I really wanted to be like Lady Amy—the Amerikana who once lived in our village. Her skin, so smooth, soft, and smelled sweet, like a marshmallow. Together with her husband Johnny, they rented the construction owner’s house near us. At the time, the young couple was building a resort in San Juan. My parents were caretakers of the house. But I doubt they understood what Johnny or Lady Amy says. Communication was done through smiles and comical gestures.

How could I forget Sundays at Lady Amy’s? Big Parties. The couple always invited kids to watch cartoons in their home. Outside, parents enjoy barbecuing with them. Talking. Eating. Laughter. Drinks. We fondly call Johnny Tito Santa Claus, because of his beer belly and candies for kids. Johnny and my father were best pals with the bottles. Drunkards. Johnnie Drinker. These are a few of their names.

With Lady Amy, one of my friends call her “Flor,” from that blinding light we never had at home—fluorescent, was it called? Yes, and I can only agree. On moonless nights, the glow from Lady Amy’s glass window is the only light that floods the village. What a sight on a dead night. I often see her sitting at her desk, writing pages and pages for hours, as if one has to chronicle life from day one. It seemed so peaceful, whatever it was she did.

From days of watching Lady Amy write, I started daydreaming about going school. My father, he can read bit by bit. My mother can write, but only her signature. Not surprisingly, their children learned no more than a cat’s instinct for survival. Oh no, no—I was lucky. When my father declared that I go to Cang-alwang Elementary School, my heart bounced out of my chest. That day, my mother looked supportive. Tata flipped from her chair. Mai followed her act. The Jackson 5 brothers were smiling. They were envious of course. The white sands at Pasihagon appeared to be bottomless for them.

But when did my father start believing in education? He hinted very little interest. He once implied that education is as vast as the sea. Beyond school halls and classroom walls, we learn more things in the open. Perhaps sea winds changed the direction of his thoughts. Why, I was neither his eldest nor his brightest child. I am female. Nothing special. I was little Ling-Ling—the dark girl who runs around Pasihagon sniffing snot endlessly up her nose.

I changed a lot when I started going to school. I liked the equality in wearing uniforms. I felt neat and adapted. Thus I handled elementary years well. In those years, they won’t give you room for disappointments. There would be awards waiting around the corner: Best in English, Best in Math, Most Honest, Most Behaved; name it. I remember receiving the Most Punctual award because my father always made sure we’d both leave the house at 6am. He goes out fishing; I walk my way to school.

In High School, I was not someone you would call an achiever. For sure, I was diligent. Who wouldn’t be when your family could only provide you one candlestick a day to read your notes and study? Still, I managed High School fairly well. I did not fail a subject. I was included in a circle called “Fwendz”. I was punctual as always. I finished High School without a future.

My family remained rat poor. Tata died from a fall. A neighbor got Mai pregnant. Jackson 5 poured every cent of their labor into my school fees. My father became old and demanding. My mother remained a follower. This seemingly stale atmosphere inside our hut changed when Johnny came to visit us one day. The mood inside went festive after eight years.

Johnny still looked like Santa: fat, white, round, small glasses. He brought a case of vodkas for my father. Drunkards. Johnnie Drinker. Then he gave us tons of Australian chocolate bars. I noticed he looked old. He noted how we all have grown while the village sleeps. For instance, he said, houses and resorts in Siquijor are still built from

white sands of Pasihagon. He talked about change, or lack of. I was the only person who understood his English.

From Johnny, we learned a Danish man bought his resort at San Juan. He and his wife left the country five years ago. Lady Amy died in a surfing accident in Western Australia. I was saddened by this. Scenes from the glass window rushed back to my mind. After that night, my father told me to marry Johnny. In his words, that was what I was sent to school for. To learn English. To marry a foreigner. To save my family.

Johnny, he was lonely, he said. He needed a wife to take care of him. I was seventeen. He brought me to the busy town of Larena. There seemed to be a trend of lovers in that resto: white and old paired with brown and young. I was in. Johnny talked about his cliff house in Australia. He promised I would like it there. He promised more and then finished his beer. He ordered sisig and adobo for us. That time I tried to erase Tito Santa Claus in my mind.

Australia was too dry for me, from the weather to how Johnny treated me. I got here on a summer though strange, it was December. We got married. Daily, I remained alone at home. Johnny was always out to his antique shop. We rarely talked. We were done talking about the weather. For four years, it was all about his complaints. Clean this, clean that. Filipina. Lazy. Uncivilized. Johnny stabs me with names. He gets home drunk. He beats me. I get locked in the bathroom upstairs. I imagined Lady Amy.

Such a gentle woman, she was. Perhaps this was what she had been writing all along. Pasihagon. Sunset. Village kids. Poverty. White Sands. Pitch black night. My feelings existed in her writings. Loneliness. Despair. Emptiness. I was locked in a lifeless Clifthouse. There was no way to reach Pasihagon at that point. I was twenty-one. I knew I was already dead before I jumped out the glass window.

Johnny heard the noise. He ran outside. His face was blank. I was lying on the cliff. Calm, I was carried inside the house. Past the kitchen, he opened the basement. Full of antique jars plastered with names. Dulce. Lillian. Setiawan. Pina. I passed by Amy. Alinah. Michelle. Ling-Ling. Yes, that’s me. I was placed inside an exquisite piece. Johnny carefully sealed and tightened the jar with his pale white hands. Three more jars, he smiled and left.

My name is Ling-Ling and I am speaking from inside a jar. My place at Pasihagon still has the best sunset. Back in our village, I imagine Mai having four kids. The Jackson 5 brothers continue shoveling white sands. I picture my old father fishing and my mother waiting for him. There seems to be few places left where things remain unchanged.

7th Lamiraw Writers' Workshop

2010-11-29T20:02:00.007+08:00

Finally, I am able to post pics from the Lamiraw Workshop @ Calbayog City, Samar

Tula, Balak, Siday!

Waray Cultural Presentation

Fellows and Panelists

Sen & Erwin (UP Diliman)

Sen w/ mentor, Prof. De Veyra (UP-Mindanao)

workshop bonding w/ Erwin & Sol

UP students w/ Waray poet, Mang Totoy

Chika Minute

Erwin, Sol, and Sen with Merlie Alunan and Leo Deriada. Bow.

Wacky pic with Mang Totoy

UP reps: Mindanao, Diliman, & Iloilo

Workshop set-up: kulba mo lang!

Bright smiles: Sen and Sol (UP Iloilo)

Workshop ended w/ presentation from this Waray Choir Group!

I lo0o0o0ve it! ^_^

Birthday Poem

2010-11-22T09:58:00.012+08:00

That Time I Turned 23
For Arne

Your voice, twice its hype
And I just know --
Once arrows lay
on top of each other,
you'd claim this
midnight as ours.

And for hours, I breathe
ease in both our sighs
end to end and behind
these telephone lines:

Our voices, twice their hype
And we just know --
Once these arrows move
away from each other,
seas and a decade
between us move
a bit more
closer.

Haiku Speech.

2010-11-07T13:28:00.001+08:00

Last night, I attended a culmination activity for Sulat Dula 2 -- a playwriting workshop held at Xavier University. I was there to support kapwa Davaowenyos and former Davao Writers Workshop Fellows Hanna (from Ateneo de Davao) and Heny (from UP-Mindanao).

Anyhow, during the activity, one of the panelists Ametta Taguchi (Palanca Awardee for full length play) gave a short yet memorable message to all writers. She said:

"Love to write.
Write to Love.
Love".

It was like listening to a short yet meaningful haiku speech. ^_^ (Bow.)

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas.

2010-11-01T10:25:00.014+08:00

I’ll be teaching soon in a Jesuit university – a private school. I went through a very tough phase in my life before I finally gave my teaching dreams a go. As such, for every career decision one makes, there are always things to lose and gain.

Let’s start with the losing part. Inasmuch as I am excited to begin my teaching career, I am unfortunately missing the first week of class because I’ll be attending a writing workshop in Samar next week. Also, I’m going to miss an ultimate family activity in Camiguin Island because I’ll resume teaching the moment I get back to CDO. I could hear my mom say, ‘that’s what you get when you can’t wait to leave home’! Bitter much? Haha. Another downside to this career is living by the ‘i-teach-therefore-i-am-poor’ mantra. I’m mentally prepared to eat monggo (mung beans) all day for my survival. :-p

However, benefits outweigh all things I’d lose and miss. First of all, I chose XU because of its proximity to one of my most favorite destinations on earth: Camiguin Island. It’s approximately only 90 kms from Cagayan de Oro City or about 2 hours travel! Isn’t that great? Camiguin is what Samal is to Davao. I always imagine spending a weekend in Camiguin to write. It’d very convenient for me to bond with nature.

2nd Trip to Camiguin w/ Denise

Teaching in XU also means I could realize my life’s quest. I always believe in teaching with a purpose. I teach to learn. I also teach with a vision. My main goal in teaching at XU is to instill social consciousness among students. As what I have observed, most students from private schools lack social awareness. I’m not generalizing of course (as not all UP students are socially aware), but it’s like most of them simply go to university, graduate, & earn money. There is nothing wrong with that. However, I want young Filipino students to study and work with a purpose, especially for the country. I want to stir their minds for national consciousness. My lectures should help cultivate their critical minds. In that way, they would also be critical to the day to day affairs in our government, politics, culture, and other relevant issues in the society. I hope to instill that they can do A LOT of things for this nation.

In XU, I’ll be handling English classes. I already thought of ways to incorporate national idealism in my lectures. For instance, I aim give emphasis on literary works of Filipino authors. Also, if writing works by foreign authors will be discussed, I could always relate events to Philippine setting. For sure, my class will learn through horizontal communication. Ideas should always come from the ‘ground’ – from their voices. It’s how we are taught in UP, so it’d be great to employ that in a private catholic institution.

UP Mindanao - my alma mater

Anyhow, I may sound very idealistic in all these but I’m just doing my part as a Filipino – as a UP student – as an Iskolar ng Bayan. I may eventually leave my land but leaving a legacy for this country’s progress will all be worth it.

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!

All Cleaned Up & Freaky Poetry Dissection

2010-10-29T15:02:00.018+08:00

I've been doing some online cleaning these days. Cleaning up my blog, cleaning up my mails, and cleaning up the sites I'm affiliated with.

MySpace: erased.

Multiply: gone.

Wordpress: deleted.

Interpals: done.

hi5: trashed.

Friendster: discarded

I have been reckless the past few years. I joined websites here and there: language sites, social networking, and blog pages. Those days, the last thing I had in mind was my identity. I never really cared. Also, the internet was not as raucous as it is today. Moreover, as a budding writer, all I could ever think of was how to publish works in my name by all means possible.

Today, I had trouble with ilovepoetry(.com) website because I cannot seem to delete my account there. I wrote to the website coordinator already and hoped that the cancellation of my account will take effect in few days time.

As of now, there are only three accounts I maintain online: senecaonline on blogspot, Seneca P. on Facebook, and senecadgreat on Twitter. This blogspot website has been with me for almost 5 years now & look!! it just underwent a brand new "facelift" yesterday, haha. I could not care less about rambling out here. After all, this is my only blog site online and this post would be my 160th blog entry, yipeee!

Anyhow, I also continued to subscribe on Facebook because I wanted it to be the only social networking site I'd be maintaining. It's pretty interactive and it's my only gateway to reconnect with old friends and family. As for Twitter, I found its usefulness in delivering short and fast information. Twitter's also good for some celebrity stalking, haha.

Now, what brought me to writing this post is really the frustration I had with ilovepoetry(.com). I saw one of my early poetry works there and I felt like melting. I read the poem "Out to Dimension" -- one of the poems I painstakingly tried to remove at the site but to no avail. :-( Anyhow, instead of sulking around, I thought, "why not dissect my own poem?". So, here goes:

Ok, so did I really write that jumbled-up poetry work above? Haha, yeah, I unfortunately did in 2005. The main reason why I want to discard it online is that I cannot relate to the poem anymore. I don't feel the connection. It doesn't make much sense to me now. I don't see myself in it.

This is strange knowing that the feeling I have right now is the exact opposite of my feelings back then. I wrote as if I was talking to myself at how disappointed I was with me and the direction I took in life.

First two stanzas below talked about the depression -- on how I tried to hide it deep inside, away from everybody. I felt "rusting inside", my entire self decaying but was still hanging on. As much as I could, I tried to appear happy in front of everyone, smiling, and little did I know I was already held me captive within myself.

Rust lurking inside

Like a steel on decay

In no time crumbles

Holding on, holding on..

All masked with a smile

Squeezing pain in these hands

Held captive within

My own selfish embrace

The next two stanzas below then described the exact feelings I went through when depression started sinking in. It spoke about the entire "panic attack" process: I'd ran out of air because of fear and then the sensation would travel all over my body. I'd get this light, airy feeling inside my head that I try to fight on.

Fear will not touch you

Ache dies before it thrives

Then so your blindness

Fills air in empty lungs

Blood of a coward

Rushing cold in frail veins

Fear smashes the mind

Freezing senses in speed

Stanzas five and six talked about the uncertainties I felt about my future. I was uncertain whether I could still see the "sunrise" of success. I thought my world would fell apart because I had to quit university and stay at home, doing nothing. I was so uncertain when the illness would stop and where it would take me.

Sunrise may be known

Yet uncertain to feel

Inside that day's gift

Remains stagnant in dreams

Then how could they know?

Where the night leads to flee

To fade if you track

Blend with darkness in cage

The second to the last stanza talked about omfg... death! :-( Shacks, it's really creepy when I read it now. I wrote a freaking message that if I'll ever be gone, I don't want see my loved ones in pain.

If swallowed empty..

Don't put scar on the heart

A love calmly rests

Dwells for eternity

Then, I ended the poem by letting the reader know that I have already expressed a deep feeling held within me. Thank goodness, I did admit that the poem was "dreary" or creepy haha. I was saying sorry about the failure I made in my life. I was saying sorry that my heart -- the very place where the fear comes from and same place where I give my love out -- failed both my loved ones and myself.

Spilled out from the core

Dreary words you now gaze

How sorry this heart!

The very way it failed.

Ok so there goes, I just spilled out one of my greatest fears through that poem: failing all people I love and care most.

Music & Co.

2010-10-26T10:38:00.005+08:00

I have long been dreaming about coming up with a post featuring all my favorite songs. These days when I start and end my days with music, I find it necessary to list down all my most-loved musical performances by artists I dearly worship. So whenever I feel like celebrating life through great music, I simply could go back to this post and click on my favorite songs.

As much as possible, I always try to achieve consistencies in life. Friends. Hobbies. Loved ones. Music is no exception. It's no secret that I only have loved two musicians in my years of existence -- all their songs played consistently with their chosen instruments: Regina Spektor on piano and Jason Mraz on guitars. For me, there are only three great musicians that exist in my lifetime: Regina Spektor, Jason Mraz, and Others. This is the reason why I've divided this post into three parts.

Mr. A-Z

I. Jason Mraz: I listened to his songs even when he was not that famous back in 2002. I would say it was love "at first listen". The song "Remedy" caught my ear and immediately, I was inspired on how well it was written. I began downloading his 'Waiting for My Rocket to Come' album online which, by the way, introduced me to piracy at the time haha. But I bought his original CD "Mr.A-Z" on my 18th birthday though. That was priceless.

Jason Mraz defined my taste in music with his play of words and melodies. He's a music genius and a brilliant lyricist as well. He's been here on the country twice already and I missed both shows. Now it's been an ultimate dream to see him perform. That'd be legendary.

Here's the list of my top favorite songs from Mr. A-Z:
~feel free to click songs!~

1.) Plane

2.) 1,000 Things

3.) You and I Both

4.) I’m Yours

5.) Butterfly

6.) Wordplay

7.) So Unusual

8.) The Remedy

9.) Zero % Interest

10.) Make it Mine

11.) Unfold

13.) Absolutely Zero

14.) No Stopping Us

15.) The Boy's Gone

16.) Who Needs Shelter

17.) If it Kills Me

18.) Beautiful Mess

19.) I'll Do Anything

20.) Song for a Friend

21.) Details in the Fabric

22.) Sleep All Day

23.) Dream Life of Rand McNally

24.) On Love, In Sadness

25.) Curbside Prophet

26.) Love for a Child

27.) Too Much Food
28.) Dramática Mujer

28.) Tonight, Not Again

29.) Clockwatching
30.) Geek in the Pink

31.) Live High
32.) Dynamo of Volition
33.) Coyotes

the great Regina Spektor

II. Regina Spektor: I first heard her music back in 2006 at my dormitory in UP. I think it was at Room 2F1 where I first saw Regina Spektor's "Fidelity" video. I must've borrowed a few movies from Rexan when immediately I fell in love with the music video's surreal concept. The song "Fidelity" made such an impact on me that as soon as I finished hearing the song, it kept on playing inside my head. I then readily downloaded all her songs & I must admit, it took me time to love all of them.

It's a bit hard to internalize the deep meanings in Regina's music. You've to put yourself in this historical or literary context when you listen to her songs because she tells you stories of people and past events. With Regina Spektor, first it's like falling in love with the meaning behind the songs and then the melody follows. And once you get caught up with both meaning & melody, you cannot stop playing her song. That's the truth -- her music had been my lone companion for hundreds of times I traveled on the bus from home to university and vice versa.

It's been magic with Regina -- her songs elevate me into higher state of consciousness. It's hypnotic. It's captivating. It might be weird for some to hear her doing unconventional vocal manipulation, but it sure adds to that "spice" -- that distinct feature we look for in music which makes it utterly addictive.

Here's the list of my top favorite songs from the Soviet Kitsch:
~feel free to click songs!~

1.) Apres Moi

2.) Left Hand Song

3.) Somedays

4.) Folding Chair

5.) On the Radio

6.) The Flowers

7.) Machine

8.) One More Time w/ Feeling

9.) Blue lips

10.) The Calculation

11.) Fidelity

12.) Two Birds

13.) Raindrops

14.) Us

15.) Eet

16.) On the Radio

17.) Samson

18.) Better

19.) Real Love

20.) Baby Jesus
21.) Summer in the City
22.) Dance Anthem of the 80's
23.) Carbon Monoxide
24.) Bobbing for Apples
25.) Hotel Song
26.) Bartender
27.) Laughing With
28.) Blue Lips
29.) Uh-merica
30.) Folding Chair

31.) Human of the year

III. Others: Some artists whom I equally cherish are: Eric Hutchinson, Kate Nash, Lenka, Jack Johnson, Elisa,Tristan Prettyman, Teitur, and many others. Their styles pretty much vary from one another but more or less, I subscribe to the same acoustic style that I enjoy. I love songs with elaborate and meaningful lyrics. I call them "wordy songs". I love the play of words.

~free to click songs!~

1.) Droplets - Colbie Caillat & Jason Reeves

2.) Rock n Roll - Eric Hutchinson

3.) We Get On - Kate Nash

4.) Sitting Wishing Waiting - Jack Johnson

5.) If I Die Young - The Band Perry

6.) Time to Say Goodbye - Bocelli/Brightman

7.) Shy That Way - T.Prettyman/Mraz

8.) Love Love Love - Tristan Prettyman

9.) Hello - Tristan Prettyman

10.) Almost Lover - A Fine Frenzy

11.) You Don't Know Me - Ben Folds/R.Spektor

12.) I was Just Thinking - Teitur
13.) Flourescent Adolescent - Kate Nash
14.) Sunday Morning - Maroon 5
15.) Eppure Sentire - Elisa

16.) Closer - Joshua Radin
17.) Billie Jean - Jason Mraz/Nikki
18.) One and Only - Teitur
19.) Don't Let Me Fall - Lenka
20.) Kom Tilbage Nu - Danseorkestret
21.) Banana Pancake - Jack Johnson
22.) Foundations - Kate Nash
23.) Flying Without Wings - Westlife
24.) Malaga - Thomas Helmig
25.) Bottle it Up - Sara Bareilles
26.) Think of Laura - Christopher Cross
27.) Mouthwash - Kate Nash
28.) Last Request - Paolo Nutini
29.) You're the Ocean - Teitur
30.) All Over Now - Eric Hutchinson
31.) Kiss that Grrrl - Kate Nash
32.) Travellin Thru - Jason Castro
33.) Ayo Technology - Milow
34.) The Man Who Can't Be Moved - The Script
35.) Let's Just Fall in Love Again - Jason Castro
36.) Terrified - Didi Bernami
37.) All is Full of Love - Bjork
38.) Fireflies - Owl City
39.) Arthur's Theme - Christopher Cross
40.) Change the World - Eric Clapton
41.) Gravity - Sara Bareilles
42.) Hyper ballad - Bjork
43.) Lady in Red - Chris de Burgh
44.) Brighter than Sunshine - Aqualung
45.) Look what you've done - Jet
46.) Skeleton Song - Kate Nash

OK now, that's me w/ Regina Spektor! ^_^ Haha, amputah!

Within and Without.

2010-10-19T08:39:00.000+08:00

Because sleep did not serve its purpose last night, I sought refuge in our old shelf. I looked at what was left there. My old books in order: Twain, Maugham, Wilde, Baker, Gogol, Sartre, Kafka, Miller, Austen, Dickens, Fitzgerald, Walker .. side by side with Japanese dictionaries, Spanish - English books, Dansk-Engelsk, Engelsk-Dansk, and my old, old Thesaurus.

I did not pick out any one of them. Instead, I stared blankly at a pocketbook of short stories. I freed it out from the dusty shelf. I started reading in random.

Knut Hamsun's "The Call of Life" about a young man wandering on the dark streets of Copenhagen where he met and made out with a woman who had just been widowed.

"A man marries. His wife is thirty years younger than he. He contracts a lingering illness. One fair day he dies. And the young widow breathes a sigh of relief"

Ivan Bunin's "Sunstroke" about a fleeting romantic encounter of a lieutenant and a married woman on a ship.

"The breeze had died down, the room was stuffy and dry, as in a wind furnace... And he remembered yesterday and this morning precisely as if they had been ten years ago."

Johannes V. Jensen's "Lost Forests" about the relationship between the owner and his slave who sought freedom in the forest.

"In such wise the slave's spirit was deepened. As his longing brought infinity into time, so his world became infinite, and his thoughts boundless. Every evening the slave stared thoughtfully into the distant west, and each sunset brought more and more depth into his soul."

Then there's Herman Hesse. Oh yes, how could I forget. After many years, I reread one of my favorite stories: "Within and Without".

"There, in Erwin's beautiful script, he read the words: 'Nothing is without, nothing is within; for what is without is within'."

That phrase caught me anew. Nothing is without, nothing is within; for what is without is within. I lingered at my favorite line, repeating it over and over. Finally, I acquired new understanding of the phrase which I found in the words of the character named Frederick:

"'Take this with you as my parting gift. When this thing that I am now placing in your hands ceases to be outside you and is within you, come to me again! If it remains outside you, the way it is now, then this parting of yours from me shall also be done forever!'"

It was Hesse who once said, "There is no reality except the one contained within us". Very true. My life is my reality. What I am searching for is already within me. I tried to alter that once... failed as I might... and as fleeting as it was... within and without ---

there's love, I carry on.

Nostalgia Etcetera.

2010-10-16T18:43:00.001+08:00

When I entered UP back in 2006, I had this lady professor in Asian History who made me want to give up studying altogether. Why? Because her class was soooo demanding. I was the lone transferee student in a class of applied mathematics scholars. I did not know a soul. Worse, my schedule did not fit with these nerds so group works were unimaginable that time. But I had to endure her class which meant I had to join group presentations EVERY meeting, study for DAILY quizzes, and participate in LENGTHY discussions.

Because the class was focused on group activities, I had no choice but to bond with my groupmates. I belonged in the group named "Foxtrot" which had the least members -- Noimi, Hanna, Balot, and myself. Together, we endured studying thick reading materials and worked to outsmart other groups.

In that class, I could not imagine how I played the role of a pregnant woman giving birth during a presentation (gosh super embarrassing). It was also in that class where I composed a song about the history of Asia (wtf!). I made my groupmates perform since I vehemently argued I was the composer haha! It was in that class that I bonded so well with simple math geeks. They were really simple in the truest sense of the word. I think that's why I felt some sense of belongingness in that group because of the simplicity of their lifestyle and happiness.

I was a bit nostalgic about these because my former groupmate Hanna just forwarded a note made by our professor after the semester ended that year. It contained messages about how Ms. Maidy remembered us and our group during the entire course. I might perhaps have forgotten about this but it was nice to read back what my Asian History professor wrote about us.

For Marilou (Balot): She was supposed to go to Alpha group but Foxtrot needed another member. She risked her attendance in class to help a classmate during the Freshmen Night.

For Hanna: She just smiled together with her groupmates when she forgot to put numbers in their group entries. Even when she deleted their group work in the computer, she again smile while explaining.

For Noimi: She personally approached me to confirm if I had received her class card. I thought she was shy but she can dance and sing if she has to.. there you go!

For Seneca: She explains better in class whenever she stands and moves her hands. She has radical suggestions for Asia as revealed in written exams.

Ms. Maidy, she was a great teacher. She was very demanding but also very dedicated in her work. She was young back then when she taught the subject at UP but you could just sense how passionate she was in instilling awareness in our minds. The last time I heard, Ms. Maidy's now in Africa doing some NGO work.

All these nostalgia about her, my past semesters, my teachers and previous subjects made me realize that I'm gonna be in that place, very soon in the academe. Just like the semesters and young teachers that have passed before me, I will soon handle a class, I will be teaching, I have the responsibility to instill learning, I will move out of the house, and explore life on my own. Darn. Time runs so fast indeed and changes come running too.

Once, I told my mom about how I'd love my soon-to-be students to write their ideas through essays. I then asked whether I should require them to have their essays type-written. To my surprise she simply shrugged: "well, you've been a student once, you know what to do".

Perhaps this should be my answer to Ged's question that kept me dumbfounded last week. Unpredictably, he asked: "so what kind of teacher would you be?" Well, I have yet to answer that on my own.

For now, I'll end this blog with a relevant quote dedicate to our group by Ms. Maidy:

"When we walk to the edge of all the light we have and take the step into darkness of the unknown, we must believe that one of two things will happen. There will be something solid for us to stand on or we will be taught to fly "

- P. Overton

America, meet the Philippines.

2010-10-15T13:53:00.001+08:00

Beating all stress at work, these videos of Michelle O'Bombshell, Ate Glow, and Baracks made my afternoon! Very funny, the best! Click photos for the video's links:

Oh yes, we can!

Michelle O'Bombshell @ Comedy Bar, GMA7

Michelle Obama: "to my detractors.. OROCAN!"

Again, Michelle O'Bombshell @ Philippine Web Awards!

Michelle O'bombshell to PGMA: "Now listen to this, midget!"

Michelle O'Bombshell and former President Arroyo face off at a U.P. event

PGMA to Michelle: "Black is beautiful but too much black is charcoal" WTF. http://issac42984.multiply.com/video/item/13

Another Michelle O'Bombshell and former President Arroyo on GMA7 face off

PGMA to Obama: "Try our Ginataang Mais, it's corn but we use our coconut!"

WINNER COMMERCIAL: President Obama and PGMA in Motillium TV Ad.

WTF! Haha, these Filipino impersonators made my afternoon. Will get back to work now, lol.

Thanking all Gods for Cebu Pacific.

2010-10-14T07:52:00.001+08:00

SWEET. Already excited to be back home for Xmas. Go Avail!

Out of the blue

2010-10-10T16:15:00.000+08:00

Awww.. deeply touched by a dear friend's post on my Facebook account.

What Yna actually meant was this photo below. HAHAHA!

How sweet of me.

^_^

Laugh trip -- the Filipino Way.

2010-10-10T07:28:00.000+08:00

I never fail to notice how difficult it is to truly understand Filipino humor. This is because the context can be very different from Western-type of comedy. You have to be within that Filipino context -- understand how we view life lightly, observe the manner of speaking, and sense some ironies in how we live life -- the Filipino way. As observed, most of our jokes deal more about issues we face within our society: poverty, sexuality, relationships, family, and even intellectual capacity.

spare us!

When I was young, it was silly to remember how I started my mornings at school by collecting jokes for my friends. I'd always remember the jokes I'd hear so that I could relay them to my classmates who in turn would contribute jokes they learn from their parents. In my case, I got my joke supplies from my father. I remember a childhood classmate, April John, he's got all the best jokes for the class. His manner of delivery, memory, and quality of jokes make me think that he's probably the best guy to look for when it comes to Filipino humor.

ano daw?!

If you meet my friend Jay, that's another story. Jay loves to make fun of himself (and other people) which makes him equally funny. Jay is fond of physical comedy. I could never forget how we tricked Denise that she would get into our High School's feeding program because she did not pass the "ideal" weight standard. Jay acted how the cooks at the feeding program would use shovel to have all foods mixed for everyone. It was hell. I remember we all dropped on the floor and died laughing from his act.

Saw these ATM machines everywhere.

Hmm, -- ok although I never don't wanna touch about the Manila Hostage Crisis in this blog (god knows I never watched the news for a month when it happened. God knows I had rather dealt with my personal tragedy that time than focus my attention on that national tragedy.. but that's another story haha)-- I remember how Hong Kong nationals were enraged at how the police and students seem to take the incident lightly days after it happened. People started taking pictures of themselves with the bus on the background and posted them online. I know, I know -- that is really regrettable -- but as Denise's mom said: "it's something other nationalities would never understand".

Filipinos laugh at everything -- including ourselves, no matter how grave the situation is. We always have this "Look, I'm here, I survived and still breathing" mentality. Yes, when situation seemed so tough and unbearable for us, we simply shrug it off, and make fun out of it. That's the way we cope. We laugh at our own tragedies. (Ok, gosh.. enough about the hostage crisis. I really don't want to touch on that topic here haha.)

Gosh, I'm scared haha.

Why am I talking about Filipino humor? This is because I'm a subscriber of KBrosas (haha! pls. connect!) -- a Filipino actress and comedian whom I frequently check out online whenever I need a dose of laughing. Today, she published another collection of jokes which made my morning. Again, I have often wondered how other people would relate to Filipino humor that I am used to. I will post some of my favorite jokes I got from her site. Note how different the jokes become when translated into english. It seemed pretty awkward, yeah, which brings me back to my point: it's difficult to relate to Filipino humor. (hmm. really?!)

more funny business names: Hairy Cutter (barbershop), Summa cum Laundry (laundry shop), Bread Pitt (bakery) and many more!

GIRL: manong magkano sa city hall?

TRICYCLE DRIVER: ikaw lang?

GIRL: ay bakit, hindi ka sasama??!

GIRL: driver, how much is it to the city hall?

TRICYCLE DRIVER: just you?

GIRL: oh why, you're not coming??!

~_*~_*~_*_~wapaak!~_*~_*~_*_~

sure?

ex bf: kamusta lovelife mo??

ex gf: eto….parang yang girlfriend mo ngayon…..hindi MAGANDA!!

ex bf: how's your love life?

ex gf: well.. just like your girlfriend now.. it's not lovely!!

~_*~_*~_*_~wapaak!~_*~_*~_*_~

Gosh, I once noticed a sign for a basketball competition "Gays vs. Midgets"

ngongo, tinakpan mata ng misis..

ngongo: nges hu?? (guess hu?)

misis: nges hu nges hu ka jan, kaw lang naman ngongo dito!!

ngongo (noseless, a person who speaks in a muffled way) -- covering her wife's eyes.

ngongo: nges hu?? (guess who?)

misis: nges hu nges hu! you're the only ngongo here!

~_*~_*~_*_~wapaak!~_*~_*~_*_~

anyone?

Pare 1: noong buntis ang misis ko.. paborito nya ang Lord of the Rings 2 Towers.. ayun.. kambal anak namin…

Pare 2: ang misis ko.. paborito nya yung The 3 Musketeers.. ayun.. triplets anak namin..

Biglang nanghina yung isang kumpare nila…

Pare 1 at 2: Bakit?? ano bang paborito ng misis mo??

Pare 3: 300!!!

Man 1: when my wife got pregnant, she used to watch Lord of the Rings 2 Towers.. that's why we have twins now..

Man 2: my wife... she used to watch The Three Musketeers.. and now we have triplets

(The third guy went weak. They spoke to him.)

Man 1 at 2: Why??! what's your wife's favorite??

Man 3: 300!!!

~_*~_*~_*_~wapaak!~_*~_*~_*_~

spelling 101.

Mom: Pauwi ka na ba?? Asan ka na???

Son: andito po ako sa hospital…

His Mom cried: Ano nangyari sa yo????

Son: Nay, Nurse kaya ako!! sabog ka ba???

Mom: Are you on your way home?! Where are you now?!

Son: I'm at the hospital mom....

His Mom cried: what happened to you?!

Son: Mom, I'm a nurse, duuuh!

~_*~_*~_*_~wapaak!~_*~_*~_*_~

ooooh. Interesting.

sa party, nilapitan ng isang guwapong lalake ang isang babae,

Lalake: sasayaw ka ba?

tuwang tuwa ang babae na tumayo..

Babae: yes!!!

Lalake: buti naman… paupo ha..

At a party, a cute guy approached a lady.

Guy: Are you going to dance?

(Girl was so ecstatic that she got up from her chair)

Babae: yes!!!

Lalake: good... can I take the seat...?

~_*~_*~_*_~wapaak!~_*~_*~_*_~

WINNER post @ a church!

Boyet: inay ano po ulam natin??

Nanay: tingnan mo na lang sa ref natin anak

Boyet: eh wala naman po tayo ref hindi ba??

Nanay:Eh d wala tayong ulam, anak konting utak naman!!!

Boyet: mom, what's the meal for today?

Mom: look inside the refrigerator, son.

Boyet: eh we don't have a refrigerator.

Mom: eh that's why we don't have food, use your head!

~_*~_*~_*_~wapaak!~_*~_*~_*_~

Time to be high.

a man went to a pharmacy to buy condoms…

Saleslady: P2000 po ang isa sir..

Man: what?? bakit sobrang mahal???

Saleslady: kasi po pede nating i-try!

a man went to a pharmacy to buy condoms…

Saleslady: P2000 per piece, sir...

Man: whaaaat?? why that expensive?!

Saleslady: because we can try it.

~_*~_*~_*_~wapaak!~_*~_*~_*_~

HAHAHAHAHA!! WTF.

Girl: Hon anong zodiac sign mo??

Boy: (nagisip siya dahil bobo hindi nya alam) sayo muna hon.

Girl:zodiac sign ko Cancer

Boy: sa kin Goiter!!!

Girl: Hon, what's your zodiac sign?

Boy: (thinking because he does not know anything) tell me yours first

Girl: my zodiac sign is Cancer

Boy: oh mine's Goiter!!!

~_*~_*~_*_~wapaak!~_*~_*~_*_~

Huh?

Tatay:anak, gising na at kakain na tayo.. hinanda ko ang paborito mong ulam

Anak:talaga tay!!!

Tatay: hulaan mo.. may CHOP sa dulo??

Anak:aha!!! porkchop tay!! paborito ko yun eh!!!

Tatay: ketchop anak.. sige kain ka na…

Tatay: wake up, child and we'll eat now.. I prepared your favorite meal!

Anak: really dad?!!

Tatay: guess what.. it has "CHOP" at the end of the word.

Anak:aha!!! porkchop dad!! wow that's my favorite!!!

Tatay: it's ketchop, child... now, come eat…

~_*~_*~_*_~wapaak!~_*~_*~_*_~

sources and other sites for Filipino Humor:

http://www.kbrosas.wordpress.com/
http://nakanampucha.wordpress.com/page/2/
http://risingsun.dannyarao.com/2008/01/09/more-funny-signs-from-all-over-the-philippines/
http://blog.kwelangpinoy.com/funny-filipino-business-names/

Pardon, eyes are falling. (Unfinished post)

2010-10-06T01:44:00.000+08:00

It was a whirlwind affair at CDO. I, wanting to fuel my passion for teaching, took a leap to the place where I was needed. I heeded the call. Then, I worked hard to master my craft. The next thing I knew, I was inside the plane bound for CDO.

Classic CDO pic: high school buddies & my thin self haha.

CDO was bustling as usual. Nevertheless, it will always be a memorable place for me. I remember how I spent one of the best days of my life there with my high school buddies. We were living far apart for college and CDO was the perfect meeting point at the time. That sojourn and the days followed changed the course of my life.

Now I'm back to the place, feeling like a wandering wonderer again....

Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan

What else... Hmm. Did I talk too much during the interview? I thought so, but on the other hand, perhaps I just never really talked too much to anyone these days. It was actually a relief to have someone listen intently to my plans. At the very least, it was nice to know I was needed. The aroma of passion isn't so hard to smell in a youthful soul.

Watching pop'n debate on ANC before the teaching demo :-p

Ok, what else... Well... I never really believe in things like omen, but I gambled my dreams at Xavier University at the very date of World Teachers' Day. When things seem to be too much of a coincidence, you can't help yourself into thinking, perhaps this is it.

(omg, to be continued tomorrow.. eyes are falling & I don't make sense!)

Today@11:41am: I can't finish this post, got lots of work to do. Hope the pics will speak a thousand words including the obvious difference of my before(2005) and after(2010) self. :-p HAHA!

Today @ Breakfast.

2010-10-04T06:57:00.000+08:00

Poetry for breakfast and I'm full already -- in mind, in heart, and in consciousness. I'm just gonna post some of my favorite poems. I read them again this morning -- like food, I devoured words.
I thought that, before I leave Tagum, I should ponder upon my quest in life. I have to feed my soul with thoughts and constantly be reminded what my journey is for.

The Road Not Taken

By Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy & wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference

A Thing Of Beauty

by: John Keats

A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:

Its loveliness increases; it will never

Pass into nothingness; but still will keep

A bower quiet for us, and a sleep

Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.

Love One Another

by: Khalil Gibran

Love one another, but make not a bond of love.

Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.

Fill each other's cup, but drink not from one cup.

Give one another of your bread, but eat not from the same loaf.

Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone.

Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.

Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.

For only the hand of life can contain your hearts.

And stand together, yet not too near together.

For the pillars of the temple stand apart.

And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow

If
by: e e Cummings

If freckles were lovely, and day was night,

And measles were nice and a lie warn't a lie,

Life would be delight,-

But things couldn't go right

For in such a sad plight

I wouldn't be I.

If earth was heaven, and now was hence,

And past was present, and false was true,

There might be some sense

But I'd be in suspense

For on such a pretense

You wouldn't be you.

If fear was plucky, and globes were square,

And dirt was cleanly and tears were glee

Things would seem fair,-

Yet they'd all despair,

For if here was there
We wouldn't be we.

SIGH.

2010-10-03T20:07:00.000+08:00

Interested in poetry, Lisha asked me a while ago about poets I subscribe to. Hmm. It's been a long time since I read poems by heart. I do remember though I once bought a poetry collection by students in an unknown college in the US. It was at a book sale and I felt like immersing myself with neophyte poets.

I also recall reading poems in the library before, mostly by John Keats and William Butler Yeats (oops, their names do rhyme). I share the passion for poetry with Shane. I kinda missed that.

These days when I'm too dependent on wine for sleeping, I am reminded by one of my favorite poems of all time. I love simplicity in writing. I love direct and short poems that can fill up enormous emotions. These days, when memories visit me from nowhere, I can only sigh and think of this poem:

A Drinking Song

By: William Butler Yeats

WINE comes in at the mouth

And love comes in at the eye;

That's all we shall know for truth

Before we grow old and die.

I lift the glass to my mouth,

I look at you, and I sigh.

When everything fails... JUST DANCE! ^_^

2010-10-03T13:06:00.000+08:00

I'm gonna fly to CDO tomorrow but regretful that I didn't book for Cebu Pacific. This'd be fun to see. Demonstrating safety through dancing, haha. Cool idea though. But I wonder if it'd also be fun to see this when the plane's about to crash. LOL!

(click the pic for the vid link)

The vid gave me an idea that if everything fails during my stay at CDO, I will just ... DANCE. ^_^

Pass the Reproductive Health Bill. NOW!

2010-10-02T08:01:00.000+08:00

Inasmuch as I try to protect my blog from Philippine politics, I realize I could use this site as a tool to spread consciousness among my countrymen and show support to Filipino change makers who continue to believe in this nation.

This is the story of the renowned Manila tour guide Carlos Celdran and his continuing fight against the present Damasos in Philippine Society.

When the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) called for civil disobedience if the president continues to implement family planning measures in the country, Celdran called for civil disobedience against CBCP.

Dressed as Rizal who wrote about the abuses of the friars, Celdran went inside the Manila Cathedral during a mass with Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales, the Papal Nuncio Archbishop Edward Adams and other Catholic bishops carrying a sign bearing the word DAMASO -- the despicable clergyman from Rizal's novel Noli Me Tangere.

Of course, the all-knowing CBCP filed legal charges against Celdran under Article 133 of the Revised Penal Code which prohibits offending "religious feelings". The whaaaat?! The law is even based on the 1887 Spanish Penal Code.. are we in medieval ages still?

Now, this is what the CBCP gets from all Filipinos who, like Celdran, calls against the involvement of the Church in Philippine Politics.

Moral authority? over what? sexual molestations?

Catholic priests haunted by their own demons: clean your closets first!

They are talking about family morality based on what? experience? ABSURD.

Tama na! Down with all the DAMASOs!

"Don't take away our poor brethren's right to choose, you don't feed them."

Let's call for civil disobedience against the CBCP! Amen.

Go. Boo. Ewe. Sigh. Whew.

2010-09-30T22:31:00.000+08:00

1. ) I'm exhausted. I just got back from a debate competition at UM Tagum College. Met good friends and potential writers. Good fight. Go!

2.) I learned that idol Mr. Carlos Celdran was jailed for taking a stance against Reproductive Health Bill. To hell with all these present DAMASO in Philippine Society. Boo!

3.) Unable to meet the deadline, I submitted a so-so work at another writing workshop. Ewe.

4.) I learned that my short story title has finally been changed at Dagmay website. Whew!

5.) I'm taking time off to solely focus on my teaching demo. Sigh!

Of Strawberry Shortcake and Pan de Sal.

2010-09-29T21:03:00.000+08:00

With a simple passage, I somehow helped a friend today. Two months ago, I finished reading Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood. While the book itself bears personal attachment to me, I still don't know what to feel towards it.

For sure, I carried the book like a bible during a critical period in my life. It might have affected or even influenced my judgement about love, solace, and life in general. However, I detached myself from the writer's solitary self. Thus I am ambivalent to the scenes and ideas presented in the story.

I am posting an excerpt about a rather "unique" conception of love by the character named Midori. It's interesting because today, I've just affirmed how most of us women could somehow relate to this ideal notion of love. Truly, as it turned out, my friend was not an exception:

_. _._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._.

“… So I made up my mind I was going to find someone who would love me unconditionally three hundred and sixty-five days a year. I was still in elementary school at that time — fifth or sixth grade — but I made up my mind once and for all.”

“Wow,” I said. “And did your search pay off?”

“That’s the hard part,” said Midori. She watched the rising smoke for a while, thinking.

“I guess I’ve been waiting so long I’m looking for perfection. That makes it tough.“

“Waiting for the perfect love?”

“No, even I know better than that. I’m looking for selfishness. Perfect selfishness. Like, say I tell you I want to eat strawberry shortcake. And you stop everything you’re doing and run out and buy it for me. And you come back out of breath and get down on your knees and hold this strawberry shortcake out to me. And I say I don’t want it anymore and throw it out the window. That’s what I’m looking for.”

“I’m not sure that has anything to do with love,” I said with some amazement.

“It does,” she said. “You just don’t know it. There are times in a girl’s life when things like that are incredibly important.”

“Things like throwing strawberry shortcake out the window?”

“Exactly. And when I do it, I want the man to apologize to me. ‘Now I see, Midori. What a fool I’ve been! I should have known that you would lose your desire for strawberry shortcake. I have all the intelligence and sensitivity of a piece of donkey shit. To make it up to you, I’ll go out and buy you something else. What would you like? Chocolate mousse? Cheesecake?’”

“So then what”

“So then I’d give him all the love he deserves for what he’s done.”

“Sounds crazy to me.”

“Well, to me, that’s what love is. Not that anyone can understand me, though.” Midori gave her head a little shake against my shoulder. For a certain kind of person, love begins from something tiny or silly. From something like that or it doesn’t begin at all.“

Am I seeing enlightened faces? Let me know.

Mea culpa.

2010-09-27T08:33:00.000+08:00

Omfg. What a blooper. I'm totally sinking in my seat right now, melting. Ok, how do I do this...Okay.

Now, I gave the wrong title of the short story I submitted to Dagmay yesterday. I realized the mistake a while ago while browsing on the blog for the Google AdSense format. I thought something wasn't right with the short story title I posted on the blog & immediately I checked on the exact entry I emailed to Dagmay.

And yes, it's confirmed: I gave them the wrong title. Ooops! Haha. Personally, I think the title of this piece is confusing. But I liked it. I remember how it took me days figuring out the title for this short story since it's more of a fast paced narration of someone's life; touching different topics like poverty, family, and culture. I thought that "WHITE, Brown, Old, Young" sounded just right obviously because of the pairing of two characters in the story.

After three days of writing, I kinda disregarded the piece because sometimes I get umm, this feeling of wanting to puke on what I had written! I mean once the piece is done, I get this feeling that it's so ugly to even be published but still has to publish it anyhow. And so I forget about it and never read it again! So that's probably why I got confused with the title when I submitted it weeks ago.

Anyhow, it's done and I can't turn back yesterday. Yeah. So to make amends, I'll just post a correction here on my blog -- that is, if anyone cares. Haha.

MEA MAXIMA CULPA!

Amnesia, Baby.

2010-09-26T17:42:00.000+08:00

Holy Shit! I almost forgot about the publication of the short story I recently submitted to Dagmay -- the Literary Journal of the Davao Writers Guild.

This afternoon, I slept late and deep. Then I woke up realizing that it's Sunday.. & it's Kathymar's birthday.. & it's the day of my short story publication. Goodness gracious! I then hurriedly (or rather demandingly) asked my mom to find a copy of the paper.

And here goes the one and only copy she found all over Tagum.

Haha! Can’t believe I almost missed this. Won't sleep late anymore, promise. ^_^

Anyhow, thanks Dagmay... & thanks Mom. Padayon!