christmas bonding in red!

con men

Exactly two days before Christmas, I received this text message which I'm printing verbatim:


"Congratulations! Pres. GMA CHARITY FUND. Ur Sim# has Won! P600,000.00. 12.23/2009 DTI PRMT # 4627. For more info?Pls call me now! I'm Sec. Katherine L. Madrigal."

I sent two replies:

1) Really? Thank you so much! But you can keep the P600,000.00 because you need it for your chemotherapy. Today I will bend my knees in prayer that you and your loved ones will die of cancer; and

2) Lord, I pray that the user of this number and all his loved ones be afflicted with cancer so that this world will be rid of people who make it their business to fool their fellowmen. Amen.

I never received a reply.

merry christmas!

christmas is all about giving, and true giving is a giving that hurts. and because times are hard, now is the best time to celebrate the real essence of christmas.

give until it hurts. or better yet, give until it feels good.

what i'm reading

just because!

happy happy joy joy

because enrolment drops invariably, second semester does not bode well for part time teachers like me. at the state college where i teach, things are worse: classes do not only become fewer at this time of academic year, they are being fused.

according to a disgruntled colleague, the school is doing this to give additional incentives to permanent employees through the salary that should have been paid to part timers.

so i was pleasantly surprised when i was given two subjects. and to top it off, they're both dream subjects: administrative communication and information management and public administration and the economy!

as marianne villanueva, my favorite blogger, would say: happy happy joy joy!

what-ifs and if-onlys

Except for the 1977 fire that reduced to ashes a mother and her three children, nothing could be more tragic for Tago than the vehicular accident that killed Bingbing, Tito Jun, and ‘Ya Tet in one fell swoop.

Tito Jun was driving; Papong sat beside him in front. Behind them were ‘Ya Tet, Tingay, and Bingbing. As the Crosswind sped on a highway in Bunawan, an old man, dragging a bicycle by his side, crossed the street. The white SUV grated concrete, swerved, and turned turtle eight times, leaving in its wake sparks, tires, and cadavers.

Everything happened in split second. And because death is a smooth operator with impeccable precision and timing, Tagon-ons pitched a lot of what-ifs and if-onlys.

Two eulogists said that what if 'Ya Tet decided to spend her birthday in Tago instead of Davao?; what if Bingbing had denied ‘Ya Tet’s request to accompany her?; what if Bingbing didn’t go home from Dubai?; what if Bingbing had overslept that day, even for a few minutes?; what if they had given in to Bingbing’s request for either pancit or spaghetti the night before, would it make her life longer?

A blogger ruminated that what if either Bingbing or ‘Ya Tet drank so much water before leaving that day, would they request Tito Jun to pull over so they could use the toilet?

Tagon-ons asked what if ‘Ya Tet sat in front, would she advise Tito Jun to slow down?; what if Papong had pursued his original plan to go to Davao with his motorcycle, would ‘Ya Tet sit in front?; what if Tita Siony decided to join ‘Ya Tet even if ‘Ya Tet told her that the house in Davao had no refrigerator in which Tita Siony could store her medicines, would it change the seating position? Or, would she request Tito Jun to pull over because being a diabetic, she needed to take a leak every so often?; what if Tito Jun gassed-up for a half rather than a full tank?

Not a few Tagon-ons mulled over some if-onlys, like: if only ‘Ya Tet pursued her plan of commuting with Bingbing to Davao; if only Tito Jun didn’t race against another vehicle; if only ‘Ya Tet or Bingbing opted to sit in the middle instead of Tingay.

Ahhh! So many what-ifs and if-onlys!

But death doesn’t happen by chance, neither it is random. Just think of W. Somerset Maugham’s “The Appointment in Samarra” and the story of a man who avoided a ship like a cliché because a psychic told him that a marine vessel would cause his death, only to die when an earthquake made a huge painting of a storm-tossed yacht to fall on his head

Despite what the Bible says about its inevitability, death, in all its forms, is hard to accept. Thus we dwell on the what-ifs and the if-onlys even as we begin the excruciating process of coping. But amidst this flood of what-ifs and if-onlys that inundated Tago on the tragic death of Bingbing, Tito Jun, and ‘Ya Tet, one interesting detail sailed through: Papong, while riding shotgun, came out of the crash unscathed!

There’s a lesson there about death that begs to be learned!

uccp-tago

for cecille, kharel, sheila may, and sammy



I grew up in this church. It was here that I learned many invaluable things: songs about reading the Bible and praying everyday; verses about God so loving the world that He gave His only begotten Son; and stories about angels protecting Daniel inside a lion's den.

Ours is a small church with an even smaller congregation. But we don't look at it that way: not then, when just a few pews were vacant; not now, when churchgoers sometimes number less than the characters in the Last Supper.

Quaint with excellent acoustics, our church is so old it sways as we sing "Onward Christian Soldiers." And because it hasn't shed its original skin, it stands brittle and scarred from the ravages of time and the tyrannies of termites and weevils.

All this made us decide to renovate!

Despite the quantity and the financial capability of our parishioners, we plodded on with nothing in our hearts but faith, the kind that moves mountains.

And move mountains we did!

Now, the facade's done. And please don't ask me how because all I can tell you is that God indeed works in ways so mysterious it leaves us amazed beyond belief.



But half done we're not. That's why no matter how small, we are counting our blessings and praying for more because we have no enough resources. What we have in our hearts are faith----the kind that moves mountains----and this simple wish that our church won't sway as we sing "Great is Thy Faithfulness."




one of the two sides that still need to be demolished and replaced.

one rainy night and a good movie

it was 7:00 in the evening and the rain hadn't stopped. i had done a lot of reading and surfing the net, and PBB was still three hours away.

then i remembered. stashed somewhere in my room are DVDs and CDs that i haven't watched though they were sent to me by friends years ago. i took all the unwatched discs, set them facedown on my bed and shuffled them. then i looked at the ceiling as my hand groped for that one single disc that would keep me company for the night.

"The Pianist" it was!

with all the horrors of the Holocaust it depicted, it was a hard film to watch. But the scene that made me cry was the one showing Szpilman, the titular protagonist, giving a haunting performance in front of a German officer who had discovered his hideaway. For me, it was the film's strongest scene as it restored Szpilman's integrity as an artist, while giving a dash of humanity to the German officer.

really, there's nothing like a good movie on a rainy night.

crap

I take PAL when I’m on official business; when I’m not, I take Cebu Pacific.

I love Cebu Pacific because almost always the plane leaves on time, making me ignore the fact that the uniform of its cabin crew looks to me like it has seen better days and the prices of mineral water, coffee and chicherias that FAs peddle are sky high.

There’s one thing though that I dislike about Cebu Pacific, and this thing happened in all my flights with it. Few minutes before touchdown, the FA told us that “we’re landing 15 minutes early of our scheduled time.”

I don’t know if this is allowed by the Bureau of Air Transportation. What I do know is that I get this feeling of being taken in for a ride!

an open letter to i2i

Mr. Ricardo Ocampo
President
8 Mercury Ave., Bagumbayan
Libis, Quezon City

Dear Mr. Ocampo:

I like your i2i products because they're hip and reasonably priced. A frequent customer, I make it a point to visit an i2i stall be it in Davao, Cebu or Manila. Recently I bought a pair of i2i shades at SM Megamall when we attended a fair mounted by the Congressional Spouses Foundation, Inc. Yes, this was the time when Ondoy unleashed its fury.

The pair that sold at P275 was nice. I wore it when I took the plane back to Surigao del Sur via Davao City on 28 September 2009. As we waited for our luggage to arrive, I couldn't help looking at my reflection on the glass because I liked what I saw. As the conveyor spat our things out, I bent to pick them. Then I heard something snap. When I looked: there, scattered on the floor, were the three fragments of my i2i shades!

Why am I telling you this? Honestly, I don't know. Maybe I just want you to know about it so you can check with your suppliers to be more careful about product quality. And just in case you're wondering, no, I won't stop patronizing i2i.

Very truly yours,


Kampanaryo_spy

unli rice

Almost all barbecue joints now offer unlimited rice. But since this craze started two years ago, I only tried it last week in Butuan City.

The unli rice promo bodes well for big rice eaters like me. But last week’s experience told me there’s something psychological about this strategy.

The place, Tatay’s Inato, was in front of Gaisano Mall. Its tables and walls were made of bamboo; its crew wore floral prints in blinding hues.

My officemates ordered halang-halang, a boiled native chicken so spicy it made customers fan their mouth with their hand. Wanting to sample the unli rice promo, I ordered a value meal tagged at P89.00 consisting of chicken and pork barbecue, an atchara that was smaller than a mound of chicken dung, a soup that tasted no better than piss sprinkled with umami, and yes, a rice so small it could only be shaped from a demitasse.

Using the price in Tandag as index, I did a quick calculation: chicken barbecue (25) plus pork barbecue (10) plus achara (5) plus soup (5) equals 45. Eighty nine minus forty five equals 44.

My rice is worth 44 pesos!

With rice selling at P5 per cup in Tandag, there’s no way I can consume over eight cups. Plain and simple, unli rice is a double whammy because it makes you pay for something that's beyond your capability to devour!

Expecting a mound, I looked askance at the solitary rice on my plate. Then my officemate pointed me to a sign tacked on a post: CLAP ONCE IF YOU NEED A WAITER; CLAP TWICE IF YOU NEED ADDITIONAL RICE!

What’s this, a Carinosa dance?

I attacked the rice with my hand. In an instant it was gone. I looked around for waiters. Nada. I clapped twice. Nothing. I clapped again. And again. A waiter in floral canary yellow print emerged from nowhere and came to our table. Using a demitasse (see?), he scooped some rice from a plastic container slung around his waist and placed it on my plate. Then he went away, not to be seen again.

Few minutes later, I clapped twice. Nothing. I clapped again. And again. A waiter in floral Hare Krishna tangerine came to our table and….you get the point!

Left with a wing, I craved for rice to munch it with. My hands rose to meet, but a fraction of an inch from each other, they stopped in mid-air. What would the other customers say, I asked myself. Hadn’t they looked my way each time I clapped? Would they know it’s my fourth time to ask?

I rested my hands beside the chicken wing that would remain uneaten. Then all at once, it hit me: hiya! this unli rice is a ploy that capitalizes on Pinoy culture of hiya!

So: it’s the reason why there’s no service station where one could quietly help himself get all the rice he wants; why waiters make themselves scarce and have to be summoned with a double clap; why rice servings come in small amounts.

Remember those parties of old when no matter how the host persuaded the guests, nobody went back to the buffet table for more food? It’s the same feeling of hiya that’s operating here. Tatay’s Inato knows that no customer would risk being branded as glutton by clapping his hands often enough.

On our way out, I realized that unless I have a face thicker than a carabao hide, the ability to clap without my hands turning red and sore, and an appetite the size of an African jungle, unli rice is not for me.

santa's quite early

it seems santa's working early this year else how could you explain these things coming my way? sometimes i really wonder what have i done right to deserve all these.













to all santas out there, thank you so, so much.

jojie alcantara

i met jojie eons ago--okay in the 90s---when she choreographed a fashion show in davao city where i was one of the models. in that show, i had the privilege to be the groom in the muslim wedding finale, wearing a barong made by boy ginoo, davao's pitoy moreno.

back then she was davao's most sought after fashion model from ateneo. but typical model she was not: she danced; she wrote; she read heavy stuff; she hosted corporate shows; and she was into mass media.

fast forward to 2009. i chanced upon her comment in one of the blogs i visited, and that led me to her site. through swapped emails, i learned she's now a celebrated, multi-awarded davao-based writer and photographer, which only proves she has more layers than an onion. and because she has reinvented herself so often, i now begin to suspect it's her middle name.

but what impresses me most is her advocacy to promote mindanao through her pictures and stories. that i plan to kill her from sheer envy, these pictures will show why.


tinuy-an falls


cagwait white beach


hinatuan's enchanted river; these pics made it to PAL Mabuhay!


kaliguan festival dancer


visit jojie's urls and be enthralled:

http://www.witerary.com
http://jojiealcantara.multiply.com
http://www.dabawenya.com

recent acquisitions

when Ondoy unleashed its fury, i was in manila attending a trade fair at SM Megamall. organized by the congressional spouses foundation, "pamaskong handog ni kuya" featured some exporters who wanted to move their excess inventory from a lackluster export performance due to recession. that said, the products on display can't be bought under normal times as they're sold directly to foreign buyers.

and so just imagine my glee when i saw a lot of beautiful prototypes---the first product of an adopted design----on display. and the impulsive buyer in me didn't have much choice but to part with my hard-earned peso.

0O0

these pieces were from an exporter from the cordilleras. the mother-and-child is rendered in fiberglass. though these may be displayed individually, i opted to make a triptych.







0O0


mother-and-child candleholders in faux brass, from the same exporter.

0O0

another mother-and-child carved out of old, salvaged wood from the same exporter.

0O0

a drop-lamp in blown glass from another exporter

0O0


a huge blown glass vase in my favorite cobalt.

0O0


a horn of plenty in blown glass.

always a light traveller, i was encumbered in bringing these bric-a-bracs home. but no worries because now that they're on display in carefully selected spots, i feel good just by looking at them.

bugsy's exclusive birthday party

for his 5th birthday, bugsy opts for an exclusive, dress-down party with family.

my son's birthday

bugsy's birthday, which is october 3, falls on a Saturday. and so today---friday--- he's treating his classmates at the preschool of UCCP to some snacks and loots.











in raising bugsy as an adopted son, i take my cue from this:

On Children
Kahlil Gibran

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let our bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.

bugz, no matter what, you'll grow up loved and valued by us. happy birthday!

atm

it's fast becoming a mystery why ATMs, specifically those of Land Bank of the Philippines's, no longer dispense 100-peso bills. and you can't help but sympathize with depositors with less than 500 balance to go ballistic.