tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55976062011-07-07T16:28:45.180-07:00casting the spell of life and literaturecbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.comBlogger3691100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-92075507143983185342009-08-12T18:12:00.000-07:002009-08-13T03:19:04.567-07:00

as soon as i could bore the littlest hole in my strenuous schedule, i will tell you why this is such an awesome book. in the meantime, the suggestion is disguised as an entry title.You Gotta Read This

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-43844861847387828302009-06-20T09:43:00.000-07:002009-06-20T18:32:30.372-07:00

My friend Mark, a Eucharistic Minister from Church, had given the Host to hundreds, if not thousands, of communicants but this credential did not prepare him for the occasion. It happened one gorgeous Saturday morning in May when little girls and boys in white attires beamed in their quest to fulfill the next Sacrament in their young lives. Little Andrew stood before Mark, his shy tongue

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-15922137545919408702009-06-07T11:40:00.000-07:002009-06-07T11:47:52.633-07:00

...in their order of greatness.This selection is not cast in stone. One day I will read a better book and it will snatch its own number. One day, too, I will explain why these wealth of literature mean so much to me.

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-74925992758957641062009-05-25T05:23:00.000-07:002009-05-25T06:05:10.526-07:00

Sinusulat ko itong post naaalala ko ang pamangkin kong si Ann. Bata pa si Ann pero super-organized na, wehehe, siguradong di nagmana sa Tito nyang disorganized ang buhay. Tuwing mag a-out of town si Ann (halimbawa maga-attend ng summer camp), hindi sya basta basta mag-eempake. Kung ako yun, ganto ang plataporma ko sa pagta-travel: ano man ang maispatan ng mga mata kong bored, isasaksak ko na

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-33619496744646233282009-05-04T16:22:00.001-07:002009-05-04T17:48:34.031-07:00

...New York, itself, is essentially the greatest poem on earth

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-85209289616302852312009-04-15T18:05:00.000-07:002009-04-17T03:05:04.584-07:00

nung Christmas party namin last year sa departamento ng mga insekto, bukod sa kainan at tsismisan ay meron pang pa-raffle chuvachuchu. 20 kami sa department, 5 ang premyos. ang tanong: ilang katao ang babalik sa kanilang desks ng luhaan?katabi ko sa hapag yung analyst namin na si d. habang ngumangasab kami ng pasta, sabi nya sa akin, alam mo, c, lumaki ng konti ang tsansa mong manalo. hindi kasi

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-74850819128889803892009-04-05T10:21:00.001-07:002009-04-06T16:18:50.569-07:00

ayoss, di ko alam kung pangilang anibersaryo na ng punta naming ni kumag-utol sa key biscayne para manood ng sony-ericsson (na tawag dati ay lipton open, na naging nasdaq 1000, pero ang dapat talaga sa kanya ay key biscayne open). ayann, kinodak (or accurately, ikinoolpix) ko lahat ang mga litratos na yan. isa-isahin natin:1. pagdating namin nung byernes, 27 de marso (di ako pumasok sa

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-69131969169964399672009-03-29T14:31:00.000-07:002009-04-06T17:12:29.491-07:00

richard and cara are husband and wife, both thirty-four years old, in love with each other, and childless despite years of trying. notwithstanding this seeming void, they remain faithful to each other and their married life is as normal as any other's. then something happens. she is raped by a popular math teacher - a serial criminal who, prior to his capture, was only identified as the

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-50738261443282416692009-03-17T18:06:00.000-07:002009-03-17T18:07:26.718-07:00

abkdeghilmnngoprstuwybow

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-74744352545358275472009-02-13T19:19:00.000-08:002009-02-13T19:24:07.757-08:00

Imitation of Christby Thomas A. Kempis, translated by Stephen Mitchell.Love is a great thing, a great good in every way; it alone lightens what is heavy, and leads smoothly over all roughness. For it carries a burden without being burdened, and makes every bitter thing sweet and tasty. Love wants to be lifted up, not held up by anything low. Love wants to be free, and far from all wordly desires,

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-4004963503985603532009-01-28T19:26:00.000-08:002009-01-28T19:36:59.744-08:00

...and just like that, the greatest living literary critic my generation had known is living no more.

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-32410780434246562332009-01-16T21:10:00.000-08:002009-01-19T17:55:06.056-08:00

1. In an instant I was awake. The moments of my sleep and wakefulness proceed with the same fidelity as an accessory to his principal. My consciousness and sub, in certain areas, are peas of the same pod. Friday night I dreamt I was with my brother in a mall, and out of the blue a man and woman forced him to join them in posing foolish and making faces before the mall's security camera. I

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-51253370732108201172009-01-03T08:20:00.000-08:002009-01-03T04:56:37.785-08:00

It was 7am of Christmas Day and I was driving home, all roads empty and all skies gray. The car stereo was playing my favorite Christmas song, What Child is This, sung by Third Day, but my mind was drawn more to the city that was damp and quiet and absolutely deserted. I wanted to scream, Hello!, Hello!, Is this a joke!, Uncle Frank!, Is this a joke! - like the little Kevin who woke up one

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-63045304662206946492009-01-01T07:43:00.001-08:002009-01-01T08:31:11.764-08:00

The Chilean Roberto Bolano rocks, wherever he is now. His Savage Detectives is the best book I read in 2008, and is one of the 10 greatest books of fiction in my long reading life.Thank you, You, for this literate pair of eyes...

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-28681167483040475342008-12-13T06:59:00.000-08:002008-12-13T12:01:15.572-08:00

i heard from npr that one of the hottest merchandises under $5.00 intended as Christmas gift is an abre-lata with the face of barack obama. the gadget is called yes we can opener.mr president elect, you are so there!

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-44364537062171885552008-12-06T08:48:00.000-08:002008-12-06T14:18:29.321-08:00

Some bad habits never die, especially those from which good things come.Sitting was my favorite reading stance, the only difference from the rest of the world's was that it had to be on the floor. From childhood to adulthood, in school or at home, the best way for me to grasp the beauty and value of text was through a coordination between my brain and my ass: I just have to slump on the

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-70210058465981611202008-11-21T20:31:00.000-08:002008-11-22T04:28:08.680-08:00

May post si Toni Tiu ng celebrated Wifely Steps blog kung saan tinukoy nya ang aklatan ng kanilang high school na nagsilbing refuge nya sa tuwing sya'y nagnununi-nuni. Dun sa comments sa post, halos lahat ng bumisita ay kapwa nag-echo na ang aklatan din sa kanilang school bukol ang nagsilbing sanktwaryo ng kanilang taimtim (o maitim) na pagninilay-nilay.Count me in. Wala akong ipinagkaiba kay

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-66320476638714350322008-11-15T03:47:00.000-08:002008-11-15T16:33:12.212-08:00

Four years ago in about the same time of the year as today, I was in downtown Miami for the Miami International Book Fair. I bought a lot of good books, some rare, at very cheap prices, but the blessing of the day came in late afternoon when I listened to the concert of Dave Barry, Amy Tan and some of their writer-friends who formed this swaggering band playing 60's tunes. While I was

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-9589666498826280152008-11-09T11:23:00.001-08:002008-11-09T11:32:29.246-08:00

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison is one of my favorite books, and over William Faulkner's The Sound & the Fury and Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn I consider it The Great American Novel. I read this book many years ago, but in the light of the current political headlines I might as well re-ruminate on its greatness now.Ellison was African-American, and one of the reasons that pushed

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-80273496491023428652008-11-04T02:43:00.000-08:002008-11-04T02:47:37.340-08:00

down with racism, ignorance, world bullying, religious hypocrisy, and bush.the time is now. we are what we are waiting for!

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-52981190346908282202008-10-26T07:52:00.000-07:002008-10-26T07:56:18.982-07:00

dateline: philadelphia, sunday, october 27thsakit ulo ko! mayday! mayday!philadelphiaphilly cheesteaks at pat's (against doctor's order)reading marketphilly museum of artfreedom towerworld series game 3, done at 2:00 am!6 bottles of amsteluniversity of pennsylvaniapriceless!

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-16378201383267511342008-10-11T04:46:00.000-07:002008-10-12T04:53:48.001-07:00

My sister told me this story which happened here in America about a year after her migration. She was in the workplace and chatting at the hallway with a fellow Filipina in Tagalog when an American manager from another department passed by and abruptly interrupted their conversation. Why don't you two speak English to each other so you can practice?, he asked.My sister was momentarily stunned,

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-58396116556341971352008-10-06T16:34:00.000-07:002008-10-06T17:15:33.389-07:00

In Isaac Bashevis Singer's short story Gimpel The Fool, it is said that everything happens because whatever does not exist in the day is being dreamed of at night.The other night I dreamed I was skinny and famished, which of course is far from true. Not only am I chunky, my cholesterol level is close to the roof because everything that is four-legged, dish-wise, was fair game to me. Was.My

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-68861433854470030822008-09-27T18:45:00.000-07:002008-09-27T18:58:39.450-07:00

nung tinanong ni katie couric si mrs. palin kung paano na-enhance ang kanyang "foreign policy credentials" ng sagot nya na nakikita nya ang russia mula sa kanilang bahay, sagot ni mrs. palin, because our neighbors are foreign countries.naala ko tuloy yung lorna t joke nung unang panahon, tinanong sya kung anong kurso ang kukunin nya sakolehiyo, sagot ng lorna t. ay mass ommunication, at nung

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-18713347847461699382008-09-20T20:05:00.000-07:002008-09-20T21:20:09.667-07:00

#5. This is a milkweed. Milkweeds are known to attract butterflies. This milkweed in my patio, to my knowledge, has not attracted a single butterfly, unless, in this world of Kafka, I am really a butterfly because I am so attracted to it. And no, this is not a Freudian slip. (You know, milk...weed.) #6. There are three things I do at home that, like an inseparable troika, I do simultaneously

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-50019101855089574932008-09-19T16:01:00.001-07:002008-09-19T16:39:40.301-07:00

#1. Eto ako. In others words, ako eto. Obviously, mas magara ang t-shirt ko sa mukha ko kahit pa sabihing pareho silang kulubot. O, baka naman pwede na tayong mag whole lotta love nyan?#2. Eto ang kanang kamay ko. Batay sa sinabi ni Brenda Miller sa A Thousand Buddhas na "Your hands become what they do", pilit kong inaalam kung ang kanang kamay ko e hugis pinggang hinuhugasan, o plantsahan,

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-51174732841655084652008-09-15T16:30:00.000-07:002008-09-16T02:54:22.077-07:00

I am no speedster. Edward Young, in Love of Fame, said - Be wise with speed; a fool at forty is a fool indeed? I do, I agree, and in fact I'm not enamoured with speed even when I was fourteen.When I was in my youth in the Philippines my Dad gave me my first car, a blue Mitsubishi Celeste. It was fast and equipped with what I was told as "the perfect engine" - a Saturn's. But being the exact

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-18933732750050510162008-08-30T05:09:00.000-07:002008-08-30T07:46:52.435-07:00

It is said that to learn a new language is to experience another life. This, my life, needs to be pumped up, and in the process I am going to study one of the greatest languages literature has ever known: Russian.My aim, however, is no grander than the quote. I only wanted to read Anna Karenina and the poetry of Anna Akhmatova in their original Russian text.I am giving myself a full year. One

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-88823228623492268332008-08-09T05:00:00.000-07:002008-08-12T02:53:30.151-07:00

Saturday morning I woke up at 7 and followed a definite course of action: push ups, patio plants, Jack Johnson, Colombian coffee, Miami Herald, e-mail. After an hour I put on my running shoes and headed down to jog. The clock had just struck 8:00 a.m. but the sun, like this jogger, was already up and about. Good thing the people's lane at the complex was patrolled by a gauntlet of trees and

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-51993700961547754652008-08-07T09:42:00.000-07:002008-08-07T10:42:34.238-07:00

#1 - an elephant#2 - a kneeling camel#3 - a sitting wabbit #4 - a dolphin shooing a school of fish away...#5 - ...so they won't get snacked by a pursuing tiger shark

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-16204476223842282132008-07-31T09:18:00.000-07:002008-08-01T02:58:59.485-07:00

Ang nakaraan: Naisipan kong pumasok sa Quiet Room matapos makipag-usap sa isang Pinay na tulad ko ay totally lost sa Jury Hall.Ang kasalukuyan: Tahimik sa Quiet Room. (Corny. O eto pa, Ano ang kulay ng White House? Kilala mo ba ang nakalibing sa Tomb of the Unknown Soldier?) Sa isang simbahan sa Miami, merong isang kwarto na tinaguriang Crying Room. Doon naka-"detain" ang mga batang

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-13790964804558073412008-07-25T11:53:00.000-07:002008-07-26T14:45:18.458-07:00

(And here's a video of a live version of the song which inspired this post.)

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-86179378770018611972008-07-24T09:56:00.000-07:002008-07-24T10:03:53.093-07:00

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-12123624510867754012008-07-23T09:44:00.000-07:002008-07-24T10:05:16.609-07:00

This quaint restaurant, just across the University of Miami, delivers. I mean, I don't know if they do literally, but figuratively? yessir, they do!. The place is pleasant, almost sunshiny; the food is never boring; the servers are always attentive and proactive; and best of all, as the last picture shows, the restaurant gave me the opportunity to witness an alien abduction of a United States

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-40919786260490994252008-07-20T14:12:00.000-07:002008-07-20T14:43:16.364-07:00

Matapos ko mag-errand kahapon, naisipan kong galugurin ang suburbs. Lumiko ako sa Le Jeune, deretso sa Old Cutler Rd, daan sa Deering Estates, tas nun di ko na alam ang dinadaanan ko. Maya-maya sabi ko, teka, parang kilala ko ang lugar na to, isip ako kung kailan ako nakarating dun, yumpala umiikot lang ako ng umiikot sa apat na kalye na parang trumpo, hayup. In other words, naligaw ako, at

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-52235900117458487522008-07-19T14:42:00.000-07:002008-07-19T15:53:10.791-07:00

last night i got home, exhausted to the last bone, but could not hit the sack for my life depended on it. life, of course, was a full tummy, and if i threw away all cautions to the wind, my neighboring unit might think i was playing tom tom in the middle of the night with all unknowing that the tribal percussion sound was generated by an empty stomach screaming, feed me!the good thing is i know

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-38799910155680465692008-07-16T17:57:00.000-07:002008-07-16T18:59:08.236-07:00

Most of us dream of the good things OF and FROM the world and this is not surprising because Life, in the natural scheme of things, is a pursuit of happiness for the I.But maybe we can dream further more and yearn for a Life that seeks the betterment of Others, or, a dream of all the good things FOR the world.I was a child when somebody told me, If you wanted your dreams fulfilled, don't sleep.

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-33832007142586960932008-07-12T06:38:00.000-07:002008-07-12T13:02:44.822-07:00

I woke up at 7 and in my usual Saturday morning ritual went to the patio to nurture the beauty of the plants and savor the open skies. No breakfast can nourish me better than the sight of my hanging baskets - creeping charlie, glodfish, hoya lacuna - the two giant ficus trees across the street, and the huge expanse up above which Toni Tiu called the palette of God, first thing in the

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-18545245276914036132008-07-09T17:11:00.001-07:002008-07-09T18:15:43.404-07:00

Last May, I was called for jury duty.That was the 2nd of my two lifetime summonses, but the only time I was ever called and picked. The first time around, I was on-call but was snubbed.Jury duty is fun. Prior to serving, I received from people I know the saddest, most stressful, and most harrowing experiences known to man while in the process of serving the nation as jurors. Good thing when it

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-28282233772360515232008-07-07T17:28:00.000-07:002008-07-08T05:37:38.906-07:00

Sa Pilipinas, kahit minsan di ako nakapasok sa karerahan. Bawal ang bata sa San Lazaro o Sta. Ana, pero syempre di yun ang dahilan dahil mas matanda pa ako siguro sa kanila (sa stadium, hindi sa mga kabayo - kamukha ko lang sila). Hindi kasi ako mahilig sa sugal na karera kaya kapag nagusap-usap na kami before bottles of serbesa ng aking mga kuligligs (colleagues, sa Inggles) di ko carry ang

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-82608181779111677772008-07-05T18:49:00.000-07:002008-07-05T19:42:20.969-07:00

We all love quaint, little stories that somehow tell us something good about ourselves, or at least something we wanted ourselves to be. The more compact the story, the more old world, the more pure, and the more simple - ever the better.And so there was this little anecdote relayed to me (and to the rest of the world, it is theirs for the taking) by my friend Jet David through the tried and

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-9784771185739460422008-07-05T05:27:00.000-07:002008-07-05T08:24:38.155-07:00

1. I woke up at 7am with an aching back. Same old holiday, same old back.2. By midmorning I watched with interest The Championships' semis pitting Shuettler with Nadal. Shuettler and Magnus Norman were the first ATP players in the top 100 I ever saw play in person - when they did the early rounds at the then Lipton Open (Key Biscayne) more than 10 years ago. I remember Shuettler scolding a

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-59344513340957143252008-07-01T17:29:00.000-07:002008-07-05T08:23:54.018-07:00

I am a lot of things but I'm not a ponderer of tattoos, particularly if they were to be transported to me. I have quite a few fears but one that stands out is that I will wake up one day after a drinking spree and find myself sporting an inky mark on my face.Tattoos are my taboos. But don't get me wrong, my patterned friend, I speak for and of myself only. (And the one significant reason I have

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-44756985997966984372008-06-29T14:31:00.000-07:002008-06-29T19:02:22.139-07:00

1. i stayed with my mom, who lives with a sister and b-i-l, over the weekend for company. they were out of town while the kids, out of school for the summer, were on their own personal journeys. i was particularly amazed with the younger daughter c. she's 18 and just graduated from high school, and with friends, she's embarking on a conscience trip to the remotest parts of india.2. i have a

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-30909795997939139452008-06-25T09:28:00.000-07:002008-07-03T03:02:57.572-07:00

I can see two of my favorite poets, Margaret Atwood and Wyslawa Szymborska, in this photograph -And I can feel Szymborska in this Attwood poem -The Momentby: Margaret Atwood The moment when, after many yearsof hard work and a long voyageyou stand in the centre of your room,house, half-acre, square mile, island, country,knowing at last how you got there,and say, I own this,is the same moment

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-33057629812881632862008-06-23T09:17:00.000-07:002008-06-23T19:03:05.833-07:00

I have a sister who, despite being converted American, is a Filipino by heart and an Indonesian by art. She and hubby live in a house where paintings, sculptures, crafts and fabrics are predominantly Indonesian you will be hard-pressed to imagine nobody there is from Indonesia. In fact if you get to meet her at her house for the first time, your initial natural reaction is probably see if her

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-45795062800610670782008-06-22T09:47:00.000-07:002008-06-22T09:51:34.633-07:00

I just can't stop listening to this poignant song...Find Loveby: Clem SnideDon't let hurricanes hold you backRaging rivers or shark attacksFind love, and give it all awayFind love, and give it all awayWrestle bears bring them to their kneesSteal the honey from killer beesFind love, and give it all awayFind love, and give it all awayDon't be scared to connect the dotsAnd dig for gold in the

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-65745256627681719672008-06-21T17:19:00.000-07:002008-06-22T09:22:11.973-07:00

sometimes i think the world's biggest mystery is my physiology. everyday from monday to friday where the alarm was set at 5:30 am, i always hit the snooze and beg for two 5-minute addendums to precious sleep. but this saturday morning where the time was adjusted to 7:30 am, i woke up at 5am with eyes dilated as those of a dilated emoticon's.i turned the lamp on and soon enough my eyes were

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-81960426139336005262008-06-20T17:16:00.000-07:002008-06-20T18:03:15.233-07:00

hayy buhay, summer na samantalang di ko man lang naramdamang lumamig. officially chuva, day one daw ng summer ngayon, just because.sarap sanang magsummer bakasyon, o summer vacay ika nga ng naglahong si schadenfreude, kaso lang kailangan ng pera. labo. wa ako nun. gusto ko pa naman sanang magpunta sa antarctica, malamig daw kasi dun, kaya sana me mag-importa sa aking penguin. o kahit mukang

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-32721137454639003822008-06-15T14:50:00.000-07:002008-06-17T10:14:50.353-07:00

Summer, more than any other season of the year, is when we most read. Booksellers know this, and if you had just been to your friendly neighborhood bookstore, you would have noticed a tableful of classics greeting you up front with a flag that says Summer Reading.Reading in summer probably quickens the pace of the laid-back moments, or maybe the narrative somewhat cools us off, I don't know, but

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-23849489581232886142008-06-10T05:18:00.001-07:002008-06-10T13:07:41.186-07:00

Certain moments of the day - best being right after dusk or closely prior to dawn - I find myself whiling time away more and more at my patio than in my living room with the tv that spurts nothing but a twisted reflection of reality. From the porch the images are more pronounced, the colors are more vivid, the classification is more heavenly, and everything else is free notwithstanding the

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-46887447320003445272008-06-03T04:58:00.000-07:002008-06-03T05:06:34.549-07:00

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-4395965641232607872008-05-23T12:40:00.001-07:002008-05-23T12:43:45.549-07:00

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-61663971337735680272008-05-16T12:47:00.000-07:002008-05-16T13:08:21.418-07:00

...you will find the things and people I adore: crafts, plants, books, family, the works.Trivia: the two hanging pieces were bought in Tiendesitas, Pasig, when I went home in December 07 - handcaried all the way from Manila to Tokyo, Tokyo to DC, DC to Miami, while at the same time telling the diariong pambalot and straw strings, please, don't give up on me now.Pretty, ey?

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-4933372487590170732008-05-09T14:29:00.000-07:002008-05-09T14:51:28.360-07:00

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-23801000773048209092008-05-05T10:03:00.000-07:002008-05-06T05:17:51.912-07:00

First, who is the "you" referred to in the song?: A lover? The inner self? Some hope? Some expectation? Whatever, this is a terrific song."What You Thought You Need"by: Jack JohnsonI can't give you everything you wantBut I could give you what you thought you need.A map to keep beneath your seat, you've been to me in time I'll get you there.I fold it up so we don't find our way back soon, nobody

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-20273110381220961992008-04-25T10:10:00.000-07:002008-04-25T10:25:00.066-07:00

Blogkadahan, a hugely popular group of Filipino bloggers from around the world, once invited me to guestwrite for its blog, Rebels Without Because, some years back. The topic or theme I was asked to participate in was SEX, and so as it was I wrote for them. During a subsequent revisit to RWB site, I noticed that the "Sex Topic" wasn't there anymore, as well as most other topics that used to

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-92101003036588918042008-04-23T08:58:00.000-07:002008-04-23T09:16:57.428-07:00

JM Coetzee's latest opus Diary of A Bad Year zeroes in on the lead character's (Senor C's) political thoughts - referred to simply as "strong opinions". Senor C's thoughts, obviously, represent Coetzee's own personal thoughts (same way that he was indeed Elizabeth Costello in the book of the same title), and for which, I must say in my own strong opinion (whether or not I agree in some of his)

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-53600714108085041392008-04-15T10:01:00.000-07:002008-04-15T10:24:36.817-07:00

eto na po ang final playlist; gawa na ang final cd (sinunog na). tinatapos ko na lang po ang write-up liner notes chuvachuchu para kahit man lang yung sinulat ko e magustuhan nyo (o malamang yun ang talagang susunugin nyo). ayon sa inampalan eto ang aking final answer:1. Niall Toibin's Everything is Going to be Alright - read by Derek Mahon (Voices & Poetry of Ireland)2. Gatekeeper - Feist (Let

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-20769348156715311152008-04-03T09:52:00.000-07:002008-04-03T11:16:18.383-07:00

Here is my playlist, ignited by a tag from Jet. From this I will do a cd of 7 copies, 1 for Jet, one for myself, and 1 each for 5 people who wanted them. There are 2 simple conditions if you do: you have to email me your address, and you have to consider yourself tagged. The rules are simple: make a playlist of 19 songs, put them in a cd, tag 5 people and send them a copy each, and send a copy to

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-13950147164738160992008-03-31T09:13:00.000-07:002008-03-31T14:49:47.899-07:00

Dateline: Key BiscayneMarch 29, 2008Wala pang 9:00am bumabyahe na kami ni bunsong utol patungo rito sa Village of Key Biscayne para sa annual tournament na tinaguriang 5th grand slam. Papasok pa lang kami sa Rickenbacker Causeway traffic na, parang Quiapo minus the talampunay vendors na naglipana sa kalye."Anong court ba ang pagtutuunan natin ng pansin?", tanong ko kay utol, habang pababa na kami

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-45539236537463723292008-03-18T13:49:00.000-07:002008-03-19T06:51:59.214-07:00

This is my cocktail table. Unlike an ordinary cocktail table that serves no more than hold a stinking ashtray or pair of tired feet, my furniture has multiple functions over and above its inherent duty of balancing things up between sofa and loveseat. The 1st picture shows it's prime function: library annex. See that book on the right? That's "Principles of Uncertainty" which I got from Jet

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-89272514662721254392008-03-17T07:33:00.000-07:002008-03-17T14:17:24.648-07:00

Beginning May 2008, US taxpayers (persons filing their income tax returns this year individually or jointly) will be receiving a minimum of $300.00, max of $1200.00, as part of the government's stimulus package to stir the dwindling economy.That's a sad thing?Depends on who you ask.Some are sad because the "emergency" act may further cause the devaluation of the dollar.Some believe that the

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-53428540369646688032008-03-06T09:46:00.000-08:002008-03-07T14:25:27.430-08:00

Everyone knows the law of supply and demand: when demand is greater than the supply, the price goes up (the scarcer the product, the stiffer the tag); and on the reverse side, when supply overwhelms the demand, the price goes down, sometimes at giveaway rate.The market has a mind of its own. When the price is upped, the demand gets lower; when price is lowered, consumers scamper for the product

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-89084181598415240672008-02-28T09:36:00.001-08:002008-03-03T11:59:40.202-08:00

What goes up must come down. The cliche, of course, does not merely refer to a spinning wheel but also to some intangible things not otherwise affected by physics or gravity. Take the case of the dot-com balloon which went up so fast, nobody seemed surprised by its sudden plunge.I heard this at a party, like some chronicle of a dot-com geek's own spinning wheel during the early stages of this

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-60272787101287550622008-02-22T09:11:00.000-08:002008-02-23T03:35:46.219-08:00

There was a comic strip I read a while back in The Herald called Pearls Before Swine which, as I recall, goes like this:A duck is standing on a box when his friend Pig comes and asks, What are you doing, duck?, to which he replies, I'm standing on the crate of sadness.But why?, the pig asks further. Because my girlfriend flew over a year ago and never came back, the duck answers forlornly.The pig

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-53146781418213002802008-02-09T07:04:00.000-08:002008-02-09T08:36:13.536-08:00

nung isang linggo may nagbigay sa akin ng 2 tickets para sa concert ng cleveland symphony orchestra sa carnival center for the performing arts. sosi yung lugar na yun sa downtown miami, sosi rin yung concert, kaya syempre di ko alam kung bat ako napili ni kumag na bigyan ng tickets. kung naging sosi ako, wala nang jologs sa mundo, boring na tayong lahat, weeee!latino-kano yung sponsor, maraming

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-38035382839613577382008-02-03T15:11:00.000-08:002008-02-03T15:24:21.698-08:00

the stage is set in glendale, arizona. somewhere in miami, florida, the stage is set, too: buffalo wings, huge bags of lays salt & vinegar potato chips, olives, and pepperoncini.there are people and things missing: tight end jeremy shockey (injured), superbowl partymates (jorge moved to miami beach, steve went back home to syracuse), healthy food, and beer (my lump is infected). all these aren't

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-33922376004897913192008-01-28T18:34:00.000-08:002008-01-28T19:27:02.817-08:00

1. isa akong self-appointed beer taster. mula ngayon hanggang sa katapusan ng susunod na linggo, iinom ako ng isang klase ng beer para alamin kung anong beer ang dapat ihanda sa isang pagtitipon. ang tinutungga ko ngayon ay grolsch, yaring holland. hindi sya gaanong mapanghi.2. pwahh!, sambit ko nung minsang uminom ako ng mainit na beck, lasang peepee. bakeet?, tanong nung kasama ko,

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-69985317640399062002008-01-20T16:04:00.000-08:002008-01-20T19:10:48.614-08:00

1. I first saw it in Boogie Nights. Then in Magnolia. It happened again last Saturday after seeing There Will Be Blood. People going out of the theater after the movie ended had their heads bow down low in a complete rejection of eye contact with anybody. It is a socio-cinematic phenomenon that could not be named other than PaulThomasAndersonitis. I can name two reasons for the bowing of

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-53237589656849926322008-01-14T17:22:00.000-08:002008-01-14T18:11:34.653-08:00

1. may linya sa arrival sec ng naia na exclusive para sa mga ofws. gara nga ng pang-salubong sa kanila ng wow philippines - ice cream sa apa, straight from the dirty ice cream cart na bigay ng mamang naka barong tagalog pa mandin. asar, sa linya namin wala. ansungit pa nung taga-customs kaya hindi ko na nirequest, ma'am, bat ako walang sorbetes?2. mula sa customs hanggang sa na-pickup kami ng

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-53808978910456062112008-01-05T13:21:00.000-08:002008-01-06T17:52:05.796-08:00

1. on december 18th, 2007 i received from the mail a parcel containing a cd of infrequently heard songs from the 70's and an intriguing book called 'the principles of uncertainty' written and illustrated by maira kalman, sent in by my friend jet david from southern cal. the gift didn't just seem to cross the country from coast to coast but have dropped - pardon my use of eloquence - from

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-23337326159478058952007-12-31T22:51:00.000-08:002008-01-03T03:11:57.624-08:00

The ball dropped, the fireworks displayed the final showers, and the last sturgeon egg from the bottle of cheap caviar exploded in my mouth already. In a different year I would have said "And now what?", but I won't because this year, this moment of this year, there is a different kind of coolness residing in my chest...Right now it is 12:30 am of the new year and I'm listening to Robert Plant

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-57924654239218991572007-12-23T17:29:00.000-08:002007-12-23T18:42:24.521-08:00

asar lang ako dun sa penang hill kasi nung tinanong ni gwen yung party ko, sabi nung babaeng engot, zino zha? ayun, di tuloy nakakain si gwen ng malaysian chuva...titorolls, sabi ni utol, pagpasok mo pa lang daw sa restaurant, kitang kita na sa vibration mo yung essence ng academe; tas pa, answeet ng topic nyo, tungkol kasi sa diabetes...charlotta, labs ka daw ni Inang; huuu, bola lang yun (kasi

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-32089363234974140482007-12-15T05:48:00.000-08:002007-12-15T06:22:09.958-08:00

Christmas Party chuva ng opisina kagabi, I mean, kahapon pala kasi nagsimula ng ala-una ng hapon, hayuf, para kaming you-know-what (sabi nga ng mga politically inkorekok) kaya ayun, alas-dos pa lang ng hapon, lango na ang iba. dati-rati open bar, pero ngayon may 2-drink limit na pero syempre may mga resourceful na kukulimbatin ang mga tickets ng di-manginginginom, o kaya e pinisil-pisil yung

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-32352662041006656812007-12-03T03:06:00.000-08:002007-12-03T03:10:10.513-08:00

inakup, napasubo ata akow. nagcomment ako dun sa blog ni toni wifely steps tiu, i google nyo na lang kasi ala na ako time mag-link, maliligo na ako (tsaka isa pa, di ako marunong mag-link), ang sabi da yun daw first five na mag-comment makakatikim ng card tsaka regalo mula sa kanya, kaso merong catch (22), kelangan daw gawin mo din yun sa first 5 na mag-cocomment sa blog nimo. kaya etow, sana

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-86983355651265505992007-11-29T18:14:00.000-08:002007-12-01T13:36:18.318-08:00

In his great essay Notes of a Native Speaker, presidential speechwriter (to Bill Clinton) Eric Liu explores his identity as an Asian American and, in a fantastic approach to irony, starts it with an enumeration of the "ways you could say I am white" -I listen to National Public Radio.I wear khaki Dockers.I furnish my condo a la Crate & Barrel.I vacation in charming bed-and-breakfasts.I have been

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-14994232460969689812007-11-24T06:49:00.001-08:002007-11-24T04:47:27.695-08:00

Seneca Review, a publication of Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, NY, came out with a special issue recently (Vol 37, No. 2), to honor previous editor, Deborah Tall. The issue's theme is on the lyric essay and in a vague explanation of what is, and how it is attributed to her, John D'Agata mentions of a correspondence with Tall when he was still in college. She wrote, What you're

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-44393469671116817482007-11-22T04:59:00.000-08:002007-11-22T06:47:57.304-08:00

In Cormac McCarthy's nihilistic novel No Country For Old Men from which the movie of the same title was based, one character says that Truth ought to be simple, otherwise it will be too late if a child cannot understand it.I saw the movie last Saturday in South Beach where it had a special engagement, and I must say the majority of the viewers - myself included - had difficulty in understanding

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-28329991442827407582007-11-17T03:28:00.000-08:002007-11-19T02:55:15.713-08:00

There was a Will Smith movie I caught on tv one time - I forgot the title - where he plays opposite this funny guy from King of Queens - I forgot his name. Smith is a romance consultant (or something like that) and the other guy is a hopeless romantic who badly needs some consultation on matters of love, get the drift? Not Oscar worthy story, really, but there's a scene where Smith's line was

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-2912619253370513262007-11-11T04:03:00.000-08:002007-11-11T17:06:43.658-08:00

My book and heartMust never part.- The New England PrimerPrologue:I get a 30% coupon from Borders Bookstore from time to time and everytime I get one I follow the same routine. I go to the store closest to my condo and do a quicksearch for the bargain buy. First-hand books are expensive and a 30% coupon is something to behold. If a book sucked, I felt I betrayed the coupon in a wickeder

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-59403539654210516972007-11-09T17:42:00.000-08:002007-11-09T18:42:59.381-08:00

5 taon ang pagitan namin ni bunso. tingin ko ideal na pagitan yun sa magkapatid na lalaki kasi kung 1 o 2 lang, malamang araw-araw ang upakan kundi man oras-oras; at kung mga 10 naman, parang may generation gap na, astang mag-tatay charirot na.simula pagkabata parati na kami magkasama ni kumag. idol ako nyan eh, wehehe, kaya kahit ano gawin ko ginagaya, kaso lang pirming mas matindi ang

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-79144333514370706182007-11-04T04:16:00.000-08:002007-11-04T18:06:39.898-08:00

(Original text of the homily I delivered on October 21, 2007 on the occasion of the ongoing national call to 2008 Stewardship Renewal.)Good Afternoon,I stand here before you today to talk about stewardship in general, ministries in particular, and it is such an honor not only to be asked to speak about very significant subjects, but also to be chosen to do so from among the many members of this

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-441391801378700972007-11-03T04:30:00.000-07:002007-11-03T05:07:21.189-07:00

Meron akong kaopisina, si Abel, na masyadong mahal ang sarili na tuwing may magagawang tama (halimbawa, nasolb nya ang maliit na problema sa computer) hahalikan nya ang braso nya ng matunog, tas sasabihin, I so love you Abel. Naisip ko nga minsan siguro nakikipag-lips to lips sya sa sarili nya sa salamin. Gross.Mahal ko din syempre ang sarili ko kaya nga nung bata ako, minsang nakahawak ako ng

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-30196620520763694752007-10-31T17:40:00.000-07:002007-10-31T17:55:52.210-07:00

1. What's the worst nickname (or buska) you've been called or branded? Care to tell why, (whether the label be/had been true or not)?2. Who were your childhood heroes?3. What are/were your pets' names, and what are/were they?4. If the only power you have in life is to tell everybody what NOT to read, what will that be, and why?5. What do you want this Christmas?

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-41813534453960414982007-10-27T04:12:00.000-07:002007-10-27T05:19:26.910-07:00

Michel de Montaigne said that man cannot make a mite yet he makes gods by the dozen.The worse thing is that sometimes we play god ourselves, casually perhaps, or even unknowingly, in such a venue none closer to home than our very own backyard. I am talking about an instance when we encounter a bug venturing in our bermuda grass, or in the shrubs, and it scares the hell out of us so we decide to

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-52507284808310109262007-10-23T17:54:00.000-07:002007-10-23T18:22:21.195-07:00

I would rediscover the secret of great communication andgreat combustions. I would say storm. I would say river.I would say tornado. I would say leaf. I would say tree.I would be drenched by all rains, moistened by all dews.I would roll like frenetic blood on the slow current ofthe eye of word turned into mad horses into fresh childreninto clots into vestiges of temples into precious

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-62326299297573614732007-10-20T06:16:00.000-07:002007-10-20T07:52:10.940-07:00

Q. Si Marcel Proust daw, malimit i-associate yung mga kakilala nya sa tao ng kasaysayan, o vice-versa, na para bang lahat ng tao e may kamukha o kahawig (which is probably true). Kung ikaw si Marcelo Pururust, pwede mo bang i-associate ang mga kaibigan mong bloggers sa celebrities?A. OO bah, magandang tanong yan. Si ghost, kamuka ni Tara Lipinski; si svelterogue parang batang Iris Murdoch; si

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-66298741047414500422007-10-16T18:13:00.000-07:002007-10-16T19:12:53.174-07:00

Pasakalye (or Intro, if you're sosi): When I was still doltish in computers (still am, but I have graduated from imbecility to idiocy -or however the intelligence [dis]order comes), I thought FAQ was an obscene abbreviation, until I discovered what they meant and realized obscenity resided in me, and so one day I thought of putting up a surveyor blog a la Social Weather Weather Station Chuva to

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-37389486028177529222007-10-13T16:52:00.000-07:002007-10-13T17:56:11.807-07:00

I just got back from the Orange Bowl in Downtown Miami and experienced once more the dreadful sight of sport's funeral - you can hear a pin drop in the midst of 40,000 fans absorbing the pain of yet another loss to Georgia Tech in eerie silence. The University of Miami's Hurricanes have learned to coincide with the season; they are legends of the fall. Quarterback Kyle Wright have not learned

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-63760938012352260462007-09-27T17:41:00.000-07:002007-09-27T18:21:47.386-07:00

1. In Miami we have no fall. As in the north, leaves don't turn into an explosion of colors. But we have a very wet season: beginning September we have an increased amount of rainfall, and if it's our luck one hurricane will at least make a landfall. Which means this time of the year, in Miami we have fall.2. I got new books. There's a certain hint of gloom in the air that makes up for a

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-91738316069088865352007-09-13T17:29:00.000-07:002007-09-13T19:17:06.020-07:00

Dear Jet,We haven't written each other for a long time and the interrupted traffic of correspondence made me realize, somehow, for one shining moment, how silence can be a tad boring. I may not be able to fully explain this to the accidental reader stumbling upon this openness for the first time but I might as well announce how your letters (or blog comments, or emails) magically carry the

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-36036540548560795042007-09-08T03:58:00.000-07:002007-09-08T04:25:34.719-07:00

Naalala ko yung libro na binasa ko nung high school (which means, uhm, matagal na sha), One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich ni Alexandr S, tungkol sa buhay ni Ivan (shempre) sa loob ng 24 oras (shempre ulet) sa piitan dahil lamang sa pag-defame kay Stalin.Hayup. Si Kiefer Sutherland nga katakut-takot ang tinepok at tinorture sa loob ng 24 oras, bihira lang makulong. Sabi nga nung isang tunay

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-22579075830433727972007-09-01T06:50:00.000-07:002007-09-01T07:47:51.361-07:00

Saint Jigow? Saint Die, Go? Saint Elsewhere? South of L.A.?Mexicano siguro si Diego, tas mabait sha nung nabubuhay. Wala pa sigurong border patrol nun, tsaka di pa nadidiskubre ni Eric Clapton ang kokeyn.Sabi dun sa travel book na binasa ko bago magtungong SD, pag may kumat daw sa yo sa highway habang nagmamaneho ka, wag mo daw potpotan o ngatngatan at hayaan na lang kasi baka mga myembro sila ng

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-7992586341985036822007-08-25T04:35:00.000-07:002007-08-29T05:10:21.665-07:00

1. It all began with hope. The day before our trip to San Diego, Borders Bookstore emailed me with a 20% coupon which I took as an excuse to snub my library of unread books. I scoured and scanned tens and tens of books - a necessary act for my one of two requirements in flying, a good book - and stopped only when I got my hands on Don DeLillo's Underworld that was packed with fantastic capsule

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-88452520889782953952007-08-19T16:12:00.000-07:002007-08-19T17:02:50.299-07:00

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon, time check 6:30 something, and I was having dinner in front of the tv watching Travel Channel's No Reservation and Tony Bourdain was enjoying his food and company in Sao Paolo, Brazil. They were drinking a vodka-based killer drink saying salud in this wise, Cheers! Life doesn't suck! Which, for the most hardened existentialist, it was easy for Tony to say. He

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-68670880465193720212007-08-18T04:50:00.000-07:002007-08-18T04:59:33.128-07:00

Sailingby: Henrik NordbrandtAfter having loved we lie close togetherand at the same time with distance between uslike two sailing ships that enjoy so intenselytheir own lines in the dark water they dividethat their hullsare almost splitting from sheer delightwhile racing, out in the blueunder sails which the nightwind fillswith flowerscented air and moonlight- without one of them ever tryingto

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-39086921170107188732007-08-04T13:05:00.000-07:002007-08-04T14:16:52.190-07:00

Naalala ko 'tong salita na 'to sa Pinas, byahe!, pag naglalaro ako ng basketbol at meron akong ka-koponan na imbes na si Shin Dong Pa e si Shin Dupang, ibig sabihin e ballhog na parang nadikitan ng glue yung bola pag hawak nya, o kaya e parang kabayong pangkarera na may tabing ang gilid ng mata para walang ibang nakikita kundi paderetso, patungong goal. Tingnan mo nga naman; ang talagang

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-88603554130844285472007-07-21T04:42:00.000-07:002007-07-21T12:33:30.027-07:00

(Or is it write travel, will eat?)Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern of The Travel Channel are two lucky people. Both love to travel, write, and eat - and do all three things simultaneously and get paid for it.As to the rest of us, travelling and eating are all a matter of paying. Which is why everytime I travel, I do my homework. I read food critics' and consumers' reviews, look for Zagat

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597606.post-21852305827684829832007-07-16T17:54:00.000-07:002007-07-18T18:59:37.848-07:00

No, I'm not talking about age 50. I'm still climbing uphill and hopelessly hoping for traffic along the way. 50 here is 50 states, and like my co-worker Rick who had been to each and every star represented on Old Glory, I, too, longed to set foot on every member of the united.How do I love thee, let me count the states: Illinois, Michigan, Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island,

cbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18071816444567667030noreply@blogger.com0