Café Voltaire

city of a thousand years 2

2010-10-10T22:03:00.008+08:00

On ne voit bien qu'avec le coeur. L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux. -Antoine de Saint-Exupery, Le Petit Prince

When my classmate Kay mentioned her new scholarly interests- anthropology and intangible cultural heritage- one of the culturally significant tales I thought of was the legend of Ho Hoan Kiem or Returned Sword Lake. You can see the lake in the middle ground of the picture, taken on a terrace of an outdoor cafe in Hanoi's historical district.

When I first rode a cyclo around Ho Hoan Kiem, I was reminded of the lake in Burnham Park in the mountain city of Baguio where my brothers and I spent summers biking. I didn't think much of Ho Hoan Kiem until I read about the legend surrounding it that transformed it in my eyes into an emerald jewel: here was an invisible key to understanding Vietnam and its people.

Here is how Nguyen Van Ky tells the legend in the book Hanoi: City of the Rising Dragon, co-authored with Frenchman Georges Boudarel:

One of Hanoi's most famous legends is that of Returned Sword Lake. It is said that a mythical tortoise gave its sacred sword to King Le Lot (r. 1428-33), allowing him to expel the occupying forces of the Chinese Ming dynasty in the fifteenth century after ten years of resistance. The people from Hanoi also love to tell stories about the etymological origins of Thang Long, the city's first name. When the boats of Ly Cong Uan, the founder of the eleventh-century Ly dynasty, arrived on the site from Hoa Lu, a golden dragon appeared to welcome them and then flew off into the sky. This good omen convinced the king to build the capital there, calling it Thang Long, which means "the rising dragon."

The divine sword is said to have been "restored" since, after King Le Lot's victory over foreign invaders and while he was boating on the lake, the golden tortoise emerged from the deep once more and took back the sacred blade that the gods gave the king to save his people.

In the Philippines, an etymological legend about a lake I've come across is that of Lake Lanao- said to have been created by angels- which is why I'm drawn to visit the land of the Maranao, the People of the Lake, someday.

city of a thousand years 1

2010-10-03T21:04:00.012+08:00

When I visited Hanoi- the political capital of Vietnam- two years ago, little did I know that it would be celebrating 1000 years this year- from 1 to 10 October 2010. I consider that trip personally significant because it was when I sought to discover my identity as an Asian.

In the university, all of us undergrads took a semester-long foundation subject called Kasaysayan 2 (History 2) on Asian History. In high school, we also tackled important events in the history of the world's largest continent. I was aware of the Srivijaya and Majapahit empires, heritage sites like the Angkor Wat, and religious artifacts like the lingam- but it was all intellectual. I didn't feel very Asian at all- that is, I couldn't relate to neighboring cultures- even if I knew that geographically the Philippines is in Asia: I practiced a religion adopted from the West, spoke English and wrote using the Roman alphabet, and watched Hollywood films. Whenever I travelled to Asian countries- before Vietnam, I had been to China, Thailand and Cambodia, for example- I felt like an observer who was passing through, rather than the bearer of a continental culture.

While Western cultural software gave me self-confidence and opened up capacious worlds, it also led me to ignore traditions and patterns- Malay, Islamic, Confucian and others- that are at least as culturally rich as those from Europe or America, many of which as an Asian are already part of who I am. I've just had to learn to see them.

The above travel video shows Hanoi, city of a thousand years, as well as Ha Long Bay, in my eyes- the eyes of a 21st century Manileño. The score is the theme song of a Filipino TV drama, Vietnam Rose, sung by Filipino balladeer Martin Nievera (thanks to ABS-CBN).

projection

2010-09-26T12:25:00.003+08:00

For the swan is invariably the result of adherence to some aesthetic system of thought, a code transposed into a self-portrait; what we see is the imaginary portrait precisely projected. That is why certain women, while not truly beautiful, but triumphs over plainness, can occasionally provide the swan-illusion: their inner vision of themselves is so fixed, decorated with such clever outer artifice, that we surrender to their claim, even stand convinced of its genuineness: and it is genuine... -Truman Capote, Observations, 1959

Painting is Henri Matisse's "Portrait of Yvonne Landsburg." Photo below is my "Portrait of Mida Azada."

10 sa Louvre

2010-09-19T08:18:00.034+08:00

Ayon sa librong ginamit ko para sa enneagram, ang bayan na sumasagisag sa aking pagkatao ay ang Pransya.

Ang enneagram ay isang modelo ng personalidad ng tao: sa pamamagitan ng pagsagot sa mga tanong, maaari mo raw malaman kung ano sa siyam (ennea ang salitang Griyego para sa numerong siyam) na uri ng personalidad ang mayroon ka.

Dahil sinasabing ang Pransya ang bayan ng sining at paglikha- ng orihinalidad- ang paskel ko ngayong araw ay tungkol sa pambansang museo nito para sa sining: ang Louvre. Ang tunog nito ay loo-vruh o loo-va- parang "move" sa Ingles- kapag binibigkas ng Pranses. Walang nakakaalam kung saan nagmula ang pangalang Louvre- maaaring ito'y galing sa salitang Latin para sa lobo (lupus, lupi) na sinasabing noo'y gumagala sa lugar.

Sa isang sulat sa kanyang mga magulang mula sa Paris, sinabi ni Rizal na "tila ang Louvre ang pinakamahalagang gusali sa Pransya." Marami sa orihinal ng mga larawan at eskultura na ating nakikita sa mga Kanluraning libro- mahigit sa 35,000 na mga likhang sining- ang matatagpuan dito. Maaaring isa ito sa mga dahilan kung bakit tinawag ng isang manunulat ang Paris na "pansining at kultural na nukleus ng sibilisasyong Kanluran."

Di tulad ng pamilya ni Rizal, tayo ngayon ay may Internet na'ng maaaring gamitin upang maging pamilyar sa mga obra maestra nito mula sa iba't ibang bayan at panahon. Sa ilalim ang sampu sa mga mahahalagang obrang makikita sa Louvre na aking nagustuhan:

1. Ang Piramide at ang Palasyong Louvre mismo- Narito ang larawan ng mga gusaling ito'ng aking ipinaskel dati. Noong maagang bahagi ng dekada 1980, kinailangang palawakin ang espasyo ng museo at ang naging solusyon ng arkitektong si I.M. Pei ay gawin ito sa ilalim ng lupa! Dahil dito, nasunod niya ang kondisyon ng Presidente na respetuhin ang matandang Palasyo. Nagsisilbing silong mula sa mga elemento ang mala-kristal na Piramideng gawa sa salamin para sa mga bisitang bumababa sa hagdanan nito papasok sa palasyong-museo. Sa baba- sa tinatawag na Korteng Napoleon- makikita ang Binaligtad na Piramide (larawan ko rito) na naging tanyag sa pelikulang "The Da Vinci Code" mula sa nobela ni Dan Brown.

2. Lumilipad na Tagumpay ng Samothrace- Tuwang-tuwa ako sa estatwang marmol na ito ng Griyegong diyosa ng Tagumpay o Nike dahil bagama't matagal na siya sa mundo (ginawa siya noon pang 2 BK sa isla ng Samothrace), patuloy pa rin siyang nagiging inspirasyon sa mga manlilikha- sa pagsasalarawan ng mga anghel sa mga simbahan o maging sa swoosh na logo ng isang brand ng sapatos. Sinasabing inspirasyon rin ito para sa mga genie na nagbibigay tanglaw mula sa ibabaw ng bakod ng simbahan ng Betis, Pampanga.

3. Mona Lisa- Malamang ito ang pinakatanyag na larawan sa mundo ngayon dahil sa mga pinagdaanan nito: ninakaw, binato, pinahiram sa Washington DC, Tokyo at Moscow, at pinakita sa "The Da Vinci Code." Noong panahon ni Rizal, tila di pa ito kasing kilala: di niya ito naisalarawan sa kanyang mga sulat tungkol sa Louvre. Nasurpresa ako dahil di pala kalakihan ang larawang ito ng Italyanong si Leonardo Da Vinci: 30" por 21" lamang. Pinintura ito noong mga 1503-1519.

4. Venus ng Milo- Bakit kaya inuming tsokolate ang naiisip ko 'pag tinitingnan ko siya? May maliit na kopya nito si Mommy; may kasinlaking kopya naman si JLC sa tabi ng kanyang swimming pool. Itong eskulturang marmol na ito- pinaniniwalaang ang Griyegong diyosa ng pag-ibig na si Aphrodite (Venus sa mga Romano)- ay ginawa noong mga 130 hanggang 100 BK. Dati'y may kulay ang mga marmol na Griyegong estatwa, ngunit nawala na ang pinta sa paglipas ng panahon at ngayo'y puti na ang mga ito.

5. Koronasyon ni Napoleon I- Ang maganda lang sa pagtingin sa ilang orihinal na larawan ay nakikita ang tunay na laki nito. Ang larawan sa itaas ni Jacques-Louis David ay parang billboard ang laki- parang Ang Spoliarium ni Juan Luna sa ating Pambansang Museo. Natuwa ako sa mga ibinurdang bubuyog sa ilalim ng kapa ng emperadora- simbolo ang mga ito ng imperyong Napoleon. Natapos ni David ang larawan noong 1807 pagkatapos ng tatlong taong pagpipinta.

6. Handaang Kasal sa Cana- Isa pang kwadrong parang billboard ang laki. Ang ganda ng mga kulay, lalo na ng kulay luntian- makikita sa itaas ang luntiang Veronese (Veronese green) na minsa'y ating nababasa sa pangmodang magasin. Natapos itong malaking larawang ito sa Venesya sa Italya ni Paolo Veronese noong 1563.

7. Balsa ng Medusa- Ang komposisyon at drama ng Spoliarum ni Luna at ang masa ng mga tao sa monumento ng People Power sa EDSA ang naaalala ko kapag tinitingnan ko itong larawan ni Theodore Géricault. Nagustuhan ko- tulad siguro ng marami nating kababayan- ang tatsulok na komposisyon ng larawan. Nang itinanghal ito noong 1819, itinuri itong iskandalo ng ilang kritiko. Sa unang pagkakataon, pinintura ang mga di kilalalang tao (mga sakay ng kalulubog lang na barkong Medusa) sa monumental na paraang dati'y ginagamit lang para sa pagpipintang pangkasaysayan. Naging sagisag ang larawang ito ng Romantisismong Pranses.

8. Mga piraso ng Parthenon- Nakapaligid sa Parthenon ang mga relief tulad nitong Plake ng mga Ergastine (mga mananahi ng damit na inaalay kay Athena, ang kanilang diyosa ng wisdom o dunong). Ang Parthenon ang tanyag na templo ng lungsod ng Athens na itinayo noong mga 447- 432 BK. Pagkatapos ng maraming siglo, naging inspirasyon ito para sa maraming gusaling pampamahalaan ng mga demokrasya sa buong mundo, tulad ng lumang gusali ng ating Kongreso (ngayo'y bahagi ng Pambansang Museo). Sa Athens sa Gresya sinasabing ipinanganak ang ideya at sistemang politikal ng pamumuno ng mga mamamayan. May mga nagtatanong lang kung kanino ang mga pirasong ito ng templo: sa Gresya? sa Pransya? O sa buong sangkatauhan?

9. Grande Odalisque- Nakakatuwa ang pag-imbento ng pintor na si Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres sa porma ng odalisque o babae sa Turkong harem. Mahaba ang kanyang likod nang tatlong vertebrae at di tugma sa realidad ang ayos ng dibdib at kaliwang binti nito. Naging inspirasyon daw ito kay Picasso para sa paghahati-hati niya sa mga larawan ng mga katawan- at ng mundo- ayon sa kanyang imahinasyon. Pinintura ang Odalisque noong 1814.

10. Batas ni Hammurabi- Bilang abogado, naintriga ako sa itim na batong ito. Inukit dito noong mga 1790 BK ang 281 na mga batas sa pamumuno ng ika-anim na hari ng Babylon, si Hammurabi. Simbolo ito para sa akin ng ideya ng pamamayani di ng hari o sinumang tao ngunit ng batas.

The pictures above are from the website of the Louvre: www.louvre.fr. For a virtual The Da Vinci Code tour of the museum and other thematic tours, click here.

transformation

2010-09-12T09:16:00.020+08:00

Upon Mida's recommendation, I read Samuel K. Tan's A History of the Philippines. I was looking for a short book that I could read quickly from cover to cover to brush up on important events in our history. Specifically, I wanted to distinguish the various republics, as I would read- frequently in the posts of Manolo Quezon- about the First, Second, Third etc. Republic, a categorization I wasn't familiar with. (I thought only the French count five republics- the Philippines has the same number.)

What's wonderful about reading a history book for pleasure is the chance to appreciate the big picture, as well as the particular vision of the author. When I was in school, I was too busy focusing on names, artifacts and events that I didn't really notice any theme or main message of the historian.

I thought, What did it matter if I read Agoncillo or Constantino or my father, for that matter? All described the same people, the same events.

Now, I'm aware that history books, like literature, have an agenda, which makes them a rich subject for all sorts of readings. Each writer has a personality- and just like in meeting a person face-to-face, it's more fun during the dialogue to figure out what makes makes him or her tick.

In the case of S.K. Tan's short history, his purpose appears to be to present a balanced account of our three major communities- Muslims, Christians, and indigenous groups- and their actions and reactions to other peoples. His subject-position probably shaped this worldview: he was born in Siasi, Sulu of Tausug-Samal-Chinese parentage, and studied in Dumaguete, Zamboanga and Manila, as well as abroad. In his preface, Tan explained that by crafting a history that takes into account the experiences of indigenous cultural communities, together with those of Muslims and Christians, the fibers of our nationhood are strengthened.

While reading the book, I became even more interested in our history before the First Republic- before even our country's encounter with the West (Chapter II, The Cultural Breakthroughs, 250,000 BC- 200 AD). In part, this has been the result of talking to friends- most of whom are non-historians- who find it natural to view the present in the light of centuries past and who, moreover, are interested in the East- in Asia. By osmosis, I had already absorbed some of that attitude from Tatay. What a delight it has been to rediscover our country's past!

Each page describing an epoch or cultural encounter I read adds yet another dimension to my experiences and sense of self. Compared to the relatively blasé attitude I had before, my historical lens allows me to view life in High Definition or 3D. It is history not simply as a set of lessons or a map to the future, but history as transformation- taking the past from the pages of history and enlivening the present with it.

The picture above shows me as a wily Katipunero emerging from the trap door in Bahay Villavicencio in the quaint town of Taal, Batangas. The door, partly hidden beneath a Persian rug in the dining room, opens to a secret tunnel leading right to the sacristy of the cathedral. In case you recognize it, Bahay Villavicencio was used for a TV drama on the love story of Cory and Ninoy Aquino. History as transformation.

light and dark

2010-09-05T16:21:00.022+08:00

One of the nice things about being in a nation that's taking off is that one is so close to mga bayani or heroes, one can almost touch them. Certainly this was what I felt when I visited the Aquino Center in Tarlac where, in the ennobling space created by Manosa, one can hear the march of history- the cry of a People shouting as one for the light.

Visit it during the day to see the museum and climb the tower for a panoramic view of the farms. Then return at night- on horseback- to see it gently glowing like a candle beneath the moon and the stars.

I was too young to know Ninoy Aquino while he was alive- reared by protective adults, it was only after his death when I learned about Silahis' father and other political prisoners during Martial Law. So it was great to overcome my phobia of the locale and visit the museum- I came away with the sense that, in my lifetime, there existed this extraordinary public servant and human being.

The first thing that struck me when I visited the museum was its first display. It was neither a memorabile of the late senator nor the late President Cory Aquino, but framed opinion articles from the Bulletin on Mrs. Aquino's father Jose "Pepe" Cojuangco, the agriculturalist-banker who founded Hacienda Luisita. Why was this so? I wondered. Later, while viewing the other exhibits, it struck me that, in remembering or assessing the achievements of Ninoy or the contributions of this extraordinary family to the nation, one cannot put the hacienda in a separate compartment- it is part of the cycle, perhaps it was even the material base, of their political life.

Tito Doc said that when he was studying in UP Diliman, he found Ninoy the student to be the most animated person around- he stood out because of the safari shorts he preferred to wear (everyone else wore pants in 1950s Diliman) and often used his hands and arms to communicate.

"He was the most animated person I've met until today," said my uncle.

Certainly, a series of black-and-white pictures of Ninoy as senator supports this claim- a hundred small pictures of the senator's face taken one after the other, each one showing a different facial expression! This was one of my favorite displays.

The senator's speeches, printed in booklet form and framed, were critical of the Marcoses and made me understand the morally righteous- some would say negative- tone of his son's speeches when the latter was still running for the Presidency.

I was moved by the replica of the late senator's jail cell- one can almost envy his rare journey through the depths of despair toward self-enlightenment, as reflected in his existential poems that are displayed on its exterior gray walls. Until one realizes that it was but a microcosm of the journey and process of self-realization that our entire country has gone and is going through.

And I was shocked to find his bloodstained white safari suit in a clear glass case in the heart of the museum.

I took a picture of the memento above because of its caption- it says the image was shot by the grandparents of a friend, J.J. Duque. The photograph shows the patriotic late senator doing his own flag ceremony in his Massachusetts farm. It would've been considered a quixotic, perhaps even crazy, act had he and millions of other Filipinos not proven later on the truth of his words, that we are worth living for- that we have a purpose in the history of humanity. The last mass attended by Sen. Aquino before he returned to the Philippines for his appointment with destiny was celebrated in a Boston church with J.J.'s lola and lolo, Betty and Jose Calderon.

iitoko-dori

2010-08-29T22:04:00.006+08:00

I live in a city where several television stations have their headquarters, and tonight I saw peering over the treetops of our village two communications towers. They're painted orange and white (in compliance with air safety regulations) and- inspired as I was by the gardening principle of shakkei or "borrowed view"- I pictured the taller one to be the Tokyo Tawaa.

Now there is a landmark that all those whom I loved and who've lived in the city would have seen! I may not have viewed it beside them, but across time it becomes a shared experience.

One day, while walking towards the tower, I was shocked when a Japanese friend called it "a crappy version of the Eiffel Tower." Indeed it's an adopted vision of la Tour Eiffel, but not an exact copy- aside from its bright color, a third of it is made of metal from US tanks damaged during the Korean War.

Perhaps my tomodachi was just being modest, but I think the Tokyo Tawaa shows the amazing tradition of the Japanese of taking the best aspects of foreign cultures and making it uniquely theirs. It explains their past- and points the way to their future.

The Japanese have a term for this process: iitoko-dori.

Similar to the process carried out by Filipinos through the centuries in blending indigenous beliefs with Islam or Christianity and their attendant political and legal systems, iitoko-dori enabled the Japanese to harmonize Shintoism (which some scholars say is a form of animism and the basis of the Emperor's power), Buddhism and Confucianism.

Prince Shotoku in the 7th century explained how this was to be viewed: "Shintoism is the trunk, Buddhism is the branches, and Confucianism is the leaves." Thereafter, the Japanese were able to easily adopt new cultural values from other lands and improve upon the techniques that came with them- whether in politics, technology, business, architecture, or pop culture.

Far from being the symptom of a damaged culture, iitoko-dori shows the genius of a people in creative interaction with the world.

foundation tale

2010-07-18T07:35:00.075+08:00

In the days leading to and after VJ's wedding, some of our relatives from the US arrived and we had the chance to hang out and nourish family ties. Ate Pinky and her husband Joel Harden were first to fly in (they had a taping for TFC's game show Wowowee); they were followed by Tito Bong, Ate Nenette, and Kuya Mario and, a couple of weeks later, by Ate Gigi, the wife of Kuya Bebot.

Ate Pinky shoots great pictures: she took my photo above with the New York skyline as the backdrop. One of love's happiest days was played out in this metropolis, and it truly is an exciting place- a city of soaring skyscrapers and vertical ambitions, a grid for anonymity, self-reinvention and, yes, sex- spectral desire that flickers and shifts like the electric stars lighting and magically transforming this drab skyline into romance each night.

New York as 20th c. financial capital is part of global mythology and, consequently, global Pinoy mythology: one possesses her (or in some cases is possessed by her) even before stepping on her shores. My first memory of this city- serving perhaps as its foundation tale for me- happened in fourth grade when my social studies teacher Mrs. Libunao made tsismis about an encounter here between then first lady Imelda Marcos and former American first lady Jackie Kennedy, after JFK's assassination and before she married Onassis.

According to one "blue lady" (a kind of lady-in-waiting of Mrs. Marcos)- the mother of one of our classmates- Mrs. Marcos and the blue ladies were in New York for one of her shopping sprees when she chanced upon Mrs. Kennedy looking at some pieces of jewelry in a shop (Van Cleef & Arpels?). They had never been introduced and knew each other only by reputation.

After Mrs. Kennedy left, Mrs. Marcos asked the salesman if Mrs. Kennedy had especially liked any piece.

Indeed she had, the salesman replied, sensing a kill. A stunning emerald necklace.

Oh I have enough money on me for that, Mrs. Marcos said, and proceeded to purchase the necklace which she immediately sent to Mrs. Kennedy's Fifth Avenue apartment as a getting-to-know-you gift.

Now comes the moral of this fourth-grade tale (hearsay in any case).

Before the Philippine shopping delegation left New York, Mrs. Marcos received a parcel in her hotel suite (she liked to hold court at the Waldorf-Astoria)- it was from Mrs. Kennedy and contained the emerald necklace and a note.

On powder blue stationery, Mrs. Kennedy wrote: Thank you for your lovely gift Mrs. Marcos, but I cannot accept this- it would be better to use the money to help the hungry people in the Philippines.

Our entire class of fourth-graders gave a collective gasp- we couldn't understand why Mrs. Kennedy didn't just take the expensive necklace- one that she apparently liked! It took many social studies classes later- many rallies, perhaps even EDSA- before we understood the complexities of public service ethics, gift-giving etiquette, debt-service and all that.

Had Mrs. Kennedy not returned the gift, my classmates and I would probably still be paying for that emerald necklace today! Because of her faux pas, Mrs. Marcos certainly added a priceless pearl of wisdom to her tiara (during the country's experiment with monarchy, she possessed at least three tiaras plus a crown- check out other Philippine Republic jewels, formerly Marcos jewels, here). Jackie's lesson on how to do the right thing, coupled with other life lessons since then, surely contributed to the political longevity of Imelda (Mrs. Marcos has since turned less regal- more democratic- and was recently elected her Ilocos district's representative in Congress).

Thank you JBKO, a true New Yorker!

full circle

2010-06-13T09:44:00.004+08:00

On Twitter:

Preparing for brother VJ's wedding in San Agustin Church. Our parents got married there so their story will come full circle this afternoon.
12:29 PM May 2nd via Ping.fm

Bulacan unreal-ism

2010-06-06T08:20:00.012+08:00

Long-time residents of San Rafael, Bulacan, say that this small chamber in their Old Church was where the boy on whom Rizal based the character of Crispin was locked up, whipped and died. There are no signs outside the church indicating this piece of literary history.

I found the church using tips from Tito Doc and Tito Ante. When I reached the church, I saw that the main entrance to the convent was locked and I reached the hidden room by climbing a flight of stairs at the back of the convent and passing through an empty kitchen, dining area and local museum.

Village elders say that after the Revolution, one could still see handprints in dried blood on the walls- now only a painting of the Noli's chapter 15 gives a clue to the historical significance of the place.

It was while walking through this church- the museum, choir loft, and belfry- when I finally had a dream- a flash like lightning- and pictured the answer to the question of the young woman in a green dress, about her husband's other son.

What's he like?

Just like in our school days, I saw that he remains a stylish dresser, someone who wears obscure, but well-crafted brands (like IWC). In the past, there were days when he and his best friend would wear black-rimmed glasses, though they didn't need to: many of us in the class didn't know it was geek chic, they were that sartorially advanced.

He was always smiling and pleasant to talk to- I never heard him say a bad word about anyone. We made small talk whenever we met- nothing serious, so I really didn't know much about him. Neither of us knew then that both our grandparents came from the same province.

He had an active social life and loved to party at night.

He wasn't very confident about his study skills, but I pictured that he discovered his unique intelligences later on. His visual intelligence, in particular, is very advanced: he sees patterns of form and color that escape ordinary people. One sees it in his sartorial choices- clean, simple, and stylish clothes- as well as the way he composes pictures with his camera: he loves minute details, patterns of lines, and reflections on water. He runs in the city's marathons.

I saw the relationship blooming at the height of his father's popularity and his birth a few months after Marcos declared Martial Law. He is now married and has two kids. He lives a private life.

family

2010-05-30T21:48:00.010+08:00

When my friends Michal from Poland and K. from Korea arrived in the Philippines, I had the chance to introduce them to my entire extended family. My concept of family is organic and porous: since I was a child, I would spend a few days, or even a few weeks, with an aunt or an uncle on my father's side, and while growing up I lived with various cousins, nephews, and nieces of my mom.

Before climbing the Pinatubo volcano, the three of us spent the night in Village Inn Cabanatuan, a special place. While growing up, I spent summers here learning how to swim in the pool. This was where I recuperated each time my cousin Kuya Dondi and his dentist friend pulled a wisdom tooth: my nurse-aunt, Tita Violy, would then give me arroz caldo (Filipino rice congee) which always made me feel better. As an undergrad, Village Inn was where I nursed a broken heart (though I wasn't aware of it then). It was also where I reviewed for law school's entrance exams (which Prof. Disini said I topped).

At 5 in the morning, seeing the faces of my friends aglow with peace in the inn's garden, I knew that the magic of the place had descended on them too. Later, they would both say it was meeting my family that was the highlight of their trip.

The magic of Village Inn- and perhaps of my experience of Cabanatuan itself- is a product of the love of two people, the hotel's founders Tita Violy and my uncle Tito Doc (shown serving coffee and papaya fruit in the picture taken by Ric Lopez above). It's a love that radiates like the sun to their many relatives and friends, even entire clans and communities.

People would sometimes ask why I'm close to them- especially to Tito Doc- and I think part of the reason is we had the gift of space, both geographical and psychological. One can be blinded or get burnt by staying too near the sun too long. We spent just enough time to enjoy each other's company, appreciate each other's achievements, and look forward to our next get-together.

Tita Violy and Tito Doc are a blessing to me.

When choosing my course and campus as a high school graduate, I sought their advice: my life with its twists and turns, I imagine, would've turned out straighter and much less interesting had they answered my question differently. And after I became a lawyer they helped me rediscover my old avatars of writer and editor, as well as create new ones: photographer, videographer, website designer, and entrepreneur. They had faith that I would excel in anything I set out to do- not because I had already proven myself (oftentimes, they were my first clients in a venture, my angel investors or evangelists), but because they chose to believe in me. I realized myself as an artist- and as a human being- because of their love and imagination, their rare gift of suspending disbelief. Aside from being a refuge, Village Inn became my laboratory for creative projects my project associates and I would later develop on a national and international scale.

One morning after mass in the cathedral that they're helping build- it would be the largest one in Central Luzon when it's completed- I gave them my copy of The Intangibles That Make a Nation Great signed by the author Jovito Salonga. While we were in the car, I thanked them for our adventures- our many happy moments.

Always comfortable giving- I sensed, much more than receiving- they were quiet for some time.

They were already thinking of the next challenge they would give me.

Tatang

2010-05-16T15:31:00.015+08:00

During one retreat in this Mindanaon monastery, I asked for permission from Father Col to join the monks in their labora or manual labor. All guests are welcome to join communal prayer during certain canonical hours starting with Lauds at 3:30 AM, but I was the first ever to volunteer to help with farmwork: I wanted to follow the community's motto of ora et labora (pray and work) as fully as possible during my stay, to see what spiritual fruit I could harvest from the experience.

I was given a straw hat and a bolo knife and assigned to help a monk cut wild grass and vines in one of the orchards. These contemplative monks have a vow of silence, but I do have a propensity- by my mere presence- for getting people to talk and pretty soon my companion was chatting about monastic life: how they grew much of the food on their table and sold their corn and coffee beans in the market; the financial challenges of running a monastery and farm; and their bemusement when another religious order which was prohibited by its rules from working begged them for food and alms.

That afternoon, while avoiding the bees the buzzed merrily around us, I remembered my late paternal grandfather (he appears with my brother Ojee in the picture above). Tatang was a rice farmer in Sapang Putik his entire life: with the support and business sense of my grandmother Inang, he was able to put all of their seven children through college.

Years later, while doing research for a book, I found out that he was also part of the Resistance during World War II- our family farm is in the heart of what was then called the Bulacan Military Area or BMA. During the War, no enemy soldier reached his guerrilla camp and lived to tell the tale. After the War, since he had fought as a guerrilla, his eldest child- my Tito Doc- received financial benefits in college from the government.

During lunch one summer while I was vacationing in Bukid, Tatang told my cousins Marc and Marcy and me to remember the hands that were responsible for our rice and food. He himself farmed the rice fields, but we his grandchildren were not asked to join him (he'd say it was too hot under the sun). He was a quiet man who hardly spoke, which was probably why his lesson of putting just enough food and eating each grain of rice on one's plate stuck. These days, for better health, I stop eating once I feel full, but not without first hearing Tatang's husky, gentle voice reminding me to feel grateful.

From the afternoon of labora in the monastery, guided by Tatang's spirit, I learned about the beauty and dignity of working with one's hands in tune with nature and the seasons. It was one of my happiest afternoons: I resolved to learn more about gardening and agriculture.

Tito Doc said that Tatang, while working in the fields during seasons of drought, would sometimes sigh, and his sigh would turn into a prayer: "Diyos ko, huwag Niyo pong pabayaan ang aking tanim." And it was a powerful prayer, for each time, a cloud would be seen floating toward Tatang's fields, stopping to hover above them and bring rain to the thirsty plants.

During one discussion about religion, I heard Tatay give an even better description of Tatang's simple faith: it was his work, labora, itself. For Tatang, as it should be for us all, laborare est orare- to work is to pray.

Tarlac unreal-ized 1

2010-05-09T11:53:00.009+08:00

I woke up before dawn today to see outside my window a sky with pink and rose hues and- without the aid of my glasses- bokeh sparkling on the branches of a mango tree. And then I saw her again: the young woman wearing a green dress sat on the chair beside my bed. She said "hello" and waved a pale hand: in the half-light, her fingers looked like butterfly wings.

"It's a big day tomorrow, isn't it?" she asked. "Who are you voting for?"

And then she asked, "Do you remember going to school with my husband's son?"

I said I didn't- I never studied in the Ateneo (well, except recently for some short courses).

"No, no, think again- you were classmates."

I closed my eyes to try to remember, but when I opened them, I was alone in the room and a warmer, golden sunlight was streaming through the window. I looked at the alarm clock: it was already past 7 AM.

I first met her last year on my favorite stretch of highway in Tarlac. It looked new, and not many cars were passing through it yet. It was around noon- a sweltering first day of August- and I was going back to Manila from Cabanatuan.

Right after I passed through the toll gate, I had a flat tire, which two highway patrolmen helped me replace with my spare. When we were done, one of them asked if I could give a young woman a ride back to Manila. He pointed to the back of their white pick-up and I saw her looking out a back seat window. She gave us a shy smile- I thought she looked vaguely familiar, someone I may have already met.

"Sure," I said distractedly.

I was in a hurry to get home and I forgot to ask for her name or tell her mine. I had the car radio on, and several times we heard "Salamat Tita Cory" radio ads. I told my companion I thought it was a nice gesture: letting someone know she's appreciated, to give her the strength to overcome her illness. The young woman remained quiet and just looked out the window at the fields outside- she seemed lost in her own thoughts.

We reached the gas station where I usually buy halo-halo. I asked if it was alright if we just rested for 15 minutes.

Before stepping out of the car, she asked about the gadget I was charging in the compartment below the radio.

"It's an iPhone," I said.

"Can it check the Internet?" she asked. "Could you please look for the name of someone I know?"

I typed the name she gave me in the phone's Safari browser and read a message that stunned me: "My lola's in a better place now. Thank you Philippines..."

I checked my friends' status updates on Facebook. That was when I understood what the radio ads were about- when everything changed.

I went to the washroom and splashed cold water on my face, then quickly returned to the car and waited for the woman to return. When after 30 minutes she didn't come back, I tried looking for her in the shops. But like a fey spirit of earth and air- or a figment of one's imagination- she was gone. Until this morning, I did not see her again, though in the next few months I would hear her voice in my dreams.

ilustrado

2010-04-17T09:33:00.006+08:00

Macmillan held the international launch of Ilustrado by Miguel Syjuco in Manila and Cebu this past week. The novel won the Grand Prize for the Novel in English at the 2008 Palanca Awards (with Mr. H as chair of the panel of judges). In November of 2008, it won the Man Asian Literary Prize.

I got to meet the author "Chuck" when he was still preparing his manuscript for publication. I found him articulate, friendly and down-to-earth. Here's a picture I took of him with two other lovely people: London-based poet/ actress Mida Azada and National Book Development Board (NBDB) executive director/ fictionist Andrea Pasion-Flores.

Some interesting articles on the global launch are here and here. A great interview on the writer's life and work habits is here.

Ilustrado's US book tour schedule is here.

Join what Miguel Syjuco calls the "great discussion" by getting your copy from Amazon (European/ Canadian cover or Philippine/ American cover) or from National Book Store (at a special introductory price of Php 308, 20% off the SRP of Php 385, until the end of April).

Get inspired to write and create!

summer fling

2010-04-04T22:08:00.016+08:00

animation for a cause

2010-03-21T22:19:00.009+08:00

Our creative boutique recently completed animation to promote the Housing Microfinance program of microfinance institution Alalay sa Kaunlaran, Inc. (ASKI) and partners. I'm grateful to Dr. Joji Reyes and Gloria Guevarra of GHK International and Development for Poor Urban Communities Sector Project (DPUCSP), which commissioned the film (together with a longer telemagazine AVP), for their support and enthusiasm in the use of this medium to promote housing microfinance.

The animation concept, in fact, came from a brainstorming session with Dr. Reyes, a development consultant who graduated from UP who said she's always dreamt of an animation film showing the problem of lack of housing. As for me, it has been my dream to use animation for a cause (in previous projects, animation had been used as accents; this time, it was a separate chapter in the DVD). It was a great match!

The animator and graphics producer of this short animation is Reggie Vinluan, who was Business Manager during my term in the Collegian. (The score is by another former colleague in the paper, Pearlsha Abubakar, now known as "Isha.") Reggie and Anna took up film in the College of Mass Communications in UP Diliman, and they were part of the same batch of Fulbright scholars who went to the US for grad studies (Reggie studied animation in the University of Southern California (USC), whereas Anna took up developmental economics in Johns Hopkins). Reggie wrote such amazing articles for the Culture Section- he seemed to reinvent the English language- that I assumed writing was his main passion: I didn't find out he was also gifted in the visual and cinematic arts until much, much later (his uncle is former UP College of Fine Arts Dean Nestor Vinluan).

Animation is an ubiquitous part of popular culture- on cellphone screens, electronic billboards, TV, and the movies. Filipino animators are part of the production of many Disney films and, with developments in technology and communications, animation has emerged as one of our sunrise industries.

As for me, I've always found moving and talking images magical- among the arts, it's probably the closest we could get to the divine act of breathing life into inanimate things. To watch a concept be translated into drawings and then transformed into moving images always makes me feel the joy of discovery: it brings back the feeling of playing with Lego blocks. For this project, it simplifies a complex message and brings a ray of sunshine- optimism and hope- to a serious issue.

One B

2010-02-28T23:49:00.009+08:00

A friend of mine from the Supreme Court was regaling me with tales of a "legendary Falcon Crest" block in UP Law, when in the midst of her storytelling I slowly realized the block she was talking about was my own! As I didn't watch this American soap, I checked the plot online and found little in common between the Machiavellian scheming of its characters and the tempestuous relationships in our class. Nonetheless, we did create our own share of drama- just enough to make life in law school more interesting.

We were freshmen when the above picture with our adviser, Prof. Muyot, was taken. I was class president then, but too busy trying to balance reading cases and writing for the campus paper: I was oftentimes the last to find out about the latest class dispute or entanglement, except when I myself was involved in it!

Prof. Muyot helped provide balance and stability to our class of anarchy, One B. He encouraged us to show up for our parties... and stay beyond 9 PM even if we had a backlog of readings. He reminded us that, for better or worse, we would be stuck with each other for many years, so that we might as well make the best of it. And he gave us a vision of ourselves as future leaders of the country.

Our class has had two reunions the past month- it's a jubilee year for us, and people are making a special effort to reconnect. What's wonderful is how we know each other- both our flaws and strengths- because of the pressure-cooker experience that was law school. While my most intense relationships probably happened outside our block- or even our College- the friendships I made in our block are definitely among the most resilient and longest-lasting.

illusions

2010-02-19T22:43:00.005+08:00

You are led through your lifetime by the inner learning creature, the playful spiritual being that is your real self. Don't turn away from possible futures before you're certain you don't have anything to learn from them. You're always free to change your mind and choose a different future, or a different past. -Richard Bach (Illusions, 1977)

I just returned to my Vasco Da Gama room after a candle-lit dinner by the Mindanao Sea with some Facebook friends, people with whom I spend a few days in exotic locales every couple of years. We're all here for a wedding, and while talking to Cathy, the bride, we realized that it has been around ten years since we last talked to each other.

Yet I feel like I know her very well, perhaps because we went through an intense experience together- perhaps because, as Richard Bach said, we know our friends in the first minute we meet. You see, Cathy accompanied me in my first trip abroad- to Beijing- and for me was a calming presence. At one point, she even helped carry my luggage in the Manila airport! Beneath a graceful exterior was a strong spirit. And it was in Beijing where she met Laurent, who she'll marry tomorrow.

The day has been magical for me. Each of my friends is surrounded by an emotional zone- when we talk, I see a flesh-and-blood person, and I also see the wonderful places and people we've seen together. It's almost like watching a film, or living episodes of my life all over again. I even bumped into someone who's not a Facebook friend, but who once made my days better- and helped me achieve more than I could have by myself. So it's an unforgettable day in a special place.

I also see how I'm changing: a part of me can now view emotions with disinterest, or at least amusement, instead of being overwhelmed by them. It's time to change the "Romeo and Juliet," roller-coaster script of my most important relationships- perhaps for me tomorrow's wedding of Cathy and Laurent would also mark a turning-point, a graduation into the next stage of my journey.

once a catholic

2010-02-07T22:17:00.007+08:00

That's the title of a book that an agnostic friend once made me read. I think out of curiosity- and also the desire to find answers to her own questions- she asked me why I would stick with Roman Catholicism, notwithstanding my disagreement with certain positions of the Church (on birth control, for example).

I answered that, for me, my spirituality- my personal relationship with God (or the Force or the cosmos)- precedes the institutional religion to which I belong. Roman Catholicism provides the forms and structures that allow me to express my gratitude to the universe and connect with the pulse of life, and I am comfortable with this.

Moreover, isn't religion inherited, in a way? I am Catholic because my parents and grandparents are Catholic; you are agnostic, because one of your parents is agnostic (and an intelligent and articulate one at that).

Well, now, I can think of a third reason: the Church has given me a community, a web of relationships that has given me security and a sense of belonging. In Nueva Ecija, for example, where I've been spending a lot of time these past few years, Tito Doc and Tita Violy treat the clergy- fellow priests of my cousin Msgr. Mike- as members of the family.

Because of these ties, I met Fr. Elmer (in the picture above), to whom I can easily relate because we're around the same age. He once said that a priest has three traits: he is priestly, kingly, and prophetic. And interested as I am in others, I sought to better understand Fr. Elmer and all priests by adopting these aspects- in a way, by realizing the priest within me.

I believe that what's most important in a religion are its standards for ethical conduct that allow people to live with dignity and in peace with each other, as well as realize their best selves.

Thankfully, our Church friends have not put me in a box and, instead, have given me space to be myself- to contribute to Christianity in my own unique way.

foresight/ insight

2010-01-17T10:18:00.014+08:00

The ancient Chinese mind contemplates the cosmos in a way comparable to that of the modern physicist, who cannot deny that his model of the world is a decidedly psychophysical structure. The microphysical event includes the observer just as much as the reality underlying the I Ching comprises subjective, i.e., psychic conditions in the totality of the momentary situation. -Carl Jung

When I went into seclusion at the beginning of the New Year, one of the three books I brought with me was the I Ching or Book of Changes. It is 3,000 years old- the symbols even older, up to 5,000 years old- and, according to the translator of my book, has been used throughout this time "by seers, rulers and laymen alike to find solutions to problems of love and marriage, military strategy, career and matters of state."

I discovered the I Ching through Anna, who was amused by her mom's use of the book until she herself secretly took it from Mrs. H.'s shelf in their old manse in San Miguel, Bulacan, studied it, and used it to get answers to some questions. She was surprised by the uncanny relevance of the answers and decided to even ask it, "How will Voltaire do in life?"

We were in Baguio or Sagada sometime in the mid-90s when she shared the answer to that question with me. She may already have been AIESEC LCP, though I was not yet Kule EIC.

I felt a bit upset by this, but her reading of the solid and broken lines- the hexagrams- felt so right, so consistent with my truest, most private beliefs at the time that irritation quickly turned to wonder and amazement. The answer made such an impact on me that I still keep the piece of paper on which Anna wrote it. For more than a decade I've seen the reading come true or, more probably, I've chosen paths to make it come true.

There were several other instances when I've used the I Ching. I would borrow one of Boojie Basilio's English translations and toss peso coins to create the lines. When he saw that I was one of the few colleagues who didn't laugh at him for this practice, he gave me the simple translation that I keep with me today.

Like Jung, I use the ancient text mainly as a psychological tool to tap into the unconscious whenever I have mental blind spots or emotional knots: not so much to gain foresight, as for insight. The way the hexagrams work for me is similar to the effect of an interesting painting or a good line from a book or a song: they provide a structure around which random observations, thoughts, and feelings can wrap themselves and be seen more clearly by the conscious mind.

One of the most important principles of the I Ching is that one's circumstances are always changing- it's similar to the Filipino belief in the "gulong ng palad" (wheel of one's palm), whereby what goes down in time goes up, and vice-versa. One must therefore learn to adapt and be flexible, like our bamboo that bends and rises with the changing strength and direction of the winds.

touchstone

2010-01-03T22:26:00.014+08:00

It's a New Year- a new decade- and what better way to start it than by touching base with one of history's greats, Apolinario Mabini. He was known as the Brains of the Revolution and- because at around age 31 he lost the ability to move his lower limbs because of polio- the Sublime Paralytic.

It's great how many role models we have who correspond to the different facets of our own selves. There's Bonifacio, the person of action, and Rizal, the Renaissance man. Mabini would correspond to the lawyer- perhaps also the political scientist- in everyone (his writings, in range and tone, are similar to contemporary essays by MLQ III and Philippine Commentary bloggers).

Mabini has become the inspiration for literature, such as the Rosales Saga of F. Sionil Jose, and for art, such as the 1964 Angel Cacnio painting to the right showing his capture by American soldiers in Cuyapo, Nueva Ecija.

He died at a young age of 39- so many of our national heroes died young, perhaps because they were still passionate and idealistic: the years had not yet altered their pure vision for the country.

I think it's also wonderful how our ancestors make their presence felt everywhere, as ordinary miracles.

After visiting the tomb and looking around the museum of Mabini in Tanauan, Batangas, I joked to my knowledgeable guide that they must be related. And he revealed that indeed they are!

Here is my picture with Mabini shrine caretaker Vergel John Mabini Ceniza, a great-grand nephew of the architect of the revolutionary government- Mabini looks amused at the efforts of his grand-niece (Vergel's aunt) to take our picture using my iPhone. Vergel has an uncanny resemblance to his great grand-uncle (the latter was always single, so they are among his closest living relatives).

More pictures in the Perelandran Frontier blog here.

Below is a short version of Mabini's Decalogue- a sublime set of commandments uniting love of God with love of country- as helpful a life map in the 21st century as in his all-too-brief, but blazing, lifetime:

DEKALOGO
I. IBIGIN ang Diyos at Karangalan higit sa lahat.
II. SAMBAHIN ang DIYOS ayon sa budhi mo.
III. LINANGIN ang sarili mong kakayahan.
IV. MAHALIN ANG BAYAN sunod sa Diyos at Karangalan.
V. PAGPUMILITANG lumigaya ang bansa una kaysa sarili.
VI. SIKAPIN SA BAYAN MO ang Kasarinlan na kagalingan mo rin.
VII. HUWAG KILALANIN ang kapangyarihan ng di-halal ng bayan.
VIII. PAGPUNYAGIANG magtatag ng Republika at di ng Kaharian.
IX. MAHALIN ANG KAPWA gaya ng pagmamahal sa sarili.
X. ANG KABABAYAN ay ipalagay na kaibigan, kapatid at kapalad.

bayani 2009

2009-12-30T23:36:00.011+08:00

We should wear this civilization without being bothered by it, without ignoring it, without being caught by it... Be like a boatman. Although he is carried by the boat, he is also handling the boat. This is how we live in this world. -Shunryu Suzuki, Not Always So

My end-of-the-year reading is M. McCarty's How Philosophy Can Change Your Life: 10 Ideas that Matter Most (2009). These 10 ideas are themes that, according to the philosophy professor, you and I need to grasp if we want to live a truly fulfilling life. They include:

Simplicity (philosophers discussed: Epicurus and Charlotte Joko Beck)
Possibility (philosophers discussed: John Stuart Mill and Simone de Beauvoir)
Joy (philosophers discussed: Shunryu Suzuki and Jane Addams).

2009 for me is a testament to the power of ideas: their power to create new things, to unite people, to transform a society. If philosophy is, as a child tells the author, "upside-down thinking," there were times when indeed it felt like we were going against the tide. But we can look back to this year, with its storms both natural and human-made, and remember with gratitude the forces within us that allowed us to rise above them together. 2009 is a story of kabayanihan or heroism, but above all it is a story of love: love lost, love found, and love regained.

May we choose our public servants wisely and have a peaceful transition of roles in 2010. Stay involved and have a Happy New Year everyone!

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Thanks to Noel Cabangon for the song "Natutong Umibig Muli" from the Christmas album Noel.

Inang

2009-12-24T09:41:00.014+08:00

This is my late paternal grandmother Inang with my youngest brother VJ- he was probably 5 or 6 years old at the time Tatay took this photo. Tomorrow, the Veneracions return to Bukid in San Ildefonso, Bulacan where Inang used to preside over Christmas Day celebrations.

For Mom and Tatay, me and my brothers, this was the most special time of the year- more important even than Christmas Eve's Noche Buena. We would practice the mano- or place the back of the hands of our grandparents, uncles, and aunts on our foreheads as a sign of love and respect- and receive gifts of cash (and also wrapped gifts- shirts or toys) from each of our elders. Other children, too, would be brought by neighbors to the farmhouse to "bless" and receive their "pamasko" (gifts).

The kitchen at the back of the house was usually filled with women who helped Inang prepare the feast with ingredients coming straight from the yard. My grandfather Tatang and his fellow farmers gathered in front of the granary to cook lechon, a whole pig skewered with a bamboo pole and roasted until it turned red over charcoal. Tito Lore, a judge, and Tita Lydia usually arrived after lunch bringing candied mango, guava and jackfruit and- my favorite- pastillas de leche (a sweet concoction made from carabao's milk and granulated sugar) from Bulacan Sweets, followed by Tito Doc and Tita Violy who brought more Western fare, like sweet ham and pasta with white mushroom sauce, from Village Inn in Cabanatuan.

Inang was the sun around whom Tatang, their eight children and many grandchildren orbited. After cooking, she would change into her favorite baro't saya: a white, embroidered shirt with a black, panelled skirt sans the panuelo, making her look like Maria Clara. She often offered me a glass of carabao's milk, saying it was the drink she gave me as a mute infant to loosen my tongue and get me to talk. At night before leaving, beneath a parol made of colored Japanese paper or capiz shells, she would watch her grandchildren sing, dance, and play the piano, revelling in our constellation of talents.

When Tatang passed away, followed by Inang, it was as if a star had been plucked from the sky, dispersing the planets and moons around it. We felt the void caused by their passing. Eventually, my uncles and aunts found that, while it felt different, the gravity of their parents' love remained: our extended family has continued to return to Bukid every December 25th.

To all my friends and loved ones near and far, Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon sa ating lahat! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to us all!

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Thanks to San Miguel Master Chorale and Philharmonic Orchestra for the carol, "Mano Po Ninong, Mano Po Ninang."

grown-up

2009-12-20T13:29:00.008+08:00

Every Christmas, I receive a surprise gift from God (or the universe): last night's gift was a priceless one. I happened to be in UP Bahay ng Alumni and saw a banner announcing the reunion of my class in UP Integrated School (UPIS), so by accident I was reunited with friends, many of whom I had not seen since 5th grade.

From Kindergarten to Grade 5, I studied in UPIS, the school for basic education of the University of the Philippines. As a kid, I've often wondered what makes it "integrated," and today I found out after a bit of research that the school is the product of a merger of three schools: UP High School (established in 1916 in Isaac Peralta St., Manila, as the laboratory school of the College of Education); UP Preparatory School (a science-oriented school established in 1954); and UP Elementary School (established in 1936 for the education of children of university professors and personnel). A description of the school's philosophy and history is here.

It was a public school, though it felt exclusive since students from other schools were not allowed to enroll laterally after Kindergarten: you generally had the same friends year after year. I recall one exception, Kalayaan Vea, who was allowed to reenroll when her father returned to UP after a stint in the US (her Fil-Am boyfriend's name was Michael de Guzman, pronounced, "the goose-man"). The environment was competitive in a healthy way: teachers would post the list of the top 10 students and their grade point averages every quarter, and class pride peaked during spelling bees and intramural sports competitions. After class, we played a lot of agawan base, luksong tinik, and piko.

Since UPIS is in the heart of the State University, we were taught the values of love of others and country- the values of the Oblation- week after week from the very first day. Students took turns during Monday flag ceremonies in singing Lupang Hinirang and UP Naming Mahal and reciting Panatang Makabayan.

In a way, it was a predictable world where hard work and good deeds were rewarded- so different from the porous realities outside the academe! But what gifts our parents and teachers gave us: idealism to light our paths, knowledge to overcome challenges and seize opportunities, and a time of blissful peace that we can look back to all the days of our lives.

Here are some of UPIS' prominent alumni and what our school has taught them:

new eyes

2009-12-13T10:45:00.016+08:00

I guess I wanted something new in my life
A new key to fit a new door
To wake and see a different view in my life
The one I've been waiting for...

I sang this song while having late night drinks with some friends last Friday night. It was first sung by Stephen Bishop, and more recently by Sarah Geronomo for the movie "In My Life." I think it captures the image and mood of what many of us look for: in our daily strivings, in the arts we create and appreciate, in our relationships. It's what I try to give to everyone I meet, my clients, friends, and loved ones: the passion that makes us feel like our heart would burst, that keeps us young and alive.

I look for that "falling-in-love" feeling when I travel, when an experience sears my soul and makes a place and a people a part of me forever.

In Helsinki, I experienced it during the Night of the Arts, when the normally empty streets were suddenly filled with tens of thousands of Fins of all ages watching artists perform in 110 separate locations. It was a lot like Rock the Riles combined with People Power and gave me a glimpse of what the Philippines might be like someday, when people already have trust in government and in each other- when society has developed and become more egalitarian and can focus on the arts.

Anyway, Connor (from Ireland) and I got separated from our other friends. After Connor bought a six-pack of beer from a student- the shops had run out of beer- we decided to go to the Senate Square where a French street theater company used giant balloons shaped like fishes and sea snakes to turn the sky into a giant ocean aquarium.

There were so many people in the street leading to the square- for a long while, we just stood with the others, unable to move closer to watch the spectacle. We just heard the music: it sounded strange to my ears, very avant-garde, until Connor pointed out that they were sounds of the ocean. And indeed they were- with that anchor, the music suddenly "made sense."

Then my friend had an idea: we could watch the performance from the top of a tram waiting shed! That was something I had never done! Connor was the first to clamber up to the roof, and he held out a hand to help me get up there. The picture below shows our once-in-a-lifetime view of the Night of the Arts: People Power Finnish-style.

the composer

2009-11-22T09:27:00.009+08:00

Picture above by Portugal's Jaime Reis, a student of major 20th c. German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen who composed the award-winning Helicopter String Quartet. Jaime (his name is pronounced "zshaym") explains that, in the composition, four members of a string quartet perform in four helicopters taking independent flight paths in the countryside: their sounds are mixed together with those of the helicopters and transmitted with their videos to the concert hall!

principles and politics

2009-11-15T23:41:00.005+08:00

President Vaclav Havel of Czechozlovakia:

Please try to imagine the following, somewhat absurd situation:

A literary critic known for his merciless judgment and piercing look, capable of discovering any false tone in a novel or story, is suddenly confronted with the task of writing a novel. Everyone is waiting with curiosity, and even a certain amount of malicious joy, to see how he succeeds in meeting the high targets he himself had set before, not knowing that one day he would have to make the effort to satisfy them.

For years I used to criticize practical politics as a mere technology of vying for power and as a purely pragmatic activity whose objective is not to perform selfless service to citizens in accordance with one's conscience, but only to win their favor with a view to staying in power or gaining more of it.As an independent intellectual, I was continuously developing my concepts of politics as a selfless service to fellow human beings and as morality in practice, a high-principled politics which I tentatively termed "nonpolitical politics."

Fate has indeed played a strange joke on me, as if it were telling me that after having been so smart, I should now show all those whom I have criticized the right way to do it. No wonder my present position is hardly enviable: All my political activities, and maybe all the policies pursued by Czechoslovakia, are being examined under the microscope which I once built myself.

After a year and a half of the presidency in a country ridden with problems which presidents in stable democracies never dream of, I have not been compelled to retract anything. Not only have I not had to change my views, but I have even been confirmed in them.

Despite all the political misery I am confronted with every day, it still is my profound conviction that the very essence of politics is not dirty; dirt is brought in only by wicked people. I admit that this is an area of human activity where the temptation to advance through unfair actions may be stronger than elsewhere, and which thus makes higher demands on human integrity. But it is not true at all that a politician cannot do without lying or intriguing. That is sheer nonsense, often spread by those who want to discourage people from taking an interest in public affairs.

Of course, in politics, just as anywhere else in life, it is impossible, and it would not be sensible, always to say everything bluntly. Yet that does not mean one has to lie. What is needed here are tact, instinct and good taste. That, in fact, has been one of the things that surprised me most in the realm of high politics, where good taste is more important than all the education in political science.

All this is a matter of form: knowing how long I should speak, when to begin and when to finish; how to say something politely that the other party does not like to hear; how to pick out what is essential at the given moment and to refrain from talking about nonessential things that nobody is interested in listening to; how to remain steadfast in one's position without offending the other party; how to create a friendly atmosphere in order to facilitate demanding negotiations; how to keep the conversation going without imposing oneself on one's partner or creating in him the impression that he is being ignored; how to maintain a balance between the serious political subjects and the lighter, relaxing ones; knowing when and where to appear, and when and where to remain absent, and what measure of candor or restraint to choose.

It is also a matter of having a kind of instinct for the period, for the atmosphere that marks it, for the sentiments of the people, the nature of their troubles, and their mental disposition. That, too, is perhaps more important than various sociological surveys.

While education in political science, law, economics, history and culture is certainly invaluable for every politician, it is not, as I can see time and again, the most important thing. Much more important are establishing contact and maintaining a sense of measure; the ability to imagine oneself in one's partner's position and to address him, and the capability of perception and the quick assessment of problems and the condition of human souls.

I certainly do not mean to imply that I possess all these qualities. But when a man has his heart in the right place and good taste, he can not only do well in politics but is even predetermined for it. If someone is modest and does not yearn for power, he is certainly not ill-equipped to engage in politics; on the contrary, he belongs there. What is needed in politics is not the ability to lie but rather the sensibility to know when, where, how and to whom to say things.

It is not true that people of high principle are ill-suited for politics. The high principles have only to be accompanied by patience, consideration, a sense of measure and understanding for others. It is not true that only coldhearted, cynical, arrogant, haughty or brawling persons can succeed in politics. Such people are naturally attracted by politics. In the end, however, politeness and good manners weigh more.

Requiem - Lacrymosa - Mozart

fifth dimension

2009-11-02T11:12:00.036+08:00

The soul of beings is their scent. -Patrick Süskind

Perfume - Movie Trailer - Click here for this week’s top video clips

One of my most memorable readings in high school Psychology class was about pheromones, the chemicals we exude that attracts people to us. I remembered the lesson recently when I saw the VCD of "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer" (bought from SM), adapted from the book with the same title by German writer Patrick Süskind.

The story, set in 18th century France, is about an orphan Jean-Baptiste Grenouille who has no odor, making him invisible to those around him. Yet he is gifted with a sense of smell so acute that it is his primary way of perceiving the world.

By covering either our ears or our eyes, we are able to imagine how it is to use sight without hearing, or hearing without sight. But to experience the world only through our nose, what would that be like?

Perhaps because of a spartan upbringing- Tatay admonished me and my brothers while growing up to take no longer than five minutes in taking a bath and to comb our hair without using a mirror, "just like in the military"- I don't think much of perfumes. Except that in my teens, I was given a bottle of musk cologne which I used on dates and special occasions.

The fourth or fifth dimension of scent that I have today was composed mainly by two people- a woman and a man- and of course me.

Tricia, my BFF in high school, was like a female Grenouille (though less deadly): she could differentiate the odor of her different suitors. She also had a brother Gari- a veritable metrosexual before the word was invented- who had a collection of men's perfumes in their room. One time, Trish decided to experiment and try the different scents on me- around a dozen kinds- to see which one would blend best with the chemicals on my skin and complement my personality. I was of course a willing subject. (Gari, I'm sorry- yes we did this!)

The one scent which made Trish exclaim, "This is it! This is it!" was one of the first purchases I made after graduation when I was already working. Here is Trish smelling our food during a memorable lunch in Pebble Beach, California.

In law school, I was also gifted with a scent one Christmas by my classmate Deo- this was for our gift exchange (or Secret Santa). I never thought a man could use it, but it has become my "no-scent scent"- while wearing it, a fellow writer thought I smelled "clean, like soap." The bouquet is transformed and becomes more complex when I'm in love. I discovered from my parfumeur that this is also the favorite scent of actor Richard Gomez.

Here is Deo with the fraternity he headed and their frat sweetheart Maida (now Deo's wife).

Recently, while hiking in the northern forests of Solvalla, I found something fragrant that I took back with me to Manila- I've added this extra note to my scent-dimension, to share a bit of my love of adventure and make the experience even more personal for those interacting with me.

lakambini 3

2009-10-10T12:35:00.005+08:00

I'm deferring publication of my poem dated 6 October 2009.

The title of the painting above is "Wheatfield with a Reaper" (1889) by Vincent Van Gogh.

lakambini 2

2009-10-02T08:32:00.023+08:00

A mother’s sorrow
By the death of her loved son
A grief so immense
-Rod Escobin

The morning after typhoon Onyok hit Manila, after delivering relief goods to Radio Veritas, I saw a new statue in Manila Cathedral that for me symbolizes a nation still in grief and shock, not yet able to understand the death and destruction wrought by the storm nor see the Resurrection- that surge of national unity and collective heroism that had already begun to unfold and would grow exponentially in the coming days.

I attended the Sunday mass celebrated in the cathedral by Cardinal Rosales, Archbishop of Manila. Understandably, because of the storm the night before, there were only a few people with us, some of them seafarers, and I sat in one of the front right pews.

After the mass, we went to the first chapel to the left of the massive doors of the cathedral, St. Joseph's Chapel, for the unveiling of Manila's Pietà, a copy made by an unnamed Filipino craftsman from a cast of the original statue by Michelangelo Buonarroti in Rome. Pietà in Italian means pity, sorrow, or compassion- the word is associated with paintings and statues of Mary holding and grieving over her dead son Jesus.

Even if I knew it was a copy- and I would have preferred sculpture that the world had never seen before- the Manila Cathedral's Pietà still took my breath away. It was an exact copy of the original, but this time bathed in the colors of tropical light streaming through the chapel's stained glass windows. Compare it with the setting of the original statue in St. Peter's Basilica- it's dark as a dungeon inside Rome's churches because of the different climate:

They look exactly alike- artists and pilgrims need only go to Intramuros to see the form.

Here is how Irving Stone described the statue in his biographical novel on Michelangelo, The Agony and the Ecstasy (1961):

Because the Madonna was gazing down on her son, all who looked must turn to her face, to see the sadness, the compassion for all men's sons, asking with despair: "What could I have done to save him?" And from the depth of her love, "What purpose has all this served, if man cannot be saved?"

All who saw would feel how insupportably heavy was her son's dead body on her lap, how much heavier was the burden in her heart.

It was unusual to combine two life-size figures in the same sculpture, revolutionary to put a full-grown man onto the lap of a woman. From this point of departure he left behind all conventional concepts of the Pietà. Once again, even as Ficino had believed that Plato could have been Christ's most loving disciple, it was Michelangelo's desire to blend the classical Greek concept of the beauty of the human body with the Christian ideal of the immortality of the human soul. He banished the lugubrious death throes of the earlier Pietàs, bathed his two figures in tranquillity. Human beauty could reveal sacredness as clearly as could pain. At the same time, it could exalt.

Ave Maria (Roa) - Philippine Madrigal Singers

lakambini 1

2009-09-20T09:28:00.041+08:00

Payo sa Kagandahan

Para sa kaakit-akit na mga labi, gumamit ng mga salita ng kabaitan.

Para sa kaibig-ibig na mga mata, hanapin ang kabutihan ng mga tao.

Para sa maayos na pangangatawan, hatian ng iyong pagkain ang mga nagugutom.

Para sa magandang buhok, hayaan mong haplusin ito ng bata araw-araw.

Para sa postura, maglakad nang may kaalamang di ka naglalakad nang nag-iisa.

Ang mga tao, higit sa mga bagay, ay kailangang muling palakasin, baguhin, buhayin, kupkupin, at tubusin; huwag itapon ang sinuman.

Tandaan, kapag kailangan mo ng kamay na tutulong sa iyo, makikita ito sa dulo ng iyong braso.

Habang tumatanda, matutuklasan mong dalawa ang iyong kamay, isa upang tulungan ang sarili, isa upang bigyang kalinga ang iba.

Ang kagandahan ay wala sa pananamit, hugis ng katawan, o ayos ng buhok. Kailangang makita ang kagandahan sa mga mata, dahil ito ang daanang papasok sa puso, kung saan nakatira ang pag-ibig.

Ang kagandahan ay wala sa nunal sa mukha, bagkus nasasalamin ang tunay na kagandahan sa kaluluwa. Ito ay nasa pag-aarugang binibigay, matinding damdaming ipinapakita, at lalo lamang lumiliwanag ang kagandahan sa paglipas ng mga taon.

Hango ito sa tula ni Sam Levenson (1911-1980), "Time Tested Beauty Tips," na paborito ni Audrey Hepburn. Si Hepburn ay isang artistang ipinanganak sa Belgium, lumaki sa Netherlands, at nagtrabaho sa Estados Unidos. Binasa niya ito kina Sean at Luca, ang kanyang mga anak, noong huling Pasko bago siya sumakabilang-buhay sa Switzerland noong 1993. Inihahandog ko ang aking salin kay Coral, ang batang anak ng isang regular na bisita ng Café Voltaire. Gawa ang pampalamuting titik na may lakambini sa itaas ng Pranses na si Napoléon Landais.

roommate

2009-09-14T20:36:00.007+08:00

On the second night, I meet Bram Buijs from the Netherlands- he'll be my roommate for the rest of my stay in Finland. I have the impression that he's a party animal, but he'll surprise me by being Ville's co-speaker on the environment and climate change in Parliament. He's also a concert pianist, a fact which I'll only discover right before leaving Finland- I'll almost miss it! There are many fascinating things about people and the world around us- one just has to learn to observe and be aware.

Here Bram and I are sunning ourselves and drinking cider and beer on the terrace of the Lasipalatsi (Glass Palace), doing what Fins do on summer evenings. Right behind us, at the center of the photo, is the Art Nouveau Finnish Parliament.

And here is a piece by Jean Sibelius, the Lucio San Pedro of Finland:

Finlandia - Jean Sibelius

first night

2009-09-13T01:00:00.019+08:00

While Europe can be expensive due to different standards of living, one can travel on a budget of 30 to 90 Euros a day if one is able to establish rapport and make instant friends.

When checking in at midnight in the domus or hostel in Helsinki, I am greeted by a fellow participant of the conference, Constantin "Coco" Holzer from Austria. He looks like Josh Groban, only better groomed, and what I found most striking about him was his voice, which was like a gentle breeze- it sounds so polite to my ears, I figure he must have lived in Asia. Soon enough, I would find out that he has been to China and even to the Eastern ends of Russia, beyond Moscow- in fact, Coco speaks Chinese and Russian fluently.

Since we both have rooms with twin beds, we decide to just share one room for the night and split the bill. I open a coconut shell with lambanog wine and we talk about his travels and martial arts (he practices Brazilian wrestling) until 3 in the morning.

Since I haven't been to Austria, I draw on two stories from my personal hard drive to make a connection: the movie "Sound of Music," one of the first movies I saw as a child, and Persepolis, the comic book memoir of Marjane Satrapi (the film adaptation's website is here), who moved to Vienna to escape the war in Iran.

I must have been inspired by my French friend Romain's photos of Iran that I got Persepolis from National Bookstore in Greenhills. It's powerful and engrossing graphic work, expressing serious themes of war and destruction in the voice of an innocent child. Satrapi shows scenes of bombings in Tehran and its transformation from a secular into a fundamentalist religious state and her liberal family's reaction to these; her parents' decision for her to continue her high school studies in Austria; culture shock in Europe; dating; returning to Iran and meeting her husband; and getting a divorce and becoming independent again.

What makes Persepolis unique is its narrative: instead of glorifying the combat between a protagonist and his or her enemy, the comic book presents the details of everyday life of an ordinary child and her brave family while combats of powers-that-be rage around them.

Persepolis has become the inspiration for a future book project for me. I was surprised to find out that a similar comic book has already been done in the Philippines, though I'm still trying to get my hands on a copy.

Climb Every Mountain - Aria Clemente

Thanks to Aria Clemente for the song "Climb Every Mountain." Aria is the 2007 Grand Champion Performer of the World (Junior Division) of the World Championships of Performing Arts.

journey

2009-09-06T15:28:00.012+08:00

The light has gone out, I said, and yet I was wrong... The light that has illumined this country for these many years will illumine this country for many more years... and the world will see it and it will give solace to innumerable hearts. -Jahawarlal Nehru on Mahatma Gandhi

Why do we travel? Some people do so to get from point A to B; others, to take a vacation. For me, traveling provides an opportunity to go on a journey- to undertake a process of discovering the world and myself.

This is the reason why, while I like to meet people and make new friends, I also enjoy a lot of time traveling in solitude. Away from the bonds of relationships and the usual markers of social roles and responding to a different culture and environment, I can find out about my true likes and dislikes. I can form my own opinions unmediated by those of another and get new inspiration. Ordinary acts, like bowing, drinking tea or relaxing in a sauna, take on new meanings. Ultimately, a journey strengthens one's sense of self or even reconstitutes it, allowing a new and better person to emerge.

As I would tell Irena from Czech Republic, upon reuniting with her boyfriend in Prague, with all she has seen and experienced by herself, she would have more to give to their relationship. And she would also have given them both a chance to miss each other!

What makes this journey different from previous ones is that I'm also trying to clear my head. Since the passing of former Pres. Aquino, I feel as Nehru did immediately after Gandhi passed away, that the light has gone out from the world. I know in my mind that this isn't so- that the flame of freedom which she carried would burn on in hearts of many more Filipinos- but I wanted to find that flame in my own heart, so that I would have more to give to my country and the world.

I've been wondering how people can love a country. Specifically, why do I love the Philippines? Is it because I've been told to do so by patriotic parents? Or because I feel a sense of obligation to give back to society for the excellent education and professional opportunities I've received? Or because love of country has been drilled into me through countless national anthems and flag ceremonies?

These may all be a part of it, but what I'll discover at journey's end is that love of country is part of loving oneself.

When we travel, one of the first things that people look for in our passports or ask about is our nationality and, on that basis, form initial impressions about us. Politicians and businessmen would ask for our opinion about the problems back home that they read about in the papers or see on TV. So whenever each of us tries to solve one of these problems- to fight an injustice or right a wrong- we strengthen our self-esteem- our self-respect- and allow that "greatest love" to happen in our lives.

These are exciting times for the Philippines as we prepare for national elections next year. There are a number of relatively young and qualified candidates who are planning to run for national positions. Since I have a personal or professional connection to many of them- to quote my friend Anna, the Philippines is "incestuously small"- I would have to assess their track records and platforms closely.

I'll vote and campaign, not on the basis of personality, but on principles and plans, particularly on the economy. I'll make choices, not with my heart, but with my mind. And if I don't find the perfect candidates, I'll support the ones who'll give me the least stress if they win.

In the meantime, enjoy the journey with me! Here I am before the Suomen ortodoksinen kirkko, an autonomous Orthodox archbishopric of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Thanks to Zhaoxiong Wang of China for the picture.

Ikaw - Martin Nievera

amsterdam 2

2009-08-31T00:12:00.011+08:00

Miyerkules, Ika-19 ng Abril, 1944

Mahal Ko,

May mas gaganda pa ba sa mundo kaysa umupo sa harap ng bukas na bintana at magpaligaya sa kalikasan, makinig sa huni ng mga ibon, damhin ang araw sa iyong pisngi habang yakap-yakap ang binatang ginigiliw? Nagpapahupa ng kirot at napakapayapa ng pakiramdam ng kanyang mga braso sa palibot ko, ang kaalamang andyan lang siya nang di na kinakailangan pang magsalita, di ito kasalanan, dahil mabuti ang ganitong kapayapaan. Nawa'y di na magambalang muli, maging ni Mouschi.

Sumasaiyo,

Anne

Salin ito mula sa Het Achterhuis o Ang Bahay sa Likod (1947), ang Talaarawan ni Anne Frank, isang 13 taong dalagang Hudyong may natatanging husay sa pagsusulat. Noong Ikalawang Digmaan, nagtago siya kasama ng kanyang pamilya at isa pang pamilya sa lihim na mga kwarto ng isang gusaling pang-opisina sa Esterong Prinsengracht. Pagkatapos ng dalawang taon, nahuli sila ng kalaban at dinala sa mga kampong pinagiipunan ng bihag, kung saan namatay ang lahat maliban kay Otto, ang tatay ni Anne.

Pagkatapos ng giyera, nang mahanap at mabasa ni Otto ang talaraawan ng anak ("Kitty" ang tawag ni Anne dito), nalaman niyang naging kasintahan pala ni Anne si Peter Van Daan, ang 15 taong binatang kasama nilang nagtatago. Si Mouschi ang kanilang alagang pusa.

Sa isang panayam, sinabi ni Otto na- kung mayroon siyang isang natutunan- ito'y ang katotohanang di tunay na nakikilala ng mga magulang ang kanilang mga anak.

Ngayong taong 2009 ang ika-80 taon ng kapanakan ni Anne (1929-1945), kung kaya't ang talang ito'y hinahandog ko sa aking mga kasama sa Amnesty International at iba pang tao't samahang nagsusulong sa karapatang pantao.

Beautiful In My Eyes - Jed Madela

amsterdam 1

2009-08-29T01:38:00.015+08:00

My travel guru Cierlene Benipayo- Justice B.'s sister and Ogie's aunt- had been insisting these past two years that I visit Amsterdam.

Why Amsterdam? I would ask.

To smoke pot legally, see the Red Light District...

Ho-hum.

I thought I'd already seen it all, but after I tried the hemp hand lotion of The Body Shop in the Amsterdam train station (which I haven't smelled in Manila- attention The Body Shop Philippines!) and later saw the city's tall, improbably thin 17th century townhouses (which presaged New York's vertical architecture), I felt, if not love, then something close to it: a bond, a connection.

Here is the actual embodiment of the ideals of my college years: a place with the highest respect for freedom and human rights, the town of Anne Frank in the country of "Big Brother" where people can see what others are doing and yet follow the principle, "Live and let live." No wonder Joma Sison chose to live in exile in this country.

And I remembered I. who, during one lazy afternoon in the green fields of Ateneo when we decided to give it a try, disclosed that she actually stayed with Joma here in the Netherlands. I was captivated by her description of the colorful flowers and gardens of Europe which she read from her diary- in a way, she colored my perception of the continent. She said those flowers were so beautiful, they made her cry- as an activist, because she remembered the faces of poverty back home, but I suspect also as an artist, because they awakened her senses and touched her core.

Though I'm not visiting Joma- my politics and sympathies are much too different now- the faces of his two brothers are very much with me, especially Tito Mon, who succumbed to lung cancer recently. The picture above shows them in Tito Mon's Beverly Hills home, where I stayed during my trip to Los Angeles in the U.S. I miss Tito Mon (you remember him: he's the man on the left)- his stories of Cary Grant and Nora Aunor, his show tunes, his joie de vivre.

It's ironic how close we were to each other- lovers and brothers- yet be politically oceans apart.

In the microcosm of these relationships, I feel hope and am able to envision unity for our country: we may disagree today, we may have fought each other yesterday, but ultimately we're just one family.

...

Topping my playlist on the plane, something witty, not to mention politically relevant:

otaku

2009-08-15T20:56:00.008+08:00

Finally, I knew a Japanese word that Ronnie-san didn't: otaku (おたく/オタク). After aikido practice, he saw the green streaks of paint on my hair and asked what they were for. I said it was my otaku day.

Otaku is a Japanese word referring to people with obsessive interests, particularly in anime, manga and video games. The term is loosely translated into English as "geek" (there is no close translation in Filipino- an entire generation here was weaned on Voltes V and anime).

Anyway, one morning during a Comics Convention in Megamall, I met this group of Filipino otaku. They reminded me so much of "Densha Otoko," one of my favorite Japanese TV series about the true-to-life love story between an otaku ("Densha Otoko" or "Train Man") and a office worker he met on the train ("Hermes"). With the help of fellow users of 2ch (a Japanese Internet forum where everyone is anonymous), he was able to overcome his shyness, undergo a make-over, and court Hermes. There was trouble, however, when Hermes found out that Densha Otoko was an otaku but- and the TV series became a hit because of this- love found a way to bring them back together in the end. The lesson is simple and resonates in anyone who has ever courted, dated or been in a relationship: just be yourself.

Memorable scenes from "Densha Otoko" are here.

How did it feel to have green hair? This has long been something I've wanted to try- it felt great, I felt instantly transformed into someone new. There's another lesson here somewhere but I'll need to think about that...

Here's the perfect Pinoy otaku song, "Maari Ba?" ("Is It Possible?")- thanks to balladeer Ariel Rivera.

maari ba - ariel rivera

simbahan

2009-08-09T08:58:00.030+08:00

23 August

Dear Father,

Buona sera! Come sta?

I'm just sending a picture of my favorite church in Rome, the Chiesa di San Clemente, where I attended mass tonight. Were you able to celebrate mass there when you were living on one of these Seven Hills? It's much smaller than the other basilicas, and certainly tiny compared to stupendous St. Peter's, but I love the way it defines the many-layered history of the Eternal City. All throughout the mass, I felt transported- as if I were smoking pot in an Amsterdam coffeeshop... I couldn't get over the fact that this simple 12th-century church at street level was built over a 4th-century church that was, in turn, built over a 1st-century Roman house containing a temple dedicated to the god Mithras!

I can only agree when journalist Corrado Augias, who grew up near the Via Appia, writes in The Secrets of Rome (2007),

Where can we begin the story of the universe that is Rome? In a city as contradictory as this, filled with all the glory, ruins, and dust left behind by past centuries, it's possible to see traces of every human event and sentiment in its history- the bravery and cowardice, the generosity and indolence, the resourcefulness and louch limpness of the lazy. There's not a single event in its past that hasn't left a sign, scar, or scratch on its hide. Rome will never be a city of order, symmetry, events that unfold according to plan, or the coherent result of urban planning. If human history is nothing but violence and tumult, then Rome has been its mirror over the centuries, capable of reflecting each and every detail with painful fidelity, including those from which we would willingly look away.

In some ways like Manila, no? But with a longer, even more violent past. Surrounded as you were by classical and baroque art and architecture- and breathing air permeated by a conscious, appreciative enjoyment of fine things, la dolce vita- I couldn't believe you were upset with Cardinal Sin when he personally spirited you here at the height of the authoritarian regime- to save your skin.

On the other hand, I can see why as a priest you would prefer our airy, tropical churches back home: ours may not have the richest decorations, but they are living churches, full of people who fervently hold the faith. In San Clemente's Church, there were less than a dozen of us attending mass with the priest and his sacristan- half of the others in the group were Asians, probably kababayans- and to think that it's a Sunday!

And when People Power happened in 1986- sunshine would have been heralding the end of winter's chill- how you must have longed to breathe the air of hope and anticipation, to feel the electricity of a multitude that even the wide arms of the Piazza San Pietro would not have been able to contain. Between the ancient chiesas of Rome and the living simbahans of Manila, which is the better choice? Looking at them through your eyes- the eyes of a priest- the answer is as clear and unblemished as the blue tropical sky.

I hope you take solace in the fact that even the late President Cory- most people now call her Tita Cory- wasn't in Manila when People Power happened- the Mother of People Power was praying with the brown caped Carmelite nuns in their convent in Cebu.

You weren't able to visit her wake, were you? I thought of you when I paid my respects- how even as you recognized the shortcomings of Tita Cory as President, how she couldn't stop the self-aggrandizement of some people around her, you respected her as a person. You once recounted how she personally served lunch to you and a fellow priest in her home after your return from exile here in Italy- from the tone of your voice, I would even say you're fond of her. And you were allies in so many causes. And so I wanted to pray for her for you. I didn't know if it was possible, but I remembered how you sometimes made me your spiritual ambassador, how you asked me to send your wishes to people. So I thought I might be able to do it.

I felt like five hundred saints and angels led me through La Salle that night. It was almost midnight and I had heard about the crowds on the radio but I didn't see them. And then I got lost in the darkness- it was my first time in that campus. Each time I reached a gate or a door, however, a guard or usher would smile and open it for me- and when I realized there was a line, and that it stretched forever behind me, I was already near the ramp leading up the gym where Tita Cory's remains lay in repose... I was a bit confused, but the people behind me said nothing and instead pressed me onward...

And then God granted my second wish. We only had a few seconds to view Tita Cory's remains, and there was the distraction of TV cameras and a jumbo screen. But when it was my turn to shuffle past, in the time it took for me to make the sign of the cross, I was able to focus and join my heart to God's, and I felt that your heart was in there praying for her too.

And three Wednesdays ago, for the second time, you and Tita Cory joined the Power of the Multitudes, not physically, but in spirit.

I now have an idea where you are and am mailing this letter to that place- I go there to watch the owls. I hope to visit you after this sojourn to get your advice and blessing. Tomorrow morning, I'll go to Piazza del Popolo and imagine you and Gandhi in conversation while strolling to the top of Pincio Hill. For you, Gandhi, and Tita Cory, I will take in the bella vista of the city where once all roads led.

ArrividerLa and God bless!

Yours truly,

Voltaire

cory

2009-08-02T08:29:00.016+08:00

You ask about my favorite Cory story, but it isn't actually mine.

In high school I had a Filipino teacher named Cris Acuña, a kind and flamboyant man who lit a votive candle at the beginning of every class and who urged us to sing "Lupang Hinirang" out loud whenever we heard this played. From him I learned to read Amado Hernandez, Lazaro Francisco, and our other literary greats.

He had many stories of celebrities who were his students- we were fascinated for example by his observations of the classroom dynamics between Sharon and Pops, then known as rivals in the entertainment field.

One morning- this was Ginoong Acuña's way of holding our attention- he told the story of how he met your mom. In 1983, right after the return of your lola from exile in the US, she enrolled your Tita Kris in our school. I imagine it was September then- too late for enrollment in most Philippine schools, which start classes in June, right after summer. Since most of its students are expat kids, ISM follows the American calendar and begins each academic year in September, making it a viable option for your grandmother and aunt.

G. Acuña said your lola would sometimes accompany Kris to class. Did she wear a yellow dress? we asked. No, she was in mourning and wore black at the time. Where did she sit? She quietly sat in the back of the class. Or she would take a desk outside the classroom, by the soccer field, and sit there enveloped in her thoughts until the class ended.

I like this story, because with the little information G. Acuña gave one can find out so much about your lola: her love for her daughter, her resolve to lead as normal a family life as possible despite the extraordinary challenges she faced, and her simplicity.

Do I have my own story? Well, we led parallel lives: I was growing up, and she was President. My mom adored her, since they shared the same name, Corazon, and yellow is my mom's favorite color. During the early agonizing years of conjugating French verbs, my father mentioned that your lola had actually majored in French, which offered little consolation to me then. I later worked for Sen. Salonga, who headed the PCGG during her term. We also had the same painting teacher, Fernando Sena, though hers was a private class.

But yes I do recall a time when the arc of her life tangentially touched mine, and it was a typically Cory moment.

It happened on February 16, 2003, a Tuesday, in the Supreme Court. Justice Adolfo Azcuna, the presidential spokesperson during your lola's term, was then celebrating his birthday and my officemates said she had been seen in his staff luncheon.

Our office was on the fifth floor and, after lunch, I took the fire exit stairs instead of the elevator to go back- I preferred the fire exit because of the exercise and the relative privacy it afforded. Apparently, your lola thought so too: on the third floor landing, I nearly bumped into her- she wore a finely cut emerald green dress, instead of her trademark lemon yellow, so it took me several nano-seconds to recognize her.

Oh, excuse me Mrs. Aquino, I said.

Do these stairs lead to the lobby? she asked.

Yes, they do...

And, before I could say more, she smiled and disappeared as quickly as any of the secretive superheroes you so love to read about.

Your family has done so much for our country- even now, in this difficult time, you all keep your emotions in check, helping the rest of us hold ourselves together. May your grandparents have peace, and may your family finally have peace and contentment- you are released from the burden of history, we will carry the flame of their ideals in our hearts.

Lift Up Your Hands - Sharon Cuneta

panorama

2009-07-26T11:10:00.008+08:00

I love getting postcards and photos from friends in faraway places- it's like living life many times. Recently, Jerick sent nine panoramic pictures he took of Egypt- they show beauties of a world, but more importantly they reveal the eye and mind of the photographer. This is a mind that, for all the countries it has seen, remains characteristic of the Filipino: it seeks to capture and represent a whole experience, rather than an atomized part of it. It's the same aesthetic that informs the graphic art on our ubiquitous jeepneys.

Raggy - Egypt Nights 2009 ( House )

Here then are nine shots of fabled Egypt, the land of Tutankhamun and Cleopatra, from the viewpoint of a 21st century Filipino:

editor-at-large

2009-07-19T09:58:00.009+08:00

I got a preview of the inspiring plans for Book Development Month of NBDB, led by executive director Andrea Pasion-Flores (seen in the picture with her lawyer-husband Javi). She is multi-talented, having both a law degree and a master's degree in creative writing, but what I see as her greatest trait is her integrity as a public servant. Like J. Mendoza and Sen. Salonga, she raises the standards followed by people around her- she did it as an editor in Collegian and she's doing it as Editor-of-the-Country in NBDB.

With other former Kule colleagues led by Bos Alecks, I got to visit her place again last Friday- it seemed the same as when I last visited it many months ago, with the exception of Javi's burgeoning contemporary art collection and exquisite bonsai forest that he himself tends. I thought of how Kule, despite being an "activist" paper involved in social issues, was like a greenhouse that protected us from a system that we could only understand theoretically.

The good thing about this is that the institution protected our ideals and allowed us to develop a layer in our respective identities that would always be radical, scholarly, and activist. The best model I can think of is Chief Justice Puno, a former Kule Editor who, after reaching the pinnacle of the legal profession, now allows this layer to shine through- the Supreme Court is now engaged in outreach activities that traditionally have been done by NGOs.

Anyway, back to Book Development Month, the proposed theme is "Galing Pinoy, basahin!" and has the following interesting line-up of activities:

Lectures and book club sessions on poetry, fiction, and non-fiction by young writers
National Book Awards at Ayala Museum, with brass-on-kamagong trophies to be created by sculptor Michael Cacnio
Focus on Nick Joaquin: a film screening of "Tatarin" and multi-disciplinary lectures on this National Artist for Literature
Global Filipino Literature panel discussion with the winner and finalists of the Man Asian Literary Prize and the Premio Feronia
Performance reading of Jose Rizal's El Filibusterismo
Novel Writing Contest- possible genres are Pinoy romance, chick lit, and horror fiction
Books, Food and Art Festival- the activity I most look forward to, this was inspired by Irish writer James Joyce's Araby and is a three-day literary, food, and art festival in the heart of Makati City
Overnight adventure along the Viaje del Sol- touring local art galleries, native restaurants, and pottery centers in South Luzon and participating in a travel writing workshop.

Good luck NBDB!

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The poem "Tren (Train)" by Jose Corazon de Jesus from Tulaan sa Tren is posted here under the fair use principle- thanks to NBDB and voice actor Romnick Sarmenta.

flux

2009-07-11T10:43:00.013+08:00

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity. - Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, English novelist (1812-1870)

"A time of flux," was how one lawyer friend described the pattern of events unfolding in the country.

"A paradigm-shift," described another.

And I thought I was the only one who was feeling the cool wave of change washing over our institutions and collective psyche.

At the center of the political vortex is an ambitious plan to overhaul a creaky and antiquated election system by replacing humans with machines in counting votes and transmitting results to a central computer.

Admittedly, this would probably not solve the following old-school ways of cheating in elections:

registration of non-qualified voters
disenfranchisement of qualified voters
simple vote-buying
waylaying of voters through fraud, stealth, or intimidation
ballots filled up by only one person or group of persons
voting by persons other than by registered voters.

However, the most cost-efficient ways of cheating are minimized or eliminated by poll computerization. Among the problems that poll automation would minimize or eliminate are:

vote-buying with chain-balloting or identification marks
stuffing of ballot boxes with fake ballots
misreading of ballots
ballot/ ballot box snatching, destruction or substitution when a candidate is losing in a precinct
falsification or tampering of election returns
falsification of statements of votes or certificates of canvass in the municipal or city board of canvassers (adding/ subtracting thousands or even hundreds of thousands of votes)
falsification of statements of votes or certificates of canvass in the provincial board of canvassers (up to a million votes changed per province).

We are coming closer to the democratic ideal of one person-one vote, away from the current one-candidate-thousands of votes. And some feudal lords are not happy with this development at all.

Already, some of those who had reaped benefits from the old school and whose baronies are threatened by the new school have sought to sow chaos and confusion in Cotabato and other places in the South. It's the classic conflict between regional affiliations and national interests, the rule of lords and the rule of law.

These are the interests that we and our next batch of leaders must balance in the months leading to May 10, 2010. What an exciting time.

Handog ng Pilipino sa Mundo - Various

finding juan 2

2009-06-28T22:25:00.014+08:00

Arnis 13-moves (Benjamin Lema school):

1- strike shoulder;
2- strike waist (rt. side);
3- strike waist (left side);
4- strike neck;
5- thrust abdomen;
6- strike clavicle;
7- thrust chest (left side);
8- thrust chest (right side);
9- strike rib (right);
10- strike rib (left);
11- thrust right eye;
12- cut throat, thrust left eye;
13- hit forehead.

Learning for me didn't stop after law school- if anything, it's become more intense, particularly in the last 2 or 3 years as I sought to widen and deepen my knowledge and continued to test ideas in the "real world." After law school graduation, we have what is called law review, a couple of months spent preparing for the bar exams, reviewing and synthesizing all materials learned in four or five years of classes. Right now, I'm at a similar stage of reassessing all I've learned in life so far and, at least with respect to the question of race, who I am as a Filipino, I've found arnis to be a useful tool of reflection.

An opinion piece here expresses very well the angst of an adolescent nation- born into freedom a little over a century ago- on the brink of adulthood. Many of our societies are open and welcoming to outside ideas and influences- our big cities porous and cosmopolitan- that it's sometimes difficult to draw a line between the local and the global. With arnis, I feel one with a martial tradition that Rizal and Bonifacio practiced, as did many generations of our ancestors before them long before the advent of globalization.

Here are a couple of my reflections during practice:

The triangle is a favorite Filipino shape: it is on our flag, in the form of the roof of the kubo or local hut, in the popular "panatag" (comfort) milk commercial, and yes even in arnis. If aikido's movements are circular, the feet in arnis move along the sides of an upside-down triangle. The triangle is like a spark- pretty but potentially painful, a symbol of creativity or mysticism- and is considered reflective of conflict in traditional feng shui, though it is a favored shape of Chinese-born architect I.M. Pei (Bank of China Hong Kong, Louvre Pyramid). It is present in our most common views of love, it is in the message of our traditional dance, the tinikling. It's in our politics. Oh, it's also in LRC's logo.
To resolve conflict through arnis, it is believed that the best defense is an offense (or counter-offense). Most of the time, the hit comes from the side, rather than directly from the front (analogous in culture to the palipad-hangin or indirect comment). It was painful for me to imagine hitting or cutting someone, but it was also empowering to embrace this shadow- I understood a pattern of conflict better.
In arnis, the emphasis is on substance rather than on form. I would describe many of our local dishes this way (see how a beer commercial pokes fun at haute cuisine here). Imagine slicing with a bolo using the 13-moves above: the result would not be pretty sashimi, it would be tasty kilawen.

finding juan

2009-06-21T23:55:00.002+08:00

talumpati

2009-06-07T22:16:00.013+08:00

Kahanga-hanga ang talumpati ni Barack Obama sa Cairo, Ehypt, noong nakaraang linggo. Sa aking palagay, matatandaan ito bilang isa sa pinakamahusay na talumpati sa kasaysayan. Isa itong modelo sa sampung aspeto ng mahusay na talumpati na inilahad ni William Safire, ang patnugot ng Lend Me Your Ears: Great Speeches in History (2004):

Pakikipagkamay sa mga nakikinig ("As-Salāmu `Alaykum" o "Peace");
Maayos na pagkakabalangkas (ang pitong isyung kailangang harapin ng Silangan at Hilaga);
Indayog o ritmo;
Okasyon;
Pokus;
Layunin ("we have a responsibility to join together on behalf of the world we seek");
Estilo;
Tema ("new beginning");
Pagbigkas;
Kasagsagan.

Bagamat tila malayo ang Gitnang Hilaga sa Pilipinas, makabuluhan ang mensahe ng talumpati ni Obama dahil sa mahabang kasaysayan ng Islam sa ating bansa at sa laki ng ating populasyong Muslim (4-5 milyong Pilipino).

Sa pamamagitan ng isang talumpati, isinama ni Obama ang madlang tagapakinig sa isang paglalakbay sa malalayong lugar at panahon:

It was Islam – at places like al-Azhar University – that carried the light of learning through so many centuries, paving the way for Europe's Renaissance and Enlightenment. It was innovation in Muslim communities that developed the order of algebra; our magnetic compass and tools of navigation; our mastery of pens and printing; our understanding of how disease spreads and how it can be healed. Islamic culture has given us majestic arches and soaring spires; timeless poetry and cherished music; elegant calligraphy and places of peaceful contemplation. And throughout history, Islam has demonstrated through words and deeds the possibilities of religious tolerance and racial equality.

Nabanggit rin ni Presidente Obama sa kanyang talumpati ang Cordoba, isang lungsod sa Andalusia, Hilagang Espanya, na dating kabisera ng Kalipado ng Cordoba na siyang namuno sa buong Peninsulang Iberia. Ang larawan ko sa itaas ay kinuha sa labas ng Mezquita or Malaking Moske nito. Ginawa ito bilang simbahan, subalit kinuha ng mga Muslim at pinalaki; pagkatapos ng Reconquista ng Espanya, ginamit muli ang Mezquita bilang simbahan. Sa kagandahan ng paulit-ulit na mga arko sa loob nito, tila nasilayan ko ang Paraiso ng Sangkatauhan.

Cordoba - Armik

Para sa isang pagsasalarawan ng Ehypt, basahin dito ang kamakailang sanaysay sa Philippine Star ng aking kaklaseng si Jerick Aguilar.

C.

2009-05-07T22:39:00.016+08:00

Playlist:

Keith Martin's "Because of You"

Shawn Colvin's "Never Saw Blue Like That"

Sitti's "Tattooed on My Mind"

Cocktail:

Mindoro Sling

Leaf in a bottle:

At this hour of the dark night
we are still together
on the woven sleeping-mat.
But when the sun gets up
and the stars detach themselves
from the sky,
our bond might break too.
If ever we meet again,
may we see one another, not with mortal eyes,
but with the eyesight of the soul.
- Mangyan ambahan

hola, patria

2009-04-26T20:08:00.008+08:00

"Luzon" (2008), pastel sa papel, 9" by 12"

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Salamat sa Philippine Children's Choir from Mandaluyong sa kantang "Dasal" ("Prayer").

webcam postcard

2009-04-19T19:05:00.002+08:00

il magnifico

2009-04-05T22:49:00.007+08:00

The single desire of his heart rose out of love and sorrow: to do something about Lorenzo, a theme that would express the totality of talent, courage, width and depth of knowledge; the human understanding of this man who had undertaken to lead the world into an intellectual and artistic revolution.

An answer was slow in coming: answers always were. Yet it was only by sticking doggedly to the task that he could arrive at a conception that would swing open the doors of his creative force. His thoughts kept returning to the fact that Lorenzo had often spoken of Hercules, suggesting that the Greek legend did not mean that his twelve labors were to be taken literally: the capture of the Erymanthian boar, the defeating of the Nemean lion, the cleaning of the Augean stables by running a river through. These feats perhaps were meant as symbols for all the varied and near-impossible tasks with which each generation was faced.

Was not Lorenzo the incarnation of Hercules? Had he not gone forth on twelve labors against ignorance, prejudice, bigotry, narrowness, intolerance? Surely he had set a Herculean pattern in founding universities, academies, art and manuscript collections, printing presses, in encouraging artists, scholars, poets, philosophers, and scientists to reinterpret the world in vigorous modern terms, and to extend our reach to all the fruits of the human intellect and spirit.

Lorenzo had said, "Hercules was half man and half god, sprung from Zeus and the mortal Alcmene. He is the everlasting symbol that all of us are half man and half god. If we use that which is half god in us, we can perform the twelve labors every day of our lives."

-Irving Stone, The Agony and the Ecstasy (1961)

master class

2009-03-23T23:19:00.035+08:00

Perhaps the best assessment of former UK PM Tony Blair's talk in Sofitel this afternoon came from business magnate Robina Gokongwei: "Very good... and very cute." Other heavyweights in the conference were former House Speaker Joe de V., motivational speaker (and former AIESEC International president) Anthony Pangilinan, and former Department of Tourism minister Jose Antonio Gonzalez.

I was motivated to attend the conference, despite the steep fees charged by the organizers (the former PM reportedly bills up to $250,000 a talk) because of the novelty of the event (a joint project of a university, a communications firm, and private companies). Also, an ex of mine confessed that she had a crush on Tony Blair (this was long before the Iraq War, though).

Former CJ Panganiban was the first speaker. The title of his speech was "Leadership during Challenging Times." Some of the useful stuff I picked up from his lecture were: a new remedy from the International Criminal Court for gross violation of human rights, the warrant of arrest for a sitting Head of State; how the statement of mission and vision can be applied even in government; and the dual and sometimes conflicting roles of the CJ, as primus inter pares and as the judiciary's CEO. His concluding message was that the best leadership is one by example, as exemplified by a certain businessman and Jesus Christ during the washing of the apostles' feet.

I think it would be better if, in his subsequent engagements, he tries speaking without a Powerpoint slideshow and going easy on the mnemonic devices- he's a charismatic person anyway and his speeches would have better transitions and a more natural flow. I also wish, as this afternoon's "front act," he gave a more positive, uplifting message- as Carlos Celdran noted, he spent far too much time dwelling on the well-known problems of the current administration (corruption, poor human rights record) and far too little on solutions. Even if he is now a private citizen, I still see the former CJ as a leader whose role, in his own words, is to inspire and motivate people.

Cecilio K. Pedro, Lamoiyan CEO, was the next speaker and the title of his speech was "How a Filipino Company Negotiates the Global Recession." Since the organizers were behind schedule, and Blair was already on his way to the hotel's tent from Malacanang, he had to cut his speech short. I felt shortchanged, since Ernst and Young gave this businessman the Socially Responsible Entrepreneur of 2004 Award and could have shared a lot more valuable lessons as a business leader- this was important since he was the only speaker from the private sector. Some of his most applauded lines: "the Filipino is world-class" and "let's stop blaming government (for our problems)."

Finally, Tony Blair walked into the tent and seemed to charge the air around him with electricity- the very embodiment of charisma (it could have also been due to the pounding music accompanying his entrance). The conferment of a medal by DLSU was 15 minutes long- 12 minutes too long, I thought- and I couldn't understand why officials gave him a school jacket, at least until I saw today's headline here- rival school Ateneo had also given him a jacket earlier in the morning (read Ivan Henares's report on the Ateneo lecture here).

I don't recall the title of Blair's talk since he didn't use Powerpoint (the conference topic, though, was "The Leader as a Principled Negotiator") but so skilled an orator was he that the audience strained to hear his every word throughout the 30-minute speech (Barack Obama is considered by many as the West's greatest living orator, but he reputedly relies too much on the teleprompter- Blair hardly looked at his printed notes yesterday and seemed to talk directly to the audience). Leadership as a conference topic sounds like fluff- it's not rocket science- but I felt in the end the fees were worth it- despite the economic slowdown- because Blair talked about lessons one can't learn from books: wisdom borne from his own experiences.

He got my attention when he started his talk by alluding to "the movie"- of course, a lot of us knew he was referring to "The Queen" in which he was portrayed by Michael Sheen, though he didn't seem sure if it had been shown here (or maybe it was typical British understatement). He continued, I'll tell you what really happened. When England elects a new PM, he doesn't become one until the "kissing of hands ceremony" with the Queen. He had no sleep the night before and on May 2 (1997), in a chamber off the throne room, he was briefed by a tall English gentleman. "Now Mr. Blair," this courtier said, "you've heard about the kissing of hands ceremony. Well, you don't exactly kiss the Queen's hands- you merely brush your lips against them." What? Blair was baffled by this piece of advice on court etiquette. Then, when he was approaching the Queen, he tripped on the carpet "so instead of kissing or brushing my lips, I fell upon her hands!" She must have thought he was a fervent PM. (Laughter.)

Blair and the audience were now one. (Second funny anecdote.) In 10 Downing St., the official residence of UK's PM, there's a tradition that on the PM's first day in office, the staff lines up along the straight corridor leading from the entrance to the Cabinet Room. On Blair's first day as PM, the staff did line up but- since the old party had been in the house for 18 years- a number of them were crying. He deadpanned, "By the time I reached the end of the line, I felt guilty!" (The audience laughed even harder.)

Having simultaneously established his credibility as a speaker and broken the ice, Blair then announced the topic of his speech: the lessons he learned as a head of government and also on the Northern Ireland peace process. What follows are my notes from the body of his speech.

Lessons as a PM:

If you want to understand the world, analyze it as it is; to change the world, you must first understand it. It's an interconnected and interdependent world- lack of confidence in one country spreads to others. There's globalization- the world moves fast- as a consequence, our era is one of low predictability- economics and politics are hard to predict. Power is shifting to the East- there's a need to understand China, India and countries like the Philippines- the consequences of this shift are hard to comprehend in the West- Europe was once a power, followed by America- in the 21st century, there will be more than one superpower and "as that world changes, so must we."
In a fast changing world, countries, companies and people have to be prepared for change. For a lot of people, change is the toughest thing to do. (I thought of poll automation at this point- thankfully we Filipinos are techno-savvy and embrace innovation.)
To make that change, leaders have to make decisions with courage. Blair mentioned some of the difficult decisions he faced: the war after 9/11; environment; poverty in Africa.
What is forgivable is to fail; what is not forgivable is not to try.

Segue now to the issue of peace and peace negotiation and "one or two" of his experiences in Northern Ireland (perhaps it was the speaker's stiff upper lip, but I got the sense at this point that he would share the rest if and when he becomes a consultant to the peace process- of course I've said that we should also consider getting the former Finnish PM, another peace expert, as a consultant- I don't know if the Pope would be acceptable to our Muslim sisters and brothers):

Focus on what's happening continually. Solve or manage problems.
Agree to principles, but understand that there'll be compromises (a lot of which would be controversial). It's important to have a plan: basic principles; a clear framework for proceeding in the peace process (in stages); milestones/ achievements sought).
Know that there are going to be attempts to destabilize what you agree on. The worst terrorist incident happened in Northern Ireland after the Good Friday Agreement. What's important was that the negotiators continued with even greater determination in the process.
You can have peace if both sides want it; usually, you can find a context for finding peace- you must continue and not give up.

Last point: While the economy matters, eliminating poverty is part of our mission, in the end our lives are not just concerned with the material, they're also concerned about values, the type of societies we want. And this is where faith matters. Blair then used the life of Rizal, before whose memorial he laid a wreath last Sunday and who fought "for the right of people to live as equal members in human society," to illustrate this last point.

Final joke: as a PM, Mr. Blair wasn't allowed to have a cellphone. So on his first day as a private citizen, he gets a cellphone and tries to text a friend: "Hi. Hello. How are you?" He forgets to put his name though, so the reply he receives is: "Sorry but hu r u?" "And I couldn't help but think," he deadpanned again, "it's only been 24 hours." (Laughing, the audience gave him a standing ovation.)

There was a question-and-answer segment with the audience moderated by broadcast journalist Che-che Lazaro. Here are some of the issues that were discussed:

On whether his support on the War on Terror was a mistake: no- it was a difficult decision, though (damn-if-you-do, damn-if-you-don't (not his exact words))
On whether President Obama's ascendancy and decision to withdraw from Iraq proves that the War on Terror was a mistake: in part because of the work that's been done, the US is now able to withdraw. Ultimately, there's a battle about and within Islam: the modernizing elements against the extremists and reactionaries. (He made the same point in Ateneo, which drew an interesting comment from a blogger here. I think the line should be taken in the context of his entire speech.)
On the strengths of the Philippines: our Christianity and religions; geographical location in the East, where power is shifting; record of equality of women (loud applause). All countries, even the UK, have problems (ex. alliance with US, difficulties in integrating with EU). Nations partly derive their power from alliances- shared purposes and interests/ values. The Philippines is also top 12 in population (Blair was going to point out how this could be an advantage, but Lazaro doesn't let him finish and says it's one of our problems.)
On his greatest legacy as a PM: Rather not say, other people write history. He's proud of Northern Ireland though.
On the key to getting a country back on track: focus on the top priorities- people want better living standards, economic prosperity.
On birth control, now that he has converted to Catholicism (his wife and children have been practicing Catholics and he had been attending masses with them before his conversion)- no comment, too hot to handle and he's a trained diplomat. (Sharp exchange with Lazaro due to a patronizing comment deftly defused with humor.) Check his political record- "that's my personal stand."
On when a leader should step down: don't leave for the sake of leaving, leave when you realize you can't do what you set out to do.
On his vision for his youngest son, a millennium baby (I wrote this final question for my seatmate Gleo): a world in which he would be comfortable with his faith and that would allow him to feel a respect for and connection to people of different faiths, where they would be in harmony with each other. For the basic tenet of every faith is love.

End of conference.

woman

2009-03-09T22:42:00.011+08:00

Imagine my surprise when, on my way to the dojo, I saw a billboard of Camilla adorned with a tiara and the announcement that she had won Mrs. Philippines-Universe!

Camilla was a sorority batchmate of someone I dated in college. It was a memorable initiation into the way of UP's Greeks, since I had to endure frequent teasing from an entire group of "sisters," a kind of courtship-by-coercion.

I felt close to Camilla since she reminded me of B.C., my first crush in ISM, and she had also studied in UPIS. Also, she had a strong presence- "malakas ang dating"- which sometimes caused people to misunderstand her, yet she always smiled and never let unpleasant remarks rain on her parade, which I found both practical and heroic.

Anyway, one time, while we were having a friendly lunch in the old Thai restaurant of International Center (I heard that "Mommy Thai" has returned from Bangkok and now serves her delicious tom yum soup in Ortigas), she told me a fascinating tale. She said that her mom's family comes from the enchanted Island of Panay and that the women in her family have fey blood running through their veins. Some of them have chosen to develop their powers by living in the wilds as wise women, maligned by the ignorant, never to be seen again- most of the others though have chosen to cast their spells in everyday life.

Well, we know where Camilla has chosen to exercise her druidic powers: in Blue Gardens. And pretty soon, she'll be weaving her magic in Bulgaria for the international beauty contest.

Here is Camilla practicing a dance number with her fellow Singing Ambassadors, looking as fresh and simple as she did when she was still a single co-ed. Congratulations Mrs. Camilla Kim-Galvez (click on her interview clip here)! And Happy Women's Month everyone!

Babae Ako (Urduja OST) - Regine Velasquez

Thanks to Regine Velasquez for "Babae Ako."

saglit

2009-03-01T22:22:00.008+08:00

I forgot to check my email and didn't read a message from Mahoto: he was visiting Manila before moving from Rotterdam to Shanghai. Nonetheless, we accidentally bumped into each other in The Block- I was with the poet from Hong Kong, he was with a friend from Chile. I'm trying to compute the probability of its occurrence: since Manila is a megacity with 18 million people, the chances were practically nil (1: factorial of 18 million). Our meeting reminds me of a saying of the Japanese tea masters, Ichigo ichie. Every encounter is once in a lifetime. What grace to experience such moments even if- or precisely because- they are not meant to happen again.

It's a new month- time to change my computer's desktop...

You Changed My Life - Sarah Geronimo

Thanks to Sarah Geronimo for the song "You Changed My Life."

cariño brutal

2009-02-10T07:43:00.020+08:00

If, as psychologist David Niven says, we are every age we've ever been, I think the teen years are among the best to adopt this Saturday. That's the time of life when love is most exciting- the rush of emotions is so new and the steps of the courtship dance so unfamiliar that our nerve endings become sensitive to the world around us. By the time I reach college, I am already predictable... I prevent planes from taking off in the airport to proclaim my feelings. Yawn! (This maneuver's cliché-status is confirmed soon enough in the climax of the 2003 British film Love Actually.)

Just for fun, I ask my virtual assistant (VA) to recommend five activities to do on Valentine's Day and here's the list that she emails me:

Aroma vitality massage with a geographic vegetarian tour of Italy in Shangri-La
Kuh Ledesma's "The Voice, The Violin" concert in Captain's Bar
Peter Cetera's concert with a 42-piece orchestra in the Big Dome
Joanna Ampil's "I Love" concert in Music Museum
Lisa Macuja's "The Swan, The Fairy, and the Princess" ballet in Star Theater.

Post-teen, people tend to spend more resources to reawaken the senses and induce that blessed madness called love.

One of my favorite love poems is by a 15- or 16-year-old named Lourdes. She asks me to find a way to give it to a kid of Irish descent in our high school, which I do surreptitiously... but not before I photocopy it! (And, yes, to those who are curious: her spell does work on the boy she calls "Leprechaun Man"- for a season or a semester.)

The Irish are the best conversationalists. Like Filipinos, most are Catholic, humorous and self-deprecating. For many of my Irish friends, however, words are as playful and elusive as quicksilver- so essential to their vaunted wit (a word with no exact Filipino translation). Many Filipinos, in contrast, are open and sincere almost to a fault: when we're madly in love, we like to mean what we say. Words in these isles aren't just admired like the tip of Cupid's arrow glittering in the sun: after shooting one through the heart, we rotate the shaft again and again.

The following poem combines the Irish love of words with the Filipino brand of romance. Ladies and gentlemen, the Sappho of ISM:

To Jake: My Delightfully,
Despicably Simple-Minded Fool
by Lourdes Tagao

How did I come to like you
When you put yourself in disgrace
By presenting yourself ridiculously
And contorting your "treasured" face?
Then again your voice could never
Belong to some Romeo of old...
Squeaky, and high, and frankly,
Frequently out of control.
Your nose was not well-chiselled
By the sculptor up above,
So how could
females throw you
Meaningful looks of love?!
Your chin juts out expressly
Like an overhang of a cliff.
You, too, proffer a friend of yours
Your armpit for a whiff.
The way you dress would put
Not you, but your clothes, to shame.
So given all these absurdities,
Why do I like you just the same?
Your glasses would've looked great
Had you worn them three decades ago.
You venture to dance, but instead,
I wish I possessed tomatoes to throw.
Then again, you're vain to insanity
About your coiffure of auburn deep;
And you tend to it ever so often,
I wonder if you do so in your sleep.
You can be such a tease,
But you think you're some ladies' man!
You play such childish games-
To call you mature would be a sham!
Your laughter would scare birds
Away from their perch up in the trees.
Really, it reminds me
Of a flock of honking geese.
You try to sound intellectual,
But insolent fits you nicely.
You start out prim and proper,
Then you end up becoming unruly.
Your mind can be so perverted,
Your hand an indecent instrument-
As you draw such revolting things
As- dare I say it?- canine excrement!
But I like you... well, somewhat-
I must be out of my mind
To invest so much time and effort
In such a demented, degenerate find!
But for all your simple-minded
Mannerisms I see in school-
I think I like you for some reason,
My delightful, despicable fool.

Kahit Maputi Na Ang Buhok Ko - Rico J. Puno

last look

2009-02-01T23:52:00.004+08:00

It's the 10th anniversary of our AU batch and my friends who will be in Helsinki later this year will see a different smile on my face: Dr. Iris Panlilio, my orthodontist, says that I'm almost ready to have my braces- what I call my teeth's "crutches"- removed.

In UPIS, I actually represented some of my sections in Best Smile competitions. Years later, in a beach in Batangas, Sonny Angara (now Rep. Angara of Aurora) told me and Jun Santos that he wanted to get braces to straighten his front teeth. I thought it was a bit unfair, since back then he looked pretty good already. So after college, when I was already working in the Supreme Court, I paid a visit to the neighboring UP College of Dentistry to get braces myself and that was where I met Dr. Panlilio.

Actually, the first intern to handle my case (let's call her "H.") was a Nepalese dentist. She worked pretty fast and seemed well-respected by her peers, but she didn't like it when I asked questions- or read an orthodontic textbook. That year-long clinical relationship was turbulent, to say the least, and after two public "debates" which neither her stunned professors nor classmates couldn't stop, we were both glad to move on.

Dr. Panlilio was the next intern to handle my case. From her, I found out that H. was actually a princess in her country. That probably explains her tantrums- by asking her questions, I may have been breaching royal protocol without knowing it! Despite that surreal experience, I felt sorry for Princess H. when I read last year that the monarchy had been abolished in Nepal.

When Dr. Panlilio became a licensed orthodontist and I began private practice, I followed her to her new clinic in North Greenhills. What I liked about her was the way she coaxed me out of my shell and helped make me feel more confident in my own body. When my lips were dry, she would use a finger to put cherry-flavored lip gloss on them; during long procedures, she made me listen to songs in her iPod. She took me seriously when, before trips abroad- to Malaysia or Hong Kong or Madrid- I would tell her to brighten my smile: she always did. She practices dental medicine, not just as a science, but as an art.

Here I am with Dr. Panlilio (now Dr. Panlilio-Law) before we remove my silver crutches- the photo is by her assistant Jing.

Gino Padilla - Closer You And I - Gino Padilla

Dr. Iris Panlilio-Law's clinic is in Unit 6B, Club Filipino Ave., 2/F One Kennedy Place, North Greenhills, San Juan with telephone no. 726-6755.

carabao year

2009-01-26T16:33:00.008+08:00

I think it's wonderful to be in a country with a large ethnic Chinese population and that therefore celebrates two New Years, one Gregorian or Western, followed around a month later by the Lunar or Eastern. One is given a second chance to implement resolutions, to begin again, to reinvent oneself.

The difference I see between the two stems from the image and symbolism of one of 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac and its cyclical quality: while personal circumstances dictate that one's fortunes- in love, health, or finances- may fall in one year, it is nature's law that they will rise again, and vice-versa. The poet Kipling expressed it best when he said that part of maturity is to "meet with Triumph and Disaster/ And treat those two imposters just the same." Or as Vicky liked to advise, This too shall pass.

Moreover, in the Lunar New Year, one can pro-actively shape one's fate: certain acts, food, or lucky charms are traditionally believed to enhance good luck or guard against misfortune. As a Christian, I can't- and don't- believe that rituals or objects themselves possess magical or divine powers- nonetheless, they can be powerful symbols for hidden aspirations or psychological needs that produce real effects in the world.

In the Lunar calendar, yesterday marked the beginning of the Year of the Ox, though in my personal zodiac it's really the year of the carabao. I remember now my ancestors, especially my paternal grandfather Tatang, a strong farmer who lived close to the earth and plowed rice fields with the help of this resilient and gentle creature. As a child, I didn't like the farm or carabaos very much- I thought they represented underdevelopment or a lack of progress. As a college activist, I romanticized rural life and brought friends to Bukid (The Farm), sometimes dreaming of wading through mud to plant rice with the farmers. Now, with a more grounded vision, I see how my grandparents simply used the knowledge, skills, and resources available to them to create opportunities for themselves and their descendants to lead more comfortable lives.

Of course, some financial authors believe that developing sensitivity to the earth is the next big wave in business, with many companies standing to reap billions after the current crisis for going green. The oxen constellation is coming full circle: first hovering over farms, then towns and cities, and back again to nature.

What Are You Doing New Years Eve - JED MADELA

Thanks to Jed Madela for "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve."

zeitgeist

2009-01-20T20:42:00.005+08:00

Umagang Kay Ganda - Nyoy Volante

Thanks to Nyoy Volante for "Umagang Kay Ganda."

name

2009-01-11T23:08:00.010+08:00

Voltaire, Miro, sa collègue et moi avons pris un café dimanche matin dans un sympathique café parisien, dommage que tu n'étais pas là pour discuter dans la langue de Molière, Racine et... Voltaire avec nous!

These French words were from an email message I got last year from my friend Romain- I had mentioned to him during a chat that it was difficult growing up with a French name in a country full of Spanish and American ones, but that I had "grown into" its Versailles-like grandiloquence. When I first read them, I thought they formed the most beautifully constructed sentence (probably because I wasn't sure of what they meant!):

Voltaire, Miro, his colleague and I had coffee Sunday morning in a nice Parisian cafe, too bad you weren't there to converse in the language of Molière, Racine and... Voltaire with us!

The second Voltaire he refers to is the nom de plume of a philosopher of the French Enlightenment, François-Marie Arouet- a high school security guard once surprised me by calling him "the great agnostic." Was this evidence of the famous French wit?

Anyway, let me introduce you to the person who gave me my name and unwittingly tied my fate to that of France. He is my tatay or father Jaime, a historian and a professor: he looks so young in the picture above, it's a wonder how he raised the fireball he held in his hands.

My aunt Melia, Tatay's elder sister, twice told me that it was very quiet in the Quezon City hospital where I was born, only two days before President Marcos declared Martial Law. She and my Mom called me "Sonny Boy" and deferred giving the nurse a first name for my birth certificate until Tatay showed up: he was in hiding like many intellectuals during those days of disquiet. Hence, in my birth certificate, only my first name "Voltaire" is handwritten, proof that it was only added later on. (Actually, I have a second name... The generic Sonny Boy also stuck as a nickname: it is what members of my extended family and our friends call me up to now.)

I believe that a lot of parents unconsciously make their children, for good or ill, repositories of their dreams and our names can give us clues of what these are.

During the ISM Scholars' interview after 5th Grade, an interviewer Mrs. Cheng asked me if I knew after whom I was named. I had looked it up in Tatay's Encyclopedia Brittanica: I said I was named after a famous French philosopher. When I got home and proudly told my parents about my answer, they laughed and said, no, I was named after another Voltaire: Enrique Voltaire Garcia III, a former Editor of the Collegian, who was also an international debater, student council chairperson, and martyr during Martial Law.

Later, my friends Tricia baptized me "Rev" and Peter called me "Voltz" (with a "z") and they seemed better suited to me at certain stages: I liked them and sometimes still use them. After I myself became a Collegian Editor and a writer, however, I felt comfortable wielding the power of a name I share with two heroes- one of 18th century France, the other of 20th century Philippines- and I now use its cultural and historical narratives to enhance my life and those of the people around me.

. . .

In our walking tour yesterday, Carlos mentioned that "Lupang Hinirang," the Philippine national anthem- born of the first nationalist revolution in Asia- took inspiration from and is an "upside-down" or mirror version of "La Marseillaise," the rallying call of the revolution in France and now its national anthem. Listen for yourselves: "LH" is here and "LM" is here.

panuloy

2009-01-04T13:08:00.011+08:00

2009 year is the year of the earth Ox and 26th year in the sixty-year cycle. As Chinese astrology tells us, the Ox sign is the sign of prosperity found through fortitude and hard work. Such a year has a straight and unprejudiced nature, though it sometimes reveals hidden secrets without due thought, inadvertently hurting someone's feelings and offending others. It should turn out to be a prosperous year for those hard thinkers and active planners who believe in and rely on teamwork, run their own business, or work independently. -2009 Horoscope

Isang Masaganang Bagong Taon at Maligayang Kapistahan ng Tatlong Hari sa inyong lahat!

Nagpapasalamat ako sa lahat ng biyayang natanggap natin noong nakaraang taon, kung kailan sama-sama nating isinilarawan sa ating isipan ang isang dalisay na bayan at mundo.

Noong Bagong Taon ng 2008, ipinagdasal ko na magkakaroon tayo ng kasaganahan. At sa gitna ng mga problemang pinansyal na bumalot sa mundo, nanatili ang karamihan sa ating may trabaho at nakaranas pa nga tayo ng kaunting paglaki ng ekonomiya. Maging ako'y nagulat dahil umabot sa kalahati sa kinita ng aming kumpanya noong nakaraang taon ay mula sa ibang mga bansa. Ayon sa When Markets Collide ni Mohamed El-Erian- tinaguriang pinakamahusay na librong pangnegosyo sa 2008 ng The Economist- patuloy pa rin ang paglakas ng pumagitaw o emerging na mga ekonomiya tulad ng Pilipinas, kung kayat magandang paghandaan ang mga oportunidad na dinadala ng pandaigdigang pagbabago.

Dahil may iba akong nais pagtuunan ng pansin dito sa Café Voltaire ngayong taon- halimbawa, ang mga maaring maging Pangulo sa Halalan 2010 at mga pagsubok ng ating mga kababayang tila di makasakay sa tren ng kaunlaran- humihingi ako ng inyong tulong sa patuloy na pagdarasal o pag-aasam ng kasaganahan nating lahat. Ayon kay Mateo 17:20, "Kung kayo ay may pananampalatayang tulad ng butil ng mustasa, masasabi ninyo sa bundok na ito: Lumipat ka roon, at ito ay lilipat. At walang bagay na hindi ninyo mapangyayari." Sa pananampalataya, tila mas epektibo nga kung isa-isang bundok ang ating tatahakin- ang "bundok na ito"- imbis na sabay-sabay.

Mga resolusyon sa 2009:

1. Mag-ehersisyo ng lima o anim na araw bawat linggo (inspirasyon ko rito ang programa ni Barack Obama sa Men's Health)

2. Pagsusuri ng mga oportunidad sa Tsina at Rusya, dalawang malalaki't may impluwensyang mga bansa sa hilaga.

Pinoy Ako (Pinoy Big Brother Theme) - Orange and Lemon

tropical Christmas

2008-12-24T23:42:00.005+08:00

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Maligayang Pasko! Merry Christmas! To my friends and loved ones who I was not able to greet personally, as my gift to you, I am making a one-time donation to UNICEF Philippines to help improve the health of children.

tala

2008-12-21T10:05:00.004+08:00

pamamaraan

2008-12-14T21:06:00.007+08:00

Paraang Pilipino:

Paraang Vietnamese:

Paraang Pilipino-Vietnamese:

Suportahan natin ang Pandaigdigang Tipan ng U.N. para sa Panlipunang Pananagutan ng Kalakalan (Corporate Social Responsibility o CSR).

bulletin

2008-12-10T10:23:00.013+08:00

From Manila Bulletin, Sunday, December 7, 2008:

Kubo, Bato and Beyond:
UP’s centennial architecture tilt
By Voltaire Veneracion

Three factors make architecture truly Filipino: Filipino values, Philippine climate and the use of indigenous materials. – Francisco Mañosa, architect

In time for the centenary of the University of the Philippines (UP), the UP College of Architecture is holding a landmark competition to promote Filipino green architecture.

With the aspirational title, “Ang Pinakamagandang Bahay sa Balat ng Lupa (The Most Beautiful House on Earth),” the tilt aims to stimulate the imagination of architecture students and licensed architects alike and rediscover- or redefine- beauty in Filipino design.

The 20th century saw the UP landscape evolve into a hotbed of experimentation in architecture and the arts. Among the architects who have been commissioned to design the buildings of its Diliman campus, for example, were Cesar Concio (Engineering and Arts & Sciences buildings, Protestant Chapel), Juan Nakpil (Administration and Main Library buildings), Carlos Arguelles (Faculty Center), and Victor Tiotuyco (International Center).

To perpetuate this tradition of design excellence and experimentation in the new century, competition sponsor Lafarge Cement Services has agreed to build the winning designs beside the UP Post Office for the public to visit and appreciate. The lots are a stone’s throw from the saucer-shaped UP Chapel, a national architectural landmark designed by National Artist for Architecture Leandro Locsin in the 1950s when he was just a young graduate of the University of Santo Tomas (UST).

For the UP competition, the organizers would like the entries judged on the basis of aesthetic, environmental, and cultural standards. Prof. Nicolo del Castillo, college secretary and the chairperson of the competition, explains: “The title of the competition itself connotes that the contest is Filipino. Lafarge approached us and said they wanted to sponsor a design competition. And we were able to pinpoint an area that’s close to people: the housing issue.”

Del Castillo observes that in a lot of housing developments for the middle class, homes have been patterned after homes in the West that are oftentimes not suitable to our climate and culture. Unfortunately, architects ultimately follow the dictates of clients.

“With this competition,” he says, “architects are free to create and not be influenced by the biases of clients.”

Del Castillo also explained that the entries should be environmentally sustainable and celebrate tropical living.

“The trend now is green, sustainable architecture- isa yun sa mga goals, but we didn’t want to simply buy into this trend. We wanted to incorporate the greenness into a delightful whole. Para hindi lang sasabihin, ‘Uy, ang bahay mo green.’ Instead, people will say, ‘Uy, ang ganda ng bahay mo.’”

Finally, the winning designs should be an expression of Filipino culture, with our inside/outside sensibility. “We are an outdoors-oriented people,” del Castillo says. “We usually entertain outside, so why not consider this and other behaviors in designing our houses?”

In the end, the UP College of Architecture seeks to make “Ang Pinakamagandang Bahay sa Balat ng Lupa” an opportunity for the profession to develop a deeper set of Filipino architectural principles- new forms that are both climate-responsive and in consonance with local culture.

While emphasizing that participants should not limit their imagination, del Castillo acknowledges the contribution of some architects to the development of this timeless, yet timely, aesthetics.

“(Francisco) Mañosa and (Leandro) Locsin have been advocates of climate-responsive architecture. They are to be credited for our awareness about architecture and climate. Dean Geronimo Manahan was also a strong advocate of that.”

Lafarge Cement Services CEO Samir Cairae says that their company is proud of being part of the project because it provides a meaningful way of promoting sustainable architecture while involving the participation of an important sector in creating greener living environments: architects.

Lafarge Philippines is part of a group of companies with headquarters in France which organized, with the Laboratoire Central des Ponts et Chaussées (LCPC), an exhibit on concrete in the Grand Palais museum in Paris last November 14 to 16 during the annual "Fête de la Science" (Science Festival).

Locally, Lafarge Philippines seeks to minimize its environmental footprint by using rice husks instead of coal as fuel in some of its plants. Their carbon asset development consultant Alan Silayan, managing director of Carbon Finance Solutions (CaFiS), explains, “One of the major things they’re doing is switching fuels from a fossil-fuel, coal, to a carbon-neutral fuel, rice husk. Coal is a main ingredient or fuel in cement kilns so if you can switch a portion of that to a carbon-neutral fuel, you reduce your greenhouse gas emissions. They’re pilot-testing it in one plant, and now they’re implementing it in another. And they have future plans for that and for energy efficiency.”

The competition that UP and Lafarge are organizing has two categories: for professionals and for students. Teams may also submit entries.

The competition involves the complete architectural design of a climate-responsive, Filipino house using any set of materials to be constructed on a 200-square meter lot. Each competition category will be assigned its own lot. The house should serve the needs of a family of five (5) persons at the most. It may be a starter house that can be adapted to meet the needs of a typical family as it grows and, as children grow up and leave the house, contracts. Finally, the house should cost a maximum of Php 750,000.00, the ceiling for PAG-IBIG’s affordable economic housing loan.

Registration for the competition began last October 27 and continues until December 16, 2008. Submission of entries will be on February 28, 2009. After winners are announced in March 2009 and the prototype houses built, the winning designs of each category are envisioned to dot UP’s campuses for the use of faculty and staff.

Architects and students who are interested to join may call telephone number 433-2280 or visit the website www.upd.edu.ph/~ca or http://geocities.com/pmbbl_2008 .

BAHAY KUBO - ASIN

Note: Registration for the competition is extended to January 31, 2009. Thanks to Pearl Farm in Davao for the above photo of Samal tribe-inspired houses and to Asin for the folk song "Bahay Kubo" ("Hut").

water

2008-11-30T13:26:00.003+08:00

There are two sports I think all Filipinos should know: arnis and diving.

As an archipelagic state, "a body of water studded by islands," the Philippine territory is comprised mostly of the ocean. It's not enough then to see our islands, one must go underwater to have a deeper appreciation of how our history, food, and culture have been shaped by our relationship with the seas.

Scuba diving with my teachers Chen and Louie Mencias (their blog is here) was a life-changing experience because I didn't expect to see so much color and life beneath the ocean surface: it was an encounter with a secret world that has always existed parallel to my terrestrial one. It came as no surprise when I found out later on that the Philippines has the greatest biodiversity- as well as the one most threatened with extinction- in the world: Galapagos multiplied seven times.

Here I am in Anilao with my lawyer-diving buddies Bebot Cabeguin, Agnes Bailen and Rolly Tulay. After a dive, we're flashing the hand-signal that divers use underwater to say "okay!"

Cast your on-line vote for Tubbataha Reefs National Park or Puerto Princesa Subterranean National Park in the New 7 Wonders of the World.

fire

2008-11-23T10:02:00.008+08:00

More than anywhere else on earth, these five thousand miles of islands are where beauty and the beast most dramatically coexist, where you can see the most breathtaking scenery and at the same time enjoy, suffer, or derive vicarious pleasure from the risk that something- and who knows what? who knows when?- may happen. -Simon Winchester, "Beauty and the Beast," Condé Nast Traveler (1998)

In 1992, my high school classmate Dean and I went to Pampanga to integrate with farmers who survived the explosion of Pinatubo volcano. Dean was then an economics major in Harvard and I was taking the same course in the University of the Philippines. Dialectical materialism was the order of the day in UP and I wanted my friend to experience that discursive space. It was the volcano of social ferment that we explored then- the force that explodes now and then to radically change society whenever a ruling class loses its moral ascendancy and overstays its welcome. (Its terrible fire by the way is what Rep. Mikey Arroyo, in his bid for Constitutional change, is playing with.)

We didn't go to the volcano itself, but we did see a new landscape, a moonscape, that geology had created: what were once towns and rice fields were covered with gray ash called lahar.

When a Polish friend visited recently I decided to take him on an exploration of Filipino culture as a product of this geological marvel. Like the Philippines, Poland never surrendered its sense of nationhood through centuries of invasions by neighboring states such as Sweden, Russia, Prussia, and Austria. Its capital Warsaw was the most bombed city after World War II (our capital Manila was the second). In 1989, a mere three years after we overthrew a dictatorship through People Power, the Poles overthrew the yoke of communist oppression through open elections. We would eat spicy sisig, finely diced cheeks of pig with garlic, onion, and siling labuyo (native chilies). We would step on the balcony in Malacanang Palace where Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos waved to supporters for the last time before being ejected to exile. At the heart of this journey, however, would be a physical volcano: I wanted us to see the crater lake of Pinatubo and swim in the entrance to the center of the earth.

It was a three-hour trek past peaks of compressed gray ash, now covered with young forests. Following the course of an old river, we encountered groups of three or five Aeta children who frolicked in the water. Where did they live? How did they find their way back to their nomadic tribe? Moving forward, we travelled further and further back, to the time when fire conspired with the other elements to create these islands, rich in gold, flora and fauna. Short of breath, knees engorged with blood, and soaking wet from intermittent showers, we were finally rewarded with a vista of luminous green waters that lit Pinatubo's mouth, our faces, and the cloudy sky. Now where was that bottle of Żubrówka? The occasion deserved liquid fire.

1996 Bayani Ka! - Grace Nono

Aside from Pinatubo, which in 1991 created the second largest eruption of the 20th century, other volcano must-sees in the Philippines are Taal, the world's smallest active volcano, and fickle and fiery Mayon, still the world's most perfect cone. Volcano aficionados may then complete the circuit by seeing the 49 others- a complete list is here. Thanks to Grace Nono for the song "1996 Bayani Ka!"

performative

2008-11-16T09:53:00.013+08:00

Since elementary school, I've believed in degrees of friendship: best friends, close friends, acquaintances. I don't know the category to which my relationships with former colleagues in Collegian belong- there were times when we even got sick of and stopped talking to each other. Today however I feel I am most myself around them. Having written, debated, eaten, and semi-lived with each other for many years, we know each other's core humanity and divinity very well.

Some of us had the chance to have a mini-reunion recently in Mag:Net for the launch of Mads Bajarias' first self-published collection of poetry.

The poetry reading was especially memorable because of the readers' choices and interpretation of Mads' poems: the most daring one suddenly shot cream of mushroom on everyone's faces, giving a totally different dimension to the fellatic/ cunnilingual, one-line poem, "creamish." Like Roland Barthes said- or did not say- the reader replaces the writer: "The death of the writer is the birth of the reader."

Taking my cue from the readers/writers before me, I interpreted two poems. The first, "the future is shaped like a pinata," is about the most universal form of the triangle:

My girlfriend
Says
That I'd probably die
With the sound
Of your name on my lips

That I'm obsessed
With you. This is what she tells me...

The second poem, "watching you fast asleep," is about a less pointed triangle:

This is how happiness happens:
next to your sleeping form I am a crumpled stone...

Both advocates and critics of the paradigm-shifting Reproductive Health Bill that Congress is about to pass would do well to read Mads' poems that brim with honesty. To buy copies of the book, write to madsbajarias@gmail.com. Thanks to Boojie Basilio for the above photo.

pursuit of happiness

2008-11-09T17:18:00.023+08:00

A number of friends have asked me how the Philippine economy is doing right now. In response, I like to borrow a brilliant phrase from an official of S&P about how the country is an island of calm amidst the global financial crisis. As my economics professor Solita Monsod has pointed out, the Philippine economic portfolio is diversified and not heavily dependent on any one country. The economy continues to grow, the employment rate is increasing, inflation at 11.2% is manageable, and remittances are projected to increase (the Central Bank's economic indicators are here). For all her well-known faults, President Arroyo has done an excellent job as the national cheerleader by focusing on the economy and keeping business people calm and optimistic. Had laws allowed it, I think that she and future Presidents deserve the higher salary that was proposed a couple of weeks ago, both as a means to avoid corruption and an incentive for well-qualified people to run for the position (Singapore provides a successful model for this, with its Prime Minister now earning five times more than the US President).

During challenging times such as these, I get inspiration from cross-country running. It's both an individual and a team sport, since you draw strength from within yourself and your teammates, sometimes even adversaries against whom you pace yourself. In high school, to keep the team motivated during the run, Coach Ernie liked to say, "Keep running! You don't know who's going to win until someone reaches the finish line." Everyone had to run the same distance and face the same obstacles and therefore had the same chance of winning. Here are lines of a poem that best express the spirit of this sport, an attitude that can be applied to all aspects of one's life:

Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man,
But sooner or later the man who wins
Is the man who thinks he can.

- Walter Wintle, "Thinking"

This
Is The Moment - eric santos

Thanks to Erik Santos for the song "This is the Moment."

sensei

2008-10-26T11:41:00.012+08:00

Araw'y dumampi...
O, kayganda ng araw
Ngayong tag-araw!

- Fermin Salvador (2007)

Here's my first Japanese language sensei or teacher, Tajima Aya, in the secret bonsai garden of my university.

The plants here enjoy perfect weather nearly everyday and cheerfully spread their branches like a rainbow, like many typical deep-rooted trees in the tropics. They are cared for by internationally-renowned master Modesto Manglicmot, Javi's sensei in bonsai.

kapayapaan

2008-10-19T12:17:00.007+08:00

Sa paglabas noong nakaraang linggo ng desisyon ng Korte Suprema tungkol sa draft na kasunduan ng gobyerno at MILF, maraming nagtatanong kung paano muling maisususulong ang prosesong pangkapayapaan sa Mindanao. Mahalaga ito para sa patuloy na pag-unlad ng ekonomiya at pagkamit ng seguridad, lalo na ng 2 milyong taong nawalan ng tirahan dahil sa labanan.

Isa sa mga bansang maaari nating tingnan bilang modelo ang Indonesia, na natamo ang kapayapaan sa teritoryong Aceh pagkatapos ng 29 na taong pakikibaka ng Kilusang Pangkalayaan ng Aceh (GAM). Tulad sa Mindanao, sinasabing nagmula ang tunggaliang Aceh sa kasaysayan, relihiyon, at di makatarungang alokasyon ng mga likas na yaman.

Nabigyang solusyon ang kapayapaan sa Aceh sa tulong ng Crisis Management Initiative, sa pamumuno ni Marti Ahtisaari, dating Pangulo ng Finland na siyang ginawaran ng Gantimpalang Nobel para sa Kapayapaan ngayong taon.

Nasa larawan sa itaas ang aking unang kaibigang Fino na si Ville Niinistö sa Hardin ng Ganap na Kaningningan sa Tsina, bago siya nahalal na Miyembro ng Batasang-Bayan ng Finland.

Tulen Synty Loitsu (the Origin of Fire) - Tiina Kaaresvirta & Petri Korpela

Salamat kina Tiina Kaaresvirta at Petri Korpela sa kantang "Tulen Synty Loitsu."

tweethearts

2008-10-12T23:43:00.010+08:00

The Philippines is so connected now, it's easy to forget the time when most people didn't have cellphones or email accounts. I myself got my first email account at the National Computer Center near the UP Sundial only in college: the software didn't produce any graphics, messages had a white angular font on a black background.

Back then, it was exotic news when a Collegian editor found a girlfriend or husband on-line. The romantic narrative, I thought, went something like this: two people meet face-to-face, they decide to have a long-distance relationship, they email each other and live happily ever after. Technology, however, has turned this narrative on its head: see this story of a marriage proposal on Twitter.

What's my Twitter love story?

Not much, LOL. A couple of weeks ago, I was reading the tweets of randomly chosen people. It's amazing how you can find out a lot about people from messages of 140 characters or less: the food they like, their interests, whether they're serious or witty. As news of the credit crunch spread like a wave each day, I slowly felt drawn to someone who lived in the other city by the bay. One tweet at a time, I remembered my friends and loved ones in the US and around the world: it's my hope that you will survive and rise above the challenges of these times. The end.

Here's a picture I took of street signs in San Francisco with the names of Filipino heroes Lapu-Lapu and Rizal.

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Thanks to Tony Bennett and Lee-Hom Wang for "If I Ruled the World," a song that expresses a vision of simplicity and joy that, I believe, is shared by many Filipinos.

integration

2008-10-06T01:18:00.004+08:00

It's an exciting time for our doctors- as well as accountants and dentists- since Southeast Asian ministers recently signed agreements allowing them to practice in the entire ASEAN region.

The borders of nation-states in the ASEAN mainly follow those delineated by former colonial powers, despite the many similarities in our cultures. In pre-colonial times, the Kingdom of Namayan, with its royal capital in Sapa (later renamed Santa Ana, Manila), had ties of blood and marriage to the Madjapahit Empire. Had colonization not intervened, the development of nation-states in the region might have turned out differently. Today, ASEAN is a market of about 550 million people with a gross regional product of US$1.1 trillion and total trade of US$1.6 trillion.

Here are our future doctors viewed from inside the ribcage of a skeleton during a recent anatomy exam in the U.P. College of Medicine. I took this in the course of doing research for the biography of Dr. George Eufemio, president of Philippine Cancer Society. U.P. is known for producing world-class physicians. Later on, the Philippines might sign similar agreements with countries in other regions, like the E.U., but it's only prudent that we begin with neighbors which have a history, culture and economy similar to ours.

pop-up

2008-09-14T23:59:00.011+08:00

Here's a picture of a movable book that Big Dipper's paper engineers are developing for the U.P. College of Medicine Class of 1960.

It would feature turn-up and lift-up mechanisms inspired by the anatomical movable of Andreas Vesalius' De humani corporis fabrica librorumepitome that was printed in Basel in 1543. The latter book features a movable illustration of the human anatomy, shown in seven superimposed layers.

The first movable books actually predate the printing press. The earliest known examples of these interactive mechanisms are by Ramon Llull (c.1235 to 1315) of Majorca, a Catalán mystic and poet. His works contain revolving discs or volvelles, which he used to illustrate his philosophical search for truth.

U.P.C.M. 1960 is the legendary class of Senator Juan Flavier, one of the three most prominent and influential classes from that school in the 20th century. Another class in this trinity, Class of 1956, undertook one of the three restorations of Botong Francisco's murals in the Philippine General Hospital lobby (the most recent restoration cost P1.73 million): the members engaged our services two years ago for the production of their Golden Jubilee book, featuring pictures of their alma mater by internationally-acclaimed photographer Lester Ledesma, as well as several videos.

I anticipate that one more class from U.P.C.M. will emerge with the drive, ambition, and wealth to commission a book that would match the level of their predecessors' fantasy and control. I already have the design of the third book in this opulent, medical trilogy in my mind.

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Expand your understanding of books by attending "Words Without Borders," the 29th Manila International Book Fair in SMX. Thank you to the immortal Florante for the song "Handog" (Offering).

katanungan

2008-09-07T18:33:00.009+08:00

Nabalitaan kong nanalo ang U.P. Pep Squad sa U.A.A.P.- nakakatuwa dahil nadaanan ko itong naghihinsayo noong nakaraang linggo at umaasa akong magiging tanyag ang aking alma mater, di lamang sa talino at pakikipagkawanggawa ng kanyang mga mag-aaral, ngunit pati na rin sa kahusayan sa palaro.

Isa pang nadaanan ko sa U.P. ang Pangsentenaryong Lektura ni Washington Sycip, na ama ng aking tagapatnubay na si Vicky Herrera. Nakilala ko si G. Sycip noong tag-araw ng 1995 sa bahay ni Vicky sa Tagaytay. Katatanggap ko pa lang sa Kolehiyo ng Batas, at nag-iisip na ang pamilya ni Vicky kung saang paaralan ng batas magandang pumasok ang kanyang kambal, sina Mina at Amor.

Noong hapunan, katabi ko ang kanyang biyenang si Mahistradong Melencio-Herrera, na nagtanong, "Bilang abogado, ipagtatanggol mo ba ang taong alam mong may sala?"

Dahil di pa ako kumukuha ng Etika Legal, aking sinagot, "Hindi po, dahil 'di ko matutupad nang maayos ang aking trabaho bilang abogado sa ganoong sitwasyon."

Pagkatapos naming kumain, pumasok naman sa bahay si G. Sycip na nakipagkamay at nagpakilala bilang "Wash." Mayroon rin siyang katanungan para sa akin, "Aling paaralan ang mas magaling, ang A.I.M. o ang U.P. College of Business Administration?"

Dahil di ko naman alam na siya pala ang nagtatag ng A.I.M., walang pagaatubili kong sinagot, "Ang U.P. po."

Napansin ko na mas mahilig magtanong ang kagila-gilalas na pamilyang ito- si M. Herrera ay apo ni Pangulong Aguinaldo- kaysa magbigay ng kasagutan. Kung kaya't di ako nagulat sa pamagat ng lektura ni G. Sycip, "Mga Katanungan para sa U.P." Maraming praktikal na payo si G. Sycip na tila nagmumula sa sentido kumon, subalit bilang paggalang sa mga taga-U.P., di niya tuwirang sinabi ang mga ito.

Ito ang aking "pagsasalin" ng mga katanungan ni G. Sycip sa anyong deklaratibo:

May responsibilidad ang Pamantasan ng Pilipinas o U.P. sa kondisyon ng bayan, dahil dito nagtatapos ang maraming pinuno ng pamahalaan at lipunan. (Sinabi niya ito at ang susunod na mga pananaw bilang isang taong nagbabayad ng buwis na sumusuporta sa mga Iskolar ng Bayan at U.P.)
Ang mga problema natin sa edukasyon ay di dahil sa isang administrasyon lamang, bagkus ito ay dahil sa naiipon na kapabayaan ng maraming administrasyon.
Upang maging matiwasay ang bawa't bahagi ng bansa, mahalagang bigyan ng pantay-pantay na pagkakataon ang kabataang makapag-aral.
Mahalagang humingi ng donasyon ang U.P. mula sa mayayamang mga alumni. Kung kaya ng mga magulang, mas magandang bayaran nila ng buo ang tuwisyon ng kanilang anak. Bilang bansa, mas kailangang bigyan ng pondo ang elementaryang edukasyon.
Kailangang pag-aralan ng U.P. kung paano nawakasan ng ilang modelong bansang Asyano- tulad ng Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea o Malaysia- ang kahirapan.
Para sa hinaharap ng diplomasya at kalakalan, kailangan ring pagtuunan ng pansin ang mga wika at kultura ng Asya at Gitnang Silangan.
Mahalagang paghiwalayin ang pamamahala at mga relihiyon, tulad halimbawa sa isyu ng kontraseptibo. Makakatulong dito ang pagkakaroon ng edukadong mga mamamayan.
Pagbayarin ang pagpaparada ng mga kotse.
Magkaroon ng matagalang plano sa pag-unlad.
Bigyang pokus ang turismo o hospitalidad at agrikultura.
Ipaalam sa alumni na ang ating donasyon sa U.P. ay maaaring ibawas sa kabuuang buwis.
Magkaroon ng "think tank" na tutulong sa pambansang pagpaplano ng susunod na 25 hanggang 50 na taon.
Pag-aralan ang modelo ng Ireland, na isa ring Katolikong bansang dumaan sa kahirapan at kaguluhang panrelihiyon, ngunit ngayo'y may per capita income na mas mataas pa sa United Kingdom.

Sa kabuuan, tila minumungkahi ni G. Sycip na palaganapin ng U.P. ang ilang mga prinsipyong Asyano, tulad ng praktikalidad, disiplina at pagtutok sa pambansang interes. Ganitong klase ng kabayanihan ang kailangan ng bansa ngayong panahon ng sentenaryo ng U.P.

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Salamat sa orkestrang FilharmoniKA at kay Noel Cabangon sa bagong pagsasaayos ng "Kanlungan" mula sa album na Kumpas (2008).

isa

2008-08-31T14:29:00.046+08:00

Kagandahan ng Pag-iisa

Di nakikita ng matang puno ng imahe ng mundong ito ang mga katangian ng Kabilang Buhay.

Di nasisilayan ng matang puno ng katangian ng Kabilang Buhay ang Kagandahan ng Banal na Pag-iisa.

-Sheikh Ansari (1006-1088)- Kashf al-Asrar

Bukas ang simula ng Ramadan, ang panahon kung kailan ako nagbibigay pasasalamat sa mga kaibigan kong Muslim: ang mga kapwa kong manunulat na sina Samira at Peach; ang kaklase kong si Aquil; at ang kaibigan kong taga-Brunei na si Istiq.

Si Istiq ang nag-imbita sa amin ni Ting na siya namang taga-Malaysia (katabi ko sa larawan) na dalawin ang mosking Niujie ng Beijing: pagkatapos naming hugasan ang aming mga paa, pinayagan kaming makapasok at magdasal sa sari-sarili naming Diyos.

Malamang ngayong Ramadan din lalabas ang hatol ng Kataastaasang Hukuman tungkol sa kasunduang dapat sanang pipirmahan ng Pamahalaan at ng MILF. Mahalagang maisulong ang prosesong pangkapayapaan upang patuloy na umunlad ang ating bayan: sa kaso ng MILF, pangunahing hakbang ang pagtuklas kung sino at ilang mga taga-Mindanao ang kinakatawan nito.

Sa panahon ngayon, kasaganahan ang aanihin ng mga bansang may koneksyon sa lalong malaking pamilihan: ito ang dahilan ng kasaganahan ng mga estado ng U.S., mga miyembro ng E.U., at maging ng Singapore, na kung ihahambing sa ating lupain ay mas maunlad bagamat kay liit at kulang sa likas na yaman.

Mahirap nang makamit ang koneksyong ito ng mga bansang napapaligiran ng dagat; lalo pang tumitindi ang hamon kapag may kaguluhang nangyayari sa loob ng teritoryo nito. Bagkus tulad ng pagkakaibigan ng dalawang tao, napapadali ang relasyon ng mga bansa kapag kapwa silang payapa't may tiwala sa isa't isa.

Sa aking paglalakbay, natuklasan kong ang bawat bansa'y mayroong brand o tatak sa isipan ng mga taong nakakarinig sa pangalan nito. Wasto man o hindi, ang mga pananaw na bumubuo sa tatak ng isang bansa ay naka-aapekto sa pagtitiwala ng mga kalapit-bayan at sa desisyon nilang makipagkalakal sa mga naninirahan dito.

Ang magagandang aspeto ng tatak Pilipino ay ang ating talino, magandang pagtanggap sa panauhin, at kaaya-ayang mga baybay-dagat; ang kumakaila namang mga katangian nito ay ang laganap na kahirapan, suhulan sa ilang opisina ng pamahalaan, at kawalan ng kapayapaan. Ang pagtamo ng kapayapaan sa Mindanao ay isang malaking hakbang upang sumagana ang buhay ng bawat Pilipino, Muslim man o hindi. Maiaangat nito ang reputasyon ng pangalang Pilipino sa pandaigdigang pamilihan.

Higit pa sa kahalagahan ng pagkakaroon ng Pilipinas ng marangal na pangalan ang kaligtasan ng ating mga kababayan, lalo na yaong mga nakatira sa Mindanao. Dahil dito, sana'y maiwasto ang anumang pagkukulang ng naantalang proseso't kasunduan, masangguni ng mga partido ang mga pamayanang maaapektuhan, at maisulong ang kapayapaan at pagkakaisang nakabatay sa katiwasayan at paggalang sa karapatang pantao.

Matagal na ang tunggaliang ito- ngunit sa kabutihang palad umiikli ang mga daang kailangan pa nating tahakin.

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Salamat kay Ryan Cayabyab sa kantang "Kyrie" mula sa album na Misa.

american beauty

2008-08-24T10:39:00.011+08:00

A couple of months ago, I received virtual hugs from Julie, my schoolmate back in Middle School. I might have been taken aback had I gotten them from someone else, but surprisingly it felt nice to get those from her.

In the '80s, she gave me this picture with the following dedication:

:) 10-17-88

TO VOLTAIRE,

You are one of the sweetest people in the world. I value our friendship a lot. Hope we remain friends for a long time. Please don't ever forget me.

Your friend alwayz, :)
Julie Nelson '91 :)

P.S. Sorry about the ugly picture! :)

When she arrived in ISM, I hadn't been to the States yet and I thought she embodied what an American was: shiny, confident, and white. I remember she burst into the scene like a tornado, dating a succession of guys and leaving a trail of broken hearts in her wake. Ironically, she was extremely conscious of her looks and we became friends because I could articulate what I'm sure the other guys wanted to say: "You look beautiful!" We were also both fans of Menudo. She gave me a brown, plastic scapular and told me to have it blessed by a priest and wear it, which I did until the string broke- for me it was a sign of friendship, as much as a religious object.

Im going back to the Philippines - Menudo

Later on, I found out that Julie, who spoke with a warm, Southern drawl, wasn't purely Caucasian: Asian blood (Vietnamese? Filipino?) flowed through her veins.

If Barack Obama wins the elections in the US, young Filipinos today would have a better idea of the diverse races that have shaped that country- and hopefully a better image of what people of color like ours can accomplish anywhere.

jacket

2008-08-17T22:04:00.014+08:00

Aishiteru by Shimizu Shota

Baguio Arts Festival, 1999 (photo by Anna Hidalgo)

Office of Justice Mendoza, 2002

LRC-KsK, 2003

Eurasia 2

2008-08-10T22:57:00.013+08:00

The above verses are by Maningning Miclat (1972-2000), a Filipino painter and poet who spoke and wrote in Chinese, Filipino, and English; we went to university together. Thanks to New Minstrels for the song "Ikaw, Ako, Tayo Magkakapatid."

Eurasia 1

2008-08-07T00:38:00.021+08:00

I was kayaking with Gerald in the Gulf of Tonkin when I received a text message from the National Book Development Board (NBDB) announcing the launch of Tulaan sa Tren (Poetry in the Metro).

I'm in Vietnam for ASEFUAN's AGM and would be able to fly back to Manila in time for its launch this Saturday at 1 PM in the LRT Santolan station. It was around a year ago when I went to the AGM in Madrid and noticed how subway trains had posters containing excerpts of Spanish literary works that mention the city. Since I had no money to bring home, I decided that this idea would be my pasalubong or take-home gift to my hometown of Metropolitan Manila, a way for me to share the spirit of Europe to the greatest city that today bridges East and West.

Upon returning, I enlisted the help of Andrea Flores, Executive Director of NBDB, and Deo Custodio, who was then with Congress. Deo helped arrange a meeting between Andrea and LRTA Administrator Mel Robles, who supported the idea. I didn't hear from the NBDB nor the LRTA again about the project until this week's AGM, which surprised me and made me happy. Starting next week, when I ride the train to go to work, I would remember the friends I made in Madrid. Of course, "Tulaan sa Tren" now has a life of its own and is uniquely Manileno. Aside from the NBDB and the LRTA, the project is supported by Optical Media Board Chairman Edu Manzano and National Artist Virgilio Almario (Rio Alma). Below is a poster featuring my poet-ancestor Jose Corazon de Jesus (Huseng Batute). Hmm, I wonder what I'll bring home from Indochina...

Thanks to David Frogier de Ponlevoy for the top photo.

mtv

2008-07-27T00:55:00.010+08:00

Paano gumawa ng isang music video:

1. Pakinggan ang peg upang makahango ng inspirasyon para sa gagawing kanta.

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2. Isulat ang mga titik at isaayos ang himig ng musika.

3. Gumawa ng demo gamit ang cellphone o recorder.

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4. Sa studio, irecord at i-edit ang mga boses at instrumento, tulad ng gitara, keyboard, at drums. Pagkatapos, mag-mix at mag-master.

5. Magshoot sa field at sa harap ng green screen. I-edit ang music video. Lagyan ng animasyon. Rock en roll!

Sa tulong ng video na ito, nakatanggap ang nagkomisyong NGO- ang Alalay sa Kaunlaran, Inc. o ASKI- ng higit sa Php 0.5 milyon mula sa mga manonood sa unang gabi ng palabas. Upang malaman ang mga programang pangkalinga ng ASKI at makapagbigay ng donasyon, bumisita rito.