Back in college, my last semester saw me on a non-airconditioned bus to the province. I was to spend roughly 4 months there, working for a non-government organization as part of the requirements for me to graduate. The village I was assigned to was deep in the ricefields, without running water, electricity, plumbing or decent roads. Each day I was there, I walked for hours to get to the adjacent barangay. It was typhoon season, interspersed with scorchingly hot days. On one occasion I almost drowned crossing a flooded river, on another got burned to the point of dehydration. Well, I survived, good for me.
One of my foster families there holds a special place in my heart. I lived at their house for a couple of days at a time and each time each time they had a lot of fun teaching me the local dialect (Ilokano). During lulls in our activities, they showed me how to gut a goat, plant rice, irrigate the fields and walked with me to discover new short cuts to the next town by foot. They always had a good laugh whenever I tried to speak their dialect, and I always had to try because no one there spoke Filipino, the national language save for maybe 5 people.
After 4 months, I can say that I really got close to them, and them to me. I visited their village for the last time and they gave me a present, a white polo shirt with little chipmunks all over it. I almost cried. This shirt was only worn by the village patriarch to special occasions such as weddings, his daugter's graduation and the like. So imagine the value that this person placed on this animated shirt, and he was giving it to me.
I got home to Manila, wearing the chipmunk shirt. As soon as my sister laid eyes on it, she rolled on the floor laughing. Why were chipmunks all over my shirt? I realized that these rodents did seem odd, but I still wore it anyway. It was my lucky shirt of sorts, I wore it to school and when I landed a job, donned those chipmunks every Tuesday, I think.
Then there came a time when I couldn't wear it anymore because I had grown fat and it wouldn't fit. I lovingly folded it up and kept it in the closet. Years would pass before I rediscovered the shirt, still folded neatly though already discolored with age and reeking of mothballs. Out of curiosity I tried it on again, apparently is now fits me, though sadly the discoloration and some holes made by moths have made it unfashionable to say the least. I folded it and returned it back into the closet, saying good bye to the chipmunks and all the lovely memories that they brought.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Life and Death of an Icon
It feels a bit funny, icons that seemed immortal during my younger years now feeble and old, or dead. For my generation, Michael Jackson for example seemed ageless. My nickname was taken from a song that he and his siblings sang back in the late seventies, and every kid back then was familiar more or less with the 'moonwalk'. Then there's former president Cory Aquino who in 1986 was destined for the history books. We grew up having to listen to 'Reagan-omics' on the news and watched Lino Brocka films whenever I helped my mom carry stuff from the wet market.
Death or illness seems like a byword when you become an adult. But can you remember the first time that you were shocked with news of the death of a significant figure in history? I've been thinking back to that time and I guess that person for me was Annie.
Who is Annie? I don't know either. But I never failed to go straight home from school to watch her show. She played the sidekick of Alex, who transformed through cosmic powers into Shaider, battling overgrown monsters sent by aliens out to conquer Earth (Or Japan, these aliens always sent their monsters to Japan, exclusively to Alex's hometown). Now I'm sure Annie suddenly feels all too familiar.
Well actually, I'm not sure if she's dead. Back in elementary school, the rumor that Annie was dead came as a shock to all those pre-teen boys who always hurriedly came home to see if they could catch a short glimpse of Annie's underwear. The initial reaction? That we wouldn't be able to watch 'Shaider', nor Annie's underpanties again. That would be something more earth shattering than having alien monsters taking over the planet! So that day we all ran back to our living rooms and were relieved to find Annie still jumping over the cameras, doing somersaults and revealing her yellow or brown panties for all little boys to see. She would go on assisting Alex in their adventures for a few more years before the show went off the air entirely.
Then, the mysterious Annie became resurrected in high school, this time on the pages of a Japanese girly magazine. Of course no one in our class could read Nippongo, so we didn't really know if she was the famous sidekick. What mattered was that she was the spitting image of Annie, and that she did not have anything on. By the way, this isn't proof that Annie lives, it was an old magazine, years old. Probably around the time after the Shaider series was shot.
Fast forward to today, specifically 5 minutes ago. Of course I googled Annie. Found out she is a J-porn actress, still very much alive, yippee! Of course, the challenge of having to watch Shaider for a glimpse of her underwear is gone if and when I do get hold of any of her recent porn flicks. Sadly though, Alex is dead. Apparently, liver cancer did him in. Wonder who's taking care of the monsters now.
Yes, icons will die eventually, but the important thing is that we always remember them for what they did and what they stood up for. I know I'll always keep Annie in my mind. Time Space Warp, ngayon din!
Postscript:
So Zaido was descended from Shaider? Interesting...
Death or illness seems like a byword when you become an adult. But can you remember the first time that you were shocked with news of the death of a significant figure in history? I've been thinking back to that time and I guess that person for me was Annie.
Who is Annie? I don't know either. But I never failed to go straight home from school to watch her show. She played the sidekick of Alex, who transformed through cosmic powers into Shaider, battling overgrown monsters sent by aliens out to conquer Earth (Or Japan, these aliens always sent their monsters to Japan, exclusively to Alex's hometown). Now I'm sure Annie suddenly feels all too familiar.
Well actually, I'm not sure if she's dead. Back in elementary school, the rumor that Annie was dead came as a shock to all those pre-teen boys who always hurriedly came home to see if they could catch a short glimpse of Annie's underwear. The initial reaction? That we wouldn't be able to watch 'Shaider', nor Annie's underpanties again. That would be something more earth shattering than having alien monsters taking over the planet! So that day we all ran back to our living rooms and were relieved to find Annie still jumping over the cameras, doing somersaults and revealing her yellow or brown panties for all little boys to see. She would go on assisting Alex in their adventures for a few more years before the show went off the air entirely.
Then, the mysterious Annie became resurrected in high school, this time on the pages of a Japanese girly magazine. Of course no one in our class could read Nippongo, so we didn't really know if she was the famous sidekick. What mattered was that she was the spitting image of Annie, and that she did not have anything on. By the way, this isn't proof that Annie lives, it was an old magazine, years old. Probably around the time after the Shaider series was shot.
Fast forward to today, specifically 5 minutes ago. Of course I googled Annie. Found out she is a J-porn actress, still very much alive, yippee! Of course, the challenge of having to watch Shaider for a glimpse of her underwear is gone if and when I do get hold of any of her recent porn flicks. Sadly though, Alex is dead. Apparently, liver cancer did him in. Wonder who's taking care of the monsters now.
Yes, icons will die eventually, but the important thing is that we always remember them for what they did and what they stood up for. I know I'll always keep Annie in my mind. Time Space Warp, ngayon din!
Postscript:
So Zaido was descended from Shaider? Interesting...
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Solstice
This past week, I've been amazed at how early the sun has been rising and how late it has been setting. Solstice. The day is literally getting longer and longer, and this has been making me miserable for a variety of reasons.
For some reason, daytime has never held a soft spot in my heart. My mind seems to always be in disarray while the sun is up. Back in school, I've never been able to concentrate, most of my studying is done at night when no one else is awake. This is also the best time to be alone with my thoughts, such as a chess game or a good book. So imagine how distressed the longer days have been making me as of late. I also do best at work when preparing my reports in the wee hours of the early morning. By the time I get to the office, I'm reduced to the more mechanical aspects such as signing papers, getting people on the phone or stamping stuff.
In a way, the solstice is an excuse I have been making to justify why my mind is in such a boggle these days.
I imagine this is also a rotten time for vampires, werewolves, bats and other creatures of the night. They get less time to play, forage for food (Yes, I would imagine vampires are capable of foraging as well) and the prospect of staying out too late to face their doom is a very real possibility.
*****
Been playing a lot of scrabble lately, one of my latest fun discoveries on facebook. There's just something addictive about this game since I was a little kid, then again I also found chess to be a grand time, until the time that I knew Bernard.
Bernard is a smart kid who happens to be one of my closest friends back in high school. He liked chess as well and we'd spend many hours just playing with the old chessboard that we had back at home. Of course, him being the smarter of us (a LOT smarter, I might add), I don't think I ever won a game against him. That didn't stop me from playing though, up to the point when I'd curse and threaten him and throw the pieces all over the place.
Fortunately, this frustration of mine in chess didn't stop me from playing, and with that, losing as well. I soon realized that though I loved playing chess, I could never win against someone who had a more in depth knowledge of the science of chess. You see, I never bothered to memorize openings, much less know their names. That was the boring part. The fun that I experienced in chess is thinking, losing yourself in thought of the next 3 moves or so, the almost infinite possibilities. On computer chess, I'd pore hours on end just trying to predict the next moves. However, the competitive spirit just isn't in me, and I'd just as happily lose as long as I got to spend the better part of the game lost in my own thoughts.
Going back to scrabble, the same process is involved, only there are a much limited array of options available depending on the quality of the tiles that you have to play with. Probably the reason why I spend more and more hours at the gas station just thinking up the different possibilities for 7 vowels or 7 consonants that I happen to be stuck with.
I never bothered to publish the results of my games until today, yes I published at last. The reason? 404 points coming from back to back 'scrabbles'. Hmm, thinking about it, for 2 'scrabbles' 404 isn't really such a high score. But it was a real fun game that I played and I wanted to somehow 'immortalize' it by publishing it on my wall. (Oh yeah, like that's going to last)
*****
Bought a cookbook, a concise guide to cooking Filipino food. Though I do know how to cook I can't really say that I can whip up any of the traditional Filipino foods to the letter. To help me with this, I figured finally getting that cookbook and trying some of the recipes out should go a long way.
The problem now is when could I cook? Lately, between hanging out at gas stations, cleaning up after myself and getting myself to the office, I don't think I have time to prepare, saute, cook, simmer and eat any of these traditional fare. Filipino foods usually take a long time to prepare and cook. A good 2 hours is not that uncommon for a single dish. And to make matters even more complicated, local fare is best matched with steamed rice, which thanks to my no-carb diet is a no-no. So I'll either be paring down on the spices and taste or just substitute tofu for the rice.
*****
Hmm, thinking back to the current contents of my refrigerator, I haven't visited the local supermarket in quite a while. All that I have in the fridge are candies, mayonnaise, lots of water and juice. Seriously, there is hardly a morsel to eat at home. This explains my current diet of fried chicken from the nearby fastfood joint. Should I attempt to try out any of the dishes from my spanking new cookbook, I would need a visit to the grocer. Who has time for that?
*****
Finally, I've been seeing a reduction in my credit card bills. Have intentionally been avoiding paying with plastic for a good 3 months now and it's paying off. Though still a sizable sum by any standard, it has been cut in half almost, and I should be free from debt by the end of the year. Wait, funny I seem to remember having those same thoughts last year. What happened then? Oh right, I remember now. I still brought all my plastic and unavoidably used them for everything from gas to groceries. Even my coffee had to be charged. Surely not a very good idea when you want to rid yourself of all those pesky bills.
For some reason, daytime has never held a soft spot in my heart. My mind seems to always be in disarray while the sun is up. Back in school, I've never been able to concentrate, most of my studying is done at night when no one else is awake. This is also the best time to be alone with my thoughts, such as a chess game or a good book. So imagine how distressed the longer days have been making me as of late. I also do best at work when preparing my reports in the wee hours of the early morning. By the time I get to the office, I'm reduced to the more mechanical aspects such as signing papers, getting people on the phone or stamping stuff.
In a way, the solstice is an excuse I have been making to justify why my mind is in such a boggle these days.
I imagine this is also a rotten time for vampires, werewolves, bats and other creatures of the night. They get less time to play, forage for food (Yes, I would imagine vampires are capable of foraging as well) and the prospect of staying out too late to face their doom is a very real possibility.
*****
Been playing a lot of scrabble lately, one of my latest fun discoveries on facebook. There's just something addictive about this game since I was a little kid, then again I also found chess to be a grand time, until the time that I knew Bernard.
Bernard is a smart kid who happens to be one of my closest friends back in high school. He liked chess as well and we'd spend many hours just playing with the old chessboard that we had back at home. Of course, him being the smarter of us (a LOT smarter, I might add), I don't think I ever won a game against him. That didn't stop me from playing though, up to the point when I'd curse and threaten him and throw the pieces all over the place.
Fortunately, this frustration of mine in chess didn't stop me from playing, and with that, losing as well. I soon realized that though I loved playing chess, I could never win against someone who had a more in depth knowledge of the science of chess. You see, I never bothered to memorize openings, much less know their names. That was the boring part. The fun that I experienced in chess is thinking, losing yourself in thought of the next 3 moves or so, the almost infinite possibilities. On computer chess, I'd pore hours on end just trying to predict the next moves. However, the competitive spirit just isn't in me, and I'd just as happily lose as long as I got to spend the better part of the game lost in my own thoughts.
Going back to scrabble, the same process is involved, only there are a much limited array of options available depending on the quality of the tiles that you have to play with. Probably the reason why I spend more and more hours at the gas station just thinking up the different possibilities for 7 vowels or 7 consonants that I happen to be stuck with.
I never bothered to publish the results of my games until today, yes I published at last. The reason? 404 points coming from back to back 'scrabbles'. Hmm, thinking about it, for 2 'scrabbles' 404 isn't really such a high score. But it was a real fun game that I played and I wanted to somehow 'immortalize' it by publishing it on my wall. (Oh yeah, like that's going to last)
*****
Bought a cookbook, a concise guide to cooking Filipino food. Though I do know how to cook I can't really say that I can whip up any of the traditional Filipino foods to the letter. To help me with this, I figured finally getting that cookbook and trying some of the recipes out should go a long way.
The problem now is when could I cook? Lately, between hanging out at gas stations, cleaning up after myself and getting myself to the office, I don't think I have time to prepare, saute, cook, simmer and eat any of these traditional fare. Filipino foods usually take a long time to prepare and cook. A good 2 hours is not that uncommon for a single dish. And to make matters even more complicated, local fare is best matched with steamed rice, which thanks to my no-carb diet is a no-no. So I'll either be paring down on the spices and taste or just substitute tofu for the rice.
*****
Hmm, thinking back to the current contents of my refrigerator, I haven't visited the local supermarket in quite a while. All that I have in the fridge are candies, mayonnaise, lots of water and juice. Seriously, there is hardly a morsel to eat at home. This explains my current diet of fried chicken from the nearby fastfood joint. Should I attempt to try out any of the dishes from my spanking new cookbook, I would need a visit to the grocer. Who has time for that?
*****
Finally, I've been seeing a reduction in my credit card bills. Have intentionally been avoiding paying with plastic for a good 3 months now and it's paying off. Though still a sizable sum by any standard, it has been cut in half almost, and I should be free from debt by the end of the year. Wait, funny I seem to remember having those same thoughts last year. What happened then? Oh right, I remember now. I still brought all my plastic and unavoidably used them for everything from gas to groceries. Even my coffee had to be charged. Surely not a very good idea when you want to rid yourself of all those pesky bills.
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