SPRING HAS SPRUNG IN TORONTO

"Spring is here again and we are still alive!" said John Travolta in the movie A LOVE SONG FOR BOBBY LONG.  Spring is back in Toronto just last week: before that the weather was still unstable. But now! This last day of April the sun was out the whole day..I took some shots at the Eaton's Center,  one of Toronto's landmarks alongside with the CN Tower, the Skydome where Baseball games take place all the time. I took some shots last time I went out. Photos were mostly inside the Eaton Centre, a good shopping mall comparable to many of the other shopping centres all over the world...

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Photo no 1 was really shot from an angle that "fused" the 2 buildings..There is really a street between them..

CHRISTIANS

"Christians - By Maya Angelou
SUBMITTED BY ANNIE C. CANO,

KATY,  TEXAS



When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin'."
I'm whispering "I was lost,
Now I'm found and forgiven."

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble
and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak
And need His strength to carry on.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed
And need God to clean my mess.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible
But, God believes I am worth it.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I still feel the sting of pain.
I have my share of heartaches
So I call upon His name.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner
Who received God's good grace, somehow!


Share this with somebody who already has this understanding, as reinforcement. But more importantly, share this with those who do not have a clear understanding of what it means to be a Christian, so that the myth that Christians think they are "perfect" or "better than others"can be dispelled.
"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."
                              Nelson Mandela

....I keep coming back to Manila....."

Comment from: longwaybye
"Count me in! Im a Manila fanatic too. Some of my friends wonder why I make it a point to spend several days in Manila, while they hurry back towards their provinces.

It was in Manila where I became a man. It was where I made that transition from high school to a college independent. It just holds too much memories, and for me the best years of my life was during that time. I always compare my life's events with what happened during those years of my life.

Time seemed stuck in those years, so when I hear a song Id usually place it into old, as in the time of my father and backward, or  modern as in elementary and Highschool, and Id usually categorize the songs during my college as the current hits. So,it brings confusion when I say' "Bago lang yan kanta yan'" because what I mean is I was already in college when that song broke the charts, and college was sooo long ago.

And of course, those songs, and much of everything in fact are associated with Manila, the Manila of my time.

....I keep coming back to Manila....."

********

ATTITUDES!

contributed by Marcie ( Bing) Uson Wise, from Domakit/Domanpot, Asingan.  She is now in Ewa Beach, Hawaii till end of July then will move to Virginia near Washington, D.C. Her husband is in Southern Afghanistan attached to the U.S. Embassy-Kabul.

__________________________________________

ATTITUDES!

 

Quotes for Attitude

“It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect it’s successful outcome.”
–William James

"I am still determined to be cheerful and happy, in whatever situation I may be; for I have also learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances."
- Martha Washington

“To be a great champion you must believe you are the best. If you’re not, pretend you are.”
––Muhammad Ali

"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense."
–– Ralph Waldo Emerson

I'ts not what happens to you that determines how far you will go in life ;it is how you handle what happens to you.
Zig Ziglar
For Zig's's tapes, CD's, and videos click-here

"Two men look out the same prison bars; one sees mud and the other stars." Frederick Langbridge

"Everyone has his burden. What counts is how you carry it."
––Merle Miller

"Any fact facing us is not as important as our attitude toward it, for that determines our success or failure. The way you thing about a fact may defeat you before you ever do anything about it. You are overcome by the fact because you think you are." Norman Vincent Peale
For tapes click-here.

"The state of your life is nothing more than a reflection of your state of mind." Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
For tapes and videos click-here

"To different minds, the same world is a hell, and a heaven." Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Always look at what you have left.Never look at what you have lost." Robert H. Schuller
For tapes click-here

"If you believe you can, you probably can. If you believe you won't, you most assuredly won't. Belief is the ignition switch that gets you off the launching pad." Denis Waitley
For tapes and videos click-here.

"Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it."
Lou Holtz
For videos click-here.

"Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned. Buddha

"The optimist sees opportunity in every danger; the pessimist sees danger in every opportunity." Winston Churchill

WHERE ARE YOU PLANNING TO RETIRE?

--from Lito Domaoan..

 Where To Live After Retirement

As we all know, sometimes we come face to face with the fact that it may be time to relocate. The big question is: where to? Here are some tips.

You can live in Phoenix , Arizona where.....

1. You are willing to park 3 blocks away because you found shade.
2. You've experienced condensation on your butt from the hot water in the toilet bowl.
3. You can drive for 4 hours in one direction and never leave town.
4. You have over 100 recipes for Mexican food.
5. You know that " dry heat" is comparable to what hits you in the face when you open your oven door.
6. The 4 seasons are: tolerable, hot, really hot, and ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!!

You can Live in California where...

1. You make over $250,000 and you still can't afford to buy a house.
2. The fastest part of your commute is going down your driveway.
3. You know how to eat an artichoke.
4. You drive your rented Mercedes to your neighborhood block party.
5. When someone asks you how far something is, you tell them how long it will take to get there rather than how many miles away it is.

You can Live in New York City where...

1. You say "the city" and expect everyone to know you mean Manhattan .
2. You can get into a four-hour argument about how to get from Columbus Circle to Battery Park, but can't find Wisconsin on a map.
3.You think Central Park is "nature,"
4. You believe that being able to swear at people in their own language makes you multi-lingual.
5. You've worn out a car horn.
6. You think eye contact is an act of aggression.

You can Live in Maine where...

1. You only have four spices: salt, pepper, ketchup, and Tabasco.
2. Halloween costumes fit over parkas.
3. You have more than one recipe for moose.
4. Sexy lingerie is anything flannel with less than eight buttons.
5. The four seasons are: winter, still winter, almost winter, and construction.

You can Live in the Deep South where...

1. You can rent a movie and buy bait in the same store.
2. "y'all" is singular and "all y'all" is plural.
3. "He needed killin' " is a valid defense.
5. Everyone has 2 first names: Billy Bob, Jimmy Bob, Mary Sue, Betty Jean, MARY BETH, etc.

You can live in Colorado where...

1. You carry your $3,000 mountain bike atop your $500 car.
2. You tell your husband to pick up Granola on his way home and he stops at the day care center.
3. A pass does not involve a football or dating.
4. The top of your head is bald, but you still have a pony tail.

You can live in the Midwest where...

1. You've never met any celebrities, but the mayor knows your name.
2. Your idea of a traffic jam is ten cars waiting to pass a tractor.
3. You have had to switch from "heat" to "A/C" on the same day.
4. You end sentences with a preposition: "Where's my coat at?"
5. When asked how your trip was to any exotic place, you say, "It was different!"

AND You can live in Florida where..

1. You eat dinner at 3:15 in the afternoon.
2. All purchases include a coupon of some kind -- even houses and cars.
3. Everyone can recommend an excellent dermatologist.
4. Road construction never ends anywhere in the state.
5. Cars in front of you are often driven by headless people.
6 . The 4 seasons are: tolerable, hot, really hot, and snowbirds.

Or..in ASINGAN WHERE..( this is from Vic..:))

1. You eat 6 times a day, 7 if u include a midnight snack ..

2. You can go grocery shopping without cash or credit card. Just say the magic words: ILISTAM DITAN

3. You can walk around in your living room half naked in your underwear with a fan in your hand

4. You use the fan to shoo your fart away esp. when you just had 6 bottles of beer and guinisang balatong

5. You can eat with your bare hands with one foot up your chair

6. You can burp anytime you want, as many times as you want..

7. People call you baknang even if  your pension money is gone after a night of mah jong.

the best:

8. You have the best washing machine in the world! After your bath, just leave all your dirty clothes on the bathroom floor. At night all them are automatically washed, ironed and neatly stored in your wardrobe closet..Only in Asingan, eh?---#

 

MORE MANILA MOVIE HOUSES...

Comment from: dixonchic35
"It is incredible how much you remember. I frequented the same places because my school was just down the road (Mendiola), but I barely remember the names of the theatres and the shops. This is why I check your entries everyday, even though I've never laid eyes on Asingan. You take me back to places I haven't thought about for the longest time.

Thank you.
*********

Thank you too, Lena..:)

I can never forget Manila as long as I live. Especially the theatres. I spent most of my time inside them. My favorite 2nd run theatres were: Esquire at Raon, then Mayfair same street but you have to cross Avenida..Further on is Palace Theatre. If I am not not mistaken this was once known as Astor theatre, a burlesque house. And it is just a stone throw away from Sta. Cruz Church!..Then near it was Inday theatre, another burlesque house..I guess patrons will just change theatres if they did not have enough from the other one...Of course to those who are addicts ( mahilig ) there is still the King's and the Dragon at Ongpin, Chinatown if they want some more!.

For the 2nd run Hollywood double features there was Society theatre along Echague, and along Quezon Blvd. you have Main, then Times, then Boulevard theatres..On the otherside of Quezon Blvd. are the  Life and Dalisay theatres, homes of Filipino movies ( mostly Black and White during my time )..But I hated Filipino movies when I was a kid. I thought only the servants and maids were watching those movies because they can not understand English!  I was wrong of course..Now a days I wish they saved some copies of those vintage Tagalog movies..I only see those Pilipino movies in Dagupan or Urdaneta. I believed seeing them in Manila would be a waste of time because there are better Hollywood movies to see before I would go back to Pangasinan at the end of my Manila holiday.---#

PHOTOS AND FACTS RE: ASINGAN TOWN FIESTA, 2006

I "borrowed" these photos and facts from Asinganian.com. website. I would like to send them ( they are beautiful ) to some of my readers in the US who may not have access to your website. I would like to thank the administrator of the Asingan.com for letting me use the photos and thank you to those who sent them to that site. I enjoyed looking at them.The town fiesta beauties are:

MISS ASINGAN

KRISTA PAMELA CARIAZO MADRIAGA
Address: Poblacion West, Asingan, Pangasinan
Sponsoring groups: LGU, PROVINCIAL, LOCAL


1st. PRINCESS

DAISY MABANTA PIOQUINTO
Address: Toboy, Asingan, Pangasinan
Sponsoring Group: DepEd


2nd PRINCESS

MICHELLE SOMERA ACOSTA
Address: Sanchez Asingan, Pangasinan
Sponsoring Group: Liga ng mga Barangay


MRS. ASINGAN


MARY ANN ZARAGOZA AGOTO
Address: Macalong, Asingan, Pangasinan
Sponsoring Barangays: Baro, Domanpot, Dupac,
Macalong, Poblacion East, Poblacion
West, San Vicente East.


1st PRINCES

REMEDIOS APELLIDO RAMOS
Address: Sanchez, Asingan, Pangasinan
Sponsoring Barangays: Ariston East, Ariston West
Bantog, Carosucan Norte, Carosucan Sur,
Cabalitain, Sanchez


2nd PRINCESS
GINALYN DE VERA AMISTAD
Address: Sobol, Asingan, Pangasinan
Sponsoring Barangays: Bobonan, Calepaan,
Coldit, Palaris, San Vicente West,
Sobol, Toboy

*********

BARANGAY, SK & ACHIEVERS’ NIGHT

April 19, 2006

ACHIEVERS By Barangay

HERNANI AGSALUD BRAGANZA – Poblacion West

ESTANISLAO VALDEZ VALDEZ – Domanpot

RODRIGO LABUGUEN - Ariston East

FLORO TAGANAS – Ariston West

BERNARDO BAQUIREN – Bantog

QUIRINO VALLEJOS – Baro

PACITA COLOMA – Cabalitian

VALERIANA ELEGADO, SR. – Calepaan

LITO QUINTERO – Carosucan Norte

ANSELMO BUSTAMANTE – Carosucan Sur

HERMINIGILDO ADAP – Coldit

MILA ANTONIO – Domanpot

LUZ MANANSALA – Dupac

PATROCINIO NATIVIDAD – Macalong

NIEVES BATES – Palaris

AMADO BENITO – Poblacion East

NELLY NAVARRO – Poblacion West

ROGER DARANCIANG – Sanchez

LUIS ORDONIO – San Vicente East

BERNABE LAYOS – San Vicente West

JOVITA ALVARADO – Sobol

JOSE BALLESTEROS – Toboy

MASTERS OF CEREMONIES: MRS. ANGELITA FEBRE

MR. MOISES VILLAMOR GANIR

MR. OSCAR BACALZO

STAGE DECORATORS: MR. CHRISTOPHER JERONE LAVARIAS

MR. FEDERICO ANTONIO

MAMMY JUANITEZ ORCHESTRA

UNTIL NEXT YEAR, FOLKS!!

BOOKTALK

Comment from: longwaybye
"Like you, Im also a lover of Books, a bibliophile! Movies too! I "discovered" a chain of stores offering 2nd hand bargain books,BOOKSALE, and for the editions you missed, even for the books that dont get another printing, you can find them there,with a little effort.

How cheap? I found my copy of Erich Segal's short but really a tear-jerker swear-to-god-all-my-friends-did-cry Love Story for 15 pesos! For readers not familiar or forgetful, Segal also wrote the Doctors and the Class of 59 or 50 I dont remember.

I found old editions of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy there, The Hobbit, and The Silmarillion, yes Im also a Tolkien-atic!

Just expect these bargain books to tell signs of their previous owners, but I dont mind them, in faCT I love 'em! So, this one was given by Sheila to Roy, seems they hold a secret.....hmmmmm interesting!

Also expect most to have on their inside cover the stamped words: Orange County Public Library Property. FOR DISCARD

Oh well, when Barret met his father in the hospital, and his father tried to apologize.....Love means never having to say ......

##########

I buy my used books at the Goodwill store here in Toronto. It is a place that sells donated stuff ( clothes, bric a brac, and tons of books )..Some relatives of people who recently died would donate his books to Goodwill and some of them are priceless..One time I came across books signed by the author.It was  THE STORY OF THE FAMILY TRAPP SINGERS by MARIA VON TRAPP ( the basis for that well known movie THE SOUND OF MUSIC ) I tried selling them on e-Bay, 1 was bought for 10$..Then I stopped selling my signed editions because someone told me these could fetch 100$ in auctions. I sold   another one: MAGNIFICENT OBSESSIONS by Lloyd Douglas. It was already old, printed in the '40s and the first page bore the signature of the author. I usually buy these volumes at 2$, cheaper if the cashier is a Filipina friend ( the store do not buy their stuff anyway!). So I kept a signed First Edition of ADVISE AND CONSENT. It is a beauty: gold edged pages, ribbons as book marks, fine paper, gold embossed leater covers and signed by the author.

My basement is still an "artistic" mess..Books, DVDs, movie posters, PC and accesories, ( the list goes on and on )and somehow, I could not get started fixing it. Many times I did and each time my grandkids spend the night here, they would mess it up again!

I love humor books: I got the Best Works of Stephen Leacock who is from Orillia, Ontario. A townmate of mine lives there. A beautiful cottage country beside a lake. It is also the home of Gordon Lightfoot..

Send me an e-mail too..So you can tell more! Space for comments are limited .. I like what you write and the way you write---#

********

I saw LOVE STORY during my honeymoon in 1971 at the Diamond Theatre in Cubao. After the movie, my wife and I separated: she resumed her work in Urdaneta while I continued my newly found job at UP College of Forestry. Recently, I bought a DVD copy of the movie from the bargain bin of Sunrise. It was just 5$.Original price is 15$.

********

Some messages from other towns could be funny. Check the following ones..:)

Name: Renato
Town_City: Agno, Pangasinan
EmailAddress: ates222@yahoo.com
Remote Name: 82.148.97.69
Date: Friday, April 07, 2006

Message

Hi to all Agno and Dagupan City! Saan ko po ba matatagpuan yung mga lumang bus ng Pantranco? Hobby ko kasi ang mag-collect ng mga bus photos. Baka mayroon ditong may photo ng lumang Pantranco, "SANA" pakisend po sa email ko o kaya pakibigay na lang po ung site kung saan ko po pwedeng makita. Fanatic at memorable lang po talaga sa akin ang PANTRANCO. Salamat po in Advance.

He got the following response:

Name: AGTO A NENGNENG
Town_City: AGNO
EmailAddress:
Remote Name: 70.52.16.234
Date: Saturday, April 22, 2006

Message

Hoy Renato angan iner so nanaakar mon lugar ya panaanapan na litrato na pantranco akin agmo anengnengiyan bus,no labay mo lakad bonuan tondaligan dimad gilig na dayat.

**********

YOU ARE IN DOWNTOWN TORONTO IF YOU SEE THESE BOARDS

Miguelita says "Victorio will have a fever if he can not visit downtown Toronto in one week!.." So very true..

Even when I was studying in Manila, I liked to visit Alemar's Book Sore, Goodwill, then the National Booktores.  Then to Universal Theatre to see the movie photos, also Ideal theatre, then crossed Avenida to check the upcoming movies on the theatres on the opposite side: State, Ever..(Did I miss anything?) Then back at the corner of Recto and Avenida I checked Odeon, Galaxy,  and along Recto are Hollywood,  and further south is the Cinerama theatre, then Miramar ( near the University belt. If I am not mistaken, Miramar during its opening day was boasting to be the first theatre to have an escalator..oh wow!

If I remember right, EVER opened its doors with PRINCE VALIANT in Cinemascope, Technicolor. Audience went ga-ga over the 6 channel stereophonic sound. The smell and cool breeze at the lobby was sooo enticing! Inside was cool, dark and the theatre was shaped like a circle. The ticket cost only 1.20 in peso currency.. Loved this theatre before. When I entered this theatre on one of my Balikbayan trips, it was already showing Tagalog movies. It was using ventilators instead  of air-cons, and the fragrant air was replaced by the urine smell from the toilets!---#

YOU KNOW YOU ARE FROM CALIFORNIA IF....

( FROM JOHNNY SORIANO, a Californian )

So as not to be outdone by all the redneck, hillbilly, and Texan jokes, you know you're from California if:

1. Your coworker has 8 body piercings and none are visible.

2. You make over $300,000 and still can't afford a house.

3. You take a bus and are shocked at two people carrying on a conversation in English.

4. Your child's 3rd-grade teacher has purple hair, a nose ring, and is named Flower.

5. You can't remember . . is pot illegal?

6. You've been to a baby shower that has two mothers and a sperm donor.

7. You have a very strong opinion about where your coffee beans are grown, and you can taste the difference between Sumatran and Ethiopian.

8. You can't remember . . . is pot illegal?

9. A really great parking space can totally move you to tears.

10. Gas costs $1.00 per gallon more than anywhere

else in the U.S.

11. Unlike back home, the guy at 8:30 am at Starbucks wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses who looks like George Clooney really IS George Clooney.

12. Your car insurance costs as much as your house payment.

13. You can't remember . . .is pot illegal?

14. It's barely sprinkling rain and there's a report on every news station: "STORM WATCH."

15. You pass an elementary school playground and the children are all busy with their cells or pagers.

16. It's barely sprinkling rain outside, so you leave for work an hour early to avoid all the weather-related accidents.

17. HEY!!!! Is pot illegal????

18. Both you AND your dog have therapists.

19. The Terminator is your governor.

20. If you drive illegally, they take your driver's license. If you're here illegally, they want to give you one.

 

A WALK THRU THE PARK ( Luneta, i.e.)

In 1999,  my wife and I spent our last night in the Philippines in a Catholic run "Apartel" somewhere along Taft Ave. It cost 700 pesos then. The next morning since Luneta is just close to us and our flight was still in the afternoon, we decided to visit this Park.

I have lots of memories in this park because I visited Manila several times when I was a kid and Luneta has always been part of my itenerary. Then when I was in College ( Adamson University ) the park is just across the street from our school thru a small street that comes out between MBC (?) and JaiAlai.

In 1999, I saw  huge changes compared to the Luneta of my youth. I brought along a film camera ( no digicams yet ) and I took the following shots. More shots will be featured tommorow because placing printed photos into the Internet is really a bitch. You have to scan the photos, save them as JPEGs and the process takes a lot of time when I am supposed to be roaming downtown checking the new DVD releases ( hey today's Tuesday, the day when the new titles are out on the shelves waiting for me to examine them ). Anyway, these are vintage photos. Luneta may appear different now since the time these shots were taken.---#

( more photos next time)

COMPUTER TALK, ANYONE?

SIGNS OF THE TIMES BACK HOME Comment from: longwaybye "I was awed, and Im still continuing to be awed by the power of the computer and its off-shoot, the Internet. Maybe its because we havent it in our time, when our cerebrums were still able to expand with new undertakings. Kids now take it for granted. Walk thru the many Internet and computer shops in Manila, and the wonder what they can do with computers. And I thought the USA was the numero uno! Hell, any AMA or STI graduate will tell you they know more stuff than the average American. I said hhhmmmmm..... but the I love you virus came to mind... Even the remotest barrio can converse computerspeak. And for sure at least one barrio mate has taken some course or another with computers. Maybe Im just late for the times. The other day, I was browsing in the UP library, and I tried to use their computer. A computer with no windows? I thought windows was the OS? Oh they say theyre using Linux. Whats that? Its more powerful and simpler than windows and its free! I said to the young working student, tell me young lady, how many OS are really out there in the world? Sir, you can make your own. Its too much for me, I thought its windows and nothing more, and to be faced with the fact that there is really much to know about computers... I still have that long pile of books I bought but havent read since teenager, I guess I have to doubletime before this hypertension of mine blows me into a paralyzed infirm. And please, can anybody stop this information explosion? I need badly to catch up!"

##########

I am adding a week end experience to your posting which would really explain further how much the computer have affected our lives..Last week end, Mia my 13 year old grand daughter came to our house to work on a school project. "What is your school project?" "I am making a video re: earth day," she said. " I took the shots with a video camera and I want to edit it.." I shook my head, editing a video on PC is one of the most time consuming things to do. Anyway, we opened my PC. One of the free programs that came in with the machine is the Windows Movie maker. I explained to her the procedure..Download all your shots into the PC, I said..Our PC have 120 Gigs Hard Drive,..It was her first time to use the software, it was my nth time to use it..After 30 minutes, she was able to master how to remove the bad shots fromt he good ones using the software..It took her only 30 minutes to learn what took me 2years to "master.." Actually, in humility, I am still learning the advanced features of the software..She was able to jumble her diffrent video shots ( called clips ) like a pile of blocks and in an hour, she showed me her work: a decent documentary with her and her classmates as the stars..She is still in the Elementary grades..Hell, I said to myself, I wish I had this software when I was in the Dupac Elementary school.. Then I showed her how to finalize her work into a DVD-R..With an IEEE cable, we transfered the edited work back into the Video Camera, ( using a blank tape of course so the original shots wont be erased )..Then we transferred the taped final film into a DVD-R thru the DVD-Recorder's various inputs..Filipino kids here abroad have these opportunites to learn new things. Our Filipino kids back home are as just as intelligent as their counterparts here are..They need just the right environment, schools, computers, softwares, TEACHERS and projects to give them hands on in learning this new technology.Too bad this Computer expansion won't stop anymore---#

ANOTHER JOURNAL WITHIN THE JOURNAL

I opened another Journal I called COMMENTS FROM LONGWAYBYE..To get into this online magazine, just click on the title found on the left side of the newest article of the Asinganian Journal..I received some interesting comments from him.

COMMENTS from Longwaybye

"With regards  to your comments about Rizal and GMA. I said Rizal was a politician in the sense that he was engaging in the running of the country. If politics is as dirty, and primitive as it is here, certainly i could believe Rizal wasnt a politician-dirty. Being a politician isnt bad, it is just that the Philippines hasnt seen a professional politician par excellence.
I am not looking for a saint, just a professional politician who does everything, including wooing voters, in a fair, legal maner. And one when a scam has been unearthed, has the delicadeza to resign.
As for GMA, I dont like her. I really think the garci thing is true. My sister-in-law's family in a town in Pangasinan distributed, mind you, in 50 pesos bills, 20M just for a councilor's position. And the local COMELEC officer ...tut tut "a good friend"
I am not for anybody, and I even go far as say GMA is the best of the lot consisting of the winnables Noli, Ping, Erap,Bro. Mike.  Why couldnt Joker Arroyo, Raul Roco win? Hehe
It is just that there are higher things than economics, unity and progress. And they are truth justice and equality.
Why is it when a scandal breaks out in other countries, the leaders resign, and the people outraged? Outraged that they recall them or dump the party.
But here, kapit tuko. As one politician in the Pampanga area bragged, Madali makaloko ng tao dito, and a lie, if you repeat it many times enough, becomes the truth!

 I remember our community service to a barangay in a tagalog province south of Manila. Jueteng was still in full bloom. The barangay captain, and he is also the jueteng operator invited us to his house , to have a drink. I was with U.P. then, and the politicians were all too happy that we were there, because we were serious in our job, and we get the job done. Hehe where can you get dedicated workers but from the students?
I witnessed with my own eyes when the jueteng draw was made,and the numbers that came out were llamado, the Brgy. captain said, "ulitin ang bola" hahaha lokohan talaga!
And that same captain, who by the way isnt educationally lacking nor intellectually, having been a graduate of one of the top universities in Taft Avenue,hehe,later in the day motioned to us: "Ganito ang mag control na tauhan," he called one of his bodyguards who were drinking in a nearby table and asked him to bring their bowl of pulutan. Thereafter, he got his rubber slippers, sliced them into cubes with a knife, put them into the pulutan bowl, added toyo and suka and said to the bodyguards" O, inom pa kayo, kainin nyo ito!"
Comment from longwaybye - 22/04/06 8:03 PM

Let me share my own experiences, and thoughts about some of the points in this journal.

Going abroad: I went abroad for two main reasons. One for money, two for security, as in safety and justice. You wont get them here, unless youre rich and powerful. Today, with the oppurtunity of going abroad relatively easier via nursing, it is surprising who are taking this route. Doctors, lawyers, mayor's wives(I know of two towns in Pangasinan whose mayors'wives are reviewing for NCLEX) but not yet the mayors themselves or the politicians in general. Mas malaki parin ang kurakot kesa sa $5k monthly! Hehe

About Burnham, GMA etc.  I just want to say these,and these I know to be true, either because I have seen it myself or told to me by someone I know not to be a liar.

When Gringo was wanted during the Cory coups, he was seen casually in Mindanao in a bar, along with military officials.

An MILF camp is near an army barracks in a city in the south.

During the kidnapping, dollars were literally flooding the wet markets of key cities in Mindanao. May bayaran talaga. In one market, dollars were used for ordinary purchases; the dollar weakened in those markets relative to the national market.

**************

Comments, Political or otherwise...

  RIZAL'S LAST FAREWELL
Comment from: longwaybye
"Being a product of Zaide's Philippine History, and a Leader's and heroes' perspective of history, I naturally find it hard to view history from the eyes of the common people, the followers of the heroes, the idolizers of leaders like our National hero, Dr. Jose Rizal

Sometimes it is worthwhile to point out that Rizal was also first in fact a politician, much like Ninoy Aquino, and Im sure subjected to the same temptations that every man experience.

It is the fact that he did not give in to those temptations is what make Dr. Jose Rizal great! Great deeds must be partenered with principles and values.

For how would it be, if Rizal, along with what he did for the country, also was a rapist, a liar, or a serial killer?

Would he be a hero still? I dont think so, he would be credited for his work in liberating the consciousness of the filipino people, but he would never be idolized; because he has some bad side.


Now the bad side, in determining how bad should a bad side be to disqualify him from a heroes position?
No hard and fast rules, but certainly you cannot be a hero if you are a serial killer, no matter how you fight with a foreign invader, even if you singlehandedly liberated a country?


However, it is not the actual case. In reality, the bigger of your side will usually overpower the lesser. So there is still chance for Joseph Estrada. For aLL HIS LIES, WOMANIZING, HE COULD STILL BE A HERO IF HE SOMEHOW CAN LEAD BACK THE COUNTRY SAY TO... like singapore, or bring the peso back to $1=1 peso.


Thats why, it is not only the lust for power that GMA clings to her seat despite calls by the CBCP for her to resign, She is thinking of the future. For her family, her dad's name, for memory.

She knows that even  with Garci, the patronage politics, if she can raise that economic indicators a few points up significant enough for the ordinary man to feel that his lot did improve, she can still be remembered as a good president.

***********

my own comments on the comments:

I do not think Rizal was a politician..He is too honest to be one! The "politicians" during his time wanted to make war ( to get the reforms that they want: doesn't this ring a bell during these present days?) but he opted to go on his own way after having arguments with his peers. He tried to do his own agenda, using his books as propaganda against the corrupt Spanish gov't and the equally corrupt Catholic Church. He wanted to use peaceful means to get the reforms from Spain. Leon MaGuerrero in book ( a biography of Rizal ) called him the FIRST FILIPINO..

Joseph Estrada who was a classmate of my cousin at the old Polytechnic College of the Philippines (PCP) near the UE College of Medicine said that Joseph was a good man, a good looking man.Although a few weirdos were picking on him ( because of his Filipino Film images: Raton Barbaro, etc ) he had many friends in and out of school. He radiated charisma that  pushed him up to the Presidency. He could have become a greater hero than his namesake since he was holding the Steering Wheel of his country. But..he blew it!!

I am for GMA. I do not know much about her (except for the news items I read re: her in the Internet )since I have been in Canada for almost 3 decades already. Many people hate her ( the demonstrators, paid hacks who do not know what the hell they are demonstrating about!). But I believe she is a SURVIVOR  and with her the Philippines will survive inspite of what those placards are telling the media. As I have mentioned in a posting in the BB of Pang.Org, the Phil. is just a part of a greater whole ( planet earth ) and if the earth is "sick" then everything in it is affected, the Philippines included. If anything she will be remembered as a lady President who did her best. Maybe she was ill tempered, but she is doing a good job of holding together a country that wants to blow itself apart!---#

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More comments from the same reader:

Browsing in this journal's articles, I have a good idea you're a baby boomer, and you baby boomerd back home.

For example, about your puppy loves. Nowadays, with due respect, kids have sex with the puppies they love.

when you were young maybe, it was looked down, it still is by some, but as for me, having kids myself, I welcome this shift.

You see, our times were repressing times. I admire the kids now that they are able to do what they want to do.

Of course, with guidance as to safe sex, alimony for kids they might produce, and never marry just because they get somebody pregnant or themselves pregnant.

We are going there. Divorce is not yet allowed in the Philippines, but you can annul a marriage anytime now. For 90k to 120k, I can refer you to a lawyer, package deal.


I pity our generation in that we were bound by useless traditions and conservatism. There are some good traditions worth continuing though.


Now, I can happily advice my kids what I only dreamt long ago:

Kids, sex is very nice. But it can have grave consequences, like having a child early. So practice safe sex. Do not rape. Have sex only with those willing. If you find after these years you like your sex partner, marry him or her.

Sex is nothing to be ashamed about. It is a need, as physical as food and shelter. If you can, while still very young, just masturbate first, because maybe you havent mastered the withdrawal and you end being a parent. For you my daughter, your partner could fire it inside and viola! I have a grand son. So maybe you can do-it-yourself.

If not, use condom, because being a parent is not that easy,you might not finish your education early,and hell Iwe are not that rich to care for another baby at this time.

###########

My comments again:It is not often that I receive an e-mail like yours, it is a good read and at the same time it is educational..I can't add or subtract or modify anything from it..I can only relate a few comments on your ideas which are truly modern if not "shocking"..But new ideas will always jolt us out of stupor or with complacency with decripit beliefs.

Having sex with the "puppies"..I wish I could have done this as a High School Freshman but I was then living in Asingan.Sex or talk about sex was "dirty" according to our elders.And Asinganians do not look highly on May-December marriages....The clergy in the Philippines have been so repressive about sex..Masturbation itself is a sin according to them..Some people said it will cause blindness. Or you will shorten your life..Some said one drop of semen is the equivalent of 10 drops of blood..Having a PLAYBOY magazine in the living room will really send you to the dog house..They will say you have shit in your brain.... When I arrived in Canada and started looking and listening to the sights and sounds of the city. Pretty girls wear short shorts during the summer. Advertising use sex to catch attention. Shapely women dance in the buff in clubs..T-Shirts blare out IF IT FEELS GOOD, DO IT.. They say it is a healthful experience. "Nothing that comes out of the body is bad.." said one psychologist. I guess she must have been talking of body fluids. If one feels guilty about doing good, then that good thing becomes bad. like that, then later on in life, you will encounter problems esp. in Intimate relations with your wife or girl friend will be problematic because one was taught that SEX is SIN.

.Well, it is not, as long as it is done in the right place and the right time with the right person. And telling it to your teen age child could be tough..But it can be done. And it should be done. Sex should be enjoyed by all people from 18 to 80 or beyond. For the Seniors who need help, there is the Blue Pill!---#

 

YOUR KIDS DRIVING YOU NUTS?

God's 1st children

To those of us who have children in our lives, whether they are our own, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or students...here is something to make you feel better.


After creating heaven and earth, God created Adam and Eve. And the first thing he said was, "DON'T!"

"Don't what?" Adam replied.

"Don't eat the forbidden fruit," God said.

" Forbidden fruit? We have forbidden fruit? Hey Eve...we have forbidden fruit!!!!!"



"No Way!"



"Yes way!"



"Do NOT eat the fruit!" said God.



"Why?"



"Because I am your Father and I said so!" God replied, wondering why He hadn't stopped creation after making the elephants. A few minutes later, God saw His children having an apple break and He was ticked!



"Didn't I tell you not to eat the fruit?" God asked.



"Uh huh," Adam replied.



"Then why did you?" said the Father.



"I don't know," said Eve.



"She started it!" Adam said.



"Did not!"



"Did too!"



"DID NOT!"



Having had it with the two of them, God's punishment was that Adam and Eve should have children of their own. Thus the pattern was set and it has never changed.



BUT THERE IS REASSURANCE IN THE STORY!



If you have persistently and lovingly tried to give children wisdom and they haven't taken it, don't be hard on yourself. If God had trouble raising children, what makes you think it would be a piece of cake for you?---#

COMMENT ON "SIGNS BACK HOME"

Comment from: longwaybye
"Very funny. But I must add, its not only in the Philippines, you can find so much of these puns in most countries. But yes, those in the Philippines are most amusing to us, because we can relate to them well, and after all, we are Filipinos, hehehe

let me add about taho: we know that its from soya bean right? But as a young man near UP Diliman, I and my classmates didnt know it for a fact; one even debated it came from pigs. So, one morning we called the mamang taho vendor, and while he was decanting those creamy stuff to small plastic cups, we asked him: "Manong, saan po galing ang taho?"

In a perfectly serious voice and demeanor, without batting an eyelash, and without pausing from his decanting of the taho he replied: " Galing to sa Cubao."


Hahahahahahah!


And oh by the way, how shocking it tis to learn that the flourescent is not named after Agapito Flores, its suppossed inventor... that the Tasadays of Elizalde were a hoax, and the Code of Calantiao as well.

When asked reportedly why the fraud of the Code of Calantiao, some one said, you filipinos were thirsty of a civilization before the Spaniards, for national identity and pride of ancestors, ginawan ko na kayo ng history galit pa kayo?

Hahahahaha!"

PAPERBACK VENDORS ( not writer )

Remember the Trash or treasure sale we had in our church a few weeks back?http://journals.aol.ca/mabait42/ASINGANIAN/entries/911

Well, during that day, a newspaper photographer came to our table. He wanted to take a shot of our table and with the 2 girls, Emma and Mia posing as models.  He was from the the York Guardian.

Just last week, during Holy Tursday, the paper came out. The girls photos came out in the front page and in colour too! The picture above was clipped from the front page of the York Guardian, a city wide newspaper chain here in Toronto.

I used the newspaper's  caption but I was not able to copy everything because the template could only allow me 128 spaces-##

SIGNS OF THE TIMES BACK HOME

Alfredo Rodillas, a kailian who is a regular reader of our Journal sent the following:

 

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LEST YOU FORGET

 

Only in the Philippines will you find such amusing names as:

 

* Bread Pitt (a bakery)

* Maruya Carey (a fast-food place selling turon and maruya in Greebelt,Makati)

* Caintacky Fried Chicken (an eatery in Cainta, Rizal)

* Mang Donald's (a burger joint at the Naga City plaza)

* Candies Be Love? (Can anything be sweeter than this?)

* Doris Day and Night (a 24-hour eatery)

* Babalik Karinderia

* Holland Hopia (owned by Mr. Ho) and next-door neighbor Poland Hopia (owned by Mr. Po) in Chinatown

* Miki Mao (a noodle house)

* Tapsi Turbi (a tapa house)

* Cleopata's (a manukan and bakahan)

* Goto Heaven

* Cooking ng Ina Mo (a carinderia) and right across it, Cooking ng Ina Mo Rin

* The Fried of Marikina (a fried chicken house)

* Wrap and Roll (a lumpia outlet in Quad, Makati)

* Pansit ng taga-Malaboni (a panciteria on Boni Ave., Mandaluyong)

* Side-saki (a side street eatery beside Mandarin Oriental in Makati)

* Let's Goat-Together (a kambingan-cum-beer garden)

* Meating Place (a meat shop)

* Meatropolis (another meat shop)

* Happy Birthday Toyo (a soy sauce brand in the 1970s)

* Isda best, Pusit to the limit, and Hipon coming back (entrees on the menu of a seafood restaurant)

* Cinna Von (a laundromat)

* Pier Carding (a tailoring shop in Pier, Manila)

* Elizabeth Tailoring

* The Way We Wear (a boutique)

* Curl Up and Dye (a beauty salon)

* Felix the Cut (a barber shop)

* Goldilooks (also a barber shop)

* Saudia Hairlines (a beauty parlor)

* Sylvestre's Salon

* Bote Nga Sa 'Yo (used bottle shop)

* Christopher Plumbing (your friendly neighborhood plumber)

* Goldirocks (a gravel and sand shop)

* Fernando Pe's Box Office Hits (a video rental shop in Palawan)

* Leon King Video Rental (in Las Piñas)

* Memory Drug (a clone of Mercury Drug)

* Petal Attraction (a flower shop near UP Diliman)

* Susan's Roses (a flower shop, but of course!)

* Maid to Order (maids placement agency)

* Yag-Bulls (a beer house joint in Zamboanga City featuring live sex shows)

* Sign on the window of a restaurant in Baguio - Wanted: Boy Waitress

 

When we retire or get fired, we dream of putting up a vegetarian restaurant named Tokwa Tokwa (with apologies to the Ramoses' Tokyo Tokyo).

 

A PR lady friend wants to go into selling taho, which is a soy-good business these days. She already has a name for her taho outlet: Lake Taho.

 

If you're a commuter (a jeepsetter?) you must have come across these signs on some jeepneys and buses (which can drive you crazy):

* "Before pay, tell where get the on before get the off."

* "Full string to stop driver."

* "God knows Hudas not pay."

* "Don't get closed to me, get closed to God."

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I am adding a few ones:

 

At an eatery in Calamba:

 

Please do not order any food if you do not have any money.

 

Many display the following sign too: YOUR CREDIT IS GOOD, BUT WE NEED CASH

 

Saw the following signs along the McArthur highway on the way to Pangasinan: These are Chinese grocery stores:

 

TEK KI

OH KIM

 

A smart joker one time defaced a big TOYOTA sign on the roadside: He erased the letters: T, O, and A..

 

******************

 

 

PICTURES!!!

What is a magazine without pictures?..Same case with online magazines ( like this one! ). Just received a DVD copy of the TPL concert last Ocotber 2005. With the miracle of the software Intervideo ( which comes free with the Windows XP bundle ) I was able to lift out certain frames from the DVD and saved them as JPEG files in My Pictures folder located in My Documents..Here they are!..

( you can do the same thing with DVD movies: lifting out the scenes from your favorite movie {  fights, love scenes:wooo! }) but remember these movies  are copyrighted !!

Okay, enough..Here are the photos, clear as if I took some photo shots during the Concert itself.---##

TV TALK (from an online Manila newspaper)

Today, Good Friday, at 7 p.m., GMA 7 telecasts a powerful, celebrity–studded Holy Week special titled "Sa Ngalan ng Anak." The dramatic made–for–TV–movie features some of the most awarded names in TV and filmmaking. Coney Reyes, veteran TV producer and actress, is supervising producer of the two–hour primetime drama directed by Maryo J. delos Reyes, written by Raquel Villavicencio, with musical score by Arnel de Pano.

It’s "who’s who" roster of performers includes Victor Neri, Dennis Trillo, Romnick Sarmienta, Robert Arevalo, Alicia Alonzo, Tirso Cruz lll, Ricky Davao, Chanda Romero, Emma Yuhico, Nancy Castiglione, Erich Gonzales, Melissa Mendez, Lorenzo Mara and Coney Reyes.

The special is a Lenten production of The Christian Broadcasting Network Asia (CBN Asia).

The story revolves around a Filipino family whose "secret sins" or "skeleton in the closet" stay hidden for years. But those events have a deep and serious impact on four successive generations of the clan until the family "scandals’ are uncovered, and the members discover the key to facing the "ghoss" of the past, forgiving and redirecting the future.

"Maraming mapupukaw" (Many will be awakened), says director Maryo J. delos Reyes who add he was "excited" to "execute and polish" the scenes in the short time given so that the message came across well. "Many family members will be able to identify and deal with the hurts and problems they have kept inside for so long." Maryo, a former seminarian, deliberately made time to do the telecine despite his busy schedule. "I always ask the Lord to use me. And so when the opportunity comes, I find the time."

Dennis Trillo represents the youngest generation in the clan who discovers the family "secret." But he narrowly escapes repeating the past, and manages to give his own family and a brand new start. "Life is a cycle," he explains of the telecine’s theme of sowing and reaping. "If you do good, you can receive good for yourself and your children (and vice versa)." Dennis partly attributes his own career success to his dad who is "loving, loyal, straight and vice free." "That’s why I (want to do my best to live a good life). I don’t want to break the generational blessing due my children."

Chanda Romero plays the wife of a compulsive gambler (Ricky Davao). She said doing the telecine reminded her of the "good old days" of Philippine movies. "Excited na excited ako. I found myself working with so many good, multi–awarded performers all at one time. It’s a rare experience. The script was also special, punong–puno and malaman (very substantial). And Coney is such a darling to work with, one of the best, and like a mother to you on the set." Chanda recalled that Coney gave her first comeback acting job in 2001 after a freak accident disabled her left leg. "My leg would swell every three hours. But Coney kept praying for me and encouraging me to keep coming back and fight. It strengthened my faith. Ang laking tulong. (It was a great help). And I got better. I lterally got back on my feet."

In fact the message of the telecine, chosen by Coney, if for every hurting, shattered Filipino family to come back and fight to be whole. "Strengthening and healing the Filipino family is they key to restoring our nation. And there’s a little known but vital key to start it," she observes. For that purpose, she put together a high–calibre cast, chose a director with an "international flair" and a scriptwriter who could put into one powerful story the very real life problems of so many Filipino families. In fact Coney got so many top names together so quickly because many of those involved made the project their Holy Week offering, making time, accepting cuts in their usual fees, and giving their very best "as unto the Lord."

"The most important reason I accepted the role was because it’s rare for a TV production to have a lesson to impart," says Victor Neri whose surprise entry into the story helps unravel the "family curse" and bring unexpected healing to the clan during an emotionally gripping family reunion. "Our entertainment industry is saturated with exploitative fare. But every actor, director and media man has a responsibility. We have power and influence. We can have a (great) positive impact on society, on our country."

* * *

GEMS FROM FRANK'S BLOGS

I discovered a "gold mine" of Asingan Hometown stories....Frank Hilario's blogs!..Here are a few nuggets. For more ( and there is a BIG MOTHERLODE IN THERE! ) go to

http://pattinyayyo.blogspot.com/

5 Internet Cafes in Asingan?

You better believe it! I know because I have gone to all of them. These are the ones around the town proper. How good are they? Two are excellent: very fast, myDSL 256, and with big monitors (17 inches), webcam, headset, not the poor kind. Not cheap – they are inexpensive: To surf, you pay only 20 pesos an hour, which translates to almost 25 cents US. Do they have customers is not a question – how come there are 5 cafes in a sleepy town like Asingan is the question. What I don’t like about them is that they are crowded, very crowded, like this: C R O W D E D, with almost no elbow room. They are trying to maximize their earnings per square meter. That’s their mathematics. It’s bad economics of course. And it’s bad for the education of the children. Why? They are all there playing games, and the one keeping the store is happy that way. Internet at the expense of education – that is the ultimate foolishness.

And that is why I’m writing this. I’m ready, willing and able to put up an Internet Café in Asingan, and I have no problem with money – I have none. Anyone interested who doesn't have my problem?

 

Frank Hilario

*****************

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

If you are from Asingan and are not a writer, that’s no problem. You can tell us Stories from the heart. If you have stories to tell, tell me. Write to me the details and then I will write it up and I will send you a copy and I will share it here. Photographs? I have to study how to insert photographs yet.

In any case, you don’t have to be writers to write. All we want to happen is the sharing of stories, recalling the past, remembering friends and some silliness, and thanking God we’re still alive, those of us who are 60 and above (I’m 66).

Frank Hilario

Share your CDs and books! Vic Costes in Toronto has just given me an idea: You there outside the Philippines, your kailians in/from Asingan who are not well-to-do would appreciate your gifts of books, CDs and DVDs even if you send them over here by snail mail. Look at it this way: When you give away, you have a good reason to buy new ones. The public library in Asingan is not that well-stocked. I think the library of Rizal Junior College in the mid-1950s, from where I used to borrow and bring home 5 or 6 books to read the weekends and return the next Monday, had more books than the current collection in the public library.

Donate is the idea. Let it be from the bottom of your heart, or the bottom of your pockets, whichever comes last. You may ask: Which book, which CD, which DVD? My answer: Don’t ask, just donate. Look at it this way: You are getting rid, and very nicely at that, what you don’t like or don’t need. Then I am sure you will be rewarded with a good feeling. Then I hope you will graduate to giving away even those you like yourself – that would be sharing, a great thing to do.

On my part, I already donated one copy of my book, my first: indios bravos! Jose Rizal as Messiah of the Redemption. It’s actually a book written around my own English translation of the farewell poem of Rizal, which I have retitled ‘Adios, Patria Adorada’ (not Mi Ultimo Adios) and translated into ‘Adios, Beloved Patria.’ That book is historical – it’s the first from somebody in Asingan, the first on Rizal; it contains the first English translation of Rizal’s final poem by an Ilocano, also from Asingan; it’s an intellectual biography too, the first in the Philippines. You can read excerpts by clicking the link Adios! Beloved! Patria below.

And that gives me another idea: If you can donate one dollar or two, each one of you, then I can print more copies of my book (US$10 a copy) for distribution free to our townmates before, during or after the fiesta on 18-23 April.

*****

I am for Frank's ideas..He is a true Artist/Writer. Would you believe he and his Mrs. raised 12 kids in the Philippines? That is man to beat..Let us support his ideas, not just with words, but with money..Words are cheap, but money moves things around and shakes the unshakable.--#

REMEMBERING LORETO MIZAL AND FRANK HILARIO

 

The late Mrs. Mizal, formerly Loreto Blando was the teacher-writer who inspired me to keep on writing. She must have also heard about Frank Hilario because writers from the same town usually know each other. She had high praises for Frank's talent. I chatted with Frank also just a couple of times in Asingan then that was it.Now we fast forward to the present.

I met Annie Cano thru the net and it was she who gave me the link to Frank's website and  also his e-mail address.Well, surprise, surprise; Frank has established his roots in Los Banios Laguna and working in the same Campus where I was four years before I came to Toronto. Mrs. Mizal also retired from FORPRIDECOM, a government agency located in the slopes of Mount Makiling. My place of work was UP College of Forestry, Department of Forestry Extension where I edited some Forestry periodicals. It is just a 5-minute walk from FORPRIDECOM. The area is a writer's haven as the atmosphere is quiet except for birds doing a "symphony" of sounds especially when the day starts to end and not very many jeepneys go up to the Forestry campus anymore. There are also a lot of exotic trees one of which is the "candle-tree". The fruits, believe it or not, look like candle sticks. The stem of the fruit is the "wick".

So I immediately e-mailed Frank:

Remember me?..Vic Costes..We have talked a couple of times..can't remember when but I can remember you because we have a common interest: writing. ...

Could not quite forget College, Laguna because I had some friends there. I moonlighted also as an organist at Eva lanes then also at La Paz Beer garden one of the seedy clubs in Bamboo Groove. The owner was a homosexual and there were a couple of hookers hanging out there every night plying their trade. But they did not quite look like Julia Roberts character in PRETTY WOMAN. ..

Less than 12 hours, I received my first e-mail from him..part of it said:

Were we not classmates in high school? I remember you: you lived next to the Aglipayan Church in poblacion; ... I think your sister is Ester. Rody Necesito was also fond of writing. I think he is in the States somewhere. Our fiesta is April 18. I am in the Executive Committee, Chair of Documentation – I went every two weeks to attend the meetings. I hope to document the activities in digital and send anyone a copy by email.

One of my daughters is in Toronto, Christina Marie, married to Christian Capati. They have a daughter named Maia.

I am still writing. I have many blogsites already (would you believe 20?). I have no problem with spelling and grammar when I blog because I read again and I use the spelling checker – I use Word to compose my messages, like I’m doing now.

And so started an online correspondence, thanks to Annie, thanks to the Internet and to you, Manang Loreto, wherever you are: Thanks to you too! She was the one who help me find that job at the DFE where I honed further my skills as a wordsmith.---#

A DAY AT THE ST. JOHN'S FAIR

I have always been a movie addict ever since I was in high school. I have been inside most of them: theatres in Dagupan, Urdaneta, Asingan ( yes there was one in our backyard which makes it conveninet for me. But it opens only at night). When we came to Canada in the '70s, the first thing I did was to scan the movie page to check what movies are being seen where. The first movie I saw with my son Ollie ( who was still very young then ) was JESUS CHRIST, SUPERSTAR at the Varsity theatre in the Manulife building, in downtown Toronto. He also became a movie fan like me. He finished a degree re: films in York University.

I was one of the first ones to buy a Beta machine..It was about 1200$ at that time. That was 1975 at a pre inflation price! The blank tapes were 20$ each. It was at a time when Free Trade was not still enacted. So everything ( or mostly everything ) were made in US/Canada.

Another movie I saw was ALIEN directed by Ripley Scott. I saw the movie one time at the University theatre here in Toronto. This theatre was the best one hereabouts at that time: got the best screen, best sound ( 6 channel Dolby ). So on an afternoon after work, I dropped by and saw it. I could not bring Ollie then because he was still under 18 and the movie was rated R. But it did not stop him from seeing ( in a home movie version )at one of the buildings in the Canadian National Exhibition. Then they started selling movie tapes..1 movie then cost an average of 100$..And when the Beta version came out, of course I bought it for him..It was on sale for a whooping $80.00

Few months later, this was during the ealy '80s, they started renting out Beta movies.VHS format was also invented at that time so both formats were rented side by side. Sam the record Man was one of the pioneers of this tape rental business and at its height of popularity, it rented ALL KINDS of titles, close probably to 2000 movies. And that was just during the start of the Home Movie revolution.Now a days, this market was cornered by Blockbuster and Rogers..

From the time I started buying movie tapes til now, I must have accumulated thousands of tapes in my basement. Some were copied of course, but as formats change, the old formats were sold cheap. So I bought my favorite movies whereever I saw them: garage sales, flea markets, clearance bins..see them once, store them..Then all of a sudden I saw them cluttering my basement spaces..! Twice I bought out the movie collection of a Janitor working at a mall. He sold his VHS movies to me at about 1$ a title..It was a lot sale and he sold ALL his movie collection at around that price.

Yesterday, there was a bazaar at church. I took 2 tables. Paid 40$ for both of them..Michelle, my daughter and her husband Jonathan Forbes came in and helped me out with the transport and they even stayed until the closing time which is about 3:00 pm. Mia and Emma were also there of course! Many of the buyers ( and some sellers ) are from St. John's. They know me of course ( although I do not know most of their names ). But one thing I found out: the VHS movies ( good titles ) are the best sellers in any flea market, garage sale type of business! There are so many movie fans and some of them are still looking for titles they want their children to enjoy..I think I was the one with the highest sale yesterday..At the day's end I split the net proceeds with my 2 grandaughters: Michelle and Jonathan declined to get their share. Jonathan is a doctor anyway, he makes  much money. He helped us for Charity's sake and for the experience. The two girls enjoyed the whole time ( it is their first time too!). Every now and then they would flit from one table to another and would go to their Mom with something which caught their fancy.

Being with people to whom I play for on Sundays, I found out that we and the kids had certain "previleges". When we went to the snack bar, our snacks were free! The seller declined to receive my money. Mia and Emma were greeted by people who hear them sing at church and every now and then, they hear praises from them for their singing. Somebody gave me a small subwoofer. I just examined it at one point, then asked how much it cost. The lady said :"Take it Victor, it's yours!" I said "Thank you" and brought it home. It is still working..!

It was a hectic day. I missed my morning and afternoon naps. I had to load and unload my stuff. But it was a perfect day as we found out when we came to the end of it.---#

FEEDBACK FROM JULIET USON

How wonderful it is to reminiscence the old days. As I read your poetic epistle, I  was elated. You deeply touched my heart.  I too grew up in the same place you mentioned, and in fact I was once a classmate of Renato Escorpiso.  Jovencio Esteban is my granduncle, Cely Torres is my auntie. I used to live with Mrs Bibiana Bautista, which is the sister of J. Esteban. Our house used the be the old big house that belonged to the late former Judge Dalmacio Guillermo which sat across from the marketplace, until we moved to the big house next to Bugayong rice mill.

I used to hang out with Lorna Tayaba and Miss Garcia, also with Pamela Diaz and Lereza Ramos.

Thank you so much for writing your memoirs!

Lita Uson
Ph:(808)779-4394
julietuson@gmail.com
www.julietuson.com

Her website tells in part:

"My name is Juliet Uson, I've worked for the government for more than 15 years.

I'm here to help you realize your goal of owning your dream home or getting the most of reselling or refinancing your house.

I'm an experienced Associate Realtor and Mortgage Consultant who is willing to serve you anytime, 24/7."

THREE DAYS TO DEPARTURE

Dec. 27..2003 For breakfast, we went down to the Cafeteria at the ground floor of the Penn. A smiling receptionist took our room number and brought us to a table. Most of the guests were Filipinos staying in the place for reasons of their own. Didn't want to chat with them or anything, privacy to me is important whether at home or abroad. We went straight to the food counter where an array of Filipino and International cuisine were on display. Some menus were being cooked right before your eyes. There were Filipino sausages, tocino, fried tinapang bangus..I leveled my sights on the Filipino cuisine; a few days from now, I won't be tasting these recipes anymore..! I also had mango juice plus coffee, of course. I can not face my day without any coffee..We ate enough to last us until evening so that we will be saving on  lunch. We will be out there in the Malls anyway and food would be the last thing in our minds.

We were expecting my sis Aurora to arrive that day with Ester and her party; they have a room of their own adjoining to ours. Their ETA ( expected time of arrival ) is 2:00 pm. In the mean time, we went to Glorrieta and entered a Filipino movie entitled FILIPINAS. There was a long line up. A small TV monitor was telling us how many more seats are available for that particular screening. This is something we do not see in Toronto..only in Makati. The ticket price is not so bad either: at that time it was 100 pesos only! Its about 2.50 $ Can..The lobby of the theatre looks as elegant as the Coliseum type movie houses here in Toronto. Right now Toronto movie tickets cost 10$ Can ( about 7.70 $US ).

In a while, we were able to get in..The theatre is almost full so we had to stay at the front row..But even at the front row, the image looks OK..The first class theatres in Manila have adapted the same architectural styles used abroad.. The screen is also huge, the image is bright, the sound is clear ( although being a Pilipino movie it is not in Dolby Surround sound or DTS or SDDS like the other theatre sound systems abroad. But we sat in comfort and enjoyed the whole show. It is like inside an American theatre watching a Filipino film..

Its funny how the characters talk about going abroad. It seems it is so easy for them, just like hopping on a bus.."I am going to Canada next week, either come with me or stay behind..!" one father was telling her daughter. I was wondering what kind of visas those guys were holding. Then one movie character said.."I wonder how much is the current exchange rate of Pesos to canadian $?" I was almost tempted to shout out: "It is 40 pesos to 1 Canadian $, you moron!" In Filipino movies, you are either too rich or too poor, too intelligent or too stupid. Some characters are either too rich and too stupid, ha-ha! Filipino audiences just love those guys...

The movie was over at 12:30 pm..A new line up was forming at the lobby. The movie was good! It was recommended as one of the FAMAS contenders for the next ceremony..We went back to the hotel, not after we dropped by a Take-out snack bar to buy some of those really fine smelling goodies they had. The layout in Glorrieta is so complicated that it is so easy to get lost. Four different storeys and each storey have four alleyways exiting to different streets..You need a map to find your bearings in this place. But then holding a map and appearing TA-TANGA TANGA will make you an easy prey for the unseen hoods around waiting to pounce on you!

We just walked fast, crossed Ayala, took a side street that would eventually bring us back to the Penn and the comfort of an air conditioned room. When it gets hot out there it is really hot! Half of the day is already gone!---#

A REUNION IN VEGAS

 

Originally, I also wanted to join this class reunion among batch '81members of Rizal Academy, although I belong to class '58 which is quite a few years away. But Albert Manuel one of the participants is my God son and his dad Rudy is one of my best friends in Asingan and here in Toronto. Besides, I never have been in Vegas and I heard many exciting news about this part of the USA.. Words, they say, would never fully describe Las Vegas so it pays to be there in person and soak in the sights...So I phoned Albert Thursday night ( a few days after his return to Toronto to give him a chance to catch a few hours of sleep ) and I was able to pump out a few stories re: his few days stay in Vegas which he described as a "very happy " event..It is just a prelude to a bigger, better reunion this time to be held in Asingan on Dec. 16, 2006..Will be able to make it this time?..WE WILL SEE...( I am crossing my fingers behind my back )

"So what happened in Vegas?"

"Oh we had a grand time, talking about the old days, and trying to catch up.." he said..Well, I remember also the time when I visited Asingan after 12 years and I teamed up with Rudy Manuel, Albert's dad ( my kumpare). Yes, there is so much to talk about and so little time to do it...

Well according to Albert, only the following made it: Alma Balangue Chew, Jackie Pagaduan Lee, Noel Manansala and their adviser Julie Delmendo made it. Later on he said, Fernando Ong the son of Emmie ( I wonder if I spelled the name right ) joined them too. Also Jun Jun Luga, Eric Mauricio and Norberto Tagarino..Upon arrival on that Fridayafternoon, all of them gathered in the residence of Bert Delmendo, the elder brother of Julie. They had a good time ( and a good supper ) in his huge house because he was a good cook..My, my food is always a magic word to me. Good food, good conversation, drinks, plus live music ( Albert said Julie is still a good singer ) what more can one ask?

They split afterwards going individual ways and Albert went to the California Hotel where they were booked until Sunday, April 2nd. Yes, they went to play Casino..Yes, somebody won: Julie. She got $80.00 which is not bad. The most I won in Reno one time is $20 but then, I am not really the gambling type. They went to see Ceasar's Palace where Celine Dion is tied up to a contract. No, they did not watch her show. One ticket cost as high as 200$..But on the smaller clubs, there is a Celine Dion look alike and she also is a sound-alike and the show cost only 30$..And you can even have a picture taken with her! Plus there are countless Elvis impersonators and these are better looking than the original! Another attraction, he said, are the shops displaying the brand names of clothes and bags and shoes..These must be for the shopaholics..And the prices are not cheap. But hey, you can always say it with pride that you bought them in Vegas!

Ceasar's Palace is gorgeous, he said. The roof inside the joint is as bright as daylight, with a realistic looking sky and floating clouds. There were also statues of Romans, then the Trojan Horse plus the winged horse Pegasus. Yes, Vegas is one city which never sleeps. Forget New York, Vegas is the place to be!

Well, there is going to be a class reunion batch '81 on December 16, this year. Julie said its going to be held in the Delmendo Cable Social hall, the same place I visited December 2003. There will be socials, of course and I believe it is going to be something to remember. There will be an Asingan group to take care of the reservations, food, preparations and other stuff like that! I am sure the affair is going to be a BLAST! So batch '81 people, BE THERE!---#

addendum: Photos will be published here as soon as I receive them in my e-mail..

LAST DAY IN ASINGAN...

LAST DAY IN ASINGAN, FINAL DAYS IN MAKATI..

Leaving Asingan after a holiday evoked a mixture of happy and sad feelings. Happy because soon you will see again your home abroad ( which you have missed already a lot ) and sad because you will be leaving the relatives you have met and with whom you enjoyed their company. In my case they were the children of my nephews Rudy and Gildo Sampaga. It would be more heart breaking if you were leaving your parents behind. After all, they were the persons who took care of you and maybe, you could not have gone abroad if it were not for them. Leaving them sick and bedridden would be the pits and the feeling won't leave you for a long time.

Last 2003, my parents were already gone. But the house reminded me of them and it also reminded me of the happy child hood days I spent under it's roof.You could not really turn your feelings on and off like a switch light. Feelings are always there and sometimes, a visit to the Philippines would really turn these feelings again, whether these are good or bad. It is just a matter of controlling them, focusing on the good rather than the bad. But this is easier said than done.

I spent my last day in Asingan without knowing it. I thought we would leave Asingan on Dec. 27, but I received a word from Manila that we should check in at the Manila Penn on the 26th, otherwise we will lose the room reserved for us from the 26 to the 30. Our check out day and time will be Dec. 31 at 11:00 am. After checking out, a Hotel shuttle bus would bring us to the NAIA so we can catch a 1:00 pm Cathay Pacific flight for HongKong. So after a fast work in packing the suitcases ( these weren't really completely unpacked since day 1 in Asingan ) we bade goodbye to all the people in the house. I can not really forget the faces of the people to whom I bade good-bye. My feelings would stir up but I tried not to show it. I just got into the tricycle which would bring us to Urdaneta and from there we would hail a Manila bound bus that would bring us to Makati at least at 3:00 pm..

The bus we got had a drop off point at EDSA-Ayala ave. From this point we waited for Nene's nephew who came in a taxi to bring us to the Penninsula. Actually, the room was registered under his name. That is the rule so we can get a cheap rate with the hotel if a Filipino Citizen registered the room for us. Otherwise, the Concierge would charge us the Balikbayan rate which would be in Dollars and would be twice as much.

The room was gorgeous, of course. It is a far better hotel than the Dusit where we checked in the first time when we just arrived in Manila a few weeks ago..

SOME GEMS FROM THE OTHER PANG.ORG TOWN PAGES

Some readers do not have much time to surf the other pages of Pang.Org..Well, I do! I am reproducing a couple of good ones I gleaned from first, the San Carlos City Board and the 2nd one comes from the Rosales Board..I am proud not just being an Asinganian, but also as a Pangasinense..Check out these entries..

SAN CARLOS CITY -- April is bursting with festivities. Aside from Mapandan's Pandan Festival, Alaminos City's 100 Islands Festival, Dagupan City's Bangus Festival, and Pangasinan's Pista'y Dayat, San Carlos City will be holding its Mango-Bamboo Festival. Vice Mayor Julier Resuello said the annual Mango-Bamboo Festival, which was launched in 2001, has become a part of the city's fiesta celebration. The city's festival will not be as grand like the other Pangasinan festivities. The city fiesta is scheduled on April 22-29, but the Mango-Bamboo Festival will be on April 28. Highlight will be the float parade and street dancing with the participants wearing mango and bamboo inspired costumes. The city is widely known as "carabao" mango and bamboo trading area. The trading area used to be at the city plaza and auditorium from Friday to Sunday. Traders from Manila and other provinces regularly come to buy in bulk mango fruits and bamboo by-product. To help the local businessmen (some are straggling entrepreneurs who produce furniture or baskets good only for the market day) command better prices and to accommodate more buyers, Mayor Julian Resuello caused the transfer of the trading area to a wide-open lot in Barangay Roxas adjacent to the new public market. Market revenue also increased with the move. "The festival will serve as an instrument to help improve the marketing of mango and bamboo. This will increase the earnings of mango growers and bamboo craftsmen (some manufacture at their backyards). Some of them rely only on middlemen to market their products for lack of connection and access to exporters and traders, thus they are deprived of fair price," the mayor earlier said. Meantime, the Mango-Bamboo Festival has become a regular fixture in the regional tourism fairs of the tourism department and Pangasinan's own Pangangidayew (showcasing local products and tourist destinations) since the event's first holding. (LCMY)

The next entry came from the town of Rosales:

Name: Ronny Poblacion
Town_City: Janiuay, Iloilo
EmailAddress: ronnyp5958@yahoo.com
Remote Name: 203.177.244.81

I missed Rosales so much. Been there more than 10 yeas ago. I believe it is now one of the most progressive towns of Pangasinan. Rosales has a very special place in my heart.It is the hometown of my best friend. The then police Officer and chief in our town here in Janiuay,Iloilo and now the very dynamic mayor of your beloved town, Mayor Ricardo Velo Revita. I am a professional photographer and i was vey surprised to learn that the national artist for literature F Sionil Jose, is from Rosales. He wrote the introduction of an intenational coffeetable book aptly called Filipina wherein i was one of the featured photographers. Dr. Leslie Bauzon, greetings to you. I enjoyed viewing your slideshow. feel free also to visit my website www.ronnypoblacion.com . I wish I can visit Rosales again one of these days and visit my mayor friend. He has a constant communication here in Janiuay and he even came back and visited his friends here in Janiuay. By the way, to the good people of Rosales. Janiuay wherein your mayor has served as Chief in the early 90's is the hometown of then Sec. of DAR Rene C. Villa and Josette T. Biyo a multi awarded science teacher who has a planet named after her( Planet Biyo ) by the Lincoln Observatories in the U.S.

*****************

Well, Asingan has the Gay Night, last day of the town fiesta..It will be the gayest night to top all nights...

##########

Christmas 2003 ( Balikbayan's diary Continuation )

We arrived in Asingan from Dagupan at a very late hour. The next day, a few days away from Christmas, Nene decided to spend Christmas Day with her folks..He logic was "We spend Xmas together for several years..This chance is once in every 38 years.." That is counting backwards from the day we left the Philippines for the first time: that was 1975.

So Christmas 2003 is one yuletide which Nene and I did not spend together. She spent it in Trinidad with her family and I spent it in Asingan with mine..But we texted each other when things wind down a little bit, meaning when there is a breathing space. She said that many of Manang Esthers students, friends, etc. came over , being Christmas eve, and they had a barbeque at their patio.They had a bit of privacy because Manang Ester's bungalow was on top of a hill in the outskirts of Trinidad....

In my neck of the woods, the singing group led by a very good and loyal friend Juanita Orpiano Arzadon came over to the house and we had a modest Xmas feast.. They also sang several Christmas carols. I played the keyboard lent to us by Leah Rame Apuyod plus, when I do not know the songs ( the Tagalog ones ) their own guitarist took over..In a way, even if we were apart, we still had a very Merry Christmas!

That Xmas midnight Mass, I joined the Asingan choir in the midnight Mass. I brought to church the keyboard and plugged it to the church's powerful sound system...Juanita was the song leader. Before the actual Mass, I played GESU BAMBINO and a couple of songs which I had been playing at the St. John the Evangelist, in Toronto..Funny was my situation that Christmas eve. I was away from Toronto, I was not playing at my Parish Church and I was also away from my wife! But still..sometimes you get that uncanny feeling that even if you are away from a place, your mind is there and when you are away from a person, her face is in your mind's eye, most of the time, so in a certain sense, you were not really separated. The mind, indeed is stronger than the body and that is how it should be...

So Juanita sang 2 verses of O HOLY NIGHT, during the Communion then she cut it because the regular choir have their own agenda or set of songs prepared for the night..I felt I intruded and indeed I really butted in. The priest do not know me, the singers (except Juanita ) did not know me..and they looked at me as if I came from another planet. That's okay, I said to myself. At least I played O HOLY NIGHT that Xmas and I did not break my tradition..When I lied down alone that night, I REALLY FELT ALONE. Well, there were a couple of mosquitoes inside the net waiting for me to sleep so they can start sucking my blood..Ah what the heck, I said it is Christmas! Let those fricking mosquitoes have their Noche Buena too!

Even the text messages began to get cut off..I guess it was Xmas eve and thousands of texts are flying across the air every minute.The Mother computer perched somewhere was about to have a breakdown...So eventually to save battery, I shut off my cel and forced myself to sleep..

I woke up the next morning at the usual time..It was ,Dec. 25, Nene promised to come home..And she did, in the afternoon. Her sister accompanied her to Asingan but she went straight to Manila to join her family too whom she left behind just before Christmas.She took the afternoon Viron bus bound for the Philippine Big Apple.Hey at least I was not the only one Home Alone! That afternoon, Nene and I went to spend one night at the Crystal Glade in Ariston. I brought my digicam and I was able to get a few shots..--#