Old Manila

Wow! I chanced upon these three videos of pre-war Manila and what gems they are. I had to watch them several times because there are many details worth discovering and enjoying. Some of these are the native costumes, the cars, the gypsy boats on the Pasig river, the pre-war Intramuros, the caromatas (two passengers) and caretelas (up to six passengers), the Tranvia (streetcar), the famed Escolta and the colonial buildings.

In the second video, I found the piece on the Hospicio de San Jose's revolving crib very interesting. The narrator tells of the Philippines Constabulary Band which won the grand prize in a competition in the St. Louis Expo and still then one of the world's bests. Then and now, Filipinos are the best musicians. The Manila Bilibid Prison's 'cadet' formations then make me think the present day Cebu Prison phenomenon a poor copycat.

The third video shows the very beautiful Dewey Boulevard, now Roxas Blvd. And there's a shot of a very clean beach and a nice pier! Listen to the very beautiful soundtrack of video #3.

Wow, wow, wow. And more wow.

Click the Play buttons only once to watch videos.

The Ring by Jun Lana

The Ring
JunLana,blogspot.com

Sabi ng friends ko magpalit na raw ako ng cellphone. Bakit kaya?



Hahaha. Cellphone ko yan 5 years ago. Sobrang favorite ko kaya tago-tago ko pa. Yung gamit ko ngayon, medyo jurassic na rin. Hindi talaga ako mahilig magpalit ng model. Hindi rin ako mahilig mag text. O mag-check ng text. Bilib nga ako sa mga taong pag tinext mo, nakakasagot agad. Eh ako madalas nasa bag ang cellphone, naka-silent pa.

Dati, gigil na gigil sa akin si Mother Lily pag hindi ko nasasagot agad ang tawag niya. Eto yung panahon na lima-lima ata ang cellphones ni Mother. Minsan sa gitna ng meeting namin, sabay-sabay na magri-ring lahat. Sabay-sabay niya ring kakausapin. Yung isang kausap, maririnig mo, minumura niya. Yung isa, kinakantahan ng happy birthday. Siyempre meron din siyang ini-Instik. Tapos minsan magri-ring din yung landline, at sasagutin niya rin yun. Mamaya gulung-gulo na siya kung sino ang kausap niya. Yung may birthday minumura na niya, at yung kaaway kanina bigla na niyang kinakantahan.


Nung bata ako, sobrang traumatic sa akin ang paggamit ng telephono. Hiwalay ang parents ko, at araw-araw pag bakasyon, Lunes hanggang Biyernes, ako ang inuutusan ng mommy kong tawagan ang daddy ko sa office para humingi ng pera. Sasabihin ng daddy ko, walang pera. Pagbalik ko sa mommy ko, magagalit siya. Tawagan mo uli ang daddy mo at sabihin mo sa kanya, ang dami niyang kotse tapos wala siyang pera? Gago siya, gago, gago! At para eksakto ang sasabihin ko, isusulat pa ng mommy ko sa papel lahat ng pagmumura niya sa daddy ko para basahin ko sa telepono. Alangan namang hindi ka sumunod. Eh di babasahin ko yun sa daddy ko. Papa, sabi ni mama gago ka raw. Gago, gago, gago… po. At least magalang di ba? Saka walang emotion para maintindihan ng daddy ko na hindi ako ang kaaway niya.


Kaya isa sa favorite actresses ko si Jacklyn Jose. Nakaka-relate ako sa underacting technique niya. 8 years old pa lang ako na-master ko na yun. Pa, hayup ka raw. Magsama daw kayo ng kabit n’yo sa impiyerno… po. Siyempre kahit anong galang ko, magagalit din ang daddy ko. At mumurahin niya rin ang mommy ko. Ma, sabi ni Papa gaga ka rin daw. Gaga, gaga, gaga… po. Eh di lalong titindi ang away. Talo pa nila ang nagpi-pingpong. Ako yung bola.


Buti sana kung may sarili kaming telepono. Kinse minutos ang nilalakad ko papuntang palengke para lang makitawag. Hindi ako pwedeng mag-tricycle kasi sakto lang sa pambayad sa telepono ang dala kong pera. Imagine, trenta minutos ang roundtrip. Nakakailang balik ako, at minsan tinatakbo ko pa pag tanghali para maabutan ang daddy ko bago mag-lunch break. Minsan gusto ko nang mag-collapse sa sobrang pagod at ngarag. Kaya hate ko ang bakasyon nung elementary ako.


Pero in fairness, dahil sa training na yun, tuwing may sportsfest sa school, ako ang laging pambato pag may marathon.


Ambilis ko kayang tumakbo.

Heavenly Food

Above, Daing na Bangus served with pickled vegetables, upland rice and bagoong in Cafe by the Ruins in Baguio City. Check that place out.

I was in California last weekend to visit with relatives in San Jose. We had a blast eating every lunchtime and dinner during those three days as we celebrated three graduations, a birthday, and several welcome dinners for an uncle visiting from the Philippines. Oh how I enjoyed Higado, a favorite Ilocano food and I had to ask an aunt to reserve some for me to bring back to Phoenix.

Heading back to Phoenix, I handcarried a big bunch of Kangkong! I got strange looks from airport inspectors and a knowing smile from an Ilocano security checker in San Jose. In my suitcase were frozen Daing na Bangus, Morcon, Higado, Nilagang Talong, Pinakbet, atbp.

Summer in my dreams

Greece remains to be a dream as I've never been there. These pictures, more than ever, make me want to escape the Arizona desert even now. Some of these beaches I've seen in the movie Captain Corelli's Mandolin which was shot in Cephallonia, Greece and starred Nicolas Cage and Penelope Cruz. I should look for that DVD again.

Tagulan, Tagtuyot, atbp

It's rainy season back home in the Philippines. (And hurricane season in many parts of the US). A common sight during the attendant flooding is that of vehicles plodding through flood waters. The picture above is a pretty sight but I do not wish this to happen anyhow in Manila or elsewhere.

Below is a refreshing scene in Anywhere, Philippines. How I miss that raincoat worn by farmers while working the fields. If I remember it right, it's made of Anahaw? My late grandfather farmer used to own one. The headgear is unfamiliar to me, I mean it doesn't look Filipino. It looks Vietnamese but the material is different. My grandfather used to wear a Tabungaw, we called it. It's a headgear made out of the hardened dried "upo" vegetable/fruit.

Meanwhile, back in the deserts of Phoenix Arizona, we could only wish for the rain. It's June 23 and the temperature this afternoon was 113 F. or 45 C. Wheew. The heat is dry though and not very uncomfortable. I walked to the nearby CVS store and did not even sweat.

As I find beauty in the rain-drenched Philippines, I also find a different beauty in the Valley of the Sun.