Bells and Whistles

Ice cream is one of mankind's greatest invention. Who can say no to the refreshing creamy taste that just begs you to have one more, pretty please?  When the family travels, we make it part of the agenda to find ice cream unique or special to the place we are visiting. With the exception of The Son who is a steadfast vanilla/cookies and cream/chocolate guy, the rest of us seek to satisfy our adventurous palates.  "Work of Art" from an ice-cream salon in Munich, Germany      We've had some seriously beautiful ones, so beautiful it felt like a shame to dig into it. But of course, one must! Cremia from Kyoto, Japan There were those that we tried because they were a feast for the eyes. Niagara may be a tourist trap but at least there are these yummy treats for every one in the family. And a few that really put our love for ice cream to a test. It's really just Black Sesame. I swear! I was actually a...

What makes a bestseller? Of course, it helps if the author has built a name for himself, has a good-sized faithful following, a good story (but of course), excellent marketing, good reviews, and so on. How about if you throw in a cloak of mystery, not of the book now but of the author? Bob Ong is one such marketing marvel. Nobody, except for his agent, knows who he is. Hiding under the pseudonym, he has amassed an avid and fiercely loyal fan base in the literary world of Manila. His five books combined have sold almost a quarter of a million copies. The Sunday Inquirer Magazine has this to say of him: "CONSIDER him the mass-market mystery man, a publishing phenomenon whose blockbuster book sales are equaled only by the anonymity he maintains. He is Bob Ong—not his real name—the most unusual best-selling Filipino author you’ve never met." Bob Ong writes in Filipino. He is irreverent.He is funny. He is Filipino. His defunct official website was named Bob Ong Pinoy, whic...

I love Japan. Some people can't quite comprehend how and why I have so much affinity for a country in which I have absolutely no roots, a country which committed widespread war crimes to my own land in the past. To this day, the Bad Boys of World War II aren't exactly wholly forgiven; unfortunately, the sins of their fathers have tainted the next generations. When I tell people how sad I felt when the family visited Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, I don't get the empathy that I hope for. Granted that the Japanese did horrific things during the war, but that's the ugliness of war. Wars do things to people you can't imagine in normal life. Did they get what they deserved in the bombing of Hiroshima? Maybe. But did babies and young children deserve to be burned alive? You tell me. When you take relentless power struggle and greedy domination out of the picture, we were just human beings being savage and brutal to one another. And that just breaks my heart. T...

Yesterday, the family paid our first visit for the new year to the Chinese temple where my in-laws' ashes rest. We lit incense sticks and sat quietly while absorbing the tranquility of the place.  Even though we are not Buddhists, we follow the tradition set before us by our parents. Coming here has always filled us with quiet meditation. Truth be told, I quite like sitting here and talking in hushed tones among us. Some days, we listen to prayers being chanted for the newly departed, like yesterday.  The pious always fill my heart with awe and admiration for what they are. We stopped by a popular pizza joint on a whim for lunch. I quite liked the interiors of this branch- very well-thought-out decor with a decidedly young vibe. The husband remarked that it was quite overcast at noon time. Little did we know that the reason for that was a "tiny" volcano to the south of the metro was getting heated up. At around 1 pm, Taal Volcano in the Cavi...

It was full moon last night. I was struck by this celestial wonder when I looked up at the night sky. Even though it was shrouded by clouds, the bright light filtered though them and spurred me to get photos of it. Almost immediately I recalled a running joke we had back in high school. A male classmate was acting weird and when one of us asked him why, he answered, "It was full moon last night." Naturally, the most impish of us picked it up and used the line every time something needed explaining. Why did you (insert action)? "Because it was  full moon last night." In some cases, youth may be wasted in the young but they sure laugh a lot more. BTW, 616 is our barangay number. A barangay is the smallest unit of government in the Philippines.

I started my Facebook in 2007. I remember that I "stumbled" upon it when I received an email from Photobucket, a photo hosting site that I used way back when. I was invited to take a look at the newest kid in the social media arena. Curious, I made my way there and signed up for an account. In 2007, people were still using MySpace, Friendster, Multiply. None of my friends or family have heard of Facebook. I introduced FB to them but got disinterested responses.  It was all very quiet on the Facebook front. Nowadays, most everyone with an internet connection is on Facebook. Everyone and his dog. People share anything and everything. Pranks, memes, chain mail-like posts (ooooh, I absolutely detest those), OOTD, stuff that I don't need to see or know, even orchestrated prayer brigades. Facebook simply exploded. In time, I slowly stepped back because it became too much. I almost deleted my account but I held back, only because it is now the preferred way of communication of...

New Year, New Decade. As I stood on the threshold of a new decade, I asked myself how I was ten years ago. Honestly, I can barely imagine myself ten years younger. I just knew that there were things that I wish I had done back then, like starting a blog, for example. Had I done it, I would already have ten years' worth of memories to look back on today. Woulda. Shoulda. Coulda.Well, it's never too late, is it? If there's one thing I learned from our trip to Hiroshima, Japan, it's that Time does not stand still. Everything moves forward . Hence, I have resolved to use this platform to record my passage in this world. I may start out fumbling and slow but I hope to get better at this as time goes by. I am buoyed by this Chinese proverb which I have set as my guiding line for the new year. I hope any one reading this post will also be inspired. P.S. I am extremely proud of this photo which I took during my family's latest outing in Hiroshima. More on those later...