HOW IT WAS. Compiled from my previous Facebook posts.

Slippers or barefootin’. Cautionary tales abound these days, online. Don’t do this, don’t do that. Don’t eat that, don’t eat this. Humanity isn’t spontaneous anymore. Primal behavior, instinctive reflex (sic) are gone. We gotta google stuff. Slippers may be manufactured with toxic materials. Barefooting may infect feet with deadly viruses. I remember those days when my main “shoes” were outdoor slippers and I could run around the yard, in mud and dirt, barefoot. 👣🩴👣

Long time ago, television was a huge luxury. Only the rich had a TV set. And those came with a door that could be locked because TV-watch was only in the designated hour of the day or week. So we did extremely appreciate TV shows then. I remember those years when we kids, kin and friends, would gather in one room, kept quiet and very behaved, to watch the week’s favorite event on television. Rowdy children were sent out. Those were the days. 📺👦📺

Mahjong is a tile-based game that was developed in the 19th century in China and has spread throughout the world. Usually played by four players, mahjong is a game of skill, strategy, and luck. Although the game has also been adapted into an online entertainment, I prefer the family and neighborhood leisure original. My family and kin played mahjong a lot as a form of weekend social, as we kids minded our chess and scrabble. 🎲🤹‍♀️🎲

“Bilyaran.” Or pool halls. With most medals in the sport, the Philippines is a dominant force globally for billiards/pool. Brazilians are obsessed with futbol/soccer, Canadians with ice hockey? Filipinos with billiards. Betting, heckling, and sometimes petty fights, figure in the neighborhood “bilyaran.” My mom had to angrily fetch my older bro Alberto from there to remind him of house chores. I do play but I am not very good at it though. 🎱🇵🇭🎱

Holen or jolens is a variation on marbles game. It is played by tucking the marble with the player's middle finger, with the thumb under the marble, and the fourth finger used to stabilize the marble. In a one-on-one game, you and your opponent choose a “shooter” marble. The rest are grouped and placed in a circle. Opponents must have the same number of marbles. You and the other player will then take turns using your “shooter” to hit the other's camp. 🧿🪬🧿

“Turumpo” is a small, egg-shaped top. A well-known toy or street competition game among Filipino children. The top is spun by winding a length of string around it and launching it so that it lands spinning on its point. If the string is attached to a stick the rotation can be maintained by whipping the side of the body. It could be dangerous, I know. But still less dangerous than the mental impact of the Grand Theft Auto video game or social media on young minds. 🔫😁🔫

Jingle (chordbook magazine) exudes a poignant flash in my memory. Before I launched a young pro journalism life at 14 for a provincial city newspaper back home, I was already sending out poetry and jokes (!) to Jingle. Yes, I wrote jokes that my own dad laughed with. LOL! I got free Jingle copies in return. Me and my bestfriend Duwi used to follow guitar chords from the magazine to write our own songs. We wrote quite a collection then. Our high school days. 📰🎼📰

The payphone by the roadside in the middle of nowhere or by a dark alley as rains poured. We only see them now in crime thriller movies. The black phone in our neighborhood pharmacy store in Manila of many years ago: 1 peso for 5 minutes. Go beyond time, the store clerk would eye you like a terror professor. Payphones. When phoning means communicating. These days, people use the cellphone 101 ways. The least, to communicate with someone. ☎️📞☎️

In the Philippines, “sangplatitong mani” means a bowl of fried (or boiled) peanuts. The finger-food goes with a drinking social. A symbol of “may pinagsamahan” or comradeship. If you share a drink with someone over “sangplatitong mani,” that’d mean you are now friends. Many neighborhood quarrels are fixed via this pop-culture gesture. Simple, primal. No need to sue anyone. All can be negotiated or “napag-uusapan” via serbesa and “sangplatitong mani.” 🍺🥜🍺

Tobacco and cigarettes. My grandpa’s tobacco brand was Alhambra Regalis. His cigarettes, Empress. Old brands: Pall Mall. Chesterfield. State Express 555. Lucky Strike. In the Philippines: Winston, Hope, Champion, Bataan. The ad “I’d walk a mile for a Camel.” The macho cowboy TV commercial for Marlboro? Most (Filipino) women didn’t smoke in those days though. And if they did, it was for “class.” Virginia Slims: “You’ve come a long way, baby.” 🌱🔥🌱

Photo credits: CNET. CEAT. Shutterstock.

Falling in Love, Living a Life in America.

Previously posted on my Facebook page. Or written years ago, unedited/not updated.

MY poem “Seeking Home” was, in a way, inspired by Federico Garcia Lorca's “Poeta en Nueva York,” or poems he wrote while in the US in early 1930s, plus the work of revered Filipino writer Carlos Bulosan. A part of my poem goes:

 

… I seek comfort in

many open doors that remain close

even as I am freely welcomed in.

Love fails to communicate 

in a borrowed language 

that seems to grow more strange

in each mumbling of sorrow

or joy; words that bounce back 

like ten-minute autumn rain 

that dry down like cheap vodka 

on chapped lips, hot clinches stolen

in between hours-rendered,

dollars-paid...”

THE excruciating need to belong, to love like the way we've ever known before we sailed away from home, screams from within. We try to find room for such a huge longing for love and so we buy into the culture—a culture that is close yet so distant—and then we end up empty because of the blunt, naked fact that vacuums within aren't filled by fillings that don't speak of the spirit that we've known. 

       In a more blatant way, can we imagine the many illegal immigrants who fell in love and allowed that heart to stay suspended in midair—since love is not real without a green card? Those people who had to numb the craving for a tangible touch that stays? Those people who had to sell their soul for a piece of paper called a visa? So they can live normal lives—minimum wage, a tiny room with empty walls, a beat up sedan, mininum-plan credit card, or just to stride into a bar for beer and not being eyed with indifference or suspicion? And what goes on in the mind of those who say “I love you” in a 3-minute marriage in a Las Vegas drive-in chapel because that's what it takes to be “normal”? 

       This is an immigrant's pain that America's heart should fit in. The Great American Dream. It is not a dream—it is just a job that pays for a few dollars sent to waiting families back home, a box filled with Spams and Campbell Soups and a Goodwill sweater. The journey is not a dream—it is love that is said from the depths of one's heart and not lost because the other guy has the dream more secured with an AmEx card and health insurance. 

       The Dream is not the Statue of Liberty or Disneyland or a beach house in Big Sur or an SUV with built-in wi-fi. The dream is the freedom to say it because we feel it as an individual truth, the freedom to pursue happiness as a human right, the freedom to worship a god irrelevant of shape and color and language, and the freedom to love and keep it because it is personal and intimate and exclusive.

       Hence, “Seeking Home” comes in little snippets of joy—a kiss from a child after a Dollar Tree gift, a hug after a recitation of a poem in a downtown cafe, a good hot meal on winter, and a song that reminds of a past, a memory, that says, “I was there, I was complete—until my pieces slipped into a ship and sailed away...” At least, that memory offers hope. 

       The title of Carlos Bulosan's novel was “America is in the Heart.” I never knew what that meant after reading the book. Until I felt it myself. America, life—like love, it's all in the heart.  🇵🇭💖🇺🇸

About Dogs and Cats and their Buddies. And some little jokes.

Previously posted on my Facebook Page.

ALTHOUGH grooming is usually a fun activity, some dogs may react negatively towards it. Maybe they don’t want a new hair-do or they prefer to shower alone. You know what I mean? 🐩🧽🐩

WE forgive fellow humans. So dogs also deserve forgiveness. If the dog suddenly conspired with the cats and hid the TV remote so they will have 100 percent attention for the back rubs and play-tug and pull, forgive them. If your dog and cats decide to vote instead your political nemesis next year, forgive them, too. 🐕😍🐕

SLOW NEWS DAY is a time when media organizations publish trivial stories due to the lack of more substantial topics. “Substantial” though is a matter of perception or opinion. These days news is when a rap star weeps under the shower on TikTok, cats get stranded on top of her “tree” toy, and a boy was penalized for wearing a Conehead helmet and polka dot skirt in school. 📰🗞📰

THE most important factor in choosing a cat bed is comfort. Look for a bed made of soft materials such as faux fur, memory foam, or plush fabric that will cushion and provide warmth. Avoid beds that are made from rough fabrics that may irritate your pet's skin. As for Ching and Fizz, I don’t know. They have 25 beds each and 75 boxes to choose from. But only two beds have TV/laptop screens for their YouTube viewing pleasure and 1 box equipped with a DVD player. 🐈🛌🐈

YES, dogs ruminate. They have pretty good memories, so they also think about events from their recent past. This could range from that time when you rubbed their belly, to that possum they once saw in the backyard. If your pup is happy and healthy, you can bet that their thoughts are positive and loving and wonderful. To freshen her memory-brain and pump up her equilibrium, Arrow ruminates and meditates in the sun room for 15 minutes each afternoon. 🐕😞🐕

GOOD leash for dogs: Primal Pet Gear Double Handle, Pets Lovers Club Heavy Duty, Ruffwear Knot-A-Leash, Max and Neo Reflective Nylon, or EzyDog Track and Train Leash. Or Christian Dior’s Nylon Jacquard and Beige and Black Dior Oblique Jacquard. It’s only $1,000. 🦮🦮🦮

THE most obvious reason your dog may be whining is that they need or want something from you, like food, water, or a walk. Maybe their favorite toy is stuck underneath the couch, or the cat is sleeping in their bed. The whining should stop once you identify the problem and fix it. For Arrow, she whines when there’s noise in the house or when roof people are at work and they create noise that disturbs her meditation or quiet time. 🐕😭🐕

WHY do people treat pets better than humans? The natural affection we feel for animals can be compared to the affection we feel for our children. We impulsively care for them and desire to help them because they are unable to easily help themselves. So hush, and stop making fun of people who love their pets. Okay, let me talk to Arrow about her preferred dinner tonight. Fizz also IM’ed me to change the channel of their YouTube TV bird shows. And Ching wants a backrub, pronto. 🐕🥰🐈

SOME McDonald's will continue to supply water free in any cup size, but more and more are now charging for the larger soda fountain cup. One other reason for this, according to McDonald's employees, is that too many people were asking for large cup of water, then filling it with Coke at the fountain. Yes, that’d be a McWater. With McIce? Plus $1. With McLemon? Plus $2, less tax. 🫗🍼🫗

MOST cats can learn how to do a few tricks. Some, such as coming when called, are useful, and others, such as giving a high five, are a fun form of enrichment for your cat. But those are easy. Teaching and doing tricks with your cat deepens the bond between you. Cats can also learn how to google. Those are easy as well. Remember that they invented the first prototype of GPS. In fact, there’s a lot of “unicorn” cats in Silicon Valley. (Unicorn, a startup company with a value of over $1 billion.) 🐱🧘‍♀️🐱

Favorites and Influences.

Previously posted on my Facebook Page.

FAVORITES. Middle distance running or 21-k marathons. Those years, me and my friends Duwi and Benjo would run a dozen times around the Quezon Memorial Circle in Manila 10 to 12 times an afternoon. That’d be an 1.23 mile/s elliptical road. So 12 miles each time. Then we decided to prolong the run towards the next district and back. Running “shorter” marathons is all about finishing, not winning. A sense of accomplishment, a pleasure of adrenaline high. 🤸🏃🤸‍♂️

INFLUENCES. The 1971 movie “Bless the Beasts and Children,” Stanley Kramer’s adaptation of the eponymous novel written by Glendon Swarthout. Six teenaged boys, each a misfit in one way or another, are ostracized by the other boys. After seeing a herd of bison selected for culling by hunters, they resolve to sneak away from the camp and set the penned bison free. I formed a similar group with high school classmates Arnel and Duwi, which we called Bredspays, later Harpy. 🧒🐂👦

FAVORITES. Blues Rock. A fusion genre that relies on the chords/scales and instrumental improvisation of blues. Mostly an electric ensemble-style music with instrumentation similar to electric blues and rock (electric guitar, electric bass guitar, and drums, sometimes with keyboards and harmonica). From its beginnings in the early to mid-1960s, blues rock has gone through several stylistic shifts and along the way it inspired and influenced hard rock and Southern rock. 🎸🎼🎸

INFLUENCES. James Clavell’s “Asian Saga,” a series of six novels written between 1962 and 1993. The novels all center on Europeans in Asia. The purpose of the series, according to Mr Clavell—descendant of a family long in service to the British Empire, and who was a prisoner of war of the Japanese during the Second World War—was to tell "the story of the Anglo-Saxon in Asia.” The novels: King Rat, Tai-Pan, Shōgun, Noble House, Whirlwind, and Gai-Jin. 📚🍎🎼

FAVORITES. Ramens and noodles. For some reason, noodles are different from spaghetti or pasta. Though some people debate where “noodles” or spaghetti came from: China or Italy. I don’t care since such an argument graduates to a Conservative versus Liberal caterwaul. No kidding. Silly, isn’t it. Just eat, guys! For me, “noodles” are the Filipino pansit, which is prepared in so many different ways. With broth, I prefer the dish that is bihon/canton mix. With broth, ma mon luk mami. 🍜🍜😋

INFLUENCES. The Nordic Model is described as a system of competitive capitalism combined with a large percentage of the population employed by the public sector. Some economists have referred to the Nordic economic model as a form of "cuddly capitalism,” with low levels of inequality, generous welfare states, and reduced concentration of top incomes, contrasting it with the more "cut-throat capitalism" of the United States, which has high levels of inequality. ⚒💴🛠

FAVORITES. Rice. Cultural conditioning. If I was born into corn, pasta or potatoes, I’d be regularly eating those instead. Anyhow, many people consider white rice an “empty” or “bad” carb since it loses nutrients when the bran and germ are removed. However, white rice is typically enriched with added nutrients such as iron and B vitamins. So while brown rice does have more nutrients than white rice, white rice is still considered nutritious. And I eat `em. Got a problem with that? LOL! 🥡🥄🍚

INFLUENCES. Grameen Bank is a microfinance specialized community development bank founded in Bangladesh. Small loans also known as microcredit to the impoverished without requiring collateral. Founded in 1976 by Muhammad Yunus and operated as an independent in 1983, Grameen Bank is jointly operated by borrower members and the government. The bank grew significantly between 2003 and 2007. Bank borrowers total nearly 9.5 million; 97 percent are women. 👩‍🦰💶👩‍🦳

FAVORITES. Hats. I never liked hats when I was in the Philippines. Too hot for the hat! And I always had long hair that I didn’t prefer “hidden.” These days, I have a collection of hats, mostly the inexpensive kinds. I don’t dig baseball hats though. My hats are either scored at Goodwill and thrift stores or gifts from BFFs, usually Cindyrella. I like old hats. Derby, wool felt, Peaky Gatsby, fedora, Panama, trilby, newsboy, Homburg, old Stetsons, and bowler. 🎩🧢🎩

INFLUENCES. Higher Education. A family imperative. Many downplay a university diploma. Yet a college experience ushers better financial opportunities via employment. The most educated ethnic grouping in America are Asians, hence they also earn the most per household income. For me, education is no brainer. The best that we could “leave” as “inheritance” to children is education. Then they carry on as individual initiatives, and gain their own “wealth.” (Art: 21K School.) 📚🧑‍🎓📚

Photo credit: Cartwright. Vintage North.