Almost an antique wall clock [4]

It took us almost a year and a half to find the “right” wall clock for our living room, something that would stand out on the orange walls and make a statement by itself. When we went to Dapitan before Christmas to buy garlands, we also found this antique-style wall clock. The face has the texture of very old paper and the metal is the color of brass. Beautiful. We haggled for a while but a two hundred peso discount was as much as we could get. We paid a thousand for the clock. It took another few weeks before the clock was finally mounted on the wall. And it was at that time that my illusions about the clock being antique looking were shattered. Can you read what’s written on the lower half of the clock? Quartz. It says QUARTZ. Gee, I don’t think they had quartz clocks during the last century.  Read More →

Would you vote for her? [23]

We already know that celebrity status in this country is a passport to government office. We find entertainment and media personalities in just about every level of government. They are city and municipal councilors, provincial board members, vice mayors, mayors, governors, congressmen, senators and, yes, one got as far as the vice presidency.

While being a celebrity does not necessarily mean being too dumb to be anything else, we are also aware that there are celebrities who simply take advantage of their popularity to get elected even if they have no real qualifications to fulfill the duties of a public office. Some are not even aware of basic issues. Try this.

Would you vote for her? Would you vote for anyone like her? (more…)

The year of the tiger and the Chinese Lunar New Year [4]

Below is an updated version of a column that I wrote last year but forgot to reproduce here.

Let’s start with a clarification of terms. What we call the Lunar New Year is not really based on a lunar calendar (based on cycles of the moon phase) but on the Chinese lunisolar calendar which intercalates days or months to make it conform with the moon phases. Intercalate? Yes, intercalate, as in a variable insertion or addition because a 365-day year is not divisible by the exact number of the orbital periods of the moon.

Lunisolar calendar? From Wikipedia: “… a calendar… whose date indicates both the moon phase and the time of the solar year. If the solar year is defined as a tropical year then a lunisolar calendar will give an indication of the season; if it is taken as a sidereal year then the calendar will predict the constellation near which the full moon may occur. Usually there is an additional requirement that the year have a whole number of months, in which case most years have 12 months but every second or third year has 13 months.” Ergo, the Chinese Lunar New Year may fall on January or February. Last year, it was January 26; this year, it is February 14.

It’s a Chinese holiday then—why is it celebrated in so many parts of Asia and even the rest of the world? Two reasons—one, the Han influence which led to the adoption of the lunisolar calendar by other Asian countries and, two, the Chinese migration and the birth of Chinese communities in many parts of the world. These Chinese communities, popularly called Chinatown in almost every part of the globe, with their pervasive culture (can anyone resist Chinese food?) have, in many cases, rubbed off on the natives of their host countries.

But why 2010 is the Year of the Tiger has nothing to do with the Chinese lunisolar calendar but is based on the 12-year cycle of the animal zodiac which is an entirely different story. Let’s just stick to the topic of Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations which, much like the Western New Year festivities, are steeped in traditions and superstitions. Like? (more…)

A culture bred by a generation of overseas workers [19]

Over in the food blog, two separate entries spawned some discussions about tortilla presses. I’m looking for one, some readers gave advice as to where I can buy one, another suggested that, since it isn’t hard to make one, I can have a karpintero do it for me. I replied to the latter that with the very skilled carpenters having flown out of the country to become OFWs, there is a dearth of good carpenters among those that remain. And while most of them are okay with simple projects, something with moving parts might be problematic.

Even good cabinet makers are hard to come by. And the good ones don’t take small projects. They prefer major projects. Like do an entire kitchen. Or an entire bedroom. Hire one to make a tortilla press for a few hundreds and he probably won’t even pick up his phone.

So have someone make a tortilla press? I think not, unless there is an exact model to copy from. But if I have to buy a tortilla press that a carpenter can copy from, why hire a carpenter to make a copy, right, when I have the real thing already?

We live in a generation of overseas workers. But the dearth of skilled workers left in the country is just one of the many consequences. The discussion about the tortilla press made me think about a neighbor whose entire family is financially dependent on an overseas worker. A young couple with two toddlers. The guy’s father owns the newly-built house they live in, the father works abroad, the couple living in the house are both unemployed. The husband spends most days drinking with similarly unemployed neighbors (yeah, lots of OFW families here). Other residents have complained about them; one even called the barangay once because of a drunken ruckus. (more…)

Of mafia dons and unproven accusations [41]

Last Tuesday’s Senate session was shocking. And that’s an understatement. By now, we’re used to sensational exposes on the Senate floor but senators squabbling during a session, and in full public view, is not that common – yet. With the quality of elected officials we have been getting, perhaps in time, squabbling will become a norm and we will all just get used to it.

It’s all about Manny Villar, of course, the man accused of using his office for personal gain, the man who has been called a coward for refusing to face his accusers, the man who, unlike Senator Jamby Madrigal, has a more likely chance to become the next president of this country. I don’t know what the truth is about the C5 controversy. I doubt if anyone, except those privy to the deal, knows the WHOLE truth. There are accusations but, in politics, someone is always accusing someone else of something. All the time. I’m a lawyer, in my book, accusations belong in a complaint that must be threshed out in a court of law.

But the Villar drama is not taking place in a court of law but on the floor of the Senate. The problem with accusations thrown at the floor of the Senate (and even the House of Representatives, for that matter) is that the accuser does not feel obliged to prove the accusation. In many cases, and we have witnessed this so many times in the past, the act of accusing becomes more important than proving the alleged misdeed because the real intent is merely to cast a shadow on the reputation of the accused. And Senators (and their counterparts in the Lower House) are free to get as creative as they like believing that they are untouchable because of parliamentary immunity.

Another problem with accusations thrown on the Senate floor is that no one follows the principle that an accused is innocent until proven guilty. The way privilege speeches go, the accusation is already a conviction.

But this isn’t a trial, is it? Not in a court of law anyway. This is more like a public trial where hard evidence to prove guilt or lack of evidence to establish innocence won’t matter. The only goal is to sway public opinion, to make people decide whether they BELIEVE Villar to be guilty or innocent, because their decision will steer the direction of the presidential elections. Yes, belief. And, often, he (or she) who shouts the loudest, and in the most melodramatic way, is the one who is best remembered and, in the din, his shouts are repeated until they are made to resemble the truth.

Is Villar guilty of everything that he is accused of? I don’t know. And neither do you. I don’t like him. I don’t like how he represents himself in his ads as one among the poor. I don’t like the “money talks” way by which he is conducting his candidacy. But none of that answers the question of whether he is guilty or innocent. (more…)

Text message from a televiewer [24]

If you’re a long time reader, you’d know I watch very little TV. But Speedy likes watching TV. While switching channels, he came upon some public service affairs program where the host was reading messages sent in by televiewers via SMS. The topic was the slogans of the 2010 presidential candidates. Here is the observation of one televiewer:

Villar: Sipag at tiyaga.

Gibo: Galing at talino.

Noynoy: Mama and Papa. At may Kris pa.

Enough said. Tomorrow, my column on Villar.

An afternoon in Phuket’s Patong Beach [6]

When people ask how I found Phuket, I always say I loved the food. The truth is, the food is just about the only thing that I liked about Phuket. Which is not to say that it’s a terrible place. It’s just not the kind of place for me.

For purposes of this article, when I say “Phuket” I mean Patong Beach and its vicinity. Phuket is an island but we didn’t see all of it. Our target was Patong Beach because that’s the place that everyone raves about so that was where we went. All the reviews I’ve read mentioned the beautiful beach, the fantastic shopping and the incomparable food. So we decided to skip the elephant adventure and the island hopping.

My first impression of Patong Beach was grand. The cruise ship was tendered and we boarded a boat to get to the beach.

The view from the boat was magnificent, offering a panoramic perspective of the crescent shaped shore that is Patong Beach. The sand appeared to be shimmering under the noonday sun and the sea was a beautiful expanse of green. (more…)

Walking along Patong Beach [2]

Walking along Patong Beach in Phuket, I noticed ornamental tiles along the sidewalk. There are ornamental tiles on the sidewalks of Antipolo too. But nothing like this. Rather, they spell ACG, the initials of the former city mayor, and currently House Representative, Angelito C. Gatlabayan. The first time I saw those ACG tiles nine years ago, I wondered if Mr. Gatlabayan thought that being mayor means owning the entire city and, hence, the proprietary tiles on the sidewalks. Anyway, coming out tomorrow, my story about my afternoon in Phuket’s Patong Beach.  Read More →

Framing the subject in photography [12]

When you say “framing” in photography, it usually means composing the photo so that the subject is the focal point and all the clutter in the foreground and background are excluded. But “framing” has another meaning in photography. It is also a technique by which the subject is positioned inside a border. The border, instead of becoming a distraction, adds interest to the photo by drawing the eyes to the subject. A frame also provides perspective and, often, gives depth to a photo.

There are cases when a natural frame is already there and you just need to position your camera so that the subject is in the center of the frame. In the photo above, the stone post on the left and the fronds of a coconut tree on the right (tree excluded because it was too far to my right) provide a great frame to an otherwise staid photo of sand and cottages. The photo above also illustrates one of the most common framing techniques in photography — the use of an object or objects in the foreground to create a frame. You can find similar examples here and here.

There are also times when the frame itself becomes the subject of interest when the intended subject cannot be positioned in a favorable angle. (more…)

The Godfather [3]

I was going to write about frames in photos and, initially, I thought about including this one. But, on second thought, maybe not. It would just look like the one that “doesn’t belong.” The subjects, after all, are outside the frame (i.e., the arch in the background). So, I am posting this separately. That’s Alex, taking a photo of me while I was taking photos of her and — let me introduce to you — her godfather, Speedy’s younger brother. His name is Buddy and his mother says he looks like Antonio Banderas. He disagrees — he thinks he’s better looking. Taken at the Golden Sunset Resort in Calatagan, Batangas.  Read More →