Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Monday, December 26, 2011
Looking back in Translation
I wrote a poem called "Antonym" about 3 years ago which literally came to me upon wakening from a very vivid dream. Needless to say, it reflects the story of a very important person in my romantic life. More accurately, the MOST important person in my romantic life. I wrote the poem in a little over half an hour with no pauses and it was good enough for me to have it copyrighted. I posted it on this blog on Valentines Day of 2010, I believe. In any event, these days being the time of year we look back on our lives, (I probably do it more than most since the past it more vivid than the present at this point of my life), I decided to translate the same poem into Spanish. First of all, to see if I could translate it faithfully and, secondly, because I'd like to do a little translating on line and practice what I did professionally when I lived in Barcelona. The result below:
Y es solo un recuerdo
Te odio porque solo fuiste un préstamo del destino
Te odio porque no te vere hacer viejo
Te odio porque solo recuerdo nuestra juventud
ANTONIMO
Te odio
Te odio porque apareces en mis sueños
Y envuelves la nocheTe odio porque despiertas recuerdos ya olvidados
Y envuelven el diaTe odio porque llevo el sabor de tu boca,
Tu piel, tu cuerpoY es solo un recuerdo
Te odio porque siempre te alejas de mi
En mis sueños, en mi vidaTe odio porque te comparo con todos los demás
Y valen mas que tuTe odio porque nuestro pasado obscurece mi presente
Y me niega el futuroTe odio porque no hay presente
No hay futuroTe odio porque te voy buscando
Sabiendo que no te encontrareTe odio porque una vez fuiste mio
Te odio porque ahora perteneces a otraTe odio porque respirábamos el mismo aire
Te odio porque ahora no respiramos ese aireTe odio porque nuestros cuerpos unidos
Alcanzaban alturas que mortales desconocíanTe odio porque conocía tu cuerpo mejor que el mio
Te odio porque me completabas
Te odio porque ahora me falta todoTe odio porque comunicábamos sin palabras
Te odio porque ahora no hay comunicación algunaTe odio porque solo recuerdo nuestra juventud
Te odio porque conseguiste lo mejor de mi vida
Te odio porque no consegui lo mejor de la tuyaTe odio porque no oiste la canción que te cantaba
Te odio porque no oi la tuya para miTe odio porque no consigo, aunque trato con todos mis esfuerzos
Odiarte
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Interesting Anecdotes
A good friend passed these on to me and I thought this is fun trivia for a hot, humid summer evening. I need to write in my blog more and will do so now that I have a new PC and a lot of time on my hands and in my mind.
Very Interesting Anecdotes
If you are right handed, you will tend to chew your food on the right side of your mouth. If you are left handed, you will tend to chew your food on the left side of your mouth.
To make half a kilo of honey, bees must collect nectar from over 2 million individual flowers.
Heroin is the brand name of morphine once marketed by 'Bayer'.
Tourists visiting Iceland should know that tipping at a restaurant is considered an insult!
People in nudist colonies play volleyball more than any other sport.
Albert Einstein was offered the presidency of Israel in 1952, but he declined.
Astronauts can't belch - there is no gravity to separate liquid from gas in their stomachs.
Ancient Roman, Chinese and German societies often used urine as mouthwash.
The Mona Lisa has no eyebrows. In the Renaissance era, it was fashion to shave them off!
Because of the speed at which Earth moves around the Sun, it is impossible for a solar eclipse to last more than 7 minutes and 58 seconds.
The night of January 20 is "Saint Agnes's Eve", which is regarded as a time when a young woman dreams of her future husband.
Google is actually the common name for a number with a million zeros.
It takes glass one million years to decompose, which means it never wears out and can be recycled an infinite amount of times!
Gold is the only metal that doesn't rust, even if it's buried in the ground for thousands of years.
Your tongue is the only muscle in your body that is attached at only one end.
If you stop getting thirsty, you need to drink more water. When a human body is dehydrated, its thirst
mechanism shuts off.
Each year 2,000,000 smokers either quit smoking or die of tobacco-related diseases.
Zero is the only number that cannot be represented by Roman numerals.
Kites were used in the American Civil War to deliver letters and newspapers.
The song, Auld Lang Syne, is sung at the stroke of midnight in almost every English-speaking country in the world to bring in the new year.
Drinking water after eating reduces the acid in your mouth by 61 percent.
Peanut oil is used for cooking in submarines because it doesn't smoke unless it's heated above 450°F.
The roar that we hear when we place a seashell next to our ear is not the ocean, but rather the sound of blood surging through the veins in the ear.
Nine out of every 10 living things live in the ocean.
The banana cannot reproduce itself. It can be propagated only by the hand of man.
Airports at higher altitudes require a longer airstrip due to lower air density.
The University of Alaska spans four time zones.
The tooth is the only part of the human body that cannot heal itself.
In ancient Greece, tossing an apple to a girl was a traditional proposal of marriage. Catching it meant she accepted.
Warner Communications paid $28 million for the copyright to the song Happy Birthday.
Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.
A comet's tail always points away from the sun.
The Swine Flu vaccine in 1976 caused more death and illness than the disease it was intended to prevent.
Caffeine increases the power of aspirin and other painkillers; that is why it is found in some medicines.
The military salute is a motion that evolved from medieval times, when knights in armor raised their visors to reveal their identity.
If you get into the bottom of a well or a tall chimney and look up, you can see stars, even in the middle of the day.
When a person dies, hearing is the last sense to go. The first sense lost is sight.
In ancient times strangers shook hands to show that they were unarmed.
Strawberries are the only fruits whose seeds grow on the outside.
Avocados have the highest calories of any fruit at 167 calories per hundred grams.
The moon moves about two inches away from the Earth each year.
The Earth gets 100 tons heavier every day due to falling space dust.
Due to earth's gravity it is impossible for mountains to be higher than 15,000 meters.
Mickey Mouse is known as "Topolino" in Italy.
Soldiers do not march in step when going across bridges because they could set up a vibration which could be sufficient to knock the bridge down.
Everything weighs one percent less at the equator.
For every extra kilogram carried on a space flight, 530 kg of excess fuel are needed at lift-off.
The letter J does not appear anywhere on the periodic table of the elements.
Very Interesting Anecdotes
If you are right handed, you will tend to chew your food on the right side of your mouth. If you are left handed, you will tend to chew your food on the left side of your mouth.
To make half a kilo of honey, bees must collect nectar from over 2 million individual flowers.
Heroin is the brand name of morphine once marketed by 'Bayer'.
Tourists visiting Iceland should know that tipping at a restaurant is considered an insult!
People in nudist colonies play volleyball more than any other sport.
Albert Einstein was offered the presidency of Israel in 1952, but he declined.
Astronauts can't belch - there is no gravity to separate liquid from gas in their stomachs.
Ancient Roman, Chinese and German societies often used urine as mouthwash.
The Mona Lisa has no eyebrows. In the Renaissance era, it was fashion to shave them off!
Because of the speed at which Earth moves around the Sun, it is impossible for a solar eclipse to last more than 7 minutes and 58 seconds.
The night of January 20 is "Saint Agnes's Eve", which is regarded as a time when a young woman dreams of her future husband.
Google is actually the common name for a number with a million zeros.
It takes glass one million years to decompose, which means it never wears out and can be recycled an infinite amount of times!
Gold is the only metal that doesn't rust, even if it's buried in the ground for thousands of years.
Your tongue is the only muscle in your body that is attached at only one end.
If you stop getting thirsty, you need to drink more water. When a human body is dehydrated, its thirst
mechanism shuts off.
Each year 2,000,000 smokers either quit smoking or die of tobacco-related diseases.
Zero is the only number that cannot be represented by Roman numerals.
Kites were used in the American Civil War to deliver letters and newspapers.
The song, Auld Lang Syne, is sung at the stroke of midnight in almost every English-speaking country in the world to bring in the new year.
Drinking water after eating reduces the acid in your mouth by 61 percent.
Peanut oil is used for cooking in submarines because it doesn't smoke unless it's heated above 450°F.
The roar that we hear when we place a seashell next to our ear is not the ocean, but rather the sound of blood surging through the veins in the ear.
Nine out of every 10 living things live in the ocean.
The banana cannot reproduce itself. It can be propagated only by the hand of man.
Airports at higher altitudes require a longer airstrip due to lower air density.
The University of Alaska spans four time zones.
The tooth is the only part of the human body that cannot heal itself.
In ancient Greece, tossing an apple to a girl was a traditional proposal of marriage. Catching it meant she accepted.
Warner Communications paid $28 million for the copyright to the song Happy Birthday.
Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.
A comet's tail always points away from the sun.
The Swine Flu vaccine in 1976 caused more death and illness than the disease it was intended to prevent.
Caffeine increases the power of aspirin and other painkillers; that is why it is found in some medicines.
The military salute is a motion that evolved from medieval times, when knights in armor raised their visors to reveal their identity.
If you get into the bottom of a well or a tall chimney and look up, you can see stars, even in the middle of the day.
When a person dies, hearing is the last sense to go. The first sense lost is sight.
In ancient times strangers shook hands to show that they were unarmed.
Strawberries are the only fruits whose seeds grow on the outside.
Avocados have the highest calories of any fruit at 167 calories per hundred grams.
The moon moves about two inches away from the Earth each year.
The Earth gets 100 tons heavier every day due to falling space dust.
Due to earth's gravity it is impossible for mountains to be higher than 15,000 meters.
Mickey Mouse is known as "Topolino" in Italy.
Soldiers do not march in step when going across bridges because they could set up a vibration which could be sufficient to knock the bridge down.
Everything weighs one percent less at the equator.
For every extra kilogram carried on a space flight, 530 kg of excess fuel are needed at lift-off.
The letter J does not appear anywhere on the periodic table of the elements.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Holy Week - 2011
Since I haven't written in some time and I'm leaving for Florida soon, I will just share a poem I wrote way back in high school that has everything to do with Holy Week.
The Vigil
A woman stands beside the cross
Her beautiful serene eyes are glistening with tears
Her rose-tinted skin is now almost transparently white with grief
Her glorious mass of shining chestnut hair
Has tumbled over her shoulders
Now shaking with her silent weeping.
She raises her head toward the figure hanging on the cross
And as she looks at Him, a dagger pierces her soul
The Man hanging on the Cross is her only son
She is filled with anguish, pain and sorrow
But, helpless to do anything for Him.
There is a woman beside her sharing her sorrow
A woman called Mary of Magdala.
A group of soldiers are gambling for His seamless robe
Which she made for Him, so long ago.
The sky has suddenly become dark.
Lightning and thunder break through the unearthly stillness
With an angry force
And the woman hears a voice she knows to be her son’s murmur….
“Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit.”
And a soldier exclaims in terror and wonder…..
“Truly, this is the Son of God.”
A soft drizzle begins to fall
As two men take the Savior off the cross
And they lay Him in His mother’s arms.
There is still great sorrow and pain in her heart
But, she is also happy.
That He is rid of His suffering and agony.
His hands still bear
The marks where the nails had been cruelly driven into
Those divine hands
Which had caressed her cheek as a babe,
Had helped His father at work
Had healed the sick, the blind and the lame
And had changed bread and wine
Into His own Body and Blood.
The people had demanded the death
Of her Divine Son
This innocent Man
Lying in her arms now
Who had come down to earth
To save man from his sins
Their God and Creator
Who had brought the message of…
Love your neighbor as yourselves.
She thinks about this as she lays Him in the tomb
And she weeps again
But this time, for those who have denied Him
Hoping they will find Him again.
And as she walks down the path, away from the tomb,
We see a Queen, a Mother, a Saint, an Angel
And her name is MARY.
Happy Easter yet again all and I will write when I'm settled in Florida with my laptop and everything connected and running.
The Vigil
A woman stands beside the cross
Her beautiful serene eyes are glistening with tears
Her rose-tinted skin is now almost transparently white with grief
Her glorious mass of shining chestnut hair
Has tumbled over her shoulders
Now shaking with her silent weeping.
She raises her head toward the figure hanging on the cross
And as she looks at Him, a dagger pierces her soul
The Man hanging on the Cross is her only son
She is filled with anguish, pain and sorrow
But, helpless to do anything for Him.
There is a woman beside her sharing her sorrow
A woman called Mary of Magdala.
A group of soldiers are gambling for His seamless robe
Which she made for Him, so long ago.
The sky has suddenly become dark.
Lightning and thunder break through the unearthly stillness
With an angry force
And the woman hears a voice she knows to be her son’s murmur….
“Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit.”
And a soldier exclaims in terror and wonder…..
“Truly, this is the Son of God.”
A soft drizzle begins to fall
As two men take the Savior off the cross
And they lay Him in His mother’s arms.
There is still great sorrow and pain in her heart
But, she is also happy.
That He is rid of His suffering and agony.
His hands still bear
The marks where the nails had been cruelly driven into
Those divine hands
Which had caressed her cheek as a babe,
Had helped His father at work
Had healed the sick, the blind and the lame
And had changed bread and wine
Into His own Body and Blood.
The people had demanded the death
Of her Divine Son
This innocent Man
Lying in her arms now
Who had come down to earth
To save man from his sins
Their God and Creator
Who had brought the message of…
Love your neighbor as yourselves.
She thinks about this as she lays Him in the tomb
And she weeps again
But this time, for those who have denied Him
Hoping they will find Him again.
And as she walks down the path, away from the tomb,
We see a Queen, a Mother, a Saint, an Angel
And her name is MARY.
Happy Easter yet again all and I will write when I'm settled in Florida with my laptop and everything connected and running.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Long time no write, BUT.......
Its been ages since I've written but that's because my life will be undergoing a major transformation as of March 1, 2011. It will be the first day that I WON'T have to get up to go to work. My last official day of work is February 28, 2011, which happens to be a Monday! I'm finally retiring after 27 years at Polytechnic, and, 4 years or so before that at law firm Fisher & Fisher, Esq., and before, that 3 years with Savings Banks Trust Co. in Manhattan, and before that, about 5 years with Comercial Sert, S.A. in Barcelona, and before that - my first job was with Production Associates, Inc. in Manila! Phew!
Now, I am planning to retire to Florida because one more winter in New York and I will literally turn into a block of ice. Talk abut "The Winter of Our Discontent" !!!!
Why am I leaving arguably the greatest city on earth? Well, sincerely, because, to me, it never was. For too many reasons to count, but it never lived up to my naive hype about it, which was formed by the movies we saw in Manila featuring New York - Breakfast at Tiffany's, Barefoot in the Park, Sunday in New York and almost every picture of Doris Day with Rock Hudson and Tony Randall. Hah! What a surprise I got when I finally got here. Granted it was the middle 60's when Filipino nurses were butchered in Chicago, Civil Rights riots were occurring everywhere, the subways were graffiti laden ovens and dangerous, we had a major blackout and a subway strike within 6 months of my arriving here, not to mention one of the coldest winters in decades (the winter of '66), and I didn't know a soul here! I never made peace with this city until 1984 (7 years after I returned from Spain (I left NYC in August of 1969)), when I finally found a nice little apartment on Second Place in Carroll Gardens and I must admit for about 3 or 4 years, I was finally having a good time here, and then I had to move because the landlord was selling the building. I moved a couple of blocks away to another apartment in Carroll Gardens which I really liked and the rent was reasonable ($500/month) and stayed there 16 years and then I had to move again because the landlord needed the apartment for his family, and that's when all hell broke loose. After that, I finally found an apartment, still in Carroll Gardens, though the rent was now almost triple the rent I was paying before, and though it was/is a sweet apartment, (lovely floors and painted all new and within seconds walking distance of grocer, cleaners, laundry and subway), something died in me and from then on, all I looked forward to was the day I finally reached the point that I COULD retire and leave all this behind.
I'm not naive to think that now my life will all be a bed of roses but I intend to be warmer in the winter and not deal with icy sidewalks, absentee landlords, and have to wake up before the sun is up to take showers in a freezing bathroom and wait on an icy subway platform for a train that is crowded and late or in a sweltering platform in the summer for a train that is crowded and late.
Friends advise or warn me (with all good intentions) that life is not all roses somewhere else (of course! no place is perfect and the alternative may be Perfect but I'd like to prolong that a bit) but if Florida can get humid, and has hurricanes, mosquitos and one may need a fan or airconditioner in the summer - well, if I lived in Manila for the first 20 years of my life - this is old hat to me!
I haven't found the definite place in Florida yet but a person near and dear to me is helping me tremendously with that by taking me there for the first two weeks of January of this year to have a look-see and now while I am finishing off my final weeks at Poly, he is going back to Florida for a few days by himself to see if he can finally settle on something he knows will be good for me, then I will consonsider myself lucky and can't wait to move there. If that doesn't work out, I am even thinking of going back to live in Spain to some nice little city or town near the coast - SOUTH of Barcelona or even the south of Spain or maybe someplace like La Coruna. Who knows. I'm doing my best (with help) but looking on my own too and praying a lot and what will happen, will happen. You know the saying "Man plans and God laughs" or as they say in Spanish - "hombre propone y Dios dispone"
The only really sad thing is that I will be moving away from the state where my closest and dearest relatives live - my daughter Frances and granddaughter Laura and son in law, but they, unfortunately, live in a lovely town upstate from NYC where it is all lovely but there are no apartments nearby and I would need a car to get around and back to the cold weather. But they are being understanding and lovely about it and besides my Laura will get a chance to get out of the cold (no fan of it herself - she wears hoodies in my apartment in the summer!) and visit me somewhere where we can walk or take a short ride to the BEACH - our favorite place to be!!
So there you have it folks. Another big change in my life, but it's time. Polytechnic University, as I used to know it, has changed and moved on, and so must I.
I owe a lot of the help in my decision making to someone special and I am and will be forever grateful for everything he's done for me - however things turn out. Fate is the hunter and I am prepared for this new adventure in my life. I thank God for continued good health and pray that I don't slip on these icy sidewalks before I get a chance to leave.
I'll have to budget my life a bit more carefully but for many, many years, I've done more with less. If I can turn a clean but slightly shabby room in a pension in Barcelona in 1969 to a cozy room where everyone wanted to hang out in, I can do most anything. Almost.
Will keep you posted on where I end up.
Now, I am planning to retire to Florida because one more winter in New York and I will literally turn into a block of ice. Talk abut "The Winter of Our Discontent" !!!!
Why am I leaving arguably the greatest city on earth? Well, sincerely, because, to me, it never was. For too many reasons to count, but it never lived up to my naive hype about it, which was formed by the movies we saw in Manila featuring New York - Breakfast at Tiffany's, Barefoot in the Park, Sunday in New York and almost every picture of Doris Day with Rock Hudson and Tony Randall. Hah! What a surprise I got when I finally got here. Granted it was the middle 60's when Filipino nurses were butchered in Chicago, Civil Rights riots were occurring everywhere, the subways were graffiti laden ovens and dangerous, we had a major blackout and a subway strike within 6 months of my arriving here, not to mention one of the coldest winters in decades (the winter of '66), and I didn't know a soul here! I never made peace with this city until 1984 (7 years after I returned from Spain (I left NYC in August of 1969)), when I finally found a nice little apartment on Second Place in Carroll Gardens and I must admit for about 3 or 4 years, I was finally having a good time here, and then I had to move because the landlord was selling the building. I moved a couple of blocks away to another apartment in Carroll Gardens which I really liked and the rent was reasonable ($500/month) and stayed there 16 years and then I had to move again because the landlord needed the apartment for his family, and that's when all hell broke loose. After that, I finally found an apartment, still in Carroll Gardens, though the rent was now almost triple the rent I was paying before, and though it was/is a sweet apartment, (lovely floors and painted all new and within seconds walking distance of grocer, cleaners, laundry and subway), something died in me and from then on, all I looked forward to was the day I finally reached the point that I COULD retire and leave all this behind.
I'm not naive to think that now my life will all be a bed of roses but I intend to be warmer in the winter and not deal with icy sidewalks, absentee landlords, and have to wake up before the sun is up to take showers in a freezing bathroom and wait on an icy subway platform for a train that is crowded and late or in a sweltering platform in the summer for a train that is crowded and late.
Friends advise or warn me (with all good intentions) that life is not all roses somewhere else (of course! no place is perfect and the alternative may be Perfect but I'd like to prolong that a bit) but if Florida can get humid, and has hurricanes, mosquitos and one may need a fan or airconditioner in the summer - well, if I lived in Manila for the first 20 years of my life - this is old hat to me!
I haven't found the definite place in Florida yet but a person near and dear to me is helping me tremendously with that by taking me there for the first two weeks of January of this year to have a look-see and now while I am finishing off my final weeks at Poly, he is going back to Florida for a few days by himself to see if he can finally settle on something he knows will be good for me, then I will consonsider myself lucky and can't wait to move there. If that doesn't work out, I am even thinking of going back to live in Spain to some nice little city or town near the coast - SOUTH of Barcelona or even the south of Spain or maybe someplace like La Coruna. Who knows. I'm doing my best (with help) but looking on my own too and praying a lot and what will happen, will happen. You know the saying "Man plans and God laughs" or as they say in Spanish - "hombre propone y Dios dispone"
The only really sad thing is that I will be moving away from the state where my closest and dearest relatives live - my daughter Frances and granddaughter Laura and son in law, but they, unfortunately, live in a lovely town upstate from NYC where it is all lovely but there are no apartments nearby and I would need a car to get around and back to the cold weather. But they are being understanding and lovely about it and besides my Laura will get a chance to get out of the cold (no fan of it herself - she wears hoodies in my apartment in the summer!) and visit me somewhere where we can walk or take a short ride to the BEACH - our favorite place to be!!
So there you have it folks. Another big change in my life, but it's time. Polytechnic University, as I used to know it, has changed and moved on, and so must I.
I owe a lot of the help in my decision making to someone special and I am and will be forever grateful for everything he's done for me - however things turn out. Fate is the hunter and I am prepared for this new adventure in my life. I thank God for continued good health and pray that I don't slip on these icy sidewalks before I get a chance to leave.
I'll have to budget my life a bit more carefully but for many, many years, I've done more with less. If I can turn a clean but slightly shabby room in a pension in Barcelona in 1969 to a cozy room where everyone wanted to hang out in, I can do most anything. Almost.
Will keep you posted on where I end up.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Thoughts for our grandchildren
For those of us raised in Manila and for our children and grandchildren who weren't and aren't, I am coopying an email I received about three years ago which should serve as a memory flashback for us and something to think about for our younger generation: Here it is -
DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN?
By Letty Jacinto-Lopez
What did I get for attending the last class reunion?
Eighty new names to clutter my e-mail box. I was swept
by a tide of bonhomie and believed every scream of
"You haven't changed a bit!" Other than classmates
growing a little thicker around the middle and men
combing their hair in artistic patterns to cover
barren spots, we were faring pretty well. That was
until class president Juris Telmo sent me a list of
"do you remember whens" highlighting the four decades
that shaped and influenced our world. Like an old
pinball machine, I bounced names and places with pop,
clang and clatter ringing up friends for details that
had gone all too hazy. We brought back ghosts of the
past.
Do you recall when:
You tasted: Fres Gusto, Cosmos "Sarsi" Sarsaparilla,
RC Cola, Yes Cola, Teem, Darigold Evap, Liberty Condensada,
Choco Vim, Sunkist Orange (in tetra packs), Magnolia
Chocolait, (pronounced chocolayt), Klim (the word
"milk" spelled backwards), Big 20 Hamburgers, Tweet &
Jiggs Candies (by Mr. Krieger), Sugus Candies, Tootsie
Roll, Serg's Chocolate, Blenda Margarine,
kerosene-flavored popcorn and kropeck along Dewey
Blvd, dirty ice cream, Magnolia Ice Cream Sandwich,
Selecta ice cream (now Arce Dairy) and their fresh
carabao's milk, Magnolia popsicles in orange,
chocolate and langka flavors, Sison Ice Drops in
monggo, and buko flavors, Milky Way's buko sherbet and
Coney Island's 32 flavors.
Why can't I have "dirty" ice cream? "Because the
sorbetero peddled them in a cart going from house to
house, gathering soot and dust along the way," came
the booming reply from my mother. I envied my
playmates who were allowed to wolf down scoops of
mango and ube ice cream with pinipig sandwiched
between two slices of bread. They never got sick
either from eating something "dirty" taunting me
instead for missing out on these smooth and creamy
heat busters.
You went to: Syvel's, Assandas, Arcegas at the Maranaw
Arcade, Funhouse at Bricktown, Erehwon Bookstore,
Alemars Bookstore, Bookmark, Botica Boie, Makati
Supermarket (in Makati!), Rizal Theater (with its
spacious lobby) with D'Bankers Barbershop and Leila's
Coffee Shop, Tropical Hut (and its hamburger), Acme
Supermarket, Cherry Foodarama, The Regent of Manila,
Hotel Aurelio, Manila Hilton, Christmas carnival
(where Dusit Hotel now stands), Villa Pansol and Lido
Beach.
I met a boy whose family owned and operated Tropical
Hut and when he paid me a visit, my kid brother got
excited and said, "Can your friend bring over a fat
brown bag of nuts and chocolates instead of stuffed
toys and flowers? Throw in some hamburgers too." The
friendship never went beyond the hi-and-have-a-good-life
phase unlike their store which expanded and sold more
hamburgers. Sadly, the hamburger lost its unique taste
after ownership of the chain changed hands.
"Rizal what?" I asked. "Who would be crazy to build a
cinema in the middle of nowhere?" It turned out to be
the best theater in the city of Makati (at the same
site now occupied by Shangri-La Hotel). The builder
did not scrimp on space with its wide aisles and
double cushioned seats. There was always a good view
of the screen from any angle with no marked
distinction between the popular orchestra seats and
the more exclusive lodge and balcony seats. When I
watched a spine-tingling thriller that starred a blind
Audrey Hepburn entitled Wait Until Dark, I shivered
down to my toes not because of my runaway imagination
but the air conditioning system that was set to an
all-time blast-freezing high.
And ate at:The original A&W along UN Avenue in Manila,
Aristocrat across Malate Church, Italian Village, Café
Valenzuela, Bonanza Restaurant, Brown Derby, Little
Quiapo, Country Bake Shop, Selecta Restaurants (owned
by the Arce family), Taza de Oro, New Europe, Madrid,
Cucina Italiana, La Cibeles at A. Mabini, The Plaza,
Jade Garden Restaurant, Luau, The Makati Automat, Sulo
Restaurant (in Makati),Makati Fastfood Center (the
first ever), Bulakeña, Casa Marcos, Au Bon Vivant,
Salambao Restaurant, Dairy Queen along Buendia, Di
Mark's Pizza, the elegant dining room of the old Army
& Navy Club.
Brown Derby and their signature foot-long hotdog came
with its special, extra tarty mustard sauce and a hot,
crispy bun. We used to park at their drive-in bays
after we were exhausted from all-night partying but
with enough energy to gobble down sausages and soft
drinks. They were our comfort food that guaranteed a
long and restful sleep.
The Plaza was the favorite venue for all formal school
and social functions. Food was not a big factor so
long as cozy couples could have their special table
for two. Although we talked of young love that never
died, marriage was definitely not in our immediate
plans. But I was outnumbered by friends who made an
early covenant and literally jumped out of their
school togas and into their bridal gowns. It drove me
to ask in earnest, "Was there life outside graduation
and marriage?"
You shopped at: Escolta, Harrison Plaza (when it was
still clean and had the bump cars), Ali Mall, Rustan's
in San Marcelino, Aguinaldo's in Cubao, Quezon City;
Shoemart in Makati was a small, split-level affair.
The original Rustan's was a residential house
converted into a dazzling shop filled with eclectic
things and collectibles. I liked the signet ring that
had the profile of the Virgin Mother etched in pure
gold. It cost more than my student's allowance but
true to Rustan's slogan "Where Shopping is a
Pleasure," the management reserved it for me until I
was able to pay for it in full. That was my first
crack at a lay-away plan before the advent of the
cashless, plastic cards. The ring cost P80 ? a king's
ransom at that time. I still wear it on my finger.
Blockbuster movies were: Love Story, Mahogany,
Saturday Night Fever, Grease, Planet of the Apes, Star
Wars, Logan's Run, Battlestar Galactica, Paper Chase,
Enter The Dragon, Jaws, Towering Inferno, Poseidon
Adventure, Carrie, Willard (theme song was Ben sang by
a young Michael Jackson), Exorcist, Love Bug,
Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang.
Washington DC, 1970: There was such a big hype
surrounding this new film Love Story that my room
mates Lirio Calixto, Papoose Oteyza and Lydia Aunario
refused to watch it. They only relented when we could
not find any other movie to watch on a typical Friday
night. When Ryan O'Neal struggled to hold back his
tears while he held a young and dying Ali McGraw in
his arms, you could hear stifled sobs in the dark and
to my amusement, from my jaded roommates as well.
Lino Brocka's master work Tinimbang opened our eyes to
the arrogance of power. The rape and the childbirth
scenes left nothing to the imagination but they were
the same scenes that stayed longest on our minds. To
think we were only curious to watch this young, new
discovery Christopher "Boyet" de Leon who acted
alongside multi-awarded thespians like Lolita
Rodriguez.
You wore, carried or used Denman brush tucked in your
back pants pocket, Jordache and Sassoon jeans, Bata
rubber shoes, Botak running shoes, Ace flexible comb,
Ace clutchbag, Carrera shades, Ray-Ban Photochromic
and Ambermatic shades, Foster Grant sunglasses,
Alaskin, tie-dye shirts and pants, double-knit pants,
Sergio Valente, Vidal Sassoon, Fiorucci, Banlon, Ye-ye
Vonnel shirts, Nik-Nik, Bang-Bang, Faded Glory,
Jazzie, Puma Topfit, Tiger Onitsuka, Happy Feet,
clogs, Wet look shoes, Pierre Cardin, Brut, Jovan musk
oil, Aramis, platform shoes with bell-bottom pants and
wide-buckled belts.
Valentine's Day 1965: I was looking for something
special to give away and there was this new cologne
called Brut. The moment I bought one I regretted it
instantly because I was allergic to perfumes and
colognes. That was not as disastrous as finding out
that every member of the male population in Metro
Manila was wearing it.
You had your hair styled or permed by: Flavio and
Carmen, Nomer's, Lita Rio, Grace Lagman, and
Kayumanggi. (Note from Beng: she forgot to mention Miloy!)
That was the time of Aqua Net stiff, foot-high
beehives, French twist and Kiss Me liquid eye liners
and Pretty Quik instant facial blotters. My hair
"drank" 7-Up or San Miguel beer because they were the
most effective setting lotions that kept my hair
styled high and in conical, cornucopian shape. My
so-called crowning glory was also the perfect nesting
place for feathered hatchlings.
You sang: Bobby, Bobby, Bobby by Jo Ann Campbell,
Someday by Ricky Nelson, And I Love Her by the
Beatles, Cherish by the Association, Because by Dave
Clark Five, Distant Shores by Chad and Jeremy, Rainy
Days & Mondays by the Carpenters, You've Got a Friend
by Carol King, Hundred Miles by Peter, Paul and Mary,
Evergreen by Paul Williams.
I saved my whole month's allowance P50 to watch
the Beatles perform live at Rizal Memorial Coliseum in
1965. Security could not control the excited crowd
from entering the gates in an orderly manner so we
were forced to jostle and elbow our way in. Everything
went wrong that night. Bad acoustics, scattered sound
and worse of all, a visibly exhausted group of
Liverpool mopheads who failed to light up the sky. But
their mere presence kept us in high spirits and we
remained diehard fans long after the group disbanded.
It was hip to listen to: Bingo Lacson and Jo San Diego
(past midnight) of DZMT, the singing sensations from
Ateneo de Manila ? RJ and the Riots, The Loonilarks,
Joe Mari Chan and the APO Hiking Society and dance to
live combo music garbed in cocktail dresses and dark
suits.
DZMT was affiliated with the Manila Times and was the
only broadcast station that stayed on the air past
midnight. Jo San Diego was their anchor woman (she
with the velvety bedroom voice). Insomniacs, students
cramming-for-exams, and those manning the midnight
shifts were fully entertained by her music, intimate
chats and chuckles.
And danced at: Manila Hotel's Jungle Bar, Stargazer,
Bayside Night Club (with live music by the Carding
Cruz band), the Nile (and the Italian singing group
Five n' Fives), Queue Disco, Circuit Disco, Where?
Else?, Altitude 49, Delirium (in Greenbelt), D' Flame,
Rino's, Velvet Slum, Wells Fargo, Coco Banana.
After graduation, jam sessions were replaced by night
clubs and Bayside was the place to go for live bands
and non-stop dancing. It didn't matter that one side
of it was cordoned off for date-less clients who paid
a premium to choose from a lineup of professional
escorts. It allowed me to catch a glimpse of the many
faceted lives that moved around Manila by night.
Do you remember when: Dollar to peso exchange rate was
$1 = P7, Walang Tindigan buses charged a flat rate of
P1, Love Bus fare was P1.50, family size Shakey's
Pizza cost less than P40, Malate streets were named
after US States (Pennsylvania, Colorado, etc.);
Parañaque, San Juan, Makati, Pasig, Las Piñas,
Taguig, Pateros and Muntinlupa were
municipalities of Rizal province; DLSU was De La Salle
College, Poveda was Institucion Teresiana, Adamson
University was the original St. Theresa's campus,
Robinsons mall was the Assumption Convent campus,
Petron was Esso, Villamor Air Base was then known as
Nichols Air Base, bancas were aplenty in the Baclaran
side of Dewey Blvd. (now Roxas Blvd.) and traffic was
non-existent in Tagaytay.
PLDT telephone numbers were five digits and you used
your index finger to dial a number one at a time.
Communication was limited to letters, telegrams and
telephone apparatus that couldn't be yanked from the
wall. If you missed the car pool, you'd be left
stranded, twiddling your fingers until the next
available transport came to take you home.
If you remember all these things, you're history, in
great company and I daresay, happy to be.
JopenSantaAna
DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN?
By Letty Jacinto-Lopez
What did I get for attending the last class reunion?
Eighty new names to clutter my e-mail box. I was swept
by a tide of bonhomie and believed every scream of
"You haven't changed a bit!" Other than classmates
growing a little thicker around the middle and men
combing their hair in artistic patterns to cover
barren spots, we were faring pretty well. That was
until class president Juris Telmo sent me a list of
"do you remember whens" highlighting the four decades
that shaped and influenced our world. Like an old
pinball machine, I bounced names and places with pop,
clang and clatter ringing up friends for details that
had gone all too hazy. We brought back ghosts of the
past.
Do you recall when:
You tasted: Fres Gusto, Cosmos "Sarsi" Sarsaparilla,
RC Cola, Yes Cola, Teem, Darigold Evap, Liberty Condensada,
Choco Vim, Sunkist Orange (in tetra packs), Magnolia
Chocolait, (pronounced chocolayt), Klim (the word
"milk" spelled backwards), Big 20 Hamburgers, Tweet &
Jiggs Candies (by Mr. Krieger), Sugus Candies, Tootsie
Roll, Serg's Chocolate, Blenda Margarine,
kerosene-flavored popcorn and kropeck along Dewey
Blvd, dirty ice cream, Magnolia Ice Cream Sandwich,
Selecta ice cream (now Arce Dairy) and their fresh
carabao's milk, Magnolia popsicles in orange,
chocolate and langka flavors, Sison Ice Drops in
monggo, and buko flavors, Milky Way's buko sherbet and
Coney Island's 32 flavors.
Why can't I have "dirty" ice cream? "Because the
sorbetero peddled them in a cart going from house to
house, gathering soot and dust along the way," came
the booming reply from my mother. I envied my
playmates who were allowed to wolf down scoops of
mango and ube ice cream with pinipig sandwiched
between two slices of bread. They never got sick
either from eating something "dirty" taunting me
instead for missing out on these smooth and creamy
heat busters.
You went to: Syvel's, Assandas, Arcegas at the Maranaw
Arcade, Funhouse at Bricktown, Erehwon Bookstore,
Alemars Bookstore, Bookmark, Botica Boie, Makati
Supermarket (in Makati!), Rizal Theater (with its
spacious lobby) with D'Bankers Barbershop and Leila's
Coffee Shop, Tropical Hut (and its hamburger), Acme
Supermarket, Cherry Foodarama, The Regent of Manila,
Hotel Aurelio, Manila Hilton, Christmas carnival
(where Dusit Hotel now stands), Villa Pansol and Lido
Beach.
I met a boy whose family owned and operated Tropical
Hut and when he paid me a visit, my kid brother got
excited and said, "Can your friend bring over a fat
brown bag of nuts and chocolates instead of stuffed
toys and flowers? Throw in some hamburgers too." The
friendship never went beyond the hi-and-have-a-good-life
phase unlike their store which expanded and sold more
hamburgers. Sadly, the hamburger lost its unique taste
after ownership of the chain changed hands.
"Rizal what?" I asked. "Who would be crazy to build a
cinema in the middle of nowhere?" It turned out to be
the best theater in the city of Makati (at the same
site now occupied by Shangri-La Hotel). The builder
did not scrimp on space with its wide aisles and
double cushioned seats. There was always a good view
of the screen from any angle with no marked
distinction between the popular orchestra seats and
the more exclusive lodge and balcony seats. When I
watched a spine-tingling thriller that starred a blind
Audrey Hepburn entitled Wait Until Dark, I shivered
down to my toes not because of my runaway imagination
but the air conditioning system that was set to an
all-time blast-freezing high.
And ate at:The original A&W along UN Avenue in Manila,
Aristocrat across Malate Church, Italian Village, Café
Valenzuela, Bonanza Restaurant, Brown Derby, Little
Quiapo, Country Bake Shop, Selecta Restaurants (owned
by the Arce family), Taza de Oro, New Europe, Madrid,
Cucina Italiana, La Cibeles at A. Mabini, The Plaza,
Jade Garden Restaurant, Luau, The Makati Automat, Sulo
Restaurant (in Makati),Makati Fastfood Center (the
first ever), Bulakeña, Casa Marcos, Au Bon Vivant,
Salambao Restaurant, Dairy Queen along Buendia, Di
Mark's Pizza, the elegant dining room of the old Army
& Navy Club.
Brown Derby and their signature foot-long hotdog came
with its special, extra tarty mustard sauce and a hot,
crispy bun. We used to park at their drive-in bays
after we were exhausted from all-night partying but
with enough energy to gobble down sausages and soft
drinks. They were our comfort food that guaranteed a
long and restful sleep.
The Plaza was the favorite venue for all formal school
and social functions. Food was not a big factor so
long as cozy couples could have their special table
for two. Although we talked of young love that never
died, marriage was definitely not in our immediate
plans. But I was outnumbered by friends who made an
early covenant and literally jumped out of their
school togas and into their bridal gowns. It drove me
to ask in earnest, "Was there life outside graduation
and marriage?"
You shopped at: Escolta, Harrison Plaza (when it was
still clean and had the bump cars), Ali Mall, Rustan's
in San Marcelino, Aguinaldo's in Cubao, Quezon City;
Shoemart in Makati was a small, split-level affair.
The original Rustan's was a residential house
converted into a dazzling shop filled with eclectic
things and collectibles. I liked the signet ring that
had the profile of the Virgin Mother etched in pure
gold. It cost more than my student's allowance but
true to Rustan's slogan "Where Shopping is a
Pleasure," the management reserved it for me until I
was able to pay for it in full. That was my first
crack at a lay-away plan before the advent of the
cashless, plastic cards. The ring cost P80 ? a king's
ransom at that time. I still wear it on my finger.
Blockbuster movies were: Love Story, Mahogany,
Saturday Night Fever, Grease, Planet of the Apes, Star
Wars, Logan's Run, Battlestar Galactica, Paper Chase,
Enter The Dragon, Jaws, Towering Inferno, Poseidon
Adventure, Carrie, Willard (theme song was Ben sang by
a young Michael Jackson), Exorcist, Love Bug,
Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang.
Washington DC, 1970: There was such a big hype
surrounding this new film Love Story that my room
mates Lirio Calixto, Papoose Oteyza and Lydia Aunario
refused to watch it. They only relented when we could
not find any other movie to watch on a typical Friday
night. When Ryan O'Neal struggled to hold back his
tears while he held a young and dying Ali McGraw in
his arms, you could hear stifled sobs in the dark and
to my amusement, from my jaded roommates as well.
Lino Brocka's master work Tinimbang opened our eyes to
the arrogance of power. The rape and the childbirth
scenes left nothing to the imagination but they were
the same scenes that stayed longest on our minds. To
think we were only curious to watch this young, new
discovery Christopher "Boyet" de Leon who acted
alongside multi-awarded thespians like Lolita
Rodriguez.
You wore, carried or used Denman brush tucked in your
back pants pocket, Jordache and Sassoon jeans, Bata
rubber shoes, Botak running shoes, Ace flexible comb,
Ace clutchbag, Carrera shades, Ray-Ban Photochromic
and Ambermatic shades, Foster Grant sunglasses,
Alaskin, tie-dye shirts and pants, double-knit pants,
Sergio Valente, Vidal Sassoon, Fiorucci, Banlon, Ye-ye
Vonnel shirts, Nik-Nik, Bang-Bang, Faded Glory,
Jazzie, Puma Topfit, Tiger Onitsuka, Happy Feet,
clogs, Wet look shoes, Pierre Cardin, Brut, Jovan musk
oil, Aramis, platform shoes with bell-bottom pants and
wide-buckled belts.
Valentine's Day 1965: I was looking for something
special to give away and there was this new cologne
called Brut. The moment I bought one I regretted it
instantly because I was allergic to perfumes and
colognes. That was not as disastrous as finding out
that every member of the male population in Metro
Manila was wearing it.
You had your hair styled or permed by: Flavio and
Carmen, Nomer's, Lita Rio, Grace Lagman, and
Kayumanggi. (Note from Beng: she forgot to mention Miloy!)
That was the time of Aqua Net stiff, foot-high
beehives, French twist and Kiss Me liquid eye liners
and Pretty Quik instant facial blotters. My hair
"drank" 7-Up or San Miguel beer because they were the
most effective setting lotions that kept my hair
styled high and in conical, cornucopian shape. My
so-called crowning glory was also the perfect nesting
place for feathered hatchlings.
You sang: Bobby, Bobby, Bobby by Jo Ann Campbell,
Someday by Ricky Nelson, And I Love Her by the
Beatles, Cherish by the Association, Because by Dave
Clark Five, Distant Shores by Chad and Jeremy, Rainy
Days & Mondays by the Carpenters, You've Got a Friend
by Carol King, Hundred Miles by Peter, Paul and Mary,
Evergreen by Paul Williams.
I saved my whole month's allowance P50 to watch
the Beatles perform live at Rizal Memorial Coliseum in
1965. Security could not control the excited crowd
from entering the gates in an orderly manner so we
were forced to jostle and elbow our way in. Everything
went wrong that night. Bad acoustics, scattered sound
and worse of all, a visibly exhausted group of
Liverpool mopheads who failed to light up the sky. But
their mere presence kept us in high spirits and we
remained diehard fans long after the group disbanded.
It was hip to listen to: Bingo Lacson and Jo San Diego
(past midnight) of DZMT, the singing sensations from
Ateneo de Manila ? RJ and the Riots, The Loonilarks,
Joe Mari Chan and the APO Hiking Society and dance to
live combo music garbed in cocktail dresses and dark
suits.
DZMT was affiliated with the Manila Times and was the
only broadcast station that stayed on the air past
midnight. Jo San Diego was their anchor woman (she
with the velvety bedroom voice). Insomniacs, students
cramming-for-exams, and those manning the midnight
shifts were fully entertained by her music, intimate
chats and chuckles.
And danced at: Manila Hotel's Jungle Bar, Stargazer,
Bayside Night Club (with live music by the Carding
Cruz band), the Nile (and the Italian singing group
Five n' Fives), Queue Disco, Circuit Disco, Where?
Else?, Altitude 49, Delirium (in Greenbelt), D' Flame,
Rino's, Velvet Slum, Wells Fargo, Coco Banana.
After graduation, jam sessions were replaced by night
clubs and Bayside was the place to go for live bands
and non-stop dancing. It didn't matter that one side
of it was cordoned off for date-less clients who paid
a premium to choose from a lineup of professional
escorts. It allowed me to catch a glimpse of the many
faceted lives that moved around Manila by night.
Do you remember when: Dollar to peso exchange rate was
$1 = P7, Walang Tindigan buses charged a flat rate of
P1, Love Bus fare was P1.50, family size Shakey's
Pizza cost less than P40, Malate streets were named
after US States (Pennsylvania, Colorado, etc.);
Parañaque, San Juan, Makati, Pasig, Las Piñas,
Taguig, Pateros and Muntinlupa were
municipalities of Rizal province; DLSU was De La Salle
College, Poveda was Institucion Teresiana, Adamson
University was the original St. Theresa's campus,
Robinsons mall was the Assumption Convent campus,
Petron was Esso, Villamor Air Base was then known as
Nichols Air Base, bancas were aplenty in the Baclaran
side of Dewey Blvd. (now Roxas Blvd.) and traffic was
non-existent in Tagaytay.
PLDT telephone numbers were five digits and you used
your index finger to dial a number one at a time.
Communication was limited to letters, telegrams and
telephone apparatus that couldn't be yanked from the
wall. If you missed the car pool, you'd be left
stranded, twiddling your fingers until the next
available transport came to take you home.
If you remember all these things, you're history, in
great company and I daresay, happy to be.
JopenSantaAna
Monday, August 9, 2010
A Happy Weekend
This will be a short post but I just wanted to share with whoever reads this, that I had a truly lovely weekend. This time I WAS where I've always been happiest - near the ocean! The weather was lovely - warm, even hot at times, but with just enough ocean breeze to believe that though "life may be a beach" for some people, to me, its almost close to heaven. I saw old friends that I hadn't seen in a very long time and best of all, spent time with a person who had been practically the center of my life for 8 years but because of this and that, I hadn't really spent time with since, well, a long time.
Sometimes, Life, Fate, or God (when He's in a humerous mood), sends us a minute, an hour, a couple of days, or years to just be plainly happy and content. And, since we all know that there is no status quo, (things get better or, get worse), the deal is - enjoy that minute, hour, day or years to the fullest. Life does come around only once (and sometimes if we're very, very lucky, we get a chance for a "do-over"), so make the most of every minute. The glow will carry you through the rougher, darker times - really, I know, because I've been there. As Julia Roberts's character Shelby said in the movie "Steel Magnolias" - "I'd rather have 3 minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special."
Amen.
Sometimes, Life, Fate, or God (when He's in a humerous mood), sends us a minute, an hour, a couple of days, or years to just be plainly happy and content. And, since we all know that there is no status quo, (things get better or, get worse), the deal is - enjoy that minute, hour, day or years to the fullest. Life does come around only once (and sometimes if we're very, very lucky, we get a chance for a "do-over"), so make the most of every minute. The glow will carry you through the rougher, darker times - really, I know, because I've been there. As Julia Roberts's character Shelby said in the movie "Steel Magnolias" - "I'd rather have 3 minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special."
Amen.
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