“Nollaig shona duit, agus ath bhliain faoi mhaise!”

I sure had a lot of fun and meaningful moments together with the Tolentine Star people at Lakawon. White sands suffice enough to remind me of a white Christmas.

Speaking of Christmas, it’s been around three years since we four siblings were together, complete with Kim, Demsen, Malem, and yours truly.

Big bro’s finally back from the Land of the Rising Sun for holiday season. As you can see in the picture, he brought with him a new addition to our family. Asuka-nechan is Big Bro’s girlfriend.

She is decent and quite nice! It’s good that my older brother has someone to be with back there in Japan. And I can also say that it’s quite awesome to have a Japanese big sister! Woohoo!

Well, Jolly Christmas to all! And a prosperous New Year!

<Insert English choir singing “O Come, O Ye Faithful” here”>

NOVEMBER 23rd, A DARK DAY INDEED.

THE BALLAD OF MAGUINDANAO
by Pax Florius

The twenty-third day of November
A sad day we’ll always remember
When the price of truth was justice’s dearth
In the form of bullets, blood, and earth

On the southern island of Mindanao
In the Muslim province of Maguindanao
What began as a political rivalry
Ended up as a macabre tragedy

In a contest of political power
One clan was challenged by another
Mangudadatu will have his CoC filed
‘Twas a move that Ampatuan so reviled

Despite perceived threats due to this move
A request for protection was not approved
Mangudadatu knew that he would be dead
So his wife and female relatives went instead

With his wife, cousin, aunt and three sisters
Were thirty-four journalists and two lawyers
A crowd of fifty-eight were on their way
Will never get to see again the light of day

As they went to Shariff Aguak, from Butuan
A hundred men stopped them in Ampatuan
Even passers-by were never spared
From the trap in which they’ve been ensnared

They were beaten up and mutilated
Some maybe raped, others decapitated
Shot in the genitals, tied and bound
And buried altogether in the ground

What grief, what frustatation we feel now
For the carnage that ensued in Maguindanao
There is no way men could have done this
Those who did this bloody act are savages

The twenty-third day of November
A sad day we’ll always remember
When the price of truth was justice’s dearth
In the form of bullets, blood, and earth

– para sa unang anibersaryo ng Maguindanao Masaker

(Special acknowledgement to “Tolentine Star – The Official Student Publication of UNO-R” for publishing this in their Summer 2010 issue)

“THE DRUMS OF WAR THUNDER AGAIN…”

…Or in real-world terms, SECOND SEMESTER IS HERE! SHOW AND HAVE NO FEAR! ANOTHER BATTLE IS NEAR!

I should probably say farewell to my Nintendo Wii for now. Farewell also to Reggie as he has to return to Manila because his college studies are at UST.

However, I’ll still make the weekly appointment at Kitchen Stadium & Good Eats Industries (or so Alton Brown claims).

I suppose this is hello again to Judelyn, Recon, and the rest of the gang.

5 THINGS THAT KEPT ME BUSY THIS SEMBREAK

5.) 4-A St. Rita of Cascia Mini-Reunion

Chibog, chika, cheveran and chorvahan.
A couple of years have passed but, as the song goes, “high school never ends”. Si Reggie gid ang may pakana sini. Good thing, damo ang nag-ulupod sa Palmas del Mar (or else, nagalapos gid ang gastuhanay namon sa amon mga bulsa).
Lemme see, Celestian and Elvin were there. The “Tribu Galong” pioneering members (Manelle, Bernadin, Karen, Jamelah and Marielle) were there. Some members of the now-defunct (I think) “Nasty Society” like Jommie, Jan Michael, Michael John, Venice, and Wellah were also there. So were Rigel, Robert, Mary Dawn, and Karl.
Nagkadto kami tuod sa resort, p’ro waay gid kami naglangoy. (T_T)
Special thanks na lang kay Wellah for bringing the chocolate cake. (^_^)
A few days (or was it almost a week?) before this, we met at SM City Bacolod. We had lunch at Mang Inasal where Ashraf was given problems by his digestive system and did a “Batman” (“to da Bat(h) Room!”). We also almost had a dispute over which movie to watch (RED or White House?). 
Aware of the pathetic quality of most (not all) Pinoy movies, Al, Phil Ness and I opted for Bruce Willis and John Malkovich over Gabby Concepcion.

4.) Enrollment Blues

I finished it in a day or two, I think. Not much hang-ups here (except for the wait time, of course).

3.) Runrig

Heck yeah! The greatest Scottish band’s songs never fail to entertain me and keep my tense and urging moments at bay.
I could listen to them forever! >_<

2.) Food Network Programs

* Good Eats

* Iron Chef (Ryori-no-Tetsujin)

Did I already mention before that I’m a foodie (culinary junkie)? This is the only way for me to have an outlet for my culinary incapacities.
I could watch these forever! >_<

1.) Harvest Moon – Tree of Tranquility (Nintendo Wii)

 

The ultimate game for capitalist-wannabes.
I could play this forever! >_<
Casualties:
* Three silkworms died from old age.
* Some bell pepper, blue mist, yam, and rose plants perished due to a typhoon
* 6 moles were killed by my gold hammer's pounding.