(The complete article here. See also this news report.)

Amazing, and a bit scary.

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Scary as the corpse scene in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (1963):

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And, this tribute to Alfred Hitchcock in which the famous director is devoured by one of his most remembered films:

2. Finally able to write down the poem that kept on bugging me for months.

3. Has stalled the craving for lugaw.

4. Reading on the latest gossips about Jinkee-Manny-Krista.

5. Been always admiring Luna.

6. Freaking out most of the time kasi malapit na ang November 30 (advance happy birthday Emong!).

Mura lang ang presyo. 180 pesos isa, pero kung three copies ang bibilhin, ang total amount ay magiging 500 pesos na lang. 40 pesos din ang discount. Mainam na pang-Christmas gift ang libro para sa mga loved ones.

Part of the proceeds will go to KARAPATAN.

Mag-email sa akosimakoy(at)gmail(dot)com subject: PATIKIM kung magpapareserba kayo ng kopya at kung ilan.

Limited copies lang ang ilalabas.

To date, the Filipino boxing superstar is the first boxer to win seven world titles in seven different weight divisions.

Pacquiao had won the 2009 ESPY Awards for the Best Fighter category, beating fellow boxer Shane Mosley and Brazilian mixed martial arts fighter Lyoto Machida.

Pacquiao was included by Forbes Magazine in its annual Celebrity 100 list for the year 2009. Forbes also listed Pacquiao as the world's sixth highest-paid athlete, with a total of $40 million from the second half of 2008 to the first half of 2009.

Pacquiao has been included by Time Magazine as one of the world's most influential people for the year 2009, for his exploits in boxing and his influence among the Filipino people.

What if umamin si Pacquiao na bakla pala siya, will everything change? If this is the case, will the COMELEC consider him as an immoral candidate if he runs for a political position?

Mula sa inquirer.net

November 12 is also the feast day of San Diego de Alcala. It is fiesta time in Polo, Valenzuela.

Malaking bahagi ng aking pagkabata ang simbahan ng San Diego de Alcala sa Polo.

Mayroon kasing palaruan ang simbahan. May mga higante silang slides na color-coordinated (Pink sa babae, blue sa lalaki, green sa mga batang bading. Joke lang!). Sa ilalim ng mga slide, ay malaking pool na puno ng mga isda. Kahit kulay lumot na ang pool (or pond), aninag pa rin namin ang makukulay na mga isda. Nag-i-speculate pa nga kami dati na may napakalaking isda na lumalangoy sa pool. Hula namin, isang shark!

May mga swing din, na tuwang-tuwa kami kapag itinutulak na kami ng malakas ni Daddy. Nung medyo malaki-laki na ako, kinakaya ko na na tumayo sa swing at kumapit sa kord nitong bakal.

Sa loob din ng palaruan, may isang badminto court at tennis court. Tinatanaw lang namin ang tennis court mula sa mga bakal na bakod. Dinig na dinig namin kapag tumatama na ang bola sa tennis rack, at sesenyas na ang mamang nakaupo sa napakataas na upuan na umiskor ang kabilang side. Siyempre, di ko pa alam ibig sabihin nun.

Sa badminton court naman na bakal din ang nagsisilbing pader na parang chicken coop, bihira ang may naglalaro. Ginagawa kasing garahe un ng mga karo ng mga santo. Tsaka laging naka-lock ang pinto ng badminto court kaya di kami nagagawa dun.

Katabi ng badminton court ang lugawan. Ayan, pinipilit pa namin sina Daddy para kumain kami dito. Para sa akin noon, sila ang may pinakamasarap na lugaw sa buong mundo! Pero bihira kaming kumain dito. Nagtitipid kasi sina Daddy. Magagalit pa sila pag kinulit namin na gumawi kami sa lugawan.

***

Malaki na ang ipinagbago ng Simbahan ng Polo. Parang lumiit ang simbahan! Pero siguro, lumaki lang ako, tumanda... Nawala ang mahika ng pagiging higanteng lugar ng simbahan. Siguro din dahil sa labis na pagtataas ng mga kalsada sa Polo, na laging binabaha all-year-round.

Wala na ang playground. Naging parochial school na ito. Wala na ang badminton court at napalitan na ito ng isang gusali ng paaralan.

Wala na ang lugawan.

Nandun pa rin ang tennis court pero hindi na ito makikita mula sa playground ng simbahan.

Nandun pa rin ang mga slide. Ngunit wala ng mga batang nagpapadulas doon. May mga tanda na kasing malapit na ang mga itong magkabitak-bitak.

***

I realized kanina, na the parochial school retained the gates of the playground. I recognized the old arch, na ngayon ay natatakpan na ang kalahati ng mga halamang ligaw. I would love to take a picture of it, pero something weird happened.

Initial shot:

Second try:

3rd try:

Ayaw magpakuha ng larawan ang arko.

11 November 2009, Pasay City – The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Literary Arts Division will launch Ani 35, The Pinoy as Asian issue, on November 26, 2009, 6:00 p.m., at the CCP Ramp with some of the featured authors reading from their works.

“Ani 35 is devoted to writings by Filipinos on their interaction with other Asian peoples and cultures. This may be interpreted as a response to the call of Dr. Bienvenido Lumbera, National Artist, on the need to reconnect with Southeast Asian literary tradition if we are to survive in this age of globalization,” Herminio S. Beltran, Jr., Literary Arts Division chief and editor of the publication, wrote in the Introduction. “We hope this will inspire the birthing of mechanisms and eventually practices in the Philippine literary/publishing world that will start off a more dynamic interaction among Filipino writers and their counterparts in the Asian continent,” Beltran continued.

Ani 35 features 54 authors who contributed for three sections: poetry; prose (essay and fiction) based on the The Pinoy as Asian theme and; Malayang Haraya for poetry and prose contributions outside the theme.

The 54 authors included in Ani 35 are Mark Angeles, Lilia F. Antonio, G. Mae Aquino, Genevieve L. Asenjo, Abdon M. Balde, Jr., Janet Tauro Batuigas, Gil Beltran, Herminio S. Beltran, Jr., Kristoffer Berse, Jaime Jesus Borlagdan, Raymond Calbay, Catherine Candano, Nonon V. Carandang, Christoffer Mitch Cerda, Joey Stephanie Chua, Kristian S. Cordero, Genaro R. Gojo Cruz, Carlomar Arcangel Daoana, Arvin Tiong Ello, Dennis Espada, Rogerick Fontanilla Fernandez, Reparado Galos III, Dr. Luis Gatmaitan, Joscephine Gomez, Malou Jacob, Ferdinand Pisigan Jarin, Karla Javier, Phillip Kimpo, Jr., Ed Nelson R. Labao, Gexter Ocampo Lacambra, Erwin C. Lareza, Jeffrey A. Lubang, Glenn Sevilla Mas, Perry C. Mangilaya, Noahlyn Maranan, Francisco Arias Monteseña, Ruth V. Mostrales, Victor Emmanuel Nadera, Jose Velando Ogatis-I, Wilhelmina S. Orozco, H. Francisco V. Peñones, Jr., Scott Magkachi Sabóy, Judith Balares Salamat, Edgar Calabia Samar, Louie Jon A. Sanchez, Soliman Agulto Santos, Dinah Roma-Sianturi, Rakki E. Sison-Buban, Jason Tabinas, Vincent Lester G. Tan, Dolores R. Taylan, Rosario Torres-Yu, Betty Uy-Regala, and Camilo M. Villanueva, Jr.

For issues of Ani, please contact the CCP Marketing Department at 551-7930 or 832-11-25 locals 1800 to 1808. For authors who want to contribute for the next issue of Ani, please contact the CCP Literary Arts Division at 832-11-25 locals 1706 and 1707, or email aniyearbook@yahoo.com.

Chance

It was the first time they would have met.

The place was bustling with noise and life. Children with their parents abound in the area. The balloon vendor was too busy peddling his colorful balloons: some children, accompanied by their patient mothers, were taking turns buying.

The air was filled with noise: children laughing; occasional shouts and hysteric from mothers with naughty children, shrieks from animals, especially the giant elephant.

The giant elephant was such a zoo favorite. People crowded its cage, busy ogling at the might animal, while it curled its very long nose to pick up nuts from the cage floor. Once or twice it scratched its own back with that very long nose. The gentle and regular movement of the very big ears. The nibbling of its big mouth.

It was here that he told her that they would meet, for the first time. She had met her weeks ago, he approached her quietly inside a packed bus, and asked for her name.

"Marina."

He told her she must mean the sea. He immediately said that his family has a house near the Gulfo de Lingayen. "Maybe we have met before," she shyly said. "I am from the same place." She actually meant the same province, the province of Pangasinan, but it was a very big province and his name did not sound too familiar to her. But the world was too big, and yet they met on that packed bus on her way home.

And now they would meet here, for the first time, inside the Manila Zoo. Not that this was their first actual meeting, she told herself, but she could not make up her mind that today would be their very first date. She shivered on the idea.

She must admit that she was bit too early to arrive on the venue. Not that she was too eager, she said to herself, but she hated to be late on meetings. It is close to 10, he might arrive soon.

One child shouted at the elephant, and other children joined the hysteria. They would want to see the elephant balance on a ball, just like on the cartoons. But there was no ball inside the cage, and the elephant seemed to ignore everyone. It appeared to be too lazy. Perhaps another day for the giant.

She glanced at her watch. He's late! Beads of sweat started to appear on her nose. She kept glancing on her watch. And then he appeared from the crowd. This man! She twitched her nose. He was late.

He gave her a big smile, which melted her irritation away. "Thank you for coming," he said.

"The elephant is my favorite animal, by the way," she quietly replied.