33 Things About My Papa

Originally posted in FB for Father's Day.

1. My father's name is Oscar but he is called Bobby by family and friends.

2. He can fix anything - from small electronics, printing press machines, cars, etc.

3. The most "violent" act he ever did against me when I was young, was to act like he's going to 'flick' my hand (that flick with the pointing finger and the thumb) when I was doing something wrong. But he only motioned, he didn't really even flick.

4. As far as I know, he did not have any training in drawing, but he is great at it. He used to make these funny sketches that usually starts with boob-like sketches, so you'd think it's green, but end up being a cute dog.

5. He is always cracking jokes during meals - like asking if you're going to take a bath when you want him to pass the water jug over. OR he'd tell these awful, yucky jokes about different nationalities trying to outdo each other like eat their own phelgm which will usually turn people off their food. Well, I got used to those from an early age, so I will still be able to eat. He can eat through anything. He'd even refer to how an oyster looks like a big blob of pheglm or a man's eye before gulping it down. He will not eat kohol (snails) though. No matter how you tease him.

6. He always encouraged me to draw. Buying me a different-shaped pencil for shading, telling me to keep old drawings even those I didn't like so I can see my progress, and saying I should try different mediums.

7. He loves to cook. He'd rustle up fried rice, throwing every edible leftover in the fridge to make a great combo.

8. He will not say I'm sorry, but he'll cook something and ask me to eat as a peace sign.

9. He also, always encouraged my itchy feet, though he didn't say it. I never heard him tell me not to go anywhere. And when I started mountain climbing as a hobby, he gave me his old stove which he used to bring when hunting, and brought me stuff every now and then like a new tent, a portable shovel, pocket knives (emphasis on the 's', since I kept misplacing em), even those army food packages which were not really tasty.

10. He loves to go fishing; we'd compete on who gets more and he always wins!

11. He always supported my school projects - I was doing a report on Philippine herbs and he bought me a book from a door-to-door salesman. Then in second year high school, I needed sea invertebrate specimens for my Biology class, so we drove up to the beach house in Batangas and we collected there.

12. He made a foot-long boat made of popcicle sticks just for fun. He's always doing stuff like that. Once I got him a gift - a model car for his birthday or was it Christmas? When I got down the next morning, he'd already finished assembling it. It was a piece of cake for him - he can assemble real cars, after all.

13. He loves guns. He's a mean target shooter. He taught me how to aim and shoot well.

14. His standard reply when asked how he is 'okay lang'.

15. He's not very showy when it comes to his emotions. Not very verbal either.

16. He is a chain smoker and I am still hoping and praying that he will stop.

17. I can ask him to drive me to LB (where I studied which is about two hours away from our home), I can ask him to drive us to the beach house in Batangas (about 2 1/2 hours away) or even to Pampanga (about the same time) just because I wanted to shoot photos during Holy Week (the local procession with flagellation - show of penitence) but I can seldom, seldom, drag him to the mall.

18. He does not wear plaid shirts - he says it's 'too busy'.

19. He can be very blase, very impatient and sardonic.

20. After one of his relatives passed away, and he was not able to visit him before that, he saw a white dog in our garage - there was no way the dog could enter our garage. It stayed beside him as he drank his ritual beer. He left the dog when he went up to sleep and by the next day, it was nowhere to be found. There was also no way that dog could have exited since the gate was closed all night.

21. He does not call nor text. He'd talk to you when you call him but he'd be itching to give the phone to somebody else, my mom perhaps or whoever is nearby. He's not big on telephones.

22. He loves to play games - mahjong, casinos - and he has pretty lucky streak too, always winning. With sungka, when we were young, he won a lot (two of his tricks were very quick calculations or 'ipit' lol).

23. He used to go hunting. I just don't know where and with whom. He has a taste for exotic food - snakes, bayawaks (monitor lizard, as galo explained), wild boar, deer, etc. He made me taste roasted pig brains once. 'Think this is where I got the 'will trying anything once' with food. But he knows we love dogs, so once, when we attended a party with hosts who eat dogs, he warned us not to eat any dish with bones we can't recognize.

24. I would say he loves travelling. Even as young ones, we were always being totted around by our parents - Bicol, Cavite, Tagaytay, Subic, Bulacan, etc.

25. He is a very confident driver but very nervous when I was behind the wheel. I think he only got in once when I was learning how to drive. Only once.

26. He buys those kitchen gadgets made easy - the grater-all-in-one, the mixer-all-in-one, etc. Some, we were able to use often, others just got stock in a cabinet somewhere.

27. He's also a mean billiards player.

28. Our pet Smart, a cranky doberman pincher with undescended balls, claimed him as his master. He would 'guard' Papa whenever he's sleeping. He'd sleep on his side, or right on top of him. He'd really growl if somebody he does not know well approaches Papa.

29. They used to have a piano in their home in QC. Then with us, he bought those Yamaha keyboards hoping we'd learn how to play. I took some lessons, till my teacher said I don't have rhythm. My Papa though, he had a feel for it. He can widow.

30. When he sings, he has a good voice.

31. He has a jar back home which he calls 'magical'. He would usually fill it in the morning with coins but by afternoon's time it would be nearly depleted, with me and my brothers digging in.

32. He does not like food to stay long in the fridge. If it's there a day and nobody seems to want it, he's bound to throw it out.

33. If pressed, he'll say 'I love you' back. ;)

Happy Father's Day Papa! I love you!

I Believe

Sometimes, you just have to trust that...



















*Image from a forwarded email.

Revisiting Philippine animation

I love animation and I will watch almost anything I can get my hands on. Once I saw one episode of 'Avatar' I was hooked - I had to finish it (luckily, I share this fascination with Ang and his ragtag team with my nephew, so I have somebody to talk to about it hehe). Of course there were my favourite animes - my beloved Kenshin and other series I used to watch as a child - 'Candy, Candy', Daimos, Voltron (Lions) and more.

Sadly enough, I haven't seen a lot of Pinoy made animation films. I would love to, but I kept missing the opportunity.

Anyway, I was surfing a totally differen topic when I came upon a blog entry which mentioned 'Dayo' - the story of Bubuy, a young Pinoy whose grandparents were kidnapped by elementals. To save them, he needs to embark on a journey into the realm of Filipino fantasy, and he does so with the help of a new-found friend Ana, a 'manananggirl'.

Traditionally, it's really called 'manananggal', ordinary-looking women by day, but at night, they grow huge black wings (much-like bats') and their bodies separate in half. The upper part flies off in search of food - unborn babies sucked off from unsuspecting, usually sleeping moms, through a tongue that can be lowered like a thread, or mangle poor saps still out about in the dead of the night. But here, Ana is a charming, teen non-meat eater. By the way, 'Dayo' means visitor, specifically a visitor from a far-away land (or realm as the case may be).

I love how the characters look so Pinoy - a trait that other animation projects failed to capture before when characters would look too Oriental or too Caucasian. But with 'Daloy', you can actually identify to it being Pinoy. Love it!



I've only seen the trailer but I'm excited to see it in full. I like the characters they've created and everything looks original. Too bad they're not selling DVDs on their website yet.

This is Lea Salonga's version of 'Lipad' (Fly) which was used in 'Dayo'. Love it too! Simple yet inspirational. The version used in the film was rendered by a guy and is more upbeat.



Since I was already in Youtube, I followed the links to other Pinoy digital animation projects. One of which is 'Urduja' the story of a legendary warrior princess in the Philippine province of Pangasinan in 1350 to 1400s. She led women warriors against invaders and fought alongside men. The synopsis was quite cool - and reading it, I'm excited to see it. But the trailer was not as exciting. First glance and Pocahontas immediately came to mind.



Pocahontas right? I immediately recognised Eddie Garcia as the dad, but failed to recognise the other voice casts. A little digging - very easy in fact, since this seems to be another big project I missed out on, showed a stellar line-up: Urduja the heroine is Regine Velasquez, Lim Hang the hero is Caesar Montano, while other casts are Epi Quizon, Alan K., Michael V., Ruby Rodriguez and Jay Manalo.

I really didn't guess that it was Caesar Montano! While I was watching the trailer, I just kept thinking that a character looking like a Hun (reminded of the nemesis in Mulan) should have a manlier, grittier voice. His voice, was just, so... smooth.

This might just be me, but I also feel a "disassociation" with the dubbing, even with 'Dayo'. I felt like I was watching one of those pirated DVDs where the lips do not sync with the scene, or better illustration is, when you're watching those Korean telenovelas or Chinese movies dubbed in Tagalog. The lips are still moving but the lines are done. But then again, it might not be the films itself but my mind's association that cartoons are almost always in English (even animes).

Another link there led to 'Ibong Adarna' which was produced in 1997. According to a little research, it won the 1995 Star Awards for Best Visual Effects. Hmmm... gotta see why. I don't like the style of the illustration but the angles and 'cinematography' was very creative from what little I saw of the video clip.



The earliest, full length was of course 'Ang Panday' (The Blacksmith) whose hero was the beloved FPJ aka 'The King' aka Fernado Poe Jr., the same guy who ran against Gloria Macapagal Arroyo for presidency though I still think he should have stuck to being the Pinoy action king. This product from the 80s, clearly shows the immense leap the industry has taken.



Experts have a lot of opinions on why the Philippine animation industry is taking such a long time to grow and one of them is the lack of a basic necessity in producing a great flick - money.

Come on, even Dubai, from absolutely zero animation suddenly came out with a hit cartoon series, 'Freej' ('Community', if I remember correctly and please do correct me if I'm wrong). The 3D animation is the UAE's first animated series starring four old national women tackling their city's culture, norms and social issues for 15 minutes every episode. The team behind 'Freej' had the dream, the dedication, the talent, and of course, they also had the money to actually turn that dream into reality.

On the other hand, 'Daloy' seems to show that the quality of Pinoy animation has gone on a sharp incline. Because true, the talent has always been there - in fact, a lot is being utilised for projects all over the world, may they be Pinoy artists based in other countries or in the Philippines (think 'Mulan', Finding Nemo, 'Toy Story', 'Cars', etc) - but there were other limitations reigning it in (i.e. funding).

So here's to hoping the industry improves and produces more unique, creative and engaging animated products. Great going Pinoy artists!

Now, I just hope I can find these DVDs when I go back to the Philippines for my vacation - all originals of course.

Here'a an interesting read about the topic Philippine animation, with history and everything, I stumbled on it while looking for more Pinoy works.

Bag organizers in the UAE

I don't change my bags often - there's always that fear that I might forget something. So more often than not, instead of leaving my 'heavy load' behind even for something as simple as grocery shopping, I'd bring the whole thing. You know what they say, you never know you need something till its gone.

But honestly, this simple little thing has been heaven-sent - a BAG ORGANIZER.

So now, I have my wallet, my business card holder, my lotion, pens, coins and key chain all in one nifty little creation. When I need to change bags, I just pull out the bag organizer and put it in the new bag. Kewlness.

So, my friends and I decided to share this little secret with the rest of UAE (yes, this is a sales pitch) - and we're selling it! So, if you feel the need to be just a little organized, if you feel like you really don't want to rummage through all the junk inside your bag, or if you just feel like you want life a little more convenient - then contact us. =) You can leave a message here, email me, email orangejar@gmail.com, check out http://www.orangejar.com/ or find us at Facebook (search for orangejar@gmail.com (Orange Jar) or orangejar@orangejar.com (OrangeJar Goodies).

Life can be simpler. Get your own bag organizer.

Bag organizers are available in solid colours (red, pink, blue, gray, black, orange, green), printed (yellow plaid, pink plaid, blue plaid) and animal prints.

For the guys out there, you mom, gf, wife, or sister will loooove this! You know where to find us ;).

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Happy Birthday to my dear friends and relatives:

April 29 - Happy Bday Tenshi
April 30 - Happy Bday Jay
May 1 - Happy Bday Jans
May 1 - Happy Bday Kuya Juancho
May 3 - Happy Bday Rich
May 3 - Happy Bday Nodge
May 4 - Happy Bday Lola
May 5 - Happy Bday Ron
May 15- Happy Bday Betsy
May 22 - Happy Bday Gitz

Canyoning in Oman & Caving in Al Ain

Another belated post. This weekend fun was actually held on March 21.

Guided by Mountain High's Julie and Calin, we trekked across a mostly dry wadi in Baraini, Oman and then went over to Jebel Hafeet to explore one of its caves.

So there we are, walking across a dry desert plain, in wet suits, carrying bright orange lifesavers until we came to the wadis, and proved that there was indeed use for the stifling hot wetsuits - the water was freezing.

Plenty of times we had to squeeze ourselves in between these gorgeous rock formations. I tell you, my knees were colorful for a whole week after the event.

Don't have much time to work on the photos. But I've posted a lot of the unedited ones in my Facebook and Multiply account.

Here's another adventure they are planning, unfortunately, I've used up my vacation leaves and my pocket is not deep enough to cover it. But in case, you're interested, contact details are below:

KENYA: OUT OF AFRICA August 21 – September 1 2009

Combining trekking through rain forests rich in flora, fauna and birdlife, climbing to the snow capped summit of Mount Kenya ( 4895m ), followed by game drives ,the Great Rift Valley, tree planting with Masai Mara warriors & experience the jewel of Africa’s wildlife, this trip promises to be one you will never forget… Open to men and women. ( 12- 16 pax ).

In The Spirit of Adventure!

Julie Lewis

Mountain High

Tel: 050 659 5536

Fax: 04 394 3061

Email: jules@mountainhighme.com www.mountainhighme.com

More bday photos

Just a few more bday photos that I was not able to post last time.

This first one here was taken on April 5th itself, when a few friends joined me for dinner at Nando's, Sheikh Zayed branch, for absolutely yummy Portuguese chicken.
In the pictures: Annie, Chat, Romar, Tin-tin, Kit-kit, Tetel, Raquel, Ye and Joel


This second collage was on the Thursday of my bday week - my colleagues held a merienda celebration at the office. We usually buy cake and chips to celebrate each other's birthdays. Sheetal chose a lovely Baskin and Robbins ice cream cake which we devoured in no time.
In the pictures: Ladan, Mohamed, Faizal, Mohamed and wife Sandy, Umaima, Rabiya - Sheetal, where are you?

The third set is for a few Upian friends. Tita Marcela kindly cooked traditional Filipino foods for us, which I brought to Malen and Abet's new place at International City on Friday. It was a yummy, tummy-filling buffet of adobong pusit (squid cooked in its own ink), baked tuna, adobong chicken and pork (cooked in vinegar, soy sauce, usually seasoned with laurel leaves, whole black peppers and garlic), paksiw na fish (fish cooked in vinegar with onions, ginger and salt) and laing (chili, taro leaves cooked with coconut milk courtesy of Mirzi's mom; Mirzi wasn't able to come because she was covering the case of the 137 Pinoys on visit visa, initially contracted to become RTA drivers - but when they got here, turns out there were no jobs for them). Christian and Grace brought a delicious Marble Slab ice cream cake. After stuffing ourselves, we held a marathon movie and TV series watching till 1 in the morning!
In the pictures: Oliver, Yohan (forgot the right spelling), Grace, Christian, Malen, Ena; not in the picture - myself! Abet, Galo, Ernie and Tito Dan

Just gotta say this - I love ice cream cake!

Lola Helen

My grandmother, Lola Helen, passed away last Saturday morning. She was 96 years old.

She was a Spanish teacher, a businesswoman, a mother, a wife, a sister, a grandmother and a great grandmother to Marco and Wig.

The last time I saw her was three years ago when I went to Toronto. As I entered her room, she exclaimed that I looked like Ria and a few seconds later she realized that it indeed was me. We haven't seen each other in years before that. Actually, the last time I can remember that she was in Manila was when I was still in College. She just met my first boyfriend and she promptly called him 'ulikba' (dark skinned) - out of his hearing of course. Who could blame her? Hehe, the guy was tall, skinny and dark. Up to now, my relatives tease me about it even though we have long since gone to our separate ways.

She often made us pray in Spanish and brought us to the Church whether there was a mass or not. Lola (Granny) always had a handful of prayer books and novenas with her. When she was still in Quezon City, she'd sit by the back door of her room where there was plenty of ambient light so she can read off from her prayer book. There's always a prayer to a patron saint within an hour or specific day.

In Toronto, when she became too weak to hear mass, she'd tune in to the TV, and I heard, the priest would visit her at their house to give her the Blessed Eucharist.

She migrated to Canada when I was only in grade school. She, together with my uncle Dan, and cousin Dennis. Before that, we would spend vacations in their house in Quirino watching cartoons, seeing to their houseful of dogs, looking at the half a dozen aquariums, the turtles in their ponds, and of course, running around with the neighborhood kids.

Our Christmases were spent in Silang but New Years were always in Quirino, with Lola Helen. The length of Tindalo street would be lined with candles on both sides - bought from the money the neighborhood kids collected that afternoon. There would be a few bonfires burning in the middle of the street, illuminating certain spots, keeping others dark. Some firecrackers would start early; kids were excited to light up their special treats. But as midnight came to a close, the candlelit street came more alive. Colours rose up into the air as a variety of sounds melted into one deafening sound that heralded the New Year.

I can imagine Lola's passing like that: a peaceful, candlelit street where she waited for her angel. And as she entered Heaven, the firecrackers were lit and and joyous sounds welcomed her home. Love you Lola.

Put in a good word for us up there.