PERFECTION

And men, they say, age to perfection?

Boys

Boys will be boys.

The Grand Manner

How does a father interest his son to dream to become a lawyer?

Vista Colors

Were it not for the "distractions", this is like a Windows Vista wallpaper.

You're on Candid Camera!

I will never know what is in "his" mind.

The Excitement of Being Before the Camera

'Nuff said.

Not for Dinner, This Time.

Sometimes, you enjoy something much more simply because it is unexpected and unplanned.

Last Saturday, the family motored to Subic based on an instant decision made late afternoon the day before.

Among the things we did was to see the animals at Zoobic Adventure. For P395 per head, it was an enjoyable two-hour entertainment.

No, they were not served for dinner.

Of Babies and Pictures

She is the grand-daughter of a friend.

Baby are always favorite subjects of amateur photographers, like me.

Viva La Virgen!

These were taken last September 20, 2008 shortly before the start of the fluvial procession bringing back Ina (or "Mother", the name Bicolanos fondly address Our Lady of Penafrancia) to the Basilica.

One week earlier, in a procession called Traslacion, Ina was brought from the Basilica to the Naga Cathedral through the streets of Naga City. That began a week-long celebration that culminated in the Fluvial Procession pictured above.

Millions of devotees, Bicolanos and non-Bicolanos from everywhere, flock to Naga during this time of the year.

More of "Water Children from Liloan"

I like the series of pictures I took of the children of Liloan.



I thought you might be interested to see more of them.

The Motorcycle Riders of Hanoi

In Hanoi, they say there are five million people and four million motorcycles!

In a country that is supposedly communist, the motorcycle has become a symbol of freedom and empowerment. People, milions of them, move around like swarms of bees on motorized bikes (although, a few still ride bicycles powered by human legs), to go to work, to shop, to fetch children, to go on a date, do anything, to go anywhere.

Is Metro Manila prepared for anything like this?

Dear Anton

Dearest Anton,

Last night, we had a great conversation. It will be one of my most memorable times with you.

You know why? My deepest desire, as perhaps, every father's, is to be able to share with you my thoughts on life and living. I think I did just that last night.Let me recreate them. I cannot promise, though, that I can still be as eloquent as I think I was because, happily, these are not contrived. These come straight from the heart.

First, I did not become a father to make your life miserable. I want nothing but the best for you. So, even as you want to please me sometimes (You said, all the time), I urge you not to. I will be happier that you do things well, rather than you do them for me.

Part of doing well is deciding intelligently. This you can do when you are able to see the different sides of a coin; when you understand the consequences of what you do. I take pains to explain things to you, not to make you decide one way or the other, but to make you decide wisely.

The last thing I would want to do is to make a puppet out of you by making your decisions for you. If I were to spare you from learning how to decide for yourself, I would reduce you to less than nothing of what you can be. You will never be able to stand on your own.

Then, I will also be a dismal failure.

The equation is really very simple: your achievements are proudly yours because they are the result of your own decisions.

Your achievements are likewise mine because I shall have done my part in making a good man out of you.

Love you, man.

Tatay

Water Children of Halong Bay, Vietnam

They sell sea shells to tourists.


I am reminded of the water children of Liloan, Leyte.

What's For Dinner?

There is this place in Hanoi, approximately seven kilometers from the Old Quarter, or fifteen minutes by taxi, called Le Mat. There, restaurants offer exotic delicacies like cobra and other kinds of snakes.

I ordered a cobra (VND600,000).

The snake was brought out live held by the waiter by its tail, for my approval. It was hissing and attempted to land its fangs on the waiter's leg who skillfully avoided the kiss of death. After I gave my nod, the waiter slit open the throat of the snake to let its blood flow into three shot glasses half-filled with rice wine. Then, the heart was cut off and placed in one of the shot glasses.

Then the waiter again slit open a lower part of the snake's body to extract the bile which was greenish and made to drip into three more shot glasses.

The restaurant hostess then ordered me to "drink!" She explained it was good for blood circulation, headache, etc. No, she did not say it was an aphrodisiac. I obediently drank all five glasses and chewed the gummy cobra heart that was in one of the glasses.

The cobra was cooked five ways, including "cobra soup with mongo beans" and garlic rice fried in cobra fat.

I immensely enjoyed my dinner.

Water Children of Liloan

I took this picture at the Liloan Port, Southern Leyte, while waiting for the ferry to load. Children in small boats beckoned to passengers in the ferry to toss them coins. Then, they dove into the water to pursue those little acts of charity. They learn to be entertainers at such an early age.



For some reason, they also reminded me of the street children of Metro Manila.

Land Cruisers

I love Land Cruisers.


No, I do not really go "serious" off-roading. But the places I go to do not always have roads. And even if some do, they serve better as sad reminders of the neglect that some of our leaders in government have inflicted on us, rather than as pathways to our destinations.

This is a 1982 BJ40 Land Cruiser. The other one on the right is a FJ60 Land Cruiser. Both have taken me and my family to as far up as Sagada in the North and as far down as San Jose, Occidental Mindoro, in the South, and to so many other places in between, like Caramoan, CS. They do not know how to say "No!"

Unlike my wife.

Joining the Bandwagon

Today, I am joining the bandwagon.

Until Yuki (http://pyxisphill.exblog.jp/ ) told me I needed to, I did not think I did.

But the need crept within me. And I realize now that, indeed, we all have our own stories to tell. And we all feel the need to tell them and share them.