hay buhay...

Naaalala ninyo siguro yung 2 lola na taga San Francisco na nagpakasal after all these years. Pumanaw na yung isa sa kanila ayon sa balita. Nakakalungkot naman para dun sa naiwan.

"Ever since I met Del 55 years ago, I could never imagine a day would come when she wouldn't be by my side," Phyllis Lyon, 83.

Shine a Light

This ongoing series about the Ninoy Aquino assassination written by Fe Zamora of the Philippine Daily Inquirer and another article by Joel C. Paredes, PCIJ.org shed some light over cracks and crevices that were once unseen or ignored. Time and again some "new" tidbit of fact or trivia comes out every 21st of August that would refresh my already fading memory of those who perished while fighting for our country. I cannot remember the names right offhand, but I do recall Lean Alejandro, student leader, assassinated at age 27 and Evelio Javier. Marami pa.

I was in my early 20's when these people were murdered (and the list does not stop there), I had other things in my mind then, though by reading the dailies I had cultivated some interest in the politics that was going on; and perhaps this was also brought on by some close relatives who were pro-Marcos. I remember my mom asking me not to even enjoy the thought of going to Mendiola to join the student rallies, though she praised the nuns who were always seen at the forefront. Sabi ko sa kanya noon, "I might consider being a nun" -- hahaha, ala Sister Stella L... but then that is entirely another story.

Ispektakyular!

Araw-gabi naming inaantabayanan ang mga live broadcasts ng Beijing 2008. Tulad noong women's softball semifinals between Japan and Australia, we ran out of beer and food as the game was stretched to 12 innings! Ang galing ng ace pitcher ng Japan, si Ueno Yukiko who had been throwing 300+ pitches in 2 days, and she never failed the team, at all. She's got nerves of adamantium! Japan won, of course!

© Japan Times 2008

The final match between the USA and Japan was in order the next day, which was also a "heartbeats game", as C would put it. We also had to flip to another channel to watch the women's football bronze finals match between Japan and Germany! I noticed that our beer food, edamame and fried potato wedges were the perfect complement to the match. Germany won, but the Japanese team performed more than was expected of them in all their matches, not like those over-hyped, puny men's team who were the darlings of the press but were already sent packing home even before the semis!

Back to softball, Yukiko Ueno had been pitching 400+ by this time. Both teams were really good, the USA having the upper hand in their power hitters. Again, the nerves of adamantium delivered! Japan takes home the gold... luhaan kami sa tuwa!

Haay, sarap rin sana if only I could cheer for a Pinay Softball team... sa 2016 naman!

Congratulations sa Philippine Wushu team, for bagging a gold, a silver and 2 bronzes! Aba kahit na demonstration sport ito, it shows that we are strong contenders in Wushu! Bring it on sa next Olympics, 2012!

Freak me!

I just had to check out all the fuss about Google Map's "street view" so I sought out my own address. Lo and behold, not only did I get a satellite view of the area, there is indeed a 360º street view that even has my apartment building in it! This composite was probably taken late-winter or early spring because the people were still in down jackets. The rotating and zoom feature really freaked me out! I could zoom into the row of vending machines and clearly see what's selling! Once could virtually get close to the entrance of our apartment building!

Kaya pala, privacy issues are being raised here in Japan and it was reported that a "street view" of a couple entering a love hotel has already made it into an online bulletin board! hehehe, dito kasi uso ang "walk-in" (at "walk-out") sa mga motel.

mamasyal naman tayo...

C was off yesterday, and since she was wanting to buy one specific book, we found ourselves at swanky Marunouchi, Tokyo. There is a huge bookstore near Tokyo station that's about 5 stories high, and chock-full of the things we love most. We laughed at what we ended up carrying, 2 bags full of books, instead of what the Tokyo OLs tote, bags of LV, Coach, Hermes.... haaay, certified nerds kami talaga.


Snacktime, we had pho but it was really so-so... at least the beer was chilled.


Then off we went to "shitamachi" (downtown) nitty-gritty, smelly, Ameyoko, Ueno. If you have been to Jatujak or Divisoria, then this place will be so familiar to you.


This perhaps is very typical in Tokyo - wala lang, anyone, I mean anyone can walk in here and not be worried about anything. The last time we went into one, there were 2 Korean women who bought vibes for each. Of course there are classier sex shops than this one, but can you imagine something like this in the middle of Divisoria or Quiapo?

These are displayed right outside the store and there's no one loitering around... I can just imagine, kung sa atin ito o sa Bangkok, dami nang nag-aaligid sa tabi-tabi soliciting other "services".

This alley would be just like in Paco, Carriedo or Ongpin, right? Oh well, minus the street children, tambays, and basura. Pareho na rin....

summer's nearly over

After swimming in the outdoor pool we were just too lazy to cook lunch. Obento to the rescue!



Typical summer snack, edamame and chilled mugi-cha. The beers were for the women's football match, Beijing 2008 Japan vs USA. Japan lost, so saaad 80(

Kitchenware Town

Kappabashi, is the place to go shopping if you are an owner of an izakaya, cafe or restaurant or a kitchen gadget otaku. I'm neither of the above, just a plain curious tourist who found this place a bit boring, save for the coffee place and the wax works.

I bought "stainless soap", it's a bar of stainless steel that you wash your hands with together with regular hand soap to get rid of strong odors like garlic or fish. Dunno if this really works, I hope it does; so romantic home dinners would really be "romantic" without C complaining that my fingers stink of garlic! (dang, it's difficult being the chef and the date at the same time). I also bought a bag of espresso beans from the coffee specialty shop since they recommended that I try their roast and it was also a bargain at Y800 (300 pesos) for 200grams.

Next town is Asakusa which is way much more interesting hence, touristy. I thought of walking towards the Senso-ji, a very famous temple but the weather was not really good for taking photos.

Iron brands

If one can't read Japanese, all one has to do is point to this.
They're usually on display in front of restaurants and izakayas.

The time is kappa/maguro maki o'clock and ika sushi minutes.

"努力" - "effort" - "sikap"

Ahh that comforting smell of salonpas... I pulled my left tricep last week from swimming (without any warm-up, silly me!) and thought that it had healed already, so this morning I went straight to the pool. The water was quite chilly since it was cloudy and rainy yesterday. There's nothing like a dip in a cold pool in the morning! The cold fired up my neurons and nerves, everything was bright, blue, crisp and clear, both the water and the sky! Gising na gising ang ulirat ko!

After several laps, my left tricep just turned into one hard knot, sheeeat... that means I have to stop, ok lang malapit na naman ang isang oras. Edad na nga ba ito? Oh well, at least I have nudged myself out of this rut today. 2008 has been so far, a bummer year for me. I am still struggling with my putting in enough effort to make things happen, I do hope that towards the end of the year things will get better in terms of my creativity (to produce more artwork or at least finish a couple of commissions that are waaay overdue), my language skills (to pass the language proficiency test in December) and my physical self (to be a gym rat again!).

I know, I know, it all depends on my bloody effort.

そいようことですね！

©Jim Davis/Garfield

August 15

"Profit in Peace" - Ocean Colour Scene

All the people under broken homes
Dont wanna fight no more
All the people nursing shattered bones
Dont wanna fight no more
But theres no profit in peace
So weve gotta fight some more

And all those who are in foreign lands
Dont wanna fight no more
And all those who lost their feet or hands
Dont wanna fight no more
But theres no profit in peace boys
Weve gotta fight some more

Hey, we dont wanna fight no more
Hey, hey, hey, we dont wanna fight no more
But theres no profit in peace boys
We gotta fight some more

And all those just trying to play their part
Dont wanna fight no more
And all those who own a human heart
Dont wanna fight no more
But theres no profit in what you want
So we must fight some more

And all those who got an axe to grind
Dont wanna fight no more
And all those who got their burning lights
Dont wanna fight no more
But theres no profit in ever being right
So we must fight some more

Hey, we dont wanna fight no more
Hey, hey, hey, we dont wanna fight no more
But theres no profit in peace boys
We gotta fight some more

And all the people under broken homes
Dont wanna fight no more
And all the people never going home
Dont wanna fight no more
There is profit in the land you own
So we must fight some more

And all those who got a tired face
Dont wanna fight no more
And all those who lost without a trace
Dont wanna fight no more
But there is profit in the love of hate
So we must fight some more

Hey, we dont wanna fight no more
Hey, hey, hey, we dont wanna fight no more
But theres no profit in peace boys
We gotta fight some more

Hey, hey, hey, we dont wanna fight no more...

Mixtapes are back!

Fantastic at 50

Featured at guardian.co.uk -- Madonna through the years... sabayan natin sya (sa pagtanda)

Pampalipas oras

There's this music that's been looping in my head for days since I read about Issac Hayes' demise. The theme from SHAFT -- yo damn right!

A featured article in today's Japan Times about led me to this website where one can upload his (or her, why not!) photo and try on different styles of mustaches and beards. The 3D feature is pretty cool, so go visit, have fun and get your hirsute mug animated!

Beer and watermelons

Summertime is a great season to enjoy ice-cold beer and watermelon! That is if your grandma is not watching. Masama daw mag-halo ang beer at pakwan ayon sa mga nakakatanda. I grew up hearing this one at picnic tables and though I ask why, the elders would just say, it won't hurt to follow what they tell you.

What's amazing about this "kasabihan", is that even in Japan, I have been told by C that beer and watermelons usually do not mix. Pareho ano?! I asked her why... it's what the elders say. Is there a scientific explanation to this belief? I tried googling for an answer and I have not found a convincing one yet.

Honestly I did not feel anything after beer and watermelons.

Nagasaki

After watching the amazing and spectacular Olympic Opening Ceremony in Beijing last night, I just wished that wars would not happen anymore and that warring nations would all just convert their destructive and truly barbaric energies to celebrate the spirit of sports. This would not happen in my lifetime for sure, as Georgia and Russia are at war right now as I blog; but I hope it would happen in the future.

August 9, 1945 - Nagasaki became the second city to be atom-bombed by the US; as if the death and destruction from the bombing in Hiroshima was not enough. Here is a gallery put up by Tyge O’Donnell, the son of the late Joe O’Donnell, a US Marine Corps photographer in WWII who took photographs of the aftermath of the bombing and eventually became an outspoken critic of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The images in the gallery reminded me of scenes from the anime "Grave of the Fireflies", which was about the firebombing of Kobe in WWII.

If we do not learn from out past mistakes, we are bound to repeat them as our history shows.

I'd rather die laughing

Lumindol ng tatlong beses nga ba ngyong araw dito sa Tokyo? Noong 1am daw, madaling araw, lumindol ng pagkalakas-lakas, M6.5. Tapos mga bandang 7 ng umaga, M4 naman daw... tapos sinundan daw ito ng bandang 1pm ng isa pang M4.5!

Kahit isa sa mga episodes na ito, wala akong naramdaman! Siguro habang sinusulat ko ito eh lumilindol...hehehe. Kung sakali nga eh, OK lang bords... dahil talaga namang nakakatawa itong Ilonggo dubbing ng "300"!

Dyke Olympians to Watch Out For

There's this article on AfterEllen about 10 out lesbian/bisexual athletes competing in the Beijing Olympics. That would make watching the other events aside from softball to be doubly exciting!

Sure bet naman kasi ang softball to be the dykiest sport ever, but the tally says "that's three soccer players, two softball players, two handball players, one cyclist, one tennis player and one fencer. And judging from the amount of gossip online about various women's soccer teams.... soccer just might have scored a goal as the dykiest sport ever."

Team Philippines --- all the best senyo!

Bukas na ang simula ng 2008 Olympics! As the temperature of the heat islands in Tokyo continue to rise, so is the Olympic fever which also raised the sales of HD TVs lately!
Japan is sending a total of 576 athletes, their biggest team so far. Sa swimming pa lang (one of my fave events), 31 athletes na!

According to this article at GMAnews and INQ7, here are our best bets:
Mark Javier - Archery
Eric Ang - Shooting
Marie Antoinette Rivero and Tshomlee Go - Taekwondo
Harry Tañamor - Boxing
Miguel Molina, Daniel Coakley, Ryan Arabejo, James Walsh and Joan Christel Simms - Swimming
Maristella Torres and Henry Dagmil - Athletics
Sheila Mae Perez and Ryan Rexel Fabriga - Diving
Hidilyn Diaz - Weighlifting
Willy Wang, Benjie Rivera, Mary Jane Estima and Marian Mariano - Wushu

At least the Philippines managed to round up 19 athletes. Haay, isa lang pala sa boxing ngayon, ang lungkot naman. Ewan ko ba kung bakit puro basketball na lang kasi ang nasaisip ng ating mamamayan, eh wala naman tayong future sa basketball sa totoo lang. Go to any barangay in Manila, tiyak may basketball court, ano ang unang must-have ng isang paaralan? Basketball court. Anong gusto mong maging sa pag-laki mo? Basketball player. Ano ang paboritong laro ng mga tambay sa kalye? Basketball, kung di sila nag-iinuman. Ano ba ang world ranking natin sa basketball? Sa tingin ko kung meron, mababa yun tiyak. Amazingly, this is one of our most popular sports that's taking us to nowhere. At least in boxing, kilala si Manny Pacquiao sa buong mundo!

If you ask me, I think we'll have more chances in the international field if we take interest in football (soccer) -- mas madaling laruin ito sa totoo lang, at di mo kelangang maging 6footer to play. In Brazil, football is in their DNA already I guess, but look, at their players! Panoorin na lang natin ang Soccer event sa Olympics and wish that someday, the Philippines will have a team (both men's and women's) to field in the future.

Hiroshima

After 2 muggy days of thunderstorms, today is a perfectly bright and clear sunny day. The skies are a spotless blue, perhaps just like one the people of Hiroshima looked up at in August 6, 1945.


63 years has passed and it seems that this horrible deed of the USA is being given short shrift. 4 years has passed since I visited the Hiroshima Peace Museum, an experience that had such a great and lasting impact on me.

bakit kaya "jak en poy" ang tawag dun?

a: Ok, whose turn is it to take out the garbage?"
c: hmmm, I forgot, it's you isn't it?
a: eeeh, I just did, it's your turn!
c: no way! it's your turn!
a and c : JANKEN!

Imagine na lang ninyo ang isang jak en poy scene sa inyong buhay to resolve matters similar to this.

Sa Japan, ganito ang "chant" sa larong ito (Janken)...
Jan ken pon
Ai ko desho... (ulitin kapag tabla)

Sa Pilipinas, (Jak en Poy)
Jak en poy
Hali hali hoy
Sinong matalo, syang unggoy!
(at kapag tabla...)
Jak en poy! (ulitin hanggang sa may matalo)

Heto nanaman ako, siguro kasabayan ng Katol ang Jak en Poy ang pagdating nito sa Pilipinas mula sa bansang Hapon. Magkatunog sila di ba?

Pero saan naman nanggaling yung salitang "Pik"?
(isa pang tawag natin sa Jak en Poy)
bato-bato-PIK!
bato-bato-PIK!

bakit "katol" ang tawag dun?

Tag-init na may halong ulan, maalinsangan, tiyak na may mga lamok sa mga sulok-sulok dyan! Uso pa rin dito ang pag-gamit ng katol at mayroon pa ngang CUTE na lalagyan ito hugis baboy sya at ilalagay mo yung sinindihang katol sa loob.

Bakit nga ba "katol" ang tawag nito sa Tagalog? Di ko alam kung tumpak ang sagot ko pero, sa tingin ko hango ito sa Nihongo. Ang tawag ng mga Hapon sa "katol" ay...Katori Senkou! Kunbaga ay napud-pod na lang ito at umigsi (kaya,"Katol") sa kakagamit, dahil talaga namang sangdamak-mak ang lamok sa atin di ba?

Bukod dito, ayon sa aking pardner, ang mga Hapon pala ang nag imbento ng Katol, siyempre di ako naniwala agad, kelangan kong i-Google muna ito to verify (babaw ng research methods ko, sensya na). Heto ang isang link tungkol sa "Katol".