Category: hugs and kisses
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If Only We Knew How to Save a Life
Anthony I wish I could say that I was a hardcore fan of Anthony Bourdain. That chef with lovely lines on his face, sinewy arms covered in tattoos, and a wild crown of silver hair. I wish I could say I had read his Kitchen Confidential and watched every episode of Parts Unknown. But sadly, […]
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That moment I was mistaken for a nanny in Singapore
Weeks ago, the viral “BBC Dad” interview brought to surface one of the tiredest stereotypes of Asian women – nanny. In my travels in Europe and short stay here in the U.S., my brown skin has never drawn any racist remark or other tasteless judgment so far. I’m thankful I haven’t and hopeful I never will. I had […]
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Hello, 2016
Hi! I forgot I have a blog. The last time I posted here was September 2015. For the most part, I was offline reading books, attending meetings, showing up in the office for work, chatting with officemates and friends, driving, doing freelance work, and lately furnishing our new home in Makati City. For the […]
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Laughter keeps couples
They say that laughter is the best medicine, but did you know that laughing is a secret aphrodisiac that can lead to a longer and happier relationship? Researchers have discovered that the therapeutic effects of laughter also translate to relationships, adding more positivity in your interactions with your partner in areas such as physical intimacy […]
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Someone told me
Here’s a nice French song for this morning. (close the ads to see the subtitles) An assignment for our Saturday French classes is to soak in anything French for fifteen minutes a day, and for today it’s lovely to have this song I stumbled upon Spotify. Quelqu’un M’a Dit [pronounced ‘kelkamangdi’] was also in the film […]
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PIOLO: Potah, I Only Live Once
Never had I seen a cancer donation campaign as creative as Rav’s. Rav was my student in a Literature class back in UP. He’s rude, he’s a bitch, but he cares for grammar, so that’s fine. (Really he could be a Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye, one of the novels we read, but […]
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Ateneo, after the Games
Should we start talking like them? Mike asked. No, I said. That’s their English, dude. And besides, Filipino is their conyo.
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The road to El Nido is poetry*
droplets lost on window white bird descending, proud couple bus grey beach zoom bus empty road only red umbrella early chatter post-storm wire smoke branch screech off-road brake almost fell side breath stop
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Titanium love
[box] A moment: Titanium was playing on the car radio, C5 billboards whooshing by; my sister, her son, and I singing along, dancing in the February sun; Mike was driving; flyover; shoot me down, but I won’t fall, I am TitAYneeYom, we screamed.[/box] In the spirit of Frozen, I dedicate tough, true love to my […]
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Goodbye, cold
Can’t believe the cold left too soon. So before we say Hello, Summer, let’s give fleeting cool air a proper au revoir And merci for the passport to wear layers
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A cozy inn one night a superstorm washed Puerto Princesa
Inns are usually country houses where travelers dine and rent a room to sleep in. Aside from lodging, it’s also defined as “a residence formerly provided for British students in London and especially for students of law” (Merriam). The word ‘inn,’ first used in the 12th century, is sometimes interchanged with ‘hostel’ (first use: 14th […]
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Einstein’s letter to 11 year-old son
Thirty-six years old and a Dad, Albert Einstein wrote a letter to his son Hans Albert when the genius was in Berlin. The 11-year old was in Vienna, with his brother Edward (“Tete”) and Einstein’s estranged wife, Mileva. The letter was written after the theory of relativity was done. Here’s an excerpt: Dear [Hans] Albert, […]
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April
Women, they say, are most physically attractive when they’re in their late 20s and early 30s. Natalie Portman easily comes to mind as an example. This is the time of maturity for many in terms of physique, career, romance, and well-being. (If you’re 28 and you still baby talk in social media, perhaps you’re a […]
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Happy, happy new year, world!
Apparently we all survived the end of the world, rather nervously. This start of the year should be a renewal of life, but I think all of us renew life every time we replace cells here and there, and improve on our self. Right before calendars turned 2012, I made a list of outlook, which […]
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End of the world wedding
I attended a special wedding when the world was supposed to end last December 21. An official marriage of Weng and Rene, two people I respect since 2002. It’s extra special for me because I hosted their reception and Mike helped in coordinating the event (Mike and I worked with them during the fun run […]
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holy week memories
Somebody from Cebu dropped a message saying she and her friends or colleagues just read my article that was published in Youngblood (the one about how I met a stranger on a bus) and she requested for a photo of Mr. Stranger. It has been my personal rule not to post our photos, especially the […]
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Wednesday Snapshot: Mr Stranger
If you really want to know about the rest of the story, you’ll have to sit with me over a cup of coffee. As for the face of Mr Stranger, here he is.
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I was published in Young Blood!
Today’s a lovely day. I’m back at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) headquarters in Los Baños to start another issue of Rice Today. IRRI is just beside the UPLB campus, so walking around the university brings me back to my golden days of 2001 when I was a freshman. I felt like a student […]
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Crush of the Month: Larry, The Boss
On my last night in Boracay, I was walking down the beachfront with my relatives when a rock band seized my attention and its leader grabbed my heart: Larry of The Boss Band Boracay on Bass and Vocals I couldn’t explain what took over me that night when I heard and watched this Larry perform. […]
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strangers in my blog and my unsolicited sex advice to you
So you’re sexually active? Visit your gynecologist regularly. Penises and vaginas and all the things inside them aren’t like your elbows that will do fine even if you ignore it for the rest of your life.
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love of three women, ilocana style
(1) Nita My Ilocana aunt, who served as one of my nannies long time ago, just died of heart attack, in Ilocos. I was too young to remember that she’s the most trusted household person my parents had. Papa remembers, he would ask her to deposit 200,000 pesos to his bank account from time to […]
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the obligatory valentine post
Every Valentine’s Day, I blog about love as I join the entire human race in celebrating/comprehending the difficult business of romantic love. (My favorite posts are “undefined relationships” and “postmodern love“.) This year, I shall skip these musings and give space to two beautiful weddings:
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crushing
Oh, I forgot, my February posts are supposed to be romance/love-related. To continue, let’s talk about crushes. Crushes have categories.
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Protected: OK, for the record, i'm not a flirt, but here's how to
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
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undefined relationships
I was reading my students’ autobio reports the other night and one line pulled my heart strings: I love falling in love. So innocent, so carefree! This line should obliterate all bitterness in the world. Even if it’s unrequited or undefined, romantic love ought to be
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