Down the Rabbit Hole

I like to travel, don't get me wrong. But I normally prepare for my trips by studying the route on a map or I have a knowledgeable navigator among my passengers (if I'm the designated driver). Lately, however, I've been going to places I've never been to before thanks to classmates in culinary arts class. Last time I was with them on a road trip, I ended up parking in Montalban, Rizal as part of a three-car convoy a few hours after class. This time, I was up for yet another drive but to somewhere closer (I think): Antipolo, Rizal. No, we weren't there to visit the famous church frequented by pilgrim travelers nor the Hinulugang Taktak . We had lunch at a Padi's Point roadside restaurant. Ordinary enough, I thought, until I saw the view. Beyond the trees of the mountain we were on, I caught a glimpse of the waters of Laguna de Bay and the peak of Talim Island on the left, and the skyline of Metro Manila on the right. I should have brought my dSLR camera...

Once again, I found myself falling in line at the ticket booth to watch a movie I didn't know anything about. This time, though, I was with a different group of friends. As the lights were dimming and as the opening scene started, I blurted: "I thought we were watching Bakit Hindi Ka Crush ng Crush Mo? . Why is Kim Chiu in it?!" "Don't you like watching Kim Chiu movies?", my friends asked.  "I'm not a fan but I have seen some of her films. Why, is she part of the cast of this film?", I answered, still confused... I thought the first scene was a trailer of a different movie. As the movie continued, I realized she was the lead actor in the movie. She top-billed the movie and rightly so because she really drove the plot forward. Her comedic timing felt natural, never forced, and as if there were no cameras around. While she clearly led the rest of the cast, none of them were overshadowed by her acting chops. Even the scenes with th...

I drove back to Calamba right after class one Saturday afternoon because I was meeting my friends from high school. I caught up with them in the cinema after buying a ticket for the movie Four Sisters and a Wedding . Since I was in a hurry (the movie was about to start when I bought my ticket) I didn't stop and look at the posters so I didn't know what the movie was about... Except that it was (supposedly) funny. Funny, it really was! The scriptwriting and directing team captured the Filipino family reunion as the four sisters (based overseas) came home for their brother's wedding. As the family shrieked and jumped in delight, I felt I was watching the reception my overseas-based relatives get when they visit the Philippines. The movie was very close to home, I thought. Aside from the joyous occasions, it couldn't be helped to insert a lot of conflict between siblings in the movie. The formula must be effective since I've seen this kind of conflict in severa...

I was driving along the southbound lane of the Southern Luzon Expressway (SLEX) this afternoon from Makati. Since the traffic was moving quite fast, I zipped through the tollway. I didn't have time to process what the billboards found on the at-grade posts of the SLEX were saying. Hence, I had a double take when I saw two ads that I found weird (again)... " Patigil-tigil ba ang iyong pag-ihi ? Don't text and drive." " Mataas ba ang iyong cholesterol? Don't text and drive." Say what?! These ad designers should really rethink how they put their messages onto their posters! I didn't catch what the subsequent posters were saying so it's really easy to miss the opportunity to bring their messages across!

Tricycles are some of the most common means of public transportation in the Philippines. They can be found traversing barangay roads and national highways. The only places I haven't seen them in (because they're not allowed there) are the expressways. The stuff that these tricycles transport can be as different as night and day! Here are two examples: This tricycle was transporting a gas cylinder at night along the national highway in Calamba. What a way of transporting, right? it's not the most ideal because the cylinder could get dislodged on a particularly bad bump... And probably explode. For some people though, this is the most convenient and the cheapest way of transporting such things. Traffic was not moving at the time because a container van trailer was being maneuvered into some weird configuration on the outer lane. And here's another one. I presume that these colorful toys are going to be sold in one of the markets in Calamba. It's just nice to see somet...

I'm lucky that I have friends who share my enthusiasm on learning more about Philippine culture and who love to visit museums. And we do it every June 19, so far, complete with a stop over at Jose Rizal's monument at the Luneta. This year, aside from dropping by the museum at the CCP, we looked at the various art exhibits there and dropped by the nearby Metropolitan Museum in Manila. Just by looking at so many artwork from a wide range of genres, I could say (not being an expert at all) that the Philippine visual arts scene is thriving. When I first saw copies of Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo's paintings " La Barca de Aqueronte " and " Las Virgenes Cristianas Expuestas al Populacho ", I understood why he won reknown as an artist: I was blown away by his depiction of adversity and discomfort and by his play with light and shadows. These paintings, including Juan Luna's " Spolarium ", are some of the best I've seen. They're priceless! As...

For the past few sessions, our teachers kept telling us that field management depends on the conditions on the ground. There's no one approach that applies to all situations. That same principle applies to weed management. We had to know the enemy before we can do something about it. On June 11, the Rice Survivors were introduced to the the weeds our rice seedlings would be up against. To guide us through the complicated world of weeds, we've got weed and farming system experts introduce us to these pesky plants. There are weeds that thrive on dry land and those that love the water. Obviously, to prevent the growth of those dry land weeds, we have to keep the rice fields flooded. But that will allow the water lovers to grow. So, as usual, the Rice Survivors need to find that balance in weed management.  Water, however, is not the only tool we have to keep weeds off the fields. According to the experts, we have to make sure that land preparation is conducted prope...