The Convivial Gist

T ravelling... leaving home for an exotic and unfamiliar locale surely  evokes excitement.  When I was growing up in the sleepy barrio in the Southern Philippines, I am always wondering what lies beyond the mountains and the seas that enclosed my little world. But this notion was in between my preoccupation of  trying to get ahead with  the childhood game of tumbang preso http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tumbang_preso so that I won't  end up being labeled as bagoong (salted paste made from shrimps and small fish).  Later on in life, I developed an  insatiable itch for discovering what lies further the confines of my abode. I considered those travels as one most important chapter of my adult life. These are experiences and memories that like education, are always portable  and it goes with you all the time.  I was wondering why to...

Having lived the first 44 years of my life in a homogeneous society like the Philippines, racism was kind of a vague issue to me. But when  I moved to United States and married an American , I was slowly introduced to this kind of order in America.  I became an honorary black woman.  I said that because I embraced not only him but also his "people" but still maintain my Filipino values and culture . Color blind as I am in my relationship with my husband and his family, I am was also aware of  the ugly presence of discrimination and racism  that lurks from time to time being a mixed couple - a black man and an Asian woman. My husband told me he was used to it and he understands why I was perplexed by it in considering the society where I came from.   We suffered the curious looks, the disappointed looks, why I married a black man look, why did he marry an Asian look ,why did you take away our man look , maybe she just needs a green card  look,  y...

Rem, Adel, Cecil and Au circa 2004 Cecile at our high school reunion giving a speech on being a cancer survivor 2009     Finding out that Cecile , one of my  best friends succumbed to cancer  while perusing the news feeds on my Facebook account last Black Saturday, seems surreal to me.  I am more of a visual person, hardly taking note of the written postings, more interested on photos and inane you tube cat  videos.  When I came across the condolences at her  siste r's page ,  I was reading  but not really comprehending what those words meant. Realization hit me and I started mourning her death with copious tears . We went to the same school in elementary and high school but  only became very close when we attended a community college, hooked up with 2 other girls Au and Rem.  I never imagined that it will be the start of fun friendship that anyone would wish they could have on their transition to adulthood....

Fifty Three and Counting    Birthdays are always fun no matter what age and status in life you are in.  I celebrated mine with an early chat  with Gina, a mammography technologist , We had a discourse on  the weird weather in St. Louis, the Hobbit movie which should be watched in 3D to fathom  the slyness of Gollum and what I should do the rest of the day.  Yes, I had my annual date with  my own version of Terminator , the GE Senograph Machine and Gina was my Arnold Schwarzenegger (before the infidelity scandal) . Having born with a small but very dense breast, more often  my breasts would be  scrunched  by the unforgiving paddle more than twice for better image. I will dread the day when some Facebook people would start posting their mammography x-ray film on their timeline just to com pens ate for pain . Now I have to wait for the result from the beast, oops D r. Biest. Yes, I have a male gynecologist and his name is...

Our cat Pinay was traumatized the  last time she was out "unsupervised" on our deck. She slipped out of the kitchen door and was out for 2 hours; it was late at night and raining. Only when we were about to go to sleep  when we realized she was not on her usual spot in our bed.   Well, she learned her lesson well and would not even put a single paw on the transition strip of our kitchen storm door.  But the call of her predatory instinct finally made Pinay  venture again on our deck. I guess she was just plain tired of watching the avian and rodent community having all the fun on our backyard that she wants some piece of the action.   The thing is, she had been confined and modified to be a domesticated animal for the last 5 years that she does not know that she is supposed to chase the sparrows and grackles and  anything that moves on that deck.  I think its the greatest indignity that a pet owner like me can inflict on Pinay. P...

A ko ay nagpasiya na ihahayag ko ang aking pagninilaynilay na ito sa aking katutubong wika.  Maalala ng ilan kong mambabasa na aking nabanggit sa isa sa mga nauna kong sulatin na noong bagong dating ako dito sa bansang Amerika, sumapit ang punto na ako ay nagsawa sa pasasalita ng wikang Inglis. Upang maibsan ang aking pananabik sa bagay na ito, aking kinakausap ang aso ng aking kabiyak.  Sumalangit nawa ang kayang asong kaluluwa at harinaway nasa langit na sya ng mga aso. Isang katanungan ang umiikilkil sa aking mapagusisang kaisipan, - Paano mo masusukat ang kulungkutan ng isang Pilipino na naninirahan sa banyagang  lupain? Sinasabi ng marami na tayo ay likas na madaling matutu  sa gawi at asal ng ating inampong bayan, at ayon na rin sa mga karanasan ng mga Pilipino na matagal ng naninirahan dito, sa loob nga limang taon, nga mga baguhan ay narahuyo na sa buhay Amerika; ang pagnanasa niya sa kanyang inang bayan ay pagbugso bugso na lang...

 Chocolate Eclair -  photo from Helfer's website  With the last extreme winter weather in St. Louis, my husband commented that  pollens were probably frozen, that he was not suffering the  symptoms of his nasty allergies on  the onset of spring. He spoke too soon.  His seasonal allergies came in with a vengeance that  he temporarily lost his sense of taste .  For a person who have a passionate relationship with his palate, its like being constantly punched on his stomach every time he eats. Ironically, with his gustation functionality in retirement , the more he wanted to eat different foods thinking that he can cajole the follicles of his tongue to come back pronto.  I reminded him, as long as he is in medication for his allergies, it will take a little bit of time .  Even if he is served dinner prepared by  5 star Michelin chef Alain Ducasse, it will probably reduced my husband to tears for I will be enjoying the s...