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Confession

After my transaction at the city hall, I decided to drop by the 16th-century built Sto Nino Basilica nearby. It's a historical landmark attracting different people - devouts, pretending-to-be-devouts, travelers, observers, and "business people" of all sorts. At the entrance, I opened my bag for the guards' inspection. Yes, the church welcomes everyone except bombers. The first time I entered the said church, a vendor shouted, "Pagbantay sa mga mangunguot dira (Be careful of pickpockets!)." Then I was appalled at the thought that sinning inside His house is now commonplace. But after seven months of living in Cebu, I'm already immune to warnings like that. Cebu is a beautiful rose. With its thorns. Magellan's Cross I went in only to get out. There was a mass going on, and it was too crowded for me.  I ended up approaching Manang, one of the ladies clad in a long red skirt, bright yellow blouse, and rubber slippers. I bought a Php 10 candle from her
Recent posts

So Happy It Hurts

Nanan-aw mi ni Dan sa "So Happy It Hurts" concert ni Bryan Adams gabii sa Nagoya. Naa mi sa standing group, ug sa kalayo namo sa stage, nakabati ko og "so far it hurts." Naay nitapad namo nga taas nga laki. Sa wa pa nisugod ang concert, amo siyang gitan-aw ug walay timailhan sa kaguol ang iyang nawong. Pagkarealize nako nga makakita gihapon siya sa stage maskig pareho ra mig lugar, nausab akong gibati. Nahimo ng "so short it hurts." Samtang naminaw mi sa walay paglubad nga tingog ni Bryan Adams, mura kog nagdula og hide and seek. Si Bryan makita ra nako taliwala sa mga lihukan nga ulo. Kon si Ate sa akong atubangan itaas na niya iyang kamot sa kalingaw, kangitngit na lang akong makita bisan pag mokinto ko. Mohangad na lang ko sa mga spotlight sa atop ug akong hinumduman ang ingon ni Bryan:  Search your heart, search your soul When you find me there, you'll search no more  Aduha koy mga nahuna-hunaan nga pwede magpadaog nako nga congressman sa mga putot

Hey Foe,

Khao Sok Thailand Hey Foe, I feel you when it's raining.  The downpour has two emotional effects on me - it leads me to thoughts of either inspiration or melancholy. Of course, you always know the perfect time to come into the scene. You're too smart to figure it out. I wish you were more observant, though. You don't notice the way I frown every time you knock on the door. I wouldn't say I like the way you look in my imagination. I feel downtrodden by your enormous build. Your unkempt, curly hair distracts me, your big, expressive eyes make me think I'm boring, and the black mole above your right eyebrow reminds me of Janet Napoles. You certainly have an annoying way of pointing your index finger to me to assert your dominance.  I try to remember our conversations at midnight. Plenty of differing opinions. One time, I reckoned the woman with an orange bag may have a vibrant personality; you thought she just wanted to grab attention. I praised Filipino resiliency whe

Tip of the Iceberg

  One time a salesman visited our place. We let him in because he was referred by a family friend. I was asked to listen to the demo. The first thing he did was show his cheque.  I knew right there and then that I wouldn't buy his product. I knew that he would capitalize on people's struggle to earn money. That he was going to trick his listeners into believing that he was offering a good business opportunity. I knew that there was nothing new with his product.  After more than a decade of using social media, I see this salesman's trick in different forms online.  "Just spend two hours of clicking, and you'll earn this much!"  "I earned XXX in just a month. So awesome!"  "Ask me about my online business; it's giving me financial freedom!"  "Making passive income is not as complicated as it sounds!"  If you're trying a "legit" business with these kinds of ads, it's okay. I won't oppose it. But here's

Blow More Dandelions, Fiana

My second niece, Fiana, at 5 Fiana, Your permanent teeth have started to grow now. And lately, you'd rather play with makeup than dolls. In time, I can imagine you going gaga over boys, talking about jobs, and doing boring adult stuff. But to me, you'll always be that Daddy's girl who once loved binge-watching My Melody videos on YouTube. That girl who'd dip her whole body in an ofuro and try to hold her breath for as long as she could. That girl who'd let the friendly deer in Nara lick her hands. That girl who liked to fold blouses and skirts with my origami paper. That girl who had difficulty pronouncing "anniversary" for her grandparent's special video. A post shared by Kikit & Froggie (@thetravelingkit) on May 19, 2017 at 4:33pm PDT Happy 7th birthday, Fiana. May you have more dandelion-blowing moments in life. And remember that I will always be here to cook your curry and rice. Love, Tita Kikit

Dealing with a Domain Sales Guy

My latest children's story in Bisaya language attempts to combine science, values education and my fascination with the sun and the clouds in a simple plot. | Sunrise photo taken in Dumaguete City A couple of weeks ago, a sales guy (let's call him F) messaged me and asked if I was interested in buying hunihuni.com. He contacted me because I own  huni-huni.com , the website for Cebuano instructional materials my husband and I started a few years back. I was, of course, interested. It was the domain I originally wanted to buy when we started our website, but somebody owned it then. I went to GoDaddy and looked it up. It was put up for auction and the minimum bid was more or less $12. It would have been easier if I just ignored F and opted for the auction, but I didn't. I had a frustrating experience with domain auctions in 2013. GoDaddy will ask you to register for a fee before you can bid. When the thelearningsite.com was on auction, I went through their process to