As I approach the end of yet another year, I am once again compelled to look back on the year that was and come up with a list of resolutions for the next 365 days. I say, to hell with that. I’m not going to make any resolutions per se save for only one. And [...]

I have 419 “friends” on Facebook. Four hundred nineteen. I am baffled as I typed that number. Last year, before “The Great Purge,” which is what I called what I did this same time last year when I deleted “hundreds of people” from my Friends list– most of whom were people I “f

I got to browsing on YouTube recently– it truly is the best way to waste time– and happened upon videos of cartoons I used to watch when I was a kid.  Some of my favorites have anime style intro sequences, with killer theme songs.  Here are several of them: Thundercats Silverhawks Bionic 6 Mighty Orbots [...]

Four years ago, I saw a bumper sticker that stated, “When the Rapture happens, can I have your car?” I found it blasphemous at the time. Of course, back then, I was a God-fearing, church-going hypocrite like many who profess themselves to be “people of faith.” Now, just a little under twelve hours be

One word: Awesome.

I don’t have many favorite sports teams, but I have to root for the Portland Trailblazers being as they are my hometown team. So, I take great pride in the fact that my team’s own LaMarcus Aldridge has been named this week’s Player of the Week by the NBA. Go, LA!

I volunteer for Film Action Oregon because of my ongoing endeavors in film-making and because they stand for such a great cause.  What they also do quite well is empower the youth through the film arts.  Animate It! is just one of their programs that help that cause.  Here’s the info: Beginner Class Beginner level

I’ve really taken to the TV Show called No Ordinary Family (ABC, Tuesdays, 9pm) partly because, well, in all honesty, I miss Heroes.  But mostly because I’m beginning to really like the characters and what they go through to balance possessing extraordinary abilities with everyday life. Jim (Michael Chiklis) is

As someone who’s worked in the service industry for over two decades, I will attest to the fact that most customers suck, and some, I’m convinced, live to make the service industry professionals’ lives a living hell.  This, of course, can lead to service professionals’ overall discontent over their

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I like using pop references in everyday conversation.  I’m convinced it keeps me hip and young, and makes everyone like me.  There’s nothing like a good movie or song reference used to throw people off guard and make them realize just how awesome and smart you are.  Here are some examples: 28 Days Later. I [.

It was nine years ago today when the New York skyline, and the lives of millions of people in the United States– and around the world– changed forever.  A ruthless act of terrorism took the lives of nearly 3000 people on September 11, 2001, when two hijacked airplanes struck the World Trade Center towers on [..

What’s sexier than a hot chick in a tight red dress? An ass-kicking hot chick in a tight red dress, that’s what!  Those wonderful people from the land of television is bringing to the small screen yet another installment in a long line of brawling babes with Nikita on the CW network. Vietnamese-American actress

Maria Coronacion “Nanay” Villacorta Talusan Samaniego was born on October 13, 1910 to Alejo and Paula Talusan in the small town of San Ildefonso, Bulacan, Philippines.  She was the youngest of five, preceded by four overprotective brothers.  At the age of 16, she married Gonzalo “Tatay” Samaniego,

Let me get something out: I hate pool parties.   I really don’t like swimming pools or swimming or wading or generally getting myself wet.  If I’m hitting any kind of body of water, it would be to snorkel or scuba.  In fact, in the three-and-a-half years that I lived in Puerto Rico, I could probably [...]

Yesterday was kind of a chill day until Cousins Night took place in the evening.  There was a major downpour and we were worried that not a lot of the cousins would be able to make it to the restaurant for the get-together.  Thankfully, about 30 of us converged on Pier 1 at the Fort. [...]

I finally made it to my old high school yesterday.  Even simply standing in front of it was surreal.  This was where I spent four significant years of my life.  It seemed so small now. I was lucky enough to catch a former teacher, Ms. S. (who’s now the Alumni Director) at the school, and, [...]

I hung out with some former high school classmates (and batch-mates) last night, and had a great time catching up on news and happenings from the past couple of decades.  So much has transpired– marriages, separations (there is no such thing as “divorce” in the homeland), and even some deaths– that

For the longest time, I’ve been talking about getting a tattoo.  I’d always wanted to have a Jolly Roger (skull and crossbones) tattooed on my left ankle, but have always chickened out on it.  Plus, I was always drunk when I spoke about it, and that’s not always a good precursor to actually getting inked

Yesterday, I got to see my 4000-mile trip’s raison d’etre.  ”Nanay,” which is how most of my family members refer to the clan matriarch, was still quite lucid when we saw her, but her short-term memory is failing a bit. We had an enjoyable visit.  Her caretakers were on-hand to make sure that she m

The humidity– and the constant transition from air conditioned environs into the great outdoors and back inside again– finally caught up to me, rendering me feeling less than stellar.  Since yesterday, I’ve been coughing and sneezing, have had the sniffles, and my throat has been needing a constant shot o

So, I’m actually called a balikbayan, which is a natural-born Filipino who has temporarily returned to his/her homeland.  The word is actually a combination of two distinct words:  balik, which means “return,” and bayan, which means “country.”   To be a balikbayan after all this time is surr

Yesterday was all about going with the flow. Woke up mid-morning and put in a five-mile run.  I had a tough time with the extreme humidity (even at 9am!) and heaviness in the air (I think it’s called smog).  At halfway through the run, my garments were soaked from sweat.  Thankfully, it was a little [...]

At 2:37 p.m. yesterday, exactly 40 years ago, the world was rewarded with my birth.  Wow, that’s such a pretentious statement!  But it’s true.  Can you imagine what would have happened had I not been born?  This blog would not exist! Even though it, in all, wasn’t how I pictured a milestone birthday to

This is only my second day back home in the Philippines after being gone for over two decades, and I’ve (re)discovered a bevy of truths: - It’s nearly impossible for non-natives to drive in the Philippines without resulting in cardiac arrest - Lane markers are all but ignored - Traffic signals are mere suggestio

Fifteen minutes ago, my plane took off from Portland en route to Seattle, where three hours later, I would take another flight to Seoul, Korea– a twelve-hour jaunt over the Pacific. The last leg of the journey will take place three hours from then when I take the final plane to Manila. When I land [...]

Oatmeal with peanut butter and sliced bananas. Yum!