Mitsuru

Got a phone call today from Aling Nena, a middle-aged Cebuana married to a retired US Navy serviceman and the proprietor of the lone Filipino Store in the area. She’s a hilarious but kindhearted lady who can expertly chop the Lechon with the Bolo which always makes her husband amazed and in awe. Aling Nena : Hello, Bill punta ka dito ibigay ko sa’yo ulo ng Litson. Samahan ko rin ng dalawang paa. Yung dalawang paa bigay ko rin sa aso ko.

"The act of suicide is condemned by the Church but for Capiz Archbishop Onesimo Gordoncillo, victims should still be given Mass especially if certified by the doctor to be not in their right mind." - GMANews.TV Funny, but nobody in his/ her right mind will knowingly take his/ her own life, if you ask me. :)

4+1+1+1+9+7+0 4+3+16 7+16 23 2+3 5 Base-2 Number System= 101 Base-3 Number System= 12 Fire 39 Apollo 13 4500 13° 7' 60 N, 123° 43' 60 E Can you solve the puzzle? Grab 'em by the horns, ram 'em into the wall and it will lead you to the...

Another "raw" excerpt from the The Adventures of the Dragonfly Eaters ... TATA BALAS, the resident Wiseman of Basag always had a ready answer for everything and anything- from the inherent wisdom of the kabad-kabad (electric fan) to the winning potential of every fighting cock. Thus, cockfighting aficionados, which are plenty in that community by the sea, sought his advice for free; by merely looking at and counting the scales on the chicken’s legs, he could distinguish a winning breed from a lousy one. His winning percentage, though, is another story for he was always partial to the Manok ni San Pedro. But call it divine intervention or what, the white chosen ones always end up as “burugsukan” - losers, in the hack fight. Still many cock-suckers (no pun intended) came to him for advice. And he did his role of fortune telling with relish and gusto. His expertise, though, is not only confined to the cock at hand. In fact, you can ask him anything and everything under the sun p...

been lazy for eons now. too rotten to write. blame it on the winter blues. but spring is on the horizon. the fields will be green and full of blooms soon... The late Sir Alan Arthur Bates, CBE reciting one of my favorite poems-- William Ernest Henley 's Invictus in this old UBS commercial reignited my appreciation of the beauty of the spoken word.

"What do they want to exit? That we don't need no education? Anyway, because of this, where will be our grade school pupils picked?" Oh, it's raining outside aren't we? He-he Confused? Read on... ‘Drowned in mystery’ and other boo-boos By Antonio Calipjo Go Philippine Daily Inquirer MANILA, Philippines—The following are among the more than 500 items of a similar nature that may be found in the just-released public school textbook (copyright 2008) in Reading for Grade 6 titled “English For You and Me,” written by Elodie A. Cada , published by Book Wise Publishing House Inc. , and printed in Bangkok, Thailand: • The airport is open to passengers only. • Humans may turn blue when they cry. • The engine of the tractor is sleeping now. • Ms. Vera, please entertain this computer. • Vietnam Nurse Contacts Bird Flu. • To Heal Earth Yourself, Start with Your Cat. • She lives in a place that is drowned in mystery. • I got a butterfly with flowe...

Yes, Barack Obama secretly visited the Philippines in mid- December '08 and met Philippine President Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo for a sumptuous dinner at Malacanang Palace. Obviously, Mr. Obama fell in love with the Filipino cuisine. But what followed next is every Secret Service agent’s nightmare… Good thing, We, Filipinos are known for our “Laging Handa” attitude and prevented the charismatic President- elect from releasing an unauthorized edition of his masterpiece, “The Audacity of Poo” in the hallowed grounds of Malacanang’s banquet hall. Thus, Mr. Obama survived his ordeal, left the country of Jeepneys in a jiffy and is now healthy enough for his inauguration tomorrow as the 44th President of the United States of America.

Guilty as charged. Yes, I have not updated my blog for a month and a day. I have been remiss with my bloghopping, too… I guess I am just in hibernation mode (okay, lazy mood) ever since I saw the mole lazily crawling out of his hole while walking around Elizabeth Park in Trenton early in Autumn. I took a picture of his fat ass but I forgot to ask the gray mammal about his predictions for the season. But the way I see it and based on the events that occurred the past weeks, it will be a long nasty winter. The gray mornings, gloomy afternoons and long nights probably further contributed to the situation too. The mood is just somber and sometimes when that evil idiot box possesses you as soon as your butt touches the couch after a long hard day, you can bet that it will be glued there for hours and hours until you fall asleep, snoring and snugly fitting into its bosom until the alarm clock wakes you up at six the next day. It has become a cycle for me that I decided to exorcise the demon...

First, in came the rain, then the wind. Then later, in came the snow and the chill. And then in came nothing but gnawing numbness… Autumn is fast going by and soon winter, the notorious Michigan winter will soon be knocking at my door. And I, a transplanted mortal from another world will have to cope with it day-to-day, and on the hostile weather’s term, at that- which means having to contend with slippery drives in the snow, fishtailing and skidding on treacherous icy roads, and going 60 mph in blizzard conditions. Mornings are a notch colder this year as compared to the previous years owing to the so- called “lake effect” phenomenon because of the mere fact that Michigan is not being called the Great Lakes State for nothing; but having 4 of the 5 (read: HOMES for Huron, Ontario+, Michigan, Erie and Superior) traversing its shores, you can only expect both its blessings and curses in uncanny fashion. Speaking of fashion, although I do not walk on a hot tin roof, I do find myself tip-...

No, this picture doesn’t paint a thousand words but it shows US Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama speaking on the phone while holding the receiver upside down which became the stuff of urban legend early in the year which of course as expected proven to be fake . But this photo is genuine and this is a flier for a phone sex hotline. No, this post is not because I patronize those sex hotlines being advertised on late night TV but this is because of what the Democrats in Michigan re-defining the hotline concept in this year’s presidential campaign. Here’s an excerpt of what the Associated Press reported the other day-- DETROIT -- A flier sent by Michigan Democrats featuring a photo of Barack Obama that urged voters to submit an absentee ballot application includes a telephone number connecting callers to a phone sex line... Now, that's a real hotline to Barack, if you ask me. Say again, Ooh- Bah- Maah?

Allan Caidic , once one of the most feared shooters in the Asian Games as well as in the Philippine Basketball Association’s history, is also my favorite local ball player next to the Skywalker Samboy Lim . Oh yes, the number 8 is the Triggerman ’s number. On a parallel note, like him I can also hit those shots from downtown. I’ve won some moolah in friendly bets and also hit some game- winning shots in pick- up games, too. But no, just to crush whatever notion in your mind, I am not NBA- material that is worth your while (although my 3- point shot is within its standard range). I am not a qualified Liga ng mga Barangay hotshot either. I can’t outrun the youngsters anymore and would find myself huffing and puffing just minutes into the intense basketball skirmishes that characterize the Filipino brand of basketball in my neck of the woods. I am now actually more comfortable in trying to unseat Richard Gomez as the image model of that Philippine clothing company that he endorses and ...

In my mind, I’m back in the place I love the most, a place where whenever I think of, brings a lot of memories. Of sweet memories that will forever be a part of me no matter where this vagabond life will take me. Back in the day, I never even thought of being in this cold, cold place that’s been my home for the last 5 years, most of all, of packing my bags, of leaving the old country for good and of being thousands of miles away from “home”. I guess I am/was just a simple man, more at home in the simple life. I am/was a man with simple dreams wherein deep inside abhor the bright lights of the great country. That’s why for the longest time, I tried to shy away from its pull. But like the nymph dangling her magic potion to her unsuspecting victim, I finally succumbed to her allure. And if you ask me now that if I could turn back the hands of time and do it all over again, would I still do it the same way? Yeah, sure. I don’t know. Maybe. Who knows? Who cares? I had my reasons back then ...

“Hindi rin ako nayamot sa tren gaya sa bapor ngunit ako’y masiadong nag-iisa kaya halos lahat ng aking mga kasama, nagsisilapit at minsan-minsan akong hinahanap. Mayroon tuloy akong nakilalang isang Ingles na may gustong pumunta sa P.I. [Philippine Islands] at dalawang Amerikano na doon ang tungo. Ang isa ay sundalo at madalas akong kinakausap ng Kastila at Tagalog. Ang unang tanong sa akin ay ang Sampaloc at ‘Mucho bueno ba ang puki Espanol?’ “Mayroon namang isang matandang Americano na sa dining coach ay kinausap ako agad ng Kastila. Nang sinabi ko na ako’y Filipino ay agad tinanong ako ng opinion ko about our independencia. Sina [not legible] siya na kung ako’y gagawing Presidente ay dapat na ngang maging independiente tayo ngunit kung hindi ay huwag nang ibigay kahit kelan. Sapagkat kung hindi rin ako gagawing presidente o emperador ay hindi mawawala ang partido ng mangkukulam. “Bago kami makaraan ng Salt Lake ay nakakita ako ng mina at conejo. “Ang hindi ko gusto ay ang aking pa...

Sex a 'hassle,' says 105-year-old virgin Agence France-Presse | 10/10/2008 7:05 PM LONDON - A British woman who celebrated her 105th birthday this week said the secret to long life was celibacy, adding that she imagined sex was a "lot of hassle." Clara Meadmore, who marked her birthday with a drop of wine at the Perran Bay nursing home in Cornwall, southwest England, also received a card from Queen Elizabeth II. "People have asked me whether I am a homosexual and the answer is no," Meadmore said. "I have just never been interested in sex. "I imagine there is a lot of hassle involved and I have always been busy doing other things." Born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1903, Meadmore lived in Canada and New Zealand as a child before returning to Britain in her 20s to work as a secretary and housekeeper. She served with the army in Egypt during World War II, and subsequently lived in London and New Zealand before retiring 40 years ago in Cornwall. Hmmm,...

If you find the film clip below funny then there must be something wrong with your head. In this day and age, this kind of show which pokes fun at other people, races or statures in life has no place in a civilized society especially if the main aim is to earn some cheap laughs or two. I say, SHAME on the British Broadcasting Corporation (or shall we say, the British Bigotry Corporation?) for ever allowing this sketch to be shown on TV. It may be funny for some especially for the kind of people who patronizes this kind of comedy being served on their laps by Harry & Paul, but for every decent citizen of the world it leaves a bad taste in the mouth. If the people behind Harry and Paul think that they can get away with this particular brand of "British Humor" then they are mistaken for in reality the JOKE is really on them. Ernest Hemingway once wrote in his book and I quote, “Ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee.’

The name's Bond, James Bond... Here' the video of the new 007 Theme, featuring Jack White and Alicia Keys--

Yes, Peter Parker a.k.a. Spidey , if my mole (naks!) is to be believed, will scale and crawl the sacred walls of Broadway next year. This bit of marvelous info is from Mr. David Maisel himself, the chairman of Marvel Studios who revealed the news in an interview while attending the Thomas Weisel Consumer Conference in New York. Mr. Maisel, who once worked in the Great White Way by way of the 1999 Tony- award winning musical Fosse confirmed that the musical has been in the works for the past 3 ½ years. He also revealed that U2 ’s Bono and the Edge were commissioned to do the music and Julie Taymor (The Lion King) was tapped to direct the said musical. This early, it will be interesting to know the songs that U2 will come up for this musical. No, “Itsy- bitsy spider” is not one of them, if you ask me.

Although autumn officially begins tomorrow, I felt its welcome presence as early as a week or two ago when I went out for my early morning jog (okay, walk) around Heritage Park in nearby Taylor. The leaves are beginning to change their hues, the mornings becoming mistier and the dews more pronounced on grasses. Yes, the chill is here, complete with that smoke in your breath and the endless flocks of birds stopping by on their journey to a place that is far, safe and warm. Although Fall is very conducive for writing, I am not inclined to start anything. No, not yet. My pen is still in hibernation while my mind is elsewhere, somewhere… I am just in escapist’s mood lately-- I have been watching a lot of movies whether it was from the DVDs that I borrowed from the local library or in the nearby Dollar Theater in Allen Park. Just yesterday morning, I went to watch Righteous Kill , the new De Niro/ Pacino movie for $4 at the MJR Digital Cinema. I availed myself of the Super Saver promo whe...

You used to tell me when I would admonish you about your drinking that just like Edgar Allan Poe with his Amontillado, you need your beer to summon the creative spirit from deep within you. Yes, you were quite an artist albeit a temperamental one everyday you pursued the muses, challenged the gods and wrestled with the demons that came your way. Although in the end you succumbed to the frailties that made and unmade you. This I can say-- You put up a good fight, laughed your heart out and enjoyed the ride… Tonight, I will drink a bottle of beer in your honor but instead of an Ice-cold San Miguel, I’ll toast a Michelob for you. So, I say Kampai to you Akihiko! +++ My Japanese father AKI was born in autumn 2 years after the end of the Second World War and left in May, 18 summers ago to play chess and drink with his buddies in the great beyond. He would have been 61 today. # I'll share with you this lovely piece of music by Stanley Myers. It is the theme from o...

Monroe St. Dearborn, MI "My spelling is Wobbly. It's good spelling but it Wobbles, and the letters get in the wrong places." -- A. A. Milne