The Ocean of My Being

It was on a night not very different from this night that I wrote my very first blog entry. A few days before that, I had no idea what a blog was or how they worked. Yup, I was that big of a loser! Haha! But, thanks to Ala for introducing me to her dad's (now retired) blog, I found out what blogs were. And, because the first entry of Sir Jim's that I read was very much inspirational and somehow didactic, I initially thought that blogs were only for professionals and for educational purposes, that they should be very formal and all. And then, through Sir Jim's blog, I also found Ala's blog (the old one, now defunct ala-ism.pansitan.net) and that's when I learned that blogs could actually be really personal and informal, and that a blogger can just write about anything s/he wants and I, of course, got more interested. I started searching for other blogs of interest. After reading a few blogs and a number of entries from Ala's, I decided to create my own blog. I ...

It's been exactly a week since I came back from Davao. I went there to participate in the 6th Philippine International Literary Festival , specifically and aptly entitled Lalang (a local word which means "creation") this year. The PILF, a landmark project of the National Book Development Board (NBDB) , aims to celebrate literature and promote best publishing practices through discourse on the issues of authorship and readership which shape the local book industry.  It's the first time that the PILF was brought outside of Manila and this year's theme was Writing in Place. Creating Your Place. And, I would say they picked the perfect place for such event because Davao's writing community is very much active and flourishing. This also made it easier for writers, readers, students, and lovers of Literature from all over Mindanao and Visayas to come and participate in the Festival. As with my Taboan experience , my Lalang experience was great! I felt...

While editing something, I was listening to the News and there was this special report about this blogger who traveled around Southeast Asia for 100 days with only Philippine P100,000.00 (about US $2150.00) on him. That really got my attention and, almost automatically, I began to imagine myself doing the same thing. That would be so much fun! I immediately texted my friend, Tomas , and we decided we'll start saving. Right now! Haha! Seriously, though, I really want to travel around Southeast Asia, especially to the countries I haven't been to. I am fortunate to have been able to visit some Southeast Asian countries because of a few programs I participated in. That's six countries plus the Philippines, that makes seven Southeast Asian countries out of the eleven (including East Timor ) ASEAN-member nations. I also want to go back to the ones I've been to so I could visit my friends, do and try things I wasn't able to do and try, know the colorful cultures more, ...

Hello, Blog-world!   Yet again, I’m back! :-) I’m not even going to attempt to explain why I haven’t blogged for a long time. Neither am I promising anything after this entry! I’m just going to go straight to writing about what I want to write about in this entry. And, that is my current obsession with TV series . I’ve always preferred reading to watching TV or movies. Sure, I have seen a considerable number of movies and a few TV series here and there, but I can’t really say that I’m a fan of either. Or, at least not as big a fan as some friends I have. To my mind, watching TV or movies takes so much of my reading time. And, I'd rather spend time reading than do anything else. That was before I got hooked on a number of TV series in the recent years. And, more so, in the recent months! I’m not saying I love reading less (I don't think that is ever possible), I’m saying I’ve learned to appreciate movies and TV series more. Back in the day, when free (illegal) ...