Weird Coconut Tree

This tree can be found beside the southbound highway (near the zigzag) of Puerto Princesa City in Palawan, Philippines. I have no idea how it got to be this way. Can anyone solve this mystery?

Sidewalk Strangers Seen Through the Glass Wall of a Restaurant

• A tall white man and a slender, dusky, petite Filipina beauty together. I wonder what it’s like for each of them. An adventure, a taste of the exotic? A tropical dalliance? Need, perhaps? Dreams of a better life? It could be any of these, but the romantic in me wonders: could it possibly, conceivably be love?

• Two laughing young girls with long hair and eyes yet untouched by self-consciousness. They walk hand-in-hand, linked by the secrets they share and the youthful, irrepressible assurance that they will be “friends forever”. The sight of them evokes such nostalgia. How I wish I could freeze time for a while and let them stay in their world a bit longer. The years pass swiftly, however, and young girls inevitably grow up. But for now, right now, they are here, and they are magical.

• A woman and a boy, mother and son perhaps, on an errand that worries them both. She leans on him with her hand on his shoulder, and both of them look tired. The midday heat has drawn beads of perspiration from their foreheads, but they plod on, unwilling or unable to pay for a ride. Where are they going and what do they need? Only a few centimeters of glass separate us, but I might as well be miles away, for I do not step out and ask them. I wonder – are the invisible, protective barriers we create between ourselves and others worth the alienation from our own kind?

• A stunning young woman strolling by herself. Perfect hair, perfect complexion, perfect clothes. How many people take the time to look deeper and see if her life is as flawless as it seems? Too often the envy in us blinds us to the person behind the image, the need behind the confidence. I have no doubt that she will meet many people today who will either furtively or openly scrutinize her looks. Will she find one person, I wonder, who will simply look into her eyes and offer a smile?

sign me up for a crash course on “How to Talk to Your Little Brother About the Facts of Life”

Josh: Ate, yung kilala mo pala may baby na?

Ako: Opo.

Josh: Pero nag-aaral pa sya?

Ako: Yup.

Josh: Eh ilang years old na sya?

Ako: Ka-edad ko lang, Josh.

Josh: Eh saan yung asawa nya?

Ako: Wala syang asawa.

Josh: Eh bakit sya may baby?

Ako: Kasi po, may boyfriend sya noon, kaya lang nagbreak na sila…pero may baby na sya.

Josh: Ninakaw lang pala nya yung baby?

Ako: Hindi! Ginawa nila yun.

Josh: Robot lang pala yun?

Waaaahhh…there should be a law against nine-year-old boys asking too many questions during breakfast…

Joshua’s definition of selos ;)

“Ate, yun bang nasasakitan ka sa puso kasi parang pinagpalit ka na ng crush mo.”

Aw. Ganun pala yun. Now I know.hehe.

Private Conversations with Joshua 2

Habang nanonood ng Encantadia:

Josh: Crush mo yan, ate? (si Ybarro)

Ako: (tango)

Josh: Kasi magaling sya?

Ako: (tango ulit)

Josh: Sino pang crush mo?

Ako: Si Aragorn.

Josh: Tsaka sino pa?

Ako: Si Gary V.

Josh: Tsaka sino pa?

Ako: Wala na.

Josh: Si Aguiluz, crush mo rin?

Ako: (iling)

Josh: Ako crush ko si Alwina…(pabulong) tsaka si Ella…

Ako: Bakit mo crush si Ella?

Josh: Kasi maganda sya.

Ako: Yun lang?

Josh: (iling) Mabait pa sya.

Ako: Tsaka?

Josh: Tsaka lagi pong nakikinig sa Bible.

Ako: Tsaka?

Josh: Lagi pong nago-obey.

Ako: Eh pa’no kung hindi sya maganda pero mabait pa rin sya tsaka nakikinig pa rin lagi sa Bible tsaka lagi pa ring nago-obey? Crush mo pa rin sya?

Josh: Opo.

Ako: Talaga?

Josh: (tango) Wag mo yun isasabi kay Ella ha.

Ako: (taas kamay) Promise.

Josh: Pag sinabi mo, isasabi rin kita kay Gary V…. Saan ba nakatira si Gary V.?

Oo nga naman…saan ba nakatira si Gary V.? Para masabi ng kapatid ko sa kanya na crush ko sya…hehehe…

Private Conversations with Joshua

Nasa room ako, gumagawa ng earrings na beads. Dumating bunso namin (8 years old), nakisali. Ang naging usapan:

Joshua: ‘Te, kanino ko naman po ibibigay ‘tong ginagawa ko? Wag mo lang sabihin na sa girlfriend ko ha.

Ako: May girlfriend ka na?

Joshua: Opo.

Ako: Sino?

Joshua: Alam mo na yun…

Ako: Si Ella? Uuuyyy….(crush nya since preschool)

Joshua: Hehe..opo.

Ako: Sinagot ka na ba nya?

Joshua: Ano po yung “sinagot”?

Ako: Yung…pumapayag syang maging girlfriend mo…

Joshua: Ikaw po ‘te, may girlfriend, ay boyfriend ka na?

Ako: Wala.

Joshua: Kasi hindi ka pa sinasagot ng crush mo?

Wala na akong nasabi, tawa na lang. Actually Josh, hindi pa alam ng crush ko na nag-eexist ako…hehehehe….