The fisher for men

A young boy sets his hook and line to fish in the calm waters of Recordo, Cawayan, Masbate. Extremely polite when he answered my questions, this boy spends his weekend fishing instead of playing around so that his family could eat.

ONLY IN THE PHILIPPINES

IT IS BETTER TO BE A DRUG MULE IN THE PHILIPPINES: you got more than enough TV mileage, your family are given jobs and scholarships, the Catholic Church would pray like you are going for sainthood, and you have your president extolling your bravery.

Meanwhile, overseas Filipino workers who are contributing to the economy of the Philippines are left to tend for themselves even if they are in life-threatening situations. 

Photo from pinoyweekly.org

Marlene Aguilar Pollard claims prison a 'party place'

Marlene Aguilar-Pollard described the jail as a “party place” and claimed that the practice regularly happens in other detention centers in the country.

"Kultura na po ng jail iyan sa Pilipinas [It's jail culture in the Philippines]," she said.

She said gang members inside jail invite her son to join them in parties.

“Hari ng selda ang anak ko! Mga Sputnik, Bahala Na Gang, laging inaaya ang anak ko. Sikat na sikat siya doon. Pina-tattoo pa nila mukha ng anak ko sa katawan nila,” she claimed.

She also described her son as "Jason Ivler ng bayan."

Aguilar-Pollard added that “busloads of women” regularly visit her son.

"Kung ano man ang binebentang treatment doon, kahit sex pa iyon, I'll pay for it," she added.

Quezon City jail authorities have yet to comment on the issue.

"Parang iyung mother niya, wala sa sarili magsalita. Tingin namin, sobrang kayabangan na lang ang kaniyang pagsasalita," said Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) official Rosendo Dial.

Quoted in full from this source.

Pic from tfcnow.multiply.com

Seen from MLQ3's Tumblr

We all have the potential to fall in love a thousand times in our lifetime. It’s easy. The first girl I ever loved was someone I knew in sixth grade. Her name was Missy; we talked about horses. The last girl I love will be someone I haven’t even met yet, probably. They all count. But there are certain people you love who do something else; they define how you classify what love is supposed to feel like. These are the most important people in your life, and you’ll meet maybe four or five of these people over the span of 80 years. But there’s still one more tier to all this; there is always one person who you love who becomes that definition. It usually happens retrospectively, but it always happens eventually. This is the person who unknowingly sets the template for what you will always love about other people, even if some of those lovable qualities are self-destructive and unreasonable. The person who defines your understanding of love is not inherently different than anyone else, and they’re often just the person you happen to meet the first time you really, really want to love someone. But that person still wins. They win, and you lose. Because for the rest of your life, they will control how you feel about everyone else.

Chuck Klosterman, Killing Yourself to Live 

Puto-sikwate makes my day

I bowed down to my officemates when they insisted I should try the puto and sikwate near the Basilica of Santo Niño. The office is freezing cold I have to go out. Snacking on puto maya, sticky rice cooked in coconut milk and ginger, with its everlasting drink accompaniment sikwate (local version of hot chocolate) is a great respite.

Well, their version of puto is not the best nor the worst. The really hot sikwate is not like my Grandma's but could pass for a great merienda. 

Although unknown to me, but it seems that nook has regular patrons as evidenced by the slowly forming queue outside. However, one annoying habit most carenderias around the country is the use of cracked china. This one is not an exception.

If you want to try their puto maya and sikwate, go inside to that street near the Basilica where Chowking is and ask where you could find the puto. I believe they are known there. No signage is visible around.

Hot choco on a cracked cup.