junv – Page 38 – PATHLESS TRAVELS

2013-12-292013-12-29

Firecrackers: A self-destructive Pinoy addiction?

Firing an ancient Chinese rocket — Firing a rocket, from "History of ancient Chinese fireworks' invention," http://www.buzzle.com/images/history/gunpowder-filled-bamboo-firework.jpg

(Originally published on GMA News Online website. See author’s note here.)

It was 11:45 p.m. on December 31, 1972, the first New Year’s Eve after Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law. Like countless others across the country, our clan was gathered at the old family house, but sensed some uneasy quiet since the martial law government had imposed a total firecrackers ban.

My childhood memories of New Year’s Eve had always been one of rambunctious revelry in yards and streets, with neighbors weaving in and out of each others’ homes amid a wall-to-wall din of firecrackers, tooting horns, and the clangor of kitchen pots and pans. But this time, we and our neighbors—big fans of street explosions—faced the prospect of a silenced New Year’s Eve.

Our fears turned out to be unfounded. At about five minutes before midnight, a staccato of explosions started to roll in from the city’s general background noise, mounting into the familiar crescendo we all knew. Continue reading “Firecrackers: A self-destructive Pinoy addiction?”

2013-12-252022-12-25

A street child’s Christmas

I woke up in the darkest dawn
And found it was not Christmas.
The boxes were all gaily torn
And colors hid in darkness.

Continue reading “A street child’s Christmas”

2013-12-152022-12-25

The nearly lost art of note-taking, post-Yolanda

The nearly lost art of note taking by hand, post-Yolanda.

I’ve been trying to step successively into the shoes, first of Tacloban mayor Alfred Romualdez, and next of DILG Secretary Mar Roxas, without any prejudices whatsoever, and just try to understand what their problem was, really. I mean, there was a national emergency raging outside that room, everyone was waiting for their marching orders, and here were two presumably intelligent government officials trying to set the terms of reference in responding to the post-Yolanda emergency. It took them at least 45 minutes to try to agree on their TOR, and they finished not reaching any crucial agreement. What WAS their problem? Continue reading “The nearly lost art of note-taking, post-Yolanda”