A Lenten tale of two cities

Have you ever wondered about many Filipinos plan to spend their Holy Week, and how they actually spend it? This story is one I’ve been meaning to write in essay form, or maybe as a full-blown cartoon strip, for maybe a year now.  But with the limited time I can spare today, and not wanting to let the week pass without saying something about the Lenten customs of most of Metro Manila’s middle class, I ended up with this. Part 1 today, Part 2 on Sunday. Enjoy. Continue reading “A Lenten tale of two cities”

The motto that didn’t make sense

it doesn't make sense

When I was a Grade 4 newbie at the Kamuning Elementary School (having transferred from the neighborhood annex near K-D or what is now Erestain St.), I was a highly focused student who observed all goings-on, obeyed all my teachers, followed all the drills and assignments, and mostly kept to myself except for a handful of co-nerds (or were we co-dorks?) like Raymond Co and Goldwyn Azul.

But as the school year wore on, I gained more confidence, indulged my curiosity, and began to show my incipient rule-breaking tendencies. One early object of this curiosity was the Chi Rho sign that some of the girls in class always wrote on top of the test papers, quizzes, and theme papers that they passed. Continue reading “The motto that didn’t make sense”