L.C. Clark's Blog, page 15

A Picture of the Gunman

   The Gunman, believe it or not, did not allow himself to be photographed all his life for an obvious reason.  The fastest way for authorities to catch him was to have photos of him lying around.  The good thing was that phone cameras and CCTV did not arrive until his outlaw activities had waned.  Aging mellows the grind.  (According to Urban Dictionary, grind is  "to work hard, be fully dedicated, to have no limits, pushing yourself; leading yourself to triumph”).
   For the readers who may be wondering how the Gunman looked like, I will attempt to draw a picture.  As I remember, he stood five feet and six inches.  That height is typical of Filipinos but he always looked ten feet tall to most.  
   His wavy hair touched his shoulders.  His body was just the slim side of muscular.  He has strong jaws that housed perfectly straight teeth that would put an Orthodontist to shame.  He has fair complexion but the rough life covered him with a permanent light tan.  His eyes were deep set.  He always wore a mustache and a trimmed beard because he looked so good with facial hair.  
From classicharley.com   I tried to search for a photo that could serve as his likeness.  It was not an easy task because a person's appearance change with age.  He was in his mid thirties the last time I saw him.  That’s the image I can impart.  He was driving a big bike (1000 cc) like the one on the photo.  I remember him saying he had to build up his arm and shoulder muscles to handle a bike that heavy with only one hand.  He needed to hold and shoot a gun with the other.  (I know this sounds like a Tom Cruise movie, but trust me, the guy was real.  Assassins in the Philippines ride motorcycles because the helmet covers the entire face plus it gets  through traffic.)

From: arloc888.files.wordpress.com   Finally, I found a photo of Piolo Pascual that could pass as the Gunman.  The hair length, strong jaws, eyes and eyebrows are almost identical to the Gunman’s and the same facial hair.  The big difference is that the look in the Gunman's eyes said it would be a mistake to mess with him.  However, Piolo’s body in this photo, is a dead ringer.

   The Gunman’s grandson has been asking how he looked like.  I don’t think this article would satisfy.  There are just some things in life that one can't hold and keep, and impossible  to retrieve.
See also:The Gunman’s Son  Life Lessons from the Gunman  A Message to The Gunman

Homes from President Marcos

   This is a story not even my kids knew about.  In 1978, we all lived in the family’s apartment in Pasay City.  I got the idea to acquire a home.  So I asked my mother for an idle lot in Imus, Cavite which she inherited.  It was a long shot but my mother said yes in a heartbeat.  I transferred the lot title to my name.  Then I asked a childhood friend, who has become a famous architect to do the construction plans for free.  Armed with my lot title and building plans, I applied for a Social Security Service housing loan.  The SSS interest rate was lower than any bank could offer.  
The 2 Bedroom Bungalow built on Php50K   I was a 26 years old college dropout, with only 4 years of employment record.  There was always a long line at the SSS loans department.  Every step of the qualification process was discouraging but the challenge kept me going.  Finally my loan application was approved for PHP 50K.  The Admin guy said the formal loan approval notice will come in the mail.  Then he said the strangest thing to me:  
   “If you should run into some bad times, don’t worry about the loan payment.  SSS will not foreclose any loan as long as you keep your SSS membership current you get to keep the house.”  
   I took what he said with a grain of salt.  It was common knowledge that loans are to be paid religiously otherwise you lose the collateral, in this case the lot my mother gave me.  Now fifty thousand seemed like a small amount but a bag of cement cost only PHP14. during that time.  The contractor I got did not even ask me for any advance money.  All they wanted was for me to sign over my loan proceeds from SSS when the construction was completed.  
   After we moved into our new 2 bedroom bungalow, to test what the SSS Admin guy said, I did not send the first month’s loan payment.  I skipped the payments month to month while I waited for the collection letter.  Then we really hit some hard times.  My husband lost his job.  I got pregnant with the third child.  I forgot totally about the loan payments.  I never got the collection letter just as the man in SSS said.  
   Eight long years later, EDSA Revolt happened.  Cory Aquino rose to power.  I received the SSS collection letter asking me to pay the entire amount.  I had to sell my home to pay the loan back.  The good thing was that the property has appreciated to PHP 300K by that time.  I paid the 50K loan and took the 250K to relocate.  It just occurred to me, after reading this article from http://www.jamesparmis.net/  that President Marcos was giving away homes via the SSS housing loans, sharing his ‘stolen’ wealth, 50K to each, who could come up with a lot to build on.  His program fueled the housing construction boom that populated the new gated communities from Paranaque to Las Pinas, all the way to Cavite in the south, Binangonan, Marikina and more parts of Rizal in the east, and Quezon City to Bulacan up north.
   I was not a Marcos crony.  Ironically, I was a pre-Martial Law student activist.  This maybe 38 years too late.  I would like to take this opportunity to thank President Marcos posthumously.
See also:The Iron Lady   Reshaping the Philippines  The Ladies of the Palace

The Magic of Kalye Serye

   Eat Bulaga’s Kalye Serye changed the lives of its casts like magic.  Wally Bayola found a medium to express his hidden talents.  An actor could wait a lifetime to portray different characters Wally gets it on a daily basis, switching between two or three characters, sometimes in the same episode.  The same goes for Jose Manalo who switched between A Lola and Frankie Arenoli, the rich guy.  Paolo Ballesteros got to be Lola Nidora's a cruel mother and the cool Lola Tidora.  


   To see how Kalye Serye changed Alden Richards, review the first episode and then jump to the last.  His biceps, chest and shoulder muscles have grown to action star dimensions from the softie/cutie he started with, probably from lifting Maine Mendoza in his arms like a big baby.  Alden might have built up those muscles by working out or maybe it’s just a magic of Kalye Serye.  Meanwhile, the Kalye Serye fans called Aldub Nation, keeps other hotties away from Alden like a Restraining Order.  

   The biggest magic of Kalye Serye is that while everyone around her was changing, Maine Mendoza has remained incorruptible.  She wears clothes repeatedly like us regular poor folks despite the millions worth of advertising endorsements.  Her magazine covers and special issues attest to her impact on resuscitating the dying publication business.    Future historians will credit Maine for the elevation of 'Isaw' as the National Food of the Philippines although that thing has been around for decades as the poor man’s barbecue.


From: www.randomrepublika.com
   Eat Bulaga gave away the 14 Million Pesos ticket sales proceeds of the Tamang Panahon event, an off shoot of Kalye Serye, to build libraries nationwide.  So far the recipients are Lumban Central Elementary School in Laguna, Ongol-Ilaya Elementary School in Dumarao, Capiz, and Tambacan Elementary School in Iligan City.  Also in the works are libraries in Catabangan, Camarines Sur and Urbiztondo, Pangasinan.

   Kalye Serye touches us like magic.

See also:
A Filipina Called Yaya Dub 
Blog’s 3rd Anniversary 
Eat Bulaga Scholarship

    

Moments in Manila

   My father, now ninety years old suffered a mild stroke in November, 2015.  Although I was in the Philippines just six months prior, I flew back came January to check how he’s doing.  His mobility has been affected but otherwise, he has fully recovered by the time I arrived.
   My first vacation in 2013 was spent almost entirely with one of my sons and his family.  The second vacation in 2014 was spent between Las Piñas where I got necessary medical treatment and Cavite to be with my father.  I thought this third vacation was going be the same, more so because of my father’s stroke.  But God had other plans. 
   The dialysis treatment which was 100% free last year is now 90% free due to some changes in Philhealth insurance coverage.  The hospital does not accept credit card and the cash I brought with me did not allow for the difference.  This affected the quality of my medical treatment, leaving me with less energy for the rigorous four hours round trip travel to Cavite.  What seemed to be a setback turned out to be a gift.  God Jehovah saw it fit to make this vacation all about me. 
   This time, I got to hang out with my loving cousins and nieces.  I had the opportunity to give some leg work to a project I had been mulling over.  I had a chance to be with the son and grandson I missed in 2013.  Despite his busy work schedule which included Saturdays and Sundays, he took time off to take me on a road trip to Tagaytay.   Island Cove    From: asiatravel.comWe got to rediscover Island Cove, a place my family frequented when my sons were in grade school.  It has a lot more to offer now but we only came to dine and load up on fresh oysters.
   I chanced upon a boy about 8 or 9 years old sitting on the curb crying.  I asked him what happened.  He pointed to two boys half a block away.  He said those boys hit him on the head for no reason.  I saw the bullies looking at us.  I told the crying boy I’ll have a word with those two.  As I approached the bullies, they sprinted away.  Seeing that I got his back, their victim was emboldened and chased after them.  It always feels good to turn tables when an opportunity presents itself to do so. 
   I had time to look into the death of the Gunman.  The hospital listed on the death certificate did not have him in the Records Department file.  I was referred to the Emergency Room records which did not have him either.  There, I was advised to see the head of Security who might have a releasing logbook.  The security chief said they don’t keep any information over a year old.  I was given a list of funeral services that usually picks up from the hospital.  I would have to call each one to find who took him.  The Gunman is as mysterious and illusive dead as he was alive.
See also:A Message to The Gunman The Gunman as a Father Life Lessons from the Gunman

Mediterranean Spaghetti

   My father brought home a Mediterranean spaghetti recipe when he retired from the US Navy.  He said he got it from an Italian navy man.  The Filipino spaghetti is sweet.  The sweetness came from adding banana ketchup to save on tomato sauce.  That and children like it sweet.
   However, the Mediterranean pasta sauce is not sweet.  It has olives and capers, both of which are sour or tangy. I prefer the olive brand in the photo because it has not been pitted.  The pitted olives lacked the strength of olive taste, probably squeezed out of it during the pitting process.  As such, this brand of olives give out its natural olive oil into the sauce during boiling.  No olive oil however pure or virgin can match the taste that comes out fresh from the fruit into the sauce.
   The capers come in big or small sizes.  Capers is not a fruit.  It is actually a flower in the bud and may have medicinal qualities.  I like it just for the sour taste.

   Here’s the recipe for the spaghetti sauce:    1 can of Hunts pasta sauce   Ground beef and mini pepperoni (quantity based on preference)   1 big onion and 5 cloves of garlic    Olives and capers quantity as per preference   Celery and carrots    Italian spices 1 tsp of each 

   Cooking instructions:
   Mince garlic and chop the onion in then sauté in small amount of olive oil.  When these are fully cooked include the ground beef and pepperoni.  Chop the carrots and celery.  When the beef is cooked, throw in the carrots and celery in the pot.  Flavor with salt and pepper.  After a couple of minutes pour the pasta sauce then add the Italian spices, capers and olives.  Continue simmering for a few more minutes for all the flavors to combine. 
   Use this sauce for any kind of pasta you got in your pantry.  Serve with parmesan cheese and mild banana pepper for decoration and additional flavor. 

   Enjoy! 
See also:The Lunchbox More Thrift Tips If You are Out of...

Ninay, The Matriarch

Ninay   Marcelina, my grandmother, more popularly known as Ninay, was born and raised in Imus, Cavite.  Before World War II, she moved her family to Pasay City, where business opportunity was booming, as expansion from old Manila moved south.  Alienable and disposable land in Pasay City was available for the taking in 1939.  In the effort to jump start industrialization, the government allowed building on empty lots for temporary housing to be rented out to laborers migrating from the provinces.  Ninay built such make shift homes along Humildad Street with the use of ‘bayanihan’ system, a tradition of donated labor in exchange for hospitality (food and drinks).   Bayanihan
From: en.wikipedia.org
She then rented out the homes until she has accumulated enough capital to open a grocery store in Pasay City public market.  Then she sold all those homes to buy an old house on a lot at the corner of P. Reyes Street and Ibarra Street.

   When she heard rumors of war, she had photographs of her grocery store taken for posterity’s sake.  She kept the photos safe through the fires of war and the uncertainties of awaiting the liberation from the Japanese forces.  After the war, Japan signed a peace treaty with 49 nations, including the Philippines to pay reparations.  Ninay whipped out the photos of the grocery store as proof of war damage and collected her share of the reparation.   From: www.pinterest.com
   With that money, she restored her previous place in the reconstructed market.  This time she opened a clothing store.  During that time, before the world had malls, people bought their clothes from the market.  Fresh from WWII victory, American influence was at its height.  The traditional Filipino apparel was replaced by American fashion.  That was when wearing pants became acceptable as women’s clothing.  Her ‘dry goods store’, as it was called back then, came just in time to sell the American jeans and dresses while she, herself, continued to wear the Filipina ‘kimona and saya’ till the day she died in 1990.  
   She used her clothing store profits to demolish the old house at the corner of P. Reyes Street and Ibarra Street, Pasay City and build a six unit apartment, one for each of her six children.  Her apartment still stands today.  Albeit old and now surrounded by newer condo buildings, it is a testament to the tenacity of a Filipina not even a world war can break.  
See also:Grandma (Lola) Eugenia  The Politics of Marriage  The Iron Lady

Blog’s 3rd Anniversary

From en.wikipedia.org   2015 was full of surprises.  A total unknown Filipina rose to fame and fortune in 5 months from sheer talent and ingenuity.  Her story, the article A Filipina Called Yaya Dub, rose to the top of the list of popular posts in the same amount of time.  The other half of Aldub, Alden Richards, is featured in Ethnically Ambiguous.  
   The fan base of the Aldub tandem organized itself into a virtual nation, called Aldubnation, composed of people from all walks of life.  They are all over Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, bridging distance and social status.  Team Bahay are those who watch the show at home, Team Abroad are those who watch the show over the internet and there are Aldubnation chapters with representation from all the provinces in the Philippines.  Aldubnation has proven to be a formidable force.  The vigilance and social networking of Aldubnation exposed anomalies in the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) which triggered a Congressional investigation prompting veteran actress Boots Anson-Roa to resign as a member of the MMFF executive committee.  Other members may follow.
   The Gunman Saga Continues tells about the recent news of the Gunman’s death, however unconfirmed.  A complete book about the Gunman is on its last chapter.  
   I paid tribute to my great grandmother in Grandma (Lola) Eugenia, to my dog Buddy and to my first car The Beetle.  I remembered our nanny of sorts in The Iron Lady.  
   Articles about friendship were added to the list such as The Sword, The Standbys of Makati and The Barkada Mentality while Postscript: Best Place to Work in Manila, Loving the Job, The Girl They Called ‘Manila Times’ are articles about the topic closest to the heart of the Filipina, her employment.  
   Cord-Cutting is a protest against the high cost of cable television.  A Proof of Genesis, Google It and Keep Knocking are Bible based topics that might just be what the reader is searching for.
   More Thrift Tips, If You’re Tired Of…, The Lunchbox and If You are Out of... contain household tips I gathered here and there.  Motherhood is not a perfect science.  We can all use a little help. 

   Pageviews for 2015  Thanks to all the readers!







See also:Blog's 2nd Anniversary  Blog's 1st Anniversary

Living on Dialysis

   Dialysis have short and long term ill effects on the body.  The immediate effects usually wear off as quickly as they come i.e. low blood pressure causes dizziness and vomiting up to passing out, muscle cramps from toes, to legs to  stomach and chest, depending on the potassium content of the previous meal.  
   Long term side effects would need time and a lot of ‘tender loving care’ (TLC) to counter.  The most obvious is dry skin and itchy scalp.  Due to constantly pulling fluid off from the blood stream, the moisture under the skin goes with it.  That moisture serves as the buffer between the skin and the nerves under.  Without that moisture anything that may cause pain, like a splash of hot oil from cooking or any cut or bruise, feels more excruciating than normal.  
   I have tried a number of popular skin lotions but their effect was temporary at best.  I finally gave up and resigned to having parts unprotected by clothes like the forehead, arms and legs to be parched dry.  
Pure Collagen   Then my daughter brought me a bottle of liquid pure collagen and a bottle of collagen lotion.  I’ve heard of the healing effect of collagen on the skin so I used it on the skin that covers my dialysis access which has been ravaged by the frequent onslaught of needle prick so that it had developed scar tissues on top of and under.  

Dialysis Access Improvement   I pour the liquid collagen into a piece of gauze, lay the gauze on top of my shunt then cover it with plastic wrap for a few hours to keep it from drying.  My shunt skin started to recover so I used the left over collagen in the gauze on the rest of my arms, forehead and legs.  In time, I noticed those parts slowly retained moisture to almost normal.  
   As for dry itchy scalp, I alternate using my regular shampoo laced with a little amount of Creamsilk and Head and Shoulders.  My hair is now as soft and scalp as healthy as they were before I fell into the hole called dialysis. 
   Now, the diet is a different story.  Fluid should be measured all day not to exceed the amount allowed by the patient’s body weight and size.  Forbidden food can be had at moderation.  Total abstention is not advisable.  When eating quality no longer justifies living, the patient might decide to forego both.

See also:
Racial Bullying  
The Bright Side of Colonoscopy
The Gunman Saga Continues

Fresh Off the Boat

   When I arrived in the US, my husband immediately got us a joint account and got me a credit card aside from the $20 a month he gave me which he called “walking around money”.   So, coming from a third world country, I knew there’s a hundred ways one can get ripped off.   I compiled all my ticker tape receipts from my credit card purchases, checked each item purchased, checked all totals against the monthly bank statements and then checked the bank statements for mistakes.  I was afraid the cashier or the machine or the bank might be overcharging me.  I did this till after a year and a half, I got tired of it, plus I learned it doesn’t happen.  
   Then I heard about identity theft.  So, I took home every receipt, bought a shredder to shred them.  I was afraid anyone who finds my receipt could use the data in it to purchase items using my credit card data.  I did this until I realized there would be no point in hacking if hackers only needed a Walmart receipt to grab money. 
   I applied for a driver’s license and flunked the first driving test.  The policeman who tested me commented that I was “totally accustomed to the equipment” (I've been driving in the Philippines since I was 26 years old.)  However, it’s the traffic rules in America that I needed to learn.  I have read the licensing booklet from cover to cover and back again.  I was still driving like a Filipina in the Philippines. 

   I passed the second driving test and the rest is history which includes two accidents in Louisville, Kentucky.  One, during a snow storm, I mounted a traffic island all covered in snow.  Another was a fender bender with a semi which crushed my left rear fender like biscuit.
   I got lost a lot.  I did not have a TomTom or any GPS device.  I still don’t trust them.  I Googled my destination and printed a map and direction every time.  Once in a while, in the middle of the journey, I found a road block for road repair and I got rerouted to a place not in my map.  Those times I had to find a place to park and call a friend (my husband refused to give me any direction after I asked him several times, he yelled “Ah! You figure it out!”  As soon as I could afford it, I got myself a Blackberry with a data plan so I can Google map my directions should I get a road block again.
   Being the new kid on the street is nerve wracking but that should not be a reason to stop running.  If there is anything Filipinos can do better than any other nation, it’s adapting to a new situation.
See alsoThe Asian Driver Friendly State Losing Love  A Nationalist Abroad

A Scary Filipina

   I came out of dialysis and went straight to Target to get my month’s supply of soda, the one thing I can’t live without.  My daughter was driving.  The parking spot was tight because the car on our left was sitting on the white line between us.  My daughter did her best to make sure there are spaces between her car and the lines.  Before she even pulled the ignition key off, my daughter said the men sitting on the next car on our right were talking about us.  I wondered what that could that be about.  When I got off from the passenger side,  the American guy on the driver seat said “Next time, park straight.  You’re crooked.”  He sounded irritated but not really angry or yelling.  
   Now, remember, I came from dialysis.  I was not feeling good.  I was hungry.  I snapped at him.  “How much straight do you want?  That other car on the side is sitting on the line.  We could hardly get in!”  I said 'in his face' as I peered through his window. 
   “Don’t worry about it.  Forget it,” the man replied softly to me, then looked straight at his windshield to avoid my stare.  
   I walked away towards the Target entrance.  The entire time till we got done shopping I could see the man’s face in my mind.  It seemed like I scared him and his son, around 12 years old, hid his face in his hood and crouched in his seat.  I realized the man may just be trying to impress his son by telling me off about our parking.  On that day, he picked the wrong Asian.  
   I am one of those who don’t let things pass.  I am proud to say that I am not judgmental, never go on the offensive, and I don’t think ill of anyone.  But I won’t take anything sitting down.  One brother in our congregation once commented that I am “scary”.  My two ex-husbands were scared of me and one of them was five feet eleven inches tall against my five feet zero.  The other one went to work everyday for weeks after he’d been fired.  I did not spank my children but they were all scared of me.  To be honest, I don’t know why people should find me scary.  

   We hurried out of Target so I could apologize to the American in the car but the line at the cashier was long.  He was gone when we got to the parking lot.  If the man I encountered at Target (Colma) should by any chance, find this post, I am truly sorry.  Please accept my apology.
See also:Racial Bullying  Api (Oppressed) Syndrome  Gifts of Patience and Compassion