Ambeth R. Ocampo's Blog, page 159

It is good to receive a pat on the back for the work we do. The latest from F. S...

It is good to receive a pat on the back for the work we do. The latest from F. Sionil Jose that not just made my day, it made a good start for 2015.
http://www.philstar.com/sunday-life/2015/01/11/1411519/envy-history-freedom-and-harley-davidson


Envy, history, freedom and the Harley Davidson
www.philstar.com
It is the building contractors who I envy.

I began the year, last Monday, by meeting two National Artists: F. Sionil Jose f...

I began the year, last Monday, by meeting two National Artists: F. Sionil Jose for lunch, and Bencab for dinner. I took pictures of Frankie Jose beside his cluttered desk that is in stark contrast to the neatness and order in Solidaridad Bookstore downstairs. It is good to know that, at 90, Frankie is still angry and writing. Pls share.


2015

Picture posts will continue as soon as I recover the photo file that has disappe...

Picture posts will continue as soon as I recover the photo file that has disappeared into the bowels of my laptop. Meanwhile, here is the first of a few columns on popes and Philippine history.
http://opinion.inquirer.net/81570/from-pius-ix-to-pio-nono


From Pius IX to ���Pio Nono���
opinion.inquirer.net
All roads lead to Quiapo today for the feast of the Black Nazarene. The ���Nazareno de Quiapo��� is different from other images of Christ carrying the cross because of its dark complexion. According to folk tradition, it was originally white when it was made in Mexico but became discolored due to a fire���

My Inquirer column today on holidays in Spanish Manila.http://opinion.inquirer....

My Inquirer column today on holidays in Spanish Manila.
http://opinion.inquirer.net/81522/a-surplus-of-saints


A surplus of saints
opinion.inquirer.net
Spanish Manila was neither the sprawling Metro Manila we know today nor the ���Greater Manila��� of the 1960s. Because during the Spanish period, Manila meant the area enclosed within the walls, or intra-muros. Districts outside, or extra-muros, like Binondo, Tondo, Malate, or Ermita, were suburbs.

My first column for 2015 is on holidays!http://opinion.inquirer.net/81408/holid...

My first column for 2015 is on holidays!
http://opinion.inquirer.net/81408/holidays-then-and-now


Holidays, then and now
opinion.inquirer.net
Martial Law babies like myself remember awaiting by the radio on dark stormy mornings the voice of Nilo Rosas for confirmation on whether or not classes had been suspended. As a child always hoping to find any excuse that would justify the declaration of a ���holiday,��� I must have wished to have the s���

Burmese astrologer in Mandalay checked my stars and the lines on my palms and pr...

Burmese astrologer in Mandalay checked my stars and the lines on my palms and predicted a good year for me. I wish the same for everyone in 2015.

A fortune teller in Myanmar looked at my stars and the lines on my palms and pre...

A fortune teller in Myanmar looked at my stars and the lines on my palms and predicted that 2015 will be a good year for me. I wish the same for everyone. Happy New Year 2015!

Rizal's favorite photo was that taken by Enrique Debas in Madrid in 1890. This o...

Rizal's favorite photo was that taken by Enrique Debas in Madrid in 1890. This one, also taken in a Madrid studio, is not as widely reproduced. If Rizal had a digital camera, I guess he would have deleted this. We are fortunate he gave one to his friend Baldomero Roxas who preserved it for us. Pls share.

Schwedagon Pagoda in Yangon has launched thousands of travel magazine photos. Wa...

Schwedagon Pagoda in Yangon has launched thousands of travel magazine photos. Walking barefoot on the ancient marble floor, watching the pagoda change character, from the time the gold leaf catches natural light at sunset, to the time it is dramatically lit by floodlights at night, is an unforgettable experience.


2014

This morning all of us (from my 90-year old dad to my 11-year old favorite nephe...

This morning all of us (from my 90-year old dad to my 11-year old favorite nephew in the whole wide world) learned that Mandalay is actually a place in Myanmar not a casino in Las Vegas.


2014