Ambeth R. Ocampo's Blog, page 178

If my favorite antiques dealer would try to sell me this 1902-dated painting by...

If my favorite antiques dealer would try to sell me this 1902-dated painting by Simon Flores she would probably describe it as a "niño dormido" or "boy sleeping." To raise the price she will insist it is a rare image of the Sleeping Santo Niño. When you visit the National Museum give this cute boy a second look and you will recognize it as a dead child! This is a "recuerdo de patay" (souvenir of the dead) described in my Inquirer column today.


2014

My Inquirer column today on "recuerdos de patay."http://opinion.inquirer.net/74...

My Inquirer column today on "recuerdos de patay."
http://opinion.inquirer.net/74116/selfies-with-the-dead


Selfies with the dead?
opinion.inquirer.net
Nora Ignacio, the superstar of Ermita antiques dealers, once showed me a charming painting of San Jose and the Santo Niño typical of religious art in Spanish Philippines. What caught my eye was the Niño garbed in a thin embroidered garment, somewhat like piña. Was this painting from the Philippines,…

My Inquirer column today on comfort food of US Presidents.http://opinion.inquir...

My Inquirer column today on comfort food of US Presidents.
http://opinion.inquirer.net/74052/us-presidents-and-comfort-food


US presidents and comfort food
opinion.inquirer.net
It is hard to outdo the “sushi diplomacy” rolled out for Barack Obama when he was in Tokyo last week.

Alphabet comes from the first two letters of Greek alpha-beta. Baybayin, our pre...

Alphabet comes from the first two letters of Greek alpha-beta. Baybayin, our pre-Spanish writing, is not an alphabet but a syllabary because we use syllables rather than single letters. Spanish call their alphabet abcedario from a-b-c-d and Pinoys call theirs Abakada from a-b-k-d. It is a mistake to call the baybayin "alibata" because that comes from the first letters in Arabic: aliph-ba-da.


2014

Baybayin the correct term for our pre-Spanish syllabary not "Alibata". In the 19...

Baybayin the correct term for our pre-Spanish syllabary not "Alibata". In the 19th century Pedro Paterno published this comparative table of the various baybayin variations.


2014

Last year Elmer Borlongan visited Tokyo and drew the view of Sophia University f...

Last year Elmer Borlongan visited Tokyo and drew the view of Sophia University from my apartment door as a souvenir. I'm glad to be back in my home away from home even for a few days.


2014

In 1915 Calle Sacristia besideBinondo church was renamed in honor of Roman Ongpi...

In 1915 Calle Sacristia besideBinondo church was renamed in honor of Roman Ongpin (1847-1912) a businessman who set up “El 82” the first store with fixed-prices. He was imprisoned by the Spaniards and later by the Americans for his support of those fighting for Philippine Independence. Ongpin street is best known for Chinese restaurants and and assortment of shops and vendors that sell everything from hopia, traditional medicine, and aphrodisiacs. Now we can connect a face and story to a random street name.


2014

Surrexit Dominus vere! Alleluia Alleluia Alleluia.This charming painting of Chr...

Surrexit Dominus vere! Alleluia Alleluia Alleluia.
This charming painting of Christ in a garden of delights (see the names and symbolisms of the flowers) is in the museum of colonial art outside Mexico City.


2014

My Inquirer column today.http://opinion.inquirer.net/73687/hol...

My Inquirer column today.
http://opinion.inquirer.net/73687/holy-week-taboos


Holy Week taboos
opinion.inquirer.net
“Tapsilog” was on the menu for breakfast last Monday. What better way to start the week right? Well, the cook wanted to alter the schedule and offered yogurt and cereal instead, so I remarked that it was the first day of the summer term and I needed a power breakfast. She hesitated a bit, gathered h...

This morning, first day of the Summer Term in Ateneo, I meet 80 new students in...

This morning, first day of the Summer Term in Ateneo, I meet 80 new students in a classroom that is slightly modified from that of Rizal's Ateneo Municipal in Intramuros. Instead of the pulpit I have a raised platform, instead of projecting my voice I use a wireless microphone, and best of all I have an LCD for Keynote presentations.


2014