Ambeth R. Ocampo's Blog, page 180

I have changed my profile pic to show that I am back in Manila to teach in the A...

I have changed my profile pic to show that I am back in Manila to teach in the Ateneo de Manila University after two happy years as Visiting professor in Sophia University, Tokyo.

This tree outside Shinjuku Gyoen blooms ahead of everyone else. For three spring...

This tree outside Shinjuku Gyoen blooms ahead of everyone else. For three springs I have visited it to see and feel springtime in Tokyo. Today I'm lucky to bond and share the sakura with my 89 year old dad to whom I owe a lot for what I am.


2014

My Inquirer column today on Philippine textiles.http://opinion.inquirer.net/730...

My Inquirer column today on Philippine textiles.
http://opinion.inquirer.net/73009/death-blanket-in-the-living-room


Death blanket in the living room
opinion.inquirer.net
Browsing the dry goods section of the Baguio market for abel or Ilocano cotton blankets, I often eavesdrop on other shoppers.

My Inquirer column today on the Virgin of Ermita and the Portuguese claim to the...

My Inquirer column today on the Virgin of Ermita and the Portuguese claim to the Philippines.
http://opinion.inquirer.net/72964/the-philippines-under-portugal


The Philippines under Portugal?
opinion.inquirer.net
Contrary to popular belief, I frequent Ermita for antique shops and Solidaridad Bookstore, not for the sad remainder of a once-bustling red-light district that has since moved to the northern end of Makati Avenue. Manila’s red-light district used to be in an area between Ermita Church and Malate Chu...

I've been curious about the taste and effects of locally bottle invigorating Chi...

I've been curious about the taste and effects of locally bottle invigorating Chinese wine, but this wine label doesn't encourage me to try it. (Edward de los Santos Collection of Vintage wine and gin labels)


2014

On the left side of the altar in San Agustin church in Intramuros you will find...

On the left side of the altar in San Agustin church in Intramuros you will find the empty tomb of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, founder of Spanish Manila who died in 1572. When the British sacked Manila in the 18th century they opened the tomb and threw out Legazpi's remains.


2014

My Inquirer column today on old maps and out territorial dispute with China.htt...

My Inquirer column today on old maps and out territorial dispute with China.
http://opinion.inquirer.net/72808/from-panacot-to-panatag


From Panacot to Panatag
opinion.inquirer.net
Like most historians, I do research in libraries, archives, and museums but, believe it or not, sometimes I do research in antique shops.

My Inquirer column.http://opinion.inquirer.net/72748/che...

My Inquirer column.
http://opinion.inquirer.net/72748/chewing-buyo


Chewing ‘buyo’
opinion.inquirer.net
When you look at a painting by Pablo Picasso, what do you see first? Is it the picture itself or its multimillion-dollar price tag? When you look at Juan Luna’s “Spoliarium,” what do you see first? Do you see dead gladiators in a bloody scene from ancient Rome or Luna’s comment on the condition of t...

On their way back to Manila from Washington, the Philippine Independence mission...

On their way back to Manila from Washington, the Philippine Independence mission had a lay-over in Japan. Two future presidents of the Philippines, Manuel L. Quezon and Elpidio Quirino, were invited to the Maple Club in Tokyo to enjoy the company of geisha and probably a kaiseki meal.


2014

Malacañang Museum has a lot of interesting exhibits not just about the physical...

Malacañang Museum has a lot of interesting exhibits not just about the physical buildings in the compound but of Philippine Presidents and the Presidency. Here you will find the human side to our Presidents who have been fossilized by official portraits and textbook history. One of the iconoclastic photos in the Museum shows the portly Elpidio Quirino burning calories from stress and social eating in the Malacañang pool.


2014