Ambeth R. Ocampo's Blog, page 190

My Inquirer column today.http://opinion.inquirer.net/64285/jap......

My Inquirer column today.
http://opinion.inquirer.net/64285/japanese-in-manila-in-1618


Japanese in Manila in 1618
opinion.inquirer.net
Last Sunday I participated in a congress at the Instituto Cervantes in Tokyo to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Keicho mission headed by Hasekura Tsunenaga that travelled from Japan in 1613 to Mexico, Spain and the Vatican in a vain attempt to establish direct commercial relations. The Phil...

Filosofo Tasio by Juan Luna. It is not well-known that Paciano Rizal translated...

Filosofo Tasio by Juan Luna. It is not well-known that Paciano Rizal translated the Noli me tangere from the original Spanish to Tagalog and his work was edited by Rizal. This would have been the definitive translation but unfortunately the manuscript has been lost and I hope it will surface one day. Also lost were illustrations Juan Luna made for the Tagalog-version of the Noli that are believed to have been destroyed during the Battle for Manila in 1945. Note that Luna signed the work "JB" using "bulan" the Ilocano word for "moon" which is "luna" in Spanish.

My Inquirer column today--title is self explanatory.http://opinion.inquirer.net...

My Inquirer column today--title is self explanatory.
http://opinion.inquirer.net/64003/angry-birds


‘Angry Birds’
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Ornithologists who take “Noli Me Tangere” as a diversion during long hours of stalking and watching birds can surely tell us what kind of “swallows” Filosofo Tasio considered his annual guests from China and Japan.

These are the migratory birds spotted in Diliman by the multi-awarded writer Eug...

These are the migratory birds spotted in Diliman by the multi-awarded writer Eugene Evasco, his photo inspired my last column Boom Tarat Tarat,
w.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1015163...


Eugene Evasco's Photos
Narito na naman sa Diliman ang mga ibong dayuhan. — at University of the Philippines, Diliman.

My Inquirer column today should've been entitled: Taratitat ng taratitat parang...

My Inquirer column today should've been entitled: Taratitat ng taratitat parang tarat!
http://opinion.inquirer.net/63885/boom-tarat-tarat


Boom tarat tarat!
opinion.inquirer.net
Of the many Facebook posts I scrolled through recently, one that sticks out is a photo of three migratory birds spotted somewhere on the University of the Philippines Diliman campus. From childhood I remember seeing these white birds from the NLEx viaduct that passes over Candaba Swamp, a wide expan...

Legazpi airport may not be the most modern in the country, but when you step out...

Legazpi airport may not be the most modern in the country, but when you step out of the plane and she of the almost perfect cone is in a good mood she will show herself and give you a visual experience like no other. Snow-capped Fuji-san is different as adobo is to sushi. Mayon never fails to make my day. Next time I will do a selfie and post this in my Near-famous folder.

Emilio Aguinaldo's Kawit home in the early 1900's had, what seems to be, a small...

Emilio Aguinaldo's Kawit home in the early 1900's had, what seems to be, a small tienda or sari-sari store by the gate. You will also notice that the iconic "Independence Balcony" was not yet there. Thus, the declaration of Philippine Independence from Spain and the waving of the flag on June 12, 1898 was made from that large window on the right.

My Inquirer column today on Bohol and the Blood compact.http://opinion.inquirer...

My Inquirer column today on Bohol and the Blood compact.
http://opinion.inquirer.net/63541/bohol-and-the-blood-compact


Bohol and the blood compact
opinion.inquirer.net
Tuesdays and Thursdays are toxic for me because these are the days I teach courses on the Philippines in Sophia University, Tokyo. To complicate matters, these are the days I beat the deadline for my Inquirer columns. Last Tuesday after Philippine history class, a Japanese student came up and asked…

This is the 18th century Bell and lookout tower built separate from Dauis Church...

This is the 18th century Bell and lookout tower built separate from Dauis Church in Bohol. I hope this didnt tumble down too during the earthquake. In my last post many people share my loss for these heritage treasures but it only goes to show that we often give these pieces of history a second look when they are gone. Nature decided to renew the face of the earth and there is nothing humanly possible we can do to stop it.

My Inquirer column today on the rituals of eating.http://opinion.inquirer.net/6...

My Inquirer column today on the rituals of eating.
http://opinion.inquirer.net/63433/how-to-eat-balut


How to eat ‘balut’
opinion.inquirer.net
“Taiyaki” is a Japanese snack related to our hopia or mongo roll. It is a small cake in the form of a fish filled with sweet, dark mongo. Taking the first bite of a taiyaki depends on gender: Men start at the head of the fish, women start at the tail.