Ambeth R. Ocampo's Blog, page 209

My Inquirer column today.http://opinion.inquirer.net/47707/luh...

My Inquirer column today.
http://opinion.inquirer.net/47707/luha-ng-buwaya


‘Luha ng buwaya’
opinion.inquirer.net
Crocodiles were believed to cry, thus luring their sympathetic (and stupid) victims to their end. Crocodiles were believed to shed tears as they devoured their victims, thus making “crocodile tears” a figure of speech that describes insincere remorse or sympathy. Shakespeare refers to crocodile tear...

Mention of the plan of then DepED Secretary Raul Roco to get me to write a new h...

Mention of the plan of then DepED Secretary Raul Roco to get me to write a new history textbook.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/364899/lawmakers-slam-ongpin-for-historical-revisionism


Lawmakers slam Ongpin for historical revisionism
newsinfo.inquirer.net
Lawmakers on Monday slammed former Trade Minister Roberto V. Ongpin for his purported attempt to rewrite Philippine history and paint the dictator Ferdinand Marcos, his family and his cronies in a better light.

Bombero is the Filipino term for firemen, this is the plot reserved for them in...

Bombero is the Filipino term for firemen, this is the plot reserved for them in the Manila North Cemetery with a wonderful statue of a fireman dedicated to their memory in the early 1900's. It is one of my favorite spots in the Cementerio del Norte.

Last time I was in Bangkok I was invited to tea with a "classmate" from London--...

Last time I was in Bangkok I was invited to tea with a "classmate" from London--HRH Crown Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn who visited Chulalongkorn University. I presented her with copies of my books and was reminded by the kneeling aides that I should not hand anything directly to her rather it should be placed on a presentation tray. Despite my importtant acquaintances I definitely have no future in the diplomatic service.

My Inquirer column today.http://opinion.inquirer.net/47367/an-......

My Inquirer column today.
http://opinion.inquirer.net/47367/an-edible-cure-for-homesickness


An edible cure for homesickness
opinion.inquirer.net
Expatriate Filipinos today are less homesick than the generation of Jose Rizal in the late 19th century because technology has made communication easier. In his day Rizal communicated mainly by mail, often writing many letters at a time to be sent on a monthly steamer from Europe to the Philippines....

Food blogger Margaux Salcedo was my house guest in Tokyo recently here is her re...

Food blogger Margaux Salcedo was my house guest in Tokyo recently here is her report in the Inquirer;
http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/90801/the-best-tokyo-foodie-places-according-to-ambeth-ocampo


The best Tokyo foodie places, according to Ambeth Ocampo
lifestyle.inquirer.net
Oh, Tokyo. You have earned my lifelong reverence. Your warm welcome (and toilet bowl seats); your culture of respect for labor and laborers; your intricate attention to detail from subway murals to sushi. You are a most beautiful balance of yin and yang, hot and cold, timeless beauty and radical cre...

My Inquirer column today.http://opinion.inquirer.net/47253/ear......

My Inquirer column today.
http://opinion.inquirer.net/47253/early-filipino-popes-resisted-colonial-rule


Early Filipino ‘popes’ resisted colonial rule
opinion.inquirer.net
When Benedict XVI left his pallium on the glass casket that contained the remains of Celestine V four years ago, he was paying homage to a saint who resigned after five months as pope in 1294 and spent the remainder of his life praying, reading, and binding books.

This 19th century studio photograph of a gobernadorcillo gives us an idea of wha...

This 19th century studio photograph of a gobernadorcillo gives us an idea of what Kapitan Tiago in the Noli me tangere was dressed like.

In a few hours wintry Tokyo will be a memory and I will be back in Chulalongkorn...

In a few hours wintry Tokyo will be a memory and I will be back in Chulalongkorn Univeristy, Bangkok that I consider a home away from home. Warm weather, phad thai, and foot massage every day!


Travel

Found this in an Ermita junk shop, the seller didn't know who Julian Felipe was...

Found this in an Ermita junk shop, the seller didn't know who Julian Felipe was and asked why I was wasting money on a stranger's old cedula. Had he known Felipe composed our national anthem the price would have shot up the roof. Luck is only part of my hunt, knowing what to get is the real secret.


Autographs