It’s like dating a crazy girl.

You know what I like most about living in the Philippines? It seems like you are always on the cusp of something. I typically wake up everyday saying, “What’s going to happen today?” Sure, you could say the same thing of life in the States, maybe. But I doubt it. Things in the Philippines seem [...]

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Where do you go during a State of Emergency?

McDonald’s, of course. The rallies started around 8AM or so. People were instructed to stay home from work or school. If they were already at work, like my Tita Feli, they were allowed to go home. We were on our way home when she was allowed to leave so we waited for her at the [...]

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Technical note.

My goal has been to publish a picture with every entry. I’m limited by the equipment available to me. I’ve been lucky in Malabon because (up until tonight) I’ve had the equipment I need. I went back and added photos to entries that were previously un-illustrated. I hope you enjoy.

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Things overlooked.

I know I have a tendency to romanticize things. It’s just my way. But I would be remiss if I didn’t make clear that there’s a lot of things that people experience on a daily basis that some people just couldn’t handle. I’m not going to go into details because I’m afraid people would have [...]

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Best radio stations in the world.

Before I get on my soapbox I’m going to say that people, as a whole, are an incredibly talented bunch. Now, that being said, I’m going to say that I LOVE the radio stations here. They play a mix of original Filipino contemporary pop stuff, American songs that I’ve never heard before, and Filipino covers [...]

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Farm life.

It’s interesting being a farmer which is what in effect I am when I’m in my dad’s hometown. I’m the owner’s son. When we go around the countryside, we stop at Dept of Natural Resources offices and we go to places that supply coconut trees and we ask for these trees by the HUNDREDS. I [...]

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Where’d my Tagalog go?

I used to be confident that I could translate any Tagalog conversation. Now that I’ve been IN the mix for a while now I think I’ve been overloaded. People say stuff to me and I honestly have no idea what they’re saying. It’s not complicated stuff. I think it’s just everyday [...]

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Happy anniversary, everyone.

Twenty years ago, Marcos’ administration ended. Sparked by the assasination of “Ninoy” Aquino, the popular political rival, the People Power Revolution began. Encouraged by the Catholic Church, Filipinos filled the streets and began a process that ultimately ended with Marcos and his family leaving the country for Hawaii.
I won’t go into details but one thing [...]

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So that’s how you do it.

I got pulled over for what the officer claimed to be an illegal u-turn. Whatever. Well, I lost my driver’s license on one of the family farms two weeks ago. Thankfully I carried my passport with me until my replacement arrives. I pulled it out and gave it to him. He laughed and said, “You [...]

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No more excuses.

Due to a combination of homesickness and culture shock I had tried to rationalize a way to go home to Chicago before March 30, my scheduled departure date. The only thing I could come up with is the opportunity to workout all day before I went back to work at the hospital. I could use [...]

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