MARGIENARY

I have written a lot (and complained a lot too) about the "Igorot stereotypes" that other Filipinos have about us Igorots. In my "MY IGOROTNESS" entry which you can read here I have cited personal experiences which happened mostly in Mindanao and one or two instances in Luzon with someone from down south. Being the argumentative wife that I am, I always manage to bring this matter up with my Zamboangeno husband but he must have gotten exasperated with me and so he told me, "Woman, why don't you think about and write about when you first told your family about me for a change?" I thought about it, and I grudgingly admit that it wasn't actually much different from my experience with his side of the tree. By the age of 19, I was fairly independent, although I have been independent (in a way) since age 10, and so I did not go through the process of having to introduce suitors to the family and let them have an opinion on who should I choose. N...

If you have noticed, my two previous entries were of a different genre. (Hanep sa genre!) Some found the tone funny, some might have found (and some did find) it a bit distrubing. To all of you who thought the entries were funny, you now have a concrete evidence that you were born sarcastic . To those who found it disturbing, I apologize (with a smile.) Earlier this week, I was in Baguio with other members of the organization of which I am also a member. One morning, our mentor shared a few devotional thoughts. We read from John 12:20-33. In verse 28, Jesus said: "Father, glorify your name.” He said this in the context of the impending agony that He's going to suffer. From the biggest to the littlest hardship that I ever went through, the first thing in my mind is, "Lord, please take the pain away, or Lord, please protect me, or Lord, please avenge me from that person who stepped on my rights!" I am always too fast to ask God to remove me from any unwanted ...

I just realized today that I hit the wrong button on that Bus Ride entry. The thing is I opened it one too many times to continue it and hit Save as Draft everytime but I must have Saved and Published it (of course, how else can it be there? :) the last time. Sorry to all of you folks who visited the page, I can see there were six people. You must be wondering where the rest was... well, the rest is still in my head... and it is still in Kalanguya. As I was sayin', I went to Manila last Monday, and oh boy, was it so hot. But before I was able to get there, I had to literally run in front of a coming bus (as in hinarang talaga) and beg the driver to take one more passenger. It is not that there were no buses but I have been waiting for close to two hours and probably 20 or more buses have come and gone. They just swished fast by me with their lights off, meaning they are full. It was a Sunday night and I am aware that it's usually a busy time for buses going in to the c...

Last Monday, I have had to go to the 'furnaceish' Manila to meet with VIPs :) who are and will be a big part of my academic life and ministry. I am one of those people who believes that the road lengthens during the day, but it shortens at night. When I travel on my own, I prefer to do it at night. A day trip takes forever and a night trip that usually takes 6 hours only takes an hour, (I think! ) That is my

For most people, the holy week is one of their most awaited holidays (probably second to Christmas) because they get to have their much needed sabbatical. Most went to enjoy the sun and the beach, but for us here in CFM, this past week was the most demanding. We have barely caught our breaths from the busyness of the past translation checking weeks and would have looked forward to a restful holy week, but no! Well, we did look forward to it, but for another reason--a big wedding in our midst. I'll let the newlyweds tell their story though, so I'll stop here. I'll just talk about myself and what happened at the wedding from the perspective of a 'runner.' Of course I am the runner. What do I mean by a runner? I'll give you an example: When the processional was about to begin, and of course the first to march were the candle sponsors, they found out that there was no candle to light. They ran to me as if I only needed to raise my magic wand and presto, candles woul...

For most people, the holy week is one of their most awaited holidays (probably second to Christmas) because they get to have their much needed sabbatical. Most went to enjoy the sun and the beach, but for us here in CFM, this past week was the most demanding. We have barely caught our breaths from the busyness of the past translation checking weeks and would have looked forward to a restful holy week, but no! Well, we did look forward to it, but for another reason--a big wedding in our midst. I'll let the newlyweds tell their story though, so I'll stop here. I'll just talk about myself and what happened at the wedding from the perspective of a 'runner.' Of course I am the runner. What do I mean by a runner? I'll give you an example: When the processional was about to begin, and of course the first to march were the candle sponsors, they found out that there was no candle to light. They ran to me as if I only needed to raise my magic wand and presto, ca...

I have read here that there was an ongoing summer sale in Lamut, Ifugao. That's just an hour (give or take a few minutes) down the road from where I live so I dragged my sister along and off we went. I was kind of expecting some elaborate booths, and a houseful of attractive displays but I did find elaborate displays minus the booths. Well, I'll let the pictures describe it all to you. I

CFM Bambang Nueva Vizcaya

Who doesn't like banana? I don't know of anybody. When I was a kid, we used to steal bananas from other people's farms. My friends and I would dig a hole on the ground, 2-5 ft in depth and 1.5 -2 ft in diameter (depending on how many bananas we stole) and bury our loot. After a few days, we'd come back and dig up the now bright yellow fruits. We eat some but we usually bring most of it to the farthest (in case somebody comes looking for his/her stolen banana) sari-sari store in the village and sell them, from 10 centavos-25 centavos a piece. There's not much one can do with bananas: Aside from eating them as is, we also have banana Q, chips, split, boiled (1 or varieties only), bread, as an ingredient to a nilagang baka, ginataan, etc. That's about all the usual way that bananas are done but here's two other ways. Four months ago or so, we had a young German visitor in the house. One lunch, my husband grilled a whole yellow fin tuna and while we w...

My sister and I just got back from Manila after we said goodbye to our UB & AJ at the Corinthian Gardens Clubhouse. (Well, they have a dentist appointment there and so the four of us took a taxi and after we dropped them off inside the 'village,' we continued on to the bus terminal in Cubao, in case you're wondering what on earth were Marj and Sara doing at the Corinthian Gardens...lol) PTL for YHWH's unending grace, that He enabled us to finish our consultant checking in 25 working days minus those times when UB was pulled by his other 'toys' (i.e. drill, hammer, electric wires, etc.) I mean when he had to do other tasks in the compound or in the house (UB, thanks for putting a wheel on that table), or instruct people what to do, or how to do the many repair jobs that are needed to be done; or Sarah had to go and chase the programmer who's working on the 'program' for her thesis or to attend her graduation rehearsal, or when Norman had to t...

Last Tuesday, I went with others to my sister's graduation at the Ammungan Hall inside the Nueva Vizcaya Capitol Compound. I was the one tasked to hold the camera and shoot as many poses as I can. Before we went there, someone asked me how much time it would take for the ceremony to be over and I gave it two hours, give or take a few minutes. The programme was suppose to start at 2:30PM and probably it did because when we got there at 3pm, the processional was over [and so my sister sat at the back row :(]. It's her fault though! It took her two hours to come out of the salon. (Well, in fairness, it was worth the tardiness. Her make-over came out very well. I specially liked the hair. That elegance deserves a walk in the red carpet.:) As I do when I attend graduation ceremonies, I look for something to busy myself with, be it my cellphone, my purse or my spectacles (Di ba? graduation ceremony is so boring if you are just an spectator?). This time I chose an idea in my he...