Minimithi

Minimithi (Desiderata)
Salin ni Pete Lacaba (Mula sa orihinal ni Max Ehrmann, 1927)

Lumakad nang mahinahon
Sa gitna ng ingay at pagkukumahog, at alalahanin
Ang kapayapaang maaaring makuha sa katahimikan.

Walang isinusuko hanggat maaari,
Pakitunguhan nang mabuti ang lahat ng tao.

Sabihin ang iyong katotohanan nang tahimik at malinaw;
At makinig sa iba, kahit sa nakayayamot at mangmang;
Sila man ay may kasaysayan.

Iwasan ang mga taong mabunganga at palaaway,
Sila’y ikinaiinis ng kalooban.

Kung ihahambing mo ang sarili sa iba,
Baka yumabang ka o maghinanakit; sapagkat laging
May lilitaw na mas mahusay o mas mahina sa iyo.

Ikalugod ang iyong mga tagumpay at saka mga balak.

Manatiling interesado sa iyong hanapbuhay,
Gaano man kaaba; ito’y tunay na ari-arian
Sa pabago-bagong kapalaran ng panahon.

Maging maingat sa iyong negosyo;
Sapagkat ang daigdig ay puno ng panlilinlang.
Subalit huwag maging bulag sa kabutihang makikita.
Maraming nagsisikap na makamit ang mga adhikain; at sa
lahat ng dako,
Ang buhay ay puno ng kabayanihan.

Maging tapat sa sarili. Higit sa lahat, huwag
magkunwari.
Huwag ding libakin ang pag-ibig:
Sapagkat sa harap ng lahat ng kahungkagan at
kawalang-pag- asa,
Ito’y lagi’t laging sumisibol, tulad ng damo.

Tanggapin nang mabuti ang mga payo ng katandaan,
Buong-giliw na isuko ang mga bagay-bagay ng kabataan.

Pag-ibayuhin ang lakas ng loob,
Ito’y pananggalang laban sa biglaang kasawian.
Subalit huwag ikaligalig ang mga haka-haka.

Maraming pangamba ang likha ng pagod at pangungulila.

Bagamat kailangan ang sapat na disiplina,
Maging magiliw sa sarili.

Ikaw ay supling ng sanlibutan.
Katulad ng bituin,
May liwanag kang taglay.
At anupaman ang iyong gawin,
Itong sanlibutan ay narito
Sa paligid mo.

Kung gayon, pakisamahan ang Panginoon,
Anuman ang pananaw mo sa kanya.
At anuman ang iyong pinagkakaabalahan at minimithi,
Sa maingay na kalituhan ng buhay,
Pakisamahan ang iyong kaluluwa.

Sa kabila ng lahat ng pagkukunwari, kabagutan, at
gumuhong pangarap,
Maganda pa rin ang daigdig.

Mag-ingat. Sikaping lumigaya.


(Shared by Rhoda U. Viajar, friend on and off Facebook, 30 November 2017)

"The Wind-up Bird Chronicle"

Random number between 1 and 960, page 840 of 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die has a full page photo of Haruki Murakami to accompany article on The Wind-up Bird Chronicle #goliwaliwph #november2018 #pages pic.twitter.com/S1Urpdx47X

— glenncruz (@glenncruz) November 20, 2018

Random number between 1 and 960, page 840 of 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die by Peter Boxall, general editor, published by Cassell Illustrated in Great Britain, has a full page photo of Haruki Murakami to accompany an article on The Wind-up Bird Chronicle, which according to its contributor, Tom Jones of the London Review of Books, is the author's "heftiest novel." The original Japanese novel was released in three parts.

The caption reads: "Murakami's Japan is the everyday contemporary urban world, but strangely penetrated by mysteries and historical reflections." The Wind-up Bird Chronicle is narrated in the first person, the male of a couple, who was recently unemployed, and who one day was tasked to look for their missing cat. Then things got stranger and stranger. Somewhere along the story, he learned of an old soldier's experiences in the Kwantung Army.

The month of November is declared “Library and Information Services Month” per Presidential Proclamation No. 837 signed on November 19, 1991 by former President Corazon C. Aquino. In liwaliw Pages, pre-selected titles from my home library are those found classified under the 000 class of the Dewey Decimal System, or under computer science, information and general works.

This month in liwaliw Pages, titles pre-selected from my home library are those under the 000 class of the Dewey Decimal System, or under computer science, information and general works. Check the title out on my Library Thing.

Portrait of Oscar Wilde

Spotted: Idea after "Art Pics Channel" on Twitter, after Google Images and Pinterest search, 22 November 2018

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, or Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec-Monfa, born 24 November 1864, was one of the prominent painters of Post-Impressionism then and now. His "Portrait of Oscar Wilde" was drawn when the artist visited London and befriended one of the city's most popular poets and playwrights, who was then about to face trial for gross indecency. The Guardian reported: "Wilde, who knew he was facing ruin... was too nervous to sit. Toulouse-Lautrec went back to his hotel room and drew from memory the haggard anxiety and premature ageing of a man still only 41." This news story on 10 November 2000 was about the opening of an exhibition at the British Library marking the centenary of Wilde's death.

At age 36, Toulouse-Lautrec died from complications of alcoholism and syphilis. At age 46, Wilde, who moved to Paris after serving his sentence, died on 30 November 1900; he allegedly wasted his meager finances to alcohol, and syphilis was also suspected (but later disputed). Sir Jacob Epstein, KBE, who was born on 10 November 1880, designed Wilde's tomb at Père Lachaise Cemetery. The tomb was once condemned as indecent and was covered up from public view.

"Where's Spot?"

Random number between 1 and 960, page 42 of 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Die features Where's Spot? by Eric Hill, title suitable for kids aged 0-3 years #goliwaliwph #november2018 #pages pic.twitter.com/JZF08ZcAXh

— glenncruz (@glenncruz) November 20, 2018

The month of November is declared “Library and Information Services Month” per Presidential Proclamation No. 837 signed on November 19, 1991 by former President Corazon C. Aquino. In liwaliw Pages, pre-selected titles from my home library are those found classified under the 000 class of the Dewey Decimal System, or under computer science, information and general works.

Random number between 1 and 960, page 42 of 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up features Where's Spot? by Eric Hill, title suitable for kids aged 0-3 years. The book is a compilation by Julia Eccleshare, and published in the United Kingdom by Universal/Rizzoli International in 2009. Check this title out on my Library Thing.

The United Nations also celebrates Universal Children's Day every 20 November. The UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of Rights of the Child on 20 November 1959, then on this same day in 1989, the Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Temptation of Saint Anthony

Spotted: Idea after "Today is Art Day" on Twitter, after Google Image Search, 19 November 2018

James Ensor -- James Sidney Edouard, Baron Ensor -- was a Belgian painter and print-maker who influenced the expressionist and surrealist movements in modern art. He rarely traveled, kept mostly to his studio in the attic of his parents' house, lived and died (on 19 November 1949) in his native Ostend.  He was associated with the group Les XX, or Les Vingt.

"Temptation of Saint Anthony" was Ensor's monumental drawing composed of 51 sheets of paper tiled almost six feet tall. It was the centerpiece of an exhibition by the Art Institute of Chicago, Temptation: The Demons of James Ensor, which opened on 23 November 2014.

The Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp also established the Ensor Research Project, which last 20 November 2015, held the symposium Ensor's Creative Process: Technique, Concept, Image in collaboration with the University of Antwerp.

Marcel Proust on His Deathbed

Spotted: Idea after "Today is Art Day" on Twitter, after Google Image Search, 19 November 2018

"Marcel Proust on His Deathbed" is a memento mori taken by Man Ray two days after the French author's death, or on 20 November 1922. According to the J. Paul Getty Museum that has this gelatin silver print, "Marcel Proust spent the last night of his life dictating manuscript changes for a section of his famous novel Remembrance of Things Past" (title currently translated to In Search of Lost Time).

Best known for his photography (such as his "rayographs"), he was born Emmanuel Radnitzky in 1890 and passed away on 18 November 1976. A curator from the Jewish Museum in New York suggested that he could likely be the first Jewish avant-garde artist. He had a niece, Naomi Savage, another prominent American photographer, whose experiments in photography was the uncle's influence. Savage passed away 22 November 2005.

"I do not photograph nature. I photograph my visions," Man Ray was once quoted. At the International Center of Photography in New York, the exhibition "Man Ray: Photography and Its Double" was held from 18 November 1998 to 24 January 1999. The Man Ray Trust (which owns all copyrights, reproduction rights, intellectual and moral rights for the artist's creations from 1910 to 1976) notes on this exhibition:

Man Ray, who liked to present the image of himself as a dilettante, let us believe that his photographs were the result of chance. This presentation of his work proves that they were rather the product of careful reflection and diligent labor.

Saint Longinus

Spotted: "Michael Scarano" on Pinterest, after Google Image Search, 18 November 2018

"Saint Longinus" an over-four-meters high marble sculpture inside Saint Peter's Basilica in Vatican City is by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the leading sculptor and architect of the Baroque era in 15th century Italy, born in 1598 and died on 28 November 1680. In Christian mythology, Longinus is the name of the Roman soldier who pierced the crucified Christ's side with a lance, created the last of the Five Holy Wounds.

Longinus is venerated a saint in the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Churches, including the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, which holds 14 November as the saint's feast day. The Church's Patriarch of Alexandria on the Holy See of Saint Mark is Tawadros, the 118th Coptic Pope, who was elected on 04 November 2012 after Pope Shenouda III died on March of that year.

Artista ng Bayan: "Stop censoring mass media"

Indeed @dissentisgood , this reminds us of Voltes V. Statement from @artistangbayan here: https://t.co/jcinn4rKOG pic.twitter.com/1n0NrMllch

— glenncruz (@glenncruz) November 17, 2018

[Statement from Concerned Artists of the Philippines]

PNP, DILG have no right to meddle in Ang Probinsyano: 
Stop censoring mass media, attacking freedom of expression!

We from the Concerned Artists of the Philippines (CAP) condemn the remarks of Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año and Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Oscar Albayalde on the portrayal of the Philippine police in the primetime action drama series Ang Probinsyano, which currently explores the fictional plot of Presidential destabilization attempts in connivance in police forces.

Año has suggested that legal action should be taken if the series refuses to change its story and continues to supposedly portray the PNP in a negative and “demoralizing” light while Abayalde is seeking action from the Movie Television Review and Classification Board (MTCRB) and the producers.

Attack on freedom of expression, laying the grounds for crony media

These PNP and DILG officials have no right to meddle in the content and direction of mass media and other cultural productions. They should stick to cleaning up their own ranks of real-life destabilizers, human rights violators, and other shady suspect characters if they really want to project an image of credibility to the Filipino people.

We express our grave concern over such statements of Año and Albayalde because, first, these are attacks on freedom of expression. Their attempts to intervene and dictate the narrative in favor of the PNP are tantamount to censorship and suppression of creative freedom. This conveys a chilling message to all TV producers, writers, and directors: do not criticize us or cast us in an unflattering light, or risk retaliation in various means.

In September 2018, filmmakers and other initiators of film screenings on Martial Law and human rights were similarly accused by the AFP of fanning destabilization attempts. Their outrageous scenario of a “Red October” fizzled out; their bid to extend its narrative to December and beyond is laughable at best. The statements by Año and Albayalde, however, indicate that the DILG, AFP, and PNP are now targetting not only film but also television productions.

In the case of Ang Probinsyano, its main character and protagonist, Cardo (Coco Martin), is cast as a good cop who champions the service and patriotism of the police force and fights the bad cops, contradicting their very claims. Why are Año and Albayalde then so concerned over the latter’s representation? Is it because this is the more accurate mirror of the truth?

The real-life conditions which lead to unrest over the Duterte government—such as rising economic hardship, political repression, and contempt for the people’s rights—must be addressed on the ground and not through simply asking scripts and plot arcs to be changed.

We are worried over how the nonstop assaults of the Duterte administration against freedom of expression are laying the grounds for the establishment of a crony media, similar to the days under the fascist Marcos dictatorship. Remember that Pres. Duterte and his minions have already initiated various moves against mass media institutions critical of the administration’s policies and actions, such as the threat of non-renewal for media franchises and banning of certain outlets from official coverage.

Sec. Ano’s record of rights transgressions: from the military to the DILG

Secondly, the DILG Secretary is certainly in no position to be calling out creatives and media to revise productions that will essentially whitewash the PNP and AFP’s real historical record of human rights violations.

It was under Año’s watch where several high-profile violations happened. He was the head of the AFP’s Intelligence Security Group operating with the 56th Infantry Battalion (IB) during the abduction and enforced disappearance of activist Jonas Burgos on April 28, 2007 in Quezon City, which was later traced to the 56th IB in Bulacan.

Burgos is the son of the late journalist and press freedom icon Jose Burgos Jr. He remains missing until today. In 2011, His mother, Edith Burgos, filed criminal cases against Año, Col. Melquiades Feliciano and Maj. Harry Baliaga Jr. Despite these, Año was promoted to chief of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) from 2012 to 2014.

It was during his stint as commander of the 10th Infantry Division (ID) in 2015 when the Paquibato massacre happened in Davao City: where three lumad leaders were killed for being suspected as rebels by the 69th IB which was then under the oversight of the 10th ID.

In late 2016, Año was appointed by Pres. Duterte as the new AFP Chief of Staff and later on as the officer-in-charge and undersecretary to the DILG. He is currently among the former military and police officials appointed to key cabinet posts, heading institutions such as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Land Transportation Office, Philippine Sweepstakes and Charity Office, National Food Authority, National Irrigation Administration, National Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Commision, and the Bureau of Customs.

Now that he is in the civilian bureaucracy as head of the DILG, Año continues to rack up a record of impunity and threat to human rights which resonates with his bloody human rights record and reputation as a military official. But no amount of censorship and whitewashing can cover up the stink of misdeeds and abominable actions of the past.

We laud and encourage other fellow artists and cultural workers to continue calling out these attacks on freedom of expression, the suppression of truth, and human rights violations. Let us continue uniting and strengthening our ranks against a renewed wave of assaults. ###


#StopTheAttacks #DefendPeoplesRights

Entombment of Saint Catherine of Alexandria

Spotted: Pinned into own Pinterest, after Google Image search, 17 November 2018

The Entombment of Saint Catherine of Alexandria is by Francisco de Zurbarán, who is sometimes referred as the Spanish Caravaggio, born in 1598 and baptized on 07 November of the same year. Exhibited at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri, part of the work's gallery label reads:

Saint Catherine was a 4th-century princess of Alexandria who vowed to devote her life to God and was martyred for refusing to marry the Emperor Maxentius. After torture by fire, she was condemned to death on a spiked wheel, shown in the painting's right foreground. When Catherine touched the wheel, it miraculously fell apart, and so she was beheaded. Zurbarán depicts the deceased saint being lifted by angels who will transport her to the top of Mount Sinai, her burial place.

Saint Catherine's feast day is celebrated every 25 November in the Roman Catholic Church. Her major shrine, Saint Catherine's Monastery, or officially the Sacred Monastery of the God-Trodden Mount Sinai, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Saint Catherine's Foundation based in the United Kingdom was founded on 02 November 2007 to aid the conservation of the Monastery's architectural structures, paintings and books.

Quotable Book Lover

Random number between 1 and 241, page 138 of the Quotable Book Lover are three quotes on literacy: by Jerome Bruner, J.D. Salinger, and Mortimer J. Adler. #goliwaliwph #november2018 #pages pic.twitter.com/g0ltLNX3q6

— glenncruz (@glenncruz) November 20, 2018

Random number between 1 and 241, page 138 of the Quotable Book Lover by Ben Jacobs and Helena Hjalmarsson, editors, are three quotes on literacy by Jerome Bruner, J.D. Salinger, and Mortimer J. Adler. This book's chapter on literacy, pages 129 to 140, also included quotes from 11 other authors.

Sometime in November 2013, text of previously unpublished works by J.D. Salinger was rumored uploaded on internet file sharing sites. The upload included "The Ocean Full of Bowling Balls," reportedly the prequel for Catcher in the Rye.

The month of November is “Library and Information Services (LIS) Month” per Presidential Proclamation No. 837 signed on November 19, 1991 by former President Corazon C. Aquino.

This month in liwaliw Pages, titles pre-selected from my home library are those found under the 000 class of the Dewey Decimal System, or under computer science, information and general works. Check out this title on my Library Thing.


[This post is antedated: 20181122]

Let's Stay Together

"Let's Stay Together" is an Al Green original covered by Tina Turner, released as a single on 07 November 1983, and included in her album Private Dancer. The original single was released in November 1971, and was part of Green's same-titled album released two months later.

Let me be the one you come running to
I'll never be untrue
Oh baby, let's stay together
Lovin' you whether, whether
Times are good or bad, happy or sad

Ms. Turner was born Anna Mae Bullock on 26 November 1939. Her cover of Let's Stay Together marked her comeback in the music scene as a solo artist. In the United Kingdom's music charts, this song was her third time to land in the top ten, but her first as a solo artist.

Super Trouper

"Super Trouper" is title track of the seventh studio album of ABBA; both single and album were released on 03 November 1980. Only the "Winner Takes It All" came out earlier than the album. Another single from the album, "Lay All Your Love on Me" came out after Super Trouper.

Facing twenty thousand of your friends
How can anyone be so lonely
Part of a success that never ends
Still I'm thinking about you only

ABBA, one of the most commercially successful pop groups of all time, is also one of the all-time favorites of my sister Gemma whose celebrates her birthday this month. The group's name is an acronym of the first letters of the first names of the members -- Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The Super Trouper song was composed by members Ulvaeus and Andersson, and the lead vocal was Lyngstad, who was born on 15 November 1945. As a performing group, the members first came together as "Festfolket," a stage act launched in 01 November 1970 in Gothenburg in their home country Sweden.

I'll Be There

On the month and year of my sister Gemma's birthday, Billboard Hot 100's number one was "I'll Be There" by the Jackson Five, also called the Jacksons, the family music group that was one of the first African-American groups to attain crossover following, others being the Supremes, the Four Tops and the Temptations. Members include Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael. The Jacksons had four consecutive number one hits on the Billboard Hot 100, this one, "I Want You Back", "ABC" and "The Love You Save".

Let me fill your heart with joy and laughter
Togetherness, well that's all I'm after
Whenever you need me, I'll be there

I'll Be There was written by Berry Gordy, Hal Davis, Bob West and Willie Hutch, and was recorded in and released by Motown Records. Berry Gordy III, born 28 November 28, 1929, was the founder of the record label. Harold Edward "Hal" Davis, who died on 18 November 18, 1998 was a songwriter and producer for Motown for nearly 30 years.

Literary Hoaxes

Random number between 1 and 328, page 307 of Literary Hoaxes, in the middle of one of the most profitable hoaxes, Naked Came the Stranger, Penelope Ashe fictitious author #goliwaliwph #november2018 #pages pic.twitter.com/wRfvk8CDPp

— glenncruz (@glenncruz) November 20, 2018

Random number between 1 and 328, page 307 of Literary Hoaxes: An Eye-Opening History of Famous Frauds by Melissa Katsoulis is in the middle of the story of one of the most profitable hoaxes aimed at the "literary mainstream," launched by 1960s newspaper columnist Mike McGrady and 25 other accomplices: Naked Came the Stranger, a chapter-by-chapter revenge sex of a wife wronged by a philandering husband, deliberately badly written, by a fictitious author Penelope Ashe. It was a success as a prank, and the work became a bestseller; the "intellectual pranksters" eventually confessed publicly. And that just fueled in more sell:

As predicted, sales began to soar, the hoaxing aspect lending Naked an even more cultish identity -- and, no doubt, enabling high-minded litterateurs and armchair critics legitimately to go out and buy a trashy book with a naked lady on the cover in the name of current affairs.... In the years that followed, it was translated into all the languages a 1970s porn-watcher might expect: Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, Italian, Spanish and French.

The month of November is “Library and Information Services (LIS) Month” per Presidential Proclamation No. 837 signed on November 19, 1991 by former President Corazon C. Aquino.

This month in liwaliw Pages, titles pre-selected from my home library are those found under the 000 class of the Dewey Decimal System, or under computer science, information and general works. Check this title out on my Library Thing.


[This post is antedated: 20181122]

I'm Kissing You

"I'm Kissing You" (also, "Kissing You") is co-written and performed by British R&B recording artist Des'ree, born Desiree Annette Weeks on 30 November 1968. The song is included in the artist's album Supernatural, and as theme song, in the original soundtrack album of Romeo + Juliet, or title in full, William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

Pride can stand a thousand trials
The strong will never fall
But watching stars without you, my soul cried
Heaving heart is full of pain
Oh, oh, the aching! 

Romeo + Juliet, while it retained the Shakespearean dialogue, its setting was modernized to an American urban landscape held hostage by warring gangster families of Montague and Capulet. It was released in the United States on 01 November 1996, and was a commercial success, grossing over nine times its 14.5 million US dollar budget. It starred future Oscar winning actor, then 22-year-old Leonardo Di Caprio in the role of Romeo; born Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio on 11 November 1974.

Kapalaran

(Dateline: 03 November 2018, Magsaysay Avenue, Baguio City)

Remembering Rico J. Puno, who passed away in the early morning of 30 October 2018 at the age of 65. Born in 1953, Enrico de Jesus Puno, or "Rico J." was one of the pioneers of Original Pilipino Music, started as a singer in folk houses and nightclubs in the early seventies, and began a recording music career after he got the attention of producers when he shared the stage impromptu with the Temptations. He started a pop trend of incorporating Tagalog lyrics in his versions of English language songs,  most popular of which was "The Way We Were" with lines such as "Namamasyal pa sa Luneta na walang pera."

O bakit kaya
May ligaya't lumbay
Sa pag-ibig
May bigo't tagumpay
'Di malaman, 'di maisip
Kung anong kapalaran
Sa akin ay naghihintay

Rico J.'s iconic hit "Kapalaran" is eloquent of the Filipinos' lamentation of Fate. Us Filipinos deride ourselves for our brand of fatalism, the "Bahala Na" attitude, as Filipiknow explains:

[T]he attitude can also promote a sense of helplessness and resignation of one’s fate at the local level, and a countrywide lack of empathy and collective action on the national level. This is also the reason why we tend to have amnesia over past wrongdoings committed by our leaders.

(Puno also engaged in local politics. When he died, he was setting up for his re-election bid in the City Council of Makati.)

Let's take some time to reflect. The month of November is also Filipino Values Month per Proclamation No. 479 series of 1994.


REFERENCE: Galang, Rosalinda, "Puno, Rico J. (Enrico De Jesus Puno)," CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine Art, Volume VI, Philippine Music (Manila: Cultural Center of the Philippines, 1994), pages 355 and 356.

Never Ever

(Dateline: 01 November 2018, Casa Abadilla, Kawit, Cavite)

Made a dated joke on Facebook, greeted "Happy All Saints Day" on my wall with a link to this hit song from the all-female group that came out in the nineties. And being dated, no one appeared to get the joke. Or the ones who would were vacationing/staycationing away from Facebook. Or sadly worse, were no longer of this realm (pause).

Never ever have I ever felt so low
When you gonna take me out of this black hole?
Never ever have I ever felt so sad
The way I'm feeling yeah, you got me feeling really bad 

Never ever have I had to find
I've had to dig away to find my own peace of mind
I've never ever had my conscience to fight
The way I'm feeling, yeah, I just don't feel right

"Never Ever" is All Saints' breakout hit that once flooded the mainstream and international airwaves, released as a single in 10 November 1997. The group's self-titled album that contained it came out weeks later, 24 November. All Saints got its big break in November of the previous year when the recording deal for the album was sealed. Then on November 1998, All Saints was awarded Best New Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards held in Milan, Italy, where Never Ever was also nominated for Best Song.


[This post is antedated: 20181118]

October 31 is Wednesday

View this post on Instagram

Get your spook on!

A post shared by Doggo (@doggoisofficial) on Oct 25, 2018 at 7:54am PDT

Dateline: 01 November 2018, Pasay City

(Warning: All the Halloween delight starts and ends with the above Instagram embed.) 

I would have wanted a fun Halloween post, but it was an ordinary Wednesday for me, only slightly less ordinary when work was called off at three in the afternoon. Still bills to pay, detergents and whatnot to buy... ooh, and Book Sale. Missed out on a family visit to the memorial park on the eve of All Saints Day, but spent time with them first November, an uncle's birthday celebration at Casa Abadilla in Kawit, Cavite. Then the parents squeezed in a quickie vacation in Baguio... off we go, Saturday, two nights for them, and one for me (because: Monday).

Then, some shameless plugging...