A kundiman for the 124th Philippine Independence Day

Mabuhay, Pilipinas!

Today marks the Philippine's 124th Independence Day. In celebration of this historic day, I wanted to share with everyone one of my favorite kundiman songs. A kundiman is a genre of traditional Filipino love song that has a soothing, gentle melody and was oft used by gentlemen during harana (a traditional courtship practice where a besotted gentleman would, under their fair beloved's window, perform a moonlight serenade).

"Bayan Ko" or My Country is one of the most famous and recognizable patriotic songs in the Philippines. It is a kundiman, but instead of singing about romance, it speaks of love for our motherland and sadness for being occupied by foreign invaders. It was originally written in Spanish by revolutionary José Alejandrino and decades later translated into Tagalog (a.k.a. Filipino) by poet José Corazón de Jesús and paired with music by Constancio de Guzman.

I've attached below transcriptions of the original Spanish lyrics, the Tagalog and English translations, and videos of the kundiman sung in Spanish and Filipino.

Nuestra Patria
Nuestra Patria Filipina,
cuya tierra es de oro y púrpura.
Tantos tesoros guarda en su lar
que tientan al hurtador.
Y es por eso que el anglosajón,
con vil traición la subyuga;
Patria mía en prisión,
sacúdete del traidor.
Aún el ave libre en su volar,
llora cuando en la jaula está,
cuanto más nuestra Patria de amor
al verse sin paz ni dignidad.
Filipinas de mi corazón,
tus hijos jamás permitirán
que así te robe
tu bienestar y libertad.

English translation of the original Spanish text by Arsenio Lizaso, president of the Cultural Center of the Philippines:

Our Homeland
Our Philippine Homeland,
whose land is of gold and purple.
So many treasures hidden under,
that tempted the thief.
And that is why the Anglo-Saxon,
with vile treachery is subjugating it;
My Homeland in prison,
free yourself from the traitor. Even the free bird in its flight,
Cries when it is in the cage,
How much more our beloved Homeland,
To be without peace nor dignity.
Philippines of my heart,
Your children will never allow
That you be robbed just like that,
Of your well-being and your liberty.
Bayan Ko
lupain ng ginto’t bulaklak.
Pag-ibig ang sa kaniyáng palad,
nag-alay ng ganda’t dilág.
At sa kaniyáng yumi at ganda,
dayuhan ay nahalina.
Bayan ko, binihag ka,
nasadlak sa dusa.

Below is the well-known "mistranslation" of the original Spanish. If you look at the Spanish text and its English translation, there were some parts that were altered completely, e.g. the reference to Anglo-Saxons is replaced by a generic dayuhan (foreigner) in the Tagalog version by José Corazón de Jesús. The alterations do not diminish the beauty of the song and I actually prefer it. It's more universal and is applicable to all foreign powers who ever eyed the Philippines.

  Bayan Ko

Ang bayan kong Pilipinas,
lupain ng ginto’t bulaklak. Pag-ibig ang sa kaniyáng palad nag-alay ng ganda’t dilág. At sa kaniyáng yumi at ganda, dayuhan ay nahalina. Bayan ko, binihag ka, nasadlak sa dusa. Ibon mang may layang lumipad,
kulungin mo at umiiyak!
Bayan pa kayáng sakdal-dilag,
ang ‘di magnasang makaalpas?
Pilipinas kong minumutya,
pugad ng luhá ko’t dalita,
aking adhika:
makita kang sakdal laya!

This is a more modern rendition of the song. I picked this because I've always loved Lea Salonga's voice and her singing conveys such emotion and grace and is technically brilliant.

p.s.

Some relevant reading:

https://www.philstar.com/opinion/2014/06/01/1329687/small-correction-reveals-important-detail

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayan_Ko#cite_note-philstar-11 (Yes, yes, I know its Wikipedia., but it's short and sweet and has all the relevant translated texts and history of the song.)

p.p.s.

If you search for it on YouTube, you'll find renditions of Bayan Ko in English. Those, however, do not speak to me so I chose not add them to the post.

Today was a good day.

My driving lessons went okay. Not great, but I've improved a lot since my previous lessons. I progressed to driving uphill and downhill. During my drive, I saw a lot of gorgeous trees, flowers, and an old abandoned building with the most beautiful ivy-covered wall.

Then I went to the mall and engaged in some much needed retail therapy. I did a lot of walking. I am tired but it's the good kind of tired.

I'm also very happy that the Persian restaurant I've been meaning to try forever but never got round to trying until today served fantastic food. I left that restaurant stuffed.

Chicken tanoori and basmati rice. It's sweet and a little spicy. 10/10 would order again.

Date cake. Very decadent. I would order this again but for sharing with a friend. I'd ask they serve it as is, no need for the sweet whipped cream and sprinkles. The cake would go great with black coffee.

My Skechers clerkship shoes ❤️.  They're stained and on the gnarly side now, but they're still the most comfortable walking shoes I have.

Today was a good day. 😊

Fountain Pen Collection Update!

From left to right:
Hongdian 920 Rose Gold <EF> inked with LAMY Purple
LAMY Al-Star Purple <F> inked with LAMY Green
TWSBI Eco-T Mint <1.1> inked with Diamine Sargasso Sea
TWSBI Eco White <F> inked with Pilot Namiki Black
Platinum Preppy <0.3> inked with Platinum Pink
Platinum Preppy <0.3> inked with Platinum Blue
Penton Pen <F> inked with Diamine Syrah
Pilot Kakuno Clear Demonstrator <EF> inked with Pilot Namiki Red
Pilot Kakuno Clear Demonstrator <F> inked with Kaweco Caramel Brown

Thucydides feat. My Ink-Stained Fingers

This quirky notepad was in a box collecting dust. I thought it would be perfect for quotes and idioms. so here's the very first entry by Thucydides, a Greek historian and general. I first heard this quote on the Season 51 finale of University Challenge. (UC is an excellent team quiz show. I highly recommend this.)

My penmanship is tiny and I've gotten used to writing with 0.3-0.4 nib size gel pens. Even a 0.5 felt large to me. Writing larger letters and using pens with larger nib sizes has been a Major Adjustment.

Pen and ink used:

TWSBI Eco-T Mint (1.1) with Diamine Sargasso Sea

Tang Dynasty Poem: Qingming by Du Mu 清明 (杜牧)

Today, April 5th, is Qingming Festival or Tomb-sweeping Day. Qingming 清明, literally "pure bright," is the day China and several other East and Southeast Asian countries commemorate their dead and celebrate the coming of spring.

My father shared this poem about Qingming with the family yesterday. Curious, I looked it up and liked the imagery it evoked and was awed by the deep meaning of the words. A lot gets lost in the literal translation.

To my father's everlasting chagrin, I suck at Chinese. I had Chinese classes as a kid but that never translated to conversational skills. I am the only one of his four kids who cannot converse or write in Chinese, whether Fookien or Mandarin. To be fair, my siblings all went to a Chinese high school and, after graduating from university, they each went to China and spent 1-2 years to study and improve their language skills. I, on the other hand, went to a science high school. I was offered the same opportunity to study abroad but chose instead to further my university studies. (I technically got myself another degree but it's actually just another year of specialized study on top of my 4 years of undergrad.) Anyway, this is just a long way of saying I cannot Chinese and I am so very thankful for the native speakers and non-native fluent speakers for explaining the nuances of the poem. The internet is a fount of knowledge!

This is actually Take 3. Take 1 was a disastrous freehand drawing attempt. Take 2 had the best illustration but that was ruined by an accidental ink splotch from a freshly inked pen.

The poem is by Tang Dynasty poet and government official Du Mu and depicts a rainy Qingming Day. This blog was very helpful in explaining the nuances of the poem and also has the reference picture I used in my drawing. I tried to freehand draw a cowherd at first but it ended up terrible. Ho hum. 

 

《 清  明 》Qing Ming

杜  牧 Du Mu

清    明     时 节   雨   纷 纷，

qīngmíng  shíjié yǔ  fēnfēn

路    上     行  人    欲    断  魂。

lù  shang  xíngrén yù duànhún

借  问    酒 家  何 处  有，

jiè wèn jiǔjiā  héchù yǒu

牧  童    遥    指  杏   花  村。

mùtong yáo zhǐ xìnghuā cūn

Poetic translation:

The ceaseless drizzles drip all the dismal day,
So broken-hearted fares the traveler on the way.
When asked where could be found a tavern bower,
A cowboy points to yonder village of the apricot flower.

Pen and Ink Used:

TWSBI Eco White (F) with Pilot Black

On doodling: Three birds, one stone.

I've started doodling with my fountain pens. Well, doodling with purpose. I get to practice drawing, Chinese calligraphy, and penmanship. Three birds, one stone.

For now the plan is to recreate existing art or draw using reference photos to improve my drawing skills. I try to put my own spin on it or alter small details to make it my own, but often I find that: improv = disaster.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The photo below is the very first attempt. No pencil first draft for this missy. I went straight to pen. Not too shabby for a first attempt. And please excuse my penmanship. Years of copious note-taking devolved my once beautiful cursive into chicken scratch, so the one below actually isn't terrible after an hour of drawing.

人寿年丰 The land yields good harvest and the people enjoy good wealth.

I did fudge the third Chinese character. The correct idiom goes: 人寿年丰. My family very kindly showed me the error and threw shade. The word dishonor was casually thrown around. XD.

Pens and Inks Used:

TWSBI Eco-T Mint (F) with Diamine Sargasso Sea

TWSBI Eco White (1.1) with Pilot Black

LAMY Al-Star Purple (EF) with Diamine Aquamarine

Poem of the Day: Still I Rise by Maya Angelou

March 21 is World Poetry Day. Here's a poem from Maya Angelou in honor of this day and all the people who keep fighting the good fight.

Pens and Inks:

• LAMY Al-Star EF inked with Diamine Marine.
• TWSBI Eco-T Mint F inked with Diamine Sargasso Sea.

Poem of the Day: Endymion by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I remember borrowing from a friend a book of Longfellow's poetry. I was young, still in undergrad, and highly impressionable. More than a decade later and I'm still not entirely sure why this one poem stuck with me. I've forgotten all the other poems of his that I read in that book except for this one. All I know is that this poem, this stanza (italicized below), is as evocative today as it was years ago.

Endymion

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

The rising moon has hid the stars;
Her level rays, like golden bars,
       Lie on the landscape green,
       With shadows brown between.

And silver white the river gleams,
As if Diana, in her dreams,
       Had dropt her silver bow
       Upon the meadows low.

On such a tranquil night as this,
She woke Endymion with a kiss,
       When, sleeping in the grove,
       He dreamed not of her love.

Like Dian’s kiss, unasked, unsought,
Love gives itself, but is not bought;
       Her voice, nor sound betrays
       Its deep, impassioned gaze.

It comes,—the beautiful, the free,
The crown of all humanity,—
       In silence and alone
       To seek the elected one.

It lifts the boughs, whose shadows deep,
Are Life’s oblivion, the soul’s sleep,
       And kisses the closed eyes
       Of him, who slumbering lies.

O, weary hearts! O, slumbering eyes!
O, drooping souls, whose destinies
       Are fraught with fear and pain,
       Ye shall be loved again!

No one is so accursed by fate,
No one so utterly desolate,
       But some heart, though unknown,
       Responds unto his own.

Responds,—as if with unseen wings,
A breath from heaven had touched its strings
       And whispers, in its song,
      “Where hast thou stayed so long!”

This poem is in the public domain. 

The TV Roundup #15

You'll notice the last TV Roundup was last year April. Something you should probably know about me: long-term follow through of hobbies is not my strong point. I am easily distracted by the next shiny new thing (hobby) or activity until I get bored. The new distraction could be a new show or something as mundane as real life problems or an anxiety spiral and avoidance of productive activities. Ho hum. Aaaaaaanyway.... I'm feeling that writing itch again and I don't want to spoil on Twitter, hence a blog post. A large majority of my viewing time has been sucked in by Netflix. This is great news for my budget as that means I could cut other streaming subscriptions.

Twenty-five Twenty-one (2022, TVN)

Go Yu-rim's woe-is-me brattiness was getting on my nerves and affecting my enjoyment of the show, so much so that I dreaded watching episodes 9 and 10. I actually put it off until Monday (I usually watch day of release) and likely would have put it off even more if I had any other shows. I am so glad I bit the bullet though. The show handled Go Yu-rim and Na Hee-do's reconciliation in a very satisfactory manner and now the show's back to being my weekly happy pill. <3

Thirty-nine (2022, TVN)

We are six episodes in and fully into the meat of the story. While the acting remains great, I was starting to get annoyed that the focus of the show was primarily Cha Mi-jo's (played by Son Ye-jin) POV. I get it. Son Ye-jin is the big star. Of course she'd have the most screen time. I initially didn't mind, I love Son Ye-jin unni, but the disproportionate screen time doesn't feel organic anymore. The show was marketed as an ensemble story but its 80% Son Ye-jin all the damn time. The dying friend, Jeong Chan-young (played by Jeon Mi-do, who is knocking it out of the ballpark btw), gets may be 15% and Jang Joo-hee (portrayed by the lovely Kim Ji-hyun) is lucky if she gets 5% POV screen time. That's what it feels like anyway. Unfortunately, Cha Mi-jo is kind of boring and so is her love line. Jeong Chan-young is actually the more interesting of the trio and its not just because she's dying.

The show was preempted last week to cover South Korea's presidential elections. Hopefully this week rectifies my gripes, because I would love to see more of the Chan-young's and Joo-hee's POV.

Forecasting Love And Weather (2022, JTBC)

This was another weekend show I dreaded watching. I AM SO ANNOYED at the insecure man-baby second male lead. I swear whenever he's on screen, I want to reach in and sock him. I don't get it. Whatever did the ladies ever see in him??? One stayed with him for 10 years and almost married him, one actually did marry him after only a few months of (adulterous) dating. He has little to no self-awareness, he's overly proud despite not having the competence to back it up, he even gets his girlfriend to do the work and then takes credit for it. He's immature, jealous, and insecure, and thinks everything is about him him him. IT'S SO AGGRAVATING AAAAARGH. 

What's her face, the cheating partner, her name escapes me right now. I actually pity her. Marrying Assface was her punishment.

That reminds me, I'm actually quite pleased with the way the show handled the aftermath of the cheating and showing all four leads as nuanced characters - yes, even Assface McCheater. No one is "bad" 100% of the time. Reporter lady cheated on her boyfriend, I'm not disputing that what she did was wrong, but I was surprised to see that she had completely valid reasons for falling out of love and needing to move one from that relationship. I just wish she had the balls the end the relationship before jumping into the next one. It's the same with Assface, he was unhappy with the relationship but too much of a coward to end his relationship. Sigh. Both of them were wrong and are each other's punishment, with her being punished more than him imo. I have no sympathy for him.

A Business Proposal (2022, SBS)

This show was  a pleasant surprise. I wasn't expecting to enjoy this as much I did. I even binge read the source manhwa after watching the first two episodes. It was clear from the get-go that the drama adaptation made changes to the female lead and some plot points, such as the FL's job and work ethic, which I think really works and even elevates the drama. And can I just say that this is excellent PPL for company Bibigo. It gets exposure without being put in any negative light. *cough* Coffee Bay in Pretty Noona *cough*

Kim Se-jeong continues to impress, Ahn Hyo-seob is pretty good in this too. Both of them have different vibes from the manhwa characters but they've made the characters their own. The other two leads, Seol In-ah and Kim Min-kyu, are REALLY good. Chemistry-wise, it's fantastic. All four leads have chemistry with each other. I LOVE the friendships in this, the girls especially. They crack me up so much. I'm looking forward to lots more chaotic besties hijinks, with their lawful good loves staring on fondly.

AAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!
Screen grab from @notseorina on Twitter.

The Love Equations (2020, WeTV)

I started a Gong Jun drama watching spree. I think I first watched TLE in 2020 but never got round to finishing it. It is just as enjoyable a watch as the first time I saw it, but once again got bored at around the same plot point. I will try to finish it this time though.

Begin Again (2020, iQiyi)

Still can't believe Gong Jun's in his late 20s. He has such a young-looking face. I would've guessed late teens to early 20s at most, but he's turning 30 this year. Begin Again is EXACTLY the kind of show I was in the mood for: sexy fluff. Well, it could be sexier - it was mostly talk - but I'll take what I can get. This show is funny and I love that the female lead (Zhou Yu-tong looking fiercely fashionable and radiating big boss energy) openly admires and lusts after the physical attributes of the male lead. It's something I could never do in real life, I'm much too reserved for that, but I admit my internal thoughts are sometimes more in line with FL's antics. Lost interest in the show towards the end but I enjoyed it overall. Oh, and there is a VERY CUTE KID in this. Kiddo was actually the reason I wanted to watch this show in the first place. 8/10 would recommend. (I almost forgot. Shout out to the gorgeous Wu Man-si. She's so pretty it almost hurts.)

Poem of the Day: Sonnet XVIII: Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer's Day? by William Shakespeare

Hello hello, from the armpits of Satan a.k.a. the Tropics in Summertime! I am ever so glad that I don't need to go out in this heat and that I have air conditioning. Here's one of my favorite poems from dear ol' Bill and a kind of summer that's far lovelier than what we have here.

Sonnet XVIII: Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer's Day?

by William Shakespeare

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this and this gives life to thee.

30-Day Book Challenge from 2017 That I Never Finished (Part 2)

ICYMI, you can read Part 1 here. Unlike in Part 1, all challenge answers here are 2021 only.

Day 17: Favorite quote from your favorite book

“It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.” — Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

This line really struck me as a young kid and it still does as an adult who never truly grew out of being a spacey dreamer.

Day 18: A book that disappointed you

I'm sure there have been many over the years but I can't remember them and I don't want to waste effort remembering. Brain space is such precious commodity. Why waste it on disappointments?

Day 19: Favorite book turned into a movie

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Pitch perfect adaptation, good casting, excellent set and music.

Honorable Mentions: Crazy Rich Asians, The Godfather Part II, The Devil Wears Prada (Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt 'nuff said), To All The Boys I Loved Before.

I love the music of The Godfather, the Love Theme especially (a remixed version is my ring tone).

Day 20: Favorite romance book

I can't. I can't pick just one! Off the top of my head though, these are the books I LOVED and have held up with subsequent rereads: Pride and Prejudice, My Imaginary Ex, Ascending Do Not Disturb, Rebirth of the Malicious Empress (don't let the title scare you away - this one's excellent), Speed Dating, Remember When.

Day 21: The first novel you remember reading

One of the Nancy Drew mysteries in 3rd grade. I forgot which one it was - I read so many in my youth - but it was a gateway drug. I've been a voracious reader ever since.

Day 22: A book that makes you cry

Death of certain characters always makes me sad. Dobby, Sirius, and Fred in Harry Potter. Rue in The Hunger Games. Those were the ones that had me sobbing, and I still get sad when I reread them.

And this one's cheating a bit as I haven't read the book in full except for certain chapters and scenes translated by kind volunteers, but Bu Bu Jing Xin by Tong Hua made me cry big, fat, juicy tears. It is a time slip melodrama set in the Qing Dynasty. The Chinese TV adaptation is also a favorite to this day.

Day 23: A book you wanted to read for a long time but still haven't

Anna Karenina. It's been on my list forever but I keep putting off reading it.

Day 24: A book that you wish more people would've read

Eating Fire and Drinking Water by Arlene J. Chai. I had read dark books before this, books with violence and gore, but this felt different. Maybe because for once the violence, albeit fictional, occurs to people who look like me. And the bad things that happen in the book still happen in real life and just as easily could happen to me. I was also quite young when I read this: young and impressionable and prone to bad dreams. What a trip.

Day 25: A character who you can relate to the most

In recent memory, it's probably Frank Li in Frankly in Love. On paper we don't have a lot in common. He's a full-blooded ethnically Han Korean born and raised in America. I'm a biracial Filipino born and raised in the Philippines. Frank's struggles with his Korean heritage and feeling American but not quite, resonated with my struggles growing up Filipino but expected to also conform with Chinese cultural norms - a culture that I am only ever exposed to in small doses when relatives come to visit a few times a year or in small, superficial ways such as celebrating Chinese New Year or Moon Cake Festival with food and hongbao. I say superficial because there are deeper cultural nuances to these celebrations that my Chinese relatives never bothered to explain to me, and that I never bothered to learn until my adulthood. And then there are the microaggressions from both sides, conflicting cultural attitudes, or worse, when both sides agree on what I feel are antiquated/misogynistic/xenophobic views. 

Day 26: A book that changed your opinion about something

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. 

I was raised Catholic. I went to Catholic school nearly my entire educational career. In fact, prior to reading DVC, I was quite the devout little Christian girl. I read the bible, could lead prayer novenas, knew every line the priest would say at regular mass. I was young and I accepted what was taught as is and never thought to question it. DVC opened my eyes to the fallibility of the human Church, I began looking into the many atrocities it committed throughout history, and I started to question my Faith, to look at it critically and have my own moral judgment about the various teachings.

I believe that religion is a very personal thing and every religious person comes to a point where they start to question their Faith or what they've been taught about it. That's not necessarily a bad thing. Some people emerge with stronger conviction in their Faith, others completely break away, and still some end up in a comfortable middle ground (like me!) who remain in the Faith but still have questions that may never get answered. And I'm okay with that.

Day 27: The most surprising plot twist or ending

The Girl With A Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. The reveal about who the villain was and how it related to the overarching mystery and the mystery that started the whole thing. I did not see it coming. Masterful work.

Day 28: Favorite title of a book

Hannibal Rising - Thomas Harris.

Day 29: A book everyone hated but you

I have no answer for this one. I don't think I've encountered a book that most people hated and only I loved. I'm usually one of the haters. Hehe.

Day 30: Your favorite book of all time

This one hurts. It changes over time but if I had to choose just one? In 2021 my answer is World of Cultivation by Fang Xiang. At different points in the past, some of my answers would have been Harry Potter 4, Count of Monte Cristo, Dracula, and Millennium Trilogy (Yes, all three. I CANNOT choose just one).

30-Day Book Challenge from 2017 That I Never Finished (Part 1)

I occasionally have commitment issues and this was one of them. Looking at old tweets, I see I managed up to Day 16 and then must've forgot about it. Or got lazy. Or both.

In the spirit of semi-productive procrastination, I thought it would be fun to answer this again in 2021 and see if any of my answers changed.

This is the Challenge I got off Twitter. I unfortunately couldn't find who originally created it, so I can't credit them.

Day 01: Best book you read last year

2017: Best overall: Pelican Brief - John Grisham. Best emotional grip: Me Before You - Jojo Moyes.

2021: Look, I have pandemic brain and cannot remember past the last few months and you ask for last year's best book when I was at the height of anxiety?? 2021 is ending so I'll just think of this question as "the past year."

Best over all: And Then There Were None - Agatha Christie. Riveting from start to finish and excellently narrated by Dan Stevens in the audiobook I listened to.

I had a paperback copy of this in my possession years ago but lost it when I moved. This cover what finally pushed me to give it a try. I was in a noir/murder mystery mood and this fit the bill precisely.

Honorable mention: The first three books in the Anne of Green Gables series. It's a heartwarming story of chosen family. I finally see what the fuss is about. It is also excellently narrated by Karen Savage for LibriVox audiobooks. It's available free on YouTube!

Day 02: A book that you've read more than 3 times

2017: Harry Potter 1-7 (annual tradition), Stoker's Dracula, Hunger Games 1, My Imaginary Ex, Charlie All Night, Remember When

2021: That Harry Potter annual tradition has long been broken and replaced with Millennium trilogy by Stieg Larsson. Adding to this list: Ascending, Do Not Disturb - Yue Xia Die Ying, World of Cultivation - Fang Xiang, A Slight Smile Is Devastating - Gu Man. I'm sure there's more but those are the ones that easily come to mind.

ADND is a fluffy, feel good read about chosen family and a slow burn friends to lovers romance.

Day 03: Your favorite series

2017: Nancy Drew series, Harry Potter Series, Millennium Trilogy

2021: My answer hasn't really changed much except HP has since been tainted by the author's TERF-y ways coming to the fore. It will always be a favorite. It's too closely tied with my childhood not to be, but it's now viewed through a... I don't know how to verbalize my complex feelings about it.

Anyway, I digress. I will just add World of Cultivation by Fang Xiang to this list because it is several books long and held up well with each reread, ie it still makes me cackle.

Day 04: Favorite book of your favorite series

2017: Nancy Drew#32 - The Scarlet Slipper Mystery, HP#4 - Goblet of Fire, Millennium#2 - The Girl Who Played With Fire.

2021: Same as above. For World of Cultivation, I forgot which book it is, but it's the one with the Sword Conference. It is HILARIOUS.

It starts slow but once it gets going, the dry comedy is note perfect. The lead is a stubborn, money-grubbing, zombie-faced amnesiac who turns out to be kind of a genius at formations. Plenty of hijinks ensue.

Day 05: A book that makes you happy

2017: A Slight Smile Is Devastating by Gu Man, World Of Cultivation by Fang Xiang, Harry Potter 3 and 4

2021: Ascending, Do Not Disturb - Yue Xia Die Ying, World Of Cultivation by Fang Xiang

Day 06: A book that makes you sad

2017: People I like die, I cry buckets. Harry Potter 6 and 7, Hunger Games 1, Me Before You

2021: Probably the same? It's been a while since I cried reading a book. Thanks to my goldfish memory, I don't recall if I cried while reading a book since 2017. Oh! Maybe when Matthew died in Anne of Green Gables. That was sad. 

Day 07: A book that makes you laugh

2017: Still makes me laugh on subsequent rereads: World of Cultivation - Fang Xiang, A Slight Smile is Devastating - Gu Man.

2021: Ascending, Do Not Disturb - Yue Xia Die Ying, World Of Cultivation by Fang Xiang, Mo Dao Zu Shi - Mo Xiang Tong Xiu. The Gu Man novel too but its place in my heart has been supplanted by ADND. You must've noticed by now how certain titles are mentioned frequently. These books are near and dear to my heart and have made the pandemic just a tiny bit more bearable.

Day 08: Most overrated book

2017: The Fault in Our Stars - John Green Most overrated book I read in recent memory. "Most overhyped" work too.

2021: I can't think of any right now, so I guess my answer remains the same.

Day 09: A book you thought you wouldn't like but ended up loving

2017: I can't recall any. My dislikes tend to stick.

2021: Anne of Green Gables - L.M. Montgomery. I ended up binging the audiobooks. That's how much I liked it.

Honorable Mention: Mo Dao Zu Shi - Mo Xiang Tong Xiu. It's not that I thought I would dislike it, I just did not expect how much I would enjoy it. It's danmei (BL), which I had not read a lot of so that may have factored into my expectations going in. MDZS is excellently written and paced, the characters are memorable, the romance believable, the sex - well, the sex is soooo spicy I blushed. Erotica writers take note!

The translations are very well done too. Kudos to Exiled Rebels Scanlantions. Read the novel summary and chapter transations here.

Day 10: A book that reminds you of home

2017: None? Probably because books take me out of my home and brings me to other places. I've yet to experience the opposite.

2021: Same sentiment.

Day 11: A book you hated

2017: Mortal Instruments book 2. It was SO frustratingly BAD. And Clary was infuriatingly stupid, impulsive, and stubborn.

2021: That and I should really add Something Borrowed. It was also adapted into a film, which I couldn't finish no matter how much I liked the actresses. It's a story about terrible people making terrible decisions. I hated every character in this book except the one character, who I later found out will go on to marry one of the terrible characters in the novel sequel. Ugh.

Day 12: A book you love but hate at the same time

2017: HP6. Harry was an insufferable angsty teen for a considerable chunk of the book but I still love the book overall.

2021: Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. IYKYK.

Day 13: Your favorite writer

2017: Anne Rice and J.K. Rowling. Honorable mentions: Stoker, Dumas, Gu Man.

2021: Stieg Larsson, Gu Man, Anne Rice. For reasons already mentioned previously, Miss Rowling is no longer a favorite.

Day 14: Book turned into a movie and completely desecrated

2017: One Day (2011) - I enjoyed the book, didn't like the film. Anne Hathaway's fake British accent was distracting.

2021: I don't know. It's been a while since I watched a movie that completely botched the source material.

Day 15: Favorite male character

2017: Edmond Dantes, John Ambrose, McLaren, Cinna, Van Helsing, Snape, Dumbledore, Hannibal.

2021: Zuo Mo aka Zombie Face in World of Cultivation, Edmond Dantes, Cinna, Van Helsing, Dumbledore.

Day 16: Favorite female character

2017: Lisbeth Salander, Daenerys Targaryen, Mina Parker, Lizzie Bennet, Jane Eyre, Hermione Granger.

2021: Kong Hou in ADND, Lisbeth Salander, Daenerys Targaryen, Arya Stark, Mina Parker.

This post is getting wayyyyy too long. Better to end it here on the last question that had 2017 answers. Stay tuned for Part 2! xo

A Poem A Day: Morning by Billy Collins

This is a beautiful poem. It almost makes me like mornings. Almost, but not quite. Now I'm gonna need a poem that waxes eloquent on the soothing silence of the night.

Morning

By Billy Collins

Why do we bother with the rest of the day,

the swale of the afternoon,

the sudden dip into evening,

then night with his notorious perfumes,

his many-pointed stars?

This is the best—

throwing off the light covers,

feet on the cold floor,

and buzzing around the house on espresso—

maybe a splash of water on the face,

a palmful of vitamins—

but mostly buzzing around the house on espresso,

dictionary and atlas open on the rug,

the typewriter waiting for the key of the head,

a cello on the radio,

and, if necessary, the windows—

trees fifty, a hundred years old

out there,

heavy clouds on the way

and the lawn steaming like a horse

in the early morning. 

A Poem A Day: Good And Evil XXII by Khalil Gibran

A poem on goodness and what it means to be good to yourself and to others. Food for thought. Short ramblings at the end.

Good And Evil XXII

By Khalil Gibran

And one of the elders of the city said, Speak to us of Good and Evil. 

And he answered: 

Of the good in you I can speak, but not of the evil. 

For what is evil but good tortured by its own hunger and thirst? 

Verily when good is hungry it seeks food even in dark caves, and when it thirsts, it drinks even of dead waters. 

You are good when you are one with yourself. 

Yet when you are not one with yourself you are not evil. 

For a divided house is not a den of thieves; it is only a divided house. 

And a ship without rudder may wander aimlessly among perilous isles yet sink not to the bottom. 

You are good when you strive to give of yourself. 

Yet you are not evil when you seek gain for yourself. 

For when you strive for gain you are but a root that clings to the earth and sucks at her breast. 

Surely the fruit cannot say to the root, Be like me, ripe and full and ever giving of your abundance. 

For to the fruit giving is a need, as receiving is a need to the root. 

You are good when you are fully awake in your speech, 

Yet you are not evil when you sleep while your tongue staggers without purpose. 

And even stumbling speech may strengthen a weak tongue. 

You are good when you walk to your goal firmly and with bold steps. 

Yet you are not evil when you go thither limping. 

Even those who limp go not backward. 

But you who are strong and swift, see that you do not limp before the lame, deeming it kindness. 

You are good in countless ways, and you are not evil when you are not good, 

You are only loitering and sluggard. 

Pity that the stags cannot teach swiftness to the turtles. 

In your longing for your giant self lies your goodness: and that longing is in all of you. 

But in some of you that longing is a torrent rushing with might to the sea, carrying the secrets of the hillsides and the songs of the forest. 

And in others it is a flat stream that loses itself in angles and bends and lingers before it reaches the shore. 

But let not him who longs much say to him who longs little, Wherefore are you slow and halting? 

For the truly good ask not the naked, Where is your garment? nor the houseless, What has befallen your house? 

---

Personal Ramblings:

My vocation is one of perpetual learning and study, and sometimes I would feel guilty for being lazy, for not being as productive as I could or should be. The verses in this poem that speak of being Good even if you limp or stumble your way to the finish line is a lovely reminder to be kind to myself when I only have the mental or physical fortitude to take one tiny step forward.

What gave me pause and warranted food for thought though were these lines:

Of the good in you I can speak, but not of the evil. 

For what is evil but good tortured by its own hunger and thirst? 

First of all, this posits that humans are inherently good, but life on this earthly plane has taught me that humans can be incredibly shitty and maintaining a healthy level of cynicism is a necessary survival skill. And yet I still, deep down, believe that people are inherently good. Blame my hopeless optimism or years of Catholic education.

So what makes good people turn evil? Need for survival? People who start out good but are forced by necessity to a life of crime and sin. Greed? People who are overcome by insatiable wanting. The more they have, the more they want. In both instances, these people recognize their moral dilemma hence the torture. Human conscience is simultaneously a wonderful and terrible thing to have.

How to pay Manila Real Property Tax (Amilyar) online for Tax Year 2022

This post is as much for me as it is for anyone who needs help paying their Manila property taxes online. I first tried online payment in January 2021 to pay for Tax Year 2021's property tax and I recently finished paying for tax year 2022.

I already wrote a step by step how-to article in early 2021 but for whatever reason, the screen caps aren't showing and I don't feel like going back to fix it. Some bits in the original article needed minor corrections and I wanted a TLDR anyway so I decided to just a write a new guide.

Before I get into it, a quick reminder and pro tip. Pay for the whole coming year's tax before the following deadlines and you get a significant discount on your property taxes. Ignore the dates on the O.R. Those haven't been updated. You can DYOR for the relevant memorandum circular announcing the date change. Please also note that separate transactions are required to pay for the lot tax and the building tax, so you will make TWO payment transactions PER PROPERTY you own.

Dates to remember:

• 20% discount if you pay in full on or before December 10, 2021.
• 15% discount if you pay in full on or before December 29, 2021.
• 10% discount if you pay in full on or before January 31, 2022.

Have last year's RP tax receipt on hand for faster reference. You can also call the service hotline at +632 8527 7804 to ask for information on your RP Tax, tax declaration number (TDN), or property identification number (PIN). Detailed version after the TLDR cut.

Steps TLDR:

1. Log in to the GO! MANILA website or the app.
2. Pay LOT TAX. Use 12-digit TDN + 14-digit PIN. Select preferred MOP and pay.
3. Pay BUILDING TAX. Use 12-digit TDN + 19-digit PIN. Select preferred MOP and pay.
4. Go back to the website/app and upload a photo of the payment receipt for each transaction.
5. Retrieve physical OR copy at Manila City Hall Computer Services in the License Division Office.

---

Detailed Step by Step Guide:

There are two ways to pay your RP Tax online: through the GO! MANILA (1) website or (2) the app which is available for Android and iOS. So far I've done it twice through the website (for tax years 2021 and 2022), but I used the android app to upload the payment receipts for 2022. For first time users, you'll need to create an account before proceeding. The following steps will be for Kiosk payments (through 7/11 Cliqq). 

Step 1. Log in to the website or app.

Step 2. Click click click.

Click the E-Government icon > click RP Tax > Select transaction type: TAX PAYMENT.

Step 3. Pay your LOT TAX.

3-1. Input details.

1. 12-digit lot Tax Declaration Number (TDN). Format: AA-09876-54321
2. 14-digit lot Property Identification Number (PIN). Format: 123-45-678-901-234
3. Select the year you're paying for (example: 2022).
4. Select the period (select "4th quarter" to pay for the whole year).

3-2. Review the property information and tax amount. Select a valid ID to present when you claim the physical tax receipt. Click Pay Now.

• Make sure the address on your ID matches the address of the property tax. If not, you'll need other proof of residence such as utility bills for that property in your name. This page will also show a summary of the transaction (account name, TDN, PIN, period being paid for, tax amount).
  

3-3. A new window will open. Choose a method of payment (Kiosk machines, Bayad Center, Visa / Mastercard, Banks, Online Banking). I chose Kiosk. A QR code and reference number will be given. You will also receive a text with the reference number.

• There's a convenience fee for using e-payment facilities and a further 2.5% service charge for using Mastercard (not sure about VISA cards). Be careful when clicking. I was clicking on each MOP to see which one had the cheapest  fees and clicking on kiosk finalized the transaction. Fortunately, it had the same convenience fee as online banking, which was the option I chose for 2021 RP tax. In my experience, Online Banking and Kiosk payments have the cheapest fees and Credit Card payments are the most expensive.

Left: This is the window payment gate if you choose Visa/Mastercard. Note the service charge on top of the convenience fee.
Right: Accepted banks for payment via online banking.

3-4. Go to your nearest 7/11 Cliqq. Choose Bills Payment. Select Multipay LGU of Manila. Input the Account Name (as seen in the summary), reference number, and total amount due (tax + convenience fee). The kiosk machine will print a bar code receipt, which you will present to the cashier. Wait for SMS confirmation of receipt of payment from GO!MANILA. I received the  SMS within 5 minutes of successful transaction.

3-5. Go back to website/app. On the website homepage, scroll down to Transaction History. This should now show "PAID." Click View Details and upload a picture of the payment receipt.

Step 4. Pay your BUILDING TAX.

Repeat the steps above in Step 3, but you will use a different 12-digit TDN (format: AA-09876-54322) and 19-digit PIN (format: 123-45-678-901-234-B0001). These numbers are found on your old tax receipts. Make sure to click the checkbox that says 19 Digit Format. 

Step 5. Claim RP tax official receipt.

Or don't. I don't plan on going to city hall this year to claim it. Instead I'm going to wait for them to email me a scanned copy. When I went there in January this year to claim the OR for the 2021 RP Tax, this is what happened. I'm just going to quote my original article:

"I asked if they can email a scanned copy of the O.R. for future tax payments. They replied that they usually email the scanned O.R. and keep the original once they have it, but this may be delayed due to the large number of payments made. She said that prior to the pandemic, they would even courier the original O.R. Courier delivery has since been suspended due to recent events. Those who require the original copy O.R. have no choice but to pick it up themselves (or through an authorized representative)."

If you still plan on going, here's where to claim it and how I did it.

"You can claim the original O.R. at the Computer Services division, which is currently inside the License Division as of January 27, 2021. Just bring your government-issued ID and proof of payment (payment receipt or screenshot of online transaction with reference code) according to the GO! Manila site. When I went to pick up mine, they required my ID and last year's SOA too."

2021 RP tax O.R. that I claimed from city hall.

---

For problems encountered during the process, you can check GO! MANILA'S FAQ page here for contact numbers.

I will update this article if there are any changes to the process next year. Cheers! xo

A Poem A Day: Vow by Ada Cambridge

I haven't read poetry in years due to living a busy life, school, socials, altered reading preferences. I felt it was high time I got back to it, maybe even get back to writing poetry for fun. Eventually. Baby steps.

So why post about the poems I read? Well, to quote the fabulous Lizzo: "I do it for the culture, goddamn."

I won't really post a poem every single day, just the ones that speak to me. The post title is a reference to one of my favorite feel-good dramas about a poem-loving, onion-skinned physical therapist and her romance with the "poker-faced" rehab doctor. IYKYK.

https://seokangjuny.tumblr.com/post/174267096403/a-poem-a-day/amp

The first poem I'm going to share is, as the title suggests, about vows, specifically romantic vows. I feel the last two verses succinctly puts into words my feelings about relationships that are on its last legs. The couple is fighting together to keep their relationship going, but more often they fight each other. Distrust abounds and they guard their hearts against the other. As Miss Cambridge beautifully articulates: is love still there?

P.S. I guess this is my comeback blog post?

–––

Vow

By Ada Cambridge

Nay, ask me not. I would not dare pretend

To constant passion and a life-long trust. 

They will desert thee, if indeed they must. 

How can we guess what Destiny will send - 

Smiles of fair fortune, or black storms to rend

What even now is shaken by a gust?

The fire will burn, or it will die in dust.

We cannot tell until the final end.

And never vow was forged that could confine 

Aught but the body of the thing whereon 

Its pledge was stamped. The inner soul divine,

That thinks of going, is already gone.

When faith and love need bolts upon the door,

Faith is not faith, and love abides no more.