By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo I finally reached my destination at Sky Villas thirty minutes after the appointed time. I know I will be late, given the traffic situation, but the driver told me, “Di na ho tayo mag-Waze, waste of time. May alam po akong short cut!” I learned…
By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo THIS poem was written in 22 May 2022. It was not Women’s Day. They say we need not remember women because they are present at every moment, every peaceful encounter, everywhere, especially in places of conflict. They are mostly remembered carrying, nurturing children, the sick,…
A day to remember “She”
By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo AMONG the commissioners of the Pangasinan Historical and Cultural Commission (PHCC), Arabela “Bel” Arcinue, Santiago “Sonny” Villafania and myself share a most curious discussion: the Anunnaki. In the earliest Sumerian writings about the Anunnaki, which come from the Post-Akkadian period, the Anunnaki are gods born…
AnoNaQue
By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo The Ordinary You it’s in the way you flip your hair that half-drawn smile the way you bite on fresh watermelon the way you swagger and stammer and paralyze your tongue the plainness of your conversation your lack of conversation the choice of your words…
Little epiphanies
By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo IN Morocco, I watched a man walk quietly, his steps without the slightest sound, the lightness of a cat, through a small reflecting pool, a very still water that mirrored everything and everyone who passed. In this stillness, nothing seemed to move, not a leaf,…
Reflecting Pools
By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo IF you have not seen it, watch Alexander: The Making of a God, a six-part docuseries that explores Alexander the Great’s conquests using contemporary accounts and fact-based archaeology, based mainly on ongoing excavations being undertaken by Greek archeologist Calliope Limneos-Papakosta in Alexandria, Egypt, the city that Alexander…
The human spirit
By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo YESTERDAY, I was surprised to find a lizard (skink) approximately one foot in length, inside the plastic tank where I stored water for the garden. It was not moving until I poked its head, so I thought of filling the tank to the brim so…
The lizard
By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo WE were not supposed to be there because my sister Emma was very sick, but she insisted on going. She thought that those who organized will take our absence in a negative way, as they have prepared for this event with so much effort. They…
Family reunions
By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo HOW do we remember? How often, how long do we think of our departed and loved ones? Perhaps not so often, and we forget their significance in our lives, so we assign a special day. Last January 9, I attended one of those special days:…