Jollibee V. Luna 3: Remembering Aurora   By Virginia J. Pasalo A WOMAN with a red bag entered the door. The other woman sitting on the adjacent table suddenly stood up and headed towards her. “Aurora?” “Do I know you?” For some moment, they looked at each other, trying to…

Jollibee V. Luna 2   By Virginia J. Pasalo I WAS waiting for my pancakes to be served when my attention was caught by a conversation from the adjacent table: “O, heto, isangdaan, ayan ha, magpakabait ka. Bumili ka ng pagkain mo.” (O, here is 100 pesos, be good. Buy…

The lives of trees and grasses   By Virginia J. Pasalo  TO see the quiet plain from a provincial bus is not quite the same as looking at it from the window of a car. In a car, the eyesight competes with other passing vehicles for the view. At this…

Growing an ingrown   By Virginia J. Pasalo “WHAT will you be when you grow up?” is a question that I have answered with so many answers as I grew up. There are no definite answers. There are only tentative answers. As a young child, I wanted to be a…

The Subversive Power of Poetry   By Virginia J. Pasalo “QUISIERON enterrarnos, pero se les olvido que somos semillas.” is a battlecry of the Zapatistas, a leftist group in Mexico. It means, “They tried to bury us, they forgot we were seeds.” This “Mexican proverb” is actually a paraphrase of…

Still   By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo 2017 is passing. Christmas songs are being played again. Soon 2018 will be here with some surprises. The surprises I can deal with, but the challenges need more effort. Challenges need more effort especially because they have something to do with family and friends,…

Pink rain   By Virginia J. Pasalo THE trees danced like clusters of dog tails wagging to welcome their master. There seems to be acceptance and even happiness at this sudden downpour, cleansing the ground from where the trees stood. The lightning had lately decided to come closer to earth….

How bad can you get?   By Virginia J. Pasalo I just watched The Dark Knight, a 2008 American superhero film co-written and directed by Christopher Nolan. The film focuses on Batman’s fight against a new villain, the Joker (Heath Ledger) and his relationships with district attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron…

Hope and desperation   By Virginai J. Pasalo ACCORDING to my dear friend, Armi Bangsal-Lorica, being appointed in government is like playing the musical chair, where a number of individuals go around chairs with one chair pulled out each time so that one individual is taken out at every turn….

An eco-cultural imperative By Virginia J. Pasalo WE build on the foundations of culture and history to guide our paths. Clearly the word, “Your Honor” is no longer a title of honor unless deserved. More than the strategy that ensured victory, is the ability to inspire, respect, and mobilize citizens…