The Wisdom of Youth

I received an email from a 20-something reader with whom I have been in constant touch for the past several months. His reaction to my series of misfortunes has been so inspiring--completely unexpected from a 20-something male--that I am compelled to post it here (with his permission of course). He will remain anonymous but please let me say that he graduated from the Ateneo and is a budding writer. I have always looked forward to his correspondence which are filled with nuggets of insight that belie his youth. I am sure that very soon, he will burst forth into the literary scene and takes everybody's breath away. And hopefully, by then, I will have the honor of formally introducing him to everyone. Here is what he wrote:

Good day. I don't really know if this famous saying still holds true, coming all the way back from the biblical times; but St. Peter once said that 'the greater the darkness, the greater the light'. I've had a fair share of major screw-ups in life lately, too. Ranging from an advanced stage of dengue fever to conflicts of interest in the nuclear and extended family...Maybe it's not a bad thing to have bad events in our lives. No. Scratch that. Maybe it's really bad to let bad things happen. I don't know. Hay. Anyway, I just find this funny, but reading your blog makes me feel light. Your funny reactions and comments to serious events just make me laugh my head off. But still nothing beats the laughing power of Spongebob Squarepants. Anyway, (one big ANYWAY. haha) I hope you get to rise up from all that lingering trouble, which, I guess, you are able to without hardship.


Maraming Salamat, po at Mabuhay Ka!

The '89ers

Peach and Mango Cobbler
Strawberry layer cake with strawberry coulis
Shiitake mushroom risotto
lamb slices
Roast leg of lamb
Herb crusted lapu lapu with tomato cream sauce
Liver pate for appetizer


I settled in Manila in 1989 after having lived all of my life in Davao and then the U.S. The first friends I had here belong to a group, which I had christened the '89ers. My very best friend, RCA, is part of this. We all saw each other every single day in the first five years and have kept in close touch through the decades. Last night we celebrated 19 years of craziness and lasting friendships over a home-cooked meal. We converged in the kitchen and relived our youth as they watched me cook. So I ask you to please join us through photographs. Welcome to my kitchen...

Same Time Next Year

Around Christmas time, every year, this group of friends (some 8 to 10 couples at any given time depending on travels, foreign postings, etc.) come together just because...

This friendship has spanned decades. In fact, I am the Johnny come lately. It is mind boggling how, through individual evolutions, couplings and uncouplings, the crash of '97 and now the world-wide financial depression, the tsunami in Thailand, Milenyo in Manila, two Edsa revolutions, several coup attempts, and middle age creeping in, this group manages to get together every year no matter what. Except for last Christmas, which was the first that I am aware of in 15 years.

It is sheer pain to organize an evening when everyone can make it. Believe me, it is nuclear physics. Just to find a date when everyone can converge at a specific time and place is an exercise in patience and perseverance. Still and all, the effort is justified by the warmth and goodwill that instantly takes over when we all come together (not to mention the chismis). Can't buy friendship.