tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60137381751773403252011-12-10T15:06:37.580+08:00intimate travels in a borderless worldThe Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.comBlogger2001100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-24152337332904427742011-12-10T15:04:00.000+08:002011-12-10T15:06:37.615+08:00

(Click on the photos for a closer view.)Sometimes I look for particular fountain pens to add to my collection. Sometimes pens find me. This is one of those pens - I am honored to be its current guardian.This beautiful and iconic Art Deco lever-filling fountain pen is the Wahl Eversharp Doric. Its celluloid cap and barrel each has 12 sides, and it sports the very unique adjustable 14k

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-30790279824424847282011-11-06T18:51:00.003+08:002011-11-06T18:56:13.326+08:00

When I was a little girl I was bookish and not the least bit sporty. I did, however, love swimming, climbing trees, running with the dogs and playing games the neighborhood children played. I even endured hula dancing class. It wasn't until high school PE that I became one of the goalies of the girls' soccer team. I sometimes walked home all covered in mud. The only time I was goalie and

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-2579335358732150712011-10-27T13:22:00.002+08:002011-10-27T19:26:00.132+08:00

My 6yo niece has a very vivid imagination. She's wanted to be Medusa for the longest time. Last October 22 she had her fantasy realized - thanks to Mommy Joy's crochet skills. Joy found the free crocheted yarn snakes pattern by Lucy Ravenscar at Craftster.org.The 14 snakes are made up of combinations of yarn colors, crocheted over four days. The eyes and tongue are sewn on. They are

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-2128330997291354422011-10-23T19:07:00.003+08:002011-11-06T19:08:03.497+08:00

Our group of pen lovers, Fountain Pen Network - Philippines, is three years old and keeps growing. It started with a handful of enthusiasts in a thread on analog writing instruments at (oddly enough) a local tech forum. It now has about 20-30 active members, many of whom are also members of the Fountain Pen Network forums. Our yahoogroup moderator, Prof. Jose Dalisay ("Butch" to his

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-45852735966768458222011-10-19T15:36:00.001+08:002011-10-19T16:00:52.593+08:00

I've bought Theo & Philo artisan chocolates three times in the last month alone. My family and I end up enjoying it before I even think of taking photographs. The Green Mango & Salt bar above is the remaining bar in my stash. It's my favorite flavor: unique and very Filipino in taste. The pretty packaging proclaims: "By the Philippines, For the Philippines, Of the Philippines." What's

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-7806331280924562982011-10-12T15:42:00.001+08:002011-10-12T15:44:14.315+08:00

It's been a couple of years since I did any bookbinding projects. My last one was full-on hardcover bookbinding (with glue). Check out this album for photos of my past work. Last weekend I decided to try Coptic binding, which is a sewn binding that does not require any adhesives.I once attended a seminar on bookbinding, but it didn't include coptic binding. I knew how to do kettle stitch

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-11270373092185669662011-10-11T10:36:00.000+08:002011-10-11T10:37:20.676+08:00

Last October 6th, I woke up to the announcement that the Nobel Committee had awarded the 2011 Nobel Prize for Literature to Swedish poet Tomas Transtromer. He bested other luminaries in the running such as Syrian poet Adonis and Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami (even long shot Bob Dylan). Considered Sweden's greatest living poet, Transtromer's work has been translated into 50 languages.

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-77542137137203417982011-10-07T13:10:00.003+08:002011-10-07T13:13:43.342+08:00

Click on the photos to enlarge.This is my mother's EPP herbal balcony garden: organic sweet basil, bok choy, Himalayan spinach, tarragon, rosemary and chives. Yes, the planters are converted plastic Coca-cola liter bottles.EPP stands for Enriched Potting Preparation, which uses a "nutrient-rich compost soil extract, in a watering and aeration-efficient container". It's award-winning

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-61086370668220198432011-10-07T10:04:00.001+08:002011-10-07T10:06:36.753+08:00

The Midori Traveler's Notebook is one of those things you end up coveting when you're into fountain pens, typewriters and other analog means of organizing your thoughts. I first saw the standard size version reviewed on Black Cover. Pictured above is the passport-sized one, in brown. It's small and handy enough to fit into any handbag. I found the larger version to be rather long and

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-62035647815336853382011-06-24T19:32:00.002+08:002011-06-24T19:38:36.259+08:00

For the longest time the only colors of inks to be had in Manila were Black, Blue and Blue-Black. It bothered me that most Black was often grey, while Blue was usually watery and faded. That left me with Blue-Black, a dark blue that stayed, well, dark. Parker Quink Blue-Black with Solv-x, which was widely available in the 80s, was one of my favorite inks. Now that other ink brands have

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-69934800011668497882011-06-13T17:30:00.000+08:002011-06-13T17:31:25.976+08:00

The first time I ever saw a Parker Vacumatic was three years ago, at Prof. Butch Dalisay's house, during Fountain Pen Network-Philippines' first anniversary. Butch and another member, George, displayed their collections of Vacumatic models in different colors and vintages. Now I'm not much of a Parker girl (more of a Sheaffer one), but I thought it would be nice to have at least one of

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-81905301373233072482011-05-30T17:39:00.001+08:002011-05-30T17:42:09.032+08:00

I've always had a pretty good complexion. However, at my present age, I've noticed some dryness and peeling on the sides of my nose, around my lips and between my brows. I asked my dermatologist friend about it, and she said it was pretty common for one's skin quality to change as it matures. At one point the peeling became so bad I was prescribed applications of an anti-inflammatory

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-21542620124687342892011-05-26T16:13:00.000+08:002011-05-26T16:15:00.278+08:00

A year and a half ago I bought one of my favorite pens, a Sheaffer PFM III, from a collector friend at the first anniversary party of Fountain Pen Network - Philippines. It's black plastic, with a fat barrel, and was missing the white dot on its clip. It was my first Snorkel filler , and it sported a beautiful, extra-fine inlaid nib, the kind only Sheaffer made. Here it is, in my photo album

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-26414000725232473032011-05-23T10:04:00.000+08:002011-05-23T10:05:07.071+08:00

While the world was supposed to be ending, Joy, Tristan and I were out hunting for organic and fair trade products at Cocowonder and the Mercato Centrale weekend market. Cocowonder is an exporter of virgin coconut oil based in Makati. Joy was researching on VCO in an attempt to find cost-effective organic local or fair trade products for cosmetic and internal use (hair, face and body).

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-42238227980020823272011-05-20T15:37:00.001+08:002011-05-20T15:38:58.593+08:00

Occasional thunderstorms reminded us that the summer wouldn't last forever. Going to the beach was my five-year-old niece Lilo's nightly prayer. Thanks to the kind sponsorship of a family friend who was a member, we were able to visit Anvaya Cove in Bataan, some 30 minutes' drive past Subic. We arrived just before lunch. We were ferried to our rooms via the scenic route in an electric

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-50925898339113503992011-05-10T11:58:00.000+08:002011-05-10T11:59:19.331+08:00

My friend Eilu posted in the FPN-P yahoogroup about a new product from CDR-King: an inexpensive ultrasonic cleaner. It's a machine where you immerse jewelry or other small items in a vibrating water bath for a three-minute cycle. The vibration causes pressure waves to produce tiny bubbles that dislodge hard-to-remove dirt. There's a more detailed explanation here.I first read about using

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-74943823859608920672011-05-08T08:09:00.000+08:002011-05-08T08:10:06.051+08:00

My sister and brother-in-law were going to the Mercato Centrale weekend market at Bonifacio Global City, and invited me to join them. It was my first time to visit Mercato, I heard it was similar to the Salcedo and Legaspi markets, only in tents. We were very excited.Joy found some organic sweet corn that she wanted to try. At the same stall a guy was selling a gigantic sunflower head

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-55621077334435165832011-05-06T16:36:00.000+08:002011-05-06T16:38:10.346+08:00

I recently blogged about my three green J. Herbin inks, a comparison review that was posted on the Fountain Pen Network. This time I thought I'd compare my three purples - Poussiere de Lune, Larmes de Cassis and Violette Pensee. This is one occasion when the labels on the bottles closely match the actual color of the inks.Click on the photo to zoom in.Poussiere de Lune is a dusty purple

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-12809690696567494202011-05-01T15:11:00.002+08:002011-05-01T15:32:45.584+08:00

We had an FPN-Philippines pen meet yesterday, and I managed to convince my friend (and favorite fountain pen ink reviewer) Clem Dionglay to accompany me to visit Scribe Writing Essentials in Eastwood City so she could help me choose some ink. Based on Clem's writing samples on a Rhodia dot pad, I managed to quickly narrow down my choices to J. Herbin Vert Olive and Rouge Opera. These are

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-9882216535612644932011-04-28T20:26:00.003+08:002011-04-28T20:30:15.825+08:00

Last Holy Week our entire family packed up and went to our parents' place in Cavite, a place full of trees and flowering plants and birds. While walking around, my sister Joy saw this empty nest. It was about 9 inches high, and 3 inches across, perched on our bougainvillea. We took my 5yo niece Lilo to the aratiles tree by the pond, and were able to pick a handful of berries. I must have

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-14700530259420503552011-04-17T11:12:00.001+08:002011-04-17T15:04:05.515+08:00

We've been baking our own bread for 3 weeks now. Just two kinds, the ones I wrote about in Baking Our Own Bread. My brother-in-law Tristan managed to borrow another Lodge cast iron Dutch oven from his parents. We thought we'd save on the fuel by baking two loaves of No Knead Bread at the same time.Last Thursday night my little niece Lilo mixed all the ingredients together for two recipes'

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-68778852128519966962011-04-11T17:11:00.000+08:002011-04-11T17:12:31.149+08:00

Platinum Japan is coming out with a line of fountain pen inks that can be mixed with each other to produce other colors. There are 9 basic colors: a black, 2 blues, a purple, a pink, a red, a brown, a yellow and a green. The picture above shows you the many possible combinations. Alas, I can't read the information on the Platinum website, which is in Japanese. According to the Fountain

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-22668063774288427012011-04-09T11:53:00.002+08:002011-04-09T12:54:55.057+08:00

For the past two weeks we've been enjoying our own bread. Two weeks ago my brother-in-law Tristan decided to make focaccia bread again after a long hiatus. He wanted a father-daughter Saturday afternoon activity with 5-year-old Lilo. So they trooped to Baker's Depot at Robinson's Galleria and bought bread flour (about PhP26/500gm), whole wheat flour (for roughly the same amount) and

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-67585619338192341902011-04-08T09:13:00.002+08:002011-04-08T09:14:38.399+08:00

I realize I haven't blogged since September last year. I believe that was the time our wi-fi connection was going wonky. Was it the wi-fi modem? Apparently not; it was the PLDT modem that was overheating because we kept it on 24/7. We're still on the same fritzy modem, but are thinking of switching to other networks. The last quarter of any year is always the most hectic, too. I also

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-46065951294015259742010-09-10T17:35:00.000+08:002011-04-07T11:04:43.086+08:00

It's Eid al'Fitr, a national holiday, and today I celebrate the first time our pet guinea pig Moonball got Lap Time!Every day my sister and I would scoop her up and give her some liquid vitamin C via syringe, and at first she would struggle. Eventually I got the hang of handling her by the shoulders so she wouldn't slip from my grasp - I'd wrap her quickly in a soft face towel and Joy would

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-73301835873578185172010-08-10T20:49:00.000+08:002011-04-07T11:10:23.649+08:00

SOME FEEL RAINby Joanna KlinkSome feel rain. Some feel the beetle startlein its ghost-part when the barkslips. Some feel musk. Asleep againsteach other in the whiskey dark, scarcely there.When it falls apart, some feel the moondark airdrop its motes to the patch-thick slopes ofsnow. Tiny blinkings of ice from the oak,a boot-beat that comes and goes, the line of prayeryou can follow from the

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-81213656888032207242010-07-12T16:12:00.000+08:002011-04-07T11:12:37.378+08:00

I "un-friended" someone today. That's such an unwieldy - yet very precise (in this age of social networking) term. I don't tolerate people spewing negativity on my Facebook wall, especially if said negativity has nothing whatsoever to do with the topic or status at hand. When we make friends we let them into our personal spaces, and into our thoughts. If a person is on my friends list on

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-64262537482896932412010-07-05T11:37:00.000+08:002011-04-07T12:18:26.944+08:00

Last May I was chatting with my fellow fountain pen lovers Chito and John, and complained to them that the pen I had been given for my college graduation, a Montblanc Meisterstuck, had developed flow issues. The thought of sending it to an authorized service center was frightening, as I had no idea how much flow adjustments would cost. I've had this pen since 1990 and I definitely would

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-34410376263116999492010-05-22T18:42:00.000+08:002011-04-07T11:26:29.046+08:00

We thought it would be a mini-pen meet with less than ten members, but the event was so well-attended it became a full-size one. Not in pictures: Caloy (late), Mona (took pix).Those who were able to join us (we were 15 in all) included John, JP (TOJ), Butch (DOB), Beng, Clem, Chito, Joseph, and Caloy. There were also a number of new faces: Cesar, Tato, Raffy, Paul, Winston and Sonia.

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-85074445961728779382010-05-01T23:44:00.000+08:002011-04-07T11:28:26.652+08:00

Sebastian Faulks writes in his novel Charlotte Gray: "When you reach the age 40 there is no cell in your body that you had when you were 18." You are the same person, and yet a new person, and yet an older person. And thus there are limited slots to be filled by new data in your short-term memory; there's always the need for things like a smart phone scheduler and directory and

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-5711157932276715632010-04-27T19:25:00.000+08:002011-04-07T11:31:33.229+08:00

The first quarter of this year had some interesting events in it. And a lot of self-imposed drudgery. And somehow my online presence dwindled. I left Plurk. I mean, I have Facebook and Twitter and Multiply and sometimes I post the same posts there as I do here. In an era when we are flooded by information, we in turn flood information REDUNDANTLY, and with glee. Some people probably

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-39976870491642931722010-01-13T09:28:00.000+08:002011-04-07T11:33:01.097+08:00

ROAD TRIP WITH LILO6 January 2010It's Lilo's third trip to Baguio, the second one that she can remember. It's her first trip without her Ate Belinda, who would follow a day later with Lilo's grandparents. On this road trip I'm the babysitter. We left the house at 8am, making good time on the SCTEX (Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway). A few weeks earlier there had been a multi-car pileup on

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-58932061755314882332010-01-10T17:42:00.002+08:002011-04-07T11:49:13.419+08:00

What do you give a writer and stylophile (as in stylo lover, one who appreciates fountain pens) like Reggie? Why, another journal, of course. Can't have too many of those.As you can see, I tried out different pens on this page, all of which agree very well with the quality of the paper. What is this mysterious notebook? Clue: It's a black hardcover notebook with a marker ribbon, and it's

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-74068657267597383112009-12-31T10:09:00.000+08:002011-04-07T12:10:07.671+08:00

The Best Birthday Card Ever!I woke up late today and found this on my breakfast plate, with a little shell, and kisses from my one and only darling niece. *** LOVE ***

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-17044600405809625882009-12-30T18:26:00.000+08:002011-04-07T12:43:15.270+08:00

Based on VegasPens' (Darlene) question on Twitter: "What kinds of inks do you like to mix together?" Mabeloos asked me to combine my ink mixes in one post for her reference. Actually some of these I learned from The Fountain Pen Network, some via trial and error:BLUE-BLACK5:1 Parker Quink Blue to Parker Quink Black make a great Blue-Black that doesn't turn teal. GREENY-BROWN3:1 Parker Quink

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-57924175942615393902009-12-20T09:13:00.000+08:002011-04-07T12:12:42.101+08:00

I haven't attended a UP Lantern Parade in ages. I can't even remember when the last time was. Maybe it was when I was still an undergrad, when I was actually IN the parade, not watching it. Some friends of mine attend, like it was part of some great big pilgrimage. If I lived nearer campus, I probably wouldn't miss it. All that creativity! All that energy! The cold air!Last night I

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-45710952054273161782009-12-14T12:13:00.001+08:002011-04-07T12:33:49.868+08:00

UPIS 84WARDHere's a slideshow someone made of UP Integrated School Class of 1984's Silver Jubilee and alumni homecoming:

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-1931309891540443302009-12-05T09:50:00.000+08:002011-04-07T12:41:12.885+08:00

CHAPTER ONEWhen my sister was very young, she loved the Christmas song "Joy To The World", because her name is Joy. But she didn't know all the words to the song, so she used to sing"Joy to the world, the Lord is comeWA-TI, WA-TI, WA-TIII !!!"It was so cute we made her sing it over and over. She was teased about this so often, she ended up learning the rest of the song very fast.CHAPTER

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-76822782911707368492009-11-27T00:40:00.007+08:002011-04-07T12:49:24.750+08:00

From Poets.org:THANKSby W. S. MerwinListenwith the night falling we are saying thank youwe are stopping on the bridges to bow from the railingswe are running out of the glass roomswith our mouths full of food to look at the skyand say thank youwe are standing by the water thanking itsmiling by the windows looking outin our directionsback from a series of hospitals back from a muggingafter

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-39848949238227949862009-11-23T10:41:00.001+08:002011-04-07T12:53:47.941+08:00

The photo above is of a film shown on a curved screen - part of the Lopez Museum's curved spaces which lead viewers toward areas of its current exhibit, Deleted Scenes, that deserve special attention. The exhibit's theme deals with information on the fringes of Filipinos' knowledge and awareness of history, as depicted in arts and literature - the things that are easily forgotten. The

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-38601068543142047052009-11-23T05:15:00.004+08:002011-04-08T20:09:10.788+08:00

I don't do reviews because people ask me to. I only review if I find the venue and the dining a convivial experience. Yes, Waya Araos is my friend, but I did check the reviews of other Facebook friends before taking my parents to her restaurant Kiss The Cook Cafe for a Sunday lunch.Here's my dad, itching to pour the Passionfruit Cooler (carafe contents are good for 3 persons) but waiting

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-8611842018368614302009-11-21T07:10:00.004+08:002009-11-21T07:23:14.961+08:00

"My grandmother never told me these stories."- Angel Velasco ShawA few days ago I had the good fortune to be invited by my friend, museum worker Ricky Francisco, to join a group of bloggers on their tour of the Lopez Museum. For those who have heard of it but have no idea where it is, it's at the ground floor of Benpres Building in Ortigas Center, opposite BPI. The Lopez Museum has an excellent

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-66500784448941234442009-11-19T16:06:00.002+08:002009-11-21T08:43:57.261+08:00

Your daily dose of cuteness! Here's a raw video of me and my niece a couple of years ago , taken from the webcam on my Mac. Auntie & Lilo from Mona Caccam on Vimeo.

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-44321029462524804122009-11-13T09:33:00.001+08:002009-11-21T08:48:50.758+08:00

The Blessing of the Old Woman, The Tulip and The Dog is an interesting poem by Alicia Suskin Ostriker which can be found here, on Poetry Daily. Click on the photo to go to the poem's link directly. I love its simplicity.

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-11452364400700560562009-11-12T20:31:00.001+08:002009-11-21T09:51:16.064+08:00

Today a few foodie-related things took place, which cheered me up no end.My sister's stovetop espresso maker, a single-serve pot, resurfaced after 12 years! She bought the espresso maker, an Italian brand, when she was still single. After she got married it was lost in storage, until we had some major spring cleaning (due to typhoon relief and general de-cluttering). I finally learned how to

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-1905618164812867522009-11-11T10:13:00.000+08:002009-11-21T08:51:56.640+08:00

After a spate of national disasters and personal and professional difficulties, it's about time to be thankful for things (in no particular order):1) Supportive family members - even though they drive you crazy at times you can't deny having them solidly behind all of our endeavors is a support system that can't be beat.2) Friends who know when to listen, when to commiserate, when to say

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-10816742845926109252009-10-27T23:59:00.001+08:002009-11-21T09:53:19.760+08:00

My friend Carl dropped by to deliver some fountain pen ink, and to check out where his kids were going to attend Halloween. While we were chatting at the steps of our building, HE notices the business name. So I whip out my phone cam.Nothing innocuous about a truck delivering bottled water. Until you enlarge this photo and see that the business name is "Watering Heights". LOL!!! Of course

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-73309557250523579802009-10-22T10:42:00.001+08:002009-11-21T09:53:54.081+08:00

I woke up too early today. I then went back to bed holding Jeffrey Steingarten's The Man Who Ate Everything. True enough, I fell asleep after three pages discussing The French Paradox, particularly how red wine could be good for the heart.I dreamed we were at the house where my dad grew up on Pacdal Road, in Baguio. There was a big reunion and Auntie Caring was serving her famous buko pandan

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-54554006292427901052009-10-17T12:00:00.001+08:002009-11-21T09:54:19.180+08:00

Holding your heart to my earI slept, and dreamed of swimming in a seaSalted by sixteen million unnamed living colors.I reveled in the refracted sunlight, in thePleasant, muted low roll of waves.You’d think sound has no weightBut it does, on the second hand of a clockTicking its way to rude, real daylight.The snooze button is set for a bit moreTime to float around inside my head, enoughTime to

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-58192657926209205802009-10-17T08:16:00.001+08:002009-11-21T09:55:36.465+08:00

NY designer Stefan Sagmeister talks about the value of taking a periodic sabbatical. After every seven years he closes his studio for an entire year and takes off in search of inspiration, a new paradigm and life lessons to bring into the next succeeding years of work.You think: "Of course he can afford to do it. I can't." Well, standing away from your own work for an hour out of every four

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-17194431430754203282009-10-16T22:10:00.001+08:002009-11-21T10:00:35.875+08:00

LinkFLYING INSIDE YOUR OWN BODYby Margaret AtwoodYour lungs fill & spread themselves,wings of pink blood, and your bonesempty themselves and become hollow.When you breathe in you'll lift like a balloonand your heart is light too & huge,beating with pure joy, pure helium.The sun's white winds blow through you,there's nothing above you,you see the earth now as an oval jewel,radiant & seablue with

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-10822066907165023832009-10-14T18:21:00.000+08:002009-11-21T09:06:36.864+08:00

The other day our cook came upon a treasure trove of cassava at the fresh market. She decided to make one of our favorite comfort foods, cassava bibingka. We like this particular recipe because it reminds us of the cassava bibingka we used to buy from the UP Shopping Center from Aling Mary, way back when I was a kid. Aling Mary's bibingka had lots of salty cheese and had a dry-ish topping to

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-37672399699011049212009-10-01T23:40:00.000+08:002009-11-21T09:08:30.233+08:00

THE FOLLOWING CONTENT IS REPOSTED WITH PERMISSION FROM BAYANIHAN ONLINE.-------Being prepared is always one step towards survival. Here are some things that we think is important to have during times like these. Prepare them beforehand and keep them in a safe place at all times. Better yet, keep them with you, or in an area that is easy to reach and won’t get in the way of raging floods, etc.

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-7330864056277335902009-09-29T14:58:00.001+08:002009-11-21T09:10:17.892+08:00

ORIGINAL DATA COMPILED BY Bury Me In This Dress AND Tengalgorhythm. Seen on Carlos Celdran's FB Update. Thank you :)-----Rescue Operations National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) (+632-9125668, +632-9111406, +632-9115061, +632-9122665) Help hotlines: (+65 734-2118, 734-2120) ndcchelpdesk@gmail.comPhilippine Coast Guard (+632-5276136)Air Force (+63908-1126976, +632-8535023)Metro Manila

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-47641060034577283982009-09-16T17:55:00.000+08:002009-11-21T09:14:07.098+08:00

The Elegant Universe, a PBS site, shows author Brian Greene discussing String Theory and a Theory of Everything. Click on the image, it links to the list of videos. It's a joy to watch when you're in a geeky sort of mood. It helps that he's kinda cute.

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-35602214764365656202009-09-02T11:24:00.003+08:002009-11-21T10:04:27.824+08:00

The faster the mashup gets popular, the quicker the artworks appear! Or at least, appear to us mere mortals. Jeftoons at Deviantart has an entire gallery of reimagined Disney princesses. Check them all out, he gives good back story! The image below is my favorite.Twisted Princess: Mulan by ~jeftoon01 on deviantART If Chito Limson didn't start posting about Marvel-Disney merges in Facebook, I

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-46990599366292674792009-08-28T15:09:00.001+08:002009-11-21T10:05:57.558+08:00

Reposting this, from Carlos Celdran (in Filipino):Yes, Lea Salonga supports it too. If you would like to support this campaign, you can repost this video in your blog or social networks. Thank you.

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-65205486844997333252009-08-23T00:57:00.000+08:002009-11-21T09:21:38.142+08:00

Photo: 1982 issue Philippine stamp for 30 centavos (sentimos), documented online here.My childhood nickname refers to a fruit dove. Which particular species, I wondered? According to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, this document identifies 4 different species as "Punay" on p. 66. There are also other pigeons that go by the same name. Which one was I named after? It might

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-55700710615392876892009-08-22T01:08:00.001+08:002009-11-21T09:26:44.707+08:00

In the late 70s, little girls usually stayed in school until their parents came to fetch them. They would play Chinese garter/jump-rope games, patintero (a kind of tag) and show each other the contents of their Hello Kitty pencil cases. My mom the Biology professor didn't fetch me, because I was old enough to go home by myself. We also happened to live only four blocks away.Walking home was

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-69363322239615950582009-08-06T20:24:00.001+08:002009-11-21T09:30:21.743+08:00

Some of these links were previously mentioned in All Choked Up, but I'm reprising them for a more updated and cohesive blog entry. They are in nearly chronological order.National Artist Awards (Wikipedia)National Artist Awards Brouhaha: Artists Speak Out (Spot.ph)What They're Saying About National Artist Dagdag-Bawas (Gibbs Cadiz blog)Statement from BenCab on National Artist Awards (Spot.ph)

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-75306144564349687522009-08-05T11:55:00.001+08:002011-04-07T12:32:41.922+08:00

I want to share this amazing video by Jon Rawlinson featuring Please Don't Go by indie band Barcelona.

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-82318053433200282522009-08-03T17:52:00.000+08:002009-11-21T09:47:42.867+08:00

... because it brings a smile to my face at a dark time :)  Please enjoy the performance of Nora the Piano Cat in a trademark cat-certo!

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-69421613876235507052009-08-03T11:47:00.001+08:002009-11-21T10:09:34.767+08:00

We are just in the middle of the year, and the loss of a musician and a heroine of democracy has impacted greatly on our collective attention. Earlier, we were shocked by the untimely death of Michael Jackson. On Wednesday we bury our beloved Corazon Aquino, who will be deeply, deeply missed. The cup of personal grief for these two individuals runneth over with tributes and farewells (some

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-16435929995083559322009-08-01T22:38:00.003+08:002009-08-01T23:22:05.580+08:00

I was on this chairWhen day was briefly night. There wasAn ephemeral sense of regretThat I was not taking photographs forThe next century, or for grandchildrenI don't know I will have. No matter;Outside it wasJust another typhoon morningClouded but still, as if all of ManilaWere in its eye. I watched the sunObscured over Iwo Jima, onlineOver Youtube. The Japanese newsmanExcitedly punctured

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-69129058998840232152009-07-30T01:44:00.001+08:002009-08-01T23:39:10.424+08:00

My mom was sitting on the sofa reading the current issue of Newsweek. Inside were several letters to the editor from readers who felt that Michael Jackson was not treated with the respect that someone whose contribution to music was that significant. One letter-writer admitted that he was a fan until the sordidness of the child molestation charge severely tainted his admiration of the

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-66426930113048361962009-07-22T20:35:00.002+08:002009-08-01T23:36:02.438+08:00

I first saw this on Dark Roasted Blend. It was so charming it made me smile :)

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-7342298253363551002009-07-22T15:54:00.000+08:002009-08-01T23:30:43.006+08:00

If you want to download ebooks for free between now and August 4, go to theWorld eBooks Fair.Sci-fi fans please take note of the Baen Books page.Enjoy!

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-41030879792331156322009-07-22T12:16:00.001+08:002009-08-01T23:19:40.685+08:00

... I would like to share with you guys a snippet of Anthony Bourdain's street food tour of Binondo, Manila (Chinatown!), courtesy of TravelChannelTV.  Many other bloggers have blogged about it already, but I think there are still some people who were not able to watch the No Reservations episodes of Bourdain's visit aired early this year, so these are for you (especially Uncle Oca and TAO): And

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-65940452083341758622009-07-20T19:27:00.000+08:002009-08-01T23:15:38.692+08:00

When I was a little girl, my mom played old tapes of one of her favorite classical compositions for me and my sister, over and over.  By tapes, I mean a huge reel as big as a dinner plate on an AKAI player.  (This was in the early 70s, before the days of the cassette tape.) We loved Sergei Prokofiev's 1936 work Peter and the Wolf - the main melody was as memorable as our other favorite, the

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-18630593733045340522009-07-16T11:09:00.000+08:002009-08-01T22:56:54.251+08:00

Yes, it is a crummy, crummy Thursday.  My friend Bobby introduced me to Happy Slip (Christine Gambito) when her Youtube videos just started getting popular in 2007.  My favorite video then was the "More Processed Meat" video.  My favorite characters are her Dad ("DEE-SUSS-TER!") and her Auntie Baby, who is like several ladies I know and love despite their quirks because they're either family or

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-79442370583287651192009-07-14T13:28:00.000+08:002009-08-01T22:53:33.541+08:00

A big thank you to mason28viz for posting this on Youtube. As a city, Baguio turned 100 years old this year.My dad grew up in Baguio. In 2006 he and Baguio City High School Class of 1956 celebrated their 50th Golden Jubilee. He and his company were among the rescuers during the major earthquake that destroyed the historic Pines Hotel. We have a photo of him and his colleagues with

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-5512245158642838912009-07-13T10:38:00.005+08:002009-07-13T10:59:28.552+08:00

Click on the image to view Gever Tulley's excellent talk on TED.com. This amazing website was introduced to me by my Plurk friend, myepinoy.I love the idea that at the Tinkering School children have opportunities to build things without fear. I wish the Philippines had something like this. A Tinkering camp, a mini Maker Faire.Imagine what the future would be like!

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-30998166436907517032009-07-13T10:30:00.001+08:002009-07-13T10:31:32.256+08:00

ABS-CBN reports on gender refugee Philip Belarmino's groundbreaking case.I remember Philip from school, a kind and softspoken boy. His brother Nonong (aka Father Manuel, a Catholic priest) is from my graduating class at the UP Integrated School.Discrimination against gays is still rife in the Philippines. Sometimes it's in your face, sometimes it's quite subtle. If you were not aware of it yet

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-49045817805102689052009-07-13T09:40:00.001+08:002009-07-13T10:33:41.065+08:00

My friends may notice that I have been posting entries on a lot of Philippine-centric and sociological topics lately, particularly if they're forward-looking. Reading about economic recession levels, celebrity sex scandals, endless senate inquiries or political ambitions of various presidentiables gets old. It's really not the sort of thing you'd like to read with your morning cuppa on slow

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-31819692451063198972009-07-12T20:57:00.001+08:002009-07-13T10:35:42.184+08:00

While I was writing the earlier blog entry on what is worth saving, I remembered an announcement that Vibal Publishing made recently. Their excellent site, Filipiniana.net, indicates that they are in the process of digitizing as many primary sources - texts on the Philippines (its literature, culture, history, and related topics) - as they could, with the goal of providing FREE ACCESS to all

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-561890255907355252009-07-12T19:42:00.000+08:002009-07-13T10:37:22.307+08:00

One of the harsh facts of life, reflected in history, is the loss of knowledge from one generation to another. Sometimes the advances of technology render ideas and things and practices obsolete, and we are quick to shed these things along with our memories. We live in a world where we record the meaningful, the mundane and the mysterious in an effort to see what shapes our thinking and our

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-1907227504303087402009-07-11T11:47:00.001+08:002009-07-11T13:18:40.727+08:00

I came across this video from my friend Sandy Allan's post in Facebook. Originally posted by dqsantiago on Youtube, Eksenang Tahimik is "written, composed and performed by Jess Santiago. Direction and editing by JL Burgos. Musical Arrangement by Radio Active Sago Project. Acoustic guitar arrangement by Joey Ayala."It's poetry and music for a cause - to get answers from this government regarding

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-78865368117730776942009-07-08T21:09:00.002+08:002009-07-13T11:00:28.069+08:00

My friend Benjie dela Pena turned me on to this interesting site that he posted on Facebook, the Sputnik Observatory for the Study of Contemporary Culture. (Link, and above screen capture, show theoretical physicist Michio Kaku discuss interplanetary life. There are other thinkers on the panel.) Yes, geeky, but SO interesting. It's nice to listen to people's ideas in a conversational manner,

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-42810502279012000742009-07-03T17:25:00.001+08:002009-07-11T13:17:12.717+08:00

BBC One is airing a new 5-part mini-series of the cult sci-fi show Torchwood this week in the UK, called Children of the Earth.  (The videos can't be played in our area, unless you have Hotspot Shield.) If this does well, then I suppose there will a next season for my favorite Cardiff sci-fi crew.  Here's trailer 2 from Youtube:Pete Dillon-Trenchard tells us what he'd like to see more of in this

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-85246441659014513832009-06-29T19:16:00.002+08:002009-07-11T14:27:24.701+08:00

Did You Know 3.0 (2008) was seen on Facebook, originally posted by my friend BenC. I love it when I learn something new (again).

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-23302029837177432062009-06-29T12:45:00.005+08:002009-06-29T12:50:53.974+08:00

A year ago, when I was trying to figure out how to watch streaming tv on my Asus EEE, someone clued me in on Hulu.com. After getting all excited about it, I realized that it only caters to US IP addresses. So the same someone pointed me towards a workaround free app that redirects/masks one's Asian IP to make it appear one is viewing from the US - Hotspot Shield. I've also successfully used

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-81941345649374884472009-06-28T23:13:00.000+08:002009-07-11T13:44:11.184+08:00

Dark Roasted Blend strikes again! One of my favorite websites shares with us odd photos of cameras and photographers. This photo of an echidna investigating a Canon DLSR is presently unattributed, but by all means click on the link to see the other interesting and entertaining shots. Warning: Expect hilarity, cute factor, weird art in other themed entries.

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-48341799542257252952009-06-28T11:35:00.000+08:002009-06-28T11:36:09.140+08:00

The Philippine Daily Inquirer taught me something new today - the Philippines gave visas to Jews escaping Nazi Germany in WWII. Read about it here. Kudos to our Filipino artist, Junyee, whose monument at the Holocaust Memorial Park in Tel Aviv I take my blog title from.Here's the story of Ralph Preiss, who spent a part of his childhood in wartime Manila, by PDI's Volt Contreras.When we were in

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-91481004169603909282009-06-25T17:59:00.000+08:002009-07-11T13:51:00.845+08:00

AH1N1 virus just hit the Senate. Typhoon Feria just smashed through Bicol. Iranian pro-reform protesters were getting shot on Tehran streets. North Korea threatens to launch nuclear weapons against the US. Perez Hilton called will.i.am a faggot, and made a stupid ass of himself. My friends are getting addicted to Facebook games and quizzes. The day... well, the day was just too glum.Then

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-23090548707396499662009-06-25T09:37:00.001+08:002009-07-11T14:23:57.990+08:00

I learned of this happy news from my friends on Plurk.The Philippine StarPlease read the ff. blogs, which describe the situation better than I can:1Read2.orgJoey Alarilla's CNet Blog and in his earlier entry.Manuel L. Quezon III has a very good timeline of our pet cause.Let's keep watch on how the BOC will respond to this directive.Happy Monday, friends :)

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-40531728023172469882009-06-23T21:55:00.005+08:002009-07-11T14:25:06.093+08:00

I used to think that one day I'd write a book. Somehow I never made the jump into longer narrative fiction, as I woke up one day complaining of how work killed my creativity. I still haven't written a publication-worthy poem since I left Australia, but I did wake up another day to realize that creativity extended to what I could make with my hands.You all know about the knitting and how it

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-73447235905215002272009-06-17T12:44:00.005+08:002009-06-29T12:46:57.102+08:00

This is for all those who remember the 80's, when iconic soaps ruled tv primetime programming. Who could forget the uberglam Krystle vs. Alexis catfight on Dynasty?It was so iconic that it was hilariously referenced a couple of decades later by the Minogue sisters Kylie and Dannii on The Kylie Show:This blog entry won't be complete without a vintage Pinoy-style comedy catfight where megastar

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-89934913141984239542009-06-17T09:22:00.000+08:002009-06-23T22:48:06.750+08:00

I subscribed to Anton Diaz's The Biggest Bargain Blog last Christmas, and passed around My Secret Santa free cookie promo emails courtesy of Delifrance.Anton writes one of my favorite blogs, Our Awesome Planet, where I would get suggestions for travel or dining in the Philippines. Sometimes I actually get to visit a place with friends or family - that's successful use of blog information! The

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-48941408308187117062009-06-13T14:21:00.002+08:002009-06-13T14:29:45.741+08:00

To put you in a retro kinda mood, listen to Queen and Amy Winehouse remixed here on my friend Darlene's Blip.fm channel:If the embedding doesn't work, just click on the link :)

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-40190199103734416132009-05-30T15:53:00.002+08:002011-06-13T17:37:39.086+08:00

Today, on the third of a three-Saturday classical bookbinding workshop, I finished this. It's 192pp, with a cranberry-colored Philippine handmade paper cover and a yellow bookbinder's paper spine.Don't mind the dark blots on the left-side endpaper. That's archival glue that hasn't dried fully yet. This is also Philippine handmade paper. The swirls are made of paper as well - it's NOT a print.

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-41378881214786417862009-05-22T23:27:00.000+08:002009-05-22T23:28:29.860+08:00

Three years ago, my childhood classmate Lorelei ("Lyeh") discovered she had a brain tumor. She was operated on, but a year later the tumor reappeared. Ever since then she would suffer periodic intercranial pressure (liquid in her brain would accumulate, and not drain properly), for which she would be medicated.Two weeks ago, she suffered a sudden increase in intercranial pressure, which nearly

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-62728383611593333572009-05-14T11:54:00.006+08:002009-07-11T14:23:13.195+08:00

Of course, that's saying it nicely. The issue makes my blood boil, because I believe all sorts of books should be accessible to all Filipinos and that reading books should be encouraged in schools and at home in order to stimulate independent thought and imagination, and facilitate learning. I read for pleasure, for my own education and to learn about things in other parts of the world. That

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-29524048964169601622009-04-27T22:02:00.003+08:002009-05-01T11:25:27.672+08:00

CAVEAT: NOT SAFE FOR WORK!These boys are very cute. And funny. And coordinated. Not since Bulgarian Idol's infamous Ken Lee video have I laughed soooo hard!Enjoy :)

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-6385905603373131402009-04-26T11:33:00.005+08:002009-05-01T11:45:46.219+08:00

For other photos, click here to get to my gallery. Photos courtesy of Monch de Jesus and Rannie Jugueta of Netbooks.PH.If you own a netbook or are considering getting one, and need advice or tutorials or other sorts of help, Netbooks.PH is the forum for you. You don't need to be a techie, you just have to be interested. We have these friendly get-togethers to promote interaction and an

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-30124780370182747672009-04-18T23:45:00.004+08:002009-04-19T00:04:26.429+08:00

This afternoon when I was accessing emails from my cellphone I sort of blocked one of my own email accounts. I can use the password on mobile mode, but not from my desktop! Grrr!!! Sadly, I am not able to reset my password because I'd forgotten that my secondary email address they sent the temporary password to is now defunct. @#$%^&*!!!I have no idea at this time whether I can retrieve my

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-38837859828028729022009-04-18T11:27:00.003+08:002009-05-01T11:13:54.287+08:00

Emily Blunt is one of my favorite young British actresses (see "Devil Wears Prada", "Henry VIII", etc.). And who do we have to thank for me finding this on YouTube? Rupert Friend. I was checking out the related videos to the "Cheri" trailer (previous post) and found this one. Fortunately Rupert Friend looks better in this movie as Prince Albert. (Apparently, he's Keira Knightley's boyfriend,

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-65930065266580744542009-04-18T10:27:00.005+08:002009-05-14T13:05:20.873+08:00

Am a Michelle Pfeiffer fan. Am also a fan of period movies - Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Edith Wharton, belle epoque, men-in-wigs (term borrowed from Dondi Limgenco), WW1 & 2, you name it. Am also a Colette fan, although I've never read the book Cheri. The first one I read was The Shackle, followed by Gigi (later turned into that famous movie starring Leslie Caron, which I loved because I learned

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-3843193830038391752009-04-17T19:06:00.002+08:002009-04-17T19:12:37.302+08:00

A third of the family opted to sleep near the bonfire, under the stars. They awoke to a rosy dawn on the cool stones.My dad decided to work up a good appetite, heading to the beach. After breakfast, he and his cousins went off to see some vendors about some yellowfin tuna for lunch. This handsome specimen weighed 22kg. The ladies obliged by preparing and weighing the fish. We bought about

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-41214809666320904942009-04-17T19:00:00.003+08:002009-04-17T19:17:55.071+08:00

This is the third leg of the Caccam-Perez international family reunion. It follows the 2 videos posted from Cavite and Baguio City.Luna in La Union (near Bacnotan) is famous for its beaches of wave-polished, rounded stones. Not sand, stones. Stones of every color, washed up daily onto the beach. We were guests at the house of the Noble family.Relatives spent some time on the beach to collect

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013738175177340325.post-32227868457614490852009-04-17T15:12:00.000+08:002009-05-01T10:26:42.182+08:00

It was a bleh day for me, I missed getting to the bank by a few minutes and wasn't able to get any documents updated. I was feeling all kinds of effed up, when I got this in the email when I got back to my desk. Not quite as random an act of exuberance as it appears to be, but it made me smile. I still feel bad about missing my deadline. I have a report to submit tomorrow, that will have to rely

The Gravelcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590133021360629169noreply@blogger.com0