Enjoying Filipino Short Stories!

I admit I rarely read fiction or short stories written by Filipino writers. It's so lopsided towards foreign writers which was exacerbated by the fact that when I was still in school, there was so much focus on English competency that nobody really bothered about Filipino literature except perhaps the novels that Rizal wrote.

I tried to remedy that situation last year when I bought several books written by local writers and finally reading one, a compilation of short stories written by Palanca winners in the 80s.

This collection is actually an 'embarrassment of riches" as I've discovered some writers here who happen to fit perfectly into the type of stories that I'd love to read. My most favorite was 'Our Lady of Arts and Letters' by Eli Ang Barroso, but I found the stories of Charlson Ong's to be the most intriguing!

Actually, most of the winners are the who's who of contemporary Filipino literature, yun lang, I'm not so sure if all of them eventually wrote novels, which to me, would be the best barometer for a writer to be measured in terms of achievement (unless of course, if he's a poet or essayist).

I don't know yet if they have the anthology for the 2000s but that would be an interesting read as well, because this anthology of 80s short stories truly depicts the decade and the themes that were popular during that particular decade.

Misplaced Priorities and Attention to Detail

As I was reading this article today - http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2015/07/16/1477609/lrta-throws-lavish-party-amid-trains-leaking-roofs - I couldn't believe that heads of these agencies, especially the one manning the public transportation system of this country can just waste money on lavish parties and yet not have any budget to fix the existing Light Railway Transit system!  

The head is also very strict with the implementation of the dress code but is not meticulous enough to check the safety systems of the LRT service.  Tumutulo na nga raw ang mga trains e!

Enjoying the Remaining Open Spaces Here in Quezon City

It's been ages since I've been to the Quezon Memorial Circle.  I think it's been 20 years since I've set foot on it.  I decided to visit it again yesterday since Dylan and I needed a place to exercise.  And the Quezon Memorial Circle is just the perfect place for it!

You can actually jog around the monument of the Quezon Memorial Circle.  It was an ordinary Wednesday night but there were many people there - mostly students on a date, or just hanging out, enjoying the cool wind.

Ayun, I enjoyed the experience as well although I wasn't able to jog much due to Dylan's preference to walk.