Mitsuru

Rap Snacks

2020-11-24T03:02:00.003-05:00

#RapSnacks -- there’s a surprising variety in the junk food and snacks that gas stations carry — I started getting these out of curiosity after rekindling my lottery habit a few weeks ago. Romeo Miller’s variety is apparently one of the oldest in the product line, which had humble beginnings in the 90s and started becoming more widespread after a partnership with Migos a few years ago.

Recollections of Childhood in Tiwi - #1

2020-10-15T14:05:00.008-05:00

One of the more vivid recollections of my childhood was that of a Toyota Coaster, a mini bus servicing the big hotels in Legaspi— Mayon Imperial Hotel, La Trinidad Hotel and Albay Hotel—stopping by daily in front of our house, always bringing a bevy of multinational tourists led by a distinctly loud tour guide who descended the concrete steps towards the house, where artworks and products made of abaca and other native materials were mounted on a wall display in the sala.

My grandparents were known proponents of the local handicraft and cottage industries in Tiwi since the 1950s and were featured at the height of their business in the Philippines Herald, one of the leading newspapers at that time, in a section titled Little People Making Big. per said article- “they stopped the exodus of women from Bicolandia” which I will also write about in a future post.

Looking back? It was always fascinating as a child to watch the awestruck faces of those tourists as they examined the framed artworks as the din of the tourist guide’s voice reverberated throughout the small room as he explained the intricate process and the materials used in their construction.

Most of the artworks that were on display depicted the local hot springs, vignettes of early geothermal exploration, and of course, the usual touristy fare— rustic local scenes with the Mayon Volcano as a backdrop.

The tourists were a mix of various nationalities from all over the world, with the Australians and the Japanese comprising the majority.

My gran’pa Lolo Pito sold a lot of his artworks during the heyday of tourism in Tiwi (1970s to early 1980s). He used to keep a small notebook with pictures of his artworks and the names and address of his buyers catalogued in it. The list was a hodgepodge of various nationalities, with one of the more noteworthy entries being a Peruvian whose name now escapes me who bought several huge pieces that made me wonder how cumbersome it would be to transport them to South America. Now, whenever I remember that particular moment, I would envision a scene where I’d spot one of those frames hanging in a restaurant on the streets of Lima.

Unfortunately, I could not find that particular notebook the first time I went home to Tiwi from the United States. It was probably lost to the floods brought about by the annual monsoons and typhoons that constantly visit and plague Basag since forever.

After the wells of the hot springs dried up as a consequence of the geothermal operations in the 1980s, the sight of the mini bus and its tourist passengers visiting Tiwi suddenly became scarce, until one day they just stopped coming.

The tourism industry became anemic and the revenues it brought to Tiwi took a downturn. With a few exceptions, the souvenir shops have closed and the people behind them moved on to other endeavors.

And what happened to the tourist guide with the loud and distinct voice?

I have learned years later that his name was Aguinaldo ‘Gina’ Cariño; that he was a good friend of my grandfather — they were party-mates in the local branch of the Liberal Party under Senator Victor S. Ziga; that he became a Board Member of the Province of Albay during the time of Governor Romeo Salalima and in 2014 was honored by then-Governor Joey Salceda as one of the Outstanding Albayanos for his lifelong support and contributions to the tourism industry in the province, among other reasons.

DocuFixation: Father Soldier Son

2020-07-24T04:58:00.000-05:00

👁 07242020 🎬 2020

*coincidentally, while watching this film, i noticed that today was also the 5th anniversary of the tragic death of Joey, the 12-year-old son of the main subject of the documentary— single father of two sons, wounded Afghan War Veteran SFC Brian Eisch, US Army.

the Apple air pod...

2020-07-22T06:01:00.000-05:00

...conked out, so I picked up a $5.99 JVC Gumy headphones from a grocery stall and it turned out perfectly serviceable.

FlightDeck: Incheon

2020-07-22T05:03:00.000-05:00

...some cool things that caught my eye at South Korea’s ultra-modern Incheon International Airport, one of the best airports in the world in almost every metric (including free mega fast wifi) in my book.

GrubHub: Chicharrones

2020-07-21T06:09:00.000-05:00

I normally don’t dig salt & vinegar flavor for junk foods, but since the local Asian store ran out of my go-to Lapid chicharons, i picked up Tito Al’s Choice chicharrones strips for lack of better options. Turns out it tasted better than i expected.

Ninja Moves

2020-07-20T06:16:00.000-05:00

last week I finally unboxed the Ninja that had been lying around in a corner since a few months back and immediately put the machine to use — Air Roasting and Air Frying a few slabs of pork ribs.

Maisto Mini Cars

2020-07-19T06:19:00.000-05:00

At a sale price of $14.99 a pop, these beautiful 1/18 American muscle cars and European Supercars by Maisto at Sam’s Club were very tempting, but i managed to look away. For a die-cast car collector and enthusiast since childhood it was a hard pass indeed.

DocuFixation: Rolling Thunder Revue

2020-07-10T05:09:00.000-05:00

fun fact: when i was a kid, i hated Bob Dylan’s voice to death. i have since better appreciated his songs and have listened to more than half of his catalogue. but i still don’t own any of his albums. the local library takes care of those for me though. nowadays, Dylan always elicits a chuckle the moment i hear him singing on my car’s radio. 😉

👁 07102020 🎬 2019

striptease: Perry Mason

2020-06-28T06:23:00.000-05:00

*Perry Mason
HBO | Chapter 2 | 06282020

#SnowPatrol

2020-05-16T05:54:00.000-05:00

for years, I’ve heard the song Chasing Cars a lot on FM radio on my regular drives back and forth from work but I never bothered to look up more about the band behind it. Then a couple years ago, Josh Groban and Sarah McLachlan did a beautiful rendition of their song entitled Run at a concert at Pine Knob, which prompted me to finally look them up online. Then on May 1st while scrolling through Netflix in the wee hours I stumbled upon this 2018 documentary featuring the aforementioned Irish-Scottish band. Now, even if only for their two hit songs mentioned previously, I now consider myself a fan.

vinyl records mecca

2019-06-20T05:50:00.000-05:00

DocuFixation: Devil at the Crossroads

2019-05-21T05:37:00.000-05:00

a fairly short presentation about one of the most legendary ancestors of modern music, and his incredibly mysterious backstory...

#Runwell

2018-12-07T05:46:00.000-05:00

The limited edition RUNWELL turntable by SHINOLA on display at the Westin Book Cadillac in Detroit.

What a beauty!

SoundTrack: Obladi-Oblada

2017-09-10T05:26:00.000-05:00

i used to play

this a lot

back in the days

growing up in

Tiwi

when

the Beatles

ruled the Radiowealth turntable

at home

. listening

to a 45 Parlophone record

me and my friends

would sing-along-

"Obladi-Oblada, life goes on bra..."

👁 seeing as we were only 7 or 8 years old, we found the “mention” of a bra in a song quite hilarious

*Memories of Childhood in Tiwi #1970sTiwi #TheBeatles

it's a Pink Floyd kind of night---Comfortably Numb.

2017-09-01T05:41:00.000-05:00

*****

The Tiwi Town Plaza

2016-06-28T06:35:00.000-05:00

In 1880, Gobernadorcillo* Higino Templado conceptualized and constructed Tiwi's first town plaza in order to provide the community with a wholesome place for people to gather on Sundays and holidays to relax and watch the Comedia or local plays.

Municipal President* Mateo Clidoro (1926-1931) initiated the naming of the town plaza to Plaza Templado in honor of Higino Templado during his incumbency. His successor, Mayor Lino Clutario (1931-1934), with monetary donations from the townspeople, was instrumental in erecting a bust of the late mayor Higino Templado at the center of the plaza, where it remained until it was relocated to give way to the building of the "Kiosko" during the term of Mayor Eleodoro Cortezano (1948-1951). Mayor Cristito Cirujales (1952-1955) contributed a water fountain in front of the kiosk, while Mayor Jose C. Templado (1956-1959) in turn built a concrete fence surrounding Plaza Templado in the mid-1950's. Some of these contributions can be seen in the accompanying picture, which was taken in the late 1960s by my late father Aki Shimizu.

During the early days of the geothermal exploration in Tiwi in the 1970s, Mayor Oriel C. Clutario (1968-1992) decided to re-design the town plaza, buried the kiosk under earth and pushed for the concreting of the walkways/sidewalks around the oval and planted the many Talisay and Acacia trees that still stand to this very day.

Mayors Naomi C. Corral (1992-1995), Patria C. Gutierrez (1996-2004) and Ami C. Villanueva (2004-2013) have, in one way or another, taken turns in putting their mark on the town plaza during their terms.

When Leo P. Templado (2013-2016) assumed office as mayor of the town, the local government under his leadership undertook a massive rehabilitation and improvement of the town plaza. Cognizant of the place's history and significance, the Sangguniang Bayan of Tiwi passed an ordinance to restore the newly-minted town plaza back to its original name of Plaza Higino Templado, an affirmation of its historical place in the annals of the history of Tiwi and a fitting homage to the man who played an important role in the affairs of the town's early days.

*gobernadorcillo - municipal president - mayor

Plaza Higino Templado

2016-06-27T06:45:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow will be the inauguration of the Tiwi Town Plaza, which will be officially named Plaza Templado.

The Sangguniang Bayan of Tiwi recently passed an ordinance re-affirming the name as it has been historically known (based on oral history and documented evidence) since the time of municipal mayor Mateo Clidoro (1925-1931).

Plaza Templado was named after Higino Templado, the sixty-sixth Gobernadorcillo (mayor) of Tiwi.

Who is Mayor Higino Templado?

Here's a short biography of the man:

Sr. Don Higino Templado, the sixty-sixth gobernadorcillo (1879-1884) of Tiwi, Albay was not only a leader, but a builder. Among his notable accomplishments were the founding of barangay Cararayan, the renaming of Cagintilan to Mayong, the propagation of the Abaca industry, the Cararayan-Cale road, the Nagas River Control Project, and one of the earlier versions of the municipal building called the Tribunal, among many others. He was also instrumental in the planning and laying out of the existing municipal street system of the town.

The superior government in Manila recognized the Gobernadorcillo's achievements in public improvements, in the promotion of peace and order, and in the development of local agriculture. He was therefore awarded a silver medal on which the following was inscribed: "GOBIERNO SUPERIOR DE FILIPINAS- AL MERITO CIVIL".

In 1880, he conceptualized and constructed the town plaza in order to provide the community with a wholesome place for people to gather on Sundays and holidays to relax and watch the Comedia or local plays.

In 1884, he died at the age of 32 after suffering a relapse from an illness that he contracted while supervising the repair of the road in Nagas after a heavy flood.

The plaza was officially named Plaza Templado during the term of Municipal President Mateo Clidoro (1926-1931) in honor of Mayor Higino Templado.

TIWI - Molding the Pots of Prosperity from the Springs of History

2016-06-26T06:56:00.000-05:00

"Plaza Templado" was mentioned in this book by esteemed historian Danilo Madrid Gerona (also the author of "Ferdinand Magellan, The Armada de Maluco and the European Discovery of the Philippines”), which was commissioned by the Province of Albay under Gov. Joey Salceda and published in 2013 during the term of mayor Ami Villanueva.

The Flag Pole

2016-06-24T07:04:00.000-05:00

This is a picture that I grabbed from the LGUTiwi FB page of the ongoing redesign and enhancement of the Plaza in front of the municipal building.

What caught my attention amid the chaos of construction and what have you was the concrete base of the flagpole. I can still vividly remember the story behind said structure.

One day in the late 70s or early 80s, while supervising the construction of the koi (Japanese carp) ponds & water fountains in front of the old 'municipio', my father, Aki Shimizu, was asked by mayor Oriel Clutario if he could improve the old flagpole in the plaza.

He immediately asked his workers to gather the materials needed for the simple design that he sketched on a paper bond in haste: bricks made at the Tiwi Ceramic Plant and corals that were brought from Corangon earlier; they finished the job by late afternoon of the same day.

Of course, as with many of his public landscape projects and works in Tiwi, my father did it for free.

The koi ponds and the fountains are long gone, and judging from the current design of the plaza, the flagpole will eventually be condemned to oblivion, too. I am sharing this backstory here for posterity.

On a side note: Can anyone tell me the proper name of the Tiwi Municipal Plaza?

Yes, it has a name that not too many people, especially the newer generations of Tiwinhons, are aware of. But if you read the book "TIWI Molding the Pots of Prosperity from the Springs of History" -- authored by eminent historian Danilo Madrid Gerona, you probably already know the answer to the question above.

*

2015-06-07T01:16:00.000-05:00

at dusk, the sun paints
brilliant, surreal, dreamy hues
through Ann Arbor skies.

v

2015-06-06T00:53:00.001-05:00

in Huron river's calm waters

the kayakers at dusk stalk the setting sun, stir the proverbial pot

and disturb the gods.

BookMark: Suspended Sentences

2015-02-24T04:24:00.000-05:00

My second Modiano.
I read Dora Bruder back in 2004. I had no idea who Patrick Modiano was back then, but I remember very well how I managed to pick up his book, together with Amos Oz' Where the Jackals Howl, at a Book Sale outlet near the LRT Station in Pedro Gil because I was looking for something to read to ease the boredom of waiting in line for my interview at the US Embassy.
Now that Modiano is a Nobel laureate, I think it's the right time to start reading his works again.

because Cassette Tapes

2014-12-30T04:15:00.000-05:00

yup, i still collect (audio books, rock, operas, musicals, classics et al) and play them on a vintage player from time to time. and at 10 cents for a trip down memory lane i cannot complain-

a cheap hobby. a flashback to my teenage years when i used to save up on my allowance and purchase those old rock and roll albums from the local record store.

The Maltese Falcon

2014-07-22T04:33:00.000-05:00

My fifth film noir of the weekend.
"The stuff that dreams are made of." ~ never gets old.