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Bilingual Pen
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A community portal and forum for literary and journalistic writing and freelancing. Also contains poems, short stories and essays. Articles are written in english or ilokano.
Recent Posts Tagged With 'folklore'
The Final Farewell
This was the straw that broke the camel's back. She had always been faithful to her wayward husband. Obviously, the same was not true when it came to her womanizing husband. Somewhere in the equation he must have picked up something from somebody and...
Small Terrorist
My mother was visibly embarrassed by my outrageous behavior and tried to comfort and console me. At first she was gentle. Knowing this was the public square, I decided to push the envelope. I brought out the worst in my repertoire of childish, tornad...
Lilly Pad
My own personal study and observation of the amphibian was never scientific but I did come up with some ideas and notions of why the frogs jumped from one lilly pad to the next. I concluded that the overarching reason was search for food, to find a b...
A Diet that Works
If you examine the above mentioned spread, there is a glaring absence of vegetable oils and/or animal fats in the food, or butter - not even in the desserts. No synthetic sugars or sweeteners are used in the main course or side dishes. No processing ...
Anatomy of a Teacher
Our teacher was a sharp and meticulous dresser. She must have had her own personal dress maker, or access to one. She had her own hairdresser for sure judging from her neatly coiffed hair and baby bangs. She donned a new dress every two weeks. These ...
Manang Biday
Now back to Fr. Cutie. Obviously, Fr. Cutie's girlfriend did not heed the warning. "No nangato, dimo sucdalen..." (translation: If the fruit hangs too high up there on the limb, do not use a pole harvester to pick it). Fr. Cutie was way up there, so ...
Awan Umasping
"Apo, awan pay casta nga napasamac ti daytoy nga escuela manipud idi naputar ken naipatacder," imbunannag ni Mother Superiora. "No ti kinalaingna ken kinasiribna dayta nga estudiante. . . awan umasping. . . awan umasping!"...
Rite of Passage
Freshman year high school arrived with much fanfare. I was moonstruck and didn't even realize it. The girl who lived next door, whose company I dreaded before this mysterious behavior change, gradually morphed into a beautiful, winsome, and alluring ...
Self-defeating Acts
Then just before the lights turned green, the muse behind the wheel did something totally unexpected. She casually slipped her ring finger into her right nostril and commenced to dig, excavate, and mine her nasal cavity. Then she pulled her digit out...
“Relathieves”
There were those among my relatives who didn't bother to ask. They just stealthily rifled through the contents of my luggage and with impunity. They took my toiletries - even a plastic comb missing a few teeth didn't survive. They took my shaving kit...
The Doormat
"The man's an inutile," Rosamunda's father began. "There is nothing he can do. He can't even throw or deploy a simple tabucol (throw net), he can't mend a fence, he can't even drive a jeep. Which leaves me wondering, where did this man come from? Wha...
On Growth and Maturing
In my own household one evening after we had eaten dinner, one of my teenage sons filed a grievance as he began to wash dishes. He just couldn't do his assigned chores; he had to file a complaint. "Why do I have to wash these dishes all over again? I...
“Ma at Pa”
I was left wondering whether this sort of activity - meaning the lack of accountability - was a prevalent practice all over the country - this attitude of, "Malay ko dyan... Pakialam ko dyan..." (None of my business. Don't know and don't care - Ignor...
Transformation
All the while, Berting's wife never showed any tendencies - never betrayed his trust, even in the least bit, in her manner and in the way she lived her simple life, to confirm or to render true all of the gossip and bad-mouthing that she unfairly rec...
Apprentice Embalmer
That's why when our local mortician advertised to hire an apprentice embalmer, I was only too willing to give it a try. Not many applied for the position. They were more or less constrained by their deeply ingrained superstitious beliefs and their fe...
Paradise
Saturdays were set aside for scrubbing the clay cooking pots, the aluminum calderos and woks, the cooking utensils and the pots and pans. It was a half day operation. We scooped ashes from the wood fire upon which we cooked gruel and slop (bi-nog-bog...
Callugong wenno Boniti
Adu a kita ti callugong na. Addanto pay tay napunno ti frutas nga plastic a maduma-duma. Dayta a callugong aramid da dita Hong Kong cano. Adda pay tay naidait a dutdot ti payac ti abuyo. Nagatiddog a casla nalabaga a pluma dayta. No mapan ag-comonyon...
Queen of Procrastination
They celebrated the prolonged birthing with a blow out Simeon hired a caterer; she was good without any doubt The caterer stole the choice parts; it was indeed a rout The tenderloin, tripes, the bile and brains all went south....
Marungay
Diak pay mamati uray si-iimatangak. Kimpet diay bulong marungay idiay casla marfil a ngipen. Saan met nga pinanginsulto caniada wenno panangumsi ngem ti macunac laeng, dica agaramat iti bato a pagbansag mo iti padam a tao no ti balay a pagnaedam wenn...
Ania’t Gapuna. . .
Caasi pay ni Tansio ta adda metten nangcaot cadaydiay paspasumoc na nga naluom nga atis. Adda metten nang-tibba iti daydiay sinapad a saba na. Adda metten nangtacaw iti dayaw ken kina-lalaki na. Adda metten nangkusit caniana. Adda metten nangpanaw ca...
Mario Ventura’s Story
Remember one of Mr. Uy's alleged victims who happened to be one of Mr. Ventura's nieces supposedly, quit the company and who refused to file a complaint? She spun a fantastic story about being sexually harrassed by Mr. Uy that was supposedly witnesse...
“O Barsilis”
What we are about to witness is a ritual - borne out of local superstition or folkloric custom - of "calling back," or the "beckoning of the soul," - which in the local venacular is expressed as, "nacabat-bati ti carcarma na," - meaning, the patient'...
Monsoon
The monsoon brings with it a torrential downpour like no other time. Still, the inclement weather notwithstanding, industrious farmers can and will don their annanga (bury palm leaf makeshift but effective raincoat), tabungaw hat (head cover made out...
Padre Banong’s Bicycle
"I have a suggestion," offered the bishop. "Next Sunday, I want you to preach on the ten commandments. When you come to the commandment that says, 'Thou shalt not steal," loudly bang on the pulpit rim with your fists so that the people will be awaken...
