So long, Roger

Some members of Church Cafe, a Bible study group founded by the late Norma Liongoren at her New York street, Cubao, gallery, are shown supporting Mario Miclat (leftmost), Gawad Balagtas awardee for excellence in essay and fiction writing in 2013, the year the Baguio Writers Group also received the Gawad Pedro Bucaneg trophy from the Unyon ng mga Manunulat ng Piliipinas. This accounts for the blogger's presence in the group shot apart from her occasionally partaking of the study of the Word. Poet Rogelio "Roger" Mangahas, who passed away at 6:14 today, is standing third from right, with wife Fe beside him. Pastor Stephen and Fe Sunil are at center, Alma Miclat beside Mario holding their only grandchild Raj.

In all photos I've seen of Roger today posted in social media he always looked trim but strong. Who'd have known the body would turn traitor and we'd lose this nationalist poet, teacher, activist so soon? As the good book says, "Who knows the mind of the Lord?"

Roger was 79. Rest in peace, gentle friend! Photo courtesy of Alma Miclat

Belgium’s magic flutist visits Manila | Vera Files

Belgium’s magic flutist visits Manila | Vera Files

Fred at 70

"Perfection and purity are not the goals of a soul-centered life. The soul craves ordinary pleasures, depth of feeling and relatedness, worldly delight that is not inimical to a spiritual practice, human scale in the making of culture, and exposure to the magic that lies just beneath the surface of familiar things." - Thomas Moore, The Re-enchantment of Everyday Life

Fred Liongoren just joined the "At 70 Club" which is better than lotto winnings because that means added years of grace. Fred has become a sep·tu·a·ge·nar·i·an (that's how the syllables are broken up). It's not that I'm rubbing it in, Fred, but last night's welcome to the 70 club was a hoot. And the way he looked last night, he could pass for an Old Testament patriarch.

Pastor Stephen Sunil's message on that happy occasion was based on Good Man Luke's Book (chapter 2, verse 52). Applied to ourselves, it was a lesson on how each of us could grow fully human and perhaps Christ-like not just physically (those days are past as we move increasingly closer to the sundown of our lives) but socially, intellectually and spiritually, too. Lest I sound like a theological school student who failed to make the grade, I will close today's entry for the day right here.

Happy 70 again, Fred Old Boy, and continue to keep calm by keeping the faith.

An American poet (forgive the lapse in memory regarding his name) once wrote this beautiful line: "Blow out the candles of your cake, they will not leave you in the dark."

Fred surrounded by his immediate and extended families. Among those in picture are his daughter Hanna, Julie Lluch, wife Norma, Alma Cruz Miclat, Imelda Cajipe Endaya, Mila Aguilar, painter Pablo Baens Santos.

Simoun Balboa opens a bottle of fizz to celebrate the good times past, present and future.
Photos, including blurred ones, by Babeth Lolarga

A prize that nurtures young poets | Vera Files

A prize that nurtures young poets | Vera Files

Pasta, pizza and books

Here are two women still in their prime, still intact, their hunger not so evident, after more than an hour of rummaging through the shelves and piles of books at the Anvil warehouse sale.

I was P50 short, and Alma Miclat kindly lent me the money so I could go home with a bundle of book purchases, 12 in all, including board books, realistic books on safari animals and insects (all meant for my grand-daughter, a budding bookworm). The sale is every Friday, Saturday and Sunday until the last weekend of July. It was my second visit since last Saturday. I calculated, using my most elementary math, that I had saved my family more than P3,000 from the discounts. Of course, my partner in Baguio was quite pleased to learn how wisely I was spending our money.

Well, all that rummaging left our granny hands grimy with dust and made us ready for the hunger games. Good thing Barangay Kapitolyo, where the sale is going on, has a row of restaurants on East Capitol Drive that one can choose from.

I brought Alma to Poco Deli which isn't so poco anymore with an extension added to it. It still remains cozy. We enjoyed the pasta with truffle oil and the four-cheese pizza over conversation about the developments of our respective grandchildren. After all that talking, there were no leftovers!

So today at past nine, I'll be inside 107 West Capitol Drive again to return and pay for a reserved Filipino cultural dictionary that I realized would help me with the kind of work I do: writing and teaching.And exploring food places.

Too early for wine so Alma ordered a tall glass of freshly made iced tea

Super thin crust but filling

Split pasta

Ze blogger and ze still intact pizza

Photos by Babeth Lolarga and Alma Miclat