The Halo-Halo Bistro

U.S. Armed Forces Chess Championship 1963, Washington D.C. Mang Bading’s barber shop was very popular in my neighborhood when I was growing up. Mang Bading had only one barber’s chair but his place attracted many -- not for haircuts but for entertainment and amusement. There were benches and chairs outside the shop where the regular visitors would be playing dama (Filipino checkers) and chess while onlookers gathered around the games. I played dama with my Uncle Pelagio frequently but I wasn’t good enough to challenge any of the regular players at the barber shop. After school I would often stop by the barber shop to watch people play dama and chess. I wasn’t very interested in chess at the time. Although I knew the basic rules of the game, I thought it was too complicated. I became more interested in chess when I was 14 years old. My high school friend, Eliezer Fortunato, and I liked to compete with each other on just about anything, so since we were both chess beginners of th...

I hated dogs when I was growing up. Dog owners in my Santol neighborhood let their dogs run loose, and most of them had not had rabies vaccine. A vicious dog attacked me when I was about seven years old. I had to suffer through rabies shots in my back daily for 20 days. It was a painful experience and I was miserable. Throughout my life I avoided dogs. When I married Louise and raised a family our three children were not allowed to have a dog for a pet. They had goldfish and chameleons. Then I met Tekka, a beagle-hound mix that my daughter Tina and her husband Dave had adopted from an animal rescue center in the Bay Area. I see Tekka at least once a week when we have our family get-together. She is so much fun, always playful and full of energy. There is no meanness in her. Tekka changed my attitude towards dogs. Now I understand the expression, a dog is a man’s best friend.

Tim Tebow, a sophomore at the University of Florida, was born in the Philippines in the slums of Mindanao. He is now a football star playing for the Gators and the first sophomore to win the much-coveted Heisman Trophy, given to only the best football players. His parents were Baptist church missionaries in Cotabato during his conception and birth. His mother contracted dysentery while pregnant; the Filipino doctor recommended abortion but the mother refused. Tim Tebow was born a normal infant. Tim will most likely be offered a professional football career when he gets out of college but he is considering going back to Mindanao to help run the orphanage that his father founded. Tim’s truly amazing success story was featured as a cover article in the July issue of the Filipinas Magazine. Read the Filipinas Magazine article

George Carlin (1937-2008) was not only a talented comedian but also a philosopher. A friend sent me this piece of Carlin’s. It is absolutely brilliant. I would like to share this with my fellow Mapa HS ’57 graduates and others our age for their enjoyment. ------------------- George Carlin's Views on Aging Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions. 'How old are you?' 'I'm four and a half!' You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key. You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead. 'How old are you?' 'I'm gonna be 16!' You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life ! You become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony.YOU BECOME 21. ...

I am trying to recollect my childhood days as far back as I can. I remember being in an air raid shelter somewhere around Manila. It must have been when the American forces had just started liberating the Philippines from the Japanese before the end of WWII. I was four years old. Bombs were falling and exploding around us. My mother wanted me very close to her while she was saying the rosary with other women in the shelter. I was too young to be scared. I can’t remember how long we stayed in the shelter. The next thing I remember was when there was no more bombing and I was playing with other kids in the streets of Manila. Occasionally, military jeeps would pass by loaded with GI’s and we would attempt to chase them yelling “victory Joe, victory Joe”, our arms raised with the ‘V’ finger sign for victory. They would toss Hershey’s chocolate bars at us. It must have been a fun experience because I can still remember it. Fast forward to 1984. I was in the U.S. Coast Guard worki...

We just celebrated Independence Day two weeks ago. We had a barbecue in our backyard. When it got dark it was time to watch the fireworks, and we could see some from our backyard coming from Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo. It wasn't much of a fireworks display due to the distance but it was good enough for me. Fireworks bring back memories of my pre-teen days in Santol. My family lived on Dona Maria Street. We didn't have fireworks but we had 'paputok' (firecrackers) to welcome the New Year. We also made cannons out of bamboo, and kerosene as the explosive charge. We placed the kerosene inside the bamboo at the base and heated it through a small hole, using lit candles. When the gas from the kerosene mixed with oxygen in the air, putting a flame near the hole would ignite the oxygen-kerosene gas mixture and would cause an explosion and a loud 'bang'. To make more fun we would use empty Carnation milk cans as projectiles. One afternoon just before...

By Erlinda Andal PAGLINGON sa nakaraan,PAGTINGIN sa kasalukuyan,at PAGTANAW sa hinaharap Habang binabasa ko ang palitan ng karanasan ng grupo nina Efren parang may nabuo sa aking isipan ang mas malalim na kahulugan ng pagkakasama sama ng Class '57. PAGLINGON sa nakaraan Sa ating mga kasayahan at pagsasama sama binabakas natin ang lumipas na panahon habang nasa PAARALANG MAPA.Ang kaayusan nito,ang mga silid aralan,ang mga tagpuan,ang mga activities na luminang sa ating mga kakayahan at kasanayan at higit sa lahat ang mga gurong nagpanday ng ating mga kaisipan. Binabakas din natin ang mga karanasan sa buhay,ang hirap at ginhawang nadama natin sa panahon ng ating pag aaral,ang ating pagtahak sa landas ng TAGUMPAY. Binabakas din natin ang mga babae at lalake na ating hinangaan at naging inspirasyon sa loob ng paaralan.Ang ibang love team ay nagkatuluyan habang ang iba naman ay hindi. Noon partikular lang tayo sa ating kapangkat di natin alintana ang ibang seksyon. Marahail maram...

Halo-halo is a mixture of many ingredients in a tall glass. It is a favorite Filipino dessert or snack that is popular on hot summer days. The common ingredients are sweet preserved beans (red beans, chick peas), coconut meat (macapuno), jackfruit (langka), pounded dried rice (pinipig), sweet yam (ube), cream flan (leche flan), shreds of sweetened plantain (saba), filled with crushed ice, milk (or coconut milk) and topped with ice cream. I remember my childhood days in Santol (a small neighborhood on the eastern part of Manila) where I would go to Aling Elma's sari-sari store for a halo-halo treat. It cost 25 centavos, but since I normally didn't have 25 centavos to spend, Aling Elma would put it down in our family ‘charge’ account that was usually paid off at the end of the month, more like our credit card account of today. My halo-halo purchase would have to be pre-approved by my mother before I could proceed with the purchase. I live in Benicia, CA with Louise, my wife o...