Noong araw. . .

By Celia White

Panciteria Moderna was the place to go for pancit miki and miki bihon already wrapped in their version of 'tetra pak' (banana leaves on wrapping paper tied with a rubber band). Pancit bihon was the specialty of Panciteria Wa Nam .. Kung gusto mo naman ng chopsuey rice doon ka sa Hen Wah, tabi ng Avenue Theatre. At sa Ma Mon Luk, siopao was at 30 centavos; mami was at 70 centavos or 2 pcs. of siomai (large) with unlimited soup for 30 centavos.. So with one peso busog ka na. Ngayon bigay mo piso sa pulubi, titignan ka pa ng masama. The Shangri-la in the basement of Shelborne Hotel (at the back) was the place to go for dates if you wanted a dark and cozy atmosphere. The Black Angel along Shaw Blvd near the corner of Kalentong in Mandaluyong was a very good place to listen to soft music (Fleetwoods, Lettermen, Cascades) and the lights were also quite low.. Then with the introduction of the 'black light' you look like Dracula about to devour a beautiful victim. Kaya lang pag may pustiso ka itim ang labas kaya mukhang kenkoy ka. So do not dare to smile. With Php 30.00- 50.00 in your pocket you were in pretty good shape for a date. 'Bakuran' was the in-thing at parties with 'screening' from a friend to assist you in getting a dance with a girl who was very sought after. Wack-Wack, the Sky Room in Jai-Alai, the penthouse at the Rufino Bldg. as well as Capri at the Sarmiento Bldg right opposite it were the favorite places for proms and balls. Sikat ang event if the DynaSouls (dubbed the Beatles of the Philippines), The Tilt Down Men (the Sotto brothers, Tito, & Val, favored the Dave Clark 5), Hi-Jacks, the Electromaniacs (later Electros) or the Bad Habits was the 'combo' playing.&n bsp; Other popular bands then were the Bits and Pieces ( after the Dave Clark 5 hit), Purple People, Versatiles (remember the late Bobby Lim), Technicolors (whose drummer Tony Tuviera is now the producer of Eat Bulaga), Red Fox (forerunner of Hotdog), Jungle Cats, Glenmores, Robins, Crystals , Phantoms, and the Downbeats (where most of the Juan de la Cruz band came from notably Pepe Smith or Joey Smith then). What about gate crashing a 'Tipar' (for party) and the ensuing rumble between feuding barkadas: Havocs, Combat, Axis, Amboys, Mobs & Exotics, meron pang kanya-kanyang busina (car honking ID)... Remember BMI (Baguio Military Institute)? That school was a dumping ground for kicked out students from Manila and kids that needed discipline. Let us not forget ang mga taga 'Baste' (San Sebastian). Ang daming siga noong araw. Alta Vista along Roxas Blvd. was the favorite place for wedding receptions at Php 8.50 per cover! Ngayon, kulang pang pambayad ito sa parking fee. Special ringside seats for performances at the Araneta Coliseum were at P5.00 per. So with P20.00 you could safely invite someone and still have enough for a snack afterwards or a game of 'putt and putt' at the mini-golf place located at the back of Araneta. Among the more popular celebrities who performed at the Big Dome were Neil Sedaka, Anita Bryant, Teddy Randazzo, Nat King Cole, Jo Ann Campbell, Paul Anka, Johnny Mathis, Matt Monro, Gary Lewis & the Playboys, Dave Clark 5, Zombies, Peter and Gordon and many many more. Noon 5 centavos sa mga bata at 10 centavos naman para sa matatanda ang bayad sa jeep. Manila and Suburbs ang lahat ng biyahe ng jeep noon na 3 seater lang (AC ang tawag nila dito) at talagang Upong Diyes lang ang sigaw ng driver. Sa Avenida Rizal at Sta. Cruz, Blumentritt, Tayuman, Es piritu Santo Church , Grace Park, Pasay-Taft, Dakota - Harrison, Paco-Taft, Sta. Ana Tulay at BBB-Monumento ang mga sikat na lugar. Did you get an opportunity to ride the G-Liner from San Juan to Quiapo? It would crawl up to the corner of N. Doming to pick up passengers. That's why we called it Gapang Liner. Gas was very cheap then and they can afford to keep the motor running for 2 hours at a snail's pace. Gasoline prices then were at 25 centavos per liter and there were only two types of gas; Premium or Regular.. Caltex called their premium 'Boron' as advertised by that multi-colored dancing lights on top of the old San Miguel Ice Plant. Near those dancing lights was the big white kettle pouring hot chocolate on a giant cup. It was sponsored by Cocoa Ricoa. Esso named theirs Extra to 'put a Tiger in your tank'. Yung Good Earth Emporium pwede ring idagdag sa mga magagandang shopping mall noong araw. Yung Manila Grand Opera house, Clover, Odeon, Roxan, Hollywood , Cinerama, Avenue, Universal, Dalisay, Ever, Galaxy, Ideal, State, Lyric, Capitol ang mga sikat na 'first run' na sinehan noon. Movie tickets were selling at P1.20 and P1.50 kung Advanced Roadshow (meaning kasabay sa international release) . Kung medyo nagtitipid ka naman doon ka na lang sa 'second run' theatres for P0.85 lang double program pa mapapanood mo. Remember those second run theatres like Main , Times, Society, Scala, Globe, Esquire, Vista, Republic, Mayfair , and Palace. Pero iyong last two theatres e medyo notorious sa mga 'singit' where they show the 'censored' portions of the movie. These two theatres also showed the early foreign 'bomba' films, or skin flicks. Bodavil was still a hit during the early 50s where Opera House featured the Lopito, Patsy, the Lou Salvador clan, Toto, Chichay, Ike Lozada, Pabo, Cachupoy etc. while Clover Theatre featured Pilita Corrales, Wing Duo, Reycard Duet, Bobby Gonzales, Sunday Contreras (anak ni Pugo), Eddie Mesa, Pugak & Tugak, Chuchi, Aruray, Doro & Popoy.. Did you know that German Moreno started as a utility man at Clover Theatre and did bit parts until he was discovered later on by Sampaguita Pictures. Sa Q.C ay sikat yung Max's Chicken, Aristocrat Cubao at Dayrit. Ang dollar rate noon ay P3.70/1$ ang palitan. Kung medyo kapos ka e takbo muna kay Tambunting or A. Aguirre pawnshop. Ang Cosmos Sarsaparilla ay 5 centavos at 10 Centavos ang Coke at Pepsi. Mayroon din Cosmos Orange kung ayaw mo ng Sarsi. Kung may extra ka e di Royal Tru-Orange na. Pero sikat din yung 7-Up, Lem-O-Lime , Canada Dry, Uva at Bireley's strawberry and pineapple. Kalaban ng Cosmos noon ay Ideal at Avenue softdrinks. Remember Fress Gusto, Yes Cola, Grassland Milk, Choco Vim. Pag may sakit ka naman pinapa-inom lang sa iyo RoyalSoda Water at soda crackers. Kaya naman pag galing natin e takbo kaagad sa intsik (yun ang tawag natin sa kanilang sari-sari store noon bago sila nag diversify sa mga malls, transport, food production) at bili ng Coke and junk foods. Pag Pasko madalas kami sa Sta Cruz para manood ng palabas sa Manila COD para sa Xmas season. Mas magaganda ang mga palabas pag Christmas kasi wala pang Metro Manila Film Fest noon kaya lahat ng sinehan pagandahan ng pelikula. Noon wala pang Chippy at nachos, ang merienda ay banana cue, camote que, palitaw, biko, pinipig, halo-halo, carioca, pilipit, butsi, hopiang hapon, hopiang munggo, hopiang baboy, bibingka, puto, cassava, cake o budin, suman at mani. Ang mansanas ay apat-piso ang benta sa Lawton Bus terminal at sa Avenida. Mas mahal pa yung local na chico na pineras. Ang grapes, pear, at apple ang karaniwang binebenta sa mga bus terminal na papuntang south (BLTB). Ang bus noon ay bukas lahat yung isang side kaya doon dumadaan ang mga pasahero. Puwede ka rin bumili nito sa Echague (now C. Palanca) tapos bili ka na rin ng hopia at mani. Mga sikat noon ay Kim Chong Tin at United Foods. Dito din nakakabili ng Chinese ham na por kilo or isang buo na nakabalot pa sa papel at plastic net. Ang sikat na mga Plaza noon ay Plaza Goiti, Plaza Miranda at Plaza Sta. Cruz. Huwag kalimutan ang Barbecue Plaza na may "Pula-Puti" at beer. Sa mga bakery sa Manila ay sikat yung Herran Bakery, Jo- Ni's, Hizon's (favorite ni Dolphy kahit noon pa), Sta. Romana Bakery. Remember Halili Beer (baka sa mga lolo ni Katrina ito) , Tody chocolate drink in cans, Horlicks malted milk tablets; Halili (baka kila Katrina din ito) bus, Super (dog logo) Transit, Yujuico, JD & MD buses; MM Liner, Medina Transit, Capistrano Transit, Pantranco, La Mallorca Pambusco buses and taxis, Golden Taxicab and Yellow Taxicab, Dollar Taxi. Your favorite past time then was reading comics like Pilipino Komiks, Espesyal Komiks, Hiwaga Klasiks, Kenkoy Komiks. Kung medyo class ka naman binabasa mo mga Classics Illustrated (sometimes we get our book report from these comic books instead of reading the assigned novel) o kaya ay Tiktik. Dell Comics and Gold Key Comics from the US were also available at magazine stands. ShoeMart started in Carriedo (the first SM was named Shoe World) followed by the 2nd ShoeMart beside Ideal Theater and then SM Echague with a revolving restaurant at the top floor. Safari Club beside Manila Zoo at the height of the 'Twist' craze, Dance-O-Rama with Pete Roa & Baby O'Brien every 5 PM on Channel 5. If you wanted an earlier teeny bopper show, you watched Eddie Mercado in DJ Dancetime on Channel 11. Siyempre naman pag Friday, Nite Owl Dance Party hosted by Lito Gorospe, featuring the Celtics. Another delight to watch was 9-Teeners hosted by Jose Mari Chan, Rom Azanza and Tito Osias (all Ateneans) on Channel 9. Sampaguita was first seen as a cage dancer at 9 Teeners. Her real name is Tessie Alfonso. She got married to Nilo Santos of the Jungle Cats. Jeanne Young also hosted another teeny bopper show called The Insiders which guested the more popular combos at that time. Siyempre sikat pa rin ang Student Canteen pag tanghali followed by Darigold Jamboree, hosted by Leila Benitez with Eddie Ilarde and Pepe Pimentel and Bobby Ledesma. Sa primetime naman nandoon ang The Big Show nila Cris de Vera, Oscar Obliga cion a t Sylvia La Torre. Then it evolved into Oras ng Ligaya when it migrated to ABS-CBN. Remember Uncle Bob's Lucky 7 Club. Who would forget Buhay Artista starring Dolphy and Panchito and a take off of a popular radio program Sebya Mahal Kita, Tang Tarang Tang with Pugo and Bentot on the lead. Sa radio naman siyempre ang Kapitan Kidlat, Kwentong Kutsero, Gabi ng Lagim, Salamat Po Doctor, Lola Basyang and of course Kahapon Lamang and Tia Dely's program which followed. Konti pa lang may TV set noon kaya sikat ka sa kalye niyo pag mayroon ka ng television at minsan SRO pa nga pag basketball (Yco, Ysmael, Utex, 7-UP) Now anyone who missed those days can't really claim they've seen and tasted the best. Every generation has its own set of 'Aces'. Do you recall when: You tasted Darigold Evap, Liberty Condensada, Sunkist Orange (in tetra packs), Magnolia Chocolait, Klim (the word 'milk' spelled backwards), Big 20 Hamburgers, Foot-long hotdog, Nectar choconut, Tweet & Jiggs Candies (by Mr. Krieger), Tootsie Roll, Serg' s Chocolate, kerosene-flavored popcorn and kropeck along Dewey Blvd, dirty ice cream, Magnolia Ice Cream sandwich, Selecta ice cream (now Arce Dairy) and their fresh carabao's milk, Magnolia popsicles in orange, chocolate and tutti frutti, langka flavors, Sison Ice Drop in monggo, and buko flavors, Milky Way's buko sherbet, Acme Supermarket' s sundaes and Coney Island 's 32 flavors? You went to: Arcegas at the Maranaw Arcade, Funhouse at Bricktown, Aguinaldo, Erehwon Bookstore, Alemars Bookstore, Bookmark, Botica Boie, Makati Supermarket D'Bankers Barbershop and Leila's Coffee Shop, Tropical Hut along Estrada, Acme Supermarket, Cherry Supermarket (now Foodarama), The Regent of Manila, Hotel Mabuhay, Manila Hilton, Christmas carnival (at Lawton in front of Letran College), Villa Pansol and Lido Beach, Aroma Beach and Jale Beach? Rizal what? 'Who would be crazy to build a cinema in the middle of nowhere?' It turned out to be the best theater in the city of Makati then (at the same site now occupied by Shangri-La Hotel). We ate at: The original A&W along UN Avenue in Manila , Aristocrat's Flying Saucer (across Malate Church), Bonanza Restaurant, Little Quiapo, Country Bake Shop, Selecta Restaurant, Taza de Oro, New Europe, Madrid , Cucina Italiana, La Cibeles at A. Mabini, Luau, The Makati Automat, Sulo Restaurant ( Makati ), Bulakena, Casa Marcos, Au Bon Vivant, Salambao Restaurant, Dairy Queen, Di Mark's Pizza in Cubao, the elegant dining room of the old Army & Navy Club. Botica Boie in Escolta, Alba's in Florida St., Malate, Brown Derby and their signature foot-long hotdog came with its special, extra tarty mustard sauce and a hot, crispy bun. We used to park at their drive-in bays after we were exhausted from all-night partying but with enough energy to gobble down sausages and soft drinks. The Plaza was the favorite venue for all formal school and social functions. Every Friday night the Plaza became an instant disco-teque called 'POW'. Food was not a big factor so long as cozy couples could have their special table for two. You shopped at: Bergs, Soriente Santos, Assanda's, Oceanic Commercial (where you bought original watches and jewelries), Syvel's, Walk-Over in Escolta, Good Earth Emporium, 15c and Up, Manila COD, Avesco at A venida Rizal, Rustan's San Marcelino, Aguinaldo's in Cubao. The original Rustan's was the garage of the Tantoco's residential house which was eventually converted into a dazzling shop filled with eclectic things and collectibles. You would want your wardrobes (pang-porma) tailor-made. So you went to RM Manlapat, Toppers, Fifth Avenue, Estacio's, Sleek's (owned by Eddie Ilarde) or D'Sharp (owned by Dolphy) for your Continental style pants and shirt-jack (Marcos loved this style) or the sleeve shirt. If you wanted a groovy denim pants, you would buy the finest denim material at Divisoria and brought it to Gulapa's. Levi's was not a by-word then. For school uniforms, we would love to wear our khaki pants from the famous RTW shop called Macomber in Quiapo. Or, our parents would just buy us a pair of Sabur or Savalbarro khakis. When it came to footwear, siyempre mas maganda pasadya especially when you want a good Chuka Boots, Spanish Boots or Beatles Boots. You went to Glenmore or Camara shoe makers. Pag casual naman siyempre US Keds, pero kung medyo low budget lang e puwede na rin ang US Kids. For sports shoes you would want a pair of Converse Chuck Taylor, and if you were on a low budget you bought Custombuilt or Edwardson. But if you wanted to float on water (as the advertisement claimed) you wore Marcelo Rubber Shoes black! Yan ang sinusuot ni Kenkoy. Blockbuster movies were: The Ten Commandments, Shane, High Noon, King and I, South Pacific, Horrors of Dracula, Gunfight at OK Corral, Psycho, House on Haunted Hill, Magnificent Seven, The Alamo, Spartacus, West Side Story, Ben Hur, Longest Day, Madame X, Guns of Navarone, King of Kings, El Cid, Breakfast at Tiffany's, The Birds, Elvis' movies like Love Me Tender, Loving You, Jailhouse Rock, King Creole, Blue Hawaii , GI Blues, and the Beatles' Hard Days Night, Help, Yellow S ubmarine, The Graduate, Romeo and Juliet and of course the ever popular The Sound of Music. You had your hair styled or permed by: Nomer's, Lita Rio, Grace Lagman, Dick & Lucy, and Kayumanggi. That was the time of Aqua Net stiff, foot-high beehives, French twist and Kiss Me liquid eyeliners and Pretty Quik instant facial blotters. You sang: Dont Be Cruel and Hound Dog by Elvis, April Love by Pat Boone, Fool's Paradise by Buddy Holly, Mack the Knife by Bobby Darin, Bobby, Bobby, Bobby by Jo Ann Campbell, Devoted to You by the Everly Brothers, Someday by Ricky Nelson, One More Chance by Teddy Randazzo, Calendar Girl by Neil Sedaka, Puppy Love by Paul Anka, Young Ones by Cliff Richard, Walk Dont Run by The Ventures, Apache by the Shadows, A Hard Days Night, All My Lovin, Yesterday, Hey Jude by the Beatles, WorldWithout Love by Peter and Gordon, Cherish by the Association, Because by Dave Clark Five, Distant Shores by Chad and Jeremy. Saved your whole month's allowance of P50.00 to watch the Beatles perform live at Rizal Memorial Coliseum in 1966 (July 4). It was hip to listen to: Bingo Lacson, Lito Gorospe, Bong Lapira, Eddie Mercado, Jack Henson, Art Galindez of DZMB and Jo San Diego (past midnight) of DZMT, Sonia Basa, Ronnie Quintos, Naldy Castro of DZWS, Harry Gasser, Joe Cantada and Jose Mari Velez of DZHP; the singing sensations from Ateneo de Manila, RJ and the Riots, The Loonilarks, Jose Mari Chan and the Twofus (Ronnie Henares and Jojit Paredes) and dance to live combo music garbed in cocktail dresses and dark suits. DZMT was affiliated with the Manila Times and was one of two radio stations operating after 12 midnight... The other station was DZHP whose program was taped. Jo San Diego of DZMT went on live (she with the velvety bedroom voice. She could still be heard today at DWBR every Sunday afternoons). And danced at: Manila Hotel's Jungle Bar, Stargazer, Bayside Night Club (with live music by the Carding Cruz band), the Nile, D'Flame, Rino's, Wells Fargo, Nautilus, Hi-Ball and Bulakena. Or, maybe rode a Motorco with your date and went around Dewey Boulevard. When you got hungry you would drop by the Barbecue Plaza. You tried your luck at the Pula-Puti joint in Russell Street. Do you remember when: Malate streets were named after US States (Pennsylvania, Tennessee, California, Colorado, Carolina, etc.); Paranaque , San Juan, Makati, Pasig, Las Pinas, Taguig, Pateros and Muntinlupa were municipalities of Rizal province; DLSU was De La Salle College, Poveda was Institucion Teresiana, Adamson University was the original St. Theresa's campus in San Marcelino, Robinsons Mall was the Assumption Convent campus, Petron was Esso, Villamor Air Base was then known as Nichols Air Base, bancas were aplenty in the Baclaran side of Dewey Blvd. (now Roxas Blvd.) and traffic was non-existent in Tagaytay. PLDT telephone numbers were five digits and you used your index finger to dial a number one at a time. Sikat ka sa barkada kung may 'syota' kang 'Colegiala' (Assumption, STC, St. Scho, Maryknoll, Holy Spirit, St. Paul 's, St. Joseph's , Sienna, PWU, Sta. Isabel). Siyempre hindi rin naman papahuli ang mga coeds natin from UP, UST, UE and FEU. As proof, you should be wearing her high school ring in your pinkie finger. If you remember all these things, you're history in great company and I dare say......... ......... HAPPY TO BE !!! : )

My Eagle Eye Helicopter

Last year on my birthday my son Carl who lives in Brazil was visiting with us and he gave me a present, a toy he bought from Target for $40. It was an Airhog Havoc Remote Control (R/C) helicopter. It was designed to fly indoors only so I flew it in our living room and family room. One problem was it was difficult to control and several times, I crashed into Louise’s houseplants causing damage to the plants and also to my toy. Luckily, it came with several spare rotor blades so I was able to make repairs for a while. I played with it for several weeks, then after one hard crash, it was totally unrepairable. The fun I had playing with this toy was worth $40.

I missed my Airhog helicopter. I searched the Internet for a replacement and found a bigger model that would also fly outdoors, the Art Tech Eagle Eye. It features an on-board video camera system that allows you to record what the helicopter ‘sees’ while airborne. The video signal is transmitted to a receiver on the ground where the video is recorded on my laptop’s hard drive. It was Christmastime 2008. I bought me a Christmas present.

It didn’t take me long to learn how to fly the Eagle Eye. After about two weeks of training in my garage I was ready to fly it outdoors. I have room in our backyard to fly it. Tekka, our family dog likes to join the fun when I fly my helicopter in our backyard.

'Tis History

By Celia White

They used to use urine to tan animal skins, so families used to all pee in a pot & then once a day it was taken & sold to the tannery.........if you had to do this to survive you were "Piss Poor" But worse than that were the really poor folk who couldn't even afford to buy a pot...........they "didn't have a pot to piss in" & were the lowest of the low

The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to be. Here are some facts about the 1500s:

Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and they still smelled pretty good by June.. However, since they were starting to smell . .. . brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouqu et when getting married.

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the Bath water!"

Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip an and fall off the roof. Hence the saying "It's raining cats and dogs."

There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.

The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying, "Dirt poor." The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thres h (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entrance-way. Hence: a thresh hold.

In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire.. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not20get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence the rhyme: Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old.

Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special.. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could, "bring home the bacon." They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and chew the fat.

Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.

Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the upper crust.

Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up. Hence the custom of holding a wake.

England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house, and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift.) to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be, saved by the bell or was considered a dead ringer...

And that's the truth...Now, whoever said History was boring ! ! !

Quirky Queries for the Inquisitive Person

By Celia White

How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of murdered?

Why do you have to "put your two cents in"... But it's only a "penny for your thoughts"? Where's that extra penny going to?

Once you're in heaven, are you eternally stuck wearing the clothes you were buried in?

How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?

Why is it that people say they "slept like a baby" when babies wake up every two hours?

If a deaf person has to go to court, is it still called a hearing?

Why are you IN a movie, but you're ON TV?

Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?

Why is "bra" singular and "panties" plural?

Can a hearse carrying a corpse drive in the carpool lane?

If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, what is baby oil made from?

If electricity comes from electrons does morality come from morons?

Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him for a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?

And some anagrams..

DORMITORY
When you rearrange the letters:
DIRTY ROOM

PRESBYTERIAN
When you rearrange the letters:
BEST IN PRAYER

ASTRONOMER
When you rearrange the letters:
MOON STARER

DESPERATION
When you rearrange the letters:
A ROPE ENDS IT

THE EYES
When you rearrange the letters:
THEY SEE

GEORGE BUSH
When you rearrange the letters:
HE BUGS GORE

THE MORSE CODE
When you rearrange the letters:
HERE COME DOTS

SLOT MACHINES
When you rearrange the letters:
CASH LOST IN ME

ANIMOSITY
When you rearrange the letters:
IS NO AMITY

ELECTION RESULTS
When you rearrange the letters:
LIES - LET'S RECOUNT

MOTHER-IN-LAW
When you rearrange the letters:
WOMAN HITLER

SNOOZE ALARMS
When you rearrange the letters:
ALAS! NO MORE Z'S

A DECIMAL POINT
When you rearrange the letters:
IM A DOT IN PLACE

THE EARTHQUAKES
When you rearrange the letters:
THAT QUEER SHAKE

ELEVEN PLUS TWO
When you rearrange the letters:
TWELVE PLUS ONE

CELIA WHITE
When you rearrange the letters:
I HEAL TWICE
WE EAT CHILI

Maturity Matters!

By Celia White

Some sage words for those who believe that growing old is a serious impediment…….

“An adult with a capacity for true maturity is one who has grown out of childhood without losing childhood„ his best traits has retained the basic emotional strengths of infancy, the stubborn autonomy of toddlerhood, the capacity for wonder and pleasure and playfulness of the pre-school years, and the idealism and passion of adolescence and has incorporated these into a new pattern of simplicity dominated by adult stability, wisdom, knowledge, sensitivity to other people, responsibility, strength and purpose.”

Stone and Church, 1973

With luck we will ALL attain maturity some day – remember though it’s all about how we do the journey not just getting to the destination!

Herm added these gems:

Maturity leads to old age. So, here's some aphorisms on aging:

Colette (French author):

You must not pity me because my sixtieth year finds me still astonished. To be astonished is one of the surest way of not growing old too quickly.

James Russell Lowell:

As life runs on, the road grows strange
With faces new,- and near the end
The milestones into headstone change,
'neath every one a friend.

O.Wendell Holmes:

To be seventy years young is sometimes far more
cheerful than to be forty years old.

John Barrymore:

A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams.

Maurice Chevalier:

Old age isn't too bad when you consider the alternative.

C. May Harris (U.S. Author):

A woman would rather visit her own grave than the place where she has been young and beautiful after she is aged and ugly.

Bob Hope:

I don't generally feel anything until noon, then it's time for my nap.

Rochefoucauld (French writer):

Old people love to give advise to console themselves for no longer being able to set a bad example.

H.W. Longfellow:

Age is opportunity no less
Than youth itself, though in another dress,
And the evening twilight fades away
The sky is filled with stars, invisible by day.
Whatever poet, orator or sage
May say of it, old age is still old age.

Groucho Marx:

Age is not a particularly interesting subject. Anyone can get old. All you have to do is live long enough.

G.B. Shaw:

Old men are dangerous: It doesn't matter to them what is going to happen to the world.

Margareth Meade:

If you associate enough with older people who do enjoy their lives, who are not stored away in any golden ghettos, you will gain a sense of continuity and of the possibility for a full life.

Eric Hofer (U.S. philosopher):

The best part of living is to know how to grow old gracefully.

G.C. Lichtenberg (German philosopher):

Nothing makes one grow old so quickly as the ever-present thought that one is growing old.

Andre Maurois (French critic):

Growing old is more than a bad habit which a busy man has no time to form.

And finally from Robert Browning:

"Come grow old with me The best is yet to be!"

The Song of Ruth

By Dr. Herm Valenzuela

I was a medical resident at the Albert Einstein M.C. and rotated to the Bronx-Lebanon Hospitals where I met "David" & "Lydia," retired from work, as my patients. They were old and fragile as I remember, survivors of the Holocaust as indicated by the tattoed numbers in their forearms. They may have met in The Exodus, the ship that ferried hundreds of Jews to Palestine.

Then David & Lydia got married and immigrated to New York. They told me that the Liberty Statue was the most beautiful lady they ever saw. They even knew that a poem was written there by Emma Lazarus. They lived in the Morrisiana section of the Bronx for years at Jerome Avenue where an elevated train runs.

David and Lydia had no child as they were a victim of the Nazi "experiments." David worked at a bakery and Lydia as a seamstress till their fingers were deformed by arthritis and their eye sights were failing them so they retired. They did not have any medical insurance and was relying on Medicare.

While at home they were beset by thugs and goons who would beat them up on the side streets, up the 3rd floor walk-up stairs for the little cash that they have. Their black & white T.V was even stolen and the mail-box robbed off their SS checks- constantly. How it was cashed I did not know and the Dept. of H.E.W took too long to issue a new one. Their Synagogue would helped them with food and warm clothes and coats for the Winter and the Rabii would constantly advised them to moved to a nursing home but David & Lydia refused- the spartan apartment where they lived was their home.

Finally, they gave up probably not the living but the jungle that was Bronx, New York. David shot-off the heater, layed down with his wife on their neat bed and slept. The police found their hands clasped tightly as if death shall not do them apart!

"Wither thou goest I will go;
Wher'er you stayest I will stay.
Your people shall be my people;
Your house will be my home!"

I am sure there are a few life stories like David & Lydia's among the squatters along and below the EDSA overpass. But it is not where you go in life, it's who you have beside you that matters.

Couple's love spans 75 years

By John Johnston
jjohnston@enquirer.com

It was a small ceremony attended by only a few family members and friends. They gathered on a Tuesday in the priest's parlor at St. Boniface in Northside and listened to a young couple recite their wedding vows.

To have and to hold, from this day forward...

"They wouldn't let us in church," recalls the former Thelma Wiesman, who was the bride that day.

Walter Shroyer, the groom, wasn't Catholic, although he later converted.

"That's a long time ago," Thelma says.

Seventy-five years.

She was 18 and Walter was 19 when they married on Aug. 11, 1934. Now 93 and 94, they will mark a milestone Tuesday that few others attain.

They're sitting on the patio of their buff brick home in Colerain Township, enjoying a summer breeze and eyeing Walter's large garden in the distance. Its dozens of tomato plants are beginning to produce plump, juicy fruit.

Walter thinks back to the fall of 1933. He was working part-time as a waiter at the Graystone Ballroom in Music Hall when he spotted an auburn-haired hat-check girl.

Thelma.

"I think I fell in love with her the minute I saw her," he says.

"I asked to take her home one night. She agreed. I think she thought I had a car. But I didn't, so I had to take her home (to Northside) on a street car."

They had few luxuries. The nation was mired in the depths of the Depression. Unemployment in Cincinnati was at 30 percent. By 1934, the year the Shroyers married, unemployment was 25 percent and only 62 percent of local workers had full-time jobs.

For richer, for poorer...

"My mother and father didn't have anything," Thelma says. "His mother and father didn't have anything.

"In other words, we were poor."

Relatives treated the newlyweds to dinner on their wedding night. The family then gathered and quaffed a keg of beer.

The next morning, "I went to the grocery store a half square up," Walter says, "and bought two eggs, 5 cents apiece, and brought 'em home for our breakfast."

Their first home was a third-floor, two-room apartment in Northside. Rent was $10 a month. "But we didn't have any heat. When cold weather started coming, we had to move out," Walter says. They found a place for $13 a month, heat included.

Walter eventually got a job at Formica. He was a senior account representative when he retired in 1978. For years, he also supplemented the family income by working Saturdays at a nursery.

For better, for worse...

Thelma says the happiest days of her married life were when she welcomed their children into the world. The couple had four: Walter Jr., Mary Lou, Margie and Jane.

Perhaps the saddest day was when they lost one. Margie was 48 years old when one of her sons came home and found her in a chair, dead of an aneurysm.

It happened 20 years ago, but Thelma's eyes water and her voice cracks when she thinks about it.

"You're not supposed to outlive your children," she says quietly.

In sickness or in health...

Three years ago in October, Thelma suffered a heart attack.

"The doctors told us to say our goodbyes because she wasn't going to make it through the night," daughter Jane Frey says.

The three adult children gathered outside Thelma's intensive care room with their father.

"That's just about the worst feeling a person can have," Walter says. "All I could do was just visually, mentally, pray that it wasn't going to happen."

Morning arrived, and Thelma's heart was still beating. She received a pacemaker, and was home for Christmas.

"They didn't want me up there," Thelma says, referring to heaven.

To love and to cherish, till death do us part...

Walter says their "policy" since Day 1 of their marriage has been: "If we had a problem between us, everything was solved and forgotten by the time we went to bed."

"And," Thelma says, "he never goes to bed without kissing me."

And hereto I pledge you my faithfulness.

Walter won't deny that, on occasion, he has "looked at a pretty girl when she walked by."

But, "Neither of us ever cheated," he says. "That just has to happen once and that could spoil the whole rest of your life. But I know it never happened."

"Oh my goodness, no," Thelma adds.

Then Walter blurts out: "I could never figure out how she could put up with me for 75 years."

Says Thelma: "I guess I just loved him."

Walter thinks about that, as if searching for another way to express how they've lived out their wedding vows the past three-quarters-of-a-century, before finally agreeing with his wife. "It's nothing but just love," he says.

Friends

By Loi Gillera

In the fall of 1964 I was doing some schooling in one of the amphibious school of the U.S. Naval Training Command at San Diego, California. One of my classmate was Lt(jg) Lawrence A. Grant of Bangor, Maine. Our initials are both LAG so we're always next to each other in roll calls inside the class, on shipboard exercises and in field activities. We even shared the same BOQ billet. Hence, we became good friends.

There were many weekends we spent together just being ourselves (share stories about our lives, hike the mountains of Laguna, take Santa Fe trips to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle). But the recreation we loved most was ogling the fair sex in and out of the base. It was not long then when both of us got our "Susans". Larry's girl is Alice and mine is Lesley. The 4 of us remained inseparable, particularly Larry and me, until the end of our training.

Thanksgiving of 1965 was the last time we're all together. Larry proceeded to Texas to train in small fast gunboats and marry Alice. I returned to the Philippines and learned not very long that Lesley accepted another man. In the last of the few letters Larry and I exchanged, he mentioned he is shipping out to Vietman.

It was late in 1967 and our ship was docked at pier 3 in Camh Ranh Bay, South Vietnam. Our task force was attached to MACV-Central and among our mission was the transfer of bodies of fallen American soldiers to Subic Bay (for processing before airlift to continental U.S). There were about 80 sealed steel caskets lined end to end, beam to beam in the cavernous tank of our LST. The U.S. flags they were wrapped when they boarded were removed. All caskets bore no name. The only identifying marks were numbers on one side. In the cargo manifest I held, number 33 was Grant, Lawrence A., Lt(jg) USN.

I was sea sick all the way back.

Don't Stay As Sweet As You Are*

By Dr. Herm Valenzuela

After a backyard BBQ and servings of tea/coffee I was asked to compose an "Essay" on sugars & artificial sweeteners.

The adverse effect of sugar are well known. Nearly all simple sugars are absorbed and metabolized quickly and disrupt insulin levels, contributing to most chronic illness. Sucrose is the common table sugar, fructose from fruits and lactose from milk- all are transformed into glucose or blood sugar. They're all carbohydrates, as all foods made from flour, w'c serves as a major energy source in the diets of (faunas) animals that produces about 4 calories per gram of it. Proteins also give 4calories per gram and fats about 7 calories. A calorie, FYI is the amount of energy to raise the temperature of 1 Kg of water by 1 degree C at 1 atmospheric pressure. You can imagine a hi-gasoline octane rating produces more heat for your car's motor performance. Vitamins are not considered foods- they are various organic substances (minerals and electrolytes are non-organic ions meaning they have positive and negative charges) essential in minute amounts for normal growth and metabolism of the body. Adequate amount of water maintains effective blood volume.

As efforts to find the best tasting but least problematic sweet flavors continue, the business of sugar and it's substitute is as confusing as it is competitive. Here's a list at some of some of the sugar substitute currently available:

Aspartane: Also marketed as Nutra Sweet & Equal, it is 180 times sweeter than sugar. It has been used in beverages, yogurts, breakfast cereals, desserts and chewing gums. Close to 170 documented symptoms, most of them related to the nervous system, are associated with the use of Aspertane and of course sporadic reports of it's possible carcinogenic effect.

Sucralose: Also known by it's trade name, Splenda, it is 600 times sweeter than sugar. The safety of Sucralose is still in question. Until further testing, use it with caution but why worry, use the raw brown sugar instead!

Agave: Tasting like a cross between honey and maple syrup, it dissolves easily and is the perfect sweetener to naturally enhance any food or beverage. Because of it's low glycemic index (GI)**, Agave is acceptable for people with diabetes and hyperglycemia but use it in moderation.

Stevia: Is a natural sweetener with almost no calories, does not encourage cavities, is non-glycemic and may even "strengthen" the pancreas ( I don't know how so, don't ask!). Unlike Aspertane or Splenda, to date (8/09) no negative health effect have been reported with extensive use of Stevia; some people, however, are disappointed by the mild aftertaste.

* From the Premium Health News Service

Sugars many names: In foods hidden sugars may appear under a variety of names on a label. If any of these appear at the top of the list, the food is most likely high in sugar: Corn syrup, ....Dextrose, ..... Grape juice, ....Maltodextrine, ....Sorbitol, ... Mannitol, ....Sorghum, ....Hi-fructose syrup, ... & Turbinado.

** Glycemic Index: The ratio of the transformation of a carbohydrate into body glucose by a normal pancreas. E.g. If a gram of pure crystalline white sugar is transformed into 1000 milligram of glucose in the body, it's G.I is 1.0. (high) Carolina/Goya rice is probably 0.80 but a Basmati rice is about .58 similar to corn. A red (boiled) potato is .56 but French fries is 0.64. Now, if you're diabetic imagine your pancreas is working harder (albeit with medications) to produce more insulin to metabolize foods with a high G.I. A G.I of 0.50 to 0.60 is moderate; An index of 0.65 to 0.70 is high! At some point if your diabetes is not well controlled you may need insulin (replacement) injection!

Herm

The Mike Boys

By Loi Gillera

Some of you guys must have heard of "Mike Boys". When we're in our 4th year at Mapa, "Mike Boys" is one of those smaller teenage gangs whose turf includes the general area where our school and neighborhood is. What's unique with this teenage gang is that almost all of its members are sons of well-to-do families and schooled in private institutions. Most notorious of this pack is one named Peter Francisco.

One late afternoon, I was walking home alone and just about where the tall mango tree outside Mapa High in the junction of Hidalgo and Plaza del Carmen, Peter, with 2of his sidekicks pounced on me. I learned later I was mistaken for someone eyeing Peter's girl and the idea was to hurt me bad. They did not ask any question, much less give me time to talk. The blows rained and before long I was kissing dirt. Both my eyes are almost shut but in the blurr of the scuffle.

I saw 2 guys in khaki uniforms joining the fray. Coming to my defense, the 2 quickly drove the 3 in flight. One of this PMT cadets was my classmate. Either Elpidio Huarde or Avelino Galian, if I recall it right. I forgot the name of the other gallant PMT fighter. However, the thought of getting ignominiously clobbered, embarrassed me so much.

I started to avoid my PMT friends. To show up in roll calls became a discomfort. During breaks in formations I attended, I drifted away from everyone. My absurd attitude persisted until we graduated.

To you my valiant friends, wherever you may be now, I say thank you again.

Loi

Snorers In The Night

By Dr. Herm Valenzuela

Some weeks ago Zack asked me to open some lines of commo for our Halo-Halo Bistro blog previoulsly known as Minyong's Halo-Halo Stand. He suggested a piece on snoring so, here it is- I hope you won't find this boring! I haven't edited and fine-tuned my poignant tale about The Song of Ruth yet.

Mykonos Island (many years ago): In Greek mythology, Lodine was a beautiful godess who fell in love but was spurned by a fisherman (no, his name was not Hermes). She got enraged and cast a spell on him that if he sleeps, he will die. This is called central sleep apnea (Lodine's curse) and the chap died in his sleep. This maybe a factor in SIDS- sudden infant death syndrome. Hundred Islands, Summer of '66: Juanito R. from Alaminos (Greg's friend from NTC) arranged a vacation for fun and frolics for a few days in the sand. So, in the day, we sang and danced and horse-played in the sun. But the nights were a different matter. Nobody was able to sleep 'cause Johnny was constantly snoring- his mouth was bubbling with salivary froth with hi-pitched wheezing and gargling (I'm not making this up-ask Greg,the Batoy) so loud the bats from the cavernous rock flew out scared. Several times Johnny would shake like he was having convulsions followed by body rigors then his body became limp- I got scared (I was not going to do a M-to-M resuscitation on him) and moved to the leeward side of the island (No Loi, my "Susan" was not with me). The next days the terns and seagulls did not fly back to the island! El Jefe did not accompany us the next Summer.

It is estimated that 4% of adult women and 8% of men snores in their sleep. But the incidence of OSA (obstructive sleep apnea) rises dramatically in various Sleep Study Clinics. Not all persons who snores have OSA but those who do snores. How can you tell ? Their neck is usually 18 inches in circumference with double chins, waist over 40 inches wide and their BMI is 42 or more. We call this condition moribound obesity- they will die soon! I ride the public busses almost everyday (for free in NYC) and don't see anyone over the age of 65 that I suspect having OSA riding the bus or walking in the streets- they're all dead!

Here's why: When one sleeps, the tongue falls back and with a wide and compressed neck plus the tonsillar glands and adenoids in the throat including the uvula- the structure that hangs down from the roof of the palate, make the upper airways smaller by at least 75 % This is like somebody's hands choking your neck 3/4ths off air input! The brain will not get enough air, so the person gasps bringing in some air and sleeps again but the process repeats itself sometimes 100 times in a sequence. Daylight comes and the person feels s/he did not get enough sleep so s/he will be groggy when going to work. New Jersey passed a law (Sarah's Law) revoking one's driver's liscence if one has OSA. Megan's Law is for sex offenders. Virgil A just attended his nephew's funeral when he was crushed (in a secondary street) of Newark A/Port by a FedEx truck driver while his nephew was driving four stewardeses to Marriot hotel. Virgil was told that the FedEx driver fell asleep in the wheels.

These are the metabolic events in OSA:

-Cerebral hypoxia develops causing mental dullness

-Cardiovascular events (including hypertension) that may lead to heart attacks and strokes.

-Electrolyte (specially potassium) disturbances occur that lead to irregular hear beats and rhythm.

-Sluggish nerve response and muscle weakness that decrease physical stamina.

-Impotence and anhydonia (lack of sexual pleasure in women).

-Irritability and overall change in personality.

-URTInfections and/or pneumonia- because the salivary secretions could pass down the trachea or the person vomits and goes to the lungs.

-Alcoholism- because they drink to excess so they can sleep.

I wonder if Johnny R. is still alive.

Hermie

Time for a Heart-to-Heart*

By Dr. Herm Valenzuela

To all the ladies I've known before-

This health bulletin is a rehash of what I've previously condensed about C.A.D but this time is from a lady physician from Mt.Sinai M.C. just issued this week.

Coronary artery disease is the no.1 killer in the U.S. accounting for almost 1/2 M deaths in 2005. More than 16 M Americans live with C.A.D. and 1.3 M angioplasties were done in the U.S. in 2006. The survival rate for coronary intervention in N.Y. State is 99.2% - This is significant & encouraging (Source: Dr. Annapoorna Kini).

"The heart is a muscle that has to keep pumping for us to live, but it requires oxygen to function. It gets that 02 thru the coronary artery, a branch of the aorta. When fatty deposits block this blood flow to the heart, it becomes an extremely serious medical condition," says Dr. Kini. Coronary (baloon) angioplasty is a minimally invasive procedure to compress the lipid plaques to re-establish blood flow and using stents to help prop the vessels open.

According to recent studies, heart disease is a major cause of death for women-More than breast, ovaries & uterine cancers combined !The classic symptoms may not be felt all in women and they often have atypical (not the usual) symptoms: Weakness or unusual fatigue, lethargy, anxiety and even stomach pains or indigestion, instead of chest pains," Dr.Kini listed. "The problem is that women often disregard these signs because they seem so non-threatening. "She added. Getting to the doctor early or going to the E.R. when one is in doubt and you can't be seen at your clinic ASAP is the key to survival. For younger women, as most of you are, the no. 1 risk factor to watch out for is family history. Women who have developed blockages in their 30s & 40s usually fall in this group of people who are genetically predisposed. Perimenopausal (when the m'pausebecomes irregular) and post menopausal (in men it's called andropause) start having heart problem called "shadow diseases" - they come in twos or 3s as I've noted recently.

The second cluster of risk factors for C.A.D. depend on lifestyle, diabetes, obesity, hi-B.P., a sedentary lifestyle and smoking all put you in a higher risk. "If you have these risk factors, you could have C.A.D. blockages at an early age," Dr. Kini emphasied. "For women who have a blockage that does not yet impede the blood flow, the atypical symptoms often come and go and symptoms might last for 30-45 minutes, but then they go away and this pattern may recur for many weeks to months." She added.

For women who have any of the atypical symptoms plus the risk factors should have a stress test. For those who cannot walk on a treadmill- a dopamine induced stress test could be done. It is a drug that induces the heart to be stressed. Of course if you're short of breath while walking a few blocks or climbing 1 or 2 plights of stairs or your husbands prefers you to mow the lawn, is already a stress test- you need a coronary angiogram ASAP! Another increasingly common form of screening (depends on your medical coverage, in my opinion) is a CT angiogram that focuses on the heart. "If the cardiologist's intervention finds more than 80% blockage then a procedure is done ASAP. If it is less than 50%, you can stay on medication." Dr.Kini opined. In time new blood vessels (tributaries) starts to grow- hopefully and a by-pass surgery may not be done right away.

"Typically, women were asso. with having more complications or problems handling the angiogram. They have are more likely to have bleeding or a heart attack during the procedure and they have a longer recovery time afterward." Dr. Kini states. "But the new blood thinner, Angiomax has proven extremely successful in reducing the bleeding in the heart during angiograms.

Besides the traditional management for those who have C.A.D., even after a baloon angioplasty or stent or a by-pass procedure, blood thinners are usually Rx like aspirin and or Plavix= Clopidogrel bisulfate. A beta blocker (Inderal, Propanolol, Atenolol) is added sp. if hi-B.P is also present. These drugs actually decrease the heart rate in order to lower the B.P. and diminished the heart's need for oxygen.

To find a cardiac interventionist, log on to: www.americanheart.org.

*Consultant: Annapoorna Kini, MD
Asso. Director of the Cardiac Catheterization
Mt. Sinai Medical Center, NYC

H.C.V.

The Ghosts of Balete Drive

In early 1950's, my Uncle Pelagio, who drove a taxicab in Manila for a living used to tell us kids a scary story about his encounter with a white ghost on Balete Drive. In those days, Balete Drive ghost stories were quite popular. Uncle Pelagio related picking up a passenger on Balete Drive one early morning at around 3 am, a pretty teenage girl dressed in white. The passenger asked to be taken to her home close by. While travelling along Balete Drive, she started telling my Uncle her sad love story, and when he asked where the guy was, her image dissappeared from the rear-view mirror and when he looked at the backseat she was no longer there.

The story being circulated in those days was that this lady in white who would normally appear after midnight between Bougainvilla and Mabolo Sts. was a student of the University of the Philippines. While on her way to Balete Drive from her school, she was raped by a cab driver and her body dumped in this area. People who lived in the area believed the "White Lady" of Balete purportedly appeared to most cab drivers because she allegedly wanted to seek revenge.

Myths Surrounding Balete Drive

Balete Drive ghost stories have been around allegedly since the 1950s. The most popular is a “white lady” that haunts the long avenue and seems to target cab drivers in particular—but not exclusively. The hair-raising accounts went through the years, many claiming to have personally seen this mysterious lady. This has somewhat become part of Philippine folklore unofficially. Other ghost tales of Balete Drive include spirit kingdoms, spirit creatures, and haunted houses.

Balete Drive connects the long span between E.Rodriguez and N. Domingo Avenues in New Manila, Quezon City. It’s about 45 minutes travel from Manila via the Cubao route through Espana and E. Rodriguez Avenue. The Balete Drive corner at E. Rodriguez is a bustling business area mushroomed with fast foods and other establishments.

According to some Balete Drive ghost myths a tentacled, gargantuan Balete tree used to stand in the middle of the road. The tragedy began there. Some late night a cab driver was said to have violated a pretty girl on her way home. Since then, the ghost stories started and circulated in the metropolis. Some say the Balete Drive ghost tale was a brainchild of a news reporter who ran out of interesting stories to cover. Others say the Balete Drive ghost tales were testings for a school project on how fast and to what extent rumors would traveler.

Balete trees in Philippine folklore are said to be mysterious. They’re often a haunting place for evil spirits. Another version says they conceal mythical kingdoms unseen to the naked eye. Thus, Balete Drive is said to be a haunting spot for other spirit creatures like Philippine elves (“dwende”), smoking giants (“kapre), other monsters (“malign”), and fairies (“diwata”).

Actually, three haunted houses are said to remain in the vicinity. These are old mansions haunted by wandering spirits of their former owners. The myth is that their rich owners never bequeathed the mansions to anybody to ensure that they never fall in poor people’s hands. So they have become vacant for years, turning out to be what folks call haunted houses.

Also along Balete Drive is a 200 year old house that serves as antique shop, not for ghost stories, but Philippine heritage. It’s called “Bahay Sentenaryo” or Centennial House.

Balete Drive ghost stories are well circulated that they form part of local folklore—it was even a theme of a local movie. Its haunted house and spirit tales or myths thrill the imagination of adults, the young, and even skeptics.