Cory: In memoriam.

I remember the first time I met the lady. It was a rainy night in September of 2005, and my study group-mates and I were reviewing for a final exam at my classmate's place. "Mom is around," our classmate very casually told us. "Would you like to meet her?"

The rest of us were cool and acted nonchalant about it when we said "Yes." Oh but deep inside I was screaming, "Yeeessss... pleaseeee... let us meet her..." How many chances do you get in a lifetime, to personally meet a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, and "one of the most influential Asians of the 20th century"?

And so without fuss or ceremony, former President Corazon Aquino stepped into the study, said hi, and then beamed at us. All of us jumped to our feet and struggled to say our hi's and hello's - wide-eyed and awestruck - like a bunch of groupies in the presence of their matinee idol.

I could barely remember now what she said and asked us, and what we all said in reply. But I remembered our classmate saying, "these are my very smart study group-mates that I was telling you about, mom." Wow, my smile just stretched from ear-to-ear. I just stood there, lost in that nice, warm feeling of pride, knowing that I was able to shake hands with Cory!

And she was beautiful. Television never did her justice, but at her age and in all her simplicity, she was ever the nicest lady who once graced the presidential office in Malacanang.

I've only told this story to my closest friends... but Cory Aquino's family helped me much to get to where I am today. When I first started doing my MA Economics program at the UP School of Economics and I was without scholarship, I received a hefty amount of money from her family enough to cover my tuition fees and my stipend for a couple of months. A couple of years after, when I was applying for the Fulbright Scholarship, her daughter did not hesitate to offer an opportunity to me, to have Cory write one of my recommendations (she was after all, a recipient of the J. William Fulbright Prize for International Understanding,) - to which I thankfully said no, thinking that it would give me an undue advantage over the other applicants. And when I did win the scholarship and was ready to fly to New York for my gateway orientation, I again received some money from her family to help me get by with my expenses until my stipend arrived.

It is a sad day for me to learn that she finally passed away. My heartfelt condolences go to her family. But I will live on in quiet pride, knowing that I once met the lady and had the honor of winning her smile.

R.I.P. María Corazón "Cory" Cojuangco Aquino (January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009)


Farewell, fair lady of my country.

Para sa mga masugid kong taga-subaybay.

Paumanhin kung sa mga nakaraang araw ay nawala sa sirkulasyon ang blog na'to. Kasalukuyang nasa proseso ng paglilipat ang blog ko sa sarili ko nang domain kaya wala munang mga posts dito.

Panahon din ng finals exam kaya hindi ko pa nagagalaw ang alinman sa mga blogs ko.

Kung gusto niyong silipin ang aking bagong site makikita ito sa Http://www.iskonomiks.com

Kitakits tayo dun!

-Nico-

How I got married over the weekend.

Mula sa may-akda: Isang lumang kwento, isang taon na ang nakakaraan.

When I went home for the weekend to spend time with mom and kuya, word got around here in the dormitory--and pretty quickly in the girl's dormitory across the avenue--that I got married. Nakabuntis ng wala sa oras kaya napikot sa biglaang kasalan, so the story went.

The real score, was that my long-time friend was to get married on that Saturday, and it was such a surprise, that I had to rush home the day before, to make it to her wedding day the following morning.

So when I sent an SMS to my roommate to tell him I've arrived home and to greet him because incidentally, it was his birthday, I said, "sencia na, happy birthday na lang, biglaan kasi ang kasalan."

"Best wishes from East 2 Republic!" he replied. East 2 Republic is how we fondly call our dormitory wing.

I said, "Hehe. Salamat." Which was obviously a ride-on to his joke. At least that was how I meant it.

But then a short while after, I started receiving txt messages, first from my floor-mates and then, eventually, from unknown numbers, all sending me their best wishes, and asking questions like, "totoo ba?!" and I suppose, gasps of disbelief as they sent them.

All night long, I got all sorts of messages from well wishers, which gave mom and kuya a good laugh.

I thought eventually the joke would die down, but apparently, theories and speculations were formed during my roommate's painom and so it happened that two weeks after, today, my floor mates are still hounded by other dormers and outsiders who wish to know if I truly impregnated my childhood sweetheart and if her dad forced me into a shotgun marriage. When the ladies ask me, I just smile back in reply.

On Monday morning, when I got back here in the dorm, this banner was plastered in front of my room:

My roommate asked me if he ought to retract the rumor, I said no, I'm having a good time knowing that some of the ladies here actually feels nanghihinayang for me. Hehehe.

Recipe #1: Ginataang manok at kalabasa.

Mula sa may-akda: Bilang karagdagang kategorya sa blog na'to, sisimulan ko ang Eksenang Kusina - mga imbentong recipes na masustansya, masarap, at tiyak madaling lutuin (dahil kung nagawa ko, pihong magagawa niyo rin!) Sa maraming pagkakataon, magbabanggit ako ng ilang sangkap na hindi mabibili sa Pilipinas, pero hindi ito dapat maging dahilan para hindi niyo na susubukan ang recipe - sa halip, dapat itong maging hudyat ng paggamit ninyo ng creative substitutes 'ika nga.

Para sa pambungad na recipe, tawagin natin ito sa pangalang...

Ginatang manok at kalabasa (Chicken and squash in coconut milk)

Naks! Title pa lang, ulam na! Pero hindi nga... kung tulad niyo ako na mahilig sa kahit anong maanghang at niluto sa gata (laking Bikol ba naman...) tiyak, magugustuhan niyo ang recipe na'to!

Ingredients:
2 pcs. chicken breasts (cut into bite-sizes)
2 whole red tomatoes (diced)
1 whole onion (chopped)
5 cloves garlic (pressed and chopped)
1/2 cup ginger (sliced thinly)
1/4 cup fish sauce (patis)
4 cups diced squash
1 400mL can of coconut milk (better if fresh coconut milk!)
2 cups green beans (sliced inch-long )
1 65oz can of chopped clams
1/4 cup sliced jalapenos
1/4 cup olive oil
black pepper
red pepper

Cooking directions:
Heat saucepan. Sautee in olive oil, garlic and onions. Wait till garlic turns golden brown. Throw in the tomatoes. Add chicken and ginger. Cook for about five minutes with occasional stirring or until chicken is white in the outside. Add the chopped clams with all of its juice. Pour in the fish sauce. Let simmer for another three minutes. Pour in the can of coconut milk. Add half a cup of water for thinner sauce (but honestly, you want the sauce to be thick and creamy!) Add blck pepper, red pepper and the jalapeno slices, depending on how hot you want the dish to be. Let simmer again for a couple of minutes. Then add the squash. By now the dish should look as follows:

Once the squash is cooked (it should be soft and squishy), add the green beans. Let simmer for another minute. DONE! You have yourself a nice, hearty dish cooked in the Bicolano tradition! Eat with rice or bread. Sarap!

Pang-tanggal ng dead-air.

Dala ng dalawang huling articles ni Butch Dalisay sa kanyang blog tungkol sa "Irritating Pinoy Expressions," naalala ko tuloy ang isang lumang article na'to, na hindi ko na ma-ungkat kung sino ang may-akda:

We' ve been friends for a long time ago. We come from the same alma mother. Actually, our paths crossed one time on another. But it's only now that I gave him a second look. I realized that beauty is in the eyes. The pulpbits of my heart went fast, really fast. Cute pala siya. And then, he came over with me. He said, "I hope you don't mine. Can I get your number?" Nag-worry ako. What if he doesn't give it back? He explained naman na it's so we could keep intact daw. Sabi ko, connect me if i'm wrong but are you asking me ouch? Nabigla siya. Sagot niya, The! Aba! Parang siya pa ang galit! Persona ingrata!!! Ang kapal niya! I cried buckles of tears.

Na-guilty yata siya. Sabi niya, isipin mo na lang na this is a blessing in the sky. Irregardless daw of his feelings, we'll go ouch na rin. Now, we're so in love. Mute and epidemic na ang past. Thanks God we swallowed our fried. Kasi, I'm 33 na and I'm running our time. After 2 weeks, he plopped the question. "Will you marriage me?" I'm in a state of shocked. Kasi mantakin mo, when it rains, it's four! This is true good to be true. So siyempre, I said yes. Love is a many splendor.

Pero nung inaayos ko na ang aming kasal, everything swell to pieces. Nag-di-dinner kami noon nang biglang sa harap ng aming table, may babaeng humirit ng, "Well, well, well. Look do we have here." What the fuss! The nerd ng babaeng yon! She said they were still on. So I told her, whatever is that, cut me some slacks! I didn't want this to get our hand kaya I had to sip it in the bud. She accused me of steeling her boyfriend. Ats if! I don't want to portrait the role of the other woman. Gosh, tell me to the marines! I told her, "please, mine you own business!" Who would believe her anyway?

Dahil it's not my problem anymore but her problem anymore, tumigil na rin siya ng panggugulo. Everything is coming up daisies. I'm so happy. Even my boyfriend said liketwice. He's so supportive. Sabi niya, "Look at is this way. She's our of our lives."

Kaya advise ko sa inyo - take the risk. You can never can tell. Just burn the bridge when you get there. Life is shorts. If you make a mistake, we'll just pray for the internal and external repose of your soul. I second emotion.