My Life in the 60's - Part 2

The years I spent as a factotum of a Catholic priest in his various parochial assignments were a defining period of my life.  One, I was able to complete my secondary education despite the inconvenience of transferring to another school in the middle of the school year on account of the sudden transfer of my priest-guardian to another parish.  Another aspect was the fact that I made lots of friends and acquaintances which made my life very exciting and full of unforgettable episodes in a real-life situation. 

In a parish situated at the foot of the imposing Sierra Madre mountain ranges, I accompanied my priest-guardian to travel on horse-back to a far-flung barrio where he was requested to say Mass

My Life in the 60's - Part 1

With the death of my "Lolo Pari", the future looked bleak as our family's meager income was barely enough to support a large brood.  Such harsh reality forced my older sister to escape poverty by marrying at a very young age.  When school opened, I watched enviously students going to the high school nearby.  Oftentimes, I loitered around the school grounds wishing forlornly I was a student also. Yet, poverty made me accept the fact that my life would be working in my grandfather's twice a year "copra" making or helping my mother's "pandan" weaving business.

The Filipinos' Character in the Face of Disaster

The world has seen the admirable traits of the Japanese in the aftermath of the recent 9.0 magnitude earthquake which generated a tsunami that left widespread destruction to certain areas of Japan.  Images from live feeds in CNN, Fox News, Aljazeera, BBC and NHK showed faces of the Japanese gripped with varied emotions, viz; horror, anguish and anxiety, as the raging ten meters high floodwaters wrought enormous damage to everything along its path.