"JULIO"

MY DAD JULIO, HE WAS QUITE A CHARACTER. HE IS ECCENTRIC IN MOST OF HIS WAYS. A DREAMER, I SHOULD SAY. HE WAS BORN THE FIRST OF THREE KIDS AND THE ONLY SON. I GUESS COMPARED TO MOST OF THE KIDS DURING HIS TIME AND... IN MANILA, I THINK HE IS QUITE PAMPERED. HIS DAD, MY GRANDPA, WAS QUITE A BIG EARNER AT THAT TIME WORKING FOR MANILA'S IRS, THAT'S WHY I GUESS THE FIRST SON SHOULD HAVE ALL WHAT HIS HEART DESIRED. IN THE 1930'S HE GOT A BRAND NEW IMPORTED BIKE FROM HIS DAD, I GUESS THE FIRST TO GET ONE IN OUR HOMETOWN. TOO BAD HE CRASHED WITH IT AND OUT OF FEAR SHE MIGHT LOSE HER ONLY SON, MY GRANDMA NEVER ALLOWED HIM TO RIDE A BIKE AGAIN. AT 14, HE GOT HIS OWN GUN. HE PURCHASED IMPORTED MAGAZINES, MOST OF THEM U.S. AND GERMAN MAGS. HE WAS SO OBSESSED WITH READING ABOUT GERMANY AND THE U.S. THAT HE WAS CONTENT WITH JUST LOOKING AT PICTURES WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING THE GERMAN LANGUAGE AT ALL. MOST OF HIS DAYS, YOU'LL FIND HIM ON HIS BED DEVOURING BOOK AFTER BOOK. HIS OBSESSION IN READING BROUGHT HIM A LOT KNOWLEDGE ABOUT ALMOST EVERYTHING INTERESTING. ONCE WHILE HANGING OUT IN A CAFE IN MANILA WHERE GERMANS USE TO MEET, HE HAD AN ARGUMENT WITH ONE OF THEM. THE GERMAN WAS TELLING HIM WHERE EXACTLY THE BISMARCK (GERMAN BATTLESHIP) SANK. MY DAD SAID HE WAS WRONG AND INSISTED THAT THE BISMARCK SANK NORTH OF IRELAND AND WEST OF BREST, FRANCE. THE GERMAN SAID THAT DAD CANNOT BE RIGHT BECAUSE IT'S HIS HISTORY AND HE SHOULD KNOW BETTER AND THAT MY DAD NEVER GOT OUT OF THE PHILIPPINES ANYWAY. THIS IRRITATED MY DAD SO MUCH THAT SENT HIM STORMING OUT OF THAT CAFE, RESEARCHED HIS BOOKS AND THEN WENT BACK THE FOLLOWING DAY CARRYING A BOOK WITH HIM THAT PROVED HE WAS RIGHT. (MORE TO COME)

"DINNERS"

WE WENT TO DENNY'S THE OTHER DAY AND HAD BREAKFAST. I WAS KINDA DISAPPOINTED, NOT BECAUSE OF THE FOOD, BUT BECAUSE OF THE PLACE. I FELL IN LOVE WITH THOSE ROADSIDE DINERS I HAVE SEEN IN A LOT OF U.S. MOVIES, THAT I WOULD WANNA REALLY BE IN ONE. SO WHAT I WAS EXPECTING WAS ACTUALLY IT SHOULD HAVE A BAR WITH 1 OR 2 DIFFERENT CAKES IN GLASS CAKE SERVERS. WAITRESSES IN APRONS AND A PEN AND A PAD. BURGERS THAT ARE HUGE AND ENORMOUS STRAWBERRY PARFAITS. I WANTED ONE WITH SEATS NEAR HUGE GLASS WINDOWS OVERLOOKING THE ROAD. THE BUILDING ITSELF SHOULD BE LIKE 1950'S ARCHITECTURE. IT SEEMS THAT NO MATTER WHERE WE GO, WE COULD'NT FIND ONE. MAYBE I SHOULD HAVE BEEN HERE IN THE 50'S. ALL THESE NOSTALGIA MIGHT BE BECAUSE I FELL IN LOVE WITH THOSE TIMES WHEN IT SEEMED SO CLEAN AND WHOLESOME. LIFE WAS EASY AND ENJOYABLE THAN AT PRESENT.