Thanks, Anthropologist Mayumi Yamamoto, for the Appreciation!

I'm a modest man, but I really think that to acknowledge and appreciate in return is the courteous thing to do. So here we go: Thank you, anthropologist Mayumi Yamamoto of Japan for the mention and encouraging words from your wonderful Basil and Sunflower blog articles:

From Elmo, 3, joins youngest Americans in getting vaccinated:

. . . her generous Filipino teacher.  

He is quick at getting to the point I overlook and reminds me, casually. 

So, he is a good teacher.

And from Ryanair Afrikaans test: Airline drops controversial South African quiz:

The essay above was shared with my English language teacher,
a Filipino poet,
who edits my writings along with grammatical correction.

Where I wrote 'That is the ironic by-product of British imperialism'
--- my Filipino teacher said,  'American imperialism, too'.

Maraming-maraming salamat, Miho-san!

(From the Philippines to Japan!)

 

 

 

 

 

Nick Joaquin’s “Manila, My Manila” in Japanese

Check out here the book cover of the Japanese edition of Nick Joaquin’s “Manila, My Manila”:

(Photo courtesy of Katayama Takashi, who borrowed the book from Shinjuku City Library last July 30, 2022.)

The design uses the 18th Century Map of Manila City created by Antonio Fernandez de Roxas in 1713. The translators of this Japanese edition are Nobuhiko Hashimoto and Masanobu Sawada. It was released by Akashi Shoten publishing company in 2005.

“Manila, My Manila” was originally published as “Manila, My Manila: A History for the Young” by Vera-Reyes, Inc. in 1990. It was republished in its current title by The Bookmark Inc. in 1999.

Nick Joaquin (May 4, 1917 – April 29, 2004), who also went by the penname Quijano de Manila. was awarded the title of National Artist of the Philippines for Literature in 1976.

You can read a review of “Manila, My Manila” by Hidde Van der Wall in Kritika Kultura Vol.   No.33/34 (2019): The City as Nation: NickJoaquin’s Manila, My Manila as Nationalist History.

Twitter poem

I tried to write a poem that would fit a tweet to a T, with exactly 280 characters, and here's what I came up with:

Ate, a Philippine restaurant in Tokyo, Japan

Sakaling mapadpad kayo sa Tokyo at mamiss niyo agad ang pagkaing Pinoy, tangkilikin natin ang Philippine Restaurant Ate at 2 Chome-22-11 Nishiogi-minami, Suginami, Tokyo (2nd Floor). Check out the details here on the page of Experience Suginami Tokyo. (The photos and videos below are courtesy of Masaki Nishi.)

Meron sila ng ating paboritong adobo, manok at baboy!

Meron din silang ginataang hipon, alimasag, atbp.! Hai!

Why I submit my poems to literary magazines?

(Image is from 11 Indie Magazines You Be Reading by Steve Watson, Electric Lit, January 21, 2020)

The following is an excerpt from my first post on my Ko-fi page, I'm a Litmag Freak*:

Now, why do I submit to literary magazines? Aside from the fact that I love reading and writing poetry, let me quote from the following two articles about literary magazines: 

From The New Yorker’s The Persistence of Litmags by Stephanie Burt (July 7, 2015): 

“A little magazine, as Jonathan Farmer, of At Length, explains, ‘depends on creating a community.’” (Incidentally, this article mentions the magazine DIAGRAM that has published two poems of mine.) 

From CNN Style’s Long-standing literary magazines are struggling to stay afloat. Where do they go from here? by Leah Asmelash (February 10, 2022): 

“The magazines are a runway, where new literary styles are tested and emerge. New voices break through.” (Incidentally, this article also mentions Protean magazine that likewise published a poem of mine.) 

So I submit to literary magazines because I want to belong to an international community of writers and have my small voice heard once in a while – subject to the discernment and mercy of editors.

*Initially, I wanted to use "junkie" instead of "freak" but I thought the former ain't "wholesome enough" for Ko-fi. 

My Takedown Highlights - Wrestling/Luta Livre

(Tbh, with this post, I just wanna figure out how Google AdSense works coz I received an email that my blog "is ready to show AdSense ads and start earning." The text below, except for my age, is taken verbatim from the description of my 2021 YouTube video above.)

At 47 years old and most probably arthritic, I believe it's about time to share a highlights video of my wrestling takedowns. I have been competing in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling since 1998 and in submission grappling since 2004 (and unfortunately lost some videos due to stolen cellphones, PCs that conked out and lost my files, etc.). Along the way, I have won gold medals in national and international competitions, and the most significant has to be in the 2016 ADCC South East Asia - Philippine International Open - intermediate division (https://adcombat.com/adcc-events/adcc...) and in the Greco-Roman event of the 2011 Philippine National Games ( https://mertos.blogspot.com/2011/06/?...). Sadly, after diligent efforts, these are the only clips of my takedowns that I can find now - and three of them are "only" from friendly sparring sessions. Still, as my first coach always told me, "The way you train is the way you fight!" (Yours truly is currently a purple belt in Brazilian Luta Livre under Mestre Afonso Cego, a black belt from Academia Budokan - Rio de Janeiro led by Mestre Joao Ricardo.) Video by Milo Sevilla (2021) Music: "Fight to WIn" by Sven Karlssonhttps://www.epidemicsound.com/track/N ...)

#LutaLivre #wrestling #catchwrestling #submissiongrappling #grappling #combatwrestling