Ode To Tish

(A celebration of the good life)

It seems not so long ago

A maiden named Tish

Found a dirty dog

And kept him on a leash

And so the story goes

The cycle of time went spinnin'

Dirty dog became a pet lappin'

On Mdme Tish hands a-beggin'

But Tish was a dutiful master

And Dirty dog went into the washer

To clean his paws full of dirt

To take the soul out of the hurt

And after one hundred and so days

Plus some two thousand

Dirty dog was set free from his leash

By the beautiful Madame Tish

Only to find Dirty dog

In the pigpen, where to go not knowin'

And his paws tracked mud aplenty

Like a lost, little puppy

Take the leash back, Dirty dog

Lest the world send you back

To the race of life without seein'

The days of good livin'

And so the story goes

The cycle of time stopped spinnin'

And Dirty dog comes back lappin'

To Mdme Tish without her callin'

You are quite noble, Tish

Quite a plenty on your dish

This Dirty dog's a little devil

So keep him on the level!

Farewell to Freedom

(Eulogy for Dominic TFC)

I savor the sweet aroma

Of sweet November

Amidst the glorious days past

Of Beers forever

To shackle the warrior

Never in November!

I feel the cool air

Of chilly December

The kisses for Christmas

From wild side gals

To tempt the warrior

A bachelor forever?

In swings the new year

And the 4th of January

In Boracay beach tis' set

The battle for the warrior

A maiden in blue like the sea

And the warrior no longer free

Farewell to freedom, TFC

The beers and babes swept out to sea

And the pitufos agree

She knows, she knows

The maiden wins always

With the ceremony!

ABOUT DOCTOR PITUFO...

An ophthalmologist, and thus someone who highly values the gift of sight, he collects visions of a changing world through the medium of photography to show us a fragment of our time, our history and our very existence.

"These images are moments frozen, each a trickle of seconds in the eternal flow of the dimension of time; these images I bring to your senses to show you what I saw and felt at that moment, in the hope that they will bind us and make us realize that we all belong to the same small world. Imagine us ebbing and rising as one singular body of water, continuously flowing in an ocean. Every image then is a trickle of water, of human existence, fragmented and captured from the whole and from the flow of time, yet cannot be torn apart." - docpitufo

If you think Hollywood is trashy, you are in good company. But sometimes, the schizophrenics in that side of the world can manage to hit it right. Remember the movie "The Terminal"? It's about this eastern european who was inadvertently stuck in a United States airport. Well, we have a our own version of Tom Hanks of "The Terminal" here in the Philippines. For about 5 months now, Ayi Nii Aryee, a national player (football, is there any other?) from Ghana, is in virtual limbo in the Clark Airport in Pampanga. How did it happen? Long story, but to make it brief, it is because he was denied entry enroute to Singapore, and was sent back to the Philippines. Upon his arrival at the former American air base, he was put in the "exclusion list" simply because Singapore and the Philippines are Asean co-member nations. He cannot go back to Singapore which he originally wanted, but cannot enter the Philippine territory as well. So Ayi is enjoying a pleasant five-month stopover in nowhere land, living among firefighters of the Clark fire brigade. What's his daily routine like? He runs about 5 kilometers every morning in the tarmac overlooking Mount Arayat, then practices his ball control with the Mizuno that the Union FC players left him the first time we went to see him. Unfortunately for Ayi, in a country of 80 million basketball fanatics, he can't play with the firemen who are just plain clueless about Joga Bonita. In fact, the first time we saw him he was playing footie with a basketball that his present Clark colleagues found for him. Cruel cruel world.... After a light lunch of rice and viand which is more often than not sardines, Ayi turns to reading a few books, then another run on the tarmac. On November 18, Ayi turned sweet 19 (he was playing in the under-19 nationals), and so we paid him a surprise visit and turned one paltry Saturday into a brazilian churrasco; of course, the day wouldn't be complete without a game of futkal, in the searing heat of the airport tarmac; a couple of cases of SML's, hamburgers and barbecued chicken completed the day. Ayi was all smiles after the party had ended. And thus once again, Union FC saves the day. Arriba Union!

Of Stuffed Mushrooms and San Mig Lights....

On a hectic monday afternoon
Eastwood city traffic crawls
Like river Hades on a good day in hell
So many souls, walking techies with white i-podded ears

ATM's here, call center there
A shittty bank that's greedier than devil incarnate... citi..
But one resto stands out, I see it beckoning
Italianni's, the beers are calling

Ah, dining al fresco, perfect...
And cybercity, so wifi it would certainly have
A friendly waitress named Charm
Charmed our way to taste, savor....

Stuffed mushrooms and San Mig Lights
Amid the busy tech city
What a welcome respite
Let the beers come, the day is ending

And the talks of footie games
Of pitufo's coming and going
Of Nakata, Union, futkal, and
Of Stuffed mushrooms and San Mig lights

The drive from Tagaytay, the pineapple city on the ridge of Taal Volcano, to Nasugbu, sugar central of Batangas, is breathtaking, short of spectacular. Upon exiting Tagaytay city, you will come upon the marker of Batangas which is the former Batulao resort. It is a mountainous region which borders Cavite and Batangas. Here you will find the rolling hills with a montage of greens on the opposite side of the volcano, similar to Tuscan landscapes. A few sprouting summer vacation homes may taint the otherwise magnificent virginal plantations; visible too are the thatched nipa homes with gardens of colorful flowers that are sold to the passers-by. The drive takes a taciturn for the spectacular when you see the distant mountains with tall coconut trees, the plains full of sugarcane, and the endless clear blue sky. Nasugbu city itself, once a thriving sugar processing center, is full of hidden wonders: old plantation homes with the traditional colonial-style wooden white facade, a small chapel with ivy-covered walls, a 19th century train in the municipal hall. Driving further on to the seaside, you will come upon the fishing villages of Wawa, where bancas are docked with their nets hung out to dry. A bridge guarded by two mermaids marks Wawa town; the drive becomes purposeful as you smell the salt in the air. The winding two-lane highway climbs up the mountain and starts to slope down with the view of the sea on the driver-side, until you get to Natipuan town. There is a quaint elementary school in this sleepy village. The huge acacia trees sheltering the villagers provide adequate protection from salt and sun. The sea begins to form its coves, with private resorts now enclaves of the wealthy, sprouting here and there. The drive culminates in the solitude of the beach, the view of the sun sitting on the horizon, and the overall peace away from the busy city...

Last weekend, November 4-5, was great for doctor pitufo and union fc. We celebrated a good victory in the ongoing Terry Razon Cup, or the champions league in Philippine football. And this was a spectacular climactic end to the visit of Hide Nakata, who came, played futkal and conquered. We are quite grateful to some "behind the scenes" folks who aren't taken to too much publicity but nevertheless needs the proverbial pat on the back... Gang Badoy, thanks for making this possible, you're great... rock ed people like Peter "pitufo pedro amore", glenn; Union FC coaches especially our brazilian cara, Romario Gaucho, and the countless people of UNDP who came to organize, support and just be lending feet (never hands, in the world of futkal!). Sadly, the big guns of Philippine football weren't there at all, hmm... what's going on there in that political side of the world? Let me make mention though that Jojo Rodriguez of NCRFA called me the morning of Hide's arrival to signify his support for this momentous event... thanks man. Now, going back to what transpired this weekend of November 4 and 5... to those who came to the doc pitufo "life begins at 40" party, gracias mil ! As Union fc tradition would have it, we had the classic "churrasco" style beef, prepared by the master chef of Prime Beef co., followed by bottomless beers! The event wouldn't have been complete without the impromptu futkal sans "kalye", this time kicking around in the bermuda grass. Andthus, after 4 cases of san mig lights, a dozen kilos of beef and 20 bottles of various merlots, pinot noirs and shiraz's, the party ends, only to culminate with the victory of union hogadores versus the san beda fc last Sunday.... what a glorious end.