“The words are not good for the secret meaning, everything always becomes a bit different, as soon as it is put into words, gets distorted a bit, a bit silly—yes, and this is also very good, and I like it a lot, I also very much agree with this, that this what is one man’s treasure and wisdom always sounds like foolishness to another person.” ― Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha
August 3, was the death anniversary of my father, Macapanton Abbas, Sr. I was just 5 and a half years old when he passed away, so I don't really know much about him, esp. when he was a young man. For whatever I remember of him, he was already an old man. He was already… Continue reading Portrait of My Father as a Young Man
Just saw this marvelous Shakespearean movie -- HAMLET -- starred and directed by Kenneth Branagh. I am so amazed that the producers agreed to do a full 4-hour version of Shakespeare's play. Yet it was shown only in very limited number of theaters. I didn't even know it existed until a few days ago. It… Continue reading Hamlet (1996): The Unabridged Film Version
On 23 November 2009, exactly 13 years ago, Andal Ampatuan, with his armed paramilitary security, with the complicity of some policemen, massacred 58 people, including 34 journalists. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a New York-based NGO that promotes Press Freedom for the world, described the killings as "the single deadliest event for journalists in… Continue reading Ampatuan / Maguindanao Massacre: 13 years hence
Before the turn of the millennium, the Philippines was called the world's texting capital. For the past five years or so, the Philippines is being called the Social Media Capital of the World. Is it? https://youtu.be/hSxOv22mfHQ The Philippines has consistently topped the charts in Time Spent on Social Media: ========================= This is an “extended version”… Continue reading Is Philippines the World’s Social Media Capital ?
Imelda 'Aimee' Morales's book Alignment: Lessons in Writing was launched on Oct 24, 2020. Accompanying the book launch was a seminar by FLOW writers on various topics related to the book. I gave a talk on Teaching Grammar: Is it necessary?Many people are saying that Grammar is not important anymore. In internet groups, people who… Continue reading English Language: Is Teaching / Learning Grammar necessary?
Last year, I was asked to do the Inspirational Talk at FEATI University during its annual English Festival. The theme of the festival was "Digital Learners Promoting English, the Universal Language." Back in 2014, I was asked to do the Welcome Remarks on its annual English Festival. The theme then was "Promoting English, the Lingua… Continue reading Learning English the Digital Way
Postprandial Musings, 2.0 