At the Delft University of Technology library:
From the exhibition Layers by Richard Hutten:
Recycling is good. Reminds me of my plan, after Kramer on Seinfeld, to take all the coffee table books I have no intention of reading and turn them into a coffee table.
Koosi is even more antisocial than her human. (Why don’t people ever believe you when you say you don’t want your picture taken? Do they think you’re being coy? It’s not a nothing issue. If your hideous photo gets on the web it will stay there forever, reminding you never to leave the house without a bag on your head. There is no mystery here: I just don’t like having my picture taken. I’m like those African tribesmen.) If you call her, she will give you a look of “You dare summon me?” If you stare at her too long, she will smack you with a paw. When she wants attention she will let you know. Sometimes she does this. Most times she just bites your toes.
My gene pool is Bicolano and when I was growing up everything we ate had chili peppers and coconut milk in it. Our adobo had chili peppers and coconut milk. My mom made excellent laing but it was always a huge production number. The gabi leaves had to be the right shape and texture or your tongue and throat would itch. Then they had to be shredded very fine. The coconut milk had to be freshly-squeezed, and the chilis had to be a specific variety or they wouldn’t be spicy enough. She also made a dish called pinangat which is like laing wrapped around shredded pork and shrimps.
Every other week or so I need my laing fix. A lot of Filipino restaurants serve laing—Cafe Bola even has laing pasta—but of course nothing can compete with the memory of my mother’s laing. Last Saturday I went to Naga City for an SM event, and this was in the buffet.
How interesting, I thought, cake with peppers. Then I realized it wasn’t a dessert cake, but a cake made of pinangat. It’s wonderful. This pinangat cake is from a Naga restaurant called Geewan. My mom would’ve approved.
*If you remember the 90s and you read the title of this post, you now have the urge to wear socks on your privates and you will spend the rest of the day hearing this in your head: “Give it away give it away give it away now. Give it away give it away give it away now.”
Tuesday, lunchtime, just after the official beginning of the Nadal era (which actually started in May).
– Did you watch the US Open final?
– I watched the first two sets while I was cleaning my house. When Nadal won the third set I knew that was it, he wouldn’t let up from there.
– I didn’t watch a US Open final live telecast for the first time since, oh, 1997. When Patrick Rafter won. Haay, Patrick Rafter circa 1997. Everyone must serve and volley. I’m all for electrifying the baselines and using cattle prods to force the players to rush the net. It increases the probability that they will hit each other.
– Too bad for Djokovic, but Nadal raised his game and he couldn’t match him. He lost his temper and pounded his racquet. Luke Jensen pointed out that Federer and Nadal have the composure of champions, they don’t lose it.
– Luke Jensen dispenses wisdom now? I remember the surfer Jensen twins. I’m old. True, it does not help the Djoker that his parents are wearing T-shirts with his face on them.
– He was asked about the T-shirts. He said he wouldn’t wear them himself but what can he do, that’s his dad.
– Tacky tacky tacky. Very, uh, Eurovision.
– Ever watch Eastern European porn? Very tacky. The wallpaper, the decor. Ugh. (Yes, my friends notice the wallpaper in porno movies.)
– Yeah, what’s Russian porn like?
– Smutty. They’re all in grotty dorm rooms or something.
– My friend lent me the video of the making of the Dieux du Stade calendar, but it was the wrong disc. It was all gay porn. As opposed to straight guys in homoerotic poses.
– So we’re officially in the Nadal era. Remember how people were complaining at the height of the Federer era that it was boring? Because Roger was winning everything? Now they will see what boring really is. Roger had Rafa in his way, Rafa has no one to check him. Except maybe Djoker. Andy Murray just doesn’t have it. Or Robin Soderling. Rafa’s only obstacle is his own body because I still think he’s going to break in half.
– Today it’s Nadal, Federer, and Everyone else. When Roger retires it’ll be Nadal and Everyone else. I don’t think Roger is going to win any more slams.
– I think he will, as long as he’s still interested. He could probably get a couple of lucky breaks: someone gets Rafa after he eats a bad sandwich, clearing the path. I don’t see any of the young guys rising to their level.
– Rafa has 9 slams at age 24. He could chase Roger’s 16.
– If the knees hold. Whatever happened to Juan Martin del Potpot?
– Wrist injury. Long recovery time. Small bones.
– Yikes, there is No One else. Tennis is in trouble.
– All the traditional tennis powers are not doing well. The US, Australia, nada.
– On the other hand there are 10,000 Russians and Eastern Europeans rocketing to the top then vanishing. Especially the women.
– When Roger and Serena retire, tennis will die.
– I miss Marat. Marat was my replacement for Goran and now I have no replacement for Marat.
Reading Dostoevsky is not enough. The Karamazovs are crazy, but they have no racquets. Hey Janko Tipsarevic reads Dostoevsky.
– Ewww I saw Tipsarevic’s feet. Disgusting.
– They did a closeup on TV?
– No, at a tournament. I had binoculars and when he changed his shoes. . .I was eating a mango and I nearly threw up.
– Blisters?
– No.
– Luya? (Ginger toes)
– No, they didn’t even look like feet anymore. They were like the bound feet of ancient Chinese women.
– Who else’s feet did you see?
– Rafa’s. They were okay, just blistered. And Roger’s.
– What did Roger’s feet look like?
– Beautiful.
Like the hair, perfect.
This magnificent fountain pen is mine, Mine, MINE! (Maniacal laughter.) Perfect for writing imperial decrees and death warrants. In red ink! And it matches my swords. Thanks, Ricky.
I’m speaking at the Second Access Philippine English Language Conference at the Manila International Book Fair on September 16 from 1pm to 3.30pm at the SMX convention center. The conference is organized by the British Council and Anvil Publishing. Pop in.
From the programme: “Dr. Judy Ick will discuss the coming of English to Philippine shores as integral to American colonial policy as democracy, the public school system and public health and sanitation. From the Thomasites, American public school teachers deployed to the territory in 1900, Filipinos learned the language that became the medium of instruction and the country’s official language up to the present. Not only was American literature taught, literary writing in English was formally introduced too. In a century and a decade, it has become our own English and is now considered one of the many Philippine languages.
“Dr. Jose Dalisay, Jr. and Jessica Zafra will talk about their experience of, and relationship with, English as their medium for writing. Coming from different generations, they will share their training in English and awareness of it as their language for writing. They will give their take on writing in a second language, or in an English that is their own and first language.”
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