11 Clifton Road, London N22 7XN

The last day in October is always a big day in the Philippines. I can honestly say that this day equals the excitements, noise, and commercial value of the Christmas season. In the west this day is more known by the icon of pumpkins carved hollow out and a candle placed inside to burn the whole night in front of the house and children walking around the neighborhood in costumes carrying a sack and knocking at every door and saying when you open it: Trick or treat. The Roman Catholic church though would rather that the catholics would consider this day to remember the dead. While I am having my dinner tonight here at Sylvia's place I already got two knocks in the door. For one with no experience with this Treat or trick thing I decided not to answer the door - out of fear also that I might destroy the illusion children would like to think about this night. Come to think of it these children would soon be adults and discard this practice and moving on to the adults' way of celebrating this day. On my own I will take a walk around the neighborhood and have the fell of how this tradition is being celebrated here.

Changing of the seasons

Coming from the tropical climate zone, I still find it exhilirating, at times even unbelievable that althought places like the Philippines and England belong to the same planet, each has to undergo quite different climatic changes (well I have to admit that I already knew why), including changes in seasons. I have to say that back in the Philippines one is relatively sure that there is an almost year-round, 50-50 day and night time, that the sun will always comes out of her hiding place , and temparature never dips below a certain positive value nor go up beyond a positive high value, too (with exceptions of course every period of 10 years or so). The vegetations are almost always green, birds are abundantly feed by the presence of insects which need not take shelter or die because of a coming winter. In England though this is not always the case. There is a mark change in season here, even calendars have it specifically indicated. And today is such day of transition from one season - the is the summer - to the next - the autumn. So tonight when the clock strikes 12 midnight each and every person in this part of the world will gain one hour more. And for me I will devote it to an extra hour of sleep, warming my bones an hour more in preparation for the long, dark, rainy, windy cold season of winter.

Inday

I am sure that by the time you are reading this post in my blog you must have heard already of the latest about the Inday jokes going the rounds via texting and of late via blogging. I for one came to know of this vai the online edition of the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI url link: http://www.inquirer.net/) through the column of Conrado de Quiros. To those who would like to read his column, which I find a saner look into the Inday joke, just click on the url link of his column (http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view_article.php?article_id=94891) or if clicking doesn't work then just copy and paste this in the box inteded for the url links then press enter. Among the learnings I got out of the Inday joke is the meaning of the word Inday, which according to one letter writer of the PDI who goes by the name Aurora Castillo (beutiful name and surname, I should say) and who hails from Cebu, means 'neneng' (http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/letterstotheeditor/view_article.php?article_id=94900). She was asking the question: Why is it that Inday is being used to mean househelper? Coming from the Bicol region, I couldn't remember a proper name equivalent to Inday serving the same purpose. Visiting my sister then who used to work with an American couple living in Dasmarinas village, I remember her also using the word Inday when talking about the neighbors' househelpers. I only remember it now because of this Inday joke.

IOE

Arriving last September 30 at Luton Airport, which is one of the smaller airports serving the Greater London area, I cannot help but feel so alone again in an alien city very far from home. I am still not fully convinced (at least until today) that studying for another master degree just two years after earning one is a good idea, more so that the tuition fee charged for overseas students studying in the UK is quite exhorbitant compared with the rest of universities in Europe. Nonetheless, Allan has been drilling into my mind, just like what his father told them, that an investment in education is always a good investment; which is basically the same for Filipino families - putting a premium on education - even to the extent of getting in debt just to support the education of the children. I am lucky in the sense that I am fully supported by a partner who so believed that education is never a lost investment. So packing my 20kg luggage, my laptop and some working files for an idea for my thesis I soon find myself trying to make sense of the train connection maps at the arrival terminal of Luton Airport. From there it was almost an hour and a half travel by a combination of shuttle bus from the airport to the train station up to the underground station at Kings Cross St. Pancras, changing to Picadilly line tube to Bounds Green station then a 10 minute walk to Sylvia'a house - where I will be based for the next 365 days. The Institute of Education is a hundred year old higher education institution of the University of London. It was founded in 1902 for the purpose of training teachers. During the induction program for new students we were told that it is the best teacher training institute in Europe - though I am keeping an open mind about this claim. First impression though is that they have a good, functioning and up-to-date library facilities complete with all the trappings of the latest in technology. Unfortunately, it looks like one can only use the facilities of the library if you are enrolled as a student or a faculty member, unlike in the University of Geneva where the public can use the facilities of the library. Well I am inviting you my readers to see for yourself the institute through the link I included in this post.

Spring 2007

Spring na naman...inio seguro an ma mi miss ko in case magbalik na ako sa Pilipinas. Kumpara duman na halos bilog na taon pirming berde an palibot, mainit asin pirming nagsasaldang an aldaw, digdio sa parteng ini kan mundo may mga panahon na daing mga dahon an mga tanom, malipot asin kun magsaldang an aldaw bago magkakaparehon oras sa bilog na taon.