Tuna

TUNA sandwich
Tuna sardines
Sizzling tuna
Sizzling tuna belly
Sweet and sour tuna
Hot and spicy tuna
Bicol express tuna
Inihaw na tuna
Tuna fillet
Spicy tuna spaghetti
Adobong tuna
Dinaing na tuna
Omelette tuna
Tuna afritada
Tuna caldereta
Tuna litè
Tuna plain
Tuna kisses

One of the many things I learned since August of last year is the vast options in cooking and serving the best fish in the world I have ever known, TUNA. Why tuna? There are other sorts of fishes found in the Philippine ponds and shores, like galungong, bangus, tilapia, dalagang bukid, isdang tabang, espada, tamban, and the list goes on and on. But why did I brand tuna as the best fish in the world?
I have the following reasons:
(a) Tuna can be found almost anywhere, whether you're in Japan, in America, Europe maybe, Australia. Although I have never gone out of the country as of the 24th year of my existence, I am pretty sure Tunas are served in those countries and elsewhere.
(b)They appear in various presentations. They are sold raw in nearby beaches. In any wet market, you might see somebody yelling tuna for sale. In groceries, cans of tuna come in different flavors to fit anybody's appetite. Best of all, you can always buy a can of tuna in manang's sari sari store any time of the day!
(c)It is a proven pulutan alternative! Hot and spicy tuna will guarantee a fast paced consumption of ice cold beer and alcohol. Let this be a warning that its chilli sauce-oil can choke you, when you sipped it while drunk.
(d)Tunas are heart friendly. If you eat too much, you'll never have to worry about cholesterol.
(e)Tunas dont bite (I guess).
(f)It's cheaper than shark's fin soup, a kilo of shrimp, or a mcdonald's happy meal.
(g)If San Diego California was once the Tuna Capital of the world, we have here in the Philippines, Sultan Kudarat as its version of Tuna country.
(h)It can be eaten almost anytime, anywhere. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, meryenda, siesta. In the office, sa kusina ni urban, bus, jeep, in the park, basketball court, virtually anywhere.

The next time you come across tuna, or you always eat tuna on a religious basis, don't fret. There are wide array of possibilities to enjoy the dish more than any other fish.

Forget about Ben Wallace

FINALLY, for the second time around, I let my hair lengthened up to the point it's unmanageable and appeared like an overused mop head ready for its trip to the garbage. I have had several reasons in my pocket why I made such a move, to ignore the need to visit the barber man.

One is the scarcity of time which is channeled mostly at work. (Haha! It so happen that my job has been taking a great deal of my existence even my haircut has been spared, but that's another story.)

Two, I have the kind of hair that easily grows through time. Over the years, I've been wondering why my DNA has such characteristics. A david salon hairstylist hinted me that it maybe due to the frequency of shampooing. Her opinion mattered at first, but upon lessening the use of this hair cleaning agent, nothing happened. Still, my wavy and kinky curly hair I inherited from my father never wavered in getting a few more centimeters.

Literally, it's been one of my long time wishes since I was a kid. During my 5th grade, my grandma made use of her shears to smooth our heads. She used to make dresses for other people as a living. And during that time, Lucky and I were treated as guinea pigs. I guess she wanted to venture into hairdressing and carelessly cut our hair like a lost grass in the doorway. I admire people with long hair and even chanted the proverbial song Anong paki mo sa long hair ko, but I never had done since.

Three, life sucks oftentimes and having a long and untidy hair, mixed with untrimmed beard obviously illustrates the angsts and disappointments resulting from barrage of frustrations banged into my ears. It maybe similar with hunger strike or boycott, my version of coup d’etat, only it is in its most subtle form.

The fourth reason that I could think of is basketball. I love basketball so much that I tend to mimic everything I come to love. Sometimes I stick to one baller and draw inspiration from him afterwards. When I nurtured my hair, a Negro implicitly convinced me to do so. He captured my attention due to sheer bravado and excellence in one aspect of the game, the defense. I even asked a friend where I can find a cornrows dresser in Manila. Unfortunately, I changed my mind.

48 hours ago, I went to Trixie, an old salon full of gays. Without hesitation, I had my hair trimmed to its finest. No ifs and no buts. I convinced myself it’s time to let go of frustrations. Forget about being afro. Forget about being held inside the house simply because of a hair nightmare. Forget about Ben Wallace and from now on, I’ll start saving shampoos!

No Newspaper?

CITY OF PINES, BAGUIO-- Waking up is difficult here in the summer capital. But a breakfast serving of relyenong bangus, freshly harvested vegetables cooked the way your taste would appreciate it and strawberries spread in a pan is worth enough to endure the wake up struggle. Glenn welcomed us in his pad, with a smile up in his ears after an enjoyable Sagada trip, thank you very much!
Located somewhere in the middle of a certain camp, I walked up hill to grab a breakfast complement, the inquirer. I was just told by his mama that a newsboy just passed by earlier and was unsure whether a store can be found near. She warned me that it maybe in the market or somewhere else. So, I hopped along with Glenn on his way out to the city. He left immediately after boarding an fx taxi. I was alone and advanced farther until I reached an internet hub and a newspaper stand!
Voila! My wish is answered. And here I am, telling that story.