Nostalgia, maudlin reminiscence at the pain of lost childhood made all the more haunting by the broken guitar chords from Segovia. These are moments after a long night of torrential rain and when the sun starts to dissipate the lingering shades of night. Vignettes of boyhood misadventures and the echoes of growing up blues suddenly make one smile albeit wanly. Oh what will I give up in exchange for a return to the summer of my childhood.

Those bygone days were moments in learning, a great deal of it spent basking in all the magazines, newspapers, and books in the decrepit structure we call reading center till I was teary eyed and with a grumbling tummy. The thrilling part of it all was the wiggling through the narrow gap between the roof and the wall which only a wisp of an 11-year old boy can do.

Certainly thinking about things past have its dark side too. I can't help cursing at the sheer foolishness surrounding the demise of a childhood friend who made the railroad track his pillow for the night waiting for the bagon loaded with sugarcane bound for the sugar central. And then there was the thrill of puppy love when the seeming acme of devotion consisted of gazing at the roof of her house.

One can't go home again. After spending more years away from home rather than investing years in it can suspend an objective view of a homecoming. The acknowledging look of familiar faces replaced by feigned interest of current residents perhaps belonging to the second or third filial. I ought not be sad at this turn of events. I must admit that it is not only I who changed... my barrio folks too had the right to change. And they did.

You've down half a case of San Mig Light and you think you know all about beers? Think again. Or better yet watch this video and you're on your way to becoming a beer expert. Kidding aside, this makes a good conversation starter on your next drinking session.

If you're going to Iloilo City and wasn't using the Diversion Road route, better keep it that way. The traffic in the area is horrendous and would remain as such in the coming weeks due to the construction of an overpass (is this the same as a skyway?).

I learned that hard lesson earlier today and was stucked in the traffic for almost an hour inside the jeepney. Under the 12 o'clock sun.

OT: The weather keeps getting hotter everyday. I've heard reports that temperature will keep rising to peak next month. Are you at the beach yet?

This week was, really, a very busy week for me. With too many things to get done work-wise and Globelines broadband regularly disconnect every afternoon, I could not find time to look around Iloilo City and write something and I guess I missed a lot of things.

• Dinagyang.com EB - My apologies to the Dinagyang.com organizer. There's supposed to be an EB at Chino's last February 1st. I only get to read the email the day after because, like I said, internet disconnects every afternoon. No, I'm not reasoning out for not coming. This should have been marked in the calendar weeks ago. I really love to meet the rest of the online ilonggo community. Another downside to being lazy.
• Jaro Fiesta - This is given. After the Dinagyang Festival, the Nuestra Señ de la Candelaria follows. I was dumbfounded to be stuck in the traffic during the first half of February 2. Mayo lang kay may nag hagad ma-myesta sang gab-i.

I'm going to the Dinagyang Festival tomorrow to watch the increasingly competitive Kasadyahan contest and on Sunday for the ultimate ati tribe competition. This was all planned a week ago so work-related stuffs are going to a halt starting tonight. I'm already fully aware of things I need to do and bring with me to the city. This is a whole day affair. No, make that a 2-days, non-stop, affair. Just so you know. The festival doesn't end right after the contests end. Party people are not going to sleep this weekend.

Some things to bring and remember.

• A cellphone and adequate loads to last you two days. You, definitely, want to keep in touch with the rest of the gangs. It's no fun dancing and drinking alone.
• Anything that shoots photos, for the world to see the party-animal in you. No, really. Apart from taking colorful tribe uniforms/costume, you need to show off your own. Come on, max-out your flickr account.
• Extra clothes. Unless you're totally comfortable drenched in your own sweat or that of the person beside you while watching the parade under the sweltering heat of the sun, it's ok wear the same shirt for the whole day. On this day and time, stripping is frowned upon so please don't.
• Cash. You're to a party place. You're not going to just stand there and watch all day, do you? They don't give away free drinks around here anymore - in Kalibo's Ati-atihan festival, they used to. Buy some drinks and join the fun.
• Don't bring weapons of any kind. Otherwise, you risk getting caught and spend time in jail rather than in streets. Don't be carried away. Although, there will be warriors roaming the city streets, they're all for the show. We're not at war my friend.
• Formulate lame excuses for not coming home or going home very early the next day. Did I say some people are not going sleep over the weekend? I think I mean they're not going home this weekend. Most of them will be sleeping for sure from all the alcohols they'll take.

These are just some that I can think of right now. Care to add yours?

Here's something very useful for motorists. IDFI has the traffic plan for this coming saturday and sunday events. This is really helpful not only to those wishing to take their car to the city but also to the commuters. It shows us how to get to avoid getting stuck in a bottle somewhere and eventually missing performances of our favorite tribes.

During last year's dinagyang festival, I stayed home and watched performances on TV. This year, I'm going to see them live. One more good reason why this traffic/parade route is a must: to be able to find a better spot to take tons of photos. To borrow from today's teens; this year I going to be soooo there.

If I'm not mistaken, this is the same route that tribes are using during their night rehearsals.

Quick. What's the cheapest food that can feed a family of four? I can't think of anything other than instant noodles/ramen. At Php 5.00, instant noodles wins. Tabagak couldn't beat this japanese invention when it comes to price. No wonder instant noodles are given to those severely hit by calamities and other natural misfortunes.

Momofuku Ando died of heart failure last friday, January 5, 2007. He was 96 years old. He will be remembered to be the father of instant ramen.

There will be a fireworks display tonight December 29, 2006 at 7:00 PM in Iloilo Provincial Capitol Grounds sponsored by Iloilo Supermart, Iloilo Provincial Capitol and Iloilo Governor Niel Tupas. The event will showcase the various fireworks by Peacock Fireworks.

I just hope it was Iloilo Supermart who paid for the fireworks and the Iloilo Provincial Capitol's involvement is only limited to providing the venue or else this is just another example of wasting taxpayer's money. Other than that, this is good entertainment. I'm definitely watching this tonight with my daughter and to take some

It used to be that firecrackers and fireworks manufactured in Villa district Iloilo City dominate industry in downtown Iloilo during Christmas holidays. I see very few stalls selling pyrotechnics now. What used to be fireworks are replaced by fruits (which is a good thing). 15 years ago (there you go, clue to how old I am), a 500-piece tabid-tabid triangulo wows us and vendors line from Veteran's Bank in Delgado to downtown Iloilo in J.M. Basa. Also during that time, the louder, the better.

There seems to be major shift to people's preference in pyrotechnics and firecrackers. I see lots of aerial stuffs and they look and sounds expensive. I believe most of them are imported from China. The last time I checked, the price of these imported pyrotechnics range from a few hundred to well above tens of thousands of pesos. Not really the kind everybody can afford but they're gaining grounds against those from Villa.

Christmas parties and family gatherings are times when tons of photos are taken. Everybody who has a camera will take pictures of friends and relatives. Here's one trick you can use to make people look better in the picture. Turn your camera upside down when taking portraits.

File under oddity: Website Digital Camera University says that you can take better portraits (that is, pictures of people's faces) if you turn your digital camera upside down.

Why? It has to do with the location of the flash: Since it's mounted above the lens it creates slight shadows by the way the light bounces off the lines on your subject's face, which makes wrinkles and blemishes look more noticeable than they should. By turning the camera upside down, the light (now coming from beneath the lens) hits the face at a slightly different angle, creating a slightly different image. That's the theory, anyway. Via Yahoo! Tech