Crimson Crux

Tomorrow morning I’ll be flying to Kalibo, Aklan to participate in the third international reunion of our clan. I actually have tons of work and literary stuff in the queue, but I’d have to forget these for the meantime — even with the telecommuting nature of my employment, I think it’s impossible to work there this time of the year. Kalibo is reveling in the wild Ati-atihan Festival!

My last trip to our home province was in May 2006. After this new one-week vacation, I’ve got a full hectic year ahead of me, so I think I’ll store up on the fresh air and great memories, hehe.

See you soon.

I’ve published a pseudo-photo essay on last week’s UP Centennial Celebration kick-off on my lit blog, Slip of the Pen. An excerpt:

At this point, the excitement was very palpable in the air. Many people were chatting with voices slightly shaking in excitement, and laughs were in abundance. The UP Ang Galing Mo song blared through the loudspeakers, and the drums thundering to the tune of UP’s cherished school cheers spiked UP pride in everyone’s veins.

Read the whole thang.

This 2008, the state university of the Philippines celebrates its 100th year — and I plan not to miss the action.

First up in the to-attend list: the launch of the UP System’s Centennial Celebration this Tuesday, January 8. UP alumni, don’t miss this one!

Borrowing the program of activites from the official UP Centennial website:

9:00 - 10:00 a.m. — Mass in UP Manila
10:15 - 12:00 a.m. — Celebration Program in UP Manila
12:00 - 2:00 p.m. — Motorcade from UP Manila to UP Diliman; Assembly of the celebrants at the University Ave. in UP Diliman
2:00 - 2:30 p.m. — Motorcade from UP Manila meets the other UP College Units contingents in front of Lung Center in Quezon Ave.
2:30 - 3:00 p.m. — Motorcade proceeds to University Ave.
3:00 - 4:00 p.m. — Arrival of Motorcade at University Ave.
4:00 - 4:30 p.m. — Skydivers with banners land in open area next to Plaridel Hall
4:30 - 4:45 p.m. — Tambuli and ‘Kwitis’ signal start of ceremony
(more…)

Longtime PC gamers will know what Simlish is — a fictional and unintelligible language used in the revered Sim franchise of Will Wright and Maxis.

Well, surprise, surprise — Simlish is partly a child of the Philippines! If you’e going to trust Wikipedia’s article on the language:

The Sims development team created the unique Simlish language by experimenting with fractured Ukrainian and Tagalog (one of the major languages of the Philippines).

Just one of those amusing tidbits of trivia. Now, this begs a question — did the Maxis devs include a Filipino in their ranks, or did they just pick Tagalog for its qualities?