I was delighted to hear news from my sister that surfers are coming in by the droves on a daily basis for the end-of-the-year surfing events at San Juan, La Union. This means more business for our family’s restaurant, Halo Halo de Iloko. Maybe it’s the changing of the tides at this time of the year, or the national holidays that are coming that are making people wave-hungry. Nonetheless, people are flocking to my hometown to experience the sun, the surf and the Ilocano culture.

How does it feel to ride a wave? It’s just like riding the world and you’re in complete control. Only a surfer can understand, and to a surfer, the water is a friend.

Two events that are coming up sooner than the others are the 2 waves (pardon the pun) of Travel Factor’s Surfvivor 2007. This is like a surfing boot camp for amateur, pro and newbie surfers alike. A bunch of beach lovers that will flood the beach with their enthusiasm and energy.

Some of the country’s top celebrities are mainstays in the surfing capital of the north. Read on to find out who among the local celebrities are surfing in San Juan on a regular basis…

Jericho and his girlfriend, Heart, have been going regularly to San Juan, La Union on surfing trips and barkada outings. Even before they got together, people have reportedly been seeing the matinee idol in the surf spots with other friends (*cough* girls). It goes without saying that the locals in the area knew exactly who Echo’s new belle is before anyone else did. It is rumored that the famous model/award-winning actor has already bought a property near the beaches of San Juan, La Union.

Here are some photos of the celebrity love birds that I borrowed from sexy nomad

1. Heart and Echo surfing. Heart is wearing a shirt that says “My Boyfriend is Cuter Than Yours”. LOL.

2. Heart Evangelista in action

3. Sweet Echo carrying his GF’s surf board for her.

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Not just celebrities, but also politicians are riding the waves. Can you guess who got caught in a photo as she was surfing at San Juan, La Union during 2005? (photo courtesy of Reuters)

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The Art of Dung-aw

Ilocanos have a collection of dirges or dung-aw, chanted or wailed in funeral wakes lamenting the passing of the dead.

To tourists or non-ilokanos hearing dung-aw, it sounds like a phrase that is more sang than spoken. It usually peaks to a crescendo of discordant shouting then tapers of to melodic whimpering.

The Tradition of Dung-aw

What others don’t know is that dung-aw is the ultimate ilocano show of emotion.

Ilocanos are very stoic people. They take each blow that life brings stone-faced and unfazed. Be it poverty, sudden crashes of fortune or simply the hardship of daily labouring; Ilocanos are the goats that take in everything, saving what they can and moving forward steadily without much complaint.

Dung-aw is the song of the soul that ilocanos sing to ease the pain of losing a loved one. It is the release of the pent-up flood of indignation and suffering. A cry from a heart that can no longer keep its peace.

In a wake, when one person starts chanting dung-aw, a lot more people follow, so that the whole chorus sounds like one synchronized voice punctuated by an occasional scream. Not just women, but also men, sing this song of grief. The song usually ends with every singer humming or whispering a personal sonata, heartbreaking and tear-filled. But more often than not, people know that dung-aw is over when the one chanting it collapses in exhaustion.

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I sang my own dung-aw just tonight. I had no idea how long it lasted. But after my song, my voice was shot and I was barely concious. I needed that cry. And I have a feeling that I will be singing it a lot more times this week.

This post is dedicated to Mommy (22 August 1916-3 october 2007).

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I adore old furnitures and artifacts, even when I was younger. It reminds people of their heritage and origins. My personal love for the rustic style stems from my parents’ adorning our properties with local antiques. Fancy earthen pots that have been ignored by others in the past are considered rare finds that my parents buy from sidewalk stores in different parts of the region.

I remember almost 25 years ago how I’d wake up to the sounds of the local kalesa going around the town to perform various errands of transporting goods from the barrios to the town markets. The old kalesa guy would shout “hiiii-yaaahhh!!!” as he nears the intersection where our house is located. I’ve always been entertained by that laughing shout, and have mimicked it more than once, but now I realize that it had a purpose, too: to warn passing motorists (usually tricycles) that a kalesa is about to cross the intersection.

My younger sister put up her own restaurant to compliment our parents’ catering business. I was delighted that she adorned her store with the same ilokano style that makes a person feel instantly at home. Some of the furnishings she displayed in Halo Halo De Iloko (the restobar) are the things that our grandparents have kept in their attics since world war II ended. The house where the store is located is an antique in itself. It has been there since the war and has been through a lot (like our family).

This photo shows the old flat irons that our grandmothers used to press clothes. I have witnessed this in action when I was about 5-6 years old. They used charcoals to generate heat, and banana leaves were used as platforms for resting the irons. I’ve always thought that the smell of partly “cooked” banana leaves on my school uniforms during my kindergarten was very fragrant.

Sculptures of old iloko icons remind me of the stories weaved by our elders and passed down to the more recent generations. Reminiscences of farm life, and how happy they were when the harvest is bountiful. Stories of bravery, of heroism and of happiness in the simple life. Legends like that of Lam-ang, which by the way, still never fails to amaze me.

The capiz windows that adorn old houses in Ilokandia always reminds me of home. This doorway at Halo Halo de Iloko shows 2 capiz windows that were salvaged from debris of an old rundown construction in the region. They find a new home in out store, where young generations may still admire them.

One icon of the Ilokanos is Manang Biday, the young ilokana maiden who is being wooed by admirers at night time with songs. Several depictions of Manang Biday involved an elderly woman smoking a rolled up tobacco leaf. Tobacco is virtually the only plant that thrives in the Ilokos region because of the aridity of the land, and is indeed a part of the Ilokano culture. One such photograph of an Ilokana smoking a huge joint of hand-rolled tobacco is displayed in our store.

With all these artifacts, you might be getting curious as to what my favorite Ilokano artifact is. My answer is … log sofas!!! This is a photo of the chairs we have been using in our gardens.

The wood in these benches are made from local trees and planks of old railways that our parents salvaged for displaying. I know that they last through time because they have always looked the same. Admittedly, lacquer was added for that glossy sheen, but sit on them and they feel so cool and comfortable. I have read multitudes of books and have wrtten so many poems just sitting on these benches, usually under a mango tree during summer time.