What was I thinking when I created this blogsite? What is notion-building? Obviously, the idea borrows from the term nation-building. I was thinking of a mental device for anyone to generate ideas (notions) easily and creatively, where the rule is: There are no rules. Just open your mental eyes and look and believe and be happy with whatever it is. What I'm trying to invent is a trick for creative thinking. Right now, I haven't the foggiest notion what it is.

To The Filipino Youth

Translated by Frank A Hilario

Theme: Unfold, Oh Timid Flower!

Lift up your head resplendent
O youth, wherever you stand
To all let shine your talent
To all incandescent, grand
Fine hope of my Fatherland!

Soar high, oh august genius
And bring down inspiration
To fill honor's seat glorious
To occupy a higher station
Your mind innocent, to reason.

Descend with the pleasant light
Of the arts and the sciences
O youth, and with your might
Banish the circumstances
Light the dark that confuses.

See how in that fiery zone
Stand the Spaniard and shadow
Offering a shining crown
With kind hand, with holy brow
To the son of the Indio.

You, who would rise to heaven
On wings of rich fantasy
Go seek from skies Olympian
Songs of greater melody
Sweeter than divine honey.

You, whose voice sublime
Rivals Philomel's refrain
On nights of peace, nights of calm
That in varied measures gain
For us a reprieve of pain.

You, who turn inanimate
To life on your mind's impulse
Transform into immortal state
With your memory's impetus
With your colossal genius.

And you, who with magic brush
On canvas plain can capture
The varied charms of Phoebus
The love of Apelles, his ardor
And the curtain of Nature.

Go forth! then the sacred fire
Of your genius will forge a crown
Of laurel for which to aspire
And so proclaim your renown
Declare a majestic man.

Come o joyful, joyful day
For you, fair Filipinas!
May the Almighty bless today
Who with a lovingkindness
Sends you grace and happiness.

‘A La Juventud Filipina’ by Jose Rizal
Translated by Frank A Hilario 21 September 2003

Tricia

I write about her because she is a notion in motion. I shall call her Tricia, as her grandfather called her, as I am a grandfather myself. Any grandfather would be proud of her. She did her country proud 2 years ago; Patricia Evangelista is the name, she who was 18 years old when she won the 2004 International Public Speaking contest sponsored by the English Speaking Union of London on 14 May, besting 59 other contestants, including those of the United States, United Kingdom and Australia. She is proof that English is not our second language – it is the first. Or that if we wish to be the best, our wish is our command.

Her Lolo lived in Carmel Subdivision. He was a good man, long in years and wisdom. When she was 5 or 6, one time she begged her Dad for a McDonald Sundae, but he was unmoved. Then Dad and Tricia had to go home. When she kissed her Lolo goodbye, something happened. Suddenly, from out of Lolo’s pocket came four 10-peso bills, and this became the irresistible force that elbowed the immovable object. And with that, Tricia elevated her Lolo to the status of Superman. Actually, Tricia, it was your kiss that became the irresistible force. We must love our grandfather – we never know when he can be an irresistible force to our immovable object.

Before she moved on, Tricia stayed with her grandfather and aunt a couple of months at Carmel. Everyday she would tell him, ‘I love you.’ And every time he would tell her, ‘Thank you.’ Every time, she wanted him to say, ‘I love you, too,’ but he never did. He always said, ‘Thank you.’ That was a puzzle Tricia couldn’t solve.

After her Lolo died on New Year’s Day this year, thinking of her stay at Carmel, she remembered something. There was this favorite movie of hers, The Princess Bride, starring the rich girl Buttercup and the poor boy Wesley. The girl would order the boy around as she pleased, and he would do as instructed, always saying ‘As you wish.’ Then one day Buttercup felt in love with Wesley, she had to ask in trepidation, ‘Farmboy, do you love me?’ And the boy smiled and said, ‘Every time you think I’m saying ‘As you wish,’ I’m actually saying ‘I love you.’ You just didn’t hear me.’

It was then she realized that when her Lolo was saying ‘Thank you, Tricia’ he was actually saying, ‘I love you, Tricia.’ We are not always listening even to the ones who always love us.

Thank you, Tricia.

Written by Lolo Frank, inspired by ‘Lolo Carmel,’ Patricia Evangelista’s 8 January 2006 story
in her Philippine Daiy Inquirer column Rebel Without A Clue.

NB 247
The stark realities. The quiet determination.

1. Nota Bene

2. Notion-Builders

3. Nation-Builders

4. Nail-biting

5. Name brand

6. Naming a baby

7. Nanobytes

8. Narnia books

9. Nasty bruise

10. Nathan Boone

11. Nation Buddies, not Nation Bullies

12. National bank

13. National bodies

14. National Bookstore

15. Native born

16. Natural balance

17. Natural bent

18. Natural business year

19. Naughty boy

20. Naval battle

21. Naval blockade

22. Navy bean

23. Navy blue

24. Near beer

25. Neat basket

26. Neatly bound

27. Neck band

28. Need a break

29. Need backlight?

30. Need badly

31. Need bodily presence

32. Need to bounce back

33. Need-based

34. Negative battery terminal

35. Neighborhood Business

36. Neither black nor blue

37. Neither Black nor White

38. Nelly Boustead!

39. Nerd boy

40. Nerdy & beautiful

41. Nervous buildup

42. Net baby

43. Net balance

44. Net basis

45. Net beau

46. Net Brat (my invention)

47. Net break

48. Net browser

49. Network broadcasting

50. Never been there, never been that

51. Never before

52. New Babylon

53. New backwardness

54. New baker in town

55. New bald

56. New barbarism

57. New batch

58. New Batman

59. New batter

60. New battery

61. New battle

62. New battleground

63. New beginning

64. New benchmarks

65. New best friend

66. New bid

67. New biodata

68. New biography

69. New bird in town

70. New blend

71. New blissful day!

72. New blockbuster

73. New blood

74. New blue jeans!

75. New board game? Invent one!

76. New boat to China

77. New body language

78. New book

79. New boot disk

80. New borrowings

81. New bottle

82. New bourgeoisie

83. New boy in town

84. New boyfriend

85. New braiding

86. New brand

87. New brave face

88. New bread & butter

89. New break, give yourself a

90. New breathing room

91. New breed

92. New bric-a-brac

93. New Bright Star

94. New Brunswick

95. New buddy language

96. New buddy politic

97. New buddy-builder

98. Newbie

99. Newborn

100. Newborn baby

101. Newly betrothed

102. Newsboys

103. Newsbreak

104. Newspaper boy

105. Newsworthy and beautiful

106. Next batch

107. Nice backhand

108. Nice bar graph

109. Nice Baywatch

110. Nice bearing

111. Nice behavior

112. Nice beta

113. Nice blurb you got there

114. Nice boat

115. Nice body

116. Nice boys

117. Nice burger you have here

118. Night bird

119. Night blindness

120. Night blue

121. Nip in the bud

122. Nitrogen balance

123. No backbone

124. No back-talking

125. No bad-mouthing

126. No bed of roses

127. No begging

128. No bells & whistles

129. No bellyaching around here

130. No bickering please

131. No blaming either

132. No bluffing

133. No brainwashing

134. No breakfast

135. No bridging the gap: Fill it!

136. No bullying

137. No mental block

138. No, blockhead!

139. Nobody blinks

140. Noisy brat

141. Noisy bus

142. Non-battle

143. Non-biodegradable

144. None but the brave

145. None too brave

146. Normal brain

147. Normal business

148. Norman Bishop

149. North Borneo

150. North-bound

151. Not a B movie

152. Not a baby anymore

153. Not a Banana Republic

154. Not a bestseller

155. Not a bit

156. Not a boxing match

157. Not bad, not bad at all

158. Not balanced

159. Not bare minimum

160. Not barren

161. Not basic

162. Not be a sleeper

163. Not be beaten

164. Not be found wanting

165. Not beat around the bush

166. Not because of

167. Not become a slave to habit

168. Not become insensible

169. Not bedazzled

170. Not before God

171. Not before he met me

172. Not before long

173. Not before she met me

174. Not before the ink was dry

175. Not beg in vain

176. Not begrudge

177. Not behind one’s back

178. Not below the belt

179. Not between you and me

180. Not beyond hope

181. Not beyond praise

182. Not beyond reach

183. Not beyond reason

184. Not beyond remembering

185. Not biased

186. Not big talk

187. Not bigotry

188. Not binary

189. Not blind

190. Not blink an eye

191. Not blow hot and cold

192. Not blushing, are you?

193. Not boasting

194. Not Born in the USA

195. Not bothersome

196. Not bound by fate

197. Not bound to happen until you make it

198. Not bow to fate

199. Not bowling today

200. Not Brad Pitt

201. Not Brain Drain?

202. Not brazen

203. Not breastfed

204. Not breathe a word

205. Not bright

206. Not broadband yet

207. Not by a long shot

208. Not my big week

209. Not nation-buggers

210. Not necessarily bad

211. Not one byte left!

212. Not to be outdone

213. Not to bother

214. Not your best shot, no

215. Note: brown sugar

216. Notebook

217. Notebook PC

218. Nothing But

219. Notice Board

220. Notice to build

221. Notice to buy

222. Now banking

223. Now begging your pardon

224. Now beginning to understand

225. Now blooming

226. Now branching out

227. Now, be a dear

228. Now, be a good sport

229. Now, be gone!

230. Now, behave yourself!

231. Now, blow a kiss

232. Now, bring the House down

233. Now, bring to pass

234. Now, broaden your horizon

235. Now, buckle up!

236. Nuclear Biology or something

237. Nuclear bomb

238. Nude beaches

239. Nude Behind a Curtain

240. Nude body

241. Nuts & bolts

242. Now, be #1!

243. Not be afraid

244. Now, be a believer!

245. Now, the best part is ...

246. Now, to better thoughts

247. No walls, no barriers, no limits.