Random Story To Tell

Have you heard of the terrible Tic-balan,
A tall and thin and very black man,
With terrible teeth and a horse’s head,
And covered with hair that is long and red?

He lives in the awful Balete tree,
And to pass the place you must say “Tabi”;
If you do not, the Asuang comes at night,
And throws big stones till you die of fright.

Now once there lived in Santa Cruz town
A little girl known as Juanita Calaon;
She was Continue reading

This story is known generally in the southern Islands.
The Ongloc is feared by the children just as some little boys and girls fear the Bogy Man. The tale is a favorite one among the children and they believe firmly in the fate of Quicoy.

Little Quicoy’s name was Francisco, but every one called him Quicoy, which, in Visayan, is the pet name for Francisco. He was a good little boy and helped his mother grind the corn and pound the rice in the big wooden bowl, but one night Continue reading

A legend of the Chinese Invasion. Quiapo, even at the time of the
early Spaniards, and for years after, was a deserted field. The story
is an old one and generally known to the Tagallos.

At the time when the Pasig flowed peacefully along between flowery
banks; when its breast was not torn by puffing steamers; and when
only a few clustering huts marked the present site of Manila, there
grew on the banks of the river a beautiful field of lilies.

The Continue reading

Throughout the Visayan islands almost every family owns a pericos,
kept as American children keep canary birds. The pericos is about
the size and color of a Crow, but has a hard white hood that entirely
covers its head. The people teach it but one phrase, which it repeats
continually, parrot fashion. The words are, “Comusta pari? Pericos
tao.” (How are you, father? Parrot-man.) “Pari” means padre or
priest. The people address the Continue reading

I came across a site yesterday called InternetUptimeMonitor.com and found it really interesting. Why? Because they watch your web site from a network of servers all over the world. When your site goes down they email you. Pretty simple but effective. They also record how fast it takes your site to load and give you a nice chart showing you fast and slow times throughout the day.

Continue reading

The tale of Loku is applied to a large, ugly lizard which climbs to the rafters of houses and gives the peculiar cry that suggests its name. This lizard, although hideous, is harmless; it lives on centipedes. Its strange cry may be heard everywhere in the Philippine Islands.

Hundreds of years ago a very wicked king named Loku ruled the
Philippines. He was cruel and unjust, and condemned to death all who
refused to do his bidding. He had vast armies and made war on all until Continue reading

A legend of the volcano of Canlaon on the island of Negros. It is told generally in Western Negros and Eastern Cebu. The volcano is still active, and smoke and steam rise from its crater.

And before the strange men came over the water from Spain, there lived in Negros, on the mountain of Canlaon, an old man who had great power over all the things in the earth. He was called Harisaboqued, King of the Mountain.

When he wished anything done he had but to tap the ground three times Continue reading

That night I became very feverish, and stayed in bed drinking plenty of cold, fresh water. The next morning I felt better, and I continued my journey on foot. I had been told I would find boats at Burlington -  fifty miles away – that would carry me the rest of the way to Philadelphia. It rained very hard all day and when I stopped at a small hotel that first night, I was beginning to wish I had never left home. I proceeded, however, and on the third day reached Burlington. Walking in Continue reading

Though a brother, I was his apprentice and he considered himself my master. He expected the same services from me as he would from another; while I thought he asked too much of a brother. Our arguments were often brought before our father, and I guess I was either generally in right, or else a better debater, because the judgment was usually in my favor. But I disliked any my apprenticeship and wished for some opportunity to end it. I sold some of my books to get a little money and, with the Continue reading

My brother had, in 1720 or 1721, begun to print a newspaper. It was the second that appeared in America. I remember his friends trying to persuade him not to attempt it, since it probably would not be successful. One newspaper was in their judgement, enough for America. He went on, however, and I was employed to carry the papers through the streets to the people.

He had some clever men among his friends whose writing added to the success of the newspaper. These gentlemen often visited Continue reading