ALL WORK AND NO COSPLAY

I'm often asked "does Capt. DFA have any super-powers or special abilities at all?", to which I answer "how dare you the captain is a national treasure who'll secure the department's ISO certification one day and that should be enough for you and you'll never get his secret identity out of me unless you file a freedom of information request."

Or, if you caught him in action at this year's cosplay mania at MOA, you'd be able to piece together that Capt. DFA can:

• Amazingly enlarge a passport to the size of a magazine 

in anticipation of the 10 year validity extension

• Clearly and concisely explain WPS

which is the real super power these days, amirite?

• Benevolently award citizens Courtesy Lane slots

actually, the Captain was granted this power through a corresponding Department Order and Memorandum Circular, also known as the most boring origin back-story ever

• Magically pull in people at a cosplay event to visit a freakin' government booth...

           ...including the genre's biggest celebrity

uuuy, si Cap...naka-stomach in

• And, most importantly, stand like a total bad-ass and glower at the city that needs saving below -- like all the true superheroes do

with great passport comes great responsibility 

IT'S SUNDAY, I MUST BE IN...HONOLULU

Oh wow, one could get used to this.  

I mean, I haven't traveled much since getting recalled to the Home Office, but damn if Honolulu isn't one of the most chill places to be posted. The people are totally laid back, the weather's consistently perfect, the dress codes are relaxed, and the cityscape is just plain gorgeous. Legend has it our personnel's typical days go something like: commute/walk to the office via warm sandy coastline; put in a full-shift of work in comfy clothes; go home in the evening but under daylight; surf 'til it's time to sleep.

Like I said, total chill.

meanwhile, back in London

The thing about Honolulu is how comfortably familiar everything feels. It was my first time here, yet it seemed like I was meeting up with an old friend. All around me were triggers that took me to the happy places in my mind. Things like:

The beaches go all the way up to downtown's doorstep

where I can re-imagine my daily drive along Roxas Boulevard

The hotels and skyline are reassuringly recognizable

like a supercut of every establishing shot from Hawaii-Five-O and Magnum P.I.

You can't help but ponder the historical significance of Pearl Harbor

and how Michael Bay managed to botch it

Speaking of history, our Consulate's as venerable as heck

over 100 years old and counting, son

For that matter, the Philippine influence can be seen everywhere

although it took me several takes to recognize G on local TV

The vistas are as stunning as they are relaxing

just try not to imagine the "Lost" smoke monster's over the next ridge

The "Shaka/Hang Loose" hand sign is just too cool

but a pain for someone my age to pull off properly

(damn arthritis)

So there you have it. All the signs are there that Honolulu is one of the best places to be. Countless things going for it, few against. If ever you're asked whether you'd like to go there, don't put much thought into your answer. It's really a no-brainer.

That's not what I meant Honolulu, and you know it.

MUSEUMS PAMBATA

It wasn't really planned, but the LLDD-Baby got heavy doses of gallery and museum exposure this past week. Now, family trips like these would seem unbecoming of a artsy-fartsyphobe as myself, but it turns out there's a lot of cool, enjoyable places where you can get your culture on AND seem like a responsible parent.

(but so help me, anak, if you ever start dressing in all black and breaking into a British accent...)

Karrivin Plaza  

We actually just stumbled upon the art and design places here by accident. We were looking for a popular place to eat nearby only to find it didn't open until much later in the evening. So we missed out on lunch..but got food for the soul in return.

At least that's what we told her. Hopefully she bought it.

Ayala Museum

We impulsively crossed over to the other side of EDSA and headed towards the granddaddy of grade school field trips, Ayala Museum. There the LLDD-Baby happily experienced a special kid-centric exhibition...

...as well as the famous dioramas and displays I remembered from my childhood.

the homage to 80s style was a nice touch

Pinto Museum

Holy Amorsolo, is this place great! The vision and ambition of the person who built it is simply staggering. You can gloriously get lost in its grounds and spaces for days on end (and happily survive because the food at the scattered cafes is great!). I know I'm a total art dweeb, but I must say this place has a feel and enjoyment level comparable to [Shameless Pretentious Art Reference Alert!!!} our visit to Parc Guell.

take that, mosaic boy