Picture taken as part of my serie about the manual workers in Philippines.

Dionesio is a rice farmer in Siaton, Negros Oriental, Philippines.

He is 68 and still hard working.

We met him during a little road trip in Siaton and he nicely came to talk to us.. After a lot of laughs he proposed me to come back someday for taking pictures w]]> This article from Michael O’Riordan’s column Outside Looking in was first published in the Dumaguete Metropost on the 2nd of September, 2018.

BALAMBAN, CEBU — I’m writing this while sitting on the veranda of a beachfront resort here in Balamban.

Vhie and I stumbled on this large resort quite by accident. It’s lovely, built in traditional bamboo style, and is wonderfully quiet, with no guests currently staying, other than us.

A light breeze floats in from the sea. The excited sounds of children playing drift over the air. Seventeen men, spread out over a large distance, individually cast small nets, bending to their task of catching fish. I wonder whether their families will be able to eat tonight if they catch nothing.

Apart from a slight swoosh as the nets are thrown, they silently repeat the daily work of past generations without complaint, and with nobility. Unlike the outer world, they are in complete harmony with their environme]]> This article from Michael O’Riordan’s column Outside Looking in was first published in the Dumaguete Metropost on the 12th of August, 2018

When a man dies, his shortcomings, his character defects are often conveniently set aside. and he is instead spoken of only in glowing terms. This will not be necessary for my friend Alfredo “Dodo” Bustamante who recently died. Dodo was a man of impeccable integrity whose life is a testament to a deep love for his family and country.

Born into an old, titled land family, Dodo grew up in Bacolod under privileged circumstances. As a young child, he played after school in the fields with children whose parents were working in his family land. But even then, Dodo recognized that his life differed significantly from theirs. Perhaps that was part of the reason why, after he had taken over running the estate and stabilized the finances, he began providing college education to their workers’ children.

This began a ]]> One day, as I was just finishing a photo shoot with a rice farmer in Siaton, Negros Oriental, I saw this little girl in the entrance of her house.
The light was exceptional and this little girl was really looking like a porcelain doll.
So I asked her grand ma if I could take some pictures of he]]> *This article from Michael O’Riordan’s column Outside Looking In, was
originally published in the Dumaguete Metropost on the 22nd of July 2018.*
*https://dumaguetemetropost.com/golden-year-p10177-732.htm
<dumaguetemetropost.com/golden-year-p10177-732.htm>*

*Golden Year *

*“No doubt you are aware it’s been 50 years since we finished school! In
celebration of this, we will be having a 50th-anniversary reunion.”*

I checked to see who had sent this as it must be an error. Imagine my
surprise when I realized that, yes, it has been 50 years since I escaped
from that Dickensian house of torture in Ireland.

Other than that revealing comment, I’ll refrain from the usual clichés
about time passing *quam celerrime.*

Fortunately, I won’t be able to attend the auspicious event in Ireland.
When the reunion takes place, assuming I haven’t drowned while paying
homage to Neptune af]]> *This article from Michael O’Riordan’s column Outside Looking In, was
originally published in the Dumaguete Metropost on the 24th of June 2018.*
*https://dumaguetemetropost.com/what-more-could-i-hope-for-p10093-732.htm
<dumaguetemetropost.com/what-more-could-i-hope-for-p10093-732.htm>*

*What More Could I Hope For? *

It was the look in her eyes that caused my concern. It’s the look millions
of men worldwide regularly experience from their women.

Unless it’s blatantly obvious because of some obvious misdeed, we, men are
rendered helpless with absolutely no idea what we may have done to deserve
THE LOOK. And we are reluctant to discover why.
It signals trouble if we did something wrong, and perversely also sometimes
trouble even if we did something right. Women! In these confusing
situations, I usually look out the window, wistfully imagining myself in a
galaxy far far away.

Vh]]> This article from Michael O’Riordan’s column Outside Looking In was first
published in the Dumaguete Metropost on the 10th of June
2018.
*https://dumaguetemetropost.com/second-chances-p10051-732.htm
<dumaguetemetropost.com/second-chances-p10051-732.htm>*

SECOND CHANCES.

Based on even a casual interpretation of logic, I should now be dead or at
best, severely mangled while lying in a hospital bed, wired up to a
ventilator, and with tubes stuck up my nostrils.

The accident happened two weeks ago when I was driving my motorbike on the
unfinished “new road” from Valencia proper to Sibulan. Suddenly, I was
lying on my side on the road with my motorbike pinning me down as I sped
along sideways at 65 km per hour.

Being the macho idiot that I am, and harboring the illusion I’m a mature
Peter Fonda in the film *Easy Rider*, I was, of course, wearing no helmet.
My clothes were]]> Enjoying Life

This article from Michael O’Riordan’s column Outside Looking In was first
published in the Dumaguete Metropost on the 20th of May
2018.
*https://dumaguetemetropost.com/enjoying-life-p9984-732.htm
<dumaguetemetropost.com/enjoying-life-p9984-732.htm>*

It’s not essential to be insane while driving in Dumaguete, but it
certainly helps. How there isn’t mass carnage every day on the streets is
contrary to basic logic. “Go with the flow” seems to be the mantra for
drivers as they cheerfully throw caution to the wind. They float in some
altered state while talking loudly while speeding through the
sardine-packed traffic.

Yesterday, a motorbike driver really got my attention. I was driving near
Robinsons and narrowly avoided being crashed into three times by this
irresponsible driver. When I yelled out “Hello! Hello!” the response was
nothing from the drive]]> This Article from Michael O’Riordan’s column Outside Looking In at the Dumaguete Metropost was first published on the 15th of April.

Readers sometimes ask where I get ideas for my columns. That’s actually the easy part of the writing process. Columns like this are mostly taken from experiences in my earlier life or observations of everyday life here in Negros Oriental.

For example, right now it’s nighttime up here at the foot of Mount Talinis. The evening is alive with the usual collection of exotic sounds. The jungle orchestra has already begun its nightly performance. Crickets began their routine at 5:15 pm, precisely the same time as always. Species of birds I don’t recognize chirp out messages to each other across the valley. Dogs bark, some enthusiastically, while others cry in discomfort. Geckos gurgle their comforting sounds. Meanwhile, Blackie, the previously unwanted stray dog I’ve talked to you about before, lays at my feet oblivious to ev]]> This Article from Michael O’Riordan’s column Outside Looking In at the Dumaguete Metropost was first published on 11th of March 2018.

I’ve just finished writing a story for my next book, More Almost True Irish Stories. It’s a collection of short stories. Finishing a story is, for me, always a bittersweet experience. It’s sweet because of the satisfaction of having created a story from nothing other than imagination, perseverance, and skill. It’s bitter because it creates a sense of loss. It’s similar to a child being raised who suddenly leaves home.

I believe writing is a form of musical composition. Each letter, word, is part of an overall sound similar to notes in a musical score. If poorly written, it grates like chalk against a board. Sometimes when I think I’ve written a solid piece, I then read it out loud, and realize it’s rubbish. The redemptive aspect of this solitary writing vocation is found when the oppo]]>