Daily Minutiae, Vol. 1, No. 3 | Gift for B.

01 Oct, 2025

Contents of a gift for B., who's turning 60 in a few days, packed in a tampipi, a small box made from strips of dried bamboo or similar materials that pre-Hispanic Filipinos used when they travelled

1. Extra-large, melon-colored, long-sleeved shirt with two pockets in front that was a hand-me-down from my uncle in the US but was never used (at least not after I received it);
2. A bar of Pear-branded soap still wrapped in plastic;
3. Two pocket-sized spring notebooks;
4. A brand-new comb still wrapped in plastic-coated paper complimentary of a hotel in Chiang Mai;
5. A dozen pieces of Vitamin B3 tablets in one blister pack.

I didn't mean to be a cheapskate when I put this care package all together. But I'm sure he'll appreciate this as a friend and I will still send him cash soon.

When he turned 59 last year, I gave him PhP 59 via GCash, the most popular mobile payment service in the Philippines.