Book Week at one of my favourite schools in the world – The British School Manila.
HIGHLIGHTS ON CAMPUS
Apart from sharing stories and running poetry workshops with all of Primary School …
Between 7 and 9am on the Thursday I signed 21 copies of ‘PiG’s Tales’, performed at the assembly for students, teachers and parents plus rose from a coffin and twice told a spooky tale to two different sets of Year 12 and 13 students in a Halloween grotto.
Jumping out from a corner of the staff room and blasting the teachers with a manic version of
my rap poem ‘Rover’ before staff meeting.
Running the best storytelling workshop I’ve ever delivered to such enthusiastic parents
Selling and signing 175 books.
Big thanks to Gwyn Prosser-Davies for booking me and to Liza Harfield, Dave and Lochie who looked after me so well. Can’t not mention my brother baldy, Glenn Hardy either.
HIGHLIGHTS OFF CAMPUS
Telling Spooky Tales at SM Aura Mall and watching the Rugby World Cup Final at The Handlebar with the fun loving staff at BSM plus all and sundry. One of those nights when more is forgotten than remembered. At least I got back to the Seda Hotel in one piece. Wouldn’t have if I’d met this particularly Filipino apparition …
The manananggal is female and capable of severing its upper torso and sprouting huge bat-like wings to fly into the night in search of its victims. The separated lower torso roots itself into the ground awaiting the return of its other half. The word manananggal comes from the Tagalog word tanggal, which means “to remove” or “to separate”.
The manananggal preys on sleeping, pregnant women, using an elongated proboscis-like tongue to suck the hearts of foetuses.
Sprinkling salt, smearing crushed garlic or ash on top of the standing torso is fatal to the creature. The upper torso then would not be able to rejoin itself and would perish by sunrise.
Zombies, werewolves and vampires, eat your heart out.
Piggipino In The Philippines – Part 1