Sunday, May 16, 2021

Ruins of a Sunken Pier

 Ruins of a Sunken Pier

Idleness and uselessness are a duo in the art of waste. 
Dr Abe V Rotor
Puerto, Sto Domingo, Ilocos Sur (Megabooks)

No, it was not the big gun
that brought you down; 
it was old Lamarckian 
who brought in the clown.

When not in use, a thing
degenerates into nothing;
once a rudiment,
it is a useless instrument.

The limbs of a reptile,
the coccyx of the tail,
Intramuros or Great Wall
are of no use at all.

Idleness and uselessness
are a duo in the art of waste;
great indeed is loss in disuse,
the grey matter's no excuse.

Saturday, May 15, 2021

A Piece of Eden on a Wall

 A Piece of Eden on a Wall

"Oh! If only man's wisdom can bring back Paradise lost a long time ago." - avr 

Wall Mural by Dr Abe V Rotor
 
Kim Laurence and Sophia pose before a wall mural painted by the author 
at his family residence in Lagro QC

A wall is empty no more, it dissolves into forest and stream 
running down soft under the feet, spilling onto the street;
where once a city of steel and concrete, of dust and smog   
reigned, where the forces of human frailty and nature meet,
rekindling wonders and adventures of childhood little known
to the city-bred whom the Good Life in disguise would cheat!  
     

The wall is alive in three dimensions in make-believe perspective,
progeny of primary colors - red, blue and yellow, bold and mellow,
azure sky, deep blue-green sea, prism of every dewdrop bead,
sparkle of every star at night, crystalline water Narcissus saw; 
if only walls can speak to mirror human longing of a happy world,
if only man's wisdom can bring back Paradise lost a long time ago! ~


Ode to a Living Green Carpet

 Trees for Peace

Ode to a Living Green Carpet

Dr Abe V Rotor

Anna Christina, author's daughter poses before a century-old 
acacia tree at Ateneo de Manila University c 2010

This mossy tree is actually a community of epiphytic
liana, fern, moss and lichen with a host tree, an acacia.

Close-up of moss growing on the spongy bark of acacia.

I rest beneath a bough on a sweltering day,
flowing beard and hair hanging like curtain and carpet
cushioning my tired feet and head;
floor, walls and ceiling you make - cool and living.

Breathe with me, catch the passing breeze, filter the dusts 
like your ancestor in the distant past -
the slimy, lowly blue-green that caught the sun and bubbled oxygen,
filling the earth with life, creatures, my kin and I now share.

Life in slumber I now dream of that Paradise lost – and regained
even only for a while.  Let me in your abode, carpet green
and let the world go by, or at the edge of time
stand still in praise to the One unseen. ~

Photo-poetry on Nature

 Photo-poetry on Nature 
Dr Abe V Rotor

Our Lady on the Rock

Santa Paradise. Santa, Ilocos Sur.  Note statue of 
Blessed Mary atop a rock promontory.

Come to me when rage the mind, 
    the spirit, the heart; 
When tempest shudders the shore, 
    tears the world apart. 

Yonder on the rock we stand, 
    and watch as the sun rises; 
Free from earthly bound and cares, 
    guilt of our forebears. ~

Love Birds  

Love birds at home, QC

Life is more than the sum of its parts,
Dying as each creature departs;
Synergy its secret of unity,
Its harmony and mystery. ~

                         Splendor on the Grass

 Splendor on the Grass, Sky Ranch Park, Tagaytay,
August 21, 2015

Splendor on the grass at twilight
laughing with the stars;
who cares about rain and wind,
time like this is scarce.

Ageless Nature 

Anne and her grandmother before a wall mural of Nature 
painted by the author 2016

Timelessness, Nature is reborn in all creatures, big and small;
In each one, life passes away, life comes anew;
Through generations under one roof, under one big sky, for all,
In peace and unity, in our Creator’s own view.~

Wednesday, May 12, 2021

Twelve Reasons for Loving Philippine Literature

 Twelve Reasons for Loving Philippine Literature


1. Philippine Literature takes us to the domain of the gods and goddesses, to the throne of the Great Maker of Malakas at Maganda, in respect and thanksgiving, to submit to their power over mortals, and know their wishes and caprices for which man submits himself through devotion in the name of Bathala.


Dark clouds and red sunset – sign of coming typhoon, San Vicente IS.  

 2. Philippine Literature brings back the sweet days of childhood when a kapre (hairy monster) lives in big tree, dwende in punso (anthill), the manananggal (half-bodied vampire) peeping through thatch roof; then the whole experience is distilled from the world of fantasy in adolescence, the courageous parting of childhood to adulthood, yet leaving the imprints of the unknown world always remaining enigmatic and entertaining in adult life. 
  
Children’s playground under a kalumpang tree, QC
 
3. Philippine Literature unveils the world of the minutiae – honeybees converting nectar into the sweetest substance on earth – pukyutan (honey), worms weaving the purest fabric – silk (sutla or seda Ilk), bubod (natural yeast) brewing the best wine in buried burnay (earthen jar) –  basi, tuba, tapoy, bahalinalayaw, lambanog, and mead (honey wine), the drink of the gods – all these bring Bacchus into the midst of our ancestors.  Sober they listened to a sage recount Biag ni Lam-ang (The Life of Lam-ang, a legenary hero), in like manner Homer told of the Iliad and Odyssey to the Greeks hundreds of years ago.    

 Honeybee at work.  Honey is the sweetest natural substance on earth.

4. Philippine Literature has never been dull and prosaic as it moved on with the times to post-Romanticism, among the subjects the glitter and glamor of the Philippine Jeepney in post-war era, revolutioned some concept of beauty and order, although overbearing and frivolous; the Bahay Kubo (Nipa Hut) remodelled as satellite of modern homes and business establishments, yet retaining its coziness and quaintness in the midst of a postmodern environment.

The Jeepney – Filipino art on the road

5. Philippine Literature, on the other side of midnight, so to speak, portrays the dark, the painful and sorrowful events and conditions of life, yet gives a sense repentance and hope usually ending up with redemption and renaissance – the foundation of our ancestors’ religions and later, Christianity.  Man can do so little without the intercession of the gods and godesses – Anianihan (God of Harvest), Cabuyaran (Goddess of Healing) of the Cordilleras, and other deities like Maria Makiling (Legend of Mt Makiling) and Daragang Magayon (Legend of Mt Mayon) that guard our forests and fields. 

Joy and innocence of childhood Calatagan Batangas


6. Philippine literature succeeded in toppling the pedestal of fundamental classicism and romanticism of Renaissance Europe in the 16th century with the discovery and subsequent colonization of the Philippines by Spain for almost 400 years. It was a downshift from aristocracy to proletarian and agrarian life – the drama of everyday life of the people.  It took several pathways to the grassroots – komiks (comics), popular magazines like Liwayway and Bannawag (Dawn, in Ilocano and Tagalog), and stage play, the Zarzuela, and Comedia finding their way into today’s multimedia.  Telenovela (TV drama) draws millions of viewers into tears and laughter, keeping them in suspense  every day, reminiscent of the 1001 Arabian Nights when Scheherazade held the Sultan captive with her stories so as to escape her execution, ultimately ending up with the two “living happily ever after.” 
 
        The Filipina today, a melange of races with the gift of beauty and brains.

7. Philippine Literature exults beauty often envisioned in the Filipina, now a melange of Oriental and Occidental lineages, the subjects of stories, poems and songs, and while the Maria Clara image has mingled with contemporary culture, still captures the true essence of womanhood and the role of women in present society. Decada 70, referring to the tumultuous 70s, Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang  pictures still the suffering Sisa except that she too, is the new Gabriela. Literature would not be replete without the Filipina at the center of the story, notwithstanding her dual role in the workplace and the home.  Carmen Guerrero Nakpil tells more in The Filipino Woman, so with Paz Mendez, The Principal Role of the Home in Making a Filipino.   

8. Philippine literature produced not only great works but projected to the eyes of the world the greatness of the Filipino nation and people: Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo inflamed the Revolution led by Andres Bonifacio who penned the Kartilya, Graciano Lopez Jaena’s La Solidaridad, Carlos P Romulo’s Pulitzer winning essay, “I the Philippine Fall; I Sawthe Philippines Rise.”  Florante at Laura by Francisco Baltazar (Balagtas) earned for the title of Shakesperean literature in this part of the globe. And the stories for children gathered and compiled by the Grimm Brothers, and Hans Anderson in medieval Europe - these too, have a local counterpart in Mga Kwento ni Lola Basiang by Severino Reyes.

Legends and folklores abound everywhere in the country. Tikbalang - half man, half horse. 

 9. Philippine Literature is rich in mythology, largely influened by ethnic and Greco-Roman mythology, albeit the myths and legends of other foreign lands, for which reason our literature has gained a rich diversity, from local versions of Medusa (woman with hair of snakes), centaur (half man, half beast), the balete as hanging tree of Judas Escariot.  If fact, Philippine legends traces the mythical origin of important places, and objects - legend of the carabao, piña, and the like.  Spirits, good and bad, are found everywhere.  They are the central theme of supertitious beliefs, rituals, prayers, and festivities, that comprise Philippine Literature.   

Rondalla- ensemble of stringinstruments, players in native costumes

10. Philippine Literature has a holistic nature, encompassing both lyrics and songs like Bakya Mo Neneng (girl’s wooden clog), Bahay Kubo (nipa hut); music like in the Rondalla (string ensemble), dallot (skirt dance), prayers and adoration like pasyon (Passion of Christ), dung-aw (dirge).  These have been instrumental in the preservation of culture and values like bayanihan (cooperation), lamayan (wake), and the annual fiesta in commemoration of a significant event or feastday of a patron saint. And if the incantations of the herbolario, (quack doctor), and the spiritista (faith healer), together with the Lullaby  (Ugoy ng Duyan, a cradle song), as well as other rituals to bring man closer to his creator;  if these were to be retrieved as deep as in the sitio or purok (unit of barangay), from the twelve regions of the country - certainly these will further enrich the diversity of our literature, so with the richness of our culture.  

Fr James Reuter SJ dramatist, writer, spiritual adviser.

11. Philippine Literature needs to advance, over and above traditonal measures, and to “come down to earth” as well, in order to become relevant to the issues and concerns of the times,thus distancing from tear jerker emotion, blind faith and devotion, and close-door  scholarship. “Get out of the house” cried the late national poetess Ophelia Dimalanta, “bond with the people, bond with Nature,” a call for a responsive change.   Literature must make use of the modern tools of communication - photography, the Internet and multimedia, because, literature is communication, it has the power of the pen - now the electronic pen with cyberspace to write on - so to speak.

12. Philippine literature challenges both young and old, Quo vadis? (Where are you going?), to set the direction of change to be relevant, to move out of fraternal comfort and arrogance, to tap hidden talents and catalyze their expression, to create a literary approach compatible with technical writing and journalism – and vernacular language.  (KMD and AVR)

Children playing under a kalumpang tree. 


Tuesday, May 11, 2021

Photography: Sad Faces of the Orang-utan

Photography:
Sad Faces of the Orang-utan
Capturing true emotion is perhaps the most difficult part of photography

Author with a friendly primate. Orang-utan means man in the forest.
Acknowledgment: Avilon Zoo, Rizal



"Orangutan - Man of the forest -  left behind in the evolution of man,
     which branch you followed but the lower rung." - avr

Monday, May 10, 2021

Part 1: Living with Superstitious Beliefs

 Part 1:  Living with Superstitious Beliefs 

Three persons in a picture means the one at the middle will die. 
Dr Abe V Rotor 

There are 205 superstitious beliefs in this list.  Check those you believe to be true. Superstition may have scientific basis. Superstition is also influenced greatly by personal experience. Old folks usually affirm many superstitious beliefs. Why don't you listen to them once in a while?  Superstition is after all part of culture in any part of the world. 

1.   Tikbalang (Filipino version of a centaur) comes out when it is raining  while the sun is out. Forego your trip when a black cat crosses your path – it is bad luck.

2.    Don’t clean the house at night, more so, if you sweep the dirt out of the door. You drive good luck away, (Lalabas ang suwerte.)

3.    If you get lost in the wilderness, reverse your shirt, so that you will be able find your way back.

4.   Don’t hang on the window; you court bad luck. 

5.    Three persons in a picture means the one at the middle will die.

6.    A mole (taling) on the sole indicates the person is a wanderer (gala’).

7.    A mole (taling) located along the path of tears means the person is going to be widowed.

8.    Bride must never try her bridal gown before the wedding; the ceremony might not push through.

9.    Forego your trip if a black cat crosses your way 

10. Itchy palm means you are going to have money.

11. Keep your fingers close together and if light seeps through between them, it means you are not frugal.

12. Singing while cooking means you are going to remain a bachelor or spinster – or marry someone much older than you.

13.  A victim of maternal impression (paglilihi) loses pep (sigla) and may even get sick.

14. If a pregnant woman is in labor, never sit at the center of the stair.    

15. A comet in the sky means war is coming.

16. Eat raw eggs to enhance easy delivery of your baby.

17. A pregnant mother should not eat eggplant, else her baby will have dark complexion.  

18. One who cries every time she cuts onions means she does not love her father- and mother-in-law (biyanan).

19. Taking a bath immediately after ironing clothes will make you sick of leprosy.

20. If a pregnant woman eats eggs, her child will be born blind.

21. Full moon causes abnormal behavior.  People who are affected by this belief are called lunatics.

22. Beware of Friday the 13th, you might meet an accident.

23. No two siblings should marry within the same year, otherwise their marriages will not be successful.

24. When someone gives you a footwear as a gift, be sure to pay him any amount in order to break the omen that you will be “kicked” or pushed around.

25. When the pregnant wife skips or walks over (laktawan) her husband, the husband will bear the burden of paglilihi (maternal impression).

26. If you want a person to be sad and to cry often, give him or her  a handkerchief as a gift.

27. One who is about to be wed must remain at home to avoid accident.

28. Avoid having your feet pointed at the door while sleeping.

29. Prepare rice cake like suman and tikoy on New Year so that good luck will stick around.    

30. When planting be sure your stomach is full, so that you will get good harvest.

31.  If you accidentally break a glass or china, get a similar one and break it, otherwise bad luck will haunt you.

32.  Breaking a mirror means “seven years itch.”

33.  If you dream you lost a tooth, it means is bad luck.  To break the omen, silently go to a tree and tell your dream so that it will be the tree that will suffer.

34. Needle bought in the afternoon is likely to rust.

35. A birthday celebrant must take extra precaution against accident, so with a new graduate. 

36. The bride should not look behind while marching the aisle, otherwise the wedding will not be disrupted.

37. The number of steps of a stair is based on the alternate oro (gold)-plata (silver) formula.  Aim for oro in the last or highest step.

38. Wearing bright clothes, especially red, on your birthday makes the day happy.

39. After the wedding the man must exit first from the church so that he will not become a henpeck husband. 

40. Don’t give your loved one a necklace, otherwise your relationship will not last.

41. Don’t allow your friend to remove your ring, otherwise you will quarrel.

42. Kill a chicken for a new born baby as an offering.  

43. Sweeping or cleaning the house while a dead relative is in wake will lead to the death of another member of the family.

44. Eating jackfruit during menstruation is prohibited otherwise the woman will get sick and even die.

45. When planting sitao (string bean), place a comb on your hair to induce the production of abundant long fruits.

46. Eating chicken cooked with squash will cause leprosy.

47. A woman on her menstrual period should not visit a garden or orchard otherwise the plants will become sick or die.

48. To know if it is true jade, it remains cool even if the body is warm.

49. Beware of the werewolf. Man can turn into a wolf, and vice versa.

50. Eight (8) is a lucky number; 8 is infinity. It means money will circulate.

51.  Four (4) means in Chinese C or death. Every time you reach an age with the number 9 or 4, take precaution; you are prone to accident.

52. Don’t cut fingernails at night; it’s bad luck.

53. In Chinese marriage, the woman walks backward led by a relative to be delivered to the bridegroom.

54. If a child keeps spitting, it will rain.

55. If you point at the moon your will suffer a cut.

56. Babies smile at angels we don’t see.

57. Fixed marriage at birth is good luck.

58. Chinese calendar is late by two months – New Year is in February.
     Chinese age starts one year at birth. 

59. Palm lines may change, so with our lives.

60. Blessed palm on Easter Sunday is hang at the door for good luck.

61. First cut hair and fingernails of a baby must be kept in a book so that he will be intelligent.

62. Wearing black is symbol of mourning; to the Chinese it is wearing all white.

63.  Among the Chinese, miniaturized house, car and the like, go with the departed to assure him of a happy afterlife. 

64. In a Chinese temple, you offer food to the gods, and then eat it after.  This is not the case in Filipino custom; just leave the food offering (atang).

65. To the Chinese, paper money goes with the dead; it will be converted into real money in afterlife.

66.  Light candles outside of the house during All Saints Day in deference to  of the souls of the dead and the unseen.

67. When you happen to encounter a funeral entourage, throw some coins in respect of the dead.  

68. Don’t stand in front of a gate if you are pregnant.

69. If by mistake it’s the bride that hands over the arras to the bridegroom, expect that she will be the breadwinner. 

70. Diamond studded wedding rings do not make a perfect relationship.

71. When blessing a new vehicle, sprinkler fresh blood of chicken in tires and engine to bad omen of accident.

72. Place some coins in the foundation of buildings and other structures during ground breaking ceremony to make them strong and withstand time.

73. Children are sacrificed in making bridges and other infrastructure.

74. Bury placenta with rosary and pencil so that the child will be both intelligent and God-fearing.

75. Palms with crisscross lines (rapas Ilk) means the person is cruel.

76. Palms with netted lines means the person has an unorganized life (magulong buhay).

77. Shake (pagpagin) the items such as clothes after a customer had left without buying any, to break bad luck.

78. Place money in a bed pan (arinola), so that it becomes plentiful.

79. Babies that fall from their cradle do not suffer injury, thanks to their guardian angels.

80. When you give a wallet as gift be sure you put a coin or a money bill in it so that the wallet won’t run out of money.

81. When transferring to a new house carry with you 24 oranges, salt, water, and rice.

82. Jade stones around the wrist of a baby indicate his condition.  If they turn light in color the baby is not well.

83. When transferring a dead person into the house, be sure it is head first; when taking him out, it is feet first.

100. Bed must not face the door, otherwise the sleeping person will become a   victim of bangongot.

Continued...