Superman, Save Mother Earth!

Superman, Save Mother Earth!
Dr Abe V Rotor

"On a wall mural creatures under siege cried,

Superman, come to the rescue, have pity,

fight pollution, genocide, science gone wild,

wastes from use-and- throw-away society,

disguised as progress by senseless pride." ~

A Never Ending Story

A Never Ending Story
Dr Abe V Rotor

Boy hero Atreyu, and Artex, in the movie,The Never Ending Story, Warner Bros 1984 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Retirement is a stage in life when we withdraw from the battlefield, so to speak, and recount the good old days on a rocking chair. It is likely the last stage in life when we look back into the past rather than gaze  over the horizon. And for the present, we become mere spectators and no longer actors of the drama which Shakespeare beautifully expressed - The world's a stage, everyone has a role to play.

But this is not true today, not after 1989 when the world reached a turning point and a sudden leap of mankind, borrowing the American astronauts' greeting to the earth people upon stepping on the surface of the moon. The first reference affirms there is meaning of man's life (we all have a role to play), while the second reference is a challenge to man's future (post-modernism and space age).

The Cold War ended after 45 years, liberating nations and people from the polarized clutches of the two superpowers, satellite and cyberspace communications have virtually wired the whole earth, and world travel became a 24-hour circumnavigation.  Ideologies found a common path of understanding, so with religious beliefs through ecumenism. Globalization became a universal aim and goal.

Retirement is indeed difficult to define where boundaries which used to divide the world politically, culturally, economically, and the like, are dissolving into a homogeneous global village, many believe to be the new world order. More so, when "matter does not age, and age does not matter," delightfully speaking. 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Welcome home! Chorused my three children the day I announced my decision to retire under the government’s early retirement plan.

I realized I have not been truly home with my family. A feeling of guilt crept in but I knew from the start how to amend for my deficiency.

While adjusting to a new life I was not accustomed to, I could not help but look back into the kind of world I left behind.

The price of rice continued to rise. As an anchor against inflation, any increase in the price of this staple signals the spiraling of prices of other commodities. Many food items in the last ten years have become luxury to the masses. Low productivity was blame to force majeure rather than the lack of clear cut and firm policies. Investment was not only unprecedentedly low, it favored industry, bypassing agriculture. Peace and order problems were spreading out fast with poverty in both urban and rural areas. We were falling to the bottom of the economic ladder in Asia and the Pacific region.

This is the drama that unfolded before me, now a spectator. I was once part of this drama. I played important roles in the field and on the desk, in the private sector and in the government for twenty long years. I was part of the economic miracle in the sixties and seventies. I was part of the modernization of the agriculture program. The last two decades the country has demonstrated leadership in agro-industrial development, and scientific and technological break-throughs. But we failed to keep up with the pace of development of neighboring countries and the free world.

On the vantage point of a private life I was soon to lead, I began to doubt if my work for many years had any significance at all. Did I make a difference?

It is now one month from the day I packed up for home. The sea in summer is ideal for fishing With my books that make a small library, reading and writing once again are occupying my time. Marlo and Carlo are asking me when the next camping on Mt. Makiling will be. Chris Ann begs to be part of an on-the-spot painting session for children. My family has never been so happy and secure.

One evening the whole family viewed The Never Ending Story, a fantasy for children. It is about a boy warrior destined to save the crumbling world of Fantasia, an imaginary world beyond. During his adventure, the hero encountered a fierce animal.

‘’If you come any closer, I will rip you into threads, “roared the animal.

‘’Who are you?’’ asked the startled boy.

‘’I am the wolf. And you, whoever you are, will have the honor to be my last victim.’’

‘’I will not die easily. I am a warrior.’’

‘’Brave warrior, then fight the nothing.’’

‘’But I can’t. I can’t. fight on the boundary of Fantasia.’’

The wolf laughed.

‘’What’s funny about that?’’

‘’Fantasia has no boundary.’’

‘’That’s not true. You are lying.’’

‘’Foolish boy’ don’t you know anything about Fantasia? It is a world of human fantasy. Every part,every creature of it is a piece of the dream and hope of mankind. Therefore, it has no boundary.’’

‘’Why is Fantasia dying then?’’The boy is perplexed.

‘’Because people have come to lose their hopes and forget their dreams. So nothing goes stronger.’’

‘’What is the Nothing?’’

‘’It is the emptiness that is left. It is despair that is destroying this world, and I have been trying to help it,’’ the wolf f hollered.

‘’But why?’ demanded the boy.

‘’Because people who have no hope are easy to control. And whoever has the control has the power!’’

An earthquake shook the cave and rocks began to fall. When the dust settled, the two were face to face in combat, the boy holding a digger, and the wolf showing its fangs, snarling.

‘’Who are you really?’’ the boy intoned.

‘’I am the servant of the power behind Nothing . I was sent to kill the only one who can stop the Nothing. I lost him in the swamp of sadness. His name is Atreyu.

‘’If I were to die anyway, I would rather die fighting! Come on wolf, I am Atreyu.’’

The wolf lunged at the boy. Quickly the boy aimed his dagger at the beast’s heart and found its mark.

The death of the beast was the end of Atreyu’s travail. He save d Fantasia.

Today, in our real world, the wolf is no different enemy. It perpetuates on human weakness and preys upon the weak. It thrives on helplessness and despair, indifference and inaction, war and persecution. It looms around human miseries.

The confrontation of the warrior and the beast lives in fantasy, and many of us are relieved by that thought that it is not true - it is only a story. But now and then, the imagery is just too vivid to be just fantasy.

In the days that followed, I found myself once again engrossed with work, this time as professor in a university.

I believed I have not really retired. ~


Years after ...
Author as professor, UST Graduate School, with public school teachers taking refresher course; as organizer and instructor, Summer Art Workshop for Children

 Author with a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) on environmental conservation; as author, with co-authors during a International Book Fair; as conference speaker; and as family man.

Put Life in a Dying Tree (A Lesson on Ecology Through Art) -

A Lesson on Ecology Through Art 

 Put Life in a Dying Tree

Dr Abe V Rotor

AUTHOR’S NOTE: As a background to this article, I was requested by the National Council of Educational Innovators (NCEI) to conduct a teaching demonstration whereby art, specifically drawing/ painting and music, is integrated with the teaching of ecology before the first International Congress of Educators in Manila. Recently I presented the original approach before teachers in a Faculty Development Workshop. 

     Allow me to start with a simple drawing exercise. The exercise is about a dying tree. I invite everyone to complete the scenario, using the attached outline of a tree skeleton. The idea is to bring back the life of the tree, hence, the title of this exercise. This exercise introduces us to understand the basic nature of living things, and the essence of ecology as a subject.

     As a guide let us imagine that solar energy is transformed by plants into chemical energy, which is then shared by different organisms. In nature, organisms interact with each other on one hand, and with their environment on the other. Scientists say, this interrelationship comes so naturally that there is in fact no need of human intervention. On the other hand, it is of the general opinion that man is the custodian of creation.  If this is so what is its role? How can he help maintain the so-called “balance on nature called homeostasis?”

     How much are we aware of this role? We will know it by evaluating the drawing once it is finished using ten (10) criteria scored on the Likert scale (5 is very good, 4 good, 3 fair, 2 poor and 1 very poor). But I suggest that the criteria should be read only after the drawing has been done. It is an individual work that takes around ten minutes.

These are the criteria.

1.     There is the sun in the drawing. The sun is the source of life, the source of energy- solar energy- where is then transformed into chemical energy.

2.     There is water – clouds, rain stream, river, pond, lake, etc illustrating the Water Cycle. The importance of water as an element of life is next to the sun. 

3.     The tree is has leaves, branches, flowers and fruits. The tree is not only a living thing; it is a tree of life, the source of food and oxygen, and other things, aesthetic beauty, notwithstanding.

4.     There are other trees, including those of its kind. There are other plants as well. This illustrates the concept of a family and a  community.

5.     There are animals and other living creatures. This shows relationships such as mutualism or symbiosis, commensalism (e.g. a bird’s nest, ferns and orchids on the tree), and competition (e.g. insects feeding). Certain relationships may be interpreted on a philosophical level such as benevolence, unity, cooperation and altruism.

6.     The tree, as well as other members of the community,  is part of the landscape. The drawing has a perspective of a larger whole; it is an integral part of Nature represented by mountains, valleys, pasture, rivers, fields, etc.

7.     The presence of man is important. The drawing may show a happy family, children playing, man taking care of the tree, or his presence manifested by a drawing of a house or community.

8.     The drawing shows life. It is natural; it exudes a feeling of reality.  The colors are real, so with the subjects. I call this aspect naturalism.

9.     The drawing has good artistic quality. Is the drawing appealing? Does it conform to a good sense of balance, harmony, contrast, and perspective?

10.                        Maximum use of space. This refers to the whole world of the tree. It is the total “view from the window”, the vantage point the participant views his subject and the world. Did the participant use the space wisely? There is no wasteland, so to speak.

The scores of the ten criteria are added. To get the average score, divide the total with 10. A score of, say 3.6 to 4.4 is Good, while 2.5 to 3.4 is fair. College QC is 3.3, or Fair.

I have noticed that high school students and freshmen in college who participated in this exercise did not get high scores. They have limited exposure to the subject.  But this is a good exercise to develop the power of imagination and logical thinking. In a number of cases the drawing shows the influence of cartoons, animae and advertisements. This exercise follows a deductive-retrospective approach, which fits well with the use of art medium.

During the 10-minute exercise I usually provide a background music by playing the violin with popular, native and semi-classical compositions which the accompaniment of re-recorded Nature sounds (e.g. birds singing and running stream). To facilitate the work, I prepared an hour long extemporaneous CD, “Violin and Nature,” which is easier to carry with me on out-of town lectures, otherwise I resort to play the original compositions of the following well-known composers.

·        “Hating Gabi” by Antonio molina

·        “Maalaala Mo Kaya” by Mike Velarde

·        “Meditation,” from the Thais by Massenet

·        “ Serenade” by Tosselli

·        “ On Wing of song” by Felix Mendelson

      

        What contributions have the arts to the effective teaching of science? I consider the following premises important.

1.     Fuller use of the senses. Art provides other than visual and auditory, an opportunity to use touch and smell, say on the specimens during hands-on and field observation.

2.     Amalgamation of knowledge and imagination, a concept of learning where facts and experiences rise to a level of thought or theory level, yet sets the boundaries of fantasy. Art provides a better means of expression of the imagination.

3.     Search for Formula-Values relationship. I call this concept “ valueing”, that is, answering the question, “For what purpose?” on a higher plane over material or physical. Art discusses Renaissance, the revival of culture and values. Art talks of harmony and unity. Can science adopt art in creating subject appeal?

4.     Left brain-right brain tandem. Logical and creative integration is important, the left brains thinks and reasons, while the right brain images, creates.

5.     Mind-Feeling Duo (Head-Heart). “Science is reason, art is emotion.” It is true. Art appeals to the emotion. One must “feel” a work of art such as the climax of a story, the color of sunset, the graceful movement of a ballet dancer, or Rodin’s melting human figures symbolizing suffering.

6.     Skill is applied knowledge and art is basically skill. Studying art is merely the pathway to its application. Art is an excellent medium of applied science.

After evaluating the exercise, “Put life in a dying tree,” we can try similar exercises in biology and ecology, other disciplines notwithstanding. These were selected from a manual in three volumes which I use in conducting Art Workshop for Children.

1.     Green Valley - this shows the structure of a watershed in relation to a valley. Hoe can one efficiently keep the valley green and productive? How good are we as mangers of the environment?

2.     Waterfalls - the river drops and continues down below the fall, so is life. Hoe wide, how high, is our own waterfall? It is a good lesson in analogy and resolve - the ecology of our life.

3.     Let’s build a house - but where are the neighbors? A lesson of human ecology, the concept of community.

4.     Make this dog happy - this exercise a sharpens our values of kindness and concern. Ecology has a heart.

5.     Road of Life - by tracing our own road of life, we known what we want in life, where we are going and how we get there. Here we plot our future. The human side of ecology is apparent in this exercise.

     The criteria for scoring these exercises can be devised by the teacher or resource person, using the first exercise as a general guide. For specific purposes he can emphasize on certain aspects he deems necessary to arrive at his objectives. The idea why I am presenting these exercises is that a teacher can prepare similar exercises whereby art can be integrated with the subject of science, and “valueing” is incorporated in the lesson.

     But first, let us put life in a dying tree.

                                                          x     x     x

50 Verses of Meditation

50 Verses of Meditation
Dr Abe V Rotor
Living with Nature School on Blog

For class reading with background music of
Meditation (From the Thais), by Jules Massenet. 
Teacher sets the sequence in meditative mood.

Fr Miguel Benavides, founder University of Santo Tomas (1611)

1. When the skies cry and tears fall,
The grass is greener, so with the soul.

2. The rain pelts on the faces of children
Turned heavenward. Look my brethren.

3. Walks he alone in the rain singing,
Whether the wind's cool or the sun peeping.

4. If I'm responsible for what I tame,
Would I have a choice of only the lame?

5. A gentle breeze came through a lid;
Where's the window when the wall's solid?

6. Pray, but if Thor holds back the lightning bolts,
We may not have mushroom and the jolts.

7. Hush! Suddenly the world became still;
Gone is the lark or the raven on the sill.

8. Saxon wall, each turret a guard-
Now empty, lonely is war afterward.

9. Radial symmetry starts from the center,
That balances an outside force to enter.

10. What good is a lamp at the ledge?
Wait 'til the day reaches its edge.

11. In seeing our past we find little to share,
If the past is the present we're living in.

12. In abstract art you lose reality;
How then can I paint truth and beauty?

13. Brick wall, brick roof, brick stair,
Glisten in the rain, dull in summer air.

14.What's essential can't be seen by the eye
Like the faith of Keller and Captain Bligh.

15. Similar is rainbow and moth in flight
When you see them against the light.

  A slice of rainbow

16. From respite in summer fallow,
The fields start a season anew.

17. From green to gold the grains become
As they store the power of the sun.

18. Not all sand dunes for sure
Ends up on empty shore.

19. One little smoke tells the difference,
Like a faint pulse is life's reference.

20. It's collective memory that I'm a part
To write my life's story when I depart.

21. Lost time, lost opportunity and lost gain,
like passing wind that may not come again.

22. Who sees silver lining of clouds dark and bold
seeks not at rainbow's end a pot of gold.

23. A clenched fist softens under a blue sky
like high waves, after tempest, die.

24. When a flock of wild geese takes into the air
a leader must get ahead to break the barrier.

Swallows on wire. Florida Blanca, Pampanga

25. Even to a strong man, a little danger may create
the impression he's small or the problem is great.

26. In the doldrums or during sudden gusts,
the ship is much safer with a bare mast.

27. Wind, current, and keel make a perfect trio
only if they have one direction to follow.

28. You really can't tell where a sailboat goes
without keel, but to where the wind blows.

29. The sound of a yes may be deep or hollow,
and knowing it only by its own echo.

30. Walk, don't run, to see better and to know
the countryside, Mother Nature and Thou.~

31. We do not have the time, indeed an alibi
to indolence and loafing, letting time pass by.

Sun on a hazy day

32. As we undervalue ourselves, so do others
undervalue us. Lo, to us all little brothers.

33. Self-doubt at the start is often necessary
to seek perfection of the trade we carry.

34. What is more mean than envy or indolence
but the two themselves riding on insolence.

35. The worst kind of persecution occurs in the mind,
that of the body we can often undermine.

36. How seldom, if at all, do we weigh our neighbors
the way we weigh ourselves with the same favors?

37. Friendship that we share to others multiplies
our compassion and love where happiness lies.

38. Evil is evil indeed - so with its mirror,
while goodness builds on goodness in store.

39. That others may learn and soon trust you,
show them you're trustworthy, kind and true.

40. Kindness and gladness, these however small
are never, never put to waste at all.

41. Beauty seen once breaks a heart,
Wait for the image to depart.

42. Being right and reasonable;
Black or white, and measurable.

43. She's coy who speaks soft and light;
Smoke first before fire ignites.

44. Every promise you can't keep
Drags you into a deeper pit.

45. To endure pain of hatred,
A leader’s wisdom is dared.

46. Make believe prosperity;
Sound of vessel when empty.

47. Take from the ant or stork,
Patience is silence at work.

48. Good wine grows mellow with age;
Good man grows into a sage.

49. He finds reason for living
Who sees a new beginning.

50. Beauty builds upon beauty,
Ad infinitum to eternity. ~

Lesson on former Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid with Ms Melly C Tenorio

738 DZRB AM Band, 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday

Make Your Pet Dog Happy

.Make Your Pet Dog Happy

“Loving pets is a measure of man’s rationality

as true guardian of creation.”  - avr

 Dr Abe V Rotor 

Lardy and Prince show their drawings – versions of their own pet dogs

“Love your pets and you will love the world of its wondrous gifts

of peace, harmony and compassion. And you will cease to be rue

and to feel alone.”  avr

 .....

Using pastel colors these kids re-create through drawing their

 own concept of loving a pet dog. Food, plaything, doghouse,

clean and comfortable surroundings, and a cheerful company

are essential needs, not different from those we humans need.

These are the precursors of love, peace and understanding.

* Living with Nature Art Workshop, November 10 2019

Reflections Before a Make Believe Scenario

Reflections Before a Make Believe Scenario 

Dr Abe V Rotor

Impressionism is alive -- the remnants of vision in the mind;

art movement, gateway to modern art - archive in the future,

when Nature shall have met its doom from the hands of man,  

landscapes turning into wastelands, the good life's no more. 

Make haste before it's  gone - the earth green and pristine;

Wonder if life's as beautiful with the demise of Nature.

.

False comfort before a mural, 
archive of Nature in the future,
a warning to natural history,
when life had been so happy. 

When wildlife's no longer wild,

it's either tamed or gone.

Oh, how we wish our hands are always clean, 

with water plentiful and pure, as it had been.

Oh, heart on the wall

do you still feel, 

do you still the throb 

the throb of love?

Ivy, ivy on the wall

don't hide a living heart.

Make believe prey - in real life or simile,

don't fall victim, always be wary,

 in the swamp, on the street, in the hall;

this reptile is older than society. 

Take time out, leave everything, 

your desk and papers - be gone;

seek Nature out there waiting,

you're guardian to an orphan,

or the other way around.

Walk with nature to the end of the earth and time,

for everything is possible in the soul, heart and mind.

Meditation Over Crepuscular Views

Meditation Over Crepuscular Views

Dr Abe V Rotor

.

Crepuscular -  the counterpart of dawn,

when the day bids goodbye,

and the night greets welcome;

sights in common though to the keen eye.

Limbs of  acacia tree, Ateneo de Manila University, Manila.

If I were a boy again, I'd sit on your lap,

but I've grown too heavy and too old.

Neither can you carry me with my load

Nor I to climb up and keep my hold.

Banaoang Pass, Santa, Ilocos Sur

A valley of cirrus cloud -

will it rain tonight?

It would rather rise up

 into wispy feathers 

then die;

and in the morning 

returns afresh 

with the sun 

and dewdrops.

 

Bangkok, Thailand 2006

A full moon hangs in the trees

propped by an empty branch,

 chilled by a passing breeze;  

waiting an owl sit by chance.

Amadeo, Cavite 2010

Catching fireflies by a stream

takes us to a beautiful zone;

 imagination reigns supreme

beyond the power of reason.

 
Bangkok, Thailand 2006

A harp bridge, each string a note
 the passing wind plays,
soft and loud, and seldom mute,
solemnly at night prays.  

Sugar mill at .Calatagan, Batangas

A haunting glow rises into the sky,

spewing gas with all its might;

nearby a mother and her baby cry,

at the other side of midnight. ~

Halloween Moth

Halloween Moth

Dr Abe V Rotor

You can't hide behind mask;

it is no longer Halloween;

with thin lips and sleepy eyes,

I know where you've been. 

Living with Superstition

Living with Superstition

Dr Abe V Rotor 

.

1.    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.    Tikbalang (Filipino version of a centaur) comes out when it is raining  while the sun is out.

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

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.

101. Don’t bump the coffin while carrying it; it is bad luck.

102. Pour water at the doorway once the coffin has been taken out.

103. Wash face and hands after the dead has been laid to rest.

104. When coming from a wake have a stopover somewhere and do not directly go home, otherwise the spirit of the dead will follow you.

105. The wishbone of a chicken makes a wholesome game for two. Wish comes true to the one who gets the common stem of the Y-shape bone.

106.  One can determine the sex of the baby by the poise and shape of the pregnant woman. If rotund, it’s going to be a girl; if pointed, it’s going to be a boy.           

107. During labor, if the pain is bearable and continuous, it’s going to be a girl; if labor pain is intermittent and intense, it’s going to be a boy.

108. When leaving the dining table ahead, those who are still eating must rotate their plates, otherwise they will remain bachelors or spinsters. (The belief is silent on the fate of the married ones.)

109. Couple to be married the following day must not see each other the night before.

110. When Friday comes don’t talk about the supernatural, such as kapre, dwende, and the like.

111. Never buy a cat; it will not be a good mouse catcher.

112. If a cat sneezes it’s going to rain.  But if it sneezes three times, everyone in the family will catch cold.

113. A cat that has its back towards the fire means a typhoon in coming.

114. Unfortunate events usually happen on full moon.

115. Whenever you go to a church for the first time make three wishes.

116. If you buy a stuffed or figurine elephant, choose one with its trunk turned upward.  It means good luck.

Kapre, a hairy black monster,live in this old balete tree

117. Don’t open the umbrella inside the house; vermin will come out.

118. When planting beans, place a comb on your hair to induce the production of abundant long fruits.

119. Orange clouds are bad omen; they are signs of either drought or poor harvest.

120. If you accidentally bite your tongue it means someone is speaking about you.

121. Knock only twice – not thrice, else you court the attention of the devil.

122. Sleep with your head toward the east or north to prevent nightmares.

123. To keep luck for yourself and the family hang a horseshoe with its tips up.  If you want your luck to be shared with those who enter your house, hang it the opposite way.

124. If your nose itches, someone is thinking about you.

126. Never take home flowers from the cemetery, otherwise someone is going to die.

127. Eating sour fruits during menstruation will cause menstruation to stop.

128. Girls on their very first day of menstruation are asked to jump down from the third step of the stairs in order to limit their monthly period to three days only. 

129.  A girl on her very first day of menstruation is asked to wipe her face with her stained underwear so that she will have a beautiful, fair and acne-free face.

130. Peanuts eaten raw will make one intelligent.

131. A cogon grass tied around the one’s head or waistline is a protection against lightning, especially in the open field.

132. If the money spent on wedding was borrowed, the couple will always be in debt.

133. A pregnant woman should not scratch her tummy, otherwise she will develop stretch marks.

134. Bite the tip of your new shoes to avoid developing blister (paltos or kapuyo Ilk).

135. A conceiving mother who enjoys looking at the corn hair will give birth to a brown-haired baby.

136. Calachuche or frangipani growing in the front of a house brings bad luck.

137. Pomelo (Citrus maxima) growing in front of, or bear a house, brings bad luck.

138. Katuray (Sesbania grandiflora) planted in front of a house might bring about a broken home or the disruption of good family relationships.

139. A woman should not be the first to gather sweet potato (kamote), otherwise the roots will crack.

140. Bury a big coconut shell along with the first potato yam seedling in order that the plant with produce big roots.

141. One must not spit in the fields while planting because it brings bad luck.

142. Offering native cakes under the tree will please the spirits (anitos). 

143. Eating malunggay (Moringa oleracea) when somebody dies will cause another death to follow.

144. Certain seasons during which children become suddenly fond of playing games like sungka, marbles, jackstone. And the like, are expected to bring good harvest.

145. Playing sungka is bad because of the nature of the game to “kill” your opponent.

146. Do not plant on Tuesdays and Fridays because they are unlucky days.

147. Bury some pieces of beeswax along with squash seeds when planting so that the fruits produced will be glutinous (malagkit).

148. A person who eats any ripe fruit that is partly eaten by a mouse will develop twinkling eyes.

149. Do not eat leafy vegetables on New Year’s Day else you will be sickly the whole year.

150. Don’t cook leafy vegetables at the time of planting otherwise the plants will wither.

151. Don’t harm the señora, the matron rat; otherwise it will destroy more things in the house. In India rats are believed to be the re-incarnation of dead ancestors.  Sometimes rats are called kabas, meaning little children, so that they are often treated with favor.

151. Papaya with fruits borne on elongated stem (peduncle) is said to be bisexual (bakla).  The male papaya bears only staminate flowers, never any fruit; while the female produces the typical fruits we are familiar with.

152. Avoid mending clothes at night; it might cause blindness. 

153. Avoid taking home food in a wake; otherwise a close relative is going to die.

154. Cat purring means it is comfortable in your company and care.

155. During funeral never look back, otherwise somebody is going to die.

156. Walking under a ladder brings bad luck.

157. If ants transfer to another place, the rainy season is near.

158. You will increase in height if you jump at exactly 12 o’clock noon.

159. Never buy needle at night, it will rust, so with the rest of the needles.

160. If you keep a cactus, you will remain single forever.

161. If a butterfly lands on you it means you are visited by the soul of a close relative.

162. Loves me, loves me not, is a favorite wish game, plucking petals of a flower one by one until you reach the last.

163. If a bee enters your house, it’s a sign that you will soon have a visitor.  If you kill the bee you will have bad luck or the visitor is unpleasing one.

164. A swarm of bees settling on the roof is an omen the house will burn down.

165. A bird that enters the house is a sign of death.

166. If you blow all the candles out with a single puff, you will get your birthday wish.

167. The elevator does not open on the 13^th floor.

168. It’s bad to expose a pregnant woman’s belly to photo flash – she will give birth to a baby with physical defect.

169. It’s bad luck to cut nails on Fridays and Saturdays.

170. Our shadow is our soul.  A person who thinks he does not have any shadow will be mistaken to be a devil. 

171. When a pencil suspended with string is placed over the wrist of a pregnant woman, and swings along the length of the arm, the baby in the womb is a likely a boy.  If it swings across the arm the baby is a girl.

172. Banana with freckles and discolorations means it is sweet.

173. Water the plants with hugas bigas (rice washing), and they will grow fast and healthy.

174. Don’t take a bath during the wake of an immediate family member.

175. Put salt on the lower corners of the door jamb before going out of the house.

176. Egg shells induce flowering of orchids.

177. Place charcoal inside a refrigerator to remove bad odor. Vinegar does the trick, too. 

178. Wipe kitchen and dining tables with mild solution of natural vinegar to repel ants and other vermin.

179. If the first butterfly you see on New Year is white, you will have good luck throughout the year.

180. If a lighted candled during a ceremony dies out, it means evil spirits are around.

181. If a black cat walks towards you, you will have good fortune; if it walks away from you, it takes away good luck.

182. Keep cats away from babies because they will suck out their breaths.

183. If a clock that has not been working suddenly chimes, it means there will be death in the family.

184. It is bad luck to pick up a coin with the tail side up; good luck when its head up.

185. Cows lifting their tails mean it’s going to rain.

186. A cricket in the house brings good luck.

187. If an eyelash falls out, put it on the back of you hand, make a wish and throw it over your shoulder. If it flies off the hand, the wish will be granted. 

188. Fingernails cuttings should be saved, burned or buried.

189. If the bottom of your right foot itches, you are going to take a trip.

190. Pulling out a gray or while hair will cause ten more to grow in its place.

191. If the palm of your right hand itches, it means you will soon be getting money.  If the palm of your left hand itches, it means you will soon be paying out money.

192. A mirror should be covered during a thunderstorm because it attracts lightning.

193. An onion cut in half and placed under the bed of a sick person will draw off fever and poison.

194. Wishes on shooting stars come true.

195. Tail of house lizards is cure for asthma.

196. Ones saliva can relieve itchiness caused by mosquito bite.

197. Poultice of gumamela flowers hastens “ripening” of boil (pigsa).

198. Turtles as pet bring bad luck.

199. Snakes have good memory, never spare their lives because they can take revenge.

200. Refrain from talking while planting so the chicken will not destroy your plants.

201. When cockroaches are flying about, there’s plenty of fish to catch.

202. Don’t sleep with your head pointed to the north.  Blood is drawn to your head due to magnetism, similar to a compass needle.

203. Whenever you give birth, plant a tree because a tree grows fast and means good health - so with your baby.

204. There are times you have to turn back because you have forgotten something.  Before you start again alight from your vehicle, or take a few steps, to break the bad omen.

205. To get good grades place your review notes or book under your pillow and sleep on it.   ~