Thursday, December 31, 2020

How's my grooming? A self examination

How's my grooming? A self examination

"Simplicity, good taste and grooming are the three fundamentals of good dressing and these do not cost money." - Christian Dior
Grooming enhances dignity in the profession. Alumni meet after many years since high school. They are leaders in the fields of education, science, judiciary, law, legislation and military. Author is at the extreme left.

Dr Abe V Rotor 
Living with Nature School on Blog

Quite often on the road I read from the rear of a bus or van, “How’s my grooming?” printed bold and clear. Below it is written a telephone number or two you can call. It is a discreet message. If the driver of the vehicle you are following is reckless, you may call the attention of the owner of the vehicle or the government regulatory office. Corollarily one may ask the same question, “How’s my grooming?” Here is a set of questions to find it out. (True or False) 

1. We are judged the way we talked as much as they way we look. 
2. It’s all right to cause embarrassment on another as long as it is not your real intention. 
3. Pronounce words properly, use correct grammar, follow correct logic and syntax, and refrain from mumbling. 
4. It’s all right to be talking about yourself after you have done a great job.
5. It’s all right to ask personal questions from a friend even without first asking permission. 

6. There are times you have to ask “intrusive” questions as host of a program to add spice or give more light. 
7. It is old fashion to say Please and Thank you. Smile is enough these days 
8. One can be clean and yet untidy, and vice versa. 
9. In fashion and cosmetics, “Excess can be a mess.” 
10. Good teeth and fresh breath always go together. 

11. Keep your mouth closed when chewing. Take small bites. Eat quickly.
12. Say excuse me when you have to go the restroom without telling you are going there, or to answer the call of nature. 
13. Sit and walk straight. Maintain good posture always even at home. 
14. Dressing appropriately means you have to be in fashion. 
15. Try to make as little noise as possible in all situations – when eating, walking, talking, working, etc. – even in your home. 

16. Mobile phone etiquette is chiefly not disturbing others with it. 
17. Laugh, smile, giggle, cry with dignity. Do not make a scene. 
18. Be interested with people and things around you but be discreet. 
19. Grooming is applicable only in formal occasions and places, not in your leisure and privacy. 
20. Grooming distinctly separates men and women. It’s gender distinction. It gives dignity to being a gentleman or a lady. 

21. One may be fashionable but not well groomed. 
22. When one is in his advanced senior years, grooming does not apply to him anymore. 
23. People with gender problem find it difficult to adjust with proper grooming. Often grooming result to mere attraction. 
24. Never touch another person’s belongings without asking permission. 
25. Never assume anything about anyone. Caution, caution. 

ANSWERS: 1t, 2f, 3t, 4f, 5f, 6f, 7f, 8t, 9t, 10f, 11t, 12f, 13t, 14f, 15t, 16t, 17t, 18t, 19f, 20t, 21t, 22f, 23t, 24t, 25t. 

RATING: 24 - 25 You are a model 21 - 23 You are well groomed, no doubt. 18 - 20 More finesse, please. 17 and below "Practice makes perfect." 

Lesson on former Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid 738 AM with Dr Abe V Rotor and Ms Melly C Tenorio 8 to 9 evening Monday to Friday.

Evolving Art (ad infinitum)

Evolving Art 
(ad infinitum) 

Art works, verses and lines by Dr Abe V Rotor 

Splash Painting

Who needs brush and canvas?
Only colors, if you must.
On the floor, just splash, splash,
to create stained glass! 

Noah's Black Dove 

I found a fossil entombed,
   of a story in driftwood. 

  
Duck Head  Figurine
 
Once hunted on water and in air,
now figurine, a grim reminder.   


 
Broken Jar  Alive

A lease for life indeed
through art we bid;
talent put to the test
at its very best.
 
Driftwood trophy

Why gold or silver a trophy:
why not remnant of a tree,
 shells forgotten and empty,
to wake us up to reality?
 
 
Driftwood Table Decor

Wasteland in the hall,
  a dreaded scene,
   aftermath of the Fall, 
of man's first Sin. ~


Tuesday, December 29, 2020

Ring of Fire

Ring of Fire 

Dr Abe V Rotor


Ring of Fire in acrylic, AVRotor 2016

Besieged by advancing culture, 
a forest once sacred and pristine,
falls into the evil hands of man - 
and man loses to his old sin. ~   

Monday, December 28, 2020

Hilarion Riotoc Lazo - the last actor-playwright of Ilocano Zarzuela ( San Vicente IS Series)

 San Vicente IS Series:

  Hilarion Riotoc Lazo - the last actor-playwright of Ilocano Zarzuela 

Dr Abe V Rotor*
Living with Nature School on Blog 


 
Laring R Lazo and cast in one of the last zarzuela presentations. 

When I started to write about Laring, as he is fondly called on or off the stage, I thought of an all time famous line of Shakespeare.  

“All the world’s a stage, and all the people merely players…” 

It is true, all of us are actors in our own rights, and may I say, playwrights too, because we cannot truly be ourselves without the script we make from our own thoughts and ideas, our imaginations and experiences. And from our interactions with people and society.

But there are those whose talent brings to stage the drama people look up to, drama that makes us laugh and cry, enlightens us of our burden, rekindles hope, encourages us to meet the challenges of life.  Or merely keeps our faith alive and respects our personal values.  But the most important qualification a playwright has, I believe, is his ability to unite us as one humanity. 

Manong Laring (address as courtesy to one who is older) is a natural player on stage - actor, director, musician, setup artist, and all that a play needs on stage, that thinking loud of these many requirements would send an ordinary person to simply be part of the audience.  

He knew well the amphitheater of the Greeks which the Romans modified into public forum, and later simplified as entablado - a plaza stage which was brought to the Philippines during the Spanish conquest. 

Here on the entablado generations of Filipinos witnessed many and varied presentations from official functions of government to public entertainment. Two forms of stage drama became institutions during the 400-year of Spanish rule - extending to post American era.  They remained all-time favorites during fiestas: the zarzuela and the comedia (moro-moro).

I grew up near the entablado, a stone's throw from our house. Adjacent to it is the 17th century church, the municipio the seat of local government, and the palengke (Aztec term for market). The plaza was a wide open space for games like sipa, kite flying, procession and parade..

The entablado was integrated into the system and culture. It was designed for governance, through people's participation. Thus the zarzuela is a drama of, for and by the people. Themes like romance, triumph and tragedy, comical and musical, became part of people's lives so that even those from far flung barrios would come on foot or cart pulled by bullock not only to watch the plays but to celebrate with the occasion. It could be the Cenaculo or Passion of Christ, it could be comedia, a regular presentation on the feast day of San Vicente de Ferrer, the town's patron saint. The comedia reinforces Christianity (though not conducive to ecumenism). The theme of the musical farce revolves on the victory (always) of the Holy Crusade over the Moors during the Dark Ages in Europe. 

Manong Laring and I belong to the generation that still carried the influence of Renaissance Europe in spite of the 50-year American Commonwealth rule that followed, and four years of Japanese Occupation. The Philippines now independent, was as young as our generation. It was fragile. While fledgling as a new nation, the world entered into the so-called Cold War, polarizing nations into two opposing ideologies, we on the American side while China and other Asian neighbors joined communist USSR.  The war was to last until 1989, after nearly 45 years. .   

Whatever happened to the entablado at the crossroad of change?

Rapid change followed, steered by breakthroughs in science and technology with man landing on the moon, the arrival of computer age, and the breaking of the code of life?

We can only imagine what drama would be most appropriate to show on stage. The shrinking of the world, so to speak, became conducive to exodus to cities and migration from underdeveloped to industrialized countries. On the other hand, inequity of wealth distribution has created extreme economic conditions particularly on the grassroots.  

I am presenting these historical events in the light of the rise and fall of the zarzuela and other forms of art - and all fields of human endeavor, for that matter. A social scientist once said that periodicity is a phenomenon humanity has no control of time, space, and events. Change is gaining accelerated momentum. We are now living in postmodernism, literally living tomorrow today.

Manong Laring now lives in New York with his family. In his recent visit I requested for an interview and permission to play on my radio program one of his zarzuela recordings - Perlas II (photo). 

It is nostalgic to reminisce the good old days of the zarzuela, in its entire splendor on the last Tuesday of April, the town fiesta of San Vicente.  Maestro Selmo Pelayre would be conducting the orchestra, with Laring as the principal character on stage. Fredelito Lazo, a classmate of mine and a prominent Ilocano writer, would be on the assist, as well.  So with a host of local talents.  I am reminded of the young playwright Pierre Gringore of Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame, who tried to bring dignity to the art; and Severino Reyes' (Lola Basyang) Walang Sugat  designed to outwit American propaganda during the Commonwealth era.  So with Nick Joaquin's Portrait of the Filipino, with its nationalistic fervor. 

I did some research why the zarzuela is among the most loved and enduring forms of art, we classify today as performing art. All over the world the zarzuela and its variants dominated the stage for centuries.  Europe is the progenitor of the play, it raised it to the highest level of art, developing new movements with the opera, concert, dance and other choreographic presentations. Stage play was used as well in propaganda and campaign. The theater in America gave rise to Hollywood. Rural development through extension, adopts stage play as tool of extension. Laedza Batanini of Botswana is a world model in rural development.       

Singular indeed is the whole cast's greatest hour. There is a bit of Euripides, pioneer playwright of ancient Greco-Roman times' tales and legends, counterpart of Homer's epics - Iliad and the Odessey. There is a bit of Shakespeare the classicist and most influential dramatist, as much a myth as a man. His characters are timeless archetypes that influence us all to this day - Romeo, Juliet, Macbeth, Hamlet, Othello are among his greatest works. His plays have become a part of the world’s collective consciousness.

There is a bit of the Russian Anton Chekhov, who epitomized the stream-of-consciousness style that inspired James Joyce and other modernists in the literary arts like Elia Kazan, and Ernest Hemingway. There is a bit of Eugene O'Neill, whose sense of despair could be likened to that of Edgar Allan Poe. There is a bit of Arthur Miler dubbed the last great practitioner of the American Stage, a carryover of American colonialism. 

And contemporarily, there is a bit of Tennessee Williams dramatizing his life and family, in relating tragic relationships, dysfunctional families, and brought us a world so real that reflects modern society. And there's a bit of Bertolt Brecht. When you see his play or movie, you leave the place wanting to change your life.

The essence of the zarzuela is very much alive. Today it lives on the screen, more than on stage. It has found the home a stage through the television and computer. The essence of traditional drama is preserved in documentaries, and made popular through telenobela, and brought down to young audiences through cartoon characters and animations. 

And with today's social media, “All the world’s a stage, and all the people merely players…” gives everyone the chance and opportunity to play his or her best.  But the world continues to search for an actor-playwright like Manong Laring, whose drama doesn't only make Shakespeare smile, but the whole humanity proud. ~
    

Stage scenes of zarzuela performed in different places and of different genres. 

Lesson on former Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (People's School-on-Air)  Dr Abe V Rotor and Ms Melly C Tenorio 738 DZRB AM Band, 8 to 9 evening class Monday to Friday.
* Philippine Literature Today by A V Rotor and K Molina-Doria  2015 C and E Publishing Inc., Chapter 7 p 155, under pen name Crisostomo "Jun" Rojas

Friday, December 25, 2020

Children of Nature

Children of Nature
Dr Abe V Rotor
Wall mural by the author in his residence in Lagro QC, Metro Manila




Neighborhood kids at Greater Lagro QC take time out to play and
pose before a wall mural of nature painted by the author.

I'm among these kids, three generations after;
what secret has Nature to break the boundary
of space and hold back the hands of time,
and save the happy childhood in memory? ~

Echoes of Childhood

Echoes of Childhood

Dr Abe V Rotor 


The Uplands, wall mural author's residence San Vicente, Ilocos Sur

Whispers and footsteps on the hall and wall,
Greet a stormy morning; candles flickered, 
Sheltered by warm and toughened hands, 
Leading the young ones to their classroom. 

And courtesies were the smile of familiarity: 
Heads moved to acknowledge, to recollect
Old memories coming fresh and nostalgic, 
Of those who once passed through the portals. 

Memories about a child becoming man, 

Men’s wanderings, and man’s return to reality; 
When with age, he looks back at the ideal, 
Not in its pursuit but for treasured peace. 

Whispers and footsteps on the hall and wall, 
Echoes, sweet echoes, perhaps music to a child 
On some strong shoulder lifts a heavy eyelid; 
A curtain falls, a new chapter begins. ~ 

Reflection in Painting

Reflection in Painting
Painting by Leo Carlo R Rotor
Poem by Abe V Rotor


 

Reflection - two faces in one,
    in one’s mind and heart;
of the past and the present,
    prelude to all art.
   
Reflection - the self and the other
    fellow, foe or friend;
in war and peace, want and plenty,
    humbles at the end.

Reflection - The Prince and the Pauper,
    and The Little Prince;
Les Miserables, Christmas Carol,
    one’s my life ever since. ~

Monday, December 21, 2020

Common Denominator of Science and Art

Common Denominator of Science and Art
Dr Abe V Rotor

Common Denominator in Science and Art in acrylic by the author 

  
Details showing unity of theme.

Darwinian or Lamarkian, scientists still in debate,
     the ultimate end though is one and the same:
species in dynamic change towards homeostasis,
     evolution is science and art, battle and game. 

Tuesday, December 15, 2020

"Into Your Light" *

Into Your Light*
Light brings all together as one,
 the unifying element of creation.

Dr Abe V Rotor 


 

                  Into Your Light in acrylic (36" x 48") by the author 2020

It's prayer, it's obedience, to the Creator,
 reminiscent of Plato's allegory**
in search of truth and reality in life 
symbolic for man to follow the story.

The cave is prison or abode, or both,
prison to those afraid to face the world, 
lovely home to a happy family,
a whole community in accord.

Into Your light brings all together as one,
light the unifying element of creation,
harmony in diversity, source of life itself,
the essence of humanity's union. ~

* Into your light is the title of a verse written by Dr Anselmo S Cabigan which inspired the author to write a book Light in the Woods (Megabook1995).  Both were professors at St Paul University QC after they had opted to retire early from  government service.

To wit (last stanza):

Lead me to where I should lead them,
The little ones to my care You'll send,
That they may solve this awesome maze
and burst out bright into Your light. ~

**The allegory of the cave, or Plato's Cave, was presented by the Greek philosopher Plato in his work Republic (514a–520a) to compare "the effect of education and the lack of it on our nature". It is written as a dialogue between Plato's brother Glaucon and his mentor Socrates, narrated by the latter. (Internet)

Thursday, December 10, 2020

Do you have a happy love life?


Do you have a happy love life?
-------------------------------------------------------------------
“When we do not give or receive love in a balanced, harmonious, natural way, deficiencies occur in out innermost being. These deficiencies reveal themselves through many symptoms – depression, loneliness, destructive relationships, weight problems, bitterness, inferiority feelings, workaholism, alcoholism, drug abuse, a critical spirit, violence, sexual abnormalities, and many other forms. I believe we must treat the person on the other end of the symptoms.”
- Dr. Bernard Jensen, Love, Sex and Nutrition
------------------------------------------------------------------

Here is a practical guide in attaining a happy love life.

1. Avoid stress and fatigue, and avoid smoking, alcohol, drugs, and food additives, as these accumulate toxic wastes in the body thus interfering with the body physiology. Avoid exposure to pollutants and chemicals. Poor diet, lack of exercise and nervousness, also interfere with the proper functioning of our brain which diminish sexual vitality. Condition your mind before love making by affirming happy, loving, and caring thoughts. Maintain trust and confidence with your partner. Be calm, patient and kind. Remember that the body responds with what the mind dictates.

2. It is a fact that married people live longer and happier than single or divorced people. Single and divorced people are hospitalized more often, their death rate is twice, and they are more prone to nervous breakdown. Sex stimulates and rejuvenates our glands, particularly the hypothalamus of the brain which is the sex center. Active sex life helps prevent diseases and illnesses, by enhancing natural immunity. Since every part of our body is exercised during lovemaking- from the heart to the nerve endings. Sex is perhaps the best test of vitality and health.

3. There are people who are highly sexual, while others have very little interest in sex. This is human nature and there is no “norm” in this regard. However, good sexual attitudes can be developed. For example, proper advice can help a person overcome an experience that may be the cause of lack of interest in sex. Improvement in health leads to a more positive sex attitude. Recognize that lovemaking is teamwork, that the satisfaction of one can lead to satisfaction of the other. Age is another factor to sexuality. Although younger people are generally more aggressive, there are people in their middle or late age who can maintain the same level of sexual activity. Others become more aggressive in their middle age.

4. Keep your body healthy and attractive. This is the key to natural sexuality. Grooming cultivates natural beauty, irrespective of the color of the skin, shape of nose or eyes, height and built, etc. good health gives the gait in your movement, twinkle in your eyes, shine and flow in your hair, firmness of your muscles. It contributes to good posture. It makes your skin glow and lovable to be touched. It helps develop your personality to become likable and attractive. Magnetic personality, napapalingon, nakakapansin, pogi, sexy, are all related to body beautiful. Remember that natural beauty is a holistic expression, not only external attributes, but of qualities that emanate from within. It is an expression of “a healthy mind in a healthy body”, plus good character and fine culture.

5. Freedom and responsibility are inseparable in the defining sex. This is a simple guideline that governs human sexual behavior.

CONSENTING ADULTS, IN PRIVACY, WITHOUT COERCION OR HARM TO ANYONE, CAN ENGAGE IN ANY KIND OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR THEY DESIRE.

6. Be aware of the other attendant responsibilities in sex, such as the subject of pregnancy of sexually transmitted diseases. Sex education gives emphasis to responsibility in sex and marriage, particularly among young people.

7.A natural clock governs every person in his system. This is often referred to as biological rhythm. Although there is a general plan on how this internal clocks works, no two persons are tuned in to the same pattern - not even husband and wife. Try to live by your own biorhythms and learn to adjust with those of our partner. Recognize your moods and energies that change with the time of the day and night, with months and seasons. Lovemaking is mutually fulfilling when both partners have synchronized biorhythms. Generally human body is dynamic that it can reset itself daily and adapt to the changes in the environment.

8.Sex can become monotonous especially with modern life. Many people find little time to express tender love with sex. They employ a number of ways to vary their sexual expression as not merely satisfying a desire, feeling relieved and exhausted afterward - or just for the sake of giving in to their partner. Many more miss the spiritual element of lovemaking, whereby the act is a means to sustain a passionate emotion from which follow exhilaration, and a great feeling of satisfaction. Mantra yoga and Karezza are two Oriental lovemaking techniques that help transform an ordinary sex- oriented relationship into a loving, tender and harmonious one, enhancing a love-oriented relationship that bring together body, mind and spirit.

9.Food, Rest, Exercise and sunlight = Health (FRESH). This formula is easy to remember. Watch out for the food that you take. Eat health foods, and avoid those in the list of Don’t Eat which your family doctor gave you. A vegetarian is healthier and lives longer. Remember there is no substitute to adequate sleep. Maintain a healthy sleeping habit. Take a rest between heavy schedules, and avoid buildup of tension. Relax. Exercise regularly within your natural capacity. Do not over exercise. You need sunlight, more so if your are an office worker. Sunlight perks you up, breaks monotony, and takes out the blues in your life. It makes us closer to nature, and takes us to outdoor adventure. All these make a happy love life with your partner.

10.Be aware that of all creatures on earth only humans are endowed with sexual freedom which can be summarized as follows:

1. Sexual expression is not restricted to estrus periods or seasons of the year.
2. Humans have the ability to match their sexual desires with their moods and feelings. Hormones influence, but not dictate, sex life.
3. Humans can choose various sexual positions, instead of being restricted to one as in the case of animals.
4. Meaningful spiritual love and emotional feelings multiply the ecstasy of physical pleasure.

11.Learn to read and understand the sexual cycle. A woman’s menstrual cycle dictates her sexual moods. They feel sexiest at the midpoint of their menstrual cycle. There are people who are sexier in the morning than at night. There are also those who feel sexier in summer than during cool months, or vice versa. There are also times when men become sexier and this is indicated by rapid growth of their beard. Studies show that the most active time for sexual activity is in the evening, but lovemaking at this time is poor since the androgens (love hormones) are low. (They are highest between 8 to 12 a.m., and lowest at 6p.m.) Evening is convenient to most working people. If this is not enough, make up for it during weekends.

12.Reduce meal size as the day progresses and avoid high calorie snacks in the evening. But do not skip breakfast or lunch. Carbohydrates help calm and focus the mind. Protein food boosts mental energy, but avoid fatty foods when you want to be mentally alert. When planning out an active evening, like going to a concert, holding a party, or having a date, reduce your dinner, with protein food preferred over fatty and carbohydrates food. Coffee makes you awake, and drinking may delay your regular bedtime or makes you fall asleep. If you want to wake up refreshed and alert do not take alcohol in the evening before.

13.An enduring and fulfilling love life is one that shared together by husband and wife. Here are the basic elements essential to a lifelong relationship: trust and confidence, empathy (feeling with the older person), marriage (sex outside marriage cannot remain meaningful and does not usually last). Then there are seven virtues of married life, which a couple must mutually uphold at all times.
The seven virtues of married life
• tenderness
• courtesy
• sociability
• understanding
• fairness
• loyalty
• honesty

14.One must free his or her mind from fallacies and myths about sex.

One thousand-and-one myths
• A woman never forgets her first lover.
• Big lips and abundant pubic hair indicates sensuality.
• A woman’s interest in sex is more emotional than physical.
• All women grow to look like their mothers.
• Beautiful women are too narcissistic to enjoy sex.
• Baldness indicates sensuality.
• The size of fingers indicates the size of the sex organ.
• Colored people perform better in bed than white people.
• Small breast indicates less sex desire.
• Religious people do not permit cunnilingus.
. Drugs increase intensity of physical desire and fulfillment.

These and a thousand-and-one myth can effect, and even destroy love life. This is where sex education and counseling comes in.

The foundation of a full and sustained sex life is made up of proper diet, avoidance of toxic materials and vices, a regular physical exercise regime, positive attitude, adherence to morals and culture norms. Love and sex is a celebration on top of a pyramid built on this foundation.

NOTE: Among the comments and suggestions I received from readers of my books, and audience on 
Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid, is include the topic of love and sex. In response to the request, I wrote this brief and direct guide about the subject. I used as main reference, Philippine Herbs to Increase Sexual Vitality, which Dr. Delia de Castro-Ontengco, Dr. Romualdo del Rosario and I wrote in 2000, with an encouraging message written by Senator Juan M. Flavier. ~ 

Book on LIVING WITH FOLK WISDOM: Chicken Soup is Best for Convalescent; If Dust Gets into Your Eyes, Blow Your Nose.

LIVING WITH FOLK WISDOM 
Chicken Soup is Best for Convalescent; If Dust Gets into Your Eyes, Blow Your Nose.

“Living with Nature in Our Times cautions us while walking on the busy lane of change. It reminds us to retrain our senses and to hone our sensitivity to better appreciate the best life can offer. Only when we are close to nature are we able to truly appreciate its acquisitiveness; only when we heed the old folks’ good advice can we truly appreciate the beauty and bounty of nature.”

Abercio V. Rotor, Ph.D.
Author, Living with Nature in Our Times Book Series
Response Book Launching
August 30, 2007



      Some time ago a good old friend asked me, Abe  how can you go back to nature? Are you going back to the farm.  Don’t you like to live anymore in the city? Are you selling your car.
 
Author was presented the first copy of his book from UST Secretary General and Vice Rector. 
 
     Yes, I answered.  No not my car, that’s my only car. Yes, I can live with nature. Oo nga naman.  We talked and talked, until we were back in our childhood – I mean, childhood. This was when my father got sick.  And this is how I came to learn that chicken soup is good for one who is convalescing, yon’ galing sa sakit - nagpapagaling
 
     True. Totoo. Chicken soup is good for the convalescent. However, there are specifications of the kind of chicken to be served. First, it must be native chicken. Karurayan is the term in Ilocos for a pure white native chicken which does not bear any trace of color on its feathers. It is preferably a female, dumalaga or fryer, meaning it has not yet reached reproductive stage. It is neither fat nor thin. Usually the herbolario chooses one from recommended specimens. He then instructs and supervises the household in the way the karurayan is dressed, cut, cooked into tinola (stew) and served to the convalescent. He does not ask for any fee for his services, but then he takes home one or two of the specimens that did not pass the specifications. (The more affluent the patient is, the more chicken the herbolario takes.) 

     Chicken soup as a convalescent food is recognized in many parts of the world. Because of its popularity, chicken soup has become associated with healing, not only of the body – but the soul as well. In fact there is a series of books under the common title Chicken Soup -  for the Woman’s Soul, Surviving Soul, Mother’s Soul, Unsinkable Soul, Writer’s Soul, etc. Of course, this is exaggeration, but nonetheless it strengthens our faith that this lowly descendant of the dinosaurs that once walked the earth of its panacean magic. 

     Try chicken soup to perk you up in these trying times - with all the rush, tension, various ailments, and expensive medication. Ika nga, bawal ang magkasakit.   
   
    But first, be sure your chicken does not carry antibiotic residues, and should not be one that is genetically engineered (GMO). By the way, I was a participant in the rituals made by this good herbolario.  I was then a farmhand and I was tasked to get the karurayan.  Our flock failed the test, but I found two dumalaga with few colored feathers. I plucked out the colored feathers and presented the birds to Ka Pepito.  They passed the criteria. Three days after I asked my convalescing dad how he was doing. “I’m fine, I’m fine, now.” He assured me with a big smile. 

    Writing a book such as this needs advice.  This time I needed one outside of the farm, and away from the village.  There’s no one else to my mind but someone in the academe. I went to Dr. Lilian Sison, dean of the Graduate School of UST. Dean Sison went over the manuscript and after a few days, I went to see her again. In the message for the book she said the most beautiful things that encouraged me a lot to continue writing about Nature. She said, and I quote.

Living with Nature in Our Times can be lumped up into one word - awareness.  For today’s trend in progress and development, spurred by science and technology, and spun by globalization cannot undermine the need to answer a basic question, “Quo vadis?” (Where are you going?) To where are we headed as a civilization?”

Dean Sison continued, “Living with Nature in Our Times gives us practical knowledge that elevates our awareness on three levels: that of our perception of the things around us by our senses, that of our perception of the inner stimuli that affect not only our physical being but our psyche and emotion, and the third which occupies the highest level of awareness – that which is beyond mere perception because it requires us to imagine, plan and anticipate the future.

“Living with Nature in Our Times cautions us while walking on the busy lane of change.  It reminds us to retrain our senses and to hone our sensitivity to better appreciate the best life can offer.  Only when we are close to nature are we able to truly appreciate its exquisiteness; only when we heed the old folks’ good advice can we truly appreciate the beauty and bounty of nature.”

I could say no more, overwhelmed by Dean Sison’s message.  Then I realized.  Mataas nga ang expectation ng reader sa libro ko!  Did I write enough?  Am I understood as much as the listeners to my radio program, Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid do? Baka naman hindi ako maintindihan ni Ka Pepe at si Aling Maria.

 Dr Rotor and family: wife Cecille, Leo Carlo, Mac and Anna.

It was a weekend and it was the tail end the monsoon – the best time to be on the farm.   I did the final editing of the book here – the farm where I grew up, where I got my stories, experiences I still remember, in a small town where I used to listen to old folks.  This time I am one of them.

This same old good friend I told you earlier came to visit me. I took him out into the fields.  It was harvest time and a time of festivities of sort in the fields. The maya birds came by hordes, A gust of wind blew and my friend winked, apparently napuwing.  And he started rubbing his eyes.  Huwag, I said. Just blow you nose.  He laughed. 

“Just do it.” I said. He did once, twice, each for each nose, covering the other. Harder. He looked amazed.  The puwing is gone!  Success!  (You can try it later.)

My friend who grew up in the city complained again. “My tooth aches,” It’s  lunchtime. Sayang.  We were going to have lunch, picnic style beside a farm pond we call alug.

Sumasakit din ang aking ngipin,” I said, … “na hindi ko matikman lahat nito,” savoring the aroma of the food being cooked.  It’s like the proverbial grandmother’s pie.

“Hindi ako nagbibiro,” He said. 

“Okay press the base of your jaw, like this,” and demonstrated how.  Open your mouth and feel the attachment of the jaw, it’s the hollow part. Press it long enough until the pain subsides.  He did it and held it there.

 “Okay ka na?”

 “Masakit pa rin.” 

 “Saan ba ang sumasakit?” Para akong dentista.

 “Doktor, nga si Dr. Rotor,” I heard a kindly old woman nearby.

 “Dito sa left.”  My friend opened his jaw. “Mali ang pinipisil mo, eh. Ang pinipisil mo as ang kanan mong jaw.”

A whole banana leaf was laid before us. We sat on the grass.  A tabo of water was passed on to each of us to wash his fingers before eating.  Then, like the old faithful Genie had arrived, we were partaking in a banquet no five-star hotel could match.

 There were hito, martiniko, broiled medium rare on uling, pesang dalag (mudfish stewed with green saba and a lot of tomato and onion, and kuhol with tanglad. Rice is newly harvested upland Milagrosa!  Miracle talaga sa bango at sarap. Everyone was quiet.  How could you with your mouth full? Now and then a dog would come from behind begging, licking.      

“How you eat this kuhol, my friend asked.  Ganito  lips-to-lips,” Matunog.  It tells your host you like the food very much. “Ayaw, eh” Pukpukin mo muna ang puit.”  Paano? Kumain ka lang. Then we had  ulang  (river crayfish). Hindi ba masakit kumagat yan?  He whispered. 

Hindi naman alimango yan, eh. At patay na.  Sigue kumain ka lang.”  

With or without toothache, we had our fill.

Masakit pa ba ?

Ow.. Ouch.. Ow..  This time tiyan naman niya ang sumasakit.

Oo nga naman.  Pag meron kang kaibigan na katulad nito. Either you want to live long or … forget him. 

Living with nature is fun, live life best – it’s more than The Good Life. It is Renaissance Part 2. It is Postmodern Renaissance. It is Living with Nature in Our Times.
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Winner of the Gintong Aklat Award 2003 by the Book Publishers Association of the Philippines. The book has 30 chapters (189 pp),divided into four parts, a practical guide on how one can get closer to nature, the key to a healthy and happy life. Second printing, 2008.

"Once upon a time, nature was pristine, undefiled, and unspoiled. We used to live in a dreamlike world of tropical virgin forests, and purer hidden springs, calm ponds, and serene lakes with majestic purple mountains, crowned with canopied trees. That was when people took only what they needed, caught only what they ate, and lived only in constant touch with a provident earth." (excerpt from the Introduction by Dr Anselmo Set Cabigan, professor, St Paul University QC and former director of the National Food Authority)








A Sequel to the Living with Nature Handbook (312 pp), it was launched at the Philippine International Book Fair. It won the 2006 National Book Award by the National Book Development Board jointly with The Manila Book Circle and the National Commission for the Culture and the Arts. Published by UST Publishing House, the book has 35 chapters divided into four parts. The book can be aptly described in this verse.

"Nature shares her bounty in many ways:
He who works or he who prays,
Who patiently waits or gleefully plays;
He's worthy of the same grace."






Don’t Cut the Trees, Don’t is a collection of ecology poems and paintings of nature. The tree is taken to represent the environment. Each poem and each painting is like a leaf of a tree each revealing a little of the many marvels of this unique creation. Each poem and each painting is a plea on behalf of this new vision and of this new ethics. Concealed behind each poem and each painting is the spirit of the author, Dr. Abercio V. Rotor, a man whose love and passion for the environment is well-known. (Armando F. De Jesus, Ph.D., Dean, UST Faculty of Arts and Letters)


It is a substantial collection, departing from the usual stale air of solitariness and narcissism which permeates most poetry today. It is therefore a welcome contribution to Philippine poetry in Engish, livened by visuals that add color to the poetic images.


The oeuvre is not only pleasurable because of this. The poetic ability of the poet himself enriches the whole exciting poetic experience, a blurring of the line separating man from the rest of the living creatures outside. Every poem indeed becomes “flowers in disguise” using the poet’s own words. (Ophelia A. Dimalanta, Ph.D. Director, Center for Creative Writing and Studies, UST)


Living with Folk Wisdom. Published by University of Santo Tomas, launched 2008 in the Manila International Book Fair, SMX Mall of Asia, 220 pp. "The book is a compendium of indigenous technical knowledge complemented with modern scientific thinking. The narratives offer an exploration into the world of ethno-science covering a wide range of practical interest from climate to agriculture; medicine to food and nutrition..: (Excerpt of Foreword by Dr Lilian J Sison, dean UST Graduate School).

Living with Nature in Our Times is a sequel to The Living with Nature Handbook published by the UST Publishing House in 2003. 

There are 35 chapters in this new volume grouped into four sections. Enjoying Nature’s Bounty has eleven chapters, which deal with such hobbies as Home Gardening, Landscaping and Hydroponics. The second section, Understanding Nature’s Ways, has nine chapters. Mystery of the Fig Wasp is a recent research, while The Mosquito is an update about this deadliest creature on earth. 

The third section, Conserving Our Natural Resources has seven chapters which include The 7Rs in Pollution Management, and Farming Peat Soil, a frontier of agriculture in the Philippines. The fourth and last section, Harmonious Living with Nature, has eight chapters which remind us of the importance of maintaining good relationship of man and nature.  Topics include Health and Values and Walking with Nature. 

Many of the articles in this book were taken from the lessons presented on Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (People’s School-on-the-Air). This is in response to listeners requesting copies of the lessons. Like in the first book, Living with Nature in Our Times is distributed  by the publisher through popular outlets.

I would like to thank ad Veritatem, Ating Alamin Gazette and Women’s Journal,  as well as the research journals of St. Paul University QC, De La Salle University Dasmariñas, and University of Perpetual Help of Rizal for publishing my lectures and researches.  I have also included a number of these articles, written in layman’s language. 

Lastly, I wish to thank the following institutions and persons who helped me in coming up with this new volume. University of Santo Tomas, University of Perpetual Help of Rizal, De La Salle University Dasmariñas, St. Paul University Quezon City, Lyceum of the Philippines University, Philippine Broadcasting Service-Radyo ng Bayan (PBS-DZRB), National Food Authority; and UST Publishing House and staff;

To my  family Cecilia R Rotor, wife of the author and their children: Matthew Marlo, Anna Christina and Leo Carlo, sister Veneranda, and cousins Acela, Julita, Fe and Luz, and other relatives. And to all who in one way or the other made the publication of this book possible.