Mural Paintings of the Grand Palace of Thailand

Mural Paintings of the Grand Palace of Thailand

Real gold decorates the many buildings that include the temple

of the Emerald Buddha.

Photos and Verse by Dr Abe V Rotor

Mural, mural on the wall:

tell me who's the fairest of them all,

the grandest, the most powerful -

The wall is mute, its message full

of wealth, power before the Fall,

and the secrets of its soul.~

 

 Author (right) and host from Vinafoods, Bangkok, Thailand

The Grand Palace complex was established in 1782 and it consists of not only royal and throne halls, but also a number of government offices as well as the renowned Temple of the Emerald Buddha. It covers an area of 218,000 square meters and is surrounded by four walls, 1900 meters in length.

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The King and I movie 

The story of an English school teacher (Deborah Kerr) and her unconventional relationship with the King of Siam (Yul Brynner) takes you on a charming journey back in time to Thailand in the early 1860's. As one of the best loved musicals of the 20th century, The King and I is a breathtaking production rich with history. But why did Thailand ban The King and I? That film is banned in Thailand because its depiction of King Mongkut - the current king's great-great grandfather - is deemed disrespectful and false. However, the memoirs of the English schoolteacher, Anna Harriette Leonowens, was not banned in Thailand.  (Internet)

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The Grand Palace is a complex of buildings at the heart of Bangkok, Thailand. The palace has been the official residence of the Kings of Siam since 1782. The king, his court, and his royal government were based on the grounds of the palace until 1925. ~

Beautiful Nature in Verses 2 : "The best and most beautiful things in the world ... must be felt with the heart." - Helen Keller

 Beautiful Nature in Verses 2

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched — they must be felt with the heart." 

- Helen Keller

Dr Abe V Rotor

Photo by the author, Bamban, Tarlac 

After the Rain

Raindrops roll like a tear,

Sinking deep to cause a stir,

The fishes rise from their lair

To greet the freshened air.

"It is during our darkest moments that we must focus 

to see the light." - Aristotle

A Pond of Flowers, in acrylic by AVRotor

By the Pond

Tell me your throes, 

Worries and woes,

And to the fishes

Your wistful wishes.

                                                                                      Wikipedia 

Bougainvillea

Pure and dainty you seem to be, 

Your petals I see are for the bee;

In pure mimicry you send a spray,

Of short-lived fragrantless bouquet.

  

Nymphaea

White lilies all in a row,

Bathed in mist to the brow,

And kissed by the jolly bee,

The morning sun and Thee.

Lady Gardener

 You harvest what you now sow,

Blest by the sun, friend of the bee

To kiss the sweat on your brow,

And bring fruit to your hobby.

"Whoever is happy will make others happy too." - Anne Frank

Acknowledgement: Internet photos (as indicated); verses from Nymphaea: 

Beauty in the Morning by A.V. Rotor, A Giraffe Book 1996

Beautiful Nature in Verses 1: "Leave the road, take the trails." —Pythagoras

Beautiful Nature in Verses 1

"Leave the road, take the trails." —Pythagoras

Dr Abe V Rotor

A Snail on a Flower

Obscure in the deep you've been,

Now perched on a petal to be seen,

To share the beauty of your host,

And beauty itself the cost.

Bird's Nest Fern

Clothe your host with gown,

Huddle her in comfort and love

With a rosette of frond her crown

To catch the cloud above.

Lotus  

I greeted you one morning, 

As I saw your face smiling,

Let me kiss your fragrance, 

That I can go into a trance

Of contented forgetfulness 

From ephemeral greatness.

Under the Shade

Too little a shade for too many

A fine lass hugging the mast, 

So little care, or rain if any,

Before the storm's final blast.

Silhouette

 Now you have nothing to boast about,

Rise from your burden and cry out,

Open your arms and bare your heart,

Grow the buds for new life to start.

"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where 

there is no path and leave a trail." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Acknowledgement: Internet photos; verses from Nymphaea: 

Beauty in the Morning by A.V. Rotor, A Giraffe Book 1996

Light Up Your Life with Nature!

 Light Up Your Life with Nature!

 Lighten your load. Put down your cross and take a rest. You have been living a marathon life, and holding up the sky. "Life is real, life is earnest," says Longfellow. And above all, Life is Beautiful.

Dr Abe V Rotor

Light up your life. Why don't you find yourself in these events - past and present.

Revere life. "All creatures big and small - God made them all ."
(Calatagan, Batangas)

Value tradition. (Playing sungka, Calatagan, Batangas)

Enjoy Nature's Bounty (Manaoag, Pangasinan)

Recreate the Garden of Eden. (Manaoag, Pangasinan)

Build sandcastle. While away time with your family.
(Calatagan, Batangas)

Join curious kids, be their teacher.
(St Paul University QC Eco Sanctuary)

Pitch a tent and spend a night with your kids under a
roof of trees or a myriad of stars . (Mt. Makiling, Laguna)

Be a clown or Santa Claus, once in a while. (Sargassum seaweed
at Sunken Pier at Puerto, Santo Domingo, Ilocos Sur.)

"A boy is a joy forever." Have fun, join the frolic.

(Calatagan, Batangas)

Enjoy wildlife, even if you are far from the forest,
(Avilon Zoo, Rizal).

Get out of your air conditioned room.
Go for the wind. (Bangui, Ilocos Norte).

Paint a Wall. Beautify your surroundings.

(Mural painting, Novaliches QC.)

Cicero, the great Roman philosopher said, "To live long, it is necessary to live slowly."

Take time to live. ~

"Make these dogs happy." A drawing exercise for children

A drawing exercise for children

"Make these dogs happy."

 

"Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole." 

- Rodger A. Caras

Dr Abe V Rotor

                             Pastel drawing by Anna Christina R Rotor, circa 2000

Make these dogs happy, I once asked a child,

     with pencil drew a pair of bone,

which made a change in the dogs' expression,

     their tails and eyes had shown.

Another child drew a house in gaily colors;

     with arch door and window;

and he wrote the name of the new owner,

     but King slept on its shadow.

Another child drew a tree with a bird's nest'

     which is happier, dog or bird?

He is referee, matchmaker, guardian,

     he plays the role of the third.

Up front a child made familiar drawings:

     playthings for dog and child.

happiness is in playing the same game

     with the master though how wild.

At the back, a little girl kept drawing;

     shy, she hid her work but I saw.

Why she had unchained the dogs! Freedom!

     she wrote with knitted brow.

Here I saw two views, domestic and wild -

     which is sad, which is happy?

How little I know of the lesson I ought to know,

     of dogs in the wild and free. ~

Children's Drawing: The World Inside Us

           Children's Drawing:  The World Inside Us

Dr Abe V Rotor

"When we die, hopefully we will be remembered for the joy,

truth and love we have given to those we have left behind..."

The World Inside Us - Unknown

Tower of Babel by Leo Carlo R Rotor, 8

"I end my term (as chair of CSC). I know what else I want to do;

I know where else I want to go... for I continue to have

the will to win." - Corazon Alma G de Leon 

A lovely pair - unknown

"A caring couple for and with each other..."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: These are selected drawings of children who participated in a Summer Art Workshop conducted by the author, c. 1998, published in Heart and Soul: Reflections in Geneva by Corazon Alma G de Leon by Megabooks 1999. Quotations are excerpts of poems accompanying the drawings by then Chair of the Civil Service Commission, CA de Leon. 

                         

Ten Ways Our World Ends

 Ten Ways Our  World Ends 

"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought,

 but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones" 

- Albert Einstein 

Dr Abe V Rotor

Based on the lecture of Stephen Petranek

TED Talks 

School Research assignment: Discuss each item as presented here in reversed order.   

 

Big Bang in acrylic by the author

10. We lose the will to survive
Remember Never Ending Story? Duel between the boy hero and the devil wolf.  

9. Aliens invade the Earth 
Fiction yesterday, fact today. Do you believe in other beings outside our own planet?

8. The collapse of the ecosystems
So with the biomes (grouping of similar or related ecosystems, e.g. Rainforest) as a result of shrinking wildlife.

7. Particle Accelerator mishap
Similar, if not worse, than nuclear reactor meltdown. Unleashing sub-atomic particles capable of igniting chain reaction. 

6. Biocide disaster 
Biological agents in warfare causing pandemic to humans, animals and crops. 

5. Reversal of the Earth's magnetic field.
Earth's magnetic field acts like a shield to protect Earth from damaging solar particles. The Sun releases a flow of charged particles into space that can affect life on Earth. Reversal has global impact to our communication systems network.  

4. Giant solar flares
Tongues of fire arising from the sun's surface exacerbates global warming and El Nino phenomenon.   

3. New Global Epidemic
H1N1, Ebola, HIV-AIDS, virulent flu virus top the pathogenic epidemic diseases, obesity, cell radiation, fatal stress are the recent global causes of death. 
  
2. We meet a rogue Black Hole
Theoretical physicists reveals the presence of blackholes in our galaxy, giant whirlpools that swallow up stars within its radius - including our sun and its solar system. 

1. Collision with an Asteroid
Scientists coined impact technology as a new science in dealing with meteors and asteroids that fall to earth.  One impact caused the extinction of dinosaurs some 25 million years ago. 

Other Ways the Author Believes are:

• Global System Collapse 
• Global Governance Failure
• Runaway Technology
• Suicidal Human Trait

Weimar Germany amidst hyperinflation, in 1923. We'd need something even worse if humanity as a whole's going to destroy itself. (Albert Harlingue/Roger Viollet/Getty Images)

This is a vague one, but it basically means the world's economic and political systems collapse, by way of something like "a severe, prolonged depression with high bankruptcy rates and high unemployment, a breakdown in normal commerce caused by hyperinflation, or even an economically-caused sharp increase in the death rate and perhaps even a decline in population." (Internet)

Art Workshop for Children: An Integrated and Experiential Approach. Theme - Take a Break with Arts.

Art Workshop for Children:

An Integrated and Experiential Approach

Dr Abe V Rotor  

Theme: Take a Break with Arts.
Are you bored? Are you too busy with the computer, TV, Mall and books?
Let’s draw and paint, write and read stories and verses, and have music, too.(violin)

Kite flying Season, mural detail, by AVR

A. Rationale

 The Humanities or applied art is a wholesome experience, especially to children. It develops skills and stirs consciousness in appreciating the beauty and bounty life. It is a special way of self-expression. With a conducive environment and proper training, talents in the art blossom as the child grow.  Here the right brain, the seat of creativity is developed  while the left brain, the seat of reason grows. It is reason that gives the subject of art; but it is creativity that expresses it in the fullness of colors, words, music and other elements that constitute the vehicle of aesthetic communication, touching the mind, heart and soul.

B. Admission

•  Open to boys and girls who have the inclination to the arts
•  Age Range: 7 to 14
•  Number of participants: 40 to 50 (2 sub-groups – younger and older)

C. Duration

• Three (3) consecutive Saturdays workshop, one day outdoor painting, and 5th day, Exhibits, Graduation and Recognition = 5 Saturdays  
• Tentative Schedule: July 20 to August 17, 2013 
• 8 to 11 am; 1 to 4 pm 
• Venue: SPU Makati

D. Materials and Tools:

•  One set Acrylic Paint (Hansa yellow, toluidine red, burnt sienna, thalo blue, lamp black, gloss white)
• One set of artist brushes (4), 1” and 1 ½ ordinary brush, 1@
• Palette Board  (1) or improvised board
•  Canvas mounted on board (or frame bastidor)– 11” x 14” 1 pc
• Illustration board ¼  (2 pcs)
• Oslo drawing paper (12)
• Workshop Guide: Open Internet avrotor.blogspot.com  Download (SPU Makati) workshop lessons, print.
• Multimedia equipment and workshop room.

E. Aims and Expected Result:

• Breaks boredom
• Gives breathing spell from school
•  Develops basic drawing painting skill
•  Introduces art criticism
•  Increases sensitivity to environment and other subjects of art
• Develops personal style
•  Integrates forms of art – music, literary, spatial
• Increases awareness of Multiple Intelligence

F. The Workshop

•  Lecture-demonstration
•  Hands-on exercises and on-the-spot painting, digital photography and composition (narrative and poetry)
• Art Exhibition of selected works
• Recognition (certificates and medals)

Children Fishing, in acrylic by the author

G. Art Instructor 

Dr. Abercio V. Rotor is professor at UST, former professor DLSU Dasmariñas, SPUQC, and UPH-Rizal.

University of Santo Tomas (1611-2011) Lights the World

400 Years

University of Santo Tomas (1611-2011)

Lights the World

Manila, Philippines

Dr. Abe V Rotor

4ooth anniversary celebration of the University of Santo Tomas, the eldest university in Asia, and older than Harvard University in the US. In terms of student population, it is the largest Catholic university in the world in a single campus. The institution was established in 1611 through the initiative of Bishop Miguel de Benavides, O.P., third Archbishop of Manila.

After 400 years, celebration ends, begins a new mark;
UST - pride of the nation and region, of the world;
where great men and women passed under the Arch
of the Centuries, armed with truth and the Word.

Born in the Renaissance, the age of Enlightenment,
bridged Europe across the seas and the Orient;
where cultures clashed, earthly life and the firmament,
humbling them into consequential agreement.

Emerging from the Dark Ages after a thousand years,
you carried on the Greco-Roman influence,
through sword and cross, emblem of your forebears
who forged an East-West confluence.

You lived through trials and triumphed with the nation,

a Lazarus after colonization, two world wars,

of ideologies and faiths, of world order in revolution,

taking neither side but followed the stars.

The world in your campus, long before globalization;

knowledge encompassing in tune with the times,

searching, beyond Galileo, answer to the question,

"Quo vadis humanus?" through inevitable signs.

What bigger challenge UST - idealist, classical, dreamer -

as the world has gone a thousand-fold increase:

with man as sapiens, faber, ludens, spiritus in this order!

Old but firm stands the Arch of the Centuries. ~

   

The UST Hymn

Chorus

God of all nations

Merciful Lord of our restless being

Sweep with your golden lilies

This fountain of purest light

Trace with the sails of the galleons

The dream beyond our seeing

Touch with the flame of your kindness

The gloom of our darkest night

Keep us in beauty and truth and virtues

Impassioned embrace

Ever your valiant legions

Imbued with unending grace.

The official hymn of the University was the winning entry in a national contest held in 1961, the 350th anniversary of the University. Its lyrics were penned by José Maria Hernandez, while the music was by the first Director of the Conservatory of Music, Dean Julio Esteban Anguita, and orchestrated by Fr. Manuel P. Maramba, OSB. As the embodiment of the University spirit, it is played with the intention to bolster morale and present the pride and unity of all Thomasians. Adapted from the UST Protocol Manual (2019)

Dr Abe V Rotor graduated with a Doctorate in Philosophy (Ph.D.) major  in Biology at UST in 1984 with highest honor - Meritissimus.  He served as professorial lecturer at the Graduate School, and Faculty of Arts and Letters until his retirement in 2015.  He has written five books published by UST:  Light from the Old Arch (2000), Living with Nature Handbook (2003) winner of Gintong Aklat Award; Living with Nature in Our Times (2007) winner of National Book Award; Living with Folk Wisdom (2010), Don't Cut the Trees, Don,t (2012), and co-author and editor of other UST publications.~

Myths and beliefs add quaintness to living.*

  Myths and beliefs add quaintness to living.*

                                               Dr. Abe V. Rotor

Do toads (Bufo marinus) cause wart? Toads are popular in make-believe stories for children, and in horror stories, too. What could be the root of such fantasy and fear? Toads are poisonous to compensate for their docile nature. (Note pair of poison glands behind their ears). For this, predators have learned to avoid them. A good advice is: Don't play with toads. This specimen was found at the Center for Ecological Learning and Livelihood (CELL) Silang Cavite

Imagine Lola Basiang relating folklores. Folklores are rich in legends and myths. Or simply tidbits of imagination and beliefs.

Around a campfire, imagine our ancestors exchanging personal knowledge, embellished experiences, and boundless imaginations and superstitious beliefs. They founded the open university - a prototype, sort of.

Gathering indigenous knowledge and folk wisdom enlarges and enhances our history and tradition. Even beliefs and practices, which cannot be explained scientifically, are valuable because they are part of our culture and contribute to quaintness of living.

Here is an open ended list of common myths and beliefs. I would like to invite the reader to add on to the list.

• A conceiving mother should never pick fruits from a tree, otherwise the tree will die.

. Maternal impressions (pinaglihi-an) are the causes of birth defects (and good ones, too).

• A papaya plant in front of the house brings bad luck.

• A pregnant mother who eats twin bananas might give birth to twins.

• A tree surrounded by fireflies at night brings good luck.

• Plant coconuts during moonlight so that it will produce big nuts.

• Hang several bottles on the trellises of upo so that it will bear more fruit.

• Eating from stocks intended for seeds will bring poor harvest.

• Burying a little sugar with the seeds of ampalaya when planting will prevent the fruits from becoming bitter.

. Place the first fruits harvested from a plant in a large container and pretend to carry them as if they were very heavy so that the plant will be heavy with fruits.

• Avoid laughing while planting sweet potato or kamote otherwise the roots will become lip-like.

• One who has an incomplete set of teeth should keep his mouth closed when planting corn, otherwise the plant will bear empty or poorly filled cobs.

. Bathe the cat and it will rain.

' Don't hurt the señora (mother rate), else it will do more harm.

. Cat grooming at the doorway tells of the coming of visitors.

. A person who eats ripe fruits partly eaten by birds becomes talkative.

. Tell your dreams so that they will not happen. What you dream about is the opposite of what will happen.

Here are more superstitious beliefs.

. Dogs howl in the night at spirits and ghosts.

. A black butterfly that enters the house tells that a close relative is going to die.

. A conceiving mother who gets near a fruiting tree causes its fruits to fall prematurely.

. Someone dies if the fire tree is in full bloom.

. Planting stock (stem) of cassava when inverted will produce poisonous tubers.

. Flying kites while rice plants are in bloom causes poor harvest.

. Don't proceed to your destination if a black cat crosses your path.

. Spiny cactus inside the house drives the witch away.

. Talking while preparing gabi (taro)makes it itchy when eaten.

. A conceiving mother will cause fruits to fall prematurely from the tree (like mango).

. Before you sip your wine, spill a little to offer to unseen spirits.

There is a popular belief that garlic cloves hung above the door will protect the house from the manananggal (half-bodied female vampire) who is said to hover around dwellings looking for unwary victims.

Do you believe in usog (naan-annungan Ilk.), that is, when a spirit "touches" a person. The nausog suddenly becomes indisposed, experiences cold sweating and general weakness, often accompanied by stomach cramp. Old folks believe that a spirit might have chanced on the person. This may be the spirit of a dead person, or a spirit of nature guarding the place. But it could also be the work of a living person who has this supernatural power.

The patient finds relief when brushed or rubbed with leaves of malunggay (Moringa), atis (sweetsop), guayabano (soursop), or dayap (sour orange) – or have him or her touched by the mangan-annong. Dried leaves of kamias or kahel are burned. The smoke works like aromatherapy. Or wipe the patient with any clothing belonging to the dead person, often accompanied by incantations to appease the spirit.

There are stories of dwarfs who bring either good luck or misfortune, depending on the world they belong to. Beware of the black ones, welcome those golden in color. Next time you answer the call of nature under a tree, say, tabi-tabi (bari-bari Ilk). And don't forget to spit on the spot before you leave.

At harvest time, “atang” is offered which consists of rice, viand, wine and “palaspas” (palm) so that next year’s harvest will also be bountiful.

Once I brought my class in college biology to a field trip in Los Baños, Laguna. When I told them it's lucky to find a four-leaf clover their enthusiasm perked up. And when I said, "Anyone who can steal a leaf of the makahiya without it drooping will find the person of his or her dream. And my young students swarmed over the field trying their luck. It was fun, really fun. ~

Beliefs and myths worldwide have not been fully and truly explored. In your respective areas, and countries, they still flourish, mainly with the old folks. Why don't you save them before they get lost? Write them into a book, use photograph, case studies, interviews with the resource persons. In short, document them with today's multi-media. Be like the Grimm brothers, Hans Anderson, and Lola Basiang. Add more beliefs and myths to this list and share with our members and viewers.

* Adapted from the Ph.D. dissertation of Sister Mamerta Rocero, SPC, Ethnobotany of the Itawes, University of Santo Tomas Graduate School, Manila.