Birds' Nests on our Window

                                 Birds' Nests on our Window

The hall is now busy with child's play;

footsteps and human voices

echo across, windows wide open,

but where have the birds gone?

Dr Abe V Rotor 

Whatever happened to the birds that built their nests on our window.

Two bird's nests being built between a window grill and screen.

Close-up of nearly completed nest    

That was before my son and family 

     came home to live with us,

tired of living in the metropolis;

     to our ancestral house.

For many years our house was haven

     to house sparrows nesting

on the iron grills of the window pane,

     all day singing and chirping. 

Often in chorus they filled the air, 

     with young birds learning to fly,

while new couples build their nests, 

     in joyous call and cry. 

The hall is now busy with child's play;

     footsteps and human voices

echo across, windows wide open,

     but where have the birds gone? ~

       

The Practice and Value of Gleaning

 The Practice and Value of Gleaning

Dr Abe V Rotor

Glean is to gather, as scattered grain from a reaped field.

This is a romantic painting of three old women gleaning in a wheat field at sunset by Millet. A religious order - St Paul of Chartres - adopted the painting as symbol of its mission.

But it may mean differently. Markham looked at the painting as a symbol of social injustice, reinforced by Man with the Hoe, also by Millet. Markham wrote his message in forceful language.

Without reference to religious and ideological connotation, gleaning is a good practice. It reduces wastefulness and waste itself. It extends the use of a product, maximizing its value. It is "value added" in itself.

Here are examples of gleaning in our times.

1. Toothpaste. Cut spent tube with blade or scissor and glean. About a quarter of the content is ensconced in the tube. You can also use recovered paste as hand wash. Excellent to remove fishy and foul odor, grease and oil. It is refreshing, too.

3. Pencil stub. Roll a piece of paper (preferably colorful) on butt end of pencil. Flatten and twist end three times at right angle each time. It is self-locking. There is no need of paste or tape. Rolled paper extends length of pencil to make writing comfortable. It also serves as tip cover to prevent injury. It is an art, you can add to the crown a message, a cutout of a happy face - your own. The crown serves as clip in your pocket. Use paper that does not stain when wet. Collect those beautiful leaflets - they are indeed useful. Kids will simply love this project - paper caps for pencil and ball pens.

3. Lipstick. Don't throw away your spent lipstick. Dig out the content with lip brush, just as it is shown in the photo. Much of the stuff lies inside the tube. Many cosmetic products can be gleaned: pomade in bottle, face powder in disc canister, perfume in atomizer, and the like.

Remaining shampoo can be recovered by rinsing bottle, or cutting sachet and turning inside out.
............................................................................................................................
"Clean your plate," means don't leave any morsel in deference to millions of people around the world who don't have enough food to eat. It means sipping your drink to the last drop, cleaning to the bone pork chop and drum stick, and not leaving food to go to waste.
........................................................................................................

4. Coffee. Pour one-half cup water into empty bottle to loosen caked layer. Add hot water in the amount desired. (Don't pour hot water directly, otherwise bottle will break. If you do, be sure to put a spoon first, then pour hot water.) Stir or shake bottle gently. (Warning: don't shake bottle with tight cover. Hot water exerts pressure.)

5. Sugar. Follow the same procedure as in coffee, unless the container is plastic. For cocoa, fruit juice in powder, and salt, follow the same procedure.

6. Other food. Rice crust (tutong) from pot; mayonnaise, jelly, jam, butter, from their containers. Learn practical techniques of gleaning in the kitchen and in the refrigerator. You will save a lot. And get rid of the mess and vermin that thrive on our wasteful living.

Glean mayonnaise, condensed milk, honey and the like, with bread.

7. Wax. Gather candle stubs, spills, and broken ones, preferably of the same make and color. Remove impurities. Scrape and chop thinly, and melt in a suitable pan over low fire. Common molds are glass vase, bamboo or PVC tube Use pure cotton thread for wick.

8. Soap. Scrape and dissolve in water. Thoroughly mix, filter with cloth. Transfer filtrate into empty hand wash dispenser. You may adjust concentration according to use or preference. You may add freshener or perfume. You can reprocess remnants into "new soap".

9. When eating fruits like mango, santol, atis, caimito, and banana, don't just discard the part that you do not like. It's a waste really if after the first bite and you don't like the taste for whatever reason, you simply throw the whole thing away. Eat apple to the pith. Scoop caimito and atis with spoon. Thinly peel green cucumber, in fact there is no need to peel it at all. Take time to glean the fleshy seeds of mango atis, duhat, rambutan and santol in your mouth. Glean watermelon and melon to the rind. Save the rind, "eyes" and pith of pineapple and make them into vinegar. Suha rind is made into confectionery. Coconut meal (sapal) is an excellent animal and poultry feed.

10. Include older leaves as long as they are clean and healthy. Older malunggay leaves are more nutritious, so with kamote tops. Damaged tubers of cassava, gabi, potato and the like can be saved - just cut off the damaged part. Prepare perishable fruits and vegetable promptly. Vegetable stalks and peelings are good green fodder for farm animals and fish.

Save vegetables and spices from ddeterioration. 

 
List down at least ten (10) other applications of gleaning, which you can apply in the home and community. ~ 

Yes, you can be an effective public speaker

Yes, you can be an effective public speaker

Dr Abe V Rotor

There's no substitute to substance. Keep abreast. Elevate level of consciousness. Remember "poor minds talk about people, average minds about events, great minds ideas." AVR

You'll freeze on stage trembling and mumbling, and mental block could be the next thing to happen. It's a crucible to one who is not prepared to go up the stage and say something before the microphone, and before uttering a single word, the audience is already anticipating what he is going to say. And they are already making judgment on the impression he is creating.

Philippine President Ferdinand E Marcos had a special gift as a great speaker - highly intelligent, persuasive and charismatic. His extemporaneous speeches impressed members of the US joint congress, the UN Security Council, local and regional conferences, notwithstanding.

Time stops. How you wish your role is over and go back to your seat. Don't be a escapist to a challenge, responsibility, and a chance to be heard. To be appreciated and recognized.

People who are good in public speaking do it everyday, so to speak. It is as natural as ergonomics. Green thumb. Like driving a car for years. Or like a veteran teacher.

Well, for all we know "we are on stage talking" most of the time in our lives. Shakespeare said, "The world's a stage." The stage is everywhere - before the dining table with the family, in meeting relatives after years of absence. How many times have you sat beside the hearth among friends and acquaintances?

It's a good advice. In public speaking you should be natural and at ease. Know your subject as you know your audience. And yourself as a public speaker.

In public speaking, as in any form of communication, there are five basic elements, often expressed as "who is saying what to whom using what medium with what effects? "Public speaking can be a powerful tool to use for purposes such as motivation, influence, persuasion, informing, translation, or simply entertaining.

Here are some tips to good public speaking.

1. Prepare an outline of your main points and put them on index cards or a sheet of paper. Don't write out your whole speech and read it.

2. Write your own introduction. Don't rely on the person who will introduce you to come up with a good introduction. Send it before the event to the person who will introduce you.

3. Dress comfortably, neither under and over dressed. Know the dress code and motif ahead of time. Remember grooming is visual and psychological communication.

4. Check out the hall and have a feel of it before the occasion. Arrive a little early. See immediately your host or organizer. Check the needed equipment and materials. Confer with the technicians if you use PowerPoint or present a Documentary.

5. Get to know your audience. As audience members arrive, introduce yourself and chat with them. It will reduce your nervousness later.

6. Reminder: grammar, diction, modulation, breathe, pacing . Watch out for mannerism. Be aware of the time allocated to you. Don't stammer. Fight off uhs, ahs, hmms, and long pauses.

7. Remember that the audience is on your side. They came to hear what you have to say.
Unless you are in the thick of controversy. Or selling something new - idea or hardware. Even then, people should not be there - or you won't be there, either - if there is no planned purpose of meeting together, and you as speaker.

8. Practice makes perfect. With practice, you can become a confident, polished speaker. Take advantage of opportunities to hone your skills.

9. Research on your topic, enrich it through interview and case studies. There's no substitute to substance. Keep abreast. Elevate level of consciousness. Remember "poor minds talk about people, average minds about events, great minds ideas."

10. Be courteous and humble, spice your talk with wit and humor. Always maintain dignity and values, even in informal gatherings.

Next time you are invited to talk, prepare for it well. Do the dry run several times like editing an article for publication. This time it's not for the eyes only, but all the senses are involved - specially Common Sense. ~

Demosthenes achieved an astonishing intensity, variety, and freshness of emotional expression. He never let his audience anticipate what he will say next. No one creates periodic sentences longer or more complex, or so skillfully suspends the conclusion of a thought. No one has a better instinct for when to vary periodic structure with simpler sentences, or when to break off with a single word. No one better handles the thrust and parry of rhetorical questions and answers, sarcastic asides to and about his opponent, and sudden exclamations. No one can shift his tone so swiftly or with such effect. From a Lecture, Greek Prose Style

NOTE: One thing about Demosthenes my dad taught me when I was a kid is how this great Greek orator fought problems in voice and diction, specially with pronunciation, "R" specially, which is a common problem with children and youth today. Demosthenes would put pebbles into his mouth, and face the sea as his audience, a practice that also increased tremendously the volume and projection of his voice that reverberated in the Senate hall like there was microphone in his time.*

*Try this with caution. Accidental swallowing of the pebbles may cause asphyxiation.

Comment: Thanks sir, for posting it in the blog, as a student we need those tips not just for now, but for a lifetime, especially when we have our jobs. And for us to know how to express ourselves and for us to be able to socialize confidently. I will try to follow these steps written in the blog, for me to learn and to be good in speaking. - Chiara Alyssa Cochico
.
Acknowledgment, Internet Wikipedia

Avoid artificial food coloring: it can cause cancer and other ailments

Avoid artificial food coloring: it can cause cancer and other ailments

Dr Abe V Rotor

 Living with Nature School on Blog

Why food coloring?

Food coloring, or color additive, is any dye, pigment or substance that imparts color when it is added to food or drink. They come in many forms consisting of liquids, powders, gels and pastes. 

People associate certain colors with certain flavors, and the color of food can influence the perceived flavor in anything from candy to wine.   Color additives are used in foods for many reasons including:

Food dyes are like artist's colors. Primary colors come up with various secondary and tertiary colors, including designs, saturation, hues and accents.  Beware of colored candies, birthday cakes, and drinks. They are linked to cancer and behavioral problem in children.   

Food colorings offset color loss due to exposure to light, air, temperature extremes, moisture and storage conditions;

·         correct natural variations in color

·         enhance colors that occur naturally

·         provide color to colorless and "fun" foods

.     simulate a color that is perceived by the consumer as natural.

The case of shoe dye in tamarind sweet - my personal experience

All of a sudden when answering the call of nature, I was alarmed to see the color of my urine bright red. I cried, Blood!

I tried to compose myself to be able to reach the hospital in the earliest possible time. But what surprised me at the same time was that my fingers were also stained red. I examined the “tamarind sweet” I had just eaten. I found the culprit - jubos, the dye used on shoes!

There are products made to appear like cocoa, coffee, orange, strawberry, grapes and the like, when in fact the ingredients are mainly sugar, artificial flavors and food dyes.

How many food preparations are artificially colored for better presentation? Since that time on I have become more careful with colored foods. Ube cake, anyone?

One test to know if a food color is artificial is that it is detected in the urine. Natural colors, on the other hand, are either degraded by our excretory system or absorbed as a useful nutrient, as in the case of the yellow pigment of corn which is carotene. Carotene brightens the skin, deepens the yellow color of egg yolk, and lends freshness in meat. Carotene and xanthophyll from carrots and squash, lycopene in tomato are useful to our body. They make us glow, so to speak, improve our vision, and fight off cancer.

There are some things to consider about food dyes, specially if you suspect a food or drink to be colored artificially.

Be familiar with the natural colors of fruits and other food products. There are rare ones though. For example, purple rice cake (puto) comes from a variety pirurutong or purple rice. Ordinary rice flour and ube flour produce the same color. This can be imitated with the use of purple dye.

Fruit juices carry dyes to enhance their natural colors. Example, calamansi juice is made to appear like lemon or orange. Softdrinks would look dull and unattractive without artificial colors. Dyes mask natural variations in color and enhances naturally occurring colors. The sparkle and crystalline color of wine may be the result of judicious color blending.

A typical food cart in Manila  

Processed foods like smoked fish and ham are colored, usually golden yellow, or deep brown to make them look attractive. I once observed in a factory the practice of spraying a solution of yellow pigment on smoked fish to make it look newly processed and the body fat visible.

Other uses of artificial color or dye are in medicine to protect flavors, and minerals and vitamins from damage by light. Thus multivitamins are usually colored usually with bright yellow which appears in urine. Colored coatings of medicines and drugs are used to monitor prescribed doses in patients.

Cloudifier to make vinegar look like Sukang Paumbong or sasa, or something natural, is actually adding a few drops of milk to a dilute solution of acetic acid. This overnight formulation is popular in the market, because it is cheap, but the truth is that glacial acetic acid is not good to health.

Easter eggs

Cakes and other bakery products may deceive the eye and even the palate. Nothing beats the icing of birthday and wedding cakes. Bakers as artists use colors perhaps more than the full spectrum of the rainbow. I am amazed at how they express their art with the colors of Marc Chagall's stained glass, Pablo Picasso's fresh abstracts, and Rembrandt's sunset and midnight hues. With red, yellow and blue - the primary colors - plus white, there are artists who can create all the colors they need in their masterpieces.

But we cannot mix food with art using artificial colors.

Fortunately we are among the riches countries when it comes to natural food colors and dyes - orange, red to purple from oranges, grapes and strawberry; green from the leaves of pandan (Pandanus odoratissimus) and green paddy rice (pinipig); dark red to black from the fruits of duhat and bignay; purple color from ube (Dioscorea alata); and golden yellow from mango, pineapple, and tumeric (Corcuma longa).

The list is virtually endless, if we iunclude colors from muscovado sugar, coffee, cacao, banana, mangosteen, avocado, nangka, and the like.

By the way, what is the most common source of natural color and dye?

It is achuete or anatto (Bixa orellana) PHOTO. Achuete is a small to medium size tree introduced from Mexico (achuete is an Aztec word) during the Spanish times. Today it is used to impart or improve the color and flavor of cheese, butter, yogurt, noodles, pasta, macaroni, and cakes and many confectionery products.

I cannot imagine if there is no achuete in batchoy, apretada, azucena, caldereta, paella, kare-kare, arroz valenciana, lechon, and many other dishes.

Let us avoid artificial food coloring. Here is a toast of red Basi wine. 

Allow me to post this news item on food dye published by Philippine Daily Inquirer on the Internet. 

 

 Author inspects artificial colors that impart attractive presentation of processed food like bagoong. 

FDA warns vs cancer-causing food dye in candy,

‘gulaman’ ‘bagoong’
By Tina G Santos
Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines—The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned the public about processed food products found positive for rhodamine-B, a cancer-causing substance found in coloring dye.

In an advisory posted on its website last week, the FDA said three of 34 food product samples it tested for nonpermissible colorants (NPC) were found positive for rhodamine-B.

According to the FDA, the samples it tested were taken from ambulant vendors, public markets, groceries and supermarkets in the National Capital Region and Central Visayas.

“Most of the samples were unregistered and noncompliant with food product labeling standards,” said FDA acting director general Kenneth Hartigan Go in the advisory.

Some of the products were icing candy from Cebu Crown Grocery, red gulaman from the Carbon Public Market and shrimp paste (labeled 7C’s) from Robinson’s Grocery in Talisay, Cebu.

“The food processors of the three products are in violation of the FDA Act of 2009 (Republic Act No. 9711) and the Consumer Act of the Philippines (RA 7394) on the adulteration of processed food,” said Go.

Go said the FDA Act of 2009 requires all locally manufactured and imported processed food products to be registered with the Food and Drug Administration.

“This requirement is in addition to the permits issued by the local government units (LGUs) and other government agencies,” he said.

Meanwhile, five other products that the FDA tested needed further confirmatory tests for the presence of NPC Sudan.

Rhodamine-B is a fluorescent dye used as a tracer in water and air flow studies, and in molecular and cell biology studies. It presents as a red to violet powder. It has been shown to be carcinogenic in mammalian models.

On the other hand, industrial grade Sudan dye is not permitted for use in food because it is toxic, carcinogenic and likely contains metals like mercury and arsenic. Sudan dyes are used in shoe and floor polish, solvents, oils, waxes and petrol.

The FDA advised consumers to buy processed food products from legitimate food establishments and outlets.

He urged consumers to report food processors using suspect food coloring additives.

NOTE: In another article researchers say there may be a link between artificial food dyes and behavioral problems in children with certain medical conditions.

Acknowledgement: Wikipedia, Philippine Daily Inquirer

Lesson on former Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (People's School-on-Air) with Ms Melly C Tenorio 738 DZRB AM Band, 8 to 9 evening class Monday to Friday

Leona Florentino: Mother of Philippine Women's Literature

Philippine Literature features Leona Florentino:

"The mother of Philippine women's literature" and the "bridge from oral to literary tradition."

Dr Abe V Rotor

 

Original plaza and monument of the greatest Filipina literary icon in Vigan at the gateway to the future UNESCO Heritage City in the 1950's

 

Leona Florentino's monument today with new historical marker has lost much of its original solemnity. Leona Florentino is one of the four pillars of Philippine literature, with Jose Rizal, Balagtas and Severino Reyes (Lola Basyang). These four pillars have provided the foundation of Philippine literature that links it with the literature of the world. The four pillars steered the course of Philippine Literature into the postmodern era, which is the theme of a new textbook, Philippine Literature Today (C&E Publishing Co.,) written jointly by the author and Dr Kristine Molina-Doria.

Philippine Literature Today featuring the four pillars of Philippine Literature: Jose Rizal, Francisco Balagtas, Severino Reyes (Lola Basyang) and Leona Florentino the doyen of Philippine poetry in Spanish, Ilokano (Samtoy), and other regional dialects.

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Leona Florentino (19 April 1849 - 4 October 1884) was a Filipino poet in the Spanish and Ilocano languages. She is considered as the "mother of Philippine women's literature" and the "bridge from oral to literary tradition".

Born to a wealthy and prominent family in Vigan, Ilocos Sur, Florentino began to write her first verses in Ilocano at a young age. Despite her potential, she was not allowed to receive a university education because of her gender. Florentino was instead tutored by her mother, and then a series of private teachers. An educated Ilocano priest taught her advanced Spanish and encouraged her to develop her voice in poetry.

Florentino married a politician named Elias de los Reyes at the age of 14. They had five children together. Their son Isabelo de los Reyes later became a Filipino writer, activist and senator. Due to the feminist nature of her writings, Florentino was shunned by her husband and son; she lived alone in exile and separately from her family. She died at the age of 35.

Her lyrical poetry in Spanish, and especially that in Ilocano, gained attention in various international forums in Spain, Paris and St. Louis, Missouri. Her literary contributions - particularly 22 preserved poems - were recognized when she was included in the Encyclopedia Internationale des Oeuvres des Femmes (International Encyclopedia of Women’s Works) in 1889. She is believed to be the first Filipina to receive this international recognition, an homage that occurred after her death at a young age.
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Blasted Hopes

What gladness and what joy
are endowed to one who is loved
for truly there is one to share
all his sufferings and his pain.

My fate is dim, my stars so low
perhaps nothing to it can compare,
for truly I do not doubt
for presently I suffer so.

For even I did love,
the beauty whom I desired
never do I fully realize
that I am worthy of her.

Shall I curse the hour
when first I saw the light of day
would it not have been better a thousand times
I had died when I was born.

Would I want to explain
but my tongue remains powerless
for now do I clearly see
to be spurned is my lot.

But would it be my greatest joy
to know that it is you I love,
for to you do I vow and a promise I make
it’s you alone for whom I would lay my life.

Mga Tula ni Leona Florentino
(Salin mula sa Samtoy ni Josie Clausen;
isinaayos ni Ruth Elynia S. Mabanglo)

ANG PAGPAPAALAM (Panagpakada)
O Mutya ng pag-ibig, ako’y dinggin
Nasadlak sa hirap at dumaraing;
O Puso, maanong amutan ng tingin,
Ang kaawa-awa’y iyong pansinin.

Tunay ngang kaawa-awa
Itong inulila ng yumao
Nguni gumagaang ang pakiramdam
Pagkat alaala mo’y laging kaakbay.
At bilang pamamaalam
Sa iyong piling ako’y lilisan
Pagkat nalasap ko ang tuwa at ligaya
Na hindi mawawala sa aking alaala.
Malungkot akong magpapaalam--
Adyos, Liyag, mabangong asucena;
Sa aking masamyong dibdib itatago kita,
Nang ang bango mo’y di na maglaho pa.
Ngayo’y lagi nang kalong ng katahimikan
At kasa-kasama ng mapait na lumbay
Pagkat sa diwa ko’y umiibis ang kalungkutan
Nagbibigay-wari ng kahabagan.
Samahan ka ng Diyos, O punong-puno ng sigla
Gayundin yaong sa pag-ibig nagnanasa,
Samahan ka ng Diyos, ikaw na nagtatago ng pag-irog
Ang puri mo’t dangal kailanma’y di madudurog.
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MGA HINANAKIT NG ISANG NABIGO
(As-Asug Ti Maysa A Napaay)
O Pag-ibig, sa makikirot na hibik ako’y natitigmak
Sapagkat ayaw pumayapa ng dusa at hirap;
O maanong tumigil ka na sa pananalasa
Pagkat walang alinlangang buhay ko’y papanaw na.
O Pag-ibig, anong hapdi, anong sakit,
Kamatayan kang sumasanib
Dahil ang umiibig na hindi iniibig
Napakasakit, napakakirot sa pangmasid.
Kay lupit, kay lupit ng kilos mo’t sigla,
Iniiwan akong nagdurusa;
Nalinlang na ganap ang aking mata
Winasak ang tiwala at aking pag-asa.
Ngunit ang umasa’y walang katuturan
Hindi ko akalaing ito ang kahihinatnan
Bangkay ako ngayong naturingan
Pagkat wala nang halaga ang aking katawan.
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*Original poems in Ilokano

PANAGPAKADA
Timudem man! O Imnas ni ayat,
ti un-unnoy toy seknan ni rigat;
imatangam, O puso ket imutektekannak
anusem a paliiwen toy daksanggasat.
Daksanggasat konak a ta maipusay
toy naldaang unay a bangkay;
ngem ni lagip dinto met bumalakday,
agnanayonto laeng a sitatarabay.
Kas panagpakada dagitoy nga innak baliksen,
ta toy bagik maipanaw kadagita taeng;
taeng ni ragsak, liwliwa nga innak lak-amen,
dinto met mapunas nga innak pampanunoten.
Silaladingit toy puso nga agpakada,
Adios laing, napusaksak nga asusena;
Iti sayamusom ti barukongko ipenpennaka,
tapno dinto maumag ti agdaplay a banglona.
Siaaddaakto laeng, ti taeng ni alinaay,
ta ditoy panunot salemseman ni tarumpingay;
tarabayennakto ni napait a liday,
ket isunto kaniak ti mangay-ay-ay.
Dios ti kumuyog, O napnuan sayaksak,
nga esmanto dagiti agay-ayat;
Dios ti kumuyog, salimetmetmo mangalasag,
ta tapno dayta sudim, taknengmo ti di marakrak.

AS-ASUG TI MAYSA A NAPAAY 

Nasnebanak ti nasaem a sasainnek, ay ayat!
ta diman la agtanak ti lak-amen a tuok ken rigat;
isuna kadin isunan; ala isunan yantangay detoy biag,
diak duaduaenen a suminan itoy bagik a daksanggasat.
Ay, ayat, ayaunayen ti sanaang
ni patay sumken nakalkaldaang
ta iti maysa nga agayat a dida pagayatan,
nakasaksakit nakem a maimatangan.
Narangas dagiti laingmo ken sayaksakmo naulpit,
nadawel, kitaem man toy silaladingit;
ta naallilaw man dagitoy matak idi a buybuyaek,
ta iti inanama ken talek isuda kaniak ti namatalged.
Ngem eppes man dagidi nga inanama,
ta diak impapan a kastoy ti tungpalna,
tungpal tanem ket itan ti nagbanaganna,
datoy bagik ta isu ti kaikarianna.


RUKRUKNOY*

Dimteng itay, kakabsatko a kaingungotak
ti aldaw a tinudingan ti Dios a puon ti imbag
nga inkay panagassawa panagkaysa siaayat
iti natan-ok a Sakramento nga inkay inawat.

Natungpal itayen ti tinartarigagayanyo
a panagkallaysa dagiti puspusoyo;
ti napateg a bandisionna inawatyo
iti Santa Iglesia nga inatayo.

Itan ' ti kababalinto panagbiagyo
nupay dua maymaysa ti bagiyo
a mangipakita mangipatalged kadakayo
ti rebbengyo a panagayan-ayat panagdungngo-dungngo.

Ti kawar a namagsinggalot kadagiti pusoyo
dinto mawarwaren ingganat' tungpal biagyo
rosasto laeng ti arigna no tungpalenyo
ti panagayan-ayat nga inkariyo.

Anansata no ragsak ti maysa ragsakyo a dua
no rigat ti maysa, rigatyo met a dua
adaywanyo ti ilem ken panagduadua
a mangirurumen ti sudi ti panagtinnalek ti agassawa.

Ala Severino awatem ti kapatgan a saniata
nga ited ti Apotayo aDios nga isagut kenka
salimetmetam kas napateg unay a perla
ita nagmumotan ti pusom ti concha a pakaidulinanna.

Isu dayta daydi sabong nga inka nakita
ti sidong asi ken dungngo ti maysa nga ina
a naiduma ti lasbang ken rangpayana
iti panagdungngo; panag tarakenna.

Nupay kasano ti sakit ti nakemna
amangisina, mangyadayo iti dennana
maipapilit itayen ~ purosenna
a yawat tapno sika pay met ti manapaya.
Tapno di rralaylay ti rangpayana
ti ayat ken dungngom dikanto isina
ta isunto ti kas linnaaw a pagbiaganna
ken mangted ti nakaay-ayat a lasbangna.

Ti nadungngo a panangtaripatom kenkuana
isunto ti kas balsamo a mangserra
iti sugat a gapuanan ti pannakaisinana
kadagiti ima a nakasapsapuyotanna.

Ket sika kaingungotko a Vicenta
ti sudi ken dalusna inka ipakita
ti panagayatmo ita pinilim nga asawa
a nangyawatam ta pusom ken ima.

Anansata amin a panagtignaymo inka ipakita
ti tarigagaymo nga agserbi kenkuana;
ammuem amin a pagayayatanna
isu ti aramidem uray dina ibaga kenka.

No ti Apotayo a Dios ta ikkannakayto
ti bunga ti panagassawayo
ipakitamto ti dakkel a salukagmo
iti pannakaaywanda pannakasursuro.

Panunotem ngaisuda ti kapatgan a saniata
a mabalin nga iparabur ti Dios kenka
a ragsak ken liwliwam ditoy rabaw ti daga
n~a ingganat' biagyo sumina.

No ubingda pay a maladaga
agawaamton nga imaldit iti pusoda
ti panagayat ken panagbutengda
iti Apotayo a Dios a namarsua kadakuada.

Amin met a tao a kadendennam
. nang runa dagiti nakaikamangam
naragsak a rupa ti ipakitam
agraemka ket inka ida padayawan.

Ket tapno matungpalmo ken masarkedam
amin dagitoy a pagrebbengan
ti Apotayo aDios ti inka pagdawatan
ti tulong ti grasiana a nadiosan.

Mayarig kama ti panagbiagyo nga agassawa
kada San Jose ken ni Blrhen Maria
ti dakkel nga urnos ken talnada
ken nasam-it unay ngaayan-ayatda.

Kas koma agayus a maysa a karayan
ti litnaw ti danumna a pagsarmingan
di koma mariribok ken mapitakan.
kadagiti rigat ditoy daga a pagluluaan.

Jti kamaudiananna dawatek iti Dios nga Apotayo
nga ikkannakay' ti nanam-ay a panagbiagyo,
dakkel ken saan a marakrak nga urnosyo
ingganat' patay ti magtenganyo.

Agawaanyo nga iburik iti uneg tl puspusoyo
day toy a balakad nga itedko kadakayo
napateg a gameng nga idatonko
itoy nagasat unay aldaw ti panagbodayo.

(Insagut ni Leona Florentino daytoy a daniw
kadagiti kakanakanna a Severino ken Vicenta.
iti panagkallaysa dagitoy idiay Vigan idi
Mayo 9, 1877.)

Isabelo de los Reyes, Sr. y Florentino 

 Following the footsteps of his illustrious mother Isabelo de los Reyes, Sr. y Florentino, also known as Don Belong, was a prominent Filipino politician, writer and labor activist in the 19th and 20th centuries. Wikipedia
Born: July 7, 1864, Vigan
Died: October 10, 1938, Manila

Parents: Leona Florentino, Elias de los Reyes

Education: University of Santo Tomas, Colegio de San Juan de Letran

Isabelo de los Reyes, Sr. y Florentino, also known as Don Belong (July 7, 1864 – October 10, 1938), was a prominent Filipino politician, writer and labor activist in the 19th and 20th centuries. He was the original founder of the Aglipayan Church, an independent Christian Protestant church in the catholic tradition. Due to his widespread Anti-Catholic writings and activism with labor unions, he is sometimes dubbed as the "Father of Filipino Socialism". Pope Leo XIII formally excommunicated Reyes in 1903 as a schismatic apostate.

As a young man, Reyes followed his mother's footsteps by initially turning to writing as a career; he won a prize at the age of 23 for his first written book. He later became a journalist, editor, and publisher in Manila, and was imprisoned in 1897 for revolutionary activities. He was deported to the Kingdom of Spain, where he was jailed for his activities until 1898. While living and working in Madrid, he was influenced by the writings of European socialists and Marxists.

Returning to the Philippines in 1901, Reyes founded the first labor union in the country. He also was active in seeking independence from the United States. After serving in the Philippine Senate in the 1920s, he settled into private life and religious writing. He had a total of 27 children with three successive wives; he survived all his wives and 12 of his children. (Wikipedia)

Crossroad of Reality and Fantasy

Crossroad of Reality and Fantasy

(Is Rationality a Mask of Reality?)

Dr Abe V Rotor

Nature's art: Cryptobiology

Mural background Underground  River of Palawan, by the author

What leads reality to fantasy, we surmise;

     the saga of the Pied Piper of Hamlyn,

Jules Verne's Kraken, Loch Ness monster,

     from fantasy to reality stories rise.

Nostradamus prophesy, Malthus' theory;

     the Bible - fiction, science, tales, all

mixed up in archives and social media

     where one is led to think and feel free.

Scientific protocol: Koch's Postulate,

     Linnaeus' nomenclature, Mendeleev's,

computer prediction models of today,

     Quarks and Higgs Boson as of late.

To where do all these lead us, we ask,

     after moon landing, soon to planet Mars;

if fantasy a means of escape from reality,

     then rationality is but a fateful mask. ~

Martian landscape by the author 2019 ~

Giants - Real and Imaginary - Mingle with Us

Giants  - Real and Imaginary - Mingle with Us

"Children who believed in giants made good in life, 

better than those who did not. " - avr

Dr Abe V Rotor

 

Bigfoot, also commonly referred to as Sasquatch, is an ape-like creature that is purported to inhabit the forests of North America. 

Giants fascinate children most, and mothers do not run out of stories about the kapre or Jack and the Beanstalk or the giant squid that attacked Captain Nemo’s submarine in Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea to keep them at home or eat their vegetables.

Giants to the young mind are living creatures bigger than life, and they possess supernatural powers that they unleash either for good or evil.

-------------------------

There are friendly giants, ugly giants, sleeping giants, giants of the deep, the forests and fields, and almost everywhere.

---------------------------

They are either aggressive or passive, visible or hidden, loved and hated. It is the enigma about them that heightens their stories, and in fact the stories themselves make them real giants.   

Here are popular giants from books and stories, which are often featured in comics and cartoons:

• Bigfoot is believed to be a huge hairy creature roaming the forests of North America. It is projected as a prehistoric man with beast like characteristics.

• Kapre is the Filipino version of a supernatural being, more of a beast than human, that lives in trees and abandoned places.

• Nessie in Loch Ness (Scotland) is believed to be a prehistoric reptile. It continues to attract tourists, even after a century after someone took a photo of the monsters on the murky water.

• Abominable Snowman or Yeti (PHOTO) has been sighted on a number of occasions by residents on the snowy slopes of the Himalayas.

Giants in fiction stories and novels are virtually endless.

• Take the case of Gulliver of Lilliput by Jonathan Swift. King Kong the ape monster that crushed cares and leveled buildings.

• Greek mythology would not be as exciting if there were no giants. Giants made Hercules a legendary hero. Imagine the giants he fought - the cyclops, the hydra, among others, during his ten years of wandering. Remember the Minotaur - half man, half bull - whom Theseus killed in order to liberate the monster's hostages?

• How big was Goliath in the bible whom the boy hero, David slew?

• Then we have our own Bernardo Carpio, and Angalo (PHOTO), most popular Philippine epics. 

• A favorite bedtime story is Jake and Beanstalk. I wonder how the story can lull children to sleep - specially when the giant comes crushing down to earth!

• Recently Honey I Shrunk the Kids and its opposite - Honey I Blew Up the Baby became cinema's box office attractions.

 

Pinsal Fall in Sta. Maria Ilocos Sur is believed to be a footprint of the giant Angalo, a popular myth of the Ilocanos. Left, Pinsal Fall in the rainy season painting by the author; Pinsal Fall in summer showing its basin which appears like a huge footprint.     

TRIVIA: What is the biggest living creature that ever lived on earth? Is this creature still alive? 

* Original title: Giants mingle with the spirits, too, on Halloween

Reference: The Living with Nature book series by AVRotor  ~