Paalam at pagbati

Ang bilis ng panahon. Isang taon na naman ang magtatapos ilang oras na lang.

Saan kaya tayo dadalin ng bagong taon?

Sa harap ng mga hamon na kumakaharap sa atin, hindi tayo walang magagawa at di tayo dapat walang gawin.

Ang ating pagpapasya ang magtatakda ng ating kapalaran.

Ang ating pagkilos ang magiging kasaysayan.

Malaya tayo na isipin lang ang pagsulong ng ating sariling kapakanan. Natural lang iyan sa mga hayup na kabilang tayo bilang nilalang.

Ngunit ang mga nakakaunawa ng pagkakakawing natin at ng ating interes sa isa't isa at handang iwala ang sarili sa pagsulong ng kapakanan ng pangkalahatan ang siyang mag-aangat sa atin hiwalay sa hayup - mikrobyo o matsing- at ituring ang ating uri na mga matalinong nilalang.

Paalam 2015! Mabuhay 2016!

Peace and Joy in a Healthy World! Merry Christmas

There is a spiritual Christmas and a commercial Christmas.

Whatever Christmas people prefer to embrace today, Merry Christmas to all and my wish of peace and joy in a healthy world.

Laguna loot

I don't know what there is in gray skies and wet surroundings that gives me a feeling of contentment and almost silent joy. But I am not complaining.

My trip to UP Los Banos coincided with typhoon Nona. Still I was able to meet the people I went there to meet and on top of that, I got some unexpected loot: Bignay wine, red Katuray seedling, hot pepper seeds from Bacolod and Israel.

Salamat po!!!

Hopefully some project ideas that I picked up or were inspired by the people I have met in UPLB will also materialize.

- Kusina Kem
- urban gardening livelihood project
- natatapong yaman recovery project
- living letras y figuras project

Giving meditation a chance

If not for the many scientific studies on the positive results of meditation, I would tend to dismiss this activity as in the category of quack science.

Meditation is said to be able to lower blood pressure, help relieve stress, increase mindfulness and contentment etc. But the clincher for me is the claim that it can somehow also work to cure depression. I can not say if this is true but I won't be losing anything if I try. I am hoping that it works - this time.

Actually I have been acquainted with meditation way back in high school when I took a special class in transcendental meditation. It was really just out of curiosity that I tried it plus the claim that those who practice TM can even achieve levitation. Wow!

But I soon realized that this was folly including the ritual of having an offering of fruit and some other things that I don't remember anymore to a guru. After trying it a few times, I simply dropped of from doing it and I treated it with benign skepticism.

But thanks to a Dan Harris video on YouTube,  I was reacquainted with it again and it was presented without the dross of extraneous and unnecessary rituals that put me off  it before. (Dan Harris was a news presenter in a major US tv network when he suffered an anxiety attack while delivering the news)

At its basic, meditation is nothing more than a mental shutdown while focusing on one's breathing.

Very simple indeed but the result has profound effects on one's mind and brain which can be scientifically monitored. Enough to make me try meditation again. This time with no expectation of attaining superpower abilities but simply focus, peace and contentment.

Araw ni Bonifacio/ Araw ng mga Bayani

Marapat lang na gunitain ng magkasabay ang araw ni Bonifacio at mga bayani. Sana lamang ang pag gunita ng araw na ito ay hindi magtapos sa pag-aalay ng bulaklak o sa isang ritwal ng paggunita kundi maunawaan natin kung bakit ang nagawa ng ating mga bayani ay mahalaga sa ating buhay ngayon.

Lagi kong sinasabi, ang araw na kung kalian natin matutunan na magparangal sa ating mga bayani ay ang siyang araw ng ating paglaya.

Para sa akin din, hindi lamang ang mga bayani noong mga nakaraang panahon ng pananakop ang dapat nating gunitain ngunit maging ng mga bayani ng ating panahon at henerasyon.

Tatlo sa mga bayaning aking ginugunita ay sina Filomena Tatlonghari, Clarissa Ocampo at si Antonio Calipe Go.

A calamity named El Nino

Many of us are familiar with natural disasters like typhoons, storm surges, earthquakes and earthquake induced tsunamis and even volcanic eruptions

But a disaster that most of us are not aware of is drought induced by El Nino, the name given to the phenomenon of sea currents becoming hotter than normal.

With climate change, this El Nino phenomenon can only be more intense and more frequent. In fact there is one occurring now. What I am worried about is its intensity and duration.

A  prolonged drought in our part of the country will definitely be disastrous for all of us. Our agriculture will suffer as well as our energy dependent industries. And we might have to undergo extreme water and even electricity rationing.

When we talk of natural disasters, we tend to think of typhoons and bad wet weather. But I wonder if we have sufficiently prepared for its extreme opposite which is a severe and prolonged dry spell that can be just as harsh and calamitous.

A people's task

Fighting terrorism is a people's task.

I think terrorists are simply outliers in society and they just look for a vehicle to express their destructive impulse such as religion, ideology or social group e,g. fraternities

We tend to leave the fight against terrorism to our government but we the people have a role to root out who these potential terrorists are before they can even give vent to their madness.

Most of the time too, men seem to be at the forefront of fighting terrorism but we should realize that women too can play a greater role towards this end.

Tanim Bala Scam is Economic Sabotage

The 'Tanim Bala' scam is no ordinary crime. It is economic sabotage and its perpetrators must be punished to the fullest extent of the law.

Those who hatched and engaged in this heinous activity thought so because they thought they can get away with it. But it is really up to government to show how wrong the crooks are.

Not to do so would show how feckless and weak the government is and how deserving it is of public derision.

Mar's problem

Mar Roxas said that he does not have to apologize for being born rich. I agree with him.

The problem though is  that his 'nyorito upbringing may not have prepared him to be the leader of a country where the life experience of the majority are vastly different from what he grew up with.

Thus when the people decide to pick a leader, they may not pick Roxas not because they are "unenlightened" but that their perspective is simply different from that of Roxas or his band of supporters.

If Roxas wants to become PNoy's successor, he should try to understand the people instead of expecting the people to understand him. And the way he will do so will show what he thinks of the people.

Fighting depression with exercise

For the longest time I have been struggling against depression - this hateful feeling of despondency, sadness and mental pain that I know is not normal and that I should not have.

Depression puts me in a state of hopelessness and prevents me from thinking clearly and being productive. I have become forgetful and unfocused and it has kept me from holding on to a job for a long time.

Still despite the temptation of taking medicine to rid me of this condition I refuse to take medication for fear of the drug's rebound effect which I fear may make my problem worse.

In my quest to find a non medical solution to depression I find the remedy that works for me is exercise and physical activity. Biking and walking a lot somehow makes me feel better. My problem with exercise though is how to get over the first few minutes of inertia and how to be consistent in exercising at least every other day.

I have even tried laughter therapy but I can not say that it worked for me. What I am sure of is that it made me feel silly. But I will not put this down completely. I read somewhere that in one psychological experiment, merely smiling, even when forced can already alter the brain and put a person in a positive frame of mind. Maybe I am just too impatient to wait for its beneficial effect.

Is it still safe?

Laguna de Bai has always been a source of food and livelihood for many people.

 But with the way we have over-exploited and abused this lake, I wonder if the food it provides is still safe to eat. Local scientists studying the lake have already warned of high heavy metal concentration in fishes in the lake.

It is unthinkable how we have allowed factories to dump their poisonous waste into this body of water that provides us food or land developers to slowly claim parts of its body. Instead of enhancing the beauty of the lake we have allowed it to be destroyed.

What consoles me though and gives me hope is the knowledge that what exists at present does not have to be permanent and that eventually we can restore this lake back to health and life giving grandeur.

Mother Nature's art and wrath

From afar, I thought that someone had simply drawn a white bell on the wall . But on closer look, it turned out to be a pattern on the wings of a moth.

We may not have time to stop and appreciate what mother nature has created and that may be fine with her. What is not acceptable though is when we continue to destroy the natural environment where we and mother nature's creation exist.

This is not merely a benign neglect. There is a steep price to pay and no one will be exempt from paying.

The Chickpea Project

Chickpea also known as garbanzo beans is delicious and can be cooked many ways. However, most chickpea consumed in our country is imported.

It is good to know that there is an effort by the Benguet State University(BSU) to grow this crop locally. Hopefully BSU succeeds in their objective.

To help encourage farmers to grow chickpea locally, I believe that there is also a need to ready a market for this crop should farmers begin growing and producing them.

My idea is to create a food enterprise selling various preparation of chickpea such as falafel, samosa, farinata, humus, etc.

Hopefully, I can convince the right people to take up this idea.

A thought about bright ideas

From time to time people think that they have stumbled on a bright idea only to realize later that the idea may not be so bright after all. Or that it will entail a lot of effort that may not be within the ability of the thinker.

But my realization is that unless one can execute this brilliant idea by oneself, this idea does not belong to him.

It is ok to dream and dream big. But we must also keep our feet on the ground and focus on the doable.

Year of the Poor...daw

I had no idea that 2015 is supposed to be the Year of the Poor until I saw this banner in front of a church.

But how do we observe "Year of the Poor"?  Do we simply think of them, give them alms and hope that they will not be poor?

For me poverty is the opposite state of being wealthy. People are poor because they do not generate the wealth needed even just for their survival or if ever they do, the wealth that they create is taken away from them.

If we want to lift people out of poverty, we must help make them more productive and ensure that they fully benefit from the fruits of their labor.

It is not enough to just remember them.

Fighting Procrastination

Just got this from the internet but may be worth trying.

1. Just get started
2. Break task down to easy doable steps
3. Count the micro cost of delaying things
4. Reward yourself

Closed

I was strolling in a mall when I noticed that some of the eating places I had tried out before had closed.

I wonder what could be the reason.

Is it bad marketing? or bad economy?

"Noli" - low water bathing/cleansing

It started as a joke. This idea of a soap that can be used without water.

But the more I think about it  and with the prospect of a severe water shortage due to El Nino looming before us, the more I think that maybe it can be achieved and should seriously be considered.

I have an idea of what to do but since I do not know if it will work, I will just divulge it in another post.

What I am thinking of will not be entirely water free but it will use as little water as possible.

Pasaway

Ano kaya ang dapat gawin sa mga taong walang pag-unawa?

May naisip lang ako. Gamitin ang street theatre para turuang sumunod sa mga panuntunan ang mga tao.

Ang street theatre ay karaniwang ginagamit ng mga aktibista sa kanilang protesta laban sa gobyerno. Ewan kung may epekto ito.

Pero siguro maari din gamitin ang street theatre para turuan ang mga tao ng tamang asal at pagkilos sa lipunan.

Isang senaryo na nakikita ko ay ang pagpapataw kunwari  ng malupit na parusa sa mga taong nahuling nagkakalat, nagtatapon ng basura sa kahit saan na lamang.

Siguro pag nakita ito ng mga tao ay didikit sa kanilang isipan ang leksyon nito.

DA BAR Exhibit Finds

 

1. Honey from stingless bees (Tetragonula biroi). The bees are much smaller and very different looking from the bees we more commonly know. The honey also tastes a little sour.

 



 

2. Chickpea cookies and bars from the Benguet State University. Delicious and healthy.

3. Processed Katmon products. No idea how they taste like. Products on display were strictly for display.

Traffic to the max!

One factor that diminishes the quality of life in our country is the poor state of our transport network and system.

It is simply unacceptable that we have to bear with monstrous traffic as though it is an  inescapable  fact of life.

Perpetually bad traffic is a reflection of bad governance and we must hold our leaders accountable for that.

Hoya pimenteliana

One plant resource of which the Philippines happen to have a great variety of is the Hoya. Sadly though most of us are not aware of this fact and thus do not know what to make of this advantage.

Hoyas have beautiful flowers albeit small and some even have a pleasant fragrance. If only we put our minds to it, it is possible to build an industry around this plant.

Gardeners can develop potting mediums and even flower inducers while enthusiasts and scientists can maybe try to improve the plant by coming up with varieties with bigger and more fragrant flowers. Then there are also our craftsmen who can design plant containers and trainers to better display the Hoya.

It is my hope that the Hoya can become a signature plant in every Filipino home and garden.

Train on wheels or is it a bus pretending to be a train?

During the Science and Technology Week held at the Mall of Asia and which was organized by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), I had a chance to try out the Hybrid Road Train being developed by the DOST.

I am all for a mass transport system but I wonder if with this train the DOST is on the right track. Will it be as affordable, fast, efficient and comfortable as a real train?

It is still in the prototype stage and there are many issues that are evidently crying to be resolved such as the noise of the engine, air conditioning, not to mention where to ultimately run it for real.

I asked a staff what is the key development that they have introduced in their creation and he told me that it is the engine that can run on diesel and electricity.

I am all for a modern, rapid mass transport system and I welcome all efforts to achieve this objective. Still when I tried this transport, I can not help think that this train is really a bus.

The green elephant

I wonder how many people appreciate this green elephant standing mutely in a concrete urban jungle.

Most people take its presence for granted but will they miss it when it disappears or is taken away?

This elephant topiary caught my eye because so far this is the closest to the idea of a 3-D Letras y Figuras object which I hope can be adapted by our local governments to artfully and creatively spell out the names of our towns, cities and provinces.

If we can do this, we can have a distinctive landscape feature in our country unique only to us.

Anyare na sa Mercy and Compassion?

Yumayaman daw ang Pilipinas pero parang tumitindi lalo ang kahirapan. Parang napansin ko lang mas marami yata ngayon ang mga taong kakalat kalat at ginawa na lang tirahan ang lansangan.

Sa isip ng maraming tao, tungkulin ng gobyerno na kumalinga sa mga mahihirap. Sa isang banda tama ito, pero tayong mga mamamayan rin ay may responsibilidad sa ating kapwa. Hindi tayo dapat basta na lang magbulag bulagan. Ipakita natin kung anong pagkalinga ang dapat ibigay ng pamahalaan sa mga nadedehado sa lipunan.

Soap tattoo

While making soap one day, I made an accidental discovery - soap tattooing.

After I made a batch of soap, I wrapped it in paper for maturing and using a ball pen, I wrote on the outside of the paper the date when I made the soap. When I unwrapped the soap some days later, I found that the date that I wrote on the paper had also seeped through the paper and onto the soap surface.

I have never seen a soap with an imprinted image on it yet. I do not know why other soap makers, industrial or artisanal have not tried it before (or I have not looked as widely)  but I think this accidental discovery is certainly worth pursuing.

One other thing that I learned in making soap - it may be easy to make but not as easy to sell. But this is really more of a business marketing challenge.

People Power for a better transport system

We have a right to an efficient  mass transportation system that is fast, adequate and convenient. Why we have not achieved such is statement about the kind of government and the level of public power that we have.

But transportation is such a vital matter in our life as a people and individuals. We should not leave this matter to government alone. We should all get involved and demand for a better transportation instead of making do with the decrepit and inadequate modes that we have.

An inefficient, inconvenient and inadequate transportation imposed on us is oppression and only we the people can relieve ourselves of this by being angry and making our voices heard.

People power should not be used to bring down a despot. It should also be used to build our country.

Cool 'cuyapo'

This tub was once filled with with cloudy bath water and teemed with mosquito larvae.

Following a tip from a gardener who is into biocontrol I introduced the plant called cuyapo into the tub and put in feeder fishes in the water. In a few days the water cleared up and the mosquito larvae disappeared.

My guess is that the cuyapo roots clean the water making it easy for the fishes to spot the larvae.

As we try to find ways to control mosquitos, especially the diseases carrying kind, using this combination of cuyapo and larvae eating fishes might be more effective than ovicidal trap being pushed by the Department of Science and Technology.

Changing signature

I find my current signature boring and so I want to change it. Problem though is that doing so may not be as easy as it seems. I have to get two official ids with my new signature. But to get those ids, I have to show the issuing offices ids with my new signatures.  Catch 22

Lumpan

Lumpia + pancit = lumpan.

Matanggap kaya ito ng mga tao na streetfood?

Nakuha ko ang ideya para dito sa Zamboanga. Medyo hindi ko nga dati nagustuhan dahil mamantika. Pero may paraan naman ng pagluluto para maiwasan ito.

Sa mga nakatikim ng sinubukan namin gawin, maganda naman ang feedback. Pero ang tunay na pagsubok ay kung handa ba itong bayaran ng mga tao.

Burnham's message

No excuse, no substitute for discipline

A reminder to myself: No excuse, no substitute for discipline. Just start. Just do it.

'Sili' matter

It is sad to learn from the news that farmers in Compostela Valley who tried planting hot chili peppers are having problems marketing their product. The farmers planted these chili peppers as a substitute crop for coconuts which were destroyed by typhoon 'Pablo'.

The plight and predicament of the farmers show that it is not enough for government to simply support the production aspect of an enterprise but more important, government must also support all the other aspects of sustaining an enterprise as well. 

Unfortunately the notion of livelihood assistance is usually confined to providing know how or production assistance with the assumption that beneficiaries can capably take care of the other aspects of the livelihood project. 

But this is usually not the case and what we get are - like in the case of the Compostela farmers- sad stories of failure and wasted efforts.

In facing up to this problem I believe the government should explore the idea of a build-operate- train and transfer of an enterprise wherein beneficiaries are completely trained first in all aspects of the business that they will ultimately own. 

This idea is in line with the Public-private partnership program of the government but instead of big business, the government will partner with the grassroots people. 

Quantity vs Quality accomplishment

There are people who find joy and take pride in achieving a "record" for the longest this or the biggest that. But I wonder what value there is in that title.

I would rather that we pursue quality instead of quantity. Excellence should be the only goal and we should not substitute it with mere numbers.

Solar Power to make bio char

It is said that bio char is a good way of sequestering carbon and therefore is helpful in preventing climate change.

The thing is, in order to make bio char, we have to burn bio mass that releases carbon into the air.

What I have in mind is to use solar heat to make bio char. If we can make a solar cooker big enough to attain the temperature needed to turn bio mass into bio char, then we can avoid the part of burning fuel to make it.

Chocolate pioneers

At the recently held Sikat Pinoy food fair at the Megamall, 25-28 March 2015, one  item that I bought was a chocolate bar made from local cacao beans. It the may not be the best tasting chocolate bar yet but I believe that someday our country can come up with high quality chocolate products.

Thanks to the chocolate pioneers.

Trumpo, tag-araw

Para sa mga bata ang trumpo ay isa lamang laruan. Pero sa mga guro na nais magturo ng
science sa mga bata, ang trumpo ay isang magandang kagamitan upang ipa-unawa ang ilang konsepto ng physics.

Ang mahalaga ay mapukaw ng mga guro ang curiosity ng mga bata at ang hangad nila na unawain ang batas ng mga bagay bagay para magamit ito sa iba pang pagkakataon at pangangailangan.

Good morning Vigan!

I was not really expecting much from my first time visit to Vigan but to my surprise I had a pleasant experience and enjoyed my stay there. The city with her old houses does give one a feel of the old times. There were even areas in the city that reminded me of my childhood hometown now gone forever due to wanton urbanization.

For me however, the best time to go around the city is early in the morning when the city is just waking up and the tourists are still asleep - no crowd, less noise and more time to imagine how it was like living in the past.

 

The people I met in Vigan were also truly nice, friendly and welcoming. They are an asset of the city and are a factor of Vigan's tourism success.

 

Viva Vigan! more power and success to her people.

Aquarium art

 

People who create beautiful underwater worlds in an aquarium may consider themselves just as hobbyists. But for me they can be considered as artists.

 

I used to be interested in having an aquarium to grow colorful fishes, but as I grew older, this interest gave way to practicality and decided that this hobby is not for me. I would rather raise animals or plants for food.

 

Still, this has not stopped me from appreciating underwater worlds created by other people.

 



 

 

(pictures taken at a pet and  aquascape exhibit in Makati)

Nature art

Sometimes in order to see the beauty of nature, all we have to do is to take a closer look.

Very very close.

I realized this while walking along a busy street. The picture above may seem like an abstract work that evokes images of clouds or fluffy feathers.

But actually, it is a bloom of white algae growing in canal water running beside a busy street.

Quack science

I wonder if the DOST and DTI are aware that they are being used to give credibility to the power of the healing mat.

 

SAF 44 and the need for sobriety

 

 

It is very easy for some people who did not have to make hard decisions and speaking from hindsight on scant information to come up with a conclusion   on the Marwan pursuit operation that felled 44 members of the Special Action Forces of the Philippine National Police in Mamasapano, Maguindanao.

They call for the truth but at the same time demand heads to roll with specific personalities in mind.

 Yet despite our best laid plans who can really tell the future?

Anger in a time of grief is understandable. But if we give in to anger we risk making wrong choices and deepen our losses. If this terrible tragedy that cost so many lives happen in a time when we are supposedly on the verge of peace, how many more lives are we prepared to lose in an all-out war? True there can be no peace without justice nor honor without truth but let us not mistake revenge for justice and angry opinion for truth.

 It is thus reprehensible that instead of steering the public to sobriety some members of the media even stoke public emotion to fury substituting their opinions and speculations for news and discarding objectivity, fairness and balance all together.

In the past, did soldiers killed in the line of duty, whether by the MILF or NPA receive similar arrival treatment with the president on hand? What was media opinion then? How ironic that the man who is working to end this carnage will be pilloried simply for working on the day the soldiers’ bodies arrived in Manila.

We cannot correctly honor our heroes in anger, for by so doing, we fail to discern who truly grieve with us.

 

If we are angered that the killers of the SAF 44 looted and desecrated the policemen’s bodies by stealing their weapons and clothing we should also be outraged at the effort of the leftists to take advantage of the situation by sowing intrigue in the military and calling for President Aquino to resign. Their call is nothing but rank opportunism and cold hearted cynicism.

 The SAF 44 died for the country, peace and freedom. They did not die for the cause of the marching militants.

Squirrel in our backyard

What a nice surprise to see a squirrel right in our own backyard. When I saw it, I immediately went to my room to get my phone camera but when I got back, the squirrel had moved high up in the mango tree and I could not take a good shot of it anymore.

However after the novelty of seeing it had vanished, I began to wonder how it got there and where it came from. Is it a good thing that we have this new animal in our place? Will it eventually become a pest?

At this time, I saw only one squirrel and I have no answer to my questions. So in the meantime, maybe it is better to just leave that squirrel alone.

Abel possibilities

In a challenge to think of ways to use "inabel" - the traditional hand woven cloth from the Ilocos- aside from the usual blanket or table linen, I came up with these two items:

Puruntong/surfer shorts


Lambag

I support efforts to keep our local crafts alive. But I believe that for the crafts themselves to survive, artisans and their technology must at least try to keep up with the times by innovating and adapting in order to be relevant. It is not enough for mere goodwill and volition to sustain something that has lost its purpose except as curio displays in museums.

44

This is a day of deep grief for the country. Forty four Special Action Force members of the Philippine National Police were killed in Mamasapano, Maguindanao while on a mission to arrest a notorious bomb making terrorist.

It is already a great tragedy that these men had to give up their lives in order to secure peace for our country. But it will be a greater tragedy if we lose our heads all together and allow this incident to lead us to war instead of peace and we confuse revenge for justice.

Huwag kang magnakaw!

Nagkataon lang kaya ito o sadyang nagpapatama ang kung sino man ang naglagay ng karatula sa papasok ng simbahan sa Makati. Paalala ng karatula ang isa sa 10 Utos na huwag magnakaw.

Sa kalapit na kanto naman, at tanaw na rin mula sa simbahan ang Ospital ng Makati na siya ngayong pakay ng imbestigasyon sa Senado kaugnay ng malawakan at nakalululang pandarambong.

Sana lamang ay manaig ang katotohanan dahil gaya nga ng isa pang sinasabi sa 10 Utos, Huwag ka magbibintang ng kasinungalingan sa iyong kapwa.

Para sa akin, ang inaakusahan ay may buong karapatan at tungkulin na ipagtanggol ang sarili at pabulaanan ang mga paratang sa kanya. Ang hindi pagharap sa nag-aakusa ay para na ring pagpapatoo ditto.