Appreciating Baguio

Even if  just for its cool climate alone, Baguio City offers an inviting escape from the searing hot temperatures of the lowlands. Add to this its pine trees, upland flora and the unique Cordillera culture of  its people, then there should be no reason why the city can not be an undisputed tourist haven.

But sometimes, in order to appreciate Baguio, you have to close your eyes.

Make believe that you do not see the dying trees and the balding mountains now overrun with concrete and metal.

Turn blind to the filth and litter here and there..

Ignore the charmless decaying structures brutally imposed on the sylvan landscape.

To appreciate Baguio, sometimes you have to close your eyes to the heartbreaking ugliness that assaults you.

The persistence of tradition

Every town in the country has a feast day it observes in honor of its patron saint. In our town of Pateros, the Patron Saint is St. Martha and her feast day is observed every second Sunday of February.

It used to be when the river running through our town was still large and navigable by boat, there was a fluvial procession where participants were showered by watchers with goodies and sometimes, even the local delicacy, "balut" for which Pateros is known for.

But times and things change. Since the river has almost dried up, the procession has become land based going around through the town's streets as participants dance to folk music.

As I watch the procession, I am amazed at the enthusiasm shown by participating community members from children to teenagers to senior citizens.  I am bemusedly puzzled at what motivates them to participate in this street parade with such great gusto.

People still throw goodies at the procession participants as they dance their way along but I do not think  this is the motivation for  them to keep on participating in this activity. There is also an element of faith or superstition in the people's participation as some believe that by taking part in the procession, they will be blessed and they will be lucky - or their prayers will be granted. One thing for sure the town fiesta brings out a deep community spirit which is not apparent on ordinary days.

As for me, I am actually  indifferent to the fiesta tradition. For me, traditions can be a good way to anchor ourselves with our past and foster community solidarity. But if these raison d'etre will be lost as a casualty of the changing times, then there may not really be any point to persist with certain traditions, especially if what is left of them are their socially pernicious legacy e.g. going into debt just to throw a feast, spending a fortune to show off etc.

Otherwise, if some traditions make people happy, then by all means, let us celebrate them.

Pupils don't lie

Some psychologists claim that by studying the reaction of the pupils while a person is speaking, they can tell if the person is lying or not. To do this, they simply video tape a person as he speaks and analyze his eyes later. This opens a new field of study called pupillomettry and if proven reliable can be used in addition to a polygraph to catch liars.

I wonder why our government has not used this method as aid to determine whether a person's statement is true or not, especially when it comes to finding out who is telling the truth specially in the current corruption scandal.

Optical Illusions - what you see is not what is

 To see is to believe. But sometimes even with eyes wide open, what we see may not be what is. Optical illusions can teach us the value of being cautious and avoiding the habit of jumping to conclusions which sometimes can lead to embarrassing situations.

Optical Illusion 1 - is the right man taller than the left man?

Optical Illusion 2 -Is the top line shorter or equal to the bottom line

Both examples taken from the book "Thinking Fast, Thinking Slow" by Daniel Kahneman.

Make-do packaging

Roadside stalls selling various food items are a common sight along main provincial roads. While regional food products may be a treat, there is something off putting in food items that are poorly packaged. Apart from the hygiene issue, these make-do packaging do not do justice to the products.

Unfortunate because these food items sold along the main highways can add to the tourist experience of travelers as well as boost the local economy.

 We have a government office whose mandate is to help entrepreneurs develop decent packaging for their products. Hopefully, someday, this office can do something to improve the packaging of these roadside products for the sake of the local producers and traveling consumers alike.

(photo: vinegar and fish sauce sold in used water or soy sauce containers)

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Micro Park as relief to urban blight

While more and more people realize the need for parks and open spaces especially in our crowded cities, there just is not enough space available for these anymore. One option that may be considered is for the creation of micro-parks in every barangay so that the public can have access to a green refuge whenever they feel a need to do so.

Micro-parks can be the start of greening and beautifying our cities. Hopefully, government or some private organization can even hold a competition among barangays which can create the most beautiful micro-park.

The divide

Lucky are those who live on the privileged side of the great divide in our country. But for those who are on the larger greater side of this divide, life is a never ending struggle.

Many people are oblivious of this divide and have no idea that there is something wrong with this situation.. But where there is inequality brought about by injustice that ends up favoring only a few while others live in abject miserable poverty, it is a BIG problem. This divide is proof that the democracy we have is fictive.

We can do something to address this situation or we can continue to pretend that it does not exist. But one day, this social volcano will just explode.

Isang puno, apat bunga

Nagandahan lang ako sa punong ito dahil sa unang tingin aakalain mo na ito ay may apat na iba't ibang bunga. Pero sa totoo, iba't ibang stage lang ng pagkahinog ng bunga ang mga ito.

Sa pagkakakilala ko sa punong ito na isang uri ng palmera, ang tawag dito ay fishtail palm.

Sabi ng ibang tao, pantawag swerte daw ang halaman na ito. Sa mga gustong maniwala dito, okay lang yon. Wala namang bayad kung maniwala kayo. Siguro sa mga magpaparami nito mula sa buto at maibebenta ng mahal ang halaman, e di masasabi nilang sinuwerte nga sila.

Pero ako, ang hinahanap kong palmera ay ang palmera na nakakain daw ang ubod. Praktikal lang.

Leaf wrapped pili sweet

Among the many ways of packaging the traditional pili sweet is to wrap it in a maribago leaf which infuses the pili candy with its pleasant aroma. This I learned when a friend from Bicol gave me this sweet treat over the holidays.

I did not know that there is a maribago tree whose leaves can be used to wrap pili (and maybe other foods?) until I was given this Bicolano sweet. Although I try to avoid sweets as much as possible, I really enjoyed this pili confection since it was not really that sweet as it used raw, unrefined sugar. And I was even tempted to try to make a tea out of the leaves used to pack them. The leaves were quite fragrant.

Now I am very interested to know more about this maribago tree and the other food uses of its leaves as well. I wonder if it is good only for its aroma or if it has any toxicity at all.

But for the pili in maribago leaves, what can I say - it was "pili"cious.

The path to 2014

Suddenly it is already five days into the new year. Like most everyone else, I hope for the best, most especially health, joy and continued prosperity and may Mother Nature be kind to us this year.

But I also realize that we can not really know what lies ahead and what this year will bring us. So as we have heard before, let us just seize the day and live life to the fullest, to live without regrets.