Friday, December 23, 2011

Eat, drink with or without Mary

Dining out and other cafeteria ethics

Any sensible urban worker who is given no choice but fetch food from sources made accessible in a civilized jungle called a city or a university must acquire some neighborly ethics if he is to properly feed himself and achieve something through the day.

 

Eating in cafeterias or similar types of food sources requires that he learn a number of things on how to feed on properly and hopefully be nourished.

 

Dito Po ang Pila

city-data.comKun habo mong dai ka matunawan, magsunod ka sa linya kan mga nagkaerenot nang nag-oororder. Dawa halabaon na an pila, dawa huri ka na sa appointment, dai ka nanggad magsingit sa iba, o samantalahon na magpa-cute sa kabisto mong crew just to get ahead. Mayong maoogma sa bentahuso kundi si Taning sana. Magsala, sa kagagama-gama mong maenot kang makakua nin kakanon, mataon lugod saimo an tutong na torta, tipo kan sinapna, o tunok kan lapu-lapu.

 

Patience is virtue—gustong sabihon, saro ‘ning timeless na kostumbre o pag-uugali na nakakapamarhay sa siisay man na tawo. Dawa idtong barbarong ninuno ta mga perang oras naghalat bago nagluwas an usa sa ampas saka niya nasilô ‘ni. Ngonyan na mga panahon, sa kadlagan na inaapod tang siyudad o unibersidad, dai ka na masiod nin manok bago makanamit nin tinola. Mahalat ka na sanang ilapiga an paa o mailatag an pecho sa saimong plato kaya dai na kaipuhan magpalakpalak o magputakputak ta ngani sana makapanogok.

 

Just follow the crowd, toe the line, keep your cool, then ask for what you want, and dine.

 

Bawal An Dagdag

one.valeski.orgKun bisto mo an crew, pwede ka gayod magpadagdag. But unless you badly need that extra spare rib or cabbage leaves [which are probably pesticides-grown anyway], do not ask for extra amount of anything from the one that dispenses your food. So you insist, okay, ask if you can order half.

 

But you hard worker certainly do not deserve half serving of anything, unless you give your company or your country half of what it deserves from you. Scrimp and scrape you do. Perhaps save in other things like marked-down CDs or cheaper thrills or retail cellphone loads or bargained 3 for P100 FHMs—but for your food, spare this idea of saving.

 

Better yet, order dishes in full, so the idea of dagdag is out of question. The more you are inclined to haggling, the more it will appear to the crew that you are hungry—and this does not help because the crew will never be concerned with your hunger. They are just there assigned to portion and dispense properly for the business. And nowadays, the crew does not dispense the reasonable amount of food you are charged. But it is okay that the food given to you appears “unreasonable.” Just think you will be dispensed more amounts next time.

 

The cafeteria business, just like fast-food giants, places importance to one marketing aspect that is called portioning. Because the prices of raw materials and ingredients required for preparing food will never be saved from inflation, profits from this business are sensibly drawn from the quantity of food the business prepares and the quantity of food it can save to feed its own staff. Well, you know. But the advantage here is that the cafeteria food can be assured of the presence of freshness and the absence of trans-fats.

 

Dahil kadaklan na beses bawal an dagdag, mag-andam ka na sanang mag-order nin duwa tolong panira, bako sanang saro. Kun habo mo nanggad mabitin.

 

Logically, when you do, you are not just paying for the food, but essentially the service, services? rendered to you—which includes, among others, a clean washed plate [hopefully free of the smell of dishwashing liquid], a properly bussed table, despite its being in a mess hall; ventilation or air-conditioning, whether or not you personally require it; and of course the food itself that has probably undergone some quality control in the kitchen.

 

No need to argue

Talking about quality control, consider the next ethical principle in cafeteria dining. By all means, despite all tensions and stress pressed on by hunger, never ever argue with the service crew. Certainly in no instance should you get disappointed or intimidated by anyone who gives you your food even though you find it unpleasant or disagreeable.

 

While not all of them arecherylkicksass.blogspot.com likely to be trained to suit your dining ethics, it is important to treat them as if they treat their food like it’s their own. Even if they don’t. Even if you found some foreign matter in your soup, or the dish you were served tasted like Tide or Ariel, deem it important to “suspend disbelief.” In a more familiar term, always give them the benefit of the doubt.

 

Do not raise your voice to complain. Simply reach out to them to query in cool and composure. Clarify that the service rendered is not generally acceptable. Ranting and raving about “some soap in the soup” or plastic straws in the pinakbet will not help.  Just suppose you are given imagination to transcend reality. Or remember one Holocaust survivor named Viktor Frankl famously used his imagination to transcend the tragedy he was forced to witness. In his story it can be deduced that perhaps imagination is more powerful than knowledge. But here in your story, ignorance is indeed bliss. Not having known that there’s a fly in your soup makes a whole lot of difference from having known it.

 

Although, sabi nga nila, Kung malayo sa bituka, okay lang yan. Therefore, check your system, whether your food indeed passes through your stomach. If it doesn’t, you are one lucky organism—feeding on using your other organs.

 

But seriously, consider this. Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea is not about dining until the marlin is cooked by old Santiago [which he does not]—but it’s certainly about survival. There is a part there which says “a man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeated.”

 

The crew may poison you but it should not destroy your willingness to seek medication from the nearby doctor in case you get to swallow some plastic served with your pochero.

 

Ask For Receipt

istorya.netKun dai man kaipuhan na bayaran kan opisina mo an kinakakan mo dawa na ngani on official business ka, dai mo na gayod kaipuhan maghagad nin recibo. Dakula an karatula kan BIR na nakapaskil sa cashier na an sabi ASK FOR RECEIPT, alagad dai ka maglaom na tata’wan ka nin recibo pag bayad mo. Mag-andam ka na sanang sabihan kan cashier na hinahalat pa ninda an stub kan recibo hale sa BIR. Dai ka na magngalas dawa maaaraman mo ara-atyan na an kakanan na iyan since 1962 pa nagsisirbi sa mga employees alagad mayo pa nanggad recibo. If at all, you were taught in high school to be considerate. Think of good manners and right conduct. It is never good to intimidate people.

 

So unless it’s a matter of life and death, do not ask for a receipt. Mas orog na gayod kun cooperative an kinakakanan mo—such business involves benefiting a big number of underprivileged families and their sensibilities. Garo man sana naghulog ka na ka’yan nin pirang sensilyo sa lata kan Bantay Bata 163. Sabihan ka pa kaiyan, “an darakulang business ngani mga tax evaders, alagad mas concerned sindang magsingil sa mga small businesses na arog mi.”

 

Ano na sana an pulos kan nanu’dan mo sa social responsibility o sa moral philosophy? Think of social justice. It won’t hurt to give to small people. Dai ka ngani nag-aangal sa VAT kan bago mong Wrangler jeans. What right have you to question the purpose of this representative of the lesser evil? Sige lang, because the food you are about to eat is not evil. No food is evil. Unless it comes from one.

 

Hala ka.

 

Eating Utensils

leec.co.ukA cafeteria is a public place, so don’t expect that the utensils you are using are germs-free. One pair of spoon and fork must have fed all types of mouths or more than you can count. Kaya Bawal an masiri pagkakan sa cafeteria. Wisikon mo na sana an kutsara sagkod tinidor na nakapalbag kairiba kan mga sanggatos na iba pa. Magpasalamat kang dakul kun an la’ganan kan mga utensils nabuhusan nin nagkakalakagang tubig, tapos napaso ka pa kan kapotan mo. Mainit-init pa pagkakan mo. Okun habo mong magkahelang ka, magkakan ka sa cafeteria nin aga pa, mantang an mga kakanon nag-aaralusuos pa. By the time, swerte ka ta pati an mga utensils tibaad maray an pagkakahurugas. Bagong karigos pa sana si naghugas.

 

Alagad dai ka maghadit dawa dai disinfected an kutsara sagkod tinidor mo. Kun may pag-alaman man na mag-abot, an magiging helang mo tibaad helang man kan iba, kaya mas makakaantos kamo—nin huli ta igwa siempre sindang maiimbentong bulong para sa helang kan kadaklan saindo. In principle, in order to sell, pharmaceuticals as business in themselves have ISO-certified R&D arms that know the needs of the common good. Here, think collective. Hindi ka nag-iisa.

 

Alagad. Sabi kan mga gurang, maraot man an grabeng pagkatubis o masirî (squeamish). Garo idtong nabasa mo sa Reader’s Digest kaidto na don’t be too clean; it impoverishes the blood. By being too squeamish and obsessive-compulsive (OC) about not catching dirt or germs, you do not develop immunities to germs. You don’t make your antibodies work. You reduce your own resistance to the world, which is one of dirt. But washing hands properly is enough. Proper is just enough. Over is more than enough.

 

Don’t Just Grab A Bite, Eat Your Food.

fem-fatl.comAny meal is the most important meal of the day—kaya dai paglingawing kakanon an inorder mong kakanon. Yeah, you cram to go somewhere: an appointment, a fieldwork, a meeting—yes, nourish your career, nourish your soul [araatyan masimba ka, makihilingan sa amiga, mayaba-yaba] alagad ngonyan nourish your body first—make your cells tissues organs systems work. Girisa an mahibog, daula an matagas, sapaa an malumhok, halona an saradit. Maaskad an adobo, malagtok an maluto o minsan parareho an namit kan tolo mong panira—kumakan ka sana. Mayo ngani kaiyan an iba. Sa pagkahapay ngani nagagadan an iba. At least ika igwa.

 

Eat, drink, with or without Mary—in other words, eat for the sake of eating, regardless of whether you like it or not. Pagkatapos mong magdighay, rumdumang marhay. Food alone can’t save you. It fills but it hardly nourishes.

 

First finish or get done with your salivation; perhaps only after then can you start & think of your salvation.


Wednesday, December 07, 2011

Ngonyan Nga Aga

Ngonyan nga aga pasiring ka sa saimong obra pigpaparapaypay ka kan traffic enforcer mag-diretso kuno sana. Sa tungâ sang kalsada siya nakapostura, ginaagda an mga motorista nga magpadayon sana. Mayad pa siya kay kabalo kun diin makadto ka; guro an destino sang tanan nga nag-aaragi bal-an niya. Pagkalihis mo saiya pag-abot sa bangga indi mo mabal-an kun matoo ka ukon mawala.



Sinurublian sa Hiligaynon

nga, na

kuno, daa

tungâ, tahaw

sang, kan

ginaagda, inaagda

magpadayon, magpadagos

mayad, marhay

kabalo, aram, nasasabotan

diin, saen

makadto, maduman

bal-an, aram

indi, dae

guro, gayod

destino, destinasyon

tanan, gabos

mabal-an, maaraman, aram

bangga, kanto

ukon, o

Monday, December 05, 2011

Ngonyan Nga Aga

Ngonyan nga aga pasiring ka sa saimong obra pigpaparapaypay ka kan traffic enforcer mag-diretso kuno sana. Sa tungâ sang kalsada siya nakapostura, ginaagda an mga motorista nga magpadayon sana. Mayad pa siya kay kabalo kun diin makadto ka; guro an destino sang tanan nga nag-aaragi bal-an niya. Pagkalihis mo saiya pag-abot sa bangga indi mo mabal-an kun matoo ka ukon mawala.


Sinurublian sa Hiligaynon
nga, na
kuno, daa
tungâ, tahaw
sang, kan
ginaagda, inaagda
magpadayon, magpadagos
mayad, marhay
kabalo, aram, nasasabotan
diin, saen
makadto, maduman
bal-an, aram
indi, dae
guro, gayod
destino, destinasyon
tanan, gabos
mabal-an, maaraman, aram
bangga, kanto
ukon, o

Friday, November 11, 2011

Salúd

An satuyang salúd saro nang isyung moral. Obligado kita gabos na magin maray an salúd. Kun nagkakahelang kita, dai buot silingon kinakastigo kita kan Diyos dahil sa satong kasa’lan o kara’tan na ginibo; ano man na pag-alaman bunga sana kan satong sadiring kakulangan. 

Ano man na helang puwede tang likayan; an siisay man na naghehelang tibaad sa saiyang kalag igwang kaulangan. Dawa ngani an kadaklan na helang bunga kan kapabayaan, an iba por dahil sa kapaladan—herensia o kapalibutan—daing pagkaaram, o sabihon ta na sanang kamalasan. Mismo an pagkabangkag na magkaigwa nin marhay an salud, an pagkamasiri o paglikay kan lawas sa gabos na pag-alaman saro man na helang. 

Kun kita nagkakahelang, napaparahay lugod kita. Napipiritan kitang horop-horopon kun anong klase an satong pagbuhay; nabibiyayaan an satong ispiritu. Kun kita nagsasakit, napapamati satuya an pag-antos kan iba. Berdugo kun magsugo an satong sadiring sakit, an sadiri tang kulog. Kadaklan na beses, dai ta maaraman kun igwang kamanungdanan an pagsakit—alagad kadaklan na beses, ining pag-antos an minatulod sato pasiring sa tama, pakadto sa husto, na tibaad nungka ta maaabot sa ibang paagi. 


Sinurublian sa Hiligaynon 
silingon, sabihon 
pag-antos, pagsakit, pagtios 
pakadto, paduman 
husto, tama 

Susog sa “Health” na yaon sa Worldy Virtues: A Catalogue of Virtues ni Johannes Gaertner. New York: Viking Press, 1990.


Salúd


An satuyang salúd saro nang isyung moral. Obligado kita gabos na magin maray an salúd. Kun nagkakahelang kita, dai buot silingon kinakastigo kita kan Diyos dahil sa satong kasa’lan o kara’tan na ginibo; ano man na pag-alaman bunga sana kan satong sadiring kakulangan.

Ano man na helang puwede tang likayan; an siisay man na naghehelang tibaad sa saiyang kalag igwang kaulangan. Dawa ngani an kadaklan na helang bunga kan kapabayaan, an iba por dahil sa kapaladan—herensia o kapalibutan—daing pagkaaram, o sabihon ta na sanang kamalasan. Mismo an pagkabangkag na magkaigwa nin marhay an salud, an pagkamasiri o paglikay kan lawas sa gabos na pag-alaman saro man na helang.

Kun kita nagkakahelang, napaparahay lugod kita. Napipiritan kitang horop-horopon kun anong klase an satong pagbuhay; nabibiyayaan an satong ispiritu. Kun kita nagsasakit, napapamati satuya an pag-antos kan iba. Berdugo kun magsugo an satong sadiring sakit, an sadiri tang kulog. Kadaklan na beses, dai ta maaraman kun igwang kamanungdanan an pagsakit—alagad kadaklan na beses, ining pag-antos an minatulod sato pasiring sa tama, pakadto sa husto, na tibaad nungka ta maaabot sa ibang paagi.


Detalye kan rebulto sa University Chapel
kan Ateneo de Naga. Rinitrato kan Septiembre 2011.

Sinurublian sa Hiligaynon
silingon, sabihon
pag-antos, pagsakit, pagtios
pakadto, paduman
husto, tama

Susog sa “Health” na yaon sa Worldy VirtuesA Catalogue of Virtues ni Johannes Gaertner. New York: Viking Press, 1990. 

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Pagtúyaw

Síring sa pagsílot, an pagtúyaw sa sarong bágay itataó mo saná kun hágadon saímo, úkon pigbayádan ka. Dawâ nanggigiríil ka na, nungka ka magtabúgâ o magtúyaw na garong ika na sana an igwang aram—na daw tanan nga salâ lang ang ginapangítâ mo, o na garóng ika na an butugón. Kakádlawan ka ninda; magsalâ, dakul kang makakaíwal. 

Kun matúyaw ka, kaipuhan itong bakong suway sa háwak. Pwede ka man magtúyaw sa magalang na paági. Ihámbal mo an pagtúyaw sa mahinay na tataramon, itong dai nanduduhágî, itong dai nangrarátak. Ipasábot mo sa tinutúyaw an tanán na kaayúhan siní; dangan hatági sing damô nga konsiderasyon. Uróg na marhay na sabihon mo kun ano an kapás mong magtúyaw; silíngon mo man kun wâáy ka gid diretso nga magsilíng sang amó. 

Salâ nganing pagtaram an ginasilíng nilang “constructive criticism.” Kabáli kaya digdi an mga gigibúhon mo ta nganing an nasambit nang bagay mahímô sing mas manámî kag mas maáyo. Kun siring, ini saro nang marhay na sílot; buót silíngon siní, liliwaton mo an mismong bagay na saimong tinutuyaw. Ini nangangahulugan saro nang bâgong obra, saro nang bâgong bagay; bakô na ning pagtuyaw.

Susog sa “Criticism” na yaon sa Worldly Virtues ni Johannes Gaertner. New York: Viking Press, 1990, 33.


Sinurublian sa Hiligaynon

ukon, o kun

daw, garo

tanan, gabos

ginapangítâ, hinahanap

kakádlawan, ngingirisihan

ihámbal, sabihon, taramon

mahínay, luway-luway

kaayúhan, karahayan

siní, kaini

hatági, tau-hán, ta’wan, ta’wi

sing, nin

damô, dakul

nga, na

silíngon, sabihon

wâáy, mayo

gid, nanggad

magsilíng, magtaram, magsabi

sang amó, kaiyan, kaini

ginasilíng, sinasabi

nilang, nindang

mahímô sing, magibong

manamî, marhay

maáyo, marhay

obrá, gíbo


Bikol Etymology


Silot, n.

1. Tibaad hali sa “Zealot.” Sa Biblia, sarong sekta sa tiempo ni Hesukristo na kun makatúyaw ki Hesus garong sinda na sana an maray na tawo, na daw sinda na sana an mga aki nin Diyos).

2. Sa Espanyol, abíso; sa Filipino, páyo; sa Ingles, advice.



Pagtúyaw

Síring sa pagsílot, an pagtúyaw sa sarong bágay itataó mo saná kun hagádon saímo, úkon pigbayádan ka. Dawâ nanggigiríil ka na, nungka ka magtabúgâ o magtúyaw na garong ika na sana an igwang aram—na daw tanan nga salâ lang ang ginapangítâ mo, o na garóng ika na an butugón. Kakádlawan ka ninda; magsalâ, dakul kang makakaíwal.  Kun matúyaw ka, kaipuhan itong bakong suway sa háwak. Pwede ka man magtúyaw sa magalang na paági. Ihámbal mo an pagtúyaw sa mahinay na tataramon, itong dai nanduduhágî, itong dai nangrarátak. Ipasábot mo sa tinutúyaw an tanán na kaayúhan siní; dangan hatági sing damô nga konsiderasyon. Uróg na marhay na sabihon mo kun ano an kapás mong magtúyaw; silíngon mo man kun wâáy ka gid diretso nga magsilíng sang amó.  Salâ nganing pagtaram an ginasilíng nilang “constructive criticism.” Kabáli kaya digdi an mga gigibúhon mo ta nganing an nasambit nang bagay mahímô sing mas manámî kag mas maáyo. Kun siring, ini saro nang marhay na sílot; buót silíngon siní, liliwaton mo an mismong bagay na saimong tinutuyaw. Ini nangangahulugan saro nang bâgong obra, saro nang bâgong bagay; bakô na ning pagtuyaw.


Susog sa “Criticism” na yaon sa Worldly Virtues ni Johannes Gaertner. New York: Viking Press, 1990, 33.


Sinurublian sa Hiligaynon
ukon, o kun
daw, garo
tanan, gabos
ginapangítâ, hinahanap
kakádlawan, ngingirisihan
ihámbal, sabihon, taramon
mahínay, luway-luway
kaayúhan, karahayan
siní, kaini
hatági, tau-hán, ta’wan, ta’wi
sing, nin
damô, dakul
nga, na
silíngon, sabihon
wâáy, mayo
gid, nanggad
magsilíng, magtaram, magsabi
sang amó, kaiyan, kaini
ginasilíng, sinasabi
nilang, nindang
mahímô sing, magibong
manamî, marhay
maáyo, marhay
obrá, gíbo

Bikol Etymology

Silot, n.
1. Tibaad hali sa “Zealot.” Sa Biblia, sarong sekta sa tiempo ni Hesukristo na kun makatúyaw ki Hesus garong sinda na sana an maray na tawo, na daw sinda na sana an mga aki nin Diyos).
2. Sa Espanyol, abíso; sa Filipino, páyo; sa Ingles, advice.


Friday, October 14, 2011

Saysay kan Paggirumdom

Sa nanok kan banggi mapapagimata ka, magios dangan tibaad dai na mapaturog pa. Sa kauntukan kan mga bagay, marurumduman mo an mga nakaagi. Sa daing girong na palibot, mapapanumdum mo an mga dai pa nangyayari. Tibaad dai ka winarasan kaidto nin grasya na masadiri an mga yaon sa palibot mo. Bisan ngonyan mayo ka nin kapas na sadirihon an mga bagay na dai pa naarabot. Ta nganing sa mga oras na arog kaini, magrumdum ka o panumdumon mo sinda dangan ihiras sa iba. An saimong pagrumdom, ining kanigoan na makapanumdom sarong balaog saimo na mayo nin kaagid. Nadudumanan mo an mga lugar na gustong kadtohan. Nabubuweltahan mo idtong mga tiempong inirokan. Nakakaulay mo an mga tawong marayo na, naiistorya mo an mga tinugang maarabot pa sana. Masasabat mo an gabat kan dai napapamugtak na kaisipan, dangan kun kun ini malampasan, kanigoan na gian sa daghan.



Saysay kan Paggirumdom


Sa nanok kan banggi mapapagimata ka, magios dangan tibaad dai na mapaturog pa. Sa kauntukan kan mga bagay, marurumduman mo an mga nakaagi. Sa daing girong na palibot, mapapanumdum mo an mga dai pa nangyayari. Tibaad dai ka winarasan kaidto nin grasya na masadiri an mga yaon sa palibot mo. Bisan ngonyan mayo ka nin kapas na sadirihon an mga bagay na dai pa naarabot. Ta nganing sa mga oras na arog kaini, magrumdum ka o panumdumon mo sinda dangan ihiras sa iba. An saimong pagrumdom, ining kanigoan na makapanumdom sarong balaog saimo na mayo nin kaagid. Nadudumanan mo an mga lugar na gustong kadtohan. Nabubuweltahan mo idtong mga tiempong inirokan. Nakakaulay mo an mga tawong marayo na, naiistorya o an mga tinugang maarabot pa sana. Masasabat mo an gabat kan dai napapamugtak na kaisipan, dangan kun kun ini malampasan, kanigoan na gian sa daghan.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Where I lived, and what I lived for

I feel privileged to have lived with my grandparents when I was younger.


Pagbakasyon, saro sa samong magturugang an pinapatabang ni Mama sa Libod sa samong lolohon sagkod lolahon. During summer vacations, our mother Emma would send one of us to help our grandparents in their small house and farm.


Uminabot an sakong toka mga onse anyos ako. And so when my turn came sometime in the late 80s, I was eleven years old, barely in grade 6. Right after Holy Week, I stayed with Lolo Meling and Lola Eta and began helping them in the house and farm.


There were many things to do in that small house which stood in a bigger farm. Nagsasakdo ako nin tubig hali sa bombahan. I fetched water from the artesian well. Nagbabahog sagkod nagtutubig ako nin manok sa tolong poultry houses. I fed and placed water for chickens in three poultry houses.


Kada semana, naghahalo ako nin bahog para sa manok na binabakal pa ni Lolo Meling o siisay man na pinsan na nagpa-Naga sa Calabanga o kis-a sa Naga. At least every week, I would mix the chicken feeds bought from Calabanga. Some three sacks of ata plus growing mash, etc. would be enough for the week.


Tinatabangan ko si Lola pagtanom sa saiyang mahiwas na gulayan—magabi, maabono, matanom. Dakul an pigtatanom mi kaidto—igwang kamatis, talong, okra, sibuyas, laya sagkod ladâ. Igwang bubon na pigpakalot si Lola harani sana sa pigtatanoman mi.


Every morning, I helped Lola in her plots—we cleared the soil, put chicken manure and compost, and planted seedlings of tomatoes, eggplant, okra, spring onions, ginger and pepper. It helped that there was a well, an almost dry water source, near the plots.


In my grandparents’ farm, we would have breakfast twice. Kada aga, duwa an samuyang pamahaw. An enot na pamahaw, iyo an pamahaw ni Lola Eta mga alas 6—mainiton na kape hali sa tinutong na bagas o instant coffee plus kun ano man na gatas o Milo dangan mamon ukon sopas ukon tinapay kun may yara.


Pagkatapos kan inaapod na ‘yan na painit, maduman na kami sa libod para magtanom. Magtanim ay di biro man nanggad ta kadakul-dakul gigibohon pagtanom: In no particular order, madukag kan daga na tatanuman. Minsan malabtik, kun kaipuhan. Masakdo nin tubig gamit an sprinkler hali sa bubon, mga pirang beses iyan, depende sa kun pera kadakul an kaipuhan bunyagan, o kun gurano kahiwas an babasaon na daga. Mabubo. Mahakot kan gagamiton na ipot na pataba sa mga plot hali sa poultry—pasiring sa mga plot. Mabubo. Masaro-saro kan mga seedlings hali sa nursery bed. Mabubo pa. Iraralaag sa mga tatanuman na plot. Mahibon kan mga nagtuturubo nang pananom. Mabubo pa.


Magusi o maguno nin bunga—kun igwa nang kamatis, haralaba na an talong. An okra kaipuhan na dai magtagas ta kanugon ini kun dai na maipabakal. Maguno ako nin sili, ibaha na an kalunggay na yaon sana man sa gilid kan tanuman. Kun may tapayas na namumula na maaagihan, sakata, o tukdula, sabi ka’yan ni Lola.


Pabuwelta sa kamalig, kaipuhan maghanaw ako dangan mag-andam na para sa kusina. Kami mapamahaw na.


Saka sana an panduwang pamahaw—na puwede tang apodon na breakfast proper. Lolo would prepare the main dishes for breakfast—hot rice, unlimited yan; fried pasayan, o buyod, depende kun ano an pigtangro ni Tya Onding na taga-Baybay ki “Sir” (Meling); o minsan inun-on na balanak o remolyitis; dangan tapayas o batag o sangkaka.


“Le! Madya, karakan na kita,” masabi si Lola. Pag-panguros antes magkakan, matingkalag si Lolo Emiliano na nakatukaw sa kabisera, dangan mahipos na man si Lola. Sa pagtunkalag niyang iyan, mahihiling ko sa mata niya an saindang Kabisto sa itaas, nugayod pinapasalamatan kan duwang gurang an biyaya kan Kaglalang.


Pagkatapos kan pagkakan, iipuson ko na an samuyang kinakanan. Mahugas ako. Masaray kan mga tada. Malimpya nin kusina. Masakdo nin panghugas. Saboot ko, an aldaw para sako napoon pa sana.


Sa maghapon, igwang rinibong gigibohon sa oma sagkod sa harong. Mahalat sana ako kun ano an eenoton.


Mapunpon nin sogok mabahog nin manok matubig masakdo mahatod nin sugok o kagulayan sa mga paratinda sa talipapa ki Tiya Teray, sa Baybay ki Manoy Dikoy sa Triangulo ki Lola Mimay. Masingil na dipisil gibuhon ta nagpapalagyo an mga pinaurutang nagpapaliman-liman magbarayad sinda.


Sa sadit na harong na ito kaidtong panahon, si Lola Margarita nagtatanom, si Lolo Emiliano iyo an kagharong.


Dai ko malingawan sa kakanan an urulay-ulay kan duwa masiramon, minsan sa pagtubod o sa gobyerno igwang diskusyon. Alagad bago sinda mag-inom nin tubig, iyo nagkakauruyon. An pusngak na makuapo na nagdadangog nakakanood mayo nin dahilan para magpurusong-pusong.



Lawaan, Ciudad Roxas

08 October 2011

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Nag-Fiesta sa Jaro si Mariano Perfecto

Pag-labay kan banda sa saindong iskinita, nagbugtaw ka na. Mas maayo kay aga ka nagsimba. Pasiring sa kapilya, tinangro ka nin esperma ni Santa Maria, nagsulo ka nin lima. Makipangudto ka ki Santa Marta. Kun daindata an saiyang afritada, luwaga sana. Nalalantaw mo sa Jaro an ginasiling na Reyna sa patio kan Cathedral ninda pinaparada, guyod-guyod an kapa ni Santa Catalina. Uy, maoogma an mga tindang kamunsil ni Santa Barbara sa bangketa. Mga tatlo ka kilo, dai na man pagtawada. Sa hapon, ma-derby si San Pedro sa plaza; rinibo daa an pwedeng magana; pumili ka na, sa puti, sa pula. Pag abot kan sinarom, magpasadpasad ka sa bisita. Si Magdalena dai naglaog sa panaderya, kiblita na bala. Bilog na aldaw nagbaligya si Dios Ama, mais na sinugba, sa plaza asta may talipapa, nagpidir ka kuta miski pira.

Panay News, September 25, 2011, D2.



Me myself needs I

Katy Perry’s “Firework” video is worthy of note. 

 

If at all, the realities portrayed by the characters, though mostly Caucasian, cut across most races and sensibilities. The video begins with American recording artist Katy Perry singing from the porch of a building. Then as she sings, fireworks shoot from her chest to the sky.

 

Then the video cuts to scenes of young people throughout the city. There is an overweight girl who cannot join her friend swimming in a pool where a party is being held. Later in the video, she “finds the courage to shed her clothes and jump in the pool” filled with the party swimmers.

 


Then, there is a cancer-stricken child in a hospital who cannot show herself out on the street because she is balding. But she goes out just the same and sees a pregnant woman in the same hospital with fireworks coming out of the baby being born.

 

There is a young magician being mugged by hooligans in an alley but uses tricks to overcome them. A boy at home witnesses his quarreling parents and how their bickering distresses his little sister; he stands up to them and pushes them apart. Also, a young man in discotheque who takes interest in a guy approaches him and kisses him, igniting fireworks from both of them.

 

Later in the video, young people are shown converging into a castle’s courtyard. There, together with the singer, they dance and “light up the night,” with their own fireworks shooting from their chests into the sky.

 

On many levels, the song empowers the self—telling it to assert and let it shine in a time and place where others see it unfit—“You just got to ignite the light and let it shine/Just own the night, like the fourth of July.”

 

The video also reminds us of Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful” whose lyrics read—“You are beautiful no matter what they say/Words can’t bring me down/I am beautiful in every single way/Words can’t bring me down.”

 

All characters portrayed in the video rather only exemplify the struggle of the self in a society that values apathy or indifference most probably because of diversity.  The video also seems to say that free will should be exercised by young people. Perhaps the video features self-empowerment only of the youth because the producers have considered only the Youthube audience.

 

But for all these, the video preaches tolerance for all races and sensibilities. Showing the various predicaments of young people, it asks audiences to be considerate and caring, or assertive of what the self desires—if love is too trite a word to use.

 

The song implies that no one but the self can empower himself or herself. In particular, no amount of external force can salvage the youth from their own dilemma. As another American, diplomat Eleanor Roosevelt said, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”

 

In many senses, the video allows for reflection of what the self can do what it really wants: to assert, to prevail, to shine. After all, at the end of the day, what really matters is the self soul heart [chest] making sparks in the dark.

 

Written by Katy Perry in collaboration with Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Sandy Wilhelm and Ester Dean for Perry's second studio album, Teenage Dream, this sensible work won Video of the Year at the 2011 MTV Music Awards.



Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Nag-Fiesta sa Jaro si Mariano Perfecto



Pag-labáy kan banda sa saindong iskinita, nagbugtaw ka na. Mas maáyo kay aga ka nagsimba. Pasiring sa kapilya, tinangro ka nin esperma ni Santa Maria, nagsulô ka nin lima. Makipangúdto ka ki Santa Marta. Kun daindata an saiyang afritada, luwagá saná. Nalalántaw mo sa Jaro an ginasiling na Reyna sa patio kan Cathedral ninda pinaparáda, guyod-guyod an kapa ni Santa Catalina. Uy, maoogmá an mga tindang kamunsil ni Santa Bárbara sa bangketa. Mga tatlo ka kilo, dai na man pagtawáda. Sa hapon, ma-derby si San Pedro sa plaza; rinibo daá an pwedeng magána—pumili ka na, sa puti, sa pulá. Pag abot kan sinárom, magpasádpasad ka sa bisitá. Si Magdalena dai naglaog sa panaderya, kiblita na balá. Bilog na aldaw nagbaligya si Dios Ama, mais na sinugbá, sa plaza asta may talipapa, nagpidir ka kuta miski pira.





Panay News, September 25, 2011, D2.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Realism and magic realism

Rating:★★★
Category:Movies
Genre: Other
Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan surely catches our attention because Natalie Portman’s Nina Sayers grows feathers after she kills Mila Kunis’s Lily backstage to perform the Black Swan role in the final act. You cannot just forget the film because of that.

This psychological thriller—featuring Natalie Portman’s Nina Sayers, a ballerina haunted by some schizophrenic ambition—brims with magic realism, an aesthetic style in which “magical elements are blended into a realistic atmosphere in order to access a deeper understanding of reality.” The effects particularly in the final ballet scene where Nina grows more feathers than the previous times it appeared would surely remind us of the film.

Because of the device used, we are made to believe that “magical elements are explained like normal occurrences that are presented in a straightforward manner” allowing the “real” (Nina Sayers dream to be the Swan Queen) and the “fantastic” (she really becomes a Swan) to be accepted in the same stream of thought.

The obsession to become the Swan Queen later brings into the character graphic hallucinations that eventually cost Nina Sayers’ life.

Natalie’s facial features being transformed into a swan—rouged eyes, aquiline nose and elongated neck—all compliment to a dramatic flourish—where at the end of the performance, even we the audience could be convinced that she very well looks as the best Swan Queen for Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake.

While Nina Sayers’ obsession for the Swan Queen role is enough persuasion, the horrific undertones notwithstanding, we the audience get the eerie feeling in Aronofsky’s close-up shots of the lead character who dances her way to death as the ambition-obsessed ballerina who lived and was haunted by realities she herself created.

Anyone or anything from Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan will win an Oscar. Choreography, effects, actress. Let’s see.

Meanwhile.

The first time I watched Christian Bale’s Dicky Edlund in The Fighter, I already rooted for him to win a Best Supporting Actor citation.

A drama about boxer “Irish” Micky Ward’s unlikely road to the world light welterweight title, The Fighter features Ward’s Rocky-like rise as he is shepherded by half-brother Dicky, a boxer-turned-trainer who rebounded in life after nearly being knocked out by drugs and crime.

A far cry from Batman and his previous roles, Christian Bale’s Dicky Edlund exudes with stark realism, a has-been boxer backed up by his mother who hoped for a could have been contender, reminiscent of Marlon Brando’s Terry Malloy in Elia Kazan’s On the Waterfront (1954).

Not another boxing movie at the Oscars you might say. But there is more to this boxing movie which rather “depicts subjects as they appear in everyday life.”

In The Fighter, we see Dicky Eklund’s mere claim to fame is his 1978 boxing match with Sugar Ray Leonard, where Eklund knocked down Leonard, who eventually won the match.

Now a crack addict, Eklund is in front of HBO cameras making a documentary about him. Dicky has also acted as one of the two trainers for half-brother Micky Ward, a decade younger than him, first known as a brawler and used by other boxers as a stepping stone to better boxers.

Both boxers are managed by their overbearing mother Alice Ward (Melissa Leo) who believes it better to keep it all in the family. Now unreliable owing to his crack addiction, Dicky’s move with Alice at one of Micky’s bouts dawns on the latter that his boxing career is being stalled and even undermined by them, who are only looking out for themselves.

The situation allows Bale’s character to deliver an uncontrived performance that highlights a family drama and gives sibling rivalry a kind of high never before seen onscreen before.

Meanwhile, Amy Adams’ Charlene Fleming—Micky’s new girlfriend, a college dropout and now local bartender who inspires him—pulls out the fulcrum to the other side, opposite Micky’s family, when she salvages him from this predicament.

Much to Alice and Dick’s anger, Micky comes to choose between them and Charlene. The story’s rising action renders each character emotionally charged—each one wanting to claim what is good for the fighter, and each one being allowed to shine individually onscreen. Awesome story.

Bale’s character greatly evolved from the Batman lead role and other virile roles to one that exudes with so much life. Like Tom Hanks’ Andrew Beckett in Jonathan Demme’s Philadelphia (1993), Bale must have shed weight to fit the role of a has-been boxer who makes business out of his brother just like his mother.

Earning three Oscar nominations for Bale, Adams and Leo, The Fighter drives some of the best punches among other films I have seen in the past year.

The first time I watched it last year, I immediately thought it was essentially noteworthy of recognition. Christian Bale’s crack[ed] character is so real you will find him in your neighborhood.

With the larger-than-life performance of an underdog who wants to bounce back, Bale’s character transforms the movie about his brother to a movie about himself. If at all, he is the Fighter being referred to in the film.

Let’s see how some real practitioners of the craft consider these performances, which other people might call art.

Songs of Ourselves

If music is wine for the soul, I suppose I have had my satisfying share of this liquor of life, one that has sustained me all these years. A...