Tuesday, May 24, 2011

photography: the UPLB fertility tree

This tree is one of the most photographed landmarks in UPLB, next to Oblation. Located at the edge of the UPLB oval, the tree serves as a resting place for many joggers, students, athletes and many other kinds of living creatures by day and a nesting place for lovers and couples at night.

Scientifically known as Samanea saman, this acacia tree is known for its grand canopy and the rumors that was built around and under its shade.
From generations past, the tree was called fertility tree for the countless and ageless stories of lovers and couples making the tree witness to many promiscuous and intimate moments. Again, rumors has it, because I have not seen nor witnessed anything, that many babies have been born out of the fertility powers of the tree and condoms were seen within its grounds.
Fertility Tree located at UPLB. On the background is the UP Carillon.


Tuesday, May 10, 2011

readings: Joseph Christopher M. Garcia, Grade 3 -B

(Note: I didn't have an idea what to call this blog article so I decided to use the name printed on the book instead, a child who previously owned it. I got the book at a book sale, this is one of the many reasons that I like pre-owned books. There's a story with the book that is very tempting. Maybe someday, I'll get to track the people down who owned it.)

May 8, 2011: Typhoon Bebeng was a surprise. 

The day started out cloudy with some rain showers.  But what seemed like a regular tropical rain which we get from this part of the globe during months of July to November, turned like a wild storm with gusting winds in the afternoon. I got dripping wet and now I ain't feeling well. I got cough and colds and I really ain't feeling well.

So I decided to stay overnight in Las Piñas City hoping to get some rest. I did. But I couldn't get much sleep. So I decided to start on a book.

Previously, I've written a couple of book reviews, which you may note on the "readings' page of this site. Or click here for reference.

Too sick to read a serious book, I chose from my own library of Newberry books, Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary.

The book is an intrusion to the private life (diary) of the character Leigh Botts, a fanatic to the author Boyd Henshaw. He writes him letters. But things turned out differently when his class was asked to write a letter to a famous author as part of a class project. And the author's reply changed the course of his life.

With his letter responded by the his favorite author, the author advised him to keep writing. And so he reluctantly started on his diary. The diary accounts to his struggles as a normal sixth grader who lives with his divorced mom and with a father who rarely calls or pays a visit. He also accounts how his lunch gets stolen and an attempt to catch the thief.

Digging deeper, the book chronicles the conflicts of a boy living with his mother with rarely no friends, a loner and how he sees the divorce of his parents, the absence of a father figure in the family and his longing for it to be complete. 

Its a story of age, with heart and a mild emotions. Reading the book, the author certainly did consider an audience - children. Written with humor and a laymans vocabulary, its easy to read and it was too easy that I finished it in less than 24 hours,including the 10 hours sleeping hours I had 'coz I really need to rest.

There are two highlights in Leigh's diary, one was when he discovered that his father is seeing someone else reason why he doesn't get to see him anymore and that his mother took him for a ride, grabbed a bucket of fried chicken and spent the night inside the car, by the beach, rain pouring hard and nothing but them and the fried chicken. This was where his mother finally opened up the reason for their divorce.

"You know, whenever I watch the waves, I always feel that no matter how bad things seem, life will still go on"

Second was the last entry when he arrived from school, seeing his father in front of the house. This seemed like a scene from the movies when a man is asking for a second chance on love, denied by the wife and nothing left to do but leave and move on. This sealed the story implying that Leigh should move on, accept that fact that his parent are never getting back together. He understood, I could guess.
And with understanding, comes age.

So where does typhoon Bebeng fit in? I wouldn't have read this book had I not been feeling sick! 

Monday, May 9, 2011

wun manong: a happy horse a day, keeps the blues away

I’ve been hearing a lot about this ‘happy horse’ lately. 

It’s a legend about a smiling horse in the logo, or print of the local beer, the Red Horse. According to many beer drinkers account, there is one bottle of happy horse in every case and that the beer is more concentrated than the regular bottle and so it gives a stronger punch or kick (we’re referring to a horse anyway). 



It was one of those random drinking that I discovered it.

I was manning our food shop, Tobee’s Roasted Chicken in Lopez Avenue, Los Baños, Laguna, when a friend passed by and tried our street barbeque. I offered a drink and that started the night. Coincidentally, I was expecting for my wife to arrive off from her job and when she did, the rest, as they would say it, is history.

We were drinking bottles of Red Horse beer when, if my memory served me right, I asked about the legend of the happy horse. They store attendants claimed they have bottles in store so I asked. And yes indeed. It was a smiling happy red horse.

The ‘happy horse’ was a result of a misprint, not so long ago (1983). And that it has the same alcohol content as the regular red horse beer. When and how did the rumor start about it having a stronger punch is all part of a drunk imagination. Also, there could be more than one bottle or no bottle at all of a happy horse in every case since the bottles are randomly lined up in a conveyor at the bottling plant.

The happy horse may be in the bottle or the one drinking on the bottle. In any case, one always has to drink moderately.

Monday, May 2, 2011

wun manong: Kudrat, an angel, just like Sophia

It ain't Christmas season yet, and this blog ain't about Christmas either. Its something between Christmas and not.

Every year, we've started a tradition to decorate our family Christmas tree with themes. In 2009, we had our most dramatic and beautiful Christmas tree ever which my sister labored late nights and weekends to finish. She called it "Memories", as a tribute to our Aunt Ely who died that year of breast cancer.


And in 2010, with the arrival of a new angel into the family, Kandro Jael, she decided to create a Christmas tree themed, "Angels".

We initially decided that we create our own 'angels' and would collectively decorate it on the tree. And so I thought, now is the time to show the world, my very own 'angel' who I named Kudrat. 

It's a name I got sometime in college while in meditation at the University library. I don't know why I liked the name. I just liked it. Just like how my sister Kristine likes Sophia. He's a black angel I know. He does good things and bad things. He ain't a perfect, saintly angel. He is ordinary and very 'unstable'. By how he behaves, he's between being an angel and a demon.

But there's nothing to fear about Kudrat. He's the nicest thing an angel can be, but ain't the worst on the bad side.

And so finally. I'd like you to all meet, Kudrat, an angel, just like Sophia, is imaginary.


photography: rich in flavor, rich in color

I love taking pictures, I'm a self confessed photographer, less the high end camera gadgets.
This picture was taken somewhere in Amadeo, Cavite where coffee is a staple household produce. Coffee beans are sundried everywhere and almost every house has something drying in their backyard.
This picture was also taken with the use of a Nokia cellphone camera.

And I'm glad, the camera didn't fail to bring out the rich color of a rich bean.

and so i love her : the Astroboy connection

(Note: "And so I love her" are random blogs, pictures, notes and whatever things that I appreciate my wife doing for me.)

And the best way to jumpstart this blog portion is by a sketch my wife did for my favorite cartoon/anime character of all time... ASTRO BOY.

She copied a picture I posted in my Facebook account which I use as my profile picture.

See the similarities . . .
Here's the original.
 Picture was taken here

 And here's my wife's version. 

And so I love her!!!