Carabao/Kalabaw

Posted on April 6, 2012 by Michelle


“Find your own mud hole, human!”
Carabao or water buffalo taking a break somewhere in Quezon province. Manila’s hot hot hot summer is here, I’m kinda envious of this guy.  Haha!

The water buffalo have been domesticated in the Philippines as far back as pre-Hispanic times and are often used by farmers in the Philippines to plow the fields and as a means of transportation. The carabao is one of the most important animals in the country, especially in agriculture.

Lolo (grandfather) bequeathed to my then 6 year old brother (his only grandson) the calf of his beloved kalabaw before he died.  No farm animal for us girls.

Share
Posted in Snapshots | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Take Back the Night! – A Call for Decriminalization of Prostituted Women

Posted on March 29, 2012 by Michelle
Take Back the Night!
Tuesday, April 3, 2012  6:00pm
Mendiola Bridge
Join us: http://www.facebook.com/events/388644347826046/
For nine years, women’s groups, survivors and advocates have been pushing for an anti-prostitution bill that will shift the accountability away from the bought and onto the buyers as well as the profiteering business. Thus, for legislators to pass a bill that keeps the women criminalized, while all others actors are decriminalized, is sheer callousness and misogyny.  Continue reading →
Share
Posted in Women | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

CamSur World Paddle Challenge Philippines

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Michelle

CamSur World Paddle Challenge Philippines
April 19 – 22, 2012

CamSur Cable Park

19th April: Welcome, warm up and registration day – CamSur Cable Park / San Jose

20th April: Long distance Race (Transfer to San Jose from CamSur Cable Park to be provided by Organizers)

21st April: San Jose
9 AM – 12 PM: Na Kama Kai Youth Clinic
1-2 PM: Stand Up World Series Cable Park Challenge

2-5 PM: Celebrity Team Relay Races

22nd April: Sprint Race ~ CamSur Cable Park
~ Elite Racing
~ Local Challenge

For more info: http://camsur.standupworldseries.com/

Share
Posted in Travel | Tagged | Leave a comment

Not Reading: This Is Not A Book

Posted on March 21, 2012 by Michelle


Got this as a birthday present from my fabulous friend Flager. Thanks mucho my dear,  I luuuurve it! :)

Time to get creative.  I’m starting off with page 62.

Title: This Is Not A Book
Author: Keri Smith
Publisher: A Perigee Book, Penguin Group

Share
Posted in Books | Tagged | Leave a comment

Winding staircase

Posted on March 20, 2012 by Michelle

Ammonite looking spiral staircase – Barcelona, Spain
Sagrada Familia, Antoni Gaudí’s unfinished church
Approx 350 steps + cobblestone streets + stiletto boots = my ultimate tiis ganda moment

 Extinct for 65 million years, ammonites were marine cephalopods that built chambered spiral shells. The walls between these chambers, called sutures, were complex fractal curves.

Tagalog lesson:
tiis – v. to bear, to suffer, to endure
ganda - gand´a ­ maganda (ma-) adj. beau- tiful, pretty, nice
tiis ganda – to suffer for beauty

Share
Posted in Snapshots | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Off the Beaten Track: Sampatitis of Polillo, Quezon

Posted on March 16, 2012 by Michelle

Warning: If you faint at the sight of blood skip this.

Pain. There is something about our race that avoids any form of pain as much as we can. Somehow we are wired to believe (or at least I am) that pain should not be part of our lives, it simply is not right… However the inevitability of it is experienced and learned early in life – the first knee scrape, being teased at school, having your heart broken for the first time…the second… and the list goes on.

I have pretty much kept the attitude of indifference, even disdain at people who participate in the practice of self flagellation during the Holy Week. How could self mutilation bring you closer to a higher being? Is beating yourself  really going to cancel all the sins you committed the whole year? Is there some sort of twisted pleasure derived from all that? Life is full of pain already, why ask for more? Continue reading →

Share
Posted in Life, Travel | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

MV Logos Hope in Manila

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Michelle

I was saddened by the retirement of its precursor the MV Doulos — it’s such a wonderful idea to have a whole ship of which sole purpose is to bring books around the world so I’m glad to see MV Logos Hope take on that role on its maiden call in the port of Manila.

logos hope

MV Logos Hope in Manila Harbor

Prices are in units. 1 unit = 1 peso. Easy

more books

I have seriously considered doing volunteer work on the Doulos before as I think of libraries as pieces of heaven on earth, one sailing around the world just notches up the awesomeness factor. Plus working with a bunch of Christians from different cultures can be at the very least interesting.

Meet the crew

The first thing I noticed was the two flags the ship is flying:  one is the familiar Philippine flag and the other the Maltese cross that of her home port Valleta, Malta.  The Maltese Cross with its eight points is associated with the Knights of Malta.  They represent the eight obligations or aspirations of the Knights:  loyalty, piety, generosity, bravery, glory and honor, contempt of death, helpfulness towards the poor and the sick, and respect for the church.

I salute the people behind GBA ships for continuing to bring their vision of bringing knowledge, help and hope to the people of the world for almost four decades.

Check out Logos’ wide selection of music at very affordable prices and for those who are frustrated with christian fiction offering at local bookstores make sure you visit, you won’t be disappointed I promise. :-) And remember don’t halo-halo the books and throw your trash properly or better yet bring it home with you – it will be a big help to the crew.

You have made me miss ship life so badly when I stepped on your gangplank MV Logos. I wish you calm seas and smooth sailing. See you back in Manila soon!

MV Logos Hope – The World’s Largest Floating Book Fair
Until March 13 – Pier 15 berth 4 South Harbor
How to get there: From south of Roxas boulevard turn on the first left after Manila Hotel

Monday to Saturday: 10 am – 9:30 pm
Sundays: 1pm – 9:30pm
Ticket:  20 pesos, kids free

Subic Port: March 15 – April 8, 2012

Share
Posted in Books, Manila | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Honest Mornings

Posted on March 3, 2012 by Michelle

The time I drift between dreams and reality, slumber and awareness – mornings usually, I am most vulnerable. In this moment I feel the full force of my deepest desires, my desolations, my lusts, my fervent hopes and joys. Unless it hits me in the gut, it comes ever so gently, fleetingly and because of that I need to pay attention.  I have in fact started to pay attention instead of rushing through the day with my to do list and eventually get caught up with living. I pause and allow myself to be – before I put on my mask, before my rational self takes over and before I can even deny the not so holy parts of me – and ask Him to meet me there. In that short moment of raw honesty, more than anything else I need to commune with the Lord. I pray would You come satisfy.

 

Share
Posted in Faith | Tagged | Leave a comment

Reading: Tomas Pinpin and Tagalog Survival in Early Spanish Philippines

Posted on February 18, 2012 by Michelle

Tomas Pinpin who? Sino kamo? Fact: I love history. Pre-colonial history even more.

This book explores the thesis of a literate Tagalog population as evidenced by Tomas Pinpin’s Librong pagaaralan - Paralang sulat ni Tomas Pinpin, tauong Tagalog, sa manga capoua co Tagalog. He later became a significant figure in the Spanish printing ministry.  It tackles also one of my recent favorite subject Baybayin – an existing writing system in pre colonial Philippines.  Librong Pag-aaralan was printed one year before the publication of the King James Version of the Bible.  It’s a fascinating  book about the work of a remarkable man. I’m reading it for the 2nd time already!

Excerpt:
Perhaps more significantly, Pinpin’s work was one of subversion. For all his expressed desire to help his readers become better Christians, Pinpin was instead seeking to help his fellow Tagalogs, manga capoua co Tagalog (as he wrote it), survive in the marketplace, a world dominated by the Spanish intruders. His goal was Tagalog survival in such a world.

Title: Tomas Pinpin and Tagalog Survival in Early Spanish Philippines
Author: Damon Woods
Publisher: University of Santo Tomas Publishing House

Share
Posted in Books | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Coconut Love

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Michelle

I am slathered with ANH VCO (Absolutely No Heat Virgin Coconut Oil) from heat to foot right now.  The type who would see the doctor when things are really bad and not before, I’ve been procrastinating on seeing a dermatologist.  There are blotchy rashes on my face and neck and I have a nagging feeling that it might be windburn from wakeboarding, or some sort of reaction for the cooler weather we have been having.  It is reddish, itchy and has little bumps. Yes, I’m sensitive to cold.  On the off chance that this is not windburn, I am counting on VCO’s natural anti-viral, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and immune-boosting properties.  They say it even has a slimming effect.  Ha! Really what else do I need?

Coconut oil is at its virgin best when cold-pressed or extracted using no heat, which is a bit hard to distinguish (some only claim to be ANH and there are tons of choices in the market) so I’m glad I scored a bottle from a trusted source. We are a country blessed with an abundance of this tropical tree and have yet to fully utilize its benefits.  A clinical study conducted by Dr  Conrado Dayrit in the 80s revealed antiviral effects against HIV, which has led to Virgin Coconut Oil being used in treating AIDS in clinical trials in the country.  Now I wonder why there are not enough studies conducted towards this natural cure?

VCO feels really good on the skin – it makes for a great facial moisturizer, body lotion, and lip balm.  I even use it on my scalp to prevent dandruff.  Talk about skin food! Come to think of it I would need to find a husband who loves the smell of coconuts…

Here are some links on more info about the benefits of coconut/VCO:

http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/talkofthetown/view/20060917-21432/Docs_provide_the_science_on_VCO

http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/articles.htm

http://www.naturaltherapyinfo.com/immunesystem/coconut_oil.htm

And oh if you didn’t know, the coconut is NOT a nut! ;)

YouTube Preview Image

 

Share
Posted in Life | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment