I Saw the Sign

We extended our stay in Palawan, coming from a three-day stay at Dos Palmas, for a day and a half more because we wanted to visit the famous St. Paul Underground River, now known as Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park. Two hours to three hours of bone-jarring road trip from Puerto Princesa City going to Sabang Beach and then a boat ride going to the undergrond river for about an hour if I remember it right. It was all worth it.

(Nag-extend kami ng stay sa Palawan ng isa at kalahati pang araw para makabisita kami sa St. Paul Underground River. Dalawang hanggang tatlong oras na napakatagtag na lakbayin at mula Puerto Princesa hanggang Sabang Beach at isang oras na boat ride papuntang underground river.)



One of the cave's opening
I was really excited upon seeing the sign board welcoming us to this nature's wonder. It took us 25 minutes to go around the cave. Our tour guide has lots of stories to tell about the shapes of the stalactites and stalagmites. It was fun! Whatever fears I had were gone even if it was really cold, dark and for sure the water was very deep.

(Na-excite talaga ako ng makita ko na ang karatulang nagsasaad na andito na kami sa aming adventure. Dalawamput limang minuto para ikutin ang loob ng kweba at maraming kwento si manong tungkol sa iba't-ibang hugis ng bato. Nakakaaliw kaya mawawala ang kaba mo kahit na malamig at madilim sa loob at siguradong malalim ang tubig.)

***Read more signs at Litratong Pinoy.

The Pillars of the Earth

This book gathered dust on my book shelf for maybe four or five years. It was given by one of my mentors in my former company. Colleagues almost always give me books since they know I read a lot. Some books I read right away but some I eventually forget as books pile up.

A few months ago I made an inventory of my books and thought of either giving away some or read them before I purchase other books again. I decided to read them all.

I mentioned to a friend some titles in my possession I have yet to read. She gasped when she heard about The Pillars of the Earth. She nudged me to read it right away. Guaranteed I won't be able to put it down. Still I put off reading because I bought two new books by Eckart Tolle - The Power of Now and A New Earth.

Until finally I was done with the two books, I decided to read first Ken Follet's The Pillars of the Earth among the books lined up.

How on earth did I let this great book be left out on my shelf? It feels like a sacrilege. Yes, it's true, every turn of the page made my heart skip - rich in detail, very engaging.

SETTING. It felt like I was living in the 12th century England, the century I am most fascinated about. I marvel at how detailed Ken Follet described the era and the life of the people at the time. I can see, smell, feel each house, each castle, church and market place.

The architecture was so vivid I get to picture on my mind how the construction was going on (with a little help from Google since some terms are alien to me).

I was also interested with the food the characters partake. It put a big grin on my face learning about what kind of food people eat during Medieval times. I try to imagine how they were - ale, wine, wheat bread, boiled bacon with small onion, bowl of beef broth. turnips, jug of golden beer, etcetera. Bread was the staple food.

CHARACTERS. I love the build up of each character. No character was wasted even if they just appeared in a couple of pages. All roles are significant in the story that is unfolding. Everyone was given his perfect time to shine (and their time to fall). Strength of character was deeply ingrained with the major characters but they are with flaws too that you get to identify with them at certain points.

I love how the author created the names. You will know the cunning Waleran Bigod, the caring monk Johnny Eightpence, cellarer Cuthbert Whitehead, the jongleur Jack Shareburg.

This book has Father Philip, Prior of Kingsbridge, as the great mediator. Of all the men in religious clothing, he was the most righteous. Probably 90% were depicted as greedy for money and power and unjust. On my mind I was saying it's a good thing there never was an issue with Ken Follet and the Catholic church when this book was released.

The women were either powerful like Aliena and Ellen, devious like Regan Hamleigh and powerless like Elizabeth and some other minor characters. The men had their virtues like Father Philip as mentioned above, Tom Builder, Jack, Francis, among others. But in almost all the critical situations, it was always the woman who made the resolutions successful.

PLOT. Intriguing. It is amazing how the events, the situations are neatly interwoven spanning over 40 years captured vividly in almost a thousand pages. The story and the characters are fictional (but most probably inspired by some real characters or at least impressions on them) with actual historical events as its backdrop.

It's message in a nutshell is evil will never triumph over good intentions. It's a story of love's enduring power over vengeance and greed. Cheesy the way I put it but it's a very engaging read.

This is the kind of book that I was raring to know what happens next but at the last leg I felt a pang of sadness because I don't want it to end. It felt like the book, the characters have lives of their own.

The Pillars of the Earth gave me more than a glimpse of the way of living in the 12th century. It was as if I was there, part of their story. I get so absorbed reading the book that it was like living at Kingsbridge for real and I personally know Jack, Aliena, the prior of Kingsbridge, Father Philip, and the rest of the characters.

Surprisingly when I read about some comments about the book, they also felt sad having finished reading it. I thought I was the only one who felt that way.

What book do I read now? I tried picking up some books but can't bring myself to read them yet because I am still feeling the high of The Pillars of the Earth. It's like anything at this point is incomparable with the excitement I feel whenever I read each page of Pillars.

You see I love the books of Haruki Murakami and Paulo Coelho. I cherish their books and reading them bring my mind and emotions to higher levels of imagination and feeling. But with The Pillars of the Earth, I just don't want it to end. I want to transport myself, go back in time and see everything that is hapening at Kingsbridge. I want to live in Medieval England.

I was more than glad to know that the television series of The Pillars of the Earth is currently in production to be released on 2010! Watching the clips made me more excited as they seem what I had imagined them to be. I am just so happy. I hope they will be true to what the book gave its readers. I hope the series will be grand, majestic and breathtaking.

Scouting Investiture

I became a member of the Girl Scout movement when I was in grade school. The drills and the activities were tiring alright but joining earned me a lot of friends from different grade levels. Also, it helped me experience independence from my parents whenever we have our camping. I remember though I was only allowed to join twice in campings held at the school grounds.

I was excited for my daughter when she decided to be a Girl Scout last year. She was never a Star Scout since she prefers to be active in other extra curricular activities since her earlier days in grade school. She is a member of their Music, Arts and swimming clubs.


This photo was taken during their investiture last October 2008. I attended the ceremony as I always do when she has participation in school programs. A photo opportunity for us after the part where the neckerchief, green cap and scouting pin were handed over by the parents (or godmother) to their scouts.

Today's Mommy Moments talk about hats, my daughter do love wearing one. She has a collection actually. I shared a few pictures many posts ago for Photo Hunt the different hats of my daughter.

***Read more sharing at Mommy Journey.

Delaying Gratification

It's my daughter's first trimester examination this week. The long weekend was spent mostly for reviewing her subjects. Reviewing sometimes prove to be a challenge. Why? Because a day of exam consists of four to five subjects. I need to guide her to manage her time so she can study all the subjects especially the major ones - Math, Science and HEKASI (Geography, History, Civics).

These subjects require a lot of reading and yes, memorization. Add to that the minor subject, but information laden, Computer. The terms, the functions the students have to remember are just so many. I hope they will just have an actual exam for Computer and not theoretical.

There has to be a gap between examination days. It should not be held in consecutive days to give the students more time to study and go over all the lessons. Or at least give the students an outline of the scope of the test. In the meantime that these proposals are on its way to the school directress' email, my daughter hast to study per their schedule.

At least two teachers review them before the long tests. That is highly appreciated. The students need all the help they can get considering the load of subjects and lessons in a given trimester. I notice that quizzes are not as frequent as they were during the last school year. Quizzes help students be refreshed with current and previous lessons.

I reminded my daughter a few days ago that she needs to start reviewing early so she will not cram on the next days. We made a pact that she will study at least three days before the test, at least for the subjects which require long reading. The drawback here is she might forget some lessons. Well, reviewing is recalling what they have learned. I am confident there is a deep understanding of the lessons so forgetting them is unlikely.

You see my daughter can only use the computer for internet browsing and games during weekends (on a limited time) with the exception of weekends before the exam week. There were a lot of shows on Disney and Nickelodeon that she wanted to watch (though they have watched most in YouTube) during the weekend that passed but she has to study for the most parts of the day.

Daughter: Why do we need to take examssss???
Me: Just one of the ways to check how much you learned from your lessons.
Daughter: Why can't quizzes be enough? It's the same thing.
Me: Some things needs to get done, guidelines to follow which include your tests in schools. After this, you can rest to your heart's content.

I didn't feel my answer was good enough but in these times of what seems like "dread and agony", I perk up her mood. I show patience and understanding to what she is feeling. I try my best to motivate her and inculcate the value of delaying gratification. Gladly she understands. She just have to let it out. I let her. After her short monologue, she picks up her books and starts studying and I can see no resentment on what she is doing.

If I could think of better ways in reviewing lessons other than scheduling it ahead and taking fifteen to 30 minute breaks, then I'd gladly share it with her.

It's better to finish the hard work and reap the fruits of your labor after. Have fun after the toil. It should never be fun first before hard work. Oh yes, maybe a few times the reverse happens but I would definitely want her to have a clear understanding that a long-term or more substantial reward is more fulfilling than short-term rewards. A little sacrifice now, gain and win later.

I pray to God she carries this value with all her heart as she grows older. Work hard first and enjoy the rewards later, maybe even sooner, God willing.

Father-figure - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

Father-figure - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

The death of Executive Minister Eraño “Ka Erdy” Manalo of the Iglesia ni Cristo, who passed away last Monday at the age of 84, has plunged the church his father founded in 1914 into deep grief. For many members, the loss was most personal. The reaction of a volunteer worker at a church-affiliated TV network reflected the distress of many: “Father is gone. Father is gone,” the volunteer said in Filipino, weeping.
To the millions of Iglesia members, Ka Erdy was, simply, “Tatay,” the father-figure of a growing but close-knit family. To other Filipinos, especially Roman Catholics who only had a hazy notion of the beliefs of the homegrown church he led, he was a mostly mysterious figure—not because his life was shrouded in secrecy, but because he was a truly simple man, and averse to publicity. It is this quality that gave him an aura of mystery; he was unlike other religious leaders who cut a high profile or whip up congregations into a frenzy.

The Iglesia ni Cristo has been blessed, to use a rather worldly criterion, with the longevity of its leaders. Founder Felix Manalo served as executive minister for almost half a century, and his son and successor served for over 46 years. This blessing has allowed a church famous for its discipline to hold fast to its core beliefs even in a changing world; analogously, the distinctive architecture of INC temples has enabled the church to retain a very clear image of itself even through the years.

But the INC under Ka Erdy was also quick to adapt to changing circumstances. In 1968, the church began expanding to other countries. Today, it is present in 90 countries. The INC is also very media-savvy, with its central offices housing TV networks that help broadcast the news and spread the faith.

By all accounts, Ka Erdy was a true man of God, personally modest, devoted to his family and above all dedicated to the ministry. The deep grief INC members feel at his passing comes, not only from their belief that he was God’s chosen messenger, but from their keen recollection of his kindly nature.

But any discussion of the role Ka Erdy and his fast-growing church played and continues to play in Philippine society is not complete without a mention of the political influence the Iglesia ni Cristo wields—a direct consequence of its church discipline.

While it is not true that every single member of the church votes according to the discernment of the church leaders, surveys have confirmed that by far it is the most cohesive religious organization, and votes mostly as a bloc.

A telling tribute from President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s eldest son, Pampanga Rep. Mikey Arroyo, made when he visited the religious leader’s wake, was not lip service but the candid truth. Ms Arroyo, the congressman said, would not have become president if it weren’t for Manalo.

This simple assertion is true for most presidents since the reelection of Ferdinand Marcos in 1969. And in point of fact, Ka Erdy was already executive minister then. The estimate then was that the INC’s 300,000 votes went solidly for Marcos in a contentious election. This support became one of the main reasons Marcos became the first president since Manuel L. Quezon back in Commonwealth days to be reelected.

So Mikey Arroyo had reason to make the dutiful trek to the Iglesia’s Central Temple, as did many other politicians. (Speaker Prospero Nograles bused in well over 100 House members to the wake—surely a crystalline sign of the church’s political clout.)

It should be noted, however, that when President Arroyo made her first attempt to fast-track Charter change in 2006 through a Senate-less constituent assembly in December 2006, the Iglesia ni Cristo was among the religious organizations that vigorously protested the self-serving maneuver’s blatant immorality. Not even the President’s closeness or deference to Ka Erdy Manalo could disguise the rank immorality of the unconstitutional maneuver.

Mikey Arroyo may thus choose to remember the support the Iglesia ni Cristo threw his mother’s way in 2004, but he would do well to also remember a warning from the Bible: What the Lord giveth, the Lord taketh away. Ka Erdy’s long and full life is a lesson in providence.

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Ballroom Dance

Part of the activities in my daughter's school is their annual field demonstration held during the first quarter of the year. I look forward to this event as excitedly as my daughter does. I love watching the different presentations of the students especially my daughter's class.

It involves hours of practice each week and the rehearsals go almost on a daily basis as the activity gets nearer. This year my daughter's grade level did the ballroom dance.

My daughter and I shopped for her dress as they were required to don a dress in bright colors, preferably in pink or red shade. It was not the usual Sunday dress. I opted to buy a simple dress which is appropriate for her age but still matches the requirement.


Children are children. They played while waiting for the assembly proper even in their formal wears.


***Read more sharing at Mommy Journey.

A Walk in the Park Circa 1980s

I thought it will be great to share a scanned picture of me and my high school friends walking along the road of one of the most visited places during the 80s, Nayong Pilipino. This was part of our field trip during our senior year.

(Excited akong i-share ang isang litrato ko kasama kasama ang aking mga classmates noong high school. Kuha ito sa aming field trip noong kami ay nsa senior year na. Ito ay isa sa mga madalas bisitahin noong 80s, ang Nayong Pilipino.)

It's been so long! I stumbled on this picture while choosing what to share for this week's Lakad (walk, literally) theme of Litratong Pinoy.

(Ang tagal na nito! Nabuklat ko ang isang folder ko ng mga lumang litrato habang naghahanap ng mailalahok sa tema ngayong linggo sa Litratong Pinoy.)


Look at our pants, they are what the kids are wearing now - skinny jeans. Fashion just goes back with some little twists. Two of them in picture live abroad while the two of us in the middle are in the Philippines. One of us will eventually migrate to the US.

(Tingnan n'yo ang aming mga pantalon! Ganyan din ang mga suot ng kabataan ngayon - skinny jeans. Ang fashion ay paikot-ikot lamang. Dalawa sa kasama ko sa litrato ay naninirahan na sa abroad. Kaming dalawang nasa gitna ay narito sa Pilipinas ngunit isa sa amin ay magma-migrate din eventually.)

Time flies. A few months ago we held our silver jubilee and our batch hosted it. It's great that some of us are communicating again. Thanks to our Yahoo Group and Facebook. In fact a number of us we'll meet tomorrow night for a little get-together for our August and September birthday celebrants.

(Ang bilis ng panahon. Ilang buwan lamang ay nagdaos kami ng silver jubilee. Masaya ako at patuloy muli ang aming komunikasyon. Salamat sa Yahoo Group at sa Facebook. Bukas ay magkikita-kita kami para i-celebrate ang mga birthdays sa buwan ng Augusto at Setyembre.