New years day take 2024

In the late 70's I was in my early 20's and developed an ankle rash about two inches in diameter. From about 1979-80 to 2017 I visited many dermatologist both in the USA and in Manila. On one visit a doctor in the USA said " you'll probably have it your whole life."

The rash began to increase in size very slowly over the years but was relatively in check. But by the summer of 2018 it's growth increased and I could see it was going to cover a significant part of my lower leg. I  had given up on western medicine and resolved to fate.

However, by the fall of 2018 I was continuing my extended visits to the Philippines. This time to the south guided by my writer friend Oscar Penaranda. Among our planned stops he said we would visit his friends "on the magical island of Sequijor." 

The day before taking the short ferry ride from Dumaguete to Siquijor, I was a bit run down. A Babaylan who with us who also new of my ankle condition treated me. I don't know what she did? But I was lying on a small roll away bed and simply fell a sleep, as she said "it was something I learned as a child from my mother." It did not involve any physical touching, I closed my eyes as she began and simply just feel a sleep.

Once on the island of Sequijor we met Oscar's friends. They resided in "The Art Complex."  Just off the main road built in the jungle, several small and scattered structures and cottages. At the focal point was a stage where the main house was attached. The stage was used as a gathering place to train local musicians and perform. The vast audience area was built beneath a large metal canopy. There we drank and I played guitar with one of the locals.

The woman proprietor who was also caring for an elderly person, saw my ankle and said "simple lang yan, gamitan mo lang ng BL cream," (That's  simple or easy, just apply BL cream-a small plastic vile of cream which then costs less than 50 cents USD). 

The following day we were all taken to see a few sights. One of these was the well known 400 year old Balete tree. It's roots dangled into small pond lined by a concrete step. I sat there for a while with my feet in the water as commonly the little fishes eat dead skin.

Within the following year, using the BL cream, the rash had disappeared.

I look back and wonder what was it that healed me. Rather than one, I  think it was all of it.

Happy New Year 2024. I woke up this first day of the new year with a great sense of inner peace. I  think Miracles abound wether we believe them or not. Or is it that the way we live so out of touch that when we see the simple natural healing we think it's a miracle.

Cafe Quesada Dec 26, 2023

December 26, 2023 Kape Kesada (Cafe Quesada.)

There's a coffee table book at Cafe Quesada titled Dakilang Lagunense, The Art and Artists of Laguna which is a good primer on Paete, Laguna Province, Philippines. The artist perspective as that humanities link to history. There is also a pile of art brochures, of shows which is the legacy of Dr. Nilo Valdecantos, the great promoter of art. 

Much to unravel and not enough cups of coffee.

To begin with the legacy artist Manny Baldemor, Fred Baldemor, Glenn Cagadahan, Dominic Rubio, Luisito "Luis" B. Ac-Ac, Jose Caancan the pupil of Jose Rizal who trained many succeeding wood sculptors and carvers of Laguna.

A quick coffee length browse and already revealed is the liberating genre "Pinoy-Pop Social Realism," as coined in the work of Joseph "Otep" F. Banez  of Barangay Casile, Paete. 

Almador "Jojo" Barquila of Albay, a self taught artist that gained success simply from community support.

Almer V Moneda who painted from photographs if old Manila with a silkscreen like rendering and an outspoken Thalo blue. A favorite visual vocabulary for interested photographers in particular who like to paint from photographs.

Then the fantastic realist paintings of Jasper Penuliar.

 

Also among the art brochures a very interesting insight on a body of paintings  shown in "Paethnic" by Lamberto Acayatan. His repeated theme of a woman raises many questions and conjures equal mysterious and silent answers.

Thus, that second cup of coffee, haha 😂 many more cups of coffee to follow...

December 25, 2023

December 25, 2023 Pakil, Turumba, Laguna Province, Philippines.

Arriving around 4pm by tricycle from the Plaza in Paete beneath a cloudy fragmented drizzle. 

"Sa kanto lang kuya, 'd kailangan pumasok." (Let me off at the corner of the intersection sir, no need to go inside.) From the main road J.P Rizal it's a walk of less than fifty yards.

Everyone says "malamig!" Too cold to swim in Turumba, but  once into the freestyle stroke rhythm, the heart gets pumping as those "bubbles" you practiced pays off-breathing like an old single stroke engine on the African Queen.

The pool is said to have healing miracle powers fed by the natural waters from Mt. Pingas of the Sierra Madre range. The Range that encompasses almost the entire length of the Island land mass of Luzon. As the water enters it exits at the opposite length of the pool, thus no chemicals, kept clean by a continuous circulation of water. The pool seems about fifty feet long, you can get a decent workout swimming laps at length.

Like many old places the infrastructure is vintage 1938 and seen plenty of use. The pool surrounded by tile is a rocky river bottom and only chest deep. Some of the walls are edged by what seem flat mossy boulders. Moss all around and small fish. Once, a kid came up from the bottom with a small fresh water crab. Kids like to borrow my extra pair of goggles-to explore and swim in an aquarium.

Casually completing ten laps, breaking in the middle to do sittups and stomach pulls, the cloudy drizzle is once more illuminated by the sun peeking through, painting the water gold with rushing heat. Swimming this hour there is no shade on the entire pool beneath the sun's reveal.

Workout completed and on the tier of steps, slipping into dry cloths beneath the veil of a large towel, suddenly an angelic choir broadcasted from the Church of St. Peter of Alcantra (built 1739) only a block or so away. Echos through this natural amphitheatre at the foot of Mt. Pingas filling the ether as the sun once again breaks through. 

Answering the siren call, walking to the Plaza of Pakil which is maaliwalas (spacious). This is small  Spaghetti-Western-esque town you saunter through the tricycle station to the empty square. Appearing there is the facade of St Peter's  of Alcantra  upon a pedestal of steps. Where one can gently climb and peek in briefly at pews of the good people of Pakil. Crossing back to the Plaza are a couple of vendors at the crosswalk. They sell red candles, some lit like incense.

Bearing on a return tricycle Paete bound, staring back at the Church, the Holy chorus continues. Behind it all, the slopes of Mt. Pingas glow bright green from the peeking sun, a rainbow's colors radiate beneath a misty sky, above the said healing miracle waters of Turumba.

notes 231111

Bullet Dumas

Mathematics UP

Gary Granada

Chikoy Pura

Kiro

untitled 10x8 inches acrylic on canvas board

act3 scene1

Hamlet Act III, scene I

To be, or not to be, that is the question:

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles

And by opposing end them. To die—to sleep,

No more; and by a sleep to say we end

The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks

That flesh is heir to: 'tis a consummation

Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep;

To sleep, perchance to dream—ay, there's the rub:

For in that sleep of death what dreams may come,

When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,

Must give us pause—there's the respect

That makes calamity of so long life.

For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,

Th'oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,

The pangs of dispriz'd love, the law's delay,

The insolence of office, and the spurns

That patient merit of th'unworthy takes,

When he himself might his quietus make

With a bare bodkin? Who would fardels bear,

To grunt and sweat under a weary life,

But that the dread of something after death,

The undiscovere'd country, from whose bourn

No traveller returns, puzzles the will,

And makes us rather bear those ills we have

Than fly to others that we know not of?

Thus conscience doth make cowards of us all,

And thus the native hue of resolution

Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,

And enterprises of great pith and moment

With this regard their currents turn awry

And lose the name of action.

Notes:

Contumely,  means scorn, as in "a proud man's contumely..."

Quietus, means death, but within the context of the times Quietus referred to balancing the debt of life which God has given.

Bodkin, is a needle like or thin dagger.

rainy season

Unkown. Within that stillness, any lingering epicurean habits were a fantasy of the observers, as no splinter of disclosure fell from the surrounding mist of an enigmatic isolation. 

Arms stretched out into the void found no mark, only the potential embrace, distant staring eyes, and a deep reassuring breath that bore no title or possessions of opinion, as the obvious had become so painfully and continuously transparent, and obsolete. Feasting on the remains of absence, a blessed rain falls hard during rainy seasons.

a few weeks ago

quick sketch on canvas from a photograph

View from Fema's

From table #3 Fema's restaurant in Paete, Laguna Province, Philippine, one has a view of the main road as it gently rises and curves out of town.

still glowing

In 1976 Peping Cadapan and Alex Baluyot worked at the Philippine Nuclear Power Plant. Alex against the wishes of the administration built a darkroom in the clinic at the plant. Alex says It was a communal darkroom atmosphere there. It was the heyday of film photography. Among those who dropped in was Peping Cadapan from Paete Laguna. 

Peping had been married for several years. When his father saw his serious interest in photography, sold one of the family carabaos so he could buy a camera.  Peping bought his first gòod camera in 1978, a twin lens reflex. He was 31 years old.

Alex went on to the Associated Press and became part of the history of photojournalism In the Philippines.

Alex and his wife Precious have been providing emergency food aide in the Philippines for several years now as AMRK. Recently, they have been invited to speak at the University of Wisconsin on the subject of humanitarian food aide.

Peping currently does event photography in Laguna Province. Alex and Peping reunited during a casual visit August 14, 2023. Peping got to taste authentic ARMK Sinigang and Sopas. Precious says from their days at the nuclear power plant, "They still glow in the dark."

alan cortez

saba

Saba is native to the Philippines (hangang ancient times sabi.) It's the Latundan, a cultivar (cultivation by selective breeding), that was brought here from India by Claude Letondal a French Clergyman.

carl

Karl Cahaton and Eman Paelmo have been friends since grade school. For the past 20 years Carl has played Jesus Christ during Paete's Senakulo, the drama of Holy Week. Carl on his mountain bike dropped by Eman's Mustard Studio, the converted garage where he does his art, works on acoustic guitars, sells art and music paraphernalia, and most impressively has a small library of books where children often congregate in the late afternoon. The whole time of his visit Carl and Eman talked about guitars, excited about their planned visit to Pakil to see Mang Nelson who collects old vintage guitars.

peping, aka Eugenio cadapan

Barangay 2-Matoong Paete Laguna:

"Peping" stopped by this morning. We talked briefly about basketball photography technique, over Kopiko Black. Then, we talked about Alex Baluyot who lives nearby in Laguna, Alex's days with the Manila Bulletin. He mentioned "Gono," ang ibang kasama ni Alex noon sabi nya. He mentioned photographer Sonny Camarillo who was also a Nikon dealer that had several shops in Manila. Locally here in Paete, Peping and Eman of Mustard Studio both mentioned photographer Kafu Afurong who just recently passed away. We talked about Manuel Morato of MRCTV, who was the son of once QC mayor Thomas Morato. Peping said he also new Mario Erlandez, photographer of the first lady, and Nestor Rivera a commercial photographer based in Makati. As I showed him some of my drawings, we drifted off into talking about Oscar Advento of the Phil Cartoon animation company. 

Peping and I hope to spend some time photographing basketball, and some landscapes of the many scenic sights here in Laguna Province known to the locals, but only a mystery to me yet to solve. I noticed a cool breeze often blows through Barangay 2-Matoong Paete, especially during Pluto Time. 

I'm reminded of the Balete tree, (especially the 500 year old one in Sequijor that I visited in 2018). These trees hold a lot of spirit.

Woman of Biliran

Happy Birthday woman of Biliran. Lola now, who as a youth stole her father's small boat to gather seawater to make salt, and fought the school bullies, and ventured farther out to forbidden zones to harvest coconuts and bananas. She is Lola now, forever mother to the islands, speaking different dialects, one with the white sands that slide beneath emerald waters close to shore. Waray warrior queen. She is Lola now to us all.

Condolences

CondolencesUntil now words cannot be found.Each day, it was only moments ago that it happened.Each day, words wander incoherently in a desert searching for your tears......that precipice, to fall once again upon fertile ground.But each day, moments ago time is an an unfathomable distance......just the way