My Little Artist

I have always wanted to play the piano and other musical instruments, paint, draw, take pretty photos, excel in sports and a lot more. When I was in high school, I asked tatay and nanay to buy me materials for drawing. I think it was during the Recognition Day back on my 2nd year in high school when I came home to find a big box wrapped in a fancy paper. It was an exciting moment until I saw what was in it: Speedball Calligraphy Set composed a nib holder, various types of nibs, a booklet, a bottle of india ink and sheets of tracing paper for practice. I was disappointed but only for a spell. I practiced and practiced until I was able to make money off it I forgot about charcoal and drawing. I don't know where they are now and how I wished I took more care of them. On the net today, I found  a set of 6 nibs and it costs Php 1,518, shipping not yet included. That meant, the one I got years ago would have fetched a mind-reeling Php 10k presently. Regrets!

Enough about me. So I wanted Summer (and Rain too) to explore as many fields as they can as our budget would allow. Imagine my glee when I read in the Mangkas Tribune that right smack in the middle of our neighborhood is an after-school programs for kids 3-13 years of age to dabble in the wonderful world of painting. That was sometime in the middle of October.

In many of her coloring works, Summer displayed extra care with her strokes making sure that no color spills out of the drawing. Our first lesson was on shading and she did pretty well on the short stokes as she has not yet learned how to control her wrist. She has a habit of resting it on the canvas as she applies color on the drawing. As for drawing, she can draw the basic figures but still need a lot of practice in actually putting them together to make a pretty picture. What was encouraging though was the fact her drawings have evolved from mere stick figures of humans to a real head with open eyes, eyebrows, nose, lips and hair (even her mom's mole was included in the detail) in just one meeting.

We have done the most work during the semestral break from school and during the Christmas vacation. The kids, including her had too much energy to listen to the technical lectures, they jumped right in into painting on canvas.

Joining the club had a lot of benefits for Summer. We used to spend our Saturdays together watching TV, playing pretend games, reading Dr. Seuss or just cuddling. Now, she had a chance of mingling with little people her age. She used to be quiet around other people but I noticed her approaching other kids to introduce herself or ask if she could join in their game. She is still conscious about me observing and would often tell me not to look. Her request for independence was of course a great welcome. At least she will grow up not as a shy mouse that we were when we were little.

Teacher Jade, Auntie, My Lil Artist Summer, Tita Kam and Lola

We have been very busy that after some time, Teacher Jade suggested that we share our artwork to the community through an art exhibit. That was a welcome idea for all of us and since I was always present in the sessions and online, I was unanimously voted as Chairman of the Committee.

My Little Artists - Exhibitors

The exhibit was set for December 28. Our small venue, Fruitbat Booze and Brew, was full ( and the artists weren't even complete). It was raining at the time so the attendance was unexpected but it was a welcome surprise. We started on time with our guests in full force including no less than our City Mayor himself. Vincent Rose, a local artist from a line of bonafide artists delivered a truly inspiring message. She expressed her awe at what the kids have accomplished and advised them to continue enjoying the activities while learning something new each day.

Fantastic Beasts and the Crimes of Grindelwald - City Mall, Mandalagan

As KZ is single at the moment, an opportunity for us to get together finally came. We planned to watch a movie. The funny thing is she wanted to watch Bohemian Rhapsody. I wanted the same but the theme is too "bohemian" for my four-year-old partner in crime. So, we bought tickets for separate cinemas...hahaha.

A lot has been said about one particular theater at City Mall Mandalagan. A movie costs double and the reason behind was enough motivation to keep me curious until I get to experience it.

The movie house is smaller than usual. It has 50 or so lazy boys in it that gives one the feeling of enjoying the movie just as one would in one's own house. The seat can comfortably fit two people and  can be adjusted to a recline position.

It was still early so the venue wasn't full. No sooner after the movie started Summer already complained about feeling cold so I transferred to share her seat so I could lend her my warmth. The first part was exciting and full of color, Summer shared my enthusiasm. But as the movie developed, it began to move on a serious and dark note.

Midway through it, I found her asleep amidst the wheezing and cracking of spells. I felt bad for her but it was too early to leave.

When asked later if she enjoyed the experience, she said she did and I believed her.

Guerrero Farm

It rained at dawn so I decided to stay in bed a little while longer. Well, until my host knocked on the door to announce that coffee is served. Outside, the rain stopped and the skies show promise of a warm day ahead. Before leaving the house with its fierce, minute residents (Mako, Orca, Rushdie and Summer), I grabbed one book on Camino from Jale's stash for some inspiration.

We bought supplies at Burgos in a store just a few paces from the "Alalingan" jeepney terminal. 

We missed our stop and had to go back. The landmark, Rowena's store, that Googlemaps pulled up operates no more. That's why.

It rained again as we started our trek. We had a slow start as the dirt road was soft from the moisture and we had to really look before taking a step. Both sides of the road were occupied by alternating fields with standing canes ready for harvesting and those cleared for planting. Since the toilet at the store was occupied, I did my thing amidst the tall sugar canes just like in the old days.

Crossing the first bridge brought us to a markedly different world. Looming above us were fruit trees teeming with red and yellow round fruits. Yea, we passed by a huge "rambutan" and "lanzones" orchard. The road seemed to stretch forever and all we could do was look at them longingly. 

I don't know why we decided to stop and ask for directions instead of relying on the app. It turned out that people assumed we needed directions in going to the baranggay proper that we ended up where the highway was. LOL. Instead of going back, we took the concrete road which surprisingly provided us with different kind of challenges. On the thickly populated areas, we grumbled about pedestrians being left out in urban planning as we had to stop and stay still whenever ten and twenty-wheelers pass by. The perks of taking that way though was sampling "lanzones" that fell on the road from the tree or from passing vehicles. From the stands, we tried the longkong, duko, zamboanga and the bisaya varieties.

As the road started to slope upwards, the landscape changed. We passed by groves of Gmelina, mahogany, pine trees and scores of game farms. At one farm, we stopped to take some pictures only to get startled when a dog jumped out of the bushes, gnarls reverberating through the hills. It was as big as a horse and I nearly swallowed my heart. 

We walked nearly four hours by the time we spied the Guerrero Farm signage.  Our disappointment at the lack of challenge had soon changed when the 45 degrees incline came to sight.  It was short but I was out of breath when we reached the summit. 

With very little time to spare before it was time to leave for the city, I took a nap to refresh myself for the downhill trek. That was after sipping coffee by the pond, a filling lunch at the Mexican-inspired cantina, and a relaxing walk around the resort. I avoided the pool area though. It was filled with guests shrieking with delight, their voices drowning the loud music blaring from one of the cabanas. 

Just outside the resort, the farm dump truck passed by and assured us of its passing that way again after unloading its cargo. So we decided to while away the time at a store to wait for it. No sooner did it start to get dark, we decided to join a mother and son duo who were on their way to the baranggay proper. 

I wouldn't go there for meditation as most of the visitors don't see it as a place of respite. Or maybe, we just didn't share the same definition of relaxation. It served our purpose, though. The place provided us with a destination; a goal. 

Itinerary 1:

Php 17.00 Burgos Terminal to Boy's Town (PUJ)

     100.00 Alangilan to Brgy. Concepcion (tricycle)

       15.00 Brgy. Concepcion to Guerrero Farm Entrance (tricycle)

     100.00 Hiway to Guerrero Farm (habal-habal)

Itinerary 2:

     100.00 Guerrero Farm to Hiway (habal-habal)

       15.00 Guerrero Farm Entrance to Brgy. Concepcion (tricycle)

       15.00 Brgy. Concepcion to Talisay City (PUJ)

Bucalan Sunflower Garden

             Not as spellbinding as the Hokkaido Spring Gardens but this latest local tourist magnet may as well be on its way in that direction.

             There is without any doubt that the Bucalan Sunflower Farm is the hottest go-to place in La Carlota to date.  Established only a little over a year ago, the small patch of land (used to be the sugar central mud press dump site) now teems with golden blooms that lent the rather drab landscape with something beautiful to behold.

            In Greek mythology, the nymph Clytia died of a broken heart, transformed into a sunflower and relentlessly follows the love of her life, the sun god Apollo.

            Unrequited love or not, behind the farm is an inspiring story that needs to be told. Here Bucalan Sunflower Farm bares all.

Who is Bucalan Sunflower Farm (BSF)?

             I’m a police officer assigned in Mindoro. I own the place but my father manages it.  Our family name is Flores. In Spanish, Flores means flower, right? Both my parents are not only plant enthusiasts but have green thumbs as well.

           

What is so special about sunflowers?

            I have been assigned to various places around the Philippines and I’ve seen a lot of theme parks and gardens. It was the sunflower that really caught my eye.

            My fascination for sunflowers inspired my best practice at work involving the Tokhang inmates. Institutional work program for inmates is part and parcel in the reformation process but the question lies on what program to implement. So instead of the usual agricultural produce like rice or corn, we agreed to take a more novel step and engage in producing cut flowers instead.

            To cut the story short, the program was a success. Our produce were sold to local flower shops and we even supply some to Dangwa in Manila. As a result, our inmates found purpose with this unique and profitable venture.

What motivated you to start a farm in Bucalan?

            As our initiative here in Mindoro met is purpose and with more seed to spare, I suggested to my father to make use of the barren space and start a garden for recreation. We started with only a hundred seeds. Then the flowers bloomed and people started to notice.

             

            When I started a page on Facebook about our farm, the public’s response was overwhelming. It was shared many times over which resulted to an influx of visitors. It was unexpected.

            Entrance is free as the garden was not intended for commercial purpose. It just feels good to see people leaving the place happy.

           

What shall we all expect from BSF in the future?

            The garden will be reopened to the public in September. For the convenience of everyone, we will develop the area inside Central Azucarera de La Carlota near the Admin building. We will start with a thousand seeds featuring varieties coming from Japan.

Isla Gigantes

Ever the kibitzer, I did not bat an eyelash when I got the invite to join the MAPEH group on their "capability building" in Isla Gigantes. Way long before Frank or Yolanda devastated these group of islands, I've been dying to sink my feet in the much advertised ivory sand, swim in the pristine waters and eat my fill of scallops.

Jen arranged for transport and accommodation, we just had to wait and enjoy the trip. We took the last bus trip going out to catch the first vessel set for the Dumangas Port.

The morning was already frigid yet the AC dial seemed to be glued at freezing temperature. Sleep was elusive. 

The van was waiting at the port when we arrived. The 2-hour ride to Carles was uneventful owing to our sleepless night. By 8, the sun dominated the skies that having some halo-halo while waiting for the boat is imperative.

Even before parking our stuff at the inn, we stopped at a number of islets and had our photos taken. 

Our first stop was at Isla Pulupandan. Two-thirds of it is covered by sand while one side is fringed with wide boulders which became an instant favorite backdrop for photos.

Our second stop was Cabugao island, known to be the most photographed island in the group. It has a long white beach with hills on both ends. A viewing deck was under construction (obviously). Here, there was a long queue in order to take this kind (left) of shot.

The shoreline as seen below is lined with young coconut trees. They may have been planted following the devastation that Haiyan brought about years ago.

Interesting too were scores of stacked flat stones towers under the shade. But they were too many really to be amusing.


Our third stop was at the sandbar of Bantigue island which we didn't enjoy as we were still in our travel clothes at the time. We watched locals bring out loads of scallops from the deep and cooled off with a tube of ice candy which the local kids sell to tourists.

I forgot the island where our inn was in. It was a fishing village alright and the beach was not so inviting. Lunch awaited on a long table teemed with crabs, scallops, and fish. I think I finished five crabs...hihihi.

Pilgrimage Preview

            Reconnecting with Jale has stirred my adventurous soul back to life. It started with a short message he left at my inbox asking where I have been to that week. He must have been referring to the photos I posted from our trip down south.

            It was the Pasalamat weekend. On these busy days I have a penchant of removing myself from the crowd and revelry. So, when he invited me to take a hike to the boondocks, my excitement couldn’t be contained.

            Cutting through lunch and the waiting, our official climb started at Brgy. San Miguel under the blazing heat of the 2 PM sun. I know it sounded crazy. It actually felt like it.

            We timed our pace passing time reliving our Laguna adventures. He puffed stick after stick of menthol cigarettes as we go. After a few stops to get the lungs acclimatized to the abrupt change in physical activity we found ourselves at Brgy. Ara-al. As this is not a serious climb, we visited a colleague in the area to cool off. The melon shake they offered was heaven sent.

            It was dusk already when we spied the Guintubdan marker around the bend. My feet felt leaden at every step but the proximity gave me strength to hang on (aw). My sigh of relief was audible when I finally had the chance to sit at the Pavillon reception. Having originally planned not to stay the night, I texted mom not to wait for me anymore as the last thing I wanted to do at that time was to walk some more.

            Rest was short-lived. I mean who can resist the lure of the cascading waters just a hundred or so steps down below. With new-found strength, we made our way to the falls. The current of the frigid waters was so soothing, soon we found ourselves sodden from head to feet, sliding through stones to shallow pools below shrieking in delight as kids.

            We would have stayed a little longer had it not for fear of mosquito bites.

            Supper was a simple affair. We had sautéed corned beef and warmed sardines over heaps of rice.

            Darkness blanketed the place though the night was still young. We found a quiet place and stayed there a while sipping coffee watching the city lights spread before us. Of course, the night did not pass without us revealing a bit of our nerd selves. We studied the skies for a bit and were rewarded with a glimpse of a rather showy meteor that made its way across the sky with deliberate slowness.

Lantaw sa Duyan

It was meant to be. 

With everybody busy, it is a rarity that we could find a common time to get together and catch up. 

All summer, people have been trooping to Lantawan and Duyan Café in Silay. To set our curiosities to rest, we decided to join the bandwagon. As it turned out, it was also a test of Ms. Teray’s driving skills as well as Tage’s machine power to dominate the slopes.

All was well. We made it through the first incline. Midway through the second, I got worried when we changed gear while ascending. Nobody reacted so I kept my worries to myself until our driver realized that the gear shift was a wrong call. Tage descended backwards and Ms. Teray started to lose confidence, she steered Tage to the wrong side of the road. A Pajero slowed down and the driver asked if we needed help and suggested to apply the brakes. At the time, both Jen and JD were already out of the car while I was glued to my seat, unsure of what to do. Fortunately the brakes held. That was a relief.

There was no turning back so JD took the wheel on the way up. We stopped by the roadside eatery where we ordered “laswa” to go with the grilled meats. While waiting for lunch to cook, we engaged our host in a small talk. She used to work in the middle east to send her nieces and nephews to school. She decided to stay and work on the piece of land that they own growing fruit trees, vegetables and pineapples. When Lantawan and Duyan started catering to tourist, it opened an opportunity for them to market their produce as well as providing travelers a cheaper dining option.

We decided to leave Tage at the stop and rented a mini-truck to take us to Lantawan. At the back, I opted to stand so I can feel the rain-cleansed air on my face. I had no inkling that the descent was so steep and the speed-demon-of-a-driver seemingly enjoyed my deafening shrieks cared not to slow down even as we passed by the bridge which half lane sank from a recent landslide.

That was short-lived as my attention was captured by the sight before us: lush greens that glistened from the rain. 

Just because we're 43

Summers down south have always been good. I expected nothing less from this year's getaway, this time with family.

Gerson and Darwin took turns on the wheel. Darwin’s incessant blowing of horns when overtaking was too much for me. Unfortunately, he couldn’t help slamming on the horns. Maybe he thought he was still driving the ambulance. As for Gerson, he’s impatient in a lot of things and drives real fast, swerving in the last minute when making a turn or overtaking. At one time, he did not slow down while crossing the bridge. The endpoint sloped downwards that we flew off it. Unprepared, Summer hit her head on the headrest, mine on hers and she started crying. Rain fell off the seat and was jarred awake by the impact. My mood went downhill from there and turned for the worse when it took us sometime before finally settling in a restaurant for lunch.

A table with fresh young coconut was waiting for us upon arrival. That was a refreshing change despite waiting again for our room key.

Easy Diving was perfect. Well, maybe for brooding adults who wanted to get some peace and quiet to mull things over. But for the advanced in years, the strategically designed stairs can be a tad daunting and definitely unwelcome. 

We had the beach to ourselves. I spent the afternoon lounging under the shade reading in between watching Summer build sandcastles nearby. Mother sat across enjoying her overpriced sandwich, ruminating on how to get to our room.

Early the next morning, Rain and Summer joined me for a quick dip while their folks got busy tidying up for a quick stop at Dumaguete. We took the Hinobaan road getting off at one of the beaches with pebbled shores to stretch cramped legs and refresh with some watermelon wedges. It was lunchtime when we made a stop at Bayawan where I advertised their much talked about pasalubong: the baye-baye.

A few wrong turns after (and endless phonecalls), we found ourselves at Valencia where we (they) bought a few propagules in preparation for the Garden Show. It was almost dark when we left the farm and we started discussing where to have dinner. I suggested to have it somewhere in the city but the boys were hankering for some fish stew and insisted to get one at Bais. At Bais though, the only open eatery at the time was Jollibee. Whew! 

Rappelling 101

              I am not a stranger to vertical ascent (or descent) twice or even thrice higher than my modest five feet height. One of the striking features of the Peak 2 Mt. Makiling climb is a 10 feet 90 degrees climb at around the 3rd hour of the trail. To assist hikers, a permanent rope with strategic knots along its whole length was installed in the area, tied to a steady gnarl of "ancient" roots. This happened eons ago and it made me wonder how it felt to go down the side of a boulder as the stuntmen would do it in the movies.
            At present time, the opportunity presented itself in the form of an invitation to participate in a school-based Disaster Risk Reduction Management (DRRM) Training. Heights, or the fear of it, is something that I am wont to combat at every chance I get. Palpitations, clammy hands are not uncommon for me in these activities so I chose to relax a bit and let the students finish first before taking my turn at it. Not only will the sparse light spare me from seeing what lies await at the ground should I fall or the reaction that a misstep would elicit from the bystanders. Hahaha!
           I actually felt heady when xxx started assisting me with the harness. There are two sets: one for the lower body and another one for the upper torso. It was only after climbing on the other side of the railing did yyy orient me about the anchor and brake hands to use on the rope that was attached to the "eight rappelling device."
           On count, I started descending steadily using my right hand as anchor and my left hand to break my fall. Boy, was I heavy, I had very little difficulty getting down and was on the ground in a little more than 30 seconds. The eight-ring was hot to the touch at the friction that my weight created on it and the rope.

It was exhilarating I wanted another go at it however it was dark already. Hopefully there is a next time very soon.

Testing Limits: RumRum

Everyone in my small circle I know had their quota of eating today (including me). For dinner I requested "tinolang manok" from the Schmelings which they gamely provided. As I was delayed in a prior meeting for coffee, team Aries had to wait for dinner to be served at half past seven.

The meat-eaters convened at the long table while the lone vegetarian escaped to his room avoiding the enticing aroma of lemongrass-chicken combo. 

Elected to say grace, I squeaked in the middle of it, happy and nostalgic all at the same time.

I was already good with eating but the group had other things in mind. So off we went to the plaza to look around deciding a little later to kill time at the convenience store. The location was vague so we just drove south until RumRum reached Valladolid only to know that Kz and Cameron have been waiting for us just in front of the San Enrique church. 

The fuel gauge on RumRum said "E" and the three gas stations we happened by were all closed. Jen sped through the darkness with me crossing fingers that we arrive at SE before the gas ran out on us. RumRum was already coughing fits by the time the celsite where we were earlier was in sight.

Some night it was.