Lunes, Disyembre 31, 2012
Sabado, Disyembre 8, 2012
exploring an island
After a day at an island in Camotes, I could feel my limbs aching and feet sore from too much walking and from splinters from rough stones and unknown marine animals that I happened to step on in the ocean floor. Age must be catching up with me I thought, but some kind soul told me it was not age, swimming was something i had not done in a long long time.
It was an unplanned trip. I was still on the PC at 7 AM when the call from my friend Marilyn came. "Time to go" she said and I could imagine her phone in one hand and luggage in the other, while I frantically run through my mind the things that I need to do under the situation. Hubby was on an official trip to Tacloban, and I was alone in the house with my daughter Ayn. "Hurry", I told her as she dashed to the bathroom for a quick shower and I packed my bag for an overnight stay at this island in Camotes which took our fancy one day. There was no time to lose, and I was of course grateful for the cab driver who offered to take us to the bank first instead of bringing us to the terminal for ferry boats heading in the direction of our destination, when I discovered I didn't have any money. We made it in record time.
Aboard the ferry boat my friends were searching for friends of friends who were bound for the same destination. It was then that I discovered we did not have any reservation nor definite hosts at the island. Our going there was pure adventure.Luckily they found a man who knew one of our students, and called her up to meet us as we landed. Poor girl, she was too surprised but managed very well in the resolving the crisis of unexpected visitors. First she made us walk single file in a trail between rough stones ( I do not know how they are called)
under the high noon sun. We were
treated to boiled bananas and fish at their humble house. My friends who have been so used to adventures like this brought the lunches they had packed and we had more than enough and were full when we decided to make an inspection of that part of the island where for the first time we saw pineapples and coconuts growing in the rocks and real live serguelas trees. We left our luggage in their house as we decided to choose which beach resort to stay in and we have to walk our way as there were no available transportation. Finally we settled in here, and luckily, there were no guests except us and we had the whole place to ourselves that night and the following day.
It was then that we discovered that leaving our things at Leah's place was a bad idea, we could have plunged into the ocean right upon arriving, but as things stood, we waited until evening for our swimming attire to come
The next day we raced with the morning sun to the ocean and had the best swim in all our lives. The only thing was that the ocean floor was also inhabited by seaweeds and sharp stones. "They should have weeded them out" I complained within the hearing of Ayn who said, "But Mom those sea weeds are home to small fishes." Indeed there were schools of fish that were not really intimidated by our presence, at least some of them. For more of our "adventures" at island, see the latest photos posted by yours truly.
empty nest
My daughter left today to join her brother in Cebu and look for other job prospects there. The house feels so empty now that all my children are gone. Although she promises to be back for the elections in May, it sounds like it is a whole lifetime away. sigh!
Nothing much...just a bit from this blog reader
It seems these days I have been more of an spectator/reader than a blogger. I seem to be more interested in what others have posted than in posting my own. And mind you, my inbox can be very varied and colorful and can contain either mind boggling or mind opening entries.Nevertheless they entertain me no end.
This is a free Saturday as I have told my students in my summer classes, that I will not be meeting them, as many of them will be serving in the National elections on Monday. They need to be prepared as this is the first time that the national elections will be fully automated.We somehow have to make up for this missed Saturday though.
Tomorrow is Mother's day and I will be a mother once more as two of my children are coming home. Unfortunately the reason for coming home is not to see mother, it is only secondary. They want to exercise their right to suffrage, and being first or second time voters, they must be very enthusiastic about it. Whatever the reason, I am glad to have them back, cook something for them, plan, that is if they have not whipped up plans on what to do while they are here.
Today I want to cook Mother in law's favorite dish and visit her as she won't be here tomorrow. Rice harvest time and the elections will have her hieing back to Maybog, her home town on Sunday. With my own mother gone, I would be gratified to share lunch with her and her son who happens to be my husband.
Meantime I have papers to read and mark for my Summer classes. That along with having my children home (at least two of them) will keep my hands full in my otherwise uneventful weekend. Happy Mother's day to all of you!
in the afterglow
I was touched by hubby's effort to take me away from my pc in order to see the "world outside". He said I have been so cooped up in my little room for so long that I needed a breath of fresh air. I had a suspicion though that he was trying to lift me out of my self pity after all the children have gone and I tried to find comfort in the internet and the music from the new karaoke that I bought again for the same reason that I needed a diversion.
I was touched by hubby's effort to take me away from my pc in order to see the "world outside". He saihave been so cooped up in my little room for so long that I needed a breath of fresh r. I had a suspicion though that he was trying to lift me out of my self pity after all the children have gone and I tried to find comfort in the internet and the music from the new karaoke that I bought again for the same reason that I needed a diversion.
So we went to an unfrequented place in our city, which used to be the site of the old abattoir, where he said, the setting sun was very visible. Too bad we missed a good view of the setting sun but caught the afterglow instead. True enough, I delighted in the smell of the sea and the fresh air and the sight of the stars coming out of the early evening sky. It kind of brought to mind the good old days when as young lovers at the University where we met, we would sit by the shores to watch the sunset. Then a sudden wave of realization struck me: has it been that long? Are we that old?
We left as the sky was darkening. Then we inspected some goods at a nearby department store. Back at home we had a light supper and he settled into his favorite place to watch the news and the movies while I chatted with my friends in the internet.
One friend of mine commented that our children's leaving has thrown us into each other's arms again, after years of working, surviving and probably forgetting each other. How true indeed. I wouldn't say this is the sunset or the afterglow of our lives, probably not just yet rather, just another chance of rediscovering each other.
Curacha!
Curacha is a dance that is usually presented on especial occasions such as fiestas, meetings of organizations, and has for a purpose not only of entertainment but also fund raising. This is commonly shown in the islands of Samar and Leyte. I dont have enough information of the origin of the word, as it is Spanish sounding and has close resemblance to La Cucaracha, which is a Spanish folk dance.
Curacha is supposed to be an imitation of the love dance between a rooster and a hen, with a music that varies in tempo from slow to fast and very fast. One time we were having a very unprepared impromptu Faculty Federation meeting in one of the local beach resorts here in Ormoc City. Our guests were from Tacloban, fellow faculty officers. Then suddenly a group of folk singers, the kind that bring along their guitar and banduria to serenade you in broad daylight came up to play in the cottage where we were meeting.
After two musical renditions, our guests requested for a curacha number, to which the musicians obliged. Then to our surprise, two of our guests gamely took to the center and danced the curacha and we found ourselves clapping in time to the tempo.
Then somebody spread a hankie(it was later replaced by a paper plate) on the sand while the two were dancing and then a shower of bills and coins fell on the hankie/plate.
The collection was not much but that dance filled in a very important function, that of providing a lighter moment to the otherwise serious discussion.
Meanwhile if you want to see the music and the dance, here is a link
Changes
This school year opening was met with one major change in the work place, one that we, the workforce or the faculty have been working for so hard that we have risked almost everything: money, peace of mind, relationships, etc. The change? A new administrator. We were granted this finally after two years of working it out, writing letters to almost all the authorities concerned and finally God smiled on our little request. and that so far was the greatest change that happened to us and it is the most welcome one.I hope this time the change would last for a whole term/s, not just for a few weeks like what happened before. Now we can work in peace and harmony.
At home comings and goings form part of changes in the family front. A daughter goes while a son comes home. The daughter wants to be freed of my apron strings while the son feels he needs to find a home-based job.Kind of an answer to my silent prayer that one of my children would stay home with us. His coming home was timely as I needed a private nurse to tend to me while i was admitted to the hospital for hyperacidity. Well, he was there all right but as I was an exemplary patient with not so many needs, he brought my laptop to the hospital with him and played through out the days of my confinement and while I lay awake at night I listen to his rhythmic breathing as he lay on the narrow bed beside mine. Well those stories of headless nurses and white ladies did the trick of forcing me back into sleep.
Meanwhile I anticipate a major physical change in me as I say goodbye to my gall bladder and the stone that has lodged in it for three years now. What would it be like to live life with out that little organ appendage to the liver? It remains to be seen as i submit myself for laparoscopic cholecystectomy. I looked it up and very careful not to misspell it. On of my cyber friends tried to comfort me by saying the procedure is so common now and it is not really a "major" operation.
Well changes are inevitable in life. We just have to face them. According to Charles Darwin,"it is not the strongest of species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change."
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