Tomatoes and thoughts on decompressing

Gardening for me is the best anti stress activity.

Firstly, it's cheap. The materials are easily available and there are few things to buy except maybe for the seeds or a sack of organic soil as additive to regular soil, this optional of course. Regular soil is OK as long as it is cultivated properly. 

You don't even need a lot of space. Urban gardening, if done properly, can accommodate a lot of plants in small spaces.

The beginning has started.

Secondly, it gives back. Drinking, partying, or eating out cost money.  I am not saying these things are bad, occasionally they are good but done regularly, the accumulated cost would be significant especially for income earners. 

On the other hand, gardens provides food on the table, and even ornamental plant gardening gives a lot in return, clean air, beautiful surroundings, water retention, etc. 

I am now re-starting my urban garden since the rainy season has ended. I have been bringing home  empty water bottles 

brought to the school by pupils for the school's recycling campaign. I have planted in them with tomatoes, okras (lady fingers),  basil, eggplant, and string beans. 

 Thirdly,  the activity diverts the mind from anxieties real or imagined. Most of the times, I am so focused on what I am doing from snipping off unnecessary branches from a bonsai tree to removing weeds from a pot that I could feel my mind uncluttered. 

Of course, this is an unconscious effect of letting the hand and mind work together because once I think that I am doing this to fight off stress, it becomes an effort. 

Okras and tomatoes. These are staples. Last year I have planted them into the ground but since space is  and sunlight is becoming scarce due to competition, I have decided to plant them on recycled bottle so that I could move them once in while where there's more sunlight.They need at least six hours of direct sunlight.

I guess this where the eastern philosopher Lao Tzu got it right when he said that "to the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders" or "usefulness of a pot comes from its emptiness." 

Our life is cluttered with busyness, with work, with the desire to be the best, to be ahead. But at what cost? Disconnection. People are disconnected with their inner self. Too occupied with impressing other people, with ambition, that they miss other human experiences.

Eggplants and basil seedlings. The basil was given to me by my sister from Baguio and I don't know anything about basil except what I have read about it. This is my first time growing them.

We believe that having and doing more is the solution to the choking clutter of anxieties.

Firecracker names and what they say...

The year 2016 is about to end and I'm thinking about something to blog about. It's been a long time since I have blogged about something (or nothing) and I don't how to start the ball rolling again.

Anyway, I have noticed that yearly the amount of firecrackers are decreasing. I remember about two decades ago when my friends and I would start the new year revelry early by firing off firecrackers as early as September but compared to now, it's only a few hours before new year's eve when the intermittent explosion could be heard. Of course, I'm talking about our neighborhood and the case may be the opposite with others. 

But on the other hand, the size and the power of today's firecrackers has evolved to the weapon's grade level, which according to some police officers, is comparable to improvised explosive devices (IED) used by terrorists. Legally,  firecrackers should not exceed the 0.2 grams gunpowder limit allowed by RA 7183 and firecrackers that exceed this limit is illegal and should be confiscated by the Police but judging from the size and power of the new generation of firecrackers, it's obvious that they contain more than the 1.3 tablespoon limit. 

Anyway, the branding of these super-firecrackers is something to think about. It's sick, funny kind of sick, really, because most of these brands are named after the hottest issues of the day from supertayhpoons, sports, to local and international politics. When Bin Laden was the most wanted man by the US, a firecracker was named after him, then there's Manny Pacquiao to pay tribute to the pambansang kamao; Yolanda after the supertyphoon, Napoles and now Goodbye Delima. There was even a "Crying Bading" which smacks of homophobia.


What do these brand say? (to justify the title of the post). Nothing. I guess the manufacturers of these firecrackers think that the best way to end the year is to blast these issues into smithereens, with the exception of Manny Pacquiao, of course. Or they think they are just being funny.

When I was teenager, I used to love firecrackers and the noise of new years eve. Heck, we used to fire my father's 5 inch GI pipe "kalburo" (smelled like rotten eggs) powered canon which used to knock out our neighbor's fluorescent lamp because of the vibrations it created. It also used to knock off the roosting chickens in our talisay trees. My friends and I loved that cannon and we used to fantasize that we were firing a 150 mm howitzer by putting cans and coconut on its nuzzles as projectiles, unfortunately it got rusted and I had it sold to the junk shop.

But now I'm older, I guess my eardrums got sensitive because of age hehehehe. God, how I wish that we celebrate the changing of the year in total silence, in reflection.

Why my butt is itching, the story of Ananias and the bishops' mantra...

I admit the often quoted mantra of the Catholic Bishops that “all life is sacred” and Cardinal Tagle’s reminder to the Filipinos about “selective respect for human life” has been tickling my butt for a while. An itching butt, as everybody knows, has to be scratched or else it would not stop, the itch would fester on and on until it torments the mind.

Anyway...

I guess being the repository of the church's doctrines, they have to uphold and defend the church's official stand about the sanctity of life especially today when there's a perception that Filipinos are dying like flies as a result of Duterte's anti-illegal drugs war. 

Thanks to a few biased media, the number has bloated to thousands because almost all killings are attributed to the cops even the riding in tandem shootings (the official tagline of the previous administration) are now considered as extra judicial killings (EJK).

Even the United States is alarmed about the numbers that President Obama has stated that he would discuss with our president the EJK when they meet at the ASEAN Summit. But, as expected, Digong did not like the idea and instead warned Obama that he would be cussed if he ever brought it up to the meeting. Obama was offended so the meeting was cancelled and after an apology from the Philippine Government (not Digong, I think), it was rescheduled at a later date.

Here we go...

Whenever sanctity of life is mentioned, a lot of things start popping up in my head. 

Life is so precious that it should be preserved at all cost and these includes those who have committed heinous crimes. I guess there are those who believe that everyone deserves a second chance; that no sin is unforgivable and that no one has the right to take life even that of the nefariously evil person. Some would even argue that self defense does not justify killing. Kinda extreme pacifism but not everyone shares that belief, including me.

I don't want to sound anti-Christian here but every time the Bible is picked up to support the arguments for the sanctity of life, I have this urge to say, uurgggghh. Honestly, as textbook for the defense of human rights, I gotta say it's the wrong book.

There's this story in Acts 5 about Ananias and Sapphira. The story of a husband and wife who sold their land to give the money as an offering to the church. But Annanias, with Sapphira's knowledge, shortchanged the Lord. The Apostle confronted them both and rebuked them ,and because they lied to God, they were struck dead. Just like that.

Although it was an isolated case, the message is worrying. Why made an example of the couple who, whatever their motivations might be, gave money for the church and hid a portion for themselves, for whatever reasons? Why did that specific act so offend the deity that they were killed instantaneously? Why not drop dead the rapists, plunderers, murderers, the arsonists etc.  

I understand, an example must be made. But the method is disproportionate to the offense. I guess when it comes to financial stuffs, the Deity is quite harsh compared to what happened to Judas, the guy who sold Jesus, who was at least given the choice of taking his own life, or to Peter, the same guy here, who denied Jesus three times and yet was even promoted to apostleship. The precedents are quite confusing and the jurisprudence is not prudent.


I did not pick that story to debunk the Bible. What I'm trying to say here is that sanctity of life is not an absolute Biblical principle judging from Ananias' story and other stories. A person's life is always expendable for a higher good although in this instance two people died for a cause which in today's law and in today's society would not even be considered a crime against any person, or any state, or any church. 

I will not intrude into the thinking of the Deity, but I guess, from the viewpoint of a human bean, sanctity of life and second chances are subjects to the whims of the deity. As Jesus once said : "But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them--bring them here and kill them in front of me." You know this reminds of someone...forget it.

Life sucks for us mere mortals but at least we're doing something.

Gaway, Gaway and why I'm better off chopping wood

I have not seen folk dance this fast and lively.  I  thought the boys are doing an exhibition on Filipino martial arts because aside from the graceful flowing arm swipes and snake like fist movement, they are also shouting like karate-ninjitsu-sayonatsi masters.

The girls are not to be left behind. The demure hand twirling moves are replaced with swift moving hands and arms holding flower laden bilaos as if they are going to throw bladed Frisbee into the air. I am reminded of Michelle Yeoh in Crouching Tiger.

Not content with the fast and martial arts likemoves, the group run and merge into circular formation with their arms alternately raising up and going down fluidly in sync with their shouts, karate chops and flying kicks.

Na, no karate chops and flying kicks but it's the next development in the climax, I mean...

I am intrigued so I asked a co-teacher what is the folk dance and I am told it is Gaway-Gaway. This is the first time I saw this dance that's why I'm a bit surprised. I am used to see our pupils performing demure folk dances like Carinosa, Subli, etc.

I don't know if our folk dance is evolving or maybe it's because i don't know our folk dance except what I see on YouTube. 

But judging from the speed and the complexity of Gaway-Gaway, it seems the dance steps are moving towards modernity, which our PE coordinator also agrees with. He observed that the steps have become complex, faster, intense and powerful. He attended the district folkdance workshop, which, unfortunately I am too unfit to attend. He complained of body aches from the three day sessions.

I guess even folk dance needs an upgrade and so do the teachers.

_______________________

I am consolidating the 1st Quarter test results for MAPEH, and again, as usual, grade six is lagging behind performance wise. It's kind of frustrating because I and my co-teacher have been burning our fats trying to improve the MAPEH performance. 

Music is what the pupils find most difficult among the four components of MAPEH. I guess it's because learning music is like learning a new language. It's full of symbols. Add to the myriads of symbols that must be memorized, there's also the arithmetic involved. 

Another is that music theory is not something pupils use everyday, it's not relevant to their everyday life so, naturally, it does not interest them so they lose what they learn easily.

Filipinos are gifted when it comes to music. Proof of that is the world class talents our country has produced. Our musicians perform from the most prestigious stages, to cruise ships and in the streets. Many of them have no theoretical background in music except by learning and copying music by ear, or through ouido. 

Music is one those things anyone can do without any idea of the theories behind it. like I always say to those who ask me how to learn an instrument: its easy to learn but difficult to teach. In the end, the only teacher you'll need is interest.

Back to the test result, I don't know...but...I'm ...just read the second part of the title of this post (to avoid redundancy).