in sleeping, training, and upgrading

i woke at 12:28am today with a thought of preparing my things in going to romblon...for the first time in my life, i have a difficulty sleeping...maybe i have confused my body clock...for three weeks now, i sleep every 2:00 in the morning then i would wake up by 6:00 am...i am such an early riser...i wish to sleep because i need to...i just can't help myself but be envious to the pictures of my students sleeping, mindless to whatever is happening around...i should have not opened their pictures if i know i would feel this way...there are times really in our lives when we wish we were kids because we can sleep all the time, anytime, and anywhere...yes, i understand why i cannot sleep these days...i would usually sleep late? or should i say early in the morning because i have to prepare teaching guides...
i happen to be invited as one of the trainers in upgrading high school science and mathematics teachers' competence...the picture above is just one of the activities i prepared...mind you, i have to stand for eight (8) hours per day from monday to friday which i dont usually do at pisay...well, in pisay classes are in 50-minute period...well, i am proud i have done it...
i really find this training the irony of all ironies...first, i've got to train when i did not even have a training how to train...i have to train teachers who have more experience handling students and teaching...mine is only for three years...most of them graduated college when i was not yet born while others graduated when my father was still maybe courting my mother...others could pass as my uncles and some grandfathers...i am so glad that we had a nice class interaction for five days...it was really a wonderful experience working withe these teachers...
you've got to believe me...yes, this is my advisory class...the first day i introduced myself to them as their trainer for the week i can sense apprehension from their eyes...i knew it...the expression got "worse" when they have heard it straight from me that i am their adviser...well, they have no choice...and so, i played as their goody2x adviser...i cannot help myself but to laugh thinking about it...i even refused the idea when this task was presented to me but eventually i gave in to the request...i should have known that it was great to be an adviser to this group of people...i should have thought that i have this chance that i may not have until i retire in teaching...now i know better what teaching is all about...teaching defies age, height, school, position, academic qualification, etc...now i believe that the adage is indeed true...SCHOOL/EDUCATION IS A GREAT EQUALIZER...

coco palm adventure

if you have not observed, my trip would not be complete without my picture taken on top of a boulder, a hil, or a rock...

c besfren on top of the hill...

this is the other side of the coco palm beach resort passing over a steepy hill...take a look at the pictures below of what you can see...

my guides in climbing the hill...


the other part of the hill...we had to jump from where we are seated...


the beach...

more pics...

high school classmates part 2

from left to right: aileen (the architect), rofe mae (the pharmacist), siraris, rhea mae (the nurse), rolly (the seaman), leon (the teacher), ronnie (the programmer), tomas (the one who took this picture)

this picture was taken during our third official high school gathering...venue: coco palm beach resort, tando, nueva valencia, guimaras

this is the view from atop of the resort...why go to boracay if you have a better, cheaper, cleaner, and nearer place?

the resort's ground..

just below the resort...

duyan

for filipinos, duyan or hammock is a personal necessity...it comes in different forms and materials...a hammock in a filipino home tells a lot about a certain family...hammock can be made out of patadyong...it is used in making the baby sleep...because of its size, only those chidlren below two years old can fit it...the other one is made of rattan...this type of duyan is for everybody...i personally call this kind of duyan as sweetheart's hammock...in resorts, hammocks are usually made up of fish nets or rubber...a military hammock is for campers...it can be easily put up and occupies a little space...everybody loves to be in a hammock...it brings a lot of memories of your childhood and the love of a mother to her child...i believe it acts as a psychological blanket...ugoy ng duyan which was lovingly made by levi celerio can attest to it...it goes,

Sana'y di nagmaliw ang dati kong araw
Nang munti pang bata sa piling ni Nanay
Nais kong maulit ang awit ni Inang mahal
Awit ng pag-ibig habang ako'y nasa duyan

Sana'y di nagmaliw ang dati kong araw
Nang munti pang bata sa piling ni Nanay
Nais kong maulit ang awit ni Inang mahal
Awit ng pag-ibig habang ako'y nasa duyan

Refrain:
Sa aking pagtulog na labis ang himbing
Ang bantay ko'y tala, ang tanod ko'y bituin
Sa piling ni Nanay, langit ay buhay
Puso kong may dusa sabik sa ugoy ng duyan

Sana'y di nagmaliw ang dati kong araw
Nang munti pang bata sa piling ni Nanay
Nais kong maulit ang awit ni Inang mahal
Awit ng pag-ibig habang ako'y nasa duyan

Sa aking pagtulog na labis ang himbing
Ang bantay ko'y tala, ang tanod ko'y bituin
Sa piling ni Nanay, langit ay buhay
Puso kong may dusa sabik sa ugoy ng duyan

Nais kong matulog sa dating duyan ko, Inay
Oh! Inay

Like him, I wish to sleep in my duyan once more...

baras island beach resort

the view from our cottage...

PSHS Davao Campus

bread haus

at first, i thought baker's hill is simply a hill named after a group of bakers...my student (criselda) convinced i should see it because it is one of the places in palawan one should not miss...in this hill, you can have a good vie wof puerto princesa from atop...there is a mini zoo...there is a playground for children...there are life-sized figures of cartoon chracters...most of all, you can enjoy your bread with all other things i mentioned above for a low price... after going to this place i concluded that palawan is indeed the last frontier of the philippines...in palawan, they will make almost any place as a tourist destination...my goodness even their capitol is a nice place during evening...the back part of palawan capitol is simply cool with its falls and lagoon...surely, it is palawan's magic called "come back come back"...

bahay mo ba'to?

in our way to mount napulak, we passed by this rock house...it truly rocks and it is cool...it was my intention to take the picture with my bro in it for you to compare the size of rock to a person...if we have hundreds of these rocks, who needs a housing loan?

i never learned to...but i learned to

riding a carabao used to be a chore for me...we used to have carabaos but i only had the chance to ride a carabao for about five times...i never learned how to ride the carabao and make it run...i never learned how to ride the carabao from its back just what my brothers can do (but hey, i can ride from its head)...i never learned to plow the field with the help of a carabao...i never learned to stand on it while it is walking...but i learned that carabao is our country's national animal...carabao means big...that it is best used as a diving board...i thank myself for not loving the work for i may be holding the rope today and not the chalk...

reunion with my bro

when a group of students decided to have their ssip training at palawan wildlife rescue and conservation center, i got the chance to visit palawan and hold my brother...in the center i was informed by my students trivial facts about crocodiles before we went collecting eggs ...crocs won't attack an immobile person because they can only recognize two colors: gray and black...so if you stop moving/running it will just look at you as if you are or you will appear to be an inanimate object...in other words, all moving objects are prey...crocs age is determined by measuring its body's length...if a croc does not grow in length it will retain its current age...crocs can grow teeth in its lifetime...kapag natanggal ang ngipin, a new one one will replace it...in other words, it does not need dentures...if being attacked by a croc and you have no time to escape, be defensive by attacking its head...crocs are more likely to attack or become aggressive once they have laid eggs...if you wish to run from crocs attack, you have to run in a zigzag manner for crocs are fast but not agile...butchered dogs can be made into crocs feeds...croc2x

rope-ing my life

it is said that there is an order in every disorder...there is disorder in every order...the rope is in order but sooner it will be untangled...i envy the rope...its life is not in the labyrinth of entanglement...if indeed there is order in disorder, why this order i cannot see...my eyes are open wide but maybe i refuse to see...or maybe i have seen it but never look at it...or maybe i have it in my hands but i let it go...i need you to free me...i need you for me to see...how stupid i am to find out that you is me...[this picture was taken in a roro going mindoro coming from bantangas]

my best friend

These good-natured giants are world renowned for their long history of life-saving. They are named for the Hospice du Saint Bernard in Switzerland, where monks originated the breed in the 1600's. Strong and long-legged, they are well suited to the cold and snowy conditions as well as helping with the work in places where horses rarely go. It is not uncommon in some places to see them in a harness pulling a child's sled or a small load of fire-wood. Their main claim to fame is due to their rescue work, but they are also excellent watchdogs and good family dogs - if your children are old enough to avoid getting pushed over by these friendly giants. A small adult will stand roughly 27 inches tall at the shoulder but can grow larger. There are two varieties of the breed, as the monks who bred the dog tried to add size and improve the dog's coat by crossing the breed with the Newfoundland Dog - this resulted in a long-haired St. Bernard. It was found that the long coated dogs were not as suitable for rescue work, so the longcoats were given away by the monks as gifts.

Colors are white with red or red with white. White markings on the chest, feet, tip of tail, head and neck are essential for show dogs. Both the regular Saint Bernard and the long-coat version require lots of space and lots of exercise. (Indoors and outdoors.) The coat needs brushing at least three times a week and the famous warm, soulful eyes need to be regularly checked and cleaned. This article was taken http://www.dogpage.us/saintbernards.htm

hanging coffins

people are going to sagada because of these hanging coffins...i believe this is the main attraction of the place although there are other exciting and fascinating to see in sagada...some coffins are more than a century old...some were neatly arranged while others are randomly stacked as shown in this picture...the coffins were made by the dead person when they were still alive or in case of accidents the closest relative will carve the coffin for the dead...this burial tradition goes way back 2000 years ago...i was really amazed the first time i saw it because i cannot figure out how they can place these coffins in a cliff...maybe they have lots of civil engineers...i believe they really know their physics well...

sumaging cave

sumaging cave is one of the fascinating caves of sagada...aside from the hanging coffins the place is famous of, sagada is also famous of its caves...this is already the lowermost part of the caves...at our back is known as "the king's curtain"...from left to right are sirs andres, babiera, laride, me, and juanillo...our host brought us here as a token for sharing our expertise/strategies in science teaching to sagada teachers...this cave is located between lumiang and balangagan caves...other wonderful places you can visit while at sagada are rice terraces, st. mary's church (100+ old church), the men and women in g-strings and beautiful headdresses, bokkong waterfalls, bomod-ok waterfalls, underground river, sagada weaving house, echo valley, spanish trail, and the hanging coffins...an 11-hour ride from manila to sagada is truly worthwhile...this is what you can see inside a cave...now can you blame me if i keep on exploring caves?

rio tuba boys

these are the rio tuba boys...i really find these boys amazing because they can do a lot of tricks in water...while waiting for my departure from rio tuba to balabac island, they entertained me a lot for almost two hours...mind you, this pic was taken about past 11:00 a.m...unlike other kids, they are not camera shy...by their pose, i guess they will end up as mr. pogi contestants...oh well...

group picture

this is the group picture...say cheese...missing in the picture is my brother who took this picture...the picture below shows our camping area...in the picture, the blue tent is not mine...mine is in the other side of the rock right just below the foot of the tree...

our lady of nadsadjan falls

instead of sleeping in town before we climb mount napulak, our group decided to visit this falls and sleep there for one night...unfortunately, the water is somewhat not clear when we went there...in our group, i was the only one who took a bath...the place is littered with pieces of plastics and bottles that we decided to clean up before leaving...i dont think the local officials of igbaras have ever gone to this place lately...well...

lady's breast

this piece of rock from afar looks like a woman's breast...for miag-aonons, it looks like a woman's breast that they call it "susong dalaga"...in igbaras, this is simply the pinnacle of mount napulak...in summer 2005, my brother and i, together with some friends and priests, climbed this mountain...it took us almost one and a half days to climb the mountain and we have to stay and sleep for one night in the mountain...of course we have tent...we went to this place to attend the blessing of the cross (see picture)...one old woman told me that if you drop a stone at the very foot of the cross, it will roll tracing a circular path creating a wonderful sound...parang resonance kuno...to set things right, this is an igneous rock...nobody brought it there...and there was no volcano either...it protruded during orogenesis...but how big is this rock? if you have seen gaisano city iloilo, then that is how big it is...siraris

the biggest flower? in the world

yes, you are looking at the biggest flower in the world…rafflesia…it is believed that this flower is abundant in Sabah, Indonesia, and other countries in SE Asia…recently, they found out that it is also abundant in Antique…this one (the picture) was taken in the mountain of mount napulak…mount napulak is in igbaras, Iloilo…I climbed this mountain last year with my bro…going back to the flower, when I saw this flower I almost got lost because I stayed behind just to take this picture…I believe that it deserves the title, “corpse’s flower”…because if ever I got lost, I’ll be more than a corpse right now…

Balabac Island (hill)

this hill is overlooking the island...the wooden thingy below used to be the posts of wooden bridge when mining was operational in the island...the wooden bridge transports the ores to the vessels somewhere in the rightmost part of the picture where the boats are waiting…but that was before...

Balabac Island (route map)

by now, i think you wish to know where is this balabac island and how to go to this place...from puerto princesa city, you have to ride a bus or a van for at least six hours going to rio tuba (hanggang dito lang ang daan)...the road from rio tuba to the southernmost part is under construction when i went there last summer of 2005...from rio tuba, you a have to board a pump boat for 4 hours to reach the island...since it is an open sea, you have to expect big waves...when i say big, it is big...i think it is true that the island has a mystic power they say as "come back come back"...that is another story...regine velasquez, i have explored the islands of palawan...

balabac (mining pit)

this picture makes me look like a king in a deserted kingdom...i can hear someone saying, "asa"...well, if you have seen only what is beyond this "kingdom" then you will ultimately oppose mining...although i abhor the mining no matter what they say, Christina Aguilera, i find this stairs beautiful...it appears to be a stairway to heaven...do not ask me if i met Him...by the way, who said stairways to heaven can be seen only in Banaue?...

magusipol island

this island will pass as an islet...i am not actually sitting in an island but a tombolo...this is one of the islands or shall i say islets of estancia...the presence of islets in this place makes the estancia teeming with fish, making her famous as "the alaska of the philippines"...dont think of milk nor snow...

balabac island (light house)

this is the light tower of balabac island which guides the seafarers nowadays...my original plan was actually to visit the more famous melville tower/lighthouse which is also still being used until today for more than a 100 years...the melville lighthouse can be reached by means of a motorcycle or pump boat for one hour and a half and the condition of the sea did not permit me nor the road which i do not want to elaborate...or else i'll be dead...and so i just contented myself of this lighthouse...well, i think it was a blessing in disguise because it led me to a wonderful onuk island...look for the post re: onuk island

human tiangge

you cannot actually tell what a woman can do...you can never imagine what a mother will/can do for a living...one day when i went to sm city via a squatter area i met this woman and her "tiangge"...i was taken aback when i glanced back because there are more on her back...front and back pala...well that is what we call pinoy's ingenuity...

skywatch 2006

this is already our fourth skywatching activity in a year...i thought it would never materialize since it is always cloudy or raining...now i know why...hindi ka ba naman kami uulanin e terno lahat ang damit ni jullenette (pink lahat from t shirt, bag, and sandals)...another pasaway is the girl in blue jacket and blue flash light...i cannot really understand why hannah has to cover her ears while viewing...ano ang akala niya sa telescope, kanyon?

this is exactly how you should use the telescope, all eyes open...then while waiting for your turn you must pray just like what the guy-next-in-line is doing...avisala pisay...

sum-ag river

this is the upper part of the sum-ag river where marc eli (my student) is standing...
















this is the lower part of the sum-ag river...this part of the river is called "rulumpatan"...this used to be knee-deep...well, this is how deep it can get these days...