Body in Sta. Rosa; Spirit--mind, heart in the Visayas

     Been pausing, avoiding blogging or thinking of this town for awhile...just as many of us are, to do our own little thing for those who are suffering from the super typhoon...

   ...also just grabbed "emergency blankets" from True Value, at 30% off...no survival kit in order for my household...just a whistle always in my purse, and now, without a thought, the blanket...they're those mylar (space-balloon) materials, which pack very lightly and tiny, yet protect the body by keeping heat in, water off...dad said go ahead, get your own, none for him.  He could not imagine what I would need it for. I know I used one over a decade ago in a tent on a mountain.  But yes, it's one of those things I hope I will never need.  When dad asked me what for, I thought, well, what for indeed? It's hot here.

     I do not know what contingency plans are in this city for such a catastrophe.

     In the time between the Bohol earthquake and before Typhoon Yolanda was even whispered about...an expatriate neighbor asked me: "Do you know what you're going to do or where you would go if a big earthquake happened here?"

     Her question drew a blank.

     Her family is visiting Bohol again from Europe this Christmas.  "It could happen anywhere!", she said in reply to another expat who questioned if they were not fearful.  She reminded us of the flooding that had just occured in her first world country.

     She is right.  We are away from the Laguna Bay, but we are all within the "Pacific Ring of Fire".  We have the Taal volcano and Mt. Makiling. There are fault lines around us...and as Bohol taught us, there are fault lines yet to be discovered. It can happen anywhere, natural disasters.

     What worries me is the response.

Philippine Wild Ducks

     ...are not found in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. But part of Nuvali is...and where I'm heading is this---it is disturbing to see a young architect's photos of herself in action and proudly displaying endemic wild ducks she and her father shot...the connection is this...she as an architect has posted/tweeted about admiring Nuvali and going into so-called sustainable, green, architecture.  Do you see the disturbing connection?

     I am almost sure she is not the only one whose proclamations about environmental stewardship contradict their actions.  I myself cannot claim living completely green.  But the concern is...how sincere and how real are other "developers" really.  How can one of them truly admire and believe in Nuvali's thrust (including a bird sanctuary); yet act against it? In a most cruel, deliberate manner--shooting birds. Wild, protected, species.

     Not even going into how the father is an old politician. Interesting how his actions should be a surprise. I expect nothing honorable from him, what with his personal lifestyle, his relationships, his offspring.  Sadly, reading about their wild duck hunt on GMA news only feels desperate---that he will still "get away with it", you know?  And although there is outrage, we are not seeing the outrage of the sort that has people charging at him on the streets.  His image belongs to that old "guns, goons and gold" generation; few people of her generation realize this anymore.  Thank goodness for the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines and also Howie Severino of GMA network.

    Well, maybe justice will be served in the next life. or now...who knows. I mean, she also is an aviatrix, for one thing (I actually admire her achievements in both fields, especially in her ability to fly;  so sayang in the light of the hunting and bragging about it, though). Ever heard of a bird strike?  Then there might be bird flu. Mother Earth's vengeance, you know?

     

Exiting Fort Sto. Domingo

   Kid's (bouncy) eye view of almost seeing the exit of Ms. Napoles from Fort Sto. Domingo for her Senate date this morning.  Traffic along the Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay highway was probably not disrupted.  Network cameras scramble on the left side of the road perpendicular to the entrance road.  

   The only new changes in the area ever since her presence are the new, styled and uniform "white corn for sale" signs on the road...seemingly sponsored; and Crown Asia Valenza's Christmas tree and animated display.  

   How undisturbed this barangay is; it's nice this way.

  I don't mean to sound shallow or make light of current events.  I'm just as outraged, upset and frustrated as most Filipinos.  She has angered me, the senators involved have disappointed and angered from way back.  I feel sorry for the Education Secretary, Bro. Armin, whose efforts at managing the DepEd budget were lauded recently.  I weep for him and all our children. He has had to make do and build classrooms with the help of private companies.  The situation is still dire.  How do students make sense of this deprivation?  With today's circus, we are deluded into thinking we are getting educated on legal processes.  What exactly, what are we really teaching the children?

Pediatric Dentist Nearby

     I started this blog with the initial idea of including a directory of services around the area gathered as I began living here.  Let's go back to that sort of post for a while...

     Again, as with most of my "commercials" here, I have no relation to this company other than having been a satisfied client.  I post when I want to about them, not for anything but to share info about their existence.  I would be happy to actually run a paid directory service, well, maybe I should look into it. For now, here are my opinions on certain services.

This here's my kid's first baby tooth to fall off

       Among the baby care things I read while pregnant was care of teeth even BEFORE they appear.  I remember that among the very good things about breast milk is its protection of future teeth---breastfeeding doesn't at all contribute to tooth decay in the way formula milk delivered with bottles and nipples does.  A neighbor gave my four month old baby a baptismal present which included her first tootbrush--a silicon, extremely soft bristled "brush" worn on a finger.  It was a practical gift I used diligently once my baby's teeth came out.  Apparently the bottom front ones are usually first, and the above first tooth to come off was indeed from the bottom.

      What I did not follow, however, was the advice to take your child to the dentist at about a year old or even as early as the first tooth comes out.  I just made sure to give her lots of water, and to continue the brushing especially after her first solid food.

      By two years old, I decided I had to finally take her to the dentist.  I remember hearing Dr. Georgia at the first Expo Mom in Rockwell right before I gave birth.  She echoed what was in the books---the need to take good care of the baby teeth; that damage or decayed baby teeth actually will carry over to the permanent ones, giving adult teeth problems in the future.  I also wanted a check that everything was alright.  Although the truth is that we as adults have not been going on regular dental check-ups or cleaning, I was determined to give the kid a good start.

     One of the concerns was to make the experience as pleasant as possible for the child.  This meant a clinic close enough, at a schedule that worked with with the 2 1/2 year old's nap schedule, and a dentist who specialized in the little ones.

      So we went to Dr. Georgia's clinic in Alabang.  Yes, her fees are probably on the more expensive side.  BUT, with all the education I get from her even during the 15 minutes my child is on her chair, I feel it is worth it.  She is obviously passionate about her work, and eager to educate.  Sure, her play area, her play house is a main attraction for the kid...but really, she LIKES the dentist herself. She dislikes the flouride paste, but seems to forget it because it is the kid who BEGS me to take her to the dentist.  Yes she BEGS!  So without further ado, here is the clinic responsible for making my child actually find dental check-ups rewarding: (Oh, and the kid's teeth are still in good shape, no cavities)

     http://www.toothcamp.ph






   
   
    

Manila by The Hotdogs

Thank you YouTube user Flix Gold

Manila, Manila

Manila City Hall Clock tower as seen from a building on UN Avenue

 I take it back---I do miss Manila after all. Not this Manila around the City Hall with squalor included...

but this Manila Bay...smell (or stench) and all.
40 years of life in Sangley Point Cavite, Las Pinas, Pasay, and Paranaque plus a strong olfactory sense combine to base my life's memories in this west area. Memories triggered by...this bay's air.

Dragon boat training

Manila Bay; Cavite on the horizon

     I've raved about Santa Rosa, Laguna, and claim not to miss Manila. It is true, I, and as I found out, other friends who have relocated, do not feel the need to go to METRO Manila.

Inside Fort Santiago

      Old Manila, I did not realize I missed. Until a return to Fort Santiago and the walls of Intramuros this week.  From a childhood of picnics with family in the grounds of the Cultural Center by the water, getting there by walking on Taft Avenue; to my twenties when I would go to the Fort on spontaneous drives, through weddings, events, tours...Intramuros is my Manila.  The random trips in my twenties were actually whenever I felt down and in need of solitude, a nearby escape.

      

    Strange that the history of dungeons, the captivity, colonial rule and martyrdom, were my refuge...and provided me a return to a feeling of ''freedom".   

     I still fantasize (albeit overly-romantically---life wasn't exactly easy especially if you were an Indio; it is always the toilet system in Casa Manila that reminds of how satisfied I am living in this century). Nick Joaquin's stories add fuel to this fantasy...

---anyway, as I was saying I still fantasize about how it would have been like...

    to reach Manila via the Pasig river the way Rizal did from Laguna.  

The grounds certainly look much prettier than my husband and I recall. We each have our own sentimental memories of visits as children with family, weddings, events and school tours...most of all, memories of ...dates with other people!

    Now my trips back to the old walled city have added memories...With a child experiencing it for the first   time..."everything old is new again".  It is joyful to hear such a young one exclaim "I love the Old Town!"  She named it such and it was she who begged to "go back to the Old Town".  It was nice hearing her beg to return to the bay "to see the sun set into the water".  Manila may be ugly, unplanned, and impoverished in parts. It is still my Manila. I'm still happy in Santa Rosa, but the familiarity of this old city, the knowledge (and stench, yike) of its streets in my blood make me. Maybe, in my forties, roots and the sense of belonging someplace have finally mattered more than ever.

October

  
     I guess I've sighed about this before...someday we will be able to post scent. For now I will have to skillfully describe it.  It's too difficult to do.

     Let me just say since October started, the air out here and especially in the hills of Puting Kahoy, Silang, has been pleasantly cool and breezy. Christmas-y if you will.  And now, outside there is again that woody (woodsy?) fragrance.  A young friend from Silang pointed out how dusk comes earlier...at around 5 p.m.  A few nights ago I saw the first star, bright above, and in the same evening stepped out and breathed this woody air.  It is thanks to the many trees around, I guess.  We had munia baby birds in September, and they've since flown the coop.  What is left is just some light rain since last night from Typhoon Santi. Not much in this part of Luzon. As usual it is Aurora, Quezon that is hit hard.  That eastern portion of the country is beautiful, raw, nature and I would love to visit.  However I would only visit it and Albay province in the summer, I guess. I am no intrepid surfer.

      So anyway, in this Southwestern portion we are not feeling the storm. We have this, freshly-bathed foliage.  This poinsettia has grown to four times its size since being transplanted in our garden back in April. I purchased it last Christmas from the amicable cancer-survivor Ms. Gloria at Solenad 2, Nuvali. She was there weekends, selling a large variety of potted herbs and dispensing friendly advice about diet and lifestyle. 
It was from her I bought pots of Ashitaba (Gynura Procumbens, actually) to give as gifts.  I came away with more, though. Inspiration.

   Last weekend I ran through that weekend market and she wasn't there. What was there was a lot of kakanin, fruit juice like buko, and rows and rows of grilling going on. The barbeque smelled so good, but somehow, I've not been craving for beef or pork meat in any form.  That's what there was plenty of there.  I even saw intestines on skewers (aren't those called isaw?). Those looked interesting, a Filipino delicacy.  I recall my nose not being too attracted to the ihaw scents enough to actually buy last year; and Ms. Gloria, a vegetarian, saying they didn't affect her at all.  Don't get me wrong I'm not saying I'm turned off by the smoky tent...there is corn as well, and I'm glad Filipino food is featured in there.  We need places that still showcase and sell Filipino culture especially here in the middle of the global/mostly American franchises. Otherwise, travelers would just be going "anywhere", wouldn't we. 

     Ah! Speaking of where this is going, I've gone everywhere and nowhere again. Time to just enjoy this air, and watch as the poinsettia leaves turn red.