A reminder of who am I

Last night was He Cares volunteers' night celebration, a moving experience that once again reminded me of many truths that I seem forget about servanthood, about joy in the way we serve others, about knowing who should I be serving first and foremost. A night of fellowship at the Oliveros' home. Good food of overflowing salad with honey-mustard-mayo, linguine in white sauce, carrot cake of Carol Ann.

Fr. Steve, drove in the rain and thick Saturday night traffic to join us and have an intimate talk with us. And many reflections linger that will manifest in insights soon in these pages, but for now, this morning, this song is now playing.

Who Am I
by Casting Crowns
album: Casting Crowns (2003)

Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth
Would care to know my name
Would care to feel my hurt
Who am I, that the Bright and Morning Star
Would choose to light the way
For my ever wandering heart

Not because of who I am
But because of what You've done
Not because of what I've done
But because of who You are

I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
Vapor in the wind
Still You hear me when I'm calling
Lord, You catch me when I'm falling
And You've told me who I am
I am Yours, I am Yours

Who am I, that the eyes that see my sin
Would look on me with love and watch me rise again
Who am I, that the voice that calmed the sea
Would call out through the rain
And calm the storm in me

Not because of who I am
But because of what You've done
Not because of what I've done
But because of who You are

I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
Vapor in the wind
Still You hear me when I'm calling
Lord, You catch me when I'm falling
And You've told me who I am
I am Yours

I am Yours
Whom shall I fear
Whom shall I fear
'Cause I am Yours
I am Yours

Agila sa Malagos

Haring Ibon 


Last week was my first time to see the Philippine Eagle and indeed, it is a commanding raptor up close. I've seen several pictures and images all in the advocacy of saving the last remaining Philippine Eagles in the forest of Mindanao, but to see them feeding and spreading their expansive wings a few feet away is a moment to behold. Silence comes naturally as if in the presence of royalty. Maybe that is why they call it Haring Ibon (king of birds).

I have been to Davao a few times in the past years but last week was my first to visit the Malagos watershed and the Philippine Eagle ex-situ conservation site. Inside, I was really really excited to see such a place, I been reading about this in my biodiversity conservation class but have not been able to see anything like this before.

I am also saddened by the fact of the limitations of ex-situ conservation. The "Agila" is very territorial and needs expansive forest to survive, sad to say due to human encroachments in the forest, much of these habitat has been converted into agricultural lands and place for human settlement. The recent release of "Kabayan" and his death on a electric wire is a clear indication of the limitations of such conservation practice. I believe it is not truly late to help and do something. That there is still hope for these majestic "Agila".

If you want to see how you can help visit Philippine Eagle Foundation website.

Tummy Joys

The past week my taste buds has been reeling. Yesterday as a reward, which I promised myself after my compre and the arduous Data Management workshop in Davao, I had a large ice blended green tea with soya milk only at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, the best and I can finish it before you can say supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

Some of the things we ate that gave us tummy joys are: cotton candy blueraspberry flavor for only 20 pesos, mangosteen from Davao, shrimps (from Eunilane) cooked at home in butter and lots and lots of garlic, yum!

Another gastronomic first for me is durian flavored coffee served at Blugré in Davao.

I want to see

"Master, I want to see" Mk 10:51, for sometime now, I felt blind not physically but in other ways. I think by failing to see that my actions may or may not have caused pain to others. Blinded by required work, I might have lost my sensitivity to people. Sometimes, blindness that is intentional, I refused to see the reality of things and lack of action is an indication of self inflicted blindness. In many areas of my own journey, I knew that I have been blind one time or another. But my hope is that while I am on this path, I hope to make a better journey to see the things I ought to see and responsively act to things I am called to do. My prayer my Master, please help me to see.

Patience to make the choice

It is impatience that spurred many actions into haste. After watching Anakin turn into the dark side of the force, the residual feeling and reflection is that of impatience of a young man. Impatience and lust for power but even though the intention at first was for love, eventually it was consumed with dark forces that cannot co-exist with loving. He acted based on his premonitions not knowing what caused it.

Impatience to wait for things to unfold as they should. Things in this world cannot be hurried. Respect for the natural flow of things. It is an indication for lust of power and control if we work against or try to alter these balance. Even the mango that is ripened by “kalburo” does not taste good. It is un-natural, it is not yet the time.

It made me reflect that with circumstances presented before us, we continually weigh our decisions. We are always, always given a choice. This reminds me of the “Minority Report” that even at the very last moment, even though it has been predicted, envisioned by a sage, we have the power to choose the right thing. The decision doesn’t rely on the circumstance at a given time, at any given moment we have the freedom to choose.

Eden

We just got back from beautiful Davao. In the middle of summer heat in the Philippines 40 degrees they say in Manila, there in Eden Nature Park, upon our arrival last week, rolling clouds greeted us.

view from my window 

The fog gave a surreal touch to the surroundings at approximately 18 degrees, in the middle of summer, I have to put on my fleece. Mt Talomo where Barangay Eden is located revealed a number of secret nooks and gardens including a mountain hall with screens for walls allows the fog to pass through in the middle of a pine forest where we had our workshop. The week long work seemed short despite the five day full work load, nature helped us recuperate our weary selves and baked skin with the cool mountain air and organically grown food. Thank God for such a blessing.

Davao Trail

Will be traveling to Mindanao today. Particularly Davao at Eden Nature Park is where we will be having our week long workshop. After that, Amats will follow and we might be spending sometime to see the Philippine Eagle ex-situ conservation program at Mt. Apo. Eden they say is located at the foothills of the country's highest peak.

Taho

Early morning yesterday, we ate "taho" delicious and light. I sound like a commercial. The local "taho" is just basically soy bean curd with caramel and "sago". Regularly during the mornings you will here the man calling out "taho,tahooo". I really like this simple and healthy food. There was even an article written by an Australian journalist in Philippine Daily Inquirer "There is no taho in Sydney". While we were scooping our well appreciated taho with sago suddenly, I remembered a comment of Prof X at a seminar last few months ago we were served "taho" so that our international counterparts will have a sampling of good local food. It was warm and freshly served in a bowl, unlike our daily regular fare on our usual mugs back home. Then I encouraged Prof X, Toni and the others at the breakfast table go ahead taste it, its actually good. Then Prof X commented (I think he didn't touch his serving) those really look like fish eggs.

Well that's a thought. Can't help myself from laughing because it's true it does really look like fish eggs those "sago" but for the many years that I have been eating taho, it never crossed my mind to eat warm fresh fish eggs in the morning with my "taho".

Ang Puno ni Nanay

We were eating these juicy green mangoes that we brought from Alaminos. We spent a good amount of the past weekend there after my arduous comprehensive exams—thank God for the opportunity to rest. It was good to spend sometime there in the old house beside the highway where I grew up. Last Saturday night, contrary to the blanket of humidity during the night here in Manila, there in Alaminos last weekend, I actually had to put on a fleece and Amats wrapped himself in a blanket because it was cold during the night. We slept there with open windows and can see the swaying trees. Now, thinking about it, the cooler clime there was because of these trees. Going back to my story about the mangoes and of course the trees, these are planted by my ancestors, including my late great grand mother and my Lola Abeng and Inay Tita Ching. When I was younger, we used eat the “suha” or pomelos and she would always and would never fail to say that her father and mother planted the trees that bear the fruit that we were eating. Every year during summer, there would be guavas, star apple, rambutan, lanzones in October and during December the chico would bear a lot of fruits, my Lola and Inay would never fail to mention and remind me that one of our grand parents planted those trees. Years and some storms have past, the chico tree due to its hugeness and old age was not able to witstand the recent year's storm. Eventually, the younger trees took over like the mango tree. Recently, we had someone go up the mango tree and it was these fruits that we were eating now, Aling Nimfa reminded me of a story that Inay said to her before, that it was Inay Tita Ching who was the one who planted that mango tree. And I remembered it was Mothers Day last Sunday and even though she has come to pass, still the fruit of her tree was her gift to us. Salamat sa iyo Inay. The tree lives on to tell your story.

Indigenous ID

In my recent readings, it mentioned about a book entitled "No Life Without Roots" (Verhelst, 1987). I cannot agree more to this. I have always been proud that I am Asian, Filipina and that I know where my ancestors once lived and the many indigenous stories and way of life that I have come to know. Indeed the value that I place to my roots is beyond me. Well what made me make an entry as such in the middle of my most limited time of all?

I cannot help but share this reading:
"Grassroots indicators are features of indigenous knowledge systems, which provide the means through which communities live, produce, survive and reproduce their natural resource bases. Indigenous knowledge systems have evolved through trial and error as a natural process of human beings interacting with environmental forces for the purpose of ensuring survival, progress and preservation of the community. It is these systems that have contributed to ensure the perpetuation of the natural resource we now enjoy both on national and international levels." (Kipuri, 1996)

Trivia: Kyoto Protocol was ratified and took effect on my birthday Feb 16.
Sino ba yun na hindi pumirma dun? Sila ang pasimuno sa pagkasira ng Inang Kalikasan.
Wala siguro silang ID.