Cambridge as an Actual Farm!

In 1990 Ellie moved back to General Santos City from England, I was still employed in Africa at the time so I could only join her during my break periods! Once she had renovated the existing dilapidated house into a livable domicile she moved onto the land so that she could be on top of the construction all the time!

Some of the local people asked her if she would like to continue with the Rice Farm and if so they would assist her, for a price of course so she agreed as the land was doing nothing anyway so she decided to try to make a little extra cash from it! The local Farmers moved in with their Carabao Powered Equipment and started plowing the land, removing the weeds, constructing the Dyke’s, flooding the rice fields and plowing and leveling until they were satisfied that all was good and once they were happy they sewed the rice seed into the prepared fields! It did not take very long for the new rice shoots to break the surface of the water and when they did the color of green was really fantastic, it was a new life green and very satisfying to see!

As the Rice grew there were other thing to do as fertilizer had to be applied to the plants to make them grow healthy and commercial pesticide were added in order to stop the insects from eating the shoots! Weeds were also a problem as they would strangle the plants if they were not removed so periodically we would hire the traveling gang of female weeders who were very hard working and skillful at what they did! They also captured plenty of Rice Frogs as they worked and they would cook them up for their snacks! These Rice Frogs were only small but very delicious!

The only real problem that we had with growing rice came from a very mean Farmer who lived near by, his nick name was Saddam and it was a very suitable name for him! He would cut off our irrigation water and divert it to his own rice fields even if they were over flowing, he had no consideration for anybody else and was not very popular with anyone in the community! His action was a pain in the butt really but we would just keep on sending one man to stand by the irrigation to make sure that he did not dry us out!

Once the rice was fully grown, the irrigation water was stopped and the fields allowed to dry out, this was the cause of the next problem which was totally natural! As the rice dried, swarms of small sparrows arrived in order to get their share of the harvest but this was a problem I was expecting as even back in England I made ready for a bit of farming and purchased a state of the art electronic machine which was guaranteed to keep birds away for an area of 10 Hectares and more but unfortunately no body told the local birds about this, it did not work on them at all so really it was a complete waste of money so we reverted to the local time tested method of getting a gang of kids with tin cans on a strings to scare the birds away! Strangely enough, the stupid bird eliminating machine worked very well on swarms of grasshopper! They never mentioned that in the handbook!

When the rice was dry and ready to harvest it was all hands on deck to get the harvest in before the birds got too much but once it was all in along came a man with the machine towed by his carabao which separated the rice from the stalks! For this service it was a share deal, for every so many cans of Rice or Palai as it is called his share would be one can of rice! I cannot remember the share but it was OK! Once the machine guy and the harvesters each got their share we took our rice to a nearby mill to have the hulls removed and the rice polished, once again the payment for this was a share and at last we could actually see our total share of the harvest which was good for us as we did not have to buy rice for quite some time!

After a couple of harvests of rice we were advised to grow Corn or Maize as its locally known by so once again, in came the Carabao guys to plow the fields, remove any weeds and get the land ready to plant! The planting was done by everyone in order to make it quick so even children followed the men who made holes with sticks for the seeds to be dropped into then the soil was pushed back into the hole with a workers foot to cover the seeds! As the Maize sprouted and was growing, Fertilizer and Pesticides were applied as required and plowing was done in between the rows by Carabao Plow without destroying a single plant! Growing maize was much easier than Rice as it was much less labor intensive and also the water requirements for Maize was much less than Rice!

When it came to harvesting the Maize there was a group of people who specialized in this work and would clear the whole field on a share basis as usual so we did not really have much to do with the harvest except to keep an eye on the people doing the harvest! Once all the heads were gathered in, all the outer leaves were stripped off by hand and the heads and seeds were dried out in the sun! Once dry, the machine guy once again appeared and removed the seeds from the head and again got paid by share! One thing with a Maize Harvest was the fact that you could see your harvest immediately unlike Rice where there was still another step to finishing the final product! Some of the harvest we kept for animal feeds and some for our own use while the rest we sold in the market! The stalks were cut down and taken away by by people to feed their livestock then Cattle and Carabau were put into the fields to clear the stubble a bit more and also do a bit of organic fertilization for free!

The problem in a way for growing both Rice and Maize was that we had to pay people to do every step of the work which reduced our profit quite considerably, also our land was a bit small having only about 1.5 hectares to farm where 4 hectares would have been much better! For a local farming family who does all the work themselves the profits are larger but usually after they have paid off their credit to everyone they are really no better of than we managed!

As this was going on, Ellie was playing with the seeds which we had shipped out in our container from England but this was not too successful! The Tulips and Daffodils we brought out were planted but without a bit of cold weather to activate them they never woke up! The other flowers grew but were not at all like they should have been! Short border type flowers grew about 3 feet high and had tiny flowers and the taller flowers grew normally but again with tiny flowers! Even Roses produced only small flowers! The vegetables fared no better as the local insects had a field day with them so we gave up on the imported seeds and tried the local varieties which grew no problem but unfortunately when ours were ripe for the picking so was the harvest of everyone else in the area so the bottom fell out of the market and there was no profit to be made!

One thing that did grow easily was Aubergine or Egg Plant! Ellie grew a lot of this to feed the workers so we all had Egg Plant fried in egg with breakfast, also for lunch and dinner was an Egg Plant recipe, even at break times many times we had an Egg Plant something or other! After a while of the Egg Plant diet something mysterious happened and many of the mother plants died off, I am sure that the workers contributed to this problem somewhere along the line!

Also on our farm we had a mixture of Animals and Birds: Cows, Carabao, Pigs, Goats, Sheep, Rabbits, Turkeys, Geese, Ducks, Chickens, Fighting Cocks, Bantams plus Dogs and Cats, even a pet Crow! These were mostly to make it look more like a working farm and were not really for profit but many of them made very good eating! Unfortunately, once the Hotel business got going we had to remove most of our livestock as the guests did not appreciate being woken up by the squealing of hungry Pigs or the Fighting Cocks going off at any time of day or night! The Geese used to chase people around the car park and Toto the Billy Goat found great amusement by sneaking up behind people and butting them from behind! I will tell you more about the Cambridge Livestock but that’s another story!

Now we do not attempt any form of farming now as the area was officially changed from Agricultural to Residential and the land we have is now pretty well covered with things like the Hotel, Dive Shop, Pool, Cottages, Car Park while all other areas are covered with Plants and Trees! We do get good Seasonal Fruits as we do have trees and plants which give edible foods like: Mango, Avocado, Jack-Fruit, Papaya, Star Apple, Calabash, Noni, Cami-as both sweet and sour, Malungai, Banana’s, Giobano, Coconuts, Chico, Cashew, Breadfruit, Chillies and of course Aubergine! Please excuse my local spelling of some of these fruits if it is not correct!

All in all we had a good time playing at being farmers but when you have to pay for every aspect then the profits which could be made are cut back considerably but it was fun doing it! I will recommend anyone to try to do a bit of Farming if you have a bit of spare cash but if you have to employ people to do all the work for you then do not expect to make a fortune at it but rest assured, you will have fun!

Up North: UPDATE

So very much can and does happen in three months time.  Has it been three months already?  Let’s check the calendar and see.  We arrived home in mid-July and November is replacing October on the calendars.

Yes, I guess we have been here for about three and a half months – time for an update on what could and did happen.   There have been dry, sunny days as well as typhoon-induced windy and rainy days.  There have been good days, great days, and days better left to history alone.  

I’ll highlight the better-known (and reported) incidents.  They are, however, just the tip of this tropical iceberg called Live in the Philippines, Up North.

-:-

HEADLINE:  Katulong – Lost and Found!

As you may know, the katulong who had taken care of our house in our absence, greeted us when we arrived, and helped us unpack is no longer in our employ.  She left us for that “higher calling” of love and marriage, and appears to be getting along well in that endeavor.  After what felt like an eternity of searching, we employed a new, part-time katulong.

An Ilocano proverb fits our situation pretty well:  “Ti napíli makapíli ti kuggangí.”  [He who is choosy often picks the worst.]

So far, so good:  our new katulong is learning the ins and outs of the job and of our expectations.  Sure, as with all new employees, there have been a few hiccups.  We solved those with improved communications, explaining the job’s requirements and limits.  You can’t do well if you don’t know what it is you are to do! 

Progress was positive, then what I believe was the inevitable happened.  You see, our katulong is a fisherman’s wife and has lived in poor fishing sitios and puroks all her life.  Not only was she learning how to keep house for us, she was learning how to keep house, period.  (It’s the often-observed result of a culturally pleasing affirmative answer whenever most pinoys/pinays are asked if they can do something.  “Can you do the work of a katulong?”  “Oh, yes!”)  She now says that we “may not be seeing her for a little while.”  (Translation:  “I give up; I’m quitting!”)

So, it will be back to “search mode” for baket ko (asawa ko) [my wife].  She still has some prospects lined up, and I’m still partial to fried Spam & rice, so things will work out.  (A little cuter this time, honey!)

-:-

HEADLINE:  “The ‘BRO” & Internet Connectivity

Another search, this one a little more adventurous, resulted in putting us “on-line” and connecting us with the world via the Internet.  We sought out, found and obtained “broadband” service through SMART Bro.  Though fate stymied my further search for the “Share It” router and its 2Mbyte service, I remain happy with what service I have.  After all, I have “The ‘BRO’s” word that this higher speed service, which has yet to make its way to the smaller municipalities of outlying provinces, will be available next year.  In addition, I’m sure I could say that my current service is faster than “dial-up” if I had landline telephone service for comparison.

Sure, as with all new systems, there have been a few hiccups.  (I’m getting a sense of déjà vu – seems I’ve seen that somewhere before.)  Ever since the seven-day brown-out that accompanied and followed the show-stopping, three-time appearance of Typhoon Peping in early October, my connectivity has been spotty at best.  (Okay, Paul, enough with all of those hyphenated-words . . . now stop that!)  Service finally came to a halt some nights ago.  A call on the SMART Bro Hot Line resulted in the scheduling of a visit by a crack SMART Bro Tech Team on Saturday, same week.  (The little truck appeared at noon.  Manolito, Mo-Mo and Jackie-Boy had returned and they repaired a bad connection to the feed-cable inside the antenna unit.  THANK YOU, SMART Bro.) Coincidently, the LBC courier showed up the day before the “halt” with the SMART Bro bill that is due in two days’ time.  Do I detect an adventure (”turn over the money and will give you back your service”) story here somewhere?

-:-

HEADLINE:  Rainy Season Nixes Movement

Wet weather continues to keep us close to home though, as reported here, we managed to venture out a couple of times.  This past week has been a little drier than most.  What that really means is that the rains start a little later in the day.  Planning trips or outings that will take longer than half a day is not yet possible, as, by the time you know the weather will hold for the day, there isn’t much time left in the day for the outing.

Sure, as with all . . . (insert your favorite “hiccup” déjà vu line here).  A few outings started out dry but ended up with our damp turn around for home.  There are plenty of dry days ahead of us, so those trips and outings (and their resulting articles and reports) will be on the back burner for the not so dry now.

-:-

HEADLINE:  Wee Hour Wee Visitors

It appears that we had another visit from the “small people,” as our nephew refers to them.  I’ll refrain from saying the name “Aeta,” as I’ve since learned that they don’t really enjoy that label (ditto for “Negritos” or “Pugot”).  For lack of their proper tribal name, then, I’ll borrow on our nephew’s diplomacy and refer to them as “small people,” too.  The chronicler for this visit was our Auntie, the mother of the nephew who related the first visit.  Auntie was more forthcoming and timely in her report.

This episode involved only two small individuals for whom all of the neighborhood dogs barked as before (déjà vu for two?).  One of the two peered in through the gate while the other sat and enjoyed a smoke (Auntie believes it was a hand-rolled cigarette, or something of that nature, as this person’s hands were a bit busy prior to the smoke).  They stayed around for the duration of the latter’s moment of pleasure, only to hasten off again when they detected Auntie watchfully eying them.  She described them as short, stout, very dark almost black, very curly short hair, wearing shirts, shorts and slippers, and being very fleet of foot.  Having a longer look at the “small people” than her son had previously, Auntie was able to provide more detail in her descriptions of everything she witnessed.

Where was your humble columnist during this episode, you ask?  As before, here was a chance for a nocturnal, cultural adventure, AND I SLEPT RIGHT THROUGH IT!  Baket ko (Asawa ko) [My wife] now makes sure that any dog barking at night is answered by my sleepy-eyed gaze and investigation.

-:-

HEADLINE:  Three Strikes & You’re Out!

I guess this is the major story of our first three months.  Typhoon Peping took three good strikes at us, and then was out to sea for good.  It was very similar to my going through the same typhoon three times in five day’s time while stationed in Okinawa during the early seventies.  (What is it with all of this déjà vu stuff, anyway?  Am I repeating unlearnt history?)

My “Fascination with Rice” took a new turn.  The beautiful rice crop that was in the paddies took it kind of tough during those three passes.  Early estimated reports of damage were high, but farmers are replacing those estimates with lower ones.  There were three or four different plantings of the rice crop, with the most damage suffered by the youngest crop (last planted).  Its “flowering” is doubtful and it will most likely end up as just straw.

The first planted crop was close to harvest time, so it suffered “field loss” damage – some of the grains were blown off the plant, leaving others still attached a little weaker and prone to drop off “in the field.”  The result will be fewer grains harvested and marketed.

Damage to crops planted between the first and last is extremely hard to compute.  All crops planted were a hybrid version formulated to withstand excess water and storms.  Though some of these crops were “laid down” by the high winds, signs of resurrection are hopeful.  The worries here are just how long will standing water remain in the fields, will the rice grains fill out properly, will disease or pests infect the crop, etc.

No one will really know the total damage until after the final harvest.  Prices at the market for harvested, un-milled rice may go up a little and help offset the losses a little, but profit may still be a big squeeze for the farmers, not to mention the effects of rice availability, etc.

Personally, my “banana crop” loss is approximately 75%.  I lost one entire fruiting tree and half of the fruit of another.  The remaining fruit on the latter is yet to approach harvest time, so who knows what could happen.  The three typhoon passes also eliminated 100% of the eggplant that was almost ready for harvest.  Three of four malunggay trees snapped in half with most of the remaining leaves being lost to the wind as well (good thing we harvested leaves before the storm).  I still have five calamansi fruits on one bush, and a second bush is trying to recover from storm damage.

(Note:  At the time I am drafting this acticle, Typhoon Lupit [Ramil] is threatening to finish up the damage started by Peping, and throw in some of its own for good measure.  We can only hope it decides to wend its way north an miss The Philippines all together.   We’ll find out later this week just what are Lupit’s (Ramil’s) intentions.  You have to love living here and put up with its storms, or else leave.

Further update:  After snaking around the Philippine Sea for a week, it appears that Lupit had made an abrupt turn to the ENE, lost some of its power – being downgraded to Tropical Storm – and is headed for Okinawa and the Ryukyu Islands.  For this storm, waiting seems to be its worst aspect.  While six international weather services have amended their projections for Lupit to coincide with its current movements, they still warn that “the snake” could turn for us again as well as intensify prior to visiting.  That won’t happen as Lupit was last seen skirting up the coast of Japan, having lost a lot of its intensity and dispersing in cooler, northern sea waters as a low pressure area. 

Harvesting rice has become very hard work.  The fields are still flooded from all the rains, the rice plants are all soaked and heavily laden with moisture; and the cutting, carrying, threshing, etc. is more back-breaking than ever.  Reminds me of shovelling “wet” snow is winters past.

Oh yes:  Lupit hasn’t affected the remaining banana crop.  For the “Bananaphiles” out there, eight hands remain, each averaging between 14-16 fingers.)

-:-

That’s the UPDATE from Up North.  All in all, I make a poor farmer and a merely average resident.  I just hope my article writing is a little better.

Araw ng mga Patay

Yesterday, November 1, was Araw ng mga Patay, a major holiday in the Philippines.  Literally translated, Araw ng mga Patay means “Day of the dead.”  Additionally, November 1st is All Saints Day in the Catholic Church, which is all related to Araw ng mga Patay, or Day of the dead.  It is the day when the family members who have passed before us are remembered and honored.  But, Araw ng mga Patay is actually only half of the holiday.  The second day, November 2, is also a holiday.  November 2 is All Souls Day.

Another name for the two days combined celebration is called “Undas.”  In previous years, although I have heard of Undas, I have never heard it widely used, at least in the area where I live.  This year, though, the name “Undas” is widely used.  I am not certain why, or for what reason the name of the celebration seems to have shifted more to being called Undas this year than it has in the past, but I have certainly noticed the shift.  Perhaps others will comment that they have (or have not) noticed such a shift this year as well.

As a westerner, the Undas season is the hardest thing for me to really understand when it comes to Philippine holidays.  While in many ways, Undas is very solemn, in some ways it is also festive!  You are supposed to remember your loved ones who have passed, and spend time at the Cemetery to show your love and honor of those who have died, yet at the Cemetery it is often a party type atmosphere!  People get drunk, dance and party wildly at the graveside!  People bring plenty of food and spirits to enjoy a lively Undas!  I find it very strange, and hard to understand.

For me, I am a Christian, but I believe that we can remember our lost loved ones any time that we choose to, just by thinking of them, or maybe saying a short prayer.  But, here, they go way beyond that during Araw ng mga Patay.  As I said earlier, food and spirits are brought to the cemetery.  And, do you know, a plate of food is even dished up for the dead person, and served at their grave!

Early this morning (Nov. 2), Feyma rode the bus to GenSan to be with her family for the All Soul’s Day part of the celebration.  Feyma and her family (at least the part of the family that I know) have never been into the whole party scene at the graveside.  But, they will just be paying their respects to Papa, Mama and Feyma’s siblings who have already passed.  Feyma will be gone just one day, and return tomorrow.  I planned to attend the event myself, but I still have some lingering effects from Dengue that cause me to get pretty worn out if I over-exert myself, so both Feyma and I decided it would be best for me to remain home this year.  Mostly, Feyma wanted to be there, though, because this is the first year since Mama passed, and she feels it is important to show her respects at this time.  I support her in that too.

Even after living here for a decade, though, I feel that I cannot fully understand Undas, or even grip a small portion of what it is all about.  It seems so different to me, and unlike anything that I experienced in the West.  November 1 and 2, also, are probably either the second or third biggest holidays of the year in the Philippines.  Easter (Holy Week) and Christmas being in the top three as well.  To be honest, among those three holidays, it would be hard for me to classify which of them is most important to Filipinos.  Holy Week and Undas are solemn (with spurts of festivity, as I’ve explained), while Christmas is more cheerful, to say the least.

Early November is certainly an interesting time in the Philippines.

Going Bananas Over Rainy Season (Pt II)

It’s been quite a quest to beat the blues of “Rainy Season,” but those blues appear to be on the run.  They’re being chased by a purplish pod – a banana blossom – and little green hands of banana fingers that, when ripened and yellow, should provide delicious entertainment to our taste buds. 

Going bananas?  Seeing colors?  Too much time without direct sunshine and Vitamin D?  Just what is going one here?

Have patience, dear reader, as we unwrap the pedals of this blossoming tale.

Continuing my wordy love affair with a fairer fruit, we resume the log as something afoul approaches:

10/01/2009 - I thought I would get some photos from a different angle.  This shot provides a better view of the hands that have been uncovered and the beginning of their rise toward the sky.  No pedals dropped away today, but a few more seem to be getting ready for the leap.  This blossom is starting to look like the typical bunch of bananas.

 

 

 

-:-

10/02/2009 – Hands and fingers are really popping out all over. As we are expecting a visit from Typhoon Pepeng (Parma), and don’t know when the first band of rain showers and winds will appear, I took this picture a little earlier in the afternoon. Wow! Look at all those fingers – and to think there are more under each of those pedals. I’ll have to ask Emy to dig up some banana recipes. We certainly will have enough ingredients! Also might be able to sell some at the tienda (palengke) [market].

 

-:-

10/3/2009 – We had heavy, periodic rain overnight accompanied by some stong wind gusts. Today is mostly overcast and periodic downpours and gusts. During a break between rains, the sun came out and so did the digital camera. Last night’s weather helped clear a few pedals from the blossom and reveal the hands hiding beneath them. There are quite a few hands attached to the stem, and still a lot of pedals left to shed. The plant next to this one is showing signs of a possible blossom, too. Oh, the bananas!

 

 

-:-

10/04/09 – Typhoon Pepeng visited us last night, and demanded bananas.  We bartered all night long – he was quite windy – and we came to an arrangement.  Pepeng would take the banana plant that was just starting to show signs of a blossom.  I could keep the banana plant that I had been documenting, but . . . .  So others would know that he drives a hard bargain, Pepeng tipped my banana plant about 45°.  The fruit should continue to develop but it’s as if the plant has a sign that says, “Pepeng was here” hanging about its branches.  For the rest of the day, Pepeng danced all around the neighborhood, making a bargain here, taking something there, breaking something way over there, etc.

-:-

10/05/2009 – The typhoon is lingering about 245km away, and weather conditions let up enough for a close-up of our surviving banana plant.  The hands look healthy, but I still wonder if all will be well.  There is word that Typhoon Pepeng may return.  If so, will Pepeng demand more bananas?   After all these days, I’d hate to give them up.

 

 

 

-:-

10/06/2009 – Typhoon Pepeng must have liked his bananas.  He made a U-turn and came back across Pasuquin and Ilocos Norte.  My small banana grove now consists of four small (less than a meter tall) plants and the plant that I’ve been tracking.   All I can do is to wait and see whether my survivor is on Pepeng’s menu.

 

 

-:-

10/07/2009 – The storm left us heading south.  Pepeng must have taken someone else’s bananas as my survivor is still hanging in there.  Unfortunately, the winds associated with Pepeng’s return removed some of the blossom’s pedals prematurely.  You can see the under-developed fingers near the blossom.  All with be touch-and-go from this point on.  I don’t know if there was any internal damage to the plant.  Gee, what a way to chase the rainy season blues away!

 

 

-:-

10/08/2009 – We had to remove the plant’s blossom from the bunch.  It is no longer producing fingers that would develop into edible fruit.  While the amputation was a rather sad occasion, something positive resulted as well.  When a blossom has produced all of the fingers it has, its remaining part is edible as well.  Like an artichoke, peeling away the remaining leaves reveals a “heart.”  Though one can eat it raw, the heart is a great ingredient for making a delicious soup.

 

-:-

10/09/2009 – The remaining hands of banana fingers on the bunch are in need of sunshine.  Overcast skies remain from the weather systems that passed over us.  Whether or not these remaining hands will survive and become fruit will be up to the sun.  Having gone a week without sunshine (and mostly harsh winds and rain) can’t be too good for fruiting.

 

 

 

-:-

10/10/2009 – Finally, the sun is out.  Birds are singing. Farmers are gathering in their rice fields to assess storm damage to their rice crops.  Me?  I’m looking at what’s left of my bananas.  Perhaps another story may come from this plant.  Another story may come from its twin that was starting to show those familiar signs of motherhood right next to my plant, until Pepeng knocked her to the ground and took her bananas.   Who knows?  For now, however, it’s time to end the log.

 

-:-

All should be convinced by now:  I’ve gone bananas over rainy season!

A little surprise

I got a little surprise on this past Saturday evening.  Feyma and I were watching a movie on TV with the kids.  While watching, Feyma was also playing with her laptop, surfing the Internet a bit.  Suddenly, she told me… “you won an award!”  “What,” I said… “what kind of award?”  She went on to tell me that I had won the “Globe Digital Tribe” award.  Hmm… I never heard of it, what is it, and how did I win it?

Well, as it turns out, she was right, I indeed was one of the winners of the Globe Digital Tribe award, which was given out by Globe Telecom, at the Philippine Blog Awards over the weekend in Cagayan de Oro City.  The Philippine Blog Awards actually held three different award ceremonies over the past month or so, one for Luzon, one for the Visayas, and this past weekend’s event for Mindanao.  I was actually one of the judges for some of the Mindanao awards.

Well, when I found out that I had won this Globe Digital Tribe award, I was really surprised, and for several reasons:

1. I didn’t know that I was even being considered for any award.
2. I was unaware of being nominated for any award.
3. I didn’t think that foreigners were eligible for such awards, based on some of what I have read in past years.

To be honest, I am still not 100% certain what this Digital Tribe award is given for.  From doing some reading on the Internet, it seems to me that it is given to people who have had some kind of impact on digital advancement, or fostering understanding or participation in digital activities in their region.  Globe Digital Tribe awards were given for each of the three regions – Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao, and I was one of the winners!

I suppose that I will be hearing more about this in coming days, at least to get a better understanding of exactly what it entails.  I will say, though, that I am happy to have been recognized, and to have my efforts recognized as having made a contribution in the Mindanao Region.  It is flattering, and was fully unexpected.

The thing that I find most rewarding about this is that there is recognition for foreigners who try to contribute to the society here.  In the past, I have often felt somewhat “left out” or looked down upon because I was not a Filipino.  There have been blog awards in the past where it was specifically said that “foreigners are not eligible,” and Filipinos (even though not living in the Philippines) took prizes for their blogs, but foreigners who live here (not just me, but other foreigners whom I felt were deserving) in the Philippines were not considered to be eligible for the awards.  That always kind of felt bad to me, and I am so happy to see that foreigners are now being recognized, and accepted as part of the community.

Even though, as I said, I sort of felt “left out,” I never really cared much about the award itself, but only the ability for foreigners to be made part of the community, for the contributions of foreigners to be considered “of value” to the Philippines and her people.  So, even though an award is not what I ever asked, or desired, I do feel proud to have some recognition from a Philippine organization for my efforts to advance the digital lifestyle of the country, or at least the part of the country where I live.

I will say, too, that the readers of this site deserve recognition as well, because LiP would not be what it is today without reader participation on the site.  There are not very many blogs (even the very popular ones) that can garner 50 comments for each post, or even up to 250 on certain posts.  Because of the willingness of LiP readers to participate in interaction with the writers, LiP is special, and unlike probably more than 90% of other blogs on the Internet today.  I would also like to recognize the other writers on the site, both writers that are writing now, and those who have contributed their articles over the past 3 years.  Without having multiple viewpoints, through an array of writers, LiP would be only one-dimensional, and that is simply not as interesting as what we have today.

So, thanks to Globe Telecom, The Philippine Blog Awards, LiP Writers and LiP Readers (as well as those who participate on my other Blog sites – particularly Mindanao Magazine) for their contribution!

Don’t Blame the Duwende!

The following is an account told to me by my wife Melinda, who was a witness to the events that unfold in this story. She swears that the following narrative is true, and I believe it is always beneficial to my continued well being to believe my asawa.

Tatay Emeliamo entered the hut, saw the great pain wive was in, and then it finally occurred to him why this happening to his asawa: he had not made any preparations to appease the duwende living in the balete tree when he felled the gigantic tree. Tatay ran through the jungle to Buluangan Jordan where his friend the healer, Juan resided. Tatay and Juan swiftly returned to the home place; Juan was keenly aware of the consequences when a duewende is offended.

My father-in-law, Emeliamo, here in San Miguel, Guimaras, in the Philippines, needed some charcoal. He had a massive balete tree in his python-infested backyard in the heart of a jungle. Now Tatay (father) Emeliamo had an immunity to any curses or spells from duwendes (invisible Filipino elves) or manananggals (witches). My Sainted Patient Wife informs me that she also has such an immunity. Several years had past since his daughter Ellen had gotten ill from stepping on the duwende as I related in a story last week. Charcoal was the only thing on his mind, so he whacked down the balete tree after much effort, and proceeded to make his charcoal.

The next day my mother-in-law, Rogelia, woke up with a horrific back pain. Suffering a pain so great that she could barely rise up from her floor mat, she got word to her daughter, my future wife Melinda, to tell Tatay she needed help. Melinda ran out to the rice fields, and told Tatay to come back to the nipa hut; Nanay (mother) needed help and she needed it now! Tatay raced home to see what was wrong.

Juan carefully inspected the site of the now chopped down balete tree, and informed my father-in-law that no, the curse upon Nanay is not the work of a duwende, but Juan the healer sees a hideous pig-faced demon ,that is common in this part of the Western Visayas, lurking around, a lulid. The lulid is the cause of Nanay’s severe back pain, and he must be given an offering of one peso, and a fine sumptuous meal.

The meal was prepared and the peso set out as instructed by the healer Juan. The next day Nanay wakes up refreshed and all the back pain is gone. All is well in the nipa hut in a jungle in the heart of the Philippines. And that would seem to be the end of this story if not for my wife’s eldest sister Marialuz, who as the only child of twelve sent to a private school and well-educated, a skeptic of this whole lulid demon, duwendes, and manananggals business which she perceived as just folk tales. So Marialuz snuck out by the offering site, and took the peso. Her ignorant (to her) family would just think the lulid took it, and she would be one peso richer. But as soon as the lulid’s peso was snatched hundreds of blackbirds darkened the skies above the nipa hut!

But of course you may have guessed already that Marialuz soon took ill. Yes, she was stricken with a extremely high fever. Her mother approached her and asked her if she had taken the lulid’s peso. The blackbirds where still hovering outside and Nanay was not a stupid woman. As a child is apt to do at times, Marialuz first denied the accusation. Again, Nanay asked the question, as she slowly reached for a piece of nearby bamboo kept in a corner of the nipa hut for the occasional caning. Wisely Marialuz admitted to the theft. With Nanay grabbing her by the arm, Nanay had Marialuz place the peso back at the offering site (where all the food had already disappeared, and who am I to deny that the food was devoured by the lulid and not some stray dog or possibly a passing duwende?

The blackbirds flew away with much screeching, and the fever was lifted from Marialuz. Now, all was well at the nipa hut in the jungle. That is, until the next balete tree.

Going Bananas Over Rainy Season (Pt I)

As I write this article, it is still the “Rainy Season” up here in Pasuquin.  This season usually runs from sometime around May or June to sometime during the “ber” months.  One just can’t put a finger on a definite period – like seven days in a week – to define this season.  (I was going to use a month for an example but, you know, 30, 31, 28, or 29 days doesn’t really make my point.)  Rainy season starts when the rains start, and ends when the rains end, more or less.

Technically, the season is rooted in such things like tropical convection zones, monsoonal conditions, tropical depressions, and so on.  All I care to know is whether I’ll need my payong (payong) [umbrella] when I go out.  Sometimes the rains are monsoon-like:  A constant, consistent rainfall that hardly varies at all for hours on end.   Most common are afternoon and evening thunderstorms.  Occasionally, a tropical depression develops into a tropical storm that builds into a typhoon.  That means a lot of very mean rain and very high winds, plus chances for thunderstorms and funnel clouds/waterspouts.

We felt the last round of storms – those that caused the horrific flooding in Manila and surrounding areas – as gusty winds and one Friday night’s worth of very mean downpours and thunderstorms.  The next morning, rice fields revealed that a few microbursts of wind and rain flattened the crop in some small areas.  Sort of like “crop circles” but definitely storm related.  Other than that, not much damage accompanied the driving rains.

The Thursday before the storm, I was alone.  Baket ko (Asawa ko) [My wife] Emy was in Manila with some relatives picking up a used car and bringing it back up north.  While they were fortunately making their way north, I celebrated my 60^th birthday by discovering a curious growth on one of our banana trees.

There was a purplish growth or pod coming out from the top leaves.  I hadn’t noticed it before but there it was.  This definitely was not another leaf to grow and unfurl, as did a number of leaves before it.  Nature was providing me a birthday present.  The tree was producing a blossom – I was going to be a daddy to a bunch of bananas!

As I looked at it, I thought, “Here’s a way to chase any rainy season-induced blues away.  I’ll document its growth with pictures.  A picture a day – that should keep me busy for the rest of the rainy season, however long that may be.  I’ll add some comments and have a logbook or a (ho-hum) journal.  (In my youth I developed a severe dislike for journals – those were things that the “snooty kids” would make for extra credit in school.)

My goal will be to put together an interesting article, while beating back those blues.  Hopefully readers will enjoy this little log.

09/24/09 – First noticed a blossom appearing on one of our banana trees.  Will try to keep a runnng log on its progress for as long as I dare.

-:-

09/25/09 - I almost forgot that I was going to take pictures of the banana tree each day.  Around 3:30 PM, I pulled out my digital camera and walked out to the tree.  I was amazed at the speed of development.  This blossom was definitely coming out of the leaves and would soon “make its turn” and start showing some signs of the fruit once “petals” started to open up and fall off.  I thought that it’s only Friday – better not expect too much right away.

-:-

09/26/09 - Overnight was quite a storm – Tropical Storm Ketsana (Ondoy) to be exact.  Thunder, lightning, wind gusts and very heavy downpour.  During the night, I didn’t really expect the blossom to be there when daylight broke.  I was sure the storm would have claimed it as its victim.  I was quite surprised (and relieved) to see the storm’s effects.  Like some form of natural mid-wife, the storm helped the blossom “make its turn.”  That was quick but I’m sure, storm induced.  Could this occur at such a quick pace on its own?

-:-

09/27/09 - The blossom is showing signs of continued growth and it is drooping further.  I can’t believe the speed of nature.  I only first noticed this miracle of life a few days ago.  Already it has progressed along quite well and quite quickly.  I can see a pedal or two starting to pull away from the blossom.  There will be layer after layer of pedals.  Beneath each pedal will be a “hand” of about 12-20 “fingers” or bananas.  I’ve also noticed that most of the growth and movement occurs overnight, so far.

-:-

09/28/09 - The outer pedals of the blossom started to pull away from the blossom today.  In only four days, this blossom went from barely peaking through the other leaves to growing thick and having its outer pedals pull away.  Along with being thicker, I’m starting to detect some “ripples” along the pedals.  Could those be the baby bananas, waiting for the pedal to pull away and fall off?  I wonder when I’ll find out the answer.  The day-to-day changes are amazing.

-:-

09/29/09 - There it is!  The first hand to come into view as the pedal that protected it moved away.  It’s  not even a week and I’m seeing a hand full of fingers.  Later in the day, its job finished, the blossom pedal (directly being the hand in the picture) fell away from the plant.  A second pedal is pulling away and, yes, beneath it is another hand.  I’m beginning to wonder just how many hands and how many fingers I’ll have.  A bunch, or banana stem, can weigh 30-50 kg and have up to 400 fingers, or bananas grouped approximately 12-20 fingers per hand.

-:-

09/30/3009 - Overnight, another pedal dropped off and exposed a second hand full of fingers.  Additionally, the first hand has started its own turn upward.  Bananas grow “bottoms up” and each hand will turn upward toward the sky.  During the afternoon, yet another pedal started to pull away from the blossom.  That means three full hands are now visible.  Even the second hand that appeared overnight started to make its turn to the sky.  This has to be the fastest growing fruit I’ve ever seen.

-:-

Little did I know at the end of September that some changes were in store for me, my banana plant and all those hands and fingers.  There’s a storm a-brewin’ – a BIG storm.

The Water Tester

Knock, Knock, the gate I hear one day, as I had ripped out the doorbell the first week in my new house, after discovering school children liked it more than me. At the gate was a well dressed young man with a clipboard and a cardboard box. He explained that he was from the municipality and was there to test my water.

I found that a tad odd as the area I live in has no water supply, and I used a pump and very deep well. Okay, I’m thinking, this could be fun!

“Sir may I have a sample of your water?” he asked. And off I went to get it for him, as I enter my kitchen I see the Wilkins’s water dispenser and filled up his cup. When I gave it to him he held it up to the sun and peered intently at it, then opens his cardboard box and Somewhat akin to Harry Potter, he started to perform magical motions with his test tube and chemicals, and proceeded to turn my water a very unappetizing moldy gray. I gasped in shock that I could be consuming minerals in mineral water. It remained me of consuming Rum, in Rum & Coke.

Then the well appointed young man explained that if I subscribed to his company’s service I could have ultra clean water, and not die a horrendously painful death. Remember in the beginning, after the Knock, Knock, at my gate that he was from the municipality? Still being in a playful mood, I asked if the filtering system could be hooked up in line with my water meter. And found that it could. I then asked him to show me where it could be done, and let him waste ten minutes searching for the meter I didn’t have…

It was a hot day, so I offered him a glass of coke (I couldn’t give him that bad water) and explained that I knew he had fibbed to me about whom he worked for, and the water he had tested was Wilkins brand. Then my wife told him that the old Kano, liked to “Bulaga” people who tried to “Bulaga” him.

A couple of years later, a water system was installed, it was very small and could supply only about 300 homes, so they sold the water hookup to more than 800 homes. For the first 6 months I had city water every day, then every couple of days, then once in a while, and finally weeks on end with no water, as it still is today.

Then they gave me a bill for a few hundred pesos, which I could see no reason for, as a year prior someone stole my meter and I’d gone back to just using my well, six months before that. It was for a minimum monthly charge I was told.

“Sir, for the non-payment of your water bill, we are discontinuing service to your house!” Well they had pretty much done that, after the first six months. In July this year the non-water system was sold. The new company asked me if I would like to avail of their new service. They bought the company, changed nothing, nor fixed nothing. So I smiled and said, “When Caribou Fly!” As with living here, the well is also my choice.

“Why is it that way?”

Jeepneys: Why is it that all the passengers will insist on handing the driver the fare, while the driver is in the middle of a hairpin turn at forty miles an hour? Is it some form of test? Also, why can’t the next two boarding passengers stand beside each other, so the driver does not have to drive the next 15 feet to pick up the second one?

Also, just for fun, ask the capacity of a Jeepney? The heads will be scratched, and the thinking begun. Then the answers will flow; 16-18-ect. Just explain that all the answers are wrong. For the true capacity is “ONE MORE” which is the same for Trikes and buses.

Trike Drivers: Why do they pull up beside you, to offer a ride after they just saw you exit your car?

Street Vendors: What would make them feel that a “Blowgun” is just what you need today? They sell pork at the market and I don’t hunt wild pigs in the Rain Forest. Or the guy behind the blue boxes at the market, where he will repair a Presidential Rolex Watch, If I had one I sure would not bring it to him, for service.

Sports: Why is Basketball the number one sport here in the P.I.? Central and South America figured out they were not tall enough to join the “NBA” and decided Baseball was the way to go! It could be the cost of equipment, a basketball and slippers and a hoop on a tree is cheaper than gloves, bats, balls and the land required to play.

Sari-Sari Stores: Does the law require that there be one every fifty feet? I think the law does require that they all must sell exactly the same items, which will cause me much confusion picking the one I should go to. (Coldest beer works for me!) Also, they open at 7am yet by 9am they still can’t change a 20 peso bill. I wish I let my wife open one.

Dealing with Local Government: When applying for my resident visa to stay here I was provided a list of all paperwork and documents I was to present to Immigration in Manila. When I applied I was asked to provide 4 more documents which were not on the list provided. Like a foolish man I questioned why they were not listed on the paper their office provided me? That caused some major head scratching and a few shrugs of shoulders and was told to get the documents if I wanted to proceed.

Then last April 2009, I went to Subic Freeport for the Embassy Outreach visit to apply for my Social Security benefits. I arrived at 07:30, signed up, yakked with some friends, was seated at 08:00 called to see an Embassy Rep. by 08:05 and was on my way to breakfast by 08:25 as I had provided all required document from their list. The Lady from the Embassy was helpful, smart, and very friendly. While eating breakfast my wife pointed out that she was shocked to see any dealing with a government official could be so fast and smooth. I just smiled.

So… I will continue my search for answers to these and everything else that perplexes me! (Which is quite a lot?) It’s the small price we pay for choosing to live here in paradise!

P.S. This was written in pure fun, and I alone, am responsible for its content.

Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em

This phrase has been heard by countless GIs over the years. I can almost hear some of the comments coming as I type this article. In recent times, in most of North America, Europe, and Australia, smoking has become taboo, with smokers being regarded as somewhat akin to lepers… EGADS! How dare you poison MY air!?!?!?!? (I’m self-censoring my response, but I think you can hazard a pretty good guess.)

Yes, I too am one of those who smokes the noxious weed. I’m normally reasonably considerate about it… If I am somewhere where smoking is permitted and someone nicely asks me to put it out, I generally do so. I have been highly successful at quitting… I’ve quit dozens of times. Oh, you mean that it is results that count? Well, not so successful.

For those considering moving to the Philippines who are bothered by smoke, you should be prepared to face a lot more smokers here than in the Western world… Welcome to Asia. You also generally will not find much sympathy among the general populace, so, if smoke really bothers you, you need to adjust… It is highly unlikely that the 35 million Filipino smokers will change their habits just to suit you.

Officially, around 35% of Filipinos smoke. Unofficially, just travelling around here, that percentage is too low. Officially, in Manila, it is illegal to smoke indoors in enclosed public spaces, and that law is generally followed, observed, and abided by in shopping malls and movie theatres and the like. However, open-air restaurants and most bars that serve primarily liquor are exempt. Additionally, some places, like airports, generally have enclosed smoking bars on the premises. The Philippines is gradually becoming more smoke-free, and, honestly, even as a smoker, I tend to agree with most of the prohibitions, especially in enclosed restaurants.

However, if you want to be a scofflaw (and not a very good guest in the country, by the way), most smoking fines are under 1,000 pesos, which is easily affordable for most foreigners. In any event, you will encounter many, many smokers here, most of whom start at a young age (as most smokers do nearly everywhere). Cigarettes are among the cheapest in the entire world here, with a standard pack of 20 costing anywhere from 20 pesos (40 cents US) for really awful locally made sticks, to 35 pesos (sometimes cheaper) (80 cents US) for Philippine-manufactured Marlboros, to 70 pesos for imported brands, to 80 pesos at the airport. Most sari sari stores will also sell cigarettes by the stick, or in small packs of 5 or 10. In fact, the only places I know of where cigarettes are cheaper is Russia and Indonesia. Contrast this with an average $5 to $7 per pack in the States or a whopping 5.75 pounds per pack in the UK, or nearly 15Euros in Scandinavia.

This isn’t saying that the Philippine government is pro-smoking. In fact, quite the contrary. The smoking laws are being broadened, advertising prohibited in many places, and a law has been proposed to start putting the same horrid pictures on cigarette packs that you see in Thailand, Hong Kong, and Singapore, among other places. However, with such a large percentage of the population being smokers, combined with general Filipino “live and let live” attitudes, militant anti-smokers will have problems here… That statement is virtually guaranteed.

I was not born under a rock. I know all of the health risks. I do not smoke anywhere near my son. I am generally a considerate smoker out in public. However, If this article seems a bit sarcastic, it is because, quite frankly, I get fed-up with the “holier than thou” attitudes of the smoking Nazis in the United States, and especially the UK. These are normally the same people who drive everywhere they go, putting far more pollutants in the air than my cigarette.

So, for all the smokers who read this, here’s my list of airports that I know of where you can still smoke after security, followed by a hint for airports like JFK and LHR where it is forbidden (Scoff away, Law!)

Asia: MNL, CEB, TPE, KHH, ICN, PUS, NRT, KIX, FUK, PVG, CAN, HKG, SGN, HAN, BKK, MHF, BWN, KUL, SIN, CDG, SUB, MYY, BOM, DEL, ISB, KHI, DUB, MCT, SHJ, AUH, BAH, DOH, KWI, RUH, AMM. (Not allowed… Istanbul, and Beijing, unless they changed back this year)
Australia and NZ: None
Europe: HAM, ZRH, GVA, FCO, FRA, MUC, MAD
USA: MIA, IAD, SDF, STL, DFW (American Lounge only), TPA, RDU, SJU (They closed the areas in Las Vegas).
South America: Every airport I’ve ever been to there allows smoking, except in Brazil.

Stuck wrong side off passport control on a long transit and jonesing for a nicotine fix? Handicapped toilets make a convenient place to grab a quick smoke, since the doors generally lock (Don’t try this at LGW… they are alarmed there). Also, another alternative is to stock up on dip or chew and grab a Styrofoam cup (Both of which are NOT common in Asia, so if you chew and are moving or traveling here, better stock up at duty free or search online for a tobacconist). That also works for most airplanes except those owned by Delta (Where they prohibit it for some reason.)

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