Katipunan's center island

Katipunan Avenue's center island fronting Ateneo have been narrowed down to widen the main road. To do so means moving the young acacia trees planted at the center and relocating the Meralco posts at the remaining slim space.

In the past, the natural 1st step is to cut down the trees without regard for ecological balance. This time, they were balled out of the original location and transplanted at the center. They had burned barks showing they underwent some processing making them look dead.

Recently, small green leaves have been sprouting out of the fragile branches increasing in number by the day.

While timed for the school opening, it seemed like it was scheduled this Easter. As symbolically, the greens in burned branches projected hope, which during this time is a badly needed virtue.

Spirit of Place

What is the Spirit of Place?

It is tuning in to the place having a greater feel for it. The writer, Lawrence Durrell suggests travelling with eyes open. Capturing the spirit thus has to be experienced first and not necessarily narrated. Capturing is perhaps what the serious mountaineer does well. With just a pause, breathing, a rest sitting in a stone, some quiet moments or a gaze at the tree and the summit, he knows the place. Because the physical trek in itself which requires some degree of effort already prepares him for the commune with nature. Slowly leaving behind the woes of organization, tasks and routine of urban living, he slowly enters into the realm of the mountaineer’s “freedom of the hills.” When this happens, he has experienced and captured the spirit of their place, the mountain.

Quoting Lawrence Durrell, a novelist, dramatist, travel writer and poet

 “It is a pity indeed to travel and not get this essential sense of landscape values. You do not need a sixth sense for it. It is there if you just close your eyes and breathe softly through your nose; you will hear the whispered message, for all landscapes ask the same question in the same whisper. 'I am watching you - - are you watching yourself in me?' Most travelers hurry too much ... the great thing is to try and travel with the eyes of the spirit wide open, and not to much factual information. To tune in, without reverence, idly -- but with real inward attention. It is to be had for the feeling...you can extract the essence of a place once you know how. If you just get as still as a needle, you'll be there.”

Lawrence Durrell, Spirit Of Place: Letters And Essays On Travel

Quoting lines from Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo's introduction to the book Over a Cup of Ginger Tea

"I remember a phrase from Durrell – “a spirit of place.” He believed that travel writers needed to have a feel for that, a country’s special ambiance, compounded of landscape and history and the taste of the wine produced in its vineyards and the songs sung by its poets, which in turn affected the people’s character. And he believed one didn’t get that sense by going on tours. One got it by sitting quietly in a café or under a tree and allowing it to happen to one."

Hidalgo, Cristina Pantoja. 2006. Over a Cup of Ginger Tea. Quezon City: The University of the Philippines Press

Articles in Mind

High Definition History Channels' Pawn Stars is a pawn store of items with stories. The more notable and historical the story is, the higher price they can command. To authenticate high ticket items and apprise their value, the owners tap the services of consultants. The Harrisons coming from three generations of the Harrison family-grandfather Richard, son Rick and grandson Corey operate in the outskirts of Las Vegas. As a typical pawn shop, patrons usually part with their objects for money, nothing else.

In Manila, there are several surplus stores  like MSM Surplus Store along EDSA and Avenida that sell household objects sourced from the US, Australia and oriental countries. Displayed at their warehousese are second hand items mostly working, some broken. Scouting for objects in these stores is just like going back in time. Great finds are crystal glasses, hi-fidelity audio equipment, turntables and a hundred assortment of bric-a-brat. There is no authentication though but you can haggle for the price which as tagged is already at a bargain.



A store inside Adarna

Seeing how any object is restored by the Kings of Restoration on HD History Channel makes this show interesting to a Do It Yourself practitioneer. 

There are artifacts lying around when restored to its working state are transformed to a piece of beauty. It can be anything like a furnace, a scooter and other functional tools of the past decades or centuries. As any object in the past, it must have an interesting anecdote associated with it. Restorers quote a price based on materials and hours spent to service which by peso standards is astronomically outrageous. Owners almost always are satisfied with the finished product.

Old objects in commercial establishments add character to the place. Restaurants in Manila use these objects as decoratives to complement the ambiance they are creating. Thus a plantsa and a halo-halo ice crusher at the entrance of an old Filipino restaurant immediately tells a visitor local cuisine is on the menu. These objects, functionally operational and now memorabilia are worth displaying but may not still command a premium trading price relative to the items pawned in Las Vegas. But its value is priceless when it brings back to the present a feel of tradition.

Artifacts are objects from a particular period. They are key in uncovering the story of the past and are treasures. There might be as John Keats says, "a thing of beauty and a  joy forever" an object just right in your backyard.

Show visuals lifted from the History Channel website

Coming Home to your City of Dreams

Karla Delgado, a creative writing teacher at the Ateneo de Manila is one of the featured literary writers in Ruel del Vera's Connecting Flights, an Anvil publication 1^st printed in 2009 about Filipinos writing from elsewhere in the world.

Karla writes about her revisit to her favorite city, Barcelona in Spain where she studied in high school. She compares the experience with Philippines cities like Baguio where she grew up and in Manila where she is currently staying.

She describes her visit as a spiritual renewal recharging from the drudgery doing chores as a mother and teacher in Manila. Concluding her short essay, she reveals her insight when it was time for her to leave. She shared, she "discovered a place of tears, a spring of wellness where it allowed her to face the fear that lurked within about crossing into a parallel reality."

Just like us travelers, we have our own city of dreams, a place which allowed us to be ourselves laveshing us with all its resources for our appreciation. It could be our hometown or our summer destination or a memorable mountain or a nature spot. 

In my case, rich memories suddenly surge back when I revisit the UP Diliman Campus, the UP Los Banos open fields, Basco in Batanes, Dumaguete in Negros, Tuguegarao in Cagayan, Sagada in Mt. Province, Kabayan in Benguet to name a number of memorable domestic places. Recalling these moments, I can resonate to how it is to come back home to, borrowing the writer's lines, "thousands of kilometers away from Manila, I have come home to myself." For it is in breathing these places, we come to better appreciate who we are.

Read the essay or get the book.

Karla P. Delgado, "Breathing Barcelona," in Connecting Flights, Filipinos Write from Elsewhere ed. Ruel S. De Vera, 95-100.  Manila: Anvil, 2010

Caliraya

An alternative destination when the expressways are clogged.



Artificial lake occupying a 1,050 hectare area

It is accessible from Metro Manila (about 82 kilometer, 1 1/2 hours), yet possesses water resources, whether man-made or natural.

Caliraya strikes you as a serene place as you spot the calm lake, feel the gentle wind, walk through the Japanese garden and sense the uncrowded habitation.

It gives a top view of the Laguna de Bay and the profiles of the mountains Banahaw, Cristobal, Makiling, Calauan, Makban at the South West.



For the 1^st timers, the initial sight of the Lake comes in as a surprise. It is not visible from the Laguna National Highway connecting Lumban to Kalayaan and the zigzagged Lumban-Caliraya-Cavinti road as it is perched at the ridge of the Sierra Madre. Only when you reach the elevation of 1,066 feet above sea level that the lake is revealed to you.

Water Level Gate

Torri, a scaled down Japaense Arch

So much has been written about the construction of this man-made lake which is linked to the power supply of a hydro electric dam in 1939 by the US Army. During the war in the mid 40's, there was a struggle between the Americans and the Japanese on the use of the facility causing damage. Eventually it was rebuilt by the Japanese.  In the 60's, ownership was pinpointed to 3 families. A garden was built by the Japanese government in the 70's to honor those who perished in the war. Sometime in the 80's the area was made more accessible to the general public via the opening of access roads.

I have no recollection when in the 90's I 1^st drove up to Caliraya.

What I recalled though was an image of a rainy windy and cold morning painting an impression that I was in a faraway place so different from the place of work.

Google Earth Image Capture

I remembered also exploring to find waterfalls close to the Japanese garden to catch my climbing friends but ended up going in circles the whole night until I was led back to the garden via the main road.

In January 2009, with 172 other Coca-coca associates, our group supported the tree planting activity at the Caliraya watershed in Cavinti as part of the Haribon Foundation environmental conservation movement.

Since then, whenever where was a window to drive down to Laguna, I would always include Caliraya as part of the destination.

Why did I choose to revisit this year? For now, merely for the accessibility. In the near future when there is a deeper affinity between me and the lake, I may have other reasons to visit Caliraya.

Fotos courtesy of M. Averia

Respite from the City. Quick Escape

Idyllic Laguna

Friday this Holy Week provided an opportunity for a respite from work, urban traffic and routine chores.

Unsettled feeling of long weekends spent without an out-of-town trip usually shows up the week after. This is made more pronounced when friends are not available for any physical nor none face-to-face communication.

Thus it is good judgment to pull out of the city regardless of cost and distance to recharge and to breathe in a whiff of different air.



Paete Church Tower

In the past decades, extended weekends were spent at Mt. Banahaw via Tayabas in Luzon, Mt. Talinis in Dumaguete in Visayas via Cebu, or Mt. Guiting Guiting in Romblon in Luzon. More recently, it was in San Teodoro, a small quaint fishing village in Mindoro and in Baler, Aurora, all in Luzon. At times, with the luxury of prior planning, we would fly to Ho Chi Min in Vietnam, board a vessel to Borneo to climb Mt. Kinabalu.

There were moments when out-of towns were simply imagined while watching Living Asia and Discovery Channel over cable television just to provide an image of an open field, a mountain or the open sea. Done out of helplessness, it was meant to fill in a void.

Pilapil overlooking Talim Island

Conveniently, there are the nearby provinces of Pampanga, Bataan, Rizal and Laguna which provide a quick escape from the Metropolis. Travel time, as short as an hours' drive is enough to dramatically change the landscape from concrete to wood, cement to soil. Without the hassle of cramped space, mass movement and transport terminal gateways, these destinations accessible by land travel offer an equally attractive respite.



Station of the Cross Scupture

This April, welcome to Laguna described by Sampaquita in the song early 80's  as a place where winds blowing from the nearby bay, nestled against dreamlike mountains and lush forest in a land area with golden rice fields set in a vast expanse of the sea - "Hangin sa tabing baybayin Parang pangarap na tanawin Bundok na kagubatan, gintong palayan Malawak na karagatan."



Candle Offering

It ends with a statement Laguna offering a different perspective which will awaken your emotion with its beauty -"Ibang paningin ang mapapansin Na gigising sa 'yong damdamin Malalagyan ka sa 'yong nakikita'Pagkat walang kasing-ganda."

 

Fresh Fish and Vegeatables for Lunch

The one-day travel was contained to Kalayaan where the man-made Caliraya Lake sits, towns of Paete and Pakil, known for the century old baroque churches, woodcraft and sculpture, Siniloan up to Mabitac, gateway to Laguna from the East side.

Join our travel with fotos provided by Miko Averia. 



Biernes Santos

The Gift of the Inner Light



St. Peter Square

A day travel can likewise be a spiritual journey.  Without spirituality, respite is only temporary. The sights and sounds of people, churches, artifacts, food and nature prepare us for a better appreciation of Easter.

As I returned back to the city for the balance Holy Week activity, the message of Fr. Arnel Aquino's Easter Message said at the Cenacle Sisters' convent lingered in my mind. It centered on the Inner Light. It is this light founded on Christ that keeps us going despite the darkness we face.  It is in us and cannot be extinguished.



Stairs leading to the Cumbento



The inner light is the gift of the resurrection. To quote "This is the gift of the Resurrection—the gift of Christ nevermore to be bound by space nor time, flesh nor fragility.  So that as Spirit, he may be with all of us at the same time, forever."

Line lifted from https://www.phjesuits.org/features/1254-inner-light

Flashback to 245 years ago

Flashback to 245 years ago in 12 hours travelling 250 kilometers by land

3 Krus atop Sierra Made Paete

Reconstructed paintings at the Ceiling of the Pakil Church

2012s’ Holy Week coverage flashed back to years 1767. 18th century was significant as this was when the churches of Paete and Pakil in Laguna were completely constructed. These churches, known for the preserved architecture and tableau reenacting the Lenten rituals were the targets of our destination. In the company of intrepid traveler Marc and photographer Miko, decades were reviewed in passing on Good Friday to commemorate the sufferings of Christ in the culminating week of the Holy Week season.

Sacritan in a rush for the 3PM rites

The one-day activity which started at 6 AM in C5 ended at the same spot after completing the loop that brought us to SLEX, around the Laguna de Bay up to Antipolo and up to Metro Manila at 6 PM.

Like our usual Luzon land travel when resources and information are within reach, this memorable event was just finalized the Maundy Thursday night before when a quorum was established. Transportation was available, camera, maps, GPS were in place and more importantly, a destination mapped out. Time was a constraint though and each of us had P 650.00 to spare for that day (covering breakfast and lunch and travel related expenses).

Pulpit posted againt solid concrete walls

Bloodied Penitent

As in the past years, travel time was in contrast to the uncomfortable and prolonged Wednesday and Thursday travelling conditions reported on media. Traffic was light including pedestrian volume at the holy sites. There was just a slight delay when we encountered the start and tail end of the Sto. Entierro (the Interred Christ) procession in Pasig along Ortigas Extension and in Makati along Kalayaan Avenue.



 Crosses at the foreground and background

Horses out of paper mache


Challenges that confronted us were not physical or logistical in nature but mental requiring decisions. We made hard decisions on questions like: “Where will we eat breakfast? (in Jollibee Lumban.) "There is a slow tricycle in front of us, should we follow the solid yellow lane restriction?" (We did.) "How much tip should we give to the parking aide at Jollibee Lumban? (P 7.0 in coins). "Do I drink a Coke or Wilkins distilled water?" (Both.)

At the Caliraya Surf Kamp, “Do we stay for the cold breeze or proceed with the church visit?” (We did stay for a while.) At the Capati restaurant in Paete, “Which fish do we order, Tilapia or Bangus? (We ordered both and were fresh and were so good!)

"Should we take Teresa or Angono on the way back?" (Teresa per Marc’s GPS.) "Should we stop for fruits along Mabitac?" (Lanzones is not in season, pina may not be sweet, only lakatan is in view, certainly not langka.) Planning to reach the Tatlong Krus of Paete, we asked, “Should we trek via the JP Rizal or drive via Longos, Kalayaan?” (a 30 minute ride via Longos and a short 5 minute trek.) "Do we do this again?"

  

Stoned Wall and Solid Side Doors

These situations were of course exaggerated to dramatize the pleasant 12 hour Good Friday trip where we saw the significance of the Spanish influence on Philippine history, the kindness of  local folks to strangers including police authorities who saw to our safe journey, the meaning of Christ’s absolute sacrifice for our salvation and ultimately our appreciation for our humanity.  During serious moments, we did not forget the 4 P's of Prayer: Pagpuri (Praise to our Creator), Pasasalamat (Thanks for the Gift of Family, Work,  Good Health, Friendship), Patawad (Asking for Forgiveness), and Paghingi (Favor and Guidance).

Stop Over Kitchenette after the Caliraya side trip

Travel whether long hauls or short land trips are valuable for the enriching experience. When travel triggers traditions that date back in centuries, they serve a valuable landmark. When it fulfills, it gives value to friends.

Happy Easter!

Similar maps seen in Garmin GPS and 3G Phones

Using Google Earth Version 6.1.0.5001

Fotos courtesy of Miko and Marc

Prayer from the Sacred Space

Lord, you know me better than I know myself.
Your Spirit pervades every moment of my life.
Thank you for the grace and love you shower on me.
Thank you for your constant, gentle invitation to let you into my life.
Forgive me for the times I have refused that invitation, and closed myself off from you.
Help me in the day to come, to recognise your presence in my life, to open myself to you, to let you work in me, to your greater glory.
Amen.

San Pedro de Alcantara Church housing Nuestra Senora Turumba

Thinking of Writing About

Returning back to Makati

A Friends' Travel Blog

http://komiks16.wordpress.com/

A student blogger who aspires to travel any where in the world to see, experience and learn from what he sees.  Site is a visual blog and has a special documented section on Kalbaryo.

Exchanges between the anchor newscasters

I am impressed with the probing exchanges between the anchor newscasters of the news program "State of the Nation" over Channel 24 and their field reporters like Joseph M., Dano T and others. While initially they do not answer the questions directly, they weave a mini story in their reply to show their mastery of the subject eventually addressing them satisfactorily.

I likewise have the same assessment with the reply to the follow up questions of Julius and Ces directed to their Bandilla reporters.

Toiling the Soil and Renewing Bond with Nature

The clamor for a special climb for associates affiliated with a personal leadership group PSI finally pushed through this 3 March. It has been about 2 decades since members of the group climbed together. Based on my recollection, the last one was in Mt. Pulag in the nineties.

The inertia to jumpstart this activity was quite a challenge despite the advance notices provided by Nolan and Nelson, the group patch created by Claude, birthday/reunion bash hosted by Joy D.A. and the postings in the social media network then an unfamiliar medium the Facebook.

While setting a target date from January 21, 2012 was quite an effort, the original appointed date of February 4-5 was postponed or eventually cancelled. The scale tipped to better likelihood was it was repackaged as a Farm Field Visit cum Day Climb, private transportation available, no special equipment required and estimated to cost only slightly over P500. It ended with an awesome finish sufficient to trigger fond memories of the past and clamor for more.

In the company of Nolan, Nelson and Ann, Joy B and daughter Victoria, we met up with couples Joy D.A. and Kerry in a remote barangay in San Miguel Bulacan. We were given an orientation on farming, planting and harvesting amidst a plantation of a special variety of melon, hybrid high yielding rice, duo bearing Japanese corn and chili immediately after a hosted lunch.

Early in the afternoon, we were transported to Barangay Sibul, a good 30 minute ride from the farm to the jump-off of Madlum Cave and Mt. Manalmon.

The almost one hour trek to reach an altitude of 180 MASL and a 45 minute descent was enough to affirm the capability to climb and to renew interest with nature. Renewal with nature was compounded by the experience of walking through a plantation, touching the soil and appreciating how a seed grows to an edible organic food.

More than the completion, this day activity offered a lot more to me. Man’s needs for food, shelter and fulfillment stem from nature. Renewing interest with the soil and natural wonder yields pleasure far greater than one would rationalize provided there has been deep seated relationship planted in the past. We merely came back that weekend.

Fotos grabbed from Joy and Nelson albums.

Handling Consumer Complaints

Handling Consumer Complaints

Deal with the person’s feelings

Deal with the problem

1. Listen

2. Establish rapport

3. Create solution

4. Close

5. Take action

Dave J., consultant to the Sta Rosa Complex Supply Chain goes to Sta Rosa from Pasay via SLEX.  He drops by Starbucks in San Pedro Petron for a cup of coffee in the morning. Last 15 February, the bill for about a hundred was charged against his international credit card. When he reached the complex and checked his bill, he discovered that the swiped amount was in thousands.

During lunch time at Solenad (a few kilometers from the complex), I suggested to Dave that he informs the outlet right away to reverse the online credit card transaction. Unfortunately, the documents did not provide the contact cell, landline nor email contacts. Dave says no problem because the staff knows him and can be corrected the next day.

I suggested that we handle the correction right away to catch the credit card debit process. I likewise expressed interest in observing having gone through a Consumer Complaint Handling program of Quality Assurance. As there was a Starbucks outlet nearby in Nuvali (not the outlet where the sale was made), Dave readily agreed to present his case.

With the bill and the attached credit card duplicate slip, we went to Starbucks Nuvali counter. The barista was with another young personnel. Dave presented his case to both of them. As an American, he was polite, unassuming and courteous with the staff. I was civil.

Here is how it was handled.

“The entries do not match.” “Where sir did this happen?”asked Gail.  “At the Petron station,” Dave answered. I added the info that he used an international credit card and is due to leave in a few days.  Then Gail casually said in a friendly manner “Usually, they rebate the balance in cash.” Gail then asked for cell contact numbers for contact. (Dave was not sure on the correctness of the local cell number.) After a short talk, Gail asked to be excused so he can alert the store manager of San Pedro.

In the meantime, Dave and I still standing continued our casual conversation. After a while, Gail returned back to the store and said:

1.  Info on the incidence was relayed to the San Pedro Store Manager.

2.  Manager apologized for the inconvenience.

3.  Credit card transaction was reversed. If Dave goes back to Starbucks in San Pedro the following day, he can claim the cancelled transaction slip.

4.  The coffee orders are on them.

In less than 10 minutes, we completed our purpose leaving the store. As we left, we thanked Gail for the assistance. Gail returned us with a close saying, “Sir our store is just a few kilometers away from your plant, perhaps you may want to visit us.”

We left Starbucks Nuvali pleased recalling that:

• Gail Paharo, the Store Manager listened casually to Dave’s concern.

• Established rapport by recognizing we had a concern and are Starbucks customers by saying “which outlet do you usually take your coffee?” He secured informally information on the transaction in question by asking contact numbers, date and whereabouts of transaction.

• He initially set us up that solution is at hand, cash rebate and San Pedro outlet will reply.

• He took action as he did call the Store Manager in between not in our presence.

• He solved the incidence.

• He closed with an invitation.

What was beyond expectation was, he solved the problem on behalf of the other store: credit card transaction cancelled, purchase was on them all in less than 10 minutes.

He did a service recovery pitch by inviting us to visit Starbucks Nuvali too, to which Dave and I readily agreed.

The night KGG Joy hosted a gathering before the 2012 Chinese new year

As the night deepened, slowly the mountain stories unfolded. Moments of forgetfulness, unnamed mountains, happy times, euphoric feelings were common that evening. Like the food that was unlimited, so were the situations with Mother Nature.

What was clear that night was it was difficult to organize a climb. While there are now other priorities in life, it apparently was not the obstacle to firm up a plan. Not even the presence of a certified coach CSC expedited the decision process. Because we just allowed the moment to unfold by itself naturally. There are bragging, denials, determined pursuit and even plain quiet introspection probing "What really was the past 20 years for me?"

For me it would have been easier to come to an alignment if we first asked ourselves the usual question, "Why do I want to climb again?" To field audit my equipment? To experiment a new recipe? For the bonding and friendship? To honor a dead friend? Or simply a plain adventure to test still our physical capability? To climb with our children or new found friends?

Difficult to answer these days. Allow us some time to ponder about it. However it might be easier to answer the practical query, "What am I willing to give for this climb to happen?"

Then it would just be a matter of short time that this activity will take off. Because . . . all of us may have the same purpose. "Ano na nga yun?

HNY 2012!

Habang palalim ng palalim ang gabi, unti unting lumalabas ang mga kwento ng nakaraaan. Mga sitwasyong di maalala, sandaliang tinatanggi. Nandoon na rin ang mga masasayang alaala na masarap balik-balikan.

Ngunit ang klaro sa gabing ito ay ang hirap mag-organize ng isang climb sa mga taong iba’t-iba na ang prioridad sa buhay. Nandoon pa rin ang mga pangyayaring pagbibida, pagtanggi, pagpupursigi at pananahimik (ehem, ako po yun).

Para sa akin, nagagawa lang ito ng mas maluwag sa kalooban ng bawa’t isa ang tapatang sagutin ang katangunan, “Ba’t ko gustong umakyat muli?” Para sa gamit? Sa pagsasama? Sa alaala ng mga nawalang kaibigan? O trip lang o pagsubok sa kakayahan? Para sa mga anak? O bagong kaibigan.

Mahirap sagutin. Maaring bigyan muna na ng maiksing panahon, maiksi na lang para matuloy na ang intensyong ito. Maaring makakatulong kung sagutin na rin ang katangunan, “Ano ang toka ko sa akyat na ito?”


Sa tropang ito, madali makuha ang kasagutan. Maiksing panahon na lang sa pananaw ko at lalarga na ang biyaheng ito.

Fotos taken by Nelson M, owned by KGG Joy DA, grabbed by the FB foto album