Trees and Plants

Flowers of native trees are in bloom at the North side of Metro Manila. Banaba is lagerstroemia speciose and siar is peltophorum pterocarpum.

Gaining popular patronage among hobbyists are the miniature plants priced at a premium.

Aquascape

Merriam Webster’s definition of aquascape is an arrangement of elements (such as plants and rocks) in an aquarium intended to create the appearance of a natural aquatic environment. 

Pools of tanks are on display at the Robinson’s Magnolia until 29 April 2019 for a competition.

Miniatures and Signs of Life

Fascination and appreciation for miniatures and any signs of life

Christ Behind Bars

Christ has risen yet He remains behind bars at the St. Joseph Shrine at the Diocese of Cubao

From Darkness to Light to Life: Message of Salvacion

From darkness to light to life

The message of salvacion of Pope Francis at the Easter Vigil 2019

"Why do you seek the living among the dead?”(Luke 24:5). Why do you think that everything is hopeless, that no one can take away your own tombstones? Why do you give into resignation and failure?

Easter is the feast of tombstones taken away, rocks rolled aside. God takes away even the hardest stones against which our hopes and expectations crash: death, sin, fear, worldliness."

"Let us put the Living One at the centre of our lives. Let us ask for the grace not to be carried by the current, the sea of our problems; the grace not to run aground on the shoals of sin or crash on the reefs of discouragement and fear. Let us seek him in all things and above all things. With him, we will rise again."

Kawalan ng pagasa. Kasalanan. Ikaw, ano ang mga balakid mo?

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-04/pope-francis-easter-vigil-mass-homily-text.html

6th and 7th Last Words

“It is finished,” the sixth of the Seven Last Words which the scholars interpret as an expression of relief that the suffering is over. Christ has fulfilled the mission of the Father through his suffering and death where we believers are the beneficiaries.

At the Sto. Domingo Church, the young homilist priest Rev. Fr. Florentino Bolo Jr. from the Order of Preachers described the unsettling feeling of inc. or incompleteness and being rushed. The fulfillment of Christs’ mission in obedience to the Father is a completion. With completion, there is fullness, oneness and wholeness “ganap, buo, puno” resulting in relief and fulfillment and in a grander scale redemption. Relating to the youth in mission of “Beloved. Gifted. Empowered. “Tumanggap ng pagmamahal. Tumanggap ng handog. Tumanggap ng kakayahan,” fulfillment is when the gifts that we received are shared.

In Taytay, devotees join the procession depicting the death of Christ in the narrow streets leading to the St. John the Baptist Church (built in 1579 and rebuilt in 1630). The parishioners of St. John the Baptist from the municipality of Rizal since then have been keeping the Holy Week traditions alive.

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“Father, into thy hands, I commend thy spirit,” the last of the Seventh Last Words which the scholars interpret as Jesus entrusting himself to the Father as he dies. Entrusting his life to the Father, He demonstrates that “He trusts the Father, and He alone to be the Saviour submitting to His sovereignty over life and seeking to live for His glory alone.”

At the Sto. Domingo Church, the oldest homilist priest from the Order of Preachers, Rev. Fr. Enrico Gonzales described the fear that each one of us faces. Whether the situations are favorable or unfavorable to us, we always have that fear particularly the ultimate fear of death. But in surrendering ourselves to God, we conquer the fear of death. “Do not be afraid.” Huwag kayong matakot. Kapag ang buhay niyo ay inilagay niyo kay Kristo, lahat ay kontrolado at planado.” With his death and through the Father, we have been “freed from the lifelong slavery of the world.”

In Taytay, devotees join the procession depicting the death of Christ in the narrow streets leading to the St. John the Baptist Church (built in 1579 and rebuilt in 1630). The parishioners of St. John the Baptist from the municipality of Rizal since then have been keeping the Holy Week traditions alive.

https://www.facebook.com/DPPI1971official/videos/1066764983534507/?t=35

Trees

TREES

It seems as if the story of my life is the story of trees I’ve loved.  Some remain standing.  Other fell down. -Deena Metzger



The waving branches of a tall maple tree strokes the sky as if caressing an invisible body. 

The wind animating the branches seems to have intention. 

The branches reach toward us as though offering their blessing. 

There are many different kinds of trees, which vary in size, shape, smell and sight. 

Their trunks, branches, and leaves are distinct. 

They offer us many opportunities.

Reaching from the ground into the sky, trees weld the universe together, providing miraculous beauty. 

You can climb in them, even as an adult. 

They offer cover. 

Trees change with the seasons, carrying on vital processes can help keep us alive in body and soul, even when we ignore them. 

There is much in this universe that supports us without our acknowledgment. It is time to honor trees and their gifts to us.

Do you have a favorite tree-a kind of tree or a particular tree? 

When was the last time you planted a tree? 

And then saw it grow? 

What is your relationship to trees?

Today I will allow to be comforted by the beauty and the feel of trees.
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Wayne Kritsberg, John Lee and Shepherd Bliss, A Quiet Strength Meditations on the Masculine Soul, (New York: Bantam Books, Sept 1994)

Respite from urban routine

THE FOREST

The forest is a process of inter-relatedness . . .
We must have forest areas that are never touched . . .
We must never extinguish that heritage.
-Merv Wilkinson

In forests, one can feel the interconnectedness of everything-humans, animals plants, winds, oceans, all that is.

Each forest has its own unique blend of trees, soil, air, bugs, plants and animals. We can literally smell the differences in forests. 

They each look different in size, shape and color. 

Some forests have trees that soar high; others grow closer to the ground. 

Some are so dry that they seem to invite fires. 

Others are wet, as if they were brothers to the ocean-rain forests. 

Some forests are so tightly packed that they block out the sun, as the giant redwoods in northern California do. 

Others are as spacious, allowing for amply sun. Forests are as individual and as alive as groups of humans.

Forests cover, going up into the sky and down into the soil, connecting these two distinct worlds. 

Forests breed life and they digest. 

It can be great fun to spend a night in a forest and even sleep on its floor. 

Our ancestors used to sleep in forests regularly, the forest provides a soft bed of leaves on which to relax and rest deeply. 

When we lose forests we lose contact with life.

Allow a forest to unfold before you in your imagination. 

Go into that forest, perhaps an ancient one and walk through it feeling and listening. 

There is much to see, much to hear and much more to feel.

__________________

Wayne Kritsberg, John Lee and Shepherd Bliss, A Quiet Strength Meditations on the Masculine Soul, (New York: Bantam Books, Sept 1994)

Lessons from the #gubathursdays Walking Tour with resources from UP Institute of Biology

1. No trees are alike. No forests are alike. Each tree has its distinct characteristic.
   
2. Not all trees produce flowers and fruits.
3. Arboretum is a land area with a collection of trees for appreciation and scientific study. There is a one-hectare lot at the Southeast lot of UP Diliman developed by Energy Development Board EDC.
4. Herbarium is a collection of pressed plant specimen and data for scientific study. The UP Institute of Biology houses a museum with thousands of collections.
5. There are unique trees depending on various land conditions such as lowland, limestone, elevated. Bamboo is the biggest grass.
   
6. Trees coexist with other living organisms as a result of a long, complex process. Uprooting them disturbs the entire ecosystem.
7. Each tree competes with other living organism for space, sunlight, water, nutrients.
8. Better native. Mahogany is an aggressive tree that sucks water to survive. Its' leaves are toxic.
9. The Philippines has a wide variety of endemic plants, among the highest relative to its land
   area. Unfortunately, most of them are endangered.
10. Don't ignore trees. Don't just look at them. Appreciate them for timber, food, medicinal, aesthetic value. If there are species you want identified, just bring them to the herbarium at UPIB.

Repeatedly said technical words:
Dipterocarp, a family of tall hardwood tropical tree chiefly used as source of timber, aromatic oil, resins
Gmelina, a fast-growing deciduous tree

Recalled from the #gubatsasiyudad lectures of David, Bobby, Brian, Mon and Abby 28 March 2019

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I lift from David Ples’ FB post, this article enjoining participation to the last tour this March.

“Every Thursday for almost two months now, I’ve had the distinct privilege of accompanying the Diliman Flora Tour participants on their adventures through our very own little #GubatSaSiyudad, here at the UP IB – EDC BINHI Threatened Species Arboretum.

The Walking Tours - UP Lakad Gunita tree treks have been a golden opportunity for us to spread the word on the astounding diversity of Philippine flora, which I always say is our country’s greatest treasure and somehow also our best-kept secret. It’s quietly rewarding to see admiration in the eyes that behold the flowers of katmon or bagawak-morado, or the smile that breaks through when meeting the antipolo tree for the first time. It’s also deeply satisfying to be part of those “what on earth” moments, as a site guide – the gasps when we break open tangisang bayawak figs to reveal wasps inside, and the raised eyebrows at stories of lipa’s vicious sting. Our diversity is beautiful, and it’s fascinating!

Just as important, though, are all the moments of disillusion and shock. Finding out we have less than a tenth of our good forest left. Frustration about invasive species. The somber silences when we talk about Sir Leonard’s death. Our diversity is under threat, and still barely known – that’s precisely why tree walks are important. People will protect what they love, but they can’t love what they don’t know.

Tomorrow is our last official tour, and if anyone out there reading happens to have the time, I guess I’m inviting you to drop by. Even if you can’t make it tomorrow morning, there’ll be more tree walks to come – with the Philippine Native Plants Conservation Society, Inc., and hopefully with UP Asian Institute of Tourism, if the walking tours are elevated into an official and regular university function. 

Ask me for a personal tour of the arboretum, if you want – I’d be happy to oblige! These tree walks have been my favorite part of 2019 so far, the thing that’s been most fulfilling, and I’d like nothing more than to help friends and strangers alike fall in love with biodiversity the same way I have: head over heels, over and over again.”

Learning recovery from Tacloban

Six years after, the sea is calm; the light of hope is reflecting under the bright moon.

Churches and structures have been rebuilt.

Food is abundant. Help is still pouring in.

Night life is active yet there is quiet stillness.

People’s faith has deepened.

Many have accepted. Some have moved on.

Many hopeful that life will be better.

The survivors have not given up on their sense of purpose.

With resiliency, drive, industriousness, determination, perseverance, community spirit and faith, life will be better.

Tacloban, I learned humanity from you.

Grateful for the lessons you shared.

http://time.com/3554112/tacloban-yolanda-supertyphoon-typhoon-haiyan-anniversary/

https://www.rappler.com/nation/216024-photos-tacloban-5-years-after-typhoon-yolanda

https://www.fema.gov/pdf/conferences/iaconference/2010/tuesday_1045am_resiliency_in_face_of_disaster.pdf

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Promoting resilience and recovery:
Services to survivors can be planned and implemented
in ways that naturally promote resilience and recovery

Five essential elements for service delivery are:
1. Promote a sense of safety
2. Promote calming
3. Promote sense of self– and collective efficacy
4. Promote connectedness
5. Promote hope
Hobfoll et al., 2007

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The 10 traits of resilience that survivors have in abundance

1. Flexibility – the capability of being bent without breaking – being adaptable.
2. Assertiveness – the confidence to ask for what you need, be decisive and self-assured without being aggressive.
3. Tenacity – to hold fast and be persistent in the face of pressure.
4. Optimism – the tendency to expect a favorable outcome.
5. Intelligence – the capacity to learn, reason and understand.
6. Courage – the ability to face difficulty and danger with bravery.
7. Perspective – The ability to distance themselves from the past so that it did not constantly intrude on their thinking.
8. Community – An awareness of belonging to a particular group.
9. Assimilation – Assimilating the knowledge that they survived.
10. Purpose – The ability to find meaning in their lives.

https://camtaylor.net/2017/01/24/10-essential-traits/

LSS, "sa ilalim ng puting ilaw, sa dilaw na buwan"

While the last song syndrome "sa ilalim ng puting ilaw, sa dilaw na buwan" was ringing in my ear, images showed up in Eastern Visayas to dramatize this.

Lakad Revisit

Stairway to Treasures

Stairway to Philippine arts' national treasures