Connected but Uncommitted

Thrice they connected but did not commit, twice by chance, final one deliberate. Unforgettable experiences are best kept intact in the memory to perpetually mystify them. Celeste, the graphic artist and Jesse, the rock star vet med doctor are two complex persons not comfortable with settlement. When you pin them down, the ecstatic feeling of the memory slowly gets shattered. "Baka ganito tayo talaga. Never to stay. Maybe we just came to make each other happy." Their continual separation is painful yet it is what makes them human. Yet it is in others that we find happiness "when skies are gray." from the song "You are my sunshine." And the other won't know, "how much you love them."

Sensitive actors, a sober and mature Carlo Aquino and Bella Padilla essayed their roles in #meetmeinsaintgallen a well-crafted creation of writer director Irene Villamor too well, I felt for them.

Clothing and Equipment for a 14°C Trek

Only now did I have the chance to write about my expedition to the Cordilleras after Christmas for 4 days.

It was an alpine climb (almost) in the highest points in Luzon participated by 29 trekkers mainly from our club, the PAL Mountaineering Club. Climb covered 3 mountains-Mt. Panatoan (2,422 m ASL), Mt. Pulag (2,922 m ASL), and Mt. Babadak (2,589 m ASL). To reach the jump-off point, we took a 6-hour bus ride to Baguio and another 6-hour jeepney ride in the mountainous roads of Benguet. I headed 1 group of 10 members, most of them professionals. Average temperature was 14°C, manageable if not for the intermittent rains and gusty winds.

I was safely equipped for this type of weather. I brought the Columbia Outer Shell and the inner fleece jacket for use in the camp site and in the trail when it doesn't rain, the white thermal uppers and lowers which I used as my sleeping clothes and the Thinsulate gloves. I wore a Nike Dri-Fit long sleeve t-shirt for 4 days in the trail. When the temperature dropped and the rains poured, I put over as an overlay a breathable TNF Parka Jacket. I needed to recycle trekking clothes as I didn’t want to run out of dry outfits at the campsite. A Thorlo socks was all that I used for the duration of the expedition. All fabrics are breathable, quick drying and water and wind resistant (except for the socks and the thermals).

For sleeping, I set up a TNF Starlight, which provided a warm and dry shelter. Supplementing my energy requirements during the trek was a third of the mixed trail food pack from the U.S. It really provided instant fuel preventing temperature drops and fatigue.

We trekked for 4 hours on the first day, 9 hours on the 2nd day, 5 hours on the 3rd day and 4 hours on the last day.

It was a most fulfilling week, a good summary of all the climbs for the year. I did not experience any fatigue or shortness of breath. Our 9 meals were well planned, slept an average of 7 hours in the camp, would knock off at 9 and wake up at 4 or 5 in the morning. I only felt tired when I boarded the bus in Baguio to go back to Manila dawn of 31st December to reach Manila before New Year. After breakfast in the house at 7 AM with members of the family, I was soundly and deeply asleep for the next 6 hours, enough recharge to meet the 1999 New Year.

During the solitary moments in the trail when the temperature was dropping, I said some prayers, both for myself and for all of you that I committed to do so in my Christmas cards. I said thanks for the good health, the good fortune, the strong family support and the company of friends. I also asked the sacred mountain to clarify my personal and professional directions for the coming years. The Cordillera mountain is powerful enough to grant me that.

Happy 1999

The Outdoors in a New Light

When you escape to the outdoors and you relish the experience, you wish the moment can linger a little more. Photography comes in to capture the light.

That's the message I picked up viewing about a hundred of slides presented by PALMC president and workshop lecturer Banny Hermanos at the MFPI Creative Outdoors Photography Workshop held last 3 April 2004 at the PAL Learning Center in Padre Faura.

Taken by no less than the lecturer himself who by education is an architect, the slides dramatize graphically the module of the workshop: the basics on the principles of photography and creative effective compositions.

Banny pointed out the principles using his works in finding the center of interest; recognizing the graphic elements of design as line, shape, form, pattern, texture and color and using the visual elements of balance, proportion, scale, content, rhythm and repetition. In words, they seem overwhelming, in pictures, they are breathtaking.

On behalf of the handful of participants who showed up for the free show, we can only be grateful. Seeing the slides of Banny is already in itself a treat. When in time we ourselves can create better compositions from the techniques shared, we will appreciate creating the light even more.

 Chito 6 April 2004

Stepping out of the Banny Hermanos’ module of “The Outdoors in a New Light, I can’t help but appreciate the works of Mr. Ed Songco featured in his offbeat website http://eds1979.dk3.com . Ed’s works exemplify the principle shared with us on a strong center of interest.  See how he anchors his composition with a strong visual element in Capones, Akiki and Flowers.

Ed states with humility “kindly lower your expectations; photography is not my profession, I just want to capture some moments, and keep them in my collection.”

View the album and judge for yourself. All of them will end up being your favorites.

Thanks Ferdz (another graphic designer) for sharing his album with us. Ferdz is also another skillful visual and web artist. His works at http://www.ironwulf.net/ speak for himself.

-Chito

18 June 2004

Ma-High-High

Ma-High-High: PAL Climb ba? O Palmolive Climb. May Commonwealth pa at La Mesa!

PAL MC climb. PAL not for Philippine Air Line but for PALmolive. The biggest delegation of this spontaneous climb comes from Colgate-Palmolive composed of Joshua, Jojoy, Juno, Herman, Wing and Mayan.

Named “Wet, Wild & Dirty Fun Climb.” Wet dahil obvious ba?  Pagbasa na, nadudumihan at nagiging wild! You know when people get wild, the water turns dirty!

Ito rin ang launching climb ng mga Commonwealth Climbers. What binds them together is their social history ng pagkatopak. We are not talking of Kuratong Baleleng.

But people like JV Duque. Regular fun trekker, once every 16 months ang regularity. Pero pag nagsosocials at umiinom, kailangan may flashlight sa puwit ang baso. Para hindi boring at showbiz ang dating. JV works for ABS CBN and is a Fine Arts grad. Sosyal na Commonwealther ito, side ng Don Antonio Heights.

Si Darwin Farin, ang climber na walang tigil sa katatawa. Sobrang siga magclimb. Naka-mojos lang. Kaya nang pauwi, parang spring ang tuhod para huwag madulas.  Madulas rin! Taga Batasan ng Commowealth.

Barry Barcelo, kunwari titser. Kunwari may long-distance relationship. Mahilig sa tutoring mas lalo na kung may distance na orig na ka relasyon. Sobrang tutor lalo na sa mga babaeng initiates. Address ni Barry? Parteng Bulacan ng Commonwealth.

Rina Tiangco. Ears and eyes mo mapapatrek din. Makwento at magaslaw. Mapapagod ka sa kasusunod sa kanya.  Hindi pa natin pinag-uusapan ang aerobics na may pasigaw-sigaw na ang 4, 3, 2, 1 repeat. Wala pang Jose Cuervo yan. Saan nakatira? Don Antonio Heights off Commonwealth Avenue.

Ang Elmer Cabotage. Hindi mo alam kung on or off ang relasyon, kung serious o nanloloko, kung titser ng prestigious school o head ng physical education department. Kung humble follower or arrogant dictator. Kung strong o emotionally unstable. Elmer, taga Commowealth din.  avorito siya. Favoritong pinagtratrabahong EL.

Chito, ang may akda. Accusation nila, matanda at isang Katipunero. Nababagay daw ako sa address kong Katipunan dahil 1898 ang birth certificate. Hindi bale na, kentennaryo naman.

Hard work itong trek. Mas lalo na sa mga detergents. Mantakin mong halos nilublob ni Joshua ang kalahati ng katawan niyang maputi at mabilbil sa putik na parang kalabaw na isinasawsaw.  Iba talaga ang nasa detergents company. Lahat tinetesting. Palmolive for the body, Optima for the hair, Ajax for the clothes and Colgate for the Adidas shoes. Kaya pala tuwing climb this year, may sumusilip na Colgate logo sa gilid ng group foto shots na parang nang climb din. Pati ground sheets Axion ang nakaprinta. Happy Birthday Joshua. Nawaý you’ll remain the same.  May even the dance steps remain to be the same.

Tawag ko rin dito ay La Mesa Climb. Tuwing pinaliligiran ang mesa sa pagluto at sa pagkain, akala mo aagawin sa kanila ng ibang campers. Napaka-close talaga ng bonding. Hanggang sa pagsubo, ayaw mag-siupo, sagana naman sa pagkain. Pagdating sa post climb, ganoon din, ayaw magsi-alisan sa mesa.

The emcees for the Majayjay socials were Roan and Art o Art and Roan (age ba o beauty?). July naman ang month na ito pero nauwi sa relationship ang usapan. Hindi naman kabilugan ng buwan pero nauwi sa hurting and pain ang dakdakan. Sa tindi siguro ng socials, napressure tuloy ang langit na palamigin ang mga nasa riverside sa pagbuhos ng pagkalakas-lakas na ulan.  Pati tent ni Darwin tinagusan. Ang Jansport ni Jojoy binaha. Coleman ni JV pinasukan ng mga dakdakan.  Jansport ni Barry, nilusob ng mga nagkakantahang mga dilag. In the meantime ano kaya ang nangyayari sa tent nina Rina at Joshua? At sa far away tent nina Herman at Art? Alam kong mabigyan ng masahe ni Enteng si Roan.

Si Mitch, ang most behaved climber. Walang imik, walang reklamo. Pagdating sa bus, hindi makapahinga ang tenga ni Wing sa tuloy-tuloy na kwento ni Mitch. Sa post climb, NonStopDisco Sa Cubao, NonStop din ang pagsasayaw ni Mitch na may cross-stitching pang mga kamay.  Napasubo tuloy ang mga magagandang pamangkin ni Roan.

Most Vocal si Wing.  Panay gamit ng vocal chords sa waterfalls,  may pop tulad ng “don’t go chasing waterfalls . . .” Broadway at Love Songs.  Sa post climb, rocker naman ang galaw ng mga dance movements.  Stretch left arm, stretch right arm, stretch left leg, stretch right leg hanggang nagpakita na ang sunrise.

Most Energetic si Roan. Hyper all the way para bang ito na ang una at huling climb niya.  Pati sa Question and Answer, nangunguna sa pagtanong hanggang sa siya ang tinanong. Natuto ang aming mga puso sa kanya. Thank you for hosting 3 parties: the climb and the post climb at ang party sa jeep.

Hall of Famer na si Barry sa Majayjay. Ito ang 9th climb niya, 9 times na rin siya naligaw. First timers sina Rina, Darwin, Mitch, Juno, Herman. First time silang maputikan. Two timers na sina JV at Mayan. Twice na silang nadulas. Pero mukhang first timers ang lahat sa pagkagat ng malalaking langgam. Aray!

Masaya itong climb. Lahat game. Sa sarap pa lang ng tubig ng talon, mapapahigh ka na. Dagdagan mo pa ang galak ng pagsasama ang mga pagkaing inihanda, ang lamig ng panahon, ang ginhawang dala ng malakas na ulan. Walang pikon, lahat parang nakawala. High talaga itong Majayjay.

Chito 25 July 1996

SANA MAULIT MULI

Ang kati ng kaat ng langgam

Ang itim ng pasa sa  tuhod

Ang hapdi ng tama ng poison ivy

Ang lalim ng hiwa ng dahon.

Imelda Falls

Mayan Slides

Joshua Sticks

Wing Slips

Herman Swims

Jojoy Jumps

Juno Preaches

Ang Sarap Sumama Sa PALmolive Climb

-Wing Torres

Majayjay Group. Pager Club. Gimmick Kids. Puyat People. Call them what you will. They’ve just your average PALMCers. They’re fond of night treks. They’re also fond of losing trails. They have more post-climbs than climbs. They haunt Megamall for jeans and movies. They raid Mondragon for those Nike sales. They hop from bar to bar, guzzling Miller, Blue Ice and Riunite. They go out on gimmicks that last up to 3 (and even 6 am). They call in sick the next day and go to work in the afternoon. Those who do manage to get up in the mornings fall down stairs and report for work in the afternoon. How did this motley crew get stuck with one another? There must have been magic in the hearts of Majayjay that bonded these disparate beings together.

-Mayan Gutierrez

Just been to Majayjay recently this year, 1998. Gone are the crawling through muds, the cutting through rice puddies and the exclusivity. The dirt road has been improved, a CR constructed at the campsite and a parking lot erected right near the stairs. Your 2-hour trek is now down to 5-minutes. The water is still gushing with force, very clear, very clean and cool.  The price of progress. You now camp right beside a mother and her kids who too have all the right to enjoy the falls. But let us keep them from going beyond the top. It might just be beyond them.

-July 1998

At the Roof of the World, in my mind

50 years after man stepped on the roof of the world, the impact it made to the world undoubtedly reveals Everest’s enormous power and energy. BBC featured their version of the 50th Anniversary, which I caught on BBC news last Sunday 1 June 2003 at 5 PM. True to a BBC production, it is well documented and thought provoking. Weeks earlier, National Geographic and Discovery Channel aired their own specials commemorating the first step on the roof of the world 50 years after 29 May 1953. National Geographic’s Surviving Everest chronicles the remarkable expedition back to Everest. Discovery Channels Civilization presents tensions caused by the first climb:

• It was the Swiss who first nearly reached the top with Tenzing as part of the expedition in 1952.
• Tenzing was more loyal to the Swiss than the British. But as the British were scheduled to climb in 1953, the Swiss permitted Tenzing to join.
• The Brits were driven to reach to the peak first because the mountain was in their territory. The Swiss wanted to beat them.
• 1953 was a British Expedition. But it was a New Zealander and a Sherpa who reached the summit.
• Tenzing was pressured on his nationality. Was he Nepali or Indian? He claimed he was born in Nepal, his heart in Nepal and lived in India.
• Did Edmund reach the summit? He has no proof to show he was there. Edmund photographed Tenzing at the top.
• Who stepped on the summit first? At first, it was Tenzing. When they descended, they declared they arrived at the summit together. In Tenzings autobiography, he confessed it was Edmund who reached it first. On some accounts, Tenzing was said to be pulling Edmund up with a rope.
• Tenzing claimed to be very happy to reach the peak and said a prayer in what they regarded as the sacred mountain. Edmund said they knocked the bastard off.
• Edmund was accorded knighthood by the Queen. Tenzing was awarded an honor.
• Lord John Hunt, the British expedition leader of the successful climb never made it to the top. It was he who decided to choose Edmund and Tenzing to assault to the peak.
• 50 years after, we still have to find out the truth about the first climb.

 Chito R. 3 June 2003

------------------------------------

The more I hear of the line "it was Hillary who planned it out as a mountaineer and Tenzing was just that, a guide, the more I am convinced that Tenzing really was the first mortal to step on Everest. Tenzing died lonely with sadness in his heart in India in 1986 as a result of poor health and a drinking problem. It must have been the remorse on the burden of truth. Sir Edmund had his share of misfortune. It was tragic to lose his wife and daughter in 1975 on the same range that made him a knight in 1975.

When I repeatedly deliberate on were the thoughts, "Edmund and Tenzing were different from each before Everest. They were very different after Everest. What was common with them were the ten minutes they were together at the roof of the world," the more I am intrigued, "what did the worlds highest mountain do to them?"

There are about 120 corpses lying in Everest. With every 5 climbers, 1 dies. It is said no one conquers it. They just survive it. Those who survived Everest have these to say.

Q: What words would you use to describe your feelings about Mount Everest?

A: Alive, humbling, unpredictable, exhilarating, empowering.

Q: What words would you use to describe your feelings about the Sherpa people?

A: Hardworking, joyous, loyal, thoughtful, my dearest friends.

-Liesl Clark writer/ producer/director on the filming of Dark Side of Everest

Lorraine: Explain to me a sherpa's approach to mountain climbing compare to how we see it from the west?

Jamling: The mountains have been there the whole time. Sherpa's see the mountain all the time but we never have interest to climb these mountains. It was only when the British and the foreign expeditions started to climb these mountains that the sherpa started to become involved in climbing because it is a way of living for them. And for most of the sherpas, climbing is the bread and butter, lots of them have lost their lives. We don't climb for pleasure at all. We believe most of the mountain is sacred to us. For example, Mount Everest, we called it ''Chomolungma'' which is mother god-ness of the world. And ''Miyolangsangma'' is the deity that resides on Everest so we pray to her all the time. We pray to many of the other mountains surrounding, you know in the Himalayas.

Lorraine: Jamling, would you ever consider stopping mountain climbing, getting a regular job somewhere?

Jamling: I don't think so; I mean I don't see myself sitting in office 9 to 5 at all. And I just enjoy being in the outdoors, climbing mountains. I have stopped climbing Everest but smaller mountains I still continue to climb. Just like being in mountains... it makes me feel so nice, it makes me feel really alive and it makes you feel how small we are in this world, how fresh we humans are. It's great feeling just being up in the mountains.

-CNN's Lorraine Hahn interviews Jamling Tenzing Norgay, son of Tenzing

I think the expeditionary experience of climbing Everest, of surviving it, has changed our lives. To push yourself to within a wisp of life itself and return to the world in the valleys below is to see life in its raw immediacy and in its essential components.

For me to receive hearty congratulations from Jamling Tenzing Norgay was the true finale. Our two families have been transformed by this mountain.

The mountain has given us a hard-won opportunity to rise above ourselves and to play the lottery of surviving the experience. Just as it has done for the Sherpa people who live around its lofty base. And veteran climber. Ang Norbu of Pangboche Village says that despite his frostbitten fingers, "the mountain is a jewel. It is a gift".

-Peter Hillary on climbing Everest for the National Geographic Documentary Sons of Everest 50 years (actually 49) before his father Edmund first reached the summit

The first question which you will ask and which I must try to answer is this, 'What is the use of climbing Mount Everest?' and my answer must at once be, 'It is no use'. There is not the slightest prospect of any gain whatsoever. Oh, we may learn a little about the behaviour of the human body at high altitudes, and possibly medical men may turn our observation to some account for the purposes of aviation. But otherwise nothing will come of it. We shall not bring back a single bit of gold or silver, not a gem, nor any coal or iron. We shall not find a single foot of earth that can be planted with crops to raise food. It's no use. So, if you cannot understand that there is something in man which responds to the challenge of this mountain and goes out to meet it, that the struggle is the struggle of life itself upward and forever upward, then you won't see why we go. What we get from this adventure is just sheer joy. And joy is, after all, the end of life. We do not live to eat and make money. We eat and make money to be able to enjoy life. That is what life means and what life is for.

-George Leigh Mallory, 1922

Because it is there.

-George Mallory (1886-1924), answer to the question 'Why do you want to climb Mt. Everest?'

I have climbed my mountain, but I must still live my life.

-Tenzing Norgay

Well, we knocked the bastard off!

-Edmund Hillary, on first climbing Mount Everest

Yimou’s Tribute to Young Women with Great Courage and Inner Strength

Walking through the movie "The Road Home" by Chinese director Zhang Yimou about a mountain village girls' developing relationship with a visiting teacher, it reminds you of extended stays in Mount Pulag in Decembers.

While the movie is on Asian woman with great courage and inner strength, the setting in "China's unbridled beauty, long plain, lush grasslands, young forest" combined with a simple story and uncomplicated lives bring out successfully these virtues we need these days.

Mountaineers, or even excursionists can be engrossly involved in The Road Home. Like the central character Zhao Di, we can relate. We manage to live simply with water, basic food, a focused goal, committed relationships. With the mountain as the base, we just walk and walk and walk. Courage and strength show up when we face obstacles, not giving up until we reach our goal. After every adventure, ultimately we trace back to the road home, our jump offs, homes and families.

Catch this award winning movie in your local theaters. I saw it at Megamall Preview Room 8 November 2000. Tochs.

Diana Ong's Review

Beautiful photography coupled with lilting music tell a simple and touching love story between a teacher and a bold village lass in The Road Home.

The movie starts in bleak black-and-white when narrator Luo Changyu is called home from the city for his father's funeral. Back at home in Sanhetun, a secluded Chinese village in the mountains, he's faced with a thorny problem. His mother wants men to carry his father's corpse back to the village on foot (a time-honoured tradition) so that his father's soul knows the road home.

But more importantly, his mother wants to take one last walk with his father on the road that has marked the beginning of their love. The problem is that all young and able-bodied men have long left the village for the glittering city life and there is no one to carry out the tradition.

Just when they may have to resort on dragging the corpse back on a tractor, Changyu recalls the old story of how his parents met. And at this point the movie explodes in warm, glorious colors in great contrast to the bleak, dull picture painted for us so far.

Flashback: it is 1958 and village beauty Zhao Di is smitten with the new lanky teacher who just came in from the city - Luo Yusheng. Nursing her secret passion, the young lass cleverly schedules her daily habits around Mr Luo's life. Her labours of love include taking the long route to the well near the school in order to hear him teach, and waylaying him on the mountain roads. Such dedicated efforts do not go unnoticed but just as Mr Luo seems to reciprocate, he is whisked away by the Chinese government.

Zhang Ziyi lends credibility to her role as the bold and obstinate Zhao Di who waits for her beloved to return in a raging snow-storm. Like in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Ziyi defies social conventions to get what she wants and keeps her vulnerability intact at the same time. It's a graceful re-enactment of director Zhang Yimou's favourite film character - the Asian woman with great courage and inner strength (Ju Dou, The Story of Qiu Ju).

Director Zhang Yimou appears to have sidetracked somewhat from his earlier and more political works, The Road Home has political overtures but they resonate only faintly in the film. Instead, film art takes top priority as Zhang turns this simple love story into highly enjoyable cinematography. He takes us on a poignant and slow exploration of China's unbridled beauty - large plains, lush grasslands, young forests - and some of her antiquated trades - pottery-mending and sewing on looms.

This tour de force is as much a touching love story as a documentary on the old Chinese village life and both aspects are a joy to watch. If you are a Zhang Yimou or Zhang Ziyi fan, you will not be disappointed with The Road Home.

Remembering Tapulao 1999

Pulag in Zambales

TJ was intrigued when someone mentioned High Peak to him sometime 1998. He remembered the mountain. He was due to climb it in October 1998 with his one and only patient friend but the intention did not take off. TJ asked me to research on it. I gave him Paul Soliman's* inputs 5 February 1999 and Ninoy Leyran's. Slowly, more helpful developments unfolded like meeting new trekkers at PAL, bonding socially with the Federation participants and reading the Action Asia Adventure Guide reference. As the image of the mountain became clearer so was our completion. 8 months later, 13 of us were among the privileged few to have lived the Cordilleras in the Central Plain. Those short 12 hours when we were at an altitude of beyond 1,200m ASL, up to 2,037m ASL, we felt we were the only mortals in the big block of a range. We were secure with Manong taking care of us at the bunkhouse at 1,650m ASL. In front of us at the East were the formidable three long mountain ranges. How can we deny that feeling of detachment when we trekked for 8 long hours from Dampay Resettlement Camp in Salaza, Palauig Zambales, travelled by bus for 4 hours from Pasay and jeep by an hour to reach this almost level of nirvana?

Hermes who was not in the email string was most surprised at the Victory Liner Bus Terminal to find out this is not his idea of a fun climb. It was an exploration climb-no one has actually seen the place and it was a major climb, demanding as much as his favorite mountain, Mayon. He could not reconcile the presentation of a weekend fun climb with an 8-hour trek under adverse conditions. End result-puñeta at the loudest decibel in every corner of the rocky road. His adventure was beyond physical as well. It harbored on the paranormal. Hermes alleged that his cell roommate Manong was on a blood sucking spree at 3 AM disrupting his much needed sleep.

Jo Ram was atoning for his sins in the true Catholic fashion. He was on fasting and abstinence since Friday night. He skipped 1.) dinner Friday night because he wanted to be on time at the bus terminal sacrificing his meal, 2.) breakfast because he didn’t want to compromise his vegetarian belief and there was no food to his liking at the public market, 3.) lunch because he would rather sleep than eat and the sudden downpour pushed us to go on, 4.) dinner because he would rather stay horizontal than vertical, 5.) lunch because he thought everyone was way ahead of him. He nearly missed breakfast as he preferred to scale the peak than to mind the kitchen but the tempting ampalaya con egg of Larry was too irresistible to overcome.

While Jo was in atonement, Regie was in hell. Not from the persistent probing and counter probing of TJ but from a physically dis-ability. Regie was nursing a fever all the way from Pasay terminal to Caloocan terminal. You have to grant it to this hardcore climber who will pull it through no matter what! But did he survive Metro Manila this week?

Mt. Tapulao, Zambales

This two-day trek brings you to the highest point in the Zambales Range, 2,037-m ASL. Safe and easily accessible, it retains a remote feel. The views are exceptional and the trail takes you through a number of distinct ecosystems, from lowland grass and scrubland up through pine forest to stunted, moss-draped alpine forest above 1800 m. It is possible to hike this in a day, but most prefer to camp in the summit.

Mt. Tapulao (most maps simply call it "High Peak") rises at the center of the rugged Zambales Range, a string of mountains bordered on the west by the South China Sea and on the east by the Central Luzon plain. Mt. Tapulao is one of the few remaining areas where these ancient mountains can be viewed in their original state. No permit is required, but a brief call at the provincial tourism office in Iba is recommended. From Iba, buses and jeepney run north to the next town, Palauig, where you can take a tricycle or jeep to Barrio Salasa and then on to the top of the trails at Dampay resettlement area. There is only one trail, which is well marked, so no guide is necessary. If you want one anyway, make arrangements in Dampay.

From Salasa, the trail runs along small freshwater streams through fields of grass, shrubs and wildflowers. The first peak offers an excellent view of the coast. The trail continues on to a second peak, connected to the main summit by a narrow saddle, with deep-forested ravines on either side. Approaching the main peak, pass through the pine forest known locally as Tapulao, and enter a large area of stunted, twisted trees. Beyond this lies a broad expanse of grass that's great for camping. Bring all the water you'll need.

Robert Houston, Action Asia Adventure Travel Guide To The Philippines (Hong Kong: AAP Limited, February 1999)

*Paul is with Haribon Foundation, a UP graduate who I met in Pulag December 1993. It was my first alpine climb and Paul's first climb together with his high school graduates from Bautista, Pangasinan. The problem was there was storm at the mountain and the high school graduates were closed to being disabled due to lack of equipment and troublesome weather.

-------------------------

Subject: Re: Some notes on High Peak

Hey Chits,

Mukhang umikot ng husto yung tula ko, ah. Pati si Reggie nakapagdagdag pa ng ilang linya. Pinag-isipan ko yung paggawa ng international version. Pero wala pa. Ikaw kaya ang i-commission ko para sa translation. English version - para sa mga Inglisero/Inglisera.  Putonghua - para naman sa Mandarinero/Mandarinera.

Allow me to shift tongues. I tried recalling the topic highlights of the late night Tapulao talk show. And here it is:

a.    The makings of an ideal climb. What is important is the process and not the peak. Enjoyment of what you see along the way.

b.   What is considered as less than ideal people to be with during climbs. You can climb with women but not with women who are out there to outperform you simply to prove themselves.

c.    Unique social habits of local climbers from a foreign perspective.

d.   Trekking tips.

e.    Climbing with loved ones. Great so long as you share the same interest.

f.     Climbing as a way of life.

g.    Discipline in the wilderness.

h.   Environmental awareness/ethics.

In the hastily staged press conference at the campsite socials, he revealed most valuable insights that I know most of us will treasure: “What is important is the Process and Not the Peak.” The process is your enjoyment of the trek, the company you’re with, nature and your discovery about yourself.

Other insights revealed were: 1.) It is enjoyable to climb with a relationship so long as you share the same interests. 2.) The women that I don’t like climbing with are those who show that they can be stronger than men. His wildest input was to direct Regie to the veterinarian.

Chits, I tried remembering what precisely Martin said. Unfortunately, all that cold mountain air purged these data from my memory banks. I can recall his basic thrust or idea. But, I may just be giving you a convoluted version. In this respect, I'd like to beg off not to go through with it for the sake of accuracy.

O, sige.

Cheers, JOJO

Professional Advice:

1.   Val, the beginning starts with a single step. Enter into the info system profession and start working.

2.   Jojo, project your 3 year plan and see where you want to bring your career.

3.   Hermes, ride on the crest of the internet popularity. Get into info system, web designing.

4.   Mitch, project your 3 year plan and see where you want to bring your career-whether local or international

5.   TJ, get off your ass, finish your schooling and ride on the crest of the info system

6.   Chito, plan your retirement

August 8, 1999

Remembering Tapulao 13
http://tochs.blogspot.com/2003/12/tue-mar-20-2001-850-pm-remembering.html

Inspire kindness and pay it forward

Kindness and generosity of relatives and friends. Inspire kindness and pay it forward.

Those are the reserves that get me by when faced with quasi crisis.

When I am faced with a critical task to do within a limited time, resources indeed show up to support my game plan to make me face today and tomorrow with optimism.

This has worked for me. And I intend to snowball this by extending kindness and generosity to others that I meet.

Originally written May 2013. Reposted Jan 2018

The universe has an abundance of situations for me to apply kindness and generosity.

When we brought Lolo to The Medical City to treat his traumatized knee cap at the Emergency Room Monday morning, we were followed by a group of young professionals still in their sleeping casual outfits entering hysterically.

They were in a panic bringing in a colleague from the Home Depot dorm who they thought was in a state of “bangungot,” or “sudden arrhythmic death syndrome.” He did not wake up on the usual waking hour. When a dorm mate saw him in his bed, he was in a convulsion. 

The trainees from IBM wasted no time in bringing him to TMC ER. There was a commotion at the ER from the group as the patient has no next of kin in the company. Crucial decisions had to be made. In his critical condition, they have to inform his next of kin who happened to be based in Sorsogon in Bicol. The doctor attending to the patient wanted to give an update only to the relative. This led further panic from the group numbering about 12.

One of the colleagues with a presence of mind was able to get a list of relatives from his address book. The person contacted gave a cell phone number of immediate relatives in Sorsogon with a Smart network prefix. Unfortunately, no one had an access to a Smart provider. As I was stationed beside them with Lolo, I asked the caller to dictate the phone number and punched it in my cellphone.

I gave my phone to the caller who handed it to the doctor inside the critical area. The next of kin was contacted with the competent doctor guiding the next of kin on the seriousness of situation.

After the conversation which took some time, the tension of the group eased a little bit. Soon after, he returned my phone. Without words coming out, I read in the formation of his lips two words. “Thank you.”

In hours, we were discharged from the ER. What happened to the young professional, I was no longer privy to but my hope was it was not traumatic for all.

I am appreciative of situations where I can be of help and service to others while I myself am facing a quasi-crisis situation. When I do an act of kindness and generosity to unknowns, I am assured that of an invisible shield protects me assuring me that everything will be alright.

Ang Larawan post MFF 2017 awards night

"Ang Larawan," A Portrait of a Filipino as an Artist in Pilipino musical offers to the Filipino cinema audience a form of telling a story, in old fashioned Filipino opera musical.

It is not popular in today's entertainment which is predominated by romantic comedy, action, horror, drama, sex, comedy. Its theme is even elitist, a story of an aristocratic class set in landed class' domain in the early 40's. Thus it is not expected to draw a crowd.

Yet there are reasons and even compelling emotions for us to experience it at least in this decade. Plots are universal: family conflict over properties, sibling rivalry, career shift, hand to mouth existence, fashion, repressed love, aspirations.

Language is Filipino written to music by maestro Ryan Cayabyab, story by Nick Joaquin translated to Filipino by Rolando Tinio. Directed and staged by Loy Arcenas, production is outstanding to the smallest detail setting up for the seasoned, veteran and disciplined actors to essay their roles well.

Ang Larawan grabbed from Philstar

For the non theater goers, it takes a while get into the groove but once engaged you are hooked ready to receive the message of the writer whose work has been reviewed extensively competently by scholars and literature experts.

"Ang Larawan's" message from my perspective which is what a piece of fine literature attempts to convey is the pain and thrill of being human.

"Ang Larawan" is the Filipino artist's gift to the world. Bravo!

In 2018, Do with Enthusiasm

The 1 Jan 2018 homily at the Sta. Maria Della Strada parish on the feast of the Holy Family strikes a chord.

Thanks to WAM Company for the 2018 calendar

Facing 2018, one must look at what we do with enthusiasm, with zeal and energetic with what we do at home, at work, in our community and in dealing with family, friends, workers.

Enthusiasm is not just eagerness said the homilist explaining its etymology but doing "with God within us."

Happy new year!