And the truth that you'll find will always be the truth you hide

There once were eyes that only saw you
But you never knew.
And the words that you fear will always be
The words you hear.

~ Collective Soul

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[postscript:]

…I asked someone to pinch my arm because I was sleepy. She cautioned me, “Masakit ako mangurot!” I assured her, “Try me. I have high tolerance for pain.” And like a good soldier, she did pinch me. And she fuckin’ pinched me hard.

Sometimes, even though it’s painful, one has to pretend it’s not. That has always been the name of the game. To continue to smile even though a dagger has been lunged into your heart.

Hanging out with the Band of Seven ;-)

They are not the latest sensation in the indie rock band or something. But they are some of the nicest people I have ever met during a call of duty.

So there were Paul, Gene, Eric, Tommy, Ace, Bruce and Mark...nah, I don't know their names and I could not even make myself remember them. Those I mentioned were actually members (present and former) of my fave rock band, KISS. :-)

While we were on assignment, we spotted this group of farmers at the side of the street on our way to Urdaneta, Pangasinan. They were having sietas I guess. Most of them were taking a drag, some of them were just having a chat about life and work in general. They were a bit shy when me and my colleague butted in their little circle. I asked that I'd take their photos and they were more than happy to oblige.

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[postscript]

My sister texted a few minutes ago. She said, I have a new niece. My second, the daughter of my brother who's probably out on the sea at this moment sailing half way around the globe. He doesn't know it yet. I am excited to see my niece. I hope she gets my witt and someone else's sense of humor. haha!

Keeping a good balance

You’ll come down from the Lurch with an unpleasant bump. And the chances are, then, that you’ll be in a Slump.

I would like to borrow Lou Holtz’ disposition on balance. “Life is ten percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you respond to it.”

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Happy when you're HAPPY

A group of happy kids I bumped into while languidly traversing the rock-strewn street going to Brgy. Matolong in Pangasinan. They looked happy to see me in the same way that I was pleased to have met them.

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Keeping the milkfish fresh

A boy is helping his father soak the fresh catch in icy water early in the morning at Lucap Wharf in Alaminos City, Pangasinan. This is an old practice done by local fishers to maintain the freshness of the fish keeping its skin firm and elastic and the eyes clear before they deliver them to the wet market.

I am supposed to use this image as a back cover for our magazine but one of the editorial advisers contested the idea. Why? Due to the exposure of the kid's butt-cleavage. Hearing this reason, I nearly fell from my seat.

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We always bring bitter smiles when we leave

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I don't know how to compose a (good) narrative for this image but it pretty much says it all--the act of going away and leaving someone behind. I like how the ripples create that subtle stir on the water. So silent and yet so perceptible. Almost like a hushed hill in the midst of a busy cityscape. A thief tiptoeing in the middle of the night. Trying to ease the stride but never out of sight.

Who do you want be? The person who leaves? Or the person being left behind?

Loneliness at its deepest

I would have prefered this in monochrome but then you won't be able to appreciate this colorful sail. The sky was just (so) dull that morning.

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I took your photo. A real good one. Why must you delete it? Why?

Euphorbia parade

Surprisingly, almost every farm goat we’ve visited has two or three varieties of Euphorbia milli planted in their little garden. Euphorbia is one of the most collected houseplants in the Philippines, also the best selling. Enthusiasts are enamored by the variety of its colors that it has become a great item for collection. My mother is also an enthusiast. Not a hardcore but an ethusiast nonetheless. They are easy to grow and are propagated through tip cuttings. Most hobbyists preferred them potted for the patio or as part of their garden collection.

The Thais considered Euphorbia as lucky plants that they are the leader in the development of new cultivars. Over the last 30 years or so, over 2000 known cultivars of Euphorbias have been developed in Thailand.

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[postscript]:

There is the kind of pain—
imaginable but can’t be touched.
A pain so familiar
yet inexplicable.
It comes once in awhile.
Inside, it devours and burns
but still unfathomable.

- from me to you

Kids and Kiddies

Welcome to my humble abode. This little fella welcomed us in his father's house. His father is one of the farmer-participants of the goat enhancing project in the area.

Hiding from the back. I am loving the enthusiatic look in their eyes.

A pat on my brother's shoulder. He reminds me of my own brother.

Siblings. How about a group photo with their fave kitty? That spoon is so in demand.

I've seen a lot of kids (young goat) during our farm visits but more than the herds, I cherished the kiddies that I've met. I know that ‘children captured in photo’ is a bit of a cliché already, but it has become (almost) an instinct on my part to photograph them. One of the most effortless jobs, I would have to admit.

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I've seen the 2002 British film, Heartlands the other week and I really love how Colin (played by Michael Sheen) always refers to "children" as kiddies. How he wanted to have his own kiddies but because his wife, Sandra (Jane Robbins) doesn't like to have one, he opted not to have kiddies. But Colin loves kiddies.

Dragonfly and ZTE

A dull-looking dragonfly and a man reading a newspaper with the ZTE controversy still on the headline. There's not much of a great connection here, but nothing much make sense these days anyway. We like connecting things, even those that are unlikely to connect. That is one of the idiosyncrasies of being a human being -- trying to rationalize everything.

Of bucks, does, and kids

Hullaballoo. This is the multiplier farm project which was launched that day. The weather was really insane. It was hot the first time I got there, then it rained during the middle of the program, and then it got hot again, then rained again, and then warm again. What a day.

Spotting Peter. There he goes at the back still trying to make sense of what is going on. :-)

Spotted does. A doe is a female goat. A buck is an adult male goat. Kid is a young goat. Chevon is the goat's meat. Anglo Nubian is a goat breed for meat. Alpine is a goat breed for milk. There goes my Goat 101. I need to learn more. They have what they call as F1, F2, and F3...and they are not for racing. These are upgraded goat breeds.

A young farmer. Arnold, 30 is managing his 13-hectare land. Aside from raising goats, he also plants veggies and rice, has a little fish pond at the back, and raises cattle and poultry on the side. You'll never get hungry in his farm.

We've visited at least 6 goat farms in different sites of Pangasinan wherein our farmer-partners are located. Two days of nothing but goats got me all fed up. Our project is on enhancing goat breeds. The first time I stepped into the farm, I can't even recognize what is native from a pure breed; what kind of goats are raised for meat and what are for dairy. I did learn a lot from this visit. Although after rubbing elbows with at least a hundred herds, I don't feel like seeing some more of them for at least a few days. Meeeh!

Waiting

Boatmen waiting for customers to give them a ride to The Hundred Islands. I took these shots while our boat was coming to a halt at the dock. They all seem to know that I was aiming them a shot. In that case, it helps to smile back and wave.

Lost in translation

One main reason why I went to Pangasinan was to document the simultaneous launching of two projects on goat, one of which is an offshoot of a project which our office funded. I was with Tito Madz, one of our senior agriculturists, who was there for the M&E activities.

It was in the launching of these projects that I met Peter. He is an intern student at the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) in Ilocos Norte. To be precise, he is ¼ Swiss and ¾ Dutch. He studies in a university in The Netherlands taking up applied physics. He told me the name of his school but I have forgotten. I can’t even make myself pronounce his surname without twisting my tongue. He said he will only be here for 3 months.

When it was time for the photo op of the herd and the farmer, he was standing next to the fence (where the goats were). I would have totally ignored him had I not noticed the book he was holding. “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. I said to myself, who in the hell would bring a hardbound copy of a book in the middle of a goat farm, and a launching of a herd at that? Simply put, I love that book so much that I had to ask him. He told me that, "Honestly, I still don't know what is going on here!" I nearly rolled over and laughed. He told me he came to Alaminos City to see The Hundred Islands. Our little conversation started there.

It turned out that we both didn’t understand Ilokano, the dialect spoken by the locals. Most of the participants were goat farmers and representatives from the local government and three-fourths of the program was in Ilokano. I did take basic Ilokano in UP but I have forgotten them, deliberately. So both of us were feeling weary while the program was going on. He told me he would have opted to study the dialect but his three months stay would not be enough. I asked him about being “lost in translation” and he did confirm some of his anxiety about not having to speak neither Ilokano or Tagalog. And most of the people he’s with at MMSU are not even that comfortable talking to him in English so most of the time, he is out there wondering. I can very well understand that. I reckon that there is nothing more depressing and sad than not having to effectively communicate with other people just because of language barrier.

I taught him that single phrase in Ilokano which I particularly know so well. "Diak mawatan" (I don't understand). He speaks a little French too and taught me "Je ne comprend pas" which I knew already. Thinking about it now, i wonder why I did not bother asking him what is "I don't understand" in Dutch? Ah, such a wasted opportunity.

A little pose here and there. I kindly ask him for this pose. I wanted to see at least a fourth of the boat and the background view but I guess he was too tall that he had to bend forward.

Gunning for the sunrise. We are both aiming for the sunrise, but he was blocking my view so I took the shot nonetheless, including our boatman.

Checking the camera. He likes to check his camera. The water splashes on us every now and then especially when we get huge waves so we had to be extra alert on keeping our equipment safe. He asked me about my camera and made a remark, "It's just too expensive for me."

I told him that the name Peter is so common here and its Filipino counterpart, Pedro. I told him, I know at least 5 Peter (including him). He concurred.

People you meet in Lucap

“In life, you meet people. Some you never think about again.

Some, you wonder what happened to them.

There are some that you wonder if they ever think about you.

And then there are some you wish you never had to think about again. But you do.”

Now whoever said that was way right on track. One thing I’ve learned lately when traveling is to make a connection. Connecting to people even with the slightest chance that I might see (and not see) them again. Connecting doesn't have to be that intense, we can connect to people even with the slightest remarks.

That morning, I got up really early to look around the place and observe. It was around 6:00 am and Lucap Wharf was already swarming with people, most of which were local fishers, joggers, and early strollers. Lucap Wharf or locally known as the Pantalan is the jump off point to Hundred Islands, located in Brgy. Lucap, Alaminos (roughly four hours from Cubao Terminal in Manila).

I sat in one of the benches, making nods to people, smiling a bit (there's not much of a connection here, is there?). A girl with a hat and camera would not easily blend with the locals. They knew my reason for being there. Some were conscious, some have perhaps gotten used to it. One of the locals even approached me and greeted me a "Merry Christmas" and asked for money. hehehe.

Anyway, here are some of the 'most' interesting people I’ve seen while sitting near the dock.

EARLY WISH. I nearly stalk this woman for awhile. I got interested in her skirt and black boots outfit. She doesn't seem to fit well with the scene. But the way she sat there on the dock, looking languidly at the sky and the vast sea, she suddenly bacame a mystery to me. When she left, I noticed that the men who were also hanging out at the dock were all eyed on her, some of them even gave her a whistle.

LOOKING FOR SOMETHING. I really have no idea what she was looking for but it seems important because a few minutes later, a man (perhaps her husband) was helping her to look for whatever it was they were searching. An earring perhaps?

MR. BREADMAN. This one's my favorite. I caught him on time while he was coming to me. He sells locally-made bread like pandesal, pandecoco, etc. I find this mobile breadshop very conducive, getting all his breads delivered in time with my brewed coffee.

EARLY FISHERS. He didn't catch anything. I know so. I was waiting there too. The guy at the back, he knows I was taking their photos but he has this certain creative way of acting as if he doesn't know I was there. And not once did I catch him taking a glimpse at my side.

SCHOOL GIRL. A girl I chance upon while walking on her way to school. I got to exchange a few words with her before she left. Nice kid, very friendly. She calls me "Ate" (sister). Didn't her teacher tell her not to talk to strangers. :-)

MANONG ON THE BIKE. He was pedalling fast but I caught up with him. I was panning all the way through and he caught me. Love his outfit.

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Boat Naming

So, what's in a name? It is crucial. Whether it is a new born child you are naming or a new pet you’ve just acquired, or just about anything you think is worth giving a name. For boats, they are given names for identification and easy recall.

We love unique and comical boat names that have distinct meaning to their owners. After all, to them, these boats are their passion and often times, their source of livelihood. Most people chose a name with meaning behind it. Besides, you don’t want people not being able to identify your boat when sinking.

Here in the Philippines, creativity in boat naming is a bit sporadic. Most of the boat names I've seen in Pangasinan are either names of women or acronyms taken from two to three more names. There's not much creative sense in that, is there? I guess, the name Alverina has an easier recall than say, calling your boat "Tide the Knot" or "Beeracuda" or "Wetted Bliss".

Parade of boats. You have Alverina, Esmie, Hilda, Crhistine Joy and from afar there's Lovely.

Antolin. And below, there's a guy's name Carl Daineil for you. Now that sounds a bit unique.

Arjaylyn. I am assuming this comes from a combination of at least three names: Arlene, Jay-ar, and Analyn. Perhaps the children of the owner. But then again, I am just taking a wild guess here.

Ernestos. Now this is perhaps the most 'unexciting' of them all. Calling your boats Ernesto 3 and Ernesto 5. I am assuming there are Ernesto 1, Ernesto 2, and Ernesto 4.

Princess Aiza. I don't know why the word "Tomahawk" was there, but as it is, I am having a bit of a problem reconciling the word Princess with the name Aiza.

TWC Brothers. Could be that the acronym T W C are the first letters of the owners names. Tekla. Waldo. Carlo.

Checking out Esmie.

3 Brothers. Again, one of those obvious boat names. And hey, there are three of them too

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If you have a boat. What name would you give it?

I'll give mine this ---> Carpe Diem!

Hundred Islands and more to count

“Did you count? Are there really a hundred of ‘em?”

That was the question I asked the first time I got to Alaminos City, Pangasinan—home of the famous Hundred Islands. A few days ago, I was there and found myself asking the same question all over again.

Hundred Islands (Kapulo-puloan) is considered a national park covering 1,884 hectares. It consists of 123 islands all together (although the people there say, there are actually 124 islands at low tide). These islands are scattered along the Lingayen Gulf and are believed to be at least two million years old.

Only three of these islands were developed by the local government as tourist destinations: Governor Island, Quezon Island, and the Children’s Island.

Welcome sign located in Alaminos City, Pangasinan.

We started the tour around 6am so I was able to catch the sunrise and some early fishers starting with their daily routine.

Of the three islands, only the Governor's Island keeps a guesthouse which is ideal for family use. They have complete ameneties.

Quezon Island is for picnickers and campers.

The Children Island is really meant for children because the shore is shallow and apt for kids who would want to swim.

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