Catch me a fish and I promise to follow you around

i run and i follow
where your shadows go, i be
and though physical presence aborts
the mind travels—
though space says it's far-fetched.

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About the photo: I met the boy when I was in Mindoro last week. He's probably the most elusive subject I have ever encountered. He never liked me nor my camera. He always ran away from me just as I was about to click the shutter. He moves around a lot. He loves to run around the 93 ha fishery pond which his father manages. The sun was beating me down and I could not keep up with him. Until finally, I pretended I was asleep, resting on one of the benches in front of their house and I felt that he tamed a little. A few minutes later, just as I opened my eyes, I saw him and the dog with a milkfish in its mouth--they were running towards me and presto, I got my shot. =)

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[postscript:]

just a few thoughts I need to vent...

- i can't sleep (again). it's now passed one in the morning and i could not feel the urge to close my eyes.

- the weeklong NBW is finally over and thought that maybe my sched would be a little lax for the coming weeks, i guess i was wrong. 3-day seminar, techno-calendar delivery, papers/assignments for my MA, 5 articles for BC and BD, 2 publications to layout...all bound for next week. blah.

- i am looking forward to our Mt. Maculot ascend this weekend. =)

- i am looking forward to see two of the most important people in my life. I miss them. For some strange reason, they remind me of the "old me" -- and why I continue to live the way I am today.

- yoga class tomorrow, finally!

- will have to stop (too) much thinking.

"Shrimper"

Inside the Bulusan Volcano Natural Park in Sorsogon is the famous Bulusan Lake with its vast 0.16 sq.km area. It was designated as a national park in 1935 and later a natural park in 2000.

When I got to the lake that day, the first thing I did is to stand at the front of the lake and enjoy its vastness. The water is green which did not look friendly to me. It reminded me of those movies featuring a murky lake inhabited by anacondas and other creepy creatures. There’s reason why the lake look scary, its maximum depth is 21 meters.

According to the legends, a village once stood where the lake is currently located. The lake is surrounded by a dense forest that houses a variety of flora and fauna. It is home to tilapia, carp, pla-pla, snails, and shrimps.

From the edge of the lake, I saw this man catching shrimps using an improvised spear and cast net. He stayed in the lake for more than an hour plunging and impaling into the green water with his goggles. He was plunging into the water so smoothly that it would create subtle ripples around him. He was fun to watch. The good thing about it is that, he would let me take photos of his every action.

I am not usually like this :-<

catatonic-Clinton scores against Obama-mama

image from www.votingmonkey.com

There’s another reason why Filipinos should love Hilary Clinton. She vowed to support the Filipino-American War Veterans Compensation Bill, and she scores! I heard it on the news this morning over the local radio. I am not much of a Clinton fan but I think vouching to pass this bill is certainly a smart move on her part.

"It is my honor to have the opportunity to salute these brave Filipino men and women who gallantly gave their lives for the freedom that citizens of both the Philippines and the United States now enjoy. I have been a strong supporter of the Filipino Veterans of World War II who have been denied benefits as a result of the 1946 Rescission Act," Clinton said.

Filipino-ethnicity is one of the top three Asian groups living in America according to the U.S. Census Bureau (second to the Chinese). In California alone, Filipino Americans are roughly one million, currently the largest Asian ethnic group in California. The Los Angeles Times states that Filipinos are "California's largest Asian community." Now, Obama must think of his own stunt to beat that.

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Potato and Corn over Rice

So here’s the deal. Since the country is running out of rice supply (NFA claims), the government is promoting alternative crops over rice. Eat potato/sweet potato. Or eat corn. People are in great alarm so some greedy rice traders make a mark of hoarding them and selling them for a higher price. I hope you all rot in hell…you monstrous, rice stealers (the government included)! Be in the loop, the country is now targeting to import 2.7 million metric tons (from the 1.7 million metric tons that NFA earlier pronounced). We have the Vietnamese and the Thais to help us on this verge. Which is ironic, since they used to come to our country, study in our universities (because it's cheap and professors are geniuses) and we taught them how to plant rice. Now look were we are? Also, didn't it occur to you (and me) that IRRI or the International Rice Research Institute is based in the Philippines? Heck, my friend and college buddy, Crim has just got her application accepted there. Okay I am digressing.

Hear the fact: Filipinos can’t eat potato. It will add to the global warming. Methane gas, my friend. Bad, bad for the environment too. Just think of the air! Also true for corn. We’re not having feeds for dinner. I love corn but there’s no way Filipinos could have a full, real meal without rice. And even though I try to cut down my rice intake, it’s dreadful to even think that I am going to eat my favorite tuyo (dried fish) with potato instead of rice.

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Me, Myself and I

More often than not, I hate not being in command. I like to put things in a 'what to do list' and ensure everything is covered for the day. But I am also the most ‘disorganized' person you'll ever meet. I want everything as I left it. Otherwise I won't know where I'd put things. I am one heck of an organized-disorganized yakker. Oh yes, I am a walking oxymoron of myself. :-)