A Blessing Poem for My New Year

may a flock of colours,
indigo, red, green,
and azure blue
come to awaken in you
a meadow of delight.

-- from Echoes of Memory, by John O'Donohue

Photo: Pamughaton.net
Bulusan, Sorsogon, Philippines

Meditation for the New Year

The Inner History of a Day
By John O'Donohue(1954 - 2008)

No one knew the name of this day;Born quietly from deepest night,It hid its face in light,Demanded nothing for itself,Opened out to offer each of usA field of brightness that traveled ahead,Providing in time, ground to hold our footstepsAnd the light of thought to show the way.The mind of the day draws no attention;It dwells within the silence with eleganceTo create a space for all our words,Drawing us to listen inward and outward.We seldom notice how each day is a holy placeWhere the eucharist of the ordinary happens,Transforming our broken fragmentsInto an eternal continuity that keeps us.Somewhere in us a dignity presidesThat is more gracious than the smallnessThat fuels us with fear and force,A dignity that trusts the form a day takes.So at the end of this day, we give thanksFor
being betrothed to the unknownAnd for the secret workThrough which the mind of the dayAnd wisdom of the soul become one.

-- from To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings, by John O'Donohue



Photo: Pamughaton.net
Bulusan, Sorsogon, Philippines

Karagumoy accent for Bulusan's Belen

There is no doubt that karagumoy runs across the gamut of Bulusan's rural life for centuries. From mats to hats to bay-ongs (bags/baskets) karagumoy rules. Karagumoy hat making is in fact one of the major and the most widely spread occupations in Bulusan next to fishing and farming. It is a big part in the town's cultural heritage as documented in several articles in http://pamughaton.wordpress.com/ a purely Bulusanon website.


Karagumoy hats could be seen  all over Bulusan town on a sunny day. Hundreds of it drying under the sun by the roads, backyards of rural homes and even along the beaches of coastal villages.


However, it is only this Christmas of 2012 that a karagumoy hat and a banig (mat) provided a distinctly Bulusanon touch to the image of the Nativity (Belen). "The nipa hut concept of the Nativity is already a very common theme," says Father Fulay. "We wanted to make it more unique and typical of the place--what is identifiable to Bulusan." he adds during my afternoon visit to his parish to personally document the setting-up of the indigenous Nativity tableau.


Father Edu Fulay is the present Saint James the Greater Parish Priest. He suggested to his parishioners to utilize indigenous materials and crafts for this year's Belen to highlight what is distinctly Bulusanon. The design concept is his he added when asked about who did the design of the one-of-a-kind Belen.



Photos:  Alma P. Gamil

Bulusan, Sorsogon, Philippines

Pastora: Vivid and Colorful Bulusan Christmas Memory

Pastora: Bulusan's Pastores de Belen

Pastora of Bulusan cuts a very striking image among Christmas traditions in town not only because of the colorful attire of the performers, the catchy Spanish lyrics of the song and dance repertoire but for most of Bulusanon the images of pastora are embedded in their childhood memories for both the performers and the audience alike.

Pink rules for this pastora (2009).

I for one was an avid member of the audience when I was young. The vividness of my memory goes at length to the minute details that include the dainty fans of the girls, the style of the crepe paper that fringes the hats, the colorful ruffled dresses (pink was the favorite color), the faux metallic shiny belts, the red color of the cheeks the color of papel de Japon are as clear today as it was 40 years ago. I t does not matter if later on I was able to connect that the traditional act of the pastora is in fact strongly influenced by Mexico another Spanish colony during the colonial period. For most of us it was an embodiment of fun in the spirit of the Christmas season that even the heart of a Christmas scrooge will surely melt as soon as these children start singing and dancing in front of his/her abode. It is customarily done that these Pastora be given tokens and gifts usually in cash form after each performance.

A house to house song and dance number with almost the same repertoire surprisingly seemed to be always fresh for me then. It was never tiring to hear and watch the same song and dance again and again.

Photo: Pamughaton.net

Bulusan, Sorsogon, Philippines

Christmas past with Mistisa

 

 

Mistisa

Mistisa wearing a buri Christmas hat from Bulusan provided a comforting and holiday feel to a time when things were not going so well. Photo was taken around year 2007 in Sorsogon.

He (Mistisa is a male) was eventually adopted by a neighbor when an urgent filial duty called and I have to make some changes in my life. I am now back to my hometown Bulusan by circumstance and by choice.

Thank you Mistisa for being patient, kind and forgiving.

Merry Christmas!

Bulusan, Sorsogon, Philippines

Kapayas is Bulusan's Papaya

I am not going to be technical today. No scientific names. Besides it is easy to do that. Just go to the List of Philippine plants (StuartXchange site is recommended). I intend to share my view on the physical beauty of the Papaya known in Bulusan as K-a-p-a-y-a-s. 

First, look at the pattern. She (this is a female papaya) is so symmetrical with the necessary edging. The stalks and her leaves are like green umbrellas reaching out for the sun's rays instead of shying away from it. The spaces between the slender stalks create a beautiful pattern of rays resembling clusters of umbrellas arranged radially.

Second, the fruits--drooping like multiple elongated breasts infinitely growing from her top body. The green color does not hide the fact that week after week this unassuming kapayas at our backyard will deliver  luscious sweet fleshy fruits not from her nipple but the whole of it. A feat considering that she does not require much care. In fact none at all.

Our backyard kapayas is very prolific. The harvested fruits go directly to the table. I almost forgot to mention the color. The fleshy fruit's color is the color of peach and melon. A sure invitation to partake her.

Please be sure to spread her seeds after every luscious moment with your papaya. Throwing back the seeds at your backyard is not a bad idea. Two or three of those will become another source of your papaya table fare.

And this does not include those kapayas that accompanied our native chicken for 'Linumpan na manok' a dish with papaya and coconut milk the recipe of which is shared by pamughaton.net.

'Linumpan na manok' is another Bulusan's culinary favorite.



Photographs by Alma P. Gamil

Bulusan, Sorsogon, Philippines

A Brahminy Kite visits me in Bulusan, or so I thought

A Brahminy kite in flight. (photo credit: Wikimedia.org)

It was a clear day. The whole view of the dome-shaped peak of Mt Bulusan was unobstructed from my azotea vantage point. It was like a giant panoramic screen laid out for my eyes' feast that morning. I knew that day was extra special when I saw a lone Brahminy kite in the mood of showing off his flying prowess as if telling me and reminding me again that life is a celebration despite and in spite of being alone.

Dive. Soar. Glide. He eloquently relayed the message.

It was a joy to behold with the magnificent volcano as backdrop. I remained mesmerized that morning and just stood there in silence and awe.

This scene reminds me of the lines from a book I used to read when I was twenty-three. It was compelling then.  But more so now with added depth  after  thirty years of gathering wisdom along my path. It still holds me breathless:

                

The conditions of a solitary bird are five:

The first, that it flies to the highest point;

the second, that it does not suffer for company,

     not even of its own kind;

the third, that it aims its beak to the skies;

the fourth, that it does not have a definite color;

the fifth, that it sings very softly.

      - San Juan de la Cruz, Dichos de Luz y Amor (from the book'Tales of Power',Carlos Castaneda)



Bulusan, Sorsogon, Philippines

Lumot from Porog: Marine algae lure for Turos, a Bulusan ziganid species

Lumot (a species of Bulusan algae from Porog's seacoast used as paon or fish lure by local parabobo (fishermen skilled in the bobo fishtrap fishing)

Sack full of lumot to be hauled offshore for this afternoon fishing shift is just enough for the day's fishing chore

Texture of the lumot is soft with cottony fibers

Walking along the beach of Dancalan, a fisherman friend of Inggo about to start an afternoon fishing shift stopped by and showed me a kind of marine algae used as 'paon' (lure). Clutching a handful of the greens, he explained that these specific variety of marine algae are the most effective fish lure for the 'turos' (ziganid fish species) that they meticulously arrange inside their bobo fish traps. The two fishermen related that from their own experience and by closely following the practice of several generations of parabobo these are the best fish lure so far.

The parabobo are local fishermen skilled in fish trap fishing using the bobo a locally made fish trap made of bamban a local wildcrafted plant.

"These are the turos favorite meal but we have to gather these 'lumot' (a kind of green algae) growing along the seacoast of Porog the next fishing ground a kilometer away from here," Inggo explained. These lumot are the only kind that these fishes prefer. It seems that these turos and related species can't resist these lumot meal his companion added picking another  handful to clearly make his point.

The  lumot is soft to the touch and looks like green cotton fibers. The green hue is brighter than the usual greens present in their fishing area. It becomes almost neon green when submerged to the sea waters. The brownish neutral color of the bobo fish trap highlights the impressive green hue.

Picking and selecting the kind of algae the fish prefers as  I knew it is a marine biologist field but a talk with these veteran artisanal village fisherfolks made me realized that these local fishermen are in fact marine biologists themselves with their keen observant nature on the local marine life.

The turos fish 'kosido' happens to be my favorite dish. It is a recipe done simply with fresh turos stewed quickly in a boiling pot of tomatoes, pepper and onions.

A tip in making the 'kosido': overdone kosido is no good. It ruins the texture of the fish. Remove the kettle from the fire as soon as the first boil appears if you are using a wood fired stove. Put the fire off at once (if you are using a modern kitchen stove) as soon as it boils.

Enjoy your 'kosido na turos' while it is still hot.

 
Bulusan, Sorsogon, Philippines

Sadok

The son of the handicrafts store owner in Gubat town gamely volunteers to model the sadok for  me in this photo

The handicraft store near the Bulusan jeepney stop in Gubat  is selling this updated version of the traditional sadok. The 'tindero' (salesclerk) calls it as the 'sadok na may payong' (sadok with an umbrella) because of the recycled umbrella fabric over the anahaw top.

The sadok is a rain and sun protection still widely used by Bulusan rural folks traditionally made from anahaw with bamboo framing underneath fastened by nito.

Bulusan sadok crafstmen are vanishing. As of my latest search I have yet to find a living sadok maker in Bulusan still engaged in the craft.



Gubat, Sorsogon, Philippines

Greek Oregano: Pasta Dishes from Good to Wow!

 

Greek Oregano is a prolific grower. Sun loving and can even grow in a hanging pot beside your banggerahan (open kitchen sink in philippine rural houses).

Put a dash of fresh Greek oregano leaves in your usual spaghetti sauce and let your guests left wondering why your spaghetti is so deliciously different from theirs. This is gourmet pasta right at your kitchen.

Best for most tomato dishes too!

 

Grow your pasta secret in a pot near your kitchen. Or better in a sunny spot of your banggerahan in a pot hanging in its bamboo slats for accessibility while cooking. Mine is planted in a recycled 'kaserola' shown in the photo.

In case you are wondering where I sourced my Greek culinary oregano. You may visit this gardener's store or visit this web site: Thyme Square by GreenHearts, Inc. www.greenhearts.com/