I am HABIT - a Reflection

I am HABIT - a Reflection

Dr Abe V Rotor

Living with Nature - School on Blog

Reference: The 10 Natural Laws of Successful Time and Life Management by Hyrum W Smith. 

We are creatures of habit, whether we like it or not. We can make habit our servant, or we can allow it to become our master.

Good habits are developed through good training and conducive environment.  Children's  Summer Workshop, Lagro QC.

HABIT

I am your constant companion.
I am your greatest helper or your heaviest burden.
I will push you onward, or drag you down to failure.
I am completely at your command.
Half the things you do, you might just as well turn

     over to me,
And I will be able to do them quickly and correctly.
I am easily managed; you must merely be firm

    with me.   
Show me exactly how you want something done,
And after a few lessons I will do it automatically.
I am the servant of all great men
And, alas, of all failures as well.
Those who are great, I have made great.
Those who are failures, I have made failures.
I am not a machine, though I work with all the precision of a machine
Plus the intelligence of a man.
You may run me for profit, or run me for ruin;
It makes no difference to me.
Take me, train me, be firm with me
And I will put the world at your feet.
Be easy with me, and I will destroy you.
How am I?
I am  HABIT.

Author Unknown 

                                               

TRIVIA

A recent report in the Journal Pain reveals that crossing your arms may relieve pain, by confusing the brain. - Weekly Round Up

Acknowledgement: The 10 Natural Laws of Successful Time and Life Management by Hyrum W Smith; Illustrations from the Internet

NATURE AND PEACE Bantaoay Children’s Integrated Art Workshop

NATURE AND PEACE  
Bantaoay Children’s Integrated Art Workshop
San Vicente, Ilocos Sur, May 16 to 18, 2018

Selected Works 

Dr Abe V Rotor
Workshop Instructor

 Ashley Dianne Rios, 10

Birds flying low over the field and tall grass
meet the morning sun, but never in a rush.

Neil, 8

Flying kite is a wholesome pastime for kids,

away from computers, loafing and misdeeds.

Shaun Michael R Remular, 11

Fluffy clouds hang free above the trees,

while the wind blows gentle into breeze.

Migi, 7

A hut among the trees, my home,

I shall never want and feel alone.

Jamiela Marie Almachar, 8

A world of a kind: three trees, three birds, three kids,

from the bigger world, peace and freedom never at siege.  

Jedd, 11

Fantasy land, romanticism its uniqueness;

somewhere carved out of our loneliness.

Tristan, 11

Blue pond, reflection of a clear sky and peace around,

wonder where these three passersby are bound.

                                                                                                 

                                                               William Kelly, 8

Field scorched in hot dry summer,

takes a break with the first shower.

Jeod, 11

Rebirth comes in many ways, yet all the same;

life coming back is our Creator’s lovely game.

Vitrish Anne Arguelles, 6

Like a  jIgsaw puzzle, the cracks of the soil mend with rain,

save the wastelands, often cursed, yet life’s last domain. 

Sandra Valencia, 10

Life peeping through, shy and afraid;

says the sun, “Get up and be brave.”

Christian Delle Garcia, 12

After the first rain in May,

creep the lowly algae;

living things soon aplenty

arrive here and stay. 

Jedd, 11

Ahoy, there! Keep off the rocky shore!

Join the race in the deep blue azure.

 

Jamie Althen Florendo, 12

Dark clouds at sunset tell of a coming storm.

Hurry up for home before high waves form.

Frea Billedo, 12

The sun is biggest on the western horizon,

smallest on the east just when it is born.

Jamiela Marie Almachar, 6

Savage fangs spare no one at sea,

even the bold ones crying for plea.

Tristan, 11

Join the regatta and vie for the trophy;

romantic, but the danger is another story.

Shaun Michael Remular

Sea gypsies for want of settling down,

travel on boats to nowhere bound.

Denise Kaye R Ancheta

Wind blowing hard like giant arms at sea,

warns of misery and death without mercy.

Christian Delle Garcia, 13

If all fruits were yellow, orange, and red,

I would pick the green for ripening;

If all fruits come in the summer season

I would sorely miss those in spring.

Franceska Billedo, 10

Coy and shy fuits may appear to some one,

wait until they are ripened by the sun.

  

Frea Billedo, 12

A basket full of fruits and flowers,

the best the fairest maid showers.

Jamie Althea Florendo, 12

Fruits are full of energy,

stored by the sun and Thee.

Jamiela Marie Almachar, 8

All fruits a work of the bee,

if we review our ecology.

Wacky B, 10

Move over fancy culinary;

give way to Ceres’ bounty.

Lance Adam, 5

Where goddess Ceres descends,

Epicurus joins the feast,

and man contends -

else the banquet be missed. ~

Mushroom-Tokwa Barbecue - for a change, for good health

Dr Abe V Rotor 
Living with Nature - School on Blog 

 Leo Carlo, chef and inventor of MTB

 Shitake mushroom, TVP (Texturized Vegetable Protein)

 from soy bean, plus green bell pepper 

 

Make your own version - add fresh ripe tomato. 

Culinary art, here's the thrill
on the porch or backyard,
makeshift kitchen of simple grill,
on days dull and hard.

Mushroom for meat, tokwa for fat,
bell pepper and tomato,
capsicine, lycopene for the heart
brain and kidney too.

eating while cooking - oh, the fun!
the household whole
in modest Bacchanalian
happy to the full.~

Common problems of fruits

Dr Abe V Rotor
Living with Nature School on Blog

Force ripening of banana, more so if harvested before full maturity, may lead to bacterial and fungal rot,  usually starting at the peduncle (fruit attachment).  Atis (Anona squamosa) attacked by atis borer, a scourge of  other members of Family Anonaceae, like guyabano and anonang. Guava attacked by the fruit fly, Dacus dorsalis, which also attacks mango, cucubits (e.g. cucumber, ampalaya), oranges and many other fruits worldwide. These two insect pests are controlled by bagging, that is wrapping the newly formed fruit with paper or plastic but this is laborious.  Growers resort to chemical spraying that provides protective cover to the tree.  Recently systemic insecticides are used.  The active principle is absorbed by the plant and circulated in its sap, rendering its sap poisonous to the feeding insect. The deleterious effect does not stop here; residual poisoning is not unusual to humanss and animals.  Extreme care should be exercised when using insecticides, particularly phosphate and hydrocarbon compounds.

Don't underestimate the lowly Kamote

Sweet potato (Ipomea batatas), Family Convolvulaceae

Dr Abe V Rotor

In the province, whenever we failed to recite in class our teacher in the elementary would matter of fact, say, “Go home and plant kamote.” We also loved to sing or recite, hilariously that is, a verse associated with this humble plant. Years after, I realized how unfair it is to treat this important crop, which is a staple food of millions of people and a major animal feed in many parts of the world. The verse/song goes like this.

“Kamote is a musical root;
The more you eat, the more you puut…
The more you putt…, the better you feel,
So eat kamote every meal.”

In defense of kamote, the tuber or root is rich in Phosphorus (P2O5, 0.15%), Calcium (CaO, 0.13%), and Iron (Fe2O3, 0.02%) in addition to carbohydrate (8.41%) and protein (1.96 %). These alleged gas-forming substances are also found in other root crops like cassava and taro (gabi), but in lesser quantities. It is advisable to cook kamote very well, and that one should take it moderately. 

By the way, kamote tops contains an appreciable amount of hydrocyanic acid similar to that in cassava. Thus, when cooking it, it is advisable to bring it to boiling and allow the compound to escape as cyanogas by removing the pot cover.

Some uses and preparations of kamote:

• As staple food
• Baked Kamote (photo)
• Kamote Chips
• Kamote Flour
• Kamote Cue
• Kamote Tops as vegetable
• Buridibod (soup thickener)
• Rich source of vitamins and minerals
• Food extender/substitute
• Fermented into alcohol
• Forage crop
• Cover crop for weed and erosion control

Lastly, but not the least, kamote is a famine food or hunger crop - where conventional food crops are not available.

Living with Nature 3, AVR

Children's Painting Workshop: 12 Rules to become an artist at an early age

Children's Drawing and Painting Workshop: 

 12 Rules to become an artist at an early age

Dr Abe V Rotor

Art Workshop Instructor

Rule 1 - Work individually but in a group, better a class

Rule 2 - Work outdoor, preferably with your parents. UST Botanical Garden

Rule 3 - Have full freedom to choose the best spot to work, specially outdoor painting.Filinvest Homes II chapel area.
Rule 4 - Field demonstration is key to hands-on and on-site painting, provide an open forum session. UST Botanical Garden
Rule 5 - Have local works as model - professional and amateur. Peer instruction is encouraged. National Food Authority QC
Rule 6 - The Big Day - exhibition of selected works. Be sure every participant has exhibited works. National Food Authority QC
Rule 7 - Develop unity and harmony in relationship among participants, such as group singing, composite mural painting, drama skit. Filinvest Homes II Chapel QC
Rule 8 - Give awards, medals and citations to outstanding works and performances. Give a certificate of attendance or completion to each participant.
Filinvest II
Rule 9 - Involve parents, guardians, local leaders - they are co-instructors, source of inspiration and joy to children. Parents are actually learners, too. St. Paul University Museum QC
Rule 10 - Private moments - don't disturb, be a catalyst instead. It's the right brain, the seat of creativity working. UST Campus
Rule 11 - Take the children to reputable institutions like UST, famous for spatial arts, music and the performing arts.

Rule 12 - There is no specific style of painting to follow. Study the major schools or movements of art - realism, impressionism, expressionism, abstract and the like.  Just be natural.  Be yourself.  ~