Malunggay: Most popular and nutritious vegetable in the tropic. You can make your own mineral water with its seeds, too.

 Dr Abe V Rotor 

Malunggay propagated from cutting
Drinking water is rendered safe with malunggay seeds. Why buy bottled mineral water? You can save as much as P100 per day for the whole family. That's P3000 a month or P36,000 a year. You can earn from this simple technology, too. Get in touch with your nearest DOST office for assistance. 

In the province no home is without this small tree at the backyard or in a vacant lot. The leaves, flowers, juvenile pods and young fruits of Moringa oleifera (Family Moringaceae) go well with fish, meat, shrimp, mushroom, and the like. It is one plant that does not need agronomic attention, not even weeding and fertilization, much less chemical spraying. You simply plant an arms length cutting or two, in some corner or along the fence and there it grows into a tree that can give you a ready supply of vegetables yearound. What nutrients do we get from malunggay?

Here is a comparison of the food value of the fresh leaves and young fruits, respectively, in percent. (Marañon and Hermano, Useful Plants of the Philippines)• Proteins 7.30 7.29

• Carbohydrates 11.04 2.61
• Fats 1.10 0.16
• Crude Fiber 1.75 0.76
• Phosphorus (P2 O 5) 0.24 0.19
• Calcium (CaO) 0.72 0.01
• Iron (Fe2O3) 0.108 0.0005

Owing to these properties and other uses, rural folks regard malunggay a “miracle tree.” Take for example the following uses.
• The root has a taste somewhat like that of horse-radish, and in India it is eaten as a substitute to it.
• Ben oil extracted from the seed is used for salad and culinary purposes, and also as illuminant.
• Mature seeds have antibacterial and flocculants properties that render drinking water safe and clear.

From these data, it is no wonder malunggay is highly recommended by doctors and nutritionists for both children and adults, particularly to nursing mothers and the convalescents.~

Valley of Life

 Valley of Life

Dr Abe V Rotor

Watershed, a wall mural by the author, St Paul University, QC

If a child asks, “What is a valley?”
Forget what you may have read -
valley of death, valley of sorrow;
valley is the life of the mountain,
more so, that of the river below.
It is a watershed, it is a trough,
where clouds gather and fall as rain,
where trees and beautiful flowers grow,

and life in its glory and diversity,

where Heaven and Earth glow.   avr

Caliente

Dr Abe V Rotor

Living with Nature - School on Blog

Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (People's School-on-Air) with Ms Melly C Tenorio

738 DZRB AM Band, 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday [www.pbs.gov.ph]

It's a rare delicacy, one for the book of Guinness. Cow or carabao hide made into pulotan called caliente, a favorite of Ilocanos. It is softened to almost gel-like consistency, heavily spiced with onion, ginger, green hot pepper, and seasoned with sukang Iloko (natural vinegar from sugarcane.)

Come to the Ilocos region. Stop at Vigan on your tour. You won't miss caliente, so with bagnet (lechon kawali), empanada, and the signature bibingka and tinubong. And lastly, the pride of the Ilocos region, Basi table wine.

The art of harvesting and preparing buko (young coconut), the healthiest and most complete food.

Dr Abe V Rotor
Living with Nature - School on Blog
Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid 738 DZRB AM with Ms Melly C Tenorio 8 to 9 evening class, Mon to Fri

Coconut harvester scales a 35-year old tree, four-storey high barehanded, ties a whole bunch of young nuts and slowly brings it down pulley-style.  At home in Lagro QC 

Buko vendors have an extrasensory perception of knowing the thickness of the 

meat just by the sound and vibration of the nut when tapped with a bolo.    

Buko is classified according to maturity, from marauhog (mucous like) to somewhat firm for fruit cocktail. The best is when its meat is easy to scope and can be eaten directly while drinking its juice - no ice, no sweetener. There's an analogy to a popular adage, "A buko a day drives the doctor away."  Buko juice is the cleanest and safest drink, the soft meat contains the celebrated virgin coconut oil in its incipient formula. Its roots filter out poisonous substances, specially toxic metals such as lead (Pb), Mercury (Hg) and Cadmium (Cd) - which other plants absorb and transmit to eaters.  Coconut is the most successful plant that colonizes islands and ripraps shorelines, living on whatever resources - including minerals from the seawater.  

Make salted eggs at home

Dr Abe V Rotor

Homemade salted eggs, anyone?

Making salted eggs is an old technology, and most likely originated in China.

Here is an easy-to-follow procedure, the old folks’ way.

•  Mix 12 cups of clay and 4 cups of salt, adding water gradually until they are well blended.
•  Apply a layer of this mixture at the bottom of a palayok or banga.
•  Coat each egg with the mixture.
•  Arrange the coated eggs in layers, giving a space of 3 to 5 cm in between them.
•  Add the extra mixture of clay and salt on top, cover the container with banana leaves, and keep the setup in a safe and cool place.
• Try one egg after 15 days by cooking below boiling point for 15 minutes.  If not salty enough, extend storing period.
• Color eggs if desired. 

Salted egg plus fresh ripe tomato and onions makes a wholesome viand. It goes well with any meal. 

Try stone soup - “poor man’s delicacy.”

Traditional Healing: Chicken soup is best for the convalescent.

Dr Abe V Rotor

Living with Nature - School on Blog
Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (People's School-on-Air) with Ms Melly C Tenorio
738 DZRB AM Band, 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday [www.pbs.gov.ph]

Chicken soup is best for the convalescent.However, there are specifications of the kind of chicken to be served.

First, it must be native chicken. Karurayan is the term in Ilocono for a pure white native chicken which does not bear any trace of color on its feathers. It is preferably a female, dumalaga or fryer, meaning it has not yet reached reproductive stage (virgin). It is neither fat nor thin.

Usually the herbolario chooses one from recommended specimens. He then instructs and supervises the household in the way the karurayan is dressed, cut, cooked into tinola (stew with green papaya cubes and shoot of siling labuyo (pepper) tops, and served to the convalescent while piping hot.

The herbolario, who is usually an elderly in the village, does not ask for any fee for his services, but then he takes home one or two of the specimens that did not pass the specifications. The more affluent the patient is, the more chicken (rejects) the herbolario takes with him.

Chicken soup as a convalescent food is recognized in many parts of the world. Because of its popularity, chicken soup has become associated with healing, not only of the body – but the soul as well. In fact there is a series of books under the common title Chicken Soup - for the Woman’s Soul, Surviving Soul, Mother’s Soul, Unsinkable Soul, Writer’s Soul, and the like. Of course, this is exaggeration, nonetheless it strengthens our faith in panacean magic of this winged descendant of the dinosaurs that once walked the earth.

Try chicken soup to perk you up in these trying times - with all the rush, tension, various ailments, and expensive medication. Ika nga, bawal ang magkasakit. (In short, to get sick is "prohibited.")

But first, be sure your chicken does not carry antibiotic residues, and should not be one that is genetically engineered (GMO). By the way, I was a participant in the rituals made by this good herbolario. I was then a farmhand and I was tasked to get the karurayan. Our flock failed the test, but I found two dumalaga with few colored feathers. I plucked out the colored feathers and presented the birds to Ka Pepito, a balding old man. Both specimens passed the criteria.

Three days after I asked my convalescing dad how he was doing. “I’m fine, I’m fine, now.” He assured me with a big smile.~

Beware of the Spiny Caterpillar - Higad!

Beware of the Higad! (Tussock Moth Caterpillar)

Dr Abe V Rotor

Living with Nature - School on Blog

Adult of the tussock caterpillar is a gray moth with markings that serve as camouflage. It undergoes four stages.  The pupal stage is short, about a week. The caterpillar undergoes four or five moltings.

 

First aid: Train melted candle over embedded bristles, then carefully peel off. Apply vinegar on the affected area to dissolve remaining bristles. Do not rub.

 

Higad - caterpillar of Tussock Moth (Budo-budo Ilk).Tussock moth caterpillars in three stages (instars), pupa (left, scantily covered with cocoon thread), molted skin (lower left), and frass or waste. Snowy tussock moth mimic the color and pattern of its host tree, and growing lichens.

This species of Tussock Moth caterpillar belongs to Family Lymantiidae, Order Lepidoptera.  It is a commonly found on Fire Tree (Delonix regia) which blooms in summer. The colorful caterpillar, about an inch long in its last instar, dangles from the tree with spinneret and sways in the slightest breeze. It often lands on a passerby and causes extreme discomfort that needs immediate medical attention.  The rule is to remove the caterpillar immediately without rubbing the affected area. One who is  particularly sensitive to higad must get immediate help.

Tussock moth - a master of camouflage. It can adjust 

to the color and pattern of its environment.

We call it samrid in Ilocano, higad in Tagalog and Pilipino. It is perhaps the most avoided insect next to the putakti or paper wasp. Unlike the latter, the injury one gets by contact with this spiny caterpillars is far reaching - it can spread to other parts of the body. Thus the rule is: Never rub - not even touch, the affected area. If feasible, light a candle, train the drops on the embedded spines, allow to solidify, then lift off. In this way the spines are pulled out without much damage. Apply vinegar to neutralize the alkaline chemical substance. Taking a bath without vinegar treatment will only spread the minute Neptune spear. There are people who are extremely allergic to higad that they need immediate medical treatment with antihistamine drug.

   

Tussock moth caterpillars are passive and tend to group together. Before they enter pupal stage they descend from their host tree, hide in crevices, and other suitable places where they will later emerge as moths.

Skin castings of higad can inflict considerable injury. Eliminate castings by burning or burying, just as caterpillars are disposed off. Higad may inflict the same injury on pets. Regular smudging (smoke emitted by burning dead leaves) can effectively reduced higad population. Household insecticide spray can help. Community control using chemicals needs expert's assistance. ~

Leo Carlo is the most sensitive in the family to allergy. At one time I rushed him to the nearest hospital for immediate shot of antihistamine. He stepped on the casting of higad, the caterpillar of the tussock moth. In his attempt to soap away the embedded bristles, he unknowingly caused it to spread all over his body. He stayed in the hospital until the swelling subsided.

Some years earlier Leo had a similar experience. The allergy came from the eggs of talakitok fish he ate. The swelling was so severe his eyes were virtually closed. Timely anti-allergy injection saved him.

Allergy runs in the family. Marlo, my oldest son is allergic to all kinds of crustaceans, from crabs to shrimps. I am allergic to tulingan fish.

But it is insect allergy that we are always on the guard. Insects are perhaps the most common causes of allergy in the world. Let me cite some findings and experiences.

• The popular image of insect allergies is its association with the bites and stings of venomous species like bees, ants, and wasps (injectant allergens). Over one-hundred deaths per year in the U.S. are attributed to fatal reactions to arthropod venoms. We don’t have any record in the Philippines on casualties from this cause.

• More common allergic reactions attributable to insects include those caused by contacting body parts or waste products (contactant allergens) or inhaling microscopic dust particles composed of pulverized carcasses, cast skins and excreta (inhalant allergens). Symptoms range from eczema and dermatitis, to rhinitis, congestion and bronchial asthma.

• Mites which are relatives of insects that infest cheese, bran, dried fruits, jams and sugars are known to cause transient dermatitis among workers when body fluids are re leased upon crushing. Similarly dust mites that inhabit our dwellings cause cold symptoms often diagnosed as such, or as asthma.

. There are people sensitive to mosquito bite. Usually it is accompanied by swelling of the affected area and itchiness, becoming dark afterward. It takes a week or more for the skin to return to its normal color. This symptom may be similarly manifested by the bite of flea (Siphonoptera).

• Nine orders of insects, and mites and spiders (Arachnids) were found to be the sources of the inhalant allergens. In the US a survey found out that allergy symptoms are due to direct or airborne exposure to Lepidopteran (moth and butterfly) scales - despite the use of exhaust hoods and protective masks and clothing. Case histories of asthma among Lepidoptera workers are numerous.

• Personally I discourage the use of butterflies released in wedding receptions, and other occasions for that matter. Scales of the butterfly (and moth and skippers as well) are made up of a very tough kind of protein known as chitin which can cause blindness other than allergy. Children are most vulnerable to this.

• Reactions to Orthoptera (grasshoppers, crickets, locusts, cock roaches, etc.) are also common in the form of rhinitis, itching skin, bronchitis and ultimately asthma in general sequence. A researcher suffered dyspnea (labored breathing) during a prolonged session of grinding crickets into meal to supplement chicken feed. There are also cases of anaphylactic shock involving orthopterans.

. Have you experienced waking up with swollen eyelid? One explanation is that, you must have been bitten by cockroach (Periplaneta or Blatta) while you were sleeping. Cockroaches eat on almost anything, including dried tears.

• Workers in grain warehouses exposed to the insect pest like weevils (Coleoptera) suffer from skin itching, hives, rhinitis, dyspnea, and bronchial asthma.

• Flies and midges (Diptera) as well as mayflies (Ephemeroptera) and caddis flies (Trichoptera) have likewise been implicated as allergy.

• Fortunately processing – from milling to cooking - largely diminish the potential threat of food allergies as compared with their reactivity in raw form. But this is no guarantee of eliminating the allergen. One may be allergic to the bean weevil that attacks mungbean, and when the bean is cooked the insect allergen is diminished. But the allergy to the bean itself is not. One school of thought suggests that insect allergens in food are deactivated by cooking, or deactivated in the highly acidic environment of the stomach.

. Red ants bite and sting, injecting formic acid in the process, which explains the extreme pain sensation. Because they attack by group, the amount of formic acid may reach a level that leads to anaphylaxis to sensitive people, and may cause death. Children are most vulnerable.

. The most dangerous sting comes from the wild African honeybee that hybridized with the domesticated honeybee since its entry to the US several years ago. Beekeepers have learn to deal with the crossbred because it produces more honey than the domesticated type. Except for hornets, they are perhaps the most dangerous bees in the world.

. We have a local counterpart of hornets - the paper wasp or putakti. They are however less dangerous because they attack only intruders or when they are disturbed.

. The tree ant, locally known as hantik, can cause extreme pain and discomfort to orchard growers and fruit pickers, intruders notwithstanding. There are people who are highly allergic to their poison.

. Relatives of insects that are harmful for their poison are

• Black Widow spider (Most dangerous arachnid)
• Scorpion
• Centipede
• Millipede (it exudes cyano gas when threatened)

• There is evidence for cross-reactivity among distantly related members of the Arthropoda suggesting the existence of common allergens within the phylum. So, if you are allergic to shellfish, you are likely to be allergic to say, camaro (fried mole cricket) a delicacy not only locally but in other parts of the world.

Beware of insects, especially those that cause allergy.

Higad!

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

*Lesson on former Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (People's School-on-Air) with Ms Melly C Tenorio 738 DZRB AM Band, 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday [www.pbs.gov.ph]

Yes children, you can make a masterpiece

Dr Abe V Rotor

Landscape, artist unknown, circa 1995?

This is a painting of one of my young students in an art workshop which I used to conduct every summer. It was done with acrylic on Oslo paper, 11" x 14". It was not signed. It dawns the child's rare talent - a combination of Paul Cezanne's Cubism, Seurat's Pointillism and Van Gogh's Expressionism. And Gauguin's Tahitian style and colors that lend an Oriental touch to an otherwise western landscape.

A closer look yields an aura of mystery, yet the painting retains its simplicity. Can you feel the breeze? The sun nestled between two mountains sending warmth and freshness of the thaw upon the plain? How effective is the subtle contrast of movement and permanence? And the unconventional combination of primary and secondary colors typical of a child's inexperience we call innocence? This is indeed a masterpiece. ~

Yes, you can paint! Make it a lifetime hobby.

Dr Abe V Rotor

Lesson: Art is for both young and old. Art is not a matter of "right or wrong." It is theory, and it is your own. This is what is known as expression. Art is expression. A holistic one because it takes many faculties to create one - from logic to imagination, from visual to touch, traditional to contemporary.

Group work takes away boredom, it is collectively inspiring and challenging.

But work with your own thoughts, imagination, pace.

But first, how do you begin?

1. You need only three primary colors - yellow, red and blue. Plus a lot of white and a little black. You can create all the colors of the rainbow. And you can do more in various hues and shades.

2. Red and yellow make orange; yellow and blue, green; blue and red, brown or purple. If you combine the three primary colors in equal proportion, you'll get black.

3. Secondary colors lead you to tertiary. If you get lost you can trace it back to secondary. And you will not deviate from your color scheme.

4. White makes any color lighter: red to pink, yellow to cream, navy blue to sky blue, black to gray, orange to tangerine.

5. Black darkens colors. It is used to make shades and shadows. Contrast. If too much, your painting become drab, even "muddy."

6. You need simple tools. Hardware paintbrushes 1/2" to 3" wide are relatively cheap. For artist brushes, buy from bookstores and art supplies. Get flat brushes - smallest 1/16", biggest 1"). Get one or two round brushes. Because latex is water based, you need only few brushes; you can wash them while painting.

Experiment, don't be afraid. Take advantage of the natural characteristics of paints and other mediums, like cohesiveness, immiscibility, blending, slow or uick drying, etc.

7. Use disposable palette board such as cardboard and plywood. You can make your own canvas. Canvas is sold by yard from upholstery stores. You can make several paint canvases from a yard of 60" wide canvas. You can use illustration board. For murals I use marine plywood 1/2" to 3/4" thick, 4 ft by 8 feet.

8. Do not be afraid to experiment. Try finger painting. Palette painting. Paint as you imagine and feel. Don't be exacting, unless your subject requires it.

9. Foundation or primer is the same white latex you will be using. I prefer gloss white latex. Get more white than any of the colors. Allow the primer to dry, sandpaper it before you start to paint. Latex dries fast, so you have to work fast, too - unlike oil, it takes hours or days.

10. As much as possible mix colors first on the palette board before you apply. Of course, you can experiment by mixing colors now and then on the canvas itself. You will discover new techniques and develop your style. Never use oil and latex at the same time, latex and lacquer. But you can use permanent ink markers for lines and margins, and to enhance details.

11. Work on the light areas first, like sky, then proceed to the dark areas, like group of trees, bottom of rocks, shades and shadows, last. Work spontaneously. You know when to stop, then prepare for a second or third - or nth sitting. One sitting normally lasts 30 to 60 minutes. Pause and study your work every after sitting.

Paint a harvest time scenery in your province or country.
Do it on-the-spot with your family or friends, picnic style.

12. Never abandon your work. Every painting is a masterpiece in your own right, as long as you did the best you could, honestly and lovingly. Treasure it.

Express your fear, anger, and other negative thoughts and feelings. Make the canvas a battle field, like this mural I saw in the Reunification Palace in HoChiMinh City, formerly Saigon. Painting is therapy.

And remember, painting is not just a hobby. It is therapy. It is prayer. It is universal language. It is timeless. Art is a bridge of the known and the unknown, the Creator and His creation. ~

Rebuild the Lost Paradise through painting - no matter how long it takes. Leonardo da Vinci took two years with countless hours perfecting Mona Lisa. (Mural 9 ft x 10 ft)

20. Twenty Workshop Exercises on Self-Analysis and Reflection

Dr Abe V Rotor

These exercises are recommended as a teaching aid  to enhance learning in the university, in outreach programs, workshops and seminars. They are designed for hands-on and on-site demonstration. In general they are reflective of life experiences, and therefore values-oriented. Participant profile is wide from children to adults, irrespective of ideology and faith, and its spans over all walks of life.

Exercise 1 -  Relationships (Family and the World)

Make this tree live again -  Using colors (pastel or crayola) and drawing paper, each  participant puts life in a dying tree, bringing it back to its prime years. He may imagine himself to be the tree in a manner of reflection, seeing himself at the end, to be enjoying the fullness of life. While the exercise is being done, the resource person will personally play “Violin and Nature” as background music.  This consists of violin compositions accompanied by the sounds of birds, waterfalls, wind and running stream.   This is a ten-minute exercise, the first half is drawing, and the second is analysis and evaluation.  Values derived come from Maslow’s Needs Hierarchy Theory (physiological, safety, love, esteem, self-actualization), and Herzberg’s Theory of Motivation, particularly on sense of achievement and fulfillment), and Concept of  Integration-Cooperation. There are ten criteria to evaluate the exercise in an “exchange papers, corrected by” style.  This also serves to enhance sharing and good judgement.  The drawing must show the following: sun, water, resurrected tree, other trees, landscape, people, other creatures, naturalness of style, artistic quality, full use of space.

Exercise 2 - “Quo vadis?” (Where am I going?)

I am a Sailboat – The participant imagines himself as a Sailboat drifting on the open sea. Using the same coloring materials and a drawing paper, he has five minutes to complete the scenario.  Here he expresses himself in relation to what he feels and thinks, and consciously and unconsciously such expression reflects his leadership qualities.  Even the drawing itself shows his ability to communicate with the viewer. Does it show self-confidence
and self-motivation? Does it show a particular leadership style and behavior? The second five minutes will be devoted to evaluation in the same manner as in the first exercise.  The drawing must show the following: prominent sailboat, other sailboats, destination, people, creatures all, alive sea and sky, artistic quality, full use of space.

Exercise 3 -   Dream and Reality

Waterfall – Like the first two, this is also an individual exercise. The participant draws a waterfall from his own experience and imagination. He has five minutes to finish it. The background music is nature’s  sound, water flowing and cascading accompanied by songs of birds and other creatures. The theme of this exercise is that in life “somewhere along the way we find a waterfall”. How are we going to deal with it? Some ten minutes will be devoted to analysis and sharing. Criteria lie on the following aspects: fullness of fall, height of fall, natural watershed, clouds, upstream river source, continuity at downstream, power at the fall, presence of life,   artistic quality, full use of space.

Exercise 4 – Community Consciousness

Let’s build a house -  This is a group exercise with 10 members in a group.  Using pentel and easel paper, the members of each group form a queue and complete the drawing within two minutes. Before they do this they have two minutes to confer and plan their house and strategy. A lively music is provided as a background.  Like in the other exercises, a set of criteria will be used in evaluating the exercise.  The key here is, there are neighbors.

Exercise 5 – How intelligent are you?

The  8 realms of intelligence - All of us are endowed with a wide range of intelligence classified into eight realms or domains. It is not only IQ or EQ or any single sweeping test that tells us how intelligent we are. Here is a simple guide to find out which realms we are superior.

Domain                                          Scale 1   2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9    10 1. Interpersonal (human relations)
2. Intrapersonal (Inner vision, self-
    expression, reflection)
3. Kinesthetic (Sports and body
    language, dance)
4. Languages or linguistics
5. Logic (dialectics, math)
6. Music (auditory art)
7. Naturalism (relationship with
    the natural world, “green thumb”)
8. Spatial (painting, sculpture,
    architecture, photography

Analysis takes ten minutes. After completing the table, get the total score and divide it by 8 to get the average. But the average is only secondary to the distribution pattern of his scores.  For example there are those who have high scores in 6 and 7, while there are those who got high in say, 3 and 6.  During the sharing period, a participant tells his first two or three strong realms from which we can picture his talents. Can we relate the findings with the kind of person he is, his work, likes and dislikes, etc?

Exercise 6 – Peace-of-Mind Square
                     (How “balance” are you today?)

POM - When you wake up in the morning look at yourself on the mirror and imagine the four sides of the mirror as a perfect square. Each side represents the following: Mental or Intellectual, Psychological or Emotional, Physical and Spiritual.  Thus

                                             Intellectual


          Psychological               POM                 Spiritual



                                                Physical


You are not  “square” if you are not relaxed. You do not have POM (Peace-of-Mind). Strive to keep that mirror of yourself a perfect square everyday. In this exercise, evaluate these four aspects and draw the lines representing it.  Notice how distorted your square is.  It is time to reflect.  How can you make your life square?  This takes five minutes with an appropriate music background like “Meditation” and “On Wings of Song”.

Exercise 7 –Get out of your box!

The Magic Box - The figure below is an imaginary box constructed with nine (9) dots.  Now this is the instruction. With a pencil draw four (4) continuous lines without lifting the pencil and hit the nine dots without repeating or missing any one.

                                  o               o                o


                                  o               o                o


                                  o               o                o  

It takes several trials. And when you have finally found the secret you will realize that you really have to “get out of your box” to be able to do it.  Learn to explore outside this box.  Break out your shell of biases, pre-judgment.  Move away from your zone of comfort or fear.  Get out and seek the world outside your waterhole, outside your comfort zone. While doing this exercise the musical background is one with a happy note, such as “The Lonely Goatherd” or “The Happy Farmer”. It takes not longer than ten minutes for the whole exercise.  Note: In case you already know this exercise beforehand, you will certainly be helpful to the group as facilitator.

Exercise 8 – How many squares are there?
49 squares - There are 8 vertical lines and 8 horizontal lines in this diagram, thus forming forty nine (49) small squares.
                         .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .
                         .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .
                         .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .
                         .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .
                         .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .
                         .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .
                         .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .
                         .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .

But count again. How many squares are there really?  This will take sometime to compute.  You may devise your own equation or technique. You are free to mark the diagram, draw another one, use a calculator. “Gavotte”, “Sa Kabukiran” or any lively musical background creates a happy mood for this exercise.

At the end you will realize the many applications of this exercise, such as devising a modular system, synergy, diffusion and osmosis in chemistry and physics. Above all it shows us the danger of over simplification, overconfidence, underestimation, taking things for granted, and the like.  Look before you leap.  Silent water runs deep.  Don’t judge a book by its cover.  What are the other applications of this exercise?

Exercise 9 - Resignation (When and where do we stop?)
Venus de Milo – How do you make the figure look more beautiful? This is also a group exercise (same grouping). An outline of this goddess of beauty is given to each group.  The instruction is: Supply the missing arm. Each group confers and works collectively in two minutes. This exercise aims at creating awareness of limitation and humility.  It reinforces leadership skills through reflection rather than immediate action. Communication and motivation are also enhanced. It reminds us that “beauty lies in secret.” The suggestive nature of a thing makes it more exiting. Venus de Milo is like poetry.  Completing it is like writing an essay.

Exercise 10 – Secret of Success (What made your “idol” successful?)
This is a class exercise.  Each member of the class thinks of his “hero” or his  model, a  person whom he reveres and admires so much (hinahangaan).  Without revealing to anyone who he is (he must be a real person, dead or living, local or foreign), he proceeds in examining his qualities. After 3 to 5 minutes, he describes his “idol” using keywords.

The teacher writes down on the board the keywords.  Everyone is called to share until the board is sufficiently filled up. Now the teacher makes three columns with the following headings: attitude, learned (in school), inherited (minana) and fate (tadhana).  Classify the qualities enumerated under each column.  Which column has the most entries?  The least?  Can you offer any explanation to this observation? Compute the percentage of each category.

Think of yourself now.  Relate the qualities of your “idol” with yours.  Are you following his footsteps? What is the greatest lesson you learned in this exercise?

Exercise 11 – Make these dogs happy. (How much do you love your pets?)
 Here is a drawing of two docile dogs. (Refer to drawing.)  Why are they sad?
Find out what are the things missing in the drawing that would possibly make the dogs wiggle their tails, rise and greet you, show their affection?

You have five minutes to complete the drawing.  Now let us analyze. Exchange papers with your neighbor and let us rate your work in terms of providing the following: food, shelter, warmth, companionship, freedom. How did you fare?  Relate the results of this exercise with your pets at home.  Can you become a better master now?  Remember, “A starving dog at his master’s gate predicts the ruin of the state.” (From Auguries of Innocence by William Blake)

Exercise 12 – Road of Life
Draw a road which leads you to your ambitions and dreams.  Since you are “the master of your fate”, plot it well.  Think and reflect. Where will your road leads to?  How far?  Imagine the chapters of your life and show it on your road.  Look at both sides of the road.  Where are you right now?  At the prime of your life where will you be?  How about in your golden years?  Analysis and sharing follows.  Criteria include length of road, its continuity, curves and topography, things around, people, living things, sky, landscape, where one places himself on the road, definite and clear pattern of road and environs.

Exercise 13 – If you were blind and given three days to see, what are the things you want to do?
On the first day what things do you want to do?  Enumerate.  How about on the second day?  And the third?  During the sharing period give reasons to support your priorities and interests.  This exercise determines the priorities of a person.  It unveils hidden values.  Three perspectives are evident in the result which shows priorities which are: self-centered; people-oriented, nature-oriented.  The exercise will show the person’s regard to opportunity and time. The three days becomes an ephemeral bridge.  How will he take it after the experience, when he goes back to his original world of darkness? How relevant is this exercise in our lives?

Exercise 14 – Make a figure out of clothes hanger
This is a group exercise, preferably from 5 to 10 per group.  Group competition is encouraged here and each word will be compared. Since this is under time pressure, there is not much time to plan and work on details.  But this is the  key to demonstrate group cooperation, spontaneity, resourcefulness, alertness, practicality and artistic ability. The facilitator may limit the source of materials coming from the personal effects of the participants and nothing more. Or, as the situation warrants as for example the venue is in the field, local materials found in the vicinity can be used.  A good figure is a scarecrow in this particular case.

Exercise 15 – Pyramids and triangles – a puzzle.
Here are 5 dots.  The instruction is to draw five continuous lines without lifting the pen and touch all the five dots, at the same time making eight (8) pyramids or triangles.

                                                           o


                                            o                               o


                                                   o              o


Difficult, isn’t?  Seemingly, yes.  But you will realize that the solution is very simple.  In fact the clue is everywhere and we almost take it for granted because we have not really analyzed it in details. This exercise brings a simple thing to close examination, and find out how complex it really is.  This is one aspect of the power of imagination (or lack of it).  Does the exercise mean anything to you?  A period of sharing follows which may last to 10 minutes.

Exercise 16 – Search for meaning at the throes of death. (For adults only)
Now, this is a serious exercise.  It may bring out an experience we may have buried long time ago. Or it may still be fresh in our memory.  Is it worth recalling it?  Perhaps it helps us in refocusing the direction of our lives.  It is important to pause and remember our resolutions we may have failed to keep. This is the instruction.  Recall your experience when you got closest to death.  Recall what you resolved while you battled for life, and what things  you promised to keep once you get back to your feet?  Here is a solemn moment, and it is a very personal one.  An appropriate music background is in the tune of “Maalala Mo Kaya?”, “On Wings of Song”, or “The Dying Swan”.  Sharing follows. Anyone can approach the microphone while the music is being played on the violin (with or without accompaniment) and share his experience.  The solemn ambiance is sustained until the last volunteer is back to his seat.  Do you realize that you have a mission to fulfill?

Exercise 17 – Iceberg!  Sizing Up Problems
Problems, wise people say, are like icebergs.  You see only their tips.  Problems are similar.  We often underestimate them until we realize how deep they are.  By that time it may be too late to find the solutions, and the consequence is grave.  Remember the Titanic?  Here is an exercise to test how good you are in sizing up problems.  Draw a profile (cross-section) of the ocean and put in proper place an iceberg and a ship in which you imagine you are steering.  You are the captain of this ship. You are on the path of the iceberg.   Show your position in relation to the iceberg.  While you are working on this exercise, the sound track of the “Titanic” or Rachmaninoff’s “Theme from Paganini”  will be played.  Like in the other exercises there will be five major criteria to be used, namely: size of the iceberg, size of the ship, distance and position of the ship and the iceberg, floating position and shape based on physical laws such as center of gravity, proportion of the iceberg visible above water.  Sharing follows.
 Exercise 18 – Lost in the Desert
You dream you are lost in a desert.  Draw the scenario. While doing this exercise, the soundtrack of “Lawrence of Arabia” or “The Little Prince” will be played.  This will take some 10 minutes or less.  Two contrasting scenarios are expected from the group: a pathetic scene characterized by hunger, thirst, and despair, while the other is one which the Little Prince and the Pilot found – a oasis.  Sharing follows.  What are the lessons derived from this exercise?  Are you the optimistic or the pessimistic survivor?  Or did it come to your mind that you would not make it and you simply allow yourself to die in the desert?  Find out the meaning of logotheraphy.  How did Victor Frankl survive the Nazi camp ordeal.  What is the similarity of being lost in a desert?  Have you experience at one time or the other that imagination is more powerful than reason?  Or vice versa?  Which one did you follow?

Exercise 19 – Functional Versus Aesthetic Value
Cite cases where function and beauty do not come together. Limit your observation on living things, say animals.  Why is the camel an ugly looking beast?  Very few have fallen in love with a camel?  But without the camel man would not have succeeded in conquering the vast deserts like the Sahara.  The camel is the ship on the desert.  It is a very “functional” animal.  List down ten adaptations of the camel.  Draw first the animal and indicate by lines and arrows its adaptation.  What lessons other than the biological aspect of the animal?  How does this exercise relate to life?  Sharing follows.
A  lively musical background, something humorous, fits well with this exercise  

Exercise 20 - Relaxation (How tense are you?)
A Clear and Calm Morning – How relax are you today? This is an individual exercise.  The drawing consists of a docked sailboat with its sail rolled.  Trees line the water edge, promenades are relax, the air is still, the sun is just over a hill. At the foreground is water.  Imagine yourself approaching the shore.  At this point, stop and complete the view. This exercise determines how relax you are.  How can you bring yourself to reflection?  Did you leave your problems behind?  Do you still have the papers on your desk crowding your mind? Do you find time to  say thank you to some people.  When was your last retreat?
   
NOTE: Since these exercises are generally in a framework, there may be a  need to consult a faculty member, a workshop coordinator, or simply one in the family or community who may be able to help you work on these exercises.