Monday, April 27, 2015

Ilocano Native Dishes

Ilocano Native Dishes
Dr Abe V Rotor

 Living with Nature - School on Blog
Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid with Ms Melly C Tenorio

738 DZRB AM, 8 to 9 evening class Mon to Fri

Caliente or ox hide, softened and sliced,
served with onion and fresh pepper.

Ngarusangis (small seashells)

Appetite drives the will wild and free
To satiate hunger, more so curiosity,
Where the edge is just a step away,
Beyond adventure lies eternity;
Puffer or grub or some crustacean,
It's dare or delight to the epicurean.


Pesang Dalag (snakehead)
Native chicken tinola
Arusip or lato (Caulerpa), served fresh, with tomato and onion






Saturday, April 25, 2015

We are witnessing the effects of Global Warming


Dr Abe V Rotor

Living with Nature - School on Blog
Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid with Ms Melly C Tenorio

738 DZRB AM, 8 to 9 evening class Mon to Fri
Written Assignment for Communication and Socio-cultural (economic and environmental ) Change, UST. (Regular bond, handwritten) Study each photo and relate it to Global Warming.


Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 3

Photo 4

Photo 5

Photo 6
Photo 7
Photo 8
Phot0 9
Photo 10
What is the relevance of the last photo?

Okra increases sexual vitality


Dr Abe V Rotor

Living with Nature - School on Blog
Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid with Ms Melly C Tenorio

738 DZRB AM, 8 to 9 evening class Mon to Fri
 
Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus)
Okra
Family: Malvaceae
Scientific Name: Abelmoschus esculentus (Linn) Moensch.
Synonym: Hibiscus esculentus L.
Other Common Name: Lady’s finger, Gumbo

Traditional Use: As the young tender fruits and seeds are mucilaginous, they are often used in cookery to thicken soups, sauces, and stews. The seeds are used as substitute for coffee. The mucilage is considered to have an aphrodisiac effect.

Phytochemicals: ARACHIDIC ACID, ASH, CALCIUM OXALATE, FAT, LINOLEIC ACID, MAGNESIUM OXIDE, MUCILAGE, NITROGEN, OLEIC ACID, PALMITIC ACID, PECTIN, P2O5, STARCH, STEARIC ACID, VITAMIN C.

Other Properties/Actions: Stimulant, tonic, diuretic, carminative, anti-spasmodic.

Plant Description: A coarse, erect, branched, annual herb with orbicular leaves coarsely toothed and petioles equal to or longer than the leaves. Flower are axillary, solitary; calyx hairy and corolla large, yellow, deep purple at the base inside. Capsule is 10-20 cm long, narrowly oblong.

Other aphrodisiac vegetables:
  1. Ampalaya (Momordica charantia Linn)
  2. Carrot (Daucus carota Linn
  3. Batau or Batao (Dolichos lablab Linn)
  4. Labong or Bamboo Shoot (Bambusa spinosa Roxb)
*Philippine Herbs to Increase Sexual Vitality, Rotor AV, Ontengco D deC, and RM Del Rosario, 2000; acknowledgment, Okra photo, encyclopedia Internet

Have you tried "jumping salad?"


Dr Abe V Rotor
 Living with Nature - School on Blog
Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid with Ms Melly C Tenorio

738 DZRB AM, 8 to 9 evening class Mon to Fri

This is a favorite dish of Ilocanos known as “jumping salad.” What is it really?
In Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (school-on-the-air) program last July 5, 2006 five callers phoned to give their answers. Except one who said he learned about this rare dish from a friend, the callers apparently Ilocanos, said they have actually tasted jumping salad.

This dish is prepared from newly caught small to medium shrimps from the estuaries and rivers, and while they are still very much alive are served right there and then with calamansi and salt, momentarily agitating the fated creatures.

Pronto! The shrimps, on removing the cover, frantically jump out of the plate, save the dazed one. You should be skillful in catching them from the table (and even on the floor) deftly picking them by the head, taking caution so as not to get hurt by their sharp rostrum. You can imagine the danger you face as the creature makes its last attempt to escape.

You must get a firm hold before putting the struggling creature into your mouth, tail first and quickly bite off the head, severing the sharp dagger in your hold. The creature wriggles in the cave of your mouth and you can actually feel its convulsion fading as it undergoes the initial process of digestion.

Being an Ilocano myself, eating jumping salad is an adventure and rarely do you experience having one nowadays, unless you are living near the sea, river or lake, or a good friend brings live shrimps to town in banana stalk container to keep them alive. Try it; it’s one for the Book of Guinness.

Living with Folk Wisdom, UST-AVR

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Proper Maintenance of Books - 12 Ways


Dr Abe V Rotor
Living with Nature - School on Blog
Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid with Ms Melly C Tenorio

738 DZRB AM, 8 to 9 evening class Mon to Fri

Books will always be a part of our lives and culture, even if we claim to be living in the electronic age.  We still uphold publication in print - hard copy.  In fact books will survive the electronics, they are indelible and will continue as living proof of history. Learned men and women will always cherish them in their study and lrisure.    
  

1. Keep books in enclosed shelves, arranged according to topic.

2. Be sure the title and author can be read easily.

3. Don't stack books too tight or loose.

4. Avoid making "dog ears"; use markers instead.  

5. Eating while reading predispose books to pest like cockroaches anmd rodents.

6. Keep books always free of dusts.  Wipe with dry cloth, vacuum regularly.

7. Return books to their proper places after use.

8. Don't expose books to direct sunlight and high humidity.

9. Refrain from lending books, unless its your job to do so.

10. When photocopying be careful not to damage the pages, or strain the book's binding.

11. Don't dispose old books; they can be made part of your collection, and archives.

12. Maximize the use of your books before they become outdated. 

NOTE: There are people who are allergic to books, physically that is. Free your bedroom from books.  Be sure your study room has a good ventilation.    

Maintenance of Clothes Cabinet - 12 Ways

Dr Abe V Rotor
Living with Nature - School on Blog
Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid with Ms Melly C Tenorio

738 DZRB AM, 8 to 9 evening class Mon to Fri

1. When was the last time you made a general cleaning of your cothes cabinet?

2. Dispose clothes you no longer need.  Keep them in a separate place from those you regularly wear.  Better still, donate them to calamity victims.

3. Never keep damp clothes, otherwise you predispose them to molds and pest like silverfish. 

4. Hang used clothes to dry before throwing them into the clothes baasket.

5. Never mix used (dirty) and clean clothes.

6. Don't overstack.  Close buttons. Fold clothes properly.

7. Hanger can damage and deform clothes. 

8. Clothes that need repair must be separated.  Avoid using them unless they have been fixed. 

9. Clean cabinet with mild detergent, desinfect, vacuum if  necessary. 


10. Check possible entry of insects, rodents and other vermin.  Lock for security reason.     

11. Don't use naphthalene, it is highly poisonous and it imparts an offensive chemical odor.

12. Rotate in wearing your clothes; plan and arrange them according to your need. Practice joint housekeeping when sharing the use of the cabinet. ~

Acknowledgement: Internet Photos

Monday, April 20, 2015

7 Rs in Waste Management

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, Monday to Friday

Relics of death, Former Saint Paul University Museum

Integrated and holistic management system.

1. Reduce - plan to limit potential waste

2. Replace with environment-friendly materials

3. Regulate depends on effective governance

4. Recycle - re-use in original or new form.

5. Replenish. “Pay back” what you get from nature.

6. Reserve for tomorrow, next generation, posterity.

7. Revere - reverence for life, respect creation.


Rolling Billboards - Cause of Accidents

Ban those Rolling billboards!
Dr Abe V Rotor

Living with Nature - School on Blog
Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid with Ms Melly C Tenorio

738 DZRB AM, 8 to 9 evening class Mon to Fri
Try driving without the rear view, however experienced you are as a driver. You are deprived of your hindsight. Those small mirrors have a different purpose. You can't judge distance with vehicles behind you. Anything you see as you drive simply vanishes quickly, and you are not aware of what happens after.

Did the drivers of these ad buses undergo special driving lessons? Imagine a bus completely wrapped up with advertisement - front, top, sides and rear! By the way, has the public been consulted and warned of the dangers of these rolling billboards?

Here are photos of rolling billboards plying Edsa and Commonwealth Avenue, QC.
Acknowledgement to all who sent the following photos,  Thank you for your concern on behalf of DOTC-LTO, MMDA, LGUs and other cocerned agencies.

 
Spreading horror and fear on the road. Warn the kids!
Three-dimensional visual effect at night of a rolling billboard. The product being advertised is incompatible with safe driving. Notice at the right a motorcycle with two riders without helmet.
Mouth watering advertisement arouses gustatory sense and disturbs driving concentration. The tasty crustacean has grown into monster size. And it may seem alive through illusion caused by mirage at high temperature and smoky condition, distracting drivers, motorcyclers, bikers, and pedestrians.

Red advertisement mimics or camouflages red signals on the road, as well as brake and tail lights of the bus and other vehicles. To get to reading view of the message, the tendency is for the driver behind to get dangerously near - and may crush on at sudden brake.
Who are the Good Guys? Never mind that. Just concentrate on your driving, and not think of the bad guys either. The space occupied by the letters SMDC blocks completely the rear glass window. "Ang cheap naman!" for a big company's advertisement

Sex and driving don't go together, like alcohol and driving. Note where the brake light is located. Coincidental? Whose hotline by the way? What has a sexy girl to do with motor oil? These indeed disturb driving concentration.
 
 Danger! Topsy turby vision disturbs concentration. Philippine symbol usurped. 
Two-way blind vision for the bus driver and passenger on one hand, and drivers and pedestrians behind the bus - all for "a piece of bread."      
Danger!  Concentric effect on vision may lead to miscalcution.
  

Blatant disregard to law and discipline - and dignity.

Sunday, April 19, 2015

Filipino Mythology: Is there really a "Kapre" (hairy monster)?

Dr Abe V Rotor

Living with Nature - School on Blog
Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid with Ms Melly C Tenorio

738 DZRB AM, 8 to 9 evening class Mon to Fri
Lesson: The supernatural kapre in Philippine mythology. Describe the kapre, his looks, habits and places he frequents. What is the counterpart of the kapre in your country? Where does he live? Is he diurnal or nocturnal? Or crepuscular (active during dusk)? Why is there a kapre or its equivalence in other places? In the first place, does he (believed to be male) really exist? What is his mission, if any?

Balete has overgrown a church ruin in Magsingal, Ilocos Sur, a favorite playground for kids.  Who says a kapre lives here?

Did you hear that?” I was startled by a mysterious moaning in the dark. I switched on the headlight.  

“What is it?” Cecille sleepily responded.  

“It’s a strange sound, like someone agonizing.” I said while straining my eyes on the sugarcane fields on both sides of the road.  

We had just parked along a newly opened road of the North Diversion somewhere in Tarlac that night. My wife and I were driving to Manila after a vacation in our hometown in Ilocos.  I was so tired driving, I pulled our Ford Escort to the grass lane for a brief rest, and switched off the engine.    

Then.  “Did you hear that?” Cecille shook me.  It was the same agonizing sound I heard earlier, and it was coming closer!

I switched on the headlight, and there stood at the opposite side of the road a tall figure the outline of the Colossus of Rhodes – black and hairy, so huge I could barely see his torso. 

Instinctively I started the engine and stepped on the gas.  Cecille moved close to me as the monster took another step toward us.  We escaped in the nick of time. 

Since then I became popular with children. “Tell us about the kapre!” And they would gather around clinging to one another. It reminded me of Lola Basiang, the story teller of folklores and legends.  

My story became known to my friends and officemates. It was the cause of a meeting suddenly losing its agenda to the kapre. Everyone had something to say about the mythical monster.  They talked about kapre living atop big old trees, along rivers and somewhere else. One related his experience while clearing the vines clinging around a large tree when suddenly he noticed blood dripping from above. He looked up.  Kapre!

Old folks say there are different kinds of kapre. There is even one taking over abandoned houses and empty buildings. There is kapre in empty playgrounds, farms and pastures. Kapre in gambling places, like the cockpit, kapre appearing suddenly in a group picture.

Since then we didn’t have to stay in office late. We had to finish our work early so we would not be taking the stairway that is seldom used, or hear typewriters clicking when everyone had already left.  We won’t be passing dark alleys on our way home. 

Children who heard the story of the kapre would stop playing at dusk.  The farmer looks at the leaves of acacia, and when they start drooping, starts walking for home. Everyone in the family must be home for supper.

Because of the kapre, trees are spared of the ruthless chain saw.  People passing through thickets politely whisper, “tabi tabi, po.”  Fishermen catch just enough fish for their family’s need. Harvest festivals are observed even if harvest is not good.               

Indeed there are different kinds of kapre. And they abound everywhere.  

When I was buying a new battery for my car and told the salesman how I encountered a kapre one dark night, he handed me a new brand of battery. “Sir, nakakasigurado kayo dito.”  (Sir, you are very safe with this battery.)~

           Kapre                                                      

He is a friend, he is an enemy;
the world is divided in two;
but who is friend, who is enemy,
when you talk about kapre?

He can be seen, to others unseen,
appears to one, not to another;
at daytime or in the evening;
it's his choice. Oh, brother!

He is kind, although scary;
seldom loved and feared by most,
lonely and misunderstood;
unlike any other ghost.

He watches children passing by 
prods them home before dark;
warns them not to tarry where
danger lurks, where dogs bark.

He watches fruits until they're ripe
and shoos away trespassers,
makes loggers sick from guilt,
keeps the menagerie from hunters

He sways in the trees and comes down
awhile to the young in company;
teaching them in discreet allegory
a unique children's story~

Giants Roam the Earth



Giants fascinate children most, and mothers do not run out of stories about the kapre or Jack and the Beanstalk or the giant squid that attacked Captain Nemo’s submarine in Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea to keep them at home or eat their vegetables.
Dr Abe V Rotor 
Living with Nature - School on Blog
Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid with Ms Melly C Tenorio

738 DZRB AM, 8 to 9 evening class Mon to Fri

Bigfoot (Internet)

Giants to the young mind are living creatures bigger than life, and they possess supernatural powers that they unleash either for good or evil.

There are friendly giants, ugly giants, sleeping giants, giants of the deep, and so on.

They are aggressive or passive, visible or invisible, loved or feared and hated. It is the enigma about them that heightens their stories, and in fact the stories themselves make them real giants.Here are popular giants from books and stories, which are often featured in comics, cartoons, movies, and TV programs:

·         Cyclops, Hydraet al.  Greek mythology would not be as exciting if there were no giants. Giants made Hercules a legendary hero. Imagine the giants he fought - the, among others, during his ten years of wandering.

·         Minotaur - half man, half bull - whom Theseus killed in order to liberate the monster's hostages.

·         Nessie in Loch Ness (Scotland) is believed to be a prehistoric reptile. It continues to attract tourists, even after a century after someone took a photo of the monsters on the murky water.

·         Gulliver by Jonathan Swift. was a giant in the land of  Lilliput, but in the second episode in, he was a dwarf  in Brobdingnad, land of the giants.

·         Angalo and Aran, giant couple, Ilocano mythology, so huge  Angalo made the seas, rivers, lakes, mountains and plains singlehandedly.

·         Bigfoot  is believed to be a huge hairy creature roaming the forests of North America. It is projected as a prehistoric man with beast like characteristics.


·         Abominable Snowman or Yeti (photo) has been sighted on a number of occasions by residents on the snowy slopes of the Himalayas.

·         King Kong the ape monster that crushed cares and leveled buildings.

·         How big was Goliath in the bible that the boy hero, David slew?

·         Bernardo Carpio, friendly giant in Philippine legends believed to have created mountain pass and valleys. 

·         Jake and Beanstalk is favorite bedtime story is. I wonder how the story can lull children to sleep - especially when the giant comes crushing down to earth!

·         Honey I Shrunk the Kids and its opposite - Honey I Blew Up the Baby became cinema's box office attractions.

  

Giants parade on the streets in Mardi Gras in Brazil, Philippine Fiestas, like Pahiyas in Laguna, and in Lenten season.


Pahiyas, Lucban Laguna