Reflection by the Fountain

Reflection by the Fountain

Dr Abe V Rotor

The Royal and Pontifical University of Santo Tomas, Manila,

on its quadri-centennial celebration (1611-2011)

It's a clear day, any ordinary day,

it's a Monday or a Friday;

it's time for writing, reading,

memorizing or just dreaming.

It's a place to be under the sun,

to catch the breeze before it's gone;

it's a birthplace of heroes, martyrs,

a place of laughter and tears.

It's time of the young in their hour,

like fruit and seed in their flower;

the old are done with their prime,

the essence of life and time.

And I, I see again myself here

as I had seen year after year,

on this mirror that turns pain

into a great, glorious fountain. ~

Building sandcastles, building dreams

"Build sandcastles, while in tender years;

        grownups who did, live up in good cheers." avr

Dr Abe V Rotor

Living with Nature School on Blog

 Building Sandcastles on Morong Beach, Bataan

Build sandcastles, they bring back the past,

when you were young and never ceased to ask;

Build sandcastles, they make dreams come true,

on a flying magic carpet’s view;

Build sandcastles and copy the cloud,

faces of creatures behind the shroud;

Build sandcastles and meet the Martians,

the Aztecs, the cowboys and Indians.

Build sandcastles, poet Milton long aimed:

Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained;

Build sandcastles along the river,

playground of Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer;

Build sandcastles, and meet Peter Pan,

Casper, Nemo, in the world of fun;

Build sandcastles and hunt for treasure

at the Pyramids, the Aegean shore;

Build sandcastles for pleasure and pain

in Great Expectations by Mark Twain;

Build sandcastles, indestructible to doom,

big enough for victims in their dome.

Build sandcastles for today's modern toy,

with skills to invent, not to destroy.

Build sandcastles as tall as the Eiffel,

'til the sun sets and the winds chill;

Build sandcastles, while in tender years;

grownups who did, live up in good cheers;

Build sandcastles and reach out to sea,

to the unknown and risk to be free;

Build sandcastles, fairy tale or true,

for life is but a passing review. ~

Humor and wit take away cares and worries

Humor and wit take away cares and worries 
Dr Abe V Rotor 

Living with Nature School on Blog 

Light moments, Amadeo, Cavite, author and graduate students of UST

1. A judge in sentencing a criminal recently said, "I am giving you the maximum punishment - I am letting you go free to worry about taxes, inflation, and everything else, just like the rest of us."

2. In prehistoric times, cavemen had a custom of beating the ground with clubs and uttering spine-chilling cries. Anthropologists call this a form of primitive self-expression. When modern men go through the same ritual, they call it golf.

3. Not so long three lunatics escaped from a large asylum. Search officers combed the surrounding countryside for twenty-four hours, and they finally brought in five.

4. When the Creator gave out brains, I thought he said trains - and I missed mine! When He gave out good looks, I thought he said books - and I didn't want any! And when He said noses, I thought he said roses - and I ordered a big red one.

5. A young woman boarded a crowded bus. A tired little man got up and gave her his seat. There was a moment of silence. "I beg your pardon?" said the tired man. "I didn't say anything," replied the young woman. "I'm sorry," said the man. "I thought you said 'Thank you.'"

6. A grade-school student was having trouble with punctuation. "Never mind, sonny," said the visiting school board president, consolingly. "It's foolish to bother about commas; they don't amount too much, anyway." "Elizabeth Ann," said the teacher, "please write this sentence on the board: "The president of the board says the teacher is misinformed." "Now," she continued, "put a comma after the board and another after teacher."

7. An American engineer returned recently from a mission to the Soviet Union. The Russians, he reported, were fascinated by the Americans' use of the expression OK. " But what is this Okie-Dokie? one Russian asked him. Before he could answer, another Russian interrupted with, "Don't be a dope. It's the feminine of OK.

8. It often happens that I wake at night and begin to think about a serious problem and decide I must tell the Pope about it. Then I wake up completely and remember that I am the Pope. (Pope John Paul XXIII)

9. Here's a story about smart kids. "I wonder why people say Amen and not Awomen?" Bobby questioned. His little friend replied, "Because they sing hymns and not hers, silly."

10. Here's a story for the political candidate for the coming election. Voter: "Why, I wouldn't vote for you if you were Saint Peter himself." Candidate: 'if I were Saint Peter, you couldn't vote for me - you wouldn't be in my district."

11. Motorist: "Your honor, I was not drunk.  I was only drinking." 
      Judge: "Well, in that case I an not going to send you to jail for one month - only for 30 days." 

12. A fellow in a lunatic asylum sat fishing over a flower bed.  A visiting doctor, wishing to be friendly asked.
"How many have you caught?"
Answered the not-so-dumb fisherman, "You are the ninth."

13. The many faces of Peace
Peace is often mispronounced and a butt of jokes: fish, feast, piss, fish be with you, phase 1- phase 2, piece of paper, may you rest in peace (good sleep). – (Fr. Jerry Orbos, June 11, 2006)

14. Count
What comes after five? Six, po. 7? Eight, po. Who taught you how to count? My father, po.  What comes next after ten? Jack, po. (Fr. Jerry Orbos, June 11, 2006)

15. Just to show you
A wife was frying eggs for her husband’s breakfast. Suddenly her husband burst into the kitchen, “Careful…
CAREFUL! Put in some more butter! Oh my GOD! You’re cooking too many at once. TOO MANY! Turn them! TURN THEM NOW! We need more butter. Oh my GOD! WHERE are we going to get MORE BUTTER? They’re going to STICK! Careful… CAREFUL! I said be CAREFUK! You NEVER listen to me when you’re cooking! Never! Don’t forget to salt them. Use the salt. USE THE SALT! THE SALT!”

The wife stared at him. “What the hell is wrong with you? You think I don’t know how to fry eggs?”

The husband calmly replied, “I wanted to show you how it feels like to have you sitting next to me when I’m driving.

Acknowledgment: Jokes, Quotes and One-Liners for Public Speakers by Prochnow H V and HV Prochnow Jr; Speaker's Encyclopedia of Humor by Jacob Braude, Prentice-Hall

Who are the Privileged?

Dr Abe V Rotor

 

Do you still have time for leisure? Details of mural by AVR

The privileged today, according to Ivan Illich, a social thinker, are not those who consume most but those who can escape the negative byproducts of industrialization - people who can commute outside the rush hour, be born or die at home, cure themselves when ill, breathe fresh air and build their own dwellings.

The underprivileged are those who are forced to seek satisfaction through having instead of doing to consume with the "packaged goods and services designed and prescribed by professionals."

... people must arm themselves with the self-confidence and the means to run their own lives as far as possible, especially as big institutions like schooling, medical care and transport today are creating more problems than they solve.

Acknowledgment: Ecology for Beginners, Croall S and W Rankin, Pantheon Books

Father and Son and a Carabao

 Father and Son and a Carabao
Dr Abe V Rotor
Living with Nature School on Blog

Once upon a time there lived a father and son who had a carabao. One day they decided to sell the carabao, so they set off to the town market. 

A pair of Philippine buffalo (carabao) beating down summer heat on a stream in Agoo, La Union.

As they were passing by a group of men idly conversing, someone said “Ay, ang tanga naman yon mag-ama. Naghihirap pa sila, pwede maman silang sumakay sa kalabaw.” (How stupid these two are – they would rather walk than ride on the water buffalo.) 

On hearing this, both father and son jumped onto the back of the carabao and continued their journey.

No sooner did they pass another group of people walking down the road. On seeing both father and son atop the carabao, one commented, “Kawawa naman ang kalabaw.” (Take pity on the poor beast.) 

On hearing this, the son alighted leaving his father riding while he walked along. They continued on.

Not far away they passed by a shop where a group of young men were playing wooden pool, a local version of billiards. “Ay, hindi lang maawa sa bata yong matanda, pinaglalakad pa.” (Referring to the father riding, while the son was walking.) 

On hearing this, the two exchanged places, this time the son rode while the father walked along.

As they got nearer to their destination, they passed another group idly drinking tuba, young coconut wine. One had taken one sip too many, and with a characteristic slur commented, “Kawawa naman yon matanda, walang hiyang anak.” (Take pity on the old man walking, shame to his son.”

On hearing this, father and son scratched their heads, bewildered. “Ano kaya ang gagawin natin?” (What shall we do?)

What option is left for them to do? If you were in their shoes, what would you do? j

Jokingly someone said, Carry the carabao.

Note: So father and son took the carabao back home. Lesson?

Vitamins that add zest to sex life

There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved. – George Sand, 1862
Dr Abe V Rotor
Living with Nature - School on Blog

Lesson: A healthy and fulfilling sex life can be enhanced by vitamins that are naturally occurring in many foods. Here is a guide in knowing what these foods are so that they can be given importance in our diets.


Papait from the chyme of ruminant animals is added to kilawin (medium rare) or made into soup is extremely healthful and rich in aphrodisiac properties. Soup Number 5, anyone?

Ukoy made of kalabasa (squash), shrimp, egg, and flour as binder, is among the recommended recipes.
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Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are. – Anthelme Brillat Savarin, 1825
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What we eat greatly affect our energy and behavior, thus people who eat proper food with the needed vitamins and minerals are more active, and they generally lead happier lives. They have lesser problems with health and sex. A healthy body has the energy and positive disposition to a zestful sex life. Let us examine what these vitamins are and what specific role they play in enhancing a healthy love life.
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“If we use sex unwisely, we may develop emotional and psychological problems, disease or, what can be worse, we can become addicted to it in such a way that all other aspects of our lives – work, exercise, rest, recreation, creativity, relationships, family life – become distorted and out of balance.” Dr. Bernard Jensen
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Vitamin A – This vitamin helps in the production of sex hormones, and fights inflammation and infection of tissues. Acute deficiency may lead to atrophy of the testes and ovaries. Soft skin and healthy look may be attributed to a good supply of Vitamin A which comes from carrot, lettuce, broccoli and other crucifers, yellow fruits and green leafy vegetables.

Vitamin B Family – This vitamin complex may be derived from unpolished rice, whole grains, nuts and seeds. Milk principally gives riboflavin, a type of Vitamin B2. Its deficiency may lead to the development of arthritis.

Niacin or Vitamin B3, on the other hand, is derived from asparagus, mungo sprouts, lean meat and fish. This vitamin improves memory, and together with Vitamin A and minerals, gives the flush and glow in the person. Its deficiency may result in skin eruptions and pellagra.
There is pyridoxine, which is vital to the functioning of our brain and nerves. Pyridoxine deficiency is manifested by a general feeling of weakness, neuritis, insomnia, irritability, and anemia. These lead to loss of sex appetite and failure of experiencing sex orgasm.

Most of the Vitamin B rich foods contain pyridoxine and pantothenic acid. Pantothenic acid is classified as Vitamin B. It is needed in the production of body energy. Choline, which is allied to Vitamin B, enhances sexual arousal and performance. Choline is an ingredient of lecithin, a rejuvenator. Lecithin also contains inositol. Inositol, panthothenic acid, and para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) constitute what is termed as “youth vitamin.” Sources of this vitamin other than those mentioned are eggs, crucifers like cabbage, liver, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds like sesame. These also provide another Vitamin B member, biotin, the lack of which could lead to depression.
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Alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine are mood-altering drugs that interfere with normal sexual functioning with long tern use. Unbalanced diet, stress and constipation have similar negative effect.
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Another form of Vitamin B is Folic acid, the synthetic form of the B vitamin folate which helps eliminate homocysteine from the blood, an amino acid linked to arterial disease and heart attack. It is also essential in embryonic development and early growth. That is why folic acid is added to milk and foods as protection against birth and childhood defects. People who eat a lot of dark leafy vegetables, carrots, beans, asparagus, and whole grain, need not worry about folic acid deficiency.

Vitamin B6, which is derived from ginger and certain vegetables, brings relief to the so-called carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), which is a painful and irritating condition developed by long hours at the keyboard. Carpal tunnel syndrome is characterized by swollen tendons that move the fingers. Other than this remedy, proper posture and work habits must be followed. Ginger as anti-inflammatory properties, aside from its value in toning the cardiovascular system and reducing platelet aggregation, thus helping in protecting heart attacks and strokes.

The most complex of all vitamins is Vitamin B12 or cobalamine. It is important in the synthesis of nucleic acid and myelin, the covering of nerves. Vitamin B12 was discovered in papait, derived from the chyme of ruminant animals. The chyme is heated and pasteurized (heated below boiling point for a few minutes and filtered.) It is then mixed with kilawin (medium rare meat of goat, ot beef). This preparation is effective against tuberculosis and anemia. Vegetarians are at risk for its deficiency, especially among children, which may result in pernicious anemia characterized by symptoms of weakness, apathy, lightheadedness, shortness of breath, numbness of extremities, and loss of balance. Among older people acute Vitamin B12 deficiency may lead to loss of memory and disorientation.

Other food sources of this vitamin are fish and poultry, seaweeds like gamet (Porphyra), arusip (Caulerpa) and gulaman (Gracillaria). Chlorella, a green alga and Spirulina, a blue green alga, contain high Vitamin B 12.

Lack of Vitamin B12 is manifested by fatigue, irritability, paleness, muscle jerking, and mild mental problems, all of which can greatly adverse sexual life.
Anger and jealousy produce nerve acids that upset blood chemistry, leading to a dull sex life.

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Prolonged lack of this vitamin may lead to scurvy. Poor sex is attributed to its deficiency. Its role is in the absorption of iron. Iron aids in oxygenation of the blood. A well-oxygenated blood is efficient is carrying oxygen, hormones and nutrients to the organs and tissues of the body. How do we know is we lack this vitamin? It is manifested by the bleeding of gums, poor digestion, slow healing of wounds, frequent colds and infections, shortness of breath.

Mango, avocado, citrus, tomato, guava and strawberry are among the rich sources of Vitamin C. Doctors recommend a daily intake of 1000 milligrams although some people go as high as 2000 milligrams when exposed to toxins, infection and chronic illness. Taking Vitamin C is a practical way of preventing colds, and some people take it with two cloves (not heads) of raw garlic once they start feeling cold symptoms.

Vitamin D – Although there is no known direct effect on sex, the lack of this vitamin which is actually a hormone complex known as sterols, adversely affects calcium-phosphorus balance and metabolism. Bone deformity in children and osteoporosis are the chief manifestations of its deficiency. Regular outdoor exercise and sunlight exposure, and taking in of calcium-phosphorus rich foods protect us from deficiency disorders. Calcium supplement, mainly in milk, becomes a necessary part of the diet of older people.

Raw (kilawin) or cooked in tamales, many kinds small fish - freshwater and marine - have aphrodisiac properties.

Good health is the key to sexual vitality

It is important to keep always in mind that good health is the key to sexual vitality
Dr Abe V Rotor
Fresh eggs, whole wheat bread, brewed coffee (not decaffeinated) for breakfast - add a fruit or two, orange, pineapple or mango - make a wholesome breakfast. 

Aside from slowing down the aging process, Vitamin E adds zest to sex life. It prevents the oxidation of fatty acids which are important in the production of sex hormones. It is found in most of the vitamin-rich foods, but some people may still need Vitamin E supplement often marked tocopherols (Greek: to bring childbirth). Among the top Vitamin E rich foods are sweet potato (kamote), spinach or amaranth, squash and coconut oil. 

Another vitamin is Vitamin F, which is needed by the thyroid, adrenal and prostate glands. It promotes calcium absorption, buffers cholesterol, helps keep our hair and skin look healthy. Most of the vitamin-rich foods provide us with adequate Vitamin F. (Essential fatty acids (EFA's) are sometimes referred to as Vitamin F. It refers to omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Omega-6 essential fatty acid is found in raw nuts, seeds, legumes, while omega-3 essential fatty acid is found in fish.)

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Is it not strange that desire should so many years outlive performance? – William Shakespeare. 1532
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It is important to keep always in mind that good health is the key to sexual vitality. Although it is highly recommended that we eat a lot of vegetables and fruits, it does not mean that the more we take them the more we are benefited by their nutrients and herbal values.

First, it is wise to think of certain herbs of their specific significance and the kind of illness we may be treating. There are herbs that are actually dilute forms of natural drugs, and not foods and dietary supplements. 

Second is that anything taken in excess is bad. It is but proper to take these herbs with moderation, and better still, with proper consultation. 

And third, avoid smoking. Smoking reduces life span to as much as 20 per cent, not considering the predisposition to smoking-related illnesses, principally lung cancer and heart attack, which may cut short a good life even before reaching middle age. 

Drugs, nicotine, caffeine, alcohol and menthol are known to deaden the nerves in the long run. Medical reports point to them as culprits to many kinds of potency problems both in men and women.

It is also important to consider that we have to maximize the vitamins present in the food we eat. We must remember that heat destroys vitamins and other nutrients, for which reason, vegetables must not be overcooked. 

It is also well to know that alcohol, nicotine, drugs and coffee prevent the absorption of nutrients principally vitamins and minerals. This may develop in to a kind of malnutrition that may be taken for granted. Thus, people who abuse themselves with these substances suffer poor health and generally lead sedentary lives. 

It is also good to remember that even if we get the proper kind and amount of food, we must complement it with regular exercise and good rest, a positive disposition notwithstanding. 

And lastly, both physical and mental well-being is important to healthy sex. Many experts say that the greatest aphrodisiac is the human mind. ~
Sources of Vitramin E
“All mankind love a lover” - Ralph Waldo Emerson, Essays

10 Verses: Seeing the Child in Us Today

                                         10 Verses:

"We see the child of yesterday

through a window today." avr

Dr Abe V. Rotor

Living with Nature - School on Blog

1. How can the sun reach the hadal depth,

Where the world is cold, where love is dearth?

Hasn't someone a bit of sun long kept?

2. Beauty seen once may break many hearts,
That heal soon enough as the image departs.

3. Come, come and save the hearth.
A tenth of our brain is all we use
In a lifetime – the rest we save;
Yet spurs us to reach the stars,
Or drives us fast to our grave.

4. A vessel holds water to the brim,
Unless it bears a crack at its rim;
As men wish power in their dream
Even if they have lost their steam.

Baby Mackie at home

5. Brick wall, brick roof, brick stair,
Glisten in the rain, dull in the summer air.

6. Archetypes feed the memory
As the past is here to stay.
We see the child of yesterday
Through a window today.

7. Ephemeral and fleeting are the days of our lives,
When we do not watch the sun set and rise.

8. Convenience is like wings
Gliding on the wind’s will.
It is also not taking off
Until the wind is still.

9. From respite in summer fallow
The fields start a season anew.

10. He finds reason for living
Who sees a new beginning.~

Unusual Fruits in the Philippines

Unusual Fruits in the Philippines 
Rare are fruits that fail the palate,

To be in the market or on the plate,
Away from man their seeds are sown
To grow unsung and unknown. ~  avr

Dr Abe V Rotor

1. Macopa (Eugenia jambalana) picked and directly eaten

when it reaches fullest size, dark red and shiny.

2. Tiesa (Lucoma nervosa) is directly eaten when fully ripe.
It makes excellent ice cream or ice drop. Try tiesa cake, too.

3. Fruit of mabolo (Diospyrus). Kamagong, claimed the 
hardest wood in the world comes from this tree.

4. Karamay is eaten fresh or pickled. It comes from
a small tree that grows in the Ilocos region.

5. Marang has the taste of nangka and durian combined.
All three belong to Family Moraceae

6. Sapote has a rich taste but seldom liked. It is among the

endangered native fruits of the Philippines.

7. Cherimoya is grown in tropical regions throughout the world. Mark Twain called the cherimoya "the most delicious fruit known to men". The creamy texture of the flesh gives the fruit its secondary name, custard apple.

8. Dragon fruit.  Pitaya or pitahaya is the fruit of several cactus species indigenous to the Americas. Pitaya usually refers to fruit of the genus Stenocereus, while pitahaya or dragon fruit refers to fruit of the genus Hylocereus. ~

Acknowledgement with thanks: Internet photos (7 and 8)

Enigma of the Animal World

Dr. Abe V Rotor

Lecture on Zoology

 Orangutan (right)

Who came first, with mind closed and eyes blind,

We know who emerged at the dawn

of knowledge and consciousness, leaving behind

an ancestor long humans disown. 

Tukak Ba-ug (puffer frog)

Bellied frog, all but air resounding,

booming, and croaking;

Threatened, it lodges between rocks,

or floats dead feigning.   

Mouse deer

With the likes of the man from Transylvania transformed,
This creature maligned, two kinds combined and deformed.  

Barn Owl

This owl is dead, it's just a specimen,

 so with the wisdom in it and in men. 

Fruit bat

It's a fruit bat clumsy with its load, 

that drops on a roof at night,

scaring children in their bed believing

in a vampire with utmost fright

Sea urchin, spines hang for wind chime

Do you also play the tune in the deep
to wake the mermaids in their sleep? 

 Arupama, biggest freshwater fish

 A giant you are in the Amazon River

Famed of beauty more than terror;

If I were to believe in your being gentle

where have been your friends before?  

 Water iguana

Harmless though frightening you are,  

from the wild now behind bar;

Ugly and ancient people see you  

in their mind millions of years ago. 
 

Starting termite mound, architecture of a house sparrow's nest.

 Aestivating toad; snap turtle hatchlings

 A pair of yellow luna moth. SPU-QC.

 Black dots on their wings like eyes,

would-be predators are surprised.

  Red heart pigeons; red parrots.  Photos by the author

Your heart is bleeding I can see it through,

Need not tell you your love is true;

unreciprocated, you are in sorrow,

'til you met your kind - a happy duo    

 Kapis shell from which a province is named - Capiz.

 Lanky tree frog (atop a shower head) 
watching me took a shower one summer day 
in a retreat center in Lipa City;
Where have you been hiding these years? 
Here is retreat center, indeed, 

 White heron are migratory, arriving in time of rice planting

 Janitor fish comb the pond's bottom for algae and detritus. 
Author's residence in QC

Queen termite, with king (top) surrounded by members of the colony - 
soldiers (big head) and workers. Berkshire swine breed. (Note characteristic white band.)

Giant blue starfish pick on the coral reef of Calatagan, Batangas.

Spiny puffer fish. 

Black birds (martines) nesting on tree fern atop an acacia; 
photo taken by author's son Marlo with a 200mm telephoto lens. ~