Children's Art: "The greatest masterpiece and the greatest story ever told."

Children's Art: 

"The greatest masterpiece and the greatest story ever told."

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up” – Pablo Picasso

Dr Abe V Rotor

LIVING with NATURE CENTER

San Vicente, Ilocos Sur

Let the wind blow, the grass grow, the mist settle down;

guide a child, brush and colors in her hand, reign

over a beautiful realm we grownups have given up long ago,

never to return, yet yearning, to be children again;

We pass this way but once - and again through our genes,

in tender hands and heart, we've lived not in vain.

 

“There are painters who transform the sun into a yellow spot, but there are others who, thanks to their art and intelligence, transform a yellow spot into the sun.” – Pablo Picasso

 

“Why do you try to understand art? Do you try to understand the song of a bird?” – Pablo Picasso

 

I watched a child paint the floor of our house.

I gave her all the things she needed,

then left to attend the chores of the day.

What had she done in my absence?

I almost forgot all about the whole thing.

That always happens to a busy person.

I returned, apologetic. She didn't say a word.

She was still busy painting without respite.

I studied her paintings on the floor.

Suddenly I felt I was talking to myself.

Me, an artist of many movements:

realism, romanticism, to postmodern.

And she, the artist of peace and harmony,

naturalness and simplicity.

Here's the greatest masterpiece of the world.

and the greatest story ever told. ~

“No great artist ever sees things as they really are. If he did he would cease to be an artist” – Oscar Wilde

Evolving Art (ad infinitum)

                                                             Evolving Art 

(ad infinitum) 

Art works and verses by Dr Abe V Rotor 

Splash Painting

Who needs brush and canvas?

Only colors, if you must.

On the floor, just splash, splash,

to create stained glass! 

Noah's Black Dove 

I found a fossil entombed,

   of a story in driftwood. 

  

Duck Head  Figurine

 

Once hunted on water and in air,

now figurine, a grim reminder.   

 

Broken Jar  Alive

A lease for life indeed

through art we bid;

talent put to the test

at its very best.

 

Driftwood trophy

Why gold or silver a trophy:

why not remnant of a tree,

 shells forgotten and empty,

to wake us up to reality?

 

 

Driftwood Table Decor

Wasteland in the hall,

  a dreaded scene,

   aftermath of the Fall, 

of man's first Sin. ~

Halloween - celebration with the dead, ghosts and spirits, in 5 Articles

Halloween - celebration with the dead, ghosts, and spirits

Dr Abe V Rotor

Living with Nature School on Blog

"Good and evil for once their boundary open,

     so with that of heaven and hell we implore;

take the backseat apostasy, paganism alive!

     make haste, before Hades closes the door."  - avr

Part 1 - Dialogue with the Dead

Part 2 - Dead Tree Walking

Part 3 - We are Living in Parallel Worlds 

Part 4 - Halloween Moon: Anatomy of a Dream

Part 5 - Bangongot! Sleep Paralysis

Part 1 - Dialogue with the Dead

   The evil spirit comes for a visit. 

   

Merging of the real and imaginary. 

   

Dialogue with the dead. 

Remember our dead beloved, the unsung, unknown;

     catch up with time for our failed expression,

prayers unsaid, love denied,  gesture unrequited -

     day of the souls to amend our infraction.    

Transported to the land of the dead. 

 Treat or threat.

   Whose party? Where have all the people gone?

 

 

            Masks or real faces?

   Faces, faces, young and old,

  fair and coy and bold;

masks, masks, masks we are told,

sans feeling, and cold. 

    

The dead takes center stage. 

Come let's visit Dante's Inferno, and Milton's world,*

     call on Frankenstein,** his monstrous creation;

travel to Transylvania, track the undead Dracula;   

     join the dead, their ghosts in celebration. 

Good and evil for once their boundary open,

     so with that of heaven and hell we implore;

take the backseat apostasy, paganism alive!

     make haste, before Hades closes the door.   

* Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained, epic by John Milton
** Frankenstein, novel by Mary Shelley

                    Part 2 - Halloween: Dead Tree Walking

"I came from Paradise lost;

would you walk with me?"

Limb of a dead tree resembling a headless human figure

I am the ghost that walks from a forest before;

I am the conscience of man sleeping in its core.

I am the memory from the distant past; 

lost among the throng, living in the dust. 

I came from Paradise lost, orphaned by the first sin; 

the hands that cared for me can't now be seen. 

I long for a heaven, too, a gift of being good and true, 

but if heaven is only for man then I did serve him through. 

But I am a ghost now. Would man join me for a walk 

to tell the world the story of a once mighty oak? ~

               Part 3 -  We are Living in Parallel Worlds 

Can a person simultaneously exist in two - or more - separate places 

or occasions? 

Dr Abe V Rotor 

"Sir, I saw you at the Cultural Center yesterday," Ellen greeted me that Monday. "You were in barong talking with guests during the cocktail."  

Honestly I wasn't.  I wasn't even aware of the occasion. Politely I replied, "It must have been another person."

"Kayo po, sir.  Sigurandong sigurado ako." (It was you, sir. I am very sure.)

Ellen has known me for  twelve years as a professor, she was secretary to the college president at SPQU. 

Well, the matter just died naturally.  Such friendly gesture strengthens camaraderie, and builds quaintness in the workplace.   

So you think you saw a friend walking. In the church a devotee has a familiar profile. You call the name of someone in the crowd. He doesn't respond.  You think he snubbed you. You say that's my former teacher in high school. My classmate in college.

There is something that tells you about a particular person.  He becomes an instant acquaintance. Or it may turn out to be the opposite.  Then you start trying to remember where both of you must have met before. You can't recall. Then in your respite you suddenly remember. But now, doubt shrouds your memory.  Strange. 

Or it could be unmistakably a true experience, yet leaves you  doubting at the end.

One time when I was in high school I saw my dad praying in our church.  It was an ordinary morning and it was a custom to pay a visit even only for a short prayer, instead of just passing by. Dad was in deep prayer. He was near the altar. I left him and walked home.

I was surprised to see him meet me at our gate. I was dumbfounded.  

"Were you in church, dad?" 

"No, I'm on my way, son." He looked back and added, "Don't forget to feed the chickens."

Is it possible that a person may exist in two - or more - separate places or occasions at the same time?

Who was the person Ellen saw was me?   Who was the person whom I believed was my dad in the church that morning?  ~

Part 4 -   Halloween Moon:  Anatomy of a Dream 

Through dreams the loaded unconscious finds relief. Information flows out in the form of dreams. Nature has given us a safety valve to maintain our rationality and to release us from the prison walls of memory. 

Midnight Moon, Himlayang Filipino 2009

Dr Abe V Rotor

Living with Nature - School on Blog

In the dark I called Dad and Basang (Auntie) but I received no answer.

This is a true story.

I went to bed very tired. For the whole day before my birthday I put on extra effort to finalize the manuscript of my forthcoming book which I was going to submit the following Monday. The title is Light from the Old Arch, a compilation of essays I wrote through the years.

It was almost midnight when Cecille, my wife, stirred. “I’ll check what we will have for breakfast.” she said as I stretched my aching back and tired brain and apparently fell asleep.

Soon I found myself in complete darkness. I could not trace my way to switch on the lights and after several attempts, an inexplicable fear crept in, a fear I have never experienced. I was in a strange domain yet it had the features of my home. There was total darkness, total silence.

I called for help. I called Dad. I called Basang. 

My father died in 1981 of old age. He was buried at Himlayang Pilipino. Two years after, my oldest son, Pao who was then three died, and was buried beside dad's grave.

Dad was deeply affected by my Mama’s death during the Second World War. My sister Veny was four then, and my brother Eugene was three. Dad suffered much during the four years of Japanese occupation. We continued to live in San Vicente which is adjacent to Vigan, the capital of Ilocos Sur. The three of us children knew little of the joys of childhood. Our only uncle left to raise his own family in Pangasinan. He seldom came to our old house where he, my dad, and four siblings were born. Uncle Leo was the eldest and dad was the youngest. The rest of the siblings died at a very early age of smallpox which killed many people at that time.

Basang my auntie and nanny took care of me from the time my mother died. I was barely two. She never left our home even when I went to Manila for my studies. She died three years after dad. Manang Veny called me to come home when Basang died. We buried her in the town cemetery close to our departed relatives. Just before she died she gave me an antique narra aparador which I now use in keeping my personal things. In our dialect, she said, “This is the only thing I can give you.”

“You have given me everything,” I said.

Going back to the incident, I called dad three times, then called Basang once. It was a call apparently in fear. I felt helpless and lost. I froze. I could not move. I could not shout. And when I knew no help would come, I struggled. I succeeded in moving my fingers, my toes, until I was free.

Cecille had returned to our bedroom. “Why, you are pale and perspiring? What happened?" she asked, perplexed. She fetched me a glass of water.

“Was I shouting?” I asked automatically. “No,” she said calmly.

“I was dreaming,” I said and told her the whole story.

Dreams are visions of the unconscious part of our brain. That is why they occur in our sleep, when we are not aware of things the way we perceive them with our senses. Dreams are not fashioned by rational thoughts and actions, and therefore we have no power to decide and to act according to that decision. We are entirely under the control of our unconscious mind.

“Even when we are deeply asleep the psyche is still actively producing dreams,” says Carl Jung. “We may not always be aware of these activities, any more than we are aware of our physiological activities, but this does not mean they are not taking place.”

According to Jung we remember only a few of our dreams, yet recent evidences suggest that we dream continuously throughout the night. There in our unconscious mind our psyche is very much alive, performing psychological work such as perceiving, remembering, thinking, feeling, wishing, willing, attending and striving – just as breathing, digesting and perspiring are physiological activities.

But can we choose psychic values? According to Jung, when a high value is placed upon an idea or feeling it means that this idea or feeling exerts considerable force in influencing and directing one’s behavior. A person may place a high value on beauty. Another on power. Or knowledge. On the other hand, there are those who place a high value on wealth, even on sex and vices. These create the themes of our dreams.

This is the realm of our unconscious mind. This is where Carl Jung parted way from his friend Sigmund Freud as he blazed the trail of the psychology of the unconscious, which led to applied psychology - psychiatry. We are governed not only by our conscious mind. We are actually governed in a much deeper and wider sense than we ever think. As we feed the unconscious with conscious thoughts and experiences, so the unconscious feeds the conscious mind. And this cycle goes on throughout everyone’s life, starting in the womb.

Even when we were children, the mind did not lose the information it received. They were deposited. First in the conscious, then deposited in the unconscious part of our brain, which are saved like in the computer. Now, the information is ready at hand to be retrieved. Touch the key and the info comes out on the screen – the screen of our consciousness.

How will this affect our present mind now that we are older? Jung said that the previous information serves as archetype. To better understand how this archetype works in relation to what we think at present, here is an example.

Suppose here is a person who happened to be a witness of a murder with his own eyes when he was still a small child. When he sees a suspicious person, the image of the murderer he saw many years ago flashes. It is the archetype coming alive.

Or take another example. A kindly gentleman comes and asks for a favor. We size him up in relation to people who have the characteristics this man possesses. If our experiences are agreeable, it is likely that we are going to entertain this person.

The images of people, places and events are fashioned in many ways by archetypes. Unlike the computer, the mind spontaneously brings out the archetype that the brain appropriately needs at that moment. This is the basis of many of our decisions – and prejudices.

Through dreams the loaded unconscious finds relief. Information flows out in the form of dreams. Dreams may be happy or sad, fearful or pleasant. Or at intervals of moods and settings and characters, as if information keep on flowing out. Nature has given us a safety valve to maintain our rationality and to release us from the prison walls of memory. Thus the other safety valve is forgetfulness.

Psychiatry is based on this principle. Lying on a couch the patient unloads his burden, fears, and uncertainties. He releases the pressure. Through this process he reaches a state of catharsis. He is relieved. He can now sleep. He can now work again.

People who cannot attain catharsis may suffer of psychiatric problems and may resort to drugs. Do you often wonder why people resort to drugs? Why there are more and more people who are addicted to drugs and alcohol?

Why, many people try to “escape” reality?

By reading this story one is led to think that something supernatural controlled the event and situation. I told Cecille, “Dad and Basang came.”

“Let’s pray for them,” she answered and made the sign of the cross.

I know they did not come; I went to them. It was a special day, my special day.

I realized my fault which lies not so much in not remembering them often, but I have ceased to see them as the models that shaped my life. That was too long ago. I no longer see the lessons I learned from them that are still relevant to my present life. I do not call them anymore in the midst of my problems. I have grown up. I do not seek their intercession and guidance anymore.

It is remiss and folly of not showing true feelings to those we love, living or dead, all because “I am always busy”, and because there will be someday to make up for it. There are always reasons or alibis for failing to offer them prayers, to visit their graves, or just to make those who too, are close to them happy. Oh, there are many, many ways.

Time has changed, and change has polarized our worlds. So with values of old and of the present world. The generation gap syndrome is creeping fast, more so with my own children who too, will have a world of their own in the near future.

There in the dark I called Dad and Basang, their names clear and loud, but my voice just faded without answer, not even its own echo. It was eerie and mysterious. The unconscious was swelling and it found an exit in the dark, psychic energy released in dream. And there as I called them, I realized I was the one who is lost – and found myself again.

This is a true story. ~

---------

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

Part 5 -  Bangongot!

Sleep paralysis - wiggle your toes, move your fingers, 

don’t give up!

Dr Abe V Rotor

People who have experienced sleep paralysis mistake it as bangongot. It is because of its very nature as a near death experience and it is indeed very scary. I have experienced it myself in a number of times in at least two ways.

Scare to Nightmare. Halloween at National Food Authority QC 2009

The most common frightening experience is when you are dreaming, say of running but you can’t run, box someone but you can’t raise your arm. Imagine you are being chased by a wild animal and you are glued in your place!

There’s one thing you can do: panic and talk incoherently or shout. You wake up tired, panting, perspiring, trying to decipher whether the experience is true or just a dream. It is so vivid that when you are back to your senses you can relate perhaps the whole story.

The other kind of sleep paralysis is more frightening. It is one that may or may not be preceded by a dream. On waking up, you can’t move. You feel totally paralyzed with perhaps only your brain is functioning. Panic seizes you, as you attempt to move but cannot. Frantically you try to move any part of your body. In my experience the first to respond are the fingers and toes, then the limbs, and as blood begins to circulate perked by adrenaline, you find yourself finally “back to the living.”

Sleep paralysis is nature’s way of protecting us during our unconscious moments. Otherwise we become another Hercules who killed his wife and children in his sleep. This safeguard is not absolutely foul proof though. Take the case of sleepwalking and some cases of violence that occur during sleeping.

Remember the popular novel Heidi by Johanna Spyri? The little orphan girl was mistaken as ghost while walking in her sleep. She was so homesick for her grandfather living on the Alps, far away from the city where she was obliged to reside. Our unconscious behavior during sleep is an expression of repressed feelings, such as fears and frustrations. Often, it is the residue of childhood unpleasant experiences.

Well, whatever way there is to assuage you, sleep paralysis, nightmares - or any similar kind - really scares you to death. Just don’t give up!~

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

* Halloween or Hallowe'en is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observance of Allhallowtide, the time in the liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints, martyrs, and all the faithful departed. Wikipedia

ISCC Workshop Lesson Series 3: Development Communication (DevCom): Journalism and Social Media

Lesson Series 3:  Ilocos Sur Community College (ISCC) 

Development Communication

Journalism and Social Media

Dr Abe V Rotor

Living with Nature School on Blog  

(avrotor.blogspot.com and Naturalism - the Eighth Sense)

Part 1 - Quo vadis, Journalism? (Where is Journalism headed for?)
Part 2 - Features of Development Communication

ANNEX  A - Guidelines in Photojournalism.

            B - Yes, you can write. Tips on How to be an Effective Writer.

 

Journalism today endeavors to elevate writing from journalism to authorship; and arts to humanities - the highest level the intellect can reach: philosophy - love of know- ledge, and wisdom - distilled knowledge through experience and time. - avrotor

Part 1 - Quo vadis, Journalism?(Where is Journalism headed for?)

Today computers and smartphones dominate media virtually at fingertip and mobile at that, involving a very wide profile of users interconnected locally and around the world.

From the earliest Roman newsletter in the 5th century BC to today's Social Media, journalism has indeed vastly expanded and radically evolved.

Teodoro “Ka Doroy” Valencia (center) is regarded father of Philippine Journalism

In the Philippines the first newsletter was Tomas Pinpin's Successos Felices 1636, and the first regularly published newspaper was Del Superior Govierno (1811). Print journalism dominated media for centuries until radio and TV brought news and entertainment to the living room, and to millions of people all over the world equipped with portable electronic gadgets.

People would rather watch TV or listen to the radio than read the newspaper, magazines – and books. Reputable publications like Time, Newsweek, and Reader’s Digest declined in circulation, and ventured into electronic publication with fair success. Even the world’s major encyclopedias stopped printing, and joined the Internet, Today, social media rides on cyber publication which lends to wider and quicker access by the public.

Today computers and smartphones dominate media virtually at fingertip and mobile at that, involving a very wide profile of users interconnected locally and around the world.

Millennials are often identified with their fondness of using cellphone or smartphone at any time, what with the many features of this palm-size gadget. They are wired all the time, says a sociologist. The cell phone connects practically all - libraries, shopping centers, universities, cities, public offices, homes, irrespective of distance and time. And it is multiple linked with institutions and systems: e-mail, e-commerce, e-learning, etc.

Social media catch the earliest news, send quick messages, and react openly, critique without reservation. In fact social media to the general public is open journalism.

So what is journalism today? People ask.

"There are set rules and standards of journalism embodied in the Code of Journalism which will remain unchanged," says Editor Feliciano U Galimba Jr, of the award winning community newspaper - The Greater Lagro Gazette.

Adhering to these rules and standards, and mobilizing a staff of local talents, Editor Fil as he is fondly called, succeeded in making this quarterly barangay publication a model in community journalism, earning awards and citations from leaders and readers.

The Code of Ethics in Journalism is universal, summarized in four tenets. These comprise the four pillars of journalism, and it is in defense of this sacred temple that many journalists have lost their lives, many of them as martyrs of the profession.

Seek Truth and Report It. Ethical journalism should be accurate and fair. Journalists should be honest and courageous in gathering, reporting and interpreting information.

Minimize Harm - Ethical journalism treats sources, subjects, colleagues and members of the public as human beings deserving of respect. Balance the public’s need for information against potential harm or discomfort. Pursuit of the news is not a license for arrogance or undue intrusiveness.

Act Independently - The highest and primary obligation of ethical journalism is to serve the public. Avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived. Disclose unavoidable conflicts.

Be Accountable and Transparent - Ethical journalism means taking responsibility for one’s work and explaining one’s decisions to the public.
Role models in journalism, like in other professions, provide not only direction but inspiration in work and life as well.

The late Teodoro "Doroy" Valencia is undoubtedly the father of journalism in the Philippines. His column Over a Cup of Coffee in the former Manila Times shaped the thinking of his readers and influenced the decisions of leaders in his time, and even to the present, which makes Ka Doroy an institution.

His philosophy in ingrained in his teaching to one who aspires to become a journalist. He must

1. Be inquisitive
2. Be constant in his purpose
3. Be fair and balanced
4. Be genuinely interested in people
5. Seek the truth
6. Be resourceful
7. Have guts
8. Master his grammar
9. Know his medium
10. Read, read and read.

Above all, he must be God-fearing, compassionate, and true to his country and fellowmen. And must uphold journalism as a profession and institution.
-----------------------------------------------------
New media technologies, such as social networking and media-sharing websites, in addition to the increasing prevalence of cellular telephones, have made citizen journalism more accessible to people worldwide. Due to the availability of technology, citizens often can report breaking news more quickly than traditional media reporters. Notable examples of citizen journalism reporting from major world events are the COVID-19 pandemic, African Swine Flu 2019, earthquake in Haiti, Morocco and Afghanistan, the Arab Spring 2010, Occupy Wall Street movement, the 2013 protests in Turkey, and now, Russia war on Ukraine; Israel war in Gaza.
----------------------------------------------------

Another journalist of international fame is Joseph Pulitzer who initiated the pattern of modern newspaper. For him, newspaper is the ‘vehicle of truth’, and he used it to raise his concern against corruption, fraud, monopolies, gambling rings and ill practices by elected officials. He believed in the power of press and the intelligentsia involved in journalistic activities to bring a positive change to the world.

Joseph Pulitzer founded the prestigious

Pulitzer Award for Journalism

The Pulitzer Award attests to his love and devotion to journalism. The award is regarded as co-equal with the Nobel Prize in the field of journalism. Our Carlos P Romulo (left photo) received this award for his writing "I saw the Philippines fall. I saw the Philippine rise." to date, he is the only Filipino bestowed with this distinction.

 

Filipino Nobel laureate journalist Maria Ressa PHOTO received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021.  She is the co-founder and CEO of Rappler, (Rappler is a Filipino online news website based in Metro Manila, founded by 2021 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa along with a group of fellow Filipino journalists.)

Filipino propagandists for Philippine independence from Spain proved to be the first model journalists. Jose Rizal wrote Noli and Fili; Graciano López Jaena, published La Solidaridad with Marcelo H. del Pilar as editor and co-publisher, and Antonio Luna as a prolific writer. Other illustrious Filipino journalists joined in the struggle and eventual success in attaining Philippine independence.

Taking a glimpse back in history, searching for role models in the present, while projecting the future of journalism is a most challenging scenario for any scholar or critic of what is journalism today. Indeed he finds himself at a very complex crossroad.

For how can we interconnect the ramifications of media in the same manner nerves are joined together to form a ganglion? 

• Newspaper journalism
• Campus journalism
• Magazine journalism
• Citizen journalism (also known as "public", "participatory", "democratic", 
•       "guerrilla" or "street" journalism
• Community journalism or civic journalism,
• Social Journalism as a separate concept denoting a digital publication.
• Online and digital journalism 

The challenge is addressed to us openly. We are inevitable victims of an explosion of knowledge which has consequences of information overload leading to the creation of information pollution. It has severe undertones to values and to journalism. It is up for us to devise a system through the same technology, of separating the grain from the chaff, so to speak.

A disturbing predicament of media today is that media has allegedly become a handmaiden of capitalism on one hand and the government on the other, radicalism notwithstanding, What with the growing threat of terrorism worldwide. Another predicament is that broadcast journalism has metamorphosed with a personality image and public impression akin to those in the entertainment world. Thirdly, very few in media today actually write their own thoughts and ideas, much less as authors in expressing their philosophy in life and in upholding the profession as a catalyst to a better world.

Such journalists are the likes of Fareed Rafiq Zakaria (photo) an Indian American journalist, columnist, author and broadcaster; and Hunter S Thompson, father of ‘gonzo journalism’, a style of writing where the reporter is involved in the story.

There are Initiatives to restore the integrity of journalism during the time of Ka Doroy, Carlos P Romulo, Jose Guevara, Jose Lansang, Amando Doronilla, among others. Such efforts may start with community journalism, as a basic unit, under the tutelage of true and dedicated journalists like Editor Fil Galimba et al. It must focus on the young, the users and ardent followers of social media.

Social media is a vital link to genuine journalism, in fact it may yet become the journalism in our postmodern age - if properly directed and managed.

Journalism is indeed one of the most dangerous professions. Journalism is not a job for the weak-hearted or the money-seeker. Despite that, it is not hard to find courageous and passionate journalists, who have dedicated their entire lives to relentlessly exposing corruption, reporting wars and uncovering political and economic scandals.

* Originally posted in this Blog on International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists 2 November 2022. United Nations and press freedom and media organizations marked 30 years of World Press Freedom Day on 3 May, 2023, celebrating the importance of freedom of the press and freedom of expression, and urging governments to uphold and protect Article 19 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the right to freedom of expression.

Part 2 - Cry of the LAWIN

 Features of Development Communication

"Lawin endeavors to elevate writing from journalism to authorship; and arts to humanities - the highest level the intellect can reach: philosophy - love of knowledge, and wisdom distilled through experience and time. " - avr 

The lawin circles and cries up high above our community: a cry calling for self-reliance and self-identity; a cry of joy in simple and practical living; and a cry of relief, a catharsis, freedom from within, where peace-of-mind and true happiness reign. Painting of a lawin on a backboard by the author.  Excerpt from a speech delivered by the author as president of Lawin (association of writers) before LGU and NGO officers, members and guests, Barangay Greater Lagro, QC 2022

What really does the lawin symbolize?

One early morning my granddaughter pointed at the bird in the sky. I explained what I know about the bird. Lawin symbolizes the young generations. It brings in the morning sun, it connects us grownups with the young generations. It gives our children a break from iPads and TV. .

One time children in the neighborhood in our place could not play their favorite game basketball. Somebody rebuilt their backboard, and games resumed. There's one difference: the other player on the back bard is a big lawin with outstretched wings seemingly playing with the kids.

Nearby a garbage dump began to transform into a vegetable and herbal garden. The children called it Lawin Garden. It is a local version of the Phoenix bird rising from the garbage ashes.

The lawin has a peculiar cry while in flight - clear and loud whistle of two notes. But most often, it is a silent flyer with panoramic and telescopic vision.

It can see like a satellite monitor what is happening over its broad area of vision, yet able to focus on the slightest movement - a prey or an enemy.

Writers and artists to a great degree are like the lawin. Like the lawin, true writers and  artists are a vanishing breed, they are an endangered species victim of instant and unguided social media, and worst assassination of journalists. The Philippines is compared to worn-torn countries like Syria and Afghanistan for having the highest number of killings in mass media.

The lawin writers and artists have "eyes for news and the arts," Their aerial perspective is holistic and contiguous. They see the multiplicity and unity of space and time, people and events. And they never veer away from their community which they watch over.

At the onset of organizing LAWIN, we did some research on our trust and functions, and on the long run - our projected goal.

Our reference is the our own Gazette. Lawin is DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATION. DevCom recognizes the power of communication as a catalyst for social development. It utilizes the tools and principles applicable in the community they serve for the advancement of society.

In an outline DevCom is

• Information disemination and education
• Social Marketing - ideas, knowledge and wisdom
• Purposive communication - it sets targets
• Social mobilization - involvement and militancy
• Community improvement mainly on felt needs
• Positive change (social, political, economic, moral, environmental, etc)
• Participatory development - bottom-up approach
• Humanities development - applied aesthetics
• Sentinel and vanguard of code of media 
• Pathfinder - pioneering and visionary

Development Communication as the INTEGRATION OF STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION IN DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS, based on a clear understanding of real and down-to-earth situations, with people's participation and shared equitable benefits.

What then would be our guiding principle in our program? It can be summarized as follows, for an anonymous source:

"If it is of high quality, people will respect you;

  If it is relevant, people will need you; 

  If it is measurable, people will trust you; 

  If it is innovative, people will follow you." 

If you were the lawin up in the sky over Greater Lagro, you are likely to see these
the need to reduce waste by not being wasteful, and in making use of waste through recycling.

• the need to motivate people towards common goals, reinvigorate those in their senior years,
• the need to clean our streets and sidewalks - and our homes
• the need to train students in our schools not only in the field of mass media and applied art to run their school paper but to help then attain their chosen careers. 
• the need to take care of the trees, and plants more tree, to make Lagro an extension of the shrinking wildlife.
• the need to expand outdoor activities, participate in wholesome games and sports, creative activities.
• the need to guard Greater Lagro from the incursion of bad elements, vices, violations of human rights, peace and order.
• bringing in honors and prestige to the community through the talents of its citizens, particularly the young.
• unifying relationships of families, strengthening bonding, making the community senior citizen friendly, grandchildren friendly as well.

There are one-thousand-and-one other visions that challenge the organization LAWIN and its members giving meaning to their membership, above all, building a legacy for the next generations.

When we hear the lawin cry up in the sky, let us heed its message.

• A call for self-reliance, self-sufficiency. self-identity;
• A cry of joy to remind us that simple and practical living makes a full life; and
• A cry of relief that takes away the tensions of living, liberates us more than freedom symbolized by our flag, because it is freedom within where peace of mind and true happiness reign.

But we can only attain our goal with the support of our community, the various organizations, and networking of all sectors of society, and if our commitment is not only for our own generation but that of our children - and children's children. ~

ANNEX A - Photojournalism

Field Guide in Photojournalism.

Group photo and panoramic

Snapped view from moving car

Silhouette effect against sun

Confidence and timing needed

Discovery of subject

Know your camera. Befriend it, and you will go places together, and "conquer" the world with photography.

1. Subjects are everywhere. But you have to look for your subject. See new angles, dimensions, perspectives, and many other ways to make the most of each subject. Use all senses possible, draw out subjects from imagination. More than a "nose for news" approach or "gut feel", imagine, re-create, and feel your subject.

2. Camera cannot discriminate. "You and I may lie, but the camera does not lie." The camera captures all within its vision. But you can focus only on a particular object or part of it. You can script. Be sure a scripted picture is not obvious.

3. Power of colors. It means appropriate colors for your subject tuned to the occasion, ambiance, purpose - with the sense of moderation and fine taste. Colors are all around. Discern colors to attract, harmonize, create moods, contrast, emphasis. To make your subject look real. Use color schemes to add coherence to your picture, to interpret expressively. Use warm and cool colors properly. Strong colors do not always attract, maybe you need distorted colors like reflection on water. Be guided in color harmony using the Color Chart.

4. Exposure setting. Even with an automatic camera, you need to check and apply the proper exposure. Otherwise you get over exposed or under exposed results. Too high DIN/ASA/ISO under the sun results to granulated photo. (Pointillism effect). Practice bracketing: make a series of shots of the same subject with different modes (aperture, shutter, ISO), and at variable distance. Compare and choose, edit (if necessary), arrange or collage.

5. Use lines properly. Lines lead the eye. Lines create moods, emphasis, direction. Break monotony, repetition, prosaic impression. Lines give a sense of measurement like distance, volume, height.

6. Focus to make clear, sharp image. Even with automatic cameras, be sure you get the best focus. The light meter measures light - not necessarily the subject. Use focus for emphasis and viewpoint, and differential focus (sharp and soft). Focus guides you in editing, specially cropping. It emphasizes the value of the picture, its newsworthiness and artistic quality.

7. Shutter freezes action. Or creates mood. Movement is a difficult subject. Split of a second. Passing view. Fast cars, winning shot, fired bullet. Yet a little blur or haze gives a special touch to the picture.

8. Aperture or lens opening. Depth of field must be well defined, unless you have another objective, like eliminating undesirable background. Shallow depth of field makes a particular person to stand out in a crowd. General rule is that the smaller the aperture, the deeper is the depth of field. Infinity mode is usually set on smaller aperture or lens opening just like how the pupil of the eye works.

9. Filters enhance or change the look of pictures, whether color or black and white. The universal filters are Ultra Violet (UV) filter, and polarizing filter to remove reflection.
Green makes view fresher, blue makes the sea deeper, red a more dramatic sunset, yellow makes the ricefields at harvestime golden.

10. Composition. This is basic in writing a song or theme, in painting, in architecture, and the like. Adopt necessary format - horizontal, vertical, or square - to the final picture, either with the camera or by editing, or both. Composition is the key to a masterpiece, it tells a story, it leads to the message, it presents a holistic view. It removes the wasteland, so to speak.

11. Viewpoint. This element has a great impact on composition. Is it at the left or right? How close should the subject appear? Close-up? Is it a low or high viewpoint in terms of perspective. Fill up the whole frame? Or give a breathing space? Often we ask, "What's your viewpoint?" You may mean, "How do you see the thing?"

12. Framing. It's like seeing a play. The characters are framed on the stage. In photography it may be a window, arched doorway, or an arch itself like the Arch of the Centuries. These can make a natural frame in your photo. Or you may need background framing, instead, like stained glass behind a praying person.

13. Contrast. This means subject contrast (rock and flowing water, tall and short partners). Or lighting contrast (brightness and darkness, light and shadow). Tonal differences can be subjective (simultaneous contrast, like silver lining of nimbus cloud). Use tone to simplify, or low-key tone to moderate. Contrasting tones make a silhouette effect.

14. Background. Ang ganda ang bundok! Akala mo ikaw ang sinasabing maganda. Sometimes what is beautiful is the background or backdrop, not the subject. Capitalize on the background to enrich your picture. In fact you can arrange it, if you can, to fit to your objective. The background may steal the show, so to speak. It might even ruin it. Don't allow this to happen.

15. Balance. Balance by conformity or balance by contrast. Be sure you know how to differentiate the two. Also, there's balance by position. Avoid rigid symmetry, for all you know the result is a better perception of balance. Variety leads to balance. Center is not always the rule for balance. Don't stand on the center. Have more space at the front than at its back. Move the building to one side to show, say sunset, or the road.

16. Light. Without light there can be no photography. Look at light, natural or artificial, as important element in photography. Use light on translucent object (leaves, cloth). Sunlight tells time and direction, creates repetition or twin patterns. Vary light to create moods, silhouettes, rim-lighting effect, in outlining shapes, flare and glare. Make essence of existing light, make it "spill", hide, appear like curtain or frame an object.

17. Direction refers mainly to the direction of sunlight as it strikes an object. High noon emphasizes the eye sockets, makes trees dwarf, shoulders broad. Light reveals rough surface, bares embossed figures. It's you who adjust to directional effect, you can't fix it. Certain views like buildings and landscapes are best at certain hours of the day.

18. Use lenses creatively. Standard lens can take you far and wide to a variety of subjects. But you may need special lenses. Telephoto for news coverage and bird watching. You may need extended perspective to extend depth of field, wide angle for panoramic view, fisheye lens for circular images and to frame skyscrapers. Telezoom acts in two ways as the term implies - reach out and crop. Mirror lens is designed to reduce the bulk and length of extrema telephoto lenses. They are used in war zone and in astronomy.

19. Flash. Today's cameras have built-in flash which automatically flashes when lighting is inadequate. There are cameras that have flash mode irrespective of lighting condition. This is to counteract glare. It equalizes distribution of light. Or it lights the subject without lighting the background. But flash can minimize details. In fact it leads to over exposed pictures.

20. Take good care of your photography equipment.  Have a home studio and a library, to process, organize and prepare your photographs for exhibition and publication.  Keep and maintain your own personal collection.  Always remember to share not only your works, but more importantly your experience and skill. Be an active member of professional photography associations.  Publish your works, present them in workshops and conventions. Take advantage of the many opportunities in using the computer and the Internet.    

Key to success in photography is constant practice. Like any other skill, the ability to see and realize is not just automatic response. The skill is best absorbed and used subconsciously through constant practice. ~

 

ANNEX B

Yes, you can write. Tips on How to be an Effective Writer.
"Think first, then write, get to the point, and use familiar words."

Dr Abe V Rotor

Living with Nature - School on Blog

   

 The late Senator Edgardo Angara with the author; author and wife, with Larry Henares (center) 

 

Great Filipino Writers: Sedfrey Ordoñez, Ofelia Dimalanta, Hortencia Santos Sankore,

Larry Francisco, Jose Garcia Villa; right, Nick Joaquin

400 Books of UST (1611-2011), International Book Fair, author and family with Bishop Bacani

  

Left: Authors of Humanities Today with Radyo ng Bayan hosts; veteran dramatist and author, Fr James Reuter, SJ

You can be a newspaperman, radio broadcaster, TV anchorman, feature writer, columnist. You can be an author, and that's not a far dream.

If you are a student you will get higher grades for your reports and theme work. You will get a good rating for your research. You will be better understood of what you wish to communicate.

If you follow the following tips:
1. Think first, then write
2. Get to the point
3. Use familiar words
4. Omit verbal deadwood
5. Keep your sentences short
6. Shorten your paragraph
7. Use specific, concrete language
8. Prefer the simple to the complex
9. Be positive
10.Use the active voice
11.Write as you talk
12.Use adjectives sparingly
13.Revise and sharpen
14.Write to express, not to impress
15.Odds and ends. Moderate use of words
16.Grammar, form and style
17.Respect culture and tradition
18.Morals and ethics
19.Read, read, read
20.Providence, the Unseen Hand

Good luck!

Reference: Journalism for Filipinos, Alito L Malinao