Keep me away from the wisdom which does not cry, the philosophy which does not laugh and the greatness which does not bow before children. ---- kahlil gibran
It seems that no matter how busy I get, there is always time left for internet browsing, chatting, facebook, multiply, friendster, plurk, twitter and the endless networking sites that are sprouting these days, not to mention the addictive apps that go with them.... And so instead of just clicking away, I have decided to make, yet again, another blog despite not updating my other blogs.
The word "Taraon" and "makan" are both Ilocano words .....continue here.
I found this "daniw" at yahoo answers. Somebody wants it translated into English. I was only able to go as far as the 4th line. I don`t know who the author is so if there is an Ilocano out there who knows....
Although it is hard to translate in English or Tagalog, I can understand it and I know that it is a very beautiful poem. If you have the time and the talent for daniws, please, a translation to English would be very appreciated.
Addanto latta agsapa (there will always be another day) Kadagiti di mapukaw a namnama, (for the neverending hope) Ken burayok ti di agsarday (and the ever-flowing waterfalls) A gagem ti kararua. (the yearning of the soul)
Dagiti di agmawmaw a panagem-em Iti birbiroken a kaipapanan ti biag A mangbatbatibat iti datdatlag a sardam Kadagiti di agpatingga a panaglaylayag Ken pannakidangadang ni parsua. Rurosento ni ballaigi Ken leppayento ni balitok Dagiti siit ken nalaylay a sanga A naiputipot ken mangliplipot Iti kinabusnag ti puon Ket agrusingto Ti nalangto a puli Iti idadateng ti panagungar. Agadiwaranto ti ayamuom A mangtangep iti tangatang Ken mangpaksiat Kadagiti birrurokong A manglungsot Kadagiti arapaap Iti tagtagainep Ti nasalemsem a nagpatnag
Ket addanto latta agsapa Kadagiti di mapukaw a namnama, Ken burayok ti di agsarday A gagem ti kararua.
Kelly, Erwin`s wife , kindly gave us free tickets to the drum concert at the Shimin Bunka Kaikan in Shizuoka. My first taiko concert. Loved the drum beating along with my heart!
My father's precious cow was stolen last week during a heavy rain, behind the storehouse of STY farm supply. He usually leaves his cow for the night at the vacant lot beside our house but lately he chose to leave it by the storehouse because there are a lot more grass there. He cared for that cow so much so that he even insisted to brave through the rain in the middle of the night just to see whether it is well sheltered and well fed, but my mother forbade him to. As it turned out, the following morning it was gone. I called him up last week for some update as my father is very protective of his "pets"/animals. He told me in a voice full of sama ng loob, "Wala na yung baka. Sayang, inalagaan ko ng maigi. Binilhan ko pa ng kariton para matrain ko sana." He went to the police to have the incident on blotter and also to the barangay chairman to report and relay it to the other barangays through the radio.
So what is this blog about? There are a lot of lessons that I think can be had from the events that happened. Lessons not only for my father but for me also as I was reminded of these too. ---
1. The cow was bought at 5000 pesos and it is valued at 30 000 pesos when it was stolen. My father would go out of his way of shelling out money just to buy hay for it. He would always worry who would feed the cow thus, whenever there are family gatherings or parties that need overnights, he would beg off saying, "Who will feed the cow/animals?" (when we could have asked somebody to come over and do it.) I am not saying that he chooses the animals over family but, if he thinks that it is an affair that will happen despite his absence, then his responsibility is with his animals. That is just how committed my father is to his responsibilities. Kinda remind me of our Lolo Pater who would say, "Dagitay baka appok," whenever we asked him to stay one more night at our house.
---- Obviously, one lesson is commitment and responsibility but I would like to think that with the cow gone, there won`t be excuses like these anymore. It is not because that my father is already old (he is not), but we would like to see him relax and rest and not go about the house preparing for food for his pets (he used to do the cooking more than my mother).
---- "He who is content can never be ruined." (Chinese Proverb).
I read today from an article from the Japan times about the Japanese words Hinraku (貧楽）means the state of relaxed freedom that comes from being poor - the logic being that when one has nothing there is nothing to worry about. Smart right?
2. When my father went to the Police Station to report the crime, he went there in his usual farm get-up (t-shirt with holes, very, and I mean very old shorts, worn-out slippers and his fatigue jacket (he is a retired Air Force)). He was entertained by a policeman whose rank is the same as his and as soon as he saw my father`s ID, he started calling him "Sir" perhaps out of respect due to seniority. As they were talking about the case, there was another police in plainclothes, who my father can only deduce as the Chief of Police, or at least, somebody of higher rank. So this bossman walked up to them, perhaps feeling that he has the case all figured out, told my father, "Baka dagitay met lang annak mo ti nangtakaw ta bakam!" (Baka mga anak mo din ang nagnakaw ng baka mo!). If you know my father, you can just imagine his ire and irritation as he told him to not say things like that because he was able to send us all to school and short of reciting to him our "achievements" or our resume for that matter heheheh.
--- Do not judge the book by its cover. Period. Which brings me again to that article in Japan times. I learned the word Binboukusai (貧乏臭い）meaning, smelling of poverty and the phrase, "Boro ha kitetemo kokoro ha nishiki (ぼろは着てても心は錦.) meaning "Though my clothes may be in tatters, my heart has the value of silk." Need I say more?
3. When I called back last Sunday, my father told me that he prayed for the thief and that may his cow be of good service to him and that in the end, may he (the thief) find the right path and ask forgiveness from God.
--- Forgive. This is a first that I heard of my father say those things and I am glad. From someone who had a very hard childhood and have grown to be quite bitter about it sometimes, I hope that this is a start of his road to healing and forgiving. I would love to hear those words again but this time, not about the thief who stole his cow, but about the persons whom he thinks deprived him of his childhood and good future. And for that, we would all be grateful of the cow who managed to get itself stolen.
4. And the last, is THANKSGIVING. Even though the darn cow set my father back by a lot of pesos, there is the silver lining. Had he gone out to check up on it that night, he would have probably seen the thief and got himself in serious trouble. From my 2nd Grade favorite quote, "Behind the clouds, the sun is still shining." There will still be other cows, and our father is still here. And oh, last but not the least, "[My] Mother knows best." hehehe
I had meant for this to be funny and smart but obviously I don`t have the power and ability, so there....teeheheheh
Time gets to you sometimes... this time, my high school graduation song came to me.... hehehhe Like an Eagle... (note: the one in the video is not my school hehehe)
So I have consulted two big english-tagalog and tagalog-english dictionary and I can`t find any entry of the word "kurakot". Anybody who knows and can help me please? I can`t, for the life of me, explain where and how did that very popular word came about to my Tagalog student. Baka may mga nagpakadalubhasa sa Wikang Tagalog/Filipino dyan?
yep it was…for 2 hours.enough to make me so nervous and mad since me and my friends have had these experiences with stolen bikes and panties… so for 2 hours it was gone. good thing manny was doing his laundry and noticed that my bike was gone. i was at the verge of calling the police when manny said somebody came in on a bicycle but he didnt see who. i went to check and lo! and behold!my bicycle is back! thats when i got madder. there are some people who are really so thick that theyd think their victims would just keep quiet. i pushed all doorbells on the first floor trying to find the culprit. only one door answered with a guilty face. the others were either female or nobody was home. one thing i learned though, it is hard to be angry when you dont know how to express your anger in a way that the japanese can understand. i was afraid i would come off comical with my crooked japanese but nevertheless i think the message came through. ME: Konbanwa. Jitensha motteimasu ka? (Good evening, do you have a bicycle?) He: Hai (yes) ME: Jitensha de kaerimashitaka? (Did you come home on a bicycle?) He: Hai ME: Anata no jitensha ha nan iro desu ka? (what is the color of your bike?) He: Gin iro desu. (silver) ME: Anata no jitensha no kagi misete kudasai. (Show me your key) He: Kore desu (This one.) —and you know what he showed me? a NAIL FILE and a pink one at that! and here is where my anger have gone haywire….that is not a key! and even i cant remember my japanese anymore. geez it turned out that he is a first year college (in the phils he would have been in 3rd year college) and all i could think of at that time is had he been one of my students i will see to it that he will never have the guts to show his face in my class again. University students here esp those who passed the exam to study at national universities are the cream of the crop and to think that someone looking so innocent could just do that. i told him sweetly how nice a neighbor i am and everybody is free to use my bicycle but they have to use the right key which is with me thus, they have to come to my door, press the door bell and say, "Hey gaijin, let me borrow your bicycle". Hayyy.My BP is rising….my japanese life. from all of the strange things which have happened I have become an expert in calling the police (which I still managed to say the "seikatsu san" instead of "keisatsu" in my confusion) and i would have called but good thing manny was there reminding me to forgive him. Good thing i didnt too else my rump would suffer the silver powder they use for taking fingerprints….the next time my bike goes missing ill know where to knock. …hehehe
---So what do I love about it all? Don`t you just love and find it so amusing and interesting when precious things like wallets and digicams don`t go missing even if you forget them in trains or parking lots or benches and yet your 100-yen umbrella or rusty old bicycle will be gone from the stand in less than 60 seconds? I`d offer my old bike Wendy anytime over Rad`s camera hehehe anytime. Robbers are welcome to it (the bike i mean, not the camera). Sama na nila ref namin hehehe Saves me from paying the recyling fee.
So, I visited my abandoned blogs from way back 2005 and since I promised to do the I love Japan series, I decided to take the easy way out and repost some entries which I think is at least related to it. So here is one.... it could be filed under "things I hate about Japan" but I like to see the silver lining. I love Japan, their police force doesn't make me feel as if scared and I know I can always ask them for directions without thinking that I'd have to pay for it. hehehhee
Last night, i was afraid. For the first time in my life here, i felt that my privacy has been really invaded! But today, the fear has turned into an outrage! Outrage to all psychologically challenged deviants(hmmm redundant but heck) out there!!!!!!!! Last night was the third time that my apartment was visited by this/ese person/s. Geez the nerve of them! I wonder what they are going to do with the underthings they steal! And to steal it right from my washing machine?! and to practically rummage through the clothes just to get to the lingerie bag!
Japan is regarded as the safest country in the world (errr i read that somewhere)…and i believed it the first day i arrived. Many a time have me and my friends forgot valuable stuffs in places where, if it was only in the Philippines, in the flick of an eye, would be gone! but no! here, come back the next day or a week after and it will be there or at the police station. it is indeed safe here except for people with questionable behavioral orientations!
Outside my apartment beside my washing machine is a practically new stove yet to be put back in its proper place but did the "dorobo" have any interest in it? NO! He opened the washing machine which was still humming and lo and behold! it was not the nice jackets nor blouses he was after!
The scary part is, this is not the first time. I was not the one who found out we have been attacked during the first two times so i wasnt that affected but last night? geez now i understand why women get so hysterical over a tiny bit of invasion of privacy. I can only imagine then, now I know.
The redeeming factor is, at least the police were fast and they assured us as if the culprit will be caught the next morning…. asa pa….but heck….plus of course we are so thankful nothing untoward happened to us. Thank God. Bahala na ang aming tagapangalaga sa kanya. LIFE IS STILL BEAUTIFUL!
Here is a repost from my wordpress blog which I have abandoned. I reread it and decided that I want it with my I love japan series...
I Went Cashless… and then
June 7, 2007
It is one of those days when I felt so secure with the plastic card I am holding. I just thought in this day and age, swiping would just about do it. Especially since Ken and I wentto a relatively big supermart with a lot of branches all over the country. With the 9-plus kg strapped to my body and the very convenient pushcart, we were enjoying our cruise along the aisles, picking some needs and some more wants…and when we were sated, imagine my embarassment when the cashier informed me that they don’t accept cards! geez…. I only had a thousand yen in my purse. I had to let go of the others (sigh). Oh well, the good thing about it is, I am in Japan. Even if it seemed that you are already in an embarassing situation, the cashier, or crew or any service man or woman seems to be more embarassed than you are, thus, making you feel better and thus also pitying him or her for being embarassed in your place and thereby starting an unending “sumimasen” or “moshi wake nai” and from then on, you promise yourself not to cause anymore embarassment, not to yourself but to other people, in your place… There is so much to be thankful of living in a very polite society…So much to learn… So much to copy (for improvement) and still so much to be careful of…but hey I am not complaining!
The other night, after watching so many crap movies, I told Rad that there are so many movie trailers that should remain as trailers. Never mind the whole movie, it will just ruin your day and waste your time. Last night`s pick however was different. Gran Torino - Review: I LIKE. YOU SHOULD WATCH. I won`t pick out the goofs and misses, you can check them at IMdB. Just watch the movie. Yeah! Clint Eastwood!
Sachiko, my former English student is moving to Iwate. She invited us for a lunch at her favorite restaurant, Sea-Dz, near Kusanagi. She said she goes there at least 3 times a week, so we called it her "kitchen". When the soup came (potato soup), we understood why she frequents the place. Food was heavenly and the owners are friendly and the place is not one like those snotty Italian places. If you have the chance to come by Shizuoka City, I recommend this place for your lunch! We will surely go back for more. Might try dinner and the standard menu next time. Check out their website and blog at http://sea-dz.com/.
After almost 3 or 4 months of procrastinating, I finally got enough juice to continue with my long awaited paper. I was kinda worried I might just fall into depression if I never get to finish it before the month of June. Rad is happy not only because it is done but also because now we both get to have the time to play around with the camera again. Obviously, my work didn`t deter him to flash those lights. So on with the 2nd one. Gotta continue writing before the juice runs out.
For about 5 years here in Japan already, I have learned to love this country for so many reasons. And for so long now, I have been meaning to write about the small things that are so endearing but never had the time. Last week I was reminded of this task when one of those things occurred again.
I had some books sent from a poster at freestuffjapan through chakubarai (or COD) and one day last week, it came at around 10 in the morning, which is our usual waking time after a nightlong of watching tv series on the internet or whatever ( I don`t remember anymore). So when the doorbell rang, I was still in my pajamas and it was so obvious that I just woke up so when I opened the door, the mailman was already profusely apologizing for disturbing my beauty sleep. My bill was 470 yen so I gave him a 500 coin. It turned out he only had 20 yen in him so he bowed so many times again saying sorry but I told him, I don`t mind. It was just 10 yen anyway. He told me that if it is okay, he will come back later to give the 10 yen. I told him not to bother because it was also raining hard. Well, 10 yen is just 10 yen.
Rad and I went out for an hour or two and when we came back, there was a big envelope in our mailbox and in it, a 10 yen coin. I guess, 10 yen is not just 10 yen. I didn`t know what it meant to the mailman but to me, it represented honor, honesty, and full customer service. I am so glad I am in Japan.
It all started on that day when I gathered all my courage and my Nihonggo and approached a bunch of photography enthusiasts at the Shizuoka Shimin Gallery. We (Rad, Manny and I) were hoping to join a local photography club to improve our "skills". It turned out that there`s a lot of them around here but they couldn`t pinpoint us to where we should go. Instead, they gave us a list of what`s out there. Typical noncommittal response but, they were kind enough to point us to the upcoming Shizuoka Shimin Bunka Matsuri (Shizuoka Culture Festival). So, we submitted and as Rad always reminds me, "Fortune favors the bold", and so has God blessed us hehehehe.... One of my pictures was chosen for the exhibit. The letter said 入選されました (nyuusensaremashita), which can be translated to either "won a prize" or "accepted". There was no talk of a prize so then, it`s the latter hehehe. But anyway, I am just so happy because there were a lot of photos submitted and only 138 of them were chosen for the exhibit. Some even submitted as many as 10 pictures each or even more. I submitted 4 pictures (which I will post later when I find the time to search for the soft copies). The above picture was taken by my S3IS during the Odakkui Matsuri last year.
However, I am doubly ecstatic to find that RAD was one of the 17 who were given awards. One of his pictures (3 are on exhibit) got the Shizuoka UNESCO Award. But he will tell you more about it in his blog.
So yup, this hobby has been justified.... I can see another lens looming ahead. Or perhaps a body.... hehehhe
Tonight, after our weekly Bible study, Ginger, our missionary friend shared this song to us. I have always known of James Taylor and have particularly liked this song but tonight, I realized that indeed, we have our 24-hour Handyman. Not the usual Handyman... Very nice!
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