bayani 2009

We should wear this civilization without being bothered by it, without ignoring it, without being caught by it... Be like a boatman. Although he is carried by the boat, he is also handling the boat. This is how we live in this world. -Shunryu Suzuki, Not Always So

My end-of-the-year reading is M. McCarty's How Philosophy Can Change Your Life: 10 Ideas that Matter Most (2009). These 10 ideas are themes that, according to the philosophy professor, you and I need to grasp if we want to live a truly fulfilling life. They include:

• Simplicity (philosophers discussed: Epicurus and Charlotte Joko Beck)
• Possibility (philosophers discussed: John Stuart Mill and Simone de Beauvoir)
• Joy (philosophers discussed: Shunryu Suzuki and Jane Addams).

2009 for me is a testament to the power of ideas: their power to create new things, to unite people, to transform a society. If philosophy is, as a child tells the author, "upside-down thinking," there were times when indeed it felt like we were going against the tide. But we can look back to this year, with its storms both natural and human-made, and remember with gratitude the forces within us that allowed us to rise above them together. 2009 is a story of kabayanihan or heroism, but above all it is a story of love: love lost, love found, and love regained.

May we choose our public servants wisely and have a peaceful transition of roles in 2010. Stay involved and have a Happy New Year everyone!

Subscribe Free
Add to my Page

Thanks to Noel Cabangon for the song "Natutong Umibig Muli" from the Christmas album Noel.

Inang

This is my late paternal grandmother Inang with my youngest brother VJ- he was probably 5 or 6 years old at the time Tatay took this photo. Tomorrow, the Veneracions return to Bukid in San Ildefonso, Bulacan where Inang used to preside over Christmas Day celebrations.

For Mom and Tatay, me and my brothers, this was the most special time of the year- more important even than Christmas Eve's Noche Buena. We would practice the mano- or place the back of the hands of our grandparents, uncles, and aunts on our foreheads as a sign of love and respect- and receive gifts of cash (and also wrapped gifts- shirts or toys) from each of our elders. Other children, too, would be brought by neighbors to the farmhouse to "bless" and receive their "pamasko" (gifts).

The kitchen at the back of the house was usually filled with women who helped Inang prepare the feast with ingredients coming straight from the yard. My grandfather Tatang and his fellow farmers gathered in front of the granary to cook lechon, a whole pig skewered with a bamboo pole and roasted until it turned red over charcoal. Tito Lore, a judge, and Tita Lydia usually arrived after lunch bringing candied mango, guava and jackfruit and- my favorite- pastillas de leche (a sweet concoction made from carabao's milk and granulated sugar) from Bulacan Sweets, followed by Tito Doc and Tita Violy who brought more Western fare, like sweet ham and pasta with white mushroom sauce, from Village Inn in Cabanatuan.

Inang was the sun around whom Tatang, their eight children and many grandchildren orbited. After cooking, she would change into her favorite baro't saya: a white, embroidered shirt with a black, panelled skirt sans the panuelo, making her look like Maria Clara. She often offered me a glass of carabao's milk, saying it was the drink she gave me as a mute infant to loosen my tongue and get me to talk. At night before leaving, beneath a parol made of colored Japanese paper or capiz shells, she would watch her grandchildren sing, dance, and play the piano, revelling in our constellation of talents.

When Tatang passed away, followed by Inang, it was as if a star had been plucked from the sky, dispersing the planets and moons around it. We felt the void caused by their passing. Eventually, my uncles and aunts found that, while it felt different, the gravity of their parents' love remained: our extended family has continued to return to Bukid every December 25th.

To all my friends and loved ones near and far, Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon sa ating lahat! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to us all!


Subscribe Free
Add to my Page

Thanks to San Miguel Master Chorale and Philharmonic Orchestra for the carol, "Mano Po Ninong, Mano Po Ninang."

grown-up

Every Christmas, I receive a surprise gift from God (or the universe): last night's gift was a priceless one. I happened to be in UP Bahay ng Alumni and saw a banner announcing the reunion of my class in UP Integrated School (UPIS), so by accident I was reunited with friends, many of whom I had not seen since 5th grade.

From Kindergarten to Grade 5, I studied in UPIS, the school for basic education of the University of the Philippines. As a kid, I've often wondered what makes it "integrated," and today I found out after a bit of research that the school is the product of a merger of three schools: UP High School (established in 1916 in Isaac Peralta St., Manila, as the laboratory school of the College of Education); UP Preparatory School (a science-oriented school established in 1954); and UP Elementary School (established in 1936 for the education of children of university professors and personnel). A description of the school's philosophy and history is here.

It was a public school, though it felt exclusive since students from other schools were not allowed to enroll laterally after Kindergarten: you generally had the same friends year after year. I recall one exception, Kalayaan Vea, who was allowed to reenroll when her father returned to UP after a stint in the US (her Fil-Am boyfriend's name was Michael de Guzman, pronounced, "the goose-man"). The environment was competitive in a healthy way: teachers would post the list of the top 10 students and their grade point averages every quarter, and class pride peaked during spelling bees and intramural sports competitions. After class, we played a lot of agawan base, luksong tinik, and piko.

Since UPIS is in the heart of the State University, we were taught the values of love of others and country- the values of the Oblation- week after week from the very first day. Students took turns during Monday flag ceremonies in singing Lupang Hinirang and UP Naming Mahal and reciting Panatang Makabayan.

In a way, it was a predictable world where hard work and good deeds were rewarded- so different from the porous realities outside the academe! But what gifts our parents and teachers gave us: idealism to light our paths, knowledge to overcome challenges and seize opportunities, and a time of blissful peace that we can look back to all the days of our lives.

Here are some of UPIS' prominent alumni and what our school has taught them:

new eyes

I guess I wanted something new in my life
A new key to fit a new door
To wake and see a different view in my life
The one I've been waiting for...

I sang this song while having late night drinks with some friends last Friday night. It was first sung by Stephen Bishop, and more recently by Sarah Geronomo for the movie "In My Life." I think it captures the image and mood of what many of us look for: in our daily strivings, in the arts we create and appreciate, in our relationships. It's what I try to give to everyone I meet, my clients, friends, and loved ones: the passion that makes us feel like our heart would burst, that keeps us young and alive.

I look for that "falling-in-love" feeling when I travel, when an experience sears my soul and makes a place and a people a part of me forever.

In Helsinki, I experienced it during the Night of the Arts, when the normally empty streets were suddenly filled with tens of thousands of Fins of all ages watching artists perform in 110 separate locations. It was a lot like Rock the Riles combined with People Power and gave me a glimpse of what the Philippines might be like someday, when people already have trust in government and in each other- when society has developed and become more egalitarian and can focus on the arts.

Anyway, Connor (from Ireland) and I got separated from our other friends. After Connor bought a six-pack of beer from a student- the shops had run out of beer- we decided to go to the Senate Square where a French street theater company used giant balloons shaped like fishes and sea snakes to turn the sky into a giant ocean aquarium.

There were so many people in the street leading to the square- for a long while, we just stood with the others, unable to move closer to watch the spectacle. We just heard the music: it sounded strange to my ears, very avant-garde, until Connor pointed out that they were sounds of the ocean. And indeed they were- with that anchor, the music suddenly "made sense."

Then my friend had an idea: we could watch the performance from the top of a tram waiting shed! That was something I had never done! Connor was the first to clamber up to the roof, and he held out a hand to help me get up there. The picture below shows our once-in-a-lifetime view of the Night of the Arts: People Power Finnish-style.