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Showing posts from May, 2010

CABO LIBRO

RIVS, Tolits… ‘tuloy na natin ang proyekto. ‘Labas na natin ang libro… para sa kabataan at kababayang Pilipino sa sarili mang pampang o sa ibayong dagat. Nasulsulan na kasi ang apoy sa ulunan ng panganay naming apo, si Musa… Fahrenheit 451 ! Ibang paglalaro ang sa apo… Iba rin ang paglalaro sa apoy. Pero dapat na tustusan ang gatong sa ganoong liyab. Nalaman namin kusa na siyang nagbubulatlat ng libro sa umaga. Tiyak: Makakagawian na ‘to… At alam naman ninyo ang isa sa tatlong pinakamatingkad na hilig ng mga bilyonaryo saanmang lupalop ng mundo—na natukoy sa pananaliksik ng Forbes Magazine … magbasa… subsob basa ng libro na kung minsan, higit sa apat na oras sa araw-araw. There ought to be something enriching in that so sullen solemn of a habit. Or there must be something as sexy as burying one’s rapt attention between the pages as one does between the splayed thighs of a lover. "You get a lot of 'bang for your book.' It's quite a good return-on-investment in a time of

HALOBAYBAY

DUDUKAL ng hukay sa buhanginan na hindi aabutin ng paglaki ng tubig—hindi kalaliman, sapat nang may bumukal na katiting na tabsing… saka sasapinan ng mga dahon ng saging o pandan. Doon ilalagak, mabababad ang monamon, dilis, alamang, kahit mumunting tunsoy sa tabsing, tatakpan ng mga dahon… tatabunan upang maburo sa katamtamang alat at likas na mikrobyo sa buhangin… such crude fermentation in brine turns up halobaybay, or watered down fish sauce. Teka, laksa at talaksang salamat sa aking biyenang Dominador Gomez— kampeon ng angkan sa sumping-balian ng daliri (ako ang tinanghal na kampeon ngayon) na tumukoy sa naturang sinaunang pamamaraan. Sa mga sisidlang banga o burnay na ibinuburo ang isda—tinitimbang na ang mga paghahaluing sangkap na karaniwang patas, sangkilong asin sa sangkilong isda. Buwan din ang lilipas bago hanguin ang nakapaibabaw na patis… malinamnam na sangkap sa maraming lutuin ang unang hango… malalabi ang malapot na bagoong na may taglay pa ring halimuyak ng baba eh,

Attention deficit disorder

NAGPAPAPANSIN. ‘Yun ang sira. Kasi’y talamak yata ang sakit —attention deficit disorder… na ipagpipilitan ng mga dalubhasa na attention deficit hyperactive disorder o ADHD. Kulang sa pansin, sagad sa samut-saring gawain—ganoon, ayon sa mga dalubhasa, ang mga sintomas ng may ganoong kapansanan sa utak. Mahirap sundan ang ganoong pakahulugan… kasi kapag subsob sa samut-saring gawain ang tao, tiyak na batak ang katawan at isipan… tiyak na masigla’t masaya… kasi nga, earnest brain or brawn work floods the body with bliss hormones—oxytocin, endorphin, adrenaline, amygdaline, somatotropinum, thyroxin and such-- that inundates every hard-at-work individual with a sense of well-being and self-assurance. Pero kung nagpapalaki lang ng itlog, putak nang putak buong maghapon at magdamag, that’s a pathetic case of terminal pathology. Sure ups nuisance value to the rooftops… A disease is a disease even if it brings up nuisance like a pestering chancre. Seen within the perspective of 1980s film ch

DILABIA, DELUBYO

HUMIMOD ng katitinggil ang dila sa zhongwen dahil nagkasiyota noon ng dilag mula Canton —nakasagap sa kanya ng mga aralin sa sillum gung fu , lalo na sa hung gar o mga pinagsanib na galaw ng tigre’t tagak. Not lucky enough to be born to that tongue—that entails clutching at over 40,000 characters… 20,000 would be enough for me to read a newspaper… a grasp of 30,000 characters would get me tabbed as a learned man. But I’d still be missing out on 10,000 plus characters that leaves an unfulfilled craving to learn some more. Such glut of significance from a 5,000-year old civilization can turn up gluttons , sino ba ang mga dayukdok na sangkot sa $329-million ZTE-NBN deal ? Kantutan talaga ang kuei-i , o pagtatalik ng mga larawang ugat na bumubuo sa mga kataga ng zhongwen… marubdob ang libog ng kaisipan sa kanilang wika… pero kahit na katuturan ng may 108 kilos sa tai chi , isinalin na lang ang kaalaman sa sariling laman… words and their significance can take flesh, find home in the flesh

Formula feed still rules in RP

IT had to take the arm of the law—Republic Act 76000 of 1992-- for arm-twisting healthcare establishments in the Philippines. It had become legal since then for newborns to room in with their moms—for warmth and solace of bonding and health-giving intake of colostrum, mom’s first gush of milk, dirty-looking yet rich in nutrients and antibodies that curb a host allergies and diseases. That wasn’t the usual practice—which often prepped up the infant to formula feeding that can be very costly. And very deadly. Had hospital-born infants been calves, all it would take is a week for them to turn up dead, succumbing to the onslaught of disease—that’s how vital colostrum is, even to the bovine species. Law enforcement is not too strict. Legal protection for newborn Filipinos isn’t all-encompassing. And no top honcho of any health care establishment has been thrown the books or thrown behind bars. The criminal leniency may account for over 16,000 deaths of under-five children yearly that could

Eat veggies, knock out allergies

"LET your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food." Hippocrates, the “Father of Medicine” whom health care professionals swear to, plied such counsel ages back. And for a world wheezing up $18 billion yearly for relief against allergies, such princely sum can be better spent on nourishing food… the sort that takes out allergy symptoms and pleases both tongue and tummy. A seven-year study of 460 children in Spain’s Menorca Island found the kids’ diet rich in fruit vegetables and fish spared them from allergy symptoms. Fruits vegetables include tomato, squash, zucchini, eggplant, green bean, cucumber, gourd, okra, ampalaya , and patola . The 2007 findings bolster a previous study that pointed out a fish-rich diet in pregnancy can help to protect children from asthma and allergies. "We believe that this is the first study that has assessed the impact of a child's diet on asthma and allergies and also taken into account the food their mother ate during pregn

Smoking bad for health… and allergies

A chain-smoking Noynoy Aquino cuts out a smudgy role model for a leader, so like a Fidel Castro or a Winston Churchill with their cigars huffing and puffing to put their lives on the line and away. And maybe they were also shutting off their allergies. A recent study shows that cigarette smoke can curb allergies by decreasing the reaction of immune cells to allergens. Indeed, smoking is murderous to one’s health, unleashing lung cancer, pulmonary disease, and impair the body’s fighting capacity against infections. Lost somehow in the swirl of dire effects, smoking cigarettes has a surprising benefit: cigarettes can protect smokers from certain types of allergies. A study plied by Neil Thomson, a member of Faculty of 1000 Biology and leading expert in the field of respiratory medicine, shows that cigarette smoke decreases the body’s allergic response. The puffs and huffs inhibit the activity of mast cells, the major players in the immune system's response to allergens. Researchers a

Passion's fruit

DALAWANG punlaan ng passion fruit —inilaan para sa bugtong na anak ng kapatid—ang hindi nakayanan ang nagbabagang panahon, pumalo ang init ng higit sa 36 degrees Celsius o normal na temperatura ng katawan… may sinat ang paligid… nangalirang ang mga punla… tuluyang natuyot kahit alaga sa dilig. Babawi na lang sana sa mga bagong punla pagsapit ng tag-ulan—may nakapangunyapit na mga baging ng passion fruit sa gawing silangan ng aming halamanan… ubrang pumutol ng kahit ilang magulang na sanga… maipupunla. Ganoon sana. Pero nakasumpong ng mas mainam yatang binhi sa sinadyang taunang garden show sa UP Los BaƱos. Kasinlaki raw ng kundol o snow gourd ang ibinubunga ng nabiling binhi ng passion fruit— about the size of a teapot that holds a gallon… 20 binhi sampakete ng punla, P10 lang… Maliit pa sa butil ng munggo ang karaniwang binhi ng passion fruit, the seeds I now have in my keeping are a tad bigger than an engorged clitoris and, uh, they bear a striking resemblance to that fingerin’

Get some fighting fun in the sun

THE late guru of aikido Morihei Ueshiba spent each morning greeting the sun for hours on end soaking up tons of vitamin D— that may explain how an elderly still kept himself trim and in top fighting form. Ueshiba had fun and saved on funds by basking in the sun. Asthma sufferers can take a cue as recent findings point to low levels of vitamin D are associated with lower lung function and greater medication use in children with asthma. In a paper trotted in the April online edition of the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology, researchers at National Jewish Health bared such findings and added that vitamin D enhances the activity of corticosteroids, the most effective controller medication for asthma. Cite the researchers: "Asthmatic children in our study who had low levels of vitamin D were more allergic, had poorer lung function and used more medications. Conversely, our findings suggest that vitamin D supplementation may help reverse steroid resistance in asthmatic child

Basta gasta kasta

NAGLALAKO na lang sa mga mahilig ang bata pang ginang… Inamin sa panayam na hindi naman sapat ang kita ng kanyang mister para tustusan ang mga pagkakagastahan sa araw-araw… inamin na pareho silang hindi nakatuntong sa kolehiyo, wala ring negosyo’t ari-arian… pero gusto ni mister na dumami ang kanyang lahi… yumaman sa anak, kahit wala namang katangi-tanging pakinabang o kapaki-pakinabang na katangian na naidulot sa lipunan at sambayanan ang kanyang lahi… At nasimulan na nga ni mister ang kanyang pangarap na magparami ng anak… Hindi lang nga natuto ng kahit animal husbandry ang kupal na ‘yon… may palahiang inahin ng mga biik na kailangang mapalaki sa pinakamadaling panahon para maibenta… may bulugang baboy na mailalako ang serbisyo sa mga nag-aalaga ng palahiang inahin. Hindi man sanay sa babuyan, praktikal lang si misis… kalkalan ang naging kalakalan… kahit katiting na kikitain, maidadagdag na pantustos sa gastos… Sino pa nga ba ang kikilos? Wala mang kakaibang katangian o maisasalang