MANGKOKOLUM!

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...

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, ...

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...

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...

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 ...

"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...

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...

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 Baños. 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’ ...

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...

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 ...

IMAGINE racing at a sole-scouring, lung-wracking breakneck speed against a wild boar, that’s meat for a day or two, in a sun-swept sea of thorny briers and grasses… the chase halts to abrupt pause for a sneezing fit and sudden bloom of blisters on your skin touched off by a deluge of pollens in the air… the meal is to go, is gone like a gust of wind, and you trudge back home empty-handed to content on an assortment of tubers and berries the missus gathered… and such food fare triggers more skin blisters, vomiting and other allergic reactions… Were that the case for our ancestors in ages past, we’ve been history… kaput, gone extinct. Fossil findings reassure our progenitors weren’t such wimps and sissies that we have turned into these days, why, if all it takes is leaping three feet as indicator of over-all health, some Tutsis in Rwanda shame the current world high jump record of 2.45 meters—they jump at least their own height during initiation rites into manhood. Roman legions did over...

BRING forth delight o pukawin ang tuwa ang tahasang katuturan ng mudra. It’s touching off happiness, well-being and a wholesome feeling right at your finger tips… the outmost physical extensions of the bodymind. Mababawasan ang pagtunganga, bunganga, at todong katangahan sa gyan mudra—the mudra of knowledge . Pasubali: exempted sa bisa nito ang mga ipinanganak sa row 4 at talagang nawiwili sa pagpapakabobo… aba’y masayang umawit, “brain, brain go away… come again election day.” Dulo ng hinlalaki at hintuturo ang pinagdidikit, bubuo ng bilog na puwang, nakaunat ang hinlalato, palasinsingan o dumalaga at hinliliit. Pampatalas ‘to ng isipan kaya akmang-akma sa mga gunggong na walang magawa sa buhay kundi tumanga na sanhi upang maging talamak ang katangahan… yeah, we define what we become in what we do... do nothing, you’re nothing. Inaantig ng gyan mudra ang ductless pituitary and endocrine glands upang unti-unting mag-agas ng kanilang katas… para maapula, maampat, malunasan ang m...

DIRT-POOR’S now the most preferred political status, dirty linen the most swished about political pennant, and compost, the most-seen political composure… shift happens and blessed be with dust devils, basta h’wag lang idamay pa si Alikabok ng Ilocandia! Yeah, dumi is for dummies (but Rumi, I’m a huge fan of this poet-mystic-artisan of Sufi Islam who was once accursed to death not unlike a Salman Rushdie with fatwa). Pero kahit ilang beses akong matawas ni Joey Salgado, magsasawa siya sa katatawa’t katatawas pero hindi ko talaga iboboto alinman sa mga kumakandidatong amo niya… kahit sa sangay ng rentas internas sa Makati pumapasok ang kinakaltas na buwis sa aking kita… pawang makatas at malamukot kasi ang kikitain (sige, ipagdiinan ang bigkas sa mga pantig) sa pinapasukan (at nilalabasan) sa Makati… Kasi naman rehistrado ‘kong manghahalal sa siyudad ng San Jose del Monte, Bulacan… at kahit sa paniwalang Sufi, tahasang bihasa sa paggamit ng patalim at pagkatay ng animal ang manghahalal...

SINAMPAHAN ng kasong sibil ang dalawang survey firms kaugnay ng mga inilabas nilang kuro ng mula 1,200 o higit pang bilang ng taumbayan sa pinagnanasaan nilang ihalal na Pestedente sa Mayo 10. H’wag nang ihambalang pa ang nasabi ni Charles Prestwich Scott yata, “ Comment is free but facts are sacred.” O kahit ang giit ni Mark Twain, “ Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please.” O ang ‘kainis na hirit ni Dr. Thomas Fuller: “ Get the facts, or the facts will get you. And when you get them, get them right, or they will get you wrong.” Sa madaling sabi, hindi magandang kasuhan ng paninira ng puri o paninila ng pera ang sinuman sa higit 1,200 taumbayang sampay-bakod na nasukol, binuhusan ng tanong at sumagot kung sino ang kahayok-hayok na kanilang iluluklok sa trono ng Malacañang. Aba’y sinuman ang nais lumublob sa kumunoy, kailangan munang arukin ang lalim—o babaw—ng paglulubluban… ‘hirap yatang umahon sa kumunoy, ‘di ba? Pulos kuro lang ang inilahad sa dal...

KARANIWANG nakasupalpal nitong dekada 1960-1970 sa tapalodo ng jeepney ang ganoong tagubilin— distancia amigo. Sa matinong pagmamaneho kailangang dalawang segundong takbo o katumbas ng kahit apat na sasakyan ang nakapagitang layo. Sapat na raw ang ganoong puwang—ayon sa mga motoring safety experts upang makaiwas o makakuha ng buwelo ang nakabuntot sa iglap na sakuna. Nakahiligan yata ng mga nagmamaneho sa kasalukuyang panahon ang bisyo ng mga taga-Sodom. Kaya salpak-palpak sa wetpaks, kahit hindi buhol-bulbol ang trapiko. “ Suki ” ang tawag sa ganoong kritikal na agwat sa karatedo, aikido , at kendo . Sasablay sa ganoong puwang ang taktika, tiyak mabibigwasan, hindi maiiwasan ang disgrasya. Parang magkatutok-buntot na mga sasakyan o halos magkakadikit na mga domino—kahit isa lang ang laglag, daming damay sa pagbagsak. Tama talaga ang isang guro ng geopolitics , Karl Haushofer. Natukoy niya ang katuturan ng lebensraum or living space : “ Space is not a vehicle of power. It is powe...

BUSTOS, Bulacan – Local sanggunian alderman and farmer Gorgonio “Goniong” Mendoza reached for the grog bottle, poured himself a stiff shot, then, spilled out his plaint: “We begged for a tumbler. We were given a thimbleful as gesture of generosity, then, the entire swimming pool’s contents were diverted to Metro Manila.” Thus describing the sharing scheme for the water generated from Angat Dam which provides 90 percent of Metro Manila’s water supply with the remainder irrigating farmlands in Tarlac and Bulacan towns and generating hydroelectric power for National Power Corporation, Mendoza rued about the impact of such sharing scheme on the lives of local farmers. “The Angat-fed summer crop provides for a bumper rice harvest whose proceeds allow farmers’ families to pay for the schooling of two or three children in high school or college, aside from the extra money for cost of living. Before El Niño struck, a summer rice cropping yields about 120 to 140 cavans per hectare in Angat-fed ...

TATLO daw ang mga kinagigiliwang gawi o habit sa araw-araw ng mga bilyonaryo: (1) Magsanay ng katawan, (2) “ Follow your passion, (3) Read. A lot. At least two hours a day, but many said they read four or more hours a day. ” Kaya naman sigurong gayahin— monkey see, monkey do . Baka nga maging tuso tulad ng matsing na napaglalalangan din paminsan-minsan. At makapulot ng sanrekwang diskarte mula kung anu-anong aklat, libro’t tomo (ladies’ drink yata ang katumbas ng toma bago tamaan ng lindol at aftershocks, shaken, not stirred )… It’s quite tough to read between the lines or between the thighs . Talagang pagpapawisan nang malapot… lalo na kung higit nga sa apat na oras na magbabasa— does that last word translate as reading or inundating ? Halimbawa’y “know yourself, know the enemy; in a hundred battles, a hundred victories.” Parang Sun Tzu din ang tagubilin ni Socrates— “know yourself, the unexamined life is not worth living. ” O ‘yung giit ni microchip pioneer Gordon Moore noon pang 1...

MAINAM daw ang simoy ng hangin sa bahaging iyon ng Sierra Madre pero talamak naman ang singaw ng mga batugan ng mga tagaroon kaya tiwangwang ang lupa… parang dilag na nakabuka ang hita’t naghihintay sa sudsod ng dila’t suyod ng batuta. Nagpalipas sila doon ng mga mahal na araw. Pinuno ang hininga ng dalisay na hangin. Tinakalan ang bahay-alak ng saganang tungga. Hinimod sa tingin ang baog sa pananim na tanawin. Nagpalamutak sa yakap ng maghapon at magdamag. Sumangguni sa ‘kin matapos makabalik mula bakasyon. ‘Kako’y pulos panis ang balakin nina gibo, Gordon, Noynoy at Villarroyo upang masawata ang pagdarahop sa naturang lupalop. ‘Entrepreneur’ comes from a French word which means ‘to undertake.’ Thus, an entrepreneur is an undertaker—and sloth is a deadly sin. Kaya higit na praktikal at tila umaayon sa takda ng Kasulatan ang lunas ng hinayupak na V. I. Lenin. Bawat araw, tipunin ang 10 batugan. Utasin ang isa… mauubos ang mga talamak na tamad na hindi talaga kikilos upang gumawa ...

...THAT He gave His only begotten Son, an example by deed that’s too tough an act to follow, but some nations like China—admittedly the world’s mightiest in both economic and military power—had trouble adopting a similar one-child policy. As the Scriptures would have it, the same Son was quoted as saying in rebuke to a Judas Iscariot who was feigning concern for the have-nots but was actually dipping his hands into their funds: “You have the poor with you always, but you will not always have me.” There down pat-- the in-your-face reality of dearth on earth, the human condition. But in pre-election campaigns, Judas Iscariot copycats are wont to ply out sugar-coated sound bites in feigned appeal to vote-rich hordes of the impoverished gullible enough to believe. By such fruits we shall know who these liars are in our politically afflicted times. The barefaced liar that Judas Iscariot was went on to betray the Son of Man, consequently saw the error of his ways and made attempt at atonemen...

“ Kihaku (spirit)… the nurturing of human independence, responsibility, and inquiry… courage and the cultivation of vitality. ” --Nobiyoshi Higashi, Kokushi-ryu Jujutsu. 1995. I SASALANG tuwing umaga ang magkabilang bisig sa pakikipagkaramusa— karamusa translates as “empty warrior” —sa biyas ng kawayan sa aming halamanan… katumbas ng higit sandosenang yakap sa paslit upang siya’y busugin sa tibay, husay, kalusugan ng katawan at isipan. Idagdag pa ang tahasang pagpapahalaga sa katuturan ng jujutsu— ju connotes explosive pliancy of growing bamboo. The playful daily drill imparts such pliancy, the explosives pile up refusing fuses. Uh, weapons of mass destruction have taken a bad rap these days. Aba’y hindi lang sa bisperas ng bagong taon naghahanda ng kawayang kanyon. Taimtim kasi ang kimkim na putok sa buho—masuyong magkasiping doon sina Malakas at Maganda… pero hindi lang ito lamat sa nilimot na alamat… mahahasa ang mga bisig at kamay sa mga galaw na hindi lang maganda, malakas pa. Gum...