Kitchen Stories and Bus Rides

‘Moratorium’

Katharsis — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 15:19:31 +0000

This site or more specifically it’s user is currently undergoing a moratorium of some sort.

As to the how and why’s, that I cannot tell.

As to the decision of whether to continue, to abandon, or just let things be, that I leave to the Universe.

Still, the journey goes on and the quest for gastronomic adventure never ceases.

Enjoy life!

We lived happily forever so the story goes, but somehow we missed out the pot of gold, but we'll try our best that we can to carry on - The Styx/South Park

The (Not So) Golden Days

Katharsis — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 17:04:50 +0000

I am 26 going 27; These are the best times of my life. I have work enough to fulfill more than my basic needs, I can almost eat any kind of food I like, mostly those that are savory and delicious, my knees are strong enough to take me wherever I feel like going to, my ears can perfectly hear both the sweetest and meanest of words, my eyesight though not 20/20 perfect is healthy enough for me to see all the beauty and imperfection there are — I am so blessed I am in great health!

Sometimes, the thought of aging strikes me once in a while. The craziest idea I occasionally thought about is to commit suicide when I get old. Not for the fear of wrinkles or fine lines or the sagging skin, but just the mere thought of it – dementia, loneliness, incapability. The idea is so crazy I know I wouldn’t do it.

Alright, so what point am I getting at? It’s fun to be young, It is sad when you think about having to grow old even with the company of family, but it is much much sadder when you have to go through it alone or with other elderly like yourself. [Maybe I am not just so optimistic at this moment in time.]

Today is Sunday, I went with my friends to Golden Acres, a Home for the Aged in Quezon City, just a few walks away from SM North. It was my first time to go there, it’s not really something to be excited about but I was looking forward to it. When we arrived there, we proceeded to their multi-purpose hall, the place where they hold their Sunday masses, parties or programs. I think there were 40 to 50 lolos and lolas as I would like to call them, seated on the monobloc chairs, gray haired, wrinkled skin, and whose most eyes were deteriorating due to cataract. Good vibes I told myself, I have to bring out a positive aura and so I greeted with my widest smile and asked them how they do. Some were too weak to respond, some couldn’t barely see, but mostly were grateful. Lolo Allan said ” Maraming Salamat at pasensya na kailangan nyo kaming tulungan imbis na ako yung makatulong, Lola Francesca shaked my hand with her sincerest smile, commented that my hands were so warm (which I always had) and massaged my back and arms saying that she was a “manghihilot” and asked me if “may Bingo ba dito?”; Lolo Domingo on the other hand, says Maraming Salamat followed with God bless You.By the way, my friends – the Sisters of Our Lady of Sacred Heart (OLSH) and the Associates of OLSH, prepared a short entertainment program, song and dances, and brought some food such as porridge, boiled egg and juice, some biscuits and coffee. The feeding was the busiest at the same time the most touching part when we have to assist them ,feed them wipe their hands or their faces and I can feel that they longed for that kind of care, they longed for that undivided attention that they seldom have and they longed for someone who can listen to each of them even if what some of them say is senseless or incomprehensible.

Lola Francesca gave me a free back massage

Lolo Allan

I wanted to take more pictures, I wanted to greet every lolo and lola around and I wanted to tour everything inside Golden Acres like their facilities or the rooms but I wasn’t able to do so. Instead, I found myself seated beside Lola Juana, who told me she is not feeling good because of her poor eyesight and she’s getting headaches because of it and afer that I spent the entire afternoon with her listening to her life story, of how she started working when she was at Grade 4 in a factory but self-studied, learned reading through the Bible and her trusted dictionary, how she ran away from an arranged marriage but then obeyed at it after 7 years. She told me she loved her husband nevertheless. “Pinagsilbihan ko siya, araw-araw nilulutuan ko sya ng mainit na almusal at kumakain kami sa kabukiran, sa trinatrabahuan nya.” Sad to say, her husband died after their four years of marriage, they never had a child because she had ectopic pregnancy that happened twice. Lola Juana also told me how a diligent worker she was, she worked as a jutebag maker in a factory in Highway 54, a cashier in Sangley Point in Cavite and a restaurant operator in Pampanga. The owner of the restaurant, Mrs. De Jesus had offered her a home until she was old but when the time that Mrs. De Jesus stayed in the States and could no longer come back to the Philippines, she was forced to leave, and that is how she came to stay in Golden Acres. At 79, Lola Juana still had a great memory. She speaks English well, and perhaps I could spend a day just talking with her. She was just like my Lola, but not just that fortunate.

Lola Juana and Her Stories

In the end, we had to say goodbye, she held my hand and thanked me. “Pasensya na napagkwentuhan kita.. Salamat minahal nyo kami kasi dinalaw nyo kami..” Two of the many things she told me, “hindi lahat natutunan mo sa libro lang, kailangan mo rin makinig sa mga kwento o makisama sa ibang tao…”; “Pag mabait ka sa kapwa mo, babalik at babalik din sa iyo yung kabaitang yun…”

I wish I could spend more time with her and with the others in Golden Acres. Lola Juana asked me to mail her a copy of our picture; I said I will try to come back…

It was bittersweet. I am happy and fulfilled because I was able to make others feel a little better but I also don’t like the fact that some precious people have to face the few remaining days of their lives in a not so comfortable home, almost devoid of love and care that they deserve. On the brighter side, it is immensely amazing that these people are still hopeful; they try to hold on to anything that’s left, they still find the reason to live, be it for a fellow old-aged, be it the hope of finding their families again or be it for their pet companion.

Tonight, I won’t forget my bedtime prayers. It’ll be for them.

"What matters, therefore, is not the meaning of life in general, but rather the specific meaning of a person's life at a given moment." - Viktor Frankl

words and images by kat //

More Than 10 Years Ago

Katharsis — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 01:17:13 +0000

This chronicle that you’ll be reading below was written by my old-time college classmate, Josh and was retrieved from my Friendster account – back then when we used to write testimonials (oftentimes, obliged to) for our friends. I haven’t heard anything from him now and haven’t seen him ever since we graduated. But this one’s really memorable:

[1]

Its not the way she boosts my ego; the
good laughs we had together over trifles;
the sentiments we shared and kept at
bay; the projects that we rushed for a
double deadline; group reports that we’ve
slaved upon and knockout class
presentations that we triumphantly
pulled off and aced; the passion we
harbor for the arts; nor the stories we
brewed over coffee, that made Kat and I
the team to be. If not for Imz, whom I
also adore, we probably ended up as
thesis partners. Hey, there’s the word!
Partners! But as I said, our friendships
anchor is not among the aforementioned
instances. Linked together, they were
merely the chains that held the immense
weight of our bond.

[2]

And as for the metaphorical anchor?
Simple. We almost died together, all for
the sake of another class requirement.
For the clueless reader and for the
purpose of documentation as well,
consider this string of memory: 1st
semester + rainy season + Field
Research + profiling a remote upland
community + more or less half of our
grade at stake + it certainly ain’t a one
day affair + a total traveling distance
described by a 40-minute drive, 20-
minute walk, 7-meter wide river (and still
widening!), and a final 40-minute hike,
with intermittent stopovers to catch
ones breath + data gathering once we
got there + doing some of the household
chores for our host families + sleeping
over for the night + another day of data
gathering (were talking about 7 busy
weekends here) + picture taking galore

On Our Way: Literally Lost in Wilderness

"pangukot kadyos"

[3]

+ a bunch of bruises, sprains, wounds,
cuts, and kadyos seeds for mementos +
Kat accidentally showing off her baby
blue bra + being reluctant soundboards
to our 2 host families that were ironically
immersed in a politically fueled family
feud + finally saying goodbye and
promising them that we’ll return, though
we never did return + it rained so we had
to wait for a while + skirting back the old
route + the rivers current seemed
angrier than before (if you’re smart, the
equation’s quite easy: river + upland +
rain = rampaging waters!!!)

our weekly adventure

with the townfolks

[4]

+ a 20-minute small talk spent on
forming an action plan and saying
parting words in case we ain’t that lucky
+ doing a picket line formation + taking
one arduous baby step at a time, with
the current so strong that our mojos
were slipping of our feet + a lot of
cussing around when the water was
already at our belly buttons + finally and,
rather, hysterically reaching the other
bank + Kat absently remarking that it
was probably the best time of her life,
how fun it was, and that shell never do it
again (huh?!) + as a post traumatic
reaction, countless days of reveling at
our good lot!

*sigh*

Kat and I had one sentiment, though.
Both of us only got 1.5s, and that was
literally almost dying for it!

Loving Imogen

Katharsis — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 02:32:56 +0000

I don’t know why, but like Alanis Morissette’s song, I feel at peace listening to Imogen Heap’s and her previous band, Frou Frou.. here are some of my top favorites:

g – a – p

Katharsis — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 23:37:24 +0000

It has been a while.

Words don’t come out that easy for me nowadays.

I will try to keep up.

Serenity Song

*photo by Katharsis; taken at Capones Island, Zambales, Philippines

Sailing with the Dolphins and A Lot More

Katharsis — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 23:25:15 +0000

It has been a week since I went back home, my sunburn is now slowly peeling off as if revealing the long lost map of the Yamashita treasures.

It was a brief vacation actually, what is a 5-day vacation spent at home and a family you belong to compared to years of sitting (at times aimlessly) at work. The good thing with these brief moments is you get to value each time spent at home. Just at the thought of being at home, of being there and not somewhere in an oven-like apartment alone was a relief for me. And again I have my mom to cook for us, my father and his many trivias and health reminders, my brother for me to pick on to, and my youngest brother whom I’ll always adore.

Being at home was also a time spent with friends. It was only for a Saturday evening when we met up and bought some barbecues and beer and had the usual chit chat of the good ol’ days.

Something that is not missed when I go home is the beach and lots of food. This year, we had a Dolphin Watching tour along Tañon strait situated between the Negros and Cebu islands . According to Wiki, the strait serves as a marine wildlife reserve, breeding, feeding and resting ground for 11 of the 25 marine mammals.

Operated by the Tourism Office of Bais City, Negros Oriental, this tourist attraction started way back in the late nineties, maybe when I was still in freshman high school. It even started as a Dolphin and Whale Watching as there were sightings then of Humpback Whale.

We started the cruise at around 8 am at the Capiñahan wharf, we hired 2 pumpboats given by the size of my family since each boat has a maximum capacity of 20 persons only.

It took us almost 2 hours to get to the strait where most dolphins show up. Thanks to a perfect weather, with the bluest of skies and the whitest of clouds, these very sociable mammals came around frolicking and spinning as if putting up a show. We were all enthralled, I don’t know why but seeing them swim along the boat brings about a kind of child-like amazement.

After that (of course we don’t get to watch them all-day, these mammals get tired too I guess), we headed off to the SandBar, where in between those deep waters lies a kilometer-stretch of white sand.

We had our lunch in the boat, we had grilled squid and fishes, seaweed salad, Lechon, Pancit, fruits that were feasted by all of us. We dipped in the beach, despite the heat of the sun and enjoyed treasured moments with the family.

Just before going back, we dropped by at the Canumay Mangrove reserve which is maintained and protected by the Local Government. Mangroves are very essential for marine life since they maintain water quality, filtering pollutants from land and also serve as a nursery for fishes and invertebrates.

It was such a great day! It was just so perfect. It wish it would always stay this way.

For more information about the Dolphin Watching, please click here

Words and photos by Katharsis

roadtrip music

Katharsis — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 16:43:21 +0000

A Fine Frenzy – Happier

Nah.. i don’t think this will be a good song to listen to during a solitary bus ride; how bout, “I Think I’m Paranoid”?

My favorite would still be Kings of Leon’s Only By The Night album. Easy listening; No pressure.

Early Morning Thoughts Over A Cup of Green Tea

Katharsis — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 22:22:18 +0000

Another day…

The golden sun shines once again. If there’s one thing I am thankful about with my work place, it is about being able to see the sun rise everyday; A gentle reminder that at the very least, I’ve got another day to live regardless of whatever happened the day before. Another day to think things over, another chance to wait; another day to live.

“Out is Through”

It ain’t easy at all to find the easy way out. When things go wrong, I’d always wished I could just disappear right away, or make an escape and be somewhere else. My mind goes around in frantic thoughts; these cacophonous voices inside my head. I feel myself break into broken shards of glass and no matter how hard I try to run away, I feel I have this dungeon ball chained on my ankle and there is no choice but to stay there, grope in the dark and wait for the light to come through again. And feel everything, be it the slightest stab of regrets or the hint of excitement for a brand new day.

Of Misadventures and Lost Opportunities

Katharsis — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 03:47:01 +0000

January 31, 2010

It was a Sunday. Skies were clear, no overcast clouds, it was a not-so-busy day.

After my morning swimming routine which wasn’t a routine at all since I only did it on that day and didn’t happen again as of yet, I met Bon at Glorietta Activity Center to take a look at what’s happening on the Photoworld Asia Summit 2010.

After several rounds of checking all the stalls, camwhoring and fancying that National Geographic camera bag, we decided to go somewhere else.

It was forty minutes past the hour of 2 though. Pretty late. Still, we found ourselves standing in the middle of Pasay Rd. cr SLEX, Bon hailed the Batangas Star Express bus and off we go.

We really didn’t know what our destination would be. We just asked for the nearest beach we could reach in Batangas and we were advised to drop off at Lipa City, take a jeepney bound for Lemery and hire a tricycle to bring us to the beach. Alright, pretty simple instruction; it sounded easy although they didn’t know we’re catchin up the sunset.

So to make the short story shorter, we obviously didn’t make it. With the lengthy travel time along with the usual traffic delays, we weren’t able to get pretty sunset shots as planned. Although we were able to get to the beach, we could only mull on the what could have been’s. The scenery could have been beautiful at sunset, with boats at bay, clear skies and clean sandy shores. When we got there, it was already past the hour of 6 in the evening , it was already getting dark and gone was the late afternoon thrill of twilight. We can’t stay since beach cottages there are not that good and pretty expensive. And so we went back home in vain.

Maybe, there are just things in life that go unplanned and turn out to be unsuccessful. Money and energy become wasted. These are some of the unpleasant things to expect. And that’s just the way it is. Nothin’s really perfect, yet, these are the kind of memories you fail to totally forget. Some things remain true, it’s the trip, not the destination.

It's too late though we really did try to make it.. the beach at 96.1 sec Lemery, Batangas photo taken by Incubon

A Day with the Artists and more

Katharsis — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 03:22:05 +0000

I always look up to artists – painters, writers, poet and the like. People who have devoted their time and energy to the arts, to the mysterious and the profound. No, they didn’t use much energy. It even seemed it took them no effort at all to express the very depths of their soul.

Last Saturday 02/06/2010, we got the chance to visit the 5th Backdoor Ventures Art and Music Festival held at SM Megamall. There were booths, art exhibits, workshops and performances. A lot of people visited the 3-day fest which started on Friday. There were artists, non-artists, pseudo-artists, musicians and shoppers to name a few.

What made this day a memorable one was when we joined the Acrylic Painting workshop, one of the many workshops sponsored by the organizer. Other workshops included photography, creative writing, tattoo art and sculpture all of which are for free. The acrylic painting workshop was hosted by the renowned visual artist Fidel Sarmiento.

We learned about mixing colors and some techniques of painting like sponging and scraping, and how to do some abstract paint. Mr. Sarmiento also shared to us some basics on oil pastel on sandpaper which were really adorable.
There I was again, musing over my frustrations. Well, it wasn’t that hard after all, he said.. It’s all about expressing emotions, of which I really find difficult. Ha!

Surprisingly, Mr. Sarmiento gave us some of his pastel-sandpaper creations for free which we were really grateful for. How can one be so lucky eh?!

I always wish I still have enough time to learn to paint, to write, to play an instrument, to dance. Ahh!

Thanks to Master Fidel Sarmiento for being so gracious!

Thanks to my friends for being with me..

Thanks to Incubon for the pix.