The Devil in my Reading List

There is nothing like breaching open the cover of a book while comfortably seated on my bed with the lights turned off and the room illuminated only by a cheap reading lamp. No TV, no radio, and no computer. It’s like watching a movie wherein you open your mind to whatever it is you are about to immerse yourself into. It might require the suspension of disbelief or the suspension of judgment but unlike a movie I dictate the pace.

I am not really a lover of works of fiction I would much rather pick up something whose context is historical in nature. My recent foray at the recent Book Fair held at the World Trade Center probably illustrates my preference. I shunned the huge sections gobbled up by Powerbooks, National Book Store, and Fully Booked and found a gold mine with the small and simple booth of the National Historical Institute (NHI). I was beside my self with joy when I found the Memoirs of General Atemio Ricarte that I just had to tell someone about it. I texted a friend who replied with: “Ok, I won’t even ask who that is.”

My loot that day included 4 books that have been reprinted by the NHI, the most recent original publishing date was in the 1960’s and it was written by Teodoro M. Kalaw (I think the street was named after him). The other 3 books dates back from 1899 to 1908.

My preference was once described by a friend of mine as reading up on a lot of trivia. I guess there is some truth in that since talking about the military strategy of the Katipunan in Cavite in 1896 wont get you any “pogi” points when you’re trying to impress a girl while seated somewhere in Libis or Metrowalk while sipping a mocha frap. You would probably get that “oohh, that’s interesting” look as she frantically texts a friend to put into motion one of her prepared escape plans.

I do try to create a semblance of balance and sanity by reading the more mainstream and popular books. Like everybody else, I do read Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Da Vinci Code, and what have you. Like every body else I am often on the lookout for something new or something different, I’ve always said that I’d like to expand my horizons and see things from different perspectives and to do that you have to be willing to try something new.

I’ve seen it a few times in the shelves of Powerbooks and I know it has been made into a movie but it wasn’t something that I seriously considered reading. I heard some people talking about it in the office and I made the mistake of asking if the book was any good and if it was actually worth reading. Big mistake! I soon found a copy placed on my desk by a co-worker with the explicit instructions that I should finish it before August 30 because it would be showing in theaters by then.

I am talking about The Devil Wears Prada… A book about a girl who works for an impossible boss at the world’s most “fabulous” fashion magazine… So it’s a lot of girl stuff set in the world of fashion… Ok, so it’s not my usual fare. I did ask for something different and I guess this really is well, different. My mind went on overdrive thinking how such a book could possibly prove tolerable for a guy who hates shopping and who has absolutely no fashion sense. I could also just imagine how people who know me would react, it’s was sooo not me… It was with a lot skepticism that I picked up the book.

I am happy to report that I survived my exposure to “Chicklit” with no visible injuries or any lasting side effects despite the fact that there was no violence, conspiracy, or controversy I was able to get through it without suffering from nausea nor falling asleep. I’d even say that it wasn’t so bad, it wasn’t just about fashion, it was really about a person struggling with a difficult job in an environment she wasn’t really accustomed to, a place where a lot of people doubted her abilities and were often outright hostile. I can’t say I can really relate but it paints a picture of just how difficult and complicated a situation could be and it’s given me a glimpse on how a girl might think given a particular situation. I should have taken notes…

Saturn Return

I didn’t expect much when I decided to buy this book called The King of Nothing To Do by Luis Katigbak, I was perusing the books displayed at UP’s booth during the recent Book Fair at the World Trade Center when I came across this particular book. It was just a compilation of short essays or columns by this writer and all I hoped for was to pick up some ideas about writing short essays and maybe help me get back into the groove of writing in my blog or at the very least get some laugh out of it. As it turns out Luis Katigbak is actually a prolific writer who have won several awards like the Palanca, and he graduated from UP and that comes with the honor of being given the benefit of a doubt that you are not a Neanderthal.

Well he wasn’t, I actually found my self, jotting down words that I would later look up in an online dictionary. Yes, I admit my vocabulary is limited compared to this guy. The stuff he writes about is typically light and the type that doesn’t require much research, but they were amusing and I’d say a welcome change of pace. But I did come across an article whose topic I had never even heard off and it got my attention, it was about The Saturn Return.

Though it was well explained in the article I felt the need to do a little bit more reading about it using google. My interest was spurred by the fact that I am at that time of my life when Saturn has returned.

Wikipedia describes The Saturn Return as:

The Saturn Return is the astrological phenomenon that occurs in a person's natal chart at approximately 28-30 years old. The planet Saturn takes approximately 29.5 years to orbit the Sun; when it returns to the exact degree along the ecliptic it occupied at the time of a person's birth this is referred to as "The Saturn Return," "The Return of Saturn," or simply "Saturn Return."

Saturn is symbolically/astrologically associated with time, challenge, fear, doubt, confusion, difficulty, seriousness, heaviness, and hard lessons, among other more positive things such as structure, significance, accomplishment, reflection, power, prestige, maturity, and order -- this is why astrologers believe that the thirtieth birthday is such a major rite of passage and is considered by many astrologers to mark the "true beginning" of adulthood, self-evaluation, independence, responsibility, ambition, and full maturation.

I was in Starbucks with my old buddies from college, Tuesday and Mayee, waiting out the heavy traffic caused by the heavy rains. As usual we were ranting about the small injustices and ironies that was common in our respective work places and it was at that point when I decided to tell them about Saturn Return. It just seems appropriate to talk about this thing since we are all in the midst of this Astrological phenomenon. If such a thing was true then we can blame all the troubles and little failures in our lives on this cosmic event as if there was a grand conspiracy or something. The conclusion that if something goes wrong around this time of our lives then we can handily blame it on Saturn was appealing. We soon parted ways with the expression “blame it on Saturn” stuck in my head.

In a few months I would technically leave behind my youth and become an adult. My excitement about this life defining moment that is supposed to usher in a new era in my so called life can be described in one word… blehhh… Yes, it’s utterly meaningless and denotes the most profound levels of indifference. I greatly doubt if there will be an Earth shattering kaboom to mark the occasion nor would there be an epiphany that would mark the beginning of wisdom. I think I can say with some amount of authority that my life is… well… Blehh…

I guess its normal to sometimes feel like the world is out to get you, or that everybody is better off in some way than you. So if your life sucks and you are aged 28 to 30 then you can just blame it on Saturn.

Pulag...

I was on top of the world looking down on all the mountains and forests that stretched as far as the eye can see. I was standing on the highest peak in the island of Luzon, and the 2nd highest peak in the Philippines. Even though this was my second time to climb this mountain I was expecting that I would get a rush of excitement when we reached the peak. But there was no jubilant leap, nor high fives. I walked away from the group and I was by myself thinking, I knew I had a decision to make and it wasn’t gonna be easy…

If someone was to ask me what favorite places are, Mt. Pulag would definitely be included on that list. A climb up Mt. Pulag is definitely a unique experience. Pulag is made up of three distinct eco-systems. The first one which is also the one located at the lowest elevation is the pine forest.


Pine Forest

As you go up, the landscape changes to reveal the mossy forest. As the name suggests the trees are covered by moss and is often shrouded by clouds. I often describe it as something similar to an enchanted forest in the Elvish realm of Lothlorien, from the Lord of the Rings. That was the thought that came to mind when I first entered the mist covered forest. But when the clouds lifts, a very colorful garden like forest is revealed. The leaves of the trees seem to be made up of flowers and it’s a profusion of colors and shapes.


Mossy Forest



As you go further up, a different landscape emerges. You are now at the grassland where memories of Julie Andrews singing “the hills are alive with the sound of music” quickly comes to mind. This continues all the way up to the summit.


The Grassland

The summit it self is more like an island in the middle of a sea of white clouds. Once at the summit, you have climbed up so high that more often than not when you look up you see a clear blue sky and when you look down you see masses of cotton white fluffy clouds below.





My first trip up Mt. Pulag was not easy. Instead of jumping off at the Ranger station which would mean a relatively easy three hour trek, we had to start trekking earlier with full packs on the Ambangeg trail because the road was being repaired and our jeep could not pass. What was supposed to take 3 hours turned into a grueling 8 hour trek which was exacerbated by the freezing temperature that Mt. Pulag is known for. Exhaustion was apparent in all our faces as we made our way up to camp 2, which was on the very edge of the grassland. The wind was blowing with a strong gust when we reached the campsite, making the already cold temperatures even more difficult to bear. We did manage though with a lot of difficulty to pitch our tents and cook our meals inside our tents because it was just too cold outside. Sufficing to say I learned a lot of lessons about climbing mountains from Mt. Pulag.

So when we started planning for Pulag, I knew what to expect and I knew I should be better prepared. We were planning to go up via Ambangeg and then go down via the more difficult Akiki trail, which is aptly called the killer trail. The climb was slated for February, but I had started preparing for the trip by November. I went back to the gym to prepare my self physically and I started buying gear, mostly cold weather clothing. So when the time came I would be ready for Pulag.

February came and I was on the lead of the group and was having a good time trekking. The pace I set was easy and leisurely but it soon became apparent that not everybody was having such a good time and Pulag was proving to be quite a challenge. I don’t think I was remiss in telling people how challenging and out right difficult Mt. Pulag was gonna be, but apparently the preparations made by the group was not enough. Some people in the group had a difficult time with the trek up to camp 2.

The next day we broke camp, with packs on back we headed up to the summit and the plan was to descend via the Akiki trail. But it had become apparent that not everyone was ready for the challenge. The question in my mind was do we push on as planned or do we just turn back and go back down via Ambangeg and head back to the Ranger station.

In the end I decided to head back via Ambangeg. I could not in good conscience risk going down the Akiki trail in the condition some of those in our group was in. However, some decided to push on down the Akiki trail. It was a sad moment because our group had to split up since around half would proceed down Akiki while the rest was going back down Ambangeg.

The trek back to the Ranger station made it apparent that I probably made the right decision, because even that wasn’t easy for some of us. Everything turned out well in the end, as we all met up again at the DENR office in the town of Bokod (Benguet). Our group headed back to Baguio, reunited.



Mt. Pulag once again taught me a lot of lessons about climbing mountains. The second time around it also taught me a lot about people, about my self, responsibility, making decisions, and about looking at the bigger picture.

Since I wasn’t able to visit the Akiki trail, I made a personal decision that another visit to Pulag was in order. I don’t think Mt. Pulag is a mountain that one climbs and conquers; it is a place you visit like a place of pilgrimage where one goes for more than just the view.

To know more about climbing Mt. Pulag just click on this link: Mt. Pulag

Going Under...

There comes a point when even hiking up mountains and diving down the ocean doesn’t seem to be enough to satisfy one’s craving for some action and excitement. I wanted something more, something new. It was that thought I had in mind when I recently signed up for Under Water Hockey (UWH) School.

For those who are not familiar with the sport, Underwater Hockey is a cross between Ice Hockey and Skin Diving. A game is played with a 3 lbs lead puck similar to that used in Ice Hockey but the game is played on the bottom of a swimming pool. Instead of Ice skates, players wear a mask, snorkel, and fins. The goal is of course to score by pushing the puck into the opponent’s goal using a small stick around 10 inches long.

To know more about this sport just click on this link: Under Water Hockey

Bruised, battered, and beaten…

Thursday, April 20, 2006. UWH School was to be held in La Salle Greenhills, every Monday and Thursday nights, for six whole weeks. The first day of Under Water Hockey school seemed like any other first day in school. I didn’t know anybody there, and even the guy who invited me wasn’t around. But everybody was friendly and I had this conceited notion that I can easily handle this sport. I saw my self as a relatively good swimmer, and I have been skin diving and SCUBA diving for some time now. So I thought this should be easy… My delusions quickly faded when I saw the attendance sheet and realized that almost everybody there was also into skin diving and SCUBA. Out the window went my perceived advantage.

We were issued some safety equipment like a swimming cap with plastic ear cups to avoid ruptured ear drums in case of collisions or something. We were also given a mouth piece that fits over the snorkel to avoid loosing your teeth when the game gets rough. Finally we had to wear gloves to protect the hand from the pool’s bottom and from other player’s UWH sticks. I thought any game with this much safety equipment has to be interesting.

After some drills we were quickly instructed to take up positions for an actual game. It was six on six and I was tasked to play the right wing position. Then we were off… It was chaos as we dived down and tried to push that heavy puck across the bottom of the pool. The game dragged on and it wasn’t easy. At one point I had my mask knocked out of place and my snorkel forced out of my mouth. I was gasping for breath while in the water and it felt like I was on the verge of drowning the whole time. In the end despite our best effort we lost and thus I went home bruised, battered, beaten, nearly drowned, and I had a terrible head ache. But I had fun, and I wanted more…

Goal!!!

I typically hate Mondays but this particular Monday was different since I had UWH to look forward to. The sun finally set and evening came. School was in session. We were taught the basics of puck handling and we were made to do land drills with a can of tuna instead of an actual puck. After that we were made to count off 1 to 4 and grouped into teams, we then went into the pool to do the exercises under water using an actual puck. It wasn’t easy coz the darn puck was so damned heavy.

After the drills the different groups were pitted against each other in an under water relay race pushing the puck across the bottom of the pool. Our team of six was composed of 2 guys and four girls with varying skill levels. Once again we lost…

With the little time we had left it was decided that we were to have game and it would be a race to 2. I was assigned the left back position and my job was to defend against our opponent's attacks. We were told not to leave our positions unless we were sure we were going to score a goal, that job belonged to the girls in front.

The game began, and we allowed those in front to swim ahead to go for the puck in the middle of the pool. It was again a mad scramble for the puck and I hang back letting the offensive line play their game.

An opponent gained possession of the puck and I dived down to defend. It was a simple matter stealing the puck because that person was probably out of air. I had a puck with no team mate in sight to pass it to… most of the opposing side’s defenders were on the surface so I started swimming to try and score a point. I needed air but I thought to my self “you’ll have a lot of time to breathe later when this game is over” so I swam with everything I had and narrowly avoided the opposing team’s defenders. I scored!!! I let out a yell of jubilation as I surfaced... damn that felt good…

We were sent back to our positions and we went at it again. This time around Mario who was the center back dived in and quickly scored another point. The game was over, and we won 2-0.

If I was bruised, battered, and beaten on the first day of school, the 2nd day was perfect. I still had some bruises but I was able to score my first ever goal in UWH and we won the game. I was happy… and I haven’t felt that way in very long time. I was humming U2’s It’s a Beautiful Day while driving home and the feeling lasted till the next day… I think I love this game…

Tonight, will be day 3 of Under Water Hockey School…

Snapshots

I have not been posting anything of interest lately. Though I have decided to do so, at least my recent trips and stuff, I will do this as soon as I can find the time to draft something. In the meantime I will let pictures speak in my stead and give anyone who cares to have a look a glimpse of the world through my eyes…

This is a really old church in our home town Pampanga. This picture was taken early in the morning of March 25, 2006. It took a lot of effort and all my concentration to understand what was being said since the mass was celebrated in Kapampangan.




Evening of March 25, 2006. It was a beautiful night… This is a picture of Manila, Roxas Blvd., and was taken from the CCP complex.




April 1, 2006. Just a picture of kids on the beach, this was taken in the town of Donsol in Sorsogon.




April 14, 2006. It was the evening of Good Friday when I took this shot of the full moon, the river, and the far bank from across our house in Pampanga.

Click on the pictures to see a bigger image.