Foot and Fire

The Medical and Legal Mission I envisioned in 2018 may not have pushed through but it went a long way. I already mentioned in my blog on the conclusion of the birthday project that the fund will help me publish my new book for another set of causes.   And it proved that it was a lucky streak! I was able to raise funds for my new project and was able to return the Specks Fund for the mission. It appears that there's no chance for that kind of project to benefit my batchmates in highschool, our 25th year, so I converted the cause to gift giving of food packs. 

Two years ago, I set out to make my four wishes to come true. I am indebted to all friends who contributed for making my wishes a reality. The projects evolved and took shape and life of its own. Here is my inventory: Our laptop and accessories gifted to Panay Bukidnon is now being used to encode the soon-to-be book of Daddy Caballero. Previously, they also used the same to run the software for their "panubok." I am happy and proud of our collective intent to give PB a vehicle to facilitate the cultural documentation. SPECKsyal thanks to you my friends. Our bookshelf which envisions an open honest shelf  did not take a permanent spot but I was happy that your SPECKtacular gift brought me to a shopping spree at the BIG BAD WOLF BOOK FAIR in Cebu in 2018. Book readings at my garden, ongoing book loans, donation of children's book for Brgy Ayungon Elem. Sch. were achieved. I believe this will be a perpetual project you can enjoy with me... Flower ...

Melodramatic with tempered magical realism, Ang bahay ni Marta is a nice read and not that demanding for one's time because it is just a small thin book. As at any other times, Ricky Lee emphasizes the obligation of a writer/storyteller/everyone to tell the story so we won't forget. And it is not just a storytelling of an anecdote but of one's history. Given the background of Ricky Lee as an activist imprisoned during the Marshal law where he went to the point of committing suicide, I believe it is our obligation to not forget how we fought for democracy, we should not forget the times it was violated. The tangible house of Marta may be dismantled but once the story is told, it is still intact in our consciousness and we will never never forget what happened inside the house, to our nation. I am happy to discover that I liked reading this book and Ricky Lee's Para Kay B and Kung Alam Nyo Lang because even when I was in high school, I don't read Taga...

Red Tide: A tragedy waiting to happen to humans by feeding the whale sharks* In Oslob, Cebu, Philippines, the sun rises where the sky and the sea meet. Meanwhile, along with the sun, tourists and fisherfolks-turned-tourist-boatmen rise early too to have their meet-and-greet with the whale sharks and have underwater selfies with them. In this otherwise quiet town, the whale sharks, locally called butanding, pass by every morning, and their arrival causes the chaos mix of business opportunity and holiday pleasure. The typical day starts with tourists lining up for registration and waiting for the short orientation on the do’s and don’ts like no touching of the whale shark as it is locally penalized and no use of sunblock. Then this is followed by the business pitch of unlimited taking of photos under the sea for the group. On top of the rent for the underwater camera, one can pay for the picture only or bring home everything in the memory card. The bragging right of having ...

Jurisprudence, a poem found in page 77, Book V of Specks ,  an anthology of my poems published in 2018, is dedicated to a newfound friend whose wedding was upcoming when we met. She's a new lawyer and a bride-to-be who fuss a lot about her wedding prep. I was inspired by her genuine happiness in preparing for her wedding day, something I personally do not call for, ever. But then, inspiration to a poem can be found anywhere but it does not come when summoned intentionally because it comes naturally without any bidding. This is what happened with Jurisprudence, a poem from the point of view of a lawyer and Anchor To Ship, a poem from the point of view of a seafarer. (By the way, fyi, Book V bears art as accompanying drawing in the transition page because all the poems included therein cannot be categorized together with the others, all artistic endeavors in poetry I included in this book.)

Dear Friends of Specks Projects: Finally bought the laptop for the Panay Bukidnon of Calinog and handed it to Smile, a college student from the tribe and she will manage the same for the purpose of documenting their own cultural heritage from chanting, vocabulary, panubok, dances and many more. She and her other relatives from PB of Calinog will soon make a video for friends of Specks to enjoy and cherish. Thank you friends for making my birthday wish a reality through this birthday project made possible by your collective love and support for art.  Special shout of thanks to Ms. Cheryll S. who works hard in France and generously shared for this specific project. I am happy to be one of her chosen charity last year. Blessings may shower upon you in many folds in return! Kisses,  Gerlie P.S. First of Four wishes done!

  It was a great trip. After we did the official business and before heading to the recreational part, we picked up a Balikbayan Box of books in Leganes in Iloilo from a good friend. Upon my return home, I sorted the books already and I was very happy to accomplish the task in no time. I got a bunch for myself and they include Robert Fulghum and Leo Buscaglia. Searching for Mercy Street is a memoir of Poet Anne Sexton's daughter about her relationship with her mother.   My friend in Luzon saw my post and eyed the Fulghum so I sent it to her because I already read that and owned one, and I recommend it to her. She gifted me back the Frances Mayes book I was raring to have, A year in the world. And this is the only stray in this narrative! Promise.   *** Of course, mostly novels are reserved so I got stacks for the Honest-O-shelf. (In the meantime that the shelf is not yet ready, you may borrow books from me, just message me or find me at home.) Here they are ...

    I received through this birthday project fundraiser an awesome list of things I should be thankful about. My birthday has been memorable and cause-worthy because of the many who believe in what Art can do to help, to uplift, to share, to multiply… To everyone who sent their financial support to the project, to everyone who wished me and this project well, to everyone who pledged to send in their support, to everyone who loves art, I share to you my celebration of my life this year. Here the unexpected things I learned in this undertaking I tied up with my birthday this year: I get to say hi to old friends and acquaintances which I cannot normally do because of my daily routine and get to engage current friends to worthy projects. *** I get to see some siblings and old folks of my classmates who are nearby or abroad because they get to be tasked to bring payment and/or pick up the book. *** I get to disturb, distract, awaken, everyo...

  My journey with Specks Fundraiser had been wonderful because of your overwhelming love. In return, I am pledging my time and efforts and good judgment to see to it that our four projects will be implemented and be sustainable as much as possible. It will be a commitment I am forging with you this year on my birthday. Here are the updates as of December 2018.     There fund already raised plus the pledges to collect met the target amount to spend for each of the project.  Yahoo, thanks to you!!! I love you. ***   The design is already in place but I am still scouting for the right and best public location. In the meantime, the books I bought from the Big Bad Wolf booksale is now up for free reading. Book tasting will be held from time to time. I'm excited! ***   One good friend pledged to buy Laptop for the Panay Bukidnon and it was a heartwarming gesture I still wait before getting the tribe its new recording device. *** ...

How to peel and eat a poem in Specks: Fly Unrequited. Unwelcome. Intruder.  Have you experienced having an unwelcome admirer or rejecting an unwelcome love or been visited by an intruder in your life? That person becomes a fly that entered your home. The Speaker in the poem "Fly" on page 19 of Specks figures out how he/she should react in these situations despite the suggestion of hurting back the intruder, shaming the unwelcome attention, or highlighting the unrequited love. I believe, this poem should be read twice before it can be appreciated because the reader can figure out that the poem is not about flies but about love and unwelcome love only after going through the last paragraph. The Speaker was advised to hurt the Fly which stands for the unwelcome giver of love or person in one's life. The Speaker does not want to hurt the person (the fly) because he/she can also choose to merely close the communication between them. I should swat the fly at once, he said...

How to peel and eat a poem in Specks: My darling Darjeeling (An ode to the harvest of tea varieties) Are you a tea-lover? Let us have here a little introduction to teas through reading a poem. This poem is inspired by my curiosity about teas. Darjeeling is a place in India where teas are cultivated and the picked teas from there are named after that. The poem My darling Darjeeling (An ode to the harvest of tea varieties) on page 47 of Specks appears to be a wooing poem but then it actually explains the times when the tea leaves are harvested and each time gives teas a different texture in taste and aroma. The Speaker asks for apology for not giving the tea the special attention it deserves considering that Darjeeling teas are special picks in India. I was wrong. Accept my apology, my Camellia Senensis, for treating you like you are nothing special. When we were in India, you are Darjeeling, my no ordinary darling. Sounding like meeting a young girl, the Speaker recall...

How to peel and eat a poem in Specks:  Dermatographia In this poem I liken a heartache from a lost love to a medical condition called Dermatographia or skin + writing. It is something not serious because the marks on the skin when scratched usually disappear after a few minutes. In page 9 of Specks, the speaker tries to talk about Dermatographia while also seamlessly talks about the longings of her heart too, and the fact that she has to move on from the pain she felt from a broken heart. Let us dissect the poem: The Speaker must have moved on because she wants to remember the intimate love she once had by talking about her skinwriting. Love, I want to remember the pressure of your fingers on my shoulder as you trail my arm down to my hand. I want to feel now how your fingernails successfully created red lines raised above my skin surface. I want to see now your love letters etched on every space of my arm. The Speaker wants to remember because like skinwriting, h...

How to peel and eat a poem:  A whale shark's tale (Dedicated to humans and Oslob's whale sharks) This is not your ordinary love story. While the storytelling in the poem is creative, the facts are all based on research regarding the ecosystem and nothing is made up for the sake to fit the intention of the poem. Thus, it is true that Whale Sharks are not like the usual fierce shark, it is true that they are huge, it is also true that they do eat the algal blooms causing red tide and it is true that shrimps are not their main food. If humans keep feeding them because of tourism, the young whale sharks will never learn how to look for places where algal blooms abound and red tide will most likely occur since it will only rely on the shrimps being fed to them everyday, while the old ones will get full with the ready catch and will no longer hunt for their main food. In short, the chain of the ecosystem will get broken. The human-admirer is the one to suffer in the end, and a...