SYLLOGISM: ERGO, I LOVE BOHOL!

captured: rainbow over Panglao Island

I’m back from a trip from Bohol, one of the most beautiful places I’ve been. It’s just an hour away by plane from NAIA, but the airport is 2 hours away from the mountainous region where we live (isn’t it ironic?). I was there last year and was back again last week with hubby, sister-in-law and Princess A. Since it’s my second time, there is one thing I’m sure of:

Major premise                  Bohol is a beautiful place.

Minor premise                  I love beautiful places.

Conclusion                        Therefore, I love Bohol.

There are several reasons why the major premise is in fact, a fact. The following observations may serve as proofs to the first premise:

                                                              

·    There are lots of white beaches. We stayed at Panglao Island Nature and Spa at Dauis Beach, where we walked by the shore, chased green and blue fishes, touched orange and blue starfishes, played with the little creatures in the reef.

the Infinity Pool with the Dream Island in the background

·    There are countless of tourist spots. On our first day, we ate lunch with a river view. On the second day, we dine with a sea view. On our third day, we had a view of the mountains (Chocolate Hills) while eating. My favorite spot is the man-made mahogany forest, for it looks like Jacob’s wolf pack together with Edward and the Cullens will emerge anytime.

the man-made mahogany forest

·    There is no traffic jam in Bohol. We travel daily from Tagbilaran to Loay (28 kms) to visit my sister-in-law’s in-laws for around 20 minutes only.

·    The food is really good. Most Bohol food has ginger, so we will get along well together. (Try their sinugba, their lechon at BQ Mall, sinigang at the Metrocentre and the buffet at the Loboc River Cruise.)

Floating Restaurant

·    Bank transactions are unusually faster. There is only one BDO branch in Tagbilaran, but I was able to deposit our cash and then claim remittances for less than 30 minutes, a miraculous feat if I were in Manila. I normally spend 2 hours to make transactions in the nearest branch (Once, I was able to read half of Coelho’s Like the Flowing River while waiting for my name to be called).

·    People are religious. There is a church on every corner (Baclayon is the second oldest stone church in the country). Bells toll at 6pm and a lot of people stop to pray the Angelus. Even all the tricycles in Tagbilaran have Bible verses in them (it’s a requirement for registration).

Baclayon Church

·    People are friendly. I know that this is a fallacy of hasty generalization or biased sample, but since all of the people we met were friendly, I could say that they really are.

·    The largest mall is small. There isn't any SM in Bohol, the biggest one is the Island City Mall. You can find everything in one place.

·     Bohol is seldom visited by typhoons. Bohol is located a little south of the infamous "Typhoon Street" and gets so rarely hit by the Typhoons.

·    Every town in Bohol has a cultural center. The famous Loboc choir always performs for the tourists on the floating restaurants.

Okay eggheads, we do not have seatwork today. I need to find an extra job to earn extra bucks so I can buy a beach in Bohol… Maayong buntag!

DIVINE LESSONS

I was browsing the net the other day (looking for quotes about mothers) when I came across a site titled “Things My Mother Taught Me.” It was funny but honest, and I realized my mother wasn’t as unique as I thought. The writer is presumably American, yet her experiences are almost like mine. So I made my own list of some of the knowledge I learned from my mother, Divina.

Nanay taught us:

1.   About Jesus, Mary and Joseph

“Suusssmaryooooosep! Sa araw-araw na ginawa ng Diyos, wala kayong iniakyat dito sa bahay kundi kalat!”

2.   How to pray

“Sinabi ko na’ng huwag kang lalabas, ‘di ba?! Kapag hinarap kita, magdasal ka na!”

3.   The Golden Rule

“Paiyakin mo ang kapatid mo, para ikaw naman ang paiyakin ko!”

4.   Gratitude

“Magpasalamat nga kayo at ako ang nanay nyo. Ang dami-daming batang nanggigitata at pakalat-kalat sa kalye na pinababayaan ng magulang!”

5.   How to count

“Pag bilang ko ng tatlo at hindi mo pa nililigpit mga laruan mo, aabutan ka sa akin. Isa! Dalawa! Dalawa’t kalahati! Tat…….lo! Boinnnngggg!!!

6.   How to add

“Kahapon ka pa, apat na kasalanan mo. Isa na lang, tatamaan ka na!”

7.   How to subtract

“Kapag hindi nabawasan ang basura sa kwarto, may kalalagyan kayo.”

8.   How to get excited

“Hindi ka tatahan? Antayin mo pag-uwi natin… antayin mo lang!”

9.   About Zoology

“Amoy-kabayo na kayo sa katatakbo!”

“Ang lilikot niyo, para kayong bulate!”

“Ano ba yang buhok mo? Parang pugad ng ibon?”

“Itikom mo yang bibig mo, para kang baka kung umiyak.”

10.Acrobatics

“Tingnan mo ‘yang likod mo, nanlilimahid!”

11.Biology, specifically, Heredity

“Manang-mana kayo sa pinagmanahan nyo, perhuwisyo!”

12.First-aid

“Sipsipin mo ang sugat mo para tumigil ang pagdugo.”

“Ilagay mo ang buhok mo sa bukol, saka mo hipan para hindi umumbok.”

“Kumain ka kasi ng malansa kaya namaga yang sugat mo.”

“Lagyan ng diyaryo ang likod para hindi ubuhin.”

Happy Mother’s Day, Nanay!

(Okay, eggheads, today, we will have a writing activity. Write a short poem about your mother, composed of 2 quatrains with the rhyme scheme aabb, ccdd.)

ADJECTIVES: Oh My Nanay

Some mothers are kissing mothers and some are scolding mothers, but it is love just the same, and most mothers kiss and scold together.  ~Pearl S. Buck

My Nanay truly belongs to the “most mothers category” mentioned in the quote. She kissed and kicked and kissed back. She could be your ‘best friend or your worst enemy,’ a cliché that exactly describes our relationship. When she loves, she drains herself to the last drop. When she gets mad at you, you better apparate immediately or cast upon yourself a disillusionment charm or don Potter’s invisibility cloak or hide inside the room of requirement (whatever way it is, just don’t show yourself). But once she calms down, she’ll try to make up to you – you will get extra baon, extra rice, extra hour of play or tv, or she’ll cook your favorite food (in case you’re curious, mine is sinigang and tocino, sawap!). She had always tried hard not to show that she is making “bawi,” but since it had happened many times, we already knew.

Nanay may seem eccentric, since she easily loses composure when angry. But I understand her, because I know that she had been through a lot. More than the hardships she had as a middle child, she had also lost a son (my youngest baby brother) which led to a nervous breakdown. Nanay always tells us (during her daily morning sermons) that what pushed her to wake up from her catatonic state was when she realized she had three other kids. Even in her trance-like form, she feared for me since I was the only girl (her overprotectiveness over me is an understatement). Nanay’s wound may have healed but the pain changed her.

The death of our brother left us all broken and shattered; it left a hole in our hearts which took years to heal and even left a mark so deep. It was a very painful loss, one that is hard to accept, because my mother is ligated, and she will never bear kids again. Our family needed therapy, which we found in the form of taking care of other people’s kid. From Nanay, I learned one of the greatest lessons in life – that I am capable of loving another person who is of no relation to us – with a love that is equal to how I feel towards my siblings and even my parents. And I love my mother more for that.

Today is her birthday, and this post is my little tribute to her, along with this humble yet amusing verse.

(Our lesson today is about words that describe nouns or pronouns. They are called adjectives. Now, pick out all the adjectives from the poem and write them in your notebook. Hurry up!)

CURRICULUM VITAE

I used to handle Debate class for our senior learners, but decided otherwise this coming academic year for I wanted time to finish my unfinished projects (don’t start asking, just thinking of it drains me). Fortunately, I also got lots of spare time in the morning because I am more comfortable working at night (it’s not what you think… I ain’t a vampire). Since I have little time in my hand, I decided to work part-time. Funny thing is, I felt a little strange while browsing for jobs on the net because the last time I applied for work was almost a decade ago. But I felt more awkward while outlining my résumé. It is quite difficult to compress one’s capabilities and experiences in one page; hence, as expected, I wasn’t done with my CV yet.

But I was done with something else. Here is Meenataur’s résumé, which will be posted on my Alter Ego page later.

Name: Meenataur

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

Post-graduate                           Master of Arts, Major in Muggle Studies

                                                Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Tertiary                                    Bachelor of Science Major in Mutant Evolution

                                                Xavier Institute for Higher Learning

Secondary                                 Forks High School, Forks Washington

Primary                                     St. Vladimir’s Academy, Montana

                            

EXPERIENCES

Professor (Muggle History and Wars)      Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, France

Drama Teacher                                       East High School, Albuquerque, NM

Tutor                                        The Little Prince      Planet B-612

                                                Sara Crewe              Ms. Minchin’s Boarding School

                                                Prince Caspian

Courtier                                   Rivendell, Middle Earth

                                                Kingdom of Camelot

AFFILIATIONS

Annual Camper                          Camp Half-Blood, Half-Blood Hill

Council Member                         Court of High King Peter, Cair Paravel, Narnia

Member                                     Fellowship of the Ring

Member                                     Justice League Team

Dream come true. Haha!