Thanks for keeping the fires burning while I was savoring the peace and serenity of barrio life.
In our place in Guisijan, a barrio in the town of Laua-an in Antique, we have no TV, internet, newspaper. I don’t turn on the radio.
This is the scene that I wake up to every morning:
Beyond the ricefield is the sea. From my bedroom, I can hear the lapping of the waves.
My garden is abloom. Take a look:
The violet orchid, second from the last, is the fragrant sanggumay. The last one is native palochina. In our barrio, it is more used as a medicinal, rather than as an ornamental plant.Its leaves are used to remove an-an,a skin disease.
Hi Ellen!
Wlcome back! We did miss you a lot! But if there’s one who deserves to take a brief R&R, it is you! Dapat lang, kung ganito kagandang lugal ang naghihintay sa ‘yo! I can’t help but feel so homesick just looking at those blooming Orchids! The view of the ricefield reminds me of our farmland, way back there in Mindanao. I’d like to fly home at this very moment, kung puwede lang! Kaya sana mapatalsik na ang tiyanak diyan sa Malakanyang at ng makabakasyon naman ng matagal-tagal diyan! Promise ko kasing uuwi lang kung wala na ang mga Diyablong nakatira sa malaking bahay sa tabi ng mabahong Pasig river!
Elvira, don’t let Gloria Arroyo prevent you from enjoying the joys of nature, while you can sill enjoy it.
welcome back din ms. ellen. hope you’ve rested your body and spirit and have enough energy and inspiration to face the long and arduous journey ahead. ang ganda ng lugar mo, i love the sea too. looking at your blooms, parang naamoy ko yung kaisa-isang orkid sa garden ko, yung sanggumay, bigay sa akin ng isa sa mga ayta friends ko. na-homesick na naman ako. like elvira, wish ko sana nga bukas na bukas mawala na yang bruhang mukhang daga para makauwi naman ako sa aking lupang tinubuan.
Welcome back Ellen. The flowers are very refreshing and the view from your window is very rejuvenating. Going away from the madding crowd uplifts the spirit and bring fresh insights. I am sure you get renewed vigor, like Don Quixote ready again to facing the windmill.
Ellen, that’s what our friends tell us here too! They would even chide me that, “So, if Gloria remains in power for the next 20 years, you won’t be seeing the Phils. for that long,too? Eh, buhay ka pa kaya noon?! I better talk to my hubby! Hmmm…I’ll dream about it tonight. It’s already, 10:44 p.m. here! Gute Nacht!
Ellen, you bring back fond memories of Antique…beautiful pebbly beach, sweet aroma of pinipig, roaring cascades, and blissful serenity. Thanks.
Welcome back Ellen, and hope the refreshing vacation back to the hometown will re-charge you and have the energy to go through another tough round of writings and investigative reporting.
Your place have a lot resemblance with ours, only behind our house is the river which is already drying up and the sand and gravel were all dug up by the big contractors for buildings, roads and now the New International Airport in Cabatuan, Iloilo. It is no longer the same, not for better though. I hope your Barrio and town is the other way around.
Burning, you say? Your site was quite in a very lively mood, but altogether we all survived and the better for it. While the flowers bloom, we are here covered in snow and can only have them in the indoor garden. But comes spring they all be back in their splendid wonders.
Welcome back Ma’m Ellen, missed your feisty threads, but after knowing and seeing where you went, it’s all woth it. You should have more of this short vacations over there in your home province of Antique…”beyond the ricefield is the sea, and I can hear the lapping of the waves”, geez! That’s perfect. You could just enjoy this life without the hassles of threats and libel cases from these bums who think their from the royal bloodlines, but yet, you’ve chosen to battle their evils through your pen (in this case both pen and the keyboard of your laptop), admiring your strength to fight for the truth and what you believe for no matter how big an evil force these creatures in Malacanang are would be an understatement for the sacrifices you’re doing to show that honest and clean journalism in the Philippines is still possible with journalists like you. Mabuhay ka Ma’m Ellen, and God bless!
Now, back to battle…hehehe 😉
Saw these ads of mighty miyak defensor, can’t help but say he really looks like a dog, and for that matter just an ordinary “askal”. It shows homoBoy abundats talents Keanna Reeves and Pooh of Punchline and Laffline fame calling little mike “tol!”, with the latter turning his alien looking face showing his bemetalled teeth with a doggish grin. Akala ng gagong ito makukuha sa pakyut nya ang mga tao. Then this miguela zubiri’s ads with his “biofuels catch”..PWE!!!, can’t blame you if you want a place without tv Ma’m Ellen, cause if these faces would be the only things you would see on tv, it would be much better to just seat and savor the fresh wind blowing from the sea through the open field.
Good morning to Ate Ellen and hello to everybody!
Beautiful sights you’ve got there.
Just like you, I arrived from the province yesterday and back momentarily with my family to spend the weekend. I truly enjoyed being with my old folks and reminisces the old times, the happy and sometimes bad times.
It’s a wonderful experience be away from the hassle and dazzle of the city life once in a while and to recharge. I find this motivational piece ENJOY THE SERENITY OF JUST BEING applicable not only to you in your brief sojourn in Antique, but perhaps to all of us here in the blog who share the same goals (in tackling the issue) and our aspiration for the well being of our country.
“Though there may be a thousand things demanding your attention, you can only really devote yourself to one at a time. If you’re to make any headway at all, in your work, your relationships, your life, you must focus your efforts.
One of the best ways to achieve focus, is to pursue and maintain a calm, peaceful approach to life. Tell the noisy distractions in your head to be quiet. For a moment, put everything out of your mind. Think of nothing. Stop your thoughts before they start. Enjoy the serenity of just being. Then, selectively, put back into your mind only that on which you wish to focus. Keep yourself free of all the rest.
Take pleasure in the satisfaction that comes from peaceful, focused effort. Enjoy the level of accomplishment that you can achieve when all your energy is flowing in the same direction. Calm down, stay focused, and you’ll be much more effective at getting it all done.
=
Just woke up. Beautiful flowers you have there, Ellen. I like going to the rural areas myself to take pictures. Over here, the rice planting and reaping is over because it is the cold season, but we are having a rather warm winter this year, not much snow as a matter of fact except perhaps in Hokkaido.
At least, your province is not as much affected by the oil spill, and people there can still fish for food.
Relax and take good care of your health. Mukhang magulo ang eleksyon, so you’ll be needing a lot of energy in the months to come. Your people need you, remember?
Gotta prepare for church. I’ll include you in my prayers.
Maligayang pagbabalik ate Ellen. Ang ganda ng inyong lugar yan ang hinahanap ko tahimik, malayo sa maiingay na sasakyan at ang hangin ay sariwa. Ang inyo pong lugar ay tamang tama sa mga halamanan lalo na sa mga nag gagandahang bulaklak ng orchids na sanay hindi manakaw ng magnanakaw dyan sa malakanyang.
Wala bang orchids na ang dahon ay pwedeng pang alis sa mandaraya, magnanakaw, sinungaling at ganid sa katungkulan.
UNO! UNO! UNO! UNO! UNO! UNO!
Dito muna ako sa hardin ni Ellen at kakalimutan ko si Dirty Mama Glueria kahit sandali man lang.
Ellen, ang sanggumay ay ubod ng ganda. At ibang orchids ay nakakahalina. Ngayon lang yata ako nakakita ng palochina at ang kulay ay parang sorbetes. Wala talagang mas gaganda pang maniharan kundi sa baryo na pinagyayaman.
Dito sa aking kinalalagyan ay kailangan pang magtayo ng conservatory/greenhouse para makapag-alaga ng mga orchids at hindi pa ganyan kaganda. Minsan ay bumili ako ng orchid, maganda ng summer. Pero nag-autumn at inilagay ko sa loob ng bahay sa parte ng banyo na may skylight. Ayon, patay rin!
Sa aking garden ay puro roses ang nakatanim, magaganda pero nakakasawa rin. Bumili ako (galing sa Florida) ng mga tropical ornamental plants dahil miss ko ang mga ito. Merong palung-palungan, marigold, sampaguita, rosal pero mga annual lang sila dito kaya patay rin pag dating ng Fall. Ang buhay lang ay ang San Franciso at mangkok-mangkokan na kaya buhay ay nasa malapit sa heater.
Thanks so much for sharing with us your beautiful garden, the green ricefields and the lapping of the waves. The magic is invigorating!
Napakaganda ng bansang Pilipinas…kung wala si Glueria.
Welcome back, Ellen. I really like your place! I hope to meet you personally on your next vacation to your place. If things will materialize, I will be supervising a “construction project” in the neighboring province of Aklan on the 2nd Quarter of this year. Antique has a long coastline and I wish to see it from north to south. The pictures of your orchids are refreshing.
welcome back maam …
ti … na recharge guid mga battery mo ?
i miss the sights and sounds of barrio life.
the rolling green palay fields , the whistling ocean breeze , the simple life of simple folks.
a far cry from the madding crowd of city life indeed … especially now that election fever seems to be on the rise and have permeated even this blog of yours … too many personal attacks and too many self-righteous BS… everyone has a valid point or two it seems and we are left to decide who is the lesser evil.
makanta na lang ako 🙂
… pag gising sa araw bukid kaulayaw
ni Tatay at ng kalabaw
sa bahay nama’y nagluluto si Nanay
naglilinis nagbabantay
sa mga batang naglalaro ng taguan
at habulan sa bakuran
at sa dapithapon pag tunog ng orasyon
pasasalamat sa Poon
sa buhay na pinagpala …
“The Way Life Ought 2 Be” – Lokal Brown
Ellen, Memories
I went as far north only to Patnongon,
as far south as Ani-niy and my butt
suffered from the wooden seats of buses
as it crossed the range to San Joaquin. As I sleep in the big house I was told that Tobing Fornier used to play cara y cruz downstairs. and outside my window at 3 am I heard the hushed voices of the sacadas going to Iloilo on to Negros Occ. I watched the girls on Antique High (may be you’re still in the elementary.)
If there were bridges then, I would have traveled as far as your town and even see Culasi. I first learned to drive a scooter in
the San Jose airport, PAL then comes and lands only once a week. It was pure innocence to hear mass at St. Anthony’s cathedral and play bowling nearby. It was scary and lonely driving home in scooter in the dark highway from Sibalom. A flying lady might just snatch me away. All these in just four months. There was no electricty, no movie house in San Jose. I would have stayed forever, had I heeded the Governor’s advice to marry an Antiquena. Welcome back Ellen. I regret I may not see Antique again. my pals there may have been long gone to their reward.
thomas hardy wrote far from the madding crowd…a beautiful country (in rural England) was used as background in this love story…much the same way as this depiction of ellen’s country in this write-up.
this blogpost may not be a love story but it certainly is a respite from the maddening (but sometimes hilarious) commentaries from the previous posts.
i truly love to read this blog ever since djb (aka GodSaveDConstitution) linked this from his own way back in the past. my only comment is that there are a lot of digressions from the topic of the post in the comments section…well, maybe these digressions make it more exciting to read…and that definitely makes ellen’s blog tick (judging from the readers-commenters’ presence here).
i’m one reader who gladly welcomes ellen’s return to the madding crowd…
You certainly deserve the peace and quiet and serenity that your beautiful garden and the bounty of greeneries gave you on your short break. It is very refreshing to do that. It takes out all the toxins from your system! Now, you can tackle the hard work of responsible journalism. We truly missed you but personally, I would rather see you enjoy your life rather than duking it out in the rough seas of the media! Now you are ready to sail again. The waters are calm but I know the big waves will soon be coming. Brase yourself. Welcome back!
Ah yes, more, ellen
I can’t forget i was to speak before a small town people’s meeting. I was told Antiquenos in the barrios understand English better than Tagalog, so I must talk to the people in English. I wrote the speech under a Coleman
and this hi school student got helpful and said he will translate it to Hiligaynon and I can practice it with the proper accent. Two nights he trained my tongue to speak like Karay-ah.
The rest? Unforgettable. MC was apologetic I was new to the province and can’t speak the local dialect. And I delivered my piece like I was doing an oratorical in a school contest.
Talahuron nga Gobernador, Mga Kasimanwa, blah, blah,blah. Man, I blew their mind! People then said I was like Manglapus campaigning for the Senate at the time. I was so proud, it was a psychedelic high. I think that was the start when the Governor said he will help me marry an Antiquena. Ah Memories, windmills of the mind.
Ellen, Flowers in bloom, what a beautiful sight! Ang ganda ganda naman ng lugar mo. Looks so serene, quiet and peaceful, and not only away from the maddening crowd, but away from the polluted atmosphere and environment in the city. With all the greens around and just beside the sea ang sarap siguro mag-inhale and exhale, kasi mukhang very fresh ang hangin. Ganyan ang lugar na madalas kung na-iimagine na mapagbabakasyunan and to even spend the rest of my life, kaya lang ang aking bahay ay diyan sa Metro Manila. I like gardening at mayroon din akong garden diyan na pina-aalgaan ko, mayroon din akong mga orchids, kaya lang sa tingin ko mas magaganda at buhay na buhay ang flowers mo. Dito, mayroon din ako kaya lang halos puro mga roses lang at mayroon pa nga akong mga tanim na gulay-Pilipino, but their life span only last more or less 5 months. At ngayon wala ka ng makita kundi kulay gray o kaya snow.
Hindi ako inggitera, pero sa totoo lang inggit na inggit ako saiyo. Nakakainngit talaga!
Taon taon umuuwi din ako sa probinsiya namin sa albay, paraiso para sa akin ang paligid namin dahil nakapalibot sa bahay ang mga berdeng palayan,napakaganda ng view ng mayon sa amin na kapag umaga ay berde at sa hapon asul ang kulay, nasa kabila naman ay dangat. Di ko maipapagpalit ang ganda niyan dito sa british columbia.
Sarap mag retiro sa pinas lalo na kung wala na si madam glu
The flowers in the garden of Ate Ellen are of course beautiful but we could see the likes of it in many places, here and abroad. What what is more beautiful is the serenity and calm and quiet in a barrio not so much touched by the sophistication we see and experience in the metropolis.
What is more beautiful is the trait of the rural folks still observing the old customs and traditions inspite of the onslaught of modern living. That makes the Filipinos special to the eyes of the foreigners.
And what makes the Filipinos special? Here’s a portion of what Ed Lapiz wrote in 2004 at the Light Touch Magazine:
Filipinos are timeless. Despite the nearly half-a-millennium encroachment of the western clock into our lives, Filipinos-unless on very formal or official functions-still measure time not with hours and minutes but with feeling.
We are brown, spiritual, timeless, spaceless, linguists, groupists, weavers, adventurers. Seldom do all these profound qualities find personification in a people. Filipinos should allow – and should be allowed to contribute their special traits to the world-wide community of men- but first, we should know and like ourselves.
==
ms ellen, welcome back! ganda naman ng tanawin sa lugar ninyo. green na green at nakakapagpaluwag talaga ng pagal na pakiramdam.
miss ko na ang ganyang kapaligiran.
helo Ellen..wala talagang papalit sa halimuyak ng sariwang hangin at maayang kapaligiran….glad to have u back and we continue the fight!
btw kapatid mrivera…nakita mo na ang pagtugon ko sa iyong tula?
maaring ipagpaumanhin kung hindi maging kasing kagaling ang aking pagsagot…
Ay talaga. Nakakainis nga kasi kapag nandoon ako, nakakawili. But I can’t stay there very long beecause I have to get back to work!
madam soleil, hindi ‘yung rima ang kailangan kundi ang damdamin at kamalayang napapaloob sa isang akda ang mas mahalaga, di ba? walang magaling sa anumang larangan, sanayan lamang at pagsasapuso, pagpapahalaga at pagsasapuso, ‘yan ang makapagbibigay sigla kaano man kasimple ang ating katha.
Just by looking at the shot of the view you wake up to in the mornings. It is so serene & relaxing. Your blooms are beautiful !
“Away from the madding crowd” is so apt ! What a blessing it is to you have a place to rejuvinate..to just stop & smell the flowers & enjoy God w/ nature..
Welcome back, Ms. Ellen !
dapat pala ganito:
madam soleil, hindi ‘yung rima ang kailangan kundi ang damdamin at kamalayang napapaloob sa isang akda ang mas mahalaga, di ba? walang sinumang magaling sa alin mang larangan, sanayan lamang at pagsasapuso, pagpapahalaga, ‘yan ang makapagbibigay sigla at buhay gaano man kasimple ang ating katha.
sori, nabulol na ako!
salamat sa pangunawa mrivera…anu’t anuman, iisa ang ating mga adhikain..ang mabago ang bulok na pamayanan ng ating lipunan.
spartan..re that chubiri bio-fuel ek-ek…wala pang alam sa biofuel ang uhuging yan prior to 2001. my previous company sent a foreign delegation of consultants to bukidnon armed with technology of the cold chain and abattoir set-up. at the same time we introduced to the diff coop offices together with other govt offices connected with agri and cattle industry. issue of energy saving also came up and there were discussions of biofuels, co-gen and the like. this char was nowhere near the roundtable talks..i wonder saan nya nadukot ang docket and mga dossier that were done and prepared way back.
si myty myak?!!!..pwe!!! naaawa ako sa kanya. para syang inutusang bumili ng suka sa kanto!!!!
Hi Ellen,
nakarating na ako lugar nyo maganda sa lugar nyo! i love Panay island, from Miag-ao (south) to Roxas city, San Jose(i have a realative there) but of course, Kalibo and Boracay…..i was putting up telecom facilities for PLDT and i when saw these places…..
Ellen,
Thank God for this regime’s ugliness and chaos for we really appreciate beauty, peace and serenity when we see one. Your photos are a breath of fresh air indeed.
Ahh…the beauty and potential bounty of this country… both natural and human…untapped…Sayang. The Filipinos, one of the nicest, gentlest, kindest people on this planet…they really don’t deserve being treated this way by their own government. That’s why…TULOY AND LABAN!
oops…TULOY ANG LABAN!
soleil Says:
February 4th, 2007 at 9:50 pm
salamat sa pangunawa mrivera…anu’t anuman, iisa ang ating mga adhikain..ang mabago ang bulok na pamayanan ng ating lipunan.
madam soleil, sabi nga sa inggles, i don’t have to understand your effort, i just appreciate it.
Nice, Ellen! Glad to have you back…
it’s nice to know you’re from antique too. =)
live long and prosper.
manang ellen,
its been days dat i was not able to check on your blogs and sobrang natuwa ako when i saw that familiar pictures you posted on this issue. i would assume you enjoyed your stay in there specially sa pamamasyal sa tabing dagat. you know we came from the same place actually. at sobrang namimiss ko ang guisijan right at this very moment.:)well, of course i’ve known you and seen you a couple of times when you visit the place in the past.
i am personally so proud that a native of that sleepy barrio have made it to the national scene through your profession/advocacy and certainly the whole town feels the same…
i look forward to catch up on you the next time you vidit guisijan again…..
keep up and my prayers are with you…..
you are an inspiration,