A RAINY SUNDAY

A rainy Sunday. Watered the grafted lemon trees yesterday.

The blogger and his grandchild in Singapore. His father, an ECE, works in a multinational company in the sixth wealthiest nation in the planet.

Two of the blogger's collection given as gifts to two Ilokano writers in the Philippines.

Winchester, CA

 .

'NO TO INTOLERANCE! NO TO MINDLESS TERRORISTS!
HAIL, AMERICA. GOD BLESS AMERICA.

Memories of places in the old country

Bridge to Potia, Ifugao in North Philippines. The River is Magat that flows to the outlying villages of San Mateo, Isabela.

The main canal of the  Magat River Irrigation System that passes through the old village of Oscariz, Ramon, Isabela

"Well-behaved women seldom make history."--Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
"Forget injuries; never forget kindness."--Confucius

MONDAY NOTES

*    It may be good to make preparations before crossing the bridge to the Great Divide. The separation of reality and what may not be there. But why think about it as if you are waiting for the assassin who vowed to kill you? Get out of the room of fear and see the sun shining in all its splendor in the azure sky.

  

    *Why destroy time in useless imaginings? If time is no longer on your side, what the heck? Make the most of what is left, for the best is yet to come.

THE LOST MARBLE SOUNDS

Moving at right angle
Inside of me
In the square of nowhere:
The flowering dream
Entangled in the clouds
Around a ball of fire
In late afternoon
In the extreme weather
Here in Menifee.

Marga Denise de los Santos Julian

GOING WHERE THE FLAVOR IS--PECHANGA!

A Sunday in Menifee and Jeric's 21st birthday
Going in a convoy of two cars to the gambling casino to celebrate Jeric's 21st birthday.
Few vacant parking spaces at the parking floors. A great number of gambling aficionados this Sunday
Buffet at Pechanga during Jeric's birthday today, Sunday, July 20, 2014
Present at Dining table:
Anib and Dianne Julian
The blogger and wife Estelita
Daniel, Dianne's father
Anib 11
Philip, Jeric's boardmate at UC Irvine
Whitney, Anib 2's Vietnamese girlfriend
Justin, Anib 2's Filipino friend
Tip for the Mexican waitress: $10
Later, we played the slot machines. The blogger, playing on the 5 cent machine, won $50 but gave $20 to Daniel and $30 to Estelita, who lost it at the $1 machine. Anib, on the $1 machine, lost $500.
We had a great time.

 

The friends of the Julian brothers crowded around a slot machine as Jeric played. We went home towards midnight. The young people left earlier.

EYES WIDE OPEN

PETER LA. JULIAN

THE QUALITIES OF A LEADER

     F. Sionil Jose, the most translated Filipino author, is an Ilokano, who traces his roots to Cabugao town in Ilocos Sur. He attends writers' conferences and seminars for young and old Ilokano mannurat. A fixture in these affairs, he writes in English only and regrets he could'nt write in our language. But he identifies himself with Ilokano writers, saying he is proud to be an Ilokano and describe us as the most industrious ethnolinguistric tribe in the country along with Cebuanos and Batanguenos.  
     In his column in the Philippine Star dated May 5, 2014, Jose challenges the Moros (which include Tausogs--the laziest tribe, he said, along with Warays) to visit the Ilokos. He did not state the reason for the visit. But the blogger understands that if the visitors find economic development in the region this is traced to various causes specifically the kind of leadership wields by the leader.
      In said article, Jose said that the Bangsamoro leader has to work harder to realize the objectives of Bangsamoro now that it has been given the opportunity to rule itself as a independent entity within the Republic.       What are the qualities of a good leader? Jose enumerated some of these qualities when he said thus: 
     "What, really, is a leader? What are his qualities? Integrity is one of them; honesty in his dealings with his fellowmen; but most of all honesty with himself, his capacity to recognize the "objective reality" not just about himself but, most of all about the people he has to lead, to know what's wrong with them, for as a leader, he must be a change agent, capable of convincing his people for the better."

THE COUNTRY'S UNABATED KILLINGS

A CASE OF POLITICAL IMPUNITY?

     The killing of Gonzaga, Cagayan Mayor Carlito Pentecostes appears to be the left's version of the political impunity that the blogger talked about before Ilokano writers during their annual convention at the Cabacungan Inn in month. (Most of the delegates came from Gonzaga, a few towns away to the east from Claveria, a seaside town.)
     Leaflets were left by the killers to "justify" the killing, citing sand-mining in the town as the cause of the summary execution.
     But a spokesperson of the Pentecostes' family said the killing was politically-motivated. He said that there was no longer sand-mining in the town. It was understood that before they kill anybody, the killers believed to be members of the  New People's Army, would usually warn their quarry before they do their thing. They never warned the mayor, according to the spokesperson.