It was one of those dives that teach you to be mindful of everything around you even if you’re supposed to be doing something else… like deflating your BCD to descend to the oceanfloor. My buddy Peewee was already down there and videoing something, which … Continue reading Flying gurnard it’s called, awesome I call it
What will you do if the current was too strong such that it looked like there was a sand storm at the bottom? You simple fin back toward the beach and converse with a blenny. Yes, converse. And yes, a blenny. A fish. Hey, there. … Continue reading Conversation series: Imaginary monologue
The devil stinger fish wasn’t named such for nothing. Known also as demon stinger (Inimicus didactylus), it is related to the venomous stonefish. It is covered with venomous spines, but most of all, it is plain ugly. I usually see them black with yellowish, “snake-y” … Continue reading The devil
I was saving what I could from my Multiply account following the announcement that it will be chucking out social media type of service when I saw this entry about what we as children called “baboy-baboy”. Baboy-baboy was a favorite catch among us children then. … Continue reading Baboy-baboy alias antlion
I’M obviously hooked, just in case you didn’t notice it yet. Hooked on learning how people live with so little up there in the mountains. I’m hooked too on discovering that what I thought I know pales in comparison with what the indigenous peoples know … Continue reading Not so known food practices
The epitome of a beast of burden, carabaos or water buffaloes are necessary companions of Filipino farmers. This is the carabao we rented to carry our things to sitio Lapinig where I was scheduled to meet an old datu who is reputed to be able … Continue reading Beast of burden
Horses are regaining popularity out there, after a brief period of being traded off by owners who were just too excited to own motorcycles. Horses and carabaos were the only means of public transport and cargo carrier since time immemorial in the sitios of Upian, … Continue reading Horses
My favorite subjects are children in their natural state, the more natural the better, because it is in that state when their beauty stares right back at you, undeniable. These are children of sitio Lapinig in the hinterland village of Marilog up the boondocks of … Continue reading Children series: Not even grime can make children ugly
Up there in the mountains where money is scarce, playthings are not stuff you would think of buying. That doesn’t mean they don’t have toys. Menfolk make tops. Big tops. Out of food. They use their bolos to make these. They chopped off a branch … Continue reading Toys for big boys
The phrase isn’t really appropriate as these birds are nowhere near a coop. They were in their nest. I would’ve loved having found them while they were still eggs, but my housemate didn’t tell me about them until after my arrived from Bali and the … Continue reading Flying the coop
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