Things of beauty in my room

This collection started when I was fiddling around with the close up function of my new digital camera.

The sunset from MoA

Loyola Memorial... Park (?)

Look at the first 6 shots... parang ang ganda, ano? That's because those are the areas which can be seen from afar by visitors to this so-called park. Up close, that's another story. Wait till you get to the interior parts. On any given day, you will see trash all around, unkempt lawns, missing drainage covers, concrete walls in disrepair, etc.

I have seen this place deteriorate with each passing year since the 1970s. If lot owners didn't bring in other people to maintain their own areas surrounding the graves, it would probably look worse. What happened to the promise that Loyola would not just be a place to bury your dead but would be a beautiful place where you could commune with nature? Maybe the owners and management promptly forgot while laughing their way to the bank?

Baked Chicken Liver

Ingredients:
1 lb.chicken livers
2 1/2 cups milk
5 eggs
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
Pinch ground nutmeg
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 T salt
1/2 tsp. ground white pepper
1 bunch parsley, chopped

Directions:
Soak the chicken livers in 2 cups of the milk for 3 hours in the refrigerator. Preheat oven to 290 degrees F. Drain, rinse, and pat dry the livers; discard the milk. Puree the livers, remaining 1/2 cup milk, eggs, egg yolks, cream , garlic, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, salt, and white pepper together in a blender or food processor until smooth. Pass the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve, then stir in parsley. Pour into a shallow 1 1/2-quart casserole dish. Place the dish inside of a deeper, wider dish and pour hot water into the wider one, reaching 3/4 of the way up to the casserole. bake for 30-45 minutes (depending on your oven) or until lightly golden on top and set. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Persona

Persona is a Latin word which referred to a theatrical mask worn by Roman actors in Greek dramas in order to project a role. Since the term personality has its root in this term, I have harnessed the idea for a class requirement.

In my General Psych. classes, I ask my students to create masks which they think reflect both their public and private personalities. Semester after semester, I am amazed by the artistic quality of their masks. Here are samples of work submitted by Psych 101 MHW and MHX3, 2nd semester, 2007-2008 and X-3, Summer 2008.

Andong's Roadside Garden

There's this dream to make the street where we have our home a showcase for beauty and art. A neighbor, Gari, imagines the wall of the high school with murals created by neighborhood kids. Ling and I have dreamed of creating a garden along the length of the street. This summer, we moved nearer to the fulfillment of that dream.

On a small patch of land where a barangay outpost used to stand, Andong planted flower seeds which I asked from maintenance personnel working in the garden fronting a building in UP. After a few weeks, the leaves and buds started coming out and day by day we prayed they would survive the heat and the attack of insects or mischievous hands of street urchins. So now that they're in full bloom, we in Fr. Martinez Street have a tiny spot of beauty amidst the rocks and the weeds in the side of the street.

It is truly a glorious feeling gazing at them, savoring the miracle of life produced by nurturing hands!

Tagaytay Reverie

Spent three days of April in Tagaytay in prayer, reflection, work, solitude, adventure, fellowship, and discovery. All these while enraptured by Taal lake and volcano in the awakening light of day, the harshness of the midday sun, and the fading hush of sunset.