Ang Saging, Bow!: How We Rot As A Nation

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Lahat ng perfectly good fruits katulad nitong saging na ito ay magiging over-ripe at tutungo rin sa pagkabulok...hanggang sa hindi na maging edible, tapos itatapon na lang natin at bibili ng bago.

Ganoon din ang gobyerno. Lahat naman yata ng mga tunay na dating maganda ang intensyon para sa bayan ay bumigay sa temptation ng authority and greed. "With great power comes great responsibility". Kaya naging corrupt na rin sila eventually dahil our mortal bodies are incapable of handling too much power, thus we we fail to be responsible. O kinulang lang tayo sa pag motivate sa kanila to be better public servants?

Sa bahay kasi, you'll notice that kapag panay puna o alinlangin at walang tiwala tayo sa isat-isa ay lalo lang tayo nagrerebelde. Baka ganoon din ang mga namumuno sa atin. It doesn't really matter what age we are, lahat tayo madalas pasaway and always challenging the system. There are indeed pros in doing that, but there are also cons.

Lahat tayo, in one way or another, misused or abused, in a liitle or big way, our power. Mag-uwi ka lang ng isang pirasong pencil from the office dahil gusto mong gamitin ng anak mo para hindi ka na bibili ay mali na. Yung mga bloggers na nagpapasok ng mga friendships nilang hindi naman qualified sa campaign requirements pero malakas sa PR ay guilty rin sa pag-abuso ng kanilang influence.

Wala naman kasing perpektong gobyerno pero ang perception kasi ay mas malala itong ngayon dahil walang gaanong transparency at accountability. Panay joke time pa daw si Tatay, minsan feeling clueless, minsan parang nakainom, kung ano-ano ang kinukuwento eh problemado na nga karamihan ng Pilipino kung paano makaka survive ng Covid-19 pandemic ng walang sapat na ayuda o tulong. Datingalit sa Diyos, ngayon Doon umaasa. Tinanggalan pa ng trabaho ang ilan mula sa isang TV network. May mga high-profile criminals pa ang mysteriously namatay daw sa veerus.

Pag-iisipan mo talaga ng masama kapag tila may itinatago at walang konkretong plano. Lalo na kung tila ang priority nila ay patahimikin ang mga kritiko at maniguro sa pansarili lamang nilang kaligtasan at kasaganahan. Double standard pa sa pag implement ng quarantine at health protocols.

Pero kahit gaano kagaling, kabait, kadisente at katalino ang umupong mamumuno sa atin, mabubulok rin siya lalo na kung ang nakapaligid ay mga nabulok na rin. Hawa-hawa na ang peg.

So the cycle repeats itself. Ganoon uli mangyayari sa susunod. Mayroon tayong bagong iboboto, uupo sa pwesto, malululong sa tawag ng kapangyarihan, magwawaldas Ng pera ng bayan, then papalitan uli sa next election.

Ibang usapan na iyong mga datinng bulok pero naibalik sa gobyerno. Baka dahil uto-uto talaga most of us Filipinos.

Lahat ay may naging pagpuna, kamalian, sangkatutak na detractors, mga kaso ng corruption, at kung ano-ano pang issues laban sa kanila.

Kaya kung tayo mismo ay nabubulok rin, at wala ng inasahan kundi isang perpektong gobyerno, wala talagang patutunguhan ang ating bayan kundi sa babuyan o basurahan.

Kahit man lang sana ay maagapan na kagaya ng saging na pwedeng fertilizer para sa halaman at lupa, sana ay mahanap rin natin ang tamang paraan kung paano tayo magiging kapaki-pakinabang at hindi sanhi ng lalong kabulukan ng ating sarlinat bayan.

The Prodigal Plant

Wazzup Pilipinas!

A few days ago while watering my plants, I noticed this plant seedling growing out from the hole of the used plastic mineral water container I used as a pot. I let it be that day because I was busy with something else, but in my mind I never thought it will survive.

This morning, I saw it again and saw it grew a lot bigger. When I lift the container up, I was surprised it was totally out of the container. it's thriving roots seems to have crept out and got bigger outside...

Or the heavy rains yesterday gave it a push out. The rain water draining out of the container pot's hole must have carried it out.

Kawawa naman. So I replanted it on the same container pot. I wanted to replant it on a different pot but I don't have any available right now.

Should I have replanted it somewhere else if it truly wants to leave its home? Or did I do the right thing by returning it back home and reuniting it with its family?

Yes, there were other seedlings there since our Pasig residence is mostly a nursery from which I grow seeds or cuttings, nurture and propagate them to be replanted in the near future at our Montalban, Rizal residence.

How about you? Are you also a prodigal child? Did you also have to leave your home to show them you can be independent, or you left to be finally free from the criticisms of your family? But now you are too proud or ashamed to return and apologize? You think they may not longer accept you for what you did? Don't you wish somebody would also come along, mediate and become the bridge to reunite you with your family?

Like how the old but powerful saying goes, "no man is an island" because it's a lot better living, or working, when we are teamed up with others. But it's more awesome if part of your dream team is your family.

A Typical Middle-Class Filipino Breakfast

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Breakfast has been said as the most important meal of the day. I believe that because it is during the beginning if the day when we consume more of our energy trying to survive in this concrete jungle in Metro Manila. So we eat plenty in the morning then gradually decreasing throughout the rest of the day.

This morning we're having
Lucban longganisa for breakfast. We bought it from Hometown Goodies and Services that also sells Pinoy Kakanin like Pancit Habhab, Buko Pie and Pancit Habhab online from their Facebook page.

What attracted us to it was the native Filipino packaging they use made from Pandan leaves. I've seen posts selling pots made out of pandan leaves, and also reached out to them for my plants.

So I had two interests when I ordered for Hometown Goodies' food products. One was because I was craving for something to eat that I don't encounter everyday. The food business is mostly full of foreign-inspired dishes, and not so many are selling our own Pinoy food or they are not popular because they have been overtaken by foreign brands.

Second was because of their packaging. Not only is it visually appealing, it's the same pot material I was longing for my plants.

So needless to say, it was a feast for us the day the food was delivered.

If you want to know my review about the food, go to our YouTube channel or Facebook page to know more.

Now going back to our breakfast.

How do you cook your longganisa? Just like how we cook tocino, my wife pours in a bit of water and let it boil first until water is gone, then use it's own oil to fry it.

Nagluto rin kami ng crispy boneless dilis bought from a neighbor who also sells within our building's group chat. Ang kuwento ay tinda yun ng one of her students. Tumutulong lang din siya.

Ganoon lang talaga, tulungan and support each other. Patronize our own products sold by Filipino SMEs especially the online sellers who could be people who lost their jobs or business during this pandemic.

Lalo na kapag mga Pinoy foods ang kanilang binebenta. It' more fun in the Philippines if uunahin natin kapwa nating Filipino.

To complete our breakfast, (actually brunch since this is good until lunch time), aside from the Lucban longganisa and crispy boneless dilis (dried anchovies), inilabas na rin at reheated in the microwave oven yung mga leftover pancit habhab at sinukmani (for panghimagas), samahan ng mainit na kape at saging.

This is what we normally do with leftovers if bagay naman for almusal. We also make it a point na mayroon kaming prutas.

Yung buko pie naubos na kahapon pa. We gave some to our neighbors along with the pancit habhab and sinukmani yesterday. We often do that everytime our cooked food is more than enough for us.

This setup is for the two of us only since our kids are still asleep. They sleep late in the evening and wake up late in the day, so kami lang ng wife ko madalas magkasalo sa almusal. Hindi rin namin nauubos madalas kaya lang nakakapanghinayang dahil baka mapanis lang, kaya inuubos na rin namin o binibigay sa mga pusang gala. We don't own the cats, doon lang sa amin palaging tumatambay.

Pero dahil bagong luto yung Lucban longganisa, may naka reserve na para sa kanila...I'm referring to our kids, not the cats...lol

One of the reasons bakit kami tumataba dahil kami ang taga ubos ng tira-tira. I believe most parents, especially from the middle or lower class, think this way. Our kids also rarely eat leftovers because my wife keeps cooking new viands for them. Syempre yung bagong luto uunahin nila.

Bihira rin kami magluto at kumain ng dinner, unless may masarap na food around.

This is how we eat during normal times, and may soon change under the new normal unless this Covid-19 pandemic becomes no more but a ssickening memory.