Good Friday musings

It's Good Friday to most Christians around the world and though it is really Easter that we should look forward to, the entire week leading to Easter Sunday is often a time used for reflection or meditation. That is, if you are one to take time out from an otherwise busy schedule - one full of work that is made into part  of an excuse for "securing the future." I like taking times off including very short ones during the day when I take breathers between classes, meetings and other responsibilities. Such breathers, I confirm, make it easier to go through the day particularly when the activities seem to be routine like scheduled lectures and regular meetings.

Perhaps the breathers I like the most are those that require me to travel. One such trip was to participate in discussions pertaining to the future of transport in the ASEAN region where our hosts organized the workshop in Bali, Indonesia. I must admit it was quite awkward for many of us to be dressed to work in a noted resort where every other guest at the hotel seemed to be in bathing or swimming attire rather than wearing suits or formal batik. Then there are the meetings and field work outside Metro Manila that I like going to as they offer a change in environment. Sometimes, though, these out of town activities afford little time for diversions. In fact, I have had meetings in Cebu, Iloilo, Roxas and Gen. Santos that required me to travel to and from the cities within the same day. These were made possible by the frequent and relatively inexpensive flights to these cities that made day trips more practical and affordable than overnighters. 

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A wink, a blink and a nod

I believe I was in Grade 1 at Lourdes School of Mandaluyong when I memorized my first long poem or verse. It was a competition piece as our section competed with others in our grade level. If my recall is correct, the contest was held at the old auditorium of the Grade School Building located at the top floor and above the administration offices facing Shaw Boulevard. At the time, there were no other large venues in school. The alternative, the Instructional Media Center (IMC) could fit only two sections at best. The St. Francis of Assisi Theater was to be built a few years later, where most big events organized by the school will eventually be held. The old auditorium would eventually be converted into classrooms.

We all had to memorize parts and not all of the poem. We were, however, required to know our cues for our parts so we practically tried to memorize each groups' parts in order for us to get our timing right. I'm not sure if our section won (I forget that part now.) but I assume we got our recognition that day. Here's our piece from '78 or '79 - a full 33 years ago.

Winken, Blinken and Nod

by Eugene Field, 1850-1895.
found in the Oxford Book of Children's Verse.

Winken, Blinken, and Nod one night
Sailed off in a wooden shoe --
Sailed off on a river of crystal light,
Into a sea of dew.
"Where are you going, and what do you wish?"
The old moon asked the three.
"We have come to fish for the herring fish
That live in the beautiful sea;
Nets of silver and gold have we!"

Said Winken,
Blinken,
And Nod.

The old moon laughed and sang a song,
As they rocked in the wooden shoe,
And the wind that sped them al night long
Ruffled the waves of dew.
The little stars were the herring fish
That lived in the beautiful sea --
"Now cast your nets wherever you wish --
Never afeard are we";
So cried the stars to the fisherman three:

Winken,
Blinken,
And Nod.

All night long their nets they threw
To the stars in the twinkling foam --
Then down from the skies came the wooden shoe
Bringing the fisherman home;
'Twas all so pretty a sail it seemed
As if it could not be,
And some folks thought 'twas a dream they'd dreamed
Of sailing that beautiful sea --
But I shall name you the fishermen three:

Winken,
Blinken,
And Nod.

Winken and Blinken are two little eyes,
And Nod is a little head,
And the wooden shoes that sailed the skies
Is the wee one's trundle-bed.
So shut your eyes while mother sings
Of wonderful sights that be
And you shall see the beautiful things
As you rock in the misty sea,
Where the old shoe rocked hte fisherman three:

Winken,
Blinken,
And Nod.

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Friday pasta

We love eating sea food and pasta so it's only natural that we combine the two. It was quite easy to do so with the variety of canned tuna available in the Philippines that allows one to concoct variations of pasta al tonno. Mix it up with garlic, olives and some pepper and its ready to go. It doesn't spoil easily so you can have the leftovers placed in the refrigerator for another meal the following day. It's perfect for whatever meal during the day including breakfast and more so during Lenten Season when we try to minimize our intake of meat and poultry.

Spaghetti with Spanish Style tuna chunks

Close-up of the plate in the previous photo looks a bit reddish or orange that it reminded me of another variation where we include sun dried tomatoes for the dish to seem like Bolognese

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