They Who Shortchange….

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on October 8, 2024 in distraction issues, impediments, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

October 8, 2024, Manila-The grifter was insistent, even as I made it clear that I had his/her number, after being asked twice within twenty seconds, how I was doing today. (That is one of the brightest red flags, for an online scam artist.) The other one, of course, is being asked, on a social media site, where I’m from. Anyone with a pulse can tell where I live, by looking at my home page. AI, for some reason, hasn’t developed that capability, as yet-and part of me hopes it never does. I know to press the “delete” and “block” buttons. It was made all the easier this time, as the scammer had chosen to impersonate a well-regarded financial adviser, who lives in London. He/she claimed to be living in Dallas, and to have two small children. Said investment guru has two grown children. The red flags piling up, I silently thanked the Divine for having a solid friend and family circle of those savvy in finance-and deleted the conversation.

Those who attempt to shortchange another, especially if that other is my age and of sound mind, are only shortchanging themselves. Beggars on the street stand more of a chance of my sharing money with them, and I don’t give to beggars on the street.

I thought of these things today, as K was working on some figures, and I was sitting nearby, reading a book on the influence of geography on the history of various nations. Everyone who tries to scam others, be it financially, politically or socially, will eventually be found out, disgraced and cast out. Sometimes, that doesn’t happen until the scammer has died, but to me, posthumous reputation and good name matter as much how one is overtly regarded while still alive.

They who shortchange, only end up ripping off themselves.

Awakening Rain

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on October 7, 2024 in Assistance, collaborating, Hiking and Nature, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Uncategorized

October 7, 2024, Manila- Being on my own today, with the ladies off taking care of important business, in different directions, I chose to walk to Manila Zoo-about 3/4 mile from the hostel. It was humid, but not all that hot, and the cloud cover kept things fairly pleasant. My route went north on Pedro Ocampo Street, then veered east on Adriatico. At that point, a statue of Pedro Ocampo marked the junction.

Pedro Ocampo, the Resident Commissioner of the Philippines to the United States Congress. He took a moderate view of immediate independence for the Philippines, from American rule, while pressing for equanimity in trade between the U.S. and the Philippines. The placard at the base of this statue is aimed mainly at Filipinos, explaining Ocampo’s life and actions in Tagalog.

Across from the Zoo, about a quarter-mile further on Adriatico, is a Children’s Road Safety Park. Here, kids can “drive” along mock roads and learn the basics of traffic safety. Given the crowded and sometimes chaotic nature of urban Philippine roads, this novel idea may well partially account for the relative safety of navigating roads here.

As the signs indicate, this park is somewhat inspired by Rotary International.

In the zoo itself, one has any personal bags briefly checked, then a seated registration and admission payment process ensues. This is similar to other entrances to Philippine parks and museums-and accounts for setting a tone of decorum and personal safety in the facilities. I find it re-assuring.

The zoo is rather small, for a major city zoological park, but it does introduce children to both animals endemic to the archipelago and to several animals found in Africa, South America and elsewhere in Asia. The Asian elephant, though not found in the Philippines, is the statuary that greets the visitor.

An 11-or-12-year old told his little brother, “This is a magic Horse-Zebra!” He was teasing, but it turns out he was right. These are Hebras, the offspring of a male horse and a female zebra. They are likely sterile.

Many of the animals, from a pair of capybaras, to a laconic cassowary, and the big cats, were immobile in the late morning humidity. Once a light rain came, the lions and tigers, at least came somewhat alive.

So, too, did the cassowary, a usually feisty ratite, which counts among the most dangerous of the large, flightless birds.

The lioness posed in a dignified manner, after regarding me for a few minutes.

The Philippines do have predatory animals-mainly reptiles.

Finally, the great snakes have their due, in the Reptile House. The Philippines have two species of spitting cobra-One in northern Luzon and one on the island of Samar. There is also a species of reticulated python. As in Florida, however, the big kahuna is the Burmese python.

The pythons claim their own personal spaces.

The zoo is said to be in better shape than it was ten years ago. Like many small zoos, it does not have some of the animals indicated by the directional signs-but maybe in a year or so, they’ll be back.

Navigating

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on October 6, 2024 in Assistance, collaborating, Community, Education, Family, impediments, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

October 6,2024, Manila- The day started and ended with rain. Thus, the nice picnic devotional we had planned for late morning became an indoor affair. I brought chicken fillets, topped with dinakdakan sauce. Kathy and her male cousin contributed a rather good pizza. Others brought a regional variation on pancit- a generic Tagalog name for noodles. There was also a seaweed dish, brought by one of the young men. I have been a fan of seaweed since the days we lived in Jeju, Korea. It is a powerhouse of nutrients. I will describe dinakdakan, which I find tasty, upon request. (No, it is not made from insects).

The afternoon was spent in study of aspects of Huquq’u’llah, which I have discussed in earlier posts (see especially Sept. 16, 2024). It was not dry and intense-no Filipino would sit through such boredom for long, but it was done with attention and focus. Kathy knows what she’s doing, especially when it comes to academic presentation of financial matters. I was honoured to sit at her right-hand side and contribute a fair amount to the discussion. Much of it was in Tagalog, but I had everyone’s attention when offering thoughts in English.

Towards the end of the meeting, K’s cousin pressed me to extend my stay- “permanently”. She and I exchanged knowing glances, smiled and I said I would need to go back to the U.S., for six months. There are several things needing attention at Home Base, in Carson City and back East-not excluding the possibility of time in the Southeast, given this year’s sudden explosion of hurricane energy-shades of 2005. Brief visits to San Diego and Jalisco are likely in February, and I will want to get to Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, in April.

So, we have pretty much agreed on a May return. How “permanent” will be influenced by things like the birth of one or more grandchildren-still to be determined, BTW. Today, though, I learned that any mixed signals I may have sensed, over the past day or so, were mainly in my mind. This beautiful, compassionate, intelligent woman, whose friendship I am so privileged to secure, is for real.

Baccarat

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on October 5, 2024 in children, collaborating, Community, impediments, Inner Struggles, Inspiration, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving

October 5, 2024, Manila- What I was told, about yesterday’s travails, more than tugged at my heartstrings. I said as much, and sincerely want to be there, when life goes off the rails for one who has had to struggle on her own, for far too long. I said that, too.

Maybe because she has a need to do things on her own, to struggle and see things through, my comments were met with a shrug. It’s hard to say; after all, I can only be here, this time, for three more weeks. Then I have to return to North America, to at the very least meet obligations, and at the very most finish up what I started, before I met her. While I am back at Home Base, and elsewhere on the continent where I have spent most of my life, K will be here, carrying on and relying on her own abilities and talents. I will be offering moral support, from a distance, and that’s all.

In the game of Baccarat, a player holds two hands and a dealer, one. The player may bet for or against either hand, or against the dealer’s. In life, one can show confidence in the figurative hand one has been dealt or plan against it-or may challenge the hand held by the person in control.

So, I can move forward with confidence, make plans to return here next May, with or without any guarantee that I will initially be welcomed again. I can “bet against my own hand”, put it down and stay put in Home Base, being thankful for even having had time with K, at all. I can bet against the dictates of conventional wisdom, and come here with a greater purpose: To do, in the Philippines and southeast Asia what a core group are doing in the Phoenix area. None of these options depends on the strength of a relationship with a specific person-and that is most likely what would actually save it. Independence reassures-and draws people in.

It’s easy, in some ways, to get young people here involved in the building of an equitable society. They are more likely to bring their friends along to a gathering and to take leadership roles, without being prodded. There is no residue of “Children should be seen and not heard”; no noxious after-scent from the Victorian Era. For their part, youth are more prone to thinking before acting or speaking. A good part of that has to do with numbers: People under the age of 30 constituted 60 % of the Philippine population, in the 2020 Census. The percentage of youth in the United States population, according to the same census, is 28.6 %.

Youth in developing nations, like the Philippines, are more likely to be in the driver’s seat, so to speak than their peers are in the developed countries, whose populations are both aging out and much more in a state of time consciousness. There is much that we can learn from countries like the Philippines, in terms of youth engagement.

I hope, thus, to pick up some of those lessons, in the next three weeks-and trust that the right course of action in 2025 will make itself known.

More Transition

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on October 4, 2024 in collaborating, Community, Family, impediments, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal goals, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving

October 4,2024, Manila- She was long a champion of civil rights, for racial minorities and women. “Sexual minorities” were a bit harder for her, but she was trying to understand. Michele was, nonetheless, a compassionate friend of 35 years.

It was she, and her late husband, Tom, who talked me into taking a road trip to San Francisco-Oakland, in 2012; of course, swinging by their then-home in Reno and caravanning to the Bay Area. From there, I headed north, after three days of commemorating ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s 1912 visit to that area. After Tom passed away, in 2013, I continued to visit Michele and her family, which I came to regard as an extension of my own. Her eldest granddaughter became a surrogate grand-niece, followed, seven years later, by her little brother.

Sis has been getting weaker, these past few years, though she did not lose any of her feistiness. On my last visit, three months ago, she stood strongly against what she regarded as a general moral laxity. She cautioned me, on a different note, against up and leaving the United States, for what she regarded as a pipe dream of living abroad again. I think she felt the hourglass was running out. Last night, it did. Michele Le Boutellier Smith passed away, at the age of 75.

Michele may yet turn out to have been right. I have pretty much hit a plateau, in several aspects, as to what I can accomplish in Manila, and after giving it a few more days, will likely move on to the provinces for a couple of weeks. It is encouraging to me, though, that a well-educated, savvy gentleman is stepping up as a moving and shaking force for the Baha’i Faith in the capital area. Today, at lunch, he articulated some solid practical ideas for making the Regional Baha’i Center a true locus for the betterment of the community. It is the local residents who must achieve the true greatness of a place. Visitors like me, no matter how loving or well-intentioned, wear out our welcomes after so many days.

Transitions have been at flood tide, in a number of respects, in this Eight Universal Year, which always seems to bring about drastic change. The number of close family and friends who have left my life, either through death or attrition in the past nine months, is jarring. It is also not entirely unexpected. The year is not over yet, by a long shot, so I hang on and continue to work for the best.

Somewhere, in the great energy field to which we all go, at some point, all my relations and extended family of friends are sending the energy that will guide me aright, as long as I pay attention. I will probably be walking that path largely alone, but that is okay. I can do this.

Notes On The Filipino Road-and Other Elements

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on October 3, 2024 in Assistance, collaborating, Community, impediments, Inspiration, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

October 3, 2024, Manila- Today was one of those days when the executive dysfunction of some friends led to long periods of sitting around, waiting for things to happen. K was doing a lot, as was the renovation crew who are working on the Baha’i Center. She, and they, were doing fine without me, so I offered to help another friend, and waited, and waited. In the end, the day went by with plans unfulfilled-for several reasons.

While waiting, though, my mind went over several things I’ve noticed have changed about Philippine traffic, since last year: 1.There are, for pedestrians, a signal that tells both how long until they may cross again (red numbers) and how long they have to cross (green numbers). There is still, for unregulated intersections, the tradition of crossing when traffic slows down. 2. There are several more directional signs for outlying areas than I recall from last year. 3. Directions for places of interest are more commonly posted, both in Metro Manila and in the smaller cities. 4. Cautionary signs, regarding speeding and littering, are more common-especially in smaller neighbourhoods. 5. I have seen fewer instances of gridlock than I saw last year.

Coffee shops and juice bars have sprung up in areas where they were lacking-always a sign of a trend towards a more peaceful camaraderie and health consciousness.

There aren’t as many beggars, and there is markedly less trash on the streets, even in more “rundown” neighbourhoods. (There are many more wheeled trash bins around.) More kids are in school than are wandering the streets. I see more people who look like they are on a mission. I see more couples showing affection, though rarely in an unseemly manner. Life in “the Phils”, to my eyes, seems to be getting better.

My relative downtime gave me a chance to completely catch up on things that had accumulated, so now I can focus on remaining goals, over the next 3.5 weeks. I am keeping abreast of events in the U.S. and in western Asia. Hurricane Helene was the worst cyclone in my homeland since Katrina. There are no words to describe my sorrow at the devastation in places like Perry (FL), Asheville, Boone, Aiken, Greenville (SC), Tryon, Valdosta, Damascus and Newport (TN). I have been to most of those places and have friends in several of them. Claytor Lake State Park, in southwest Virginia, was a place of refuge for me, in August, 2011, when I was at the lowest ebb, emotionally. It is now at its lowest ebb, physically, and will do well by the Federal aid that has been secured for several states in the southeast. Remember our small towns. They will live on and largely recover, but right now, many are in agony.

Extended Stay

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on October 2, 2024 in collaborating, Community, Inspiration, Personal goals, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

October 2, 2024, Manila– Kathy was still off doing the practical work of the Divine, so I decided to get my own small contribution to the greater effort done. It took three hours, mostly of waiting, but I extended my visa by two weeks-and will thus be able to consult with her, and the rest of the team, as to how that time can best be put to use. As gruff as the clerks are,(probably because they’re paid a pittance), the lady at the last station entered two weeks beyond what I needed, as the expiration date. I still need to get back to Arizona by Oct. 28, but it’s nice to have that buffer period, just in case.

During the final hour of waiting, between the payment part and the confirmation part, I went over Jones Bridge to Binondo, the oldest of Manila’s Chinatowns. There are a couple of arches that set the mood.

Pasig River, with old financial district across from Intramuros.

Gateway to Quiapo Chinese Commercial Area, Binondo.

Filipino-Chinese Friendship Arch, Binondo

Four hundred years of ties between the Philippines and Mexico are also a point of pride, along the Pasig.

After taking this photo, I was approached by a pedicab driver, who said he could take me to a dozen fascinating sites. I asked him to take me to the National Museum of Fine Arts, only. This turned out to be more than enough for the poor soul, and I paid him a fair wage for his effort. These men represent a dying art, but don’t need to die on the job. Ironically, right after he let me off, a horse-drawn cart came down the street on the opposite side. I felt just as bad for the poor horse, as for the pedicab driver.

Here is the National Museum of Fine Arts.

I managed to take in the second floor and half of the third.

Manuel Roxas, the fifth President of the Philippines. His is the first likeness to greet the visitor to Fine Arts.

**“Angel”**, by Guillermo E. Tolentino is right behind President Roxas.

Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo was one of the Philippines’ greatest painters of the 19th Century. Here is his **“El Gobernador y El Obispo”** (1896), based on an imaginary historical encounter.

Hidalgo (right) is featured here with his contemporary, Juan Luna.

“Dr. Jose A. Rizal”, by Felix Gonzales (1962). This piece is one of many depictions of the National Hero of the Philippines, in an honorarium gallery. It is Gonzales’ only work, in the National Museum.

A *retablo* (altar piece), from the Church of San Nicolas de Tolentino, Dimiao, Bohol.

There are a pair of long murals, which feature the length of Filipino history, but which I’d rather cite after a visit to the National Museum of Anthropology.

This second solo venture was a full day.

Cave People, A Change Purse and a Cockroach

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on October 1, 2024 in Assistance, collaborating, Community, Hiking and Nature, Historical, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

October 1, 2024, Manila- The three titular things stood out, in my visit yesterday, to Palawan Heritage Center. My guide, a knowledgeable, if soft-spoken, young lady named Irene, presented two videos: The first, on the island and its tributaries-which constitute the largest province in the Philippines. There are roughly 1, 780 islands and islets in the jurisdiction. The main island is 280 miles (450 km) long and 31 miles (50 km) wide. It is the mini-Chile of the Malay Archipelago. It is also the only part of the Philippines that was once part of mainland Asia.

The second video raised an issue of humanity: The Tau’t Bato, a small subgroup of the Palaw’an First Nation, live traditional, simple lives in the Singnapan Valley, of southern Palawan. They take shelter in nearby caves, during the rainy season. many of the Tau’t Bato came to live in cities, from Puerto Princesa to Manila and Cebu, in the 1970s to 2000s. They found urban life to be totally at variance with their experiences in the Singnapan, only finding “work” as house servants, trash pickers or purveyors of trinkets. They slept on the sidewalks and were generally treated as curiosities, at best, or outcasts, at worst. Many went back to Singnapan, though some still live in the larger communities. Fortunately, those who have returned to their homeland are protected by the provincial and national governments.

As Irene was showing me several paintings by local artists, a cockroach came onto the polished marble floor. I left it to her to decide the insect’s fate, and a janitor was summoned, whisked the creature onto a dustpan and deposited it in the garden outside. (I do this at home, when confronted with a sewer roach.)

The last item was a handmade change purse, which I bought for K, given her love of local handicrafts. I picked up a “glow-in-the-dark” trinket for myself.

Here are a few scenes of the Palawan Heritage Center..

Dr. Higino Mendoza (top row, second from left) was the wartime governor of Palawan. He worked to keep his people safe from Japanese rule, and was executed for his trouble. He is regarded as the provincial hero of Palawan.

Here is a replica of Plaza Cuartel’s gate, when it was intact. The present structure has fallen into disrepair.

This depiction of a **babaylan** ( a traditional healer) was intended, by the Spanish, to frighten children. The healer was actually a gentle soul, as a rule.

This may be as close as I get to a Palaw’an village, any time soon.

In the afternoon, I went with Roger to a small local beach, called Aquaman Beach Resort. It is in a small barangay called Bancao-Bancao. The tide was incoming, but the water was like a bath, so I walked around a bit and took some shots.

A view of the Philippine Sea, at Bancao-Bancao. (Above and below)

Forest trail, out of Aquaman Beach Resort.

My last day in Puerto Princesa ended with a nice meal at McCoy’s Restaurant, at Bay Walk Park. For now, having returned to the capital, Palawan will continue to exist in my heart. The Philippines as a whole will, as well, after I head back to North America, on October 27. Something tells me, though, that we will be far from done with one another.

Seventy Years Ago….

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on September 30, 2024 in collaborating, Education, Family, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

September 30, 2024, Puerto Princesa- An ecstatic woman, in Long Island City, NY, screamed with delight, at the news she had just been given. Her first granddaughter, after two sons and a grandson, was born. For the Fellmans, of Long Island City and Jamesburg, NJ, the birth of little Penny righted a top-heavy ship.

She would go on, transcending a congenital defect, for over 45 years, building an Intelligence Quotient of 161, graduating summa cum laude from the University of Virginia and earning three Master’s Degrees-all in the field of education. As a member of the Baha’i Faith, from 1977, she would serve with distinction, as an educator, on the Navajo Reservation, in Jeju, South Korea, and in El Mirage, AZ. In the latter town, she would be led out to retirement, gently and with gratitude from the Superintendent’s Office, even as she was attacked by those within the school who had no understanding of her struggles.

I met Penny in December,1980, as the snow swirled around Zuni, New Mexico, as a house blessing ceremony, called Shalako, took place in a cozy, but crowded home. We took turns sitting in a single chair and became enamoured of one another. We would date, off and on, for eighteen months, and married in June, 1982. We met some auspicious milestones-Valentine’s Day engagement, marriage on the sixth day of the sixth month-and welcoming our son on the seventh day of the seventh month. Marriage was often stormy, but never rocky, and through her final eleven years, she had her men beside her-to her last breath.

Penny missed joining the Seventies Club by thirteen years and seven months. I could tell that she would have loved this day, though she was adamant about not making a big deal of her birthday-or mine, for that matter. There was always that twinkle in her eye, when she was honoured. I feel her light, shining through the veil-telling me to continue on my path. So, on I go.

Lyanna

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on September 30, 2024 in children, Community, Education, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

September 29, 2024, Puerto Princesa- “I remember you from before”, said the six-year-old, as she came into her grandparents’ front room, “it’s so good to see you here again.” She introduced herself as Lyanna, “though that’s only my nickname”, and showed six fingers, indicating her age. I asked her what grade she was in- “One”. She then explained that she was not “so conversant” in Tagalog, as she had been initially taught English and Spanish-for whatever reason the latter was important to her Filipino parents. She further explained that her father was a Navy officer and her mother, a nurse. When her little brother came out of the back and started crawling over me, Lyanna said “It’s okay; he can’t help it.” Grandmother quickly took the boy away, and Lyanna continued: “We mustn’t pick on the people who have learning problems. Everyone has one problem or another. For example, I have trouble learning Tagalog.”

I probably could have listened to the child expound on the Universe for a lot longer, but I had to get my dirty clothes to the laundry, up the street. She quickly exited, saying “Bye, bye. See you next time!” Precocity is priceless, and those who place limits on it do so to their own eventual detriment.

The other aspect to this is the seeming closeness of young children to the spirit world. Whether their recognition of certain people, whom they had not previously met in the flesh, is based on mere generalization of people with similar countenances or demeanors, or results from an encounter in a spirit dimension, is something we will only be able to ascertain when the time comes to go to the next level. In any event, I keep running into such children, and I know I am far from alone, in that regard.

This day passed without any of the scheduled meetings taking place. I have to say, though, that the conversation with Lyanna and a longer discourse, with her grandfather, were probably far better uses of my time than meeting just for the sake of meeting.

Precocity is priceless.