Monday, October 25, 2004

Announcements

The 4th Bays Inn Surfing Challenge
October 29 - 31
Bays Inn Resort and Restaurant
Sabang Beach, Baler, Aurora

(this is an unpaid advertisement)

AKAWSTIK JAM
a fundraising gig for the AKAW INVASION show
October 30, 2004
Tita Guding's Restaurant
Sabang Beach, Baler, Aurora

8:00 PM
featuring acoustic sets by: Ginger (former Badfish), KwakKwak, Bhonog Fever and other bands
presented by: batangbaler

BATANGBALER EYEBALL 2
October 30, 2004
Tita Gudings (sabay ng AKAWSTIK JAM)


AKAW INVASION
Mayric's Music Bar, EspaƱa Road (in front of UST), Manila
featuring Baler bands: Orgasm Addicts, Bhonog Fever, Enslave, Ginger & Kwak Kwak. + guest band.

November 19, 2004
8:00 PM Entrance: 50 bucks

John Arcilla



I posted this on my other blog. Just a shoutout for my homie John Arcilla. Our kababayan played a role in Reymond Red's Anino, 2000 Cannes Film Festival Golden Palm winner for short film, probably the greatest international award for a Filipino film. He played the anino in this 10 minute flick. The short was acquired by atomfilms a few years ago and it can be viewed online. Link here

Thursday, October 21, 2004

Pol Mangilog

Pol Mangilog's Aurora photo gallery. I think these are the network TV guys who visited the place last Baler Fiesta. I could be wrong.

Monday, October 18, 2004

Surfing Report

If you're wondering whatever happened to those Balerboys who joined the 10th Siargao Surfing Cup last month - well, they all lost, he he.

Check out these galleries for details. Look for the siargao 2004 links:
www.pbase.com/kage
www.pbase.com/kathychua
www.pbase.com/milliefairhall

Tropicalice



Yet another Baler photo gallery

Shutteraddict



the shutteraddict blog has some great photos of Baler. Check it out.

Saturday, October 16, 2004

Kage's Blog



From Kage's blog entry about Baler: "Baler, in the province of Aurora, is one of the more popular surf breaks in Luzon. It is an 8-hour bus ride or 5-hour private car drive from Manila and home to one of the most fun set of local surfers I have come across. They have a two fiestas each year -- the Suman Festival in February and the Coco Sabutan Festival in August. Both are equally enjoyable to be at."

Friday, October 15, 2004

Dito Po Sa Baler 2

May mga balikbayan akong nakasama at walang ginawa kundi magturungko ng kanilang mga kamag-anak at kamag-aral. Sinamahan ko at nag-reunion silang magkakaklase. Wala silang ginawa kundi sulingatin at sariwain ang saya ng kabataan nila. Naliligo daw sila sa ilog na hubo't hubad, wala raw malisya at pagkatapos ay nagdadagtuan (wala raw katapusang saya). Mga babae raw ang naghuhulog sa lusong ng mga lipak-lipak na kamoteng-kahoy at mga lalake ang mga tagabayu.

Sinariwa nila ang kanilang mga kinakain, ang tanghalian daw nila kadalasan ay kanin, pinigang niyog at saging, masaya na raw silang kumakain. Sabi nung isa, "Akkaw, kinekempel-kempel pa natin yung kanin tapus isasawsaw sa baguung sabay higup ng kinunut (inuhaw na isda na sasabawan ng mainit na tubig, wiwisikan ng asin at pipig-an ng kidya).

Ang hinahangaan ko sa kanila ay hindi sila nalulungkot sa pag-alala ng malungkot na gunitang ito. Ay anu kaya kung ganito ang ipakain sa mga kabataan ngay-un? Sabi ni Tessie, "Hinde na kakainin ng mga bata iyang ganyan, nasanay na sila sa masasarap, karne ng karne, sa mga anak ko lang hindi puwede ang walang ulam."

Iba na ang mga bata sa kasalukuyan,nag iba rin baga ang taste bud? O talagang wala laang noon mapagpipilian? Sigaw nung isa kong kinapanayam, "Nuung araw ay mas malala yung ulam naming mga sapsap na gangga butones, matusuk-tusok na ang nguso, ay tuluy laang kumain!"

Pero isa ang nakita ko sa grupong ito, parang lahat sila ang nakatapos at may magagandang puwesto sa lipunan. Tingnan mo, pinagmamalaki nila ang kanilang karanasan, hindi iyon makaiyak sa kanila. Ay ang mga kabataan ngay-un may pagtitiis pa kaya sila? Pinapahalagahan pa kaya nila ang pagkaing iginayak ng kanilang mahal na nanay? O binubulyawan pa ang nanay o di kaya hindi na kakain, basta na lang papasok?

Dito po sa Baler, ang mga karanasan ng pangkat na iyan ay hindi nila ikinahihiya bagkus ay nagsilbing inspirasyon... dahilan din na maabot nila ang kanilang kalalagayan ngay-un sa lipunan.

Wednesday, October 13, 2004

Recycle

Joe and the Whale Shark: by Robert Geier

I linked this article during the early days of batangbaler. I'm glad it's still up. Here is it again for those who already forgot about it and to the new arrivals. It's about a kayak adventure near the famous Charlie's Point in Baler and an encounter with a whale shark.

Have a taste: "The shark was swimming towards the river mouth, and it had just been coincidence that we had been between it and it's feeding grounds. We stopped paddling and the shark came up to within a meter of us, swimming past with slow flicks of the tail, mouth open, filtering the water. Paddling around the shark, following it towards the shore I waved to the surfers, indicating the fin and waving them closer to get a better look at this amazing endangered animal. Of course, the surfers, being further away from the shark, and more exposed to attack took one look at the fin I was pointing to and I have never seen surfers paddle so fast. They didn't stop until they were on the beach out of harm's way, and out of hearing as we yelled out to explain that the shark was harmless."

Monday, October 11, 2004

Old Photo



The Baler Municipal Building that was constructed during the term of Mr. Manuel A. Gonzales as a municipal Mayor, circa 1927. I wonder why there's no Gonzales St. in Baler. Mr. Arnold Querijero explained it to me in the old Batangbaler messageboard. It was erased early this year for no reason so the explanation was erased with it.

The photo was from Reminiscence, a story from Olag Stories.

Friday, October 08, 2004

Jeho Bitancor Exhibit in New York



A Fine Arts graduate of the University of the Philippines in 1982, who also attended painting lessons at the Art League of New York in 1997. He is a multi-awarded artist in the Philippines and a Freeman Foundation Asian Artist's Fellowship Awardee of Vermont Studio Center, Vermont, U.S.A. and a silver medalist in the Second Biennial World Children's Exhibition in 1983 in Kanagawa, Japan.

Bitancor has had group shows in the GSIS Art Museum and the National Art Museum of Malaysia and Singapore and many solo shows in the Philippines. He is the founder and current president of Baler Art Group which conducts free art workshop for children in the province of Aurora, Quezon. He represented the Philippines to different art forum in Singapore; Brisbane, Australia; and New Delhi, India. Presently, he is the Art Director and Graphic Designer of Caritas Manila.

His works are on exhibit from 04 to 15 October 2004 at the Philippine Center on 556 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday.




Instant Galleries

Google Images is great for creating instant picture galleries. Check these out:

Aurora Province Gallery
Baler, Aurora Gallery

Casiguran Gallery

The out-of-place pictures are bonus.

Thursday, October 07, 2004

Dito Po Sa Baler

Pag-usapan natin ang mga leisure activities o aliwang laro ng mga sinaunang taga-Baler. Nakasama ko ng kaunting saglit si Senador Edgardo Angara sa pagtitingin ng painting exhibit ni Jeho Bitancor at ang mga painting na patungkol sa kultura ng Baler ay nakapagpapagunita sa mambabatas ng kanyang nakaraan.

"Arre, ay bayatu, naglalaro rin ako niyan pag maliwanag ang bu-an. Kami nila Imon (Judge Filemon Tan) at ni Armando. Pati yang bimbim! Nagpipiknik din kami nuun... masaya kami rito sa Baler... Ti-chok nilalaru din, tat-seng at saka shato."

Pero iyang shato ay hindi pa masyadong matanda. May mga kinapanayam akong mga ka-edad ng senador na nagsabi "ak-kaw! Ay kasama namin iyan si Eddie sa pag-ee bayabas sa Ulango, maski sa maga kalokohan..." Talagang tipikal na batang Baler pala ang kinalakhan ng Senador. "Ay awan nga laang kung nakasama namin iyan sa paninilong, di ko tanda!"

Pero nuon wala namang masyadong leisure activities ang mga kabataan. Basta nagsasama-sama, naliligo sa Binilwag o di kaya ay sa Kinalapan o Pinlan na mga hubo, naghaharana, dagtuan, pag maliwanag ang buan naglalaro sa kalsada ng nakapaa pati laang.

Dito po sa Baler, ito ang mga nakaraan...masarap maalala, sabi ng kaibigan kong si Virgie Bihasa-Yoshisaki, "Yung nilaro at ginawa pala natin, iyan din pala ang nilaro at ginawa nung mas matatanda pa sa atin..."

Si Igang Carmen Prades may iba ring karanasan. "Walang koryente nuon, pero may sinehan kala Hunas, pero minsan-minsan laang ang sine... kaya may sine-sinehan kami sa Duongan. Kumut na puti, yung gasera ang tanglaw tinatapat dito yung mga ginupit na mga tau-tauhan, ak-kaw dami namin pag gab-i nakamalag duun! Si Eping ang magsisine, may salita pa, nag-iistorya siya habang ikinikibu-kibo yung mga tau-tauhan, addi may aliwan kami.. wala pa nuon ang adik-adikan.."

Ang simple ng mga aliwang laro ng mga bata nuon hindi katulad ngayon high-tech na! Dito po sa Baler...

The Good Fight



Here's the complete Tagalog translation of Manuel L. Quezon's autobiography The Good Fight. From the MLQ III website quezon.ph



Wednesday, October 06, 2004

Spanish

I should have opted for Spanish instead of Computer back in college. This article seems interesting if only i can understand it. It's from guardiacivil.org and about the Siege of Baler. Check out the images, one is a painting of Baler during the time and another has an old picture of the church.






Try translating the article by going to babelfish. Then copy the address of the website in the translate a website box and choose Spanish to English. The result is not quite English but it is understandable.


Tuesday, October 05, 2004

Wrong Captions

PILMAP. This is an airplane magazine and i remember these peeps visiting last February during the Surfing Cup week. in this issue they listed the best beaches in the country and Baler is included. But some of the pictures have wrong captions. Like the first one with black rocks and captioned as Sabang Beach. There are no rocks like that in Sabang Beach. then there's a picture of the Hernandez resort near Digisit and it was captioned as Chalie's Point. That's a 10 kilometers due north mistake. Charlie's point is located near Reserva and not in Digisit.

Monday, October 04, 2004

Rebanse

I completed a full-circle. After spending most of my computer time figuring out how to customize everything, i'm back to the basic mode. Enough of those tweaks. This is a new blog, I deleted all my previous posts. Here i will specialize only in Baler and Aurora flavored stuff: chismiz, news, seminews, links, etc. About my other interests I created another blog which i named meltedsakebottles. Take a peek.

How's this for a starter?: "Cultural Integrity": Promoting Cultural Survival and Decentralizing Good Forest Governance in Ancestral Domains. the Agta-Dumagat People: Province of Auroram Philippines. It's a PDF file, you will need Acrobat Reader.