Tawasil Art

mural at the lobby of one of the first private hospitals in the city... most evident is his "ukil" a personal approach- a very prominent feature among most of his art pieces.

Tawasil is fond of portraying the Tausugs way of life such as Moslem women selling fruits indigenous to Jolo and the neighboring provinces, while dressed in their native colourful mahlongs (from a private collection)

award-winning photograph painted

Luck? its probably fate when one encounters the chance of a lifetime to capture life itself.

It was luck though, when i stumbled upon this masterpiece exhibited in one of the largest malls... Congratulations to the photographer from Cebu...

Thoughts, Hammock, and the Seas

The heady scent of the deep sea clings to my senses from the hammock where I am resting, just beneath the leaning trunk of a frail elongated palm tree as if trying to hug the grayish powdery sands of this Pantukan cove...

I hear the calming sounds of the splashing waters of the ripples as they race against each other for the coveted kiss transforming into tiny effervescence before vanishing through the pebbled sandy shores... The whistling hum of the tide carries a musical undertone which conveys something unfathomable.

Nearby are children’s innocent roars of excitement...trying their new skills at swimming...?

The panoramic lush mangrove trees lining the still-forested coastline provides a cinematic masterpiece...

The greenish hue of the Igacos mountains opposite is a revelation how fully gifted this part of the world is...

To someone in pain, the seas bring tranquility. To the mind, body and soul...the most modern medicines can’t rival this natural remedy...

All I want is to float ... fly ... and drown myself to this exotic bliss...To savour this exceptional experience…Of being one with nature’s treasures...

I just hope...everything will always stay this way...

Unfortunately, nothing and no one stays the same...

Except changes…

intense boredom

The past few days was severely spent on the monotony of a hospital cot just along Espana. My alma mater. What else can i do but read.. read...read. ( travel travel travel...?) But no medical books please. Let me share the books i chanced upon reading..They were actually bought several weeks ago. And last week turned out to be most perfect time to browse them.


1. the Secret by Rhonda Byrne ( the secrets behind the Secret is by always thinking positive, and dreaming the positive, and you will achieve everything . Hey what about prayers?)



2. 4 Blood Types. 4 Diets: EAT RIGHT 4 YOUR TYPE by Dr. Peter J. D'Adamo ( An alternative medicine for believers in naturopathic remedies)



3. NeGOsyo by Joey Concepcion (inspiring stories of 50 famous people who made it BIG as an enterpreneur; this could be a perfect field if i didn't choose to become advocate for patients with cancer)

4. 12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do To Help Our Country by Alexander Lacson (this should have been an elementary text book for every Filipino children)



5. LIke The Flowing River by Paulo Coelho ( very familiar, its like reading a collection of posts from a blog)

All of the above somehow filled the gaps.. my ignorance in enterpreneurial skills..realization that my achievements in the past were attributed to my lifetime ambitions, positive attitude, perseverance, and most importantly-Faith to God thru Prayers..my understanding that i'm also human and He reminded me that i am also fragile just like my patients... somehow i recognized my weaknesses and that i have to take care of myself.. thru proper diet and exercise (hey im promoting Blood Type dieting)...and i realized most of all.. im getting older but hopefully wiser and more open-minded..

Tawasil

Iyan ang totoo..! Bagamat isang mahigpit na pagtatanggi ang ipinupukol sa inyong lingkod.. nang ipinagpipilitan kong nasilayan ko na ang kanyang ipinagmamalaking obra maestra nung ako'y nakikipagsapalaran pa lang sa kamaynilaan...

Iyan ang totoo..! hindi ko man mapatunayan.. nalilito ba o tanda ng katandaan ng pagiging ulyanin o ito ba'y isang tinatawag na deshabwooo..

Kesyo totoo man o hinde, buong pananabik kong ipagmamalaki ang pakikipagtuos ko sa pinakamagaling na Tausog na pintor ng kanyang henerasyon at siya'y walang iba kungdi si Rameer Tawasil...

Sino at anu ba itong aking tinutukoy...? Isang obra napinamagatang- The Burning of Jolo- isang pagsasalarawan ng karanasan ng isang limang taong gulang nang masaksihan nya ang kagila-gilalas at karumal-dumal na pagsusunog ng Jolo nung dekada sitenta...

Nang ako'y dumapo sa rehiyong ito ng mga Chavakano, Tausog at Bisaya (Chatabis) ... namangha na ako sa kauna-unahang pagkakataon sa isang nakapintang gawa sa papel at waterkolor na naglalarawan ng makukulay na vinta nakakabit sa dingding ng tindahan ng mga libro sa pweblo....Tiene ara alia Guiwan... (tama kaya?) ... Binalak ko mang puntahan wala akong kaperahan at wala akong alam sa lugar na yaon...

Dumating ang pangalawang pagkakataon... isang egsibit sa isang kilalang otel ng mga Intsik na itinago sa pangalan ng hardin at orkidyas...mga ipinintang vinta na kilalang kilala bilang kanyang marka..matitingkad at magagandang kulay na pinaghahalo sa pamamagitan ng kanyang istilong ma-alon? ( ito pala ay tinatawag na ukkil). Sa kasamaang palad... ang bulsa ng inyong lingkod ay butas pa rin ng mga panahon na yaon...unti unting nalagas na dahon ang mga obra hanggang natapos ang buong pag mamatyag...

Bilisan natin ang panahon-dalawang taon hanggang sa kasalukuyan... nanginginig, nangangatal at nabubulol na nakikipag-tsikahan sa pintor ng taon..

Mahaba ang tuwid na hibla ng buhok... bigotilyo at may limang pulgada ang taas..

Hindi katandaan katulad ng naitatak sa aking isipan na ang mga sikat na artista ay uugod ugod, gusgusin, walang ligo at di nagsisipilyo...

Isa pala syang disente at madaldal na tao... sabik magbigay ng opinyon at kwento sa kayang mga naging karanasan...etsetera etsetera...hindi ko akalaing magkikita kami ng personal sa egsibit ng dalawang bagong pintor ng zamboanga... Sila pala ay kanyang mga mag-aaral...

Dalawang araw ang lumipas... buong kabaitan nyang inihatid ang larawan ng isang nakatalikod na babae habang tumatanaw sa papalayong mangingisda upang makipagsapalaran sa karagatan ng Jolo sakay sa kanyang makulay na Vinta...

weekend at home

My home is in Tagum city. Not so popular destination for the people in the Luzon area, i must admit. Even for some Minadanaoans. But definitely known in the whole Region 11. Why, because of gold . It was known as the Gold city back in the early 1990's.

From time to time, im sure, we miss our hometown. When we are already stressed out from our daily activities in the city. And what you want is to escape from reality to forget who and what you are, and just become an ordinary person even for one day.

I practically grew up there, i spent my elementary education in a school ran by RVM sisters, and my secondary education in the only all-boys school, which at that time ran by Dominican fathers (of UST/Letran). Basically i was molded by an ultra-conservative educators.

I have never been home for the past seven months. For me that seems ages ago. I usually go home for a visit every two months when I take advantage of bimonthly meeting of our sub-society organization in Mindanao and proceed for a few hours of re-acquainting with my family, friends, home, gardens, shoes store, and the environs of one of my favourite cities in the whole wide world-Tagum.

Everytime i go home, i observed a city bustling with new developments....it has one of the best roads, best marketplace, best church (we had new and larger cathedral which boasts of having the largest rosary in the country)a cleaner and more spacious public cemetery, a new cafe along Apokon known as Miko's Brew. McDonalds was standing since December right in front of our city hall..And i guess there are more additional attractions and improvements i haven't mentioned... But to sum it all, Tagum is a promising city and it can rival some of the best cities in the country in terms of cleanliness, and people who remained hardworking and peace-loving, and ready to face the years ahead. And i'm proud because it is my hometown.

On Breastfeeding Week

There are two reasons to rejoice for advocates of breastfeeding.

First, it was celebrated last month and I would like to commend the Department of Health for emphasizing breastfeeding as part of the Nutrition month celebration for the month of July. Breasfeeding is a "give-away". It should not be questioned but rather promoted all the time.. Their theme this year, "Breastfeeding panatilihin, dagdagan ng wastong pagkain".

I have already highlighted in one of my posts the importance of breastfeeding in this region. Though there's still difficulty in disseminating information because there are several islands in the Tawi-Tawi and Sulu archipelago that are inaccessible by todays' modern means of communication and transportation. I believe there's still few signals in Jolo for text messaging to be effective..

The second reason,the Department of Social Welfare and Development and UNICEF spearheaded the “Sabay-Sabay Sumususo sa Nanay ,"a strategy to promote breastfeeding to set a new world record for simultaneous breastfeeding in several areas of the country. This is to correct the advertising claims that artifical milk formula is better than breastmilk..

Poor Filipinos are easy victims by these advertising mis-information . A Promil kid? Ehhwww!

Excuse me. I was breastfed until 2 years old. And i would like to thank my mother for that!

Ryan's First Duck Abortus

Kawa-kawa or locally known as d' boulevard is Zamboanga's version of Manila's famous baywalk area- Roxas boulevard. Of course before Atienza's beautification of most major Manila streets and parks, Roxas boulevard was nothing but a cemented coastline littered with garbage, and packed with innocent children asking for coins, some girls selling sampaguita to passing vehicles or some stow-aways trying to make some benches their little shelter...The manila sunset is its only come-on both for local and foreign tourists...

Well, my topic today is not about the boulevard.. This just happened to be the only place in zamboanga where you can eat the famous balut (duck abortus) ,while enjoying the blissful sound and scent of the seafront while standing witness are the post-war dove white lamp posts...

About a month ago, two Canadian medical students braved this war-torn region to spend their vacation for observership... Of all places on earth...well i heard that the "in" thing lately is alternative tourism-going to far-flung areas ravaged by famine and terrorist-stricken... extra-challenge? amazing race? well in a way, this is the only region in the country where war and terorists are few islands away...while in the hospital where they are planning to observe is infested with malnourished children reminiscent of batang Negros in the early 80's...these things are practically unheard of in their beloved maple land...

Lo, and behold, every weird things available were offered to these poor young guys who's only wish is to enjoy themselves...sacrificing by eating the most malodorous but tasty durian, spaghetti from a famous fast food chain which tastes like ketchup for them, sweating over satti for breakfast...then gulping balut after an hour of severe resistance but finally giving in for posterity's sake... poor gregg vomited .. but ryan seems to enjoy the experience...well they have no choice...its an experience of a lifetime..