K-Spy, sakto kaw about kok-kok Not like ours yaon sila na gapa saguksok. They used to scare the living day light out of me kon suddenly mo kakapa na yaon sila mo lupad. Yaon kodak that is wonderful pakopyahi dayon tapos ipalaminate kay iton mga pictures sa ato ag kay raba mga papa. Nanga sa yaon labi na yaon mga colored ag kay mga bota tapos na hanap dayon amodan paga agup-op. Sa clima segero.
"sus bagan huguton ko nan lagu-lago nan amo pina-eskuyla na amoy gadawat"
- BWUHAHAHA.... good one. Man! you're worst than my mother-in-law. Family joke is, she once punished 2 erring servants (grabehin sah) yet she won't kick them out by making them clean the venetian blinds (paga pa isa-isa an horizontal slats) in their entire house plus my sister-in-law's house. Took the girls 2 weeks. Aduy kalapdusan gayod ako ini. hahaha...
Tabon, amokay pero egret san tawag ni Tatay egret an ako kadumduman. Pero amoyaon tabon ag mohapon sa kabaw para ila tuk-on na kuto o langaw ba adto. Baranggudan na gayod K-Spy dili na kon claro usahay an pangisip
I emailed you the pictures. Ikaw nan bahala.
Insom and Bads,
I had fun reading your posts. Thanks.
Bads, nanga sa taraw na nasipog san mga interna to take or load the firewood into the tricycle?
When I was living in the dorm, I used to lugged my firewood every Sunday afternoon. If we ran out during the week, adto kami sa baybay mangahoy.
My turn to be Lola Basyang.
Sad to say, unlike my darling friend Insom, I never learn how to swim sa suba. My cousins wouldn’t dare throw me out of the baruto. They knew my wrath that if they try and throw me, I will turn my heart cold to hang meat. Clearly it’s my loss. I would have learned to swim for free. As it was, it cost me an arm and a leg to take swimming lessons at SI Aquatics.
Unlike Badung, I never learn how to weave nipa, mend a torn baling (i wish I did) but I did accompany Tatay in his rambles a lot. I look forward to going with him kon tibawon na nila an paga taan na anud sa suba that we claim our own kay lakip sa sa survey nan lupa ni Lolo.
My beloved Bol-anon Lolo rents out all kinds of nets and contraptions conducive to farm and near water living. His small armada includes karomatas, liyaliyas, barutos among other things. Well, mga carabao, arador in particular are hot commodity labina kon amihan para pang daro. Kon tubas para pang gi-uk and balsa nan ani.
Our firewood was mostly tahay na paka, takong and binugha na baliungan. Salin nan sugnod sa tapahan. I used to help Lolo a lot especially during summer afternoons. Amo kohaon yaon mga paka nan niyog na ya-ngadabas saksakan nan kukay tapos paindogon sa kapun-an. Kon tahay na amo gutod-gutodon about a length of a foot and a half tapos amoy sugnod sa pasong.
Mid 60s and 70’s were good times. Harvest of crops were abundant. The suba yield generous bounty. Arang na kuha perme plinang-gana, plang-gana tapos bahin-bahinon ag takson nan plang-ganita to make the share as even as possible. Tabang ako pag hinawo nan amo kabahinan usahay lagi ag ma tubuk. Supsupon dayon an dugo sa tud-lo para ma tangtang an lah dili mo hubag. We only get one share but it was more than enough. Banak, sap-sap, ibis and uso-os were my favorite. An banak tuwahon with tangad and kamatis together with some green leaves (kalamong-gay or ugbos nan bago) taken from the garden next to the kitchen. An gagmay na isda paksiwon nan alalay ni Nanay nasi Mana Bitak. Mga tabai an banak naadi ag dayon an tinae astan bihod himo-on na tinama or dayok kon Cebuano pa. An mga alimango mga uligihan an pasayan isab tag bagan bakow nan siki.
Back then I was more of an observer. I’d like to watch and breathe everything in but when push comes to shove, I’d jump and join in the fun. My nature was/is to be on the sideline, inconspicuous. I love to read and try to read every book that I could get my hands on. Thank God Tatay had a kaban full that he had accumulated during College years sa Tagbilaran. I would want nothing more than to be alone with my thoughts at times. Nan midyo dalagitahay na, will beat the mamisitahay to the punch by disappearing into the basakan, kaniyogan diretso sa suba and katung-gan. (If they're early, will run as if my life depended on it and poor Iris and Dodong had to do the lying. Uhmm wonder if Iris will remember this).
Call me crazy but katung-gan was my safe haven. I enjoy watching the mini ecosystem at work. I knew the in and out of it like the back of my hands. I was brave kay laong si Lolo na kon mawa kita paga mino, all we need to do is turn our clothes inside out. An mga not like ours will laugh them selves silly. Sure way to break their spell upon us. Makabatok na dayon kita pag-uli. Lolo actually taught me a merismeris in Latin that was supposed to thwart away evils. Armed with that, I was as confident as an armed warrior in battle.
May ako isab mga tiniman-an na pugad nan lang-gam na ako ag balikbalik to check on the egg’s progress. I would tell no one for fear that someone would take the little birdies and make them their pets.
CAUTION: Morbid . . .This I can’t believe I did but, if one has an inquiry mind, they want to know. If and when I see dead things like palaka, piso (chick), lang-gam, I would pick it up and hang it sa sanga nan kahoy na tam-isan. (yadto na tam-isan originally osuk na yanalingsing hangton ya buhi). Remember what I did with the pugad? Yap ako isab balikbalikan to see the progress nan decomposition. The GORY of GORY happened when I did it to one of our itik na yapatay. Have no idea what possess me to do it. But dako sa lagi an itik, ako paga bitay nan lagus with the feet together. Tapos pag balik ko, it smelled really bad but it look the same. Ako paga pakli an balhibo nan ampak array koooo….. sus an ilawom puno sa baya nan ud (maggot) arangi mga puti amodan bugas yanggurihanok. Basta iktin astan pisipisi kopasa gayod an pangaligkig dipalita. Needless to say that experience ended my curiosity as to what happen to dead things.
Ops lunch hour is over. . . have to get back and make the dough nut.
Sa anad dasa tingali BADZ. Bagan pagtu-o ko na an kinabuhi nan mga ginikanan ta na-adi is the best. Mahutag, no pressures, no mortgages (house & car loan). My grandparents prayed a lot because they had all the time. They really enjoyrd their FAITH & practiced it. Ay nah! BADZ, uli-an ko gayod an ilaya. 
