Art Cafe at ChArts Resort

This is truly a cool cafe!  I've been passing by this place so many times, admiring its whimsical architecture, and saying to myself, "I have got to go in there and check it out one of these days."  And I did one morning.  

I had already eaten breakfast earlier and merely wanted to see its menu.  However, once I got seated on one of the tables out in the veranda, I just felt so cozy that I ordered a buko pandan shake to give me a legitimate reason to stay longer. 

When the shake was served, I pulled out a book to read a couple pages, but indolence was simply too engulfing.  I just wanted to kick back and relax; enjoy the surroundings and take in all the wonderful artworks around me.

Art Cafe serves an array of breakfast and lunch treats. It closes at 6:00 pm, hence, no dinner menu.  Nevertheless, I plan to drop by on weekend afternoons for snacks and WiFi.

ChArts Resort

* * *

Please note:

I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.

Thank you!

*

The Secret

By the time the Thomasites had comfortably settled in Bohol – to establish the framework for a new public education system – back in the States, in lockstep, a new spiritual philosophy, devoid of volatile colonialism, was gaining ground.  It was the so-called New Thought Movement.

It is the outgrowth of the healing theory and practice of Phineas Parkhurst Quimby, whose influence was spread by his former patients, the most prominent of whom were: Warren Felt Evans, who wrote the first books in what would be called New Thought; Mary Baker Eddy, who established Christian Science; and Julius and Annetta Dresser, who, with their son Horatio, spread the word about Quimby.

Former Eddy associate Emma Curtis Hopkins taught her own version of healing idealism, indebted indirectly to Quimby and directly to her own explorations and to Eddy. Hopkins, the "teacher of teachers," taught founders of Divine Science, Unity, and Religious Science. These groups, along with Religious Science-influenced Seich-No-Ie, are the best-known groups in the New Thought movement.

The movement’s proponents also later included Ernest Holmes, an American writer and spiritual teacher. He founded Religious Science, a part of the greater New Thought movement, whose spiritual philosophy is known as "The Science of Mind."

Basically, New Thought is the application of philosophical idealism, optimistic mental discipline, and the practice of the presence of God in healing and in daily living. From its early writings to its current use of process philosophy, it consciously has incorporated Eastern and Western insights.  However, New Thought is not to be identified with magic and New Age idealism, because New Thought had various designations before receiving its present name in the 1890's.

Practitioners of new thought subscribe to the belief of the existence of certain universal laws that govern man’s existence, such as the Law of Attraction, Law of Vibration, Law of Cause and Effect, Law of Forgiveness, Law of abundance, Law of Relativity, Law of Polarity, Law of Perpetual Transmutation, Law of Rhythm, Law of Sacrifice and many more.  At the core of it all is their firm belief that whatever you nurture in your mind, whether based on love or fear, you consequently attract and manifest into your life.

It is this law of attraction that is the cornerstone of Rhonda Byrne’s book, The Secret.  She simply repackaged it for the benefit of a contemporary audience, and she has certainly done a magnificent job.  I am one of those who had signed up to receive her regular email snippets of spiritual wisdom such as:

“If a person is focused on illness then they are inadvertently attracting more illness to them. On the other hand, if a person focuses more on health than illness, then the law of attraction must obey and produce health. The principles of the law of attraction are a powerful tool to summon the healing power within us, and can be used as an aid in total harmony with all of the wonderful medical procedures that are available today.  Remember that if there were no healing power within us, nothing could be healed.”

Essentially, the premise of Rhonda Byrne’s The Secret is truly no secret at all.  It’s just not as profoundly known as the basic tenets of the world’s more popular and age-old theological disciplines.  Be that as it may, this book would make an ideal Christmas present.

* * * * *

Special thanks to my friends Beth and Dinand for having invited me to borrow from their outstanding library, and from which I came across this book.

* * *

Please note:

I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.

Thank you!

*

On Praying

San Lorenzo Ruiz, Dauis Church

They say a correct prayer is never a prayer of asking, or begging for something, but a prayer of gratitude.

When you thank God in advance for something you desire, or for that which you choose to experience in your reality, you, in effect, acknowledge that it is already there.  Thankfulness is thus the most powerful statement to God; an affirmation that even before you ask, God had answered.

Therefore, never supplicate.  Appreciate.

* * * * *

San Lorenzo Ruiz, a Chinoy, was beatified by Pope John Paul II in Manila and later canonized on October 28, 1987. He holds the distinction of being the first person beatified outside the Vatican. He also holds the honor of being the first Filipino saint, the "most improbable of saints," as Pope John Paul II described him during the canonization ceremony.  He is the patron saint of Binondo Church in Manila.

For more on his biography, click here.

Calesa sa Binondo Church

* * *

Please note:

I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.

Thank you!

*

Dauis Church

Schedule of Regular Masses: Saturday: 6pm / Sunday: 6am and 8 am

For historical facts and architectural details, click here.

* * *

Please note:

I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.

Thank you!

*

Bread Talk

I love bread! Actually, I love baked goods – bread, rolls, muffins, pastries, cakes and all!

And my love for it since childhood eventually compelled me to take baking lessons – certification programs, mind you – at a skills-development school in Diliman, Quezon City, sanctioned by TESDA. 

The only class I never got to attend was Cake Decorating.  Somehow, my dabbling in computer programming with all that typing made me lose my script-writing skills.  Anyway, I never got to further practice my newly-acquired baking skills, because the equipment and tools I needed were too costly, especially for someone into it for mere pleasure.

Nonetheless, I’m always on a lookout for good bakeries and pastry shops wherever I go.  Unfortunately, here in Panglao Island, there isn’t much of it. But then I met a master baker right here in the island – Baker Mar.  Like two kindred spirits, we'd incessantly talk about baking whenever running into each other.

The last time my cousin from Subic came to town, she stayed at Amorita where Baker Mar works, and she and I got to enjoy some of Baker Mar’s creations at Saffron’s breakfast buffet.  And when my cousin flew back home, she took back with her a couple boxes of Baker Mar’s dinner rolls – for her own gastronomic pleasure, as well as for pasalubong.  They’re that good!

By the way, Baker Mar is the only Pinoy baker I know who is adept with European bread-making; hence, he can easily whip up some bagels and bialys – my favorites when in Manhattan.  You see, Baker Mar was once the head baker at the New York Bagel Coffee Shop in tony Alabang.

Here are some of Baker Mar's creations:

 

Dinner rolls

Coconut

Red Mongo

Ube

Mango

Blueberry

The baked goods featured above are served at Saffron's breakfast buffet. 

Black Forest

* * *

Please note:

I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.

Thank you!

*

Dr. Egg

For quite some time now, the egg has been getting a bum rap – to the point that even young people shy away from it despite the new research indicating that moderate consumption of eggs do not produce a negative impact on cholesterol.

In addition, regular consumption of two eggs per day may, in fact, improve a person's lipid profile instead of affect it adversely. It is saturated fat, researchers assert, that raises cholesterol rather than dietary cholesterol.

Some of the health benefits of eggs are:

1. They are great for the eyes. According to one study, an egg a day may prevent macular degeneration due to the carotenoid content, specifically lutein and zeaxanthin. Both nutrients are more readily available to our bodies from eggs than from other sources.

2. Researchers of another study found that people who eat eggs every day lower their risk of developing cataracts, also because of the lutein and zeaxanthin in eggs.

3. One egg contains 6 grams of high-quality protein and all 9 essential amino acids.

4. A study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health proves there is no significant link between egg consumption and heart disease. In fact, regular consumption of eggs may help prevent blood clots, stroke, and heart attacks.

5. Eggs are a good source of choline. One egg yolk has about 300 micrograms of choline. Choline is an important nutrient that helps regulate the brain, nervous system, and cardiovascular system.

6. Eggs contain the right kind of fat. One egg contains just 5 grams of fat and only 1.5 grams of that is saturated fat.

7. Eggs promote healthy hair and nails because of their high sulphur content and wide array of vitamins and minerals. Many people find their hair growing faster after adding eggs to their diet, especially if they were previously deficient in foods containing sulphur or B12.

Come to think of it, coconuts, avocados and peanuts, not too long ago, wore a big scarlet "F" for too much fat. Nonetheless, this Manila Bulletin Bulletin article may shed more light on this matter.

On a more esoteric note, there is the centuries-old shamanic healing practice in Central and South America called La Limpia.

Otherwise known as egg cleansing, limpías are a unique healing therapy that works by running a raw egg over the body of the person being cleansed. As simple as this may sound, the effects are supposedly remarkable. It works by clearing a patient’s energy field, getting rid of his energetic and physical toxins. Thus, patients are energetically opened and loosened, relaxed and brought to a more blissful state.
 
A limpia practitioner runs a raw egg over the client’s body, taking in bad energy from many parts of the body. Smoke is also employed to clear up the auric part of the body. The smoke, in Mexico, is usually obtained from burning copal, the dried fluid of the Copal tree. This tree is believed to be consecrated by the Mayans and the other native groups who observe egg cleansing.
 
Afterwards, the egg is sunk into water and evaluated. Shamans can then see how the yolk and egg white are suspended in the water, enabling them to read the person’s maladies and address them accordingly.  Most of those who've undergone it claimed feeling physically lighter, happier and enjoy a more balanced state.

More interestingly, here in the town of Bil-isan in Panglao Island, a somewhat similar healer or tambayan, also utilizes eggs to diagnose and treat her patients. She is called Dr. Egg by the locals. Supposedly, her mother was the original Dr. Egg who was once jetted to the Middle East to treat an Arabic princess. It was a successful healing session that earned the mother a king’s ransom, so to speak. Prior to her death, she passed on her healing skills to her daughter, Brenda, who nowadays carry on her healing traditions mainly to benefit the region’s poor folks unable to afford medical assistance.  However, whenever she does her treatments, which she refers to as operations, she often uses native eggs (as in photo below). Her healing center is open only on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Finally, this Bohol Standard article warns that the yellow phosphorous substance produced by the watoshi stick firecrackers – when popped and ignited as rubbed against hard surfaces – is highly toxic.  Its chemicals are poisonous to the blood and the liver when accidentally ingested, causing the person to die within three to five days, according to Dr. Edgar Pizzaras. 

And what is the recommended first aid cure? Have the victim take 8 egg whites to prevent the body from absorbing the firecrackers' toxic substances.

* * *

I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.

Thank you!

*

Dong, where's the music?

Whenever I travel to new places, once settled, I begin to search for certain things.  Among which is the music distinctly inherent to the region that warms yet exalts the collective soul of the natives, so to speak.

In old San Juan, during the late afternoons, you start to hear salsa being performed with such electrifying fervor by the locals that it makes you want to dance right there on the street.  They do not do it to solicit some loose change from passersby.  They do it as a way to recharge their mind and spirit after a hard day’s work; perhaps, with the help of some Bacardi.  Such merry-making, especially on weekends, can extend to the late nights.  I can only assume the same thing happens in Havana, Kingston, Port-au-Prince, and other Caribbean cities and townships.

You can imagine my disappointment, therefore, when after some months, the local music of Bohol remains elusive.  What I hear often are out of tune ballads belted out by some drunken karaoke barflies; imported love songs beautifully rendered by acoustic bands along Alona Beach; and bossa nova as ambient music at various establishments. 

Speaking of which, bossa nova gets played so much around here – even at the buy-one-take-one burger joint along the highway.  Its popularity would certainly make Jobim proud, but its dominance of the airwaves makes me wonder if there’s any underground Brazilian society around here, which controls the minds of the populace.  If there were any, I’d like to check it out because I used to hang out with a bunch of dazed and confused, though fun-loving Brazilian expats in Manhattan.  In addition, I took percussion lessons from Nana Vasconcelos one summer in New York City.

Yes, I took serious music lessons for more than four years.  I term it serious not because I attended Julliard, but I paid serious money for private music lessons just to demystify the mechanics of music for self-edification.  In the process, with the advent of wondrous technology – synthesizers, drum machines, personal computers and sequencers – I learned all about playing the keyboard, as well as the craft of music composition, arrangement, and orchestration. 

I subsequently profited from such endeavor when some New York friends – artists and musicians – hooked me up with gigs creating background music for TV commercials and industrial videos.  This enabled me to become a member of BMI and the American Guild of Authors and Composers since I started earning royalties from my works.

I also had a great record collection amassed during my earlier 3-year stint as an assistant to the VP of merchandising of a record distribution company in Long Island City.  I practically received a promotional copy of every record released by the major and independent labels – of various genres from classical to punk rock.  Again, through the auspices of friends and by making use of my record collection, I accepted additional lucrative projects, such as programming music for a couple of trendy, upscale Manhattan restaurants and helping some Seventh Avenue couture houses select appropriate music for their showrooms and runway shows.  And I still managed to keep my day job.

The highlight of it all was when I was sought out and recruited as a paralegal by the prestigious intellectual property law firm, Fish & Neave.  I was to become a member of its defense team for one of its clients, Warner-Elektra-Atlantic (WEA), a major force in the American music industry.  It was sued along with all American and European record companies by a French conglomerate, S.A. Thompson, for copyright infringement that involved the compact disc technology.  Except for WEA and a medium-sized compact disc manufacturer in Chicago, all parties acquiesced and began settlement dialogues with the plaintiff.  On the other hand, we worked even harder and ultimately won the case, much to the delight of all defendants!

Going back to the matter at hand – my search for the local Bohol music – the gods must have finally taken pity on me, because last Sunday, during mass at the Cathedral of St. Joseph, I was suddenly enthralled by the hymns being sung by the priest, choir and parishioners.  The lyrics were in Visayan, while the melodies were incredibly transporting.  Like Puccini’s arias, I need not comprehend the lyrics. I simply had to close my eyes and immerse myself in such sublime experience at that very moment.  Indeed, I was feeling exhilarated by the time I exited the church. 

When I mentioned this to some local friends later on, they immediately recommended that I check out the live performances at the Loboc Children’s Choir Theater.  They also suggested that I attend mass at the St. Augustin Parish Church in Panglao Island for its music.  And without missing a beat, I replied, “I most definitely will!”

* * *

Please note:

I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.

Thank you!

*