Until we are sure of the future, let us enjoy living in the present and have fun rekindling the past.
No guarantees, no regrets; it is what it is. Smile. Better yet, laugh life’s hearty jokes out loud.
*****
Okidok! Bagamat nakalipas na ang Agosto, ang Buwan ng Wika, hindi ito hudyat na muli nating ipasasantabi ang pag-gamit at pagbigkas ng Filipino. Peks man, hindi natin kayang ipawalang-bahala at kalimutan ang kinagisnang sariling atin.
Ngunit dahil naninirahan na tayo sa ibang bansa, ating igalang ang hangad ng marami na magsumigasig matuto ng kaibang lenguwahe, tulad ng dalawang wikang opisyal ng Canada, ang Inglis at Pranses, habang ipinagpapatuloy natin ang mas madali at mas masayang pakikipag-ugnayan sa mga kabayan sa wikang Filipino.
Yehey! Quoting Kuya Yoyoy: “At nagkaintindihan din sila!”
Datapuwat, suklian natin ng ibayong halaga ang pagkilala at paggalang ng Canada sa ating wika, kultura at mga tradisyon na ating inilantad sa mga Filipino festivals nitong nakaraang tag-init.
Mangyari’y ipagbunyi natin ang mga maka-demokrasyang panununtunan ng Canada, na kumupkop sa atin at pinagkalooban tayo ng pagkakataon na abutin ang minimithing pangarap na mag-aral, maghanapbuhay at mamuhay ng ligtas, malaya, masaya at masagana.
Sa darating na ika-10 ng Oktubre, tayo’y maki-isa at makisama sa ating mga kapamilya, kamag-anakan, kaibigan at kapitbahay na ipagdiwang ang Araw ng Pasasalamat (Thankgiving Day) sa Canada.
*****
Perchance you are a newbie like me – literally, figuratively and relatively — in Maple Leaf Country, here is a backgrounder from Internet sites that may be perused.
Canadian Thanksgiving is an official statutory holiday observed nationwide — except in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island — on every second Monday of October, or on October 10, this year. It is a day to show gratitude for bestowed blessings and a good harvest.
The Thanksgiving tradition recalls the time in 1578 when explorer Martin Frobisher and his crew sailed from England and reached land, now known as Canada, while searching for a northern sea passage to the East.
Upon landing in Nunavut, Minister Mayster Wolfall implored everyone to thank God for surviving the hard and long trip fraught with freak storms and icy perils, and the loss of a ship.
Feasting on salted beef and mushy peas, Frobisher and his men celebrated the first Canadian Thanksgiving, 43 years before the Pilgrims shared the first American Thanksgiving meal.
Today, family and friends gather for the meal that included roasted turkey paired with cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, stuffing and many other dishes.
Also, Canadian Thanksgiving occurs over a month earlier than its American counterpart; perhaps because the harvest season begins earlier in more northerly Canada than it does in the United States.
Celebrating the Canadian Thanksgiving Day continued on and off, at different dates. In 1604, French settlers brought in new traditions. In 1763, the holiday expressed gratitude for the end of the Seven Years’ War. In 1872, the event was dedicated to the Prince of Wales, who recovered from a severe illness.
Finally, the national holiday was declared in 1879. But it was not until 1957, when the second Monday of October was designated Canadian Thanksgiving Day.
*****
Every time the blender whirs and wakes me up early in the morning, I smile.
Pretty sure, my grandson is again whipping up a smoothie, his gracious healthy regular morning drink.
Certainly, that smoothie is a mix of year-long available Canadian wild and farmed berries – blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and other edible berries picked from a grocery run.
The best and nicest part of his morning routine, my grandson hands me a half glassful of the blend to taste.
Gabe has gone back to far-away university. His “rise and shine” blender alarm and his offer of cool berries on my lips will be missed.
Not to worry. Cranberry sauce with the slice of roasted turkey will do the feel and fill in a few days. I hope the hearty kilograms of beloved “putok-batok” lechon and Mang Tomas sauce will be on the table too.
*****
According to Green Barn Farm, the indigenous culture of First Nations people offers us ten ancestral virtues to live a balanced and connected life. Numbers one, five, seven and nine are naturally relevant.
- The Earth is our mother, care for her.
- Honor your ancestors through your actions.
- Open your heart and soul to the Great Spirit.
- All life is sacred; treat all beings with respect.
- Take from the Earth what is needed and nothing more.
- Put the good of all before your own interests.
- Give constant thanks for each new day.
- Speak the truth; but only of the good in others.
- Follow the rhythms of nature; rise and retire with the sun.
- Enjoy life’s journey, but leave no tracks.
I’ve got an 11th, maybe indigenous but not ancestral: Be like the birds. Tweet about berries too.
*****
Wika nga,huli man daw at magaling, late pa rin. Kaya pangungunahan ko na.
Malugod at maligayang bati ang ipaabot natin sa lahat na muling magbabalik-tanaw sa araw ng kanilang pagsilang.
O ‘di ba? Muli na naman nilang tatapusin ang isang taong yugto ng kanilang kasaysayan ng buhay at masigasig na haharap sa pinipintong mas malakas, mas masagana, mas masayang panibagong paglalakbay.
Gayunpaman, Happy Birthday kina Marib, Angela, Rex, Insyang, Albert, Isabel, Sol, Annie, Babes, Ernie, Leila, Ingrid, Teresa, Art, Grace, Allan, Lourdes, Ildefonso, Ching, Ida, Abel at napakarami pang magdiriwang ng anibersaryo ng kanilang kapanganakan ngayong Oktubre.
Hayan, tapos na ang pagpupugay. Saan ang handaan?
Frolickers sing: “Roll out the barrel of fun.” Sisimulan na ba ang tagay?
*****
Speaking of tagay, halina’t makisaya sa Toronto Oktoberfest na ginaganap sa Festhalle tent, Bavarian Village, Ontario Place, Parking Lot 1.
Bagamat hanggang unang araw ng Oktubre lamang ito itatanghal, hindi nangangahulugan na tapos na rin ang tagayan ng mapa-bote o mapa-mug na beer, gawa man ito ng Aleman, Canadian o ng “Iba ang may pinagsamahan!”
Para saan pa ang beer store kung hindi ito tatangkilikin at bibigyan ng katuturan.
Kinopyang hugot sa mga beer fan websites:
- It doesn’t matter how high the bar is as long as you can reach your drink.
- The meaning of life can be seen in a bottle of beer. I haven’t found that bottle yet, but I am enjoying the search.
- B.E.E.R.: Brew, Enjoy. Empty. Repeat.
- Drink to forget? Better yet, never forget to drink.
- Funny how drinking eight cups of water seems impossible. But eight beers in two hours go down like a fat kid on a seesaw.
- “For better digestion, I drink beer,” an elderly said. “In case of appetite loss, I drink white wine. For low blood pressure, I drink red wine. In case of high blood pressure, I drink scotch. And when I have a cold, I drink schnapps,” she continued. Asked when she drank water, her reply: “I’ve never been that sick.”
- To top it all, drink moderately. Or simply clear your head and be sober.
- “Boss, isang platitong mani!”
*****
Sabi nga sa unahan, “Enjoy life’s journey, but leave no tracks.”
Kung magkakamot ka ng ulo, tubig na lang ang lagukin mo.
*****
Hanggang sa muli, kabayan. Be well. Keep safe. Let’s drink to that! #####
(Scroll further for pictures with captions)
PHOTO 1:
United Nations, A Place for Humanity’s Aspirations. The experience of seeing and being with delegates, diplomats and world leaders in the halls and levels of the United Nations is simply amazing. This was in 1991 when I was given a chance to represent the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, in particular, and the Philippines, in general, as a working delegate to the 46th United Nations (UN) General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York City in October. To document the proceedings in penned notes and clicked stills, albeit with a temporary but important and functional pass, in a large room overlooking the General Assembly hall was a perk enough and meant a lot to me in my practice of the profession I embraced – journalism. It must have been decades ago but I still recall and cherish the sight of astute and discerning men and women who sat and attentively listened to speakers, and who were then so interested in and concerned with the aspirations of humanity. The UN, composed of 193 state-members, embodies the pursuit of world peace and security, friendly relations among nations and international cooperation. The UN Charter was adopted on June 25, 1945 and took effect four months later, on October 24. (Photo: RG Files)
PHOTO 2:
Toast to Friendship with München Bier. Oktoberfest does not necessarily start in October in Germany. Neither is it a seasonal tradition nor a fleeting habit in gatherings around the world. Ask a Filipino and quickly be quipped “Isa pa nga!” anytime, anywhere. Nothing beats a mug of beer among colleagues attending the International Institute of Journalism’s 49th Advanced Course. On a chilly afternoon in 1996, Burmese Cho Tun and Thi Ha, Jamaican Trevor Riley and I just have to let go of our native expressions to clink a toast. At the Viktuallenmarkt in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, “Prosit” expresses it best before a festive gulp of malted barley from expert German brewers. (Photo: RG Files)
PHOTO 3:
Covering GRP-MNLF Peace Talks in Jakarta. Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) founder and chairman Nur Misuari (centre) spares time to be with Filipino journalists covering the first round of peace negotiations between the Philippine Government and the MNLF at the Hotel Indonesia in Jakarta, Indonesia on October 24, 1993. (From left) Philippines News Agency (PNA) Cotabato bureau chief Rommel Rebollido, PNA executive editor Butch Galicia,
Philippine Daily Inquirer Mindanao bureau chief Carolyn Arguillas and dxMM’s Mon Ilagan later shared thoughts with Misuari on how to best achieve lasting and meaningful peace in Mindanao. (Photo: RG Files)