Baguhin ang mga Ugaling Hindi Maipagmamalaki

Baguhin ang mga Ugaling Hindi Maipagmamalaki

Ni Apolinario Villalobos

 

Taun-taon na lang ay may New Year’s Resolution ang bawa’t isa. Ito ang dahilan kung bakit malakas ang loob ng karamihan sa atin na lumihis ng landas mula unang araw ng Enero hanggang huling araw ng Disyembre…dahil pwede naman daw magsisi bago matapos ang taon.

 

Hindi madaling magbago ng ugaling malalim na ang pagkaugat sa ating pagkatao. Kailangan ang pambihirang disiplina upang magawa ito o di kaya ay isang milagro. Ang masisisi sa ganitong bagay ay mga magulang na nagpabaya dahil hindi nila nadisiplina ang kanilang mga anak habang maliit pa lang sila upang magkaroon ng mga ugaling maipagmamalaki. Ang mga sumusunod ay ilan lamang sa mga ugaling sumisira ng pagkatao:

 

• Ang pagiging batugan na nagreresulta sa katamaran. Nakaugalian ng karamihan na tuwing weekend ay gumising ng tanghali. Ang dahilan ay bumabawi lang dahil buong linggo naman daw ay kayod-kalabaw sila. Dahil sa ganoong pananaw, nahawa sa ganitong ugali ang mga anak na paglaki ay magpapasa rin ng ganitong maling pananaw sa kanilang mga anak. May iba diyan na dahil sa pagkabatugan, tapos nang magluto ng tanghalian ang kapitbahay, sila ay humahagok pa rin sa pagkakatulog.

 

• Ang pagiging abusado sa mga taong tumutulong. Dapat unawain na hindi lahat ng nakakatulong lalo na yong katamtaman lang naman ang uri ng pamumuhay ay palaging nakakaluwag. Ang mga kusa nilang naibabahagi ay ekstra lamang kaya hindi palaging meron sila nito. Ang hirap lang sa ibang naabutan minsan ng tulong, ang gusto ay araw-arawin na ito ng nakatulong, kaya kapag hindi nangyari ang inaasahan nila, sasama na ang loob. Kung ang mga mayayaman nga, maliban na lang ang may mga Foundation, ay minsanan lang kung tumulong, paano pa kaya ang mga nasa “middle class” o yong mga nasa “lower class” subalit may pambihirang ugaling matulungin?

 

• Ang pagiging “sipsip” sa boss. May mga taong sagad-buto na yata ang pagkamakasarili kaya gumagawa ng lahat ng paraan upang umangat lang, kahit pa marami silang natatapakan o nasasagasaan. Ang mga taong ito ay yong klaseng wala naman talagang ibubuga sa trabaho kaya “sumisipsip” na lang sa boss, na halos umabot sa paghimod sa puwet nito, ma-promote lang. Unfair ito sa mga kasama nila sa trabaho na karapat-dapat umangat dahil sa talino at kakayahan.

 

• Ang pagiging pekeng makatao at maka-Diyos. Ang isa pang tawag dito ay kaipukrituhan. Ito ang mga taong umaasa ng “bayad” o “balik” o “sukli”, kapag nag-abot ng tulong sa kapwa. Ito ang mga taong palaging may kamera kapag pumunta sa mga evacuation center o mga lugar na sinalanta ng kalamidad at may mga dala rin namang relief goods. Okey lang kung malakihang operasyon na tulad ng ginagawa ng DSW o di kaya ay mga NGOs dahil dapat may maipakita silang patunay na pinamigay nila ang mga donasyon. Subalit kung kusang “tulong-kaibigan” na hindi naman big-time o malakihan, bakit kailangan pang magkodakan? Ang mga gumagawa nito ay yong may ambisyon sa larangan ng pulitika o nangangarap na maging santo o santa.

 

• Ang pagiging abusado sa katawan. Ang pag-aabuso sa katawan ay nagiging sanhi ng pagkasira ng kalusugan. Ang mga taong abusado sa ganitong bagay ay yong may mga bisyo na kahit alam nang nakakasama ay tuloy pa rin sila sa ginagawa. Nagpapabaya rin sila pagdating sa mga bagay na may kinalaman sa tamang pagkain. Ito ang mga maaarte na ayaw kumain ng gulay halimbawa, dahil hindi nila gusto ang lasa kahit alam nilang mahalaga sa kalusugan, kaya sila ay ginagaya ng mga anak na lumaki na lang sa pagkain ng hot dog at hamburger o piniritong itlog.

 

• Ang pagiging bulagsak sa pera. Ito yong mga taong kung gumastos ay parang wala nang susunod pang mga araw na paggagastusan, kaya kung suwelduhan sila, ang natatanggap tuwing 15/30 ay sandail lang nilang nahahawakan….ang resulta – kung may mga emergency na pangangailangan, hanggang nganga na lang sila!

 

• Ang pagiging palamura. Ang pagmumura ay talagang masama….pagsabihan ba naman halimbawa ang isang tao ng “puta ang ina mo”, o di kaya ay “anak ka ng puta”. Dapat ay baguhin na itong ugali. Kung hindi maiiwasan, putulin na lang ang mga linya…halimbawa, sa halip na “puta ang ina mo” ay sabihin na lang na “…ina mo”, at ang “anak ka ng puta” ay “….anak ka”. Huwag murahin sa Ingles ang mga walang alam sa wikang ito…huwag gawing dahilan ang kawalang kaalaman nila sa Ingles upang paliguan sila ng mga pagmumurang tulad ng, “shit”, “damn it”, “son of a bitch”, etc., dahil baka murahin ka rin sa dialect na hindi mo alam!

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR NA LANG SA MAKAKABASA…..LALO NA ANG NATUMBOK!

Foods are for the Stomach, as Writings are for the Mind

Foods are for the Stomach

As writings are for the Mind

By Apolinario Villalobos

 

The foods can look appetizing by how they are presented, so are the writings that can be made attractive for reading by their title and first few lines. The writings are the poems and essays, and foods are appetizers, main dishes and desserts. While the print media, and today, the internet are the venue to showcase writings, outlets such as dining places and parties, are for the food.

 

Every country has its own specialties and distinct recipes or styles in cooking. So are the different nationalities that have their respective and distinct kind of literature, based on their culture. Honesty in presentation, though how seem simple they may be discerned, are on what the foods and writings are judged.

 

The intriguing simple dishes of a far away Asian country can elicit curiosity and admiration due to their exotic taste, just like the equally intriguing broken-lined poetry of young poets today.

 

Respect is what foods and writings should be given. They should not be altered based on the whims of others. Those who cannot take the taste of certain foods and intriguing literary style should prepare their own dish or come up with their own poems or essays.

 

Invented gadgets, contraptions, and machines can be altered and improved based on their progressing necessity. But dishes should remain as originally concocted and can just be made as basis for new ones by food enthusiasts. In the same manner that the different styles in writing poems and essays should remain as they are written by the author and those who have been inspired should come up with their own style of presenting the idea.

 

Based on the above, nobody should be timid in coming up with their own cookery, essay or poem. What they come up with, unconsciously reflect their personality, such that, simple people may come up with simple dishes and simply written poems, as well as, short essays. Those with complex character, on the other hand, may come up with equally complicated dishes due to various ingredients, as well as, poems and essays with difficult to discern messages.

 

What I mean here is: everybody can cook and write which are just two of the many expressions of life…our various reasons for living. Most importantly, while the styles in preparing foods and presenting ideas vary, their respective essence remains the same.

Understanding the Dietary and Medicinal Values of Herbs and Vegetables

Understanding the Dietary
and Medicinal Values of Herbs and Vegetables
By Apolinario Villalobos

I cannot understand how herbal medicine can be viewed as an “alternative”, when in fact, such has been thriving even before the so called civilization made life comfortable for man.
Herbal medicine has been part of the early earthlings’ way of life long before drug laboratories came into being. In other words, the herbal medicine should be considered as the “original” medicine, and the laboratory-processed ones as the “alternative”, and not the other way around. The laboratory-processed medicines with attributes cloned from the plants are understandably with longer shelf-life and more convenient to use as they are in the transportable forms such as tablet, capsule or in small bottles as syrup and infused with preservatives. For the sake of fairness then, the word “alternative” should be taken out of the drug dictionary, and we just stick to “herbal”.

The pampered attitude of man should be blamed on why the use of herbal medicine had a lull in the past. Fortunately, today, the practice is picking up again because the civilized world has realized that most laboratory-processed drugs are not safe enough to be taken without proper supervision or strictly followed prescription. Modern medical practitioners blame “overdose”, “underdose”, and even “abuse” for any untoward result from the “misuse” of laboratory-processed medicines.

The only problem with the herbal medicine is that, it requires patience as regards its preparation which is akin to a ritual. A realistic example is how I do it: first, I have to have a dedicated kettle that I can use in boiling leaves, barks, and spices, and then I have to look for those that I need to boil. I have to do the concocting when I wake up, as I also use the concoction to dilute my coffee. I have to do that every morning! Compare that with just gulping down tablets or capsules with a glass of water.

Sacrifice is the keyword if one has to be serious in making herbal medicine part of his life to prevent the onset of diseases. In my case, however, it is a must because my blood has cancer cells, as the disease is the scourge of our family.

I employ resourcefulness in my effort to gather what I need by bringing with me plastic bags every time I go out to do my rounds of random sharing. During the season of mangosteen, I would hand out plastic bags to people eating the said fruit, so that I can gather the rinds which I dry at home. Also, I would buy the blemished fruits, considered as rejects, though fresh, as they come cheap. With those, I am able to dry rinds that can last me for many months. It saves me substantial amount of money, as compared to buying the laboratory-prepared MX3 capsules and preparations with coffee.

When I found out that watermelon can prevent rapid enlargement of the prostate, during its season, I would ask watermelon rinds from vendors who sell the fruit by the slice. I would bring home a grocery bagful of them to be pickled in brine or cooked in brown sugar and cinnamon powder. During the corn season, I would also ask for the “hair” from the vendors who just throw them away. At home, I boil it as the concoction helps eliminate gall and kidney stones.

Another problem with the medicinal herbs is that they must be eaten, too, as vegetables. This is an unfortunate requirement which those who have no heart in acquiring the taste, will really find difficult. Every time I share with others how I cook unpeeled squash and green papaya, I would notice eye brows rising. Eye brows would rise higher, if I mention how I would prepare my own “arroz caldo” with vegetables instead of chicken. Then I would notice some holding on to their throat if I mention about cooking alogbate or chinese spinach, saluyot and okra in plenty of tomatoes and onions. They cannot just imagine the slimy broth that would result!

If I begin mentioning to my friends about rarely- heard names of herbs and spices and their uses, I would see blank stares, as if they cannot believe what I have said. If I tell them about star anise as being effective in preventing the onset of allergies, or softening the phlegm, the more that they become stupefied. And, when I mention about cloves as part of my concoction, they would wonder aloud “what the hell is that”. With the climax of my share which is telling them that always part of what I cook as food are turmeric and powdered chili – plenty of them as in spoonful, I would see many listeners shudder, especially, if I tell them that I also include them in my coffee.

So, those are the difficulties of having herbs as part of diet, or as medicine. Some people cannot imagine them to possibly become part of a healthy diet. They would rather play dumb to the saying that prevention is better than cure, and instead, prefer the convenient though expensive tablets, capsules, and visits to the physician, at the onset of a disease, later on.