cristineee

[cristineee]

“He who Fights with Behemoths: To Detonate with Monsters”

By: Cristine Joy G. Acosta of 11-HUMSS-1

Bayot! A Visayan word that signifies being "gay", but for the cherished ones of Dhan Ryan Bayot, it reflects valor, allegiance, and patriotism.

Photo credits to www.manilatimes.net

Our dazzling and omniscient eyes had witnessed how the men in camouflage pledge and uphold their fidelity to the country. They have brought and recounted all their journey in their own shoes; how they bitten the bullet to fight enemy lines where the recent battlefields are, amidst the ambush and extreme casualties.

Starved. Famished. Withered. Wakeful. No two soldiers have crossed the same path along their journey, neither assimilate rigorous experiences from their voyage in their patriotic service. Aside from guns and voluminous war machines, the only thing that they grip upon to was their jingoism and guts to have the courage of their convictions.

A heroic Private First Class, Dhan Ryan Bayot is 24 years of age, a localite from Zamboanga Sibugay. He is the lad of Sgt. Larry Bayot of the 1st Infantry Battalion, and was also one of the legs and arms of the Maute fighters; who were sent to lash out the combative militants linked to the Islamic terrorist group that attacked Marawi city, Southern Philippines last May 2017. The lionhearted man was assigned to one of the detachments of the 51st Infantry Battalion located at Barangay Lilod in Marawi. 

The man-at-arms undauntedly faced all the odds, where Bayot belonged to was bushwhacked on the second day of the Marawi siege. A tea became the talk of the town when the private security men and bodyguards of the mayor ‘lended their hands’ for the Maute terrorists to assault Bayot’s team and get inside the guarded house downhill and trouble-free at daybreak. The troopers radioed for backup and reinforcement, tightly gripping the hope to hug once again their loved ones, alive and kicking. 

Bang! The time seemed to fly fast and the ship had sailed, it was too late because the only way to get to their position was to go through a sea wholly flooded by enemies. As the time ticked away, the PFC’s five comrades were already on the wrong side of the grass, leaving him forlorn on his tod. This breathtaking real-life cinematic scene is captured by the lense of the militants, in hue and in sepia. Witnessing Bayot keep his one foot on the grave, realizing his hopeless situation, trying to reach out someone that owns his blood and flesh, Sgt. Larry Bayot, his father; startling the rescue team with this request — “Just bomb my location, Sir!". Until the very last, jingoism still arose amid that breathtaking moment, wanting to take his enemies down with him.

Dhan’s remains, along with the corpses of his six fallen comrades, were recovered four days later.  Dhan Bayot’s story is just a piece from the thousands stories of heroism from our soldiers, who faced and fought the painful reality of terrorism at Muslim Mindanao. It is indeed that not all heroes wear capes, some are in camouflage. “Brave men rejoice in adversity, just as brave soldiers triumph in war”, a notable quote uttered by Lucius Annaeus Seneca. The tree of liberty must be watered with the blood of tyrants and patriots, the reality that each country faces from time to time.

[cristineee]

“The Farewell After the Rejoice”

By: Cristine Joy G. Acosta of 11-HUMSS-1

"Every meeting led to a parting, and so it would, as long as life was mortal", notable words uttered by Cassandra Clare.

I was innocent as a lamb when I'm about to jump off the walls after hearing that I, along with my kindred, was about to take a pilgrimage to the “Chromite Capital of the Philippines”, the Zambales. The leading reason why we’re about to travel to Zambales, is because my Uncle Erik is about to take his voyage in the past few remaining days as a seafarer. On our way to the countryside, I closed my wakeful dark brown eyes, while the humming and chanting of the birds served as music to my ears, as I started to appreciate how serene it is to live in the rurals.

Later that day after we arrived at the unurban, yet tranquil place in the countryside, we began to explore and wander nature. At a very youthful age, I am beyond blessed to witness these God-given chef ​d’oeuvre and picturesque landscapes. My youthful 7 year-old self kept a weather eye on as I scan my eyes through the ever so vibrant green  lushes, harmonizing and providing my ears a sensation after hearing the ripples streaming down the riverside, juxtaposed with the bird’s quaver and carols.

In the course of our last few days at Zambales, we had made up our minds and headed to a beach owned by my auntie, since Zambales is abundant and bountiful with white as a snow sands found in resorts and crystal clear beaches. As we arrived on the stroke of afternoon, I ran quick as a lightning, being hooked and lured with the beckoning waves of the tides. Its mellow waves almost made me breathless, keenly observing the horizon that the lenses of my eyes can ever perceive.

Time seemed to fly rapidly, making the skies gradient, an obvious sign that the sun is about to set. Aside from mamboing with the waves, I also gave a hand in preparing the grilled milkfish à la Cristine, bringing out the inner chef in me; since fishing is one of the major source of income here in the rurals . The milkfishes’ delightsome aroma seemed to tickle my senses, making my blubbery tummy grumble. As a Filipino, rice ensembled by spicy soy sauce is indeed God tier, juxtaposed with eating bare hands is truly elite; just how localities from the countryside practice this from their day-to-day lives. 

It's already dusk after we finished eating, making me feel that I am about to explode due to being full after feasting on the  ever so mouth-watering foods shared with loved ones. As we sluiced and rinsed at the shower area, I happily hummed and sang Beyoncé’s songs as the water rippled down my skin, bringing out the inner “ Queen B” in me. After taking a swift almost-concert bath, we're ready to drop off our home by a tricycle, enabling us to breathe-in the pristine and crisp air, filtrated by the ever so picturesque landscape of trees and plants.

The day after that, uncle Erik was about to head to the town to get some food. As my eyes keenly scanned the whole backyard, my omniscient eyes perceived him ride his motorcycle and waved me goodbye. As a youth, I zoned out and got distracted and started to wander the garden. I saw a variety of bright-colored and striking colors of hue, possessed by the magnificent plants. Out of the blue, while inhaling the fresh air, my grandmother seemed to be confused, trying to gather her thoughts after she witnessed uncle Erik inside the room, when in fact, he already headed out earlier. Both of us had chills adjoined with goosebumps, when out of a sudden, we realized that she attested uncle Erik’s doppelganger. 

Hours passed and uncle didn’t seem to come back. It was pitch black in the dusk when we later on found out that he’s swimming in his own pool of blood, after the tragic motorcycle accident. His nose was detached to his face, making him melancholy indescribable. His close friend stated that beforehand that chapter of the accident, uncle Erik uttered “Goodbye bro, this is the last time that we’ll meet up”, pertaining to his journey as a seafarer, which later turned into his last words of farewell.

[cristineee]

"Step-by-step Procedures on How to Cook and Prepare Dinakdakan"

By: Cristine Joy G. Acosta of 11-HUMSS-1

Naimas! An Ilocano term for delicious. I am eager to wholeheartedly share how an Ilocano cook Dinakdakan. It is an interesting Ilocano dish that is made of grilled and boiled pig parts-it works as a delicious and tasty appetizer, too! The pig's head, ears, and brains are some of the ingredients incorporated so as not to waste any part of the animal. It looks like sisig except that the ingredients in this recipe are not finely chopped. Cooking methods such as grilling and boiling are used in making this dish because it makes the preparation of the dish much simpler. Adding chili also gives it a bit of a bite, making it the perfect pork dish to eat with loads of rice.

Photo credits to panlasangpinoy.com

Dinakdakan Recipe:

Preparation Time - 10 minutes

Cooking Time - 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time - 1 hour 40 minutes

Servings: 6 persons

Ingredients for Dinakdakan:

1 lb. pig ears

1 lb. pig face maskara

6 ounces pig liver

1 teaspoon ginger powder

1 medium red onion sliced

6 green and red chili chopped

4 tablespoons white or cane vinegar

1 teaspoon garlic powder optional

1 tablespoon minced ginger

3 pieces bay leaves optional

1 tablespoon whole peppercorn optional

3/4 cup mayonnaise

Salt and pepper to taste

 Instructions:

Step 1: Pour 6 to 8 cups of water in a cooking pot. Let boil.

Step 2: Once the water starts to boil, you have the option to add dried bay leaves and whole peppercorn. Add-in the pig ears and face. Set the heat to low and continue to boil for 50 to 60 minutes.

Step 3: Discard the water and let the excess water drip. Rub a little bit of salt all over the boiled ears and face. Rub the ginger powder on the liver.

Step 4: Heat-up the grill. Grill the ears and face for 4 to 6 minutes per side or until it turns a bit crisp, but not burnt. Grill the liver for 5 to 8 minutes depending on the thickness.

Step 5: Remove the grilled pig parts from the grill. Let it cool down and start chopping into bite-size pieces.

Step 6: Meanwhile, combine mayonnaise and vinegar in a mixing bowl. Stir. 

Step 7: Add some ground black pepper. Continue to stir until the ingredients are well blended.

Step 8: Add the ginger, chili, onion, and garlic powder (optional). Toss.

Step 9: Add more salt if needed.

Step 10: Transfer to a serving bowl. Serve.

Share and enjoy!

[cristineee]

“Drifting in Blue: Abyss in the Ocean”

By: Cristine Joy G. Acosta of 11-HUMSS-1

“Kayo po na nakaupo, subukan niyo namang tumayo….baka matanaw niyo ang tunay na kalagayan ko”. These are a piece of Gloc 9’s chef ​d’oeuvre, that each one of the impoverished people can hum and chant to.

Photo credits to impernity.com

Resilient. Red-blooded. Gritty. These are the distinguishable attributes that Filipinos possess based from the different nationalities around the globe. But amidst the worldwide pandemic, the sea is not the only existent that remained blue, so as we. All the things that seemed to be on the right track seemed lost; and the smooth sailings became ruffled by the waves, wherein it had cost chaos and daunting wars inside of us.

Innumerable people uttered and labeled that we’re all in the same boat in the thick of this pandemic, but do we really are? Some people are on yachts; luxurious, private, relaxed, and mostly do recreational activities. These are people born with a silver spoon in their mouth, the elite ones that are mostly big leaders, heads of multinational corporations, foundations, and universities. They mostly possess a laid back, fancy life, and lushes their money all over their bathtub.

Some are on ships; sturdy, vigorous, and secured. These predominantly portray scientific and technical knowledgeable people. Bread and butter such as engineers, lawyers, architects, and directors of public and private organizations. Sly as a fox, well-educated, and can easily make a six-digit figure a year. They are scarcely affected amidst the pandemic, mostly have high incomes, and high social prestige.

Uncountable number of people are on wooden boats. Folks that are perpetually made up of limited educated people with minimum incomes, these are families with smaller and fewer children. Standard bombproof time and again; while others just goes with the flow and waves of life’s uncertainties.

Others are clinging on floaters, these are the lower class typified and sprinkled by the reality of poverty, homelessness, and unemployment. Undergoing illiteracy, slaves of lacking medical care, adequate shelter and food, juxtaposed by being famished half of their whole lifetime. You know what’s even worse by being penniless? Facing the bitter reality, full of getting stigmatized inaccurately – characterizing poor people as welfare mothers who abuse the system by having more and more children, unemployed parents that are drug abusers, criminals, and societal “trash.”

The most heart shattering that leaves a thorn in our hearts, are the huge volume of people that are still drowning. These are the people that are in the life and death situation, people that barely eat and most likely will die amidst the pandemic. Accused. Abused. Confused. Drowned by the tidals of destitution, drizzled by famish.

There’s an existing quotation “You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf”, enunciated by Jon Kabat-zan. But in the shoes of a poverty-stricken household, the only thing that they grip upon to was a little unstable floater amidst the whirlpool of shortcomings, not once a surfboard. We are in the same ocean, but never in the same boat.