As the tricycle passed by the open area in front of a manufacturing company, seen were two burly young men sparring. It was actually my first time to see two people in a match, and they were barefooted, and probably workers from that company. It was like everybody and everything around that area froze. All the drivers and their vehicles stopped to see the melee. I got excited, too, then thought that this must probably be the feeling of those near the boxing arenas where Manny Pacquiao and the other Filipino boxers do their fights.
Erap's Conviction is Not a Deterrent
While I am not an Erap fan, I firmly believe his conviction cannot be a deterrent to those influential and powerful individuals in this country who love to do their acts of crime. As one of the guest in Palaban implied, those supporters of President Gloria who are obviously guilty must be convicted also or this historical event will become useless and will later on be forgotten. The government, I believe, has to show that they are serious in their efforts to send anyone (and I mean, anyone, even their closest relatives and friends) erring to jail.
Black, White and Grey
Asked by Malay the other day, "What motiff, Kay?" (referring to her debut). She answered, "Black, white and grey." It is simply because of the reason that they are 'safe' and unique. Thinking about the conservative people and relatives, I bet they would probably think this is not a good idea. But it is high time to break the overused belief that these colors mean death. I have these wild pictures of me explaining why.
What is Pasma in English?
It's been days that I have been dealing with this ache from my right wrist to my right shoulder. It's almost a week already. Right now, as I am typing these words, my wrist is sending signals that the ache will be back in a few minutes. It is gone only for a little time and most of the time I have it. Suspects are karpal tunnel syndrome, fatigue, or pasma. (What is pasma in English? Can somebody tell me?) I suspect it is pasma because last Sunday, I was cooking food for lunch but forgot that I was doing it so I dipped my hands into the washing machine to load again the next pail of laundry. There, after that, in the evening, I was almost crying in pain. Pati yata utak ko pasmado na. ha ha ha :-D
"Pasma" is what medical anthropologists call a folk illness. These are illnesses specific to particular cultures, complete with distinct signs, symptoms, perceived causes and treatments. Other famous examples of folk illnesses in the Philippines are "bangungot" (which I’ve written about several times) and "usug." These folk illnesses are not described in medical textbooks, much less discussed in medical schools, so when a patient shows up in a clinic or hospital complaining about one of these illnesses, the doctors and other health professionals are often baffled. - Michael Tan in Pinoy Kasi, Phil Daily Inquirer.
ReplyDeleteWow, mukhang may malaking party sa inyo ha? ;-)
I guess Erap's conviction is a good one. I just hope the next administration can try those "kawatans" in the present ones too.
ReplyDeleteWe are what we are. So choosing a colour for a motiff is to be based on taste and not of folklore beliefs.
yes, and that is why there are these so called alternative medicine for these folk illnesses, single. pero ano nga ba ang pasma sa ingles?
ReplyDeletenot that big naman. :-D
i agree it is a good one, rey, that one with Erap. we are for a moment made to believe that justice is prevalent in the country. but there has to be another in the list that has to be given sentence. maraming inaantay ang sambayanang Pinoy. :-)
unfortunately, not everybody has that line of thinking about motiffs. :-)
Bing,
ReplyDeleteAng Pasma ay karaniwang tukoy sa mga sakit ng litid at pananakit ng katawan. Di iyan naiiba sa sagot na "Kumplikasyon" pag tinanong mo ang isang duktor na tamad o walang masyadong alam sa paggamot ng mga karamdaman, kung ano ang dahilan ng sakit o ikinamatay ng pasyente niya! Pasma- Generic term for unexplained muscle and bronchial ailments.
Sabi ng Lolo ko nuon sa aming mga pilyong mag-pipinsan na lalaki, "Huwag niyong laruin ang mga ari niyo habang naliligo at baka ma-pasma iyan at di na tumigas ulit!" Pero pinatunayan namin na waterproof pala ito!
If you do a lot of repetitive motion at work with your hand like typing or mouse-clicking, then your injury could be carpal tunnel. I have a bit of it myself and I use one of those hand exercisers like the gripp stress ball. I'd say have a doctor check it out to make sure.
ReplyDeleteI'm only vaguely familiar with the ERap case, but it looks like he got what he deserved, which is a good start. Justice has to prevail. Otherwise, nothing will change.
litid are ligaments, di ba, noypetes?
ReplyDelete'lam din naman ng lolo mo 'yun, na waterproof nga. baka ang tagal nyo ko kasi maligo he he
and i can't even remember where the grip stress balls went. they were gifts and i had probably misplaced them kasi wala namang gumagamit before. read about carpal tunnel syndrome today and the symptoms are evident sa akin. :-(
i hope it will not stop with Erap though, wil.
hi ate.. ^_^ musta na rin? nice thoughts ha.. ok where will i start...
ReplyDeleteboxing match - di ako mahilig manood ng boxing ate, mapa-tv pa yan o suntukan lang sa may kanto.. ewan, nakakaawa kasi ung mga nagsusuntukan eh.. no fun at all....
erap - sabi nga ng tatay ko, pagtapos kay erap, ung ibang politician naman daw ang i-grill.. i mean, dapat nga fair, kasi di lang naman si erap ung gumawa ng ganyang krimen diba?
debut - nung debut ko, naka-jeans ako.. hahaha.. kasi simpleng party lang nman un.. black, white, grey.. di naman pampatay na kulay yan, pero malamang nga magugulat ung mga ibang kamag-anak nyo.. pero there's nothing wrong with some change.. diba? :) emo....
pasma - nung highschool ako, pasmado ako.. ngyon di na.. may ginawa ata ung nanay ko eh.. hehehe.. o nga noh, ano bang english nun?! mai-google nga.. :)
Pasma means you need to check your uric acid. baka mataas at meron ka na gout (arthritis).
ReplyDeleteOr baka, too much use of mouse. Nanghuhula lang po.
ako rin, karmi, di mahilig manood. but i was at the scene and it was inevitable. but it did elevate the adrenalin. though nakakatakot isipin at that time kung ano ang posibleng mangyari. :-D
ReplyDeletein all fairness, dapat talaga silang i-grill!
talagang magugulat. but i allow my kids to express themselves. freedom of expression, 'ika nga, karmi.
tanungin mo naman ang nanay mo kung ano ang ginawa niya para maalis yung pasma mo.
my uric acid is ok. ngayon ang suspect ko na is carpal tunnel syndrome. rolly. everytime i use the mouse for a long time, dadating na ang sakit. :-(
We share the same disorder. Funny, we blogged about our tennis arms almost at the same time.
ReplyDeleteI suspect you're suffering from tendinitis. If you're using your computer a lot without rest breaks, then that's what happens with our wrists and arms. So try not to type too fast and try to take a computer break every hour or so. I read that tendinitis and carpal tunnel syndrome were not that common during the manual typewriter days.
Try to look for a good reflexologist as well. I had one in Manila. But here, I can't seem to find one...They just do reflexology on people's feet.
And yeah, also try to use a hot and cold compress on the affected area.
ReplyDeleteHope this helps. And get well soon to us! :-)
thank you for the info, jayred. will research about tendinitis. will find a reflexologist, too. though it's better now compared to the pain the previous days.
ReplyDeleteget well soon, too! :-)
pasma- sore, i think its just a sore muscle or veins. In case of Erap napasma ang utak nito sa katangahan mula ng mag-presidente. Sukat ba naman gawan ng pabor ang mga kaibigan na ikinapahamak niya niya. But if you will dig deeper into it, wala naman talagang record ng corruption yung mama mula sa pagiging mayor hanggan mag-vice president. In fact he is very honest as Public offical dahil siya lang naman nag-expose ng jueteng payola at mga kabit na babae. (kaya ba ng iba yan?) Hindi lang talaga matanggap ng marami na magiging presidente ang isang High school graduate at english carabao speaking artista na ito. Mas marami ang masa na nagmamahal sa kaniya at nilaspastangan natin ang boto nila na tangi nilang kayamanan.
ReplyDeletehi, ysrael. welcome aboard!
ReplyDeletehmm... sore vein. i think it best fits what i am feeling with my wrist and arm. :-)
can't deny the fact that erap was a good public official way back when he was mayor of San Juan. but somewhere somehow he failed as a president. :-(