I got this article from an email sent by a friend. This comes at an opportune time, because I have been thinking of making a personal list of all the wonderful things I love about the Philippines. How often do we come across positive viewpoints like this?

One of the Philippines’ hidden faces. Photo of Loboc River in Bohol (October 2004).

When I was a child, some of my relatives who lived in the States would return home for brief “balikbayan” (homecoming) visits. The stories they shared were always overflowing with undulating praises for their adopted country, the proverbial land of milk and honey. And they would often remark that “nothing has changed” in the Philippines since they last left it: it was just as filthy, hot, polluted, and just as worth leaving a hundred times over. We were admonished to try our darnedest to find ways to leave the country, not unless we wanted to rot together with the rest of the unfortunate souls. My dad was unemployed and my mom was an elementary public school teacher. What my mom earned in a year, they could easily earn in a month. As if to rub it in our faces, someone even emphatically told us, “Dollar is power!” which was to mean that if you earned dollars, you are powerful. It didn’t even matter that the said dollar might have been earned by doing the work that other people actually despised. I have nothing against anyone’s type of work – no matter how menial. A hard-earned dollar is the same as any; my problem is with the attitude of some people who think that just because they earn dollars, then they are above the ones who don’t.

Sure, they were entitled to their own opinion about the country. But I resented it because in my young mind, it was impressed on me that somehow living in the country was synonymous to living in hell. All they ever saw was the poverty, corruption, pollution, and the countless problems in Philippine society. What made it even worse was that the criticisms came from people I personally knew — Filipinos, just like me. It made me feel bad and insecure about myself and my family.

Please read on below the full article. I found that this has also been posted at the Good News Pilipinas site. I believe that every Filipino should read this!

—-
The Hidden Face of the Philippines
By Bob Kemerait

The day after the mudslide on the island of Leyte in the Philippines was reported in the United States, I received a worried phone call from a colleague here at the University of Georgia. Tim had seen footage of the tragedy on the evening news. Though unsure where in the Philippines it had occurred, he was concerned that my wife Pam’s family had been caught up in the event. I thanked him for his concern and responded that I was confident Pam’s family wasn’t involved. Pam grew up in Los Baños, Laguna and her home, although close to a dormant volcano called Mt. Makiling, is not prone to mudslides. Over the next week my assurance to Tim was repeated to many other friends and colleagues who were concerned for Pam. I was grateful that they cared enough about her family to ask for clarification. On long solitary drives across Georgia that week, I had plenty of time to think about this latest tragedy in the Philippines and to ponder its implications.

My first realization was that good news from the Philippines is rarely reported in the United States and that most Americans know very little about this archipelago that is a nation. Our countries have shared a very close history over the past 100 years; the Philippines was a protectorate of the United States for nearly 50 years after the conclusion of the Spanish-American War. American soldiers fought and died alongside Filipino troops in the battles against the Japanese in World War II. Strategic American air and naval bases were maintained in the Philippines until the early 1990’s. Despite the political, economic, cultural, and social bonds, the typical American is still woefully uninformed about the Philippines. More importantly, the little that is known paints a picture of this country that is, at best, skewed, and at worst perpetuates regrettable stereotypes of the culture and citizens.

The printed and network news that reach the American public largely shape our view of the world. If I were to take guess at the most common perceptions Americans have of the Philippines, they would be as follows, not necessarily in any particular order.

• The Philippines is a nation of continual natural disasters, such as mudslides, volcanic eruptions, and super typhoons.
• The Philippines is largely a nation of man-made disasters and problems such as sinking ferries, deforestation, poverty (e.g. the human nightmare that is Smokey Mountain), and the ongoing political unrest and turmoil.
• The fact Americans are most likely to know about the Philippines would involve 3000 pairs of shoes from Malacañang Palace.
• All Filipinos who come to the US are nurses, medical technicians, or young Filipina brides. (In truth, these are but a part of the diverse group of Filipino immigrants, often highly educated and motivated, who come to the US seeking better lives and opportunities.)
• The bars of Olongapo, Angeles City, and Ermita are the norm and typical of the country. (In fact, much of this has changed in all three locations.)
• The only history Americans may know of the Philippines are related to the Bataan Death March and Douglas MacArthur’s famous line of “I shall return”.
• Danger from the Abu Sayyaf and the fate of the Burnhams (missionaries) await the tourist at every turn.
• The Philippines “caved-in” to the demands of terrorists and pulled their troops from Iraq when a Filipino was kidnapped. (Most Americans do not realize how vulnerable vast numbers of Filipino overseas workers across the Middle East are to abuse and terrorist attacks. The government in the Philippines can do little to protect them.)

Although each of the above points does have some basis in fact, they do not accurately portray this island nation with its rich, colorful, and very diverse cultural heritage and a people for who warm hospitality and lasting friendships are a way of life. I believe that creating an image and reality of the Philippines based upon the perceptions above would be the same as defining the United States as a land of gang violence, drug abuse, obesity, and lack of regard or consideration for anything that is not “American”.

Because my wife is from the Philippines, I have had the opportunity to be immersed in Filipino culture here at home and on visits to her home in Los Baños. As I was thinking about the stereotypes of the Philippines that are prevalent in the US, I also thought about my own perceptions of the Philippines and Filipino culture. When I recall memories and thoughts about all things “Pinoy”, I envision the following.

• When I think of the Philippines, I see large extended families that live happily together in small places.
• I think of large families that remain not only physically close, but emotionally close as well.
• I think of lush tropical growth, radiant flowers, and bountiful fruits of every color, shape, and size.
• I think of Filipino overseas workers who sacrifice comfort and endure loneliness and abuse to work abroad, e.g. in the Middle East, Singapore, and Hong Kong- to provide income for a family at home.
• I think of the smell of fried garlic, fried fish, and fried daing (small dried fish) wafting from the kitchen.
• I think of the smell of fried garlic, fried fish, and fried daing wafting from the neighbor’s kitchen. (Both because of the close proximity of the homes and because of the hospitality where one is welcomed and expected in the neighbor’s home.)
• I think of barkadas (a group of very close friends), potluck dinners, and LOTS of merienda (mid-afternoon snacks).
• I think of colorful jeepneys, tricycles and the impatient, restless sounds of passing traffic.
• I think of brightly colored bandanas pressed tightly to the noses and mouths of pedestrians.
• I think of the solitary cry of “Taho!!” (a soybean curd beverage) coming from out on the street early in the morning.
• I think of the warm smiles, courtesy, cheerful bantering, and “Hey, Joe!s” of children and locals as I walk through Los Baños.
• I think of wet markets full of fresh pork, chicken, and fish, and stalls brimming with vegetables, mangos, pineapples, and other tropical fruits.
• I think of boys walking with an arm over their buddies’ shoulders and girls walking hand-in-hand.
• I think of a country obsessed with cell phones but rarely see anyone talking on one!
• I think of heat and humidity and rain.
• I think of San Miguel (national beer), fighting cocks, buko pies, and Jollibee.
• I think of ice cream with strange colors and exotic flavors like ube (purple yam), cheese, and macapuno (a soft form of coconut).
• I think of exuberant children everywhere.

My thoughts of the Philippines rarely overlap with common perceptions from those Americans whose knowledge of the archipelago is limited to what appears on television or is printed in the newspaper. Sure, as in any country, there are serious problems in the Philippines. In fact, the problems facing the Philippines are so severe that one must wonder if the country can ever truly overcome them. However, it is my experience that the richness of the culture, the warmth of the people, and the sheer beauty of the land and sea overshadow these problems in my memory.

I wish that more people in the United States could visit the Philippines and share in a culture and people that have enchanted and embraced me. Better understanding of each culture would ensure close relations and cooperation between two proud nations for the future. Without question, Americans visiting the Philippines would be warmly welcomed and enjoy a destination of great exotic appeal. Such an experience would soon show that the face of the Philippines is revealed not simply the mud and destruction in Leyte, but more importantly in the spirit of the Filipino people, as among those who mourn the loss of loved ones and those who worked tirelessly to free the victims.

Bob R. C. Kemerait, Ph.D.
Department of Plant Pathology
University of Georgia
Rural Development Center, Tifton
(229) 386-7495

As the title says, this is my first attempt to podcast in this blog. Pardon the “ahm, ahm…” in between words and the uncontrollable laughters. Obviously, we’re just a bunch of crazy people having a cool time experimenting with the media. But promise, I’ll follow this up with something better and more comprehensible next time. In the meantime, take a break and enjoy. With cool music from my most favorite music genre, none other than the 80s. Oops, that sort of reveals my age, huh? 🙂

[podcast: “uploads/Podcast/1-25-07.mp3”]

I got tagged again, this time by Prab. I’ve already seen this meme making the rounds of the blogs I frequently visit, and I was actually hoping that I would get away with this. 😛 Not a chance.

So let me see, what has blogging brought into my life?

1. I’ve gained friends – and that includes you, dear reader!
It might be surprising for others to know that I have been blogging (albeit in relative secrecy) for the past couple of years. Honestly, I never really thought of blogging as a way to make friendly connections on the wired world. Fortunately, one day I woke up and found that it would actually be more fun to be involved in networks in the blogosphere. Needless to say, I am happy to be part of the happy blogosphere family. Ang saya-saya! 😀

2. I’ve gained weight.
As much as I would like to openly deny this, I feel that I am running out of room for excuses (like, I look fat because I am wearing LAYERS of clothing underneath – or – it’s the HAIR. It makes me look puffy, or poofy, to borrow Manny the mammoth’s defensive argument in Ice Age). Just recently, somebody had the temerity to ask my husband if I was on the family way. GRRR! I’m not pregnant; I’ve just turned into a blogger! Now that’s what I get for sitting in front of the PC for hours on end!

There’s only one thing to tell these people: “I may be fat, but you’re ugly, and I can lose weight.” Bah!

3. I’ve rekindled my love for writing.
For the last ten years or so of my life, I have only been writing technical papers – as required by the job, you know. But there are so many ways where technical writing differs from creative writing. Once in a while, it is liberating to just write as you feel like writing, without any regards for logic, consistency, or convincing my readers about my results. I can write as I want.

4. I’m getting too contemplative about my being a Filipino.
A quick look at some of my posts like Japanese habits worth emulating by Filipinos and Pacquiao fever may give you the impression that I’m getting some kind of sadistic enjoyment from my Filipino bashing. Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m proud to be a Filipino, and I’m proud of my country. On top of that, I want my country and countrymen to be great. To do that, we have to correct what is wrong in ourselves, and strive for greatness. My being in a foreign land adds a whole new dimension to this contemplativeness. It is true that some realizations are only revealed to you when you view them from afar.

And last but certainly not the least:

5. I’ve come to grips with my father’s death.
As I said in a previous post, personal circumstances have profoundly influenced my blogging activities. After my Daddy died, I had to deal with a huge vacuum, made worse by having to return to Japan where there were no relatives to comfort me nor share my grief. Sure, there were friends. But they can only do so much (would an email saying “I’m sorry to hear about your loss” suffice?) At that time, Baggy was still in Osaka and was only with us every other weekend.

So my grief was mine alone. It took its bittersweet time, and I had to find a way to handle it. As a scientist, I tried to rationalize. But how on earth can you make sense of the death of a loved one? Tell me, can you just say, “It’s bound to happen” and go on and feel better about everything? My earliest posts were about my Daddy, and every now and then I would still mention him or how he had influenced my life.

In this way, blogging helped me to sort out my emotions and thoughts. In more ways than one, it helped me to recover from this traumatic episode in my life.

So there you go. At this point I believe that I have to tag someone else, but I am one of those who are riding the last ripples of the wave to the shore. Or simply put, most everyone I know has been tagged already, haha. Anyway, if you would like to do this meme for me, feel free to do so. Just leave a comment somewhere so I can visit your blog and find out what you have written. 🙂

以上です。- That is all.

Tell me what your toilet habits are, and I will tell you who you are.

I was in the ladies’ room, minding my own business, when I heard someone flushing in the next cubicle. Whooosh, whooosh, whooosh! It’s the sound of flushing, and the flushing lever had been pulled down three times in succession. Three times! How many times does one need to flush human filth down the toilet? Inspite of myself, I couldn’t help but count how many times the person had already flushed, thinking of all the volumes of water going down the drain.

There was a pause. Then suddenly, another whooosh! Ok, enough already! I silently cursed. Think of all the water that’s being wasted, woman! Images of filthy toilets unflushed because of clogged pipes, inadequate water supply or poor water pressure flashed in my mind, as I recalled how things could be back in my country. Back home, one would always find large waste baskets in toilets, simply because nobody should ever flush toilet papers down the toilet. This is a horrid act with dire consequences! Ever watched Ben Stiller in “Along Came Polly”? Aha, now you get the picture. In most public toilets in the Philippines, used toilet papers usually go into the waste basket, not into the toilet. Eww, I know. And this is a rule that I always tend to forget whenever I visit home. I tend to forget that we don’t always have the luxury of efficient toilet flushing systems.

The Sound Princess. But why sounds of flushing water? Why not play Vivaldi instead?

But here in Japan, where water is abundant and toilets flush the way they should, flushing with wanton abandon has been used as a way to “hide” the sounds of “bodily functions.” Here in Japan, women are “very embarrassed by the sounds they make in a toilet.” According to a site I found:

“The Japanese are notoriously fastidious: the daily bath is practiced with near-religious fervor, and walking inside with your shoes on is considered filthy. The Japanese word for clean – “kirei” – also means beautiful.

And what happens in a bathroom stall is, well, among the dirtiest things that humans do.

Going to the toilet has been considered embarrassing and even shameful for women since ancient times in Japan, said Noriji Suzuki, a parasitologist at Kochi University Medical School.

“Sometimes you see people talking to each other over a stall in Western countries, but that would never happen in our culture,” he said.”

More interesting bits of information about toilets and toilet behavior in Japan can be found here.

Fortunately, there are already gadgets like “Oto-Hime” (literally translated as “Sound Princess”) which are now installed in most modern public toilets. Instead of actually flushing the toilet to mask the sound, all you have to do is activate the gadget, usually by placing your hand over the sensor, and it will play a recorded sound of water flushing. And yes, it’s loud enough to cover even the loudest fart you’ll ever make. 🙂 I’ve used these on occasion, especially when I know that the cubicle next to mine is occupied by another person. Unfortunately, one may not always find this in public toilets, particularly in old buildings and establishments. And thus the water flushing habit continues. I think that this is a rather odd cultural behavior. And it’s really not environment-friendly.

Personally I don’t think that the sounds while I perform my “bodily functions” are embarrassing for me – but as a courtesy to the other persons, I use the Oto-Hime. Or in the absence of such a gadget…well, I beat my chest and sing “My Way” to the top of my lungs. Nah, just kidding. C’mon, I’m a Filipino, so I know how to improvise — anything else but flushing precious water down the toilet.

Actually, I only found out about this behavior years after coming here. When I finally realized what those gadgets were for, I could only shake my head at the thought of having made all those junkets to the toilet without any attempts of hiding the sounds. So when the time came around, I oriented my sister about the existence of the Oto-Hime, what it does, and why it is there. However, I never really had the chance to show her what it actually looked like. I just told her that she could find it in the ladies’ room. One time, out of curiosity, she explored the buttons she found inside the public toilet, hoping to find the Oto-Hime I told her about. She found a button, and pressed it.

Nothing happened. There were no sounds. Thinking that she must have pressed the wrong button, she dismissed it. A few minutes later, somebody knocked on her door. When she opened it, there was a guard standing outside. Uh-ohh…what did I do wrong now? she thought.

It turned out that the button she pressed was for emergency calls. Poor sister! The guard realized at once that it was no emergency, just another clueless “gaijin” who made a mistake. She made a quick bow and promptly exited. We all enjoyed a good laugh at that incident. I told her, “Only in Japan, my dear, only in Japan.”

Last weekend, I happened to watch “Constantine,” starring Keanu Reeves, over the Movie Channel in Skyperfect tv. Actually I have already watched the movie on DVD, but it was fun just the same watching it all over again.

Watch a clip from the movie here:

First of all, notice that in the kitchen, next to the whistling kettle on the stove, hanging on the wall is a small Philippine flag (red and blue, with a white triangle, for those who don’t know what a Philippine flag looks like :)). Then, as John Constantine finished whispering into the possessed girl’s ears, she responded:

“Pa-pa-ta-yin na-tin si-yaahhhhhh!” This is Tagalog, a dialect in the Philippines. It is also referred to as “Filipino,” after it was made into the country’s national language. Translated, it means: “We will kill him!” “Siya” could refer to a woman or man, but in this case it’s obvious as to whom it was being addressed.

After the demon-busting business by Constantine is finished, the girl’s mother and relatives (?) rushes to her and babbles in another foreign language, but only now it doesn’t sound like Tagalog anymore. Sounds more like Chinese to me. So is the girl supposedly “Chinese,” but possessed by a Tagalog-speaking demon?

Why Tagalog? Go figure!

The old adage goes: “Early to sleep, early to rise. Makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” My dad was one of those early risers, and as he grew older the earlier he went to bed, and the earlier he woke up than the rest of us. He was like an alarm clock – if we asked him to wake us up at 4 am, by 3:30 he would be waking us up. It really made me wonder if he had an internal clock that sets off as soon as his brain tells it to. And how I wish I could do the same. Unfortunately, I tend to sleep late and likewise, wake up late.
In our parent-teacher consultation session, Aya’s sensei at the daycare actually recommended to me that I put Aya to bed as early as 9 am, and wake her up at 6:30 am. That way, she will have a full night’s sleep, have enough appetite for lunch, etc — in other words, regulate her daily cycle. Unfortunately, for her to wake up at 6:30 means that I have to be awake at that time as well. Good grief. The earliest I can wake up these days is 7 am, and even then you can find me begging for at least 15 minutes to languish in bed before I actually get up. So instead of getting to the daycare on time, we always find ourselves arriving half an hour later than most of them. It’s embarrassing, I know. But unlike the Japanese we take our showers in the morning, and that consumes time. Di baleng late basta mabango. 🙂

So long, and thanks for all the sausages.

Interesting read from Nature, written by Jeff Crook. “Adam” ponders about the existence of life in other planets, interplanetary travel, and their effect on religion in his conversation with a “Nordic man.”

Consider this monologue from Adam:

“So, as I was saying, Revelations and all the other Armageddon philosophies,” Adam continued. “I mean, if there are other worlds out there where a man… being… whatever… can be born, live and die without ever setting foot on Earth, that kind of pulls the end-timers’ teeth, doesn’t it? Without an end-times in which sinners are judged and the righteous rewarded, Western religion becomes rather pointless. God destroys the world — big deal. Sure, a few billion people die, but in the big picture, it’s a minor occurrence. Planets explode every day, am I right? Whole star systems go nova, trillions of intelligent life forms wiped out in the twinkling of an eye, no matter how moral or immoral they are or were. It’s physics, and a lack of sufficiently advanced technology to detect the impending Armageddon and/or to escape it by fleeing their doomed planet.”

Sounds like the story of the planet Krypton, doesn’t it? If only all survivors would turn out to be Supermen, haha.

Just some food for thought for you guys to start the week. Want a beer or something? 🙂 Read the full text here.

On with our adventure in Kamogawa Seaworld. The aquarium is located right at the coast, and you can see the Pacific Ocean stretched before you in all its beauty. This was one of the reasons why we came here! We took in everything…filled our lungs with salty air and enjoyed the tranquility of the scene before us. We lingered there for a while before going inside.

The sun and the vast ocean. We’re feeble little beings on this earth.

We watched all of the shows. The sea lions were a hoot! And yes, like what was posted on their website, there was a “smiling” sea lion. You could have your photo taken with the sea lion grinning mischievously at the background for only 200 yen. Actually, I wanted to have my photo taken while being “kissed” by the orca, but they only allow 15 persons per day. By the time we got to the reservations counter, it was already full.

We found out that the marine life collection at the Seaworld is not as extensive as in other aquariums we’ve visited before. But for what they lacked in quantity, they made up for quality. The shows were all good, and really worth watching.

Dolphins in mid-air. “So long, so long, and thanks for all the fish.” Ever watched “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”? 😉

The main attraction was the orcas, of course. But the orcas were not in the mood that day. We waited for about half an hour waiting for the giants to get in the performing mood. Apologies blared from the loudspeakers every minute as the announcer tried to assure the people that the show will start anytime soon. But as firsttimers, we didn’t mind waiting at all. The whales were not as agile as the dolphins, but they sure make huge splashes. Seeing the people’s reactions as they got splashed made it all the more fun (haha, evil us).

Here are some photos we took during the orca show.

Here’s the orca (the mother, I think) doing a back flip and ramming the ball with its tail.

Orcas at the finale. This was the only time we saw their huge bodies in full view. Amazing, huh? How were they trained to haul their bodies out of the water like that?

After the show, we went to eat lunch at the “Ocean Restaurant,” which according to the website, is “the only cafeteria-style restaurant in Japan where you can enjoy a meal while watching killer whales swim by.” The food wasn’t that great, but eating while the orcas were swimming by made it one of the most unique dining experiences ever.

We spent the whole day at Seaworld. There were benches outside where you can just sit and appreciate the view of the ocean. There were lots of stalls, selling food and stuffs. Plus a coffee bar! So instead of pinacolada, we were sipping cafe lattes; instead of hammocks, we were sitting on benches. But who’s complaining? We have a fantastic view of the ocean. That was enough.

The Killer Whales.

We went back to Branshe at the end of the day, tired but happy, hungry, and very eager about what’s for dinner ahead. 🙂 Again, we were not disappointed. We were glad that we stayed for two nights instead of one. And if the following photos won’t make your mouths water, I don’t know what will. 🙂

Main course, second night at Branshe. Sweet roast pork, with vegetable garnishings.

Die, die, die!!! 🙂

There was only one more destination for us before heading home. The Uomizuka Lookout Point. More about this in next entry! Suspense ba. 😛

After more than ten years of living here in Japan, we have practically visited most areas of interest: Nikko, Hakone, Kyoto, Osaka, Tokyo, Sapporo, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, etc. — you name it, we’ve been there (ok, maybe except for Okinawa, hehe). Lately, especially during business trips, we don’t even bother to check out the localities anymore. We’re already way past the “tourist” mode. Been there, done that. Yes, even naked public bathing. But that’s another post. 🙂

Last December, we found ourselves with a six-day holiday, with nothing to do and nowhere to go. Tsukuba is great, but we decided that we’ve had enough shopping at Q’t (this is pronounced as “cute,” and this is a small shopping mall here in Tsukuba). Now’s the time to relax. But where to go?

Coming from the Philippines, there is one thing we absolutely miss: the sea. To smell the salty air coming from the sea.To feel the sand beneath our toes. To lounge under the hot sun and sip piñacolada while reading on a hammock.

Wait. It’s still December. The beach is off-limits this time of year, silly. Still, we want to see the seaside for a change. The grand Pacific Ocean, why not? We decided that somewhere near Chiba would be perfect. I also found out, while trying to book reservations at hotels, that most of the rooms were either unavailable for reservations from December 28 to January 3, or were ridiculously expensive.

By some chance, I was able to find available rooms at a nice “petit hotel” (puchi hoteru) somewhere in Kamogawa. When I saw its location, I knew already that it was the perfect place for us. The house converted into a mini hotel is situated right at the top of the hill, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Hence its name, “Hilltop Inn Branshe.”

Kamogawa is about 100 kilometers south of Tsukuba. For budget travellers, a daytrip would actually be recommended, as long as you can endure three or four hours of drive (one way), and still have enough energy for the return trip. But we wanted to go for relaxation, so an overnight stay it is. Wait, make that two nights. Let’s explore the neighborhood while we’re at it.

We’ve gone on road trips before, and we follow only one rule: I drive, Baggy navigates. He is more efficient at finding routes and navigating roads, while I am the only one with a Japanese driver’s license. 🙂 Here is a map which I downloaded from Mapion, to give you an idea of how far Kamogawa is from Tsukuba.

About five hours later (we took a one-hour break for lunch), we found ourselves worming into the traffic of Kamogawa City. Luckily, we got there before sunset, which was a good thing, considering that I hate driving along unfamiliar roads when it’s dark (had a bad experience with this before). We found the hotel quite easily. Correction, mini-hotel. It’s actually a large, but cozy house converted into an inn. Complete with a dog outside (with its own dog house), and two snobbish fat cats who walk into the dining room every now and then. After checking into our room and resting for a bit, we were called to dinner. Yes, chibugan na! Dinnner and breakfast were part of the package. I’ve read online reviews about the hotel, and the food was one of the things that had excellent feedback. And yes, the hotel actually lived up to its reputation. The dinner course was simply…fabulous. As my sister said so emphatically in her best coño twang, “I’m so gonna come back here!”

For Aya, we paid only 60% of the rate, but she still got an adult’s portions for dinner. Three hungry adults ate her leftovers. 🙂

Main course for the night! Oishii yo!

Ice cream on cheese cake, plus coffee. Can I die now and go to heaven? 😛

The following day, we headed off to one of the main tourist attractions in Kamogawa. Kamogawa Seaworld, of course! Among their attractions are performing sea lions, dolphins, orcas, and beluga whales. Actually I’d never seen performing orcas before I came to Kamogawa. No, wait. I’d never seen orcas before coming to Kamogawa. I’ve already been to Osaka Aquarium/Kaiyukan (three times!), Niigata Aquarium (Suizokukan), Yokohama Seaside Park Aquarium, and Hitachi Oarai Aquarium. None of them had orcas. This is the only place in Japan where I was able to watch a performance by orcas, a family at that. As the sign at the entrance of Seaworld proudly proclaims: “2006 2 25, Orca baby born! The only place in Japan, orca family.” I also learned that orcas are called “shachi” in Japanese. Sort of sounds like a name you would give to a puppy, or kitten. Not a humongous mammal.

Entrance to Kamogawa Seaworld.

Photo at the entrance. That’s me, my sister, and Aya.

More in coming entries!

I was surprised to find out that the photo of the women’s networking lunch I participated in last ASC has been posted at the website of the Cryogenic Society of America. You may find the link here. The photo was taken using my camera, that’s why my name is included there. You’ll have to scroll down to the middle of the page to find it. Be patient. It’s really there. I’m the second one from the left. 🙂

Out of the 1,000 plus participants in the conference, only a handful of women participated in the networking lunch. This reflects the disproportionate number of women who work in this field compared to men. Nevertheless, I felt honored to be one of them. We came from different countries: US, Australia, Finland, Taiwan, etc. We were asked to introduce ourselves to the group. When I introduced myself, I began by saying, “Hi, my name is Katherine, and I come from the Philippines…” Feeling nasa beauty pageant. I had to repress the urge to do a “I can feel it!” flip of my hair ala Alice Dixson (gosh, who still remembers that shampoo commercial?!!).

Of course, I represent Japan because that’s where I live and work, but inevitably, I also represent my country of origin because first and foremost, I am a Filipino. Can’t you tell from the name? 🙂

This brings to mind one of the essays I wrote for Philippines Today , right after I got married and before Aya came into our lives (and wreaked havoc, har har har). Notice the feisty tone in my esay. Sino ba kalaban ko rito? I was so piqued at some article I read at PDI (Philippine Daily Inquirer), I just had to write my own thoughts on the matter. What I didn’t know then, was that if you add children to the equation, everything really becomes chaotic. Balancing a career with family is never an easy task, and never one that must be taken lightly.

Of Women and Their Roles
published July 2001

A husband proudly announced to his wife: “Honey, you don’t have to be just a mother and housewife. I’m 100% behind you picking up a career.” “Really?!!” the wife replied, eyes awestruck and already dreaming. “Yes, sweetheart. I’m making you my banker. I will deposit money on you, and make withdrawal transactions whenever necessary. You’ll be my accountant, auditor, treasurer, secretary, even fashion designer! And of course, you will pick the clothes I will wear!” My, the choices we women are faced with! Some twenty years ago we can at least imagine the same woman rolling her eyes and looking at her husband incredulously. Some fifty years ago a woman in the same situation would probably just resign herself to her so-called fate: the triple “M” horror combination: manganak, magluto, at magdasal. And need I add, “magpakamartir“!

Everybody agrees that being an outstanding mother and wife is a great achievement. We cannot praise them enough, the pillars of our society and home. But let’s not overly focus on these roles as if they were the sole reasons for the existence of women on this planet. The issue is not whether one dodges the roles of being a mother and a wife; these roles are inevitable (unless physiologically incapable, of course) once a woman decides to enter marriage life. The question is what else they could be, inspite of being mothers and wives.

The other day I was much chagrined after reading an article in an online newspaper. In it the author claimed to be an alternative feminist, being someone who follows the “natural laws” and the “supernatural laws” ordained for women. It has definitely struck a note in me, as I have recently gotten married and am now at the brink of making decisions about motherhood and family upbringing. I have chosen to devote my life to the sciences and made it a point to get my graduate degree before marrying; I have planned my life ahead in preparation for the various roles I would have to fulfill when I do get married. I have also jumpstarted my career by finding employment at a respectable institute, even now that I have gotten married. It is perhaps a major factor that the man I married is also as fervently driven into his career as I am, but he doesn’t think that I am in any way inferior. Instead he considers me as an equal, a colleague. Certainly, matters would have been different had he insisted that we get married in a hurry, have babies, and raise a family while at the point of pursuing our studies. I could very well just kiss my career goodbye.

It is in our biological design, as females, to carry the task of childbearing-there is absolutely nothing we can do to change that. But society has defined the roles for us as well: the tasks of caring for the child and family became the woman’s responsibility, on the other hand her husband fulfilled the breadwinner role in the family. Somehow it created a sort of harmony, a clear-cut definition of roles. It was as thus practiced in society, for a considerable length of time probably since the Stone Ages, that it has almost become perfectly acceptable to think that these roles are but natural and gender-defined. Almost. But as many modern families have already exhibited, these roles may actually be reversed. We now see women wearing the pants in the family, thriving in their professional careers while men took on non-traditional tasks like sharing the responsibility for the housekeeping and child-rearing, even taking on jobs that do not require them to leave home. Women do not have to carry the traditional roles any more than men do; modern women (although not all of them) have now realized that there are options to choose from. Giving up an ambition in order to raise a family is a noble sacrifice-but why does it have to be the woman’s choice? What “natural” law has ordained us to be homemakers but not lawmakers? We don’t have to satisfy ourselves with an office job, working as clerks for male bosses when we are equally capable of performing administrative tasks. We don’t have to relegate ourselves to merely supporting partners behind successful men when we could also discover paths to our own fulfillment and achievement. There are choices available to the women of today, but clearly, the struggle is far from over.

It is precisely the kind of thinking as propagated in our culture that severely cramps women to go forward and take charge of their lives. A woman is not hired for work because she is considered a waste of investment: she’ll get married soon and won’t be as productive because of household responsibilities. A woman is highly successful in her chosen career, and society thinks of her as selfish and probably a bad mother. A woman decides to take up non-traditional roles in society, and she is labeled sinful. Pray, tell, how should men who have taken up domestic roles be considered? Should we also call them unnatural and instruments of evil because they are preventing women from fulfilling their duties in accordance to a so-called natural law (whatever it is)? As it is, even men also suffer their own plight when it comes to domestic affairs. They are labeled as “ander de saya,” “ander ni kumander” and such derisive remarks.

Oppression is when a woman has not been made to realize her full potential as an individual. A loving wife and mother, yes. But that should not be the end of it. Instead, it should be the starting point for other roles and responsibilities, in the same way that her husband can excel in his endeavors because he has the support of his wife and family. Oppressive thinking is when you tell yourself that you should be content on just being a wife and mother of your children, fulfilling domestic roles because you’ll be awarded for your efforts in some remuneration out of this world instead of being encouraged to seek roles outside the home because you have skills and talents worthy of harnessing. Tell me why women have to be told about what they should wear, how they should act, how to serve their husbands, and how to behave according to some acceptable norm in society. Oppression is when your growth as an individual is stunted. Tell me what could be more unnatural when a woman with highly skilled mathematical abilities would be consigned to do menial tasks at home, her potentials untapped because she’s only a woman and must fulfill her duties at home.

I have devoted most of my life to harnessing my talent in my chosen field-unfortunately, a field dominated by men. There are virtually no role models I can identify with. And it’s not easy being the minority. More often than not, I wonder why I am even the minority, not them. But if we ever hope to change the situation, we must redefine our roles and ourselves. Let us start from the roots-let us encourage small girls to achieve and learn how to overcome the challenges. I have learned to expect that I would be identified with various roles, “mothering” and “wifing” among them. All of these roles will define me as an individual. I anticipate that the roads ahead as I balance my career and personal life will not all be rosy, and surely I will have to make priorities in order to apportion my time and effort. But hey, I won’t make myself a martyr about it. At least I’m living my life in full awareness of the infinite possibilities before me. I’m taking things as they come, grateful for every bit of experience, duty, responsibility, and loving the challenge as I always have. C’est la vie!*