Walks of Life: Fishers of Men

"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:19

From the water, a thin, frail looking man with rolled nets came about. Minutes ago, only his head could be seen above water. As he continued to walk from the water towards the shore, a beaming smile could be seen on his face.


We continued taking pictures along the beach, as our overnight stay at Almalin Resort in Lobo, Batangas is about to end. We had to leave by mid-morning to catch a side trip to the nearby Malabrigo lighthouse. The 'AquaMan' (since I did not know where he came from other than the water) kept on stealing glances at us and smiles when we laugh. Then, I decided its time.


I walked over to him as he dug a long stick into the soft sand. He fumbled on his tangled nets as we exchanged "Good mornings."

Setting up the stick to help him untangle his nets.

I used to be a foreigner, too.

Untangling the nets.

"Ano ba yang mga kasama mo Ineng? Taga-saan ba kayo? (Where are your friends from? Where are you from)?"

"Taga Makati po kami Kuya. Mga foreigner po sila. Magkakasama kami sa trabaho.(We are from Makati. They are foreigners. We all work together.)"

Reminiscing his experience abroad.

This is something that I love to do.

He introduced himself as Kuya E. He has a family and they live nearby. He said that fishing is a part of his daily morning routine. 

"What do you do with the fishes Kuya? Do you sell them? How much?"


"Naku, hindi Ineng. Pang kain lang namin. Konti lang naman ang kinukuha ko. (Oh, no. We consume it. I only get enough.)


From there, he told me that he is not a 'commercial' fisherman. It is just something that he loves to do. He is almost 60 years old, a grandfather, and a father to professionals. He used to travel for work. He had been to Japan and Guam to work for his family until his children finished school. 


He glanced at my colleagues playing on the shore and said,  "Buti naman at nag-eenjoy sila dito. (Its a good thing that they enjoy it here.)"

Posing with Hao - my Vietnamese colleague.

He began to tell me of some of his experiences abroad. There were times that the loneliness is too much to bear. He said he wanted to go home to the Philippines, but he could not because it would deplete his savings - if he only knew - that he is face to face with someone who's done it quite a few times.


Anyway, I asked him why he loved to fish as his morning exercise. Why not biking? Or jogging? What's with the fish, Kuya?


The fishy question got a personal answer. 


"Alam mo Ineng, nung kabataan ko, balak ko sanang maging pari. Di ba ang mga disipulo ay pawang mga mangingisda? (You know,  when I was a lot younger, I wanted to be a priest. Just like the disciples - aren't some of them fishermen)?" 

He started to account his unrequited dream. "Kapag nangingisda ako naiisip ko yung sabi ni Kristo na 'be like fishers of men'. Noon, gusto kong makapagsilbi sa mas maraming tao at makuha and loob nila para sa Panginoon. (Every time I am fishing, I think about what Christ said, 'be like fishers of men.' I really want to touch other peoples lives through service and lead them back to the Lord.)"


"What prevented you from doing so? There must be a pretty good reason for choosing the another path." 

I wanted to be a priest.

"Nagkapamilya eh.Siguro hindi ko kakayanin kasi masyadong malaki ang mundo para mabago ko. Na realize ko nung nagkapamilya ako at nagtrabaho sa ibang bansa. Nabago ko ang buhay ng pamilya ko. Napagtapos ko ang mga anak ko. (I was able to have a family. Maybe because the world is too much for me to change. I realized this when I had my family. I was able to change my own family's life by having my children finish school.)"


And he asked for me to note, "Hindi mo kailangang baguhin ang mundo para may maibalik ka sa Kanya. Tama na may pagbabago kang magagawa para sa mga taong mahal mo."

Make a difference by showing your love.

Priesthood never occurred to me, but I have to agree. "You do not need to change the world to give back to the Maker. It is enough that you can make a difference in the lives of the people you love."


With that small talk during that small walk, Kuya E got me fishing for more way to show much love. A fisher of man, indeed.

Pasalubong ni Yulanda :)

When it comes to make up pasalubong, no one takes the chance to choose first but me! Thanks, cousin Ulyn...Labyu! She offered me some pieces to pick from saying in Kinaray-a, "Teng, tapos kaw ron telebabad? Pili ron jan. Pagusto kaw, and bilin lang anda!"

Yehey! Salamat, Saudi Real! Hihi.^^

When it comes to great lashes, I am all praises for Maybelline - no promise left unkept.  This time, here's the promise of Maybelline Define-A-Lash Lengthening Waterproof Mascara™ :

• Zero-clump mascara creates stunning length with clean definition

When I was putting it on, it seems that the rubber brush would give way. Are my lashes too stiff? Control was very much out of control on the first application. Before the first coat dried out, I tried putting on another coat hoping that the clump on my first attempt would go away. This time, things began to go easy, then on the last and final coat - voila! No clump, and softer flashy, lashes than I ever imagined it to be. 

Looks flashy in green and making eyelashes flashy in 'noir'.

 

 

 

 

Aside from this I have chosen some pretty nice stuff that I am so anxious to try in the coming days. Like the one I did this morning - Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer™ in Sand 05 Shade. I thought it was too light for my skin tone. No dark circles under my eyes. I needed rescue since I only had four hours of sleep for the past two nights.

Soft and foamy gives good coverage.

 As of this time, two more products are at bay for the dry run:

NYX Chrome Loose Eyeshadow™ in shade CES 22-Space.

Max Factor Sheer Silk Gloss™ in Frosted Berry.

Loving make-up is like loving a flower that beautifies the world. =) Yet still, the best make up is a kind heart. Definitely waterproof.

“Sometimes people are beautiful.
Not in looks.
Not in what they say.
Just in what they are.”
― Markus Zusak, I Am the Messenger

Certified Wonder: Puerto Princesa Underground River

No doubt, PPUR [Puerto Princesa Underground River] made it! Aside from online poll and the text votes, it is a glorious masterpiece of art - crafted none other by the Maker.

Getting to PPUR through a local travel agent is quite expensive. I was planning to do a budget trip as usual, but then, with my colleagues not so willing to, I just can't do that. Anyway, its paid for, so why the fuzz?

The first stop from the city is the Sabang Beach where guided ferries await tourists to be brought to the sub-terrain park. There are two ways to get to the caves and the river - either by boat or by trekking the forest where over hundreds of rare animal species could be found. I wanted to do the latter, but in my silly slippers and the risk of being bitten by a Philippine Cobra, damn, I'd better rock the boat.

Tourists take a relaxing time by the pure shores of Sabang beach.

Lovely and tropical. Thank you palms for the shade.

The wharf on a siesta. Ferries are at rest on the other side.

Wherever I am, my life is in my heart, thus I live the day.

We stopped by Sabang beach at about lunchtime, had lunch at Sheridan Resort and enjoyed the sun. The next sail was up at about 1.30pm. We had a 25-minute cruise to the caved river. The sea and the sight was marvelous! 

The Underground River is covered by Saint Paul mountain. The top of the this mountain looks like a man's face, whom the people believed to be the Lord's face. Of course, with a creation like this, He needs to copyright it.

Greens on the rocks.

To God be the glory.

Crashing waves making a great scene for the passing travelers.

The shores from afar.

Finally, we got to Underground River - one of the rarest natural rock formations in the face of the earth. Even my biggest heartache can not deny that there is a loving God embracing me at that very moment. All geared with a lifevest, a helmet and flashlight, our boat moved slowly to the caves. Ihave seen it all -  vegetables, saints, the Holy Family, the dinosaur and even Titanic.

An opening to the His Majesty's museum.

But then, I could not get enough. I have read that recently, a 20 million year old fossil was discovered on the walls of the cave. I guessed it won't be that far from the end-line of the paid journey. I was there and I needed to see it. Much to our group's demand, the guide paddled us to the wall where the sea lion was mounted. I clicked my shutter with gusto! Who would imagine what a built in flash and a little lighting from the flashlight can do?

Serendia. The 20 million year-old sea lion who witnessed mankind's rise and fall.

Setting foot on the shores to the river that makes the heart wild.

Boys will be boys. One of their scouting activities is visiting the PPUR. Ola, ninos!

No motorboats allowed. Their noise will disturb the fishes and the bats!

Bring me to life.

Everyone enjoys the vegetable basket and getting into the cathedral.

Its called the Titanic because this formation is like a ship's bottom slicing through the waters.

Those wonders that I have seen inside the cave will not be the same comes the time that Biscocho will visit the Underground River with his FIRST girlfriend 30 years from now for their FIRST 'monthsary' - yes, I mean 30 - walang tawad!  Some of the vegetables will grow into trees and some saints will be gone to heaven. There will be new figures to be formed and only God knows how beautiful they are going to be.

Hug me no tighter than this...yes, like this.

Hmmmnnn....Did I just feed you wild? Hehe

 The Puerto Princesa local government is highly commended for preserving such a natural wonder. Each of us has the capacity to preserve all the good things that we have. Just like the Underground River, everything is subject to change - but all simply put, if you take good care of the beautiful things that you have, you will spend your whole life wonderfully.

http://www.bing.com/travel/content/search?q=New+7+Wonders+of+Nature%3a+Amazon+Rainforest%2c+South+America&cid=msn1211347&form=HPTRAV