Bohol 2015

Early this year I was invited to be part of a cultural mapping workshop in Tagbilaran, Bohol. I was with a group of architects and historians. Yes, I felt a bit out of place since most of them were not as friendly no matter how much I tried to strike conversations with them so the whole trip I was stressed out. I would always wake up very early and sleep very late. Just so I can have my me-time and have my whatever-am-I-doing-in-here moment. It helps that we're near the sea which for me is perfect for such moments. And I brought along my mini ocarina and played a few songs for relaxation. That, and constantly playing David Garret's "Air" gave me such comfort in not so good times.

my comfort in my morning solitude

  As this was my second time in Bohol, it was easy for me to talk to the locals about their culture and heritage. I learned a great deal, I made friends with a local teacher and his students, I got friendly with a local pianist Ms. Lilet Sarabien and who prodded me to play but unfortunately I couldn't because all she had are difficult classical pieces. (But she sure inspired me to play again.)

Bored with the workshop on the first day, I declared that I wanted to go mapping with the boys on the second day. I love the outdoors, even though the summer heat in Bohol can be unbearable at times. It's so unfair to confine women indoors while they have all the fun being outside observing the daily life of common people and taking pictures of heritage structures which are scattered all over town. So in the end I got the best of both worlds, Casa Boholana in hand as we explore Antequerra, Alburquerque and Baclayon. I got to see the churches again. This time I was able to see the different heritage houses and public markets.

I love simple rural scenes like this

rice field

 While I learned to know more about the cultural assets of Tagbilaran during the very informative workshop, that knowledge is largely complemented by what I saw while doing field work. At that point in time, I thought, what if I were a researcher? I can do both archival and field research, being quite adept at communicating with locals, not to mention my language capabilities. It is, however, a sad thing, to be in a country that does not put a premium on historical research. Just to get to the point, I need a patron and research funding. That and a team of like-minded passionate and highly skilled individuals. But it's hard to gather such a team, right? 

bahay kubo

 Discovering a Gabaldon building inside Cecilio Putong High School on the day we mapped, I made a mental note to go back there to sketch the building. But alas, I didn't bring a pencil with me and sketching with a ballpen is quite messy but I did it anyway. There's just a certain elegance in those arches that I find quite appealing.

Gabaldon building

 On our last day, I roamed Tagbilaran on my own. I amused myself inside the Bohol Museum even though I've been there before and they didn't have anything new to offer. But it's refreshing to observe with another set of eyes the architecture of this building which is currently under renovation.

eaves details of Bohol museum

That, and I bore witness to yet another wedding in Tagbilaran Church. When they played Canon in D, I couldn't resist and recorded it. File's too big to be uploaded though. There's always this warm fuzzy feeling whenever I hear it being played. And church weddings! How they force me to think about marriage, something I am ambivalent about. T.T

May they have a blissful married life together

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On marriage: Just yesterday I hung out with JM and his colleagues and one of his friends asked me if I have any plans of getting married. @.@ I couldn't answer. In the first place, should every woman enter a married life? Anyway at this point, I still do not know. Yeah, and time is running out.

Also, having been questioned about commitments lately, I just do not understand what we mean by commitment. If one decides to marry, does that mean that that person has a resolve to be committed? If so, why do married people still cheat? Are humans that weak to fall into temptations? Are humans too selfish and insecure to want to have everything even with the knowledge that they hurt other people?