TSISMIS

Lately, I got messed up with four of my dorm mates because of our very own offensive manners during our past daily conversations. The end result? - piles of stories were fabricated not only against me but to each of the five of us. In the first place though, I didn't guard my tongue. I allowed myself to wallow with them in the misfortunes of others and even helped them build the fire by wrongly treating some personalities through our conversations or through --- TSISMIS! (character assassinations). The result? -- battling eyes on the hallway, straight face, hatred and the over-all reaction? --- 'DON'T TALK TO EACH OTHER" situation! Again -- PRIDE is underway!

Right now, I'm very much puzzled of how well engineered stories and situations come surprisingly tumbling down in front of me because  I'm accused as the doer or the one who said such statements. I just kept and keep quiet, observed and observe and listened and listen more of what was and is still going to happen. In fact, I have heard many absurd character assassinations against other people from the very own mouths of these four individuals themselves. I just dropped them all to the trash bins. No need to recall them even if some of these individuals demand me to retell those tsismis against them that the other person they think have told the tsismis.

As of now, double-edged tongues still keep fabricating stories which are being hurled back against either each one of the five of us. Even my established freindship/s in the dorm were and are obviously affected! for whatever motives do these people wanted makes me even more puzzled. I don't understand it at all!!!

This situation I got into grieves my Maker a lot just like the situations during those long walks in my 37 years. But thanks for His saving grace that restores me always. It is my fervent prayer then to the Lord that from now on, I will allow Him to fully control the throne of my life and ask Him for forgiveness and for Him to teach me more how to understand the deeper meaning of forgiveness, for Him to take my hands and lead me more into His righteousness, for Him to help me guard, control and use my tongue in the proper way (James 3:1-12), for Him to help me walk the (long) way ahead with right attitude.

PSALM 139

	A Psalm of David in the King James Version
1	O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.
2	Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising; thou understandest my thought afar off.
3	Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
4	For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.
5	Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
6	Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
7	Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
8	If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
9	If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
10	even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
11	If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.
12	Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
13	For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.
14	I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
15	My substance was not hid from thee when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16	Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
17	How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them!
18	If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.
19	Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men.
20	For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain.
21	Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? And am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?
22	I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.
23	Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
24	and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Researchers Challenge Assumptions Of GMO Agriculture or Feeding the World Without Genetic Engineering

Posting here an article about the challenge that Rex Bernardo and Jianming Yu wanted to prove in accelerating "classical breeding through genetic analysis and selection of existing natural diversity in various crops without having to resort to alien species". It is an article published by Paul Schaefer in the agriculture sector of the Environmental News Network (ENN).

Manhatten, Kansas - A researcher is challenging the assumption that genetically engineered plants are the great scientific and technological revolution in agriculture and the only efficient and cheap way to feed a growing population. They are working on non-GMO methods to accelerate plant breeding. It's called "marker-assisted selection" (MAS). The research is focused on breeding methodology, finding more efficient ways to breed better varieties of corn, sorghum, wheat or barley that yield higher, require less irrigation and are resistant to diseases in farmers' fields. The work was recently published in an edition of the scientific journal Crop Science.

Kansas State University professor Jianming Yu, an assistant professor of agronomy, is teaming with Rex Bernardo, a professor of agronomy and plant genetics at the University of Minnesota, on research with marker-assisted selection. This agricultural technology offers a sophisticated method to greatly accelerate classical breeding through genetic analysis and selection of existing natural diversity in various crops without having to resort to alien species. Currently, marker-assisted selection has been a routine in many private seed companies with large-scale fingerprinting, global germplasm assessment and comprehensive bioinformatics support.

"With abundant molecular markers that can be routinely processed with modern genomic technology, we found it is more efficient to focus on selection based information all across the genome rather than the traditional way of genomic regions containing signals that pass a threshold," Yu said.

Their research is "a result of our constant deliberation of how to incorporate modern genomic technologies into breeding process, a more general term as genomic-assisted plant breeding, which differs from what scientists have been doing -- using markers to guide the introgression of single or multiple disease resistance genes," Yu said.

"The traditional way is to identify genome regions that show significant information," he said. "The new way is to consider all information genomewide. In other words, we strategically shifted the focus from finding the most interesting genome areas to considering all information simultaneously. This is critical, especially given that most of traits with agricultural importance are controlled by many interacting genomic regions and their individual effects are relatively small."

Yu and Bernardo plan to conduct experiments with sorghum in Kansas and maize in Minnesota.

"It will provide breeders, public or private, a powerful tool to advance their breeding practices," Yu said.

Psalm 100

A Psalm of Praise

Posting here this Psalm of Praise one of which inspired me to know and worship the only true God who created me and you.

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.

Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

Know ye that the Lord He is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise; be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

IGOROTA

This is a current popular folkhouse song in Baguio city. If you visit Ayuyang kano, it is where Jun Utleg, its artist, usually sings it. Makapasyar to man mamingsan! hehehe... The lyrics was composed by Danny Tawanna but the following isnot the perfect structure as how it was composed like the use of gerunds and prepositions in some lines. The following was captured by how the artist sang it.

On a smooth gray ground by the river bend
She was seated there to meet the morning sun
She was playing a flute when the songbirds went down.

As they listened to her wonderful melody
And the air was filled with every note she played
Slowly I sat by her side.

Refrain:
Igorota, girl of my dreams
You're the most precious gift that I ever had
Igorota, queen of my heart
I'll go on loving you throughout my life. (2x)

You are my day my morning sun
You'll forever be my only one
She puts down the flute then sweetly she smiled.

And she asked me, "Why are you staring at me?"
I held her close and a songbird sang
I whispered to her, "I love you."

Repeat refrain once

Ang Bata

Posting here the lyrics of the song sung by Jun Utleg in his album, Sa Kanyang Panahon....

Ang bata, may dala'ng isang laruang lata
Hila-hila sa kalsada
Makipot at sira pa
Butas ang damit, marumi ang ayos niya
Siya ang bagong Pilipino.

Ang bata, may muta, tinunaw ng kanyang luha
Panis na laway, naghihintay sa kapirasong pan de sal
Ngunit mataas na ang araw sa Silangan
Wala pa rin si Ama.

Ang bata, nakayakap, dinadama ang init ni Ina
Malakas na ulan, malakas na kulog, tinatakot siya
Pintuan ng bahay, bubungan sira-sira
Ang tanging karamay niya.

Ang bata, nakatingala, nakatingkayad sa bintana
Siya'y nakasilip at nakikinig ng bulong sa labas
Bakit ang buhay kay ingay, kay gulo
Natutulig na ako.

Ang bata, ang bata, kawawang mga bata
Saan sila patutungo, saan papunta
Dito ba sa Lupa'ng puno ng kaguluhan
Puno ng kasawian.

(Repeat stanza I)

Morning In The Woods

It was a pleasant walk one early June morning into the pine woods that smelled sweet of fresh humus. The sun's blazes rising from the east looked so beautiful against the blue horizon that was mapped with floating cottony white clouds.

As I walked through the narrow path of fresh hooves engraved on wet earth by wild horses that frequented the area, the cool and jaunty breeze played on the bare skin of my face and arms. The path led to the east as evidenced by the prism of early morning sun rays sending quasars lurking deep through the tall and slender legs of pine trees. Cheerful birds sang their varieties of songs. It was their way of greeting the day and giving praises to the Almighty Creator who gives them the daily fresh morning to enjoy and feast upon. I imitated some tunes and watched them hop and fly from one tree branch to another, their colorful wings adding to the festive fashion of the newborn day.

Finally, I reached a clearing, the sun then gaining momentum to heat the earth proved by steam that slowly rose from the ground. Crystal dews interlaced among the leaves dropped as a sluggish wind brushed its way through. From a distance, I spotted more than a dozen of wild horses, some gaily playing while some lazily feeding on the short lush of greens.

To the North, where tree ferns with large fronds stood, was a herd of cows, some lying down while enjoying their cuds. Black mounds of what I call, "grass cakes" were scattered around the vicinity indicating that the group took an overnight rest in the clearing. ( I was tempted to think of going back to the place to collect the "grass cakes" --- a perfect part for a soil media).

As I continued to commune with the physical universe, I moved to a shade under an evergreen with leaves similar to that of a eucalyptus tree. I sat down on a boulder of lime rock under it and just watched the seemingly tired cows and horses. The lazy leaves of all sorts danced in mockery along the passing by of the gentle June breeze. An eagle soared high to the blue sky. Some May and June beetles crawled their way underground to hide from the preying eyes of birds that just finished their songs of praise and were by then scheduled to hunt for breakfast. Breathed the purest air. Listened to the hush of swishing pine trees from the other faces of the mountain. Gazed at the different wild and colorful flowers often visited by different arthropods.

Near where I sat was a wild rhododendron with beautiful pink flowers. I watched as a bee came for a sip then flew away, came another insect of the wasp family, flew away again until a small and frail white butterfly came along, perched for a moment then as it lifted its wings to say goodbye to the flower, a darting red-tailed purple dragonfly caught and flew away with it. Poor little guy! That's symbiosis anyway!

I glanced at my wristwatch, it was time for me to go back since the sun was starting to push the mercury up the scale as it began it's journey to mid-sky.

Thanks to that real June morning in the woods 16 years ago back in my dearest hometown. How I wish then that if I go home and trek the place would be the same. But I know it would just remain a wish, because that particular morning would never be the same. It would just stay as one of the clippings in my memory.