Ang Bilugon

This is a tribute to my mother's discipline style - with her use of the ubiquitous 'bilugon' or a cane to keep ten children in line. We were approximately 2 years apart except for a 6-yr gap between 2 children, so you can imagine how much drama goes on every moment of the day! Anyway, I wrote this to have fun on a family reunion in 1993!

She uses a branch from a guava sapling. Guava tree is touted as one of the strongest tree, and its branch gives a zinging sound and, well, really hurts when it hits your behind! She always has one hidden on the top of our china cabinet, and woe is she/he who will steal it!

This is written in Ilonggo, my mother's tongue. To my Ilonggo friends and readers, enjoy this!

Ana


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Ang Bilugon
By: Ana Teo
May 1993

Sa tanan nga mga butang
Sa amon balay nga gindaku-an
Isa gid lang ang akon nahamut-an
Kay ini nagasugid sang isa ka kasaysayan.

Pagkakita ko pa lang makaisa
Sa iya bulotangan –ibabaw sang platera
Nagbalik-balik sa akon huna-huna
Ang akon ‘inheritance’ pinaagi sa iya.

Siya isa ka butang nga diutay
Wala sing bugal kag pobre ang dagway
Pero kon ma-igo ikaw sang bilugon ni Nanay
Ang imo kiwi nga pensar mapa-iway.

O bilugon, bilugon ni Nanay
Indi ko gid gusto ang imo dagway
Kon puede lang ikaw akon bali-bali-on
Kag sa akon tinig-ang i-gatong!

Kasakit, kasakit sang imo agi
Buli ko naglabhag sang ako Grade three,
Kay ginhinay-hinay ko bukad ang sobre
Ginkuha sinsilyo ni Nanay kag ginbakal dulsi.

Akon nadumdoman sadto anay
Si Otay kag si Pepe naga-away,
Indi na maka-agwanta si Nanay,
Tag-napulo ka hanot sa kada isa gin-angay.

Samtang kami naga-eskuela
Indi gid puede ang maglakwatsa
Wala labot sa akig, ang bilugon handa
Sa pagtudlo kon diin ang husto nga puerta.

Manipis, malaba, nagabagrong
Mainit ang agi, nagabiti, indi halandumon
Nagtudlo ini sa amon sang matarong
Gani kuedaho gid kamo kon inyo kawaton.

Madamo pa nga mga kasaysayan
Ang indi ko mabutang kay wala ko naagyan,
Gani kon may gusto kamo nga amon mahibal-an
Isugid sa akon kay aton idugang.

Asta subong sige pa ang trabaho
Sang bilugon ni Nanay – mga bata, kuedaho
Si Third kon treinta minutos na nga naga-ingos,
Kon makakita sing bilugon daw santos.

Madamo pa tani ang akon isaysay
Pero ang panahon masyado kagamay,
Isiling ko lang sa inyo – tungod sa bilugon ni Nanay,
Ang akon karon pangabuhi matawhay!

#

Of Sleeplessness & Alzheimer's

Today I had been up at 3:48 am, which has been my weekly cycle since February of this year. I take steroid on Wednesday evenings, and for the next three days I wake up around 3:00 a. m.. To maintain ‘sleep hygiene,’ I stay in bed until around 7:00 a. m., tossing and turning, sometimes drifting back to sleep for an hour or so before my digestive system sounds the ‘alarm,’ telling me it is time to get up.

Loss of sleep affects my immune system making me susceptible to temperature changes, infections and the like. Yet, the time alone in the quiet of the night also has its advantages - it gives me time to think, pray and make great plans for my day – and at times, for my life. One time I sang “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” all three stanzas, in my dream, sleep that was so shallow I heard myself singing the last couple of notes! Another time, my night thoughts cleaned all the rooms in the house - funny, I felt I accomplished a lot when I woke up, even before I held a broom. Well, let’s just say I cleaned better in my dream…(smile!)

Anyway, my will to write got a push when I learned about what happened to a friend recently. He was one of our bosses some time back. He was brilliant, smart, widely-read, and caring to his people. Now, he is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and cannot do things on his own. His mind was taken over by something else – it is sad to see him this way, and I cannot help but wonder what would life be like if I was in his place?

I am most scared of losing my mind – to me, it is worse than losing my body. Is there anything I can do to avoid this plague? Memorization? Exercise? Reading the Bible? Scrabble, Sudoko, Crossword Puzzle? Raw Food? Vacations?

I can keep on writing out my thoughts. This is one of the things I enjoy doing, and at the same time this is an opportunity to leave something for my loved ones and their families when I depart from this world – in addition to their meager financial inheritance! Only God knows what poisons I ingest daily in the name of cancer medicine! With blogging, and journaling, death or Alzheimer’s or dementia will not be so fearful because I leave a little bit of myself through what I have written. Perhaps this will provide me peace and calm as I live each day.

“When people say, ‘She got everything, I’ve only one answer,” I haven’t had tomorrow.’” Elizabeth Taylor (1932 - )