Month: October 2012

It was quite a dizzying tour through Croatia and Slovenia along the coastal and mountain route. From Dubrovnik in the south to Zagreb in the north past a landscape of astonishing beauty: islands on the Adriatic, castles and fortresses on mountaintops, olive and orange groves, picturesque harbors, old towns, jade lakes, autumnal forests. Seeing the land, It is hard to imagine that not too far away there was war and “ethnic-cleansing” within the last two decades. How do people live with a history of atrocities and ancient hatred? The travel guides, English-speaking women, did not shy away from narrating stories of destruction, vengeance, and inhumanity in certain areas.

Often I wandered away from the tour. I took photos of buildings, churches, canals, doors and gates, castles. Monuments that endured. Sadly, I had no time to keep a diary. I often stood still mesmerized by the stunning scenery. Sometimes I stared at bullet holes on walls. As a child during the war in the Philippines in the early and mid- 40s I remember the evacuation to the mountains, the dug-outs and the malnutrition. (See poem “Memory” in the Poetry Section and the essay “Reflections on the diaspora, burung babi, Malayan fish head curry, a favorite uncle and a trip to the mountains” in the Writing Section.) Certain images kept sneaking into the journey and I asked myself: What did the people remember of the war? With such a fragile peace, will there be another descent into madness?

I have decided not to write captions to the photos. But I should note that I encountered one of my favorite composers — Gustav Mahler — in Ljubljana, capital of Slovenia. He was the resident artist for 6 months sometime in 1881. I took a photo of his statue and his bust and the Academia Philharmonicorum building where he was the director. Among other things, I owe Mahler my deep admiration for Du-Fu and Li-Po. Their poetry was used by him in his composition “Das Lied von der Erde” (“Songs of the Earth”). Valentina, the tour guide mentioned that his music was played at the square during the 20th anniversary of Slovenia’s independence. She did not specify which one but I imagine it was Symphony #2 (The Resurrection).

Despite the horror of war, and the plague of hate and cruelty, the landscape restores faith.  Beauty and truth bloom in the landscape,  in works of art and in the human heart.

The birthday banquet of GM Gin Soon Chu at the Imperial Garden in Boston’s Chinatown:

 

GM Chu Gin Soon with his senior students at the September 22 celebration of his birthday.  I recognize Linda, Peter, Mary Beth, Phil, Arthur, Jean, Michael, Arthur and a few other faces. Just behind the celebrant is Kim shifu, his second disciple. That’s me  with a red scarf. There were at least 200 in attendance, mostly the master’s students from the last 40 years.

GM Chu Gin Soon with his family at his recent birthday banquet in the Imperial Garden Restaurant in Boston’s Chinatown. The Chu clan was also present.

GM Chu with Kim shifu and other students during a demonstration of martial arts in NYC. Undated.

I cannot remember when these photos were taken exactly. But it was at another September banquet, which was held on GM Chu’s birthday. Chu shigong had time to pose for photos and to Push.

GM Chu Gin Soon doing Push Hands with me in 1992. The school was located on the first floor of the Turnpike Tower Apartments at the time until it moved to its present location on Harrison Street corner of Beach. When the school, the oldest in Massachusetts, opened in 1969 it was located in the building across the street. The present address is on the second floor and is more spacious. if you are in Boston, visit the school and see the students in training.

 

With Traditional Yang Family Tai chi chuan Grandmaster Gin Soon Chu and his wife at the birthday banquet in the Imperial Garden Restaurant in Boston’s Chinatown last September 22, 2012. I have studied with GM Chu since 1990. See essay “Looking for Yang Cheng-Fu” in the Writings section of this website. He has the most comprehensive knowledge of the Yang Family system. His mastery of the 34 fajing techniques, the curriculum, and the process of teaching is beyond words.

Celebrating his birthday with a traditional  Chinese banquet and a cake, Grandmaster Chu poses with his wife. The party was attended by at least 200 of his admirers, students, family and relatives. There were countless toasts, photo ops, Tai chi performances and speeches.  It was a spontaneous and indescribable  outpouring of love, respect  and admiration for the Grandmaster.

The Carlos Palanca Memorial  Literary Awards Night :

Alfred “Krip” Yuson and Ed Maranan are two of the few Hall of Fame recipients in the  Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, the most prestigious literary competition in the Philippines. A Hall of Fame award means that the winner should have received 5 first prizes in  the main literary categories — poetry, short story, play, essay. Krip, Ed and I have appeared in different poetry anthologies. My poetry has been included in 3 of the anthologies edited by Krip — “Father Poems,” “Eros Pinoy: Contemporary Erotic Poetry and Art in the Philippines,” and “Love Gathers All: Anthology of Love Poems” (published in both Singapore and the Philippines).

That’s F. Sionil Jose, National Artist for Literature. He has written many books (novels and short stories), the most famous of which are the Rosales novels. I have known Frankie since the late 1950s. I first met him at student editors’ conferences and then at his bookstore “Solidaridad” in Ermita, Manila.

Grace D. Chong, winner of the first prize in the children’s short story for her work “The White Shoes.” I had not seen Grace for at least 45 years. We were both students in the University of the Philippines in the early 1960s writing for the campus newspaper. I was surprised when she recognized and called me from a distance.

Ed Maranan and Rene with a group of writers at the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature.  I was Ed’s guest to the event held at the Peninsula Hotel.  I was also his guest last year. See the photos from that night in this website.

At the Zhan Zhuang and Tai Chi Chuan DaoRen seminar. Organized by Florante, my younger brother, it was held at the main conference room of the Bahay Kanilaw in the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City. The seminar was actually a repeat of a seminar I taught two years ago to introduce students to the traditional techniques of Tai chi chuan training, starting with Zhan Zhuang postures and moving stances, eventually going to the basic Tai chi chuan movements. The regimen is quite accessible, even to  the older practitioners and those with certain disabilities. These techniques become the foundation for the more complicated fist and weapons forms of Traditional Yang Family Tai chi chuan system. I have taught the same seminars in other parts of the world — in the US, Cyprus, London, and Egypt. In the Philippines the predominant Tai chi form is the contemporary Wu-Shu set that was choreographed for competition by the government  in China. The traditional Tai chi forms are hardly seen in the parks there.  What I have been trying to do in teaching Zhan Zhuang and Tai chi chuan DaoRen together is to bring back the Tai chi practice to its basic traditional components — the 8 core movements, the dantian breathing, and the focus on the integrated physical, energetic and spiritual aspects of the tradition based on the Traditional Yang Family Tai chi chuan system.

At the Jade Mountain Chi Nei Tsang internal organs seminar sponsored by the Philippine Academy of Acupuncture, Inc. It was held at the St. Joseph Convent in Quezon City. More than 30 participants attended the workshop, including 2 nuns. The weekend seminar was organized by the indefatigable Janet Paredes, an acupuncturist, officer of PAAI and head of NADA Philippines. She is a certified instructor of the NADA protocol. She graduated from the program at Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx, NY. She has taught in the US and Germany and is a recognized instructor internationally.   She works actively with street kids. The first CNT seminar I taught in the Philippines was in 1998. It was sponsored by an NGO — Acupuncture Therapeutics Research Center (now called INAM). I have taught many seminars in Manila since then — Qigong/Taoyin, Microcosmic Orbit Meditation (with Inner Smile, 3 Breaths and 6 Healing Sounds), Zhan Zhuang, Tai chi and CNT. Many of my students work in disadvantaged urban and rural areas. My childhood friends Romy Liwanag, a minister of the United Methodist Church from Tarlac City, and Sonny Villa, former Philippine ambassador to Thailand and China, attended the seminars in CNT and Tai chi chuan as my guests. I also taught a special seminar for members of  NADA Philippines. It is always a pleasure to teach in my country where they do not have many trained instructors like me. Next time I will write about Janet Paredes and her admirable work with street kids as the head of NADA Philippines. She was one of my first students in the Philippines.