NorthStar Flags

As a child, I watched movies on my grandma’s black and white TV. That was way back when semaphores were used by navy personnel in signaling other ships using two flags to communicate. The beauty of watching a seaman wave different flags in clock-like precision with a calisthenics-type of motion seemed so appealing. Well, at least at that time. Nowadays, it’s hard to even find it in the internet. Perhaps a search in Google would yield the following description of a semaphore, “A semaphore is nothing but a term used in UNIX for a variable which acts as a counter. For instance there may be times when two processes try to access the same file simultaneously. In this event we must control the access of the file when the other process is accessing. This is done by assigning value to semaphore.” What? At least I understand that the concept of signaling is there.

The semaphore flag signaling system is actually an alphabet system based on the waving of a pair of hand-held flags. Boy scouts were taught this skill. In those days, you can never be an Eagle Scout if you didn’t have the necessary skill to communicate using this system. You will forever be relegated to the most honorable position of bearer of the troop flag. Nowadays, scouts simply use their mobile phones to communicate with each other. Even radio communication sets extensively used in the military have already been done with. How convenient is it to call headquarters and update them on the progress of the scouts’ field training? Even on emergencies, dialing 911 is simply a breeze. Most of all, when taps has been sounded and the American flag has been retreated from the flagpole, how convenient is it to lie down on your tent and dial Dominoes. “Can we have a pizza delivered please?” Ah, the beauty of scouting nowadays.

Street dancing is one of the highlights of every town festival in the Philippine islands. Street pole banners, light pole banners and mini flags adorn the city. The festive mood of music, food and laughter reverberates the whole day through. Night time is usually reserved for local beauty contests, a staple in every town fiesta.

The Sinulog Festival is Cebu City’s fiesta of fiestas. Held every first month of the year, it is characterized by its peculiar two-steps-forward-and-one-step-backward shuffle which simulates the Holy Child on the seashore. The Sinulog is a century-old tradition and has been observed in this part of the Visayas region. The prayer-dance is synchronized to the beat of drums and shouts of “Pit Senior! Viva Sto. Nino!”

However, my most memorable experience is the Dinagyang Festival in Iloilo City. Merry mayhem breaks loose in Iloilo every January when Ilonggos leave everything behind to join in the fiesta of the year. All inhibitions are dropped. Boring everyday clothes are exchanged for “Ati” warrior costumes and black body paint. People from every age, old and young, rich and poor join hands together and dance in the streets amidst the pounding rhythm of drums. The costumed Ilonggos put their best feet forward in celebration of Dinagyang.

Both the Dinagyang of Iloilo and Sinulog of Cebu actually take their roots from the Ati-Atihan Festival of Kalibo, Aklan. Ati-atihan commemorates the 13th century land deal between 10 migrating Bornean chieftains and the aboriginal Ati King Marikudo. It also honors the town patron, the Sto. Nino (Infant Jesus). The ceaseless, rhythmic pounding of drums get to you, and before you know it you are on the street, shuffling your feet, shaking your head, waving your hands – and joining thousands of soot-blacked, gaily-costumed revelers in an ancient ritual of mindless merriment. A familiar battle cry reaches your ears, “Hala Bira! Hala Bira!” Sweet, original street dancing at its best!

Going home I approached a curve and almost ran into a utility marker in the middle of the road. It said “If you bump this, you’re going too fast.” No, I’m just joking. It was an unmarked road barrier with two red flags on each end. Turns out that a couple of workers were doing repairs on a broken water pipe.

What’s so interesting about utility markers is that they could be interpreted in different ways. Take this for example, “Left turn yield on green” What the hell does this mean? Another one, “Slow Men Working Ahead”. Does this mean that there are lazy workers up ahead? How about this one in Jacksonville, Florida- “CAUTION: This sign has sharp edges” So? It’s not that I give every sign a big hug, do I? And this one in a shopping mall – “WARNING: Children left unattended will be sold to the circus”, and so I yell to my children, ” Hey kids, hold my hand…tight!”

Going home and reading the classified ads on my newspaper, I found these gems. “Used tombstone. Perfect for someone named Hendel Bergen Heinzel.” Well, good luck in finding your lucky buyer”! “Roasted Turkey For Sale: Partially eaten, but both drumsticks still intact. Only eight days old.” Huh? No thanks! “For sale: One pair of hardly-used dentures, only 2 teeth missing” Well, I hope it’s the 2 front teeth… Christmas is fast approaching.

What intrigued me the most was a sign outside a church which said “Don’t let worries kill you. Let the church help.” Ah, uhmmm…. Ok. Finally, here’s one for the books. I think this refers to George W. Bush, you know, the almost ex-president. It’s from a clothing label (that small tag at the back of your neck, as if you didn’t know) from a small American company that sells their product in France. Here’s the translation of the French part of the label.” Wash with warm water. Use mild soap. Dry flat. Do not use bleach. Do not iron. We are sorry that our president is an idiot. We did not vote for him.”

Every New Year’s Day, a parade is held in our city and every known political personality will join the party. Normally, we have street dancing and the participants are from the selected schools chosen by the mayor himself. Along with the street dance, come the floral floats, floats that are designed using flowers, such as orchids, daisies, and a lot more. By seven o’clock, the streets are filled with people who are waiting for the parade. Everyone you see is prepared. They have chairs and umbrellas. Moments after you hear the sirens of the patrol cars that open up the parade, the majorettes follow, and you hear the whistles of men, a telltale sign that they are enjoying the moment.After the majorettes, the riders club comes with all those large horses of different breeds. They look majestic, just like the horses of the knights of ages past, the horses embody beauty and strength.

After the wide array of attractions, the participants for the street dance competition take center stage with different formations and moves. They really bring the excitement and they bring out the energy of the crowd. Of all the participants the kids from the elementary school is fun to watch because they do everything and they look cute. They do hip hop and contemporary while flaunting those cute faces. I can’t help but be amazed by the way they move and jive to the music. After the fun street dancing competition, the floral floats come in. Everyone takes pictures of the floats, the design and beauty of the floats are really astonishing and the artists that built them are extremely talented. After the floral floats, the racing club appears. This was new for us. They had car flags that had their logos. The cars are really built for speed. The sound given off by the cars are monstrous and every car fanatic there is, is simply fascinated. Finally, the car flags that symbolize our community appear with the mayor and the city’s councilmen inside those fancy limousines waving to the people while giving off a wide smile. For us this was fun, we get to see the most respected people in our community and we even get to shake hands with them. After the lawmakers pass, the people await for the street parties that would close the entire celebration. It’s always memorable to be in our little ciyt’s New Year’s Day parade and that’s one of the reason I am home for the holidays.

Basketball, an adrenaline-pumping sport, filled with action and highlights like dunks, cross overs and miraculous shots. That’s how it is, especially when you don’t expect any fantastic things to happen, basketball is just a sport you have got to love. With the likes of Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, and Lebron James, you can’t help but think about the possibilities that might happen. I have seen these guys play in the National Basketball Association, and I tell you they are more than just your average players. Take for example, the main man, Dwyane Wade. I am telling you he is the next Michael Jordan, his first step is amazing, it’s like lightning! With his speed so fast, no one can handle him especially if he has no injuries. He can beat Lebron James and Carmelo Anthony whenever and wherever!

James Naismith is indeed really a genius to have invented the sport we now call, basketball. It is the sport we have since adored, the new American past time, the new generation of adrenaline pumping action.

But where did this fan addiction really start from?

Before the great and good players join the National Basketball Association or NBA for short, their skills are tested in the National Collegiate Athletic Association(NCAA) which is the training ground of NBA. Many are called but few are chosen, that’s the theme of NCAA. Dwyane Wade grew up and was well-known from that league. He was then a student and a varsity player at Marquette University. During that time, he drew inspiration from the college flag that symbolized their school. And yes, as known to many, Dwayne Wade has a unique ability when it comes to basketball where he is famous for his fast moves and exhilarating style. But before the high flying dunks and crazy cross overs he is popularly known for today, he was first a key player of Marquette University. He was an athlete inspired by the college flag of Marquette, the Golden Eagle flag of Marquette, where at that time, he was impossible to beat. He simply had killer instincts and he dunked like no one was in front of him. This superb ability made him the ultimate player.

I don’t know about what other people think, but for me, he is the number one guy, better than James, better than Carmelo and definitely, better than anyone in the league.

Fires as man-made disaster are simply destructive. In minutes, a fire can spread very fast and that one can see his own property crumble into ashes very his very eyes. Worse, it can take away lives of people, too.

Fires can be very common during summers when the scorching heat of the sun is at its peak. Thus, it is safe to be always careful at home especially with electric plugs, wires and cables. One must make sure to unplug electrical gadgets before going to sleep or when going out of the house. A lot of fires are caused by negligence, like cellular phones left charging for hours, unplugged electric irons, microwave ovens and many more.

I had a first hand experience of a fire incident when I was just a 5 year-old kid. That afternoon, while staying at my mom’s office after school, we got an emergency call from my dad that our neighbor’s house, the one next to us, was burning because of some faulty wiring. Immediately, we went home. When we almost arrived our place, I remembered a lot people where running here and there, bringing and trying to save some of their belongings. It was also very noisy, I could see two fire trucks that that had fire fighters flags on their sides. The firemen were busy putting out the fire. After a few minutes, an ambulance came, this time it was bearing a fire rescue flag. Apparently, the old woman living next door was hurt while trying to carry her stuff.

With the help of the community, the fire died down after 30 minutes. Luckily, our house was saved from the incident, thank God to the big Mango tree that stood in between our house and our neighbor’s. It shielded our home from being burned to bits.

After that, the community organized a relief drive for our neighbor whose house was badly damaged. The government also gave the family financial assistance to recover from the tragedy they had experienced.

From then on, everyone started to be conscious especially with the electric connections in their homes. Indeed, life sometimes teaches hard lessons just so people will learn to change their ways.

America’s rich culture can be seen in a simple glimpse of the most celebrated feast- the Thanksgiving.

It is traditionally celebrated during the fourth Thursday of the November. For this year, the feast falls on November 27. Americans usually celebrate it with a big parade, football games and most significantly, spending time and having special dinner with the family.

This festival is known as the Harvest festival or originally was a religious observance. Back then, churches bring in food from the garden or farm in order to celebrate the harvest and thank God by way of Holy Masses and self consecrations. Also, it is interred related to the deliverance of the English settlers by the Native Americans. As history quoted “The idea of freedom and democratic ideals was born in the Americas because it was only in America” that Europeans from 1500 to 1776 knew of societies that were “truly free.” So, Spanish settlers held the first ever thanksgiving for their safe travel and discovery of the new world— America.

The national flag of America and festival flags all over America show the bounty and freedom that we are still enjoying and fighting for up to this very day.

During the holiday, special food preparations are traditionally served at every home’s dining table. As everyone knows, the roasted turkey is main delicacy of the occasion, which is the basic reason why Thanksgiving is also referred to as the “Turkey Day”. Families have of their own way of celebrating the season and going for a travel is part of it, making Thanksgiving as the busiest travel period of the year. The Thanksgiving night and the eve of Thanksgiving are the busiest nights of the year in bars and clubs.

During Thanksgiving, we are reminded that we are blessed and are continue growing with prosperity in a lot of things. Best of all, we are free and that we are not slaves of anyone except, being a servant to the almighty God in whom we are thankful for everything.

America’s rich culture can be seen in a simple glimpse of the most celebrated feast- the Thanksgiving.

It is traditionally celebrated during the fourth Thursday of the November. For this year, the feast falls on November 27. Americans usually celebrate it with a big parade, football games and most significantly, spending time and having special dinner with the family.

This festival is known as the Harvest festival or originally was a religious observance. Back then, churches bring in food from the garden or farm in order to celebrate the harvest and thank God by way of Holy Masses and self consecrations. Also, it is interred related to the deliverance of the English settlers by the Native Americans. As history quoted “The idea of freedom and democratic ideals was born in the Americas because it was only in America” that Europeans from 1500 to 1776 knew of societies that were “truly free.” So, Spanish settlers held the first ever thanksgiving for their safe travel and discovery of the new world— America.

The national flag of America and festival flags all over America show the bounty and freedom that we are still enjoying and fighting for up to this very day.

During the holiday, special food preparations are traditionally served at every home’s dining table. As everyone knows, the roasted turkey is main delicacy of the occasion, which is the basic reason why Thanksgiving is also referred to as the “Turkey Day”. Families have of their own way of celebrating the season and going for a travel is part of it, making Thanksgiving as the busiest travel period of the year. The Thanksgiving night and the eve of Thanksgiving are the busiest nights of the year in bars and clubs.

During Thanksgiving, we are reminded that we are blessed and are continue growing with prosperity in a lot of things. Best of all, we are free and that we are not slaves of anyone except, being a servant to the almighty God in whom we are thankful for everything.

It’s Sunday morning, specifically the third Sunday of the month. It’s the time where I get to spend some “quality time” with my father. After realizing that, I jumped out of my bed and swept aside the curtains the window and looked outside to see if there is some kind of storm approaching. Apparently there isn’t; the sun shines brightly across the perfect blue sky. When the weather is this good for this time of the month, it usually translates to my day being crappy — meaning my dad would choose to spend “our quality time” at the golf club with his friends who are also in their 50’s!

So there we are at the golf club at 8:45 am; “and so my torment begins” I mused as we entered its gates. The place is as usual wonderful; a large, smooth-sloped, grass-covered area which the golfers love. There are also some areas of the field covered with tall, magnificent trees and usually beside them is a cool, green pond. The only thing that contrasts this view is the number labeled golf flags placed on the holes which reminded me how long my day at the club will be. The time is 9:30 am, and my dad and his colleague were at last done with their seemingly endless conversation about some business stuff and were ready to play. I preferred to stay at the clubhouse and watch them play from afar than by playing some sport which I have no interest of. A few hours passed and it seems like it was forever; watching the golfers adjust the force of how they hit the golf ball for several minutes makes me sleepy and there are those golf flags who tirelessly wave as the wind pass through them. It seemed like its graceful wave is endless and so is my stay at the club.

At the end, I actually survived for lunchtime; and as always we had a delicious lunchtime at the clubhouse. By the time we are about to go home, I could trace the joy in my father’s face and it was all that takes to make my day and look forward to our next bonding time. I never quite understood why he likes to golf so much, I didn’t bother that much to understand him anyway; all I knew is that it made him happy and that’s what all that matters.

Summer is always a season to look forward to; it is the season wherein the unforgiving summer heat assails. Because of this heat, it became a tradition of our family to have our vacation at the beach every summer. One of the most unforgettable summer vacation I had is when we went to the pristine tropical island of Boracay in the Philippines.

The island is located 315 km south of the Philippine’s capital city Manila. Despite of this degree of distance from Manila, getting into the island is relatively easy because of the nation’s improved transportation system. You just have to ride on a small ship after arriving into Cebu city in order to get there. It was about 7 pm when we arrived into the island, and all of us directly went to the hotel in order to have some rest. We stayed on a fabulous seaside hotel, and we are lucky to have the rooms that directly face the gulf.

Next morning, I overslept and woke up at 9:30 am; I hurriedly jumped out of my bed and excitedly went into the viewing room. The view there just took my breath away; I opened the glass door and the invigorating summer winds pierced my body as I walked into the veranda. The panoramic view of the gulf was so wonderful that I can’t help to smile. The wide, sky-blue horizon is somewhat embellished by few windswept clouds; then as I shifted my vision downward, I saw the clear blue waters of Boracay radiating an aura that somewhat invites me to swim and play there. The seaside was that of clear white sands decorated with some colorful feather flags that happily waves as the wind blows were just like what I always see on the travel magazines. The perimeter of the beach is lined with coconut trees decorated with lively pennant streamers. When I was finished marveling at the beauty of the island for the first time; I just knew that I will have a great time there.