Autumn Leaves

Dr Abe V Rotor

Autumn Leaves in acrylic by AVR 

Autumn Leaves

The falling leaves
Drift by my window
The falling leaves
Of red and gold

I see your lips
The summer kisses
The sunburned hands
I used to hold

Since you went away
The days grow long
And soon I'll hear
Old winter's song

But I miss you most of all
My darling
When autumn leaves
Start to fall

Since you went away
The days grow long
And soon I'll hear
Old winter's song

But I miss you most of all
My darling
When autumn leaves
Start to fall.

Autumn Leaves
The falling leaves drift by the window
The autumn leaves of red and gold
I see your lips, the summer kisses
The sun-burned hands I used to hold

Since you went away the days grow long
And soon I'll hear old winter's song
But I miss you most of all my darling
When autumn leaves start to fall

C'est une chanson, qui nous ressemble
Toi tu m'aimais et je t'aimais
Nous vivions tous, les deux ensemble
Toi que m'aimais moi qui t'aimais
Mais la vie sépare ceux qui s'aiment
Tout doucement sans faire de bruit
Et la mer efface sur le sable les pas des amants désunis"Autumn Leaves" is a much-recorded popular song. Originally it was a 1945 French song "Les feuilles mortes" (literally "The Dead Leaves") with music by Hungarian-French composer Joseph Kosma and lyrics by poet Jacques Prevert the Hungarian title is "Hulló levelek" (Falling Leaves). Yves Montand (with Irene Joachim) introduced "Les feuilles mortes" in 1946 in the film Les Portes de la Nuit.  
The American songwriter Johnny Mercer wrote English lyrics in 1947 and Jo Stafford was among the first to perform this version. "Autumn Leaves" became a pop standard and a jazz standard in both languages, both as an instrumental and with a singer. Popularized by world famous singers like Frank Sinatra, and Nat King Cole. 

The 7 Rs in Waste Management

Dr Abe V Rotor

Don't wait for this to happen!

Recycling is integrated in a total management system.

1. Reduce -  plan to limit potential waste

2. Replace with environment-friendly materials

3. Regulate  depends on effective governance

4. Recycle -  re-use in original or new form.

5. Replenish. “Pay back” what you get from nature. 

6. Reserve for tomorrow, next generation, posterity.

7. Revere - reverence for life, respect creation.

Spinning Top (Trumpo) - Endangered Native Toy

Dr Abe V Rotor

 Traditional spinning top

 Modern versions of the spinning top

Anyone who grew up in the province in our time is familiar with the original spinning top. If not, imagine an oversize chicken egg, of that of the guinea fowl or bengala, its small end sharply tapering into a shank made of nail, one to two inches long. The tip is pointed to reduce friction for longer and more stable spinning. But we always made it sharp ready to nip or puncture the tops of our opponents in tournaments.

Because our town is famous for furniture making, we have lathe machine (pagturnuan Ilk) to make the best tops in town. Everyone could easily recognize a spinning top made in San Vicente, three kilometers west of Vigan, the capital. There were spinning top tournaments held on certain occasions and we would send our best players to the capital. To be a good player, first you must be accurate at marked target. But there is another kind of tournament - you should be able to immobilize your opponent’s top, by puncturing or chopping it out of shape. This is why the wood used in making tops is molave, better still kamagong, which is claimed to be the hardest wood in the world.

Exhibitions are part of the tournament. For example whose top makes the loudest humming sound? How balanced and stable is the spinning of your top? How long will it keep on spinning? Then there is the skill to “capture” a spinning top and have it continue spinning on your palm.

But how do you make a top without lathe machine? I still can recall my experience in making one. Cut a branch of molave, or any locally available wood such as guava or isis or Ficus ulmifolia, the tree that produces sandpaper-like leaves. Choose a branch at least three inches in diameter. With a sharp bolo, shape one end into a round peg, and drive through it a 3-inch nail, leaving half as the shank. Smoothen the wood with boy scout knife and sandpaper, making it even and balanced. Shape and cut off the upper part of the top with a saw or sharp knife.

An immature wood when it dries up has a tendency to crack. That’s why you have to look for a seasoned branch. The harder it is, the better - and the more durable is your top. For the rope or string to spin the top, get a pure cotton thread, numero ocho, that is 1/8 of an inch, and a meter long. Sometimes we would twist two thinner threads to make the standard spinning rope. To learn the technique of playing spinning tops, ask older boys - or us who were experts in our days.

Why don't you try making your own spinning top? It's a real test of craftsmanship, by how well it performs and chance to win in a tournament.

 Photos acknowledgment: Google, Wikipedia 

Make your own mosquito repellant from Weeping Willow (Salix sp)

Dr Abe V Rotor

Direct crude extract (ground fresh leaves) repels mosquitoes and flies. It also serves as fresh deodorant in the bathroom and kitchen.  

Dilute with tap water at 1:4, filter with ordinary cloth, and spray (atomizer) on garden plants and in dark corners.
Bottle Brush or Weeping Willow (Salix sp)

Another preparation is by dissolving the fresh extract with ethyl alcohol 1:2 ratio, air dry, and add Vaseline or Petroleum Jelly to the powder residue. This also serves as ointment of minor wounds and skin problems.    

The mosquito repellant that is advertised is made of synthetic compounds and there are reports that it is carcinogenic, affecting not only the skin but internal organs as well, since poison can be absorbed by the skin and goes into the blood stream which circulates throughout the body.

Researchers from the University of Santo Tomas found out that the volatile oil of the weeping willow, also known as bottle brush (named after the form and shape of the leaves) is an effective mosquito repellant. The oil is extracted by dissolving the ground dried leaves with ethyl alcohol as solvent.

Results of the experiment showed that the extract is effective in repelling house mosquitoes (Culex pipens) with the same efficacy as the advertised commercial product. The result also validates the old practice of using weeping willow to ward mosquitoes by simply rubbing crushed fresh leaves on the skin. (Clemente R, Landan RP Luquinario MI and P Padua, UST 2002)