Welcome to Island Park in Portage la Prairie

Regarded by many Canadians as the "Land of Echoes and Legends," Portage la Prairie is the largest municipality in Manitoba. At the center of this rural municipality lies the City of Portage la Prairie, which boasts of many lakes, tundras, as well as campgrounds and recreational parks.

Sunday, May 29
Tito Renyboy, Tita Lucy, Grandfather and I, with some of Tita Lucy's relatives went to Island Park, in the City of Portage la Prairie. The trip from the house to our destination took about one and a half hours. We had lunch there. Grandfather and I enjoyed taking pictures of the sight. I also spent the day playing card games with a few new acquaintances.

The weather was windy cold yet tolerable.

At last, windmill!

Windmills have always fascinated me since childhood, the reason I've always wanted to travel to the Netherlands, the windmill capital of the world.

For the meantime, this windmill on Island Park was enough to enchant the child in me.


Round like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel
Never ending on beginning on an ever-spinning reel
Like a snowball down a mountain or a carnival balloon
Like a carousel that's turning, running rings around the moon
Like a clock whose hands are sweeping past the minutes of its face
And the world is like an apple, whirling silently in space
Like the circles that you find....
....—The Colourfield, "The Windmills of Your Mind" (1984, single release)
....(originally composed in 1968, music by Michel Legrand,
....words by Marilyn Bergman and Alan Bergman)

The benchmark of a truly devoted individual

Here I sit bravehearted / Tired a bit but not exhausted

Feeling like one of the Trimurti

Crescent Lake, on Island Park, Portage la Prairie, Manitoba: a haven for Canadian waterfowl such as Canadian geese, goldeneyes, wood ducks, and mallards; unfortunately, I was unable to take pictures of such waterfowl

Bridge over the calm waters of Crescent Lake

Ethel, Tita Cora, Lhoy, and Charito: Preparing the shrimp, mushrooms, and bell peppers for the barbecue

Mmm, barbecue at the park...

Amusing myself by watching the fowl in this small aviary; in the picture is a peahen.

I was waiting for these two peacocks to flaunt their plumage but in vain. Perhaps, mating was not yet in season.

With my new acquaintances, whiling the afternoon with a card game

Lhoy, Ethel, and yours truly...

Although I'm not a big fan of card games, I enjoyed playing a short game with my new acquaintances here in Manitoba.

Another shot by the lake before we went...trying to commune with my fellow fairies

Back at the house, around 8 p.m., Grandfather was still up and active.

After this final shot, in the back lane near the house, I finally rested on my new nest...a comfortable one...

I had another delightful day of experience...

...new setting, new characters, new inspirations, new perspectives, new plots, new places, new images...better ones...

...all for my new literary musings.

THE END

The Old Ogre and the eLf

Photo enhancement rendered by my friend Jayge Salvan

Once upon a time, there were an old ogre and an eLf who got marooned on an uncharted island full of orcs. Very different as they were from each other, but having no one to turn to except themselves, the old ogre and the eLf realized that they were experiencing similar adversities and battling the same enemies. And this was the very reason they learned how to set aside their differences and combine their wits to devise a humane strategy to topple the band of wicked and twisted orcs who were controlling the island.

"Let's capture them all and smash them heads on the trees until they are reduced to helpless heaps..." suggested the old ogre. "Or, perhaps, lure them to the Red River...let them drown; they don't know how to swim."

"Let's not be consumed by our pain and anger," said the eLf. "There are better ways of defeating an enemy than mangling and eliminating them and letting ourselves become what we, in the first place, abhor. Besides, it's their personas that need fixing, not the persons. I still believe that, in each of us, there exists a truly good inner self."

"I believe you. Even I, didn't realize until now that I can be a truly good ogre. What should we do then?" he asked.

"Let's teach them how to read and write, so they may begin to speak and understand our language. I believe that every being has the capacity to become good. It's just that, there should be others patient and willing enough to let them discover that inherent goodness. And in this situation, that someone is us. Therefore, let's show them kindness and compassion instead of resentment and aggression."

"Yuh," the old ogre agreed, "...teach them to read and write...let them speak our language...let them discover their own goodness...show them kindness and compassion.... But can't I eat even just a few of them, the most wicked ones?"

"Well...okay, just don't leave your mess all over the place. And bury their bones, will yeah?"

And the old ogre and the eLf continued their struggle to make better not only their lives but also the lives of all the creatures living with them on the faraway island.

THE END

Welcome to Selkirk Park on Victoria Day

By the bank of the Red River, a famous fishing area in Selkirk, Manitoba

May 23, 2005
My first Monday in Manitoba was a blast. It was Victoria Day, a Canadian holiday celebrated in honor of Queen (Alexandrina) Victoria (1819–1901) , the British Queen whose reign was marked by a great expansion of the British Empire.

My relatives here usually go out during weekends and holidays, as a restful diversion after a hard week's work. They get together with friends usually at parks or other recreational areas.

For the holiday we went to Selkirk Park, located near the Red River, a famous fishing area in Selkirk—a city about one-hour-drive away from Manitoba's capital, Winnipeg.

Many people automatically think of Winnipeg when Manitoba is mentioned, obviously because Winnipeg is the province's capital as well as its largest city; just like many people are more familiar with the city of Vancouver than British Columbia, the province nestling it.

Grandfather was ecstatic during the trip. He kept on recounting the days when they would go fishing in the area. Fishing was among his favorite recreational activities, even during his younger days in the Philippines.

At Selkirk Park, we had lunch, strolled around, and took pictures; but the best of all was the joy and comfort in being with people who were there to relax and have fun.

Standing by the river with a smile on my face, staring at the clouds, staring at the trees...

The leaves of the trees are all ready for the Summer

Trailer parks are commonplace here

Surprisingly, Grandfather was stronger and more interactive; very different from the weak, meek, and stubborn old man in British Columbia I knew him to be

After a long stroll with Grandfather

I no longer feel I'm marooned alone on an uncharted island