joanmarieduhaylungsod

[joanmarieduhaylungsod]

Summary

Sisters and best friends—that’s how I describe Dara and Nick. They are extremely close, since they are children. Nicole Warren and Dara Warren got into a car accident; Nick has only minor injuries, but Dara’s condition is the worst because she is not wearing a seatbelt. After the accident, Nick changed her attitude; she became a rebellious child. Her divorced parents are always saying that she needs to be busy or go to Dr. Lichme after the incident to have a session. She doesn’t want it because they are not forcing Dara to have a session with Dr. Lichme and because Dara is not giving her attention or talking to her anymore. Her feelings are mixed because of Dara’s actions. Even when this happens, Nick is still sleeping in their room while Dara is up in her attic bedroom. One night she decided to open the attic’s door and find Dara, but she was gone. Nick noticed a girl outside the window and called her Dara, but she didn't turn around. A nine-year-old girl named Madeline Snow went missing on July 19th, and it was big news in her place. People and cops are helping to find Madeline. Nick started to work at Fanland, and she met Dara’s childhood best friend, Parker. They talked for the first time after the accident happened, and Nick started to like Fanland and meet friends there.

Nick planned to say sorry and approach Dara on her birthday so that they could start over again, but she couldn’t find Dara in her room. After that, Nick came to her work to be a mermaid again for their show. While she was swimming, she saw a familiar face—it is Madeline! She went up and down to find the girl, but she was no longer there. That night, Nick planned to have a family dinner to celebrate Dara’s birthday. When she was on her way to the bus stop, she saw a girl hugging herself, and Nick called her "Dara!" But she was too far, and the bus closed when she was near. When Nick arrived at the restaurant, Dara was not there. She told them to start eating, and her auntie Jackie also arrived and started to order. Her mom started to cry while Nick was telling them that Dara was not sure. People around them started to stare at their table, so Nick started to comfort her mom.

Aunt Jackie tries unsuccessfully to interrupt her mother as she begins to tell a story. Nick started to confess to them and told her parents to start acting like everything was okay. Her dad, Kevin, started to hold her tightly, and when he realized it, he removed his arm. After that, Nick told them clearly that they were not family anymore. Nick went to their house and found Dara, but she found her Auntie Jackie. Jackie told Nick that Dara misses her very much and that she is not mad at her, but still, Nick is hard-headed. She rushes into Dara’s bedroom; the birthday card that she placed on her pillow is still there, untouched. She tried to call Dara on her phone and texted her to meet somewhere. Using Dara’s car, she went to Florida; it was her first time driving a car since the accident. She got there, but Dara doesn’t have a response. She visited the Facebook page of Dara and saw plenty of comments that did not have replies from her. She went home and started to investigate Dara’s room. She started to find things that were useful, like a diary and her phone. She saw a lot of blackmail messages and found another clue. She spied at the bar, where Dara was most of the time.

She disguised herself as an applicant for Andre and went to the basement of the bar, where she overheard a girl and Andre talking about Madeline. She saw the girl; it was Sarah’s best friend, Snow! She is now convinced that Madeline's and Dara’s cases are connected. She confronted Snow about what happened to Madeline. Nick searched for Madeline's articles with shaky hands, and she went to the police station, looking for Lieutenant Frank Hernandez, and told him what she knew about Madeline's case. Dara died in the car accident from the start, and her family is only hiding it from Nick because she is suffering from mental illness as a result of the accident. 

Short Review

Vanishing Girls written by New York Time Bestselling author, Lauren Oliver is about the two sisters that are very close to each other. They are two in one, sisters and best friends.  I hate it when Dara and Parker had relationship and afterwards Parker confessed to Nick that he is not really in love at Dara but he is really in love at Nick. Its really awkward to have that in a book. Maybe it is okay if Dara and Nick are just friends and not sisters to have that “love triangle”. The Point of Views are quite confusing even there are labels like before, after, and dates. The twist is quite entertaining I didn’t realize that Dara is already dead until in the climax. The twist is like in the movie that called “My Perfect You”.  

This book focuses more on relationship of the two sisters. How Nick loves her sister that she risk her life to know what really happened to Dara.

[joanmarieduhaylungsod]

Mystical Healers

The flute woke the birds,

Hips wave like ocean’s water,

Their voice made the leaves dance,

Incense’s smell spread,

As their body moves,

Hand claps and footsteps made sound,

Prose started to be chant,

Kneeling in front and praising a tree,

People often laugh at them,

They have different cultures and traditions,

They are the oldest people in the province,

Sun was nowhere to be found and the ritual was done.

[joanmarieduhaylungsod]

Memory of Tamilok

The wind slapped my face as I walk to the seashore, I let myself feel the soft sunrays and the cold sand. I saw Samuel’s boat coming “Samuel!” I yelled while waving my hand and he wave back happily. When his boat came towards me, I knew that he has a good catch, he handed me some fish that are barely breathing inside a small net “These are maya-maya they are delicious when you grill or cooked it with soup!”. He’s bronze skin shone, he is masculine and taller than me.

I was hesitant to get the net because he might have not enough fish to sell later, but I know him, these fish might go home first before I do if I will not get it.

Later on, some people came to the seashore to buy fish to Samuel I just smiled and thanked him before I left. One afternoon, the sea was low tide, I and my friends have agreed to meet at the seashore to pick sikad-sikad, lato, lawayan, and tuyom. While we are finding what to pick, I heard Samuel’s group laughing as they walk towards us “Hi, are you going to pick sikad-sikad too?” one of Samuel’s friends, Lito asked “Uh yeah we are going to pick some lato, lawayan, and tuyom too” Linda answered. I saw Samuel’s eyes land on me, I shyly smiled at him and bow a bit and he did the same, we are always like this I feel like we have our own language.

Time passed by and the water is getting higher one of Samuel’s friends suggested that we should get some tamilok in bakawan since we just got a few edible sea creatures. “Raya are you going to join us in bakawan?” Samuel asked, “Yeah it is still early but I need to go home at five” I answered. While we are walking to bakawan our laughs are echoing throughout the whole place, when we got into the right place, they started to inspect the rotten bakaw trees that they are going to break to get the tamilok. I saw Samuel’s strong knuckles knocking on a tree and trying to hear something inside, he looked at me and said “Can you get the bolo for me?” I grab the bolo that was not far away from me and gave it to him.

I heard the gasp of my friends, they were amazed because they saw a large amount of tamilok for the first time in their location, Samuel started to raise his bolo and cracked the tree in half I was amazed because this is my first time seeing how to pick tamilok “Have you ever eaten tamilok?” Samuel, while he was busy putting the tamilok in a small container “No I never tried it” I said, it is true because in my five years here in Palawan I don’t socialize with people around me.

Tamilok is a wood worm that can be found in bakawan. This a delicacy here in palawan. Locals usually pick them for toursits who wants to taste them.

“Why?” he asked again “Because I don’t want to taste it, they are weird” I'm not lying, tamilok appearance is not appetizing. It is long, slimy and I'm having goosebumps everytime I see them.

He handed me one long tamilok, I looked into his eyes “What?” I spoke “Try this it's delicious but If you didn’t like it just spit them” he pours clean fresh water from a soda bottle to clean the tamilok, sliced the stomach, and extracted the mud inside. I was fascinated while he was doing the cleaning. I extended my hand to pick it, but he avoided his hand " I forgot we need some vinegar and calamansi for this, let's go to our house and eat them with our friends" he called his friends and mine, told them to go to their house so we can eat them.

Their house wasn’t far from the bakawan we only walk for five minutes, when we got there, they started to clean the tamilok, sea cucumber or lawayan, and the sea urchin or the tuyom. They put calamansi, tomatoes, chillies, vinegar and onion in a bowl, after that I started to pick one tamilok, dipped it in the mixture, put in my mouth and chew it while my eyes were close “Delicious right?” Samuel said, he is right it has a hint of sweet and has unique taste but the texture is still slimy and I liked it “Yeah it’s delicious” I said.

“Is this your first time tasting tamilok Raya?” my friend Jena wondered “Yeah in my previous place we don’t have this”

We ate the food that we got while they are telling funny stories, I couldn’t help to smile. When we are done, we cleaned the table and the plates.

After a while Jena, Linda, and I decided to go home already “Okay, I think we can go out together since our houses is not far away from each other” Lito said. We all walked together including Samuel.

Linda waves her hand and bid goodbye when we got outside their gate “Good bye take care!”

Right now, it is just me and Samuel, we are both silent while we are walking “I like you” him breaking the silence between us.

Samuel started to court me after he confessed his feelings. Every morning he would give me fish or crabs and take me to the park on Sundays.

Today, I didn't expect it to rain heavily this morning because the sun was happy yesterday. I opened my window and saw people at the seashore whispering and trying to see something. I quickly go outside to see what is happening. An old woman caught my attention, Samuel's mom, Manang Inday. She ran towards me with a few tears in her eyes, "Samuel sailed, and earlier they saw the boat of Samuel wrecked! and he was not there!" she ranted.

I was not able to move for a moment.

Everything was fast for me! authorities came and interviewed her mom while I was a few meters away from them, still convincing myself to believe that Samuel was really missing.

The sound of the flute woke my spirit, babaylan named Diwa started to swing her body while playing the flute. The two servants start to follow her moves. Shaking their body together with palm leaves as they court the sea to return Samuel.

Babaylans are the mythical healers of indigenous people and they are responsible for courting nature so that it would give them a beautiful harvest. They are also responsible for healing the sickness in their community.

“Will the goddesses return him?” I said to Diwa while looking at the crystal sea.

She took off her native hat and said “Maybe”.

I looked at her with a question in my eyes.

“I mean Samuel is a good man, goddesses might like him and not give him back to us” as she look at me.

Today is the twenty first year since Samuel went missing. Some people assumed that my feelings towards Samuel will fade away. They are wrong, until now I still love him and hoping that he will come back for me.

The beautiful sunset is already starting, the golden rays are starting to hide behind the clouds. The birds are starting to fly, this place is still my home, even though they turned this into a seaside park, baywalk. Not far away where I’m standing there are food tents. They have boiled corn, peanuts, balut, seafood, and many more. Grown-ups and children enjoying here.

I was about to walk away because the sun is fully set when I saw a child holding a basket. He was small, has brown skin and hair, he also has rubber bands on his wrist.

“Tamilok po!” he innocently offered.

I smile and look at his beautiful eyes “How much?” I said.

“Just twenty pesos ma’am” he kindly replied

“Give me two”

His small hands grabbed two plastics with the tamilok inside, he also grabbed vinegar with chilies. He gave it to me and I paid him one hundred pesos.

“Ma’am do you have smaller bills? You are the first one who bought to me” he said while scratching his head.

I smiled at him and said “Keep the change” and I walk away.