..The Cascade of Sheer Beauty
"To know the truth of history is to realize its ultimate myth and inevitable ambiguity." - Roy P. Basler
The most popular yarn about how Tago got its name involves three Tagon-on women hiding from unseen enemy soldiers on a cloudy Tuesday, six full moons after the First World War broke out. Just as they were about to enter their hideaway, an American soldier emerged from a bamboo clump, holding a rifle with his right hand and three limp roosters with his left. When he asked them what the name of the place was, the women, who didn’t speak English, thought he was asking them what they were doing. And so they chorused, “Yag Tago (we’re hiding).”
So, let's take a look on the hidden places of interest of the Tagon-ons. :)
Cagpangi Falls
"It's not majestic. It's not breathtaking. But Cagpangi Falls enthralls just the same."
One caveat though: Because Cagpangi Falls is nestled right at the very heart of Barangay Cagpangi's primeval forest, it is far from the highway and tourists have to walk because no motor vehicle is good enough to negotiate the rugged terrain. But if you're a wholesome thrill seeker whose mantra is to commune with nature, conquering Cagpangi Falls can be an enjoyable trek.
Metaphoric of the Town of Tago, the Cagpangi Falls is a surging cascade of sheer beauty. Painstakingly carved by nature, it gushes out mirror-like water that becomes a psychedelic canvas as it captures the blue skies, lush greens and exotic blooms.
But more than anything else, it's a perfect sanctuary where the melodies twitted by birds blend beautifully with the swish-swash of leaves and the soothing sounds of cascading waters.
The Cagpangi Falls, at least for now, offers no amenities like cottages and tables. You cannot buy anything there except time; you cannot take anything but pictures and you pay nothing but respect for nature. In short it's free! And aren't the best things in life free?
La Purisima Parish Church & Town Plaza
After all these years, La Purisima Parish Church does not only inspire devotion and piety but appreciation for man-made beauty.
The Tago Town Plaza, while begging for upkeep, can still take one's breath away as it continues to evoke mysticism and nostalgia.
Habal-Habal
Can you imagine your life with habal-habal as the primary transportation in your every day?
Probably, some can't live with it.
But for us, Tagon-ons, it's our way of life. It's amazing how it resembles that we can be happy with simple things. That in order to go on with this ever-changing world, we should hold on tight.
Thus, Tagon-ons view Tago not just a Cascade of Sheer Beauty but their only HOME.
And like them, I'VE CHOSEN TO STAY.
HAPPINESS: destiny or choice?
"Are you truly happy? Do you even know what it means to be happy and what it takes to achieve happiness?"
These are important questions for anyone who is seeking happiness to ask themselves. I live my life to maintain my own happiness while trying my best to not cause unhappiness to anyone else. If you want to be happy, you need to understand that you can be happy and that you should be happy. Many people make the mistake of believing that they don’t deserve happiness and accept their unhappy state as their destiny. The truth of the matter is that happiness, like anything else in life, needs to be nurtured.
So, here's my choice of happiness:
- Connection to Others -- 'at the very heart of your being' Make a list of friends you haven't contacted in a while but you would like to, and call them.
- Autonomy -- 'a feeling of independence and a sense of being in control' Go to as many establishments as possible and strike up a conversation with the service people.
- Self-Esteem -- 'a function of how you perceive others view you' Catch yourself every time you make a self-deprecating comment.
- Competence -- 'relates to how effective you feel you are' Ask the people in your life to tell you when they think you've done something well.
- Purpose -- 'fulfillment and meaning throughout your life' Ask your friends and acquaintances to describe what they see as their purpose beyond making money or caring for others.
- Connection to Your Body -- 'vital to our complete sense of self' Throw out all your magazines that feature impossibly perfect-looking men/women on the covers.
- Connection to Nature -- 'its permanence, its beauty and power' Walk in a park or other natural area for twenty minutes each day. Pat at least one dog and talk to its owner.
- Spirituality -- 'a powerful weapon against depression' Make a list of all the things you believe in that give you comfort.
Happiness is hard to define but most people are aware of whether they are happy or not. Many people believe that happiness is a form of luck and that some people are destined to be happy while others are destined to be unhappy.
But actually, happiness is just a matter of CHOICE. Be happy! :)
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