And the greatest of them all

Children have the most innocent smile of all. They smile to express their delight. A smile from a child is lovely to behold, a genuine of expression void of worldly malice.

Last time while I was walking along the street, I shot pictures of these kids selling fruits and vegetables on the pavement. I pitied these children who were forced to do labor for survival. Just like any other kids, they deserve to play and enjoy their childhood. They deserve shelter, proper clothes and decent meal. They deserve good education. However, because their parents are Aetas (natives in the Philippines), who were once forced to go down from the mountains due to Pinatubo eruption back in the early ‘90s, these children were brought to this kind of life in the city.

It breaks my heart to see them. Their future is so bleak unless the people or the government would revolunize the existing system that we have and really do something to help even the poorest of all poors. I was comforted however, that despite of their situation they can afford to smile as I was taking their pictures.

Paco Park

I finally got the chance to visit Paco Park with Belle. The place was so serene and quaint. I loved the walks on the pathways and enjoyed the cool morning breeze. My eyes wandered, appreciating this old place. Good thing I brought Nikki, my DSLR to take pictures of Belle accentuating this ancient place.

Paco Park is one of the historical landmark located within the city of Manila. It was originally planned as the municipality cemetery for the aristocrats during the Spanish era.

The cemetery is circular in shape. The niches were placed within the hollow walls. The top of the second outer walls were made into pathways for promenades. And a Roman Catholic Church dedicated to St. Pancratius was built inside the Park.

The remains of the national hero Dr. Jose Rizal was buried there. By the 1912, burials in the park were ceased and most of the remains were transferred.

During the Second World War, the Japanese forces used the park as an ammunition depot.

During the term of President Diosdado Macapagal in 1966, restoration was done and the park was converted as a national park.









To read more information about Paco Park, just visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paco_Park

Typhoon Ondoy

Typhoon Ondoy devastated almost the entire face of Metro Manila. Once again, this evident fury of nature have rendered thousand of lives helpless and made the rich and the poor equal.

September 26, 2009 – that was when the rain poured so hard. I thought the heavens had opened all their gates to let the water flow and submerge the earth.

I was with my friends having breakfast at Rack’s when it happened. We thought that it was going to stop. But it seems endless.

There was no point to wait for the rain to stop so I decided to go home. It was really a dilemma because there was rarely a public vehicle to take me to my place. There was a long queue of people waiting for their turn to ride.

I met Ryan who told me that we should walk from Edsa Central to Robinson Galleria. There we finally had a ride. Unfortunately, all public transportation halted in Rosario, Pasig because they couldn’t pass through the water.

The people have to wade through an almost waist-deep murky water.




And as I crossed the bridge over Pasig river, what I saw was a river rushing wildly. It was horrific seeing bubbling up and down the river drums, woods, uprooted trees and worst was seeing what I thought were roofs.



As I was nearing Lifehomes, the water was deep than what I expected. Buses and jeepneys were stuck at the bridge. A crowd was hoping something to happen – a miracle, perhaps. And I see people, mostly men swimming their way to cross to the footbridge. This is it! I won’t be able to go home.




I went back to Robinson Galleria. Thanks heaven that I have enough cash to purchase new set of clothes.

I thanked Mia and her family for their generosity, for letting me stay until the typhoon was over. As I was watching the news comfortably, my heart was left outside the rain. I felt so devastated to those people who lost their homes and to those who lost their loved ones.

What happened was really terrible.

(photos were all taken via mobile phone)

more stories: http://www.blogger.com/www.gmanews.tv/story/173406/ndcc-ondoy-damage-reaches-almost-p5b-deaths-now-at-246

For those who wish to donate for the victims, please visit http://www.kapusofoundation.com/

Avatar: The Last Airbender

I am so elated that a film was produced based on my favorite Nickelodeon animated series. I have seen the movie trailer when I watched GI Joe and though it is yet to be released by summer of 2010, I can't hide my excitement.



Aang is the charming protagonist of the story. He is the incarnation of the Avatar, the spirit of the planet manifested in human form. As an airbender, he has this unique ability to manipulate the air.




He has this task to put the 4 nations - Air, Water, Earth and Fire at peace. He also has to master the skills to manipulate all elements.

Visit the Official site and watched the movie trailer: http://www.thelastairbendermovie.com/%20

Cheaper Medicines

photo from http://www.doh.gov.ph/photogallery/displayimage.php?album=188&pos=3



GMA’s administration is not a total failure. I don’t want to be so antagonistic with her governance. Somehow, beyond all the commotion and controversies, I say that she is a hardworking president. This is just my opinion and I’m sure that a lot of people would protest on what I say.

I am not saying this because I wanted to make choose a stand between the government and the struggling masses. All I am saying is I would like to commend the government under Arroyo’s presidency for something worth commending.

Last July 28th, the president signed an executive order that imposed an across-the-board 50% price reduction on 5 essential medicines. The price reduction took effect last August 15. The issuance of the said executive order is the exercise of the mandate under the “cheaper medicines law”. The so-called law gives power to the president to impose the maximum retail price on selected essential medicines as per recommendation by the health secretary. As reported, pharmaceutical companies consented to reduce the prices of 16 other essential medicines which were found by DOH to be highly priced and volunteered to reduce 22 other medicines as well.

Since a free healthcare is far-fetched, I have to say that I find this move favorable. This addresses the immediate need of the ailing Filipinos. However, I have to point out as well that this is, as I have already said addresses the immediate need, therefore it is just a short-term relief. As what I have read, this program entails the importation of medicines from India. Looking at the bigger picture, we see the Philippines to be more and more dependent from other countries. The program doesn’t promote our own drug industry. Read the Health Alliance for Democracy for more information http://www.bulatlat.com/news/2-23/2-23-rey.html

But then again, I think that this initiative is good enough.

Just a dinner

President Arroyo and her entourage spent a P1million for one extravagant dinner in a fancy restaurant in New York. This enraged a lot of concerned citizen. How in the world could they ever spend that lavishly amidst the never-ending strife of the Filipinos.

Here is the picture of Le Cirque in New York where the presidential group was said to have eaten their $20,000 dinner.

photo copied from About.com



Whether it was paid by Leyte Rep. Romualdez or not, the point is they have spent much for it. It is an issue of delicadeza as Atty. Gaby pointed it out in Unang Hirit this morning.

It is so sad that these people who were entrusted to run our country do not set good example at this time of global economic crisis. They are trying to justify it by saying that they were celebrating the wedding anniversary of the president and also by saying that the delegates were hungry. Let them tell that to those hungry Filipinos. Their excuses are just so lame that I can’t help but raise an eyebrow.

As government officials, they are entitled to a respectable dinner but a million worth of dinner is unreasonable.

Malacaňang Palace refused to say sorry. Whether they asked for apology or not, the deed was already done. But this is an issue that people don’t normally get a way with. This for sure would mobilize critics, reformists or activists. This entails more discussions and disputes for the executive pork barrel. For 2007, P693 million was said to be the audited budget for presidential trips. And each year, that increases. Now, who would say that we don’t have money.

Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said that this is a propaganda to anger the people. They have said to occupy only two tables and ordered a “set” meal consisting of soup, salad, a main course, drinks and coffee or tea.

Here is the article posted last August 7 in NY Post by Richard Johnson:
The economic downturn hasn't persuaded everyone to pinch pennies. Philippines President Maria Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was at Le Cirque the other night with a large entourage enjoying the good life, even though the former comptroller of her country's armed serv ices, Carlos Garcia, was found guilty earlier this year of per jury and two of his sons were arrested in the US on bulk cash-smuggling charges. Maca pagal-Arroyo ordered several bottles of very expensive wine, pushing the dinner tab up to $20,000.
NY Post

The restaurant tab, purported copies of which have since circulated on blogs, showed that the Arroyo delegation had five servings of wild golden osetra caviar ($1,400), 11 bottles of Krug champagne ($5,610), and 25 orders each of the Chef’s Seasonal Menu and Tasting Menu (totaling $1,450 and $4,500 respectively), along with 17 other items.
Inquirer

Government officials need to be reminded once again that they are living in public scrutiny.

This is simply embarrassing and unacceptable.



photo from http://www.ellentordesillas.com/

Coffee lover

For the love of coffee, I decided to devote a little time to research and write something concise and comprehensive about it. This would take us to an understanding beyond that simple bliss from a cup of coffee concoction.



Coffee is a very well-known beverage worldwide. It is a beverage that comes from roasting the coffee beans and brewing it.

Because of its caffeine content, it has this stimulating effect to humans. This explains why we feel awaken or energized when we drink coffee.

Coffee drinking is said to have begun in the Muslim world. The Ethiopians were the first to have discovered and recognized the energizing effect of the coffee plant. Then from Ethiopia, coffee spread to Egypt and Yemen. But it was in Arabia where coffee beans were first roasted and brewed like how it is being done today. It became famous and had spread to Italy, to the rest of Europe, to America and to Indonesia. Due to proximity of Borneo and other Indonesian islands to Mindanao, coffee may have entered to the Philippines. Another route was through the Galleon trade and the Spanish friars who brought coffees from Europe.

Spanish friars was said to have came around 1750 in Lipa, Batangas. It is also in the same province where the first coffee trees were planted.


COFFEE PREPARATION

To create a coffee drink, coffee beans has to go through the process of roasting, grinding and brewing.

The types of grind are the Turkish grind which is the finest grind and the coffee percolator or French press is the coarsest grinds. The medium grind which is in between the extremes is used in most common home coffee brewing machines.

There are different methods on how to brew coffee: boiled, steeped or pressured.

Boiling coffee was the earliest method of brewing it. The Turkish coffee as an example is prepared by powdering the beans with mortar and pestle, then adding the powder to the water and bringing it in a boil. This actually produced a strong coffee drink with a layer of foam on the surface while sediments settle at the bottom. But through the invention of percolators or automatic coffeemakers, boiling coffee is made easier. In a coffeemaker, ground coffee is held in a filter made of paper or perforated metal while hot water drips unto it. In a percolator, boiling water is forced into a chamber above a filter by steam pressure created by boiling. The boiling water then passes downward to the ground coffee



Steeping coffee is done using French press or coffee press. Ground coffee and water are combined in a coffee press and left to brew for few minutes. A plunger is then depressed to separate the coffee grounds to let it remain at the bottom.

Pressured method is also known as the espresso method. Hot pressurized water is forced through the ground coffee. A well-prepared espresso has a reddish-brown foam called crema that floats on the surface.


COFFEE PRESENTATION

After brewing, coffee may be presented in a variety of ways depending on your preference of course.

Black coffee – Percolated or French-pressed coffee that is served with no additives or sugar or with milk, cream or both. It is called iced coffee when served cold.

Espresso-based coffee can be presented in a number of ways:




Café-Americano – a shot or two of espresso with hot water added









Café latte – steamed milk is added to the espresso







Cappuccino – with equal parts steamed milk and milk froth added







Café macchiato – with a dollop of hot foamed milk on top






Café Mocha – with foamed milk, steamed milk plus chocolate syrup to the espresso






A fancy way to present it is also to add a scoop of ice cream on top









reference:
Wikipedia
Figaro Coffee

Coffee and Me

credit: http://www.blogger.com/www.digitalbattle.com

There is no better way to start a day but with a cup of hot coffee. As for my case, I have a mug. I hold it tenderly, lovingly with both my hands, feeling its heat. I smelled its aroma and let it filled my senses. Then I take a sip, savoring its sweet and bitter taste. That is all it takes to wake me up and start the day right.

I’m pretty sure you can relate to that. The experience isn’t that poetic as I narrated it to be which I did simply for literary sake. But that simple moment of drinking coffee is a joy.

I drink four cups of coffee at most in a day. More than that, it seems my stomach couldn’t tolerate it. I would experience hyperacidity. But to some people I know, four cups is a minimum. A close friend of mine could even drink as much as eight cups a day. The moment he wakes up, he would grab a cup of coffee. I think he even drinks one before he sleeps. It amazes me. All along I thought coffee is to be blamed for sleeping problems.

One episode of The Doctor’s TV featured a woman who could drink around 22 cups of coffee. She drinks it either hot or cold. She admitted to be hyperactive but other than that she seems to be fine. Nevertheless, according to the doctors, that was excessive and was advised to cut it at least into half.

At the office, my colleagues would often meet at the pantry to get some coffee. Some would like it black, other would be latte while I sometimes would bring powdered chocolate drink and mixed it up with the coffee. With that, I get to have a little chitchat with them while preparing our own coffee.



After work, me and my friends would sometimes decide to relax a bit, or do some catching up over coffee. Starbucks is usually the place to go. Second choice would be Coffee Bean.



It’s probably gone unnoticed but coffee is part of our daily lives. And sometimes, the best time of the day happened over coffee.

Intramuros

Intramuros is the walled city in Manila , Philippines which literally translates as “intra muros” in Latin for “within the walls” meaning within the wall enclosure of the city/fortress. During the Spanish colonial period, it used to be Manila itself.



Intramuros was constructed during the time of López de Legazpi who was the first governor general. It served as the center of political, military and religious power of the Spaniards during the time that the Philippines was a colony of Spain . It was almost in total ruin during World War II when Japanese came in. The only structure that had survived was the San Agustin Church

It was through the direction of Imelda Marcos in 1980’s that the city was restructured. Intramuros is the only district in Manila where old Spanish-era influences were retained.

Present Intramuros houses institutions and other establishments. For instance, the former Santo Domingo Church is now the Bank of the Philippine Islands; San Nicolas de Tolentino now the Manila Bulletin Building; Chapel of the Third Venerable Order now Mapua Chapel; Beaterio-Colegio de Sta. Catalina now is Letran Elementary School;
Palacio de Sta. Potenciana now the Philippine Red Cross and Universidad Maximo de San Ignacio now Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila. Others remain as ruins like Ayuntamiento and San Ignacio Church

I and my friends visited this nostalgic place. It felt like we have stepped through another time. It's so amazing to realize that such place still exists amidst the busy Manila.



an entrance to the old city



Manila Cathedral


old buildings


coffee shop


calesa


golf course


Baluarte de San Diego Intramuros Manila


Baluarte de San Diego Intramuros Manila


Baluarte de San Diego Intramuros Manila


grassy plain


lover's delight


reference:

http://www.philippinecountry.com/philippine_tourist_spot/intramuros.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intramuros,_Manila

Trek to Candaba Swamp

The Candaba Swamp is the sanctuary and breeding site of migratory birds during winter season in the other parts of the world like China and Siberia. According to studies around 17,000 birds of 80 different species flock in this area. Bird watching has become a tourist attraction.

Candaba is a town in Pampanga known for its farmlands. It is known for its watermelons, tilapia and duck eggs.

reference:
http://www.geocities.com/mun_of_candaba/introduction.htm
http://www.asianjournal.com/data/PDF/2008_LA/2008_01_16/2008_LA_01_16_Sec-Ap%203.pdf


For 2 consecutive weeks, my Inbox was flooded with email exchanges entitled "Bird Shooting in Candaba Swamp" and "Don't touch my (Candaba) birdies". It was difficult for us to agree on a certain schedule because of our work. I even had to file a vacation leave just to join the group.

The day came. It was bird-shooting day!

I met Jervis, Marlon and Glenn at around 6am in Angeles City. We were way behind our schedule. Thanks to me! We met the rest of the guys (Kups, Evan and Joel) in San Fernando. We managed to have breakfast first and few laughs before we proceed.



From San Fernando, we took a jeepney to Sta Ana, and from Sta Ana we took a tricycle going to Candaba. There was actually a simpler route and that is to take one jeepney-ride from San Fernando to Candaba. We haven't realize that until we arrived in Sta Ana.



We were quite apprehended when we reached Candaba. The entire town seems to be flooded and we thought we would just have to go back. The town folks referred us to a man who owned a boat that could take us to the swamp. It was really impossible to walk since the water was deep. We paid him Php2,500.









It took us 45 minutes to reach the swamp. We were half-burnt, I felt I was half-alive. My SPF 30 sunblock wasn’t sufficient. The worst thing was, there were few birds. The guys however were able to capture nice pictures though.





Surprisingly there was a house amidst the marshes. To get there, we have to walk barefoot. I was a bit hesitant because I fear that there were snakes lurking in the grasses or there might be some unknown creatures that would bite my feet.





We stayed and rested in the shade and took more pictures. The air was cool. It was ideal for an escape from the city’s turmoil.





After resting, we decided that it was time to leave. We were so hungry then. It took us another 45minutes or so for the boat trip. We didn’t mind our soiled feet. We were smiling happily.